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whispereons · 11 months

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Oracle!Reader Part 2

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 3

The waves hit the boat gently as you wait for the sound of people to get quieter. Once the cawing of birds is the most prominent sound, you jump out of the boat onto the shore. You walk up Amakane Island and keep your head low as you pass by stalls and people.

You get to mask stall which is thankfully empty at the moment. A jagged fox mask with the lower half missing and gold accents catches your eye. You put it on right as the vendor comes back to the stall.

You smile excitedly at the two men feeling more confident with your identity hidden. The mask showing the bottom half of your face is a necessary sacrifice. Body language is a double-edged sword for lying that you've learned to wield expertly.

"Hello, are you the vendor for these masks? I really like this gold one, I couldn't resist trying it on. How much is it?"

The vendor sees the mask you're wearing and laughs nervously.

"Hello dear customer but I'm afraid it broke when two other customers were fighting over it. You could come back tomorrow, and I could give you a mask with that same color or you could pick a different mask now."

You skirt around the offer and distract him with more questions. It's not like you have any mora to pay with. Your tone is sympathetic and sweet.

"I'm sorry to hear that happened. If you don't mind, I would like to know why they were fighting over it."

"Well as everyone knows, gold is heavily associated with the creator and that happened to be the last mask. The Yashiro guard that usually stands guard is escorting them to the prison."

"Oh, I see. Actually, do you mind answering some of my questions? You see I'm a traveler and I like to listen to stories about the creator. Each region has their own variations about the creator so I'm curious about Inazuma's!"

Your smile is bright, and the man seems to perk up at your words. He begins explaining about acolytes, praying times, the creator's image and even more.

Simply put the playable characters are acolytes and it's a high honor if they have been awakened. Which is a fancy word for saying that you pulled and won them.

No one knows the creators real name meaning you can still live on as Y/N. They believe that after creating the world you were now resting inside a different world. That now that you were awakening acolytes, you would be arriving soon.

It's when he mentions sacrificing that you feel dread pool inside you. This is a cult; you have a fucking cult. Ironic how Ei almost sacrificed you to yourself.

After getting all the information you needed from the man, you walk away. Still wearing the mask without paying for it. The vendor will probably realize in a little while, but you would be long gone by then.

You look back at your boat wondering how you could get rid of it. Ei saw it meaning that she'll be able to recognize it as long as you have it nearby.

You look at Byakko Plain where a teleport waypoint should be. If you could get to it, activate it then your plan of discarding the boat should work.

As you walk across the sand and soft waves from Amakane to Byakko you see 3 treasure hoarders and a nobushi. Right in the middle and right in your way.

Could you outrun them? Probably not. Fight them and win? Maybe the treasure hoarders but that nobushi is dangerous. Your only choice is to retreat and have one of your acolytes defeat them. It felt weird referring them like that but this whole thing is bizarre.

Just as you turn around, you hear them yell. The nobushi pulls out his sword, a treasure hoarder takes out throwing knives, another a crossbow, and the third uses a paddle.

You have no choice but to fight. Gritting your teeth, you skid across the sand to avoid getting hit by the knives and arrows. The nobushi sprints and slashes his sword to hit you at the same time the paddle treasure hoarder rushes after you.

You jump away just in time to see them hit each other instead of you. The sword stabs the paddle guy right in the stomach and the two other treasure hoarders freeze at the sight. The nobushi pulls the sword out unfazed.

The two treasure hoarders watch in horror as paddle guy coughs up blood and falls to the ground.

"What the hell man?! Why would you stab him like that?!" The treasure hoarders start yelling and aiming at the nobushi. The nobushi glares at them and starts walking toward them. The blood on his blade glints in the sunlight and you try not to think about the blood that is splattered on your shirt.

Using the argument between the nobushi and treasure hoarders, you pick up the paddle. The nobushi will probably kill both treasure hoarders and attack you again.

It's better to take out the nobushi and fight the treasure hoarders then run away. As you sneak up behind the nobushi, the treasure hoarders see you and stay silent.

The nobushi prepares to swing and cut down the treasure hoarders. It exposes the back of his neck, and you swing the paddle hard. Your hit lands and the paddle breaks from the force.

The nobushi falls to the ground leaving you exposed as you pant from the strength needed for the blow to be effective. The treasure hoarders stare at you in some shock as they tremble from their life so close to being over.

"So, uh truce?" You offer as you stand up straight. They look at their weapons and look back at you. Their hesitance unnerves you and you drop the broken paddle remains. They get a dangerous glint in their eyes now that you're unarmed.

You smile and pick up the nobushi's sword in a flash. Pointing it at them, you spoke with a drawl.

"Which do you think is faster? Your shitty aiming knives and arrows? Or this sword that's almost as tall as you?"

You touched the teleport waypoint as you watched the treasure hoarders run away. That sword was heavy as hell and only the adrenaline coursing through you in that moment gave you the strength to lift it so easily.

You held a small bag of mora, an old handguard, and 3 treasure hoarder insignia. You opened the bag that you got from the house you woke up in. You put it all in and close the bag. You didn't expect that enemy drops would still exist. The blood on the materials stained your hand and left you a chill.

Watching the teleport become gold you open the screen and open the map. You click on the first teleport waypoint you opened on Kannazuka. The same one where Ei found you.

There were two options, both had the words 'teleport waypoint' but one was gold. You pressed the gold option, and your vision went white.

Pressing your hands to your eyes, you open them slowly. It actually worked. You teleported to Kannazuka island. In a daze you walk to the waverider and summon the boat. You open the screen and teleport back to Byakko Plain.

Your eyes close automatically as you teleport. When you open them again at Byakko Plain, you look to see the boat gone. Pushing down the relief at it working, you try to remember what you needed to do next.

The cold wet feeling of blood on your clothes was creeping you out. Plus your clothes were so unique that Ei could definitly recognize you from it.

You pace the path as you think. The small amount of mora you put in your bag was all you had. But how much could a shirt, pants, and shoes cost? A potato was like 100 mora so the price should be around 4,500 mora. And even that's the least amount it can cost.

You open your bag to check the mora and instead of seeing inside the bag, a screen is there. It's the same screen you see when you open your bag in Genshin.

Well at least you won't have to worry about weight or food expiring. But unlike the bag you have in Genshin, this one is nearly completely empty. So, it's not connected to the bag you have in your account.

You look to the bottom and see 108 mora. You select the insignia and handguard. You try to trash them to see if you can get any mora from that. The game warns you nothing can be recovered, and you cancel the trashing.

Maybe you should just steal? It's your only option at this point. No one would be willing to accept help from a bloody masked stranger, nor will they accept 108 mora as a down payment. You really wanted to avoid stealing more than this mask. Clothes take a long time to make considering how the technology here isn't as advanced.

You trip over something small and pointy almost falling face first into the ground. You catch yourself and look to see that it's.

"Ushi?"

The cow moos at you and before mooing at a group of people running towards you.

"BEEFCAKE!"

Itto runs and picks Ushi up in a twirl nearly smacking you in the process. Kuki and his boys catch up as they breathe heavily. The only thing you can think as you watch Itto baby Ushi is.

'Dear god the game did not do him justice.'

Itto is huge, as tall as the nobushi you fought, and his muscles are nowhere near as flat as his game model.

"Boss, be more careful! You nearly hit them when you threw Ushi!"

Kuki scolds Itto as she points at you. Itto stops and looks at you in surprise seeming to finally notice your existence. Putting Ushi down Itto ruffles your hair and laughs.

"You mean this kid? C'mon if Ushi didn't nearly hit them, something else would."

"Sorry about him, he'll call anyone shorter than him 'kid'."

"It's fine, the bull, uh Ushi, you called him? Didn't hit me."

"Either way sorry about that compadre, but it's a good thing it didn't hit you. As an acolyte if he did hit you, you would probably be six feet under."

As gruesome as Itto's words sound, his actions are the opposite. He has an arm slung around your shoulders and a bright smile. Kuki who is usually more composed seems to be smiling judging by the crinkle at the edge of her eyes.

"Wow, you're an acolyte? Makes sense, a lot of vision users are. My name is Y/N, what are yours?"

Itto perks up at that and releases you. He stands in front of his gang facing you. The sun makes his red horns glint as he spreads his arms animatedly.

"I'm Arataki 'The One and Oni' Itto! I have many names but for time's sake I'll skip them this time to introduce you to the Arataki Gang."

He points to each of his members as he introduces them. "This is Shinobu Kuki, my deputy. She has a permit for everything - literally everything and is also an acolyte. Ushi is the auxiliary member; I call him Beefcake. Akira, Genta, and Mamoru are my boys and have been some of the longest standing members of the gang."

"You mean the only other gang members."

Shinobu corrects him. Spinning around to face her Itto shushes her a comically number of times. Not very quietly he whispers to her.

"Hey, hey don't ruin it for me. A new person is the best to get to join the gang."

Those words make you perk up as you watch Itto continue whisper-yelling at Shinobu. Honestly you wouldn't mind living as a member of the Arataki gang. It's not a criminal gang like the one you were in, in your old world. In fact, it would be even more fun than a normal job.

But there's no way you were staying in Inazuma with Ei hunting you down. You need to steer the conversation away from this into something more productive.

"Sorry if this is rude to say but are your horns real? This is my first time in Inazuma, so I've never seen anything like it before."

Itto abandons Shinobu's side to stand in front of you and comb his hair back with a proud grin.

"Indeed, they are real. Guess you didn't realize my clever wording in my title as the 'One and Oni' Itto. I'm a red oni and the best one there is!"

"That's why you have those red markings right? Plus, your clothing and accessories have all those horns too. So cool!"

Your voice heightens in a way that is similar to a fan. His reaction is just what you wanted. With a smile he juts out his thumb at himself as Shinobu shakes her head.

"Glad to see you recognize my awesomeness! Go ahead and praise me some more!"

"Don't encourage him anymore or else we'll be here for hours."

"Relax Shinobu, an amazing oni like me wouldn't let them stay out here for so long. C'mon Y/N we'll lead you to the city!"

Rubbing the back of your neck, you look down as you sheepishly admit.

"I don't think I can go in with clothes like these. Some treasure hoarders and a nobushi attacked me on my way to the city. So now my clothes are all cut up and dirty."

"What?! That's horrible, I swear if I see them, I'll-"

"Calm down boss, let's get them a change of clothes and then you can go after them."

Shinobu also seems a bit pissed at your story, interesting.

"We should have a spare uniform with the other materials, right? We can get the clothes along with the materials."

"But what if they got hurt? We can't have them walking like this! Akira, Genta, Mamoru! I'm gonna need you three to get the supplies and the old uniform. Shinobu and I will keep our new friend Y/N company in case anyone else tries attacking them."

You inwardly sigh in relief at not having to walk. Your heels still hurt from the electricity.

The boys hesitate as they give you a glance. Unlike Shinobu and Itto who seem to have an instant liking to you, the boys are unsure. Shinobu tries to explain to them.

"I know boss gets scammed nearly every time something like this happens, but I have a good feeling about Y/N. It's like I've meet them before, almost like an old friend."

The boys nod and leave feeling more assured with Shinobu on your side. Itto pats her back with a grin.

"You explained it almost as well as I would have."

"But maybe you should have gone with them. It'll be difficult to carry all those materials by themselves."

"Ah, have more faith Shinobu. They'll be fine. The shrine will look great."

This talk of materials and a shrine give you an inkling of what they're doing but you question them to be sure.

"By shrine, do you mean you're making a shrine for the creator?"

"That's right! It's almost the anniversary of the creator awakening the traveler, so we wanted to do something special. But it'll take some time for the boys to get back with the stuff. Why don't we have some fun in the meantime?"

That smile on Itto's face turns competitive as he stares down at you. It's infectious and before you know it, you have the same grin.

"What game are you suggesting? It would be fun to try an Inazuma game. You'll probably need the extra help of it being familiar too."

"Oh hoho! Shorty's got jokes! I'll take you on in any game. But since you want something Inazuma style then beetle fighting is the obviously best choice!"

Shinobu sighs affectionately as she watches Itto explain how beetle fighting works to you. She can't help but feel drawn to you and Itto feels the same way.

You find a huge purple reddish beetle and carefully carry it to the stage Itto set up.

"That's a good one Y/n, seems like the beetle likes you."

Shinobu comments as you bring it into view. The beetle moves in your hands as docile as a lamb and you pet the hard shell.

"That's great to know. Hope you won't be too mad when I beat Itto's ass."

"As if, just be prepared for him to challenge you to a 100 more matches."

"He wouldn't actually do that right?"

Shinobu adjusts her mask as she stays silent.

"Right???"

She only laughs as Itto bounds up to you both holding a good-sized purple beetle.

"I can tell this little guy has a beetle fighting spirit like no other! Be prepared to lose Y/N!"

With both beetles on the stage, the fight begins. Or that's what you would think if Itto's beetle wasn't immediately defeated.

You give your beetle a nice pat for a job well done as Itto picks up his beetle shocked.

"Alright, I lost that time, but this next round will be different. He just got stage fright is all."

Another round goes and you win again. Itto challenges you again and surprise, surprise you win again. This loop goes on and on until the boys arrive with the clothes and materials.

You cheer tiredly as Itto finally stops challenging you to help his gang with building the shrine. You pick up your tired beetle and hold him close to you as you watch them begin building.

Itto's beetle pinches your leg lightly to get your attention. You smile at the purple beetle and hold him too. Now out of battle the two beetles are friendly with each other.

"Never again Shinobu, that was at least 35 rounds."

"37 actually but hey, who's counting?"

You chuckle at her words and watch as she takes the uniform from the boys. She walks back and hands you the clothes.

"There's a small stall right on the outskirts of Inazuma City. You can change there."

You look at where she's pointing and thank her before going to it. You enter it and take off the mask. After changing clothes, you look at yourself in the mirror.

The outfit itself was Inazuma style with near unnoticeable patches. You never imagined you would be wearing clothes like this in Teyvat. Putting on the mask and looking back into the mirror, you feel more like a part of this world.

Was it because without it you would be hunted? Were you just able to disassociate better with it on? Or were you truly so isolated from the person you wished to be, that living with a mask and an altered identity was more comfortable?

You shake off those thoughts and leave the stall. You get back to where the Arataki gang is building the shrine. Your shrine. And sit beside Shinobu who is supervising to make sure they don't accidentally kill themselves.

You casually chat with Shinobu slowly bringing the conversation to the topic you want. You finally get to say the sentence that will serve as information bait.

"Actually, I'm trying to find a boat to Liyue. I want to keep exploring."

As much as you would love to stay in Inazuma a while longer to look around, Ei isn't the only one you were worried about. Yae, Heizou, and Ayato were all threats in their own right.

They're all good at sniffing out lies and mysteries. And you happen to be the biggest one, especially with this mask.

But Shinobu never got to reply to your comment as Sara approaches you all. Her stare is intimidating as she glares at Itto. Her voice has that same crisp professionalism that you remember her for.

"What is it that you all are doing here? The residents are complaining that your noise is distracting from their daily activities."

Itto gives an annoyed huff and stands up to face her.

"Me and the gang are building a shrine, thank you very much. I never do anything to attract more trouble, seriously what do you take me for? Like obviously I am the trouble, duh."

The way Sara examines the half-built shrine is similar to a stranger looking at a little kid's art piece.

"At least you're doing something productive for once. Despite that, you still need a permit to build one."

Shinobu sighs and stands up. Sara examines the permit from Shinobu before handing it back to her. Just as Sara was about to leave, she finally notices you.

"And who is this? You didn't drag them into your shenanigans, did you?"

The accusatory tone in her voice directed towards Itto made you smile but Itto's sputtered defense was what made you laugh. Sara watches you before approaching you.

"What is your name? I don't think I recognize you as a local or as a frequent traveler. I'm Kujou Sara, general of the Tenryou Commission."

"It's nice to meet you Sara, I'm Y/N. This is my first-time visiting Inazuma."

You smile innocently at her knowing how strict she was at her job. She went silent before saying.

"Your hair, your jaw shape even your smile is so similar to the creator."

Your heart drops when you hear that. Shinobu and Itto look at you too, they can see the resemblance. But your smile stays on your face with ease.

"I've heard that before but thank you for the compliment. Being similar in those features is a blessing."

Your tone is wistful like a shy admirer. Sara's suspicions seem to ease but she becomes curious instead.

"Where are you originally from? How often are you compared to the creator? Were you born with those similar features or did your face naturally change into it?"

With each question Sara gets closer and closer. Her tone has a rare curiosity and just a hint of reverence. It was a good decision to be wary of the cult and all the acolytes. It seems like most of them would react the same way Ei did if they saw your face.

"Your presence. If I'm not wrong, it feels exactly like how the creator would control us."

Her tone becomes cold and as you had no time to answer any of her questions, the suspicion has tripled.

You jump back as lightning flashes right where she was as she retreats a step. She stares at you waiting for your answer. Shinobu and Itto seem to fade in the background as you stare at Sara.

They all want answers. Answers that you don't have. The truth will only be seen as a lie and what lie could you possibly tell them that-

Oh.

That could work. Yes, it can definitely work.

You sigh and turn your head to the side while lowering it a little.

"I was hoping to keep quiet about this longer until I was sure of it but if you insist then I should tell you all the truth. Especially Itto and Shinobu since they've helped me out a lot."

You spin a story on how you woke up with little to no memories at a little shrine near Ritou. You rest your cheek on your hand as you recall how you heard the most beautiful voice state that you were now the creator's oracle. How you were told that you were not going to be controlled but be a way for everyone to communicate almost directly with the creator.

As you finish, they all stare at you with in slight suspicion but no hostility. You smile to yourself as you realize that they are willing to believe. That they could be convinced of your lie.

You play with your hands as you solemnly tell them that you understand that they may not believe you. That the creator even warned you of this being the most likely possibility.

Your smile is gentle, and your voice is a little hopeful as you explain that by communicating with the creator you could prove your status as an oracle.

"Prove it. Show us that you are truly the chosen oracle of the creator."

Sara says firmly.

"I want to believe you Y/N and I hate agreeing with Kujou chicken but I'm serious about the creator. I'll need to see this proof too or else I'll having to actually knock you with Beefcake as revenge for lying by using the creator. I speak for Shinobu and the gang."

You can see Shinobu roll her eyes at Itto's theatrics, but she doesn't interrupt. You smile and nod your head.

"Of course! Using the creator like that is blasphemous. I just need a small shrine to pray in private. If anybody sees or interrupts me, it could make the process go wrong."

Sara accepts that and leads you to a small temple in the middle of Byakko Plain. Which most definitely did not exist when you were still just a player.

You walk inside and stare at the murals that decorate the walls. It's you, undoubtedly so. Some are beautiful, while others are hauntingly sad. You can't help but let your eyes linger on the mural of you embracing a crying Thunderbird that was slowly becoming a Thunder Manifestation.

Probably Kapatcir, the Thunderbird that bonded with Ruu on Tsurumi Island. You never bothered to really memorize this kind of stuff but perhaps being the creator has made you automatically recall everything.

Sara leads you deeper into the temple until you stop at a alter. The altar itself is beautiful. A cobblestone base with Sakura, Amur Maple, and even some Otogi wood used to make the structure of it.

It reaches almost as high as the ceil and the trees wind around a statue of yourself. The statue depicts you with a peaceful expression and clasp hands.

You try to ignore the blood stains that cover the base of your statue. You go into a kneeling position and clasp your hands. Sara leaves the temple and it's only when the light from the door is gone that you relax.

The candles around your altar keep the temple bright and you open the screen.

You already know from experience that simply telling them private information will just lead you to be more suspicious. Instead, you switch out their weapons. From fully leveled weapons to dull blades, you close the screen.

You leave the temple and head back to where the gang and Sara is waiting. You hear the sounds of Itto trying (and failing) to challenge Sara to a rematch as you get into view.

Shinobu sees you first.

"Y/N! Did you finish praying?"

You nod with a gentle smile.

"I did and they answered my prayer. As we know, the creator can really only affect the acolytes so please take out your weapons."

"Gladly, I mean their grace gave me a wonderful fully upgraded Whiteblind that makes me even more powerful than I already am!"

Itto summons his weapon and holds it over his shoulder in a pose. Yet in his hands is a level 1, one star, Waster Greatsword. Shinobu sighs and breaks it to him.

"Boss look at your weapon."

"What? Why would I? It's fine, the creator gave me it before they even- Oh my archon, this isn't my claymore!"

As Shinobu and Itto squabble, Sara looks at the Hunter's bow that she now has. It's so unlike the Sacrificial bow that she normally wields. She feels weak with it, like the creator deemed her unworthy of their gifts.

Looking back up at you, she speaks with a small sadness that doesn't go unnoticed by you.

"It seems you are telling the truth. I apologize for doubting you. There has never been anything on an oracle appearing, so I was suspicious. Could you please pray and ask-"

"Y/N! You have to speak with the creator again! There's no way I can wield this hunk of junk. Not when I know that my great Whiteblind that was given to me by the creator is somewhere out there."

Itto shamelessly cuts Sara off. You laugh and reassure them.

"Don't worry, I'll pray and ask them to change it back. It was only temporary after all."

You leave quickly to the temple and change the weapons back. Shinobu didn't bother taking out her sword, but you still gave her, her correct one back.

You get back in time to hear Sara announce her departure to see Ei.

