#like a mystery is fun WHEN YOU'RE PICKING UP CLUES

[spooky-space-kook]

Hi, hey, hello.

If you have a partner who's very bad at math and tactical thinking? Please don't make them play a game that's literally just that. That's, like, billed as challenging for people who are into that sort of thing. Please don't do that.

[tarotwithavi]

Your first date with your future spouse/partner 🕊️💗

Pick a picture

Piles: from left to right

How to choose a pile?

Take a deep breath and gently close your eyes. Politely request your spirit guides to reveal the appropriate pile meant for you, then open your eyes. Whichever pile captures your attention is the one meant for you.

Masterlist

Paid services

Pile 1

Your date with them

As you enter the escape room venue, the excitement is palpable. The lobby is buzzing with chatter and anticipation. You're grinning from ear to ear, eager to tackle the challenge ahead. Meanwhile, your future spouse's smile is a bit more hesitant, their eyes darting around the room nervously. The staff explains the rules, and you're all in. You can't wait to get started, but you notice your partner's grip on your hand tightens slightly as you step into the dimly lit, mysterious room. It's a themed room, perhaps a haunted mansion or a creepy laboratory, and the ambiance is spot-on. You dive right into the puzzles, searching for clues and solving riddles. Your adrenaline is pumping, and you're loving every minute of it. You're the one encouraging your partner, reassuring them that it's all in good fun, even though their heart might be racing a bit faster. As you progress through the room, you notice your partner's apprehension slowly giving way to curiosity. They start to engage more, tentatively offering suggestions and helping to crack the codes. It's a real team effort. The tension rises, and there are moments when your partner jumps at unexpected sounds or shadows. You can't help but chuckle and give them a reassuring pat on the back. But deep down, you appreciate their willingness to step out of their comfort zone for this date. Finally, as the clock counts down, you solve the last puzzle and unlock the door to freedom. Your partner lets out a sigh of relief, but there's also a sense of accomplishment in their eyes. You may have been the excited one at the start, but you both share a unique bond now, a thrilling adventure that pushed your partner's boundaries and brought you closer together. Afterwards, over a cozy dinner, you talk about the unforgettable experience, and you can't help but admire your partner's courage and how they conquered their initial fears. It's a date filled with excitement, laughter, and a touch of fear, making it a memorable adventure that you both won't soon forget.

(They seem strong but they aren't, they're like a kid)

Pile 2

Your date with them

You're getting ready for a date night. You're feeling excited as you put the finishing touches on your makeup and slip into that little black dress that always makes you feel confident. Your heart flutters with anticipation as you hear a car pull up outside your house. You head to the front door, and there they are, standing tall and handsome, a bouquet of your favorite flowers in their hand and a charming smile on their face. They're dressed in a crisp button-down shirt and slacks, looking like they just stepped out of a romantic movie. As you step out, they compliment you, saying how stunning you look, and offer you the bouquet. Blushing, you thank them and feel like you're on cloud nine. They open the car door for you, a small gesture that makes you feel cherished, and you slip into the passenger seat. As you drive to the restaurant, they engage you in easy conversation, asking about your day and sharing funny stories from their own. The radio plays your favorite song, and they turn it up, making you smile as you both sing along. Arriving at the restaurant, they park the car and come around to open your door once again. Inside, the ambiance is warm and inviting, with soft candlelight and soft music playing in the background. They pull out your chair and wait for you to sit down before taking their own seat. Throughout the evening, they're attentive, making sure your glass is never empty and making you laugh with their witty jokes. As you savor a delicious meal together, time seems to fly by. After dinner, they suggest taking a stroll along a nearby park, hand in hand. You agree, enjoying the gentle breeze and the sound of your footsteps on the pavement. It's a simple, perfect moment that feels like it's straight out of a romance novel. As they walk you back to your doorstep, they lean in for a goodnight kiss, and you can't help but feel that this date has been absolutely magical. You say goodnight with a flutter in your heart, looking forward to the next time you'll see them.

(Their love language is quality time)

Pile 3

Your date with them

Life had been a whirlwind lately, with work deadlines and daily routines taking up most of your time. You and your partner missed the creative spark that had initially brought you together. So, one evening, you both decided to rekindle that artistic flame by signing up for an art class. The day arrives, and you find yourselves standing outside the cozy art studio. Your heartbeats quicken with a mix of nervousness and excitement. You exchange reassuring glances and step inside. The studio is filled with the smell of paint and the soft hum of background music. Canvases, easels, and an array of colorful paints await your creative touch. The instructor, a friendly and patient artist, welcomes you warmly. Their passion for art is contagious, putting you at ease. They explain the basics and guide you through the first steps, showing you how to mix colors and handle brushes. Your partner's laughter rings out as they accidentally squeeze too much paint onto their palette, and you join in, breaking the initial tension. As the class progresses, you both dive into the process, getting lost in the strokes and colors. You sneak peeks at your partner's canvas, amazed at how their unique style starts to emerge. They experiment with bold, vibrant hues, while you focus on capturing subtle details. You realize that art isn't just about creating pictures; it's about expressing yourselves and seeing the world through each other's eyes. Amidst the creative chaos, you share tips and encouragement, celebrating the small victories like getting a difficult shading just right or mixing the perfect shade of blue. It's a journey of self-discovery and connection as you explore the depths of your creativity together. As the class comes to an end, you step back to admire your masterpieces. They may not be perfect, but they're a testament to the fun and growth you've experienced together. Walking out of the studio hand in hand, you both feel a newfound love for art and, most importantly, a deep sense of reconnection that will stay with you long after the paint has dried.

(You may meet them from work)

Pile 4

Your date with them

You and your future have been planning a cozy movie date night for a while. It's a crisp autumn evening, and the two of you decide to make the most of it. You both snuggle up on the couch, surrounded by soft blankets and a sea of comfy pillows. You're excited because tonight's movie is your choice, and you've been raving about it for weeks. You can't help but feel a little thrill of anticipation as you press play. The room darkens, and the opening credits roll, and your partner wraps an arm around you, pulling you close. As the movie unfolds, you steal glances at each other during the funny parts, sharing those quiet giggles and inside jokes that only you two understand. When the plot takes an unexpected twist, you gasp in unison, and your hands instinctively find each other, fingers entwined. Halfway through, you take a break to raid the snack stash you prepared earlier. Popcorn, candy, and maybe even some chocolate-covered strawberries , it's a treat-yourself kind of night. You feed each other bites of popcorn, laughing when a kernel accidentally flies across the room. The movie's climax has you both on the edge of your seats, hearts pounding. You exchange knowing looks, silently rooting for the hero to prevail. The tension builds, and you find yourself clutching their hand a little tighter. By the time the credits roll, you're both emotionally invested and thoroughly entertained. You turn to your future spouse, eyes still sparkling from the movie's magic, and share a loving smile. It's moments like these, simple yet intimate, that make your relationship so special. With the movie date over, you decide to stay cuddled on the couch for a while longer, relishing in the warmth of each other's company. As you both drift off to sleep, you can't help but feel grateful for these cherished moments together, and you look forward to many more movie nights in your future.

(They are an introvert)

[serve-corps]

Haruhi x RICH reader part two

The club confronts the reader and you show that you're dating <3 part one here part 1

Haruhi awoke in her bed, groggy but conscious. blinking away the sleep in her eyes and rolling over to slam her hand (not really, she couldn't afford to break one) on her alarm clock as it wouldn't shut up. that was her school alarm!-

shooting up from her bed in fear, noticing the time, and running to her wardrobe, pulling out her male uniform only for her to walk past a calendar. Saturday-

oh...

she sat down on the bed she just shot up from and left in a mess. there was a weekend of freedom from not only a daunting school but also a very nosey host club.

Haruhi was trying to emotionally build herself up to deal with the prissy prince of the school who will 100% have a meltdown when she goes into detail on how she's now a 'girl kisser'.

a bit like how Tamaki just casually said to the twins, "You're the homosexual supporting cast", that started a whole fiasco last time.

staring into space for a solid five minutes, she thinks of ways she can dodge the question of how the fuck she's going to explain ditching school yesterday because some mystery girl was waiting for her in a very nice-looking car and they sped off.

yay. this'll be fun.

'meh, that's future Me's problem' She shrugged her shoulders as she walked to the kitchen after leaving her bedroom, only for her phone to buzz softly on the table where she left it to charge overnight.

see, she didn't have a socket/power outlet in her bedroom so she resulted in suffering without her phone for the night. how she does it without going insane? I have no clue.

she picked up the buzzing flip phone to see your familiar number flashing on her screen, a smile popped up on her face as she answered extremely quickly.

"hey daffodil!" your voice chimed in over the phone.

"hello (y/n) I'm shocked you're up this early"

"Well, my girlfriend's an early riser! I gotta give her a good morning call!"

"Are you sure that's all?" she said sarcastically as Haruhi rested her phone on the kitchen table/counter and she turned on the stove, preparing to cook herself and her dad some breakfast, bacon, and eggs, simple enough. cracking the eggs into the pan; she noticed how you were silent for a while, not a good sign.

" *sigh* I'm sorry daffodil...but I'm not gonna be able to reach you for this weekend...meetings n shit. not to mention my normal tutoring...I need to keep this up but I'll make it up to you Monday, sweetheart!"

you rambled as you tried apologising for having a busy life that took up most of your free time but Haruhi waited for you to finish your muttered apologies with a soft smile, gazing at her phone.

"no don't worry, I get it. you have a job and a school life, you can't ditch them anymore for me than you have already."

"but I can call in sick!-"

"you will not be doing that." she cut you off, snarkily; making sure you got the memo of you're already balls deep in sick days so it would harm your report card if you had any more.

a little huff came out of Haruhi's side of the phone, letting her know you were pouting and bitching. it made her smile hearing how you were willing to ruin your report for her but she knew it should have never come to that.

suddenly another voice came through your side of the phone which made Haruhi perk up a bit, also hearing some footsteps come from down her hall as well.

"master (y/n), you need to head to your weekend classes. your chauffeur is waiting by the gate."

a snappy sigh left your mouth as you nodded, turning back to your phone and muttering over and over to Haruhi how you're sorry and love her.

"I'm so sorry daffodil, ill message you when I can-"

"you will not be doing that ma'am." the butler's voice interrupted you, knowing you would try to text during class. this made Haruhi let out a small giggle.

"It's okay, strawberry. make sure you actually pay attention and I love you too.-" The call cut off but she took a gamble thinking the butler must have snatched the phone and snapped it shut. rude.

Haruhi snapped her head to the door that opened; showing her stubbled long haired father who looked almost dead.

"morning Dad." just another morning for the Fujioka household.

the weekend went by scarily quickly even though Haruhi wanted it to last an eternity. knowing her fate when she got back to school, the host club was ready to pounce like the predators they were.

she awoke on a Monday this time; to her alarm blaring in her ear, starting her day with either an earache or an attitude.

she shut it off with a stretch only to hear her phone once more in the kitchen but it was the individual notification sound she gave you.

well, there goes the bad attitude, you fixed it even though you didn't even try.

she got up with a bit more spark and ran to her phone, almost running into the door in the process.

she smiled as she walked back into her room after picking up her phone and looking at your message.

"mornib daffodil"

autocorrect is still off she can see. She sent you a gif of the Roblox wave which you read and just replied,

"..."

"don't do that again."

the one time your spelling was perfect was with pure disappointment in your message. She giggled a bit and deleted the gif from her phone entirely and sent a thumbs-up emoji.

she got changed into her dreaded uniform with a smile on her face despite knowing her doom for the day is coming sooner than she hoped. praying to whatever god was out there that her beautiful girlfriend would save her from not only Tamaki-sempai but also the twins and Kyoya's incessant prying.

she grabbed her bag and headed out the door, walking to her school, Ouran Academy while looking at her phone with a small smile as you message other pointless things about your weekend that were just plain stupid but entertaining, bitching about all of your classmates.

just as she was about to close her phone, you sent one final message to the cross dressing girl

"oh yeh dont forget bbg that im coming to your school, just gunna show up for your lunch and after school club muah! wanna see your line of work ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ"

she froze as she read over that message but as she went to protest, you went offline, this wasn't up for negotiation. you were going to make sure her line of work shouldn't make you, her girlfriend; worry.

awe shit.

she went along with her day, avoiding any questions from the twins pestering her,

"Haruhi! you haven't told us who that person was!"

"yeah Haruhi, are they your girlfriend or something?"

she stood up and left as some girls' heads snapped in their direction, mostly Haruhi's clients. She bolted out of there not without giving the twins a solid glair or two before slamming the door behind her anyway.

this was now a class free of host club members. she let out a sigh of relief only for her world to brighten a bit more when her phone lit up, she flipped it open to see you sent a picture of chocolate covered strawberries and with a message underneath,

"all for you! <3"

some heads turned at the sound of something falling, it was just Haruhi's head slamming into the table, she received weird looks but all she thought about was her stomach and how great her girlfriend is.

It was better they saw the weirdness and not the goofy smile and red face because god, she was never like this in school before. She regrets opening her phone as the little things get her the most.

the class commenced as the teacher walked in and told everyone to take their seats, her mind was elsewhere however, absentmindedly looking out the window, excited and scoping out her girlfriend's car as lunch was after this.

"Fujioka, as you are so relaxed in my lesson, Where is the world's largest waterfall, located?" the teacher said with such snark, wholeheartedly believing a commoner wouldn't know such information on geography.

being the fucking scholar she is, she didn't even look at the teacher and just said clearly, "Angel Falls is located in Venezuela's Bolívar State, in the Guiana Highlands, on the Churún River, 160 miles southeast of Ciudad Bolívar."

despite not looking at the teacher, this pissed them off more. "Fujioka, do you want a lunch detention for attitude?" the growl was evident in their voice.

"not really sensei, I apologise for my rudeness." she stood up and bowed, exaggerating to please the teacher, students were covering their mouths trying to not laugh at the teacher for being shown up and being completely in the wrong while some others were fantasizing about Haruhi.

the teacher growled and reluctantly continued with the lesson. an hour flew by and the bell went signalling lunch, however, when everyone was packing up their stuff, Haruhi bolted out as she had pre-packed up all of her things and just grabbed her bag and ran.

she 'jogged' past students in the hallway to the front of the dining hall, seeing someone in a cap and sunglasses and all black baggy clothes, a hoodie and sweat pants, hair all hidden in the cap.

100% had to be her. She ran a bit quicker only to tackle them and they stumbled a bit, only for them to wrap their arms around Haruhi and swing them around a bit in a hug.

Haruhi grabbed their hands and pushed them towards a free seat where she normally sits.

she sat you down and looked at you expectantly and just...kept staring at you. you leaned backward as she kept staring, feeling like she was judging you, only for it to click a second later that she wanted those chocolate strawberries!

you handed her a medium-sized box full of delicious treats and she beamed, almost as much as she did with the 'fancy tuna' you gave her. the host club watched from afar in surprise as Haruhi was swindled by something sweet for once. Tamaki was crying as he saw his little girl with supposedly her girlfriend.

however, most girls were glaring at the mysterious stranger who barged into their school, stealing their Haruhi.

jokes on then, she's yours.

Haruhi was barely as involved in any conversations with clients or the club compared to the conversation you two were having, she was actually laughing and smiling, acting as though she was a child with her closest friend.

someone in a butler uniform walked up to the two of you, catching all the onlookers off guard and the butler placed two dishes in front of you both, you bowed multiple times to the butler and handed them some money for the food, you didn't ask for it so it was out of kindness.

you handed your girlfriend a pair of chopsticks and gave her one of the plates, chatting while eating. not very polite I know.

soon enough, the lunch bell rang, and people were either glaring at you or observing you the entire time. that included the host club.

the rest of the lessons for the day flew by as Haruhi was in a more pleasant mood than before, seeing her girlfriend after two days of not seeing her. The entire school noticed at least.

the final bell rang for the day, letting everyone know it was either time to pack their shit and go home or it was time to head to their clubs and leave the teachers alone. she packed up slowly, knowing that her girlfriend would be here soon, another date probably, that's what you always surprise her with.

she walked to the host club with a calm pace, walking through the doors unnoticed by the club members and started on making some instant coffee.

her 'cover' was blown when a customer requested Haruhi and so she sat down on one of the chairs, offering a coffee to the girl. the members only just then noticed Haruhi's presents.

Tamaki started bombarding her about who was that beastly stranger who interrupted his time as the host's father which made Haruhi wince and wait until all clients were cared for and satisfied.

that took another half an hour until it was just the hosts in the room. the room felt suffocating to the girl however she condemned herself to stay silent.

"Anything I say can and will be used in the court of law against me." she crossed her arms and leaned back, solidly not going to say jack-shit.

the hosts shared a glance then all snapped their necks to kyoya, giving him either a sharp nod or a glair, perhaps both. the black haired boy with glasses sighed as he pushed up his said glasses with his pen.

"Haruhi. we'll lower your debt by half."

"my girlfriend." she said with no hesitation what-so-ever.

the hosts all shouted in unison, minus kyoya and Mori.

"WHHHAAATTTTT??"

Haruhi just shrugged; looking at kyoya solidly without blinking. he sighed and seemingly drew a line in his book and if crossing something out, writing a different number underneath.

the hosts start bombarding her with questions such as, When did you get a girlfriend?' 'where did you meet?' 'who is she?' and a 'WHO DARES TAKE MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER FROM ME!?" we all know who said that.

just as she was about to answer them all, her phone let out a notification. your notification. She perked up and grabbed her phone quickly and flipped it open, seeing your message.

just as she was about to read it, Tamaki snatched it from her hands. "DON'T YOU KNOW IT'S RUDE TO IGNORE PEOPLE?!" he whinged as he dangled the phone out of her reach, almost teasing her for her height.

"stop it Tamaki sempai! That's her!" Haruhi raised her voice in annoyance, she wanted to see what you wanted.

