#ssr jerk

[conspirartist]

Me: I JUST entered the Twst fandom, I’m normal about it!

Also me: So I just spend way too much time and effort making this trash gremling of an OC and I have NO REGRETS WHATSOEVER!

So meet Adra, a forever DM on the verge of having to retake his first year because he keeps skipping Crewel’s classes to dm his D&D table.

[spacespheal]

Gotta love this funky little cat, whom I have a lot of thoughts in the end of book 2.

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Ace Trappola - Suitor Suit Vignette

"I love..."

[Cafeteria – Wedding Ceremony]

Crowley: Dearie me… Today was indeed an ordeal.

Crowley: It seems the ghosts have all disappeared, leaving our cafeteria still decorated for a wedding ceremony.

Crowley: How dare they take no responsibility for what happened.

Crowley: We won't be able to open for meals tomorrow if it stays like this.

Crowley: So, young freshmen. I'll leave it to you to clear up this "wedding venue" before heading back to your dormitories, then.

Jack/Deuce/Sebek: Ehhhh～～～!?

Ace: When you say freshmen… That doesn't include me 'n Epel in all our tuxedo glory, right?

Crowley: No, I mean all freshmen. I pride myself as an educator who treats all my students the same!

Epel: Oh, come on…

Ace: Give us a break, already. I did so much today, I'm wiped out.

Crowley: I will admit that you played an integral part in today's procession… But that is that, and this is this.

Crowley: I do hope you lively youngsters will be quick about it!

Grim: Hey, Yuu. Stop spacing out! We're makin' a run for it before the Headmage notices us.

Crowley: Ah, of course, that includes [Yuu]-kun and Grim-kun, too.

Grim: Myaaaah!!

Epel: Urgh. I've thrown away so many of these ribbon off the walls, and there's still more to go.

Grim: Whenever I try pullin' the lace off, it keeps getting' caught on my claws!

Ace: This chair's real sturdy. Where'd they even find… Wait, it's a tombstone! [shudders]

1. We're not anywhere close to getting finished. 2. I wanna go home already.

Ortho: Hey everyone, I'm here to help too, so let's put our all into it!

Ace: …Arrrgh, come on! I did so much to help out, too!

Ace: How much trouble do ghosts gotta put us through before they're satisfied, anyway?

Ace: 500 years? Crazy they've been obsessing over something like "love" for that long.

Ace: I'm pretty pissed at those ghost soldiers, sure… But I don't understand what that princess was thinking at all.

Ace: I'd've had a lot less trouble if she'd just given up on the whole marriage thing and lived a happy afterlife instead…

Epel: …

Epel: Ace-kun… Has there ever been someone you liked?

Ace: Huh!? Why're you asking me that all of a sudden?

Epel: Just thought it was strange… You saying she was "obsessive" or that you "don't understand" her.

Epel: 'Cause you kinda give off this vibe that you'd know a bit more about relationships.

Ace: What, you saying I'm a playboy or something?

Epel: N-No, I'm not saying that.

Grim: You shouldn't tease Ace like that, askin' about his love life. No way he'd have any idea about that sorta stuff.

Grim: There's no way a jerk like him would ever have any luck.

Ace: Hey, can you try not being jealous of me for one sec?

Ace: Back in middle school, even I had a girlfriend I'd take to amusement parks or movie theaters or whatever.

Grim: Wh-What!? You're soundin' pretty cocky for someone like you, Ace!

Ortho: Amusement parks and movies, hm. My manual says that regardless of the generation, those are pretty popular date spots!

Epel: Nice… all this talkin' about datin' and such's makin' me feel like we're really at our peak high school guy talk stage!

Epel: So? What happened?

Ace: Well…

Ace: You know girls, they're so scared of roller coasters, so all we'd ride was the merry-go-round or the ferris wheel.

Ace: She'd say everything was "Cute!" and take a ton of Magicam pictures, but I didn't really see what was so exciting about those rides.

Ace: Plus, whenever we went to see a movie, she never wanted to watch action or horror movies, just romance and cute animal movies…

Ace: It was just borin' with her, so we just slowly stopped messaging each other.

Epel: Oh, I see. Doesn't that seem a little…disappointing?

Ace: Yeah, but the worst was still to come. After I started slowly distancing myself, whaddya think happened next?

Ace: …One day, this group of girls I'd never met in my life started shouting at me…

Ace: "Why didn't you ever call her?" "How could you!" "She's been crying non-stop!" "You brute!"

Ace: …And they went on and on scolding me! What's with that, some kind of solidarity between girls or whatever?

Ace: That's when I realized. Love is just a pain to deal with!

Ace: I have way more fun just hangin' with the guys.

Grim: Man, you're just a kid, after all.

Ace: Don't wanna hear that from you, of all people.

Ace: …But, anyway!

Ace: I think it's not me we gotta worry about, but those guys over there.

Jack/Deuce/Sebek: Hm?

[Cafeteria – Wedding Ceremony]

Ace: I think it's not me we gotta worry about, but those guys over there.

Jack/Deuce/Sebek: Hm?

Deuce: Hey, Ace. What have you guys been chatting away about over there?

Jack: Urgh… It's already past midnight and I don't think I can stay awake any longer. Let's hurry and finish cleaning up already.

Ace: You guys are tryin' to act all cool, but who was it that was just rolling around on the floor all day today?

Ace: Look at 'em, Grim. You should be saying that these dunderheads who couldn't even succeed in their mission are more like kids.

Grim: Hm, I guess…?

Grim: Deuce did look pretty lame when he froze up tryin' to talk to that bride.

Ace: Riiiight～?! I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe at all.

Deuce: Wha… I couldn't help it! I'm not used to talking to girls.

Deuce: I clam up when I start thinking that I might say something stupid and callous…

Ace: Your middle school was co-ed, wasn't it? Weren't you popular enough?

Ace: I always thought that guys with that "tough guy" image always had girls falling at their feet.

Deuce: Falling at my feet?

Deuce: …Nah, no one ever talked to me.

Deuce: Every girl other than my mom ―or rather, every guy, too― would run away the moment we made eye contact.

Ace: Ah, I see… So you were just so scary no one wanted to come close…

Ace: Jack got rejected pretty quick too, so I guess guys who just look scary from the get-go just can't get girls, huh.

Jack: That's all useless talk. I don't really care if people like me.

Ace: Oho? What, you a sore loser or something?

Jack: No. Wolf beastmen like myself are destined to find the one person to care about forever.

Jack: Both my parents and my grandparents are the same… From the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep, they're always together. Even when taking a walk or having meals.

Jack: When the time comes that I fall in love, I plan on being with them for the rest of my life.

Jack: That's why I don't care if a bunch of folks like me.

Ace: Th... That's waaaaay too deep!

Ace: Dude, you're still a student, and you're talking about "the rest of my life"… You're taking this "love" stuff way too seriously!

Deuce: Also, can you really think about marriage before you've even got a career plan set up?

Grim: What a pain! I definitely don't wanna ever date Jack.

Jack: Well, I'm not asking you to!

Ace: Then, I guess it's more guys like Epel that'd get the most attention.

Ace: Instead of being scary looking, he's a pretty boy with potential!

Epel: Eh, m-me!?

Ace: Well, you were askin' about others, so you should cough up a story too. Was there anyone back home you had a crush on?

Epel: Uh…

Ace: Come on～ Don't keep it a secret～ We're tux buddies, ain't we?

Deuce: That's a rude way to drag him in. Why're you so hung up on hearing about other people's love lives?

Jack: I bet he's hoping that other people'll do his share of the clean up while he keeps the conversation going.

Deuce: Makes sense. That's a pretty Ace-like move.

