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#which i should probably make an actual map of by now
arolesbianism · 1 year
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I've just been playing the new cotl update for most of the day and I'm so so close to being done with the main new story bits I think but it's also past midnight but also I'm so excited idk if I'll be able to sleep but also god damn do I need to sleep
#rat rambles#and I know I wont have long to play when I wake up tomorrow since my friends will probably wanna continue our dont starve save#and I wanna too which is why I wont say no if they do but also aghhhhhh#Ill be able to finish it once they have to go to bed but thats so long Ill have to wait 😔#anyways I saved kalamar for last since hes the hardest originally but based off my current load out I think Ill be fine#aka literally every other bishop died in seconds due to my bomb demon being over level 30 lol#Im so glad they seem to scale further now its soooooo funny walking into a room with a boss and just watching them immediately explode#also Ive been using the golden fleece more and its been going pretty well#I got up to over 500% damage one run that was cool#Ive barely been touching the heavy attacks tho but tbf thats partially cause of keyboard mapping#Ive been having so so much fun with this update tho even if Im not a huge fan of a few aspects#this has brought so much more life to the combat portion to the game for me I havent had this much fun with the combat in a while#I do still need to collect all the rellics tho Im working on it#I also feel like I should buy all the new cards but man. none of them seem very appealing to me tbh#that is one of my big problems with cotl in general getting new cards can make it harder to get the more fun or useful ones#most of the actually useful cards are the base ones or ones given to you mostly for free#everything else is mildy useful or at least fun at best and actively useless at worst#like. ooo drop ichor on hit. wow. honestly give me deaths door at that point like jesus
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selvepnea · 4 months
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Been playing Vampyr lately (not a recommendation)
#Sel talks#I wouldn't call it good per-say. But I am having fun#Love picking apart the options it gives for the main character#“None of these options are good/what I want him to say; but I can see where he's coming from”#Love picking apart the moral quandries of vampires instead of my own 👍#I have Chosen Wrong when dealing with the pillars in the surrounding communities and are essentially dead.#This makes it difficult to keep said communities “healthy” and more likely that they'll “fall”#Which made it tempting to make it fall and get the exp from it (which I wouldn't get if I let it fall)#But! I am trying my best to keep them afloat by being a little erand boy and running headache and cold medicine around#Which is tedious!!#The map is too big and there are so many goonies running around trying to kill me#But I am trying!#Really mad about the second pillar tho; probably going into spoilers for a 5 y/o game#Like I didn't really understand the implications for my choice on the first pillar; but I was so sure about Sean!#Like he found solice in what he'd become; why should I be policing his choices when I was just as destructive if not more so?#I had no clue about how long he'd been turned! It seemed like he may have helped organize the skals in the sewers??#Which couldn't have been done in a single night#Was I so wrong to believe him when he'd say he'd only eat the flesh of corpses (especially when they're in the middle of a pandemic??)#So mad#Why should I have made the decision to turn him into something else without his consent#This game is sending a lot of mixed signals#Oh! Skals are monstrous and crazy!! They are attacking you!!#Haha jk! Turns out they can be peaceful <3#Looks like ur friend turned into one :0 are you going to trust him??#Oh no!! He wasn't trustworthy!! Now he's turned 3 citizens :(#The framing is. Not The Best#To be clear! I am not recommending this!#I am having fun twisting it in a way it probably shouldn't be played that is probably only fun to me#Running the tedious hard mode by completing citizen quests; running around w drugs; not using ranged attacks; and not drinking any blood 👍#It's getting to the point where it feels like the gap of “level I'm supposed to be” and my actual level is getting to be more of a problem
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thebibliosphere · 3 months
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Phangs called me out in the most hilarious way.
For years I've been planning on painting the ceiling (or alternatively the wall my bed is put against) like a celestial map as soon as I moved out from the flatshare-from-hell I was in. Three, four years, at least, and before there were vague plans for it, too.
Fast forward to me finally moving at the end of last month and thinking 'Huh but what if I ever need to move again, I can't take a wall with me', and 'Knowing myself I'll end up with a half painted ceiling when I inevitably run out of steam halfway through' so I decided instead of painting it, I would find dark blue curtains to embroider the celestial map onto which I would then pin to the ceiling; for ease of transport should it ever become necessary. You know, because painting a ceiling wouldn't have been tedious and finnicky enough.
After moving, I also miraculously regained the ability to actually sit down and read, so I picked a book, sat down, read it cover to back, and only then got up again. Imagine my surprise when a certain vampire in the story'd had the exact same idea as me, only with the certainty that paint would be a viable option due to longterm tenancy. I may have yelled in delighted outrage.
And yes, I have unmedicated ADHD. (Vlad is mine to protect now. Would have been, anyway, but now it's personal.)
Lmao, this is so funny. Uh, sorry not sorry? If it makes you feel any better, I was absolutely calling myself out with that segment.
Vlad’s desk might contain centuries of unfinished projections and fluctuating hyperfixations but I’ve probably got him beat 🤣
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batfamscreaming · 2 months
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Holding two concepts in my head at once rn:
Premise: that modern batman should explore Bruce Wayne as a tech bro billionaire. Yes, Waynetech successful and well established by his well to do parents, but not actually exploding until billionaire genius Bruce Wayne returns from his sabbatical from college (several years MIA) with his wowzers little invention that will revolutionize the world and put Gotham on the map for... different reasons!
The duality I am holding is both that even though Bruce does have to be smart enough to make gadgets on his own, it would be very funny if his invention was actually something known already but exclusively in the darkest belly of the criminal underworld, and now there are major crime syndicates all over the world watching as world's most oblivious himbo Brucie markets (for example) lazarus revitalizing muscle ointment! Fixes aches and pains in a jiffy! Toxic at levels exceeding 50ppm.
Which reminded me that, canonically, Bruce probably knows multiple people as Bruce Wayne who helped train him in 5k martial arts practices and guides to poison, who know him as a focused and vengeful student who wouldn't take no for an answer, and one day he pops up on TV like "hi everybody :) nice to be here at the puppy and poppy drive for the people in our community who use medical marijuana and service dogs to manage every day" and for a moment wonder if they should look up the symptoms of memory problems
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shuttershocky · 1 year
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this overwatch 2 shit has GOT to be illegal right? I mean, they sold the game on the promise of PvE and now they cancel it. This better earn them a false advertising charge
And the wildest part is that you can't even play Overwatch 1 anymore.
Anyone who's followed this blog long enough has probably seen me post a rant about how terrible video games are at media preservation, and how we should preserve games (even ones we don't like) to be playable in some manner long after the developers take the servers offline because games are art and deserve to be able to be experienced by the future long after they've been discarded by their makers as a product.
You can't do that anymore with Overwatch 1, a game that wasn't even free to play.
People paid 40$ in 2016, 60$ if they went for the deluxe edition, to play Overwatch. New heroes, maps, etc were promised to come as free updates, instantly accessible for anyone to play without grinding or microtransactions (though there were mtx for cosmetics) and that the game would be supported for many years.
This was one of the many reasons why Overwatch back then absorbed a large part of TF2's playerbase: TF2 had been chugging along since 2007, at the 8-9 year point its updates were winding down and people have accepted it was finally hitting the end of tis life, and were looking for a new cartoon team shooter that would last for years. OW was not TF2's successor and was never intended to be, but that promise of many years of free support was a major part of why people gave it a chance just the same.
And then just 3 years later in 2019 they announced Overwatch 2, a game that looked really, really similar to Overwatch 1, except it was going to have the actual story missions via PvE mode that Overwatch 1 didn't have. They said there would be enough new things to justify the '2', and that people who bought Overwatch 1 need not worry about their investment in the first game.
And then it turned out what they meant by that was that they were killing Overwatch 1 by closing its servers, forcing everyone to move over to Overwatch 2, a Free to Play game where you had to grind to unlock the new heroes (people who bought OW1 instantly had the new hero unlocked but come on), was chock full of the usual Free to Play engagement mechanics, and changed the 6v6 format to 5v5, if you had a full squad of friends before, you had to tell one guy to get fucked.
I think the worst part was that when people were understandably angry that Overwatch 2's actual changes from the original were almost all monetization based, games journalists that pressed Blizzard on why players now had to grind a battlepass for heroes, which Overwatch 1 had always given for free, were met with a "well, heroes are the strongest engagement point for our players" type of deflection where they didn't even try to hide their reasons behind something respectable.
Now they're announcing that OW2's PvE mode, the whole (public) reason they made OW2 a sequel instead of an update to OW1, isn't even happening anymore, and Overwatch 1's original 6v6 remains dead and inaccessible.
I didn't like Overwatch 1. I was really hyped for it when it came out, but found myself really disliking the gameplay (especially on its map design which I thought was terrible) which only worsened with its creative and balancing direction until I lost interest in only a few weeks.
Still, killing OW1 to force all players to move to OW2's free to play model was inexcusable. All art must be preserved in some manner, even ones we don't think are good enough to be worth preserving. Overwatch in particular was so massive in 2016-2018 that to kill it is to make inaccessible the source material of a kajillion other pieces of art from those years.
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iheartmapi · 21 days
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Norwegian Holiday
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Ingrid Engen x Reader
Summary: For the first time, you and your girlfriend go on holiday to her country.
Fluff.
TW: none expect probably kinda shitty depiction of Norwegian culture (I’ve never been there don’t @ me)
Word count: 968
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“The charm’s hidden in the small towns, kjæreste”
The brunette beside you remarked as your train slowly approached it’s destination.
“Well, I’m gonna have to trust you on this one, Ing…”
As the vehicle came to a stop the two of you raised from your seats and gathered your bags, there wasn’t a lot of commotion, after all why should there be when you picked out a tiny town to visit…but well you were enthusiastic about this holiday anyways. Ingrid lead you, though she haven’t been here before she could actually read the signs you passed by.
