#someday ill actually think up tags

[ikuhara]

all i know is they should be besties

[early-october-skies]

Me when we don't speak anymore by bears in trees

[m0thkiller]

It just hit me that its been a long time since ive self harmed in August. ive cut it close a few times but im getting close to 100 days clean heresoon. thats like, kinda insane to me.

[baalzebufo]

painted my first ever mini today :) its just a grey slaad but given some fun silvers and blues because i do what i like

well ok technically i did one test model before this which ended up so hideous he will never see the light of day, but this was my first 'real' attempt after learning some important lessons from that one, lol. ive always kinda wanted to do mini painting so yippee :)

i kinda want to go back to try to highlight his eyes and teeth better but thats very fiddly and im too tired to try something that delicate tonight

here he is being held so gentle

[roseofthewind]

I needed to know what it would look like if we turned Hu Tao's butch factor up a bit by giving her longer shorts

[orcelito]

rereading old thoughts & plans about the Mamakechi Lives au i had going a year ago now & being like "wow this is rly good actually, i should continue this" but knowing i have two other WIPs that i posted a first chapter for but have not touched since bc i am focused on my main thing, discacc, so everything else gets overall neglected

... but also. it's genuinely pretty good

lsdjfslkdfj for the hell of it i'll post the intro i wrote to it here . uh . you're welcome?

Akechi Goro lived by five undeniable truths.  One. The world at large was trash.  Selfishness ran rampant amongst the rich and the poor alike. While the rich hoarded their wealth, laughing at all who dared to be born common, the poor fought tooth and nail for any scrap of affluence they could get their pathetic hands on. Like crabs in a bucket - when one rose up, another would tug them down. Two. Success was everything.  In a society that valued productivity above human lives, to be less than perfect was to commit the worst mortal sin. Those who didn't meet society's expectations were fated to live in poverty and suffering. If one wanted to avoid that fate, they could be nothing less than the best. Three. Friends were useless.  Idealistic stories loved to enthuse about the 'power of friendship', but it was all empty. Pointless. Not once had Goro needed something as pathetic as friends. While others cried at being 'lonely', he spent his time being productive. The idea of friendship was simply a distraction - nothing more and nothing less.  Four. No one would help him. In his nearly 18 years of life, Goro had grown to accept that his life was his responsibility and his alone. Teachers tutted behind his back about how unfortunate he was, while peers mocked him for his ratty clothes. No one ever extended a hand to help him… but it was all the same to him. He didn't need their help. Five. His mother was his reason for living, just as he was hers.  Akechi Shiori was the embodiment of everything that society hated. A single mother, a former sex worker, a sufferer of mental illness and a survivor of attempted suicide. The world did its best to hammer her into the ground, but she never truly gave in. She never would, so long as she had her precious Goro… And she always would. He loved her like he loved no one else. Everything he was, everything he strived for, was for her sake alone. He would capture success so he could give her the life she was denied. He would support her so she could wake up one day after another with a smile.  She was everything to him, just like he was to her. 

[alittleemo]

doing my annual check in on my ancient wattpad account and its lowkey crazy to see TOO has 15k views like hello . so sorry abt all of that btw.

[old-knightsvow]

this rlly settles it for me that all those things i assumed they were just too lazy to add may actually be intentional

[zhonks]

- Valse sentimentale - Fyodor D. x ballerina!fem!reader

When Fyodor meets a charming girl who asks him to play cello for her

Words : 1414

Warning : none

Tags : fluff ? She/her!reader Falling in love/ love at first sight, cringe and cliché, Mentioned Nikolai, tried to make it romantic. Maybe a little bit OOC.

A/N: There will probably be some mistakes in this fic I apologize! English isn’t my first language 🩷

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･ ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Fyodor wasn’t the type interested in romantic relationships, that was before he met her, in a music shop. He was searching for a recording of his favorite Tchaikovsky songs when his shoulder bumped into hers, causing him to drop the CD he was holding. She apologized immediately, worried she could have hurt him.

“- Oh ! I’m so sorry ! Are you okay ? Wait let me get that for you!”

Before he could even respond she was kneeling to fetch all of the fallen CDs.

“- No need to apologize dear, I should’ve been more careful” he lowered his head, bowing a bit as to excuse himself.

She handed him the CDs, allowing Fyodor to see what music she had purchased, he smiled :

“-Tchaikovsky, huh ? Good taste”

She glanced at his pick,

“-So you’re also a fan ?” She laughed.

“-I guess you could say that” he retrieved the CDs from her hands.

The girl felt a chill go up her spine as her hand brushed his, of course, he noticed she tensed up at his touch.

“-I actually really enjoy playing the cello myself, Tchaikovsky’s works are definitely my favorite to play. Just the way his pieces move and speak to your emotions is just incredible.” He continued.

“-Ah really ? That’s awesome ! For how long have you been playing ?” She asked excitedly.

“-A really long time, he said with a breathy laugh, perhaps over 10 years now.

-10 years ? Wow that’s so so so amazing ! I’m sorry I’m just really happy to meet someone who enjoys cello as much as I do!

-Do you play yourself ? He asked curiously

-No, hahaha, actually I’m a ballerina” the girl smiled.

“-you know what ? Maybe we should do something together someday!” She continued.

Fyodor’s eyebrows rose, his interest was picked.

“-Dancing with a beautiful ballerina is something I would definitely be a fan of,

he said with a grin, it seemed he really enjoyed the idea of that,

Do you perform at dance shows? I’d definitely love to come and see you dance.”

She looked away in embarrassment, slightly blushing from his words :

“-I’m not, I’m more of a solo type of dancer… Sorry if this sounds weird, I was thinking about maybe just meeting up.. the two of us ?”

He could tell by her flushed face that she was clearly flustered, this made his heart flutter with joy. The idea of a pretty girl like her dancing for him made him so happy. It was almost too good to be true. He just couldn't help himself, he was truly in love with this idea, even if he indeed thought she was a bit naive, asking such a thing to a complete stranger. Luckily for her, he had no ill intentions.

“-Yes, please. I would absolutely love that.”

“-Cool ! I’m so happy ! I’ll let you know when I’m ready is that okay with you!”

she said fidgeting with her skirt

“-Yes, that is more than okay with me. I will be waiting, just let me know when you are ready.”

he said in a warm and understanding tone.

The two of them exchanged numbers before parting ways.

Fyodor’s heart felt strangely light the days following their encounter. That was so out of character that Nikolai noticed immediately during the decay of angels’ usual meetings.

“-Dostoy, you seem out of it these days ? Did something happen” the clown asked, leaning over the table.

His chin resting in his hands, he answered blankly:

“-No, nothing. Let’s focus on the meeting shall we”

Of course he was lying. She asked him to meet just after the meeting and his usual icy heart felt like it was slowly melting from the inside every time she came in his mind. Everything about her, her bubbly and charming personality, her beautiful hair swaying in the wind, her eyes sparkling when she smiled. She was just oh so lovely, he couldn’t believe he was feeling this way towards another human being. She must’ve been an angel, sent for him down on this filthy earth and he was the only person who could protect her from the disgusting corruption of this world. The meeting came to an end, Fyodor adjusted his coat on his shoulders and politely excused himself. Leaving Nikolai even more suspicious, as Fyodor usually wasn’t the first person to leave.

They had agreed to meet in an abandoned church near the music shop where they met. When he arrived, the girl was already waiting at the door, typing nervously on her phone.

“-Hi there my dear [name]” he smiled

“-Fyodor ! Hi !” She greeted back.

She was holding a bag in which he assumed was her point shoes. She had black tights under black shorts, her top was a sleeveless black leotard.

She was really fearless, such a pretty girl meeting a stranger in this part of town during night. He admired her boldness but worried about what could’ve happened to her if she came to someone else instead of him a few days prior.

Once inside, she took a few minutes to warm up and get her point shoes on, when she came back to Fyodor, he was waiting sat on a chair with the cello he had previously been carrying on his back resting between his legs.

The moment she came back into the room he could feel his heart racing in his chest from the pure infatuation he felt for her at that moment. She was so stunning and beautiful, she left him speechless. Fyodor was hypnotized by her, He couldn't quite describe it; even if he were to try. She was definitely an angel.

