#(Welp I got inspired so here's a short thing)

[tuliptic]

You As A Famous Person

I swear to god I have every intention in the world to make this a short one but welp I guess questions just naturally flow out from my Gemini Moon brain. Guess this will be a middle length reading so yeah let’s go!

Now. Breathe in with me, and then breathe out. And then look down.

Pile 1    -     Pile 2

Pile 3    -     Pile 4

Disclaimer: This is solely for my entertainment purposes. Take only whatever that you feel like it. If it doesn’t resonate, it’s okay to just drop it. That aside, I do not consent to my work or images used here to be used by third parties on this platform or other websites.

Decks used: Luna Cat Tarot Deck (Major Arcana), Linestrider Tarot Deck, Sweet Dreams Oracle Deck, Starcodes Astro Oracle Deck, self made lyrics deck.

Pile 1

Overall theme of querent: The World

You’re giving me the vibe that you’re someone who’s at a comfortable place right now, where things have pretty much fallen in place and you’re in a sense, enjoying what life’s giving to you. I’m also seeing that you’ve probably worked hard so that things fall in place, and now you’re enjoying the feeling of success, and ready to pick up more challenges in the future.

You As A Famous Person:

You’ll be a star. That’s it. Maybe not so well received? but still a Star, nonetheless. I’m seeing something more actor than singer/artist.

I’m seeing something like… Family issues? That has brought you to the eyes of others. I’m somehow seeing scenes of like… Your family attempted to use your fame in a negative way and you got so tired of it that you’ve cut ties with them and yet they continue to pester you, saying that you’re not kind to your own family, and this and that. The cliche drama. They tried exposing you as someone negative but you have your own set of evidence and you turned the tables. But yeah, that raised your fame and people just got to know you from that.

I see that the scandal above happened during the peak of your career. And I feel like your manager is someone who knows how to use these uhhh… News? Lemme rephrase myself. You’ve gained quite an attention with what has happened, and your manager used that to get more roles for you (if you’re an actor) or to get more advertisement contracts for you during then. You’ve probably been painted as the victim and people tend to sympathise more, resulting in more… Traction? I hope I’m working this correctly.

People, especially the public would think that your uhhh fame came at the wrong time. They probably will feel a lil pity for you. It’s like… You have great works that should be significant, to lead you to proper fame, to let those works represent you, not to let your family past represent you. It’s like,,, when people talk about you, it should be “Oh yeah that person who sang for the Opening of Concert!” and not “Oh that person whose family’s an ass” kinda thing.

Your supporters/fans are drawn to you because of how open you are with your life. You tend to share the ups and downs, telling them that you’re also human. You inspire them to be able to face their fears, to understand that people on the top also face hardships, especially mental and emotional ones. This transparent side of you resonates with your fans and this is how you gain more and more supporters.

Your fame brought some form of burdens to you? But you are glad for them. Because through your fame, you’re able to help a lot of people who have similar problems as you. You’re determined to set a good (read: great) example, an inspiration to those who are suffering, who are going through a similar shit as you in the past. There’s a nurturing side in you that tries to reach out to those who are in pain, and you may use your wealth to help charity. It’s a tough battle but you’re still charging ahead to achieve your defined victory.

Overall energy: The Emperor, Wheel of Fortune rx

You see yourself as the emperor, someone who’s wise and in charge of your own life, of your own destiny. You’ve been through not so nice times, but you’re still able to steer yourself back to the path with better clarity. You expand your existing knowledge and have faith in the unknown, believing the best will show up in wondrous and unexpected ways.

Pile 2

Overall theme of querent: Justice

You’re… Yeah you like the themes of justice and usually will uphold it whenever and wherever you can. You’re also someone who’d focus on balance. Let’s say someone treated you to a meal, you’ll find any chance possible to treat that person back. It will be at the back of your head until you’ve returned the favour. You also seem to be able to see through a person easily.

You As A Famous Person:

I’m seeing that you’ll be an author. You’re good with words and may write stories, poems, screen write some of the legendaries.

The works that you’ve done touches the feminine soul. I’m seeing a lot of feminine energy. Maybe your works have talked about the tendency and delicacy of the soul, the beauty of pain and journeying through it, how clear the sounds of mornings are like, and stuff like that. There’s something soft here that I can’t put into words. Your works just have that. Maybe poetry. Yeah, sounds about it. This poem you’ve written touched the souls of so many. Yet, something this beautiful came from the broken shards of your soul.

Your fame will come to you maybe 20 years later? It sounds late but then again, writing is something lifelong, you’ll prolly spend the rest 50 years continuing writing, not only cuz that’s your occupation, but also your passion, your comfort. I would say that would be around the middle of your career? Cuz your fame will continue to rise, more and more people will know of your name.

People will think of you highly. You’re very eloquent with your words, and they evoke a really calm and serene vibe among your readers. It’s just… I don’t know how to describe it. The words are gentle, flowy, calming. Your readers immerse in your story easily and they are the type who’d turn to your works for comfort. Your name is well known among all ages because your works are for all ages. You may have even written some stories for kids and some motivational non-fictions. Yet your works that tell the stories across various lands are the ones that are the people’s favourites. 

Your works are so beautiful that people tear up, crying in the night as they flip to the next page of your book. Comfort and healing is what you’ve brought to them. You bring tranquillity and harmony. Your words are like needles, sewing up the broken hearts, piecing up the scattered souls. Your readers may cry, but your works tell them about the existence of light, of daybreak, of the future that’s just slightly further away. They pull your readers out of the darkness, giving them strength and hope to go through the days that may seem so dark.  

You’ve gotten more independent and know what style you’ve wanted to approach. Despite your flowy and soothing words, you’ve gotten more and more rational, knowing your boundaries better, knowing who to trust and who to not. There will be more and more energy vampires around you who’d try to feed on your fame and success, and you’ve learnt how to differentiate them from those who are close to you. You’re ready to act on your passions and dreams and let them lead you through your career, but not towards the people who’re waiting to take advantage of you. 

Overall energy: The Moon, Three of Wands

There’s a gentleness here that works together with a fiery and active nature. This pile is someone who can enjoy their own presence, and also can enjoy the times hanging out with their friends, someone who’s pretty balanced. This pile also may be attracting a lot of good relationships into their lives, probably some sort of collaboration will be happening in real life or collaboration as an author. Weirdly I’m also seeing song writing so some of you may be interested in this?

Pile 3

Overall theme of querent: The Star rx

I’m feeling that you’re kinda down right now, with the stress of whatever that’s been going on with your life? Like… You can’t really see the light of the tunnel and maybe you’ve been anxious? Relax, have faith, know that things that are meant to be yours will come to you.

You As A Famous Person:

Weirdly I thought of Subway Masters from Pokemon Black and White, so maybe a gamer/streamer? You’re prolly the type of person who’d wanted to play games/create content all the time and decided to make content based on your interest. It was difficult because you’re betting on everything. You’ve fought hard and continued until you started to see the results you’ve wanted to see. 

Your persistence and the number of contents you have made you famous. You’ve probably tried and streamed horror games and either passed it with an expressionless face or you were screeching the entire while. But consistency is here. Your fans have been enjoying your content and may have made memes out of certain screenshots and… Yeah there’s no turning back. Remember the doge face? Miette? That cat at the table with the eh face? Something like that that made you iconic.

I’m seeing that you’ve gotten this fame when you’re at a lower point of your career. Not to say lowest, but pretty low. Probably a meme or a short video of you streaming has gone wild and it expanded your career. I’m seeing that this happened and caught you out of nowhere. You’re shocked and you don’t know how to process this new found fame and your old fans/viewers had fun watching you suck at games/your streams because of how you’re not used to the influx of new viewers. But after a while you got used to it and was able to get back to how you usually stream.

Somehow, I feel that your fame is something that’s very satisfying, like a wish had come true. If you’ve been wishing success on this road, then yeah you’ve very much achieved it. And people around you actually are pleasantly surprised with how your career turned out, and they are happy for you. Your fame also brought some abundance to you which you gladly share with those you care about. I’m also seeing that there’s a chance of you expanding your field of contents as well? Maybe not just game streaming, but also some other streaming or game dev?

Your fans/viewers are drawn to how charismatic you are. You’re well aligned and dynamic, knowing what to say and what to not, where you stand and where you head. Your visions are well placed and you honour everything in your life, the good and the bad, and your fans/viewers know about it. You work with your dreams to reach your highest good. Your highest good here doesn’t mean your fame, but your best in your career, and your best in your life.

Your fame has made you ambitious and you’ve wanted to manage your channel well. You’ve also learnt to think on your toes faster, instead of following a planned SOP. Companies may find you wanting to sponsor you on certain things but you are selective of who you wanna voice for. I’m seeing that you’re attempting to spread more awareness in your streams and maybe include certain messages in your streams as well.

Overall energy: Strength, The Magician

There’s some strength here in the sense of persistence. I think that this persistence is how you’ve proceeded with streaming until you’ve reached a certain burst of fame. There’s this phase of transition from the quiet you to a slightly more talkative, charming you. There’s also some air energy here so there may be times where you gotta think of an answer or a reply on the spot. Thinking energy for future content planning as well.

Pile 4

Overall theme of querent: The Magician

You’re someone who’s sociable but also I’m seeing that you’re capable of doing a lot of things? Something like Jack of All Trades? You have a lot of interest in a lot of things, and you tend to easily pick up on things and continue with it for quite some time before you catch on to another thing that interests you. It’s kinda like rinse and repeat, but at least there will be some slight mastery here.

You As A Famous Person:

Manager. You know those business people who appear in magazines? Yeah that. I’m also seeing a star manager, so maybe you’ll be well sought after in the field of entertainment to manage their idols cuz of your connection, resources, and how protective you are of the idol you manage.

I’m seeing that you’ve risen to your fame because of your skills in damage control and companies have been wanting to recruit you to their company. See, a good manager fights for those who are under their wings. This. As a corporate manager, you’re known for getting sales and protecting those who may have caused blunders at certain intercompany meetings. As a star manager for celebs, you’re known for fighting for certain resources that are suitable for your idols.

I’m seeing that you’ll get famous somewhere early to mid career? Where you’ve gotten enough experience from this field. You have a keen sense of perception that somehow has fused together with your intuition and you’ve been working your ass off to be this person you’ve wanted to be. You’re okay with working at the frontlines or behind the scenes, as long as the desired results have been achieved. Tho your fame is more within the professional field, which means most of the public won’t know about you, but you’re also fine with it.

Your fame is pretty harmonious and that people would think highly of you. It’s like you enter other people’s life and pair up with them so that they can reach their highest point. Like I said in the previous paragraph, your fame is more within the professional field, but there may be chances of the public knowing you as you often appear beside your child/idol. Y’know, like that bodyguard beside IU? Yeah that kinda vibe.

Your passion towards your job is what draws your supporters to you. If you’re a star manager, the idol you’re managing will idolise you, no joke. You do your job well and manage things so well that people around you will be amazed by you. You do not give yourself any excuse and just try out everything and anything. If you’re a corporate manager, your team will look up to you, and you’ll also attract your partner company’s employees as well. That’s the charisma you hold.

There’s some sort of fatigue I’m seeing. There are too many competitions that you’ll need to deal with, may it be fighting for your idol or the company you’re representing. You just feel the tension in your back and your muscles, but you just push it away and continue working, continue striving. Sometimes, you just need to ask for help from people around you. You don’t need to put up the strong front all the time. Just allow yourself to be vulnerable at times. It’s alright.

Overall energy: The Star, Nine of Pentacles

You’re someone who has hope for whatever that’s happening in the future, in whatever you do. From this fame of yours, you probably will be able to accumulate a certain level of financial wealth, but also abundance in some other forms, for example, connections. You tend to inspire those who are learning under you and you help them to embrace the logical and creative side of them. You tend to bring good news to people around you as well, due to how hard you’ve worked.

#tuliptic #🌷 #pick a card #pick a picture #tarot reading #tarot community #you as a famous person #i think most people will like this topic #but also i've been like burning myself out doing PACs so i'm taking a break again #do leave asks if you enjoyed the reading #it kinda gives me the motivation to do them UwU

[freakadr0id]

Rewatching Season 4 and Talking About Tang to Avoid Losing My Mind Over the Special

Welp, now that I have some free time and I'm finally back home, it's the perfect time for me to obsess over LMK again. That being said, I'm not going to talk about the Chinese release of the special as I'm waiting for the full English release (I've been spoiled on things, but I still haven't seen it).

Instead, I'm going to watch through season 4 again since it's been a while. It’s just a silly little thing I like to do during hiatus and such. Oh, and I really only talk about Tang because he doesn’t get enough love and, well, I have a brand to maintain.

So, let's start with Episode 2 - New Adventures:

~-~

Getting a bit full of yourself there, aren’t ya, glowy boy? Geez, you make an insanely strong power-up sigil that covers half the globe one time, and suddenly, you think you're all that.

...Okay, maybe his overconfidence is a little bit justified. Only a little bit, though, since the last time he was this full of himself was, well… *looks at Dumpling Destruction*

On a side note, it's interesting how Sandy says "newfound powers" since that implies a relatively short timespan between seasons 3 and 4. My guess is around 1-2 months, but I honestly don't know.

At least Tang has Pigsy to bring him down to Earth. Nice to see a bit of their salty/sassy banter back again.

I've mentioned this gif before but Idk I still love it. Mei totally goes full Ash Ketchem and just throws him out there. I asked a while back which Pokemon Tang would be and some people replied with Ninjask, a Cicada inspired Pokemon, which yeah. 10/10, A+ pick.

Oh nooooooo Tang... I love you, but noooooooo *More Dumpling Destruction Flashbacks*

Told ya. Hubris gets you nowhere.

Talk about being in the shadow of your former self, am I right?

I never turned on subtitles for this scene before so I had no idea what ink Tang Sanzang said up until this rewatch. Now that I know what he says, this line is SUPER interesting if you ask me.

This line stands out as it doesn't seem to be feeding directly into his insecurities, as is the case with every other ink creature encounter we see. Instead, it seems like a confirmation of Tang's arc throughout the season. Tang can't use his powers here because he has more to learn, both with his powers and as a character, and this is the writers deliberately saying as much. Yeah, Tang's journey isn't complete, and the audience, and perhaps, Tang himself, knows it.

Yeah, I'm cheating here since it doesn't really have Tang in it, but it doesn't matter because it's still Tang's glasses -plus this is just a darn good shot. It's so quick, but it does a great job of establishing a feeling of dread and tension in this scene. It definitely got me the first time I saw it. It's on-screen for only a second, but damn if it isn't effective.

~-~

Not a ton of Tang in this episode, but that's okay because it still does a TON of legwork in setting the foundation for his character arc this season.

To be honest, I didn't mean to mention Dumpling Destruction that much in this post but that's really what came to mind the first time I saw this episode. And honestly? I think that was completely intentional on the writers' part.

Tang was horrendously overconfident and, one could argue, arrogant in Dumpling Destruction. He was undeniably annoying at times (to put it in the kindest way possible) and even I, who absolutely adores his character, has a hard time watching Dumpling Destruction because of that. I get a similar feeling watching Tang in this episode, but that isn't a bad thing this time.

Despite my dislike of Tang's arrogance and his (often) unfounded overconfidence, I'm glad it came back in full force this episode. After season 3, I was a little worried that was all we'd get for Tang's character development. We saw almost none of his arrogance in season 3, which, along with the exploration of his insecurities, made it seem that they just wanted to ignore those character flaws tat were more prevalent in earlier episodes. It seems silly in hindsight, as it's clear that season 3 merely kickstarted his arc and wasn't a completion of it.

This episode was precisely what Tang needed for his character development. Despite expanding his character in season 3, his character flaws are still very much there at the start of season 4. He has yet to overcome his flaws and shortcomings at this point in the show, but without a reason to change, he never will. So how do you develop a character rife with overconfident and occasionally arrogant tendencies? Humble the hell out of them, of course. Unfortunately, he needed to be brought down to Earth before he could build himself back up, and that's just what the writers did in this episode.

~-~

Ha! Didn't expect a rant at the end of this, did ya? Yeah, neither did I. Sorry about that.

I'll do the rest of the season soon, especially with how Tang-heavy the next couple episodes are.

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #lmk #lmk tang #lego monkie kid tang #I guess you could say it's a little bit of an analysis too #but eh idk #tang is so cringe sometimes #gotta love him for it though #I know I do #goofy nerd boy just tries his best #4x02

[blaecdog]

                                         GET  TO  KNOW  THE  MUN

ᴡʜᴀᴛ  ᴍᴀᴅᴇ  ʏᴏᴜ  ᴘɪᴄᴋ  ᴜᴘ  ᴛʜᴇ  ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ  ᴍᴜꜱᴇ(ꜱ)  ʏᴏᴜ  ʜᴀᴠᴇ?

okay story time besties. like most of you i've been on this hellsite for at least a decade, this may or may not be 'too personal' but i think i wanna share this anyway because it kinda explains the way i am now, why i left and why i came back. i'll keep it short (lie) so don't worry ehe. basically i found a best friend through this hobby, and through them many characters came to life. welp, i was friends with them for more than five years and then, you guessed it, something happened that made me cut ties. not getting into too much detail but the friendship suddenly felt very one-sided which was very heartbreaking for me and ultimately killed my desire to write on here. i really thought i would never return because it hurt too much, plus i was scared of possibly encountering them again. fast foward a year and bg3 releases. this damn game gave me so much comfort and so much inspiration. i ended up creating my vampire boy cain after as.tarion managed to become my new hyperfixation. i was scared shitless to be back. i felt out of place. also before i made cain, i tried to write with a fandomless oc and even worked on a multi based on greek myth. they say, third time is the charm, and my god it's true. cain opened the doors for me i was too scared to open myself. and everyone was so nice and welcoming, i am truly very grateful. writing means a lot to me, it's an outlet and so much more, i'm sure it's the same for many of you. anyway this is getting way too deep. cain happened because i'm a simp. and vance? he's an old concept i never got the chance to put out there.

