#I am not immune to new outfit....

[ahollowgrave]

lays on the ground

[theunconcernedembalmer]

Aesop, have you seen that new Hunter? Fool’s Gold, I think he’s called? Thoughts about him?

Can't put my finger on it...

[renabe4life]

wip

[the-rogue-mockingjay]

i was gonna do something productive, but then i thought about my alts/OCs in lvl100 outfits and. well!

in order from left to right: Asha Alaqa Sagahl, Aurélien de Sofinoy, Eden Lavellan, Emrys of the Darkened Steel, Félicienne Greystone, Lina Svanasch, Marielle de Dzemael, Mariko Iteya, Merethe de Sofinoy, Myreena, Rian Ashbrooke, Ysera Rowan, Valentin Breliseur, Zelala Zela

[99probalos]

sigh. someday ill make another 76 playlist but just for the songs i imagine amvs to. for now i'll re-release the link to the current playlist because yknow wjat. im a little proud of it‼️

[warlordfelwinter]

too sick to draw anything cromulent but. yk. i've been playing lots of totk and some of those shirts are so... celeste coded

[radsity]

i am not immune to fearne’s fey wiles

[image description: a full color illustration of Fearne, from Critical Role. she is wearing her new outfit as of episode 56. her expression is mischievous and playful. End ID.]

[androgynealienfemme]

"Yes, it's true: I was the type of young femme who managed the girls basketball team in high school, just to be able to take in the sight of all those butches parading their muscles up and down the court. I found Girl Scout camp to be femme heaven and reveled in being able to explore my athletic self and still maintain my femmeness. And, to my horror, I have to admit pushing Tina away from my breasts in the back seat of a Buick while attending Mount Saint Mary Seminary. And then there was feminism... Although I came out as a "gay" woman before reading The Feminine Mystique, the seventies brand of white feminism had me trimming my nails and cutting off my hair. Soon I was outfitted in farmer jeans and high tops. And still I was told by my "sisters" that I didn't "look like a dyke" (read: I didn't look butch). I began to lead two lives- one as an outrageous, skirted, lipsticked femme while I worked in and traveled with carnivals, and another as an imitation butch back home in the women's community. Eventually, I pulled the pieces of my being back together and proclaimed boldly, "I am a working-class lesbian femme." So I had maybe six years reveling in unleashing my seductive femme self when, as lives go, mine changed: slowly at first and then more dramatically. Recurring back pain and limited range of mobility were finally diagnosed. Soon after came decreased mobility. No more mountain climbing. No long mall walks in search of the perfect piece of sleaze. No more standing against kitchen walls being gloriously fucked by some handsome butch. I stopped using alcohol and drugs, became ill with what is now known as CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome), and began to use a three-wheeled power chair. The more disabled I became, the more I mourned the ways my sexual femme self had manifested through the nondisabled me: cruising at the local lezzie bar, picking up a dyke whose eyes refuse to stray from mine, dancing seductively, moving all of me for all of her. Cooking: love and suggestion neatly tucked into the folds of a broccoli quiche. Serving my date in varying, sleazy clothing, removing layers as the meal and our passion progressed. And making love... feeling only pleasure as my hips rose and fell under the weight of her. Accomplishment and pride smirked across my face as her wrists finally submitted to the pressure of strong persistent hands. There are the ways I knew to be femme, to be the essence of me.

It's been five years now since I began using my wheelchair. I am just awakening to a new reclamation of femme. Yes. I still grieve the way I was, am still often unsure how this femme with disabilities will act out her seduction scenes. I still marvel when women find passion amidst the chrome and rubber that is now a part of me.

There have been numerous dates, lovers, relationships, sexual partners, and fliterations along the way. Cindy, Jenny, Ellie, Emma, Diane, Dorothy, Gail, June, Clove, Lenny, Cherry, Diana, Sarah I, and Sarah II. You have all reminded me in your own subtle or overt, quit or wild ways that I am desirable, passionate, exciting, wanted.

Yes I am an incredibly sexual being. An outrageous, loud mouthed femme who's learning to dress, dance, cook, and seduce on wheels; finding new ways to be gloriously fucked by handsome butches and aggressive femmes. I hang out with more sexual outlaws now- you know, the motorcycle lesbians who see wheels and chrome between your legs as something exciting, the leather women whose vision of passion and sexuality doesn't exclude fat, disabled me.

Ableism tells us that lesbians with disability are asexual. (When was the last time you dated a dyke who uses a wheelchair?) Fat oppression insists that thin is in and round is repulsive. At times, these voices become very loud, and my femme, she hid quietly amidts the lists.

Now my femme is rising again. The time of doubt, fear, and retreat has passed. I have found my way out of the lies and oppression and have moved into a space of loving and honoring the new femme who has emerged. This lesbian femme with disabilities is wise, wild, wet, and wanting. Watch out.

-"Reclaiming femme... Yet again" Mary Francis Platt, The Persistent Desire (Edited by Joan Nestle) (1992)

[beanghostprincess]

I'm gonna shamelessly drop some silly headcanons for the Cross Guild and also Shuggy:

• Shanks absolutely told Mihawk to his face "hey I think you and my boyfriend should hook up"

".... Excuse me?"

"I said you and Blue should hook up! :)"

".................. what percentage is that rum-?"