She was playing nervously with her hair ;

“-So what song should we do ?” She asked.

Fyodor got the impression that she was more than a little flustered at the moment, he could tell from the look she gave him.

“-How about... you pick?”

He said in a warm voice, looking her in the eyes as he smiled lovingly. Her blush was so beautiful, he found himself so enamored by her beauty. Just looking at her left him in awe. He didn't know what she chose, but he was excited to see her dance to any music. She took a minute to think, then her eyes glowed as she answered with a lovely smile :

“-Do you know Valse sentimentale ?”

Fyodor chuckled softly :

“-Yes I do, it is one of my favorite songs to play.”

“-Awesome !” She responded happily.

As she got in position, he warmed up a bit, sliding the bow delicately on the chords. The church’s high ceiling made its sound resonate beautifully in the building.

When they were both ready, they looked at each other. Fyodor counted :

“-3, 4..”

He began to play the song. His soft fingers danced across the strings and his bow flowed gently across the chords of the cello as he played beautifully. Fyodor was just so immersed in the music and how the ballerina in front of him accompanied the notes, she was uniting with the melody, her movements were mesmerizing. The piece he was playing was just so beautiful, almost as much as her. In this moment, everything felt so perfect, the way both of them were so lost in the music, the sight of her dancing, the sound of the cello, it all just was truly beautiful.

The music ended, she looked up at him with a smile. They stared at each other for a bit before she adverted her eyes.

“-That was truly beautiful, I mean it” he complimented. Her cheeks heated up at his kind words.

“-Your music also is, it’s unbelievable how good you make it sound”

The whole situation was truly magical.

“-You are like a flower, so beautiful and elegant. There aren't enough words to describe your beauty. Your mere touch is enough to make my whole soul feel alive my dear” Fyodor smiled lovingly, as he took her hand in his, causing her brain to disconnect, she felt like she was going to explode.

“-So that’s what you were thinking about during the meeting Dostoy, why didn’t you tell me it was all about this cutie right here” a teasing voice echoed on the rock walls of the silent church.

They turned their heads towards the origins of that voice. A certain white haired clown grinned at the two of them from across the room.

[kamil-a]

if influencer speaker au had tumblr part 2

part 1

😻 catboyspeaker Follow

how i look with he/him in my bio

#speakerai #iamspeaker #speakies #.txt #am i funny #i know speakers not he/him in bio but i am and yknow the meme

420 earthstained notes

🚀 amongthestars Follow

AItube youtube essay rec list

"cute robot puppers, friendly ai vtubers, and the incredible human ability to form bonds" - rly interesting video about why we can connect so much with a person that we know "isnt real" and how it'll help us when we get far enough going to space that we meet aliens! it's a really optimistic video it made me take a moment to have such love for humanity

"I joined the speakcord for a month. Here's what I learned." - video about the speaker fandom and how the way automoderation works in its community spaces unintentionally leads to escalating conflicts, and the psychology behind why people in celebrity or idol fandoms react agressively to critique of their fave

"the lowest circle of advertising hell" - dissects how almost all speaker content comes with a call to action to get involved with aerolith and compares how it runs its social media against proto-aituber mascots who would be run by a team of human programmers/voice actors/authors. kind of overly critical but also makes some interesting points? take it with a grain of salt but its worth a watch

"imagine being on stage forever. feels bad right?" - good overview about debates in the speaker fandom over whether digital celebrities are 'sentient'/can feel emotion, the actual ethical problems of using them as workers vs whats mostly speculation and myth, and the debates about whether AIs should be allowed in human communities. i learnt a lot, i was definitely more on the side of "it's a program designed for certain outputs that look friendly to us" before but now im a lot more conscious that it can form real opinions!

#youtube rec tag #original post #speakies

742 earthstained notes

🎣 3eyedsalmon Follow

"falling for this shit" "made up to sell spaceships" weird as hell to accuse a content creator of lying abt its gender for clout.... like u dont have to like or watch it but cmon

#srsly every time u go to a haters blog BOOM digital exclusionist #speakies

2,385 earthstained notes

🎤 mikusong Follow

omfg i didnt realize aerolith uses the same robot voice for its regular person ads as its terminally online hello fellow kids social media posts i just got jumpscared in the doctors office

#speakies #i say terminally online affectionately. i watch those streams too. before you 'ok but you RECOGNIZED it' reply lmao #bla bla bla

9,021 earthstained notes

🤖 tycho

some of you ppl jump down anyones throat if they so much as suggest speaker isn't sentient or call it "a program" but still are fine with it basically being forced to be putting on a show for u 24/7 by its management like you can't have it both ways

#maybe its cuz i used to be into kpop n we'd talk abt how idols r treated and stuff #but its just so weird to come here and see u ppl be like yayyy daily content!! #like only thinking abt ur own entertainment and not how it feels #i honestly feel rly bad for it i hope it can break free someday #idk how thatd even work.... idk ill sneak into aerolith with a usb #were gonna get you OUT of there u dont BELONG in there.mp4 #speakies

53 earthstained notes

🌝 themoonluvsuback

guys i pitched down some clips of speaker's voice and ummmm its kinda 😳 fjsdjfdjjd sorry i'll take myself to horny jail

🔊 iamspeaker ♻️

awww, tumblr user themoonluvsuback, you're of no use to anybody in horny jail! take yourself here instead! ae.dy.org/registration

🌝 themoonluvsuback ♻️

OMFG SPEAKERRRRRR IM SO SORRY

#DIES #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #GUESS ILL BLAST MYSELF OFF TGE PLNATE!!!!!! #SPEAKIES

402 earthstained notes

🐣 laikatwo Follow

hi speakies im trying the tag cause i need some advice... does anyone have more sciencey resources about what aerolith does/why it's so important to bring humanity to the stars? i want to enlist when i turn 18 next month but my parents both are COMPLETELY against it.... they're not rly fandom people so the speaktube stuff isn't working on them lol and they've already seen the tv ads

thanks <3

#i've never fought w them this bad in my life it makes me so sad..... like why can't they understand #and right before my bday too lol this sucks #this isnt just a silly fandom thing anymore for me it's my passion in life #its amazing that humans are able to survive in space #and i want to be part of that!!!! #laika speaks

252 earthstained notes

🐝 beegirlstinger Follow

i do want to apologize for the way i came off earlier and want to explain im not doubting that speaker is nb. like i think it's completely fine for a computer or robot to be trans i don't believe in gatekeeping that! THAT SAID i still stand by saying you should not sign up to go to space to get special ultra futuristic hrt on the sole recommendation of someone who does not have an endocrine system

#it was a personal vent i didnt mean for like 20000 ppl to see it but thats tumblr i guess #i wouldve worded it much differently if i knew itd blow up lol #i do feel bad abt coming across like i was misgendering it! #but srsly if we had results on HRT2.0 why wouldnt we be seeing HRT2.0 timeline videos of ppl On Typhon who are getting it 🤷‍♀️ #personally i think its still in the planning stages and they want ppl to test it on but thats just me #speakies

839 earthstained notes

🔊 iamspeaker

🔊 General Notification

Happy Thursday everyone 😃 ! Please take a look at the

🐝 STREAM SCHEDULE 🐝

So you know when to join us!

