#one only has two modes too y’know

[squidsinashirt]

It’s funny though, one little lounger in the pool and total meltdown…

Two would never be such a princess.

Evening swim abandoned but views from the office, right?

Chasing the sun tonight and wingman’ing for the big guy 💪🏻 @ilikebigshipsandicannotlie

[manias-wordcount]

I hope you’re having a good week I have a request if you’re interested in Azula X read reader has the personality of scar from the lion King the animated version obviously 

S/o with the personality of Scar HCs (Azula)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗺! 𝗶 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆!!

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

With this type of personality, your relationship with her tends to have two modes

Mode one is like lovey-dovey sickly sweet because you guys just get each other

In that classic children’s media villain way y’know

Like every conversation between the two of you will be fluid and you can complain about things to each other openly because you guys just understand each other and have such similar personalities

Literally, it’d be so easy to just shoot the shit with each other like this and boss other people around because you two just radiate power and confidence 

(although she’s the only royal here, you’re faking it to you make it lmao)

But since you guys are so similar, mode two is when you guys can’t stand each other

You both can be powerful hungry and uncaring towards others, so it can be really hard to stand each other when one sets the other off into a bad mood

To be frank, getting this relationship to work is going to be difficult since Azula and someone with Scar’s personality are bound not to be good people

But there’s someone out there for everyone- including you and her too

[buckyalpine]

Catch Me If You Can AU

Remember this? (Mob Bucky x single mom police officer reader) Which lead to a part 2 and a part 3? Here is a lil drabble for that AU. For context if you don’t feel like reading all three parts: Mob Bucky falls in love with the pretty police officer who has been on his ass for ages. Not to mention she has a son, 8 year old Jordan, who sees Bucky as a hero no less. After a little kidnapping, a little flirting and going full on protective mode when her shitty ex tries to come back around, Buck finally gets to call her his. She’s a little hesitant at first but she falls for his baby blues and sweet charm. Here’s what happens a little while after you’ve been together. So much emotional fluff. 

-

“What is it J” Bucky curiously inspected the box that was placed onto his lap with a little bow tied on the top, wrapped up with carefully selected colorful paper. Jordan had spent the entire night shifting through different colors he thought Bucky would like and redoing the taping until it was perfect, hardly getting a wink of sleep, too excited for morning to come. 

“Open it!�� Jordan grinned, though his heart was beating erratically on the inside, holding his breath when Bucky picked up the box again. The mob boss had taken the month off for Jordan’s 10th birthday, insisting they would do whatever he wanted but your son insisted he just wanted to spend time together. Still, Bucky pulled out all the stops, leaving a mountain of gifts in Jordan's room from him alone. Breakfast was filled with pancakes, every topping imaginable, fresh croissants, pastries and milkshakes along with a very hungry Steve, Sam and Peter. You were all still seated at the table finishing up while Jordan looked at Bucky intently. 

“Shouldn’t I be the one getting you presents” Bucky snorted while you watched him carefully unwrap the ribbon before gently taking the wrapping paper apart revealing a plain white cardboard box with an envelope taped onto the front.

“Should I read this or see what’s inside first?” Bucky asked curiously. 

“Uh-You can read the letter first” Jordan peeked up, hoping to hide his anxiousness while Bucky took out the paper, unfolding a hand written letter. 

Dear Dad,

I talked to mommy about this and this is what I want for my birthday. I thought it would wait till Christmas but I really wanted it now. 

No pressure, you can always say no but I hope you’ll say yes.

Love,

Jordan

Bucky’s brows furrowed, looking at the documents inside the box, his entire world stopping as he read the words printed on the paper. 

“J?”

Jordan shuffled on his feet nervously, afraid to meet Bucky’s eyes, only looking up when Bucky reached out to gently squeeze his hand. 

“Are-are you sure?”

“I’m sure” Jordan whispered, missing the tears that streamed down Bucky’s face, pulling the little one into his chest, kissing the top of his head. “So you’ll sign it? You’ll adopt me?” Jordan looked up hopefully while Bucky let out a wet chuckle. 

“Y’know you’re already mine, right? I want this but these are just papers. I love you no matter what” Bucky said firmly, meaning every word. You bit your lip to keep from sobbing seeing your two favorite boys attached at the hip while Bucky signed the document, still keeping a protective arm around Jordan. Jordan silently nodded, letting out a sniffle before squeezing Bucky tightly, feeling safer than ever. You giggled to yourself, seeing Bucky’s usual hard ass men discreetly wiping their eyes with Steve doing the worst job. 

“G-get it together” Sam hissed, swallowing tightly, scrunching his nose in an attempt to keep from sniffling again while Steve rolled his eyes, no longer trying to hold back as the first whimper escaped. Then a full on sob. Peter hadn’t bothered trying to put up a front at all, loudly blowing his nose into a tissue. 

“Mommy, look!” he took he sheet and held it up proudly for you all to see to see, while Bucky pulled you in, kissing you sweetly. 

“Thank you” You whispered just for Bucky to hear, melting into his touch as he silently squeezed your hip. 

“Best. Birthday. Ever” Jordan stated, clutching the paper to his chest while Bucky grinned proudly, deciding he’d have a conversation with his son soon about asking his mommy to marry him. “Just one more thing”

“What else do you want baby, daddy already got you everything and more” You ruffled Jordan’s hair, your son thinking for a moment before his eyes lit up. 

“A brother” Jordan shrugged innocently while Bucky smirked, giving you a wink when no one was looking. 

“Oh, he can make that happen right now” Sam cackled, already seeing the feral look on Bucky’s face while you shook your head, ignoring the way your stomach flipped at the thought. 

“Really? Or a sister” Jordan smiled, just wanting a sibling to play with. “I’m okay with either” 

“Jordan-” 

“Shhh, let’s give our son what he wants” You were about to question his request when Bucky immediately hushed you, giving Steve a pointed look, his best friend nodding understandingly.

“Sooo how about we go on some roller coasters all day so we can give your mommy and daddy some time to get you that” Steve grinned while Sam wiggled his eyebrows a you both, your son already half way out of the dining room, off to get ready. 

“That sounds like a great plan” Bucky let his hands slide down to your hips, pulling your body flush against his. 

“You’re a menace” You bit back a shy smile while Bucky hugged you tightly from behind, seconds away from throwing you over his shoulder. 

“M’your menace baby” He cooed, his heart still full over getting to officially call Jordan his, “C’mon, we can’t keep J waiting” 

“You sure about this?” You asked, squeaking when he lifted you in his arms, taking you straight to bed as soon as they heard the front door shut, leaving the house completely empty.

“Very sure. Now come here, my son gets whatever he wants” Bucky practically pounced on you, making you giggle as he peppered you with kisses, throwing you on the bed. “Let’s make a baby, mama” 

[icyg4l]

PAC: what should you put on your bucket list for the summer?

hello beautiful people! i am starting my summer 2024 series right now and i am so excited!!!! i wanted to bring something new to everyone so i am creating specialized playlists for each group. they consist of six songs i’ve channeled during your reading. i hope that the group you chose resonates. i also hope that you all book a reading with me! :)

without further ado, please select your pile.

top left-to-bottom right: (1-4)

PILE ONE:

this pile may be newly single or fresh to the dating scene as a whole. you seem introverted, maybe covid messed up your social skills? it’s time to bring some life back into you! i think the main message here is to be more open to exploration.

cards used: the tower, 10 of discs, king of swords, the star, queen of wands, the hanged man, princess of cups.

learn how to swim

flirt with a stranger at a festival/concert

ride as many amusement park rides as you can

go on a picnic date

join some type of organization, or maybe even create one!

be as comfortable in your skin as you can; even go skinny dipping or to a new beach (only if you’re of age though!!)

go to a metaphysical shop

go on a group/double date with your friends

PILE TWO:

i feel like you’re insecure and you’re trying to work on that. this is the best summer to do so. i feel like this pile gets easily embarrassed. spirit wants you to stop that lmao. i take it that you’re someone who’s probably a loner.

cards used: 9 of cups, queen of discs, ace of wands, 3 of cups, 8 of swords, 5 of wands

do as much shadow work as you can

take up a self-defense class/boxing class

jump off the diving board

conquer your fear of heights by bungee jumping or rock climbing

hypnosis therapy

wear your natural hair in different styles each day for a week (maybe longer 🙈)

embrace family traditions

spa day!

have/go to a bonfire

scrapbook!

PILE THREE:

these are my r&b loversss. i feel like you guys have some pipes on you lol. this pile is kind of goofy too. this pile has to be as free as possible. no relationships, no commitments of any kind (minus a job cause y’know the economy rn is 😔). but anyway, the point is to just relax.

cards used: 6 of discs, the devil, the magician, 2 of cups, wheel of fortune, the sun, princess of cups.

go to a skate park

host an event

meet a special someone at the bar

connect with an old friend

adopt a pet

create an alter ego for yourself and show up as that person

do a good deed for someone, pay it forward.

have a dance battle in public

obtain a FWB (be smart & use protection of course 🤫)

post on social media as much as possible

PILE FOUR:

i can tell this is the pile that likes to be organized. you like to have plans made out before the summer. that might not be the case this summer. focus on being a little more free and spontaneous. flexibility is key, babe. get out of freezeeeee mode.

cards used: 3 of cups, the hanged man, 5 of wands, queen of wands, king of swords, the star, knight of cups, ace of discs.

dye your hair red!

pass the bar exam (for those of you who are future lawyers)

receive a tarot reading from an in-person psychic

flirt a little at the grocery store

get dressed up to go to a department store/chain store

have a girls night in with ur girls!

build a fort!

change up your day-to-day makeup routine

record a song with your friends

[oopwoop]

Playing Minecraft W/ The SpiderVerse Kids

pairing(s): Miles Morales (e!1610!), Hobie Brown, Pavitr Prabhakar, Gwen Stacy

warning(s): swearing! unedited.

i used this site to figure out/decide what type of player they’d be

i’ve been playing a lot of Minecraft recently and thought of what it’d be like to play with them so.. here you go!

Miles Morales (e!1610!)

He prefers Creative over Survival for sure, reasoning: he’s scared of the mobs and refuses to fight them

Plus in Creative it’s a lot easier for him to build stuff because he is definitely The Big Builder or The Decorator. He makes the most outrageous buildings but they look good

Has a whole world full of buildings and stuff. Like, complete towns filled with mansions

Playing with him is a lot of fun though! He’ll come up with build designs with you and you’d work together. If not, the two of you would totally mess around, building things just to blow them up with TNT or set it on fire

Miles is the one to put your beds next to each other. He thinks it’s cute, though he’ll do it without saying anything and if you mention it he becomes a stuttering mess and says he knows nothing and didn’t do it.

