#just a quick warm up bunch of em memes

[thekenobee]

Let’s fast forward to 300 Aubreyad memes later

[crimsonandcloverwrites]

bhah ch7 can’t stop won’t stop

lmao Dani being like ‘we should wait to discuss kids til after we’re married’ yes doesn’t seem like a giant thing u should make sure u agree on before u make a major commitment at all

Dani is so in love with Jamie sdjkhdfkjg driving to her house on instinct and just like...gazing at her in her old t-shirt and sweats like you’ve finally seen the light girl just kiss her already

god I can’t believe I have 2 more chapters of them as adults just being the absolute perfect match for each other to get through before they finally kiss in ch 11 (i’m maninfesting it no one say anything) I am literally going to scream. Dani will like... feel a little off and it’s all “i need to go to Jamie’s house and also tell Jamie everything and she will make me tea and let me be myself without all the expectations and I will feel better” I AM VERY HAPPY SHE CAN BE THAT FOR YOU BUT ALSO CAN YOU SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE MS CLAYTON (actually I think she kind of does but she must extract herself from her real life first I guess)

oh no the new chapter is almost here I still have so much to read

forget ‘there was only one bed’ this is now a ‘there was only one tent’ stan blog only

thirsty Dani truly is the funniest I am so sorry ur suffering is so entertaining. Dani: literally whacks her finger with a mallet bc horny for Jamie. Me: uncontrollable chortling

the idea of Dani wrangling 8 year olds that are probably just about as tall as her is too funny. tiny legend

aww the lil background Hannah and Owen moments. cute

Dani in a big ol’ straw hat pls that’s so cute

this Jackie and Jamie situation..... GIVE US THE DEETS

hmmmmnnnnnngggg Jamie just straight down on her knees in front of Dani to tie her shoe lace I will absolutely let u have this gay panic Dani u don’t deserve to be made fun of right now

Jamie “I have a story” absolutely NOT

Viola, emerging from the lake in this no ghosts childhood friends story: surprise bitch

these two drunk idiots are literally teenagers dsjkhdfkgjh just get in ur tent

Dani, drunk in a tiny tent w the love of her life: hope this doesn’t awaken anything in me

when we finally get a Jamie on her knees redemption moment-

Dani, drunk in a tiny tent w the love of her life currently taking her clothing off: oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck (y’all really wanted to torture her this chapt huh?)

“dawn was a saffron colored suggestion peeking through a pinhole gap in the tent’s zipper” god that’s a pretty sentence can i pls borrow some talent

Jamie and Dani w kids is sooooo cute they have such a nice balance between them

just thinking about if teenage Jamie desperately in love w her bestie could see things now Dani being all into her w all her lingering looks etc how the fuckin turn tables

“Dani kept a firm grip on her sanity” lol

oh my god they’re both drenched in the tent w the soft lamplight and only their own bodyheat to keep warm whatever will they do

oh wait they also have the heat of their burning attraction to each other they’ll be toasty as anything

hhhhngggg abs

that’s like 4 mentions of Jamie on her knees aklhfdkjgkdjh enough

lads is it gay to imagine running ur fingertips over the scar on your friends back before pressing ur lips to it or...?

Jamie taking the time to teach Dani car things aww

lol not the smutty book

eddie honking at her gets so under my skin like my dude... my guy... stop

Dani thinking so hard about rain damp Jamie and how much she wanted to jump her while she’s in the car w her boyf and MIL. girl

imagine if we had to sit through a dani and eddie wedding before she finally managed to call this off how cursed

ayoooo Carson’s show I cannot wait. omg we get it this chapter too gbless this really is the Dani suffering hours

Jamie just so casually like.... not even flirting w Dani it’s all just kinda observations but every other thing she says makes Dani stop breathing skdhfdkfjh this is so good

Dani has like... a lack of object permanence but with Jamie feelings ok

pleeease the Dani Carson road trip that’s so cute I can just imagine what fun they would have had

uuughhh i wanna go to a sweaty bar n listen to loud music again

also would like a Jamie to press their hand to my lower back n make me lose my mind in a sweaty bar to loud music

this lil jamie dani carson trio is my faaaave

“Girls must be all over you.” and Jamie choking on her drink dsfkjsdhkf oh Dani u beautiful naive angel. god that’s so funny

Robin instantly going for Jamie... same bro

Carson’s lil found family band pls my heart is so full

Carson calling them his sisters n Jamie freezing up bby when are u going to accept these people care abt u and love u like family

Robin is so brazenly just like ‘ur hot’. a voice of the people i love her

Dani being lowkey jealous as IF Ms Taylor has eyes for anyone else babe

Carson knoooowwwwws. When do we get the Carson O’Mara biopic please I want his takes on everything I know they’re excellent

oh my god Jamie knowing Dani’s fave kind of pizza pls I love that so much (I can’t remember if it’s been mentioned in the past few chapters but I remember her being mad that Eddie didn’t in CH1? i love this lil detail) (also I literally just ate vegge pizza I feel so immersed in this experience)

dfkgjhdfkjgh Jamie licking her finger and Dani completely combusting this is so entertaining

fuck n then it gets all soft and about how they’ve been in love their whole lives this is emotional whiplash

Jamie constantly in protector mode but in this really quiet comforting way is so sweet I love her so much

god I just feel so bad for Dani that this kind of insane electricity she has with Jamie has probably never been a thing in her relationship w Ed bby u deserve someone that makes u feel like this

awww Carsons bf

Dani’s soul leaving her body when she sees them kissing oh no

Jamie giving Dani her jacket pleeease I am dying here... the romance of it all

and shariing cigarettes and intense looks these two really are somethin else

lmao even Robin is picking up on their vibes you two could level a building with the amount of tension between u