Ace: You guys are totally interested in hearing too!

Jack/Deuce: Well…

Ace: You ever get confessed to? Was there someone you liked? Or even dated someone!?

Epel: …

Jack/Deuce/Ace: …!

Epel: …Hate to break it to you guys when you're all looking at me so intently…

Epel: But there's not many people in my hometown. And even then, most of the people there either way older or way younger than me.

Epel: I never really got to spend time with people my age once I came here to Night Raven College…

Epel: All I did was help out on my family's farm… So I don't really have any exciting story…

Ace: Dang, so you don't have any fun stories too, huh.

Epel: Sorry I couldn't live up to your expectations.

Ortho: If I were to compare against prior data gathered of boys of similar age, it seems like everyone here is drastically lacking when it comes to living your youthful years.

Ace: Shut it!

Sebek: Hey! Humans! You've all stalled in your work.

Sebek: IF YOU'VE GOT TIME TO CHIT-CHAT, STACK THE CHAIRS!

Ace: Here he comes, the guy who's got the worst chance among us.

Jack: Yeah, I was pretty disappointed too.

Sebek: Hmph. All of you are just going back and forth about falling in love and whatnot.

Sebek: We are students. If you have time for that sort of ridiculous leisure, you should focus on your studies instead!

Grim: Don't be talkin' down to us! You were one of the first to get rejected!

Sebek: I was not rejected! I rejected her!

Sebek: I am busy training every single day to be a capable guard for Malleus-sama. I have no time for frivolities like "love."

Ace: You say that, but what if someone that was really your type shows up one day?

Ace: You plannin' on droning on and on about Malleus-senpai to that person, too?

Sebek: I fully know what to do. Lilia-sama has explained to me what I should do if I were to meet my soulmate.

Sebek: …FIRST I WOULD CRAFT FOR THEM A WELL-THOUGHT OUT CORRESPONDENCE!

Ace: Correspondence!!?? You mean, write a letter!?

Ace: That's like something our grandparents would do!

Deuce: It'd be better if you sent a message on Magicam or email instead.

Sebek: Why is that? Lilia-sama would say that "Fountain pens and stationary are a lover's weapon."

Sebek: One should lay out their thoughts in the missive, and every third letter, also include a picture with a smile. This should continue until the 25th full moon of the courtship.

Sebek: Once enough correspondence has been exchanged…

Sebek: We are to sit on a bench together in Briar Valley Central Park, leaving enough space for one between us!

Epel: Yeah, you're definitely being led on…

Sebek: WHAT!!?? HOW DARE A LOWLY HUMAN DOUBT LILIA-SAMA LIKE SO!!??

Ace: Yeah, yeah. Pipe down already. It'll go on and on if we don't nip it in the bud here, so let's call it quits here!

Ace: [sigh]… But maybe Sebek has a bit of a point.

Jack: What, you gonna write some letters too?

Ace: Oh yeah, yeah, I'd totally whip out the white stationary and write in cursive "I love"… Not!!

Ace: Even for this, me and Epel needed Riddle-ryōchō and Rook-senpai's help, right?

Epel: …Yeah. If we didn't have those two, I don't think we would've been able to get as far as we did.

Ace: You know, it came to me when I saw my Housewarden taking on all those ghosts.

Ace: "My Housewarden's pretty cool."

Ace: I wanna get better at using magic, man.

Ace: I can't even compare against my Housewarden or other upperclassmen right now, but...

Ace: But someday, I'll totally show off what all I can do, and be all, "Check me out now!"

Ace: I totally get a jolt through my body imagining the shock on their faces when I finally show my awesome skills, see?

Ace: And in order to get to that point… I guess I need to focus up a bit more in my studies before thinking anything about love.

Epel: …Yeah. You're right. I think so too!

Sebek: Hmph. See, you do get it.

Deuce: Yeah, we need to hunker down with our studies.

Jack: When Deuce with all his failing marks says that, it just feels even more important to think about.

Sebek/Epel/Ace: Yeah.

Deuce: Why are you all in step when it comes to things like this!?

Ace: …Putting that all aside, we just really got carried away in conversation, huh. We ain't nowhere near done putting the cafeteria back in order!

Ace: Not only did we have to deal with all those ghosts, but now we gotta be held after to do more work…

Ace: We're so lame. Nothing good came out of today at all.

Ortho: That's not true!

Ace: Eh?

[Cafeteria – Wedding Ceremony]

Ortho: I was watching the video with the Headmage when you barged into the wedding ceremony, and…

Ortho: It felt like I was watching a movie, seeing you burst in with your flower bouquet, shouting out "Wait a sec!"

Ortho: You were so passionately coming to my brother's rescue…

Ortho: It was suuuuuuuuuuuper cool!

Ace: Huh? I wasn't passionate anything.

Ace: That was because I had just finished running away from the ghosts… or more like I got caught up in the flow.

Ortho: Nah. I saw just how serious you looked when you rushed into the room.

Ortho: You totally meant every word you said to the bride and her retainers, didn't you?

Grim: There ain't no way Ace'd say anything that genuine.

Grim: All he did was just ramble on about stuff without putting in any thought, I bet.

Ace: Y-Yeah, yeah! You got it right on the money, Grim.

Ortho: Judging from what I gleaned from my infrared sensor, with his elevated body temperature, voice pitch and pupil dilation…

Ortho: All the preceding data brings us to the conclusion that Ace was being genuine.

Ortho: …There's no need for you to hide it. You're really shy, huh!

Deuce: Which means…

Sebek: All he said to the ghost bride about the "perfect marriage partner"…

Jack: Was Ace's actual genuine thoughts!?

Ortho: Yup. There's no doubt.

Ortho: It's wonderful that you have a real good image of your ideal partner.

Ace: Hah!? No way! Absolutely no way!

Ace: I just said whatever I thought the ghosts would swallow!

Jack/Deuce/Sebek: Ohooo～～??

Grim: Protesting too much, don'tcha think?

Ortho: Even the Headmage said, "I'm growing fonder of Trappola-kun by the second!"

Ortho: Based on prior literature, statistically speaking, if you were to confess to someone with the same passion as you did today…

Ortho: You're sure to have no trouble getting someone to fall in love with you!

Ace: There ain't no passion. That wasn't a confession!

Ace: …And all you stop your stupid grinning!

Epel: Wow, I didn't realize how much you put into it…

Epel: I wish I could've seen you looking so cool, Ace-kun.

Ortho: Leave it to me! I still have the recording. I'll send you the video later.

Ace: STOP WITH THE RECORDING!

Deuce: Oh, nice thinking. We should all watch it later once we're done clearing everything away. You guys good with doing it at Ramshackle?

Jack: Running a play-by-play could be fun. I'm feeling more awake now.

Sebek: I shall give my own evaluation of it as well!

Sebek: You said I was the guy today with the worst chance among all of us. I'll make sure to thoroughly lambast you as penance.

Ace: DON'T BE TRYING TO MAKE INTO A VIEWING PARTY!

1. No need to be shy. 2. We just want to pay tribute to your gallant speech.

Ortho: Yeah～!

Ortho: That's why you, Ace Trappola-san, who already has thought of what his ideal partner would be…

Ortho: Is the best suited suitor of all!

Ace: …Aaaaah, come on! I've already told you… I wasn't serious at all!

Grim: Woah. Ace's turned completely red even to the tips of his ears!

Deuce: Haha, you're right. This isn't something we get to ever see.

Jack: Hey, Ortho. Make sure you capture this moment too.

Grim: You too, [Yuu], snap a shot on the ghost camera!

Ace: Why's everyone gotta mess with me like this…?

Ace: Just drop it already, guys～～!

Requested by Anonymous.