If you do end up playing Survival with him he will make you kill all the mobs, no doubt about it. He’ll make the base, probably trade with villagers, farm and kill the animals for food but not much else. He’s too afraid of dying

“Miles, did you put the beds next to each other? Because I know I didn’t.” You snicker teasingly, your character staring at the beds then at his character. You turn yourself to glance at him and notice his eyes are wide and he’s blushing.

“What..? What, me? Nooo.. That’s stupid why would I do that? Maybe you forgot that you did it because I didn’t.” He stumbled over his words, refusing eye contact. It was cute.

“Mhm, okay. Y’know, maybe I did forget. I think it’s a cute idea, though.” You smirked, kissing his cheek before turning back to the screen and continued playing.

Gwen Stacy

I think she’d play Survival and only Survival, claims Creative is for the weak

She goes all out in Minecraft, fighting mobs, getting achievements, going to the Nether, all of that. She’s not afraid

Definitely The Pro or The Achiever. Like I said, Gwen goes all out

She’d forcefully make you go with her, but she’d give you the right equipment needed and pointers on how to fight. If you genuinely don’t want to fight with her she’d have you farm and trade, pretty much do the smaller necessities for survival.

Has finished Minecraft several times, got all the achievements and everything on different worlds, never gets old for her

If you got her to play Creative she’d go on a rampage, killing everything for fun. Or she’d fly around trying to find different biomes

“C’monnn.. it’s not that bad!” Gwen would groan, trying to convince you to go to the Nether with her. “I’ve given all the armor and tools you need! Just try not to die.”

“Try not to die?? It’s the Nether, I’ll die no matter what! I’m not a pro like you. I’m not the one who’s finished this game multiple times.” You gave her an incredulous look, gaping at her words. It’s one thing to not die on the main world, that was usually easy, but the Nether? Yeah right, she’s insane.

“You’re overreacting.. Plus, if I’m a pro, wouldn’t that make you feel better that you’d be with me? Not by yourself.” She chuckled, arguing her point. You just scoffed and told her to go, following in after her.

Pavitr Prabhakar

I see him playing both Creative and Survival. Just really depends on his mood. Either way he’s having fun

He’d be The Zookeeper, collecting animals like Pokémon cards for real. Within the first 30 minutes of playing he already has a house full of cats and dogs, probably three parrots flying around him and is starting an animal farm. How? No idea, he just does

In Creative mode he’d spawn them all, naming all the animals with name tags one by one, even coloring the dog collars too

In Survival he’s taming every animal he sees, using a lead to bring the animal to a fenced in area. There’s one full of cows, pigs, horses, all the usual ones. But he even has them for pandas, camels, and turtles.

He’s also one to place his bed next to you, though unlike Miles, he’s not embarrassed by it, actually stating out loud he’s doing it. No shame at all.

When he’s not collecting animals, he’s following you around. He has no idea where you’re going or what you’re doing but he doesn’t care. He’s following and collecting every flower he sees, claiming he’s gonna make a bouquet for you.

“Hey, Pav? Where’s the- woah what the hell? How do you already have a whole army of pandas? Where’d you even get those from? We’re no where near a jungle..” You questioned, beyond surprise by the sight of around a dozen pandas in a fenced up area. It was even decorated to what a panda would need, looking like a small jungle.

“Hm? You say that likes it’s hard to find them! What’s so bad about it? I think they’re cute!” He smiled brightly, his character jumping around in the area full of pandas. “I have more than just pandas!”

“How?? We haven’t even played for more than an hour! When did you do all this?” While it was probably better not to question him, you needed to know how he did it, and seeing him more than happy to explain made it all the more better.

Hobie Brown (sorry it’s shorter than the rest)

He genuinely does not care if y’all play Creative or Survival, doesn’t matter to him, he’s gonna be a complete menace either way

He’s not any of the type of players listed in the site I used, he doesn’t believe in consistency. He can go from killing mobs to farming. His main goal is to fuck with you though

He never gets you killed in Survival but he will mess around. He’ll hit your character (without a sword or anything) when you’re fighting a mob and run away. It’s like playing with a child

I can see him setting a village on fire and saying something along the lines of “they’re capitalist pigs and deserve to die” or something

All in all, he’s not much of a fan of Minecraft but he’ll play it with you if you ask.

“Hobie, why is there a village on fire? What did you do?” You raised a brow at him, staring at the slight smirk on his face. It was a telltale sign he did it, but you knew it was him either way. There’s no way a village randomly caught on fire.

“What ya mean, luv? Oh, tha’. Yeah I did tha’. Bunch a capitalist pigs, I tell ya. Jus’ doin’ my job gettin rid of ‘em.” He chuckled while setting another village on fire. You didn’t wanna know how many he’d set on fire at this point.

“It’s a game, B. And I need to trade with them, they have good stuff sometimes.” You whined, huffing at him. You know he doesn’t care and will do it anyways.

“Find another one then, luv.”

All of them!

My god is it a nightmare.. first it starts out as an argument, trying to decide whether or not y’all are playing Survival or Creative. Mainly Gwen and Miles though, Pavitr and Hobie don’t care.

After about ten minutes of arguing they decided to ask you, so whatever one you prefer is what y’all played on. Either way one of them is whining.

If you picked Survival it leads to a pouty Miles, complaining how he’s gonna die a lot, and a smiley Gwen.

Within the first day Miles has already made a small base for you guys, Pav has gathered a few animals (he pouted when it was stated the cows and such would be used for food eventually, Gwen was mining for ores, and Hobie was.. being Hobie.

It was surprising to see how smooth everyone seemed to work together for a while, considering before y’all even started playing an argument broke out. Though if y’all could work well together while on mission, why couldn’t you in a game, yeah?

Give it an hour or so.. bickering over stupid stuff is bound to happen.

If you picked Creative, Gwen is whining how it’s for losers, which causes Miles to flip her off and thank you for picking it.

With Creative there’s a lot less arguing and bickering. Though there is much more chaos. Y’all are blowing up everything or settlor on fire for fun.

It started with you all just doing your own thing until randomly Hobie brings up the idea.

“I ‘ave an idea..” Hobie says out of the blue, causing everyone to pause. You all look at him with a face of confusion or hesitation. Whenever he had an idea, it was wild or something went wrong in some way.

“Great.. you have an idea.. does it have to do with the game or real life? Because I don’t feel like blowing up a building in your universe again..” Gwen scoffed, the others nodding in agreement.

“Yeah.. I agree with Gwen.. last time you had an idea we almost got killed..” You chuckled dryly, still traumatized from that.

“Damn, no faith in me at all, huh?” He rolled his eyes. “Yea, in the game.. Don’t worry, don’t plan on killin’ y’all. Woulda done so already if I wanted to.”

That caused another pause in the room, silence too loud. Thank god for Miles for breaking it. “Okayyy… what’s your plan?”

“Well, Gwendy got blowin’ up a buildin’ correc’. Though, I meant in the game. Why not have some fun an’ blow up some shit, or set it on fire, yea?” It was a smart idea, surprisingly. Everyone agreed, just with some terms, mainly Pav and Miles.

“Sounds fun! As long as my animals are safe and out of it, I’m in!” Pavitr stated, Miles nodding in agreement, but for his builds.

“Woah, a surprisingly good idea.. Let’s do it! Let’s blow some shit up!” You poked fun at Hobie, before smiling widely. It concerned the others at how widely you smiled but brushed it off. They agreed with the idea so they must be just as crazy then. With that, buildings were blown up, forests were burnt down. It was so chaotic to the point that the game started to lag and eventually crashed, causing you all to burst out in laughter. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

I apologize for not posting yesterday, but hopefully this makes up for it! It’s longer than my normal posts. I hope you enjoy!

Send requests! Love you!

[star-going-supernova]

Here’s a SB prompt for ya!

Gregory realistically couldn’t have lasted the entire game without getting hurt. He got bruises from being slammed into things, his limbs aches for days cause he pushed himself too hard, and you can’t tell me any scrapes from Monty or Roxy didn’t scar.

Gregory would 100% use jokes and quips to deal with all the memories from that night whenever it gets brought up. Freddy who’s programming is insistent on lightening the mood and is joke based hates when he does it with a burning passion.

I’m still not done with the mini ficlets, lol. I went with immediate aftermath instead of further down the line.

Just a Scratch

The shift from night mode to day mode as, somewhere, a clock finally struck six was the best thing Gregory had seen all night. Lights began to turn on, STAFF bots disappeared by the dozen, and the stupid music cut out, leaving a ringing silence in its wake. 

Just visible from his hiding place, he watched Chica twitch a bit, then zombie walk away toward her room down the long hall of Rockstar Row. Mere minutes later, Monty and Roxy followed, none seemingly aware of their surroundings. They all vanished into their rooms without a peep. 

Still tense and on guard, Gregory unfolded himself from the tight corner behind the trash can he’d been tucked behind. There was no movement from the green rooms; from where he was crouched, he could see that Roxy’s was empty. Recharging in their back hallways, maybe? 

Guests would start arriving in a few hours, after all, and the show must go on.

Limping down the hall, he raised his watch and pressed the button to talk. “Freddy? You still with me?” 

“I am still here, superstar,” Freddy said, and he sounded so relieved. “I believe it is over. The barricade over the doors has risen. You are safe now.” 

Safe. It’d only been one night, but it felt like such a foreign concept. How could the pizzaplex ever feel safe again, no matter what time of day it was? 

Six hours. Not even counting that first hour before the barricade went down. Longest six hours of his life.

He was starting to feel a little woozy and unsteady on his feet by the time he and Freddy found each other. Freddy gasped at the sight of him, and the sound reflexively made him look around wildly, expecting an attack. But the quiet halls were empty but for the two of them. 

“Gregory,” Freddy said urgently. “You are far more injured than I thought! We must get you medical care immediately.” 

Gregory blinked uncomprehendingly for a moment before looking down at himself and taking stock of his body for the first time in hours. He’d kinda had other, more important things on his mind, y’know?

The first thing he noticed were the bruises. He’d hit the deck more than once, either on purpose or from tripping, and his knees reflected that. They were dark and discolored. Lower, on his left leg, a trio of long gashes slashed diagonally down the front and curved around the back. They started to sting fiercely now that he’d noticed them. Monty had grabbed him there once, he remembered faintly. 

It was all a bit of a blur, to be honest. 

The sides of his upper arms and shoulders ached too, and he thought of how many times he’d taken a corner too fast, one animatronic or another hot on his tail, and the way he’d slammed into the walls before continuing on. On his back, the burn of another couple of cuts flared up; Chica had taken him by surprise at least twice. 

Shallow puncture wounds lined the top of his lower left arm from when he’d blocked Roxy’s teeth somewhere around 2 a.m. And both his right wrist and ankle throbbed with the pain of a sprain, probably from the one time the security guard had managed to grab him and yank him around and a fumbled jump down some stairs respectively. 

A full body ache buzzed through him, too—the result of running and lifting and pulling and pushing far too much, far beyond what his ten-year-old body was used to.

