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#like I'm glad she is at least in the game but the bar is in fucking hell with atlus
ddruxyart · 3 months
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((totally okay you respond out in the open))
BUT YOU ARE SO RIGHT THAT THE QUOTE APPLIES TO HAMUKO SO WELL like already the plot is so unfair that she has to protect the whole world but then you think about how atlus treats her and completely forgot about her for the remake and ahhhhhhhhh i get so sad i miss our girl so much she deserves everything ;o;
ourhghghghg FR and dont get me started on the fucking remake. Sorry I'm gonna enter my hater mode for a second here.
It genuinely makes me so fucking mad. the whole argument for a P3 remake should not be a visual update. < Which thats what it feels likem to me. We have three versions of Persona 3, each with its own Pros and Cons but more importantly each version of the game has content that the others are missing. People constantly argue about which version to play and instead of finally creating a definitive version, with the answer, with femc, with all of the bells and whistles that both protagonists deserve Atlus decided to essentially do a vanilla P3² again. For fucking WHAT?? just so that Atlus can do another re-release in a year called P3 Reload in Moonlight or w/e?? It makes me SOOO mad. Bc I obviously want a version where Hamuko has her own cutscenes 3D Models & 2D Animated and if they do add her in later or as a dlc then I would reward/endorse Atlus BS tactics. < Bc I would be tempted, I would be lying to myself If I said I wouldn't.
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lwolfcat429 · 4 months
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Adopted Dad! Husk + young demon Cat reader
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Husk found her in an alleyway, (before pilot) and out of the **kindness** his heart (more so knowing what's like being in hell at first and being scared) he took her in, not officially adopting her but just kinda keep her, she was around ages 15-16 in pilot+First season.
" ---tel? What the fuck is this?....You!! "
When Husk first arrived at the hotel, she was there with him napping as he gambled, also grewing scared and confused when teleported to the hotel. Gripping the table, ears lower and fur raising, Husk's wings Shielding her. Alastor knows of her and stood there smiling at the two
" Ah, Husker, y/n, my good friends! Glad you could make it! " Alastor said as everyone watched, reader standing there confused
vaggie pointing at the teenage cat demon "is that a child? "
" Don't you "Husker" me, you son of a bitch! I was about to win the whole damn pot! " husk said to Alastor, Alastor explained the situation with the hotel and husker growled, hissing at Alastor" You thought it'd be some kind of big fucking riot just to pull me out of nowhere?! You think I'm some kind of fucking clown?! "
Alastor smirked wider " Maybe " the reader holds in a laugh, husk looks at her with sharp slit pupils, she shakes her head waving and mumbling a sorry. Alastor tells husker he can ran a bar and a have a few drinks. Also just as long as reader isn't touching or drinking said alcohol drinks. Husker hissed again " what do you take me for? Of course I'm not giving her drinks!! I don't let her touch the stuff! she just ain't old enough!!" you stood by rolling your eyes, like any teenager "--- and What? You think you can buy me with a wink and some cheap booze?! " Alastor glares at Husker menacingly " ...Well, you can! " Husker said, taking said booze fearful of Alastor.
Everyone was introduced to the reader, who (is kinda like loona) wants to be left alone and stays on her phone. Alastor kinda tries to teach her something about tech rooting her brain, she doesn't listen to anyone besides husk who kinda grumbles at her to at least talk or try to engage in conversation when people speak to her.
Husk's favorite moments with the reader are when she wants to help but he doesn't want her to touch booze yet, since it's so additive and he doesn't want her to ruin her life. So he goes to the second beast and tells her to cook something and serve it, which she's good at. Husk has given her a "job" (more like his little helper) since he found her, which has been her cooking food
Charlie watches Husk and Reader bond. While cooking, (husker watches so she doesn't hurt herself) the reader sprays husk with water to piss him off. Which he replied with pouring some flour on her. Alastor also watched, finding the scenario "cute" but also entertaining. Vaggie made sure husk and reader cleaned the mess, while angel stood up telling husk the reader was kicking his ass at a childish game. Nifty just joined in to clean making sure they were doing it properly
When Husk met Valentino, the reader was also there to support Angel. Telling him Valentino sucked and Angel was bad ass in standing up to him. Husk told Angel to keep fighting Valentino. Angel in a way turned into a second dad when it came to the reader, one time as a joke, the reader made angel food cake and told the Angel it was for him. A hole in the middle of the cake with icing making it look like an ass hole. Husk nearly choked on his beer as Angel was dying laughing at the joke.
Everyone else found it less amusing.
Angel helps the reader cook and makes sure her room is clean, despite his own room being kinda dirty. Angel and Husk are getting teen reader out of her shell but being protective when it comes to boys, and girls depending on their attitude.
The reader suffers with nightmares, during her life, her parents were abusive so in a fight she killed both of them, and they also killed her during said fight. So sometimes everyone can hear the reader crying or screaming. Husk is the only one who walks to comfort her. Telling everyone to give her space, he'll handle it. But Angel walks in. The reader is under her bed, husk trying to get her out and comfort her. Angels lay on the ground telling her stories, singing songs and telling her how bad ass she is for fighting back against her parents, like how she comforted him when he stood up to Valentino, this sorta helps. Reader comes out, allowing Angel and husk to hug her. Husk makes her hot chocolate to help her sleep and Angel cuddles her, rubbing her fur and singing her good night.
Charlie proceeded to hug and praise husk and Angel for taking care of the reader so well.
Scenario;
The reader got an invite to a party by cherry bomb, the cool aunt who also helps get her out of her shell, reader Mets some people. But husk, Angel and surprisingly Alastor, the strict uncle, was not pleased by this. So they went to find her. Only to see a wolf demon, holding down the reader, she's scared and tearing up. You could hear angel yelling "my baby" as he ran to her. Husk, and angel Jump on the wolf. Alastor, gently helping reader up, telling her this was why she shouldn't go to parties. He teleports her to the hotel where vaggie, Charlie and nifty comfort her.
The wolf demon was found dead, dismembered and basically Unrecognizable that same night
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ladykailitha · 3 months
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Not All That Glitters is Gold Part 9
I know I keep saying this but I think I'm starting to wrap it up. By my current calculations I have about 3 more chapters to write (as always I have several chapters backlogged). That could go up of course, but that's the way it appears to be going at the moment.
In this chapter we have the first of their three "dates" and Eddie and Steve get personal.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
Heads up for sexy times, I would tell you where, but it's intermixed with a lot of conversation. Sorry.
****
Steve had never been nervous before a roleplay before. Not even his very first one. Of course that had been the homemaker one, and he thrived on them originally.
He had worn the dress as requested, but changed up the accessories. He went for simple pearl earrings and necklace. Nothing on his wrists, they would only cause problems later.
He leaned up against the bar, nursing his drink as he scanned the crowd. The thing about rolyplays was that you didn’t know exactly when the client would show up, just a ballpark figure.
Robin was on hand this time to scare off any assholes who thought that an escort was fair game whether or not they were on the clock or not.
She had already headed off three of these douchebags already and was in the process of heading off a fourth when another one breezed past her to head straight for Steve.
She was about dump ice down this alpha’s dress if she didn’t get out of her way so she could get her omega, when the woman saw the fifth alpha trying to chat Steve up.
She threw her arms in the air and stormed off, cursing Robin in at least three different languages.
Robin turned her attention to Steve, but smiled at the scene instead. Eddie Munson had arrived and Steve and he were eviscerating the asshole alpha for horning in on their date.
So she moved to sit in a nearby booth to watch them.
****
Eddie bristled when he arrived to see that Robin was having a hard time fending off alphas trying to get to Steve.
God, Steve.
Eddie had thought the man was beautiful in the glamour of his own home, but here, under the soft lights of the hotel bar, he looked like a goddess and Eddie was down to worship.
He strolled right up and slipped his arm around Steve’s waist. “Hello, darlin’. I’m sorry I’m late.”
Steve’s omega immediately preened at the attention. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”
The other alpha was a forty year old man who looked like he had more money than sense.
Eddie looked him up and down. “Shoo.”
The man sneered. “You really think that someone like you could handle an omega like that? Don’t make me laugh.”
Steve rolled his eyes, tugging on his earring. “Well considering he paid for the privilege and you didn’t, I’d fuck off before I call security.”
The man pulled himself up to full height and was scenting rage, but before he could even make a move, Xander was towering behind the guy and Robin put her hand one his chest.
Steve had signaled her when he tugged on his left earring and both his handler and driver were there for there intercept before things got really ugly.
As Xander and hotel security hauled him out, he started screaming cuss words and calling Steve all sorts of names.
Eddie winced. “Not how I wanted to start our date, sweetheart.”
Steve rubbed his nose along Eddie’s scent gland. “I don’t know, I found it hot the way you swooped in for the rescue.”
Eddie smirked. “Did you now?”
Steve bit his lip and looked down to glance up at him through his eyelashes. “Of course you did, baby. I’m such a lucky omega.”
Eddie’s alpha growled low and deep and it forced its way out of his throat. “You’re looking pretty hot yourself, Stevie.” His hand slid to press on Steve’s lower back and pulled the omega flush against his chest. “What’s your pleasure?” He nodded to the glass still in Steve’s hand.
Steve dragged his hips side to side, rubbing their clothed cocks together, but before Eddie could do anything than moan, Steve stepped away from the alpha and asked for a bottle of their best whiskey to share.
Eddie sat down on the barstool next to him and they talked. With each passing moment as the alcohol hit his system, Steve was getting warmer. He could feel the heat between his legs. He crossed them to try and tame the desire that was pulsating through his very core.
Eddie licked his lips and his mouth went dry. He downed the rest of his glass and threw money on the bar top.
“Keep the change,” he growled, not even glancing to see how much he had dropped, but judging from Steve’s impressed expression it was probably a lot.
Eddie grabbed Steve’s wrist and they were off running for the elevators. Eddie pressed the up button and then pulled Steve close to kiss him deeply.
The elevator bell dinged and Steve pushed him away to dash into the open doors. Eddie gave chase and swung Steve around, bring him back to his orbit, barely hitting the right floor as he drank in Steve’s kisses.
Again the elevator bell dinged and the doors swung open again and they ran out, hand in hand.
Steve giggled as Eddie struggled to get the key card out of his pants and finally let them into the hotel suite.
Eddie got his hands under the slits in the dress, feeling up Steve’s thighs. “God, baby. I could eat you all up.”
Steve smiled but pushed back. He took a couple steps back, putting more distance between them. Once he was far enough back that Eddie would get the full effect, Steve reached up and undid the clasp on his dress.
And as described the dress flowed like a waterfall to ground.
Eddie gaped as he stood there in his just thong and shoes. “Fuck. That was even sexier than it was in my head.”
He got close enough to extend his hand to help Steve step away from the folds of the dress pooling at his ankles and right into Eddie’s arms.
Eddie kissed him like he was drowning and Steve was his salvation.
Steve was dizzy with want. There were a few alphas in his past that he had had crushes on or even developed feelings for, but they were nothing compared to the sheer want of being with Eddie.
“Yes, alpha,” he murmured. “Take what you want.”
Eddie let out a low growl that came from his chest and Steve’s omega fucking chirped back. But before the embarrassment could over take Steve for having broken through his professionalism again for this man, Eddie was sweeping Steve off his feet and carrying him bridal style to the bed.
Eddie carefully set him down and then made quick work of taking off Steve’s shoes. Now all he was wearing was his matching gold thong and looking up at Eddie with hooded eyes.
“Fuck, Stevie,” Eddie purred. “You look good enough to eat.”
Steve let out a delight laugh. “So you’ve said, so you gonna do something about it?”
Eddie licked the top row of his teeth, bring attention to sharp canine teeth that alphas were famous for. Gotta break the skin for that bond bite, you know?
Steve giggled hysterically and slapped a hand over his mouth. He blushed a dark red. A red that seemed to reach his nipples and the tips of his ears.
Eddie gently pulled his hand away from his mouth. “It’s alright to giggle, darlin’. It was cute.”
He kissed the inside of Steve’s wrist and suddenly the shame gave way to arousal. Steve moaned.
“That’s it, baby,” Eddie whispered, “I want to hear every delicious sound you make.” He slid off the panties and tossed them to the side.
Steve threw back his head and nearly jack knifed off the bed, crying out in pleasure when Eddie buried his head right between Steve’s legs.
Steve thought for sure Eddie would go for his cock. Every alpha Steve had been with had. Steve was well endowed for even a beta. He could never measure up to an alpha cock, as they were massive by design to be able to form a knot, but Steve had nothing to scoff at.
But, no. Eddie went straight for Steve’s pussy, licking and sucking the folds of his omegahood.
“Eddie!” Steve cried. “Oh god! That feels so good.”
Eddie nipped gently on the inside of Steve’s thigh. “What’s the matter, gorgeous, no one eat you out before?”
Steve shook his head, biting down on his lip in humiliation.
Eddie’s head snapped up in shock. “Wait, really?”
“It’s my job to take care of the alpha,” Steve murmured, “no one’s taken care of me before.”
Eddie sat up and looked him right in the eye. “What do you do for your heats?”
Steve struggled to sit up and Eddie let him. He wrapped his arms around his knees. “We aren’t allowed to share them with alphas.” He cocked his head to the side. “Not normally anyway. Only the highest of the high elite know that heats can be bought through the agency, but they’re are deliberately prohibitively high.”
Eddie licked his lips as another piece of the puzzle that was this beautiful omega fell into place.
“Like how high are we talking about?”
Steve scratched his cheek. “Depends on the omega really.”
Eddie snorted. “I meant you specifically, sweetheart.”
“Well, last time someone asked it was quoted at five million,” he replied with a wince, “but that was a couple of years ago, it’s probably twice that now.”
“I’m guessing he didn’t have the money?” Eddie asked rubbing his chin.
Steve scoffed. “She and no, she didn’t. She protested so hotly that Starcourt banned her for life.”
“That’s a really short list to be on,” he said, whistling long and low. “That must have been one hell of a hornets’ nest she kicked.”
“You wouldn’t have heard anything about it,” Steve mumbled. “Starcourt takes the lives of their omegas very seriously. They were able to buy off the press and force her into fringe media to make her look hysterical. It went so far under the radar that most people don’t even remember her.”
Eddie tugged on Steve’s legs until he was stretched out on the bed again. “Change of track. I was going to give you the most mind blowing, heat searing sex imaginable, but now I’m going worship every inch of your skin like you should be.”
Steve covered his face with his hands in embarrassment, behind them he could hear Eddie undress. Then the bed sank with the weight of Eddie as peeled Steve’s hands away from his face.
“No hiding, baby,” he murmured into Steve’s ear. “I want to see all of you.”
Steve let out a low shuddering breath and then nodded. “Yes, alpha.”
“Good boy,” Eddie said softly against his lips before sealing them with a kiss.
It was gentle and warm and Steve absolutely melted with it. Eddie moved from his lips to his jaw to the two little moles just under his chin. He hovered over Steve’s scent gland.
“Can I scent you, Stevie?” he muttered, voice thick with want.
Steve’s hips canted up seeking friction. “Yes, Eds. Please!”
Eddie pulled his head up to look at him in the eyes. “Eds, huh? I like it.” He bent back over the scent gland and licked along its length, causing Steve to shiver.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Eddie cooed. “Look at how responsive you are when someone takes care of you. You’re positively aching for it, aren’t you?”
Steve nodded. “Please, Eds, I need you.”
“And how could I possibly say no to such a pretty request.”
Eddie pulled off his clothes and slid on a condom, then proceeded to make the night about Steve’s pleasure. Working every inch of his body like he was playing guitar.
Steve isn’t even sure how many times he came that night, but he was damn sure it was a personal record.
As they laid in bed together afterwards, condom disposed of, Eddie asked, “How come you switch between my name and calling me alpha?”
Steve blushed deeply. “Technically I’m not supposed to use a client’s name when I’m on a job, just ‘alpha’.”
“To keep impersonal?” Eddie guessed, wrapping Steve up into his arms and pressing a kiss on his jaw.
Steve hummed. “Yeah, but you keep breaking through my professional exterior to my gooey center.”
Eddie chuckled, nosing Steve’s scent gland. “You won’t get into trouble, will you?”
“No,” Steve said, amusement coloring his tone, making it light and airy. “And if they do say something, I’ll just tell them that since I’m pretending to be your boyfriend for the next three months, I can’t go around calling you ‘alpha’. How weird would that be?”
Eddie just nodded. “When do you have to leave?”
Steve turned in his arms so that they faced each other. “Usually, I’d slip out once you’re asleep–”
“You do what now?!” Eddie squawked, outraged.
Steve rolled his eyes. “It’s for our safety. Too often alphas will get possessive if we stay the night, thinking there was more to it than a simple transaction.”
“Oh.”
Eddie hadn’t thought about it that way. He was only thinking about how the alpha would feel. But that was meaningless. It didn’t matter how they felt, because as Steve pointed out, it was only a transaction.
“Yeah,” Steve said with a shrug. “But seeing as tonight was to set up us as ‘dating’ staying the night is kinda the point.”
“Sounds good, darlin’,” Eddie murmured, settling into fall asleep.
Steve watched as his breath evened out and his eyes fluttered close.
Now all he had to do is figure out how to prevent his heart from shattering into a billion pieces when they ‘broke up’ in three months.
****
Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17
Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @chaoticlovingdreamer @messrs-weasley @goodolefashionedloverboi @maya-custodios-dionach @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @bookworm0690 @bookbinderbitch @yikes-a-bee @littlewildflowerkitten @vecnuthy @scheodingers-muppet @y4r3luv @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @genderless-spoon @anne-bennett-cosplayer @awkwardgravity1 @irregular-child @nburkhardt @apomaro-mellow @yellowdevilkitten @eyehartart @mangoinacan13 @demolvr @ellietheasexylibrarian @rememberthatiloveyou @slowandsteddie @r0binscript @alyelf @melodymeddler @mogami13
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leolithe · 5 months
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the mood after finishing TNW for the first time and finally roaming the fandom grounds
(new player's lil retrospective under the cut)
man, i'm glad i started playing Warframe well after The New War first came out because i don't think i could've handled the nuclear fallout that was the fandom's reactions to the Lotus' betrayal
i understand being hurt by it and understand that there were compelling reasons to distrust the Lotus, but ohhhh my god. the amount of misogyny to wade through... the unwillingness to try to understand this character because you're convinced that euugghhhh this is just how women are
when i finished TNW i was very grateful that DE did not go the "woman is evil and manipulative and must die" route with the lotus, but now after understanding the game's themes (and no longer being a passenger in this seemingly incomprehensible but fun as fuck ride), i'm just like. Yeah of fuckin' course the Lotus isn't evil! the game WARFRAME is about WAR TRAUMA and the Lotus is an ENTIRE embodiment of it
The Tenno were forced to become child soldiers, Natah was created for the sole purpose of Finishing the war. the Tenno at least had lives like normal children before being forced into war, but Natah???? she never had that luxury.
and it's such a fucking gut punch to realize that Natah never truly knew what a life outside destruction was, and yet. she met the Tenno and decided to spare them; to reject the purpose programmed into her because she found herself feeling compassion. she found herself feeling that these children deserve to live.
and just, like Conceptually?? the fact that Warframe's writing team is even answering the question "What if the leader of an army of children who were forced into becoming soldiers for war is a mom figure who was born for war?" is so fuckin cool. idk where exactly the bar is when it comes to stories like this cuz i'm not that worldly a person, but god it's soooo compelling.
anyway lotus fans please interact 🥺🥺
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captain-mj · 2 months
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Celebration or Funeral
Graves invites the crew out to a bar for seemingly no reason and hopefully no ulterior motives.
