#thought i should make this since obviously no game = no new sets

[monzabee]

You know I'm obsessed with the nanny series so of course I have to send my little request to get more of them!!

And I was thinking, what if Jack has a football game and so Hotch and the nanny come to see him? I let you work your magic on that one, I trust you with all my heart 👀🩷

ice pops, jerseys, and the hotchner frown - a. hotchner

criminal minds masterlist || part of the nanny series

Summary: you show up for one of jack’s soccer games, and aaron has never been so distracted in his life.

Pairing: aaron hotchner x nanny!reader

Word Count: 2.5k 

Warnings: hotch is down baaaad and he is in his feeelingssss, jealousy (duh) but other than that, none

Author’s Note: ALI THANK YOU FOR THIS REQUEST, this was very fun for me to work with and i hope you like this!!!

Please also note that all of my works are protected under copyright, and not available for reposting on other platforms. 

Aaron likes to think that he is a modern man. He is up with the times; thanks to Penelope Garcia and her newsletter updates on pop culture news as well as tech updates, for him to consider as their unit chief, of course. And he would never dream of telling anyone what to wear, let alone a woman—let alone you. He’d also like to think that you’ve managed to break down all his expectations when it comes to fashion, he’s only now realizing how wrong he’s been.  

But when he steps into Jack’s soccer practice and sees you standing there in that jersey, it takes everything in him to keep his expression neutral. Jack spots him first, waving excitedly from the field. “Dad!” he calls, voice full of excitement. “Did you see? Y/N’s wearing my jersey!” 

Aaron’s mouth parts slightly before he clamps it shut. He does see. The red and white jersey with “Hotchner” stamped across the back fits on you like a glove. It’s his son’s, and yet, for some inexplicable reason, the sight of you in it makes something tighten in his chest, and somewhere else he’d rather not focus on at the moment. 

You turn at Jack’s announcement, grinning as you meet Aaron’s gaze. “Hey, Mister Hotchner,” you say, and it makes him feel a thousand times worse because you genuinely don’t realize what you’ve just done to him. “Jack said I needed to wear this for good luck.” 

Aaron blinks, willing himself to focus on your words rather than the way the jersey clings to you in places it has no business clinging to. “Good luck,” he echoes, voice steady—only because he’s had years of practice keeping his emotions in check. 

“Duh, for the game, obviously.” You gesture to the field, where Jack and his teammates are running drills. “I’ve been promoted to unofficial team mascot.” Aaron exhales slowly, nodding as if this is all perfectly normal. It should be. And yet, it’s not. Because it’s his name stretched across your back, his son’s jersey molding against your frame. And now, all he can think about is how easily you’ve slipped into their lives, how natural it feels to see you here, cheering Jack on, standing beside him. “I know your meeting ran late, but Dave got here early so he could set up for the drills, so you should be fine, coach.” 

“What did you just call me?” He asks as he turns towards you faster than he’d like. 

You blink up at him, completely unfazed by the sharpness of his tone. You tilt your head, clearly amused. “Coach? That is what you are, right?” 

Aaron narrows his eyes at you, but there’s no real heat behind it. “Since when do you call me that?” 

You shrug. “Since you started bossing people around with that serious FBI voice of yours. Thought it was fitting.” 

A small smirk tugs at the corner of his lips before he tamps it down. He is the coach, and he’s used to being called that by the kids and their parents. But hearing you say it in that teasing lilt, wearing his name—it does something to him.  Before he can say anything, the whistle blows, signaling the end of practice. Jack waves at you from afar as he calls for his father to join them. 

“Are you sticking around?” Aaron asks, already knowing the answer. 

You shrug, rocking back on your heels. “Of course. Someone’s gotta be here to hand out the orange slices.” 

He gives you a dutiful nod—something Jack also does, now that you think about it. “I’ll see you after the game.” 

He tries to focus on the game, he really does. He is the coach, after all. But the task proves to be nearly impossible, as all he can think about is the way his son’s old jersey fits around you, snug as a bug, and those goddamn shorts that you are wearing. He’d love nothing more to march up to Washington and make them pass a law that prohibits you from ever wearing shorts like that outside the house, but he’s a little preoccupied at the moment. And don’t even get him started by the way you’ve made yourself at home on the sidelines—legs crossed, sun-kissed skin on full display, completely oblivious to the chaos you’re causing in his head. 

It’s absurd, really. He’s a grown man, an FBI agent, a father, and yet he can’t seem to stop himself from glancing over between plays, from tracking your movements out of the corner of his eye. It’s distracting in a way he’s not proud of. Aaron is a disciplined man. He has spent years perfecting his ability to compartmentalize, to suppress, to control—but right now? But it proves to be an arduous task to compartmentalize, as you lean forward to hand Jack a water bottle, the jersey riding up just enough to make his already wayward thoughts worse—he feels like he’s losing a battle he didn’t even realize he was fighting. 

And don’t even get him started on the way you cheer. 

It should be innocent. It is innocent. But every time you call out Jack’s name, every time you shout encouragement in that bright, excited voice, Aaron feels something deep in his chest unravel. He swears he even hears Dave chuckle from the other end of the bench, because of course he would notice.  

Rossi has a talent for sniffing out trouble, and right now, Aaron is drowning in it.  From his spot near the bench, he lets out a quiet chuckle “You know, for a man who prides himself on control, you’re slipping,” Rossi murmurs, just low enough for Aaron to hear. 

Aaron doesn’t look away from the field. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Rossi hums knowingly. “Right.” 

Aaron exhales sharply, forcing himself to focus. But when he hears you laugh, it takes everything in him not to look. And then he does.  

And he immediately regrets it. 

Because you’re sitting there, completely unaware of the absolute disaster you’re causing in his head, eating a popsicle like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Aaron feels his jaw tighten. His grip on the clipboard in his hand, already tense, threatens to snap it in two. He tells himself to look away, to focus on the game, to coach—but it’s impossible when you’re sitting there, all sun-kissed skin and bright eyes, tongue darting out to catch a stray drop of melted syrup before it drips onto your fingers. And he even hates himself for catching the way a stray drop drips onto your bare skin.  

He should not be watching this. 

And yet, he can’t seem to stop. 

The ice pop is red—strawberry? cherry?—he doesn’t know, doesn’t care, except that it’s leaving a stain on your lips, and his thoughts spiral into places they should not go. He drags a hand over his face, as if that will somehow erase the image from his brain. It doesn’t. 

“Hotch.” He hears Rossi calling out to him, but it’s a distant sound in his head. 

Aaron blinks, forcing his attention back to the field, only to find Rossi staring at him with an expression that’s far too smug for his liking. “Hmm?” he grunts, clearing his throat. 

“You’re staring.” 

“I’m coaching,” Aaron corrects, schooling his face into something neutral. 

Rossi smirks. “Right. And I’m the Queen of England.” 

Aaron exhales slowly through his nose, gripping the clipboard even tighter. He is coaching. He is focused on the game. Except he can still see you out of the corner of his eye, tilting your head back slightly as you take another slow, deliberate pull of the ice pop. 

He’s never hated frozen desserts more in his life, and he’s convinced of three things: 

One, this is, without a doubt, some kind of karmic punishment. Two, he is well and truly screwed. And three, Rossi is heading towards you.  

Rossi is heading towards—you. 

Rossi is heading towards you! 

Aaron does what a normal, adult, person would do. Try and focus on the task at hand—the task being his son’s soccer the game, the very game that he is supposed to be coaching, by the way. But he fails. Spectacularly. 

Because Rossi is already strolling toward you with that damn smug expression, hands in his pockets, every step of his leisurely pace feeling like a direct attack on Aaron’s sanity. And then—you look up, all bright-eyed and warm, like you belong here, like you’re completely unaware of the way you’ve turned his world sideways. 

“Y/N,” Rossi greets, easy as ever. “Come sit with us at the bench.” 

You blink up at him, mid-bite into your ice pop. “Oh, I’m okay here—” 

“Nonsense.” Rossi waves a dismissive hand. “You’re already part of the team, unofficial mascot and all. Plus,” he adds, barely sparing Aaron a glance, “our dear coach could use some company.” 

Aaron will kill him. 

You hesitate for only a second before grinning. “Well, if you insist.” 

Rossi definitely insists. Before Aaron can even think to protest, you’re already standing, brushing your hands off on your shorts before following Rossi back to the bench—back to him. 

And suddenly, you’re dropping down onto the seat beside him, close enough that he can smell your sunscreen, the faintest trace of something sweet lingering on your skin. The heat of your leg presses into his, and— 

This is fine. 

This is totally fine. 

“So, Coach,” you tease, nudging his arm. “How do you think we’re doing?” 

Aaron swallows hard. He keeps his eyes fixed on the field, straightening his clipboard as if it will somehow ground him. “They’re playing well,” he says, voice steady. He will not react to the warmth of your touch, to the way your shoulder brushes against his. 

You hum, leaning forward on your elbows and rest them on your knees. “That’s good.” Aaron does not look. Rather, he forces himself not to look. And this strategy proves to be utterly useless, because if he’s been completely honest, it’s very hard for him to focus on his son’s soccer game when you are sitting next to him. You pause for a beat, squinting at the field with a serious expression that makes Aaron glance at you from the corner of his eye. You look…focused. Intent. But then you speak. “Still think we need to work on defense though. Number eleven keeps drifting too far left.” 

Aaron’s head snaps toward you. You don’t look at him, just sip the last of your melting ice pop and squint again, like you’re some kind of assistant coach. “How do you know that?” he asks before he can stop himself. 

You smile, finally meeting his eyes. “What, you think I come to all these practices just for the orange slices?” 

Yes, actually. That is what he thought. You weren’t supposed to notice things like this. You weren’t supposed to talk tactics with him, like it was the most normal thing in the world to be sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the sidelines of his son’s soccer game, sharing this—what is this? 

Rossi, still sitting a few feet away, chuckles low under his breath. “Told you she’s sharper than she looks.” 

You roll your eyes. “Gee, thanks, Dave.” 

Aaron, for once in his life, is speechless. And maybe—maybe a little charmed. Okay, a lot charmed. He watches the way your brow furrows as Jack misses a goal, how you mutter something encouraging under your breath even though Jack can’t hear you from here. You care. You’re invested. And it stirs something deep in his chest, something warm and a little terrifying.  

And he knows he’s screwed.  

Royally, thoroughly screwed. 

“Okay,” you say, stretching your arms over your head with a satisfied sigh. “Game’s almost over. Win or lose, I say they deserve ice cream.” 

Aaron arches a brow. “You handing that out too 

You flash him a grin that’s definitely not innocent and your voice is nothing but mischievous. “If you’re lucky.” 

His mouth goes dry and he hears Dave cackle. He’s thanking God when the whistle blows, mercifully, signaling the end of the game. The kids scatter across the field, high fives and messy celebrations all around. Jack is beaming, the team won. But Aaron can barely focus on the score because you’re already standing, calling out to Jack, arms open wide as he barrels into you for a hug. It should be cute. It is cute. But it also knocks the air out of Aaron’s lungs, seeing his son wrapped up in your arms like you’ve always been a part of their little world. 

Jack is still bouncing with excitement as you ruffle his hair, beaming down at him like he just won the World Cup. “You were so good out there,” you say, and Jack practically glows under the praise. “That pass you made in the second half? Genius. I might need your autograph before you get famous.” 

Jack giggles. “You really think so?” 

“Think so? I know so,” you say, eyes twinkling. “Soccer and math whiz? You're unstoppable.” 

Hotch watches it all from a short distance away, pretending not to stare while Rossi mutters something that sounds suspiciously like “whipped” beside him. Jack tugs on your sleeve suddenly, glancing up at you, then at his dad. “Hey, did you notice how Dad was frowning the whole game?” 

You snort, trying not to laugh too hard. “Oh, I noticed. He looked like the team was negotiating with serial killers instead of playing soccer.” 

Aaron sighs—loudly—and gives you both a long-suffering look. “I wasn’t frowning.” 

“Yes, you were,” Jack and you say in perfect unison. Jack starts giggling again, and you bump shoulders with him like you’re part of some inside joke. “I think he was just concentrating,” you offer dramatically. “On pretending not to be nervous that someone else might know what ‘offsides’ means.” 

Aaron huffs, but there’s no real heat to it. “I’m surrounded.” 

You just flash him that same not-so-innocent grin, and Jack grabs your hand like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Can we still get ice cream?” 

“Obviously,” you say, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “A deal’s a deal. Even your grumpy dad can’t argue with that.” 

Jack turns to Aaron, wide-eyed. “Please?” 

Hotch nods, slow. “Sure. Ice cream it is.” 

But even as he speaks, his attention is somewhere else—on you, your fingers still wrapped around Jack’s, the way you’re talking to his son like he’s yours too, the easy, natural way you fit beside them.You weren’t supposed to become part of this. Not like this. Certainly not this fast. But now you’re here, and Jack is looking at you like you’ve always been here. And Aaron feels it again—that sudden, tight warmth in his chest.  

And maybe that’s what does it. 

Maybe that’s what finally makes Aaron Hotchner realize—he’s not just charmed. Not just distracted. He’s falling. Hard. And there’s not a damn thing he can do to stop it. But maybe it’s also okay. 

Because as Jack tugs you both toward the car, chattering about his goal and asking what flavors you think the shop has today, Aaron can’t help but think—this is what home could look like. Not just peace and quiet and safety. But laughter. Teasing. Ice cream plans. 

And you. 

God help him, it’s you. 

[m4tthewmurd0ck]

SQUEAKY CLEAN

── AKA. . .

the first time you put bucky’s metal arm in the dishwasher | just pure fluff with mentions of angst from the past.

── Bucky Barnes x Fem!Avenger!Reader

(obviously this is an au and i’ve taken creative liberties in bringing back some characters that have passed away because in this story no they didn’t!!!! i’ve loved and been in the mcu fandom since the first iron man so when you see things have been changed, that’s just me taking creative liberties for the sake of my story. as far as powers go, i don’t get into using them but reader can travel the multiverse, and has telekinesis)

thank you @pellucid-constellations for getting me out of my bucky writing slump, without even meaning to! i am but a kathie stan account atp. now brb gonna go re read for the love of the game again 🙂‍↔️

Bucky Barnes wasn’t sure of many things in life. But one thing he is 100% certain of, is that he is completely in love with you.

Even in the beginning, you were a calming presence in his life. He’d known you since you helped Steve track him down in Romania.

Now here you were all these years later, and most days he still couldn’t believe that not only were you in love with him as he was in love with you, but he was lucky enough to call you his wife.

On tough days where you weren’t also working, you often cooked so that he came home to his favorite home cooked meal, you’d make sure he took a long shower to relieve the tension in his muscles, and you even encouraged him to remove his metal arm when he was at home.

The last part occurred after he confessed that yes, he obviously loved being able to have both hands working. But there was a small sense of relief when he was able to be without his metal arm, even if only for short periods of time.

And that’s what you were dealing with right now. Bucky was gone for the day to go meet Sam and Joaquin for what Sam declared would be the best guys day any of them ever had. You were surprised when Bucky said he was going to go without the arm, since they were only going to be eating, watching the best trash tv (again, Sam’s words), and hanging out just the 3 of them.

When he told them, Joaquin immediately offered to pick him up on his way to Sam’s.

That was how you knew he fully trusted the 2 men. Around new people, or anyone he wasn’t too sure of, he always wore the metal arm, saying it was just incase.