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ?

smut. i've never had a nsft thread in my whole career. i get why some write it but to me i see no point. first of all it makes me uncomfortable, idk if it's because i'm asexual or because i just don't vibe with it. either way, like already stated in my rules, while i refuse to write it out, i don't mind joking about it or letting things fade to black / up for imagination during threads.

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ?

i really love to explore different dynamics between characters. nothing is ever white or black, there's so many depths and layers and i wanna see it all. a character is a sunshine, always happy? great but what if they are actually struggling with major depression and are on the wink of breaking? someone tries to be everyone's hero? cool. oh you think they're doing it because of the kindness of their heart? no lol, they're just scared of being all alone because they don't know how to form emotional bonds with others so they try to be please everyone, ignoring their own needs and desires. i enjoy every genre as long as characters get a chance to be more than just one fixed personality trait. oh and angst. i love angst.

ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ?

god. fuck. i wish i knew. sometimes i wake up and randomly think of my oc, their past, their habits, how they felt. and if i'm lucky, i learn something new about them. i think the most important thing i had to learn when it comes to headcanons is that you can't force them to just appear. sometimes things come easy and you have many trivia info or solid headcanons from the get go, other times you shake your oc and beg them on knees to give you at least one crumble of info. honestly, music helps. getting into the right mindset and letting your mind run wild with all sort of possibilities is a great foundation.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ɪɴ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴏʀ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ?

i need music all the time, whether i write or simply exist. as mentioned above, music helps a lot to get into the right mindset. i also love the fact that each oc has their own music taste. i will never get over the fact that vance vibes with k-pop & j-hip hop.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇꜱ ᴏʀ ᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ?

it really depends actually. if threads are plotted beforehand then i already have "a plan" where the directions is going and how vance will react. but in general i wing everything. idk why but to me it feels so much more authentic. if i read asks or replies i already have a clear idea of what van wants to say. at first he reacts in my head then when i sit down to write it out, i suddenly find van in a situation i didn't expect. and i love that. a lot. sometimes you gotta let things come to you naturally and just write what feels right.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ꜱʜɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ?

i do! which reminds me, i wanted to make a specific post about this even though i already talk about it in my rules. i'm here for any type of ship, platonic or romantic or straight up enemies. most importantly though? i love connecting people's ocs into van's canon verse. i was never into multi-shipping, unless it's for different verses. in general i love the idea of every event occuring in van's life to happen in one universe. so for example, if he meets character A and later meets character B, he'll mention character A. for this reason i probably won't do multiple romances. also i love suffering from slow burns, be it confessing love or enemies to friends. sign me the fuck up.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀʟɪᴀꜱ/ɴᴀᴍᴇ?

i kept changing it but right now it's cero and i think it'll stay that way. ever since my comkeback, i actually struggled to find "the right one" you feel. there's no deep meaning behind it other than me being a sk.yrim nerd and enjoying my murderous little jester cicero. in other news i'm a clown.

ᴀɢᴇ?

i'm a twenty six year old bottle of fine wine

ʙɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ?

september 16th, you better wish me a happy birthday :3c (this is a threat)

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ(ꜱ)?

red, orange, yellow, pink and purple

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴏɴɢ(ꜱ)?

don't do this to me. like. i love music. i don't choose favorites. every song slaps. it's so hard to decide. you know what fuck the rules. i'll answer with my favorite genres instead: classic pop & rock, indie pop, video game soundtracks (yes fr), alt rock & punk, hip hop, k-pop & j-pop, classical, metal ... proceeds to name every genre

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

two weeks ago my aunt forced me to watch damsel with her and i'm still trying to recover from it

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

still watching o.ne p.iece :)

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱᴏɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ?

don't matter by kings of leon

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ?

honestly, i'm not really into food and i only eat because my body needs to survive, i'm also a picky eater so safe my soul, but recently i've discovered my deep love for spaghetti carbonara, it's my ride or die

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ?

fall and winter. i love spooky season and i love seeing trees changing colors and i love crunchy leaves. i love taking walks through a forest during fall. i love the weather in fall the most too, rain or sunshine idc it's a perfect mix and i vibe with it. as for winter, obviously it's the snow but sadly we don't get snowy days often.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ?

ah shit here we go. i didn't even see this question when i answered the first one. awkward. I MEAN. i really wanna say "not yet" but deep down i'm actually really scared of allowing another strong connection. i consider all of my moots as friends even if i don't chat with them on a daily basis. i'm an anxious opossum, screeching on the inside as we speak, but i definitely want to find the courage again to form actual friendships with people on here.

tagged by: @pinkminxed thanks subway sandwich tagging: @metrictita @un1awful @ofurizen @hopeharmed @hiisfire @attroxx @confettiguts @rexpyre @daisyscape @starpoacher @fauxwife @rotdame @cursedblessed

#// i think i did some oversharing here and there but idc #// now you know me and you have to live with it :3 #// also idk who already did this so i tagged mains #// don't feel obligated to do this tho #「 † 」 out of hell.

[manonamora-if]

February Check-In

From here on out, we should be back on track - IRL be damned (crossing fingers with that). Unless someone throws another wrench...

Anyway, let's not think about the bummer stuff...

Here's to a hopefully "normal" month with stuff actually being checked off a list!

Onto the usual index:

Recap of last month’s progress

IF Events in the Next Month

Plan for the next month

Still long post under the break. If you want a mini version, head over to itch.io!

January Progress

Welp... there wasn't much of a list in the January Check-in, since it was the retrospective, which included the yearly plan. Still, I did make a mini one on itch. Put together we'd get:

Still play more IF and maybe review. ✅

Finish the edits of Harcourt Ch5 ✅ and coding ❌

Fix one of the semi-completed games: ❌either the Egg parser or TRNT (and make it a proper parser)

Complete the Seed/Shuffle-Comp entry✅

Honestly, not bad... The first one, obviously is done and dusted. IFDB says I posted 60+ reviews in January - covering the Short Game Showcase, the ShuffleComp, and the Recipe Jam helped quite a bit. And that also meant... I'm 3rd in the Reviewer ranking! Only 100 more to second place...

MelS and I finally stopped playing ping-pong with the editing of Harcourt (later than we wanted...), and I'm currently sitting down to edit the whole maze. I had hoped to be done by the end of this month, but it wasn't feasible... It was close - I only have half a dozen passages to code, to check it works, and do the formatting. I used to laugh at his complaining of working all the rooms for this maze (because he chose to do that many), but now I'm the one suffering... Don't do mazes... Or don't do 30+-room mazes... (I'm not joking here) Also: If all goes well, March/April should be editing of Chapter 6, June/July coding of Chapter 6 (+ re-edits of previous chapters), August/September beta/edits, October? completed game.

As for the ShuffleComp, I made it realllll close to the deadline. But (not so) strangers in the night was completed just in time! Aaaannnddd, got 1st place in the Use of Songs category! Yay me :D Also submitted to the SeedComp! and the Zach Jam.

As for fixing the parsers.... whomp whomp, didn't manage that.

Buuuutt:

I made another parser! Not Another Sad Meal is a slice-of-life cooking sim of easy difficulty (and clickable elements for help!)

Also made a Zine! CTRL+SHIFT+ZUT+ALORS Lost content meets weird technology. I probably will never make this game, but you can use it as inspiration if you want!

And spent a few days working on a collaborative virtual card for a friend. While that will never be made public (for obvious reasons), You can find the basic interface [here].

Also won kuddos of best puzzle for An Eggcellent Preparation (even though it kinda broken)!

So yeah... not huge updates for projects, but some good progress and a few mini-new games. I'm not expecting people to check those out... But it would be neat if you did!

What’s happening in February?

There's always something happening in the IF world. I don't think I ever find all that happens anyway... but. Here's the ones I know!

The Queer Vampire Game Jam ends in about three weeks. Got a vampire/human story with a LGBT+ cast? Then this is the event for you! (unranked) Also they are doing a fundraising/matching donation with submissions!

Obviously @neointeractives got you covered for Valentine’s with the Smoochie Jam: it’s all about kisses, love and romance (unranked) - Be also on the look out for the next Neo-Interactives mini-jam which is happening mid-March.

The SeedComp! (Sprouting) ends at the end of February. Come transform someone’s idea or asset into a new IF game! See @seedcomp-if for more info ;) (ranked)

Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2024 se termine dans un mois! Viendez faire des histoires en français!! <3 (ranked, duh)

The Spring Thing is waiting for your intent to participate until March 1st! After that, the submissions are due in April (also ranked)

Got a cool talk idea regarding Interactive Fiction, narration, or gameplay? Consider submitting a proposal for this year’s Narrascope! They are still looking for people!!!!

Note: @neointeractives will have jams all year long. One a month/or so. And the next Planting Round of @seedcomp-if will start as soon as the results are dropped.

The PLANtm for February

Shortest month, and one busy months in events (I'm at the head of two... what am I DOING WITH MY LIFE....)... So much to do, so little time. But also, ONE EXTRA DAY THIS MONTH! :D

What are we hoping to do this month?

Play more games! Because there are a bunch of jams happening and a backlog of games I'm trying to clear. Also I want to get to that second IFDB spot! (1st won't ever be attainable...)

Finish the Code Ch5 of Harcourt. This is attainable. This is doable. I will finish... because I am already 80% done. MelS is working on Chapter 6 for this month - hoping to have a rough draft for me to check too by the end of the month...

Finish fixing The Roads Not Taken. This is your month. I swear I am manifesting it hard. This is happening. I will finish you. I'm sorry I've been avoiding you....

Jam Entry number 685470w8698... probably. Maybe do a Queer Vampire/Smoochie Combo. Maybe even a French Comp game?

ALSO: I will probably do an another AMA mid-Feb.

~

The 2024 To-Do List:

New year, new list. A more feasible one, according to January-Me.

The hopefully maybe easy to handle To-Do:

fix the bugs in EDOC + overall the French version to match

fix the bugs of TRNT + find a way to add the missing pieces (giving up on the translation)

fixing the interface of LPM and the popups + check animal interactions

figure out the One-Button JavaScrip/jQuery issue...

edit the loading screens of the completed tiny games to include the program/format logo at least.

The 'Need a Bunch of Content to update but it's planned!' To-Do:

Update my website (bunch new title - also I don't think the logo clicky thing work...) + redo my itch page

Finish TTATEH (MelS dependent - this year should be it - for real)

Finish Exquisite Cadaver (half-way mark by this summer - manif)

Finish P-Rix - Space Trucker (main path at least)

Update CRWL (it's been almost two years... I'm getting ashamed)

The Unlikely But it Would be Dope To-Do

Finish The Dinner as it was planned (and translate)

Finish In the Blink of an Eye as it was planned (and retranslate)

Finish The Rye in the Dark City

Fixing TTTT (at least fixing, maybe try adding some storylets)

And finally The 'It's impossible, but one can wish' TO-DO:

Remaster SPS IH (if I managed to start this after completing the rest... I'm going to eat a whole sheet cake).

Start the IFComp project (2025? Might end up being a ST?)

#dev log #progress #update #check-in #february planning #AMA incoming yall

[autumntouched]

Every Time It Comes Around Pt.II

Fic Summary: Hangman and Phoenix have a lot of growing up to do from the first time they meet. Four times Hangman and Phoenix could have realized there is more than insults and competition between them and one time they do.

aka Hangman and Phoenix are messyyyy. but then they grow up. kind of.

Pairings: Phoenix/Hangman, Phoenix/Rooster

Warnings: 18+, NSFW. Language, alcohol consumption, SMUT (Rooster)

A/N: Welp, this one went from a drabble to a saga real fast. Like got way way way out of control. Went from one shot to two chapter I definitely stretched some of the themes. All in good fun...hopefully. From my head to the page with few edits.

Did I try to read a fighter pilot manual to understand maneuvers? Yes. Is the part about flying accurate? NO. Also, I don’t snowboard so please forgive me.

Comments/reblogs appreciated xx

Playlist: Here’s the playlist for this chapter! Some of the themes have direct references to songs and for others, the songs served as inspiration.

The first time it happens, it’s an accident.

Natasha tears off her helmet in frustration. A whole week of working on a maneuver, and she’s still getting it wrong. Well, not wrong exactly but she’s watched several pilots in the class ahead do it without bleeding as much speed as she is. And by several, that really means Seresin. 

Becker shoves past her on his way down the flight line. “What the hell is your problem, Trace? I told you we had it over an hour ago. Make me freaking late for my date with your little miss perfect show up there.” 

She holds back a retort and once again wishes she’d been paired with Bradshaw for the week. No matter how long it took or what his plans were, he would have kept at it with her until they got it. Angrily, she tugs at the zipper of her flight suit to try to find some relief from the cloying, Mississippi humidity that’s swamped her undershirt and soaked her bra.

“Why helloooo Little Miss Perfect,” someone drawls, and the end of her day really couldn’t get worse because here comes Jake Seresin himself to rub in the fact that he’s watched her fly like shit. Only a few more weeks before he heads to his first duty station, and she can’t wait to get him out of her hair. He strolls out from behind one of the planes at the end of the row.

“Shove it,” she snaps, not at all in the mood after dealing with Becker’s snideness. Seresin’s already changed out of his Navy uniform and into his preppy one of a white t-shirt, pastel chino shorts, and boat shoes, which means he stuck around just to be a pain in her ass. 

He smiles smugly and uses his tongue to flip the toothpick in his mouth. “Guess I can go shove the little secret I was going to share with you then too?” 

“It’s not a secret you’re an asshole.” 

“Well someone’s a little more Little Miss Cranky this evening. I thought you might want to know what you’re doing wrong up there.” 

Her flight gear’s getting heavy and her patience even shorter, but her curiosity wins out. “And what’s in it for you, if you tell me?” 

Seresin flips his toothpick again and smirks. “Knowing you’re the best because of me.” 

Natasha scoffs and adjusts her things. “Your magnanimity is astounding. No. I’m good.” She stomps off. 

“You know, you can be so condescending when you’re annoyed,” he says, keeping up with her. 

“Too bad that’s a problem only you have to deal with,” she shrugs.

“So I guess you’re sleeping easy about those upcoming rankings then?”

Damn it. He has her there. If she wants to stay in at least the top three, she’s going to have to pull ahead of Hewitt and, for a buffer, Singh. 

“I’ll manage,” she grits out. She’ll spend all weekend rereading the manual cover to cover if she has to to figure it out. 

“Do you like barbecue?” he asks out of nowhere. She stops again and looks over at him. Seresin narrows his eyes. “Actually, remind me where you’re from again. You might not even be qualified to judge what barbecue is.” 

“California, and I know–.” 

“Oh no. No, you don’t.” 

“Now who’s condescending?” 

“Buy me dinner, and I’ll give you that secret. Fair exchange.” He slides his hands into his pockets while she considers what she has to lose. Or gain. 

“Fine.” She showers quickly and meets him outside in his Jeep, feeling much cooler in a tank top, cutoff shorts, and Vans. He keeps the aux on low as they leave the base. It’s a country playlist, not something she listens to unless she’s hanging out with her cousins. 

“So, do I get to know this secret before or after we eat?” she asks. 

Hangman props his left elbow on the door. “It’s all business with you, isn’t it, Trace?” 

“With you, yes,” she says, stretching out her legs. “I don’t need anything about me lobbed back in my face at some point.” He seems taken aback. She has no idea why when he’s made it his mission to antagonize the hell out of her every chance he gets. “But if you want to get personal, tell me what it takes to be a so-called qualified judge of barbecue.”

As much as she doesn’t want to be, she’s impressed to realize he wasn’t entirely being a dick when it comes to how much he knows. His enthusiasm cracks some of his cool exterior, and Natasha actually learns something about regional styles and methods. They seem to realize at the same moment that they might be enjoying the conversation, and Seresin trails off.  

Fortunately, Natasha finally recognizes one of the songs on his playlist. She laughs. “Well, this is appropriate.” When he looks over with a question pinched between his brows, she points to her shirt. “Barbecue Stain!” 

“It’s called ‘Something Like That,’ Trace,” he corrects her, but Seresin grins and turns the volume up as Tim McGraw sings: 

“A sailor sky made a perfect sunset/And that’s the day I’ll never forget…”

He starts to sing along with the chorus. “I had a barbecue stain on my white t-shirt. She was killing me in that miniskirt.” He glances over at her with a smirk, and she rolls her eyes. 

Harmonizing just to show off a little, she joins in. “Skippin’ rocks on the river by the railroad tracks. She had a suntan line and red lipstick. I worked so hard for that first kiss, and a heart don’t forget something like that.” 

Natasha stops singing as soon as he drops off. He insists that she keep going though, nodding and tapping along on his steering wheel while she finishes the song. 

When the smoky smell of barbecue hits her nose, she sits up to search the roadside for their destination. Seresin smiles. “You know it’s the real deal if you can smell it before you see it.” 

