#she also got me this puzzle thing that keeps puzzles protected while working on them

[theamazingannie]

Asked my mom for a big thick fuzzy blanket for Christmas and she bought me this humongous California king size blanket and it is the greatest thing I’ve ever owned

[klaprisun]

One Sunny Day

(Stardew Valley) (Haley x Female Farmer)

Chapter 8

When I got home last night, I absolutely crashed when my head hit the pillow. It was quite a night and I needed a good sleep to recover. 

Rolling out of bed, I make my way into the bathroom to shower. Before hopping in, I take a good look at my eye in the mirror. It is swollen as all hell and vibrant purple. I can kind of open it today, but it is so swollen that I can’t fully keep it open. The cloth of the makeshift ice pack rests on the ledge of the sink next to me. 

“Guess I gotta return that today,” I say to myself.

After my shower, I scurry outside in my towel to grab my signature overalls. They should be dry by now since they have been sitting there all morning. 

When I open the door, I am met with pouring rain. My overalls are lying on the porch where I had left them, drenched. Arguably more than they were after I washed them.

I take a deep sigh and just leave them where they are. They can’t get any wetter than they already are.

I throw on a flannel, unbuttoned, over a white tank top and the distressed jeans from last night. I go back into the bathroom and grab the cloth that is on the side of the sink.

“It’s too early to bring this straight to Gus, so I’ll bring it to Emily instead so she can bring it to work when her shift starts,” I decide.

I embark on my trip into town not bothering to grab anything to cover me from the rain. When I walk past my mailbox, I notice I have a letter.

Hi.

Me sell hats. Okay, poke?

Come to old old old haus, poke. Bring coines.

-hat mouse

“What in the world?” I question while reading the letter.

I look at the few coins I have in my pocket. I shrug and decide to go find this ‘hat mouse’. I’ll have to ask Marnie for assistance though so I book it over to her farm.

“Hi Danny. You look like you're soaked...you poor thing!” Marnie greets me as I walk into her house.

“It’s really coming down out there. Is it always this heavy of rain?”

“Yup. It’s usually all or nothing. Don’t be alarmed when you hear thunder soon, too! They were calling for heavy thunderstorms. Be careful out there!”

“I’m going into town today so I shouldn’t be outside long. I need to find Emily to give something back. However, I was also wondering if you know anything about this?” I showed her the letter I received this morning.

“Ahhh the Hat Mouse! He lives over that way from here,” she points behind me, “ Just keep walking farther south and you’ll come across an abandoned house. He should be poking around down there. Such a cute little fella. Emily lives in a beige house beside a blue house. 2 Willow Lane.”

“Awesome, thank you for the directions. Plus I am in need of a new hat,” I chuckle, “I’ll see you around, Marnie.”

I glance around to look for the easiest path to the Hat Mouse. I have to push through lots of ferns, shrubs and greenery. The trees somewhat protect me from the rain, but giant drops manage to drip onto me from the leaves.

An old rickety house appears in my line of sight. I speed up with trampling through the greens and approach a window at the front that has a ‘Hats’ banner next to it and a logo of a top hat on the other side. 

“Hello..?” I tremble with uncertainty.

Hat Mouse pops his head up in the window, “Hi. Me sell hats. Here.” He sets out a couple of options of hats onto the ledge of the window before I can even get another word in. 

A classic, brown cowboy hat catches my eye. 

“I’ll have this one please,” pointing to the cowboy hat.

“Have one donate to museum?” Hat Mouse questions.

“What do you mean?”

“Did one bring things to museum? Everything?” 

“Um… no… but I have all this?” I dump my handful of coins onto the ledge beside the hat. Hat Mouse’s eyes widened.

“Fine. Take hat anyway. Bye now,” he swipes all the coins into the house, shuts the window, and closes up shop.

I dust off the hat with a puzzled expression on my face, and place the hat atop my head.

“Now to figure out my way back.” I mumble to myself shaking off the weird encounter.

I started cutting back through the leaves, trees, and bushes and was able to find Marnie’s farm. I follow a pathway to the right of Marnie’s farm and behind a little cottage. 

That must be Leah’s cottage. I say in my head.

I keep walking until I pass a big, blue house and come across the cute beige one right beside it. I double check the sign out front for the address.

2 Willow Lane

“This must be it!” I say as I walk up and knock on the door.

“Come in!” A cheery voice calls out.

I gently open the door and peer around inside. My clothes are soaking wet from the rain so I try to ring them out before stepping in. Nobody seems to be in the main living room area where the door front door is. 

“Hello?” I call out, stepping farther into the house.

I hear a gasp come from what I assume is the kitchen, so I hurry my way over.

Haley is standing there, in an oversized t-shirt and lacey panties. She is standing there like a deer in headlights. Her eyes are trained on me, giving me a frightened look, but she appears to be holding something behind her back.

“I- I thought you were Alex.” she trembles.

“Ah nope. Not Alex. Sorry,” I say while scratching the back of my neck and averting my gaze to anything else but her.

She pulls out the item she had behind her back and it appears to be a jar. She starts trying hard to open it and failing miserably.

“Are you strong?” She asks after a few attempts.

“I mean…” I gave her a little flex of my bicep, kind of trying to show off. The rain had made my flannel cling tight to my body. Her cheeks go pink as she seems entranced by the gesture.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she hands over the jar to me. Without even a struggle, I pop it open and hand it back to her. 

“I’d say you’re stronger than you look… but who am I kidding. Thank you.” she continued with whatever dish she was making before I arrived. “Is there something you need?”

“I was looking for Emily. I wanted to give her the cloth to bring back to Gus since he isn’t open yet.”

“She isn’t here this week. She went to visit her friend, Sandy or something.” She swings the knife she is holding in the air like a magic wand as she speaks.

“I guess I’ll have to bring it tonight then. Thanks.”

As I head to the door to leave, lightning flashes through the window, and thunder rattles the house soon after. Haley looks up from what she is doing to look over at me, then she looks back down at her food.

“Just stay.” she demands in an aggressive tone.

“Yes ma’am,” I tip my new hat down at her. She must’ve been looking from the corner of her eye because I see her smirk.

She puts down her food, walks into a room, and comes back with a fluffy yellow towel. Haley tosses it over to me unexpectedly and I end up catching with one hand. I start wiping myself down with it to dry off the best I can.

“Impressive,” she mumbles, “I see your eye is still pretty bad,” she says a little louder.

“I mean it has only been a day,” I reply back.

“Do you want some more ice for it? I have some if you need. I still feel really bad. I was just riled up and had some pent up emotions. Took it out on that poor pool ball… and your face I guess.” She gives me an apologetic laugh.

“It’s alright, it’ll go away soon enough. No need for any ice.”

“Oddly enough, I think it looks good on you.”

“What did you say?”

“I said it looks good on you.”

“Wow so you like seeing me in pain is that it?” I tease her.

“Oh my Yoba, no! That’s not what I meant! Just never mind,” she waves her hand in my direction as if telling me to stop talking. “Are you hungry?”

“I could go for some food, sure.” I walk closer to her in the kitchen and kind of linger behind her. I hear her breath hitch as I lean over her shoulder to see what she made to eat. “Can I have one of whatever that is?” I mutter near her ear. Her arms are covered in goose bumps.

“Ye-yeah of course you can. It’ll just take a minute. Do you mind opening that jar again?”

I pop the jar open for her once again and take a seat at the table in her kitchen. The two of us go silent for a minute.

“So… was Alex supposed to be coming over? Were you waiting for him?” I finally break the silence.

“No. He is just the only person who usually shows up at the door. I didn’t expect it to be anyone else.” She turns around and carries the two plates of food to the table. After setting them down, she grabs out two glasses and fills them with orange juice.

“Oh, I’m allergic…” I joke. However, she doesn’t catch my joking tone and panics.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” She runs the cups of orange juice far away from me and just starts frantically spinning in circles, trying to think of where to put the cups.

“I’m just messing with you Haley” I finally tell her.

“How dare you do that to me! You had me panicking. I didn’t want to hurt you twice in a row!” She shouts at me.

“Sorry. I couldn’t help it,” I chuckle. She brings the two glasses of orange juice back over to the table but hesitates before setting them down.

“You’re sure?” She quizzes me.

“Positive,” I tap the table to where she is about to put the drink, alerting her it’s okay to set it down.

We sit across from one another and eat in silence, casually looking up at each other here and there. 

I end up finishing first so I stand up, take my dishes to the sink, roll up my sleeves, and start washing them.

“You better not be washing those dishes,” Haley calls from the table. I walk over and take her dirty dishes from her to wash as well.

“And if I tell you I am, what are you going to do about it?” I tease as I continue to wash them.

Haley suddenly appears next to me at the sink. I flinched a bit because I didn’t even hear her walk over. I developed a grand idea to flick some of the water off my hands at her.

Haley gasps in disgrace, “You did not just do that?!”

I bend down to get in her face, “And what if I told you I did, what are you going to do about it?” I repeat. Our faces are only inches apart at this point, eyes locked onto one another's

An unreadable emotion spreads across her face. Her expression has softened and her eyes look into mine as if she wants something. I see her gaze flick down to my lips and right back up into my eyes.  I only catch that expression for a second because she snaps back into reality and backs up.