[villainessprefect]

~Tell It to My Heart~

title: Late Night With You

Prompt #2: Ending a phone call with an accidental “love you”

Idia x gn!reader

Read on AO3

Your eyes glide to the clock at the corner of the screen. You watch as the seconds literally tick by and bite back a sigh once you realize how late it's gotten. If the darkness enveloping your room and the main source of light coming from your computer wasn't obvious that it was well past your bedtime.

"It's getting late," you say. It is late, you mentally correct yourself.

"And?" Comes a voice from your headphones. You roll your eyes at his response. "It's not like we're doing anything tomorrow."

"You're not. I am." You fiddle with your mic that's connected to your headset. "Unless if you want to show up to class with me?"

You hear something akin to a huff and can practically feel his eye roll.

"Hard pass. These drop rates are harder than pulling for a limited edition SSR character and we're only given a week to grind for them? An event like this won't get a rerun for at least a year or two. It's now or never."

You shake your head and let out a yawn. Leave it to Idia to find importance in an online game. You don't doubt that he's right, but you're not a hardcore gamer like him. Life calls whether you want it to or not and you have to answer it.

"You make a convincing argument. Think you can get enough for me too?"

"Do you know who you're talking to? When I'm done we'll have enough materials to make a second set of weapons for display," he says with a chuckle.

A smile inches on your face at the sound. A shame that you can't hear it in person. It sounds better compared to the slightly muffled version in your ears.

"Thanks. We still on for Saturday? That's when the drop rates increase, right?"

"Yeah. I'll send you better armor so we can one-shot those raids too."

"Cool." You feel another yawn coming your way and barely manage to hold it back. You rub your eyes and feel a little guilty for not holding much of a conversation. To be fair though, keeping your eyes open isn't easy even with the blaring light of a laptop shining on your face. "Okay, I can't be up much longer. You should be heading to bed soon even if you're not going to show up for class."

"Eh? No way. I can do this all night!"

"I'll message Ortho," you threaten with a grin. Idia falls silent and you can imagine him glancing back to look at his brother. The image makes you chuckle. It wouldn't be the first time you'd manage to get Ortho to get Idia to bed. "Kidding. Anyway, see you later, Idia. Love you."

You pull off your headset and place it on your desk. You log off your account and then the laptop's screen fades to black. A whine escapes you as you're forced to adjust to the sudden darkness.

You stretch your limbs as you stand from your chair. Carefully, you navigate the walk from desk to bed. It's a short path but you don't know what lies hiding in the dark. Thankfully, your mission is successful and you land in bed with a thud.

Grim rolls around beside you, muttering something in his sleep. The monster doesn't wake, surprisingly, and you take a moment to run a hand through his fur. He purrs, getting cozy underneath your touch, and nestles closer to you. Then he mumbles something about tuna.

"Sweet dreams..." You breathe out. With one last yawn, you shut your eyes.

Only to have them shoot open as your body jerks itself upward.

"Oh my god..." You gasp, a hand flying to your mouth. You can feel your cheeks burning, your heart racing a mile a minute.

Did you...Did you really just tell Idia you love him?

You totally did not just do that.

Idia is frozen in his chair with wide eyes. He feels like a cat that's just been spooked as he repeats your goodbye over and over in his mind. Those two little words you uttered could easily OHKO him. And if you were right in front of him, he really would have died on the spot.

Idia pulls his hands off his keyboard to cover his face. His room is enveloped in a soft blue glow that stems from his hair. Now it begins to flash a light pink. His cheeks began to match the new color surrounding him.

"Th-They didn't mean to say that..." He tells himself. "I-It's late and they're just tired. Yeah. Th-That's it. N-No way they'd tell me that. Besides that's not a way they would confess..."

Not that he's thought about you confessing to him. Well, he has. A bit. Okay, more than he's ever willing to admit. And he's not going to go off about how he imagines it happening underneath a cherry blossom tree after school with flowers sparkling around your image.

"They're right, i-it's getting late..." Idia tries to calm his nerves while logging out of his game. His fingers are set on autopilot as your voice echoes in his head.

Even as he finds himself in bed, curling underneath the covers, he can't fall asleep. You are on his mind now more than ever. His heart bounces around his chest, making him feel giddy while his mind fights against it, scolding it and being realistic about your words being a tired mistake.

Regardless of which one wins, he's definitely not going out tomorrow.

Oh. That brings up another problem. Instead of looking forward to playing with you, now he's dreading it.

What the hell is going to happen on Saturday?!

[danieyells]

Seeing leo in the cop uniform and Alan and Sho as prisoners makes me want to imagine him domming both of them and whipping when they don't comply (would the mc be a prisoner too and Leo gets a kind of harem thing going on or would they be a cop for the sake of even 2vs2 and bad cop-good cop thing going on where Leo degrades them to almost tears while the MC caresses them and praises them for being so good)

(just so everyone knows i got this ask like a month ago hha)

Re: future Vagastrom Prisoner/Guard SSR art?

God yes you have such a good imagination lol.

Leo loves being in control and has the attitude and the wordsmithing and the influence and to some degree a weapon that lets him back it up. Alan is strong and a good leader but he's worried sbout being harmful. And Sho is whipped for Leo a bit of a pushover it seems. They'll sub to him and he'd absolutely push and see just how far he could get with them. Teach them to be good boys for him--reinforce good behavior by punishing bad behavior with pain, never let them rouch him with their hands, make them beh for satisfaction while being reduced to desperate and pathetic muscleheads. Like animals in heat, he calls them. Lets them grind against his shoes or jerks them off with his feet, makes them fuck each other or beg to fuck or be fucked by him--

Once Leo's had his fill though the PC can step in and make sure they know what a good job they did. Aftercare is a separate matter but they get much gentler treatment with the PC(Leo watches, maybe sometimes helps a little) and they're still compliant and submissive but the PC is kinder. Maybe too kind sometimes. Maybe overstimulating even, where Leo might be more into denial. . .they just have very contrasting behavior. Where Leo degrades, the PC praises; Leo denies and the PC overstimulates; Leo hurts them and the PC kisses and rubs and practically worships them, teasing with gentle touches until they're begging for something more. Reward good behavior instead of punishing bad. Gods forbid all four be at it at once.

But like. . .who's to say the bad cop's not teaching the good cop how effective his methods are in the break room, y'know? Leo gets a harem regardless because Leo is great at getting his way. Leo scolding the PC for being so nice to their subs when Leo knows that's not [entirely] what they want. Leo showing the PC how good it feels to be used and abused and under his boot. Maybe even letting Alan and Sho watch--undermine their authority for them a bit. Maybe even let them have a turn if they're feeling too aggravated from Leo mistreating them. Use the honor student as stress relief, like the dumb animals you are. Well they're a dumb animal too, they're getting off to this after all.

Meanwhile Leo can't lose in this situation as the PC would just be praising and heaping affection on him and he never has any complaints about being given attention. Hell even if he ends up subbing to them somehow and they turn the tables and they're mean to him, he trusts them all enough that he'd really like it--

[totoanime52]

So I finally made it to the first guarranteed SSR point while pulling for Rollo and THIS GUY

decided to come along instead (Ruggie, I love you but I'm on a limited budget right now!). I pulled the last 10x I had right after while fuelled by anger.

I guess Leona must have sensed I wanted to go hunting for his henchman and decided to drag this jerk to me for appeasement.

[captainsophiestark]

Office Most-Eligible

Daniel Sousa x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Marvel

Day 20 Prompt: "This better be good."

Summary: When Jack ropes Daniel into eavesdropping on the telephone ladies' breakroom, they both might hear a lot more than they'd bargained for.