Not too long after he pulls off into a gravel covered area beside what she can only describe as a nondescript shack with four picnic tables out front. Still, three of the tables are nearly full. A large, faded hand painted sign propped against the side of the building reads “Leroy’s BBQ.”

“Guess I should’ve checked to see if you had plans to murder me before I agreed to this,” she jokes, peering past him through the window. 

He turns off his car and undoes his seatbelt. “If you want the good stuff, you have to go where people just go for the food. Looks like we’re catching the end of the dinner rush. You’re going to want to get the red velvet, but I guarantee you’ll need it to go. Oh, and this.” He reaches over and retrieves a can of bug spray from the glove compartment. Outside, they spray themselves down.

Natasha follows him up to the window. 

“My man!” exclaims the elderly Black man behind the counter as soon as Seresin walks up. He wears a black baseball cap over his graying hair, frameless glasses, and an old red “Leroy’s BBQ” t-shirt that hangs off him as if even broader shoulders and chest once filled it. “How’s it goin’, Mr. Pilot?” 

Seresin leans on the ledge that runs beneath the window like this is a regular ritual for them. “Not bad, Mr. Leroy.” There’s more respect in his voice than he gives even most senior officers. His Texas twang is also more pronounced, and she can’t tell if he’s dialing it up here or tones it down around everyone else. “How’s it going? Where’s Ma Lu?” 

“Business good, so we good,” Mr. Leroy says, bowing his head slightly. “Don’t worry. She made me put your potato salad aside before we run out. Lu’s over helpin’ her sister tonight. She threw out her back, says she did it lifting somethin’ heavy, but I told Lu that woman probably wasn’t lifting nothing heavier than her skirt. If you know what I mean.” 

Natasha covers her smile with her hand, appreciating that he’s found the politest way to say something so rude. Mr. Leroy cackles but noticing Seresin laugh somewhat half-heartedly, he leans forward. “Wait a minute now, Ensign, this beauty here with you? Hello there, Miss. Whowee, you must be somebody real special because–.”

Horrified, she backpedals away from Seresin so fast that she nearly topples into the couple in line behind them. “No, I–.”

“She works with me,” he jumps in, a tinge of pink in his cheeks when he has to grab her upper arm to reel her back from losing her footing. “Don’t get me in trouble, Mr. Leroy. She gives me enough of it already.” He drops her arm like it’s a hot engine and takes a step away. Then puts his hands in his pockets for good measure. “‘Scuse my bad manners for not introducing her sooner. This is Ensign Natasha Trace. We fly together.” 

Mr. Leroy looks between them and decides very clearly to keep something to himself. But there’s a knowing lift to his shaggy eyebrows. Another protest rises to her lips, but she pushes it down. They’ve made their point. “Well, real pleasure to meet you, Ensign Trace. Imma have to tell my grandbaby I got to meet a girl Navy pilot today. Isn’t that something else! What can I get y’all?”

Natasha mentally resets and forces herself to push through the awkward moment. “A red velvet to go, and what would you recommend for someone who apparently knows nothing about barbecue?” she jabs at Seresin.

He smiles sheepishly when Mr. Leroy scowls. “He tell you that, Miss Ensign? Don’t pay him no mind. I’ll fix you something good so you know all about it.”

As soon as she’s paid, she suggests saving them seats and escapes before Seresin can answer. His flying tips better be worth it. The sun’s beginning to lower, tinting the sky with vibrant pink and purple, when she slides onto the bench at the end of one of the tables and swings her feet up to hold the seat across from it. Mosquitoes buzz loudly past her ear and around her arms. She slaps them away, grateful for a reason to be slightly annoyed by the time Seresin comes over with two plates sagging under the weight of their food.

Any chagrin melts away with her first bite of the brisket. Sweet, tangy, and tender it falls apart into a mouthful of flavor at the slightest touch of her teeth. A delightful kick of spice tails the first wave of flavors. 

“Good, isn’t it?” he asks, lips already covered in barbecue sauce. 

She nods, mouth too full to respond. He lets her try everything on her plate before he dives into the promised information. With the same enthusiasm he had in the car, he explains and demonstrates with his hand how to adjust her speed on entry to angle her plane to minimize air resistance as fast as possible and accelerate through the direction shift. When she asks, he also points out several other areas where she could make a few adjustments for better results. 

Plenty of the guys have tried to tell her how to fly, even when she’s outflown them, but Seresin’s eye is impressively sharp. He can tell her exactly what she’s doing in the cockpit and how it’s impacting her outcome. 

Dusk has fallen around them, the sunlight replaced by floodlights from the shack’s overhang. Insects rattle and whir loudly over the chatter of the other patrons and the occasional car passing along the two lane highway. She feels her shirt start to cling to the sweat on her lower back, but Seresin looks unfazed by the heat as he takes a deep pull from his beer. The front of his dirty blond hair lays flat across his forehead, and in the dimmer light, his normally taunting douchebagness softens into something almost resembling sweet and playful. 

Natasha slams the breaks on those thoughts. “But the manual says–,” she starts, getting her mind back on track. 

Seresin lowers a rib from his lips. “The manual tells you what your plane should do, not what it can do. It’s the lowest common denominator to keep every bozo who goes up in a jet alive.” He considers her with a long, thoughtful look. “But you’re not exactly the lowest common denominator, are you, Trace?” 

She sees his point but also the compliment. “Thanks.” She tries not to sound surprised or too grateful, like she needs his approval to know she’s good at what she does. But, the compliment feels good. 

Wanting to settle what happened at the counter, Natasha weighs her next words as she scrubs her fingers. His attention has turned to his cornbread, which he sops through the sauce on his plate before devouring it in three large bites. “You know, this whole time you’re the only guy who’s been single at some point and never made a pass at me. Well, except for the ones who wouldn’t be interested anyway.”

He goes still mid-bite. “Bradshaw?” he blurts then jerks his hand up to catch the crumbs that tumble out his mouth. 

“To be fair, I don’t think he would’ve under different circumstances.” She normally ducks out before the guys get too drunk, but Bradshaw can get so wasted that she worries he’ll get himself into trouble if she leaves. And it hadn’t exactly been his finest moment. He’d vomited down the front of his shirt, and she was trying to help him get undressed without smearing it in his hair. Worried she’s given Seresin ammo he doesn’t need, she says sharply, “Don’t tell him I told you that. I was just trying to say that I appreciate it. Even if otherwise, you’re the biggest pain in my ass.”

He gulps down the rest of his cornbread and gives her a flirtatious smirk. “I’ll take that. Better than being a smaller one. And I figured you were just here for the same reason I am. To be the best pilot.”

Of course he always has to undermine anything thoughtful with something so immature. She rolls her eyes. Only a few more weeks until he leaves behind peace and quiet. 

At home, Natasha stashes her leftovers in the fridge and sets the red velvet cake on the counter. It looks so tempting. And although she’s still full, she figures it can’t hurt to try a little bit. Breaking off a small piece with her fingers, she brings it to her lips and gives it a tentative nibble then shoves it in her mouth with a groan. She closes her eyes and leans into the counter, overcome by how good it is. 

Sweeping the icing from her upper lip with her tongue, she’s suddenly caught up in the sensation of Jake Seresin teasing her lips apart. Tentatively she turns the cake over in her mouth, and he’s deepened the kiss so that his tongue brushes hers, as soft and lingering and smooth as the red velvet’s rich flavor. One hand skims between her shoulders to draw her close to his firm chest as the thumb of the other guides her head back so his mouth can taste all of hers, hungry, scorching, and possessive.     

Wait.

Natasha’s eyes fly open. Where the hell did that come from? Her face burns like he’s right there to see her think about him that way. She shoves the cake away and retreats to her room for a night with her vibrator. Clearly she hasn’t blown off enough steam lately. 

On Monday, she does as Seresin suggested and manages to throw her instructor. “Yes!” she whoops after making sure she’s changed the comms channel so no one can hear her celebrating. 

She’s just scrambled out of her plane when MacGyver strolls up to her. “Good job up there today, Trace. Guess Seresin talked to you?”

“Sir?” 

“You were close. Figured you’d nail it with a few pointers.” He claps her on the shoulder and walks away. Natasha stares after him, heart sinking. She’d thought…so Jake Seresin hadn’t wanted to be helpful. He was just following orders. Like he said, they’re both here to be the best pilots.

Bradshaw jogs up to high five her, but Natasha feels its sting more than its triumph.

The second time it happens, it’s not really her fault.

Natasha sinks the ping pong ball neatly into the last solo cup. “Yes!” shouts Rooster, lifting her off her feet and spinning her in his excitement. On the other side of the table, Coyote kisses his girlfriend, Vicky, for a game well played if lost. 

Riptide has organized an extended weekend at her college friend’s family cabin in Whistler. Cabin is an understatement considering the breathtaking mountain views from the living and dining room’s floor to ceiling windows. The kitchen is large enough that they’ve set up a folding table for their pre-dinner beer pong game without getting in the way of the first night’s dinner crew. The Korean tacos Jumanji and his girlfriend Paloma are cooking up smell delicious. 

Natasha is laughing and trying to wriggle out of Rooster’s grip when the doorbell rings. Riptide crams a guacamole laden tortilla chip in her mouth and hops off her boyfriend’s lap to get the door. 

“You made it!” she exclaims. 

It must be Hangman. His deployment kept getting extended, and they weren’t sure he would make it back in time. Everything in the kitchen goes quiet as they all register the raised voices. 

“I know, okay! But we’re here so can we please try to enjoy the weekend?” Hangman argues.

“Why couldn’t we stay at a hotel?” a woman complains. 

“I told you. Everything nearby is sold out. Besides, we’re staying here. This place is huge, Rip! Good to see you.”

“Oh Lord,” Vicky mutters under her breath. Coyote shoots her a warning look that she ignores. “You didn’t tell me he was bringing her.”

He reaches for his drink. “I didn’t know she was coming.” Vicky’s frown says she doesn’t believe that. “Until this morning,” he caves and ducks into his cup. 

Great. It’s bad enough Hangman is here but with an annoying girlfriend to boot? Natasha turns to Rooster and motions for him to pass her beer. This weekend is going to be long in a way she hasn’t planned for. 

Riptide tries to ease the situation by hyping the house’s hot tub and movie theater, but Hangman’s girlfriend is still pouting when she follows him and Riptide into the kitchen. Almost as tall as he is with chestnut waves, wide sapphire eyes and flawless skin, she would be stunning if she didn’t look like a toddler on the verge of a tantrum. 

She turns on him before he has a chance to introduce her. “You didn’t tell them that I’m vegetarian? What am I going to eat?”

Vicky scowls like she has an answer to that, but Coyote wraps an arm around her neck and whispers something in her ear. 

“Babe, I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” Hangman assures her, rubbing a hand over her back. “Just…hey, y’all! This is my girlfriend, Cally.” He smiles like they haven’t been arguing since they walked through the door.  

Cally gives everyone a sullen wave while they go around and introduce themselves. 

The upside of Cally being there is that she demands so much of Hangman’s attention that he doesn’t have time to annoy anyone. Even though Paloma makes a hearty salad to go along with the tacos, Cally insists that he get up from the table to make her a cheese quesadilla. Then she nearly storms off when she learns that all the bedrooms have been taken. By the end of dinner, Natasha seems to be the only one to have found anything to appreciate about her. 

Under the guise of changing into their swimsuits for the hot tub, Paloma and Vicky make a quick exit upstairs to gossip. They text Natasha to join while she’s helping with dinner clean up, but Riptide pulls her aside into the bathroom. Her face is pinched with guilt, and she fidgets with the ends of her braids. 

“I have a huge favor to ask you,” she says, glancing at the door and keeping her voice low. Natasha expects what’s coming.

“You want me to give them my room,” she sighs, letting her friend off the hook from having to ask. 

Riptide grimaces and massages her forehead. “Essentially. If that’s okay? I didn’t think it would be a big deal to give them the air mattress since they confirmed so late, but I think that might be more of a headache than it’s worth. I was going to give them our room, but Drew’s about to lose it after dinner.”

Although Natasha has finally found a reason to be annoyed with Hangman, she feels bad that her friend is stressed during what’s supposed to be her vacation. “Yeah, it’s okay. I don’t mind the air mattress.”

“No, you can have the sofa bed. Rooster already volunteered to take the air mattress.”

Natasha tries to read in Riptide’s expression whether she’s picked up anything from Rooster’s offer, but she seems too caught up in hosting logistics to worry about his motives. “Don’t worry. I promise we’ll have a good time this weekend and laugh about this later.”

Riptide smiles appreciatively and goes to let Hangman know about the switch while Natasha packs up her things.

“Trace, you don’t have to do this.”

She looks up from stuffing her snow pants into her duffel bag. Hangman hovers in the doorway, and if she didn’t know him so well, she would say he looks embarrassed. 

“It’s Phoenix now,” she reminds him. “So you think your girlfriend’s going to go from wanting a hotel to being okay with an air mattress?” 

“I’ll talk to her,” he says lamely. He glances down the hall then steps into the room and closes the door. “This was her first deployment, and I think it was a lot harder than she expected. I’m trying to–.”

“I’ll let you know when I want to listen to your girl problems, Seresin,” she cuts him off. Natasha swings her bag onto her shoulder. 

Some of his usual cockiness returns, and a slow, obnoxious grin breaks across his face. “It’s Hangman now,” he says, gleefully replaying her words to her. “Or Hungman, depending on who you ask.”

Natasha snuffs out the flicker of curiosity about the truth of that claim. “Whatever. I wasn’t asking. If you want to feel bad about evicting me, help me with my board.” She kicks her foot toward where her gear is propped against the wall. 

“This is yours?” He hurries on from her exasperated look. “I mean, you must be pretty good if you have a board this nice.”

“I am. Watch out!” she warns just in time for him to sidestep the door from hitting his back as it flies open. He catches it before it can hit her gear.

“Jake?” Cally snaps. Her eyes land on Natasha and narrow. “I’ve been calling you. I needed help with our bags. What were you doing in here?”

“Driving me up the wall,” Natasha says, letting her irritation come through loud and clear. “Take him. He’s all yours. Bed’s changed by the way. I’ll be back in a sec to grab my board and stuff.”

“I got it,” Rooster offers from the hallway behind Cally. He and Coyote have what she assumes are Hangman and Cally’s bags. 

“Perfect!” Natasha shoves past Hangman out of the room. 

Later that night, she’s curled up under a wonderfully heavy and warm down comforter when the sofa bed dips around her with Rooster’s weight. His nose traces the edge of her ear, sending a shiver down her back. “You still awake?” he whispers. 

Natasha rolls onto her back under him, her lower abdomen already curling with molten desire at his hovering heat and bare chest. “And if I weren’t?”

He kisses a sensitive spot behind her ear, silencing her warning that they could get caught before it makes it to her tongue. “Guess I’d have to rub another one out after seeing how cute you looked in your swimsuit.” 

“I was more than cute,” she complains, but his appreciation for the red bikini she’d packed for him isn’t lost on her. 

“Whatever the word is then for wanting to tear it off you.” Rooster moves his mouth to her neck and the brush of his mustache is doing wild things to her ability to think straight. She wraps her arms around his broad shoulders. 

“Did you really…”

He exhales impatiently over her collarbone. “So I was a little desperate. D’you want to tease me about it or find out what I imagined doing to you?” Sliding off the strap of her tank top, he gives her a preview of what he had in mind. 

“Not here,” she exhales needily.

“Bathroom?” he suggests. He moves out of the way while she throws off the covers, but then he lifts her off her feet so she can feel exactly how much he’s been enjoying thinking about her in her swimsuit. Her hand is down his pants before he fumbles the door closed behind them. 

The next morning, the whole house can hear the full pitched fight between Hangman and Cally about whether or not they’re going to the slopes that day. Still in her pajamas, Vicky jams her finger into the coffee brew machine. “I have not had enough coffee for her to start this early,” she mutters under her breath. She glares over at Coyote. “If you don’t say something, Javy, I will.”

Riptide looks around in defeat. “Let’s just pack the car?” 

They’re almost ready to go when Hangman comes downstairs by himself. Natasha finds herself stuck in a car alone with him because Riptide, Drew, Paloma, and Jumanji are in the other one with their ski equipment. He sends several texts then continues to check his phone. His brow furrows more and more each time.

“I think she’s ignoring me.” He tries calling, but it cuts off and goes to voicemail. “Definitely ignoring me.” 

Whether she likes it or not, it seems like she’s going to be dragged into his mess one way or another. “Did I miss something or is she not coming because she’s mad she doesn’t have you to herself this weekend?” Natasha asks, keeping her eye out for black ice along the road.

“Please don’t ask me to explain that logic,” he groans, forehead propped in his hand. “But yes.”

She can’t resist being a little bit of a jerk. “You picked a real keeper, didn’t you?”

He makes a sad, non-committal noise and slumps in his seat. Natasha tells herself it’s for all their sakes that she decides to make him an offer. “Look, I can’t believe I’m saying this or even willing to do it, but I’m pretty sure I know how to get her to the mountain by lunch.” Hangman looks at her skeptically, and she gives him a sly smile. “A little FOMO never hurt anyone, right?”

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting,” he demands suspiciously. “You want to make my girlfriend jealous?”

Turning into the parking lot, she follows the other SUV to a pair of open spaces. “Who said anything about jealousy? I’m sure everyone wants to know how much fun we’re having up here.” 

Hangman looks nonplussed. “Phoenix, of all people–.” 

