#to get clues and try to deduce what happened

[tarn-ati0n]

I got 0 ideas for this April fools day hot damn.

[wackywatchdotcom]

Rewatching episode one, I noticed that when Ragatha and Jax are talking to each other about Jax having a key, Pomni flinches away from, and lifts her arms to protect her face and head, when Jax toys with the key and catches it near her.

I wonder if she is that jumpy around others normally or if it's just when she's in a stressful situation (like suddenly being trapped in the circus) what do you think?

OK. ok. you mention this. and ive never said anything about it but i have genuinely noticed this almost every time ive seen that scene. i think about it a LOT but i havent been able to figure out my thoughts on it. but i think about it genuinely a LOT...

(i went on a huge tangent abt her thats like. only sporadically related to this specific moment SORRY. it was hard to address this moment without discussing a LOT about her i feel)

for the sake of clarity in the event someone reading this is unfamiliar, what this ask is referring to is this:

with the way that she so quickly dissociates and HARD (not that most people Never experience dissociation or smth, but its the intensity of it and how quick into this situation she starts dissociating is like. it makes it seem like its smth her body and mind are Used To Doing) she REALLY gives off the feeling that she had pre-existing mental health problems (i struggle to place anything TOO specific with the limited information we have but i feel like theres definitely a few things she has going on) before she even got to the circus, and like she COULD just be a naturally jumpy person, but with the dissociation thing and general distrust towards others, it feels like her jumpiness is also related to these issues

while her being naturally nervous is sort of implied and clear (though i think the extent of it is exaggerated by the circumstances of the pilot in particular) there ARE a few other examples that stand out to me

i THINK this can largely be passed off as her just being on edge from the horror adventure, but i this is IS notable that she reacts genuinely pretty strongly to what is a relatively minor 'jumpscare.' it happens later too w kinger pressing the tape recorder

in general she seems VERY easily startled by people, and frankly it reads a lot like it stems more from people being near her than just things happening abruptly. she notably doesnt jump hard when the angel arrives- she DOES get scared, but she isnt necessarily startled. she DOES react very strongly to ghostly, but i think its notable that she seems to find his visual appearance frightening and debatably not necessarily startling, but thats not really 100%. the times she reacts the strongest have to do with people, which imo ties HARD into her not trusting people

episode 2 breaks down her distrust of people well, and i dont think its a self consciousness thing. it seems more that she just doesnt tend to find people trustworthy- if something bad was happening to her, she would sooner assume theyd let it happen rather than help her. it could be argued that its partially a guilt or projection thing with ragatha, but im not actually so sure. pomni seems to be ashamed of leaving her behind, but particularly through ep 2 she doesnt seemed Plagued With Guilt by the way she acts towards ragatha, which implies that the dream didnt have to do with her projecting that shame in a way shed assume ragatha would turn back on her, too

it instead seems to be that she doesnt trust ragatha just... in general. the 'im not a child' thing, while a legitimate problem for pomni to have with ragatha (i love ragatha, and from my place in the audience i know her concern is genuine, and that she truly wants to encourage pomni, and is trying, but from the perspective of people around ragatha, its not an unreasonable assumption that shes JUST being infantilizing and belittling), does illuminate how pomni is seeing ragathas attempts at cheering her up- that it comes from a place of seeing pomni as immature or generally unstable. that pomni is incapable of managing herself and needs to be coaxed. it implies pomni doesnt see ragathas attempts at help as genuine. combined with her dream, that ragatha would allow the worst to happen to her even when she was asking for help, makes it very clear that, even with the 'nicest' person in the circus, pomni just... doesnt really trust her

(it is worth noting that pomni DOES seem to genuinely want to help ragatha in the pilot. she DID try to find caine. but she bolts at the first opportunity. she does care about people, but when stressed, she operates on keeping herself safe first and foremost, that she needs to do anything to get out of a bad situation even if that means leaving someone behind- and with her dream, it does seem that she generally assumes other people operate similarly, or otherwise in their own best interest)

this does, of course, improve by the end of eps 2 and 3. the funeral, and ragatha offering to include her, and how the others talk about abstracted players (combined with her conversation with gummigoo, someone who she has to assure has genuine friendships with those around him despite the lack of a true reality for them to be based upon), are able to convey that oh, these people do actually care about the people around them. theyre being genuine. they arent just looking out for themselves and thats it- they care when bad things happen to each other. and theres no true reason for me to be an exception. which is ALSO why i dont think its a self consciousness thing, she seems able to reason that shes not an exception to the intents of others, so much that when she cant assure herself that others' intents hold her safety as any sort of priority as well, any trust goes out the window. she WANTS to help if she can, but esp in the pilot, as far as shes concerned, its everyone for themself when shit gets bad, including herself

ep 3, she seems more trusting of ragatha- she has neutral and positive interactions w her, rather than assuming a lack of sincerity in it. but its not just ragatha, actually, because even before her talk with him, you can see it in how she interacts with kinger as well

she initially tries to help him run, which isnt too out there- with how she genuinely DID initially try to help ragatha, it doesnt require her to go out of her way to grab him and RUN. she can run AND take him with her. she can help without putting herself in extra danger. but then she DOES go back, which is one of my favorite and imo underrated pomni moments. because THIS is what i think actually highlights an improvement in how she sees the others before her apologizing to ragatha or taking kingers hand. because she puts herself BACK into (percieved, since its not actual sure WHAT the angels intentions were her) danger in order to get kinger away too

(theres probably a case to be made that ragatha didnt seem to be in immediate danger- she was in pain, that much was clear, but kaufmo had ran away by then. but even still, pomni couldnt have known kaufmo would shift gears and start chasing her instead of ragatha that first time. and i dont know if she actually knew death wasnt possible here yet. which isnt very flattering for pomni but also people do not act in flattering ways under extreme stress, esp given a predisposition to not trusting others, which ill elaborate more on in a second here- not that pomnis abandonment was ok OR that it was like evil of her or smth. shes just a person. there is no way she was prepared to know how to act correctly in this situation, and she didnt)

theres also this

which is SUBTLE but highlights a genuine increase in trust even before their heart to heart. now that she knows the cast (save for jax, who she seems to react to the harshest, which is worth noting imo) are not acting solely in their own best interest, that they WILL consider the wellbeing of those around them including her, that their concern for one another is genuine (which is concerning that she even assumes that to begin with, which ill circle back to momentarily), she very clearly has way more faith in them and the idea that she should stick around the others for safety