Price was dumbfounded at the audacity honestly. Graves had sent out an invite to the 141 and Alejandro and Rodolfo. Even included plus ones if they had a partner to bring.
He didn't understand at all. It was so bizarre. The invitation was safe. They had a team to check for anthrax and the like. But everything had been given the seal of approval.
There was a time, date, location, even coordinates in case they didn't know the place. He had checked. It was a bar in Texas that was close enough to the border that the Los Vaqueros wouldn't have to travel too far from home. It was close to where they had chased Hassan originally.
The 141 would have to fly of course, but that's cause they were stationed in Urzikstan at the moment.
Price mentioned it offhandedly to Farah, planning to toss it out and never ever seeing that traitor again.
But Farah had smiled at him. "Oh! Yeah, Alex and I were going to go. I'm glad Phillip decided to invite you guys."
"Phillip? You guys are on first name basis now?"
She frowned at him, immediately looking displeased. "Price, remember what we talked about. We've been working together for a while now."
"You can't trust him."
"I never said I did. I simply ask you trust me." Farah huffed. "And I will be going to their outing. He does this with his closest Shadows often and Alex and I always have a nice time. Maybe you all need to come along. It might be good to clear the air since we will continue to work with each other."
Price really wished he could convince Farah to stop working with him, but if she insisted on doing so, he would be there. "Fine. I'll come."
The other three agreed to come immediately, not wanting Price to walk into an ambush, relatively, alone.
The plane ride was... uncomfortable to say the least.
Ghost was currently glowering at Alex who kept glancing over at him and grimacing. He'd sigh passive aggressively and Alex would turn around to glare at him back.
"And why are those two acting like jilted lovers?" Price aske Gaz and Soap.
"Oh, Alex said he and Graves had become friends and Ghost is made because the two of them and Alejandro are friends. He considers it a betrayal to their friendship." Gaz explained.
"Ah. Are you also upset, Soap? You did get shot."
Soap nodded. "Well. I am pissed. But with Makarov around, Graves helping Farah to fight him, and him betraying Shepherd to throw him under the buss, I'm trying to stay level headed about it."
It was a shockingly grounded take. Price wished he could do the same. Inside, the anger was too hot. Too volatile. He didn't know what it was about Graves that just got under his skin, but forgiveness wasn't on the table.
Honestly he wanted to just beat him into the ground. Hurt him like he had hurt Soap and Ghost in Los Almas. Like he had hurt the Vaqueros.
He felt like a rabid dog when he thought of it. Normally, he was so much better at keeping his emotions in check.
Farah patted him suddenly and he glanced up at her. "Do you want a drink, old man?"
"Yeah. I could use one." He stood up and followed her to the cabin. The plane used to be a private one, but it had been repurposed for Farah and her Freedom Fighters. It was better for long distances than a helicopter and it had better optics when they had to make speeches or talk with government operations.
Farah didn't keep much alcohol on board, but she did keep a thing of whiskey for the two of them to share. She poured them both a glass and he took it from her gratefully.
"I understand why you're upset."
"And I understand why you're working with him." Price interrupted. "I do. I promise. It's just an adjustment. Especially finding out you socialize with him."
"Mostly I socialize with Oz actually."
"Oz?"
"His second in command! He's great. Very cool. He's shown me how to play video games." Farah smiled so softly, almost like she was embarrassed.
Price smiled a little himself, thinking of Farah being... normal. She had fought for so long. Her entire childhood spent in hell. If she enjoyed spending time with this "Oz" guy, he must not be awful. "Okay. I'm going to give all of them a chance, alright?''
"Thank you, Price. I do appreciate it." Farah squeezed his arm. "Really. I hope we can all work amicably."
They settled back down with the others and rested for this rest of the plane ride.
The moment they touched down, Farah and Alex were quickly getting out. Price bit his tongue and hung back, the 141 one quickly following his lead, even though Gaz did glance at Alex and Alex did glance back.
"Try to play nice. No unnecessary fights." Price ordered, patting Gaz's back.
"Aye, Captain." Soap responded.
Ghost stayed very quiet, only giving the slightest nod.
"At ease."
They didn't really separate. Maybe it was unease at being on unfamiliar turf or the fact that they were all enemies.
Alejandro was smoking near his car, Rudy at his right. His body language shifted, relaxing at the same time the grin appeared on his face. "Hermanos!"
Soap smiled. "Alejandro, Rodolfo. Long time no see."
Alejandro grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug. Soap did the same with Rodolfo.
Gaz nodded at them. "Colonel Vargas. Sergeant Major Parra."
"I feel we're on a first name by now, Sergeant Garrick." Rodolfo smiled at him. "Nice to see you again."
Alejandro nodded but jumped into business. "Our invitation said this was an... apology. You guy's mention anything about this?"
"No. Just an invitation."
"Interesting. Let's head inside."
The bar itself was full of people. It took Price a moment before he realized it, but, with the exception of the bartender, every person in the room was a Shadow. All of them were in civvies, but he recognized a few of them from chance in encounters. They all talked about their work with no issues.
Alex had a cowboy hat on. For some reason, this was something he noticed immediately. He was currently downing a pint, trying to drink it faster than a dark haired woman who was currently beating him.
Farah was chatting animatedly with a giant man with strange makeup on. HIs hair was set up a bit like a vikings would be. He was smiling at her and nodding excitedly.
Price didn't like it.
The giant man looked at him and quickly looked... embarrassed? It was an odd look on such a big man.
Farah followed his gaze and waved Price over. He quietly walked over, keeping an eye out on everyone. Most people were drunk or getting there so there weren't many threats.
Oz smiled at him, standing up. Price didn't like that he had to tilt his head up to look him in the eye.
"It is nice to meet you, Captain. You too, Colonel. The rest of you." Oz seemed unsure of himself.
"Oz, I'm assuming?"
"Yes, sir." Oz nodded.
Farah smiled. "We were talking about a game he showed me! It's called Terraria. It's so much fun!"
"Now, Osmond." There was that familiar accent. Graves was smiling, looking... stupidly casual. A flannel shirt, tight jeans, a belt buckle. A walking stereotype of American. "Please tell me you haven't converted Farah to your nerdy shit."
"Hey!" Farah defended him. "It's fun!"
Graves shook his head, a bright blush on his face from intoxication. "Whatever you say, ma'am." He looked at them. For a moment, he made eye contact with Price and it was like a lightning bolt. But then his eyes skipped right over to him to Alejandro. He took a deep breath. "It's nice to see you again, Colonel. And you, Sergeant Major."
"The feeling is not mutual."
Graves stepped a bit closer, on the very edge of his personal space. "Alright. Hit me."
Alejandro frowned.
"One free hit. Consider it the start of us getting even with each other. There's no guns in here. No one is going to stop you and I'm not going to hit you back. So, hit me."
Alejandro weighed his options for a split second before socking Graves so hard on the side of his jaw that Oz had to catch him before he stumbled.
Graves took a split second, blinking involuntary tears from his eyes. He faced him again. "Great. Your drinks are on us." Despite the freshly blooming bruise, he still managed a rather charming smile.
Alejandro shook his head but stepped back. Rudy didn't.
"Only fair I let you have one, yeah?" Graves smiled right before Rodolfo hit him hard in the stomach.
"Stay out of Los Almas." Rudy hissed to him.
"I was planning on it, amigo." Graves managed to straighten up after a minute. "You four aren't getting a hit."
"Gonna let me shoot you later?" Soap growled at him.
Graves laughed. "Nah. Have as many shots as you want though." He nodded at them and walked away, clearly hurting a little but playing it off.
Price ordered the most expensive whiskey available. He downed a shot, keeping an eye on Graves as he went to each table. His hands touched every Shadow's shoulder. It was a light touch but Price recognized it. He did the same thing when the 141 came back from missions. A light touch to let him know they were alive.
"John." Simon muttered. "How are we feeling?"
"I'm following the Colonel's lead. He seems to be trying to run up a tab. I'm going to do the same. Farah also seems... happy. A normal friendship outside of the military will be good for her. Or as close as this is."
Ghost nodded and sat next to him. They observed them for a good minute before Gaz slunk to Price's other side. Soap was mingling.
There was country music playing. It sounded modern, but Price didn't exactly listen to the genre. He sighed and ordered another whiskey, hoping to keep himself just drunk enough to relax but not so drunk he couldn't fight.
As the songs flipped through, Price got tipsy enough to mildly enjoy himself. His friends had left him at some point, not too far away, just around.
Something came on the radio and Graves climbed on to a table. The top few buttons of his shirt had been undone and he was panting a little bit.
"Turn that motherfucker off!"
"Come on, Graves it's just one song!"
"No! I've hated that motherfucker for ages and suddenly he wants to prounce around like a little bastard. That motherfuckers went to a fucking private school! Get his ass off my radio!" Graves hissed.
Price swallowed thickly. Maybe it was the whiskey, of which he was a few glasses down. Maybe it was the sudden anger and passion in his face. But he felt flushed from more than alcohol.
The next song, which sounded like a love ballad to him, seemed to please Graves who started to sing along. Despite the table being wooden, it held his weight as he stomped his boots on it. He smiled brightly as he did and someone handed him a whiskey bottle to drink during the chorus.
Price made eye contact with him and quickly glanced around to talk to his team.
HIs team which was not there.
Ghost and Simon had started to banter, making fun of people in the room despite never looking away from each other.
Gaz, who now had that cowboy hat on, had gotten swept up in Alex, the two of them currently dancing. Alex was a little out of step, his prosthetic leg probably making it harder.
Farah was now dancing with one of the pretty Shadows. The two of them twirling around.
Even Alejandro and Rodolfo were staring at each other, Rudy's hand was on Alejandro's chest.
Fuck. He didn't have anyone around.
Price looked back up at Graves who had looked away but somehow a few more of his buttons had come undone. His head tilted back, showing off a pretty neck. Fuck, his chest was heaving, breath puffing out of him.
They were making eye contact again. Graves licked his bottom lip and drank more of his whiskey.
Price got up and went to the bathroom. He took off his hat for a moment and splashed his face with water to try to sober up a little.
"Price." That fucking accent sounded from behind him. Maybe he should've hid in one of the stalls. But that would've felt juvenile.
"Graves." He looked in the mirror at him.
The man smiled. "Sorry if I'm interrupting. You alright?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?" Price growled out, watching those red cheeks got redder.
Graves shrugged a little. "Don't know. Maybe I'm projecting on ya a little." He looked away, drinking more of the bottle.
"I'm angry."
"is it all at me?"
"No. Not just you." Price sighed and straightened up. He walked over until he was standing over him. Graves straightened up a little but he let Price take the bottle from his hand. His eyes followed his lips as he took a long drink.
Graves sighed. "Good?"
"Cheap tasting." Price tried to tease him, but it fell flat.
The pretty blue eyes peering up at him wouldn't let him go. It was infuriating. He found himself leaning down, lips pressing against Graves's, tasting the whiskey off of them. His tongue darted out to deepen it. For a blissful moment, his mouth opened up to let Price in.
Then he was turning away. "This isn't going to fuck up your team, is it?"
Price blinked and it was like reality slammed into him. "It is."
Graves smiled sadly. "John, I'd love to. But I'd be a right ass fucking up what you got going on. I think I've done enough damage."
"It'd feel great. God, I'd treat you right."
He laughed and Price felt his stomach clench. The rest of the whiskey bottle was slipped into his hand. They shared another kiss, tongues chasing each other.
"If you're sober, and still want to, go ahead and call me."
51 notes · View notes
cielie-voss · 5 months
Note
Hey there!
Stumbled across your blog and fell in love with your Eddie Fics! 😍
If you're still taking request, I'd like to request something Rockstar!Eddie x Reader, where Reader works at a bar or cafe and Eddie is on tour with Corroded coffin and meets her at work. She doesn't believe that he's a rockstar and thinks he just wants to impress her until one day, she accepts his silly pickup lines and goes on a date with him.
If you don't like this, it's totally fine. Hope you have some peaceful holidays (and a very unmerry Christmas, absolutely loved this!)
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Rockstar!Eddie x fem!Reader
A/N: Thank you so much for this request! I'm so sorry it took me so long, I hope you like it! I just wanted to write something short and simple (ha, jokes on me, short and simple seems to be something not possible for me). I had so much fun writing this!
Warnings: Rockstar AU, Fluff, bad pickup lines, idiots in love, mutual pining, Reader is a writer, some petnames, takes place in the 90's. Wordcount: ~8k ("something short and simple") Summary: After some crazy years of university stress, heartbreaks, family problems and the wrong kind of friends, Y/N decided to take a year to discover herself, figure out her dreams and wishes. With her newfound freedom she just wanted to do some Minijobs and travel the world. No university stressing her with exams, no annoying family who's trying to tell her what to do, no backstabbing friends, and most importantly: no dating and no more heartaches. But boy oh boy, she could've never been more wrong. Taglist: @violetmiroh If you want to be tagged in coming fanfics or if you want to request something, feel free to send me a dm or an ask. 🥰 Likes, comments and especially reblogs are always welcome. 🤗 Masterlist
Finally. 
After years of stress and torture you finally found some freedom. You successfully graduated college with your major in literature, ready to enter the real world. And that’s not the only thing you had to master throughout the past years.
“Why don’t you study something useful? Maybe business administration? Or marketing?” Your parents had perfected the game of making your life a living hell. Literature was something useless for them. Something where you would never get a real job. But you wanted nothing less than to write. Write about everything. Poems. Dramas. Novels. You wanted to tell the world about the little stories in your mind. But writing wasn’t a job. At least in your parents opinion.
“Did you meet a nice guy? At least some guy that likes girls who can’t get their noses out of these damn books? Any friends other than Tolkien or Poe?” God, these people are so ignorant. Everytime you visited your family or called them, your mother had another blind date arranged for you.
“You remember Daron? Yeah, the Daron you went to elementary school with. His fiancée cheated on him, you know? He’s such a nice and handsome guy. Why don’t you call him? Wouldn’t it be sweet if you guys meet again after years?” No, mom, that wouldn’t be sweet. 
“Oh, honey! I’m so sorry. I totally forgot I asked Fred and his mother to come over for lunch. You remember Fred, right? He used to tease you back in middle school. You know what they say: lovers like to tease each other!” You were glad your mother turned away from you as you were rolling your eyes dramatically. Laughing at her own ridiculous joke, she turned to Fred and his mother. 
To be honest, your dating life was just as miserable as it could be. Even without your mothers help. And not because of what you were studying or your interests, like your mother said. Or because of your casual and comfy style or mostly reserved and introverted personality. Your heartaches and frustration with the male gender was mostly due to their immature behavior. 
Over the years you experienced nearly all sorts of failed romances. Caught them cheating, being ghosted, unknowingly ended up as a one night stand, being the affair, constant fighting, being rejected and creepy mothers who tried to arrange a wedding after two weeks of going out or guys with a special relationship to their mothers. Some weird Norman Bates kind of relationship. There was even one guy, whom you really liked, that sadly turned out to be gay.
“Why did you have to move so far away?” Well, this one is self-explanatory. 
“At least you could call us every second day.” Thanks, but no thank you. You didn’t want to give them another way of terrorizing you with their unrealistic ideas and expectations.
All you wanted was to live your life the way you wanted to, and not how they wanted your life to be. No parents, no stress, and most important: no dating. Just you.
So after you graduated and broke up with the seemingly most perfect guy, who turned out to be a rotten liar and the most unfaithful piece of shit, who didn’t just cheated on you multiple times, but also stole your hard earned money, you decided to take a year off to travel around the world, to find yourself. You sold your car and the stuff you wouldn’t need anymore and with that money, you started your journey. 
On your trip you’ve seen the probably most beautiful cities and met even more wonderful people. To afford your stay you worked from time to time in little cafés and lovely bars. In exchange for room and board you worked as a temporary worker on farms. In your free time you sat down and wrote. The people and landscapes were so inspiring, you filled one notebook after another with short stories, poems and even started to work on something that might be your first novel. Every now and then you sent your works to different agencies and participated in writing competitions, improved your writing and earned some reputation for your works. 
London was the city you stayed the longest. You stayed with a lovely family, the Bakers, who owned a little pub in the outskirts of London. They treated you like family, like a family you never had but always wished for. You helped them with their household, tutored the kids after school and worked downstairs at the pub in the evening. 
When you had a day off, you’d usually sit down at the bar, a pint of ale in front of you, pen in hand. The words seemed to flow right out of your pen, as natural as breathing. 
You could’ve never wished for a better time. The Bakers treated you like a daughter they never had, and even the regulars at the pub treated you like one of the Bakers. Between lovely drunken blue-collar workers, who loved to tell their stories and sing their work songs, you felt somehow at home, you felt safe and came out of your shell. With each day you became more extroverted, literally flourishing and bristling with self-confidence. 
And it was in that pub where you met the guy in Jean's vest who stood out like a sore thumb in this scenery. From behind the bar you couldn't help but notice how his leg bounced up and down like a nervous child. After some minutes you decided to help him calm down a bit.
“Are you waiting for your date?” With a warm smile you looked down on him.
“Huh?” As if you pulled him out of a trance, he winced and looked at you with a dumbfounded expression. You huffed at his reaction and sat down the pint in front of him.
“I asked, if you’re waiting for your date to show up.” The smile remained on your lips as you looked into his big brown puppy eyes. His eyes darted to the pint you just gently shoved towards him.
“Don’t worry, that’s on the house.” You assured him.
“Thanks, uh … “ Again, like he was in a trance-like state, he shakes his head and looks back at you. “My name’s Eddie.” He reached his hand out to you and you shook it. You noticed the unusual rings that adorned his fingers and the little bats that were tattooed on his forearm. He obviously didn’t belong here. 
“Nice to meet you, Eddie. I’m Y/N.” 
There was something in the way he looked at you that you couldn't identify. So after a short moment of awkward silence you took a sharp breath in, pulled your lips into a thin smile and said “Anyway, let me know if I could do anything for you. And good luck with that date.” You gave him a wink and turned back to your bar to serve the regulars who are now, bit by bit, rolling along.
As the hours ticked by and the bar settled into its usual hustle and bustle, you found yourself repeatedly returning your gaze to Eddie. Something about his appearance had a mesmerizing effect on you. And there was no way you could say what it was that captivated you. 
Slowly he began to warm up a bit, engaged in conversations with some other guests, but without further notice, he also caught himself repeatedly trying to catch a glimpse of you. 
“Make sure he gets home safe!”, you called out to the cabbie, a lovely man named Barnaby, after you accompanied a slightly drunk Tommy outside to the cab.
“Y/N, my dearest!” Tommy slurred after you handed him over into Barnaby’s hands. “One day, I promise, I will introduce you to my son! I’ll gladly take you as my daughter-in-law!” 
“Go home and sober up, then we’ll see!”, you laughed and waved the drunk redhead, with a face glowing as red as his hair, goodbye.
“Isn’t she just the most loveliest person on earth?” Tommy asked, now turned to Barnaby, who was just smiling and nodding in approval.
Quietly grinning to yourself you closed the door and headed back to the bar. It was already past midnight, the pub slowly became quieter until Eddie was the only one sitting there, his ringed fingers wrapped around his emptied glass. 
“I guess it’s time to kindly tell me to fuck off, isn’t it?” You had to admit that Eddie’s puppy eyes made you soft.