She pulls the parking brake with a shrug. “It seems like the situation might be dire enough. It’s up to you. Do you want my help or not?” 

Paloma needs only the suggestion that they send a few pictures back to the house to go into photographer mode. She poses them with the Olympic rings and as a group in no time. Natasha is careful to always be beside Hangman. In one of them, she leans her head into his shoulder, which would have passed for platonic if Paloma hadn’t caught the moment he looked down at her in surprise. 

It’s the first Paloma selects among the ones she sends to the group chat. “If this works,” she mutters, “you’re my hero.”

Natasha pats her shoulder. “Hopefully.” She turns to Hangman. “Now put your phone on do not disturb, and try to have some fun.” 

By the time they’re on the chairlift, he has over ten missed texts. He frowns and tries to scroll through them, but she covers the screen with her mitten. “You’re on your own if you start moping and ruin this glorious morning for me. You can think about her when you see her at lunch.”

“You sound pretty confident about that,” he grumbles but reluctantly puts his phone away. 

As soon as Natasha looks down the mountain with her boots strapped in, she couldn’t care less about Hangman’s girl problems. There’s a nearly fresh plane of powdery snow in front of her and the wind to their backs. She takes a steadying breath to get her bearings and shakes out her arms. For some reason, her first run of the season always comes with the fear that she’s somehow forgotten everything. It’ll pass as soon as she gets going. 

“Gonna show me what you got?” Hangman challenges, watching her hesitation. 

That’s all the push she needs. “If you can keep up,” she scoffs and launches herself forward. 

Before flying planes, there was this, flying down a mountain with the tingling combination of cold air and warm sun on her exposed face as her board carves through the snow and the forces of gravity. She’ll get fancy later when her muscles have warmed up and their memory fully returns. For now she focuses on her speed, tightening her turns and sinking back into the rhythm of her tilts. Her mitten skims the snow, like the shadow of a plane over a still white ocean, and a thrill goes through her as she returns to the unchanging pocket of exhilaration snowboarding has always brought her.

It’s over too fast, just as she’s locking into her rhythm. As she approaches the bottom of the slope, Natasha straightens and lets the board’s friction slow her down while she looks out for Hangman. He’s not far behind her, and she’s a little smug to see that his confidence carries him as much as his skill. But she’s better. Rubbing it in, she unstraps her boot while she waits for him to catch up and pretends to check her watch. 

“Are you kidding me, Phoenix! What was that?” His jaw is still slack when he reaches her. 

She can’t help grinning. “A warm up. Sweating already, Hangman?”

“A little,” he admits without hesitation on their way back toward the chairlift. He may give her shit in the air, but apparently not here. “Show me how you go that fast?”

“Of course my young Padawan,” she teases. “But first you can tell the group chat that I kicked your ass on the run.” 

Hangman takes a selfie of them helmet to helmet. Tongue tucked between his teeth, he types out a message then shows it to her for her approval before sending it off. He scrolls through his messages. 

“She wants to know if it’s just you and me up here,” he reports. He scratches his jaw in thought and starts to respond.

Natasha assumed someone as hot–speaking as a completely objective third party observer–as Hangman would be better at this. “I can’t believe I’m helping you manipulate this girl but don’t reply to that just yet.” 

He hesitates then slides his phone away. “Who knew Natasha Trace could be such a player,” he drawls, offering her a hand onto the lift that she ignores. “What poor guy is trying to play your games?”

That’s not a train of thought she wants him to follow to Bradshaw, so she says, “I’m single and very happy about it, dickhead. And I’m making an exception so your girlfriend doesn’t ruin everyone’s vacation. I hate games.” The words are barely out of her mouth before she regrets them. “Shit. Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” 

He deflates. “Why? Everyone’s thinking it. I probably should’ve canceled when she asked me to, but it’s not like I get all that many chances to introduce her to my Navy friends.” 

“That’s…sweet.” She’s surprised that she means it, to know that it matters to him that his girlfriend meets his friends. Trying to be more empathetic, Natasha says, “Look, she’s probably nervous about staying in a house with a bunch of people she doesn’t know and disappointed that she didn’t get time alone with you when you got back. Make a reservation for dinner tonight at one of the nice restaurants then surprise her with a couple’s spa date tomorrow afternoon. I’ll settle things down at the house while you’re gone. 

They hop off the lift and skate out of the way of the oncoming chairs. “Also, you can tell her now it sucks that she’s not the one up here with you. Hope you’ll be able to ditch me for her after lunch.” 

With his goggles covering half his face, it’s hard to read his expression but there’s an intensity around his mouth that makes her suddenly nervous. It dawns on her that this might be the longest stretch of conversation they’ve ever had where he’s spared her his sarcasm and baiting. It’s not her better half, but it’s been kind of nice to play the asshole in their relationship for once. “Phoenix?” 

She crouches to set her straps and break the moment. “Yep, that’s what they call me now,” Natasha jokes to dispel the tension. 

“I’ll think about her at lunch, okay? Let’s just enjoy the glorious morning.”

Hearing him repeat her words back to her makes her stomach do an odd swoop, like she hit a large drop in the road too fast. “Yeah, okay.” She recovers. “You go first so I can tell you what to do.”

He gives her a salute and a grin. “Aye aye, skipper.”

“Don’t,” she deadpans, but she doesn’t mind that he continues to call her that for the rest of their glorious morning. 

“How’d I do that time?” he asks after their last run before lunch. “It felt good, but I–.”

It feels so strange for him to look for her approval that she wants to check under his goggles to make sure this is the same asshole who loves to remind her what an excellent pilot he is. “You’re getting there,” is all she says, ignoring the flutter in her stomach at the determined set of his mouth.

As Natasha promised, Cally is waiting for them. Her hair is beautifully blown out and her makeup perfectly airbrushed even though she’s dressed to ski. Now that she’s beaming, it’s obvious what Hangman sees in her. Natasha left for the day with no makeup and her hair in pigtail braids. Cally hurries over from the table that the house crew saved to kiss Hangman and apologize profusely for their fight that morning. He hooks an arm around her waist to whisper his plans for their candlelit dinner, and she giggles then rests her head on his shoulder. 

Natasha buries her sudden disappointment that she’ll be on the slopes by herself later with a plan to try some tricks now that Hangman isn’t there to slow her down. She sits next to Rooster and by the time she orders her grilled cheese and tomato soup, she’s looking forward to the rest of the afternoon. 

Vicky leans in when she’s sure everyone’s distracted by their food. “For some reason she thought you and Rooster were a thing,” she giggles to Natasha quietly. “You should’ve seen her face when she found out you’re single. Her attitude got fixed so fast it almost gave me whiplash.”

Natasha’s careful to laugh along but makes a note not to sit by Bradshaw at dinner. Not that anyone pays attention with the tension in the house now past and the fun turned up to full, drunk blast. Everyone, except Rooster that is. He doesn’t ask about Hangman, and he won’t with their arrangement. But that night, as she rides him in the nest of blankets they laid out in the bathroom’s oversized bathtub, he cups her face and draws her close. 

Hazel eyes smoldering, he demands, “Say my name. My actual name.”

She blinks through her heady, alcohol blurred haze. “Bradley?” He pushes up deeper into her so that she gasps and falls forward over him, bracing herself on his shoulders and caressing his puckered scar under her thumb. 

He kisses her mouth, hard and possessive. “Say it again,” he begs against her swollen lips. 

“Bradley.” Her eyes trace his face. She’s struck by how much younger, more vulnerable he looks beneath his mustache. He swallows under her scrutiny, chin jutting out defiantly. She rocks her hips and buries her moan in his mouth. “I want you to fuck me, Bradley Bradshaw.” And he does, in a way he never has, driving away any inklings from that morning and holding his hand over her mouth to muffle the wail drawn from the obliterating force of her orgasm. 

The third time it happens, it’s a slip of the tongue.

“I thought we put the do not disturb sign on the door last night,” Rooster complains when a knock interrupts the afternoon they’ve spent not getting out of bed after Turbo’s wedding. “Ignore it please,” he asks, holding onto her thighs when she tries to get off him to get it. 

“Shhh,” Natasha teases, putting a finger to his pouting lips. “You’re not supposed to be here.” He captures and kisses the inside of her wrist. One final plea for her to ignore the second knock. She leans over him, deliberately letting her chest rest at his eye level. “The sooner you let me get it,” she whispers, “the sooner I can come back and give you a blow job.” 

His eyes go wide and dark, and his hands spring off her. Laughing quietly, she drags on a sweatshirt and shorts. 

Checking the peephole, she’s surprised to see Hangman’s date to the wedding, Jamie, standing nervously outside. Natasha leans into the bathroom to check the mirror, making sure it’s not entirely obvious what she’s been up to most of the day. Quickly, she runs a hand through her hair and opens the door. 

“Natasha,” Jamie gasps, almost as if she’s surprised to see her. Although casually dressed, she’s as put together as she was at the reception. Before whatever happened with Hangman that left her crying and disheveled. She’d insisted she hadn’t been hurt, but it was clear she’d left him in a hurry. 

“Hey, everything okay?” Natasha asks gently. 

Jamie gathers herself and holds out a small shopping bag. “I washed your clothes. And got you something. As a thank you for last night.” 

Natasha’s touched by the gesture. “You didn’t have to get me anything,” she says, taking the bag. “I just wanted to make sure you got home okay. I’m so glad you were at our table last night. It was so much fun.”

Suddenly, Jamie looks as if she’s going to cry again. “You did? I mean, I’m glad. Me too.”

Natasha sets the bag down inside the door. “Are you sure everything’s okay? Do you want to come in?” Behind her, Rooster stifles a yelp. She should have tossed him some clothes.

Jamie shakes her head. “I need to get going anyway. My friend’s waiting downstairs. But I–-I wanted to let you know that I promise I had no idea what was going on last night so I meant everything I said and did.” She twists her hands. 

Bewildered, Natasha tries to figure out what she means. “I never thought you didn’t. What was going on?”

Jamie looks relieved and a little embarrassed. “As long as you’re not upset. I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was all in my head. I probably had too many of those amazing cocktails. I wish I’d thought to ask what’s in them.” 

Natasha can tell she’s lying, or at least omitting something, but she doesn’t know her well enough to press. “Well, I think I can say there was nothing going on as far as I know, and I had a lot of fun.” She offers her arms, and Jamie steps in for the hug. “I can’t wait to see where you match!” 

“Thanks!” Jamie tells her, sounding much happier. “And if we end up near one another, I’d love to hang out. Okay, I’d better go!” 

“Anytime,” Natasha promises. “See you!” She waves and closes the door. 

On her way back to the bed, she strips off her sweatshirt and pushes her shorts down her hips. “I kind of hoped it would work out between her and Hangman,” she muses, stepping out of her bottoms and tossing them into her suitcase. “Seems like she’d be good for him.”

When she turns back around, Rooster is sitting up in the bed staring at her incredulously. “You’re not mad?” 

“Mad?” she laughs. “About what?”

“Are you serious, Phoenix? After what she just told you.” He draws his legs up under the sheets and rests his elbows on them. He’s close to needing a haircut and the way his mussed curls fall over his forehead makes her want to return to their previous activities. 

Natasha puts her hands on her hips. “Are you okay?” 

His expression hardens and his eyebrows knit together. “Are you fucking serious right now?”

The humor drops from her mouth. What the hell is Rooster getting angry about now? “Yeah, I’m fucking serious right now. What the hell is the problem?” 

“Hangman tried using her to make you jealous and you don’t have a problem with that?”  

It’s her turn to stare incredulously. “Were you even in the room? Who said anything about Hangman making me jealous?” 

Rooster’s getting worked up, his face flushing. “What the hell do you think she was apologizing for? It doesn’t take a genius to put it together, Tash. She leaves Hangman crying in the middle of the night then comes and tells you something was going on that she didn’t know she was part of. He was using her!”

As much as she wants to believe it, she knows whatever Jamie felt was going on wasn’t only in her head. And Hangman trying to use Jamie to make her jealous makes the most sense. Especially if he has no idea about her and Rooster. 

But then again, she hasn’t missed Rooster’s jealousy either. The way he put his hand on her back when he saw Hangman at their table. How he would check in if she was at the bar longer than five minutes. 

“And so what if he was?” she argues. 

Rooster flexes his fingers out of a fist. He speaks slowly, as if she’s stupid. “If he’s trying to make you jealous then that means he likes you.” 

Natasha crosses her arms. “And so what if he does?” 

“It’s Hangman!” 

“If it’s Hangman,” she shoots back, “then what are you so worried about?”

He opens his mouth then realizes what he’s about to say. She dares him to ask, to accuse her of having feelings for Hangman. Because they both know that when he does that, it’s the end of their friends with benefits arrangement. Sullenly, he looks away. 

Natasha’s mouth goes dry. It doesn’t matter that Rooster didn’t say it. Because it’s there, filling up the room and pushing them apart. She’s surprised at the knot in her throat. 

“Natasha, please don’t,” he says with a tremor in his voice.

She tries to say them gently, but the words still come out like a stab. “It’ll just get harder.”

Rooster drops his head, chin trembling. “And you can’t.” He looks up at her with tears in his eyes. “We can’t make it work?”

“As friends? Of course,” she promises. “But, what I think you’re asking for? No. I’m sorry.” It probably won’t mean much to him right now, but she hopes that it can save a fragment of their friendship someday. “I knew before I got here this would be the last time. We just had a little less of it than I thought.”

He puts his head in his hands and clutches the curls she’d only recently been looking forward to winding around her finger. Somehow that was five minutes and a lifetime ago. Unable to watch his heart break any more, Natasha flees to the bathroom. 

Every so often, she can hear Rooster’s sobs from the bedroom. Finally, she climbs into the shower and lets his scent wash off her. She wants to be angry at Hangman for the mess he started, but her gut tells her that he didn’t mean to do it. And she can’t help but wonder if there’s a kernel of truth beneath Rooster’s jealousy. Hangman couldn’t possibly have feelings for her, could he?

Rooster comes to check on her, and she opens the curtain for him to join her. While they stand naked under the water, she gingerly presses a cool washcloth to each side of his swollen face. He takes her elbows, and Natasha lets him pull her in for one last farewell to what they had.

The fourth time it happens, it’s an act of desperation.

“What the hell was that, Phoenix!” Hangman seethes once they can climb to their feet. 

Two hundred push ups and her arms are killing her. She’s going to kill Payback and Fanboy as soon as she has the muscle strength to do so. Bob looks between the two of them. 

“What the hell was what, Bagman?” she asks, slaking the sweat off her forehead and flicking it away.

“You got me shot down!” 

“Your ego got you shot down, dickhead. You got us shot down.” 

“Because I thought you could handle Maverick.” 

She knows him well enough to see that he’s dead serious. Hangman watched every other team get their asses whooped today and still thought she had a chance. Of course he gives her a compliment in a moment of total assholery. 

“Come on, Bob. I think we need to let someone cool off a little.” Her WSO gives Hangman one final look, as if afraid the daggers he’s glaring might actually stab them in the back, and follows her toward the hangar. 

But it’s really her who needs to cool off. Hangman’s going to try to get inside all of their heads to cull the competition. It’s why he wanted to win so badly today. A day one winner is going to set everyone on edge. But then she beat him at his own game. All these years, and he still hasn’t figured out how to get inside her head. Although, their first night at The Hard Deck tells her he might be getting close. 

“Is he always like this?” Bob asks, looking over his shoulder again. 

“What, already bored?” she jokes. 

“I wish,” he sighs. “How are we supposed to fly with him?”

Natasha sighs and looks back at Hangman. “We’re not. We’re flying with Rooster,” she says firmly. If Rooster can get his act together because he’s clearly not handling having to work with Maverick well. But she can crack that nut later. Men are so fucking emotional. 

Although Bob invites her to head straight to The Hard Deck, she makes up an excuse to go back to the Navy Lodge and promises to meet him later. 

The room’s door has barely closed behind her before she’s stripping off her flight suit and undershirt. Her bra and underwear go into the pile of sweaty clothing. 

She’s in such a rush that the water is still warming up when she steps into the shower. But she can’t wait any longer remembering the bunch of Hangman’s muscles during their pushups, the trail of sweat glistening along his temple and down his neck. Her fingers work her clit while her other hand squeezes her breast, fingers pinching her hardening nipple. She’s already wet when she lifts her leg onto the ledge of the tub. Fingers tracing along her slit, Natasha gasps and presses her forehead to the tile. 

She closes her eyes and imagines that it’s Hangman's fingers pushing into her, simultaneously gratifying and inflaming her need. On overdrive, her brain flickers through his self-satisfied smile watching her mouth fall open with a cry, eyebrows lifting in curiosity before he peels her thighs wider so he can see how deep his fingers fit her, and nostrils flaring when she thrusts her hips up to take him deeper. Green eyes darken and his breath shallows while the pads of his fingers drag and massage her slickness over the demanding bundle of nerves at her core. “What the hell, Phoenix?” he asks huskily, and she thinks about how much she’s always loved the inflection he puts on her call sign. 

Fingers are not enough. Natasha clutches her lip in her teeth to soften the desperate moans rising from her throat. She wants him, wants to feel the stretch of him pushing into her, the friction of his thrusts, the frenetic subduction of their hips until he erupts long and deep inside her. And she wants to watch the look of determination on Jake Seresin’s face, track that deep furrow in his brow, the tuck of his lips, and the taut stretch of his cheeks as he forces her careening over the edge. 

