#that winning is more important than trying

[oneluckydumbass]

Sabotage || chapter one

pairing: Charles x reader x Max (based on votes, but I might post another poll to confirm after a few chapters)

summary: You have a new boyfriend, and after it becomes clear attending race weekends isn’t so important to you anymore, your best friend and your “it’s complicated” person join forces to sabotage your relationship.

…

Rolling your eyes, you pick up a pillow and try to playfully hit your friend with it, but your effort is futile, because he catches it with ease, then tosses it on the floor next to the bed. He’s shamelessly laughing at you, but then he turns on his stomach and buries his face into the space between your shoulder and his pillow.

You’ve been stuck together like glue for over a decade, spending an unhealthy amount of time together, so the fact you’re lying in bed next to each other doesn’t mean much to either of you. He’s your best friend and nothing more, no matter what the press and fans say.

Just when you think he drifted back to sleep, a muffled voice cuts through the silence of the room. “Did you say something?” you ask with a laugh as you tussle his already messy hair.

A groan follows your words, and he lifts his head a little. “I said, I’m starving,” he repeats, this time letting you hear him loud and clear.

A small smile creeps on your lips as you watch him, taking a good look at those green eyes that are blinking drowsily at you. He’s hungover, so this means he needs his usual breakfast to get through the morning, and you’re more than happy to make it for him as usual. When the roles are reversed and it’s you who needs it, he does the same for you, so you don’t hesitate to push the blanket to the side and slip out of bed.

Well, you try to get out of bed, because Charles quickly wraps an arm around you to keep you in place. He digs his thumb into the plush flesh of your hips as his hand moves a little lower on your body. The look he gives you makes it clear he’s not gonna let you get away from him anytime soon despite the hunger that makes his stomach growl.

As soon as you cover yourself again with the blanket, he lets his head fall back on the pillow, being close enough to place a kiss on your shoulder before letting out a soft sigh of relief. Winning his home grand prix must have been one hell of a high, coming down from that and trying to sober up after the party the night before must be quite a challenge for today.

His breathing soon changes, it becomes slower, more even, and you think it might be time to go back to sleep yourself to recharge your batteries enough to function today. Just when you reach the edge of sleep, though, you hear your friend mutter something again, and he only repeats it a little louder when you let out a questioning hum.

“I’m gonna ask Arthur to bring us breakfast. He has nothing better to do today and he has a key,” he tells you the plan, earning a disapproving sigh from you. “What? He’s my little brother, this is the least he can do.”

There’s an edge to his rough, raspy voice that gives the statement the kind of finality you just can’t fight against. So you nod and close your eyes again, focusing on the sounds of him moving to get his phone and type a message to his brother. Once he’s done, he lies on his back and lets out a long sigh.

“I asked him to go to that little bistro where we eat and told him to ask for our usual, if that’s okay,” he says.

You open your eyes a little to look at him, a smile already playing on your lips as you turn on your side. “That’s quite a detour for him,” you note.

Charles lets out a huff. “I told him to bring himself something too so we can eat together,” he tells you, then he turns to you with that usual, boyish smile of his. “I transferred more than enough money, so yeah, he gets a little extra for the delivery and a hefty tip.”

After a nod, you prop on your elbow and watch him without saying a word. He hums to urge you to speak up, but before you could talk, your phone on the nightstand starts to ring. When you look at the screen, you can’t fight back the wide grin that wants to creep on your face, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by your friend.

“I need to take this,” you tell him, sort of as an apology for crawling out of bed to leave the room.

To be honest, you didn’t expect him to call. The whole time you thought the buzzing environment of the paddock made him say those things, but here you are, seeing his name flash on the screen so soon after race day. Shane is handsome, and nice, and he’s as far from the world of motorsports as possible.

A breath of fresh air, really.

He’s a fashion photographer, and he only attended the grand prix because he had to take some photos of Lewis and George, so the team thought it would be nice to give him a pass for the weekend. There he bumped into you, started a conversation, sat down for lunch with you, then asked for your number before going home. And now he wants a date, much to your surprise.

When he suggests meeting in New Zealand, you begin to talk about his new gig there, and you get so lost in the conversation that you only notice Arthur when he puts the boxes next to you in the kitchen with a wide grin on his face. It doesn’t seem to bother him that you’re on the phone with someone, because he kisses you on the cheek, then waits for you to tell him where his brother can be found.

Several minutes later you hear Charles ask “what” in the other room, which is followed by the sound of someone running towards you. You watch as he skids into the kitchen, then he takes the phone from your hand and holds up a finger to stop you from talking. Arthur massages the bridge of his nose in the background, while you’re trying to process what just happened.

“Are you really ditching her for some model? Come on, dude, I thought we—” Suddenly he stops talking and his eyes widen from surprise. “Oh, who am I speaking to?”

You watch as he tries to explain himself, looking embarrassed as he should be, and you occasionally glance over at Arthur who can barely hold back his emotions. Once your friend hands you the phone with a guilty expression on his face, you can’t help but feel sorry for him, especially after his little brother starts to point a finger at him as he erupts in laughter.

After saying goodbye to Shane, you end the call and watch as Charles gives his brother a disapproving look before playfully slapping his arm. “That’s not funny, I thought she was talking to Max again,” he says.

Here you go again. “Even if I was talking to him, it would be none of your business,” you warn him with an angry look in your eyes.

You’ve been over this so many times during your entire friendship, but he still feels like he has to protect you from him, as if Max is some vicious predator that wants to eat you alive. The two of you occasionally try to make this work between you, but more often than not it remains a friends with benefits setup. It seems like neither of you is ready to be in a committed relationship.

Your brother once hinted at the Dutchman’s annoyance whenever it came to your close friendship with his rival. For some reason he sees Charles as a threat, not only on the track, but in your relationship too. And given his friendship with your brother, you get these comments about your friend from two people, which makes it even more annoying.

And now you have to deal with the Monegasque’s overprotective personality too, which tells you this breakfast won’t be accompanied by carefree conversations between the three of you. You know you have to tell him that there is someone new in your life, and can only hope he will be a little relieved that it’s not who he thought it was.

While Arthur sits on a barstool next to the kitchen island, you and Charles bring some plates and silverware for the food, and you three dig in without hesitation. Even though your focus is on Arthur who’s talking about the party the night before, you can still feel your best friend’s eyes on you, burning a hole into your skull as he watches you.

“So who’s the guy?” he suddenly asks. You turn to him with a raised eyebrow. “You never told me you’re seeing someone.”

Letting out a sigh, you put down the fork and lean back a little. “I only met him on Saturday. This was the first time he called, there’s nothing to tell yet,” you reply, giving him a look that says enough of the questions.

“Yet? You mean you’ll meet him?” he wonders, completely ignoring your silent request.

“And what if I will?”

Out of the corner of your eye you can see the way Arthur winces and slips off the chair with his orange juice in hand, then moves to the living room to give you some space to talk. You and Charles only stare at each other for a while, both of you waiting for the other to say something, but deep down you know it’s him who has some explaining to do.

Since he doesn’t speak up, you return your attention to your breakfast and take a bite with your eyes still fixed on your friend. In the end, he lets out a sigh and reaches out to put a hand on your wrist. “Look, I’m just worried, okay? You barely know the guy,” he tells you.