You cocked your head and with an apologetical expression you nodded. “I’m sorry, Eddie.”
Eddie just shrugged, a sheepish smile playing around his lips as he carefully slid the glass towards you. 
“It’s okay. I’m glad I had the chance to be stood up and get you as my substitute-date.” He got up from the old, shrieking bench, winked at you and left the bar.
“Keep the change, Y/N my dearest!”, he chanted. 
Only now did you look down at the glass and saw the bills peeking out from underneath. You wanted to shout out to him “Eddie, I think you made a mistake!”, but he was gone and left you with this lavish tip. 
For a moment you stood there, stunned by this man, before Mr. Baker could pull you back to reality. “C’mon Y/N, it’s late, go to bed and get some sleep.” You turned around to face him, the human version of a teddybear, looking down at you with a knowing smile. You quickly took care of closing out the register before stuffing Eddie's tip into the big tip jar.
“No, no, no. You keep that.” Mr. Baker pulled out the bills and handed them over to you. “It’s yours.” And before you had the chance to protest, he patted your shoulder and gently pushed you towards the door that leads to the family’s private apartment.
You tried to find some sleep, but everytime you closed your eyes, you saw this lovely smile and these big round puppy eyes. God damnit! Why did he have to be so cute?
The next morning you pulled out your notebook, after multiple failed attempts to fall back asleep again. Maybe some writing would banish this handsome face out of your mind that kept you awake. But jokes on you! 
Your mind always wandered back to this guy, his messy hair, the sloppy smile, the tattoos on his arm, his big, brown eyes … It was enough to drive you up the wall. So instead of accidentally turning the love interest in your little fantasy romance into a copy of Eddie, you put down your writing stuff, took a deep breath and left your room.
When you entered the small kitchen, Penelope Baker, who everyone called Poppy, already waited for you with a knowing smirk dancing around her thin lips.
“Good morning, lovely.”, she chirped, her words underlined with a cheeky undertone that made you stop mid motion. You narrowed your eyes in suspicion and cocked your head before you let yourself down on your chair.
“Good morning.”, you answered with a skeptical frown.
“Coffee?” As if nothing had happened, Poppy offered you the coffee pot. With a nod you cued her to pour the steaming hot liquid in your cup. You thanked her and wrapped your hands around the cup to warm yourself a bit. The smell of this freshly grounded coffee filled your nose and was already enough to wake up your still sleepy mind.
Just as you thought Poppys previous smirk was just another one of her quirky habits and meant nothing, her voice turned into that typical ‘I’m your mother and know exactly what’s going on’-tone as she said “So Theodore told me about that guy last night.”
For a split second you froze, then let out a sighed “Oh my god.” 
“What? Teddy said he seemed to like you. Oh lord, isn’t that adorable? A young, handsome, mysterious guy showing up, unexpectedly sweeping this young lady off her feet.” In a dramatic motion she clutched her hands to her chest and jumped out of her chair.
“Oh, young love! I would give anything to feel like this again in my old days.” As if she was dancing with the ghost of a long lost lover, she seemingly floated through the small kitchen.
With a frustrated sigh you buried your face in your hands. Your grumbled “Oh my god” was more embarrassed this time.
“But you do know I’m right here, my love?”, Theodore coaxed, as he leaned back in his chair and watched his wife with a raised eyebrow.
“Tz, I’m not talking about you, Teddy.”, she waved him off.
Sensing the upcoming argument, even if it’s not meant seriously, you grabbed your cup of coffee and sneaked out of the kitchen. “Okay. I guess that’s my cue to leave you two alone.”
The rest of the day you spent with Nathan and Ethan, helping them with their homework. You haven’t met a lot of twins in your life so far, but you never met twins that were so different from each other than Nathan and Ethan, which made tutoring them a real challenge. But sitting between these bickering boys was still a better alternative than being ribbed about Eddie by Teddy and Poppy.
Since it was your day off and you couldn’t focus on your writing upstairs in your little room, you went down into the pub earlier than usual. Your hopes were high that the hustle and bustle around you would distract your mind a bit so you could focus on your writing. 
The first few sentences had a hard time coming out. But after you got back into your flow the words came out on their own. That was until you noticed a brown haired figure approaching you out of the corner of your eye. 
“Aw, did you miss me?”, you leered and leaned back to face Eddie with a smug grin. “Or do you wanna give your date a second chance?”
“Well, actually,” Eddie declared, nonchalantly dropping into the seat opposite you, “I was just trying to get away from some of these pushy fangirls, you know?”
As if he was discussing the weather, he leaned back, fingers tapping a casual rhythm on the table. “Yeah, sure. Clingy fans,” you joked, closing your notebook and using the pen as a bookmark.
“Listen, being a rockstar isn’t easy when you’re smoking hot like me,” he explained, a self-assured chuckle escaping him as he tilted his chair back, the legs scraping against the floor.
You disappeared behind the bar and met a very amused looking Mister Baker.
With furrowed brows, you leaned to your side in an attempt to peer through one of the beautiful stained glass windows. Eddie followed your gaze, then turned back to you with a puzzled expression after trying in vain to discern what had caught your attention.
"What?" he inquired, reverting to the shy and nervous behavior from yesterday.
You couldn't contain the giggles bubbling out of your chest as you leaned back and faced Eddie again. "Nothing. I was just trying to get a glimpse of all those fangirls you escaped from."
"Oh, great, you're making fun of me," Eddie stated, rolling his eyes.
"C'mon, Eddie. You're trying to convince me you're a rockstar." You waited for a response, anticipating another remark about his alleged status as a musician, but were met with a sulky Eddie instead.
"Okay, I'm sorry, Mister Rockstar," you apologized playfully. "How about a drink? My treat."
"Yeah, whatever," he muttered in an exaggerated pouty manner.
 “Don’t you dare say a single word!”, you hissed to the man and to emphasize your statement, you raised a warning finger. Still grinning, he playfully raised his hand, mimicking the action of locking up his lips with an imaginary key.
You poured beer into two pints and placed one of them in front of Eddie.
“Cheers.” With your glass raised for a toast, you added “Let’s start over again. Hi, I’m Y/N.”
His eyes darted between you and his beer until he eventually gave in. “Hi Y/N, I’m Eddie. Nice to meet you.” As you clinked glasses you locked eyes, which unexpectedly sparked something inside of you. Something you couldn’t quite explain, but it felt unexpectedly good. 
For the rest of the evening, your intention to continue with your manuscript was completely forgotten and replaced by the desire to talk to Eddie for hours. He asked about your notebook and after you told him that you were about to write a novel, you found yourself in a lively conversation about your favorite authors with him. 
You talked about Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, George Orwell, Virginia Woolf for hours without noticing how late it was getting. There was this spark between you and him that ignited a fire within your soul, a fire that became bigger and bigger the more you talked about your interests. And when you spoke, his eyes were literally glued to your lips. You’ve never felt more comfortable in your life than in this exact moment, talking to a stranger about your biggest passion and your dreams to publish your first fantasy novel. 
A few more beers followed, Teddy even brought you some snacks. Then Eddie told you about the DnD campaigns he planned and plotted years ago with his friends, his love for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and assured you that he’ll be the first one to buy your book. When you told him, you never had the chance to play DnD, because you never really had that kind of friends, something flashed in his eyes.
“You never played DnD?" Eddie's jaw dropped, his eyes widening as if your statement had personally offended his very existence. "Oh, what a shame! Okay, you know what?” His elbows crashed onto the table, and he leaned in so close that you could practically feel the intensity of his gaze. His soft eyes locked onto yours, filled with determination. “I, Eddie Munson, promise you, Y/N Y/L/N, that I’ll introduce you to the world of DnD one day.” With a mischievous smile playing on his lips, he dramatically raised his pinkie for a solemn pinkie promise, an act you sealed with your own pinkie.
“Alright, deal.”, you whispered, absolutely mesmerized by the guy you just met yesterday.
“Deal.” He repeated solemnly.
“Okay, you lovebirds.” Mister Baker's voice interrupted your promise, pulling your attention back to reality. The pub around you was empty and the chairs were already put back on the tables. “I’m really sorry, but my wife will kill me if I don’t close the pub soon.”
With your face blushing with shame you quickly leaned back into your seat and looked away. How embarrassing that must have been to watch. Like you were teenagers again.
Eddie cleared his throat and took a look at the clock. “Oh, shit, yeah. I should go now, my friends are surely wondering where I am. Goodnight, Y/N.” He paused for a moment to look at you one last time before he left the pub in a hurry.
The looks both Mr Baker and Mrs Baker gave you were unequivocally. But in your opinion, they were reading something into your casual conversation with Eddie. Something you didn’t seem to perceive. 
The next few days, Eddie found himself inexplicably pulled to that charming little pub, his heart fluttering with excitement every time he spotted your Y/H/C hair behind the bar through the stained glass windows. Without fail, he made his way there each evening, armed with a new and absurd excuse. Sneaking up behind you, he would unleash the most cringe-worthy pickup lines, each one more outrageous than the last. You'd heard your fair share of cheesy pickup lines over the years, but none had ever elicited the same blend of blushes and giggles that Eddie's managed to. It was as if you both had regressed to the age of twelve, sharing a playful banter that was both bad and yet undeniably funny.
As you brought his first pint of beer for the evening, you found him crouched forward in his seat, his face twisted in an exaggerated expression of pain. Concern etched on your face, and with furrowed brows you asked, “Everything's okay, Eddie?” To which he replied with a mischievous glint in his eye, "Do you have a Band-Aid? Because I just scraped my knee falling for you." This unexpectedly caught you off guard, and despite your efforts to suppress them, snickers escaped you, filling the air with shared laughter.
Another very stressful evening, when you passed him with a full tray of empty glasses, he said “Hey, Y/N, you dropped something!” 
“Huh?” You promptly came to standstill, the glasses clinking at the abrupt stop, and tried to figure out what you had dropped. But after you couldn’t find a damn thing and slowly became somewhat desperate, you noticed Eddie's lopsided smile. He seemed to be biting back his laughter as he quipped, “My jaw”, and brought that lovely smile of yours back to your lips with this poor attempt at flirting with you.
One evening, you were seated at the bar, leisurely sipping your coke, when Eddie stealthily approached from behind. Gently placing his hands around your waist, he leaned in and whispered in your ear, “You know, with all these secret rendezvous with you, I feel like I’m a spy or something. Hidden identities, clandestine meetings, just you and me, and no one knows about this, far away from the public.”
Playfully, you rolled your eyes and retorted, "Oh, please. You're not James Bond, Eddie."
He chuckled, "I may not be James Bond, but I am a famed rockstar by night.” To make sure no one heard him, he looked left and right, then turned back to you. “Shh, it's a secret!", he whispered and winked at you.
After releasing you, his warm hands leaving a lingering sensation, you sighed and turned your barstool to face him. For a fleeting moment, your gaze flickered to his slightly parted lips, now curled into a smug grin. Looking back into his eyes, you cocked your head and, absolutely unimpressed, countered, "Yeah. Nice try, buddy. You're not fooling anyone with that."
By now, your jokes about him allegedly being a rockstar didn’t seem bother him anymore. No. Instead he chimed in on your jokes, complained about clingy fangirls, unreliable sound engineers, the bad food during their tour. And you laughed at his jokes, thinking he was trying to impress you.
You could’ve sworn he must have heard your heart beating heavily in your chest when, with his hand resting on the counter behind you for support, Eddie leaned forward, nearly brushing your cheek. Just inches away from your face, the sensation of his breath on your skin caused a shudder to run through your body. If you would have tried to stand up, you suspected your legs would give way, as your body inexplicably turned to jelly in the mere proximity of him.
Eddie flashed a grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well, can't blame a guy for trying, can you? But it seems like it doesn’t necessarily need a secret agent or rockstar to sweep you off your feet, right?" His coarse voice, barely above a whisper, was vibrating in his chest. Chuckling, he leaned back, feigning nonchalance, though a subtle twinkle in his eye hinted at the amusement behind his teasing attempt. As his face, and lips, were outside the danger zone, you noticed that you were straining holding your breath for what felt like an eternity. 
“How was your date?” Poppy asked teasingly as you came upstairs one evening. Eddie brought you his copy of The Hobbit and some flowers he picked from some front yard that reminded him of you. The pub was very crowded that evening, so you two decided to just chill in the backyard, counting stars and eating the cookies he brought.
“That was not a date.”, you declared and rolled your eyes.
“Oh. Of course. No date. I understand. Like the other not-a-dates you two had the last couple nights, right?” Poppy winked at you knowingly. Your cheeks were burning with embarrassment, so you turned away and took care of the dirty dishes.
One day Eddie came to the pub earlier than usual. The pub wasn’t even open yet. Shaking from the nervousness that filled his body, he paced up and down the sidewalk in front of the pub. He couldn’t even remember the last time he was all nervous and excited like this. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind, as he waited for you to come down after he rang the doorbell.
“Okay Eddie. Breath in-” He took a deep breath in, “- breath out.” His breath was shaking. And since his attempt at calming himself down didn’t quite have the effect he wished for, he took a long drag from his cigarette, inhaling the smoke that had at least a little soothing effect on his nerves.
“Eddie?” The sudden sound of your voice made him jump, causing you to smile. You stuck your head out of a window and looked down on him.
“Hey, Y/N!”, he greeted you. All of a sudden the words he already laid out in his head vanished into thin air. 
“I … Y/N would you … I mean …” Eddie closed his eyes, took another deep breath and gathered his courage. “Would you like to go out with me? Tonight?” With furrowed brows he looked up to you. His heart nearly jumped out his chest as the words left his lips.
“You mean like a date?” The smile on your face grew wider than ever before. “A rockstar is asking someone like me out for a date? Is this some cinderella kind of story?” Your nervous laughter made him hold his breath, expectantly waiting for your final answer. His body tensed up as you finally nodded, accepting his invitation.
“Sure. When and where?”
He smiled from ear to ear as he told you the time and place. 
“Alright. See you tonight!” You waved him goodbye and disappeared back into your room.
“Yeah, see you tonight.”, he whispered dreamy with his eyes fixed on your window for a little longer before he turned around and went back to his friends.
“So how’s the no-date-policy going?” Teddy leaned against your doorframe as you turned around, grinning like a highschooler that’s been asked out to prom.
“Oh shut up.”, you laughed in an attempt to hide the blush on your cheeks. 
“Hey! Poppy! Guess who has a date tonight!”, Teddy’s voice echoed through the apartment. His words had only just left his lips when Poppy was already standing in your room, seemingly faster than light and with a grin that almost looked scary.
“He asked you out?” But before you could answer, she grabbed you by your hands, pulled you into a tight embrace and swirled you around. “I never thought I could be any prouder as a mother than this.”
“Poppy, she’s not -” Teddy tried to intervene to remind her that you were not their actual daughter. But Poppy, filled with pride, interrupted him.
“Oh shut up, Teddy.”
Still giggling she released you to look you up and down. You were still in your baggy shorts and a faded shirt, that once used to be a blue and violet tie dye. The longer she looked at you, the more you got anxious. 
“So … “ she started after a moment. “And what are you going to wear?”
“What?” Her question caught you off guard. You were still busy to not freak out with joy.
“What are you going to wear tonight? Sure you can’t go on a date looking like this, sweetie.” Well, she was pretty damn right with that. In your mind you went through your little options. Because you were often switching between hostels and other places to stay the night, you chose not to carry that much clothing around with you. So most of your outfits consist of simple shirts, most of them already pretty baggy and faded, and some simple jeans. Nothing that you could wear on a date to make a good impression. Well, you honestly didn’t intend to go on dates anyway.
“Oh my god.”, now you have started to freak out. “What the hell am I going to wear?!” With furrowed brows and slightly panicking you looked at Poppy.
“Don’t worry, darling. I got you.” She gently squeezed your hand, then left your room, skipping like an excited child. 
“I guess I should leave you two girls alone.”, Teddy whispered to you, somehow happy to leave this intimate mother-daughter moment.
As long as Poppy combed through her wardrobe, you faced the mirror, trying to tame your hair to look nice and girly and not like a crazy witch. Just as you were trying to braid your hair, Poppy came back with a pile of clothes. This might be a more complicated and complex quest than you thought. 
You tried on outfit after outfit. Dresses. Skirts with lovely ruffle blouses. Your favorite so far was a dark brown culottes with a fluffy beige blouse. That was until Poppy pulled out a dress, short puffed sleeves, flowy skirt and a lovely floral pattern. You instantly put it on. The fabric was soft and light, the layered dip hem skirt flowed down from your waist like a waterfall of flowers. You never were a fan of these oldschool puffed sleeves, but you had to admit, that these were pretty flattering. Around your waist, the fabric was a bit ruffled up and tightened in your back like a corset. And the neckline was low-cut, but not too revealing.
As you eyed your reflection, admiring how the dress accentuates your favorite features and yet managed to conceal your insecurities, Poppy carefully completed the dress with a cute little necklace. 
“You look absolutely stunning!” She stood right behind you with her hands on your shoulders and examined your reflection too, looking like the proud and loving mother you never had. 
“Thanks Poppy.” was all you managed to get out at the moment. You never considered yourself good looking, not even close. Instead you always tried to hide your body and your low self esteem. But your new found family taught you in so many different ways how beautiful and stunning you actually were, on the inside as well as on the outside.
It felt like an eternity until it became evening and your long-awaited date with Eddie came closer. Watching the clock hands seemingly move in slow motion, your impatience grew with every second to infinity. Poppy helped you to braid your hair and embellished your french braids with colorful flowers from their balcony. 
Every fiber of your body was tense and it was a miracle you managed to walk to your destination. Nervously fidgeting with your ring, you found the place Eddie told you. But to your surprise, it wasn’t a restaurant or bar. It was a nightclub. Every time the door opened, rock music blared outside, then fell silent again when the door closed. 
Did he mess up the address? Or did you mess up? Anxious, you verified the address of this place over and over again, finding no mistake, until the ticket taker spoke to you, thinking you were the next in line. “What’s your name?”
Pulled out of your thoughts you looked at him. “What?”
“What is your name, so I can let you in.”, he repeated.
“Oh, Y/N Y/L/N, but I think I got the wrong address, sorry.”
Just as you were about to leave, embarrassed and downhearted, he opened the door for you and the music carried you inside.
As you hesitantly entered the club you simultaneously entered a whole different galaxy. The heavy guitar sounds and fast drums adapted to the fast and nervous beating of your heart. With a loud thud the door slammed shut behind you. 
People mostly dressed in black leather jackets or jeans vests covered in patches, pins and studs ushered you further into the club. You let yourself get carried by the wave of metalheads, standing out like a sore thumb with your cute little dress and the flowers in your hair. The masses around you came to a stop and you found yourself in front of a big stage that was covered in red light, a flag hanging on the wall behind the setup that announced a band named ‘Corroded Coffin’. 
Squinting your eyes, you tried to find the guy with the wild, brown hair, but to your disappointment you couldn’t find him. After some minutes of desperately searching for that lovely smile, the few lights that tried in vain to lighten up the whole place dimmed and everything fell silent for a moment before some slow and hauntingly beautiful guitar riffs filled the air. Your eyes needed some time to adapt to the darkness around you. The crowd started to cheer frenziedly, jumping up and down uncontrollably as the heavy beats of a drum joined the guitar. Caged in that impetuous jostling, you had to stand on your tiptoes to catch a glimpse of the now partially lit up stage.