Mori snatched the phone out of Tamaki's hands and was about to hand it back to the girl who was shouting for once, shocking all in the room, including kyoya for she's always been calm-headed. however, just as he was about to hand it to her, he read the message. pausing for a minute.

"hey daffodilllllll imma find ur club and show up okay? wat room u in??"

he flicked his eyes at Haruhi who was glaring and smirked at her, the nickname daffodil suited her. a very pretty yellow flower.

he typed back a response on her phone, making Haruhi fume as she never thought a guy such as Mori could be so disrespectful but I guess even angles can mock people.

he handed her phone back to her and she snatched it from him, "I'm in the third music room, ask around for directions"

she looked at the phone in worry, damn, if she shows up then you'll try to pay for her debt up front or worse, become a host or something. she bit her nail in worry as she heard knocking on the door.

honey opened the door with his cutesy smile and said to the girl outside, "I'm sorry miss! But the host club is closed now!" the girl chuckled and patted the boy's head.

"Don't worry cutie, I'm not here for the host club."

Haruhi shot out of her seat at that voice, that quick?

"daffodil...." the girl's voice came out eerie as she squeezed past the short 18 year old.

"Honey, let her in, this is the girl that Haruhi likes." mori said plainly as Haruhi's cheeks pinkened a little at the casual tone.

"(y/n) (l/n). seventeen years of age, the owner of her own private extremely wealthy business that is still as flourishing as it's beginning. has school on the weekends and often leaves Japan for business trips. originally from (your country) and known as the self-made genius billionaire." kyoya debriefed everyone in the room about the girl who just entered, only for his face to contort into a smug grin while staring at you dead in the eyes, as if it was a threat.

you looked him up and down nonchalantly and squinted.

"kyoya Ootori. the youngest of the Ootori siblings so seen as practically worthless. you try desperately to prove yourself to your father only for it to be a fruitless attempt as you will always amount to nothing. the youngest Ootori is known to use and objectify everything around him, some refer to him as a narcissist or just a manipulator. even though he's known to keep his guard around his family and his supposed closest friend. Tamaki Suo. oh, you're family is known for owning a police force, working in health and social care-

how's that buttercup?"

you said sassily as kyoya dropped his pen, not before snapping it in anger. you smirked and walked up to our girlfriend, grabbing her hand and twirling her.

kyoya scowled and looked away, you put him in a cramped box there, he wasn't expecting you to do your research on the club members.

honey was a dream to talk to, he kept calling you and 'Haru-Chan' cute while this tall stoic man with black hair you later learned was Mori who messaged you in Haruhi's place.

soon enough, the blonde in the room couldn't keep it contained anymore, he was pissed about how Haruhi was taken, he wanted this wrapped up and sorted out asap.

he stormed over to the two of you, looking at you while grabbing your shoulders aggressively; shaking you backward and forward multiple times, almost trying to be mean.

"HOW DARE YOU DATE MY HARUHI?!" all you did was annoyingly look to the side and roll your eyes, Haruhi just sweat dropped, much like the other host members. this somehow irked Tamaki even more so he turned serious. he wasn't happy about this dating business.

"Are you sure you want to date someone as deceptive as Haruhi?!" this perked your interest, your eyes snapping to meet his, he smirked at this while Haruhi's mood turned sour very quickly, she looked at you and all you did was look at her.

"HE is actually a SHE! how could you date a woman?!"

the entire room went silent at this, your face looking like one of horror while everyone else in the room was shocked, mori was slightly disgusted with Tamaki but Haruhi...oh Haruhi....she was pissed as could be. if you listened closely you could hear her teeth grinding and almost a growl leave her throat.

Tamaki let go of your shoulders, seeing as you were shocked enough, your breath started hitching, making Haruhi concerned as well as Honey and Kaoru. this was really getting to you so it seemed. kyoya however, closed his little death note and crossed his arms, intently watching your lips tremble.

your lips quivered, trying not to turn, your breathing coming out of your nose in puffs. you bit your lip, turning slightly to the side and screwing your eyes shut. your lips gradually pulled into a grin as you tried to suppress it.

you covered your mouth, trying to hide your grin as you started wheezing slightly, masking it for crying but in all reality, you leaned over, trying to not be noticed for laughing. kyoya smiled however and picked his book back up and continued writing in his book.

'(y/n) (l/n). also a very renowned actor. fooled even me.' written in his handwriting.

Haruhi caught on and let out a relieved sigh that you didn't ruin your makeup with your fake crying, and started smiling with you.

you walked towards her in a limp and used her shoulder as a balance, uncovering your mouth, letting your laugh bellow out of your mouth.

you could hear a pin drop in the room if it wasn't for your laughter which echoed around the walls. you wiped a 'tear' from your eye and stood up straight, still slightly giggling. you coughed to fix your voice and quickly kissed Haruhi's lips, it shocked her but she kissed back. you turned to the shocked blonde and glared with menace.

"you think I would care?" you walked slowly towards Tamaki, in a threatening way, he felt scared almost. as though you were about to beat him up, looking around for help at the other host members, they were either looking at him disappointingly or looking away. Haruhi was just giving him a hard, stern glare.

"I've known Haruhi from middle school. we started DATING in middle school. before she got her hair cut. if you were listening to my answers to the questions thrown my way and not interrupted, we could have slipped this. but what you just did was wrong. really. fucking. wrong." you growled out as you got closer. finally backing off from him while he had crocodile tears in his eyes.

Hikaru and Kaoru spoke up for once, "Yeah boss. You just tried to get her to break up with Haruhi. That's something not even we would do." they said in their normal teasing voice.

"I'm not sharing my cake with you anymore..." Honey said quietly, turning away.

In a flash, Tamaki was on his knees; bowing to Haruhi screaming his apologies over and over.

the club ended with you accepting his apology but not talking to him, most host club members were a bit off-put but spoke to him as well. Haruhi still held a grudge but that was perfectly fine.

you grabbed her hand and strode out the door with her in tow.

"where are we going?" asked Haruhi who was perplexed, trying to catch up to you.

"your house? I brought some gifts for your birthday!"

"WHAT? But you already had two piled sent to my door?!" she shouted, annoyed but grateful, trying to not accept any more.

"yeah well, that was when I 'wasn't' around. now I am!"

all you heard was a sigh in response, one of admittance and just going with the flow. you grinned and drove her home.

leaving the host club with a polite bow, them smiling at you as you left.

"I approve! They're so cute!" shouted Honey, Mori just nodded along with him while the twins chimed in, "Us too! She's actually pretty nice!", "weirdly enough we thought Haruhi was gunna date someone equally as weird as her but eh"

kyoya spoke up, "She could massively aid the host club with more funding than any of us could. she could also eradicate us just as easily"

Tamaki froze in shock, his smile almost falling straight off of his face. but it got worse,

"she could have easily paid off Haruhi's debt with the snap of her fingers, it'd be like chucking a penny into the street for her."

Tamaki fell to his knee's, again, it got worse when the twins tuned in once more,

"our guess is that she wanted to see what friends we were to Haruhi, and if she should stay in this school or something" the twins shrugged their shoulders, but knowingly adding fuel to the flame of Tamaki's shame.

as you opened the door of the car for Haruhi to go in first, all you heard across the campus was a girlish voice scream,

"I'M SORRRYYYYYYYYYY!!!!" both you and Haruhi looked at each other, and you snickered as she burst into laughter.

you drove back holding hands and just casually watched a film at her place, you could tell she was worried about this because as soon as the stress of the whole ordeal left her body, her head was nodding off to the side and she'd shake herself awake again.

you grabbed her waist and pulled her to you, not even a second after you did, she fell asleep on your shoulder. the movie was still playing as background noise, you stroked her hair and a ghost of a smile appeared on her face.

"you've got a good set of friends love... I'm glad...." you kissed the side of her head and mumbled, "I love you so much..." as you slowly drifted off to sleep yourself.

AND THAT'S A WRAP.

[toournextadventure]

Hi, don't know if you're still accepting requests. But if you are I have a really long one.

I was thinking about a Wednesday Addams x fem psychic reader (possibly masc), where the reader is like an investigation partner for Wednesday. (I don't know if you want to give some more backstory)

The reader is obviously crushing hard on Wednesday and compliments her, in very Addams way, every chance she gets. And when it's time for Rave'n, the reader just says fuck it and asks Wednesday. And they're matching (all black obviously).

So when it starts raining blood and everyone starts screaming, the reader puts on a waltzer (midnight waltz, Adam Hurst) and asks Wednesday to dance like:

"May I have this dance, cara mia?"

And they just waltz in the bloody ballroom.

It would really make my gay heart happy, thank you in advance.

I gotchu bestie, don't even worry about it 😎

the show must go on

“You look preposterously gloomy,” you said when Wednesday finally stopped looking for more clues about the Hyde. “It suits you.”

This whole Hyde thing was really starting to wear Wednesday down, you could tell. Weeks and weeks of trying to figure out the mystery and she still wasn’t much closer to figuring it out. You had offered your assistance instantly, of course, but two minds most certainly were not better than one.

At least it gave you an excuse to flirt. Which you may have learned from her father on Parents’ Weekend. After he had gotten out of jail. Maybe you needed a better role model.

“We can keep an eye on the cave tomorrow night,” Wednesday said with a huff. You knew she didn’t take defeat well, but this was starting to get downright comical.

“Tomorrow night is the Rave’N,” you pointed out when you followed behind her on your way out of the woods.

She didn’t answer, leading you to let out your own huff. You had wanted to do this with some sort of dignity, but it appeared she wasn’t going to let you. Why would she, you thought with a roll of your eyes. She wouldn’t be Wednesday Addams if she gave you an easy time.

“The Hyde has to appear at some point,” Wednesday finally said as you neared campus. “And I plan on being there when it does.”

“I doubt it would show during the Rave’N,” you mumbled. Wednesday either didn’t hear you, or didn’t care. “We might as well do something that would make us miserable.”

Now that made the young Addams pull up short. With minimal effort at best, you suppressed a smile when she turned to look at you. It was one that you received far too often, one that dared you to continue and see what would happen. A beautiful look, it was; you would do anything to see it more often.

“What would that be?” Anyone else would have missed the hint of a smile on her lips. But not you. No, not you.

“You might as well accompany me to the Rave’N,” you answered. “I guarantee it’ll be positively frightful.”

She didn’t give you a response of any kind before continuing her walk back to her dorm. Oh what a wonderful thing to be around an Addams. It was never boring.

As predicted, Wednesday's silence on the matter had been a resounding yes. She was already looking stunning in her black vintage dress when you stopped by her dorm to pick her up. No smile, no words, just the silent understanding that she wasn't excited, but that's what was going to make it so much fun.

"You look ghastly," you said with a smile as you slipped the corsage over Wednesday’s wrist.

“You match!” Enid practically shouted when she saw you at the door. “Have you always had that suit?”

“It was my father’s,” you said with a smile. “Fits like a glove, wouldn’t you say?”

“Do a spin for me,” Enid said, and you were more than happy to oblige.

You could feel Wednesday glaring into your very soul as you spun slowly, your arms outstretched so Enid could ooh and ah as much as she wanted. There was one point where Enid even came up and started adjusting your tie - horribly, you thought with a contained giggle - and you thought Wednesday was going to murder her. To you, it just made her all the more beautiful; nothing was more beautiful than a woman scorned.

“We should get going,” you said once you had finished enjoying Wednesday’s silent rage. “We’ll see you down there, Enid.”

With outstretched arm, Wednesday took it and let you walk her down to the dance. She still had yet to say anything for that night, but you didn’t mind. Her father had told you time and time again how she was a woman of few words, and that was okay. It was very Wednesday of her, especially given the fact you knew she wasn’t exactly stoked to be going.

The dance was already in full swing by the time you both appeared; nothing was better than being fashionably late. You shared a single look with Wednesday - who looked like she would rather die than be there - before dragging her to the dancefloor. She was going to enjoy the night even if it killed her.

If she was lucky, it would.

“Your dancing is mesmerising,” you told her once she stepped back in front of you. Still no smile, but there was a twinkle in her eye that betrayed her outward unhappiness.

You opened your mouth to make another comment when you felt something drip onto your shoulder. Wednesday’s eyes darted to your shoulder before she furrowed her brows. Another drop, this time on Wednesday’s cheek. Red?

Before you knew it, the sprinklers went off and something with the appearance and consistency of blood was falling from the ceiling. For the first time that night, Wednesday smiled, a beautifully bloody grin. Whether it was from the blood rain, the screams of everyone around you, or the general chaos, you didn’t care. She looked stunning.

“One moment,” you told her as you got an idea.

You nearly slipped a few times on your way to the DJ table, but thankfully Wednesday was too distracted by the chaos to notice. The DJ himself was nowhere to be found, but that was alright; you knew how to hook your phone up to the speakers. It took only a moment to connect and another moment to put the song on before you could slide your way back over to where Wednesday was standing.

As soon as the waltz came on, her head turned to you, her smile now gone and replaced with a look of curiosity. None of that animosity she had shown earlier in the night. No, this was a genuine look from her, her emotions unmasked for the first time since you had known her.

“May I have this dance, cara mia?” You asked as you held your hand out for her to take.

Just like that, realisation dawned in her eyes as her smile came back. She took your hand and let you pull her into the waltz, the blood making your movements a little smoother. If you both slipped once or twice you didn’t call attention to it; it didn’t matter.

In the chaos, you found the beauty in being with an Addams. It was horrifying, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

[000marie198]

The Tails Squad find out that they can bring back "Souvenirs" from the games they went to (Basically anything they can hold onto/fit into a bag/some form of storage before going back to their world)

They immediately go to loot games like RaC, several RPG's, and Minecraft

And to think it all started when Sails forgot he was holding some random sword from an open world game they went to.

JFJDJEHCJGJFI YESSS!

The Squad would be bringing overpowered artifacts and weapons when they battle someone. Bringing guns to a fist fight.

____________

When they grounded from tech and get bored, they start LARPing with actual magic infused stuff. One of their friends asks to join and gets shocked to the core when those things work and now one of them has a chicken head (yes I'm stealing from TMNT SHHHH!)

____________

Sonic sees a very familiar weapon and promptly freezes.

"Tails, Tails, where did you find Excalibur? TAILS?!"

_____________

*IDW Tails and Modern playing some futuristic action games on console or something*

"Such a cool gadget."

"I wish I had it."

"Same."

"..."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

The two foxes grin at each other. 15 minutes later, the so called gadget is missing and npcs are freaking out

_____________

"Is that the golden apple?"

"No."

"Tails."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." *Crunch*

_____________

Ali and the Forty Thieves

Aka SatSR Tails and his counterparts pilaging videogames for cool artifacts. They have a secret storage 'cave' for the treasure under their collective hangout lab

____________

Like mysterious cottages in the woods where you can get magic stuff or whatever, the Squad now has potions. From Minecraft. They craft it and then take it. Menaces. Absolute menaces.

Tails totally did not spike Sonic's chilidogs once with the slowness potion to win a race against him nuh uh no sir.

_____________

Random videogame protag: "Wait- where did my staff go?!"

Meanwhile, evil cackles and magic explosions occur 3 dimensions away.

______________

Oh hey look, freshly cooked lovely delicious meals and snacks from those cooking games.

_____________

Something happens in Modern's world and they need a very particular vehicle very quick, no time to build it, need it NOW quick. All the friends freaking out over this and Tails goes, "Don't worry I got this"

He fiddles with Miles Electric and within 5 minutes, a hanger that had stood empty an hour ago opens to reveal the exact vehicle they needed, Boom giving them a casual wave as he drives it.

He stole it from GTA

____________

Every object in games that can be grabbed or picked up by the player, can be brought back with them.

Now some crucial clues and keys from those point and click mystery games are missing so nobody could break their high score

_____________

Not Nine and Tails pulling a heist on Octavius and Spidey to steal the Iron Spider-Man suit and those tentacles for Halloween costumes

______________

GUN's systems go haywire with warning of unknown unlicensed unverified spacecrafts and rockets and shuttles and satellites appearing out of nowhere all of a sudden and the entire HQ freaking out when two get launched while giving off separate and opposite but very similar mirror like tragectories.

Team Dark goes to investigate and finds that Classic and OVA got carried away playing Space Flight Simulator

__________

There are so many fun things that can be done with this idea. Gamers, take it away!

[from-memphis-with-love]

Songbird - Ch. 3 - Dinner and a Show

Summary: Valerie and Elvis grow closer. Note: Okay, so there is controversy over whether Elvis actually ate peanut butter and bacon on sandwiches. Some people say he ate peanut butter, bacon, and banana sandwiches all the time. Others say it was just peanut butter and banana. And some (Ginger Alden) said he didn't eat them at all. You decide. Nevertheless, I wanted to include him eating peanut butter and bacon on sesame rolls here just as a fun little Elvis tidbit for the story. Suspend your disbelief, everyone! Word count: 7,800 Warnings: Infidelity; subtle references to sex

My eyes snapped open, heart pounding like a jackhammer. Remnants of last night's fever dream clung to my skin—searing touches, smoky whispers, the ghost of a kiss that almost met my lips. Holy mother of God, did that really happen?

I fumbled for my nightstand, nearly knocking over the glass of water I never got around to drinking. There it was. The ticket to his midnight show. Glossy and real and indisputable proof that I, Valerie Pedretti, professional nobody, had somehow captured the attention of the most famous man on the planet.

Equal parts giddy thrill and sheer pants-shitting terror. Good lord, what was I thinking, playing pattycake with Elvis freaking Presley? A very much married Elvis freaking Presley. I groaned into my pillow. I needed to call Deena pronto before having a complete meltdown.