Dani’s moment of Realisation abt Carson n Jamie just being like... well yeah

lmao Dani subtly trying to figure out if Jamie is gettin’ it sdkgdfhkjgh

when these do two finally get together both of them are gonna be like... taken out by all of this. Dani has only ever known Eddie who just does not get her (and the fact that she is a lesbian so she’s never had real feelings for him in that way) and it seems like Jamie has only ever had surface level relationships with people who never really got her either (while also being in love w her best friend who she never thought would love her back). there’s no way this is wont eventually make at least one person cry a bunch (probably me) with how right all of it is

god Dani is so horny for Jamie sdflkdfjgkfdj preemptive RIP for Ms Taylor when Dani finally does get to live out all these daydreams on her I just know someones gonna end up pulling somethin

Does Dani like.... get that she will never love Edmund that way like is she fully aware of the fact she loves him but she’s not in love with him and all these feelings for Jamie aren’t just because it’s Jamie but because she’s not straight??? have we gone on that journey yet

aw Ed waited up for her

the book the book the book

dsfkdhfgkj oh Dani

“Jamie on her knees, looking up at her” listen-

girl u are so fucked

SIX. SIX MENTIONS OF JAMIE ON HER KNEES pls

THE DREAM

who could this possibly be about hmmmm Dani

christ

THE MEASURES SHE TAKES TO DEAL WITH THE DREAM lordt

“baffled but excited” i think is how I almost always picture eddie lol

dang get it girl take control

aw dani u poor confused little duck. i just wanna give her a hug

Dani dressed as Dorothy is awfuly cute

heh Jamie as a wolf i love her fursona

lmao toto

of course Jamie is well aquainted with the bleachers. cheeky. oh no not the art room. Dani dying inside and then imagining herself there with Jamie girl has got it baaaad u poor lil repressed gayby

Dani is... so thirsty... goddamn

lmao Jamie blatantly checking her out are u trying to kill her she already wants to rip ur clothes off

“To the third floor art room?” dfksdhfgkjdfhgjdhf imagine if this was it they just banged it out in the art room right now n got things sorted

god they go from horny to soft so quick i love the ways they care about each other

Jamie saying the scarecrow costume is fitting for Eddie PLEASE

ooh the infamous hickey

What Dani deseves: snuggles. What Dani recieves: struggles

the MEMES. god bless the memes

this was an excellent companion for my Wednesday hopefully I can churn through the rest of em before we are blessed w ch11 amen

[faangirl101]

All you need, Prologue

Avengers x reader, Tony stark x reader

Summary: It was not meant to happen, but it did. There i was, on the steps of the stark tower, in the pouring rain. I dont know why Tony let me in, maybe it was the tears down my cheeks or maybe the wet clothes clinging on my body. Thats when i met the avengers, a bunch of train wrecks huddled up in seperated rooms with crippling deppresion and anixety. I think they saved me, but they think i saved them. Maybe they were to long gone for my fixing or maybe all it needed was new baked cookies and a movie marathon.

Warnings: Mention of almost abuse

                                                   MASTERLIST

                                                 {Prologue}

I pounded on the door, my heart racing like crazy. My breath was stuck in my throat, blocking all access of air. I was glad it was pouring heavenly behind me so the tears running down my cheeks were as good as invisible. I felt the urge to give up, to turn my heel and leave, but i stayed. I needed shelter, i needed somewhere safe. Just when i was about to start running in the rain a click made the door open slowly. The inside looked expensive, like the rest of the house. White and modern. The otherside of the heavy grey door was empty, leaving me in a state of confusion. Who opened the door? I had to get inside either way, i was freezing my ass out here. I slipped inside, letting the door hit my backside as it closed. I bent over, resting my hands on top of my knees. “Who are you”, i whipped my head up just to be met by silence. “I”, i opened my mouth, trying to push down the lump “my name is y/n”. It took a few moments until it clicked, it wasn't a real person but just robot. You know, like alexa or siri. i let out the breath, hugging the jacket closer to my shivering body. “Your body gives off extremely high stress levels and your heartbeat is dangerously high”, the voice almost sounded british in a way “you're in shock”. I nodded, not sure at where i was supposed to nod. That's when the door in the end of the corridore opened and a older man stepped out. I recognized him, but it was hard to put a name on the handsome face behind my blurry eyes.

A perfectly trimmed beard covered his chin and his dark hair was a mess on top of his head as if he just woke up from a nap. He was dressed in a loose pair of grey sweatshirts and a vintage iron maiden shirt.

“Hey, hey”, he had a calming voice as he moved closer to me. I backed away in instinct, my back hitting the door behind me. “Mr stark, her heartbeat is raising”, the robotic voice stated. The man kept eye contact with me as he answered the robot “yes, Jarvis, i understood that. Is she cold?”. Jarvis hummed, and you figured he was scanning your body. “Yes, i'm afraid she might catch a cold if she doesn't warm up immediately”. The man nodded for himself as he moved slower to me with careful legs as i he was nearing a  dangerous predator. “My name is Tony, are you alright?”, he asked, his chestnut eyes scanning your tears striped rosy cheeks. You dried your nose, trying to calm your shaking hands “I'm sorry to… just barge in”. He smiled sweetly “Its okay, you looked like you needed some help.”. I nodded, stepping closer even if my whole body was begging me not to. “I recognize you”, i looked down my wet sneakers “you're the smart rich guy, stark”. Tony chuckled and rubbed the backside of his neck “Yeah, the one and only”. I met his eyes, trying not to break down in tears at the soft look he was giving me. “Stark means strong in german”, i muttered and now i was just a arm length from him. His hand slowly made its way to my upper arm to give it a soft squeeze “well i'm not that strong”. I snorted in disbelief and he chuckled. “Come”, he gave me a soft smile “lets get you warm”.

