#His perception checks improved over time

[fvngus]

How it started vs How it is going.

Babsi is asking for measurements the third time this week. And it is tuesday.

[ohtobeleah]

Secret Sacrifices // Jake Seresin

Chapter One: [Mermaids Don’t Exist]

Summary: Jake continues to plays your knight in shining armour when tensions rise between you and an overly intoxicated patron. Bob brings up a mutual memory.

Warnings: Jake Seresin x F!reader. Witness Protection F!reader. Sexually degrading comments made towards reader. Sexual tension, trauma. Mentions of death & violence.

Word Count: 3.5k

Author Note: Still not writing as much as I once was but I’m getting back into the swing of things. Any comments, thoughts or concepts are welcome!

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Dreams mainly occur when the body falls into a stage of sleep referred to as R.E.M. Rapid eye movement occurs when the brain and body are finally able to completely rest. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that when your body is able to rest, it allows you to do so. 

“We’ll find you, Y/n!” 

Nightmares are typically thought to be an evolutionary conserved trait. Some researchers believe that nightmares provide a rehearsal for life-or-death situations. Before you lived one? You would have said something along the lines of ‘that checks out.’

“No no no no please, Patrick, stay with me—“ 

Some researchers believe nightmares to be a practical experience for many people as it allows the brain to run through multiple different algorithms to find the most desirable strategies, and solutions to often critical and complex situations. 

From a procedural standpoint, simply imagining doing an action can improve your performance.  

“I love you—take Charlie.”

This applies when we simply imagine doing an action such as playing the piano or running for your life after being run off the road, it activates something called a mirror neuron. 

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with here, girly.” 

In theory, the more nightmares you have, the more of those algorithms your brain is able to run, and the more prepared you’re likely to be for the daily struggle of survival. 

But evolution herself is seen by the scientific community more so as a tinkerer than as an inventor. 

“Oh god—please, not my baby, please! Someone! Help us!” 

So, that’s probably why you have the same nightmare over and over and over again every single night. 

Every morning you wake in the same way, with your face pressed into your pillow and your chest sinking into your mattress. Secretly, every morning you wished that your pillow would have suffocated you in your sleep so that today would forever be unobtainable. But you couldn’t do that, no. Not when the only way to bring a sense of worth to your life was to keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

With a groan and a look that spoke volumes to your lack of self-esteem, you rolled onto your back and let out a heavy sigh. Your hands were quick to shield your eyes from the mid-afternoon rays beaming into your bedroom via the slightly cracked windows. 

“Your name is Y/n Y/l/n, you are doing the right thing.”

Guilt and grief aren’t linear emotions. They don’t have a perception of how much time has passed. Realistically it had been three years, six months, and two days since your entire world had been flipped upside down. But every morning, after seeing your husband bleeding to death as he sat pressed against the steering wheel, and having held your five-year-old son in your arms while he took his last breath, the wound was reopened.

And the clock always resets.

“Ah, there she is.” You couldn’t help but hang your head in shame almost. Penny’s glare from behind the bar was as piercing and sharp as it was endearing and playful. Like a woman who took no shit from no one. “You know, you’d think management would be here on time more frequently than whatever the hell this is.” All you could do was take the semi-serious scattering from the owner of the bar you’d been lucky enough to be set up with a pretty good gig at. “Get over here and give me a hand will ya?” 

“Sorry, Penny—” There wasn’t much more you could say to justify yourself. You woke up late, got ready slowly, and got lost in the steam of your mid-afternoon shower as you fought off the existential dread that was your current situation. “Flat tyre,” You shrugged like it wasn’t that big of a deal that you were currently twenty-three minutes late for your shift, “I’ll make it up to you.” 

“Yeah well, you can start by clearing off the table by the piano,” Penny smiled as she nudged her head in the direction of the unruly table of patrons that had surely had far too much to drink. “Think Rick’s had a little more than his liver would care to admit.” 

“Yeah righto,” you sighed as you came behind the bar, doing up your apron as you looked around at the utter mess that had become the place. “I’ll sort him out.” 

North Island wasn’t somewhere you ever saw yourself living, but that was the real kicker in all of this. You didn’t mind the picturesque town with clear blue skies and water that mirrored it. But being the outsider, being the new resident, being the Hard Deck’s newest manager was all some of these people saw you as. Six months in a small Naval town was barely a dint in the years some of these families had been living here. 

“Aw hello, Brewer!” Rick Spencer, the resident rioter, cooed as he beamed your way. For someone in their mid-sixties, he surely went alright. “What brings you in on this fine Saturday afternoon?”

Typical - If you could have, you would have rolled your eyes so far into the back of your head you would have fallen over. Instead, you chose to smile and settle into the nightlife festivities with a can-do attitude and a rather cheeky smile. 

“Came to check on you, Spence? How’s everything over here boys?” It wasn’t uncommon for you to entertain the banter most of the patrons would give you. Most of the locals had caught on quickly that you enjoyed a good laugh every now and again but also knew how to handle your own. 

But there's always one in every group, isn’t there? 

“Would be a hell of a lot better if the barmaid was a little more topless! Right boys!?” A man you hadn’t seen before interrupted before a roar of ‘yeahs’ and agreements were made. Fists and beer bottles along with spirits alike slammed against the tabletop. “Come on girly—” The man continued as you stood there holding the empty bar tray, ready and waiting to collect the empties that littered the table. “Get your kit off.” 

“I don’t think so, boys,” You politely declined the offer of public indecency. “Perhaps in another lifetime.” 

“Sorry about him, Brewer,” Rick explained as he shook his head and stood from his seat at the booth. “My nephew’s here for a few days.”  

“Yeah well, so long as he remembers I run the joint and can have him tossed any time,” You replied sternly. “Keep him in line, Rick.” 

“Oh come on now, sweetheart, I was only joking!” The man you only knew as the nephew chuckled as he overheard your comment. “It’s slim pickings around here anyway, you just look like the best of a bad bunch is all.” 

“Hey!” That voice, that far too familiar voice echoed through the crowd. “You speak to her, or any woman for that matter, like that again? So help me god I’ll punch your teeth right through the back of your skull.” Jake snarled as he came to stand in front of you with his back nearly pressed right into your chest. “Got it!?” The close proximity, the overwhelming aroma of the familiar cologne, and the notes of burnt orange and bourbon made your heart warm. It all had your heart beating against your chest with a force so intense you thought it might break through. 

“Yeah right,” the man only known as the nephew agreed. “Sorry, sweetheart, I’ll get on the waters for a while.” 

“That and a pretty big tip should call us even,” you added with envy conviction laced in your voice that you even had yourself fooled that everything was alright. “Let me just grab these empties for you fellas.” 

You didn’t mess around with it, you simply let the group fall back into their regular chatter as you filled your tray. 

Jake stood with crossed arms a little off to the side, eyeing off all the men who sat idly. Fucking pricks. 

“Been here all of five fucking minutes—” Jake could sense your frustration as you turned into him. At first, he didn’t move, he simply stood there drinking you in as you held the now full tray of dirty glassware. 

“You didn’t have to do that for me,” was all you said. 

With wandering eyes, Jake didn’t miss a single inch of you. 

“I know,” Jake smiled softly as he reached around to lead you back to the bar for a moment to decompress. His hand gently fell to the small of your back as you walked side by side, “I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself, but just because you’re capable? Doesn’t mean you have to go it alone.” 

Alone, that’s all you’d ever been for the last three years. 

“Yeah, yeah I guess you’re right,” the sigh that left your body allowed your shoulders to relax as you placed the tray onto the bar and slid it over for Penny to take. “Thanks, Jake, I owe you one.” 

Jake Seresin had never been the kind of guy who saw himself settling down. But when he first saw you, that thought hadn’t left his mind. 

“Name a time and place,” Jake teased as he sent you a wink. It didn’t take Jake long to find himself at home up by the bar, perched on one of the bar stools as he entertained his favourite bartender. “I’ve always wondered what our first date would be like.” 

“Do I look like I came down in the last shower, Seresin?” You knew Jake had a thing for you, it wasn’t all that hard to put together. But it could never work, not in a million years. Not when you were playing pretend on a professional basis.

“What’s that even mean?” Jake asked as he leaned his elbows on top of the bar, grinning ear to ear as he pressed your buttons more. 

“It means—“ You cooed as you leaned into his space, making it known that the flirting was welcome, but the end goal wasn’t in sight. “I know you’re just trying to get in my pants.” 

“Pretty good-looking set of pants if I do say so myself,” Jake teased as his eyes trailed down the expanse of your body, then back up. Those emerald cities of his were full of complex wonder and undoubtable loyalty. Something you could never give back. “But despite the fact I think you’re pants would look a hell of a lot better in a pile on my bedroom floor, I’m not just doing any of this for a chance to, well, you know what I mean.” 

You did know what Jake meant, and for all intents and purposes you could admit to yourself that it sounded very tempting. But you knew what the repercussions would be.

“Jake, that’s all very sweet of you,” you felt as if you had this very conversation every week. The gentle let down. The kind-ish conversation where you reminded the overly-confident and somewhat self-assured Aviator that you weren’t looking for love or lust, or anything. Besides, there were already too many people looking for you. “But you know, as much as I think you’re a good guy and friend, I’m not interested.” 

Jake stood silently before you, drinking in all that was you. From the lines etched into your forehead to the small scar that ran through your left eyebrow. He wasn’t listening, there was just something about you. Something so intriguing that he couldn’t stop trying to win you over. He couldn’t stop trying to get you to give him just one chance. One chance was all Jake wanted to convince you he wasn’t everything he knew people had told you he was. 

“What would you say if I asked you to–” Before Jake had a chance to finish his question, the echoing sound of a glass shattering into smitherings against the wooden flooring, interrupted his train of thought. 

“OOOIII– TAXI!” It was almost as if all the patrons, besides Jake that was, had all congealed into one as they yelled shouted and cheered towards the man who had dropped his glass. With a heavy sigh and a quick roll of the eyes, you knew you would be the one who ultimately had to clear the mess. 

“I should probably get back to work.” The silence that came from Jake was deafening as you pulled away from where you had been standing far too close to a man you thought you didn’t want. A man you couldn’t have even if deep down you really wanted. Life was unfair like that. You couldn’t have anything you wanted, anything you loved. Anything that made you happy in the smallest of ways. 

“There’s really no chance of getting you to agree to just one date, is there Brewer?” Jake watched as you made your over to where you kept the cleaning supplies in a small section behind the bar. 

“If you already know that then why do you constantly make such an effort?” It was the look on your face that told Jake everything he needed to know. There was no chance in hell he was ever getting that date. 

But Jake Seresin never gave up without a fight, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to now. 

“Because you gentled me, Brewer,” Jake Seresin had never been the type of person who wanted to settle down. He was always so content with the relations he chose to have and the way he chose to have them. Short simple quick flings. Girlfriends who lasted no longer than a year and one-night stands he’d promise to call but never got their numbers. But then there was you. “No one’s ever done that before.” 

“Please don’t put that on my shoulders, Jake,” You weren't sure how to respond to that, how to process that kind of admission. “Just lay off the heroics for a while alright? I don’t want people getting the wrong impression.” 

“That impression would be?” Jake questioned like you’d just insulted his very being. That it would be a crime to love him. 

“Jake, I have a job to do alright,” It wasn’t that you were angry or upset that Jake cared for and about you. It was more frustration on your part for not being able to act on your own feelings towards him. It had been three years since your husband died. Three years since you felt the loving embrace of another human being. That alone was enough to frustrate anyone. “Please, just–just, I need to get back to work.” 

The thing about nightmares is that they often don’t stick to their own parameters. Sometimes, you end up living a nightmare more often than you dream one. Right now? As Jake looked at you like you’d just shot him through the heart, you knew you were wide awake. Living a nightmare that continued to punish only the good. 

“You’re untouchable,” Jake sighed to himself softly as he shook his head in defeat. ���The untouchable woman who won’t let anyone in, you’re too proud or something aren’t you?” 

“It’s just–” All you wanted to do was explain yourself, pull Jake aside and let him in on why you couldn’t allow him to love you the way you wanted him to. But no words came out as you stood there holding the old dustpan by your side. 

With every blink, you saw flashes of Patrick. The love you lost too soon, too suddenly. He made sure to haunt your dreams to keep you safe. For a brief second of all-consuming anguish, you saw him too. Standing right behind Jake, warning you not to. “I need to get back to work, I’m sorry.” 

“Right,” Jake clenched his jaw when he felt the word vomit about to spew from his lips. He wasn’t mad, rejection just wasn’t something he was familiar with. “When you get a chance, put a Budweiser on Bradshaw’s tab.” Jake pressed his lips together into a fine line of regret, instantly kicking himself for pushing. He knew he shouldn’t have, but the chase was as addicting as it was thrilling. With a simple knock of his knuckles on the bar before, he turned on his heels. Leaving you to stand there in your own self-loathing. 

Your heart sank as you watched Jake shove his hands into the pockets of his jeans with a head that hung so low you almost wondered if his neck would be sore. Guilt, shame, it all felt the same. But you couldn’t let Jake in, you couldn’t allow him into your life more than what you’d given him over the last six months. 

You’d tangled yourself in barbed wire so you couldn’t be reached by anyone. Unknowingly bleeding when as it digs into you more and more. You would think the touch of skin on yours wouldn’t be so terrifying, but you’d been bruised before. You couldn’t allow Jake to fall into your web of lies that kept you safe from harm’s way. If hurting him was the only way to keep him safe, you’d hurt him twice over every single day.

Perhaps it would be safer to stay the untouchable woman. 

***~***~***~***~***~****

As a child, there was magic in the mundane. You often found yourself missing the mermaids among the koi in the pond, their glittering scales reminiscent of a childhood fairytale. Summer mornings you’d make bouquets out of the same flowers adults would now mow away while wrinkling their noses at the weeds. 

You often wondered to yourself when the awe of the day-to-day faded away and when you stopped believing in your ability to see mermaids in the momentous world around you. 

“Another round fellas?” You tried not to think too much about the way Jake’s eyes burned into you like a fiery sunbeam as you stood behind Rooster. “Same old same old? The usual orders of Bradshaw’s table?” The squad, affectionately known as the Daggers erupted into laughter all the while Rooster remained silent and brooding. 

“You are all bleeding my dry,” Bradley sighed as you made the rounds and collected all the empties onto your bar tray. “Seriously, I know you aren’t all working for free, cough up.” 

“You could– just apologise for being a Neanderthal and I’ll close it out?” Your statement left a bad taste in Rooster’s mouth, he wasn’t one for apologising for things he didn’t think he’d done wrong. 

“I could,” the brooding moustache-having man replied. “But it’d be an empty lie.” There was something about Bradley Bradshaw that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. He wasn’t necessarily a bad person, he was–an only child. He probably never imagined mermaids among the koi.  

“Appreciate the honesty there, Bradshaw,” you chuckled deeply as you finished you collecting all the empty glasses and beer bottles. “Guess the next rounds on you.” 

“Here here,” Coyote chimed in with a Cheshire Cat grin. “All in a hard day’s work there Rooster, you always know how to piss off the barkeep.” 

“Works out in our favour,” Bob smiled as he passed you two empty glasses. “I don’t think I’ve paid for a drink of my own in a few weeks now.” 

“No, you just keep trying to convince everyone Brewer here was your first kiss,” Phoenix smirked as she finished off her beer. 

All the air inside your lungs felt like they had been sucked right out. The chills that ran down the expanse of your spine made your blood run cold. You stood tall with your now full tray of old beer bottles and empty glasses and sent a polite smile Bob’s way. 

“You still riding that wave?” 

“You just really look like Y/n from Nurellun Public,” Bob countered with an almost pleading tone. “She was my first kiss by the sandpit and I remember she had a little yellow dot in her right eye.” 

“Brewer has a yellow dot in her right eye,” Jake decided to enter the conversation from his place in the corner of the booth. “Tell you what Floyd, you must have been one shocking kisser if you got Brewer here to change her damn name.” The table erupted into a loud boisterous laugh as the Weapons System Officer sunk a little lower into his seat. 

You felt for Bob, being the butt of the joke was never a good feeling. But when your case officer relocated you to North Island, he didn’t bank on one of its locals being your first snog. You hated gaslighting the guy, but you had no other choice. Bob Floyd had to stay in the era of Meridamis and weed bouquets. 

“Like I told you last time Bob, you’ve got the wrong girl,” It was as nonchalant as it was dismissive. “My first kiss was with Johnny Bennett out at some random guys shed.” You had gotten used to lying about your life and who you were. At the very beginning it was almost impossible, but three years on? You’d gotten pretty good at playing pretend. 

Only you wished it could be with the mermaids in their fairytales. But much like all those mermaids and all those fairytale stories……you didn’t exist. Much like Johnny Bennett.  

***~***~***~***~***~ 

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[hockeylovee12]

Crossing Enemy Lines

Chapter Two

Luke Hughes x Original Character

Warnings: Cussing

A/N This chapter was updated on 04/11 to replace the photo and then improve the text. The story line remains there's just a few minor adds.

November 11th, 2023

The mid-morning sun filters through the curtains in Luke’s room, casting a gentle glow across his face, as he slowly stirs awake. 

His eyes flutter open and he immediately feels the dull throb of a slight headache. 

With a groan, Luke rolls over and buries his face into the soft pillow. He silently thanks the hockey gods that his coach-even if it was done reluctantly-gave the team the day off, allowing him to nurse his minor hangover in peace. 

Fumbling around on the nightstand, his long fingers finally find his phone. He squints at the screen, taking a moment to adjust to the brightness as he swipes through his notifications. 

A text from his brother Quinn catches his eye: Tough game last night bud. 

Luke sighs, remembering the bitter taste of defeat, his team suffered last night at the hands of their fucking rivals the Rangers. 

He makes a mental note to call Quinn later, and check in on how his game went, knowing the Vancouver Canucks played the reigning cup champs last night, but having no clue how it went. 

The next message is from his mom: Hi sweetie, Dad and I are so excited to see you and Jacky this weekend! How’s everything going? 

A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, as he types out a response to his mom indicating his excitement to see her too, before hitting send and returning to check the rest of his notifications. 

As he scrolls a text from an unknown number appears on his screen: Hey it’s Jordan. I had a great time tonight, let’s do it again :) 

Luke’s heart skips a beat as he reads through the message, and a flutter of excitement courses through his veins. Memories of the previous night flood his mind-the laughter, the easy conversation and the undeniable spark he felt between him and Jordan. His smile widens as he types out the response: I’d like that. 

Just as he hits the send button, the door to his room swings open and Jack strolls in, uninvited of course-a habit Luke has had to become reacquainted with since joining the Devils, and moving in with Jack. 

“What’s got you smiling so early in the morning?” Jack asks, his voice equal parts teasing and curious. 

Luke quickly locks his phone, trying to play it cool “Don’t worry about it,” he mumbles

But Jack, ever the perceptive older brother, narrows his eyes and in one swift motion snatches the phone from Luke’s grasp, ignoring his younger brother’s protests, as he types in his password. 

“Lets see what we have here” he says, a mischievous glint in his eye as he reads the text from Jordan “Ah is this the girl from last night?” 

Luke swiftly stands up and lunges towards Jack trying to grab his phone, but Jack holds him at arm's length. 

“Fine, yes, now give me back my phone” Luke grumbles, his cheeks flushing with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. 

“Not so fast,” Jack grins, his eyes still glued to the screen “You like her, don’t you?” 

Luke hesitates, his mind racing. He likes Jordan, he likes Jordan a lot. There’s something about her-about her laugh, about her smile, about her energy, the way she carries herself. As he ponders for a response, his phone beeps, signaling a new message. 

“She’s asking when you’re free” Jack informs him, his eyes scanning the screen. 

“Today?” Jack says, his fingers flying across the keyboard, to type out the very question he said aloud. 

