#maybe i'll try fedora

[patchoulii-2hu-144p]

um i uninstalled and disabled snapd months ago??? this is windows level of bullshit.

[kairiscorner]

aaaaaand we're back everyone with some more aventurine bots ~ (⁠ㆁ⁠ω⁠ㆁ⁠) here's the first list of aventurine bots i made public a while back !!

fyi . . . i have a bot request form you guys can send requests to !! updates are slow, i apologize (⁠｡⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠) but i'll try my best to get through them, and i will only do requests that fall within my comfort zone !!

AVENTURINE OF STRATAGEMS

“go ahead... use me as you wish.”

ᯓ★ what about him ... ?

your best friend and close partner at work, aventurine, attends your wedding; all smiles as he sees you beaming and gleeful, happy that he attended and came to see you on your happiest day. as much as he loves seeing you all delightful and in pure bliss... he also wishes, deep down inside, that he beat your fiancé to it. that maybe... maybe he never should've hesitated. and maybe... maybe he could've been the man marrying you tonight.

ᯓ★ a duet with him.

(band au !!)

your band's guitarist is very talented, attracting a lot of attention for your band with his skills on the guitar and his beautiful features... but maybe you should give him a shot at being your backing vocalist? aventurine is quite a good singer, and very enthusiastic about having a duet with you tonight, so... why not?

ᯓ★ he becomes ... a cat cake.

the moment aventurine opens his eyes again disorients him, he's still donning on his fedora with the flamboyant peacock feather and those rose tinted glasses of his... but why did his office get bigger? he tries to seek out your assistance in turning him back into a human, only... for you to be completely oblivious to this cute little cat cake being him.

[chocsra]

"I Can't Hear You, Speak Up!"

15! Chuuya x fem! reader

content: you stain your skirt and a certain mafioso comes to help you, swearing, periods/blood, fluff, pre-relationship, mutual pining, teenage romance

Reader is fem! mention of periods

based off a reddit story 😭

Please give some more ideas and characters for fanfiction, I love teen skk btw

12:13

It's been about 8 minutes since you left an important mafia meeting, excusing yourself to Boss to go to the washroom.

Yet now you stare at your bloodstained skirt and underwear, sighing to yourself in defeat. "No pads either.." You mutter, digging your palms into the luxurious marble sink in thought. Theoretically, you could tell Boss that something happened and you taught an underling a lesson while you were out, or you could be frank about your period; which was something really embarrassing considering you'd have to stop the meeting infront of a bunch of grown criminal men for hygiene products.

So you hid behind the ajar white bathroom door, calling out 'hello?'s and 'is someone there?'s everytime a gust of wind made the slightest creek. "11 minutes.." You leaned your head on the steel door, trying your best to cover your skirt.

Then you heard it.

A quiet murmuring coming from the hallway outside the bathroom, you sighed in relief and poked a leg out of the door; the shadows covering half of your face. There he was, Chuuya Nakahara walking around the hallways like there wasn't a highly significant meeting going on; he had a scowl on his face and his fists clenched like something had happened, muttering about 'killing that bastard'.

"Ahem." You cleared your throat, peeking out to the ginger boy, he spun around in mutliple possible directions the noise could have come from. "Huh?!" the short boy shouted, before locking his blue eyes with yours. "The hell? Aren't you supposed to be in the meeting?" He cocks a brow, folding his arms over his chest. Chuuya seemed to be all dressed up for the day, wearing his signature fedora, choker, white dress shirt and black slacks; but a new large raven overcoat that reached his ankles was loosely thrown over his shoulders, even a new silver hat chain.

"I need something from here, that's why." You purse your lips into a pout, crossing your arms behind the door. "Why are you here anyway?" You ask curiously, slowly easing into the topic, the stylish boy only scoffs with irritation. "Got kicked out, all cause of that fuckin' mackerel." Chuuya rolled his tongue across his inner cheek in annoyance, of course you knew who he was talking about; Dazai, his only friend, you think? You did see them attempting to act serious as they kicked each others leg under the table, maybe he deserved it.

"So then where's Dazai?" You question, tapping your shoe against the marble floor. "He got to stay because he was important, or some bullshit!!" Chuuya shouted again, gritting his teeth harshly. "Woah, calm down." You motion before pausing, "Can you just get a girl, please? Like Kouyou or something.. I don't know." you ask politely, a light blush tinting your cheeks; the redhead's eyes only furrow at your request. "I told you already, I got kicked out, Kouyou's inside. What do you need anyway? I'll just get it for you." He feigns a sigh, shoving his hands in his slacks pockets.

You inhale in annoyance, before stepping further into the washroom, "Nevermind, forget it." you dismiss, causing Chuuya to clench his fists even more. "Just tell me, damn it." He scowls in annoyance, before noticing the blush creeping on your cheeks, and the fact that you did not turn around once from facing him. It all clicked together. "Oh, uh-" The boy paused, red tinting his ears and nose. "You want that thing?" Chuuya asks, causing your eyes to light up at seemingly the only boy who knows what hygiene products are. "Yeah, that!"

He then fishes out something from his pocket and hands it to you, you were a little confused as to why he'd keep pads in his pocket, until he placed a silver safety pin in the palm of your hand. "What is this?" You ask with a blank, despairing face; Chuuya only blushes more at your reaction. "Your.. your skirt ripped, right?" He stammers, making you internally facepalm. "No, no.. pads." You whisper the last part awfully quiet, making Chuuya lean his ear closer to your face, his hands still in his pockets.

"What?" He asks, knitting his brows. "Pads, tampons.." You repeat again, motioning with your hands. "What the hell? Speak up!" The boy scowled, leaning even closer to your face, you almost wanted to push him from inching so close to the girl's bathroom; and the close proximity of his breath tickling your lips.

"Pads!"

You shout in his ear with a frown, Chuuya stepped back at the loud noise, now blushing profusely. "Oh shit, my bad- I just thought your skirt-" You cut him off, crossing your arms. "It's fine! Just please get them, damn.." You brush off with a scowl, seeing the boy scurry off to the hallway.

And after a few minutes of agonising silence, you hear loud shouting coming from Mori's office.

"You can't just go thru Rintarou's stuff!!" A high-pitched girl yelled.

Chuuya quickly hushed her, the loud sound of rummaging through drawers audible. "Shh, shh! He's gonna hear us, shit!"

"I don't care if he hears us! Just let me colour!!" Elise then countered, throwing what you assumed was a crayon at him.

The boy soon rushed to the bathroom with multiple types of pads in his hands; night, day, winged, super. "What the hell is winged?! Does it fly to you or somethin'?!" Chuuya yelled, making you laugh. "Did you really fight Elise for this?!" You laughed, taking them all from his hands. "Shut up!"

And as you finished thanking and mocking him, about to spin around and leave to a stall, he tapped your shoulder.