"I'm not drunk! I just think you'd like him!"

"Shanks. Redhair. I begrudgingly think of you as an acquaintance with whom I am not averse to spending time with, but if you ever insinuate I would "hook up" with a clown of all things, I will sever your other arm and beat you to death with it."

".... hot."

"You need professional help."

• cut to several years later, Mihawk is looking at Buggy, laid out on the ground on his tummy and playing with a baby humandrill. Oh, he thinks, watching Buggy coo and smile, quiet for once, sweet and unfiltered, oh no

• falling in love, for Mihawk, was a gradual decline, slow and steady until he suddenly got kicked off a cliff roadrunner style. He was warming up to the clown, was beginning to see what perhaps Shanks saw in him, was growing begrudgingly fond. Then one day, he happened across Buggy curled over onto a desk late at night, his cartoonishly large red outfit loose around him, drowning his limbs. With a touch of something approaching compassion, he designs to move the other to the couch at the very least, but then he sees Buggy is kneading the spare fabric in his sleep, not unlike a cat. When Mihawk scoops him up, the swordsman almost drops him because humans do not purr, and yet... shit. Shit. The Clown is cute. Who authorized this? Seas damn it all, he owes the Red bastard 250 Berri

• Crocodile resisted love with all the aplomb of a feral koala on crack. He outright REFUSED to fall for a clown, let alone THIS clown in particular. Then Buggy goes and does something absolutely mundane but cripplingly sweet like making his coffee PERFECTLY and then asking about the newest batch of strawberrywanis that just hatched. Croc gets affection aggression and is fuming over how much he wants to kiss this dumbass.

Buggy goes and makes it worse by making a soft comment about having been looking into their care himself out of interest and brings up maybe looking into expanding, what with the 'Wani yield, something Croc has been debating for future endeavors because while the current set up is okay and will remain alright, it won't always be. He is frothing. He is feral. He wants to kiss the clown. Shit. SHIT. How dare he?!

• Buggy is simply Oblivious. He has Shanks (and wowza if that hadn't been nice, seeing his boyenemy again after a highly traumatic experience like prison-and-then-war), and he knows he has a bit of a crush on his new business partners, but there's no way they'll like HIM back. It's simply not a Thing. He'll make do with self indulgent fantasies for now.

• Shanks is across the new world, sipping rum out of a sippy cup and grinning at the denden bc He Knows. He knows damn well that nobody is immune to his baby's charm. Nobody Is Immune To Buggy.

• Luffy wakes from a nap in a cold sweat like "my sand dad is about to kiss my clown mom. Zoro. Zoro wake up your dad is about to fuck my mom. Zoro-"

My favorite thing about Cross Guild falling in love is the inevitable way in which both Crocodile and Mihawk swear on their life they will NOT IN A MILLION YEARS fall for somebody as pathetic and ridiculous as the clown. And yet. And yet, they fall and it is painful to go through and they hate every second of it. But it goes from "I wanna kill him" to "He's okay" to "I guess he is cute" to "I would kill for him" in, like, months. Which for them feels like seconds. And they want to die.

And Buggy is completely oblivious, of course, he thinks they hate him. They are just two neurodivergent men who do not know how to communicate their feelings because they have been on their own for too long. So they are just. They're idiots.

Also, Luffy and Zoro reacting to Bughawk has to be the funniest things in the world-

[ssentimentals]

seventeen members as love tropes: boo seungkwan

hanahaki disease (unrequited love)

'and i hoped - in vain, i know - that maybe there's the slightest chance of you feeling the same.'

tw: angst

at first seungkwan thinks he's just coming down with some flu or cold. his throat feels scratchy and dry no matter how much water he drinks and it's starting to annoy him to no end. runny nose and slight rise in the temperature confirms his first suspicion of just catching a cold, so he stops by pharmacy on his way to the house, grabbing some immunity boosters. they usually help him without the need to take anything stronger and assured in this, seungkwan doesn't even think that it might be something else. it's only when he feels like something is stuck in the middle of hi throat, only when he violently coughs and stares at the white petal on his hand does he realize what is happening.

he wishes he could say that this is a surprise. he wishes he could spend time thinking this over, trying to guess where the hell this is coming from. only he doesn't because he knows. seungkwan has no need to put on a show for anyone in the safety of his own home, so he lets himself slowly crouch on the floor, staring at the white petal. it suits so well, that's the thing. you love white, always look so pretty in it. but seungkwan might be biased cause in his humble opinion you look good in everything. ('seungkwannie!' you giggle, blushing prettily as he compliments your outfit. 'thank you so much. you always know what to say to make me feel better!') white petal looks suspiciuosly like it's from a rose and seungkwan instantly checks his guess, pulling up thousand pictures of white roses from the internet. and of course, he is correct. ('is this for me? oh, seungkwan!' your smile is blinding as you gratefully accept the bouquet from him. it consists of white roses and when you look up at him, seungkwan knows he picked it right. 'this is so sweet, thank you. so thoughtful of you, kwannie.') seungkwan stares at the petal for few more minutes before standing up and leaving it on the coffee table. he goes to take a shower, then cooks himself dinner and doesn't tell anyone about the petal he coughed up from his lungs. he knows what it means, everyone knows what it means. he'll deal with it on his own.