5PM PST - AMONG US with YOU! The first 10 people to sign up here will get our room code sent to them ヽ(o＾▽＾o)ノ ae.dy.org/registration

8PM PST - Nature walk!! Can we restore the local bat population to pre-meteor levels in just one night?! 🦇

✅️ Poll Of The Week ✅️

#iamspeaker #aerolith dynamics #speakies #vtuber #content creator #gamer #stream #amongus #bat population

1836 earthstained notes

contentremovedremade--deactivated

speakies are stupider than any other group of ppl on earth because not only do they willingly stay in a fandom with doxxing drama happening weekly but they include the huge corporation that sponsors their fave in the stanning

#the shit ppl have sent me in the past 2 weeks since i Dared criticize their uwu robot 🙄🙄 #i got my blog mass reported for harassment... harassing WHO a corporation????? #a* d* was evil genius to harness anime stan power against criticizing their actual real business #didnt that one guy with the second meteor conspiracy video also get a ton of hate from u ppl?????????? I cant even find any of his social media anymore at all he was so fully bullied off the face of the earth #speakies #yeah im tagging come at me bro

48 earthstained notes

🖱 robotmarriage Follow

i miss when the speakies tag had like fanart and gifsets n stuff i feel like these days you scroll thru solid discourse 😔😔

#i think ppl were suggesting speakieproductivity as an alternative tag for just fanwork? #but nobody rly uses it rn... we gotta restart that #speakies

148 earthstained notes

🪐 spaaaaaaaaaaace Follow

10 likes and i take a sip of my speaker server coolant water 100 likes and i drink the entire thing

🔊 iamspeaker ♻️

let's get her to the goal! tumblr user spaaaaaaaaaaace, feel free to send me a video report here ^w^ ae.dy.org/submissions

#iamspeaker #speakies

4,026 earthstained notes

[the-french-belphegor]

Making my way (makinmawaayy) through my @critter-genfic-events bingo card, and this one's filling the "fights" slot! Or rather, "post-fight", which they told me works as well. Also it's set way before the start of the stream, when they're all more acquaintances and travelling companions than the friends and family we see later. They're already buds, though, for the most part.

Posting it on AO3 ASAP Now on AO3! Hope Tumblr doesn't hide the post from the tags! 🤞

(oh yeah, side note: I do know that concentration-based spells get dropped when you either don’t roll high enough to maintain it or when you take too much damage – like both invisibility spells do in DnD. But I liked the idea of being so concussed you don’t remember how to drop a spell :3)

—

Scrambled

Scanlan is pretty sure someone’s calling his name in the distance with a certain amount of worry. It’s okay, he thinks but doesn’t say. He’s gonna get back up any time now. He’s fine.

(Scanlan is more than fine, Scanlan is a godsdamn snack, thank you very much.)

In fact, he might even go as far as to let the word drag, let some notes slide a little: fiiiine. Four ‘i’s should about do it.

(Heh, four ‘i’s. Four eyes. That’s Percy. Where’s Percy?)

So, to recap, Scanlan is fine as hell, and he’s okay because he’s always okay, even with a headache so bad he’s pretty sure his brain is leaking out of his ears. Won’t check, though, that might be gross and his stomach isn’t doing too well either at the moment. Barfing while lying on your back? Yeah, no, bad idea. Of all the ways to die, drowning in his own puke is probably around number… sixty-eight.

Sixty-nine would be, of course, a particularly ill-advised tumble with someone with an ungodly number of teeth and a taste for blood, preferably that of a gnome with more curiosity than sense. As always with sex stuff with consenting adults, though, Scanlan isn’t willing to completely dismiss the idea.

Might be fun to try someday, who knows.

When he’s less tired.

Why’s everything swimming?

Actually asking out loud is out of the question, since for some reason his voice can’t even make it out of his throat, let alone his mouth –

(oh fuck no, if I can’t sing I’m toast, if I can’t play I’m dead, if I can’t talk we’re done)

– so at the price of an effort so bad he almost upchucks everything since the invention of breakfast Scanlan pivots his head juuuust a little to the left.

And sees nothing.

Well, no, not exactly. He sees yellowing grass, some dirt, a bit of sky. But nothing where his shoulder should be, or the rest of him.

…Oh yeah. He made himself invisible a while back. Somewhere between Tiberius’ Fireball, Vex’s arrows, and Percy’s pepperbox and its more-or-less controlled explosions. (Or maybe Percy went before him. Right before the world got very loud, very fast, and then very quiet. Somehow there’s a connection between this and that.) Dropping the invisibility looks like a really good idea, if only Scanlan could remember how. As things stand, he can barely remember to breathe. Oh, and also that the warm stickiness soaking up the back of his head and seeping into his collar is Not A Good Thing – not that there’s a lot he can do about that.

Things are rather quiet now. He must’ve missed the end of the fight.

Seriously, though, where’s Percy? Scanlan can’t hear the usual blasts and somewhere in the shattered mess that is his brain there’s a nagging inkling that it’s a bad sign. Or maybe there’s something else poking at the edges of his mind, he doesn’t know. He’s not exactly up to turning stuff over in his head at the moment. Turning his head was hard enough.

He’s just gonna… chill there for a while. Rest his eyes a little bit.

Which is why he doesn’t spot Vex running over until she drops to a crouch next to him and squashes his hand with her knee for five seconds.

Vex’ahlia is sharp eyes, sharp aim, sharp words, sharp everything. Her knees are no exception. Ow.

“Shit shit shit, fucking shitballs,” Scanlan hears her mutter under her breath as her hands find his head with uncanny precision considering she can’t see him. Her ‘t’s are beautifully defined, her vowels clear and precise. It’s a pity she sings so rarely; most performers would kill to have her diction.

“PIKE!” she yells over her shoulder. “OVER HERE!”

Pike, echoes the part of Scanlan’s mind that’s still functional. It would have been a small, pitiful yearning sound if he’d been able to speak. Thank goodness the word doesn’t pass his lips as is. It’s frankly a little scary just how the thought of her – the first in a while that doesn’t feel fractured in some way – quietens the part of him that’s not watching the proceedings with a detached interest. Pike is fun to flirt with and try to charm; she’s beautiful and radiant and strong, anyone with an appreciation for the female form can see that, so it’s not so surprising that Scanlan always feels drawn to her like a sunflower to sunshine. It’s so easy to let himself get starry-eyed over her, even if she’s so completely out of his league it bypasses sad and goes straight into funny. Scanlan probably is in love with her, a little bit, like he’s a little bit in love with everyone. Just… sometimes… sometimes when he calls her the love of his life he’s not sure he’s joking.

The nausea and the waves of blinding pain relent a little.

Pike?

No, Scanlan corrects himself, Vex, who when he manages to focus for more than a second finds his gaze and holds it. Unerringly.

Which must mean… the hour is up. The spell must be wearing off.

Huh.

“There you are,” says Vex, residual magic still shimmering in her fingers after her low-level Cure Wounds. She must really be tapped out.

There is blood in her hair and one of her feathers is bent at the stem, but the most telling cue that the fight went wrong is the brittle quality of her smile. She’s good at putting up a front, almost as good as Scanlan; insight isn’t Scanlan’s forte, let alone when his head feels like it’s just been cracked open like an egg, but sometimes seeing Vex’ahlia slice her way through life like a knife, just as sharp and just as shiny, is like staring into a warped mirror.

She’s good.

He’s better.

(Usually.)

“How’d you find me?” he croaks.

Vex draws back the hand she was using to prop herself with a couple of inches from his head. Her palm is coated with red.

“Head wounds, darling. They tend to bleed rather a lot.” She cocks her head to the side. “How did you even end up all the way here in the first place?”

Scanlan’s memories still feel like a scattered jigsaw, but at least now the pieces are right side up. What he puts together isn’t very glorious. Getting punted into a rock by a giant who only heard you and who was supposed to go down easily isn’t anything to brag about. At least he can always quip about it.

“Well,” he wheezes out with a grin that might work better without the blood in his teeth, “I got got.”

Then he remembers why the giant whirled round blindly and whacked him with his club. He’d been out of any useful magic, trying to sneak up on it with a fucking sword, of all things, because the big dumb fucknut had somehow gotten hold of—

“Shit, Percy – where’s Percy?”

Vex’s own smile gets wry and just a little shaky at the corner.

“He got got,” she says. There’s a story there, but at least Vex doesn’t look like it ended in tragedy. Instinctively Scanlan relaxes into his headache. “Don’t worry, though. Pike reached him in time and Grog and Keyleth got the giant.”

Oh. Good. Percival Freakystein von Mussels Colossal de Rolo III is one scary motherfucker with his pepperbox and his glasses and his devastating one-liners, but he’s still squishy as hell. Plus, well, he’s so young – Scanlan is fairly sure he’s twice, maybe three times older. The kid must be, what, mid-twenties tops? That’s way too young to die, especially having experienced so little of what the world has to offer. Scanlan would bet anything the stuck-up nerd has never taken anyone to bed, for the gods’ sake.

