#currently playing this game and it's good

[that-one-p00k1e]

— lover | ೃ⁀➷˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚

Random headcanons of them w/you ft. Haruka Sakura, Hajime Umemiya, Jo Togame, Ren Kaji, Mitsuki Kiryu, & Hayato Suo

c/w: fluff, sfw, gn!reader

Currently and devastatingly struggling with writing hrhrgherghegrghrgrhg

—Haruka Sakura often denies it, but he craves for your touch. When he felt how warm it was to be embraced by you, how good it felt when you rubbed his head – he couldn't help but long for more. He's never good with physical touch and didn't know the comfort of receiving it, given how no one ever provided him such privilege in the past. Until you came to his life and started sprinkling him with such blessings, he considered allowing himself to indulge and let his guard down for once.

—Hajime Umemiya is soft spoken almost no matter the situation. He'd talk to you in the gentlest tone that leaves your heart swooning and melting, his voice alone able to bring you a sense of reassurance and ease. Even if he was experiencing negative emotions, never will he raise his voice at you. Instead choosing to convey his discomfort and issues through patience and a slow approach, making sure not to scare you and start an argument. And thankfully in the end, all disagreements in your relationship end in harmony and full understanding <3

—Jo Togame very much enjoys the idea of lazy dates. Sleeping in and just cuddling with you in bed are enough ways for him to spend time with you. It's ten times better if it was raining and the atmosphere became chilly– his urge to snuggle up under the sheets with you reaching its peak point. You both would order takeout instead of going through the hassle of cooking, and he'd occasionally ask you to feed him as he wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder from behind. Especially after a rough fight prior, resting in your embrace made him feel like he was healing and recharging faster.

—Ren Kaji cares more than he shows himself to be. Despite the nonchalant and aloof exterior he puts on, he's willing to go through the effort especially when it comes to you. He pays attention to your likes and dislikes, going out of his way to satisfy your wants and needs. Once, you rambled on about how badly you wanted to attend an upcoming festival but couldn't due to school work. That afternoon, you came home to a group of Furin boys standing outside your door along with Kaji, claiming to help you finish whatever homework you had to free your time for the festival.

—Mitsuki Kiryu goes through a healthcare routine to take good care of himself. And what better way to do that routine if not with someone you love and adore? He'd often bring you to his house to do his skincare with you as well as his haircare; introducing you to products that are more suitable for you and teaching you ways to take care of both your skin and hair. If you're already familiar with all of it, you'd trade products and try each other's healthcare routine while playing video games together.

—Hayato Suo always keeps his consumption at bay, considering his undergoing diet. Therefore, he'd often be the giving end when it comes to sharing food with you. He'll give you his chicken skin when eating fast food, he'll hand you his bread that was given by the bakery. But his only exception– is if the food was made by you. He may restrict the amount of calories he consumes, but whenever you give him a homemade goodie– either baked or heavy meals in general –he wouldn't ever give it away. He knows the effort and love you put into making it, he knows the hard work you went through in preparing such delicacies. For that, he'll always eat whatever you made, no matter the amount of calories it contained.

[palajae]

challenge accepted.

PAIRING... coach!sunghoon x player!reader | GENRE... established relationship! au, fluff, humor, romance | WC... 1.1k | challengers inspired iykwim :))

you’re annoyed. actually, it’s not just that. you’re peeved. you’re agitated. 

you’re hot.

and you’re waiting. waiting for the stupid coach that your parents hired in hopes of fixing the slump you were currently in. 

another player, another perspective, and another chance, is what they said. 

how unnecessary—a true waste of money—you think. you were more than capable at playing tennis, why in the world would they ever think you needed another extra hand? a pitiful stepping stool for the toddler. everything felt like such a chore. 

you feel your skin prickle at the heat. a bead of sweat forms at your temple. you sigh. 

you uncross your arms and stop tapping your foot in hopes of finally loosening up. it’s not like you needed to wait for permission to start—you could easily warm up on your own. 

let’s just get this over with. make it hell for your coach in hopes they never want to teach you again. then you’ll return to playing—struggling— as usual and your problems will be solved. not really (being in a slump was so very difficult) but at least without a pity partner. 

while stretching, your eyes wander across the complex. you usually didn’t come to play in the afternoon, opting to practice earlier in the morning or later at night. 

you immediately perk up at the sight across from you—someone leaving the courts with their duffel bag slung across their shoulder. 

a bright grin stretches across your face. 

jake. 

a seasoned player only a year older than you and quite frankly, cute. 

you feel like a middle school fan girl, waving enthusiastically back as he winks at you. you make a mental note to ask him to hit together sometime soon. 

“you play for the game or for the players?” 

you stiffen at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, turning around only to be greeted by an unpleasant sight. 

or rather, a not so unpleasant sight. dear goodness, of course he had��to be attractive. unfortunately very so. 

you ignore his comment as your eyes narrow. “you must be-“

“your new coach. you can call me sunghoon.” 

he extends a hand and you wrinkle your nose at the gesture. 

there’s no way he could have been more than three years older than you. you expected some old, sunburnt scruffy looking man. not someone who looked like they just stepped off the cover of vogue or something. 

“y/n,” you state simply while ignoring his hand. you needed to show him his place, establish the fact that you certainly weren’t happy about the whole situation. 

he coolly retracts his arm to set down his polished bag, “how long have you been playing?”

“long enough to not need help from someone like you.” 

he quirks an eyebrow, beginning to stretch next to you. a whiff of his scent fills your nose. you huff, he smelled way too good to be on a tennis court. 

“really? that’s not what your parents told me.”

“my parents don’t know anything.” 

how good was he, anyway? so far, it seemed like he was underestimating you. 

once he finishes warming up (and you finish sizing him and his expensive gear up) he gestures toward the court. 

“alright then. three laps. no cutting the corner.” 

you roll your eyes before starting. 

when you finish, attempting to keep your breathing even, you reach for your water. 

a hand snatches your wrist, effectively cutting off your motion. you feel your hair prickle at the sensation. 

you look up, surprised at his sudden action. his cold eyes glinting as he stares down at you.

“did i say you could drink?” 

“did i ask?” you mutter under your breath as you turn away to calm your sudden racing heart. as he grabs his racket, you do the same. 

“let’s start with down the lines.” 

you cross your arms like a little child. “that’s all for warmup? you must not know how we do it here. i need to at least stretch my hamstring, calves…”

you stop once you notice the expression on sunghoon’s face. 

“you’re cute,” he chuckles and you snort. 

“and you’re too young to be referring to me like that. how old even are you, like twenty-one?”

“twenty two,” he corrects you. 

“close enough. you’re not even older than me by that much.”

he ignores you, moving to the opposite side of the court. you glare at him indignantly. 

“i first just want to get an idea of how you play,” he calls out. “now, service line.” 

only after a few sets does sunghoon come over to your side of the court. you’re immediately on guard, watching his every stride.

“if you bend a little more, you can generate so much-“

“i don’t need you to fix my form,” you immediately retort. without saying anything, he comes behind you.

again, that distracting scent fills all your senses.

“forehand,” he orders. his voice being so close to your ear makes your shiver. when you don’t move, he does it for you.

his touch is light—his body a little too close for comfort to yours, maybe. but from the outside perspective it just looked like a coach fixing their student’s form. 

that’s all it was, anyway. right? 

“you see?”

you swallow, “right.” 

he lingers for more than a second and you swear he’s so close you can feel his heart beating in his chest before he finally lets go. 

“better.” 

he swallows harshly and you hate how you can’t help but stare at his adam’s apple bobbing.

by the end of the lesson, you’re sweating thoroughly. although you like to blame it on the heat.

sunghoon, infuriatingly, looked never the better. the same as when you first started the lesson with his perfectly styled hair and immaculate skin. 

you guzzle down water, ignoring how some of it runs down your neck. you also ignore the way you can feel sunghoon’s eyes stay on you. 

as you finish packing up, you’re startled by his sudden movement. he closes in on you as you freeze, eyes widening. one of his hands lean on the pole next to you. you’re not sure if it’s his or your heavy breathing filling your ears.

until he gently picks a leaf out of your hair. 

“that wasn’t too bad. see you next week, then?”

you’re speechless, he only grins.  

you just watch as sunghoon—your new coach?—grabs his stuff and struts off. 

as you angrily stuff your things into your tennis bag, you mutter under your breath. 

oh, how sunghoon irritates you. his cockiness while still being so young only fueled your aggravation. he made you want to show off, play better, be better. all in hopes of showing him that you’re good enough. you don’t need his help. or his devastatingly handsome face and quick brain. 

you gasp at the thought, horrified. and almost sink onto the bench. 

you fell for it. 

sunghoon was exactly what your parents wanted for you. and he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. 

a/n ▸ wow jae actually posted?

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[hollowtones]

Hello Holly!

Idk if this was asked before, but may I ask why you've stopped the Dark Souls 2 streams? I've been watching the vods on yt and the last one ends in the middle of the game, and I was just wondering why.

Have a good day

To be entirely blunt: there was a security concern with the PC game for a while, and by the time that got patched I was in the midst of a bad depressive episode & really didn't want to play it (along with a few other things I was playing / doing at the time). I think the mental association of "hey remember when you were really intensely miserable?" is still subconsciously there, because I still don't want to.

Which is fucked!! Because I like that game a lot!! If I forced myself to start streaming it again when my current major thought is "ughhhh I really don't feel like it right now" it would be a series of awful streams & a surefire way to make me hate it.

I'll get back to it some day, I'm sure. I do not know when. Thanks for understanding.

[webtomo]

Tomodachi Life Mods

By far my most popular post on this blog is my post about the gay marriage mod by Kobazco. To my knowledge, this mod has been on hiatus for quite some time, and unfortunately will probably continue to remain on hiatus for a long time. This mod requires reverse engineering of the games code, which is complex and takes time.

HOWEVER, there are a multitude of mods that I would like to highlight that actually are available for download currently (including one that actually works around the gender issue). All of them are relatively simple to install (assuming you are either using Citra, or have custom firmware on your 3ds).

Below the cut, I have chosen some specific mods and addons I would like to highlight!

Gender Removal Mod

This mod aims to remove any and all gendered language in Tomodachi Life, replacing any mention of "He" or "She" with They/Them pronouns. Of course, this does not get rid of the gay marriage discrepancy, but it does prevent any of your Miis from being misgendered.

The only issue in my experience, is that the European version of the mod does not change pronouns in Mii News (which I believe is not an issue in the US version of the mod). Some visual stuff is also not edited, but is possibly subject to change in the future, though the developer has not updated the mod in over a year.

Japanese & Korean Tomodachi

This mod replaces Japanese and Korean text from those versions of the game with English text. This mod is relatively recent and still has a few issues, but I think this is a really cool mod if you want to check out the Japanese or Korean versions without having to manually translate text. Most of the text in this mod is not directly translated, and instead is pulled from the English version(s), but it does seek to translate the stuff that is not available in any English versions.

The biggest issue I have had with this mod is specifically with the Japanese version not being able to open Mii News without crashing. I have also had issues with it crashing on an emulator in both versions occasionally (and also has some text formatting errors). Regardless though, I will keep an eye on the development of this mod, as it is being actively worked on currently.