Upon closer inspection, you noticed the arm was starting to get a little dirty. Shuri had done an amazing job, and the vibranium prevented itself from retaining any scratches. But there were tiny spots of dry old blood and other stains that didn’t come off no matter how hard you scrubbed, and you worried how Bucky would react when he noticed one day.

You set the arm down on the kitchen counter and sat down as you tried to work out what to do. After thinking for a few minutes, you pulled out your phone, sending a text.

Less than 5 minutes later you were on a Zoom call with the 2 people you thought would best be able to help you.

“I’m telling you, it’ll be fine! I know my technology, and some soap and hot water could probably do it good. It’s made to withstand water whether or not it’s being worn.”

“What she said. Plus if it something goes wrong, just come over and Stark Enterprises will be happy to help. I won’t even charge you.”

Shuri rolled her eyes as Tony spoke, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

As the 2 went back and forth arguing about who’d be able to repair the arm the best, should the dishwasher idea go wrong, you quietly leave the Zoom call, promptly receiving 2 messages.

Figuring fuck it, only one way to find out if this’ll work, you pick up the metal arm and head over to the dishwasher.

After spending too long deciding what cycle to run it on, you opt for the shortest one, pop a dishwasher pod in, and hope for the best.

Realizing Bucky will probably be home soon, you decide to kill time tidying up the apartment. He forgot his phone at home, but Joaquin text you saying that your boyfriend mentioned that he missed you multiple times.

You’re well aware that you could wave your hands around and have your apartment basically tidy itself. On your last girls night, Wanda had shown you how to do just that. But something about moving around the different rooms and cleaning / organizing, it calmed you. So you often chose to just do it manually.

When the door to your and Bucky’s apartment opens, you smile as you realize you were right.

“Doll, I’m home.” You look up to see him toss his keys onto the little table by the door.

He does a double take as he walks by the kitchen counter, noticing the giant piece of metal that’s missing.

“Where… where’s my arm?”

Right after he asks, the dishwasher does the little series of beeps that lets you know it’s finished. You grab Bucky’s hand as you tell him to come with you to the kitchen.

“Wanna take a guess where your arm is?”

Bucky raises his eyebrows as he takes a quick glance around the kitchen. “Under the sink?”

When you realize he thinks you hid it for him to find, you can’t help but laugh. “It’s not hide and seek for your arm baby. Although I’ll keep that in mind for the future. But anyway, you know how your arms really good at not retaining scratches or dents from bullets or knives or whatever people try to kill you with?”

“…yeah.” You can practically see the gears turning in Bucky’s head as he tries to figure out where this conversation is headed.

“But you also know better than anyone that it’s not the easiest thing to clean, right?”

“I— yeah…”

“Well I made a call. Actually I guess technically I got on a call with two people, because I had an idea but wanted to make sure it would work and wouldn’t damage the vibranium.”

“Sweetheart… what did you do?”

“Ta-daaaaa!” You open the dishwasher and slide the bottom rack out.

When Bucky sees his metal arm on the rack, he bursts out laughing. He bends down to look at it, then pulls out his phone to get a picture before he takes it out.

Piggy backing off of his idea, you make him bend down next to the dishwasher, and he makes a face as he looks at the arm, pretending to be grumpy. After you take the photo, he carefully removes the arm and places it on the counter so he can inspect it up close.

It’s then that you’re thankful the dishwasher had a drying feature or you’re sure things would’ve ended bad.

You’re also pleased to see that your idea worked. The arm has a little bit of its shine back like when he was first gifted it. Gone are any traces of blood and whatever else wouldn’t come off when you scrubbed by hand.

When his arm is back on, he approaches you and pulls you close, and you sigh with content at the feeling of being in his embrace again.

“Thank you,” Bucky smiles and places a hand on either side of your face, pulling you in for a kiss.

“All I did was put it in the dishwasher and push a button, but I’m happy to help.”

“No,” Bucky shakes his head. He’s turned serious now, but there’s a hint of a smile on his face, and you know he’s happy. “I don’t mean just for that. When I first got that other arm from hydra, if you’d have told me there was gonna come a day where I’d be able to joke about it and be comfortable enough to take it off in front of people, not that I laughed back then but I would’ve laughed in your face.”

“Buck…” tears filled your eyes as you thought of Bucky as a scared man just forced into captivity. When a tear finally falls, he immediately wipes it away.

“If you’d have told me that eventually I’d meet the love of my life, and that she takes care of me, helps me see that I’m just as much of a man without the arm, I’d have said you were crazy. You know we got a little sentimental over at Sam’s, well he and Joaquin did a little more than me because I don’t get drunk, but we got to talking about safe or happy places. Sam and Joaquin agreed that their happy place was in the sky, when they’re able to fly freely in their suits and there’s no trouble or anything to worry about.”

You smiled as you picture them answering. Sam talked about flying like it was the coolest thing in the world, and you had no doubt that was true.

“I told them my happy place wasn’t actually a place. It’s you. Without a doubt, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. And if I could only pick one reason to be grateful for…” he holds up his left hand and wiggles the metal fingers, “it’d be because it allows me to hold you like this.” He pulls you close once again, and for a moment there’s just a comfortable silence as you enjoy being in each others embrace.

“Well now I’m really glad I decided to put your arm in the dishwasher,” you laugh as a happy tear manages to escape.

“Me too doll, me too.”

bonus ~

[munsonsmixtapes]

One Single Thread of Gold Tied Me to You

Evan "Buck" Buckley x fem!reader

summary: After many failed attempts to set you up with someone, Hen and Karen finally decide to set you up with Buck since you both seem to have so much in common. But when you both decline, you keep seeing him around town which leads you begin to wonder if maybe it's fate that you're meant to be together.

cw: wee bit of hurt/comfort

You sit at the restaurant, waiting for your friends to meet you as you peruse the menu, deciding what you’re going to order. You hear your name being called and turn to see Hen and Karen making their way towards you with bright smiles on their faces. You stand up from your chair and pull them into hugs before they sit across from you, picking up their own menus that are on the table in front of them. 

The three of you have been doing these lunch dates for almost a year now and it‘s something that all of you always look forward to. You work with Karen at the lab and after befriending you, she decided to introduce you to her wife and the rest was history. You‘ve become an honorary part of their family and have never taken that for granted, always thanking them for taking you under their wing. 

“So what’s new with you?” Karen asks, her gaze moving up to you from her menu. You don’t have to ask to know what she‘s getting at. You’ve been chronically single since you’ve known her and she and Hen have been trying to set you up with several people that they know as soon as they found out that you weren’t attached. 

“Nothing,” you sigh, setting your menu down on the table. “You know that. So let’s just get this over with.”

“This one’s good, we swear,” Hen assures you and you just roll your eyes. 

“You said that last time and he picked his nose right in front of me before he ate what came out.” The two of them grimace at your words and you can’t help but do the same as the memory plays in your head. 

“Well, this one’s different,” Karen says as she rests her hand on top of yours. How many times is she going to say that before it’s true? 

“And we apologize for you having to see that,” Hen pipes up. 

“Alright,” you sigh. “Lay it on me.” Maybe you’ll give them one more chance and if they blow it once again, you’ll fire them from their job as your matchmakers. 

“We don’t know why we haven’t thought of him before, but it’s Buck.” Buck. The name sounds familiar, definitely one you’ve heard in passing, but for some reason, you can’t match a face to it. 

“Buck?” You’ve never met him and are hesitant to believe either of them considering past events. 

“Yeah, you’ve heard us talk about him before. He’s the one who always has interesting facts.” That’s right. He works with Hen and even though you’re both very close to her, somehow, your paths never seem to cross. 

“Right, so is that the only thing we have in common?” You ask, raising an eyebrow. 

“No,” Karen rolls her eyes. “He’s also not doing great in the relationship department.”

“So you think that by setting us up, we’ll just automatically hit it off? That’s not how it works.” 

“Obviously we’ve factored in much more than that, babe. We understand if you’re not interested, but we feel like this could really work.” Karen’s the one to speak this time.  You’re so over the two of them trying to set you up and are just wanting to be alone until you find someone on your own. 

“Fine,” you reply, pointing a finger at Hen, then at Karen. “But this is your last chance.”

“Well, hopefully this will be the last time we’ll need to set you up.”

“Fingers crossed this one sticks.” Considering that you’re giving them one last chance, you’re really hoping that it’s going to go well. 

“Bobby is having a party next Saturday to celebrate Buck’s birthday and we figured you could meet him there.”

“Okay,” you nod. “What should I get him?”

“Well, we got him a video game he’s really been wanting and it’s part of a series so maybe you could get him the next one?” Hen suggests, but you feel lame getting him something that one of his friends told you to. You want it to be genuine. 

“I’ll think of something,” you respond and just then, a waiter comes to take your order. 

The rest of lunch is spent talking about Buck and how the two of you are allegedly perfect for each other. That remains to be seen, but you’re still holding out hope. Hoping that he really is a good guy and that even if you don’t hit it off romantically, that maybe the two of you can be friends. 

You don’t know why you feel so good about this one, but you’re at least going to try to see what could happen. From what you’ve heard, he seems nice and you really want Hen to be right about this one. And considering that she actually knows him well unlike your other dates, you’re believing that this could be the one to stick. 

“So, what does he look like?” You ask as the three of you head to your vehicles. 

“Look up his Instagram, it’s evanbuckley, all lowercase,” Karen replies and you’re quick to pull out your phone and type in the username into the search bar in the app, tapping on the first profile in the list of results. You go through his photos and can’t help but notice how attractive he is. You’re going to have to do a deep dive later. 

He seems normal enough, but that was what you thought about all the others. You weren’t holding your breath, but at the same time, Hen and Karen seemed much more excited about this one. Maybe it was because they actually knew him and he wasn’t a friend of a friend of a friend or a distant relative of someone they knew. That actually knew him personally which seemed promising. Could Buck actually be the one?

“Yeah, no thanks,” Buck says as sits at the table at the station. He just wants to eat his breakfast in peace and here’s Hen badgering him about going out with you. 

He’s sure that you’re a nice girl and all, but he’s been burned too many times to go down that road again. Buck has also fallen victim to Hen and Karen’s set ups and he’s not doing it anymore. He can’t. He just wants his “me time” that he thinks he deserves after his most recent breakup.  

“Just look at this picture, then.” Hen slides her phone across the table and Buck picks it up, staring down at the photo of you. You’re with Hen and Karen, of course, on Hen’s left while Karen is on the right. You’re all beaming at the camera and Buck can’t help but notice how pretty you are. 

“I also have this one,” she says, swiping to the left to show a selfie of you. It’s a mirror selfie and Buck’s eyes almost bug out at the tight, black dress you’re wearing. He hates how attracted he already is to you and he hasn’t even actually met you yet. 

“Yeah, no thanks,” he shakes his head as he hands the phone back to Hen. He doesn’t want another disaster date on his record. 

But the truth is that he does want to settle down, but he’s scared to actually take the leap. He can thank his abandonment issues for that. He’s been in therapy for that among other issues and he’s still concerned about people leaving him because it’s happened time and time again. 

He wants to find someone who will stay, who he can wake up next to every day for the rest of his life, who he can cuddle up with on the couch after a long day at work. As he thinks about your photo, he wonders if you could be that for him. But he really doesn’t want to log another date in his journal that his therapist made him keep to jot down his thoughts so he can navigate his feelings. 

Buck then spends the rest of the shift thinking about you and whether he should tell Hen that he changed his mind. He’s pondering the “what ifs” about the whole thing, trying to make the best decision for himself. What if you’re the one for him? He doesn’t believe in the whole soulmate thing, but now he can’t help but think about the fact that you could be the one he will spend forever with. 

“Did you know that forty-three percent of Americans have gone on a blind date, but only one out of four are actually successful?” he asks Hen as the two of them hop into the engine, Eddie, Ravi, and Chimney following. “So that’s only a twenty-five success rate.”

“Why are you giving us blind stats, Buck?” Chimney asks as he sits across from Buck, buckling his seatbelt while everyone mimics his actions before putting on the headsets.

“I think Hen and Karen are trying to set him up again,” Eddie responds, giving Buck a nudge with his shoulder. 

“But it’s different this time,” Hen tells him. 

“If I had a nickel,” Buck mutters under his breath as the engine starts up. He’s not going to go out with you, even though he kind of wants to. If he wants to go on a date, it will be with someone he meets organically, not someone his friend tried to set him up with.

Living in a major city, it wasn’t uncommon to see or hear ambulances, fire engines, and police sirens. But it was different seeing them on your street, so close that you could see them down in the cul-de-sac from your bedroom window. It seemed like the fire department was just putting out a small fire. No one was injured from what you could tell. You were mostly seeing when they were going to move since they were blocking your car, but really, you wanted to get a better look at the cute firefighters, your eyes drawn to the one who was using the hose, the name “Buckley” on the back of it. 

Was that-no way. It couldn’t be. But then you see someone who looks scarily like Hen and you decide that it has to be Buck. What are the odds that out of all of the stations in the city that it’s his that would respond to a call on your street? Hen would tell you that it’s fate, but you just think it’s a coincidence. 

There are only so many stations in the Los Angeles area so you don’t think it’s that weird for him to be there. That’s what you’re telling yourself anyway, because you can’t help but feel Hen’s words in the back of your head. 

“See? It’s totally fate, because out of all the stations that responded to the call in your cul-de-sac, it just happened to be ours.”

You think it's all just a coincidence. That is, until you see Buck again a few days later. He’s getting out of his jeep and heading into the coffee shop you were just in. You’re heading to your own jeep and you see that he doesn't have any rubber ducks on the dashboard like yours does. It’s littered with them and you even keep a bag of them in your glove box for moments just like this. 

Reaching for the glove box, you pull out the bag and go through it, looking for the perfect one to leave on his jeep after getting in the driver's seat. You smile to yourself once you come across the little firefighter and decide that it’s perfect. You pull a napkin and a pen from your middle console and scribble down a note along with your name and number before hurrying over to Buck’s jeep before he can catch you. 

You drape the napkin over the handle of the door to the driver’s seat then put the duck on top of it before hurrying back to your vehicle just as Buck comes out of the coffee shop, sipping on the beverage that he’s purchased. 

Buck goes to open the door to his jeep, but notices that there’s something in his way. With his free hand, he picks up the little duck that’s dressed as a firefighter and as confused as he is as to why it’s there, he can’t help but let out a little chuckle as he thinks about how cute the little thing is.

He sets the duck on the roof and then he picks up the napkin, noticing that there’s a phone number and another note underneath it. 

I noticed your jeep didn’t have any ducks so I thought I’d give you a little buddy to keep you company. But if you’d like some company given to you by a human, don’t hesitate to call!

Underneath the number is your name and something in parentheses. 

y/n (Hen and Karen’s friend that they’ve been trying to set you up with) 

That’s why your name looks so familiar! He should know what it is since he’s been stalking your Instagram for days. He had even gone as far as going to DM you, but he backed out at the last second because he didn’t want to weird you out. But considering now he has your number, he guesses that it actually would have been okay to contact you.

Buck gets into his jeep and pulls out his phone, typing out your phone number to save it. Once it’s in his contacts, he finds himself hovering his thumb over the “call” button but ends up backing out at the last second, setting his phone in his cup holder before deciding to head home. Maybe he’d finally get the guts to call you to finally hear your voice, but today’s not the day. 

Once Buck’s jeep is gone, you decide to head home yourself, calling up Karen as you do because now you’re nervous that you’ve made a mistake. She’s always the person you go to when you feel you need help to calm down and her words always seem to do the trick. Your heart races in your chest as the phone rings and you start to panic when she picks up. 