and of course, ive said it before, but her taking kingers hand has little to do with her enjoying holding hands. its her knowing that, if kingers wrong, this is going to end very, very badly. if holding their breath isnt the solution theyre BOTH going to get possessed, and who knows how theyd get out of that situation. but she decides in that moment that her trust in the others isnt ONLY about looking out for them and believing that theyre sincere in their concern for her. but that she is willing to let the others put her at a potential massive risk. getting possessed was a blatantly immediately traumatic experience- and she lets kinger put her at risk of it happening again. THATS why she holds his hand, at least symbolically. she doesnt like contact. but she can brave something that she doesnt like, she can let him lead her into and through something potentially horrific, because shes deciding to trust him and the others, that theyre not just people she can interact with without fear of ill intentions, but that theyre people who she is going to coexist with. the best thing she can do for herself and the others is trust them and work with them actively

anyway that got off-track, the point being that her having to have these ideas instilled in her at all through shared experiences and trauma implies that, while these issues with distrust may have been exacerbated by the stress of everything, they didnt come from nowhere. these are problems she likely already had to some degree. its great that theres been improvement but that improvement directly implies thesse were improvements that needed to be made to begin with. and the fact that the person she gets repeatedly most startled by is jax. who, even with episode 2, she explicitly doesnt trust. in the pilot, at least, her distrust is more vague (i think the dream sequence in ep 2 IS what highlights it best) so her flinching from jax can be passed off as related to a general lack of adjustment to the new environment and situation shes in. but it happens again with jax in episode 3 (and, notably, she pauses afterwards but it takes a moment for her to relax even knowing its just jax), after shes adjusted somewhat, and after shes gained some trust with everyone except for jax (given his absence from the scene at the end of ep 2). it also happens when barons voice plays abruptly next to her

point being that imo, she IS naturally jumpy. she says herself that she doesnt handle jumpscares well, which somewhat implies this even outside of the circumstances of the circus. but with how she reacts to things, it feels like her general jumpiness is far, far worse when it comes to people she doesnt trust (be it because jax is Like That, or because shes not familiar with baron). the way i see it, then, her distrust extends to perceiving physical threats easily around people she hasnt ensured are safe to be around. she IS able to gain this trust in people, but she seems to automatically place the intents of others as being Potentially Unsafe from the jump, especially under stress. she can jump back from it fairly quickly for what its worth, but to be honest, it seems more like she operates on some general, everpresent level of hypervigilance thats just sometimes worse based on the situation

and frankly i dont think we know enough about her as of ep 4 to fully determine if there IS a reason for this. because someone can have a reason to be this jumpy around others, or they can just... be nervous and dislike people moving suddenly near them. combined with the dissociation thing, though, im inclined to think the circus did not cause this, just made it more extreme with more unpleasant stakes. there is hardly any time between her entering the circus and this happening. she hadnt even seen kaufmo yet in that very first example, but she was already on alert for a physical threat, and i just. i think about it all the time...

i think the main takeaway from all of this is that i think she isnt necessarily jumpy like that all the time, but i think trust is not a given with pomni, and her jumpiness massively depends on how much she trusts people near her and the situation shes in to not be a physical threat to her. its definitely worse in the circus, but i think it was probably still something present in a different context in the real world, too

[bbydoll18xx]

I'll Be Your Temporary Fix (Pt 2)

Paige Bueckers x Media Team Reader

Part 2 based on this request: 

Could you do a Paige x media team reader. Where Paige and reader are fake dating because Azzi is uncomfortable with the fans shipping her and Paige. Reader does it cus she owes Paige a favor (you can make something up).

Word Count: 2.3k

You can read part 1 here

Thank you all so much for all the love on part 1! I was actually surprised how much everyone seemed to be enjoying this. That said, there will be another part (and maybe more) to this!

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

You wake up the next morning to your phone blowing up. Yawning and squinting, you look over at the myriad of notifications. Confusion overtakes you, but you quickly deduce that your stunt with Paige had finally gotten some real attention. 

You spend the morning scrolling every app, trying to hide the worry bubbling up inside of you. Most people seemed to be satisfied with your performance; others were comparing you to Azzi in a cruel way. The general consensus was that you and Paige couldn’t possibly be dating; apparently it was because you hadn’t kissed.

You typically did not give a shit what people thought of you, but the idea of being compared to someone as effortlessly charismatic as Azzi made you want to crawl into a hole and hide forever. You could spend your entire life trying to emulate her success and beauty. 

Despite your self-esteem crumbling around you, you still wanted to finish what you started. People were counting on you, and your damn people-pleasing self needed to prove a point. You decide your moping would have to wait. Grabbing your camera and iPad, you head out to the arena where you knew the girls would be practicing. 

You feel shy walking in on the basketball team. Your hands are clammy, and you wipe them on your pants before giving a small wave to a hungover-looking Paige. Her eyes are tired and ringed with a bruise-colored tinge. Usually she glowed at practice, hogging your camera and deliberately showing off. Today, though, you can see the exhaustion rolling off of her. 

For a minuscule second, you allow yourself to wonder if maybe she was up all night thinking about you, just as you thought about her. You internally scold yourself. Getting your hopes up was the last thing you needed. 

For once, you are relieved to be focusing on some of the other basketball players, trying to avoid Paige until you get your emotions in order. Your mood shifted as you observed the girls’ antics. They took turns shooting difficult shots in your honor, pointing to you when a ball landed through the net with a satisfying swish. 

Once Geno concludes the practice, a handful of the girls run up to you, wanting to hear the details of your and Paige’s night. You shrug, trying to downplay what had happened, when you feel Paige’s presence behind you. Her hand slides down your back, resting on your waist with a weight that feels so damn good. 

A look of surprise graces your face, along with multiple of Paige’s teammates. 

“Uh, is this a real thing now, or what?” Nika questions. 

“Guess we’ll have to see,” Paige smirks in response, causing your mouth to drop open ineptly. 

Ignoring the blonde’s shocking retort, Azzi clears her throat and explains that the girls were going out drinking tonight. “Please join us! It’ll be so fun, all you gotta do is kiss Paige. That’ll be enough proof for everyone, and then you can be done,” she follows quickly. The words spill out, and she rouses the rest of the team to convince you that it would be so, so fun.

You turn your head up towards Paige, searching her face for any clue that this was crossing a line. Her familiar smirk was still resting on her lips. It widens as she realizes you’re staring at them. 

Fuck. So much for attempting to be subtle.