'oh dear, are you feeling okay?' tomorrow is a new day and his love for you did not disappear. how can it, when you're staring at him with such a concerned expression like you care? no, that's not right; seungkwan knows that you care. just not the same way he cares for you. 'you look a bit pale. maybe you should work from home today?'

'i'm fine, just didn't get my beauty sleep,' seungkwan jokes and watches in adoration as you smile at this. making you smile is his favorite way to pass time. 'don't worry.'

suddenly your hand is on his forehead and seungkwan freezes up, wishes time would freeze too so he could bottle this feeling up. 'hm, i think you're a bit too warm. seungkwan, are you sure you're fine?'

no, he wants to say. i am in love you and you don't love me back. i coughed up white rose petal yesterday and it's you, it's you, it can't be anyone else. 'i need to finish several presentations,' he says instead. 'deadline is tomorrow.'

you're not satisfied with his answer, of course you're not. that's why he fell in love with you in the first place, because watching fire in your eyes burn as you stand up for someone or when you're passionately talking about something had him hooked. right now he watches as you turn off his laptop, unplug it from charger and push it in his backpack all while mumbling about importance of taking care of yourself. 'i care for you, seungkwan.' your voice is gentle and sincere. 'please, take care of yourself, okay? let me know if you'll need anything else.'

all i need is your love so i could stop coughing up those petals is on his mind but he only smiles and dutifully goes home. by the end of the day he coughs enough to fill up small vase. it's alarming, the rate at which this is happening. seungkwan knows that one of the solutions would be to just try and forget you, rip you out of his heart but he also knows that it's impossible. rip you out of his heart? one might as well just rip his heart altogether because you're not getting out of there. your smile, your kindness, your eyes, your laugh - everything is carved inside him. how sad, he thinks, staring up at your profile on instagram, where you just posted pretty photo of yourself on a date with your partner. how sad that it doesn't break my heart. you were already taken when he met you and seungkwan knew from the start that he never stood a chance, but his heart still chose you. and it hurt at first but then he grew so accustomed to this feeling that he learned to live with it like it's normal to pine for someone, to have a onesided love. seungkwan coughs again and more white rose petals fall on the ground. it doesn't even hurt, surprisingly. seungkwan leans on the wall and presses a 'like' on your photo. last thought on his mind before he goes to sleep is how you are so gentle with him that even your white rose petals cannot hurt him.

a/n: just so you know, i hurt myself with this one too. but one of these tropes had to be angsty and seungkwan with his emotional maturity fits the best for hanahaki disease :( hopefully this was done nicely! - nini

check out my other seventeen writings here

if by any chance you're also intereted in f1 then check out my writings for them here

[flippinpancakes64]

filming a tiktok with edward cullen

Filming a TikTok with Edward

Okay so I figured that this one would be better suited for a narrative story format yk so here I am trying it once more.

I actually had a lot of fun writing this one lol

Thank you for requesting and I hope you enjoy!

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” Alice pleaded to you once again.

“Sorry, Alice. You know I would go with you but I’m just way too tired today,” you sighed.

“Pleeeease? Rosalie already said no and it’s boring going to the mall all by myself!” She said, trying to step past you into the entryway of your house.

It had already been what felt like at least 10 minutes of Alice begging you to go with her to the mall. And 10 minutes of you telling her no. She may never need sleep, but you sure as hell did.

“What’s so important at the stupid mall anyway? Don’t you already have enough clothes to cover the entire Pacific Ocean?”

Alice rolled her eyes and successfully pushed past you, dancing her way to sit on the couch.

“What’s ‘so important’ is none of your business just yet. I had a vision,” she said, her eyes staring mystically into space as she waved her hands around exaggeratedly.

You huffed, “You can’t just say that you had a vision for everything you don’t want me to know.”

“Okay well then how’s this; something very fun and important will happen later but only if you let me take you to the mall right now and buy you a new outfit.” A sly smile spread across her face, her eyes appearing fox-like as she giggled quietly.

You groaned. Luckily, your parents weren't home yet. They would have told you to just go a long time ago. That's part of the Cullens' charm, everyone liked them. And you weren't immune to them either.

You sighed, finally taking your heavy backpack off of your shoulders and letting it slide to the ground. You looked up at Alice and saw her staring at you in anticipation.

"Fine, just let me go get my wallet-" and in a flash Alice was gone. Before you could even blink again she was standing in front of you with a huge grin on her face and your wallet in her hands.

"Done. Okay let's go!" she cheers, taking your arm and dragging you out the front door. "You've wasted enough time already."

"Did you forget how to walk or something? Come ON!" Alice sighed as she attempted to drag you through the crowded mall.

"I can walk just fine, thank you," you huffed, trying your hardest to keep up with her as she raced down the walkways.

Alice weaved the two of you through the large crowds. In between couples, over chairs, past crying children, and finally... to a Spirit Halloween.

"..." you stood there, Alice's hand in yours still as she continues her attempts to drag you along. "...is this some sort of joke? Cause I'm not laughing."

"No, it's not a joke. Now come on! You are so slow! We are running out of time!"

You let yourself be dragged into the store. Completely devoid of people, it was even creepier than it was intended to be.

"I have so many questions," you started. "First of all, why? Second of all, why is there a Spirit Halloween already, it's only July? And third of all, why???" you protested as Alice guided you to a corner of the store.