And when you caught sight of that wild, dark brown mane, you froze for a second, eyes wide open in shock. “No fucking way”, you mouthed in disbelieve.
The world around you seemed to fall into slow motion as the realization hit you hard. That guy in front of you, believe it or not, was Eddie. Eddie Munson, the guy you randomly met at a pub and made fun of because he claimed to be a rockstar. He was shredding his guitar like a maniac, a burst of energy radiating from him. And just as the crowd was about to freak out with excitement, he grabbed the microphone and, with a contagious enthusiasm, hollered to the crowd, "Alright, folks! Let's make some noise that'll shake these walls! We're here for a hell of a good time, so buckle up and get ready for a wild ride!" The crowd erupted into even louder cheers as the concert kicked off with a surge of electrifying energy. 
His eyes were scanning the crowd, desperately looking for your unmistakingly beautiful face. Fortunately his eyes found you, his look a mix of triumph and satisfaction. A silent declaration that spoke volumes, as if to say ‘See, I wasn’t pulling your leg.’ Still in disbelief, you shook your head as you watched him perform with his band.
“In the shadows of the night, where the demons come alive,
Echoes of thunder, a twisted ride, where the fearless dare to strive.
As the spirits intertwine, prancing to a symphony of the dark,
In the heart of rebellion, we leave our lasting mark.” 
Even though this wasn't your type of music, the sight of your type of guy performing like he's possessed by the devil himself made the whole show surprisingly enjoyable.
“Rising from the ashes, we're forged in the fire,
restless souls and a rebel's desire,
Riding the storm, breaking the chains.
Legends are born in the heat of the fight,
In the roar of the crowd, where freedom reigns.”
For the rest of the concert, Eddie couldn't take his eyes off you. The sea of ​​leather and denim jeans around you blurred into a viscous, gray mass, completely insignificant to him. All that mattered to him at that moment was you – your smile, outshining any star in the night sky, and your eyes, radiating a warmth that could envelop him even in the darkest of clouds overshadowing his mind.
The thundering beat of your heart, on the verge of explosion with excitement, merged seamlessly with the unexpectedly peppy song. At first, it was just the drums, synced with the slow strumming of the bass, gradually increasing its pace until it abruptly fell silent, giving way to Eddie's voice as he chimed in.
You couldn't have possibly missed the smug grin on Eddie's face, the grin you began to love throughout the past days, as he let his piercing guitar riffs slice through the dense air. The drums and bass seamlessly joined in, weaving together to unveil Eddie's latest song, evidently penned about a certain girl he had met just days ago.
“In a haze of neon lights, the city's heartbeat loud,
A crowded room, lost faces in the crowd.
Then there she stood, a vision rare,
Sweet innocence like the flowers in her hair.”
After they played their last song and the stage was once again covered in darkness, the masses around you, still hyped, rushed outside. Countless thoughts mixed with a wave of overwhelming emotions washed over you, leaving you riveted to the spot, unable to move. But as soon as you caught a glimpse of Eddie's wild mane while he climbed down from the stage, there was nothing that could’ve held you back. With a flock of muttered and incomprehensible excuses gushing out of your mouth, you pushed yourself through the remaining crowd towards Eddie. 
“Her laughter echoes, a sweet serenade.
Lost in the moment, nothing else compares.
Her eyes sparkle like stars in the night,
A sweet surrender, everything felt right.
Her words like poetry, a gentle breeze,
In the storm of life, she puts my mind at ease.
In the chaos of life, she's my symphony.”
“Eddie!” A security guard blocked your path, but you exerted all your strength to reach Eddie. “Please, let me through. I know Eddie; we’re friends. Please,” you pleaded, standing on your tiptoes and waving desperately for Eddie to notice you.
“Okay, you lovebirds. Don’t you think we should go somewhere more … quieter? At least with less prying spectators.”, the bassist, a tall guy with a smile sweet as honey which he desperately tried to hide, suggested.
“Nice try. I can’t let you through; the backstage area is just for the band.” The guard attempted to shoo you away, gently restraining you.
“No, you don’t understand. I…” Eddie, prompted by his drummer who pointed at you and the guard, rushed towards you, wearing the broadest smile on his lips.
“Y/N!” The sound of your name startled the guard, who turned his head, sensing trouble he needed to address. Taking advantage of the distraction, without a second thought, you leaped over the barrier.
There was no way anyone could have held you back at that moment.
Everything unfolded rapidly, yet it felt like slow motion as you enveloped him in your arms. His warm hands cupped your face, fingers entangled in your hair. His lips met yours, moving in sync to a silent rhythm set by your connected heartbeats.
“Okay, nothing to see here, guys!” His bandmates pivoted to shield the curious looks of the crowd, slightly bewildered by the unexpected sight of their lead singer's romantic interlude.
“I never thought you would actually come,” he whispered against your lips, breaking the kiss but still cradling your face with his calloused hands. His voice trembled, and you could feel his heart pounding violently against your chest.
“And I never thought you were telling the truth, but here we are,” you retorted, still breathless, earning a laugh from him—a laughter you never wanted to miss in your life again.
“Is this Eddie’s secret girlfriend?” someone screamed excitedly, pointing at you and Eddie.
“Well, does this look like a secret to you?” the drummer huffed, attempting to disperse the onlookers.
With the help of the security, his bandmates managed to give you and Eddie some private space, away from their curious fans. They already suspected something was going on since they couldn’t figure out the reason behind his late night trips or the silly smiles dancing around his lips when he returned to their tour bus. He seemed to be a completely different person after he went out one night after a little argument with their manager. And now they finally had an answer, the answer was right in front of them. 
“Yeah, I think Jeff is right,” the drummer agreed. “And don’t you think you should introduce your secret girlfriend to us?” He playfully mimicked quotation marks with his fingers, emphasizing the words with a teasing tone, the rest of the band loudly agreeing. With his arms crossed above his chest and a raised eyebrow, the curly haired drummer, who was wearing a Corroded Coffin shirt underneath a red plaid flannel, nearly squeezed himself between you and Eddie. 
Eddie took a deep breath and let go of you, silently cursing his nosy friends for interrupting this intimate moment with you. He grabbed you by your hand, squeezing it gently to, on one hand, assure you that everything is okay since he sensed your unease, but on the other hand to make sure you wouldn’t leave his side. 
“Okay, okay.” He rolled his eyes in a playful manner and added "When you finally stop pestering me" like an annoyed parent would to silence their nosy child. 
"Okay, let’s go, move, move!" the bassist, Jeff, demanded excitedly, ushering them into the backstage area with animated enthusiasm. You clung onto Eddie as the rest of the band, with combined forces, led you two further into the backstage area. 
You spent the rest of the evening with Eddie and his Band, his arm wrapped around your shoulder, you snuggled against his chest. His friends welcomed you with open arms and treated you as one of them, as if you knew each other for years. 
As they settled in, the atmosphere turned light-hearted, and this group of grown up adults, famous rockstars, who had momentarily reverted to their teenage selves, cracked one bad joke after another. Eddie's friends wasted no time in sharing embarrassing stories from their shared past, tales that had long been hidden in the recesses of their memories.
Amidst the banter, they found joy in recounting youthful escapades, revealing anecdotes about Eddie that made him both blush and join in the laughter. The tour bus became a time machine, transporting them back to the days of awkward adolescence, with the added delight of sharing these moments with someone who had now become a part of their close-knit circle.
As hours slipped away, the scent of beer and cigarettes lingered in the air, and your adoration for the dorky, brown-haired guitarist only deepened with each anecdote shared by his bandmates.This became one of those core memories that etch themselves into your soul—a source of perpetual joy, belonging, and safety whenever you reflect upon it.
Even though you enjoyed the time you spent with the band, you longed for some time alone with Eddie. The earlier kiss lingered, leaving a sweet longing in its wake, the taste of him remaining on your lips. Each and every time you caught a glimpse of his lips, your heart seemed to skip a beat and a cozy warmth spread within you as the memory of his lips moving against yours flashed through your mind. And it was no different for Eddie. 
Gareth noticed the looks you shared, your nonverbal conversations, not knowing how to get away from the boys for some alone time. So he did what every best friend would do.
“Alright guys.” He clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention. “I think we should give our lovebirds some time for themselves.” As he stood up, he winked at Eddie, who, in return, mouthed a relieved ‘Thank you’. Before you and Eddie left them, everyone hugged you goodbye, like you’ve always been friends. 
You stumbled out of the bus, still laughing and grinning like a teenager. The cool air of the night let shivers wash over your body, which Eddie noticed instantly. Like the gentleman he was, he put his jacket around your shoulders and placed a kiss on the crown of your head, inhaling the scent of your shampoo. You pulled him into a tight embrace, never wanting to let him go, your fingers buried in his still sweaty shirt. But you didn’t mind. He was yours and you were his. That was all that mattered in that moment. His hands slowly wandered up and down your back, his fingers gently painting little circles on your skin. 
“I’d love to take you out on a date sometime. A real date.” With his hands cupping your face, he looked down into your eyes. His expression was soft, almost sad at the thought of leaving you soon.
You melted under his touch, a sensation you'd never experienced before. No one had ever made you feel this way, and dreaming of such a connection was something you'd never dared. Surprisingly, Eddie managed to make you forget about your self-imposed "holy oath" against dating again—a so-called no-date policy that now seemed nothing more than a ridiculous joke.
“Come on, sweetness. Let’s get you home,” he whispered after what felt like an eternity. Reluctantly, you agreed and sighed as he broke the embrace. Slowly, you walked back home, taking some detours to prolong the precious moments with him.
Beneath the cloudless night sky, with the moon casting its enchanting glow on the Thames, turning its surface into an ocean of little, shiny diamonds, you felt like you were living in a dream. The most beautiful dream you never wanted to wake up from. All the way back to the pub you talked about home, his tour, your plans for the future, and your plans for whatever that was you two had going on.
With a heavy heart, you sauntered through the small alleys, cast in the dim light of old lanterns, drawing closer to the pub where your little story began. Soon, you recognized the green and brown stained glass windows of the pub, illuminated by the fairy lights Poppy insisted on decorating them with. You knew that Poppy and Teddy would probably be worried about you since it was getting pretty late, but you still didn’t want to leave Eddie's side.
“Whenever and wherever you want,” you promised, giving him a reassuring smile. “I can’t wait to spend more time with you.” You reached up to him, your fingers combing through his soft hair, and gently kissed him again. Eddie's tensed body relaxed under your touch, and you thought you heard a soft moan leaving his chest as he pulled you closer to deepen the kiss.
Suddenly, a shrill screeching cut through the silence, abruptly interrupting your kiss. “Teddy! Teddy, they’re kissing! Oh my god!” Poppy’s excited voice echoed from the small balcony, where she must have been watching the two of you, causing you both to break out in laughter.
“I bet she won't give up until I tell her every single detail about tonight,” you whispered, placing another kiss on Eddie's rough lips.
“Please don’t give this old lady a heart attack with your lewd disclosure of our little romance,” he admonished in a playful way between kisses.
“Teddy! Hurry up! They’re kissing again! Oh, sweet, sweet young love!” her voice filled the air again.
“Jesus Christ, she’s worse than all of those pushy fangirls,” he joked, earning a laugh from you.
“Yeah, sure, Mister Rockstar.”
“What? Don’t believe me?” He looked down at you, something provocative flashing through his eyes.
“Well, maybe I would believe you if you take me to one of your shows, Mister Rockstar,” you winked back at him, a smug grin dancing on your lips before he could kiss it away.
___________
If you want to be tagged in coming fanfics or if you want to request something, feel free to send me a dm or an ask. 🥰 Likes, comments and especially reblogs are always welcome. 🤗
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tadc-ragatha · 8 months
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Congratulations on 50+ followers and may you gain many more!! 🎉
You truly do deserve it with your detailed writing style and I absolutely adore the writing you did for my request! If you don’t mind me requesting once again and if you feel motivated to, may you please write for Kinger and a character of your choice with 🌠🎠
May you have a well day/night and don’t forget to take care of yourself! :)
-⚜️Anon
Starry-Eyed Carnival Date
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TW: Abstraction/"death"/going insane, memory loss, guilt/self-blame, angst
Type: Fic; romantic-related, platonic. Emoji details: 🌠 (Shooting Star) Stargazing, 🎠 (Carousel Horse) Amusement park activity. Game link [x].
A/N: "Kinger reminisces on his date with Queener." No reader. Kinger x Queener. As of posting, only pilot has come out.
Thank you!! I'm very flattered and glad to know my writing style is being received well! You're absolutely allowed to request again, don't worry about it! I love knowing people loved my work so much they came back for more. You get a special Queener appearance because I liked this idea so much (she's not in the game, so please don't request for her otherwise guys)! I took some time to make this because I wanted to make it well.
Also, petition to name the Kinger x Queener ship Chess-Rule-Shipping? Or something adjacent to that? I think it's cute, anyway.
Each week would end with a special activity. Usually, this meant a longer, more in-depth one outside of the tent. This week, Caine had chosen to send the crew on a night activity at the carnival.
The purpose of the activity was to go on a scavenger hunt and collect as many puzzle pieces as possible and complete the final puzzle before the others. There were twenty-five in total, and three different puzzles for the three different groups. As such, each group was to consist of a pair. Each pairs' puzzle pieces were at different locations in an attempt by Caine to stop others from sabotaging the experience.
Walking through a path lined by food stalls, Kinger and Gangle looked down at their clue. It was a scrap piece of paper with the words typed on with a typewriter. Held in Gangle's free hand--the other one kept busy with her broken comedy mask--was the clue. Kinger kept the six puzzle pieces they had collected in his. So far, the pieces presented sections of very colourful oblong shapes.
Kinger read over the clue again, "'circular eye of the carnival. Red.'"
"It must be the Ferris Wheel, right?" Gangle turned to look at him. Kinger nodded, walking off ahead of her through the crowd of NPCs.
Looming above them was the Ferris Wheel. Its frame was a plain white, but each carriage was painted a different colour of the rainbow. At least fifteen carriages were suspended.
"We have to wait for a red one," Gangle said. As if on cue, a red carriage stopped before them. Kinger stepped aside and put his hand out to his left.
"After you." He gestured to the door.
Stepping inside the carriage, the two looked around. Under the seats, over the seats, and between the bars; they found nothing. Until Gangle grabbed onto the seat itself and tried to pull it up. It worked, revealing the next clue of the game and puzzle piece.
Kinger congratulated, "Oh! Good work, Gangle. Now, we better get going." Turning to exit the carriage, he found the door slammed in his face. Gangle gasped as he paused for a moment. "Oh."
"What do we do now?" she asked.
"Well, I guess we just wait for the ride to be over," he replied. Sitting down, he looked out the window as the ride jolted to a start, swaying the two back and forth.
Outside, they could see the lights of the carnival below. Yellow and warm, they filled the atmosphere of the digital world with a strange yet familiar feeling. Different food stalls of different colours were busy with customers, the scents of their products wafting through the air. Up above them, the fake stars shone and twinkled.
Kinger sighed.
Gangle looked over to him, asking in a timid voice, "what's wrong?"
For a short moment Kinger didn't reply. Instead, he continued to stare out the bars of the red carriage, out into the sky. Finally, he spoke up.
"I like the colour red," he said.
"What?" Gangle responded.
"I said, I like the colour red."
"What--what about red?"
Another moment of silence. She looked between him and his view of the stars.
"My wife was red," he said. "I like my wife."
"Oh...Um..."
He continued, "she liked the carnival, too. I remember I took her here on our first anniversary."
"How--how long had you been together?"
"Oh, many years." He cocked his head back with an unseen eye-smile that quickly faded. "I don't remember much about what we did now." Leaning against the bars, he looked up to get a better view. "It was a night just like this. Lots of stars."
An awkward silence passed. Or, Gangle thought it was awkward. To her, she could not tell what Kinger was thinking. All he did was continue to stare, not a single discernible emotion in sight. Yet there was still a sadness to him. She fiddled with her ribbons.
Kinger sighed again, "Queener loved the stars. She had the stars in her eyes that night."
The Ferris wheel was nearing a third of the way through its rotation. Deep down, she wished it would end sooner. The silence was deafening. So much so, she mustered up all her courage to ask a question.
"What was Queener like?"
"Queener was great." He didn't look back at her. "She was all work, no play. But she was nice." Another pause. "I miss her."
Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.
"May--maybe we should focus on something else." She looked down. The carriage was at its peak.
"I think that's why she left," he said. Gangle looked over at him quizzically. He didn't need to look at her to know her expression. "She couldn't remember anything. It's hard not knowing your name, but then she forgot what she looked like, and her family, and our pets..."
"You had pets?"
He smiled with his eyes again, replying, "oh, lots of them! I don't know what they were, though." The smile disappeared. She could definitely see tears in the bottom of his eyes.
"Oh."
"But...Queener was always too hard on herself. She always thought she was too strong to ask for help," he gave a sad chuckle. Twitching his eyes around, he tried to stop himself from giving in as the tears slowly dropped down onto the floor. "I think she didn't want to talk to me because she didn't want to hurt me."
"I think--"
"I didn't talk to her, either. I didn't want to stress her out. I...I thought maybe she'd be okay if she just had time. I thought--"
"Kinger--"
"I...I miss my wife, Gangle!" he sobbed. The tears were full-flowing as he cried into his hands. With her ribbon, Gangle tried to put a reassuring hand on him.
"Kinger, I...I--"
"It's my fault!" he wailed. "If I--if...If I had just said something, then she would've still been here!"
Gangle didn't say anything.
"I loved her and it's my fault she's gone!"
She shook her head, saying, "no, it's not."
"It was!"
"No, it wasn't. I don't...I think...Nobody really--nobody really gets out of here." She shook her head. Kinger looked over at her. His wailing had stopped for a moment, replaced with red eyes and sniffles.
"What?" he asked.
She said, "I don't think it was your fault. We all go eventually." The carriage halted again. Looking down, she could see it was near the end. She continued, "we don't--if she was...Someone would have left anyway." Tears were streaming down her own face.
Kinger didn't say anything. He simply looked down at the floor where the pool of his tears was. As the carriage reached closer to the ground, the light became brighter. Soon, they were both flooded with the yellow warmth of the lamps.
Kinger dried his eyes with his hands. Standing up, the Ferris Wheel came to a halt as he picked up the puzzle pieces. Meanwhile, Gangle took her broken mask and the new clue. Watching him intently, she could see him staring down at the ground, seemingly unresponsive to his environment as he walked out the carriage door.
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oh-my-may · 28 days
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I'm still alive omg!
Lots of irl things happening atm, BUT I managed to play through Penacony 2.2 (stretched over 3 days, no less)
Woah. Just ... woah. So much happening, so many characters interacting, so much lore, IT WAS GOING ON FOREVER but I loved it nonetheless. Of course they had to make the finale of Penacony long and epic.
FIRST OF ALL I KNEW IT! I TOLD Y'ALL!!! Literally in my post about 2.1 I talked about how Misha definitely has some close connection to Mikhail/the Watchmaker. I suspected him to be a child of his or something but the actual thing was close enough, I guess. My sweet boy. I love him. Mikhail being a Nameless was so cool. I'm really glad we're finally getting more lore and info about Akivili and previous Nameless, but I feel this was only the beginning.