Hiding your embarrassment, you acquiesce, swearing to yourself that you would keep your feelings under wraps.

It was decided that you and Paige would meet the rest of the team at the bar at 11:00. As Paige knocks on your dorm door, you want to do everything possible to get yourself out of this situation. The idea of kissing Paige made every nerve feel like it was on fire. You weren’t sure if you’d survive the build up of it. 

“Hi, pretty girl,” Paige says softly, looking you up and down once the door tentatively opens. 

“Hey, P,” you whisper, hoping she couldn’t hear the shakiness of your voice. Paige takes your hand, something that was beginning to feel so natural and so domestic; she leads you out the door and into her car. With one hand on the wheel and one delicately placed on your upper thigh, you chat about the roles you had to play one final time tonight. You sense a tone of hesitancy in her voice, but you ignore it in favor of attempting to suppress your own.

Paige’s car turns into the parking lot of the bar, and once it's parked, she turns to you, saying “Are you sure you’re okay with all this? Azzi can get over it if you’re not.”

“I'm sure, P. As long as you are comfortable, I am, too,” you respond sincerely. She nods, satisfied with your answer, and with deep breaths, you head inside. 

The bar was packed with throngs of drunk students enjoying the weekend. You wish you could enjoy yourself, but your anxiety was threatening to make you vomit. 

Your head is reeling with all the negative thoughts you could possibly conjure.

‘What if Paige thinks I’m a bad kisser?’

‘What if I accidentally bite her?’

‘What if Paige is dreading this?’

The hypothetical questions were going to be the actual death of you, and you attempt to quiet them with a drink.

Or five. 

The first couple of shots you take don’t hit you until 30 minutes later. The familiar feeling of intoxication is welcomed like an old friend. You really weren’t the type to go wild, but your desire to just forget took over. The third and fourth go down like water, sliding through your veins and into the heat of your core. 

You're swaying your hips sensually with the beat of the blaring music, arms loose at your sides, occasionally sloshing around the pink beverage in your cup. 

You don't even care how stupid you looked because you felt so damn free, finally unchained from the anxieties of the past few days. 

A touch on your waist breaks through your drunken haze, pulling you back to reality. 

Shit, your waist is getting a lot of attention these days. 

You turn around quickly, hair whipping theatrically, expecting to see Paige. Boy were you mistaken. 

Your glossy eyes are met with the brown eyes of a man you had never seen before. You don’t miss the pang of disappointment you feel once you realize it’s not the tall blonde you were hoping to see. 

Rolling your eyes and huffing, you turn back around, once more trying to figure out where Paige had ended up. Short, drunken boys were the least of your concerns right now. 

Seeing that Azzi was close by, you stumble towards her, slurring out “Where’d my Paigey go?” 

Her eyes light up at your use of the pet name, and she grins. “She just went to get you water, remember? You drank a shit ton.” 

Suddenly remembering the way she had whispered into your ear to stay close to the girls of the basketball team, you blush at your own forgetfulness. 

Maybe you really did need that water. 

Paige is back a minute later. Foregoing handing you the bottle, she is already unscrewing it and placing it against your lips. 

Fuck. It reminds you of the night before; the cup placed against your lips, and the way her wide, blue eyes had watched you protectively. 

You welcome the way the cool water slides down your throat, already sore from singing loudly and attempting to talk over the pumping of the music. 

You drank until Paige was satisfied, never breaking eye contact with her. She pulls the bottle away from you, wiping the excess water from your lips with her thumb and then bringing it to her own lips, sucking the liquid off. 

Your head spins at the contact. Maybe that was just the alcohol, but you doubted it. 

Tucking you into her side, Paige plays with a strand of your hair, swirling her fingers around it in a way that was almost sinful. She looks down at you as you make a guttural noise, attempting to play it off as a cough. Her long fingers continue their assault on your hair, before they dance along your shoulder to your collarbones. Goosebumps trail after her digits, eliciting a shiver to run down your spine and straight between your legs. 

She had you completely and irrevocably fucked. 

It was getting late, and you knew that with the time slipping away, your moment to kiss Paige was soon approaching. Your brain battled between wanting to get the deed over with and drawing everything out for as long as possible. You didn’t want this to end. 

You tug Paige over to sit in a tall bar stool, attempting to alleviate the pain in your feet. She helps you climb up, holding the chair steady as you perch, sighing in relief. 

Paige stands in between your spread legs, meeting your eyes with an inquisitive expression. She was feeling you out, trying to deduce your own thoughts. 

If only she knew what you were actually thinking. 

Before you can bow out under the heat of her intense stare, you lean in to her. The look she gives you, one of longing and desperation, is the only confirmation you need. 

And you kiss her as if she was air, and you had been drowning for a thousand years. 

Your lips meet in a passionate embrace. Paige’s lips were as soft as they looked; you would know. You had spent a considerable amount of time staring at them, wondering how they felt and how they tasted. 

As you find a rhythm, Paige’s tongue sweeps across your bottom lip, coaxing a lustful moan from your mouth. It goes straight to Paige’s core. You are lost in each other’s presence, the chaos around you slipping away until hoots of laughter and gasps of surprise slam you back into reality. 

You reluctantly pull away from the blonde, surveying the damage of the kiss. People had their phones out, directly pointed at the two of you.

Perfect. Azzi would be happy. 

Looking back to Paige, you see the impact of your affections; her lips swollen and cheeks flushed in a way that had you smirking proudly. 

“I think that’s our cue” Paige mumbles, her warm breath hitting the sensitive flesh of your earlobe once again. You nod quickly, trying to avoid looking over eager, but that was most likely null and void at this point. 

In a dramatic display, Paige picks you up off the tall chair and sets you back on to your feet, steadying you as you sway. You wave to the onlookers, a cheesy grin engulfing your face. Paige shakes her head fondly, winking to those still watching, and pulls you out of the bar and into the parking lot. 

She all but lifts you into the passenger seat of her car, handing you another bottle of water. She softly urges you to drink, which you do without fail. You want to cut through the remnants of your drunkenness, desperate to fixate on every part of Paige. 

You were terrified you’d forget what she tasted like and the way her lips slid against yours. 

You look over at the blonde, her face illuminated from the streetlights, and her hand once more splayed across your thigh. 

She was so beautiful. 

But was she yours? You had no fucking idea. 

Your thoughts send you reeling as you sip your water, but you take solace in the fact that your worrying meant you were sobering up. The car smoothly turns into the parking lot of Paige’s apartment, and once you are parked, she looks over at you expectantly. You meet Paige’s eyes with a confused look of your own.