You fished out your phone from your bag, “Uh babe we rented the hotel on your phone right?” She turned to look at you, as the two of you managed to navigate into one of the towns streets, “I think so, let me check, can you get my phone for me?” You listened and then started the tumultuous act of searching for Ingrid’s phone in your guy’s travel bag, finally you handed the mobile to her.
As Ingrid searched for the reservation, or rather the hotels name so that google maps could help you out, you stood by her, observing the buildings that littered the street, and the might mountains that surrounded the town…this place was almost like a very cozy fairytale “Aha!” Ingrid beamed, were supposed to gooooo…” she turned and turned before pointing in the correct way “We’re supposed to go there” the brunette took hold of your arm and lead the way “So hasty..” you chuckled, “We’ve got no time to lose!” Ingrid beamed.
Thankfully, you didn’t get lost and got to register at the hotel, your rooms were nice, the mattress was the perfect balance between hard and soft, and the decor? Well there wasn’t really much to say about it, it was regular, kind of genderless and beige really.
Of course the moment everything was checked off the two of you got dressed and left the hotel to go exploring, this time leaving google maps behind to just see the town for yourself.
The first thing you and Ingrid thought was necessary to see, was the town’s square.
From the very middle; there was a nicely carved stone fountain, really just plain space, some benches and then the building that surrounded it…shops, cafes, restaurants the likes. “Stand there, I wanna take your picture, pretty girl” Ingrid smiled, you cheerfully pranced around to pose in front of the fountain for Ingrid’s phone’s lenses, after a couple clicks the two of you continued on strolling around.
“Feeling the Norwegian spirit already?” Ing playfully nudged you, you smirked “Definetily, oh I need to get me some kitschy Viking souvenir!” At that comment she scoffed “So stereotypical of you” you just winked at your girlfriend and said “Whatever you say, Viking lady” to which she just nudged you again and you laughed.
Trying Norwegian food was a must have on your list, so not too soon after you made your way to a restaurant, your eyes skimmed across the menu, trying to pronounce the foreign to you words as Ingrid had a laughing fit at your butchered words.
Then with some help from Ingrid you chose a dish called “Kjøttkaker med brunsaus”, a seemingly simple recipe. The waiter soon brought your orders to the table and left you to live this delicious moment.
You stick your fork into the meat on the plate and took a dramatic breath “Here goes nothing…” you munched on the meat cakes, wanting to savour the taste..after a moment of thoughtfulness you decided on “This is quite good actually”
Ingrid’s mouth curved upwards “I’m happy you like it” before continuing on eating her own meal, “You’ll have to make this for me when we get back home, Ingy!” You remarked joyfully, “Alright alright” she laughed at your liveliness “Calm your horses and finish eating first”
Towns square, restaurant and now a souvenir shop because you begged Ingrid to see it when you spotted it…you scanned the Viking-y souvenirs, from hats to cups, there were many things to choose from…Ingrid herself paced around the building, observing the assortment of the shop before returning to you, “So?” She asked “You getting anything?” You turned to Ingrid with a comical seriousness “I’m torn between the Viking hat and the Viking cup” Ingrid raised an eyebrow “I’m assuming you’re expectantly waiting for me to say you can get both?” You nodded “There’s no limit for what you want babe, if you want it buy it” you reached for the “viking” hat and put it on your head “I was afraid the amount of kitsch I wanted would annoy you” Ingrid just rolled her eyes and patted your now covered head “It’s you, I couldn’t get mad even if I wanted to.”
So you bought the things you wanted, put them in your bag for walking around and went on with your exploration of the small town. The rest was really just you two appreciating the views and architecture, or entering places you thought looked interesting..
The day flowed smoothly and soon you found yourself sitting on a bench with a view of the lake by the town, waffles in your and Ingrid’s hands.
“This is like…so pretty it’s crazy” you said as you munched on your waffle
“Chew before you speak babe…” Ingrid sighed at your childishness (but with a smile on her face)
“fine fine!” You finished the piece and swallowed “Now as I said, the views are crazy here”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying Norway” your girlfriend smiled even wider, her eyes crinkling “You know I care about your happiness the most”
“Oh don’t you make me blush…” you added “You’re already outshining this landscape” you winked before getting back to devouring your waffle
“You’re such a dummy…”
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sweatervest-obsessed · 8 months
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Second Chances Are For Winners
Pairing: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid
WC: 2.7k
TW: Swearing, teasings, blood, abduction, breaking and entering, Criminal Minds General list of triggers apply here.
A/N: Hiya gang! so actually I have been so unmotivated to write and I just got back from vacation so I promise I will finish up VDVE soon. But please enjoy this mouth vomit that Just came out of my mind. It's a part one since the rest of it is mapped out, just not written! (also why is like every other gif his mouth moving. This man really just doesn't stfu and it's only hot on him)
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Spencer Reid being overwhelmed was an understatement. He needed to get out of that police station as soon as physically possible. JJ confronting him about his hostility towards her had not gone the way she had hoped it would, and Spencer was once again, fuming. 
The Oklahoma heat was not kind to someone who only wore sweater vests, a fact in which he would later start to reconsider when planning his outfits to places where the heat had personal vendettas against the living. As soon as he stepped outside, it was like he was met with a brick wall of temperatures well over what they should be. As the sweat dripped down his forehead, so did the tension. He took a couple of breaths before picking up the phone and dialing a number he knew all too well. 
“Speak and be heard, Wonder Boy” 
“Hey Garcia,” A small smile formed from hearing the familiar voice. “I need you to look up someone, and find their cell number for me, if that’s okay.”
He could hear Garcia roll across her ‘batcave’, “Hit me.”
“Her name is Y/N Y/L/N…” 
“Give me two seconds…..Isn’t she—” 
“Garcia, please.” 
He could hear the smirk forming across her face as her fingers flew across the keys. 
“You’re looking up more than her number…”
“One point for Boy Genius everybody. Yes, I’m looking up more than just her phone number. She’s the gorgeous mystery woman who kissed your cheek in front of the whole team—of course I’m going to look her up now that I have her name.”
Spencer pinched the bridge of his nose, starting to regret the decision to call Penelope in the first place. “Can you just send me her number and snoop around later Garcia?” 
“Fine Genius.” His phone beeped. “Just sent it to you.” 
“Thank you Penelope.” 
“Anytime Boy Wonder.” Reid hung up the call before looking at the screen, opening the text Garcia had sent him. He smiled at the number, and almost dialed before thinking better of it. Maybe after the case, he’ll call you and take you out for lunch to catch up. But it’s nothing more, Spencer decided. You probably didn’t feel the same way, but at least he knew that there was someone who wasn’t a part of the team in which he could finally vent his frustrations to. Now he’ll finally be able to get an objective view on the whole Emily situation. 
Spencer looked at the file in his hand and sighed, opening it up. As he was reading through it for the umpteenth time, something occurred to him, and he quickly made his way back into the station, and towards his team. 
_____________________________________________________________________________
Once the jet touched down in DC, Spencer was the first one off the plane. He walked through the hanger, and towards his car. He could feel the others watching him, especially Emily, but his mind was elsewhere. 
He reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, dialing the number Garcia had sent. 
“Y/L/N and Associates, how may I help you today?” 
Spencer didn’t even try to bite back the smile before he cleared his throat, reaching into his back pocket to grab his keys. 
“Hi, yes, I was wondering if I could speak with Y/N Y/L/N?”
“Sure, let me make sure she’s available. Her meeting should be ending soon. Can I ask what this is for?” 
Spencer pursed his lips before answering. “She, uh, just told me to call this number.” 
He heard the person on the other end shuffle something around before answering, “Good enough for me.” They hummed. “Can I just get a name?”
“Yeah–uh, Spencer–Spencer Reid.” 
“Give me one moment Mr. Reid” was all he heard before he was put on hold. He sighed and entered his car, chucking his go-bag into the passenger seat. As Spencer turned on the car, he heard your voice.
“Spencer?”
His face lit up, and a smile graced his features. 
“Hey! Yeah. Um” He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “Hi.” 
She laughed. “I knew you’d find me eventually, Doctor, but a whole week? I feel that maybe your profiling skills need a bit of sharpening.” 
“Well–I was, I was working on cases. I-I didn’t forget—”
You cut him off, voice softer than he remembered. “I’m just teasing Spencer. So what do I owe the absolute pleasure of having Doctor Spencer Reid grace my line.” 
“Well, I was hoping you’d give me your cell number so I don’t have to annoy your secretary…”
You were silent for a moment. “Well my number is going to cost you something.” 
“Y-Yeah absolutely.” Answered a bit too quickly, almost out of breath. 
“I expect a meal sometime soon, and maybe throw in coffee one of these mornings as well.” 
Spencer smiled so brightly he almost couldn’t see the road as he was driving. 
“I-I, um, think that’s something I can do.” 
He heard you hum in agreement.
“What about tomorrow night?” 
Spencer paused. 
“I–...I actually can’t do tomorrow night, I have a team meeting, but what about breakfast the next morning?” 
He heard you shuffling papers around and a bit of typing on the keyboard before you answered him. “Seems like I’m all yours Doctor.” 
Reid smiled and parked his car outside of his apartment. 
“Then you’ll have to give me your cell phone’s number and it’s a sealed deal.”
“Are you usually this good at negotiations? Should I start prepping my list of demands for breakfast…” You joked, letting out a small laugh. 
Spencer shook his head before he realized you couldn’t see him. “N-No, well yes actually. It’s a part of the whole FBI thing.” 
You laughed at his joke before giving him your cell number. “I’ll see you soon Spencer. Bye.” 
As you hung up the phone, Spencer sent a quick “hey!” text before getting out of the car and heading up to his apartment. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a tense week after all. 
______________________________________________________________________________
The Team isn’t stupid. They’ve noticed that Spencer was somehow in a better mood when he arrived at the office the next morning, despite the way he basically ran away from the jet. They also noticed he was spending a lot more time on his phone than before, especially since Spencer was not the one to text. 