"I must report this to the Almighty Shogun. The existence of an oracle could mean a great deal of things. Including the chance that the Almighty Shogun can inquire the creator through you as to why she has not been awakened yet."

You didn't pull for her before and you certainly won't after how she chased you. Ei could even take you awakening her as a sign of approval of hunting you.

And there's no way you can let Sara tell Ei about your existence yet either. You would be seen as suspicious due to being found on the same day the 'imposter' was found. You needed a firm reputation as the oracle before you could ever meet Ei again.

"And I have to stop you from doing that. You see there's a reason the creator wants to keep my oracle status quiet. The creator wishes to not only see the world but all the acolytes naturally. Lumine is a famous traveler, people naturally act differently around her. But I'm not well known so everyone's true or normal attitudes are revealed to me. They want to see them as their truest self and warning the Electro Archon beforehand will go against the creators wishes."

Yes, it contradicts how you want people to be aware of you being an oracle, but it's works better than you would expect. Sara is too devoted to go against the creators wishes so she'll stay quiet. Shinobu is trustworthy and will keep quiet to please the creator.

But Itto and the gang? They'll either boast or let it slip easily. Anything that is told to stay quiet or secret almost always gets spread even faster. And since no one would dare speak to Ei casually nor will she actively look for information, Ei will still be oblivious. Only Yae could possibly let Ei know and you plan to be gone by then.

Sara keeps her head down as she speaks.

"Our truest self? Truly, the creator thinks far ahead than anyone else. Can I ask you a favor? How does the creator view me? I treated you with suspicion when you were only doing the creators will. Is that my truest self?"

You reach out your hands and grasp both of hers. She seems so sad and resigned that you can't stop yourself from using your title to speak plainly.

"Sara, the creator has seen you and your truest self is not what you believe. They see just how devoted you are to the Electro Archon and to them. The way you take your job seriously to protect the people of Inazuma, how you do your upmost to preserve their will. They wish that you would grow more when it comes to your emotional state, but they love seeing you take pride in your work. There is nothing to fear."

The way you tilt your head makes it obvious that you're staring directly into her eyes. Your skin, your hold on her hands, that piercing but warm gaze. Your features so similar to the creator. It's like she's looking at the creator in the flesh.

"Your grace..."

Sara whispers before jumping back as you're pulled away from her.

"Hey! Stop hogging Y/N! Weren't you going back to your boring workplace? If you're gonna stay any longer than you should just agree to my rematch."

Itto is holding you by the back of your shirt lifting you above the ground as he glares at Sara. You wanted to laugh at his clear jealousy.

Sara grits her teeth in annoyance.

"I was just conversing with Y/N, but I will be on my way now."

With that Sara leaves with Itto putting you back down as he stomps his foot like a kid.

"That stupid chicken, why did you hold her hand? You could have just held mine, I'm way stronger!"

"Didn't she beat you in a fight?"

"Well yeah, I admit that, but she always refuses a rematch! She's too chicken to accept it because she knows she'll lose!"

"Boss the shrine is done!" "Let's go get the offerings now." "Maybe some candles, candy, and lavender melon."

You struggle not to fall as Itto drapes his whole arm on you. He turns to his boys with a grin as Shinobu helps you escape his grip.

"Good work boys, we'll get the best stuff."

You walk with the Arataki gang as they gather stuff to offer. Sometimes they ask you which one is better to offer since you can communicate with the creator. It's not like anyone will believe that you, a scrappy lying human is their beloved creator.

You smile and shamelessly pick anything you like. You were the creator after all, this totally wasn't self-serving in the slightest.

Taking it back they light the candles and offer the gifts. There's a rare moment of silence as you all pray to the shrine. Well at least they were, you were too busy trying not to fall asleep from such a busy day.

It's only when you are eating roasted lavender melon with them all that Shinobu speaks on topic you needed.

"I almost forgot, Y/N, you planned to leave Inazuma right?"

"What!? You're leaving already? Why?"

Itto's whiny dramatic voice made you smile.

"I'm not leaving yet; I don't have any transportation. I'm following the creators will. As the oracle it's my duty to spread the creator's thoughts and feelings. It's my honor to be one of the bridges between the creator and Teyvat. While Lumine is used to let acolyte be awakened, I am used to communicate."

Itto groans before sighing.

"Fine fine, I understand. You know what? I'm such a great oni that I'll even bring you to meet a guy that can help you. Pretty kind of me, right?"

Perfect, a possible transportation to escape Ei.

"That does sound great! I would love to meet them."

You can basically see Itto's ego grow with every word you say. Before Shinobu can say or do anything Itto lifts you up onto his shoulder. His hand holds you steady as he laughs at your panic.

"Then what are we waiting for? Feel free to admire my greatness as we go to see my guy."

Shinobu waves sympathetically as Itto hauls you towards Inazuma City. He asks you loads of questions about the creator and how they view him.

"Do they think I'm great? Am I their favorite? Of course, I'm their favorite, I am Arataki 'Numero Uno' Itto after all. Just look at me."

"They think it's funny how you always find a way to accidentally consume bean products."

"Oh god no, don't even mention beans. I can't believe they saw me in such a weak moment."

"They also wanted to whack every human who threw beans at you with a beehive to see how they like being allergic."

"You're not lying about that right? Cause that's the best news I've ever heard in my whole life!"

It's fun, the whole walk with Itto was fun. It's even better than you imagined being in Genshin would be like. You wanted to continue living like this. But the looming threat of Ei hanging over your shoulder seemed to stain your mood.

Your hand brushed against your mask. It's a reminder that you probably can't ever live your life here without it. It's still a cult that may attack you at any time.

With that grim reminder, dread pools in your gut as Itto leads you closer to Thoma.

Oh god, oh fuck if it's Thoma then it's Ayaka and if it's both its Ayato. And Ayato could definitely figure you out. Maybe you'll be fine, not everyone that meets Thoma will eventually meet Ayato.

"Thoma! My bro, my guy, my dude. This is Y/N, and they need your help getting a boat to Liyue. They're a super sick oracle for the creator and got a big mission to follow the creators will."

Shit. That one little word is repeated in your mind as Itto keeps talking. You were right about how saying 'it's a secret' makes things spread faster but you didn't want it to happen while you were still here! Thoma has a smile frozen on his face as he listens.

"I'm sorry they're the creator's oracle? I really mean no offense, but this is quite hard to believe."

Thoma smiles sheepishly while Itto pushes you in front of him to face Thoma. There's no point in trying to remind Itto to keep your identity on the down low. Holding out your hand you speak cheerfully to Thoma.

"Yeah, you aren't the first acolyte to not believe me. It's understandable since I'm the first."

Thoma shakes your hand, it's a little hot but not burning. It seems visions really do affect their bodies.

"How did you know I'm an acolyte? I'm just a simple housekeeper for the Kamisato Clan."

"Like Itto said, I'm an oracle. The creator grants me knowledge needed to meet and communicate with everyone."

"Well, I'm sorry Y/N but there's no way I can help you with your identity as an oracle so, sorry to say, suspicious."

It makes sense, Thoma while being a nice guy is loyal to Ayato and Ayaka first and foremost. It's one of his key defining traits and that also means he's loyal to the creator too. Itto tries to convince him by retelling how you switched the weapons, but Thoma doesn't believe it.

"Okay if I tell you information that only very few people know that can prove that I'm truly an oracle, will you help me find a boat?"

"Alright but I have very high expectations. I refuse to help someone that might be using the creators title to trick people."

"To the public knowledge, Lord Kamisato was awakened and then you were awakened. But that isn't the truth. That was a switcheroo Lord Kamisato made to avoid enemies using the truth against the Kamisato Clan. You were awakened long before Lord Kamisato but had to stay quiet about it per his instructions."

Thoma looked at you with slight suspicion. Only Ayato, Ayaka, and Thoma knew about this, yet you a stranger did. But he just couldn't shake off the nostalgic feeling you gave him.

"That's honestly really shady but I can't deny that you're impressive. The only people that know about this would never say anything unless they really trust you."

He smiled kindly like you always seen him do in the game.

"I'll honor our agreement and help you find a boat."

Itto cheered at Thoma's agreement and waved goodbye as you and Thoma left. The gang caught up and started walking to God knows where as you and Thoma walked through Byakko Plains.

"An oracle huh? That does explain why the feeling of being awakened seems to surround you."

The grass swayed as the moon rose higher in the sky.

"All you acolytes tell me that. I can't feel it myself, but it sounds amazing."

"It is, like being embraced by the creator themself. Do you truly not remember much about yourself or your life before becoming an oracle?"

The butterflies dance with the fireflies as the sound of hilichurls dancing can be heard faintly.

"Other than my name, my bag and the clothes on my back, I truly had nothing. My only knowledge of Teyvat is the one the creator shows me through dreams, visions, and stories."

"This must feel like a whole new world to you then. But you're adapting quite well. Would it be presumptuous to ask what the creator thinks of me?"

The path splits to two at Konda Village and Thoma leads you to the right. Nerves prick at you as remember that Ritou is on the left. Where is he taking you?

"A malewife."

"A what?"

"It must be some slang from their world. But it isn't an insult from what I've gathered. In fact, I think it's a compliment."

Thoma blushes a little as he stares straight ahead. You turn your head to hide your smile at his cute reaction. Chinju forest surrounds you as you pass under a red gate and walk along the stone path. You really hoped he wasn't taking you where you think it is.

"But if you want a deeper answer, the creator sees you as a loyal person. As kind and helpful you are to others, it's your fierce loyalty that keeps their eye on you. It burns as bright as your flames."

His eyes shine at your words as he looks up at the sky wistfully. The moon seems to reflect in his eyes.

"Do you mind if I tell you something a little personal? I just feel comfortable with you so easily."

"Go ahead."

"When I still lived in Monstadt with my mom, my dad would send me letters from Inazuma. My parents had their differences, but they never failed to speak so highly of the creator. His letters always ended with a reminder to look for the creator in my hard times."

His words made your shoulders heavy. With guilt or responsibility? You don't know yet. You could only take some solace in the glowing blue flowers of the forest.

"When I left Mondstadt to find my dad, I took a little boat and sailed with a bottle of wine. It's a miracle I didn't die. It was the creator's grace."

You remember reading that part of his character story. It was a shame he never found his father nor the bottle of wine.

"When I was on the boat as the storm raged and it was falling apart at the seams. All I could do was pray, pray that I would somehow survive. When I woke up, I was on Inazuma. My lord and lady were the ones who found me and took me in. That's why I gave them my loyalty just like I gave my loyalty to the creator."

You're standing at the front of the Kamisato Estate when Thoma stops and smiles at you. His eyes were almost closed with how hard he was smiling.

You could tell he was happy, you wished you could feel the same. Because at that moment all you could feel was relief. Relief that you wouldn't have to feel responsible for all their misplaced faith.

You were not a God; you did not save them. But if they knew the truth that you were their beloved creator, you don't know if you could actually tell them that.

"Thoma..."

You trail off, not wanting to lie in such a personal moment. You clutch the strap of your bag. Thoma looks at you with gentle eyes patiently waiting for whatever you have to say.

"The words I'm gonna say right now are mine, not the creators. Even if you didn't sail to Inazuma and almost drown. Even if you didn't meet Lord and Lady Kamisato. I still fully believe that you would be just as great and loyal to whoever you chose. A friend, a lover, even if it was an animal. Anyone would be lucky to have someone like you care for them. You, yourself even without that vision is just as incredible."

You start off softly but feel a rise in your pace as your words come together. You look up at him and smile brightly. All your teeth show, and you feel that happiness he displayed earlier.

Thoma sucks in a sharp breath as his heart rate speeds up. His face burns for reasons he can't seem to comprehend. Why did your words have such a strong effect? How do you look so ethereal with the moonlight shining on you?

A guard calls out to you both from the top of the stairs.

"Thoma?! Is that you?"

You peak past Thoma to see a guard walk closer. Before you could see Thomas's face, he turns his head around clears his throat.

"Hey Hirotatsu! This is Y/N a special guest I brought to meet our lord and lady. Depending on how the meeting goes, they might become more than just a special guest."

His words remind you of your situation. He brought you to Ayato and Ayaka. You'll have to lie and use all sorts of tricks to survive with your life and identity intact. You hope desperately that Ayato doesn't ask you to take off the mask.

Thoma turns to you with a apologetic smile.

"I know this isn't Ritou like you were probably expecting but I promise you. If you can prove your oracle status to my lord and lady, they'll provide you with the safest and fastest way to Liyue."

His smile turns almost sad as he says his next words.

"I'm sure you understand why it's important for me to make sure that you travel in a safe boat."

You know what he's saying. You know that this is technically emotional manipulation. But damn it, he's looking at you with warm eyes and a nervous smile that makes you want to pinch his cheeks. You were weak in this area.

"It's fine, I'm no fake. I'll prove it to them just as I proved it to you and everyone else so far."

You speak with casual confidence and face the stairs that lead to hell. Ayaka wasn't the issue, she's sheltered to a degree that you could spin a tale and have a good chance of escaping. But Ayato? That man believes few things and trusts even fewer.

A pleasantly hot fingerless gloved hand takes yours heating you up. Thoma leads you gently up the stairs. You follow him like a moth to a flame knowing that you're close to being burnt to a crisp.

Something to add is that if Y/N changes things that happened or says something that doesn't align with what happened. It was completely intentional. I just don't want to write "You lied, you paraphrased etc at almost every dialogue. I'm riding on my creative high and taking full advantage of it. Plus, I'm finally almost done getting used to writing again. I loved all your comments, reblogs and hearts! And my taglist is open to whoever wants to be in. Just leave a comment and I'll add you.

Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl, @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma If you are in italics that means I couldn't tag you! Usually you'll need to check your settings to fix that.

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dazaisfountainpen · 5 months

Text

Map of Athens

Marketplace (Agora)

Metalsmith / Dionysus Cafe / Clothier /

Central Athens

Vendor Stalls with various goods for sale:

The stalls are all bustling with activity – people coming and going, some merchants calling out to passersby, others loudly negotiating prices with customers.

There is a book merchant’s stall, dedicated to selling a variety of scrolls imported from Alexandria. Upon closer inspection, you can see that there is a range of everything from books on philosophy to books full of plays and poetry. The owner of the stall watches you with a friendly gaze, her smile stretching and moving the ink on her tattooed cheek. Unlike many of the merchants calling out to people passing by with baskets both empty and full, she doesn’t try pressuring you to buy anything.

Moving on, you pass a stall that startles you, but only for a moment. There are live chickens and rabbits in cages, and the stall is lined with pelts in what seem like every shape, size, and color. The man sitting on a stool there – presumably the owner of the stall – looks at you. He has pleasant eyes, but there is something about him that urges you to keep your feet moving.

You pause at the next stall, long enough to watch two soldiers pass by. Their demeanor appears leisurely as they stroll among the stalls, but you’ve been told that their job is to guard the city. You’re sure that their outward calm belies their readiness to leap into action if need be. They move out of sight, and you turn back to the stall in front of you. “Welcome!” The woman who addresses you wears a big, friendly smile. She is cutting thick slices of bread heavy with fruit and nuts. “It would be a shame not to enjoy it while it’s hot,” she explains at your look of confusion when she holds the slice out to you. “And if you like it, it means you might come back for more.”

Gulls cry out as they circle overhead. You know that the sea is not far; you can smell the salt in the air. “What’s the point in lookin’ if you don’t plan on buyin’?” She’s a little intimidating, the merchant you’ve happened upon next. Sinewy and tanned, she wears an eyepatch, and you wonder – silently – if she might be a pirate. Her stall showcases strings upon strings of salted fish. From the huge barrels placed around her area, you hear occasional splashing and surmise there are also live fish for sale.

You pause for a moment, taking it all in and contemplating the goods available for purchase.

Encounters

Once per group/session, you may roll a die to determine a background event.

(Click on the alt text for more information)

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hyunjinniesgirl · 1 year

Text

☆.｡.:*skz on valentine's day.｡.:*☆

in honor of my favorite day of the year, here are some skz vday headcannons!! this won't be edited right away so please forgive me for my mistakes!! i hope you enjoy!! chuuu ٩(๑> ₃ <)۶♥

wc: roughly 200 words per member

channie's and binnie's are slightly suggestive so mdni 18+ only please (i'm sorry they've jus been doing sumn to my brain lately)

buys you flowers and takes you to dinner:

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ bang chan

MANS IS SOOOO TRADITIONAL!!!!!!! i am a firm believer that chan would come home to pick you up for dinner with a biiiigggg bouquet of your favorite flowers and dinner. instead of going to an expensive restaurant that you both wouldn’t get full off of, you decide to hit up various street food carts. even though the streets are packed, chan keeps a hand around your waist, pulling your body towards him as he steers you in the direction of your favorite vendors. he most definitely feeds you your fish cake skewer when your hands are too cold to part from the cup of soup keeping your hands warm. after eating until your hearts and tummies are satisfied, you make your way back home to cuddle and watch a romantic movie. mans has wandering hands though and is constantly grabbing and patting your ass under the covers. the first time he does it, he definitely acts innocent when you side eye him. he wears a little content smile as his eyes stayed glued to the TV in front of you, but it isn’t until you feel his finger run up your slit through your shorts that the movie becomes nothing but background noise to your evening activities hehe…

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ changbin

mans leaves you a sexy little set on your bed to wear under your dress for dinner and is soooo shameless the entire time. the whole time you two are at dinner he’s lookin at you like you’re the fucking meal. it’s to the point where once the main course is over and the waiter comes around asking if you want a dessert menu, you jus look straight at him with an eyebrow raised. he accepts the menu because duh cake (and if he plays his cards right he’ll get his cake twice lmfaoooooo ok lemme stfu). anyway, binnie gets lava cake because I feel like he would love it :D!! the warm center mixed with the vanilla ice cream in the side would legit make him forget his entire goal of the night was to make you feel loved and special (and get laid). he would be doing his lil happy dance bc the cake is sooo good. his flirty side comes back when you have a little ice cream on your lip and he leans over the table to swipe it away gently with his thumb. safe to say, the move is enough for you to call the waiter over for the check.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ i.n

innie jus wants to hold ur hand and walk around :’) the two of you spend the day like any other date day, walking in and out of coffee shops and various photo booth places until you have a fat stack for four cut photos (he sends a pic of them to his mom to be like “look how cute we are!!” hehe and she adores them). you stop by a train station when you see a busker playing ballads on his guitar. the busker sees you two swaying together and innie singing along to his music so he dedicates a song to you and wishes you eternal love. jeongin squeezes your hand as the busker sings, mouthing “i love you” to you when he sees your eyes begin to water. after placing some cash in the busker’s can, you continue on with your walk. I’ve mentioned it twice already but I just wanna emphasize that I think innie truly is just a hand holder. he likes to feel your fingers intertwined with his and even swing your arms together as you walk and chat. pretty basic but the jeongin in my head’s love language is just quality time, and getting to hold your hand is a bonus for him.

wants to stay at home to avoid crowds:

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ seungmin

this guy is a fucking wild card. to be honest, i dont think he would plan anything too crazy but he would definitely make you a valentine’s day basket and actually ask you to be his valentine. he would get you a little pink basket and put some candies and flowers with a little puppy stuffy holding a balloon that says “will you be my valentine?” mr dandy boy seungmin would just look so cute in his sweats, shyly scratching the back of his neck offering you the basket he put together ahhhh. if he was feeling sly, he would ask you to close your eyes while he takes it out of his closet and you grab that shit straight out of his hands before he even tells you to open your eyes. you pounce on him and smother him with kisses because he is just soooo boy crush. epitome of chill night in, you heat up some ramen and watch TV at the coffee table together, bumping knees and laughing so hard you’re snorting out noodles :’)

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ han

han gets food delivered and transfers them to the bowls and plates you have at home so you still feel special. you definitely knew he was gonna do that because he called you before he put in the order to ask what you wanted. to compensate, he wrote you a song :’). maybe it isn’t complete and he only has the recording of his voice with a soft backtrack but it’s yours and that’s all that matters. he shows it to you after you’ve cleaned everything up and were looking a little disappointed that he didn’t get you a present. he was fr shitting himself and putting off showing you but even though you were trying to hide your disappointment, he still saw right through you and knew that if he didn’t follow through you would go to bed a little sad. “i got you something.” “you really didn’t have-“ “i wrote you a song.” you look up at him like O.O and he starts screaming because now that he’s said it he can’t take it back. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH okay if it’s bad don’t tell me okay?” of course, it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard and you give him a million kisses as a thank you. “can i get a song for my birthday too?”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ felix

felix makes a candle lit dinner for two and makes sure NO ONE ELSE is gonna be at the dorm until after dessert. the dinner was simple, just enough to get full, but the dessert was really where felix put all of the effort. he prepares an assortment of sweets, brownies, cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, all to be enjoyed under a little pillow fort he assembled with string lights hanging inside. you chat softly as felix’s soft romance playlist (that he curated specifically for this date) plays in the background. when it comes down to the last strawberry he feeds it to you before you can argue because he will always put you before himself. felix would be lying if he didn’t say the look you gave him while biting into the strawberry made his stomach absolutely flip. “you’re so gorgeous,” he would say out loud, causing you to blush and turn away from him. he grabs your chin as you turn away, forcing you look straight as him as he rests his forehead against yours and tells you he loves you a hundred times because he’s afraid you’ll forget (screaming). romantic night w bokkie becomes a valentine’s day tradition <3.

bonus: you end up falling asleep cuddling in the pillow fort and when you wake up seungmin is spooning lix. (he couldn’t resist, it looked too comfy)

vday getaway:

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ hyunjin

our romantic boy would love valentines day with you so much! similar to my skz as bfs headcannon, i’m a firm believer that he’d “plan” a two day trip with you. I say “plan” loosely because he’s mentioned that he isn’t much of a planner and prefers to figure things out as you go. he’d take you to a little beach town and when you open the door to your hotel room, you realize he’s booked a sweethearts package, rose petals in the shape of a heart on your bed and a bucket of champagne waiting for you when you entered the room. at the end of the day, after all of the art museums and photobooths and sea side walks, you take a bath together, making sure to use the rose scented bath bombs the two of you had picked out in one of the shops you popped into. you’d hum against him, your back against his chest as his fingers drew shapes on your stomach. you speak softly together under the dim lights of the bathroom, occasionally stealing kisses that turn deeper the longer you stay submerged in the rose tinted water. hyunjin reminds you of how much he loves you while he nips at the spot where your neck and shoulder meet, squeezing you tight so that he knows you’re real and won’t vanish into thin air the next moment. when the bath begins to run cold, hyunjin dries himself off first before wrapping you up in a big fluffy towel and guides you to bed for the night <3.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ lee know

lee know and his love for camping has got me thinking that he’d want to go camping for valentine’s day. domesticity at its finest. minho wakes up before you to start cooking your breakfast so you’re fueled for the active day you’re going to have ahead of you. his original plan for the day was to go for a hike but there were so many couples on the trail he wanted to go on that the two of you end up eating away in your tent. minho definitely had the amazing idea to do chocolate and cheese fondue, thinking it would be romantic…but it definitely ends in the two of you laughing at one another whenever someone burns their tongue on the scolding hot liquid. “i told you to blow on it first!” once you feel like all of the trails have settled down, the two of you dip your feet in a nearby creek for a little bit, sitting side by side with your head resting on his shoulder as you watch the sunset <3.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

thank you for reading!! please reblog, leave an ask, or shoot me a message if you enjoyed :') all my luv always <3

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oftenwantedafton · 3 months

Text

The Perfect Girl - Dave Miller/William Afton x Female Reader

Chapter 1

Rating - Explicit

Warnings - none for this chapter

Summary: Dave Miller sees you hesitate. Perhaps reluctant to stay alone in the dark. Perhaps some sense of self preservation is finally kicking in, making you wary of following a virtual stranger more than two decades older into the recesses of an abandoned restaurant.