Rolling your eyes at him, you end up shaking your head. “Meeting him will help me get to know him. In case you’ve forgotten, this is how dating works.” He licks his lips, a nervous expression visible on his face as he picks at his own food with the fork. You have no idea what could possibly be wrong with him, but you feel like telling him the facts and nothing more could be helpful. “We’ll have a few days for that next weekend in New Zealand.”

This catches his attention, because he looks back up at you. “But that’s the next race weekend,” he says, sounding surprised that you dared to plan something for the same time. When you give him a questioning look, he takes a deep breath. “You’ve never missed a race, I just… I don’t know. It would be weird to be there without you,” he replies.

“You can’t expect me to put my life on hold because you want me to be there at every race weekend. I gave up enough already, I’m not gonna waste more chances. I like this guy.”

“Does he have a name?”

Your eyes narrow because you know exactly what this is about. “You want to do some research,” you state with an annoyed sigh.

Charles shrugs, and you can’t help but roll your eyes before giving him the guy’s name, although he doesn’t seem to recognize it, so you explain what he does for a living. Those mesmerizing green eyes of his are mirroring the concentration he needs to remember every detail, and you can’t help but wonder why he finds this so interesting.

After all, you never say a word about his girlfriends, you never pry for more information, you just go with the flow and let him have his fun. It’s usually Max who’s more interested in who you’re dating, but even he restrains himself before he would interfere. At least the two of you have history, there’s a logical explanation for his reaction.

But this? Now, this you can’t put a finger on.

“Guys, we have a problem,” you hear Arthur’s voice before he appears in the kitchen, his phone held up. You exchange a confused look with Charles, then your eyes move to his little brother. “Mom wants me to have dinner with her.”

“Why’s that a problem?” Charles asks.

After a gulp, Arthur clears his throat and sits back on the barstool he previously occupied. “Um, well, she might have found out about my girlfriend, and now she wants to meet her,” he replies with an awkward smile.

His brother flashes a wide grin at him. “Why didn’t you tell me about her? What is she like? And what’s her name? Where did you even meet her?”

Shaking your head with a laugh, you reach out to take his hand and squeeze it gently. “I guess this is exactly why he didn’t say a word. No one needs the Spanish Inquisition.” When Charles opens his mouth to protest, you give him a warning look. “This is exactly what you did with me just a few minutes ago. Give him the chance to decide when he’s ready to talk about her.”

Arthur flashes a thankful smile at you, then takes a deep breath and begins to tell you about the girl. He really likes her, and this big, stupid smile on his face tells you that he really just wanted to protect her from this madness. When you look over at Charles, you notice how his expression softened, and in the end he assures his brother that he will talk to their mother and ask her to be patient.

Maybe there’s still hope for him after all.

[sttrawberries]

 ‘’ He couldn’t help smiling at your conversations, it was like he was back to a teenager nervously trying to talk to a crush, but he didn’t have a lot of experience with those.’’ babyy

‘’ What really made his stomach churn was when he couldn’t bring you to the airport to see him off. It felt wrong to leave your place without you behind him, leaving you to kiss only him goodbye, but not asking to follow him to the airport.’’ Maybe one day:(

‘’ and he was fighting to throw you on the next plane so you could watch him race.

Maybe a dramatic kiss after he won would be nice’’ *waiting patiently*

‘’ I saw that interview and I know that look in your eyes. I even commented on that video.” We just found the captain of our ship sksjssks

‘’ Dick’s gonna be jealous when I tell him you’re trying to get a flight back for love.” Kskdkssjs

‘’ “JayJay! JayJay!” Lian’s small shout catches Roy’s attention.’’ AWWWWWW

 ‘’She made small grabby hands before he immediately gave in to grab her underneath her arms, settling on his chest.’’ AAAAAAAA

‘’ While Jason patted Lian’s back soothingly, Roy watched as the two most important people in his life were embracing. It brought a smile to his face.’’ PLEASE MY HEART, this is the cutest thing!

‘’ He was given support.’’ I’m so happy, he deserves it

‘’ He looked like he was in his element, a kind of happiness that only sprouted in him from Formula 1.’’ :,)

‘’ You: Send me a picture of you in your gear’’ that’s how it starts huh

“Todd? How is that guy a threat? He just hides behind the RedBull emblem, but he’s nothing but another racer.”’ I present to you all my new enemy

‘’did you see how he crashed his vehicle last year? Bet he wouldn’t want that happening again, huh?’’ *no fears* *reads that line* *one fear*

‘’ (Handsome) Mr. Todd: please I am more than my body’’ dkskdlhdskj

‘’ but he walked in a different direction, away from the crowd.’’ Weird? I’m going to get paranoid

‘’ you could see the racer joining another man, adorned in a suit, turning his head sideways, but you couldn’t recognize who that was.’’ Postpone the race, I’m definitely paranoid

‘’ Jason’s voice faded as he yelled at Roy to back off from him.’’ Skjdsks

“I gotta race soon, but I just wanted to hear ya before I had to leave. God, I miss you.” AAAAAA

“I wanna fly you out here before then. I mean, I’ll be down for Vegas, but that’s too long. I gotta get you down here next to me.”  

“I’ll see what I can do about work leave, but maybe i’ll take a couple sick days?” YES PLEASE

‘’ I lo—”’’ I LOVE YOU???? JASON AAAAAAAAAAAA

‘’ There are numerous words that start with that sound. Maybe it was a mistake?’’ mmmm

“I was almost done—will you stop—Roy!” JJSJSJSJJS

‘’Roy was the only one who could compete with him on the track, so maybe his words weren’t just to instigate him.’’ Shh jsjsja

‘’ he wanted to see you and win while you were with him.’’ I can’t wait

ANDDD I'M FINALLY UP TO DATE WITH THE CHAPTERS, I'M SO EXCITED FOR WHAT'S ABOUT TO COME AND SLIGHTLY WORRIED ABOUT THAT WEIRD RACE GUY

Racing Hearts Pt. 5

Pairing: F1!Driver!JasonTodd x Reporter!Reader

A/N: sorry for the late late late update 😭 i was having so much problems with trying to enjoy this series again that I felt that if i rushed it it would ruin the series for not just me but a lot of people. Thank you for all the patience and i hope u enjoy this much needed chapter. ENJOY and flowers for all of u 😫💐 like if you’re comfortable and please tell me your thoughts as the story continues <3

Check out the Racing Hearts Masterlist!

Word Count: 1.9k (sorry but i’ll work my way up again 💪)

Jason finally had time to check his phone. He removed any miscellaneous notifications he forgot to silent before getting to the track this morning, but he was checking for a familiar name and icon.

It was like a little surge was invading his bones. He couldn’t help smiling at your conversations, it was like he was back to a teenager nervously trying to talk to a crush, but he didn’t have a lot of experience with those.

The times he rarely did have a fling, he kept it private, left it before it could be a scandal that he would be chewed out for.

But this.

This was new. He knew it was different when he was trying to get any attempt to still make sure you were fine with being with him.

What really made his stomach churn was when he couldn’t bring you to the airport to see him off. It felt wrong to leave your place without you behind him, leaving you to kiss only him goodbye, but not asking to follow him to the airport.

