#And then when you wanna play in teams you just start adding people in between when you can’t stretch anymore yourself

[isjeonginsoup]

Anyone else grow up playing that “scissors paper stone if you win you put one foot behind you” game that skz did during dwaekki’s gym

[alesbianperson]

football player!ellie williams x fem!reader

summary: At the football play you visited to support your best friend, something happens that you didn't expect.

warnings: smoking (weed); slightly implied loser Ellie at the end; swear words; girls kissing (what a surprise); my writing idk

authors note: so firstly I mean football as soccer and not american football, but its not important to the plot so it can be interpreted as either; secondly, sorry for being so inactive I actually needed fucking half a year just for this its actually embarressing, I'm really slow at writing I don't know why, but I'm trying to be more active. I also didnt proofread so sorry for grammar mistakes or something anyway I hope you enjoy this!!

ALSO BIG DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT SUPPORT NEIL DRUCKMANN AND THE FACT THAT HE SUPPORTS ISRAEL!! If you don't know whats going on in Palestine, please go educate yourself because its highly important.

Here are a few links, so nobody can say it's too complicated or annoying to search for information (besides its really fucking heartless, cruel and totally not human to say "I dont wanna put effort in researching" while people are literally suffering and dying because of a genocide):

General information/updates

Brands to boycott

How you can help Palestine

Palestine masterposts: 1 2

--☆--

This evening was the final football game of the season. Everyone was so excited, and your best friend played in the school team, so of course, you came to this game to support her. You already arrived a bit late because you took a nap and didn't hear the alarm, so you quickly searched for your friends who were already sat and luckily saved you a seat. When they saw you coming in, they waved you over to them.

"What took you so long? The game has already started!" One of them said before switching their attention back to the field. "Sorry, I overslept." You explained yourself sitting down on your seat. "You didn't miss much, just a foul from the other team. They're so annoying and clearly playing anything but fair." Another one of your friends said, rolling her eyes while offering you a bag of chips. You declined and began searching for your best friend between all the other players, running on the field. Not even five seconds later, you found her. With the ball in front of her, she ran towards the goal. You joined the cheers of everyone from your school, sure that this was going to be such a great goal until:

A girl from the other team came out of nowhere, running towards her, tackling her to the ground. You gasped. "That was another foul!" One of your friends exclaimed, standing up to better see what the referee would say. But instead of also looking at the referee, your gaze still hasn't left the girl, responsible for the foul.

She looked pleased with herself. What an asshole! You thought to yourself, but couldn't deny that the way her eyes sparkled in the light and her auburn hair moved in the wind was mesmerising. Too distracted by her features, you realised a bit late that she was eyeing you too. A smirk on her lips, she winked at you before walking off the field, your eyes still on her.

"Too bad that bitch just got a yellow card. She deserved more, right?" Your friends, already discussing the decision of the referee, were turning to you since you were the only one who didn't comment on it. Heat rushed into your cheeks as you realised you hadn't listened the whole time, busy gushing over that girl. "Yeah.. definitely more." Was all you said to not keep the attention on you.

"Guys," you added after a short pause, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick. I'll be back."

"Sure."

"But hurry, they're already playing again."

You just slightly nodded before walking off to search for the bathrooms. To your luck, they weren't far away from your seats, so it didn't take too long to find them. As you closed the door behind you, a strong smell of weed filled your lungs. Holding a hand in front of your mouth, you coughed reflexively.

"Having trouble breathin', princess?"

You turned around to see the girl who fouled your best friend sitting on the sink, her legs slightly swinging forwards and back. She still wore her tricot but now had a grey, dirty, worn-out jacket over it. The half up half down bun she had was messed up, probably because of the constant running on the field, and between two of her fingers, she held an already half smoked joint.

Her smile rose as she noticed your gaze lingering on her again. "Y'want a photo? It'll last longer." She chuckled, finding this old ass joke very funny. You rolled your eyes at her words but couldn't help the smile, forming on your lips. "What are you doing here anyway, don't you have to play?" She blew out the smoke she held in her mouth before answering your question. "My coach replaced me. Said I needed a break before playing again." You just nodded because you didn't know how to keep the conversation going. For a few seconds, you both just looked at each other in silence. After taking another drag from the joint, she leaned forward, offering you to do the same.

"No, thanks. I don't smoke."

"Thought so." She chuckled. After a short pause, she added: "Not in a rude way, of course. Y'just don't look like you'd do drugs." Even though you knew it was childish and totally stupid, you now wanted to prove to her that you were indeed someone who could take drugs. So you took the joint out of her hand, carefully brought it to your lips, and inhaled.

You probably shouldn't have inhaled this deep because now you were coughing like someone poured tons of sand down your throat. It surely felt like it. When you calmed down a bit, you looked up again, handing the joint back to the girl on the sink, who was clearly amused. "What a brave girl." She said with a shit eating grin on her face. "Come here, I'll show you how it's done right."

She gestured between her spread legs. As you moved towards her, she leaned in, reducing the space between the two of you. "Open your mouth." She then proceeded to take a drag from the joint. As she moved closer, your breath hitched. Your eyes wandered from her gorgeous green ones down to her lips, and heat rose in your cheeks again. Without breaking eye contact, she blew the smoke she had in her mouth into yours. Reflexively, you closed it.

"Now hold it in."

And that's what you did. The smoke filled your lungs, this time a lot less painful than your first drag. After a few seconds, you exhaled slowly, a small smile of pride on your face.

Your faces were still very close, and silence fell upon the both of you again. The tension thickend. Her emerald green eyes stared directly into yours, abruptly blinking down to your lips. "Can I kiss you?" Your voice was nothing more than a whisper, fading into thin air. A smirk grew once again on her lips before nodding and then proceeding to lean in and closing the gap between the two of you.

Once her lips were on yours, she cupped your cheek, her fingertips brushing slightly over it. You felt like your heart was going to jump out of your chest. Her lips were so soft. You couldn't really describe the feeling, but it felt good. Like you were on cloud nine. You quickly synced with the rhythm she set, leaning forward so that her back met the wall behind her.

Your hands wandered behind her neck, beginning to tug on her hair slightly. A soft groan escaped her lips at the sudden impact, which sounded like music to your ears.

A smile formed on your lips once she broke the kiss to catch her breath. "What're you smiling at?" She looked at you irritated, which just caused you to chuckle.

"I don't know. You're.. pretty."

Silence followed after that.

"Pretty enough to get your number?"

Ellie wanted to bash her head against the wall at her cringe comment. She thought she'd definitely crossed the line now. But you just began laughing, quickly covering your mouth with your hand to muffle the sound.

"Sorry. Don't get me wrong I-", you interrupted yourself by holding up your finger to signal her to wait and began searching for your phone in your purse. Fuck. You thought as you realised you left it in your jacket with your friends and hurriedly searched around for something to write on. Ellie just watched you amused, catching on to your plan. She snatched a pepertowel out of the spender and offered it to you. You just gave her an awkward smile, fishing a half empty kajal out of your purse and scribbled your phone number on it.

As you handed it to her, she took it with the same smirk she had in the beginning. "As sad as it is, I think I have to go back on the field. My coach probably misses me by now." She added hesitantly while sliding off the sink and walking towards the door. "Cool meeting you, though." The click of the closing door was the last thing you heard before you were completely alone in the bathroom.

With the paper towel still in her hand, Ellie made her way over to the rest of her team, almost jumping with joy and thanking every mighty power for letting her survive the whole conversation without completely losing her mind or embarrassing herself. She'd definitely save your number as soon as she could. Actually contacting you was a whole other story.

[danwhobrowses]

So I Finally Finished a Playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3

It's been months of playing over my holidays and the weekends, but I've finally completed my first playthrough of what was deemed Game of the Year for 2023.

As someone whose only D&D experiences come from the two movies (the bad one that traumatized me as a kid by killing Snails and the good one that deserves more love) and Critical Role, I didn't know much of what I was getting into, only my coworkers saying 'buy it, it's a masterpiece' unanimously when I inquired about it. Having no idea how to play or the lore, I was very much entering blind.

Continued down the Keep Reading

So, I'm sure we gotta get through the first set of questions so let's get to them.

What was your Tav? It took a long time to realise that 'Tav' meant your player character among fanpages, I can't tell you why it's Tav still, but I only pieced it together from Durge naming too. My Tav is Dec, short for December because that's when I started playing and I couldn't waste too much time on stream thinking up a clever name. He was a High Elf Guild Artisan, for Class I started as a Beast Master Ranger, ironic that Ranger is deemed one of the lesser classes among the community, I was adamant to not use archery at the start but by the end of it I was a Crossbow Expert. I went 9/3 with Rogue to get Assassin, but then respec'd my Ranger into a Gloomstalker, since I never really summoned the bear (probably should've learned from Sam's constant dissing of Trinket eh?) plus when I remembered Dread Ambusher it gave me 3 attacks on the first turn. He has combustible blood thanks to Araj and some tadpole powers after consuming them after the creche incident made him more open to trusting the Dream Visitor; Charm - which failed 90% of the time - Psionic Backlash, Favourable Beginnings and Luck of the Far Realms used mainly, I had Stage Fright and Force Tunnel but didn't use it, same for Cull the Weak. Likes to talk things through, especially with Persuasion/Charisma buffing invisible hats. Has the Duellist's Perogative Sword and the Swire's Sledboard Shield for Melee, and the AC bonus, plus the Armor of Agility giving him an evasive 24 AC with Advantage thanks to 20 DEX and the Cloak of Displacement.

You can't see his scar and tattoo too well from here but I had to show off his Black Furnace and Red dye on his armour it looks too good. Here's a better look of his face:

For his tattoo and scarring I like to think he got the tattoo after the burn, in some ways distracting it from the scarring.

Did you Save Scum? Don't Lie to Me! Yes and I'm not sorry about it. If you wanna invite me to a D&D table I'll follow the rules and how the dice lands but there's a lot more wiggle room there than in a game where there's finite dialogue options. I was also not going to sit there and let my companions turn against me just because the game fancied throwing continual Nat 1s or low rolls at me, nor would I let Omeluum die in the Iron Throne, or end up leaving the Mirror of Loss empty handed. I bought the game so if I wanna carve this experience this way I shall carve it this way, I get some people see the Morally Good path as boring for this kind of gaming but I like to be good, it feels good, and I want good things to happen for my allies, even if it means having to undo most of their religious indoctrination. But, it did take a while for me to start save scumming, really it was freeing Halsin that started it but it didn't become regular until Auntie Ethel. I only really did it for dialogue/lore expansion (or when there were two dialogue options I was between which I hoped would be interpreted how I expect it to) and for necessary buff rolls like the Mirror of Loss, but sometimes I did it to keep some key NPCs alive like Jaheira, who died at Moonrise the first time.

Who did you usually team up with? Kinda a harem squad since I had Lae'zel, Shadowheart and Karlach. I was very combat-oriented; Lae'zel adding support to Karlach's melee or Dec's ranged combat while Shadowheart made up for most of the magic with heals, summons and like 100 scrolls in her bag (Dec horded about 100 different arrows and poisons too, sometimes pays off). I respec'd her to Light Domain after the Nightsong stuff to fit her character and hair change - though I must admit I preferred the black hair - and gave her my Adamantine Splint Armour for defences plus the ring and Balduran's Helm for +5 healing each turn. Lae'zel was a Battle Master, clad in the Helldusk set, though I didn't use much of her Superiority dice moves; the enemies often made saves against it even with 18 strength (20 after the mirror of loss, and higher at endgame thanks to an Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength), I relied more on her brute force, plus reaction skills like Executioner and Sentinel, plus the Silver Sword of the Astral Plane. Karlach was a 9/3 Bear Heart Barbarian and Champion Fighter, I did respec her for the Feats but the Bone armour, Balduran's Greatsword and Brutal Jump also helped at times, plus the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength and the Amulet of Greater Health made her a high damage, near-200 Health-on-Rage machine (over 200 thanks to the +30 extra health at the final battle). I tended not to swap around a lot, I couldn't abandon my healer, loved Karlach's personality and I had sentiment for Lae'zel being the first person I encountered, she has the sad eyes too, but I did do some rare switching for personal quests. Initially I started with Astarion, but that's because of a misunderstanding of who Karlach was - more on that later - and it turned out that I wasn't doing much for stealth, I brought him for Cazador though, much like I brought Wyll for Ansur and Gale for the Book of Karsus. Later in Act 3 I played around with dyes and equipped everyone, out of fear that I may be sprung unprepared like with Orin - Halsin only had a torch - by all campmates joining the fight, it didn't happen but everyone at least looks stylish.

I go between whether I like Wyll's colours though, on one hand he looks like a Templar and the white would stand out in Avernus, other times he looks like a cosplayer XD Minsc and Jaheira needed no dyes the colours already suited well, but I do love the colours I chose for Astarion, Halsin and Karlach.