As Spencer dumped his sugar into his coffee mug, Derek came up next to him and started to prepare his own coffee. 
“Wanna tell me why you’re in such a good mood Pretty Boy?” 
Spencer pondered the offer for a moment before putting the sugar back on the counter, next to the coffee pot. “Nope.” and he walked back towards his desk. 
Derek was taken back a little bit, but finished his coffee. He made eye contact with Emily and shrugged. 
Emily was next, since her desk was next to Spencer’s. 
“Morning Spence…” 
“Morning Emily.” He quickly replied, and even flashed her a quick smile before his phone lit up and his attention was taken away from her. He sent a quick text, before placing his phone face down and started looking through his files to find the right paperwork to finish the consultation he had started before they left for Oklahoma. 
“Wanna tell me what’s going on with you?”
“Nope.” Spencer replied yet again, and now that Derek was back, he watched the same look pass through Emily’s face before she looked at Derek. 
Derek decided he was going to try a different tactic this time. “Hey Reid, wanna tell me who you're texting there man?” 
Derek’s face lit up like a Christmas Tree not even a moment later when Spencer ignored his question. 
“Is it…oh what was her name…”
“Ohhhh,” Emily joined in, “It’s the lawyer from last week…” 
Spencer just shrugged and tried to stay focused on the paper in front of him, yet all he had been doing for the past minute was rereading the same line over and over because all he could think about was when you were going to answer his text. 
“The lawyer, right right…” Derek smirked and looked at Emily, both knowing they hit the jackpot. “Wasn’t her name…Y/N?” 
At the mention of your name, Spencer made the mistake of sitting up a bit straighter, which both profilers noticed instantly.
“Oh so Y/N has been texting you all morning huh. Is that why you raced off of the jet last night? Couldn’t wait to go see he–”
“No.” Spencer cut off Derek, looking up at the pair. “I haven’t seen her since last week’s case. Now if the two of you wouldn’t mind leaving me alone I have a lot of paperwork I need to make it through before I head home tonight.” He turned back to the file in front of him and tried to read it again. And again. And again. Eventually, Spencer was able to continue his work once Derek and Emily let him be. 
But anytime his phone buzzed, he could feel the smirks from his friends, he just didn’t care. 
__________________________________________________________________________
You were so over your entire day. Every single one of your active clients decided that they had an issue that needed to be resolved in the second they called you. 
So when you woke up, face leaving a print against the wood of your desk, you let out a groan. 
The little clock in the corner of your laptop's screen flashed the time, causing you to let out a string of curses. 
“I cant fucking believe it’s 2 am. Fuck.” You grumbled, standing up and stretching your arms over your head. 
Your phone screen lit up with a notification, which also showed that you had missed a few text messages from your favorite profilers. The last one was a, correct, guess that you had fallen asleep at your desk. You smiled and responded with: 
Do you ever get tired of being right all the time Doctor Reid?
As you packed up your things, your phone buzzed. 
Not really. It’s just in my nature. 
You laughed out loud a bit, shaking your head. 
And why are you still awake? 
That’s when your phone rang. You held it in your hand, staring at it for a moment, before remembering to answer it. 
“Hello?”
“Did you even check caller ID or are you trying to encourage stalkers?” Spencer’s voice rang through your body as you let out another laugh, placing the phone between your shoulder and your ear, packing up the rest of your things. 
“Well Spencer, I seriously can’t think of another person to call me at this hour besides you…; and maybe this Baby Daddy who won’t leave me alone.” You grumbled, shoving your laptop into your bag with a little extra force than normal. 
“Baby daddy?” 
“Yeah, one of my clients, he’s a sweet guy—great dad. But because he’s so worried about his daughter having any sort of parenting time, he’s been calling me nonstop, freaking out about supervised visits. Like, I get it, but it’s fucking 2 am and I stop working at 5, maybe 6 the latest. 
You heard Spencer hum in response, but no words. “Spencer?”
“Yeah?”
“You okay?” 
“Ye-yeah, I uh–”
“Did…Did you think I was talking about someone I had a kid with?” 
Spencer sputtered out a “n-no, why–why would…”
You let out another laugh, that was like music to his ears. “Spencer, I feel like you should have figured that out from the way that you clearly used the FBI to look up my office number to get my cell number. You would’ve found out if I had kids.” 
“Y-Yeah I guess…” 
“Give me one second Spencer.” and before he could respond, you put your phone down, and pulled out your airpods, letting them connect to your phone so you could go hands free. 
“Can you hear me?” You placed your phone in your skirt pocket, adjusting your airpods so that they would be comfortable. 
“Yeah? Is everything okay?” 
“I just had to put my headphones on, I need my hands.” You slid on your heels, and walked out of your office locking the door. “Tell me about your day Spencer, I have to walk around and lock up.” 
Spencer hummed again and looked up at his ceiling. He had been sitting in his apartment, trying to read, waiting for you to answer his text–partially because he thought the worst, but mostly because he couldn't stop thinking about you. 
“Well. Not much happened. I was at work, and was trying to finish a report for this case I’m consulting on by sending them a preliminary profile, and then Derek was up my ass all day.” 
“What about?” You asked, placing your bag on the floor near the office, going to check the rest of the offices to make sure no one was still there. 
“Oh, um, well…”
You laughed again, causing his chest to swell again. “So it was me.” You teased me. “Excited to talk to me?”
You could feel Spencer turning redder and redder as the moments went on.
After a brief pause, Spencer responded to you. “And what if I am?”
It was your turn to blush, but it only made you feel a bit bolder. 
“Getting a bit flirtatious, Spence. This is not the Reid I once knew from all those years ago.”
You could hear Spencer laugh. 
“You sound tired. Why don’t you get some rest Spencer.” 
Spencer sat up straighter. “No. I’ll stay on the phone with you—” He interrupted himself with a yawn. “Until you get home. What kind of agent would I be letting you walk home alone at this hour.” 
“I’m not going to stop you, but if you fall asleep….I’m hanging up.” 
“Fine—Just text me when you get home?” 
You hummed and nodded. “Can do sweetheart. Night Spencer.” 
“Night Y/n” 
You hung up the phone and turned on your spotify, listening to some music that would make this fifteen minute walk bearable. You usually drive into work, but it had been such a nice day, and you usually don’t mind getting in the extra walk since you sit behind a desk all day. 
You paused before you exited the first set of doors—part of you felt like you should just go back upstairs and sleep in your office. It wouldn’t be the first time, and it would provide a certain agent with a lot more comfort knowing you’re somewhere safe. 
But then you thought about your bed, and the new sheets you put on the night before, and the weighted blanket spread out across the bed spread, and you realized you’d much rather sleep under that than on a stale couch without even a pillow. 
You managed to make a fifteen minute walk into a ten one. Speeding home at 2 am was not exactly what you wanted to do, but you’d rather that then the couch. You quickly unlocked the front door and made it up the stairs and into your apartment. 
You sent Spencer a quick text saying that you had arrived home, and immediately moved into your bedroom. 
The apartment was a small one bed, one bath. It would have been considered a studio if not for the door between your bedroom and the kitchen/living room/entrance/dining room. Your bedroom was quite small, with a skinny closet, a dresser, and your bed. You had gotten lucky enough to shove your bed against one wall, and create a reading nook in the turret window on the other side of the room, which was only about ten feet away, but still. 
You kicked off your shoes, and made your way into the bathroom, brushing your teeth and listening to whatever music spotify had decided to play for you. 
You took off your outfit for the day and pulled on your pajamas, which felt so good against your skin as you slid into your bed, and shut the lights off. 
You wished you took the first option when two minutes later, you heard your bedroom door creak open, and a voice tell you not to scream. 
To Be Continued...
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mysteryshoptls · 1 month
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SSR Ortho Shroud - Platinum Gear Vignette
"Happy 100th Anniversary"
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[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]
Ortho: So, this is the Land of Dawning's National Museum of Art… It really has such a large and diverse collection of various genres of artwork. This is essentially a database of art.
Ortho: According to the map I installed, this exhibit should hold the painting I'm looking for…
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???: An enormous dog with three heads and sharp fangs… A frightening creature, indeed. I would have loved to have seen it personally.
Ortho: Hello, Jade Leech-san. I was just here to check out the Cerberus painting, too.
Jade: Is that so? As a creature that served the Lord of the Underworld, the Cerberus truly did have a powerful aura about it.
Jade: I'm sure with all 6 of those eyes keenly trained on the entrance to the underworld, it would have been a difficult endeavor indeed to attempt an escape.
Ortho: They're really cool, don't you think?
Ortho: But, according to lore, if they got tempted by their favorite sweets, they would end up lowering their vigilance.
Jade: Fufu, I see. So, perhaps it was a more charming creature than it looked… Would you agree?
Ortho: Yep. Also, they had one body, right, so each of the three heads ate a smaller amount of food…
Ortho: And they'd get in fights whenever they wanted to go in different directions… There's so many other cool stories about them, too.
Jade: You're very well-informed. Is this something that all Ignihyde students must know?
Ortho: Mmm, I'm not sure. I probably just know a lot since I really liked the stories in which the Cerberus would show up, and I'd read them all the time.
Ortho: Back when I was a kid, me and my brother would read picture books on the legends of the Lord of the Underworld, see…
Ortho: And even after coming to Sage's Island, whenever I learned of a new tale involving Cerberus, I'd update my database.
Jade: I see, so that's how… Well, I appreciate having been able to hear some unexpected anecdotes.
Ortho: Most would say that they look ferocious, or seem really strong, but the more you get to know them, the more cute you'll find them.
Ortho: Since Cerberus is considered a dog-like monster, I've also been collecting data on regular dog behaviors too.
Ortho: Recently, I've gotten to pet some dogs out for a walk down in Whistle Park. Of course, I ask their owners for permission, first.
Jade: A real dog… That's astounding. As I do not have much experience with them, I'm afraid I'm a tad hesitant to actually touch them, myself.