HD Mii Texture Pack

This is a Citra texture pack that gives the Mii faces HD textures. Though not technically a "mod" for gameplay, I do want to highlight it. This texture pack exclusively for Citra that just replaces the low res Mii face textures from the Mii Maker with higher resolution textures. If you are deciding to play the game in HD on an emulator, I think this is something you will appreciate, considering the Miis make up a good percentage of everything you see in-game.

I personally have had no issues with this texture pack, though it seems that some people have had issues with lag and crashing. So, I would just be aware of that if you decide to install this pack.

Tomodachi Enterprise

This is a mod that changes tons of food, adds custom rooms, clothing, activities, interactions, items, and more. This is a mod that I have not actually played myself (yet), but is one i am looking forward to finally checking out. This mod is currently in development and is being actively updated, and I would consider to currently be the most in-depth mod for Tomodachi Life.

The only reason I have not played this yet is other life obligations, but I have seen a lot of what's in it. I would still say that if you are interested in mods like this, I would definitely go check it out yourself!

---

But yeah, this is what I would consider to be interesting mods for the game if you are looking for something like that. All of these come from Gamebanana, and this is not the full extent of what is available on there, these are just some of my personal favorites. I suggest looking into it yourself if you are interested, or if you are interested in developing mods for the game yourself! I just wanted to highlight some mods that I find interesting. I may post some other mod related stuff if you are interested!

[snapscube]

Hi Penny!! Knowing that you are both a fan of FFXIV and the Steam Deck, I thought I would ask you if the game is playable on the Steam Deck! I don't have a viable PC, but I'm interested in trying out the game and wasn't sure if that was an option. I'll probably also poke around online for answers, but I thought you'd be a good person to ask about it!

yes, it’s (currently*) VERY playable! you get solid battery life when locked to 30fps (which for an MMO is generally fine) but it can hit 60 in many cases if necessary as long as ur willing to take the battery hit. personally it’s not a form factor i would do any serious combat content on, as the screen real estate can at times feel cramped, but if you’re just starting the game then it’s absolutely viable for a long stretch of the games early levels. you could even hook it up to an external monitor with a keyboard and mouse and get the full PC experience anyway and just use the handheld mode for questing and more casual stuff!

* i don’t have direct experience with how it’s going to run AFTER dawntrail releases next week. i didn’t go through the trouble to set up the benchmark on my own device. but based on what i can tell, the graphics update coming with dawntrail isn’t going to out-spec the steam deck at all. you MAY have to lock to 30fps more often, but that’s a maybe and it’ll depend on play environment like always. should still be in a very playable state from what i can tell but again, don’t take my word on that completely until the update comes along and i’ve been able to test it myself.

[biolumien]

If you write for narumi from Kaiju No8 could you do him and reader gaming just some sweet fluffy evening

notes: thank you for your request! this is my first time writing gen properly, so i hope it's okay... it's a bit on the shorter side.

gaming night

gen narumi x gn!reader i used this as an excuse to talk about elden ring wc: 519

on your off nights, you were lucky to spend time with gen when he gamed. for all the mess in his room, he kept his gaming setup spick and span and very tidy, with RGB lighting that was less tacky and cooler in shades of blues and purples surrounding a very nice LED screen TV with the latest gaming trappings. gen looked more like a burrito than a human, wrapped in his hoodie. 

“what do you want to play tonight?” you ask gen, who was currently sprawled back on his couch, flicking through games on his ps5. 

“umm…” gen blinks hard, pushing his bangs up to observe the screen. “i was thinking like… a bit of elden ring, i think. i wanna beat malenia. it was… not great. last night.”

“i remember.” you frown ominously, remembering the fact that he’d nearly used his future-seeing eyes just to read her attacks. he lamented the fact that his reaction time still wasn’t fast enough to clear the final boss–despite the fact he could read the movements of infinitely deadlier kaiju.

(“i’m convinced miyazaki made her to fucking haunt me,” he complained, and you’d laughed–only for him to stay up till 5 AM trying to figure out how to beat her, until his combos and dodges became so sloppy that he’d die within the first few seconds of fighting her.)  “you sure you can beat her this time?” 

“i don’t need a hater who doesn’t believe in me,” gen says. “i don’t care if you don’t think i can’t beat her–i’m gonna.” he pouts in that telltale way where you can tell he cares maybe a little too much. you laugh, sitting down next to him, dramatically cuddling him, and pressing your cheek to his. his skin feels a bit clammy, but you’re used to it from him. you’ve always teased him about how cold he gets when he plays video games–and he’s defensively always retorted.

“oh, i’m sorry gen,” you say dramatically. “you’re the best gamer ever, and i bet you’ll beat elden ring this time–maybe you’ll even beat unalloyed malenia–”

“now that’s pushing it.” gen’s pink eyes stare at you for a moment, curving upwards with a small smile. he kisses your cheek, reaching out his hand to pull you closer. “i’m not a dog. i don’t need your praise to beat her.”

he says it, but he seems more spirited than before, and he starts up the game.

you cuddle yourself close to his side, content to just watch.

“you know her lore, right?” gen asks, peeking at you in his periphery as his character rolls into the boss chamber.

“yeah,” you say. “because you keep telling me.”

“well, because elden ring’s a good fucking game,” gen retorts.

“i know,” you reply.

“mm.” you adore the way gen has something approaching a triumphant little smile on his face, the way it opens up and lightens his face. 

(he doesn’t beat malenia that night either, but he doesn’t get to sulk for long, because you end up kissing him again, and he seems to relax, leaning hungrily into your touch.) 

[redflagshipwriter]

Halfa Cass Chapter 6 part 2/2

Masterpost

‘Ouch,’ Tim thought gleefully as Bruce got his constipated expression. Damian was definitely pretending he thought it was admirable to frighten hapless Justice League niceguys. Damian knew better now. Damian even liked Jon Kent, who was basically like a tiny Captain Marvel.

Bruce really should know that. Tim could see the calculations whirring in his mind, weighing the odds of Damian being genuine.

He knew that Damian was a lot better now. That Damian had promised not to stab anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. That Damian had made friends and was less hostile to outsiders.

Bruce wasn’t confident enough that Damian knew better. He gave in. “I will be careful with my tone around him,” Bruce said sullenly. He stabbed at his breakfast.

‘You just got played by a ten year old.’

“Thank you Daddy,” Cass chirped.

Ah well, that’s it then. Game, set, and match. Bruce lifted his face enough to aim his watery i love my kids eyes at her.

Tim left the table without comment. He quietly thanked Alfred on his way out and gave a nod to Cass. Bruce was still glaring at his eggs. He’d be at it for a while, churning through the current state of his children’s social development and the relative healthiness of his personal relationships with Justice League coworkers.

‘I wonder why Cass cares about Marvel,’ Tim wondered idly. He didn’t have the slightest hint of doubt in her assertion. If Cass said that Bruce was too harsh for Marvel, then it was true. Marvel must be sensitive. But that didn’t mean Cass would interfere to protect a grown man from her dad’s growly temper. Maybe she had a crush? Marvel was pretty good-looking, if you were sick enough to be into hunky men with perfect teeth who were never rude to anyone and appeared to have no dark past. Sort of like crushing on that one cartoon surfer in the juice ads…

It was a minor puzzle piece that Tim tucked away for another time. 

He hung out in his room until it was time to get ready. Then Tim jogged down the stairs to the Batcave, humming under his breath.

Jason of all the people was already there, scowling at the screen. 

“Why are you up?” Tim asked. Didn’t he usually, sleep off half the day after a long patrol? Jason had been on the long shift last night.

Tim got a massively shitty expression from Jason  in return. “Patrol ended hours ago, dipstick. I’ve already slept.”

‘Those under eye circles say otherwise,’ Tim thought judgmentally. But he just shrugged. “Fair enough.” He breezed past to open up his equipment locker. 

“What are you doing?” Jason spun his chair around to watch. “Are you meeting Cass?”

Tim blinked. “No?” He unhooked his undersuit and pulled his t-shirt off over his head. He went to toss it in and then thought better of it. Tim conscientiously folded it so that there were no asshole comments from the peanut gallery. “Why do you ask?”

Jason thumbed at the cameras. “Because she’s leaving. Just got her green jacket from the living room.” He jutted his lower lip out. “I don’t know of anything on her schedule today.”

Huh. Tim stopped mid-motion. “There wasn’t anything on the master calendar,” he said slowly. He gave Jason a sideways look. “What are the odds of you following her?”

Jason looked tempted. “She’ll be mad if she notices me.”

“Yeah,” Tim agreed. It was just the truth. “But she’ll know you’re doing it because you’re worried about it, so she can’t get too mad. She got electrocuted yesterday. I’m not really sure she should be out unsupervised.”

Jason’s whole face twitched. “Yeah.”

‘Ah,’ Tim realized. ‘He already read her report. That’s probably why he came in.’

“You’re going to Amity.” Jason said it like it was an order, not a question. Tim nodded anyway and shucked his sweatpants. He started pulling on the sweat-wicking undersuit. “Yeah, alright.” Jason stood up with a scrape of the chair. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“You’re the best there’s ever been,” Tim lied earnestly. “I really appreciate it. I know that everyone else would say-”

“You’re a dick,” Jason said, and left the batcave quickly before Tim could say anything else nice to him.

Tim felt a lot better about leaving Gotham after that conversation. Jason was a huge angry clucking mother hen. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Cass. And Tim could be useful at the source of the problem without his attention split in worrying.

He clicked on his comms and switched to the YJ frequency. “Red Robin is on.”

The line clicked. “Wondergirl is here,” Cassie said happily. “You’re welcome, peons. I’m in the air already.”

“We’ll owe you forever, princess,” Kon snarked. “When can we kiss your boots?”

“You can kiss my a-”

“No chatter on the comms.” Tim typed up the mission start and sent it to the right file, marking that he was taking the jet. “I’ll see you in Amity.”

[gauntletqueen]

how would you describe Kitten Burst to a normie gamer? i wanna recommend it to a big streamer that i like, but the only comparison i can make is "superman 64 if it was good and about a cat in 2000s cyberspace" and i feel like that's really mean to kitten burst lol

safgghjaf lil bit perhaps. I do agree it's tough to describe!

I guess if I had to give an elevator pitch it'd be...

"A game about the problems with the current state of the internet viewed through the lens of a hyper-stylized Y2K aesthetic, in which you play as a digital flying cat exploring the web, meeting and growing attached to great characters and fighting totally unique bosses."

Not the most encompassing description but I'd say it's alright! Good luck :>

[beamng-dot-shark]

I had a post like this that I had up for maybe a few minutes before I deleted it because I was not in the mood to get into this but screw it I'm getting into it now.

Warframe enjoyers, you gotta understand something and understand this something -now-. It is not a game about sunshine and rainbows and happy fun times and everything being oh so perfect and sanitized. Keep this in mind with what I'm about to talk about, this is important.

Contains spoilers for WitW and Jade Shadows.

The two newest story quests really hammer home this idea. There is something regarding these quests, specifically the community's reactions, that really irks me a lot.

Before I continue, another thing to keep in mind: I am a queer person (transman & bisexual in a relationship with a genderfluid individual), if it needs saying) and am pro choice. Just so people don't assume things about me purely because they completely misunderstood these quests and disagree with what I'm about to say.