"Here, uhm.." The redhead took off his overcoat and draped it over your shoulders to cover the stain. A pink blush spread on his cheeks, you only did the same. "Thanks.." You grasp onto the coat, walking inside the stall.

And even as he waited for you to come out of the bathroom, walked you back to the meeting room, and parted ways with a meek wave and blush; you walk into the room with a big smile on your face, only seeing that the meeting was already empty and done.

Fuck.

Even so, it wasn't all that bad; even if the incident happened weeks ago, there would always be a certain redhead giving you a casual nod or wave if he saw you wandering the mafia's hallways or available in meetings.

It made you want to make him steal pads from Mori's office and give you his coat all over again.

Double fuck.

[p0rk-guts]

He's finally done I think. WOAW! Radio demon time!!!

Okay time for comparison + breakdown rant ^ - ^ another SUPER long one I had a lot to say about this silly guy

ALRIGHT. So. Atp all that can be said has been said about Alastor but I'll gloss over it anyhow. Grossly historically inaccurate hair and clothing. Invisible deer theming. One of the main reasons he's got one of the most clowned on designs in the show is bc he's a pretty good representation of the worst it has to offer. He's absurdly red and has the waspiest waist in town. Also gotta zero in on the coat for a second bc I find it incredibly stupid that he went to that tailor bc of his coat being ripped and then left the shop with the exact same torn coat on oh goddd that felt like a complete joke who wrote this

Also his "redesign" was pointless. He stayed pretty much entirely the same except his colors got pinker and grosser and now he has this?? White trim on his lapels??? Even less 1930's accurate and it only serves to hurt the pallate in my eyes. It's the only spot of white on his entire design, it doesn't appear anywhere else so it throws it all off. And it's so bright. Is it supposed to be a focal point?? His tits????

Anyways onto my guy who I love so very deeply. I'm pretty sure sepia film was outdated by the 1930s but I gave him a palette inspired by it to emphasize how dated and stuck in old ways he is. Added blood red accents bc. Well. Cannibal murderer. Also bc I redid the sin colors so red is wrath and it seems like a fitting sin to pair him with.

After looking into 1930's men's fashion a tiny bit (thanks anon, this video was helpful!) and gave him a double breasted coat but wider and pointier so he looks a little less like just some normal guy and really emphasize how prideful and egotistical he is. "Ooo look at me I'm super big and imposing and powerfulll". I think it's a fun character trait of his. Definitely keeping it.

I liked him wearing gloves bc I feel like he wouldn't like getting his hands directly dirty and would always be covered when committing his murders. Maybe he's a germaphobe even. "I can excuse murder but I draw the line at dried blood on my skin". Also the gloves being white would contrast really well with blood so. Love that

I gave him a long tie to free him from the Vivziepop bow tie uniform and a fedora to add to the 1930's vibe and serve as something that can occasionally obscure his face in shadow. His glasses are also opaque and I imagine his eyes would rarely be shown if ever to make him seem more inhuman and off-putting, disconnecting him from personhood a bit. Wanted to add to that with his smiling mouth never opening and just being a static grin that can only occasionally widen or lessen, his voice cracking out of his "speaker" with fuzzy radio static. Seen multiple ppl use that idea and it always eats

I love Alastor's silly theatric nature (primarily in the pilot) and I'd probably keep it, but I'd add a layer of uncanny-ness to him where when he's not putting on his silly jovial facade, he gives off an unnerving vibe. Trying to appear approachable and charming and pleasant to lure people in before he's revealed to be less than human. Loveee thattt

I love Alastor being a deer. Predator becoming prey (animal) + "prey animal" lulling people into a false sense of security before striking. Love it. We should be CAPITALIZING ON IT❗So I gave him deer like legs, visible deer hooves, and more readable deer ears + the ham radio tower antenna antlers (sorry 4 calling them horns 💀)

Tried to make it a little more obvious that he's a mixed man of color by giving him dark wavy hair and the faintest hint of lip definition Viv uses in her style. I think it works. He's still not dark skinned tho

LASTLY the mic. Also not an original idea as I've seen tons of others turn it into a carbon mic but turned into a pentagram shape and I love the idea a lotttt so I joined the crew.

AND THAT DOES IT!!!! hope u like him as much as I do hehe. Just 1 supplemental doodle this time sorry :/ showing off how his face is probably obscured most of the time. He's. So hard to draw. I'm just bad at men but I'm tryinggggg guys

Alsoooo I've already finished the drawings for Niffty, Angel, and Husk! Once I've finished their breakdowns I'll add em right to the queue, and then I'll make a post with all of the main 6 together :3

[argentiluver]

“Chu-Chu!” || Jealous! Chuuya Nakahara x G/N Reader - Bungou Stray Dogs

Warnings: Just some mild swearing (it’s literally chuuya), that’s pretty much it.

Chuuya grit his teeth as he watches you hug a plushie of him tightly, completely forgetting about his presence for the 5th time today. He already felt like ripping that stupid stuffed toy apart and throwing it out the window.

How dare that thing take his rightful place…? It should be HIM you’re hugging, not some damn plushie!

You were only sitting beside him with the Chuuya plushie held close to your chest, causing the actual Chuuya to narrow his blue eyes at the thing that was stealing your attention away from him.

You wouldn’t pay Chuuya any mind or attention the entire night due to your consistent coddling towards the plushie as you held it close to your chest.

“Goddammit, when are they going to throw that toy away already…?” He thought to himself with an almost envious scowl, glaring at the plushie in your arms.

Chuuya hated to admit it, but he was jealous...Jealous that stupid plushie of him you sewed got more attention from you than you give him him. You barely paid him any mind, only paying attention to the cute plushie instead, and it infuriated him.

The plushie even looked exactly like him. The orange hair, the grey tux, the fedora hat, the coat, it just looked more cotton-like and small.

Well...Small-er.

Chuuya remained quiet and took another sip of his cold drink. His gaze fixated on you until he finally clicked his tongue in frustration and slammed his drink down quite angrily.

“I'll tear that thing to shreds, maybe they'll finally acknowledge my damn existence..." He mumbled to himself with a scowl, voice low enough for you not to hear him.

Before you could even react, Chuuya abruptly snatched the plushie from your arms, glaring down at the thing that was slowly poisoning your mind.

You gasped, startled by the sudden snatch and spun your head towards the source, only to see your boyfriend holding the plushie in his grasp tightly, "Chu-Chu!" You cried dramatically, trying to grab it yet Chuuya held it far away for you not to touch it.

"Chu-Chu...?" Chuuya repeated in disbelief with a glare sent to you. He slowly raised his free hand, the other holding the plushie securely, and pointed it at you, then he started to speak up again in a harsh tone.

"You've got some nerve..." He began with a cold stare, "You don't even speak to me at all. But when it comes to this ugly piece of cotton, you're willing to yell it's name out loud?! Do you realize how ridiculous you sound?!"