Word Count: 2,387

Category: Fluff, Humor

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

Daniel's POV

I sighed as I shuffled the papers in my hands, mentally running through the million things I had to do today. Peggy, Jack, and I had managed to stop Leviathan from leveling New York City and destroying Howard Stark, but that didn't mean the last six months since then had been any more relaxed. If anything, it had gotten busier than ever before.

There had even been talk of opening another branch of the agency in LA, which was a whole other insane possibility fluttering around in my mind. It was enough to distract me to the point that I didn't notice Thompson, half-hidden by the entryway to the agency, until I ran into him.

"Thompson? What the hell are you-?"

"Sh!"

He raised his finger to his lips and glared at me. I glared back.

"Why are you-"

"Sousa! Shut up and listen," he hissed, jerking his head towards a grate in the wall. I frowned and made a demanding "what?" gesture, but he just nodded towards the grate again. I sighed, so long-suffering it wasn't even funny, but shuffled closer.

"This better be good," I grumbled. Jack just waved his hand at me.

Through the grate, I could hear voices talking and giggling loudly. It sounded like all the ladies who sat outside the entrance to the agency, guarding the door and keeping up the front that this was a phone company, talking together like they were in the break room. I paused, curious enough to entertain Thompson's nonsense for another ten seconds.

"-saying is, there's a definite ranking of all the guys in this office. And yours ain't it."

The girls dissolved into another fit of giggles, and I scowled. I grabbed Thompson's arm and yanked him away from the grate, out of earshot.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded, keeping my voice low just in case. "You're eavesdropping on coworkers in their breakroom? Instead of working? You're the Chief!"

"I don't know if you caught it, Sousa, but they're talking about us. Specifically which one of us they'd most want to date. I'd call that research and intelligence work for future opportunities."

Jack gave me a smirk as he drifted back towards the vent. I scowled and followed to drag him away and make him do his damned job, but froze when I heard the ladies welcoming our newest addition to the agency, the second female agent in SSR history. She'd been here a little over five months, had become instant best friends with Peggy Carter, and had me head over heels within a week of knowing her.

And apparently she'd just walked into the breakroom.

Jack gave me a knowing smirk and raised an eyebrow, and I glared right back. But I couldn't quite manage to drag myself away either, no matter how much my brain told me I should.

****************

Y/N's POV

"You came at the perfect time!"

I pulled a snack out of the fridge and looked suspiciously at Mary, one of the switch operators who worked outside the SSR. In the short time I'd been here, I'd gotten to know her and Rose pretty well, since they mostly alternated shifts for our main door guard. Rose and I had quickly bonded over our mutual feminism and desire for independence; Mary and I had bonded through being troublemakers, and I had a feeling I was about to see some more of that.

"Why?" I asked, drifting halfway to the door now that I had secured my snack. Mary smiled.

"We were just talking about the boys in the office. We have a few different opinions about who would make the best boyfriends and husbands, and since you know them all so well... I mean, I can't think of anyone else with a better reason to chime in."

I scoffed. "Nice try Mary, but no way am I engaging in this conversation. See you all later!"

The rest of the women in the room booed playfully, but I didn't turn around as I reached the door. Mary, however, knew me well enough to figure out how to stop me in my tracks.

"Well, I guess that means Jack Thompson is the definitive winner!"

I narrowed my eyes and stared at the door in front of me, hand on the half-turned doorknob. I'd come so close to avoiding this nonsense, and it still wasn't too late for me to take the exit. I scowled and scrunched my nose, then turned around to squint at all my coworkers looking back at me.

"Be completely honest, I'll be able to tell if you're lying," I started, still only half-turned away from the door. "How many of you would put Jack Thompson at the top of your 'SSR's Most Eligible Bachelor' list?"

A few hands shot into the air, followed by a few more tentative hands that must've heard the disgust in my tone. All in all, about half the room had their hands up for him. I sighed, long and heavy.

"And the other runners up were...?"

A few people called out names of other men in the office, most of whom were barely better (or definitely worse) than Jack. I looked up at the ceiling and shook my head.

"You all have terrible taste in men."

Half the room, Mary included, started laughing, and the other half looked offended. I shook my head and turned to leave again, but Mary stopped me again before I could go.

"Who would you choose then, if not Thompson? You can't criticize our taste without giving us some insight into your process."

Her grin stretched across her entire face as she stared at me, waiting for me to take the bait. Her hand had been the first in the air for Thompson, but I could tell she genuinely wanted to debate me more than she wanted to defend him.

I sighed.

"Fine. But I'm going to make this quick and then I'm gonna go do my job, because I have a ton of stuff to do today," I said, finally stepping away from the door to stand in the middle of the room. Everyone stared at me, leaning forward in their seats a little, Mary most of all. "...I can't believe I'm about to engage in this."

Mary scoffed and I rolled my eyes, but then took a deep breath and dove in. What the hell, right?

"Okay, first of all, let me clarify: I can understand, from a surface level, why you might pick Thompson. He's handsome, and if you didn't spend much time with him, I can see why you'd think he might make a good partner. Honestly, in the five months I've known him, I've even seen a few glimmers of hope that there might be a heart of gold underneath all that arrogance, posturing, and chauvinism. However. In terms of best guy in the office to have as a partner? He does not even come close to touching Daniel Sousa."

A few people raised their eyebrows, half leaning forward and half leaning back and crossing their arms. I ignored them all (especially Mary, who beamed at me), and continued.

"Listen. Sousa is... kind of ridiculously attractive. He's handsome, with the warmest brown eyes you've ever seen in your entire life... and he's super strong. I've seen him one-handed lift a bunch of different things the other agents struggled with using their whole bodies. He looks incredible in a sweater vest, to say nothing of suits and non-sweater vest clothes."

I saw considering nods around the room as people took in my words. I paused and took a deep breath, then continued.

"More than all of that, though... Daniel is kind. He's strong in his morals and his character, not just physically. He's got a great sense of humor, and his jokes don't rest on being a mean, close-minded jackass. And, above anything else, he respects me. He respects Peggy. He treats us as equals. I don't know about you guys, but... that means everything to me. And finding a man who's kind, smart, strong, handsome, and will treat me as an equal partner? Come on. Daniel's got it all."

I hadn't been paying a lot of attention to the expressions of everyone else around the room while I was talking, but now I focused back in to see the majority looking thoughtful. I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious, and started backing towards the door.

"Uh, anyway... long way of saying I'd put Daniel at the top of my list."

Mary grinned at me as I continued heading for the door, then pushed out of her chair and called out to the whole room.

"Hear that? Sousa's off limits, these two are going to be dating in the next month if we have anything to say about it."

"MARY!"

****************

Daniel's POV

Jack and I stood in the hallway, stunned into silence as we stared into space. My brain had been telling me to stop listening a while ago, but I'd been shocked enough that my body had refused to listen. Now, my heart was telling me I was on the verge of a cardiac arrest.

"You go get him, girl!" Mary's voice continued through the vents. Then, with determination and glee dripping from her words, "I'm staying after Thompson. I'm gonna fix him."

I heard some light-hearted laughter, and then a door shutting. In a few seconds, the girl who'd just poured her heart out to me without realizing it would be coming into the office, a few feet from Jack and I's stupid hiding place.

"You look like you're about to puke," said Jack, a beaming grin on his face. I scowled.

"Why don't you? You just got called a couple pretty bad things."

"What? Like 'attractive'? All I was hearing were positives." He grinned at me, then sobered slightly before slapping me on the shoulder and taking a few steps away. "Don't psych yourself out on this one though, Sousa. She's a catch, and she's clearly in love with you. If you don't take a shot, I might have to."

I scoffed and shook my head. I knew Jack didn't really mean that; it was his own, terrible way of trying to be supportive.