Whispers In The Walls. I cannot tell you how upsetting it is to hear that people were unhappy with Loid and Albrecht's portrayal, apparently. I don't know what you people expected from... WARFRAME OF ALL THINGS? "The queer rep in Warframe is so bad!" No? It's not bad. It's just not perfect and clean and sanitized and happy enough for you. If you want clean and neat queer rep then go somewhere else because this game is not for you.

I said this in the Warframe Discord server I'm in but I shall repeat: 1) Ticker being an old timey trans woman and she's not made fun of or treated as a joke. 2) Varzia being pretty openly bisexual and being interested in both Maroo and Teshin 3) Loid and Albrecht being so very much in love even through the pain and sacrifice, and they might come back together!!!!! It's Not Bad queer rep!!!! It doesn't suck!!! Their rep feels REAL!!!!!!! You almost never see old timey trans women or drag queens in games that isn't treated like some kind of joke. An older gay man on this site talked about how happy he was to see that an old gay couple like Loid and Albrecht existed because people used to call him and his partner disgusting just for daring to exist as old gay men together.

I am begging young queer people to shut their mouths about the queer rep in Warframe not being good or satisfying them enough, when the rep currently in the game is not only pretty damn good compared to other things but it's fitting for the world it's in.

"I play games to get away from reality." My brother in christ Warframe has so much shit that is a reflection of reality I am not sure why you are playing it if you cannot so much as stomach the nuances and complicated-ness of real life queer people of all things.

Jade Shadows. Holy shit man what a mess. No I'm not talking about the quest, I'm talking about the community's reactions to it. I've heard of people whining about it being... pro life??? Did we play the same quest, people? What about a woman wanting her child so badly she was willing to pour every ounce of her leftover energy into it even if it cost her her life is... pro life...?

Idk how to tell you guys this but it's very clear Jade wanted her child. Even the operator says that whatever was draining her, she -wasn't- fighting it. She was letting it happen. She told Sorren he was going to be a father, there was no ounce of doubt or reluctance in her words.

Yes I too am upset that she couldn't survive, I'm heartbroken over it even (this quest made me cry like a bitch, dude). But I get the reasons why DE made this decision and I'm glad they had the balls to even touch the topic! That is a VERY tough topic to bring up.

And another thing: Stalker/Sorren was absolutely NOT redeemed and I don't know what made any of you think that. Characters who have done bad things can do good things too, you know. Warframe has always had many morally grey areas to it, it is not black and white or good vs evil. It is -complicated-. You know, like real life. You don't have to like Stalker, no one said that. You don't have to forgive Stalker, no one said that. Stalker is not a good or bad person, he's just a person. He has his own complexities and is complicated, like a real person. He is not perfect.

Anyway that's my thoughts on the matter. I like Warframe because the fact that it doesn't beat around the bush and DE is not afraid to be real and raw with their work. The people whining about all this stuff I think they just want things more sanitized and pure and perfect but I'm sorry you are not gonna get that here! Go read a book/watch a movie/play a different game that has what you want cus Warframe does not have this.

Also please do not harass Reb and the other DE folks over this, it is incredibly rude and is not going to help your game get any better. Please literally go outside and touch grass and I say this with as much love as I can muster.

[cattimeswithjellie]

Livestream Recap, TangoTek, 6-17-24

((In which Tango does redstone, makes a lot of steamy puns, and plays straight man to the comedy stylings of Mrs. T and his own chat. Also there is Twag.))

4:43 Tango opens the stream with a warning for “excessive burping.” He just gulped down a burger as he hit “start stream” with eruptive results. He thanks subs and donos, then asks Chat how they are doing. He decides to chop down a bunch of acacia trees while he talks with Chat about what everyone’s been up to. He did not play much block game last week, but this week? So much. Last week was bad, but this week is going to be better!

6:30 A chatter mentions Jimmy’s current obsession with Tango’s swag (or “Twag”). Tango is aware of it, he is amused and baffled. He says he has very little twag. But Jimmy is great and Tango loves hanging out with him. They need to find a new game to play together.

7:10 Tango starts to talk about the stream and how it’s going to be STEAMY today, gets immediately distracted by a large dono. Another chatter talks about Jimmy and how he is mad at Impulse for calling him 30. Tango thinks that’s funny too. Jimmy’s just a pup, and 30 is not an insult. Mrs. T streamed yesterday, everyone should encourage her! PearlescentMoon raids into the stream. Tango is very proud of Pearl’s new redstone endeavors! In chat, Cleo reminds Pearl that main quests should not be done all at once, it’s time to make room for side quests. They both plan on side-questing with games in the Gaming District.

10:00 Back to the title! Pearl and Impulse have done redstone all day, it’s time to get Redstone in this stream! All the grates are going to have steam coming out from them now! Chat asks about playing Wordle, Tango suspects that the game is currently being messed with and may not be playable. Chat says it’s ready. Tango explains his plan for campfire-fueled steam grates in the factory. Pearl tells Tango he can play if Chat doesn’t spoil him. Chat is sad that “Twag” is not a five-letter word.

13:00 Impulse raids into the chat, so now the Chat is doubly full of all the server’s redstone fans. Chat tells Tango that Impulse did redstone _and_ science today. Tango assembles a box of supplies for today’s job. The factory is not turned on, but it might be good to turn it on since Tango will be hanging around. He’s nervous to turn it on and that’s not good. He talks about Trial Chambers coming up and how he might not actually have needed to make a copper farm. Trial chambers are full of copper and tuff and good things. He talks with Chat about the ins and outs of trial chambers. In the background, a Skizz scream indicates the end of another zombie pigman.

18:15 Tango believes copper needs to become a more integral part of redstone, far beyond copper bulbs. Maybe even plumbing for fluids, though that would be a big step. He heads down into the guts below the factory. Chat thinks Tango is aiming for Create Mod in Vanilla, Tango shushes them and whispers “that’s the goal.” Tango has a new design for steam grates, so he’s going to rip out the one he’s got and dig out a bunch of space for new ones. Chat asks to see “The Hole” (the hole through the bedrock he and Zedaph made). It is now cleaned up and safely behind a door to avoid accidental Void entry. Tango did some off-stream ceiling building, but he needs more decoration on the walls.

20:40 Tango begins deconstructing his old redstone, then immediately stops doing that and goes upstairs to brainstorm steam grate locations with chat. Chat is full of fun and impractical ideas for decorations, and some good ideas as well. He digs some more. He is surprised and pleased to get beacon bonus to his digging.

23:50 Mrs Tango arrives. She made a salad. Chat is happy to see her! Her stream went well yesterday and her TBR (to be read) pile has doubled. Tango doesn’t know what TBR is and gets mocked for it. She force-feeds him some salad. He declares it “Ceasar-y?” It’s good. He would eat it. He will not eat it, because it is hers. Mrs. T asks if Chat wants to know what her favorite game is. Tango says it is so sad and cringe. She says it’s “How to Make My Husband Crazy.” He thought she meant the phone game she plays 50 hours a week, which is called Gossip Harbor. Chat likes both of those games too.

26:00 A little cheatycam action tells Tango that he has less room than he’d hoped without destroying his already-existing redstone. Mrs. T offers helpful commentary as he falls into an underground lake. Tango says someone should open a sponge shop (he has the sponge permit.) Mrs Tango tells him he has “Skibidi Ohio Rizz.” Tango looks like he is forcing himself into an out-of-body experience. Chat is howling. Tango says Mrs. T is highly resistant to the Twag. A chatter asks what Twag means, and Tango says if you know, you know (and if you don’t know, you’re not missing much.) Chat is happy to explain Twag.

29:00 Tango continues excavating and says that anyone who truly wants to understand Twag has to watch Jimmy Jingles’ stream. He doesn’t know why they call him Timmy. Tango doesn’t call him Timmy. Tango finally finds a part of his basement that is not already stuffed with redstone. He is happy. He flexes by throwing all his mined stone right into the guts of the collection system.

31:10 Tango discovers a single lit copper bulb in the floor and can’t remember why it is there. He examines it and says he has to know. He digs up the floor around it. It is just one lit copper bulb in the floor. He is confused, but chat remembers that it was for lighting the water pool, back when this was a water pool. Tango thinks about decorating the area, but admits he will never come down here.

32:30 Time to actually start building some steam machines! Tango gathers up the bits he needs and notices there are lots of people on the server today. It makes him happy. Chat is excited because some of their Tango plushes are starting to arrive. They want to know if Tango will play Wordle. He might, later. Right now it is time to turn on the factory! He does so, while cheering about how copper bulbs are amazing. Another piglin dies with a scream. Tango complains about static electricity in his office. Chat suggests grounding his chair. He asks how to do that, Chat suggests calming words and slow breaths, either that or taking away its electronics and not letting it leave the house.

38:00 After one false start for forgotten campfires, it’s time to head back downstairs! Tango doesn’t know when HC will update to 1.21 but they will probably talk about it at the next meeting. He has a little screenshot of the design he’s working with for the steam grates. He talks with Chat about the problem he’s having with the factory needing 90 seconds to cool down from “on” to “off” without breaking it. He’s going to have to work on that. Tango lost his redstone box.

41:40 Time to find the redstone box! Chat tried to remind him he left it upstairs, but he was oblivious. He collects it and back downstairs! He talks about grate design with chat. He doesn’t like open grates, but both water and magma underneath have their virtues. They both look pretty cool.

45:00 Tango says he’s going to get started doing something. The “Oh my god!” horn plays. Gem must be nearby! Tango calls out for her, but she does not make an appearance. Tango begins laying out the first set of grate redstone. The horns have a radius large enough that Gem could be “oh my god”ing at someone else. But her timing was excellent.

47:00 Tango builds a redstone machine! It looks cool. He promises he will explain it when he is done. Chat asks if this is the new clank module. Tango says last night in bed he was thinking about the Decked Out 2 redstone and how much of it was still in his head. He misses it, and is getting a little itchy for a new redstone project. But there will be NO Decked Out 3 this season.

50:00 Chat asks “Decked Out 3 Season 11 confirmed?” Tango says it’s pretty much already been confirmed, but we’ll see. He goes up top to get buckets and flint and steal, realizes he’s going to need a lot of flint eventually. He checks on the factory minecarts, all is well. Tango loads up the new machine he has made, showing how it will alternately light or extinguish the fire to make randomized bursts of steam through the grate. He makes a much more comprehensive explanation that is beyond the ken of the recapper, but the upshot is that it works and is going to take a ton of flint and steel.

55:30 Chat attempts to help optimize the machine, possibly by replacing flint and steel with fire charges. Each flint will light the fire 64 times, each stack of fire charges will do the same. The big efficiency in this case is that fire charges can be stolen from Impulse, which is much more Tango-efficient than laying down a bunch of gravel and hitting it with a fortune shovel.

58:00 With the visual effect working, it’s time for the audio. Tango has some sound files that sound like hissing steam, so it’s time to add a note block to the machine as well. He attaches it to the side of the new steam machine and considers the best sort of head to pop on it. In game chat, Pearl makes a suggestion about the redstone clock that might extend the time between puffs. Tango is confused for a minute about the complexities of Pearlstone, but they get on the same page and talk more redstone. Chat is a big fan of Pearlstone. Tango decides to use pillager heads. Chat suggests that maybe Pearl will help build Decked Out 3. Tango agrees that at the rate she is picking up redstone, she well might!