Ortho: I was a bit hesitant too, at first. I didn't really know how much strength I should put into touching a living creature…
Ortho: And since I'm a technomantic humanoid and smell different than humans, they'd be super wary of me.
Jade: Ah, that makes sense. They do have a powerful sense of smell.
Jade: So then, how is it that you've become able to interact with those dogs, Ortho-kun?
Ortho: I just would strike up a conversation with them on a regular basis and slowly built trust.
Jade: That is astounding. This is the first I've heard that you are well-versed in animal linguistics.
Ortho: I'd always had an app installed that'd let me talk with animals, but…
Ortho: Once I became a student at Night Raven College, I actually developed an animal linguistics translation tool.
Ortho: By talking to the animals first hand, I was able to improve the translations that seems a bit strange…
Ortho: Not only has was I able to improve the translation accuracy, but now I've gotten close with a bunch of dogs that they'll actually come up to me themselves once they catch sight of me!
Jade: So, in addition to achieving your goal of petting dogs, you were able to update your own translation tool… Absolutely fantastic.
Ortho: Heheh! Thanks, Jade Leech-san.
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[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]
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Ortho: This is a painting depicting one of the scenes from the Mermaid Princess's legend, isn't it? That's the Sea King riding that sleigh, right?
Jade: That's right, and what a dignified and gallant figure he is. What a shame he was unaware that the princess would be absent for the concert.
Ortho: He got really mad the moment he learned that the princess was going to be absent for her own debut… or so the story goes.
Ortho: I feel bad for the king, that she slipped out without telling him. But it's pretty cool that he gets to ride that dolphin-led sleigh.
Jade: Did that dolphin-led sleigh catch your eye? Then please, you must visit the Coral Sea.
Jade: They are primarily used for special events, however there are many such sleigh services geared towards surface-dwelling tourists.
Ortho: Cool, what sort of stuff? Let me search up "Coral sea dolphins sleigh" real quick…
Ortho: Here we go, there's a ton of tours, like… "Tour the Majestic Sea on a Dolphin Sleigh" and "Explore Undersea Ruins upon a Dolphin Sleigh"
Ortho: "Dolphin-led sleighs are safe and secure! Feel like a king as you partake in an elegant tour of the sea!" …Wow!
Jade: Safe and secure… I am a tad doubtful of that statement.
Ortho: You mean it's actually dangerous?
Jade: About 2 years ago, there was an incident where tourists from the surface were left stranded in the middle of the ocean.
Ortho: Let me search for any incidents having to do with dolphin sleighs. Ah, I got a hit on a news article from 2 years back.
Ortho: The stranded tourists were able to find their way to land on their own, and were all okay in the end, but…
Ortho: The touring company responsible got a ton of bad reviews after that. Looks like they got flamed pretty badly online.
Jade: Well, now… A corporation built at the bottom of the sea in which fire cannot thrive was "flamed pretty badly," you say… How wonderfully ironic.
Jade: According to the news, the dolphins merely left on a whim. If this all happened because of their mood, then what's to stop this sort of thing from happening again?
Ortho: You're right, Jade-san. This is a completely different story than just trying to fix the bugs in the system.
Ortho: I wonder if there's some sort of pattern to the timing of those dolphin mood swings. I'll have to search up on it later.
Jade: Fufu, you are quite cautious, aren't you?
Ortho: Yep! 'Cause, if I'm going to go check them out, I'd want to go when they're in one of their flippant moods!
Jade: I was not expecting that response. I completely expected you to be wanting a "safe and secure" tour.
Ortho: It might be fine just strolling around the ocean depths, but I feel like it wouldn't be as satisfying being stuck on a set path.
Ortho: If the dolphins act up, they might leave me stranded in the ocean, or take me to unexpected places…
Ortho: Doesn't it get your blood pumping to think about what sort of unpredictable moments might be waiting for you?
Jade: Indeed, I completely understand that sentiment. When everything follows organized harmony, it does get quite boring.
Jade: Then, how about I suggest a more stimulating tour for you? I assure you, this absolutely will not leave you wallowing in boredom.
Ortho: That sounds fun! I can't wait to see what kind of tour you come up for me, Jade-san.
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[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]
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Jade: Ah, this artwork depicts the scene where the Fairest Queen is sending out her most trusted hunter on a significant mission.
Ortho: I heard that when it comes to paintings depicting the Fairest Queen, you'll want to focus on the finer details, like the direction her face is looking, or the angle at which her finger is pointing.
Ortho: Vil Schoenheit-san told me as such when I was selected as a supporter for the museum.
Jade: That's good to know. I'm sure those in Pomefiore would be passionately moved while gazing upon this painting.
Ortho: Hmm, the concept of being moved by just looking at a painting is still a difficult one for me to grasp…
Ortho: But actually, something happened recently that's still stuck in my mind. I wonder if this is what they consider to be "moved" by something?
Jade: What a fascinating start. May I ask what sort of thing happened?
Ortho: The Film Research Club went to Crane Port for some club activities, and on the way back, I ran into this family that was fishing.
Ortho: They were chatting away about what kind of dishes they'd make if they caught anything, but their bucket was still devoid of any fish…
Ortho: Right as the dad said, "I guess we should head home," his kid caught a fish!
Ortho: Everyone looked so happy. But what do you think that family did next?
Jade: Did they not put the fish in the bucket and carry it home?
Ortho: Nope. They just said it would be a pity to eat a creature so small and threw it back into the ocean.
Ortho: But they did that after they had finally fished one up! It didn't really make sense to me, so it was hard to understand what I saw.
Jade: If I recall, there is a certain release size criteria that is implemented here on land in order to conserve water resources.
Ortho: Yep. But according to my measurements, that fish was about 5 cm larger than the release criterion.
Ortho: Based on the way that family was talking, once they had caught a fish that was "big," they should have taken it home with them.
Ortho: Even though it was an adult fish adequate for cooking up, they pitied it because it looked too small…
Ortho: No matter how many times I think it over, I can't really understand that mechanism.
Jade: I thought this would be a story where you were moved by their care for a small creature… But instead, I see you were more taken in by their incomprehensible actions.
Ortho: They spent time and energy into trying to fish up that fish, but in the end… I wonder if that sort of illogical action is what makes a human human.
Jade: Perhaps, perhaps not. For that family, it may be that was the most logical choice.
Ortho: Eh, what do you mean?
Jade: If it were a large fish, then the whole family could divide it up and eat it. However, a single, small fish would not nearly be enough.
Jade: In order for everyone in the family to eat their fill, they would need to cook up more dishes to go with it.
Jade: Then, if there were no fish to begin with, they wouldn't have to go through the trouble of making extra dishes… Perhaps that would be a better way to think of it?
Ortho: I see…! If I were to think from the eyes of the person who has to prepare the meal, that decision makes more sense.
Jade: This is only a possible scenario I've come up with… But I only mean it to illustrate that there are many ways to view something.
Ortho: Heh! See, this is why talking with as many different peoples as I can gives me so much new data… Plus, it's really interesting!
Ortho: Thanks a ton for listening, Jade-san. I hope we can chat about other stuff some other time.
Ortho: Okay, time for me to go check out another exhibit. Oh hey, this painting…
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Ortho: It depicts the moment when the Son of the God of Thunder and his trainer is talking about his grand dreams.
Ortho: According to the lore, this guy's strength was way off the charts and was invulnerable, but… I bet I could find it.
Ortho: I know I could find a weakness that could bring even a hero like that down.
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Requested by Anonymous.
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moonlight-prose · 9 months
Note
11 with Poe? 🥺 💞
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𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄
a/n: this prompt with poe is so soft and warm it's actually melting my heart. i'm a massive sucker for someone taking care of the person they love in such a simple way like this. it's short and more of a drabble, but i really enjoyed bringing some softness to this man. i always seem to put him in angsty situations, so he deserves this.
summary: "he was with you. the person he longed to be around. who’s smile made him smile, and who’s laugh made him laugh. rather than looking for a quick escape, he found himself hoping that the mission would take even longer."
word count: 1k+
pairing: poe dameron x reader
warnings: not explicit, soft poe, flirting, fluffiness, poe dameron being hopelessly head over heels.
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Squinting against the bright light of the sun, you traversed your way through the field, trying to catch up to the group ahead. It was a simple mission. Head out to a planet, find whoever was willing to trade shitty x-wing parts for something far better, and get back before dinner. Really it was more a quick vacation than anything else—a chance to get away from the chaos that your lives had become.
Poe shifted, checking to see exactly where you both had ended up in the hour you’d been walking. It’s not that you were lost. You were simply exploring. Or at least…that’s how Poe put it. You however had been keeping track of the different paths you’d taken, making sure to mark on your map where exactly you had to backtrack to get where you needed.
He sighed for the tenth time, scrubbing a hand down his face, his brows pulling together with frustration. It was clear that getting back to base before dinner wasn’t a possibility. Which meant you would have to find a place here amidst the greenery and gorgeous landscape.
You didn’t mind the idea much. However you couldn’t necessarily say the same for Poe.
“So where exactly are we?” you asked, trying to comprehend the bits and pieces of the foreign language. Growing up in the galaxy meant you knew more than your fair share, but sometimes it was hard to learn it all.
“Who the fuck knows,” he muttered, turning to look at yet another green hill. It looked identical to the last five you passed.
“It’s getting late.”
He nodded. “Think we can make it back to the ship tonight?”
There was a possibility of that happening if you turned back now, but you could see the sun begin its descent into the horizon, the day coming quickly to a close. The planet was known for housing less than lethal life forms, which made the idea of camping outside that much more appealing. You slept in a tiny bunk back at the base. Barely enough room to stretch out your legs before you hit the wall beside you—the open space around you felt like a damn gift compared to that.
“We should find a closed off area,” you suggested, remembering the many times you were forced to sleep outside whilst on a mission.
“Lead the way.”