“Wait. Jack don’t-” Luke tries to warn, but it’s too late. Jack hits send, a triumphant grin on his face. 

Luke finally manages to snatch his phone back, his heart pounding as he stares at the screen. 

Three little dots appear, then disappear, and for a moment Luke forgets how to breathe. 

Then, a white bubble pops up, with a single word that sends his pulse racing: Sure.

Jack leans over Luke’s shoulder, a smirk playing on his lips “You’re welcome” he says his tone equal parts smug and supportive. 

Luke playfully shoves Jack away, a genuine smile spreading across his face “Get out” he laughs, guiding his brother towards the door. 

As the door clicks shut behind Jack, Luke leans against it, his eyes fixated on his phone, as his smile widens. 

He quickly types out a message, asking where they should meet, and Jordan’s response comes almost immediately suggesting a cafe in New York City. 

Luke responds: Sounds good. How’s 1pm? 

Jordan replies: Works for me! I’ll send you the address. See you soon. 

With a grin Luke types out Looking forward to it, and sets his phone down, a flutter of anticipation rises in his chest as he thinks about seeing her again. 

He takes a deep breath, then pushes off the door, making his way to the bathroom, to start getting ready. 

 *****

Luke’s breath forms a cloud in the crisp New York air as he pushes open the door to the quaint cafe nestled on the corner of a bustling street. 

His heart races with anticipation as he scans the room for Jordan. 

He spots her at a table, her face lighting up with a smile, as she waves him over. 

“Hey” Luke greets her sliding into the seat across from her 

“Hi,” Jordan replies, her eyes sparkling. 

They order their drinks- an ice tea for Luke and a matcha latte for Jordan, before easily falling into a conversation.

“Oh before I forget,” Jordan says, reaching into her bag. She pulls out a well-worn paperback and hands it to Luke. “You asked me to recommend something for you and uh this is one of my all time favorites” She explains

Luke smiles, turning the book over in his hand, and looks at the title The Great Gatsby

“Thank you Jordan, that was really kind” Luke expresses 

“Well, you did promise me you’d actually read it” Jordan teases her eyes twinkling with mirth. 

Luke chuckles setting the book down on the table, “I’ll dive into it as soon as I can”

 They continue chatting, swapping stories and laughing at each other's jokes. They delve into various topics from their favorite movies, to their most embarrassing childhood memories.

"...and then I tripped, face-first into the cake," Jordan recounts, laughing at the memory. "My mom was horrified, but my brother couldn't stop laughing."

Luke chuckles, imagining a young Jordan covered in frosting. "Siblings, they never let you live anything down, do they?"

“Definitely not, do you have siblings?” 

“Ya I uh, I got two older brothers” Luke tells 

“Baby of the family?” Jordan teases. 

“Something like that” He jokes

“Don’t worry I’m the baby of mine too” She says, eliciting a laugh from Luke. 

They continue their conversation, shifting the topic to their favorite places. 

At one point their hands brush against one anothers on the table sending a jolt of electricity through both their bodies. Luke looks up, his eyes meeting Jordan’s, and for a moment the rest of the world fades away. 

They lean in, drawn to each other like magnets. Luke’s heart races as he inches closer, his gaze dropping to Jordan’s lips. 

And just as they're on the brink of sharing what would most likely be a magical kiss, the loud buzzing sound of a notification on Luke’s phone startles them both. 

Instinctively, he turns the phone face up, his brightness fully illuminated, and as he clears the random alert, his lock screen comes into view-a picture of him in his New Jersey Devils uniform, standing proudly on the ice. 

Jordan’s eyes widen as she catches a glimpse of the image, and her heart skips a beat. 

Luke notices her reaction and realizes his mistake. 

"Alright, um, I guess you kinda caught me," he admits sheepishly. "I'm not a student. I, uh, I play in the NHL."

Jordan is silent for a moment, processing this newfound information. Luke laughs nervously, trying to lighten the mood. "You know, most girls think it's pretty cool. Did you have a terrible experience with a hockey player or something? Promise not all of us are the same."

Jordan hesitates before speaking. "You play for the Devils?"

"Yeah," Luke confirms, studying her reaction.

"Don't tell me you hate hockey?" He somewhat jokes, hoping to god and beyond her answer isn't yes cus that's the biggest deal breaker in the world. 

Jordan hesitates, her expression unreadable. "No I um, I don't hate. My, uh, my brother plays," she reveals, her voice soft.

Luke's brows furrowed in confusion. "Oh, cool. In the NHL?"

"Yeah," Jordan sighs.

"Who's your brother?" Luke asks, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Jacob Trouba."

Luke's jaw drops, his eyes widening in shock. "Your brother is Jacob Trouba?!" he exclaims, a hint of anger creeping into his voice.

"Guilty," Jordan half-jokes, trying to diffuse the tension.

Luke runs his hands through his hair, muttering under his breath, "What the fuck."

Jordan bristles at his reaction. "Hey, it doesn't really change anything."

"Are you kidding me?" Luke scoffs, his frustration mounting.

"What?" Jordan challenges, her own irritation rising to the surface.

"Your brother is the captain of the Rangers, and I'm a Devil," Luke points out, as if it should be obvious.

Jordan laughs, but there's an edge to it. "So?"

"So? What do you mean, 'so'?" Luke asks incredulously.

"What does it change?" Jordan counters, her eyes narrowing.

"Wh-what? Everything!" Luke sputters. "Why didn't you mention this?"

Jordan's face hardens. "Are you kidding me? I didn't mention my last name because I had no fucking clue you gave a shit about hockey. In case you forgot, you told me you were a college student. Failed to mention you're actually in the fucking NHL."

Luke tries to defend himself. "Yeah, but that's different. I didn't tell you cus I figured you be some kinda fan girl, which by the way would be a hell of a lot better than you being the sister to the captain of my biggest rival" 

Jordan lets out a harsh laugh, "Rival? Oh My God! Are you serious? Do you hear how ridiculous you sound?" 

"It's not ridiculous" Luke claims

Jordan scoffs "You're right it's not ridiculous, it's just fucking comical" She stands abruptly, grabbing her purse "Grow the fuck up, Luke" 

With that, she turns on her heel and storms out of the cafe, leaving Luke sitting there, stunned. 

The copy of The Great Gatsby still lies on the table, a painful reminder of the moment that had slipped away.

With a heavy sigh, Luke stands, tossing a few bills on the table to cover their drinks and picks up the book, scoffing at the irony of it all, as he walks towards the exit of the cafe, and steps back out onto the bustling streets of New York, a scowl plastered across his face, at the unfortunate turn of events. 

 *****

Luke returns to his and Jack’s apartment, his mood sour and his thoughts consumed by the disastrous end to his date with Jordan.

As he enters the living room, he finds Jack sitting on the couch, his phone propped up in front of him. The familiar voice of Quinn filters through the speaker, indicating that they're in the middle of a FaceTime call.

Jack looks up, a smirk playing on his lips. "Hey, Lukey! How'd the date go?"

"Shut up," Luke grumbles, plopping down on the couch beside Jack.

Quinn's voice chimes in, concern evident in his tone. "What's wrong, Luke?"

Luke sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Just didn't go well," he says vaguely, not wanting to delve into the details.

Jack and Quinn exchange a glance through the screen, their brotherly instincts kicking in. "Come on, man," Jack prods gently. "Talk to us."

Luke shakes his head, his gaze fixed on the floor. "It's not gonna work out, that's all."

"Why not?" Quinn asks, his brow furrowed.

"Just... not going to," Luke responds, his tone indicating that he doesn't want to discuss it further.

Jack and Quinn sense Luke's reluctance and decide not to push the matter. "Alright, bud," Quinn says, his voice sympathetic. "I'm sorry, but maybe things will still work out?"

"Not gonna happen" Luke mumbles, anger creeping into his voice. 

Jack leans back on the couch, trying to lighten the mood. "It's probably for the best, come on, man. You don't gotta be hung up on some random girl when we're trying to win a Cup."

Luke nods, forcing a small smile. "Yeah." He stands up, stretching his arms above his head. "I'm gonna go lay down for a bit."

"Okay," Jack says, understanding in his eyes. "We'll be here if you need us."

Luke makes his way to his room, and decides to take a shower, hoping the hot water will help clear his head.

As the steam fills the bathroom, Luke's internal monologue takes over. He knows he doesn't need to be in a relationship, but the idea of having someone by his side isn't entirely unappealing.

His thoughts drift to his past relationships, or lack thereof. It seems like everyone around him has someone - Quinn with his girlfriend, Jack with his rotating roster of dates. But for Luke, finding a genuine connection has always been a struggle.

The last real relationship he had was back at Michigan, and even that ended in heartbreak when he discovered the girl was only using him for his family name. But now, with Jordan, he thought he'd finally found something real, something special and the fucking irony that for once it wasn’t his last name that ruined something, it’s stupid, it’s fucking stupid. 

As he steps out of the shower and changes into comfortable clothes, Luke can't shake the feeling of loneliness that settles in his chest. He lies in bed, scrolling aimlessly through his phone, trying to distract himself from the ache in his heart. 

It doesn’t work, he tosses his phone to the side, staring at the paperback book he threw on his nightstand. 

Suddenly, his phone buzzes with a notification. For a brief, hopeful moment, he thinks it might be Jordan, reaching out to apologize or explain. But instead, it's a message in the Devils' group chat,

Reminder practice tomorrow 9 AM. 

Luke groans, his disappointment palpable as he tosses his phone onto the nightstand and buries his head in his pillow.

A/N Part 3 coming soon

[gerbymoo]

💔💔💔Bucci Gang Dealing With a Breakup 💔💔💔

Because I love making characters who experience pain experience even more pain (◣ _ ◢)

Giorno The calm and collected blonde who had just begun to grow comfortable in letting his emotions out on display for you begins to regress back to keeping it all to himself. He doesn’t cry, he’s learned crying does nothing to fix the situation just as it didn’t fix the neglect of his mother. However, his inner turmoil prompts him to have other out of control reactions. He’s shaking more than usual, his concentration is completely off, his isolation is even more apparent even on days where it seems things are going to be okay. The others make attempts to dissuade Giorno out of these harmful habits but to no merit, it is best to let him decide when he is ready to talk about this. The thing with Giorno however is that he will also conclude there is no need to talk about it. He hurt you and you decided to move on. It was only logical, despite how detrimental of a loss it was to him. On rare occasions, he would sit in his room, spacing out and thinking about you in every little detail, all of the observations he had made of you. It would be weeks until he would finally shed a small tear, realizing how complacent he had been in just letting you go. He was ruthless and forthcoming in other matters but he felt great shame for not showing the same degree of importance to you and the relationship.

Bucciarati

Similarly, he tries not to personalize this too much as he understands the nature of the game. He is a capo after all, of course he wouldn’t be able to freely make time for you as much as he would like. However unlike Giorno, he is more quickly to fold over and realize the emotional mess he has become. His drinking is usually always under control, but now the others have pointed out how much he drinks, downing a whole bottle of wine in a sitting. He is always able to focus on things on a rational level not letting his emotions influence him too much, but he finds his hand shaking as he holds his phone, fighting himself to not call or message you out of desperation and a need to know that you are doing fine. He also feels great shame for letting it all go too easily and for just accepting it without much of a fight.

He is able to keep appearances with the others for the most part but there are subtle changes that everyone sees but no one wants to bring up. This is Bruno after all, he will always just put their needs over his own despite their protests. He misses you, he blames himself for absolutely everything. It will take him a very long time to be able to move on. He might check in on you just to ensure your safety but is always dying on the inside if he were to ever find out you moved on with someone who could provide you with something he never could. 

Fugo

Things end in a very chaotic way and immediately triggers his black and white perceptions of things. This was your fault, you weren’t being reasonable enough to understand the type of person he is. If it was his out of control anger that pushed you away from him then so be it, he obviously is in no position to make improvements on himself. Nothing much changes from his usual self other than he becomes even more snappy and becomes a bit too physically aggressive with potential enemies. He’s brought in by the older gang members about his need to cool off and even take some time to himself but he always refuses. If he were to take time off for himself it would only lead to worse things because the only thing that would cloud his thoughts would be you. You deserved better, you didn’t deserve the ticking time bomb that he was. He finally accepts how he had a large part to play because he was still that immature, defensive child even with someone as caring and as understanding as you. He decides it's best to just let you go for someone much more suited for you. He finds himself returning to playing the piano after years of letting it collect dust, preferring there to be some noise than the echoing silence of not having you there. 

Narancia

It’s hard for him to fully process and understand what it all means, or more importantly, hard for him to fully accept that your presence just wouldn’t be there anymore. The first couple of days he acts as if nothing had happened. The denial runs deep and he continues to be his old cheery self, joking with the others and looking at life through a bright lens because you’d come back after all, right? The weeks go on and it becomes more of a reality that this is how things will be from now on. He becomes more quiet, a bit more withdrawn and his zest is seemingly shot down for a lot of things.

Panic sets in and he finds himself hyperventilating more frequently, the others pointing this out of concern for him. The abandonment comes in in full fruition, having flashbacks of when he lost his mother and how his father couldn’t care less. Yes he still had the others but without you it felt entirely incomplete, there was always that caring and comforting presence of yours and it’s actually gone because of his own incompetence.  It’s only when he cries it out with Fugo when he realizes that you are gone for good this time, unable to rationalize or control his intense emotions about everything. 

Mista

Surprisingly, he is used to the nature of relationships, both long term and short term. This isn’t to say it doesn’t hurt him nor does he have to take some time to come to terms with what’s happened, but that’s just how life works after all. No need to dwell on it and no need to stop living just because you’re not in the picture anymore. And for a while, things seem to be going well for him! That is until he sees old pictures of you on his phone that he hasn’t bothered to delete. Or when he orders a dessert and realizes you aren’t there to share it with him. Or simply realizing how much he actually missed a lot of these small details of you, such as your scent, how your eyes looked in the sun, how your voice sounded when you called his first name. 

He smiles through the pain, and the others can see that it is a forced smile for the most part. He catches himself looking through old text convos in the middle of the night, berating himself for becoming so attached and in trying to figure out where he messed up. He repeatedly tries to find some sort of logical explanation through his own world, any pattern of fours or perhaps he hasn’t been praying as often as he needs to and this is divine punishment. He’s only open about it with some members of the gang, but soon lets the feeling come and go despite how hard it is to realize that this was one of those relationships he wanted for the long term.

Abbacchio

Everyone can see the growing storm cloud over his head as his demeanor becomes even more guarded, more gloomy and more rigid. He doesn’t talk to anyone, disappearing for a while and giving the reason that there are personal things he needs to take care of. Drinking is the easy part of it and he knows it’s not the solution, but the self destructive thoughts is what kills him on the inside. It’s not even a, we had a miscommunication type of situation, he begins to genuinely believe there is just something seriously wrong with him and that he will be incapable of forming healthy relationships from here on out. Or simply refusing to have something intimate with anyone that isn’t you. 

Bucciarati is the only one that catches him on his downward spiral and strenuously snaps him back into reality. He sobers up for the most part but refuses to want to know anything about what happened with you or where you are now. He rationalizes better with himself and returns to his usual routine, no questions asked. Unsurprisingly during the harder days, or when there is a reminder of you, he will use his stand to replay every single moment of enjoyment he had with you until he is to the point of exhaustion. 

Trish

Almost goes through the entire stages of denial in the span of a week once it’s set in stone that things are over. There is poison in her voice and how all of this is your fault and how she never wishes to ever see you again. She regresses back into that scared teenager, afraid of what will happen to her and with no indication of who to actually trust. She trusted you, and you did too and it takes a day for her to fully come to terms that it was also her doing to have pushed you away. She finds herself lost in thought of you, spacing out in risky situations and often enough to have the others bring her attention back to earth frequently.

In the final stages she cries her heart out, her eyes permanently puffy and swollen and her voice unrecognizable as he quarantines herself in her room. She’s still holding anger towards you but now mostly towards herself. She impulsively destroys every picture she took of you only to find herself taping them all back together after the matter. She becomes more in control of herself once the adrenaline runs out, and although it still hurts, she convinces herself of worse circumstances she has been able to overcome. 

[fatuifucker]

mockingbird

[art cr: korusakku on twt]

soft dom dottore x sub frail! childhood friend! gn reader

SUMMARY = your condition has improved ever so slightly, so you ask your husband to have sex with you

WARNINGS = smut, penetration (reader receiving), protected sex (condom usage), praise, aphrodisiacs, belly bulge, use of dottore's real name, use of pet names "dear/dearest", prostitution mentioned as a joke, slight aftercare

W/C = 2.3k

A/N = dotto is softer here because I would think he would act this way to a childhood friend who has always supported him unlike everyone else :) this au was inspired my own thoughts but I did find these lovely creators who have similar aus (@/bye-bye-sunbird and @/fatuismooches) so check them out if you like dottore content like this! ty to my beta readers this time round (@child-of-plut0, @fluffyganyu, @xiaoflwrs despite your dislike for ttore) and ofc, merry christmas and have a happy holidays!

TAGS = @edenialucas, @fluffyganyu, @nejibot, @yumixxn, @teallapril

“Zandik, when can we have intercourse?”

It is an unexpected question, that’s for sure. One that catches the enigmatic doctor off-guard. “My, I didn’t expect such a vulgar request from my meek spouse.”

“It’s natural to possess carnal cravings towards one’s own husband, is it not?” you say, avoiding his inquisitive gaze. “And you said that you’ll have intercourse with me again when my condition betters.”

Through his bird-like mask, he sweeps over your frail frame, deep in thought.

“Your segments have done an excellent job in taking care of me,” you add. “The medicine, schedule, and diet you’ve prepared for me have also worked wonders in improving my condition. That is why I’m bringing it up now.”

Zandik’s chest rumbles as he lets out a short chuckle. “I must say, I’m flattered that you’ve been thinking of us in such an…intimate way these past few days. Or was my previous performance that exceptional that you’ve been yearning for my cock everyday since then?” You feel your face heat up like a burning candle. Smirking, Zandik turns his attention to a locked drawer, pulling out a key from one of his pockets. “Nonetheless, I admit that you’re not the only one with such ravenous desires.”

Your spouse places a vial in your hand; one that you recognise to be the familiar medicine curated just for you. Cursed with this incurable illness, you know that you have to stay indoors for your safety’s sake. There are days that even the slightest movement could cause a flare-up in your immune system, causing you to be bedridden with several tubes connected to your body. You know it’s for your own good, but the loneliness and longing doesn’t subside.

Ever since you were a child, you would draw scenarios that you wished to experience. Drawings of you playing with other kids, drawings of your family congratulating you for your admittance to the Academia, drawings of you and Zandik graduating together. Only one of those drawings became reality. Either way, it became a hobby for you to express yourself when you’re stuck in this mundane room while he is busy with his Fatui business.

The perceptive husband he is, he notices your longing for the outside work and conjures up a solution in the form of a drug that could alleviate your condition. Only for a few hours, but you wish you could have tackled him into a hug the first time he presented the drug to you. Unfortunately, the medicine has its side effects. Thus, it can’t be consumed regularly and has to be administered by Zandik himself; not by any of his clones.

You look up at your doctor for permission before popping off the cork and downing the liquid. There’s a carbonated burn in your throat, one that you can’t seem to get used to no matter how many times you ingest the medicine. But you do feel your strength ever-so-slowly returning to your muscles and limbs. Not that strength was ever ‘yours’ to begin with, having it snatched away from you the moment you were born.

“How are you feeling, dear?”

“I feel more energised than when I usually take it.”

“Good, good, it looks like the enhancements worked,” he hums, looking pleased as he discards the outer layers of his clothing.