1:02:00 Tango and Chat do redstone stuff. Lighting the fire with fire charges is just a bit different than lighting it with flint and steel, but he gets it sorted. He uploads the sound file he wants and puts it on a pillager head, then waits. Chat fondly remembers that time they Rickrolled Tango by getting ahead of him on sound file uploading.

1:05:40 The machine triggers successfully. Tango workshops the sound with chat, then goes to “acquire” some fire charges. Chat reminds him to turn off the factory before he leaves. Tango is definitely going to put in some chunk loaders so he doesn’t have to hang around his factory and not play the game he wants. Chat reminds him that a certain Chat who shall remain nameless may have mentioned chunk loaders quite awhile ago and been ignored. They suggest TNT dupers will be next. Tango is firm in his NOPE.

1:10:06 With the farm fully off, Tango is free to move about the server. Time to steal! He dips into the nether and heads for Impulse’s barter farm. He and Chat continue discussing chunk loaders. Chat asks which will get a roof first, Tango’s factory or Etho’s base. Tango is noncommittal. The barter farm is bursting at the seams with fire charges, so it’s Tango’s lucky day. He fills up his shulkers with stacks of fire charges and realizes he should’ve brought more shulkers. He’ll have to steal more later. Tango heads home.

1:13:20 Back at home, Tango attempts (unsuccessfully) to organize his inventory, then goes back downstairs. He loads his steam machine with fire charges. The machine catches on fire. That could be a problem. Chat notes that fire tick is off, and so the fire charge will not actually light the campfire, it will just set a fire on the hopper. Tango watches the machine for one more go-round, just to make sure. Scar, in Twitch Chat, suggests that they should turn fire tick on. Chat thinks this is a wonderful and horrible idea.

1:20:00 Tango rebuilds the machine, but it doesn’t work. In game chat, Pearl celebrates getting Timed Mode working on Wordle. The redstoners celebrate with her. Tango moves a bunch more stuff around on the machine and makes plans to unsteal the fire charges later.

1:22:00 Tango disassembles the machine and reassembles it into the original flint-and-steel-dispenser configuration, declaring all the previous “a huge waste of time.” Chat maintains that nothing is a waste of time when he’s with Chat. Also there was science. Now Tango needs a lot of flint and steel.

1:25:30 Tango goes back upstairs. He doesn’t have a fortune shovel, so he has to turn off the factory again and go shopping. Chat points out that Scar sells gravel, but Tango needs flint. Nobody sells flint. Tango is getting frustrated, but gets clobbered by a thousand dollar dono and a simultaneous Mythical Sausage raid. Chat is so excited.

1:29:50 Tango reads the very nice message from the dono, while Scar flies around in the background and sprinkles flint all over his factory floor. Tango’s day has really turned around! Scar says “Watch this” in chat, which is possibly the scariest possible thing Scar could say, then does not successfully do whatever he planned to do. He says “ppop” and leaves.

1:32:20 Tango is confused but thanks Scar for the flint. He welcomes the raiders properly, thanks Sausage for the raid and explains that they came at an awkward brain-breaky moment for him. He introduces himself and says he’s getting steamy today. Sausage’s raider tell Tango that Ollie died in 30 Day Hardcore, got creepered only three days in. Tango is sympathetic. Chat finds it hard to believe that Jimmy didn’t die first.

1:35:00 Scar’s gift of flint lets Tango load the machine, now it’s time to watch the grate from above and see what it looks like. While he is waiting, Chat tells him the tragic story of Ollie’s demise, killed by a creeper by building a house for himself and Jimmy. It was so sad. “Noooo!” Tango cries. He thinks Creepers have to be one of the major causes of death in Hardcore, next to lava and falling. The steam effect triggers. The steam goes much longer than the sound, so either more sound or less steam is needed. Longer steam sounds are a project for another day, but this is close enough. It took only ninety minutes to make one, time to make more!

1:37:00 Tango chooses the location for the next steam vent. He then goes back to messing with the first machine. A chatter asks if Tango is family friendly. He says he is. Chat converses among itself about whether all the hermits are family friendly while Tango watches the machine for his timing change. It looks better, he is happy. He assembles another machine.

1:40:00 Tango has lost his armor stands, which makes it hard to assemble the machine. Chat points out that they are in the redstone box. A chatter suggests making one machine play the Skizz Scream instead of the steam noise so the factory seems more dangerous. Assembly of the second machine goes considerably faster than the first. Chat, sensitized by Ollie’s death, keeps getting jumpscared by the hissing steam noises. A chatter asks about capes, a mere 20 days late to the party.

1:44:00 FalseSymmetry enters the server, Cleo “OMG Hiiiii!”s her in chat. Tango finishes the second machine and loads it with flint-steel and water. Chat is laughing because someone got autocorrected to “armpit stand” Tango adds his audio player and uploads the second steam noise. The second machine tests successfully, so it’s time for more!

1:48:00 The crowded substrate of Tango’s basement makes a challenging redstone environment, but he eventually picks out a space for the third machine. He’s getting into a groove now as far as building copies of the machine. He stumbles into a little passageway and is confused for a minute, but it’s nothing he’s using anymore. Chat strongly suspects that Tango’s third machine is going to do some things to the trapdoors it is next to, but they don’t want to spoil the surprise.

1:51:30 Tango finishes the redstone of Machine 3 and adds the finishing touches. He breaks his redstone box and doesn’t successfully pick it up at first, then proclaims that is how one loses a redstone box. He uploads the third steamy sound and puts it on Machine 3. He wants to build three more machines on the other side of the factory floor.

1:53:00 Tango wants to do something different with Machine 4. It is next to another, different redstone device and can be activated by that redstone signal instead. He plays with the positioning of the campfire and the restone signal. He collects up some magma blocks to decorate with and declares his music “very eighties.”

1:58:00 Tango solidifies the location for Machine 4. He assembles Machine 4 partway, then pauses, not sure if it will work with so much other redstone around. Deciding on a strategy of bold adventure, he does it anyway. The resulting trigger mechanism is made mostly of observers and optimism, but Tango is pleased. He does more redstone tinkering, including running some signal through a magma block.

2:03:30 Machine four is done! A chatter asks if Tango got help from Mumbo for this design. Tango confirms that Mumbo actually does all Tango’s redstone for him. He also talks to Mumbo all the time, definitely. Tango admits that he talks directly to Mumbo once or twice a year. They like each other, but their paths simply never cross. Chat would like to see Tango and Mumbo do a big project together.

2:05:00 Tango realizes that Machine 4 takes up a lot of real estate he was going to use for Machine 5, but he thinks he can make it work anyway. He does more redstone! Chat is concerned that he has disconnected a minecart trigger. Chat also wants Tango to visit Big Ron’s. Tango doesn’t know what Big Ron’s is. ((Big Ron’s is one of the pretend shops in Mumbo’s base. It has been temporarily taken over by Grian and Gem’s mischievous snails as a pop-up shop to sell the diamond ore they stole from Scar’s Ore Mountain.)) Chat tries to explain, but they are very confusing. Tango is not caught up on server storylines enough to understand snail adventures.

2:08:00 Redstone work continues. Tango realizes he can’t do the thing with the thing there because of that, which is a verbatim quote for once and not the recapper’s lack of comprehension. Tango mentions placing a torchy down, making Chat nostalgic for Secret Life Torchy. Tango agrees that for one episode, Torchy was a legend. He finesses the design of the machine to make it fit better , then installs the noteblock and Machine 5 is done.

2:11:00 Tango finds a location for the last steam machine. He begin assembling Machine 6 while Chat amuses itself with dispenser puns and by mocking Tango. The last machine gets built very quickly. Tango listens to the steam noteblock sound and comments that when he makes Plate Up in Minecraft, that will be the food burning sound. He confirms that he will be trying to create Plate Up in Minecraft, or something similar at least. Chat thinks this is very twag of him.

2:15:10 Cleo raids into the stream. Tango misses Cleo and says they are the best Cleo ever to Cleo. They need to hang out sometime. Cleo’s chat is full of OMG Hiiii energy. The OMG Hiiii horn starts playing, which means False is probably nearby. Tango is so confused. Chat says it was a False Alarm. Tango sighs but has to admit that was pretty good.

2:18:00 Tango goes upstairs and gets all the last odds and ends he needs to load the farms, including a whole lot of flint and steel and a bunch of water buckets. He loads up the machines and gets them working. Chat asks if the water kittens are asleep, Tango says that the water kittens are stupid. He loads water buckets into the machines, then creates a bunch of flint and steels to load in as well. Chat warns Tango about a impending water leak issue, but Tango is doing math. He finishes doing math and fixes the block three seconds before the bucket deploys. Everything’s fiiiiiine.

2:23:00 Tango continues loading the machines, temporarily foiling himself with a magma block but recovering and stuffing the machine with firestarters. There is room for more flint and steel in the machines, but for now the amount he’s putting in will do. A chatter wishes for magma slabs, Tango agrees that it would be nice if there were slabs for pretty much every block in the game. Chat suggests TNT slabs, then reminds itself that those are called Etho Slabs. ((An actual “canon” block, from a Minecraft April Fool’s joke.))

2:26:30 Time to go look at all the steam! The machines do successfully produce steam. Tango wants more steam! But the radius of the sound is all wrong and he can’t hear steam across the room. He goes back into the machine and fixes all the sound-producing heads so the radius is more sensible.

2:30:00 Steam observation time. Tango and the chat like the new steam effects. He watches the room for awhile to see if one is not smoking and to see how often they smoke. He’d actually like a little more steam, more often. Machines 4 and 2 are being stubborn. Chat points out again that Tango broke the minecart activator on Machine 4 ages ago. 2 is a mystery. Eventually 2 and 4 both do run, drawing a cheer from Tango. He is very happy with the aesthetic of his factory floor.

2:35:00 Tango talks about future plans for decorating the factory. He loves doing redstone décor and ambiance work. Chat also likes the ambiance, though opinions are somewhat divided over all the steam noise. A chatter sends a message talking about their soft robotics project, Tango is curious what that means. Chat has lots of theories.

2:37:50 Tango calls the project done for now, he is happy. Chat is surprised to see Mumbo join the game. Tango teases him about the sign at the gold shop. Mumbo despairs that he is out of stock AGAIN. Grian wants to know who needs that much gold. Tango needs gold for powered rails. Tango’s next episode will be opening the shroomlight shop and building Fun Gus the monster, or building the steampunk blimp that will be the shell around the copper farm. Then there will be factory-building work. The guts of the factory are done, but it needs its building and lots of cool sound art to bring it to life. The factory will be an amazing and noisy place.

2:41:50 Tango decides to wrap up the stream. He is happy with the steam system even if it took longer than planned. No Wordle today, but he has all week to play that. Chat is not allowed to spoil the word! Tango raids into Fwhip and ends his stream.

[novacorpsrecruit]

Theme: social media / modern media AU

[find the fic where it’s not Robin. Steve texts Robin and it ends up being eddie they flirt and then realize they’re both into each other but they both like another guy (each other)]

Don’t Hate the Player by daynight (Ao3) @daynightinc (tumblr)

M | wc 6,373 | minor cw cut scene cyber sex (I read it at work 🫡)

Steve Harrington doesn't really play video games. Not his thing.

Somehow, however, he's ended up in an utterly delusional, one-sided relationship with an NPC.