No one knows you’re here.

Anything could happen.

Also available on AO3

Fate brings you into the man calling himself Dave Miller’s path on a Monday afternoon.

You’re in line ahead of him at a kiosk at the mall, where a vendor sells bags of artificially colored and flavored popcorn. There are a variety of unusual offerings like chocolate orange and strawberries and cream and peanut butter and jelly, the latter dyed purple and yellow. That was a personal favorite of his.

You’re next. You take a step forward and Dave moves right behind. He hooks a thumb in one of the belt loops of his security guard uniform pants and fiddles with the heavy ring of keys. There are so many. He doesn’t even know what half of them are for, in truth; only concerned with the ones that matter.

He can smell your fragrance from here. Not some cloying perfume that older women seem to favor, but something fruity and vibrant. A body spray of some sort perhaps. He also detects a light floral scent from your shampoo. You’re not long out of the shower, he thinks.

You order Wacky Watermelon. The kernels are colored red and green. You rummage in your purse. A tidy little thing, compact, thin strap, single compartment. It appears you’re a little short on cash.

“I’ve got it,” the security guard says, stepping beside you, reaching for his wallet.

Your cheeks flush. Such a pretty pink hue. “That’s ok, I…”

“It would be my pleasure.” He smiles. It’s a large one, lips stretching over sharp looking teeth. A bit intimidating.

“Oh, okay. Th…thank you,” you stammer.

So now you are indebted to him. At least, that is how he sees it. You collect your bag of popcorn and smile nervously.

“I’ll treat you next time. I just got a job working over there.” You point to a clothing store for young adults. He can hear the music blaring inside from here. The mannequins in the storefront windows are currently wearing distressed denim leggings and cropped hoodies. The fashion of today’s youth is something that eludes Dave, but then again, he supposes every generation has their trends. He’s seen bell bottoms and leg warmers come and go. Earth tones and neon. Now this blatant exposure. A jarring mismatch of wanting to be covered but also exposing tantalizing amounts of flesh. And he was not supposed to look. Well.

You don’t appear to subscribe to that same sense of style. Your clothing is demure. Everything covered. Not too tight. Hinting at nothing. Leaving it to the imagination. He likes to imagine.

He nods and a piece of the dark hair that’s a bit untidy falls over his brow. He sees you swallow thickly. How lovely your throat is.

“So I gotta get back. I’ll see you around.”

Oh, indeed you will, he thinks.

***

It’s Thursday. It’s pouring outside and the mall is crowded, people driven to find activities indoors. The pizzeria would have been very busy on a day like today, if it was still open.

He wanders the dusty rooms. Brushes fingers over the joysticks and buttons on the arcade cabinets. Draws back the stage curtains to view the animatronics frozen in place, waiting patiently for a future peformance. He’ll wake them again, when the time is right. He returns to the security office and surveys the monitors. There are intruders on occasion, but they’re rare, as the restaurant is actually concealed behind a wall, its existence forgotten. Those that do happen to stumble into it, well. They don’t live to tell the tale. So it remains hidden, secret. Like his real identity as the former owner of the establishment, William Afton.

He eases back into the office chair and it creaks loudly in the stillness. He can spare a few more moments before he returns to his actual job patrolling the shopping mall. How tedious it is. Assisting customers when they’ve locked themselves out of their cars. Giving directions, usually to the restroom even though there are mall directories everywhere. The occasional shoplifter. Reuniting lost children with their parents. That last task was especially difficult to keep a straight face during. It’s a waiting game, something to do to fill the in between times, until he can begin the work again. At least it gives him an alibi, an excuse to be near his old restaurant.

He’s thirsty.

The soda vending machines are empty, of course, the supplies of the franchise’s stock long depleted. No more Freddy Fazbear’s Fizzy Cola or Bonnie’s Bodacious Orange Blast. He’ll need to get something from one of the vendors in the food court. Perhaps you’ll go with him, pay him back as it were.

He has found you coming into his mind all week.

He’d seen you a few times during his patrol. Paused to watch you refold sweaters and organize pants hanging on a rack when he thinks you’re unaware. Sometimes he waits for you to notice and he waves and smiles. A softer gesture, no teeth. You wave uncertainly back.

The wheels drag across the floor as Miller pushes back from the desk and rises to his feet. It’s time to leave his beloved pizzeria. For now.

***

You’re in high school. Senior year. Eighteen, an only child. Parents divorced. You’ve just purchased your first car. Want to study Archaeology, specialize in Egyptology.

You’re babbling, alternating between nibbling on a chocolate bar and sipping lemon lime soda. Dave patiently listens to the prattling. He likes the way your glossed lips look wrapped around the straw, the suction you apply. He takes a sample of his own cherry soda and leans back. The metal cafe chairs in the food court aren’t the most comfortable, especially since his legs are so long, his six foot four frame cramped. But he’ll endure it, and gladly. The chatter and the discomfort pale in comparison to what he wants to take from you.

“How long have you worked here?” You ask him, taking another bite of milk chocolate.

“Two years, nearly.”

“What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened? Like, did you ever have to call the police or anything?”

“There are the occasional shoplifters. Nothing dramatic.” The security guard takes another pull from his drink.

You look a little disappointed. “Oh, okay.” The candy wrapper is empty. He can hear the ice rattling around in the nearly empty cup. Your time together seems to be running short. “Well, I gotta get back. It was nice talking to you.”

“Likewise. I appreciate the beverage.” He finishes his drink and dumps it into the trash bin nearby.

Dave accompanies you back to the clothing store. There’s no reason for it. You don’t need an escort or a guide. But it’s an excuse to be by your side a little longer. You’re wearing a different body spray today but this scent is equally as appealing. Vanilla. Warm and sugary.

“Have a good rest of your shift,” you say, stepping back into the store you’re employed at. Dave watches your thread your way between the shelves and the racks and he thinks he’s going to bring you into the darkness of the pizzeria very soon.

***

The following Sunday. Sunny, mild, the perfect spring day. The mall is less crowded, customers seeking the good weather outdoors.

Dave braves the music and enters the clothing store you work at. You’re leaning against the counter. He’s watched you wipe down the same clean space five times in as many minutes. Keep glancing at the clock, eager for the shift to end. You’re clearly bored.

The security guard joins you at the counter and leans. Narrow hips much higher next to your curves. Arms folded over a gray shirt with black epaulets. Long and lean. The heavy ring of keys jangling when he shifts positions.

“Is it me, or is today incredibly dull?”

“Oh my gosh, yes,” you agree immediately.

“What time do you get off?”

“Two.”

“I’ve got something to show you.”

The phrasing throws you off. He can feel you stiffen a bit beside him, your breath catching.

“I’ve found an old arcade walled up at the other end of the mall. Thought maybe you’d like to go explore. It looks pretty interesting.”

“Oh!” You exclaim. He feels the tension ease in your limbs. Back to trusting again. “That’s kind of neat.”

“Don’t tell anyone about it, okay? I don’t want people to find out. It’s just our little secret.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“I’ll come back at two to get you.” He pushes off from the counter, raking a hand through the dark locks that are just a touch too long.

“Okay.” You sound a bit uncertain. But the deal has been struck. It doesn’t matter if you’re a bit wary.

He’s got you right where he wants you.

***

Dave Miller doesn’t really need the flashlight.

He knows his restaurant by heart, of course; knows the placement of every machine and table and chair and counter. But he has to illuminate the path, for your sake.

You follow close behind him. He has a habit of stopping abruptly and you collide against his spine more than once. You don’t see his feral grin.

He beams the light around so you can see the remains of the pizzeria’s glory: the claw machines and the pinball cases, the partially stocked prize counters and the arcade cabinets.

“What’s behind the curtains?” He sees you looking curiously at the stage.

“Animatronics.”

“Like Chuck E. Cheese?”

Miller scowls. “A superior version. They copied Freddy Fazbear’s.”

“It’s a shame there’s no electricity. I would totally give some of these games a try.”

“Oh, there is. I just have to hit the switch. It’s way in the back near the offices. Are you going to come with me or stay here?”

He sees you hesitate. Perhaps reluctant to stay alone in the dark. Perhaps some sense of self preservation is finally kicking in, making you wary of following a virtual stranger more than two decades older into the recesses of an abandoned restaurant. No one knows you’re here. Anything could happen.

“I’ll come with you.”

Dave grins. “Follow me.”

#william afton x you #william afton x reader #dave miller x reader #dave miller x you #william afton #dave miller #fnaf fanfic

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yuurei20 · 1 year

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Malleus Info Compilation part 4: Malleus and Emotion

Like most of the students Malleus seems to be a very emotional person. Lilia describes him as “upset” and “brimming with jealously” upon seeing Sebek in his ceremonial robes (which Malleus himself has never been able to wear for their intended purpose, as people keep forgetting to invite him to important events).

Malleus himself, however, insists he is not “worked up over it”, as “Humans always avoid me. This is nothing new.”

Malleus explains that “Fairies can be surprisingly stubborn and petty. You’ll find previous few as mild-mannered as myself”, to which Idia responds, “their deadpan humor is totally OP” (Malleus’ form of humor seems to involve a level of sarcasm that rivals even that of Leona).

We see Malleus become legitimately angry at campus visitors during the Halloween event. Lilia restrains him as he insists, “They need to be turned to charcoal!”.

Threats are fairly normal for Malleus, who has voice lines such as “Have you considered that I could use lightning to smite you where you stand?” and “Are you looking at my horns? You’re welcome to touch them…though I can’t guarantee what would happen to you if you did.”

During Firelit Sky Cater explains “Malleus has a playful streak” as he teases Grim by disappearing and reappearing in the street, with Grim trying to get behind him to shade himself from the sun.

Another time we see Malleus look annoyed is when Trey insinuates that an unchaperoned Malleus is a danger to Silk City and when an ice cream vendor teases him with “stretchy ice cream”, though he insists he “was simply impressed with the performance”.

Unlike the other characters Malleus did not meet Grim and the player at the Opening Ceremonies because he did not know they were happening; he was not invited (in homage to Maleficent not being invited to Aurora's christening in Disney's 1959 Sleeping Beauty?).

Malleus will often simply disappear. Despite Lilia’s assurance that “I always know exactly where (Malleus) is”, Lilia seems to have just as much difficulty keeping track of Malleus as Sebek and Silver (whom we see Malleus actively flee away from in Book 3).

When Kalim comments, "I didn't know you could get lost" in the Firelit Sky event, Malleus responds, "But I am not lost, Asim. Rather, those in my entourage have lost sight of me. It's happened quite a lot over the years."

#twstfacts #malleusfacts #twisted wonderland #Malleus Draconia

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daughterofcain-67 · 6 months

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ℳ𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒫𝓊𝓂𝓅𝓀𝒾𝓃 𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒

(Beau Arlen x Female Reader)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: It's finally Autumn and the residents of Montana are excited to celebrate the upcoming holidays, whether its Halloween, Thanksgiving and eventually Christmas. But Beau Arlen wasn’t really thrilled. He wasn’t into the Pumkin Spice season and didn’t really have a reason to celebrate since his divorce. Beau hadn't been to a Fall Festival since before the divorce with his ex and honestly didn't plan on going. But you convince him to live a little, make happier memories while he's here and give him a break from the cases he's a part of. And maybe the both of you may walk through opened doors.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: none! simply fluff with the new Montana sheriff~

Autumn was finally here! You couldn’t have been more excited. You no longer had to worry about the scorching heat of the summer, or the mosquitos that would bug you at night. Now you could finally enjoy the cooler weather, wear your hoodies and cardigans and anything else that was cozy for this time of year. You were so ready for the warm cappuccino and the hot chocolate while snuggling under a blanket to read books or binge your favorite movies.

But the part that you were most excited for was the upcoming Fall Festival! At the festival here in Montana, there were plenty of vendors where people would sell homemade items or foodstuffs. There was games, some rides, and other activities for the kids. There would even be a band and a place where people could dance in the evening, enjoy each other’s company, and there were different fire pits in the night where people could roast marshmallows and make some s’mores. It was nice family fun for everyone and it always got you ready to kick off the Autumn season.

At this particular moment, you had gotten some breakfast treats for the cops in the sheriff’s office and you had gotten some coffee for the new Sheriff in town. You wanted to butter him up for a little proposition you had.

See, you knew he was new in town, and you were made aware through Hoyt that he was divorced. It wasn’t necessarily a good split from what you've heard. You didn’t know how he spent his holidays now, and you wanted him to have fun this holiday season and invite him to the festival! How bad would it be since the two of you would simply go platonically. It's not like either of you were really looking for a relationship anyways.

Plus you needed a break from working in the PI's office and give your brain a rest from the research and tackling different cases for clients. So far it's been predominantly cheating husbands and runaway teens for you.

Coming out from her office, you see Jenny with a smile on her face when she saw you, "Hey! I was just about to swing by your place."

You lifted a brow slightly at her comment, "Um, what for?"

"I kind of needed some advice for a case. But judging by the looks of it, you've got your hands full. Let me help you with that." She smiled and took the box of treats and set them down on one of the tables to the side where some of the officers have been known to put snacks out for everyone once in a while.

"I'd be happy to help, but can I catch you around your lunch break? I kind of needed to talk to Sheriff Arlen for a second." You said and Jenny leaned back a little, raising her brows before she smirked.

"You're asking him to go to the Fall Festival with you, aren't you?" She asked and you looked down at the coffee in your hands.

"It's more of a proposition of two acquaintances trying to find something to do. It's not like it'll be a date." You shrugged, but you knew Jenny would still have that slightly condescending smile on her face, the one that implied she knew better.

Honestly anytime you told Jenny that you were thinking of even talking to Beau, she made you feel like this was some sort of high school suspense drama or something that the kids watch these days where the girl is too shy to talk to the guy or the girl thinks it will never work out. Or something else of that somewhat cringy nature.

You were two adults, you were pretty sure Beau was in his mid forties, you were barely into your thirties. You were trying to be more mature than what Jenny had playing in her mind. Then again she did have a teenaged boy running around so maybe she watched some of those little shows to try and have the conversations stay relevant with her kid. Who knew.

"You know, it's okay to have a crush on a guy even if you aren't a teen anymore. It's not taboo. How do you think divorced people meet other people and re-marry?" Jenny asked and put a hand on her hip and you gave a half smile.

"I think all I can use right now from the Sheriff is a friendship. My divorce from Tristan is still relatively fresh, remember? It's taking a lot for me to even want to ask him to come along. Then there's him and his divorce. And you know how his divorce went better than I do." You reminded her, but you watched her just shrug.

"All I'm saying is don't slam any doors shut when they're barely starting to open up. Keep an open mind and see what happens. I'll catch you later. I'm gonna go see Cassie and see if she can help with the case while you ask Beau out." your friend teased and you playfully rolled her eyes before she walked off.

You walked over to the Sheriff's door and you lifted a hand before knocking on the door. Once you heard him telling you to come in, you opened the door and saw the man you were looking for sitting at his computer screen. His brows narrowed at the screen so much that you could see a wrinkle from how hard he seemed to be focused.

"You think you have time for a coffee break?" You asked and you could tell you broke his train of thought from the way he blinked at the screen before lifting his head up to look at you.

Then you saw that smile that could sweet talk any girl, charm any cop to do what he asked them to do... damned him and his charisma.

"Y/N! What a surprise to see ya. What can I do for ya, Darlin'?"

You swore you needed to find a way to make your heart stop throbbing when he called you Darlin', especially when you knew he called a lot of people different nicknames as a habit he claims he picked up from Texas. He didn't mean anything by it other than just a friendly gesture and you knew it.

"Well, I was in town for breakfast. Turns out I bought too many breakfast items and decided to bring them over here. And I assumed a certain sheriff needed some caffeine." He smiled at what you were saying and let out a chuckle while he turned his chair around so he could get out of it and walk over.

"You're a doll. Thanks." He said and when he went to reach for the coffee, he hesitated before he looked at you, "It's not Pumpkin Spice, is it?"

You laughed and shook your head and handed him the coffee, "No, just the normal way you like it."

He let out a slightly dramatic sigh of relief and he took the coffee before you smirked, "That's not to say I didn't get some pumpkin related treats amongst some other things for breakfast." Beau cringed a little, making you giggle to yourself at his reaction.

"Hey, not everyone's a hater around here when it comes to that sort of thing." You reminded and he shrugged while he took a sip of the coffee, humming with delight.

"Anyway, what have you been up to? I know it's been a while since I've had my hands tied with the past couple of cases lately." He said, but you could understand that he's been busy. You didn't exactly envy him for the workload he had on his plate.

"Just working with Cassie and working on cases wherever I can. Mostly a lot of runaway teens that we just got back to their parents, and paranoid spouses worried about cheating husbands. I just finished up with my last case and we haven't had anymore clients walking in, so it's kind of slow at the moment."

"Man, I wish I had your work load." Beau chuckled and you shook your head.

"No you wouldn't. Guys like you are better off where there's more action. You'd hate how slow it is right now."

"You sayin' I'm the antsy type?" He asked curiously and you shrug.

"I'm saying you'd be happier doing something most of the time rather having longer periods of downtime." You said, "Just from what I've seen from you."

He hummed a little and took another sip of his coffee. You looked over at his desk and saw all the different casefiles scattered about and you bit down on the corner of your lip, wondering if you should even suggest taking him away from work.

"Hey uh... I know you have a lot on your plate right now. But I was wondering if you wanted to go to the festival tomorrow? Given you have a little less going on." You said and he looked at you confused.

"Festival?"

"Yeah, the Fall Festival's everyone's been getting ready for. It'll be a lot of fun and it gets you out of the office for a while."

Beau looked down at you. Jenny had mentioned something to him about the Fall Festival but since Carla left with Emily, he hadn't really celebrated any holidays. He didn't really have a reason to since Emily preferred holidays with her mom and step family. He tried to celebrate the first couple of years after the divorce but it wasn't the same and he didn't see a point in it anymore.

"Actually I think it'd be better if I stayed here, Darlin'. This work ain't gonna finish itself and I'd rather be ahead of the game." He said.

"Let me rephrase that..." He heard you trail off and he saw that certain look of determination in your eye. He's seen it when you were dead set on completing a case or laser focused on doing something. Hoyt said you had your stubborn moments even if they were sometimes few and far between.

"For the sake of your brain, you know, not exploding from the information overload on your abundance of cases, you and I are going as friends to the Fall Festival and you and I are going to have fun. Gets us both out of the offices and out of the house. Plus it gives you some new memories to make while you're here."

Beau couldn't help but grin at you, "For the sake of my brain, huh? How nice of you to consider my sanity." He chuckled before he tilted his head for a moment, "What time am I picking you up?"

He watched as a grin formed on your lips and he couldn't bring himself to saying no to a smile like yours, "How's ten sound?"

"I'll grab ya by ten then." He promised and your grin went to a full smile.

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow morning. Don't get into too much trouble before then." You told him and he smiled as he watched you leave the office.