He tried to brush off the feeling the entire flight, but he couldn’t squish the thought that he wanted you here. That other than a quick romance, he could talk to you about his personal life, and he was fighting to throw you on the next plane so you could watch him race.

Maybe a dramatic kiss after he won would be nice. But, that was too cliché.

While deep in his thoughts, Roy tried to peak over Jason’s shoulder, trying to see what he was looking at, but it was not smart to try that on such a tall man. All he could manage to see was an open browser with plane flights.

“You tryna leave me here by myself?” Roy calmly asked, keeping his eyes down at the phone.

Jason frowned, not surprised at the nosey man.

“You get a little friend and now you want to leave me?” Roy feigned tears, placing his hands gently onto Jason’s shoulders. “If you must, then go! I can get us a championship. I can handle that for us.”

Jason sighed, closing his phone.

“Shouldn’t you be watching Lian? Why are you bothering me and what are you talking about?” He asked.

“Lian’s always with the crew, she’s more interested in the buttons than behind the wheel—don’t try to distract me, I’m not stupid, Jaybird. I knew you were a two timer.” Roy pointed an accusing finger into Jason’s face. “I saw that interview and I know that look in your eyes. I even commented on that video.”

“Uh, huh.” Jason ignored him and walked away, this time looking back at his phone to try to type, not reacting to Roy’s antics.

“I’m surprised your brothers haven’t bothered you about it. Dick’s gonna be jealous when I tell him you’re trying to get a flight back for love.” Roy aimlessly followed Jason, adjusting the cap on his head as he playfully wiggled his brows.

“That dickwad is probably too busy hiding behind a badge for that. He needs to find better things to do than bother me.” Jason stopped pacing, looking back at the red hair tail that can’t seem to get off him. “And you need to watch your daughter and also stop bothering me.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” Roy sung. “Just me and you on this track forever, plus Lian, never leaving each other while we embrace—with Lian, of course.” He opened his arms for a hug.

Jason gave Roy an impassive look, not bothered to even give him an expression.

Still with open arms and a smile on his face, Roy waited before a small voice shouted out.

“JayJay! JayJay!” Lian’s small shout catches Roy’s attention.

“My Lian!” Roy reached out to grab his daughter walking with one of the crew members, finally relieving them from their babysitting duty. “No Jaybird today, Lian, he’s trying to run away.” He cooed happily to his daughter as she laughed, large noise cancelling headphones were bouncing around her neck and a bright smile spread on her face as he booped her nose.

“I’m not—the flight isn’t for me.” Jason sighed, not willing to look at Roy fully in the eyes.

Roy’s eyes widened as he heard the admission. A small silence lingered.

Lian broke the pause by reaching out for Jason. She made small grabby hands before he immediately gave in to grab her underneath her arms, settling on his chest.

She whispered a small “JayJay” before laying her head down, exhausted from an hour of playing while Roy and Jason were busy racing in the practice sessions.

While Jason patted Lian’s back soothingly, Roy watched as the two most important people in his life were embracing. It brought a smile to his face.

“I’m happy for you, Jaybird.”

It was all that was said between the two as Lian closed her eyes, but Jason felt content. He was given support.

—

“I’m never afraid of the track, it’s the fastest you can ever be on the ground and I wanna be the best.” Jason spoke to the interviewer on your TV screen, the Australian sun surrounding his face.

“How important is this race for you?” The off-screen voice asked Jason.

“Every race is important. I’ve gotten RedBull multiple wins these past couple years and I want to add another one. I feel better than I’ve ever have.”

You sat on your couch, dinner in your lap, watching your partner on screen wave goodbye, giving one final dazzling smile while taking off to his car.

He looked like he was in his element, a kind of happiness that only sprouted in him from Formula 1. A kind of motivation used for racing.

“Welcome to another race of the Formula One World Championship. What a great weekend to continue a new season.” The introduction boomed from your TV, setting up the Sunday excitement, ready to end another race weekend.

Ding. Ding. Your phone notifications rung next to you as you took a bite of your dinner.

You: I told you to hold a peace sign to the camera, now you owe me dinner

(Handsome) Mr. Todd: *thumbs down your message*

You laugh at your phone screen.

You: Loser

(Handsome) Mr. Todd: *thumbs down your message*

You: Send me a picture of you in your gear

As you wait for the reply, your TV catches your attention. A driver you’ve never seen before now standing in front of the microphone.

“Todd? How is that guy a threat? He just hides behind the RedBull emblem, but he’s nothing but another racer.” The raspy voice sent a chill through you.

“Jason Todd is a back-to-back four-time World Champion, do you plan on breaking that streak?” The interviewer pressed on.

“Ha! Like that’s hard, did you see how he crashed his vehicle last year? Bet he wouldn’t want that happening again, huh?” The man’s voice twisted something in you.

Formula 1 did have it’s competitive moments, but how was someone like this rude man competing?

Ding.

(Handsome) Mr. Todd: please I am more than my body

Despite Jason’s words, a flattering picture of him came in. A good look at his hands and body in the RedBull uniform. Gosh, you missed him.

You saved the photo with a smile on your face. A new lock screen.

You: don’t injure that pretty face of yours <3

“Thank you for the interview, good luck on your race.” The interviewer finished up, stepping in front of the camera to replace the rude driver.

You glanced up to get one final look at the screen, watching the rude racer walk away, expecting him to get bombarded with another interviewer and a brand new set of cameras, but he walked in a different direction, away from the crowd.

You were confused at the racer breaking the long chain of interviews happening on race day.

At the very edge of the camera, you could see the racer joining another man, adorned in a suit, turning his head sideways, but you couldn’t recognize who that was.

You whipped out your laptop. Maybe you missed an upcoming rookie the last year or there must’ve been a change you missed in the racing industry.

Your mind buzzed remembering the blurry man putting his arm around the rookie racer before your ringtone shouted at you.

Life is a Highway started to play as Jason’s contact picture brightened on the screen, a nice side view picture of his smiling face when you took him out for dinner.

You quickly picked up.

“Hey Jay! How’s Australia?” You gleefully asked, contrasting glancing back and forth to the TV screen and your laptop before the camera changed to the racetrack, no longer seeing the mysterious men.

“It’s fun when Roy isn’t talking his ass off.” Jason’s voice faded as he yelled at Roy to back off from him. “I gotta race soon, but I just wanted to hear ya before I had to leave. God, I miss you.”

Your breath hitched hearing Jason be so direct. You tried to reason with yourself that it was from the adrenaline before the race, but it made you feel like you were floating off the couch.

“I miss you too. Maybe when you have a chance to get back here, we can go out to eat like we normally do.” You suggested, a little more brightness in your voice.

You watched the compilation of Jason’s previous races playing on the screen. You saw him zooming down the narrow lanes at horrifying speeds as you heard him softly speak to you through your phone.

“I wanna fly you out here before then. I mean, I’ll be down for Vegas, but that’s too long. I gotta get you down here next to me.” Jason’s voice smoothly went in and out of your ears.

Your felt yourself reddening at his delightful words to you.

“I’ll see what I can do about work leave, but maybe i’ll take a couple sick days?” You spoke to Jason, happiness surging through you. “I would really love to fly out there.”

A loud engine roared through your phone, cutting off Jason’s voice briefly.

“Shit, sorry about that, I gotta go. I lo—” Jason hesitated before he was about to end the call, following up by several louder engines revving, overshadowing his voice despite how close he was to the phone. “I, uh, I’ll call you later.”