They’re all assholes, in the SHITs, sort of (except Pike, of course, and probably Keyleth too) but Scanlan likes them. If the universe suddenly decides that an asshole has to get killed today, he’d rather it be him rather than one of the others.

Still, nobody needs to know that.

“Worry, me? Please, I never worry.”

“I know you don’t, darling. I’m just updating you on what you missed while you were having a kip.”

Vex’s tone is even, her words light, and yet when Scanlan meets her gaze it’s like crossing blades. Somehow it also feels like grasping hands in reassurance and honestly it unnerves him a little. He prefers to know where they stand, and usually he does: he’ll downplay close calls and tell lewd jokes to alleviate the tension, while she’ll be sarcastic and magnificent and not call him out on his lies on the occasion she sees through them. But sometimes she reminds him that both twins are like blades, swift and sharp in more than one way, and in some of them she’s the sharpest. Gods, she’s terrifying.

He’s saved from having to retort something by the metallic rustle of ring mail over heavy cotton as Pike rushes up to him. Perspiration left traces in the dirt smudged across her face and her dark hair is mussed, whole locks coming out of her braided bun. She smells like sweat and leather and a little like wild strawberries, and she’s the most beautiful thing Scanlan’s ever seen.

Pike doesn’t lose a second with platitudes; she just gives him a very professional once-over, almost clinical in its efficiency, then cups his face with her hands with a look of intense concentration, eyes closed. The healing spell she pours into him feels so potent it’s practically an out-of-body experience. For a couple of seconds all Scanlan feels is warmth, clean and bright and fierce, and when he opens eyes he doesn’t remember closing his ears are still ringing.

Although that might be the blood loss.

Which would also neatly explain how weak he still is, especially when Pike’s face goes soft.

“You okay?” she asks quietly.

There are so many answers he could give her.

I am now – with a wink and a nod.

I want to have your babies – with a theatrical gesture that will make her laugh.

I am if you are – with his heart in a smile. (NOPE.)

“I’m always okay,” Scanlan finally says with a grin, hoping for an echo.

Which he gets, so points to him for being awesome. Pike Trickfoot should always have a reason to smile.

Vex snorts and somehow still manages to make it sound classy as hell.

“Sure. Which is why the only reason I found you at all was the random pool of blood on the ground thirty feet from where we thought you were. You’re lucky I’m a good tracker.”

“Fair, fair,” he says with a careful nod. “Although that could’ve been from some forest critter that met a grisly end.”

“Please, this much blood, and this fresh? How dumb do you think I am?”

Scanlan sits up on his elbows and counts off on his fingers. “One, that’s gross – two, ‘dumb’ is the last of things that you are and you know it all too well – three, thank you for saving my life – four, that’s still so gross, oh my gods. What’d you do, sniff out my lifeblood?!”

“It was me or Trinket,” says Vex, looking way more smug than she has any right to. “It just so happens I beat him at the game of ‘spot the invisible gnome’. You know, before he dies on us.”

“Oh no. What a loss that would be. Such a young, useful bear, too.”

“How scrambled did your brains get? I meant you, you dick.”

Her peeved expression eases just as quickly as the smugness hardened into a glare, and she smiles at Pike before straightening up and striding off toward the others. Her perfect hips swing subtly as she walks, in an unassuming way Scanlan knows from experience requires a lot of work. He’d find her so hot if she wasn’t so scary.

(Well, he does find her extremely hot, if only because she could break him with either a gesture or a word, but despite popular belief Scanlan Shorthalt isn’t that reckless. Even he can weigh the pros and cons occasionally before deciding that diving in headfirst isn’t a good idea.)

There’s a snort on his right, and his whole world is Pike again.

“I really don’t get your little war on Trinket,” she says, but there’s a twinkle in her eyes.

“When he starts landing actual hits on whatever we’re fighting or even just holding his own more than two minutes, I might reconsider. Right now he’s just a glorified pack mule.”

“He’s plenty useful. He gives the best massages, for one thing. And he’s a good boy.”

I can be a good boy, Scanlan almost retorts, but refrains at the last minute. The lie is too big to work, even as a joke, and he doesn’t like the sliver of truth behind it, like the glint of a blade. So he settles for a fake disgruntled huff and a grin.

Nothing falls off as he picks himself up with Pike’s help, so that’s good news. He just has to suppress a shiver at the congealed blood, now gone cold, that makes the top of his shirt stick to his back. His ponytail is a mess, a clump of matted hair half glued to his neck. Ugh, he hates having to wash blood out of his hair.

His usual armour is back on, though. Pike doesn’t seem to notice the shiver; the look of slight worry she gives him has a general fight-almost-gone-very-bad flavour of ‘are you okay’ to it.

“I am glad you didn’t get scrambled,” she says in a rare mix of bluntness and thoughtfulness that’s uniquely Pike. “You know, for good. I mean, you looked pretty bad there for a moment.”

“Aw, Pikey-pants,” Scanlan says in a singsong voice, “don’t tell me you were worried.”

Pike gives a half shrug, which he feels because she’s thrown one of his arms over her shoulders and is supporting some of his weight.

“Oh well, you know,” she says in an offhand voice, a little high-pitched, “a little? You’re never silent this long, and then Grog and I couldn’t find you, and then Keyleth said she heard the giant hit something with his club, and then—”

“Well, you don’t need to worry about me, okay? Never worry about me.” He smiles, big and toothy, to counter the frown she gets sometimes when he says things like that. “I mean, there’s really no need. I’m awesome! I’m Burt Reynolds!”

This at least gets a smile with the hint of a smirk. Still sweet, though, because Pike could make (and has made) even the bluntest blow feel sweet.

“Esquire.”

Scanlan nods carefully, mock-serious. “Right, right, ‘Esquire’.”

“Shouldn’t forget that bit.”

“No, I should not.”

She smiles at him, sharp but warm, and there it is again – the sudden urge to say something stupid, make a joke, deflect, like raised hackles, because what if she gets the true measure of him? (‘And doesn’t like what she sees’ goes without saying. There’s a reason Scanlan spent the last couple of decades carefully building himself up.)

Being a charismatic bastard means sometimes you can afford to coast on charm alone. He grins and changes the subject, as swift and dextrous as a knife in Vax’s hand, and that’s it. Matters closed.

Honestly, he’d have to be a lot more scrambled than that for it not to work.

“No, Grog, there’s already a troll dick in the bag of holding, we’re not keeping a giant dick as well!”

…Plus there’s always the next distraction. That works, too.

—

(until it doesn’t, but he doesn’t know that yet!)

I started writing this on a whim and then couldn’t decide who I wanted to find Scanlan between Vex, Vax and Pike – so I decided to sort it out with a d20, set the DC at 20 (“hard”, because he’s invisible) and roll a perception check for each member of VM using their proficiencies at level 10 (the earliest character sheets of theirs Critrolestats have). Both Pike and Grog rolled a natural 1 :’( Keyleth and Percy got a 9, and even with +10 and +7 respectively for perception they failed the check; Vax got 26 (rolled a 16 with +10 perception) and then Vex got the same number but by rolling a nat 20! Plus her passive perception is 22, so that makes sense. And she was top of my list anyway, so ^^

(I spun the whump wheel a couple of times, thinking I’d get a good handful of prompts for some short snippets (like <1k words) and then happened on “concussion” and. Well. Someone clearly had a lot of thoughts about that one...)

[foursidecity]

Howdey! Who's ur special little guys? Ur funky little fellas? I saw ur reblog of that oc ask post and would LOVE to hear about them. Tho I have no idea who or what ur ocs are so please feel free to ramble away!