Abdomen muscles contracting, Natasha hunches and rocks forward winding everything in her tighter and tighter between her thumb on her clit and the fingers pumping inside her. Water splashes into her mouth through her parted lips. She’s abandoned all attempts to be quiet and comes crying out, “Fucking dickhead!”

The fifth time it happens, it’s a surrender. 

Riptide lets Natasha’s final curl fall from the flat iron and sets it aside. Carefully, she runs her fingers through her beautiful work until the curls fall exactly the way she wants. Watching Natasha’s face in the handheld mirror, she tugs a few forward over her shoulders.  

“Girl, why are you so nervous?” Riptide laughs. She takes a step back and rests a hand on her pregnant stomach. “You’ve known this man how long now?” 

Natasha smoothes out the skirt of her sundress. “I know but dating him is different, Rip. Especially long distance.” They haven’t told the Navy yet about their relationship so it’s been nearly six months of trying to spend time together three thousand miles apart in between crazy work schedules. 

Bob rolls his eyes, and it’s like watching a mirror version of her. They’re in her bedroom where Riptide has been doing Natasha’s hair and makeup for her date with Jake tonight. He managed to get enough time off to come for the weekend. Bob’s lounging on her bed watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and lending his moral support. “Why? You talk to him every day. At this point, probably more than you talk to me.”

“I love talking to you, Bob,” she reassures him. 

“I know you do,” he smirks around a handful of popcorn. “But I’ve seen your texts and you’ve never told me–.” 

She whips a pillow at him to shut him up before he can say what he saw. He gets caught between protecting his glasses and the popcorn and sacrifices the glasses to Natasha’s aim. Riptide laughs and unplugs the flat iron before it gets knocked over. “I’m the one walking around with a stomach that screams I had sex.” 

“Is that what being pregnant really feels like?” Natasha asks curiously. 

“Why? Are you thinking about it?” 

Face burning, Natasha looks between Riptide and Bob eyeing her like she has something to tell them. Or Jake. “No! I’m not. We haven’t even…we’re nowhere near that.” 

Bob fixes his glasses. “He hasn’t said I love you yet,” he says quietly. But he doesn’t complain that this is probably what she’s talked to him most about lately. Bob is a saint of a partner. 

Understanding dawns on Riptide’s face, and she rubs Natasha’s shoulder. “You know that man can’t keep anything simple.” She has a point. Everything with him needs a touch of drama. 

Natasha puts away her makeup while Riptide cleans up from doing her hair. Bob checks his phone. “I think I better head out,” he announces. 

“I’ll leave with you,” Riptide decides. 

“You can stay until Jake gets here,” Natasha offers. “I’m not doing anything.”

Riptide sets her bag on her shoulder. “It still throws me when you call him that. I’d love to stay but I’ve got some errands I need to run.”

“If you only heard what else they call one another,” Bob mutters under his breath, carefully folding up the blanket he was laying on to avoid getting crumbs on her covers. Natasha’s going to have to be more careful about what she says within his hearing. 

She walks them out through the garage. After waving them off, she checks both ends of the street hoping Hangman might get there early but only her neighbor from three doors down drives by. Trying to figure out how to keep herself preoccupied for the next hour, she heads back inside. 

Natasha stops in the hall at the sound of music. Dolly Parton sings sweetly and softly, “You waltz right in the door, just like you’ve done before and wrap my heart ‘round my little finger.”

Is that coming from inside her house? She goes toward the living room. Her heart jumps and her hands go to her mouth.

Jake waits in the middle of the room for her with a giant bouquet of her favorite flowers, dahlias in full perfect bloom. His face lights up when he sees her shock. “Surprised, Nat?” 

Beyond him she can see that he’s set up a table, lights, and white balloons in her backyard. How long has he been here? “What did you do, Jake Seresin?” she blurts.  

He sets the flowers down on the sofa and comes to take her in his arms, swaying her to the music. “Well, to start, I came to see you. ‘Cuz you’re looking better than a body has a right to.” Jake dips her, eyes locked on hers. There’s a simmering intensity in his face that she can’t look away from. “I had all these plans.” He brings her back up, his grip growing tighter to hold her closer. Natasha never wants to leave his arms because suddenly it feels as if he’s holding the whole world in them. Or maybe it’s the way he’s looking at her. “But when I really thought about it, I just wanted you to myself when I told you that we only have three more months of being apart.”

Natasha freezes, staring up at him in disbelief. It’s not what she is expecting or hoping he would say, but it is something she hasn’t considered possible. “How?” 

Jake grins. “You know the Navy likes to hurry up and wait so it took a minute before I knew for sure. But one of my buddies from the Naval Academy, he’s the new detailer. A guy out here got deep selected for lieutenant commander so they needed someone to fill his role to which I offered yours truly.”

She throws her arms around him. Only three months! “I can’t wait,” she promises. 

He strokes her hair. “Well, I think there’s something else you’ve been waiting long enough to hear,” Jake says softly. She draws back. His expression is unguarded, unusually serious and sincere. “I’ve been wanting to tell you for so long how much I love you, Natasha Trace, but when there was a chance I could show you that I actually mean it–.” 

Natasha groans at his stupidity and pulls him into a kiss that nearly knocks both of them off balance. But he steadies them and tilts her face up to deepen the kiss. Eyes still closed when they come up for air, she scolds, “What part of flying twelve hours to see each other for thirty six every month doesn’t scream I love you dickhead?” His lips part to answer, and she pulls him back in. “Don’t answer that. I love you, too, Jake Seresin.”

“Here you come again, and here I go.”

Every Time It Comes Around 

#top gun maverick #top gun maverick fanfic #top gun maverick fanfiction #hannix #natasha phoenix trace #jake hangman seresin #bradley rooster bradshaw #hangman x phoenix #phoenix x hangman #phoenix x rooster #rooster x phoenix #natasha trace fic #jake seresin fic #training to post mission

[live-from-the-apocalypse]

WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

Welp, here we are gang. Seems worth doing a real introduction even though this account has existed for a couple of weeks now. Glad some of our friends from the cursed bird app are already finding us, but for the uninitiated...

Live From The Apocalypse is not-for-profit TTRPG studio; a collective of over 15 talented players, GMs, and content creators who record, stream, edit, and produce hours of free actual play content, discussions, and interviews focusing on tabletop role-playing games and the community around them each week—all while raising money for progressive causes and good organizations. Everything we do benefits a nonprofit or aid organization exclusively, even merch sales and Patreon support exclusively keeps the lights on and covers operational costs. Since we started doing this we've raised well over $20,000 for organizations like Planned Parenthood, the International Rescue Committee, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Extra Life, and many more!

As for our games, we have six livestreamed actual play campaigns going at any given time over on our Twitch channel:

Veil Breakers [D&D 5E]: We've all heard stories of heroes preventing the end of the world, but what if they failed? What if they died? And what if they got a second chance? Veil Breakers is a 5E homebrew adventure across the veil of death, set in the world of the Forgotten Realms.

Academy H [Masks]: A Powered By the Apocalypse game following four new students at the Brandt Academy, the world's foremost school for superpowered individuals, in a collaboratively-created setting with over 70 years of history. Academy H streams are the live recording sessions for the podcast, which you can find fully edited on your podcast platform of choice!

Missing Numbers [Pokeymanz]: A sports anime-inspired Pokemon game about a failing gym and the trainers trying to restore it to its former glory, with just a dash of eldritch horror thrown in for good measure.

Class Reunion [D&D 5E]: 10 years ago 4 high school students from Avalon, Ohio were trapped in our homebrew D&D 5E setting, the magical world of Annwn. Now, reunited after a decade, the time has come to discover what brought them there in the first place.

And on Wednesdays you can find our short-form series of games known as Wild Card Wednesdays, which features a rotating cast of GMs and players. We also make podcasts which are available on your podcast platform of choice under the banner Live From The Apodcalypse! We currently have three shows there: the fully-edited and soundscaped version of our Masks campaign Academy H, our TTRPG talk show Table Talk-alypse, and we're currently releasing our freshman attempt at content creation recorded back during the height of the pandemic: a Monster of the Week game called Cryptid Community College.

So we do a lot of things. And all of them are pretty good. If any of this sounds like it might be up your alley, maybe give us a follow! We're currently putting together a big fundraising push for the holidays benefiting the International Rescue Committee, and we'll be bringing on some guest GMs and players for that. Watch this space for more info! In the meantime: Follow our Twitch channel! Check out our game archive on YouTube! Join our Discord community! Listen to our podcasts! Or learn more about us and what we do at livefromtheapocalypse.com! And with that I guess all that's left to say is, hello new friends! Glad you're here, glad we're here, looking forward to what comes next! Oh, and this is Haz! Everyone say hi Haz!

#ttrpgs #tabletop #twitter refugees #dungeons and dragons #podcast #content creator #pbta #pokemon #charity

[kimmkitsuragi]

meet my new babygirl (well at least one of my new babygirls, i planned to make more but then i got too involved with gameplay. welp. but i will do a few more and then... improvise from there lmao)

I MADE A BARD DURGE.... i dont know if it makes sense backstory-wise yet but well this is what i did. they are gonna be highly inspired by my good friend wei wuxian (start as bard and then be a necromancy wizard 💀) and they are gonna romance wyll :)) good durge then!! we will behave. try to at least. oh and they're a human lol

and omg here is my favorite part... do you know what i named my wyll romancer character... Lynn :D no vowels just pure vibes!!!!! they will be wyllynn together. i love my corny ass so much for this

anyway i like how durge is going so far but i only played for a few hours. i dont have plans for this playthrough besides the things i already said lmao we will see!! i know bard gets really really crazy in later levels, but in lvl1 im kinda like :'D why did i choose tactician for this lol

but!! anyway i have a few more playthrough ideas and since i am mentally unwell, i plan on creating a few more characters soon. and playing with them a little. and then probably ? i will choose to focus on one of them first ?? based on vibes ????? i dont think it would be wise to juggle a few playthroughs at the same time but oh well. who knows what i will do

also, first Lou, now Lynn, i unintentionally give my characters short L names. fun pattern maybe? :p

anyway, i will update with my future babies soon probably. also, i should get to tagging my bg3 posts with more detail because we are in that stage of the brainrot 😑

#playing bg3

[ronance4everbrainrot]

Stranger Things incorrect quote generator (Ronance Duo, Max and her Mom, randomly random shit)

Pt 3

Ronance Duo

Nancy: I know you’re deflecting by making jokes about how hot you are.

Robin : It’s not a joke.

Robin : *sniffles*

Robin : I’m a legit snack.

(She would 🥺😢✨ and she is ✨)

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Nancy: I’m going to take you out

Robin : great, it’s a date!

Nancy: I meant that as a threat.

Robin : See you at five!

(Yes)

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Nancy: Robin ... Why did you draw a pentagram on the floor?

Robin : Your text told me to satanize the house before you returned.

Nancy:

Nancy: I wrote sanitize, Robin

(welp)

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Nancy: Please, I'm begging you go to a doctor.

Robin : I'm sorry is this OUR stab wound? Stay out of it.

(idk why but it's canon)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: How petty can you get?

Robin : I once edited a Wikipedia article to win an argument I was wrong about.

(Oof, I feel like Nancy would do it more likely)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: My head hurts.

Nancy: That’s your brain trying to comprehend its own stupidity.

(well Damn)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: It’s dark in here

Robin : Don’t worry dude I got this

Robin : *Stomps their feet*

Robin : *Skechers light up*

(I feel like either Robin would absolutely love those shoes or she'd hate them with a passion)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Robin Solos]

Robin: I regret getting dragged into your heterosexual tomfoolery.

(to Steve probably)

--

Robin: I have seen a lot of murders in my time, and all six of them were today.

(probably in the mall)

--

Robin: I just learned a way to get stuff on the cheap. Steal it!

(again Robin 'I'm poor' Buckley)

(I could have put them with the other Solos but I didn't think of that before.. Robin deserves a Solo solos tho lol)

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[Max and her Moms]

Nancy: *rattles doorknob* It's locked, how do we get in?

Max: Don't even worry about it, picking locks is my specialty after all-

Robin: *throws a brick through the window* Okay. Let's go.

(I love that scene so much 😍✨)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: Where is Robin?

Max: I don't know. They left.

Nancy: What? Why?

Max: We were watching Spongebob, and they stood up and said 'life is too short' and walked out.

(now I have a headcanon of Robin not liking Spongebob... 👍)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Max: You were hurt, what do you remember?

Nancy: Just the ambulance ride.

Max: We didn't take an ambulance, I drove us.

Nancy: But I heard a siren?

Max: That was Robin.

Robin: Sorry, I was nervous.

(the fact Robin can't drive, so Max did is so funny to me and I love it! Canon.)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[add El]

El: I demand you to hug me.

Robin:

Nancy: That's how they ask for hugs.

Max: You'll get used to it.

(🥺🥺🥺🥺❤️❤️❤️❤️)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: Whose turn is it to give the pep-talk?

El: *sighing* Robin's...

Robin: Fuck shit up out there, but don't die.

Max: *wiping away a tear* Inspirational.

(amazing 🥺)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[AU Camp Counselor, Enemies to Lovers Ronance]

Robin, greeting Max: Good morning!

Robin, greeting El: Good morning!

Robin, greeting Nancy: Not you. You can choke.

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Nancy, about Robin: Apparently we're getting someone new in the group.

Max: Are we stealing them?

El: New or used?

Nancy: Wonderful responses, both of you.

(i don't even know what to say)

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Max: What did you do to your go cart?

Robin: Um, I'll let my mechanic answer that. Nancy?

Nancy: I reboarded the cylinder head, modified the intake valves on the injection system, added a blower and installed a 5 pound nitrous tank.

El: I put those stickers on!! *points at cute stickers on the cart's sides*

(El is so precious 😢✨holds gently 🤲)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: How did none of you hear what I just said?

El: I've been zoned out for the past two and a half hours.

Robin: I got distracted about halfway through.

Max: Ignoring you was a conscious decision.

(just perfect 👌)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Camping Trip but]

*The group is separated, trying to survive one night in the woods without each other*

Max: Nancy's probably running around screaming 'What's up' at plants.

Nancy, yelling at a tree: Oh, what do you want? What?!

Max: El at this point has to have stripped down and tried to become nature.

El, down to their shorts: Time to play a game of 'Can I eat you?' *looks at plant* Can I eat you?

Max: And god, I just hope Robin's not dead.

Robin, in a tent: Yeah, this is pretty uncomfortable.

(I feel like this is very accurate, idk why)

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[add Chrickie (read: Crikey) lol]

Nancy: If you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous.

Chrissy: What if it bites me and it dies!?

Vickie: Then you’re poisonous. Jesus Christ, Chrissy, learn to listen.

El: What if it bites itself and I die?

Robin: That’s voodoo.

Max: What if it bites me and someone else dies?

Chrissy: That’s correlation, not causation.

El: What if we bite each other, and neither of us die?

Robin: That’s kinky.

Nancy: Oh my God

(the last three are accurate.. Because I feel like Robin would say that (but be embarrassed after realizing she said that in front of kids) and El fits perfectly, I think)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Vecna stuff]

[Eddie again alive and with Vecna]

Vecna: So, I've been thinking Eddie-

Eddie: That's dangerous.

(it is dangerous, you are right Eddie)

--

Chrissy: What's wrong with you?

Vecna: Off the top of my head, I'd say low self-esteem, a lack of paternal affection, and a genetic predisposition for anxiety and depression.

(poor Venca 🥺🖕)

--

[Chrissy after Eddie was declared a murderer]

Chrissy: Why would anyone want to harm Eddie?

Vecna: Maybe because they met them?

--

Vecna: Joyce, my old friend!

Joyce: I think you tried to kill me at some point.

Vecna: That was obviously just my way of getting to know you.

(I read somewhere that Will was trying to kill Joyce or smth while being flayed but well it was the mind flayer and not Vecna..?..But still.....will would fit better tho)

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[Jopper]

Hopper: I can’t tell if you’re a genius or just incredibly arrogant.

Joyce: Well, on a good day, I’m both.

(I feel like it's accurate? S1 ig? And S3?)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Joyce: :)

Hopper: >:(

Joyce: Turn that frown upside down!

Hopper: ):<

Joyce: Not sure what I was expecting...

(it's them)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Solos]

Steve: Here's two facts about me.

Steve: 1. I hate hot people.

Steve: 2. I'm a hypocrite.

(Yeah)

--

Steve: Sometimes I get so caught up on being gay that I forget I’m actually bi.

(this)

--

Steve: I'm against crime, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

(he would tho.. Wouldn't he?.. Idk... Feels like a him thing to say)

--

Erica: I do two things and two things only. I devastate sorry motherfuckers, and get shit done as an awesome leader.

(Slay Queen)

--

Max: I think I mostly want to see what happens when this whole place breaks apart.

(well that aged badly)

--

Dustin: I’m a fool, not an idiot.

(he definitely is not an idiot)

--

Argyle: Pose as a team because SHIT JUST GOT REAL!

(Pose 📸)

--

Argyle: I can do anything I put my mind to. I once figured out Dustin's phone number just by choosing random numbers.

(He could tho...)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Random Dous]

Steve: Swear words are illegal now. If you say one you'll be fined.

Eddie: Heck.

Steve: You're on thin fucking ice.

Steve: Oh no-

(How the turns have tabled)

--

Eddie: If I run and leap at Robin, they will most certainly catch me in their arms.

Eddie, running towards Robin: Coming in!