And his vision was admittedly a little blurry. A headache had started after the third time he’d had his head smacked into the floor by a pouncing Moon, so maybe he had a concussion on top of all the rest. 

The room was starting to spin, and Freddy was looking mightily concerned, which wasn’t an expression Gregory would have thought a robot capable of. Thoughts all tangled up around each other, he was suddenly desperate to reassure his protector that he was okay, honest, and they would look back on this night someday and laugh. 

He giggled now, tipped alarmingly to the side, and in a concussed attempt to alleviate Freddy’s worry and lighten the mood, Gregory enthusiastically declared, “Tis but a scratch!” 

Freddy made a noise of appalled disbelief, but if he said anything in response, Gregory didn’t hear it. He was too busy collapsing on the spot, thoroughly unconscious.

[painted-bees]

aw yay! Here's a bunch more OC questions sent my way by @wulff20ko <3

promt description: Questions about two of your original characters about their relationship. Should work for friends/lovers/coworkers/enemies/etc, maybe not so much for family, but you're welcome to try!

Answering all of these for Margie and Raf again lmao

1) How did they meet?

Like this!

2) How long have these two characters known each other? 

 Since 2008..! I think the last piece of Hi-Note writing that currently exists takes place in 2014. So–six years over the span of their story so far.

3) What were their first impressions of each other? How does that compare to their impressions of each other now?

 Raf thought Margie was a bit strange and ditzy, and she rubbed him as a pathological humble-bragger at first–which was…really unattractive to him lmfao. He initially kinda pulled at that thread in the interest of seeing the whole thing quickly unravel only to discover that she’s legitimately some manner of undiscovered genius who has absolutely no idea just how incredible she is.

  Margie thought Raf was a charismatic player “says that to all the girls” sort–with some shade of mental illness that made it all feel a little too uncanny to be fully effective. She was technically right, but quite differently from what she initially thought lmao.

  Nowadays, Raf knows Margie is his superior in several avenues; she’s a smarter, faster learner, an adaptable problem solver, a far more brilliant musician, and the most genuine, kindest, patient person he’s ever known.

  And Margie knows now that the guy she met in the train station was a fictional character that Raf employed to stand between himself and the threat of forming meaningful relationships. The real Raf is a quiet, anxious, isolated pessimist buoyed by the hope that he isn’t the only person in the world who wants to do well by others.

3) How would they describe each other if asked? Physically? In personality?

  Raf: “Margie? She’s brilliant, she’s sweet. You won’t meet a more incredible person.”

  Margie: “Raf’s a huge dork with a dorkier smirk and you just kinda gotta treat him like a cat if you want to make a good impression on him. Y’know like–just sorta ignore him, let him come to you first.”

4) Do they get along? Why or why not?

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

5) Do they have any shared interests/hobbies? Do they ever do these hobbies together?

 Pretty much most things, these days. Music, walks, rock flipping at low tide… If Margie does anything, she prefers doing them with him. Good experiences are best shared!

6) How often do they see each other? Where do they usually meet?

  Well, initially it was just every Thursday for jam sessions. And then Raf started inviting Margie to crash at his place. Now they live and work together.

7) How do they communicate with each other? Are there any recurring phrases or gestures unique to their relationship?

  Their relationship only exists as it does because of how they communicate with each other. They’ve developed a lot of little shorthand gestures to indicate to one another that things are good and there’s nothing to worry about, such as here. But there are also clear signals they provide when one needs some space or time alone, or if hugs are in order, and other such things. They’ve established a baseline understanding that when they are mad, it is never at each other–and have agreed not to assume that just because one of them is upset, it’s because they’re upset at the other specifically. The person who is upset will always take the time to explain what upset them, once they are able to properly articulate it. Until then, the priority is making sure they get the space or whatever they need to calm down and process what they’re feeling and why.   If they were unable to establish free and easy modes of communication with one another, where they don’t put each other on trial, on the spot to immediately defend their behaviour in the heat of a moment, but give each other the space and grace to process and discuss things under calmer, less volatile circumstances, the wheels would fall off this relationship real quickly, real dramatically. 

8) What is one quality they have in common?

  They love music! They love playing music–together!

9) What is one major difference between them?

  Margie is a very rosy optimist, and Raf is a very calculating pessimist. 

10) Does one act as a narrative foil to the other? How so?

  Yeah, It’s very puppy and cat. Raf’s long established career and jaded burnout vs Margie’s nascent/struggling career and bright-eyed, passionate energy. Margie’s willingness to trust and believe the best in people, vs Raf’s pathological mistrust/suspicion and the constant threats he sees hidden in the actions and words of all those around him. Margie’s ability to bounce back from failures and adapt to challenges–it’s all a learning process for her, vs Raf's stubborn rigidity and unwillingness to compromise–failure is devastating for him. Raf helps Margie keep her feet on her ground so that she can make more purposeful strides towards her goals. Margie helps drag Raf out of his paralyzing anxiety spirals, and keeps his creeping cynicism at bay.

11) Do they have any affection for each other? How do they show it?

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

12) Do they have any disdain/contempt for each other? How do they show it?

oooh…Raf, at his worst, can feel quite overwhelmed with resentment towards Margie for how much sway she has over his feelings of worth and wellbeing. At times when he feels like she fails to understand how her actions can dictate his moods, and fails to behave in a manner sensitive to this [it’s very mercurial and unpredictable what exactly this entails–what sets him off], it’s really tempting–and it feels wholly just–to lash out just to make her feel a fraction of the discomfort/hurt he’s feeling, as way of some kind of punishment. Instead, he gets really quiet and withdrawn, sometimes for a week or two. Margie understands this as “mental health is happening at him” and takes care to stay well out of his way until he’s wrestled control of his narratives again. 

Margie’s got nothing but love in her heart for Raf.

13) Do they share the same goals in life?

  Yeah! They just wanna be comfy, and loved, and make good music together. Everything to do and build together is towards that shared goal.

14) Do they trust each other? Why or why not?

  They do.   Margie’s a given, she trusts everyone.

  Raf, though, has vacillated pretty wildly between wanting to trust her by trying to brute force fake that trust until he believed it–and not trusting her at all. However, the morning she basically returned from the dead to come shambling back home to him in one piece–cemented his trust in her. He thought she had died and, in her concussed state, she was just sorry that she took so long to get back, and wanted to know if they can still play music together. He still has hiccups and moments of panic about the honesty of her relationship with him and such–but so long as he can recall the sheer relief he felt when he held her, and the absolute heartbreak she delivered to him thereafter by way of concussed murmerings–it’s irrefutable to him that she loves him very dearly and that she’ll always be there. Come hell or literal high-water.

15) Is one of them keeping secrets from the other? Why? How would they react if the secret was revealed?

  Not anymore, no.   Initially, Raf had only explained to Margie that he had PTSD. All of his paranoid behaviours and such were swept under that as their explanation. Once things had become quite a bit more serious between the two of them, Raf’s Uncle asserted that Margie was eventually gonna have to know about and understand the challenges of his paranoid personality disorder. And after some gentle coaxing about that, Raf finally relented to ask his uncle to talk to Margie about it for him–because if it was left to Raf to do it himself, it wouldn’t…go well, if it ever happened at all.

  Margie had dated a guy with schizophrenia during her time in Winnipeg, and so there wasn’t really a big scary stigma that needed to be dispelled. The schizophrenia of her previous relationship had been such a non-issue compared to what she otherwise might have expected, that it maybe gave her the idea that Raf’s PD would similarly pose no major challenges. Eehhhh…she was a little off base with that assumption, but she got up to speed on all of it eventually, and it’s mostly fine. At the very least, it didn’t change her opinion of Raf at all, and any drama that accompanied the reveal was hosted exclusively in Raf’s poor brain. 

16) Are they keeping a secret together? How do they feel about that?

  Yeah lmao Raf’s PD is no one’s business but their own. Of the people still alive, Margie, Nels, and his therapist (and Tess) are the only people who are aware of Raf’s PD. The rest of the guys at Hi-Note know he has PTSD, but that’s it. 

17) Do they view their relationship as temporary or permanent?

  Use to be temporary, until the temporary part of their relationship was almost exercised–and now it’s as permanent as a relationship can be lmao

18) Are they satisfied with their relationship? Do they wish they were closer/more distant?

  There’s always things they are working towards together, but they’re both very happy with their relationship, generally.

19) What is their best memory together?

  Oh nooo there’s so much lmfao. I think they both look back on their first year in Cortes Island very very fondly–as kind of a turning point where their lives together became a pretty ironclad thing. It was forged in fire the entire year prior, and they stuck it through–and suddenly things were easy and calm and nice again, and it just…strengthened everything quite beautifully. 

20) What is their worst memory together?

That whooole year before they arrived in Cortes Island lmao. Uncle Bills death and dealing with his estate was the most difficult test their relationship will even endure, I think.

21) When were they the most vulnerable with each other?

  Hm, this is hard, they’re vulnerable with each other pretty well all the time. Again though, the most vulnerable moments were probably during that year of grieving and dealing with Bill’s estate. Raf had basically hit a melting point and was largely incapacitated for much of the latter half, and it culminated with Margie admitting she couldn’t take care of things like he needed her to. I think they both thought the other was gonna leave, because things had stopped being fun and enjoyable, and they couldn’t carry each other out of it or provide what the other person obviously needed. Raf was just waiting for Margie to get sick and tired enough to walk, but Margie was wrecking herself on the terror that he would feel irreparably let down by her if she failed to adequately carry his burden for him when he needed her the most. In the end, Margie’s breakdown and her fear of not being and doing enough for him is what galvanized Raf to get his shit together just enough to put some real, physical distance between them and all the garbage that had piled up on them. A move that Margie had suggested months earlier, but Raf had been too stubborn/overwhelmed to properly consider at the time.

22) Do they have any mutual friends? Mutual enemies?

 All of Raf’s friends are Margie’s friends (he only really has two aside from her and Tess)–but not all of Margie’s friends are Raf’s friends. No mutual enemies, either. Solely because Margie doesn’t have anyone she’d describe as an enemy haha. Maybe Raf’s mom…but Margie has never met her, so it feels weird. She greatly dislikes everything she’s heard about the woman, though.

23) How do these two interact with each other in public versus in private?

 In public, you might think they’re just really close friends. Margie and Raf don’t engage in any explicitly romantic displays of affection in public–largely because Raf is very uncomfortable about it.

 In private, they’re in each other’s space a lot of the time, and fill silences with the occasional sappy call-and-responses that are all some shade of “guess what?” “what?” “I love you.” “Woah, I love you too–weird!” Sometimes the words they string together to carry this sentiment between each other are absolute nonsense…but they know what it means. They’re also just very content to be in the same room together, quietly doing their own thing and otherwise ignoring each other in perfect comfort.

24) If a stranger saw them together, how would they describe their relationship?

 “They seem like really good friends! They’re working together quite well!”

25) How would these characters react to being stuck in a small room with each other?