I sighed and tried to brace myself as I walked over to the entrance to the SSR. Thompson was wrong about many, many, many things, but he was right about this: I needed to take my shot.

****************

Y/N's POV

"Holy- Daniel!" I nearly dropped the snack I'd taken a detour to retrieve as I cleared the SSR doors and came face to face with Daniel, especially since I'd just poured my heart out about him to a bunch of our coworkers. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Uh... sorry," he said, shifting his weight around a little and running a hand through his hair. He looked almost as comfortable as I felt.

"Is, uh, is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Well, sort of. I just..." He cleared his throat, then jerked his eyes away from the floor and the wall to meet mine. "I need to tell you something, and then I need to ask you something."

"...Okay?"

"First, I... I heard what you said in the breakroom. About me. And about Jack, which was fun too, but... It feels important that you know I heard the stuff you said about me."

My heart stopped in my chest, and I blinked a few times as black spots danced at the very edges of my vision. I was going to kill Mary.

"Uh..."

"Before you say anything, I'm sorry," he said, holding up a hand. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just... I let Thompson suck me into something I should've known better about. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Daniel," I said, a little breathless as my legs finally started working to move me past him. I could not deal with this a second longer. "Don't worry about it, I'll... I have to go-"

"Wait!" he cried. He put one hand on my arm to stop me, then quickly dropped it when I turned back to look at him. I watched him take a deep breath, my heart hammering a thousand times even though it only took a few seconds, then he continued. "Look, I know I might've lost a few points in your book for the eavesdropping, which is fair, but... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't head over heels for you too. Have been since the first few days you got to the agency. You're smart and strong and funny and... God, listen to me."

He looked down and shook his head, and I noticed a slight blush rising up his neck and cheeks. Slowly, my heart dropped back to a normal rhythm, and I started to smile.

"Okay, what I'm trying to say is... I feel the same way about you that you do about me," he said, finally looking up at me again. "And if you'd still be interested... I'd love to take you out to dinner sometime."

I beamed at him, unable to stop the smile completely overtaking my face. I looked down, and when I looked up again, Daniel's stare was still on me, a smile hopefully flickering in and out of place.

"Daniel, I'd love that," I finally said.

"You would?"

"Yeah. I really, really like you, eavesdropping and all."

He huffed a laugh, the shaky smile turning into full-on beaming.

"Great! How's tomorrow night sound?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Good. I'll pick you up at eight." He started to back away, so both of us could get to the mountain of work we had to tackle at some point today, then stopped. "If that works for you, that is?"

I smiled. "That absolutely works for me."

"Alright, great! I'll see you then. And, uh, around the office, I guess."

"I'll see you around the office."

We shared another set of dorky, ridiculous smiles as we backed away from each other, going to do our separate tasks for at least part of the day. Thank God Thompson wasn't around to see either of us.

At some point, he and the rest of our coworkers would probably catch on to the two of us dating, unless the first date somehow went so horribly there wasn't a second. But I'd meant every word I'd said to the rest of our coworkers about Daniel. And if a little eavesdropping had led to him asking me out, I couldn't bring myself to be too upset about any of it.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

Marvel Taglist: @valkyriepirate @luv-ghostie @songbirdcannabe

[actualbird]

i see a lot of headcanons about marius being the most horny one in the nxx but after luke’s birthday (and especially the end of the fortune tasks!!!) i firmly believe that LUKE is the most horny one

oh anon im so sorry but youve given me an excuse to share my headcanons on luke's horniness because

the thing about luke pearce, first and foremost, is that he is absolutely a virgin at 24 years old when we (re)meet him in canon. what, with that all that guilt? him banging? i dont think so. i dont even think he jacks off, and not in an ace way but in a "oh god im the SCUM OF THE EARTH i cannot do something so selfish as to GIVE IT A JERK" way. im 100% sure of this and my headcanon is that im 95% sure that mc's parents had at least 50% of an unintentional hand in all this because before All That In Luke's Life (traumatically) happened, luke was but a Boy who was living in their house along with their daughter who is a Girl. so like mc's parents gave her a comparably progressive The Talk as a teenager like "it's okay, youre a growing girl, sweetie, just make sure youre safe and responsible and also studies first! love you!" and meanwhile towards luke they were like "Hey Punk. We're Watching You. Don't Pull Any Funny Business......love you!" so that compounded with the guilt hes had in his soul since Forever results in a luke pearce who has a lot of issues (understatement) and also like, a mental/emotional cummies block. he COULD cum. but he thinks he DOESNT DESERVE IT. his guilt complex extends to his dick.

anyway all that said, once he does slowly get over his #guilt, he can let himself Have A Fuck. As A Treat. hes still shy/evasive about it at first but he gets over that (see: SSR Invincible For Love) and once freed from the shackles of his own shame and self loathing, he finally Fucks. and he will fuck with all the power of a man who has all but repressed bodily desires for his entire life, thus when he does fuck it is both 1) often and 2) INSANE.

god i know he fucks with the strength and stamina of a herd of bison. pent up like that for all his life? oh hes fucking hard enough to level a house.

congratulations to mc. happy birthday to luke.

[ramshacklerumble]

Ooh~ A theme park~? Count me in. I’ve been a good little student and ANYTHING has to be better than rotting in class bored out of my skull.

Groovification: [LOCKED]

Set Home: What are you standing around for?

Switch Look: Oh, is THAT how it’s gonna be?

Home Transition One: Hm~ I can get behind this kind of clothing on a day-to-day basis. I’ll have my people do something about the fabric, though.

Home Transition Two: What on earth is a corndog? It sounds like something you’d wanna ward off, not eat.

Home Transition Three: I’m looking forward to this show. Believe it or not, I don’t perform in front of others all that often. Tragic, I know.

Home, after Login: I finally went on that roller coaster Ace kept yammering about and I just managed to throw up a barrier before we hit the water. Bet the little jerk probably didn’t count on me knowing a thing or two about waterfalls.

Tap Home 1: I think I’m gonna have one of these built in my palace. I need to think of a name– Oh, I know! Cusi-topia. Mm, no…

Tap Home 2: I don’t like video games, but Kalim and I found a rhythm stage game and it was WAY fun. I could stay there for hours.

Tap Home 3: I don’t get why people get all hissy because I don’t wait in line. What? Like it’s my fault they’re peons?

Tap Home 4: Vil and René were all buddy-buddy coming out of the pool hall…weird. I have dance class with them and I’ve seen snowcaps warmer than whatever they usually have going on.

Tap Home 5: *Gasp* O-Oh, this is just…a stupid plush prize Jack didn’t want, so he gave it to me. !!!…I’m not gonna throw it away!

Tap Home, Groovification: [LOCKED]

DUO with SSR Wén Xiáng

Xiáng: I can see their weak spots! I’ve got this! | Cusi: No, sit down. I’ll handle this!

tag list:

@cyanide-latte @inmateofthemind @tixdixl @winterweary @thehollowwriter @jovieinramshackle

@theleechyskrunkly @skriblee-ksk @boopshoops @the-trinket-witch @twistedwonderlandshenanigans @kimikitti

@felix-cant-ski @nightwingshero @water-writings @beneathsakurashade (dm to be added)

[avionvadion]

Malleus may be my number one in the game, but there’s a reason Leona is such a close second. Even if he always bullys me by taking all my gems. I was pulling for his Liongarb SSR, and I got an SSR within 2-3 ten pulls. It was Savanaclaw. It was Leona! But it was his dorm uniform card. I got Liongarb eventually! But I think it’s only because Leona got jealous that Dorm Uniform Malleus came home beforehand

Hehehehe. Yay!!!