It’s shameful how your core instinctively heats up in anticipation. You haven’t seen him naked in, archons, how long has it been now? The more recent occurrences were not for carnal reasons. Rather, for simple romantic intimacy. Mere skin-to-skin cuddling to make up for the lack of sexual intimacy. This is the first time in who knows how long you’re actually going to have sex with him again.

You’ve been fantasising of this day. For you to feel better, for your health to improve so you can feel him inside you again. But now that it’s happening, it feels like a miracle, an unbelievable, lifelike dream that you don’t want to wake up from.

“As today is a special occasion, we can try a little something that I’ve been saving for a day like this.” Even with his mask on, you feel Zandik’s piercing crimson eyes staring right through you, observing the quick rise and fall of your chest as he takes off his gloves with his sharp teeth. “A little potion meant to heighten stimulation, though you’ll be more accustomed to the term…aphrodisiac.”

“Oh yes pleeeease, doctor,” your words coming out in an almost moan.

Removing the bottom half of your clothing is a breeze, thanks to your airy nightwear. It’s strange that your body is always either too cold or too hot. Thankfully, your sensitivity decided to work in your favour tonight and has chosen the latter.

A shark-like grin spreads across the harbinger’s half-covered face. You wonder if it’s from arousal. Or delight that you’ve regained some life in yourself. He doesn’t make any indication to your internal query and instead pours another vial — one containing a bright pink liquid — over two of his fingers. He presses one of the lubed-up fingers against your hole, and you feel the tension around it, no thanks to your minimal experience. You remind yourself to follow Zandik’s teachings to slow down your breathing.

Your hole relaxes, and the next thing you know, you feel the finger penetrate the opening. Your body instinctively tenses up again, but the lube around his finger makes the intrusion bearable.

He didn’t want to hurt his poor, flightless bird, after all.

It didn’t take long for him to procure the first of many blissful moans out of you. The doctor plays you like one of his many laboratory instruments; his expertise in the workings of the human body coming into play as he rubs you in your most sensitive spots. You're squirming, panting as your hands cling onto your husband's shoulders, and you feel your lower half burning hotter and hotter. With little effort, the harbinger manages to draw out a second noise out of you; a mouse-like squeak that accompanied the arch of your back.

Hot air brushes against your ear, your body shuddering as he lets out a husky laugh. "It seems that the aphrodisiac is working as intended." 

His lips — chapped and rosy pink from the Snezhnayan air — graze the shell of your ear, teeth delicately nibbling on the body part. He likes doing that; biting you, that is. When you were younger, you thought it would just be a temporary bad habit. A weird quirk of his destined to fade away after he grew up. Fast forward now, it seems that stabbing you with his razor-sharp teeth is just one of those things he isn’t growing out of.

Not that you mind this cute little quirk of his.

You're snapped out of your sentimental musings by the intrusion of a second finger. Thanks to the aphrodisiac, your hole is loose enough to accept it without too much give or pain on your end. The pads of his fingers rub against your sensitive walls, furling and unfurling his thick fingers that fill you up, aiming at your weak spots. His ministrations switch between scissoring and finger-blasting. It feels good, so deliciously good but–

"Zandik." A cold breeze picks up the timid, inaudible whisper of his name. "I want more."

Instead of a condescending laugh, the usual mockery that would be directed at any other person that dare voice out their opinion to the callous doctor, you feel a pair of chapped lips trailing kisses down your jawline. "Of course, my dear. Anything for you."

The weight that was pressing against your thigh eases off you, and you have to remind yourself to swallow the saliva gathering in your mouth when you notice the tent in Zandik’s pants.

Zandik puts on a show for his precious, sickly patient, peeling his belt and pants off his toned, rugged body ever-so-slowly. A wet patch darkens the front of his navy boxers, and your hole clenches watching him pull out his thick, hardened cock. He bites onto the edge of a condom wrapper, tearing it open with his teeth. He carefully puts it on himself, making sure it is thoroughly lubricated by the aphrodisiac before aligning his dick to your hole.

"Hold onto me, dearest."

You do as told, automatically tightening your grasp on his shoulders when he pushes himself in. You can already feel yourself clamping around the tip, but it isn’t enough. You’ve been anticipating this day for months. You need more. Sensing your lust, Zandik smirks to himself as he increases his speed, opting for shallow thrusts to get you used to the stretch. Despite the wintry environment, your clothes feel stifling, suffocating even, so you silently thank Zandik when he starts taking off your upper layers to peck and nib at the skin. Yet with your body exposed, it feels like every touch from his cold hands sears your skin, sending fire down to your stomach that’s scorching you from the inside out.

“Look.” You follow Zandik’s line of sight, right to where he’s resting his palm: on the sizeable bulge of his cock that protrudes your tummy. “It’s all the way in.” 

“Ah…it is,” you mutter, splaying your hand on the bulge.

“Doesn’t this take you back to the first night of our honeymoon?" Zandik locks his hands with yours. In the corner of your eye, the metal band around both of your fingers catches the glister of the light, and you can’t help but smile to yourself. “I can never forget the look in your eyes when you realised how far I stretched this tight hole of yours.”

“I’m ashamed to admit that my memory has deceived me,” you giggle.

He cups the side of your face, leaning into you for a kiss. Both of your lips meld into one as you exchange saliva and body heat, wanton moans slipping in between kisses. Zandik snaps his hips forward, fucking you with the tenderness of a lover yet with that typical Dottore-like vigour. Even through the thin plastic around his cock, you feel him twitching and throbbing inside you. Big hands grab onto your thighs, thrusts becoming frenzied as balls slap against the plushness of your ass. A whimper worms its way out of your throat, the sensation of his cock moving in and out of you sending you into delirium.

The harbinger hears his given name pour out of your lips like fine wine, and Zandik growls at how sweet your voice sounds, calling out that accursed name. Funny. It seems that he, too, has forgotten the riveting melody that is your voice, strained with lust for him and only him. And oh, how it provokes the hungry beast within him. You’re the only one who can affect him in such a way. It’s you and only that can make this almighty harbinger give into mortal pleasures. 

"That's it. You're doing so well, my dear,” he coos, leaving a string of kisses from your collarbone up your neck.

“Wait.” Time comes to a standstill when you place your hand on the doctor’s chest. “Take off your mask. I want to see your eyes.”

The 2nd Harbinger obeys the request, revealing crimson irises that stare into his beloved’s adoring eyes. A pair of hands cusp his cheeks, bringing him forward to look into the eyes of his dearest spouse.

“Just like garnets.”

Those hands pull him into an open-mouthed kiss. Zandik calms the flutter in his chest by shoving his tongue into your mouth, pushing the muscle against yours. Neither of you spoke for a while, enraptured in the flavour and sensation of each other. Yet, the room was anything but silent, the wet and messy sounds of skin slapping against skin deafening all meaningless noise.

“Zandik, I’m close…” you mewl.

Zandik curses under his breath, his fingertips digging into your thighs. “Good. Let it all out, my dear. Don’t you dare hold back.”

Your body spasms as it reaches its peak, walls clinging onto the cock ploughing your hole as if it doesn’t want it to leave. The sudden tightness causes Zandik to cum soon after, groaning out your name into your mouth as he ejaculates into the condom. He pulls out his dick when he feels it start to soften, taking off the condom and tying it into a knot. You lay there in silence, about to shut your eyes and catch your breath when you feel something sticky slap against your stomach.

“Wha–”

Zandik chuckles, “A few more rounds with these and I bet you would look like a seasoned whore.”

“That’s not something you should say to your spouse.” You playfully pout, making no effort to take condom off you.

As much as you are raring to go for another round, the intensity of that fucking has drained all the energy out of you. You can’t even move to kiss him again even if you want to. Shutting your eyes, you allow yourself a moment of respite as the sounds of shuffling passes by you. Peeling an eye open, you see Zandik holding out a glass of water in one hand, adjusting the angle of your body with the other. He tilts the glass to your mouth, and you slowly gulp down half of it.

“Any abnormalities?” he asks after setting the glass on the table.

You shook your head. “None. I want to go again.”

“Hmm…not yet, dear.” The Doctor couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing your expression. “Oh don’t give me that look. We have plenty of time tonight after you recover.”

You grumble, knowing that he is correct as always. Although you crave his hands to touch your sex again, your fragile body is beyond exhausted. It would take a while for you to recover and catch your breath again. But like he said, the two of you have the whole night to yourselves.

[hopefuloverfury]

I always get so sad when I think about the bachelors and bachelorttes not being able to achieve their dreams :( so how do you think the game would be different if they had? like before they meet the farmer? (i love your writing by the way,,,)

While I was thinking about this, the main question in my head was “Why would any of them still be in Pelican Town if they achieved their dreams?” Sooo I had to put them through some bullshit to get them all in one place lmao. Thank you for enjoying my writing, it means... way more than any of you probably realize. Anyway, this was fun to think about, and I hope you have fun reading it! <3

Mentions of parental death, abuse, infidelity, dysfunctional familial relationships, and reference to Leah’s shitty ex (FUCK YOU, KEL!)

Sam was the lead singer of his own band, but is now struggling to find his new normal after the members decided to go their separate ways. It certainly doesn’t help that they ended on negative terms, and their fanbase has become fractured due to the controversy surrounding the break-up. Sam has come back to Pelican Town to spend time with his family and figure out which direction he wants to take his career, but his band-mates said ill-intended things about him before they broke up, and he’s struggling to make amends with his perception of himself. He tries to write new songs, but he isn’t liking anything he’s come up with, and it’s reflecting poorly on his self-esteem. He wonders if his fans will still be there waiting once he’s ready to release his solo-music, and is paralyzed with fear about what will happen to him and his career if they aren’t.

Sebastian is a professional coder. He saved up enough money to move away as soon as he turned eighteen, and has only visited for holidays since. He was previously engaged while living in the city, but after his fiancé cheated on him with a coworker, he returned to Pelican Town to pick up the pieces of his heart. During his time away he managed to check himself into therapy, so he’s well-equipped to handle conflicts with his family, and his relationship with his mother and sister have improved dramatically since, which is really nice. He is trying his best to pursue a healthier relationship with Demetrius, but the man really doesn’t make it easy. Robin also added an extension to the house, so he doesn’t live in the basement anymore. His room has a window now, but he still prefers the rain, and discovers with surprise that he likes the rain in Pelican Town more than he ever did in the city. It’s nice to see the frogs again.

Alex is a professional gridball player. His mother passed away before she could see him achieve his dreams, but his father has contacted him many times. Alex knows his father doesn’t actually want a relationship with him, though, because the only times he’s contacted him is to ask for money. Alex blocks his dad’s number after catching sight of him on the news, trying to drag Alex's name through the mud, but eventually moves away when his dad breaks into his apartment and wrecks the place. He settles back into his bedroom at Evelyn and George’s house, and tries not to feel too drained by the legal proceedings. It’s pretty relaxing though, going back home during his off-season. Not to mention he really missed the summers in Pelican Town.

Elliott is a reputable author. He’s written a trilogy or two, a smattering of stand-alone novels, and even has a few broadway credits. But after years of constantly writing, he’s burnt out and tired, and needs a break, so he moves out of his stuffy apartment in the city and into the cabin on the beach. He commissions Robin for expansions and repairs, and it’s turned into quite a nice place, if he should be so bold to say so. He talks to Willy a lot, and after hearing the stories the fisherman has collected over the years, he kind of wants to write a book about pirates or some other kind of adventurer, but nothing is coming to mind. He’s got an excess of inspiration and drive, but the moment his pen hits the paper, his mind goes blank. It’s incredibly irritating.

Shane is one of the most notable film directors of the last decade, and he’s got quite a number of credits under his belt. His IMDb page is massive, and while he doesn’t get recognized on the street very often, anyone who knows anything about film will know his name. He moved to Pelican Town with Jas after the death of her parents. Riddled with grief, he had the presence of mind to recognize some bad habits were developing, and he couldn’t really handle the pressure of celebrity life anymore. He drinks occasionally, but he doesn’t consider himself an alcoholic. He only drinks a few times a week—and compared to his colleagues in the city—that’s nothing.

Harvey is an experienced pilot. He initially wanted to join the Ferngill Republic Air Force, but after many discussions with his parents, he decided to pursue an ATP certification and become an airline pilot instead. However, due to the recent trauma of a severe crash, Harvey is taking a break from flying. He’s become intensely afraid of heights, and the thought of getting in a plane makes him physically sick to his stomach. He’s been working on it, but it’s already been a year, and he’s not any closer to being back in the pilot’s chair. What’s wrong with him?

Maru went to university to pursue a career in STEM, but was quickly disillusioned and decided it wasn’t for her, so she decided to switch gears and abandon her dream school. Robin understood after a short explanation and told her to come back home, but Maru’s relationship with her father has become strained since, and even though they regularly experiment in the lab together, it causes some unnecessary drama in the household. Maru tries not to let it get to her too much, but it does. More positively though, her relationship with Sebastian has improved since they both came home, and they can actually hold a conversation without getting irritated at each other. She likes hanging out with her brother, but wishes that they could've gotten along like this as kids, too. They have a lot of years to catch up on!

Penny was a stay-at-home-mom up until a few months ago, when her partner suddenly decided domestic life wasn’t for them, and yanked the rug out from under her. With nowhere to go and no employment, she trudged back to Pelican Town with her tail between her legs and a toddler on her hip, to move back in with her mother. She teaches Vincent and Jas regularly, and works as a private tutor for a few clients in the town over. Pam chose to take on the majority of childcare for her grandchild, but she’s excelling at it and hasn’t stepped foot in the saloon in a long time. It should be a great thing, but Penny doesn’t know why she’s so bothered by it.

Abigail is an active member of the adventurer’s guild, a highly skilled swordswoman, and she will occasionally dabble with the magical forces of Stardew Valley under the careful guidance of her mentor, Rasmodius. Yes, she knows. No, she doesn’t mention it, and neither does he. She doesn’t live with her parents anymore. When she was looking to move out, she asked to buy the deed to the old farm, but was quickly shot down by Lewis, and decided instead to claim the decrepit cabin south of Rasmodius’ tower. Robin helped her fix it up, and after a few months, it was in good enough repair to move in permanently. She spends most of her days down in the mines, clearing the monsters on the lower floors. She’s never gone past level 20, if only to save herself from her mother’s tearful begging, but Pierre has given up. They don’t speak much.

Haley is a prolific photographer. Her portfolio is hefty, some photos dating back from when she was in high school, but the most recent picture is from three months ago, and she hasn’t picked up her camera since. She doesn’t know why, but nothing looks interesting enough to shoot anymore. The world looks flat and dull, but maybe that’s just the city. When her parents ask her and her sister to watch their house in Pelican Town while they galavant through the archipelago on some “soul-searching-journey,” she accepts without preamble. Maybe she just needs a change of scenery to get her inspiration back. Maybe she’ll find her muse?

Leah is a revered artist, and many of her pieces are in museums and art galleries. She tries to live in the city, but quickly realizes that she hates it, and after a few misses, she moves to Pelican Town. The lush flora and fauna kick her inspiration into overdrive, and with the amount of foraged greens she’s been eating since moving into the cabin next to Marnie’s, she doesn’t think she’s ever felt so good. Unfortunately her ex Kel is determined to sniff her out, and that puts a damper on her shiny new life in Pelican Town. She wishes it was because they actually loved her, but she knows it’s only because they miss the luxurious life Leah’s job afforded them. She tries not to think too hard about that, though.

Emily is a fashion designer! She’s had plenty of shows during different fashion weeks and other events, and many name-brands have collaborated with her. She does do stylist work on the side, and many of her clients are a-list celebrities or high profile professionals. She prefers the countryside, though, so when her parents offered her and her sister their place in Pelican Town, she jumped at the opportunity! Only thing is, it’s been years since her and Haley have occupied the same space, and every resident in town has a dark cloud of thick negative energy hovering over their heads. She’s overwhelmed with guilt, knowing she can’t do anything to help.

[shyanddreamy]

Curiosity killed the cat

Chishiya Shuntaro x Reader x Niragi Suguru

Summary: Chishiya was a complete mystery, but he had caught your eye. He always hid behind his apparent lack of emotion, as if he didn´t care about anything. So you wanted to show him how wrong he was.

Warnings: smut, threesome, blowjob, con non-con, vaginal and anal sex, degradation, unprotected sex, dirty talk, teasing, slight praise.

Author´s note: First of all, this is an independent post, so you can read this as a one shot. But if you want more context, you can check my other aib posts. Also English is not my first language so I apologize for any possible mistakes. I really hope you like it. Love u all <3

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There were too many different people at The Beach; only connected by the desire of survive The Borderlands and have as much fun as they could till their last day there. With that death games they have been forced to play, they couldn’t know when will be their last day. Anyway, your attention has been lately on one single person. He was blonde, had cat-eyes and was pretty silence. He seemed to enjoy more when he was observing others, like if he was studying cautiously them. Niragi despised him; he always said he hated his condescending look. Niragi thought that he believed himself clever than the rest, but you couldn´t help but feel some kind of curiosity about him.

"Hello there", you said while sitting next to him in one of the seats next to the swimming pool. "Are you having fun?"

"Not really a party person"

"Maybe if you tried to have a drink or dance, it could improve"

"Yeah. Maybe someday", Chishiya answered. His sight was on you as one of the corners of his lips lifted up very slightly. When he wasn´t completely serious, that was his grimace instead. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"I was just thinking about you", you said, widening your smile. "We should talk more, you know? Like, spend more time together"

"We have been together earlier, at the executives meeting"

"You are very perceptive, don´t you, Chishyia?", you asked him. You moved a little closer to him, invading his personal space, and ran your fingers up to his hair, playing lightly with one of his bangs. "I´m sure you know what I mean"

"I´m not used to spend my time with Militants", he commented. Chishyia wasn´t bothered or concerned by your presence at all. Even if he was, he was good at hiding it. He was good at hiding his every thought or emotion. "Does Niragi agree with your interest in being here with me? I´m starting to realize that he didn´t like me too much"

"Niragi and I have so much fun together. But you know how our relationship is"

"I don’t have any clue really"

You knew Niragi since he was in his senior year in high school. And the bonds developed between you two then had grown and evolved over the years. Friends with benefits, allies, a couple with and open relationship, partners, kindred spirits or just a pair of freaks who had stuck together. You had never labelled your relationship. You didn’t need it anyways; it wasn´t necessary. You just did what you want when you want in the way you want, but always being in the same team. Sometimes you were just both against the world and you were fine with that.

Instead of giving Chishyia an answer, you stood up from de seat and stretched out your hand to him.

"C´mon, I have something in my mind"

Chishyia just looked at you with and eyebrow raised sceptically. Since he hadn´t intention of accepting it, you lower you hand to your hip and pouted.

"What do you really want?", he asked you. Perhaps his voice was quiet, but Chishyia was absolutely certain he couldn´t trust you.  

"Aww, you didn´t like taking any risk? Are you such a coward or am I too scary for you?"

"Maybe a lot of people around are afraid of you, but I am not one of them"

"So, come with me", you insisted, biting your lower lip mischievously. "You have nothing to lose"

Without waiting for his response, you turned around and went back to the dance floor just to pass between the crowd and continue your way to the resort. You already were upstairs when you took a quick glance backwards, finding proudly that Chishyia was following you. He had his hands in his jacket pockets, seemed bored and kept a few metres of distance, but still was after you. Yeah, maybe he was clever, but you were it too.

Curiosity killed the cat, but you wasn´t thinking about killing at all.

When Chishyia crossed the door of your dorm –which you had left half-open on purpose– and closed it after him, he found you looking through the window. The outside seemed more interesting to you than him.

"These people are disgustingly naïve", you commented. "Partying all day just to convince themselves that they have made the most of their lives before confront death. But the truth is that they have never lived before they came to this world"

Since you weren´t seeing him, Chishyia allowed himself to frown a bit. Your words aroused his interest, so he walked towards you. You felt him behind you, paying attention to the people out there. When you turned around, suddenly facing him, he slowly slid his gaze down to meet yours.