Maybe you were right about getting out of the office for a bit. It couldn't hurt that much and he could give his cases a break for some time. It was sweet of you to invite him along but he wondered how hard it was for you to ask him.

Unbeknownst to you, Jenny told him you were divorced as well. Yours was only about eight months ago and Jenny told him that you buried yourself in as much work as you could in the beginning of it but Hoyt convinced you to kind of ease up successfully about a month ago. Although you didn't really go out much with other people the whole time. From what he understood, this was the first time you really invited anybody to go out and do something with you like coming to the festival.

Maybe you needed this just as much as he did even if he didn't want to admit it.

He couldn't help but wonder how bad your split was, but he was pretty confident that you wouldn't want to sit and compare notes with him about ex's.

All he needed to remember was what time he needed to pick you up for this thing.

The next evening came around and it was already close ten. You were sitting on the couch in your living room while you waited for Beau to pick you up to go to the Festival. You honestly hoped that you'd have fun with this thing. Honestly you were shocked at yourself for even following through with inviting him.

You could hear Beau's truck pulling up and you got up before grabbing your belongings you wanted to take with you. You heard your phone go off with whatever sound you had that would alert you when you had a text. When you grabbed your phone from your pocket you saw that Beau messaged you.

BA: I'm here Darlin

You grinned, putting the phone back in your pocket before you started making your way outside. There, you saw the familiar grey truck and Beau waved at you from the driver's seat.

You grinned and waved back before walking over and you opened the door and sat in the seat.

"Hey." You grinned and he smiled, returning the little greeting.

"So are you ready for the festival?" You asked, buckling up.

"I'm more ready than I think I'll ever be." He insisted, "It's just been a while since I've been to one of these things."

"It's been a while for me too. I haven't been to any kind of festival since I got married. He wasn't really into that kind of thing." You said, placing your little bag down on the floor board, "But anyway, I think my favorite part of the festivals are the vendors. I would do a lot of Christmas shopping early and the vendors had cute little gifts I'd get."

"Yeah, those little vendor tables do have neat little goods don't they?"

"Yeah. And then there's the snacks people come up with too! Some of my favorites when I used to come to this festival was caramel apple ice cream." You said, starting to get excited to come to one of these things again. Honestly even when you were married you should have come to these things even if Tristan didn't like to come.

"That sounds pretty good actually. But ice cream when it's cold?" You could hear Beau questioning your logic a little and you shrugged.

"Sometimes I like cold desserts even when it's cold outside. But then in the times where I don't really want something cold, I loved their cinnamon apple fudge. I had never heard of anything like that but the vendor that year made it taste really good. And I tried a pumpkin pie flavored piece of fudge and that was really good too."

"You guys really go all out here for Autumn don't you?"

"Wait until you actually pull up. I've just talked about little gifts and desserts. It's way better than it sounds." You smiled and you watched a grin begin to form on his face.

After a few minutes you and Beau finally made it to the fair grounds.

When the two of you got out of the truck and made your way to the entrance, Beau's eyes widened. From the looks of it, this was about the size of some sort of city fair. There looked like there were even rides he didn't expect to see and he saw some kids playing some mini games like cornhole while some other kids were playing with horse shoes.

"Wow... You weren't kidding. This place has a ton goin' on." He admitted as he walked beside you.

He hadn't been to something like this in so long that he had forgotten what to initially expect but he had to admit, this did look like fun. Definitely worth stepping away from the office for a while.

"See? I told you it'd be fun." He could practically hear the smirk in your voice and he smirked as the two of you continued to walk together.

From that point on, he basically let you drag him wherever you wanted to go as you showed him around. You convinced him to try some caramel apple fudge. Of course he was a bit skeptical of that kind of flavor but it beat the ice cream, it was way too cold for something like that.

Then some of the rides caught his eye and he saw one that he hadn't gone on since he was in his twenties. It was a pendulum swing and he heard a mixture of laughter along with screams from some girls probably mad at their boyfriends for taking them on that ride. Then he looked at you.

"Why don't we go on that ride?" He asked you, and when you looked at what he was motioning to, you got a little hesitant.

"Are you sure?" You asked and he chuckled.

"What? A spinning swing too scary for the PI? Besides, if you made me try that fudge, I get to take you on a ride." He teased, getting a kick out of messing with you a little.

"What? No! Of course it's not too scary. You've got a deal." You said and he watched you walk over to that line, making him chuckle before he started following after you.

You two waited in the line and he watched the way you were looking up at the ride, watching the way that it would swing back and forth. He couldn't help but wonder what you were thinking about. Whatever it was, you seemed a little deep in it.

But before either of you knew it, it was your turn to board the ride.

When you went onto the ride you and Beau found some spots that were next to each other. You could feel your heart racing in your chest.

Honestly? You didn't think you'd be riding something like this while in your thirties. But you had to admit, stuff like this was bringing back a memory or two. They were bittersweet, but you were trying not to remember the last time you were on one of these. So now you were making new memories and you were happy about that.

Once you were secure in your little spot, you took in a deep breath. A part of you did get a little nervous about these things when you were a kid with the speed and heights of stuff like this, but you supposed it was a little amplified because it had been so long.

Then, the ride started.

The swinging began and you could begin to feel the wind in your hair, then when you felt the ride start to spin around mixed with the swinging, you could feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins. And after a few minutes the ride was finally over.

When it came to a stop and you were unbuckled, you could still feel some leftover adrenaline and you were laughing to yourself as you looked up at Beau who was smiling at you after he was finished unbuckling himself.

"I guess I was wrong. Not to scary for you after all." He chuckled and you smiled.

The day went on and you two practically killed most of the day and into the early evening. You could hear some local band beginning to play and when you and Beau walked over to some table to give yourselves a break from walking.

"Beau! Y/N!"

You looked in the direction you could hear the voice coming from and you saw Jenny walking over with Cassie and Denise.

"Well look who joined the party!” You grinned as you got up and hugged all of them.

“So you convinced the good ole sheriff to come out and about, huh?” Denise asked with a playful grin.

“Well I wouldn’t say convince. More like friendly force. She brought coffee so I couldn’t complain too much.” You could hear Beau reply and you chuckled.

You and Beau slid on your benches so the other three ladies would have some place to sit.

“How how long have you guys been out here?” Cassie asked you and you smiled.

“Well since this is Beau’s first Fall Festival here, I thought we should get sort of an early start so he picked me up around ten this mornin.’” You answered.

“Wow, so you’ve been out and about all day, huh?”

“Yeah but it’s been fun. Never in a million years did I think I’d try anything that wasn’t normal fudge. I don’t know if I’d get something like that again.” Beau laughed.

"We've spent most of the day riding on different rides and looking at some of the vendors for some Christmas gift ideas." You spoke.

"Christmas? Already? It's barely the end of October!" Jenny said with a chuckle but you grinned.

"It's never too early to star looking at gift ideas."

"You must be some kind of over achiever. I just wait 'til the last minute. How Tristan cheated on somebody like you, I'll never know." Cassie said and you went quiet.

Beau heard the way you seemed to go silent and watched Hoyt lightly smack Cassie's arm just for Cassie to start rambling.

"Sorry, I just meant that you're great and that he just-"

"No, it's okay, Cassie. You didn't mean anything by it." Beau watched you look at the other girl and smile. But he could tell it wasn't that genuine smile he'd seen you wear earlier that day.

"Well... It's getting kind of chilly. I'm gonna go grab some coffee or cider or something." You said and Beau watched you get up and grab your bag before going to one of the trucks you guys passed.

He tucked his bottom lip between his teeth, wondering if he should go after you. Once he decided to go and check on you, he excused himself. He started looking for you, which didn't take too long for him to do and luckily the line for the coffee was short.

By the time he got to you, you already had your cup and you were sipping from it. That same look you had when the both of you were in line for the first ride was on your face again, but this time you looked a little sad.

As he made his way towards you, he reached out and placed a gently hand on your upper back since he came up from behind. He saw you look up at him before suddenly looking away and start to wipe your eyes.

"You alright, Darlin?" He asked.

"Yeah, coffee was a little hotter than I thought and burned my mouth is all." Unfortunately, even with hot coffee, Beau didn't think your pain tolerance was low enough for you to tear up from a burnt mouth.

He pulled you to the side so you two wouldn't be in the way of people getting their drinks, then he wrapped his arms around your smaller figure. Then he placed his head on the top of your own.

"I don't know how bad things were with you and that Tristan guy, and I won't ask. But I know it probably took a lot for you to ask me to come along with you to this thing. And it's good for both of us." He said softly.

"You told me yesterday that besides getting out of our offices, this would be a good time to make new memories. And that's exactly what we've done today, right?" He asked.

There was a couple of seconds of silence before Beau heard you speak again.

"Yeah.. it was pretty funny watching you eat that fudge and see your reaction to it." You said and he smiled before he lifted his head and looked down at you, seeing you start to grin again.

"Hey, it's not my fault they used a little too much sour apple flavoring." He said and he grinned when he heard you start to laugh.

"Come on.. Let's get out of here. I know the perfect place for us to go and end tonight on a good note." He promised.

The next thing you knew, Beau was taking you in his truck to some back roads. You could tell he was getting more comfortable around these roads. Maybe that was from some of the rides he’d take with Cassie or Jenny to help them with their cases.

Either way, he ended up taking you through the back roads to the top of some cliff side that used to be part of an old hiking trail. There was an opened area, the sky was clear and you could see the stars. You smiled to yourself as you looked out the passenger window but eventually the truck came to a stop.

You heard Beau’s door opening and you started to unbuckle. Then Beau came to your side and opened up the door for you. You thanked him and got out of the truck.

When the two of you were out of the truck, you watched Beau open up the door to the bed of his truck. You watched him hop up into the bed then he offered a hand to for you to take. Once you made it into the bed, you watched Beau open up the toolbox attached to the back and you tilted your head when he pulled out some blankets.

“Do you always have those back there just ready to go?” You asked him with a smile and he grinned.

“A good boy scout is always prepared, right?” You could hear the sheriff and you smiled. Then you helped him get the blankets laid out before the both of you sat down and got comfortable. Then there was another blanket Beau set aside and the two of you got beneath the blanket.

Once the both of you were settled, you looked up at the stars and started to think. This had been the most fun you’ve had in a while. You felt happier that day than you had in the past several months since the divorce.

“Thank you… for coming with me today. You were right. It did take a lot for me to ask you to come. It took a lot for me to even want to come to this thing anyway.” You said.

“Thanks for havin’ me come along, Sweetheart.” He said and he could tell you wanted to open up about something, but he wasn’t sure if you knew where to begin.

“When… When I split up with Emily’s mom, it wasn’t easy. It was even harder when Emily chose to go with Carla, but I can’t get mad at her. That’s her mom. It didn’t help when Carla went and got married to Avery.” He began, hoping you get a little more comfortable if he talked first.

“I used to celebrate some holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas with it just bein’ me and some buddies before I stopped. Haven’t really had much of a reason to go out and go to festivals and what not. The last time I’ve even gone to one was when Emily was a lot younger, Carla and I were in a better spot then but that was that Thanksgiving and Christmas were the last holidays we spent that were happier.”

“Splits are never easy. But like breakups, they get easier after some time. The feeling’s never completely gone, but it’s easier to cope after a while. Putting yourself out there and making yourself go out to places like this, it’s a step in the right direction.”

When he finished talking, he felt you put your head on his shoulder. It wasn’t exactly what he expected you to do, but he was glad that you were a little more comfortable. Then he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you a little closer. Then he heard you starting to speak.

“Tristan… He was the love of my life. Or so I thought.” He heard you begin.

“I met him when I was in high school. We weren’t high school sweethearts, he had a bit of a roaming eye and I wasn’t his type at the time. But by the time I graduated college I ran into Tristan again. We hit it off pretty well and we got married when I was about 26. Unfortunately the honeymoon phase didn’t last a long time. The first two years were great, then the next few were rocky. Then the last few… It was pretty much like Hell. We couldn’t go a day without fighting. Then I found out he was on some dating websites. That lead into a really big argument and we agreed to try counseling. I thought the counseling was working and the last couple of months were happier.” He felt you get a little tense and he moved his arm along your upper back to try and help you relax.

“The last time I came to something like this was with Tristan. He wasn’t really into riding rides like we did today. I went to one of the rides by myself and when I came back from one of them, I saw him with some other girl. I didn’t know if they knew each other, or if he just picked up some random girl. But I caught them making out and that was when I had enough and wanted a divorce.” He heard you continue and he frowned a little.

“I know making out isn’t going all the way and having sex with another person, but to me it’s still the same thing. It’s the morality of it you know?” You continued and he could understand where you were coming from.

“Is that why you were lost in thought when we were in line for that ride?” He asked and felt you nod against his shoulder.

“Yeah… Just brought back some. Bittersweet memories I guess.” You said before you looked at him, and Beau thought his heart was about to stop on him.

“But I guess old memories can be overpowered with new ones, right?” You smiled and so did he.

“Well, I’ll tell you what.. I know Halloween is comin’ up and I know I’ll be busy that night but if you don’t have any Thanksgiving plans, maybe the two of us can do a little something to get us out of this muck we’ve been in.” He suggested and he watched the way your eyes seemed to light up at the idea.

“Yeah, I’d really like that, Beau. Maybe we can do something like that around Christmas time if you don’t have any other plans.” Now it was Beau’s turn to smile.

“Sounds like you’ve got my holidays booked this year. Sounds good to me.” He said and he pulled you a little closer to his side. When your head when back on his shoulder again, he turned and kissed your crown lightly as the two of you looked back up at the sky once more.

“Not bad for a Montana festival.” Beau said with a teasing tone, “Not quite like Texas, but it’ll do in a pinch.”

“Oh? Well maybe I’ll have to go down and visit just to see how their little fairs are.” You replied and gave him a little nudge.

“Oh, Darlin’, There’s nothin’ little about Texas.”

“Oh really? Does that go for you too?” You asked with a smirk and he looked down at you only to let out a deep chuckle.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

You chuckled at the fact that Beau was playing along but you didn’t think anything would come from this. You couldn’t deny that you would have loved something to develop with the good looking sheriff but you had to stick with what you told Jenny. What you needed was just a friend right now.

You looked up at Beau who was looking up at the stars again. His eyes seemed to sparkle with the moonlight. You leaned over and softly kissed his cheek. When you looked at him, you saw him shift his gaze towards you.

Then, he leaned down and you could feel the warmth of his lips and the tickling from his beard against your mouth. You could taste the coffee on his mouth since he bought himself one before you both left the festival. He smelled like warm cinnamon and some sort of wood like he preferred campfires.

You relaxed against him and began to kiss him back, his hand slowly moved to your hip as you shifted. But when your lips parted, both your foreheads touched.

“And I thought all you needed was a friend.” You breathed out and you could tell he was smirking.

“Well, there’s always Jenny, Cassie and Denise that are the friends. But… is there something wrong with something happening with the both of us?” He asked you.

“Well… On one condition.”

“And what’s that, Darlin?’”

“You can’t make fun of me if I’ve got some pumpkin spice paraphernalia in my fridge.”

“See, that’s half the fun, Sweetheart.” You laughed and rolled your eyes at the remark.

“Okay, only if you try some of the creamer in your coffee, just to say you tried it.”

“Ugh, alright.” You could hear the annoyance in Beau’s voice and you chuckled.

“I’m joking.” You reassured and took one of his hands.

“But I think you’re right. I don’t think it would hurt if something hypothetically happened.” You said and he gave your hands a gentle squeeze.

“I think… this could be a good adventure for us.” He said and you leaned in to kiss him again.

So what if you kind of jumped the gun. Jenny said not to shut the door when it’s barely been opened. But you were pretty sure that this door was opening up more and making a way for new possibilities for you. Beau seemed really sweet and ever since he came to Montana, things have been happier for you.

So… on to a new adventure!

Thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoyed! No matter what stage in life you’re in, there’s always a chance for a new adventure! Life has many doors that can be opened, don’t be afraid to walk through 💕💕💕

Tag List:

@roseblue373 @deans-spinster-witch @posiemax @deanwinchestersgirl87 @impala67rollingthroughtown

#jensen ackles #jensen ackles imagine #big sky #beau arlen x you #beau arlen x reader #beau arlen #jensen ackles x reader #jensen x reader #beau arlen x female reader

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vvolfy · 1 year

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The brothers + MC at the mall (in the human world)

Lol, these hc’s were also brainstormed by @absoluteyeet and @stardustursa

American malls, for the win LOL

Divider credits to @rubystarraven (if its not okay I can take them down they’re just super cute!)

Lucifer:

Would spoil MC without hesitation, and especially of the risque variety.

Reluctant to tag along because he would have to babysit his brothers (as usual)

Would visit stores that specialize in formal wear, (appearances matter), expensive colognes.

MC drags him into Bath & Body Works, but he doesn’t stay for more than 5 minutes before he loses his sense of smell and develops a headache.

The type to stand outside of stores with his arms crossed, only to say he isn’t rushing anyone. (he is)

He’s like a cranky old man. From complaining about the malls music choice to criticizing anyone that passes him.

Any food vendors that sell fine chocolate would pique his interest.

100% avoids mall vendors. You want to fix his D.D.D? Too bad so sad. Mammon already scams him. He doesn’t need another.

Bookstores (Barnes & Noble) would be his go-to.

As would antique shops. Those are his favorite.

Would be the first to leave the mall. Honks at the rest to hurry up.

A MC plushie from Build A Bear would perk him up, I think.

Mammon:

Has a coin purse, despite being broke. Lucifer takes it and hits him with it when he makes bad choices.

Obviously cannot be left unattended. (Do your job MC)

Spoils MC unconditionally after stealing Goldie back. (Spoils himself as well.)

The type to haggle prices.

Has been kicked out of most stores for haggling/stealing.

Food? Yeah. Like everything else, it goes on Lucifers tab please.

Resorts to stealing and gets caught.

Tries to steal cologne from Bath & Body Works while MC is shopping, only to spray himself in the eyes.

Makes MC at Build A Bear, makes MC pay for it.

Leviathan:

Only tagged along to go to Gamestop, Hot Topic, Spencers, and for the Asian food vendors. Otherwise he is being forced to go. Send help.

On his phone and switch the whole time, headphones on full blast. (He’s a pro at playing and walking.)

“I guess I’ll h-hold your hand MC. N-Not that I like you o-or anything-- y-you’re just so n-needy you’ll hold a filthy Otakus h-hand--”

“Can we go now?”

Talks MC’s ear off at his favorite stores. (Always listening ofc)

Due to sensory reasons, he avoids Bath & Body Works, though he’ll wait outside for MC.

Loves stim toys. Walks out of Hot Topic with a bag full of em.

You can find him at the arcade! Claw machines are his favorites!

He would share Dippin’ Dots with MC.

Would go to the pet shop to see fish and snakes ofc

Would go to Barnes & Noble for the mangas, duh

He would spoil MC in his own way. “It’s not like I l-love you or anything! I just didn’t want y-you to feel left out! Ugh!”

I think he would love Build A Bear. He would so build Lotan and Henry, and carry them everywhere. He would also love a plushie of MC.

Satan:

In this for Barnes & Noble or any bookstore really.

Actively avoids the others. (Except for MC)

Loves the cafe in B&N, would eat croissants with the blackest coffee while reading.

Lucifer physically curses Satan to follow him if he doesn’t leave w/ them.

Accompanies MC where ever they go/want to go. (Spoils them too.)

Would stop at the pet store to see the cats. Expect him to be there for a long while. Cats > you.

Stops at Bath & Body Works for warm scented candles.

Like Levi, Satan would LOVE stim toys.

Starbucks 100%

Would go to the movies with MC to watch movie adaptions of books.

The last to leave the mall, by closing time. Lucifer is angry.

Leaves with like, 50 new books.

Loves a cat plushie from Build a Bear, though a MC plushie would be better.

Asmodeus:

Would live in a mall for eternity if he could.

Takes his sweet time in every single store.

Manipulates a few human lackeys to carry his and MC’s bags. If he can’t find anyone, then Beel would suffice.

Takes MC to Sephora or Ulta to spice up their vanity wardrobe.

Would definitely take MC to Spencers for the risque stuff. ;)))

Bath & Body Works spree. (He has a huge collection of their products, duh.)

Would make MC at Build a Bear 100%, along with a bear of himself. (Rose bear for him!!!)

Wouldn’t splurge at the food court tbh, he doesn’t want to get dirty.

Would be the one to help MC choose fashionable clothing. (Lingerie, etc)

Though he does his own nails, I think he would still go to the salon w/ MC to both get their nails done. Mani/pedis, duh.

The type to try every. single. beauty. sample. in existence.

If you thought Mammon was a heavy spender... lol

Beelzebub:

“Hey MC, I’m hungry.”

Pulls MC to every food vendor until they flood a table with various snacks and food (Onlookers are shocked)

He would carry MC’s bags to exercise so long as MC feeds them.

His way of spoiling MC would be sharing his food, but I think he’d also buy MC stuff, like what he sees them taking an interest in, you know?

Would definitely hit the gym or martial arts training, whatever available in the mall at the time.

For additional exercise, carry both Asmodeus and his bags.

Would mistake soaps and candles at Bath & Body Works for food. Lord help us.

Better dip with Mammon before Lucifer kills the three of you for embarrassing him. (And that shoplifting charge)

Carries MC anytime they say their tired, or when MC wants a piggy back ride lol

Would love any food related plushie MC gets him, though he eats it because it looks too realistic.