She stopped in front of you, whirling around to face you and getting in close. "Look," she whispered, "I have a plan and I just need you to go along with it. Edward is terrified of clowns. Some traumatic childhood memory or something, whatever."

"So... what, I'm gonna dress up as a clown and try to scare Edward? Yeah, like that'll work," you said sarcastically.

"No, it'll work! I've seen it! Bella will cover your thoughts so that he doesn't hear you approaching, Jasper is going to overload his mind with a sense of ease so that he doesn't suspect anything, and Emmett's gonna call his attention, then- boom! That's when you strike!"

"...How long have you wanted to do this?"

"Years." And with that Alice extends her arm, in it she holds a clown mask.

"Did you remember to start recording?" Alice whispered.

"Well obviously I haven't started it yet," you snapped, "ugh, Alice this thing stinks." You said, pulling the latex mask off of your face.

Currently, you were dressed head to toe in a cheap costume of a ripoff Pennywise the Clown. The Summer sun was beating down on your back as you stood outside with Alice, Jasper, Bella, and Emmett.

Alice tutted and pulled the mask back on your face, "I know it does, but you won't have it on for much longer," she said. "Okay, everyone knows what to do, right?"

Nods and hums of affirmation were heard around the circle. Looking at all of their faces, you noticed the latent excitement in their features. Emmett was jogging in place as if he was preparing for a hunt, Jasper was smirking and cracking his knuckles, and Bella's grin was so wide that it almost looked inhuman.

Alice shot you one look and you sighed, pulling out your phone, and starting the recording.

"Pranking my boyfriend while I'm dressed up as a clown," you said, then laughed. All of you moved into the house. As soon as you crossed the threshold, Bella stopped and closed her eyes, presumably laying her shield over all of you to hide your thoughts.

You ventured through the house, your little pack of helpers following stealthily behind. Through the house, you could hear Edward's piano keys ringing. A soft melody that was not very fitting of the intense situation floated all around.

You stopped right outside of the open doorway to the piano and waited. Inside, Edward was sitting at the keys, plunking away. Jasper closed his eyes next to you and held his hands up as if he was manifesting his ability. Next to him, Emmett sprang to the side door to the room and called Edward's name loudly, bringing his attention to the other side of the room.

This was your shot.

As fast as you could, you ran towards Edward, doing your best scary clown laugh the whole way there.

And if you hadn't caught it on camera, you wouldn't have believed his reaction.

He sprang out of his seat, his knees knocking against the piano. He shrieked a sound that could only be likened to that of a little girl, and flew to the wall, his back pressed up against it. For the split second before he realized what was actually going on, there was pure fear etched onto his face.

Laughter erupted through the house. From Bella at the entryway to the other three Cullens in the room. You couldn't help yourself either. You yanked the mask off of your head and threw it to the ground, laughing so hard that you doubled over.

"What the fuck! You guys are assholes!" Edward yelled, clearly embarrassed that he had been bested. That just made the roaring laughter get louder.

"Oooh! My TikTok has 400 likes!" you said, laying in bed next to Edward as he was rolled onto his side, facing away from you.

"Hmph." he huffed.

"Aw, come on. You're not mad, are you?" you said, turning to place your hand on his shoulder in an attempt to get him to roll over and face you. "You gotta admit, it was funny."

"No 't wasn't." he mumbled, still pouting.

"Edward. Eddy. Baby. Edweird. Sugar plum gumdrops. Hot cakes. Mr Shiny Skin. Big ass. Little ass. Rich Man. Edward. Edward. Edward" you pestered, poking his shoulder.

In an instant, he rolled over and laid on top of you.

"Oof!" you grunted, your lungs wheezing under the added weight. After a second you wrapped your arms around his back. "I really am sorry though. But you do have to give credit where credit's due."

He thought about it for a second. "Fine. You guys did a good job, you really did get me," he laughed, then thought for a second more. "But if this happens again, you're driving yourself to school for a whole year."

"Hey wait we can talk about this-"

[tinyfantasminha]

Thoughts about this year's Halloween event 👀

I'm kinda sad we won't be getting a GloMas part 2 for the rest of the cast, BUT I'm also excited for the new one and new characters!!

HONEST JOHN AND GIDEON 👀 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS 😩😩 FOXBOY AND CATBOY, MORE BEASTMEN CHARAS FINALLY (no one is immune to a mischievous fox boy)

And if they're here, that means the event is going to be Pinocchio inspired!! (at least we hope so 😳) like how Rollo was last year's guest character and surely, GloMas was very much inspired in The Hunchback of Notredame which is where Rollo's respective villain is from...

So assuming it will be a pinocchio event, the boys will most likely go to a twst version of Tuscany, Italy (where pinocchio's story takes place in) and my hunch is that, much like in Glorious Masquerade, there will be some kind of touristic festival happening. And that festival will be a carnival based on Pleasure Island 👀

By here you can pretty much guess what the conflict will be... The place will either be cursed or casted with magic to make the guests turn into donkeys, throwing everyone in a pit of panic and our boys will have to stop it 😫

It's highkey likely that the cards for the event will be the rest of the boys who didn't appear in GloMas, so: Ace, Cater, Trey, Leona, Jack, Jade, Floyd, Kalim, Vil, Ortho and Lilia.

