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flightsoffandom · 4 years

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Co-Conspirators Part 2

Pairs: Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Words: 8510

Summary: After agreeing to start a secret relationship with Aaron. Its time to convince your co-workers so you can make it through the workday and wait for your upcoming date with Aaron.

Warnings: None

Notes: Left completely gender-neutral. So here is the second part. No creative title at this point in time cause I stayed up till 5 am to edit and post this. If I come up with one later, I might change it. Hopefully, everyone likes it as much as the first part. I’m actually thinking about continuing this and turning it into a more long term project. No lie if I do keep this, smut will probably get written into this, ope.

Continuation of Co-Conspirators – Part 1–Part 2*–Part 3–Part 4–Part 5–Part 6

You sat at Hotch’s desk and helped out with paperwork, keeping an eye on your co-workers as they came in. When the last person showed up, you wrapped up the work in front of you. You stood up and smiled at Hotch, “Our audience is waiting, ready?” Hotch looks up and over to the window, “Everyone’s here?” You nod, “Mhmm, I am going to slam your door for a bit of drama.” Hotch chuckles, “If you break my door, I will actually have to write you up." You roll your eyes and nod, “I know government property and all that blah blah.”

Working with profilers means they could pick up on anything and catch you guys lying. Luckily since both you and Hotch were also profilers, you knew exactly what signs and body language to mimic to make it seem real. You stiffen up and cross your arms over your chest in a defensive fashion. Hotch watches you, stiffening up himself, “We should make at least part of the argument loud enough for Rossi to hear through the wall” You nod, getting ready to start this fake fight. Some of the team could read lips, so you had to actually say the right things to pull this off. You take a deep breath before starting, “You know that cop deserved what I said to him.” Hotch easily follows your lead, “It doesn’t matter if he deserved it. It's inappropriate behavior out in the field.” You and Hotch working together had built up a good flow with situations like this. There has been more than one occasion when you had to play off each other to get information from an unsub. You tapped your foot to appear antsy, “You already yelled at me for this, why are we bringing this back up?” Hotch raises his voice, “Their police department has been bringing it back up for the last few months. They are talking about disciplinary action.” Hotch crosses his arms and glares at you, “You represent the FBI when you’re out in the field. You need to remember that.” You lean forward defensively, “Does the FBI want to just let people walk all over them?” Hotch stares at you, “It is our job to build bridges with departments. Not burn them.” You roll your eyes and start distancing yourself from him, “Yes… Yes… we have to bend over backward to keep everyone happy, even the assholes.” You reach for the door. You know Hotch will say something as soon as you open the door to get the message across to the team. You open the door, and right on queue, Hotch shouts at you, “Watch your mouth, and that's an order.” You huff loudly and walk out of his office. You make sure to slam the door on the way out, just enough to sell it. As you trot down the stairs, it takes all your willpower not to smile. It was actually kind of fun to fake argue. You see the team starting to look around, trying to figure out what is going on. So for a little flair, you hiss as you pass the group, “Bite me, Hotch.” You practically fall back into your chair and start angrily moving papers around. When you see Rossi looking at you while walking to Hotch’s office, you knew it was working. When Reid poked his head up from his desk and started questioning, “What happened?” Reid looked a bit worried. Emily walked past him, chuckling, “Just because your parents are fighting doesn't mean they love you any less.” Emily tussles Reid’s hair as she passes. You glare at Emily when she looks over at you. Emily shrugs and smirks in response. Reid quickly moves away from Emily’s hand, looking annoyed, “Hey, that's not what I’m worried about.” After that, work continued on, with most of the team not really saying anything directionally to you. You did get questioned by both Penelope and Rossi.

Penelope got you when you went into her zone to get some information you needed to continue working. You walked into her room, “Can I get some extra info from you pretty please?” Penelope completely turned around to look at you, “When you ask that nicely, of course… but…” Garcia plays with a fuzzy pen in her hands, “I wanna trade.” You raise your eyebrows, sitting in the extra chair in her office, “I don't have any new comics to show you, so I’m not sure…” You let your sentence trail off. Penelope grabs a piece of bright pink paper with words written in glitter ink, “Well, I have some for you…” You take the paper from her, putting it into your pocket. Penelope waves her hands, “But that's not what I meant.” You lean back in the office chair, narrowing your eyes at the brightly colored woman in front of you, “Okay?” Penelope taps the pen on the arm of her chair, “A sweet chocolate little hunky bird told me that you and Hotch had a big fight this morning.” You make sure to let out an annoyed huff, “Derek…” Penelope throws her hands up in surrender, “I didn't name names… I’m no snitch.” You put your elbow on the arm of the chair, resting your chin on your hand, “So what's the trade?” Garcia smiles, leaning forward, “Dirt for dirt.” You sigh loudly, “Fine, ask away.” Penelope scoots her chair closer to you, “I heard you got mad enough you slammed Hotch’s office door. Are you guys really that mad at each other? I mean, you two are the dream team.” Penelope pauses and wiggles her eyebrows at you, “Well, Derek and I are the dream team, so you and Hotch would be like the dream team... reloaded... or something.” Your act cracks a little, unable to fully keep it under wraps around Penelope. You chuckle but quickly regain yourself, “Maybe things will start going back to normal when he stops being an ass. My mouth probably doesn't help, but that's not going to change too drastically anytime soon.” You shrug it off. Penelope watches you. She starts giggling, “There's a reason I call you 'sugar' all the time.” You put your hand on your heart in mock offense, “I thought it was because of how sweet I am.” Garcia gives you a loving pat on the head, “That’s part of it. The other part is you don’t usually sugar coat things.” You smile, leaning forward in your chair, “I think I’ll just keep pretending it's because I’m a sweetheart.” Penelope smiles, turning around in her chair, “Of Course you will. So what did you need?” After you got the information from Garcia, you leave to go back to work.

Later in the day, Rossi passed your desk. He puts his hand on your shoulder and talks quietly, “Why don’t you take a break? We can have some coffee in my office.” You look up and give Rossi a confused look. You could tell it was more of a request than an actual question. You stand up from your desk, “Sure…” The team tries to discreetly watch you and Rossi walking up to his office. Since almost everyone was watching, you make sure to stiffen up when you pass Hotch’s office to sell it. Rossi gestures for you to come into his office, closing the door behind you. Rossi walks over to his desk, “During one of my marriages me and my wife would shout at each other all the time. Over anything and everything.” You stay near the door, glaring at Rossi, “What does this have to do with me?” You cross your arms and smirk, “If this is a proposal of some kind Rossi, I’m flattered, but you're not my type.” You get an extra cocky tone to your voice. Rossi scoffs and chuckles, “I’m taking a strict ‘three strikes your out’ policy with marriages, no exceptions.” You shrug, “So, Why did you drag me in here with the false promises of coffee?” Rossi casually sits back, holding up his coffee cup, "Didn't lie about coffee, just none for you." You glare at Rossi, grumbling. Rossi continues, "You two only argue this much because there is tension, just like my ex-wife and me.” You narrow your eyes at Rossi, trying to figure out if he suspects anything. Rossi continues, “I personally think you’d be good together, but you’d have to make the first move. We all know Hotch can be a stick in the mud.” You shake your head, doing your best to convince Rossi. Rossi shrugs, “That's just my two cents, take it or leave it.” You laugh and get ready to leave, “I get it. You're the cool uncle who is totally fine with breaking the rules. Thanks, but you're projecting.” You left Rossi’s office. Crossing your fingers that Rossi bought it as you go back to work. If you and Hotch could just keep this up, everything would be fine.

It was actually pretty easy to keep that up. It didn’t take much else to keep selling it with the two months of ignoring each other. The work for the day was mostly just paperwork. Which you were thankful for. Considering if you guys got a legitimate case, there would be a high chance that it would take the team out of town. Meaning you’d all have to give up your day off. This was the first time you had plans you were looking forward to in months. You and Hotch kept up the act throughout the day. Messaging each other every now and then when it was safe. When the workday was over, the team trickled out of the building. Until only you and Hotch were left. When you were sure the coast was clear, you grabbed your paperwork from the day and headed to Hotch’s office. You didn't even bother to knock. Hotch doesn't even look up from his papers, “The team better have bought it because Rossi came in here and questioned me for thirty minutes after our ‘fight’.” You put a guilty look on your face, “Sorry… Reid seems to have bought it, though.” You sit in your chair in front of Hotch’s desk, “If we got those two to buy it, we are pretty much set.” Hotch looks up at you, chuckling, “Rossi said we remind him of one of his old relationships.” You wrinkle your nose, “He said the same thing to me. I’m going to take that as a compliment even though the man has been divorced three times.” Hotch shakes his head, going back to work, “I’m choosing to look at it as a positive as well.” You hum softly, getting comfortable in your chair as you start working. The peaceful silence you two share falls over the room.

After a few hours of quietly working away, you look at your watch, “Do you need to be getting home?” Hotch perks up and looks at the time, “Actually, yes.” Hotch looks down at the stack of papers he was wanting to get done. You smile, “Go, I can finish those up.” Hotch frowns, “I can…” You roll your eyes and interrupt him, “I got it.” Stubbornly you grab his stack of papers and pull them away from him. “Look, you finished your pile. You can go home.” Hotch glares at you, getting up from his desk. He stares you down, trying to gauge whether to argue or not. You smile at Hotch before going back to work. He decided against fighting you, “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow night.” Hotch starts grabbing his things. You watch him move about and laugh, “Looking forward to it.” Hotch goes to leave but then stops at the door, “Don’t stay too late.” You turn to watch him, smirking, “I won’t.” Hotch narrows his eyes at you and leaves the room. Right after he closes the door, he opens it again to add, “No sleeping in your car, either.” You roll your eyes but smile, “I've never done that before in my life.” Hotch stares you down, “I’ve caught you at least four times.” You sigh, shaking your head, “I promise I won't…” You tilt your head back and forth, “At least not tonight.” You grin at Hotch, causing him to shake his head. Hotch cracks a smile, “I’ll accept that answer for now. Goodnight.” As Hotch walks out the door, you call over your shoulder, “Goodnight.”

You diligently work through the rest of the paperwork in front of you. It goes by at about its usual pace. The stack dwindles down to the last few files, and you can feel yourself getting tired. You rub your eyes, trying to regain focus. You hear your phone go off. You reach for your cell and put it up to your ear, already knowing who would be up late enough to call you. You hold your phone to your ear with your shoulder so you can keep working. You tease him, “Now... now, Aaron. We haven't even been on our first date, and you're already being clingy.” You hear Hotch chuckle on the other end, “I’m concerned.” You keep writing away, chuckling, “Lucky for you, I like clingy.” Hotch’s voice comes across softer than normal, “Very lucky indeed.” You hear Hotch sigh before speaking at a normal volume again, “I thought I told you not to stay late.” You laugh, finishing a file, “Define late? This is a pretty normal time for me still.” You move onto the next piece of work, “Isn't it hypocritical, though? I mean, you're saying it's late, but you called me. Which means you were still up.” Hotch chuckles again, “You caught me.” You softly hum as you continue working, “What’s keeping you up?” You can hear Hotch moving around as he talks, “I still feel bad for making you finish my work.” You laugh, shaking your head, “You could be Catholic with the amount of guilt you lug around. I offered.” You finish writing and then flip the page, “I’m almost done. Also, I remember someone promising to make it up to me tomorrow night.” Hotch laughs, “What did you have in mind?” You scoff sitting up in your chair, “You're a profiler, I think you can figure it out.” Hotch sighs but you can tell he is smiling, “It's been a long time since I planned a date. Really want to trust me with that?” You finish the last file, “We trust each other with our lives, I think I can trust you with a date.” You start putting files away. Hotch chuckles as he replies, “Fair point.” You smile grabbing your things and leaving the room, “I’m officially leaving work now. Does that make you feel better?” Hotch teases, “I’ll feel better when I know you're not sleeping in your car.” You scoff, trotting over to your desk, “Fine, you're asking for it.” Hotch laughs, “Oh no.” You start digging through your desk when you find what you're looking for.

Pulling out a personal wireless earpiece. You sync it up to your phone before putting it on, “There. Hands-free. Now you get to listen to my boring drive all the way home.” It sounds like Hotch is washing dishes as he replies, “Perfect. Someone has to make sure you take care of yourself.” You roll your eyes, heading out of the building, “Yeah...yeah… I’m a mess… Tell me something I don't know.” Hotch takes your comment seriously and thinks for a second, “It’s mortifying… but…” You make a curious humming noise as you get into your car. Hotch sighs, “I have been thinking about that kiss for that past two months.” Hotch lets out a nervous chuckle, “You had me worried when you ran away afterward.” Your cheeks burn. Glad you were talking to him over the phone so he couldn't see you. You start your car, “Clearly, my fight or flight leans towards flight.” Hotch laughs, “I’ve seen you walk into multiple dangerous situations without a second thought.” You make sure to focus on driving even as you chuckle, “I’ll correct myself. My romantic fight or flight leans to the flight side. I wasn't sure if you were interested in me or not…” You pause, smirking to yourself, “If I had known, I would have ended up getting us caught that night.” Hotch lets out another laugh, “It's probably for the best then, I definitely wouldn't have stopped you.” You pull into your parking spot, teasing “How scandalous… you're my boss.” Hotch teases back, “Which means I can give you orders.” You get out of the car, using a suggestive voice as you respond, “And if you ask real nicely, I’d be willing to follow them outside of office hours.” Hotch takes a deep breath, “I...I’ll keep that in mind.” You chuckle, walking to your apartment door. “Your duality kinda makes you the total package.” You pull your keys out, unlocking your door. “I get a sullen badass and a sweet romantic all in one.” Hotch scoffs, “Ahh yes, attached with a laundry list of problems” You hum happily as you walk in the door, “I assure you I have my own problems. We can exchange lists later.” Hotch makes a noncommittal noise as he seems to be taking care of a few things around his apartment. You let the door close behind you, automatically kicking off your shoes. Upon hearing the door, Hotch talks again, “Your home safe then?” You smile, dropping most of your stuff on the ground, locking the door. “Yep, safe, and sound.” You switch from your hands-free device back to your cell phone. You punch your security alarm code before bringing your phone up to your ear, “Feel better now?” Hotch chuckles, “Much.” He lets out a long sigh, his voice getting more serious, “Thank you, I know it might seem overbearing…” You peel off your clothes. Leaving a trail behind you as you interrupt him with a laugh, “Aaron… we both know what overbearing looks like. This isn't even close.” You strip down to your underwear and sit on your bed. “We have a spooky job that makes us rightfully paranoid, especially when it involves people we care about. So...” You flop back onto your bed, “You have nothing to thank me for.” Hotch’s voice takes on a happier tone, “When you put it that way…” He pauses before adding, “Maybe, I’ll just use this as my way of making up for two months of silence.” You grin happily, “Ohh, does that mean I can expect more extended phone calls?” Hotch chuckles, “Yes, as much as you tolerate.” You sit up, smirking, “That sounds almost like a challenge Agent Hotchner.” Hotch puts on a fake serious voice, “If you didn't take it as a challenge, then I’d have to make it an order.” You chuckle, dramatically gasp, “Using your position for evil.” You take a teasing tone, “You might wanna be careful threatening me, though.” You sit back up and head to your dresser. Hotch laughs, “Yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?” You pull on pajamas, grinning, “I have a date with an FBI agent. He is the best, and I imagine he wouldn't take lightly to you bullying me.” You can hear the eye roll in Hotch’s voice, “I recall someone mentioning you like it when I’m a bully.” You huff, “Should have never told you, now you'll use it against me.” Hotch chuckles, “For as long as I can.” You lay on your bed and let out a content hum. Closing your eyes, you tried to remember the last time you talked on the phone for this long. Or when was the last time you enjoyed a phone call this much. It was odd. Even through the phone, you could feel the special silence you and Hotch shared. Hotch broke the silence first. His voice came out soft and sleepy, “I think we both need to get some rest. I have a hot date I want to impress.” You tiredly chuckled, “Good night, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hotch replied, “Sleep well.” Both of you ended the call, and you quickly passed out.