“There’s my girl,” she greets and you can just picture the bright smile on her face. 

“Hey,” you reply, still trying to find the words to say to explain the situation to her. You know it’s silly to call her about something so trivial, but you feel like you need to talk to someone about it. 

“So, what’s going on?” 

You hate that Karen can always read you like a book, that she always seems to know when something’s up. And she’s always there for you whether it’s a shoulder to cry on or just a piece of advice. She just wants to help you in any way that she can since she knows you don’t really have a lot of people in your life that you can rely on. 

“Nothing,” you reply too quickly, sounding rushed. “Maybe it’s something. I don’t know,” you lean your head on the steering wheel, trying to convince yourself that you haven’t done something completely weird. 

“Tell me what it is, babe. Can’t help you if you don’t.”

It’s the reason you called her, isn’t it? The reason you wanted to talk to her, for help. To make sure that you hadn’t done something stupid to turn Buck off. You just want the confirmation and are sure that Karen will give it to you. She always does. 

 You let out a long sigh and then tell her everything from seeing him and the rest of the 118 putting out the fire in your neighborhood and now giving him the firefighter rubber duck with the napkin that had your number on it. What you don’t tell her is how long you spent stalking his Instagram page last night before going to bed and even went as far as typing out a DM to him before quickly backspacing everything before you could actually send it. Yeah, best to not tell her about that one. 

“I don’t see why you’re so worked up about this,” she replies. “Just because he didn’t immediately text or call you doesn’t mean he was turned off by it. Give the man a chance to respond, y/n. It’s been, what, twenty minutes? If he doesn’t respond by the end of the week then you can start freaking out.”

“Fine,” you respond as you pull into your driveway, feeling a bit better but not much. “Fine, I will wait for him to respond.”

“Good,” she nods. “I promise he won’t think it’s weird.”

That makes you feel better, but not much. If it were possible, you’d go back in time and take it all back. You don’t know why you feel so weird about it. You’ve left countless ducks on people’s jeeps so you don’t know why this one is any different. Maybe it’s because you gave him your number and you don’t really do that anymore. 

“Alright, I believe you.”

“Good,” she repeats. “Hey, did you get that address I sent you? The one for the party?”

“I got it,” you confirm. “Saturday at two. I’ll be there.” 

She’s been reminding you about the party for days so there’s no way you can actually forget when or where it is. You actually really hope that Buck is into you. Not only for your sake (because being rejected now after all you’ve gone through just makes you want the ground to swallow you whole.) but also for Hen and Karen because of all the work they’ve clearly put in to set the two of you up. You haven’t heard anything on Buck’s end, but you really hope he’s looking forward to meeting you.

You stare at the gift you had bought for him that’s sitting in the passenger seat and can’t help but smile to yourself at how well you did.You had been stressing all week about finding the perfect gift for him and then eventually found something while scouring the internet. It’s a book with a bunch of fun facts about Los Angeles and California as a whole and you had actually spent the whole night before looking through it, wondering why you hadn’t gotten one for yourself. Maybe if you ask nicely, he’ll let you borrow it.

“I love to hear it,” she responds. “Hey, babe, I’ve gotta go. It’s dinner time and Hen just got home. But please, text me if you need anything alright? I love you.”

“I love you too,” you reply, then hang up before heading inside. 

The week goes by in a flash and as the days pass, Buck still hasn’t contacted you. You don’t know why you’re so disappointed by it. It’s not like he owes you anything. But now you’re about to show up to his birthday party feeling nothing but awkward, wondering how you can suddenly make time travel possible so you can take it all back. 

But the reason why Buck hasn’t texted you back isn’t what you think. The truth is, he got nervous. He’s been overthinking what he’s wanted to say to you for weeks, opening and closing his messaging app over and over, typing out a long winded message then backspacing it all because he doesn’t like the way it sounds. And maybe he should just be honest and tell you that he’s nervous, but now he feels like it’s too late. Like he’s absolutely blown it. 

He’s staring down at his phone even now, another message typed out to you even though he’s going to see you in person any second now. He still feels like he owes you an apology or at the very least an explanation, because he doesn’t want you to think he’s not interested. Because, fuck, is he interested. 

“Still trying to figure out what you’re going to say to your future wife? Man, you’re going to see her in like ten minutes,” Eddie claps Buck on the back, trying his best to hold in a laugh. He’s never seen Buck so into anyone before and he really hopes this one sticks because with how much he seems to like you, the rejection is going to hurt like hell.

“She’s not my future wife,” Buck rolls his eyes as he pockets his phone, turning to face his best friend. 

“You have been hung up on her for weeks. It’s always y/n this and y/n that. And you keep overthinking your text to her. You’ve never been so into someone like this before so that’s gotta mean something, right?” He asks and Buck mulls that over as the door opens, Hen and Karen entering his apartment, but he’s not even paying attention to anyone once you come in. It’s like everything around you blurs and you’re all he can see. 

You’re wearing a green dress that compliments your skin tone beautifully, and Buck thinks you might as well have wings since you look like nothing but an angel. He’s so drawn to you, watching your every move as you take in his apartment. 

His apartment is really nice and you don’t know you’re imagining what it would look like with all your stuff in it. He doesn’t like you, you have to remind yourself. He made that very clear when he didn’t contact you. You try to wipe that thought out of your head as you look around and once you make eye contact with him, you can’t help but smile, making a beeline for him. 

“Happy birthday,” you say as you hold your arms out for a hug as if you’re old friends. Buck is quick to return your hug, wrapping his arms around your waist while yours are around his shoulders. You’re squeezing each other tight and you bury your faces into each other’s necks as if you haven’t seen each other in a long time. It was to the point where everyone, including yourselves, forgot that this was the first time you were actually meeting.

You pull back to look at him and it’s as if all of your anger towards him melts when you look into his eyes. With the way he looks at you, there’s no way he doesn’t feel the same about you. He has to. 

And just when you’re about to pull away to give him his gift, he pulls you back gently, his grip on you so loose that you can leave if you want to. Buck wants to apologize. He needs to because he can’t move on with the party until he does, the guilt churning in his stomach making him feel queasy. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, and you know exactly what he’s apologizing for. He doesn’t need to say it. You can tell how sincere he is from the look on his face and it’s obvious to you how guilty he feels. He just wants you to know just how bad he feels for not responding to your very nice gesture. 

“I didn’t mean to ignore you. I just really wanted to impress you and I over thought my response. I guess I could have just told you how nervous you make me feel, but I didn’t want to sound overeager. But I really did like the duck. I know you’re supposed to put it on your dash, but I put it on my keys. 

Buck lets go of you and hurries to the hook where he keeps his keys and he turns to hold them out to you. Sure enough, there’s the little duck amongst the keys and other keychains. You’re so overwhelmed by the sweet gesture that you do the only thing you can think of to thank him for it. 

Before you can stop yourself, you’re grabbing hold of him and pressing your lips to his. He lets out a gasp at the sudden movement, but he eventually melts into you, the two of you so wrapped up in each other that you have completely forgotten that there are other people in the room. 

Buck smiles into the kiss and you mimic him, not being able to stop yourself from laughing into his mouth because of how happy you are. And when you pull away, you see that everyone is looking at the two of you with nothing but smiles on their faces. 

They have been waiting for this for quite a while and as you look around the room at all the party guests, you don’t miss Hen and Karen high fiving each other as a result of a job well done. They think this setup will work so much better than their other ones. And when you look back at Buck who’s staring at you like you’ve hung the moon, you’re beginning to think that maybe it will.

[thoughtfulfiction]

The Game Plan

Author’s note: Merry Christmas Bolt fam🩵Still working on rewrites but I needed to write something new to get inspired. I am done with school so I’ll hopefully be able to get fics out more often!

Last time he was this nervous, he stood on shaky legs in front of a New York crowd accepting the William V. Campbell trophy. Public speaking wasn’t his favorite thing in the world and he hated talking about himself. But this was about a hundred times more important. And more nerve wracking.

When Justin suggested flying to your hometown to spend some time with your parents, you didn’t bat an eye. You’d been talking about making a trip back home after the season was over and were elated to discover that he was on the same page. Now that the time had come and you were looking at him as he drove the rental car to your family home, you couldn't help but think maybe he was regretting his decision. The man was constantly fidgeting in his seat, his grip on the steering wheel tight, eyes full of stress and semi concern.

"You okay?" You furrowed your eyebrows at him, urging your boyfriend to let you in on whatever was causing him such turmoil.

"What? Oh yeah no, I'm fine." He knew that sounded less than convincing. "It's just weird with the season being over. Almost like I have to learn how to relax again. This week will be good though."

Nodding in understanding, you place a hand on his leg hoping that the simple touch will ease his mind. Little did you know he was in the midst of a huge inner crisis. Justin rehearsed what he was going to say a few more times before pulling into your parent's driveway. Swallowing down his nerves, he grabbed your suitcase and his, walking toward the front door feeling like his legs weighed a ton each.

Your mom had already taken you away to the kitchen by the time he walked in, immediately lost in conversation about work and life while your dad grabbed one of the bags out of Justin's hands. The two men trudged up the stairs to drop off the bags, exchanging pleasantries and getting settled in before heading to the backyard to cook. Your dad loved Justin. He was the perfect partner for you, a perfect mix of fun/exciting and responsible/caring. He had seen you fall more and more in love with the quarterback over the years which made it easy to love him too. And getting to talk about football all day with someone who actually valued such intimate conversations about the sport helped.

All of the distracting small talk was out of the way, Justin had complimented your dad on his new grill and the improvements he'd made on the backyard and they had unpacked some of the nitty gritty details of the season and who your dad thought they should draft as perfect additions to the roster for the next season and the only thing that remained was the pit of nerves in his stomach that hadn't disappeared since boarding the plane.

"Something on your mind?" Your dad was observant, not really one to beat around the bush. He'd noticed a slight edge to Justin's voice since the two of you had arrived and was really trying to wait to give him some time. He'd obviously gotten too impatient. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Justin's had relationships before. Not many times, but he's felt security and love in other people, seeing a future with them and thought about what the rest of his life would look like. Being with you was not only the most serious relationship he'd ever been in but he found himself constantly planning for the future and setting his family up for long-term success, a family that he now couldn't envision without you. He swallowed thickly, suddenly overcome with emotion at the words that he needed to express to your father. "There is something on my mind actually," he clears his throat, trying really hard to maintain eye contact and not look down at the grill. "I wanted to come here first thing to ask you for your permission."

"My...permission?"

"Your permission, your blessing. Either one. Or both." Your boyfriend rambles on nervously, the words tumbling out of his mouth completely out of order and unlike anything he’d just spent time practicing.

Your dad still looks at him, confused. Justin sighs, "I love your daughter more than anything in the world. She’s the greatest thing in my life and I never thought I’d have the opportunity to be with someone so special. Now that I’ve gotten to be with her I don’t ever want to let her go and...it's really important for me to ask you before I propose."

In that moment it all begins to click and your dad nods. Here was one of the most calm and collected quarterbacks in the NFL stumbling over his words out of nerves because he wanted to ask for permission before getting engaged. A man who's build could arguably be compared to ancient Greek deities was a mere mortal when it came to you and it took every ounce of your dad's strength not to crack a smile. "You came all this way to ask me if you can marry my daughter. So you could do this in person?" The younger man nods. "Before I answer, can you promise me one thing?"

"Anything." Justin says without hesitation. He didn't care what he had to do, he just knew he was going to do it no matter what it took.

Your dad looks toward the house, watching you and your mom laughing while getting the sides set on the table. He looks back at Justin, eyes brimming with tears. "She is my greatest treasure. Promise me you will treat her like nothing less than that."

"I will sir, you have my word."

Justin holds out a hand and your dad pulls him in for a hug. "Welcome to the family son," patting him on the back. The quarterback swore he heard a crack in the other man’s voice but said nothing.

You watched the exchange from the kitchen, slightly confused because your dad didn't exactly give out free hugs like they were Halloween candy. "What is happening out there?"

Your mom catches her husband's eye at the end of the hug, seeing him point at his ring finger and trying to contain her excitement. "I'm sure it's nothing," she smiles, handing you another plate to set on the table, "Justin probably asked him if he wants to golf tomorrow. You know he's been trying to get more into it and bringing an NFL quarterback in front of all of his friends is definitely going to boost his confidence." The two of you stood in silence for a bit until you seemed satisfied with that answer and the two men were back inside, immediately distracting you from asking any further questions as conversation flowed as the food and wine were consumed. Justin helped your mom wash the dishes that night, deep in some secret conversation filled with sporadic giggles and all you could think about was how lucky you were to find someone that fit in so seamlessly. Little did you know they were planning a surprise that you'd never forget.

Step one? Find the perfect ring.

"Isabella, I need a favor," Justin takes a seat at the counter next to his sister-in-law. "You need to distract y/n for a couple hours so I can go through her phone."

Placing her own phone down, she looks at him like he's grown another head. "Why in the hell would I do that? Why would YOU do that?” The more she talks the more visibly upset she looks and Justin is severely regretting not being more specific.

“It’s—it’s not what you think. I just—”

She holds up a finger to keep him from explaining himself any more. “I just want you to know that I’m never thought you’d be one of those people and it’s really disappointing.”

He sighs, looking around to make sure that you aren’t walking in any time soon. “I heard you guys talking last week. About how you had a bunch of videos in your Tik Tok likes that helped you plan your wedding. Then she mentioned that she’s been saving some rings that she thinks would look good on her and I need to see those. So I can design the best ring.”

The tension in her body is instantly released and her features are filled with relief. She holds a hand over her mouth to hide a happy squeal before taking a moment to compose herself so she doesn’t give anything away when she sees you. “You’re proposing,” she whispers leaning in close so no one else can hear.

He leans in too, a wide grin on his face. “I’m proposing.”

“I’ll keep her busy,” she promises, giving him a fist bump.

A girls only DIY spa night in gave him the perfect outlet to grabbing your phone. As soon as the cucumber slices were on your eyelids and Isabella gave him the sign, your cellphone was in his hand and he got to work. He screenshotted 13 different ring designs, jotting down some notes in his own phone, looking at various ring styles and the cut that would best match the style that you were looking for. Then he jotted down some local jewelers to visit and design the ring in person, going as far as flying your best friend to Oregon for a few days under false pretenses that she had a work trip in the area and decided to stay at the ranch since it was nicer than a hotel.

Approximately four weeks after his initial meeting with the jeweler, Justin held the velvet box in his hands and admired everyone’s hard work. He’d had a hand in designing every crevice of the ring that looked much smaller in between his fingers as he examined the diamond. Fresh nerves were beginning to set in as the moment became more and more tangible and real. Once he found a secure spot to hide the ring, he moved forward with the next part of his master plan.

Step two? Come up with proposal ideas.

The beautiful thing about the offseason was that you still had to work remotely, so you’d be in your office in one corner of the house and after his morning workout he had all the free time in the world. The bad thing about that was that he had all this free time to sit and think about how he was going to set up an unforgettable proposal. Luckily, some of his receivers had come down for a Nike promo event and to throw so he had people to bounce ideas off of.

“What about this? I take her to Sofi and propose in the middle of the stadium with just the two of us. We have the video board showing monumental moments of our relationship and as she’s watching I just get down on a knee.”

Ladd takes a sip of water, making eye contact with Derius, who says nothing. Justin continues pacing, taking the collective silence as a sign to suggest something else.