“Do you want to stay over tonight?” She asks with an air of shyness you weren’t used to. 

You bite your lip in response, pretending to ponder, before choking out a response in agreement. 

Of course, you wanted to stay over. 

You followed her up to her door, feeling more steady than you were at the bar and waited as she unlocked it. Your nerves were starting to rile you up again, and your heartbeat pounded in your ears, temporarily silencing the vexatious doubts your brain was throwing at you. 

Paige wastes no time throwing off her uncomfortable clothes, replacing them with her usual sweats. Somehow, she looked even better. 

Grabbing a pair for you, she ushers you to the bathroom, pointing out everything you needed to get ready for bed. Thanking her with a small smile, you close the door and prepare. 

‘It’s just another sleepover,’ you think. ‘You’ve done this dozens of times before. You can do it again.’ The self assurance calms you, giving you enough confidence to walk back into Paige’s room and lay down on her bed next to her. 

The room was dark already, but the glow of her computer cast a gleam over the two of you. There was no hiding from her. Not anymore. 

“Have you seen what people are saying?” You ask, in a not so subtle attempt to see where her head was at. 

“Yeah, I have,” Paige responds. “I think they believe it now. Don’t really blame them. That kiss was…” She trails off, unable to sum up the words of how that kiss made her feel. 

“Intense,” you finish, sleep starting to creep into your body. 

Paige hums in agreement, and wraps her arms around you, pulling her close to you. 

You shut your eyes, the blissful warmth radiating off of Paige pulling you into the oblivion of unconsciousness. 

And once more, your dreams are filled with images of Paige’s lips and the overwhelming need to be hers. 

*You can now read Part 3 here

Thanks for reading!

[lexirosewrites]

Part 4 of ?

Party dynamics r as follows: A!Hopper, B!Joyce, A!Nancy, B!Jonathan, O!Steve, A!Robin, A!Argyle, B!Eleven, A!Mike, O!Will, B!Dustin, A!Lucas, O!Max, & A!Eddie... B!Murray is present somewhere in Hawkins probably doing his best to clue the cool parents in on what's been happening since 1983 but who knows

...

Everyone was talking all at once, asking questions at the same time, and Hopper felt like his ears were ringing. He is the oldest alpha in their little makeshift pack. Therefore he is The Alpha of their pack. Jim Hopper took in the pandemonium around him and promptly stepped outside whilst everyone else devolved into arguments & demands for El to now find Robin, Nancy quickly joined him.

Steve was the oldest of three omegas in the pack & after the events in '84 he'd become The Omega of their pack. More than tht, Steve was a kid Jim had known for nearly over a decade. He was a son to Hopper in the ways tht mattered. He didn't blame Robin for her reaction or her foiled attempt to rip at him w her own alpha fangs, no. He hadn't even tried commanding her back. Because he would've done the same if he could, because he blamed himself just as much.

She'd calmed down once Dustin shoved a yellow sweatshirt over her head, one tht belonged to Steve. Then after a half hr of silently watching them all theorize then plan uselessly she'd stepped outside & Hopper had given her space. But now Robin is gone.

Lucas joined them.

"She's been gone awhile." The older alpha spoke aloud while the younger two scented the air.

"Her scent is faint, you're right." Nancy conceded after a moment, but Lucas kept his nose up. The injury caused by Jason Carver making his sense of smell just a touch duller while his nose healed.

"I think I can pick up on a vague direction." The youngest alpha supplied to their stilted conversation before pointing. At this Nancy suddenly chirped as the light of a deduction entered her eyes.

"She's trying to track Steve." The eldest of the 3 alphas said before Nancy could.

"Robin was wearing Steve's favorite sweatshirt, Steve's scent has got to b practically baked into it." Nancy deduced.

"There would've been no better item to use as a tracking token." Lucas chirped before grimacing as he said. "Aside from used underwear but almost all of Steve's laundry is intermingled w Robin's & the parts of the nest he said he was going to wash."

"Robin's laundry might b the key words there kid. Get Will & Dustin going thru Steve's laundry baskets looking for at least 4 items tht smell strongly of either of them. Get Mike & tht Argyle guy out here." Hopper started planning aloud, because now there was a target they might b able to hit. Nancy & Lucas nodded seemingly already thinking along the same lines. Hopper said it aloud anyway.

"We're gonna try to follow Robin's example, we're gonna track them."

MEANWHILE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A GATE...

Robin climbed thru the gate slightly weary from her run & how the membrane did not break like other gates would. Instead it felt like she walked through a raging waterfall, like she was upright on land yet water pounded away around her & on her. When she stepped thru completely she stumbled, caught her breath as best she could, & startled at the environment around her.

Because this was not the upside down they had left behind when their plan partially succeeded. There was a breeze & no dark motes tht reminded her of spores, even the smell was slightly different. The barren trees now had buds of little leaves everywhere she looked. There was no roiling constant thunder storm overhead but a bright full moon tht burned red.

Behind her she heard a breaking of wood & turned to see the gate closing. She'd have to figure out how to get out again but tht came after she found Steve.

The alpha took a deep inhale of the scrap of fabric in her hand then of the sweat shirt she was wearing. Her sweat from running had started to mingle w Steve's scent but baked apples still dominated her cloves & cedar.

Robin closed her eyes to focus. Then soon took off again, much more cautiously, into the changed upside down.

MEANWHILE AT A CABIN IN THE SAME DIMENSION...

Steve watched w bated breath as the creature's throat swallowed & clicked a few times before it spoke in a halting voice ragged w disuse.

"Me... Eddie... Alpha to... Steve"

The omega chirped in joy & heedless of claws or fangs or wings pulled Eddie, HIS Eddie, into the nest & his embrace. His alpha was always gentle w him though & Eddie caught himself before he could tumble his full weight onto Steve. The changed alpha rolled to Steve's side tht was most exposed to the rooms open door. Eddie crooned then nosed along Steve's jaw till he found his gland. A deep inhale then the alpha both relaxed & tensed his muscles as if ready to move at a moments notice.

"Can you smell it Eddie? I'm-- I'm pregnant with our puppy." Steve teared up w joy & sadness. He held his Alpha closer & guided his hand to his stomach as the omega started to purr.

"Puppy... our... puppy" Eddie began purring in return. A loud rumbling sound not unlike the engine in his uncles van.