That night you got some of the best rest you had in a long time. After working for the BAU for two years and all the extra hours you put in, your body had gotten used to a particular schedule. To the point, you hadn't needed to set an alarm after your first six months with the Bureau. It wasn't unusual to sometimes get woken up by phone calls. It was almost always Hotch on the other end. So when you woke up to your phone ringing this morning, you instinctively grabbed it. You didn't even have to open your eyes to answer the call and bring it to your ear, “Please tell me you are not calling for a case.” What was utterly bizarre was how Hotch answered the phone. Hotch’s voice was happy, “Not calling for a case, just calling to talk to you.” He sounded wide awake. Making you curious as to what time it was but not curious enough to open your eyes. Hotch commented, “Did I wake you up?” You grumble, “You wake me up all the time, why do you sound surprised?” Hotch chuckles, “Because it's about three to four hours after you normally wake up.” Your eyes shoot open, “What? It’s 9 am?” Hotch sounded more than amused, “It’s closer to 10.” This time you shoot up out of bed. You mumbler mostly to yourself as you get up and out of bed, “What the fuck?” You didn't have any plans until your date later, but it was disorienting to wake up this late in the day. You could hear public background noise. Hotch sounded slightly out of breath as he spoke, “Clearly, I kept you up too late last night.” You scoff, sitting on your bed. “Don’t flatter yourself. If anything, I went to bed early last night.” You rub your eyes with your free hand, “I just slept a lot better than I normally do.” Hotch quickly gets a cocky tone, “I wonder why that is.” You chuckle and roll your eyes, changing subjects, “Why are you so peppy and tired, sounding at the same time?” Hotch chuckles, “I’m talking to you, and I just finished running.” You get up and head to your kitchen, “I bet that is quite the view.” You hear Hotch get into his car as he talks, “You're always welcome to join me.” You start making coffee, “I might take you up on that, but I don't want you getting sick of me.” Hotch chuckles, “After almost three years working together, I don’t think that could happen.” You smile to yourself, humming “That's very optimistic, I like it.” Hotch lets out a happy sigh, “I think I figured out our date tonight.” You chuckle, “Ohh… do tell.” Hotch teases, “The only thing I’m going to tell you is its dinner, and I would recommend dressing nicely.” You pour yourself some coffee, “Are we talking business, club, or just hot date nice?” Hotch laughs, “I’m pretty sure you don't even like clubs. I’m sure you'll know what to wear.” You grin and chuckle, “Are we meeting there?” Hotch playfully criticizes you, “Nice try. I’ll pick you up at 6 tonight.” You start drinking coffee, “I’m looking forward to it.” There is a short pause before Hotch lets out a sigh, “As much as I would like to talk as much as we did last night…” You smile to yourself, finishing for him, “ But you have important adult stuff to go do.” Hotch responds with a melancholy sigh, “Unfortunately, yes.” You play around with your coffee cup, “Well, you're free to call me anytime today… as long as it's not for a case.” Hotch chuckles, “I wouldn't dream of it.” You smile, “Now go be responsible, I’ll see you tonight.” You can once again hear the smile in Hotch’s voice, “See you then.” The call ends, and a large smile stays on your face.

You make yourself some food, ready to actually have a lazy day for once in your life. You may not have had a lot of free time typically. Using these few hours to do whatever you could to unwind. You had never been great at sitting around and relaxing, but today you were able to slide into it easily. You were eager for 6 to roll around. Putting you in a weird state of time, both moving too slowly and too quickly all at once. When it was finally 4, you started getting ready. Two hours early may have seemed extreme, but Hotch was good at staying punctual. So you just assumed he would be anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour early. Scanning through your clothes, you picked out the perfect outfit. Something closer to a ‘hot date’ look without being over the top. You finished getting ready for the date and sat on your couch. When your phone rang, you immediately picked it up.

Hotch was on the other end, already apologetic, “I know I said 6. I’m running a little late.” You chuckle, getting up off the couch, “How about I come to you then?” You grab your keys and stand by your door. You hear Jack murmuring in the background as Hotch talks, “I… Actually, that's a good idea.” You smile, “I’ll be there soon, then.” Hotch replies with a quick but sincere, “Thank you.” Ending the call. You chuckle and shake your head as you make your way to the car. You and Hotch didn't live too far away from each other. So it doesn't take long for you to drive to Hotch’s apartment. When you got to his place, you gave the door a rhythmic knock.

Hotch answered the door. He was in a suit, nicer looking than the ones he wears to work. The thing was that his hair was a bit of a mess, with the fabric of a bow tie laying undone around his neck. As soon as he saw you, Aaron’s face lit up, “Hey… Sorry, come in.” You couldn't help the giant smile that slipped onto your face. You weren't sure if you had ever seen him this disheveled in a causal situation. It was beyond adorable to see him like this. Aaron stepped back, opening the door fully for you. You walk in slowly, looking around, “Everything okay?” Aaron chuckles, closing the door behind you, “Jessica, Jack’s aunt is just running behind. So that threw me off.” As if right on queue, Jack peeks out and gives you a shy wave. You had met Jack quite a few times over the years. Jack was a sweet kid, and luckily he seemed to like you. You smile and crouch down, “Hey there, Jack.” Jack runs over, “Can you play with me before you and daddy leave?” Aaron goes to say something, but you interrupt him. You grin happily, “Of course, Lil’ man. Why don't you go find something for us to play with, and I’ll be there soon?” Jack smiles and runs back to his room, “Yay.”

You stand up and look back at Aaron. Aaron spoke to you with a sweet look on his face, “You don’t have…” You interrupt him again, “Did you choose a place that needs a reservation?” Aaron furrows his brow, looking more like he does at work, “Why?” You roll your eyes and glare at him, “Did you?” Aaron watches you, not sure what is going on, “No, I didn't.” You smile, “Why don’t you call Jessica and tell her not to worry about coming over.” Aaron crosses his arms, scanning your face, “Someone has to be here to watch Jack.” You fake gasp, “What is that a law or something, I’ve never heard of it before.” Aaron bores down into you with a glare. You shake your head and smile up at him, “I think me and you both being adults will be able to watch him.” Aaron watches you, thinking for a long while before speaking, “You got all dressed up.” His eyes rack over you, “You look great, by the way.” You give a cocky grin and eat it up, “Thank you very much.” You grab Aaron by his button-up shirt, pulling him away from the door. Aaron easily lets you lead him, a smirk slipping onto his face. You tease, “We dress nice at work all the time… maybe it would be fun to see each other in comfy clothes.” Once you get Aaron a few feet away from the front door, you stop. Aaron uncrosses his arms, and his face gets softer as he smiles, “That could be interesting.” You smile, rotating the two of you. So now your closest to the front door. You get a more serious tone, “Plus, it will give you more time with Jack. Our job is busy.” Aaron studies you again for a moment. You were sure he was trying to see if you really wanted this or were just saying what he wanted to hear. You tilt your head and reach behind you, grabbing the door handle, “I have a go-bag in my car. Let me go grab it so I can change.” Aaron smiles down at you and nods, “Okay, hurry back. Or Jack and I will start having all the fun without you.” You grin happily and reach up, giving Aaron a quick peck. Aaron does try to continue kissing you but pull away. You grin devilishly, teasing him before quickly slipping out the door.

Within a few minutes, you were able to grab your bag and be back at Aaron’s door. You give a rhythmic knock, and Aaron casually opens the door. Now he was in a plain t-shirt and a pair of shorts. You grin and whistle at Aaron as he lets you in the door. Aaron closes the door behind you, making sure to lock it. Aaron comes up behind you and grabs you by your hips before you make it too far into the apartment. You let out a startled gasp before blushing. Aaron chuckles as he leads you further into his apartment, “Payback for that peck.” He was leaning down to talk to you, “Use my bedroom to get changed.” Aaron motions to his room before letting go of you, giving you a soft, playful pat on the ass. You tried to hide your smile as you turned around to glare at him. Aaron just smiles back. Hiding your own smile becomes pointless. You close the bedroom door behind you. You look around, thinking about how the night was going to go. Not wanting to be too presumptuous, you put your bag against the wall away from the bed. You start quickly changing into your comfy clothes, a t-shirt and a pair of sweats.

Emerging from Aaron’s bedroom, you sneak over to Jack’s bedroom door, looking in. Aaron is sitting on the ground, playing with Jack. You smile and watch them for a second. It was nice seeing Aaron so happy, it gave you a fluttery feeling in your stomach. After enjoying the moment, you decide to move into the room, “So what's the plan?” You sit down next to Aaron and look at Jack. Jack was happily playing with action figures as he looked up at you, “I am choosing?” Aaron looks over at you with a smile on his face. You slide your hand across the floor until you reach Aaron’s. Aaron loosely wraps his hand around yours on the ground. You turn your attention back to Jack, “Yep, you know more about having fun than your dad and me, so you're in charge.” Aaron tassels Jack's hair, “That right, buddy.” Jack giggles happily before he goes off and brings over some things to do.

First, it was just playing with figures, after a while switching to legos. When Jack was ready to move on from toys, he chose board games next. With how much Jack looked up to Aaron, it wasn't surprising that the first board game he grabbed was ‘Clue’. Jack pulled the box over to you and Aaron, “Let’s catch bad guys like you and daddy do.” Aaron makes a face and looks at you. You shrug smiling, “‘Clue’ is one of my favorite board games.” Aaron rolls his eyes, “Why am I not surprised?” You make a guilty face, “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised where I ended up career-wise. Though it was not my original plan.” You smile down at Jack as you help him set up the board game. Aaron also helps, “I’m glad you didn't choose a different line of work.” You chuckle, shuffling the cards, “You and me both.” You deal out the cards. You look down at Jack, “If you want, I’ll help you win Jack.” Jack looks up at you, “Really?” Aaron scoffs, “That would be blatant cheating.” You smirk at the man across from you, “Is it cheating when we get outside help? It’s called a consultation.” Aaron glares at you, smiling, “You're pushing it.” You put your hand to your chest in mock offense, “Jack, you're the boss. Would it be cheating or not?” Jack makes a face looking between you and his father, “We all help each other.” You hum happily, “You know you dad says the same thing at work, right?” You can feel Aaron watching you. Jack excitedly looks at you, “Really?” You nod, “Mhm, he always says ‘It doesn't matter who gets credit for it, as long as the bad guy gets caught.’” You smile at Jack, “That's how you know your daddy is a perfect guy.” Jack beams at his dad, “Daddy is the best!” You smile over at Aaron, “No argument here.” Aaron watches you with intense but happy eyes. You look away, blushing, focusing back on Jack, “Ready to catch the bad guy?” Jack rocks happily, “Yes, please.” You all start playing. Completely messing up the rules of the game in order to ‘consulate’ with each other. Obviously, you and Aaron slowly set it up so that Jack will end up winning.

When Jack won, he proudly announced it, “I got the bad guy.” You help Aaron cleanup as he talks to his son, “Good job, buddy. Even beat two professionals.” You laugh, finishing putting the game away, “You know what we get to do when we catch the bad guy?” Jack looks at you, curiously. You start standing up, “We get to fly on a special plane.” You gently pick Jack up before fully standing up. Jack giggles as you hold him. Aaron watches you with a smile, and you wink at him. You carry Jack out of his room, as you start making plane noises. Once you get to the living room, you dramatically fake fall onto the ground, keeping Jack safe the whole time. Once you're on the ground, you lay on your back, holding Jack up above you. He holds out his arms with a smile, and you continue making plane noises for him. You laugh happily watching Jack have fun, you didn't really care how silly you looked. After a few minutes, Aaron walks into the room, watching you two for a minute. Aaron walks over, “You having fun?” You smile up at both the boys, nodding. Jack squirms around, you move him to the side and let Jack stand on his own. Jack runs and tackles his dad with a hug, “So much fun. Can they come over more often?” Aaron crouches down to pick up his son, looking at you. Aaron smiles, “I think we could do that.” You sit up on your elbows, “Maybe you and daddy can even come sleepover at my place sometime.” Aaron raises his eyebrows, smiling, “That would be really fun, wouldn't it?” Jack beams, “The most fun.” You chuckle, watching the two. Aaron kisses Jack on the cheek, “Why don't you go play while we make dinner?” Jack nods happily, running off as soon as Aaron sets him on the ground.

Aaron walks closer to you, officially towering over you now. You flop back down onto the ground, “The view from down here is pretty nice… I like you in a suit, of course, but…” You grin, “Shorts are also a perfect look on you.” Aaron looked down at you with a smirk, “I’m liking your casual look as well.” You reach your arm up towards him. Aaron leans down and grabs you by your upper arm. You duplicate the action so he can pull you off the floor. It was a simple enough gesture, considering you both had helped each other up in the same way both in the field and during training exercises. You stood up on your feet, coming chest to chest with Aaron. You look up at Aaron and can’t help but smile, “I like how happy you look when we aren't at work.” Aaron smiles back at you, “I have a few good reasons to be.” You smirk as you add, “I thought that scowl was a permanent feature on your face.” Aaron rolls his eyes before lending down to kiss you. You kiss him back, wrapping your arms around his neck. Aaron’s hands rest on your hips. Easily getting lost in the moment until Aaron pulls away, “We need to start making dinner.”