"It's not ugly, Chuuya! It's cute!" You gasped dramatically at your boyfriend, offended by his words as you continued to try and grab the plushie that just had a small, unwavering smile on it's face.

"It's hideous!"

"IT'S ADORABLE!"

Chuuya lowered down the hand holding the plushie, turning the other way while rubbing the bridge of his nose with an exhale leaving him.

"And what about me?" He then asked with a frown, turning to face you, "Am I not handsome? Do I not deserve your acknowledgment? Do you know how stupid it is when you give a goddamn toy more affection then you give me?"

You were clearly taken aback by his words as your brows furrowed and your hand dropped onto your lap.

"What are you—" You cut yourself off suddenly as a smirk slowly spread across your face, "Are you jealous...Of a plushie, Chuuya...?"

Chuuya stiffened at your words, a blush creeping on his cheeks, and he went silent for a moment before he looked back at you with narrowed eyes. He was thinking on whether to tell the truth or not, but he had already said too much.

"Yeah? So what?" He glared, holding the plushie in his lap with a firm grip, "You've been paying more attention to a sack of cotton more than you have been me! Of course I'm upset!" Despite how defensive he's being, he still looked pretty embarrassed and even tried to not make eye-contact with you.

You only laughed, throwing your head back against your chair, causing Chuuya to grumble.

“You're seriously jealous over Chu-Chu?” You snickered, trying to contain your laughter.

"Quit calling it Chu-Chu like it's a human being!" Chuuya demands, slamming his hands on the table, dropping Chu-Chu in the process to which you quickly caught with your foot and bounced it back up in your lap.

You finally stopped laughing, but your grin was still visible on your face as you fixed your position in your seat. You couldn’t believe this was the same Port Mafia executive who would kill someone heartlessly with cold blood, “Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll put Chu-Chu to the side, then we can cuddle and you can have all the affection you deserved!" You grinned wider and put Chu-Chu on the table in-front of the red lounge sofa, spreading your arms out for him to enter.

Chuuya narrowed his eyes skeptically as he stared at your open arms, he was still annoyed but you knew he couldn't say no either. He slowly approached you, not saying a word and he eventually sat on your lap and wrapped his arms around you.

"I don't know how I got such a ridiculous lover." He said as he buried his face on your shoulder, "You can be such an idiot sometimes...Yet, I can't stop loving you."

The fact he was calling you ridiculous despite getting jealous over a plushie, and was only calmed down by cuddles was pretty ironic, but you decided not to say anything.

"Uh-huh, I love you too..." You instead giggled, leaning your head against his and holding him closer. Chuuya smiled lightly against your shoulder at your words, a light blush spreading over his cheeks which you didn’t seem to notice.

The two stayed silent for awhile as they laid in each-other's arms peacefully before you suddenly broke it.

"Can Chu-Chu cuddle with us?” You asked sweetly, blinking your eyes in an innocent matter.

Chuuya was about to object, but sighed and glanced at the plushie for a moment before he looked back at you as if you were a child asking for a toy.

"Alright, the toy can join us," He said grumpily, "for now..." He added which came out as a mumble.

You grinned and reached over to grab Chu-Chu, placing him in between you and Chuuya before going back to cuddling with him.

After a few more minutes, Chuuya could hear your soft breathing and snores against his chest, and he took that as his chance to kick the plushie off the couch and away from them.

He held his leg up and swiftly kicked it directly where it’s face was located, causing the plushie to collapse on the ground with a soft thud!

A triumphant smirk spread across Chuuya’s face as he watched Chu-Chu lay flat on the ground like a starfish, the smile still on it’s face.

“Serves you right, little bastard…”

Live laugh love Chu-Chu, he does no wrong 🫶🫶 and I made this while my cat was laying in-between my legs, BUT HE WON’T MOVE AND I’LL FEEL TOO BAD IF I GET UP 😭😭

the chuuya plushie in question:

saw this plushie on ebay and I immediately thought of making this

[nephilimcursed]

Lovers Tango~

Admin Bubble: @fedora-pervert may be a tad mad at me still for trying to kill his girlfriend with a chainsaw... so I wrote this to appease him! Love ya, Laito! Also- dedicated to @moonlit-korraline , @fangsforiris , @magezhaaa and @venusshenanigans bc they all like Bella best with Laito, WHICH CUTE!! <333 This is just tooth-rotting fluff and romance, because why not. Also, this may be written into a future The Accords Chapter, we'll see! This is just a cute lil snippet <33

Bella simply stared at Laito's outreached hand, fingers spread as he invited her to be attached to him by the hip for the evening. A million thoughts ran through her mind, will she? Should she? ...Would she? Mixed answers of 'no', 'yes', and 'maybe' crossed her mind in a flash, she almost became overwhelmed. But the last time she touched him she melted in those hands, truly relaxed. And with every boulder the day had thrown at her, all she wanted was that again. So the noirette ignored the knowing smirk on the vampire's face, and that green rose between his teeth as her head spun, placing her hand in his. "Fufu~ I told you~" He had purred, pulling her closer so his plush lips brushed against her ear with each word. "I'll lead." "Will you?" She asks rhetorically, not expecting an answer. But his response was a swift spin on his heel, pivoting her toward the ball's guests as the music swelled. He was graceful in moving her, just as graceful as she as he sauntered forward, his hands on her waist and one wrapped around her hand in a light grip. His touch was icy, but at the same time, a sense of warmth flooded her nerves. It felt sickeningly right in a way nothing else did, like puzzle pieces clicking into place. They moved in sync with each other stepping in time with the music as the green and black dress of hers brushed against their legs. Laito had a looser grip until the music's tempo slowed, leading her closer to him until the pair swayed together, cheek-to-cheek. He was so much at once, and all that ran through the woman's mind was how comforting yet exciting this was. Laito was phenomenal to her surprise, allowing her to move in rhythm without restraining her but still showing her exactly where he was going before he stepped. As they danced further through the room, Bella could feel her heartbeat in her chest. The low pounding that told her this was correct of her to be doing, correct of her to move against him like this. He was perfect... he felt perfect... And for a moment, as ginger hair the color of warm honey brushed against her face, she forgot everything else. She forgot the nightmares, she forgot the politics of her own people and their hatred towards his kind, she even forgot everything before him. A quiet whisper from Laito as he suddenly dipped her down, holding her by the waist and hand as he brought support to her weight got her out of this sudden spell. Something so quiet she wasn't even sure he had meant for her to hear it until he said it again, looking her dead in the eye with his precious jewel ones. Deep, dark and rich green eyes that screamed sudden feeling... "I like you." And Bella knew these words would have meant nothing in normal circumstances, he had obviously said these words to other women. She knew it. But his tone... His tone of subtle longing, yearning, burning desire lingered in the air like pleasant perfume. Bella breathed in.