I sipped on the apple cinnamon tea Tony had given me, enjoying how it  warmed the depths of my stomach. The blanket on my weak bruised shoulders didn't feel so heavy anymore but rather….. nice. I looked down at the clean and dry shirt Tony had given me, a shirt with the text “are you my appendix? because i have a gut feeling i should take you out”.

I chuckled for myself, taking another big gulp. I moved some of my wet hair behind my ears and looked up as i heard steps getting closer. I looked up expecting to see Tony return… but he wasn't alone. Behind him, quick in his steps were a group of people i knew i had seen before. On television, youtube, the newspaper and always as a relevant topic in all conversation.  The avengers.

“Are you alright?”, captain america, aka steve fucking rogers, asked me with a sweet careful tone. This guy was a legend, a national hero. I remembered getting taught about his great success for america in the second world war.He wasn't wearing his normal suit but some tight jeans and a black t-shirt. He had some beard growing along his chin iv never seen on pictures but it suited him. “Ay ay, captain”, i said quietly, scared my voice might crack. Steves whole face lit up like a christmas tree and i saw him try to hide the smug smile. “are ya ready kids”, i heard someone mumble quietly behind the crowd of people. I leaned to the side to see a boy around my age with wavy curls and an iron man shirt looking down his fluffy socks. He was adorable, and there was just something about him that made me want to wrap blankets around him and braid his hair. “Ay ay captain”, i repeated, too well familiar  with the meme, which in any case seemed to please the boy. He wasn't as good as steve to hide the smile.

Tony sat down next to me while the rest of the people stood almost awkwardly next to the couch. I recognized most of them. Black widow, Thor, Clint and bruce banner. He was a legend as well, they were all legend. And me? i was just another boring mortal. It was odd seeing them without their normal chose of clothes but just instead saturday night type of clothes.

“What happened?”, Tony laid an arm around the back rest of the couch, his fingers centimeters from my shoulder. I took a shuddered breath, trying to push down the sudden anxiety threatening in my chest. “Um”, i look down at the patterns of tea in the bottom of the mug “i was walking home and i got jumped. They had a gun and…… and they tried to take off my shirt so i just, just kicked them in the nuts and ran to the closer building”. The room feel quite, uncomfortable quiet. i was to scared to look up from my mug. of course they would think i was weak, here i was almost sobbing from a failed robbery while all of them have been through so much more traumatic shit daily. A hand on my shoulder made me flinch back to reality. I raised my head, ignoring how my entire body would rather just fall asleep. All of the faces that met my was dipped in true empati and some anger. Black widow was the first one to break the silence with a whistle “kick em in the nuts? attam girl”.

I couldn't help but to smile. Black widow was talking to me, i was freaking out. “I will kill these foolish men for daring to touch ms pretty human girl”, Thor raised his hammer in the air, some bolts shooting lightly from it similar to spark. Steve grasped around Thor's thick arm “No one is killing any one”. he then turned to me “Trust me, i know how it is getting jumped in alleys, but yours must have been more traumatic. You can crash on my bed”. I blushed, admiring his honest kindness. Tony snorted “i know you wanna be a gentleman and all that, captain spandex, but i'm literally a millionaire. I own like 15 guestrooms. You can crash for as long as you like y/n”. I smiled at him before looking down my pale hands “i don't wanna be in the way for the mightiest heros of earth”. i heard some snickers, and tried to hide the smile. “Please”, Bruce smiled nervously behind his glasses “we would need some normal company around here”.

And that's how i started living at the stark tower.

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[fedine]

Answer all of them

Under a cut! This is a long one!!

1: Do they drink coffee?

I don’t think so; though I do think he enjoys the occasional Starbucks drink.

2: Are they left or right handed?

Right handed!

3: How do they do their hair? Facial hair? (If they have it)

His hair is super long! I’ve seen some pictures of him where he has it tied back, but not too many more recently. It looks messy but it is really really cute! I want to brush it or just run my fingers through it a lot. He also does grow some of his facial hair out! I like it a lot.

4: What’s their favorite animal?

Well, going off his fursona, I’m going to go with a wolf.

5: What is their relationship status?

Taken by me!

6: What is their favorite band/singer?

A weird thing about our relationship is that we don’t really talk about or share music too much, but we know we have similar music tastes! I also know he likes Death Grips.

7: Are they more a cat or dog person?

Dog person!

8: What does their laugh sound like?

Ohh, gosh! I love his laugh so much! He also has several of them, ranging from: “This is a horrible picture and I’m showing it to you now,” “This is a horrible picture and I’m NOT going to show it to you,” and my personal favorite is his really really loud laugh he does when some meme he sees gets really weird/bad or we keep adding onto it ourselves.

9: Do they know multiple languages? Which ones?

He used to take French, so he knows a little bit, but he isn’t fluent. 

10: How old are they? How old are you?

He is just a year younger than me. 13 months, to be exact!

11: One word that describes them.

I can’t possibly choose one word, but honestly my favorite one to describe him as is “warm” because I see it in his eyes in pictures he sends and when we video chat. He makes me feel like I’m at home with him, even if we’re so far apart.

12: Do they have any pets?

A German shepherd mix named Winston! I hear him a lot in the background of our calls.

13: What is their favorite TV show?

He really liked Bojack Horseman! He binged it around the time we got together. We also like watching shows together that we never finish… Though, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was one we did finish, and we both loved it! He also really likes Dragonball Z, and Bleach!

14: What is their favorite movie?

Oh, that’s a hard one because he REALLY likes movies and film theory and stuff, but I’m pretty sure it’s a Marvel movie. He also told me one time that he likes Studio Ghibli movies a lot, but he talks about Marvel movies a lot more.