Frequently checks on Belphegor who decides to sleep on a massage chair.

Helps MC reach the taller shelves.

Belphegor:

Tired Edge Lord(TM) didn’t want to go until he was yoinked into Spencers by MC. More face jewelry for him. Plus some quality time with MC is always best. (Works at Hot Topic too)

Finds a massage chair, falls asleep instantly.

(If) Lucifer manages to get him out of the chair, it’s a team lift.

Will wake up to MC or food, or both. Both are nice.

If he’s awake enough he would love it if MC shared their Dippin’ Dots with him.

If he has enough energy he would gladly hold MC’s hand as they walk together.

He would definitely be a candle man, and would love the soft scent candles Bath & Body Works sells.

Would love Build A Bear like the others. Cow plushies, and a plushie of MC are ideal to snuggle with.

Loves stim toys like Levi and Satan do.

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the-wraiths-wife · 8 months

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I write a fanfiction about Kaz having a sister in Wattpad, named Adjala Brekker. And I just got the craziest idea. Kaz is always the baby sitter for Adjala's kids so why not write headcannons?

So I just made a few headcannons about Kaz babysitting his niece Jordan, and his two nephews Johannes and Kaz jr.

( Everytime you see a mom approved, it means the kids' mother approves of the activity )

1. "Uncle Kaz's House of Schemes": Kaz turns babysitting into a series of elaborate games and puzzles for the kids. It's like a mini heist every time they visit, complete with clues and riddles to keep them entertained. (Mum approved)

2. Kaz's version of "nap time" is "quiet planning time": When it's time for the kids to take a nap, Kaz uses this opportunity to quietly plan his next big scheme. He's convinced they're the perfect cover for his brainstorming sessions. (Mum approved)

3. Candy heist training: Kaz teaches the kids the fine art of candy heists, complete with disguises, diversion tactics, and a secret candy stash. They're the most resourceful trick-or-treaters in Ketterdam. (Mum not approved)

4. The "Ingenious Bedtime Routine": Kaz has a knack for getting kids to bed without fuss. His secret? He tells them thrilling stories about his heists until they're too excited to stay awake. (Mum approved)

5. Tiny suits and dresses: Kaz insists that the kids wear tiny suits and dresses, just like him, when they go out together. It's a comical sight seeing them dressed as miniature versions of him. (Hehe definitely mum approved)

6. Teaching the art of negotiation: Kaz imparts his negotiating skills to the kids, coaching them on how to haggle with street vendors for the best deals on toys and treats. They quickly become savvy little traders. They negotiate with daddy alot too, and their daddy always falls for this (Their dad hates this, so mum approved)

7. The "Kaz Jr. Inheritance Fund": Kaz secretly sets up a savings account for each of the kids, earmarking it as their "inheritance." He insists they learn about managing their finances from an early age. (Uncle Jes and Mumma approved)

8. "The Kaz Bunker" (my fav) : In the event of a "Kaz-sized emergency," he's built a secret bunker (a well-fortified blanket fort) in the living room. It's the perfect hiding spot for epic pillow fights and strategizing. (There's photo evidence -Inej) [mum approved - Kaz's sister]

9. Poker night (ft. Uncle jes, Daddy and uncle Wy) : Kaz introduces the kids to poker night, using candies as chips. It's all in good fun until Jesper's uncanny ability to bluff leaves Kaz Jr and Johannes with an empty stash of candy, while Jordie has a whole lot to herself. Wylan always gives his candy to Kaz jr in the end. Elijah (the kids' dad) sits their and sticks his tongue out to his brother in-law whenever he wins, only to me met by the Lethal Brekker sibling glower. (The mother doesn't aprove of this, their dad does tho)

10. Lessons in lockpicking (childproof, of course): Kaz teaches the kids the basics of lockpicking, with a set of child-friendly locks and tools. They think it's just a game, but it's secretly a life skill. (The parents don't aprove since candy is always being stolen from the kitchen)

11. Kaz and naps : when the kids' parents get back from date night of smth, they see uncle Kaz and the kids in the Kaz Bunker fort, or all of them on the ground, surrounded my toys and Kaz is laying flat on his stomach and Kaz jr is snoozing on top of him and Jordan and Johannes are snoozing in the corner. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how the bastard of the barrel gets his sleep. (Inej has photo evidence) [Daddy and mumma approved]

12: Lifeskills (ft. Uncle Matty, aunty 'nej and aunty Ninny) : so Kaz gets his gang together to preach Lifeskills to his nephews and niece. Uncle Matty adores the mini demjins. Aunty 'nej takes them in sea trips (Aunty ninny brings the snacks) [ pappa and mumma approved]

13. Shark stare classes 101: in which Kaz teaches his little trainees the signature bombastic side eye and shark like stare, along with the lethal Brekker glower, which always has the kids' dad running for the HILLS, cuz they look like his scary wife and terrifying brother in law. (Daddy and Mumma approved ladies and gentlemen)

A fanfic for this :

I'm tagging a few of the biggest SoC enthusiasts I know : @she-posts-nerdy-stuff @ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes @marsconer

#incorrect six of crows #six of crows #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #nina zenik #kanej #wylan van eck #shadow and bone #grishaverse #kazbrekker #headcanon #kaz BUNKER #wesper #matthias lives #divine violence #Adjala Brekker

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telomeke-bbs · 8 months

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BAD BUDDY'S BASEBALL MOM – ROOFTOP RUGBY WITH LUCY IN THE SKY… OR ON A BASEBALL DIAMOND?

One of the most mystifying aspects of Bad Buddy was the decision to have Pat wear the now-iconic Baseball Mom tee for the Epic Rooftop Kiss at the end of Episode 5.

It's so utterly incongruous with the drama onscreen. The scene was a pivotal moment for the narrative, with Pat's big coming out to Pran followed by the very steamy demonstration of mutual emotions, after episodes of unending turbulence around where they stood with each other. And The Kiss they delivered was so stupendous, it rocked the Internet to its very foundations.

And for that hugely important moment, Director Aof decided Pat should wear – a big woman's t-shirt more associated with loud, overzealous American moms cheering on their kids at Little League baseball? 👀

At first I thought production simply wanted something open and sporty for Pat, to contrast with Pran being all covered up (mirroring their states of mind – Pat actively seeking to confess his feelings on the rooftop, Pran all closed-off and repressed). That line of thinking was definitely behind a lot of Pat and Pran's outfits, and I assumed they just used a random tee and cut off its sleeves for this.

But in retrospect this seems altogether too blasé an approach, especially since we can see how purposeful the wardrobe decisions were throughout the rest of the series. (The Soon Vijarn Recap video for BBS Ep.5 also makes it very clear Director Aof was closely involved in wardrobe selection, choosing all the outfits for their appropriateness to the narrative – see this link here, at timestamp 23.24.)

(above) The Soon Vijarn Recap video for BBS Ep.5 timestamp 23.49

The examples of the wardrobe reflecting the characters' inner states are copious. Pran's emotional journey in the first half of BBS – learning to open up, getting his feelings returned, and falling into a relationship – was mirrored by his sartorial journey, and he went from all colorless and buttoned-up to a wardrobe filled with more relaxed, expressive and colorful outfits when out in public:

(above) Pran all buttoned-up in his early whites (Ep.2 [1I4] 1.56, Ep.3 [1I4] 12.40 and Ep.5 [1I4] 6.03)

(above) A selection of Pran's more relaxed and colorful sweaters that he wore outside later in the series (Ep.7 [3I4] 2.52, Ep.10 [3I4] 0.26, Ep.12 [3I4] 6.36 and Ep.12 [4/4] 10.14)

Loud extrovert Pat on the other hand was decked out almost from the beginning in bright prints and wacky t-shirts (with some rivaling Baseball Mom in wackiness), all the better to broadcast his outgoing character and personality:

(above) A selection of Pat's bright and wacky tops (Ep.2 [2/4] 5.03, Ep.6 [3I4] 4.37, Ep.8 [2/4] 8.30 and Ep.10 [1I4] 4.52)

The mystery deepened further when the fandom tracked down the maker of Baseball Mom – it looks like a small, possibly home-based business in the US, and the t-shirt is part of a line, one of several related tops (see this link here). It simply wasn't a random tee from some small Bangkok shop (unless the vendor had gotten it secondhand off some American tourist, and was re-selling it locally). This looks like a t-shirt that was specifically procured for the show (possibly even sourced from overseas), rendered sleeveless with low-cut armholes to echo the openness of Pat's personality, and then put on Ohm with absolute intent.

But why?

I'm convinced that there is an element of subversion about this (not the least because the t-shirt undercuts the heavy drama of the scene so drastically). @ranchthoughts has already pointed out in this write-up linked here that the feminine Mom is an allusion to the subversion of gender roles embodied by Pat's character, and I very much agree. It's also possible that this particular tee was chosen because the baseball standing in for (and thus somewhat obscuring) the letter 'O' in the word Mom kind of makes the word call out to M🤍M or MLM. (And here's an afterthought that occured to me watching Only Friends and the promo trailer for My Golden Blood – the baseball bat is also visual shorthand for the emotional violence that Pat and Pran wreak upon their relationship when each figuratively beats up on the other – and on himself too – while acting out their strange, rambunctious relationship as enemies who are secret friends and later lovers.)

But I also do think that there's still more to Baseball Mom than the above, and this particular train of thought was triggered by an Ask from @pandasmagorica about Ep.5's rooftop scene (linked here).

I now think we can piece together a reason for Baseball Mom on the rooftop, but it's only fair to signal that this wackiest of wardrobe choices is getting possibly the wackiest of explanations (and it's a doozy).

Now what @pandasmagorica's Ask triggered for me was the realization that Pat's directness on the rooftop was actually almost the complete opposite of something that he'd been doing very often, right up until Episode 5 – and that was his propensity to torment Pran with the bait-and-switch.

Time and again, Pat would reach out with the offer of something precious to Pran – a smile, a kind word, a tender moment, a suggestion of intimacy – but then quite suddenly he would subvert the situation and switch out the proffered affection with something wholly discomfiting, crushing hopeful Pran's expectations.

There are several examples:

During their childhood, Pat returned Pran's watch after Pran saved Pa from drowning (Ep.1 [4/4] 9.46), signaling the start of his friendship with the lonely little boy next door – only to impose the caveat "But…don’t talk to me in front of people. They might think we're buddies."

That (almost shirtless) bedside conversation at the end of Ep.4 (beginning at Ep.4 [4/4] 10.43), when Pat kept bombarding poor Pran with personal, leading questions, half-begged to be allowed to share his bed and cuddle, before shattering his neighbor's heart by declaring that it was Ink whom he liked romantically.

Tending to Pran’s injured shoulder at Ep.4 [3I4] 7.07, before suggesting he only wanted Pran to recover so that they could compete in rugby again;

Returning Pran’s long-lost guitar to him, then ruining the tenderness of the moment with “I just like to see your face… when you lose” (Ep.3 [4/4] 10.30).

And with Pran deep in his feelings for Pat, the constant intimations of closeness and deeper feelings, shell-gamed away at the last minute, must have been soul-crushing for our poor yearning boy. (This is also what the lyrics of Pran's theme – Just Friend? – are all about, e.g., "I can’t make sense of what you’ve done"/"Are we just friends or are we more?"/"If you don’t mean it, don’t act that way".)

No wonder Pran was trying so hard to keep a distance from the cheerful boy next door, who was always invading his personal space (after having taken over his heart). So much so that Pran on the rooftop was expecting more of the same, which explains his blunt statement "Pat, you've got to stop doing this to me. We are not a thing" in response to Pat telling him that it hurt to see the song they co-wrote in high school played with someone else.

Pran saw this as more of Pat's teasing games, but irony of ironies Pat was being totally serious this time. And yet, even on the rooftop in Ep.5, Pat did a version of the bait-and-switch one more time, but with the polarity reversed for once – he listed all the ways Pran's exile should have brought him joy, only to end with "It was so depressingly lonely for me." 😢

I think Pat learnt early on that this is what you do to your loved ones – because there's actually an example of Ming doing something similar to his son at Ep.8 [2/4] 16.12. Helping to wash Pat's car, he quietly allowed his son to natter on about his day with fibs about rugby practice, before landing a sledgehammer blow saying "When did I teach you to lie?" at Ep.8 [2/4] 16.41. This was an ambush, intended to take Pat by surprise and inflict the maximum amount of damage – and judging by Pat's despondent moping after, Ming certainly succeeded.

But it's not only Pat doing this to Pran, or Ming doing this to Pat, that we see in BBS. Director Aof and his writers actually littered the narrative with other examples of the set-up and switch-out as well, doing it to us the viewers:

Pat may have started out Ep.1 a ruffian, but then we saw that he was really a cheery big kid who needed his popsicles and cuddles from Nong Nao for comfort (Ep.1 [4/4] 8.37 and Ep.2 [1I4] 1.36).

Ink was introduced as a demure girl from the north (remembering that northern Thailand is seen as close to the birthplace of Thai culture) in Ep.4 [1I4] 7.41; then she tripped and let out a curse word at Ep.4 [1I4] 8.01.

Pa's glow-up at Ep.7 [1I4] and subsequent story arc subverted her initial (albeit not very successful) portrayal as the frumpy kid sister with no life and no agency as a character.

BBS placed the emotional burden of Episodes 1 to 4 solely on Pran's pining shoulders, and then suddenly whipped it away in Ep.5 and dumped it squarely on Pat (kudos to Ohm, who gamely played Pat as a shining object of affection for the first third of BBS, before showing us that Junior Jindapat was so much more than a lovable, empty vessel himbo, and was instead someone who actually did possess an inner life that he could access).

And perhaps the biggest BBS bait-and-switch of all – Pran's unrequited love for inaccessible Pat turns out to be requited after all, but then without warning it's Pran who spins out of reach on the rooftop.

Looking at BL as a genre, the bait-and-switch is sometimes employed as a storytelling device to provide an unexpected dramatic twist (though whether or not it satisfies is debatable). For example there is the trap set for Lhong in TharnType, the aloof ice prince Sarawat turning out to have been carrying a torch for Tine in 2gether, and Nubsib's reveal in Lovely Writer as someone who also shared a past with Gene.

And if you think about it, all of Bad Buddy itself was kind of one big bait-and-switch as well. They set it up so that – at the start – it looked like the series would be shaping up into a run-of-the-mill, formulaic romance. The roadmap was laid out quite clearly – enemies to lovers, Romeo and Juliet or Kwan and Riam but the BL version thank you very much, star-crossed and kept apart by their warring families.

So we were expecting BBS to follow the usual romcom beats and rhythms, delivering the standard tropes, with the main storyline about how the enemies would fall in love against the odds, then find a way to beat the odds and stay together, or fall victim to it and be forever driven apart.

Except that Director Aof and his team pulled the rug out from under us time and time again, after setting this all up. The idea that Pat and Pran were enemies got turned on its head (they'd been secret friends since childhood). The process of falling in love didn't follow conventional beats at all – Pran was already in love, while Pat was… possibly already beset by emotions, just getting them all mixed up and projecting them onto Ink.

Instead of showing us the main couple falling for each other over the course of 12 episodes, this was firmly established by the end of Episode 5. Instead of their families being the primary conflict driving them apart, it was Pran's overthinking and emotional walls that drove a wedge between them in Episode 6. When family conflict finally did rear its head to threaten their relationship, well Pat and Pran just sidestepped it and carried on.

And the tropes? One by one they fell by the wayside as well. Ink turned up in Ep.4, looking like a formidable love rival for Pran (and he believed it too). Except that she wasn't the stereotype of the evil girlfriend at all – she turned out to be Pat's supportive bestie, while her eye (and camera) were focused on Pa instead. Any stereotypes overhanging macho Pat and pernickety Pran got subverted too, with Pat ditching sports practice for musical theater and Pran a credible street fighter and also a star player on his rugby team – so much for the seme and uke in this BL. The "gay for you" trope got put down (Ep.9 [2/4] 1.41), as was the "wifey" one (Ep.9 [4/4] 8.48). There are so many examples.

Even the end of Ep.11 was a bait-and-switch as well, when a large portion of the fandom was hoodwinked by Director Aof's Ep.12 preview into thinking that we were headed for a break-up. (Fortunately they switched it out for the happy ending that we got instead, thank goodness.)

There's so much of this going on, it seems as though BBS was actually celebrating the bait-and-switch (and in that way kind of subverting its use in BL as well). The thing is, nothing was ever what it seemed in Bad Buddy, and it was all intended to be so, from Day One, because it's solidly a thematic preoccupation underlying the series.

I now think Baseball Mom really plays into all of this glorification of and subversion with the bait-and-switch as a storytelling device. But in a really wacky way, as perhaps is only fitting for the wackiest of Pat's t‑shirts.

So looking back on decades of popular media, who's been crowned the Big Boss of the Bait-and-Switch, the Grand Poobah of Switcheroos, the Queen of the Short-Con, the House Mother of all Bamboozlers?

It’s this little lady right here: 😍

This is Lucy Van Pelt, from Charles Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. Lucy is many things in the Peanuts universe, but one thing she's iconic for is a bait-and-switch prank, where she holds a football and then goads Charlie Brown on to kick it. He usually takes a bit of convincing, but eventually he goes for it and at the last second, Lucy pulls the ball away and poor Chuck ends up kicking the air, sent flying in the process. It's a running gag in the comic strip, first appearing in 1952 and recurring every year after that:

So what's the link with Baseball Mom though?

Football aside, in Peanuts Lucy is also a member of Charlie Brown's baseball team – and significantly she's absolutely terrible at the game. She misses the easiest of pitches, and even when perfectly positioned she gets hit on the head by the ball instead of catching it in her mitt.

So while she may be totally, confidently in charge of the situation baiting Charlie Brown with the pigskin, when it comes to baseball instead of football – Lucy is completely out of her element.

The parallel with Bad Buddy is that master of the bait-and-switch Pat Napat Jindapat – the BBS manifestation of Lucy – was pulling different versions of the Charlie Brown football prank on hapless Pran over and over again, causing much anguish to the latter's battered heart.

But suddenly on the rooftop, the tables got turned and Pran pulled the big switcheroo on him instead – by confirming their mutual feelings with a kiss so dizzyingly sensational that Pat must have been delirious with happiness… only to send it all crashing down by abandoning him there without a word of explanation.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 12.58 – an abandoned Pat stares uncomprehendingly as Pran walks away from the wreckage of their broken hearts

In that moment Football Lucy morphed into Baseball Lucy, from self-assured manipulator to incompetent klutz, all alone in right field when the ball came zooming in from way out left. And what better way to mark this moment than with a t-shirt loudly proclaiming Pat's newly-minted Baseball Lucy status on its front?

(above) The Baseball Mom graphic – BBS's own version of The Scarlet Letter

Yes, I know this explanation is outlandish; that's how it sounded to me too when it first took shape in my head. So I decided to test it, by looking for supporting information elsewhere in the context of Bad Buddy. And the findings are truly surprising. 👀

No characters from Peanuts actually appear (in canon form) within any of BBS's visuals (not that they could, I suppose, for licensing reasons). But Charlie Brown and his cohort of characters aren't unknown in Thailand – there is a Charlie Brown Café (79/335 แขวงช่องนนทรี เขตยานนาวา, Bangkok, Thailand, 10120) that was previously at MBK Centre and a Charlie Brown's Restaurant (315/303 ซ.นราธิวาส24 แขวง ช่องนนทรี Yan Nawa, Bangkok 10120, Thailand) at Belle Park Plaza/Fortune Condo Town:

(above left) Charlie Brown Café; (above right) Charlie Brown's Restaurant

And even though we don't directly see Charlie Brown, Lucy or any other Peanuts characters in BBS, there are oblique references. One of the more obvious ones alludes to Lucy's younger brother, Linus Van Pelt:

When we see Pran out in the world with his PP hobo bag (written up here) or Pat snuggled in bed with his beloved Nong Nao (written up here), we know by now that the bag and the stuffed doll-pillow are our boys' favorite comfort objects, providing psychological security even as they face their personal fears.

(above left) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [1I4] 3.01 – Pran and his PP hobo bag, that he deploys like a shield when outside; (above right) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [1I4] 1.37 – Pat cuddling Nong Nao for comfort when he's all alone

But another name for these comfort objects actually has a connection to Peanuts – they can also be called Linus blankets, after the security blanket that Lucy's brother carries around with him all the time. Just a coincidence? I'm not so sure. (I think it's also significant that all three objects have blue as their predominant color.)

There's also a nod at Charlie Brown himself later, on the rooftop in Ep.7 [4/4] – Pat's tee is an unmistakeable visual reference to Charlie Brown's signature yellow top with its zigzag motif:

(above left) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [4/4] 1.48; (above right) Charlie Brown in his own iconic t-shirt

After their roles were reversed on the rooftop at the end of Ep.5 (with Pran pulling the ultimate bait-and-switch move back on Pat by walking away after The Kiss), the mantle of Charlie Brown the football prank victim was thrust onto Pat instead, and that is what we see here in Ep.7.