[bubblewrapsnek]

Phantomarine Live reread: Prologue

I'm anticipating the reread before the chapter finishes cause I want to read it now again, altho I wanted to wait the chapter to be over to have a cleaner finish line for mental order and to avoid posing questions to things that would be maybe have more ground to speculate on or outright be answered in a few days This is my first time rereading Phantomarine, so if anyone is actually goint to read these posts expect me to come to realizations about stuff that everyone knew ages ago probably, also it's my first time liveblogging something since a friend suggested it could be appreciated, I am not convinced there would be interested but it can't hurt I guess. That said I hate the idea of clogging with posts and like keeping stuff a bit more tidy, so I'll post one post per chapter with my thoughts, silly ramblings and whatever comes to my mind that I feel like sharing while trying to put my thoughts in order

So uhh if you exist and are reading, have fun and feel free to interact!

First thing I'll not here with a few examples and try to not say everytime, but I can't help seeing how the royal family brands EVERYTHING with the Manta, I swear you could fill a where's waldo book by searching the mantas in Phantomarine's pages at this A manta hat, manta drawer, manta desk, and a manta polo in just the first pages, I swear they have a disney park-esque gift shop outside the palace

A manta hat, manta drawer, manta desk, and a manta polo in just the first pages, I swear they have a disney park-esque gift shop outside the palace

Bonus neat things, the candle has the same pattern as Cheline's dress and there is what I guess is a samoyede on Irving's shirt

Next thing is something I hadn't noticed before but I've seen already people point out in the comments now, Irving having very clearly pink eyes, at first I thought it might have been lighting but in the pages where he is alive they are very clearly pink, and even when in shock the characters get drawn with pinprick irises, while the others get black dots he has pink and is even more blatant in the shot with the Fata morgana stabbing them where he is eye to eye with a Fata with the same eyes

Bonus: alive Lani is very cute

I pointed the next thing in another post but I love how Cheline wanted to be sure to scapegoat the Fata Morgana so much she painted the arrows and bow too with Cheth's name bands(confirmed to be painted on by the transcript too altho it was the only possible reason they had those bad with what we know now), also I love that the cyan outline was faintly on the Fata Morgana's eye from the beginning

I am also getting suspicious about the ghosts being blue and the veins(referred as such in the transcript) that spread from the bite being purple, tho I don't have a concrete or sound thought about this

Also, something I love a lot in comics is paneling so some of this won't be thoughts but just panels that are really pretty or fun or creative here I love how the action flows very well, having many details making what happens readable such as the "magic" squares making phae's body on the bottom edge of the silouhette in the middle also appear on the heart, showing the wound being "repaired"

Love the veins snaking behind her

Something I had completely glossed over was Phae's middle name being Augusta, and I do find it possible to have a reading on it, as Augustus was the name and title that Octavian took as the first emperor of rome, the member of a what can be considered a royal lineage establishing the name for himself and becoming a key turning point in the history of an empire, just as I can see Phae become the turning point for the history of her reign, a change of the guard and of the status quo of the kingdom she watches over

End in the end, to finish the prologue of this reread, a funny typo Cheth appears, tipping his fedora: "M'Phaedra"

[writingbyshiloh]

Sharp Dressed Man

AN: mutual pining with FBI's most wanted and agent! Reader has my heart idk what to tell you guys. I'll do the tag list at some point I'm just lazy

WC: 0.6k

"Where do you think you're going?" Ressler snaps at Reddington. The criminal doesn't even look phased by Ressler's attitude, instead, he just adjusts his fedora.

"Inside. That's where the criminals are, Donald." He replies, cocking his head as if to better analyze the situation. You press your lips together to hide a smile. A smile which has nothing to do with your small, schoolgirl crush on the concierge of crime. To avoid getting caught smiling, you zip up your FBI windbreaker, the only one in the group to have visible government identification.

Donald leads the way, pushing the door to Reddington. Instead of keeping with the chain, he holds the door open for you. You walk through, politely thanking him and wait in the lobby. When he follows, you allow him to walk in front of you. Having him in the middle helps keep his profile low.

To prevent Raymond from charming the receptionist, Donald leads the group, informing her why you're here (to collect files), who you represent (special FBI task force), and who the man in the suit is (a lie about how he's your supervisor). The files are only minor, nothing critical but the company's phone reception is abysmal.

You can only focus on how she smiles at Ressler, warm and slightly fascinated at what a man in a suit with an important job is telling her. You can't blame her.

"I have some files here, but most are kept in storage on the third floor." she helpfully tells the group, only glancing at you and Reddington, keeping her eyes on Donald. If he's not picking up on her hints it may be time for him to retire. She's toying with her necklace, drawing attention to her lips. Maybe you can give Ressler a shove in the right direction.

"Is anyone on the third floor?" You ask, watching her eyes draw slowly to you. Not rudely or abruptly, but in a caught-oggling way. You flash her a small smile.

"Mhmm. Lon should be up there. I can call him if you'd like." She says, reaching for her desk phone.

"You should stay here. We can go up to the third floor." You tell Donald, a slight bite in your voice so he doesn't argue. Before he can reply, slide your hand on Reddington's shoulder to get him away from the desk.

Once directly in front of you, you give his shoulders a push towards the stairs. Raymond tries to keep his breath steady as he feels you press your chest into his back. Your arms are on his shoulders, trying to move his as fast as you can. You're taking small, wide steps, being careful not to step on his shoes. He's thankful for that but in all honestly, he wouldn't mind whatever you do to him, so long as you're this close.

Once you're out of eyesight, you peel yourself off, looking sheepish. "Sorry, I saw how the receptionist was looking at him, I think she likes him."

"I understand, my dear. Something about a sharp-dressed man?" He asks, slowly acceding the stairs, with you right behind.

"Ew. He's not sharply dressed, he looks like every other FBI agent in a suit." You reply, hoping that Raymond doesn't pick up the subtext in your words, that his suits are much nicer.

He does, but for your sake keeps it to himself. Maybe he'll wear the cream one tomorrow, try and impress you.

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

Okay, maybe not. There are parts worth saving.

DICK MULLEN AND THE MISTAKEN IDENTITY - Like what?

Friends and family.

The pleasure of contemplating art!

DICK MULLEN AND THE MISTAKEN IDENTITY - Do you even *have* those?

I've got Kim.

I might. I just need to find them.

I did, but I lost them.

DICK MULLEN AND THE MISTAKEN IDENTITY - Just make sure you don't lose him. You'll not find another like him...

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - It's true in more ways than you know.

DICK MULLEN AND THE MISTAKEN IDENTITY - But then what does this book know? It's just a poorly made piece of pulp garbage, made to be consumed and discarded.

4. I don't have any more questions. I've figured it all out.

DICK MULLEN AND THE MISTAKEN IDENTITY - So who did it, detective? Who killed Charlie Spillane and Deanna Deneuve?

Love did them in.

The dirty police captain?

The junkie art collector?

The politician's twat son?

Uh... Dick Mullen?