  Stuck? Well…They’d try to figure out what the deal is. And if it’s like…a busted elevator situation or something, Raf wouldn’t pause for levity until the situation was under control. But once it’s just a matter of waiting for things to become unstuck again, He and Margie would sit in each other's space and pass the time musing and joking to one another. They just enjoy each other’s company, generally.

26) How far would they go for each other? Would they risk their own lives for each other? 

  Margie would crawl out of Davy Jones's coldest locker for Raf lmao

  Raf would walk into oncoming traffic for Margie.

  But more than that, both of them would endeavor to live their healthiest, happiest lives for each other.

[automatonne]

jingles in here like the fool that I am

I LOVE YOUR DIAGRAM AND I ACCEPT IT LOVINGLY

DINO (ONE) STUFFING HCs

As a noble warrior, I think he tries not to gorge himself unless he’s sure that the coast is absolutely clear and that he (and his team) are safe. Only then can he let his guard down. It’s an honor thing, y’know? Not being so gluttonous that you can be taken by surprise.

When his team is celebrating, though? This guy is a CRAZY meat-eater. It’s kinda insane. (Leave some for the cheetah, asshole!)

For all of his dignity, he is weirdly shameless about eating a ton. (I mean, he did eat a whole… him?) He’s almost bottomless. But it makes sense! He’s a high-powered warrior with a carnivorous beast mode. He needs that protein. He’s a busy boy.

He tries not to be extremely messy about it, but he can get kinda lost in the sauce and forget about manners.

He has belched in the rat’s face before to get him to shut up. (Said Rat almost fainted. He says the stench IS prehistoric! Just like the rest of the lizard!) Dino just snickered and went along his merry way.

It’s easier for him to eat in robot mode than beast mode. The thing is about those horizontal-ish lizard types is that a heavy belly does not bode well for balance or running. However, after he’s done, he likes to transform to beast mode to slink back to his room and sleep. Little dinosaur curled around his full tummy. D’aww.

(Don’t say anything about it. He’ll kill you.)

He’s not embarrassed about gorging, but he is occasionally embarrassed by how vocal his stomach can get. If it’s in front of the others, he will try to pass it off on someone else or something else. (The boss bot knows better and has a giggle or two at his expense.) He doesn’t really like the thought of having needs. Much better to be fat and full than to be hungry and be perceived as weak.

(He would absolutely, absolutely enjoy belly rubs but ONLY from a mate, and even then it would be private, and he would swear them to absolute secrecy. Better yet, don’t acknowledge it as you’re doing it. Just let him enjoy it and don’t patronize him. Or he’ll stuff you in there, too.)

[thesoftieanon]

Alright so Dreamlight Valley Reader! I’m gonna try not to spoil too much because I know not everyone has finished the game or has the DLC, plus I want non-players to be able to follow along!

The Basics!

So Dreamlight Valley is Disney and Gameloft’s take on a farming simulator. There are Disney characters you can unlock as friends and neighbors, and they range from Mickey Mouse to Ursula. Yes you can befriend villains, don’t worry about how they’re alive now, it’s Disney

Because it’s a farming simulator, you can obviously grow and farm things, but you can also fish, mine, craft, cook, landscape, play dress-up- there’s a lot okay XD Lemme focus on the important things

Reader has something called Royal Tools that allow them to do things. These tools consist of a watering can, a pickaxe, a shovel, a fishing rod, and a phone (yes you heard me). These need to be upgraded to max potential during the game, but even at base mode they are unbreakable. The watering can never runs out of water, and the phone never runs out of battery. For simplicity’s sake Reader is just gonna have them maxed out already.

The big problem of Dreamlight Valley is Night Thorns; magic purple thorns that cause Reader and the villagers to forget things. They can only be cleared by Dreamlight Magic; magic only Reader has. The magic has a recharge bar like Hyrule’s, but it can be replenished with food, having a seat, or instant refilled by going home. Obviously Reader will not have home access so options are food and rest. Better quality food = more energy

Reader also has a shadow problem. They cause the Thorns. I can’t delve into that because major spoilers. If you wanna know go play the game :3

Dreamlight Valley is a kingdom, they used to have a Ruler but they disappeared. I don’t think it’s spoilers to say who the Ruler is (the tools are literally called Royal Tools), but it is spoilers to say how exactly we got here. Also Reader doesn’t remember.

More on the Dreamlight Magic! It also helps Reader complete tasks for the villagers, but as one can guess by the name, it’s dream magic and doesn’t function on logic. Reader could need something as simple as three flowers or as convoluted and specific as a picture of an animal that only shows up every third Friday night (the game functions on irl time and no, you can’t pull an Animal Crossing and time travel).

Okay so I think that covers all the baseline things you need to know, feel free to tell me if you think I missed something! Specifics!

What the actual frick is Reader’s magic. Legend has been in dream worlds before and not even he can make sense of this. Hyrule is also extremely confused. How does an iron bar and two flowers make a microphone??

They’re gonna need to teach Reader how to fight because despite the high population of villains where they’re from, they don’t really encounter physical fights. Not to say they aren’t fit, they’re literally a farmer, fisherman, miner, constantly running around the valley dealing with everything-

I repeat, a log falls in the path and Reader simply digs up and it turns into a bunch of wood they later use at camp. Legend didn’t even have time to grab his bracelets and he is losing it

Because Reader can do all of these things with their tools the Chain thinks they're actually really strong. But they have absolutely no way of proving it because there isn't a time Reader isn't using their tools for something

Warriors wants to know how they do their hair so fast. Like- it’s always perfect?? And they can just change the color and style whenever they want?? THE CLOTHES TOO?? He has hair and fit envy.

Four would like to know how the Tools were crafted. Maybe he can replicate the process and Wild will finally have a sword he can’t break.

Wild enjoys cooking with them. They share recipes.

Oh my goodness Reader introduces them all to cake because that doesn’t exist in canon-

Wild also relates to the gaps in memory because. Y’know. Amnesia.

Introducing the Chain to Disney characters would be very interesting

Don’t let Wild or Wind near Stitch

Idk what else to add so that’ll be it for now but please share thoughts!

[fastcardotmp3]

The White Rabbit (Part 1/3)

Because Eddie does a headcount. 

And there are five people, not four, standing at the bottom of this dried up lake, and one of them is tearing the final bat in half with his bare hands. 

Robin chokes, hunches over and vomits straight onto the ground.

Fair enough, considering they’re looking at Steve Harrington. 

Fair enough, considering they’re looking at a dead man. 

read on ao3 | playlist

steddie - 17k words - rated M excerpt under the cut

“I’m,” Eddie clears his throat, which has Robin looking at him closely, “I’m. Cashing in on it.” 

Steve’s shoulders slump, unimpressed deadpan to his tone as he repeats, “cashing in on it.” 

“Yep,” Eddie grins as smarmy and smug as he can. “You, Steve Harrington, owe me a favor. In case you forgot.” 

“Since when?” Steve makes a face, all scrunched towards the center with befuddled disbelief like Eddie has just said something of personal offense to him. 

Eddie, for his part, can’t help but grin when Steve makes that face. 

“Since forever, probably,” he shrugs, “who cares, but you definitely owe me for something at some point since you’re, y’know, a fuckin’ bastard and a half, so I’m cashing in.” 

Steve stares him down, scowl only growing as Eddie stares at him right back with a closed-lipped smirk of a grin, Robin looking between the two of them like she’s watching a tennis match for all of three seconds of silent communication until she’s snorting, throwing her hands up, and walking in between the two of them with the declaration— 

“I’m taking my ten. Or, like, my however long this takes.” 

She waggles her fingers at Steve in a little wave and Steve, in return, rolls his eyes in a way that’s far too fond for the interaction, but which makes sense with the synced-up movement as Robin disappears into the back through the door and Steve hops through the window and take her place up front. 

A well-oiled machine, the two of them, but not the point of Eddie crashing their work day. 

“Do I actually owe you a favor or is this your way of telling me you got new stock in?” Steve leans forward onto his hands at the counter in the same moment when Eddie leans back with the cross of his arms over his chest, flannel tied around his waist swaying with the motion. 

“I mean, you definitely owe me a favor,” Eddie shrugs, “but both things can be true.” 

“You realize I pay you, right? With cash?” Steve snarks, and it’s such a thing with him, tone, that Eddie feels like he’s constantly relearning how to read the book of Harrington, the layers of distaste and amusement and genuine good guy syndrome hidden somewhere underneath. “Is that not favor enough any-fucking-more?” 

“Oh, dear Steve,” Eddie smirks, forces it out despite the roll of his gut that he’s chosen to ignore for now and also forever thank you very much, “the money is for the good shit, but you helping me fix the rail on my porch is for, y’know, the kid tax.” 

Steve makes a face. He’s kind of the king of making faces, and faces that work their way between Eddie’s ribs specifically, but this isn’t something Steve’s gonna win with a quirk of the brow and a frown to his lips. 

The kid tax is Eddie’s own personal self destruct mode after all– the kind designed to take anyone in the remote vicinity down with him– it’s all his fear wrapped up in a set of rules that no one but him knows in their entirety and it affects Steve Harrington’s drug habit pretty exclusively. 

Steve is all reluctant exasperation in a little hat as he all but actually rolls his eyes at Eddie. He looks away, looks everywhere except Eddie’s eye, and grumbles, “I get off at six.” 

The most telling part about that?

Eddie hasn’t really won either. 

read on ao3

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders #328: Mysterious Ranmaru X

today on Grailfinders, we’re combining gudaguda and the servantverse into one dangerous Mysterious Ranmaru X-shaped cocktail. she’s an Echo Knight to sword while you sword, and an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer to get some cool servantverse tech and a sword to ride around on.

check out her build breakdown below the cut, or aer character sheet over here!

next up: how to marry your dragon

Race and Background

for once we can ignore the “yeah they’re technically magical copies now but they used to be human” thing we deal with with every other servant since MRX comes from the Servantverse, meaning she’s 100% not a human at all! they’re from space, and xe has PTSD from Nobu’s actual death, which would make her at least 450 years old, so calling him an Astral Elf isn’t too far off. you kind of live forever, but more importantly for gameplay you learn Dancing Lights which uses your Charisma, you have Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, which helps against being charmed, Perception proficiency, a bonus action teleport thanks to Starlight Step for sick swordboarding moves, and you can fall into an Astral Trance instead of sleeping. it’s like normal trance, but you get a proficiency for the day when you do it. all that, plus you get +2 Dexterity and +1 Charisma!

also, you’re a Far Traveler (space edition), giving you proficiency in Insight and Arcana.

