#clockwork askbox

[starry-bi-sky]

tick tock

Highkey dedicating this to @watercolour-carnations bc they sent me an ask about my 'danny is thomas wayne' au and singlehandedly revitalized my brainrot for it. Apparently the quickest way to a starry's heart is through their ask box

Now posted on ao3 under the name 'dniwer eht kcolc'!

In hindsight, hosting a science exhibit was probably not the best idea that Bruce has ever. This wasn't even one of Bruce's galas and, yet he was still attending because it gave him the opportunity to scope out any potential rogues (or henchmen).

Damian was by his side, and Tim was on the other side of the room, inspecting some of the other inventions under the prospect of gaining new hires for R&D at WE. Something that was not entirely false. Bruce could always use new, bright minds working to make Gotham a better place.

He was, particularly, eyeing up one moderately-sized invention that a woman with cutting blue eyes and stark white hair had covered with a white sheet. An interesting choice when everyone else had already revealed their own inventions. Drifting closer with Damian, he smiles charmingly at the scientist when they lock eyes.

"And what is this interesting contraption?" He asks, looking over the sheet as if it was the invention itself and not what was underneath.

The woman curled purple-painted fingers around the sheet, yanking it down to reveal a machine that looks like a mix of a jukebox and a grandfather clock. A long wire was attached to it, and a strange, blinking, circlet-like device connected on the other end.

Bruce's brows rose considerably, and he could sense Damian's eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"This is my Holographic Memory Machine -- the name is still a work in progress -- it's a memory machine meant to allow anyone to relive their memories right in front of them, even the ones they don't remember." The woman says with a smile, her name card reads 'Dr. Casey W. Kairos'. He's never heard of her before. An out-of-townie, perhaps?

"Interesting." Bruce's hands fold behind his back and he looks down at his disinterested son, and then back up to Dr. Kairos. It sounded harmless, but even a pencil could be harmless until enough force was put into it. "How does that work?"

Dr. Kairos walks over and holds up the strange circlet device, "The user wears this headband. It scans their brainwaves and then plays a memory of their choice right in front of them like a hologram, including any voices that came with it." She explains, showing it off to Bruce and Damian. "Would either of you like to try it? The HMM has been tested and it is completely safe."

Damian scoffs and turns to him, "This is a waste of time, father," He says, "let's move on."

"Oh, don't be like that, Dames." Bruce smiles genially, placing a hand on his son's shoulder and squeezing it. It reminds him of when his father used to do the exact same thing, and he turns to Dr. Kairos. "I can try it, Doctor."

Kairos smiles widely, looking incredibly pleased. "Come stand here then, Mr. Wayne. I can get the HMM up and working." She gestures to a spot on the floor within the circlet's range, and Bruce goes and does as told.

"Standing around and looking pretty is my specialty, Doctor Kairos." He jokes as she gets the device situated on his head. It sits on his forehead snugly, and tucks behind his ears. Kairos snorts and turns to get the machine activated.

"Father." Damian says, indignant and scowling. His arms crossed over his chest petulantly. Bruce chuckles at him.

"The Doctor said it was perfectly safe, Damian." He admonishes lightly, wagging a finger at him. "I trust the good lady to know what she's doing." Not really, but he'd rather test it out on himself if it was unsafe.

Thirty seconds passed with Dr. Kairos working on flicking on the HMM, and when it came alive it came with a low hum and a distinct, ticking like noise. "Ah, there we go." She hums, stepping away. "It's up and working, Mister Wayne. Just think of a memory and let the HMM do the rest."

"Thank you, Doctor." Bruce nods at her, and then tries to think of what to let the machine show. Nothing that would give away his identity as Batman, of course not. Nothing incriminating.

He looks to Damian, who still looked very unhappy with him. Perhaps a memory of one of his boys in the manor? Or a Brucie Wayne moment that everyone's seen. His brows furrow in thought. One of his speeches?

...No. No, he has an idea.

Immediately, the HMM begins to hum louder, the ticking drowned out by the sound of its fans kicking in. It starts drawing the attention of the other ongoers, and Damian steps to Bruce's side as a crowd begins to form.

"What is that thing?"

"What's it doing?"

"Is it safe?"

Hushed whispers scatter around them as more and more people abandon the other stalls in favor of seeing whatever spectacle was happening. Tim appears as well, pushing his way through the crowd and situating himself by Damian and Bruce.

"What's going on?" He whispers with a frown, looking between Bruce and Damian.

Damian hmphs, "Father is trying out this woman's 'Memory Machine'."

Just when Bruce is starting to think the machine doesn't work, he hears a sound that silences the spectators. A piano note. A singular note, followed by another, and another. Right before Bruce's eyes, the air shimmers, and a projection of his father sitting at the grand piano appears before him.

His breath hitches in his throat. He remembers this. He remembers this piece. It was father's favorite.

Damian and Tim are stiff at his side, and Bruce hears the crowd gasp.

There, sitting on the floor at the bench, is Bruce himself at six years old. He's resting his arms on it, and leaning his head on his arms with a look of pure adoration -- did he really look like that? -- aimed at his father.

There's no talking between them, a content silence as Thomas Wayne fills the air with his piano playing. That is-- until he stops midway through the piece, fingers stopping the keys with a abrupt jerk.

Thomas laughs, quiet and full of love, and little Bruce picks his head up with an affronted frown. "Why'd you stop? I like listening to you play."

"I know you do." Thomas says, his voice is as soothing as Bruce remembers it to be. The memory twists to look at little Bruce with a blinding smile, as if he was looking at his whole world. It's the first time in decades that Bruce has seen his father smiling like-- like that. His eyes involuntarily sting.

"But how can you hear so well when you're all the way down there?" Thomas shifts, and pats an open space on the bench. "Come sit up here, Boo. I can teach you to play."