My hunch is that the three SSRs will be Ortho, Ace and Kalim. The reasons are:

Ortho ➜ An obvious choice, he'll be pretty much the Pinocchio for this event. If people will be magically turning into donkeys, he's most likely to be immune to it since he's a robot, making him the protagonist who will save the day. He also was only a R card in Endless Halloween, so the possibility of his card being of a higher rarity such as SSR is very high!

Ace ➜ Ngl my main reasoning is that his last event SSR was over 3 YEARS AGO, he's due to have another one any time soon 😫 also, some people pointed out that he's similar to Lampwick, Pinocchio's human friend who got turned into a donkey. They are both red-haired and have a rambatious and careless attitude, so it fits just right!

Kalim ➜ I'm not so sure about him as I am with Ortho and Ace, but like Ortho, he was only an R card in the first halloween event, so his chances of being SSR is higher. Story wise, I was thinking; his naiveteness/innocence kinda resembles Pinocchio's. If twst Honest John will appear, he definitelly will try to deceive someone, but most of the boys are too cunning and untrusting to be tricked that easily. Kalim is the most likely to trust him and be deceived. So just like Ortho, he also somewhat plays the role of Pinocchio.

Lastly, I was thinking that the types of outfits they'll be wearing will be circus/carnival inspired, much like in a Noah's Arc Circus aesthetic, which is an arc from Kuroshitsuji, Yana Toboso's other work!

I think the outfits will have this sorta vibe! I absolutely ADORE creepy/dark carnival/circus aesthetics so I'm hoping that's the case since it's perfect for a halloween event 😳

[stevesbestgirl]

Phases of the Moon - Part 2

Steven Grant x f!Reader, eventual Marc Spector x f!Reader

2909 words

Warnings: minor angst, mutual pining, idiots in love, Donna being a big meanie, mentions of reader’s face “flushing,”

As always, keep in mind that I am not a system and am not an expert. All of my information about their relationship comes from the Moon Knight show and I use that as my reference point.

*Bold type is spoken by Marc when Steven is fronting.*

Masterlist

Tuesday evening, your phone buzzed, “2609 minutes, from right now. - Steven.” You suspected he’d been waiting until he finished his shift to work it out. He’d also signed his name on the text, which you found to be rather cute. 

When Thursday came, you took a little bit of extra time in the morning. You hadn’t meant to, but you were fiddling with your hair and changing outfits when you realized what you were doing and forced yourself to leave it all be. And sure enough, when you approached the gift shop counter, Steven lit up, just as he had two days before. 

You made your way up to the counter, “Alright, how many minutes now?”

He made a show of checking his watch, “About two and maybe a half.” He gave you a shy smile, “You look pretty today.”

“Prettier than Tuesday?” you teased.

“Well, I thought you looked pretty Tuesday too, but I chickened out on saying it, didn’t I?” That rosy flush you were growing to like so much crept up his cheeks.

“Thanks, Steven.”

“Well, shouldn’t I be thanking you?” 

Now it was your turn to flush; you’d never met someone who could flip-flop so seamlessly between bumbling awkwardness and earnest charm.

But you were saved by the bell- Steven had an alarm set on his phone. He quickly silenced it, “There we are. You ready, love? We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.” The way your heart skipped in your chest at the term of endearment again made it clear that you were not immune- at least, not to Steven. But you nodded your agreement as he came out from behind the counter and led the way back to the exhibit.

This time, it was harder to focus on the words Steven was saying- all you wanted to do was watch him talk. The way he tilted his head when he was searching for the right word, the way his pitch rose when he was building up to something he found particularly interesting- but it was really his hands that did you in. 

They waved around while he spoke, accenting explanations, pointing out details in each display, and making quirky little gestures to accent his points. You felt like your gaze was following them and you found yourself wondering what it would feel like to slide your fingers between his. Your stomach dropped at the thought and you hastily pulled your gaze back to his face, using all of your willpower to listen. 

Too soon, the little alarm on his phone was sounding again, “Looks like I’ve gone on a bit too long again, haven’t I? We’ve only just started on the pharaohs.”

You walked with him back to the gift shop, “When is your next shift?”

He grimaced, “Donna has me on the late shift for inventory tomorrow night. And you’re probably busy on Saturday-”

“I’m not, actually. Are you working?” He nodded blankly. “I’m happy to stop by again. Unless that’s inconvenient for you, I’m sure Saturdays are busy-”

“Saturday is perfect,” he insisted. I actually get off at two, if you wanted to come by ‘round then." That was not true. Steven didn't work Saturday at all, but he continued anyway, "I can give you a proper tour.” 

Your stomach twisted and you weren’t sure if it was with excitement or anxiety; this had become a full-blown date in a matter of moments. And you wanted to go.

Despite all of your common sense telling you to back off now before it was too late, you smiled, “That sounds great.” You pulled out your phone, “I’ll put it in my calendar.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” he dug into his bag on the other side of the counter, “I brought you something.” He pulled out a box and handed it to you; it was a new screen protector. “I’m not sure if I got the right one, but I sort of had to guess. It was such a sweet gesture that you were struck dumb for a moment, staring at the box in your hands. It was, in fact, not the right kind, but you weren’t about to tell Steven that. “Thank you, Steven. This is- that was really nice.” 