He traipsed along behind you, eyes stuck to your surroundings in case of danger, and you didn’t do anything to interfere. You understood he wouldn’t feel safe sleeping on an unknown planet unless he was sure nothing bad was to happen. If he was alone he wouldn’t take precautions. But that was the difference. You stood beside him, untarnished by the tragedy of war. Beautiful like the summer flowers his mother used to pick on Yavin 4.
“The map says it shouldn’t be that much father,” you said in the hopes that it would offer some reprieve from how disappointing this whole mission was.
“That’s fine,” he mumbled, catching a glimpse of how the sunset enshrouded your face, creating a glow across you that nearly punched the breath from his lungs.
If he were with anyone else on this mission he would have been irritated. Beyond that probably. He could have seen himself trying to contact Leia from where you were, asking for a transport back, but he wasn’t with anyone else. He was with you. The person he longed to be around. Who’s smile made him smile, and who’s laugh made him laugh. Rather than looking for a quick escape, he found himself hoping that the mission would take even longer.
“I’m sorry about all this.” Poe felt his heart begin to sink, matching the movement of the sun. “I know it’s taking too much time. I swear I thought I read the map right.”
His pace faltered until he found himself stopping altogether, hand reaching for your arm to turn you. “Why are you apologizing?”
You sighed. “I just…I know how irritating all of this can be.”
“Sunshine—”
“And I know you have other important things to do for the Resistance.” You turned, running a hand across your forehead. “I could have asked Finn to come with me instead. Or anyone else. But I…I like…”
Poe stepped forward so quickly his boot nearly got caught on a small hole in the ground. “You like?”
Another long breath left you, eyes shifting up to finally catch him in your gaze. “I like your company.”
He felt the start of a smirk and tried to tamp it down, but there was no use. “My company huh?”
“Don’t get cocky flyboy. You’re not the worst person to be around.”
He was way past cocky at that point. Your words filled him with a warmth that sent his heart racing so hard it nearly stopped altogether. But you looked nervous. As if the words had been bottled up for so long you felt wary about heaven bringing them out into the open. You were unprepared for his smile, for his hand to reach out and pick a piece of grass out of your hair, only to use that to drag you even closer.
“I know I’m not,” he said softly, grunting when you lightly punched him in the chest. “Just been waiting for you to say it out loud.”
“You’re such a pain in the ass—” Tugging yourself away, you were ready to throw another meaningless curse at him, but Poe had solidified his plans long before you began to admit your feelings.
His lips caught yours in a kiss, effectively silencing you and stopping your movements. You felt a rush of dizziness go up to your head, a soft sound of contentment falling from your mouth into his. And Poe felt his entire being light up. Pulling you closer, he clutched at you tightly, hands sliding to your back and breath washing across your face.
“I’m glad I’m here with you,” he breathed against your cheek, nose nudging against yours—waiting eagerly for you to smile and pulling him back into a searing kiss he longed to drown in.
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withacapitalp · 2 years
Text
"Can I...um...roll to run away?" 
Judging by the chorusing round of sighs and disappointed head shakes from the kids, that was definitely not the right thing to say. 
"We've nearly defeated Kyuss," Mike shouted, throwing his hands in the air and shooting Steve a severe glare. 
"But all of you are passed out or paralyzed!" Steve shot back, gesturing around the table at the rest of the figurines which were lying on their backs. 
"Yeah, but you're a tank! You could take out the monster with one more blow. Now we're going to have to do it all over again.” 
But….wasn’t that the whole point? Doing this over and over again? Steve shot a helpless look at Eddie who just gave him his DM witchy grin and spread his hands open wide. 
“You can change your mind, Sir Steven,” Eddie offered, “But be warned Kyuss is hungry for flesh,” 
Steve hesitated, looking down and around the map. 
“No…I don’t think I’m gonna.”
"God, you're so stupid sometimes, Steve," Dustin groaned, letting his head fall onto the table with a soft thunk as the rest of the party started yelling. Steve forced himself to smile, his cheeks flushing as his stomach did an uncomfortable flip flop. It was loud, it was hot, and Steve just wanted to go home. 
"Stop it.”
Eddie voice cut through the rest of them. It wasn’t like he had spoken particularly loud, it was his tone. Severe, and brimming with uncharacteristic rage. Enough to make all of them quiet down and look at Eddie with wide eyes. Steve’s anxiety got even worse, and he was sure that Eddie was about to start yelling at him. Steve let his eyes slip down, shame making all the bones in his body ache. 
"I'm sure all of you were strategic geniuses the first time you played, right? You never stumbled or needed a second to think about the right move to make?” Eddie practically snarled, throwing dirty looks at every one of the kids. Steve sucked in a breath and dared a glance up, not quite believing what he was seeing. 
Eddie was defending him. Him. Steve. And he wasn’t done yet
“You all moan and grumble and fucking whine about how 'Steve never plays DnD with us', 'Steve won't even give it a chance', ‘He would see if he just played once’” Eddie said, raising his voice to a high pitched nasally yowl, “Of course he doesn't want to give it a chance, you are all being jerks.”
“Steve can handle it,” Max said with a roll of her eyes. 
“Yeah he can,” Eddie agreed easily, sparing a quick glance over toward Steve, “but that doesn’t mean he should have to. Especially not from you all. You little nerds have never had to deal with this, because you’re always ahead of the rest, but take it from the guy who failed his senior year twice- Being called stupid your whole life hurts .”
Eddie let the final word ring out, not bothering to hide the pain that lived in those words. Steve had never really considered that Eddie might’ve heard the same things he did, cause Eddie was the smartest person Steve knew besides Dustin and maybe Will. 
“From now on anyone calling anyone else stupid is getting 10 HP knocked off of their stats. Permanently. I don't want to hear that word. Got it?”
The kids all nodded, guilt weighing down their shoulders and lowering the mood. One by one they quietly apologized to Steve, Eddie nodding in satisfaction as they did. 
Steve didn’t really know what to think.  Eddie turned towards him, and Steve stiffened up, both worried and intrigued. 
“You can roll to run away. That's actually probably the smartest thing you could do here, seeing as you're pretty much the only member of the party left standing.” Eddie said softly, giving Steve a gentle smile, “Still wanna do it?”
Steve nodded, ready to fight this battle another day.
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theskit · 1 year
Text
Stickers AU
Anyone linking here from the previous posts or wanting to use the links on this post to go back/forward to the other parts and not wanting to spoil the surprise stickers, after using the link, click on my blog name to go to the actual post, as direct linking takes away the readmore cut. I'll take this out and fix it if I can find out how. Sorry!
Part 6
《Prev Next》
Danny floated along as he caught his breath. Okay, so jump scaring the Red Hood *might* not have been the best plan he'd ever come up with, but man, was it funny!
It was getting kind of late, though. He should probably start making his way back to the hotel. Any more vigilante pranks would have to wait for another time. Good thing the conference was on a long weekend. He had one more night to try his luck before they left Monday afternoon for the drive back to Amity.
Pulling up the map on his phone, Danny started making his way back. Just over halfway there, he jolted to a stop, catching sight of a rippling back shadow. Batman's distinctive silhouette was marked briefly against a building wall before being almost lost again in the perpetual dimness of the city rooftops at night.
Well, well, well, looks like he might have the chance to bag all the bats and birds of Gotham in one night, leaving tomorrow to hunt down in Bludhaven for Nightwing.
Eeeeexcellent. Danny pulled himself straight in mid-air, steepling his fingers and druming them together in classic Evil Villian style, grinning in a manner that would have shown entirely too many teeth had he been visible.
Now, this would require *true* stealth if he wanted to both get a sticker onto Batman's utility belt, as well as help himself to a batarang or two. Because Ellie was right, there would be no greater souvenir from his time in Gotham than a batarang from *the* Batman himself.
Choosing a sticker and prepping it, Danny sidled up to where Batman was staring down at a building that was probably not as vacant as it looked if it called for that much concentration. All the better for him if Batman was distracted though.
Moving by inches, carefully controlling his breathing so as not to make a sound, Danny made it to Batman's side. Batman was... probably? right handed, most people were, so he was gunna make an educated guess that the sharp throwing objects would be on the left side of the belt.
Getting ready to make the grab and stick, Danny nearly jumped out of his skin as Batman moved his arm and draped his cape over the space where Danny was standing intangibly right next to him, in a gesture that seemed more ingrained habit than conscious thought.
O-KAY! Time to go before Batman had a chance to recognize that there was no one where he very obviously expected someone to be. Robin, maybe?
Thoughts to think another time! Moving with all the speed and precision he could muster while his heart was still attempting to leave the city without him, Danny swiped one hand through a series of belt pouches while the other oh-so-gently tapped a sticker to the front buckle.
Not even stopping to see what it was he'd swiped, Danny made a quick exit, stage left, do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Batman was jolted out of his concentration when he felt a nudge at his belt as his cape settled against his side once more. Whirling to the left, he scanned the rooftop but saw no one.
Which was entirely unexpected as his instincts were *sure* a small presence had been snug up to his side, like a young Dick or Tim when they got tired or a bit overwhelmed while on patrol and wanted to hide in his cape.
But neither Dick nor Tim, or even Damian (though Damian had never actually done so) was small or young enough to have done that in *years*.
A quick inspection found his belt pouches missing a handful of batarangs, some candy he kept on hand to help soothe distressed children, and the extra just-in-case comm unit. As well as the addition of a glowing sticker, much like the one currently decorating the batmobile, somehow placed on the buckle despite him neither seeing or hearing anything.
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@mygood-bitch99 @stargazer-luna @easily-broken-by-emotion @dolfay @britcision @cyber-geist @is-this-even-relatable @alcorbearson @fisticuffsatapplebees @thegatorsgoose @my-mom-calls-me-rat @some-rotten-nest @crystalqueertea @meira-3919 @wandererofthestars @seraphinedemort
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yiiyiiwrites · 2 months
Text
Azriel x Day court scholar
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You’re a day court scholar working as a historian, specialising in ancient magic and politics. Azriel’s shadows knew before you did, that you were his mate.