You huff pulling away as well, “I suppose we need food to survive.” Aaron chuckles, walking into the kitchen. You follow behind him, “I have a confession.” When Aaron gets into the kitchen, he turns around to face you. His brow already furrowed, worried. You nervously rub the back of your neck, “I don't know how to cook.” Aaron laughs, “You don't? How have you survived this long?” You shrug, “If it has a box with instructions on it, then I’m good but passed that I’m useless.” Aaron chuckles as he starts pulling some things out of the cabinets. You sigh, “In college, when I probably should have been learning how to cook like an adult should… I decided my studies were more worthwhile.” Aaron smirks, watching you, “That is something Reid would say.” You glare at him, crossing your arms, “Well, that was how I became good enough to get hired at the BAU so jokes on you. If I had not neglected to learn adult stuff, I wouldn't have been good enough for you to hire me.” Aaron laughs again, “You have the instincts. I’m sure you would have still made it in.” You roll your eyes and huff again, “When do we ever have time to make actual meals anyway?” Aaron walks over to you, backing you up until your ass hits the counter. You keep glaring at him. Aaron kisses you softly, “I can cook so you'll be fine.” Aaron pulls away and starts working on dinner, “Just don't tell Rossi… He might stop speaking to you or demand you be fired.” You laugh and pull yourself up to sit on the counter, “We could tell him we were dating, and he would cheer us on. We tell him I can't cook, and he would be pissed… Sounds right.” You sit back and watch Aaron cook.

The dinner was delicious. Sitting at the dining room table with Aaron and Jack gave you the feeling you were a part of a family. Maybe you were moving too fast in your mind. You knew Aaron’s history and would never rush him into anything. You'd have a talk with Aaron later about it. But for now, you couldn't help how you felt. Sitting at this small table, having a nice dinner. Watching Aaron, who you've had feelings for since almost three years ago, looks so happy. While Jack cheerfully talked to both you and Aaron. It felt right, and it made your heart feel so full to be a part of it. So you couldn't help but feel like this is where you belonged.

Once all three of you were finished with dinner, you helped clean up the table. Aaron gently grabs Jack from the table, “Time to get you cleaned up.” Aaron carries Jack back towards the bathroom. You take this chance to start doing dishes. Walking over to the dishwasher, you pop it open. You start looking through the cabinets, figuring out where all the dishes are supposed to go. Aaron walks back into the kitchen, “You didn't need to snoop around.” He teases you. You chuckle, “You caught me, trying to find out all your secrets based on what food you buy and how you organize things.” You turn to him and smile. Aaron started walking into the kitchen, “I can take care of that.” You growl and move quickly enough to physically block him from moving further, “Don’t you dare.” You glare up at him, “You cooked, so I’ll take care of this.” Aaron glares back down at you for a moment before he cracks a smile, “Fine.” He leans down and kisses you softly. You smile as you kiss him back. Breaking the kiss so you can get back to the dishes, humming as you put them away. Aaron goes to check on Jack in the tub every now and then. While you're filling the dishwasher with the dirty dishes, the apartment is filled with Jack’s happy giggling and even Aaron’s laughter. The nice domestic feeling was a pleasant change from anything you were used to.

Right as you finished loading the dishwasher, you heard Aaron and Jack talking. You listen to the water start draining as Aaron speaks, “Pajamas and then bedtime for you, buddy.” Jack whines, “I wanna stay up with you.” Aaron sighs, “It’s getting late.” Jack resorts to begging, “Please daddy, just a little bit longer.” Aaron chuckles and caves, “Fine. Once you get dressed, you can pick a movie.” You chuckle to yourself as you hear Jack making excited noises which are shortly muffled by fabric.

Moments later, Jack comes bolting out of the bathroom, wearing superhero pajamas. Jack runs right to you, “Daddy said we could watch a movie.” You crouch down and smile at Jack, “That's exciting.” Jack tackles you with a hug. You scoop him up in a hug as you stand up. Aaron walks in, seeing you two and smiles. Aaron kisses Jack on the forehead before the three of you head into the living room. You set Jack down, “What movie are you gonna pick?” Jack goes over to the small collection of movies, very carefully looking through them. You sit on the couch, getting comfortable. Jack picks a movie and hands it to his dad. Aaron gets it set up while Jack joins you on the couch, taking the middle cushion. When Aaron comes to sit down, he takes the other end of the sofa. Leaving Jack between the two of you. As the movie starts, you rest your arm on the back of the couch. Jack snuggles up to his dad. Aaron then mimics your gesture and rests his arm on the back of the sofa. He then intertwines your arms. You and Aaron exchanged a smile as the movie starts. You lazily glide your fingers over Aaron’s upper arm. Jack picked Captain America, not surprising considering how much he idolized his dad and the association Jack made between the two. The three of you happily watch the movie.

While you and Jack made it all the way through the movie, Aaron fell asleep at some point. When the movie was over, Jack gave a big yawn, rubbing his eyes lazily. You look over at Jack slowly getting up, he looks from his father to you. You give Jack a small smile, whispering, “Mind if I tuck you in bed tonight since daddy is tired?” Knowing how much Aaron worked and how little time he had, you didn't want to wake him. Jack nods at you. You very carefully untangle your arm from Aaron’s. You wait for a second to see if Aaron starts waking up. When he doesn't, you gently reach down and pick up Jack, “Come on, sweetie.” You smile as you see how tired Jack is, already resting his head against your chest as you carry him. Slowly navigating your way to Jack’s room. When you get into his room, you pull the blanket back. Kneeling down and gently helping him into bed. Jack immediately gets comfy, moving around a bit. When Jack settles, you tuck him into bed. You're about to stand up when Jack looks at you and mumbles, “Read to me?” Jack yawns again, “Daddy does.” You smile down at him, “What book are you currently reading?” Jack shakes his head, “We finished.” You hum softly, “Okay, let me find another one.” You move so you can grab a book. Glancing through the titles, automatically ruling out any books you remember Aaron mentioning before. You land on ‘James and the Giant Peach’, grabbing it and sitting back down by Jack's bed. You open the book and start reading to Jack.

Jack only lasted maybe five pages before he officially passed out. You smile and sit for a second quietly, making sure he doesn't start to wake up again. When he stays sound asleep, you re-tuck him in before standing up. Placing a bookmark in the book before setting it to the side. You look down and watch Jack again for another moment. You had seen so many horrible things at work. It was nice to be able to see good, peaceful moments like this as well. You started heading to the door only to get startled and instantly freeze up when you see someone in the doorway. Aaron had a huge smile on his face, his arms were crossed, and he was leaning on the doorframe leading into Jack’s room. You glared at Aaron, annoyed at yourself for not noticing someone had been watching you. You walk to the door, whispering when you get close enough to Aaron, “How long have you been standing there?” Aaron moves out of your way, “Long enough.” You roll your eyes and walk into Aaron’s room. Aaron follows behind you, quietly closing his bedroom door. You stand there and stare at your bag for a moment, not sure how to proceed.

Before you figured out whether Aaron wanted you to stay the night or not, a question just fell out of your mouth, “I… uh… I wasn't overstepping or anything, right?” Aaron stops next to his bed. His features harden a bit, showing that he is studying you. You quickly add, “You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you… but I know that…” You let yourself just trail off, not sure how to phrase it. You knew that this situation became a bit more complicated now. It was one thing when you hung out and spent time with Jack when you and Hotch were just friends and co-workers. But now that you and Aaron had expressed romantic feelings for each other, the whole dynamic had shifted slightly. Your hand crosses over your body to nervously rub your arm. Aaron’s features set a bit more before softening. Aaron smiles, “No, your fine. Jack likes you, and you're really good with him.” You smile softly, but your nerves win out. You shift back and forth on your feet. Aaron immediately notices. His eyes shift between you and your bag. Aaron was reading into it, “What's wrong? You haven't moved away from the door, and you put your bag as far away from my bed as you could.” You bite the inside of your cheek, avoiding eye contact, “I want to make sure I’m not moving too fast.” You let out a sigh and look back at Aaron, “I know your situation and history… and I…” You adjust yourself again, “I'm totally fine with the speed we are moving at. I mean, we have basically been dating for two years without the direct flirting… and without the whole having sex part... “ A smile twitches on your face before you blush and continue, “So… I want to make sure I’m not moving too fast... for you.” You watch Aaron for what seems like an eternity. Aaron's face softens up, and a comforting smile slides onto his face, “I will let you know if we start moving too fast.” You start feeling better, stepping closer. You smile, “So… You want me to stay the night?” Aaron grins and nods, “If you don't get in this bed, I will pick you up and put you in it.” You chuckle and glare at Aaron, standing your ground. He walks over to you, looking down at you, “Last chance.” You shrug and still don't move. Aaron chuckles and sighs. In one quick motion, he grabs you by your legs. Draping you over his shoulder. You gasp and start laughing, “Aaron!” You playfully hit him on the back. Aaron turns off the bedroom light before he moves to the bed. He gives you a light smack on the ass before gently flipping you onto the bed.

You grin up at Aaron. He smiles back down at you before leaning down. Giving you a soft kiss before sliding into his bed next to you. You roll over to face Aaron, “You remember when we had to share a room on a case?” Even in the dim light, you could see Aaron narrow his eyes at you, “About a year ago? Yeah.” You chuckle, “It was a hotel with a huge bed, so we ended up sharing the bed.” Aaron smirks, “I was hoping you forgot about that.” You grin devilishly, “Kinda hard to forget, waking up with my boss spooning me.” Aaron chuckles, covering his face with his hand. “That was a complete accident.” You grin and tease, “It was a HUGE bed, we slept so far apart. That's one hell of an accident.” Aaron moves his hand and glares at you, “How do I know you didn't move closer to me first in your sleep, and then in my sleep, I ended up grabbing you?” You gently grab the front of his shirt, pulling him down for a short kiss, “If that's true, then both of us are at fault.” Aaron kisses you back, his hand moves up to hold the side of your face. Letting yourself get lost in the kiss. When you both pull away, you grin up at Aaron, “Still like being the big spoon?” Aaron just smiles in response, so you roll over. He wraps his arm loosely around you, pulling you close to him. Your back pressed against Aaron’s chest. A content hum leaves you as you melt into Aaron’s hold on you. Easily your eyes fall shut. You let yourself enjoy the secure and comfortable feeling as you slip into sleep.

Continuation of Co-Conspirators – Part 1–Part 2*–Part 3–Part 4–Part 5 –Part 6

Tags: @dr-reid-ismyspiritanimal

#criminal minds #aaron hotchner x reader #gender neutral #criminal minds fanfiction #gender neutral reader #hotch x reader #reader insert #series #aaron hotchner #fanfiction #fanfic #co-conspirators

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rpbetter · 4 years

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Hey there, check out this pinned post first!

Thanks for visiting Roleplay Better, where I believe that you can fucking do better! That kind of language, however, is why it is important for you to read this post before proceeding.

This blog and its posts are meant for an adult RPing audience; be over legal, adult age in the USA, 18+. Do not interact by submitting, asking, reblogging, commenting, or liking unless you are over eighteen years of age. By interacting with RPB or me, Vespertine, you are assumed to be following this rule. If you are breaking this rule, you will be blocked.

I have that rule because this blog can/will/does address topics inappropriate for a younger audience. Those can include, but are not limited to:

not safe for work - violence, injury, sexual language, smut, substance use

“dark topics” and themes like violence, unhealthy relationships, mental illness, trauma, graphic injury, dubious consent, substance use, and so forth addressed realistically

foul, sexual, and otherwise “Adult” language

unpopular opinions and approaches about writing, RP, fandoms

“negativity” since literally anything can be, and my whole point here isn’t about holding back; it is likely that, at some point, in some post or another, a shoe will fit you-you need to be mature enough to handle that without taking it as a personal attack on you

images and links that may contain things inappropriate for a younger audience

this blog is founded upon the idea that fiction has reflections in reality, but that fiction does not utterly equate to reality. You should write with realism, your characters should be people in their own right, and you should absolutely be addressing many popular topics responsibly, which is to say realistically. I do not support or otherwise condone purity culture, so while realism is a big deal here, fiction = reality arguments are a no

seriously, you have no idea how fucking salty I am! I try to be fair, reasonable, and mellow with everyone, but it can and does come out.

This blog tags for common, major triggers, but it is not for those easily triggered or particularly sensitive. By proceeding, you take responsibility for yourself...like a mature adult. I expect you to utilize blacklist, unfollow, and block. Tag format is simple, it is literally just the word in most cases, with “cw” and “tw” added to particularly common things. Example, a post containing a breakdown of forms of dubcon will be tagged #dubcon #dubious consent. If that was specifically of a sexual nature, since tumblr is unfriendly to using Not Safe For Work now, I will be using #notsafe for sexual topics. In the event that this needs to change, it will be posted about, the previous tag left intact, so that you may update your blacklist.

You are always welcome to send me an ask or private message requesting a particular trigger be tagged for you. I try to check blogs I see following, especially if I follow back, so that I can tag what you require. However, I’m a person, I’m an ND, ill, busy person though, I do make mistakes!

If you find yourself desirous of telling me to tag in a hateful way, don’t. You will not be responded to with an apology and kindness. Do not be rude, it’s uncalled for when informing someone of a problem or making a request.

I will run the blog largely on a queue, and will not be following many people back. This is not personal! I just like to try to provide content at many different times, have a life elsewhere, and I am so happy that you love your fandom, but it might not be something I’ve enough interest in to have on my dash.

Don’t tumblr message me. Use the inbox or submit.

Due to recent events, I am changing this rule. It’s hard for me to receive messages unexpectedly, and I hate to imply that I’ll be able to get to these quicker because it isn’t the truth. Quicker, better responses come from the inbox. However, there have been too many incidents lately in which people needed to speak privately and had to make that a request. If you’re having a problem and need to vent, request sensitive advice, etc.? It’s alright, go ahead and drop me a PM, y’all. I’ll get back to you as soon as I am able. Please, do not be angry with me if I respond to inbox things or my queue is running! You’re important to me, I just might not have the requisite social cognition and energy you deserve at that time.

Aggressive inbox messages will be responded to in kind. I don’t care if you are on anon or not, if you haven’t an ounce of polite communication skills, I won’t have them either. This is not a “we don’t publish anon hate” blog.

I highly encourage asks and submissions on any and all RP topics, and it’s perfectly alright to be salty as fuck in them, you can totally vent here, but don’t take out your frustration on me or be demanding of me. I am always happy to help with information, advice, or just a response to your venting-it’s important to know someone is listening. However, it may take me a few days to a week to get to you, be patient.

If you are going to vent, leave out usernames. This isn’t a callout or burnbook blog. It’s fine to state characters and fandoms, but if this becomes a problem, it’ll have to change. I don’t want this becoming a salt blog for one or two fandoms I very likely can’t even stand. Practice the fine art of alluding to things, its good experience for your writing! Besides, RPC problems are RPC problems, I promise. It might feel like it’s just your fandom, but there is something relatable in all corners.

I will not overly police comments. Keep the slurs and shit out of it, though. If there is an issue going on pertaining to a serious instance of hate speech, or behavior I, personally, deem as too inappropriate and/or immature to be taking place on my post, I will step in. Otherwise, I expect everyone to be adults in the comments and reblogs too. If you want to argue with each other, that’s your business. If you want to argue with me, I’m not sorry in advance.