15: What car do they drive?

He does not drive.

16: What ethnicity and/or nationality are they? 

He’s Australian! 

17: Where did you meet them?

I met him online, after he joined my guild in World of Warcraft. I had been a member for a year already, and I believe I had just gotten back from an extended break from Horde side. He was very new to the game, and also very shy at first, but he joined up with us because he wanted to try role play, as well as raiding. He was at a large, server-wide event that I went to as well, but it took him a while to get into the Discord voice chat. He’s very shy! Once he got in though, we hit it off really well! Soon we had begun to spend nearly every waking moment together. Also, we haven’t stopped doing that. It’s been about a year since we started that. 

18: What was your first meeting like?

Would you believe me if I said it was almost an argument? I’d been healing a long time, and he loved to tank, so we each thought our own roles were the most important in a raid/dungeon environment. “A tank keeps the mobs off the healer, so they aren’t overwhelmed;” “A tank won’t last long without a healer.” Well, now we know that both of the roles are much weaker on their own, and they are only really at their peak when they have the other with them. Still, that has not stopped him from saving the raid in huge manners as he’s the last tank alive and the boss is at 1% HP. Of course, I’ve saved the raid too, just in much more subtle manners!

19:  What is their zodiac sign? Are your signs compatible?

I’m a Virgo and he’s a Libra. So, yes, I do believe that they are!

20: What month is their birthday?

October! That was already my favorite month of the year before I even met him!

21: What is your favorite outfit on them?

Whatever he’s most comfortable in! 

22: Are they good texters?

He’s very good! He’s a quick typer, and messages me “Good morning!” if I don’t get to it first every day! He types with the correct capitalization, too, which I find very cute for some reason, but that may be just because it’s him.

23: Your favorite feature about their appearance.

Oh, hmmm… I love the way he looks, and it’s hard to choose just one thing. His eyes, maybe? I did already go over that, as well as his hair… You know what, I’m going to keep talking about his eyes. They’re two beautiful shades of blue, and every time he sends me a picture of him I can see how much he loves me in them, and sometimes I have to make an effort to not be overwhelmed by it. In a good way!

24: Your favorite thing about their personality.

He’s a big sweetheart, and a huge goofball! He knows how to make me laugh and feel better whenever I’m not in a good mood.

25: Do they make you laugh?

Every single day! 

26: Do you make them laugh?

Yes, I do! We have very similar senses of humor. Sometimes it’s awful. I love it all the time, though!

27: Are they good huggers/ kissers?

Even though we’re long distance, yes. He is, and I know he is. 

28: What is your favorite “flaw” that they have?

He’s a degenerate. It’s really funny though. I love how chaotic he is.

29: Are they nice to strangers?

He is VERY shy, but yes, he is! He’s extremely sweet and kind.

30: What is the funniest thing they have ever said?

Honestly, he’s just the funniest person ever and makes me crack up every single day. Sometimes he just randomly says whatever comes to his mind. Today I really liked his joke about that redesign for the new Incredibles movie. Something about weed. We’ve been making a lot of weed jokes today.

31: Saddest?

Also from today: he didn’t know what a buffalo was. He thought they were different from bison. I was eating buffalo jerky from 5 years ago and he thought it was a brand of jerky. He also thought they were extinct.

32: Weirdest?

Literally any vore joke he has ever made. 

33: Cutest?

Gosh, just trying to pick one thing is so difficult... But when he tells me he loves me and how he can’t wait to see me? When he tells me about dreams he has with me in them? It makes my heart melt.

34: Ever dreamt about them? What happened in the dream?

Recently I posted about a dream I had about him and I just kissing each other. Nothing super exciting sounding, but gosh, I want to experience it so bad.

35: How tall are they? How tall are you?

I am... 5′4″... He is... 6′5″... 

36: Do they have a booty?

I do not know. He has only sent me selfies of just his face or completely front facing. I can only assume. Doesn’t matter though! 

37: What are their hobbies?

Video games. He really likes World of Warcraft (of course!), Fallout: New Vegas, Grand Theft Auto V, Elder Scrolls Online, Overwatch, Quake Champions, and Pokemon!

38: What are their talents?

He’s has amazing reflexes, honestly. He uses them for gaming, and because of it, he’s amazingly good at just about any game he plays. 

39: What would your dream date be with them?

A physical one, where we are next to each other.

40: Does anyone know about your crush/love?

I make it a point to make sure everyone knows.

41: What do you guys have in common?

Pretty much everything, really. From sense of humor, taste in music, and favorite video games for the most part. We also share the same sexual orientation, and we have yet to disagree on politics.

42: Do they go to the gym?

No, but he exercises just about every day! If he doesn’t do a whole bunch of jumping jacks his legs start to get sore.

43: Do they go by their given name?

Yes and no. Since we’re in a World of Warcraft guild, we both go by screen names, so no one there calls him his real name but me. Same thing with just about everything online, though. Other than that though, he does.

44: What is their favorite color?

He really loves orange! Orange and white is one of his favorite color schemes. It makes me think of orange creamsicles!

45: How far apart do you live from them?

About 572 miles-- roughly an eight and a half hour drive. 

46: What song reminds you of them?

Boats and Birds by Gregory and the Hawk

47: Do they listen to a lot of music?

I think so, but I think he listens to more random YouTube videos than anything.

48: What do they smell like?

He gave me his jacket for Valentine’s Day, and when I first got it I just held it up to my face and smelled it for a good while because it was the first time I got to experience what he smelled like. I can’t really describe his scent, because I’m not good with words in that way, but I just know that it’s my favorite scent in the whole world.

49: If they were in a book (protagonist or antagonist or supporting character, up to you) how would the writer describe them?