The brand name emblazoned on Pat's t-shirt also rings some bells – it's Patriots, which immediately calls to mind the NFL team from New England, and is another nod at Lucy's American football. (There is also a Minor League baseball team called the Somerset Patriots based in New Jersey; not as well-known as their counterparts – compatriots? – a few states away, but still… 👀).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [4/4] 2.13

And looking a bit closer the Ep.7 scene on the rooftop (the last one to be filmed among all of Bad Buddy's queues) really starts to overflow with meaning because it's actually a parallel to Ep.5's rooftop bait-and-switch.

It's far too much to include here, so I've put it into its own separate post (see this write-up linked here) – the short of it is that Pat as Charlie Brown plays the bait-and-switch one last time on Pran in Ep.7, but for the very first time turns the last-second switch-out into a win for his beloved instead, rescuing Pran who was floundering with the musical. And this reversal of the bait-and-switch, a redemption of sorts, is what convinces Pran to end their courtship competition and enter into confirmed couplehood instead. 👍

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Now all that aside, there's still one more element in Bad Buddy that I think is a direct reference to Lucy's bait-and-switch in Peanuts – and that's all the rugby, doing its part as a stand-in for Lucy's American football.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 2.04 – the boys face off on the rugby pitch

It would never have been possible to feature American (gridiron) football authentically in Bad Buddy (it's not a popular sport outside of North America, to be honest, and would have been totally alien in a Thai setting). So they shone the spotlight on rugby instead, most probably because the ball used for play there is ovoid and almost the same as the one used in American football – it seems like the rugby in BBS is pointing at Lucy and the American football she deviously deploys.

(top) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [2/4] 13.01; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [2/4] 13.02

This would explain why Director Aof and his team opted to feature rugby instead of soccer –the latter is far more popular in Thailand, and would have been a more obvious choice. In addition, soccer would have been far easier to stage – all the BBS rugby scenes had to be filmed at a completely different campus from the primary uni location (Bangkok University instead of Rangsit University) because the latter doesn't seem to have a rugby pitch, though it does have a soccer one. In case you were wondering as I was, the goalposts are starkly different so they couldn't just pretend to play rugby on the soccer pitch – it would have been a terribly obvious fake-out if they had.

They couldn't substitute another team sport even if it was easier to accommodate, because rugby (or rather the ball) was integral to this aspect of the storyline. It needed to be rugby if the intention was to evoke Lucy's favorite weapon of torment.

Further evidence in support of this can be found when you look at the original (rough-draft promo) Bad Buddy trailer that was released in 2020 (I think) to promote the 2021 lineup, before actual filming of the series itself in mid-2021:

The rugby was present even at that early stage (and Toto was on Pat's team! 😂). But what's mindblowing is that they're actually using an American football (the AF500), not a rugby ball (you can tell from the laces, which modern rugby balls do not have). 👀 So the gridiron football was very much part of Bad Buddy's primordial DNA, way back at its inception, even before actual filming began. Another nod at Lucy in Peanuts here.

(above) A screenshot from the original Bad Buddy promo trailer at timestamp 1.48

(above) A screenshot from the original Bad Buddy promo trailer at timestamp 2.15

Now all of this is dandy I suppose, but even with Linus blankets, Pat dressed like Charlie Brown, the oval ball and BBS's insistence on rugby (masquerading as American football) over soccer, for the longest time the hardboiled skeptic in me still wasn't fully convinced that Pat wearing Baseball Mom was actually Lucy in disguise getting her comeuppance, Bad Buddy style.

UNTIL I DECIDED TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT THE RUGBY MATCH IN EPISODE 4. And that was the clincher, that cemented the intentionality behind Baseball Mom in my mind, because there actually is a sequence where Pat executes Lucy's signature bait-and-switch move, with the rugby ball standing in for an American football, and with Pran as his fall guy.

The sequence in question starts at Ep.4 [4/4] 3.33, when we see Pat running with the ball, coveted by Pran (in more ways than one).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 3.33

Pran tackles him, but in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Pat flicks the ball away and before any of us (Pran included) can realize what's happened, Korn is off and running with it instead (and I think he scores the rugby version of a touchdown too).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 3.38

Meanwhile, Pat and Pran are still locked in a full-body clinch – and if you look closely, it's Pat who's actually holding on to Pran, not letting him go (with obvious delight, even if he's unaware of exactly why he's relishing the contact so much).

Much of Bad Buddy is really chaste, but there's something about this moment here that makes it seem like a line has been crossed, and that things have turned inexplicably raunchy somehow. There's full-body grappling, legs spread wide, crotch jammed to butt, a whole lot of heaving and panting. Pat is clearly enjoying every second, almost as though it’s the successful climax of his great big plan to waylay Pran with this bait-and-switch. And of course it's the perfect cue for him to deliver that now infamous, golden line: "If you hug me this tight, you might as well take me as your boyfriend." 😂

Actually Pat had been teasing and taunting Pran with hints of romance even before the game (going so far as to acknowledge that his behavior was flirtatious, at Ep.4 [4/4] 0.48) so it's impossible not to see that body tackle on the pitch as anything but a close encounter suffused with sexual tension – and Pran would of course be the first to notice it. (It's possibly also a subversion of the accidental "falling on you" trope, since it's at once contrived yet consensual.)

If you break it down, Pat used the ball to get Pran to tackle him, only to switch it out at the last minute with something else (close, practically intimate body contact) that poor Pran (drowning in his crush) would have found absolutely devastating. This is practically a playbook version of Lucy doing the football bait-and-switch with Charlie Brown.

To be honest though, I'd always found this rugby clinch a little odd and confusing, and had wondered why they even had this scene. It was logistically complicated to set up (two whole teams of players!), and the bait-and-switch portion would have been extremely tricky to choreograph and film. The whole rigmarole was also a lot of work for just a few seconds of screen time. That the ball slips away unseen also makes it seem anti-climactic for the viewer – but not for master gameplayer Pat, who successfully got his planned payload nonetheless.

And because he did it using Lucy Van Pelt's signature move, I now think the reason for this scene is for it to be held up as the paragon of Pat's bait-and-switch traps in Bad Buddy, and a parallel for the Epic Rooftop Kiss when Pran slaps the old switcheroo back on Pat instead.

On the rugby pitch Pat baited Pran by pulling away (with the ball), and then crushed his heart with physical intimacy (hugging him like a lover, but making it seem like he was only play-acting at returning Pran's love). On the rooftop Pran baited Pat with physical intimacy (The Kiss, proof to Pat that his feelings were returned), and then crushed his heart by pulling away (and taking with him all promise of his love).

Atop Chana City Residence at the end of Ep.5, perpetual prankster Pat couldn't stop himself and went in for the bait (Pran offering himself up romantically), only to see it whisked away from him at the very last second.

Suddenly the rules changed and Football Lucy, the House Mother of all bait-and-switch bamboozles, became the victim of the biggest bait-and-switch of them all, and was thrust into a different game instead. Bereft of Pran and denied his moment of victory, Pat became Baseball Mom indeed. 😔

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 13.06

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P.S. You can order Baseball Mom (the t-shirt, not Pat 😂) from Amazon at this link here. (If the link doesn't work, you may need to change your "Deliver To" location at the top left of the landing page on Amazon to another country – not useful if you want to buy it when they don't deliver to your location, but useful if you just want to view the page, or get them to deliver to a third party who can then forward it to you. If changing the location doesn't work, try following the other instructions in this post linked here.)

I suspect the fandom has been buying up Baseball Mom like crazy, because it went from limited stock and availability on Amazon (selected locations only), to becoming available for other global locations and on Walmart.com as well – so maybe demand from the BBS fandom has boosted sales so much they started marketing it on more channels? Thai BL soft power trickles down. 🥰👍

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P.P.S. OK, just a little aside – this Peanuts fan theory for Baseball Mom is really wacky, but I think the universe is telling me to put it out there anyway because just as I was finishing the write-up, this random post about the Peanuts football bait-and-switch appeared on my dashboard.

What are the odds of it crossing my dash at the same time I'm writing about it, when I've not seen it referenced before throughout my history on Tumblr, ever? (There were a few random Peanuts and Charlie Brown posts that appeared at the same time as well.) I'm not superstitious, but I do think the universe has spoken. 😂

#bad buddy #bad buddy baseball mom #bad buddy baseball mom t-shirt #bbs baseball mom #bbs baseball mom t-shirt #bbs lucy van pelt #bbs bait and switch #bad buddy bait and switch #patpran #bbs charlie brown #bbs linus van pelt #bbs linus blanket #bbs peanuts #bbs rugby #bad buddy analysis

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localityghost · 8 months

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𝑺𝑯𝑬'𝑺 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑾𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑺𝑻 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑺𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑵𝑮 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑬𝑪𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑾𝑬𝑨𝑲

★ - Synopsis||Gojo finds a woman promised to a man in an arranged marriage, but for some reason, he thinks you look better with him

★- CW||Fluff, gojo being gojo, reader is wearing a yukata with a gold obi in a casual setting, Reader is a courtesan aka Oiran in House Nakamura, reader is black

★- Pairing for today|| Gojo X Black!Oiran Reader

Thoughts. Thoughts were all that filled your mind that night, the night you were promised to another man. Sure, you were a top courtesan and pleased many people, but you never thought you'd be sold off like this. You're a lover of traditional arts and literature. Your passion for culture runs deep in your veins. You have spent countless hours in the pursuit of knowledge, exploring the rich legacy of your nation's history, and now you cherish the memory of the books you read and the scrolls that hang on your wall. The warmth in your soul comes from your love of the old ways, and you feel the spirit of your ancestors whispering in your ear, encouraging you to stay true to your path.

It is a beautiful night, and you are sitting alone in the comfort of your own chambers, surrounded by the soft light of the candles. But tonight is different, for you have just received a letter from your family. An older man, a high-ranking government official, wants to take you as his bride to make you his wife. It's an arranged marriage, but you've seen this coming for years. Still, you can't help but feel a pang of disappointment. You know that this is a duty you must fulfill, a way of preserving the traditions of your people, but your heart aches.

You know the ways of your family, the duties you must discharge as a woman of the court. But there are days when you dream of a different life, a life without the expectations and responsibilities of high society, a life where you could follow your own passions. You wonder if there is a way for you to have both a life of duty and a life of your own. And so, you sit there, in the calm of your room, contemplating your life, unsure of what the future may bring so for comfort you decide to take a day off and have a stroll in the streets.

As you step out of the safety of your own home, you feel a cool breeze against your skin. You dawn a gorgeous red yukata, a traditional Japanese robe that clings to your figure. You walk with grace, your hair flowing down your back, your face adorned with beautiful but simple makeup of a noblewoman.

You make your way to the busy streets, where the hustle and bustle of the city makes you feel alive. The shops are bustling with activity, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of takoyaki, a popular street food made from octopus and batter. You stop at a vendor and order a skewer, savoring the savory taste of the takoyaki.

As you walk, you notice that the streets are filled with people, all dressed in their finest yukata. You spot a small group of young girls giggling and chatting, their faces lit up by the beauty of their kanzashi, hairpins that can take a variety of shapes and sizes. You also see a group of young men dressed in their own yukata, their faces adorned with the same style of makeup as yours. The streets are alive with music and dance, and you spot a small group of performers playing a traditional instrument called the shamisen. The music echoes through the streets, filling the air with a sense of joy and excitement.

But, despite the beauty of your surroundings, your thoughts return to the letter you received from your family. The thought of an arranged marriage, a life that follows a set of rules and traditional duties, weighs heavily on your mind. For a moment, your heart beats faster, and your steps become more purposeful. You know that this moment of hesitance is only temporary and that you will find the strength to face whatever the future holds. A man bumps into you, causing you to drop your food. You were going to give him a piece of your mind, but the way he looks at you with his never-ending blue eyes and dumbfounded expression leaves you speechless he slightly chuckles and says "Aren't you that hotshot oiran?" You didn't know how he recognized you, sure you've had plenty of clients before, but you've never seen him before he laughs again and you found it quite annoying as he was just a tall jerk to you and nothing more but little did you know as the days your arranged proposal were on the horizon you would soon become one with this sorcerer and later be a victim to love. The sight of Satorou Gojo, with his piercing blue eyes and cocky smirk, never fails to make your heart skip a beat. His powerful but gentle touch is a comfort to you, and he seems to understand you in ways that nobody else can. As you spend more time with him, you find yourself falling deeper and deeper into his spell. But there's something more than just physical attraction between you. It's an emotional connection, a bond that goes deeper than words can express. As you look into his eyes, you feel like you can see beyond the surface, into his soul. You feel safe in his presence, like you can be yourself without fear of judgment.

But at the same time, your feelings for him are confusing. You know you're not the only one who's attracted to him, and you worry that he might not be as committed to you as you are to him. And yet, you can't help but want to be around him, to spend time with him, to understand him better. His playful, confident demeanor is captivating, and you can't help but wonder if he's as arrogant as he seems. There's a vulnerability in him, a softness that you can't quite put your finger on. And that's what confuses you the most. Are your feelings for him real, or are they just a product of his power over you?

At times, you feel like you're on the verge of telling him how you feel, but then you remember your place in society and the rules that come with it. You know it's wrong to have feelings for a man, especially one of his status and power, yet you can't help but want him. You know that love is a delicate and complicated thing, but you can't help but wonder if he's worth the risk, if he's worth fighting for. But, like a leaf in the wind, your heart takes you where it wants, and you follow without question. Satorou invited you out and afterwards you took him back to your quarters since he made up a pity story that you fell for and caved in letting him into your home where you felt all your feelings bubbling up for how close he was to you now as you snuck glances here and there he suddenly met yours back and you were petrified but drawn to his eyes as he was to yours. Your eyes meet across the room, and for a moment, the world seems to stop. You're lost in his piercing gaze, and your heart hammers in your chest. As he saunters towards you, you can't help but feel a flutter in your stomach. But then you remember that just moments ago, you were contemplating your feelings for him, unsure of what to make of them.

He leans in close, his voice low and husky. "I can sense your feelings for me, Do you like me?"

The question hangs in the air, and you don't know how to answer. His confidence and assertiveness are appealing, but you worry about the consequences of admitting that you have feelings for a man of his status. But then you realize that it doesn't matter what the consequences might be. Your heart knows what it wants, and it won't be denied. "Yes," you say, your voice steady and confident. "I like you."

His lips spread into a mischievous smile, and he pulls you close. "Good," he says, his breath hot on your skin. "Because I like you too."

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theostrophywife · 1 year

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Hi! Can I request an Az x reader where its just like a bunch of fluff during Christmas time? Like decorating and baking, etc?

winter solstice.

author's note: to all my azriel girlies out there, i got you. here's a purely fluffy holiday piece for our favorite bat boyfriend.

There was nothing quite as magical as Winter Solstice in Velaris.

You spent the majority of the year in quiet anticipation, awaiting the crisp winter air, the fresh powdered snow, and most importantly, the annual Winter Solstice fair. The festivity was a week-long celebration held in the city and showcased vendors, artists, and food from the four palaces. Amongst your favorite activities were drinking spiked hot chocolate, building snow castles, and watching the faelight show that you’ve adored since you were a child, but by far the best part of this season was getting to spend it with Azriel.

Your mate knew how much you loved Winter Solstice and made it a point to accompany you to all your favorite activities even if it involved getting drunk on warm cider and causing a tinsel explosion in your shared flat. Azriel would do anything to put a smile on his mate's face, including cleaning up your mess and tucking you into bed clad in your favorite cozy pajamas. The twin of which you insisted he wear as well.

You considered yourself incredibly lucky to have a mate that put up with your antics. Azriel spoiled you beyond belief and you loved every second of it, but not nearly as much as you loved Azriel himself.

It was only the first day of the festivities and so far you’ve baked, decorated, and drank your fill of spiked hot chocolate. According to the shadowsinger, this was just a glimpse of what he had planned.

“Can you at least give me a hint?”

You balanced on your tiptoes, dangling a crystal star in front of your mate’s face as he loops a string of faelights around the pine tree that you picked out together the night before. Azriel shakes his head, chuckling as you pout in return. You’ve been dying to know what this mysterious plan of his was since the minute he’d woken you up this morning, but so far he hasn’t given you any hints besides telling you to dress for the cold. The male was a steel trap of secrecy. Damn him and his spymaster skills.

Still, you couldn’t even pretend to be mad at Azriel. Not after the amazing morning you’ve had baking holiday cookies and decorating your entire flat with faelights, tinsel, and glitter. The latter of which was currently covering Azriel’s knit sweater. The sight made you grin. You were so used to seeing him in his Illyrian leathers that the cream, cable knit sweater combined with his blue flannel pajamas made him seem like a whole new male. If only the rest of Prythian could see the feared shadowsinger donning fuzzy bunny slippers. You giggled as you flicked the front of his sweater, causing flecks of glitter to rain down onto the carpeted floor.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” you declare with a huff.

The shadowsinger tickled your sides before sweeping you into his arms. He was surprisingly warm and smelled of his usual night chilled mist and cedar with a hint of pine and dark chocolate. You squeal in delight as he peppers you with kisses.

“I promise that the surprise will be worth the wait, my love.” Azriel declares as he scoops you up into his arms. “Now come on, I believe our tree needs its star.”

Perched on Azriel’s shoulder, you carefully positioned the crystal star on top of the tree. You tapped it once and the ornament sparkled, casting an iridescent glow upon your entire flat.

“It’s beautiful.”

Your mate sets you down and wraps his arms around your waist before spinning you to face him.

“So are you, my love.”

“No peeking.” Azriel warns as he fastens the blindfold behind your head.

After your busy and festive morning, you and your mate finally made it out of the flat and into the city. Azriel still wouldn’t budge when it came to revealing his plans, hence the blindfold. You braced yourself as he took off in flight, nestling into the warm cocoon of his shadows as Azriel careens through the skies.

You weren’t airborne for long and landed a few minutes later. Judging by the excited chatter and the faint carols echoing all around, Azriel had taken you somewhere near the four market squares. The crunch of the fresh powdered snow underneath your feet was a pleasant sound and you felt giddy with excitement as the scent of caramel candy apples hit you full force.

“You can look now.”

You eagerly tear off the blindfold only to be greeted with the sight of your friends grinning back at you. The Inner Circle gathered upon the banks of the Sidra River, its icy waters frozen solid underneath you. Fresh powdered snow coated the makeshift wooden barriers that encompassed the whole rink, which was decorated with trinkets and ornaments that rivaled the decorations you had at home. All around you, High Fae and faerie alike whizzed past in a blur of joyful cheer and laughter. It was an absolute dream.

"Surprise!"

“Oh. My. Gods.”

A high pitched squeal escapes your mouth as you encompass your friends into a group hug.

“I’m guessing this means she likes it?” Cassian asks with an amused tone.

“Loves it.” Azriel quips with a grin.

A few moments later, you were all laced up into a pair of ice skates and sliding gracefully into the ice rink. Beside you, Azriel struggled with his footing until you grabbed him by the hand and carefully led him further into the mouth of the Sidra. He grinned sheepishly and gods the sight of it felt like an ash arrow piercing through your heart. Your mate was so breathtakingly beautiful it nearly knocked the air out of your lungs.

The both of you took it slow, circling around the frozen river while the rest of your friends followed suit. Everyone seemed to be slowly acclimating to the icy terrain. The ever so graceful High Lord was currently desperately clinging onto Feyre while Mor and Amren stuck to the edges as they pieced together the momentum and velocity they needed without falling on top of one another. Even Cassian was bested by the ice. For all his muscle and strength, the Lord of Bloodshed was no match against the slippery floor. Nesta, on the other hand, was skating circles around everyone. You weren’t the least bit surprised. She was a graceful dancer. It only made sense that it translated to skating as well.

“I think I finally found the one thing that I’m better at than you, Az.”

Azriel squeezes your fingers, pulling you close to his side without a hint of shame. His wings playfully brush over your shoulders, providing him more balance.

“I’ll take any excuse to keep my mate close. Even if I make an absolute fool of myself.”

You chuckle as you spin in circles around him. “At least you’re doing better than Cas.”

“Hey! I heard that,” Cassian grumbles. The Illyrian warrior teetered on his skates, barely gaining an inch of movement as his wings wobbled behind him. You couldn't help but laugh. It was akin to watching a newborn learn how to walk.

Just to annoy him even further, you skate over to his side and trace a figure eight underneath you before executing a series of spins that made everyone around you gape in awe.

“Showoff.”

“Perhaps you can try this move next time you and Az decide to have another icy showdown with the Vanserras."

Cassian shoots you a vulgar gesture in response, which only makes you laugh.

Despite the cold, you thoroughly enjoyed yourself that afternoon. By the time the sunset finally rolled around, Azriel declared that he had one last surprise for you. After a round of warm cider and candy apples, you and the Inner Circle parted ways. The rest of your friends were off to explore the games, sculptures, and shows happening all around the market squares while Azriel flew you to the top of the highest building in the city.

Fresh powdered snow fell steadily from the sky as you and Azriel perched on the balcony. From this vantage point, you could see the crowd milling about in the streets, their faces bright and happy as they drank, ate, and joined in on the merriment of the holidays. It fills you with warmth to see the citizens of Velaris celebrating after all this city has been through.

Azriel hugs you from behind, resting his chin on the crook of your shoulder as he points to the horizon.

“One last surprise.”

One by one, the buildings flicker with different colored faelights, blanketing the city with the brilliance of the rainbow. Across the starry night, an assortment of jewel toned lights sparkled above the frozen Sidra, spelling a clear message: marry me?