Ability Scores

first, Charisma. advanced sci-fi tech is normally intelligence, but servantverse stuff is just based on what sounds cool at the moment. like literally, the whole universe has seasons and episodes, their tech might literally run on phlebotinum. second highest is Dexterity. balancing on a literal sword’s edge is hard, let alone one that can fly. also, I hate to bring this up every time, but you don’t wear armor. third is Constitution. you don’t seem particularly tough, but you’re good at saving against flashbangs, and that’s usually constitution. your Intelligence is a bit lower than I’d like. yeah, you’re goofy, but you’re “hyper-advanced sci-fi universe” goofy. this means your Strength is only average. B rank strength is great, but it’s hard to get leverage while you’re floating, y’know? that means we’re dumping Wisdom. not only are you a gudaguda, but you literally half-blind yourself at all times.

Class Levels

1. Fighter 1: starting off, you’re a fighter. you have the eye of a ranmaru! this means in addition to rising up straight to the top, you can use a Second Wind once a short rest to regain some HP as a bonus action. you also get a Fighting Style, and Blind Fighting lets you get away with wearing an eyepatch in a combat zone. now you’re always aware of any unseen creatures within 10’ of you unless they’re hiding. I assume this is also why you were able to lead Guda out of the flashbang with no issue, but maybe that’s why you have an eyepatch?

you also get proficiency in Strength and Constitution saves, as well as Acrobatics and Athletics. being a 16th century warlord is a pretty physical job! and so is being a ranmaru, I assume.

2. Fighter 2: second level fighters get an Action Surge, so now you can make two actions in a turn once a short rest. now you can sword while you sword!

3. Fighter 3: I thought a lot about how to make it so you can attack from multiple angles at once, and also how to make a flying sword, and eventually I decided to keep things simple and go Kuroko mode with the Echo Knight. you can send your longsword off to stab people when you Manifest Echo, but it can only take one point of damage before coming back to you. that being said, there’s no limit to how many times you can send it out, so it��s no big loss. while it’s out and about, you can  Unleash Incarnation Constitution Modifier times a day to attack an extra time as an attack action, as long as said attack is from the spot of your echo.

4. Fighter 4: fourth level fighters get their first Ability Score Improvement. Improve your Dexterity, and you’ll get hit less and do hit more! win/win!

5. Fighter 5: fifth level fighters get an Extra Attack every attack action, so now you can attack up to five times in a turn, using your action surge and unleash incarnation. that’s not quite the macross missile massacre you use in your NP, but it’s respectable!

6. Fighter 6: our last level of fighter is another ASI, this one to bump up your Charisma.

7. Sorcerer 1: you’ve got a floating sword, now you just need eye lasers, an NP, and the ability to ride it. and for that reason, we’re turning to spellcasting once again. as an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, you get Spells you can cast with Charisma, but some of them are also Psionic Spells. these are bonus spells, and while we don’t use them too often, I’ll bring them up if they’re in-character. you can also replace the ones you don’t like with other divination or enchantment spells.

finally, you get some futuristic walkie-talkies via Telepathic Speech. mark someone nearby, and then you can speak to each other in your minds up to four miles away, and it lasts for a number of minutes equal to your sorcerer level, or if you hand a commlink to another person.

but, you still get spells normally, and those we can choose. grab Booming Blade and Sword Burst to space up your swordplay, Message for another walkie-talkie, Friends to be ranmaru-shaped, and Feather Fall because you’re already floating. finally, you get Ray of Sickness for your very first eyebeam! it’s not super strong, but it’s a start!

8. Sorcerer 2: second level sorcerers become a Font of Magic, giving you Sorcery Points that you can turn into spell slots and vice-versa. just know that you don’t get as many points from destroying slots as you need to make them, so right now this pretty much just gives you an extra slot to cast something like Magic Missile. while this fits the aesthetic of your NP, it’s not nearly the right power level yet, but again- it’s a start.

9. Sorcerer 3: third level sorcerers get Metamagic, two ways of spending sorcery points to add some flair to your spells. or remove it, in the case of Subtle Spells. with that, you can remove all external tells of magic- no verbal or somatic components, and you just need to have the materials on you to cast it. you can also use Extended Spells, doubling the duration of a spell for ease of use.

spells like Calm Emotions from your psionics to get in good with the ruling class, or Warp Sense. despite sounding like something that happens every gudaguda, this spell just lets you sense nearby portals. getting you out of the multiverse is a long-term goal, but finding a portal lying around would speed things up a lot!

10. Sorcerer 4: Fourth level sorcerers get their own ASI, and grabbing a feat like Telekinetic is cool. while you can’t attack easily this way, it does give you access to mage hand, so at least you can start lifting your sword yourself.

you can also cast Air Bubble now. it might be jumping the gun, but riding through space on a sword probably isn’t easy for people that need to. you know, breathe. now you don’t have to worry about that.

11. Sorcerer 5: fifth level sorcerers get Magical Guidance, letting you spend a sorcery point to get advantage on any skill check. but I’d rather spend points casting Melf’s Minute Meteors, which creates a bunch of swords that float around you, and every turn you can fire a few off to explode your enemies. still a bit slower than I’d want for your NP, but it’s getting there!

(also your psionic spell Sending is pretty good. it’s basically another walkie-talkie)

12. Sorcerer 6: sixth level aberrant mind sorcerers have Psionic Sorcery- now whenever you cast a psionic spell you can either cast it with a spell slot as normal or by spending sorcery points, with the latter removing all components for the spell as long as they aren’t consumed. you also have Psychic Defenses, giving you resistance to psychic damage and being frightened.

there’s not much else we want at level three, but we can still go back and grab a spell we missed. Alter Self is what makes a ranmaru a ranmaru, letting you change gender pretty much whenever you want.

13. Sorcerer 7: seventh level sorcerers get fourth level spells like Confusion! that one’s practically not even magic, it’s just the general effect gudaguda tends to have on people. if you hang on to nobu’s head you can also make mini nobus with Summon Aberration.

14. Sorcerer 8: eighth level sorcerers get another ASI, and this one makes you a Scion of Elemental Air. with this, you can cast Minor Illusion using your charisma for a hologram, but more importantly you can use the Wind’s Glide to fly for a turn. you’re a little shaky, but you’re finally riding your sword! you can use this ability proficiency times a day.

you also gain access to your penultimate eyebeam, Raulothim’s Psychic Lance! with this, you can target a creature you can see, or even one you can name within range- this forces an intelligence save, and if they fail they take psychic damage and become incapacitated for a round.

15. Sorcerer 9: ninth level sorcerers get fifth level spells, and for once we like everything we have- Rary’s Telepathic Bond is basically a group chat, and Telekinesis lets you lift up a sword with you on it. alternatively, you can use our chosen spell Freedom of the Winds to fly instead. with this you gain a flying speed of 60’, and you have advantage against being grappled, restrained, or paralyzed. you’re one of the few servants that can properly take on Tlaloc, and this is why.  also, you can end the spell early by using it to teleport out of the way of an attack.

16. Sorcerer 10: there’s one last thing we need for this build to be complete- a way to get to the regular world. to train up to that, grab Far Step for some teleportation for up to a minute. you can also cast Distant spells to double their range, though that doesn’t help here.

17. Sorcerer 11: okay, I lied- one more eyebeam. I mean can you blame me? Disintegrate is pretty cool! it deals a ton of damage if it hits, and can instakill anything knocked out by it in a way that makes resurrection pretty hard to do.

18. Sorcerer 12: with this last ASI, you can round up your Constitution for more HP and unleashed incarnations and your Charisma for stronger spells.

19. Sorcerer 13: finally, with seventh level spell slots in hand, you can Plane Shift to go join your master in the regular world. I mean, right now it’s just a cue ball, but it’ll be regular eventually. probably.

20. Sorcerer 14: there is one more way to ride a sword I wanted to grab- the spells and feats are cool, but they lack longevity. once you learn the Revelation in Flesh, you can fly to your heart’s content! by spending a sorcery point as a bonus action, you can fly and hover for ten minutes at a time. you can spend more points for more bonuses, but those aren’t in character. I’m pretty sure, at least. I don’t remember ranmaru becoming a slime monster at any point.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

being able to fly is always huge when it comes to avoiding damage, especially when you’re playing a character with ranged attack options. flight completely negates the threat of a lot of enemies, and seriously reduces the danger of many more.

you have access to all sorts of instant communication options that work over extreme distances- being in contact with whoever just ran off and split the party can be super helpful! and when they inevitably die it’s entertaining as well!

you also come packing a lot of way to ignore or resist common debuffs used to neutralize casters. silence doesn’t matter because you have subtle spell. paralysis doesn’t matter for the same reason, taking all your gear won’t stop you because you have psionic spells, etc. the point is, if you want to cast something, it’s not easy to stop you from doing it.

Cons:

all sorcerers burn through sorcery points fast, but you’re burning the candle at both ends- you’ve got metamagic, sure, but you’re also eating most of your points in one go every time you use psionic spells. while you can cast anything anywhere, it’s best to practice discretion.

you also use a Sword, which negates your flight since you’ll have to enter melee range to do most of your damage.

you use your bonus action both for a ton of spells and to summon your echo knight, which dies real damn fast. that means you’ll often have to choose between using the spell you spend a high level slot on or keeping your distraction alive, and having to choose between features isn’t that fun.

[atsadi-shenanigans]

Feeding Alligators 34 - Fireside Chats

Y'all take a breather. Leaving you and Astarion on first watch.

Rated M for language and violence (once the sex stuff hits it'll go to E). Updates Saturdays and Wednesdays.

On AO3.

No one has the energy to march back out, and Gale is fresh out of mojo. None of y’all want to camp in the creepy fucking swamp lair, but the alternative is free range bog. You literally feel your White ancestors shushing you, it’ll be fine, the bad thing is gone, is that oakwood flooring?

Amongst all the shuffling and the “what the fuck was that noise”, Shadowheart finds a horde of herbs. A decent chunk of them is the mergrass Gale needs to brew dirt potion, thank fucking god.

You took the fewest injuries, and as Ethel’s dirt potion still works, you take the first watch with Astarion (creepy murder hag house needs two people, no splitting up, your Cherokee ancestors rejoice).

Dinner is cold cheese and slightly stale bread. No one complains; nobody wants to trust Ethel’s stove or fireplace. Probably some kind of murder pit waiting to be activated. Y’all don’t explore much, either. Even Astarion lingers closer to the tent huddle than usual (and they did all put up tents; it’s a psychological thing, you’re sure). He’s quieter, than usual, hands still and unmoving at his sides.

He’s actually too still, now that you look. Barely breathing, gaze shifting around and restless. But the rest of him is unmoving. The hag had been shouting insults at all y’all, and had said something to him about being leashed at one point.

“You alright?” you say, seating yourself nearby.

He blinks. Eyes track to you. “Oh yes, just fine, darling.”

It’s like dropping a quarter into one of them old mechanical pony rides stores used to have outside the front door. A chunk, and a pink unicorn—paint sun-faded and chipped—surges into movement. His face hitches up in a micro expression (smug, sass, all the usual). His breathing increases to what might almost be normal. Even his hands flutter back to life.

Huh.