Who did you fuck? (romance) Probably would've been asked sooner but sadly Dec became an unintended bachelor, at least outside of the headcanon. He did share a night of passion with Lae'zel after freeing the Emerald Grove but it wasn't something he wanted to pursue further, our dynamic was more befitting of two soldiers, or at least a dynamic where we think we're the General and the other the Advisor. Had Shadowheart took 'later' for her drink offer as 'I want to see all the dialogues other characters have first' rather than a refusal there might have been a romance there, instead I feel we fell into a more sibling bond, she can be a bit too sassy at times in passing dialogue - I had hoped to see more development with her and Lae'zel eventually being friends. Wyll did his best to throw sad puppy eyes at me when I refused to dance with him but it just made things more awkward, Gale meanwhile probably was gonna make moves when teaching me the Weave but he was very hung up on Mystra for me to entertain it, I sat with him when he felt the mortal coil though. Astarion I think made a passing suggestion but nothing of substance, Halsin left it late after he got kidnapped by Orin - I didn't realise he had to physically join the party to be a part of the group until Act 3 - coming onto me right before I confronted the Brain which was quickly turned down. I believe Minsc and Jaheira are unable to be romanced atm, and I did not fuck the Emperor; it weirded me out that he just was there shirtless chilling next to my unconscious dream state. We killed Minthara, didn't know you could recruit or romance her in a Morally Good path. Which left Karlach, fuck did I want to romance Karlach, not for lack of trying either; but because when I met Wyll he was talking about killing her I immediately assumed 'oh Karlach must be that woman on the cover with him' (aka 'the bitch who could've been cool if she wasn't such a bitch' Mizora, who I also wouldn't have romanced given the option) and stuck a pin in it, I was also unaware that most Act 1 romance stuff would come to a head at the end of the Emerald Grove quest which I prioritized so I only encountered Karlach after I saved Halsin and the Grove, meaning I couldn't reach Dammon until Act 2. By then Karlach seemed to be locked out of romance, perhaps for another misunderstanding on my part too since I did upgrade her engine twice at Lost Light very swiftly, but it still was a knife to the heart after all that and the date at the circus that she called us 'just mates' to Fytz. All this and then they give us a better kissing patch ¬_¬

Yes so sad, anyway what about ~Astarion~? Astarion is popular, and I know why he's popular, and the scene of him killing Cazador was very well done...but Astarion for me though was just fine; I mean you guys see Karlach right? Part of the reason she stays my group was that I can't bear to part from her. A lot of the times my Morally Good options didn't align with Astarion's brand of pessimistic chaos, so he spent a lot of time in camp as I mispronounced his name until I heard it be properly said, which probably hampered his story a bit more, but we had a close enough friendship that he heeded my advice with the Ascension and the spawn, wish he reacted to me getting a painting of him since he can't see his reflection though, felt like something could've been done there. Jaheira was a fun personality too, angry old lady who says it like it is, kinda wish we had more to her quest, seeing her home and her interacting with her wards/children was interesting, Minsc was charming too in his simple way, would've been cool if he had more of a presence as well, like we could hear about Minsc and the Stone Lord in separate lights earlier in the game to build up to him. On that topic, I was surprised to find that there wasn't a companion for each role, I suppose there were constraints but Aylin and Zevlor both worked as Paladins, Alfira a Bard (though I don't think anyone would dare put her in the line of fire), I suppose there's little need for a Sorcerer when you had a Wizard or a Monk when you had a Fighter and Barbarian but it was strange, you get 2 Druids and your Ranger is built more like a Fighter or Barbarian (the latter I added to Minsc). I'd later learn that there was cut content for a halfling companion who was a werewolf, but I can see why that one was cut, with Chetney and all, but yeah not any halflings, Barcus could've been a companion even without the Artificer class, or a Dragonborn.

So how did your story go? Being the Morally Good Guy I was I went through most of the best options I could, but I also tried to avoid combat earlier on when I was struggling to work with it. I was friendly with the Goblin Camp for starters, since they thought I was with the Absolute and Dec is willing to put shit on his face to avoid conflict, it all went tits up after freeing Halsin and having to kill everyone but it may've had some benefit to how I could walk freely through Moonrise. Ironically it was the same with the Githyanki, friendly up until they wanted me to hand over the prism, though the Creche was a lost cause anyway, they're lucky I didn't ransack the place, could've gotten a lot of xp and loot there. I let Viconia live, so she can dwell on that burn Shadowheart gave her but oftentimes I was not so merciful, do wish I didn't kill that one Sharran with the letter of hating being there though, why'd you fight me girl? Same with the Bhaalist with the parents at Elfsong, and the goblin children, I was using nonlethal but arrows don't count as I'd soon learn. Allies were mostly good-to-neutral creatures like the Tieflings (though I wish I saved more, nobody told me about the harpies and I thought convincing Rolan to stay would mean the Grove not the Shadow Cursed Lands - also why send refugees who struggle with goblins through the SHADOW CURSED LANDS?) and 90% of the Ironhand Gnomes because fuck Wulbren - I didn't like Barcus too much at first, thought him rude, but when Wulbren didn't even show gratitude for his attempts I softened to him. Kindness made me quite the enemy to others however; the infernal naturally did not appreciate my deeds of pact breaking but saving the Duke anyway and pilfering the House of Hope, but to be fair Raphael (and his clear portrait of himself I clocked onto immediately when he was in his human guise to know he was untrustworthy) never repaid me in-game for 'killing' Yurgir, and Mizora would've squirmed a lot more in her Ilithid pod had it been a table interaction - though, the latter two were more than willing to help me with the Absolute, 'cept Raphael because he's dead - but in my defence I loved outwitting and being a sassy little shit to demons. Slaying the Chosen was a given, as a very Pro-Karlach guy I was never letting Gortash live, got the Father/Grandfather-Daughter set with Bhaal too. Killing the former Balduran was disappointing; as much as he was on my side he always felt like he had his own ulterior motives, he also had a superiority complex to him with his constant urging of being half-Ilithid; thinks it's not important that he's Balduran either, dismissing Ansur's legend until confronted by Ansur's spirit. Stealing the Orphic Hammer was an insurance policy at first, I could understand Voss' disdain for us using Githyanki Jesus in a box like a forcefield, but it's a shame that the guy who was all about trust decided not to trust me in releasing Orpheus; we could've stopped the brain together! Omeluum would've heard me out. I mean Orpheus was a bit salty but he at least was willing to negotiate and not immediately side back with the brain like a petty bitch. I'd say the gods have mixed feelings with me; friendly with Selune and Lathander at least, and whatever Withers is - though the guy roasted me about my love life. The rest either neutral or anti; Shar and Vlaakith (if you can call her a god) definitely hate me, because they're sore losers, think Myrkul and Bhaal likely hate me, Bane however seemed to respect game not sure how I feel about that. I don't quite like Mystra, think she's a bit extreme with her treatment of Gale, but I understand her role, valid god but shitty person. On the other hand I probably have Cyric's favour for helping the Strange Ox, which might be bad...but Milil was happy to be recognized.

In the end, most of the allies got to live somewhat happily; Gale got the orb out of him and became a professor, Lae'zel - having dealt the final blow to the brain - leads the charge against Vlaakith after Orpheus became a Mind Flayer and was mercy killed, Shadowheart has her family (Shar would've always been with her regardless of her choice), a bunch of pets and can maybe reminisce with Nocturne again one day, Jaheira and Minsc - once he survives Zhentharim execution, didn't realise I needed to have him talk to Nine Fingers - also can rest with her wards and probably share drinks with Nine Fingers until the next fight, Astarion sadly has no cure for vampirism but he is owning it and killing the right people (I like to think he'll get to see the sun again, maybe Omeluum and the Mycolids help), plus Halsin has a bunch of kids in Moonrise to look after, plus Thaniel, Oliver and a new Owlbear who I'd rather had left with Dammon given the option. Isobel and Aylin can settle down, Rolan runs the Sundries, Hope is free, Alfira and Lakrissa got their bard's school, Florrick and Ravengard resume leadership to rebuild, Dammon has his forge, Scratch found a new home in this Mindy (but I remain best master), Mol I'm sure will be running the Guildhall in a few years, Thrumbo has a shelter for his brothers, Mayrina will raise her son without the threat of a hag, Vanra won't become a hag (but does need therapy), and Arabella will probably be the next Withers after reading some more rocks. Yenna didn't seem to have an ending so I'll assume that she found a loving home too, maybe with Halsin or as one of Jaheira's wards, or maybe Gale wants a Sous Chef since she did bring her own carving knife if you didn't know. I wish Alfira got invited to the epilogue, god of song is fine but not the familiar face and it would've been cool for them to meet, nice to get a letter at least, and we'll have to visit Art's grave sometime. Surprised we got no word about Mizora, I didn't get a letter from Geraldus even though he survived, Naaber apparently had more in him after wanting to be a dog, sad not to get anything from Rolan, Devella (I know Valeria mentioned her but c'mon), the Gondians, Mol, Omeluum, or Aylin and Isobel from the epilogue, did we really need the ramblings of Ettvard? Plus the papers must've glitched they said Stelmane's killer was still at large? Post-credits scene felt a bit weak mind you, but guessing Withers is that old God of Death Jerghal? Least he's not a surprise villain to fight. As for me, well, I was never one to give up on people and neither is Dec, and thus Dec and Karlach brave Avernus to seek a fix for her infernal engine, punch a few demons and whatnot, Wyll is there too as the Blade of Avernus, a role he embraced twice after barely contributing to killing Ansur but that's more proximity. We'll chill in the House of Hope especially after her letter, but soon enough we'll all return to Faerun on a more permanent basis.

So you enjoyed it? Yes, very much. I did of course make a lot of mistakes though; kept forgetting about Dread Ambusher for one, my earlier failures at romance still stung, I think the game wasn't as welcoming to those unfamiliar to it. The dice did not like me many times, I once got a Nat 1 in a 2 DC with +2 bonus, I also have had several instances of back-to-back Nat 1s, even had 6 in two different streams. Combat was an adjustment period, I missed a lot of the time which was frustrating, or the enemy would make saving throws on my gambits, Karlach even got pushed into the abyss at the Temple of Bhaal, I was livid. I think I probably would've experienced more if the game established better that you can long rest as much as you like without turning into a Mind Flayer, because much of Act 1 was me reluctant to Long Rest because they say you can change 'within 2-3 days', as a result that affected some romance options too, nobody to spend the night with if there's no night, as well as other in-camp interactions - Astarion never tried to bite me for instance, and I'm sure Raphael would've arrived to reward me for killing Yurgir had we not dealt with a backlog of interactions. I remained quite the hesitant player too, I ignored Gale stuck in a portal for a while fearing some magical backlash was gonna vaporize me, oftentimes I expected worse than what actually happened. Graphically there were a few characters whose cheeks were being pulled to the far left side of the map which was weird, and some battles would have enemies who would just do nothing for their turns, and some areas didn't render quick enough to not be noticed, but it was small stuff in comparison, I didn't do much for camp clothes or dyes until late on but probably for the better since style should be for the final act. I also keep seeing stuff that I somehow missed in my playthrough; like there's an angry squirrel near the grove? A frog in Ethel's house? A bird who wanted help with the giant eagles? What? Where?

What was the most difficult part? Act 3 had a lot of tough shit going down, though one of my most memorable struggles was against Auntie Ethel in Act 1. Already deep in her domain at lv4 it was a rough run to start with, continually hit by Hold Person by her projections, only when I learned they were one-hits did it become a little easier, but without Extra Attack it was still difficult. After that combat was here and there, sometimes it was just the environment like being jammed in a pipe when fighting Minsc; Lorroakan was annoying, Grym I had to be tactical with the hammer, the Assassin at the Facemaker was quite difficult too because he'd Haste himself and hide. The Death Shepherds in the Mountain Pass were surprisingly difficult without the Blood of Lathander, much easier with its Sunbeam. The companion quest final battles of Cazador, Ansur and Viconia were each difficult in their own way; the former was most annoying because my party would be downed but the thrown healing potions weren't working (plus those downed members were the ones with Radiant damage and holy water), wasn't even Bone Chilled like with Viconia, Ansur was difficult because of his burst attack. Raphael hits fucking hard, but once I realised that Hope kept dying because she was getting backlash from dealing Radiant Damage it was just attrition and lots of potion throwing. Combat-wise I think the toughest battle was Cazador due to the glitch of thrown potions not healing, otherwise the toughest boss was Ansur. Overall the most difficult experience I found was the timed operations of the Iron Throne.

Will you play again? Most likely, which is something I don't tend to say so Larian did do their job well. Though I might wait a bit to play other games first and give Larian time to add more content and finer polishing, I think I'd have a better time with it the second time around, would definitely try to resolve previous wrongs or missed opportunities, though I doubt I'd look forward to everything there; killing the Goblin Camp was still difficult work, same with the Steel Watch and all the turn limit stuff, I'll at least wait until I have Extra Attack before dealing with Ethel in Act 1 and take more Long Rests, maybe rotate the party a bit more and try out some other classes - but you will pry Speak with Animals out of my cold dead hands! Learning later about there being a bunch of cut content would entice me to play a third time if they reach a stage where all the intended content has been added in, but there's not exactly a time frame for that or a clear show of intent so far, so we'll see in that one, for all that is cut it seems like the end product is the tip of the iceberg. Enjoyed the play, played for a long time, would play again: money well spent.

[tokillamockingbird427]

If there was a Ghosts reboot today, what do you think would be changed? Obviously there would be graphics/programming improvements; I’m thinking more about keeping Logan as a silent protagonist/more sympathetic Federation/rewriting history/etc.

-🃏

I agree with you that they'd do graphical improvements and that, but I'm not exactly sure what they would do. I have more ideas for what would be fun for them to do, which range from what I consider fairly realistic to ridiculous.

This is going to get long. "Read More" of mercy upon ye.

Like, I think it would be cool if they added more moments to use Riley. We got so few missions with the boy! I'd love to see more of him. In combat or even on a tracking mission or similar. And I really enjoyed the mechanic of being able to sic him on people.

Along those lines, I think it would be interesting if you could also command the human Ai. Not quite giving orders because you (As Logan) aren't in charge, but just having them cooperate with you like the team you are. "Enemies over there!" kinda thing, so you can guide their attention towards areas you wanna push. Would make playing on harder difficulties not only easier but more satisfying IMO.

More emphasis on the STEALTH part of the Ghosts would also be nice. It does get shown in the game, like during "End of the Line" and especially during "The Hunted" but at some point you always go loud. A mission where you go in and get out without anyone knowing you were there would be awesome.

On the topic of stealth, a mechanic similar to the Assassins creed games where the Enemy Ai slowly catch on that you're there and THEN attack if you suck at sneaking would be interesting. But I wouldn't like it as much if they relaxed entirely and gave the all clear (after a full alert) just because Logan hid in a patch of grass for five seconds. (Or a closet.)