If it were up to me, I would describe him as accurately as possible. Still, I only really know his personality the best, so that’s what I would describe the most. I think he would be a protagonist, as well. He’s my protagonist, anyway.

50: How often do you see them?

We talk every day-- I’m talking to him right now! But as for actually seeing him, I look at every picture he has sent me of himself every night. There’s about... 22 of them that I have, including a video, but there’s one I missed of him in Australia in a “had to do it to em” pose. I’m still sad I lost that one. 

51: The last text/ message they sent you?

It was a Sorlag skin from Quake Champions. As for a text message from Discord, it was a “Call me!”

52: The last thing they said to you in person?

:(

53: What is the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you in front of them?

I once said “Heal, boy!” to him while we were leveling in WoW together because his health was low and he wasn’t paying attention, but it came off as “Heel, boy!” like he was a dog... The more embarrassing bit though about it was that one or two of our friends were there as well.

54: Do they have any tattoos or piercings?

To my knowledge, no, but I seriously doubt it.

55: What color are their eyes?

Blue gray! 

56: What is their clothing style?

Comfortable: jeans and graphic T-shirts! That I plan to steal...

57: What is one thing that makes them really special?

Literally everything about him. He’s the most special person to me, and I love him for every single thing. 

58: Will you tell your crush your feelings?

Alright, gonna be honest, I'm a bi wlw, and I was content to never say a damn thing about any feeling I ever felt, so I’m thankful every day that he did, because I was very ready to take my feelings to the grave and pine after him forever.

59: How long did you know them before you started falling for them?

Probably like a day or something. It didn’t take long to start liking him-- even when we were alone in the server voice chats that day I felt comfortable around him.

60: Was there a defining moment when you knew you liked them?

Sort of! I don’t remember the exact details, but I do remember messaging one of my best friends about it immediately. I was pretty vague about it to her. Something like: “Yeah, I think I’m in love with someone in the voice chat...” And she knew immediately who. I guess I was obvious, though.

[fontainebleau22]

For the Ask Meme, could you do Faraday's flashback scene in Six of Bones?

Interesting choice: thank you!

Background: this is an AU basedon China Mieville’s short story The Dowager of Bees, which is about aprofessional card-player who is inducted into the secret of the Hidden Suits,and goes on to make a terrible mistake. 

Writing this in Faraday’s pointof view was surprisingly rewarding: I don’t find him a particularly attractivecharacter, personally, but he’s in my view one of the two most clearly-definedof the Seven, with a lot of personal traits to work with. 

‘When were you inducted?’ asksRobicheaux, fingers smoothing the edge of the card delicately. 

Josh keeps his voice low.‘Four-five years back. 

On reflection, this may be toorecent; I’m not sure how old Faraday is supposed to be in 1879. 

In a bar in Colorado. I might havebeen playing dumb. Though I don’t reckon any of ‘em was what they seemed.’ It’sa scene he’s taken out and relived, over and over, but the shock, the oceanicstrangeness, never fades. 

‘Oceanic’ is my favourite wordin this whole fic. I am very proud of it. 

Josh had been playing young andgreen that night, not knowing then just how young and green he really was; as astrategy it usually worked well – he’d brag and draw attention to himself,playing eagerly and poorly through the first hour of the evening, establishinghimself as a mark, then as his opponents drank and tired he’d step up his gamelittle by little, marvelling aloud at his luck, and if it all went right he’dwaltz away at the night’s end with a hatful of coins and notes, too quick tocatch. 

I can absolutely see a youngJosh doing this. 

So when the dark bearded gentlemanin the fancy coat clapped him on the shoulder and invited him to join theirgame ‘out of the crush’, Josh took it as an opportunity. 

The Easterner ushered him to asmall back room where two other players were waiting at the table, a burly manin a fur jacket that made the sweat pour off Josh just looking at it, who gavehim a long stare, and a little shrimpy fellow, no better dressed than he washimself, looking like his ma’d be coming to take him home any minute. 

He looks like Brooklyn-era SteveRogers, that’s what I’m trying to say. 

They were a strange bunch, but Joshreckoned he was as good as any of them, so he smiled all sunny and told themhis name like he was just some dumb Irish kid. The shrimpy guy smiled back andsaid, ‘Howdy’, then he picked up the deck and did something smart with hishands, cards fluttering like birds’ wings and then snapping back, and Josh musthave been sitting with his mouth gaping for real, because the man in the furhuffed a laugh and rumbled, ‘Play, not show.’ 

I tend to introduce OCs in apretty cavalier way, making up what I need to know about them as I go along (asI’m sure is obvious), and these three are just here for the purpose of thegeneral weirdness of the story. I have a strong visual impression of them,clearly. The man in fur is called Russe, but I don’t have names for the others. 

Losing his first few hands wasn’thard, and it gave him time to size up his companions; he could tell straightaway they were all class players, and friendly enough too, the little guy in aflashy way and the Easterner keen on the sound of his own voice, though the manin the fur jacket didn’t do more than laugh at the others’ jokes. He wasputting down some clear drink from a bottle of his own, and when he saw Joshlooking he pushed the bottle over for him to try, and damn it if one gulpdidn’t have him choking and his eyes pouring; the man laughed fit to bust,though he drank it down without a flinch. 

OC was running away with me abit here. 

And after a while Josh began to get the ideathat the Eastern fellow and the shrimpy guy knew each other a mite well too,like they maybe hadn’t just fetched up at the same table by chance, and thoughthe one with the beard was better dressed and more smooth-looking, he seemed todo what the other told him. 

Likewise. I have no idea whothey really are, but you can just see the weird relationship between them. 