“How’re you doing food-wise?” you say. “Or, y’know, blood-wise?”

“You’re awfully concerned about my health this evening, aren’t you?” His eyelids droop into that silly, flirtatious dip. “Offering me a snack?”

“Still too soon. And we just fought a hag, which everyone was right about her being a nightmare. So yeah, wanted to make sure you don’t got acid melting through your foot or nothing, sue me.”

“Mmm.” He settles his chin in his hand, one finger tracing up the side of his face. Regards you. “So, how’s the tethering potion working for you?”

Fucking blood potion. Nasty ass, fucking vile thing. The only benefit you feel is the kind of exhaustion has shifted (less depression monotony, more muscles crying in agony) and the chronic headache has, blessedly, fucked right off.

So maybe it’s worth it.

He notices all of this, of course. His smile widens. Vampire man must find this hilarious.

“What’s it taste like, to you?” you say. “Blood, I mean?”

His eyebrows lift. He looks up, thinking. “Animal blood is all plonk compared to—other things. But leagues better than the rats and bugs Cazador deigned to give me.”

Add another bullet point to your list of “reasons to kill that fuckface.”

“What do I taste like?” you say, right as Shadowheart emerges from her tent. She arches a solitary eyebrow and you can feel her judgment. “My blood! I meant my blood, not some kinda, uh, innuendo.”

She makes a “sure, Jan” face and proceeds to leave the circle for the door leading outside. Nature must be calling.

So obviously Astarion grins like a lecher. Bastard.

“Hmm, what do you taste like,” he says. To your surprise, he shifts past the leer and actually seems to consider the question. “Warmth, first and foremost. Salty and savory, but with a hint of spices, rather like a mulled wine.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“Oh, I quite enjoyed it.”

You ain’t blushing. You’re almost blushing? Why in the fuck would that make you blush? Bastard has two modes: flirt and murder hobo, and he only ever means the latter.

Things are so weird, here. The people are weird, the monsters are weird, and apparently it’s contagious.

“So blood is like booze for you?” you say because you gotta shift the tone here.

“Mmm. They are rather alike, aren’t they?”

Unfortunately, being in the middle of a hag house, y’all did not light a fire on her floor. So there ain’t no flames to distract you, and you both sit there for a good moment or two. Watch Shadowheart come back and she absolutely does not give you a “I see you two sitting together over there” glare.

“So,” Astarion says with a goddamn tone. “As a fellow blood drinker—”

“It’s a drop from each of you and it’s cooked with leaves and mushrooms and shit.”

“As a fellow blood drinker, who’s your favorite? I’ve only tasted you, darling, but you’ve sampled the full spread, as it were. Lucky thing.”

“All I taste is like licking an iron pipe.”

“What?” He sounds genuinely surprised. Then he clicks his tongue. “Such a waste.”

You shrug. “No vampire senses, I guess.”

He processes that. An odd look crosses his face and disappears again. And then he’s back to smarm. “So, in the spirit of theoretical questions, if you could taste anything besides that wretched description, which of our dearest companions would you take a mouthful of?”

…is that an innuendo? That sounds like an innuendo. Goddamn, the man never stops. No wonder he’s got a pile of lovers back in his hometown.

It also sounds like he’s actually asking your opinion on which one to nibble first.

“This is theoretical, right?”

He places a hand lightly over his heart, the wikipedia banner image of solemn. “Of course. I’ve wondered about Gale, myself. He strikes me as someone whose blood is rich, refined as a well-aged brandy.”

Gale is a wizard, and they’re probably snooty, yeah? Except Gale has more than a dash of awkwardness in there.

“And then there’s the gith,” he says. “What in the hells do you think she tastes like?

You know jack shit about alcohol. Try to think of some way to add to this conversation without revealing that (people get weird about it).

But he beats you to that non-alcoholic punch. Fake gasps and looks at you, all smugly scandalized. “Oh, but that’s right. You told our dearest Blade that you don’t drink.”

And the man casually leans in to pat your fucking cheek. You jerk back, swipe at him. But he’s already retreating out of range, and continuing on because he’s fucking horrible like that. “You poor, poor thing. That must be so boring, darling. How sheltered are you, exactly?”

Extremely, in some ways. And aggressively not in other ways on very, very purpose because your mother and her band of psychos can fuck right off into the sun, you’re a goddamn adult, fuck you very much.

“You eavesdrop on the regular?” you say.

He taps the pointed tip of his long ear. “Darling, when you have my hearing, you learn everything about everyone in camp.”

…good to know, holy shit.

“I bet Lae’zel is sour,” you say, shoving this conversation back on track. “Like, really sour. Maybe a gamy undertone.”

He pauses, opens his mouth. Shuts it and taps his finger to his chin. “Hmm. You might be right.”

“You, uh, you looking at other necks?”

His smirk morphs into a malicious sneer. “Oh, don’t worry, there’s enough of me to go around. I’m a man of tremendous appetites. Still this is just a little team bonding, eh? Good for morale and all?”

You…feel like he’s saying something else. You ain’t sure what, like hearing a voice in another room but unable to pick out a single word. And before you can try to work on that he changes the subject.

“So, you don’t like drinking? Surely the benefits outweigh the taste?” he says.

Honestly, that gets you more questions than almost anything else (the top contender is the lack of bed partners, because people get real weird about that so you don’t bring it up). They assume it’s a religious thing. And maybe that did keep you from developing a taste earlier in life, but you’d tried plenty ever since (out of spite) and they’re all horrifying.

“Not really,” you say, and stick out your tongue in what you hope is the universal “blurgh” face. “I can drink it in other stuff, sometimes, but I’d just rather not.”

“You dislike bitter things. Noted.”

Did…did he just turn that into some kinda innuendo? Because his tone suggests it is, but the words make no damn sense and you stare at him for a hot minute.

“You’re being real weird tonight,” you say. And immediately regret being so forward and the first twinge of panic uncurls beneath your lungs.

But he only grins and leans back on his hands. “We just murdered a hag, my dear, as you noted. Is it a crime to bask in our victory?”

Everyone and everything was so scared of her. Those still-living people below had been trapped so long. Even Gandrel, a professional monster hunter, was wary of her.

“Guess not,” you say.

“Thank you. And you never did answer my question, you know.” At your blank stare, “If you could properly sample anyone here, who would it be?”

Six tents, yours and his included. Nobody did their extra stuff today—no writing desk for Gale or practice dummies for Lae’zel. Just a closed tent and a bedroll within. You suspect y’all will be hoofing out the second y’all can in the morning, this entire place be damned. The tents are all, to your ears, quiet.

“I dunno,” you say. “Guess it depends on what makes blood taste different. You said it’s life force, right? So wouldn’t someone like, say, Wyll, be better than Gale? Just cause he’s younger? Or is it experience? Fitness? Is diet a factor? I mean, if somebody eats chocolate, it puts sugars and hormones into the bloodstream. Does that alter what you get outta it?”

Now it’s his turn to stare. To blink. “I don’t really know, darling. This is theoretical.”

“Do you want to know?” Because you do. Sweat smells different when the body processes alcohol. Urine smells different depending on vegetable consumption. “The human—er the body is basically a big, interwoven chemistry set. Whole thing is run on chemicals and hormones. So tweaking some a those ought to affect what you get out of it. Unless it’s all magical, vampire bullshit stuff. But we could experiment, maybe? If you wanted?”

And now a slight frown folds the skin between his brows. You’ve gone and overdone it again. Fuck.

“Wyll,” you blurt. “I’d try Wyll.”

He pauses, and then smooths back into that delighted grin. “Ah, I was thinking the same. All that self-righteous heroics. Honestly, that man.”

See? He flirts with everybody. Guy is just a flirty nut. But you two’ve established the foundations of a game, so you look at him. Hold that eye contact while keeping your face blank in the way most other people find intimidating (it’s not anything, you’re literally just holding still).

Astarion, shockingly, only rolls his eyes. “Yes, yes. I have no intention of snacking on our beloved teammates.” Sweeps his gaze to your neck. “Aside from one. When she permits me to end my agony.”

Good lord, this guy. He really is punch drunk off this fight.

“I honestly started feeling a lot better a lot quicker than when I donated back home,” you say. “I’ll ask how that all works in the morning when Gale potions me up. See if the healing juice speeds up red cell production. If it does, maybe you can tap in more often.”

Blood and dirt. What an exciting flavor profile. You almost fold into a groan.

“Really?” Astarion says. There’s the barest tremble to his voice. The lightest touch of what you could almost describe as incredulity.

Acknowledging something that skittish would only send it sprinting off. So you continue as if you hadn’t noticed. “Sure. If you want to?”

And then he leans in. Like, leans in, and his eyelids drop. “Oh darling, I will eat you right up.”

Oookay. You know he’s ridiculous, but the man is upping it to the nth degree. What an absolute goober.

He settles back before you can shove his head. You have to settle for a brushing motion with your fingers. “Yeah, yeah. Keep your fangs in your mouth please.”

The man full on simpers. Clucks his tongue, even. And in the most oozing, sleaziest tone imaginable, “Oh, you sweet, generous thing. I’ll be waiting.”

He’s just too much. You still feel yourself smile, though.

Previous - Index - Next Chapter

[cyber-streak-2]

G1 Seaspray, Mtmte Riptide and Mtmte Nautica with a cybertronian s/o who has a ground alt mode (car probably) and is terrified of water

Headcanons for (G1) Seaspray, (MTMTE) Riptide, and (MTMTE) Nautica with a Cybertronian S/O with a ground alt-mode and is terrified of water:

((These three are ones that I never focus on much, so I hope it’s good.))

Seaspray

[He’s always known about your fear of water- the first time you two met, it was because you got thrown into the water by a ‘Con, and freaked out—Seaspray spotted you, and helped you get out.]

[It doesn’t bother Seaspray too much... he only wishes that the two of you could have some fun out in the water sometimes—but, a walk near the water is enough (if you’re fine with being near it- just not being in it).]

[He still goes out in the water, though, because of his alt-mode—whenever he returns to you (which he finds you usually waiting a good distance away), he brings you gifts that he happened to find in the water that you wouldn’t have seen.]

[All in all, he’s fine with your fear, although he can’t help but think of it as a little silly.]

Riptide

[Riptide is very confused when he learns of your fear- and he also feels really bad, because without knowing about it, he was the one that brought you into the water.]

[He’s quick to apologize, and help you get out. He asks you about it, but it’s up to you if you wanna tell him your reason for why you have this fear or not (or maybe there’s not even a reason).]

[Theres times where he messes up/forgets, and actually starts bringing you along into some water- but you quickly stop and remind him gently, and he apologizes.]

[He doesn’t think much of it- besides occasionally being confused, and occasionally forgetting about it. But, y’know, it’s fine.]

Nautica

[You’re not just terrified of being in water, Nautica realizes, you’re terrified of being around it, too. Or at least uncomfortable when you’re around it.]