“I think you should go now,” she immediately closes up and shuts me out. 

“But I-” I start.

“No! Go NOW!” She cries.

Feeling like a scolded puppy, I hurry over to the door and walk out without another word. I shut the door behind me and stood there on her doorstep for a minute to process what had happened.

To make matters worse, Vincent, and who I assume is his mom that I haven’t met yet, are walking past. Vincent starts waving at me excitedly, his mom just gives me an empathetic side eye.

Embarrassed over the whole situation, I give them an awkward smile, and give Vincent a small wave.

I step away from the door and start heading home. I look back at the house one last time and see a silhouette watching from the front window. It quickly disappeared when I turned back to look, leaving the curtains dancing around from the swift disappearance.

[sunny6677]

HERES OPPOSITE TOM!

( OPPOSITE AU IS CREATED BY @jacenotjason )

Tom, in this AU, has very little energy and usually has no time for fooling around. She lacks motivation, and is usually bored half the time. However, she tends to daydream a lot and often daydreams of becoming a female knight for some reason because she has the unhealthy mindset of 'I don't need anyone because I'm strong and if I need anyone to help me or protect me at all then I'm weak', and liked to imagine herself as a knight because that's what she thinks she should be like. Her dynamic with Kevin is kind of reversed here too lol. He thinks they're friends at first, while Tom is just someone who always comes in to finish her work in his store since it's usually quiet enough to do that—she isn't a full on asshole to him but does find him annoying, and just calls him 'Fish Man' for a while instead of his actual name. Her job here is also something to do with art, though she's very vague about it and usually avoids mentioning her job around people. She is I incredibly poor, her favorite food is garlic bread, and she likes to solve puzzles rather than making them. She's also very intelligent in this AU, kind of witty, and is also a bit sassy. But despite acting like she takes no nonsense, she is a real softie deep down. And she's also still a babysitter here, but is usually very fed up with the more energetic kids and struggles to keep up with them. She hides most genuine things about herself as well because she finds it embarrassing or feels like no one would care anyway.

Buque (her caregiver) wasn't neglectful of her and didn't verbally mistreat her, and did mean well—but would sometimes do things she shouldn't have or snap at Tom just because she couldn't control her stress. And no matter how much Buque tries to act like this was just a mistake, this is still effecting Tom and it always will. And also the reason why Tom is so intent on being strong is because Opposite Jeremy was the very same way, so she subconsciously thinks she must be that way in order to be worth something.

Her flaws with Kevin and hers relationship here is that she usually is very intent on not depending on anyone for anything, so she pretty much avoids help from him at all costs and pretty much anyone—she always tries to help him out even if whatever happened probably isn't her responsibility to fix. Tom also doesn't repress her emotions here and IS honest about how she feels, but she feels very embarrassed anytime someone dares ask about it or tries to comfort her. She also tends to avoid Kevin in general at first just because she finds him slightly annoying, but also doesn't wanna be a bother or come off as clingy due to a certain incident in the past making her afraid to actually be clingy with other people.

I'm unsure of what Kevin's flaws would be since I didn't create this version of him (his canon versions flaws or at least his flaws toward Tom in her actual canon au are being a bit of a jerk to her at first because of his stress, kinds dismissing her emotions at first due to being too wrapped up in his own problems to notice her own and also just being so used to her being dramatic that he usually thinks her being upset is just her being a drama queen again, etc etc). But I'm sure he'd have his own too since no relationship is perfect. /lh

Will defintely make sketches of her and Opposite Kevin at some point—just not tonight cuz I'm tired lol./lh

(Also rather than being possesed, she just owns a Haunted object—aka, the rather ancient/suspicious looking journal she got from a garage sale one time)

[im-out-of-it]

“Why do you keep mentioning Thomas to me?” Alastair said.

well let’s see. BECAUSE YOU ARE SO FUCKING IN LOVE WITH THOMAS THAT EVERYONE CAN SEE IT ALASTAIR. EVERYONE CAN FEEL THE TENSION HEAT AND YOUR ADORATION AND ADMIRATION FOR THIS MAN ALASTAIR

1. you followed him while a killer was running on the loose and then made sure he wouldn’t be found guilty when someone was murdered. would anyone casually do that????

2. you hurt Thomas when he found out about the words you repeated in academy and then tried many times to make amends. sure a friend would do that and no matter how hard you try to hide your emotions, we know you care!!!!!!

I’m so amazed and amused by this man because it’s so fucking obvious he cares about Thomas and when someone finds out he cares more than a friend, he’s like “how the fucking hell did you put that together?” It’s not Tetris or some 72927199182882 piece impossible puzzle that no one would be sane enough to put together. it’s very obvious. my man is really out here thinking nobody would know lmao

honestly this is CC’s fault because yes she can create great characters but when it comes to executing storylines or character growth (besides the characters she hates), she doesn’t know what she’s fucking doing.

CC: what is worldbuilding???? how do I advance these characters I like and not keep them toxic? how do I give good representation? how do I keep the gays from stealing the spotlight? (come on y’all know she thinks this) how do I put the downworlders, POC, LGBTQ+ characters in the backlight and act as though they don’t exist? how do I keep the golden tiger eyed toxic problematic white boys from not being the main story? I don’t know and I don’t care. I will show no growth, no worldbuilding, allllllllll the incest, abuse, writing shitty storylines, and keep the same tropes. IT WILL BE WONDERFUL. (sorry I went off a bit lmao)

if we actually got more of Alastair’s pov, we could see his thought process and all the bloody awful things he goes through. and I really think it’s overlooked because some people (a lot of it Matthew. I love him but he does tend to act as though Alastair never changed and he’s the same person) still see him as this bully who doesn’t change. but he hasn’t really been rude or terrible since the first book? he doesn’t trust matthew or James. Matthew loves the bottle more than anyone and he doesn’t want his sister to date someone who is almost turning into his father.

he did so much to hide that from Cordelia. to protect her childhood and sanity. he thinks James love grace and doesn’t want his sister to be heartbroken. so generally, Alastair isn’t being “rude or vindictive”. he worries for Cordelia because he knows Cordelia deserves more. all the vile stuff Matthew remembers from Alastair, it’s mainly “flashbacks” or memories of academy. also let’s not act as if you’re not instigating a lot of it Matthew. I love ya but be real already. he’s more mad that he bought the potion. that’s why he drinks. but it’s like he’s taking it out on Alastair? so for all the flashbacks or memories from academy and not really witnessing Alastair be heinous, so therefore, it doesn’t work and doesn’t really make sense

[darklight-owl]

Owl Reviews Stuff She Just Finished: Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright

So yk I didn't know what to expect going into this game, I'd seen really funny dialogue of it and mostly got it because I was extremely hyperfixated on Layton. But I did NOT expect such an emotional rollercoaster of a game with themes that tie into both Professor Layton and Ace Attorney and utilizes the strengths of each series so efficiently. I did not expect this game to make me cry. I did not expect this game to become one of my favorite Professor Layton AND Ace Attorney titles. But it did so I have to talk about it.

With two successful IPs on the cover this game could have easily been halfassed but every corner of it is full of passion for both titles. I mentioned before how they build off and complement each other and I think that's a result of the people working on this game having an in-depth knowledge of what makes PL and AA work and what their shortcomings are.

For example (I mentioned this in the liveblogs but may as well repeat myself here) Ace Attorney games are often limited to just the courtroom and investigation, not to mention you're not going to see 90% of the characters ever again after the case is done. This is serviceable for the kind of game AA is but it makes the world itself feel a bit uninteresting. However Professor Layton games have you confined to one town and make you explore it in depth, with recurring background characters who all have different (yet basic) personalities. Because of this, the Layton segments where you walk around town become crucial parts of the game where you can interact with future or past witnesses as they go about their lives, making these witch trials feel like they're taking part within an actual community, which make the emotional beats in the trials hit REALLY hard.

In turn, AA strengthens PL by adding variety. Layton games can be a bit monotonous if you're not engaged since the gameplay mostly consists of talking to people and solving an occassional puzzle, and there's a lack of interesting smaller mysteries to keep the audience engaged while they work on solving the bigger ones. But Ace Attorney games thrive on side stories, they're what make the trials so interesting! So by adding the smaller mysteries in the form of witch trials and mixing in clues about what the Hell is going on in Laberynthia you make a much more dynamic story that never feels like you're getting nowhere.

Enough about story structure and nerd stuff like that though, let's talk characters!

I love the main four and have always loved the main four so I'm not gonna talk abt them. The original characters for this game were freaking amazing. I see a lot of people really dislike Espella (which is understandable since she's probably the weakest of the cast) but she's pretty alright imo. She's going through a lot of things with the entire town despising her and [SPOILERS] so it makes sense why she would act the way she does, even then I feel like most heartfelt moments with her were a bit forced, which kind of lessens the impact of the last scene. I LOVE the relationship between her and [ANOTHER SPOILER] as well as the dynamic she has with Maya though.