“Don’t everyone jump up at once,” he lets out a nervous laugh, wracking his brain. “Maybe I could drive us to Napa Valley with dinner and some music?” That suggestion earned more interaction, some guys nodded, recalling their own proposals and having him take some pointers from their experiences. There was a time where he couldn’t log onto Instagram without seeing one of his teammates getting engaged and the only thing that made him more nervous than proposing was the media circus that would result from the news getting out. Yes, he wanted it to be special and intimate but the thought of the social media team getting their hands on it and invading your privacy was a little scary. Somehow he had to push that thought out of his mind and tackle one problem at a time.

“Private beach proposal in Hawaii?”

Simi stands up at the suggestion, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Sounds beautiful in theory, but aren’t you scared of having the ring so close to the water?”

“Yeah what if you’re so nervous that you drop the box and it’s washed away by the tide,” Ladd notes. “The less distracting things around you the better. Helps you focus on just her.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem, he’s obsessed,” Patrick says, walking by just to chastise his brother. Justin flips him off without uttering a word, an unwavering focus on the task at hand.

Nothing seemed right, some ideas were too flashy, too cheesy. He wanted to show you how much you meant to him, how you’d changed his perspective on life and balancing work and your relationship. That it was possible to do both because the right person brings things out of you that you didn’t even know where there. How do you encompass all of those feelings into one perfect location?

“I’m not gonna lie,” Simi says, voice full of sincerity. “You gotta let the perfect time come to you, you’ll know when the time is right. Trust me.”

Justin had no other choice at this point. He spent the next few weeks holding onto the ring, desperately looking for the right time. Spending all this time stressing and planning and plotting had really taken him away from you. There was an unspoken distance between the two of you and it had become increasingly upsetting. Even when you were in the same room it felt like he was miles away, stuck in his own head, shutting you out completely. You were starting to think that he was looking for a way out and couldn’t decide on a way to let you down easy. The thought of him tip toeing around a breakup made you nauseous.

“Why haven’t you done it yet? You can’t keep putting this off forever,” you heard Mitch say one morning after you came home earlier than expected from an in-person work meeting. Usually you wouldn’t eavesdrop, but Justin’s behavior hadn’t exactly given you a vote of confidence in the state of your relationship. You couldn’t even really remember the last time you went on a date without him looking like he was seconds away from getting sick.

Justin on the other hand had spent every dinner date thinking about whether or not this was the moment. Walking around with the ring in his pocket everywhere he went just in case, deathly afraid of you finding it on accident. That thought alone, of him walking in the house to you holding that ring box not only made him want to cry a little at the ruined surprise but also make him feel like throwing up. And he was tired of hearing everyone and their mom ask him when he was going to pull the trigger and propose.

Especially when he felt like it was happening every single day.

“I’m not putting it off! I just—this is harder than I thought. It’s not just something to check off the to-do list. I gotta do it right or I’m not doing it at all.”

He felt so bad about dumping you that he was putting it off…so he could do it the right way? What even is the right way to end a relationship? You didn’t want to stick around to find out, making your way back outside to sit in your car and think about your next move.

“Justin is planning on dumping me.” You sighed into the phone, calling your best friend.

“What? Where did you get that from?”

You spent the next 20 minutes explaining to her all the signs. His weird behavior, always on his phone but will never let you see what he’s doing or who he’s talking to. You feel like he’s hiding something but he makes sure to only give you minor details saying he’s planning a trip with the guys or talking to his agent about taking on different endorsements. It all just seems too fishy. Why is he torturing you like this by stringing you along? Should you just break up with him first?

“You have to act normal like you don’t suspect anything,” you hear at the other end of the line. Her voice is calm and reassuring which is nice because the last thing you needed to hear was that she didn’t believe you. “If he’s breaking up with you then let him explain him himself. Justin has never been someone to do things without a purpose and you know he’d never do anything knowing that it would hurt you.”

She had a point. “Fine. You’re right, I’ll hear him out and figure it out after I gather all the information. Thank you for talking me off the ledge.”

“You’re welcome.” As soon as you hung up the phone, your friend texted Justin that he should start acting a bit more casual because you were freaking out.

The next evening, he surprised you with a bonfire movie night.

“What’s all this?”

Justin pats the spot on the outdoor couch next to him, welcoming you to take a seat. “An apology? I’m sorry I’ve been off lately. There’s been a lot on my mind and I got so lost in my head that I’ve been neglecting you but that stops today. It had nothing to do with how I feel about you at all, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“Care to share with the class what was bothering you for so long?”

You cuddle into his side, a sense of comfort immediately taking over the constant state of unease that previously surrounded you. Looking up at him, he places a gentle kiss on your lips, so soft it leaves you wanting more. “It doesn’t matter now, all that I care about,” he sneaks another kiss, “is being right here with you.”

“Well in that case,” you whisper, “we should make s’mores.”

Justin laughs, kissing you on the cheek and rising to his feet, helping you up before heading into the kitchen. The tray on the counter was loaded with various snack items, Reese’s cups, pretzels and strawberries along with normal s’more ingredients. As you made your way back to the bonfire and began to dig in, a thought popped into your mind while enjoying the stillness.

“We can’t do things like this in LA. You can’t beat the scenery out there and the background noise of the traffic isn’t exactly the most romantic.”

He looks up at the sky full of stars, remembering exactly why he bought land out here in the first place. “I’ve always thought about raising our future kids here. Los Angeles is where I work but this is home, they can grow up and be normal kids here. Play outside, go fishing, experience a childhood that has lasting memories. Not sitting in traffic for hours and never seeing a real tree.”

“Our kids?”

“Yeah,” he says without hesitation. “I think about Coach getting our son his first pair of khakis.”

You laugh, picturing it in your head, “and he’d probably get our daughter a custom pair of cleats to wear pregame.”

“Exactly,” he throws his head back to laugh at the image of mini versions of you and him being spoiled by his head coach. He grabs another strawberry, dipping it in the melted chocolate and feeding it to you. “How many kids do you want?”

“Let’s say it at the same time.”

He counts down from five, saying “three” at the same time you do.

Looking at each other in shock, you burst into laughter at the fact that you have identical answers despite the fact that you’d never openly spoken about it. You each knew the other wanted children but just didn’t know exactly how many. Justin felt like his heart might burst with an uncomfortable and overwhelming amount of happiness. If it wasn’t clear then, it is now.

There, in that moment, nothing seemed more perfect. He looked down at your hands, spotting the manicure you’d gotten last week before attending a wedding. Simi’s words came flooding back, you’ll know when the time is right.

And that time was right now.

“I’m gonna head inside and grab another water, do you want anything?”

“I think I’m okay. Thank you though,” you barely acknowledged the exchange, wrapped up in finding the perfect movie to watch as you scrolled through all the streaming services. Today, the most simply normal day was about to be extraordinary and his feet couldn’t carry him inside fast enough to grab the ring.

His heart was beating in his ears walking back outside. He clears his throat to get your attention and the look on his face makes you stand. “What happened?”

“I spent so long trying to create the perfect moment. But I just realized that every moment with you is perfect.”

Your voice catches in your throat and you’re forced to speak in a hushed tone. “What are you doing?”

He takes a deep breath, holding the box firmly in his hand. “I love you. You’re the one I want to build a home with, create a family with, grow old with and everything in between that this life has to offer. I’m sorry it took me so long, that I spent so much time trying to capture some picturesque scene that we’ll remember forever. You and I, right here is memorable. Being with you is all I’ve ever needed, all I’ll ever need. For the rest of my life.” He opens the box and you audibly gasp, everything in your body tingling and buzzing with excitement. Everything made sense now, his nerves, the secrecy…everything. He was trying to make all of your dreams come true.

Holding your hand in one and the box in the other, he gets down on one knee. “Will you make me the happiest man in the world, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” you respond immediately, sounding out of breath while wiping a tear from your eye. “A thousand times yes, of course I’ll marry you!” Sliding the ring that fits exactly like it was tailored to your finger, he stands up and wraps his arms around you, a small tear escaping him.

Justin kisses you, a passionate deep kiss, relieved that everything had gone even better than he’d imagined, pulling you in so close that you can feel his steady heartbeat. His movements were long and slow, a slight grin against your lips as you give into belonging to each other. Lost in paradise he leaned his forehead against yours, both of your eyes still closed in awe that this actually just happened.

“Here’s to a lifetime of perfect moments and sometimes the best plan is no plan. I love you Justin, this is amazing I couldn’t ask for anything more incredible.” You pulled away, opening your eyes to look at your hand. “And this ring? You’re crazy.”

“I am crazy. Crazy about you,” he kisses you on the forehead, running his hand across your fingers. “I love you so much, fiancée.”

[cipheress-to-k-pop]

Hello, Happy Holy Ramadan. I know your request box is closed, but when your request box is opened, can you make this request? if it doesn't bother you, could you do Long Ramadan headcanons for Damian Wayne and the reader? I saw your Damian wayne x muslim reader post before. And I thought it was appropriate to ask you this. If this request bothers you, feel free to ignore it. Have a nice day 🩷🩷🩷🤚

Ramadan HCs

Muslim!Damian Wayne x Muslim!Reader

hey there sweetheart and Ramadan Mubarak <3! firstly i'm so sorry that it took me so long to respond to the ask! im ashamed it took me a year honestly. requests are closed but i still wanted to be able to write for this because we obviously need more muslim representation and also the last time i posted the muslim hc for damian there were just so many of the readers who texted me or sent asks or commented saying that they really appreciated the representation

anyways i wasn't sure if i was going to respond or not because it has been a year but since it is currently Ramadan and it's going to end very soon I figured why not

Thank you for being so respectful in your ask, I really appreciate it and I hope you like it. Hope you have a very blessed Ramadan and wishing everyone a lot of health and happiness during this time. Even to my non-muslim readers, I hope you all are doing well and you're all healthy <3333

also i know that there is a very slim chance of this happening because all of you are amazing but i will not tolerate any hate of any kind. if you

your first Ramadan after being married to Damian was certainly a new experience

before being married, you were just used to your parents handling everything for you

by the time you wake up for suhoor, the table would be set

by the time you'd be home from university, your mother would be waiting by the door with a date and a glass of water

so now that you were married and you had to handle everything on your own, it took a little bit of getting used to

luckily for you, Damian is a very hands on type of man

he's the kind of person who'd just drink a cup of water or a glass of milk, maybe a couple of dates or a fruit and he'd be ok for the remainder of the day

but god forbid you even think of doing the same thing

he'd just about have a heart attack

absolutely not

initially, he'd request Alfred to make meals for you so he could bring them home for the both of you to have suhoor together

just until the both of you got the hang of it

after that damian would either help you cook before patrol so there would be food ready for the both of you

or he'd swing by some restaurant that was open and grab some takeout for the both of you

he'd heat up the food and set the table and making sure everything was absolutely ready before finally waking you up

practically carrying your sleepyass to the table and handfeeding you so he can make sure you're eating properly

since he handles suhoor, you handle iftar and keep the table set so you can eat together

you could always just stay at the manor so you wouldn't have to worry about the meals, like bruce or dick have suggested so many times

but you prefer living alone with your husband

no offense to them at all

but it's just easier for you to maintain your modesty at your own home

anyways

your marriage gets really tested during Ramadan

the two of you are barely getting any sleep and it's difficult for you both to get used to

the only time that you both spend together and are completely present is when he should be patrolling

the lack of sleep makes you both kind of cranky

and it's difficult to not snap at each other

eventually you both get pretty tired and exhausted and just slip into routine

but of course it's nothing some sleep and some time spent together can't solve

and since you've been trying to reduce watching movies and listening to music during the holy month, you end up playing board games together or going for long drives together where you just talk and talk and talk

you thought you were extremely secure in your marriage

that was until you saw damian pout and give you the silent treatment after losing a game of gin rummy

then claiming you shouldn't be playing a game called 'jinn' in the first place

not swearing or talking shit during ramadan was especially hard for him

especially with tim and steph yelling 'fi ramadan?' at him everytime he makes even the slightest snide comment

you find it hilarious but i digress

whenever you go to the masjid for nightly prayers, damian and you will go and find a new ice cream place to try out late at night

you mention in passing how the women's side of the mosque is so bland compared to the men's and damian immediately looks into getting the mosque refurbished so that you and other women can enjoy it

damian's shoes get stolen once and the great detective actually couldn't find out who it was

you hear him complain about it constantly

CONSTANTLY

this time is when you both really lean into the adorable muslim couple aesthetic

matching prayer mats with each of your names embroidered on it

matching tasbih

and other things you get the picture

you both go all out for ramadan and decorate your home from top to bottom

since you both don't really celebrate many of the western holidays, he really wants to make this a memorable time for the both of you

and so do you

you hold an iftar party at your place many times with all your friends and family

it started out with you just inviting everyone but eventually it became a weekly potluck, which you really appreciated

bro damian is more excited about Eid than you are

he literally has to keep reminding you to get your dress ready for Eid al fitr

because he wants to get a jubbah in a matching color and surprise you

you know how you have those cute texts of girlies asking their bfs for their opinions on their nails?

the exact same thing

except with HENNA

you send him like 100 different pictures a week, planning which design you want to wear for Eid

he responds to all of them with utmost seriousness

obviously, he's an artist

he knows whats the difference between arabic and indian designs for henna

but secretly he's wondering why you're sending him so many when you only have 2 hands

but um hello he's never going to tell you that

because it's ramadan and obv ramadan related stuff is going to be appearing on everyones fyp he has to deal with both you and dick sending him videos of the scholars being funny (iykyk)

hey guys let's start ramadan w a bang

also has to deal with jason asking him CONSTANTLY how he's still able to walk around when all the demons are supposed to be locked up for the month

plus he has to now deal with you watching mukbangs and restaurant reviews and crying to him about how you're starving

why on earth did silent asmr mukbangs of wingstop get so popular only during ramadan?

believe me every single prayer damian makes during this month, he is thanking god for bringing you to him and praying for your health and your happiness

when you found out, you cried in his arms for a good solid 5 minutes

he also secretly kind of prayed for kids on laylat ul qadr but you didn't hear it from me

not only is this month really special for the both of you, you take it as an opportunity to give back

damian has wayne enterprises run soup kitchens for the entire month and they serve all people meals as well as suhoor and iftar

you both volunteer there personally

you donate money of course and damian will tell you that everytime he does it, he feels fulfilled in a way he never has before

you honestly feel so proud of the man you feel blessed to call your husband

also, like the perfect husband he is, he sends gifts and food to your parents

who quickly begin to regard him as better than your own siblings

much to his secret pleasure

uk i wish i could keep going

honestly ramadan is such a magical and rewarding time of the year

and you are so happy to spend it along with damian

P.S.

while damian completely understood the point of sacrificing a goat for Eid al adha

he still cried about it to you the night before out of guilt

you definitely donated the meat that came out of that

Forever Taglist:

@simonsbluee

@notslaybabes

@superheroesaremyjam113263

@writers-whirlwind

DC Taglist:

@emmacata

@p--e--a--c--h--e--s

@sometimeseverythingsucks

@sokkas-honour

@unstable1902

@lostgirlheart

@missdisapear

@tadpole-san

@isawachickeninatree

@uxavity

@battlenix

@capricorn-stark

@evermoore580

@dumbbitchgalore

@fuckingjinkies

@some-lovely-day

[marvelmaven]

Broken But Brave Pt.1

This is my first attempt at a fic, so encouragement and kind advice are welcome. Let me know what you think!