The phone only rang twice before she picked up, voice fuzzy with sleep. "Val, hon, it's ass o'clock in the morning. This better be good—"

"Trust me, Dee, it is.” I took a deep breath, suddenly unsure of where to start. “I’m not coming home just yet. I’ve decided to extend my stay here for a little while.”

That woke her up. I could practically hear her sitting bolt upright in bed, her curiosity piqued. "Oh? You get a callback for that Sinatra gig?"

I hesitated, biting my lip. Fuck it, no use lying now. 

“I maybe kind of sort of accidentally seduced a celebrity last night."

Dead. Silence. Then an earth-shattering shriek. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

I winced, holding the receiver at arm's length. "Yep. I'm in deep doo-doo, Dee."

"Deep doo-doo?! More like the motherlode! Valerie, you little minx! How'd you manage a thing like that? I want every lurid detail. Emphasis on lurid."

I laughed, flopping back against the pillows. Leave it to Deena to skip straight to the good stuff. "I can't give you all the details yet. But let's just say he's someone we've both heard of. I'll give you three clues. Very famous, very talented, and very, very handsome."

And very married. I of course neglected that little tidbit. If Deena knew, she’d blow her top. Understandably so.

She made a sound like a teakettle boiling over. "You're killing me! You can't just drop a bombshell like that and not give me a name! Landing a whale like that..." She paused, thinking. "Wait... is it Sinatra? Dean Martin? Joey Bishop? Oh honey, please don’t tell me it’s Liberace. You know he doesn't go for—"

"Sorry, Dee, my lips are sealed," I said, trying for coy and mysterious but probably missing the mark by a country mile. "Loose lips sink ships and all that jazz. And I don’t wanna jinx this. I can’t be too... eager."

Deena huffed out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, keep your secrets, you incorrigible tease. But I'm telling you, Val, when an opportunity like this falls into your lap, you gotta strike while the iron's hot, if you know what I mean."

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. "Why Deena Jane Lovelace, are you trying to corrupt me? I feel like I should be clutching my pearls."

"I’m serious Val, you deserve to let loose and have some fun for once in your life. Live a little! Sow some wild oats! Ride that stallion till you break the saddle!"

"Deena!" I mock-gasped, giggling like a loon. "You're terrible!"

"You mean I'm right," she shot back, a smile in her voice. "I know you. You've got a bad habit of getting in your own way when it comes to men. Always overthinking, always holding back. Always tying yourself down to some jerk who isn’t good enough for you..."

I stopped laughing and chewed my lip. 

Deena's voice gentled. "Oh honey. Are you worried about that chump again? Because I will fly to Vegas and smack you upside the head myself. That boy is staler than last week's bread and you know it."

Oof. Andy. 

In the midst of all the Elvis-induced giddiness, I'd almost forgotten about my on-again-off-again boyfriend. Luckily, right now we happened to be more off-again, which meant I was technically free to do whatever this was that I was doing. 

Unbidden, an image of him popped into my head. Sweet, goofy, going-nowhere-fast Andy. If I squinted, his Arby's visor almost looked like a crown. Almost. Andy was... well, he was Andy. A burger-flipping, belch-ripping goofball who could always make me laugh, even when I wanted to strangle him. He was comfortable, familiar, uncomplicated. As exciting as a lukewarm bath.

She wasn't wrong. Ugh.

But Elvis… Elvis was pure electricity. He made me feel reckless, alive, like I could conquer the world in heels and a push-up bra. When a man like that looks at you like you're the only woman in the room, it does things to a girl. Things that don't involve overthinking or holding back.

Sensing my hesitation, Deena gentled her voice. "Look, I'm not saying you gotta marry the guy. But would it kill you to have a little fling? To let yourself get swept off your feet, even if it's just for a little while?"

I bit my lip, considering. Maybe Deena was right. Maybe it was time to stop being so buttoned-up and boring. To take a chance on something wild and wonderful, consequences be damned. I mean, when a choice between an Andy and an Elvis falls into your lap, you'd be six kinds of stupid not to go for the Elvis, right?

"Okay, okay, you've twisted my arm," I said at last, grinning so hard my cheeks hurt. "Operation Ride That Stallion is a go. But if I end up with saddle sores, I'm blaming you."

Deena's cackle was loud and wicked. "Atta girl! You just remember every gory detail so you can replay the highlight reel for me later. And Val?"

"Yeah, Dee?"

"Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do."

“But you’d do everything…”

“That’s my point!”

After promising to give her a full debriefing later, I hung up and started tearing through my suitcase. I needed to put together an outfit that wouldn't get me laughed out of the VIP section. What does Elvis like? I wondered as I pulled out everything I owned, frowning at my decidedly lacking duds. I'd have to go full Cinderella somehow—find some fairy godmother to zap me a gown, pronto.

But before I could do that, I had to at least shower. I spent the next few hours getting dolled up like my life depended on it. Which, considering who my "date" was with, it kinda did. I took my sweet time shaving, lotioning, spritzing myself with my best perfume. Just as I was about to return to the matter of what to wear, the doorbell rung.

I opened the door—only to pratfall over a fancy box from Suzy Creamcheese, the hottest boutique in town. What in the... 

I snatched it up. There was a card taped to the top, my name scrawled across it in scratchy, masculine handwriting. My eyes widened as I scanned the short, devastating message.

"Songbird, let's make beautiful music together. Wear this tonight. I'll be the one in black. Yours, Jon Burrows"

Jon Burrows. The alias he'd used last night. Hoo boy. Hands shaking, I lifted the lid off the box and promptly forgot how to breathe.

Inside was a dress that probably cost more than my entire life savings. Glimmering, body-skimming, hotter than a fresh sin. Draped in hand beading and fashioned of the finest silk imaginable. The kind of outfit that would've given Deena an aneurysm if she knew who sent it. In all honesty, Elvis had probably bought a million dresses just like it for a million and one little chippies. Suddenly, my stomach hurt. 

But I couldn’t help but notice, nestled right next to the dress, a pair of matching stilettos, the slim spike heels flashing like a dare. 

Eh, maybe I could take a Tums.

The dress slid over my curves like liquid sin, the slinky fabric doing favors for my figure I didn't even know were possible.

I twirled in front of the mirror, admiring the way the hem flirted with my thighs. With my chestnut curls artfully tousled and my eyes rimmed in black, I hardly recognized the minx staring back at me. If Elvis's jaw didn't hit the floor when he saw me in this getup, I'd eat my hat.

Still, a niggle of guilt squirmed in my gut as I dabbed on a pat of lip gloss. I couldn't quite shake the feeling that I was pulling a fast one on Deena. She'd blow her top if she knew who I was really running off to see. Not because of the fame, of course, but because of the ring on his finger.

But then again, maybe it was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Especially when permission involved a certain married megastar. What Deena didn't know wouldn't hurt her, right?

Right. Confidence bolstered, I sashayed out the door.

*

With a little more than an hour to kill before the show, I tottered down to the casino floor, the click-clack of my stilettos drawing more than a few appraising glances. 

Suddenly feeling lucky, I made a pit stop at the blackjack table. Nothing like a good old fashioned game of chance to settle the nerves. I was just doubling down when I noticed a guy giving me the hairy eyeball.

He looked to be in his fifties, paunchy and balding, with a pinky ring the size of a doorknob. A real high-roller type. And he was staring straight at me, a lewd grin stretching his thin lips.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing all by her lonesome?"

I shifted uncomfortably, wishing I'd worn a tent instead of a curve-hugging sheath. "Just playing a little cards before the big show," I muttered, looking everywhere but his face.

"Ah, you must be one of those Elvis girls," he said, nodding knowingly. "Fresh meat. Figures."

My stomach lurched. I was just opening my mouth to tell him where he could stick his fresh meat when a firm hand clamped down on my shoulder.

"Darlin', there you are! Been lookin' all over for you."

I whipped around to find a tall, gangly older man in a ten-gallon hat grinning down at me. He had a kind, pleasantly weathered face, the type of face you instantly trusted.

"Play along, sugar," he whispered, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Looked like you could use a white knight."

I almost collapsed with relief. "Oh! Yes, of course. So sorry, I got a little turned around..." I let him steer me away from the blackjack table, offering a silent prayer of thanks for chivalrous cowboys.

"Chick, at your service," he said once we were out of earshot, doffing an imaginary cap. "I’m with the International. And unless I miss my guess, you must be Miss Valerie?"

My eyes widened. "How did you...?"

Chick chuckled, shaking his head. "Let's just say, ah, Mr. Burrows ain't exactly subtle when he's sweet on a girl. I was instructed to find you and bring you to his dressing room before the show. Reckon that dress is gonna give him the vapors but good."

A pleased flush crept up my neck. Elvis had specifically summoned for me? Maybe this was more than a passing fancy to him. Maybe I wasn't just the flavor of the week...

No. Stop that. Don't go getting attached, you ninny. He's married, remember?

Chick must've noticed my wilting expression, because he gave my elbow a fatherly pat. 

"Chin up, darlin'. I know this whole thing has you tied up in knots, but trust me—that boy thinks the sun rises and sets on your pretty little head. I ain't never seen him so gaga."

I managed a wobbly smile, even as my heart squeezed. Chick was sweet to say so, but he didn't know the half of it. Falling for Elvis was a one-way ticket to heartache city.

We snaked through a labyrinth of hallways and then reached the dressing room door. Chick gave a jaunty salute. "This is where I leave you. You take a deep breath and remember—if he’s foolish enough to let you slip through his fingers, I'll be waitin' in the wings to snatch you up my own self."

I giggled in spite of myself, some of the tension easing from my shoulders. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the rescue, Chick."

"Anytime, darlin'." With a last wink, he disappeared into the bowels of the theater, leaving me to find my seat on shaky legs.

*

I took a deep breath, smoothed my dress, and knocked on the door, my heart hammering in my throat. This was it. The moment of truth.

The door swung open, and there he was. Elvis, looking surprisingly human in a plain white collared shirt and black slacks. His blue eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at me, a genuine, almost shy thing that made my insides flutter. He looked oddly nervous, a far cry from the swaggering sex god I'd expected. It was strangely endearing.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite good luck charm!" he said, ushering me inside with a flourish. "Get in here, darlin', before someone sees you and starts a scandal. I can see the headlines now: 'Elvis Presley Corrupts Young Songstress, Film at Eleven.'"

I laughed, feeling some of my nervousness melt away in the face of his playful warmth. "I think you're overestimating my ability to cause a scandal," I said, plopping down on the couch. "The most exciting thing that's ever happened to me was winning a pie-eating contest when I was twelve."

Elvis clutched his heart, staggering back in mock-amazement. "Be still my beating heart! A pie-eating champion in my very dressing room? I'm not worthy!"

He dropped to his knees in front of me, clasping my hands in his. "Tell me, o great and powerful pie queen, what's your secret? Inquiring minds want to know!"

His antics were so unexpected, so at odds with his slick public persona, that I found myself relaxing in spite of the surreality of the situation. This was just Elvis. Just a man. A ridiculously handsome, heart-stoppingly talented man, but a man nonetheless.

We plopped down on the couch, close but not quite touching. Elvis ran a hand through his hair, tousling it even further. I giggled, swatting at him. "Stop it, you goof! You're going to make me ruin my mascara from laughing too hard."

Elvis grinned, unrepentant. "Can't have that, can we? I need you looking your absolute best out there tonight. Gotta show all those other fellas what they're missing." His appraising gaze was warm an appreciative as it swept over me. “And you do look beautiful, by the way. That dress is a knockout on you.”

I ducked my head, feeling a pleased flush creep up my neck. "You shouldn’t have, Elvis. I’m not used to such nice things.” I looked down, tapping my feet in the maroon stilettos he gifted me. Suddenly, I found myself saying things out loud I didn’t want to admit. “When I put it on, I was hoping you’d like me in it."

"Well, mission accomplished." Elvis's smile turned rueful. "Can I let you in on a little secret, Valerie?" he said, glancing at me sidelong. At my nod, he blew out a breath. "I'm nervous as all get-out about this show tonight. Like, shakin' in my boots nervous."

“You get stage fright?”

"That isn’t even the half of it," Elvis barked out a laugh, but there was an undercurrent of tension in it. "Honey, I'm about ready to shake out of my skin. I haven't played a venue this big in years, and I keep thinking I'm going to get out there and just... forget everything. Forget how to sing, forget how to move, forget my own damn name."

My heart squeezed at the very real fear in his voice. I scooted closer. "You? Nervous? But you've played hundreds of shows for thousands of people. You're a pro!"

He chuckled, but it sounded a little forced. "Yeah, well, that was before. Haven't exactly been doing a lotta live performing lately. Feels like I'm starting from scratch."

His knee started bouncing, fingers drumming a restless beat on his thigh. "Truth is, I keep thinkin' I'm gonna get out there and just... blank. Disappoint everyone. Forget all the words, miss all my cues. Make a damn fool of myself in front of everyone." His gaze cut to me, suddenly vulnerable. "In front of you."

Oh. Oh, Elvis.

"Hey," I said softly, daring to lay my hand over his. "You are not going to make a fool of yourself. You know how I know?"

His fingers curled around mine, warm and strong. "How?"

“Because I’ve seen you dance. Even if you forget the words, just do that little hips-swivel thing and no one will care what's coming out of your mouth."

Elvis stared at me for a beat, his brow furrowed, mouth hanging open. Then, like a dam bursting, he threw his head back and guffawed, the sound rich and unrestrained.

"Lordy, woman!" he managed between wheezing breaths, clutching his stomach. "You really are somethin' else, you know that?"

I grinned, inordinately pleased with myself for cracking him up. "I’m serious! Those things are lethal weapons."

He snorted, shaking his head. "You're a mess, girl. An absolute mess." But his eyes were soft, affectionate.

“No, for real. You’ll do great,” I said, giving his knee a squeeze. "The second you step out there and see all those adoring faces, all those people who love you... it's gonna click. You're gonna remember exactly who you are and why you do this."

Elvis stared at me for a long moment, something raw and vulnerable flickering in his eyes. "You really believe that, don't you?" he said quietly. "You really think I've still got it."

"I know you've still got it," I said firmly. "You're going to go out there and give the performance of a lifetime, and I'm going to be right there in the front row, cheering you on."

Elvis's throat worked as he swallowed hard, his eyes suspiciously bright. "What did I ever do to deserve a gal like you in my corner?" he wondered, shaking his head. "I must've been a saint in a past life."

"Well, I don't know about sainthood, but you definitely rocked a mean pair of blue suede shoes," I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

It worked. Elvis threw his head back and laughed, the rich, honeyed sound wrapping around me like an embrace.

"Aw, baby, you're just too much!" He grinned at me, wide and boyish and utterly charming. "Stick with me, kid, and I'll show you a thing or two about rocking more than just shoes."

I felt my cheeks heat at the implicit promise in his words. "I'm going to hold you to that, Mr. Presley."

"You better, Miss Pedretti."

Elvis glanced at the clock and sighed, some of the laughter fading from his eyes. "Guess I better start getting into my glad rags. Show's about to start, and I've got a whole lot of hearts to break." 

I elbowed him playfully. He stood, hauling me up with him. "Walk me to the stage door?" he asked, a hint of vulnerability creeping back into his voice. "It'd mean a lot to have you there, sending me off."

I wanted to. With every fiber of my being, naturally. But good sense won out. “I don’t think it’s the best idea, Elvis. I’m sure there’ll be photographers and—”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Elvis sighed. “Good looking out.” There was a genuine sadness in his voice.

I squeezed his hand, holding his gaze. "I'll be with you every step of the way," I promised. "In spirit, if not in body."

Elvis lifted my hand to his mouth, grazing my knuckles with a kiss that sent sparks shooting up my arm. "Knowing that's going to make all the difference, honey. You'll be my guiding light out there."

I felt like I could happily drown in those bottomless blue eyes, spend the rest of my days mapping the planes and angles of that impossibly handsome face. Emboldened, I reached up to straighten his collar, letting my fingers linger on the warm, taut skin of his neck. Elvis growled, a low, throaty sound that reverberated through my bones. He tugged me closer, until I could feel the heat of him, smell the spicy, expensive scent of his cologne. "Y’know, I've half a mind to cancel this show and..."

My pulse kicked into overdrive, desire threading through me in hot, urgent pulses. It would be so easy to let him do just that, to surrender myself to the dark promise in his eyes, propriety and common sense be damned...

A sharp knock at the door shattered the charged silence, making me jump like a scared cat. Elvis muttered a curse, his fingers flexing on my hips.

"Thirty minutes to curtain, boss," a voice called through the door.

Elvis blew out a harsh breath, his eyes never leaving mine. "Guess that's my cue," he said ruefully. He leaned in, his lips grazing my ear. "To be continued. You can bet on that."

Then, with one last scorching look, he turned on his heel and strode out, leaving me weak-kneed and panting in his wake.

*

The house lights dimmed and the band struck up a familiar chord, and the audience went nuts. Shrieks and whistles drowned out the opening bars as a lone spotlight pierced the dark.

And there he was.

Elvis swaggered onstage in a black gi-style jumpsuit, his raven hair gleaming under the lights, guitar slung low around his chest. The crowd surged to its feet, but Elvis only had eyes for me. He caught my gaze and grinned, a private, knee-weakening thing that set every nerve ending aflame.

Sweet mercy. Maybe Chick hadn't been exaggerating after all.

The show was a dizzying carousel of hip-swiveling, high energy dancing, and electrifying eye contact. Elvis shimmied and crooned and thrust like his life depended on it, but every so often, he'd throw a smoldering glance my way, those bedroom eyes promising wicked, unspeakable things. The same eyes that looked over every inch of my body in his dressing room. 

During "Love Me Tender," he changed one of the lyrics ever so slightly, singing "for my songbird" instead of "for my darling." It was so subtle, I almost thought I'd imagined it. But then he caught my eye and winked, and I nearly combusted on the spot.