“Stay safe, Jay.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Beep.

The call clicked to end. No longer hearing the bustle around Jason as he was inching closer to his race.

Your heart beat rapidly in your ears as you continued to hold your phone in your hand despite the call ending moments ago.

You can’t assume.

There are numerous words that start with that sound. Maybe it was a mistake?

—

“What the fuck, Roy?” Jason yelled over Roy revving his engine multiple times. “I was almost done—will you stop—Roy!”

Roy lifted his foot, no longer making the obnoxious noise.

“Get your helmet on, we gotta go. If you win, then you can talk on the phone all ya want.” Roy was ready to pull onto the track. “Unless you want to stay on the phone and I can win this for us?”

Roy laughed as he sped off.

Jason sighed in disbelief as he walked back to get make sure the final checks on his car were done.

Roy was the only one who could compete with him on the track, so maybe his words weren’t just to instigate him.

He needed to focus because he wanted to see you and win while you were with him.

Jason put on his helmet, getting any last-minute safety precautions checked before he got the signal to drive out.

Tag List: @jaybirdstreet @kalzzen @meowkn @velvetberries @i0lovepink00 @rayaskoalaland @spidernuggets @janybabyy @deimks @yasmin-oviedo @bigraga-sk @indulgentdaydream @uhhellnogetoffpleasenowty @idontknowanythingsblog @xakilicious @livvyliv15 @whatsupstark @maxi-ride @kolmikaelsonslover

[celticcrossanon]

BRF Reading - 23rd of November, 2024

This is speculation only

Cards drawn on the 23rd of November, 2024

Question: How is Princess Catherine? (mentally, physically, and emotionally)

Note: This reading was done with all cards in the upright position

Interpretation: Trying to move on, looking for the positive in things

Card One: The Six of Swords

This was my card for Princess Catherine mentally

The Six of Swords is a card of moving on, transitioning from one way of life to another, leaving something behind, loss that propels us forward.

The energy of this card is of someone who is trying to move on from their problems into a better state of mind.

I think that Catherine is trying to move on from an 'I have cancer I need to have treatment for this' focus to a 'looking forward to a brighter future' focus. I feel that she is trying to - not ignore her problems or health issues, but look beyond them and focus on the positives in her life, both immediate and those in the near future (eg I could attend one event last month, can I attend two events this month - that sort of positiveness). It is very much a card of transition, of the slow progress from 'not being able to do anything' to 'being able to do this amount of stuff per week'.

There is also a sense of sadness for the things she has learnt (such as the entire media being willing to ignore her request for privacy and turn her absence into a cruel 'where's wally' game). I feel that the cruelty has hurt her but she is trying to see it as a lesson about how inhumane the media can be and who she can trust to respect her wishes, and then accept it as a lesson learnt and move on, rather than dwelling on it and getting all upset about it. The energy has that sense of being in rocky waters but trying to move forward to pools of peace.

There is a sense of focusing very strongly on the positive as a way of giving herself hope and being able to keep on going, because you know the future will be better than the present, you just have to get there.

There is also a sense here of a plan for the future that includes the lessons she has learnt the past year. The future will not be the same as the past - she can't go back to how things were in the past, she is not the same person as she was then - but she can move forward and create a future that gives her what she wants after this year of realising what is truly important to her (more safety is what I want to write, more security, not physical bodyguards but being able to protect herself and her children from the cruelty of the press and the disrespect of people who think they are entitled to know everything about the Waleses).

Overall, a transition energy - taking the lessons of the past year and what has stood out as the most important values to her in the past year and using those to create a future that she would like to inhabit.

Card Two: The Five of Swords

This was my card for Princess Catherine physically

This is the card of not being able to win for losing, winning the battle but losing the war, and that is the energy that is coming off this card. Physically, she is still weak, and she is frustrated by that weakness. It's a two steps forward one step back progress and I get the feeling that she is tired of this and frustrated by it, she wants to heal faster so she can do everything she wants to do but at the same time she knows that this sort of progress is normal and overall she is doing quite well. It's very much the frustration of a physically active person who know has to basically start from scratch again and slowly build up their strength and their stamina to their pre-illness levels. I feel that it is going to take a long time for Princess Catherine to be back at her pre-illness levels of fitness, and by long time I mean years before she is fully recovered. She will be able to go out and about sooner than that but it will be very draining for her.

The energy of this card is normal frustration with the slow, non-linear progress that is recovering from a major health issue.

Card Three: Justice

This is my card for Princess Catherine emotionally

Justice is the card of legal justice, but also of any sort of justice, accountability, truth being revealed, honesty, integrity, consequences etc.

The energy of this card is one of determination and frustration. Catherine wants justice for something. Not necessarily legal justice but emotional justice. She wants to feel that she has been seen and heard, that her grievances have been addressed, that she has fixed things so this will not happen again in the future. If you know the story in the bible of the widow who kept going to the unjust judge and saying 'give me justice against my adversary', and eventually she got it - it is that sort of energy, a persistent push to see justice done, see the truth come out, see people face the consequences of their actions. I don't know what exactly this is about, but something is pushing her to get emotional justice for it - the satisfaction of seeing the truth come out about people who have hurt you.

I drew a clarifier for this, and what came out was two cards together, the Sun and the High Priestess, both of which have an energy of truth - the Sun shedding its light on the secrets kept by the High Priestess. The energy here is of a push to reveal the truth about things, an energy of 'I am sick of living with lies'. The Sun can also be a card about children - just throwing that out there.

Justice is the card of Libra, and Libra is all about balance, so it could be that Catherine is struggling to keep her emotions from veering up and down all the time, which is perfectly natural when you are recovering from an illness - it does throw your emotions out of wack and it is hard to stay balanced (and eg not get upset when you can't do as much today as you did last week).

Underlying Energy: The Empress

The Empress is a card of nurturing, femininity. creativity, nature, abundance, motherhood, and also a card of robust physical health. This is what Catherine wants, the desire underlying the above reading - to be healthy again, to be able to nurture those around her, to have the energy to create and play and have fun with her family, to be able to give back to others and nurture the wider community by doing this. It is a goal that will take time to achieve but that is her ultimate plan - to return to health so she has the energy to give to those around her, instead of being too tired and drained to be able to do much about it.

There is a minor anxiety here that she has to be ready sooner rather than later, that she is on a deadline? time limit? because what happens if she has to be queen and she is not physically ready to take on that role? So some fretting and worrying about that, which may just be the illness speaking (as in sometimes small things loom large when you are unwell and you fret about them when they are really not that important). I think this is a pressure she is putting on herself rather than anything external - she will be upset with herself if the time comes and she can't immediately step into the role that she wants to fulfil as queen.

Conclusion:

Catherine is in a very normal state for someone who is recovering from a major health issue. She is trying to get out and do things but her body is holding her back. Progress is slow and non-linear, which is frustrating. She is trying to focus on the positive and on the future. She wants to take what she has learnt over this past year and use it to shape a future that she is happy about. Emotionally, she may be a bit all over the place. There is a persistent desire or push for emotional justice of some sort. She is worried about her rate of recovery as she feels it is not fast enough and she doesn't have oodles of time to spend healing as she needs to be ready to be queen when that time comes.