(Thomas Wayne was always fond of pet names, he had plenty of them for Bruce, and he used them at every opportunity.)

Little Bruce perks up, "Really?" He grins, and then clambers into the bench. His father's arms wrap around him.

The voices fade as the memory slowly begins to collapse, and Bruce feels a spike of panic in his heart before the memory is replaced by another one.

He's younger, probably four years old, being sprayed down by a hose by his father. Little Bruce is squealing with laughter, trying to swat the water away like a fly, and his clothes are drenched.

Thomas is laughing as well, wearing a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looks like he just came home from a business meeting. Bruce always thought he was old when he was little. But at four years old, Thomas Wayne is only a little over twenty. Barely an adult. He is twenty-four when he dies. He was so young.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Little Bruce squeals, trying to run out of the line of fire, but Thomas Wayne has a sharp eye, and the hose in his hands follow Bruce no matter where he goes.

Until finally Thomas drops the hose and runs towards Bruce, who is trying to recover from being sprayed down with ice cold water. Thomas reaches him before he has time to move, and scoops him up in his arms.

He is laughing loudly and boisterously, spinning them both around as Bruce clings to him for dear life, laughing with him. The memory fades away, and Bruce feels like there are hands around his throat trying to choke him.

A new one shows up, one he doesn't remember at all. His father is younger than before, a teenager, and he's holding a tiny bundle in his arms. He looks like he's on the verge of tears, hunched over it like a shield.

Someone, a girl with gothic attire, peers over his shoulder. "Gosh, Tom, a baby? That's a lot of responsibility." She says, dark-lipstick lips painted downwards in a frown. "And right after you've disowned your parents too?"

Another boy looks around Thomas with a similar frown and an uncertain look, "Yeah man, I'm with Sam on this one -- for once. You don't even have anywhere to live."

Thomas doesn't look like he's even paying attention, utterly smitten with the baby -- its himself, Bruce realizes -- he's cradling. "Look at him though, guys," he breathes, "he's so tiny. Have you seen his little watercolor eyes?"

(Watercolor eyes. Bruce had long since forgotten about that nickname his father gave him. hearing him say it is like a punch to his stomach.)

"You named him Bruce?"

Bruce huffs to himself, an involuntary smile twitching at his mouth as the memory dips again and cycles through another memory he recognizes.

The memories it shows are sporadic, with no chronological order to them other than each and every one is a happy one.

Bruce playing piano with his father.

Bruce stargazing with his father.

Bruce being carried on his father's shoulders.

Bruce getting ready for a gala with his father.

Bruce in the kitchen helping his dad make breakfast (there's pancake flour smeared on his cheek).

Bruce making a snowman with his father.

An apology between Bruce and his father in the form of a piano duet.

There are even a few memories he doesn't remember. Some of them are when he's old enough to, but many are when he's a baby. Some are before his father was adopted by the Waynes, when the only thing on their backs was a raggedy backpack and an oversized sweatshirt, and Bruce's baby blanket. And some are after, where he's sitting in an antique rocking chair bottle feeding Bruce with a look of sheer adoration on his face.

That look never seems to go away, ever, in any of the memories.

Finally, the HMM settles on a final memory, one that makes Bruce's blood run cold and snaps him out of his nostalgic revelry. His father is getting ready in his room, and Bruce comes barreling in with his own suit-and-tie.

"Dad! Dad! Dad!" He chants, running to Thomas, who whirls around and picks him up seamlessly. They spin twice before Thomas settles in front of the mirror, Bruce on his hip as he adjusts his tie with one hand.

"Yes, boo?" Thomas grins, wide-splitting with his shock-blue eyes looking at Bruce in the reflection. He and Bruce have the same eyes. It's shocking how much they look like each other, now that Bruce was older.

Little Bruce makes a dramatic face, a look that only lasts a few seconds before he remembers his excitement. He wiggles in Thomas' arms, "You gotta hurry up! Or we'll be late to the movie!"

Bruce's fingers dig into his palm, and he can vaguely feel his sons' looking at him. There's a feeling of impending doom square in the center of his lungs, and he forces himself to look on.

Thomas laughs, and nuzzles Bruce's cheek. "The movie isn't going anywhere, chum, I promise." He says, before setting him down. Little Bruce pouts, his lower lip sticking out. "I know how much you've been looking forward to this."

"Can you help me with my tie then?" Bruce asks, and looks at his own, sloppily done tie around his neck. "I can never get it right."

And, of course, Thomas Wayne kneels down to redo it. He always did everything Bruce asked or wanted. He measures it, loops it, and then knots the tie perfectly.

"There." He says, and smoothes out Bruce's little jacket, smiling in adoration. "Now go play, I'll call you when it's time to go."

And Bruce does just that, running out of the room with a yell of, "You better promise!"

"I promise!" Thomas yells back, laughing at his son as he turns back to the mirror.

The memory shimmers, and changes to as they're leaving. And then and there does Bruce call it quits. His eyes are glistening, his tears nearly blinding him with the swelling, overwhelming grief in his heart. He looks away, and tries to find Doctor Kairos.

(He doesn't see her switch something on the side of the machine. There is no noticeable difference in the machine, but on the inside a time rune starts to glow.)

"I think I'm done here, Doctor." He says once he can find his voice without it shaking. He can't hide the full crack and tremble laying beneath it, but at least he doesn't cry. He's almost forgotten that he had a silent audience.

Doctor Kairos nods and steps forward, reaching for the headband. "The memories should cut off once I take this off, Mister Wayne." She says, and fiddles with it for a moment. Behind her, the memory of himself and his father are walking outside. "I hope that wasn't too much for you?"

(The ticking of the machine grows louder, and the memory glitches.)