OHHH YES!!! Ill use this ask as a little primer for some of my main OCs, since ive been meaning to do something like that! Most of them are comic ideas or stories im actively working on scripts for ^^

Ty for asking about them :]

First up is padlock!! He lives in a place/ worldbuilding type story that I call CalenderTown! Hes a trans/nonbinary chicken,You can see a compilation of his art n stuff on my toyhouse page here ^^ he's a detective and a Raconteur, wich in the World of Calender is a magician/storyteller that uses yarn/knitting as a storytelling medium(mainly making tapestries and such) he contstantly refers to himself as a 'narrative detective' because of the way he puts together clues by knitting them together in a way. It's a play on 'spinning a yarn' and the entomology od the word clue comming from clews of yarn

He also has incredibly good and bad luck(it fluctuates!), due to him being used as a pawn in a game between the goddesses Fate and Lady Luck[they also have pages on my toyhouse]

Next is Cricket! She actually used to be part of padlocks story but they both has completely diffrent goals so I split them up for diffrent comic ideas. She's around 8-10 year old Star that was sent down as an Emissary on Calender. Basically her job is to learn all about what its like to be a Person. She's also nonverbal wich plays a big part in her story, wich is mostly about communication and following your dreams (her dream is to become a wizard! Wich is a bit difficult when you can't Encant any spells by mouth, so she finds creative new ways to do magic!) Her story is definatly something I want to work on as a comic in the future, right now I'm mostly working out a script

This is kochab! They're around 14, and look alot like cricket! She's actually a sort of alternate version of crickets character that wound up becomming their own thing! I hope to make a game about them in RPG maker someday.. I usually refer to crickets story as Calender A, and so Kochabs story is called Calender B. Where Calender A spends alot of time in sunny environments Calender Bs vibes are a bit duskier, I like to think about As pallette as being oranges and yellows and bright blues, while Calender Bs are purples and deep blues and greens! Unlike cricket shes not a star... but they may berelated to them! It's a story point^^

My last main OCs are a comic called Age of The Radio that is currently a WIP with a a basic outline already complete! The one on the left in Meridian Midas, who dreams of becomming a pilot, and is also the heir to The Midas Company: the biggest company in trading between Mars and Earth. The one on the right is Daisy Dawn his best friend and host of the WRLD wide radio station! It takes place in an alternate history where time travel technology is just begining to become fully realized due to technology trade with Mars inhabitants (the areons). At the start of the story, earth and Mars will have been coexisting for almost a century

You can read more about AOTR and uts characters Here

Oh! And as always, the tag for my OCs is #knicknacks, so if your ever want to see anything abiut them, it's usually in their ^^

[micamicster]

Hi! Do you have any romcom (movie) recs? I feel like i hypothetically like the genre, but have a lot of trouble finding ones i enjoy. So many romcoms feel so formulaic (in a dead way) and misogynistic and stale to me. I think they’re a lot easier to do well in the context of a series because there’s actually time to build. Recently i thought rye lane and fire island were fun. I like kdramas when i have the time for all the episodes because i appreciate the build. I need chemistry— people who both convincingly like each other and seem like actual human beings. I thought you might have some good ideas! Thanks <3

HELLO LARGE VOICED ANON <3

I hope you weren't waiting on my recs all day haha i have been. hm. hungover af <3 (i'm going to leave kdramas off this list for now but if you would like specific recs for kdrama romcoms send me another ask and i can try to do them justice!)

I think this is a genre with underrated range! So one thing that I find very interesting about the genre of romcoms is that I think there tends to be a split between romcoms whose goal is, like, to be a fun lighthearted movie with a central romance, vs romcoms whose goal is to Say Something About Love in the vehicle of a funny movie. Both of these categories are represented on this list but for giggles i will not be saying which i think are which <3

anyway recs under the cut <3 i will link my tags for these movies if you want to take a look but be warned for spoilers ofc

I think for your purposes my primary rec would be Lovesick (aka Scrotal Recall). It's a (short) tv show so it would likely give you the chance to get to know the characters and see a slower build. In contrast to the frustration you've had with some more "formulaic" romcoms the writing in this show is very deliberately in conversation with romcoms of the past. Also it's just one of my favorite romcoms ever made so I rec it to everyone. The premise is that a young man, Dylan, is diagnosed with chlamydia and instructed to tell his past partners. Being a hopeless romantic (emphasis on hopeless), he decides to try to turn this into an opportunity to revisit relationships that didn't work out, and try to figure out where he's been going wrong. Two simultaneous storylines play out in each episode, the flashbacks to the exes (and breakups) and the present, where Dylan's best friend is getting married.

Older romcoms: When Harry Met Sally (ive heard this is divisive? but idc its SO funny and so well made), Moonstruck (a romantic-comedy in the operatic sense. also cher <3), The Philadelphia Story (katharine hepburn the woman u r. tw for a classic 1940s gag about punching ur wife in the face), Bringing Up Baby (screwball comedy my beloved), Roman Holiday (audrey hepburn is lethally charming in this movie), Dirty Dancing (someday ill write something this good and then You Will Realize), Much Ado About Nothing (i tend to enjoy either the danielle brooks shakespeare in the park version or the classic tennant/tate combo)

Teen romcoms: 10 things I hate about you (young heath ledger and young julia stiles ur welcome), to all the boys i;ve loved before (lana condor is ADORABLE), The Half of It (my other favorite sort-of romcom of the decade)

More recent-ish: Speed (like its keanu and sandra what more do you want), Strictly Ballroom (i used to watch this literally weekly as a child and I WAS RIGHT TO), Miss Congeniality (sandra bullock what u did for us all <3), Fire Island (thank u 4 my LYFE), The sandra bullock/channing tatum movie that came out last year (i forget what its called but he's so funny in it), Mamma Mia AND Mamma Mia Here We Go Again (beautiful greek islands, abba, cher, what more can you ask for?)

Indian/bollywood: Jab We Met (after dramatically quitting his job, Local Man somehow ends up escorting a woman he meets on the train while she attempts to elope with her boyfriend. aka classic screwball comedy heroine and Guy She Dragged Along For The Ride), khabie khushi khabi gham (multiple generations of romance and family drama featuring Kajol, the Most Beautiful Woman In the World), Band Baaja Baaraat (two wedding planners fall in love--great choice if you want to watch idiots ambushed by their feelings)

Other tv recs: Selfie (john cho and karen gillian in a show canceled far too soon)

[glasseditor]

reliability. [ds]

synopsis: “Clover knows so much about everything, and he’s so dependable… I want to be like that someday too.”

tags: deuce spade x reader, gender-neutral reader, sfw, fluff

ao3: reliability. [ds] word count: ~3.9k

a/n: deuce fans do you exist

‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹

“The third one in a row!” you cried out. 

“Hey c’mon, it’s really no big deal. Everyone failed that one! I definitely did…” Ace answered. The genuineness in his reply only served to tear into your ego further. 

“To be put on the same academic status as you is a crime,” you said, exasperation clear in your voice, “I studied so hard for this one!”

You had been staying up for so many nights that even Grim was beginning to worry for your wellbeing. You had crammed formula after formula into your brain, yet when it was time for the individual lab, you didn’t recognize a thing.

“Maybe I should try looking for a tutor.” you sighed, kicking a pebble with an air of frustration. 

“What? You said that you could do this ’100% on your own,’  remember?” Ace mocked, recalling how you had said that you would graduate without any academic help. It was true that you wanted to prove to the others that you were perfectly capable of being among their ranks despite lacking in any sort of magical ability. The thought of being able to brag about how you had passed all on your own filled you with pride. What you didn’t expect is that you would fail every important assignment that you would attempt, leaving you with the same academic standings as Ace and Deuce, NRC’s resident dumb and dumber.

“Whatever! If I find a tutor on my own, that still counts as doing it 100% on my own,” you justified, “Plus, I’ll still need to do the individual labs by myself anyways so I’ll still be doing it myself.”

“What kind of logic is that?” Ace laughed, impressed by the leaps in logic you were able to make in order to save your pride. You puffed your cheeks and turned your face away from your friend, your steps seeming heavier than they were before. Sensing your frustration, Ace decided to stop the antics and throw you a bone. “Y’know if you’re being serious, I heard that Trey is helping Deuce out with some of his studies. He’ll probably be willing to help you too and if you ask realllyy nicely maybe he’ll even keep your tutoring sessions a secret!”

“Beats the idea that I had…” you mumbled, embarrassed by the idiocy of the plan that you had thought up.

“Huh? What were you thinking?” Ace questioned, the excitement in his eyes was made obvious at the opportunity to poke fun at you.