When you first see the shadows:
You catch a glimpse of a flicker of darkness, a floating shadow but it’s gone as soon your eyes leave the yellowed page of your book.
Turning back you stare at the cursive text, trying to find your last place. You scan the page, brows scrunching as the tiny shadow escapes from beneath it. As if it was marking the space, three pages back.
The next time you come across the tiny shadow it’s accompanied by another. It catches the book you’ve reached for before it falls to the floor, the action nearly makes you fall off the ladder.
You don’t know, but a part of your light magic particle tangles with one of his shadows. Azriel keeps it close to him wondering when he’ll see you
When you meet Azriel for the first time:
You’re staring a marbled statue in the depths of the library, convinced you saw the smooth face shift. But it was a trick of the shadows
A member of the night court is supposed to be visiting looking for a specific set of history books. There deep in the library, it’s a bit dim but theres lanterns grouped together wherever there is space, it fills the darkness with a yellow glow.
You see his shadows before you meet him, they dance around you before they return to him. It’s like spark of sunlight, the warmth of the day washes other you and you can’t help but stare at him.
Azriel squints back as you emit a glow around your body, he wonders if that’s what stars look like. He wonders if it’s a shield, if he puts you on edge. So he dips his head slightly and introduces himself.
“Oh forgive me, I’m still trying to work on the whole energy thing, happens quite a lot actually I don’t quite know what triggers it exactly,” you ramble on, beckoning him forwards to show him the way. (It’s not till later that you realise his shadows are the reason you keep glowing)
Catching his gaze between the empty shelf of bookcases. He’s down the next aisle from you and you can’t help but blush when your eyes connect, the ladder beneath you wobbling. You don’t see the shadows stabilising it.
Azriel offers to carry the heavy books for you as pick from the long list and map you’re following.
You pick an old leather bound tome from the pile and place it on the table, dust rising and pushing his shadows away as you blow the excess dirt off the cover.
Azriel courting you:
Library dates become both your favourite. Deep into the historic section where most people don’t wander.
Stolen kisses between the aisles of books.
He loves that you ramble about your new findings, you know that mystical creature that hasn’t been sighted in centuries or the old gods tradition you’d never heard of. (He definitely goes home and tells the boys. Did you know).
Trying to surprise him, but he always knows you’re approaching. He just lets you think you sneaked up on him.
Calls you “my light.”
Sometime you meet each other on the border between the night and day court.
Leaving notes for each other when you share a book.
You’re not fond of the dark, there’s always that little bit of light beside you keeping you company, but it’s now got a shadowy friend dancing around it.
When the mating bond snaps:
Makes the most of having you to himself, he visits the day court instead of you going to Velaris.
Azriel teaching you how to defend yourself, which goes wrong when you send a pulse of light at him in frustration. He jokes that you should probably not wear metal armour.
Gifting him a necklace with a little bit of your light energy in it. So that he can use it in the darkness whenever he wants you.
Doesn’t introduce you to the inner circle until you’re ready. Which takes you a while
Warns cassian to be on his best behaviour and threatens not to get him that old war book from the day court if he over steps.
You introduce him to your scholar friends who practically interrogate him as they are just as in awe by his shadows as you are. Granted you only two friends so it’s not too overwhelming.
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sehnsuchts-trunken · 5 months
Text
I'll Show You Just How Sad I Am
a raymond smith x reader quick little blurb, just 1k words
there's mentions of smut in this so read at your own risk <33 who knows, maybe raymond will make a more regular occurrence on my blog over the next few weeks
here's my masterlist in case you want to check out my other works
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"Should be the door to your left, honey."
Your voice is sweet in his ear, a pleasant distraction from the run-down building Mickey had sent him off to. It's smelly and dirty and even though he knows he should most likely feel pity, he's still just as disgusted. He'd be with you in a heartbeat if he could, safe and clean in the comfort of your home.
"Mickey should've sent a cleaning lady", he grunts as he knocks at the door, your chuckle almost making up for the very truthful, thinly veiled anger behind his words.
"Mickey wanted you because you're the best", you recite - you've told him often enough by now that it really is reciting. "And because he trusts you to keep this clean."
Which is easier said than done.
Twenty minutes later, the whole thing's anything but clean.
Sure, he'd very much accomplished bringing Laura home - but he'd also left a dead teenager in a puddle of blood about two stories down from where he should've been sitting.
"Left, left!", you call into the mic. Even though you're far from panicking, you're still much too loud, your voice flowing from his earpiece and stinging his brain.
"I'm trying, darling", he grunts back, breathless and panting as he pushes on, one foot in front of the other on the pavement of some random South London streets.
"I know, I know", you sigh. He isn't sure whether he's actually hearing you chew on your lip or imagining it, but he doesn't really have the capacity to think too much about it at the moment. "He's right in front of you. You've got him, Ray."
Yeah... The only problem is that what you must be seeing as a moving, flashing dot on a digital map, he's seeing as a bunch of teenagers trying to look intimidating. Probably feeling intimidating too. God, this is exactly why he didn't want the job. He isn't made for the fucking low-classed youth.
"You've seen enough?", that bastard of a boy spits at him. "Now I've got backup."
Raymond steadies his hands on his thighs and takes a deep breath in.
"You couldn't back up a phone, you cunt", he rasps, his erratic heartbeat slowly starting to calm back down.
"Raymond", you scold. "That's a child."
"That's a bastard", he mutters, before he finally straightens and tries his best at a somewhat mannered bargain. He's really only here for the fucking phone. He needs those pictures, then he's gone. He doesn't want to leave more unnecessary corpses to take care of.
So he offers them money. Which is something that they should definitely take, just judging by how they look. Plus a visit to a very good psychiatrist. But they don't. It's the same fucking bastard who's taken the pictures in the first case and got him into this mess that refuses - and in such a really stupid way, too: "How 'bout you give us that bag and be gone anyway?" - god, even you let out a choked up laugh at that, your breath carrying through the mic and into Ray's earpiece.
He drops his chin to his chest and shakes his head. What a fucking bunch of idiots. Goddamn it. He can feel his blood boil, hot and hotter.
"It's bait", you mutter, your voice low. "Calm down, love. You've got a machine gun. Use it."
Yeah, fucking hell, it's bait, he knows that. It doesn't change the way he's feeling. But your voice in his ear at least brings him back down to reality.
"Right", he grunts, then he swipes his coat to the side, closes his hand around the grip of the gun and steadies his fingertips against the trigger. He pulls it out in one swift motion, points it at the sky and shoots. For a good three seconds longer than necessary.
"Just like that", you breathe, your grin dripping down onto your voice and melting into his ear like honey. You've really got to stop that, he actually loses his focus for half a moment there and in his line of work, next time that means sure death.
The entire bunch of teenage boys flees - as expected - and in less than a minute, Raymond has the phone pressed into his palm.
"God, sometimes I really hate that I'm not there", you sigh, something in the background ruffling, probably as you shift into a more comfortable position on your chair. "Kinda wish I could've seen you."
"Run after a little cunt like that? You didn't miss anything, darling", he says, turning his head left and right before he strides back towards the car, his steps long and purposeful.
"Turn the corner here", you mutter, your voice taking on that specific tone that tells him there's a lazy grin licking at your lips. He can just imagine how you're looking (especially now that he has the time and freedom of mind for it) - one foot propped up on those bar stools that you'd bought for the kitchen, your equipment organised on the table top in front of you, his shirt hanging from your shoulders and pooling in your lap, your head tilted back and your eyes half-closed as you talk to him.
"I don't mean the little idiot", you go on, undeterred even as he narrowly avoids a trash can. Fuck, you really distract him too much. "I'm talking about you. God, you sounded so hot I wanted to jump at you. Actually scratch that, I still do."
He lets out a chuckle as he spots the car, his steps slowing. He should hurry up, he knows that. But he's got you in his ear, talking in that sweet voice of yours about just how much he affects you. He can't pass up on that.
"You're a little fuckin' minx, darling", he mutters with a grin, throwing a glance over his shoulder to check if there's any possibility he could be overheard. He doesn't necessarily feel like making your conversation public, even as you hum into the microphone.
"Yeah, but yours", you mumble. It sounds like you're almost proud of that. "Here's an idea, love: Get back home before I finish my shower and I'll show you just how sad I am that I couldn't watch you."
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primrosebow · 7 months
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An open letter to bigfatbimbo.🪽
Reasons why you should write for Adam.
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1 -> He is a misogynist (not for long)
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Look at his face. He is so weird. I swear. He has been favoritized for far too long, leaving him with the most mind-numbing god complex. Don't you want to stab him to death like niffty? Don't you want to put him where he deserves to be (either underground or under me)? I do. You should too! Because his way of thinking meets it's end where my heels begin.
2 -> He is stupid
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He has the emotional maturity of a boiled lobster. He fits into heaven like an orca in the amazon river. He is so unbelievably incompetent it is actually kind of mind boggling. Don't you want to crush him like he's a little bug (either with your fists or your thighs)? Didn't he literally say one of the "biggest issues evet" was math or something? He probably couldn't tell you where Africa is in the world map even if you paid him. Even the fruit of knowledge couldn't give him enough braincells to function as a proper member of society.
3 -> he deserves humiliation
He deserves to have his entire worldview rocked and destroyed, something we can surely provide. His shallow thinking should be promptly obliterated. He has only ever gotten away from beautiful tall strong women because he always had the option of just asking for a different woman. They didn't have the mental fortitude to put him in his place. We are the bearers of the curse (liking repulsive men), and, since there is no "mental fortitude" to begin with, there is nothing for him to break down. We (as a collective) should end him.