[hunters-vigil]

The Archon's Baby - Chapter 8 - Rest

Previous Chapter

request from ao3: Make one where they have a child but the female character doesn't tell Mavuika that she is expecting a child and distances herself from Mavuika please 🙏🙏

warnings: pregnancy, pregnancy symptoms, talks about war and death, traveller uses they/them pronouns, the abyss attacking.

Fic under the cut, don't repost my stuff on other platforms, i have ao3. Reader is not the traveller. Reader's adoptive sisters are Chasca and Chuychu.

To celebrate 5.2 being out, although it hurts to skip Chasca (I'm saving for Mavuika), I managed to snipe Ororon (and Yun Jin somehow...)

///

Maybe heading down to the contestants lounge to see Chasca before her match was a bad idea. The individual matches were important, but Chasca didn't have an ancient name, so the Night Wars were supposed to be out of the question for her.

"Chasca… please. Could you at least look at me, or are you that ashamed of your little sister that you can't?" Your voice was quiet, tapping your fingers on your arms as you crossed them, you didn't expect Chasca to gently cup your face with her hand. Holding you like you were made of glass she could shatter in a moment of lapsing control.

"I'm not ashamed of you. I was ashamed of my anger. I can usually reel it back in but if Chuychu hadn't calmed me down…I, you know, the Speaker's Chamber and… cause more harm than good. I swore I would always protect you."

"You say that but, my relationship has always been consensual-" you cut yourself off, not wanting to go into so much detail out in the open. Plus the grimace on Chasca's face said enough.

"My match is coming up. Can we talk after?" your eldest sister enquired, readjusting her hat as she glanced towards the doors.

"Of course. You know where to find me." You nodded, heading away to return to the stands, while your sister headed into the arena.

"Hey, you're back!" Paimon beamed at you, while the Traveller waved, offering you a hand to help you down to sit.

"Thank you… wow, Kachina's grown so much." You smiled, observing the individual fights carefully, and trying not to wince too much whenever Chasca took a hit. No matter how heavy or light it was.

Mualani against Kachina wasn't something you anticipated, but watching Kachina take her friend down was impressive. You could hear Mavuika clapping as the announcement was made.

"The winner is, from The Children of Echoes, Kachina! And with that, the winners of this Pilgrimmage have been decided. Put your hands together for our victors as we welcome them to the stage- With her sixth consecutive win, Chasca of the Flower-Feather clan!"

You bit your lip as you clapped, hearing your clan cheer your sister on, while you couldn't help but worry. Chasca had no ancient name, but she was going to participate in the Night Warden Wars anyway?

"Hey…" Chuychu whispered, having approached you during the announcements of the winners, while the Travelller and Paimon were distracted.

"Hey… I spoke to Chasca. She's not ashamed of me." You whispered back, freezing up as Chuychu wrapped her arm around you, pulling you into a hug.

"What made you think she'd be ashamed? She adores you more than me I swear- anyway, I'm more worried about our darling older sister crossing paths with you know who." Chuychu replied, annoying you by blowing a raspberry right next to your ear.

"Don't do that, it tickles!"

"Come on, let's get you some food! Everyone else will be busy, and Chasca knows the Night Warden Wars well-" the doctor tried to distract you.

"She doesn't have an ancient name, why is she even going…" you interjected with a worried pout, looking up to spot Mavuika watching the two of you, much to your embarrassment.

"Believe me, I tried arguing that with her years ago!" Chuychu replied, dragging you off as the Traveller and Paimon disappeared with Kinich, and a confused Mualani, who wondered why she hadn't seen you around much lately.

///

"My love? Are you here?" Mavuika called out as she entered her chambers, having been watching over the Night Warden Wars until her worries about you got the better of her. Despite wishing to speak to the Traveller and their floating companion, she had been unable to, the two had been wisked away by Mualani and headed off to the People of the Springs. No doubt they would return to the stadium when the group, including your sister, returned from war.

As much as she wanted to be there herself, relax in a hot spring with you, see Atea, she was not taking any risks. Not risking you, the baby, her people, Natlan. You were avoiding going back to the Flower-Feather Clan too. Part of your reasoning was due to not wanting to glide, and you were technically a wingless. You only flew with a glider from Mondstadt, a gift you'd received from an adventurer from there.

Turning towards the quiet shushing noise, the archon paused as she took in the scene. You were sat with your feet propped up, gently running your fingers through your sister's hair as she slept with her head in your lap. Completely unintentional, and she would probably get embarrassed about it later, but you didn't mind. Chuychu carried the stress of you, Chasca, and herself on her shoulders. Especially since the argument…

Carefully taking a seat next to you, Mavuika wrapped her arm around your shoulder, pressing a kiss to your forehead, smiling as you pouted at her.

Neither of you had seen Chuychu's eyes flutter, watching the two of you for that moment, and the moment after, when you finally got your wish, and Mavuika kissed away your pout. Her eyes closed again before either of you saw, your older sister deciding to sleep until she heard a familiar sound of your stomach rumbling, right next to her ears.

"What a wake up call." Chuychu joked dryly, sitting up as you flustered, turning to hide in Mavuika's shoulder.

"How about we get some food?" Mavuika kept the peace, chuckling as you stared at her with wide eyes, "and not just chocolate and xocoatl."

"Ugh." You grumbled, pouting childishly while Chuychu and Mavuika exchanged knowing looks.

///

Lightning and thunder woke you up that night. Chuychu had gone home, but your bed was missing Mavuika. Rubbing your eyes, you walked barefoot out of Mavuika's chambers, heading towards the back room of the Speaker's Chamber, what was technically the archon's office.

"Mavuika?" you whispered, looking around the room that was lit up by the fire in the middle, your eyes lingering on all of the offerings and gifts your lover had received. You'd taken photos of them all, having a weird feeling that they had more use than just sitting on display.

"The Abyss attacked the People of the Springs tonight. They defended against the attack, but they almost lost people, including Atea in the process," Mavuika explained as you walked over to where she was sat at her desk. "You should be asleep."

"So should you." You folded your arms, allowing yourself to be guided to sit in Mavuika's lap after some shuffling.

Mavuika only hummed, your chin resting on her head as she pressed her face into your chest. Your arms rested on her shoulders, playing with her hair as your gaze lingered on the tapestry of a younger Mavuika with her family and the baby saurians.

"Rest as long as you need." You whispered, feeling your archon relax under your touch, her fingers running under your shirt to lay gently on your stomach.

/// Meanwhile...

"Oh, if any of you have the chance to meet the archon, could you give her this for me?" Atea enquired, removing her talisman and holding it out to Mualani and the Traveller, "I also need someone to pass something along to Chasca and Chuychu's younger sister. It's back at my place. Just tell her to open it in private."

"What is it-" Mualani went to ask, already knowing about Atea's talisman, but a package for you? That confused her.

"She'll understand when she opens it." Atea answered vaguely, leaving Mualani to only shrug. It seems like Atea was taking your secret with her to the grave…

[sk3tch404]

Yandere Weeping Clown Thoughts!!