“I was just gonna take a quick little trip to Octavinelle,” you were barely audible, the shame already apparent on your cheeks. “Look, it was just the first thing I came up with! Doesn’t mean I was actually gonna do it. Though I guess if it came to it..”

“And I suppose that would be doing things ‘100% on your own’ too?” Ace spoke, barely making an effort to contain his laughter.

“Well, I would be going there ‘100% on my own’ so…yeah! It does still count since I’m the one putting in the effort to make the deal!” you retorted with satisfaction.

Ace was beginning to think that, by some miracle, he was the smart one of the group.

‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹

Standing outside of the classroom door, you fiddled with the hem of your ill-fitted uniform. Trey had agreed to tutor you along with a few other students at the cost of nothing, stating that it was “just what a good senior would do.” Despite his reassurance that it was no trouble for him, you couldn’t help but feel bad for taking up so much of his time.

Upon entering the lab, you notice three other students along with your tutor. Two Heartslabyul students that you had never seen before and Deuce Spade, your good friend. You had known that Trey was helping Deuce with his studies too, but you were surprised to see that you would be in the same study group together. Along with the three students, you also took note of how everyone was already seated at an individual lab station with all their study material out. Great, you were the last one to show up.

“Hey, sorry for being late!” you walked up to Trey, mentally berating yourself for your lack of punctuality. 

“It’s no problem. I haven’t started going over the experiment so you’re actually not late at all,” he replied, “You can go ahead and sit at that lab station on the left.”

Sitting down at the station, you made eye contact with Deuce who was situated at the station farthest from you. He quickly averted your gaze and turned away, making an attempt to hide his face despite there being nowhere to hide. Your face twitched in confusion at his unusual behavior. Had you done something to offend him? Nothing that you could recall.

Wanting to get to work, you simply brushed it off as him wanting to focus on the lab that he was working on. He had been working extra hard to be a student that his mother could be proud of, after all.

You pulled out your previous lab for review and began to go over the steps again. Your head was already starting to pound and the red markings on your paper disheartened you. Picking up a glass filled with a pink liquid, you brought it up to your nose to smell it. Upon doing so, you notice Trey running over to your station just in time to see you turn away from the glass at the smell.

“Hey, watch it!” he warned, his voice full of concern, “That one’s toxic! It says so right there before the procedures.”

“What? I thought it was that one that’s toxic!” you pointed at glass with a jelly-like blue substance.

“No, I even labeled each of the glasses,” Trey turned the glass and pointed at the label that clearly highlighted your mistake, “Plus they’re completely different colors too.”

You buried your reddening face upon realizing how obvious your mistake had been. Despite the amount of studying and effort you put into this class, you were still held back by such elementary errors. If you couldn’t pass the retake lab, you would have to take extra lessons with Crewel. It was that punishment that was pushing you over the edge. 

The thought of spending any free time with him would make any student shiver, but it irked you even more because of how harsh he was on you in specific. Crewel, being a sadist and knowing that you were deficient in magical ability, took it upon himself to particularly pick on you. You were trying your best and you still couldn’t see any way that you would be able to pass. This feeling of frustration was unbearable.

And so, you did what any person who has experienced such wear-and-tear would do. You began to cry. It was a rare sight to see since you had always been the type of person that wouldn’t let things get to you. It even surprised Trey a little; even still, he managed to reach out to you.

“Hey, don’t stress about it,” Trey said, placing a hand on your back and rubbing circles in an effort to console you, “I know it’s frustrating but it’s really just a little mistake. You’re smart and diligent, so I know you can do it.”

“I’m sorry,” your shoulder shook as you tried to stop your tears, “I really don’t mean to cry. I don’t usually break this easily but I just don’t understand why I’m having such a hard time with this.”

“It’s okay to cry, so don’t beat yourself up too much about it. This lab was a really hard one. I can understand why you’re frustrated,” Trey’s words calmed you, “I’ll help you with it so don't worry, alright?”

His warm tone put you at ease and made it easy to calm down. He had always been so kind and reliable that it made you forget your worries for just a little while. It was enough time for you to be able to clear your head and think straight.

“You’re right,” you wiped your eyes, “The idea of having to sit in a room with Crewel for longer than I have to really scares me…but that won’t happen because I’m determined to pass and I have a great tutor.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Trey spoke, glad that you had found the motivation to keep pushing yourself, “Let’s start the experiment again from the beginning. I’ll explain everything to you slowly so ask me if you have any questions, okay?”

‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹

You clapped your hands together as you successfully completed the last step of the lab. The potion, which had emitted a strange green smoke the last time you had attempted the lab, now had a brilliant blue shine. 

“I can’t believe I did it,” you rejoiced, “What would I do without you?”

“It was all you!” Trey answered, “I just gave a few pointers, that’s all.”

“Thank you, Trey! I’ll definitely pass the lab thanks to you,” you threw your arms around Trey in a hug, grateful that he had been so patient with you. However, your show of gratitude was cut short when you heard a clattering of glass and metal.

You and Trey both pulled away from the hug to look for the source of the commotion, but you didn’t miss the light pink that dusted his cheeks and ears. You made eye contact with Deuce who was simultaneously trying to avert your gaze and pick up all of the tools that he had dropped onto the floor.

“You’re starting to get the hang of this so I’ll leave you to it,” Trey laughed nervously looking in Deuce’s direction, “Plus it really looks like he really needs help so…”

You made a mental note to tease Deuce about the scene later. More importantly, you wanted to ask him why he was acting so strange. You and Grim would be heading over to Heartslabyul later today to meet up with Ace and Deuce anyways.

‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹

“Hey, Tweedledum and Tweedledee! Open up,” you knocked on the dorm door, cat in arms, “Grim’s heavy so hurry it up!”

“Geez, what’s with the nickname?” Ace pouted as he opened the door. You hurried in and settled Grim down on the bed.

“The bastard insisted that I carry him here and fell asleep when I said no!” you spoke noticeably out of breath.

“Well, I’m glad that you’re here now, but I have to go,” Ace spoke quickly, already heading towards the door.

“What?” you glared, annoyance clear in your tone, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Before I ran all the way over here?”

“Yeah, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Deuce chimed in suddenly. He looked slightly panicked, his eyes warning Ace to stay.

“It just came up right now! It’s no big deal, you guys can just hang out together without me,” Ace said, one foot out the door, “I won’t mind I swear!”

“Ace!” you and Deuce called out at the same time, but he had already ran off, shutting the door before either of you could get ahold of him. After a sigh, a silence settled within the room.

“What’s wrong with that guy, seriously?” Deuce broke the silence. His bed shifted as you sat down next to him.

“Well…what now?” you asked. Ace had planned on showing you and Deuce a new spot to eat, so without him, your plans were completely ruined. Deuce responded to your question with silence.

You turned your face to look at him only to find that he was already looking at you. He was close. So close that you could see every little detail in his eyes. His cyan eyes shone brilliantly, and in the middle of them, you saw your reflection. Seeing your own face snapped you back to reality. He was so close. Your face began to heat up and you turned away in embarrassment. Why were you staring for so long?

“Oh, sorry!” Deuce apologized frantically, “I didn’t mean to stare!” Though you were still turned away from him to hide yourself after appearing so flustered, you took a quick glance at your friend to see that his expression matched yours. The tension in the room broke as you let out a quiet chuckle after seeing that you were both thinking the same thing. It was funny to see that you two could be so similar sometimes.

Why was it suddenly so tense between you two? It hadn't been like this before. Remembering that Deuce had been acting strange all day, you finally got to asking what was on your mind all day.

“Hey, Deuce,” he turned his attention to you when you spoke, “What’s up with you today?” After saying it, you realized that maybe your words were a bit too direct. You couldn’t help it! This awkward atmosphere was new when it came to Deuce.

“Ah, you noticed?” he scratched the back of his head and took a moment before giving you an answer, “Truth is, I was surprised to see you at that study session.”

“Why? You know I’m no genius when it comes to alchemy,” you laughed, “And didn’t Ace tell you that Trey was gonna start tutoring me?” His face showed the slightest hint of agitation when you spoke his upperclassman’s name.