I spent the whole show riding a knife's edge of exhilaration and anxiety, every cell in my body attuned to Elvis's sly overtures. He was flirting with me, signaling me, making it clear I was his girl of the moment. And Lord help me, I ate it up like a starving dog.

In the back of my mind, a niggling voice of reason piped up, sounding suspiciously like Deena. "He does this with all the girls, dummy. You aren’t special. He's MARRIED, remember?"

I told the voice to can it. For one night, I just wanted to pretend this was real, that Elvis's heated promises were mine and mine alone. That maybe he really did in fact like my company. Was that so wrong?

By the time Elvis launched into “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” I was thoroughly hot and bothered, my skin humming with anticipation. Elvis took his bows, blowing kisses and reaching out to the sea of grasping hands. My own hands were stinging from clapping so hard, my face aching from grinning like a fool. He'd done it. He'd absolutely slayed. This was it. If he asked me to, I was going to go all the way. I was so keyed up, I barely noticed Joe until he materialized at my elbow, grinning like a fox in the henhouse.

Giddy and practically vibrating out of my skin, I let myself be ushered to Elvis’ suite by a cadre of burly security guards. It was already packed to the gills, a whirlwind of chatter and clinking glasses and backslapping laughter.

I recognized some of the faces from my earlier introduction to Elvis's inner circle—Red and Sonny and all the others from the Memphis Mafia, Colonel Parker looking like the cat who ate the canary, a gaggle of International execs in expensive suits. But there were plenty of new players too—starlets and hangers-on and a surprising number of little old ladies in their Sunday best, clutching Elvis albums to their heaving bosoms.

I felt a moment of panic, a minnow swimming with sharks, but then Jerry caught my eye across the room and waved me over with a wink.

"There she is!" he crowed, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "Didn't our boy knock 'em dead tonight?"

I grinned up at him, letting his easy camaraderie settle my nerves. "He sure did. I've never seen anything like it. I thought that one gal in the front row was gonna faint when he smiled at her."

"Aw, that ain't nothing!" Red chimed in, swiping a flute of champagne off a passing tray. "Back in '56, we had girls dropping like flies every time he so much as moved a finger. Quite a time to be alive, let me tell you!"

We laughed and joked and traded Elvis stories, the boys folding me into their ranks like I'd always been there. It was a heady feeling, being on the inside of something so exclusive, so legendary. Even if it was just for one night.

Speaking of the man himself, Elvis was holding court on the other side of the room, surrounded by a gaggle of suits and coiffed heads. He caught my eye over their shoulders and shot me a wink, his grin electric even from a distance.

I felt that zip of connection like a physical touch, and had to duck my head to hide my flush. Good grief, the man could spark a fire in my belly from clear across a crowded room. I was in trouble.

As if drawn by some invisible thread, I drifted towards him, skirting the edges of his adoring throng. I didn't want to interrupt, but I couldn't quite keep away either.

I was just debating the merits of "accidentally" bumping into him when I felt a gnarled hand clamp onto my wrist. I turned to find myself nose to nose with a diminutive old woman in a pink pillbox hat, her rheumy eyes squinting up at me.

"Priscilla, dear, is that you?" she cooed, her voice warbling with age. "Oh, honey, I just have to tell you how much I admire you! The way you've stood by your man all these years, through thick and thin... it's an inspiration to us all!"

My stomach plummeted. She thought I was Elvis's wife. His very real, very married wife.

"Oh, no, I'm not—" I stammered, my face heating. But she was already barreling on, clutching my hand in her paper-dry grip.

"You know, my Albert and I have been married for 53 years, and I like to think we've weathered our share of storms. But you and Elvis, bless your hearts, you've been through the wringer and back! The army, those awful Hollywood starlets, all those months on the road... it's a wonder you've made it work as well as you have!"

I opened my mouth, desperate to correct her, to distance myself from the comparison. But something in her earnest, careworn face stopped me. Who was I to shatter her illusions? What harm was there in letting her believe, just for a moment, that I was his dutiful wife?

So I simply smiled and patted her hand, murmuring something about the power of commitment. She beamed at me, misty-eyed, and tottered off to accost someone else with her marital wisdom.

I sagged against the wall, feeling vaguely guilty. Borrowing Priscilla's halo, even for a few minutes, left a sour taste in my mouth. What kind of person was I, playacting at being Elvis's devoted wife when the real deal was at home, probably wondering where her husband was and who he was with? And why wasn’t she here on opening night, anyway?

Suddenly, the dressing room felt too hot, too close. I needed air. I needed space. I needed...

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you, Valley cat."

I turned to find Elvis striding towards me, his face alight with post-show elation. His jacket was gone, his shirt half-unbuttoned, his hair damp with sweat. He looked utterly edible.

I pasted on a smile, trying to shake off my guilt like a dog shedding water. This was supposed to be a magical night, remember? My one chance to live like a star, to be Elvis's girl, if only in the shadows.

"Hey," I said, hoping my voice didn't betray my inner turmoil. "If it isn't the man of the hour himself. I'd ask how it feels to kill it, but something tells me you already know."

He laughed, low and throaty, and caught my hand in his. My pulse leapt at the casual intimacy of the gesture. "Careful with the compliments, hon, or my head won't fit through the door. Then where would we be?"

"Oh, I'm not worried," I shot back, finding my footing again. "If your head gets too big, I'll just deflate it with a few choice pinpricks. I'm handy like that."

"A real Jill of all trades, aren't ya?" he drawled, tugging me closer. I stumbled a bit, thrown by his nearness, the play of muscle beneath his shirt as he steadied me with hands on my hips.

His eyes danced with mischief and something hotter, headier. "Stick around long enough and maybe you'll get to show me just how handy you can be."

Oh. Oh my. Was he implying...

Before I could parse his words, he leaned in close, his lips a hairsbreadth from my ear. "The fellas are gonna clear out the stragglers. Why don't you hang back a while, keep me company?"

My pulse thudded heavy in my throat. "O-okay," I murmured, cursing my stammer. "If you're sure I won't be imposing..."

He pulled back just far enough to meet my eyes, something softening in his gaze. "Valerie, trust me. There is nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you. Okay?"

I nodded shakily, thunderstruck by his sincerity. 

The next hour passed in a whirlwind of farewells and a few more furtive winks from Elvis as he played gracious host. The stragglers trickled out in twos and threes, some of the drunker ones being gently but firmly escorted by bulky security guards. Soon, it was just Elvis, the core crew, and me.

I perched on the arm of a velvet sofa, trying to blend into the scenery as the guys swapped tour stories and ribbed each other mercilessly. Elvis, sprawled in an adjacent chair with a tumbler of something amber and expensive, kept sneaking me these scorching sidelong glances that made me feel like I was the only girl in the room. Maybe the only girl in the world.

Eventually, Red gave a jaw-cracking yawn and hoisted himself up off the couch. "Welp, I'm about ready to hit the hay. These old bones ain't what they used to be." He shot Elvis a significant look. "Reckon y'all got things handled in here?"

Elvis's lips twitched, his eyes never leaving mine. "Yeah, man. I think we're good. Y'all head on to bed now. Me and Valerie here will just... clean up a bit."

There was a loaded pause, a crackle of unspoken communication between them. Then, with a chorus of goodnights and a few winks sent my way, the guys filed out.

And then there were two.

Elvis drained his glass and set it aside, unfolding from his chair like a jungle cat waking from a nap. All coiled grace and barely restrained power. I tracked his approach with my heart in my throat, my skin prickling with anticipation.

He stopped in front of me, close enough that I could smell his cologne, the warm musk of his skin beneath the sharper tang of sweat. Close enough to touch.

He held out a hand, eyes molten in the low light. "C'mon, darlin'. Let's go somewhere a little more private, hmm?"

I slid my hand into his, letting him tug me to my feet and into the circle of his arms. I had to tip my head back to meet his gaze, my hands braced on the solid wall of his chest.

"Private sounds perfect," I breathed. "Lead the way."

His grin flashed, sharp and white in the dimness. He laced his fingers through mine and led me through a side door I hadn't even noticed, into a wood-paneled hallway lined with identical doors.

We stopped in front of one. Elvis produced a key from his pocket and unlocked it, gesturing for me to precede him. I stepped inside and stopped short, blinking in the sudden brightness. It was a suite, as lushly appointed as any I'd seen—all plush carpets and gleaming dark wood and what looked suspiciously like a gilded ceiling.

In the center of the room, a table had been set with a crisp white cloth, gleaming silver, a bottle of champagne sweating gently in a gilded ice bucket. Two place settings. Candles.

My heart did a funny little flip. He'd planned this. Planned a private, romantic dinner for two. For us.

I turned to him, stunned. "Elvis, this is... I mean, you didn't have to go to all this trouble..."

He shrugged, looking almost bashful. "It wasn't any trouble. I just thought it'd be nice to have some time, just you and me. No screaming crowds, no prying eyes." His mouth quirked. "Plus, I figured you'd probably be starving after all that excitement. I know I am."

As if on cue, my stomach rumbled loudly. We both looked down at it, then at each other, and promptly burst out laughing.

"Well, I reckon that's my answer!" Elvis wheezed, clutching his side. "C'mon, let's feed that beast before it stages a revolt."

Still snickering, he pulled out my chair with a flourish. I sank into it, expecting him to ring for room service, or maybe a harried-looking assistant to come scurrying out with silver platters.

But no. To my shocked delight, Elvis ducked into the adjoining kitchenette and returned with... a greasy paper sack?

At my raised eyebrow, he grinned. "What, did you think it'd be all caviar and champagne? Nah, that ain't my style."

He upended the sack, sending a cascade of foil-wrapped burgers and fries skittering across the fine china. The commingled scents of grease and salt and ketchup wafted up to me, and my mouth instantly watered.

"I sent Sonny out for these," Elvis said, sliding into the seat across from me. "Knew I'd be craving some post-show grease. And I figured, what's better than sharing a little taste of home with my songbird?"

Songbird. Oh. There were those damned butterflies again.

"You figured right," I managed, plucking up a fry. "There's nothing better than burgers after midnight. Although..." I squinted at the foil peeking out from beneath a sesame bun. "Is that... peanut butter?"

He flashed me a guilty grin. "Ah, you caught me. Peanut butter and bacon. A little trick I picked up in the army. It sounds crazy, but trust me, it's a revelation."

We dug into our burgers, the silence broken only by appreciative moans and the rustling of wrappers. I had to admit, the combination of peanut butter and bacon was strangely appealing. Not that I'd ever tell Elvis that. His ego was healthy enough as it was.

"So," I said, dabbing a bit of ketchup from my chin. "You were in the army?"

Elvis paused mid-bite, his eyes widening slightly. He swallowed, setting his burger down. "You really didn’t know?"

“Well,” I said, chewing carefully. “I, uh. How do I say this? I never really followed you that closely. I mean, of course, I know your music and all. But the details of your life? I didn't want to pry.” 

He stared at me for a long moment, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face.

"Hey, what’s so funny?”

“You mean to tell me I found the only girl around who doesn’t already know everything about me?”

I felt my cheeks heat. "What do you mean?"

He leaned back in his chair, studying me with a newfound intensity. "I mean, you're the first girl I've met in a long time who hasn't tried to impress me with how much she knows about me. Who hasn't been hanging on my every word, ready to agree with whatever I say just to get in my good graces."

I blinked, taken aback. "Really? That's... that's kind of sad, actually."

"Sad?" He cocked his head, curious. "How so?"

I waved a hand, trying to find the right words. "I just mean... you're a person. A real, flesh and blood man with thoughts and feelings and experiences that go beyond what the magazines print. It's sad that so few people seem to want to get to know that side of you. The real you." I paused, considering whether or not to continue. “It must be really weird meeting new people and feeling like they already know everything about you.”

“Well, what they think they know at least.” His expression softened, something warm and vulnerable stealing into his gaze. "You really mean that, don't you? You actually want to know me. Not Elvis the star, but just... Elvis."

"‘Course I do," I said softly. "You think I’d be eating burgers at 4 am with just anybody I meet? I promise you I am not that kind of girl,” I winked. 

As our appetites gave way to pleasant, sleepy fullness, our conversation turned to lighter things—favorite movies (his: The Way of All Flesh, mine: anything historical), craziest fan encounters (had to give it to Elvis on that one, though my tale of a particularly persistent flasher in Boise nearly made him snort soda out of his nose), best practical jokes played on unsuspecting bandmates (we were both particularly proud of our skills with a whoopee cushion).

We grinned at each other, the air between us crackling with something warm and bright. I felt like I could happily drown in those bottomless blue eyes, spend the rest of my days mapping the planes and angles of that impossibly handsome face.

But as the laughter died down and the food dwindled to crumbs, a tension crept into the air between us. An unspoken question, hovering like a ghost at the table.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "Elvis, I... I have to ask. And feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but... what about your wife?"

He stiffened, his jaw tightening. For a moment, I thought he might shut down, might retreat behind the impenetrable wall of his public persona.

But then he sighed, his shoulders slumping as if under a great weight. "Priscilla and I... it's complicated."

I bit my lip, my stomach knotting. "You still love her?"

A long, heavy beat of silence. Then, softly: "I'll always care for Priscilla. She's been a part of my life for a long time. But love?" He shook his head, his eyes distant. "No. I don't think I do. Not anymore."

My breath caught, hope and trepidation warring in my chest. "What happened?"

He scrubbed a hand over his face, looking suddenly exhausted. "We grew apart. Wanted different things. For a while now, we've been living separate lives, barely even speaking except when necessary. I think we both know it's over. That it has been for a long time."

I reached out, covering his hand with my own. "Elvis, I'm so sorry. That must be incredibly painful."

He turned his hand over, lacing his fingers through mine. "It was, at first. But now? Now it just feels... inevitable. Like we were always meant to end up here, no matter how hard we tried to make it work."

As the night wore on and the conversation lulled, I felt my eyelids growing heavy. A glance at the clock told me it was just before six in the morning. Stifling a yawn, I turned to Elvis. "I hate to say it, but I think I should be heading back to my room. It's been an amazing night."

Elvis reached over and took my hand, his eyes searching mine. "Will you come back tomorrow? I feel like we've barely scratched the surface. There's so much more I want to talk to you about."

I smiled, my heart fluttering at the thought of spending more time with him. "I'd love to."

"Great. How about—"

I held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. "Why don't you call me and invite me? Properly, I mean."

His lip curled in amusement, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Etiquette, huh? Alright, I'll play by your rules. I'll call you tomorrow night, say, around five-thirty? Room 2806, right?"

I nodded, unable to suppress my grin. "I'll be waiting."

"Lamar," Elvis called out. "Would you be so kind as to walk Valerie back to her room?"

With a final squeeze of my hand and a promise to call, Elvis bid me goodnight.

The next day seemed to drag on forever. I couldn't bring myself to leave my room, afraid I might miss his call if I stepped out even for a moment. As five-thirty approached, my nerves were wound tighter than a coiled spring. When the phone finally rang, I took a deep breath before picking up the receiver.

"Hello?" I answered, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Could I please speak with Valerie?" The unmistakable drawl sent my pulse racing.

I couldn't resist playing coy. "Who is this?"

"Elvis."

"Elvis who?"

There was a beat of silence, followed by a low chuckle. "You're a bonehead."

The playful exchange was just what I needed to ease my nerves. Elvis proceeded to explain the arrangements he'd made—a ticket for the late show and another dinner together afterward. I hung up the phone, my heart soaring with anticipation.

Maybe staying in Vegas a little while longer wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Taglist: @whositmcwhatsit  @ellie-24  @arrolyn1114 @missmaywemeetagain  @be-my-ally  @vintageshanny  @prompted-wordsmith @precious-little-scoundrel @peskybedtime @lookingforrainbows @austinbutlersgirl67@lala1267 @thatbanditqueen @dontcrydaddy @lovingdilfs @elvispresleygf @plasticfantasticl0ver @ab4eva @presleysweetheart @chasingwildflowers @elvispresleywife @uh-all-shook-up @xxquinnxx @edgeofrealitys-blog@velvetprvsley @woundmetender @avengen @richardslady121 @presleyhearted @kendralavon7 @18lkpeters@lookingforrainbows @elvisalltheway101 @sissylittlefeather @eliseinmemphis@tacozebra051 @thetaoofzoe @peskybedtime @shakerattlescroll @crash-and-cure @ccab @i-r-i-n-a-a @devilsflowerr@dirtyelvisfant4sy @elvislittleone @foreverdolly @getyourpresleyfix@gayforelvis @headfullofpresley @h0unds-of-h3ll @hipshakingkingcreole @p0lksaladannie @doll-elvis @tacozebra051 @richardslady121 @jaqueline19997 @myradiaz@livelaughelvis @deke-rivers-1957

[arpmemething2]

Life is Strange Starter Sentences

Send one for my muse's response. Feel free to change pronouns as needed.

"Hey... Be careful out there."

"Everybody pretends to care until they don't."

"With great power comes great bullshit."

"I'll always be with you."

"I'm fucking insane in the brain! Let's dance!"

"My powers might not last."

"If an event skimps on the food, you know it's a bad event."

"I wish I could stay in this moment forever."

"Now you're totally stuck in the Retro Zone. Sad face."

"Put some clothes on, hillbilly. "

"There's nothing more innocent than a teenager's diary"

"You're sweating pinballs. Is that all you're thinking about?"

"Nobody tells me what to do. Not my parents, not the Principal, or that whore in the bathroom!"

"Ready for the mosh pit, shaka brah."

"Everything is a picture waiting to be taken... "

"The slightly unconscious model is often the most open and honest. No vanity or posing, just... pure expression."

"I bet you were glad to see her blast up in that truck like a rock star."

"I hate to say I'm glad to see you, but I'm so glad to see you."

"Oh, I see... I'm not important to you anymore. Nobody cares about me... Nobody..."