Maybe a dumb idea that wouldn't be executed well but a wave mode which takes place in the hospital Sand Viper took place in (So it's like you're one of the Proto-Ghosts.) where you just fight to see how long you can go would be fun. Extinction still being there would be sick too, just add the wave mode and don't replace the prior.

Story wise, because I've been speaking more mechanics/gameplay shit, I'd enjoy more sibling moments between Logan and Hesh. The moment in the start of Brave New World where Hesh lets Logan sleep in is CRUMBS and I want/need more of that. Aside from them cooperating in field I want to see Hesh worry about Logan and the same in reverse. Have them check on each other. Have them attached at the hip. Have both of them ready to ride or die!

Along the same lines (Again.) more dad moments from Elias. The reason I want this is rather evil... I want him to be so likable it genuinely breaks peoples hearts and traumatizes them when he dies. It hurts already because I get attached to pixels easily but like. I haven't cried. Make me cry.

An actual funeral scene for Elias that isn't Hesh narrating over a dramatic visual please. I love Hesh's tendency for dramatic narration (Which he got from Elias) but I have a limit. Even if it's also a cut scene and not entirely intractable, I think it'd add some more oomph to the clear drama/angst they wanted from Elias's death.

Make Rorke's intelligence more obvious. I feel like it's a part of him that gets missed because people tend to focus on his cruelness and strength but his intelligence is what makes him a real threat. Through the game he is constantly a step ahead, which is obvious in some pats, but less so in others. (Obvious: Federation Day. Less obvious: Birds of Prey/The Hunted. Non obvious: Into the Deep. In all those missions he knew the Ghosts were going to be there and had contingencies. The only time the Ghosts get ahead of Rorke is when Logan and Hesh storm the train. Which I thinks speaks to their skill and his unfamiliarity with them.)

Following the above, I think it'd be neat to have Logan match Rorke in intellect. The sneaky crafty kind of intelligence that'll get you like a knife in the back. Would also be a good way to make said intelligence obvious, if Logan is the one to point it out. The reason he even knows it's there is because he recognizes it. It's familiar.

Give Logan some speaking lines. It's fine if he's still a majority quiet and prefers to let Hesh be his voice but just a few... Let the guy have some agency. And you do have to admit the era of silent COD protagonists is being phased out or is over. A relic from a bygone era...

More of Hesh being a fucking menace, please. Please please please. Begging on my knees. Him going "Checkmate" was the coldest shit ever, and he SCARED/SURPRISED Rorke doing that. I need more of it. (Another example: He just smacks the shit out of a Fed in the Luxor WITH A GUN rather than using it to shoot the guy. Menace behavior.)

Give Logan the ability to use his throwing knife skills more. He does it ONCE in Federation Day and that shit was so clean. MORE.

I actually really enjoy the black/white animated cut scenes between ops more than the ones in (for example) the Modern Warfare games where it's mostly satellite images. They did some pretty cool transitions a few times. Even if Hesh or Elias's narrating annoyed the shit out of me.

GIVE LOGAN A RORKE FILE. Hesh and Elias and MERRICK get one but not my boy??? LET HIM COOK! (I have a soft spot for the Rorke Files, I just think they're neat.)

Make Rorke and Elias gay for each other. Divorced. Toxi old man yaoi in my COD game? Sign me up. (This is the "Ridiculous" end of the ideas spectrum.) I don't care if it's only implied, I'll take ONE line where Elias admits that he and Rorke were closer than a Captain and Lieutenant should be and that's all I need.

Keegan and Ajax also Gae Confirmed please and thank you. I just... I need it. Also don't kill Ajax. I like him and if they do the Confirmed Gae it'd be another case of "Burying Your Gays" and I don't need that. Coma or smthn but no death.

More POC characters. Ajax is the ONE black guy and they kill him. Like are you kidding? Fucking hell. I hc the Walker boys as mixed White/Hispanic, I hc Keegan as Pakistani, Neptune as Korean/American, like c'mon I'm fighting for my life over here. Give me a fucking hand. Jesus.

Make the Ghosts scary. Gimme a mission from the enemies POV (Weather the player knows it or not) where you're just getting hunted in some Insidious-esque bullshit the whole time. Put the "Stalker" back in Ghosts. (Because their official name is STALKER)

I probably have more but I can't remember/think of them at the moment.

[verdantglow]

Hiiii, hellooooo, I saw your Homestuck au and I love it. Love your art !!! I wanna eat everysingle one of them they are so-

Ok so, I had a few questions if you don't mind like, how did Scar and Grian met? Like- how they become moirals? Aaaand what would be the quadrants between Mumbo, Scar and Grian

Aaah hi! & thank you so much! (I’ve never had someone say they wanted to eat my art, that’s such a high compliment, omg…)

So Scar & Griann. They met while playing the VR version of Flarp around mid adolescence!

Actually, the VR edition of Flarp is how all the various groups of characters know each other. When they were around 7-8 sweeps old, they all signed up for & played a VR Flarp called Third Life. After the campaign ended, they stayed in touch & over the years they’ve played four more campaigns over VR, occasionally adding in more players. (This is very odd for Flarpers & really just for trolls in general. Maintaining relationships outside of your quadrants once you’re an adult & off planet is exceedingly rare, but this group is now around 12-14 sweeps & just finished playing the Secret Life module together.) (…There might be something to be said about the complex shipping chart that has developed holding them together in some ways.) (But mostly they’re just all friends, for whatever shade & value of friendship is possible as an adult troll.)

Anyway! Back to Scar & Griann! Griann ‘accidentally’ (no one is sure how accurate that word is) led to Scar’s first death in the Third Life campaign. We can guess that either Griann really thought Scar wouldn’t die or he just is piss poor at thinking things through, ‘cause killing a sea dweller, even in a game, when you were not supposed to… Well let’s just say that Griann vowed his first life to Scar & Scar, whether by dint of being the friendliest sea dweller you’ve ever met or because he was genuinely placated by the vow, didn’t pursue revenge IRL as he was entitled to by troll custom.

(It’s important to remember here that 1. Griann is a mutant candy red blood & 2. everyone was around the age where blood colour starts showing in your eyes, making it harder to hide your hemostatus. Given Griann wasn’t a full adult, so there was just a tint of red to his irises, during the Third Life campaign most of them assumed Griann was a rustblood. & a such a low blood killing fucking royalty out of turn, frankly most of them were pretty damn shocked that Scar accepted the vow instead of killing Griann on the spot, at least in game. It was very much a defining moment for everyone’s thoughts of Scar.)

So Griann & Scar teamed up & feelings… happened. Most of the rest of the crew saw their relationship as a somewhat forced moiraillegence, Griann placating Scar for his own safety as well as that of others while voicing his desire to leave the partnership to almost anyone who’d listen. By the end of the campaign, the forced part fell off people’s estimations, as Grian obviously became closer & closer to Scar. But it still seemed like a pretty cut & dry moiraillegence, albeit a kinda dysfunctional one, given how much death & destruction Scar still enacted on everyone.

When they were asked about their fresh moiraillegence after the campaign, they both just kinda smiled & nodded, trying not to think about all the confusing vacillating make outs that happened on Monopoly Mountain. & they’ve been living in ??? ever since.

Now, Mummbo Jummbo. My favorite jade blood. (My only jade blood lol.) He & Griann have known each other since they were grubs & have always been pretty much inseparable, despite Mummbo not picking up VR Flarp until the group’s second campaign.

No one knows what the heck is going on between Griann & Mummbo. They are utterly, helplessly devoted to each other in a way that everyone speculates whether they flushed or maybe ashen or ??? Like. Scar & Griann, while they keep up the image of them being moirails, anyone who really knows them can see quadrant vacillation clear as day. That’s not too out of the ordinary. But Mummbo & Griann? Extremely odd by troll standards, particularly adult troll standards. They seem to swing between pity friends & hate friends, as many troll friends do; they just do it at an intensity & velocity that most trolls find baffling outside of quadrants.

(The truth is Mummbo’s quadrants are completely empty & he prefers it that way. Aroace king right here. If you ask if, he’ll just say that quadrants are too much fuss & confusion for him. Though it is worth noting that Mummbo’s main point of reference for what quadrants look like for a long time was whatever the fuck Griann & Scar have going on, which, is, uh, not particularly stable & frequently somewhat unhealthy. Love them though.)

Mummbo & Scar become good pity friends after being introduced by Griann post-Third Life campaign, though they also have their hate friend days. Heck there have even been a few times that others have suspected Mummbo was pitch flirting with Scar (like during the Secret Life campaign when Mummbo said, rather loudly, in public, something to the effect of ‘get good.’). But really it’s a case of the hate friendship aspect of their relationship flaring & Mummbo being utterly clueless to flirting of any kind, even when he seemingly is the one doing it.

[accio-victuuri]

CPN : Candies from Sunshine By My Side ( filming wrap ) ☀️

I may miss some minor candies but that’s just how it is cause people may interpret things differently. It’s just so nice to see new content from and XZ, and the fact that Sheng Yang is so cute! can’t wait to meet him!

some things already discussed previously:

night light fake rumor

same sun emoji used

disclaimer : everything below is cpn, speculation and interpretation that is very bjyx bias. if you’re not into that then please leave.

━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━

I wanna start with ZZ’s general aura and disposition during the wrap, and how happy he was. It’s really nice to see him be among a group of people that seems to dote on him and that he can be comfortable with. You can probably see some double standard talk going around, that yes, during CQL wrap, he was also happy — however, in the last day, there were moments that they both looked sad. Also the airport photos of GG next day where his eyes were swollen — from crying probably. Add one of the CPNs that they both cried when the filming ended inside their car. So yeah. As much as I see him happy, it brings me back to the bittersweet ending of CQL. I won’t add any video/photo evidence of this anymore because it’s a well-known fandom CPN.

I also just remembered how much of a jiejie collector XZ is. LOL. If WYB collects geges, then XZ collects jiejies. That’s what I noticed with his interactions towards his co-star. I think she’s another jiejie who is now doting on XZ. 😂😂😂😂

Moving on to the other CPN clues, starting with some usual fandom symbols that we see. I love adding those to every post because it shows how consistent they are. for example the logo animation of XZS where GG talks about the Moon. like how many times did we make a CPN between them connected to the 🌙? these might be hard to spot for new turtles or those who aren’t into cpns.

sunflower, the legendary fan given by wyb, red heart, apple watch — need i say more? for the drawing, i’m not sure if ZZ made it but the wink did it for me cause he usually does that. i mean, even WYB’s black panther was winking. sooooo… The 10:05 is a given, but the 10:23 is a nice one cause we’ve been associating him to 23 ( Ai Zhan / Love Zhan ). I have also been thinking about this number because for XZS lantern festival game, they are giving away 23 desk calendars. so specific.

this imagery from the vlog compared to WYB’s single video is just so similar. the sunshine allowing plants to grown. whether that me be literal or metaphorical. how they view the world is so hopeful 🤍🤍🤍 and this is why they get along so well. there is really no way they wouldn’t be close, even if they didn’t end up playing WWX / LWJ. I believe that somehow, they would find their way to each other and still have the relationship we think they have. 🌱

and yes, we know that this was part of the filming process. at the start, XZ planted it and during the course of the shoot cared for it and watched it grow. but the similarity in their message to people and to the world. I can’t. this is some next level coincidence and connection.

The use of words that are same/similar to the captions of Hidden Blade’s weibo account is next. It’s one of those things that I think XZ is purposely fucking with us. It’s not like you can claim that he copies HB, because they do not own those captions on their posts. it’s just words. However clowns will know — what are the chances that he is using the same/similar? Mister eloquent himself who also has a team that does his videos. It all seems intentional.

• “plant your own sun” / and then HB is always putting suns on every 100 million they get in the box office. the intention in XZ’s words is like, do it yourself. like a person works hard to get their success. similar to what happened to HB, they have very little backing and it’s because the movie is actually good that it’s getting the recognition.

• 春回大地 the return of spring. It’s from a chinese idiom which means that spring returns to the earth. It is described that the severe cold has passed, and warmth and vitality have come to the world again.

• 逐光而行 follow the light / 与光同行 walk with the light.

there is also a cpn going around about the sound you can hear from the radio. I am the last person to verify things like this but can you hear wuming? 💀💀💀

but I think the correct explanation is, what it’s actually saying is “how do you rate it?” ( or something like that ) and because of the sound manipulation, you can sort of hear wuming. this is not the first time XZ puts things that he purposely wants us to mishear. lol.

that’s all for now. i am still waiting for an actual trailer from this drama + one & only so we can have proper FMVs of Sheng Yang and Chen Suo. The AU / Parallel world Yizhan pairing to rule them all 😂😂😂

-END.

[spotsupstuff]

Now, I have trying to organize your iterators from the oldest to the youngest and it looks like this:

Zephyr, Boreas, Fish, Euros

Now, who is the youngest? Notos or Haboob?

Because I was looking at older post and for a moment I thought it was Haboob, but then you said that Haboob was isolated so I couldn't take that first meeting between Notos and Haboob as the introduction of Notos to the local group because in the ask I made about her colony you mentioned that Notos welcomed her as a pier and not a stranger.

Also, how is the relation between Euros and Haboob?