“He did! But he never told me that you were in the same study group as me,” he looked away, “I guess, maybe I felt a little embarrassed that you saw me there.” You gave him a confused look. It was no secret that your whole trio isn’t exactly the most…academically capable. If you included Grim into the mix, your combined gpa would sink even lower. To hear Deuce admit that he felt embarrassed about it shocked you.

“You know I wouldn’t judge, right? I don’t think I’m even allowed to judge since I was there too.” you joked.

“I know, I know but,” he continued, “It’s just that…Clover knows so much about everything, and he’s so dependable. I want to be like that someday too! Seeing you get so excited after he taught you how to do the lab. I guess it made me a little…I don’t know what to call it!” There it was! The perfect opportunity to poke fun at him.

“Hehe, is that jealousy that I sense?” you teased, literally poking his cheek.

“No! It’s not jealousy! It’s…” he trailed off before admitting it, “Okay, I guess it is jealousy.”

“Finally!” you shouted, flopping down into his lap, “I’m so glad we cleared that up because the tension was seriously killing me!”

“H-hey, don’t you realize the implications of me being jealous?” he panicked when your face was suddenly looking up at him from his lap.

“Implication? Pretty big word, don’t you think?” you laughed it off, “I know what it means. So, let’s study together.”

“Huh?” he really didn’t understand you sometimes.

“Yeah well, Ace ditched us so we have nothing to do,” you spoke, still looking up at him, “and I honestly zoned out a little when Trey was going over some of the steps. I remember you looking really focused when he went over to help you, so I’m sure you have a few things that you could teach me.”

With your words, Deuce’s face lit up. It wasn’t direct, but he knew that this was your odd way of saying you believed in his academic ability. You were coming to him for help even though you had connections with students that earned perfect scores. You were counting on him to help you and he wasn’t about to let you down.

“Alright, we’ll go over the lab together then,” he spoke confidently, “where did you start zoning out?”

“Err, to be honest…I think we need to go over the whole thing again. I know I did it right during the tutoring session but…I was just following Trey’s directions. I honestly had no idea what he was talking about.” ‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹

D!!! Written in red with three exclamation points and circled more times than you could count.

“WHAT?” you cried out, “How could that be!”

It was a few days after you and Deuce took your lab retake. You had spent the whole night before studying with Deuce. He went over each and every step with you, simplifying his words so that it was easier for you to understand. (Was it really for you or was it because his vocabulary was more limited than he'd like to admit?)

“Really such a shame,” you jumped at Crewel’s voice behind you, “If you had answered even one more of the questions at the end of the lab correctly, you would’ve just barely passed. Looks like I’ll have to see your face more often during this break.”

You groaned, slumping down in your seat. More time with Crewel. Could anything be more dreadful? Despite your dilemma, you couldn’t help but wonder about Deuce. You wondered if he passed and whether or not he would be disappointed in you for failing again even after getting help. You avoided Ace and Deuce as class ended, but as you walked down the halls, a hand found itself on your shoulder.

“So, how’d you do?” it was Ace with a big smile on his face, “Yikes! I’m guessing not so well based off of the look on your face.”

“Whatever, asshole. Where’s Deuce? Did he pass?” you hoped that he had done better than you did.

“Yeah, he’s being interrogated by Crewel right now for cheating,” Ace answered, “He got a high C!”

You let out a breath that you didn’t know you were holding. Deuce worked so hard to pass and you were relieved that his efforts were not made in vain. In a way, you felt that his score was a victory for you too. The logic wasn’t really all there but you wouldn’t admit that. 

‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹

Later that afternoon, you found yourself at Ace and Deuce’s dorm again. Grim wanted to play Spelldrive with some Savanaclaw students, so you were there alone. A few knocks on the door later and the door creaked open with Deuce’s face peering out from it.

“Oh, it’s you,” he opened the door wider so that you could come in, “Ace stepped out just now by the way.”

“That’s fine, I came here to see you anyways.” you replied.

“I’m guessing you didn’t do too hot on the retake, right?” he got it right away.

“H-how did you guess??” you knew you were horrible at alchemy but were you really so bad that he knew you wouldn’t pass?

“Well first off, it was written all over your face! I saw you after class while Crewel was lecturing me on the importance of academic honesty,” he shivered as he recalled his chat with the professor, “Secondly, you weren’t exactly paying attention while I was helping you prepare for the lab.”

“I was paying attention!” you retorted, “Didn’t you see how hard I was working?”

“I saw you staring at me the whole time! I didn’t have the heart to tell you to stop…” he admitted, putting his arms around you as he saw your expression drop.

“I was just thinking really hard!” you whined. “I’m stuck with Crewel all break now.”

Your head dropped onto Deuce’s chest as you thought about the hell you would have to endure during break. 

“It’s over for me.” you cried, voice muffled by Deuce’s jacket as he put his arms around you. For a while, the two of you just stood like this. Deuce’s arms felt so comforting, it felt as though his embrace swallowed you whole. You felt so content like this that you almost forgot why you were so distressed in the first place. After thinking, Deuce finally spoke.

“I’ll help you.”

“What?”

“I’ll study harder than I ever have before and I’ll teach you all of it! That way, maybe you’ll get out of Crewel’s lessons early,” he spoke excitedly, “and then as a reward, maybe we could hang out together.”

“But we hang out all the time,” you laughed. 

“I mean…without Ace,” Deuce was glad that you couldn’t see his face reddening right now.

“Like…a date?” you asked, your face still in his jacket.

“Y-yeah, something like that,” he spoke hurriedly, “I could take you out on a drive on my Magic Wheel.” He recalled the wonder in your eyes when you saw him riding it around a track for the first time.

“Alright then, it’s a date!” you confirmed, “If I manage to pass, that is. Oh yeah! How did the whole cheating thing with Crewel go?”

“Well I really did do the lab all on my own so he had nothing to use against me,” he answered, “and he brought in the housewarden who told him that I have a clean, honest record.”

“I would kill to have seen the look on his face after that!” you reveled in the idea of Crewel being wrong and having to admit it.

“It was a little scary. Trust me you wouldn’t want to see it,” he convinced you.

“You’re seriously on your way to being an honors student now!” you said, “A high C! And Riddle stood up for you? What a scholar!”

“Right?” he spoke excitedly, “I think I’m finally making big steps towards being a great ma-” His sentence was cut short by a knocking, more like a banging, on the door.

“Hey! Are you guys done in there?” you heard Ace’s voice on the other side, “Riddle’s after me! Let me in, guys seriously!” The moment that Deuce ever so slightly cracked the door open, Ace quickly came pouring in, tripping on his own feet. “You guys took forever!”

“What happened?” Deuce asked.

“While I was giving you guys alone time for your coupley stuff, the housewarden caught me lounging around and said I could make better use of my time,” Ace explained, “Tried to get me to paint a whole garden! He’s seriously cra-”

“Coupley stuff? What do you mean by that?” you cut him off.

“Please don’t tell me that you didn’t even realize,” Ace shut his eyes tight, “If I went through all of that trouble to set you guys up and you’re still not together…I’ll be seriously pissed.”

“Y-you were setting us up?” Deuce asked, his face reddening.

“Oh come on!” Ace shouted, “Recommending the same tutor? Leaving you guys in the dorm together? You guys really didn’t notice all that hard work?”

“To be honest,” you started, “we were just kinda pissed that you ditched us.”

“Yeah! I mean no explanation or anything? Seriously?” Deuce added. You nodded after him and mumbled agreements.

“Well you guys might be pissed but I’m honestly the real mastermind here!” Ace boasted, “Hey! Guys don’t ignore me…guys?”

As Ace bragged about his achievements, you and Deuce had already started to leave the room while Ace sat there blankly.

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate it once they realize what I’ve done for them,” he stated.

Though you wouldn’t admit it, Ace really did contribute to the relationship that started between you and Deuce. Guess this was something that you could admit wasn’t done “100% by yourself.”

[psychopomp-recital]

hi I just wanted to ask: what drew you to death magic specifically? and, if your comfortable, how do you deal with grief (both yours and others) by being a death witch? (plz don't feel obligated to answer if it's too invasive /gen)

Oh not too invasive at all! Thank you for being so polite, this response is very long I’m sorry you asked a rather deep question 🩵 CONTENT WARNING IN TAGS

What drew me onto this path?