Robin: No! I’m holding coffee!

Robin: *Drops coffee and catches Eddie*

(We were ROBBED 😭)

--

*Argyle is speaking on the phone*

Argyle: Yeah, I'm with Robin.

Robin: Im fucking dying-

Argyle: Yep, they're okay.

Robin: I have a knife in my chest!

Argyle: No, they can't talk right now. They're sleeping, sorry.

Robin: IM BLEEDING OUT-

(👁️👄👁️)

--

Chrissy: Bro, I had a dream we fucked.

Nancy: Bro, relax it was just a dream.

Chrissy: Huh, gay, I wouldn’t fuck you.

Nancy: You wouldn’t?

Chrissy: I mean, unless you want to-

(👁️👄👁️)

--

El, upon learning how Nancy did a magic trick: So you’re not magic?

Nancy: Well, not really.

El: You’re just a liar.

(Friends. Don't. LIEEEE)

--

Nancy: Why would I flip my shit about that?

Jonathan: Because you flip your shit about everything.

Nancy: Well, will you look at this. Here is my shit, and yet it remains unflipped. Just sitting there on the skillet, getting burned on one side. It’s a miracle.

(probably what happened when Jonathan told her why he lied about college)

--

Hopper: GET BACK HERE YOU DUMB FUCK!

Mike: LET ME RUN FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY ACTIONS!

(I didn't like but also loved their hug)

--

Hopper: You’re from Ohio, right?

Karen: Okay, first of all, my parents live in Ohio.

Karen: I live in the moment.

(I feel like this should be Canon)

--

Dustin: Change is inedible.

Erica: Don’t you mean inevitable?

Dustin, spitting out a bunch of pennies: No, I really didn’t.

(Love them 🥺)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Random Trios]

Max: Guess what number I’m thinking of.

Eden: 420?

Max: No, that’s really immature of you. Someone else guess, and please take this seriously.

Robin: 69.

Max: Yeah it was 69.

(Eden smokes weed now tho)

--

Will: What happened to Jonathan?

Robin: They died.

Will: They what?

Robin: They died, but they’re okay.

Will: …Can you please clarify?

Jonathan: Clarification is for the weak.

(I love that and it's accurate for some reason)

--

Eddie, texting group chat: What flavour of ice cream do you guys want? I’m at the store so be quick!

El: Moose Tracks is good!

Mike: What the fuck is that!?

El: *Gasp* How dare you insult moo-

Mike: No. No no not that. What the hell. Why do you spell flavor like flavour. It’s like you have flavor but then this guy shows up and is like “Oui Oui Would you like chocolate flaVOUR or vanilla flaVOUR.

Eddie and El: what?

Mike: I don’t get it why add the EXTRA u when it’s PERFECTLY FINE AS IT IS!?

Eddie: You done now?

Mike: Yeah ok.

Eddie and El: ...

Mike: ...Can I have the Mint Chocolate chip flavour?

(Mike would react like that tho 👀 also El and Eddie like 👁️👄👁️)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[AU Hellfire and Will is a new member]

Eddie: We need to distract these guys

Erica: Leave it to me

Erica: Centaurs have six limbs and are therefore insects. Discuss.

Dustin, Lucas , and Mike: *Immediately begin arguing*

Will, watching in horror: Oh this. I don’t like this. I don't like this at all.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Random Last Thing]

Nancy: We call that a traumatic experience.

Nancy, turning to Will: Not a "bruh moment".

Nancy, turning to Erica: Not "sadge".

Nancy, turning to Steve: And DEFINITELY not an "oof LMAO".

(This is canon, change my mind)

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Congratulations! You've stumbled upon a secret message from me (the programmer of this generator): Remember to drink water. And also take your meds if you have those and are supposed to take them. Also, have a nice day if that's a possibility. I hope y'all are doing great, and remember: even if it's not pride month anymore, always respect eachother's pronouns!

(that's what randomly showed up once instead of any quote lol 🥺)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Hope you liked it! Also I feel like I could have separated it better, like sometimes I did still did ✨✨ even tho I could have also just use --

You can comment or smth if anything bothers you! Have a great day/night/anything

✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️ Lots of love

Sorry for the tags, idk what to tags so I just did a few characters

#nancy wheeler #robin buckley #max mayfield #eleven #steve harrington #eddie munson #dustin henderson #jonathan byers #argyle #stranger things incorrect quotes #Ronance #idk what else to tag

[noraunor]

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓?

Genre : romance?

Warnings : swearing.

OTL; DOWHA BAEK X OC!READER

► in which the 'i—hate—people' typa person caught the attention of the campus crush??

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 dramatic day. I sighed irritatedly as I rubbed my eyes, staring at the ceiling for a moment before deciding to get my juicy ass off of my heavenly bed. Why must I leave this precious thing alone... Fuck school.

I groaned while I stretched my limb letting out a small hum in satisfaction once I heard a small '𝘱𝘰𝘱'. I scratch my bum as I walked to my mirror to look at my 𝘧𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 self, well, not so fabulous self yet.. I look like shit in the morning wtf?

I chuckled at my inner thoughts as I walked off of my room to start my "day".

After I finished taking a bath and putting my damned uniform on like who tf even decided to make the females wear skirt?! Why can't they wear pants like men??? Ugh, but never mind that. Need to eat and brush my teeth.

And after alllll that I went to grab my bag and left the house and also not forgetting to lock it, didn't even bother to brush my hair this morning. Eh, it doesn't even look bad even if I didn't brush it idk why, my hair is styled in a short wolfcut ,it's a bit messy right not but it'll turn fluff later.

I took out my airpods and played 'odetari's' musics ngl his music is a 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙛 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨. I held the strap of my bag as I vibe my way to school. Once I got their j was greeted by disgusting pes-...𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 laughing and giggling and such, I don't know why they have full of energy in the morning, like do they eat sugar for breakfast or smth? 𝘞𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥.

My brows furrowed as I walked past through the students, when I made it to my class I stand still for a moment in the front of my classroom door taking a deep breath as well. Welp time to face those gremlins, I sighed as I held the door and slide it open and walked in but only to be met with a.. Wall? What the fuck? Since when did.. Huh??

I groaned as I look up to the thing that is blocking my way through inside, the first thing I saw was a.. Chest.. From a male.. When I trailed my eyes further up, I was met with cold yellow ones..

I took out my airpods and stared at him "motherfuckerly". What the fuck is this guy doin here-

" do you mind? " he seems irritated? The fucking audacity???? Does this bitch know that the first door is the entrance-

Me being a morning person and all cranky in the morning, I ain't letting this mf ruin my morning further just because he's a campus crush or smth.

" yes, I mind. " I frowned at him, which it caught him by a surprise? What? Ya think I'd be drooling over you or worship you cuz because you're good lookin? Ha 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 no, I'm Y/N L/N 𝘉𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘌𝘛𝘊𝘏.

" you're in 𝘮𝘺 way. " he "pointed out".

" no, technically you're in 𝘮𝘺 way because this is literally the 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳. Don't you know that? "I remarked at him getting more annoyed the longer I stayed in his presence.

The students around us started to look at our direction, some where surprised that I was acting this way to the "Almighty-dowha-baek", and some were annoyed and I don't know why, eh.

" can't you just move away so this will be over? " he sighed once again. I swear I'm going to personally bitch slap this mf-

" the why dont you do the honor?since you're clearly the one who is blocking the entrance. " I had to hold myself back from calling him 'mf' or else I'd really get an unwanted drama here.

He let's out an annoyed exhale as he lives away from the door. Ha, that's what I fucking thought.

" 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 you. " I sarcastically said as I walked inside not sparing a glance at him, but I can feel his gaze burning in the back of my head though. Lmao did I hurt his pride? Deserve.

Finally my seat, I dropped my bag beside my desk as I flopped myself in my seat as I inspired back my airpods into my ear. My peace was 𝘳𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘺 interrupted by my nosy ass seatmate, Hiera Kim.

Bitch can't everyone leave me alone for a SECOND?!?

I took a deep inhale before taking out my pods again and glared at her.

" what? "

" wow girl chill, no need to bite " she laughed. Bitch I will chomp and swing bite you like a mad dog if you do NOT leave me not the fuck alone or if this is not worth it to disturb my peace like that.

I narrowed my eyes at her waiting for her to give the reason on why she's disturbing me like this.

" 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯, 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘺 𝘸𝘵𝘧, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘥𝘦.. " I heard her mumble which made a vein pop into my forehead indicating to her that I will not hold myself back any further if she continued wasting my time like this.

She sweatdrop at the aura I'm giving before clearing her throat as she spoke.

" ok so, what was that earlier? "She asked.

" what was what 𝘏𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘒𝘪𝘮. " I groaned telling her to be specific on what she tryna say.

" you know,that, the door thing, duh? " oh.

" what about it? "I sighed as I pushed back my bangs from my face and fixing it.

" are you serious right now? Do you even know who you bumped into? " she asked as if I was the idiot person in this room right now.

" yes and I don't gives two fuck, blue fucks, yellow fucks, pink fucks, about it. Now leave me alone. " I grumbled.

" girl- seriously you need to watch your attitude, that boy you've bumped into is the DOWHA BAEK, the hottest and popular guy in school? The boy who's like live in a luxurious life? An idol trainee?? " She started listing off on this baek life which I don't really care about.

" and? It's not like he's a God to make me on my knees and worship him, he's just a mere boy who is blessed with good features and nothing less. " I rolled my eyes at her.

Our litter quarrel went on for a moment and unknown to us, the certain blond just came back and heard our conversation.. Including the "mere boy who is just blessed with good features".

And for the first time in Dowha's life, he felt he's final seen as just a person in just that sentence.

Class went on terrible, especially math what tf. I hate them. I groaned as I started to prepare for our last period which is gym. Welp, here goes my energy.

Today at gym we did Dodge ball and then laps and any physical activity shit that made me all drained and tired. Nevermind Gym period is my number one loathed class.

I once where done I was about to leave the gym when this mf old geezer literally assigned me to clean the gym. I swear I will be the death of this geezer.

I growled as I yanked my bag back to the ground and angrily started to out the balls back to the baskets they sweep the floor. Once I was done with the floor I took the basket of balls and then placed them to the storage room. I was a bout to leave the place when I heard a light snore behind the boxes.

What-

Curiosity taking over me, I quietly walked over to the source of the noice and only to see the sleeping pretty boy, dowhak.

If I was like the other girls I wound me swooning and drooling over this sleeping dowha but hah no. I'm mad furious, this bitch literally slept here and left me to clean this mess up ALONE? ha this mf is aboutta taste hell.

I smirked devilishly as I come of a plan to wake this mf up.

I looked around the storage room to find anything good to use to wake this mf up when my eyes caught something good. I felt my smirk got bigger as I took the bottles and walked over to the make.

I stared down at him as I opened the kid of three eater bottle as I mercilessly pour down the water into him.

His eyes snapped open as he sprang out from his position. Oh and this mf also had a blanket? Wow.

He breath heavily fromthe shock as his head snapped into my direction. His gaze darkens, glaring at him for disturbing his sleep.

" what was that for? " he growls as she wiped his face with his shirt.

" to wake you up, duh? " I answered as I placed back the bottles on the boxes.

" can't you just woke up like a normal person instead of literally pouring a water to me? " hah damn he's pissed but idc.

" well I guess I'm not normal. Now get your ass up and help me mop the floor. " I glared at him which he glared back before standing up and shaking his head splashing me some of the droplets from his hair.

" hey! Watch it! " I growled at him before handing him the mop.

" whatever. " he grumbled as he yanked the mop from my hand rudely. Mf.

We both took out a bucket of water and left the storage room as was started to mop the gym.

The cleaning was real quite, but not awkward, but I'm still pissed at him.

" so.. " he started. Huh didn't know that water got into his brain for him to actually start a conversation at me.

" what. "

" I'm just wondering. " please don't tell me he's going to pull off that "hey-cutie-wanna-go-out? " like popular guys do, because I swear I'm going to rock his shit hard.

" no. "

" ha? " his brows are furrowed.

" what? " oh so that's not it.

" what- "

" shut ho and get on with it. " i cut him off feeling relieved that he isn't going to pull that thing off but also embarrassed because I assumed.

He cleared off his throat as she started to speak.

" so.. Aren't you like, going crazy or feeling blessed right now? " what.

I looked at him as if he was crazy.

" why would I? If anything I'm very much unlucky to be cleaning the mess I made plus being stuck here with you. "I groaned.

He quirked a brow at me also looking a bit offended that I find his presence a nuisance.

" well.. I don't know, you act so differently to me. " ohhh so does this guy think like I'm gonna drool and swoon because I'm in a room with him. Alone? Well in his dreams.

" what do you mean? " I asked as I proceed to mop the floor not even bothering to look at him.

" I mean, normally they would all go crazy in something like this. Plus would even let it slide and just let me go and do this by their self because "they don't want me to get tired" or "get dirty". " he explained.

" well sucks to you, I ain't that type of person. " I rolled my eyes.

" ... "

He went quiet again for a moment before speaking again.

" aren't you overwhelmed? " he asked one again. I sighed as I finally looked at his direction.

" by what? Your so called-handsome-face-? Or being attacked by your crazy girls. " I scoffed at him. But strangely he looked.. Relieved? Why?

" well I'm glad. " what?

" I don't want to spend my time listening to girl rant on why should I be their boyfriend or why should I hangout with them. Or them asking if do I actually live in a luxurious life. It hurts my ear hearing the same thing. "He chuckled. He seems genuine.

I stared at him for a while watching him chuckles. I think I misjudge him?

And after that, we actually got a decent conversation. About him disliking the attention and also him hating the fact that grown people kept pestering him to join the company and such. And he also confessed something that I never thought he would.

" actually.. Im not the man who's every one is expecting. " he confessed.

" huh? "I tilted my head trying to process on what he's trying to say. He took a deep inhale and the exhale before continuing his sentence.

" I.. Don't live in a luxurious life, I don't have those expensive stuff or anything that everyone is telling about me. " he confessed.

" soo.. You're like a fraud? " I furrowed my brows at him. He snapped his head into my direction as he shook his head.

" no no no, it's nothing like that, really.. " he sighed. "His can I put this.. " he started to jumble over his words trying to find the correct word to describe his situation.

With just by looking at him, seeing his frustration with how he's trying to say.. I finally understand him.

" oh, so.. You just didn't said anything because you didn't want to lie, you also didn't deny it because you're afraid that people won't see you like on their expectations that you're afraid to not be seen and be accepted. That's why you didn't said anything and just let them believe on what their believing, that's what. " and with that he froze.

He slowly looked at me with wide eyes with his mouth slight parted. He gulped before nodding his head slowly. He was speechless that a girl like her, the outcast of the school was able to figure a guy who is popular like him in just by looking and listening.

I smiled at him genuinely before chuckling.

" if that's the actual reason then don't worry, I'm not that shit of a person to dislike you because you aren't the person I'm expecting you to be. I get what you're trying to say, I also understand the feeling of fear of someone not accepting you because you didn't matched with their expectations. I mean, we're just humans. You're just a human, a boy, and more importantly, a teenage boy who just wanted to be seen by 𝘩𝘪𝘮 not by how he looks like, right? "He didn't said anything but he remains on looking at him in shock, then I started to feel guilt that I literally exposed him like that-

" oh- did I go far? I'm sorry you can forget everything I said-im sorry- "

" no.... N-no it's.. Ok, I guessed I am shock, but very happy that, someone finally see me. "He smiled genuinely.

" oh.. Yeah-ok " I chuckled , suddenly the mop looks interesting.

" you know, you aren't that bad actually. "

I looked at him to see him smiling.. Genuinely, genuinely happy.

" yeah.. Same as you, I thought you are like one of those egoistic "popular-boys" "I laughed softly which he also laughed along. He then bring his hand on the nap of his neck as he scratched it awkwardly as he glance to his side with an awkward smirk.

" well I guess I am like that- but i promise I'm not a jerk like them. "He chuckled.

" yeah, sure. " I smiled. I guess I really did misjudge him.

" so.. Y/N is it? " wow I'm surprised this boy knew my name with his popularity.

" yeah, Y/N L/N. " I smiled. " I already know you soo.. Yyyeah.. "I awkwardly chuckled.

" well you at least deserve a decent introduction.. " he chuckled as he held out his hand in front of me.

" Dowha Baek. " he smiled.

" Y/N L/N. " I smiled back as I accepted his hand shake.

▻𝐄𝐍𝐃.

𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐓! ~

#otl #manhwa #romance

[deeptrashwitch]

So, I was thinking over my tired mind after doing homework.

Happens that I might be a little bit obsessed with MW and MWII recently, or maybe is like a lot.

And since I was scrolling tumblr with insomnia at goddamned 3:00 am in my country, I found some amazing artists over here. I especially liked a lot @sleepyconfusedpotato 's pictures, and don't get me started with Jade and Ghost's stories and pictures, I BECAME A BIG FAN!

Anyway xd long story short, during the afternoon I got inspired.

One thing lead to another and meanwhile I was fuc***ng my ears hearing music, well, I ended creating an OC. I'm absolutely terrible in any attempt of drawing something, and I just wrote about it, so, sorry for the lack of images in this!