Haboob is the baby of the Anemoi! Notos is an incredibly early Gen 3- like in the first five Gen 3s of the Eo group. Haboob is a mid Gen 3

Notos welcomed her as a peer into their lil boss group cuz Notos does not differentiate or give a shit bout much things. if you are good to Notos, Notos will be civil and kind. if you won't be, it will either just stare for a sec before leaving without a word or will be passively aggressive if forced into interaction. what it saw when Haboob was added out of nowhere was a young iterator, confusion and fear straight up pouring out of her and it was just getting worse n worse as the other three elder ones were conversing about how wrong this is. essentially calling Haboob herself wrong. Haboob was like a kicked puppy in that moment and well Notos May be a logical thing, but it is also kind and wants the right and fair things to happen to people around it. so it barked a lil at the other three and then did what it wanted which was to offer Some kind of safety for the newbie by approaching her like that

sure worked out, considering Haboob latched onto it as her big sister and best friend. something goes wrong? Haboob is booking it to Notos before anyone else

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THOSE TWO WAS A. MESS AT FIRST. cuz Euros was jealous of SO many things Haboob has going on. the free puppet? the nice colony? the interactions Boob has with all of them? becomes even worse the moment he realizes how similar young Sparrows n Boob are. but also he didn't exactly wanna just shit on this poor unknowing kid so for a good while he tried to minimalize their interactions. until one day... hmm.......

gonna go with Boob havin a breakdown in a group call about smth unrelated over how pushed away from everyone she is even though they are supposed to be a team and apologizing for not knowing they are Meant to Suffer. "i'm sorry for being happy with my life- i didn't know i wasn't meant to be." and she's so painfully genuine cuz she doesn't know what else to do to make this better anymore

Notos didn't say anything to that cuz it knew this needed to play out between the other four, Zephyr- you can imagine- IMMEDIATELY snapped into full attention and started doin her best to gently and kindly correct that train of thought while the boys were kind of stunned in the background. B n Caper then talked about it by themselves and promised each other they were gonna try and be better. that's how they eventually manage to get here

they share memes together so she Knew :')

Boob even called up Euros (along with Fish) to help her name that big crab of hers later on!

what's this? a sister without an endless supply of spice (only reasonable amount of pissery)? here we thought that was impossible.

[h0n3yk1tt3n]

5 22 27?

5. What techniques do you use to create believable dialogue?

I don't know who said not to include stuttering in their dialogue because the simple fact of the matter is that humans trip over their words all the time. Especially when they're caught off guard or frustrated.

—Left 2 Chill // Chapter 26

Like I'm sure they meant "w-w-when a c-character talks l-like this" in casual situations (ie not shivering/overwhelmed) but doesn't have like, A "Real"(?) Stutter (ie Bill from IT), but like... humans say um, and like, and take pauses to think over their words, and say things like "how do I phrase this."

—Left 2 Chill // Chapter 4

We bail out on sentences partway through because we realize we wanna say something else.

Humans don't know how to talk!! Maybe they'll phrase something in a way that isn't technically grammatically correct, but feels smoother to say. ("Weird's not" instead of "weird isn't")

We elongate words

—What a Waste (of a Lovely Night)

We (sometimes) drop the g in -ing words. We speak in a series of small sentences instead of stringing them into one, either for emphasis or because we realize that we have more to say.

We interrupt ourselves to give further context

—Left 2 Chill // Chapter 4

Be serious. Do you actually say "wouldn't have" as two separate words in casual conversation, or do you slur it into "wouldn't've" because that's smoother than taking that slight pause between "wouldn't" and "have?" We'll more often say "dunno" or "wanna" instead of "don't know" or "want to," because we're lazy and just wanna (ha) get the words out. Unless we really want to emphasize that we "do not want to do this." Things like that ya know? Just like. Write the words as we actually say them and not how they're "meant" to be said.

22. What role does humor play in your writing? Do you enjoy adding comedic elements to your fics?

Sometimes it serves as a break from angst and tension so that things don't get stale. (See, the reason ppl think the original Teen Titans cartoon was more serious than it was was BECAUSE of all the comedy to make the more serious moments hit harder.) The first (non prologue) chapter of L2C starts very.. almost parody-ish? Where characters are very self aware of "wow zombie apocalypse, who would've thought" before suckerpunching you with character death in Chapter 3 to remind you that "yeah this isn't gonna be fun."

But without graffiti spread about locations and characters messing around with each other and contributing to The Human Condition, the dreariness and misery gets old and you need some kind of respite.

—Left 2 Chill // Chapter 26

Other times it's to show/strengthen the relationship between characters. This particular ✨️flashback✨️ also serves to emphasize that Jeremy 1. hasn't been the same since before Michael kicked it, and 2. really isn't trying to bond with his team in the way he did with Michael.

—Left 2 Chill // Chapter 26

With Jake in particular, a common catalyst for humor for me, it shows how he uses humor both to distract from the horrors that come with living in the apocalypse and to seek out approval from those around him. I mean, what better way to get someone to like you than to make them laugh?

—Left 2 Chill // Chapter 17

(Note: the braille remark was made by Jared, but like the drinking joke, the "error" of associating braille with Deaf people and drinking with pregnancy shows that the person making the joke that has to know that what they're saying isn't accurate or absolutely is not advice that should be followed. Jake isn't actually dumb. You have to know the correct answers on a test in order to get every single true/false question wrong. Hi spiderverse reference.)

So short answer. Love incorporating humor for a multitude of reasons.

27. What two (or more) fandoms would you like to see a crossover for? Would you ever write it?

I mean there are about a million different BMC/DEH crossovers under the sun, and I'm a firm believer in Heathers taking place on the same timeline (1989 vs. 2010s, putting Heathers teens in their 40s). And I've already made the L4D au that consumed my mind in the infancy of the pandemic, sooo...

I don't know!! I don't really know what other characters I want to have meet each other. (Sure the L2C crew didn't meet any Survivors from the source material, but they sure as hell met their specific brand of Infected.)

[thatblackravenclaw]

The Art and the Artist

Masterlist

author note: I'm so sorry y'all. I have really been slacking on writing stories. I've been working for my godparents for about a month, but I leave in about two weeks, so hopefully, my postings will become more common.

Fred Weasley x fem!reader

word count: 1.3k

warning(s): smut with a bit of fluff, handjob, reader seems like a dom but it's not explicitly explained, not proofread because it's late and i don't wanna

This might be a dumb idea, but I’m tired of Fred blowing me off to play pranks, so why not play some of my own? I asked my best friend Jamie to help me, but what she doesn’t know is that I have an ulterior motive. I know that she likes George and I know George likes her, so why not be a matchmaker while also getting my boyfriend back?

The plan is pretty simple: fill balloons with paint, put them in a bucket, wait for the twins to run in our direction, and throw them from above. Death might be after that, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

As great as an idea that this is, it’s quite dull and tedious. I don’t know what I expected, but it was not this.

“I wonder what George’s favorite song is. Favorite quidditch team. Favorite drink. Favori-“

I let out a deep sigh, “Do the Hippogriff, Kenmare Kestrels, Pumpkin juice, and he has a small mole above his right ear. Balloons are ready! Let’s go.”

I lift up the bucket and we walk out the door. The journey isn’t too far. It right around their hiding spot from Filch.

Once we get to the spot, we just stand there for a bit. Talking in hushed tones as not to get found out quickly.

“How did you know all of that stuff?” She whispers to me.

“What stuff?”

“The stuff about George.”

“Because I’ve known him most of my life?”

“Oh. Right.”

“Shush, I think that’s them.”

I hear footsteps rapidly approaching followed by laughter. I take this has a chance to push the bucket closer to the balcony wall since their dulcet tones would cover the shuffling. Luckily, the stopped running and stood right underneath us.

“Now!” I whisper-yell.

And we just start throwing balloons, one right after the other. The laughter between us began around the 3rd balloon that landed on one of their heads. The funniest part was hearing the “splat” every time one landed.

Once we ran out of balloons, I finally got a chance to see our masterpiece and I must say, Fred looks damn good in multicolor. I double over in laughter over the balcony edge.

“How does it feel to be on the receiving end boys?” The ridicule clear in my tone. Jamie and I both laugh. I give turn to give her a high five, but when I turn back in the direction of the boys I only see George. I soon after hear footsteps charging at me from the stairs.

I haul ass and just leave Jamie considering I’m pretty sure it’s not her that he’s running after. I make it about

“NO! I JUST GOT THIS TOP!” I scream while I laugh.

“Should have thought about that before painting me.”

I can hear his smug little grin in his tone. He contorts my body to where I’m over his shoulder and starts walking somewhere. I’m not really sure who’s room it is until I’m thrown down on the bed.

“Now that you have me in your lair, what do you intend to do with me.” I ask him in my best seductive tone.

“Well, first I’m gonna,” He pauses and then the next thing I see is him jumping on top of me, paint and all, “Make sure my artist of a girlfriend feels how much her art has made an impact on me.” adding more paint to my clothes.

“I’m actually quite proud of you. I think I’m starting to rub off on you.” He says.

“Oh please. I’M the one who taught you how to prank people properly.” I say with a huge smug.

“Is that right?” He responds while moving from on top of me to next to me.

“It is. You know what you did teach me though?”

“What?”

“That I hate being without you. Why are you so far?”

“Is that why I’m covered in paint? Because you missed me?”

“Yes, now let’s go take a bath before we ruin your sheets more.”

I stand up and put my hand out for him to grab. When he finally gets up I grab our toiletries and head on the door to the Prefects bathroom.

The mermaid and I have a deal that whenever she sees me with Fred, she’ll leave and in exchange, she doesn’t get scarred. I also made a deal with the other ghost, Duncan, to just stay away and I promise that I’ll check on him every day. I’ve learned that the afterlife is quite dull especially when you don’t have anyone.

Thankfully no one is in the bathroom when we get there, but I get pretty paranoid, so I try to be in and out of here in like ten minutes, but that’s never the case when I’m with Fred, which will hopefully be the case tonight because I missed him just that much. I haven’t had anyone to hug, to kiss, to fuck, in like a week and I plan to make that up that lost time as soon as we get in the tub.

He's like a neanderthal, so of course it takes him all of like five seconds until his clothes are off and his in the tub, running the water, but I take my clothes off slowly. Sensually. I groan a little as I pull my shirt over my breasts. Once my shirt is fully off, I look over at Fred. I catch his eye for a few seconds before he turns back to the window. Hm, guess it’s really been a while if he’s getting shy on me like this. I begin to pick the pace up a bit by kicking off my shoes then quickly taking off my socks, skirt, and panties.

I step in and slowly lower myself on the step next to him. I want to take this slow but seeing him naked next to me broke all restraint. My lips connect to his neck, gradually moving up to his face and kissing the freckles on his face. When I pull back I see that his face has turned a cute shade of pink/red.

“Hey, don’t get new on me.” I say with a smile before continuing my ministrations. I softly caress his thigh, inching closer to his dick. A content sigh escapes his lips. By the time I finish teasing him by touching every area down there but where he wants most, I feel his length mostly hard but not quite there. Once I finally take a hold of him, the sweet noise of his whimper reaches my ear, making my pussy throb.

I stroke slowly just to torture him a little more.

“Baby, please. I need you.” His tone husky. If only he knew how much that affects me.

“I know. I know. Okay. I’ll give you want you want baby.” I respond before picking up my speed.

His hips have started moving along with him, making him thrust into my hand. His dick is now rock hard which in turn lets me speed up so he can get closer to his relief.

I notice his eyebrows knit together and his abdomen tightens. I move my lips to his ear and tell him to breathe. Once he relaxes I kiss his ear and tell him how good he’s doing for me.

His dick twitches in my hand. I feel his eyes look over at me, begging.

“Cum.” I whisper.

His moans fill the room, like music to my ears. Once he’s fully drained I make sure to remove my hand as not to overstimulate him.

“Please let me return the favor.” He begs with his eyes closed, still trying to control his breathing.

“Do your worst.” Which are always my famous last words because he makes sure to do his absolute worst.

[notgreat-notterrible]

#5. Wanna be our friend?

I know it’s unhealthy to think of media personalities as your friends, even if that is the image that they create in being inviting, approachable, inside-jokey. It cuts both ways and members from a comedy Youtube channel I watch (and whose podcast I listen to), Funhaus, have more than once addressed the parasocial relationship that inevitably forms between them and their own fanbase. Much of their brand is based on a fun and friendly friend-group dynamic that plays video games together and riff Mystery Science Theatre 3000-style. Wanting to step into the role of producer for our own podcast we’re about to start, I have been thinking about the format and tone of this hypothetical show, and unfortunately, the image of presenting yourself this way is one I would still strive for. It creates a sense of community and yes, cults are bad, but devoted followings are something any content creator would kill to have.

Wanna be our friend?

For how much I listen to podcasts, making my own seems daunting. It is the freedom and open-endedness of it. I have a habit of getting in my own way most of the time when it comes to overthinking things. What qualifications do I have that somebody would want to listen to me? In the same way, why would anybody choose to read my writing? I mean, they don’t on this blog, but they do elsewhere. I like to think that my style draws readers in somehow. Maybe podcasting is the same way.

Thinking about all the podcasts I do listen to, few are actually experts. Well, experts in the way that I think of nuclear physicists or neuro-surgeons (science is hard, okay) who appear on news segments, but you could make a pretty compelling case that long-time industry vets of games or sports journalism are experts too, certainly of their craft, but they’re more likely to be the ones sitting across from and interviewing the “experts.” I tune in for podcast hosts’ personalities, chiefly. Any amount of expertise they may bring to the table is welcomed but secondary. Sometimes the fan take on things is more listenable than a group of overly qualified people who just have no presence or ear for radio.