This is so fucking unique I’m literally hanging it up Video Game Hall of Fame. Rochester, here I come. Steve is bullied into playing ‘Upside Down’ an 18+ MMORG, as Dustin tells him the most efficient way to get a hold of him is through [reads notes] the in-game messaging system. Sounds right. Steve gets enamored with the game, playing hours on end even without Dustin. And Steve finds Keswardia the Banished, an NPC merchant, that he can’t stop visiting.

I’ll be honest I fucking love video game lore. It’s one thing that sucks me into games so hard. The world building in this fic just for the video game is so good!! I want to eat it up. And the fact that Steve stumbles into Keswardia destroys me. Read it, you’ll get it.

Gareth the Matchmaker by Steviesbicrisis (Ao3) @steviesbicrisis (tumblr)

G | 15/16 chapters | no cw

Gareth is in charge of the Corroded Coffin official TikTok account, he's playing Fuck Marry Kill with the three random celebrities filters and trying to make the other guys join as well.

When it's Eddie's turn, he's having none of it until he sees the three celebrities on top of his head.

He has no clue who these people are, but the one in the middle? Eddie is sure he's going to marry him someday.

Eddie has yet to find out that the guy is none other than baseball player Steve Harrington, 1/3 of the "Ladykiller Trio", currently playing for the Yomiuri Giants. In Japan.

And when things get too complicated for Eddie's liking, thankfully he has Gareth on his side.

I honestly think this is the first time I’ve ever read a social media AU that’s only through images and with a complete story. There’s screenshots of the text messages, Instagram, news articles, TikTok’s. This is such a unique storytelling method and everyone is so in character, you forget that it’s not real screenshots. (I hardly ever read anything that’s incomplete but I made sure to hit subscribe when I first saw it was on Ao3.) It’s a WIP, but chapter 16 is supposed to be an epilogue, so even if you don’t like reading WIPs, I highly encourage this one!!

WHO IS EDDIE MUNSON FUCKING by beetlesandstars, witchjeons (ao3)

M | wc 2,445 | no cw

Summary: eddie: oh god

oh no god please no

FUCK

FUCK FCUK FUCK FCK FUCK

NOBODY LOOK NOBODY SCROLL UP

PLEASE

nancy: did you actually just sext the fucking group chat

eddie: so. like

Or, Eddie accidentally sends a sext to the group chat. Chaos ensues.

I fucking die reading this. This is an entire fic made of chat rooms and it’s so fUCKING funny I’m not even joking.

Eddie accidentally opens a can of worms when he sends the wrong message to the wrong chat and chaos ensues. All of their personalities fit so well in a modern setting and it feels like you’re snooping in someone’s phone. I really recommend anything that Jo writes that has chats (and in general)!

Eddie Munson/Hotdude Official Megatherad! By MixAddams (ao3) @mixsethaddams (tumblr)

T | wc 1,906 | cw Reddit simulation

Summary: The general public spent 30 years thinking nothing of Steve’s presence in pictures beyond him being ‘that one hot dude in the background’ because whatever, he was just another part of Corroded Coffin’s entourage.

Imagine the scramble on the band’s subreddit to reexamine every picture he’s ever been in when, the day gay marriage gets legalised in Indiana, Eddie posts a picture on Instagram of the two of them with the caption “Finally. We’ve been engaged since 1989.”

(Because of the formatting is infinitely clearer on desktop or tablets than on mobile)

I absolutely love this. This is literally peering into the Stranger Things universe in 2Kwhatever and peering into the mess that is Reddit and the Corroded Coffin fan base. This is so fucking brilliant I just !!!! Please read.

Seth tbh I don’t think I realized this was your fic I love your brain, I’m kissing your brain.

Consensual Catfishing by foresthearts (ao3)

M | wc 32,108 | cw miscommunication

Summary: When Eddie gets a message on instagram from an account claiming to be the famous pop-star Steve Harrington, he knows immediately it's a catfish. He's not dumb. The account has no pictures and people like Steve Harrington don't just randomly DM guys like Eddie.

Still. What would be the harm in letting it play out? It's not dangerous if he knows he's being catfished. No, if he knows about it, then it's basically like a fun little roleplay. No harm, no foul.

(Eddie is not, in fact, being catfished)

*slaps the screen of Ao3* This baby can fit so much into it! Mistaken identities, identity porn, mixed media, famous Steve, slightly less famous Eddie, podcasts, text messages, tumblr posts, and dungeons and dragons.

Eddie, a DM for a Dungeons and Dragons online podcast (vodcast? wtf do you call it when it’s a video series), gets a message from someone pretending to be his (slightly former) celebrity crush, Steve Harrington. Eddie goes along with it, joking about it on his show, and maybe he kind of falls in love with the catfisher…

While Steve Harrington finds out an internet celebrity is into him. He reaches out to the famous DM Eddie Munson in hopes he can get over his former relationship with his bandmate.

This Untitled modern AU by @steddiealltheway

G | ficlet sized | no cw

Summary: A wrong number leads to Steve making an unlikely friendship.

This fic rattled my brain so much, when I was searching for it I thought it was on Ao3/10K fic. I absolutely love this piece! Robin goes out on a date and Steve (lovingly) jokes that Robin is going out with a serial killer. Steve texts Robin’s new number, just to ensure she’s safe and not actually with a serial killer… only to find out that he has the wrong number. He creates a friendship with Not Robin (of course, after finding out Robin was indeed safe), and maybe he falls along the way, too.

Found God in a Tomato by beetlesandstars (ao3)

M | wc 5,725 | no cw

Summary: Eddie: just met the cutest guy on god’s green earth and i didn’t get his number

basically it’s over for me

Steve: Oh? Where?

Eddie: at this little coffee shop i like

i’ve never seen Tall Pretty Gorgeous here before though so. i will probably never see him again.

shoot me

Steve: Tall Pretty Gorgeous huh?

He must’ve been something

Eddie: YES Steve. he WAS

operative word being WAS!

i can’t believe i didn’t ask for his number

Steve: What’d he look like?

Eddie: oh, you know

his beauty was beyond compare

with flaming locks of chestnut hair

with suntanned skin and eyes of roasted beans…

his smile soft like summer rain

his voice was like a breath of spring

and i cannot be normal now, joleeeeene

I actually found this fic while searching for the above untitled tumblr fic (when I thought it was on Ao3) and stumbled upon another great Jo creation!

A text to the wrong number creates a friendship through sending songs back and forth (the best kind of friendship). And ugh!!!!! I just love this so much.

i couldn’t see (you were always right beside me) by oriscribes (Ao3)

T | wc 13,609 | cw they’re fucking idiots

Summary: Three hours later Steve logged off to get ready for his shift at the hospital. He was several levels higher and had finished the quests in Darkshore with the help of Greyhawk. He also had a friend listed in his friends list.

Greyhawk had said that being friends would let them be able to tell when the other was online so they could quest again. Steve really liked the sound of that. He didn’t have many friends his own age. He and Robin basically lived in each other’s pockets at work, but with Robin’s new girlfriend and their sleep schedules, they didn’t end up getting to hang out more than once a week.

A new friend sounded really nice, especially given that it was unlikely he would ever get along with his neighbors. The only resident Steve’s age on this floor was the neighbor he hated and that was very unlikely to change anytime soon.

OR

Steve hated his neighbor. And then Dustin and the other kiddos left for college and Steve signed up for some online game called World of Warcraft. Which was how Steve met a Night Elf druid named Greyhawk.

Oh my god did we ask for more mistake identities because THIS FIC IS LOADED WITH THEM!!! I cannot stress how much I loved this fic. I just discovered it two weeks ago and it is embedded so deeply into my brain I just !!!!

Steve decides to join Dustin and the rest of the party on WoW, to bridge the distance college has created, but somehow never joins their party as he makes a new friend online. Steve uses WoW to relax from the real world of his stressful job at the hospital, the ongoing feud he has with his neighbor and his cat (Cowboy!!!!!!), and the constant nagging he gets from Dustin to meet his other older friend Eddie.

Eddie, on the other hand, found a newb on WoW and somehow adopted him as a new friend, helping him level up and teach him the game. If only friendships work out this well in real life, then maybe he could help his grumpy neighbor not be so … well… grumpy.

Please remember to leave kudos and comments on the fics you read/enjoyed! Support your writers 🖤

Prev fic rec: fics that fucked me up (so you should read them too)

[supinety]

breezy skies, and the sound of a whistle

chapter one; astro-turf ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ directory; breezy skies, and the sound of a whistle masterlist | masterlist

༊*·˚ word count; 3.1k

stadiums were so big, they always felt so surreal to be in, especially when empty. you could only imagine what it looks like, full of enthusiastic supporters of the teams in respective team colors, akin to two fires fighting to win over the other; support gives morale, after all.

your childhood dream was to become a soccer player, which never quite worked out. you were always too busy with school work to actually sign up to any clubs outside of in-school teams, and joining the school team just simply wasn't worth it. you had quit by your second year in, because the team was so toxic and the games were unfair.

now it wasn't as if you gave up on that prospect. if you couldn't play as the one kicking the ball, what's the next best thing?

deciding how the ball gets kicked.

it could've been the leader-like habits that people were quick to point out, or the not-so-obvious desire to tell people what to do, but you found yourself in love with this role. it had its pros and cons, but overall, you wouldn't change it for anything. you were committed to making the pitch a fair place for all, where it is only truly a fight of skill and talent.

and so was gojo satoru.

he was a household name in japan; from local talent to nationwide prodigy, he had been winning matches and tournaments for his teams since he could say 'football'. this was always his calling, and he knew that, having been a part of one of the most well-known families in the soccer world.

he currently plays for the tokyo-jujutsu team, where he has been for the past four years. this is where he believes he will stay for the remainder of his career, and more importantly, the team that he will bring along to win international tournaments such as the world cup.

but before any of this happens, he must first get to onto the japanese team, along with as many of his team members as possible, which was quite unrealistic in the current situation that they were in - in recent times, there have been increasing amounts of biased referees or those who didn't have a knack for good decision making, which meant he spent more time arguing with them than he had possession of the ball. thankfully, both shoko and geto, his teammates, have been able to talk the referees out of yellow cards most of the time.

today was no different than it usually was. you had been scheduled to referee your first mainstream match that was going to be on national tv-channels for all to watch. previously, you had only done small gigs for smaller, town-vs-town matches, which still paid enough to get by. a recruiter's son happened to be watching one of these matches and invited you to become the mediator for a, 'big match'. you had only found out on the day that it would be for a game between tokyo-jujutsu high and another large team in the area.

no big deal, right? just the team that you'd idolised in high school, with some players you grew up wishing you could play along with. jokes aside, you never let personal affairs affect the outcome of your judgement, and you always upheld that belief.

you check your watch, and you have about an hour until fans will start piling into the stadium, and thus about two until all players walk out onto the pitch. you had your own changing room with other refereeing assistants, and you were instructed to make your way there after signing in; only, you had no idea where they were. you had never been here before, how would you know? all the doors looked the same, and the only signage was a 'changing rooms' which led you to a longer corridor of doors that only had the same words plastered onto them.

"well, i'm off to a lovely start." you whisper to yourself. sighing, you use the amazing referee skills you possess to select the best room to try, praying that it would be an empty room even if it wasn't the right one.

with one hand on the blue door, you gently pushed it aside, hearing laughter and what seemed like an argument between two people. you had opened the door anyways, so there was no point in trying to run. if it was the wrong room, no hurt to ask whoever was in there, right?

as you stepped in, the room went silent.

