#these are such a great way to get interactions started

[swoo-bats]

Tucker didn't think he'd ever be interacting with one of the Big Bosses. Glimpses of them in the lobby, hallways, other work areas, sure; that's how he got in on the open secret, after all. A few too many times of the Waynes showing up to work with injuries that didn't really coincide with the "skiing accident" or whatever they claimed it to be. But Tucker, familiar with Danny's tendencies to hide his own injuries, knows what to look for.

After getting a little suspicious, Tucker started paying more attention to the Bats. He religiously followed social media posts. Twitter was a hot bed for sightings and Tiktok was great for seeing clips of fights. And after a few weeks of paying close attention to social media and any local celebrity gossip as well as the short sightings at work, Tucker can definitively say that Bruce Wayne is Batman and Tim Drake-Wayne is Red Robin.

Though he had to put in the work, he figured that with observation of the more obvious injuries and work absences over a long period of time, any Wayne Enterprises employee would come to the same conclusion. He just sped up the process a bit in his unrelenting curiosity. It must be an open secret like Danny's identity in Amity Park; people are being polite by not talking about it.

He even confirmed his speculation with his coworkers. At lunch he had casually mentioned to Jamie, a fellow systems engineer, "With what the Waynes get up to, I'm surprised they're actually at work as often as they are."

To which she eagerly replied, "Right?! They're probably so tired all the time. If I did what they did, I'd be calling out super often." She tilted her head back and forth, considering. "Though I don't have the money for that."

Two other coworkers nearby also joined in, commenting on how the Waynes are so rich, it's not really a surprise what shenanigans they get up to. Tucker nodded along, excited now that his suspicions were basically confirmed.

So when he had heard two guys in the alley outside of his apartment talking about a big drug shipment (do people really think no one will hear them if they talk in echoey alleys?), he figured he could pass it on to the Bats. Just slip a post-it into a file that's getting sent up to their office, no problem.

Safe to say, Tucker was not expecting to be called up to talk with them. Did they want more information about the drug shipment? He already wrote down everything he knew! Or... oh no, he hopes that they don't think he's involved with those guys. He walks out of the elevator, hoping he looks like a normal employee and isn't giving off, like, criminal vibes or whatever. He knows he's not guilty of anything, that this is definitely one of those scenarios like "oh shit, what if I accidentally brought a gun to the airport?" where the anxiety obviously doesn't come from any rational place. But he is still excited to meet them for real. They're heroes! The only other hero Tucker has ever met is Danny and he doesn't really count.

He makes his way to the secretary at the desk in front of the office doors and says that he was asked to come up to talk. They confirm his name with his employee ID and let him through.

The first thing Tucker notices is that the office is way less cool than he thought it'd be. It's a little bland, honestly. He wasn't expecting, like, a Batman costume to just be displayed in the room, but typical office gray is what meets his eyes.

The second thing he notices is that Tim Drake-Wayne is the only other one in the room. Tucker guesses that makes sense, he heard Batman got a nasty hit over the head last night, so he's probably taking care of his concussion or head wound or whatever.

Tim gestures for him to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Tucker does. It isn't a comfortable chair.

"So Mr. Foley, I was wondering if you could explain why you passed on a note involving a drug deal to me."

"Well, sir, I figured this was the most direct way I had to pass on some information to the Bats. I don't know anything more than what I wrote on there, though."

Tim's expression turns confused. "Why would you think I have a method of communication with the Bats?"

Tucker's own face becomes confused. Are they still pretending they both don't know that the other knows? "Why wouldn't you?"

Tim blinks. "Although they may have... saved me... from kidnappings a couple of times," he says very reluctantly, "I definitely do not have direct contact with the Bats. I suggest you find another way to contact them." He finishes, pushing the note towards Tucker.

Mind running, Tucker picks up his note. Why keep denying it? Unless he thinks that Tucker's gonna tell someone? But it's already an open secret in the building, so why worry about that? Maybe he doesn't want any rogues going after WE employees and targeting them since they know the Bats' identities? But how would the rogues find out what the employees know? Everyone is pretending they don't know, since it's an open secret and everything...

Understanding dawns on Tucker's face. Plausible deniability! If Tim confirms his identity to Tucker, who knows who Tucker could tell. If the Waynes never outright confirm it then they can decry anyone who blabs as making it up. Tucker nods.

"Ah, I see, sir. I'll definitely make sure to pass it on correctly this time." Tucker puts the note in a pocket of his slacks. When he looks back up, Tim looks skeptical. "Anything else you need to discuss?"

"You didn't answer my earlier question. Why did you think I had a way to communicate with the Bats?"

Tucker runs a few answers through his mind and picks the least plausible one. "I've never seen you or Mr. Wayne in the same place as the Bats."

Tim's expression turns bewildered and Tucker holds back a laugh. This guy is a pretty good actor, though Tucker's answer was pretty funny too. Too bad "the butts match" isn't a joke he can make in a work setting.

"I'm sure you haven't seen most people together with the Bats though? Why us?" Tim questions.

For a moment Tucker wonders why Tim's dragging the explanation out, but he knows this building is full of security cameras and whatnot. One of Batman's enemies might be like Technus and be able to get to this footage.

'Wow, he's thorough,' he thinks.

Tucker shrugs, "Celebrities are more interesting to gossip and form theories around." He pauses and scrambles to add, "Not that I'm gossiping about you and Mr. Wayne or anything! I just mean in general, celebrities have to deal with more gossip because they're assumed to be more interesting than average people."

He watches Tim's face until it eases into something more neutral. Tucker really hopes he didn't just talk himself out of his job.

"Ah. I see. That's all then, you can go."

Tucker sighs in relief. "Thank you, sir." He stands and takes his leave. In the elevator back to his floor Tucker wonders if he should actually send the note again or if that's redundant since he knows they already got it.

Well, he may as well look for an alternate method of communication in case something like this happens again.

---

Tim watches Tucker Foley exit his office and his racing mind is full of questions about the man. He was definitely lying about the "same room" excuse, there's no way he would be working in system engineering if that was the extent of his logical reasoning ability. Tim wants to know what actually made him suspicious to Foley, why he thought that Tim could easily communicate with the Bats.

The preliminary research paints a picture of a man wanting to get out of his hometown and live in the big city. His hometown is a city itself, so he was probably looking for something new and exciting. And nothing screams exciting like Gotham.

The interesting part of this research is that Amity Park's main tourist attraction is their supposed haunted city and ghost hero. Who fights other ghosts. Tim rolls his eyes at the obvious gimmick. But more research proves the hero to be real, whether he's a ghost remains to be seen. Though it seems like the city's opinion was the complete opposite when the hero first appeared, lumping him in with the other "ghosts." That early information is hard to find, just sparse blog posts about "Phantom" and the occasional facebook post made by complaining residents. In fact, all of their digital newspapers only seem to go back a few years. If it was only a couple papers it wouldn't be weird, but all of them have nothing earlier than five years ago.

No wait, he needs to focus on Foley. Find out what he thinks he knows. And he can't have the other Bats look into him either because then Foley will know for sure that Tim is connected to them. So a trawl through his digital footprint it is, then.

He can't get through the security.

Tim is frustrated, at home on his own computer trying to access Foley's tech and nothing he's doing is working. If Foley did this himself then Tim is glad he's working for WE because he is having difficulties getting through the security. He scowls at the screen.

As Red Robin he's on par with Oracle with their tech knowledge. So there's no reason why he can't do this. He just needs to persevere.

Two hours later finds Tim angrily looking for more information on Amity Park. Is it secretly a tech haven? Could it rival Silicon Valley for their advancements in cybersecurity? He finds a few engineers located in the city but none of them are listed as cybersecurity or any related fields. One listing has him pausing when he sees "ecto-tech engineers" next to a name. The Fentons. What the hell is ecto-tech?

The Fentons' website is cringe-inducing, but he scans through their bright-colored pages and comes away not knowing whether or not this technology could be used to amp up someone's cybersecurity. Though it definitely could amp up someone's building security, given that you were trying to secure it from ghosts. Tim sighs.

Are these even real engineers? This has to be part of the city's ghost tourism attraction, right? But on the Fentons' About page, they do list degrees from the University of Wisconsin in... ectobiology? Tim wants to slam his head against his desk. What the hell is up with this city?

Tucker gets a job at Wayne Enterprises, and instantly clocks Bruce and Tim and Batman and Red Robin (and thus by extension figures out the rest of the family).

But since he figured it out so easily, he assumes it’s an open secret that everyone knows but keeps on the down-low for privacy and whatnot. After all, that’s what Danny’s identity had been like by the time they all graduated. Basically everyone in town knew unless the feds were asking. Because those white-suited government bastards can Fuck Right Off.

And thus, when he later finds an important potential lead on something, he doesn’t think much of just… handing it off to them to deal with. Yeah, he’s temporarily breaking the illusion, but it’s not that big of a deal.

Needless to say, Tim vehemently disagrees with that assessment, and is now deeply invested in finding out what the hell is up with his employee and his weirdly secretive hometown.

[girlfromflor]

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | pack!141 x omega!reader, who has a backstory with simon.

their first attempt at trying to make you and ghost get along wasn’t quite successful as they hoped it would be, but slowly they manage to make you and simon share spaces more often – like the living room, or even hanging out in johnny's room without complaining – and have some quality time together. you’d exchange small words and only when necessary, but that was already a big win. it got easier and easier to plan something bigger. it wasn't until a whole month of their not-so-subtle attempts that things finally felt right  – more than they ever expected it. john listened and watched his boys with all the care and attention in the world and decided to take matters into his hands, like the pack alpha he has always been. he decided to make a proper dinner night with everyone included, a way to have the moment all of you have been needing to reassure the new dynamics that have been settling within the pack, but also make it a way for you to properly talk with ghost for the first time. you’ve been living with them for a few months now, how could you not spend much time as a pack? – he knew you weren’t exactly a pack yet, but he’d make sure that didn’t last long. 

so, that’s how you found yourself sitting between kyle and johnny. they work well in keeping you entertained as john goes to simon’s room to call him so you can all eat together. john had cooked with your help whilst you all engaged in light talking about your lives – or rather, theirs. ghost would pass by once in a while, not wanting to be the “killjoy” in the room. you’d always be polite towards him, quietly bringing him as a subject within the conversation or even directly addressing him – which he answered with a three word sentence and a shrug, most of the time. once john is back he settles on the other side of the table, sitting across from you and the betas, and ghost takes his side. the dinner goes by smoothly, you and the alpha who seems to despise you less and less often used having a mouth full as an excuse to remain in silence, but neither of the others seemed to mind.

it was the very first time you all felt like things were in their rightful place, and that started to happen more and more frequently. simon would ask things about you – he even started to ask about you to the boys like “where’s she at?” or “what’s she doing?” – and you would do small things, like when you were making tea for everyone and ghost’s was particularly stronger because he said once that that’s how he’d take his tea. little exchanges of words turned into full conversations, the cold – hesitant – interactions turned into genuine smiles from you and playful remarks from him. you started to make it more clear that you saw him truly for the person that he was showing himself to be, and not only for his callsign and skull mask. and then, in one random ass day, you find out – or, more specifically, he tells you – what his name is. you all but cry right as the words slip through his mask-covered lips. 