You tried to keep your voice even; it shouldn’t be a big deal. It wasn’t like you could tell Steven that this was the first time in a very long time you could remember someone doing something so thoughtful for you. 

“Well, I felt bad, y’know?”

This was the part where you were supposed to respond with something grateful and vaguely funny, but you couldn’t seem to find anything to say. Every combination of words you strung together sounded too raw- too emotional at a simple thoughtful gesture.

“Oi, Stevie,” Donna’s voice cut through the pause, “I’m not paying you to stand around and flirt with your girlfriend, am I?” Both you and Steven went stiff. Donna continued, “You could be stocking those new figurines.”

“I will, yeah- right now,” Steven said quickly. “And it’s Steven,” he corrected, though his tone was tired- this clearly wasn’t the first reminder. He knelt, pulling out a box of vaguely humanoid figures, lining them up half-heartedly on the counter until Donna disappeared. “Sorry about that,” he gave a nervous chuckle. “She shouldn’t have called you-”

“Don’t worry about it,” you offered a tight-lipped smile, beating back the feeling in your stomach that wanted to hear you called Steven’s girlfriend again. It was suddenly like you were twelve again. You wanted to make things light-hearted again, so you teased, “Not a fan of ‘Stevie,’ then?”

He half-smiled, “S’not so bad when you say it, to be honest. But it makes me think of Donna.”

“Maybe I can steal it from her, make you think of me instead,” you offered.

He laughed, “You could try, but I’m not convinced it can be done.”

You knew it was a silly thing. And maybe you just wanted to feel special to Steven. But it seemed like every time Donna spoke to Steven- or about him- she was dismissive and rude and you didn’t like it. But any reasonable person would feel that way. It had nothing to do with the little furrow lines that appeared on his forehead whenever she came around. “Sorry to keep getting you in trouble.”

“Don’t be,” he insisted, that adorable earnestness returning. “If I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I suspect she’d be upset at the way I breathe or somethin’. Besides, I can’t think of a much better reason to get in trouble.” At that, he grinned and your resolve melted into a puddle at your feet. 

You smiled back, “Well, for what it’s worth, I think the way you breathe is fine.” He checked over your shoulder again and you grimaced, “Did she come back?”

“Nah, not yet, but she might. She does that sometimes.”

“Well, I’ll go, so you don’t get scolded any more. And I’ll see you Saturday.”

*

"Sounds like someone has a date," Dalton teased over the morning paper. 

"I thought the same," Mandy agreed, sipping her coffee with a sly smirk.

"It's not a date." You were lying. But you didn't really want to dive into detail about how you'd folded on your principles less than a week after arriving with your cousin and his wife. 

"He's staying late at work to give her a tour," Dalton noted, gaining an appreciative hum from Mandy, although that may have been a response to her coffee. Dalton murmured low, "He also bought her a phone case, you know."

"Gift giving means it's a date," Mandy nodded.

"It was a screen protector," you replied. "If I'm going to be teased, at least be accurate about it, will you?" They didn’t even know that you’d had to go buy a new one that would actually fit your phone so Steven wouldn’t know he got the wrong kind.

"Oh, fine. The point stands regardless. You've got a date tonight."

You huffed; there was no point in arguing. And they were right; it was a date.

You were at least spared the struggle of deciding whether to dress up or not; Steven would be fresh off his shift, so probably would be wearing khakis, a button up, and that jacket he seemed so fond of. You opted for a casual dress and arrived at the museum a little early- you liked chatting with him at the counter before starting the tour. 

It was only quarter til two, but there was a new face at the gift shop; a young woman who didn’t yet appear out of her twenties. Her name tag read, “Denise.” You offered a friendly smile, “Have I missed Steven already?” The girl looked confused. “Um,” you didn’t even know his last name, “About this tall, curly brown hair-”

“I know Steven, but he doesn’t work today,” the girl finally said. You were almost glad when she cut you off because your next item to list was lovely, expressive, brown eyes and that probably would have been a bit much.

But now you were confused, “He said he was off at two.”

Denise shook her head, “That’s my shift this week.”

You forced a smile, “Guess I got my wires crossed somehow. Thanks.”

You took a seat on a nearby bench. Steven could still show- you were pretty sure you hadn’t misunderstood. You found it hard to believe he would stand you up, so you hoped it was just a miscommunication. 

At eight minutes til two, Steven came in, bustling over to the counter. He said something you couldn’t make out to Denise and you watched her tilt her chin in your direction. Steven whipped around, doing an odd sort of jog across the room. You stood to meet him and Steven’s gaze followed the skirt of your dress as it fluttered back into place. 

Unconsciously, it seemed, his tongue poked out between his lips to wet them before he spoke, “You look- I mean, wow-”

Your slight apprehension couldn’t stop a faint smile at his reaction, “It’s just a dress, Steven.”

He nodded, “Right, yeah.” His cheeks glowed with warmth, “You look nice, is all.”

“Thanks.” It was difficult to believe he’d intentionally mislead you when he reacted that way, but you had to ask. “So, um, you don’t work today?”

The flush on his cheeks crept toward his neck, “Right, yes. I didn’t think you’d get here so early and-” 

“So you lied?” You cursed internally; you’d wanted to sound aloof- maybe vaguely curious, but a hint of hurt made it into your tone.”