"who are you?" you definitely knew that voice; gojo satoru. you couldn't believe you had just walked into the tokyo-jujutsu changing rooms, and you could swear you saw the bottom of his shirtless torso.

"oh my god. i am so sorry, ill just leave-" you quickly turned around and scurried out of the room and caught your breath outside. out of all the doors you could've chosen, your intuition led you to THIS one?

just then, the man himself emerges from the room, adjusting the shirt that he had just put on.

"you're not some kind of stalker right? how'd you even get in?" he walks over and towers over you, despite being considered pretty tall to the general public.

"no, i'm not. i'm the referee for the game," you sigh, looking at the ground. it was simply too awkward to look him in the face after the previous events that just occured. "i'm lost. i'm sorry, but do you happen to know which of the changing rooms are mine?"

he lets out a chuckle and you look up at him to see what was so funny. he truly did look way more majestic than he did in the photos online; nobody could deny those blue eyes of their true grace and beauty. his looks aside, gojo's face turns into a mocking smirk, and nods whilst holding in a laugh. "yeah, sure, come along."

it was a silent and long walk that was actually only 20 seconds long. the air was awkward. you could feel his judgemental stare from miles away, which wasn't helping the nervousness you had already.

before he drops you off at the door, he stops and turns to you, and the air around you suddenly feels more serious than before.

"you better not disappoint me."

no biggie. the player you just walked in on, shirtless, whom you've always dreamed of meeting, just told you not to disappoint him. easy stuff, right?

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

5:30pm. match time.

you'd changed into your kit shortly after the encounter, and had some small conversations with the other match officials inside the changing room. other than that, you felt pumped up and excited. this was your first big game after all! you weren't about to let any player ruin your first one, not even gojo satoru.

you were lined up in between both teams, with you at the front. you could feel the anxiousness between the players, and the roaring crowds outside. then, the double doors in front of you opened, and the intense cheers and stadium lights hit you immediately, and it was time for you to walk.

exhilarating was an understatement; you could revel in this kind of environment for the rest of your life. you saw the players talking with their coaches and any last minute warm-ups that they wished to do. and there was gojo. he was talking with his coach, masamichi yaga, who seemed to be giving him some sort of speech, though it seemed more of a, 'do this and i'll kill you' kind of talk. laughing to yourself, you closed your eyes and felt the light breeze that blew through the stadium, waiting for the players to get into their respective positions.

thus, the starting players were lined up. the tokyo-jujutsu team were starting with the ball, so you stood at the half-line and waited for the timer to start. on your count, you blew the whistle as hard as you could, and kick-off began.

the passion and skill of the players were even more undeniable in person. especially gojo, the way he was able to weave in and out of players so effortlessly and work so well with his teammates was otherworldly. you ran around the pitch, with your best attempts to not hinder the players, blowing the whistle wherever needed.

the first incident that happened during this match, was a foul, close to the center of the pitch. it was still nil-nil (zero-zero) between the two teams, and one of the players on the opposing team had purposely grabbed one of the tokyo-jujutsu player's shirts to prevent chase with the ball.

clearly pissed, you saw the white haired man rush up to you, arms in the air, shouting in a barely audible manner.

"did you see that?? that's surely a foul. yellow card even," he complained, his eyes staring daggers at the perpetrator in front of him. you sigh again and look up at him.

"yes, i did see what happened. i'm the referee, and if you'd let me do my job, i will get to it," you respond, placing your hand on his body to make him back off from the confrontation, or you were sure that someone would have started throwing punches.

reluctantly, gojo does back off and so does the other guy. he then switches his attention to you, staring at you whilst he begins to scan you, as if he was judging you right on the dot. it was a little intimidating, but one person's stare was nothing compared to the whole stadium waiting on your judgement.

you blew the whistle to signify your decision.

"this is your warning - free kick to the tokyo-jujutsu team. if i catch you doing this again, it's a yellow card. understood?" you advise the other player, ensuring to give him a stern look that meant business (though you were never sure how much it ever worked or got the point across).

the match then goes back into play, and the crowd returns to chanting, whilst the players run around trying to gain possession of the ball.

the second incident happened just before tokyo-jujutsu's first goal, where you had awarded a penalty kick as a foul had taken place inside the penalty box. a different player this time, attempted at a slide tackle to defend their goal, which miserably failed and she ended up kicking one of tokyo-jujutsu's members, causing them to wail in pain on the floor.

even though this was clearly just an exaggeration of what happened, it was bound to hurt with the studs on the bottom of the players' shoes, and it was done inside the penalty box. you had thought to check the camera recordings to confirm that it was definitely inside the area, and you blew your whistle a second time to make your second verdict.

you held up a yellow card to the player who attempted the tackle, which caused the fans to erupt in 'boos' from the stands, and the players themselves look even more pissed than they had been previously. you were in for some inevitable arguments.

you then blew your whistle again.

"penalty goes to tokyo-jujutsu," and you order the players to gather round the goal area, and decide who will be taking the penalty shot.

this pissed the opposing team off to the point that one of them blew up. he came storming towards you, with a clear intention to try and reverse your decision through intimidation. you attempted to ignore the player and walk away, but that only made him rush towards you and stop you in your tracks.

"the fuck do you mean penalty?? that clearly wasn't a foul, it was an accident. do you even know how to ref?" he exclaims, hands waving about, trying to prove his point. you turn to him and give him a glare; a warning that if he continues, he will be punished for doing so.

that didn't stop him. seeing that you had no intention of budging, he was riled up even more.

"you're full of shit. you're so shitty, how could you call that a penalty?" he lifts his arms up, pushing your shoulder slightly. you don't budge, and he attempts to push you again, but with more force this time. before he's able to you, someone stands in front of you.

you see gojo's '1' on his shirt right in front of you, drenched in sweat, looking down at the opposing player.

"don't threaten her. deal with your team's stupid mistakes, idiot," he says, with a hand slightly pointing backwards as if to protect you from the guy that was harassing you previously. "the fuck you still here for? get your team ready, 'cause i'll boot the ball right into your ugly ass face."

the guy scoffs and walks back to his team, who console him and begin to think of a way to defend this penalty kick. gojo turns around, and he towers over you once again.

"thank you," you say, tucking a strand of loose hair behind your ears. with a slight chuckle, you then state, "although if you do purposely kick the ball into his face, i just might have to give you a yellow card."

he also laughs, and wipes his face with his shirt, revealing his torso that show the years of training he went to just to get this physique. even you found yourself staring for a while too long.

"phew, i thought you'd give me a red card instead, miss!" he jokes and you laugh in response. he pats you on the back as acknowledgement and also returns back to his team.

the penalty was smooth. gojo was in the right headspace, and was the one selected to take the penalty. the goal-keeper had no chance, and he swiftly darted the ball at the top right corner of the goal, after first faking out, causing the goal-keeper to dive too early and miss the ball.

everyone erupted in cheers, and gojo and geto could be seen celebrating by sliding across the stadium arm-in-arm whilst shoko was giving them a weird but happy stare.

other than that, the game went smoothly afterwards. no more cards were handed out, and you only had to award fouls every now and then, as well as break up fights between players by threatening them with yellow cards.

the tokyo-jujutsu team won 2-0, and the players began to walk off the pitch, meaning you had to as well, just after checking that all of your decisions were reasonable with the camera team first. you began to cringe at your own performance at times, where you looked like a awe-struck kid in the middle of the pitch.

fans were also leaving, and with one last breath, you turned around and headed inside to your changing room to change back into your regular clothes.

on the way out, you bumped into the tokyo-jujutsu team, who were chatting loudly with each other about their victory and how they were about to celebrate. you catch shoko's attention and she gestures for you to catch up to them, and so you do.

"ah, it's miss referee! nice job out there, girl!" she puts her arm around you and smiles. "you know, you're the first ever referee i've seen gojo stand up for."

you were thrown off by that. what did you do that was worth any more praise than anyone else? you only did the best job of judgement as you could, which anyone should've done in the same position. anyways, you didn't think about it too much and laughed it off.

"we were going out to get drinks to celebrate, wanna join?" she says, and the team wholeheartedly agrees, including gojo, and so you couldn't refuse. they all cheer and start thinking about what drinks they'll get and make bets on who will last the longest.

"but i thought you guys couldn't drink, especially during game season?" you ask.

"eh, i'm sure yaga won't mind. this is the first match where he hasn't had to reprimand satoru for arguing with the ref," geto says, slightly hitting gojo in the head, who looks off into the distance with a pout. "so i think this is within reason to celebrate. thanks to you, uh.."

"y/n," you smile at them brightly. "thanks, but i really didn't do much, i only judged like i normally would. all referees shouldn't be biased or let outside opinions affect their verdicts. it's just common sense, y'know?"

everyone agrees and you walk along with shoko, while gojo goes back to arguing and shitting about with geto.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

the bar is always a lively place to be, especially with friends. everyone is drinking, calling rounds and doing drunken acts of stupidity. you laugh while panda, their goal-keeper, attempts to break dance but results in what looks like a drunken leprechaun trying to do ballet.

"cheers!" you all shout in unison, downing as much of your beer as possible in one go. you never really drank, as you never had the time to go out, and you also didn't want to do anything while drunk that would jeopardize your career image for the rest of your life. because of this, you found it hard to down your drinks and you were pretty sure you didn't have a good alcohol tolerance.

this was probably your third round of shots, and you could feel your face heating up as well as feeling more outgoing than before. the team celebrated when the drinks were brought around, and everyone was counting down to take the shot.

gojo then sighed and took your shot glass from you, downing both his and yours. you looked at him with a sour look, and said, "what the hell? i was about to drink that!"

"this is only your third drink, and your head is on fire. your face is also turning red, you obviously can't handle any more." he scoffed and poked a finger at your head. he then turns to the rest of the group. "i'll take her shots from now."

"i can take more!!" you drunkenly exclaim, trying to grab the empty shot glass from him. he sighs and moves it even further pushing your head down so that you would stop shuffling in your seat.

after a little while of back and forth between the two of you, you eventually give in because you were simply too tired to argue back. you found yourself extremely tired and ready to fall asleep, except you were so far from home and you were in no state to drive as of current.

some-when, you closed your eyes for just a moment to rest them, and the rest of the night was just pitch black from then on.

; thanks for reading! i'm sorry this felt really slow moving. i wasn't sure how to convey the story in a way that felt smooth but put in moments that contribute to the gojo x reader part. please let me know if you think that a lot of the story is irrelevant information, i really would like to improve as this goes on! i will try and do better for the next chapter.

; thank you for all the support on the masterlist! also, let me know if you would like a separate post on soccer/football rules, just to clarify any terminology/rules that you might not understand.

[empty-vessel-of-a-person]

My General Thoughts of Sylus Introduction.

* It's A Big Surprise but all in all, it's a good surprise because we get another hot guy.

* Appearance wise, Sylus is a very hot guy.. He truly is. But, unlike when I First see Zayne and Caleb, I don't feel any spark for him... I think I'm wired differently.

* I cannot judge his personality yet, but I am kinda worried about my sanity.

* I'm excited to interact with Sylus. The adrenaline of dating the villain feels so daring.