You spun on your heel to find a sprig of mistletoe hanging between you and your mate. A velvet bow was fastened at the end of the branches and in its folds lay an enormous sapphire ring set in a stunning array of diamonds. Azriel carefully untangles the ring and kneels before you.

Your heart was beating so loudly that the sound was ringing in your ears.

“All my life, I have searched for a place to belong. In you, I have found a best friend, a lover, but most importantly, a home. You are my haven and you taught me that there is beauty in vulnerability. You have made me into a better male in every way possible and I’ve never felt safer than when you’re by my side. I love you more than the moon and stars. Being your mate is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, but I’d like to also have the privilege of calling you my wife. What do you say, my love?”

The tears were falling before you even realized that you were crying. Gods, this male. It would’ve been more plausible to number the stars in the sky than to measure the amount of love you had for your mate.

You look into those sincere hazel eyes, cupping your entire world in your hands as you smile up at your mate.

“You’re the love of my life, Azriel. The shooting star that lights up even the darkest of nights. You showed me how to love and be loved. Sometimes I think you were made just for me. I am yours till the end of my days and even beyond that. Of course I’ll marry you.”

Without hesitation, Azriel picks you up and presses his lips against yours. You smile into the kiss, tangling your fingers through his dark locks. The bond snaps between you, lighting your very souls as you send the overwhelming surge of love you felt for this male through the connection you shared.

Azriel was your best friend. Your mate. And now, your soon to be husband.

“I can’t wait to be your wife,” you say with a grin.

Azriel kisses the tip of your nose. “I can’t wait to be your husband.”

“My husband,” you say, testing the word. “Gods, that’s so fucking sexy.”

Your mate grins mischievously. “Why don’t I fly us back to the flat so I can show you just how sexy your future husband can be?”

“Your future wife would like that very much, Az.”

#i...hurt #soft boyfriend az is the best az #azriel #azriel fic #azriel fanfic #azriel x reader #azriel x you #azriel acotar #azriel fanfiction #azriel shadowsinger #azriel spymaster #azriel/reader #azriel smut #azriel fluff

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bramble-scramble · 3 months

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Well, well! What have we here! If it isn't your girl Bramble "I'm going to write fanfics but ONLY RARELY" Scramble with another fanfic!

I don't know if I'll ever continue this story directly, but I thought up a starting point for the Divine AU and haven't been able to stop thinking about it for a couple of days. Enjoy my attempts at "localizing" things into Greek! Phantom is also literally Dionysus here, but it's strange to call him that, so I did what we in the business called "cheesing it" to get us back to his familiar name.

As always, thank you for putting up with my Phandrow obsession lmaaaooo. And now enjoy...

An Appeal to the Heavens

It was mid-morning of a bright day in early spring, and the city streets bustled with activity. Children and adults alike ran about wearing colorful togas or tunics. Street vendors shouted from the sidelines, or pushed their carts straight through the crowd. The drinking was heavy, and wine stained the lips and tongues of many a mouth.

It was the middle of a festival, after all.

The Dionysia lasted for a whole week, and mostly celebrated theatrical productions both grand and small. But today there were also competitions for poetry: theatre’s cousin, and also much beloved by theatre’s God. There were different categories for original poetry throughout the day: epic, tragic, comic, romantic. It was an hour yet before they began, and every adult was preparing themselves with the appropriate amount of inebriation to survive the more tortured of verses- and purchasing fruit to throw, if need be.

Through the mass of pure white or brightly-colored clothing pressed a man who stood out from the rest in his somber long tunic, so dark brown as to be almost black. The only spot of color on his form was the vibrant pink ribbon that tied the cloth around his waist. More notable than his clothes, however, was the way he literally stood out amongst his fellow rabbids: his tall, slender but top-heavy form being so unusual that it drew plenty of rudely curious gazes.

…Or at least, that’s what he imagined they were looking at. More likely, they were staring at the tiny raincloud that followed in his vicinity, bobbing here and there as if to observe the festivities, and occasionally giving off a little thunderclap of excitement.

The tall man carried a bundle wrapped in white cloth close to his chest, protectively but not too tightly, as delicate and guarded as if it were a newborn child. He weaved through the crowd with extreme care, so as not to let anyone bump him and his precious cargo too hard.

Finally, he reached his destination- a grand temple, richly decorated above and among its pillars with carvings of grapes and their vines and leaves, and the masks of comedy and tragedy, and harps, and musical notation. Atop the pillars, its triangular pediment was carved with a relief depicting actors upon a stage.

For a moment the visitor stared up at the building in awe. He could have spent hours taking in every detail. It was so large, so ornate, compared to the temple in his home village! There was only one, which all the gods had to share, their little shrines jumbled up against one another inside. This one was so huge, despite its dedication to a single god alone! But it only made sense- this was THE main temple to Dionysus, in the city that was holy to him.

And yet… hardly anyone was around. The wide set of stairs leading up and inside were the least crowded space the tall rabbid had seen for a while. This surprised him a bit - he had expected others to have the same idea as him, to come to pray. Perhaps most people saw little use - or little fun - in being pious at a temple, when the whole city was transformed into a shrine for the god’s honor.

The visitor slowly approached the doorway, and then turned around. He noticed his cloud hanging back- the little thing rarely came into buildings to begin with, and certainly not temples.

“I won’t be long, Katára,” he addressed it, with a gentle smile. Then he turned back and entered the structure.

He found himself in a massive hall. On the left side was a large dias - a stage, in fact - and on the right, rows of seating, raised up in tiers. Here plays were sometimes performed, but right now they were elsewhere, all over the city. And at the far end of the hall, which the visitor was now walking towards in the space between the stage and the audience, was a statue.

The newcomer's green-blue eyes, which were often somewhat squinted due to his poor eyesight, widened in amazement. The statue was larger than life, much much larger than even the largest mortal rabbid he had ever seen. And it was an incredible piece of workmanship. At its base, a large harp - which the god’s body was said to contain - was delicately rendered and covered in gold. This was subtly part of a pillar, which supported the statue’s upper body - the god with one hand at his chest and the other stretched out, his hair flowing, his eyes closed and his mouth open in divine song. All of this was carved in stone, but painted in vibrant color: the purple of his toga, the green of the grape leaves in his hair, the red of his mouth, and even more purple on his wine-stained lips, which were said to be a near permanent feature.

Most astonishingly of all, however, is that his giant round belly was made entirely of glass, through which the harp could be seen.

Never before had it been more obvious why the god had earned the colloquial name of the Phantom. He usually kept his stomach transparent, like a ghost, so that all might see the glorious instrument inside. Most statue depictions, of course, could not capture this detail, or had to attempt it in the most rudimentary of ways. He also went without legs most of the time, his body culminating in a ghostly tail- although legends claimed he could give himself legs, if it was more fun to have them.

There was another reason he'd earned that name, of course. He was infamously elusive, appearing before mortals extremely rarely, at least in this age. Some gods, like the hero Perfectus or his less heroic brother Augustus, dwelt among mortals almost full-time; others appeared rarely, but at least sometimes... and the Phantom was almost never seen at all, at least in his own form outside of some disguise.

"So that's what you really look like, eh?” said the newcomer as he gazed up in wonder. How different this was from the simple wooden carvings in the temple of his village! Those certainly couldn’t pull off a trick of transparency like this. Before he knew it, he was at the base of the statue, which was raised up on a huge pedestal of its own. His eyes were at the level of the harp, and he could see his own reflection- a poor, tired poet, gazing at a form of divine magnificence. Embarrassed by his own awkward reflection, he looked upward again, at the face of a god who was rapt with the joy of performance... and without thinking, he reached out a paw and touched the glass.

He stood like that for a moment, before suddenly coming to his senses, embarrassed and ashamed. He took his paw away, and saw that it had left a faint print. At this point he was more relieved than ever that not another soul was present in the temple. He must clean that off in a moment. But for now…

He looked around the edges of the statue’s base. Various tributes had been left here recently; sumptuous costumes and props; bundles of papyrus that were probably play scripts, piles of coins, and more. The newcomer found some empty space and sat his own bundle down, gently unwrapping it. Out he pulled a bunch of grapes.

It was a healthy group - each individual a rich reddish purple, as full and round as the god’s own belly, with no bruises or wrinkles or rot. The ideal representation of the fruit. He had spent far too long at the market this morning, picking out the absolute most perfect bunch he could find. In fact, he was pretty sure the vendor had charged him extra for it after seeing how long he had agonized and deliberated.

Now he sat them tenderly at the base of the statue, and used the freed cloth to wipe off his paw-print. He stood back, looking at his tribute nestled in amongst the others… and felt shame. They were only grapes, after all. Nothing compared with the expensive clothing and masks and other offerings on display. He sighed. Still, it was about all he could afford to give. …That, and his endless devotion, of course. If the god would have it.

But no one seemed to want it.

The visitor tucked the cloth away within his tunic, and then knelt before the statue, his ears flopping forward over the top of his head. He brought his long arms together and clasped his hands and shut his eyes.

“My Lord,” he began. “It's been a while. It's me, Tristan of the Woods, from Chróma Próta… do you remember me? I’m very far from home. I used to pray to you in rhyme, but… well, I think you must not have liked it, because you never answered my prayers. -But I don’t hold it against you personally! None of the gods ever do.”

He sighed, feeling like he was messing this up already. “-So anyway, I thought I might try something different this time. I thought I should be more casual. Perhaps you’d like that better…”

Tristan paused here. His knees were already hurting from kneeling on the stone floor. He opened his eyes and looked up at the statue, at the torchlight reflecting off its glass, making the god seem to glow.

“You know,” he said, “if I’m going to be casual, I should go all the way. Commit to it. I hope you don’t mind.”

He went around the side of the statue’s dais, where there were no tributes laid out, and heaved himself up onto the platform. This was the side where the statue’s ghost-like tail snaked around, and the visitor settled himself into the crook between the tail and the statue’s body, resting his back on the glass, curling his legs up behind the tail.

“Well then.” He began to speak once more, looking alternatively down at his knees, or the statue’s tail, or the decorated walls around him. “I’m here today because - I need your help. Desperately. If there’s ever a prayer I need answered, if you only answer one in my whole life, let it be my request to you today.”

He shifted, slouching down even further against the statue. “You see, My Lord… I am a poet, yes? Or at least I call myself such. But in my hometown, they do not like my poetry. I don't blame them, because neither do you, it seems- the gods, I mean.

Well, despite everything, I care for my hometown. I want to give back to them. It just so happens that they're holding elections soon, for the archon- you know, that’s someone who’s sort of in charge of a town, among us mortals. A lot of decisions, and a lot of responsibility. The only thing is, it’s only open to people who can pay a certain amount of money… to prove we’re financially stable, and responsible, and well-to-do.”

The poet took a deep breath, then exhaled sadly. “The problem is… I’m NOT. I have hardly any money. I barely scrape by. And that’s why… that’s why I came all the way here, to the poetry competitions. I entered myself in all four of them, you know! It’s going to be a busy day for me. But just winning one… that would be enough. The prize money would be all I need to enter the election.”

The rabbid turned his upper body around, to look up at the statue once more, though from here he could only really see the side of his toga, his elbow and his flowing locks. “So… since this is your festival, I was hoping… maybe you could inspire me today, to do extra well? Or… perhaps convince the judges to see the virtues of my work. Whatever you can do, as a god, to help me win. Just one little competition! I… I would prefer it were the tragic poem, as I’m always most proud of myself in that regard. But any will do. That’s all I ask. Just one, my Lord. It’s for a good reason, I promise you.”

He turned back around, put his hands together once more, and was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, it was softer. “Even if you don't like my poems.... maybe you can pretend, just this once. And in return… if there’s anything you wish of me... just let me know somehow. Send me a vision, a divine message in a dream, however you wish to reach me. I will do whatever you ask.” The poet suddenly had a feeling that he might dream of the god that night, and for other nights to come, divine vision or no. He felt very warm, and blushed. Could the gods tell what a mortal was thinking? Especially if they were in the god’s own temple? He desperately tried to suppress the thoughts that had been bubbling up inside him since he first laid eyes on the statue, on the god’s fair face. Absurd thoughts.

“There are, perhaps, better deities to pray to,” he continued quickly, drowning out his thoughts by speaking, “for poetry specifically. But… I have always been drawn to you above all gods, My Lord. I know you have never answered my devotion with any reward, but… well, you are busy, I’m sure, granting the wishes of playwrights and actors from the cities. And who am I but a humble poet from a town buried in the forest? I… would like your assistance, My Lord, but above all I simply… I simply pray that you hear me. I have come here, to your grand temple, and although I have little to offer…I do have myself. And I want you to know that I am ever your faithful servant. I am yours, body and soul, if you will have me. …Thank you for listening.”

During this last bout of speaking, he had closed his eyes, clutched his hands together, and bowed his head once more. Now he opened his eyes and stood up. He got down off the pedestal and walked back to the front of the statue. Trembling, he looked up at it one last time, and felt the warmth rise again to his cheeks and the tips of his ears. He was so beautiful, and the lowly poet so unworthy…. How dare he ask for anything?? And what’s more, how dare he dream- how dare he entertain the thought even for a moment- that the god would take notice of him as anything more than yet another wish to grant, or more likely, to ignore?

Ashamed of his whole endeavor, the poet turned and left in a hurry, to rejoin his cloud and prepare for his first oration.

—

But the poor mortal did not know the terrible truth! His prayers had not been ignored on purpose. In fact, they simply weren't reaching the long ears of the gods.

They never had.

The poet was well aware of his own ill luck and misfortune. It was a reality he lived with every day, with every verse he spoke. But he had been taught as a child that the gods heard everyone out, no matter how pious or fallen, no matter how glorious or meek. Little did he know, so complete was his curse, that the Fates blocked his messages from ever reaching the holy realm.

Today, though… in that realm, far above the land in which mortals struggled and died…

The Phantom’s eyes opened. He opened his mouth, too, very wide - not in song, but in a mighty yawn - and he stretched his arms and shook his silver hair.

Then he groaned and flopped backwards again onto his bed. He really needed to stop having drinking contests with Augie. The god of wine always came out on top, of course, but it was a close one, with the sea-god just barely passing out when Phantom was at his limit. The constant beach parties in Pharos Philia, where Augustus made his home among mortals, had trained him well.

The god of theatre, wine and merry-making was feeling anything but merry this morning. Under the dull pounding of his hangover - something to which even the gods were susceptible - he felt a prickling in the back of his mind. He had prayers to listen to.

Of course he did; it was the third day of that damned festival. He had ceased to care about it decades ago. Mortals always followed trends in their work and their lives, and their trends repeated in cycles, each generation thinking they were the first to discover some grand theme or unifying truth about existence. For a short-lived mortal, their little dramas, both those on a stage and those not, always seemed important and new. For a god, it got boring after a while.

And yet… today he had woken up with a strange feeling. A premonition he could not shake.

Perhaps, for the first time in years, he should visit his own festival. In disguise, of course. It wouldn't help his headache, but… he had nothing better to do.

The god closed his eyes, and the eyes of the statue in his grand temple opened, and glowed. He was looking through them.

….But there was no one around to notice. The temple was completely empty.

Of course, Dionysus thought. Of course it was empty. No one was at the festival to actually celebrate or worship him. They were there for their own entertainment or their own glory, as actors and writers, directors and choreographers. Well, he supposed he couldn't blame them. He knew the feeling.

At least this was a choice spot to manifest into the mortal world, then. In a sparkle of gold, a body materialized before the statue- the guise of a mortal rabbid, although notably larger and more rotund than the average. He had given himself legs, and was dressed in an unassuming blue toga, and even transformed his hair into fancy curls and a neat little ponytail, quite different from the messy locks he was normally depicted with. Still, he did not want to alter his inborn beauty too much. He hoped no one would catch on.

He turned around to give a brief glance over the tributes at the base of his statue. There were some finely-wrought objects and pieces of clothing, but still, nothing compared to what he saw every day in the land of the gods. Some mortals had even offered him their mortal play scripts- eurgh, no thank you. But just as he was about to turn away again, his eyes caught a small spot of purple.

He walked over and saw… a bunch of grapes. They looked delicious, and clean, and very fresh. Someone must have left them here quite recently! As far as he was concerned, this was the only useful gift in the collection.

With a smile, the Phantom picked them up, and strode out of the temple, eating the succulent orbs one by one.

#mario plus rabbids #mario + rabbids #phandrow #woodrow #ts woodrow #the phantom of the bwahpera #soh divine au

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notyour-valentine · 2 years

Note

If you see reader and tommy getting married in tbitw would you maybe write a headcannon or a one shot (your choice) for them please

🍷Join me for a Drink 🍷 - TBITW: Marriage

[Celebration] [Celebration Masterlist] [Masterlist]

This was written as part of my Series The Boy in the Window and contains spoilers

There wouldn’t be a grand proposal. Back in France, they had already made the decision to spend their lives together (or at least try), however the topic of marriage would be another they would dance around

(Y/N) would not be the one to bring it up, and Tommy would be too uncertain to do so, at least not without a lot of thought and prepared talking points (he may or may not even have written some notes). Instead, they would have an honest conversation and come to the realisation that it would not only be something that would be for the best of everyone but also something that would make them happy

Even though there wasn't a classic proposal, Tommy decides to give her an engagement anyways. He has to fight the instinct to get the biggest flashiest largest diamond ring he can find, but once he stands in that London jewellery store, he realises that anyone could buy a ring like that and so he takes a ‘business trip’ for a few days.

He goes all the way to France, to that very same fishing village and searches for the vendor they had visited where he not only bought to sets of pearls (a pair of earrings, a bracelet and a necklace each) but also the best single pearl he can find with the smallest of imperfections (but there is one because it is real). Once back in London, he can’t resist setting it in tiny diamonds, creating a star shaped halo around it. These are the highest quality and cost more than most other larger diamonds, but he never tells (Y/N) that

They would tell the children together, but it would leave them a bit confused, since nothing would really change in their day to day life. But they would quickly realise that there would be a party, which excites them.

The wedding itself would be a quiet affair. (Y/N) is not a performative person and doesn’t really like attention and while Tommy likes showing off, he would agree

Tommy doesn’t care about religion but it is something that is important to (Y/N) so they have another church wedding. I see them getting married in a very small ceremony in a little chapel not too far from Birmingham, as Tommy is a family man and would definitely want his Ada, Polly and Arthur around. So it would be a smaller wedding with only the Shelbys inner circle and their close friends there (not more than 30 people)

I do see them wanting to avoid a lot of fuss, mostly coming from (Y/N) so they might spring a surprise wedding on the family on Christmas Eve since they are all already there

They are certainly wearing matching dresses/suits. It is the main reason why (Y/N) does go for a wedding dress even if it is more cream than white and she skips the veil. Emma and Charlie pick the bouquet. Her something borrowed is a bracelet from Polly and her something blue is the names of Tommy and the children stitched into the inside of the dress with blue thread.

They are active participants in the wedding and even though Arthur was supposed to stop them, they climb into the cart after the ceremony

Charlie and Emma are both very proud that they got to drive their parents back, and even though (Y/N) is more than a bit anxious, Tommy has taught them well.

There is a lot of good food and dancing of course, and not just Tommy and (Y/N) - the children refused to be sidelined so there is at least one moment where Tommy has to follow Emma's lead in her made up dance (it involves a lot of spinning for both of them), while Charlie is super keen on imitating his father while dancing with (Y/N).

Their honeymoon is comparatively short, just three or four days where it is just the two of them. After five days at most, the children join them and they have a family holiday instead

Bonus fact:

Both keep their old wedding rings and place them in envelopes with letters to their children which they will receive when they are old enough. Both agree that their new marriage doesn’t erase or diminish the old one and they keep including Grace and Emma’s father in the children’s lives.

I want to thank you for participating in my celebration, @just-a-harmless-patato and I hope you like this little headcanon.

If you want to join in, click here to find out everything you need to know!

Taglist

Overall

@lilyrachelcassidy @jyessaminereads @chlorrox @watercolorskyy @books-livre @quarterpastmidnight @lilyevanswhore @polishcrazyone @zablife @just-a-harmless-patato @stevie75 @flyingjosephine-blog @runnning-outof-time @babayaga67

Tommy

@knowledgefulbutterfly @signorellisantichrist

@lespendy @geeksareunique @look-at-the-soul

#valentines1k #valentineswritings #valentinesheadcanons #the boy in the window #join me for a drink #valentinesrequests #tommy shelby #thomas shelby #peaky blinders #tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby x reader #tommy shelby imagine #thomas shelby imagine

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muniimyg · 1 year

Text

13 | photobooth

series m.list

It doesn’t take a genius to understand that you and Jimin aren’t too fond of each other.

From the moment you stepped into the student council meeting and raised your hand to argue with Jimin, everyone knew what a wild ride it would be to work with you two. The banter often pushed each other to the edge but for the most part; you two couldn’t be bothered with each other's existence. The concept of being each other's “enemies,” is a little misleading… But it’s not entirely wrong.

You two detest one another.

It’s competitive between you two. From grades to social accounts—there was and never is a good reason to like Jimin. He’s just someone you have to brush away and avoid in order to keep winning.

Yet, times like these.. Times when you two are forced to work with one another; you’re quick to realize that you only hate him because he’s the only one that truly understands you.

Beneath all the arguments, disagreements, and disgust—you and Jimin are reflections of one another. Perhaps that’s why there’s so much tension.