"No, no." Bruce assures with a smile that wasn't all Brucie Wayne yet. He looks down when he feels Damian's hand curl around his, and his son leans into his side. His smile softens, and he presses Damian closer. His other arm finds itself over Tim's shoulders as well, pressing him to his side.

"It was fine. Actually, it was an honor to be the first to try out your memory machine. I'm sure it will help many people." He tells her. She smiles slyly, and slides the headband off his head.

"That's what I'm hoping for, Mister Wayne." Doctor Kairos places the headband onto the table. The memory hasn't disappeared, Bruce notes with a furrow of his brows. And the audio has muffled slightly.

"I thought you said that the memory would cut off when the headband was off?" He asks. Kairos looks at him, and then behind her at the memory. She frowns.

"It should have--"

Little Bruce suddenly frowns, and looks away from Thomas. "Do you hear that?"

Bruce frowns. "I don't remember this." That wasn't in his memory. They just went straight to Monarch Theater without any issue.

Thomas looks down at his son, "What noise?" He asks, squeezing Bruce's hand. His head cranes, as if trying to hear whatever noise Bruce was hearing.

"That ticking sound." Bruce's frown deepens, "It sounds like your clock, dad."

Thomas' immediately frowns, looking so strikingly like Bruce that he marvels for a moment. He looks around as well. "...You're right. I hear it too." He steps a little closer to Bruce, his hand tightening around his.

A sense of unease fills Bruce's lungs. "What's going on?" He asks, taking a step away from the memory. This was different. This isn't his memory.

"I'm not sure." Doctor Kairos says, and her unsurety sounds so practiced and calm that Bruce's suspicion levels to her immediately. His boys look at her too with the same unease. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

She strides around the memory to the side of the machine just as a gold symbol appears on the ground. It looks like a giant roman clock, and a loud, clunky ticking fills the room.

The memories see it too, and Bruce's heart drops to his feet as he and the rest of the crowd back away from it. "Dad, what is that?!" Little Bruce exclaims, a look of fear morphing across his face as he suddenly clings to his dad's leg.

Thomas looks pale, looking at his feet and gripping little Bruce to him protectively. "I don't-- I don't know, Bruce."

(A memory that Bruce doesn’t have is his father arguing with a man named Clockwork. He does not see the man named Clockwork all but beg Thomas not to go out tonight.)

("Does something happen to Bruce?" His father asks the ghost.)

("No," the man says, "but--")

("But nothing, Clockwork." Thomas, once Danny, says firmly. "My son has been looking forward to this all week. I'm not going to crush his hopes by changing my mind last minute.")

("Thomas, please.")

("Look, if something happens tonight, I will handle it, okay?" Thomas assures him, a hand atop Clockwork's shoulder with a small smile. "I promise.")

(And then he leaves, Clockwork defeated in his wake.)

(Clockwork has seen this boy grow up from the shadows, and now he can do nothing to stop his fate like he once did before.)

The strange, clock-like circle, something intrinsically magic, begins to glow. The minute and hour hands tick faster and faster. Little Bruce holds onto his father like a lifeline, and Thomas Wayne crouches down to hold his son tighter, protectively.

Bruce Wayne turns away just as the light grows blinding, tucking Tim and Damian into his chest like a human shield. There is yelling and screams as the crowd tries to stampede away from it.

Bruce has no idea what this light will do, but he'd rather die than let his sons get hurt.

The light burns his eyelids even when he isn't facing it. And when it dies without even a burn across his back, Bruce slowly unfurls. His hands stay on his sons' shoulders, keeping them close to him, and he peers over his shoulder.

There on his knees, is Thomas Wayne, curled protectively around eight year old Bruce Wayne, much like Bruce had been. Bruce holds his breath, and his sons slowly unfurl themselves as well and peer around him.

Thomas Wayne is frozen in place for one second, two seconds, three. And then he begins to move. First, the tension drains out of his shoulders, and his head jerks, as if surprised that nothing has happened.

He looks up, his eyes open, and he and Bruce make eye contact. Bruce cannot breathe, and he cannot believe the sight before him. It's just the memory machine breaking. (Doctor C.W Kairos is nowhere to be found.)

And then recognition flickers in his father's face as his panting slows and quiets. His head tilts to the side like a fawn's, a familiar wrinkle appearing before his brows.

"Bruce?"

[ask-the-becile-boys]

I was thinking about how the Walter bots had raised generations of little Walters and how the Becile bots didn't have this opportunity. The closest thing was The Jack, in a sad, twisted and cruel way.

Do you have any thoughts on how they would have raised a kid?

Ohhhhh, y'know, it'd be easy to joke about how they'd be terrible influences and the most rowdy, trouble-inspiring set of uncles and aunt, but they'd probably be a mixed bag... They'd just stagger their bad ideas until the kids were older XD

Hare's squeamish around Human Oozes so he'd probably keep any babies at arm's length, literally. Once the kid was older he'd be teaching them card and coin tricks and how to steal from the adults, and then sneaking them out of the house, and you know you're gonna be getting your license soon, have you ever considered driving a get-away car. And of course if the kid was queer he'd be very supportive.

The Skull is 100% a disciplinarian and a snitch so that kid is going to do their homework. He'd be against Hare's influence in some ways, mostly in trying to point the kid away from stealing from other family members, and in doing so ends up a target for hi-jinks himself. The kid would not be scared of The Skull because he would not hurt them.

The Jack, well, assuming the timeline stays the same, he wouldn't be left alone with the kid a lot. In actuality he'd be more likely to run away from a crying child than to put them in any danger, but no-one trusts him at that point. Once the kid was older they'd probably get tasked with watching out for The Jack like Hare and The Skull were.

Dee was a mother in her past life, but there's only so much you can do from behind a closed door. She might offer advice to Hare when the kid starts to have complicated emotional problems, or talk through the door to them for short times.