* We know that at some point , Rafayel and Xavier will have direct interaction with him because they are both at the Nest during chapter 8. But how about Zayne? Will we have to fight against Sylus on the upcoming chapters as well? There's too many questions on my mind now and that's what keeps me excited to play the game everyday...

* Lastly, there is a post on Twitter that had me worried. I have never played an otome game before so it really kinda bothers me. Some theorized that one of the original 3 boys might disappear when Sylus enters.. Is this possible? Do games really do that? Please give my mind peace...

What are your thoughts about Sylus? Will you break up with your current man for him? Someone on Twitter says she will.

[bloody-bee-tea]

June of (minimal) Doom 2024 Day 21 - Let's play a game

Satoru swears under his breath. The curse they are currently up against was supposed to be a second grade at best, but it’s a special grade and it fucking talks.

He thinks if he doesn’t kill Yaga when they get back then Suguru most definitely will, going by the absolute fury in his eyes.

“We have to end this, Satoru,” Suguru pants out when Satoru comes to a stop next to him.

The curse is leading them on, Satoru can tell, and the longer they allow that to happen the more dangerous it gets. They are being tired out while the curse is still as strong as it has been and if they keep doing this it only will end badly for them.

“And we will,” Satoru nods, new determination burning in his chest.

They were supposed to go on a date today before this mission interrupted their perfectly planned day and Satoru can’t say that he’s too pleased about that. He hates it when date time gets interrupted.

“Alright then, better get to it,” Suguru decides with a smirk at Satoru and just like that his competitive streak is on.

They should have done this sooner, Satoru thinks, as they intercept the curse at every point because like this it’s almost laughably easy.

Satoru and Suguru really do bring out the best in each other.

The curse seems to notice that something has changed too because its attempts go get to them get more desperate by the minute but for all that it talks and talks and talks, it doesn’t know where to hit at all.

Satoru knows that they have this in the bag with his next attack because by then the curse will be so weakened that Suguru can easily turn it into one of his orbs and that thought is enough to make him that bit faster, to make his aim with red that much more precise.

“Fine,” the curse wheezes out once half of its body is blown off. “Let’s play a game then,” he whispers, leaning towards Satoru so Suguru can’t hear and then Satoru watches how it almost goes willingly when Suguru reaches out to transform it.

Something must be wrong, Satoru thinks but his reaction comes a second too late.

“Wait!” he cries out, just as Suguru swallows the curse down and Satoru is met with wide eyes.

“What? Why? Is something wrong?” he asks and Satoru shrugs.

It’s not as if they can do anything now, because Suguru already absorbed the curse and whatever its game was is either foiled by that fact or will play out and if Satoru mentions what it said to Suguru then he’ll only worry.

And Satoru really doesn’t want that because now that they are done they can finally get back to their date plans.

“Everything is fine, I guess,” he says after a moment and even though Suguru narrows his eyes at him, he eventually shrugs it off when Satoru doesn’t say anything else.

“Can we get back now?” Satoru asks with a sigh, knowing damn well that their take-out has long gone cold back in their dorm rooms but looking forward to spending time with Suguru nonetheless.

“Yeah, sure, that way I can get rid of you faster,” Suguru says, almost absentmindedly and Satoru freezes as soon as he processes the words.

Suguru doesn’t seem to fair much better, going by the surprised look on his face and he belatedly clams a hand over his mouth.

“What?” Satoru asks, his voice faint because he doesn’t understand what’s going on.

“I said, it’s a good idea because that way I can get rid of you faster. You think I enjoy spending all my goddamn time with you? Don’t be ridiculous, Satoru,” Suguru says, and his voice isn’t even mean.

It makes it that much harder to understand what he says but once the words really hit Satoru it almost feels as if a stone is dropping in his stomach.

“Is this—the curse?” Satoru dares to ask, even though it wouldn’t make a difference.

Chances are it’s some kind of technique that forces Suguru to say what he really thinks and in all honesty, Satoru shouldn’t be surprised.

He knew that this was coming eventually. He just thought he’d have more time.

“Okay,” Satoru says with a shaky smile when Suguru nods with huge eyes. “We have to get you to Shoko, so she can check you out.”

“Satoru,” Suguru says but cuts himself off before more words can spill out and Satoru avoids his eyes.

He always knew that Suguru is just too nice to say what’s really on his mind, but he can’t deny that it hurts.

“You’re so annoying,” Suguru says through clenched teeth and the look on his face speaks of pure desperation. “You might be the strongest but what does that even matter when your personality fucking sucks?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Satoru forces himself to says, scratching the back of his head. “It’s hard to get the whole package, huh?”

Maybe if he just plays this off, if he pretends that this doesn’t hurt as much as it does, then he can get through this.

There’s no way they will get through this because Satoru is pretty sure that after today there won’t be a them to speak of anymore but maybe if Satoru pushes all of his feelings away right now, he won’t come out completely shattered at the end.

Here’s to hoping, he bitterly thinks and forces himself to look away when he spots tears in Suguru’s eyes.

Of course Suguru never wanted him to know that; he truly is too good for his own sake and Satoru probably should have never confessed to him in the first place. He thought Suguru has always been pretty good at saying no to him so he dared to risk it, secure in the knowledge that Suguru wouldn’t just go along with it because of who he is, but of course he had to be wrong in that regard, too.

“Satoru, will you please just go?” Suguru presses out, clearly using every ounce of willpower he has to not say whatever truth wants to spill out next and Satoru nods.

“I’ll—teleport back, inform Shoko of what’s happening, so you won’t have to explain anything to her,” Satoru offers and it sees as if his talking is setting Suguru off again, because despite the way he still clenches his mouth shut, words spill out.

“It’s so laughable that you think I could really love you. You’re so goddamn annoying. I’m glad for every second we don’t have to spend together. And the way you can’t keep your mouth shut! It makes me want to punch you so bad.”

“Great,” Satoru mutters, fighting the stinging of his eyes. “Maybe we can ask Yaga for more solo missions once this is over,” he suggests and valiantly pretends that his heart isn’t currently crumbling in his chest.

He thinks he has trouble breathing but in all honesty he is too numb to really notice anything right now.

“I’ll—go then,” he weakly says, and teleports out of there before Suguru can word vomit again.

Shoko startles badly when Satoru lands in her room but he doesn’t care.

All he wants right now is to hide himself away and never come back out because losing Suguru like this feels as if his chest is caving in and he’d really like to have a breakdown about this in peace.

“What the fuck!”

“Suguru is on his way back. The last curse he consumed did something to him, a truth spell or something along those lines,” he tells her and even to his own ears his voice sounds horribly flat.

“What? That’s so rare, and Geto doesn’t shy away to say the truth anyway, so how would you know?”

“Oh, believe me, there’s plenty he doesn’t normally say,” Satoru whispers and can’t help the few tears that spill over.

It seems it catches Shoko completely off guard because her look is absolutely horrified.

“What the hell happened?”

“He was just—very vocal about his feelings for me,” Satoru says, even as he walks towards the door. “I—you can tell him I won’t come to class for a few days, that the message is received. I’ll talk to Yaga too, about the solo missions, so he doesn’t have to worry about that. I won’t—tell him I get it. I won’t bother him again.”

“That is so fucking wrong, I don’t even know where to start,” Shoko whispers and Satoru gives her a court nod.

“Thanks for taking care of him.”

He slips out of her room, not looking back, not looking around to see if Suguru is already close and once he’s in his room, he simply—stops.

His head is a mess and his heart is in shambles and it feels an awful lot as if his spirit is broken and for a moment Satoru can do nothing but force himself to breathe. His thoughts are screaming at him in rage, his heart is screaming at him in pain and the contradicting feelings make him feel sick to his stomach.

If he has to throw up now, he’ll cry his eyes out, he just knows it, so he swallows everything back and then sits down on the bed.

Satoru feels almost brittle, as if too much movement could break him apart into a thousand pieces at any moment, but sitting at the edge of his bed is good. He can do that.

He can do that until he has to pick himself back up again and go out there, and maybe he’ll piece himself back together wrong but who cares, right?

As long as he functions, as long as he can still be useful, can still be the strongest it doesn’t matter one bit.

Satoru doesn’t know how long he spends like that on his bed but by the time the door to his room flies open it’s already dark out and Satoru feels stiff like a statue. He barely manages to get his eyes to focus and it doesn’t help at all when he realises that it’s Suguru who is standing in his room, chest heaving with how fast he must have run here.

“I—this is my room,” Satoru says, voice completely devoid of inflection. “You can’t tell me to get lost from here.”

“I love you,” Suguru blurts out and crosses the room in three huge strides. “Fuck, Satoru, I love you and I am so, so sorry, I didn’t know,” he almost cries out and Satoru is too surprised to do anything.

He didn’t think Suguru would go back to lying to him.

“It’s okay,” Satoru forces himself to say. “You don’t have to do this. I get it. It’s fine. You can—I’m not mad, or anything.”

“But you should be, gods, you should be, Satoru. Shoko said you think this is some kind of technique that makes me say the truth, so you should really definitely be fucking furious with me if you think I would lie to you like that.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he whispers, because nothing matters anymore and he wheezes when Suguru hugs him even tighter.

“It wasn’t a truth thing,” he finally says and it’s a good thing Satoru is already mostly motionless because that would have made him freeze again.

“Yes, it was.”

“No. It made me say what you were most afraid of hearing,” Suguru says and Satoru wonders why he’s doing this.

He already cut all ties between them, what reason could he possibly have to lie now?

“I know you don’t believe me, but now that the effect has worn off, I can use the curse to do the same to other people,” Suguru whispers and hides his face in Satoru’s neck. “So—I want to use it on you, so you understand that nothing what I said is what I truly feel.”

“Suguru—” he cuts himself off because with what was said, he doesn’t think he has the right to call him that, so Satoru tries again. “Geto.” The name sounds stiff and wrong in his mouth and Satoru almost feels bad for the way it makes Suguru flinch. “It’s okay. We’ll just—not. Not anything, you know. Not talk, not see each other, it’s fine.”

“It’s fucking not!” Suguru suddenly yells out, his voice wet with tears. “You don’t get a say in this. I’m sorry, Satoru, but I’m using that technique on you.”

He pulls away, a determined look on his face and before Satoru can say something else he feels Suguru’s cursed energy spike before it settles over him.

And just like that he can’t keep his mouth shut anymore, words being torn from his throat.

“You’re such a boring, righteous person. You think anyone wants to be around you with that judging look and your flat personality? Grow a character. And you think you have any right to stand besides me? You’re nothing compared to me and I don’t need you. I don’t even want you around because you’re just holding me back. You’re just like everyone else and it’s really laughable for you to think that you will ever be anything but average.”

Satoru’s hand flies to his mouth, but it’s too late already, the words are already out there and just like that, Suguru’s cursed energy fizzles out into nothing.

Suguru works his jaw a few times, before a determined look settles over his face.

“There,” he almost spits out. “Was that the truth you said just now?” he demands to know and even though he tries to look stern, Satoru spots the minute shaking of his voice.

“No,” Satoru immediately cries out. “It felt as if the words were pulled out of me, but I have no idea where they came from.”

“It’s what I’m afraid of hearing from you,” Suguru admits and even though it’s clearly not easy for him, he meets Satoru’s eyes.

“And what I said is what you’re afraid of hearing from me. There’s no truth to these words. The curse is just preying on our insecurities.”