I'm still madly in love with Sunday and Acheron. Robin is such a cutie too. I'm not gonna pull for her because I need my savings for Mr. Boothill and then Jade but I'll try and pull for her on a rerun. Sway to My Beat in Cosmos is such a banger. Caught myself constantly singing "riiise into my wooorld" (ofc much worse than the one and only lol)
On the topic of Boothill... my god. Love him. The way they can't make him swear so they just make him say??? Whatever??? Whose idea was that 💀 mother loving instead of mother fucking?? What the fork?? Wubbaboo?? I would die for this man. He looks so hot too. Again I have to say that HSR never misses with male character design. THEY'RE ALL SO PRETTY.
On the topic of pretty men... SUNDAY. My little radicalized bird man. I cackled when Sparkle called him chicken boy. She's just a hater, love her for that. Serious question... is he straight up dead now? I have only played the main quest so far so in case it'a mentioned somewhere in game don't spoil me but if it's not... tell me will I get to see him as a playable character... pls...
The whole thing with Ena the Order was so interesting to see. The fact that they made Order so similar to Harmony... AEON LORE. Love it. Resurrecting an Aeon is possible, you say? Kind of? The way they make Sunday'a motives understandable... he's just a boy
So I had the feeling that facing the boss Dominicus was a bit too easy the first time around. Wdym he has only one phase. I should have known there was more to it. Nevertheless loved to see IL and Jing Yuan cameo. They slayed (literally)
But then the eerie feeling I got when Black Swan talked to us on the Express... the way she makes us question everything that happened... GENIUS. I did kind of get flashbacks to Sumeru act II. The line between dream and reality, who is dreaming, what happens outside of the dream, the repetition of events... not critiquing or hating, but the concepts were just similar to me and I liked it :) Penacony just put a different twist to it.
The final fight was still very cool. The several toughness bars to break is really interesting, and the fact that you get a shield value the more bars you break. Also the Astral Ecpress literally crashing into Sunday??? I barely realized what I had just watched ghe first time around. Idk why, but the concept is hilarious to me. And the question remains... is Sunday dead now??? What about Robin?? Are they both dead??
Aventurine isn't dead either?? What about the present that Sparkle gave out to several people? What was it and what did it do? Is there smth I don't remember about that rn? Did I miss it? Also if Robin didn't actually die, how come we saw her body? If she just got transported to Dreamflux Reef, then there wouldn't have been a body, right? ALSO is Firefly dead too? She didn't make an appearance throughout the second part after we see her leave and she talked abput the way that the script said she would die 3 times in Penacony... I'm so eternally confused. It's part of the reason I think there's still gonna be more in the next patch... They're not gonna give us playable Firefly without at least a Story Quest for her, right? And Jade, too? She had one appearance in a throwback during the story, the Trailblazer hasn't interacted with her in person yet so the IPC probably hasn't finished their business with Penacony yet?
And since I mentioned Trailblazer... HARMONY MC??? LOOKS SO GOOD? LOVE THE MOVES?? THE HAT? The Significance of it had me 😭😭 my MC obsession ks back y'all. He looks so good. Caelus ily. The silly little dance with Clockie 😭 Can't wait to build him, I heard Harmony MC is really good.
I also briefly have to mention my girl Acheron. So they've literally just casually confirmed that she's Raiden Mai? I actually don't know what Bosenmori means or it's significance BUT RAIDEN MEI. And her whole flashback with Tiernan... I had my suspicions about his identity but the reveal was interesting, anyway. I've got the feeling this is not the last we've seen of Acheron. I never played HI3rd far enough to fully understand Raiden Mei's story, but I'm really intrigued with the whole thing. How come her and Welt exist in noth universes, how did they end up in HSR and what's their motive?
One thing I'm also still hung up on is the Annihilation Gang... no more mention of them? We don't get any real eyplanation as to why Acheron killed Duke Inferno? No little animation of the scene? I'm guessing it's gonna play a role later? The reason they talked about it is probably to tell us that Acheron was dangerous but like... idk what to think of it. No question the other members of the Gang are gonna appear later and maybe then we'll get more background? But if they don't play a large role in Penacony, why introduce them to the players prior to it in such a grand way?
Anyway, I judt have lots of questions still but no doubt the game is gonna answer them when the time is right... I had a really good time playing the quest, went through a whole lot of emotions during it, fell in love with even mlre characters... the new maps are GIGANTIC and look so cool and let me just say rhe music was so so epic too. Can't wait for the OST for this to get released.
I also wanna mention here (outside of discusaions about the story) is that having a fully leveled Acheron with pretty decent relics paired with a tank Aventurine feels like playing the game on easy mode. Nothing can penetrate a fully def stacked Aventurine, and Acheron's damage is straight up insane. Gonna take a while before I get tired of using them. They helped me clear basically all Stage V of every SU World I hadn't done yet... legends.
Now we wait for Boothill... The grip that Hunt characters have on me is unbelievable. Meta wise I know I should invest in Harmony characters... Ruan Mei or Robin but... HAVE YOU SEEN BOOTHILL? HAVE YOU???
Alright, that's it for now. Really excited to dive into exploration and events and quests of the new maps. Might post a little about it.. or maybe not. I still have to tell you about my thoughts on the Arlecchino quest and Remuria exploration, I began a post about that and never got around to finishing it.
As always, have some cool screenshots from the story!
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cherrycola27 · 1 year
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Star Spangled Seresin
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Series Warnings: Language, alcohol consumption. Political situations. Unrequited love, one night stand, military and political inaccuracies. Smut. 18+ Minors DNI. Banner Credit: @thedroneranger
Masterlist Next Part
...........................................
Prologue: A Debate to Remember
"Okay, Jake, I need you to remember that a vice presidential debate is just as important as a presidential debate." Ms. Wiseman, the Bradshaw-Seresin campaign manager, told him.
"I know, Wise-woman, I've got this. Don't worry." He tells her as he shoots her a thousand watt grin. "How many times have I told you to stop calling me that ridiculous nickname." She huffs.
Jake laughs before leaving the green room and finding his place. He was more than ready for this debate. He and Bradley were ahead in the poles with the election just around the corner. He rolled his shoulders back as he mentally prepared himself to wipe the floor with the competition.
A production assistant escorted him to his place. He squared his stance at the podium as the welcome music played, and the lights went up.
Jake was confident. He knew he had this in the bag. Nothing was going to throw him off his game.
Well, at least that's what he thought before she walked out. Jake's breath caught in his throat as she strolled onto the stage.
She was beautiful, with olive skin and chestnut colored hair. The black dress she was wearing was modest but fit her like a glove. Her legs were elongated by the black pumps that she wore, and when her eyes met Jake's, he swears his heart skipped a beat.
His mind went blank. How the hell was he supposed to be on his best game when the most beautiful woman in the world would be sitting ten feet in front of him.
He snapped back to reality as she grabbed the microphone and spoke.
"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the final vice president debate of the 2024 election. On stage tonight, we have Mr. Gregory Evans, Mr. Thomas Howard, and Mr. Jacob Seresin. My name is Jaycee Marchetti, lead political reporter for the Washington Post, and I'll be your moderator for this deabte." She spoke strongly, but not forcefully. Her voice was smooth like silk and Jake knew instantly that he was fucked.
"Gentleman, the debate will run for approximately two hours, you will be given a maximum of two minutes and thirty seconds to answer each question. If you exceed the time limit, I will buzz you before cutting off your microphone." Jaycee explained the parameters. "Shall we begin?" She asked just before grabbing the first question.
............
"Hangman! You crushed it out there!" Bradley clapped him on the back as he came backstage.
"Thanks, man. I'm glad that's over. Listen, if we're all good here, I need a drink." Jake said, and he raked his hands over his face. God, he couldn't get the image of Jaycee out of his head.
After clearing it with his security team, Jake managed to slip away to a private bar. Well, it was more like a speakeasy if he was being honest. You had to know someone to get in, the security was top notch, which made it the perfect place for the D.C. elite to slip off for a drink.
He had just walked in when he spotted a familiar brunette sitting alone at the bar.
"Excuse ma'am, is this seat taken?" Jake asked as he gestured to the stool beside her. Jaycee looked up from her glass of wine and smiled. "For you, Mr. Seresin, never."
Jake sat down next to her and ordered himself a glass of scotch. "Your oral performance at the debate was amazing, Mr. Seresin. You were do well spoken." Jaycee complemented him. "Mr. Seresin is my father, please, call me Jake." He insisted. "And I'm amazed at how well I did. Considering how distracted I was during it." Jake continued.
"And why were you distracted—Jake?" Jaycee asks as she leans closer to him. "You try standing across from the most beautiful woman in D.C. and see how focused you are." Jake replied as he took a sip of his drink. "You flatter me, Jake." Jaycee said as she gave his chest a gentle push.
"It's not flattery if it's true." Jake replied before putting one foot on the bar of Jaycee's stool and sliding her closer to him until her knees were wedge between his legs.
"I'm celebrating my victory in the debate tonight, care to take a shot with me, Ms. Marchett?" Jake ask her. "I suppose one wouldn't hurt." She replies innocently. "Whiskey?" Jake asks. "My favorite." Jaycee replies.
Soon, the shot of whiskey turns into two, followed by a beer. All the while, Jake and Jaycee are flirting with each other. By the time the last call rolls around, one question hangs on the tip of Jake's tongue. He settles both of their tabs with the bartender before placing one of his large hands on her thighs and leaning in. "If you thought I gave a good oral performance at the debate, you should let me take you back to my place so I can really show off my skills." Jaycee grabs his hand before hauling him out to find a cab.
...................
The couple crashed through the door of Jake's apartment as soon as he'd unlocked it. Barely breaking apart long enough for him to do so.
The two were in a tangle of lips and limbs.
As soon as the door shut, Jake pressed Jaycee against it, wrapping her legs around his waist as he ground against her.
She shoved off his suit jacket and quickly undid his tie before working as the buttons of his dress shirt. Jake peeled her away from the door long enough to slip out of his shoes and carry her to his bedroom.
Once there, he stripped out of his shirt and under shirt before dropping to the floor to undo the straps of her shoes.
Jaycee took the opportunity to peel her dress over her head and fling it across the room. She was grateful she'd decided to wear a cute lace set under her dress tonight.
Once her shoes were out of the way, Jake grabbed her leg and began trailing kisses from her ankle to her inner thigh before switching sides. Jaycee leaned back on her hands and watched him as Jake took in the site before him.
She looked beautiful in his bed.
"Can I?" He asked as his fingers hooked around the waistband of her panties. Jaycee nodded. Jake pulled the black lace off her before bringing them to his nose and inhaling. "You smell amazing, I bet you taste even better." He groaned before licking a stripe up her slit.
Jaycee's hips jumped off the bed. Jake growled before hooking his arms under her thighs and pulling her flush against him.
He started out harsh and fast, eating her like she was the finest meal on earth. His tongue swiped circles and figure eights around her clit before fucking into her weeping hole. Jaycee laced her fingers in his sandy blonde locks and pulled him closer to her.
She ground her core against his face, and Jake moaned in appreciation as she tugged on his locks.
He slipped two of his thick fingers inside her dripping cunt and curled them to find her gspot. Once he zeroed in on it, he stroked it over and over again, enjoying the cries of his name that left her lips each time he did so.
"Fuck, Jake! That feels so good!" Jaycce cried out as she chased her high. It had been ages since a man had taken care of her like this.
"You're squeezing my fingers so good, darlin, I can tell you're close. Be a good girl and cum for me." Jake demanded as he sped up his fingers and tongue.
Jaycee cried out his name as he assaulted her bundle of nerves. Jake alternated between sucking on in and circling it. He gave it a particularly harsh suck, and Jaycee was screaming out his name. She came hard on his face, and Jake worked her through it, only stopping when she pulled him away from over stimulation.
Jake shimmied out of his pants and underwear before joining Jaycee on his bed.
She pulled him in for a bruising kiss before pushing him on his back. She stroked his hard length a few times. "Shit, baby, that feels so good. Hold on, let me get a condom." Jake said as he fumbled with his nightstand. He quickly took out the foil and handed it to her. Jaycee carefully opened it and rolled it down his length.
She straddled him before slowly sinking down him. She let out an appreciative moan over how full she was, taking a few moments to savor that burning stretch before slowly rising up and dropping back down on him.
Jaycee quickly picked up her pace, placing her hands on Jake's torso for leverage. Jake's hands grabbed a fistful of each of her ass cheeks and brought her closer to him as he rolled his hips into her.
He gave her ass harsh smack as she rode him. "Fuck baby, you ride better than half the cowgirls in Texas." Jake drawled out. Jaycee moaned back a reply as his stiffness hit a particularly deep spot that had her seeing stars.
"If you can help run a country, half as good as you fuck, I might be convinced to vote for you." Jaycee gasped. At the omission Jake stopped her. Jaycee whined.
He flipped them over so she was under him. He grasped her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You don't know who you're going to vote for yet?" He asks, clicking his tongue. Jaycee shakes her head.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to give you a good reason to vote for me then." He says before pistoning his hips into her.
Jaycee clings to his biceps, her nails digging in as Jake pushes her to a finish.
He drops his thumb to her clit and rapidly strokes it. The pleasure overwhelms her, and Jaycee's orgasm rips through her body. Jake follows behind her, spilling into the condom.
He collapses beside her and catches his breath before heading to the bathroom and returning with a warm washcloth to clean her up. He grabs a shirt from his drawer and hands it to her. She looks at him confused.
"I figured you'd want something to sleep in because there is no way in hell I'm kicking you out."
....................
Jaycee quietly unlocked her door and crept in. She definitely didn't want to wake her her roommate up. She was not ready for the five thousand questions she knew that she would ask.
"Good morning, skank." Y/N said as Jaycee stepped in the kitchen.
"Girl! What the fuck!?" She exclaimed while Y/N sat at their kitchen island and sipped her coffee.
"It's 7:30 on a Saturday morning. What are you doing up so early?" Jaycee asks her. "It's 7:30 on a Saturday morning. Why are you just now getting home?" She fires back.
"How do you know I just got home?" Jaycee counters.
"Your hair is in a bun, you're wearing last night's dress, you are carrying your shoes, and you smell like cedar scented soap." Y/N states. "So, you want to tell me where you were?"
"I, um— I went home with a guy last night." Jaycee confesses.
"Why didn't you tell me? I was worried sick about you. It takes ten seconds to send a text. I was afraid something had happened! I was about to call the police!" Y/N rants. Jaycee crosses the space to hug her friend.
"I'm fine, Wise-crack. I promise, I don't need you fussing over me like a mother hen." Jaycee assures her. "You know I worry about you. After what happened— I can't talk almost losing you again." she fights back tears.
"It's been five years. Everything is okay, babe, nothing bad is going to happen. Jaycee tells her best friend.
"I know. I just can't help it. But you promised me you're okay?" Y/N asks just to be sure.
"More than okay. Now, let me get a cup of coffee and tell you all about my night. Girl, this guy had mad tricks with his tongue." Both women laugh before Jaycee recounts her escapades.
.......................
Six months later, Jaycee is in the White House. Her best friend is the Chief of Staff, and the two of them had just prevented a major scandal. Some psycho ex-employee claimed she had an affair with President Bradshaw and was pregnant by him. Y/N, being the girlboss that she was, had the woman followed and promptly destroyed any ounce of credibility that she had.
Jaycee had worked to keep the news out of the Post and had several positive articles about the president ready to go.
She and Wise-woman were currently raiding the White House kitchen for snacks and wine. They were going to have a victory sleepover and needed provisions.
Jaycee was on edge as she walked through the halls of the White House. Her one night stand from months ago was now the vice president, and she'd never told Y/N, claiming she couldn't remember his name.
She'd even gone as far as to ghost Jake Seresin after their hookup. Jaycee was sure that he'd forgotten about her and had moved on to some other socialite.
The two of them had just left the kitchen with piles of junk food when she heard a familiar voice cry out. "Wise-woman, wait up!"
Jaycee froze. Y/N turned around, while Jaycee didn't dare move. Shit, this couldn't be happening, she thought.
"Jake, before we head out, let me introduce you to my best friend. She works for the Washington Post, you might remember her from the last VP debate." Y/N says warmly.
Jaycee turns around. Jake's face lights up when he sees her. The woman who has haunted his dreams for the past six months eas standing right in front of him.
"Hello, Mr. Vice President. Jaycee Marchetti. It's nice to officially meet you." Jaycee extends her hand for him to shake. "It's lovely to see you again, Ms. Marchetti." Jake draws out as his eyes rake over her body.
"Again?" Jaycee feigns as she cocks her head to the side. "Oh, you mean how we met at the debate. Which I guess we didn't officially meet then, did we? I just asked you some questions." Jaycee laughs. "Um, yeah." Jake replies.
"Well, like I said, it's nice to officially meet you—for the first time." Jaycee reiterates. Hurt flashes across Jake's face. So, this is how it was going to be.
"Well, I'll let you ladies get back to your fun. Have a nice night." Jake says deflated.
The two women continue down the hall as Jake heads for his room.
Jaycee had pretended they'd never met before and that he didn't know her in the most intimate way. That she hadn't cried out his name over and over from his bed that night so long ago.
If he had to guess, Wise-woman didn't know that the two of them had hooked up. Jake planned to keep it that way for now. However, he wasn't going to let Jaycee Marchetti slip through his fingers again.
Babes! It's here! I hope you enjoy!
Taglist: @daggerspare-standingby @shanimallina87 @teacupsandtopgun @hecate-steps-on-me @roosterscock @roosterbruiser @roosterforme @seresinsbabe @startrekfangirl2233 @soulmates8 @xoxabs88xox @avengersfan25 @blackwidownat2814 @loveforaugust @mak-32 @cottagecori @amysteryspot @heyimmadisonn @princess76179 @bradshawseresinbabe @sunlightmurdock @lewmagoo @cassiemitchell @die-cunt @mj-l4 @shipinabluebottle @malindacath @violyn20 @imawkwardlysoc @books-for-summer @blackroseboulevard @recordblues @desert-fern @luckyladycreator2 @katieshook02 @samhapner6 @sebsxphia @roosters-girl @diorrfairy @je-suis-prest-rachel @dakotakazansky @mizzzpink @a-linabean @amklibrary @gretagerwigsmuse @jstarr86 @actuallyazriel @krismdavis @bradshawsbaby
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unholy-screeching9 · 1 year
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Hi!! First, I want to say that I love your writing style. So much detail! I also LOVE your art!!! Absolutely amazing.
I have a request! I’d like to see King Dice x reader, their first meeting. Game and show, or whichever you prefer! I’m not picky! I’d love to see how the two first met and how or when they fell for each other 🥰
You have free creative liberty with this!!
Feel free to message me if you need any ideas!
Thank you so much, sweetheart! Your kindness means the world to me. A lot of time and effort is put into my work, so I'm very glad it brings you joy. So sorry for the long wait! As always, if these aren't up to your tastes, let me know. I'll revamp them for you.
SUGGESTIVE CONTENT WARNING! 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI.
💋
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King Dice x Reader - "First Meeting"
King Dice x Reader - "First Meeting" (GAME)
King Dice loves to work in the casino. He has to, otherwise, his life would be absolutely miserable. His deal with the Devil really left him with no other choice.
There’s nothing more satisfying to him than watching those who are stupid enough to walk inside the building lose everything they had worked for. He relishes in the tears of the foolish. 
He also basks in the attention he gets from the ladies, the gentlemen and everyone in between. No matter who has fallen in love with Dice’s looks, the man accepts it wholeheartedly. Enjoys it, even. Multiple times, he’s found himself sitting in the head chair of the Grand Hazard table, with one person on each arm, two behind him with their hands on his shoulders, and even the occasional one sitting in his lap.