Locksmith was locked up, but that's ok, because manipulation aside, the kid would find Locksmith borrrinnngggg.

Riker and Scratch don't super factor in here, but if they did... Riker probably isn't great with kids or teens and knows it, so while he wouldn't be mean, he'd be stand-offish. Scratch on the other hand is young enough to remember being a teen and would be friendly with them.

And Tatters would love the attention.

[muzzlemouths]

Been a while since I asked anything. How do the DMD boys feel about holidays like Labor Day, Memorial Day, and the 4th of July?

Star idk how this keeps happening but I was literally in the process of answering your last ask when you sent in this one lmao

They weren't a big fan of (minor) holidays, actually! If you've ever worked retail during a holiday you know how taxing it can be, and that's with other employees there to help! Holidays in the mall meant Sun and Moon were running around from the second it opened down to the exit of the very last customer, navigating through enormous crowds there for blowout sales and managing unruly customers. It's a rough day with very little reward.

The bigger holidays were different. It was easier for them to keep a level head when the overall mood was festive, even if it was still managed chaos.

[mongooseundertheporch]

Fav book?

"Um....... I'll admit I don't read much, but A Clockwork Orange is very good." [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy :3c]

[drdemonprince]

God, the way liberals in your askbox are just falling over themselves to justify why their pointless feel good boycott thats coopting leftist terminology is Good, Actually. It'd be funny if it didn't happen like clockwork every time anyone criticizes these things.

I really wish people would just occasionally stop to interrogate the why behind their emotional responses instead of just firing from all cylinders the moment something pokes them in the wrong spot.

unfortunately the average liberal US american's approach to politics is to do whatever makes them feel or look good and any threat to that is their greatest enemy

[janethekillsyou]

Welcome to this blog!!

My name is Stella (@i-have-no-soul) and this blog is essentially the home for any of my headcanons, incorrect quotes, and other assorted writings related to Creepypasta!

A little bit of information about me. As mentioned earlier, my name is Stella, I go by she/her, I’m a minor, I’m bi, asexual, and transfem. I’ve been a Creepypasta fan for years, but I’m only getting involved in the fandom for real now as my hyperfixation has been reinvigorated.

My favorite creeps are Jane (duh), Clockwork, Nina, Kate the Chaser, and the entire cast of Marble Hornets. Expect a lot surrounding them (tho I certainly won’t limit myself to just them).

Some ground rules. I have no hard and fast DNI and I don’t block often but I will block anyone who brings unneeded hostility or overall makes this blog less fun. Critique on my writing is always welcome; unabashed hate and aggression is not. My interpretation of characters may differ from the fandom consensus, so keep that in mind while reading my posts.

My askbox is open if you want me to write a request for headcanons / writings about a specific character / concept and I will do my best to get around to it in as timely a manner as possible. My only hard rule is no NSFW as I am again both a minor and asexual. While I have nothing against it, I have never written X reader content, so while you’re free to request it, I cannot promise it will be… Good.

With that being said, welcome!

[how-the-feathers-have-fallen]

OH, we're late late, okay 🫡

Damn the divorce is nearly old enough to drive can you fucking believe that.

The first picture is sooooo interpretative post-modern photography. WHAT were they doing.

Nr. 3 ryan my lil cartoon guy ily

Nr. 4 god brendon your so fucking annoying get a job

I MISSED PANIC! DIVORCE DAY 😭😭😭

chat am i healing from ryden 😭

WE WHAT??? OOOOH I just woke up 😭

I spend yesterday diving into old fandom tags maybe I was searching for something subconsciously cause I fell asleep unsatisfied

Bro is that even possible 😭 is hockey rpf truly the cure for ryden? Or are you swapping one for the other? If you ever find out lmk

[do-you-know-this-pasta]

This is the "do you know this Creepypasta character" poll! Because I am just genuinely curious about how many modern Tumblr users know certain Creepypasta characters. Inspired strongly by @who-do-i-know-this-man and @haveyouplayedthisgame-poll

Characters will generally be chosen by the blog mod, but suggestions on who to do a poll on next are welcome through the askbox!

RULES:

Only characters are being put through polls. Ex. the Russian Sleep Experiment won't be a poll, but a character from the story could be

Slenderverse characters (Marble Hornets, TribeTwelve, etc.) will generally not be included due to most of them not being considered Creepypasta

Characters whose creators stated they aren't Creepypasta and/or don't want to be associated with Creepypasta won't have a poll (this includes Ticci-Toby, Clockwork, and Laughing Jill)

No duplicate polls! This includes multiple versions of the same character (ex. Jeffrey Hodek and Jeffrey Woods would not be separate, they're both considered Jeff the Killer)

Fanart will not be used on polls unless literally no official image of the character can be found

There is no FAQ right now because I don't think it's needed, but one may be added if I get enough questions.

[kawaiijohn]

Lethean lost: Danny has amnesia and is kidnapped by a cult. They are going to sacrifice him to summon Lord phantom.

Infinite mists: wes Weston's no good very bad day. His brother isn't human and everything is Horror and creepy. The fae are there

OSHA Vlad: Vlad wins the 'not as big as asshole as you could have been' award and decides to be a little softer to Danny in the beginning. He also is a stickler for OSHA rules.

Rewind rinse repeat: clockwork origin, human magic world AU. Told through a story to Danny.

Drop out amity: bnha crossover. Deku finds himself in amity park. He assumes 'ghost' is a slur for someone with multiple/compound quirks and is horrified.

Rewrite: Danny erases everyone's memory of him being phantom and runs away from home. Homeless Danny time.