I LOVE BARNHAM. He's one of my favorite prosecutors, he may not have any deep angst or trauma like so many of my favs do, but he's just a well meaning dude who thinks he's doing what he needs to to protect his town, even if it means casting wiitches into the flames. He also goes through a little character arc of his own where he also starts to bend the rules, the only laberynthian to do so. It's fun. Barnham is my best friend.

Unfortunately I can't talk about Darklaw or The Storyteller without getting into spoilers but basically: I love Darklaw and think she deserves the world, I'm on the fence about The Storyteller and feel like parts of his character were extremely rushed.

The secondary characters are also great, you have your classic goofy witnesses but also some really heartfelt characters and relationships in the trials, this is nothing new for Ace Attorney but when you include the conscious knowledge that these characters are going to be cast into the fire then these mini stories are enough to move me to tears (Looking at you, Golden Court).

Anyway, overall a fantastic experience that caught me completely off guard. No notes. I give it 10 burning witches out of 10.

Oh. And also:

[crippling-pages]

the grandest game review part two; chapters 25-59

*TW SPOILERS!*

*Note: bullets may not be in order of the chapters*

okay so they finished the ball and now their in groups/teams

SJHGFRJNHBGYVTFVHQB GRAYSON LIFTING LYRA STOP

Odette ships them. Odette ships them. ODETTE SHIPS THEM SAY IT WITH ME!

Knox and Brady, childhood friends... or more?/j

nah but Knox calling Gigi these nicknames is kinda adorable man ToT

Speaking of nicknames "Savvy" SAVROHAN>>>>>>>

not Savannah responding by calling him British- tbh its funny but sav sweetheart your social awkwardness and lack of knowledge on how to interact with people (especially cute boys) is showing..

rohan calling sav love will also be on top <3

STOP THE MOVIE

LYRA MY GIRLLLLL TOT

HERE'S THE TRAUMA let it happen plz

GRAY COME AND SAVE THE WOMAN YOU LOVE!!!!!!!!

he got her out of a panic attack mHMmMHH

Brady protecting Gigi from Knox ToT its so sweet

omg i bet she reminds him of calla

AHHHHHH

ngl i feel like they're might be a tiny minor love triangle between them?? probably not cuz Knox is 26 but like they're something between the three romantic ot not

lmao imagine Slate just coming in, picking up his girl Gigi and walking out

i really want that actually

ODETTE WORKED FOR TOBIAS l IUYTFRGYBH

"He was the best and worst man in all times"

yeah she's Alice.

LYRAYSONNNNNN

gray just needs to realize the reason he wants to kiss her to bad and then lyra needs to realize she's in love with him and all will be good<3

AJHUGYTFRG NOT THE SPY IN GIG'S NECKLACE

okay but the backstory of calla and brady and knox... im gonna cry

they better find calla

Of course Xander would add pie in the puzzle. This is Xander we're talking about<3

kJHUGYFTRDES AH AH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH TRUTH OR DARE

OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY

guys i'm actually obsessed with reading about my fav characters doing t or d and this time its wtih ROHAN AND SAVANNAH

AHHHHHHHHHHH

wait... rohan's parents put him in the ocean when he was 5?? and couldnt swim?? thats a literal child... omg what.

he's brushing her hair<3 without all the weird and emotionally traumatic feelings in the air it would've been cute

i love how he asks multiply times if she wants to do a different dare. gotta love a man who respects you<3

HOL UP HE CUT HER HAIR??? SAV DEARY, OMG-

ngl sav in braids will always have my heart, but short hair savannah isnt that bad either..

GAH these emotions ajhbgvftcdrctfvg

Rohan gets Savannah. He understands what she's feeling. Points to Rohan.

YES SAVANNAH!!! WOO! THROW THAT GLASS ROSE!!!!! FEEL THE RAGE INSIDE OF YOUUUUUUUUUUUU

honestly the truth or dare thing with savannah and rohan is keeping on hooked tbh. for a while i read the book but i read it really slowly... tbh savrohan is keeping me going (and rohan in general tbh)

anyways have a lovely day<3

[katyspersonal]

Dear, oh dear. What was it? The authenticity to strange customs of royal bloodlines from actual history? The fact that medieval-coded setting might not have had the same taboos? Or the fact that incest for Martin is what weird deaths abs barefoot women are for Miyazaki? Oh, it doesn't matter.. Tonight, Katyahina joins the discourse.

(Lmao she actually doesn't, it is actually just Elden Ring DLC spoiler vent)

I am actually thankful for getting spoilered about the plot twist before I could return from work and play myself, because I had time to overcome all 5 stages of grief on it lol gghghg Okay first of all, I am NOT this guy:

I also disapprove of any manners of "moral crusades" in the fandoms where control freaks try to force "writing it better" on the fellow fans. One can take creative liberties and make AUs, it is their right, not our obligation. Let alone the fact that I personally have Tanith type of love aka I'll accept any ideas the writers have, even bad ones, because it is their work and I either take it OR find another story to love. So yeah, I think we as a fandom enter a crisis where some will rage quit but those who stay could do that thing where they believe everyone owes them a "safe space" from canon. Just taking my stance on the matter: do whatever you need to preserve enjoyment in ER but keep in mind that fanon will never be more important than canon!

On the subj, it doesn't really matter for me why incest is SO acceptable in Elden Ring setting. I can accept the conditions in the fiction, since it is DARK fantasy after all! What really bummed me out originally was the choice of characters to pull that idea. Like.. Malenia got cucked, huh. It is deeper than that of course. Regardless of how you feel about the topic, leaving her behind is just sad. I feel bad for her

It isn't just this, it is.. the fact that this piece of the puzzle takes her level of gilrfailure to ABSURD heights. I guess she really DOES mirror Maria, in the end!! This makes nuking Caelid and destroying Radahn's brain a serious mess in her story. Like... she fucked up spectacularly. She fucked up a BIG time as 'blade of Miquella'. Yes, sure, dark theme bad scary blablabla but I feel bad for her, she deserved better. She was done dirty by fans (both Reddittube incels and Twitbr radfems, you are ALL guilty!), but now she is done dirty by characters/Miquella and by the writers. It all made no sense and I get an impression that she exists just to suffer. She is not miserable, she IS misery.

So yeah, as much as I want to focus on my stance that if you can't accept fucked up canon maybe this story is not for you, but 1) we spend two years being invested in these characters and it is valid to preserve it, as long as abiding by more "pleasant" fanon isn't forced within the fandom 2) "you can enjoy the media and still engage with it critically" is a pointless statement because the ones who decide what IS the "correct" way to be critical are those who fear-monger better and most fans aren't head strong and seek leaders, so I might as well ask people to stop being people and 3) I honestly am more concerned about Malenia. It's been a while since I felt so personal about the character. I want her to re-bloom as her baby self so I could hold and protect her from the gravity of her mistakes and misplaced faith, that's how I feel.

[blackjackkent]

OK. We got our pass to break into the counting house which means tonight, come hell or high water, we are FINDING MY BOY AND HIS HAMSTER. \o/

Guard captain at the door asked for our vault pass, and Hector tried to make casual conversation:

"I hear another group descended just before me."

"Aye. Glitterbeard brought some giant down just now. He had eyes as dark as winter's crack and twice as cold."

"He also had a vault pass."

LOL. Hector shut up and gave the pass over meekly.

Minsc though. :( Buddy. I don't like this description of you.

Question for discussion: has Boo also become an Absolutist or are he and Minsc engaged in an intense, squeaky existential debate at all times while this plot is unfolding?

After checking the pass, the guard had a very unsettling little spiel she rattled off. "Right. 'Descend and know: upon entering the vaults, you forego the protection of city and church law alike.' Which is to say - keep to your own vault, and you'll be fine."

O.O; Shoutout to CapitalOne bank, which (to my knowledge) would never authorize its customers to murder each other in cold blood.

I accidentally clicked on Karlach before going into the vault and turns out she has a dialogue line about what's going on: "Minsc is working for the cult? Damn. He must've been tadpoled, or worse. The real Minsc would never join up with the godsdamned Absolute! Maybe we can help him - the Prism, right? It should shut that tadpole up - if he doesn't kick our butts first. It's kind of his thing."

Hee.

We must get him back to buttkicking for goodness!

The vaults have a LOT of lootable goods that no one is actively watching and it would be super easy for Hector to steal them; my RPG looting instinct is warring with Hector's actual in-character behavior. For now leaving it alone though and going on deeper in.

There's some ongoing discussion from various guards as we push further into the vaults that is indicating to me that the head banker is probably in league with Minsc's Stone Lord persona in his smuggling work. Everyone seems to be describing the vaults as a weirdly lawless place.

"What can I expect below?"

"No idea. Our post is out here. Besides his chosen swords, Head Banker Glitterbeard doesn't like us asking what goes on below. For... security, I expect."

Mmhmm. Speaking of security, I think a bunch of angry Nine-Fingers thieves are going to be showing up soon so you might want to be on the lookout for that.

It feels like there's a joke I could make here but I'm not going to make it, but suffice to say Karlach snickers at this sign.

Lots of big heavy locked doors in the vault proper, no sign of Minsc. High Security Vault door with a puzzle in front of it seems like it's probably our destination.

Hm.

OK, so it appears that the puzzle involves having the four of us all stand on the correct four glyphs on the floor within a limited time (probably a turn).