Perhaps that’s why this carnival is such a success. Of course, it is—it’s quite literally made by you and Jimin and that speaks for itself. No one has doubts when it comes to you two. Together, you two are unstoppable and the bickering that came with both of your driven work ethics was just for the audience.

It’s not like you two made it an issue for others to work with you. You two just found it difficult to be around one another. Too picky. Too much of a headache.

Today, the campus is filled with random groups of alumni, and Uni sponsors, all the sports and academic teams are in theme… And well, it’s perfect. From the local food vendors, you two managed to book, to the childish activities that everyone has been lining up for, to selected performances; yours and Jimin’s success illuminates the evening.

The sky is a pretty raspberry lemonade.

The sun is setting and somehow the event continues to double in activity. Everyone is buzzing, the music is blasting and you’re starting to feel exhausted from receiving praise from the school board and the other students. It has been a long day and all you want to do is go back to your dorm and sleep. It’s over! The planning is finally over and the event is going better than expected. You might as well slip away, right? You already organized the volunteer team to clean up and the council treasurer is—

“Stop making that face.”

You blink, recognize the irritating man in front of you. “What face? What’s this?”

Jimin lifts your arms and puts a metal bracelet on it. It’s pretty. It’s simple and a little dainty... It’s so him.

“You’re cuffed,” he laughs. “I bought it at a booth. Thought of you and well.. Yeah. Anyways, do you seriously not know?”

Still looking at the bracelet, you ask, “know what?”

“Your overthinking face. Tonight is a success, yams. Just like everything we do. This, in my book, would be 100%. An A+. This event is your 0.6% if you really want…”

“And you? What do you want?” you snark.

Jimin shrugs, walking over to your side instead of in front of you. He stands tall and you gulp. Your head begins to spin when you feel him brush his fingertips with yours. You turn your head, checking to see if anyone was watching.

“You,” he hums. “I want you. Right now. Photobooth?”

“Wh-what?” you stutter, completely shocked by his suggestion. Sure, he’s had impulsive moments with you before but it was never this crowded.

“Unlike you, I didn’t stutter.”

“Jimin—”

He rolls his eyes at you as he wraps his hands around your wrist. Then, as you open your mouth to protest, he picks up his feet and starts to head toward the direction of the vintage photobooth.

“Stop,” you stomp your feet. “People will see! Are you crazy?”

“You’re the crazy one! Yams, you’re really wearing a fucking skirt and expecting me not to go feral? Honestly? You play too much. You know how much I’m crazy for that pussy—”

“And isn’t it busy right now? There are so many people here—”

Jimin hushes you and you glare at him. Before you can fight him any further, he shakes you gently and bends down to your eye level.

“I like your skirt.”

“Jimin—”

“I put an “out of order,” sign up. Plus, I started a rumour saying we have fireworks near the concert stage so everyone is headed that way. We’re at the opposite end, okay? So relax, yams! I’m not stupid—”

You look at him with a soft gaze, “only a little.”

“Fuck you.”

You give in, “okay.”

Jimin purses his lips, unable to believe how easily you let him in these days.

“Don’t do that,” he warns you.

“Do what?”

“Make it easy.” Jimin groans, “if you make it easy… So help me god.”

“Why?”

He bites the inside of his cheeks, trying his best to contain himself from the thoughts that are flooding his mind. “Oh, yams… The things I’d do to you…”

“Like what?” you ask a little shy.

“What wouldn’t I do?”

You gasp.

Jimin’s lips have gone up and down your neck, trailing his saliva and soon-to-be love marks. You’re sitting on his lap, facing forward. His hands are roaming in and out of your skirt. He tugs on the fabric, lets his palms dance on top, and sneakily slides his fingers in between your panties whenever he likes. There’s no rhyme or reason to this—why you’re about to start fucking in a vintage photobooth where other students are surrounding you two.

Except for the fact that it’s thrilling.

It’s goosebumps-worthy in the lewdest way possible. It’s panting, legs spazzing, and touchy.

So fucking touchy.

It feels like Jimin is everywhere. He has already pushed your shirt down to your stomach, exposing your lace bra. His hands are cupping your breasts for one second, then his fingers are in your mouth, commanding to be sucked.

You do so.

See? You do listen well.

Jimin pulls his fingers out of your mouth and wraps them in your hair. He tugs your hair, causing you to tilt your chin and look up at him. “Open,” he mutters.

You just do it.

You open your mouth and watch him run his tongue to accumulate his saliva.

Then, he spits into your mouth.

You swallow.

He smirks before crashing his lips onto yours, hungrily kissing you until you pull away for air. As you catch your breath, he moves the strands of your hair away from your face. He fixes the lip gloss or the spit that’s around your mouth with his thumb. Then, he sneaks in another kiss. One last kiss before he—

“Bend over.”

“W-what?”

He places his hands on your hips and lifts you. You bend back and he sharply inhales from the view. Your ass in this skirt in front of his face. He flips the fabric that covers your beauty and then brings his hands to them. He squeezes them, loving the way they feel. He eyes your panty that is now soaked. Like the tease he is, he slips his finger in between the fabric and your breath hitches the moment you feel his finger rub your folds.

“Y-you do this a lot,” you pant.. Not that you hate it.

“It gets both of us off,” he moans, tugging your panties. He stops rubbing you and focuses on that instead. He slides them down and once they’re at your feet, he looks up at you innocently. “Take them off properly.”

You lift your feet and push your panties aside with your foot. It’s a little ironic how your freshly bought white sneakers look so innocent beside your wet panty.

“Are we seriously going to fuck in here?”

Jimin pauses. “Wow, your panties are off. Your pussy is this fucking wet. My dick is about to fall off from all of this… And you’re still this uptight?”

“I’m only uptight because I have to be up your ass—”

“I love your ass,” he interrupts by pinching them. You shoot him a glare and pout.

“You’re an ass.”

He laughs this time and you take a deep breath. Suddenly, it smells like sex, something that you’ve grown familiar identifying. In all honesty, this entire foreplay feels familiar.

Though it’s been months since you two first slept together, the other times just never felt like this one. The first time was good. You would even say great! There was a lot of awkward pausing, shifting of positions, and hesitance… But it was good.

It burned so good. It felt good. He fucked you good.

He often felt unsure. During the first couple of times, he was still getting to know your body and didn’t want to mess up the mood. He didn’t want to lose you mid-sex. Now that it’s been a few months and you two have been sleeping with each other more often than not—it’s like your body is his. He’s so in love with it. He doesn’t get tired, instead, he craves more of it.

Jimin has always been good at things. At video games, at public speaking, at dancing… Of course, he’d be good at taking your virginity. He loves the way you react to everything he does. He runs on praise and you know that better than anyone else.

“... Thank you.”

He chuckles, finding this to be a little awkward. “What for?”

“For this,” you hint. “... You always know when I begin to feel overwhelmed or overstimulated. Even if you disguise it as an excuse to sleep with me, I know you’re just trying to look out for me. It’s strange, but I don’t think your intentions of fucking me are as pure as I thought they were.”

“What do you mean?” he pauses for the second time tonight. You shift from your bending position and settle to just sit on his lap. Jimin gulps at the thought of your bare pussy pooling on his jeans.

You let yourself sink onto him. He wraps his arms around your body and you look up at him, cupping his cheeks—his beloved cheeks.

“Fuck me properly at my place. Let’s ditch this scene,” you suggest. “Then maybe we should talk.”

“About what?” Jimin struggles to understand. “Are you uncomfortable? Sorry, I thought we were both in the mood and you were getting into it too so—”

“I think this should be more intimate,” you admit. “I think we’re fucking around too much in public. The hand thing earlier? Dragging me here? It.. It made me feel funny.”

“Funny weird?”

“Funny like.. Like there’s feelings wrapped around it.” Your confession catches Jimin off guard. “Look, it wasn’t just this. It’s stuff like how our study dates have been turning into sleepovers and our texts have been more domestic than just booty calls.”

“I can’t ask about your day?” Jimin asks, feeling a little small.

“You can,” you reassure him. “I’m just not sure why you would..”

“Because I want to.”

“That’s not a good enough reason—”

“Are you trying to make me admit something, yams? I have nothing to admit… Maybe you have something to admit—”

“Me? Feelings for you? Never!” you cry, feeling a little caught.

His eyes widen. “Feelings? Just because I’m nice to you suddenly means I have feelings for you?”

You pause.

Right.

He’s nice to everyone.

He’s the campus crush.

He’s—

“... What if I do?” Jimin reveals. “So what if I want to know about your day? Or that our study dates turn into sleepovers.. Or that I want to hold your hand, the doors we pass, or your books for you? Let’s not forget that you’re the one that looks at me. You started it. Yeah, don’t think I’m blind, yams. I see you. Of course, I do! You stare at me and put your hand on top of table corners when I drop shit like my pencil so I don’t bump my head. What if it’s you that—”

Jimin gets caught off and your building defensiveness is traded for embarrassment. Instantly, Jimin registers what’s happening. The moment the curtains are opened, he pushes his body to cover yours. Hastily, you put your shirt back on properly.

Jimin’s alumni friends, Yoongi, Nam Joon, Hoseok, and Jin stand and stare in shock. You haven’t met them aside from Yoongi. However, with the stories and pictures Jimin shares; you do know them.

“Shit, sorry!” Nam Joon yelps, as he turned covers his eyes. Hoseok does the same. Jin scoffs and turns the other way. Yoongi stands there, smirking at Jimin. Out of nowhere, sounds of laughter come from a deep voice. Suddenly, two familiar faces poke their heads in and burst into laughter.

Taehyung and Jungkook are both in your Anatomy class and you.. You totally forgot they’re friends with Jimin and this alumni group.

“What the fuck! How’d you know we were in here?” Jimin hisses.

Jungkook snorts. “Your phone location, idiot. We followed the sound of two people arguing and guess we found two people doing more than arguing.”

“Go! Get the fuck away—”

“Well, well, well.. Our president and… Vice? ___? Shit! No way… Is that you? Oh my god, I thought you two hated each other—”

No.

You can’t do this.

You get up and push away from Jimin. Without looking back or even looking forward, you keep your head low and storm out of the photobooth. You make your way through the crowd and though no one is looking at you; you feel like they are.

#bts social media au #bts fic #bts fake texts #bts jimin #jimin smut #jimin x yn

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catty-smartypants · 7 months

Text

Hi, I want to make a post to introduce my Fear and Hunger Termina OC!

Firstly tho, this awesome art isn't mine, it's made by:

Please check them out. They are so cool!

Her name is Edith Benonette, and she possesses the Ancient Soul. She's 40 years old.

Gameplay:

[Starts with a permanent -15% accuracy and foggy view (the latter removed by wearing glasses), incurable by Sylvan ring]

Skills:

Composure - Passive skill, ignores tension caused by enemies and slows mind loss in overworld (twice the time needed)

Prayer - Active skill [Regain 20 mind, remove a stage of fear and phobia stat effects, on self, but inflict bleeding, requires an Alll-mer sigil, increases affinity with Alll-mer "A ritual nuns often perform at churches, inflicting harm to themselves to forget about impure and unbecoming thoughts."

Libriographic insight - [At the cost of mind is able to select any* desired book from bookshelves that haven't been checked before] *The books Pocketcat sells, the mind price of books is 20 times the heads price of Pocketcat.

Appraisal - An active skill, [costs 35 mind] which allows to appraise an item, giving a bit of lore behind it and adds [+50%] of the stat buffs and effects of any equipment (except Beheaded Wizard [special dialogue between Edith and Nas'hrah if done]).

Entrepreneurial spirit - Passive skill, can sell items back to the vendors that sell it too [-20% of the buying price]. Can haggle to buy items cheaper [by 20% off the price] from vendors, the success of that is determined by a coin flip.

Starting items:

Coin Purse [+10 M. Defense, 75% Otherworldly] - "A small, round pounch with a long, beaded string securing it on its wearer. It allows the wearer to store as much coin on them as they can find." [If worn no coin limit]

Lotus Hat [+1 M. Defense 80% Otherworldly] - "An antique luxurious wool hat, with a decorative, sewn, lotus flower. It is said the white lotus represents peace and spiritual perfection"

Shirtwaist dress [+2 M. Defense +1 P. Defense 75% Slashing 70% Otherworldly] - "An old but luxurious and expensive emerald wool dress"

Broken Eyeglasses

As THE chosen character:

Story:

[An animation of Edith smoking by an open window, followed by:]

The soothing sound of the railtracks... You are not used to such peaceful and tramquil atmosphere. You were born in a prestigious noble family from Rondon, both your mother and father coming from old dynasties.

As the oldest child of theirs you were afforded no time for childhood innocence,

you were not allowed to play or go outside without supervision neither to talk with anyone your parents didn't see fit.

Your father hired a dozen of tutors that taught you subjects ranging from playing the violin to economics.

You hated it,

each day felt like you were trapped in a maze, walking the corridors of your family's estate while looking outside, seeing the commoners' children enjoying life made you jealous.

You have begged your mother and father to allow you to go outside, even only to attend a prestigious school.

After years of convincing, at your 14th birthday, you were given a choice.

You either went to a nun covent or at a prestigious boarding school. You chose the...

Nun covent [You learned Prayer]

Boarding school [You learned Composure]

After finishing your studies you returned home.

You would've missed the place if you weren't expected to follow the old rules.

And if your parents didn't arrange a marriage for you,

your future husband was a brash, ignorant and old factory owner. Your family prospered from the shared income while you moved in with him.

By comparison the years spend in the estate were a holiday. You were to attend endless balls, ceremonies, speeches with your husband.

While at home, you endure his violent lash-outs. You couldn't do much to stop it,

not only you had a reputation to maintain but also, you had nobody to rely on. The only distraction from reality was:

Burying yourself in books [You learned Libriographic insight]

Collecting relics of the past [You learned Appraisal]

However, your relief didn't come without a price.

As you spend nights, collecting the few things that brought you comfort, you could see more and more a weird fog surrounding you.

A visit to the doctor revealed that your sight was deteriorating due to stress. You began wearing glasses.

As the war started, your nation was dragged into it and so the economy took a big hit,

your husband's business was failing, and he was never good at holding his anger down,

your life became hell, you couldn't even rely on your past activities anymore. You were thinking to end it all one night,

you went to the housekeeper's area and looked for any poison,

your search was stopped by the housekeeper,

your excuses didn't stand a chance as tears rolled explaining your situation.

She hugged you and showed were the poison was, before giving it to you, telling you a better way of using it.

You waited for the opportunity, and it came,

your husband has invited serval potential investors at your place, a big dinner was supposed to be happening.

You were forbidden to participate but that only gave you a better alibi.

You asked the housekeeper to show you his goblet, and poured the poison in the drink.

The next morning, your husband was found dead, chocked in his own vomit. Since the death cause was asphyxiation, you were off the hooks of suspicion.

And so, you were saved,

you had to pretend you mourned, but the tears you rolled at his funeral, were tears of joy, and pain, for all the years wasted on him.

But now you had to decide on the fate of, now your, business...

You decided to sell it [You gain 200 shillings]

You decided to keep it [You learn Entrepreneurial spirit]

No matter your decision you were decided to begin anew.

You knew your freedom in society was limited to your status, so like before you were stuck in a golden birdcage.

Economical competition is a cruel and unjust game, one you had to shove your sentimentality aside to keep playing in.

You have heard of the war's end, and of the recent rumors of a peace deal between the Bremen Army and the Eastern Union,

this opened a opportunity,

Bohemia was known to be rather undeveloped,

and with the war over, no local enterprises were strong enough to suffice a bigger economy.

If you bought assets from it, it would be a long-term investment. How did you prepare for the trip?

Medical goods [gain 2 light blue vials and 4 cloth fragments]

Food [gain 9 Mushroom stew and 6 meatpie]

Luxury items [gain 1 Pipe, 5 Tobacco and 3 wine vial]

[SKIPPED TILL HERE, if skipped traits received: Prayer, Libiographic Insight, Entrepreneurial spirit and Luxury items]

[An animation would happen where the glasses would drop down and Edith would pick them up]

The lenses shattered. With luck, you'll be able to buy new ones in town."

As NOT the chosen character:

Day 1

She is one of the few characters who do not appear at the gathering outside the train. Instead, the player finds her smoking by the window of the first carriage from the exit. When interacting with her before the gathering, she would have a short dialogue where she dismisses the player, telling them to go outside at the gathering. Once the player does get out to the gathering, no matter if she was interacted with or not, she would be standing right by the door, still smoking. She will not introduce herself but leave right after the dialogue. Talking with her as she leaves let's the player hear her mumble about Tanaka calling him a "competitor" and walking a shorter path than him.

Next time the player meets her is at the mayor's mansion. She would be in the library, there, she is found reading a book. The player can choose to either talk or attack her. Attacking her would lead to a battle, with The Avare scoffing at the player character. If she is not killed or both of her legs are intact after one turn, however, she would run away. You can catch her, but if she exits the manor, she disappears for now. If talked with, she would complain about the poor state the books are kept, commenting on the amount of bent corners and indentations on covers. She also asks the player for a random non-tutorial or functional book. If the player finds it or has it, they can offer it to her, in return she would join the party. If Henryk isn't saved or the Dark priest gets aggroed and she isn't recruited or killed, she would disappear from the mansion.

From Day 2

In the morning till the afternoon, she can be found at Dr. Kefer's store, at the side, reading, talking with her there she implies that she made some under the table deals with them. When asked to be recruited again, she passive aggressively rejects, stating that she can manage on her own from now on. If you had attacked her in the Mayor's Mansion, and she escaped, she would give the player a cold shoulder.

If the player character has aggroed the Dark Priest or The Gentleman appeared before she could be recruited, she would be found instead in the Church of Alll-mer, in the first room sitting in the left-front pew. Her dialogue here is different, she tells the player that she was forced to believe in Alll-mer, but he only pretended to, until this day, she tells the player that there cannot be a logical or optimistic explanation to anything happening in this town. If the player places an effigy on the stand with her alive and present in the room, next time the player enters the room, she will be found inspecting them, talking with her will reveal the origin of these effigies. If the player places all 3 of them, she says she impressed with their feat and propose to become part of the party. If the player refuses or has no available party slots, she says she will be waiting here if they change their mind. She will stay here until Day 2 Night, being available for (free) recruiting.

Here, the player can attack her. If attacked in the Mayor's Mansion or here, she would run in the right room of the Church, if the player doesn't catch to her, she would be gone, if the Chandelier hasn't been dropped or the gate to the basement is locked she will lock herself in the confessional pew, the player won't be able to open the confessional, if O'saa happens to be I'm the confessional too, interacting with his side of the pew will lead to O'saa berating the player for being such a careless hunter, his door too, not opening. If the gate to the basement is opened, she would be gone, but if only the chandelier was drooped she would be hiding in the confessional booth, until the player interacts with the hole caused by the chandelier, upon doing so a cutscene would be triggered of Edith stepping out the confessional and pushing the player down the hole.

MOONSCORCHED FORM

If not killed before Day 2 Night, Edith will become Moonscorched. Her moonscorched form is called:

The Caged Magpie

In this form, she transforms into a grotesque anthropomorphic magpie, alike the Valkyre.

Her entire body is encased, however, in a golden birdcage, where she can only stand with her head hunched forward. Her arms become long, bare wings, her palm still exists though deformed, it tightly holds onto the bars of the cage, as if trying to break them. Her head is shadowed in the cage, however two, piercing green lights can be seen from where the eyes should be, and a big golden beak that pokes out of the enclosure menacingly. Her legs seem the only part of the body partialy out the cage, with two holes letting half of her, now, bird legs out. The birdcage itself seems to be out of lead, with gold paint that peels off it, the cage has no door handle or any forms of exit, only a broken hook on top. At the bottom of the cage, a pile of artifacts, trinkets, and coins shimmer.

The Caged Magpie prefers to stalk parts of towns near shops and vendors. Once in the same location of her, a flavor text: "You hear a metal rustle" and sounds of Eurasian magpie calls while there. If you dont leave the screen, enter a shop or talk to a vendor she will slowly approach the player, it will hop, stalking them and will steal one item the player has equiped if they stand unmoving for more than 7 seconds, after that she will promptly fly away, if the player instead tries to approach it, Magpie will run away alike a scared chicken. If you enter a shop or talk to a vendor as soon as you exit the shop/conversation, the Magpie will fly towards you initiating a fight.

In the fight, the Magpie's body parts do one attack each:

Her legs do a one-character powerful hit called "Digging the dirt", however, this attack is only performed every 2nd turn.

Her arms do a weak one-character attack called "Slap on the wrist", however, there is a 5% chance the Magpie, instead of attacking does a "Acquire" action, which steals one of a character's equipment.

Her beak performs a coinflip attack called "Peck", which is a reference to Crow Mauler's iconic attack. The player will be warned 1 turned before it with a flavor text: "The Magpie seems to shift its head in the cage"

The player can attack the aforementioned body parts and break them. However, her body is protected by a birdcage, which has a lot of HP. Once all the other body parts have been broken, the Magpie will have only one attack "Shove", which deals little damage.

Upon defeating her in combat, you can loot her corpse to get all your lost equipment to her, be it outside or during the fight, alongside a Coin Purse and 99 shillings.

I might make more posts about her, like other character interactions and more about her Moonscorched form!

#fear and hunger #fear and hunger termina #fear & hunger #funger #fear&hunger: termina #fear and hunger art #fear and hunger oc #termina oc #funger oc

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