CW: Nothing too bad, just your usual creeper, manipulation, and analysis(?) on his character. Tbh hes so yandere coded that everything blurs together atp (and I'm using "yandere coded" sort of loosely bc that makes me sound like a yandere enabler or smth, which like, lol no but in fiction yeah funne). Called him Joker bc it was easier to use/remember than Weepy, and also bc they called them that in all the lore drop so 🤷‍♀️

A/n: Just saw the new Hullabaloo lore drop and IDV has taken me back into its clutches. He is so yandere material 🫶 Proof read enough to go "that's postable."

Joker is quite sensitive to his darlings perception of him. He always tries to do the right thing, tries to please you so that when you smile at him, that strangely unfamiliar warmth spreads through his chest. A smile tugging on the corners of his mouth, stringing his lips up as if he were a puppet. And a puppet of your design he shall be if you wished it so.

Joker is definitely a worshipping sort of yandere. He'll do most of anything for his darling if it made them just a teeny bit closer. Any progress is better than no progress. Even if it means visiting you in the dead of night to "check on you," or often "bumping into you" in places that you frequent at the manor. He'll stop bothering you if you reject his advances, but he'll come back around sooner or later. Joker doesn't want you to hate him, but he also doesn't want to be away from you! Although you may say some hurtful things like, "It's making me uncomfortable, sorry," or, "Can you leave me alone for a while," he knows deep down that if he teeters around the boundaries you set for long enough, he can wiggle his way through and to your heart. At least, that's what he hopes.

Despite his subservient nature to his darling, Joker isn't so obedient around others. He has his more introverted traits for sure, but his sensitivity to anger is fragile, especially when it comes to you. Joker doesn't have many qualms about taking a stand for you or himself if it came to it. He wants to be your protector, so he isn't very afraid to say something if he feels the need to. It can become quite the scene if the other party doesn't back down, making either you or someone else the mediator of the debacle. It's exhausting to have to manage your persistent follower, but it's better to handle a situation rather than let it spiral out of control, leaving the consequences of his mental break to you.

With his fragility also comes his keen eye for any chances to take advantage of a situation. Joker isn't very intimidating physically or feared for being calculating, but he is usually dismissed, and that makes for perfect cover if he plays his cards right. Framing people for his crimes can be a walk in the park depending on the situation, and manipulating those weaker than him isn't something he wholeheartedly takes pride in, but if it's for you, if it's for you, the singular most important person and one he adores most in his rotten life, then he's happy to oblige. If it wins you over in the end, then that's all that matters, right?

Joker will try to convince his darling to stay by his side and will get more desperate depending on the circumstances. He's not a kidnapper type, more of an idealist. Not to confuse that with delusional though. Joker knows full well how you probably feel about your strained relationship, but if he doesn't try now, he'll never get to be with you, and that's unacceptable. He wants to live a romantic and sweet life with you day in and day out, so he'd hate to see you miserable and locked up. If he can't love you the way he wants to, then what would be the point?

Even with that, Joker isn't above guilt tripping or petty manipulation tactics like that. He really can be unpredictable at times and can become very dangerous if his darling constantly shows no interest. Although he is a romantic idealist in his mind with you, he's also the type to slip into the "if I can't have you, no one can" mentality. He might just end up hurting his darling, but it won't be anything too drastic by the time it happens. Joker would feel terrible, terrified, and utterly disgusted with himself after seeing your petrified state. He'd drop to his knees and attempt to mutter consoling words, somewhat even begging for your forgiveness.

"Y- Y/n, no, oh no, no... Y/n, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please. Don't cry, I didn't mean to. I truly am sorry. I had just- I wasn't thinking straight. I would never hurt you. If only you hadn't done this, then... No, just come back to me Y/n."

He is still quite demanding even while apologizing, which would make your fear even greater. Joker doesn't want to force his darling's hand, but if it really came down to it, he'd give his darling a grade A verbally manipulative beat down. He'll use anything and everything against you so that all else but him looks ugly in that moment. Sure being at the receiving end of his unstable anger was horrifying, but be honest with yourself, were it not for him who has saved you countless times in both matches and inside the manor, you would be long dead by now. Anything is on the table, anything just so you will come back to him once more. He has little to no guilt in it, just the fear that he will seriously break if you're still in a right state of mind. So, in turn, he'll unfortunately have to break you first.

[challengerers]

burgundybootss:

Excerpts from Rafael Nadal’s ‘In Touch’ blog:

“Roger gave me a real thrashing in the first set … I was not managing to think clearly. Federer is not only a champion, but also a gentleman and an elegant rival. He did not try to humiliate me, he did not draw blood. I don’t think he wanted to win like that against a frightened opponent who hardly put up any resistance. He wanted to win against Rafa Nadal.” - Roland Garros 2006

“Wimbledon was Rogerio’s garden, his private domain. He strolled around the court sweeping away any opponent who dared to tread on his grass with overwhelming superiority. I reached the final in 2006, and put up as much resistance as he let me. I suffered a worthy, though incontestable defeat: his hair hardly moved out of place. This time it was different. I made him show his best.” - Wimbledon 2007

“Nothing around me was important, time stopped, the voices faded and the stands were no more than mist. Roger and I were alone.” - Wimbledon 2008

[vincentvalenfine]

am a sucker for hurt comfort or angst to happy ending. do you have more thoughts of vincent and reader but he still being hung up over lucrecia? >:)

When the planet is saved, Meteor vanquished, and everything can begin heading towards some semblance of normalcy, Vincent withdraws from your life like he was never there to begin with. A ghost of a bygone era.

You had hoped, perhaps in vain, that after everything the group had been through... maybe he would finally open up just a little for you, begin to trust you with that bruised and bleeding heart of his. Instead, he leaves you with nothing to show for all your efforts except a fresh bruise on your own heart that aches even as you try to rebuild your life in Edge.

Having friends to distract you helps; Tifa helps you find a place to live that isn't so far from the bar that you can't walk home even in the most drunken aftermath of celebrations, Yuffie loves dragging you into misadventures of all sorts, and sometimes Cloud even allows you to drag him on adventures of your own whenever you need a lift from that beautiful bike of his.

It's all just that, though: a distraction from the subtle emptiness Vincent left behind. In the quiet hours of the night, before you would have sought his company while the others slept and coaxed him into letting you curl up against him with his cloak for a blanket, the deep velvet of his voice murmuring nothing of real importance a cure for your insomnia. Now all you have is the silence, too loud and too little all at once. You miss his embrace, the warm thick cloth of his cloak, the scent of him lingering on you, the glow of his eye lighting up the darkness as if just for you. You miss his near-invisible smiles and the way they would make the corners of his eyes crinkle, the soft looks he cast your way when he thought no one was looking.

Dammit it all, you miss him.

The bruise fades slowly and Edge soon becomes a bustling little city. Then the Geostigma grows rampant, trouble brews, and having found yourself drawn into the mess when Cloud needs backup - there's Vincent again.

He's just as beautiful as when you first saw him, just as dramatic as always when he steps into the fray, and suddenly the bruise is a laceration that bleeds raw agony even as you help to fight off the monsters, and then Bahamut SIN.

You can hardly stand to look at him, can feel him trying not to look at you himself, and the distance hurts worse than ever. Does he hate that he ever gave you room to grow close? Would he rather have stayed hidden away if it meant never being confronted with his mistake? You torture yourself endlessly while tensions ride high in the airship, and you stand as far apart from each other as possible despite the many side glances from the others.