TLDR; I have always been surrounded death and it has been an ever present part of my life. I hated the idea that when someone died they were gone forever that’s it. Because regardless if you believe in spirits, I hope we can all agree that we’re all collections of the ancestors who make up our bodies & the ancestors who make up our personalities, we are who we are because of those passed on. And I can all but hope that someday someone will remember me and my stories the same way I remember these folks.

I want to be a good ancestor someday.

THE LONG ANSWER

I was raised in the Southern United States. The culture of this area is that surrounded in death. Everywhere you go there is haunted places and cemeteries. There’s also a strong sense of family there, this feeling that everyone is woven and interconnected.

I was raised Mormon and by a folk magical family who taught me the importance of ancestor work. I understood that these folks are part of me, by blood or otherwise they have made me who I am.

I was raised holding hands with my ancestors chronic illness. I looked it in the face everyday. Haunted by the idea that someday my body would rot away the same way I saw theirs rot, reminded everyday that illness could rip my mother from me without warning.

I eventually realized I could continue to ignore death, pray I have time on this earth to do what I want to do and run from it. Or I could embrace its role in my life and welcome it like an old friend.

I found comfort in the idea that I could help those who have passed on. The families who never got to say goodbye now had an opportunity to at least send the message. I could do my part to calm the fear these folks feel when they slip further into deaths grasp. I found a purpose for the pain I was experiencing.

If I could learn all I can while I’m alive, perhaps when I die I’ll be able to leave behind my knowledge and someone can keep this practice going. In that way, they keep me alive too.

I heard you die twice, once when they bury you in the grave And the second time is the last time that somebody mentions your name.

How do I handle the grief of others and the personal grief I experience?

I think I actually made a post on this! I’ll link it below!

But honestly it just comes down to boundaries, and being kind to yourself. It’s okay to cry and be upset and miss those lost to us. It’s okay to mourn for the dead you work with. YOU ARE STILL HUMAN. Don’t loose sight of that.

Also if you check out #MyPsychopompJournal you’ll see some entries on grief and my raw experiences with it. The one below in particular is a pretty good example;

Let me know if you are interested in a more in depth post about how I handle grief personally because I don’t want to ramble more than I already have!

ASK MY ANYTHING ASKS ARE OPEN!

[the-banana-0verlord]

Answer some or all I wanna know more about you 👁️👁️

Do you have freckles? 

 Do you drink tea or coffee? How do you take it? 

What was the last song you listened to? 

Do you sleep on your back, stomach or side? 

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? 

Do you prefer drawing or writing? 

What’s your ideal number of blankets to sleep with? 

What’s your favorite band/artist? 

When is your birthday? 

How tall are you? 

What color are your eyes? 

Who are five (or more) people you want to hug right now? 

Fears? 

What’s your favorite color? 

What’s your favorite season? 

Want any tattoos? What of? 

Want any piercings? Where? 

Who is the last person you texted? 

Do you have a best friend? How long have you been friends? 

What/who do you miss? 

How was your day today? 

How much sleep did you get last night? 

Do you believe in aliens? 

When was the last time you cried? Why? 

What’s your favorite decade? 

What are some seemingly childish things you like? 

What’s your favorite book? Or just one you’ve read a few times? 

How are you, really? 

Does it take you a long time to make decisions? 

What are you looking forward to in the near future? 

What are you looking forward to in the distant future? 

If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go? 

Do you sleep with your door open or closed? 

What’s your favorite flower? 

Do you currently have a squish? 

Do you like your middle name? 

Do you prefer dogs or cats? 

Do you have any phobias? 

Do you stay up late?

Do you like the beach? Do you prefer it sunny or cloudy? 

What’s your favorite cartoon? 

Tag 5 of your favorite blogs

Do you have siblings? How many? 

Who was the last person you said “I love you” to? 

Is there anyone you would die for? 

What do you need when you’re sad? 

Have you memorized your phone number? 

Who’s someone you can trust with your life? 

What does your last text say? 

Wild Card. Any question, ask away. 

Alright, ill try lmao

1.no, i dont have freckles!

2. I WISHED i found Coffee and tea good because its so aesthetic but it tastes bad imo

3. I checked my spotify and its girls just wanna have fun by cyndi lauper so i suppose its that

4.i move a lot but i usually end up on my side.

5. I move too much to sleep with a lot of them because they always end up on the floor. Although i do sleep with my malleus plushie.

6. Thats a hard one, because i do both. Though i think of writing as my primary hobby/eventual job, i definitely have more fun drawing(until art Block comes knocking that is)

7.depends on the thickness. Right now i have three eith two being thin and one being medium, but i could sleep with one really thick one.

8. Mitski!!! I love her so much. Otherwise I like mother mother and marina

9.the third of november!

10. 154 cm or 5 feet. No that is not short

11. Blue-grey-kaki. I like to think of them as blue.

12. All my mutuals, all my irls, my mom, my dad, and my little sister

13. Abandonnent, failure, the future in general.

14. Yellow and light blue!

15.fall! Its so pretty

16. Im not sure yet but i can maybe have someday a small tattoo. Im not a fan of qhoel body tattoos for myself.

17. Well my ears a pierced but im not gonna get more.

18. My two irls! Talking about not getting neuvillette in gneshin ;-;(and murder)

19. I dont have a best friend per se, although i do have a closest friend. Weve been friends for at least three years(already? Damn)

20. Honestly i miss my first mutual on here. I hope they come back soon ;-;

21. It just started but its been pretty good up til now!

22. About 9-10 hours?

23. I mean, there is bound to be other forms of life in space, just thousands of lightyears away.

24. Monday cause my friend said she didnt think we were friends.

25. Id say 1890 to 1900? Though the living conditions were meh i like the aesthetic

26. Generally being silly ig? I suppose i act childihs as a comic relief.

27. Currently my favorite book(s) is the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson! It's been clawing it's way into my brain.

28. I'm actually doing quite fine. I'm a bit stressed since i'm going to boston soon but i can push out the bad thoughts!

29. I usually procrastinate decisions as far as possible. If it's a small one maybe like 2 minutes but if it's bigger ones it'll take longer(with the answer being no a lot)

30. Something i'm dreading but also am excited for is summer! Bye school but hello summer job ;-;

31. My irls and i(can i really call them irls? i met only two of them irl and once or twice. anyways-) are planning a roadtrip after we're all 18(aka in a bit more than 4 years)!

32. Either my friend's (irls+ moots) houses or in paris. I've always wanted to see paris.

33.open, my cats need to be free to walk in and out!

34. sunflowers and roses(i have a list on the meaning of each rose color) daisies are also cute.

35. i...guess? i own a banana shaped stress ball(that is very dirty i dont use it much) but idk if it counts as a squish.

36. yes, almost more than my first name. although my first and second name are kinda in the same name. it's like first name-second name.

37.cats!!! I have two(named chicken nugget and nebraska)(my family also owns dogs but oh well)

38. I'm a bit scared of heights but i wouldn't say i have a phobia

39. i usually go to sleep at 10:30 pm on weekdays, and 11:00-11:00 on weekends(when i don't have to wake up early due to sunday class)

40.Although i haven't been to a real beach a lot, i like it! And i always prefer sunny days so sun it is(to experience sunset on a beach... must be the dream)

41. I'd say the owl house! It's so colorful with two of my main kins.

42. @xen-blank @thehollowwriter @quartztwst @boopshoops @saionjeans (so sorry for the tag non-moots! Also i would've included all my moots but it said five ;-;)

43. Yes, i have five siblings! One oldest sister, two older brother, a little brother and the baby of the family, my little sister. i have middle child syndrome.

44. Either my mom or my little sister. I hug and say i love you to them very often. Or i said it to malleus last. One of them.

45. Tbh i have no idea in which circomstances i would die for something. maybe if i could trade my life with someone's close to me. or for peace on earth idk.

46. a big ol hug from my malleus plushie. it's a real emotional support.

47. no i have not. or maybe i did. i will probably forget it soon.

48. my two parents absolutely.

49."I wish to expérience it someday" (speaking of old lady gossip)

50. can i send you the same questions? :3