"However, you are different, Chishyia. You want to keep living at any cost, but at the same time you don´t give a shit about life", you mumbled. "Emotionless. Observing everything and everyone from the distance but without getting involved. Why do you live for then?"

"And you?", he asked. "You are mocking them but doing the same thing"

"I have always enjoyed my life, so I keep doing it here too. Unlike them, I´m not pretending to die after that", you answered. "I live for myself and to prove people who tried to destroy me wrong"

You rested your hands in Chishyia´s chest softly before starting to lower his jacket´s zip. He just observed your movements in silence, without doing a single thing in response.

"That´s why you brought me here?"

"I brought you here because I intend to awaken your emotions. I know they are there, inside of you, but you refuse to let them go out. I want to see the Chishyia that no one will ever see", you explained quietly; your hands caressing his chest. "And you knew these were my intentions, but you have come here willingly"

"You have been thinking on this for a while. Maybe if you see that it has no sense, you will finally stop"

"When I finish with you, you´ll be the one who doesn´t want me to stop"

You raised your hands to his shoulders, sliding his jacket down his arms until you got him naked from the waist up. You didn´t pay attention to his inexpressive grimace. If there was any emotion there, it would be boredom. You took your lips to his neck instead, dropping soft kisses along that sensitive zone for a few minutes before adding some wetness to your actions. Nothing changed on Chishyia, but you bet he couldn´t be made of stone.

Inch by inch, you traced a path of kisses down his chest, getting on your knees eventually when you were near his navel. And it that new position, you smiled widely.

"You can control your face, but not your body"

Chishyia raised one corner of his lips in a grimace of self-reliance. He still thought he was winning.

"It´s a body´s natural reaction. I can´t change human nature", he said leisurely. "You can continue if that makes you happy or you can quit. Whatever it is, I do not have any kind of interest or desire"

"It´s so? What a pity", you whinged, but your eyes were attached to the bulge in his swim trunks. "I wanted to know how cute you were while moaning"

You slipped your hands under his shorts, caressing his thighs but without coming close enough to skim his manhood. You approached your mouth to it as your touch was gentle but firm at the same time.

The fabric of his swim trunks wasn´t very thick, so when you talked again, he could feel your warm breath against his covered dick.

"And I wanted to know much more. If you were soft or you liked it rough. If you had practice or you were clumsy. If you were dominant or preferred to have someone putting you back on your place"

Chishyia crossed his arms above his chest when you looked up to find his gaze. He was beginning to feel annoyed, maybe a bit anxious too. Anyways, he refused to give up. He was the one playing with you, not the other way round.

"I think I´m going with the last one", you mumbled. "Always looking down on us. Always thinking that you are better than the rest. But when push comes to shove, you enjoy someone to take control over you"

His dick throbbed under his pants, so you bit your lower lip to restrain your proud smile. Nevertheless, the sound of the door opening at your back stopped your motions. Chishyia turned his gaze to the entrance undisturbed, only with curiosity, but you didn´t need to look back to know who the intruder was. There was only one person entering your dorm without knocking first.

"Are you kidding me?", you heard Niragi complaining. "What the fuck do you think are you doing?"

You got up from the floor at the same time that Niragi walked toward you after closing the door. Obviously, he wasn´t happy at all.

"You looked so amuse out there with that brunette. I thought you wouldn´t came here today"

"I would have killed her if I had had to endure her damn high-pitched voice for a few minutes more. She was too annoying. Wasn´t worth of my time", Niragi said. And when you turned back to him, he had a disgusted grimace. "Didn´t you have better options tonight?"

"I wanted to innovate"

Niragi moved his head to face Chishyia, who was in the same position as if he wasn´t even there.

"What have you offered her in exchange for this?"

"Y/N has come to me of his own free will", he assured to Niragi. "I suppose you are not able to satisfy her"

Niragi pushed you out of the way to confront Chishyia for his words. Since he was half-naked, he only could grab him by the neck. His deadly grimace contrasted with the tiny smile in Chishyia´s face. He enjoyed teasing Niragi, so things just got more interesting for him.

"What the hell have you said?"

"Do I really have to repeat myself?"

Niragi strengthened the grip around his throat before adding:

"I´m gonna kill you so I will never have to listen to you again"

"I didn´t imagine I would say this but see you both like this is a turn-on. And by the boner that Chishyia still have in his pants, it seems he agrees with me"

"Huh? Have you lost your damn mind, Y/N?", questioned Niragi frowned. "I said kill him, not fuck him"

"But neither Aguni nor Hatter will be pleased with his death. So maybe you can teach him a lesson by other means", you suggested evocatively while caressing Niragi´s back and approaching your lips to his ear. "Show him who is in charge here. Could you make him beg?"

With a rotten smile, Niragi stood closer to Chishyia. He knew you were challenging him, and he could never resist a challenge from you. Besides, Niragi liked more than he was willing to admit what you have said.

"Silence you with my dick and make you cry until you can never again look at me directly at the eyes", he laughed. The tip of their noses almost touching each other. "It sounds pretty fun"

"You both are sick", Chishyia simply replied.

"And you are a bit scared. So, I will be kind and let you go if you ask for it nicely"

You sighed heavily, a bit disappointed:

"He already was a coward when it was only me"

"I knew he was only façade", Niragi laughed rowdily. Instantly, Chishyia struggled in a vain attempt to break free, but the firm grip on his neck along with the additional force that Niragi made with his own body against him got Chishyia halted. "It´s even funnier if you are resisting"

Just a few centimetres separated their faces. In the moment you squeezed Chishyia´s crotch over his swim trunks unannounced, he let escape a subtle moan that was soon silence by Niragi´s lips, who took advantage of his mouth half-open. Yeah, that picture really turned you on.

Unfortunately, the fierce and dominant kiss led by Niragi lasted less than a minute. Chishyia wiped the traces of saliva on his lips with the back of his hand and slightly smirked.

"Didn´t know you have a crush on me, Niragi", he mocked. "You should have confessed your feelings earlier"

As the rage covered Niragi´s face, you could hardly contain your own laughter. Chishyia had no idea of what he was doing by teasing Niragi like this… Or maybe he really knew what the consequences could be.

"Shut the fuck up!", Niragi growled while kicking him in his legs to force Chishyia on his knees. Instead of his neck, he grabbed him by the hair. "Better use your mouth for something more useful"

"That´s a dangerous move", he warned Niragi.

"Is it? Are you thinking of biting me?", he pulled a pistol from the waistband of his trousers and pointed it directly at his head. "In that case, I will blow your brains out"

"I already told you I don´t want guns in my dorm", you complained, getting a snort from Niragi in response.

"I won´t use it unless this douchebag leaves me no other choice"

In an attempt to avoid such an outcome, you squatted down next to Chishyia and talked with a silvery voice:

"You should say as he says. It´s better than a bullet in your head"

"I don´t have all the fucking night", Niragi urged him, removing the gun safety catch. Have you mentioned anything about consequences before? Because this was precisely what you were referring to.

Your started to unbuckle his belt before lower the zip of Niragi´s pants. He was completely hard and groaned when you slip your hand in his underwear. Niragi was too impatient to make him wait, so you got rid of his clothes letting them fall to the middle of his tights and pumped his dick twice while bringing it closer to Chishyia´s mouth. When Niragi pulled his hair tighter and stuck the barrel of the gun in his forehead, you noticed that Chishyia was parting his lips slowly. With a mischievous smile, you took your thumb between them, opening his mouth a bit more.

"You are going to need to open your mouth wider to take it all", Niragi chuckled, rubbing his tip against Chishyia´s lips, making them glossier with his pre-cum.

"Stop teasing around", you ordered Niragi. "And don´t be too rough"

You barely managed to finish the sentence before Niragi buried himself in Chishyia´s throat. His blonde hair was clutched between Niragi´s fingers, so even if he tried, Chishyia was not able to move aside or backwards. He choked on his dick before Niragi pulled away. Then, Chishyia started coughing.

"Was it too much?", Niragi asked with false innocence while playing with his tongue devilishly. You gave him an annoyed look, but your attention returned to Chishyia when he was able to pull himself together.

"That´s the best you can do?", he mocked, seemingly indifferent as if his throat didn´t sore because of his impulsiveness.

"You son of a…", Niragi growled, but when he tried to force his way back to Chishyia´s mouth, you grabbed his hips to stop him while you stood in between. Now, his anger was all over you. 

"This is my party so stop spoiling it. Otherwise, you can leave"

Niragi clicked his tongue and clenched his jaw but didn’t add anything. He was aware that these was you rule number one when one of you had a new conquest and the other decided to join. He was not happy about it, but he was even less happy about the idea of leaving.

"First of all, no guns", you declared, and after a few seconds of hesitation, Niragi put the gun away back to his waistband. "Fine. And now, do it again without making him gag with the first thrust"

Chishyia was reticent when he felt the tip of his cock against his lips again, but this time, he opened his mouth easily. Niragi went deep on his throat but with a slower path, so Chishyia could withstand it.

"That´s it. Good boys", you praised them.

"Don´t call me that", Niragi complained, but kept going in and out his mouth, groaning slightly.

You slid your lips over Chishyia´s neck before descending your hand to his crotch. For the first time, you decided to touch his dick directly, without more teasing, to give him some kind of relieve. His cock was still hard and pre-cum was wetting his tip. Chishyia let out a low moan, making Niragi´s dick vibrate, and he giggled. Niragi was enjoying the situation pretty much; it was clear.

"Didn´t know you have a crush on me, Chishyia", Niragi said, copying the above words from the blonde. "If you wanted it so bad, I would have let you gag on my cock sooner"

Chishyia didn´t answer. It's not like he could talk either. Although you couldn't deny that it was a little strange to see him so submissive. You wanted to know what was going on inside his head, but it wasn´t the best moment to start doing questions.

When you noticed Niragi´s dick pointing at you, you didn´t hesitate before taking it in your mouth too. You continued bobbing your hand up and down Chishyia´s manhood all the time.

"How could you both love my dick so bad", Niragi laughed. "Such whores for me"

When Niragi left your mouth after a deeper thrust, you looked at Chishyia, who was looking at you too with his cat eyes and his cheeks flushed, and you kissed him. Finally, you tasted his saliva from his own mouth instead of from Niragi´s dick. He just followed your rhythm tamely until you were satisfied.

"We should go ahead. I want more than a kiss"

You grabbed Chishyia by the arm and stood up, guiding him until he was sitting down on the edge of the bed, not without first getting rid of his swim trunks. Niragi was quick to position itself behind you, his hands caressing your body shameless. And without asking, aware that those were your intentions, he stripped you. It's not like you have a lot of clothes either, just the bikini top and a pair of shorts.

"It´s a pity that I have to share you with that piece of trash", Niragi mumbled near your ear while his hands were touching your breast and your waist, making sure Chishyia could hear him too. "I should have face fucked him and threw him away"

You let scape a low groan when you felt his dick rubbing against your folds.

"So wet already"

You turned around to give Niragi a wrathful kiss before continuing with your plans.

"You are free to join us whenever you want"

With no more time to waste, you climb on top of Chishyia and made him lie down with his head on the pillow. He had a noticeable boner but his face still unwavering. You wanted to crack him despite of how difficult it seemed to be.

"You cock must ache and you are not doing a single thing to remedy it", you teased him, expecting some kind of reaction. "C´mon, big boy, make your move"

Chishyia just slid his arms under his head, making himself comfortable.

"I told you. You are the one who wants this, not me, Y/N"

"It´s so?"

You plunged down suddenly. Chishyia clenched his jaw and held back a gasp acting cool, as if his dick wasn´t throbbing desperately and feeling your wet hot hole around it were nothing to him.

"Maybe you were right", you started rocking your hips up and down, purring with pleasure. "You can stand still if you want then. I can enjoy by myself"

You took your hand to his throat, choking him a little when Niragi climbed onto the bed behind you completely naked. You felt his lips in your back, your shoulders and your neck, kissing and licking your skin, even biting sometimes.

"I doubt very much that you can do it on your own, Y/N. You need someone who really knows how to fuck you properly. Or who knows how to fuck you at all"

You smiled before tilting your head back to be able to kiss him. A bit anxious to have Niragi inside you, you grabbed him by the wrist and guided two of his fingers to Chishyia´s mouth.

"At least you can lick them, right?", you asked him, hearing an amuse grimace from Niragi next to your ear that cause shivers down your spine. "Make yourself useful, Chishyia"

And without complaining or saying a word, he did as he was ordered. A couple of minutes were enough before Niragi took his fingers from Chishyia´s mouth to your ass hole, starting to prepare you. He knew well how to do it.

"I wanted to make him beg, but making you shout out loud in his face just my name when we both are inside of you… I do like that kind of humiliation"

It took what you thought was an eternity before Niragi finally decided you were ready for him. And when you felt Niragi´s dick plunging in your ass as deep as he could, you let out a sonorous whine. It hurt a bit because that bastard wasn´t as careful as he should, but he was aware you liked that way too.

"Fuck! How could you be so damn tight!", he cursed, repeating a few more times his low but deep motions before really starting to move his hips in and out. The slight pain turned rapidly into pleasure and made you moan. "Just like this, baby. I wanna hear you"

For almost ten minutes, it was like you both had forgotten you were sharing the bed with someone else. You were so lost in the feeling to notice anything else. And if it weren't for two hands hovering over your thighs, you wouldn´t have noticed that you were not alone. Those hands couldn´t be Niragi´s because his hands were around your neck and your chest. And when you lowered your gaze, you realised that Chishyia was finally doing something. Since Niragi was inside you, you had stopped the movements of your hips. Actually, Chishyia had only the tip of his dick on you. It had been almost tortuous, that´s why he grabbed you by your thighs and forced you down, getting his dick back where it should be. Chishyia moaned but not as loud as you did.

"I´m still here", he mumbled.

"I see it now", you smiled. "Thought you were just my fucktoy. Didn´t know I had to pay attention to you"

His fingers, now around your hips, pressed harder in your skin while moving you up and down to satisfy himself. Perhaps Chishyia was a bit upset due to all the mocking.

"A few minutes and he will be cumming", Niragi laughed. Having both of them pounding his cocks inside you was overwhelmed in the good sense of the word.

"Shut the fuck up", he hissed. Chishyia had been trying to restrain himself, but something was burning in his chest; something he couldn´t ignore anymore.

"I dunno. Maybe we should let him show what he can do apart from lying down", you suggested to Niragi, stoking the fire Chishyia was feeling. A mix of arousal and anger ran through his veins; something quite unlike his common self-control and indifference.

At the same time as he saw you slightly pushing Niragi to get him out of you, Chishyia knew it was his moment to shine. Niragi had barely fallen on the other side of the bed when Chishyia switched positions with you by force. Didn´t take long for him to start rocking his hips deep inside you from behind. Chishyia placed a hand in your back and the other in your nape, sinking your head into the pillow. He growled low, but he was doing it anyways even if you could hear him.

"Fuck, Chishyia!", you moaned his name for the first time. It only made the burning in his chest increase. "Why haven´t you done this from the beginning?"

Suddenly, you saw two fingers in front of your mouth. The same fingers that had been in your ass a minutes ago. Niragi wasn´t happy at all to be left out.

"Are you sure? I´m not sure if he… fuck!", a harder thrust made you shiver.

"I don´t give a shit. It's not like I'm going to ask permission either", Niragi answered.

If Chishyia hadn´t been so focused on how his cock disappeared inside your wet pussy, he would have noticed your actions. He only got it as he felt Niragi placing himself behind his body, his fingers rubbing his entrance.

"You have her, I have you"

Chishyia froze for mere seconds, but when he reacted, you were fast enough to turn yourself around and grab him by the arms before he could start fighting against Niragi. They had already been at peace for too long. Chishyia felt on you, maybe because Niragi had pushed him or because you had pulled him towards you. Anyway, you ended face to face.

"You are not forced to do this. We can find another way", you mumbled only for Chishyia to listen to you. Niragi was too focused on his own work and blinded by the need to get some kind of relief soon. "But before making a decision, think carefully if you don´t want him too"

The following day Chishyia could say he was too horny to think properly. Or maybe that he couldn´t scape that room in time. But at that very moment, and even if he would never admit it, he wanted it. Chishyia wanted Niragi as well as you. However, when he felt the first finger inside his ass, he began to regret it.

"Be nicer, you asshole", Chishyia grumbled.

"Stop whinging", answered Niragi.

"Treat his ass like if it was mine", you added in an attempt to make Niragi softer, but you failed.

"I treat yours the same way"

Chishyia chuckled, so you put him closer to kiss him and kept him distracted. Unfortunately, Niragi pushed him away by the hair shortly after. His fingers waiting for his mouth to open.

"Make them wet. Again", Niragi ordered.

"Can´t you suck your own fingers?", Chishyia asked, frowned, and Niragi curved his lips into a smirk.

"I prefer to have a slut doing it for me"

They didn´t like each other, the feeling was mutual since almost your first day at The Beach. Nevertheless, it seemed they had found some kind of pleasure in this constant teasing. The problem was that you were not sure when the tension would explode, so it would be better not to overstep the mark.

You covered his fingers with your own mouth, licking them with dedication and without taking your eyes off Chishyia´s. Niragi plopped his fingers out your mouth soon after and let you both keep kissing as he continued the prep.

That time, the kiss was different than the one you shared on the floor. Chishyia was aggressive, his lips almost desperate and his tongue fighting against yours. He had lost all control over himself, surrendering to the pleasure that intoxicated him.

"I told you. I could awaken this part of you"

"I had no choice", Chishyia responded.

"Of course you had. You have had it all along. And look at you now"

Chishyia was pleased with what you had done to him, but at the same time, he despised you for making him lose his mind and his self-control. Instead of answering you, Chishyia bit the skin where your neck and your shoulder connected, making you cry out.

"God, Chishyia!"

He titled his head backwards looking at Niragi out of the corner of his eye.

"Despite what you have said, Y/N is only screaming my name"

You smirked as Niragi clicked his tongue in annoyance. Chishyia couldn´t stop provoking him.

"If you want me to destroy you so bad, I´m gonna fuck you until you beg me to stop", Niragi announced while taking his fingers out his ass and spiting on his own cock. "If you are not ready yet, you can shout louder"

Niragi plunged down his cock inside of Chishyia carelessly. He gritted his teeth and clutched his hands tightly around the sheets but did not utter a single sound.

"Not even a word?", Niragi roared. "You are so fucking tight that I´m sure it must be hurting you, Chishyia"

Niragi was right. You saw the pain in Chishyia´s face as Niragi continued thrusting his hips towards him. Your hands caressed his cheeks, making Chishyia open his eyes again to look at you. You smiled tenderly, trying to comfort him a little bit before lowered your hand to his dick, pumping it slowly.

"You are not done with me. Can you handle it?"

"Fuck… Sure", he gasped.

From that moment onwards, Chishyia thrusted on you as Niragi thrusted on him. Both men trying to synchronize his paces. If someone was listening in the corridor, they would only hear a bunch of moans, growls, and curses. But none of you gave a shit about anything or anyone else out there. Chishyia interlocked your fingers above your head as you could hardly even kiss each other. And without warning, a shiver ran down your spine. You felt it in your low belly, you were so close.

"Don’t stop now, please, Chishyia", you moaned loudly. "Please, please, please…"

"Don't you dare disappoint her", Niragi ordered.

"I won´t"

Chishyia went as fast and as deep as he could. And unable to bear it any longer, you body got rocked by tremors. You heard Chishyia chuckling and Niragi laughing, both pleased by your noises and how your climax took over your whole body. Anyway, your head was dazed enough so you couldn´t do or say a single thing. You only could whinge when you felt Chishyia keep thrusting, sobbing due to the overstimulation.