“I, ah- well, I wanted to see you again and you asked if I was working- I thought you might not want to do it if I wasn’t here for work because then you might’ve thought I was asking you out-” 

Steven was rambling a bit, but it faded to background as you focused on keeping your expression even. Don’t break eye contact. Don’t look disappointed. Don’t fidget. It’s not a date. That’s okay.

“You alright, love?” Your heart gave a halfhearted flip in your chest, disappointment cushioning your capacity for excitement. “I’m sorry, it was a pretty boneheaded move.” He knocked his knuckles against his forehead in mock punishment, “I guess I panicked a little.”

You nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’d just rather you tell me the truth next time, alright?” That was true. And a perfectly believable response. 

“Yeah, right, of course- I really am sorry,” he insisted.

You knew you should be more upset at him lying- no matter how minor- than about the way you’d foolishly thought this was a date, but you couldn’t seem to muster any indignation toward a man who’d gone out of his way to make sure you didn’t feel uncomfortable. And the strangest thing was that you were still looking forward to it. You wanted to listen to Steven- to share that secret again.

You forced a smile, “It’s alright. You want to get started?”

He grinned, “Yeah, of course, let’s get a move on then, shall we?”

And even though it wasn’t a date, Steven didn’t waver in the way he made you feel like the most important person on the planet. You felt a bit less bad about your misunderstanding; how could you have thought he wasn’t interested when he spoke to you with such enthusiasm. It was as though you were the only person he wanted to be speaking to at this moment. 

The museum was far more crowded than it had been during the week; a few children and parents were hovering around Steven, listening with you. But his eyes remained on you, the secret still yours alone. 

He showed you a map of the inside of a tomb, pointing out the different sections and trap locations, despite none of that being on the map. “Can you guess where the pharaoh is housed?”

You hummed like you were considering it, before pointing, “In the point of the pyramid, duh.” 

“I think it’d be a bit cramped in there, yeah?”

“Right, because it’s so roomy inside a sarcophagus,” you countered.

“Alright, you’ve got me there.” He wrapped his hand around yours, gently moving you, “But he’ll actually be in here.” You weren’t entirely sure what he was pointing at, if you were being honest. You couldn’t pry your gaze away from the way his fingers draped over the back of your hand. He moved, drawing your finger in a small circle, “You see how the traps are more concentrated around here?”

You nodded, “Yeah, makes sense.” 

Steven realized he was still holding your hand, releasing you and taking a half a step back, his palms suddenly sweaty. God, he hoped he hadn’t been this sweaty when he’d been touching you. 

Two hours after you’d started, you finished the east wing of the museum. Your small crowd of hangers-on dispersed, leaving you and Steven by the wing’s entrance. You could see Donna at the front desk at the center of the entryway.

“What did you think?” Steven was looking at you expectantly.

“You can expect my Yelp review on the museum’s page later this evening,” you smiled slyly. When he looked a bit worried, you laughed, “It was fantastic, Steven. Can I pay you to do the rest for me? I’d be missing out if I didn’t get the full experience.”

He looked rather pleased, a faint glow returning to his cheeks, “You know I’d do it free.” Maybe this hadn’t been a date, but he certainly acted interested in you, you were sure of it now.

“You should be getting paid for this, Steven. You were great.” You checked the time on your phone, “I suppose I should let you go though, it’s about dinner time.” A perfectly reasonable observation, you thought. If Steven used it to ask you out to dinner, that would be his choice.

There was a moment’s pause too long, “Right, I shouldn’t keep you too late, should I?”

You supposed you set yourself up for that one. You gave a wry smile, “Yeah, I should probably be getting back. Thanks for the tour, Steven.”

“Really, it’s no problem- I think I had more fun than anyone,” he chuckled. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” 

You offered him a smile; you didn’t understand why it was so hard for you to stay sad about Steven. He seemed to pick you back up as quickly as he knocked you down. He was either the most oblivious man on the planet or he was a top tier manipulator. You had a difficult time believing the latter. 

You took a step away; you needed some space to clear your head, “Bye, Steven.”

He seemed surprised by the prompt exit; usually you chatted for a bit after, “Oh- laters, gators!”

You suppressed a smile- he was definitely oblivious to how charming you found him. You offered a small wave goodbye and headed for the door.

Once you were out of earshot, Marc spoke up in the display glass, “You could have asked her to dinner.”

“I wanted to,” Steven defended. “I really wanted to, but I don’t wanna scare her away.”

“Steven, you’re going to blow this if you don’t listen-”

“Stevie, take these to the basement for me, will you?” Donna caught Steven off guard, brandishing a box of sweets.

Steven sidestepped her, “Sorry Donna, I’m not scheduled today.”

She looked annoyed, “Then what are you doing here on your day off? Just here to stand in the way?”

“Actually, I was here with a friend,” Steven countered, a measure of pride in his voice.

Donna raised an eyebrow, “You mean that pretty thing who keeps coming in to flirt with you for whatever reason? I take it you blew it then.”

Steven’s brow furrowed, “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Who’s everyone?”

Steven sighed, “Never mind. Why’d you say that?”

“She just left, a bit put out if you ask me. I thought she’d come in looking for you- looked a bit disappointed.”

“She looked- disappointed?” Steven repeated Donna’s wording like he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.