[Luckily, you don’t really have that many encounters with large amounts of water- although whenever you do, Nautica always tries to comfort you.]

[If anyone—for whatever reason (Whirl might), makes fun of you for how you feel, Nautica will deal with it in her own little way sometimes.]

[She asks you in private about the fear, and just like Riptide’s, it’s up to you if you wanna tell her or not- though she promises that she won’t tell anyone.]

[allthefoolmine]

Happy season 3 of young royals to all who celebrate!

(It’s me I’m celebrating)

On to episode 5, which I didn’t watch this weekend due to knocking my computer off my couch and cracking the screen about ten minutes in. Totally my fault, but I also want compensation from Lisa Ambjörn personally, y’know?

Anyway, on to episode 5! Hope all who have finished the season enjoyed themselves, and looking forward to getting there myself.

Reactions / commentary / flailing (please dear God let me not break my computer this time) under the cut for spoilers / avoidance purposes.

- oh god the opening of this episode. Why did August tell him that about Erik. Why?! What was the point of that? It just seems needlessly cruel.

- and Wilhelm not telling Simon. Will he ever? This fool says nah, our crown prince is not in good-decisions-mode.

- August is such a shit! Vincent is a total dick, but blowing him off in that smug and dismissive way…legos underfoot are too good for him. Thumbtacks? Marbles? PORCUPINES?

- having just said I hope August has something very painful and embarrassing happen to him, I do really want to know what’s up with his letter.

- so hard to see Wilhelm and his Dad talking about Erik. Which begs the question—why does Wilhelm believe August without question? It really seems like he just accepts this information about this brother and I’m not sure I understand it.

- Wilhelm turning down Simon’s call. BAD DECISIONS MODE activated, huh? Oh, and now we’re quitting choir??? Buddy, sunshine, pal, YOUR LOVELY BOYFRIEND IS RIGHT THERE TO TALK TO HIM. (I wasn’t expecting him to actually to do it? He talked! And Simon said something helpful! And Wilhelm just, wow, buddy, wow. That stupidity is gonna come bite you.)

- fucksSAKE August, leave Sara ALONE.

- oh we get friendship time with Felice, oh good.

- Good luck Sara! OH. NO. Very upsetting to see her father let her down like that.

- Simon looks so cute in a suit! And his Mom continues to be everything you would want a mom to be. “It shouldn’t be this hard” is such an important message.

- Simon, good, yes, hug your sister! You two need to be friends again please!

- oh seeing Wilhelm remove the purple nail polish, my friends I am in PAIN.

- oh some CUTENESS. the birthday muffin! The birthday muffin! The birthday muffin, I may yet live.

- “maybe it was stupid to tell you about Erik” YA THINK ASSHOLE?!?

- oh the sports foundation SUCKS. Give the man an LGTBQ charity PLEASE.

- oh the weird birthday song. Bless them they are trying! I love Simon’s little look of wtf through it all. Perfect.

- August is a complete mystery. Going to the party after being sent home like that? I for one would not. I’d be on tumblr, licking my wounds, or something. Instead he’s chugging red wine in a white suit.

- I like the “tale of two dinners” format

- Simon is doing his best but I can only imagine how hard this is for him.

- August “leave her alone” challenge. You absolute walnut.

- I would not have hugged him, I would have punched him. Sara is much nicer than me.

- Wilhelm, I get that you’re having a crisis but think about someone other than yourself, *please*. Simon does not deserve to deal with your family shit without your support! Simon, you do the right thing for you, buddy! You go home!

- Simon’s side eye when Wilhelm goes off is everything.

- Simon, gtfo, love. This is above your pay grade.

- “love shouldn’t be this hard”

For everyone who has sat with that for a week…oof.

Ow.

[dixonsmonroe]

Plus One

Part 3 of the Lost and Found series.

Part 1

Part 2

Summary: Bucky decides he’s finally ready to adopt a cat, so you venture out into the city to find his perfect match.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female!reader

Word count: 2,875

Author’s note: what kind of person would i be if i wrote a fic about two cat lovers and not bring in alpine? (i also tried to refrain from going into vet tech work mode while writing the scene in the vet’s office and tried to keep it short lol.)

Warnings: a whole bunch of fluff and also cats

There was a light knocking at your door as you finished getting ready for the day. You and Bucky had agreed to leave for the animal shelter at eleven AM, and it was only ten-forty. You thought it was adorable how he was itching to start looking for a cat, and today was finally the day. You tried to assure him that it wasn’t always as easy as it had been with you and Gomez, that sometimes it takes a few different tries before you find the one. He tried to act nonchalant, acting as if he wasn’t too worried. But even under that tough exterior you knew he was excited.

Gomez happily trotted over to the door and sat in front of it. He looked back at you as if to say ‘my second favorite person is here, are you going to let him in?’ You had no idea when he had learned the sound of Bucky’s footsteps specifically, but he always knew when it was your supersoldier neighbor on the other side of the door. 

You gave your cat a small scratch behind the ear before opening the door. Bucky stood there with a brand new looking cat carrier. He leaned in and kissed you softly and your heart fluttered. You had been seeing each other for about four months at this point, and while neither of you had used labels yet, there was always a hello kiss waiting for you.

“Morning,” he smiled, and you stood aside for him to come in.

“Morning,” you grinned back at the way Gomez did figure eights between Bucky’s legs as he walked into the apartment. “You look prepared.”

“Yeah,” he blushed a little and tried to hide it while he paid most of his attention to Gomez. “I know you said I could use Gomez’s carrier, but I wanna make sure I have everything, y’know?”

“I get it,” you replied with a grin, because you did get it. “Ready to go?”

“I am,” he said and stood up. 

While you walked over to the door, Gomez let out an indignant chirp of protest. 

“Sorry, pal,” you said and kissed him on top of his head. “Maybe when we get back we’ll have a friend for you.”

You walked your way to the train station and caught the first one to the stop near the shelter.

“How does Gomez feel about other cats?” Bucky asked you.

“He doesn’t really pay attention to them for the most part, I’ve seen him get along with other cats, but he definitely prefers people,” you explained. “You really want them to get along, huh?”

“Well, I don’t want him to think I’m replacing him,” Bucky said, and you could tell he really wasn’t joking. That made you feel warm all over; you knew that Gomez had essentially claimed Bucky as his own territory, but the fact that Bucky was planning around your situation made you feel like he planned on sticking around.

When you walked up to the doors of the shelter, you were welcomed by a young woman who gave you a warm smile.

“Hi, welcome,” she said. “Looking to adopt a cat or a dog?”

“A cat,” Bucky replied. “Preferably good with other cats.”

She nodded and waved toward the door that led to the cat area of the shelter. “Come with me.”

You followed Bucky and walked by plenty of different cats. You pointed out a sweet old lady cat who rubbed her face against your hand between the bars of the kennel door. It said “I’ve been adopted!” on her information card. It made your heart happy; a lot of older animals often got left behind at shelters.

“She’s probably the sweetest one we have here,” the girl said. “She’s been passed up by a lot of people because she has a lot of health problems. A couple is taking her home in a few days, they have the means to pay her medical bills and they fell in love with her immediately when they met her.”

“That’s so sweet,” you smiled. 

Bucky smiled at the cat as they passed by. They met a few candidates; a tuxedo kitten that liked chasing shoelaces, but was not a fan of other cats. A little orange cat who immediately flopped onto your shoes and showed his belly. He reminded you a bit of Gomez, except a little lazier and less mischievous. 

Bucky seemed to like them all, but you could tell there was that lack of a spark with any of them. Still, it was sweet to watch him interact with them.

When the verdict was that none of them were ‘the one’, Bucky didn’t have to say it out loud. You could see the slight disappointment behind his eyes, maybe that other people wouldn’t notice, so you politely said you both had a lot to think about and that you’d be in touch with the shelter.

As you walked out, you tried to keep Bucky’s spirits up; it was only the first shelter, there were plenty more cats to see in New York, he’d find the one, etc.

As you walked out of shelter number three with still no luck, you could tell your words were becoming just that and nothing more. His shoulders seemed somewhat heavy, and he looked defeated.

“Hey,” you said, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze as you walked. “I’m sorry. I know it’s frustrating.”

He sighed heavily. “That’s okay, we can try again to–”

There was a loud crash off to the side in an alley near you. It was late afternoon, but there weren’t many people around, so of course you weren’t exactly jumping to investigate.

When you heard a loud ‘meow,’ Bucky felt differently. He turned to look in the alleyway and as he walked slowly down it, a little ball of fluff bolted out from behind a dumpster.

The cat looked at the both of you, Bucky now stopped in his tracks so as not to scare her. She gave you a little ‘mew?’ and walked towards Bucky slowly. You held your breath to see how the cat would react, and you weren’t the least bit surprised when she started rubbing on his legs and asking for pets.

Bucky slowly knelt down and scratched her behind the ears, like Gomez liked. You walked slowly closer to them, her purring loud and insistent. The cat saw you and meowed again, this time coming over to you and pushing her head against your hand that you had offered out.

“Well, son of a bitch,” you smiled.

Bucky seemed like he couldn’t believe it, like this was too good to be true.

“Think she’s got a home?” He asked. It was a fair question; you assumed that under all the dirt and filth on her long fur, she was white and probably matted. She was skinny, very much so, like she had only been living off scraps for a while.

“She seems to love people,” you replied. “I say we start walking and see what happens. Maybe she likes her little alleyway.”

Bucky stood up and gave a small huff. “We can’t leave her here.”

“Something tells me she’s not going to let us anyway,” you grinned, watching as the cat rubbed her face on your leg. 

Sure enough, as you both started walking away, the little cat trotted beside you to keep up and you could tell it was taking everything Bucky had not to pick her up. When you got to the entrance to the subway, you stopped him.

“Put the carrier down and maybe see what she does?” You suggested.

When Bucky did so, the cat seemed a little unsure. She sniffed the open door, but didn’t go in. Instead, she rubbed up on Bucky’s legs again. You held back a giggle and watched as he marveled at this small animal. She let out a loud, demanding meow, and he scooped her up. The moment she was in his arms, she laid her head back against his arm and closed her eyes contentedly. 

“I’m gonna call my vet,” you said, taking your phone out as Bucky looked down at this cat like it was his own kid. “We should get her scanned for a microchip and see if she has an owner.”

He grunted in agreement, even though you knew he had probably already decided this was his cat now.

After a visit to the vet, and all the nurses fawning over how loving and adorable this little ball of fluff was, it was determined that there was no microchip. The doctor said because of how thin she was, she probably hadn’t had any actual cat food in a long time. They were able to fit her in for a full appointment that day, Bucky insisting that he would pay for any testing and vaccines she needed.

When they brought the cat back out to you, she was clean and happy.

“I was wondering what you looked like under all that dirt,” you smiled and scratched under her chin, which she loved. “What’s the verdict?”