Cloud wins, almost gets killed (or maybe actually does, but Aerith has yet to let anyone down even from the Lifestream), everyone is saved, and once all is said and done... Vincent is gone again. You hate that he's gone, you feel relieved that he hasn't stayed to try and torment you further just by existing near you, you take to the shelter of your miraculously still standing apartment and scream into a pillow until your voice gives out.

More time passes, another chance to let your wound heal.

The WRO has done a lot of good work and Reeve proves to really have been one of the few good hearts in the upper echelons of Shinra - you strike up a tentative friendship with him, and Cait Sith keeps you informed of the latest news whenever you drop by.

That's how you learn about Deepground, and about Vincent's most recent endeavors. It stings even now to hear about him, and you almost can't stand the sympathetic look Reeve has for you even as he lets you know where Vincent is going next. You can't be blamed for not saying anything, right? Not after being ghosted by the man.

Vincent can handle whatever trouble is going on and you can stay well away from it all - yeah right.

Cloud and the others end up dragging you along as backup during the final assault on Deepground, and it helps that you don't see Vincent at all the entire time, right up until Omega erupts from the ground. Its massive bulk is almost too much to take in at once, but your attention instead settles on the crimson dot that soars around it before diving in - instinctively, you know it's Vincent. Your heart aches, both for him and because of him.

For the first time, you're afraid he could actually die for real, and you regret the distance more than ever. This could be it, and you won't even get to say goodbye to the man who stole your heart and never came back.

Omega erupts into pieces far in the sky, and Vincent has vanished. You feel your wounded heart tear open anew, and can't bring yourself to pull away from the comfort of Reeve's embrace when the floodgates finally burst.

Almost a month later, there's a knock at your door.

You don't really want to get up, and you haven't wanted to get up for a while now. The others have their own keys to get in if they think they need to (and these days they always think they need to). They'll let themselves in, do whatever caretaking they feel you need most in the moment, then either leave you to your numbness or try to drag you outside for a while...

There's another knock, and you rouse with confusion. No one ever knocks twice.

Sluggishly, you get up from the couch and shuffle to the door, bleary eyes and foggy brain barely willing to do the work it takes to unlock your door and open it enough to see-

Vincent.

Your legs give out on you before you can process what's happening, mind lagging far behind your body's reaction, leaving you even more confused when you find your face pressed gently to the very same red fabric you had missed so much before, to the broad and steady shoulder beneath it. He's - alive, he's here, he's holding you and petting the back of your head as your body betrays you, refusing to do anything other than shake like a leaf in the wind. How fucking dare he come back after all this time and hold you like you mean the world to him?

"I should have never left," he murmurs in your ear. "I'm sorry."

You can only start crying as you cling to him. Sorry shouldn't cut it after what he's put you through, but... you still love him. You can't do anything but love him. And all you ever really wanted was him to come back - now here he is, and here you are.

When the tears subside, you lift your head and kiss him for the first time.

[genderqueerdykes]

How the fuck does anyone argue with bigots it’s so annoying

hello there

i generally don't, personally. i have a stake in a conversation until it elevates to argument status and then in which case i just walk away or attempt to do so. if someone gets so heated that they start arguing with you, they are more than likely not listening to your stance on the matter anymore, and are just here to tell you how to think and feel

make no mistake, you don't have to fall in line with their beliefs. but sometimes you do just kinda have to ignore their weird remarks or avoid certain conversation topics. we can't change everyone's mind in every situation. some people are prone to arguments and becoming combative and if they are known for doing so, we are allowed to choose not to converse with that person about certain things

for the sake of your own mental health i recommend trying to just avoid those conversation topics with that person, or try to end them in ways that don't turn into an argument and become damaging to you. it's great to try to convince someone to be more open minded but some people enter arguments specifically to win. and if this person is prone to this, this is what they want at this stage. they want to rile you up and it's not worth giving to them

generally speaking, find a way to walk away from the conversation when and where possible. you don't have to block them, but you can. you can simply just stop responding. literally walk away. go into the bathroom. go into your room and not come on. whatever it may be. sometimes you CAN'T walk away, but much of the time, you can. and it's important to not give people our time if they're going to take everything we say in bad faith and mock us and torture us. you don't owe them any conversations, even if it's to try to convince them that they're wrong. they may never be able to accept that they're wrong and if they've proven that it's more productive to focus your efforts on making sure you aren't too affected by what this person believes and hopefully getting you into a safer situation where you don't have to get trapped in those conversations anymore

hope that helps somewhat, take care of yourself for now

[danieyells]

Because zzg wants your money 😔 also possibly sub-optimal team comp. My advice: any diamonds you get should only be spent on gacha so you can get an SSR. Whatever SSR you get, put all of your resources into it. Balancing out your units is useful early game but not so much so later on. I'd find your strongest SR or SSR and boost it up as much as possible.

Also if you're in a server like EA-1 where the steongest players are like 50m on their own, raids will be hell on earth which makes gathering resources painful. If you've started recently and aren't super attached to your guild and haven't spent any money I'd heavily consider starting over in another server, ideally with a higher number. (Tap your icon in the upper left and press the globe with your server number under it, then switch servers. If you have the time/energy/attention span/dedication you can manage multiple accounts and just see which one suits you better!) On average the players will have lower power levels which will make raids much, much easier, which means a higher chance of getting a few more resources for strengthening your units which means advancing further, a little faster.

Also manually make sure that you're giving your strongest units the strongest equipment. Letter grade matters more than number grade but the auto-equip system doesn't always think that. Only give your SR and above units guardian spirits and make sure the attack type you're boosting with guardian spirits and equipped gems matches the attack type of the character. Higher stars on spirits matter more than you think they do but rarity matters most.

Do not buy any of the Mr Mo equipment BELOW LEVEL 100. Save for the level 100 ones! And, when you do have them you will need to, again, pay attention to the stat you're raising with Special Attributes. Your physical attacking unit does not need raised special attack.

Also finding a decent guild that has a lot of active members is more important than you'd think!

Other important things a lot of people forget/don't notice:

Your arena rewards can be spent on bronze chests. You might have some bronze keys already, so buy bronze chests and open them for more resources

If you have gold or silver chests you can also buy their keys with your arena rewards

Everytime you do the gacha or collect the free daily rewards from the gacha you get green feathers. Green feathers can be spent on resources as well!

Guild points can also be spent on resources and keys/chests!

If you put potency and special attributes into lower level warding cards you can untrain them to get back most of the cost and redistribute to newer, stronger units

I always raise all of my units to level 50 minimum and level 40 on their warding cards. This matters more in earlier investigations than later ones.

Having one really strong unit is generally better than having multiple mid-strength ones. If you get an SSR focus everything onto it! If you get more than one try and focus on one at a time!

Make sure you've awakened all of your equipped warding cards to their maximum potential if you've ever gotten a dupe warding card. This will increase your units' strength overall

Make sure if you have warding cards equipped to characters that don't have link bonuses with that card that you check to be sure you haven't gotten a card that does have a link bonus with it. Personally I'd recommend only giving units you don't have the linked card for warding cards that don't have link bonuses just so it's easier to keep track. You may also have to manually choose the better card because, again. The auto system is wonky.

Spam try the investigations!! You can often win them even if you've lost multiple times at the same power level. The rng is just a pain in the ass. I'd do like ten tries one after the other before deciding you might need to be stronger tbh.