There is rarely ever a dull moment in the Devil’s casino. There’s always something to keep Dice entertained, whether it’s a tussle between the drunkards, a particularly exciting derby, or even some new drink concoctions the Tipsy Troop came up with. There’s always something.
Except… those things start to bore Dice. 
Sure, they’re enough to grab the manager’s attention, but the time span that these things keep his attention has slowly been dwindling. 
As invigorating as the job is, the routine has started to become too predictable. Get up. Go to work. Fawn over the attention. Sign soul contracts. Go home. It’s like clockwork. Every single day. 
It’s not to say that Dice is getting tired of his job. Oh, no. Not even close. The man just wishes that things could be a little more exciting sometimes. The shifts are long and tiring, it’d be nice to see at least a little change, to make the day pass by faster. 
Eventually, though, Dice gets his wish. 
The day you started showing up. 
Oh, hell, you are captivating. Your confidence as you strut through the double doors, catching every eye as you mosey your way down to the bar. The clacking of your shoes against the marble floor. The way you shoot a warning glare at anyone who tries to make a move on you. Good heavens, you’re a feisty one. 
Dice likes that. A lot. 
His legs sneakily carry him over to the edge of the bar, where he eavesdrops on your conversation with Ginette as she takes your order. 
You order a glass of the Old Fashioned, on the rocks. A strong, yet simple drink that hits all the right notes. 
What an excellent choice. Dice didn’t take you for someone who liked the liquors. He was expecting a classic red wine, or even a martini. 
How… unpredictable you are. Just what Dice needed, to bring back the spunk and glitz the casino had lost. 
You take your drink, and you brush past the manager, not even noticing him as you make your way past the slot machines. Past the derby area. It seems you have your heart set on something that requires more than just luck. 
You take your seat at the Poker table, sipping at your cocktail with the dealer casually sliding you a hand of cards. 
You’re after what skill can bring. You’re one of the intelligent ones. 
You certainly know the way right to King Dice’s heart. And now, he’s just GOTTA  have you.  
He watches you. Intently. From a distance, at first. He doesn’t want to scare you away from intimidation, but in all honesty, the looks you cast his way tell him that scaring you should be the least of his worries. 
Those looks also let him know that you know he has his eyes on you. You know you’ve fallen into his spotlight. But unlike the others, you aren’t pulled towards him like a moth to a flame. No… you have other things on your mind. 
Like the poker game in front of you. You’re so concentrated and determined; you know damn well what you’re doing. Dice can see it in your eyes, from his position at the bar. 
You’ve got a good poker face, but those beautiful eyes of yours are very telling. You think you’re about to win big. And goodness, when you glance up from your hand and cast him a suspicious look from your seat? 
He’s gotta get your name. He needs to know just who you are. To let you slip between his fingers would be the biggest mistake of his life.  
While you’re focused on your cards, Dice slowly makes his way over to your table, momentarily looking over the other players. ‘Watching for cheating,’ so to speak. Then, he steps behind you, smirking delightedly as he gets a peek at your hand. 
Looks like you’ve got yourself a straight. Not a terrible hand, but there certainly are better hands out there. But it doesn’t look like you’re making any moves for replacement cards. And, your bet seems to be rather high. 
Dice wonders if you’ve got little faith in your fellow players, or if you’ve just never played the game before. Maybe if he offers a bit of advice, he’ll be able to make you melt, just as he had with all the others who played hard to get. 
“You sure you wanna keep these cards, dear?” The die whispers sweetly, fondly. “It looks like you’ve got a rather low hand, with a high bet.” 
To Dice’s surprise, you let out a soft chuckle, leaning over and whispering right back, “thank you for your input, sir. But I’m quite alright. It seems that you may need to look into buying some glasses, though…” 
Ohhh, ouch. What a blow to Dice’s ego. He can’t believe you had the gall to speak to him in such a manner, all for trying to give you a little tip. While he’d usually go after those who speak like that, he just loves your attitude. It drives him nuts. 
He’s gotta see where this goes. What exactly drove you to refuse his advice? What kind of tricks do you have up your sleeve? 
The dealer calls for the players’ hands. You confidently set your cards down, the other players groaning softly in defeat, as the winnings are pushed towards you. Confused, Dice takes another glance at your cards, and his stomach does a somersault at the sight. 
A straight flush. All spades.
How could he have missed that?! 
Dice looks over at you, and is met with your confident eyes staring right back at him. Aw, hell, you’ve got him hooked. 
“Spades and clubs do look rather similar, don’t they?” You smirk, amusedly patting his shoulder. “I don’t blame you. It took me a little while to get used to the symbols when I first started out.” 
The manager is at a loss for words. He knows damn well the difference between a club and a spade, he’s worked these casino floors for over half his life. But how could you be so condescending, and yet… so oddly kind at the same time? And how in hell are you so good with your wit? 
He needs to introduce himself, before he loses his composure. 
“That was a very swell game indeed, my eyes must have missed the symbols… I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself yet. I’m—”
“Oh there’s no need for that, sir. I know exactly who you are.” You smile, calmly. Coolheaded. “The legendary King Dice of the Devil’s Casino. Anyone in the Isles who doesn’t know who you are would be a fool.” 
With his heart skipping several beats, the King quickly forms a smooth reply. 
“Well, since you seem to know so much about me, what about telling me about yourself? How about putting a personality to that pretty face of yours, doll?” 
You smirk, shaking your head and finishing off your liquor. Standing, you grab your winnings and hand him your empty glass, straightening up Dice’s bow tie for him. 
“Now, why would I talk about myself with a stranger, Dice? You of all people know the dangers of slipping out too much information.” 
“Aw, you’re hurting my heart, sugar. Not even your name? Something so simple?” 
“Hm… Alright, King of Hearts. The name’s (y/n). Don’t use it too much now, or you might just grow tired of me.” 
And with that, you’re gone, leaving Dice speechless, longing for more. Just how he had left so many others before. 
Good god. Now he understands what he’s put them through. It hurts. It hurts so damn good. There’s no way he could ever be tired of you, especially with a name like that. He needs to see you again. As much as possible.
He can’t wait for your return. And thankfully, he doesn’t need to wait for long. 
You come back again, the next day. And the day after that. And soon enough, you’ve become a regular, slipping into the mundane routine Dice had gotten so bored of. 
Except… you take away the normalcy. Every day you come by, the routine is just slightly different. 
Sure, you walk in, ignore the peepers, grab your usual cocktail and make your way to the poker table. One game. You win, every time. And then, you leave. It’s like clockwork. 
Except… the conversations you have with Dice. Those are slightly different. Every time. 
He tries to learn more about you. You shut him down, with a slight tease. You laugh as he fails to form a coherent reply. You leave, with Dice watching you. But every time you talk, you humor him just a little more. Driving him closer to what he wants.  
The more you come by, the more crazy he gets about you. He switches his tasks around on the schedules, making sure he is always available at the poker table and the bar. Just so he has an excuse to see more of you. To learn more about you.
Dammit, all you’ve given him is your name. That, along with the small details he’s picked up just from watching you, is not very much to work with. He needs more. 
He needs to take you out of this suffocating atmosphere. To bring you somewhere nice and quiet, where you can get to know each other outside of your casino affiliations. 
A date. He needs to take you on a date. 
He tries to be straight forward, at first. The next time you come by, during your usual conversation, he asks you to indulge in his fantasies, just for one night. 
“One date, darlin’. A night away from this casino’s chaos and craziness. Let me find out more about what makes those gears in your head turn.” 
“What a direct approach, King. But I’m sorry, I’m afraid you’re going to have to do better than that. There’s just not a reason for me to accept your offer.” 
Your voice is smooth, confident, with a hint of teasing. But there is something that Dice catches—something you had hoped he wouldn’t. Longing. 
The man is so. Damn. Close. He just needs to figure out a way to tip you over the edge.  
You take his hand, guiding it towards your empty glass so he can take it back to the bar for cleaning. 
Even with the gloves Dice is wearing, he can feel just how soft your skin is. It’s warm. Comforting. Addicting. Good gracious, you’re driving him insane. 
He watches you leave with a spring in your step, his eyes trailing down to the casino’s glossy marble flooring. After some deep thought, the man gets an idea. And for him, it’s brilliant. 
If he’s going to grab your attention for good, he needs to catch you off guard. Like a game of cat and mouse. 
You’ve always been great on your feet—you haven’t missed a step once in the time you’ve come to the casino. Dice wonders… What if you weren’t so good one night? What if something were to cause a simple slip, and who would catch you if something like that were to happen? 
Well, there’s an easy answer to each of those questions. 
When Dice orders for Wheezy and Chips to grease certain spots on the floor during cleanup, well, the two underlings know better than to question their boss. Still, it is rather peculiar how Dice only wants part of the floor to be greased. 
But there’s a method to the King’s madness. A method that only he can really understand. And you know what? That’s alright. 
The next day, before his shift, Dice sands the bottoms of his shoes. It breaks his heart a little, these shoes are expensive, but it has to be done. How is he supposed to be your knight if he slips right along with you?
To make a damn good impression, he pulls out the finest suit he has; one he saves only for special occasions. To him, this is certainly important enough. His choice of clothing, paired with the finest cologne he has is perfect for this night. Everything is in its rightful place. 
Now, all he needs is you. 
And when you arrive, it’s the most beautiful hee ever seen you. 
You’ve got such a fantastic choice in fashion, he wonders if that’s part of your line of work. The way your hair is done is just that much more striking, and that award winning smile to top it all off? 
Goodness, Dice better not mess this up. 
You immediately notice the slipperiness of the floor as you walk over to the bar, thinking nothing of it. You’ve walked in worse things before, and you haven’t tripped. Surely, you think, you can handle some tile that’s been cleaned a little extra. 
You grab your drink of choice, and carefully make your way to your favorite table, sitting in your usual spot. Your favorite dealer looks especially handsome today, you think to yourself as your eyes linger over Dice’s looming form for longer than they should. 
The man simply chuckles warmly in response, shuffling his deck with the occasional card trick thrown in before passing out the hands. 
You call, raising the open bet with that familiar confident gleam in your eye. The one that Dice had fallen in love with all those days ago. None of the other players have that confidence. 
Looks like your skill and luck take you far, yet again. 
Your royal flush steals the show, and you’ve gotta say, that’s probably your biggest win yet. You watch in satisfaction as the chips are slid towards you, finishing off your glass and setting it off to the side. 
Well, that’s the game of the night. You stand, acknowledging Dice as you trade in your heaping pile of small chips for a few large ones, for you to keep in your pocket. The man seems more assured than usual today. 
You cast him a wink before stepping away from the table, walking off with your winning chips in your pocket. Unfortunately, it seems that you’ve forgotten all about the greased floor. 
Before you know it, your foot slips from under you, and you start to fall, bracing yourself for a harsh contact with the unforgiving tile. 
That contact never comes. 
Instead, something else catches you nearly halfway. Something soft, silky, and smelling of Caron Poivre. Oh. Oh. 
That something is King Dice himself, grinning warmly down at you, his arm behind your back, and his free hand sweetly cupping your face. 
Now, it’s his turn to tease you, after all this time. It’s his turn to catch your aching heart, as you had done to him that first day you arrived. 
“Goodness, sweetheart. I know I’ve been trying to grab your attention for a while now, but I never figured I’d have to physically sweep you off your feet. Don’t tell me you’ve lost your touch after all this time, because of one measly drink…” 
For once, you’re frozen. You’ve got no retort, no comeback. Nothing to say. You just… stare. You take the time to look into his eyes, and inwardly scold yourself for avoiding them all this time. They really are a pretty sight for sore eyes. 
Those pupils of his are expanded so much you’re surprised you can still see a bit of those famous bright green irises. And they are just sparkling with want. Infatuation. 
You can’t look for long. Otherwise, you just might never be able to stop. Finally, you try to form some type of response, so he doesn’t have to stand there and hold you inches from the ground forever. 
“I… well, I just…” 
“What’s the matter, dear? Cat got your tongue?” 
Dammit, he’s gotten good at this. He looks at you so expectantly, waiting for a response, but with that strikingly handsome face? You’ve lost the words you had been trying desperately to gather up. 
He’s got you, after all this time telling yourself you wouldn’t fall for his trap. He’s got you good. 
“I… t-thank you, King…” 
He chuckles warmly, sending a few butterflies right into your stomach. 
“Don’t mention it, baby. I’d never blame you for slipping on these floors—the grease is always hard to walk over. It’s caught me a few times before, even.” 
Slowly, he helps you stand on your feet once again, and you brush yourself off, not making any move to leave. Not anymore. You’ve gotten so hooked, your caution has been thrown out the window. 
“I guess I owe you a drink, for saving my life like that.” 
Dice laughs. And fuck, it’s beautiful. It’s loud, deep, and so so powerful. It takes everything in you not to lock your lips onto his right there. Fuck. 
He’s hooked you tighter than anyone else he’s ever had. 
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about all that. It’s on me, doll. But only on one condition.” 
“And what would that be, King?” 
“You let me take you out to The Ritz for dinner.”  
Damn him. Damn that no-good, rotten, sleazy casino manager, always making deals. Tempting deals that are hard to say no to. 
Aw, hell. What’s the point in life if you don’t take any risks once in a while? 
“Alright, lover boy. I’ll indulge you with that date. Now come on, an Old Fashioned seems to be calling my name over at the bar.” 
That deal turned out to be the best decision of your life. 
King Dice x Reader - "First Meeting" (SHOW)
If there’s anything a master of ceremonies like King Dice loves most, it’s attention. Power. Influence. Money. Especially money. What else is supposed to pay for his high maintenance lifestyle? The term “money doesn’t buy happiness” is utter bullshit to the star. 
And boy, does Dice get what he wants. All the time. The spoiled Devil’s lackey NEVER hears the word no. It’s really not in his vocabulary. If the King says jump, the servants say “how high, sir?” If he says bow, his fans are on their knees. Some even kneel down before he can finish the word. 
A beautiful penthouse separated from the rest of the “common folk” of Inkwell. The top show on the radio, that plays for hours, every single day the channels run. An adoring and loyal audience, who would do absolutely anything he would ask of them. 
The finest clothes money can buy. Five star meals from only the most expensive and high end restaurants. Endless jewels and other expensive trinkets to keep the showman happy. A simple card butler at every door, and several laying out his carpet. His own limo, and driver. Staff that take care of the home duties while he relaxes. 
Really, how could you get any more fulfilled than that? 
Well, King Dice could certainly tell you how.
Everything he has is fantastic, and he wouldn’t trade any of it away, sure. That’s a given. He does love his extravagant life he’s signed a contract to. However, after so many days, weeks, months, years of doing the same damn thing, over and over again, things start to get pretty old. Pretty fast. 
And sure, the parties, acting/musical gigs, and other various events of celebrities do bring about the variety to spice up the day, but even so, something is still missing. 
Of course, being the fantastic actor Dice is, he’s learned to hide his boredom when on the air, or in front of an audience in general. He’s learned to lie, very easily. Though, that may just be part of his nature. Dice has always been a good liar. 
But god, he needs some change to his luxurious yet excruciatingly boring life. Something to keep his attention.
Thankfully, his prayers start to get answered.
Dice’s audience switches up in terms of people and their seating arrangement, every night. The variety helps bring some newness to his beloved show, when things start to get a little too dry and repetitive. 
However… Recently, there’s been one person who’s started showing up to the show every night. In the same exact seat, without fail. Always the first one to arrive, and the last to leave. 
You. 
But although you are there the longest, loyally sitting in your seat with all the others, you aren’t as overly enthusiastic as the rest of his fans. 
No… it’s like you’re watching a movie by yourself. You sit, silently, with a small smile on your face. It’s oddly comforting to the star, seeing you watching him intently. Not making a damn scene, like the other folks who just can’t get enough of him. 
You’re there for the after-show, when Dice is surrounded by his overly excited fans, BEGGING him for autographs and pictures from the press. But you don’t smother him. You simply watch behind the crowd, with that damn smile on your face. 
You’re the final one there, but before he can offer an autograph or even just a chat, you’re walking off. It confuses him. You confuse him so much. 
Why on earth would you stay so long and then just leave, without saying anything? Are you shy? No, you don’t seem like the shy type. Your smile isn’t from being flustered. You smile warmly. Boldly. Like you simply stick around to watch Dice for entertainment, and nothing more. 
The man watches you leave, staying in place until you turn a corner, disappearing into the night. He stands, contemplates for a few moments, before heading inside his waiting limo, his mind still trying to wrap around you. To understand you. 
Night after night. Every single show. You’ve become part of Dice’s daily customs, except he never gets bored. In fact, the more you show up, the more interested he gets. 
The outfits you wear get prettier and prettier to him. That smile of yours starts to make him blush, right there on that stage. You start causing him to fumble a little, each time you catch his glance. Good lord, what are you doing to him?
No, there’s no question. Dice knows exactly what he’s feeling, but he’s too conflicted to admit his feelings. Dammit, he’s in love. 
He’s in love with someone he hasn’t even properly met. 
It’s unfair. It’s so unfair, how you know so much about him, and yet, he knows absolutely nothing about you. And you don’t even give him the chance to learn. You leave before he can say anything. 
After a while, Dice can’t help but follow from a distance. Nothing too crazy, he’s no creep, but he just wants to see just where you end up every evening. The route you turn on doesn’t typically lead to any residences, so you’re not going home. 
Dice discovers that you head to the nearby bar every night. The building is just a few doors down from the studio, really not a far walk at all. It’s where he finds you every night as he rides by slowly. He’s caught bits and pieces of you sitting at a stool by the counter, sipping away at whatever drink you fancy. 
That’s the one thing he’s got on you. You like having a drink after his shows. Nothing super telling, but interesting nonetheless. 
And with interest comes determination. Dice needs to find out more about you. He needs to hear your voice. Get your name. Anything. 
You’re like a parasite that Dice welcomes with open arms. You latch onto his brain, taking complete control over his thoughts. The game show host is more distracted during his performances, only showing emphasis and charisma because he knows you’re there. In fact, he’s more passionate about what he does, as long as it keeps your attention. 
Every laugh he coaxes out of you when he says something witty and funny. Every clap you give him after he finishes with his introduction and his signature exit. Every lingering stare, where you both lock eyes with each other. You’ve got beautiful eyes, shining with wonder and energy. He could get lost in them, if he didn’t have a show to run. 
All of these things drive him to do his job well. As long as he keeps you of all people happy and entertained, well, that’s now enough for him. All he needs now, is who exactly you are.
Another signing session after his show. He runs through each paper quickly, honestly just trying to get everyone out of his hair fast enough to keep you still. His eyes search for you the entire time, barely even paying attention to his audience. He doesn’t care about them. 
Just you. 
They finally start to dissipate, and Dice finally catches your eyes again. Just as you’re starting to leave. Before you can get too far, this time, a gloved hand grabs your wrist. 
“Wait-!” 
You pause, your head turning back to the host who’s staring at you with unusual kindness, it almost breaks you. Almost. 
“I… sweetheart, you’ve always been the last to leave, but you’ve never even said a word. You haven’t asked for a single autograph or photo. So tell me, why? Come now, just tell me a little about yourself.” 
The look he gives you is so entrancing, you’re so close to caving in. You can tell he’s trying so hard, you’ve seen it since the beginning. As soon as he saw you. 
But of course, you’re not stupid. King Dice is a showman at heart, and there’s nothing he loves more than his career. Some random, quiet fan wouldn’t change that at all. 