And Yeah. He was always just too much of a jerk for me, though I did enjoy his sass with other characters. This really made him climb the ladder though. He did rank higher than Jamil for me, simply because I HATE Jamil for how he treated Yuu. Like, I’m happy that he’s getting character development and is learning to be himself now, but also. He was the biggest jerk out of all the other Overblot boys. Finding out Kalim finally got to keep his promise to Jamil about punching him was SO satisfying. Leona did get a BIT nicer, but he was still kinda… too mean for my tastes.

Leona is my sister’s number one favorite, while mine is Malleus. (The hilarity, hehe. Our favorites are normally rivals, which is interesting because we get along so well.) Jamil is also her SECOND favorite. Cater is her third.

(It made the first Halloween really funny despite my Azul rage because I got Cater first and she got Vil. I wasn’t mad about Cater because I wasn’t at the 100th pull yet (oh the pains of the times before the guarantee) but MAN Azul made me so mad because I WAS at the 100th. Oh, she also kept getting Jack while I kept getting Ruggie, and it was like!??? BOYS, PLEASE, WRONG SISTER.)

Like we appreciate the enthusiasm but you should be with the OTHER sister, not the one you actually showed up for!

But yeah. Sorry. I went rambling, lol. Leona is much higher up on my list now. I will forever be a Diasomnia, Heartslabyul fam stan, though, although Vil is my queen (the absolute WHIPLASH this man gave me oof) and Jack is my son.

[twistedtalking]

3 Dormleaders and the Adeuce Duo's Reaction to

*~Sentience~*

TW: Ace is a jerk, slight mention of Exams, Idk how to write Idia/Malleus/Azul, new to the internet and it's slang writer trying to imagine what Idia would say, slightly cringe, slight T*ey slander, intentional wrong grammar, Azul so confused he forget he doesn't have morals, Mentions of camera, weirdo prefect, I made this when I was bored, and braindead from school, shirtless Malleus, grossed-out Azul, etc.

Ace: ...Oh. So I'm just a video game character... No real feelings, no real emotions. My family is just a figment of my imagination. My personality, just pieces of code.

Life has lost all it's meaning.

...Or was I ever truly alive in the first place?

.

.

.

.

GOT YOU!!!

Man, you should have seen the look on your face. It was HILARIOUS!

What? Did you really think you could fool me with such a basic prank? Come on, my brother already done that one when I was five. ...which I completely did not fall for whatsoever! Nope. Not at all.

Anyways, you should really hide your props better. I could see the camera from miles away.

(Prefect: What do you mean "camera"?)

Ace: ...

(Prefect: ...)

Ace: ...we're dead.

Deuce:

"Huh?! REALLY?? Was My whole life a lie?! Oh gosh, does this mean I've never existed?!?! Are the words coming from my mouth really from my thoughts or am I just reading from a script done by some bored writer?!

Does this mean my exam results mean NOTHING?!?!"

(Ace: What? You really fell for that? Dude, you're so gullible. It's just a prank, man. Right, Prefect?)

(Prefect: ...)

(Ace: ...right?)

(Prefect: ...)

(Ace: Dude, this isn't funny anymore)

(Prefect: ...)

(Ace: JUST SAY SOMETHING! ANYTHING! PLEASE!!!)

"We're all gonna die!!!"

(Ace: We can't die if we were never alive in the first place, idiot. Oh great, now I'm saying weird stuff too!)

(Prefect: Sorry for the long wait, guys. Mind catching me up on what happened when I was AFK?)

(Adeuce duo: When you were WHAT?!?!?)

Idia:

"Rlly? Who'd believe that? Like srsly, I'm not even that marketable. I'm too floopy to be in a shooter game, too boring to be in a gacha-"

(Prefect: It's a gacha)

Dude, who in their right mind would pull for me?? I'm the boringest character ever!

(Prefect: Nah, that's Trey)

Nah, Trey's the untrustable kind

(Prefect: Nah, that's Jade)

...okay, fair.

Anyways, I just don't see the appeal. Like, why? I'm just a weirdo who hates people, and stays in my room to play video games 21/7! And I read manga the rest of the time. I'm a total loser!

(Prefect: And that's what makes you the relatable character. Jokes aside, your saracasm is pretty funny, man, the ghost bride event was hilarious, and your character design is pretty cool. That's some of the reasons. Honestly, just gonna pull 4 u on ur next banner.)

"You should get your eyes checked"

(Prefect: I should. It's been a while since I changed my glasses. I can't even see your eyes lol.)

(Prefect: Anyways, Want to play the game? We got Rhythm games, card battles-)

"Sounds great. Better question, are there any, ahem, hot mommies?"

(Prefect: We got...Leona? And Vil! Man, how could I forget Vil? I love that man)

"Who doesn't?! I mean, whoever doesn't must be BLIND. He's totally SSR tier! If he was in the game, I'd whale for him whenever he gets a banner! He's pogchamp.

Well, As long as he isn't trying to get me to take care of myself. He's way better behind a screen. Like man, I don't care if I'll die quicker, give me my cup noodles and pomegranate candies. Actually, it's much better if I die-"

(Ortho: Nee-san! We talked about this!)

"...fine."

(Prefect: You tell him, Ortho!)

Could you send the game now?

(Prefect: yeah, sure. But the boss battles are pretty hard to beat-)

"Heh, I could beat that game in 3 weeks top"

(Prefect: Alright, you're on!)

Malleus:

Child of man, what is this "video game character" that you speak of, and how am I such one?

(Prefect: it just means a whole lot of people all around the world- Scratch that. All around the universe, simp for you!)

What does "simp" mean?

(Prefect: Imagine Sebek but, well... Yeah, never mind. Just imagine Sebek. But for like, fictional characters)

But I am not a work of fiction though, child of man? What dost thou mean?

(Prefect: ...heh. um, actually...)

A talking portrait of me in your digital device. I still do not understand what you are trying to convey.

(Prefect: Never mind. Let's just look at fanarts of you)

"Fanarts"?

(Prefect: portraits of you done in my realm)

I am fine with that. Show me these "fanarts" you speak of.

.

"These are not at all accurate. Some of them look completely different from each other. And why do some of them portray me without my clothing-"

(Prefect: OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH INTERNET FOR TODAY! Yeah, let's just look at gargoyles or something! ...wait. Is that Lilia with a bag of groceries?!?! Oop. We're doomed.)

Azul:

Ah, good afternoon Prefect. I wish to speak to you. You see, while we were stealing-

I mean, checking your phone-

(Prefect: Why are you stealing checking my phone??)

Not important.

Anyways, we found this. Care to explain why you have a picture of me as your lock screen? I mean, I AM quite handsome, but the use of photos of me taken without permission could and would get you sued!

I don't really want to sue you, so I've came up with a good compromise. How about a-

(Prefect: thank God, you didn't see the home screen.)

...Well, of course I did. It was quite...odd.

(Prefect: Really? That's all? I thought you'd make a bigger reaction, you know, with it being you in an nsfw outfit)

In a WHAT!?!?

(Prefect: Aha! So you didn't see my lock screen! I was just joking. FYI, it was just a cute chibi Azul in his octomer form.)

Oh.

(Prefect: The bunny girl outfit was last week)

WHAT?!?! I could sue you right now, you know?!

(Prefect: you have no proof)

You admitted it!

(Prefect: You have no witnesses)

Nonsense! Jade and Floyd are-

Ah. Right...

Ahem. Pray tell, where did you find such...things.

(Prefect: The internet Is a weird place)

WHY WOULD THE INTERNET-

(Prefect: Octavinelle's the most popular game in Twisted Wonderland. At least, in tumblr. Poll-wise, I mean. I prefer Heartslabyul though. Ah, By the way, I mean the videogame, not this world.)