"When a door closes, a window opens, or something like that."

"Would you like to spend the rest of your life in my dark room?"

"I don't have a fucking clue what's going on. But I have total faith that you'll do the right thing when the time comes."

"I could frame any one of you in a dark corner, and capture you in a moment of desperation."

"Just because I’m mentally ill doesn’t mean I deserve to die"

"It sucks to be dragged into the spotlight."

"If that tornado came right now, I would just sit here and watch for a while."

"You’re exactly the kind of soldier I’d want by my side in a war."

"Are you cereal?"

"I know I can be a pain in the ass... and... and you've always treated me like a person, not... not a beta nerd. I told you before that I'll always believe you..."

"Nobody... nobody lectures me. Everybody tries though... They try..."

"Everybody hates me... everybody..."

"That video of you clubbing didn't look like homework..."

"You already love my work, so it's not like you're playing favorites. Just imagine if you picked my photo, though... we would have to spend a LOT of time together... That could be... fun, don't you think?"

"Meow. Bring out the claws. I love seeing chicks fight."

"Don't think I don't know what goes on around here. You've only been here for three weeks and you're already causing conflict."

"I may be a pest, but... I'm a good listener."

"Hey, hey... I know this is a bad time, but can I get one picture? I've been feeling like this might be actually the end of the world, so... I want to have something for prosperity."

"You want some drugs?"

"Why look, an otter in my water!"

"Years of mad dodging skills. Bullies never change."

"I was eating those beans—are you fucking insane? I WAS EATING THOSE BEANS!"

"Hey, that's total slander!"

"I'm not a real scientist, even though I play one at school, but this seems like pure cause and effect, maybe Chaos Theory..."

"I do believe in forgiveness and redemption."

"I don't want to fight with you anymore. I don't want to fight with anyone anymore..."

"Everybody lies. No exceptions."

"Even angels need angels."

"Yes, you're a psychopath. And this is your last session."

"How the hell did you know about that photo? That's my favorite picture of her... I can look at it anytime and she'll always be there for me. I can't stand not knowing where she is... not hearing her voice... or her laugh... anymore."

"Wowser"

"Always take the shot. My number one rule in photography."

"I love that you're my partner in crime."

"Since you're the mysterious superhero... I'll be your faithful chauffeur and companion."

"I'm sick of your disrespect! Tell me the truth, that's an order!"

"Home, shit, home."

[lostfirefly]

Life Must Have It's Mysteries (Ch.3)

Nobody asked me, but the thought of sending my beloved couple on a new journey didn't let me go. Welcome to a new adventure! No idea how many chapters there will be :) Pain continues leading me to art :)

English is not my native language, errors may occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts :) Masterlist is here.

Description: Buggy and Catherine have clues as to where to find the map. Our treasure hunt is picking up speed!

Warnings: Fun, fluff, adventureee! Shitty shit :)

Words: 4112 (sorry again)

Buggy x OC from my “You’ve Got the Same Dream as Me” series.

Taglist: @gingernut1314, @operationroots, @hey-august, @rorywritesjunk

The title is taken from "Life Must Have It's Mysteries" by Hans Zimmer (OST Inferno).

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

“Could you be more focused, Buggy? Please!” 

“What? I do nothing!”

“Stop grabbing my ass, asshole!! I’m trying to read and collect all the information we have into one whole. And you're distracting me!" Catherine threw his hand off her buttocks. 

“It's not me! Baby, it's you!” Buggy made innocent eyes and poked Catherine's nose with his finger. “You're lying naked next to me. Can you imagine how hard it is not to touch you?!”

“You're pissing me off already! For the last time, I'm not naked! I'm in a t-shirt! See?” She tugged at her clothes.

“That’s mine! So it counts as you being naked!” 

She rolled her eyes at him. “You're disgus… Hey! What the fuck?!” Catherine moved her hand under her buttocks and reached for his separated hand. "Really? Damn you and your chop chop abilities, fucking clown!! That’s it! You're behaving badly and I’m keeping your hand!” 

“Hey, give it back!” 

“Nope!!” 

“You'd think that would stop me?” Buggy pulled Catherine towards him with one hand and began kissing her neck. 

“No, let me go!!” She tried to fight back with the papers and his hand. “Can I ask you..oh, shit..a question, my blue-haired bastard?”

He nodded and continued kissing her neck.

“Have you ever.. oh, fuck so good… had a girlfriend before me? I feel like they've either been gone a long time or never existed.”

“Of course I had girls. But cotton candy, you are not just a random girl. You’re my one and only favorite pie.” He looked into her eyes and kissed her lips.

“That's it! Let me go, fucking octopus!!! Or I'll rip your Buggy Balls off.” Catherine playfully hit him with the papers again. 

“Shit!” He loosened his grip.

Catherine finally sat down, leaning on the headboard of the bed. “Are you kidding me? We had sex for two hours! Give me a break!” She ruffled his hair with his hand she held in hers.

Buggy looked upset. Catherine glanced at him, smiled and pecked him on the cheek. “Oh! Don't be sad!” She pointed at her shoulder with his hand. “C’mere, my silly clown!” 

Buggy happily scooted over to her, took his hand back, put his head under her armpit, and began to run his fingers over the sheets.

“Any of your favorite riddles in here?”

“I don't see any yet and hopefully I won't.” Catherine hugged him around his shoulder, kissed the top of his head and heard her stomach murmur. “See what you did to me, my insatiable clown? I'm hungry now!”

Buggy turned his head slightly and looked at her from under his eyebrows “Do you want me to go get you something?” 

“Can you?” She stroked his cheek and made puppy eyes. 

“Baby, for you, I'll walk through death, scary sea currents and I’ll even go to a cafe to buy you fast food.”

“Then get me a bucket of chicken wings, fries, and a Coke, please!” She kissed his temple. 

Buggy got out of bed, exhaling loudly, pulled on his pants, t-shirt, sneakers and walked out of the room.

“Thank god I'll at least get a break from him!” Catherine pulled on her pajama pants.

She was lying on her stomach with her legs dangling when she heard the sound of the door opening.

“I'm back, my cotton candy! I allowed myself the nerve to buy you your favorite double cheeseburger with extra cheese. And just for your information, a nice girl wanted to ask for my phone number but I happily told her I was already occupied with some pretty red-haired bitch.”

“Oh, stop lying, clown. Who needs you besides me! No one will put up with your whining every day. This punishment went to me.” She pushed the papers aside, got up off her stomach and sat on the bed on her knees.

“Ouch! A blow straight to the heart!” Buggy flopped down beside her, placing a large bucket of wings on the bed.

“Your burger, ass.” He handed her the box.

“With extra cheese!! Thank you, my blue-haired hero!!” Smack, smack, smack. “Have I told you I love you?"

“Nope, first time I've heard.” He kissed her temple and stroked her back with his hand. “Did you find anything?” 

“Actually, yes!” Catherine took the burger out of the box and took a bite. “God, it's delicious. Here, try it.” She brought the burger up to his mouth. “Tasty?”

He took a bite, nodded and mumbled with his mouth full. “And what did you find?”

“Geeez, I still have to teach and teach you manners! Chew on that first!” Catherine laughed, took a napkin and wiped his mouth. 

“Screw you!” He swallowed the food and pecked Catherine on the cheek. He snuggled against her, put one hand on her waist and stared at the papers.

Catherine made herself comfortable beside Buggy. She couldn't contain her smile and gave him another bite of her burger.

“You're so warm, my Buggy Bear. I love you. So… While you were gone, I looked at what's available and what this girl told us-- Vivi or whatever her name is. Anyway, look. The map and possibly this cryptex are right here." She jabbed her finger at the map and then reached for a french fry and put it in Buggy's mouth. "You see, there are some coordinates and arrows mentioned in these copies. There seems to be some kind of building here. Vivi wrote down two letters in my notebook. BW. I don't know what that is..”

“I know only one group with these BW. Baroque Works. Shit! And if so, we have a little problem!”

“What? Why?” Catherine turned her head towards him.

“Let's just say I have a little problem with them.” Buggy smirked.

“What? Who are they?” She turned to face him and crossed her legs. 

“Well.. They're a criminal syndicate." He scratched his cheek. 

“What??” Her jaw dropped. 

Buggy shrugged. 

“Oh my God! What have you done?” Catherine blinked her eyes and didn't take her eyes off him.

“Oh, Cathie-pie, I did a lot of things.” He chuckled mischievously, took her hand and kissed it.

“My dear Buggy Bear. I love you and hate you with all my heart but.. Can I ask for a favor? If you gonna ask me to marry you, tell me more about yourself. Ok? So.. you know. There won't be any surprises later.” She took a couple more sticks of potatoes and put them in her mouth.

“What? Afraid of that one day I’ll run away and leave you with our ten kids?”

Catherine choked on french fries. “Are you crazy? We will never have ten kids. No…” She turned and pressed her back against his chest. “I’m just afraid that based on the information that suddenly came over me, one day you will be captured and put in some prison.”

Buggy scratched his head and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Well, I got out of an underwater prison once and I can do it a second time, I guess.”

“Holy crap, what?! You were in jail? For what?” She goggled at him.

“I'm telling you, I did a lot of things before we met.” He took and kissed her hand again. 

“So you're not just a mentally unstable clown who runs the circus?” Catherine squinted her eyes,  slightly pursed her lips and ran her hand through his hair.

“Na-ah!”

Catherine stared at him for a long moment and didn't know what to say back. She suddenly laughed, causing him genuine surprise. 

“You're not running away from me screaming in disgust?” Buggy raised his eyebrows. 

“Why would I run away? Are you still hoping to get rid of me? I have bad news for you, my silly clown. I'm not going anywhere.” She reached for the fries and put them in his mouth again. “Eat up. You've had a busy life and I love it. These are the things that make you special." She noticed his surprised look when she said the word “special”. “But you're gonna tell me everything one day, right?” 

He kissed her temple. “Better give me some more fries, baby. It’s yummy! And from your hands it tastes even better.” 

Catherine took one potato stick and put half of it in her mouth. “Take one yourself!” She looked at him intently and squinted her eyes.

He leaned toward her to take a second bite, hoping to kiss her and continue their evening as he wanted, but Catherine quickly grabbed a new potato stick and put it in his mouth.

“Ha! Gotcha!!” She chuckled and did a little victory dance with her hands. 

“Little shit!” He hugged her around her waist tightly. 

“Ok! Back to our business. I don't understand one thing. If it all lies in a building owned by these Baroque Works, why don't they go looking for this diamond? It's worth a lot of money.” 

“I don't know. Maybe they don't even know they have the map.” Buggy rested his chin on Catherine's shoulder.

“Great! What are we gonna do? You're suggesting we break into a mob syndicate building, look for the map and cryptex, even though we don't even know exactly where to look.” 

“Sounds cool, doesn't it?” He chuckled.

“No! Not cool at all, Buggy! Do you even think with your head once in a while? It's one thing when you're talking nonsense at home, but here–” 

“Cathie-pie, don't forget you're with me! We don't need a plan!” He stroked her hands.

“That's what scares me, that I'm with you! And besides…” Catherine kept silent for a moment. 

“What?” 

“I'm worried about you now.” She took his hand and started running her thumb over his knuckles. “You said you have troubles with these mobsters, it's dangerous for you to go in there. They can't cut you up, but they can kick your ass or torture you. I don't want you to get hurt or.. to lose you.” 

He hugged her tightly and kissed her temple. “Don’t worry, my cotton candy. I’m Buggy the Clown. And Buggy the Clown always gets out of trouble.”

“Maybe Buggy the Clown needs to stop getting into trouble?”

“How boring my life will be then!”

⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭

“Either you and I are the luckiest people in the world, or I don't know how to explain it.” Catherine sat cross-legged on the hood of the car, staring at the copies of the pages. “Look. Apparently, this building keeps the map here.” She pointed her finger at the map. “It may or may not have been bricked up when the building was built. I don't know exactly. A circle with a line below is mentioned. This is Shen.”

“What the hell is this?” Buggy asked when he was rearranging things in the trunk.

“This's a protective sign on stelae or in tombs, and also as an amulet. And it was closely associated with many gods.” Catherine tapped her toes. 

“Oh, no! No gods again!” Buggy grumbled loudly. 

“We live in Egypt, my little bear. There are gods everywhere.” She stared at her notes.

“What about the cryptex?”

“I don’t know.. Let me see. I don't know. It's somewhere…under the floor?”

“What do you mean under the floor?” He walked up to the hood.

“Directly. Two lines and a circle. You see, two lines and a circle are drawn here. And apparently we need to look under this drawing.” She ran her finger over the drawing.

“Sounds like their sign.” Buggy crossed his arms and look at Catherine.

“Whose?”

“Baroque Works. Two crossed swords instead of lines and a skull instead of a circle. You know, in the spirit of pirate Jolly Rogers. Shit! I like that! You and I are just like Bonnie and Clyde, cotton candy!” He rubbed his hands contentedly.

“I don't want to be like Bonnie and Clyde.” 

“Why?”

“They were killed, Buggy. Anyway, what if the cryptex is not under this sign? I don't know when this building was built or when the cryptex was hidden there. I have one theory, of course.” She glanced at him. “Okay. So how do I get there?” Сatherine pointed at the large gray building near which they had been standing for a couple of hours.

“How do I get there? Have you lost your mind? You won't go there alone! No!” 

“You won't go there either.” She called him with her hand. Buggy came closer to her. Catherine wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head against his chest. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I’ll find the map. I can handle it.”

“I know you can handle it, but I said no.” He stroked her arms. “There's no way in hell I'm letting you go in there alone. The conversation is over.” 

“My hero!” Catherine hugged him tightly and glanced at him. “I love you.”

“Oh, my God. We're not dying! Why all the drama, Cathie-pie?” Buggy rolled his eyes. 

“You spoiled my romantic moment, jackass.” She raised her head and straightened his ponytail with her hands. “So. What’s the plan?” 

────┈┈┈┄┄╌╌╌╌┄┄┈┈┈────

“I don't even know how I got involved with you.” Catherine grumbled as they made their way through the underground passage. “Couldn't we have gotten to them some other way?”

“How? Through the front door? Oh, sorry, Baroque Works, we're looking for the map and the cryptex, can we come by your place for a couple hours and walk around the building. Is that how you envisioned it?”

“Oh, sorry. I bet you know better how to break into buildings, Mr. "You know, Catherine, I was in jail!” She imitated his voice.

“Quiet!” Buggy covered her mouth with his palm and looked up. “Do you hear footsteps? We're somewhere under the building.”

"Afhrjeen?”  

“What?” Buggy turned around to her. 

Catherine slapped his palm and pulled his hand away. “Where are we?”

“How on earth would I know where we are? We'll have to check. Wait here.” Buggy separated half of his body and reached up top, pushing back a small hatch. 

“What's up there?” Сatherine asked in a whisper. 

“The corridor.”

“Get me up!” Catherine continued whispering. Buggy gathered himself back, he placed one palm on top of the other and held his interlocked hands out for Catherine.

She climbed with her feet on his arms. “Why don't you use your chop chop thing and pick me up?” She watched him shrug in response. “Idiot!” She shook her head. 

Catherine climbed through the trapdoor and found herself in a wide hallway decorated with large columns. On the floor she saw a red carpet. 

“Buggy, where are you?” She leaned over to the hatch and gave him a hand. 

“I'm coming.” He climbed out of the hatch and crouched beside her. “Further where?”

“I don't know! The notes said the east side of the building.”

“Where are we now?” He stood up and helped her to get up. 

“Jesus, Buggy, I don't know!” Catherine grumbled in a whisper. 

They heard footsteps approaching. 

“Get back!” Buggy pushed Catherine behind a column. She pulled him by his pants toward her. 

“Hey! Careful!!” He looked at her unhappily. 

Catherine pulled him to her and glanced at his face. 

“I bet you're getting turned on by all this!” Buggy winked at her.

“God, you're disgusting sometimes.” She rolled her eyes.

A man with two figures in the shape of swans on his shoulders and a fat tall man with the number 4 on his clothes passed by. 

“Why do they look so weird?” Catherine asked in a whisper. 

“Do you really want to talk about this now? Let's go!” Buggy took her firmly by the arm and dragged her behind him. 

They tried to walk as quickly and inconspicuously as possible to the east side of the building. 

“You know, I think there must be the cryptex around here somewhere. The buildings on the inside look like the ones the Tania communities built under the Pharaohs. You know, Cretan-Mycenaean cult and all that.” Catherine whispered and pointed at the walls and doors. 

“I have no idea what you're talking about!” Buggy started grumbling and getting nervous. 

“It doesn't matter. Listen, in buildings like this, cryptexes or something important was hidden in the central chambers of the chief lord. I wish I knew where the head lord's office was.”

“Over there!” Buggy pointed his finger at the door. 

“How do you know?”

“Well, I was there once.” He shrugged one shoulder. 

“Oh, my God!” Catherine squeaked loudly. 

“Quiet!” Buggy put his hand over her mouth again. 

They walked down the corridor, sometimes hiding behind columns so no one would see them. They were sneaking down one of the corridors when Catherine noticed the circle on the wall. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! We're close!” She quickly looked around the walls, peeked under the carpet, and looked at the walls again. “I don't understand. The map should be on the east wall. We're definitely in the east. It's still pretty early and the sun is still shining on this side.” Catherine felt the wall with her hands. “There must be some kind of ancient safe or something. It's the way they've always done it.”

“Maybe they moved it.”

“What do you think they were doing, tearing down the wall? No! The map's been buried here for a long time.”

“Dammit, someone's coming.” Buggy heard footsteps approaching and pulled her by the hand to hide behind a column. “Catherine, over here.”

“They're messing up the walls.” She pulled her hand away and began to move both of them along the wall.

“What?” 

“They messed up the walls! Probably the building was built by people who don't understand geography.”