Clearly one strategy here would be to go back and break into Glitterbeard's office to steal the code; however, there are two nearby notes that suggest another possible approach.

Hehehehehehe.

So this implies that, if the floor was wet, we could short out the lock.

The floor is not currently wet. But we have Shadowheart.

Perfect. Time to commit property damage.

Beautiful.

[cut3sy-baphom3t]

Can I request main 6 reaction if MC starts dating Valdemar?

Absolutely!! Here ya go anon 😘

--------------------

🐍 Asra 🐍

I think the fuck not!

Asra would be upset if mc ended up with anyone but him. But Valdemar? Really?? THEM??

He would be extra protective and do his best to keep mc within sight. Whether that be through Faust, portals, or by actively following them.

He lost them once to the plague. He refuses to lose mc to the plague doctor of death.

After a long while, he'll see that Valdemar genuinely wishes no ill will and has genuine feelings for mc.

Well great. Now he's less protective and more sad.

Shits tough, but he's still happy for them

🦉 Nadia 🦉

She's not sure how to feel tbh.

On one hand, she trusts mc's judgement and believes that they can look after themselves.

On the other hand! She works with Valdemar. She sees them everyday in all their terrifying(ly precious) glory

But that also means that she knows how brutally honest Valdemar is and that they wouldn't do anything that they didn't want to.

If mc is happy in their relationship, then Nadia is happy for them.

On high alert. But still happy.

💉 Julian 💉

F e a r

He is scared for mc's life! He KNOWS Valdemar is absolutely disturbing in more than just a creepy doctor way

He's seen what Valdemar does to cadavers and it's not pretty! Watching them vivisect was perhaps one of the worst things he had to witness

He cares for mc deeply and wants the best for them. He wants to keep them safe

By this I mean, he rushes into Valdemar's dungeons the second he sees them leading mc down the elevator, and unceremoniously swings into the room and screams "take me instead!" Only to see the odd couple doing a jigsaw puzzle

Yeah, if Valdemar wanted them dead, they'd be a corpse by now

Doesn't trust Valdemar, but knows them well enough that he's not breaking into the dungeon every other day

🐻 Muriel 🐻

Oh hell to the naw!

Nope nope nooopppeee!

He will see mc and Valdemar in public together and squeeze between them, giving Valdemar the death glare and questioning mc's sanity.

He will likely never approve or trust Valdemar and it's worried everyday that they may corrupt his friend

🐈 Portia 🐈

She's not indifferent

She just really really trusts mc's judgement

And she doesn't know Valdemar well enough to suspect much outside of potentially nsfw intrusive thoughts

Portia likes to keep up with mc and ask how they're doing and talking hot gossip

She'll take as much tea as you've got!

🐐 Lucio 🐐

I don't think he'd particularly care unless mc has something he wants

But he knows that if Valdemar is dating mc... Nothing will ever hurt mc without getting through them, which is borderline impossible

If anything, he's indifferent but curious

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 9.7

“Self-respecting Canadian practitioners should have worked out cold runes and cold manipulation a while ago.”

I'm sure practitioners in places warmer than Canada have figured it out

“I need a minute of your time to prep and paint the drywall in the basement this afternoon,” Verona’s dad said, from the dining room.

so weird the way Verona's father opens with a task, not even saying hello. This has been a recurring thing, but it's taken hearing it from another POV to make it sink in.

“You could help,” he told her. “It shouldn’t take too long."

also deeply strange to me that he keeps going with this once he realizes she's not Verona! I mean, I guess kids tend to fit into another category than adult guests, but still weird to lead with a chore to a guest. And it's not like he and Lucy have the kind of basically extended family relationship that people can wind up in with their close friends's family (For contrast, I would not find it weird for Jasmine to ask Verona to do a household task alongside Lucy)

“A proper painting job,” he said, looking unimpressed.  “And the flooring is like a puzzle, it all clicks together.” “A really boring puzzle where there’s no picture and all the pieces are the same?” “It’s about fitting it to the shape of the room, I think.”

unfortunately this does sound fun to me.

“Well, we’ve got people waiting for us, so I don’t think we can help.  But I hope you do have fun doing that.”

lol

“Are you going to get in trouble?” Lucy asked. “Huh?” “With your dad?” “He’ll get upset later probably.  But he usually gets upset, so it’s a bit meh?”

Verona doesn't seem to have a concept of being in trouble with her parents. Which given her dad is definitely better than the alternative! But it's weird that they basically interact like housemates who don't like each other. At the beginning of the story Verona was trying to meet her father's expectations, but at this point she's given up and just does what she wants, since regardless of what she does there'll just be the same guilt trips and task list.

They pulled Ken over into the shade by the fence, and then went to get a fan from indoors, bringing it over and putting it on the table, the cord stretched taut on its way through the kitchen. By the time they were done, clouds had stretched over the sky, giving Kennet a bit of shade. The wind picked up.

oh neat

“To start with, we bound him for Kennet.  Because of responsibilities we took at Awakening.”

between Matthew and Edith, I counted referring to "your binding" twice so far. I wonder if they were going for three times to set the pattern that the girls bind Others in Kennet, trying to push them into an antagonistic role?

“We swore to protect all sides of Kennet, including Other and human.  We did what we were told and we made it clear that this was our territory, as practitioners, that was pretty much what we were told would be our jobs as local practitioners.  That we just had to say that.  And things went sideways.  After Miss left, things changed.  We took on the task of dealing with the Hungry Choir, in accordance with our duties, and we were opposed in that.”

if you wanted the girls to just be practitioners on paper, you shouldn't have had them swear to protect Kennet. I wonder if that was Miss's idea, if some of the others would have preferred limiting the girls's role further?

“A handful of lives a month, in contrast to what may impact or cost the lives of the five thousand residents of Kennet? With ripple effects extending outward?

I think that doing blood sacrifice of your own people is bad even if you can justify it utilitarianly!

Verona stepping in like that to back her up, to complement her? It was the opposite of shaky and intense and on edge. She would have called it heart-melting, but it wasn’t. It brought feelings home and for a second she felt like she could cry, because of it, and she had to close her eyes and fight not to.

:)

“We were told we’d get a vote,” Verona said.  “But apparently not for the stuff that matters?”

I guess what it comes down to is are the girls members of the Kennet council, or just outside agents to use distrustfully?

“We’re a part of that freaking balance, Matthew!” Lucy shouted.  “We’re in this for the long haul, aren’t we!?  You, Edith, me, Verona, Avery, Snowdrop!?  We’re supposed to get to a point- a point where things are okay, and we’re still working together in a few decades… aren’t we?  Wasn’t that the idea?” “That’s the intention,” Toadswallow said. Tashlit gave a thumbs up.

Matthew and Edith noticeably not responding

“When Miss named and pointed you out as quickly as she did, we expected…” Edith trailed off.  “Less?”

you expected more controllable

“Apparently,” Edith said.  She sighed.  “A lot of what you’re upset about came about because we were so shocked you were so capable.”

and the level of drive and focus the girls are showing looks uncomfortably like ambition for power, when seen ungenerously

"My point is, dear girls, I’m wary.  I’m clever and capable for my size, I’m traveled, I’ve learned and I didn’t expect you to learn and work with one another like you did.  I can understand why others would vote against teaching you binding.  Or how they might worry how you changed when away at school, when you’d grown so fast already from the meager gifts we’d given you.”

I would like all of the girls to internalize this for the next time they start worrying they're incapable and holding the group back

“He goes by Bridge. Prefers male bodies. I don’t care one way or the other.

Diversity win?

“The Carmine Beast’s blood, all over Kennet,” Lucy said.  “It was drawn to it, and if that stuff’s collecting beneath it…”

new candidate? Doesn't seemed planned, so this could throw a wrench in the murderer's scheme

“Be careful,” Matthew said. “Montague takes over systems.  It might be a rough dream, whatever Alpeana tries.”

trying to keep them from talking to Montague in a place that can't be monitored?

Verona didn’t reply right away, her expression changing. “Does it… is there anything saying we strictly have to do implement, familiar, demesne?”

Demesne seems like a really bad fit for Verona. I'd honestly have picked her for Implement, maybe Avery for Demesne?

Lucy had no idea how to parse the feelings she was experiencing.  She couldn’t even put easy labels to them. Jealousy, a bit, maybe?

has Verona ever had a friend outside of Lucy before?

“And it all came out?  I get that.” “Didn’t use to happen, and now it’s happening a lot.”

there's more stress now, but also there's a limit to how long you can bottle things up before it gets on a hair-trigger

She thought of the nightmare, and she wished she could feel like this was a thought that was wholly her own, and not one someone else had wanted her to have…

oh there's a thought. If Alpeana is hostile, and using nightmares to influence them. Pushing Lucy to be worried about her family, and for Verona... to not be around Melissa? Or to be scared of getting stuck in Kennet, more hesitant to have a desmesne?

[reginarubie]

I guess that's how an extremely good fic overdose feels like. After reading three chapters in a row I can't keep calm! I mean, that's the level of intrigue D&D could never keep. Such a rollercoaster 💥

If I had to wait to know how this proposal situation ends, I'd literally be no less desperate than Aemond. Thankfully, I found out our girl is safe very soon. Symon, I don't know you but don't be interested in Sansa? There's already to much tension, ahhh. Lord and Lady Vance are amazing, I already love them and I really hope they are just playing their parts in a play Sansa wrote, while staying on the greens side!