"Yes, our puppy." Steve chirped as a tear escaped.

"One... of six" his Alpha smiled around the fangs protruding from his mouth, apparently Eddie might have limited speech but he was still able to tease. Steve laughed & pulled Eddie further up the nest so he could have a turn scenting at the alphas neck.

Roasted cardamom seed & cedar filled his senses. At last, Steve felt the weariness of what the doctor's diagnosed as chronic rejection sickness begin to fade.

There were many questions to ask & it seemed Eddie was limited in his answers. Steve decided to not care at the moment because he was in a nest being held by his Alpha again. Quickly Steve felt himself sink into a sleep he already knew would actually ease his exhaustion.

[Now there shall b an intermission I think! As much as this could turn into a full on fic (which it might do not despair) I am kind of currently treating slick sunday as a sort of rough draft outlet 😅 Part 5 next week! It shall b the intermission in the form of flashback 🤭 till next time!]

one of six!!!👏👏👏

[dmercer91]

hooked, jh86

in which jack is quite literally sleeping with the enemy.

most of the rangers give me egregious vibes so there are hardly any in here and i used their ig handles for twitter i didn't feel like finding the correct ones - set in 2023-24 season

jackhughes

liked by yourusername, nicohischier and 147,122 others

jackhughes: drives me mad

view 1,239 comments..

yourusername: in ny we hard launch like grownups

→ jackhughes: oh yeah?

→ yourusername: once you fuck this one up i’ll swoop in and prove it to u hughesy ;)

trevorzegras: admitting that you’re easily rizzed is crazy

→ jackhughes: easily 🤨

→ trevorzegras: ‘the hit could’ve been harder maybe she likes me 🤭’

→ user: did she hit him with her car or????

user: hit? as in like hockey hit? y/n??????

→ user: she just threatened to mr steal your girl him tho so idk

yourusername: jhugh big foot guy eh?

→ jackhughes: what the fuck y/n

_quinnhughes: luke?

→ lhughes_06: i can’t even explain without giving myself a migraine

dawson1417: i’m telling nico

→ jackhughes: there’s nothing to tell nico 🤨

→ nicohischier: nico uses context clues to deduce things

elblue6: ❤️

view more comments..

yourusername

liked by _quinnhughes, jackhughes and 129,483 others

yourusername: van @ nyr except i adopted the sad one

jack was there too, unfortunately

load 1,612 comments..

jackhughes: now what is this

→ yourusername: i’m already planning on adding z to my collection when the ducks are up here

→ trevorzegras: did u just say collection

→ jackhughes: so you wanna be friends with all my friends but i try and be friends w u and i’m gross? ouch

→ yourusername: have u ever considered that you’re my teams rival

→ jackhughes: i’ve considered it and also decided it won’t stop me

→ yourusername: have you considered that you’re icky

→ jackhughes: wtf

_quinnhughes: ankle biter

→ yourusername: it was his shoulder and i can bite him whenever i want

nyrangers: traitor :(

→ yourusername: no admin it’s ok it’s the good hughesy

→ lhughes_06: i’ve done nothing to you

→ yourusername: you get in my way a lot

shesterkinigor: funny

→ yourusername: i try

view more comments..

njdevils

liked by yourusername, dougieham and 17,444 others

njdevils: we guess this one’s not so bad 😉 @yourusername

view 592 comments..

user: this is.. unsettling

user: him patting her after every connection was top tier i need her in a devs jersey

yourusername: don’t let this fool you i still like quinn better

→ jackhughes: will you let me have this one

→ yourusername: you’re lucky i didn’t throw the game just so you’d lose

→ lhughes_06: there’s always next year

nyrangers: we can admit that this one (1) thing is cute

→ yourusername: enemies to lovers??????

→ nyrangers: no, y/n.

→ yourusername: ok attitude

jackhughes: thanks for the passes or whatever @yourusername

→ yourusername: shut up

user: they’re sleeping in the same hotel room??

→ yourusername: no j just commits some light b&e in his free time

→ jackhughes: did you just call me j

→ yourusername: i also called you a felon

→ trevorzegras: i think he’s just gonna look right past that

user: loving the full blown conversations happening in comment sections lately

view more comments..

yourusername

liked by elblue6, dougieham and 179,537 others

yourusername: ⛽️

view 2,029 comments..

jackhughes: i thought nyers hard launched 🤨

→ yourusername: do you have my notifs on??

→ jackhughes: no comment

user: those are jacks hands

→ user: why do you… know that, even?

user: this is why the nhl is all men lmao they aren’t focused on fucking their opponents

→ yourusername: oh babe.. i have some news for you

→ user: ITS A PLAYER?????????

dougieham: gross

→ yourusername: behave douglas

lhughes_06: what pro hockey player has another man tie her skates for her

→ yourusername: the kind that knows your address and will take your ligaments away

nyrangers: our girl

→ user: can i have your girl

→ njdevils: ^

→ nyrangers: no

_quinnhughes: you hurt my brain

→ yourusername: ok

user: THE TYING THE SKATES!!! JACKS SOFT LAUNCH

view more comments..

twitterhockeybropodcast

y/n y/ln has allegedly requested a trade out of new york 👀

722 ❤ 312 ↳ 147 💬

view comments..

dawson1417: you know @/yourusername i’ve heard jerseys pretty nice

→ dawson1417: you wouldn’t even have to move!

→ yourusername: oh boy

trevorzegras: y/n/n y/ln YOU are an anaheim duck

→ _quinnhughes: step back off my teammate

→ yourusername: you’re both delusional

user: awh the guys wanting her on their teams 🥹

colecaufield: i’ll teach you french @/yourusername

→ yourusername: i only want to know the bad words

→ colecaufield: that’s doable

→ yourusername: sold

user: quinn and the honorary hughes’ is cute but WHERE IS JACK??

→ user: right like he hasn’t even liked it

→ user: he took down his soft launch?

edwards.73: you will eventually get to play with me if you go to jersey @/yourusername

→ yourusername: it's really cute that you though this would help build your case ed

→ edwards.73: can't blame a guy for trying

jackhughes: does this mean we can be friends now?