My favourite podcasters tend to be specifically some kind of journalist or creative at the producer level. Usually not just actors, or just performers, or just athletes. While they may have interesting experiences, they can’t carry a podcast for me. If I’m subscribing to a podcast I’m in it for the long haul. There needs to be something or someone I’m coming back for each week. I specify at a producer level because if you take, for example, The Always Sunny Podcast—my newest obsession—while the hosts are the actors, they’re also the creators, writers, and producers of the FX sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

They bring in an incredible amount of depth about the creative process and their choices (and obstacles!) in the writers' room and on set and off. It also helps that they are incredibly funny and polished storytellers (and performers). Even though they are more prolific and successful now (Charlie Day is becoming a household name, Rob McElhenney co-owns an English football team with Ryan Reynolds) they’ve always maintained a close-knit, indie rock band vibe. Doubly so when they look back at their early seasons of the show where they had to do almost everything themselves. Most fans of the show know that it basically started with the three guys and a $100 budget. That it’s still going is a huge success story, and now we’ve been able to watch their podcast grow and get better with help from their producer (TV writer and producer Megan Ganz) as they continue to experiment with its format. In the last year they’ve added special guest episodes, did fan call-in shows, and even turned it into a video podcast and film on a gorgeous, specially-created set. Not all podcasts benefit from having video but their on-screen presence is undeniable and elevates their work. Charlie and Glenn Howerton excel at physical comedy and being able to watch the bits they launch into is a treat.

Podcasting, to me, is about presentation. And not even visual presentation. Journalists are naturally used to presenting information to an audience and strengthening their stories with different sources and background research, and it helps if they also have something interesting to say because they don’t necessarily need to be objective here. One site in particular comes to mind: Giant Bomb, arguably the driving force of the overall shift to personality-driven games media in 2008, where you had viewers tuning in specifically to find out what its hosts thought of new (and retro) video games in the forms of long-form videos (40+ minute Quick Looks), video and written reviews, and scheduled live-stream productions (all pre-Twitch and Youtube Live). There were no staff writers and editors like in traditional games media outlets and the brand itself took a backseat in favour of the name-recognition and popularity of its main, audience-facing personalities.

I followed Giant Bomb’s podcast The Giant Bombcast for decades, and even its many side projects or off-shoots as its founders and employees moved locations or left over the years: Screened.com, Giant Bomb East’s The Beastcast, a Formula 1 podcast Alt+F1 (which later changed to Shift+F1 when its hosts left the company and continued the show), the breakaway media company Nextlander and its podcast, and most recently The Jeff Gerstmann Show. While they are now mostly separate groups, they share the same DNA: they all have a similar style and sound and have comparable levels of industry knowledge.

Shift+F1 is a staple in my podcast diet and it’s an interesting case because none of the hosts are F1 journalists, just fans, yet all come from a games journalism background and the show is well-researched and comprehensive as a result. Anything else they add is infectious fan excitement and speculation. And the hosts being who they are (having listened to them talk about video games before) made the transition to talking about speedy racecars that much easier and the more attractive option, rather than having to listen to a bunch of random podcasts until I found a group that I liked.

The Poscast is one of two baseball podcasts I listen to (the other being Effectively Wild—pure journalism) and it is hosted by Joe Posnanski (sportswriter and journalist) and Michael Schur (television producer/writer responsible for shows like Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, and an avid sports fan). This dynamic combines the deep journalistic knowledge of the game as well as the way-more-than-average sports fan’s knowledge all wrapped up in comedic banter to keep things engaging and personable.

There seems to be no one right way of doing it, and what I like is completely different to the next person. The only thing I can do now is sit down and start recording and take it from there. As Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo once said after a ballsy overtake, sometimes you just gotta lick the stamp and send it. So that’s where I’m at with things. I can think this thing to death and never get it off the ground or just go for it. It’s going to be sports related with a focus on storytelling, playing to our strengths. We don’t have the benefit of having known each other for years, sadly, and can’t rely on easygoing conversation to drive the podcast. But with any luck it’ll be a project we can continue working on long after and maybe eventually we will have that dynamic.

Check us out on Twitter?

[tiannasfanfic]

I’m bisexual and Adrian makes me go feral. Like that man woke something up in me.

He’s so cute and so fucking hot at the same time, he’s muscular in that slim but toned way which is way more attractive than overly muscled, he has beautiful eyes and nice hair and a really adorable smile, plus he has those glasses which look so good on him. He’s a hot nerd whose kinda sweet and also dangerous, he’s literally perfect.

…and now I’m imagining going on this rant in front of the team after Chris whines about not understanding why I like Adrian instead of him.

(I don’t think Chris is bad looking but I’m not remotely attracted to him, he just doesn’t do anything like that for me. Not my type at all. I wanna be platonic buddies with him though). 

I want to bite him. Like. It should be against the law for that man to be as hot as he is. When it comes to an athletic physique, I’ve always been more partial to the lean muscular look over the big muscle look. It always added a bit of mystery to me. You know he’s fit, but without seeing what he can do, it makes your mind run off in all sorts of directions wondering exactly how strong he is.

I don’t know what’s hotter though, how hot he actually is or how good of a chameleon he is. You take one look at him in his normal clothes and he gives 100% Least Dangerous Dad in the World realness. He could move in next door to me tomorrow and my biggest worry upon meeting him would be whether or not he’s going to call the city on me for two of my back fence panels falling down. He just has that clean cut, almost stereotypical male Karen look that would instantly have me on my guard…

Then he’d open his mouth and the illusion would be broken. 😆 But I could see starting to notice things as you get to know him that might indicate the hidden depth to him. The way he probably plays with silverware or pens to keep his hands busy, twirling them in his hands or between his fingers, which shows his dexterity. Or maybe his alert reactions to sudden loud noises or people raising their voices in argument. Or maybe just the random bits of knowledge about some type of weapon or another that he’ll occasionally drop. Just little stuff like that, which all would start adding up into one giant question of, “Who in the hell is this guy anyway?”

I love the whole Hidden Predator trope, or the “there’s more to them than meets the eye” trope. 😁

I can see that whole scene in my head now, you going on while everyone stares at you and Adrian is turning all the shades of red.

(Chris would be awesome as a friend. He’s one of those guys that will tell you what you need to hear even if it isn’t want you want to hear. His delivery needs work, but his heart is in the right place.)

[deni-means-flor]

Duskwood episode 10

⚠️ might contain spoilers ⚠️

I just finished the last episode and, for something that has been over two years in the making, both from the Everbyte development team and the player community side... THIS WAS AMAZING 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I low-key wanna write some self-insert fanfiction for this one because I could absolutely see this game being adapted into a drama miniseries for a streaming service. It's so beautifully written and full of red herrings, which I love. The plot twists blew my fucking mind.

Right off the bat, as I mentioned during one of my first playthroughs of the game via Twitter, the disability representation is a fucking mixed bag of weird peanuts and I would very much love to hear from wheelchair users about this.

Let's start my review with criticism, because there are some things I feel that could be improved upon:

Sure, in the final episodes, one of the characters is A FUCKING BADASS in a wheelchair and saves the day, but there are also a little too many dialogue references about how the wheelchair is an impediment which, yes? But also, if you're going to have a disabled character (even if only temporarily), then why not present a more positive depiction of disability? Why not have that character be a disabled person for the whole game and show how he's still a badass? It's 2022, I certainly think that we can do much better if we're going to include disability in our media content.

In my very humble opinion, the ending was a little predictable (we could kinda get hints at how it was going to unfold since episode 8), and the mini-game breaks between story cutscenes take people away the immersion for a little too much time (I feel that the mini-games could be a little more immersive, you know?) but MAN, I'D BE LYING if I didn't tell you I CRIED when I saw the final cutscenes and played the final mini-games. Mostly because one of them sort of mirrors the first mini-games (but with the added difficulty, of course).

There's also the fact that one of the first clues we receive comes from a background character who has a "mental disability" that's never addressed other than being used to infantilize him (to be fair, he is a child or pre-teen, at most) or to call him an "unreliable witness", which was a big yikes for me from the beginning.

The studio apparently, in my opinion, tried to redeem themselves about their disability representation in the more recent episodes. (Please remember that the game was being developed while each episode was released) but I'll still deduct one full point from my overall score because of that. As a neurodivergent person myself, it sucks to be misrepresented CONSTANTLY 🙄 even if it's a trope of the mystery genre, it's tired and we need to retire it.

Richy, Jessie and Jake became my immediate favorite characters since episode 3, so this ending was partially satisfying... Sure, we get a really meaningful text from Jake (if that's the playthrough style you're going for), and we also get to see Jessie react to the actual ending. And Richy's storyline is completed in a really satisfying (yet heartbreaking) way, but what the fuck is up with the rest of the gang?

If you want to know what happens to Cleo, Lilly, and Thomas, BE DAMNED! Because from Episode 8 onwards, they fade into the background, to the point where on this last episode, it felt like the game itself forgot about them as people/characters and other than SOME dialogue from Y/N to them (and a nice conversation with Dan), there's almost zero interaction.

🎶They could have done so much more if they only had timeee🎶 (me, @ the Duskwood development team)

He's a fan favorite and yeah, yeah, we know that the dialogue we get from him on this final episode points out at him being in the next Everbyte game... But he kinda contradicts his own story arc? Back on the first episodes, even if your play style with him isn't actually flirty, he says you're "going to become very important", and even though there's a sweet unlockable dialogue option for him on episode 10 for those who wanted to romance him, the rest of us actually DON'T KNOW why we are important, at the end. Character development for both Jake and Y/N be damned.

I have a feeling that we're going to see more of Alan on the next game, considering the endgame hint we get at a new game taking place in the same universe... But what the fuck happened to Jake? Did he manage to leave [redacted] before the last cutscene?! Again, we have no idea. If this was Everbyte's way to generate expectations for their next game, it's a great marketing strategy, but an awful conclusion to the story arc of Duskwood in general. I don't think it's too respectful towards their own product to use the most meaningful plotline point as a marketing ploy.

Also, if you want to know why Hannah had Y/N's phone number in the first place, which is KINDA pushed by the game as one of the biggest parts of the mystery: Get bent, because we absolutely don't get that on episode 10 and I can only hope that we get some sort of preface related to Duskwood on the next game because otherwise, so many questions are left unanswered... Unless you write fanfiction about them lmao.

Now, onto the things I LOVED about this game:

The interactivity... OMFG, the conversations with the characters are so entertaining. I loved seeing how Y/N was slowly becoming part of the gang and I loved to traverse the "websites" that the players are able to interact with, because they are fucking exquisite.

I especially enjoyed the portion where the player is able to access [redacted]'s phone, because there are so many more apps than the ones needed for the plot, and those were really fun, and I loved to read (and comment!) the web forum of creepy stories that Y/N has to research. Absolutely loved it.

If you're able to splurge a little, I would definitely recommend buying the premium photo pack from the beginning of the game because you'll be able to access SO MUCH MORE CONTENT and not only does it improve immersion in the game, but all that content is actual art by itself.

The photography for this game is actually incredible for a mobile game. When you compare Everbyte's Duskwood with similar games like I Am Innocent by Twinaleblood, for example (though I thought the original study who made the game was Glaznev?), you get visuals that are far more stunning from Everbyte's part. Even though I Am Innocent has amazing black and white photography where the chiaroscuro works to heighten the mood of the game, the visual content doesn't actually get to stand out as much as the photography does on Duskwood.

And the videocalls are done masterfully. The cast of actors did a fucking brilliant job, even though we can clearly see that English might not be their native language, and even though some of them are amateurs like Ivonne Scherer, the artist who plays Jessy, their work on the videos conveys so much emotion. Especial kudos to actor Alex Friedland, who plays a MASTERFUL Richy. I'm looking forward to my next playthrough of this game so I can see more of our re-cast Hannah, Theresia Erfort, because she did an amazing job as Hannah, even though she was brought onto the cast at such a late stage of development.

The extra dialogue options that you can purchase through the aforementioned premium pack give you SO MUCH MORE information about the diegetic universe and they make it absolutely worth it. You're still going to get the plot-worthy info for the sake of game progress, but tbe premium pack dialogue options let you have a peek at the characters as people, beyond the tragedy of losing Hannah, and they let you understand them and their motives a little bit more.

I'd also recommend paying for the heart and credits pack beforehand because even though the mini-games are satisfying and it takes you 2 or 3 attempts (at most) to figure out the gist of their solution, in a way, they are designed more like a gacha, in the sense that sometimes you're going to solve one of puzzles in less than 10 moves, and sometimes you're going to get stuck on a single level for DAYS because the seemingly random piece distribution might not be as random as it seems (after all, mobile games subsist through microtransactions).

The mini-games are idle fun and they ARE entertaining (although they do cut the immersion), but the heart pack is definitely worth buying beforehand if you don't want to bother with the constant microtransactions to replenish hearts and credits mid-play. Especially on those pesky levels where the only solution is to actually pay for more moves.

The general plot of the game also lends itself for roleplaying a character, if that's the play style you're going for. If you want to write and play a character of your own while answering the dialogue, I 100% encourage you to do it, it's a really fun experience and the dialogue options lend themselves pretty well for doing that.

Having to use actual social media to find the clues to advance the plot brought me back to that one Toshiba "interactive film" from 2011 with Emmy Rossum, but this time it was well done and didn't feel like a forced commercial for a shitty laptop.

The Instagram comment sections that players need to solve the clues do spoil some of the story but they help you solve some of the trickiest parts of the game pretty quickly, especially the image-related ones. I hope that Everbyte brings those Instagram mini-games to the table next time and maybe add some another social media to the mix, maybe some YouTube videos to look through. The video feeds and audio files are top tier as well. And Cleo's Instagram stories are so fun to watch as little easter eggs, although I do feel that they could have used better for more referential content towards the game, but her recipes are actually easy and fun to try. Maybe for next installment they could pull a Cicada 3301 on social media and use cryptograms and other cyphers to increase the difficulty? For those of us who nerd out about it, that is. Although I absolutely understand that part of the popularity that this game has had, is precisely because of its simplicity.

The #IAmJake portion of the game is pretty amazing for those of us with an artsy side. I remember I even talked on my Twitter about creating my own OC "Duskwoodsona" to cosplay for my participation, but in the end I decided this was a cringe idea and decided to scratch that, but for those of you out there who want to do cosplay or fanart or fanfiction, this part of the game is absolutely beautiful because it lends itself to those types of participation.