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4 -> I know what he is
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His entire persona is a gigantic act to make up for the fact he cannot appropriatelly cope with losing in general, much less losing the, like, 2 wives he ever had (to THE SAME GUY!! MIND YOU!!!) and if he had more people they were one night stands. Not because he left them, but because people know he is worthless scum and he is good for nothing other than his "original dick" ( eugh. I usually refrain from cursing >:// ). It is the reason for his pride and also the only thing that makes him even remotely worth the hastle of talking to. He is the equivalent of a carnival prize to the people in heaven, scoring him is more of a show of your own endurance rather than how coveted he is. He has been objectified through his own hubris. He should be made aware of that. He should fear the knowledge we posses. It should be used against him.
5 -> he sounds.. like.. . He sounds good.
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I watched the series while skipping most of the songs but I genuinelly could not do it when he was singing. No wonder he's in a band or something, I didn't actually pay attention to what he was saying I was paying more attention to the sound of his voice so I don't remember clearly what's up with that. Like he sounds REALLY good. If only he knew how to just use his voice without saying the most repulsive atrocities to be ever uttered by anyone ever. Oh yeah! We can make him incoherent enough for that to happen.
6 -> Lute deserves better
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Lute deserves, like, a woman. Not him. She's too gorgeous for him, and, the difference between us and her is that while SHE is dealing with HIM, in our case, HE has to deal with US. Really, we're just saving a beautiful, amazing, stunning, showstopping woman a lot of trouble, and getting an ENTIRE PATHETIC MAN AS A TRADE! WIN WIN! Literally no downsides, I swear.
7 -> he is girl dinner
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Don't you just love looking into your fridge and seeing the worthless scraps that built up overtime but somehow taste better now than they usually would have, which is particularly shocking considering it has 0 nutritional value? That would be what girl dinner is, and also an appropriate analogy for what Adam is like! Just roughly ok looking enough for you to not downright call it a biohazard. You will go to bed satisfied after fighting tooth and nail for your dinner (getting him to behave properly) and, it'll be easier the next times maybe! Operant conditioning is a heavy hitter with this repulsive individual, so it might actually get easier! Who knows!
8 -> Pretty please? (´。・д人)゙
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I really. Uh . I really want him if you couldn't tell? Maybe the cannibalism and the fear I want to instill into him got in the way of you seeing my point, but, like, that's just how I love. The highest honor I could bestow on him is wanting to eat him, so, maybe that'll assist in your judgement? I also just really like your writing and would love to hear your thoughts on his idiotic self. AND! AND! Other people also want you to write about him if I well remember the 1 ask you received about him!
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I await your response when you are available @bigfatbimbo
If you need more convincing; I can, like, draw him? I'm going to draw him no matter what but like I can cook something up for you in particular who knows.
You did say you were already considering writing for him, so, maybe this can be a final push in that direction for you!
- sincerely, Bow
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blueskittlesart · 5 months
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I've heard that while most people really really love BotW and TotK, some people hate those two for going open-world, and some people hate TotK specifically for something about the story. As the resident Zelda expert I know of, what do you think of those takes?
"something about the story" is a bit too vague for me to answer--if you look at my totk liveblog tag from back when the game was newly released or my general zelda analysis tag you may be able to find some of my in-depth thoughts about the story of totk, but in general i liked it.
the open world thing though is something i can and will talk about for hours. (I am obsessed with loz and game design and this is an essay now <3) breath of the wild is a game that was so well-received that a lot of the criticism from older fans who were expecting something closer to the classic zelda formula was just kind of immediately drowned out and ignored, and while i don't think it's a valid criticism to suggest that botw strayed too far from its origins in going open-world, i am more than willing to look into those criticisms, why they exist, and why i think going open-world was ultimately the best decision botw devs could have made. (totk is a slightly different story, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.)
Loz is a franchise with a ton of history and a ton of really, REALLY dedicated fans. it's probably second only to mario in terms of recognizability and impact in nintendo's catalog. To us younger fans, the older games can sometimes seem, like, prehistoric when compared to what we're used to nowadays, but it's important to remember just how YOUNG the gaming industry is and how rapidly it's changed and grown. the first zelda game was released in 1986, which was 31 years before botw came out in 2017. What this means for nintendo and its developers is that they have to walk a very fine line between catering to older fans in their 30s and 40s now who would have been in nintendo's prime demographic when the first few games in the franchise were coming out AND making a game that's engaging to their MODERN target demographic and that age group's expectations for what a gaming experience should look like.
LOZ is in kind of a tough spot when it comes to modernizing, because a lot of its core gameplay elements are very much staples of early RPGs, and a lot of those gameplay elements have been phased out of modern RPGs for one reason or another. gathering collectibles, fighting one's way through multilevel, mapless dungeons, and especially classic zelda's relative lack of guidance through the story are all things that date games and which modern audiences tend to get frustrated with. for the last few releases before botw, the devs had kind of been playing with this -- skyward sword in particular is what i consider their big experiment and what (i think) became the driving force behind a lot of what happened with botw. Skyward sword attempted to solve the issues I listed by, basically, making the map small and the story much, much more blatantly linear. Skyward sword feels much more like other modern rpgs to me than most zelda games in terms of its playstyle, because the game is constantly pushing you to do specific things. this is a common storytelling style in modern RPGs--obviously, the player usually needs to take specific actions in order to progress the story, and so when there's downtime between story sections the supporting characters push the player towards the next goal. but this actually isn't what loz games usually do. in the standard loz formula, you as the player are generally directly given at most 4 objectives. these objectives will (roughly) be as follows: 1. go through some dungeons and defeat their bosses, 2. claim the master sword, 3. go through another set of dungeons and defeat their bosses, 4. defeat the final boss of the game. (not necessarily in that order, although that order is the standard formula.) the ONLY time the player will be expressly pushed by supporting characters towards a certain action (excluding guide characters) is when the game is first presenting them with those objectives. in-between dungeons and other gameplay segments, there's no sense of urgency, no one pushing you onto the next task. this method of storytelling encourages players to take their time and explore the world they're in, which in turn helps them find the collectibles and puzzles traditionally hidden around the map that will make it easier for them to continue on. Skyward sword, as previously mentioned, experimented with breaking this formula a bit--its overworld was small and unlocked sequentially, so you couldn't explore it fully without progressing the narrative, and it gave players a "home base" to return to in skyloft which housed many of the puzzles and collectibles rather than scattering them throughout the overworld. This method worked... to an extent, but it also meant that skyward sword felt drastically different in its storytelling and how its narrative was presented to the player than its predecessors. this isn't necessarily a BAD thing, but i am of the opinion that one of zelda's strongest elements has always been the level of immersion and relatability its stories have, and the constant push to continue the narrative has the potential to pull players out of your story a bit, making skyward sword slightly less engaging to the viewer than other games in the franchise. (to address the elephant in the room, there were also obviously some other major issues with the design of sksw that messed with player immersion, but imo even if the control scheme had been perfect on the first try, the hyperlinear method would STILL have been less engaging to a player than the standard exploration-based zeldas.)
So when people say that botw was the first open-world zelda, I'm not actually sure how true I personally believe that is. I think a lot of the initial hype surrounding botw's open map were tainted by what came before it--compared to the truly linear, intensely restricted map of skyward sword, botw's map feels INSANE. but strictly speaking, botw actually sticks pretty closely to the standard zelda gameplay experience, at least as far as the overworld map is concerned. from the beginning, one of the draws of loz is that there's a large, populated map that you as the player can explore (relatively) freely. it was UNUSUAL for the player to not have access to almost the entire map either immediately or very quickly after beginning a new zelda game. (the size and population of these maps was restricted by software and storage capabilities in earlier games, but pretty muhc every zelda game has what would have been considered a large & well populated map at the time of its release.) what truly made botw different was two things; the first being the sheer SIZE of the map and the second being the lack of dungeons and collectibles in a traditional sense. Everything that needs to be said about the size of the map already has been said: it's huge and it's crazy and it's executed PERFECTLY and it's never been done before and every game since has been trying to replicate it. nothing much else to say there. but I do want to talk about the percieved difference in gameplay as it relates to the open-world collectibles and dungeons, because, again, i don't think it's actually as big of a difference as people seem to think it is.
Once again, let's look at the classic formula. I'm going to start with the collectibles and lead into the dungeons. The main classic collectible that's a staple of every zelda game pre-botw is the heart piece. This is a quarter of a heart that will usually be sitting out somewhere in the open world or in a dungeon, and will require the player to either solve a puzzle or perform a specific action to get. botw is the first game to not include heart pieces... TECHNICALLY. but in practice, they're still there, just renamed. they're spirit orbs now, and rather than being hidden in puzzles within the overworld (with no explanation as to how or why they ended up there, mind you) they're hidden within shrines, and they're given a clear purpose for existing throughout hyrule and for requiring puzzle-solving skills to access. Functionally, these two items are exactly the same--it's an object that gives you an extra heart container once you collect four of them. no major difference beyond a reskin and renaming to make the object make sense within the greater world instead of just having a little ❤️ floating randomly in the middle of their otherwise hyperrealistic scenery. the heart piece vs spirit orb i think is a good microcosm of the "it's too different" criticisms of botw as a whole--is it ACTUALLY that different, or is it just repackaged in a way that doesn't make it immediately obvious what you're looking at anymore? I think it's worth noting that botw gives a narrative reason for that visual/linguistic disconnect from other games, too--it's set at minimum TEN THOUSAND YEARS after any other given game. while we don't have any concrete information about how much time passes between new-incarnation games, it's safe to assume that botw is significantly further removed from other incarnations of hyrule/link/zelda/etc than any other game on the timeline. It's not at all inconceivable within the context of the game that heart pieces may have changed form or come to be known by a different name. most of the changes between botw and other games can be reasoned away this way, because most of them have SOME obvious origins in a previous game mechanic, it's just been updated for botw's specific setting and narrative.