Addition to the above: this is not a blog in which it will be tolerated that commentators or those submitting with the URLS are targeted for callouts, shaming, or other instances of bullying. No, I cannot make those people stop bothering you by blocking them, but the least I can do is address that by shutting down their access to this blog and it’s posts by blocking on the URLs I have for them. And I will. Fuck that “we can’t be responsible for” shit. It’s my blog, it’s my content I’m putting out there, I’m not going to just ignore shit like what went down over on COAR, thanks. Not. Cool.

This is definitely not a place for:

people who think giving muses labels, including top/bottom “dynamics,” is a good substitute for character traits, personality, and development

those with no reading comprehension skills

folks dependent upon aesthetics and aesthetics-based purple prose as filler for actual writing

anti-original character/just wants to fuck a FC or canon character club, get the fuck out immediately

y’all who see writing as an obstacle to getting down to action, be that smut, drama, or fight scenes...it’s literally a writing hobby

politics, any manner of phobe or ism, violent/non-inclusive feminists, purity/rpc/fandom/content police of any manner, and exactly any manner of racism, sexism, or religious intolerance - I give not a shit if it’s popular to hate the straights, for example, I neither believe in nor tolerate reactionary classifying of any group as blanket-statement evil

people who are going to tack onto my posts shit like, “it’s okay, OP, you can say x character.” Trust me, if I were talking about one character, I fucking would name drop them, don’t bring me into your fandom drama, I doubt I know or want to know who that anime guy is who looks like 12 other anime guys to me.

About Vespertine

You can call me that, Vespertine. I’d rather you didn’t go with Vesper, but as it is unfortunately so likely to happen, I won’t feed you to the dogs over it either. RPB Mun is also acceptable.

I’m alright with either she/her or he/him, they/them is also fine. Apparently, that was big enough clue-in for the poor reading comp crowd, so while I feel it is not of importance, I’m nonbinary, yes.

Late 30′s, chronically ill but still working adult with neurodivergence. I’m both busy and Busy, and always sick. This limits my brain power and ability to be here. I have an active RP blog that I won’t be sharing to keep responsible distance. That is always going to be my priority, it is my primary hobby.

Please, don’t tumblr message me totally random things if we don’t have that kind of relationship! I’m too ill and busy, and it really fucks my nerves to have a bunch of messages/have to suddenly interact socially with people. Don’t do it. Use my inbox, use the submit, comment on posts. I cannot do random messages of “hey” and so forth.

I only do written RP, don’t expect me to understand much of anything from tabletop. I’ve RPed for the last 23 years consistently, on every platform from AOL chats to forums to messengers and here. I also don’t do RP in discord, so I’m sorry, but I can’t advise you much on anything with a word count, except to stop it for serious RP. Other than that, I promise you that I’ve seen the trends, the drama, the fandoms. I can give a lot of advice and perspective on a wide range of topics, situations, and characters! When I don’t have a clue at all, I’ll try to do enough research to give you an answer.

Do I come off as a horrible, strict asshole? I do! I’m not going to say that I am just a shy bean who is more scared of you than you are me. I’m not. I’m honestly feral, but have common decency, compassion, and sense. All of which are lacking in the general RPC. So, if you can inbox/common/otherwise interact with anyone else on this site, you can totally handle me!

Honesty and openness are policies.

And in the spirit of that, I repeat; you can fucking do better, tumblr RPC!

#pinned post #tumblr rpc #rph #rp help #rp advice #rpbetter

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roleplay-salt · 4 years

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About; Rules; FAQ

Welcome to Roleplay Salt! This is a blog for roleplayers to vent & rant anonymously about the things that peeve or hurt them in the roleplaying community.

GENERAL

Your submission will always be posted anonymously; no exceptions. (This includes positivity submissions & shoutouts.)

Your submission’s text will be placed in a graphic and then copied as plain text as its caption for accessibility purposes.

Topics must be roleplay-related. (This can, of course, include experiences with partners doing things that may be unrelated to roleplay, but would still be considered relevant if it impacts your roleplaying experience with that particular partner.)

Anyone following our blog will be allowed to leave replies on submissions, whether in agreement or disagreement, and everyone is allowed (even encouraged) to reblog submissions, with or without their own commentary. However, we will delete any spamming comments, including ones that are or are similar to “Why don’t you come off anon and say that?” Such comments provide nothing to the discussion. In fact, they usually shut down discussion and it completely disregards the entire point of this blog’s existence. No one has to “come off anon” nor are they “cowards” for seeking safety behind anonymity. Your aggressiveness with that sentiment only reinforces the reason why they want to be anonymous in the first place. ADDENDUM: We will delete salt replies that involve simply telling others to, essentially, “shut up and move on already” and “stop sending salt replies in about this”. You’re more than allowed to say this things in the comments, but we will no longer be making them a part of any future debates.

We actively edit and restructure the wording of submissions. We read every single one of your submissions and we care about consistency and readability. We will correct any spelling errors, grammar errors, and odd sentencing structure, and we will often lengthen abbreviations and slang, and we will fill out any curse words or sensitive terms that were originally 'censored' in the submissions. Do not take it personally! Again, we aim for consistency. We will never just copy/paste your submission and then post it. That's terrible.

T Y P E S O F S A L T

Vents & Rants

Complaints

Negative Confessions

Callouts

T Y P E S O F S U G A R

Advice & Suggestions

Critique

Positive Confessions

Shoutouts

T Y P E S O F F L O U R

The “Flour” category is reserved for any submissions that do not appropriately fit under “Salt” or “Sugar”, often involving personal confessions and storytelling.

C A L L O U T S & S H O U T O U T S

A callout submission is specifically speaking nastily and meanly about someone else, regardless if it’s the truth or not. All URLs & names in a callout submission will be marked out to preserve the other party’s anonymity as well. We are a safe place for you to release your anger, frustration and hurt, even if it’s towards someone and not something. But we cannot and will not participate in the true nature of a callout. That will need to be something that you do for yourself if you believe that it’s important for you, your friends and your fandom community.

A shoutout submission is specifically speaking kindly and positively about someone else.

All URLs & names in a shoutout submission will remain visible, and the person will be tagged & mentioned on the post so as to better the odds of them seeing it.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

“Who are the moderators?”

Currently, there is only one operating the blog: Moderator Bull.

“Am I allowed to know your roleplay/personal blogs?”

Unfortunately, no. To preserve our own anonymity (for many of the same reasons as the submitters), we have agreed on the terms to never give out our URLs if requested. If we are interested in your blog, then we will follow you at our own discretion!

“Will you remove a submission for me?”

That depends on the type of submission, what it is about, and what your reasoning for wanting it removed is. The whole point of anonymity is that nothing gets tied back to you. The only cases where we will greatly consider removing a submission is if it’s involving a shoutout about you and you don’t want to be affiliated with us.

“Will you remove my comments on a submission?”

Of course! However, we will not remove any corresponding responses to you (except in instances where, if yours is removed, the next comment is made to look like it’s being directed to the person prior to your comment. We don’t want to cause unnecessary conflict.) We will also not be relied upon to keep deleting comments you regret leaving behind. If you’re wanting to leave a public response on submissions, then you must be prepared to have others possibly publicly disagree with you.

“Can I ask you for roleplay advice?”

Go right ahead! But we can’t promise the best or most insightful of answers, or that we’ll get to them relatively soon! Chances are, we will post your questions anonymously so that others in the community can help.

“Why did you follow my blog?”

To make our existence known to you and, if you like us, hoping that you will send in a submission of your own or tell your roleplay partners about us!

“How did you find my blog?”

Most likely through the Recommended sidebar feature, a mutual, or just the good ol’ search function.

“Could you unfollow me?”

If you don’t want to be associated with us, then we recommend blocking the blog so that we don’t unintentionally follow you again!

“Hey, could you do something about the people leaving rude, mean responses on the submissions?”

Unless they are throwing bigoted slurs, threats, or suicide-baiting remarks at the anonymous submitter, they are not doing anything wrong. They have just as much right to disagree with your submission as you had when you sent it to us. We are, first and foremost, a place to vent frustrations or hurts behind the safety of anonymity, and we are also a free-speech blog. We are of the belief that discussions, no matter how heated, is healthy and brings the community together as a whole. Just as your submission may provide someone else with the awareness that they are not alone in similar frustrations, someone disagreeing with your submission may provide a new perspective to you and others that had not been considered before.

“How does name-calling and swearing and being mean add to a discussion? You and your blog are what are wrong with the roleplaying community!”

Just because someone isn’t being nice to you as they give their side of the argument, doesn’t mean that it cancels out their actual argument. You’re choosing to be offended and distracted by how abrasive they are, and that’s no one’s problem to deal with but your own. You have the ability to block anyone so that you no longer have to see their comments on future submissions. Why would we police what people say, the endgame of which would be to ban them from ever reblogging or commenting on submissions again if they don’t listen to us, if you’re not even willing to try solving the problem first by just blocking them? Wanting to have the last word or being upset that your submission didn’t receive the feedback you wanted is not a reason for us to step in and step on someone else’s right to speak, rudely or otherwise. If you’re not going to block them, then why should we?

“Could you not post submissions on sensitive topics like noncon, incest, and pedophilia?”

We have started tagging posts that we believe might be sensitive and controversial in nature with the tag “#twcontroversy”. We recommend blacklisting this tag. If that is still not enough, then we recommend unfollowing/blocking us. These are topics just as relevant in the roleplaying community as anything else.

“Could you promote me?”

Certainly! But only if you are another community-involved blog (a blog that provides a ‘service’ to the community, such as advice, roleplay help, a place for confessions, etc.), and it must be relevant to the roleplaying community to some degree! If you want to promote a roleplay blog, then we suggest sending in a shoutout submission!

“I sent a confession in weeks ago. Where is it? How long will it take for it to get posted?”

It’s either sitting in the queue or sitting in our drafts, waiting to be queued. We have 1,200+ followers so far, and on average we’re sent 15+ submissions a night. We only post between 5 to 8 submissions at night. Your submission is on a wait list. That’s all we can tell you.

“Why don’t you just close your submission box until all the current confessions are posted?”

Because we’re a vent blog first and foremost. If we close our ask/submission boxes, then we’re no longer an option for people who might desperately need to vent or talk about something that could have happened to them that day but have no other options. We want to be a healthy alternative to just bottling it up or possibly lashing out at the wrong people.

“I don’t believe you! I think you deleted my submission because one of you didn’t like it! You’re not unbiased at all!”

We’ve posted submissions about highly controversial roleplay topics like noncon, racism, transphobia, and pedophilia. We reassure you that your salt submission about OCs, theme trends, blog selectivity, etc. is not on that same level, least of all to the point that one of us would delete it. The only submissions that we have deleted, so far, are the ones that have included racial and homophobic slurs.

“[insert OP/commenter] is obviously a rapist/pedophilie!”

If we find that you have accused someone of being a rapist, pedophile, or apologist of either because of their defensive views on noncon/pedophilic ships or roleplay, your comment will be removed and you will be blocked. These are serious accusations that you shouldn’t be throwing at people over fictional content and we refuse to to let you use this blog as a platform to spew such slanderous accusations.

#about #rules #faq

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guylty · 6 years

Text

It’s been so bloody long, I really need to put this baby to bed. The last few things that need to be said about Red Dragon Con 5 – and I’ll make it relatively short because, yes, I am already bored with myself, too. [Added pre-publication but after finishing the post: Yeah, right, “short”… ] Sorry sorry sorry.

The brutalist charm of an airport hotel. The RDC venue, the Renaissance Hotel. Lovely.

When I rocked up in the venue at about 10.30am on Sunday morning, my first order of business was – queuing. You might remember that I had been blinded by the gorgeousness blinked in my precious photo with Richard, so I had to come in early for a re-shoot while Kate had a little more time to make her way to the hotel. I joined my queue… As I was finally getting into the room where the photo sessions were being held, observing Richard and his various co-sitters in the set-up, something amazing immediately occurred to me: Richard was putting his arm around everybody!!!! *gasp* Apparently someone had had a change of heart over night. Or someone else had taken him aside and given him a few pointers. Or maybe he just sneaked a peek at Twitter and saw that there had been some complaining. In any case, Richard seemed quite different on Sunday morning – and his new willingness to appear a little less reserved had a massive influence on his fans: The buzz in the room was undeniable; people literally appeared to be happier, more relaxed, very much in love even. Despite the human rights violation of a pair of loosely cut trousers, flapping from the supposedly delectable derriere of the OOA.

So once again the conveyor belt pushed me inevitably closer and closer to the epi centre: Leave your bag on the table. Show your photo badge to the helper. Five steps. Get the same warning as the day before. “No touching, no flower crowns.” Four steps. The flashes are really bright. Three steps. I must remember to really keep my eyes open. Two steps. Shit, I forgot Pop!Thorin. One step. I am next. Lift-off: I move into the frame. I say a polite hello to some tall bloke in a dark leather jacket. I look at the camera. Last second I decide to make the picture silly by pointing at that bloke. I feel a hand and an arm ghost across my back. I plaster a stupid grin on my face. As the flash goes off, I blink. I hurry out of the frame as quickly. What a horror show!

It remains a mystery to me how something as pedestrian as queueing and getting your photo taken, is so immensely draining on body and soul. When I came out of that session, I was basically ready for a lie-down. And it wasn’t even as if there had been any exciting exchange between me and Mr A. Quite the opposite, actually. We both very much kept to ‘our side of the bed’, so to speak. Luckily the next event was the 1pm Q&A with Richard. I readjusted my flower crown and went to look for Kate and Armidreamer.

Not *my* long face, but Claus with C – the rocking horse – modelling the exclusive Red Dragon FC, made by a sub division of RAPS Inc.

After another heart-breakingly good Q&A session with interview pro Richard Armitage, it was time for another stewarding stint again. And now the story got really interesting.

American Gothic all the way

Like the previous day, I had been put on photo collection duty for my volunteering on Sunday. When I got to the collection room, most pictures from the morning’s photo sessions had already been picked up and not much work was left to do. I spent a little while counting the photo “badges” (little receipts that had been used to make sure only paying con attendants got into the photo studio). It occurred to me to look for my own photo from the re-shoot. When I picked it up, I could not help but snort loudly. Once again I had closed my eyes when the flash went off – another photo op ruined. You really had to laugh. I was kind of muttering more to myself than anyone else “Ah no, I blinked again, my eyes are closed in my photo… too bad.” But a couple of women who actually worked properly for Starfury, apparently heard my mumbling, and I explained to them that I had ruined even the *second* of my photo ops. Ah well, no need to be sad. I had never really wanted to have a photo anyway. So I just accepted the fact that I am oversensitive to photographic flashes, and that was it.