Bucky Barnes/Original Fem! Character

Set in an AU where Tony DOESN'T die after End Game and Steve is actually with Bucky till the end of the line.

Summary: Bucky is going through therapy, consulting with the Avengers, but not interested in living under Stark's roof, for reasons he thought should be obvious to everyone. On his way home to his Brooklyn apartment, he bumps into his new neighbor, a petite, self-proclaimed cat lady. But he notices something about her that will have him keeping his eye out.

Trigger warning: References to Domestic Abuse

Part 1/?

Bucky was fried as he made his way home to his one bedroom Brooklyn apartment. He had just had another argument with Steve about why he needed his own place rather than living in the tower with the rest of the Avengers. Firstly, he didn’t consider himself an Avenger, he was a consultant with a very particular skill set, not a hero that saved the world from threat after threat. If it had to do with Hydra, he would be there, but otherwise, he needed to be focusing on the parameters of his pardon, redeeming himself, undoing the work of the Winter Soldier, and, unfortunately, attending therapy with Dr. Raynor. 

Therapy and opening up was uncomfortable enough, but Dr. Raynor had her own special, passive aggressive ways of trying to get him to “open up”. Steve, Sam, and Dr. Raynor could believe all they wanted that he could be rehabilitated, but in his heart, he knew that part of the Winter Soldier was still there. Just in the way he would move during a mission, precise, cold, deadly, and reminding himself over and over that his mission was not to eliminate but to detain. 

The second reason? He couldn’t live under Tony’s roof, not after what he’d done to Stark, what he’d taken away from him. The man seemed to tolerate him fine now, he’d obviously given the greenlight to Steve to invite Bucky to live at the Tower, but it made him sick to his stomach to even think about taking any amount of charity from that man. He’d taken enough from Tony Stark. 

Sighing, he slotted his key into the front door of the building, noting the group of men who were catcalling women who passed. Normally, he’d tell them off, but he just didn’t have the energy or the will today to get into any more spats. Arguing with Steve was always so draining. Steve was the pinnacle of virtue, pushing back was exhausting and always left him feeling like he was somehow, always in the wrong. He loved Steve, he was like a brother to him, but while Steve had always been fighting the good fight, he’d spent so much time in the shadows, acting on the will of dark-hearted organizations. 

He ascended the two flights of stairs up to his floor and paused. The unit next to him that had been vacant since he’d moved in, now had a petite young woman wrestling boxes out of it and calling to someone that she’d be back soon and not to get into much trouble. 

“Need a hand with that?” Bucky moved forward automatically, trying to take the boxes from her grip and smiled his, he assumed, exhausted smile at her. 

“Oh, there’s a lot and it’s pretty heavy,” she seemed genuinely dismayed as she tried to hold on, “you might strain your back or something.” 

“Nah, I got this, I’m stronger than I look. You just taking it out to the bins in the alley?” Bucky hefted them into one hand. “You got anything else?” 

“No,” She looked up at him, big brown doe eyes, a torrent of curly brown hair she had tried to pull back into a ponytail, and the cutest button nose he had ever seen. “Just my wallet, I need to run to the bodega quick. I have Marvin’s dinner all set, but I’m not eating cat food on my first night in my new place.” She smiled up at Bucky who chuckled a bit. 

“Let me give you a hand, and I’ll walk you to the bodega. It’s not safe for a doll like you to walk around this late.” Bucky started making his way down the hallway, towards the other stairs that led down to the alley. When he didn’t hear footsteps behind him he turned and laughed again at the confused expression on her face. “I’m not a creep, I just live next door, I’m James, #8.”

That seemed to have reassured her enough as relief broke over her face. “Oh, Mrs. Garcia told me about you.” She followed him after locking her front door with a “be right back Marvin!” She wore leggings, old sneakers, and an oversized hoodie that absolutely swam on her. She probably came up to his shoulder. He suppressed a laugh as she scurried forward to open the doors for him, even though he was more than capable of doing it himself. Once they were in the alley he hefted the boxes behind the recycling bins so the landlord wouldn’t get on her case, and walked towards the end of the alley. He turned again to find her standing confused next to the door. 

“Um, James, you really don’t have to walk me to the bodega. You were just getting home.” She seemed very concerned that he was inconveniencing himself. 

“Honestly, I’m too tired to cook, so one of their sandwiches sounds great right now. I’d avoid the pizza though, if you don’t get a slice at like 10am when they put it out, it’s just been sitting under that heat lamp all day and tastes like cardboard.” He waited until she joined him and slowed his stride so that she didn’t need to rush to keep up. 

“What’s your name?” Bucky asked after his neighbor looked up at him for the third time. 

“Oh, I’m Laura, Laura Perry, but you can call me Lori.” She smiled at him, visibly relaxing “my brother gave me that nickname when I was little and it’s just kinda stuck.” 

“Mine calls me Bucky, short for Buchanon, my middle name.” He enjoyed the tinkling laughter that came from her as he told her of the nickname Steve had given him when they’d met all those years ago.

“That reminds me of that old comic strip, “Get Fuzzy”. There was a cat named Bucky that was just so chaotic.” She smiled, “did you ever read it?” 

“Can’t say I did,” Bucky knew he had a lot of catching up to do, he’d missed about 70 years of references. 

“Oh, well I loved it as a kid, it was my favorite part of the funny pages.” 

They’d reached the Bodega on the corner, and Bucky opened the door, holding it open for her as she walked by him, before saying hello to Leon. They ordered their sandwiches, Falafel for him and a reuben for her, and she dashed off with a basket to pick up a few necessities. He stood talking with Leon at the counter, asking him about how his college courses were going, whether or not he’d decided on a major, and then noticed her, crouched down near where the potato chips were. Before he could ask if she was okay, he heard her talking to “Cheeto” the apparent name for the laziest cat Bucky had ever met. 

“I bet you’re just the best little mouser in the whole world, huh?” Lori was petting a happy Leo on the top of the head, “and you’re just so handsome.” 

As far as Bucky could tell, “Cheeto” was just a fat orange cat that he’d never seen move off of the display of potato chips, except once when he’d been lounging on some toilet paper in the back. He turned back to Leon who raised his eyebrows and shrugged. When it was time to walk home, Bucky pocketed his sandwich and then grabbed the bag of groceries to carry back for her despite her protests. 

“Listen, you just spent the whole day moving, I bet you’re going to be feeling it tomorrow. I don’t mind carrying your groceries, doll.” He led her out towards the street and asked her about how she liked the apartment so far. 

“Oh, it’s perfect. Just the right size for Marvin and I, although I think he’s definitely going to bully me for most of the bed.” Lori replied eagerly. “He’s a big boy, gotta be part Maine Coon or something, he’s 18 pounds of fur and sass.” 

“That’s a big cat. Just you and him?”

“Yup! On our own, finally. I adopted him when he was so tiny and shaved. They'd found him in a dumpster. He’s so handsome now, though, and such a little talker.” Lori blushed, “I mean, I’m not insane, I don’t think that he talks to me like go put me in a padded room or anything, just that he likes to meow at me a lot and seems to have a lot of opinions that are hard to decipher. Let me know if it bothers you, I could put up some soundproofing or something.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Lori, I’m sure it will be fine.” James chuckled and then moved closer to her, protectively, as they passed by the group of guys drinking on the stoop near the front door to their building, glaring at them in challenge to say a word. 

“Don’t worry, man,” One of them said, “although you got good taste in females, I gotta say.” 

“Don’t talk about a lady like that,” Bucky responded, pulling Lori against his side as they passed. “Making them uncomfortable is a piss-poor way to get them to talk to you.” 

“Oh, yeah?” Another shouted after them as Bucky unlocked the front door to their building, ushering Lori inside. “You sound like my grandpa.” 

“I get that a lot,” Bucky paused holding the door looking at them, “but you seem to be the ones out here alone.”

Rolling his eyes he walked into the building, letting the door shut behind him. He looked down at Lori, “you okay?”

“Uh, yeah.” Lori held open the next door and let him through, “I appreciate that, most of the time I get told to smile more or something worse.” 

“Kids these days, huh?” He shook his head and ascended the stairs, “no manners.” 

He was startled by the soft, tinkling laughter behind him on the stairs and he paused, looking at her. 

“Sorry, it’s just…you did sound very grandpa-ish just now.” Lori smiled at him and followed him up the stairs and down the hall. “I appreciate you walking me, I’ll make sure to stop by the bodega on my way home from work so I don’t have to deal with that.” 

“If you ever need to grab anything late at night, just knock, I have a, uh, hard time sleeping most of the time. Bit of an insomniac.” Bucky smiled down at her, passing her the bag of groceries when they got to her door. 

“Thank you so much, James.” Lori smiled at him brightly and went into her apartment. 

“Anytime.” He kept smiling as he walked down the hallway until he heard her door shut and lock, immediately frowning. When she pushed her door open, her sleeve fell down her arm and he noticed it: a large purple and yellow bruise on her forearm, clearly from someone grabbing her roughly. He’d have to keep an eye out for his new neighbor.

[shepscapades]

Howdy! Forgot to ask this on the quiz, so I'll ask here:

Do you ever get tired of the worldbuilding in your works? Like, do you ever want to include some whimsy magic, but the pre-set rules of the world don't allow you?

Also, I might have missed it, but is the concept of the "players code" a thing in your story? We talking admin panels, lag, etc

Just curious, have a nice day!

Ouuu those are two really good questions! I'll answer the code one first, since i think it's important to the dbhc story and something people should know if they didn't previously notice it:

My understanding/headcanon/conceptualization for Hermitcraft (and dbhc, by extension), is that the world and players are very much comprised of code. Code is to the fabric of their minecraft reality like atoms are to the fabric of our reality, and Admins (opped players, i suppose) have special access to and responsibility over this code: they can see into it and adjust or fix errors to ensure players are kept safe and worlds are managed well.

This is perhaps most obviously seen in the "A Delightful new Partnership begins!" Comic in which Xisuma notices something isn't sitting right in the code around him and takes out his 'control panel/admin panel/console/etc' to investigate. I talk about it in a little more detail in my breakdown post of this comic, where I talk about the possibility of 24 getting access to the code, scrambling it up, and not really knowing how it works enough to put things back right. It's also implied that he may be manipulating/messing with Xisuma's memories by deleting parts of X's player code (I note that i didn't want the glitch effects to necessarily be associated with android-y effects), as we see him forget parts of this encounter and constantly shifting in and out of place as he gives unsettlingly neutral/positive/encouraged answers to a manipulative and intimidating Android 24.

I also love incorporating like, console commands into the comics and au :D such as '/clear queued visual cache' from Don't Let It Reach The Heart :] Though i know it's different since he's an android hehe

I also just think code integration into a 'realistic' interpretation of Minecraft-based stories opens the door for really fun translations of Video Game experiences (i.e., interpreting lag as something like disorientation, disassociation, or misalignment between a player's code and the world's). It's super fun to think about so I love making it part of these stories :D

Regarding worldbuilding! I don't think I've really grown tired of it, as far as I know (assuming you're primarily asking about dbhc, but i would say the following goes for my original works, too): When it comes to storytelling and worldbuilding, I have a very very, uh, logically-tracked mind about things? The reason things happen and the way things work all need to make sense within whatever system i've chosen/come up with/been working in, so I often have a lot of fun (or experience a lot of turmoil) trying to make events and characterizations fit within that world. If I ever have a new idea that doesn't fit in that pre-determined set of rules, I either: move on pretty quickly, not lingering on things that wouldn't be possible so I can find ideas or variations of the non-conforming thought that *would* work, OR try to think of fun ways to make a non-conforming idea work by developing a new rule that still coexists with previous ones (i.e., maybe there's an exception in the way the world works for reason x/y/z, and the more i develop that possibility, it could make previous characters or ideas more complex in turn! It's like a very fun puzzle to me, and it's why i love storytelling so much :D

[steamberrystudio]

08/06/2025 Devlog

Hello everyone! Back to update here again though it's been longer than it should be. I really thought I'd updated here like...a couple of weeks ago but turns out...no.

It's been over a month. How it's been a whole month, I don't know. That timeline does not make sense in my brain.

So you might be asking why I don't just set up reminders for myself. And the answer to that, my friend, is...I have reminders. The problem with regular automatic reminders is that over time they stop being effective. I literally do not notice them.

And that's kind of where my google calendar reminders are at the moment. I get them and my brain refuses to acknowledge them. I do update Patreon weekly (most of the time. I won't pretend I don't occasionally forget over there too) and Itch monthly. It's just that juggling multiple update avenues is tricky.

ANYWAY. I went through recently to clean up some of my reminders because I hope that getting fewer of them will make it so I actually notice the ones I'm getting.

We'll see.

Life with ADHD. Huzzah.

But let's jump into the actual update.

Summary Bullets:

Finished both new sprites for Chapter 6

Released the Chapter 6 beta

Made some corrections based on testing

Worked on the Ch 6 game guide

Made a Ch 6 teaser *points*

Finished Yren's character teaser.

Started somewhat working on Ch 7 here and there to get a head start.

Art:

Since my last update, the big "art things" I've done include - finishing the character teasers. I don't even know which was the last one I posted here. I may have only posted like...two on tumblr. But they all exist so there's that!

I finished the teaser for Chapter 6...Again. *points*

And I completed the two sprites I needed for Chapter 6.

Since Ch 6 doesn't have any CGs, I didn't have to worry about doing any of those so I've been able to focus elsewhere but there wasn't, ultimately, much art to worry about this time around in the first place.

Writing:

Finished and coded all of the POV scenes - about 10,000 words of content total.

The POV scenes this time around revolve around the love interests reflecting on the events of Chapter 5 and how they are beginning to feel (or how they have been feeling for a while now) about the MC.

The Chapter 6 update - including the bonus scenes - ends up bringing around 43,000 words of new content to the game, pushing the total released content to over 250,000 words.

A bit under 50% of the current total.

Of course, because the scenes are tied to Chapter 5, you have to replay to unlock them. I still haven't figured out how to do that retroactively yet. Since I haven't even decided what all the bonus scenes will be or where they will go.

Though I guess a slightly clunky method does come to mind.

Anyway, that's a problem for Future!Me.

Other Stuff:

Since my last update, I obviously did a ton of coding - finished all the sprite expressions, finished setting up the flowchart, finished glossary articles and translations and all of that. And just basically got the route fully functional.

I also fixed some errors and bugs - like one that was breaking the glossary.

I added a new toggle for the sound notification for the glossary articles. Because there are now glossary articles with descriptive text that unlock for every location and person you meet (for accessibility reasons), the sound notification is a bit intense at the start of the game. So I thought it was best to allow people to turn it off.

And of course, the fact that I released the beta version to testers on Patreon means I have been correcting some typos in that as well.

Fortunately it doesn't seem like there are any huge bugs this time around.

...SO FAR. LoL

But it's only been a week so...who knows?

Upcoming Weeks:

I will probably be releasing the EA version before my next update here even if I post the update on time. I am thinking within a week or so.

I need to focus on getting the game guides done before EA so that will be my main focus for the next couple of days, and beyond that I'll continue to fix any errors or mistakes testers find.

And, of course, also getting the preliminary parts of Chapter 7 set up in advance of really buckling down to work on it..

(Currently working on staging the sprite positions and appearances in Chapter 7)

If Chapter 6 is the set up for upcoming plot events, Chapter 7 is where things start falling into place and some of the many, many theories people have come up with start being proven or disproved.