What??

Impossible. I am not from a video game. I'm not some weird anime character-

(Prefect: *shows gameplay*)

Okay, but-

(Prefect: *shows chapter 3*)

...do I at least get a share on the income?

No? What do you mean "No"?! THEY'RE USING MY FACE! FOR INCOME! AND I DON'T EVEN GET 48%?! This is unfair. This is ILLEGAL! I'm going to sue!

(Prefect: You're going to sue...D*sney. The one who made you? The one who made Ursula??)

Yeah, what's the problem with that-

Wait, Ursula?! What do you mean-

(Prefect: does that mean I can buy twst merch from you now? Hey, can I order a body pillow?)

What? T-that's disgusting!

(Prefect: *puts down bag of money*)

Did I say disgusting? No, I meant odd. But everyone's a little odd.

So, who do you want a body pillow of? Come now, Let us discuss the price in the VIP room.

Original ask:

Message:

(Argument with Idia)

You're just a game character anyways!

(For Deuce)

I'm pulling for your banner cuz you're my fav character. Wish me luck! What do I mean? I mean, you are a video game character, you know.

(For Ace)

Dude, you're from a video game.

[lotus-tower]

covid has really made me realize that most people don't have very good risk assessment or sense of scope, especially when it comes to statistics. part of it is definitely a knee-jerk aggressive response to the word even being said, but a lot of the arguments i hear seem predicated on some kind of belief that Low Percentage equals safe, because that's how people talk about things generally.

putting aside for one moment that the percentages are most likely a lot higher than they think, and that the risk of long-term complications after catching the virus is cumulative--i think people have sort of lost sight of how unprecedented covid actually is, because it's so easy to go back to normal life. covid is the first pandemic in the age of super fast and easy plane travel. covid is the first pandemic in the age of humanity's numbers being over 8 billion.

no one is claiming that your risk of catching covid after going out unmasked just once is high (with the exception of peak season during the holidays). in periods where transmission is low, that risk could in fact be negligible. but you aren't rolling that dice once. you're rolling it several times a day, every day. have you ever played a gacha game where the odds of pulling a SSR were 0.5%? did you ever pull one, or did you know anyone who did? how surprised would you be if you were able to pull one after pulling for 10 hours a day nonstop every day? would you really be particularly surprised?

despite all this, you may not catch covid more than once a year, or maybe even every two years. if you're looking at a time-frame of 5 years, that's pretty good, isn't it? the odds of developing severe, permanent complications from one or two covid infections isn't That high. except... why would we look at time-frames of 5 years? we're in the fifth year of the pandemic and this virus has evolved fast, so the research is obviously laser-focused on year to year changes and working with the timeline that it's got. but i don't know about you guys, i anticipate living about 60 more years. do you think, knowing what we know about cumulative damage, that catching covid 60 times will be completely fine for our bodies? hell, what do you think catching influenza 60 times would do? post-viral syndromes have existed long before covid.

vaccines will never be able to catch up to the rate of the virus' mutations if they keep being tailored to specific variants, and it complicates things for developing effective treatments too. this is because this is a virus that circulates every day among essentially 8 billion people. statistically, it's inevitable that a random mutation somewhere will be successful and then begin to circulate. the fact is that 0.5% (a completely arbitrary number) of the global population is a massive number of people. it's 40 million people, more than the population of many countries. but it can be that amount again and again, because there's nothing preventing continuous reinfection.

no other statistics deals with this kind of situation. you can't use that ordinary benchmark or logic to think about covid. because this is in fact an unprecedented situation. and when new situations arise, people have to adapt and change their behaviour. but that's something that humans really hate doing, unfortunately

[spacecasewriter13]

When The Lights Go On Again by @spacecasewriter13

summary: It is May of 1946, over a year after his fall from the Hydra train and losing his left arm, and James "Bucky" Barnes is struggling to adjust. Working as an analyst at the New York City SSR branch, Bucky tries to put the war and all of its sorted memories behind him. However, try as he might he is plagued by thoughts of Magdalene "Maggie" Ramirez, a Women's Army Corps (WAC) Corporal he met in London and hasn't spoken to since before his fall in January of 1945. Little does he know that Maggie, in her struggle to put the war behind her, has moved to the city and looking for a job with the New York Bell Telephone Company as a switchboard operator. Now, by sheer dumb luck, they are reunited as they both fight come to terms with what they were to one another during the war, and work to figure out how to move forward in a world that was unprepared to deal with the consequences of war in the unsteady peace.

Chapter 31: Another Step Forward

Summary: Bucky and Maggie go to Breakfast at the Falcon. However both feel uneasy as the world around them is shifting as they try to figure out what stepping out really means and how best to navigate new and uncharted territory for their relationship.

Excerpt:

Cold, lung-crushing cold engulfed him, his whole body immobilized, so tense that he couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He was suffocating, drowning like he'd jumped into deep water and was swimming, swimming, swimming frantically toward a surface that didn't exist.

Then he breached, gasping for air, blinking in the bright lights of an operating room, nearly blind, drenched in sweat, disoriented, ears ringing. 

Bucky was tied to an operating table, thick leather straps across his body. His arm was off, and pain radiated from the fresh, bloody stump. He was dizzy with pain and blood loss and thought he might vomit when a voice pulled him back.

"Sergeant Barnes, welcome back." Zola sneered as he walked up beside the operating table

Bucky strained against the straps, hatred mixing with sheer terror. He wasn't going to let Zola touch him, and by God, when he got out of these straps, he'd make him pay.

"Oh no. You won't be leaving any time soon. You have so much work still left to do," Zola continued, poking at his left shoulder. "The procedure is about to begin." 

He tried to jerk away, a scream welling in his throat, pain and the cold and the bright lights of the operation room making his eyes water. Then he saw it, the metal arm, lying inert on a tool table next to saws, scalpels, and other cruel implements of a brutal surgeon's trade.

They were going to use him as a weapon, a tool, their own twisted version of Captain America. He wouldn't allow it, couldn't allow it. He'd die before he let that happen. 

As if seeing the look in his eyes, Zola smiled and said, "You will cooperate, or measures will be taken."

He grit his jaw, glowering.

Then, far away, as though through water and at a great distance, he heard someone scream—a woman. 

Mags.

"You son of a—" But he was mute, his vocal cords paralyzed.

"So. We understand one another. Sacrifices will be made, and your behavior will determine who, what, and when." Zola said. "Don't worry.

We won't kill her. Not yet. But the more you resist us, the more we take of her flesh."

"Where is she? Let me see her! If you hurt her, I will kill you." Bucky rasped, fighting for each word as it passed his lips, a mere croak.

"We shall see." 

Then, the sound of an electric saw filled the echoing space, and Bucky screamed as it was applied to his left arm.

With a jolt, Bucky jerked awake, sitting straight up in bed, his heart in his throat, his skin clammy as the sensation of sharp metal lingered on his skin. 

Continue Reading on Ao3

[nucarnivalmadness]

Hi, thank you for answering the asks I sent. To be honest I’m new to the nu carnival but I can’t play the game due to a lack of storage so seeing these blogs helps me get a better understanding. As thanks, please have this and I apologise for any inaccuracies since I’m still very new to this. I hope you have a good day:

Edmond whimpered as he felt warm hands pat his head, his cheeks starting to dry from his tears as he continues to eat his fluffy, creamy pancakes, one of the many treats Yakumo left on the table. The vice-captain wouldn’t even dare to let himself be caught in such a vulnerable state, let alone be in one but after being betrayed by his own knights in an effort to make him rest, he’s now here, sulking as he sat on Eiden’s lap.