And then, after a minute, the woman in charge of photo collection dropped a bombshell. “Do you want a re-shoot?” I could hardly understand what I was hearing. “Eh, yes…” I stammered, a thousand question marks in my tone. “Then you need to go now with this girl here. It’s the last picture of the day. Go go go.” Before I had time to understand what was happening, one of the Starfury assistants from the photo room was already looking for me in the photo collection room, and next thing I was already running with the girl through the hotel lobby to the backrooms where the photo sessions were held. The photo sessions were officially over, so the photo equipment was being packed up, the room rearranged. Instead of con attendants, the room was filled with volunteers and Starfury staff who were tidying up. The girl took me to the photographer, explaining that I was the last person that day to have a quick re-shoot. I apologised profusely for prolonging the photographer’s work, but he was calm and nice. He just told me to position myself in front of the backdrop, ready to have the picture taken as quickly as possible. Richard, I noticed, together with Mads Mikkelsen was still in the middle of signing one of the big banners that were going to be raffled off to the con attendants. Having to wait while standing under the bright illumination of the photo lights, is pure torture for someone who doesn’t like to be photographed in the first place. And I didn’t even have a prop with me to hide behind. Instead the thoughts were reeling in my head, telling myself I would have to concentrate on keeping my eyes open. And how the hell was I supposed to smile when I was actually struggling to keep myself from blushing with embarrassment?

And then things happen very quickly: At last, while I am still apologising/chatting with the photographer, Mads and Richard suddenly step into the photo area . I vaguely hear somebody explaining to them that there is to be one last re-shoot. I don’t know where to look, I am mortified, babbling apologies. Mads turns up on my left, and I sense Richard passing behind my back. It is actually Mads who addresses me with a grin and a chuckle: “Are you the blinker?” I have to laugh. “Yes. I am.” And I feel really bad when I actually turn him down – “but not with you but with Richard.” Mortally wounded (haha, or rather: not) Mads leaves the scene while somehow RA cops on that he is the one I want the picture with. I kind of sense that there is no point in saying much to RA – he is possibly less than impressed to have been roped in for a re-shoot and just wants this to be over. And so do I. I stand awkwardly beside him while trying to appear nonchalant, last-minute repeating my fun little finger-pointing gesture from the morning. *flash* I can feel I had my eyes closed. And the photographer says “hold on, let’s take another” while I feel my facial muscles spasm from the awkward artificial smiling. Yeah, American Gothic all the way now.

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Alright, alright. Richard isn’t American Gothic, only I am. He smiled and his eyes sparkle. So there:

But boy, was that a struggle! I think the picture shows the strain, and so my advice to anyone similarly suffering from acute embarrassment in face of the OOA is to actually bring some kind of prop to the photo op. I definitely felt much less exposed when I had Pop!Thorin with me the day before. In the unlikely event of having to talk to Richard, Pop!Thorin at least would have provided a topic. Moreover, Pop!Thorin gave my hands an occupation, therefore avoiding both mirroring RA with hands in pockets, or looking like a family photo from a small town photo studio ca. 1984. Believe me, I know what I am talking about. I have been there. Both in 1984 and 35 years later. – I ran back to my stewarding job to finish my shift. And to thank the photo ladies for giving me the opportunity to re-shoot that picture. I knew that they had made an exception for me – it’s usually not possible to re-shoot photos (as is actually explained when you buy a token for the photo sessions). I, however, was lucky because I was volunteering with the right people. They simply were nice women. Which they not only proved with the whole re-shoot thing but something else.

The Heart in the Right Place

I always like to leave the best for last, and the following last incident from Sunday at RDC5 definitely ranks high among the many memories. The photo collection was pretty quiet by the time I came back from the photo re-shoot, and the ladies told me that there was no need for me to continue waiting there; they would look after the photo collections themselves. I packed up my stuff and was about to leave when I remembered one thing. Even though Hariclea couldn’t attend the con because of her mother’s death, she had obviously paid for her ticket. And while her included autograph allocation basically expired, the guys at the registration had promised me I could pick up Hariclea’s badge at the end of the con. After all there was a picture of Dolarhyde on the badge! The registration guy was sitting in the same room as the photo people, so I popped over to his desk and retrieved that badge. And by way of conversation I mentioned to the lovely photo ladies, that “my friend could not attend the con because her mother died the day before the con, and I am at least bringing this back for her as a souvenir”. The two of them looked at each other. Then one of them said: “Who’s her favourite star?” I said, “Richard.” She reached out her hand and said, “Just give me that for a moment.” I handed over the badge and she vanished with it. After 5 minutes she was back.

Just to spell it out: Without any prompting or suggesting from me, she had run over to the backrooms where Richard and Mads were still doing their autograph duties, and had obtained a signature from Richard on the ticket. I don’t know what she told him and how she did it, but she got the ticket signed by the man who Hariclea would’ve wanted to see. And for free. I was gobsmacked. And I don’t think there are words enough to say thank you to the photo ladies at Starfury’s Red Dragon Con 5. This was simply two decent people being touched by the kind of sad story that life writes – and reacting in a generous, kind and thoughtful way. And that counts for so much more than any kind of petty criticism for commercialised fandom events. I am annoyed with myself that I never asked for the two kind photo ladies’ names. But even without naming them, I am sure that the universe will reward them for their kindness. They so deserve it!

(Second but) Last Words

Right, I actually wanted to wrap up the whole con thing in this post, but again, I have been too elaborate. Apologies. I could leave it at this but that would be a bit unfair. I do want to give their dues to the other people whose appearances at the con I enjoyed. And I also want to say a last word about the fannibals and the various encounters I had. I promise, just one more post.

But to tie this one up, here’s a last reflection on the whole photo malarkey. I realise I am a lucky fan. I got my photograph with my favourite actor, and I was really lucky in that I came away with a version in which I *don’t* have my eyes closed. No complaints there. If there’s anything to complain about, it is me. The fangirl mind overanalyses all the time. Too busy are we, constantly monitoring what we say, what we think, and how we feel, in face of the OOA. Sometimes, I feel, that actually overshadows our enjoyment of the moment. That’s certainly what happened to me. There I was, standing beside this bloke whose talent and skills as a performer I so admire. It’s not every day that happens. And regardless of the vibes of reluctance and/or shyness that he was exuding all weekend, I *should have* loved every second I could stand beside the guy. I loved photographing him at the panels, I certainly loved listening to him speak, and if I had been a little less dim I would have loved the one-to-one moment at the signing, too. But the photo sessions? Boy, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough! This is just me and does not apply to everyone, but here is what I felt: The fact that I had two re-shoots kind of intensified or exacerbated the whole scenario for me. A rather luxurious complaint, I know. Taking three separate efforts to get a photo with my favourite star, I felt so embarrassed and awkward, put on the spot and as if my cover had been blown. No, I don’t believe that RA recognised me – I doubt he knows who I am. There is no reason why he should know me – I am one of thousands of people who turn up at events, waving a book or a programme at him, asking him to sign. Most of the time I hide behind my camera, anyway. But as much as I appreciated the exceptional circumstance that allowed me to have my picture taken (and *again*), for me it was definitely also a situation way beyond my comfort zone.

Even though the commercial aspect of the photo sessions legitimises our desire to be close (in proximity) to our favourite actor, there is one thing that money can’t buy: genuine interest. And that is what makes these photo ops and selfies by the stage door so difficult for me: I am there because I *want to* be there. I am genuinely interested in my favourite actor, and it is a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to see him live. But that is a pleasure that is not reciprocated. I understand that it can’t be, of course. There is only *one* of him – and *thousands* of fans. It is impossible for every fan encounter to be as meaningful to him as it is to the individual fan. But it is precisely this imbalance that I dislike. And I’d rather admire from afar and without acknowledgment, than from close up and only with polite tolerance. It also has got something to do with how *I* see myself, I guess. And while I know my shortcomings very well, I do believe that there is more to me than the fact that I like Richard Armitage. I don’t like to be defined predominantly by my status as a fan – especially by the guy who I am a fan of. Is that a contradiction or a logical conclusion?

I really don’t know. But I know one thing – with all my niggling about imbalance of interest: He was very fair about not singling anyone out – although he certainly had a bit of a Dibley revival weekend. But RA is not to blame for my difficulties with RL interactions. My overriding impression after observing those photo sessions and seeing Richard at the autograph signing, was one of gratefulness. I don’t know how he manages to so but he made every attempt at giving every fan their own special moment. Whether it is chatting with those Kiwi girls about NZ, expressing his admiration for Flat Richie’s international itinerary to armidreamer, laughing with Kate about Jill’s Gymkhana, or playing ‘Spot the Location’ with my photos, RA did try to be personable. You just have to be cool enough to take it. Which I am not.

High Emotions – Sunday at #RDC5 [part 9] It's been so bloody long, I really need to put this baby to bed. The last few things that need to be said about Red Dragon Con 5 - and I'll make it…

#Francis Dolarhyde #rdc5 #Red Dragon #Richard Armitage

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brothermouzongaming · 5 years

Text

E3 2019 overview

I wanted to take the time to look at and talk about some of the games we’re more than likely seeing at the conference. E3 is...dying and it’s misleading trailers don’t help, but despite this, the show is still important and at least gives us a little insight into what may come in games/tech. So let’s cross our fingers and dive in. I’ll be focussing more on main titles and not DLC and updates. Available footage will be linked in the corresponding title.

Avengers project (Crystal Dynamics/ Square Enix)

It feels like ages since the teaser for the Avengers project dropped. Since then I have been trying to keep my hopes high, I even thought it was canceled for a time when we heard literally nothing since that trailer. I know nothing about this game, but I just hope Crystal Dynamics and Square are treating something this big with the care it needs. The last thing Marvel, more importantly Disney, want is another Battlefront 2 situation on their hands. If Square can incorporate their over the top combat style to the Marvel universe, it could be amazing, incredible, invinci- okay I’ll stop.

Borderlands 3

Getting back into Borderlands just before the big press release was very serendipitous. Something about this made me even more excited for some of the additions coming like loot instancing, slide/mantle (finally), secondary fire weapons, more diverse and varied play spaces, and a lot more. So many of BL2 and the Pre-Sequel’s flaws are glaring with me having played them recently and to see the long-awaited title addressing these exact issues so comforting when I get to thinking about this next adventure into the wastes. It isn’t some massive leap forward or anything, it’s more Borderlands and there’s nothing wrong with that to me. Finally, an online optional looter shooter that isn’t some strange mmo lite, long live the king. Randy Pitchford is a weirdo but I’m not gonna hold that against the devs lol.

Cyberpunk 2077

This is more than likely going to be my game of the show. E3 is typically full of surprises and anything can happen but in all honesty, I just can’t see much coming close especially since we aren’t seeing Death Stranding (thattrailertho). I was literally giddy when they released the gameplay trailer that they showed press and influencers and the FPS RPG looked very good but not unrealistic. Recently it’s come out that the game is “pretty different” from that showcase and that statement interests me as much as it gives me pause. Regardless, we are going to be seeing more of this game with CDPR claiming they’ll have an even bigger presence than last year. I just hope that we get solid gameplay footage and not buzzwords and theatrical trailers.

CoD 2019

Black Ops 4 came out guns drawn and it really impressed at first. Since that time Activision has found a way to completely reverse the conversation around BO4 and where the franchise is headed/ is as a whole. Activision needs a win, and with this being their main and essentially only franchise it has to be big. The rumor is that it’s Modern Warfare 4 which would be a “soft reboot” if that is the case. If not this year then next, I’m surprised it’s even taken them this long so hopefully all this time will lead to something good. Honestly, I’m shocked we’re still getting annual releases of this game. I don’t forsee CoD lasting much longer and this tug at our nostalgia may be a sign of that.

Destroy All Humans (THQ Nordic)

I spent so many hours with my friend Walter terrorizing the meat bags between the tools the game devs gave us and some gamer creativity that was a relatively new aspect of gaming compared to nowadays where player creativity is often an aspect of gameplay. THQ has reported something insane like 50+ games in development which...sounds like a stupid choice but if this is one of them it’s definitely going to get people’s heads turning. Can you imagine what they’ll be able to do with today’s tech? They don’t have to go crazy but then again for the sake of a concise vision but...maybe they should?

Dino Crisis (Capcom)

Let’s talk more about old ass games I’m completely shocked could be coming back. So in light of Capcom bringing back past titles and breathing new life into them, it is reported that Capcom is looking to bring back...Dino Crisis? I swear to god if they make Dino Crisis before Viewtiful Joe and Onimusha? POWER STONE ANYONE?? I’m more than willing to suspend my meh-ness because Capcom has proved that not only can they bring back an old game we love, but they can do it damn well. If this is true, then maybe there is hope for some of my favorite Capcom titles from the past but mother of god why Dino Crisis?

Doom Eternal

Doom 2016 was one of the best first-person shooters I’ve ever played. “Smooth as butter” isn’t something I would use to describe most games but god damn if that game wasn’t lubed up before they packaged it because it’s damn slick. So imagine the stiffy I got when that gameplay was dropped and mobility was increased. Can we talk about the grappling hook shotgun? The new demons and takedowns to dispatch said demons? God knows what else is under the hood for us to find out when it releases let alone when they talk about it during the conference. A more open level design in tandem with the conventional “kill room” here and there is gonna really spice up the combat especially if exploration is properly rewarded. Rage 2 was a disappointment but I do have hope this is gonna live up to the hype the way it did the first time.

Gears of War 5

Lawd Microsoft needs a win. This is quite clearly their attempt at a blockbuster event like God of War was for Sony. Everything about the trailer screams “Oscar bait but for games” and I hope they do the damn thing. Make me sad I don’t have an Xbox dammit! This could be a big step for Gears and could even lead it down a more character focussed design. The world of Gears of War is rich for a deeper explanation, and I know that isn’t what Gears is known for but I won’t be told that they can’t do both. It appears to be heavily cinematic though gameplay can be seen in the trailer above. It seems interesting and I hope they really make something worth owning an Xbox for. The fans deserve it.

Halo: Infinite

Did I say Microsoft needs a win from the software perspective? Cause they do. The Xbox One is fine, the One X is a huge step up and is the most powerful console but there are next to no exclusives for this console. Ya know, the reason why you buy a certain console outside of interface and services. What better way than to bring back the most successful franchise Microsoft has associated with. There’s talk of it having an open world which is jarring initially especially when the history of Halo is rich with environments that tell stories alongside the mid-range combat. If they can properly expand that baseline to fit an open world format, it’ll be amazing. Whether or not they can is the question.

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened

Warner Brothers does a great job of shooting themselves square in the foot. They just put on the finest shoes money can buy and BAM queue the red kool-aid fountain. Shadow of War is the pinnacle of such stupidity with the way the monetization completely bankrupted the integrity of the game. The brief footage that was up involved a third-person real-time action reminiscent of the original games. Warner Bros. jumped on the trailer takedown but it’s safe to say the cat is out of the bag and casting spells in the kitchen. This could be a unique adventure involving a custom character, it could involve something more directly related to the books. Anything is possible but if we heard about it this year it wouldn’t entirely surprise me.