All things considered it wasn’t somuch of a surprise that when Josh began to warm up slow and subtle, making hisgame a little more competitive, he just kept on losing, not every hand, butmore than he won, slow and steady, even though in the end he was concentratingfiercely, never riding his luck. He might have had a trick or two of his owncould have sweetened his hand, but he was bright enough to see what a bad moveit would be to use them at this table, and he had to reckon that if he came outof the night at a loss, it would be a fair price for the lesson he’d taken. 

Then it happened. The Easternfellow was dealing, halfway through a hand; Josh was giving himself one morechance to make good on a pair of Nines. As the cards flicked out he caught aglimpse of a red back that should have been blue, and a cold chill gripped hisstomach – surely he hadn’t let slip one of his little insurances? Could he havebeen so careless? But no, the card flipped face up, and the man in fur hissedbetween his teeth as the Easterner swore. 

It was a Ten, but not a card he’dever seen, its pattern ten yellow chain links on a dark background, fourinterlinked on each side and two alone in the centre. The links were heavy,with a cunning highlight that made them seem to shine: he knew without beingtold that they were meant for gold, thick and unbreakable, the little figure 10in each corner wound around and through with a tiny golden chain. 

The Dowager of Bees has closeand loving descriptions of all the Hidden Suit cards, and I wanted mine to beequally detailed. 

Must be a joke, though a damnfool one: Josh looked at the Easterner and growled, ‘Tryin’ to make a codof us?’ 

The shrimpy guy raised hiseyebrows. ‘He don’t know.’ 

The Easterner looked pained.‘Congratulations,’ he said to Josh. 

Josh pushed his chair back, showingEthel handy at his side. ‘What’s your game? Don’t take kindly to fake cards anddumb tricks.’ 

‘Calm,’ rumbled the man in fur. ‘Nocall for that: no tricks here. This is a hidden suit. Ten of Chains.’ 

Josh looked from one to the otherof them, searching for a hint of trickery or a glimmer of humour, but saw onlyseriousness, and perhaps a hint of concern. ‘Hidden suit?’ But even as he saidit, he felt a little slipping rightness at the idea: for those who know.Those who play. ‘Tell me,’ he said, crowding back to the table again, andthe atmosphere relaxed. 

Right. This was one of the twoproblems at the heart of this story. The Dowager of Bees is a modernstory, so when a Hidden Suit comes up, the players in the story either get abook down from the shelf with rules of card games (if they’re in a professionalestablishment), or just look it up on their phones, and while the card is onthe table, the rules appear in the book or online – they disappear when thecard does. But while there were some printed compendia of card games in the1860s, obviously no saloon would have a copy, and relatively few people wouldhave been able to read complex rules. So I had to suggest a way that playerswould just intuit the rules, that they would appear in their minds as theyappear in a rulebook, for the duration of the hand. 

‘Well now … ,’ said the Easterner,and so Josh had been initiated, had become a real cardplayer, had heard for thefirst time about Bees and Chimneys and Teeth, Dowagers and Detectives, and whatmight or should happen when you found them. 

All Hidden Suits from the story;the Four of Chimneys plays a critical role in the original. I havered overwhether Detectives were appropriate as a rank for the era, and to begin withsubstituted Margraves instead, but the Pinkerton Detective agency had beenfounded by that time, and the word and concept were in common use, so I changedit back again. Elsewhere in the fic I mention Crows as a suit, and those I madeup for the purpose of the story. 

Too soon, the man in fur grewimpatient. ‘We play this hand out,’ he commanded. Josh’s gaze refocused onRobicheaux, who was watching him attentively. ‘Drew my third Nine, though itdidn’t come to matter none.’ 

‘So you paid a forfeit?’ 

Josh’s face closed and he jerkedhis chin curtly. ‘All of us, then and there.’ 

And this was the second problem:how to make the two induction stories distinct. I decided to go with actuallydescribing Goodnight’s forfeit while keeping Josh’s vague: it mirrors the inductions in TDoB in some ways, which arealso varied: one forfeit is doing a favour you don’t want to do for the winner(and we never find out what that was), while another is claiming any one objectin the room which you can name, and we see that played out. 

‘Bad?’ 

He shifted uneasily. ‘Heard ofworse.’ Many things more painful had happened to him since, and some moreshaming: it had left no visible trace, and the matter had never gone beyond thewalls of that small room, not from him nor the others. 

China Mieville, Embassytown(when Avice goes to be a metaphor for the Hosts): ‘What occurred in thatcrumbling once-dining room wasn’t by any means the worst thing I’ve eversuffered, or the most painful, or the most disgusting. It was quite bearable.It was, however, the least comprehensible event that had or has ever happenedto me.’ This was a deliberate nod to another of his stories (and not plagiarismat all. It is an intertext, an homage…) 

He’d kept an ear out after, knowingwhat to listen for even if it was told different ways, but no one had ever toldhim his own story in any form he could recognise. In time since he’d picked upenough from hints and rumours, of other hands and other penalties, tounderstand that he’d fared lightly that night. Josh Faraday always was a luckyguy. 

Yes, well, you don’t want todraw a Scissors card, do you? Or Teeth.

[gwenpaint-blog]

==> Tell Karkat

@croupiergin​

Paint

Paint>CG: Karkat! Karkat are you awake and available?

Karkat

CG>Paint: I AM, FOR THE MOST PART. WHAT'S UP.

Paint

Paint: I have a date with Deuce tomorrow! OuO

Karkat

CG>Paint: OH SHIT!!CG>Paint: WHAT'S GOING DOWN? TELL ME ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

Paint

Paint: Well you remember when I sort of publicly told him I liked him through an ask meme, right?

Karkat

CG>Paint: YES.CG>Paint: IT WAS EXTREMELY ADORABLE.