"Don´t be such a coward. I´m pretty sure you can handle it a little bit more", Chishyia mocked, saying something quite similar to what you had said to him earlier. Nevertheless, Niragi had his own plans. He took Chishyia away from you, forcing him to stand upright with is back pressed against his chest.

Niragi wrapped his arm around his neck and the other around his waist, preventing him from moving. His tongue whirled shamelessly out his mouth, near Chishyia´s ear.

"I didn't expect you to like this so much", Niragi said with a husky voice.

"I didn´t expect it from you either", Chishyia answered. The choking wasn´t hard enough to deprive him of breath.

"You are just a whore for my cock. You will no longer be able to continue looking down on me"

"Actually, I can", he said, but Niragi pounding in a sweet spot made him cry out. Niragi widened his devilish smile.

"Yeah, I know is there. Want me to do it again? You know what I want to hear from you"

"Fuck you"

"Wrong answer. Try it again", he chuckled. "Otherwise, I can wait all night. Or stop completely"

Chishyia always presumed to be in control of the situation, but this time, he was frantic. He has never been so aroused, and he wanted his well-deserved relief. No, he didn´t want it, he actually needed it. Maybe Niragi was in the same situation, but he was holding back to maintain a slower pace. That jerk was able to stop, sacrificing his own orgasm only to deny it to Chishyia as well. There must be another solution, but Niragi choking him harder didn´t let him go on thinking.

"I am not a very patient person, Chishyia", he growled in his ear.

"Fine. Fuck", Chishyia grunted. "I´m going to kill you, but…"

"But?", Niragi encouraged him, giggling.

"But please, Niragi"

"Please, what?"

"Please, do it again"

"This?" Niragi asked as he thrusted his hips harder in the right place.

"Yes, fuck, please"

Niragi smiled pleased, biting Chishyia´s neck and wishing that his teeth would leave a mark there. Niragi wanted to mark him; everyone in The Beach would know the next day that Chishyia had given himself to him completely.

"As you wish, pet"

Chishyia moaned loudly while Niragi was finally pounding repeatedly in that damn sweet spot that made him tremble. His hands were gripping him so tightly that tomorrow he would have bruises, but he couldn't think about it for now.

You had been admiring them in silence, recovering from your own ecstasy, but you tried to move your hips up and down to add even more pleasure to Chishyia. While your wet folds slipped around his dick, you stared at his face; his grimaces of pleasure, his swollen lips, his red cheeks, and the sounds he made. That's all you wanted to see from him. You had won. Or given the situation, probably all three of you would have won.

It only took Chishyia a few more minutes until he got over the edge, cumming on your chest like never before. Niragi released him to let him collapse on top of you, and with his hands squeezing his hips, he continued fucking his ass roughly until he reached his own orgasm.

"Shit, Chishyia, you fucking…", Niragi couldn’t finish his own sentence before he slumped too. And now, you had the weight of two bodies over you. You only knew they were still alive by their accelerated breathing. You tried to endure it, but it was too much.

"Hum, I need to breath down here", you remembered them.

Niragi was the first to react, pushing Chishyia away abruptly to the other side of the bed to be him the only one lying relaxed on you. You smiled tenderly when you felt his arms embracing you with vehemence, his head resting over your chest and his eyes closed as he continued to calm his breathing.

"You are so cute when you are like this", you said, your fingertips making gentle caresses all over Niragi´s back.

"Shut up", he complained. You already knew Niragi disliked almost all kind of sweet adjectives and names, although you used them with him anyway.

"Was it good?"

"Not so bad", he commented. "Your decision wasn´t so pitiful"

You chuckled at his inability to recognise how amazing it had been.

After sex, Niragi wasn´t always like this. Even if it was a quickie or he spent hours, he always left after he had cum with some random chick. And, of course, he never lowered his barriers, but everything was different with you. You were his safe place; the only one he cared about and the only one he wanted to stay in.

Chishyia caught your attention when he got out of bed. You had thought that he would still be overcome due to his brutal and recent climax, but he looked hella fine.

"You can clean yourself up in the bathroom", you offered him. A private bath in the dorm was one of the advantages of being an executive member.

"Or you can just leave", even if he didn´t want to, Niragi slid to the free side of the bed. He didn't want to appear weak in front of Chishyia and stay in your arms didn´t help him at all.

"You can never shut up, Niragi?", you complained.

"Why should I?"

Chishyia just smirked in response and began to dress. He would clean up in his own bedroom.

"Stupid people always talk the most", he muttered, bringing a smile to your face.

"Don´t make me kill you while you still have my cum in your ass", Niragi scoffed. "Maybe I even use you one more time before doing it. Begging suits you well, Chishyia"

"Don´t get hard too many times thinking about it"

"You wish", Niragi snorted, turning around as if willing to sleep.

Chishyia zipped his jacket halfway up and slipped his hands into his pockets as usual. He was himself again, with his lips curved into a smirk and a cynical gaze on his face.

"Give me a kiss before you go", you asked him.

Chishyia stared at you closely, as if he was thinking why you had said that or what should he do. Finally, he just shrugged his shoulders before adding:

"Not that type of guy"

Chishyia left the dorm shortly after and made his way to his dorm quietly. After taking a shower, he got into his own bed. His bedroom was quieter, lonelier, and smelled less like sex. His smirk was still in his face. He knew everything you had said was right. Emotionless, never getting involved, looking down everyone and believing he was clever because, indeed, he was clever. Chishyia didn´t understand human nature or emotions at all. And yet, you had been successful in getting under his skin. He still remembered the burning in his chest that you had managed to make him feel with Niragi´s help. Rage, arousal, and a bit of envy too. Everything was new for him and he didn't like it very much.

Part of him wished he could forget about it and get back to focusing on his plans, but he doubted he could do it so easily.

"I wasn´t expecting that", he mumbled. "But I guess I will have to find a way to deal with it"

He already had a few ideas in his mind.

[ladypiscesmoon]

Hello everybody, hope you are all well on this Monday! We’ve got rain over here so Summer is far away at the moment. Ever since I saw the film Call me by your name, I’ve been reading for Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. Their bond is very strong an special. It’s no surprise my first reading here will be a reading for Armie, ft. Timmy. You can say I’m a Charmie, so any hate for the boys will not be tolerated on my page. Remember, all readings are alleged and for entertainment purposes only. The reading was done on 24 July

Reading Armie, 24 July 2023

Tarot cards:

King of cups (devoted, balanced, intuitive, compassionate, supportive, empath) Someone very devoted to Armie is keeping him balanced. A very supportive male has his back, I think this is Timmy

9 of pentacles (abundance, luxury, self-sufficiency, self-worth) His finances are looking better, with that his self-worth will increase, he wants to do something independent, something useful

King of swords ambitious, fast-thinking, success driven, assertive, focused) He’s impatient, ready for action, ready to focus on work and something useful. Feeling restless (hence the head shaving, maybe?) Sitting around is not good for him.

The chariot (action, success, movement, forwards, control, willpower, determination opposing forces, working towards a goal) Again: wants to move forwards, wants to be working towards a goal. Also something together with Tim I hear, so maybe a project together of some kind

Deck: Kipper

Healthy man(13) (a younger man, good news, also with money matters) Better times are coming for him, also financially. A good period for their relationship, and also jobs wise. All in all better than before.

Great fortune(26) (good luck, new opportunities, in jobs, improvement in relationship) I also pick up Tim doing something for Armie, or doing something with him. Again I hear: together.

Courtship (4) (getting together, seducing) They’re going away together like a weekend or a short trip, they want to meet up, make plans, lots of cuddles - and more -

Main male(1) (important male in Armie’s life) the most important male in Armie’s life is Timmy (aside from his son)

Deck: Fairytale Lenormand

House: with house I feel there is a new house on the horizon for Armiebig enough for the children also now he’s got partial custody. I also pick up he and Tim will try to have a place together but how that will play out with the children is something they have to think about

Birds: minor hiccups, little fights, discussions, but they will figure it out. Plus they like banter and teasing that’s just the way they are together

Stork: something new beginning. In a way Armie starts over again.

Bouquet: lots of happiness. I feel this will be an easier period for Armie although he gets restless. He wants to move things along. He still has lots to figure out.

Deck: Chakra wisdom oracle cards:

Service (sacral chakra) For me: he’s someone always helping, serving, taking care of someone and being there for other people. He’s got to learn to do things for himself too, and learn that he can enjoy that

Destiny (crown chakra) What do yóu want? Take a risk form your own destiny. Now that you have found true love, go for it, together you’re stronger. It’s complicated but so much worth it.

Perception(heart chakra) The heart knows what the eyes can not see. The past is the past, let it be. Upwards and onwards. Allow yourself to feel good. He feels a bit sad at times, but only he can do something about it. Transformation is in the heart. What needs ending in your life? Focus on that. The experience will be richer if you allow it.

Impasse(sacral chakra) he’s a bit blocked, he doesn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. He’s got to allow himself to heal and to feel loved. Refocus, change direction if necessary. It will be okay in the end.

How are Armie and Timmy doing together (small check-in)

Deck: True love oracle

Connection: working on their connection, relationship

Inner peace: loving yourself benefits your relationship

Sexuality: sexuality blossoms in an atmosphere of trust and intimacy

Yin and Yang: love and friendship. Strive for harmony and balance, through change, reflection and growth.

Maturity: be responsible for your own happiness

Reparenting yourself: free yourself from the past, you are more able to give and receive love in the present

Theirs is still a new relationship (I think they’ve been together in the past, but it wasn’t exclusive until recently. So, they still have to figure out a lot and learn a lot about how to be a couple. Sometimes that’s still a challenge with everything happening around them. But they’re getting better at it.

Deck: love oracle deck

Heart with a key: opening their heart, welcoming love. ‘The one’ realising what he’s got.

Paradise: finding a paradise like situation, happiness, joy, playfulness, enjoying what they have together. After a more difficult time (being apart physically was really hard for Tim) moving forward and being playful with each other/ happy, ‘we against the world.

Stabbed in the back: they had their challenges and difficulties while Armie was away (Caymans, holiday) Tim felt betrayed and blindsided by the pictures with Lisa although he had absolute no right after the PR sham with Kylie, but still he was hurt.

Passion: Insane chemistry, having fun, liking each other equally, sexual thoughts, I think they have plans to meet up soon ( just after the reading Timmy left NY and headed to LA)

How does Timmy feel about Armie

Same deck: love oracle

Passion: see what I wrote above ☺️

Healing heart: healing from heartbreak. He’s slowly letting go, wants to go back to what they had before Armie went on his extended trip, because that was really good. It happened, let it go.

Cassette: replaying events over in his head, he’s got to let go of the past and also still has a little trouble of trusting Armie completely, but he gets better at it and it will be okay in the end.

Stabbed in the back: he really felt betrayed, but was a bit harsh, knowing what he himself has to do for his work and his reputation, so it wasn’t really fair to Armie.

He’ll find the way back, he always does. I feel him being a bit anxious again, also about work. He very much wants to be with Armie and cuddle. Find some peace and some rest. The arguments they have are meaningless and petty if you look at their story together, but like I said I think they like the banter too.

Here ends the reading, I hope you enjoyed and please don’t hesitate to ask me any question about it!

*Alleged For Entertainment Purposes Only

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

my favorite persona 5 fics

a while ago i made a post that listed all the fics i'd read over the course of my first year in the persona 5 fandom that i enjoyed. i've been thinking about making a post of all the fics i've read since then, but i actually decided to do something different this time. if you want a complete list of every fic i've read and enjoyed, check out my bookmarks on ao3. this, on the other hand, is a list of only my absolute favorite fics. i will continue to update it as i read more fics that i love.

these are the fics that occupy my thoughts to this very day and changed my perception of these characters. that made me cry and laugh and changed me forever. in no particular order, without further ado, these are my favorite p5 fics of all time.

Daredevil, You've Hit the Wall

A Persona 5 Strikers rewrite with Sumire and Akechi. Cookie is a phenomenal writer, and she'll be showing up on this list at a later point. Her characterization of both Akira and Akechi are absolutely godly, and their arcs in this fic are incredibly satisfying for someone who loved Strikers but was left disappointed by the lack of Akechi.

Read this if you like Akira angst, want to see Akechi improve himself and befriend the Thieves (and all the complications that come with that), like Strikers (or don't like Strikers), or love akeshu. I promise you won't be disappointed.

watching all the stars burn out

Are you in need of some incredible Royal Trio polycule fluff and angst? Would you like to read some of the most in-character fic I've ever read? Are you in need of a good cry today? Well, then have I got a fic for you!

This is a beautiful, heartwrenching, very sweet Royal Trio polycule fic that takes place during the final week of January when Akechi tells Sumi and Akira about his impeding demise early. It's so good. I cried. You will too. And if you're scared, I promise there is so much fluff here too. My babies,,,

Interminable Ballistics

Time loop of the interrogation room scene. Akira and Akechi are Not Okay. This fic makes me go hnnngh it's so well written the prose is beautiful and everyone is so in character it hurts. I love my bois please someone get them therapy.

goro akechi's waxed asshole

Ehehehe yeah well. This one is nsfw, but it doesn't actually have a whole lot of sex. It's more of a character study than anything, and despite the title and crack concept, is actually really beautiful and sweet? If the title doesn't scare you off please check it out I promise it is incredibly good.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

AKESHU PIRATE AU!! Goro is a prisoner at a lighthouse and Akira is a pirate. The ways the author plays with their backstories in this AU is fascinating. I'm obsessed with this version of Akira and Goro and I really really wish a sequel existed that explored Sumire because my god-

If you like AUs, pirates, angst, and themes about self loathing and redemption, then check this one out. I think about it constantly.

Flight through fall

Okay....this one is probably the heaviest of all the fics on this list. Severe trigger warning for suicide, self harm, and medical stuff. It's...a lot. But it is also very very good. Akira is Not Doing Well after the events of Royal, and Akechi showing up in his life only makes things worse. This fic is not for everyone, but I personally found it very cathartic and poetic, to the point where I read it two times in a row.

Once More, With Feeling

Another akeshu timeloop, but this time, it's the day of the engine room scene. (I really like timeloop stories.) And then halfway through it also becomes a Palace fic (I won't say whose for the sake of spoilers). I love the characterization of Akechi and Akira here. The way they both handle the time loop is so very Them. It explores ideas of redemption, guilt, and finding a way to move on. I love this Akira so much please someone give him a hug <3

Falling Up

This is one of the only short one shots that have made such an impression on me to make it to this list. Akira and Akechi in the third semester. Akechi has...Feelings about having killed Akira. I don't want to say too much else for fear of giving too much away. Please read this. It's short and powerful and beautiful.

why don't we spin the wheel

Sae Niijima has a cognition of Akechi, and he's really fucked up. Please make sure to heed the warnings, this one's pretty violent. The exploration of Akechi is phenomenal and I think about the ending (and the rest of it) all of the time constantly.

When it's over, you're the start

Everyone starts to forget Akechi ever existed. This longer one shot made me fucking cry. It's so mean, incredibly mean, but don't worry, it has a happy ending. Nothing can erase the power of akeshu.

the first step to find your way is to mark where you have been

The best Akechi Palace fic I've read by a landslide, to the point where it's inspired my own Akechi Palace fic quite a bit. I had my kink awakening thanks to this fic (while reading That Scene in the middle seat on an airplane. Sorry, strangers). It's mostly an Akechi character study and an incredibly good one at that. I wish it existed as a game. It did what p5t did with Toshiro with Akechi and it did it so incredibly well. This fic makes me insane. Read it.

Fools Rush In

Akira speedruns Akechi's confidant in a day. This is one of the first fics I ever read, and when I did, I went "this is it. this is Them." The characterization is *chef's kiss.* I'm running out of new ways to compliment incredible writing help-

Pleasant Boy

This fic should be required reading for all Goroboys. No one is allowed to have an opinion on him (especially in third sem) before reading this fic. Akechi is actualized by Maruki in third sem, and Akira hates it. I love this fic so much. It heavily inspired code violet and changed the way I look at and think about Goro forever and ever I love it so much read it read it read it

it takes a village

Or, as I like to call it, The Akechi Fic. I legit had a major hyperfixation on this fic to the point where I read it three times in a row. It's more or less a NG+ where everyone remembers except Akechi. It is quite literally everything you could ever want from an Akechi redemption fic. After reading this I wondered if I ever needed to read another fic about him in my life because everything I ever wanted had already been delivered. There are so many moments in this masterpiece that make me go completely insane. This is my favorite fic of all time. Read it. Read it read it read it Please

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders Viewers' Choice #17: Charlemagne

Today on Grailfinders, it’s ya boy, Charlemagne. As a servant who quite literally operates on the rule of cool, Charlemagne would make a great fit for any Pathfinder party. To rule that cool, Charlemagne is a Duelist and a Swashbuckler, though his main class is Champion. He’s a king, but if it quacks like a paladin and has a powerful glowing sword like a paladin, it’s a paladin.

You can check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Ancestry & Background

again, we’re not doing anything surprising here, charlie’s a Human. that gives you a boost in Charisma and Constitution, as well as the skilled boost in Diplomacy for training now and expertise at level 5. you also have Natural Ambition, giving you another level 1 champion feat right away. once per day, you can give out a Desperate Prayer to your god for an extra focus point. given how many you’ll burn through smiting your enemies, this’ll literally be a godsend.

speaking of level five, at that level you get a Cooperative Nature, giving you a +4 boost to all your aid checks. you’re not a warrior, but you know like, twelve, that’ll do the job nicely. delegation’s the name of the game.

at level 9 you can give Group Aid, letting you re-use your aid for multiple people, making that boost go a lot further. you’ve got twelve paladins to help, you can’t waste a whole reaction on all of them.

at level 13 your Stubborn Persistence will help you not get fatigued mid-fight. given how big the battles you participate in are, you’ll need all the stamina you can get.

finally, at level 17 your Heroic Presence kicks in, and you can cast Zealous Conviction once a day, giving your allies a boost in power for up to ten minutes, as long as you command them well.

and of course, once again they don’t let you literally be a king in a TTRPG, so we’ll have to settle for Noble again. that gives you a boost in Charisma and Strength, as well as training in Heraldry and Society, plus the Courtly Graces skill, letting you use Society to make an impression with other nobles.

Class Levels

1. Proficiencies:

Trained: Perception, Religion, Reflex saves, Class DC, Unarmed/Simple/Martial Attacks, Unarmored/Light/Medium/Heavy Armor, Divine Spells, Athletics, Acrobatics, and as your intelligence improves Intimidation and Nature

Expert: Fortitude and Will saves

Your Key Ability is Strength, and you also gain an Ability Boost in four stats of your choosing, such as Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. If you’re going to be a Saber class servant, you’ll have to be all-around good at fighting. And if you’re going to run on the rule of cool, you’ll have to look cool doing it.

As you are a lawful good character, you’ll become a Paladin like your knights, giving you access to the Retributive Strike reaction to strike back against foes who harm your friends, as well as the Lay on Hands devotion spell to heal them afterwards. This also makes you trained in Performance, to look even better in the eyes of your loyal knights.

Finally, we’ll further improve your protective powers by giving you a Ranged Reprisal. While this means you can make a Retributive Strike with a ranged weapon, we’re picking up this feature so you can expand the range of your sword, stepping towards enemies who are just out of reach when you use your reaction.

2. At level two you’ll take a Fiendsbane Oath, helping you deal even more damage against demonic enemies at the cost of forcing you to fight them if you come across them. Your skill works against both demonic and divine enemies, but there’s only so much rebelling you can do as a paladin.

On the plus side, if you run into an unsavory divinity you can try to Glad-Hand it, allowing you to make a diplomacy check immediately to make an impression on a them. While there is a penalty to the check, you can try again at the usual time, effectively giving you advantage on your roll.

you also gain the duelist dedication, letting you quick draw your sword, drawing and attacking in a single action.