“I don't care about fucking geography! We need to hide now!” Realizing she wouldn't budge, he separated his arms and dragged her behind a column. “Are you even listening to me?” He looked at her angrily, attaching his hands. 

As soon as the footsteps passed, Catherine looked around the spatialization once more. 

“The office!!” She shrieked and rushed into the room. 

“Сatherine, goddamn it!” Buggy rolled his eyes. 

“Run to the other wall, look for the map. I'll look for the cryptex here.”

“No! I'm not leaving you here!” He ran after her into the office.

“The two of us can get out of here faster!”

“Are you kidding me? We're in the building of one of the most dangerous syndicates in the world! I said no!!”

Сatherine was poking around the office when a voice came from behind her. “Hey! Who are you??”

She froze and turned her head. Catherine saw a young man who wore a golden crown on top of his red hair and had number 9 written on his cheeks. He also wore a green suit with white lace along with a ruffled red scarf. 

Catherine looked around the room but didn't see Buggy. “Fucking clown!” She thought. 

“Me? Me..I'm your new cleaning lady. I'm cleaning up.”

“You're lying to me. Who are you?”

“I’m…”

He suddenly pulled out a bat and stood next to the table. 

“Oh shit! You know it's wrong to hit girls, right?” Catherine took small steps backward. 

“But you're not the girl, you're a thief.” He swung his bat in his hand. 

“But still the girl!” She tried to look out into the hallway out of the corner of her eye and understand whether she would have time to get there somehow. 

The man slowly walked away from the table. “Should I take you to our boss, baby?” Said the man. 

Catherine was about to clam up but she saw a detached hand tap the shoulder of the man with the bat. The man turned around and a flying fist slapped him in the face and he fell to the floor. 

“Shit, I hate it when someone other than me calls you baby!” Buggy crawled out from under the table and attached his arm back.

“Where have you been?” 

“As soon as he came in, I hid under the table, but you didn't hear me or see me because you were yelling so loud that the whole building could hear you!” He came closer to her.

“I wasn't yelling, idiot! How could you leave me and watch that psycho threaten me?” 

“I was right there!” He pointed to the table. “I was waiting for the right moment! Cotton candy, I realize you like to take it out on me but there's no time for our squabble. The cryptex, remember?” 

“Right! Watch the hallway!” Catherine started to move the carpet, “Fuck! It's heavy. But the cryptex has to be here. It was always hidden in the center of the room!” She saw Buggy's hands helping her move the rug out of place. “I told you to watch the hallway. What the hell?” 

She looked up and didn't know how not to laugh out loud. The body stood beside her while the head peered out the doorway. “You're amazing, my silly clown.”

They pulled back the rug.

Catherine looked closely at the pattern on the floor, it was faintly visible. “Look! Look! The drawing!”

“Better hurry up, because Baroque Works' agents could be here at any moment.” Said the floating head near the door.

“Yeah, yeah! Wait!" Catherine tapped the floor lightly. "It's moving! The drawing's moving! What was it like? Three east, two west, one east and one south.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It's a part of stupid old counting rhyme I read in a book about pharaohs and communities like that.”

“Jesus, have you ever had a life?”

“Shut up, clown!” Catherine rotated the drawing several times according to the words of the counting rhyme. “It's open! It's open!” She quickly put her hand through the gap. “It's gone!” 

“What?” Buggy asked in surprise.

“There's no cryptex!”

“Are you sure?”

“No, I took it and then hid it again. Of course I'm sure. Where is it?” Catherine started crawling on the floor. 

“Fuck the cryptex, someone's coming.” Buggy put his head back on his body and grabbed Catherine's arm. “Let's get out of here. We should at least find the map.”

“But-- “

“No buts. We'll figure it out as we go. If we get caught, trust me, it's gonna be bad.” He dragged her toward the exit of the office. 

They both stuck their heads out the doorway and looked around. 

“Where to now?” Buggy asked in a whisper. 

“Well, if it's not the east side of the wall, we need to go to the west side. It's that way!” She pointed the direction with her finger.

“Let's hurry up then, shall we?” He grabbed Catherine and threw her over his shoulders. 

“What are you doing? Let me go!” She started squealing. 

“Can you stop yelling? Someone's coming this way!”

Footsteps and voices were getting closer by the second.

Buggy ran in the direction Catherine pointed. 

She was hanging on his shoulder. “This is completely indecent, Buggy. I can see your ass.”

“Like you've never seen my ass before.” He grumbled and laughed.

“I hate you!”

They heard shouting coming from the office where they were a couple minutes ago. 

“Ooh, this is bad. I bet they're sending their aides to search the whole building to look for us.” Buggy turned down another hallway. 

Catherine tried to focus on the walls. 

“Wait! Wait!” She started hitting him on the back. “The Shen!!!”

Buggy stopped and lowered Catherine to the floor. 

She ran her hands along the wall. “Arrows. I got it! The arrows in the map weren't just arrows. There are serifs on the rocks. They need to be turned. Help me!”

The adjacent corridors were becoming noisier with each passing second. 

“Catherine, honey, we don't have more than a couple minutes. Which way to turn?” There was worry in Buggy's voice.

“You turn these rocks, I'll turn these rocks. This way and this way.” She pointed in the right direction. “Ready? One, two, three!”

They turned the stones at the same time and heard a click. 

“It's open!!! It's open!!!” Catherine put her hands on the rock with the drawning.

“Yeah, that's great. But hurry up!”

“Hey, you!” A man’s voice came from the hallway. 

They both looked in the direction of the voice. The man with a number 4 on his clothes called out to them. 

“Oh, my God. He's like an overgrown child!” Catherine's eyes widened. 

“Shit!" Buggy pushed her behind a column and pressed the center stone.  

The man rushed toward them. Buggy slipped his hand through the gap and pulled out a roll of paper from there. He quickly ran toward Catherine. 

“Good news, my Cathie-pie. I stole the map. Second news, we have to run.”

[lanshappycorner]

Some notes: takes place during the first Halloween event / reader presumably a student visiting from off campus (presumably a little older or the same age as Yuu, the age reference is important)

No clue how to describe it but POV u run into Yuu at NRC (not an x reader but does have the vibes)

—

You looked at the map on hand, a frown beginning to tug at your lips. You'd followed the crowd into NRC, yet somehow despite it all, you had gotten lost. It was truly a miracle, you mused bitterly, trying to make sense of the map before you.

You wondered how you'd missed all of the arrows—assuming that there would've been arrows—but perhaps you'd just been spacing out. Either way, figuring out how you got lost would not help your situation. You need to find your way back and...well, it all starts with a step, you supposed.

Taking a step forward had ended tragically, as you had immediately tripped upon a rock, feeling yourself tumble over, your body frozen in shock. You squeezed your eyes shut—you could not react quickly enough to pull yourself up.

Luckily for you, a pair of hands had grabbed onto your shoulders firmly, preventing your fall. You paused, opening your eyes to see black fabric obscuring your vision. You blinked once. Twice. Curious. This was certainly not what the floor looked like.

A soft spoken, but cool voice reached your ears, and you had half a mind to process that the voice had come from the young man that was currently holding you in his arms, "Are you okay?" He set you upright, his eyes scanning over you as he settled for a form of address, "...Onee-san/Onii-san(idk take ur pick)."

"Uh..." For a second, you found it rather difficult to speak. After all, this guy...wasn't he unnaturally good looking? Did this school raise mages or flowers...either ways, you cleared your throat. "...Yeah. I'm fine, thanks for catching me."

He nodded, his expression as nonchalant as ever although you swore that there was a little relief in his eyes. "But besides from that," You awkwardly spoke up again, "I'm actually kinda lost, so if you could point me in the right direction then..."

"I figured." The young man's words could be interpreted in bad faith, you were sure. In any other situation, perhaps you would be a little more peeved by how tactless his words seemed, but with how blank faced he was, you could only assume he were being honest.

"You were alone and this isn't a stamp area so..." He shrugged, offering an arm, "I can escort you back, if you want."

You weren't the type to casually cling onto a stranger's arm, but also he was hot so of course you agreed.

The walk to the stamp area was shorter than you'd expected. The mysterious young man had ceased to speak afterwards, merely quietly escorting you to where you needed to go. He wasn't much of a talker, you assumed.

Soon, you could see the bright lights from the distance, hear the chattering of the crowd. You glanced over to him, wondering if you should speak up first or if he would.

As it turns out, he did.

He paused in his step, turning to look at you before gesturing to the crowd, "We've reached the stamp area."

Nothing more, nothing less to be said, huh.

You hastily let go of his arm, nodding, "Thanks for taking me this far, umm..." You wondered if it would be okay to ask for his name. It was unlikely you'd meet him again anyways, but somehow you felt as though it would bother you for quite a while if you had no name to put to his face.

"You're welcome." Noticing your hesitation, he hummed softly, "...Yuu. My name is Yuu." He reached into his pocket, digging around for something. "May I have your hand for a moment?"

So his name was Yuu.

Curiously, you extended your hand, only to watch in surprise as he slipped a piece of candy into your palm.

"Just a little compensation for when you got lost." He gave you a small smile, "Well then...I hope you have fun today."

And just like that, he had left you to stare as he walked away.

[vonlipvig]

If you don't mind my asking, You play a lot of games right??, which are your favs, you'd rec to everybody and everyone, I'm on the hunt for some games to play and you have good taste so I thought I'd ask

You think I have good taste? Why, gorsh...😳

Jokes aside, I do play video games quite regularly! I don't think I'm the biggest gamer (I have a shitty laptop, so it's not like I'm playing newly-released AAA games), but I do have some that I'm very fond of, so here are some of my faves, some well known ones, some hidden gems:

Ace Attorney - The game I played when I was 13 and completely changed the trajectory of my life. Visual novel-like game were you play a defense lawyer and make your way through court to prove your client's innocence. A CLASSIC, the characters are amazing, the stories are fantastic, and god the MUSIC. Game of All Time for me (The Ace Attorney trilogy is where I'd start, but there are many more in the series, The Great Ace Attorney being a prequel duology that can be played individually and is also incredible).

Zero Escape - A trilogy of games about...hm. Well, it's like a bunch of people get kidnapped and put into these locked rooms, and they have to escape. It gets WAY crazier than that, but if you like puzzles, escape rooms, and insane twists, you'll definitely like these.

Not For Broadcast - A hilarious and dark FMV simulation game where you are tasked with editing a news broadcast, censoring swear words, picking the best shots, and basically manipulating what ends up on TV. This game is a MASTERPIECE, I cannot stress that enough. It is wonderfully acted, the characters are so memorable, the plot can get real dark...it's one of my most cherished gaming experiences, and I could not reccommend it enough.

Suzerain - A text-based, decision making, political simulator where you take the role of Anton Rayne, Sordland's newest president. Save the country from recession, rewrite the country's old constitution, or hell, maybe start a war! This game is delightful, and if you're daunted by the extensiveness of most sim games, don't be, because this is super intuitive and easy to get the hang of. The worldbuilding is fascinating, and the characters are lovable and fun!

Her Story - An unconventional one, but so fascinating. It's another FMV game, where you're presented with a police database full of interview videos from an old case. They're not in any particular order, though, it's up to you to make sense from it! A bit of a haunting game (it's not a horror game, don't worry), I totally reccommend experiencing it.

Return of the Obra Dinn - Jesus, another masterpiece. It's a first-person mystery game where you play as an insurance inspector exploring an old ship that has reappeared with nobody alive onboard. It's your task to discover the fate of all its crewmembers. I cannot tell you how incredible this game is, it's a big logic puzzle with an amzing atmosphere and an unforgettable experience.

Papers, Please - I feel like everybody has played PP already, but if you haven't, oh boy go get it! Made by the same guy that made Obra Dinn, you play here as a border checkpoint immigration officer, checking people's passports and documents to see who gets to enter the glorious country of Arstotzka. One of indie games' best, truly. If you can get it on a touch screen, even better.

The Case of the Golden Idol - If you enjoyed Return of the Obra Dinn, then you have to play Golden Idol as well. Kind of a detective-y, puzzle-y game where you search for clues on different scenes, which you then use to solve the mystery of what really happened. Hard to explain, but a joy to play through and solve!

The Darkside Detective - A fun as hell point-and-click detective game where you join Detective McQueen and Officer Dooley on some spooky, supernatural mysteries. Hilarious, filled with witty references and jokes, and with a dynamic duo that will make you fall in love with them (and their silly, blank faces). It's got a sequel, too!

We. The Revolution - This game sent me on a rabbit hole about the French Revolution, and it was so fun. You play here as a judge of the Revolutionary Tribunal during--you guessed it--the French Revolution. Make decisions about the cases that are brought before you, immerse yourself in the history of France (and talk to many of the key figures!), and hell, maybe even give it your own spin! Super fun, and has a gorgeously unique arstyle.

I think that's good for now, hopefully you'll find something here that's to your taste! Happy gaming!

[nellie-elizabeth]

Some whining about fan responses to GO2 below the cut. I'm just being a jerk mostly lol.

Not gonna tag or link the posts because I'm not trying to stir shit but I see some people doing the thing for Good Omens season 2 that people did for Sherlock or Supernatural where, they didn't really like some aspects of season 2, and instead of saying "oh, that part didn't really gel with me" they think "Oh, it's actually all part of a long con that Neil Gaiman is playing on us! The stuff that I thought was bad? It was bad on purpose!" (Remember, the secret final episode of Sherlock, or the fact that the penultimate Supernatural episode was "bad on purpose" so the finale would fix it all?)

And it's so frustrating because I think these people are setting themselves up for further disappointment when season three comes. I personally loved season two of good omens! It really hit the spot for me, I thought it was funny and charming and clever and perfectly heartbreaking. If you didn't like it, that's okay, you don't have to construct a whole conspiracy theory around "why it was bad".

I want to be clear i don't mean just having theories about potential mysteries/clues leading to season 3. What are the Metatron's real motivations? Will we get to know who Crowley was as an angel before the fall? That sort of stuff is fun to speculate about, and we certainly don't have all the answers!

What I'm talking about things like... I saw someone say that the Eccles Cakes were a secret clue: why bring them up and put such emphasis on them only for them not to get eaten, hmmm? That couldn't have been just a simple oversight... it must be a grander point about the secret undercurrent plot that's been hiding right in front of our eyes this whole time.

And... no, it's not a simple oversight. It's not a grand clue to a big mystery (imo) either. It's pretty basic storytelling. Aziraphale asks Nina for something that calms people down, he procures the Eccles cakes on her recommendation, and then hands them off to Crowley as they enter the shop. There's a pointed shot of the uneaten cookies as Crowley storms off because, guess what, nobody ate them, and nobody's calming down! I think that's it, y'all. No grand mystery to parse here.

Or one thing I saw that really had me scratching my head was "why did we spend so long in the '40s minisode seeing Aziraphale pick out magic tricks in the shop, do the whole fake-out with the bullets, etc.? What was the point of showing us all that?"

I mean... because it was funny and charming and good character development? I don't know that it was leading to any grand secret behind the scenes. The setup and the pay-off is all right there in the 1940's flashbacks. Aziraphale is bad at stage magic, and then real miracles are blocked, and in the moment of truth he's able to use trickery correctly, for once in his life. Crowley and Aziraphale both manage to keep each other safe in the human way, even when their miracles are blocked. It's all right there, it doesn't have to be a clue leading to some big switcharoo later down the road.

Or one last thing I saw was people saying "where were the Zombies? Why have a plot about digging up corpses, and another story about Zombies, what does it all mean?"

And like... I don't know, maybe it means some Secret Extra Thing that i just haven't seen yet, but isn't it also possible that it means... thematic foreshadowing of season three's external plot? You've got Job's children being "reborn", you've got corpses being dug up, you've got zombies roaming London. The third season is about the Second Coming, y'all. I don't want to say "it's not that deep" because it is that deep, it's not just... extra made up layers of obfuscation that give it unnecessary confusing deepness. If that makes sense.

Bottom line, if this season didn't gel with you, I'm sorry! But I promise you, you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you spend the next couple years divining all the secret codes Gaiman put into the work for you. He didn't write a "bad on purpose" season of television. He wrote a good season of television! I'm sure there are mysteries to unravel, and fun clues to go back and find later on when we see how it all ends up. But he didn't write an entire season of TV to be a big giant misdirect in and of itself. I really don't think that's how this works.

End of soap box.

[annwayne]

Writing Interview Tag Game!

Thanks @bagheerita and @chaniis-atlantis atlantis for the tag!! This looks like lots of fun :3 Interesting to see what all everyone says.

(questions w/o answers below the read more.)

About me

When did you start writing?

Sixth grade, otherwise around 10/11? I think that's how old I was in sixth grade lol.

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write?

Absolutely! I write mostly romance and fantasy/sci fi, but I love most genres. Murder mysteries are a particular favorite of mine.

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often?

Not a clue. I read voraciously as a child until college, and just now I'm starting to pick the habit back up again-which is to say I couldn't tell you what authors inspired me as a kid and I'm not familiar enough with any authors I'm reading now to tell you what I want to emulate. No one has compared my writing to anyone that I know of.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I mostly write on the pc, which is in our office. The desk is not deep enough to my liking but the chair is comfy. Perry's got a bunch of little knickknacks all around the monitor (since it's his side of the desk technically) and I've got a bunch of shelves full of decorations, collectables, so forth, along the wall/in the shelves that connect to the desk.

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Engage with the material that first sparked inspiration over and over and over again. This keeps the ideas flowing and often brings about dreams of said material, which help greatly.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about?

Hahahahahaha. Ha. Yeah, you could say that.

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you?

Yes and no. See the question above.