Of course, Aemond, she knew. SHE DESIGNED IT. I get it — the Prince is offended, especially after they agreed to work together. But as soon as he chills, he may understand what was her plan about and appreciate this brilliant mind! You're gonna get the smartest wife, Aemond, don't worry. And with time, I don't doubt it, you'll kick Daemon's ass. Some things demand more effort and preparation. Sansa already fooled both Daemon and Rhae and now they think they have the upper hand. Isn't this the best outcome for now? MOREOVER NOW NED IS NOT A LOWBORN AND SHE'S PROTECTED BY THE THIRD PARTY. The girl is a genius.

Though I can help but feel Jonsa tent vibes during the Firesteel fight scene. It was all 🔥🔥🔥 and oh gods, our girl is going full Jon Snow, since she doesn't want to explain anything and asks Aemond to unconditionally trust her. And Aemond basically mirrors s8 Sansa, which I find very meaningful 👀

It was nice meeting Sara and the vision got me screaming! THE DAGGER? OMG? I'm thrilled and excited and puzzled and... Broome has visions too?? Am I mistaken? This keeps getting better and better, and I can get enough 🥺

Ciao Anne!,

This is the way to start the new year! And yes, I know you left it in my ask box before 2023 if I recall correctly, still… 🤩🤩🤩 thank you for so many compliments!

Lord and lady Vance have their reasons to help Sansa, but boy will she gain their love 😉 also, Symon… dear Symon… you’re gonna be a nice lad, aren’t you?

You put it in the right light, Aemond has his reasons as does Sansa. Sansa’s plan is not without flaws or weak points, and Aemond just wants to help — Season8 Jon and Sansa reversal indeed — I think Aemond point was not much what Sansa’s plan was but that he wasn’t included in a plot that could potentially endanger her without him being none the wiser so unable to help when they agreed to work together.

He’s not questioning Sansa’ intelligence, or the cleverness of her plan. He is questioning the matter of trust between them which is prominent in their relationship due the many lies and unsaid between them.

Don’t worry you’ll get more soon, I promise! As soon as I work around reading your firesteel fic I’ll put my mind to finish the next chapter which, a word of warning, will be pretty long and we’ll see many characters and people and plots at the same time because I need to speed the process before actually starting the Dance — so Viserys sleep well for your days are numbered — and also the first sidestory will be up with next chapter as well…so be ready for that too!

Also with some more Targaryen children content.

Also yes, Sara-the-dagger-the-vision and ser Broome. I put so many hints in last chapter I almost lost count and keep foreshadowing how the entire series will end so 😂😂😂 … yeah keep your eyes open, because you’ll get much more of all of that!

A small excerpt of next chapter (just because we all need to fall in love with Daeron— that is my agenda)

“I do not need to be minded” she hissed between clattering teeth. I am the lady of Winterfell and I am home, I do not need to be minded! “No one said you did,” and for the first time Daeron did remind her of Aemond “but we want to keep you safe anyway”

As always thank you for dropping by! Sending all my love ~G.

[rosegoldandsequins]

The soft knock on the door was distinctively different from the one of a regular customer - not to mention it was too early for anyone to be visiting, so Guinevere likely assumed that it was just Melissa on the other side. As she opened the door, however, the blonde woman realized she was only partially correct - all the other girls from the Honey Bee Inn were there.

"Can we come in for a second? We won't be long," Melissa said with a smile, followed by the other five women with varying sizes of boxes and baskets in arms. Niran was on Guinevere's bed, seemingly puzzled and a little bit afraid, but he tended to react better to the presence of females than males (even if he didn't trust them all like his foster mother of sorts).

"It's a combined gift from everyone to welcome Niran to our lives. Cherry asked her brother to make some toys for him," the madame gestured to the wooden figurines that were beautifully carved and very new, a courtesy of the redhead's sibling who was a skilled woodworker, "And Katerina has shared the contacts of her lawyer friend who helped with immigration issues."

The Russian woman blinked and passed along a note, containing nothing the address of one of her first clients and also a man responsible for smoothing things over with the authorities. Amalia then came next, with bundles of clothes of varying sizes - they all seemed to be good for Niran at some point, and a few of the pieces had been done by herself, during her break times. Mercedes' gifts were all of the culinary sort - now that the boy had recovered, it appeared that his favorite foods were just as savory and spicy as their resident latina enjoyed; it was obviously his favorite cook and the brunette was happy to indulge.

Finally, Josephine handed Guinevere a pair of amulets - protective crystals fashioned into pieces of jewelry and which she swore would keep both boy and mother safe, ideally if they never forget to wear the items. When the gifts had all been delivered and the girls eyed the boy with varying smiles and excitement in their faces, Melissa came forward to place a single key on her friend's hand, covering it with her other palm.

"This is from me - Randy cleaned one of the small storage rooms downstairs and we got some furniture in. It's not much, but it can be his own bedroom. I don't want the two of you struggling to share your suite when we have free space downstairs. When he's ready... He can move there."

Melissa's honey-colored eyes were bright, full with the kindness shared with her other employees; no one was holding Guinevere as a criminal or some stupid woman for caring - but rather the reverse. It was a den of sin in the words of the local priest, but they were a family. They took in those with no better prospects, and they made it work; they would make Niran feel at home, at some point, if he allowed them.

"I hope you like everything, Niran. We never had a little nephew to look after before - but we're excited to help both you and Gwen, I promise you this much."

unprompted // @stingslikeabee

Guinevere woke slowly. She issued a low groan and gradually opened her eyes. A shock of dark hair greeted the prostitute, who smiled at the sight of it. Guinevere's lips tugged up into a smile.

She was starting to get used to it : the weight of him pressed against her. Niran had all of the rest of her frankly spacious bed to move around in, but he refused to sleep without being next to his mother. Guinevere knew why — he was afraid to lose her. The boy's fits and murmurs in his sleep confessed his worries. Some would remove him from the covers, say his nightmares were foolish, but Guinevere wasn't that sort. Niran's fear came from the very real experience of having the things that should be safe and secure in a child's life stripped away ; having found some good again, he was anxious not to lose it.

Guinevere allowed her son to sleep for a while longer. She brought an arm up and used her free fingers to stroke his hair. It was far neater than when he first came to the Inn. Niran grudgingly allowed her to cut it now, and the prostitute had most recently trimmed it before Akiyama met her young charge. At the feeling of Guinevere's digits running through his black locks, Niran grumbled and buried his face deeper into her chest.

The prostitute laughed softly. She knew that the regulars of the Inn would hardly believe that her wild cub could be this sweet.

Eventually, Guinevere roused the boy. Niran fought her playfully every moment after he sat up. He attempted to go limp when she tried to wash him with cool water and a rag ; squirmed at the clean clothes tugged onto his body ; and complained loudly in Thai at the brushing of his shaggy mane. In spite of his teeth, however, the boy didn't bite. His antics were punctured by fits of giggling, and he always took a moment to thank her when she finished a task. It was obvious that he loved her, loved her as though he never knew a day without her.

Guinevere sighed and tapped his cheek, which made Niran's grin grow. One of her bracelets was clenched in his hands. A poor substitute for a proper toy, but its beads kept him entertained long enough for Guinevere to tackle the knots he accumulated during the night. Once she was satisfied, she set the brush down. Niran immediately scooped it up, hastily abandoning the jewelry he held, and ran his thumb over the coarse bristles.

Just as Guinevere opened her mouth to suggest that the boy try taking it to her own waves ( at the very least, to appease his fascination with the object ), Melissa knocked at their door. The prostitute knew it was the madam at once. There was no other option. She patted Niran's back soothingly, got to her feet, and fixed her pale yellow nightgown. Its rather flattering shape and plunging neck were features that Guinevere looked for in all of her dresses. Her clients, in her mind, should always be able to see what they were purchasing.

The princess of the Inn answered the door. She raised an eyebrow at the women assembled on the threshold. Melissa's request prompted Guinevere to move aside.

She went back to Niran dutifully. Guinevere sat next to the boy while her associates shuffled in, each managing to find a comfortable place to stand. Their presence startled Niran ( as Guinevere expected it would ), but he didn't run. His mother's quiet words, uttered in the unique mesh of languages they spoke together, calmed his fluttering heart. Instead of grabbing Guinevere's fingers and trying to flee with her, Niran climbed into the blonde's lap. He faced outward, thin arms folded. The stance was deliberately protective, which made two of the working girls stifle a chuckle. Of course their resident mountain cat had found a child as feisty as her. It suited both of them.

The unveiling of the gifts caused Guinevere's eyes to fill with tears. She soon brought a shaking hand to her lips. Luckily, Niran didn't notice her reaction. Cherry's initial offering of toys coaxed the boy out of Guinevere's lap. He accepted them hesitantly, perhaps unsure if he was permitted such nice things, but the redhead's sweet expression wiped away that doubt. Niran sat cross - legged on the covers to examine the figurines and clothing given to him. Curious, he picked at the thread of the new shirts and trousers until he really knew what they felt like.