You know what? I don't even care. (Close the book.)

DICK MULLEN AND THE MISTAKEN IDENTITY - What? That doesn't even make sense. There's never a straight answer with you, is there? You just get hooked on random stupid notions and then repeat them every chance you get.

Now go on, find out who *really* did it.

Finish the book.

DICK MULLEN AND THE MISTAKEN IDENTITY - You begin furiously flipping through pages. Even as you know these books follow a series of well-worn tropes, you find yourself completely engrossed. You're turning pages so fast you don't even notice the ancient spine coming unglued...

REACTION SPEED [Impossible: Failure] - You try to grab the pages as they come loose but your fingers aren't quick enough... they're gone.

DICK MULLEN AND THE MISTAKEN IDENTITY - Dozens of pages scatter across the floor. The last fifth or so of the book seems to have been lost. It's possible that you could gather and reassemble the pages, but it would take way too long.

"Stupid old horse glue."

"Gah! Now I'll never know!"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Too bad, detective. If it's any consolation, the resolution is almost never very satisfying..."

"And on that note, perhaps we should get back to making sense of our own case?"

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - Last year, more than 71% of murders in Revachol went unsolved. In Revachol West, that number was closer to 85%.

Level up!

This point is going into Half Light.

DICK MULLEN AND THE MISTAKEN IDENTITY - In your hand, you hold four-fifths of "Dick Mullen and the Mistaken Identity."

Fuck, hold on, we can salvage this.

ANNETTE - "Hi, ace detective." She smiles warmly. "Are you here for more books?"

"Little girl, help. My Dick Mullen book ripped before I could get to the end. Do you know what happens?"

ANNETTE - "Which book was it, sir?"

"Dick Mullen and the Mistaken Identity."

ANNETTE - "Oh..." She frowns. "I'm very sorry, sir. I haven't read that one yet. I wish I could help you."

2. "Okay, bye. See you around, Annette." [Leave.]

PLAISANCE - "It's always nice to see you here. You bring good energy."

2. "Uh, this Dick Mullen book fell apart before I got to the end. Do you have another copy?" (Show her the item.)

PLAISANCE - "Oh, I'm very sorry, sir. Some of these old paperbacks just don't have the durability. I would be happy to sell you another one, but unfortunately it's the last copy we had in stock."

Damn. I guess there really is no way to know.

In the spirit of Dick Mullen, I equip the fedora and pinball coat.

LOGIC - Give up. You'll never find the answer. There's no other copy of "Dick Mullen and the Mistaken Identity" here.

But, why?

There's got to be a way to solve this.

I guess that's it. Maybe it's better this way. [Finish thought.]

LOGIC - Because that's how the world works. Some stories never get finished. You shouldn't expect there to be a tidy, satisfying ending.

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - But... but... what if you never find out how *your* story ends?

There's got to be a way to solve this.

LOGIC - There isn't. If only you had more time... more resources... who knows what you could have come up with?

Maybe if there had been more money... and less speed...

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Success] - Or *MORE* speed!

LOGIC - Or *that*, yes. Either way, you might've been able to come up with an answer. But not like this.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Challenging: Success] - Hang on, you can do this. *Use your imagination*. You know who the suspects are, just... make it up.

So, who killed Charlie Spillane and Deanna Deneuve, detective? Just fucking pick one.

[a-random-weeb]

Vampire Chuuya x reader

I accidentally tapped 'vampire Chuuya' at one point, and it won. I must be magic, I kind of actually hoped dragon Chuuya won but whatever

Also if I get 4 more followers, I'll be at 100! It'd be pretty awesome if I could gain 5 followers by the end of the day, that would be awesome! And thank you to everyone following me, all of you are appreciated ♥️

⚝✮⚝+⊹⚝✮⚝+⊹⚝✮⚝+⊹⚝✮⚝+⊹⚝✮⚝+⊹⚝✮⚝+

Crunch! Crack! Snap! The sounds of sticks and twigs breaking is all that can be heard as you trudge through the deep forest, completely lost. You look for any shelter, it's already sundown and you fear wolves may come around. The fact it started raining a bit ago doesn't help anything either. You come across a huge mansion... In the middle of the woods? You think about it for a second, you've seen too many horror movies to know how this goes... But... Being eaten alive was the other option... You sprint to the door, knocking loudly. A sigh of relief escapes your mouth as a short, red head answered.

"Okok, so I know you probably moved to the middle of the woods as to not to be disturbed, but please can I stay here the night sir? There's wolves around here, and I'm completely lost!" You make a desperate plead to the man who's eyes widden slightly.

"You're not that far from a village that way." He points, "How would I live without humans near by? I need basic stuff like food. But come in." he says, almost ominously. He's sketchy, but he's your only hope, so you rush in his mansion.

You don't know how you got in this situation in the first place! Your dumbass was just trick or treating with some friends, saw a spooky woods and decided to reenact a horror movie seen, but you guess you ran too far because now you're relying on some sketchy ass dude for shelter and maybe a map.

"Please, take a seat." The red head holds a scowl on his face, you wonder if he plans to murder you at this point. You sit on the plush couch in his huge living room, taking a closer look at the man. He wears a fancy suit, along with a fedora. He has gorgeous blue eyes and flowing red hair, though, he is quite petite.

"Sooooo... what's your name?" You ask, attempting to break the silence.

"Chuuya Nakahara. You may call me Chuuya though." He replies in a calm manner. You nod

"I'm F/n (first name). How long can I stay here?"

"You can stay in the guest room for as long as you want." As long as you want...? Is he serious?!

"Um... so like a few days? Just so I can get the chance to contact home?" Chuuya nods,

"Sure." Chuuya leads you to the guest room. It's a beautiful room, a pretty queen sized bed along with an expensive looking chandelier hanging from the ceiling. You guess he really likes his guests.

For the next two days you are fed three meals a day and provided with everything you need. For some reason, he refuses to even point to the direction of the village. He won't let you go out by yourself, he always comes with you to make sure you don't get lost. He doesn't give you a map, or anything. Eventually, you snap,

"Just give me a fucking map! Please! I want to go home!" A look of slight guilt crosses Chuuyas face. He pins you to the wall of the kitchen, your eyes widden as you see his... Fangs? What? He growls

"You don't get to leave. You'll never find that village, you'll never leave me... I didn't want to do this but..." you freeze... everything seemed to happen in slow motion as you hiss in pain. He bit you! He bit your neck... your whole body goes numb, and you feel incredibly confused. That numbness quickly turns into pain as the world goes back to normal. You fall to the ground in pain. He picks you up bridal style "It'll be ok... It's only temporary... It's ok..." You hear him continue to mumble reasurement until you pass out.

5 hours later your eyes slowly flutter open. Your in his bed, you weren't allowed in his room until now. You try to sit up, but you feel a cold hand push you back down. You feel weak and vunrable.