Being tired enough to overpass my shame of sharing my characters, i want to introduce you to her! Also, maybe...she can get along well with Jade? Who knows

-------------------------------------------------------

Name: Cpt. Alicia Marchant

Age: 32 years old

Birthdate: October 15th 1993

Born in: Arlington, Texas

Hair, skin and eyes: Black, brown and nut brown

Height: 1.80 m

She got tatoos on her arms during her high school time (also ended being chewed out for her mother while her father laughed for DAYS because of it 😅)

Half american, half colombian

Have a lot of scars, the bigger ones are on her face across the mouth and part of the nose that's why she keeps a mask over that half of her face

Knows six languages, but hate speaking russian

She'll never leave any of her soldiers behind, even if that means getting hurt while saving them

Loves dancing, singing and writing (only God knows what she writes)

Doesn't know why, but coffee makes her sleepy and yet, still drink a big cup every single morning

Her team see her as a calmed big sister off duty, but they are TERRIFIED if anyone dares to piss her off

Pretty quiet when is on her thoughts, but agressive if you wake her up without a warning -Price learned this during a mision, never did it again-

-------------------------------------------------------

Welp, that's it, see ya! Hope you liked it as much as i enyojed to do it.

#call of duty #tired #oc #i'm hungry #i dont fucking know what i'm doing #sorry for the bad english #cod mw2 #mw2 #call of duty modern warfare #call of duty mw2 #my ocs #ocs

[nirikeehan]

Happy friday and dadwc!! For a prompt, I would like to submit: Raleigh Samson and, from the Tori Amos lyrics prompt list: "Just when you escape, you have yourself to fear."

WELP, this got unhinged.

This will probably go in a new chapter of nightmare au. Largely inspired by this dress I saw on Pinterest. And also the fact that red lyrium bath salts exist and I bought some.

WC: 1559

CW: Samson is a creepy mf

For @dadrunkwriting

---

Raleigh Samson had escaped many things in his life. 

He had come of age on the rough, mean streets of Lowtown. Beggars and cutpurses and scarlet women, those were his compatriots. He learned quick hands and quicker feet meant you’d eat tonight. He’d little prospects then, sitting on the docks with the scent of rotting fish in the air and wishing to be anywhere but here.

He’d thought the Templar Order would give him purpose. The day he accepted his sun shield from Knight-Commander Guylian was the proudest of his life. It meant he’d escaped the gutter, transformed himself into something better. It was a small price to pay, to swallow the glowing blue from their sacred vials. 

He’d escaped Meredith too, though not in the way he’d wanted. Standing in her office, refusing to look contrite, staring the bitch dead in the eye as she stripped him of rank and title, he imagined wrapping his fingers around her neck and squeezing. It was her fault the Kirkwall Templars had fallen into ruin. He would not flinch.

Is there anything else you’d like to confess, aside from this abominable behavior? she’d asked. Officially, it was the letter incident that’d done him in, but Meredith wasn’t stupid. There were a dozen close calls leading up to this she couldn’t explain, but suspected Samson was to blame — the lyrium stores routinely coming up short chief among them. It might do your conscience some good.

Samson had laughed in her face and turned on his heels, head held high. How tempting it had been to tell her of the times he and her Knight-Captain had indulged in stolen lyrium and shot the shit late into the night, but he was no snitch. 

It was a pity. Maybe if he’d ratted, Cullen would have been toppled from his high horse. Maybe they’d have been ground down into the dirt together. Things could have been so different. Maybe they’d still be friends, allies in this glorious quest to remake the world. 

Cullen didn’t know what it was like, to have to scrape and crawl and bite for survival. That was the problem. 

Once a guttersnipe, always a guttersnipe. That’s what Samson’s mother had sneered at him as a child, when she cared to come round the shanty called home. At first he thought she meant his father, absent those many years, but slowly, he came to understand she meant him. That he could never outrun the lot he was born into. Well, he sure showed her. 

The years spent begging and whatever else, the lyrium hunger hounding his brain, those were the worst. But again, he’d prevailed. He recalled the brilliant night he met his current boss, in a dingy back room at the Hanged Man. Gripping a singing bottle of crimson in one hand, listening to the offer of a lifetime. 

Of course he’d taken it. Why wouldn’t he take it? What sort of fool would turn down an opportunity like that? 

Unbidden, the image of Cullen as he’d been the last time Samson had seen him floated amid the steam in the air: disheveled and dirty, eyes manic, huddled in the back of his cell. I’m going to kill you. A threat so earnest Samson had felt sorry for him.

Then, on Samson’s way out of the dungeon, Cullen’s demand: Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?

“You don’t deserve her,” Samson said aloud, to the wisps rising like blood-stained ghosts. 

Cullen vanished, replaced by the girl. Thalia. Thalia, whose name lilted off the tongue in soft syllables. Whose hair burned in the candlelight: a deep, wine red a man could get drunk on. Samson could see her, close enough to touch, in scraps of scarlet silk, strips of the gauzy skirt winding around her wrists like shackles. Yes, he thought. Yes, now she’s mine…

“Ser?” 

The beautiful mirage vanished, and Samson slapped the water angrily with his palm. The voice belonged to his simpering Dalish seneschal, clinging to the doorframe.  “I said I didn’t wish to be disturbed!”

Well, now his reverie was ruined. He was in his washroom at Skyhold, in a bath colored an opaque crimson. The water had been transformed by the red lyrium bath salts his servants had dissolved in there. The fumes created an intoxicating aroma, heady and haunting. Luxuriating in the circular tub sometimes played tricks on the mind. 

“I-I know that, ser,” the seneschal said, quaking. “But I’ve urgent news from your agents in the field…” 

“Yes, Meredith, what is it?”

The elf blinked his watery eyes and coughed. “My, ah, my name is Mareth, ser.” 

Samson glared. “That’s what I said, wasn’t it?”

“Er, no, not exactly—”

“Just get on with it,” Samson growled. 

His seneschal gripped the doorframe tighter, as if for protection. “There’s been a sighting. Of Lady Trevelyan.”

“What?” Samson leaned forward, suddenly rapt. He crossed his arms over the rim of the tub, dripping pink droplets onto the tile floor. He felt as though he’d conjured her himself from his imagination. “Where?”

“At the base of the Frostbacks, on the Orlesian side of the border. She vanished too quickly to be pursued, but they’re fairly certain it was her.” 

“And the Commander?” Samson demanded. It still infuriated him that they’d managed to escape together. It defied any and all logic, yet somehow it had happened. All the sympathy he’d wasted for the girl, thinking her a helpless mage like the sort who’d hurled themselves from the top of the Gallows. 

“No sign of him,” Mareth breathed. “At least, not from the report we received.”

Samson inhaled slowly. He could scarcely hope Cullen had died of exposure after their flight from Skyhold, but it was interesting that Thalia was alone. Had the red lyrium already overtaken him? The exposure time was minimal, but Samson had seen its effect spread rapidly. Or had some other misfortune befallen him? 

Samson raked his fingers through his wet hair — ever more receding on his forehead with every passing day, it seemed. “Where is she headed?” 

“It wasn’t clear, ser,” Mareth said hesitantly. “But the nearest settlement is a hamlet called Ville Frontiére. It’s well fortified, but not strategically relevant, so it’s been left alone for the time being.” 

“An excellent hiding spot, then,” Samson said, imbued with certainty. “Thalia must be there.” 

Mareth squinted in puzzlement. “How can you know, ser?” 

The red instilled a man with many virtues, Samson wanted to tell him, but his seneschal looked sickly pale underneath his facial markings. The crimson baths were always too much for him. “I know.” Samson rose to his full height, the water sluicing off his body. “Get me a towel, Meredith, would you?” 

“It’s… it’s Mareth, ser…” 

Samson glared. “Of course it is. What do you think I’m saying?”

The elf gulped in fresh air from the room beyond and scurried into the washroom, grabbing a towel off the rack and handing it to Samson. He stepped out of the bath, wrapping it around his waist. He dared not glance in the nearby looking glass — the man who stared back looked emaciated, eroded down to nothing — but that was never how he felt after one of his baths. He felt invigorated, and, for the first time since the girl had jumped, hopeful. 

The vision of Thalia floated in his mind’s eye once more. The blood-red dress, her auburn hair loose around her shoulders, lounging in his bed with a coy smile. “Tell the lieutenant to ready my caravan.”

“What?” Mareth looked shocked. 

“You want something done right, ya better do it yourself,” Samson drawled, padding from the washroom into his bedroom. “I intend to pursue the Inquisitor on my own.” 

“Is that a good idea?” Mareth asked. “If Corypheus hears you’ve taken to the field—”

“Never mind Corypheus,” Samson snapped, waving a dismissive hand. “He’s much too busy to worry himself over such trifling matters.” A good thing — because if Corypheus had bothered to check in and learned his precious anchor was missing, Samson would probably be dead already. It was a much better idea to take to the field himself and retrieve her. 

“Right, ser,” Mareth said, defeated. “Right away, ser.” 

Samson stepped over to his wardrobe and threw open the ornate doors. Inside hung many of his own splendid attires, but he reached into the back and pulled out a smaller, lighter garment. A green dress with gold threading, Samson had found the item strangely charming when he’d come upon it. For what reason had Thalia obtained this dress, and for whom did she wear it? 

He thrust the garment into the trembling hands of Mareth. “Take this to the tailor. Tell him I want a gown made from these measurements.” 

“A… gown?” Mareth looked nauseous, an oddity as the red lyrium fumes did not carry this far into the tower. 

“A gown,” Samson repeated. “With particular specifications. You might want to get out quill and parchment for this. I don’t intend to leave here without it, and I don’t want anyone fucking it up, you understand?” 

“Of course, ser!” chirped Mareth, scrambling off to find writing implements. 

Samson smirked, pleased. It felt good to see the correct course of action and take it. Soon this unpleasantness would be over, and Thalia would learn. Oh, he’d teach her a great many things.

#raleigh samson #nightmare!au #i'm so sorry #THE RED LYRIUM BATH SCENE IS HERE AT LAST #fics #dragon age drunk writing circle

[daisylikesmedia]

Holiday Special 12: Time of the Doctor

Welp, here we are. It’s the end of Matt Smith’s run of the Doctor, and we’ll be reviewing his swan song Time of the Doctor today. Does it give him the ending he deserves? Let’s find out.

So for me this episode is clearly split into two halves, so I want to talk about the first half hour first. Long and short of it is that it really stinks imo. A lot of the jokes/gags used in this time don’t fit the Doctor’s socially capable character at all. Alongside this, there’s a lot of Moffat cliches that pop up here too. The constant changing of location, the bombardment of past enemies (the Weeping Angel routine is *very* overdone at this point), etc etc. At this point I’m very tired of these things, and it really deflated me to see that these cliches were still present in Moffat’s writing 4 years after he started as showrunner.

HOWEVER, as soon as the Doctor gets settled as the protector of Christmas, this episode pulls a complete 180 and becomes something amazing. 11’s Doctor has typically been described by a lot of fans as “a silly old man in a young man’s body”, and this is the story that shows us that silly old man. Seeing him fighting off wooden cybermen and the like whilst also teaching the kids of Christmas his silly giraffe dance or fixing their toys. It’s so so sweet, and as much as I can rag on Moffat cliches for days this is truly a fairytale ending for the character.

Alongside this Moffat takes the cliched villains seen in the first act and starts to do some really creative things with them once we’re on Christmas. The wooden cybermen are inspired, the Dalek-people clones are super dark (especially in the scene with Tasha omg) and work really well to raise the stakes of the story. It’s really good stuff, although it’s nothing compared to the final act that we get.

Having aged for 300 years, the Doctor stumbles to the top of the bell tower to face down the Daleks yet again. He’s very clearly on his last legs, and seeing him so old and withered is heart-breaking. Despite this, he keeps on with his taunting, as Clara begs the time lords to do something to save the man who saved them in a very poignant speech. As the Daleks mention the rules of regeneration, a crack opens up in the sky and the time lords send the Doctor an extra cycle of regenerations. And wow, the line that the Doctor throws out after this. “Did you just mention the rules?”. Of course our silly old Doctor doesn’t care about the rules, and he blasts the Daleks out of the sky with his newly found regeneration energy. He gets one final speech in the TARDIS, talking about how moving on is good as long as we remember all the people that we used to be, and then he bows out.

I don’t think any Doctor’s ending has been as fitting for their specific incarnation as that ending was. That is the 11th Doctor. Love him or hate him, he’s the goofy old man who will protect us silly humans from the monsters under our bed. I struggle sometimes with 11, and often I find his inconsistent romances and character arcs can get in the way. But when a story takes the time to focus on that mission statement, the goofy old man who saves us, it pays off and it pays off hard.

TL:DR/Overview: The Time of the Doctor is maybe the story that encapsulates what the 11th Doctor means to me the most. Despite a very sloppy start, the special in its 2nd and 3rd acts understands exactly the kind of Doctor 11 is, and gives him the most fitting ending any Doctor has had for themselves. Idk if I’m just more emotional recently but seeing 11 tirelessly fight to defend Christmas and its inhabitants got me to shed a few tears, and for that and a lot more, it’s deservingly going into A tier.

#daisy reviews media #doctor who #11th doctor #time of the doctor

[incorrect-rainbow-rocket-quotes]

Yo can we get Maxie saying "jinkies" or Cyrus just delivering flat sarcasm to the group (or just being completely and unnecessarily practical)?(Kicking myself over this Mystery Gang AU lol)

“C’mon, say it!”

“No.”

“Saaaayyyy it!”

“No!”

“Maxie.” Archie looks at him with what was supposed to be serious, if not for the biggest shit-eating smile on his face. “Maxie. C’mon. Please? For me?”

The redhead looks up from his book with a scrunched face, as if someone had fed him a fistful of especially sour gummies. “I said it one time, why is this so funny to you? And why would I do anything for you two?”

“Because one, it’s fuckin’ hilarious.” Guzma’s smile could rival Archie’s. “And two, because you loooove uuuussss.”

Cyrus snorts, not bothering to glance over from the typing on his laptop. “He loves you like how someone loves a hole in the head.”

Lysandre chokes, attempting to hide his chuckles in his foam cup of coffee, while Giovanni rolls his eyes as he sorts through his papers. “Girls, please, behave.”

Maxie only sighs, pushing the book to the side, levelling a glare at the two. “If I say it, will you leave me alone? Seriously?”

“Yeah, yeah, totally.” Archie grins, Guzma nodding alongside him.

Maxie leans back, groaning and rubbing his temples with his fingers. “Fine! Fine.”

A moment of silence. The two troublemakers smiling expectantly, as Maxie states in a flat tone.

“... Jinkies.”

Guzma cackles and wheezes of “holy shit I can’t breathe” and Archie’s bellowing laughter and slamming his fist on the table could be heard from outside the room.

#Asks #banhbeotim #Short Fic #Mystery Gang AU #[Mystery Gang AU] #[Maxie] #[Archie] #[Guzma] #[Lysandre] #[Giovanni] #(Welp I got inspired so here's a short thing) #(Hope you like it!)

[bewitchingivy]

Pick A Card: Angel Numbers You've Been Seeing & Their Actual Meanings: Pt. 2

Hey guys, welcome to the second part of this pac! As usual, all you gotta do is pick the number that you've been seeing a lot lately, so you don't have to choose intuitively (but you definitely can if you're drawn to another number or if you haven't been seeing any angel numbers lately!)

Each pile will be short and straightforward since I just want to keep this simple because there will be 10 piles to choose from 111, 222, 333, 444, 555, 666, 777, 888, 999, to 1111.

LINK TO PART 1 ; angel numbers from 111 to 555.

MY MASTERLIST

࿐ DISCLAIMERS:

Tarot or any forms of divination is not set in stone. It's not your only future, but a probable one with the current energy you have right now. If a reading doesn't resonate, simply let it fly away and shift your energy. Because you can change your reality, and you have the undeniable power to do so.

Please keep in mind that my readings are for entertainment, positive, or inspirational purposes only. Please don't take them as a professional or medical advice. Any actions or decisions taken are your responsibility.

The images I use in my blog are not mine unless I say so. The pictures belong to their respectful owners.

Feel free to choose multiple. Take what resonates and leave what doesn't.

666

Hello, people. Okay, wow. This is intense. The energy is kinda hurting me too, I'm literally feeling a numbing ache in my heart right now. So you might feel like everything is crumbling apart right now, everything in your life is. But here's the thing; the Universe is literally teaching you a very important lesson right now. You've been too stubborn and narrow-minded, and your guides are telling you to stop that. Open your eyes to the big picture. Just like in Pile 222, things are happening FOR YOU, not to you. Never against you. We go through things like this in life for us to become wiser and stronger. Okay? It's easier said than done, but that's a fcking fact. Also the Universe has been generous enough to provide a reason to why this is happening in your reading; it's because there's this goal or dream that you think it's the best for you. But no, that's not what you're here to do. You're here to do something greater, and the Universe will soon reveal that to you.

Shufflemancy:

Exhale by Sabrina Carpenter

better off by Ariana Grande

I wish you all the best and don't forget to take care of yourself!

- Ivy

777

Hellooo, to those of you who've chosen pile 777 :) Okay, woah. The message here is so fcking straightforward, it didn't need for me to interpret the cards, it made me laugh LMFAO. Okay, so anyways. The first card here is saying that you've been daydreaming a lot, procrastinating as well (bruh I feel you). And then the next card? It's clearly saying: JUST DO IT 😭 Waddufuq. HAHAHA. Welp, you've got your message. Oh, and I might add as well that for some of you, this may have something to do with romance?