“are you… are you serious?” is all you can speak, the words coming out weird like they’re not even your own. the tone in your voice is so serious he thinks it wouldn’t be a great idea to make a lame joke to lighten the mood – like he grew used to, getting back a bit to being the careless teenager he once was.

“yeah… why?” he answers, dark brown eyes trying to take in what you’re expressing through your features because he can’t smell anything from you – something he started to hate, he thinks to himself.

“uh… just, something i told kyle once–” you cut yourself, feeling emotional. great,  now not only you’d think about your lost friend when you’d stare into ghost’s eyes, you’d have to call him by your friend’s name too. you quickly realize that it’d be less painful to call him ‘ghost’, but you also thought that maybe you could play pretend sometimes, giving in to the longing that plagues your mind from the friendship you never got to have closure from.

simon only hums, showing that he’s understanding even though he’s not sure what he should think about it. so instead of wondering and feeding unlikely possibilities in his mind – overthinking, but he will never admit it – he goes to kyle. on the very same day he finds himself knocking on the beta’s door, after ensuring that you were cuddling johnny on the couch.

“come in,” kyle calls from inside. as simon steps inside he can see kyle moving on his bed to sit up. “oh, si…” he says, sounding a bit too surprised before questioning, “what do you need?”

“just… i told my name to her today…” he starts without much ceremony, watching as kyle shifts in his position almost as if he's physically uncomfortable. interesting, he thinks.

“did you, now? what’d she say?” he asks, trying not to seem so worried. he was afraid you had fallen into anxiety’s arms like it usually happens when you have a nightmare.

“nothing, really… just looked at me like i was lying, even asked if i was serious.” he replies, honestly. he watches as kyle reaches to grab his hand, pulling him closer until they are sitting side by side on bed. “and then she mentioned you. so i thought maybe you knew something…”

kyle stays silent for a moment, thinking if telling simon would be something you’d be mad about. he brings their hands to his lap, brushing simon’s knuckles with his thumb in a tender manner before speaking, “she had a best friend in town when she was younger, and he was named simon…” he can smell the alpha’s discomfort, but he keeps talking. “she said that she was still a teenager when they saw each other for the last time. said he ran away.”

simon heart stops in his chest. the beta can see the sorrow that burns in his skin, so he projects his scent to try and calm him down. simon is as still as a stone – thinking what he thought was impossible –, but after a few minutes too long he manages to voice out his inner turmoil. “i… i don’t think i ever told you that, but i had a friend too, back where my parents left me when i was younger.” he glances at kyle, who is patiently listening, before he adds, “she was an omega, and i left her behind… that’s why i couldn’t bring myself near her, y’know?”

the younger man only nods, happy at the confession despite its heavy background. they sit there sharing soft caresses while kyle decides to make a confession of his own. “you don’t think it’s possible… that it is her?” he questions carefully, not wanting to overstep a boundary, but simon’s reply catches him off guard.

“yeah…” his voice is gentle, almost a whisper. “i mean, i’ve only thought about it after today... just don’t want to–” his voice cracks, but he clears his throat pushing the fear away. he shakes his head as he speaks, “i can’t be wrong, kyle.”

“we’ll get through this, si. all of us.” is his answer. he hugs simon’s shoulders and the alpha allows the warmth that spreads within him at the motion.

it takes exactly one day of researching your past for simon to make up his mind and decide that it is time to see this though. he had gathered enough information – things you’ve said to them along the months – to know that it was you. he waits until you’re in the couch with john and johnny, watching a weird tv show they seemed to share a deep interest in. he steps inside the living calling for kyle to join them, who comes from the kitchen a second later. he stands there looking at you and you sit up straighter on the couch. you don’t have time to question what’s wrong because – after getting elbowed by kyle – simon starts talking, very nervously so.

“so, uh… i– this is not a big of a deal,” he lies, but they all ignore it. you have your eyes focused on him. “just, god, i’ll just take my mask off and, uh– yeah…”

he’s so awkward you almost want to laugh, but you don’t because that seemed too mean of you. you watch very intently as he steps closer to the couch, not even realizing that john and johnny were standing up. simon’s hands reach for the hem of his balaclava, and suddenly you grow very nervous, curious and a bit apprehensive. i swear, you think, that if they look anything alike i’m gonna lose it. it was enough that the simons had the same eyes. you take in his slightly chapped lips, blond eyebrows and very blond hair. the long healed scars here and there adding a dangerous charm to his features. much to your dismay, you realize way too quickly that they do in fact look very much alike. so much so, that ghost seemed simply an older, scarred version of the boy you held so much fondness for – wait.

“oh my god,” comes your breathless voice. the words stumble out your lips before you can stop them. “simon…?” you say, uncertainty clouding your thoughts before you watch him nod in his own hesitation. you can’t deny it nor ignore the realization that washes over you, your scent masking drops completely as your hands come to your face. and that’s when it hits him, he can smell you. “simon…” it’s quiet for a moment. john watches the scene unfold from where he stands near the entrance to the living room, kyle and johnny moving to stand beside him as they eye you and simon. it made sense that simon wouldn’t have remembered you immediately, he spent way too many years trying to push away the memories of you – the memories of his mistake. but you? you tried to keep the same memories with all you could, because that was all you had.

and poor simon is so lost. he expects you to back away, to maybe even run and lock yourself away in your room out of pure disgust. or maybe you’d scream at him, intoxicate the room with the smell of your disappointment, wrath and sorrow. you could push him, slap him, punch him – whatever, any harmful reaction would’ve been welcome, because it was you. god, it was you, it had been all this time and he blindly avoided you like a plague. if you didn’t hate him enough before you must certainly do now – except, you don’t. nothing could’ve ever prepared simon for your reaction. he can see it happening but he doesn't acknowledge it until you're drowning in your tears. soft sobs and hiccups leave your lips as you bury your head in your palms. your shoulders shake like crazy and they’re all certain that you’re not breathing at all in between your silent crying. that is, until your eyes seek simon in the room and there’s not a single drop of distaste in them. not sadness, not anger, just pure adoration and bliss, the delightful sensation that he’s alive and he’s okay and he’s here. right now, in front of you – not in a nightmare, not in a dream. you move before you can think and when you realize you’re already on him, but all you do is rest your forehead to his chest, arms limp on your sides – like you always did when you were just two awkward teens trying to get through life.

“thank god,” you whisper and it’s just so broken, soft and gentle but so fucking filled with emotion that it drowns everyone in the room. john’s arms come to rest on each of his beta’s shoulders, johnny is already crying and kyle is blinking away the tears as they watch you and simon.

“bloody hell…” simon mumbles, his eyebrows furrowed and there’s a confused little pout on his lips. it’s the first time he gets to smell you without any restraint from you or him, and he lets himself drown in the moment – he allows himself to truly savor this, because he’s sure he’s about to wake up. “you’re alive…” he moves slowly as if to not startle you, right hand resting on your waist as the other finds its place on the back of your head. his nose brushes on your hair, taking in your scent but it did nothing to conceal his craving. so the hand on the back of your head dips to your nape, the very tip of his fingers come to brush down your neck with such tenderness that it leaves a trail of thrill tingling down your skin. you tilt your head slightly, giving him permission to continue and he is so very glad you did, because not even a second later he's sinking his head, nose finding your scent glands like he's a man starved – and you let him, fingers curling on the fabric of his shirt just enough to wrinkle it.

it takes a while for him to step away, his eyes teary and unfocused for a moment before he slowly drops to his knees for you to do the same. your hand leaves his shirt to find his shoulders, balancing your faltering weight on him as you sink your head towards him. you press your face on his scent glands and god, it just made so much sense now. he smells the same, just more mature and a bit aged – just like whiskey – and it has your eyelids fluttering close immediately. when you straighten up and look down at him, there's a new sense of fulfillment taking place in your heart. you reach for his arm, urging him to get up and as he complies, you turn to your boys – your sweet, patient men who had put so much effort into this.

you don't have to say anything. before you can let out a single word johnny is on you, arms hugging your waist as he pulls you to him. you giggle and let him have you for a second before your hand finds the back of his head. you guide him gently to your neck and you can hear the gasp that falls from lips as realization washes over him. he's not as gentle as simon – too eager to finally finally scent you – as his nostrils open to take in as much of your scent as he can. his head rubs on the skin of your shoulders and neck before he backs away and you roll your eyes at his antics. when you move to scent him, his head is already tilted to the side and his reddish eyes are closed, his breath hitches when your nose touches his skin, he couldn’t believe this was happening. his scent is familiar of course, but to be able to smell it directly from the font has you a bit dizzy in his arms.

kyle watches as you disentangle yourself from johnny’s grasp, your eyes find him instantly where he's standing with john, who you glance over right after. it's john who moves first, offering his hand to you which you gladly accept. you move until your back is lightly touching the alpha’s chest. kyle is right in front of you, eyes roaming your features and your hands find his chest, your nose pressing on his collarbone over his shirt and then on his jaw. once you press further to have better access to his skin he puts a hand on your hip. it stays there when he moves to take in your scent, grip tightening as he pushes past the lingering of johnny's scent to seek yours. he leaves a soft peck on your neck before moving you, the hand on your hip urging you to face john.

it's very fitting, really – the fact that simon had to be the first to scent you, while john would be the last. he lets kyle hold you by your hips, his own hands find your cheeks where he leaves a soft caress with his thumbs. then something changes a bit, he does the same thing johnny did, rubbing his face on the juncture of your shoulder and neck – his beard a bit more than just ticklish on your skin –, before his nose found the spot on your neck where your scent was strongest. he's clearly hesitant to let you go, so instead you pull him closer, projecting your scent so he'd feel surrounded by you – at the point, all of them would. you take advantage of the hug-like position to bury your face in his neck – your back pressed on kyle’s chest letting him know that he is a part of this moment just as much as you or john. you stay like that for a moment before you move away, and it reminds you of the very first night you spent in the flat, where you and john squeezed kyle between you two until sleep got the best of you.

when you look for johnny and simon, you find them sitting on the couch watching you. and as you savor your very first moment as a pack, you relish the fact that you wouldn’t trade this for anything else in the world – and neither would them.

a/n: was this rushed ya'll? i don't know, i have mixed feelings about it, let me know what you think. uptade | taglist: @camcvpidd @fruitymoonbeams-blog @throwing-up-butterflies @yearninglustfully @faggotinie @theo-the-danger-mouse

[havens-iphone]

── backwards and fowards ꫂৎ ; grumpy!hamzah

summary ⋮ at a party, you meet hamzah—quiet, distant, and seemingly uninterested in you. despite his cold demeanor, you try to interact with him, but he only responds with dry remarks and indifference. after an awkward car ride and a particularly harsh comment at game night, you quietly pull away, convincing yourself he never cared. weeks pass, and while mandy checks in, hamzah doesn’t. but in your absence, he starts to notice—game nights feel dull, the group quieter. he catches himself looking at your photos, missing your presence. then, late one night, your phone buzzes, pulling you from sleep.

wc ⋮ 2.8k

authors note ⋮ okay honestly this SUCKS. came out worse than i expected but oh well💔💔 i got rlly lazy at the end but hopefully part 2 will be better!!

the party was already in full swing by the time you arrived. loud music spilled out into the hallway, accompanied by bursts of laughter and the scent of something that smelled suspiciously like burnt pizza. you took a deep breath and knocked on the door, adjusting your oversized cremé sweater you wore for the cold toronto weather before mandy opened it with a smile.