Donna rolled her eyes, “Well, no wonder she did. If you aren’t here to work, stay out of the way, will you?” She brushed by him and he glanced at the entrance, half-hoping you’d still be in sight so he could find out for himself.

[merakiui]

Oh so real!! Aaa I would love to learn more about RSA. It's been, like, what? 4 and a half years now? They've gotta give us something eventually!! (coping) I do think in general we should get more fun traveling events. I know we're getting those obviously with the hometown events, but I'd love to learn some more about the world that isn't the few countries surrounding Sage's Island? Like we still have no idea where Sam's hometown (Port O' Bliss) is! Though considering what Sam's twisted from maybe they could be saving it for something like halloween??? They probably won't tbh but it WOULD be really cool.

I want to update and say I unfortunately did Not pull b7 eel cards (Jade got me to about 87 before the banners ended, no chance to pull on Floyd 💔 so greedy) so I'm handing in my Jade lovers card and twirling his poor twin around. Floyd wouldn't do me and my savings like Jade did. Trust. This does remind me actually to reread some of your Floyd fics ,, it HAS been awhile I fear

It is a really cool feature!! And AAAA I LOVE BARB !! We share,, many fictional men. Right down to my poor poor childhood crush on Kyoya. Reiji though has plagued my brain for YEARS I would love to see what all you think of him if you ever do read a full translation!! There's been fan-made english patches made actually for the first two Dialovers games on the vita if you have a pc and patience with the silly silly world of emulators. It's how I did his Haunted Dark Bridal route :-) and goodness what a trip that game is!! Ohh Reiji and Laito the interesting little critters you are,,,,

Vampires though in general,, auughfhh,, I think about vampire fish a good bit honestly. I can't remember rn if I've stumbled across any works like that but maybe I should check ao3 after this,,, for science. of course. Also don't worry about answering these quickly or anything. You could respond to this in a month and I'd still have the same joy reading your response as I would if you'd responded immediately. So always take your time.

(Also I wasn't sure how to throw this into my ask, but have you ever shared your twst friend codes here? If not, would you be open to doing so? If you aren't it's totally chill!! But I'd been wondering for awhile :]! )

- :3 anon

Begging twst for an RSA event!! OTL I want to see the inside of RSA and see more characters from there,, more Neige and Che'nya!!! Omg and it would be so fun to learn more about places beyond Sage's Island and the other areas nearby. I would love more Sam crumbs, especially hometown crumbs!! Thinking about a Princess and the Frog inspired Halloween event,,,, AAAAA THAT WOULD BE SO AMAZING!!! OTL OTL hoping with all of my heart for something.....

No eels... (◞‸◟；) I am sorry you couldn't bring either of them home. Those rotten eels!!! ( ｡ •`ᴖ´• ｡) how can they be so troublesome and slippery!!! Friendship ended with Jade. Floyb is the new bestie and he would never treat you or your savings in such a disrespectful manner! Certainly not in the way Jade did. I hope he will comfort you more than Jade ever could. <3

We are on the same wavelength, :3 anon!!! Immaculate taste as always for us hehehe!! We are passing the fictional men around and letting them spin in our brains like conveyor belt sushi! I definitely want to learn more about Reiji because he was one of the brothers I sort of,,,, ignored due to my lack of interest. ^^;;; but now I am very intrigued. What do you MEAN he creates drugs and potions and other nefarious things!!!! I fear I am not immune to a cordial smile and the drugs slipped into my tea (winking and nudging Reiji). How terrible it would be if attractive vampire with glasses did that to me...... uuwaaaa,,, I want to be able to play those fan-made patches!!!! One day I shall have a PC that allows me to unlock full gamer potential like Idia. >:D haunted dark bridal route sounds so fascinating... 👀

AND LAITO!!!! Dare I say,,,,, what if Cater x Laito crossover!!!! Cater in Laito's outfit,,,, VAMPIRE CATER?!?!?!?!?!?! OTL my brain chemistry was irreversibly altered when I first watched that church altar scene in the anime. LAITO, THE VAMPIRE THAT YOU ARE!!!!! Truly the most interesting of critters.

Vampire fish my beloveds. AAAA I just love vampires. <3 gothic vampire Azul is amazing, but I also love modern-day vampire Floyd....... and of course vampire Jade who loves playing with the cute vampire hunter who is after him. Many thoughts for those three. May you find plentiful vampire works in your very scientific ao3 search!!!

UUWAAA you're too kind and patient,,, 🥺 thank you so very much... I would feel so terrible if I responded as late as a month later!!! orz but it's a relief to know you would still be happy to read my thoughts. Please also take your time in replying!! There is never any rush.

:o I haven't shared it before!! Here it is below! Feel free to add me as a friend! My profile is very Rollo as of this moment. I hope my level 105 tako card can be of use in battle. 🐙 ✨

[supagogoman]

Kiara's new outfit is very popular and I am not immune to propaganda, however I may have gone too far in a few places.

[eidolonbaa]

looks like Rivulet and Spearmaster found a new job! they said they're working for something called "Limbus Company"? don't know what that is, but hopefully they're getting paid!

i am not immune to mixing my current hyperfixations fnstmekfrnrj might draw the rest of the scugs (in my own hc designs just like these two!!) for the other 3 limbus and rw fans that reside here

(also if anyone's curious, the outfits were referenced from Don Quixote + Sinclair and Gregor respectively)