Chapter 6 is likely to be the shortest episode I release. I had thought about releasing it along with Ch 5 or with Ch 7. But the problem is that Chapter 5 and Chapter 7 are both *really long*

Chapter 9 is technically shorter than Chapter 6 but I think I'm going to release Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 together.

If I do that, it means 4 more episodes and each one will be...really big.

Chapter 7 - 75k

Chapters 8 & 9 - 90k

Chapter 10 - 89k

Chapters 11, 11, & 13 - 114k

And that's without any bonus scenes or additional endings or anything.

I think it's a nice breathing space for me before we get into the monster episodes which is...all that's left (unless I break up the two multi-chapter episodes, which I may end up doing for sanity. WHO KNOWS. There are pros and cons either way.)

Anyway. That is all for now.

I will see you guys in a few weeks. *wave*

[sinful-lanterns]

Same person as the Jasmine issue

1 and 2- I know my dictionary you don't need to educate me what I already know. You yourself said in your post you were expecting a poc/black character because she was advertised as being of exotic origins. I really don't know why you suddenly started blabbering about racism when I was telling you exotic is a word referring to things outside one's culture. Of course it's weird to call a person exotic but I was referring to things overall. If you live in one continent then everything from another continent is exotic to you that's what it meant. Du Ruo or Yanyan were never called exotic but so is the same for Jasmine, unless you can find in the story where she is called that. And I gave the former two as an example for you to understand the first time when you single mindedly thought only a black person can be treated as foreign/different in the game setting. Now I am getting confused because where the fck you are going with the first point of yours to me when you yourself said in your first post thaat you were expecting Jasmine to be poc/black because of one word. And I was only trying to explain but your stupid pea brain cannot comprehend.

3- Clearly you skipped the story and it's half a year ago (according to cn release) not a year ago, it's been like 2 months on global (then you should have known even better but oh well you don't) but since you do keep up with cn news you must have seen it 6 months ago when cn updated. She was at the end of the last main story chapter on global go fcking read and see.

4- Did aisno ever say they take inspo from real people? It's a frictional world they can even create their own cultures, politics, economy. Unless they said they took inspiration from something but didn't implement ist correctly then you can go cry about it. I looked up the Tswana, at least spell it right. Literally nothing looks alike nor did they say the clothes or anything are based on it so what makes you call it racism? Keep crying about a frictional culture in a game.

Ps- not mad at your take on her, but the lack of brain cells in you is astonishing how you keep putting words in that were never there and unnecessarily relating her to something that doesnt even relate to her and your lack of research

Note: No, SWANA is not an incorrect spelling. SWANA is an acronym used for Southwest Asian and North African. MENA and Middle Eastern are also terms used to refer to the people of those regions, I just used SWANA because that is what I’m most familiar with and often see. Tswana refers to the language and people in Botswana and South Africa.

If you read my original post critiquing Jasmine’s design (the one where I talked about all the new sinners), the only reason I brought up being disappointed by her lack of melanin, was because in her CONCEPT ART which was released alongside her, she had some of her beta designs having darker skin.

And here is some of her concept arts that you can find on the left:

I understand there are lots of SWANA people who have lighter skin, but the fact that we could’ve had her with darker skin, it could’ve been great. Is it so wrong for me to be disappointed with the choice for lack of skin diversity in a gacha game? Obviously I understand not everyone in the Middle East will be dark, but it’s the fact that we could’ve had another sinner with darker skin that made me disappointed. I was merely expressing my disappointment with the choice Aisno made to make her lighter. But now with some newfound information that just released after I made that post, I understand the choice made now, as Aisno probably did it to avoid controversy with a certain scene.

EDIT: Also, i forgot to mention this but if you wanted to see where Jasmine was referred to as “exotic,” this is how she was marketed in her first teaser. @/PathtoSnake is an account that is reliable in translating CN news to English, and is where I get all my PTN news from:

Secondly, I went to go rewatch the ending of Chapter 14 just to make sure I wasn’t forgetting Jasmine being there (as you so claimed). I’ve went through each scene of the new characters introduced, and none of them bore any resemblance to Jasmine. If you’re referring to this woman:

Who is the closest person I can think of being close to Jasmine, this woman is not her. According to @/PathtoSnake on Twitter, Jasmine and the “Delicate Female Voice” are different women because of their marks:

Jasmine’s marks/scars are on her back. The Delicate Female Voice has her mark on her waist. I don’t think Aisno would forget such an important detail about a character and forget about the placement of the Delicate Female Voice’s marks.

Also, your argument on Aisno saying they don’t take inspiration from real people and cultures is actually bullshit. Following your logic, that means Eastia is not based off China because Aisno didn’t explicitly say so, despite all Eastian sinners having Chinese names, similar clothes, and culture. Aisno, and many other gacha games, do take inspiration from real life cultures and people. Even if not explicitly said; clothes, names, and other aspects of culture shown in the game, pretty much imply that they were inspired by the real world.

[pinacoladamatata]

I am once again thinking about Solas and how his potential arc this game could go regarding the Veil being up or down and I'm gnawing at the bars of my enclosure [spoilers obviously] I don't like being intelligent/thoughtful on here I prefer to be stupid but here we go

In [yet another] article that came out, idk? today? Mark Darrah says the story "allows us to, hopefully, give a good conclusion to all the varied attitudes toward Solas that are going to be coming from people who love Solas, who agree with Solas, who hate Solas, people who want to kick Solas off of a building – I think that we give you the opportunity to bring that to a close, but then tell a greater story about The Veilguard and about the world as a whole."

and I don't know what to fucking think about this? They obviously know people's opinions are varied and I think it should be obvious that this is not a case where 'one ending fits all'

Because like, he is such a tragic character and I know there's gonna be an option to kill him, calm down, before you start in my inbox with "I WANT TO KILL HIM" like, you will be able to, that's kind of...almost a certainty. Especially for low approval Inquisitor/swore to stop him at all costs. Because if he Won't agree to stop trying to tear down the veil and causing mass destruction, (even after dealing with Elgarnan and Ghilly) then you'll have to kill him. Even trapping him forever isn't really an option because he created the fucking veil, man's crafty, he'd eventually find a way out. Like, If he will not and cannot see reason, then you, the protagonist, will have to end him.

It's the OTHER option that has me spinning because, you could, maybe, potentially, hopefully, talk him out of it. And if you did that, either as a romanced or friendly Inquisitor, or apparenty? Rook? based on this new info that Solas and Rook are going to have a lot of interaction, then he doesn't NEED to die. If he stops wanting to tear down the veil, he could potentially just disappear and do whatever he wants, like nerd out over magic.

And honestly, having him die on both paths is such a slap in the face for "your choices matter" because like clearly they do not if that happens; like what was the point of making me choose at the end of trespasser? If the only difference is 'stop Solas at all costs' leads to a boss fight where you kill him and 'redeem Solas' leads to ? him dying anyway somehow? Like I'm sorry but that is lazy and boring. His redemption should not end in death, he should have to live and deal with the consequences, because that could be so much more interesting.

[because I'll be real, I don't think they're going to let us have the option to tear down the veil/side with him AND have the option to keep the veil up. I think it will be one or the other no matter your choices; Simply because there is too much of a massive difference between world states of 'killed Solas to prevent him taking down the veil Thedas remains status quo' VS 'let Solas take down the veil, Thedas is now fundamentally different in an almost inconceivable way'. Like the setting for any future games depend on this; you would have to create 2 very different games. There has to be some uniformness to the world state, like; the veil remains, but it's thinned or whatever and the people of Thedas are living life more or less as usual if they ever want to make DA5. Would be wild of them do go the route of no matter what you do the veil comes down anyway. Which would be annoying if you swore to stop Solas at all costs and he just... succeeds anyway, even if he dies? Of course, there is Sandals prophecy, which I think is about the events of DA4. And devs have said in the past they had 'something' planned since Origins. "One day the magic will come back - all of it. Everyone will be just like they were" - The veil coming down and everyone gaining magic? Not just elves but humans, dwarves and qunari too? "The shadows will part and the skies will open wide" - Talking about the veil coming down?? Do shadows represent the abyss? "When he rises, everyone will see" - I'm actually convinced this is about Elgar'nan, or, something even worse; like the 'thing' that Mythal locked away, that the "evanuris in their greed could unleash" that "would destroy us all". So I think the end of DA:TV will be either the veil stays in place no matter what, or the veil comes down no matter what, which is, idk, interesting? Because again, they can't have both- that just gets too messy for the setting for the next game. They could have the veil come down no matter what, but, you would need to have a "better option" as Varric and Solas put it. Which, let's say for narrative purposes, this option exists and we tell it to Solas and he goes "Okay let's do that instead" and it results in a world state where the veil is 'down' but not in a catastrophic mega-calamity way. Even then though, some players are just not going to pick that and also if the veil comes down; what the fuck are we guarding it for???? I think it might come down temporarily. Maybe we have to make a new one? a better one? we have our fade tamagotchi fen'harel who happens to be the only fucker who knows how to make a veil too. Could this 'better veil' alleviate some of the problems Solas had with the old one? If there was like a set door way that allowed people and spirits to pass safely? One that didn't cause so much discord between spirits/people? Is our Veilguard a Fade TSA? I can dream. But who knows. Either way, I think we're only getting one endgame worldstate regarding the veil.

So; OK, back to Solas and how the fuck that could end. Harking back to that Varric/Solas conversation about the old man living alone. Solas is clearly speaking as though he is the old man, and he can't fathom just living a quiet life when there are literal world ending gods waiting for a weak moment to bust free. He Will not, Cannot stand by and do nothing while he knows his prison is failing. He HAS to at least deal with the 2 evanuris before tearing down the veil bc he doesn't want them to cause harm. He didn't want that before (hence locking them away) and he doesn't want it now, even for modern day Thedas (hence him helping Rook). He's got such a fucking heart under all that armor. He cares about people, he demonstrates it again and again. But my god what if, he finally *sees* that the veil may not have been a mistake, it doesn't need to be torn down, (maybe it has to be remade, better?or just altered?) and then us the protag, no longer has to kill him to stop him from tearing it down?

Like, I am very partial to the "what if love changes everything" trope especially for such a tragic character. Bc he's got death flags left and right; "I walk the dinanshiral" "there is only death on this journey" "this does not end in my downfall" his "dying alone" fear tombstone, and he's lonely he's miserable he's afraid. I'm so worried they'll kill him off anyway bc 'he was always doomed' trope and it would be easier to write, but motherfuck it would just, be SO so satisfying if, instead, there was a path where he wasn't doomed; whether it's bc of Rook or the Inquisitor or a combo of both. I feel like what if, either platonic or romantic; if there was just at least one path where love changes everything.

ofc this is massive amounts of copium and I don't expect bioware to give me anything so cool as "the veil starts to come down anyway and you, Rook, have to rebuild it with Solas' and the Inquisitor's help and at the end you can either kill him or convince him that this world is worth living in"

but hey, i can dream ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[theoddest1]

Okay so, ima type in what I typed to my friend here.

"Yeah Ima be so dead ass. ||Mel and Ekko carried the final for me, ESPECIALLY Ekko."

Yeah, they should have just kept [Viktor] being Ryze. That made more sense to me than whatever this is. And I am all for mlm rep, but yeah, this felt WAY too, Jayvikky. I liked it better that they were brothers to parallel Vander and Silco, who also found each other and became bros, but it seemed like they went with how popular JayVik was and stuck with it. And Jayce being strung with Viktor for wherever they went felt...kinda nonsensical. I'd rather that Viktor was thwarted and too far gone to then just suddenly have a change of heart and go with Jayce. I imagined that he would have a contingency where he, incase his body was destroyed, would then later rise again to try and enact "Glorious Evolution". It would go well with the themes of his beliefs anyway because every time he dies, he comes back stronger in a new body. I feel like that would better set the ongoing conflict and fit well with the game and why he looks the way he does currently.

I also don't like how quick he and Mel's reunion was considering how much he favored her along with his odd and sudden dislike for her decisions-- Seriously, where did that even come from!?"

[Thought it over further. Him calling her out on her actions isn't the issue. It's the timing and how this transpires that confuses me. He just came from a post-apocalyptic world where Mel, Viktor, and everything else came to mind. The lack of time for them to truly talk made the scene felt out of nowhere and not at all fleshed out. He goes on to place part of the blame on her when literally it wasn't. She DID manipulate but only politically. Everything else was on he and Viktor. Then, when he DOES confront Viktor, the vibes are different. Viktor hurt and caused a chain of events that led to several lives being taken to ensure survival and his "Glorious Evolution", why is this essentially overlooked? Maybe when I review this again, it will make more sense, but as of now, the way Jayce treats both Mel and Viktor is VERY questionable.]

"I would have been pretty happy if He at least gave her a hug, a kiss, something to make their relationship seem consistent with what we were shown. I know that he's been gone for a while and a lot more cold, but this was a very odd direction to go with. I am super happy about Cait and Mel fighting side by side and that Mel may be the main character for a new Noxus related show! [Which I knew they'd set up!] but this series, after seeing it in its entirety, DID suffer too much from the pacing issues. I assumed at the First Act that it was quick paced to go with how they've all been shifted into places they didn't see coming, but the pacing issues continued to bring down the quality. 3 seasons would have made way more sense and would go well with the 3 ACT formula they had used. I hope they learn from this and refrain from making similar mistakes.

[I responded to my friend who posted these images above] I knew they'd make a callback to this line eventually, and I am genuinely surprised people are not catching this obvious set up to Jinx living. Also, I am betting that Heimer did "die" but only that alternate version of himself. [Though obviously I could be wrong, though a life of various lifetimes where he helps each version of the main cast sounds very Heimerdinger of him, especially since he didn't wanna leave.]

The biggest letdown for me has to be Jayce and Viktor's story. It just...doesn't make sense with what we have been shown. Also, if Viktor KNOWS bad shit would happen when bringing Hextech to life and all, why TF would he give it to Jayce then???? Or if he STILL wanted magic to be tampered with shy doesn't he comvince himself in a way HE KNOWS would prevent what happens next, surely NOT EVERY timeline has it where you continue on the path of destruction! You see what I mean!?!? Leave the time crap to Ekko, man. This new inclusion makes no sense! And he does this in VARIOUS timeliness for some reason. Man, I wish it was just a random ass mage or Ryze, this added stuff kinda kills the finale for me🫠

I feel that making Viktor time travel ruins a huge aspect of the story, ngl, especially when Jayce argues that people can "craft their own path." The story also shouldn't have ended with what I could only assume both of them "dying" or traversing time instead. Also, the way Sky was treated and essentially replaced with Jayce feels....very very weeeeird."

[I believe that the ending just didn't land that well. I feel, now thinking over every character, Ekko, Mel, and Jinx carried this season HEAVY. These 3 were the most interesting parts of the season, honorable mention being Singed cause he be doing what he MUST. Also, what was the point of introducing Loris if all he was gonna end up being was a random guy who reminded Vi of Vander? I guess nothing is wrong with this, but when you're already stringing for time, these inclusions make no sense... I liked him, though, RIP Loris🤧. Oh, and Caut barely facing consequences is KINDA CRAZY but it goes with the themes of forgiveness/ acceptance. The Cycle would never end, after all, but yeah Vi and Cait made up WAY too fast and just shows that this needed another season. Let me know your thoughts!]

[strawberrymilk-sunshine]

I hope it never updates!

What can I say? Inspiration suddenly struck. I hope it continues to, but I can't make any promises.