"there she is!" mandy greeted, pulling you into a warm hug. "you made it! this place is already crazy."

you grinned, your eyes scanning the crowded living room. "you always throw the best parties, mands," you replied, pushing through the door. the apartment was packed with friends, majority of them you didnt know.

your eyes fell on two familiar figures sitting on the couch — martin, who was already in his usual comfy hoodie, and hamzah, who was slouched beside him, eyes half-lidded as he stared at his phone.

you had seen hamzah a few times before, but never met properly. he was always off to the side, scowling in his hoodie like he wanted to be anywhere but here. you didnt blame him, though. some people just werent built for parties.

still, that didnt mean you were going to leave him out of the fun. you bounced over to the couch, grinning like a mischievous cat. "hey, hamzah!" you called brightly, your voice louder than necessary as you plopped down next to him.

he barely glanced up, his fingers still flying over his phone. "your loud," he muttered, not even bothering to look your way.

you laughed, unbothered. "i perfer the term 'energetic'.. and im not that loud. trust me, you'll get used to me."

hamzah shot you a side-eye, barely hiding the annoyance that flickered in his dark eyes. "uh-huh," he grumbled, his tone dry. "maybe you should take it down a notch before your voice annoys the whole building."

you titled your head, unfazed. "ill take that as a challenge."

martin, overhearing the exchange, chuckled from the other side of the couch. "oh no, hamzah, you've awakened the beast."

you gave him a dramatic wink. "you know me too well, martin."

hamzah's lips twitched in something that couls've been a smile, but he quickly masked it. "great, now im really looking foward to this."

you leaned back into the couch, nudging him with your shoulder, though her clearly wasnt interested in your attention. but you didnt mind — you were used to it. it was a game, really. hamzah was like a stone, cold and unyielding, but you knew better than to think he didnt have a soft spot under all that sarcasm.

"im here for the snacks, by the way," you added, not missing a beat. "dont judge me."

hamzahs gaze finally flickered to you, his eyes narrowing slightly, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "if i judged you for that, i'd have to judge myself too."

you grinned. "see? were already bonding."

martin rolled his eyes, "oh please, you two are like oil and water."

you just shrugged, your smile wide as ever as you think of a cringy comeback, "oil and water make a beautiful mess, dont you think?"

hamzah didnt respond, but the faintest smirk lingered on his face. it wasnt much — but for a guy like hamzah, it was more than enough.

the night carried on, and you found yourself drawn back to the couch time and time again, sneaking glances at hamzah as be tried — and failed — to hide his amused smirk whenever you pulled another ridiculous stunt. but you could tell he wasnt completely unfazed. he was.. intrigued, and that was more than enough to keep you going.

the end of the night came, slowly, but it came. mandy and martins friends started leaving one by one until it was just mandy, martin, hamzah, and you. hamzah and martin were left talking in the kitchen as you helped mandy clean up, even though you werent asked.

you gazed over at hamzah in the kitchen. his eyes caught yours while martin was still talking about video ideas, the corner of his lips curled up, just barely. you flushed, looking away in hopes he hadn't seen.

you and mandy finish cleaning up. you yawn, heading to the front door to get your shoes on. "you walking home?" mandy asks, concerned.

"yeah, its like a 30 minute walk, not too far." you smile, trying to reassure her you'll be fine. mandy flashes a frown at you, "its cold, are you sure? i can drive you."

"mandy, trust me its fi-" you get cut off by hamzah, "i'll drive her home." he clears his throat. you show a confused look as you smile, putting on your shoes.

hamzah picks up his keys, opening the front door. "come on." he demands you. martin and mandy flash eachother a look and smirk, saying their goodbyes. you both head out the door, walking down the hallway to leave the building.

theres an awkward silence between you two as you head towards the car. he opens the passenger door for you, your cheeks turn red, thankful for the cold weather disguising your fluster.

you climb into the passenger seat as he shuts the door, heading over to the opposite side. he climbs in and immediately starts the car, putting your address in the gps.

as the car hummed down the empty road, the soft sound of the engine was the only thing breaking the silence. you could feel the warmth of the cars interior surrounding you, and despite the tension earlier, something about the quiet made you feel safe. you allowed yourself to sink deeper into the seat, your head tipping slightly to the side, eyes fluttering closed for just a second.

but the silence felt like it was choking you. it was suffocating, thick air. you couldnt stand it anymore, the awkwardness clawing at your chest, so you spoke up, your voice soft, trying to break the tension.

"thanks for driving me home," you murmured, your fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of your sleeve. you turned your head slightly, hoping to catch his eyes, but he was so focused on the road, his jaw tight. the way he was holding himself, so distant, made the words feel like they were falling flat in the air. “i know its late, and you probably have better things to do, but i really do appreciate it.”

there was a long pause, and you could feel the coldness radiating off him. he didnt respond right away, and the silence streched out, sharp and uncomfortable.

“yeah, well, its not like i had a choice, right?” his voice was flat, almost dismissive, and it stung more than you expected.

you pushed on, forcing a small laugh to lighten the mood. “i probably wouldve ended up stranded if it werent for you. or, like, lost in a ditch somewhere.” ou glanced at him again, searching his face for any flicker of softness, but all you got was the faintest twitch of his jaw.

the rejection settled in slowly, like a cold ache blooming in your chest. you leaned back into the seat, folding in on yourself, wishing you could just disappear.

you prop your elbow up on the car door, leaning your head on your hand as you gaze out the window.

“im sorry if i… talk too much or whatever,” you whispered, barely audible, more to yourself than to him.

hamzah exhaled sharply through his nose, fingers flexing on the steering wheel. “you don’t have to fill every silence, you know. its annoying,” he muttered, his voice low and tight.

it shouldnt have hurt as much as it did.

you bit the inside of your cheek and nodded, turning your head to stare back out the window. the streetlights blurred into streaks of gold against the night sky. you blinked rapidly, willing away the sting in your eyes.

for the rest of the drive, you didnt say another word.

and he didnt seem to notice.

or maybe he did — and just didnt care.

the car slowly came to a stop as he pulled up to your apartment complex. you unbuckled as you held the car handle. "thank you." you murmur, avoiding eye contact. he hums in response as you open the car door and step out. you rush to the entrance of your apartment. as he drives off you sigh, shoving the key into your door and entering.

after your proper introduction to hamzah, you became a fixture in their little group.

its now been a week since the awkward car ride between you and hamzah. your phone buzzed on your bed as your putting on some pyjamas.

you glance at it, seeing mandys contact. you rush over to read the text. you smile at the invite to a game night with just you four, knowing hamzah will be there for sure. you accept and start heading out of your front door, saying goodbye to your two dogs — bubbles and disco.

you arrive at mandy and martins shared apartment after a long 30 minutes of walking in the cold, dark night.

you knock as you hear mandys feet quickly shuffling to the door. she opens it and greets you, pulling you into a hug. as your hugging, your eyes meet hamzah. you flash him a smile as his eyes quickly dart away, looking cold. she pulls away and you enter the house.

"go sit next to hamzah! we'll start once the hot cocoa is all ready," she shares, smiling as she walks back to martin in the kitchen.

you sit next to hamzah, feeling his awkward aura as he shifts himself slightly, distancing you two a bit more. you take a deep breath, uncomfortable with the silence.

you clutch your hands in your lap, fingers twisting together as you try to ignore the space hes put between you. the distance feels louder than the silence itself, each second stretching out like an eternity.

“i can move if you want,” you offer quietly, your voice barely above a whisper. you dont look at him, your eyes fixed on a faint scratch in the dining table. “i dont want to bother you.”

hamzah exhales, sounding annoyed. “youre fine,” he mutters, but he doesnt move closer.

the words should be reassuring, but they feel hollow, like hes just saying them to end the conversation. you nod, pressing your lips together to keep the lump in your throat from rising, and let the silence swallow you both again.

mandy and martin slowly walk over to the table were sat at with a pile of board games, giggling as they both hold 2 cups of hot cocoa.

they reach the table as they set down the cups, sliding you and hamzah yours as they sit in their respective seats opposite from you and hamzah.

you adjust yourself as you pick up your hot cocoa to sip. "oh carefu-" mandy warns, getting cut off by your whimper at the hot liquid burning your mouth.

hamzah glances over, eyes flickering to you as you set the cup down quickly, fanning your mouth with your hand and swallowing the burning liquid with a whimper. "seriously?" he mutters, shaking his head. "are you stupid? is it not obvious its hot?"

martin snorts, biting back a laugh. mandy gives hamzah a pointed look. "you dont have to be rude," she chides, nudging him under the table.

the burn still lingers on your tongue, but what stings more is the sharp edge to hamzahs words. still, you force a smile, waving it off. “its fine,” you mumble, voice a little hoarse. “my fault for not listening.”

for a split second, something unreadable flickers across hamzahs face, but he quickly schools his expression, leaning back in his chair like he couldnt care less.

mandy breaks the tension with a clap of her hands, pulling out the first game from the pile. “okay! how about we play something to lighten the mood?” she chirps, shooting you a sympathetic smile.

you nod, grateful for the distraction, but as the game begins, you cant help but notice the way hamzah avoids looking at you — like your presence is something hes trying to ignore.

you throw your hands up, laughing loud, voice echoing, filling the space. cards fall as you cheer for yourself, a wild grin on your face.

mandy giggles, martin shakes his head, the room buzzing, alive and bright. but hamzahs voice cuts through it all — sharp as a blade, too tight

“do you ever shut up?” he mutters, not even bothering to glance. the words hit harder than bullets, stripping away your stance.