Each woman's generosity was rewarded with a delayed smile from the child. He wasn't used to being the center of attention — though he didn't appear to mind it after he settled into the spotlight.

Guinevere stared at Melissa when the key was placed in her palm. She was evidently overwhelmed by the amount of generosity being shown by her own makeshift family. Without a word, she sprang up from the bed and threw her forearms around Melissa's neck. Guinevere buried her fair features in the madam's shoulder. Her fingers clenched the key so tightly that it hurt, but she refused to let the object go.

"Thank you," Guinevere whispered hoarsely. "He means . . . everything to me, Melissa."

The madam returned the gesture and squeezed her dear friend fondly. For a moment, there was no one else in the world. Only the pair of them, as they had always been, and the familiar arms that went with that sentiment.

"I know," Melissa answered, voice thick with emotion. "I'm happy for you, Gwen."

Anything else that may have been said was stopped by Niran tugging on his mother's sleeve. Guinevere untangled from Melissa and regarded the boy affectionately. She was upset, and he didn't understand why.

"Mama?" Niran asked, fingers returning to the cute horse pressed to his chest.

Cherry's aw from the other side of the room made Guinevere giggle. The blonde smoothed back the child's hair wordlessly. "What do you have?" she replied.

"I hope you like everything, Niran," Melissa added. "We've never had a little nephew to look after before — but we're excited to help both you and Gwen. I promise you this much."

Niran nodded eagerly. He hefted the toy higher to allow Melissa a chance to see. " Kop khun krap! " came the excited chirp that followed. Even in another tongue, it was easy to tell that the phrase was meant to give thanks.

Guinevere tapped his cheek. "Why don't you show your Aunt Melissa what Mr. Akiyama taught you when he was here? Do you remember?"

The boy frowned, searching for the memories his mother referred to. Eventually, his face lit up. He handed his new treasure to Guinevere for safekeeping, turned to the madam, and extended his hand smartly. "It's a hello," he proclaimed.

"A gentleman's hello," Guinevere corrected gently.

Melissa chuckled and knelt on the ground in front of the child. She pooled her skirts around her legs. Then, the madam took Niran's little digits in hers. He backed up a half - step, suddenly unsure, but found his strength again when he realized he was against Guinevere.

"Nice to meet you," he said loudly, grinning.

The madam shook his hand. "It's very nice to meet you, too, Niran."

[keefwho]

August 11 - 2024 Sunday

10:43pm

5/10

Another mid day. I did the usual dog routine. I made a potato and sardines for breakfast but I made the potato in the pan instead of the oven because of how inconsistent it's been. They came out better this way. I didn't have cheese to eat with it though, except for swiss but it got all crumbly because my fridge got cold enough to freeze it at some point. The first thing I did this morning was add to and tidy up the bubble charts I've been making for therapy, but I still haven't gotten to show him yet. I did the same for my therapy homework. For a bit I joined BR and them in the server while they were playing a new Pokemon modpack for Minecraft. Its not my thing but I asked to join anyways and I got on their server. At first I was directionless and I just don't care about pokemon whatsoever but AE invited me to join their area/town so I did. I had the idea to go back to my minecraft roots and build a big, largely nonsensical castle. I kinda just make a simple tower and add to it in a bunch of ways as I feel inspired. I think it'll be good because it takes minimal planning but is still an exercise of my creativity. I did that for a bit until DV responded to my message earlier in the day so we could play the Jetski game in VR. I actually got very heated, but not in a bad way. We were in a public lobby and there was this super huge asshole that I started trying to beat, and did. I had to leave racing for my therapy appointment.

The appointment was rocky at first, he was about 15 minutes late and had a TON of technical issues because his internet was experiencing an outage. It didn't really affect me at all since he moved his next appointment back so I could still get my full time. I felt bad for how stressful it must have been for him though, we disconnected 5 times and he was bouncing between his PC and phone. It was still a good session though, but we didn't talk about my trauma like originally planned. We went over my homework which was identifying problematic behaviors and figuring out how I could change the pipeline. I actually learned more than I thought I would and I have some things to write down about how I can behave differently in certain situations. Its a conscious effort. At the end of the appointment, we set up a very small appointment for next week so I can discuss that trauma along with a normal appointment the week after. And it was very very affordable.

After therapy, DS asked to get in VR so we did. I got to hear about how her weekend went with her friends and we bumped into BD by chance in that shitty furry world. I also showed her what I did for my book club world. This guy joined on me and stuck with us the entire time but I don't like him, I don't even remember where he's from. All I know is his association with GS. He kept interrupting and being annoying. We got off to do puzzles and chat a little bit.

After she went to sleep, I popped back in to BR's server with DR and VN and did a little stone collecting in Minecraft. I was having trouble at first with the server's resource pack crashing my game but DR helped me. He confuses me because he really seems like a huge ass sometimes but helps when it's needed I guess. I remember the first time I was trying to play Minecraft with them and how difficult he was to work with to get me on the server since he owns it. It seemed like he was being a petty form of protective since I was kinda new.

I had some anxiety/loneliness throughout the day but I coped and did what I think would help me. Going forward I'm trying to keep a tight grip on the awareness of my relationships and how I can treat myself better in them.

[wetbloodworm]

it's somaverse day i guess

talking about cash this time. thinking about how he was known by other hunters as being as much of an expert in somaphors as one can be with them being so elusive, wondering why he'd have enough of a focus on them to dig for that rare info.

deciding that he discovered at some point decades ago that his wife was a somaphor. not like she'd been recently replaced, but that she'd been a monster for as long as she knew him. he was already a hunter and kept this info from her, then discovered her eating part of someone's soul. cash didn't know what somaphors were at this point, but he knew a monster when he saw one. at first he thought she was possessed, or had been replaced, or was a copycat. but she explained everything, and insisted that she was still Her and still loved him and that what they had was real. she'd hoped him also having kept a secret might make him more understanding but it, uh. didn't. since he didn't know what she was he just tied her up and kept her trapped in their home for a few days. she kept trying to reason and plead with him but he wasn't receptive and was focused solely on trying to identify the species he was dealing with, half-hoping she had lied and his real wife was alive somewhere, or otherwise that he could figure out how to kill her. eventually, as she realized he couldn't be reasoned with, she abandoned her body, because cash didn't know at the time that she could do that or how he'd even prevent that if he did. he came to check on her and found her unresponsive. he brought her to a hospital after determining this wasn't a trick, and got the news that she was brain dead. he didn't push to keep her on life support and she passed.

cash... didn't take all of this well. he became obsessive about looking into monsters that fit the description of what he'd encountered. it took a lot of time to work out the details, but over the years he pieced together the puzzle, enough of it at least. once he knew that his wife was likely telling the truth and had always been that way, he was disgusted. he loathed her, and refused to talk about her to family or anyone else. some people don't even know he was married.

he did more research and did some testing as well. figured out how to track them, how to trap them, how to kill them. how to protect yourself from them. how to use them. some of it was just theory, because god it's hard to hunt a monster that can see you but you can't see it like 99.9% of the time. he became known among other hunters for being an expert in the field, and helped spread awareness that, like. these things even exist. so his name was big enough in hunter circles that asim's cousin was able to go 'oh shit i might know what you're dealing with, let me get The Guy.'

so when asim reached out like 'hey this person at my college might be a somaphor? can you help?' cash dropped everything to join the hunt. he held a very personal hatred for these creatures and it was rare that he encountered one, and he had theories to test. see if he was right about how to pull them from their bodies, see if he was right about how he could use their magic for his own purposes. he used asim to get close to achlys to trap them, though he claimed he was killing them. turns out his theories were right, too. asim spends the next decade thinking achlys was dead and feeling weird about it.

anyway it feels fun narratively that a somaphor ends up killing him. achlys is able to get close due to their fortune of taking cash's nephew as a host. cash is full of hate til the end and regrets nothing about imprisoning achlys. and in turn, achlys regrets nothing about wearing his nephew's face while he eats him.

[secretsofblackthornhall]

Dearest Magnus,

Jem, Kit and I are so looking forward to your visit. In preparation, Kit has been attempting to teach Mina to say your name. She’s almost got it, but you may have to content yourself with being called “Agnes,” as she has trouble with the M — very trying for her as she is so advanced in her speech, just as you say Max was. You should have heard them in the kitchen this morning. “Who is coming to visit, Mina?” “Agnes!” I feel that your alter ego, Agnes, would wear sequins and be absolutely deadly at whist.

Thank you for your thoughts about the wards. I will look for labradorite at the gem store in Exeter. I tried what you suggested with the chickens—I was able to borrow a Blue Orpington from a neighbor on the last quarter moon. Since then chickens seem to be avoiding Kit, so maybe it will work on demons too? (Though can you really tell when a chicken is avoiding someone as opposed to just being a chicken?)

Jem and I are endeavoring to walk a narrow line, keeping Kit safe and hidden while also providing him with the most normal life we can. We don’t want to lock him away in a tower like a fairytale princess—he’d be miserable. And Mina would be miserable, she just adores him and rides everywhere on his back, clutching onto his shirt with her little hands. It reminds me of the way James and Lucie used to ride on Will’s shoulders. I suppose times change, but children never do.