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

You're asking me to pick a favorite child 😩 Ok. I'll talk about Alice bc I'm working on the sga bridgerton!au. Alice's backstory isn't fully figured out, I'm debating if she'll be adopted or not. I know for sure her relationship with her family is terrible and that's why she was so willing to join the Atlantis expedition despite no guarantee of return. She never learned how to balance work and life, thus leading to a rather isolated adulthood where she spent most of her time in the lab. But hey, her work was well acclaimed and got her to the Pegasus galaxy. Her personality has really come through while working on this bridgerton!au fic. She's terribly anxious, but aware of that anxiety having little logic behind it, so a lot of her actions are based on being brave despite being terrified. She's very courageous in that sense. I'd say her biggest arc (at least in the bridgerton!au) is learning how to voice her wants. She's good at speaking up for others but not so much for herself. Also genderweird feminine presenting chubby scientist in 2000's woo.

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

I can't deicde if it'd be a "get along swell because they are so similar" or a "so alike they can't stand each other" situation with my fandom ocs tbh. I think I might befriend Anya and Awyn, but Alice might upset me too much lol. I can say, for my Angel and Death characters from an original work of mine, they would be my friends.

Which characters would you dislike the most of you met them?

Again, not sure. Hard to tell.

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters?

I watch a show I like a character I make a sona/insert/version of myself I think would fit well in that world, make a cool story, and be a good ship with the character I like. Then the character blooms as I write.

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?

Parental issues, adoption abandonment, cults. Yeah. There's a few.

How do you picture your characters?

I usually draw them! :D

My writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Self expression, I can do it better (fix-it-fics), and entertainment. The process of writing itself is very enjoyable for me.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating?

When readers pick up on foreshadowing and hints I'm putting down, when they leave behind long "book reports," as I call them, detailing narrative devices/thematic beats/etc., and when they tell me outright how excited they are to read more of the story. But literally any comment is like gold to me.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Uhh. I've never thought of this before. I hope they enjoy my writing? And my ocs? I wouldn't mind being thought of as the person to go to with oc thoughts-not even about my own but anyones. I love ocs. I love seeing someone new I get to learn all about thrown into a world with all these characters I love. It's such a fun thing.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I'm not insecure with my writing lol. Art school really took the brunt of that one. But for a technical answer, I'd say character dynamics? Like. I'm good at a lot of things, but I think recently my ability to emphasize the emotions two characters have for each other (whatever those may be) has improved immensely.

Have you been told what is your greatest strength as a writer is by others?

I've been told I capture individual character voice's rather well. The trick, imo, is once you have heard the character speak enough that you can hear their voice in your head, you can tell when dialogue fits them or not. (obviously this goes for mediums where there is an aloud voice to hear lol.)

How do you feel about your own writing?

I love it! I'm a good writer and I'm always improving.

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write?

Yep. Re-reading my writing is fun!

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both?

Might be a mix? When I have an audience in mind (like for trades, gifts, and friends who are hype about wips I share with them) I tend to think past myself into bigger ideas. I'm still writing what I want to read, but I'm just giving more thought about the execution lol.

npt: @wolveria @nimata-beroya @silverwings22 @klynnvakarian @the-itzy-bitzy-spider

About me

When did you start writing?

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write?

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often?

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about?

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you?

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

Which characters would you dislike the most of you met them?

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters?

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?

How do you picture your characters?

My writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating?

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Have you been told what is your greatest strength as a writer is by others?

How do you feel about your own writing?

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write?

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both?

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2023!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

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116. How To Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Man, I love Grady Hendrix.

I never know what I'm going to get with his books. When I started HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE, I wasn't sure if I was really into it. The start was a little bit on the slower side and I wasn't sure how I felt about the sibling dynamic.

Then I put the book down and read some other things. I think I wasn't in the right head space for it, so I eventually picked it up again a couple of months later. And I'm so glad I tried again!

This book made me laugh probably a few too many times considering it's horror, but those puppets (especially the main one) was absolutely hilarious. If you do audiobooks, I highly recommend listening to the one for this book, especially because you'll get the pleasure of hearing the voice actor do the puppet's voice--that catcall of his in particular. Man, that was funny.

But much like Hendrix's other works, one moment you're either mad or laughing, and the next you'll feel like you need to throw up. There are some seriously gruesome bits in this. If you're into that, you'll saw right through the pages.

This book had me feeling so many emotions and somehow, even after the worst (I thought it was the worst part), there were still four hours left in the audiobook. Those were some creepy and fast paced hours as the story raced towards a satisfying conclusion. Listen, I cried at the end. If that's not a rollercoaster of emotions, I don't know what is.

While it might not have been my favourite Hendrix book (HORRORSTÖR will always be my favourite), this was a fun one that might make you laugh, squirm with disgust, and cry. Especially fun to recommend this to people who have a phobia of dolls and/or puppets.

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117. The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis--⭐️⭐️

Okay, aha, this series is written by different authors and...it shows.

Off the bat, I was slightly uncomfortable. From some of the jokes used (one sibling calling the other "Jackie Chan" because they were going to Japan when Jackie isn't even Japanese...), to the uncomfortable idea that one of the siblings is falling for her cousin. I get that it was alluded to in earlier books, but it was more like a "he's attractive and I have social anxiety" but seeing them flirt in this book was....kind of weird LOL.

I know these are older books and while I did enjoy the adventure parts (and the cunning ways these family members outdo each other), there were some things I couldn't get past. I'll keep reading the series because I'm both curious about the mystery and because another author will write the next book.

Onto the next one!

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118. Night of the Living Dummy by R.L. Stine--⭐️⭐️

I wanted to enjoy this one, but I know GOOSEBUMP books can be super hit or miss. This is such a popular book in the series, so I was hoping for...more? But there was so much wrong with this one. The competing twins were frustrating, but they're kids. I can understand their competition.

What I don't understand is the horrible parents. I know this is from a kid's perspective, so maybe we are seeing an inflated response from the parents, but that mother was a piece of work. What an impatient and disconnected woman. Listen, if my kid told me their doll was moving on its own, I'd be spraying holy water on it instead of yelling at them. Just, such questionable parenting. There's a reason why so many kids never want to tell their parents anything.

"Why don't they call me anymore?" Because when Billy told you that his puppet was trying to kill him, you didn't believe him. JK. It's not that serious, but it's sad to see that so many people in my generation grew up reading about parents like this.

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119. Our Shadows Have Claws by Various--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have mixed feelings about this collection. I never really pick up anthologies because I need my stories to be thicker than just a few pages, although I can fully appreciate the mastery of writing a powerful story a short number of pages long. But while there were definitely some knockout stories in this collection (in my opinion), there were some misses, too.

I went into this hoping to be spooked! I'm Latina, so seeing a Latine collection of horror stories made me incredibly excited (even with my apprehension for short stories). While the stories may not have been what I was hoping for, the artwork was gorgeous and creepy. I'll definitely be keeping this collection on my shelves both because it's amazing Latine rep, and because it's just a beautiful book aesthetically.

I've broken down the stories with my individual ratings and very short thoughts:

The Nightingale and the Lark: 3 Stars

I enjoyed seeing a story about the complicated dynamic of family and tradition. I'm kind of sad this is the Cuban one--but don't mind me, this is just me being a city bitch. I had no idea what this monster was and neither did my parents, but I'm assuming it's a campo monster. That being said, this was a pretty solid story to start with....but not scary. At all. It WAS interesting to see the morality living in the shadows of beliefs and fear.

¿Dónde Está el Duende?: 4 Stars

I think this is one of my favourites of the whole collection. It was so sinister and more than the monster itself, the actions of the humans involved made this one extra spooky. I remember thinking about it once it ended and feeling so uncomfortable when all of the pieces clicked together.

El Viejo de la Bolsa: 2 Stars

Meh. I feel like I zoned out with this one. I was so confused and by the end of the story, I had no idea what I'd just read. (This happens a few times with some of the stories in the collection.)

Beware the Empty Subway Car: 1.5 Stars

Honestly, this title was kind of misleading. There were some cool places this story could have gone but it was so boring. And it felt like...the point of the story was kind of random? Especially because it read more like one chapter in a bigger book. No shade to the authors, but it felt like the point of this story being included in this collection was missed. All backstory, barely any spooks. Meh. Least favourite, lowest rating.

Dismembered: 4 Stars

Having just lost my Abuela last December, this hella pulled on my heartstrings. Emotional and with a deeply heartbreaking twist, Dismembered is rightfully a favourite for a lot of other readers. Even if the beginning of the story feels gruesome, the heart of the story is beautiful.

Blood Kin: 4 Stars

I LOVE revenge stories. I was immediately hooked and I'm a sucker for the bad guy getting his due justice. Also, another heartstring puller. These authors giving me the spooks with a side of heartbreak. Thanks.

La Boca Del Lobo: 2 Stars

So, I *listened* to the audiobook of this collection. I have this thing where if a book isn't keeping my attention, then it's not a book I'm enjoying. When I'm invested, I am listening with both ears and hoping to catch everything. This story had me so disinterested that I had to replay the whole thing again because I missed the whole thing. The second time around wasn't any better.

Bloodstained Hands Like Ours: 2 Stars

While I loved the LGBTQ+ rep, I wasn't really feeling this one. It had a weird ending that made me think of superheroes. Much like the Subway Car story, this felt like a lot of backstory and not enough main creep story.

The Boy from Hell: 3.5 Stars

This was a fun one and felt like it could have been its own book. I especially loved how this story touches on the racism that lives in the Latine community. Also, even though I saw the twist a mile away, it was still fun to see.

La Patasola: 4 Stars

Loved the LGBTQ+ rep in this and how it forces the reader to see how ignorance and falling to peer pressure can ruin something so beautiful. I kind of wish I had more of this story so I could see the outcome of the events that happen. I really enjoyed this one. The ending was very satisfying.

The Other Side of the Mountains: 4 Stars

I think this one is a perfect example of backstory being well-balanced with the heart of the story. That twist was *chef's kiss*.

La Madrina: 3 Stars

I don't think this is a monster story. I think it's a great morality story that was well written and paced, but I think to call this a monster story does the heart of it a disservice. But I guess, in a way, it brings to question what we might define a monster to be.

Sugary Deaths: 3.5 Stars

This had a very satisfying ending for a creepy man who should not be around younger girls. This is one of those stories where you have to ask yourself, "Who's the real monster here?"

Leave No Tracks: 4 Stars

I loved this one because of how powerful it was. I thought it was a great allegory for the erosion of family and nature, and how the consequences of our choices can haunt us long after the choice has been made.

The Hour of the Wolf: 4 Stars

Probably one of my favourites overall. I love a good story with Karma and this one DELIVERED. Also, something I've noticed in this one and in some of the other stories is the importance of the all-knowing Abuela. Loved the creepy wolf vibes and the bullies facing some twisted revenge.

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120. Help! We Have Strange Powers! by R.L. Stine--⭐️⭐️

This was pure chaos.

While I really enjoyed the last Horrorland book I listed to, this one was just too much. The production level felt like it was too much. And don't even get me started on these awful main characters. Also, this was another book with twins. LOL Stine had a trope.

I AM intrigued, however, about what is happening in Horrorland--I think that's the best part of these books.

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121. Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells--⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow, I can't believe I finally finished this book that I started a year and a bit ago. I never thought this day would come LOL.

I think one of the reasons why I kept putting this one down is because it felt like a slower read--which is why I'm so happy my library got the audiobook edition! That definitely helped, although there were still instances where my brain zoned out because the story never really fully hooked me.

The mystery and intrigued was interesting--I wanted to see what twists and turns waiting for me as the MC navigated the truths being thrown at her. It makes me sort of fascinated enough to read the sequel, but I'm not fully sold on that yet.

One of the things I did love about this series is that it did have that fun early 2000s-2010s vibes that contemporary fantasy had, a la SOOKIE STACKHOUSE & the FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT series (but without the spiciness, just the tension.)

Other than the occasional slow pace, this was fun and I think would be a fun read for anyone who likes badass MCs taking over their own narrative after so many others have done it for them.

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122. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pardon my French, but this book is a mindfuck.

I'm kind of freaked out about how good Kuang is at making you face your own mind when you're given an anti-hero MC who sometimes had you empathizing with her, and then abruptly remembering how awful they actually are. Granted, none of the characters in this book were the shitting rainbows kind of characters. These were characters that dangerously resembled the actual nature of so many people out there--people who you may know, or may have encountered. Those people who think they've been wronged and who think other groups get undeserved preferential treatment.

Other than this being a phenomenal commentary on the publishing industry, this is just such a fascinating exploration of the human condition and how biases can truly make us believe the things we believe--even when the rest of the world is pointing out how wrong your actions are. Also, Kuang shows us the dangers of having heavily unreliable narrators. The power of writing is sometimes having you empathize with the worst characters.

Trigger warning, though, for incredibly blasé racism and discussion of under-representing racism in history to make a story more palatable. Those scenes where the MC is editing the stolen manuscript were probably some of the harder ones for me because I KNOW there are editors and people in publishing who would think the same way.

Kuang is a genius and even though I wasn't a fan of THE POPPY WAR, YELLOWFACE & BABEL will forever remain as some of my favourites because of their blunt and incredible discussions on race and inequality.

I can't recommend this book enough. I do recommend doing it with a glass of wine...or something stronger. Just don't make any Pandan pancakes to eat along with this book.

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123. You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I will immediately say that while this had some fun moments and commentary on what it means to be a Black person in a horror setting, this book wasn't at all what I was expecting--and I don't mean that in a good way.

I really enjoyed seeing the MC and her strong connection with her girlfriend. That in itself felt like it was defying the horror genre stereotypes. I also loved the jabs at what we usually see in horror books (like couples having sex will always be like a dinner bell being rung for serial killers at killer camps).

Overall, this book had its creepy moments, weird twists, and an interesting ending. But I was hoping for...more. This felt like it didn't go where I was hoping it would go and it ended up just being an okay read.

I'm giving it three stars instead of two because while it wasn't what I was hoping for, it was still a fun read that I'd recommend to anyone wanting a slasher read.

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Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!

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Happy reading!

[klarion-the-witch-boy]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Tagged by @marirah! Love you, babe 😘

I'm TheWitchBoy and Klarion on AO3. 🫡

How many works do you have on AO3?

158 on TheWitchBoy

14 on Klarion (but I don't feel like logging into Klarion rn, so that's probably the only thing I'll answer for Klarion)

What’s your total A03 word count?

904,184 words on TheWitchBoy

What fandoms do you write for?

A lot of DC, some Marvel, a bit of Star Wars, a pinch of Harry Potter, a dash of Supernatural. Anything that strikes my fancy, really.

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Odd One, or, Wally's Mysterious Boyfriend. T, Birdflash, Secret ID Reveals, Humour.

A Strange Family. T, SuperBat (Pre-Relationship), Secret ID Reveals, Shenanigans.

A Game of Guess Who With Big Blue. G, Gen, Mistaken Identities, ID Shenanigans, Humour.

Grinning Shadow of the Bat. T, Batfam, Dialogue Centric, Shenanigans, Humour.

Secret Visitors (on the Watchtower). G, Gen, Secrets, Humour.

What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I know this one... It's one of my DCWC fics. Uhh. The Unwanted Return of the Past. Or maybe The Cliff Walk? I'm not much of an angst writer, I don't think.

Oh wait, I did try my hand at writing expressions of grief that one time, of Dick after Jason's death. Picking Up the Broken Pieces.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Damn. Happiest ending. Uh. Maybe ...Trading Spouses? Most of my fic has happy endings, idk

Do you get hate on your fic?

I don't think so?

Do you write smut?

Yes, but only on Klarion. I prefer TheWitchBoy to be (mostly) sfw.

Do you write crossovers?

Sometimes. Mostly DC/White Collar (I have a series for those ones, actually). Sometimes DC/Marvel.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so. But, way back in my dA days, I did lil Harry Potter comics and those were stolen lmao. I didn't care much at the time and I don't care much now, though.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of?

Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yeah! With the cryptid roommate! The Clue fic (it's Supernatural, that's you're only warning).

What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

That's a hard one. I think - if folks know me for any ship - they probably know me for Birdflash? That's definitely up there. In this minute, right now, though? Maybe Matt/Frank. Maybe TimKon. I'm not good at picking favourites.

What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Unrepentant. :/ I wanna do it, but at this point it's been so long I don't think I can fool myself about it.

What’s your writing strengths?

Dialogue (or so I like to think). It's what I have the most fun with, anyway.

What’s your writing weaknesses?

Remembering what I wrote, probably.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I prefer it in moderation? I dunno, I think dabbling in other languages isn't a bad thing, but for myself I do like to understand what I'm putting to paper.

But also I don't like when an English fic sticks Cyrillic or katakana or whatever else into dialogue - Romanize that, so it can be read, however roughly, please. Otherwise I hear like... Villager Gibberish when my eyes pass over it and that's low-key uncomfy lmao.

First fandom you wrote for?

Prrrobably Kingdom Hearts? Or Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core? Damn, going all the way back to my pre-AO3 days, there. And pre-fanficdotnet days.

Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Right now, my favourite written/shared fic is Signs and Portents. It's a Fusion Fic of Supernatural and the movie Signs. I deeply enjoyed writing it. Sadly, it's not quite what folks were looking for to read. XD that's fine, though, since I wrote it for me, anyway.

Too tired to tag anyone, sorry. ✌️ If you feel like doing it, then you're it now. You're officially tag. Shoo, go write up your answers!

[itsbenedict]

I play video games a bunch, and you can go ahead and report that incredible never-before-seen scoop to the news. Here's some ones I played this year!

Roguebook

This here is a Slay the Spire clone, no two ways about it. It's a good one, though, with gorgeous visuals. It's also got a fancy schmancy overworld system, where instead of picking paths down a graph, you have to use inks and paintbrushes to reveal the path to the boss by painting in a big hex grid with terrain. Lot of interesting choices to make, mechanically, and a replayability mechanic (Epilogues) that you can be done with pretty quick without sucking up your time for months.