My Friend Pedro

A twin stick shooter of a different kind. Imagine stranglehold but cartoony, John Wick but even more comic book like. It looks like the entire game is going to be centered around ballerina jumping through levels and enemies leaving every enemy in your wake riddled with bullets. It seems light, fun, and self-aware in it’s silliness which can lead to the most fun type of games.

Session

Oh boy, SKATE was my jam back in high school and if you’re anything like me you’ve been waiting for the next game/ literally anything like it to come along. Session appears to be that game, we weren’t told a lot when it was revealed so I’m hoping that E3 will lead to some more information on gameplay and ya know, a release date.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order

Anthem is in shambles and in my opinion, it’s this year’s No Man’s Sky. Between the games they put out, and the Star Wars games they put out (or don’t put out depending on your perspective); this does not bode well at all. Respawn is working on the project and their track record is very good, but I can’t help but worry about what EA is planning. They always find a way to put their hand directly into a project and do exactly what needs to be done to ruin it. Sometimes that’s on the front end in development and planning or lack thereof, and sometimes it’s on the back end with moving devs to other projects/ not hold their devs to the post-launch promises they tend to make and not fulfill. This story of a padawan in hiding after Order 66 is ripe for gameplay development and storytelling. So long as Respawn has the vision and can execute, all we need is for EA to stay the fuck away and let them work. We’ll see.

honorable mentions: Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Vampire Bloodlines 2, From Soft and George R. R. Martin collab, Fable remake, Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad, Wolfenstein Young Blood, Afterparty, Beyond Good and Evil 2, Bleeding Edge (Ninja Theory’s new game), Last of Us 3 (v hype just not a lot of info)

#Avengers project #Borderlands 3 #Cyberpunk 2077 #Call of Duty #Destroy All Humans #Dino Crisis #Doom Eternal #Gears of War 5 #Halo Infinite #Harry Potter Magic Awakened #My Friend Pedro #Session #Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order #e3 #E3 2019 #video games #gaming

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siodium · 2 years

Photo

(deadpan) hello welcome to subway what can i getcha

i finally got around to editing the photos that i took when i visited the subway museum two weeks ago

found out about the museum through some featured blog post i think?? and i thought it was pretty cool that they had interactive zones and games?? after all museums are usually just a Look But No Touch kind of deal so anything different would be intriguing

but the promise of a Fun Time didn’t completely sell me the idea of going uNTIL i saw the glorious definitely-not-a-footlong subway sandwich plush in their merch section and i knew i had to acquire one for myself

yeahhh something about fast food merch rly appeals to me :// can’t help it

anyway i didn’t wanna go alone so i got G to come with (and conveniently the subway museum was close to the national museum so we could go back to see the exhibition we missed the last time)

in order to get a pair of tickets for the museum we had to spend at least $20 in a single receipt at subway and that was ez game bc G can eat a footlong by himself

usually i’d order just a sandwich but my adventurous spirit prompted me to also get the broccoli and cheese soup

it was mega salty tho :-( curiosity gave me hypertension

i have no idea what this building was meant for before they had the subway museum pop-up

i also was not aware that subway had a chara mascot?? baguette boi

when you first enter the museum you get to do a quiz to learn some neat facts about subway

ngl some of the correct answers were kinda sus to me?? like did you know that the tuna sub is the most popular (can’t rmb if it was worldwide or just in sg)?? i’m the only person i know that orders tuna?? what

the next section was prob my fav bc THERE WAS AN ACTUAL SUBWAY COUNTER FOR PHOTO OPS!!!

too bad they didn’t have fake ingredients to go with the set but i think the kids would have a field day with any loose pieces so maybe it was a good decision not to have any

the lighting isn’t exactly the most flattering and i look like i’m ded inside (honestly?? exuding the perfect amount of energy for a Tired™ f&b staff) bUT I KINDA WANNA MAKE THESE MY LINKEDIN PROFILE PICS LMAO

for some reason there’s a room dedicated to food panda?? the inside was just a stark contrast to the rest of the exhibition

the whole room was bathed in pinkness in an aesthetic kind of way

also reminds me of a game with a black and white bear hmmm

everyone gets a free try at the UFO catcher!! i won a sticker sheet lol

i want to stick the GOT CHA! one on cha

minigames were stationed all around the place and completing each game gives you different subway ingredients (like sauces and breads and meats and veggies)

at the end of the exhibition you can assemble your own custom subway combination with whatever ingredients you collected

on the left is the squeeze-the-sauce game and on the right is the slap-the-dough game

and holy shit i was not expecting a workout session?? my arms were so achy after smacking the buttons and squeezing tubes

there was also a spot-the-difference type of game for meats (i quite like that one bc it’s the least physically exhausting) and a fruit ninja type of game for the veggies

i didn’t know that you had to replay the games to collect all the ingredients bc the rewards were random :-( rnjesus did not give me tuna

ended up picking some ham type of meat and named my subway combination after chi

too bad chi just missed the sebun but wow that’s a lot of sandwiches made

i wanted to continue conquering the minigames to see if i can collect all the ingredients but that plan was scrapped pretty quickly when we saw how crowded the place was getting and how long the queues for the games were

so!! i decided to take another walk around the museum except this time chi and cha will be out to play too~

someone thought chi and cha were part of the display and started taking photos immediately after i left the scene askdkdsalds

idk if i should’ve said anything?? like maybe they just wanted to take a pic of the set bUT they were specifically taking close-ups where chi and cha were so?? i just let them?? chi and cha are cute so why not right??

the final stop: subway exclusive merch store ✨

TARGET ACQUIRED YAY!! it’s my new chair buddy along with my mos burger blanket heheh i’m abusing it well

got a free chocolate chip cookie and coke too~

gonna end the post here!! we went to the off/on exhibition at the national museum next and i took some photos but aaaaa laze!!!! the laziness has me in a chokehold!!!!

anyway if i get around to editing the rest of the pics from that day you will see them...... in due time

#log #august is the month for museum trips i don't make the rules

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heartforheart532 · 6 years

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THOS2: A weekend to never forget

So I promised I would give a coverage of my weekend at THOS2 as soon as I would get my HD pictures in. I just got them today so I’ve decided to share my story with you guys finally! It’ll be quite a long post so if you’re interested in hearing about me meeting the best cast there is on this planet feel free to continue reading! :)

So this was my first convention ever so I was very curious to see how things would turn out. I was also very, very nervous to finally meet the amazing people who bring these characters to live so amazingly. So Saturday, our first day, started with an opening panel where the casts greets us and everything and shortly after the OPS were beginning. So the first block was Matt, Harry, Jade and Will. I had Matt and Harry first (and to be honest I was the most nervous to meet those two so that didn’t really ease my nerves. xD).

Meeting Harry Shum Jr So I was told to go to Harry first and boy, I was shaking in my shoes about how nervous I was meeting him. Photo ops go very quick so in no time it was my turn to take a picture with him and my heart was just beating out of my chest but when I saw him, he just smiled at me and greeted me with a hug and immediately asked me “Hi! How are you doing?’’ and I could talk with him without even stuttering. Like, one hug and all my previous worries about being nervous just flew out the window. He was so sweet and patient with me and I am forever thankful I got the opportunity to meet this man. They day after I met him at the autographe and I had bought him an omamori and I’ll never forget our little conversation we had when I walked up to the table for the autograph session. He asked me how I was doing, if I still had some energy after these tiring two days and even danced with me a little! (Well he danced a bit in his chair but still, AHH) His reaction when he saw the omamori was the cutest thing ever. “An omoari! Oeeh, thank you so much!’’ (Also when he saw our picture he casually said, “Oh yeah I remember you!’’ and I was screaming on the inside.)

Meeting Matthew Daddario So, after my photoshoot with Harry on the saturday, I immediately queued for Matt’s line in the room where the photo’s were taken. At this point I was a little nervous again because... hello it’s Matt. When I was behind the curtain where Matt took his pictures I could hear him go; “Guys I look ridiculous! I am gonna look ridiculous in these pictures!’’ And at first I thought maybe it were some girls wanting to do some cosplay with hum but NOPE, he was worried about his hat hair! (He wore a cap when he came in during the opening panel and clearly was asked by the crew at the beginning of his photo session to take it off. He later but it back on. xD) So, it was my turn and I walk up to him, give him a hug (which holy shit they all give amazing hugs) and the usual “how are you doing chat’’. So we take out picture and as I’m about to leave (you’re not allowed to hang around for very long) he turns to me and goes “Does my hair look ridiculous to you?’’ and I blink at first and then am like; “What? No! No you look fine, Matt!’’ And he continues to be like “I should’ve done something with it.’’ and I literally stare him dead in the eyes and say: “Matt, you look beautiful.’’ and he FUCKING SMILED AND SAID “Aw, thanks!’’ Yeah no, I was an emotional dead mess after that. Later on this day I had an autographe session with him where I gave him a self made omamori. He was very clearly tired and had a long day behind him so I didn’t want to take up much of his time. I gave him the omamori (which he loved by the way) but forgot to tell him I actually had made it myself. So the next day I had another autographe session and op with him. Because the queue for his op was so long this time there was not much time for small talk, I gave him a hug again and we did the parabatai op which I loved because OH DAMN HE STARES STRAIGHT INTO YOUR SOUL AND THEN HAS THE AUDICITY TO SMIRK AT YOU. ANyways so later on that sunday I had my last autogrpahe session which was him and got my friend an autographe from him. So he asked me about my friend and I told him about her where after I gave him the letter I asked him if he remembered me giving him the omamori. “Yeah! The tiny one right?’’ and so I explained that I made it myself and he was very surprised about that and when I gave him the letter I said that everything was written in there and he went like “Wait, lemme write omamori on it. That way I know it’s from you!’’ after that I said my goodbyes to him and a friend of mine who was stillin line offered a shoulder to cry upon because I was so emtionally overwhelmed :’) But yeah, Matthew Daddario is an angel and I feel so blessed I have met him.

Meeting Alberto Rosende OKAY THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS OF THE ENTIRE EFFING WEEKEND.

Let me start off with the fact that Alberto is a Gryffindor and I am a Gryffindor. Last Christmas my friend had gifted me a Gryffindor scarf so... I took that with me to the con. So when I had my op with him (I had two in one row) I wrapped the scarf around his neck and told him “You can borrow it for today.’’ And his eyes just... widened in surprise and he was like “Oh, thank you. This is so cool.’’ So we did a pose with the scarf and then a regular hug pose afterwards. Later that saturday I also had an autographe with him so naturally, I decided I wanted him to sign the gryffindor op! This entire exchange owns my heart. Alberto Rosende is the kindest soul I have ever met and I only love him more after this convention. So when it was my turn for his autographe he was eating some sweets and I playfully asked him if they were good. He was like “Yeah! Do you want some?’’ They were lemon napoleons AND I DO NOT SAY NO TO SOUR CANDY. So I gave him the picture of us and at first he wrote my name; “Anja. That’s a really pretty name. I love that name.’’ I think I blushed bright red at that lol. Then he saw the op and he gasped and before he even started writing I was like; “Gryffindor’s for life!’’ he stops all movements and was like: “I WAS GONNA WRITE THAT!’’ And we high fived and aahhh my heart was screaming with happiness. So when he had signed my photo I gave him an envelope with a letter and a tiny gift. He looked at me and was like; “Can I open it now?’’ And I was like, yes of course! So he opened it and he smiled so big when he saw the bas guitar keychain I got him. It reminded me of him as well as of Simon so I figured it would be a perfect gift for him. He told me he loved it and honestly, he made my entire day with this exchange. :’’)

Meeting Emeraude, Kat and Dom + the autographes with Jade and Will So these three ops and autographes went quite fast so I’ve decided to put them under one headline lol. With Jade and Will I only had an autographe.

I had two autographes with Kat on the saturday, one for me and one for a friend. Her throat was very sore from when she was in Australia so I talked and laughed about that bit with her and then she was asking me how I liked the convention and such. Her op was super rushed, it was in and out in the snap of a fingers but she was an angel.

Emeraude was an absolute sweetheart. I talked a bit at the autographe with her about the con as well and then sunday we had our photo op. So I wanted to do the parabatai pose with her and Eme being Eme she was a bit confused which one it was but I showed her and she was like “Oh right! Well as you know I don’t have a parabatai but now you are my first one!’’ “Well I’m very honored to be!’’ She was gorgeous in real life and such a joy to talk with and see at panels.

Dom’s ops were a bit rushed as well but I had the chance to talk to him a bit and gah, his accent in real life. fuck man. Will’s accent too by the way. Shit. I’ve had my doubts about meeting Dom after everything that happened and had been struggling with this decision for the remaining eight months but decided to just do it since I already spend money on the photo op. During his autographe we talked baout my name and The Netherlands and how our J’s sound different, I found it funny he picked up on that xD.

Will was such a fucking pleasure to talk with and he was adorable. Hours before the autographe session he had a panel with Harry that I witnessed and so I had something to talk about with him. That panel was seriously everything.

Jade was a real sweetheart. He was talking in French at first but when he noticed I spoke English he did that (which I think is amazing, speaking French with the local fans) this was on the sunday and at the end of the event so we just talked about the weekend we had and that he was such a sweetheart.

For the rest I have an op with the Lightwood family and the Shumdario duo with one of my best friends and parabatai!

And basically that was my weekend! i ha the most amazing time with this incredible cast and met the best firends and mutuals in real life that I could’ve ever asked for.

And no matter how much I miss them at this point, I know I’ll see some of them back again at THOS3! (Whihc I got a pass for again and I can’t wait!)

If you read this far I applaud you! xD Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed this story!

#Shadowhunters #Shadowhunters Season 3 #Matthew Daddario #Harry Shum jr #Katherine McNamara #Emeraude Toubia #Dominic Sherwood #Will Tudor #Jade Hassouné #Alberto Rosende #Shadowhunters cast #THOS2 #The Hunters of Shadow #THOS2 con #THOS3 #Story time

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forevans · 7 years

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title: two sides of the same coin summary: A nurse at Chicago Med, you connect with a Halstead. warning: mentions gunshot wound length: 1.9k words beau: jay halstead or will halstead (depending on which way you tilt your head)

You knock on the glass door of Jay Halstead’s private room, inhaling the faint smell of disinfectant as Will looks up from the bedside. His eyes are heavy and dark with exhaustion and worry, scrubs stained with blood and wrinkled from having slept in it overnight.

With his wordless permission, you step in. The steady heart monitor beeps a gloomy greeting. “Hey,” you say softly, stopping at the foot of the bed where you place your bag and coat on the overbed table.

“Hey.” Will hides a sniffle into his wrist. “What are you still doing here?”

“I came back, actually. Natalie called this morning and told me what happened.” Both sets of eyes drift over to the pale man lying unconscious in the hospital bed. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up? Rest a little? I’ll call you when he wakes.”

He shakes his head. “I’m fine.”

You tug the sleeves of your under shirt up your arms. “Will—”

“I said I’m fine,” he punches out. His breathing stutters. He squeezes his eyes shut, then covers them with a hand. “Sorry. I’m-I’m sorry.”