3. at third level you can welcome a Divine Ally into your blade, allowing you to add a rune of disrupting, ghost touch, returning, or shifting to it. none of these are super necessary, but ghost touch sounds cool! seriously pathfinder why do only the villains get an option that’s actually useful most of the time?

anyway, you’ve clearly got an eye for picking employees, so you’re now a Hireling Manager, making all your lackies a little bit better.

speaking of better, you’re better in Performance now, go nuts.

4. at level four you get the standard laser sword accessory, the Sun Blade devotion spell. Now you can launch a saber beam at an enemy, dealing extra damage against both evil and undead enemies, as well as on a sunlight field.

you can also make a Distracting Performance while trying to create a diversion. instead of aiding an ally who is sneaking, you can use a performance check instead of the ally rolling deception. if you follow the rule of cool, you’re naturally going to be the center of attention.

if you’d rather be the center of someone’s attention in a fight, issue them a Duelist’s Challenge as an action, turning them into your dueling partner, and you into theirs. while dueling, any attack you make with a one-handed melee weapon now deals extra damage, at the cost of dealing less damage to anyone else until your partner is defeated or flees.

5. At level five you get an Ability Boost in four stats of your choosing, like Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Charisma. You also gain expertise with Unarmed Attacks as well as Simple and Martial Weapons, and your skill in Acrobatics improves.

6. At level six you can Smite Evil for a round, dealing extra good damage to a target of your choice. The duration of this effect extends itself by a turn every time they attack one of your allies.

You can also make a Triumphant Boast when you perform, picking a single target to compare your performance check to their Will DC. If you’ve mastered performance, this will affect up to four targets, and a legend can pick any amount of them. If your check is higher, you gain a +1 bonus to Demoralize them in the next 24 hours. Furthermore, if your charisma is 20 and you’re at least a master in Performance (both of which will be true by the end of this build), your bonus increases to +2.

You can also perform a Dueling Parry as an action, giving you a higher AC for a round. Everyone loved those fight scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean, so why wouldn’t you try to emulate them? Although Charlemagne came first, so I guess they’re emulating him?

7. At level seven your Armor Expertise does what you’d expect it to, but it also gives you the armor specialization of medium and heavy armor. Chain armor removes damage from critical hits, while Wood deals damage back at enemies who critically hit you. The other armors, Composite, Leather, Plate, and Skeletal, reduce incoming damage from piercing, bludgeoning, slashing, and precision damage, respectively. Charlemagne’s second and third ascensions are clearly wearing platemail, and I’ll be generous and assume the first ascension is wearing leather, as there’s no sort of cloth armor with a specialization.

If specialization isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps the exact opposite? With Untrained Improvisation, you can add your level to any untrained skill checks you make. Given how Charlemagne can canonically learn just about anything, I’m sure you’ll get plenty of use out of this feature.

You also learn a Weapon Specialization, which unlike the armor specialization is simply a flat damage increase for all weapons. You’re better with Athletics checks as well.

8. At eighth level you can Sense Evil as a Vague Sense, though evil creatures can attempt to disguise themselves with a Deception check.

You can also make Powerful Leaps now, as Kris had no better idea on what skill feat to give you this level. You can now jump higher and further!

Finally, you can take on the Swashbuckler Dedication, the subclass that explicitly functions on the rule of cool. You become trained in the Arcana skill. As a Gymnast swashbuckler, you gain panache by performing daring maneuvers as the GM allows, or by grappling, tripping, and shoving enemies. While you have panache, you gain a bonus to your speed, as well as any checks to Tumble Through or the three actions mentioned above.

9. At ninth level, your Champion Expertise improves your class DC and divine spells, and you can make a Divine Smite when you use your Champion’s Reaction, dealing extra lingering damage to your target. You also become a Juggernaut, making you a master of Fortitude saves and turning your successes critical. Your Lightning Reflexes also improve your Reflex saves. We’ll also improve your Diplomacy a little. I know you’re not the more kingly Charlemagne, but it never hurts to be polite.

10. at level 10 your ability boost bomps up your strength dexterity constitution and charisma! tbh it feels a lil weird to go from dnd drip feeding you more stats to pathfinder shoving them down your throat four times.

also if you wanna look really cool, you can sacrifice armor as a reaction to take less damage! this’ll break your armor, or destroy it completely if it’s already broken, but it looks so cool!

if you play your cards right you might even make a group impression. not rlly, you still gotta use your make an impression action, but now you can look good in front of four people per action instead of one!

if you really wanna look cool though, you can make sure everyone goes after you, voluntarily taking the last spot in initiative in order to get a free panache.

11. at level eleven, your alertness makes you an expert in perception, and your divine will makes you a master at critically passing will saves. you can also exalt your reaction slappies, so now everyone can get in on the fun!

i think you’re kingly enough by now to make shameless requests. it doesn’t matter how weird your request is, it won’t make people like you less! very important when you hired astolfo.

speaking of hiring, if you’re gonna drag knights around with you, you’d better brush up on your heraldry lore!

12. at level 12 your aura of faith makes all your attacks deal extra damage against evil peeps, and your friends get a boost as well on their first attack each round!

you’re pr good at physical stats, but let’s get smart. with unmistakable lore, you never critically fail on any recall knowledge check that you’re trained in! you got a lotta knights, you need to keep all those shields and stuff sorted.

finally, you can use your panache on an unbalancing finisher, spending that speed and stopping any further attacks that turn for a chance to make your target flat-footed for a round.

13. at level 13, your Armor Mastery does what you’d expect. you’re a master in armor. you’re also a master in athletics! and weapons! thanks, weapon mastery!

14. at level fourteen, your Aura of Righteousness gives you and everyone nearby resistance to evil damage. I’m like, 70% sure they don’t mean righteous as in “really cool in the 90s”, but you never know!

you can also Evangelize now. I mean you’re a paladin of something, right? if a creature disagrees with the existence of your god and you pass a diplomacy check they’ll be stupefied for a bit.

finally, you can spend an action to enter a Dueling Dance, a dueling stance that gives you a permanent version of your dueling pants- I mean parry. sorry, I was getting lost in the rhyme scheme for a second there.

15. at fifteen you get an Ability Boost in Strength, Constitution, Intelligence, and Charisma. your Incredible Investiture lets you hold more magic items at once so you can stop giving all the cool ones to Astolfo, and your Greater Weapon Specialization means you deal even more damage with weapons you’re good at using. finally, bump up your Religion. I don’t think we ever actually use it for anything, but you’re a paladin, it would be embarrassing if you crit failed a check.

16. at 16 you become an Instrument of Zeal, further buffing your Retributive Strike with an extra damage die and taking away one of your target’s actions next turn.

you can make Agile Maneuvers, reducing the multi-attack penalty of your grapple, shove, and trip attacks so you’re more likely to look cool instead of stupid.

you’re also a Titan Wrestler. A lot of your fighting style is all about cool maneuvers, so being able to disarm, grapple, shove, or trip creatures up to two sizes bigger than you. and even then you can get another size in if you’re legendary in athletics.

17. congrats on being legendary in Athletics. you’re also legendary with all armors, and you’re a master with divine spells.

18 at level 18 you can finally use your Noble Phantasm by entering a Celestial Form, giving you a flying speed, darkvision, and the celestial trait.

you can also… Cloud Jump, I guess. if that flying thing doesn’t work out, you can triple the length of all your jumps.

you also learn how to Dueling Riposte- if an enemy makes a critical failure to hit you, you can react and hit them instead. given your AC, this will be a lot more useful than any reaction to actually getting hit could be.

19. at level 19 you can Rapid Mantel up ledges. yes, yes, you can fly, but if you get knocked off of something this’ll still save you a turn.

your Hero’s Defiance is a free guts as a devotion spell, healing you when you would get knocked down to 0 HP, though it doesn’t do much against disintegration. you’re also a master of performance now, so your desperate struggle to survive will look really cool.

20. for your final level, boost up your Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom. you’re now a Sacred Defender, giving you major resistances to damage by evil or chaotic creatures and preventing critical hits from them. that armor you wear is really swagalicious, and now it’s as good as it looks.

you can also make people Say That Again if someone fails to lie to/ demoralize you. now you can use your reaction to shove them for free panache, and even start combat with a special initiative check if you want.

finally, your Derring-Do makes everything you do while having panache a little cooler, giving you advantage on all checks that your panache already makes better. they really don’t give advantage out easy in this game, so take… well, advantage of it.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

With the heaviest armor you can muster plus your permanent dueling boost, you’re great at not getting hit, which is half the battle. the other half is hitting things. you’re good at that too, but not enough to get a bullet point about it.

the other other half of battle is weird bullshit, especially in Pathfinder, which really cares about positioning and battle maneuvers. with all your panache boosts you’re great at breaking enemy formations and helping all your party do even more damage.

out of a fight, you’re just plain good at everything, with buffs to all your skill checks plus any hired hands are better than they have any right to be.

Cons:

despite a couple of your skills needing intimidation to function, we didn’t really invest in that too much. idk Charlie just doesn’t strike me as being super scary. sure makes Say That Again less helpful though.

you’ve also got just. a lot going on. you have to remember stances and auras and what reaction attacks do what and who’s been tripped or shoved or insulted… nobody said it was easy being king.

you still don’t have a ton of ranged attacks. Sun Blade is awesome, but it only has three charges per short rest and it shares those with the Don’t Die Spell.

[sobeautifullyobsessed]

BCweek2023 ~ Day 1: Sherlock Holmes

This is the very first fan fiction I wrote as an adult--and the first I ever had the courage to share online. I know it's not quite polished and I like to think I've improved greatly I since wrote it. But it was created out of love for Benedict' Sherlock...and I can think of no greater motivator as we celebrate the Greatest Actor of His Generation😍.

That Certain Piece

summary: Sherlock has given it much thought and has finally decided to play a very a special piece of music, hoping his listener is perceptive enough to understand the language of the piece. As he tests how well she really knows him, he is also revealing a part of himself he has been reticent to share. rating: general audience characters: Sherlock Holmes, Tessa DeMauro (OFC) word count: 1.6k

It certainly wasn’t the first time Sherlock had played for her.  In fact, Tessa’s enthusiasm to hear him never abated from the moment she discovered (courtesy of John’s blog) that he played the violin.  Sherlock had actually found himself self-conscious about performing, for the first time since his childhood, when the time arrived to play for her.  He'd told himself it was because she was an artist, with keener sensibilities than most.  He had not been ready to admit it was also because she had come to occupy a special place among those—too few—he trusted.

His resistance proved unnecessary.  Tessa couldn’t have been a more receptive and gentle audience.  And it wasn’t long till she’d convinced him to play some of his own compositions for her.  Each time was easier than the last, and his level of comfort in performing for her matched well the many ways she had come to fill the, heretofore unrecognized, gaps in his life.

This time was different though.  He thought about it for quite a while, for to share this piece with her would be to reveal a part of himself he’d locked tight away.  Vulnerability, loss, loneliness, all the things he’d striven to make the world believe meant nothing to him.  All the things he hoped Tessa could understand from the music itself, and not think any less of him.

As had become their habit on Sunday afternoons (those which didn’t see Sherlock working a case)—Tessa studying her lines, or working to create a detailed biography of her character (“In order to play her truthfully,” she would tell him, “I have to know and understand her past at least as well as my own.”), or simply reading (she loved Tolkien and T.H.White, where Sherlock’s tastes tended to be clinical and dry in the extreme)—and Sherlock updating his website as needed, or checking current scientific journals and extracts (with an eagle eye on dissecting them for inaccuracies), or even just watching Tessa (discreetly, of course, marveling that she was still content with their arrangement)—the time passed quietly.  When the quality of sunlight through the front room windows began to take on the hues of early evening, Sherlock brought out his violin, rosining the bow, then checking it was properly tuned.

He began with a portion of Paganini’s Violin Concerto 1 Opus 6, and within a few stanzas, Tessa had closed her script, leaving it to rest on the sofa, drifting over to sit in the leather chair at hearthside.  She curled her bare feet under her, leaning back, relaxed, and watched Sherlock.  He appeared to be playing by memory, his eyes closed, the ebb and flow of his bowing a language all its own.  He paused at the end of the piece, and shuffled through the sheets on the music stand.

"Oh, I really liked that one, it was lovely." Tessa interjected, "Who wrote that?"

His eyes still focused on the music stand, he answered “Paganini.” then began to play again. She listened quietly, appreciatively, and Sherlock allowed himself to sink again into the music, no longer referring to the notes on paper as he played, having played the piece so often it flowed out without a thought. He finished with a little flourish, and Tessa said excitedly “I know that one. Bach, right?  It’s so reflective, so sad sounding, isn’t it?” 

"Indeed," replied Sherlock, "Sonata for Solo Violin, No. 1 in G Minor".  He was now as ready as he’d ever be, he supposed, and went directly to his own composition. He knew once the first note was played, he’d have no choice but to play on, and thus he was committed to the experiment—to see if she could divine the meaning of the piece.

He stood in front of the window, the light now starting to fade outside, remembering composing the piece, remembering the feelings, expressing what he’d felt then in the music now, but not letting it master him.  There were times it had; there were times he couldn’t get all the way through the piece, but those days were over now.  As he played, he realized he was glad he’d decided to finally share it with Tessa; and that even if she didn’t read in it what he hoped, the pain of that part of his life was nowhere near as keen as it once was.

The last notes fading, Sherlock paused, not yet ready to see her reaction.  This time Tessa was silent.  When he finally turned to face her, he saw her head bowed, her hair—unbound this day—falling like a curtain on either side of her face. She appeared to be looking at her hands resting in her lap, until she used the heel of each to wipe her cheeks.  She drew a very deep breath, then exhaled at length.

Tessa rose from her seat and came to face him. Was his heart racing as he awaited her reaction?  Yes, he realized, very much so, yet he managed to keep his face impassive. Her eyes were wide and he could see the tracks her tears had left behind; her gaze was soft and full of empathy.  ”That was…” she was searching for the right words, “that was beautiful, achingly beautiful, and……melancholy……and filled with such a….. yearning.” She paused, shaking her head slightly in wonder, “I could actually feel it as though it were my own.” 

Sherlock bowed his head, closing his eyes, relieved. She’d heard it as he intended, but he was waiting for more.  She didn’t disappoint him.  ”You wrote that piece.” she said, clearly realizing it in the moment.

He opened his eyes, asking “What makes you think that?”

Tessa shook her head again, her smile bittersweet, “My darling, amazing, beautiful Sherlock,” she said, laying a hand on his violin, “give me credit for knowing you at least this well. You’ve never played this piece for me before; I surely would remember if you had.  And, well, I……I could feel you in the music.  The sadness you carry inside, thinking no one can see.  The ache for someone to recognize that you do feel just as much as the next man.  The desire to put aside the armour you wear about your heart and be understood, at least from time to time.”  Tessa gently gathered the violin and bow from him, laying them on the cluttered desk. She took both his hands in hers.

"You’re not an island, Sherlock.  As much as you try to make the world think that you are."  Her words were immutable.  "And, my love, I’m not the only one who sees this.  Your friends do too, and despite what you think and how you treat them at times, once they really know you, you can’t drive them away.  You’re stuck with us, one and all.” 

Tessa punctuated her pronouncement by placing her hands on his chest, rising up on her toes so she could reach his face, and then kissing the corner of his mouth.  He’d grown to find this habit of hers damnably endearing.  When she laid her head against his chest, Sherlock had no choice but to embrace her.  It always seemed to go that way with Tessa—quietly slipping past his defenses every time.

They stood this way by the window, as it darkened outside, until she broke the silence, “Sherlock?”

"Yes, my dear?" he replied quietly.

"You know I’m a romantic at heart, and that colors how I see the world….” Sherlock nodded yes, waiting for the rest, "….and I could be way off the mark, but…."  Tessa paused; he could feel her trying again for the best way to say this, "but if I had to guess, I’d say there was a woman involved.  You don’t have to answer, I’ll understand if you don’t. But I have to say this:  whoever she was, whatever she did, she must have hurt you, and I’m so sorry for that."

Sherlock took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, ”Why would you be sorry?” he said, smiling at the sincere sympathy he’d known she would be feeling, “It doesn’t matter now anyway; it’s in the past.”  

She moved her head to look up at him. “It matters to me. I would’ve done what I could to heal that wound.”  She laid her head against him again.

And there it was, what he’d expected her to say, though the response he gave was something that only just occurred to him. “Now then, don’t you think you already have?”  He felt her smile at that, and kissed the crown of her head.  He took her by the shoulders so he could face her while he spoke, “I think some supper is in order now.  I’m famished.  What shall it be?”

Tessa tilted her head flirtatiously, part of the ritual they’d established, “Whatever you wish, my darling.  So long as there will be a dessert.”

He chuckled warmly, following their pattern “Patience, my dear.”  but adding at the last “Good things do come to those who wait.”

Sherlock grabbed his suit jacket from the desk chair, while Tessa slipped on her shoes and collected her handbag.  As they crossed the threshold of 221B, they could hear the nighttime sounds of London ramping up around them.  Tessa contentedly slipped her hand in the crook of Sherlock’s arm, as they stepped lightly forward together, into whatever lovers’ adventure might lay in store. 

(You may have guessed, Dear Reader, that this story was inspired by the piece Sherlock wrote for Irene Adler from ASiB; if I'm especially melancholy, that last scene where it plays in full, always makes me cry; the good kind of cry when you need to get it out of your system; and as those last notes of the violin fade, he is looking out the window, and my wish for him has always been to to have someone love him and understand exactly what he was feeling when he wrote it.)

tagging: @elennemigo for BCweek2023💙 & @bakerstreethound because of her love for Sherlock and the many Sherlock fics she's written💖

[waltwhitmansbeard]

okay now I need a million hcs about korrin and vaxs relationship 😭

HERE WE FUCKING GO

it definitely starts off a little rocky, not only bc vax *checks notes* married his only child in secret and irreversibly altered the future of his nation, but also bc it's hard to so dramatically shift your perception of someone from employee to son-in-law. but after the three of them spend some time together it is absolutely undeniable that keyleth comes to life when around vax, that she's bolder and happier and looser, and that's all he's ever wanted for her.

korrin goes to vax for getting the perspective of a commoner, bc obv until recently vax lived in town and paid rent like the rest of zephrah. and vax doesn't bullshit him, tells him exactly how the policies he enacts affect the people, and korrin appreciates the honesty.

korrin LOVES telling stories, and vax loves listening to them. korrin will tell him all about keyleth as a kid and what the nation was like when he was young. vax is happy to learn any and everything about his new home and his new family and comes home to pepper keyleth with questions.

somehow the two get into fencing, which, like, neither of them is particularly good at. vax is a dagger boy and korrin isn't very dexterous but it's like their male bonding activity, and keyleth is just happy they're stabbing each other for fun and not out of anger. vax is a fast learner, so he improves a lot faster than korrin does, but he'll lose on purpose bc it's more fun that way. they both have little cuts and nicks all over them bc they're dumb and they have so much fun doing it.

after like the third or fourth time he calls vax son, korrin notices that vax reacts to it, so asks if it's okay, and that's when vax tells him what a dick his dad was. korrin knows he's not a perfect dad but he could never imagine not loving his kid with every piece of himself. he casually asks if he should march on syngorn and it makes vax laugh.