I wish the developers had held some sort of contest or shared more of the #IAmJake campaign as an event of sorts, but at the same time, not having the added pressure of the time limit of an in-game event is pretty good for the replayability value of the game overall. So that's a great point for me, who can't be bothered with time limits.

In conclusion: I give this game a 9/10 and I can't wait to see what Everbyte brings us next.

[herstarburststories]

Spending Christmas with the batboys + Bruce

Merry Christmas, lovelies!

Dick Grayson:

You two started to spend the holidays together when he reunited the Titans.

At the beginning, he didn't live in the tower, but spared his time between the Wayne Manor and the Titan's home.

But we all know that he decided to stay permanently with his team after a while

And you were a part of said team

So, the first time was an accidental celebration

Donna "accidentally" forgot to tell Dick they were celebrating Christmas because it slipped her mind. Therefore she "accidentally" organized a whole Christmas party, while he was away to give Alfred and Bruce their presents.

Perfect timing in accidental, right?

He wasn't much fond of those reunions when he was Robin. With Bruce, he'd always throw a gala and Dick would have to spend all night faking smiles in his rebellious young years.

The beautiful memories reminded him of the circus, and they were just a reminisce.

In the circus, everyone came from somewhere else. So, Christmas was the best kind of mess; all the traditions falling into places, making room for everyone to feel at home before and after the special Christmas performance.

It was way better than a pretentious gala, and he had his parents.

But then, the titans came together.

And he was slowly opening up, understanding that he was still made for happiness.

And, to be honest, this seemed so much like the circus.

Kori being adorable with her glorg meal that everybody would try, Donna insisting that they had to do the Amazon combat that celebrated honorable warriors, Garfield baking every single thing on the table on a veg version, Cyborg picking the songs, Raven telling about old Christmas take from every culture she could get, and you getting fireworks for Christmas because yes.

The kind of mess that makes you never want to leave again.

He was a little hesitant, but he couldn't say no to y'all puppy eyes.

He couldn't say no to you, especially.

Robin added his own little piece of tradition, something he used to do with his parents: ordering pizza for Christmas and eating it after the turkey.

It was a cozy celebration.

As Nightwing, you never know.

Sometimes he'll split his time between the Wayne Manor and the Titans.

Sometimes he will spend Christmas Eve in Gotham and Christmas in the tower

Not to mention when he decides to also give Bludhaven a patrol before Christmas

There was even that time the Titans went to Themyscera and Tamaran

IT'S EXHAUSTING IN THE BEST WAY, so nice

He always brings you along to wherever he is going

And you two always share a slice of pizza and some fireworks to honor the traditions

He always gets Christmas presents for everyone

Most time dumb presents like ugly sweaters and such

The only serious presents he gives are peeptalks and anything you and Alfred might want

He's the one that puts thing in the Titans's socks

This Christmas, you're giving him a dog

Also, sexy times, he usually wears a Santa hat and uses themed pick up lines because he's that cheesy

Dick: Hey, wanna sit on Santa's lap and tell me what you want for christmas?

You don't know if you're laughing because that's genuinely funny or because it's ridiculous

Either way, you end up on his bed so it's a win

He always pulls you to the mistletoe

Also, if you're going to spend Christmas with your people, he will buy them all quality gifts

And will charm every single kid by playing with them

Cue Nightwing making a whole acrobacy only to put the star on the tree

When you two are married and with a child, he'll lift you up, as you hold your baby, so the kid can place the star on top of the tree

Jason Todd:

Jason grew up surrounded by many cultures

Especially latinos

Therefore, he's used to certain traditions when it comes to Christmas

As in, waiting to eat until midnight

And a giant family screaming and talking

And the television always in the background

And the fireworks bright

Not that he had this with his blood family, but he always sneaked in some nice neighbor's house to eat and feel a little safe

At the fostercare, it wasn't much similar

They had a donation or two sometimes, so he got some presents

And they had a dinner

It just wasn't was warming as the families's heart-lighted confusions

He enjoyed eating and then watching tv

After Batman took him in, he'd go to the galas when he was Robin

But that wasn't the best part

Every gala Bruce Wayne had ever thrown was somehow interrupted by villainies

Just because you close the door, doesn't mean you aren't in Gotham

Either Penguin invaded the gala or Poison Ivy started a protest miles away for the trees that were cut in the name of Christmas, there was always something

Catwoman had stole a diamond next year, but this year the Joker was dressed up as Santa to give people killing presents

Batman and Robin in action!

He had fun like that, and after a little, he'd come back to the manor and watch TV with Bruce and Alfred

Whilst eating Alfred's delicious Christmas meal after midnight

Also handmade presents for Bruce and Alfred if he's still young

As he meets you, if he's Robin, he takes you to the galas

And you find out he's Robin when he's trying to sneak out of his superhero uniform

You were just looking around for your date, a guy that you meet in a library, that disappeared for half hour and now he's half dressed in a Robin costume

It's safe to say that Christmas became a huge step in your relationship

Cue many imitations about the rich folks and how dumb they are

Plus pranks on them

You both stay at the gala until Bruce is ready to leave, but not in the main room; you and Jason sneak around to the garden and to the roof, to see the stars

He can still see some fireworks from afar

They're coming from where he used to survive

It's a good night

As Red Hood, it switches a bit

He's not a fan of galas, thank you

When he still isn't on good terms with his family, he'll just go on patrol and spend the rest of the night snuggling with you in his apartment, watching TV and eating something that Alfred sent him

He doesn't put up a Christmas tree, but you do

Jason pretends to complain but he loves setting up the Christmas tree with you

You buy fireworks so you two can keep this tradition alive

And once he's more open, you ask him to come over to spend Christmas with your family

He's kind dumbfounded to see this, and very scared

Your family is welcoming to him and very... Loud

He likes this, just like when he was a kid and could pretend he had a normal childhood for a day

Happily, you guys either have the same traditions because you're latina, or you're more than willingly to make place for them in Christmas

He's the tallest dude in the room, so he has the duty to place the star.

He remembers when he was little, how his mom and his fostercare taker would tell him that the light's flickering because it's Christmas almost every month, so he also donates a lot during the holiday season. Actually, he's always donating. Yet, this part of the year is the one the spends more money on.

Also, if he's with the Outlaws, bar time to celebrate AND KAROKE

Y/N: Will Santa give me his candy cane?

Jason: Only if you sit on his lap.

Roy: Guys, come on.

If Kory and Dick are on good terms, get ready. Jason will be rolling his eyes all the time because his brother just can be THAT annoying and Kori brought him along.

Jason: Ho-ho-hoe Grayson.

It's still nice to have him there, not that Jason will admit that

He also buys Lian a gift with your help

He always kisses you and whispers Merry Christmas before wishing it to any other

When he's okay with his family, he spends time there in Christmas and gives them presents

All double-meaning presents

Dick has a shirt that says I am (a) Dick, Tim as a Thing #2, Damian as a "I'm on the naughty list because I killed santa" one and Bruce as a mug saying Superman is my idol.

Alfred has an old, expensive book.

Jason will grab a mistletoe and put it neat your lips, then your neck, then your shoulders, then your boobs and just kiss every place.

When you and Jason have a child, he will make plans with the kid to KIDNAP SANTA

Tim Drake:

Christmas? No, thanks. Work.

You'll LITERALLY have to pull him away from his chair

You won't let him go on patrol on Christmas, thanks

Instead, you'll ask his help to bake the feast

And he'll Google everything he needs

He always gets you the best presents

Mostly spends Christmas with the batfam, but sometimes he says with the YJ as well

And when he does, it takes ONE glass for him to start blabbing about Christmas facts

And the hot topic is: if Santa was real, would he be a speedster?

He has a power point because this is a recurring discussion with Bart and you

Y/N: Santa HAS to be a speedster. That's the only way he'd be able to give everyone presents.

Tim: You aren't considering the elfs. And that there are more people that can run.

Bart: We should put me to deliver gifts and see how quick I can deliver.

He will use the Christmas lights as handcuffs with you in bed

He always know who got who in secret santa

Yes, I just said he'd used Christmas ornaments to tie you up and switched topics

If he can't come to Gotham, he will send Bruce a text

There's a karoke night where only Christmas songs are allowed

You and him duet

If a kid of yours is there, he dress up as Santa

Also, you always pulls him under the mistletoes.

He always blushes before kissing you

Damian Wayne

He didn't grow up to have Christmas, his present would be killing someone in train to be an assassin

That changes when he comes to the Manor

He keeps an unfazed masquerade, but he actually enjoys the small traditions

As baking with Alfred to the sound of Christmas music

Or setting up the tree with Bruce in his spare time

You're usually there as well, being open about the merry

Your joy makes it even better

You buy all his pets a Christmas clothing

He will give you a painting as a present

In case of having kids, he will play something called "Gifts Hunt"

Similar to easter egg hunting, but with christmas gifts

You two spend much time watching the glittering lights of the city

Gotham almost looks docile

He will go on patrol, but will be back to the feast

Y/N: Remember, you can only kill people after the feast.

Damian: ... Wasn't planing on killing anyone, but this is a good present.

Bruce: No.

Also, add arabic food to this!

You learn how to say Merry Christmas in arabic.

There will be snowball combats

He doesn't mind going to galas, so it's up to you

The titans come to visit him during Christmas if he doesn't go there

Jon is often there as well and always have a present to him, and you always takes a picture of those two (and his team too) because it's just too adorable

Also, Titans there = Richard there. He's really into nudging his baby brother because he's a grown up with a girlfriend now

And so is Gar, mistletoe everywhere

The only time you two have peace is when Kori gets in and taker her boyfriend away to hive you some privacy

You've never liked an alien more

Everyone prays in their own religion before starting to eat. If not because Christmas, then just to be grateful about everything.

Usually, Damian's other brothers show up and it's so much noise

Damian plays piano through the night

Alfred takes pictures of everyone, and even will make a frame of yours and Damian's.

CHRISTMAS MOVIE MARATHON TO CLOSE THE NIGHT.

It was really good.

Bruce Wayne:

Patrol!

You'll dress up as santa in a sexy costume

Cue you putting Merry Christmas sticks on his cape

Also, he will say ho ho ho... Merry Christmas when he gets a villain I JUST KNOW

His time in the gala is splits between crime and dances

He always saves the last dance for you, just like he dad used to do with his mom

You're in there for the Christmas decorations work, among Damian and Alfred

Also, Clark ALWAYS visits in Christmas

And he always gives Bruce matching gifts

You cover him up as he needs to sneak out the gala all the time

The Justice League is invited to the gala

As they're necessary to work at the Hall of Justice, you'll come along

Thanks Barry for helping to set up Christmas decorations there

Bruce always kisses you before leaving for patrol in this season, because he knows it's a very important holiday for you and he knows it's not the ideal

You and the hero's significantive others stay there baking and making things

MAKE CHRISTMAS THEMED COOKIES THAT SEEM AS THE HEROES

Y/N: You know, Batman-cookie was delicious, but not better than Green Arrow's.

Bruce: Yeah? Maybe the real Batman will taste better.

Making out in the batmobile (which is also decorated, your bet is on Jason)

He gets in a little woe through the night, you'll do your best to keep him up

Helps him to pick the presents for his kids

Snow, snow, snow! He and you will get in the snow

Not necessarily snowball war, but you'll walk through the snow and just take a moment

Even Batman can have soft happinesses in Christmas

[wheelsup]

kissing lessons

summary: one of your classic movie nights with spencer turns into a learning opportunity

A/N: this is really fluffy, but the whole story centers around kissing. use your own judgement! i’d say it’s at worst 16+

category: spencer reid x gn!reader, fluff (with a bit of spice)  best friends to lovers (sorta)

warnings: just kissing, a brief implication at the end

word count: 3k

Occasionally, the team will spend an extra night in their hotel before heading home from a case. Be it due to poor weather conditions, or the fact that your case wrapped in the dead of night, the reasons for flying don’t ever matter. Because the majority of the times when you have to stay that extra night, you and Spencer have sleepovers.

The routine is pretty much the same. You’ll stock up on gas station snacks – sour peach rings for Spencer, salted microwave popcorn for you – and reconvene in one of your hotel rooms. Preferably, whichever of you got the better deal that week – a bigger tv, a room further away from the ice machine. And you’d rent the cheapest movie available on-demand, the options spanning from low-budget sci-fi to poorly written rom-coms. That night, the viewing fell under the latter category.

Spencer perched at the foot of your bed with both feet tucked under his legs, criss-cross style, while you laid against the headboard to watch. Every now and then, you tossed out your commentary and he’d ignore it. He always says you’re too critical of movies and you’re of the belief that he’s too forgiving.

“I don’t think they should end up together,” you mumbled, words slurring around your mouthful of popcorn. You pulled a face right as the movie approached the romantic climax, after spending the past ninety minutes actively rooting against the couple. Spencer ignored you, pretending to be engrossed in the movie to spite your disparagement of it. “They both suck.”

You groaned, slumped further against the pillows, and shoved your sock-clad toes under Spencer’s left thigh in a call for attention. He jumped at the intrusion, but ultimately, your efforts were futile.

And then the big kiss commenced, and your booing finally piqued his interest. “Gross! I feel bad for people who kiss like that.”

A small bell went off in his head and he took a curious glance at you over his shoulder.

“What do you mean?” he asked. He stopped chewing and the piece of candy in his mouth pushed out his cheek, giving him an adorably innocent look. His brows scrunched in the middle and his nose had a tiny crinkle in it, utterly confused.

You scoffed and matched his expression. “Are you serious?” You jerked your head in the direction of the television and Spencer whipped his head back, squinting. He couldn’t figure out what you were pointing out, what it was that was so obviously wrong to you. “Spencer, he’s swallowing her chin!”

Oh. He hadn’t noticed.