Shufflemancy:

世界は恋に落ちている by CHiCO with HoneyWorks

TALK ME DOWN by Troye Sivan

I wish you all the best and don't forget to take care of yourself! - Ivy

888

Hi, people! Okay, so I really love your message here. (Yeah, I do favoritism when it comes to reading my piles-LMFAO.) Anyways... It's really clear here that you've been pretending to others and even lying to yourself that everything's okay. That everything is just sunshine and rainbows, when it actuality it's storming (i love storms though.) And you've also been, I don't know, denying your own power and potential? The Universe is saying here to own your power, know that you can do anything, and use it wisely. Wow that came through very easy. Ah, and this is for my stressed fam out there... DO YOU EVEN GET SOME SLEEP? BECAUSE LITERALLY YOUR GUIDES ARE LIKE PUSHING YOU TO SLEEP (or else they'll threaten you- lmao). PLEASE.. Taking enough sleep is very crucial in this message. Oh, and meditating also came up here. It's highly suggested by the Universe to you 😗

Shufflemancy:

Reason Living by SCREEN mode (文豪ストレイドッグス anyone? AKSHSJSHHS)

Sinking In by Katelyn Tarver & Jake Scott

I wish you all the best and don't forget to take care of yourself!

- Ivy

999

Hey, wonderful humans! So everything seems to be okay in your life right now, because the Sun came out upright. So 999 is a message from the Universe for you to learn and explore the things that's been taking your interest lately. Perhaps you've been called to learn more about esoteric stuffs? Or it may be you're called to explore and learn more about yourself through spirituality. Yeah, this is a really spiritual pile.. Maybe you're psychic as well, and you've been pushed to improve yourself in that. I don't know, literally anything worth learning, go explore that. That's the specific message I'm getting here.

Shufflemancy:

The Outside by Taylor Swift

Tied Together With A Smile by Taylor Swift

(both are from the same album, maybe you should listen to Tay's debut album 😌)

I wish you all the best and don't forget to take care of yourself!

- Ivy

1111

Okay, now last but not the least—to the people who chose this 1111 pile, hi there! I see here that you've been suffering lately, more like mentally. You may be regretting something, just a lot of dissatisfaction, and just problems to think about until you reach to a point where you just wanna give up. Well the Universe has a specific message here for that: Listen, you're strong. Stronger than you think you are. You've gotten this far didn't you? You've already survived through all the storms, and this is something you can get through as well. Believe in yourself that you can. It's time for you to take all the lessons you've learned, pay attention to those around you, and let these tough times make you act not out of selfishness and bitterness, but rather do things out of love.

Shufflemancy:

Breathe by Taylor Swift feat. Colbie Caillat

All My Friends by Kodaline

I wish you all the best and don't forget to take care of yourself!

- Ivy

#bewitchingivy #pick a card #pick a pile #tarot reading #divination #intuitive reading #pac #tarot community #tarot #witchblr #witch community #angel numbers #spirituality #manifestation #signs

[markosmate]

lady

Pairing; Marko x Emerson!Reader

Summary; Moving to a different state with your younger brothers and mother just to live with your grandfather was hard enough, but falling in love with a vampire and then watching your brother do the same thing? Much different story.

Warnings; strong language

au://  Welp lovelies I had promised you a Marko series in February that I started writing while I was manic, then after writing a good five/six chapters I fell into a deep dark hole of depression and didn’t write anything but sad, worthless poetry about a boy I’m in love with who doesn’t love me back :) But now it’s May, a spark of inspiration and happiness has suddenly hit me and I’ve come back to this series to finally deliver it to you!! I hope y’all like it cause I literally stress cried over finishing it three different times :,)

I’d also like to point out that any kind of feedback at all is so so appreciated. Most of my inspiration comes from feeding off of people’s reactions to what I write. So if you enjoy it or have any recommendations or comments at all please please don’t be shy to send me an ask or DM or even comment to let me know :( Thank you and enjoy!!

Part 2

I wasn’t exactly mad about moving, there was nothing holding me in Phoenix that I would be particularly sad about leaving behind. The only thing that struck a nerve was that it was dumped out of nowhere on me. Suddenly Mom had divorced Dad, let him keep everything, and made plans with Grandpa for us to move into his place with him. A little prior warning would have been appreciated, but regardless when we were told it didn’t change the fact that everything we knew was changing. Sam wasn’t happy about it at all, leaving his friends, leaving Dad. Michael... well Michael didn’t really have an opinion. In my view, he was just indifferent. He didn’t really care where the hell we were as long as he had a motorcycle, a job, and some hot chicks to swoon over.

But here we were, packed into Mom’s truck and driving through a town that I’d most likely have memorized like the back of my hand in a good few days. As the three in the car argued over which station to keep on, I turned my head and leaned my forehead on the window of the car. I watched the beach as we drove along the road, and admired the waves hitting against the sand.

I was ready to drift off until we got to Grandpa’s house when a short, exited yell left Mom’s lips. “Oh!” She grinned happily as Sam landed on a station familiar to her. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Oh, that’s from my era! Grooving on a Sunday afternoon!” She sung along with the song as Sam threw his head back and groaned in protest. I laughed at her antics, enjoying seeing my Mom acting so carefree and happy. 

“Alright, keep going, keep going.” Mom and Sam agreed with each other at the same time, Mom leaning over to continue skipping through the stations. Finally, the next station was agreed on and my pounding head thanked the universe for the quiet that I hadn’t been able to achieve the entire drive here. “Hey we’re almost there!”

“Ugh,” Sam scrunched his nose up in disgust after taking a deep breath. I leaned forward to wrap my arms around his head-rest and pull my face closer to the open window. The pungent smell hit me, and I recognized it immediately, low tide, but it wasn’t bad - anything to do with the beach was calming to me regardless. “What’s that smell?”

“Ah!” Mom breathed in deeply and turned to share a knowing grin with me, “That’s the ocean air!”

I turned to look at the welcoming sign, taking in the colors and faded lettering. “Smells like someone died.” Sam muttered as Mom tutted at him softly. 

“That’s likely.” I muttered to Michael, nudging his head in the direction of the back of the sign, where in big red spray-painted letters sat the phrase “Murder Capitol of the World.”

“Aw guys, I know the last year hasn’t been easy. But I do think you’re really going to enjoy living in Santa Carla.” Mom tried to remain happy about the situation, but a shared glance with Michael after we both read over the sign revealed there wasn’t much he was excited for.

The rest of the drive only increased my excitement. Hippies galore filled the streets, a large amusement park covered most of the boardwalk, and the rest was filled with small shops and food stands. We stopped for awhile so Mom could give some teenagers rummaging through garbage some money to eat and so Michael could unhinge his bike and ask around for job openings, but before I could even think to step out of the car and get a look around we were already heading into the backroads to get to Grandpa’s house.

Grandpa’s house was farther into the plains than expected, but still only a good fifteen to twenty minute drive away from town. Before Mom could ever fully park the car, I had already jumped out and was looking around the property. Michael pulled his bike up next to Mom’s car, and they all took a good few seconds to look around at all the wood carvings and chimes before turning their vehicles off. I took note of the horses grazing in one of the back fields before walking around the front of the truck and seeing a man laying on his back across the front porch steps.

Sam lead the way towards him before Mom cut in front and marched up the steps to squat beside him. “Dad?” She questioned gently. “Dad?” The three of us leaned closer to get a better look.

“Looks like he’s dead.” Michael remarked.

“Like... really dead.” I quipped in, raising an eyebrow at Mom.

“No, no. He’s just a deep sleeper.” She brushed our comments off.

“If he’s dead can we go back to Phoenix?” Sam remarked, earning a snort from me and a sharp look from Mom. 

Suddenly Grandpa sat up, a cocky smirk apparent on his face. “Playing dead. And from what I hear, doing a damn good job of it.”

Sam rolled his eyes in exasperation before Mom laughed faintly. “Oh, Dad!”

-

That night, Mom decided that it would be good for the four of us to leave the house after a night of unpacking and explore the boardwalk when it’s at its liveliest. I could admit it looked much more enjoyable now that it was dark and a little chilly, the sweaty people that had been occupying it earlier were now less sweaty and more stoned.

Almost as soon as Mom’s car and Michael’s bike were parked, Mom sent us off on our own so she could spend some time staking out a job in one of the family-owned shops. “Do you think she’ll be able to find one?” Sam questioned as the three of us weaved through crowds, trying to find our way to the beach concert. We could certainly hear it, we were just having a bit of trouble actually getting to it.

“One what? A job?” Michael scoffed as if it was hard to believe, still bitter over the fact there was no legal jobs for him to get hired in.

I laughed, elbowing him softly in the side, knowing that this place was exactly his vibe and in time he would most likely come to love living here. Sam was the only one I was actually worried about. “She’ll probably be able to find one. What, with all these missing people, there’s bound to be tons of job openings.”

“You’re telling me. It’s like there’s hundreds of bullet-boards around every corner with dozens of people missing. This place really is the Murder Capital.” Michael remarked as the concert finally came into our line of sight.

“Don’t say that!” Sam pleaded, shoving Michael’s shoulder with his eyebrows knitted tightly.

Michael just held his hand up in surrender and with one last shrug of his shoulders he turned to me. “You checking out the shops? We’ll find you once we get bored.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I agreed, turning sharply on my heel and blindly making my way back into the crowd. The concert was loud, sweaty, and crowded, and it wasn’t even my style of music - the last thing I wanted to do was spend my first night there. I figured it would be much more productive if I were to check out all the shops and stands running up and down the entire area, maybe find some new pieces of jewelry, or even a possible summer job opportunity.

Many places caught my eye, and I made a mental note to check them out the next time I had free money to spend, as it wouldn’t be wise for me to make an impulse-buy when I’m so close to being completely broke. Instead a small stand in the middle of the walkway drew me to it. A piercing stand. One person working on someone already sitting on the chair. There was a large wall selection of different studs, and many different kinds of disinfectants lined along the counter.

I walked closer to the wall, admiring all the different designs they had. I’d absolutely love to get a helix or orbital piercing, but I knew it wasn’t the wisest to spend money doing something like that at a small stand on a boardwalk in Santa Carla of all places. I was suddenly broken out of my thoughts when a voice spoke up directly behind me.

“It’s a scam, you know.” I jumped, hand flying to my chest, and whipping around to look at the owner. A teenage boy, my age, maybe a little older, with long curly blond hair and a grin that could have probably wooed me into his bed by the end of the night had he not literally just scared the shit out of me.

I laughed breathlessly, shaking my head. “What is?”

“The piercings. If you need one done, I could do it for you. But they use the guns instead of a needle which will definitely infect if you’re planning on doing a cartilage one.” He explained with a tilt of his head as he turned and began making his way towards the restaurants. I took that as an invite to follow, jogging to catch up and walking next to him.

“You know a lot about piercings?” I tried to make small talk, not wanting him to get away just yet.

He nodded with a confident smirk. “I did my own, and my friends. Someone had to learn.” I laughed a little at his mock-annoyed tone and shoved my hands into my pockets to appear to be doing something. He suddenly stopped and turned to me, holding out his hand. “Marko, by the way.”

“Ivory.” I accepted his hand and we both shook, hard and firm.

“You’re new.” He nodded as if finally understanding something that had been going on inside his own head. “I would’ve noticed you before if you’d been here all along.”

We dropped each other’s hand and I gave him a quizzical look. “What do you mean by that?”

He barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Nothing rude, you’re just too gorgeous to go unnoticed around here.” Before I could reply, another voice cut in from a few yards away.

“Marko! Marko, man, we’re supposed to meet David in ten!” I looked over to see another punk-looking dude calling out to Marko with his hands cupped around his mouth.

I laughed and look back towards the curly blond. “See you around?”

He nodded in confirmation, sending me one last crooked smile before turning to jog over to his other friend. I turned as well, making my way back into the crowd and away from the middle lane stands. I didn’t make it very far before the body of my youngest brother crashed into my side. I glanced down at him in bewilderment as we used each other to steady ourselves.

“Sam? Aren’t you supposed to be with Michael?” I laughed as he looked as though he’d just had the weirdest conversation of his life.

“Well, I was. Then he saw some girl at the concert and wandered after her so I went to check out the comic store.” He explained, shrugging before letting his eyes wander around once more in search of Michael. I rolled my eyes, of course Michael left Sam behind to go chase after some girl. It didn’t take long to find him, he was only a little further down the stretch of restaurants. He was more towards the end, walking out of the crowd near where the last building - a bar - sat in place.

We walked up behind him, and as soon as I was at his side I followed his eyes to a girl who was walking behind a small child, hand on his shoulder, and steering him in a certain direction. She was pretty - with big, curly hair and a beautiful smile that curled her lips up as her eyes grazed over all the lights of the carousel one last time for the night. I followed her line of sight, trying to place why Michael was following her instead of just walking up and introducing himself, but I immediately realized what the problem was.

She hoisted herself up onto the back of a motorcycle, accepting the help of the blond driver. He had a spiked mullet, dressed in all black, and when he realized Michael was staring at his girl, a cocky kind of smirk crossed his face. His friends parked next him all revved their engines to a start, and I tore my eyes from the platinum blond to see the others. I didn’t manage to catch a good look at two of them, because my eyes immediately looked onto those of the punk from earlier who’d started a conversation with me over pierced ears.

He was already looking at me, and when he realized my attention immediately locked onto him, a predatory look filled the black circles of his eyes and his lips formed into a boyish smirk directed exactly at me. He lifted his hand in a short wave, laughing along with the friend who called him away from me earlier as he shoved Marko’s shoulder in a teasing way. I lifted my hand in a small acknowledging wave back, but was knocked out of my small trance by Sam, who began teasing Michael.

“Come on, she stiffed ya!” Sam laughed harmlessly, gently punching Michael’s shoulder and turning to probably go and find Mom. I broke my gaze away from Marko immediately, turning to follow after Sam and not bothering to look back at all as I heard the bikes pull out and speed off down the road.

“Too bad she left with Mr. Mullet, she was pretty.” I tried to break the tension with Michael, I really didn’t want him to be upset over the lose of the girl, he still had all of Santa Carla’s teenage population of girls to meet.

He cracked a smile and nudged his shoulder into mine. “She really was.”

Once we made it home for the night, I separated from both my brothers and made my way into my own room. It was the smallest of all of ours, but that’s the main reason why I had chose it. It was cozy, and cute. I liked the way it came out once I had finished decorating it.

I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to those boys on the motorcycles from earlier that night. Marko seemed nice enough, even if I didn’t know whether or not I was brave enough to try to pursue a friendship with his more than intimidating friends. Just as I came to the conclusion that I should just get over myself and approach them, a sharp sting of anxiety wedged itself into my gut and nauseous filled my stomach and rose up in my throat. No. I didn’t need to become friends with those boys, there was something off, something I didn’t need to meddle in.

If I saw them again, I’d avoid eye contact and conversation completely. I was never able to understand my anxiety, but I always listened to it when it struck me.

#the lost boys #the lost boys 1987 #the lost boys imagine #the lost boys headcanon #the lost boys poly #the lost boys david #the lost boys marko #the lost boys dwayne #the lost boys paul #paul x reader #dwayne x reader #marko x reader #david x reader #billy wirth #alex winter #kiefer sutherland #brooke mccarter #paul the lost boys #david the lost boys #marko the lost boys #dwayne the lost boys #star the lost boys #the lost boys star #the lost boys x reader #the lost boys masterlist

[keichanz]

I cannot get over your new WIP. I’m so excited for it!

But seriously, how do you come up with such riveting plots? I feel like I’m repeating my own. The way you write is so *chef’s kiss*.

Your writing is amazing and I look up to you. When I first started my tumblr, I never expected to actually write, but soon I was reading anything of yours I could get my hands on and you inspire me. I’ve been an Inuyasha fan since I was a child and your writing makes me fall in love with it even more.

Any advice you could give for a struggling writer like myself?

Also, I’m glad you’re getting the support from all of us, and I hope you get to feeling better soon! Sending you all my love and support. 💕

awww love i'm so happy you like my little snippet :D i'm hoping to have it finished by the end of the week! it's actually a bit longer than i anticipated -3- because apparently i don't understand what the meaning of "short oneshot" but i regress ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

heh how do i come up with them? honestly, literally anything can inspire me to come up with a plot. i'll just be sitting here minding my business when out of nowhere it's like "but what if THIS happened" and welp lol. new idea. i got this particular idea from a video i watched on facebook a couple months ago. also i daydream. a lot. and i read books, and get ideas from them too. and tiktok. hugely tiktok lol. great source of inspiration right there.

ajdfakdjf awwww that's so sweet of you to say! 🥺🥺❤️ i'm so glad you enjoy my work!! :D advice hm? well lessee... whenever a new character speaks, always use a paragraph break/new paragraph. no one likes to read those huge blocks of text, yes?

in addition, i read a post a while ago that just sorta stuck with me: remember tip top! start a new paragraph whenever one of these changes:

Time, Place, Topic, Person.

dont ask me how or why that stuck with me lmao i have no idea. lessee what else...uh... oh! when you're trying to figure out how to start a scene, what always helps me to put things into perspective is just start describing something. do you know where it's taking place? start describing it. what does the character see, taste, hear, smell? what are they wearing? is there anyone with them? i find this can be a bit of a kickstarter if i'm struggling to write a particular scene.

and also, i'm always available for suggestions and advice any time so feel free to shoot me a message whenever you want! ❤️i hope this helped, love. ^_^ happy writing and thank you again!! ❤️❤️