We’re trying to allow Kit freedom wherever we can. He’s enrolled at the small school in the village, where a few of his friends know about the Shadow World and others don’t. There’s a local pack of werewolves who we’ve become friendly with, and some of their children go to school with him. I’ve begun to suspect that Kit has a girlfriend, but he’s secretive about it. (I guess that’s another thing that never changes about children—how secretive they are. I just hope he knows he can tell us anything. Especially related to demons, or in Kit’s case, the fey. A hundred and ten years later and I’m still edgy.)

He’s a puzzle, our Christopher Jonathan Herondale. About some things he’s opened up, and is willing to talk to Jem and me about them freely — his father, and what it was like growing up being able to see all sorts of peculiar things but not really understanding why. About being taught to fear Shadowhunters. About his concerns about his heritage — what it means, what kind of power he might have. I think it frustrates him, not knowing.

Other things he won’t talk about. We have asked him about Ty, as you and I discussed, but he’s like a brick wall about their friendship. Whatever happened he won’t speak of it. I think Livvy’s death hit him harder than we guessed, too. I’ve heard him call out her name in his sleep, always in this very despairing way. Sometimes he’ll say Not if you do this. Not if you do this, Ty. I feel like whatever they fought about, it must have been awful. But people can be terrible when they’re grieving; we both know that.

You can probably tell from everything I’ve said how much I — how much we — love Kit. I just love him, Magnus, like he was my own. He is my own. I’d kill anyone who wanted to hurt him, just as I would protect Mina or Jem with my life. I never thought I’d have this again, this perfect family I love so much it hurts. Strange after so many years to be so surprised by one’s own feelings — but I imagine it’s much the same for you, isn’t it? Speaking of which, I hope you and Alec and the kids are well. Please let Max know that we found his superhero cape—it was inside the piano.

I enclose a picture from your last visit here. How adorable they all are!

Love,📷

Tessa

[bigskydreaming]

Okay, so you know “Justice League meets Batman’s kids, who they’d previously been unaware existed” AUs?

So picture that.....but this time, instead of them just having no knowledge of any of these other Gotham vigilantes at all....the Batkids all migrate to various cities as they get older and become known as their protectors - Dick in Bludhaven, Tim in San Francisco, Cass in Hong Kong, etc....

Meaning they’re all established figures, the Justice League are aware of them as solo local heroes who stick to their cities and so they just don’t interact with them much if at all, or else some are members of team lineups but are particularly vague about their histories or life outside of the team’s adventures....

So the big reveal isn’t that they become aware of all these other Gotham vigilantes all at once....its that some big conflict or whatever requires a huge team up of all available heroes, and in the aftermath, they figure out that like.....despite being known as solo heroes who work alone or loners outside of their team settings, 80% of these heroes all not only seem to already know each other, they seem to be related.

And so naturally they all turn to Batman, who has profiles on every known hero and they thus figure had researched these individuals too and just never mentioned this little detail, and they’re like, “Did you know about this?”

And then Nightwing turns to him too, arms crossed and is like, “Yeah Dad, did you know about this?”

And the infamous Red Hood is all: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have never met any of these people before in my life. Lives? Whatever.”

And then Red Robin moodily grates out “I have no siblings.” Since he’s nursing a grudge since Dick and Jason broke into his apartment the night before and replaced all his custom Red Robin gear with Darkwing Duck merchandise and his vengeance will be swift and also totally disproportionate because things escalate quickly in this family, that’s true in every universe.

Cass meanwhile has deftly skewered Jason’s lie by walking over to him and brazenly patting down the man with many many guns with no fear whatsoever. He squawks and futilely attempts to bat her hands away as she riffles through his many pockets, but he doesn’t seem shocked, just annoyed. Eventually, she pulls away and triumphantly reveals a box of Hello Kitty themed band-aids.

“So these are yours then? Just for you?” Black Bat asks smugly. Red Hood squints at the box.

“What the fuck? How long have those been in my jacket? Why are those in my jacket? Did you freaking plant them in my jacket just on the offchance you could at some point in the distant future use them at my expense?”

Black Bat frowns, puzzled. “Yes?”

“Oh come on, Dead Hood,” Spoiler says with an exaggerated toss of her head meant to convey she’s rolling her eyes beneath her own mask. She skips her way across the room to Black Bat and then drapes herself languidly all over the smaller woman. Who in turn doesn’t so much as twitch beneath the sudden added mass as Spoiler holds out her hand towards the box of band-aids. 

“One please. I have a boo-boo,” she says with easy familiarity straight into the intimidating cowl of Black Bat. Only then does she deign to finish her train of thought with Red Hood.

“I mean seriously, are you saying you don’t have potential blackmail set-ups, pre-rigged releases of incriminating material, and a random assortment of traps, pratfalls and mortifying scenarios in place for the express purpose of being able to humiliate any and all of your siblings at any given moment, without any need for additional prep time?”

“Is this true, Little Wing?” Nightwing whirls on the larger Red Hood with a faux-scandalized gasp. The founder and leader of the Titans, formerly the Teen Titans, renowned for his stratagems and calm competence when directing squads of supers in the heat of battle while he keeps pace with nothing more than naturally acquired acrobatics and a utility belt that apparently uses the same technology as Wonder Woman’s invisible jet....now appears to be....staggering with the back of his hand pressed to his forehead, moaning about how he felt....faint? 

What is happening right now, several dozen superheroes want to know. Is this a drill? Are they supposed to be checking for signs of a mental ambush from undetected psychic saboteurs? Did they all hit their heads at the exact same time and are now experiencing some kind of shared mass concussion?

Look, that wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to ever happen on the Watchtower. 

“Have I failed you so utterly?” The veteran child hero bemoans with a dramatic twirl - that when contrasted with his stern demeanor of a mere ten minutes ago - makes the fears of telepathic infiltration seem less paranoia and more....concerningly probable. “Did you learn nothing from me? Did you learn nothing from B?”

He stops and jabs a finger up at the sky. “Quick, everyone! What is the very first rule of Living While Batty?”

As if by rote, over a half a dozen voices chime in from all over the room, causing various heroes to jump. Spooked by yet more and more vigilantes joining in some kind of mass recitation like they and they alone have some kind of clue what the hell is going on and everyone else just hadn’t been invited to the party. Which is just rude, honestly. Nobody likes feeling like they weren’t invited to the party. Not even superheroes. 

“If you’re not going to bother preparing for every possible contingency and at least six impossible ones, you might as well just stay in bed.”

Even the Red Hood joins in the Illuminati chant or Cub Scout pledge or demonic ritual or whatever the fuck that just was, though his slumped and exasperated posture gives away every hint of sulkiness his headgear otherwise would have kept safely hidden. He’s surprisingly more...expressive, than most who’d only known of him by reputation had expected him to be. The day continues to yield surprises.

“Of fucking course I do,” he growls out, snatching the box from Black Bat. She doesn’t even fight to hold onto it, just lets it go with a knowing smirk. “I wasn’t surprised by the idea of it, I was just surprised she bothered with such a weak effort. Like yeah whatever, actually those could be mine. I use those all the time at home. So what?”

He aggressively yanks one of the band-aids out of the box, fumbles with the peel-off strips with one hand and he roughly rolls up the sleeve of his jacket with the other. Then just slaps it on his forearm and raises said appendage high, showing it off this way and that. “See?”

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Signal drawls from the other side of the room, nodding his head approvingly. “Totally convincing. Nice job walking that one back, you really showed them.”

Red Hood’s head snaps in his direction with ominous intent. “Watch it, Day-Glo.”

Signal just snorts.

“Yeah, like I’m gonna take constructive criticism on my name and costume from a dude who’s spent the last several years calling himself Red HOOD while running around in a freaking HELMET.”

“Its not meant to be literal, you fucking pedant.”

“So wait, its not literally a helmet? Huh, does it at least protect your head literally, or just like...symbolically? Like if Bane were to clock you across the head, would your concussion just be a metaphor? What’s the treatment protocol for a metaphorical concussion? Fluids, bedrest and a philosophical prescription of two chapters of Chicken Soup for the Soul as needed?”

“Laugh it up, KC and the Sunshine Band,” Red Hood bats back. “You just got yourself disinvited from Thursday night’s poker game.”

Signal just grins and folds his arms over his chest cockily. “Please. You’ve been looking for an excuse to ban me for weeks, cuz you know until you can prove I’m using my ghost vision to cheat, you can’t actually bring suit against me for it in Family Court.”

“That, and also Family Court isn’t a real thing, you toddler. Stop validating Wing-a-ding-ding’s obsession with Shitty TV Nostalgia and just call it that thing where Oracle traps us all in a room until we settle our latest fight without anyone getting stabbed.”

“Yeah, but like, say that five times fast,” Spoiler pipes up. “Its just not practical. Family Court’s way easier.”

“Says the one who’s not even in our fucking family.”

“And yet I grace you all with my sublime presence anyway,” she blows a kiss at him, beatifically unbothered. “You’re welcome.”

The Red Hood scoffs and rounds on his heel, zeroing in on Batwoman in the far corner.