If you didn't already know, you can spam tap through the cat rhythm runner for the diamonds. There's no penalty for tapping too early or too late or before reaching a jump point.

Uuh. That's all that I can think of for now and it's entirely possible you already knew all of this but hopefully some of it helps a bit! I wish you the best luck in catching up 8'D obviously spending money is the fastest way to boost yourself but. I would advise against doing it or at least heavily moderating your spending and keeping an eye out for in-game deals/"premium" rewards. Gacha is gambling even if it doesn't feel that way, and it isn't worth it to spend money a ton of money on a game like this.

But if there's anything you're confused about as far as managing your units goes hopefully someone can help if you ask! I definitely don't have the best understanding of how to do it but. I do have a pretty strong base SSR Taiga so i'd like to think, on top of being really lucky, I did something right haha

NINE DAYS

[delphinidin4]

I am allergic to the word "success". I have been ever since middle school, when it was plastered all over the planners the school gave us.

Screw success. Try for contentment.

[feroluce]

Connecting dots tonight (didn't connect shit, I've connected them, etc) because of this post about item descriptions to do with Sampo I saw a few days ago and! I feel like there are so many interesting things that could be implied from this!! Because the recipe for the High-Tech Protective Gear is given to you by Bronya (before the IPC invaded Belobog!), who says this little interesting tidbit about it:

This is an item from before the Eternal Freeze, 700 years ago. Even to the rest of the universe, it would be SORELY outdated. It cannot be made in Belobog anymore due to the loss of entire eras. It is effectively useless; this recipe had to be somewhere gathering dust, kept around solely for archival purposes. There is no reason for Sampo to know about this item or have any idea how it works and yet. AND YET. He's just running around selling knock offs!!

He shouldn't even know how to make these, but the fact that he does means Sampo either

had the blueprints from off-world before he came to Belobog (most likely but also most boring answer)

broke into Qlipoth Fort and copied down the blueprints (completely plausible - he's possibly shown doing exactly that in his splash art)

found another copy out in the ruins of the old world (also completely plausible - Sampo is astoundingly resilient against both the Fragmentum and the cold, as noted by Lynx haha)

Meanwhile, the Inferior Protective Gear recipe comes from an NPC in the underground, and when she gives it to you, she talks about building robots and the robot fighting scene sorry about the quality I didn't have screenshots for her dialogue so I had to use wiki

Which makes me feel like it's safe to say that the inferior gear is mostly being used in the underground, especially by the vagrants and their robots for fights, because...well, who else would use it? Cocolia has made it illegal to explore too far into the Snow Plains, and besides, it's way too dangerous for most civilians even WITH gear. The Silvermane Guards are funded by official sources, they have no reason to rely on Sampo for armor. So it makes sense for an underground mechanic to know the recipe; there's probably not as much market for it up in the overworld.

And if you look at the descriptions, you can see why this probably wasn't something that could be made in Belobog anymore; it requires a charging system of some sort.

We know it's not a problem with the basic materials because all three ingredients can be found right in the administrative district. But the underground only has two of them; somehow, despite being in the planet's crust, and literally crawling with robots...there is no metal down there. It isn't found anywhere, sold by anyone, or dropped by anything. And metal just so happens to be the one ingredient Sampo replaces in his knock off version.

The Inferior Gear uses trash instead, something which, going by the words of that same mechanic, is MORE than abundant in the underground- any good quality parts are extremely difficult to come by down there.

Anyway, all his shadiness aside, I love the implication that Sampo is smart enough to be able to take this item that no one else on the planet probably knows anything about, and was able to figure out what he could replace, and how, and with what, in order to make it easily accessible to the people of the underground, even without access to overworld resources. Because his version DOES work! It literally gives you the exact same amount of defense boost as the IPC one!

Someone should absolutely still knock him around for it, though, world's most slappable face fr fjkdsjfdkjafk

[chaos0pikachu]

on a meta-textual/Doylist level what I like about the Korn/Tonkla/Win subplot is there's actual tension and the fact that JJay & Fuiaz are a "branded pair" doesn't influence the story so much that the subplot overall lacks tension.

Tonkla as a character has genuine feelings towards Korn and they've shared on screen intimacy that enforces their relationship - even if that relationship is partially transactional on Korn's side or otherwise. This provides tension in the narrative with the characters and makes their overall relationships with each other and thus the story much stronger.

Comparison - one that might get me kicked but it be what it be - example the Sand/Ray/Mew/Top storyline in Only Friends which had zero tension.

Why? Because the audience pretty much knew from the get RaySand and MewTop were endgame but that's just a factor, knowing the endgame isn't contingent on poor storytelling - don't we all know how Romeo and Juliet ends after all?

No what made is weak and flimsy was the narrative never provides any real stakes or tension for those characters.

Mew never once feels anything for Ray that isn't friendship, they never even attempt to have sex (even bad sex), Ray openly continues to hookup and pursue Sand whilst with Mew (and Sand is even mostly okay with this as tho it matters none at all because ultimately, it doesn't) and while Top was bothered, he wasn't threatened. It was all just narrative punishment and penance for his cheating. We don't even see Ray and Mew on a real date or share a real moment of genuine emotional intimacy that's romantic and/or sexual, their bookshop date only makes Mew think of Top, Ray spends more time with Sand, etc.

It's not just that the endgame is Sand/Ray & Mew/Top it's that the endgame is FirstKhao and ForceBook. It's that this is an rpf au dressed up like a tv show rather than a story.

Which is where Korn/Tonkla/Win feels different.

Off the bat Tonkla and Win are already vastly different characters from White and Tee from their roles in Dead Friend Forever. Korn is obviously different from Arm in Kinnporsche. And the narrative has built genuine feeling between Korn and Tonkla, where Win's feelings for Tonkla - at this stage - appear more one-sided. Yet Tonkla's slept with both characters, he's showcasing agency and desire in different ways with both of them. His relationship with both is very different. Will he even "end up" with one or the other? How will Korn react if/when he finds out about this affair? Especially since Win's a cop and Korn is involved in illegal shit. We don't actually know which makes the story far more exciting to engage in.

Even though objectively I knew Win and Tonkla would "get together" in some capacity because of JJay/Fuiaz, there's far more tension and character motivation here which makes for a vastly more interesting story.

My issue with "branded pairings" as a whole is more often than not I find it hurts the narrative potential of a story by cutting the tension off at the knees, by not allowing more interesting and complicated relationships and character motivations to form and develop. As well as hurting an actors growth and ability to like, act when they're playing the same boxed archetype to fit their branded pairings, well, their brand.

[swordmaid]

i am wide awake thinking about that post canon jb au again when I should be sleeping …!!! such is the nature of the jbrainrot…

[moeblob]

I missed these boys too much..... I spent four hours doing this for my beloved two sons and also Felix. (the foremost is genderbent versions I'm sorry, let me know if I need to tag it)

[the-oracle-of-the-lost]

also i do apologize for the election posting tonight, i try to keep this blog free of real world stuff and i don't really have anything meaningful to say but i'm not gonna be able to sleep for awhile and a bit of posting making me feel better than just ignoring the news. i'm tagging everything "us politics" and "us elections" if anyone needs to block the tags.

[kathrynmjaneway]

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