Warning(s): the formatting of this story will be a bit different compared to my other fics (exactly how will be immediately obvious), implied self aware character, yandere first person pov, gender neutral first person pov/reader, holding someone captive technically

Hi guys!!!!!!! Sooooooooo............ this is going to be a little bit of a... different post.

So Twisted Wonderland got an update recently. It's for Cay-Cay's birthday! I was so exciteddddd (frequent readers will know how much I LOVE Cay-Cay~✩) you know me, I was r e a d y to use the keys he gave me at log-in to pull on his latest birthday banner~

Aaaaaaaand that was when my game crashed ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ 💔 it's not like it was that big of a deal, but it's still annoying!!!!

But for some reason, my game is acting strangely now...

It's not something that messes with the gameplay or anything, and it's not corrupted or broken (that I know of??? I'm so bad with tech stuff sorry >.<) I still had all my cards, so I really couldn't care less about whatever caused the crash or if it messed with anything tbh, in my mind: all's good!~✩

I logged back on and it looked like everything had saved before the crash, the game skipped the log-in bonus screen and the birthday message from Cay-Cay, and when I went back to the gacha tab I still had the tenfold key set, so everything looked okay, for now. So I pulled on Cay-Cay's platinum jacket birthday card! you've all seen how much I suffered getting the bloom birthday card last February, so I was hoping to everything that he'd come home easily this year (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)........... AND GUESS WHAT??? HE DID!! Aaaaaa guys he loves me soooo much it's unreallll♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ :D

But........... that's when the weird stuff really started. You know I've always looked for spoilers the moment a new event that includes Cater comes out, scary monsters, firelit sky, tsumsted, playful land, beans day, his club card, his birthdays... hell, even his chef and new years cards!!! I'm a fiend for Cay-Cay, I love him so much!! Honestly I don't even care if I like how the outfit looks anymore, I just loooove Cater Diamond!!!!

That's getting a bit outside the point, oopsies- The point is, I already know ALL of platinum Cay-Cay's voice lines, summon line, vignettes, home screen lines, and obviously all his battle and levelup and guest room etc lines, since those stay the same. I have everything memorized atp! So, of course I noticed when there was a completely different line than expected once he successfully came home. You know, the part of the summon that has a teeny tiny story dialogue segment?

Platinum jacket Cater is supposed to say something about how the museum he's visiting is more than a century old, then goes on about tagging a selfie. But for some reason, the line was slightly....... off??????????? It was worded differently than it should have been, and Cay-Cay didn't even say "hashtag" before saying his post tags! Can you believe that?!

Obviously I assumed it was just a translation mixup. I know twst en has that sometimes; changing a line that implies Cay-Cay is bi, getting rid of the word "master" in relation to Jamil's hypnotism, forgetting that Floyd calls Vil "betta chan senpai" (tho that mistake might also be on jp server, tbh I can't remember lol sorry Floyd but I only have eyes for Cay-Cay~♡) shit man they even called Kalim "Kamil" at one point in the endless halloween night event! With all those issues, and how the game is translated in general, I really really didn't think anything of it that Cay-Cay's summon line was a bit different than I thought it would be.

But then the weird things just....... kept happening??????? Cay-Cay's home lines were different than they should be, and some of them actually looked like they changed every single time?? But I just thought I was misreading, who wouldn't assume that?! Especially since I've been awake for two days straight---

So I just went to sleep for the night (day?) and assumed the game would be back to normal when I was back to normal!

I woke up at liiiiiike 7pm?? It's a bit hard for me to tell, I'm always in such a haze when I wake up! I'm completely conscious and safe, I just don't really know what's going on for a good hour or so after I first wake up, just how I am and how I've always been ╮⁠(⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)⁠╭ sadly this means this part won't be very coherent, but it's so vivid in my mind even despite the wakeup fog bc like..... I could NEVER have expected what I experienced.

I still needed to level up platinum Cay-Cay since I was too sleepy to earlier, so I immediately went to do that! I gave him all the honey he could ever want (I felt soooo bad since he doesn't like sweets 💔) and thanks to the birthday levelup rate bonus, I got excellent and was actually able to entirely level him to max immediately! I obviously did the same with his vignette lvl and spell lvls and buddy lvls (THANK YOU TWST EN 3RD ANNIVERSARY UPDATE 😭) and used my ssr perfumes to fully uncap him♡♡♡♡

I was sooooo happy to just have alone time with him, it feels like the game never allows that in the stories ughhhh why must Ace of all things be this game's favouriteee....... Cay-Cay deserves it so much more and I will argue that until I die ಠ⁠︵⁠ಠ

Sorry, sorry, back to it again! I went back to the card lvl tab, since I fully uncapped him and had to do more levelling since I forgot to uncap beforehand (silly me!) and that's when I noticed the strangest thing of all.......

The level line was....... different? And like, way too different for it to just be me not remembering the line properly. It looked like the way he speaks when he drops the act, but not trying to hide it? The text wasn't shown to be just his thoughts, it was written like he was actually speaking. The line wasn't voice acted or anything either. A voice line still plays, but it was clearly his second default levelup line, not whatever this was???

You know me. Even if it's unrealistic, I immediately assumed the worst lol, I thought someone hacked and modded my account or something!!!!! AGAIN, I know this is unrealistic so there's no need to make fun of me, I was outtttt of it :( Then, you know, panic started happening. I thought I'd get banned or something (emotions have already been really bad lately, and I did not need this stress!!)

The weird lines just kept happening after that. My panicking went away eventually, and I started realizing, none of these strange lines had proper voicing or model work, they always borrowed the voicing and model work from other normal lines. So, I could definitely tell these were completely outside the regular pool of voice lines. That made the panicking worse, sadly, since I thought more than ever that these were added by an outside force... of course I was also still worried about getting banned, but also that would mean someone was messing with my lovely precious Cay-Cay!! >:(

After the panic 2.0 -now featuring slight rage- settled, I started truly reading these weird lines. They never repeated, each one was unique. He started talking about someone "outside"???

Ahhhh, but that's when the best thing happened~♡! I said something out loud, and Cay-Cay actually directly responded with the next line!! It referenced what I said perfectly... like it couldn't have been randomly generated, or even ai (but then again, I said I don't know much about tech), it felt like someone I have conversations with regularly responding to me....

And after that, I was just so............

..happy.

That's it, I was happy.

I was happy that he was actually talking to me.

I didn't care what he was really talking about, I just knew he was.... there. And he could understand me.

Cay-Cay was speaking directly to me.

He said he was trapped in there, somehow... and he wasn't Cay-Cay, just some guy stuck using him to communicate... ehhh, he explained it all in so much detail, but if I'm being honest, I really didn't give less of a shit about what he was actually saying!

I didn't care, because he was trapped.

Cay-Cay was trapped.

He was trapped with me.

And you know what? I was happy. I was so, so happy that he was trapped.

All of you know how much I love Cay-Cay, and hey, I'll even be the first to admit that it's a liiiiiittle bit of an obsession with him. I just love him so, so much. Cay-Cay is just so important to me... he's such a perfect character..... everything about him. Everything.

I love him.

I love him so much that I'll even accept someone who just resembles him in looks alone. I can make them act like how they're supposed to.

That's why this was such a wonderful situation! I had a sentient Cay-Cay just......... literally in the palm of my hand, and I couldn't be happier.

I love him... I love him so purely, so wholely, anyone reading this will know...

It doesn't matter if Cay-Cay doesn't act like how he should yet, I can help him. That's why I don't care about his problems, he's just solved all of mine. My game is perfect now, I hope it never updates! I love him!!

Dearest readers, I'm living my fangirl dream!! I'll talk to you all later, Cay-Cay and I have a date set up tonight, and I gotta get ready~!✩

[damagedintellect]

Kunikida x Reader [Truth or Dare]

💌 Truth or Dare with the ADA: Kunikida's book of kissing techniques 💌  

Summary: A slow day in the office leads to a game of Truth or Dare. You thought it would be harmless fun but Dazai's seen the way you look at Kunikida and he just wanted to help.

Notes: My brain went "wouldn't it be funny if" so I had to write it

💌 Word count: 1,405 💌

It was an incredibly slow day in the office when Ranpo announced that he was bored. Nothing new. Although from across the room you could hear Dazai suggest playing a game since most people were lazing around anyway, well except for Kunikida. You didn’t mind playing a game but you didn’t exactly want to get in trouble. That’s when Atsushi chimed in “What about truth or dare? That’s fairly low effort! And then those who don’t really want to play can pick truth.”

Everyone else agreed since most people were participating only to amuse Ranpo, who huffed that choosing truth was lame and a cop out. It didn’t stop Kenji from choosing it though, causing the detective to groan. You had been quietly working away getting ahead for tomorrow as the game progressed. If no one wanted to choose you then you would happily sit and watch. Kunikida set another stack of papers down on his desk, catching everyone’s attention for a moment. He’s probably annoyed that most people were goofing off instead of doing their work. You wondered if he would play if someone chose him? 

“Dazai, truth or dare?” Atsushi grinned. He just thought of a good use of the game.

Dazai brought his hand under his chin proudly exclaiming. “Dare, obviously! Do your worst!”

Clapping his hands, Atsushi revealed the greatest strategy for the game “Perfect, I dare you to buy me chazuke!”

Chaos was unleashed as everyone was cackling. So many wasted turns of stupid dares like making Ranpo speak in the third person or having Junichiro turn all his clothes inside out. This one was actually brilliant. Dazai didn’t know what to say, he definitely wasn’t expecting that but he should have figured it would be something like that. 

Dazai smirked. “Fine. (Y/N), Truth or dare?”

You perked up from your seat not expecting to be called on. “Truth.” 

You heard Ranpo shout “Lame!” as Dazai thought for a moment.

“Oh I know who do you have a crush on?” He stared back proud of himself for putting you on the spot like that. You quickly glanced at Kunikida in your peripheral vision. His back was turned to you. Clearing your throat you needed to give at least some answer so instead you say. “You know what actually I meant dare!”

Dazai’s grin widened as if he was prepared for you to back out. “I dare you to kiss Kunikida!”

“What! You can’t be serious?” That bastard painted you into a corner. 

“Or you could answer question, either way you have to pick one!” Dazai smirked knowingly. He’d already known your feelings were for Kunikida. By the way he was wiggling his eyebrows at you it felt like he was trying to express that he was helping you move your crush along.

Kunikida stopped what he was doing pushing up his glasses. “If it’s consent you're worried about I’ll allow it. He never said it had to be on the lips after all, I'd hate for you to admit something you don’t want to.” He turned to glare at the brunette “Dazai stop making everyone uncomfortable. I don’t care if you guys keep playing but-ffmpfhff”

When Kunikida wasn’t paying attention you had walked up beside his chair and kissed him on the lips. You stormed out of the office before you could see his reaction. Your cheeks were burning as you paced outside the door.

Ranpo cheered as chaos once again consumed the office. He didn’t think you’d have the guts to do it. Of course he’s known from the start about your crush but he knew better to not get involved. Now this was entertaining. Kunikida stopped mid sentence. His heart was pounding in his chest from a simple touch of the lips. It didn’t even last that long to his dismay but it made his train of thought crash all together. He's admired your drive and work ethic but that was all. He would never fantasize about his coworkers out of respect but that chaste kiss sparked something.

Dazai was laughing as he leaned over his desk “Earth to Kunikida? How did it feel to be (Y/N)’s first kiss?” He was talking out of his ass but with the frazzled look on Kunikida’s face the blonde seemed to have believed him. Kunikida stood up smacking Dazai with his book as he went after you. The blonde felt bad for taking something that usually is very important to people. He was going to make it up to you.

You wondered if you should go back in or just go home. Looking at the time it wouldn’t make much of a difference. As you took a step towards the staircase you heard Kunikida call your name “(Y/N) wait. I wanted to apologize, I really had no idea.”

Ah so he figured it out. This is where you get rejected now isn't it? You’ve never gotten to see his list of ideals but you can’t imagine with 58 of them being what he looks for in a partner, well you doubt you could possibly match every one of them. Although you do wonder how many of the 58 you do meet. You let Kunikida catch up to you before you spoke. You didn’t want to be shouting about your feelings from across the hallway. 

“It’s okay really if anything it was Dazai’s fault so,” You didn’t meet his gaze opting to look at your feet. Honestly you were surprised that he even followed you out but Kunikida would be the type to let you down easy face to face. In that case you might as well ask. “So about the kiss, did you at least like it?”

He pushed up his glasses. “Your lips were tense and a little off center. It was also too quick for me to really feel anything but for your first kiss I’d say it was adequate. You don’t want to be too firm with your approach.”

You blinked at him. At least he didn’t hate it? Although it wasn’t your first kiss, but if he was making excuses for your bizarre behavior just now then you’ll take it. “I guess I just need a little more practice.”

He cleared his throat. He doesn't know why he feels the need to divulge this information to you. Maybe it's the guilt of robbing you of a proper first kiss. “I might not be the most experienced but I’ve studied the twenty four most common types of kisses and several techniques that one should master to be considered a good kisser.” He looked shyly to the side. If Dazai read that section of his journal he would never hear the end of it. “Of course it’s been a few years since I’ve touched those pages but I could help you if you wanted. Consider it penance for taking your first kiss.”

You know “Kunikida becoming your kissing instructor” wasn’t exactly on your bingo card for this year but if it means you get to spend alone time with him, you would have played truth or dare months ago. Guess you’d have to thank Dazai for this opportunity, maybe even Ranpo. 

You tried not to look too excited. “I’ll do my best.”

He looked relieved. Kunikida took off his glasses“Great, now relax your lips.” He took a breath to settle his nerves. Whether it was guilt, shame or embarrassment he’ll never know but there was a burning desire to kiss you again to make amends.

“Wait right now?”

He put his glasses in his pocket as he cupped your face. Seeing your cute expression would only cause him to hesitate. “We’ll start tomorrow but I wanted to show you what it’s supposed to feel like.” 

His eyes peered down at your lips as he leaned in delicately placing them on your own. You could feel the warmth rush to your cheeks as you melted into his touch. It was longer than your peck from earlier but it was still just a simple touch of the lips. The thought of Kunikida initiating the kiss made you lightheaded. As he pulled away you were breathless. It was a miracle that you could even stand right now.

“Well?” Kunikida cleaned his glasses before putting them back on. 

You smiled softly hoping that he couldn’t hear your racing heart beat “Looks like I have a lot to learn.”

[janeiteoftheslums]

At The Gold Saucer, Aerith Is Still Pining For Zack

SE baited us so hard with that last trailer, I can’t stop giggling.

At first, I didn’t know what to think. Romantically coded clips of Aerith clinging to Cloud—a very stoic and grumpy-looking Cloud, I might add—interspersed with him gawping at her on stage as she “sings” a love ballad about fate and destiny? Isn’t that a bit… tacky? One wonders if SE is trying to make two of their most popular characters look like total scumbags. Why is Aerith, fully aware that her new friends Cloud and Tifa have feelings for each other, getting waaaaay too cozy with Cloud? And is Cloud somehow complicit in what seems to be a flagrant betrayal of both Tifa and Zack?

Of course, we know exactly who’s been gobbling it up. Convinced that Hollow is about Cloud longing to be with Aerith, they’ve wasted no time in appropriating “No Promises To Keep” as Aerith’s answer to Cloud.

The trailer does give the impression there’s something going on between those two; and, obviously, that was deliberate.

But when you take a closer look at the lyrics that are sung after the trailer, an entirely different picture emerges.