“youre so annoying,” he bites out low, like your joy is some kind of crime. the room turns cold, your laughter dies.

mandy and martin trade a look, their smiles faltering. you swallow the ache, force a grin, pretending the hurt wont last.

but every word lingers, heavy and sharp, etching itself in your skin.

the night continues and you find yourself being quiet and reserved, only speaking when spoken to, not cheering when you win, and only mumbling short little answers when someone asks you something

you glance at the oven clock, noticing it says 12:34 am. you sigh before mumbling, "i think im gonna head home, its getting late." forcing a smile, you get up from your chair and stretch.

"oh, yeah it is.. are you sure you dont wanna just spend the night?" mandy questions. you bite your cheek, "no, im fine."

you hug mandy and say goodbye to martin as you quickly walk to the door and put on your shoes. hamzah has a confused look on his face when he notices you didnt even bother saying goodbye to him.

his expression quickly falters when he sees martin looking at him. you open the door and slam it shut, walking outside into the frigid night.

you sigh, not wanting to walk in the dark or cold but knowing its either that or another awkward car ride with hamzah.

'maybe he just is upset im intruding on their group' you think, zoning out as you continue walking the 45 minute walk to your apartment.

your mind rattles with a bunch of ideas as to why hamzah is so cold to you. obviously its not unusual that he was cold but it was different with you. like he had some unbearable hatred against you.

a sharp pain snaps you out of your thoughts, you wince, only now noticing the blood on your lip. you must have been biting it without realizing. swiping your tongue over the wound, you continue walking until you finally reach home. the moment you step inside, your dogs dart from their little bougie beds to greet you.

you yawn, shuffling over to your bedroom. you lay down, taking off your shoes and throwing them randomly. you tug the blankets over yourself the instant a shoe hits the ground. you turn on your phone, deciding to mindlessly scroll on instagram. as your scrolling you space out, however, one specific post catches your eye.

your eyes inspect the photo, jaw slacking ever so slightly as you see a photo hamzah posted only 20 minutes ago. him and another girl hanging out, hamzah smiling as the girl is acting silly.

for some reason, you feel hurt. as if your heart had just been ripped out. sure, you werent expecting to be the only girl hamzah hangs out with but it hurt seeing him so happy with another girl. you didnt expect for him to like you as well, especially not this fast. but you liked him, a lot. you always have.

you turn off your phone and roll over, tears silently escaping. you wiped them, 'this is stupid to be upset over, of course he doesnt like me!' you repeat in your head until you eventually fall asleep.

the past 2 and a half months have been nothing but you bed rotting. of course there has been plenty of opportunities for you to get out but you just didnt want to leave the comfort of your house, or bed for that matter.

mandy was worried, constantly checking up on you, calling you, inviting you for game nights, but you only spoke to her breifly. telling her not to worry and that you were fine. she never believed you, obviously.

you took notice to the fact that only mandy was calling, never once did hamzah call you. not even to ask if you were coming to the game nights or movie nights.

and after 2 more weeks, he still didnt. you knew to stop waiting to see his stupid contact buzz on your phone, so you gave up any hope of thinking he cared.

hamzah didnt think you leaving the group when you had just joined would affect him. and truth be told, it didnt at first.

but the silence starts to eat at him. the group feels dead without your voice. game nights are quieter. hamzah catches himself stalking your page. seeing the way your bright smile travels to whoever else is in the picture with you. seeing you makes him smile, even if its just simple photos of you.

your sleeping as your abruptly woken up by your phone ringing and vibrating. you groan, looking at the screen and seeing hamzahs name.

[earthchica]

Lady Love

terry richmond x black, fem!/plus size reader

summary: you and Terry have a cute, shy interaction in a library. He tries to ask you on a date but is nervous and slightly shy.

warning: fluff, shyness, use of y/n, kissing, errors, slight cussing, bookworm, wholesome, love at first sight & more.

note: let's get back active in this b*tch...this is something short and sweet. I hope you enjoy it. Spread some love and sweetness on here for y'all...we need to get back to good times and stop all this drama.

-

It was a quiet afternoon at the library. Sunlight streaming through the tall windows cast a warm glow over the rows of books.

You were tucked away in your usual corner, flipping through pages of your latest read, when you noticed a tall, muscular figure browsing nearby.

His light caramel skin perfectly caught the light, and his striking light eyes sparkled like two tiny stars.

As you tried to focus on your book, you couldn't help stealing glances at him. He looked so engrossed in a book on the shelf, his brow slightly furrowed as he combed through the titles.

After a few moments, he seemed to sense your gaze and turned to meet your eyes. Your eyes widened, and you quickly looked down, feeling warmth as embarrassment crept in.

"Uh, hey," he said, his voice low but friendly. A slight nervousness made his words almost stumble.

You looked up again, and he offered you a shy smile. "I’m Terry."

"Nice to meet you, Terry...I’m [Your Name]," You replied softly, feeling butterflies flutter in your stomach.

Both of you exchanged shy smiles, and for a moment, it felt like the world around you faded away.

Terry shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and you could see the wheels turning in his mind as if he was gathering the courage for something big.

"So, um, do you come here often?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck. A hint of an awkward chuckle escaped his plump lips. It was endearing how genuine he seemed, just a bit out of his element despite his confident appearance.

"Yeah, actually, I do. It’s one of my favorite spots," You admitted, feeling braver. "I love getting lost in a good book. What about you?"

"First time...I’m just over here trying to find some new reads,” he said, glancing back at the shelf. “But honestly, I kinda got distracted when I saw you."

Your heart skipped a beat. Did he really just say that? A shy smile crept onto your face, and you could feel the warmth rushing to your cheeks again.

Terry took a deep breath, his gaze steadying on you. "So, I was thinking…maybe we could grab a coffee or something? If you're free?"

His words tumbled out in a rush, and you could see the nervous flutter in his light eyes as he awaited your response.

You could see the genuine hope reflected in his gaze and the slight tremor in his hands as he waited for you to answer.

Your heart was racing, but you couldn’t help but feel that spark of excitement.

"I’d love that,” You said, your voice barely more than a whisper, but you could see the immediate relief wash over his face.

"Really? That's cool… I mean, great!" His smile widened, and suddenly, that nervousness seemed to melt away, replaced by a bright grin that made his eyes light up even more.

"How about this weekend?" Terry asked, his confidence growing with each passing second. “There’s this nice café not far from here."

"Yeah, that sounds perfect," You replied, your own smile growing wider as both of you exchanged numbers.

It felt like the start of something sweet and new, surrounded by the comforting quiet of books and the gentle hum of the library.

As you parted ways, you couldn’t help but glance back at him one last time. Terry stood there, staring at his phone with a triumphant smile.

-

The day of your date finally arrived, and excitement bubbled up inside you as you prepped for the afternoon.

You stood in front of the mirror, your fingers working through your hair, shaping your natural curls into a cute wash-and-go style.

The sunlight streamed through your window, illuminating your reflection and making you feel even more confident about your appearance.

Sliding into your favorite soft outfit—a cozy yet stylish oversized sweater paired with high-waisted jeans—you feel comfortable and cute.

You completed the look with fresh sneakers, just the right touch for a casual café date. After a final check in the mirror, you grabbed your bag and headed out, heart pounding in anticipation.

As you arrived at the café, you spotted Terry immediately. He was sitting outside, looking effortlessly handsome in a fitted tee showcasing his toned arms and a pair of jeans that complimented him.

The sun's warm glow around him made everything about the moment feel perfect. You caught his eye, and his face broke into that bright, genuine smile that made your heart beat.

“Hey, you look amazing!” Terry called out, standing up and giving you a little wave. The nerves you’d both felt in the library were nowhere to be found now, replaced by a comfortable familiarity.

“Thanks, you too! That shirt looks good on you,” you said with a shy smile, feeling a little flutter at the compliment. You both settled into your seats, the chatter of the café blending with the gentle clinking of cups and saucers.

“Alright, what’s your drink?” Terry asked, leaning forward with genuine curiosity.

“I’m all about that vanilla latte life,” you replied, grinning. “What about you?”

“I can’t resist a classic black coffee—keeps it simple,” he said confidently.

As you both placed your orders, the barista whipped them up quickly. With your drinks in hand, you settled into the cozy corner of the café.

The ambiance felt just right—soft music playing in the background and freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air.

You took a sip of your vanilla latte, and Terry’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as you set your cup down.

“So, what’s your favorite book?” he asked, leaning closer, his eyes keen and focused.

“Oh man, that’s a tough one! But I’d say I’m a sucker for anything by Toni Morrison. Her storytelling is just… next level. What about you?” You replied, feeling the conversation flow effortlessly.

Terry chuckled, his face lighting up. “I feel that! I just finished ‘Song of Solomon,’ and it hooked me. But don’t tell anyone, I lowkey love some graphic novels too—like, you ever read ‘Saga’? It’s wild!”

“Right? I love how it blends genres—sci-fi and fantasy. You get the best of both worlds,” you said, nodding enthusiastically.

“I know! Look at us, nerding out over books. You’d think we were at a damn book club or something,” Terry said, grinning, and you both laughed.

As the conversation flowed, you began to discover more about each other.

“So you mentioned working in a restaurant? What was that like?” he asked, tilting his head slightly, genuinely interested.

“Oh man, it was a crazy ride! I worked in a little diner back home. The rush during brunch was no joke! You know how it is—people can get wild when hungry. How about you?” you replied, leaning back comfortably.

“Same here! I was at this small restaurant, but we had some hilarious regulars. One guy would always order the same thing but ask for ‘extra everything.’ Like, bro, chill!” Terry laughed, mimicking the guy’s over-the-top enthusiasm.

“Right? We’d get some characters! I had this lady who insisted her eggs needed to be ‘sunny side up, but just on the sunny side.’ Like, what does that even mean?” You both erupted into laughter, reveling in the shared experiences.

“Man, I miss those days sometimes,” Terry said, sounding nostalgic.

"Yeah... so what do you do for fun?" you asked.

“I love hiking and camping too. Have you ever hit the trails?”

“Absolutely! Hiking is my thing. There’s nothing like being outdoors—exploring trails and soaking up the fresh air. Plus, camping? The vibes are unmatched.”

“Right? I recently tackled this intense trail. The views were unreal! There’s just something about it that makes ya feel alive,” he said, his enthusiasm infectious.

"Sounds cool! I’m all for climbing up to catch the sunrise. Nothing beats being on top of the world, you know?” You shared, and Terry nodded vigorously.

Then, a playful spark lit up the air between you.