Paint

Paint: afahdhfja!!!! Paint: Well he wants to take things slow which makes sense. I actually asked him out during the candy mania while we were both in our right minds and he said he'd like to! Now that we're all recovered we're finally going to go. I'm taking him dancing but I'm rather nervous. I've never danced before but it's always looked so fun

Karkat

CG>Paint: OH, THAT DOES SOUND NICE.CG>Paint: WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

Paint

Paint: [Dance hall info] It sounds like a nice place. I was originally thinking picnic but the weather has gone winter so ehehe

Karkat

CG>Paint: OH FUCKING SWEET. I HEAR THAT PLACE IS PRETTY COOL.CG>Paint: ARE YOU .... EXCITED???? (:B

Paint

Paint: I am extremely excited! I've never done anything like this before! My chest feels all fluttery and I'm giggling like a fool ^u^

Karkat

CG>Paint: KAWAII AS FUCK. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA WEAR?

Paint

Paint: I've got this one dress but I think it might be overkill? And he's seen it in a picture already

Karkat

CG>Paint: YOU KNOW WHAT I'M HEARING?CG>Paint: SHOPPING TRIP.

Paint

Paint: On such short notice? O.O

Karkat

CG>Paint: ARE YOU KIDDING? THIS CITY THRIVES ON SHORT NOTICE.CG>Paint: BESIDES, I PREFER TO GO SHORT NOTICE ON OUTFITS ALREADY MADE RATHER THAN DRIVE KAN TO DESPAIR.

Paint

Paint: Alright! That makes sense! Should I meet you at the entrance?

Karkat

CG>Paint: YESSSSS.

Paint

Paint: Okay! I'll be there asap!> You grab your purse and hurry to the entrance!

Karkat

>You show up a minute later, grinning from ear to ear. >"Hey, ready?"

Paint

"Yes! I'm ready to go!" > You beam and give him a quick excited hug "Thank you for doing this with me!"

Karkat

>"Hell, of course I would! THis is like, absolutely a romcom situation and I must make sure it goes well without any of the traditional trip ups." >A pause. >"Also because I want you to have a good time."

Paint

> You laugh a little "I can see the similarities. I'm glad you are protecting me from the comedic trip ups." > Open the door

Karkat

>You grin and start heading right out. Of course, being Kanaya's sibling, you kow where all the hottest fashions are at. And being a kid of a mafia don.... >You end up at a middlingly swanky place. Nice enough to have good date outfits, but not nice enough that it'd be weird for you two to be shopping there.

Paint

> Your frugal side that is paranoid about money is going 'oh noooo' even at this level of niceness, but you think maybe it's a good time to splurge? "I'm tempted to get something purple... but that feels a little too obvious maybe?"

Karkat

>"Hmmmm...Maybe get a purple accessory or detail? Purple might wash you, anyhow, if it's the wrong shade." >You really do know a lot about clothes, and have worn dresses before yourself. So you're not just talking out of your ass. >"Wht kind of dresses do you like?"

Paint

> You pull out your phone and show him the green and black dress "This one sort of called to me for some reason." > You think you only have fake pearl earring jewelry-wise

Karkat

>"Hm...That's pretty good for a date, but I think it might be too form fitting for dancing. Do you want to try one of the green and black ones with wider skirts? And how short?" >You're really getting into this.

Paint

"It doesn't have to be black and green. I like all colors" > You smile. The brighter the better usually. > You are drawn to the sales wrack automatically and you start flipping through the options"Maybe something blue?"

Karkat

>"Blue does look nice on you. Hmm..." >You sift through the dresses where she's looking, before pulling out a nice blue dress. It's a gentle blue, with petal sleeves and a slightly more modest skirt than some of the latest fashions. YOu're not sure Paint's into the short skirt looks. >"How about this?"

Paint

"Never hurts to try! It looks cute too" > You say. Wow you've never had a friend to shop with before and this is... AMAZING!

Karkat

>"Yes, yes it does." >You also pick out a deep purple wrap, with little shiny silver detailing. She might get cold after all!!

Paint

> You grab a number of things to try on because this is actually very fun talking about the merits of each and trying to decide with his help. > you head to the changing room and step out in each for him to see

Karkat

>You consider each one with a careful eye, and not just the ones you picked out. You really want Paint to go stunning!! >"I think you look best in pastels, but some of the ones with dark details don't look too bad either."

Paint

"Maybe one of the one's that's more of a mix? The contrast is pretty fun!"

Karkat

"Probably. Let's look outside the deals, maybe?"

Paint

> Blink... "Outside?.... You mean... off the sales wrack?"

Karkat

"Well, yeah! I mean they have a bunch of stuff here..."

Paint

> You're never gone off the sales wrack before. You stand there for a moment trying to process the concept of getting a thing that isn't art supplies not on sale

Karkat

"I mean, I brought along my wallet too, so it's not like you'll have to do it alone." You give her a quiet smile.

Paint

"It's not the money... I can afford it really... I'm just so used to prioritizing..." > you look embarrassed.

Karkat

"Aw, jeeze, that's fine! Listen, I totally understand. But it's good to splurge now and again, right? And what better time than a first date?" >Poor paint. You've never really been wanting personally, but you can still understand it.

Paint

> you give your cheeks a firm pat to shake yourself from the funk you had started to feel and nod with a bright smile "Certainly no time like the present! To the rest of the store!"

Karkat

>You grin and sure enough, the store has a lot more options. Some of the styles push the forced stylings of the 20s a little, but juuuust barely. >Indeed you find a dress that has little dew drops of dark ebony on creamy ivory, and matching gloves as a set.

Paint

> You find so many things you like. You're sweating. There's so many pretty dressed oh no

Karkat

>You attempt to help >"Okay. Give me the top three."

Paint

> SWEAT "T-top six?"