You inhale, and in two strides, you’re kneeling by his side. Will’s always been your source of strength in times of trouble. Now it’s time for you to be the same. You squeeze his knee. “It’s okay.”

He drops his hand and looks at you with furrowed brows. “He’s my brother. Someone shot my brother.” His voice breaks and the jagged words pierce your chest.

“I know. Hey, come here.” You reach up and tuck his head next to yours. “It’s okay,” you whisper against his ear. “He’s gonna be okay.”

He clutches your back as silent sobs wrack his body, and you struggle to keep the both of you from tumbling to the ground.

In the seven years you’ve known him, you’ve never once seen him break down. You hold him tighter. If only you could absorb his hurt by the strength of your hug.

By the time he has himself under control, your neck is aching and your kneecaps are smarting. He pulls away from you, and you hide your wince with a smile.

“Will,” you murmur, “please. Change into something clean and get some fresh air. For me, okay? I’ll go with you if you want.”

“No.” He rubs his face with jerky movements, and you grip his wrist. “You stay with Jay.” You pull his hand away and stare into warm brown eyes. “Don’t leave his side.”

“I won’t.”

“Call me if anything changes.”

“I promise.”

“And—”

“Will.”

“Okay, okay.” He stands up and helps you to your feet. His eyes shift as they search yours—for what, you don’t know—then he leans forward and presses a kiss to your forehead, the affectionate gesture bringing weight upon your eyelids.

Will takes his leave, but not before hovering at the exit and glancing at Jay from over his shoulder. When his gaze skips to you, you offer what you hope is an encouraging smile.

He disappears in the elevator on the other side of the nurse’s station, his eyes downcast and hair a disarray.

Turning to the younger Halstead, you monitor the machines to make sure his vitals are steady, but find yourself studying the man himself.

So this is Jay.

He looks so much like Will, if not for the darker shade of hair. They both even have the charming freckles sprinkled across the bridge of their noses and cheekbones, but Jay’s is more pronounced. Two sides of the same coin.

You grab his chart at the foot of the bed and read through it with your elbows braced on the overbed table. Natalie only told you Jay had been in surgery with Doctor Rhodes late last night, which means the bullet had impacted the heart.

There’s a dull knock, and a glance over your shoulder reveals Maggie hovering at the threshold with a concerned smile. “How’s he doing?”

“Still not awake yet, but his vitals are good, considering.”

“Saw Will leaving the hospital.”

You nod.

She walks over to Jay’s bedside and smoothes a hand over his forehead. Her expression is soft and tender, and the gesture seems so maternal it’s like you’re intruding on a private moment. You clear your throat and cast your attention to the chart.

“Have you two ever...?” Maggie’s voice trails off.

Your facial muscles work into a frown as you return her gaze. “Sorry?”

“You and Will.” She raises her brows in a way that says more than her cryptic words do.

“We’re just friends.” Skepticism scribbles all over her smooth features, and you prod her with a, “What?”

“Only you can get Will Halstead to do anything his stubborn ass doesn’t want to do.” She shrugs. “Seems like something more.”

You smile, leaning on your elbows as Maggie fusses with the monitors. “It’s a superpower, but I—” Movement catches at the bottom of your line of vision, and you find Jay looking right back at you with a dazed expression on his pale face. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Maggie turns to look at you.

“Jay, you’re awake.” You spare Maggie a quick glance. “Call Doctor Rhodes.”

She’s already rushing out of the room even as she announces, “On it.”

You move to his side, his hooded gaze tracking your every movement. “Hi. Hey, um.” You grip the handle of the bed and tilt your head to look at him properly. “I don’t know if you remember, but you were shot yesterday. You’re okay, but Doctor Rhodes will be here in a sec to talk to you.

“I’m [Name], a friend of Will’s. He went home to get some rest, but I can call him back if you’d like.” You take a step to your bag, but a hand on your wrist stops you.

“You’re beautiful.” His voice is impossibly gruff, and something in your chest shifts.

You smile, twisting your hand into his grip, and you squeeze. “And you’re high on morphine.” If you had a dollar for every patient who hit on you after waking from surgery, you’d have enough to provide more than adequate medical supplies to countries that need it most.

He blinks heavily. “I can’t feel my face—am I smiling?”

A laugh bubbles from you, and a corner of his mouth lifts in a crooked smirk. “You are, and it’s disarmingly irresistible.”

“Cool.”

Doctor Rhodes arrives and checks that things are on par post-op. He explains the surgery had been successful in removing the bullet from the right ventricle. His eyes fall on your hands as he mentions the injured inferior vena cava, and your cheeks heat up.

You can only imagine what he’s thinking, but you can’t exactly extract your hand from Jay’s now; that’d just bring more attention to it.

“We’d like to keep you here for two weeks for post-op monitoring. But to get back to where you were, physically... I’m sorry, Jay, but it’s gonna take months—at least.”

“Thanks,” Jay says with a falter.

Rhodes nods. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask for me.”

After Rhodes leaves, Jay grows quiet, and just as you’re about to give him some privacy, he whispers, “How long was I out?”

“About eight-nine hours.” His mood’s clearly soured from Rhodes’ news, and if he continues down this path, his recovery time is only going to suffer. “We have one of the best physical therapists on staff here. You’ll be back in no time.”

“Will you be there?”

Your brows lift. “It’s not part of my job description, but if you want me there too, I can arrange that for you.”

“Yes.” He squeezes your hand. “I want you there.

“Wait, what do you mean, ‘too’?”

You let out a short laugh. “I’m sure Will wouldn’t miss an appointment.”

He rolls his eyes, and you stifle a smile. “And he’d be a pain in my ass about it too.”

“I’d say I’m sure he wouldn’t be that bad, but I know him too well.” One winter, you sprained your ankle on a slab of black ice outside the hospital and the man took it upon himself to become your personal nurse for the next month.

“So, you and my brother...”

“Yeah. No, I mean—what?”

“Are you two, you know, dating?”

“Oh!” You laugh, a loud burst of a sound. “No. No. We’re friends. Just friends—good friends.”

There’s that goofy crooked smirk again, and for a moment, you think it’s for you, but then—

“Jay,” a silvery voice says, “oh my god.”

A blonde woman flies into the room, and you take a step back, pulling from his loose grip. You cast her a closed-mouth smile though she barely even spares a glance in your direction; she only has eyes for Jay.

Girlfriend.

The thought flitters into your mind, a whisper that seems to echo louder as you watch the gorgeous woman stroke his arm, much more intimately than Maggie did earlier. She takes a seat on the edge of the bed, and the light catches a badge on her belt.

You take this as your queue to leave, and as you grab your bag and coat, Jay calls your name. You wave a hand half-heartedly and smile. “I’m gonna call Will.”

“Thank you,” the woman says, and you nod as you back out of the room.

Twenty minutes later, Will darts out of the elevator, tension in his face and movements brisk. You approach him with your hands up in an attempt to calm him. “He’s fine.”

He collapses into you with a hug that forces the both of you a couple of steps back. “Thank god. Is he awake? Talking?” He pulls away, eyes finding his brother across the way through the glass door, and starts in that direction.

“He’s sore, but he’s with, um, a cop—the blonde woman?”

She’s not in the room, having just stepped out for coffee, but without a second thought, Will says, “Upton. His partner. You coming in?”

You stop at the nurse’s station beside Rhodes. “Oh.”

It’s here Will pauses, hand on the door handle and looking back at you expectantly.

“Um, no. I should get home. But keep me updated.”

He opens his mouth, but there’s a moment long enough where nothing comes out that you know what he says next is lukewarm. “I’ll do that. Get home safe.” Will lets himself in, and his voice is noticeably chipper as he says, “Glad to see you awake, slacker.”

Jay’s response is muted as the door closes again, but there’s a sloppy grin on his face around his words.

You smile to yourself and turn around to gather your things, saying goodbye to the nurses and Rhodes, and head to the elevator bank. In the elevator, you turn around just as Rhodes steps in and punches for the OR floor.

You both ride it in relative silence. Then: “He’s got a thing for you, you know.” He’s staring straight ahead, but there’s no one else in here to which he could be talking.

“Who?” you ask.

The elevator stops on his floor, opening to a pair of nurses, who wait until Rhodes exits before entering, forcing you further into the elevator.

Once outside, he turns around with raised brows, as if it were obvious. As the door starts to close again, he says, “Halstead.”

Halstead? “Which”—you take a step forward and hold out a hand to stop the doors, but they shut on his smirking face—“Shit.”

That little...

links: inbox | beaus | œuvre | ao3 | discord

#jay halstead x reader #will halstead x reader

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coopdigitalnewsletter · 6 years

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29 Jun 2018: Self-driving shops, Amazon buys online pharmacy, Co-op economy, Alexa for hotels, Tesco Go

Hello, this is the Co-op Digital newsletter - it looks at what's happening in the internet/digital world and how it's relevant to the Co-op, to retail businesses, and most importantly to people, communities and society. Thank you for reading and please do send ideas, questions, corrections etc to @rod on Twitter. If you have enjoyed reading please consider telling a friend about it!

[Image: Minh Uong/The New York Times]

Co-op economy report

The Co-op economy report shows that co-operative economic activity is growing. The standout line: “co-operative start-ups are almost twice as likely to survive their first five years when compared to companies”, probably because it’s easier to align interests when the employees are the owners.

Related: Co-op Group will buy four convenience stores from John Lewis, which is refreshing the JL and Waitrose brands to add “& partners” in order to emphasise employee ownership. Hopefully they’ll reinstate their brilliant JL&p logo from the 1970s.

Self-driving shops

If cars didn’t have drivers or passengers, they wouldn’t need to drive at busy-human speeds, which might make it easier to deploy certain kinds of self-driving car - like Robomart’s “autonomous shops on wheels”. The basic promise: instead of you having to pop to the shops, the shop pops to you. Robomart says that customers will prefer to inspect perishable goods in person, and that looking at shelves that bring themselves to your driveway is easier than tapping away on a grocery app.

But it might be decades before full self-driving autonomy is ubiquitous. Before then you could imagine a temporary stage in which if you want to pick up a loaf of bread and some milk you wait until Freshco’s automated shop comes to you - it might slowly cruise around the neighbourhood, being flagged to a stop by pedestrians. But if you want to order an uncommon product or you want it in a hurry, maybe it’s delivered to you by a human driver, and more expensively. And you might even still be able to pop to the local store!

After that, perhaps transport and shopping merge. You wave away that Gregg’s Steakbake-n-ride Bus because you want something different today, and the queue for the FalaFellers Gondola is always insane. So instead you “step into a Starbucks Van, or a Burger King Coupe, to dine and commute at the same time”.

Amazon buys online pharmacy PillPack

Amazon is buying US online pharmacy startup, PillPack. You can see how PillPack fits with Amazon’s “efficiently sending things” strand, just as the wider Improving Healthcare Services joint venture with Morgan Stanley and Berkshire Hathaway fits their “efficiently running info-rich services” capability.

Employee power and indifferent technology

Big tech employees are criticising their employers for taking contracts with government agencies. Amazon employees demanded it cut ties with ICE, the US immigration and customs enforcement agency, saying “we should not be in the business of supporting those who monitor and oppress marginalized populations”. Salesforce, Google and Microsoft employees are also pushing back on their employers’ gov contracts.

The problem is that the same technology that underpins the friendly, free-and-pay-with-your-behaviour services that users love can often be put to use elsewhere, and in ways that more obviously seem objectionable. Technology isn’t neutral, but it is indifferent to how it’s used.

Alexa for hotels

Amazon announced Alexa for hospitality. Contexts and jobs that have constrained use cases are easier to build a voice assistant for because you can build for a predictable set of requests, and the users already know what kinds of thing they can ask. “What time is breakfast/checkout/breakfast served from?”, “Turn up the heating please”, “Can you send up a cheese sandwich/ironing board?” and so on, but not “Hotel! Can you improve this sales presentation for tomorrow’s important meeting because aaaaaah?” (You can imagine that a shop or an insurance company might have some similarly narrow requests.) Interesting: they plan that hotel guests will be able to sign into their own Amazon accounts, to be able to “call home” etc. And maybe even watch their own Prime Video content?

Related: a robot that delivers in hotels.

Tesco Go

Tesco is looking at cashierless/checkoutless shopping - shops in which you can put things in your bag and just walk out. Tescoboss: “In our stores in central London, Manchester and Birmingham, lunchtime queues are a problem. Anything we can do to speed that up will be a benefit for customers.” But Tesco is “still figuring out how it could be introduced at some of its 1,800 UK express stores without increasing theft”.

Amazon’s Go shop in Seattle is a bit further along: “Amazon Go, for the most part, is designed to make the process of "oh, I changed my mind" very visually clean. Shelves are stocked with shape and color variety in mind, and they have rigid item-placement spots. Those factors combine to make it very difficult to put stuff where Amazon doesn't want you to.”

Other news

Ticketmaster was hacked - the fraudulent activity was spotted by the bank Monzo, which acted quickly and has explained itself well. By comparison Ticketmaster and their chat vendor look a bit preoccupied with pointing the finger at each other.

Better Internetter from Doteveryone - “some handy hints to make your tech work better for you when you shop, search and share online.”

Building the GOV.UK of the future - including a mundane but profound use of machine learning: categorising and structuring content.

Lots of stories in the last fortnight about companies moving jobs, activity, headquarters etc outside of the UK if the Brexit disast destination is no customs union. Insurance giant AIG is moving to the UK though - it was previously serving its UK customers from Luxembourg.

Slack had a rare service outage - team communications tool/office gossip supercharger was down for three hours, during which co-workers had to fall back to email or nervously clear their throats and use speech. They posted an update every 30 minutes - a good practice.

Elon Musk drawn into farting unicorn dispute with potter. Reasons why this story is being linked: 1. Elon Musk/Tesla. 2. The way that tech firms are sometimes a bit casual about other people’s intellectual property. 3. pottery. 4. the headline.

Magic: here is a Colombian football fan helping his deaf and blind friend experience their team's World Cup.

Co-op Digital news

Introducing our software development standards.

Now’s the time to enter new markets.

Events

Code your future summit - Sat 30 Jun 9.30am at Federation House.

Healthcare ventures show & tell - Tue 3 Jul 10am at Federation House 5th floor.

Funeralcare show & tell - Tue 3 Jul 2pm at Angel Square 12th floor.

Update from Heads of Practice - Wed 4 Jul 11.45am at Federation House 5th floor.

Shifts show & tell - Thu 5 Jul 11am at Angel Square 4th floor.

Cremation without ceremony show & tell - Thu 5 Jul 2pm at Angel Square 12th floor.

Marketplace ventures show & tell - Tue 10 Jul 10am at Federation House 5th floor.

Update from Heads of Practice - Wed 11 Jul 11.45am at Federation House 5th floor.