“Alright, since we’re sharing secrets, what’s your go-to jam? I need to know if you vibe with my music taste,” Terry teased, leaning closer, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Oh, I definitely have a thing for jazz. There’s something about those smooth saxophone notes that just hits differently,” you said, shooting him a mischievous grin.

“But rock music? That’s a whole other level. My heart is at classic rock—nothing can top that.”

“Okay, I see you. A rock and jazz lover, huh? We might just have to set up a little jam session, real talk,” Terry said, his tone playful, and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Not gonna lie—I'm down! But just so you know, I might just rock some questionable dance moves on the side,” you joked, doing a little dance in your seat, which made him laugh.

“Please, don’t leave me hanging when you do! I’ll bring the popcorn to watch,” he shot back, grinning ear to ear.

The flirty banter kept rolling, and as your coffee cups emptied, you both felt the warm connection growing stronger. The light teasing and shy smiles turned to comfortable laughter and playful nudges.

When the café started to wind down, Terry leaned forward, the intensity in his gaze making your heart race. “You know, I really dig this vibe we’ve got going. It feels easy, right?”

You nodded, feeling an electric connection buzzing between you.

“Yeah, it really does. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself this much on a first date.”

Terry sighed, his eyes softening as he leaned in just slightly more.

“I’m glad we met at that library, [Your Name]. Feels like one of those movie moments, ya know?”

You laughed softly, a little shy but feeling bold at this moment. “Totally. A meet-cute for the ages.”

His gaze intensified, and the playful energy shifted into something more profound.

“Can I…” he started, trailing off momentarily as he gauged your reaction.

You held your breath, feeling the air between you thicken. “Yeah?”

And without breaking eye contact, he leaned in, closed the gap, and gently brushed his lips against yours.

The kiss was soft and hesitant but deepened as you melted into the moment, feeling the warmth and connection unfold.

As he pulled back, still lingering close, both of you were grinning. “Fuck...I mean, sorry...Wow. That was amazing,” he said breathlessly.

“Yeah, it was,” you replied, your heart fluttering, knowing this was just the beginning of something special.

[it-happened-one-fic]

Not Fair - Floyd

Author Notes: So, I've been sitting on this fic for a while, editing it here and there, and I have finally come to the conclusion that I'm never going to be satisfied so I'm just going to post it now so it will stop haunting me. Nonetheless, I do hope you all like this piece. I wrote this, and edited it, while listening to the song "Forever and Ever, Amen" by Josh Turner and Randy Travis. As per usual, As per usual, reader is gender-neutral. I hope you enjoy!

Type: Gender-Neutral Reader/ sfw/ romance implied/ fluff/ mild flirtation

Word Count: 1760

Floyd was a difficult young man to describe. Words such as ‘wild’ and ‘free’ were accurate, but they were also putting it kindly at best. However, words such as ‘moody’ or ‘capricious’ were also accurate, but they often gave others a rather poor view of the young man that you found yourself spending more and more time with.

And though it was true that it was largely due to Floyd hanging around you that you kept interacting with him, it was also true that you had found yourself slowly growing more and more fond of him, though you sometimes wondered if the same could be said for him. Especially since getting a read on Floyd could be as difficult as divining what, exactly, was going on in Crowley’s head.

You really couldn’t blame your friends for worrying a bit about the fact that Floyd had been spending more and more time with you when you considered his rather… odd personality.

 After all, while Floyd was indeed laidback, he could also be quite sinister at times in ways that reminded you that he and his brother likely handled a fair bit of dirty work.

You twisted to the side to glance behind you at the young man in question, who was currently sauntering along behind you. His arms crossed behind his head as he looked off to the side at the horizon with a vaguely bored expression.

And the more you thought about it, the stranger it seemed that Floyd had started spending time with you. 

It had started after Azul’s overblot, and you’d assumed he’d been intrigued but that he’d soon drift away after getting bored. In fact, you’d even reassured Jack, in particular, that hanging around you probably just served as a way for Floyd to kill time.

But that hadn’t turned out to be the case.

Instead, Floyd continued to hang around, and rather than just killing time, he even made numerous and often startling attempts to get to know you better.

By now, you could easily state that he was a friend. Especially since he’d also shown that he could be quite protective of you if he saw you getting bothered. A fact that was touching, considering I’d honestly figured that Floyd just hung around as a means of staving off boredom.

“Shrimpy, look,” Your thoughts were interrupted by Floyd tapping you on the shoulder and then directing your attention off the side. 

Following the direction in which he pointed, you looked towards the horizon where the sun was slowly setting over the sea. The clouds had turned a soft pink hue that made them look like cotton candy as the sun slowly dipped lower and into the steady ebb and flow of the ocean.

“Me and Jade used to swim all the way up to the surface just to look at the sunset sometimes.” You continued to look towards the horizon as Floyd spoke, smiling to yourself at the thought of the two young mermen swimming all that way just to watch the sun set.

“We’d chat about all sorts of stuff, sometimes about what it was like on land… I was always sort of curious about that.” You twisted to look at Floyd as he finished, curious as he continued to stare out at the horizon.

It was odd, in many ways, for Floyd to reminisce in such a fashion, and a small part of you wondered if he was feeling nostalgic for simpler times.

 After all, it was something you could understand in a great many ways. 

There were plenty of times that you thought of your home and wondered about things while missing both it and the people you’d left behind. 

You had largely moved on, recognizing that it might be impossible for me to return home and that you needed to get used to life in Twisted Wonderland, but was it the same for Floyd? He could still return, and that simple fact might make homesickness worse.

But you didn’t question him about any of that. Instead, you smiled at him and tilted your head, “And? Is land everything you expected it to be?”

Floyd glanced down at you, blinking for a moment before a lopsided smile crept across his face and he bobbed his head, “I’d always figured it was just dusty up here, so….”

He trailed off, leaving you to draw my own conclusions, and you snorted at his words before turning to continue on your way to Ramshackle dorm. 

You could hear him strolling along just behind you, but your steps began to become more hesitant as I continued to truly ponder whether or not Floyd missed his life in the sea. 

You didn’t see how he couldn’t, but the thought of him leaving brought an odd sadness that told you that you’d let Floyd get far closer to you than you’d initially  realized.

Logically, you knew his leaving would be a long way off. It wouldn’t be until he graduated, at the very least. But the thought still made you oddly sad. Which was something that was surprising and might have been the reason that you spoke without even entirely meaning to. 

Your words were little more than a murmur as your steps slowed, “Do you miss living under the sea?”

In no way had you meant to actually voice such thoughts, and you almost froze up when you realized that you had spoken aloud. But at least your words had been quiet, and when Floyd didn’t immediately respond, you relaxed. Assuming he hadn’t heard me.

But then he spoke in a nonchalant tone that was somehow surprising, even though it was very characteristic of Floyd, “It used to be worse when we first came here. But it’s gotten better recently.” 

Your eyes widened at his words, and you found myself turning to see Floyd looking off towards the horizon once more. 

He tilted his head, though. His mismatched eyes sliding back towards you in an amused fashion that told you he was waiting.

And in some ways, a petulant part of you didn’t want to say anything else since he’d made it quite clear that he knew you did have something you wanted to say. But you found yourself crossing your arms as you spoke once more, “What changed?”

Floyd grinned, his amusement coming through fully now as he leaned forward. His hands shoved their way into his pockets as he peered a little closer at you. Almost like he was looking forward to seeing your reaction to whatever he was about to say.

“Ya’ forget stuff as you get older Shrimpy, and I’ve been forgetting about missing home more and more,” Floyd paused, looking at you almost expectantly before he giggled and grabbed your hands. Swinging them between us in a playful way that had you looking up at him in utter confusion.

His words made sense, considering you were in a similar position. Growing more used to living here and missing my home less and less. But his playful, almost giddy actions were confusing.

“You aren’t fair, Shrimpy~ Replacing my homesickness with your presence.” His words caused your eyes to go wide as you froze. Unsure of what to say in response to such an assertion.

You realized, of course, that he was teasing you, but you also couldn’t let go of the large part of you that was incredibly flustered by his words.

You recovered slowly, though, as Floyd snickered at you and you tugged your hands out of his. “That’s not fair, Floyd. You shouldn’t say stuff like that,” You glanced away from him, finding yourself looking anywhere but his grinning face.

“Even if it’s true?” His tone had a distinct lilt to it, but it had you turning to look at him in surprise once more, only to see him smiling calmly at you.

And right now, in this instant, Floyd only looked gentle. Not teasing, moody, or even wild. But you were fairly sure that was one of the reasons you had been letting Floyd get gradually closer to you until you were feeling more and more affection for him. 

You’d realized quite some time ago that Floyd wasn’t just moody. It was true that he was incredibly moody, wild, and free, but he was also gentle and, surprisingly enough, honest. It was true that his honesty typically came in the form of almost painful bluntness, but Floyd wasn’t one to lie.

If Jade was highly likely to lie, then Floyd was highly likely to be truthful. Not to say that Jade couldn’t be honest or that Floyd couldn’t lie. It was just that both of them had their usual methods.

Perhaps it was his way of coping with growing up alongside Jade, who was a flawless liar, and perhaps Floyd just felt that lying served little purpose when the truth could hurt just as much. But either way, Floyd was probably the most truthful of the Octatrio. 

And that was what made his words so alarming. The realization that he wasn’t just teasing you right now. 

While he was definitely picking on you, he was also being honest. And that…. That was startling.

“Floyd….” You even sounded like you were at a loss. Not knowing how to feel.

 And in response to your confused emotions, Floyd smiled. A picture of amusement as he leaned towards you, “I like you, Shrimpy. You’re fun and unpredictable, and I expect to continue liking you forever. Even if you aren’t fair~” 

You fought to find words as he looked at you even as he sauntered on by you. A grin on his face that said he knew exactly what he was doing and found it incredibly amusing. 

But that was another thing about Floyd. As honest as he was and as gentle as he could be he also did take great delight in toying with people.

This was the careful road that you’d been walking with Floyd and you had already found yourself slipping gradually closer to him even though you knew perfectly well of the risks even without your friend’s concerns. 

But then who at this school was without risks?

So you trotted after him, bumping into him slightly as you did my best to match his pace and walk side by side with him, “Promise?”

You grinned at him, feeling oddly giddy and earning yourself a grin that matched mine as Floyd looked at me and leaned just a touch closer with glimmering eyes just before he winked playfully and made an idle slashing motion at his chest with one finger, “Cross my heart.”

[when-life-gives-you-lemons-if]

I'm thinking of starting my own IF but I don't know where to start. How are you able to write multiple IFs together and do you have any tips for first timers like me?

Hey, that's great! 💕

We definitely need more stories in the IF community. A few quick tips I can offer...

Start slow. Don't overwhelm yourself. Just write a scene—maybe a small interaction with an NPC or RO—and see how it feels. Do you like it? Does it work?