Satoru opens the mouth to argue with him about that, because surely there must be some truth to what Suguru had said to him but he remembers how it felt, to have that cursed technique on him and he realises that Suguru is right.

There was no truth in any of the words Satoru just said; those words weren’t even things he has ever thought before, not once in the time he has known Suguru, and if that is true for him, then the same must be true for Suguru, right?

“I don’t think any of those things,” Satoru says, because he feels as if he should and Suguru gives him a shaky smile.

“And I don’t think any of the things I said to you before either. I love you, Satoru, personality and non-stop running mouth and all. I really do. I never want to be parted from you.”

“You’re not average,” Satoru immediately gives back because the thought that Suguru could really think that about himself is unbelievable to him. “You’re incredible and wonderful and you’re not holding me back and everyone loves you and finds you approachable because you are a wonderful human!”

“Okay,” Suguru says, his eyes a bit watery.

“I’m so sorry I believed you would say these things to me,” Satoru cries out because what if he damaged the trust between them now by easily believing what Suguru said?

“Please tell me we’re not about to develop another issue between us,” Suguru sighs out. “I can’t take anymore, this was already taxing enough.”

“But—”

“Satoru, the technique is specifically designed for me to say what you fear to hear the most from me. Of course you’d believe it, because it’s what you already believe deep down. The same goes for me. I would have believed you in a heartbeat if you said any of that because I am so afraid that it’s true. It doesn’t have anything to do with trust. I know you trust me. I know you love me. And I feel the same.”

Satoru takes a moment to digest that and figures Suguru is probably right. He has to be, because Satoru thinks he can’t take it if he isn’t.

He already lost Suguru once today—however fabricated and forced that was—and he doesn’t think he can do it again. Not today and not ever.

“I am really, really tired,” Satoru says and leans forward, falling into Suguru’s arms.

“I am, too,” he agrees. “Date night is kind of ruined, but is a cuddle session still on the table?” he asks and immediately Satoru’s hands shoot out to grab Suguru’s shirt.

“You’re not leaving my sight today,” he decides and Suguru nods.

“Then lets get to bed, alright?”

Satoru easily slides under the cover, not daring to let go of Suguru in fear of him running out on him, but Suguru is right behind him and soon enough they are curled up together.

“We’ll have to talk about this again,” Suguru mutters into the space between them. “I don’t like how you think any of what I said could be real. I hate that you think it could be true.”

Satoru really doesn’t want to hear that right now, but he gets where Suguru is coming from because knowing that Suguru thinks so lowly of himself, hurts him in ways he wasn’t prepared for.

“Same,” he gives back which makes Suguru smile. “But not today.”

“Hell no,” Suguru immediately agrees and pulls Satoru closer. “Today we only do this.”

Satoru snuggles into Suguru, scooting as close as he can and he sighs when he is finally able to hear Suguru’s heartbeat.

Today was horrible and under no circumstances does he ever want to do it again, but he has to admit that the end is kind of okay.

Suguru is back in his arms and they will just have to work harder on believing that the other is exactly where he wants to be. But they will do that together, too.

[diiwata]

thg/tbosas ocs on wattpad

I don't think I ever showed you guys my ocs on wattpad... lmao! aka, my main writing platform. find me @ disk4rte!

I wanna write shorter stuff and aus on ao3, hence the creation of diiwata <3

they're character x oc fics... SUE ME. these are ocs I made for tbosas and one for thg! their moodboards are not cohesive b/c they're different fics (with the exception of 2 ocs)!

CAN'T REMEMBER TO FORGET YOU -> finnick odair

nerissa hong: victor from district 4 (66th games). l/i: finnick odair (current), davy kumar (prev). fc: kim yongji.

probably my most devastating tbh... after a terrible earthquake (known as the big one) devastates district four, they haven't had careers OR a victor in a hot minute (with the exception of finnick). after her best friend gets reaped, nerissa bravely volunteers... but the boy she's loved quietly -- davy kumar -- gets reaped alongside her, and no one volunteers for him. she ends up killing him (without meaning to) after a devastating confession on the last day of the games. the capitol has a way of warping her story, making her out to be a capitol sympathizer. in the end, the entire district grows a hatred for her because of this, and because she killed their "favored victor". she learns to put on a performance to keep her loved ones safe, and finnick acts along with her.

this fic plays around with propaganda as it explores district four unlearning what the capitol taught them, but also forming such a hatred for the capitol that they turn on a teenage girl (aka her). this is so where I got the idea of an asian d4! while this fic is a finnick/oc fic, it mostly focuses on nerissa's navigation of victor-hood. I'm especially proud of the worldbuilding I did here since it's inspired by my cultural experiences as an asian-american.

about nerissa:

her name means "sea nymph". she also shares a name with a shakespeare side character from "merchant of venice" who tricks her lover and taunts him about it. it mirrors her reputation with her home district.

her left foot was amputated as a result of her final battle with her district partner.

was a middle child (until snow made an example out of her father and brother after she tried to defend herself on live television). and she has a younger sister, coralie. her mother died during the big one.

she's in the merchant class and was a dancer that performed for d4 festivals. her father owned a repair shop, where she and her older brother worked.

her "talent" is cooking. every hunger games, she's forced to do a cooking segment with claudius templesmith.

she's two-ish years older than finnick odair (technically 14 months), and he was her mentor. she gets bitter about this fact sometimes because... what does a freshman know about winning a death match?!?

"O CHILDREN" -> reaper and treech (2 protags)

chassis harbin: exporter and boxer from district 6. l/i: reaper. fc: courtney eaton.

her biological mother was a rebel, but was killed after finding out the betrayer in the district 6 rebellion group. now, she lives in neglect as her father builds a family of his own with a woman she'd never consider her stepmother. she only worked as an exporter that sent goods to the eastern districts of panem, but after a physical (and bloody) altercation in an alleyway, the peacekeepers who capture her give her two options: get thrown in prison and executed, or join an illegal boxing ring for their entertainment... you can guess which one she chose. her job as an exporter led her to find the secret love of her life: a tame, shy delivery boy named reaper ash. the boxing ring is more sinister than they make it out to be, which is something that she finds out after her name gets called in the 10th hunger games.

she is one of the two protagonists of the fic!!! she and cariad are best friends that keep in touch via letters and phone calls. she's on the poorer side while cariad had always been better off than her. I call the poorer side of d6 "farren heights", while the wealthy neighborhood is "peregrine court"!

about chassis:

her name is a part of a car/train. it's essentially the metal framework of the car/train.

she has half siblings, twin boys named coupler and cams. they're named after train parts. although they're not entirely blood related to her, chassis thinks of them as her own sons sometimes.

she became an exporter at the age of 13, which was also the age she met reaper. love at first sight things.

chassis is friends with two exporters: ginnee, who's her neighbor and co-worker, and trek, an oc that's the son of their boss.

cariad landas: capitol transplant from district 6. l/i: treech. fc: melizza jimenez.

cariad moves to the capitol after her mother stole the plans of a new type of fuel from her own district rebellion group, and sold them to the capitol. when found out by chassis' mother, mrs. landas kills her. she goes to the capitol academy, but instead of being outspoken like her sejanus, she becomes a ditzy airhead sort of character that she named "caroline winters". with this persona, she is able to make it into their inner circle and learn all sorts of secrets. but because of this, cariad doesn't feel that she forms very authentic or personal relationships and flits between friend groups (and significant others) to feel fulfilled. going on vacation in d7 is quite fulfilling, especially when she meets a worker named treech.

the other protagonist!! in this fic, I try to explore class differences as well as privileges that not only chassis lacks, but also cariad in the capitol. I also couldn't decide if I wanted to write for reaper or treech, so I made it both.

about cariad:

her name means "love" in welsh (allegedly), but I also like that it includes the word "car".

cariad absolutely loves photography. she is gifted one upon her arrival to the capitol by her father.

although she moves around friend groups, cariad's main friends are clemmie, lyssie, persephone, sejanus, and dennis. they're all in different friend groups, though.

she's a year older than treech. they meet because she paid him to help her escape her mother. cutesy!

MÁGOA

asclepius gaul: academy student and nephew of volumnia gaul. l/i: clemensia dovecote. fc: han hyunmin.

asclepius is orphaned by the war after his parents, according to his auntie vee, were assassinated by rebels. he's lived with her ever since, but he also spent time with the family on his mother's side (he prefers their company). his aunt is terrible, and he considered his avox, avelot, to be more of a mother. asclepius was dating clemensia dovecote, but after he himself had an encounter with dr. gaul's snakes, his change of demeanor showed clemmie a violent version of him that scared her into breaking up with him. with his aunt growing desperate, the 10th hunger games brings about the concept of mentors and the idea of spectacle. while he enjoys seeing his aunt scramble around to revive her games, asclepius doesn't enjoy the fact that his ex had suddenly missed out on the action.

this is a second chance romance that's centered around acceptance and learning how to let people into your heart. asclepius is a child prodigy trying to find out the cure to his snake scales, and with clemmie sick b/c of the same reasons, it motivates him to find his cure faster.

about asclepius:

asclepius is the greek god of medicine and is often portrayed with a serpent coiled around his staff. people call him "clee" for short!

because he didn't die from the earlier prototypes of the rainbow snakes, gaul used his blood to formulate the antidote that saved clemmie from dying.

before the venom, he was geeky, timid, and accepted the ab*se from his aunt. after, he became bolder, and feared his aunt less.

he and clemmie remain civil in front of their classmates, but their friends always seem to catch on that they miss each other.

[haveyouplayedthisttrpg]

Have you played BRANCH RIDERS ?

By Bodhana Group

Eight distinct realms branching out from your new home, the Nexus; separated and kept from one another to contain a malevolent force known as the Blight. Bent on sowing chaos and disorder, the only thing that stands between the people of the realms and the power of the Blight is you, the Branch Riders! Armed with your training, your passion and special gifts you bring from your home realm, you must pursue your mission carefully as the realms do not know of each other, the Blight, or the existence of Branch Riders. Protecting them becomes a game of battle and subterfuge, foiling the Blight and then returning to the Nexus to debrief and recover.

Branch Riders is an easy to play narrative driven role playing game built on the concepts of action, investigation, and creative play. Your missions take you to one of eight distinct realms, each based on a different genre. You venture forth from your new home, the Nexus, a respite between worlds.

You may be called to rescue a failed Branch Rider team, start a rebellion, or simply help a fledgling superhero find their place in the world. Players track the team’s Exposure - how aware the Blight is of their presence - and as Exposure increases, the mission becomes more difficult and dangerous. You utilize amazing gifts you bring from your home-realm, but their power risks Exposure - the energy they radiate from another realm is a beacon to your enemy.

Branch Riders originally was born from our work as a non-profit as well as our love of tabletop games. The Bodhana Group utilizes tabletop games for education, capacity building and therapy. A large facet of our work is providing training for practitioners, educators and parents on how to best use games in this way. During these training sessions we are asked how we come up with settings that match well to therapy. Some counselors and therapists found creating settings to be a challenge when running tabletop RPG. We envisioned a game that could provide a way to match settings and in-game situations with therapeutic concepts. Branch Riders was designed for fun but built for therapists, educators, and parents who, if they wished, could use the system to help players work on important goals. Telling good stories is at the heart of Branch Riders. Using it for therapy is just one more benefit it provides.

Currently on Kickstarter