The pariah dark shitpost: pariah dark gets evicted

[arminsumi]

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🐚 ꒱ BEYOND THE SEA

Armin x fem!reader

Chapter index / Chapter Ⅱ: Reunited

Overview; somehow, you two found each other again. Content; 1940s au, fluff, romance, drama

Warnings; angst, tragedy

TAGLIST; @sad-darksoul @crazychaoticizzy

DM in my askbox to be added to taglists! 💕

Lieutenant Arlert adhered to a disciplined routine. Like clockwork, he would wake up at an ungodly hour, then entered the lavatories for a shower and a quick shave. By the time his comrades rolled out of their bunks, he had already dressed up and eaten breakfast in the mess hall.

But all too often, he would wake from yearnful dreams of you.

When he showered, he rotated the wheel handle until the temperature became piping hot; he let the rivulets of water wash away his reveries. When his fingers nimbly buttoned up his uniform, he daydreamed of meeting you again.

Ironically, on the day war was declared again, this daydream came true.

Armin and Eren sought a comforting journey into town. They idled the sidewalk outside a cafe, sharing a smoke to settle their nerves.

"Do you think I might meet her again before we're sent out?" Armin wondered aloud to Eren while he solemnly observed the passing clouds.

"Probably not." Eren said realistically, exhaling smoke into the air. "What would you do if you met her again?"

"I'd invite her to the farewell party..." Armin sighed dreamily. He slipped his hands into his pockets. "Can you imagine that? I'd get to dance with her all night. Share a kiss in the moonlight. Oh, I'd kiss her like the world was ending tomorrow."

"You're very poetic." Eren remarked. They exchanged the cigarette between each other. "Don't you think there might be a possibility that she'll be working with her father in a field hospital again?"

Armin laughed sadly, "Ah, I don't think so; the universe doesn't seem to be working too hard to bring us together." Armin kicked loose stones off the sidewalk with his shoe.

"Such a pessimist." Eren shook his head, smushing his cigarette into the ground with the heel of his boot. Armin mumbled back, "Says you..."

Just then, two young women emerged from the cafe. They nearly tumbled over with laughter, exchanging a hushed story between each other.

You and Armin recognized each other, and he felt like his surroundings halted in that moment.

"Lieutenant!" You spoke. "What a small world it is!"

Armin was too stunned to respond. Eren looked between the two of you.

"Are you well?" You asked kindly.

Armin stuttered, "I-I'm quite well, thank you. And yourself?" he responded rigidly.

"I'm very well!" You replied affably.

There you stood, like an angel to him, clad in an powder-blue shirtwaist dress that drove his senses wild. Your charming smile nearly broke down his soldierly formality.

Standing to your right was your friend; she was besides herself with laughter, she had to hold onto your arm and shoulder for stability.

" – so you are the one!" she directed at Armin.

You were embarrassed by her informality. "Maggie!" You hissed at her.

"She has talked about 'the blond Lieutenant' every day!" Maggie dramatized. "I thought she was over-exaggerating, but actually she described you accurately! Even down to the smallest detail of those cute dimples."

Armin went pink. "Is that so?" he laughed.

"Please forgive my friend's informality..." You turned to Armin apologetically.

"It's alright!"

He seemed eager; delighted yet confused. He was all over the place, his mind wilder than a high tide.

"I'm Y/n, and this is Magdalene." You politely introduced.

"Just Maggie!" Maggie corrected.

Armin recomposed himself and properly introduced himself and Eren. Though, his introduction was so much more formal than yours that you felt your face heat up.

Armin kept locking eyes with you, it drove him wild.

Maggie invited the two soldiers inside her cafe for some coffee.

Armin was eager to learn about you. Eren pursed his lips on the rim of his cup to withhold his amusement; his best friend was listening to you so intently that he barely touched his own coffee.

He raised his cup and placed it down, too caught up in what you were saying to take a sip.

Something you said reminded him, "Oh! The Scouts are having a farewell party, would you and your friend like to attend?"

"I-I don't know if I can..." You responded. Armin's heart sunk a bit.

"Oh, she absolutely can! I will make sure we are there, Lieutenant!" Maggie yelled from the table she was clearing.

Armin felt so appreciative for that.

"I would really love to see you there." He said almost intimately.

Armin looked into your eyes a bit dreamily.

"It's getting late." Eren interrupted, "We have to get back to base, but thank you for the coffee and good company."

Armin reluctantly parted from you. But before he left, he discretely slid you a folded piece of paper.

Will you meet me at midnight at the barracks?

Lt. Armin

[ask-the-becile-boys]

what year were the bots built? :0 also i just discovered the blog and am absolutely in love with it <3

I never set the years in stone before-- might as well do it now! Have their birthdays too, as a bonus:

Hare: June 30, 1917

The Jack: July 3, 1917

The Skull: July 6, 1917

Locksmith: March 23, 1930

Dee: June 1, 1938

Tatters: Jan 25, 1969

Riker: July 29, 1986

Scratch: August 23, 1998

[vacantgodling]

climbs into your askbox

hi i'm responding a little late to your request for wip questions but that's okay

anyway. head empty rn, but i'd love to hear a bit more about a wip of yours i've been curious about!!! vampires don't take road trips. i would like to learn more. i realize that's not a specific question so: looking at the main cast, what's something each of them would hate to be *seen* as and why? (i.e. if someone would hate to be seen as stupid, or would hate to be seen as unreliable, something like that)

or alternatively. silly question. rate the main cast in order from "will show up exactly on time on the dot to the function" to "will like clockwork show up at least an hour later than they were told to." feel free to elaborate on your rankings if you want!