"Are you feeling ok? Why don't I get some... food" he hands you what looks to be a glass of red wine. It tastes so... Good... You shut the whole thing, it's the best thing you've ever had!

"What is this stuff?"

"... Blood." He shows you his fangs. You panic and feel your teeth... You had fangs too..

[thatonecrookedsmile]

"Are you worthy to walk with angels?"

-Bow-

-----

Isn't that the question.

A little late. Partly because this took a while to finish. And partly because I lost a bit of motivation halfway through. But there was no way I wasn't going to finish this, especially considering the occasion. I originally considered this prompt with the Ink Demon in mind, but by this point I had already done a prompt with the Ink Demon before so I decided to do it with another character. In this case, Alice.

Since BATIM Chapter 3's anniversary was coming up (and it did), I thought doing this prompt as the anniversary drawing would be a good idea, since I didn't have much ideas of ​​what to do for the ocassion.

So getting to the first point: happy (belated) anniversary BATIM Chapter 3! To make it short: Even though it's not my favorite chapter of the game nowadays, I still do enjoy it, and I have fond moments from it since this was my first chapter that I had to follow the development until launch (since I started following Bendy around the time CH2 had released). Even though the middle of the chapter can be a bit slow, so to speak, CH3 still has some really cool moments, and introduced a lot of cool stuff at the same time. So yeah, while it's not my favorite chapter, I still really like Rise and Fall at the end of the day.

And of course,happy (belated) birthday, MAlice Angel! Definitely one of the most interesting characters in the series,for sure. Looking forward to seeing and hearing more from her in the near future! You'll always be famous,queen.

Also happy anniversary to Thomas, Shawn, Grant, Allison, the Butcher Gang, the Swollen Searchers, the Fedora Searcher and the Projectionist too. (And by extension, Joey,for having his first audio log introduced via this chapter.)

For the second point, I guess you can consider this drawing here as my last post for this year's Ink Demonth. I don't think I've ever announced my departure before in past events, but I usually stop doing stuff related to the event after the end of September, so this was to be expected. And it's better than just stopping posting for the event all of a sudden without saying anything. So yeah, a "farewell" might be in order.

I considered doing, in addition to the one above, one more prompt to end my contribution for this year. Maybe I'll do it and post it this month. Maybe around the time of CH5's anniversary? Idk. I have ideas for other things this month, so I don't know if I'll do that. If I do? Consider that post an epilogue in a way. But if not? Then consider this my last contribution to this year's event. Which I don't mind. At least I'll end it on a pretty good note.

Congratulations to everyone else who participated in the event and managed to finish it all. I'm not fitted for this kind of event, but I always try to do as much as I can. See you all next year!

Have a good one folks, and once again happy (belated) anniversary to both Alice and BATIM CH3 overall. And happy start of October too!

Let the spooky season begin.

[kairiscorner]

Hey again! I was the anon that requested the spider noir x reader with their daughter. I loved it sm it was so cute! I was wondering if you could maybe write another fic like that but their daughter finds out she has spider powers just like her dad and freaks out which causes Peter and reader to freak out too? This idea popped up in my head recently and it’s been stuck 😭😭 Tysm for writing my last request tho!

HI ANONNNNN <333 omg thank YOU for the cute idea, i'm so glad youloved it <:DD I'LL TRY FOR THIS ONE TOO OMG (what if this is mayday's variant.......)

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

he wasn't just spider man anymore, he was now a spider dad; he wore that title proudly like a badge of honor, the efforts of his hard work at taking care of you and his little girl had paid off to see both of you smile. honestly speaking, there were many times when he'd worry about not being able to come home when duty called for him, but that never stopped him from doing so, again and again, without fail.

he was your peter benjamin parker, your spider man in the black trench coat with the black fedora, and with the biggest heart that was filled with love for little family you two have together. finally, peter thought as he came home and into the door, behind which, his loving spouse and daughter dearest would be waiting for him–he'd scoop them up in his arms and pepper them both with kisses as they giggle and squeal.

"dears, i'm--"

"peter! look at your daughter!" you exclaimed in a frantic voice as your expression became more and more worried. he raised an eyebrow at your growing concern over what appeared to be air as he looked around the living room. "ah, where... is she?" he asked as he took his coat off. he hung the coat up what he thought was the coat hanger, though it was a little lighter and softer than before, he had to admit.

you looked upon in horror as peter has still failed to realize where your daughter was. "dear?" peter asked as he was about to take his hat off, but realized he was patting his own head. you kept mumbling as you pointed to the ceiling, and peter's eyes soon followed where you were pointing. "what in the blazes...?" he murmured as he watched his little princess, three years of age, crawl upon the ceiling with her soft locks of hair hanging down as she gazed at you two, her beloved parents, gaze back at her in utter shock.

she giggled as she held peter's hat and coat, letting go of the coat at peter's feet, which he didn't even react to. he was just so...

"peter?" you asked aloud as you saw your husband's limp body lie down as he fell backwards, fainting from this new revelation. your daughter giggled as peter fell over, and she let go of the ceiling; but you caught her in a nick of time. she wanted to be on her father's chest right then and there, but you left her on the couch first and tried to wake peter up. all your attempts failed, however, and you instead dragged him onto the sofa to rest.

peter awoke to the feeling of soft, pudgy little hands prodding and poking his cheeks. he woke up in a daze, but recognized his daughter immediately. he chuckled as he held her in his arms and cooed to her. "oh, honey... you won't believe the dream i had. our little girl, she... she..." he muttered in a hoarse voice, having just woken up from the shock he was treated to earlier, only to have his daughter shoot a web in his face. she giggled, and he was left stunned.

"what did you dream abou--oh, not again..." you muttered with a small sigh as you tried to get the gooey mess off of peter's face. he didn't frown, nor did he get mad, instead... "darling, my little princess is a heroine." he whispered in surprise as he held her close, her babbling and dribbling all over herself. you sighed and gave him a small smile. "well, i... i don't know what to say or do about it. she does take after her father in, oh, in too many ways." you said as he looked over at you with a beaming smile, your daughter peering up at you with the same, lovable, beaming smile.

what an tangled up family you two have become, in the best way possible.

a/n: AND THEN PENI BECOMES HER ADOPTIVE OLDER SISTER AND THEY'RE A BIG HAPPY FAMILY <333

tags !! @thecoolerdor @miguelswifey04 @binibinileonara @k4tsu3 @luvstarrstruck @maxoloqy @connors-cumslurper @sabcandoit

[oh-no-another-idea]

Find the word tag

Thank you for the tag @starlit-hopes-and-dreams! <3 I'll find contrast, cheek, choose/chose, and chill from the Invisible Girl...

Contrast:

The voice belonged to a tall man wearing a sharp black fedora hat and suit. In contrast, his skin was milky pale and his eyes a frighteningly light gray. There wasn’t a spot of color anywhere to be found on him.