“Sorry, sir, but I know your type. It’d be dangerous to say too much, and I don’t want to take any chances.” 
You smile, taking his hand tenderly, and giving it a gentle squeeze before removing it from your wrist. 
“But I will say, you’ve got quite the gig going on here. You’ve caught my interest, that’s for sure.” 
And with that, you walk away, just as you have every night. Leaving the star to watch you disappear, wishing he had more. Leaving him with more questions than answers. Leaving him to his thoughts, which are riddled with your face. Your eyes. Your voice. 
It was the first time Dice had heard you speak, and god, the sound is heavenly to him. It’s a shame you left so soon, before he even got the chance to hear more from you. 
To the limo he walks, allowing his driver to take him home. He’s glued to the window, his eyes scanning the bar for your presence as the limo slowly makes its way through the busy streets. And there you are, in your usual seat, swirling a glass of your favorite drink. The view only lasts a few seconds, but those moments are precious. 
What he wouldn’t give to be beside you, sharing a bottle of rosé wine, lamenting to you about just how hard it is to keep up a professional appearance all the time. How he sometimes feels jealous of you, someone normal, someone who never has to pretend. 
Laughing with you. Joking around, and sharing stories from all of Dice’s career adventures. Hearing stories from you, about how you spend your time outside of coming to the show. Slowly scooting closer to one another, glasses in hand, your drinks clinging together in a toast. A toast to normalcy and good fortune. 
A toast to love. 
Hell, if you’d let him, maybe he’d even kiss you. How beautiful would that be, to taste the alcohol on your lips? To share a beloved connection with someone who seems to care about him? 
Dammit, Dice’s feelings have reached a crazy degree. He can’t deny it to himself anymore, he needs you. You’re the piece that he’s been missing in his life. Maybe, with you, he’d finally have that sense of wholeness again. 
The entire drive home, Dice thinks. Thinks of how to sweep you off your feet. How to get you to return his affection. What he can do to make his dreams come to reality. 
A solution is a lot harder than he thought it would be. For the first time in a while, Dice is stumped. 
You never leave his head, even when he falls asleep that night. You haunt his dreams. 
The routine is the same, the next time you show up to his performance. You watch him host with a warm smile on your face. He meets you out front, after the rest of his fans have been taken care of. You move to leave, and he grabs your hand yet again, striking up another conversation. 
“C’mon, doll, don’t leave me hanging like this. I don’t know how much more I can take. You know so much about me already, but what about you? Give me something to work with, here.” 
You laugh softly at his insistence, and Dice isn’t sure he’s heard a more beautiful sound in his life. You’re more intoxicating than even the strongest whiskey he stores in his mini bar.
You take his hand like you had before, but this time, your touch lingers ever so slightly. 
“I’m not sure what a brilliant showman like yourself is doing, trying to learn about someone like me. I’m really not all that special, sir.
Dice shakes his head, gently squeezing your hand, savoring the softness of your skin. The electrifying warmth you send through his hand, up his arm, right into his heart. 
“There’s gotta be more to yourself than you’re letting on, I see it in your eyes. Humor me a little, here. At least put a name to that beautiful face of yours.” 
You smile softly, turning towards him completely. Cocking your head to your side, you look at him in amused confusion, letting him continue holding your hand. 
“It seems like you’ve got your heart caught up in a tussle, King Dice. Alright, I’ll give you my name, if you can answer this for me: why me, out of all these people? You’ve got fans who would bend over backwards to make you their groom, why have your heart out for the quiet observer?” 
“I…you just interest me, is all. You’re different. Much different. You have that aura of mystery surrounding you, and I want to break it away. Now please, darling, your name?” 
You smirk at his answer, kindly rubbing your thumb over his knuckles before letting go of his hand, turning away once again. 
“You’re getting closer, sir. But you’re not quite there yet.” 
With a soft laugh, you walk away. Again. Dammit, you’re making this so difficult, the suspense is driving Dice mad. 
Slowly, hesitantly, he walks to his limo as usual, climbing inside. He stares at the hand you had held, intently, wondering just how he’s supposed to get you to crack. 
The slow approach just isn’t working. Dice needs to be bolder. He needs to catch you when you least expect it… 
He’s never accompanied you to the bar before. He’s always just watched you go, debating on whether or not he should. Well, now, he’s made up his mind. 
This has to work. 
That night was the last show of the week, giving Dice a day off in between. Normally, he finds joy in his time away from everyone else, using up his chance to have some alone time. But now? All it does is fuel his impatience. That day is the longest he’s ever had, with half of it consisting of clock-watching alone. 
Finally, Monday comes. Dice is back in business. And today, he’s going to pull off a trick that will surely catch you. It has to. The showman is on his last leg. 
His staff have never seen him practice so hard during rehearsal. Dice runs through the motions over and over again, even when he’s got the routine nailed down perfectly. 
Makeup is the same way. Applying the eyeshadow and mascara. Removing it when it appears to be too cakey. Applying again, lighter this time, with a little blush for good measure. Better, but barely noticeable. Adding another layer of the purple shadow, along with fresh pigment over his pips. 
With his makeup perfect, his performance perfectly memorized, and his suit straightened, Dice has one of the best show nights he’s had in a long time. His audience notices. His band notices. He’s sure even his boss notices, way down in hell. 
You notice. And that’s what he cares about. He sees it in your eyes. That beautiful glimmer that keeps him motivated. 
And the performance isn’t even Dice’s main trick. This is going perfectly. 
Granted, due to the fantastic night, Dice was kept back just a little longer than he’d like, greeting, signing, and smiling for photos. His cheeks are throbbing by the time he takes care of the last person. 
But this time, you wait. When you would usually be gone by this time, you decided to stay just a little longer. And Dice almost forgets his mission out of surprise. 
“You did great tonight, King.” You smile warmly, grasping his hand in yours. 
You both stand there for a little while, smiling warmly at each other, just silently enjoying the company. And then, like all the other nights, you let him go, and you leave. 
And this time, Dice is okay with that. 
Stepping into the limo, he directs his driver towards a parking spot at your favorite bar’s side door, where he won’t be noticed by the public. The last thing he wants is for the press to butt in on this moment. He needs peace for once. 
Quiet and humble, Dice walks inside the bar, immediately looking at where you usually sit. A lonely stool, in front of the bar counter. Surrounded by empty seats. Perfect. 
You swirl your glass of scotch in your hand, eyeing the drink as you contemplate to yourself. You wonder if you should let go of your danger sense, and take the risk. 
Should you give him your name the next time you see him? Should you let him show you a different side to his charismatic persona? A side that only you would ever get to see? 
“Scotch, hm? An interesting drink of choice, but I think it fits you. You’ve got the strong boldness that comes in the drink.” 
Looks like you’ve got a choice to make. 
You look over to the side, smiling fondly when you see the very same showman you had just walked away from, sitting beside you as the bartender whips up his drink. 
“Well, look what the cat dragged in. I never took you for someone who goes to the bar, King Dice… you seem more of the type to have the servants make your drinks.” 
The man laughs as his martini glass is slid his way, picking it up and carefully swirling its contents. You really do have such a way with words.
“Don’t be fooled, that’s usually how I take my alcohol. But the bar does offer something that I don’t have at home.” 
The man looks back up at you, slowly leaning forward, wanting to get lost in your shining eyes. 
“It gets pretty lonely without someone to share the alcohol with, doll. But here? Well…” 
You ignore the heated feeling in your cheeks, taking a drink from your whiskey, watching him closely. 
“Well what, sir?” 
“Why not try a drink in a place where there’s a little company? Some good-looking company, to boot. You seem to like it here very much—I see you sitting here with a drink in your hand every time my limo passes by the bar.”
It’s your turn to laugh now, as you take another sip of your drink. Alright, he’s got your heart’s attention and you know it. It wouldn’t take much more than a little nudge from him, and your shell would be broken. 
“I don’t know if it’s very safe for me to share a drink with a complete stranger, handsome as he may be.” 
Dice smiles, his hand reaching forward and tilting your chin upwards, like he’s trying to get a better look at you. He also gives you a chance to examine his facial features up close, and boy, he’s even better looking than your view from your seat in his audience. 
“Well then, let’s stop being strangers, shall we? I know I ask you this every night, but this is the last time I’ll try. What’s your name, gorgeous?” 
You chuckle softly to yourself, shaking your head slightly as you tip back, finishing off the last of your scotch, letting an ice cube fall into your mouth. You let it melt on your tongue slightly, swirling it around in your mouth as you contemplate your answer. He has been waiting very patiently for—! 
Every thought in your mind comes to a halt as a soft, sweet pair of lips takes over your own, an arm wrapping around your side to bring you closer. You blink in shock, eyes wide as you stare at the one responsible for the sudden gesture. 
It’s King Dice. And he’s kissing you. 
Slowly, you set down your empty glass, cautiously leaning forward, accepting the affection. You know he had been working hard to earn your love, but if you’re honest with yourself, he has already had it since the beginning. It just took him a while to unlock it. 
His tongue slides into your mouth, finding the ice cube you had been sucking on, and swiping it from you so quickly you barely even notice it’s missing by the time he pulls away. 
He smirks down at you, the ice resting against his cheek as he laughs quietly at your speechlessness. 
“Your name, doll. What is it?” 
Completely enraptured, you finally utter out the word that Dice had been dying to hear ever since your first conversation with one another. 
“(Y/n)… my name is (y/n).” 
With a victorious grin and a raise of his glass, Dice happily responds to your lovestruck mumble. 
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, (y/n). It seems now that we are no longer strangers.” 
He taps his fingers on the counter, and the bartender slides you a brand new drink, filled to the brim.
“So, how about that drink, then?” 
You take it slowly, raising it up so it’s just underneath your slightly sore lips. You smile once again, laughing in disbelief, feeling your heart skip a beat. 
“Whatever you say, showman.” 
And from there, it’s history.
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the-bar-sinister · 1 month
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Head Games, Law Games (4969 words) by thesavagesabretooth
first part here
Summary: Phoenix Wright thought that the strange game between him and Kristoph Gavin had ended for good when he put his lover and rival in jail for murder. But when Miles Edgeworth agrees to have the killer mentally evaluated for suitability to start working in the courts from behind bars, Phoenix has to find out for himself just what's going on in Kristoph's head.
-
August 26, 2028– 4:30 pm
Phoenix nervously adjusted the position of the snacks on the table as he waited for Trucy to get back from her magic practice. He had gone overboard– he knew he had gone overboard, with everything from cake, to chips, to tea and candies– but he was worried about upsetting her. Every time he'd thought about it he'd added another snack to the table.
He heard the keys in the door, and stiffened, leaning over the table.
The door flew open in its usual way, and Trucy Wright bounded in as she tossed her hat and cloak on the rack with a laugh. 
“HAH! I knew I’d get Betty to start working with me sooner or later! Daddy!! I’m ho—” Her eyes went to the table full of snacks with wide eyes “...is it my birthday or is something up?”
"Hey bug, welcome home!" he waved her over. "I think you'd know if it was your birthday, right?" Skipping over, Trucy came to a stop before the table with her hands folded behind her back.
“Unless I magically gained another birthday? Yeah, probably…which means something’s up…not that I’m gonna complain, of course!” 
"Well, I'm glad you don't want to complain," he said. He pulled out a chair for her. "I promise it's really nothing huge. I just wanted to treat you." Trucy dropped into the chair with a tap of her gloved finger on her chin, before she grinned. “Well. In that case…thank you VERY much for the meal, daddy!” 
"So how was practice? Is Betty still being snippy about the whole thing?"
Phoenix slid tea and a slice of cake toward her. He was absolutely stalling. He had no idea how to start this conversation. Trucy gave him that uncanny look of hers, where it felt like she was staring straight into his soul, before she grinned and grabbed the tea cup and the cake to put it on her lap.
She took a bite and popped it in her mouth before she hummed “Betty’s still grumpy, but I actually managed to twist her arm enough to work through a possible routine. I just had to lean on Bonny’s puppy dog eyes and the promise of a big show to make it happen.” 
"At least it's all coming together, right? I'll be excited to see it when you guys actually have a show in the works."
He still felt guilty for not being able to be there for her first big show– or for the disaster that it turned into. Trucy in Gramaryeland had turned into Trucy in Court on a Murder Charge. What a disaster. At least Apollo had been able to handle it… “Yeah…I mean…I’m trying to think of a good hook, you know? And there’s the matter of booking it.” She sighed and popped another piece of cake in her mouth. “Which is harder than you’d think when the last guy who helped you with it tried to frame you for murder.” 
"Yeah," Phoenix grimaced. "I actually have a couple of contacts in TV we could talk to. Way less likely to try to frame you for murder. They're more the type to get framed, honestly. That's how we met." Trucy perked up with a grin as she held her tea up to her lips. “you mean Mr. Powers and Ms. Nichols and all of them, right??” 
"Exactly," he nodded. "I bet they could put us in touch with someone. No need to rely on shady contacts."
He knew that Trucy had first gotten connected with Retinz through Klavier Gavin. He didn't want to hold that against Klavier, he knew it wasn't his fault. But still he somehow wasn't surprised that the bad connection had started with a Gavin.
Unfortunately, the dark thought must have shown on his face. Trucy sipped her tea before she finally said. “Daddy, you’re kind of a terrible liar. What’s really up?” 
He sighed and rubbed his chin. "Well I mean I wasn't lying, sweetheart. But you're right. I was stalling. Mr. Edgeworth asked me to talk about something with you. Well, actually he was going to talk to you himself, but I said I would."
Ominous, Nick. That sounds ominous. Say something else before she has a chance to–“This is getting pretty ominous daddy. What? What is it? A mother back from the dead? Am I being accused of murder again? A…” Her eyes widened and a grin alighted upon her face “ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED?” 
Phoenix made an incoherent sputtering noise as his mind went suddenly blank, and he threw up his hands.
"What? No! Who would I even marry? Don't answer that–" he grimaced and fixed his tie, flushing at the thought of all the possible names that Trucy might pull out. "No, no it's.. it's about your dad, Trucy. Well, about his killer."
Segueing right from marriage to Kristoph made his stomach churn. Once upon a time, Gavin could have been on the list of people Trucy might pull out of her hat for her opinion on a surprise engagement. “Oh.” Trucy’s smile fell from her face. “...this is about Mr. Kristoph, huh?” 
"Yeah," he sighed, shoulders slumping. "Sorry, kiddo. Not exactly an exciting and fun conversation, I know."
He gestured at the snacks in a tacit acknowledgement of his own pre-apology. Trucy sighed and grabbed a candy from the table to open it with a puff of her cheeks. 
“...you coulda told me right away…but I like the snacks.” She popped it in her mouth “...did he die?” 
Phoenix grimaced again. He didn't like the way that the suggestion made him jolt and hurry to answer.
"No, no he didn't die, uh. Not exactly the opposite, but well. His case is being… considered." “Good… I mean, good that he didn’t die.” She tucked her hair over her ear with a tired smile. “I know he did a lot of really shitty things, but I still got a lot of happy memories of those years when you and he were friends, daddy.”
"You do, huh?" Phoenix smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. The truth was, as much as he didn't like it, he did too. "I guess even the worst people have their good sides, huh? But anyway, uh, okay, so you remember about Prosecutor Blackquill?" Trucy nodded as she sipped her tea. “...how he was prosecuting in handcuffs? Or do you mean his whole samurai spy thing with Mr. Fulbright?” 
"No, uh, the prosecuting in handcuffs thing, you were right the first time," Phoenix grimaced. Now that he'd put his life back together, he sometimes worried about the things that he exposed Trucy to. He ripped the bandaid off. "Kristoph has asked the prosecutor's office for the same deal." “Oh!” Trucy’s eyes widened behind her fringe of brown hair. “....he did??” 
"He did," Phoenix sighed, leaning his elbows on the table. "And Lana Skye made his case for him to Edgeworth. So Edgeworth is considering it." “The fact he convinced Edgeworth is kinda crazy enough.” Trucy leaned on her hands “I mean, even enough to consider it…”
"It is," Phoenix said with a frown. "Edgeworth is not happy about it. I'm not happy about it. But he said he'd seriously consider it, so here we are. He had Athena talk to him, first off." Trucy sipped her tea again with a tilt of her head. “...and what’d she say? I know she’s pretty good with this kinda stuff.”
Phoenix sighed, and closed his eyes. He wondered for a moment if he should tell her the whole truth of just what Kristoph had said. About why he'd killed her father.
"They talked for a while," he said finally. "She doesn't think he's a risk. It… surprised me." “Kind of a surprise to me too, y-ya know. Given the whole multiple homicide thing. But…” Trucy rubbed her neck. “ I mean, Athena’s no stranger to that, is she?” 
"No, I guess she's not," he said. "She's good at seeing the good in people. But it wasn't only her opinion that Edgeworth wanted. I think you can guess why I'm talking to you." Trucy fell back against the chair with a furrow of her brow. “...because you wanna know if I’ll tell Edgeworth to give him another chance, right?” 
"Yeah," Phoenix sighed. He flattened down over the table on his elbows. "I'm mean, obviously we're not talking about letting him out of prison. Just giving him a chance to work in court."
At this point, anyway. Phoenix had no doubt that Kristoph's end goal was absolutely to weasel his way out of prison, and back into the world. “I know Mr. Gavin sure loved working in court.” Trucy murmured with a shaky smile. “...I mean…if it’s only that, I don’t see why not. R-right?” 
"Trucy…." He reached a hand over to her, looking at her shaky smile. "Come on. I think we can both agree there's a very good 'why not' right? No matter what you decide– it's not like there's no reason you should hesitate. Kristoph might have been my friend for a while– even your friend– but, he killed people." Trucy’s smile seemed at its limit, and her shoulders shook a little as she took his hand. She looked down at her lap 
“I know. But so did Mr. Halblicht. It’s..”“I mean…I’ll be honest, it’d be easier if I had any answers at all, you know? I have no idea why he went from my friend one day to …” she shrugged her shaking shoulders. “beating my dad to death and trying to poison my friend the next.” 
Phoenix squeezed her hand. "Trucy… I wish I had more answers for you than I do. I don't know why he poisoned the Mishams, at least, I don't know why he thinks he did. But…"
He had too many secrets from her. He was already keeping the secret of her mother, and her brother from her. Thalassa had sworn him to secrecy. 
But Zak Gramarye had done no such thing.
Still, he hesitated. Trucy stared at him with a serious little frown. 
“But there’s….there’s something you do know, Daddy? You have to tell me. If there’s something that’s relevant here you gotta tell me.” 
He sighed, and squeezed her hand. "I know, kiddo. It's not going to make you happy though."
It didn't make him happy, either. It made him… confused. Angry that Kristoph somehow felt he was more moral for murdering someone than Phoenix was for not murdering them. But there was this strange sense of horrible, sick…if not pleasure, then satisfaction perhaps, knowing that Kristoph at least had been trying to protect Trucy, in his own fucked up way.
And it made him feel sick that he wondered if he agreed with him– that it was more than Phoenix ever had done. Trucy’s lips were downturned…her expression increasingly concerned. “you’re starting to make me nervous, daddy…” 
"He told Athena why he killed your father, Trucy. Or at least, why he claims, though, she believes him."
Phoenix almost felt more cornered now than he ever did in court. Trucy’s eyes briefly widened, and then narrowed with a familiar sort of dogged determination “...so why? Why’d he kill my daddy?”
Phoenix squeezed her hand, and stared down at the table, his head in his hand.