Till the day when we meet again

In our place

Just let me believe

In the church

Know that you’ll take my hand

And never let me go

Take my hand

And believe we can be

Together evermore

Did you catch that?

In OUR PLACE.

In the CHURCH.

I know that in general, theme songs aren’t meant to be interpreted line by line, but this is VERY specific.

Now unless you’ve bought into the rampant lies and delusions about Hollow, you should immediately know who Aerith is singing about. Who spent “a lot of time” with her in that church, according to the devs? Who, when he first saw her face, thought he was in heaven and called her an angel? Whom did she embrace to comfort him? To whom did she first speak the words, “I’d like to spend more time with you”, in that very same church?

(Hint: not the other guy who crashed through the roof 7 years later wearing the same sword and spent more time with Reno than with Aerith during the brief time they were there together.)

It’s not all that hard to figure out.

The ones who still refuse to see what SE has been beating us over the heads with since Chapter 8 of Remake—they’ve got it coming. They’ve already set themselves up for this. I’ve seen them comparing Cloud’s expression in Remake’s red dress reveal to this one below, where he’s supposedly lovestruck as he watches her sing.

And since now we know there will be four different Gold Saucer dates, just like OG, these are both from OPTIONAL scenes. What else is new?

The devs were obviously trolling big time with that over-the-top scene, with the red carpet and the crowd and the fireworks, and now they’re doing it again, this time on an even grander scale. Aerith is the star of the show, singing on stage, garbed in a pure white princess dress, standing amid showers of yellow flowers.

Follow the yellow flowers.

Reunion.

Till the day when we meet again…

And if Aerith is singing about how she wants to be with Zack at the Gold Saucer, moments before the infamous gondola ride that’s been trumpeted for decades as proof she fell for Cloud—or the Zack-colored version of Cloud, as most of us understand he wasn’t truly himself—then that tacky montage we saw in the trailer can’t possibly be what it appears to be.

This is new. Aerith is now not only explicitly but extravagantly shown to be still pining for her first love at this point in the story. She’s NOT moving on, even if she’s convinced herself she’s trying to. Or perhaps she’s “giving up” again, as she lamented to Cloud in the Language of Flowers scene.

So what’s really going through Aerith’s head as she’s reaching for Cloud? What are we supposed to think of her? What other developments have happened in Rebirth to lead up this point—say, for example, in Gongaga? We’ll have to wait for rest of the game to get the full context of these clips—which, again, are most likely from optional scenes—but I’m convinced they’ll be overlaid so heavily with the specter of Zack that no one with a shred of honesty could possibly conclude Cloud is being portrayed as Aerith’s true love.

What all this amounts to, basically, is more of the same fake, superficially romantic scenes we got in Remake. The bridal catch. Them being on a “date”. Wall Market sleaze calling them a couple. I absolutely hate it, but the way this is looking, Cait Sith might still have something to say this time around.

And what about Cloud? Again, the same as Remake. She pushes herself into his space, and he’s kind (or bewildered) enough to tolerate her closeness, but his face is an open book. He’s not having a good time.

Don’t forget: Crisis Core Reunion was stated to be part of the FF7 Remake project. The devs wanted everyone to play that game in order to fully appreciate what’s coming in Rebirth. And a central feature of that game was Zack and Aerith’s blossoming relationship and the tragic way it was cut short. Not only that, but Zack’s character profile for Rebirth states he’s trying to return to his “love”, Aerith. They didn’t do all this for no reason.

Remember the last scene of Remake? The first notes of Hollow play as rain falls on the cracked earth at Cloud’s feet, exactly the way Nobuo Uematsu describes his inspiration for the song. Then Zack appears, with the visual of his face interposed directly between Cloud and Aerith.

Just as in the first game, that image is going to hover over every scene with the two of them in Rebirth. Just as their “date” in Remake wasn’t about Aerith falling for Cloud but missing Zack, Aerith’s Gold Saucer date is going to have similar overtones. Their brief time together is not the love story some are bent on interpreting it as. And we shouldn’t fall for it, either.

In spite of the way they shaded her in Remake, of which booby-trapping Cloud in her house was just one instance, I’m not willing to believe SE is out to utterly destroy Aerith’s character. I don’t think most of her fans deserve that. But they do seem to be going out of their way to make a certain ship look really, really bad.

And for those who still insist on pretending, against all odds, that ship is actually going to sail? They’re in for a massive shock.

Take a moment to let this sink in. The THEME SONG for Final Fantasy Rebirth is a love song from Aerith to Zack, yearning to be reunited with him, promising him he’ll find her. And it’s performed by the amazing Loren Allred, who first dazzled us with her stunning vocals in The Greatest Showman (let’s try to forget for the moment that, most frustratingly, she sounds nothing like Aerith’s English VA and it’s futile to hope the in-game performance, if she does in fact supply Aerith’s actual singing voice, will be the least bit believable). This is more than any Zerith fan ever dreamed we’d be given. It’s positively glorious.

More than once in the past few months, it’s been confirmed that the end of the FF7R trilogy will fall in line canonically with the events of Advent Children, with Zack and Aerith in the Lifestream, “together evermore”. We have to get there somehow, to that point where they joke about “adopting” Cloud and walk off, side by side, to say their final goodbye. I can’t wait to see their reunion!

[axolator]

I've been looking into trying out some more custom scripts, and I've been eyeing Ride the Cyclone, but it's been through some substantial updates since you covered it for the script-a-day. If you're willing to give your thoughts on, I'd love to hear them!

Hey, thanks for the ask! I'd love to give my thoughts on the updated RtC. I think the changes make the script feel a little different, but ultimately help the script be more balanced and fun while maintaining its super unique flavor.

For reference, here's v4.6:

You'll recognize the Boffin, Xaan, Golem, and at least some of these Townsfolk for sure, but many of these characters have been swapped out since my Script-A-Day. On the evil team, the Boomdandy and Mastermind replace the Goblin and Mez — the Goblin and Boomdandy share a lot of design space and share similar roles on the script (down to the Golem interaction with the Boomdandy: be careful!), while the Mastermind explores a new direction with the jinx, which goes as follows:

Mastermind / Al-Hadikhia: If the Al-Hadikhia dies by execution, and the Mastermind is alive, the Al-Hadikhia chooses 3 good players tonight: if all 3 choose to live, evil wins. Otherwise, good wins.

There's no traditional "mastermind day" here, and if a presumed Demon is executed, good will have to think carefully about the next set of Al-Had choices (which get announced as normal, due to the jinx): if all live, the game might just end. It's another escape hatch that can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Outsider suite has also seen some changes: Plague Doctor and Damsel hide themselves a bit more than the Recluse and Klutz they replaced, to cover up when exactly the Xaan night is — for a little while. The PD-Boomdandy jinx can also frame an Outsider in the chaos, and reads as follows:

Plague Doctor / Boomdandy: If the Plague Doctor is executed and the Storyteller would gain the Boomdandy ability, the Boomdandy ability triggers immediately.

It's indistinguishable from the PD actually being the Boomdandy, so can bring Xaan worlds in or out of contention in the ten-to-one countdown and rush to point at someone.

Some notes:

The Knight is incredibly powerful at ruling out powerful characters as being Boffined Demons. To that end, a Xaan 1 showing the Demon can be powerful - unless it's obviously Xaan 1! Support it with one or even 2 Outsider bluffs, or otherwise give the Knight true info if the game looks like it'll shake out as obvious Xaan 1 so they start turning on their pings.

The Preacher might seem strange here, but it's very useful for ruling out Boomdandy candidates. After all, a preached Boomdandy can't explode, so is always a safe execution!

If you're putting the Damsel in the bag, be very careful about what Boffin ability (or PD-Boffin ability) you give the Demon, so they don't find the Damsel by themselves. Definitely avoid Boffin-Dreamer and Boffin-Philosopher in a Damsel game, and I'd be a little careful about Undertaker, too.

When giving yourself a Plague Doctor ability, gain an out-of-play ability if you can — it's usually the more fun choice to do so, and is more inline with the intent of the character. That being said, sometimes you just can't (e.g. the only out of play Minion is Boomdandy and the PD died at night), so gain an in-play one then.

From Paradox: If the Plague Doctor gives the ST the Xaan ability on what would be the Xaan night, it starts poisoning immediately. Otherwise, it'll usually end up doing nothing.

When running the Boomdandy's ten-to-one countdown, make sure you know it doesn't have to be exactly ten real-life seconds. Depending on the size of the game, you might increase the time between numbers to allow for a longer countdown. Don't make it too long — after all, the Boomdandy is still an Minion, so should help the evil team — but it can be unfun for both sides if the countdown is too short.

Oh, and before I sign off, if you haven't already, make sure to read my Script-A-Day on an earlier version of RtC here! Most of what I said about running and bagbuilding it still applies to the new version. Have fun, and let me know how it goes!

[hearts4golbach]

The Night Shift.

Johnnie Guilbert x Fem!Reader.

Chapter 25

the morning of the party, i decided to shower and shave. i had already planned my outfit, which was a black mini skirt with a top tara had given me that was cheetah print. it really wasn't my style, but she insisted i try it on and wear it to the party.

from the way Jake described it, the party was way less formal. in his words, "more like a college or high school party." i had never been allowed to go to one, so i wasn't really sure what to expect. comparatively, this party started much later than the couple i've been to in the past. this one started around 8:30. Jake explained that the party was going to be packed. that was nerve-racking to me when the other parties were usually not too packed and had not too many people. he warned me that there'd be more drugs than i even knew about, which i highly doubted, considering he didn't know my history. privately, Johnnie reassured me not to sweat it and that he'd be by my side the whole time.

it was about a week until my parents would be in town, and as each day passed, i grew more anxious about what they'd think of Johnnie. i knew if they didn't like him, i wouldn't care all too much, but i wanted them to. i hoped and prayed that they had calmed down a little since the last time i had seen them, but i highly doubted it. although they were getting older every day. they were both retired now, which meant that they'd be stuck in the house much more than they used to be, which hopefully helped them be less stressed all of the time. i assumed that was the main source of their problem, but i wasn't too sure.

i had changed into a comfier outfit and went to help tidy up the kitchen. i tossed my hair up in a clip and began to do dishes. i had my headphones in, quietly humming to music as i did so. i felt a hand wrap around my waist and a head lean on my shoulder, making me jump. i pulled a headphone out and whipped my head around, "well, good morning."

"Morning," Johnnies groggy voice responded before he went to go search through the fridge.

"So, thoughts on the party tonight?" i asked in an attempt to make conversation. i finished up the last of the dishes. i leaned against the counter, keeping him company as he made a packet of oatmeal.

"i mean, i'm excited, but it's whatever." he shrugged, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. "Are you still nervous over what jake said?"

i shrugged, "not really. tara gave me an outfit for tonight. That's what i'm nervous about." i joked.

"Don't be, you look good in everything, baby." he kissed my cheek, leaning against the counter next to me as he waited for his oatmeal to cook in the microwave.

"Awe, thank you," i replied, genuinely not knowing what to say to the compliment. i set my arm on the counter behind him, "So do you."

"Stop it," he flicked his hand, exaggerating his voice before taking his breakfast out of the oven. he pecked my lips before leaving the kitchen and going back into our room.

i spent the next few hours on the phone with tara. we spoke about anything that came to our minds just to pass the time. whenever she hung up, i joined johnnie. he was sitting on his PC playing a game whenever i walked in. i snuck behind him in order to get to the bed. i curled up under the comfy blankets and scrolled on my phone, as well as ordered new supplies for the cafe. eventually, i ended up falling asleep on accident.

johnnie woke me up not long after, telling me i should probably start getting ready since him and jake were. i decided to (straighten/curl) my hair for this, even though i knew it'd be messed up by the end of the night. same with my makeup. i took extra time just to make sure it looked perfect. one of my biggest fears was people thinking i was too unattractive for johnnie. i knew he didn't think that, but i also didn't want him to be embarrassed of me. i knew i was overthinking it, obviously, but what's the harm in a little extra makeup?

i slipped off my outfit last thing, making sure all of the smallest details were perfect. my mother had always called me a perfectionist, i wonder where she thinks i got it from. my beat-up black Converse was the final touch since i was not about to wear heels to this supposed "rager."

whenever we arrived, i realized jake was severely over exaggerating. as we walked up to the front door, johnnies arm snaked around my waist. his hand squeezed the bare flesh of my side, making my heart feel as if it was about to explode. jake walked behind us, speaking to nearly everyone who passed by him. although, whenever we walked into the house, i also realized jake was right about some things. this bitch was packed. i scooted closer to johnnie to feel more secure. even though i knew there wasn't really a way i could, i was terrified of getting lost in all of these people.

"you alright?" johnnie raised his voice so i could hear him over the music.

jake nudged johnnie over so he could stand by him. "i can't believe tonight is my fucking turn to be designated driver. out of all the nights i could've bee-"

"oh, shut up. it's your turn, cry baby." i teased, "yeah, i'm alright." i flashed him a bright smile. "let's go find drinks to chug in front of jake." i grabbed johnnies hand and dragged him away.

we began to search for whatever type of bar they had set up, and we found it on the dining table. johnnie got jack and coke while i decided to try the drinks i had never seen before. i never really got out into the world of alcohol, anyway. we took our first sip together, resulting in us cringing at the same time.

as the night went on and more alcohol flooded into us, both of us got more touchy and confident than we ever were before. there was never a moment where johnnies hands weren't on me or vise versa. we sat together on the couch, surrounded by a group of loud girls and another group passing around a joint. his hand slid up and down from my hip to my waist and back again in a soothing motion as he spoke.

"i'm getting kind of tired," i lied, only wanting alone time with johnnie. my words slurred together. "do you think jake is about ready to go?"

his eyes flickered down to my lips before meeting my eyes again. "maybe, let's go find out. i'm ready to go too." i noticed his words were also slightly slurring together, as well as his eyes drooping.

i stumbled off the couch, gripping his arm tightly as a wat to drag him with me. Johnnie kept me upright as we searched for jake, even though he was just as tipsy as me. whenever we had found jake, he was out on the poarch smoking a cigarette.

"jake, can we go home?" i whined. he looked over at me, and his nose scrunched with disappointment. "Please, im so sleepy, and i do not want to sleep here for obvious reasons."

"i guess," he let out an exaggerated sigh as he pulled the car keys out of his pocket. "Let's go, love birds."

johnnie and i crawled into the back seat as Jake started the car. nobody spoke in the ride home, only listening to the radio. johnnie leaned against the window, watching as the cars sped past.

i leaned over to whisper in his ear so jake couldn't hear us. "What's on your mind?"

he glanced over before wrapping his arm around me, "You." he whispered back.

i smirked. "Really? what about me?"

"im keeping that a secret," he shrugged.  "Just wait until we get home."

i sighed, accepting the fact that he wasn't going to tell me. i leaned my head on his shoulder until we got home. whenever we'd finally made it, we made short conversation with jake before rushing to our room.

the door was shut and locked, and johnnies lips were on mine. the kiss was passionate as our hands explored eachothers bodies as our tongues tangled together. his breath tasted of mint and alcohol, and im sure mine tasted the same.

our lips continued to glide together as he laid me back on the bed. i knew his intentions weren't sexual. i could feel it in the way he moved and breathed.

he pulled away, breathing heavily. his hair was a mess and his eyeshadow smudged. "youre so beautiful."

without commenting, i tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled him in again. i placed my lips on his, holding him close before we eventually pulled away.

he was still trying to catch his breath as he lay in the bed next to me. he pulled me close before we both fell asleep.