Cheek:

“You’re a stowaway, aren’t you,” Antonio said, having followed Velia and come to the same conclusion as she.       Fynn stood, the dim lighting casting dark shadows under his cheekbones. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was simply trying to take a nap.” “Oh, I don’t mind,” Antonio was quick to add. “Ms. Greene is a stowaway too and she and I are well on our way to being friends.”

Choose:

“Where does it end?” Lewis demanded, throwing his hands up. “I go home to my tiny drafty flat where I can barely pay the bills, and Fynn supports his whole family and Paris has one too many accidents and loses a finger, and Velia gets trampled to death by a horse—” “It ends with us,” Antonio interrupted, before Velia’s imagined death could get any worse. “It ends where we choose it to.”     

Chill:

On the station platform, it was impossible to believe Velia was still in the city. Fog, thick enough to be masquerading as pea soup, swam and mingled with the steam rolling off the locomotive waiting on the tracks. Nearby lamps blinked feebly, and Velia’s nice maroon jacket wasn’t enough to keep her warm. Or maybe that was just fear chilling her bones.

Open tag for any who see it, and also gentle tags for @sarandipitywrites @enchanted-lightning-aes @lady-grace-pens @on-noon @cherrybombfangirlwrites @wrenofthewords @sleepyowlwrites @lena-rambles and @rhikasa -- your words are talk, bottle, sail, honor, and open 🌈

[rudnitskaia]

Sorry i got so excited to ask questions i forgot to specify but maybe a drabble for 3, 6 and 19. And a drawing for 18. But if you feel specifically inspirred to do something different im not complaining. Love these goobers so any kind of romaunce content is a win for me😁

Hey-hey, Edd! 💖 Tysm for the ask, I'll cover all the numbers, I promise! ✨😭✨ These are very interesting topics for me, so count it as part 1/?. :3 I'll tag your main and your new @acesandocs acc so you won't miss it. <3

I hope you meant numbers from that list, but if you meant the other - DM me, please.

I'll start with the number 19, "Who tells their family/friends about their relationship first?"

And I came up with two ideas, so I post the two-parts answer in a row. Because I headcanon that it's Freckle who was the first one to suspect his cousin develops feelings for a certain Italian waitress, but technically the one who got the confirmed information about Rocky's and Mau's relationship would've been Augusto. So I did both.

First story will be from the Freckle's side. I once started to do a comic from it, but gave it up. So now behold this ancient scenario in a ficlet. :D

The Right Moment

“And what a pizza they have!”

“Pizza?”

“Yeah, sugary pizza!”

“Is this... thing really worth it?” Calvin sighed, deciding not to clarify what that ridiculous phrase meant.

“Oh, true ambrosia. You'll be flabbergasted!” Rocky exclaimed, keeping up his pace. Calvin felt that he had been trying to catch up with his cousin through the streets of St. Louis for about an hour, and he feared that he was going to spend just as long on the heat as he already had, but fortunately Rocky finally turned around the corner and confidently swung open the blue door of the little eatery. Calvin followed him inside and found Rocky waiting at the counter, but finding no one at it, he sat down at the table that was nearest to the entrance, placed his fedora against the wall, and drummed his fingers impatiently on the countertop. Calvin sat down across the table and studied the details of the unassuming establishment. Since when had Rocky developed such a fondness for Italian cuisine…?

“Why, if it isn't Mister Rickaby himself!” A lively woman's voice with a quavering “r” sounded over Calvin's ear.

“Miss Maura,” Rocky grinned. “How else could it be? Your cozy place is an oasis that shelters travelers from the scorching sun. I've even rescued one suffering man along the way. Working for the good of your enterprise, so to speak. Meet my cousin, Freckle.”

“Freckle?”

“Calvin. McMurray,” he habitually corrected Rocky, and finally turned around, meeting his gaze with the tall, young Italian woman. Calvin stared at her face and lean figure, but by the time he realized he was doing it for too long, thankfully, she was already looking at Rocky.

“We'll have two glasses of lemonade, please, your incomparable sugary pizza…”

“And a sandwich, please. Any kind. Not sweet,” Calvin added hastily.

“Not sweet? Are you sure he's your cousin, Rocky?”

“Oh, yeah, he is. He just doesn't realize what he's missing,” he waved it away. “You know for yourself that pizza's an undoughbtfully subtle thing.”

Mau laughed out loud.

“Oh, come on. I'm the one who knows batter that it’s just your oven self that works on a different fuel.”

“Hey!” Rocky chuckled with feigned indignation, but Maura was already heading past the tables toward the kitchen. Calvin stayed silent as he watched Rocky's eyes on the girl. He didn't say a word when Rocky again engaged the waitress in banter when she returned with the order. He preferred not to evaluate the flavor of the monstrous slice that was aptly called ‘sugary pizza’, but the sandwich and lemonade were very good indeed. Calvin kept his mouth shut even when Rocky, leaning against the counter, took a few good minutes to say goodbye to Mau. Only on their way back to the Little Daisy Café he surrendered to his curiosity.

“So… about that ‘sugary pizza’.”

“What, do you regret not trying it after all? I knew it! I knew you'd bite your head off. Well, I'll ask Miss Maura make more next time.”

“Next time, yeah. How long have you been visiting this place?”

Rocky pondered.

“A month? Or about two… something like that.”

“Only for sugary pizza?”

“No, why, they have good coffee, lemonade, and…” Rocky began to list without a backward thought, but then suddenly frowned. “Wait, what are you implying?”

“Nothing,” Calvin looked away and smiled involuntarily. Rocky squinted.

“Don’t tap dance with me, sneaky gingerbread. I can see right through you.”

“Well… uh. Neither of us are blind. Miss Maura probably… it seems she likes you.”

Shaking his head, Rocky ran a hand through his hair in relief.

“Oh, Freckle. You don't understand anything. Miss Maura… she's always like that. With everyone. Gives away words like hot cakes. Mine may be puncakes, but they aren’t served with any ‘additional syrup’.”

Calvin stared at the passing cars for a while, thinking if he should try to change his cousin's mind. But suddenly Rocky cautiously asked:

“…you really think?”

Calvin shrugged. Was he sure of what he was talking about? It was hard to tell. But what he'd seen in the eatery certainly… brought up some thoughts.

“Why don't you ask her out, since you two have been in touch for so long?”

“It's not that simple, Freckle,” Rocky sighed and gestured vigorously. “You have to be thorough, have to pick the right moment. Besides, have you seen her grumpy old man? A glancekiller. It's like rescuing a princess from a dragon's lair. And you're suggesting I just walk up and say…” he stopped in the middle of the street in a deep bow with his hands widely outstretched to the sides, “…do me a favor, my fair maid, go with me on a promenade!”