Karkat

>"Top Six is fine i SUPPOSE"

Paint

> You give him the top six which is hard to do cause you keep waffling

Karkat

>You fondly tease her but to be quite frank you're also eyeing some of those so it's not like you have anything to say. >Then you narrow it down sliiightly to four and gently shove them into her arms. >"Let's see what you like best, right?"

Paint

> you nod and vanish into the dressing room to change. > You step out in each but one makes you beam a little more than the others

Karkat

>You totally notice, but wait for her to finish. >"Hmmm, I dunno.....Can I see that one again?" You totally point to her excitement one.

Paint

"Alright!" > You more than gladly try it on again and twirl a little as you come into his view "I think it's got a lot of life, don't you?"

Karkat

>"It does! It also really suits you." >You nod, looking happy.

Paint

> You flush with a smile "You sure it's not over the top for a first date?..." > You've never done this before and you worry a lot

Karkat

"I don't think there is such a thing, honestly. Does it make you feel happy and confident?"

Paint

> You think about it ernestly and nod "Yeah, it really does..." > You feel really pretty and also like you can do things you usually wouldn't dare

Karkat

"Then it's perfect! Oh!" You clap your hands a bit. "Do you have comfortable shoes to dance in?"

Paint

"I believe so. They're rather neutral in tone so they should go with the dress alright"> Happy giddy butterfly feelings

Karkat

"Perfect!" >You pause "Permission to hug?"

Paint

> You nod a lot "Of course!"

Karkat

>You hug her so tifhtly!!!! You're so happy for her! It does your heart good to see romance blossoming.

Paint

> You hug back happily, squealing in delight in your head. You're not going to worry about the price tag this one time.

Karkat

>You grin at her, but before you suggest heading to the register you pause. "Do you want to get any jewelry to go with it? I know the prices here aren't outrageous and the stuff is nice if not necessarily real"

Paint

"I've got some faux pearl earrings at home" > You try to reassure. Baby steps with the whole treating yourself business.

Karkat

"Oh, cool! You wanna borrow a necklace or anything? I've got a couple thatd go good with the dress. "

Paint

"I can barrow things?" > A new concept. You'd heard of it but have never had anyone offer.

Karkat

"Of course! Were friends and my siblings borrow my shit all the time and they don't even ask." >You shrug. "Plus I know you'll give em back"

Paint

> You smile feeling all the warm fuzzys. "Alright, if you're sure. Thank you Karkat... You're a really good friend..."

Karkat

"Of course! I can't let such a good friend go along unsupported!" >You grin at her and then gesture. "Ready to check out?"

Paint

> You're not going to cry. "Yes, I believe so" > You smile, a little teary eyed

Karkat

>You head to the checkout, chatting her ear off about the date and excitment!

Paint

> You chatter but in equal excitement. For once you're anxiety can't reach you. > As you think of this exciting thing you've never done before, you remember another > You look to Karkat "May I ask something unrelated to the date?"

Karkat

>You raise an eyebrow "Sure? What's up?"

Paint

"I've been thinking about getting a tattoo for sometime. I had a consultation with Mr Doze but haven't been able to go back due to October and needing to have someone with me. Mr Droog went with me before but I don't want to bother him through the whole process"

Karkat

"Oh! Cool!!" >A brief pause "....I'm going to guuuuuess you want me to come?"

Paint

"If you want to!!! It's alright if you don't."

Karkat

"Well, I'm not great with blood buuuut" >You smile "Doze.was nice.to me.at the carnival, and I don't want to leave you to it alone. So if be up for it. "

Paint

"I don't believe there will be too much blood, but it's enough if you're there even if you need to look away" > You understand how blood can be unpleasant and uncomfortable for some

Karkat

"Good point. And hey, maybe ill think of a cool tat for myself!"

Paint

"Yes! Mr Doze is very good at his art from all I've seen"

November 26, 2018

Karkat

"Oh yeah. He did a.henna for me but uh... Well, you know what happened right after. " >You shrug, looking a bit sheepish. Everything is rung up and paid for, and you are relieved. Shopping can be nice but really? Honestly? You wanna chat. "What are.you.thinking of getting?"

Paint

> you gently pat his shoulder when he mentions the festival incident. "I was thinking of a water color style flower. Most likely on my hip."

Karkat

"That'll look really nice, yeah. Plus it won't be hard to keep it safe while it heals!"

Paint

"Mhm! I don't think I'm bold enough for something that would always be visible. And it's sort of a nice thing mostly just for me"

Karkat

"Sounds like a plan. Are you gonna draw it up yourself, or have Doze do it?" >You step outside and look pleased. All in all, this is a good night so far.

Paint

"I'm letting him lead the design though I've shown him my own work. He was actually interested in buying some so I've decided to start taking commissions" > You look up at the snow falling so slowly and gently from the sky "I never used to like winter.... but... it's prettier this year somehow..."

Karkat

"Oh yeah? Betcha it's cause you can hang out with all us cool folk now." >You laugh ,a little. "Hey, I could commission you! "

Paint

"I think you're right." > You smile "I'd be happy to paint something for you as a friend Karkat, no money required!"

Karkat

"Hey, don't try that on me! You're cool and my friend and I want to pay you the money you deserve for being a talent!"

Paint

"But I want to make you a gift!"

Karkat

"Then you can!! But I want something for someone else, too!" >You grin at her

Paint

> You see what he's doing and laugh "Alright, alright. I concede. Shall we head home?"

Karkat

"Yeah. We gotta get there and drink so much cocoa because I am freezing my ass off."

Paint

"That sounds absolutely wonderful!"

Karkat

>You grin, give her a quick side hug, and then head off for home ... fuck yeah.... it'll be warm as hell.