The dungeons ARE an actual departure from the classic formula, i will grant you. the usual way a zelda dungeon works is that link enters the dungeon, solves a few puzzles, fights a mini boss at about the halfway point, and after defeating the mini boss he gets a dungeon item which makes the second half of the dungeon accessible. He then uses that item in the dungeon's final boss fight, which is specifically engineered with that item in mind as the catalyst to win it. Botw's dungeons are the divine beasts. we've removed the presence of mini-bosses entirely, because the 'dungeon items' aren't something link needs to get within the dungeon itself--he alredy has them. they're the sheikah slate runes: magnesis, cryonis, stasis, and remote bombs. Each of the divine beast blight battles is actually built around using one of these runes to win it--cryonis to break waterblight's ice projectiles, magnesis to strike down thunderblight with its own lightning rods, remote bombs to take out fireblight's shield. (i ASSUME there's some way to use stasis effectively against windblight, mostly because it's obvious to me that that's how all the other fights were designed, but in practice it's the best strategy for that fight is to just slow down time via aerial archery, so i've never tried to win that way lol.) So even though we've removed traditional dungeon items and mini-boss fights, the bones of the franchise remain unchanged underneath. this is what makes botw such an ingenious move for this franchise imo; the fact that it manages to update itself into such a beautiful, engaging, MODERN game while still retaining the underlying structure that defines its franchise and the games that came before it. botw is an effective modern installment to this 30-year-old franchise because it takes what made the old games great and updates it in a way that still stays true to the core of the franchise.
I did mention totk in my opening paragraph and you mention it in your ask so i have to come back to it somehow. Do i think that totk did the gigantic-open-world thing as well as botw did? no. But i also don't really think there was any other direction to go with that game specifically. botw literally changed the landscape of game development when it was released. I KNOW you all remember how for a good year or two after botw's release, EVERY SINGLE GAME that came out HAD to have a massive open-world map, regardless of whether or not that actually made sense for that game. (pokemon is still suffering from the effects of that botw-driven open world craze to this day. rip scarlet/violet your gameplay was SUCH dogshit) I'm not sure to what degree nintendo and the botw devs anticipated that success, (I remember the open world and the versatility in terms of problem-solving being the two main advertising angles pre-release, but it's been 7 years. oh jesus christ it's been SEVEN YEARS. anyways) but in any case, there's basically NO WAY that they anticipated their specific gameplay style taking off to that degree. That's not something you can predict. When creating totk, they were once again walking that line between old and new, but because they were only 3ish years out from botw when totk went into development, they were REALLY under pressure to stay true to what it was that had made botw such an insane success. I think that's probably what led to the expanded map in the sky and depths as well as the fuse/build mechanics--they basically took their two big draws from botw, big map and versatility, and said ok BIGGER MAP and MORE VERSATILITY. Was this effective? yeah. do i think they maybe could have made a more engaging and well-rounded game if they'd been willing to diverge a little more from botw? also yeah. I won't say that I wanted totk to be skyward sword-style linear, because literally no one wanted that, but I do think that because of the insane wave of success that botw's huge open world brought in the developers were under pressure to stay very true to botw in their designing the gameplay of totk, and I think that both the gameplay and story might have been a bit more engaging if they had been allowed to experiment a little more in their delivery of the material.
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words-4u · 1 year
Text
right person (1/3)
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pairings: luca x reader, marcus x reader (platonic)
wc: 1.4k
a/n: immediately started planning a three part series on luca while watching the bear s2. that's what a tatted will poulter does to me (the bear is an incredible show btw pls watch if you don't)
warning: swearing
part 2 / part 3
"denmark?"
"yes! we are sending you and marcus to denmark for two weeks to stage at this really great restaurant. you're gonna learn to do three new desserts for us. carmy knows the head pastry chef. says he's really cool so it should be fun, right?" sydney explained.
"that does sound fun! i'm in!" you smile.
you look at marcus who was deep in thought. if you had to guess what he was thinking, his mind is probably on his mom who was currently bed ridden at a hospital.
you put a hand on marcus' shoulder. "you good with that?" you ask your co pastry chef.
he broke out of his thoughts and nods. "yeah, i-i'm great. i'd love to."
"great! cause you guys really didn't have a choice. your flights are already booked for tomorrow afternoon sooo thanks!" sydney offers two thumbs and an awkward smile before she leaves what used to be the kitchen.
"holy shit," you whisper in shock. "staging at a michelin star restaurant in a country i've always wanted to visit. could this be any better?"
"i have to go tell my mom but give me a call if you need a ride to the airport tomorrow. chester will probably take me and we can swing by your place if you want?"
"dude, yes! that'd save me a shit ton of money that i would've spent on uber."
"cool, see you," marcus grabs his bag and heads out the door.
after helping fak, riche and gary with fallen ceiling debris, you decide to leave a bit early to pack and clean your apartment before your travel.
it was noon on the dot the next day when marcus calls to check if you were ready for the airport. since you packed the night before, you had a rather peaceful morning. chester talks your ear off the whole way to the airport and you guys get there he demands to see your passports because he wants to make sure you and marcus actually had it on you.
"chester, can you do me a favour and check in on my ma when you get the time?" marcus asks.
"dude, i'm way ahead of you. gonna check on her every morning on my way to work,"
"i appreciate it."
chester looks at both you. "now, i want you take a deep breath and let the good in. you guys are gonna kill it."
you grin at marcus' friend. "thanks chester. okay we're gonna have to leave now before we miss our flight."
marcus says his farewell to his best friend and the two of you head to your gate.
the plane ride to copenhagen was smooth despite marcus' worries. you guys hop on a train to explore the city before heading to where you were staying.
"trains here are way cleaner than the ones in chicago," marcus leans over to whisper.
"waay cleaner," you agree.
the two of you exited the station and stood in awe of your view. clear blue skies. cool fresh air. colourful buildings. and the smell of hotdogs which was incredibly appealing after your long journey.
you and marcus lock eyes. "oh yeah."
marcus got a hotdog with dried onions and pickles on top while you had a plain jane moment with just ketchup.
"this is the best thing i've ever put in my mouth," you say with in between bites.
"just what i needed honestly," marcus says.
after your quick meal, the two of you continue to wander the city taking in the architecture most of all.
marcus was using the maps feature on his phone to find the place you were supposed to be staying at.
"uh i don't see any apartment buildings near," you say. "are you sure we are in the right place?"
marcus led you to a canal where some boats were docked. "i am 99.9% sure. you're staying in 286 and i'm in 287."
you glance at the boat in front of you and saw the gold numbers plaque on the side. "well, mystery solved. this is your place and i'm guessing this one is mine." you moved further down to the boat behind marcus' one.
"sick," he smiles.
"i'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"night, y/n!"
you walk down a couple of steps before unlocking a door that lead to a kitchen and dining room. it was spacious and you were grateful for the many windows it had. the stairs to the left led up to the bedroom which was a lot smaller than you anticipated having only space for your bed and a small cabinet for clothes.
you flop on your bed and exhaled. you didn't realize how tired you were until your head hit the soft mattress and while everything in you wanted to knock out, you knew you had to get up and unpack because you wouldn't have time tomorrow.
one thing you were not was a morning person and yes you should have gotten used to it by now working in the restaurant industry but getting up at 4 a.m. will never feel natural. regardless, you had a twinge of excitement for your new job and excited to learn under this new chef that carmy spoke so highly of.
once you got ready for the day, you hear three soft knocks.
"morning," you say. "you ready?"
"born ready," marcus says as you lock your door and head to the restaurant.
it was only a 15 minute walk from where you were staying so the two of you arrive with time to spare.
you walk into the bright kitchen and suck in a breath. the kitchen was stunning with it's high-end equipment, gorgeous green tiling and the young hot chef moving bags of flour from one table to another.
"chef. i'm marcus brooks and this is y/n y/l/n," marcus begins. "and we're from-"
the chef looks up for a quick second. "i know. i'm luca, pastry. we start at 5 a.m. your section's at the end of the bench."
the english accent takes you by surprise. your knees could have buckled right then and there.
"yes, chef," the two of you say in unison.
now your excitement turned into nervousness. not only were you to create three star-worthy desserts for the bear, you had to learn from someone who is so extremely good looking it hurts.
marcus and you head to the back to change into your uniforms which was a basic indigo t-shirt and a green apron like luca had.
when you went back out, you immediately wash your hands and got ready for whatever luca had in store for you guys.
luca had marcus rollout croissant pastry while he led you to a table where he had prepared a dessert. your task was to place pieces of peanuts at a certain angle as part of its presentation.
you study luca as he shows you what to do. he had small black tattoos scattered up and down his arms. that alone is having an effect on you.
"here, you try," he says passing the tweezers to you.
your fingers brush as you took the small tool from him. luca didn't make eye contact but you did notice his jaw clench.
"nuzzle that sliver into the pudding just to lock it in."
"yes, chef," you say.
taking one of the small nuts from the bowl, you place it on the pudding but it slipped last second.
"no. again, chef," he says in a calm yet assertive tone.
"sorry," you say and try again and it's worse which luca picks up on.
"hm, worse."
he takes the tweezers from you and picks up the piece. "don't be afraid to just stick it in there, you know," luca takes the nut and slides it in perfectly. "just be confident about it."
"don't second-guess yourself," he says finally locking eyes with you.
you nod. "yes, chef."
you took the tweezers back and third time was the charm because you placed the nut in the pudding just like he'd showed you. smiling to yourself, you put the tool down.
luca's face stays expressionless. he looks up from the dessert. "you know how to make shiso gelee?"
you absolutely do not know how to make whatever he just said but there was no way you were gonna let him know that.
"yes, chef."
"alright."
luca steps away to grab some ingredients which gives you the opportunity to whip your phone out and google the gelee. "dextrose? what the fuck is that?" you whisper to yourself.
luca came back and places a tray in front you. "recipe," he says tapping some blue index cards.
you felt your face burn. "thank you, chef."
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end of part 1 omggg. not much luca x reader but it’s warming up trust me. i already have ideas for part 2 and 3 with some potential alternate endings... stay tuned
if you enjoyed, please let me know (through my bio) if you have any the bear requests, send them my way!
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