→ yourusername: oh lol sure

→ user: oh this was painful to read

to, j 💥: is everything ok?? read, 6:33pm

to, j 💥: jack what the hell read, 7:12pm

to, j 💥: you can't really be moody cause i requested a trade from a team you don't even play for lmao

from, j 💥: i'm at practice. talk later

to, j 💥: i'm literally with daws and luke right now dude

to, j 💥: wtf did i do?? read, 7:44pm

to, j 💥: since when am i the one begging to make this work????

to, j 💥: you've been telling me for fucking months you didn't care what it meant as long as we could try us out

to, j 💥: you can't tell me how much you want me around one day and work so hard to make me believe you and then completely flip my world around the next that's not fair read, 8:19pm

to, j 💥: i at least deserve an explanation

from, jack: maybe i'm sick of people telling me i'm fucking up my whole life for you and that you're just gonna dump me before the playoffs so i lose focus

to, jack: hello?? lose focus against the team i'm requesting to leave?

to, jack: and who is people? all i've done is prove that i wouldn't fucking do that

to, jack: i'm literally with two of your teammates right now read, 8:25pm

to, jack: whatever, j. i asked for a trade for you lmao

from, jack: how is that for me? you're gonna be in a completely different fucking state and we'll never see each other

to, jack: that's what this is abt?? you could've just said something, j

from, jack: i don't think you can just unrequest the trade, y/n.

from, jack: what's done is done

to, jack: what would've happened if they just traded me regardless of if i asked?? would you have shut me out cause you don't like the distance when it wasn't my fault?

from, jack: that's different and u know it

to, jack: whatever jack

to, jack: see you wednesday

from jack: against the avs?? you got traded to fucking colorado?

to, jack: no. i got traded to the devils.

njdevils

ranger devil 😈 @/yourusername

2922 ❤ 456 ↳ 78 💬

view comments..

yourusername: i've always looked good in red

→ njdevils: our girl

dawson1417: FUCK YEAHHHH

→ yourusername: LEFT LOCKER NEIGHBOUR!!

→ dawson1417: RIGHT LOCKER NEIGHBOUR !!!!!!

lhughes_06: i'm gonna get bullied so much more often

→ yourusername: amen to that moosey

→ lhughes_06: no, not amen to that y/n/n

user: again i ask WHERE IS JACK

nicohischier: another one that won't listen to me

→ yourusername: not reporting for duty, cap 🫡

→ nicohischier: i'm not endeared

→ yourusername: fuck yeah you are

trevorzegras: i know i'm not meant to take personal offence to this but i am

→ yourusername: quinn is GROUCHY

→ _quinnhughes: why does jack get all the cool people i want to have a lake house adoptee on the canucks

→ yoursername: just bring petey

→ eliaspettersson_: do not volunteer me for that chaos

user: i'm kinda concerned at the lack of jack and y/n lately like what happened

jackhughes: new liney?

→ yourusername: new liney :)

→ lhughes_06: 🤨

→ user: luke don't expose your brother's weird cryptic comments as being weird and cryptic challenge

→ lhughes_06: hmm no

njdevils

liked by nicohischier, jackhughes and 34,899 others

njdevils: we think we've seen this film before and we loved the ending (bratter - jack - y/n/n line supremacy)

view 583 comments..

jackhughes: start building the statue

→ yourusername: fucking right

user: the way that she just screamed in his face on her first assist to his goal i could SOB

→ user: and his fucking SMILE BACK AT HER

→ user: and her third goal!! the jump into his arms

user: in love w them actually

→ njdevils: us too

lhughes_06: they should've smooched on centre ice with the hats falling down

→ lhughes_06: what lol who said that

dawson1417: RIGHT LOCKER NEIGHBOUR DID THAT

→ yourusername: i couldn't have done wonderwall with out your harmonizing merc

→ dawson1417: i do have the voice of an angel

trevorzegras: i love how it feels to be a hater

→ _quinnhughes: ^

→ yourusername: wonderwall concert, 5pts, and i got quinn hughes to agree with trevor zegras. i am her.

yourusername

liked by jackhughes, nicohischier and 289,111 others

yourusername: j <3

view 677 comments..

jackhughes: favourite liney?

→ yourusername: forever liney

lhughes_06: open your messages you demonic being

→ yourusername: do u know how much EFFORT that is

→ lhughes_06: i could imagine it's not a lot??

dawson1417: yucky

→ yourusername: we facetime like teenaged girls n you and ryleigh screeched in excitement when you recognized his room this morning

→ dawson1417: ok???? i screeched cause of the yuckiness

_quinnhughes: i guess you not being a canuck is tolerable if this is the outcome

→ trevorzegras: speak for yourself quintin i want her to be my liney forever 😾

→ yourusername: sorry z <3

→ jackhughes: she's not sorry

→ yourusername: i'm sort of sorry

→ trevorzegras: good enough!

user: SCREAMING AND CRYING OMG

→ user: WE'VE BEEN WAITING

user: mom n dad

dougieham: this is terrefying

→ yourusername: ok

john.marino97: new reality tv show live in the locker room except theres no drama it's just hughesy being whipped

→ yourusername: your favourite!

→ john.marino97: i hate every second

njdevils: it's not like we saw this coming or anything

→ yourusername: ADMIN

view more comments..

[chriscalledmesweetie]

My AO3 2024 Fic Year in Review

But It's a Ten, John! (100 words, M) Some things shouldn't be interrupted, even for a ten.

The Tenth Good Thing About Sherlock (328 words, G) After the Reichenbach fall, John, Lestrade, and Mrs. Hudson try to think of ten good things about Sherlock.

Sherlock and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week (561 words, T) John is away. Sherlock is NOT pleased.

The Case of the Missing Patty-Pan (2,982 words, G) When Mrs. Hudson invites Sherlock to a tea party, his own cleverness gets him into trouble. Fortunately, Dr. Watson is only too eager to come to his rescue.

The Murder of Sir Emory J. Amat (66,146 words, T) A Sherlock Holmes/Agatha Christie fusion, as recounted by Dr. John H. Watson. Can you follow the clues to deduce whodunnit?

The Murder of Major Sayer (12,011 words, T) Do you want to know what really happened during the fateful week when John Watson first met Sherlock Holmes? John’s sister Harry is here to set the record straight—or not, as the case may be.

The Murder of an Illusion (174 words, G) John has told his side of the story, and Harry has told hers. Now, it’s Sherlock’s turn to set the record straight—or not, as the case may be.

John Watson and the Tale of the Bloody Finger (944 words, T) A childhood tale comes back to haunt John.

Call Sherlock! (191 words, G) If you have a case, on Halloween, whatcha gonna do?

Pitter Pat (313 words, G) Is the flutter in John’s heart atrial fibrillation? Or could there be another cause?

Holly Jolly Johnlock Limericks (875 words, T) What it says on the festive tin.