Consider gender-locking at first. It helps you focus on story and interaction without needing to code different pronoun or dynamic responses right away. You can always expand later.

Write the story you'd want to read. I only write stuff I want to see my MC in. That way, I want to keep writing because I want to know how the story ends.

Choicescript takes a little getting used to. But once it clicks, you'll be fine. Here are some links for beginners: Link.

For Twine Here

If you're curious how I ended up with so many WIPs, I actually talked about that here in this interview.

Good luck with your writing! Just try not to stress about it too much.

[methbayprisonblues]

More thoughts about them and the dads under the cut

Ron as a girl dad

has absolutely zero idea how to interact with her

his early attempts to bond with her came across so awkwardly that it factored into terry jr hating him even more

he thinks that she could be a great businesswoman

she baked him a cake for his first birthday with them after he married samantha and he was so happy he didn’t eat it

Lauren

is a theater kid and has a great singing voice

loves make up and does cute styles for the whole cheer squad on game days

honestly started worrying for her mom after she told her that she met a guy on pet finder, she figured it was a cover story for her mom wanting to start dating again

she started taking part in more and more clubs/activities at school after her dad passed so that she would have less time to think about that

Henry as a girl dad

was thrilled to be having a baby girl, despite how much he also insists healthy is all that is important to him

calls her princesa

has a weird internal conflict about calling her beautiful like he calls his boys, because he doesn’t want to equate her physical appearance with her value as a person, but he also doesn’t want to exclude her or make her feel not beautiful

tries his hardest to raise his kids in non-gender specific ways while still respecting the things that they choose to like even if they are very traditionally gendered things

Dove

most likely to grow up into a nudist/takes advantage of the oak-garcia’s clothing optional household policy

is eerily like Barry at times in a way that unsettled Henry and he never understood why

she has, on more than one occasion, failed to turn in homework because the family goat ate it

she isn’t really allowed to babysit her brothers because she won’t do anything to stop them from getting into trouble, in fact, she encourages them

Darryl as a girl dad

would have thought he wanted a boy first, someone to throw a ball around with, but he was immediately crying over the idea of someday walking his little girl down the aisle the second they found out the gender

cried every time he saw how little the baby clothes were, the little dresses broke him

he also grew up with an older sister so it made sense for him to have a girl first then a boy

he is the kind of dad who thinks his daughter shouldn’t date until shes 30, but hes also trying to be more progressive about that

Grace

Grace is actually her middle name (Cassandra Grace Wilson)

tootsie pops are her favorite candy, they are her charleston chews, and like darryl she has an addiciton to sweets which leads to body image issues

she loves sports, mostly because she likes to watch them with her dad, they have a whole routine to game days and have hardcore superstitions

she drives a red vw beetle that she got for her 16th birthday (which caused a minor arguement between Darryl and Carol)

Glenn as a girl dad

was just happy to have a little buddy around, hes raising rockstars not boys or girls

was convinced she was throwing up the devil horns in her first ultrasound

subscribed hard to the idea that music is good for babies in utero and played for morgans tummy all the time

he practiced learning to braid/style girls hair on morgan so he could do his kids hair someday (morgan would braid his hair in return so she could practice too)

Stevie

was near prodigy level of piano player, but she stopped lessons after her mom passed

cuts her own hair (with Glenn’s help to clip the back)

first name is actually Stephanie but its only ever used by Glenn to tease her (she insists he can’t make fun of the name that he chose)

she does most of the cooking and cleaning for their household but hates putting away laundry so she, glenn, and nick tend to share a lot of clothes

bonus THOTS thought:

i share custody of these girls with @umbreonxespeon

we call them thots because we got lazy with asking for ‘thoughts’ while trying to create the girls

The Harbingers Of Teen Spirit

none of the girls are straight

do you ever just think about the dads being girl dads first? because I do constantly

Introducing

Lauren *probably had a last name that isn't Stampler*: the most well adjusted girl, takes after her mother Samantha, she has the best social life of the group, is kind and friendly and is honestly just happy her mom is happy even if her new step-dad Ron is a little strange, she understands Terry Jr's resentment but is a lot nicer about it to ron's face, a wizard in the forgotten realms

Dove Oak-Garcia: Dove gave Henry and Mercedes a little false hope about all children being as well behaved as her, she has embraced the nature loving, hippie dippie lifestyle her parents have and is more laid back than Lark and Sparrow but does nothing to help stop their chaos, she didn't know it but she looks just like her grandma autumn, she is a cleric/druid multiclass, who tried so hard to help everyone that one day she just had to turn into a wolf and go live in the woods for a few years

Grace Wilson: Captain of the San Dimas High Cheerleading team, Grace is the epitome of Darryl's mini-me and a daddys girl through and through, does that drive a wedge between her and Carol? the world may never know, a good catholic girl through and through, sure hope no amount of forgotten realms trauma shakes that up, a paladin in the forgotten realms

Stevie Close/Stephanie Foster: nothing is more punk rock than being parentified after the death of your mother, Stevie is very used to taking care of her little brother and sees their dad in a lot harsher of a light than Nick does, before the forgotten realms she was a little jealous of the other girls for having normal dads, then she actually met the other dads, Stevie is, to her own chagrin, a bard just like her dad

gorgeous gorgeous perfect art done by @when-sanpape-arts

I genuinely can't praise it enough

[gguk-n]

hii can you write one where y/n is dating brocedes at the same time in 2016 and then they find out?

Triple Threat

2016 was a tough year for Lewis and Nico’s friendship; not only on track but off track. Everyone knew how things were going on track but no one knew of the turmoil Y/N was causing off track.

“Lew, you were great” Y/N cooed as they cuddled after the British GP. The title fight was in full swing; “I’m just happy I have you” Lewis mumbled as he sucked on her neck. Y/N moaned softly pulling Lewis in for a kiss. The spent the whole night together as her phone buzzed away. In the morning Y/N left the room with a note on the table saying she was checking up on Nico.

Y/N, Lewis and Nico had been friends since they could remember. They had grown up racing each other in karting and now she watched her two favourite boys race against each other in the same team.

It was almost a year back when Lewis had told her he liked her. Y/N had been dating Nico at that time, unbeknownst to Lewis. They had started dating six months ago and decided to keep it quiet for a while. Y/N could never choose between the two; so when Nico asked her out she agreed; having nursing a crush on the pair since they were teens. So when Lewis asked her out later, she agreed. The two never spoke about their feelings towards Y/N and now they wouldn’t either with the raging title fight. Y/N would end up dividing her time between the two, enjoying the best of both worlds.

After leaving Lewis’s room, Y/N entered Nico’s with the key card she had. The two of them always gave her a key card so that she could come and leave as she wished.

Nico was asleep when she slipped under the covers. The movement of the bed made Nico stir, wrapping his arms around her. “You don’t care about your poor boyfriend” he chided. She pressed a kiss on his lips. “I do but Lewis is my friend too” she remarked snuggling closer. “Stupid Lewis, he gets everything” he muttered and closed his eyes to get some sleep. Little did Nico know, he was correct.

Things went on like that, Y/N juggling her time with the two. Since they were barely interacting without cussing each other out; she was able to continue to date them. But it all came to a head at the Abu Dhabi GP when Nico won the championship with just 5 points after finishing the race behind Lewis. The anger bubbling under Lewis was uncontrollable. Nico in his happiness ran towards Y/N who was with their team. He swept her in his arms and planted a sweaty and messy kiss on her lips. Lewis, who was only a few feet away saw the scene unfold in front of him. Y/N's eyes were wide and she could see Lewis's heart shatter for the second time that night. She moved away from Nico trying to get to Lewis only to be pulled back by Nico who had turned to look at Lewis but he was charging towards the pair. In a flash, Lewis's fist made contact with Nico's face. There were people trying to pull them off each other and cameras flashing, everyone knew what the next headline was going to be. It was only after a while were they able to do that. The cameras flashed as 2 bruised Formula One drivers stood in front of each other, Nico wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth.

"Cheater" Lewis spat towards Y/N who was stood there in shock with tears in her eyes. "I have no clue how long this has been going on for but she's been dating you behind my back" Lewis spoke. "I can explain" Y/N stuttered. "No. You played me, for that fact us" Lewis chided before he stormed off. "What is saying?" Nico asked with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry" was all that came out of her mouth. "Way to ruin someone" Nico said before leaving for the weigh in.

Mercedes were able to get Y/N out of harms way. She tried to talk to the both of them but she realised than that her selfishness had lost her the two people she loved the most in the world.

[intothedysphoria]

Loads of friends. A boyfriend who loved him. A job that paid at least minimum wage. Shots. Sabrina Carpenter tour. Cosmetology school.

Everything was going great before Steve collapsed into his boyfriend’s arms in a Walmart parking lot.

POTS. That’s what the doctor said. Steve Harrington was chronically ill and had been pushing himself far too much, with popularity and work and school. It was gonna break eventually.

He spent the weekend sobbing on the floor because he couldn’t get up and his head hurt and everything in his vision was clouded over.

Billy got him a cushion for his head. Water to keep him hydrated. They started looking at mobility aides together.

Billy was no stranger to disability. After a freak accident at 18, he was an ambulatory wheelchair user and had, in retrospect, very obvious adhd. He was extremely supportive of Steve and was going to be very strict in not letting him bypass his physical health.

A big thing Steve saw to help POTS was exercise. He was getting plenty of that in already, being on the college basketball team. Then the final nail in the coffin was hammered in.

He was going to have to stop going out.

No more clubbing, alcohol made it worse. Cut down on coffee. Let his body rest before pushing it as hard as he had been.

It was hell. Steve’s autism actually thrived off social interaction so feeling shut in was torture.

Billy made it better in little ways.

He let Steve practice on him for school. He cooked his famous lasagne. They held hands while watching trashy reality tv.

Steve asked if Billy thought dropping all of his activities made him weak.

Billy blew his mullet out of his face and rolled his eyes. Hard.

“The exact opposite. Jesus, Harrington.”

Then he gave Steve a cuddle to make sure Steve knew he wasn’t actually mad.

The walking stick Steve chose was hot pink and he put little basketball stickers all over it. Billy said he loved it and Steve did too.

[mirims1997]

A Line Crossed

Summary: Following the Pr written statement released by Ashlyn, Bellingham’s new love interest, Jude Bellingham finds himself in the midst of media scrutiny. In an attempt to save his image, his mom hires a sharp Pr agent who takes over to fix Jude’s tarnished reputation and along the way ends up mending his heart.

————————————————————————

Chapter 2: Mutual (Dis)like?