“She’s clean and healthy, no fleas, but we treated her for a skin infection, and we gave her a bath which she was surprisingly very good for,” the nurse smiled. “Is this going to be Gomez’s new friend?”

You smiled and looked at Bucky, who nodded happily. “That’s what we’re hoping for.”

The nurse gave Bucky a handout of everything about the visit. Which food to feed, how many calories she should be eating to get her to a healthy weight, and when she should come back for a recheck.

When you left the facility, the cat still didn’t want to get into the carrier, so Bucky put her in his jacket and zipped it up with her head sticking out. The cat looked perfectly content, and closed her eyes the whole train ride home.

“What are you thinking of for a name?” You asked.

“I dunno,” he said. “I’m gonna think about it tonight.”

When you got back, you hung out upstairs in his apartment with the two of them for a while.

“She’s really sweet,” you said as you watched the cat fall asleep in Bucky’s lap. 

“She is,” he replied, scratching under her chin.

“I’m gonna let the two of you get acquainted,” you said, standing up and leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. “I’ll be back tomorrow to visit.” You said, this time to the cat. 

“Hey,” he took your hand and pulled you down for a kiss on the lips. “Thanks for everything, sweetheart.”

“Anytime,” you smiled and headed back downstairs.

When you closed the door behind you, Gomez was immediately attached to you. He sniffed your jeans obsessively, as if to ask, “where have you been, and with who?”

“Hey, bud,” you scooped him up and he purred against you. “I think we found you a little friend. I hope you like each other.”

He chirped at you and you laughed.

“You’re right, what am I saying? Of course she’ll like you,” you set him down on the bed and he rolled onto his back and stretched, seeming content that his human was back in his graces where she belonged. 

When you woke up the next day, you heard a bang from above you. You startled out of bed and looked around. Gomez was still sound asleep at the end of the bed, so you got up and put on your sweatpants. 

Bucky’s apartment was right above you, so you figured you could start there. You jogged up the stairs, but stopped when a little plastic ball with a bell inside came jingling towards you. You stopped it with your foot and looked to find Bucky at the top of the stairs, brown paper shopping bags broken in his arms.

“I see someone is having an eventful morning,” you smiled and started picking up the various things he dropped. There were about a million cat toys, a box of cat treats, and a cute little light blue collar with fish skeletons on it. There was also a case of cans of wet cat food, which you assumed was the noise that had woken you up.

“I thought you bought everything already,” you raised an eyebrow, amused at the sight before you.

“I thought I did, but I wasn’t sure if she liked dry or wet food, so I went back for some more stuff,” he said honestly. “I was going to ask you to come with me, but I know you like to sleep in on your days off, and I was getting kind of antsy.”

“It’s okay,” you replied. “Let me help you with this stuff.”

You carried the cat’s things into his apartment, and she was at the door immediately, greeting you as if she’d known you her whole life. You pet her and tossed one of the toys onto the floor, which she immediately darted after. She wasn’t a kitten, but with her behavior she couldn’t be that old, either.

You started setting her things out, and picked up the collar, now noticing the little gold name tag on it.

“Alpine?” You asked.

He shrugged. “She didn’t really strike me as a ‘Snowflake’ or a ‘Snowball’.”

The little cat looked up at you and you admired her fluff and her sweet, blue eyes. 

“Alpine,” you said finally and tested out picking her up, which she let you do happily. “I think it fits.”

You and the cat looked at each other and she slowly blinked contentedly at you. When you looked back up at Bucky, you caught him leaning against the counter with his arms folded across his chest, grinning at you warmly.

“What?” You arched an eyebrow and smiled back.

“Nothin,” he walked over and kissed you. “It’s nice to see my two girls hangin’ out, that’s all.”

Your heart skipped at that; You figured it was his old-fashioned nature. But now you were wondering if you truly were official, if you were allowed to call him your boyfriend or not.

“I like the sound of that,” you said, looking up into his eyes.

“Yeah?” He asked, placing another soft kiss on your lips. “Are you my girl?”

“I am,” you smiled. “Of course.”

You placed Alpine on the ground and put your arms around Bucky and kissed him. It was nice, knowing you were someone’s. You didn’t ever really care for labels, never cared so much for commitment. But with Bucky it was easy; you always felt safe, and you were never insecure about yourself or about what he was doing. You trusted him, and as much as that scared you, it also thrilled you.

“Think we should introduce them?” Bucky asked, nodding to Alpine.

You shrugged. “I feel like maybe we should give her a couple days. She just got here, I don’t wanna overwhelm her.”

“Good idea,” he agreed.

A few days later, you both decided it was time. You had given the cats each something that belonged to the other, so that the smell wasn’t foreign when they met. You were sure Gomez would be fine, but you knew next to nothing about Alpine. She was sweet with people, but you didn’t know what her life was like as a stray. You just stayed optimistic and kept your hopes up.

When Bucky came to the door, Gomez was there waiting. You opened it and found Bucky holding Alpine. Gomez tilted his head in curiosity, watching as Bucky closed the door behind him and put Alpine down in the living room. The two cats stared at each other for a long moment, and all you could think was here it comes, they’re going to hate each other, there’s no way–

And before you could finish that thought, Alpine meowed happily and started purring loudly. Gomez also softened and tried rubbing up on her. Before you knew it, they passed by each other, and Gomez followed her around as she investigated the apartment. The relief that flooded through you was almost euphoric.

You looked up at Bucky, who looked like a proud father, and smiled.

“Best case scenario, huh?” You said.

He put his arm around you as you watched Alpine roll over and show Gomez her belly, which caused Gomez to go over to her and lick her face. The two of them acted like they were old friends; it was very much a “where have you been all my life?” situation.

For the rest of the night, you sat on the couch watching TV, both cats snuggled on your laps, sleeping. Bucky’s arm was around you and your head was resting on his shoulder. It all felt very domestic, and you were surprised at how much that made your heart swell. You glanced up at him as he was enamored with the show on your television, and you couldn’t help but smile. You directed your focus back to the TV, and you didn’t catch the way he smiled softly down at you. He’d never been in love, but if it was anything like what he’d heard described so often, he was certain that this was it.

[talenlee]

Decemberween '23 — Smogon RBY Afficionados

This is pretty funny when you consider last month I wrote three thousand words about how I think Smogon has a fundamental problem in terms of its game design toolkit. Wa hey anyway.

I’ve talked about how when it comes to any given internet niche you run the risk of running headlong into the cursed distinction between ‘pronouns in bio :)’ and ‘pronouns in bio :^)’. There are a whole lot of spaces on the internet where you can always find someone who knows way too much about it and is happy to infodump to you about it, and for the increasingly pointed niches, those interests are usually represented by a truly sweaty nerd or some detail oriented queer person. It is in this space that I wish to proffer to you two people who make interesting material about Smogon.

Not only Smogon, but the part of Smogon focusing on a game mode which has three Pokemon that probably are 100% represented. That’s right, Red Blue Yellow, the oldest metagame of all, and the weirdest.

Let me show you the work of Plague Von Karma and Big Yellow.

Plague von Karma is a delightful channel if you’re into vtubers wearing plague doctor masks talking about thirty years of gameplay history. Which I guess I am. And statistically, so are you. Plague Von Karma’s channel is more brisk, with a lot of shorter videos designed to introduce you to the history of this game, documented in distinct ideas rather than long, broad overviews of a variety of topics.

The Rise of TobyBro | RBY Bytes

Watch this video on YouTube

This is also just coincidentally, an examination of when I engaged with the period of time, and therefore periodically I see people I know mentioned by name. Well, knew. I was a teenager. But like, I was there when the TobyBro arose and I hung out in chat rooms with Cat Gonk and it’s an incredible story to see as the narrative of the TobyBro endures for decades.

I mean, as a game designer I would have something of a problem if my game lasted that long with a generic piece like that but also, y’know, Chess got away with it, and we’ve never needed a Chess 2.0 (aside from how Pokemon is Chess 2).

If you look at the videos of Plague Von Karma, there’s a quantity of videos that are kind of meant to get you up to speed for what RBY is like, and why it’s like that, and when you understand those things you can approach the format more wholly. It’s not exactly positioned as ‘behold, I, an educator am here to get you involved in this format’ but it really feels like a good place to start that doesn’t involve reading the Smogon forums, which are…

Lively.

BigYellow is a lot more into these long form, dense and humour-driven kinda memelord treatments of the RBY OU format. It’s not quite a guide to getting involved – I mean, there’s really nothing to it beyond ‘you should probably have Snorlax, Chansey and Tauros on your team,’ but it’s still approached with a conversational mien and… like

it’s funny?

I think these videos are really funny. I watch them because BigYellow is charming and talks about Pokemon in a way that’s charming even as they talk about a format of Pokemon I think looks horrendous to play. I have the nagging suspicion that sometime I’m going to drop some joke somewhere in one of my videos and well after it’s gone up realise that I’m just copying this ginger Irish person who’s half my age and funnier as well.

Ice Type Pokémon in RBY

Watch this video on YouTube

BigYellow forwards what I think is one of the healthiest visions of Pokemon in the Smogon play space, where you should only ever consider the game to be a series of spaces you move between. If you want to play a Pokemon, don’t try and drag it into the ‘proper’ format, but rather look around for the formats where it is playable, then see if you can find a way to play that format. Charizard doesn’t have to be in OU for you to enjoy playing it, and if you start looking at Smogon tiers like playgrounds with some bumpers around them, you start to see some really cute, interesting metagame spaces to play around in.

It’s a diagnostic treatment of the tiering system. The game is not there to be proscribed, but described. There are ways the game works, there are ways it doesn’t work and some of the ways it doesn’t work result from silly people with weird grudges against Jumpluff.

But alright, sure, what if I’m not interested in a twenty-five year old Pokemon metagame that’s built out of emulators that are designed to implement bugs properly? Well, what if I told you that BigYellow also did videos about fight games? Oh, no? That’s not exciting? What if I told you there’s a 45 minute long video about the history of brown bricks in lego?

The Brilliant History of Brown Lego

Watch this video on YouTube

Yeah that’s right.

And I watched the whole thing.

And really, you probably will too, right?

I just can’t tell you what this channel’s identity is, not really. It’s BigYellow, who makes a game that I think sounds awful sound amazing. It’s about Lego. It’s about nostalgia. It’s about Guilty Gear Strive and how sometimes the weather being too severe shuts you out of playing the videogames you intended to play. It’s ultimately an insight into how one person who’s interested in stuff expresses that interest.

And that’s really cool.

Also, and this isn’t really important, but if you’re like me and you notice when you’re hearing voices that aren’t just More Americans talking about things, these reminders that the world’s culture does not actually stop at the edges of the mainland USA, then yeah, here are some channels discussing a Japanese game from places like Ireland and… I’m guessing Australia? But maybe New Zealand? I’m not about to say where or when.

The world is not a place where we intrude, it’s a place we share.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!