Feeling dumb, he muttered, “I thought that’s how you’re supposed to kiss…” It wasn’t the deepest confession to admit to you that he lacked some knowledge when it came to kissing, but he still refused to look at you as he said it.

“Spencer, please tell me you haven’t been kissing people like that.” You narrowed your eyes at the back of his head, sitting up straighter in bed. He shrugged and lowered his head, focusing on his snack as his fingers dug into the packet of gummy rings in his lap.

He popped another piece into his mouth, pretending to be occupied with eating so as to avoid your prying. “I dunno.”

It didn’t occur to you until that moment that Spencer might have learned everything he knows about kissing – among other things – solely through watching movies. How else could he look at that and think it’s normal? And you’re left wondering if he’s ever even practiced it with another living human. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it, but unfortunately, that only heightened your interest. You had to know.

“Have you ever kissed anyone before?” You kept your voice low, your tone implying that you were ready to exchange this secret with him. You wouldn’t judge him if he admitted he hadn’t.

He scoffed loudly, and though you couldn’t see his face, you’re positive he rolled his eyes too. “Yeah, of course.” Then quietly, he added on, “But it was only like… for four seconds.”

You nodded thoughtfully, considering how this new piece of information adjusted your existing view of Spencer. For some reason, you couldn’t tell if you actually expected him to be experienced or not.

He didn’t exactly scream that he’d… gotten around, for lack of better words, but you’re still surprised to learn that he’s barely done it at all. You supposed he was objectively cute, that maybe you could see it if he weren’t your best friend. And yeah, he’s a little awkward, but he’s smart and kind, so he has three great things going for him, and you’re surprised more people haven’t swooped him up yet.

Your lips curled down in thought, brows raised in curiosity. “And was it good?” It was a genuine enough question, because you’ve never really thought about Spencer Reid and kissing in the same sentence before. As it turned out, there was a lot of missing information relating to those two things.

“I don’t know! I didn’t get, like, a feedback form,” he grunted, angling his shoulder even further away from you. If you could’ve seen him, you’d notice his face boiling and turning red with heat. All this inquiring made him think harder about his … talents … than he’s ever had to before, and he’s not a fan.

You were prepared to do some more digging when the slump in his back made you feel a tinge of guilt. It was your fault he looked so defeated. You pressed too hard, disregarding his boundaries just because you wanted to know more. And now, he was wondering if there was something wrong with him, because you wouldn’t leave it alone.

He barely noticed as you swung your feet from under his thigh and rocked onto your knees, leaning forward to nudge his shoulder with your palm. It hauled his attention out of his thoughts and back into the room. You wanted to apologize, but instead you settled with “I’m sure you’re fine, Spence.”

He nodded unconvincingly. By the glow of the screen, you could see he was still gnawing on the inside of his cheek, focusing his eyes as he played with a loose hangnail on one of his fingers. It made you feel even worse. “Are you actually worried about it?” you asked, laden with concern.

“What if I am bad at it?” He whispered, like saying it too loud would make it true. “And that’s why it’s only happened once?”

A large exhale puffed out of your nose as you weighed your options.

You could go back to your original plan and apologize for setting him down this path of doubt. But that wouldn’t do anything to stop him from worrying, anyway. You could tell him there’s no correlation between the way he kisses and how frequently it’s happened; that you’re sure the reason isn’t because he’s bad. But you don’t know that for sure.

So, fuck it, you thought, grabbing a fistful of his pajama shirt and tugging him closer to you roughly, pressing your lips onto his.

This way, you’d at least have an informed opinion to be able to tell him if he was good or bad.

His lips were softer than you expected – not that you’d thought about them often, they’re just impossibly softer than they look – and invitingly warm. But they were completely stiff.

You could tell he was trying to kiss you back by the way his mouth ferociously moved over yours. He was trying to be a passionate, engaged partner, but he forgot about the aspect of tenderness.

His lips felt like two solid objects just sliding around on your face. They didn’t move in any sort of accordance with yours. There was no push and pull, your lips didn’t mesh perfectly together to form a solitary unit as they moved in unison.

It felt more like his lips were your opponent, putting up an attack and defense play against the actions of your own.

You pulled away, resisting a giggle at his bewildered face. “You’re not so terrible,” you swipe the corner of your mouth, smudged with Spencer’s flavored chapstick, “But it could use some work.”

He was at a loss for words, mouth gaping open as his eyes darted around the room and all over you. Maybe he’d find an explanation for what just happened carved into the walls somewhere or written across your forehead.

What happened was that you kissed him. And he was a little bit bad. Simple as that.

“I-I wasn’t ready!” he stammered, chucking up his hands defensively. He’d process the fact that he’d just made out with his best friend at a later time, right now the bigger concern was the slight cringed look on your face. He sulked and folded his arms.“What was so bad about it?”

“Well,” you scratched the back of your ear, trying to gauge if he’d react well to getting some advice, “my first tip would be to relax your lips.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

“And don’t think too hard. You should react to what’s happening in the moment, not worrying about what your next move is gonna be.” You could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to envision what that would play out like in a real situation. “You wanna try again?” you offered, figuring he’d learn much faster if he was more hands-on about it.

He nodded, and you leaned in close, waiting for him to go for it. His heart quickened under the pressure of performance, eyes screwing shut as he closed the gap. His mouth smashed into yours as he dove in hard. It was toeing on the side of too harsh, but you let that one slide in hopes it was just a byproduct of his nerves.

You had to tap his knee to remind him to relax, and he loosened some of the tension he had in his lips. He slotted his between yours, allowing them to be pliable to your movements and remembering to react, not plan.

He moved his mouth leisurely against yours, trying to match your pressure and pacing. They actually started moving in time with yours at some point. The kiss took on a shape of its own as he started getting out of his head, letting himself enjoy the kiss for what it was in that exact moment.

It was already better than before. Leaps and bounds better. But then he tried to deepen it, building on its intensity but adding more… something into it. You couldn’t even tell what it was he was trying to do.

“Okay, second tip…” you inhaled sharply, pushing him off of you with a palm against his chest. Whatever it was, it needed to stop. “You kinda do this thing like… where you’re blowing air into my mouth?” You scrunched your nose, punctuating your dislike. “That feels weird. Don’t do that. If anything, do the opposite.”

“I’m supposed to suck the air out of your mouth?” His face contorted, voice already slightly exasperated. He barely understood what the air thing was that you claimed he did. He didn’t realize in the process of trying to add pressure to the kiss, he was just forcibly blowing against your mouth.

“Not literally, no.” You laughed a little, rubbing your palm in a comforting pattern on his chest.”But you can use your lips to suck on mine, or my tongue… just nothing involving the exchange of breath. We’re not in CPR training.”

He eased up a little with your joke, adjusting to your advice he gave it another try. After a few moments, he latched onto your bottom lip with his own, sucking it softly into his mouth. “Yeah, like that,” you mumbled against him, voice pitching high in encouragement. He sucked on it with a little more greed, holding it for a second, then eased up, varying the pressure of his movements just like you did before.

You made a mental note to praise him for that at a later time, deciding to instead part your lips to see if he’d venture into further experimentation.

He caught on quickly. He parted them further, prodding his tongue against them as you opened to allow him entry. Just as you started to really enjoy it, he ran his tongue over the inside of your mouth, moving it fast and roughly like he was a washing machine.

“Stop,” you grimaced, tearing away quickly. You had to swipe your hand over your mouth to get rid of the excess saliva that really shouldn’t have been an issue in the first place, given how brief the frenching was. “Your tongue is way too aggressive.”

Overwhelmed, he tilted his head to the ceiling and let out a frustrated grunt, slapping his hands down to the top of his thighs.

There were too many factors to worry about. He had no idea how you looked at him with a straight face and told him not to think too much when there were a million things he needed to remember all at once; he needed to vary his moves to keep it interesting, but make sure he’s not ruining the flow by changing things up too much, and to be gentle but not timid.

All of this was second nature to you, but it was brand new to Spencer. Could you really blame him for not getting the hang of it right away? You decided to stop your list of critiques short for this round to spare him. He’d get there eventually, but not if he felt discouraged too soon.

“I don’t see why people like it in the first place,” he huffed, his head returning to it’s normal posture. In Spencer’s eyes, there truly wasn’t any appeal to kissing with tongue; it looked sloppy and unnecessary, and as you’d just confirmed, it actually was.

You thought about his statement for a second. There’s a certain allure to it, and you didn’t know how to describe it to him. So instead you cupped his cheeks in both your palms and slid your mouth over his again. As his jaw slacked its tension, you slowly pushed your tongue past his lips and gently pressed it against his own before swirling them together.

You sighed softly into his mouth, running your fingers through his hair and tugging carefully at the ends. He made a small noise against you, something like a whimper, and you swallowed the vibrations of it. As you retreated, you captured his bottom lip between your teeth and gave it a light, teasing tug. You soothed it again with your lips before releasing it, a proud giggle forming in your chest as Spencer chased after your lips as you broke apart.

“That’s why.” You smirked at the dazed look on his face. His eyelids remained closed longer than necessary, still feeling the ghost of your mouth on his and a tingle where your fingers were in his hair.

“Oh.” His voice came out meek as he slowly came back to reality, brows wrinkling up his forehead as he opened his eyes.

He put both his palms down on the mattress, one laying flat on either side of you, and dove forward to resume the kiss right where you left it. A surprised squeak left you as his mouth collided with yours with an insatiable hunger. You brought one hand back to his hair, and he was a goner.

He unfolded his legs from under himself and shuffled onto his knees, following his hands until he practically crawled into your lap. Each of his legs hooked onto either side of your thighs as he hovered over your lap, leaning his body entirely into yours.

The physics of it didn’t hold up; he’s taller than you are, and his chest was too heavy for you to carry. The balance was off center and it sent you tumbling back onto the mattress, bringing him down with you until his chest laid on yours.

It was the perfect force – the weight of him on top of you. He tasted like peach candy and sour sugar, and you found yourself craving more of it.

You shuffled higher up the mattress, giving him space to stretch out his body as he followed yours. One of his hands found your waist, gripping tightly, while he placed the other on the mattress beside your head, using it to steady himself. Sliding your legs out from under him, you wrapped them on the outside of his hips, using them to pull him closer down to you.

It only broke off in moments when both of you absolutely needed to get air, gasping as you pulled apart for brief reprieve before colliding again. He followed every word of your advice, getting better with each passing second until he exceeded expectations by leaps and bounds.

Your fingers weaved through his hair, passionately tugging the wavy strands to angle him against you and igniting his nerves under your touch. A soft moan leaves him and you’re encouraged to tighten your grip on them. His hips bucked reactively at the sensation, and he quickly pulled back, a slight embarrassment creeping up his cheeks. He got too carried away.

You took in his flushed face and swollen, kiss-bruised lips. They’d turned a shade of red brighter than you’ve ever seen them, and it was all you could do not to dive for them again as his tongue sweeped over them, soothing the burning heat you’d left on them.

Before he could apologize for his eagerness, you nudged your nose against his, your smile skimming against his lips. “So what else don’t you know how to do?”

☆

☆

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[onceuponaoneshotfanfic]

Around the Corner (Part 4)

The Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Quidditch teams practice together while their captains practice being friends.

Oliver Wood x Ravenclaw!Reader

1.9k words

Part 3

~

Something seemed to snap in Oliver. He smiled at people in the hallways, participated in class, and barely screamed at his teammates when they messed up at practice.

Most noticeably, he didn’t start a single argument with Y/N.

Instead, he said hello to her when they passed one another. He asked her to read over his answers on their charms assignment before turning it in. He complimented her on the potion she made in class. Their whole year was confused by the sudden change, and no one was more thrown off than Y/N.

She was especially surprised when he approached her on Thursday afternoon as she entered the Great Hall for lunch.

“Hey! Y/N!” He jogged over to her with a small smile.

She looked up at him quizzically, as if she were waiting for the start of a row.

“What’s up, Wood?”

“You’ve got Slytherin this Saturday, yes?” This wasn’t really a question; they both had the quidditch schedule memorized.

Y/N nodded. “That’s right. Gonna try to get down to the pitch early tomorrow night for one last practice.”

Oliver nodded. “You know, I’ve got the pitch tonight.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You guys could come join us if you want. We could drill and scrimmage together.”

“Really?” Y/N’s eyebrows flew up. Oliver Wood was notoriously private about Gryffindor’s quidditch practices.

“Really,” he repeated with a grin. “Let’s just say I really want to see Flint lose.”

Y/N grinned back now. “Completely understandable. He’s an absolute prat.”

“And you know what they say,” Oliver added. “The enemy of my enemy is my-” He stopped. They both stared at each other a moment, letting the unfinished sentence hang in the air between them. Oliver gulped.

“Friend,” she finally finished for him, flashing him the smile he found he was slowly getting used to seeing. “So, we’ll meet you lot there after dinner?”

Oliver nodded and gave her shoulder a gentle punch. “See you then!”

~

“You’re practicing with the Gryffindors?” Maggie nearly dropped the fork in her hand as she and Penelope gaped at me during dinner that night.

I shrugged. “Yeah. What’s the big deal?”

“Oliver’s really weird about their practices,” Penelope pointed out. “Percy told me he hates having anyone there. Like, boyfriends and girlfriends aren’t allowed to come watch or it’s extra laps for everyone. McGonagall had to stop him from trying to bribe Peeves to guard the pitch for him. And now he’s inviting the Ravenclaw quidditch team to practice with them?” She rose an eyebrow at me.

“He just really wants Slytherin to lose,” I clarified. “I mean, can you blame him?”

Maggie shrugged. “Just seems kinda weird to me.”

Pen nodded. “Same here.”

Before I could retort, someone tapped my shoulder. When I turned, Oliver Wood was standing behind me, his hand up in a half-wave.