Sitting alone with Jude and Denise in a conference room usually exclusive for HR is beyond nerve-wrecking. I go through the pages provided by my Media researcher silently as Denise scrolls through her phone and Jude sends daggers my way. I can understand the apparent dislike but he is too relentless with it. I lift my head, hold his gaze for a second, a poor attempt at making peace after that tense first interaction, and smile. He reciprocates the gaze but not the smile. I hold his gaze a tad longer and something almost imperceptible shifts in his face as he scratches his newly grown beard and looks away.

“Ashlyn Castro, can you elaborate on how you met and the nature of your relationship?”

This seems to snap Denise out of her reveries as she puts down her phone, glances at me then at Jude expectantly. His eyes meet mine in a mastered nonchalance, something I am quite familiar with.

“We met at a night club. She approached me. I liked her physique. Slept with her 4 times in a row in one night. Liked the experience enough to reach out again. Yeah. Great in bed, she is.” I scoff internally at the disgusting display of male ego and at how typical of a narrative this story makes: a footballer falling for a model because of how attractive she looks and how well she fucks.

“is the nature of the relationship you have now what you had in mind at the start or is it collateral damage?” I had to ask, because I cannot seem to place this man in a clear cut category and that doesn’t sit well with me. For once, I can feel nerves emanating from him. He doesn’t feel comfortable disclosing that in front of his mother.

“Ms Bellingham, can we have a moment of privacy?” Denise’s eyes widen at my bluntness but she collects her bag, moves past me and in a surprising gesture, squeezes my shoulder on her way out.

Now sitting alone with just Jude, the room made for a full board of agents seems a lot tighter. He doesn’t answer me for a while. Instead, he stares me down once again so intensely I can feel the heat of his gaze warm the back of my neck. He stands up, moves from his seat at the far end of the table across from me and saunters to the closest spot possible, the chair next to mine. He sits down, turns towards me, manspreads and speaks in a voice much lower and rougher. “You asked my mother to leave. That got me comfortable, you know? I hope you can deal with how at ease I can be under the right circumstances.” His attempt at throwing me off my game is quite interesting. What I cannot see is why he would try at all. Was it my domineering “sit down” that annoyed him so much or the loss of control my question brought him? I have two options and my choice will be decisive when it comes to the nature of the rest of our transaction. It’s either I set rigid limits, keep him at arms length and by extension have him be guarded and uncooperative or I play by a different set of rules and I get what I want. I can feel his stare burning my side profile as I look forward and contemplate on how to proceed with him. What throws me off and makes me admittedly nervous is the twisted effect he seems to have on me. How is it that I am under his scrutiny while my job is to have him under mine? Jude seems to be more assertive and commanding than I gave him credit for. I turn my chair so abruptly towards him and he doesn’t see it at all because his eyebrows lift so slightly and he lets out a breath I didn’t know he was holding this whole time.

“Jude. I can deal with everything. That is why I am here and not one of my 85 colleagues. Now, how do you want this to go? You answer my question and we build on that or you continue this poor nonchalant act and I get information, be it right or wrong, my own way?” For once, Jude’s face consorts in a genuine smile. I can feel a blush creep up my cheeks.

“For someone young as you seem to be, you sure have a knack for getting things your own way. Do you not? As for your question. It was neither. It is true that I did not want to date Ashlyn but I did want to continue sleeping with her. She satisfies me plenty and her moans tell me I do the same.” What a peacock! I can feel my blush intensify at how casual and shameless he is about everything, talking about intimacy as one would about weather or the price of petrol.

“So you want to continue having that with her but under the guise of a relationship? Does she consent to this?”

“She does. It is mutually beneficial for both of us. I get the judgment-free sex. She gets the fame and the privilege of being Jude Bellingham’s girlfriend. Win win? Right?” He grins at me like he wasn’t straight out plotting my death with his eyes few minutes ago. Sierra would absolutely eat this up.

“I will call your mom back in. I believe I have everything I need.” I stand up to gather my things and he just sits there, back at it with following my every move without a care about being caught staring. I exist the room with his eyes now stuck inside my head.

————————————————————————-

“JUDE freaking Bellingham? That’s why they called for? Bernando is fuming he wasn’t picked and I am too but for totally different reasons! He is so hot. You are so lucky! What does he smell like? I bet he is minty!” Sierra squeals in my ear the moment I come back to our shared office.

“Sierra, stop squealing. You are 31!” Not even that shut her up. “Age is just a number babe. How is he like? Do you reckon he could get us tickets at the Bernabeu? 5 years working in Madrid and I’ve never been!”

“He pretends to be a nice and charming lad, but he is conceited and thinks he can bend the world and wind to his wishes. A typical a list celebrity. This is my own judgment so far. Nothing else I can disclose about him or why he is here. Sierra, protocol.” That seems to be enough to keep her silent for the next few minutes.

Bernando is a totally different story. We cross paths in the hallway on my way out and he pretends to be busy on his phone to avoid any communication with me. Another great win today.

————————————————————————-

Finding Cookie the moment I unlock the door is perhaps the only normal and grounding thing about today and everyday. I immediately reach for her and she climbs my legs and meows her way to my arms. “We met Jude Bellingham today kitten. And he is an A list asshole.” I carry her to her spot on the couch and leave her there. I freshen up, prepare a chamomile tea and open the balcony door. Golden hour, my favorite time of the day. It is mind-blowing how it is never less beautiful than the day before it. A creature of habit, I often find myself craving to be loved the same way I admire the golden hour, never decreasing with days, always worshipped with the same intensity.

One of the best perks about my apartment is that even though it is as dull as they get on the inside, its view is beyond magnificent. A year ago, I wouldn’t have thought that I’d be here in Madrid, looking at the city from above, in my own place whose rent I can easily afford with the money I make myself from working at my dream company and excelling at my job.

My phone interrupts my reveries. I can hear Cookie scurrying away. My cat hates my ringtone and runs away everytime my phone rings near her. I feel the same but I, unlike her, just can’t take such liberties.

“Mrs. Renée, I hope all is well?” Mrs Renée is the kind of boss who nearly never calls you outside of working hours, which is something I tremendously appreciate but which also means that it must be extremely important.

“Ms Gibran, I am calling to congratulate you on your great success in securing the Bellinghams. They seem to think you are the perfect fit for what they are looking for. However, I must inform you that Denise would be expecting you to be on call more often than we are used to. This means that invitations to certain events, daily emails, calls and regular updates in the context of meetings are part of your job. Our company will be flexible when it comes to your office schedule as this task will be your priority moving on. Do you have any questions or qualms?”

“Not at all. I would love to help the company as much as possible. Thank you for the opportunity.”

“Good. The Bellinghams have your number, your socials and your email. This will facilitate your communication.” I nearly gasp at the word socials, because despite the fact that our line of work is basically all about that, I try my best to keep my socials out of it. I guess there goes my privacy too.

“Oh and Miriam, you will be meeting Ashlyn in the next few days. I believe you made this request?”

“Yes I did. Thank you for cooperating.”

“Perfect. Good night” because I could get a response in, Renée has already hung up. The realization that I will technically be the Bellinghams’ shadow for fuck knows how long hit me like a track. I need to take a walk.

————————————————————————

Madrid’s streets are always busy. At times it suffocates, and at others, it liberates me. I head to a small pastry shop that sells the best Ensaimada. To reduce anxiety, I’ve learned, sugar is the way. I pick up two Ensaimada and an espresso and continue my walk to my secret spot, La Quinta de los Molinos park. I come here often to find my much needed peace and quiet. It is usually empty, especially at night and that thrills me. An intrusive thought throws me off. All of a sudden, Jude is in my head. I think of him and how his fame has robbed him of a lot of simple pleasures like eating an ensaimada on a good night in a random park.

I pull out my sketchbook and start drawing. I often indulge in non reflective sketches. I let my pencil does the drawing and the thinking. Without any conscious decision, I find myself carefully carving Jude’s jawline. His bone structure, majestic noise, and piercing eyes make of him any painter’s dream muse.

A ball hits my head so fast I feel disoriented. I close my notebook and prepare to rage against whoever came between my art and I.

“¡Madre mía, qué carajo…”

“Sorry Miriam, mistimed my pass.” This cannot be real. What the hell is he doing here? Did I just manifest him through art? What the hell, universe?

I lift my head slowly and Jude is just standing there wearing a hoodie big enough to cover his entire face and my embarrassment if he is willing to take it.

“Darling, would you care to join me for a drill?”

————————————————————————

Hello Jude Girlies! A new update! Let me know what you think of this story and this new chapter! Looking forward to reading your comments ❤️

Until the next update! 🤍

[heartz4levi]

Can you do alst boys x reader in that is like Mafuyu from pjsk (you don’t have to)

i act like i don't feel this way with you !

☆ thinking abt a mafuyu—like reader . . .

☆ various alien stage characters ,, gn reader . . is this my cue to come out as a project sekai fan? ,, this can be interpreted as both a modern au and a regular alnst universe work ,, reader is based off of mafuyu asahina from the game project sekai.

luka would see a hint of himself within you. your picture—perfect achievements, demeanor, it reminds him of himself. he can sense that faint, odd air that surrounds you, the small reflection of your true self that seeps into the cracks.

because of your similarities, you find yourself getting along with luka whilst simultaneously having formed some sort of rivalry with him. he was created to be perfect, meanwhile you are just naturally perfect — as perfect as humans and synthetic ones can get, that is.

nonetheless, whenever the two of you aren't competing, you actually get along. neither of you talk much, but the silence that engulfs the two of you is comfortable.

till isn't sure how to feel about you. the things you achieve are a little bit too great, and you pull them off way too flawlessly. you usually keeping to yourself isn't something that bothers till though, he can understand it.

you're unsettling, in a way, in till's eyes but he can't say he doesn't admire your talent — well, talents. it seems like you have several. on the rare instance that he decides to reach out to you, the air is rather awkward. you aren't an individual of many words and till really just doesn't know what to say to you.

he'll hesitantly approach you, his body stiff as he asks for a word of advice. as much of an oddball as you are to him though, till doesn't think you're too bad.

ivan, too, finds you odd. but he's intrigued — every time you're around, his eyes are on you. watching how you do everything with ease but how something within you changes whenever someone ropes you into an unexpected conversation. you become more stiff, more uncertain, stark in contrast to how you behave when you are left alone.

weird as it may sound, ivan observes you as if you're some sort of lab rat. he can't help but want to figure out what it is that makes you tick, how you manage to juggle being good at so many things all at once. he has a lingering feeling that it's hard and stressful even for you, though.

as for how you and ivan would interact, however, he makes you feel a bit uneasy. he's always looking at you so closely, picking his words so carefully. it causes your mind to wrack, trying to figure out if he's up to something — but the more you get to know him and vice versa, you find out that all he wanted was to know you better.

hyunwoo admires your expertise in several fields. he thinks you're pretty cool for being able to excel at so many things and might even approach you from time to time.

he'll speak to you as if you've known each other for a while now. his body language is a casual, lax one, the complete opposite of yours — reluctant, slightly on guard. hyunwoo can sense it, hence why the next time he strikes up a conversation with you, he'll tone everything down a notch even if he isn't a particularly overwhelming individual.

slowly but surely, you'll start to warm up to hyunwoo. he's been pretty laid—back from the start so nothing much changes in regards to his behavior. over time, you learn that he's a reliable, nice person, prompting the two of you to become quite close.

dewey doesn't acknowledge you much. he knows your name, recognizes your face, will admit that you're a jack of all trades and master of plenty.

but he never really goes out of his way to befriend you — and honestly, you're sort of glad he doesn't. the two of you are polar opposites. he's more outgoing, more brawns than brain, someone who would send your senses into overdrive the second he starts talking to you.

the few times you do talk, dewey doesn't even notice how apprehensive you seem to be. he just goes on and on, talking about whatever has been on his mind lately and asking you a couple of questions to make sure you're still engaged in the conversation.

isaac is someone who you see hanging around dewey rather often, which causes you to assume that he is probably just as overzealous as his friend. right?

wrong. similar to hyunwoo, isaac's behavior is leaning towards the down to earth side, the only difference being that he isn't as extroverted. not that you mind, though.

your conversations tend to be pretty short and blunt. neither of you are the type to sugarcoat things, deciding to be honest instead — there are plenty of people in this word who would take offense to that bluntness, but the two of you understand each other in a way that no one else does.