this took me forever to answer im so sorry 💀💀💀

eee you are always welcome in my inbox :3c

i did make a powerpoint intro for this wip too so i link just so you can stare at it later lmaoo -> here

but these are both EXCELLENT questions, and for once i may have answers bc ive had these ocs for like a decade 💀

so, ig if we stick to the main main cast (which ngl is hard to determine for me but i suppose that’d be darren, dave, liz, olice, and veronica… at least for the first half of the book lmaooo) — for the easy question of who’s showing up on time versus who is showing up late in that order:

dave, veronica, olice, darren, liz

as for why:

dave is a lawyer and a generally punctual person and is somewhat anxious. he prefers to be 5 minutes early.

veronica is a wannabe socialite and so her image is contingent on if she shows up on time and so she’ll be there on the dot.

olice is used to her mothers antics and she feels like it’s rude to be ridiculously late so she tries to be there between on time or 5-10 minutes late at the most.

darren is more lax and tends to get distracted so if he shows up like 30 minutes late to the function it’s chill. the only time he’s on time is when dave is with him LOL

liz is an Actual socialite but she doesn’t care about that or social events in general so she tends to be “fashionably late” and people “forgive” her bc of her status 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️

for the harder question:

DARREN: the way this is actually a hard question for my actually emotionally intelligent son LMAOOO. i think in general he hates being seen as dramatic, or someone who makes a big deal out of things. he’s a chill guy, and for his own sanity he prefers to stay chill if and when possible. the times that he’s had outbursts or had people accuse him of being overly dramatic are the few things that haunt him in life. i think the reason as to why… it’s a bit hard to say. but i think it comes down to the fact that in not wanting to be bothered with things himself, he tries not to bother other people. he’s more likely to assume that he’s getting on someone’s nerves or pissing them off and would just ghost them to avoid drama instead of fully confronting the situation. he Will if he needs to, but he’d just rather not because … idk? he just doesn’t think it’s worth the trouble. he’d rather keep his peace and be wrong than rock the boat and be right. it’s definitely something he’s kinda picked up from his dad, but darren manages to be waaaay more chill that even dave is because he just keeps people at arms length unless it’s his dad or olice. he learns how to do that less but the idea of letting people in enough to ruffle his inner peace is also. hm. not something he’s fond of. so basically, he’s not conflict avoidant he’s more conflict neutral and likes to take the path of least resistance if any of that makes sense.

DAVE: he hates being seen as weak. he recognizes that this is very irrational but it’s a fear and discomfort that developed from his own father, who was extremely harsh on him growing up, and even harsher if dave got upset or cried or wasn’t “manly.” so for him, being “weak” comes with a host of trauma around it that he’s still working through many years later. it doesn’t trigger him as bad as it used to, but it definitely still can.

LIZ: liz is a bit weird because she doesn’t really care how other people perceive her—she just doesn’t like being responsible for those assumptions people have of her character? so i wouldn’t say she hates being seen as competent but she hates being seen as something she’s “not” or something that she doesn’t take credit for. she’s not responsible for your preception of her yknow. if i had to say why it’s because she’s fiercely independent. she’s going to do what she wants to do and what she thinks is best no matter what and she’s usually not interested in hearing other people’s opinions; she’s quite stubborn. bending to other people’s whims is a bruise to her ego and she has done it before and hates herself for falling to that sort of weakness instead of doing what she wanted to do. so in a manner of speaking she hates being seen as controllable and hates being seen as weak in a somewhat similar way to dave, but more because of her personal pride than trauma. she’s an extremely proud woman lol.

OLICE: ngl, she hates being seen as her mother’s daughter. veronica hasn’t been the Best mother to olice. after she decided to return to the us and break up with her father in india (without even saying a word mind you so olice has never met the man. and before anyone says “maybe he was abusive” as the author i’m telling you, he wasn’t. veronica just got in over her head and then bailed, only thinking of herself but then didn’t take the proper steps to make sure her daughter felt loved or to be a good single parent 🤷🏽‍♂️), olice has only been treated by her mom and her mom’s extended family as a doll or an extension of her mother. better to be seen, not heard; the only interests that were fostered in a meaningful way were the ones that she shared with her mother. veronica often speaks over her and isn’t cognizant of her needs, more content to chase her aspirations than care about her daughter unless her daughter can be sort of “used” for something. she hates being reminded that they’re related. she refuses to go by the american (and technically legal) name that her mother gave her which is clara. her mother did at least tell her the name that her father wanted to name her/the name she and him agreed on in india which was olichudar and that’s why she goes by that. clara and olichudar have similar meanings which is how her mother came around to the name (clara meaning bright/famous, and olichudar meaning brilliant) but olice doesn’t think it suits her and she hates being called it. she also has her mothers sister’s name as an “honor name” so her cousins and extended family call her “cc” a lot and she hates it to Death. she became grateful when her mom started dating dave because it was through him that olice started getting some of the freedom to express herself and to try and reconnect with her indian heritage; with dave keeping veronica distracted or off her back about it. even though many say that her mother loves her in her own way (even dave sometimes and that’s the only thing she and he disagree on), olice has never felt real, unconditional love from her mother. especially when she compares it to dave and darren’s relationship. they’re close, dave takes an active interest in the things darren likes, he’s supportive and cares about darren’s comfortability and cares about loving him more than anything else, even veronica. and olice can look back on her life before dave and darren and think how she was content with crumbs from her mother; veronica only wanted olice around when she could brag about her or show her off, then toss her to the side when she didn’t want to deal with her. no interest in olice outside of how she looked being a “strong woman raising a kid on her own” when as far as olice knows from her mother’s own words, her bio dad wanted to be there for her. meeting dave and seeing his relationship with darren has made olice much more bitter and resentful of her mother but the only reason she hasn’t tried to push her and dave breaking up is because she doesn’t want to lose what she considers her real family and father figure. olice is sure that one day she’s either gonna have to cut contact with her mother, or her mother’s going to abandon her. and i won’t tell you which one, but this roadtrip proves one of those theories right. :)

also to be said, veronica isn’t a traditionally abusive person towards olice—not physically or even verbally. what olice goes through is more akin to my own relationship with my mother growing up, where it’s more neglectful and about not being seen or not being emotionally valued versus being physically taken care of. i don’t call it “abuse” in the book specifically just because i have a hard time thinking of what i went through as abuse myself but it definitely Hurts and is unhealthy and that’s what i want to get at irregardless. all of this to say, as an aside, this is something i always knew but never talked about but veronica and olice’s relationship vs darren and dave’s has always been olice is who i am and veronica is who my mother was (in an exaggerated, less religious way) and darren is who i wished i was and dave was who i wished my mother was 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️