Turning GDPR into an opportunity - Wed 11 Jul 4pm at Federation House.

How to improve and innovate customer experiences using service design with Co-op Digital’s Jack Fletcher - Thu 12 Jul 8.30am at LABS in London.

Cremation without ceremony show & tell - Thu 12 Jul 2pm at Angel Square 12th floor.

Manchester Masterclass in Decentralised Organising - Fri 13 Jul 9.30am at Federation House.

More events coming up at Federation House. And TechNW has a useful calendar of events happening in the North West.

Thanks for reading. If you want to find out more about Co-op Digital, follow us @CoopDigital on Twitter and read the Co-op Digital Blog.

#amazon #tesco #coop #health #self-driving cars

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dlamp-dictator · 7 years

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Allen’s End of the Year Rambling: Anime

Okay, since I’ve still gotta’ talk about video games and manga I’ll try to keep my blurbs short so I don’t mentally drain myself, but... given my tendency to hyper-extend the length of theses in edit-phase, no promises.

So, got IRL things out of the way, so now I can finally talk about some of the highlights of Allen’s Anime Experience this Year. I gotta’ say, this was an interesting year in terms of what I watched. Some things were out of my comfort zone, some things hit me in ways I didn’t expect, and I even went back to the past for a bit to clear out my queue and reminiscent on older shows of the past. All in all, it’s been an interesting year as far as anime goes.

First up is Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, probably one of the most heart-warming shows I’ve watched in awhile. This anime sparked a bigger reaction in me than I thought it would, especially in the last few episodes. I could really feel the family bonds that had been formed between Kobayashi, Toru, and Kana. It reminded me a lot of my own family, my own household in a lot of ways. For those that was a nice, feel-good anime, I highly recommend watching this, and even re-watching if you’ve already done so.

This anime was also the first time I truly saw fandom discourse. It’s been a thing since fandoms existed, but... my, the vocal critique of this show. We get it, some of you didn’t care for the fanservice.

Sorry folks... I can usually roll my eyes at things like that, but it really got to me when searching up discussion posts and gifs for this anime during the winter season.

Moving on, next up is Armed Girl’s Machiavellism. This anime gave me some Negima flashbacks, and in a good way. A pretty competent Battle Harem anime that thankfully had more action than panty shots. A lot of the battle tactics in this anime are surprisingly sound... outside of the beast tamer controlling a bear. I highly recommend this anime if you guys want to see some cute girls kicking butt and taking names, and a surprisingly likable main male character. Nomura... you are a good man, a good, well-written man given this is a harem anime.

Also, this was the first of many good anime to be held hostage on Amazon’s Anime Strike... yeah, I can’t exactly not talk about this when so many anime are being held only several other platforms now with some high price tags on them. I won’t go into whether things should be pirated or not, but... yeah, I’m not exactly happy about this either.

Speaking of Anime Strike, Princess Principal was a show I picked up last minute and ended up enjoying all throughout. Cute girl spies and a lot of action and plot twists thrown in, what’s not to love? I know was I harsh on it at first, but the show is fine. I was just a bit salty at the time for so many shows badly ending on cliffhangers. This one is fine, and you should watch it if you get the chance, at the very least, check out its OP, The Other Side of the Wall. This was a treat, through and through.

Though it’s an old anime, I did finish Sengoku Collection this year, and it almost matched the heart-warming feelings of Dragon Maid. For something that I thought was going to turn into a bad harem series, it turned out to be a fun episodic tale about gender-bent Sengoku generals. Seriously, watch episode 17 and 18 on Crunchyroll at the very least, they’re great stand alone episodes that nearly had me in tears.

And last, another blast of the past as I stopped keeping up with season anime, Absolute Duo was a fine rewatch. I honestly wouldn’t mind watching it a third or fourth time. The action was good, the story was decent, none of the characters got on my nerves, and even the male main character wasn’t too much of an OP idiot. It’s a good show, nothing outstanding, nor anything I’d say you’d need to watch immediately, but something to watch if you just need six hours of something competent.

Honorable Mentions

Akiba’s Trip: The Animation: A decent action-comedy show with a pretty good dub in my opinion. Nothing outstanding, but something I wouldn’t mind going back to again.

Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler: I’ll talk about this in depth when the dub comes out on Netflix, but I’ve got a volumes 1-3 of the manga right now and... it’s a decent read.. with a few gripes here and there, but again, I’ll talk about those later.

Kenka Bancho Otome -Girl Beats Boys-: Essentially the reverse harem version of Armed Girl’s Machiavellism. A fun anime to watch, especially with it’s 8-10 minute runtime. It stars a cute girl that knows how to fight and fight well as she takes of her delinquent-filled school to rule it... while disguised as a boy.

Symphogear AXZ: The only thing keeping me from outright recommend this one is the fact that it’s season 4 that has quite a few links to past seasons. All I will say is please watch Symphogear. All four seasons of it.

Saga of Tanya the Evil: A wild ride of an anime, with it’s only downsides in my opinion being the sequel-hooking ending, and the fact that I personally don’t think this was Monica Rial’s best work. She’s not bad by any means, but... I dunno’ something felt a little off with her voicing Tanya at times. And just to clarify, this anime is based in World War One, not Two. This is not Nazi Loli Hitler... yet, but Tanya’s character development seems like its leading her to take out God, not Europe, so...

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Season 4: Another anime I wrapped up from my queue, but goddamn season 4 was a wild ride of feels and action. The only issues with this series is that rather boring season 1 and the overtly sexual season 2. Other than that, please give this anime a shot if you like magical girls and the Fate series. Or hell, just skip to season 4, it’s honestly the only good season in my opinion, but... that’s just my opinion.

Alright, that’s it for anime. I’m... gonna’ take a break from writing for a bit then get to work on the big guns... Video games...

#miss kobayashi's dragon maid #armed girl's machiavellism #princess principal #absolute duo #sengoku collection #your dictator is speaking

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ilvatu · 7 years

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Blizzard is dead.

Hopefully this will be my first and last Blizzard post. At least until they release and/or publish another dumpster fire of a game, gift wrapped and adored by their fanboys.

Blizzard is the undisputed king of MMOs. Or at least their Daddy. Not grandfather, Daddy. The aged, drunk, smoked 2 packs a day step father that beats their children daddy of a company. A company that is the smoking shadow of its former self.

Blizzard hasn’t made a good game since Starcraft 2. There. I said it. And even then it only really enjoyed as much success as it did because it was Starcraft and published by Blizzard. I really only enjoyed it because I was trying to relive the days of yore. Maybe it wasn’t good either.

Blizzard has survived because of their brand alone. Their fans believe the publisher is incapable of releasing a bad game. The problem is that Blizzard is still able to sell them bad games because it seems to me like their fans haven’t played much else. They are still clinging to titles like Final Fantasy 14, which is just a WoW clone. While they wait for the next big Blizzard MMO or WoW expansion to come out. They keep playing dead genres and IPs because it’s what is familiar. What they fell in love with but are too stuck up to divorce.

What about Diablo 3? I hated it. Maybe it’s because I never played Diablo 2. But this game has very little content, like. I played through the story. Then I played through it again. Upgraded some gear here and there. Kill some monsters. Play through the story again. Keep grinding. It just seems like a grindfest loot festival of a shitshow. I don’t get it and I probably never will. If you enjoy this game I hope you never complain about any game being either too grindy or not having enough content. I hated D3 and I will never understand the people who don’t.

Overwatch? It’s TF2 if it were published in 2016 using assets from the failed creation of a new IP “Titan.” The gameplay was stripped straight away from TF2 and in traditional Blizzard fashion the game has no semblance of balance. Anything that seems too fun gets the axe. I put an embarrassing number of hours into Overwatch, mostly because my friends were playing it, and at this point I don’t see a reason to put any more. It’s stale, boring, and barely still under post-release development.

Blizzard decided that they would also include lootboxes, another idea they stole from Valve. This time, a big middle finger to their fans. While the rewards are purely cosmetic, it doesn’t stop the fanboys from spending hundreds of dollars on events. Reinforcing the idea that giving your fans a way to give you money is good. Loot boxes are a cheap cash grab from a company that already wipes it’s ass with $100 bills.

$100 bills earned from WoW. WoW was a good game for 2004. It is not a good game for 2017. We expect more than a level cap increase, a few zones we’ll never visit again after we finish leveling, and a grind fest of a dungeon queue and a raid dungeon. The last three expansions have been so lackluster that the only reason it makes sense to me that Blizzard is still supporting the game at this point is because it just makes economic sense to do so. WoW may have been a great game in it’s past, but for 2017 it isn’t graphically good enough, nor is the gameplay they’ve padded around their dungeons and boss fights enough to keep an adult interested.

Maybe after playing Eve for several years after WoW I was disillusioned. An MMO with a design philosophy so inherently different from WoW I am surprised people consider them the same genre. I am not saying Eve is good and WoW is not, especially in 2017. But Eve was such a different design that to me that I can’t really go back to another WoW-esque MMO. I can’t really go back to Eve either, but I now expect something else from my games. Maybe it’s why I am so obsessed with the development of Star Citizen. I digress.

Heroes of the Storm was DOA as far as I’m concerned. It was a MOBA aimed at a casual audience after MOBAs were going out of style. And the games still take 20-30 minutes to complete. Mechanically the game was interesting on it’s own, but it was just a game you played a few times, shrugged, and moved on with. They keep forcing promotions with their other games to keep people coming back, and even had to give away 50 heroes just for logging in just to keep their shit MOBA with enough players. Too little, too late here Blizzard.

Hearthstone? It’s just watered down Magic: The Gathering. Was it for people who don’t understand the concept of the stack? Maybe I didn’t play it long enough to “get it” like with Diablo. I didn’t feel like there was too much strategy to it. I can’t declare blockers. I can’t play spells on my opponent’s turn. Half the people you play are AFK or just taking the full amount of time to piss you off. “Well Played” Blizzard. I can’t say enough bad things about Hearthstone.

Blizzard keeps trying to shove the competitive gaming down our throats for all their games. I don’t give a shit about what “professional” Overwatch team comps are. No, I don’t care what the top guild in WoW does in this fight. No, I don’t care about the new season of Diablo 3. No, I don’t want to watch Korean Starcraft. Are there competitive HOTS players? Probably, I wouldn’t doubt it. I am of the opinion not every game needs a competitive or professional scene. Blizzard creates casual games and then tries to develop a competitive scene around it. It’s the most backwards of logic.Or creates their patented bronze -> silver -> gold -> platinum -> diamond -> master rankings, and then wonders why their game has such a toxic atmosphere to new or casual players.

I won’t talk about MMR here, this blog is too fresh at this point to get that dirty.

In the past few years Blizzard has pulled every cheap trick to retain players and strip them of their cash. Lootboxes, Seasons in D3. HOTS gave away 50 free heroes for logging in their dead, shit MOBA. Gametime for gold in WoW. Then you can use the WoW gold money to buy the other games of theirs you don’t give a shit about.

I half expect to find a Blizzard game at the arcade. Begging me to put a quarter in every time I die in Overwatch. Giving us minerals in Starcraft in exchange for dollars. To find Jeff Kaplan at the local strip joint busting open lootboxes for singles. Showering his fans in glitter and cheap skins. At this point their games feel and look so cheap, and have had every marketing gimmick pulled.Every time someone plays it’s like they keep trying to capitalize on that hype by offering to let you buy cosmetics. I can’t help but think that they are just searching for a way to nickel and dime us but can’t figure out how do do that in a free-to-play model that includes a grindfest, gear progression, and premium skins. The Blizzard wet-dream.

Overwatch, at least, demonstrates that there still may be some hope for Blizzard in the future. It was their first FPS and a new IP. I think this shows that they may try to create something new and different in the future. Or at least that they might have the courage to. I hope it shows more promise and originality than Overwatch did. But then again Overwatch was a failed game called “Titan.” I have no idea what they thought it would be, but I would guess that it was extremely bad, even by Blizzard’s standards, so they decided to take their assets, cut their losses and create Overwatch.

Was Overwatch a success? Yes. Was it good? I don’t think so. It expanded on TF2′s class based system slightly, but also incorporated nothing new about TF2′s gameplay. I mean, half the characters were cheap ripoffs of TF2 classes. It isn’t hard to see a similarity between Demo and Junkrat. Sniper and Widow. Mercy and the Medic. Pyro and ... you get the idea. Throw in some originals as well and there’s enough that it isn’t a total clone. The ultimates varied wildly from gamebreaking to minor annoyance. And don’t give me that “situationally good” argument, but that’s a topic for an entire separate post.

Furthermore, Overwatch has had very little implemented into it since launch. Seriously, 3 new playable characters since launch? A map or two? Nobody really gave a shit about your co-op events, Mei’s snowball adventure, or Capture the Flag. They still haven’t admitted that CTF is a valid game mode. I guess they just can’t figure out how to balance the game around it because they would have to actually fix some of their horseshit characters or disable half of them just to make it fun.

And with the release of Starcraft Remastered we have completely regressed any of the progress made with Overwatch. I mean, you re-skinned your most popular game ever released. Did you get tired of seeing decades old assets on GOM TV? Did you think it would get people to use the Blizzard launcher or try HOTS? I don’t know why they did this, honestly. Unless there is a UMS that is literally sex I won’t even bother. It’s Starcraft. The same shit you played when you were home from school sick in the 2000′s.

And I guess this brings us to Destiny. Why am I talking about Destiny? Because Blizzard is the publisher. Does that mean it’s a Blizzard game? Kinda. It is going to be on b.net. I never played the first Destiny, and I won’t play this one either. It does give us a clue where Blizzard is on the spectrum though. Destiny may be a proof-of-concept to other outside developers that want to publish their game, don’t have the infrastructure to do so and don’t want to deal with Valve (Steam), EA (Origin) or GoG. It could also be that Activision is evaluating their options with Blizzard’s brand. A sign that while they aren’t desperate yet, their cash cow (WoW) is dying of old age and they are looking for other sources of income to continue development. Hopefully that development isn’t into dead IP’s and games that cling to cultural relevance in an era that has moved beyond Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo.

Why do I say Blizzard is dead? Because they can’t create something that isn’t in one of their dead old IPs. Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo are living history. They shouldn’t be getting used as much as they are. WoW is a living relic of the past. Go ahead, log in. All your old shit is still there. It’s like an old photo album of shame, except the last few pages are blank, and you can still fill them in ... for a price.

I think choosing to publish Destiny is a glimpse into Blizzard’s future. Perhaps they will continue to develop some games under their dead IP’s and choose to publish premium games from other developers. I think the future of Blizzard is in publishing, and I see them to be more like Valve in the future, but expecting a higher quality from developers.

In any case, I won’t be buying or playing anything Blizzard develops or publishes for quite some time. I think that they are in a rut as a company and they haven’t created anything that appeals to me for a long time. I think my best memories of Blizzard are in the past.

#blizzard #overwatch #diablo #hots

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