"He told Athena that he did it for you. Because he abandoned you." Trucy was silent. She didn’t say a word as he felt her fingers curl against his. He heard the pace of her breathing pick up as she squeezed a little tighter for a moment. Finally, she said only one word. “Oh.” 
"Yeah." He didn't know if there was anything else he could say. He struggled to find words. "Its… still not a good reason." Trucy’s voice cracked as she shook in her chair .“...he killed him because he abandoned me. It’s…it’s…I…”
Phoenix scooted his chair around the table closer to her, and put his arm around her.
I shouldn't have told her. I just should have kept my big fat mouth shut.Trucy grabbed him tightly in a hug. 
“Daddy was always gonna abandon me. I knew it from the day he left me in the courthouse.” She squeezed Phoenix tighter “and it hurt,a lot. It was like…family was just another excuse for a vanishing act to the Gramaryes. That it’s just what family was. But it still hurt.” 
"I know, honey," Phoenix murmured. He squeezed Trucy, and he felt his chest tighten. She had known, she had always known. Zak Gramarye had been planning to play them all from the very beginning. The horrible thought that maybe he deserved to die flashed through his mind. "It wasn't fair to you. It was terrible."
It wasn't fair to Phoenix, either. What the hell did Zak Gramarye think he was doing? Who was going to raise Zak's daughter when he disappeared. Valant sure fucking wasn't!
Trucy shrugged against him, sniffling softly. 
“it was always gonna happen. Every magic act has a sleight of hand, and something used to make the trick work.” she shook her head against him and he felt hot tears on his shirt. “If the trick goes off smoothly, whatever happens to the tool doesn’t matter. Fair has nothing to do with it.”
"Trucy that's–" he held her to his chest. "You can't treat people like that. People aren't just tools for magical acts. What your father did to you was as wrong as what Kristoph did to him."
Did that mean it balanced out?
Trucy hiccuped. Her fingers squeezed his shoulders tightly. “D-dunno. I gotta think about it, Daddy…but…it’s the Gramarye way. What daddy did…maybe… maybe it was worse than what Mr. Gavin did.” She looked up at him with tears in her eyes “I mean…Daddy abandoned me to survive on my own …twice, for himself. Nobody else. But Mr. Gavin might have killed him for me.” 
Phoenix held his daughter and he felt ashamed of himself. Ashamed of not dragging her real father in to face her, and own up to what he'd done.
And ashamed for almost feeling grateful to Kristoph for killing him.
"Trucy, you can't just kill people for being awful," he murmured. "But… I can't blame you for feeling that way. I'm not crying for your father." “I KNOW I can’t, Daddy!” She reached up to wipe her eyes. “obviously it’s still wrong…but if he really was trying to protect me then…” She pressed her hand to her face “...I..I give Mr. Edgeworth my approval. But I’m gonna have to think about this for a little while.” 
Phoenix gathered her to his chest, and rested his chin gently on the top of her head. "Take all the time you need, bug."
He was sure as hell going to be thinking about it for a long time.
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https://www.tumblr.com/canonicallyobserving911/751961757836345344/if-its-true-that-kr-wrote-the-finale-then-its
She did in fact write the finale tonight which is just *sighs* I don’t understand what we have to do to finally be free of her. I thought we were with the move to abc honestly. Yet here she is. Giving yet another lack luster season finale.
Side note I’ve been hoarding chapters of your fic, I’m still in love with you but… because I had a feeling I’d need some good buddie content by the end of the season, I think I’ve got like 9 or 10 chapters to catch up on? And after tonight am I ever so glad for that lol.
Hi @mattsire and thank you for the ask.
I'm so disappointed in the finale and learning KR wrote it just makes it so much worse. I truly do not understand why she's still being allowed to have creative control of any kind, especially after seasons 5 & 6 were such cluster "Fs" but alas, this is the cross viewers have to bear instead of getting good episodes that carry a lot of depth.
Her writing used to be good, for example the Eddie and Ana breakup scene in 5x3 was great and the emotional beats were there but it's unclear why the pacing has been off since then. Also, the cringey sexual innuendos she always includes for Buck's character are so bad and someone needs to tell her that. I mean, I get it, Buck's not celibate (at least he hasn't said he is in CANON) but every season he's paired with people who don't value anything about him except his "Firehose". If he was still Buck 1.0, it would make sense but he's not and he hasn't been since season 1 (season 2 if his hookup with Taylor in the bar restroom counts). It truly saddens me for OS and Buck because it's been 7 going on 8 years and he's still being put in these lackluster relationships with one dimensional love interests. Also, T*mmy is a jealous jerk who wishes he was Buck and season 8 is going to be horrifically horrible with Gerard's old ass around making racists and bigoted comments.
Buck wants to be in love with someone (EDDIE) but for some reason, the show won't let him have it. He's still on the hamster wheel and at this point, what are they going to do if they don't get a season 9? It's past time for them to stop delaying Buck's and Eddie's love story especially since network TV is on the decline and they're replacing procedural dramas with reality TV BS and game shows but I digress.
After that finale, I'll be writing Buddie fanfics all summer and I'm more determined than ever to finish the last 12 chapters of "I'm still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!" It's my baby and I love that fanfic so much. Actually, I love all the fics I write but that one is where the Diaz family gets to just be as they navigate life as two husbands and their son.
Happy reading my friend and based on what you mentioned, you're in for some good reading especially if you haven't read past chapter 21 yet. That's when they leave the country headed to Europe.
I'm working on the last two fics in the "Their Firsts, At Last" series and I hope to have them posted soon but in case you missed them, the "Wedding Planning & Preparation" and the "Civil Marriage Ceremony" fics are available on AO3. I enjoyed writing both of them and the next part will be posted hopefully within the next few days.
Finally, I completed two season 7 finale speculation fics and they're available on AO3 as well.
Thanks again for the ask and have a great day/night (depending on your time zone).
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good-beanswrites · 7 months
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HI 🎬 THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE AHHH It did get eaten so I'm really glad you sent it again!!
It's interesting, because this movie night could take place right before T2 begins, and act as a little celebration/preparation night. But also, I like the thought of doing it after T2 closes, since they'd have their verdicts in mind while they watched the videos...
No matter when it takes place, this round of videos would definitely be more tense, but at least some of that would be lessened by the fact everyone was involved in filming. While the first movie night was a way to break the ice and have a little fun, this event feels more solemn. It's definitely used as a pick-me-up after such an ordeal -- a way to offer tons of praise and support and understanding to their fellow prisoner before/after a time where they had to pretend to hate one another.
Haruka, Mahiru, and Amane's require some serious time afterwards to talk and recover. LMAO I love the thought of Yuno's video resulting in some cheers as well as some "yes ma'am"s 😂 But I think despite her honesty, actually seeing her in those situations would cause the prisoners to understand her much deeply that before. (And I like to think she tries to bond with Amane over having multiples of themselves in the video :D) Mmm, and having a little moment between Muu and Fuuta would be so nice here. As bad as he felt seeing her be a victim in the T1 video, now he feels bad for her for a different way -- he can relate to her situation more and knows her pain.
Ahhhhh I want everyone to meet and hang out with Shidou's family so bad ;---; Although they're still not allowed to leave the facility until the experiment is over, everyone immediately starts making plans to hang out. Mahiru asks their favorite foods so she can have him over for dinner. Haruka asks if they have any similar hobbies/games so he can play with them. Amane doesn't say anything, but listens really closely to all the conversations. And yeah, by this time Jackalope would have received too much pressure to ignore the paperwork surrounding Amane any longer. While he's at it, they make him look into Haruka and his sister as well.
I wanted to make a John joke so bad you don't even know 😭😭😭I'm definitely going to sneak some teasing in post-neoplasm because I just think that's so funny and the others would never let him live it down OMG (I saw another post about it, but maybe secretly Red thinks it's fun -- despite hating the actual name John, he's excited to actually receive a nickname after Mikoto has given so many out to others)
But no matter how serious it gets, they'd be able to dance and sing along with some of the upbeat videos! The singer themselves may encourage the others to join in, since it would take some of the heaviness off of watching themself like that. It's such a bizarre situation, but they embrace it and find a little fun where they can.
I also just realized they'd get to watch Undercover!! It's the first time they get to hear Es sing and they're very impressed, and also enjoy seeing everyone together after separate filming. The visuals are pretty basic, and I think it'd be mostly teasing one another about the uniforms or looking like a sad wet cat behind bars...
Once again thank you 🎬!! These were so amazing and big brained 👏 I really appreciate you taking the time to write them out and send (twice ;-;), and I know a lot of others have enjoyed reading them as well!
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kittenpawscute · 2 years
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Little mouse
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Sevika x f!reader
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,,Thanks Hot stuff." Most of the guys who came to the bar were the same or at least acted that way. Ask for a drink, try to get into your pants throughout the night and loose their shit when you decline. While it wasn't something pleasant to waste your time with you got used to it after a while. After all they couldn't actually hurt you if one of Silco's henchmen were around. Luckily, the night wasn't as busy as usually meaning you had more time to clean during the shift and didn't have to stay behind. Your train of thoughts was interrupted when a familiar charming woman leaned on the counter. As if your body moved on it's own, you were already pouring her usual whiskey into one of the glasses and passing it to her. You had... Mixed feelings about Sevika. She was attractive, that's for sure but you have seen the aftermath of some things she had done, and you were more then glad you weren't there when it was happening. The place was covered in blood, nothing but a lifeless corpse laying on the ground. This image caused you to be a little more wary of her and her presence, not to the point you were scared to be in one room with her but enough to make you more careful of what you do and say. Without a word, Sevika returned back to her table for another game of cards while you returned your focus to cleaning the counter.
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You glanced over at the old clock hanging on the wall. Your shift was almost over. This send a wave of relief over your body, just a few more minutes and you would be able to go home and the bar was mostly empty, the only one still inside being you and Sevika. But she didn't seem like she was going to move any minute since she was fixing her metal arm so you went ahead and started putting up the chairs and turning off most of the lights, only leaving one in the corner and one above the bar so it was actually possible to move around.
Finally. Everything was in its place and you were ready to lock up, Sevika left a few minutes ago and you could go back home. Your apartment was small, but you weren't even spending much time in it, being too busy in the Last drop you really only used it for sleep. And today's case wasn't any different and finally letting your body sink into the mattress felt like heaven.
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A/N: This wasn't requested so it took a bit longer then I thought. You can expect few more chapters soon, maybe it will be a long lasting series, I'm not sure. Ofc if anyone has any ideas I could use I will tag them I'm the chapter <3
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caliburn-the-sword · 10 months
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more scarlet thoughts and reactions
reading chapter 14 it inexplicably occured to me that a japanese man is the emperor of the ENTIRE asian continent. fuck my lack of media literacy. yep i finally see why everyone is upset about asia being monolithic and homogenised in this series now. this makes me SO uncomfortable even knowing the context that each continent came together during peacetimes. yikes reeks of colonialism and imperialism
i'm at least a lot less mad at kai in chapter 14. practicality rather than outright disdain for cyborgs and lunars. usually i would be upset at love lost, but he's doing what he must to save his people and i can respect that as much as i'm like OH NO POOR CINDER. glad he's got his head on straight now and not being a close minded dick
please for the love of god don't tell me that the thorne and scarlet thing is one of those mate pair things but like scifi version. between him losing control at the fight and the foreshadowing in the article that scarlet read it seems highly likely. please don't do this to me i'm begging on my hands and knees don't make me go through this again. the only time it was tolerable was aurora rising
i also went back and reread thorne's intro because i was drop dead exhausted when i read it the first time around and i think that accounts for a lot of my annoyance and also not reading between the lines properly. doesn't outright hit on her or shows any REAL interest other than making a game out of it. he doesn't ACTUALLY want her and isn't a groomer. idk what's happened to me because i used to LOVE flirty characters when i was younger but now it seems no matter what i see them and just instantly dislike for whatever reason. while i don't outright h a t e thorne anymore he still kind of bothers me. whatever
safe to say i absolutely love scarlet to death right now. i feel like she didn't get as much of a save the cat moment as cinder did in her first chapter. i mean she DID in a literal sense when she gets up on the bar counter and defends cinder, but that's just being a Good Person and being a good person isn't exactly a personality trait, compared to cinder getting to be snarky in her first chapter. i think THAT is what was off to me when i read her first few chapters. but now that scarlet's personality has been able to shine i love her just as much as cinder. she's awesome and i love her
i ADORE the way marissa meyer writes women. cinder, peony, iko and ESPECIALLY scarlet are all such girls girls. i love them to death. i could go SO in depth about despite her being a bit white feminist (intersectionality problem which she fixes right up in renegades which i loved) marissa was SO good for this ESPECIALLY considering this is 2012. like some could easily write off cinder or scarlet as not like other girls but NO you are doing them a DISSERVICE and not understanding the INTRICACIES. i could write an entire essay about how much miss marissa meyer slayed when it came to representing women but this is neither the time nor the place. maybe next time.
"alpha male" STOP. immediately jail. first of all that was a myth debunked FOREVER ago. second of all, cringe. it's giving omegaverse. makes me want to put my head through a wall
omg he's a former gang member. this is literally giving wattpad mafia werewolf x reader but it's funny so i'm letting it slide
okay the interaction between iko and thorne was actually surprisingly touching. small tiny part of my stone cold heart has warmed towards him. perhaps he'll grow on me. also glad to have iko back i missed her dearly <3 the book didn't feel the same without her
oh no. scarlet has i can fix him disease. ik that she's meant to be little red riding hood but at this moment she seems more like belle teaching the beast but instead of reading it's what zucchinis are fksdhfsdkh
"Not much older than she was" STOP. okay. this is an Important Character. ding ding ding alarm bells are going off in my head for nondescript dimples guy (sidenote: yep he's from the gang)
not ANOTHER set of characters skipping quarantine lmao this is so accurate considering how covid went. since they're gonna jump the train i bet he's gonna have to hold her or something (sidenote: I WAS RIGHT MWAHAHAHAHA)
wow i don't remember any mention of michelle benoit from maybe-rapunzel. that now explains why granny's been kidnapped
of course wolf has pointy fang teeth. i can definitely see some simps going wild over that (let's just see how long it takes for me to become a simp and if so you have my full permission to make fun of me)
(after getting shot) "When you greeted me with a gun on your doorstep," he said, "it's nice to know you meant it." EVERYONE PACK UP AND GO HOME THAT WAS PEAK ROMANCE RIGHT THERE. same energy as emma pulling a knife on hook first time she met him. i'm severely delulu
(sarcastic voice) wow! scarlet is at the very least quarter lunar! didn't see that one coming at all,,,,,
it's actually hilarious how everyone is related lmao this is just like ouat. we've been hearing about tanner from book 1 and surprise surprise!! he's scarlet's gramp. not only is cinder the lost lunar princess but the evil queen is her aunt and also princess winter is her cousin. who's gonna be related next
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moonah-rose · 5 months
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"Depressing af way to end. :(" yes! when the six said it was final i didn't expect THIS. again, especially after 5x06! alison reaffirmed that the ghosts are family! mike and alison love living at button house! julian--JULIAN!--gave a speech about being glad they found each other. and i know selling the house will have them set for life, but not once did they talk about getting jobs after the gatehouse didn't work out??
i feel a bit (ok, a lot) that a very important part of the ghosts' (after)lives were stolen from them. and sure, alison can't live forever. and yes, being a hotel now that lots of people will visit, i'm sure the ghosts are going to occasionally come across someone who can see ghosts. but those people aren't going to LIVE there, let alone going to become a family. and i doubt those people will want to talk to the ghosts--i mean, look at kylie's reaction lol. she doesn't even want to do a concert at button house, let alone stay for holiday. unless someone dies at the hotel (bound to happen) and stays as a ghost (less likely), other than each other, who knows when the ghosts are going to have found family again. and with a living? never, probably.
i just. i knew since before s4 that s5 was probably the end, so by the time they confirmed it was, and by the time i finished s5, i wasn't like, devastated or anything. but the xmas special is, as you said, depressing af. it ruined it for me. it feels OOC and the whole thing with betty was just so irritating, and not even in a funny or humorous way like barclay can be. which is why i've said it's dead to me, i have to ignore it exists as much as possible.
anyway lol
Feel free to rant to me anytime! Putting my further rants under a cut because oh boy.
I keep having to process how I feel about this finale because it's hardly Game of Thrones or Sherlock level bad. But it's also coming off wrapping up Fourteen and Donna's storyline in Doctor Who which was - *chefs kiss* - perfect found family / platonic soulmates ending. So that did set the bar quite high in terms of wholesomeness.
And yeah sadly it failed to meet it, at least in my opinion.
Thing is when people describe it as bittersweet, for me it's so bitter that the sweetness is barely noticeable. And most of it comes down to how much Alison was sidelined and downplayed in her own show, the finale at that. Having Betty be the major character that took up so much time was a huge mistake and took away from the chance of us seeing happy moments between the ghosts and Alison and the baby etc. And as you say, she wasn't even a fun annoying character like Barclay.
I really don't have a problem with Alison and Mike needing to sell and move out, I just think it should have been executed in a far less rushed and melancholy way.
For starters I think they should have had Alison make the decision to leave at the end of S5. But asserting that it has nothing to do with what Julian did, it's purely because they simply can't afford to live there anymore. And for everyone saying the point of the finale is the Ghosts "let her go" as a gift - Julian already stated that it's HER decision and they won't stand in her way. He wasn't begging her to stay as much as asking forgiveness so they didn't part on bad terms. I feel like her needing to be persuaded to leave (which she doesn't even fight them on) almost takes away her agency, in an episode which doesn't allow her to do much as is.
I see a lot of people, including the six idiots, compare it to parents packing their kids up for uni or their own place. Here's the problem - the ghosts are not her parents. And that house is HERS. It was HER dream to turn it into a hotel but she has to give up on it and leave her found family because, ho hum, baby. And there's nothing wrong with motherhood or characters being mums...it's just a trope we are so tired of seeing where everything has to be tied up because Baby! Or people have to move out because Baby! Let's ignore the fact we have a character who emphasised the benefits of raising kids in a community.
I think my problem was that, and clearly this wasn't what the idiots had in mind, I read the ghosts as almost an analogy for those with chronic illnesses or disabilities, things that limit us and often leave us feeling shut in and unable to interact with the world. Alison did things for them at the start purely for alliance of convenience - but then she did them because she chose to, because she loves them and wants to help them the same way you would help someone with disabilities who you love. So the idea of "now I have a baby, that's my priority and I have to leave you" when there are so many other ways they could have worked around that has left me very uncomfortable.
Again, I'll make it clear, I don't think that was their intention at all. But sadly it's why I felt so attached to it. Visiting once or twice a year just doesn't put enough sweetness on to sooth the pain. How about instead paying to rebuild the gate house and they bought that to live close but also have their own space? How about Barclay died and they take his house? Or even just a montage showing us how often Alison visits and happy times bringing Mia, that the ghosts did get to watch her grow, maybe even seeing Alison die and FINALLY give Kitty a proper hug as well as the others!
The coda was sweet but it was far too brief and though I see what they were going for revealing so little to us, it left me feeling cold and like we weren't welcome in on their lives anymore as we're not allowed to see them. We shouldn't have had to listen to Jim on the podcast to know the ghosts would learn to like the hotel. Show don't tell.
*sigh* it is what it is, I just feel like there was so much missed opportunity for it to be something truly amazing but sadly it is always going to be my least favorite and possibly a skip whenever I do a rewatch.
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