VERONICA: this is sort of a roundabout, 2-part answer, but she hates being seen as both “the other woman” and as “poor” — and basically both of those answers circle around into an inferority complex. with the first, it stems off of her insecurities when it comes to being with dave, and as much as i love dave to death and am somewhat uncharitable to veronica (because of darren really 🤷🏽‍♂️) i do *understand* where she’s coming from. you should never be made to feel “not good enough” in a relationship; and it’s hard to tell where the divide is for dave Specifically makes her feel that way (though not necessarily intentionally; hurt people hurt people etc etc) or if this is a particular Complex that she projects onto him. but the fact of the matter is, all of the things about their relationship, she has pretty much had to pursue herself. she met dave at an event, and she took a liking to him. she approached him, flirted, got his number, text incessantly until he agreed to a date, then two, and constantly made their plans, and was even the one to ask him to be exclusive. dave was very very passive in a lot of this, and when she was under the assumption that his former partner/baby mama (liz) was dead, it became easy for her to justify her actions. dave was grieving and clearly had been for too long, and she just wanted to get him out of his shell—he was too handsome and too kind to be alone for the rest of his life, in her opinion (not that it’s really her call to make, but i digress). she was only giving him permission to be himself again! and in some ways she is correct, wallowing over liz for the rest of his life certainly isn’t healthy, and dave on some level is aware of that, which is why he sort of… went along with everything regarding veronica. and they had a healthy relationship Before she found out that liz was actually still alive, and dave was just still in love with her. now, ngl, im not 100% sure how she finds this out; bc dave certainly doesn’t talk about liz that often if he can avoid it, not even with his own son, so like hell is he going to talk about it to the new woman he’s seeing (he’s just that kind of guy). all i Do know is that it was several years into their relationship, and around the time that she and her daughter olice moved in with darren and dave. and when she found this out, she was fucking livid honestly. what does this woman who Left You when you needed her most have that EYE, a present, loving, caring partner, don’t? so anytime she and dave had a spat, anytime she clashed with darren or anything went wrong, she became more and more bitter. convinced that she would always be a second fiddle to this woman she’d never met. and the worst part is, she is Partially proven right when liz finally does enter the picture and suddenly dave and liz have more sparks and chemistry than she (in her mind) feels like she and dave have. and this could potentially be because liz is darren’s mother and veronica has never taken an interest in dave’s son the way that he has wholly embraced being a father to olice, but in her micro-defense, darren has never wanted a mom in general, let alone a new one 🤷🏽‍♂️ ANYWAY though, all of this sort of stems from her childhood (as many traumas do) especially in comparing herself unfairly to her sister, cynthia—unfortunate because cynthia adores her and they’re thick as thieves but to veronica cynthia was always the sister who got what she wanted. she was beautiful, the belle of their hometown, grauated with honors, went to college and found a man who was head over heels for her and who spoils her like crazy, has a big happy family, is Rich…. and what does veronica have to show for her life? she got pregnant on a missions trip and abandoned the father, she never finished college, failed relationship after failed relationship where on more than one occasion she’s been “the other woman” … it’s too much! and no matter how much dave assures her that he has no plans of getting back with liz, the man can’t look at her and say he loves her even after ten years together. SO!!!!

[glitterdragonthegreatprotector]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox of the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you

Oop- time to do this again uh-

Role-playing

Sad scenes in movies that actually get me to cry, cause it means it was well written

Writing

Search and find games (Mortimer Beckett, clockwork man, witches games, lost lands, my beloved)

When stereotypical villain creatures are written as tragic while still dangerous (my representation of lucifer, httyd dragons, covenant species in halo, etc)

[boltlightning]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last ten people however many you want who reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals & followers!! <3

this is so sweet 😭

dnd with my buds

discussing themes and motifs with the mutuals

sunlight dappling through trees at sunset, when the shadows are longest

key changes in music

this is so specific but we get a lot of summer squalls here around 5 o'clock, almost like clockwork, but sometimes it will rain EXTREMELY hard when the sun is still out and five minutes later when the rain clears the sky is fully yellow. it's impossible to capture and makes me more maudlin than it should

[akaikami-cherryblossom]

HII IM SENDING THE QUESTION BACK TO YOU: your top 5 a3 plays? 👀

AAAAAAA FRIEND IN THE ASKBOX<33333 I didn’t even rb the ask game but I’ll take it because I need to get my thoughts out!!!! Btw this list took me hours because I am so indecisive but it was worth it🫶

5. Romeo and Julius

Even though it’s the first play introduced, it’s still one of my favorites and it has a special place in my heart. The only reason it’s so low is because it’s the first one newborn Mankai put on, so there are some pacing issues and I honestly just wish there was more. I’ve also been using it to lure some of my irl friends into A3! because who doesn’t like a million totally-not-gay plays? Aside from that Bokura no Kizuna is the song ever.