[memememaybe]

SEND ME “🍷” OR "BLIND" ; I will use this wheelpicker to choose one of my characters and throw our characters on a blind date !

[somegrumpynerd]

Cross has trouble getting to sleep alone in his room and goes looking for a distraction, but ends up finding a solution for both of them

[barschter000]

broke: Due to his attractiveness, Barok has slept with countless (wo)men.

woke: Despite his attractiveness, Barok is a virgin.

Bespoke: Because of entirely different factors, Barok does not know what sex is.

[pyrosomatic-metamorphosis]

tbh i think that even unwinnable fights should be winnable. some of the BEST fights i've ever run as a dm were ones i built kill the players (in a fun way. I had some cutscenes prepped so even the loss would be a different flavour of win)- but then they were clever bastards and managed to either win the fights or pull themselves out of trouble. I think it's perfectly fine to plan for a fight that players aren't supposed to win, but you need to let them. if they can't win, they can't lose, and the meaning of that encounter is diminished. do that too many times, and they stop trusting you to give them roleplay prompts and start expecting to sit there waiting while you drive the story for them.

but if they can win... if there is always the chance to win, no matter how impossible the odds, then they ALWAYS have hope. they always get invested. they feel the big emotions of success or the big emotions of failure, and you fucking Win as a dm/roleplay prompter/lead bastard.

[raleighrador]

This whole post is a non-sequitur. The presence of dramatic irony at the level of the audience’s intended received interpretation of what’s portrayed on screen in no way really interacts with what we’re therefore supposed to conclude about the mindset or behavioural state of the characters portrayed.

It’s reductive to say “this is ironic” and from that conclude “the Jedi don’t deserve these criticisms”.

This is especially true when one of the core dramatic ironies that runs throughout the entire prequels (especially when viewed in context of the OT) is the Jedi NOT being who we thought they were, who Ben and Yoda said they were.

They’re not wise peace keepers who safe guard the republic. They’re not enlightened. They’re deeply flawed, fallible, political, and ultimately they failed in their self imposed mandate of protecting the republic from the Sith.

They’re the good guys - but they fail.

These specific instances are part of that wider theme.

One the first claim: Contemporary analogies about how plausible the Sith are or not are always difficult. The bigger points to my mind are 2 fold - they reject actual testimony. Qui-Gon is the only person who saw Maul. He’s a Jedi master. He presumably has broadly equivalent knowledge of what a Sith is and looks like to any other Jedi master. He says “this guy was super skilled and had a red lightsaber, I am very confident he’s a Sith”. The council’s reaction - apart from Yoda - is “I don’t believe it’s possible for us to not know something important”.

It’s a frankly crazy claim to make. It speaks to a base level of ridiculous hubris. The galaxy is huge. The Jedi have very little - if any presence - outside the Republic. How on earth can they be confident they know everything? This is echoed in episode 2 when Jocasta Nu asserts that information that doesn’t exist in the archives cannot exist at all. It’s a belief that they Jedi have the sum total of all knowable information.

Yoda, of course, is the one person in both I stances who actually remembers the Jedi can make mistakes but he still under reacts.

We can disagree on whether “ok sure as a side quest to protecting the Queen you can investigate” is a reasonable response. I would suggest not - because it implies an overly great level of confidence in themselves and in Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon (the person who duelled Maul) is the one most worried. The council’s reaction basically say “nah you’ll be fine, chin up champ you’ll get him next time. No need for back up”.

On the second point, about Dooku. If we’re just using the movies it’s not at all clear to me that the Jedi behave reasonably in either scenario.

The movies give us no information either way about whether Windu and Dooku were friends. We have no context for their relationship (or Dooku at all) at this point. All we know is he’s a rebel leader and apparently a former Jedi.

Windu and Mundi are also performing some weird mental gymnastics when it comes to what they believe Dooku or any Jedi is capable of.

The scene in questions opens with Windu and Yoda discussing the separatist crisis with Palpatine. Windu is the one who specifically makes the point that the Jedi can’t fight a war (“we’re keepers of the peach, not soldiers”).

So to be clear - Windu believes a war is very possible, and it will be because of Dooku leading a separatist movement.

So… either Windu believes it’s perfectly feasible that a Jedi - while still acting like a Jedi - would start a war but that same Jedi wouldn’t use assassination as a strategy OR he believes Dooku has changed enough that even though he’s a former Jedi, he would willingly star a war (which begs the question of how much he’s changed).

That’s just a very muddled and incomprehensible position to hold. The most charitable thing I can say is that Windu is not able to divorce the implications of Dooku’s known actions from his past as a Jedi. That’s still not great.

More than that - it’s a literal fallacy to say “he is incapable of doing a bad thing because he’s a Jedi” because there is nothing that stops Jedi from doing bad things. We know they’re capable of violence when they think it’s justified. We know they make mistakes.

How then can Windu and Mundi be so confident in their conclusion? So confident that they don’t even bother ordering any follow up investigation until after a second assassination attempt.

On Kenobi dismissing Dooku’s claims: again, if you’re going purely on the movies, it isn’t clear that a) Obi-Wan thinks what you claim or b) it would be reasonable for him to do so.

By the time of the Geonosis interrogation Obi-Wan knows: the Sith are back and real and the master is missing, Dooku is Qui-Gon’s master, Dooku has teamed up with a bunch of corporate baddies to strong arm the Republic. These are decent reasons to be suspicious, yes. They’re not reasons to totally reject the idea in its totally with the stated justification of “impossible, the Jedi would have sensed it”. It’s not even clear to me they’re reasons to think he’s lying. Like… he never denies any of the above? The only thing Kenobi learns during his investigation that wasn’t public knowledge was a) the existence of the clone army and b) the existence of the droid army.

The fact that he’s allies with the various corporate entities and is threatening a war was established in the very first scene.

So what has Dooku lied about that means Obi-Wan can’t believe anything he says? What does he actually say?

Dooku’s story is “the reason I’ve been forced into this political position is because space Satan - who you know is real and still out there - is in charge of the Republic.” That is genuinely a plausible story.

What might force a formerly noble Jedi into such an extreme political position that he’s even willing to try assassinate people and maybe build an army and start a war?

The Sith controlling the republic.

That’s literally Dooku’s explanation. He confirms that a) the Naboo crisis was a Sith plot (Kenobi knows this) b) the trade Feds worked with Sidious (confirmation of something the Jedi believed) c) the reason I’m doing all this is because I want to destroy the Sith, please help.

And to be clear, that’s the exact logic the Jedi adopt by the end of the movie (Speratists are controlled by Sith therefore we need to compromise our morals and wage a war).

Obi-Wan doesn’t even entertain the idea. He doesn’t even say “where is your evidence” he says “that’s not possible. The Jedi would have sensed it.”

Again - the base assumption is that it is impossible for the Jedi to not know something the think they should know.

And to note - it isn’t dramatic irony at the level of what the audience is intended to perceive because at this point in the movie the audience DON’T KNOW DOOKU IS A SITH.

That is only confirmed later - during the hangar duel - and that he is working for Sidious only in the very last scene.

The Jedi and Dramatic Irony

A lot of online SW fans have no idea what dramatic irony is.

Dramatic irony is a literary device where the audience or reader knows something that the characters in a story or play do not, creating a sense of suspense and heightened tension

Couple of my favorite things that people give jedi the news over is...

Thinking the jedi were arrogant for thinking the sith wouldn't come back without their realizing it

2. Almost anything in regards to Dooku in the films

For the first, and this is just using the movies for context, mind you, but if the knights templar showed up after a 700ish years of hiding and starting taking potshots at the french government, your first thought probably wouldn't be "oh it's the knights templar". After a thousand years, thinking the problem of the sith was settled is actually pretty reasonable. Disbelief and sending someone to investigate is the appropriately measured reaction.

For the second, Mace and Dooku were friends. He was noted as a political idealist. Because the Jedi aren't supposed to be doing things like assassination, disbelief is an understandable, if ultimately incorrect, reaction. For Dooku telling Obi Wan that the republic was under the control of a sith lord. I also would not believe the old man teaming up with a litany of corporate bad guys trying to start a war and kill a senator who's trying to advocate for peace. Why *would* I take what he said at face value?

There's others, but it's generally interesting to me how much the fanbase has pressure cooked the idea that good guys can't be wrong for understandable reasons. The jedi, for mundane reasons, thought the sith were gone after a thousand years and thus had that shit on lock. Similarly, Dooku in scenario a) was assumed to still be behaving like a jedi master ought to, and in scenario b), was assumed to be completely untrustworthy given what Obi Wan had witnessed.

There's things to beef with the jedi about. Like how they tend to ignore prophecy for better or worse, or how they handled Schmi, or how married they were to the de facto galactic government.

All of which are examples found throughout the movies.

We know the jedi are wrong about darth maul because we see it on screen. But just like the knights templars of old, it's an incredibly out of context problem that even pre-dated Yoda.

We know Mace and Obi Wan are wrong about Dooku because we see it on screen. But when Mace discussed him, he was known to be trust worthy. When Obi did, Dooku was a lying war conspirator.

Both examples of dramatic irony, both examples the SW fanbase use to give the jedi the business about their arrogance.