[getallemeralds]

doip. / 5.24.23: the woodland manse

TIME FOR DOIP! it's been a few months so: welcome to dragon of icespire peak, the d&d campaign jorb is running with me, nyx v4shthestampede, and green bahamutgreen! starring the bullheaded dragonborn fighter Alidaar, the nameless halfling druid that's usually a binturong, and the new arrival (and walking disaster of a lizardfolk) hoping for treasure, Kepesk! together we're gonna fight a really angry dragon, but first there's a lot of problems in the world we need to tackle before we have any hope or surviving.

leo: [joins call] good news, i found my dice! jorb: [plays the anime "WOW!" sound on the soundboard]

Redesign Your Alidaar, We Know What We're Doing

LAST TIME, ON DRAGON OF ICESPIRE PEAK: Our heroes, having said goodbye to their friend Tobias, made their way to the Dragon Barrow. There, they met a new but unexpected ally: a lizardfolk by the name of Kepesk. The three braved the barrow together, and after some close calls, claimed the Dragonslayer sword within. Outside, they met a hobgoblin named Toblin Bloodsword, leading them through Neverwinter wood. oh fuck ive lost behind. WILL OUR HEROES BE ABLE TO CLEAR THE MANCE AND CLAIM THEIR REWARD? OR WILL THE CACOLYTES TAKE THEM BY STORM? FIND OUT………. TODAY!

i'm really good at what i do.

kepesk: wow it feels like we slept a month or two or something alidaar: more like four!

nyx: didn't we gaslight toblerone? […] leo: what's his actual name again, jorb: targor! leo, sobbing: WHY DID I THINK HIS NAME WAS TOBLIN?!

alidaar: i cartwheel over. nyx: what?? alidaar: i cartwheel over! nyx: well i was gonna ride on your shoulder or something, but i guess you're cartwheeling?? jorb: you heard the man! green: kepesk follows tripping over everything jorb: targor walks over doing a handstand or something. i dunno

good morning, falcon is here! also breakfast is here! let's goooo alidaar: good morning, motherfuckers! ..i dont say that part. OH NAMELESS HAS A NEW TOKEN, CUTE

……..huh. nameless sure is red suddenly. And This Sure Is An Overnight Change, Huh

falcon: would you mind terribly if corwin and pell dined with us this morning? alidaar: sure, why not? kepesk: [NOISE]

I FORGOT WE DUPED THE SHIT OUT OF TARGOR. targor is now aware that nameless just Does That (become a man)

jorb: [describing dinner] there's a couple of fish as well. nyx: alive. jorb: NOT ALIVE

falcon gives us a map! nyx: i am looking, i m looking with my eyes, i put my eyes on it, leo: nameless puts his face on the map. jorb, concerned: ..make a perception check? nyx: i swear im normal. [rolls a 17] jorb: this is a nice parchment!

nameless throws the map to kepesk. kepesk uses it as a napkin and then realizes its a map. falcon: i suspect i'm going to have new stories to tell after this. alidaar: you don't know the half of it. kepesk: about who :D?

nyx: i desperately want to talk to targor and tell him we're not usually like this leo: but that would be a lie :D nyx: that would be a lie.

jorb: [attempting to figure out why we can't see zodiark's name] leo: i can edit the horse. nyx: you can edit the horse???

falcon: try not to die. alidaar: it'll be hard as hell to kill us, don't you worry. :D jorb: and with that, you guys head off! nyx: ……..where am i going? jorb: YOU GUYS HAVE A MAP.

oh it's spelled manse. woodland manse. nyx: [rolls a 22 on survival] jorb: [..] you make some updates to the map as you go. leo: your map sucks ass, we improved it nyx: i'm grimacing as i hold it because it's still a bit greasy

OH SHIT THE SENDING STONE IS GLOWING OMG TOBIAS !! RAT BOYYYYY awww he misses us ;w; (and is craving cheese.) jorb: do you want to respond? you have 25 words. nyx and leo: OH GOD WHY ARE YOU MAKING US DO MATH his message is 25 words exactly. this guy. nyx: my response is two words: stay safe. kepesk: why are you guys talking to a rock? alidaar: [deadpan] sometimes rocks are magic. kepesk:

jorb: [..] you come across a clearing. nyx: why is there a boar in the bushes? green: is that a world of warcraft boar? jorb: yeah

jorb: so, what will you do? nyx: does targor have anything to say about this? jorb: oh. right. targor should say things.

OH GOD THERE'S TWO OF THEM (PARTY MEMBERS THAT'RE GOLD-MOTIVATED) NOW

jorb: do you have the ability to move targor, by the way? leo: no. i was gonna send him to the moon to test nyx: send variable to the moon. jorb: okay, try it now leo: [launches targor across the map] YEET nyx: OH GOD

jorb: there is not another identical mansion. nyx: sad. jorb: sad! leo: sad! nyx: sad! jorb: sad!

I HAVE DIED. SADLY.

leo: are the boars doing anything? jorb: uh, no, they're just grazing in the pumpkin patch. nyx: are they eating the actual pumpkins, or the leaves, or..? jorb: do they eat pumpkins? probably the leaves. leo: [googling] do boars eat pumpkins..

kepesk is leaving zodiark outside to graze on the pumpkins.

green: i can't believe i'm only asking this now and it's not my notes.. WHY did we come here??? (it's ok green i also didn't put that in my notes. anyway we're here to wipe out followers of talos and maybe get cool boots)

jorb: [describing a room] alidaar: i wanna get a look at those figures on the fireplace. jorb: it's weird- one of them looks like a binturong. one of them looks like YOU. and.. one of them looks like tobias. leo: WHAT? UM. OK . CREEPY MANSION HAS WEIRD WOODEN FIGURES OF THE ORIGINAL PARTY????? HOLY SHIT???

leo: oh my god the tokens,,, jorb: yeah i tried to get an ai to make [the tokens] into wood, it.. leo: it looks like it melted alidaar. jorb: ..had mixed results EVERYONE IS FIALING SO BAD AT INVESTIGATING THE REST OF THE ROOM BECAUSE THEY'RE DISTRACTED BY THE WEIRD CARVINGS

kepesk: i don't care about art.

jorb: -oh hey this is pretty neat actually

targor: what are you guys looking at? alidaar: hey targor, have you ever heard of wood? targor: targor: i'm.. familiar.

green: i feel like ive been so aggressive to him, i have no beef with targor. jorb: with TOBLIN, on the other hand,

leo: kepesk wants a carving of himself SO BAD jorb: they're not carvings, they're like.. 3d figures made of sticks. green: ohhh! that's even creepier. nyx: it's like that one movie. [pause] jorb: henry stickmin.

nyx: it looks like a pantry gone wrong. kepesk: is there ANYTHING of value in this place?! jorb: do you want to make an investigation check? leo: --all of my player instincts are yelling at me to start setting fire to this place. KEPESK NO DON'T EAT THE TOXIC SLUTCH leo: do we have cure poison on deck?? kepesk: do you guys want some? alidaar: [full-body recoils] nameless: [walks away] kepesk: ..i was just joking! :D ;;

courtyard has weird vines growing out of the well! thats probably an issue kepesk: i wonder if these vines would go well with food-sludge. nameless pokes the vines and they move. Hm! Bad! Time To Be Elsewhere

jorb: ..and you hear muffled talking. [dramatic music sting] leo: whoa, music change! jorb: the music didn't change, it just did that.

UH OH nyx alerted the guys on the floor above us! Problems!

jorb: if everybody could roll initiative for me! nyx: are we jumping through the hole in the ceiling?? leo: you bet your ass! targor rolled a 15 on his initiative! green: whoa! go off king! jorb: he's full of blood! leo: i think most people are.

jorb: [editing turn order so we can't see our opponents' rolls] you saw nothing. leo: i saw nothing but a 5 jorb: 5! green: 5! jorb: 4. green: 3. jorb: 2-- leo: [plays "E" with reverb on the soundboard] leo: did you know E is the 5th letter of the alphabet? :D

SOMEBODY THREW A DFUCKING JAVELIN AT US???? jorb: what would you like targor to do? green: targor! kill!

up against a human, an orc, and a half-orc! jorb: [stage whisper] they were all orcs in the original module, but i added some divesrsty hires! update: jorb misread the encounter so the javelin has been un-thrown and nameless has been un-mutilated

PEPPER WANTS M CHEEZITS SO SO SO SO SO BAD

KEPESK IS NOW RAGING OH SHIT KEPESK'S NEW RAGE IS COOL AS HELL he's got a cool stormcloud mask thing !! yoooo kepesk is WRECKING shit this RULES I AM ALSO NOW WRECKING SHIT. alidaar can now attack twice with his main weapon and once with his offhand! so he just. absolutely slaughters the ones kepesk didn't. also i have two breath weapons now! I CAN FUS RO DAH PEOPLE i should probably not fus ro dah people oh my god targor has a fucking. magic bloodsword. that's why they call him targor bloodsword ig hmm. nameless keeps using radiant damage now. i don't think that's what they usually do but i could be wrong. but also there has been no thorn whip silliness so far

jorb: i'm not even gonna make you roll, because he has 1 hp. [..] how do you want to do this? green: there's nothing that can go wrong with straight up cutting a guy in half anime style jorb: he goes "huh, that didn't do anything--" leo: he explodes. jorb: [explosion soundboard]

so anyway we just completely demolished that encounter in, like, one and a half rounds. goodbye fuckers

after a bathroom break: jorb: there, can you see it now?

leo: [SOUND] green: final boss: the go piss girl.

jorb: it is dark in here - do you have darkvision? green: i have swimming! [..] leo: do you want me to come over here? i have darkvision jorb: i retconned- i kept waffling on if you have darkvision or not.. leo: [checks character sheet] ah! i no longer have darkvision. (jorb gave alidaar nightvision before but the dragonborn update happened so now some of the variants have darkvision and alidaar's variant Does Not. ah well)

HOO BOY the dark room contains A Guy doing a. weird ritual? surrounded by weird twig creatures! that look kinda like the weird ones on the mantle! jorb: kepesk, you know what these are. [..] these are twigblights! green: YOO, ITS HENRY STICKMIN! leo: YOOOO green: YOOOO ITS HENRY STICKMIN LEADER OF THE TOPPAT CLAN leo: there's one for each route! :D

kepesk: hey do you think itd be funny if i went up and bit him? OH MY GOD SHE ROLLED A 20 STEALTH . OH MY GOD THATS A 27??? THAT'S A NAT 19 TO HIT. JESUS CHRIST kepesk: haha! you don't taste very good! [<- green described as "in his shittiest sonic voice"]

green: okay maybe i should roll for initiative

green: MAYBE I SHOULDN'T ROLL FOR INITIATIVE, DAMN,

horc enemy is SHOOTING LIGHTNING AT US???? WUH OH . OH GOD I HAVE BEEN KNOCKED DOWN TO 15 HP. AAUGH fun thing about the dragonborn rework: i can now replace one of my attacks with my breath weapon! i also now have Two Breath Weapons! and Two Attacks! and also an offhand attack! anyway i just Obliterated the stickmen except for one, then used my brand new fus ro dah repulsion breath to send the big bad flying into the wall and knock him prone. and then ran up and used my offhand to smack the final stickman into the ceiling. GET FUCKED LOL

nyx: im gonna walk up to alidaar and use.. uh… fuckin.. bitches! (nameless used cure wounds)

kepesk saunters up to The Guy and just. OH MY GOD GREEN ROLLED A CRIT? green: he's on the floor and i'm just [smacking noises] jorb: stabbity stab! leo: [plays "punch" sound effect A Lot]

HM. the guy backed up into a different corner and casted.. some sort of spell that didn't have a visible effect? time for nameless to roll arcana! jorb: in the words of himiko from danganronpa 3… "~it's magic~!" :D

alidaar: okay, im gonna just run straight at him and start going ham jorb: I NEVER ROLLED INITIATIVE FOR TARGOR!!!!! anyway alidaar just obliterated that guy with a dragonslayer crit. unfortunately it sounds like he was trying to do an evil last words monologue before getting beheaded. oops!

targor: sorry i'm la GREEN GOT DMCA'D ON TWITTER????? FOR VENOM GANGNAM STYLE??????????? IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIGHT???????????????????????????

uh. targor: ..why are there a bunch of frozen sticks on the ground? alidaar, covered in blood: oh y'know. occupational hazard.

WOAGH ok now that we're out of battle, nameless has rolled again for arcana and got a nat20! HM. THE GUY APPEARS TO HAVE CAST SENDING. green: i guess we shouldn't… stick around! :D

alidaar found some dust of disappearance :o and now we're going upstairs! leo: where's.. i nearly called him torbjorn. We Keep Forgetting Targor

jorb: you find a hidden door! [zelda jingle] alidaar: wow! just like in the murder of sonic the hedgehog! green: YEAAA i hope there's a milf at the end of this! (jorb: falcon could be a milf.)

time to do another round of investigating/perceiving! leo: i'm going to perceive it. jorb: [some joke abt apollo justice's bracelet i forgot] green: YEA!! leo: [rolls a 8] jorb: you don't have a bracelet, so it doesn't work leo: i start crying. [..] green: perception! just like my hero apollo justice! [rolls a 16] IMFINE! jorb: you are So fine that you find [..] a wooden staff!

Time For Nameless To Want Shiny Item jorb: they way their pupils are dilating.. you don't think they're gonna give it back. kepesk: are you gonna eat it????? [..] nameless: i give alidaar puppydog eyes. leo: what do i roll to defend against puppydog eyes? jorb: make a wisdom saving throw. leo: 10! nyx: [rolls a nat20 persuasion] leo: AH NO jorb: you can't say no to the puppydog eyes!

leo: i should start throwing targor around like a sack of potatoes like i did to tobias, that'd be funny

A BUNCH OF LITTLE NASTY BOYS ARE HERE nyx rolled a crit initiative what the FUCK my man i rolled 13.12 on my initiative! acab The Groupchat Gets Distracted Talking About Subspace Emissary nyx is going ham with the staff while i google what subspace enemy jorb and green were comparing the nasty boys to (it was an armight) nyx is Struggling to roll a d8

alidaar stuck his head through the door and used his breath weapon to Obliterate the encounter! and also freeze nameless a little bit. sorry </3 leo: how confident are you in your ability to roll above a 13 [for dexterity] nyx: i have a +1 to dexterity but do what you will leo: are you prepared to face the consequences of my actions?

kepesk has found a bathroom green: sounds boring. jorb: you dont wanna take a bath? stinky! stinkyyyy! green: --just gotta go stinky mode. jorb: smely!!!

OH GODDAMNIT MY MIC STOPPED PICKING ME UP AT SOME POINT. BIG EFF minor pause to reread my notes from Two Years Ago from when we checked the loggers camp! my notes for that session were terrible leo: [reading out notes] "hm. wonder how donjon's doing." jorb: [laughing] BAD.

Delicious Sludge! (kepesk keeps trying to eat weird things. like soot.) leo: alidaar starts jogging around. like a white dad jorb: there is a wardrobe here. leo: [squeaky] JUST LIKE THE MURDER OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG! CLOAK OF BILLOWIIIIIIIIING kepesk is All Over this locked chest awww yeah. AH FUCK HE GAVE HIS THIEVES TOOLS TO CARROWAY IN HIS BACKSTORY CAMPAIGN its ok nameless has a crowbar nameless rolled a nat1. kepesk Also struggles with the crowbar. alidaar walks in and starts fucking Wailing on it with his morningstar green: if this thing's a mimic this would be so messed up NAMELESS KICKED IT AND GOT A CRIT jorb: how does one get a crit on an unarmed strike?? the answer is "not very well". nameless then stubbed their toe YAHOO KEPESK CAME IN SWINGING WITH A 2HANDED WARHAMMER AND SMASHED THE CHEST god this was a mess jorb: it's a flat iron rod with a button on one end. leo: it's a Gun. OH MY GOD IT'S AN IMMOVABLE ROD you push the button and it just Freezes in place and cannot be moved! kepesk tries to put it in his pocket and forgot to unpress the button. i love kepesk green: imagine if you put it in your pocket and you buttpress the button

YEAAA ALIDAAR GETS THE CLOAK OF BILLOWING time to go back downstairs! alidaar steps on a staircase and it immediately collapses. whoops alidaar takes one last look at the weird figurines and considers taking his, but decides against it and walks out. also we may have started boar religion or something? meanwhile nameless grabs the tobias one and OOPS! COMBAT! THEYRE ALIVE! nyx: i use sacred flame. jorb: on which one? nyx: the.. binturong one. leo: nameless said no doubles.

alidaar is Really Sad about having to fight the twigblight of himself :( nyx wants to save the tobias one :( :( TWIGBIAS twigbias does 5 damage to nyx's discord and makes it so he can't hear anything kepesk sees what's happening and decides to stay out of it. targor: what's going on in there? [extended silence] AW NOOOO nameless tried to dispel magic but it didnt work.. WHY DOES NAMELESS HAVE A 25 POUND CHEST????? alidaar tries to shove twigbias in the chest. he drops the chest on his foot (nat1). good lord jorb: targor walks in and says "give me that" and grabs the chest off alidaar's toe.. [rolls a 3] ..and he drops it on HIS toe EVERYTHING HAS GONE SO FAR OFF THE RAILS Alidaar And Nameless Try To Shove Twigbias Into A Chest kepesk walks up. grabs twigbias. shoves him in. WE DID IT

OH MY GOD ONE OF THE BOARS IS A DUDE OH MY GOD. MORE INITIATIVE. WHAT IS HAPPENING. THE BOARS ARE MEN kepesk: you guys were eating with my horse this whole time?? okay so. earlier the boar religion comment was because when i was looking at the twigblight party jorb mentioned how we encountered a boar Ages ago and tobias used speak with animals to tell it to go away? and now we walk out of the manse and one of the boars goes YOU SHALL NOT PASS and turns into a dude. and now there are more dudes. and basically i think we have caused problems alidaar: WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? [awkward silence] nyx: is he not gonna say anything? jorb: well, its not his turn, alidaar promptly charges at the pumpkin boar and slaps it clean in half okay cool the guy is a talos fanatic and is not gonna listen to me anyway. ah well it was worth a shot

one of the nettleblights(?) - oh yeah those guys are here too. big versions of the thornblights. one of them attacked zodiark so nameless blew it up talos, lord of boars, i walked away to get cake and when i came back it still wasnt my turn yet jorb: 30 to 40 feral hogs green: i thought [zodiark] would be really strong because he's a skeleton, but i was using mario logic, nameless: im gonna use sacred flame on.. the bitch! that is up my ass.

leo: hi im back whats up jorb: you're about to get owned! leo: oh. okay [thunderwave cave from pmd playing as alidaar gets electrocuted] LETS GIVE IT UP FOR ROUND 3 alidaar is covered in blood and he loves it. he's a fightboy! jorb: he was a gladiator! not willingly, but, leo: eh you have fun with it alidaar smacks a guy with a sword and then sticks his tongue out at him. >:P

alidaar is getting electrocuted again! leo: HOOH sorry there was a bug on my screen [right next to alidaar] jorb: you take 8 thunder damage irl [..] jorb: aw, i was trying to make it so he'd push you through the window leo: can i go through the window anyway? jorb: i mean, on your turn, if you want to,

GIANT'S MIIIIIGHT [super mushroom noise] alidaar supersizes, charges head-on at the final enemy (which is the one that tried to push me through a window), and uses his battleax to slap him straight into the sky and obliterate him on impact. alidaar: FUCK YOUUUUU leo: --and then he goes back to normal because combat ended. [checks skills] wait no this last one minute. and that was six seconds. um. jorb: you're large now! leo: alidaar stands there and goes "huh. i'm large now."

back to falcon's house! nameless brought back one of the boars for dinner :D nameless is having a normal experience with reality. what the fuck is happening. Kepesk And Alidaar Get One Boot Each targor is leaving! kepesk: aw, targor, but you're so based! nyx: don't speak those witch's words at him. I FORGOT KEPESK'S PRE-CAMPAIGN GROUP - IM GOING TO KILL JORB .RIGHT NOW kepesk's previous group was expies of the chaotix. targor was planned from the getgo to be mighty the armadillo. WAIT THE WILDERS ARE THE ONES THAT KILLED HIS PEOPLE. WE HAVE GASLIT HIM UNTIL THE VERY END green: i feel so bad, but yknow.. extenuating circumstances.. jorb: why does it keep spawning more namelesses? nyx: i shape back into binturong form. which hopefully there is only one of. AN INVISIBLE NAMELESS

jorb: do you guys wanna chat or are you just going to sleep? kepesk: so that was pretty fucked up, right? alidaar: yeah! kepesk: (at nameless) does it hurt when you go binturong mode, or? nameless: [shakes head] alidaar: sometimes they're a dog! --WAIT YOU WERE THERE FOR DOG WITH A SWORD kepesk: I WAS! :D

SOMETHING IS BREAKING INTO THE HUNTER'S LODGE AAAAAAAAAAA OH MY GOD. BIG BOAR BIG BOAR BIG BOAR

AAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

...and that's the end of the session! CLIFF HANGERRRRRRR

we still have twigbias btw.