“Hey Auntie B, my siblings are all dead to me and I just helped stop an alien invasion so I deserve nice things like a fun Saturday night. Can you get me into Dad’s fundraiser so I can crash it? He won’t put me back on the list until I promise not to bring any C-4 with me and I won’t promise not to bring any C-4 because he should just trust me that I won’t when I say I’m not gonna and he won’t trust me that I won’t until I admit I shouldn’t have brought any to that sting last month where three tiny little yachts blew up through barely any fault of my own, and I’m just not gonna do that ever because I have convictions and I feel I shouldn’t have to be punished for that. Y’know?”

Batwoman blinks at him. “Kid, I’m not gonna lie to you. You’re my nephew and I love you, but I stopped listening three seconds into all that.”

“Ugh, fine. Can you help me crash Dad’s event tonight so I can teach him a lesson about why he should just trust me not to make a scene so I don’t have to always make a scene to make a point.”

“Tempting as you make that sound,” she says wryly, “I have a strict policy for dealing with you lot and your......everything. I only worry about tolerating one of you at a time, and there’s seven of you, and seven days in the week. You each get your own. You know perfectly well its Robin’s day today. You get me on Tuesday, just like always.”

“Auntie B, we’re not like other families, are we?” Red Robin’s delivery is sarcastically childish and his question clearly rhetorical. Most of his attention is fixated on whatever it is he’s doing with his wrist-mounted computer. 

“No sweetie, we’re all severely fucked in the head and a little bit too comfortable with that.”

“Just checking. Oh hey, Hood, I just emailed you a patch for the hole in your firewall I exploited when replacing all my shit using your accounts just now.”

“You did what?”

“Used your accounts to pay to replace all my stuff that you fucked with last night?” Red Robin says slowly. “Did you not realize that I’ve been sticking within ten feet of you for the past five minutes just so I could clone your devices and do all that while BB and Spoiler kept you distracted? I gotta say, bro, I feel like that’s on you then.”

Red Hood swivels his helmeted head in the direction of the aforementioned two. Black Bat waves. Spoiler shoots him an utterly unrepentant thumbs up.

“You’d side with your ex over me? That’s what its come to?”

“My only allegiance is to chaos,” Spoiler says brightly. Black Bat shrugs.

“Plus he bribes better.”

“Hateful,” Red Hood points at Black Bat, moving on to level the same finger at Spoiler, who curtsies in acknowledgment: “Hateful-er.”

Then the finger rounds the bases to aim judgmentally at Red Robin. “Hateful-est. And that was all Nightwing’s idea anyway, not mine.”

“Oh, I assumed as much,” he says casually. “Your idea of a prank tends to have more of a Carrie vibe. Or be a literal literary reenactment.”

“Its called an homage, 4chan.”

“Whatever, plagiarist. And anyway, I couldn’t go after ‘Wing for payback on this one. He used an Immunity card. If you didn’t want me getting back at you, you should have used one too."

Red Hood looms aggressively. Red Robin ignores willfully. Round and round they go. Superheroes who can survive excessive G-Forces are getting dizzy just watching them have a largely motionless stand-off. That shouldn’t be how that works, but whatever. All the most infamously reclusive and isolated heroes in all hero-dom are apparently part of the same one big reclusive and isolated family of fucked up weirdos and they’re all officially bonkers. Nothing makes sense anymore. Reality broke. Try another stall.

“Okay, but see, in order to have an Immunity card, I would have to participate in one of you losers’ stupid Immunity challenges,” the Red Hood drags out with exaggerated patience. “And I’m just not going to do that, on account of those all being fucking stupid. You see the problem there?”

Red Robin just shrugs. “I don’t know what to tell you, bro. You can have principles or you can have an Immunity card. You can’t have both.”

Meanwhile, on another side of....the same room.....look, its like, an octagonal room, probably. It has a lot of sides. Robin fends off questions from an aggrieved looking Superboy.

“You never told me you had a bajillion brothers and sisters!”

“Yes but I never said I didn’t either.”

Superboy rolls his eyes. “Oh yeah, so I should just assume everyone I meet has a bajillion secret brothers and sisters?”

“Well clearly it would have worked out in your favor in this instance if you had, now wouldn’t it?”

“Assuming of course that you can trust what has been said or implied here today and I am actually related to any of those numbskulls. Which I am not actually admitting to,” Robin tacks on hastily.

Superboy eyes him dubiously. “You joined in the same creepy chant all the others did and then got super self-conscious and looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Which uh. I did.”

“First off, your interpretation of body language is abyssmal. I do not get self-conscious,” Robin says with a delivery that probably could have benefited from being a little less self-conscious. “And second....that proves nothing. I guessed what they were going to say.”

“Word for word,” Superboy says super-skeptically.

“I’m very good at guessing things. You know this.”

“Okay. Guess how much I believe you right now then.”

Robin glares and folds his arms grumpily across his chest. 

“And what was that anyway? Was that like....you guys’ family motto or something like that?”

“Oh no,” Spoiler pipes up. “That’s much shorter.”

Superboy balks at that. “Wait, you guys actually have one of those for real?”

“Yup,” Steph says, counting out the words with her fingers. “He who laughs last....probably works for the Joker. So tranq him just to be safe. See? Only sixteen words. The first rule of Living While Batty is way longer, and what we said was just the abridged version. You should hear the original, before Black Bat put her foot down and refused to memorize it unless sizable edits were made.”

Superboy hovers between her and Robin now, both in mid-air and on the verge of taking Spoiler’s words as an invitation to hear just that. A low growl arises from Robin’s direction.

“Must you?” He asks the older vigilante, with a most put upon expression.

She looks at him pityingly. “Do you actually need me to answer that? Like, we’ve met, right? Hi, I’m Spoiler.”

“Wait, so Robin said that I just never specifically asked him if he had a bajillion brothers and sisters, and that’s why he didn’t tell me, so that means he wouldn’t have just lied and there’s not some code of secrecy that flat out forbids telling other people stuff, right?” Superboy realizes excitedly.

“Yes, excellent direction. Go on,” Spoiler says, steepling her fingers. Robin buries his face in the palm of one hand.

“Soooo, what other stuff could you tell me about Robin’s super top secret family that I wouldn’t think to ask about but that he would tell me about if I knew what questions to ask?”

She claps once, lightly but with emphasis. “Well done. You’ve passed the first barrier. Untold secrets await you behind just a few more.”

“I’ll get you for this,” Robin vows calmly. She waves a hand at him.

“Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you do it before January 1st, remember? You’ve promised retribution like ten times already this year and those don’t roll over, y’know. Rules are rules.”

“Enough!” Thunders a voice then, from the front of the room. Well one of the fronts anyway. Like sides, it has a lot of them, but this is the one where Batman’s standing. All eyes snap to him. Which is kinda just what eyes do when Batman says stuff like that. Its like his superpower, except he doesn’t actually have superpowers, which is what makes it scary. But where the snapping of the eyes (directional) is usually followed by Batman saying something else besides just “hey look at me,” here he pauses in the wake of his own call to attention’s waning reverberations. Uncharacteristically silent.

Not that, y’know, he’s normally Mr. Talkity Talk, but usually his silences feel like he has the words to fill them, he’s just withholding them. This though, this feels more like he doesn’t have any words at all. And he’s as confused by it as any of them, and most everyone else is confused by Batman being confused, and its this whole trickle down economy of confusion and its wrecking havoc on the value of the golden silence standard.

Of course, not everyone present is rendered spellbound with confusion.

“C’mon B,” Nightwing cajoles, leaning forward and practically radiating delight. “I think you know what you have to do now. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Its not likely to come around again.”

Red Hood snickers beneath his helmet and chimes in. “Yeah Pops, go ahead. You do this and you’ll actually have my respect for a whole twenty four hours. No, wait. Sixteen. No! Eight. Yeah, eight. Still a good deal.”

“Carpe diem, B,” Red Robin grins, leaning back as if to enjoy the show.

“Hey! Infringe on my trademark one more time, dude,” Signal throws a faux-glare at the former. Red Robin just quirks an eyebrow.

“And what, you’ll start saying Yum every time you eat a burger? Oh no. I’m hoist by my own petard.”

Signal flips him off with a grin and then redirects his attention back to Batman. “Yeah seriously though B, you kinda gotta do it now. Because if you don’t do it, then you’ll forever be the guy who didn’t do it, and you don’t want to be that guy, do you?”

“Yeah you really don’t want to be that guy,” Spoiler shouts out. “Nobody likes that guy. He’s the worst.”

“Do it, do it,” Black Bat starts chanting beside her, steadily picking up speed and volume. Several others start joining in. Even Robin appears to be slightly anticipatory, albeit trying very hard to hide it.

Batman sighs, and somehow everyone manages to hear it. Stills. Waits for....something? Nobody but them seems to have any clue what, but the air is thick and heavy with portentiousness. Something is about to happen, and all most of the heroes present could say for sure is it was something they never would have in a million years seen coming.

Finally, Batman straightens with the resigned air of a man about to have oh so many regrets. He crosses his arms, shakes his head, and in an absolute deadpan monotone, says:

“You are awful children. You know you’re killing me. You’re killing your father.”