“Let it all out Edmond, no one’s gonna judge ya.” Eiden reassured, careful to not touch Edmond’s forehead despite it having been healed already thanks to Olivine. “It’s not weak to cry okay? You’re strong and it’s great that you got it all out.”

“Q-quiet…” Edmond snipped with no heat in his voice, he was too exhausted both mentally and physically to properly scold the fraudulent sorcerer.

“Alright, I gotcha. Just enjoy your sweets Edmond.” Eiden said reassuringly, moving to stroking the vice-captain’s long hair. Said knight sniffled as he slowly takes little bites of his meal, muttering, “I apologise on behalf of the knights disturbing you and Father Olivine…”

“Hey, it’s all good and I think you should cut the knights some slack. They were really worried about you.” Eiden says, bringing a tissue to Edmond so that he can wipe his face. The vice-captain couldn’t clearly recall the events that led up to him being escorted to the mansion as of now, the best that comes to mind were tears and a lot of yelling in his own office… However, he remembered the past few days being very busy and most recently, defending someone from getting hit by a noble in a fit of rage. He of course did not regret his actions but the typhoon of emotions that spawned from it was so overwhelming.

Even after calming down, he still feels ever so shameful. He’s supposed to be better than this, disciplined, a proper knight to protect the citizens. He shouldn’t cry from such a minor thing and yet it felt like such a relief to have released all that pent up stress he had been holding in. As he dwells in his thoughts, he barely registers the door opening or people stepping in until he felt something soft gently press against his face. Jerking up, Edmond spun around only to be face to face with a large, blue plush rabbit to his bafflement.

“Hi little Ed! I found this cute bunny for you so that you’ll feel better!” Blade chirped, poking his head out from behind as he shoved the plush into the stunned Edmond’s arms. Olivine smiled warmly as he checks up on the healed injury whilst saying, “Yakumo is still in the kitchen but he’ll be coming here soon. Take all the time you need vice captain, you deserve the rest.”

Edmond could only nod, muttering a dumbstruck ‘thank you’ in return before blushing as he felt a kiss on his cheek, most likely from Eiden. Still, he did not voice any complaints, giving up all restraints and protests in favour of the unfamiliar and strange warmth he found himself in.

Perhaps he could indulge himself in this warmth, only for this one time.

Hey no worries, and I hope you'll be able to play the game somehow! I think it can be emulated on desktop somehow, or played in a browser?

Also there might be ways to watch the events or the ssr room, please people help me out here!!

AND OHMYGOD EDMOND HURT/COMFORT, BLADE BRINGING HIM A BUNNY IS SO CUTE!!! THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! 😭😭😭💙💙💙💙

[sholiofic]

agent carter + whipped?

"Oh, Jack," Peggy sighed, undoing the bindings holding him to the wall.

"Don't 'oh Jack' me, you make it sound like my fault."

But his voice cracked. He was stripped to the waist, his bare back bloody. Peggy tried to be careful, but he grunted in pain as she let his arms down, and swayed as he lost the support of the wall. Peggy matter-of-factly leaned into his side and put one of his arms over her shoulders, taking some of his weight. The height difference was awkward, and she started to put an arm around him and then jerked it back when he hissed in pain. He had to fist his hand in the shoulder of her jacket to keep himself upright.

"I knew you just wanted to get me naked," Jack said between his teeth.

"If that's how you're going to be, the next time I will leave you chained to the wall until the SSR gets here."

But she guided him carefully outside and helped him sit down, and very gently draped her jacket over his shoulders while they waited for the approaching sirens.

[kamidukki]

AKNK 1st Anniversary SSR Cards SNEAK PEEK Translation – 3rd Floor Butlers

Warning: SPOILERS. Exactly what it says in the title. This post contains part of SSR cards available for free reading, be it TRANSLATION of the dialogues or PICTURES of the butlers when they were children/in the past.

Just in case, please remember that the free reading trial in AKNK isn’t always continuous. They can jump from one scene to another, sometimes seamlessly, with the background as the only indicator of change.

Nac's full translation can be read here. In exchange, I put Ammon in this post.

*FB = flashback

M = Master/us players

AMMON

Muu: Owe…?

Ammon: But well… I owe Boschi-san a lot of things.

M: The person who saved you?

Ammon: That’s right. Boschi-san is the person who saved me.

Ammon: Ah, right… I haven’t told you about this, Master.

That time when Boschi-san and I first met…

M: I’m curious what kind of meeting it was.

-??? years ago-

FB

Boschi: Good grief, sleeping in a place like this… I was looking for you.

Boschi: Talk later. You’re hungry, right.

Ammon: Eh…? W-who…

Here, a sandwich. Eat.

Ammon: Sand…wich…?

I don’t want it…

I’m not… hungry or anything…

/sounds of gurgling stomach

Boschi: Ha… Just like Berrien-san said.

Not the honest type, aren’t you.

Geez…

Here, open your mouth.

Ammon: Ch… S-stop it…!

It's got poison or something in it anyway, right?

I said I didn’t want it!

Who wants to eat a meal prepared by you lots…!

-end of free trial-

Lucas: I don’t want to frighten you too much but, I used to hunt angels a lot in the past.

LUCAS

Right now, I’m using a scythe as a weapon, however…

Even with it, I’m still learning a bit of martial arts and swordsmanship.

If you like, Master, I can even teach you the art of self-defense, you know?

Muu: Eh…! That’s unexpected somehow…

Lucas-san… even though you’re a doctor, you’re able to do martial arts?

M: Since when did you learn it?

Let’s see…

Lucas: Fu fu…

The first time I got to learn is when… I was 10.

M: Since that early…

Lucas: I may have talked about this to you before.

The younger me is a child who was always thirsting for knowledge. (*)

FB

/sounds trashing

Older kids: Hah… Hh… the hell, what a stubborn jerk you are!

Child Lucas: Kh…!

You’re younger than us so listen to what we say!

If you dare to disobey us again… you’ll get more than this.

/sounds of footsteps walking away

Child Lucas: Ha… Hh…

It’s no good…

What am I supposed to do… even though I already know how in my head…

It’s useless if my body doesn’t move.

Knowledge alone is not enough when it comes to fighting…

LAMLI

-end of free trial-

M: Is that so?

Lamli: The truth is… I was working in a circus a long time ago.

Lamli: Y-yes… This this the first time I told you though, Master.

Well, it’s not a big deal of a story~

M: I’d like to hear more.

Hmm~ If that’s so, then…

Lamli: Eh? Y-you do?

Understood. I’ll tell you.

At that time, I was just turned 10…

I lived with my mother when I was young. My father… he wasn’t there for as long as I can remember.

Whenever I asked about him to my mother, she always turned sour.

“That guy, he’s a scum who abandoned us,” she would say.

My mother worked at a night-shift job, during midnight till morning.

Once she came home drunk… and I happened to hear her talk to herself like this.

“I didn’t even want a child…”

M: Lamli…/No way…

Child Lamli: W-wait a moment, mom.

FB

Joining a circus trope… I don’t have any artistic talent…

It doesn't matter, errand boy or whatever, just ask them to hire you.

Lamli’s mother: That’s fine. If you’re at least get hired, it’s enough.

Do you understand?

Until you get hired, don’t dare come back home!

Child Lamli: No way… Why so sudden, such thing…

Lamli’s mother: What? Are you talking back to me, your parent?

Do you even understand how much hard work I’m doing just to feed you?

It was a lot of work just to raise you up to this point, you know.

Get a grip and work for yourself.

If you don’t like that, get out of here.

Child Lamli: W-wait! Anything but that…

… I get it…

I’ll ask to get hired in the circus troupe… any job.

-end of free trial-

[NOTE]

* = Lucas talks about his past in his initial story.