[stellaluna33]

What do you think about the people who say that we don't know if season 6 Jess would be a good boyfriend and that just because he wrote a book doesn't mean he would be a good bf?

Haha, well... If I were to take those statements purely at face value, I actually can't argue with that? Haha! Like, yeah. Sure. I agree! We don't know if Season 6 Jess would have been a good boyfriend, just taking into account the simple fact that the Palladinos seem to think that happy/healthy romantic relationships are boring to watch and so they tend to create problems on purpose. 😂😭 I mean, Season 6 Luke was pretty objectively "not being a good boyfriend," and Luke and Lorelai were supposed to be the endgame couple! So yeah, as Sherman-Palladino characters, there is no "surety" there as a matter of course!

And "just because he wrote a book doesn't mean he would be a good bf," like... yes? Of course not! Haha! I absolutely agree! Except that that's not what Literati shippers actually mean or say! That's a straw man argument. Because... if you think that Jess publishing a book was the only noteworthy development of Season 6 Jess, you weren't paying attention. Jess having written a book, impressive and praiseworthy as that might be, isn't what makes people think he would be more capable of being a better boyfriend at the age of 21. I mean, the fact that he seemed to have found a purpose and a place for himself would certainly be helpful (less tormented angst and self-loathing and uncertainty about what he wants out of life would already be an improvement over 18-year-old Jess!), but the way he ACTS suggests that he's matured in the specific areas that caused problems in his relationship with Rory before.

The biggest problems with Jess as a teenage boyfriend (in addition to the aforementioned angst and self-loathing) were that he was closed-off emotionally and wouldn't share any information about himself or his feelings with Rory (he wouldn't let her in), and he was (possibly even unintentionally) inconsiderate in the way he "didn't want to be tied down" to specific schedules or plans. But Jess in Season 6 is very different. He seems very open and relaxed and considerate! He asks if it's ok for them to talk and offers to come back at another time if not... He voluntarily tells Rory about his life and his work and readily answers her questions... He actually asks Rory about her FEELINGS and is vulnerable enough to expose his own ("Are you nervous?" "I'm a little nervous too.")! He seems to pick up on her discomfort, and responds to it by opening up and sharing his OWN discomfort just to try to make her feel more comfortable! That's... not only emotionally perceptive, but KIND! He expresses gratitude for everything she's done for him, just because he wanted her to know! And then... He asked to talk again... and suggested a specific date and time! And the next evening, when Rory left the house to wait for him, he was already there! He not only showed up on time, but was even potentially early! And he acted cheerful and good-humored about the potentially embarrassing fact that he startled when Rory caught him throwing pebbles at her window. 😂 (Teenage Jess would have been embarrassed and defensive) And then, there's the way he stayed admirably calm despite Logan intentionally goading him... And THEN, in "the Real Paul Anka," there's the fact that Jess reached out and invited both Rory and Luke to his open house! He wanted them to KNOW that they were important to him, he wanted them to be a part of his life, and he wanted to share his work with them! He LEARNED from that self-help book he read way back in Season 4! And at the open house, he seemed comfortable and easily confident and was every bit the gracious host in a way he NEVER would have been able to when he was younger. He was openly affectionate and appreciative with Luke. He wrote Luke a check to honor a promise he made two years before... And he was even kind and generous and gentle to Rory after she HURT him (carelessly at best, cruelly at worst)!

So, does "writing a book" mean that Jess would be a better boyfriend? No, of course not. But all of THAT?? A Jess who is obviously and demonstrably much more calm, kind, patient, open, confident, responsible, and considerate than he was when he and Rory dated the first time? How could he NOT be?! Of course we don't really know how it would have worked out in reality, but how can you blame people for wondering? It's not irrational at all to assume that it would be very different (i.e. BETTER), and people who imply otherwise either don't care enough to pay attention or are being disingenuous. Sorry (not sorry).

[takaraphoenix]

I really, really hate Bart being Kid Flash.

From a character motivation standpoint, I do get it. He’s the grandson of the Flash, that alone is a big looming legacy. And then there’s Wally, who was already a respected teen speedster and now he is the Flash and Bart compares himself to him.

It doesn’t help that everybody in-universe looks at him and just sees an unreliable comic relief. (On which I could write a whole standalone rant because the amount of times Bart has saved everybody’s hides is too damn high for that level of disrespect, damn it.)

So, from his POV, it makes sense. He got shot by Joey-inside-Slade’s-body (...that sounds so much more wrong than it actually was and it was already very wrong) and spend one and a half years in total isolation entirely focused on learning and improving himself, becoming better. And, to him, Kid Flash - Wally’s legacy - is an improvement, is “better” than Impulse. Because Impulse is the class clown nobody takes seriously.

But gosh darn it I hate everything about that.

The fact that everyone’s perception of him influences him that much, that nobody can see him for the hero he actually is, that he has to prove himself over and over again. That he doesn’t seem to find enough value in being himself, so he changes. It’s not just the different name, it’s Wally’s old costume, heck, Wally’s damn hair cut - Bart’s wild floof of a mane is absolutely iconic and as Kid Flash, his hair is so much shorter and... tamer.

Look, I have a general issue with how mindnumbingly boring and unoriginal it is for the legacy characters to just wear hand-me-downs, both as costumes and as names, or worse yet to share names at the same time (giving current-time Tim the stink-eye here for going back to Robin for fuck knows what reason).

Kon and Cassie at least got creative with the costumes, if not with the name. Tim... let’s not talk about the Robins. But Bart! Precious Bart, with his own costume and his own name!! That was honestly the first thing that endeared me to him, before I even properly met him. Saw that floofy mane and individual character-design and especially for a speedster, now that’s a breath of fresh air (I still have to check wikis to see whether Barry or Wally is behind that Flash mask if I encounter a random Flash in a comic...).

I liked that. I liked that a lot. And I especially loved how well picked his name is. Sure, many in-universe look at it as him... not thinking. But it’s more that he follows his gut, reacts on impulse. And I think that’s okay, because he’s a speedster, of course is he quick on his feet and more bound to action.

I just... I really hope that Bart gets to appreciate himself for who he is? Because on its own, I did appreciate that plotline. It made a whole lotta sense that at one point, the way others treat and perceive him would affect him and the whole getting shot and getting a prosthetic under what must have been torturous pain is a very, very good reason to spiral in that manner.

It’s just the way I’m like five volumes farther now and he’s still Kid Flash and we haven’t really focused on his internal process, or had any of his friends... I don’t know... check in with him about all this, because it’s just super obvious what’s happening here and Cassie, Kon or Tim could really catch on too at some point?

(But then I suppose that Young Justice: Dark Crisis did nail one part. It’s the way Cassie, Kon and Tim are very caught up in themselves and their other friendships and treat Bart more as their sidekick as opposed to their equal teammate and friend, both in Young Justice Vol 1 and, so far, in Teen Titans Vol 3...)

[the-whatcherof-89]

Tommyinit “The Big man” Thomas Careful Danger Kraken Innit AKA Theseus the Destroyer of Statues and Other Nice Things People Built. (dang that’s a lot of nicknames y’all)

Human Fighter(Mobile fighter)16 XP76800

Chaotic Neutral Medium Humanoid

HP158(16d10+48)

AC33(+4Dex+4Shield+3Deviation+9Armor+3Natural)

BaB+16 CMB+23 CMD+36

FORT+17 REFL+14 WILL+13

Racial traits: Extra feat(Cosmopolitan), +1 Skill point/level

Traits: Reckless, Scarred.

Class abilities: Bonus feats(Weapon focus, Greater weapon focus, Improved shield bash, Shield slam, Shield master, Power attack, Penetrating strike, Greater penetrating strike, Spring attack), Agility+4, Leaping attack+3, Armor training+2, Rapid attack, Fleet footed.

STR24 DEX18 CON14 INT10 WIS14 CHA14

Feats: Mobility, Dodge, Master craftsman, Point blank shot, Precise shot, Weapon specialization, Greater weapon specialization, Quick draw.

Skills: Acrobatics+10, Climb+11, Craft(Alchemy)+4, Handle animal+9, Intimidate+9, Knowledge (Dungeoneering)+4, (Engineering)+4, Perform(Oratory)+10, Perception+15, Ride+12, Swim+15, Survival+10, Use magic device+25.

Languages: Common, Draconic.

Equipment: Amulet of natural armor+3, Ring of protection+3, Balanced mithral breastplate+3, Spiked volcanic shield+2, Adamantine battleaxe, Adamantine longsword of speed+3, Composite longbow(Str+6), 50+1 Arrows, Boots of speed, Cloak of resistance+5, Belt of physical might+4(Str, Dex), Handy haversack, Rod of absorption, Efficient quiver, Manual of war(Signed by Technoblade), Cap of the free thinker, Ring of persuasion, Headband of mental prowess+2(Int, Wis, Use magic device), Bracers of the glib entertainer, 2 Snapleaf, Wand of cure light wounds, Fighter kit, Dungeoneering kit, Combat trained horse with MWK Hide barding, Military saddle, Bit and bridle, War saddle, Military bags, Horse rations for 4 days, 1080gp.

Background: Tommynit is one of the founding members of the land and he is the living definition of a rebellious child (with a lots of PTSD). He and Tubbo have been like brothers ever since the beginning and had a rollercoaster of a life with both of them participating in the war, rebuilding the government, breaking up after his exile, their tearful reunion, the hopeless fight against Dream followed by his  imprisonment in Pandora’s vault and then being shoulder-to-shoulder when the Green man escaped the prison to support his mental health. Tommy had lot of help also from Philza whom he considers like a father/mentor figure and had build many relationships with the other members of the land; literally almost EVERYONE knows him(especially for his shenanigans and acts of theft) and he is a literal “face” of the events that transpired across the many places. Name a place, a time and event and Tommy was likely there, for some reason. Recently, he decided to fortify his last safe house (Tubbo’s old house) and allied with Sapnap to devise a plan to end Dream once and for all. One day, Tommy was having a nightmare remembering his long exile in Logstedshire and the tortures that Dream inflicted upon him. He woke up, distraught. When he stood up, he wobbled toward the tiny windows to look outside to check if the green man was around. As he saw that the coast was clear, he decided to go and meet Tubbo to see if he needed any help with Micheal after the death of Ranboo. He was about to open the door when he heard a voice. “Poor kid, so much trampled over by others.” Tommy immediately grabbed his sword. “You are not Dream. Who are you? What do you want?” A giggle was heard behind the door. “Who i am matters only if you hear first what I want. I want to propose a challenge; to you and your friends.” Tommy asked puzzled. “A challenge? And what is the prize?” The mysterious individual tapped on the door a few times. “Find me. Simple as that. And i will grant your wish. ANY wish. A wish limited ONLY by your imagination.” Tommy was stunned by this proposal but he had his share of lies and tricks so he backed a little. “Why should i trust you?” The voice answered: “They have already accepted.” Tommy was staring at the door in disbelief. “The man in green, the pig king, his crow friend… the lover of bees…and the rest.” Disbelief became terror: If Dream was involved… Tubbo was not safe. And Dream could have asked to torture them for all eternity. “The game has already started.” Concluded the voice. Tommy shouted the loudest, most fierce war cry that he had ever done in his life as he opened the door, charging through. The light enveloped him and he found himself in a new place, with new items and… Tubbo! He was in front of him, and there was a giant bee. “Tubbo, there is a bee of the size of a horse behind you.” Tubbo went to cuddle the large creature. “I know, he is my animal companion.” Tommy was stunned. “Your what?”

Tubbo “Mr Cookie gadget” Big Law/Crime the Beloved Bee Boy. 

Human Hunter(Verminous hunter)16 XP76800

Lawful Good (With various split personalities/personas) Medium Humanoid

HP140(16d8+48)

AC34(+8Dex+3Shield+2Natural+2Deviation+9Armor)

BaB+16 CMB+13 CMD+31

FORT+16 REFL+21 WILL+11

Racial traits: Extra feat(Weapon finesse), +1 Skill point/level

Traits: Destined diplomat, Scarred.

Class abilities: Verminous companion Giant bee(Use Giant wasp for statistics), Vermin empathy, Vermin focus(Bee +8 Perception), Swarm stride, Nature training, Precise companion (Outflank), Track, Hunter tactics, Teamwork feats, Improved empathic link, Bonus trick(sic’ed, Surprise shift), Second animal focus (Moth), Darkvision 20ft, Blindsense 10ft, Swift tracker, Raise animal companion, Speak with master, Greater emphatic link.

STR10 DEX26 CON16 INT10 WIS16 CHA10

Spellcasting CL16 DC13 Spells per day 5/5/5/4/3/1 Spells known:

6-Dispel magic greater, Ironwood.

5-Cure critical wounds, Tree stride, Sturdy tree fort, Companion transposition.

4-Cure serious wounds, Dispel magic, Repel vermin, Warp metal, Freedom of movement.

3-Water breathing, Protection from energy, Meld into stone, Cure moderate wounds, Magic fang grater.

2-All food, Versatile weapon, Eagle eye, Bearskin, Flame blade, Insect scouts.

1-Air bubble, Burning disarm, Endure elements, Cure light wounds, Hide from animals, Gravity bow.

0-Detect magic, Read magic, Create water, Light, Mending, Resistance.

Feats: Mounted combat, Extended animal focus, Craft wondrous items, Brew potions, Vital strike, Improved vital strike, Divine interference, Spirit’s gift.

Teamwork feats: Coordinated charge, Pack flanking, Distracting charge, Shake it off, Paired opportunist(s).

Skills: Acrobatics+20, Climb+8, Craft(alchemy)+13, Diplomacy+11, Handle animal+16, Heal+10, Intimidate+11, Knowledge (Dungeon)+4, (Geography)+4, (Nature)+8, Perception+16, Profession(Beekeeper)+7, Ride+20, Spellcraft+13, Stealth+20, Survival+12, Swim+10.

Languages: Common, Bee empathy.

Equipment: Amulet of natural armor+2, Ring of protection+2, Scarab breastplate, Tempest shield, Called rapier+3, Short bow+1, 50+1 Arrows, Belt of incredible dexterity+6, Cloak of resistance+3, Circlet of persuasion, Boots of striding and springing, Handy haversack, Eyes of the eagle, Ioun stones: Lavender and green ellipsoid, Pearly white spindle, Pink rhomboid, Bracers of archery, Horn of fog, Page of spell knowledge I, Feather token tree, Ranger kit, Alchemist kit, Grappling hook, Holly&Mistletoe, Signal whistle, Cold weather outfit with Snowchester symbol, Veterinarian kit, 300gp, 5sp.

SPINS - Animal Companion - Large Bee (stats like giant wasp) Initiative+4

Speed 20ft Fly 60ft (Good)

HP13d8+52(110) AC36(+12Natural+4Dex+11Armor-1Size) Sting+19 1d8+10+Poison DC22 1/round for 6rounds 1d4 damage 1 cure DC Con based.

Racial: Darkvision 60ft Immune to mind effects Poison

Class: Improved evasion, Ability score increase (+1Str +1 Dex +1 Wis), Multiattack, Devotion, Share spell, +8 vs trip CMD.

Str 24 Dex 18 Con 18 Int- Wis14 Cha4 BaB9 Saves 11/11/6

Feats: Armor proficiency x3 (light, medium, heavy), Power attack, Improved overrun, Improved bull rush, Improved poison.

Skills: Acrobatics+8, Fly+8, Perception+9, Stealth+11, Survival+6, Swim+12

Tricks: Stay, Guard, Attack, Defend, Seek, Track, Work, Heel, Fetch, Down, Come, Perform, Charge.

Equipment: Amulet of mighty fists+3, Darkwood Spiked Full plate barding+3, Headband of thunderous charging, Pauldron of the bull, Bit and bridle, Military exotic saddle with bags and 5 rations.

Background: Hyperactive, earnest, naive, easygoing, optimistic, loyal. This is what defines Tommy’s best friend, Tubbo. Together they had been through a lot and if he  could or would write a book about it, it would be a really LONG saga. Tubbo was a figure of administration that lasted longer than any other did or could. Especially after Schaltt government and the Doomsday. He also founded the Dream Hunters and joined the Butcher army in an attempt to stop Technoblade. After Dream imprisonment he built Snowchester as a colony of survivors and NOT a government to avoid the anger of the Blood God. There he commissioned Foolish to build a mansion for his new lover Ranboo and his adoptive son Micheal. After Dream escaped from prison, both his beloved and his son disappeared and went to search for them along with Techno and Eret. They discovered that it was Awsamdude fault for kidnapping both of them and also for the “accidental” murder of his husband. After punishing the warden, he returned Micheal to the mansion in Snowchester where he met Boo the ghost of Ranboo. One day, Tubbo woke up at the sound of a door opening. He went to check for Micheal, but he was not in his room. Panicking, Tubbo went to search for him only to find him in the main hall with the chandelier, above a cloud. “What? What is that? What are you doing Micheal? How are you…?” He could not believe is eyes, there was a large, fluffy cloud in the main hall and his adoptive son was above it, as if nothing was occurring. “Your child is quite unique. But he doesn’t seem so safe. It has already been proven.” A voice echoed in the room, the owner nowhere to be found. “Release my son! Whoever you are!” Silence was cut short by the mysterious voice “I am not holding him hostage. On the contrary, i am protecting him. For your will i do understand. And i come here with a challenge: I shall grant you a wish. ANY wish. But only if you can find me.” Tubbo was adamant in his next answer “I am going through the five stages of grief, do you mind? Give him back, NOW.” But the voice continued: “They have accepted the challenge. All of them. If they find me first… he will never be safe. But i can grant you, your child and your friends the safety you oh-so look for.” Stairs of smoke formed and Tubbo climbed and reached Micheal for a hug. “I accept. But only if you will grant me that Micheal will stay here in this mansion, safe and sound.” The mysterious individual snapped his fingers. “It is done.” The could shifted and turned into a giant bee with brit, bridle, saddle and other items equipped. “A loyal companion. One that will follow you to the end of the world.” Tubbo looked in disbelief as he somehow recognized the bee: “SPINS? Is that you? HOW…?!” The large creature made a strange buzzing sound. Tubbo re-asserted himself as he gently put Micheal down “Go back to your room, boy. I am going away for a short time.” The Piglin made a snorting sound and walked to his room. “Let’s make this quick, ok?” The figure snapped his fingers again. “Oh that depends entirely by you.” And the world shifted and so did his equipment. He found himself in a new place, he dismounted and saw… Tommy! He was in front of him. “Tubbo, there is a bee of the size of a horse behind you.” He said. Tubbo embraced Spins. “I know, he is my animal companion.” Tommy was stunned. “Your what?”

Link for image: https://at.tumblr.com/periwinklemoonlight/stay-clingy/yku27vq2ff43

Art belongs to the amazing https://www.tumblr.com/periwinklemoonlight