(Story-wise, there's basically nothing going on. You get to the end the first time, it goes "oh, hm, it looks like beating the final boss didn't solve our problem of being stuck in this magic book! better go back to the start and do it over a bunch of times on harder difficulties!" and then you do all those harder difficulties... then it does not have an ending. At all. There literally isn't anything but the setup. Wow.)

Elden Ring

The big one! Ate up 120 hours of my life over the course of like a month and a half. I'd never played a Souls game before, wanted to see what the hype was, and... oh! The hype was about them being very fun! Really comes down to the very tightly-designed combat, I think- but I also wasn't expecting the level of creativity in the world and monster design. There's some... really wild shit in this game! I was just expecting generic swords and sorcery, not, like... volcano snake cult, upside-down crystal library, jar guys, flesh-fungus hellscape, Big Robot Cat... it builds a surprisingly unique world, with a lot of attention to detail.

also i managed to beat malenia (blade of miquella, as she reminded me very very many times) so i'm going to have to be awarded a large number of Gamer Points

AI: The Somnium Files

Jesus entire christ, this game. It's, uh. Uchikoshi unleashed, is what it is. The premise is- you're a detective investigating a murder using a special machine that lets you dive into suspects' dreams to try and find clues to the truth, and... it, uh, does a lot with its premise! It's thoroughly bonkers, and manages some pretty tasty twists. Very fun character designs and dialogue writing, and a well-structured mystery that manages to tie everything together in a really satisfying way.

However. There is gameplay.

The gameplay (when you're not doing the classic detective game stuff of searching crime scenes and interrogating people) is, in a word, bad. It's... well, there's the action sequences, which are... very entertaining, and exquisitely silly, but they're pretty much just quick-time events and they'll game over you given half a chance, which everyone already knows isn't fun. But the real fly in the ointment is the main mechanic of the game, Psyncing- the thing where you go into dreams to find clues.

Psyncing is two different mechanics- both of which are individually fun, but which trade off against each other and neutralize any fun to be had with either of them.

Psyncing is an oddball point-and-click adventure game segment where you investigate surreal dreamscapes, interact with bizarre setpieces, and fuck around with dream logic to attempt to solve environmental puzzles.

Psyncing is a time-management puzzle where you need to correctly sequence the time multipliers on your moves in order to reach an optimal solution before time runs out.

Because you're on the clock, you can't take your time and have fun doing wacky stuff to the environment and enjoying the flavor dialogue. Because the puzzles are all nonsense dream logic that boil down to random guessing 80% of the time, you can't sequence optimal moves unless you know the puzzle solutions in advance. The two halves of this equation have complete anti-synergy with each other, and made me dread every time another Psync came up. (Plus, a lot of the dreams are just really uncreative and tedious, like the crate-pushing puzzle at the docks or the aimless wandering through the dark woods.)

That said, the madcap fun and competent mystery writing are well worth slogging through the psyncs for, so I still recommend it. (At time of writing, it's 80% off on Steam!)

The Sekimeiya: Spun Glass

I'll confess, I've barely started this one- sure, I've sunk eleven hours into it, but I'm still on chapter one, and... this is absolutely the densest Zero Escape-ass mindfuck mystery game I've ever played. Some people are trapped in a mysterious facility, Weird Time Shit is happening (maybe??), impossible events are occurring one after another- and you've got to solve it, and they give you tools to do that in detail. The game gives you not just a log feature, but a log feature with a search function and a notes section complete with text editor, among other organizational tools to keep track of what the fuck is happening. And you'll need it, too- everything happens so much. I have no idea if it all comes together properly, but it's clearly putting in the effort.

(Character writing seems a little weak so far, with the exception of Sai who is trying so hard, bless his heart. Fans of Cordyceps will probably recognize Arc here.)

The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe

Remember The Stanley Parable? Comedy walking sim about the nature of interactive narrative, where you the player play merry hell with the intentions of the narrator as he desperately tries to get you back on track? Very fun game.

This is the modern updated HD rerelease! A genre of game I normally don't go in for, except that this is actually a trick, and it's actually a full sequel wearing the skin of its predecessor as a disguise. (And- well, the original game is in there, in its entirety, so it does pull double duty.) Its status as a sequel/rerelease is mined for every ounce of comedy it can muster, which is a lot. One of the funniest games I've ever played, next to maybe Portal.

Fate Stay/Night

It took some serious effort for me to even get a hold of this thing- they don't make it easy to purchase legitimately. It was a whole adventure of looking up patches and visiting shady torrent sites and translating japanese websites- @yumantimatter was a huge help.

Fate is this huge influential thing that I'd been on the outside of for a while, and I didn't know what to expect- hearing out-of-context stuff about Grand Order, the gacha game, led me to expect just, standard waifu stuff with a magic system that existed to justify Doing Whatever, but... I was really pleasantly surprised with how deep and well-written the original actually is! Like, the magic system is a little loosey-goosey in places, but they do a great job circumscribing what's possible, defining the limits, and foreshadowing the elements that are relevant to the story. And it really does manage to be the kind of story that's really about figuring things out and dealing with a social puzzle, not just big magic shonen battles. It gets shockingly complex and compelling, for...

...uh, for- it's, um, an eroge, it turns out. Like, there's sex scenes. They're not good. The version I played had a "censor H content" option, which- here's the thing about that: it doesn't just like, blur things out, it replaces them entirely, with new content that is way better and more relevant to the story and even more visually interesting, which, uh, speaks to the quality of the pornography. I recommend turning that option on.

Not that there isn't sexual content without that enabled- like, it still has dating sim elements, and Shirou's romantic relationships with the various girls are plot-important, and- it's surprisingly mature and compelling, actually. Normally I groan at that kind of thing, but was invested in the drama here! There's some emotionally fraught dynamics going on! I was really rooting for these kids 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚜, 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝟷𝟾, 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚞𝚜, 𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚜𝚑𝚞𝚝 𝚞𝚙.

anyway taiga bestgirl. (unless taiga doesn't count in which case rin bestgirl.)

Grounded

Iiiiiit's a survival crafting game! You probably know how those go. Big open world, you gotta collect resources and build a base to survive, stay topped off on food and water and healing and stuff. Doesn't do anything too special mechanically, but...

...but it's also Honey I Shrunk The Kids, the game. It all takes place in this one backyard, which is richly detailed and full of cool setpieces and dangerous new threats. The world's not procedurally generated or anything- it's designed, and it's packed with stuff- most of which will kill you. The survival crafting aspects are kind of eh, but just being in this world is incredibly fun and unique. Would love to get a group together to play the multiplayer sometime.

Pokemon Violet

Such mixed feelings on this. Like... it was so obviously rushed to release, the crunch must've been awful, it could've been a way better game if they'd had time to fix the bugs and add texture to the world... but the new things it's doing are good ideas and a lot of it really works!

Like- just for starters, the plot. Pokemon has never had a good plot! It's had, at best, an unobtrusive plot, and at worst just the most tedious Bad Guy Team Want Destroy World With Legendary Pokemon cookie-cutter nothing plot. But this time, it's good! They did a good job! They hired writers! The Team Star subplot is both funny and a well-executed tearjerker, the main League journey is supported by a really fun rival character, and the big box art legendary plot plot is- holy shit! They tried some things! Most of them even worked! I cried a couple times! The final mission thing, when you learn what the deal is with Miraidon and Professor Turo- they took some serious risks there! It's good enough I can't even say more because I don't want to spoil it!

But also, there's a bunch of good quality-of-life stuff. The use of Miraidon and movement upgrades makes getting around the world feel good, and the titan fights feel rewarding. Having PC boxes available at all times saves a ton of hassle, as does putting pokemon centers outside so you don't have to sit through a loading zone. Allowing you to freely recall old moves at no cost lets you try out riskier, more gimmicky strategies than you'd ordinarily go for. On-field pokemon and opt-in trainer battles let you set your own pace. They put some real thought into what they were doing!

Buuuuuuut it's clear it needed more time in the oven. Multiple times I ran into a "random encounter" which was just me running into a pokemon in the overworld before its texture had loaded in, is how bad the pop-in is. The world is so empty and ugly, with N64-tier airbrushed-on textures, and with only consumable items as rewards for exploration. It's a total waste of an open-world movement paradigm. Dexit is back, and this time they couldn't even keep all the stuff they already modeled and animated in SwSh somehow. It's really embarrassing, and I really wish I had the version of this game that'd had an extra year in development.

Forget the Golden Witch and Empire of the Golden Witch

Two Umineko fangames by DWaM. Forget is a purple-truth logic gameboard with a very tasty answer-submission mechanic and a spooky metaplot, and Empire is a Her Story-style look-up-terms-in-a-database-'em-up that turns you into a total crazy person screaming about lizard people and the JFK assassination.

Both assume you've played through Umineko no Naku Koro ni, which I've recced before, and- if you've played Umineko, then I'm pretty sure you want more Umineko, and this is some really good more Umineko.

Peglin

It's another roguelike deckbuilder Slay the Spire clone, but this time instead of a new map mechanic, you've got pachinko instead of cards. It's hard to explain exactly how it works (you deal damage to enemies by racking up points on the pinboard, but there's a ton of mechanics that make it more complicated), but despite being in early access and graphically pretty ugly, it's pretty fun!

...And also insanely frustrating, because it turns out that pachinko is an insanely frustrating game. Random chaos will save you and it will kill you, and you'll be screaming at your computer to HIT THAT ONE, THE ONLY ONE YOU NEED TO HIT, THE THING YOU'VE DODGED FIVE TIMES IN A ROW WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU I'M LITERALLY DYING RIGHT NOW. You gotta have the temperament for it.

[kimberleysong]

[note] The character in here was my in this story was my oc allen in uncanny valley series I mostly write for fun so if you're reading this enjoy! ^^

It was my first time that I have step into this place. Uncanny valley, mainly because I had some businesses to do here. Someone had hand me a missing person case at my office and there are where a quite a few of them and I need to investigate this mystery that is my job. The sound of a hissing bus snapped me out of my thought signaling that I should go now. I took a big breath and sighed as I took my luggage it was quite heavy. This case will be solved depending on clue and evidence until then I will staying here not until I solve the case so I will be staying with a friend that live here for a couple of week or month

As I walked my detective senses is tingling and tell me that I have being watch. Someone was keeping an eye on me at the moment I step out of the bus whoever is not usually good sign after all I do have some experience. This time I won't let my guard down I refuse to let my guard down. This place was a bit weird it felt weird but I couldn't point out what it is it was quite a strange feeling. I felt that my stomach were rumbling I was very hungry at the time what was the the last time I ate? Probably a couple of hours ago. I want to grab some food at a cafe but the feeling of uneasiness is getting to me reminded me that I was feeling watch I bet that someone will jump at me and kill me before I could get a meal while I was alone and vulnerable so having a companion would be nice to lower the risk of someone of me getting attack

. . .

Finally I have arrived my friend apartment it a pretty decent apartment to live in actually I rechecked the address on my phone making sure it was the correct address before knocking it it was the correct address. I knocked the door and call my friend name "hello Kris? It me Allen open the door" nobody's home did they're asleep? Or he when out did they forgot that I come over to his apartment? I knocked but louder this time "Kris,this is Allen open up the door" no one answer AGAIN I couldn't help but let out a frustrating groan. I was tired from the bus ride and felt like my back started to hurt after a long time of sitting in the bus "I should call him" I take out my phone and started dialing Kris phone number

....ring ring

...........ring ring

...................ring ring *beep*

Someone pick it up i thought I would be greeted by the word 'hello' or 'hi' but instead I was greeted by this distorted sound that I can't describe by word it freak me out a little bit since I couldn't shake of this feeling of being watched earlier. *Beep* Then someone hang the phone

"H̷̨̞͍̽̀E̸̢̬̙̠ͅ͏L̫̊̏L̸̛̛͓̾ͭ͟͟Ȍ̶̷̡̧̙͟͝"

a sudden hello made me flinch and turned back it was...Kris? "God damnit Kris you scared the shit out of me! don't sneak up behind me ever again" he scratch his head "ahaha- I'm sorry Allen it just I wanted to do that all these year and I need to find the perfect opportunity and my strategie must be flawless!" I face palm and gave Kris an annoy work and pointed the door "hurry up and open the door I'm tired" he tilted his head and gave a silly little smile

"ah! I lost my key how silly of me"

"oh of course you did..."

"but no worries! I have a lock pick!"

He go toward the door and started to unlock it I hope he know what he's doing or else I'm going to sit here for about hours before I could get into his house miraculously the door open finally when did he learn the skill to lockpicking i started to think it not the first time he lost his keys "open sesame! Come in!" Wait... Something not right every fiber of my body is telling me not to go inside but something was pulling me in like a magnet I got some bad feelings from this I look at Kris who's looking at me "what wrong Allen?" I shake my head snapping out of my thoughts "no no nothing" I enter his home the sound of the door was closing behind me and all I saw is nothing.... it was pitch black maybe it was due to my eyes expose to bright light outside when I go to the dark place I saw nothing... I went blind there's also like this some sort of weird smell it has a distinctive mentalic smell similar to rust? I tried to not think of it much my main goal is to turn on the light "Kris where the light switch?" I lead onto the wall on for some guidance hoping I wasn't lost in this pitch black maze "it was on the left" I make my way to the light switch and tried not to bump into anything I touch the wall hoping I would find a light switch "found it..." I flip the switch and I saw a horrifying sight it was a corpse and it body are twisted and mangle in such inhuman way leaving it face completely unharmed that face... That face is Kris? Then if that is Kris then who is the 'OTHER KRIS?' that I talk to I turned around and the 'THE OTHER KRIS' his grin was noticeably become wider and the teeth becoming yellower so are his eye and I noticed that his hair was moving around like it was sentient what was that 'thing?' he impersonated Kris,look like Kris and even sound like Kris I tried to find some logical explanation but my mind when blank nothing make sense. nothing. Whatever this entity was it was up to no good

"a̭̳͉͈ͅḧ̦̲̦̖͈̼̤-̙̋͆̎ ̶͎̅̐́̑͢I̻͎̗͚̒̊͑̇͝ ̲̩͙̩̤ͦͯ͊ḟ̨ͪ̓o͕̪̫͔̎͡r̶̢͚͌g̵̫̜̼̩̙̘̈́͒͌o͍̗̦̹̬̹̿͌ͬͅṫ̥̬̰̙̘̀͠ ̳͕ͧ̏̑͌t͔̱̱̭̞̘ͮo̐́̆͝ ͖͕̙̻̓̂̒c̱̺͕̳̙̆̃̐̚̕ͅl͜e͓̝͇̯̬̠̲͒̕a̫͕͖̣͂͢n ̭̱̖̮̬̹̙̈́̀͠ȗ͔̓̅p̸̟̯̬̭͉̎͐̑̓͡ ͙̗̒̾ͩͫ͞w̸̯̒ͥ̈́͂h̤̗̜̹͇̹ͧ̿͏a̝͈͓̺͕̥ͫ̿̅͌̕͞ţ̸͒ ̶̠̔̅̀a̸͍͚̦̟ͣͪ͊ ̴͙̼̹̥͓̹̃͒ͅs͖̿ḩ̮̠͍͈͉͚̜̾ͭ̐̆ȁ̱̺̺̩̳̱̝̾ͪͨm̸̪̝̞̔ͦͅ͏ĕͭ̄̍͘,̙̰̳̮̹̘̃ͣ̈͌͘͞ͅ ̨̝̮͇̺ͪ͐ͫg̨̱̝̲͇̘̈͝ṵ͇̪̝̝͔̕é͕͏s̙̣͍͚͈̣̎͊͌͏͟s̼̱̻͖̑̊̔͡ ̝̲̥͓̟̊ͥͦ͝p̻̠̖̺͔̘̫͆͛l͕̖͉̅̉̓͟a͎̰͔̫͚̺͍͗̀̀y̶̬̭̮͙̺͚̳͑̾ț̦̗͚̈i͇͔̥̺̼̙ͯ͑̈́ͅm̶̨̼͍͈ͦ̿ȩ͂͌̌̈ ͭo̴͎̻ͯ͜v͇̙͍̮̜ͮe̺̟͔̳̜̣̭͋ͨ́rͯͧ"

That was the word that came out of this entity mouth I slowed reach my pocket and tried grabbing my gun that I carried but I can't found it anywhere. my body was parylize my mind was telling me to run but my body wouldn't the entity come closer and closer to me my heart was beating fast it felt my heart would jump out of chest. Now the entity look different in a blink of an eye they're no longer Kris is this the entity really form? Their yellow eye was staring at me unblinking he touch my shoulder and come closer to my ear

"d̦̪̫ͤ̏ǫ̩͒̍́ ͓͕̖ͩͦ͢͡y̺͈͖̪̕̕o̸̡̲͖̊u̵͖̗ ̸̺̩̮̼̭͚͔ͩr̼̪͈̻̜ͬͮͬ́͠ê͉͙͎ͅm͚̟̹̝͖̳̱ͥͬͧe͓͍̲͙̫ͤ̋͐̂m̮̦͖͒͌̋͆͡b̶̢̹̳̝̬͎̮ͮ̓͌ẻ̦̮̫ͮ͘͡r̯̖̞̞̼̝̰ ̫͍̪̭̥͑̉̓͢͞w̢͈̭̪͛ͮ̍ͦ͟h̻̯̘̼͇̦̝̆̑̏͡ỏ͍̯̥̟̩͖ͥ͂ ̎ͣ̒́I̔̓ͯͣ ͖͙̙̹͓̑a͉͖͔̣̥̰̿ͦ̉̃m̞͕̖̳̮̝̾́?̶͕̘̼́̇̇ͅ"

...*Beep beep*

...........*beep beep*

....................*beep beep*

You woke up and looked at your alarm with a sweaty face

"thank god that was a dream"