[gotham-daydreams]

For your Not [] I was wondering how would Alfred and Y/n's relationship post kidnapped will go? Down the drain? Sure, they may have some reprieve from the rest of the family with Alfred, but would they resent Alfred for causing them to come back to the manor? After gathering the clues it was Alfred that pushed them to find you.

Also would Y/n have eventually gotten back into contact with Alfred after taking their much needed break away from the family, to help figure out and find themselves?

Well, that's the thing, I suppose!

I have thought about their relationship post kidnapping, and honestly I don't even know if the reader will ever logically know the extent of what Alfred has done to ensure that they stay in the position they're in. Especially, well, considering how I plan for Chapter 4 to go.

Of course at some point they'll definitely be able to deduce that he did something- they'll be able to tell from the things some of the Batfam says and just generally how Alfred acts, even if said things they catch with Alfred aren't all as they seem. But if they'll know the full extent of it? How much he played a part in what happened? In what ends up happening? Maybe not, not everything but maybe enough to be afraid. To get a peak into the ruin and shitty mess that is their life, and the true extent of that ruin. But a glance is only a glance, y'know?

I guess that's the scary thing - for me personally, anyways - that they won't know right away. That even when it happens they'll have no idea, and for those moments where they remain ignorant, unaware, and blind- Alfred is their saving grace. The only sane person amongst the endless sea of madness and derange that is the Batfam. The only person that seems to under their side, that not only comforts them but someone they actually feel comfortable and safe with. Alfred is the only one they trust, and... well, I rather not spoil how he feels about that.

Though, for the reader- from the little they put together and the little they know, its heartbreaking all the same. They don’t want to accept it- who would? The only person after being stripping and taken from their life- is just as insane as the rest? The only person they felt like they could confide in? That they could trust? That they could allow themselves to be vulnerable with when the others were away? That person is just as insane? Just as cunning and- and tricked them too?

It ruins them, and even if I won't say much else as it will be shown when I have it written- I think what I've said here is a good enough image of how badly things get from there once the reader even gets an idea of what Alfred may have potentially done. Though even if they did reach out now, they would probably still hold the whole "everything is fine" attitude they've got going on, and just try to talk to him normally- if not then at least passively mention how the family is sort of being weird and giving you a hard time (will that cause him to stop them? Not at all, but maybe things could've turned out differently. Which may be a recurring thing?? Well- it sort of already is but yk!)

As for the reader reaching out- I think I mentioned this in an previous (albeit older) post a bit in passing, but the reader has technically been in touch with Alfred! Just... not in a way he prefers. They are technically communicating with him, but it's very one sided (which is by design) and... well, may or may not be one of the reasons Alfred kick started this mess.

If this didn't answer your question then I apologize! Feel free to send in another ask if you want, and I can clarify anything you have any questions about!

[mono-gaming]

What was the Knight doing in Chapter 4?

So, I've got an interesting theory about the Knight's motivations over the most recent chapter. At the end of Chapter 3, the Knight kidnaps Undyne and locks her away in the shelter. Then, we see the Knight just kind of standing around a lot in the church dark world waiting for us to get to it. So why was the Knight just kind of lingering around? I think it was waiting for the Fun Gang to leave so that it could transport Asgore to the shelter as well.

After the church service, while gathering clues we can speak to Alvin. There's an option to ask about Asgore for seemingly no reason. Alvin mentions that Asgore usually visits the church at night. With Toriel canceling choir practice due to the rain, this would make Asgore the only person in the church that night.

Why would the Knight take Asgore? For the same reason it took Undyne. He's the most likely candidate to know all the codes for the shelter, as Susie basically deduces after your investigation.

It's likely that the Knight is hiding away those who could help the gang get in the way of its plans.

There's also the hidden segment of the prophecy to consider. "The flower man, trapped in asylum".

If we take asylum at face value, both the church and the shelter would qualify as asylum. It's possible that the Knight opened the fountain to capture Asgore, and he is in reality inside the classic "door a large person could fit inside". Kris can go up to the door and turn the handle, but will refuse to open the door. It would make sense if Kris knew that Asgore was inside. The voice on the phone that calls Kris also says "church...tonight...", meaning it was going to open a dark fountain in the church that night anyway, and Kris was aware of that.

There's even the possibility that Asgore went to the church that night trying to investigate the black shard. In Noelle's house, you can find Asgore talking to himself, saying, "We're almost there, aren't we, old friend? This time for sure… Tori will finally see. …see what really happened. …that I just wanted to… protect everyone… And this time, she'll have to believe me. …they all will. Then… We'll all be a happy family again… won't we? … It sure is beautiful, isn't it…? …this black shard." I believe Asgore is trying to prove something about Dess's disappearance, and he believes the black shard is a valuable clue. It's very possible his search could have led him to the church. Between his own snooping and his ability to unlock the shelter, Asgore is detrimental to whatever the Knight has planned.

[rocksibblingsau]

so you have the whole no offical cannon ships in your story but do you have any fun soulmate aus that you like? or want to play with?

for example the whole red string of fate au. where the person you're destined to be is on the other end. the color could change based on genre, or the color changes if they mix (a lot of purple string ;) lol)

I actually have a Brynth soulmate AU that I'd like to share with you.

Canon Branch timeline in an AU where the things you write on your body can be seen by your soulmate. One thing however is you can't write names, descriptions or places. They vanish. You're supposed to meet organically, not go "Hi my name is Branch and I live at-"

However there's something else. Being grey severs your end of the connection. You can receive messages, but nothing you write will be sent to your soulmate.

When Branch and Synth are young, they can't communicate much since they're still learning how to write, but Branch is confused by Synth's talk of water all the time and what a 'beat drop' is. After his brothers leave, however, Branch starts to wonder if your soulmate can reject you. After the death of his grandma, Branch couldn't even reply to Synth even if he wanted to. He doesn't (He's lying).

Branch reads everything Synth says, but he keeps his arms covered in public.

After Chef comes, Branch tries for the first time to reach Synth. He tries to write out "Are you safe, were you taken, are you alive?" but since he's grey, it doesn't work.

After Branch gets his colors back, he finally contacts Synth for the first time, and Synth is just happy to have Branch back. Synth asks why Branch didn't message him back and he's content with the answer "I couldn't. I wanted to, but I couldn't."

After talking a bit, Synth has sort of deduced that Branch is from another tribe, but Branch has no clue about the tribes so he thinks Synth is just someone who left the tree or Pop Village at some point.