4. Harugaoka Quartet

This one doesn’t have the best plot in my opinion, but I still love it. I enjoy a simple plot with really well-written characters, so it works! That and the event story is one of my favorites of all time. I’m also biased because I finally found a recording of the Mankai Stage version and it is WONDERFUL. There’s this one part I really like towards the end where it’s just Ennis on stage and it’s completely dark except for a spotlight. He continues to practice the first part of “Spring”, getting frustrated each time. There is no dialogue. It’s all in his expressions. The last time he starts playing, the rest of the quartet joins him as the lights come up and aaaaaaa ;-;. It’s sososo beautiful I think it was adapted excellently!!! And the final scene with “Hajimari wa Quartet” is incredible I love the added harmonies oughhhhh…

3. The Floral Prince and Sympathy for the Angel

I couldn’t decide. Floral Prince is up here because it’s got SUCH a pretty fairytale aesthetic and the story is so fun and sweet. I always like a good fairytale so this is right up my alley. Sympathy for the Angel is really important to me hehe it was the first Mankai play I subbed and I ended up loving it the first time I read it.(And I’m biased because Sakuya’s Uriel>>>>>)

2. The Wonderful Charlatan of Oz

Another one of my absolute favorites. The second I read it I was already imagining how it would look on stage and it’s so incredibly well-done and fun to watch and aaaaaaa!!!! Also Rick is just genuinely one of my favorite characters of all time no matter how bad I feel for him. Oswald is such a compelling character as well, I think the way Someya portrayed him made him fun to watch, both annoying but still likable. Same with Yokota’s Rick. He’s loud and gullible, a little stupid, but really offsets Oswald nicely. Not to mention the FINAL BATTLE UGH!!! Incredible. Admittedly, I don’t love that the rest of the Spring Troupe has smaller roles, but I don’t think this is the kind of story you can tell with this many people. It’s just good overall.

Honorable Mentions:

SSR Family(The costumes are lovely and I like a lot of the characters and plot, especially Blanc and Nero, I think they’re interesting and well-written. And my wife is there)

A Clockwork Heart(Yeah I cried so what)

The Great Sardine Search(CLASSIC. Though I’ll admit I can only watch it once in a while because Shiro’s voice is super obnoxious to me)

Wonder Rush(It has the same vibes as Sardine Search but it’s got more of a modern vibe to it, plus the plot and costumes are adorable)

Welcome to Akebono-so!(My favorite Autumn play, especially given that I don’t typically like Autumn’s plays. I like the elements of both a fantasy world and reality, plus the characters are a huge selling point for me)

Fallen Blood(I don’t remember much of the plot, but I remember being emotionally smacked in the face once I finished reading it)

Nocturnality(Gay)

Die by the Sword(Gay again but this time it’s me for Orin)

Luminous Circus(The plot is meh but I live for the aesthetic and the event story mentally fucked me up)

Oh, Exquisite Gaia!(Not a mainline play, I know, but it was going on in A3EN the same time I was auditioning for a play about Greek gods and was really nervous. I ended up getting a lead role and I’m blaming this event because that play was also what solidified my place in more plays with that director. Plus I ended up basing my character’s movements and stuff on Azuma because I liked the way he did Gaia ajsjdbfj)

1: Le Fantôme de l’Opéra and Magician’s Pure Love

I couldn’t choose just one. Yeah. Phantom is one that I only really fell in love with because of the stage version. I remember it was late at night when I watched it, but once it finished my jaw was on the floor and I had to pause and process what I just watched. That good. Hang on I have a note in my phone with a bunch of notes on the stageplays I’ll copy paste some stuff from there:

-the English language does not contain the words I need to express how I feel about the Phantom performance

-it just does not have. Enough.

-I’m gonna try anyway

-THE OPENING

-THE MIRROR EFFECT

-GUY

-TSUMUGI

-THEIR VOCALS

-WHO TF WILL LIVE UP TO THAT WHEN MACKEY LEAVES

-THEIR VOCALS x2

-THE EFFECTS BEING SURPRISINGLY GOOD

-THE SCENE WHERE CHRIS PERFORMS WITH THE PHANTOM’S VOICE

-GAY. but also PHENOMENAL

-THE UNMASK PERFORMANCE

-I liked that they didn’t just leave it and decided to use it for a conclusion/bows

-the fact that it’s ACAPELLA

-CRIED

-thank you for coming to my TED talk

As for Magician’s Pure Love, I honestly loved it from the moment I read it. It reminds me of the ballet Copelia, but less dark. I also love the event story because, and I know some people disagree, it is peak Masumi. This is the closest we’ve gotten to the Secret Good Masumi That Lives in my Head. And I love it. Not even that, the play’s plot is a lot of fun and had me guessing over and over again. Also Koma is there<3

Augh that was a lot but hehe thank you for the ask<333

[devilscheck]

@racointeur sent sneaking off to a public bathroom to make out. / from nate

ASKBOX MEMES ! | always accepting

The HIGHS and LOWS she felt around Nate were part of the appeal that came with their moments together. For every ARGUMENT they could get in, a moment like this would come soon after. It was the routine of TOXICITY, something that Jennifer couldn't help but dig her fingernails into. She was FOOLISH, perhaps, but she liked the thrill of it all, the excitement that came with a few passing moments of bliss.

With that momentum came the games as well, the games that Jennifer loved to play. She was so easily occupied by the idea of JEALOUSY, loving to see it at work and what would come if the spark of it ignited around them. This had been a demonstration of it, so perfectly showing that when she pushed the right buttons, they'd end up entangled SOMEWHERE nearby.

Here she was now, perched up on the bathroom sink with her legs wrapped around his waist. One hand was laced in his hair as the other had gripped his jaw to pull him near. It was like CLOCKWORK the way she leaned in near, her lips worked against his to immediately deepen the kiss. Her teeth playfully nipped and pulled at his bottom lip, the devilish grin laced in her eyes as she tugged him closer by his belt loops.

"You enjoying the view, Jacobs?"