“Hey,” he greeted casually, as if the people around weren’t staring at us like they were witnessing Armageddon. “I was thinking we should chat about practice tonight. Wanna make sure we’re on the same page.”

I stared at him a moment. Was this really Oliver Wood standing there, chatting with me as if we were friends? As if we hadn’t spent the last few years snapping at each other and playing cruel pranks on one another?

“Sounds like a good idea,” I slowly agreed.

To the surprise of probably the entire Great Hall, he held is hand out to me. “You ready then?”

The image of his outstretched hand sent a shiver down my spine. Twelve-year-old me would have given anything to have Oliver Wood offer me his hand. How many hours had I spent that year imagining this?

Shoving those memories to the side, I allowed myself to be helped out of my seat by the boy I normally couldn’t be paid to touch. His hand was warm in mine, softer than I expected. As soon as I was off the bench, I pulled my hand back, praying that my cheeks did not look as warm as they felt.

Keeping my head down, I followed him out of the Hall, trying to reassure myself that not every whisper along the four tables were about us. But honestly, who could blame anyone for being as confused as I was? We were notorious for our fights; at one point, poor Professor Sprout had to keep us after class to clean up the literal mud slung by both of us in the greenhouse. Even Professor Dumbledore once joked that if we ever dueled, it would probably rival his famous 1945 battle.

“So, what drills do you usually start with?” Oliver asked nonchalantly as we left the castle and headed down towards the pitch. As if we had these kinds of conversations all the time.

“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “Usually some easy laps to get started, then we take turns making shots…”

We went back and forth on our way to the pitch, sharing some of our favorite practice strategies. Together, we came up with a few things we’d do with our teams before scrimmaging our teams against one another. I had to admit, he was an excellent coach; the boy definitely had a future in the sport.

“… and to end practice, just for fun, sometimes we play keep-away with the quaffle,” he explained with a laugh. “It’s kind of silly, but it’s also good chaser practice. Should we do it?”

“That actually sounds fun,” I admitted. “Let’s do it!”

It wasn’t long before twelve pairs of eyes were watching us quizzically as we explained our plans to them. And I totally understood the confusion; of all the people at Hogwarts, our teammates were probably the greatest witnesses to our combative relationship. Seeing us stand shoulder to shoulder, practically finishing each other’s sentences, was probably more astonishing than if one of us suddenly grew a third arm.

Despite the initial shock, the practice went well. We ran some drills, and my teammates told me they really appreciated Oliver’s tips and coaching. Even some of the Gryffindors were asking me for advice during the drills I led. By the time we started our scrimmage, everyone was feeling that happy tiredness that always follows a great practice.

Oliver eased his way over to me on his broomstick. “You ready?” There was a light edge of teasing in his voice; I couldn’t help but smile at its friendliness.

“Are you ready?” I challenged back.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “How about a little bet?”

I cocked an eyebrow in response.

“Losing team throws the after-game party on Saturday,” he offered.

“Assuming we beat Slytherin,” I added.

Oliver flew a circle around me as our teams got into their positions for the scrimmage. “Trust me, you’ll win.” He shot me a wink before heading to his position in front of the hoops; I hoped he’d assume my flushed face was a result from our workout.

The scrimmage was exciting; the score leapt back and forth like a yo-yo, a testament to both our teams and their talent. Each time I approached the hoops with the quaffle, I found myself admiring the intense look on Oliver’s face, rather than my usual reaction of feeling tempted to throw the quaffle right at it.

Despite the talent of Oliver’s seeker, I called out with excitement along with the rest of my team after Cho caught the snitch. We all landed back on the grass, calling out “Good game” to one another and exchanging high-fives. Oliver reached his hand out to mine and gave a firm shake.

“Guess I owe you a party,” he mused, giving my hand a squeeze before letting go.

“Make sure the butterbeer’s cold,” I answered with a smirk.

Letting out a breathy chuckle, Oliver turned to the two teams waiting to be dismissed. Instead, Oliver picked up the quaffle and tossed it to George Weasley. “Keep away!” he called out.

The Gryffindors jumped into action, clearly familiar with the game. George passed to his twin, who passed the quaffle to another Gryffindor, and so on. Always on their toes, my fellow Ravenclaws quickly caught on and began jumping between Gryffindors in attempts to intercept the ball. After a few tosses, the ball changed hands.

“Oi! Over here!” I waved my arms, signaling my teammate to pass me the quaffle. As the ball landed with a thump in my hands, I felt something wrap around my waist. Without taking note of what- who- it was, I quickly tossed the quaffle to another teammate before I lost my footing and landed on the ground, something heavy landing on top of me.

“S-sorry about that,” Oliver breathed, his golden eyes blinking over and over again. Our noses were practically touching.

Merlin.

“’s alright,” I managed, neither of us rushing to move. I could feel my heart racing through my robes. Or was that Oliver’s?

~

Oliver cleared his throat and lifted himself off the ground. He held out his hand to Y/N. “Should we go ahead and call practice?” he asked, forcing his voice to take a nonchalant tone.

“Hmm?” She shook her head as she allowed Oliver to pull her to her feel. “Oh. Yes, good idea.”

Knowing both teams could see his flushed face, Oliver called everyone over and congratulated them on a good practice. “Now go shower and get some rest!” he shouted with a dismissive wave. Everyone shouted their thanks and left the pitch in groups of twos and threes, brooms over shoulders or at their sides. Oliver quickly gathered the quaffle and his own broom, noting that Y/N was still on the pitch as he approached the equipment trunk.

“Need help carrying that?” she offered, shouldering her own broom as she walked over, watching him double check that all the balls were secure.

“Ah… sure,” he agreed, taking one of the handles on the trunk. After she took the other end, they lifted it and started walking towards the familiar changing rooms, neither quite looking at each other. They settled the trunk into its usual spot and turned to each other awkwardly.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Guess we should head up to the castle,” she said.

Oliver nodded. “Yeah… actually I’m gonna go fly a few laps before I head back.” He tightened his grip on his broom. “But you go on ahead.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Was that disappointment on her face? “Guess I’ll see you in class, Wood.” She waved halfheartedly before turning and walking out the door, her face noticeably red.

Oliver collapsed on the bench and gulped. He felt so stupid; of course he wanted to walk back to the castle with her! But he had a note to write and deliver before heading up to Gryffindor tower, and he jolly well couldn’t do that with Y/N hanging around.

After checking the door to make sure she didn’t come back, Oliver quickly grabbed his bag and pulled out a quill and piece of parchment.

Hello friend, he started. Well, I must admit I’m relieved that I misunderstood the situation! I’m glad this was all a silly misunderstanding.

Oliver paused and looked up in thought. Should he suggest another attempt at meeting? Was he ready to reveal himself? He was enjoying this newfound… friendship? Yeah, he assured himself. They were becoming friends. But would they stay friends once she found out who her admirer was?

With a sigh, he shook his head and went back to writing. He wouldn’t be the one to suggest they try again; but Merlin help him if she did.

Part 5!

[1101001]

THE GIRL WHO FLEW DOWN THE STAIRS _

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‘ the story of akashi meeting you and all the events after that made him realize he was falling for you ’

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character .. akashi seijuurou

word count .. 1.3k

tags .. fem!reader who is energetic but also thoughtful and likes to learn (as requested) , lowkey pining? , s h o g i , written from akashi pov , requested by the lovely bean anon <3 

Akashi’s first impression of you wasn’t anything bad. It wasn’t exactly good either. It was certainly memorable though. ‘The girl who flew down the stairs, knocking him onto the ground, and landing on top of him with a thump’ is how he remembers you. 

The moment was almost cliche. If your eyes had met and lingered on each other, both aware of the position you were in but not moving away, then it possibly would’ve been a scene straight out of some cheesy romance novel. 

Instead, you seemingly bounced straight up upon impact, not even bothering to spare Akashi a second glance. You proceeded to give him a quick apology, running down the next flight of stairs immediately after.

It was definitely one of the odder interactions Akashi had with his fellow students at Rakuzan High, but it amused him nonetheless and made him notice you much more often around campus. Even though you weren’t in any apparent rush anymore, you still radiated this energy that was all bubbly and seemingly ready to burst. 

It brought a small smile on his face every time he saw you, bouncing along hallways without a care in the world, chattering away with your friends. Sure you seemed like the typical happy-go-lucky person, but Akashi couldn’t help but see you as a bit more unique.

Your second interaction with Akashi was an interesting one too, in Akashi’s opinion at least. 

The basketball team had just won a tournament the other day, so Akashi was free this afternoon. He had decided to go challenge some shogi club members to a few games. 

In the middle of one of those games, you walked into the club room.

Akashi didn’t think you were part of the club, and his suspicions were confirmed when another member of the club went to ask if you needed anything. Akashi was definitely not eavesdropping, no he was paying attention to his game (the one he knew he would easily win anyway) when you pulled out an envelope and he happened to overhear you telling the club member that someone asked to meet you. 

Nobody in the room came forward to claim they were the one who sent the letter though. 

After a few awkward, silent moments, you moved to take a seat with some of the other club members. It was an action that surprised Akashi. He figured you would’ve just left because the whole did seem like a waste of time. However, you just sat there asking some club members to teach you how to play. 

Akashi could sense genuine curiosity in you and, needless to say, it intrigued him. It seems like there’s more to the “girl made of energy” than he originally thought.

The clock ticked, and a few rounds later, Akashi decided it was time to head home. Saying his formal goodbyes, he walked out of the clubroom. 

He didn’t expect you to come running after him, almost slamming into him again in the process. 

“You shouldn’t run around school so much, you know. You could end up bumping into people and maybe even hurting them.” The words left Akashi’s lips sounding a lot more teasing and flirtatious than he intended.

You blushed and started rambling out apologies. ‘Cute’ Akashi thought. 

His brain froze. 

Wait. Cute? How-

“Anyway um.. you left your notebook back there…” you said, holding out what was indeed his notebook out towards him.

“Oh…” was all he could say. He rarely forgot his things, especially things as important as his notebook. It seems his mind must’ve been too distracted by... other things. “Thank you L/n-san.”

He saw a slight shock on your face. “You know my name?” 

His brain froze yet again. How was he supposed to answer this question without seeming like a stalker?

“Well yes…” he started before you cut him.

“Didn’t expect the Akashi Seijuurou to know my name.”

He scoffed at that. “I think I’d know the name of the girl who jumped down the stairs and knocked me to the ground.”

“Again, I’m really sorry about that…” you said with a smile, although Akashi could see the guilt that lingered behind your eyes.

“Don’t worry about it,” he quickly said. “I was just…”

He was just what? Flirting? Was he actually flirting? Him. Akashi Seijuurou. Flirting??

“…you know,” he finished quietly.

You didn’t say anything in response but instead looked at him with a peculiar sort of gaze. 

“Um.. hate to make things awkward by asking this but… were you the one who sent me this?” You held up the envelope Akashi saw earlier.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Oh… okay then.” Was it just Akashi’s imagination or did he hear a sliver of disappointment in your tone? “I suppose you don’t know who it is either right?”

He shook his head.

A lot of thoughts rushed through his mind. Did you actually expect him to send you a love letter? Did you hope it was him? 

He sensed you were about to leave though, so before he could regret it, he asked you, “Why do you want to know who sent it anyway?”

Your eyes widened slightly at the question.

“I understand the curiosity and wanting to know who it is but… if they didn’t show up, why are you still waiting?” He clarified.

“Akashi-san, you’ve never confessed to someone have you?”

He gave a slight nod.

“Well, I don’t see why you’d need to,” you mumbled more to yourself than him. Clearing your throat, you continued, “The thing is, confessing takes a lot of courage. And writing this letter asking me to meet them here would’ve taken a whole lot of that courage already. I think that, if they were able to go that far, then I should at least hear them out right?”

That… surprised Akashi. 

“But then again, there’s always a possibility this is just a prank,” you added as an afterthought. 

Unsure of what to say, he just nodded. “It is possible, considering how long you had to wait.”

You smiled, “The wait was fine though. I had fun learning shogi.” 

You actually had fun learning how to play? Looking back, it did seem like you were enjoying yourself… 

It’s strange. Akashi realized just how much his view of you changed in one afternoon. Earlier, you were that bubbly, energetic girl bouncing through the halls. Now, you were this thoughtful and kind person who liked to learn. You also said you had fun playing shogi, which nearly made Akashi’s heart skip a beat.

Oh. 

Oh.

He gets it now. The reason his brain was acting all slow was you. With that thought, everything became clearer. 

Now he wishes that love letter really was a prank.

“Ah Akashi-san, I think I have to go home soon,” you said, holding up your phone. “You’re heading out too right? Wanna walk with me?”

He blinked in surprise but quickly agreed.

“Great, just let me get my things first-” And with that you rushed back into the club room.

Akashi stood staring at the empty hallway, still caught up in his thoughts and trying to process what just happened between you two just a few seconds ago.

When you came back out with your things, he couldn’t help but smile softly. The two of you fell into conversation easily, and by the time you walked out of the school gates, you were still in a talk that showed no signs of nearing an end.

He wanted to continue walking and talking like this, but there was a car and a driver waiting for him in the exact opposite direction of where you were headed.

“Well, goodbye then L/n-san,” he said, hoping the reluctance wasn’t obvious.

You smiled in response. “Goodbye Akashi-san. It was nice talking to you.”

With that the two of you went your separate ways. Throughout the car ride home, Akashi could think of nothing but you. It would seem… he has taken quite the liking to you.

He isn’t sure what’ll happen next, but he’s looking forward to seeing you again and hopefully, talking more with you too.

. . .

note .. THIS CAME OUT LONGER THAN ORIGINALLY INTENDED but anyway i actually enjoyed writing this,,, yk all the stuff potentially going thru akashi’s mind when he has a crush intrigues me and uhh i hope u guys liked this and if u do PLS LMK WHAT U THINK !! it would legit mean the world if u guys did <3