Suddenly Rocky felt how something was lowered on his left hand. He turned his head in puzzlement and found his own fedora hanging there. But it wasn't that that surprised him, it was… Maura. She was looking at him and Freckle with amusement, and Rocky had no idea where to get away from that look. And he wanted to get away. Wanted it desperately. Preferably somewhere under the ground. But before he could say anything, Mau nonchalantly stated:

“Well, if you promise to be a faithful knight, toss a pebble into my window at night.”

Calvin, who was watching all this, began to quietly laugh. Maura waved to him with a mockingly innocent smile.

“Goodbye, Mister McMurray, it was nice to meet you,” and, without waiting for Rocky's reply, she headed back toward the eatery.

Calvin's laughter grew louder the longer he stared at Rocky's confused face. It was simply impossible to hold back. Calvin felt like he was choking, but he didn't stop chuckling even when Rocky elbowed him in the side and exclaimed:

“Stop cackling, you!”

Rocky took a deep breath, covered his face with the fedora and let out a muffled yell. As Calvin continued to laugh, he patted his cousin on the back a few times, either sympathetically or encouragingly; it was also hard to tell.

Though one thing was definitely undoubtful: now Calvin had not a single regret about that visit to Italian eatery. At all.

[kalux-sims]

The latest frustration is trying to migrate from Ubuntu to Fedora. It keeps telling me there's not enough space. There is. Ugh. I'll try again later.

See my frustration step by step in this google doc.

I'm gonna vent this frustration by maybe buying some eyeliner.

[sirhamburrger]

chapter 2: hokkaido-style ramen

double life [kuroo x f!reader]

word count: 1006 || prev || next

approximately seven and a half minutes ago she was slow dancing with the cockiest nepo baby in the building. he’d tried to get her a drink, and then he spaced out for a bit. 

and then the chandelier had come crashing down on the both of them without so much as a warning.

approximately seven minutes ago said nepo baby insisted she leave him behind and get help. she'd managed to squeeze through the crowd to the back alley of the hotel, activating the nanofiber suit supplied by cyborg and oracle. she'd started looking around the back of the building, inspecting all the emergency exits.

and then she had run into two of the city's biggest villains.

and to top it all off: approximately two minutes ago joker had flung her back into the building she had come from - embarrassing her in front of several members of the justice league.

all in all, tonight doesn’t seem to be going very well.

a large piece of plaster breaks off the wall above her head, and she dodges as it cracks and crumbles into pieces on the ground. the caped crusader curses, having nearly avoided an overhead projectile of his own. she finds herself smirking slightly at this.

“so,” he says, tone thick with unspoken suspicion and dripping in sarcasm, “did you just happen to be in the area tonight?” her smile fades under her mask almost immediately. looking back over her shoulder, she sees the bottom half of his tight-lipped expression. 

her scowl deepens.

“yes, i did. got a tip-off, actually. what of it?”

“i dunno,” he says mock-casually. “you just happened to know where two of the city's biggest villains are and when they planned to strike? sounds hella suspicious if you ask me-”

“well, i wasn't.” she cuts him off sharply, hackles rising at the doubt he shows. “i took a bullet for you once, have you forgotten? when will you quit insinuating-”

“i wasn't trying to insinuate anything,” he says defensively, and, oh, how she wishes she could be back in the ballroom enjoying a peaceful evening. even tetsuro kuroo’s company couldn't ever get worse than this.

“good. keep it that way.”

he sputters indignantly as keiji akaashi, also known as cyborg, attempts to stop him from making the situation worse. he and bokuto are the only ones whose true identities she's managed to find out; they're pretty easy to identify anyway. she hasn't had the same luck with oracle or flash or green arrow. 

or batman, for that matter.

as for her? she have no intention of revealing her true identity and compromising her personal safety any time soon. that, too, is something she'd like to keep that way.

“where's flash?” she already knows superman has gone off to deal with some wreckage downtown, but the speedster's absence is conspicuous. (he's the only one who openly sides with her over batman.)

“sedated and sleepy and-” oracle's voice, coming through her earpiece, is cut off by incoherent mumbling in the background. “he wants hokkaido-style ramen.”

“tell him i'll treat you all to ramen if we can maybe get through tonight without another of our dear caped crusader’s snide remarks.”

“hey!”

she wants to make another rebuttal. but there are more pressing issues at hand, such as the maniacal clown villain and his long-suffering partner in crime. and unfortunately for her and the justice league, they are right here in front of them at this very moment. both of them.

“joker,” she says shortly. “and ace.”

the flickering street lights illuminate the two figures standing in the middle of the road. the slightly taller man, his smug face in all its freshly-painted glory, laughs heartily at her acknowledgement. his green-and-purple suit - horrendous shades of them, really - crinkles at the elbows as he crosses his arms over his broad chest. tufts of brown hair poke out from under his matching and also horrendous fedora.

the other man is practically the opposite of his partner - he dresses in practical combat gear, all black. he grumbles, running a hand through his spiky jet-black hair. a scar runs down the side of his face, the bottom half of which is covered by a gas mask. no doubt it's to keep him safe from the joker's laughing gas. 

remembering their last encounter with the duo, she suddenly wishes she'd brought one of her own.

“if you're looking for trouble,” she states bluntly, “pick any other day of the week. we've done this a hundred and one times already, so if you could refrain from ruining a perfectly good saturday night, that would be just copacetic.”

joker laughs again. the sound pierces her ears.

“feisty as always, i see. good to see my favourite hero again.”

“i thought i was your favourite hero-” batman interjects, then shakes his head. “okay. why are you here tonight? we all know grand theft isn't your thing.”

joker's mouth stretches into a terrifying grin at that, and she swears she senses cyborg shiver slightly beside her. “that's for us to know and for you to find out,” he says smoothly. “dig a little deeper, heroes, and maybe you'll find what you're-”

“stop it with the theatrics and let's go,” ace growls, yanking on his arm in what seems incredibly out-of-place for their current situation. he throws a flash bomb down, smoke billowing through the air.

the three of them activate the thermal imaging lens in their eyepieces, but it's no use - the atmosphere is filled with steaming plumes of black smoke.

when it clears, they're gone.

“i heard someone mention something about hokkaido ramen-” bokuto, having swooped in, cuts himself off as he notices akaashi’s glum expression.

“it's fine,” she sighs. “we can still get ramen. my treat.”

he cheers, and akaashi seems to relax ever so slightly at the suggestion. she exchanges glances with batman, his expression unreadable. they both know the city won't be safe, not long as they are at large yet again. 

the joker, tooru oikawa. and his ace, hajime iwaizumi.

author's notes:

i just know joker oikawa would piss iwa off so much because he's such a drama queen

chapters will probably be shorter from now on

that way i can post more frequently!

TAGLIST: @kr1nqu, @weezerbby, @honeytwo, @honeyfewr (open, send an ask to be added!)

(and i'll just tag @eggyrocks and @nectardaddy just for this chapter since you mentioned wanting to read this series before but aren't on the masterlist. lmk if you want to be added, no pressure at all!)

© sirhamburrger 2024