When World Tour happens, Synth tries to warn Branch, but due to the rule about locations, Branch gets a fragmented message:

"Attacked. Coming for you next. Run. Hide. Protect string. Love you."

Shortly after that, Debbie shows up and Peppy explains the tribes situation. Branch realizes then his soulmate is from another tribe and that Barb must have been the one to attack them.

Branch confides in Poppy, but she doesn't listen, though she does start to have some doubts sooner about Barb's intentions.

Branch keeps trying to check in with Synth, but Synth doesn't have anything to write with so he can't answer. Branch tries to keep Synth's spirits up by sending him funny messages. "----- threw away my comprehensive manual and my sticks. I whittled those for hours. You would love my whittling, wish you were here instead."

The rest goes as normal, but after Just Sing, Branch gets tackled by a Techno Troll. Synth knew right away that was his soulmate who threw that book.

[fandom-roulette-wheel]

Putting out my Toto conspiracy theory because this is such an insane level of blatant withholding there’s no way there’s not more to him-

Okay so some other people have noticed that we have almost no information in Toto other than some very thin slices he’s provided and what Ron has deduced.

So here’s my theory:

The facts:

Toto is suspiciously bad at a job that he should not have otherwise been given without qualifying for it.

He almost never talks about himself or his past

Ron deducted that he must have grown up in a refined environment and was spoiled

He grew up with his grandparents

His age is constantly censored or left out of identifying documents and promo material related to the manga and anime, including the chapters in which they celebrated his birthday

He acts as a coil, constantly providing Ron with motivation and opening up his ability to move on or investigate when he would otherwise have looked something over or not been able to proceed

Which all seems far too convenient when we look at the broader scope of things.

So I have two theories here actually and this does contain spoilers for the most recent chapters so proceed with caution-

Toto is working for Alice specifically and before you get all puffy about it HEAR ME OUT:

if not for Toto, Ron wouldn’t have started investigating again, which would would have never lead to him confronting Elliot, ultimately leading to his downfall- something that also never would have happened without Toto being present and injured at the time.

Ron only knows what Toto has given him: very obvious clues that tell a story so he doesn’t have to.

Alice also has a lot of candid photos of Ron, which could have only been taken by someone close to him.

Now mind you I hate this theory personally. Toto to me is a ball of genuine fluff and must be protected at all costs but he’s just too convenient.

Which leads me to my second theory, which has started forming within the last few chapter releases (somewhere around 150-153)

Toto is working for Ron’s mother.

Mainly spurred on by the fact that in both correspondences she has sent to Ron, she has singled out Toto specifically. Now this could be just a mom worrying for the safety of her child’s only close friend but it seems odd.

“I’m glad you get along so well with Isshiki-san but you can’t keep selfishly dragging him along”

Okay fair, she’s smart, she knows what’s going on is life or death and that Toto always gets pulled into these things

BUT THEN she sends Kiku over with a message to “Give Totomaru her best” without giving Ron anything else and I’m not going to lie guys my theory is now leaning more heavily into the Toto is working for Alice territory because this seems like

A) she was trying to encourage Ron to leave Toto out of things which means she may know he’s connected in some way

B) a threat not a well wish, “I know what you’re doing and good luck with that”

And I hope to all deities and non-deities that exist that this is just my crazy conspiracy theory board and that Toto is just baby okay? But I can’t help but to wonder…

[lonigiri]

chapter seven ; packed

masterlist

taglist

she gripped her pencil tighter with every ring of the bell that the small cafe had. she didnt want to see him, especially not after the shit he just pulled. and why was this stupid cafe so packed at 5 pm on a thursday???? "hi! i see that you're trying to work, but as you can see we're pretty packed today! i was wondering if i could move you to a single table so we could free up this one for bigger parties?" one of the workers had come upto the table, asking her to basically fuck off and calling her a lonely bitch is how she took it. yn grabbed her stuff and walked out of the cafe, who the fuck does that bitch think she is, shes there every single night and she just kickes her out?

yn had a million thoughts going through her head as she walked down the sidewalk, she honestly had no clue where she was going, not even letting kuroo know she wasnt gonna be at the cafe. and then she just crossed the street without thinking, not stopping to see if it was even her turn, nor to look both ways to even see if a car was coming. there was a honk before a loud screech of tires coming quickly to a halt. yns eyes widened as she looked at the car, like a deer in headlights. what was she thinking, so many thoughts flowing through her head, she could've died? an open and close of a car door was heard as the driver had left the car. yn just standing there, still staring at the car, not being able to move, frozen with fear a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"yn? oh my god are you okay? you're not hurt right??" the panicked familliar voice sounded. he grabbed onto her shoulders turning her to face him. kuroo. she blinked, more tears falling from her eyes, choked sobs coming out. she didnt know why she was crying she just was. beating herself up inside, why was she letting him see her like this?? kuroos hand came up to her face, wiping away some of the tears. "i.. im sorry." was all yn could fester out of her voice box. "no dont apologize, i should've been paying attention more, i was just a little bit distracted. i could've hit you, i would've never forgave myself." he kinda mumbled out the last bit but she could still make it out. kuroo realized that they were kinda in the middle of the street when cars were coming by and flipping them off. "here get in the car, we can park somewhere." was what kuroo said before ushering her into the car, making sure to open and close the door for her.

they had parked in a random parking lot. "are you sure you're okay? you didnt get hurt or anything." "im fine, just a little shaken is all, but it was my fault, i didnt look where i was going." "im sorry i wasnt there earlier then this wouldn't have happened." "kuroo its not your fault. i left because they basically asked me to, it was super packed and they said that they needed to free up a table." a sigh of relief exited kuroos mouth as he held onto the steering wheel. kinda relaxing into his seat. "yn, i wanted to make it up to you." "make what up?" she was kinda confused, besides acting kinda odd he's never really done anything, not that she would ever admit that out loud or in a court of law but.

"i know that i've said some stuff to you that is kinda off putting and weird and nothing that i've said has really came off in a way that i actually meant it." her eyebrows furrowed, if she didnt know any better this could almost sound like an apology. she let him continue on his tangent. "and i wanted to start over, i know you cant really completely forget everything but i wanted to ask if we could put that stuff in the past and maybe i could be less weird and offputting this time?"

she felt,, bad? she couldn't put her finger on exactly how she felt but it was deduced to feeling bad. she made this poor guy think that she absolutely hated his guts --which she did----for the most part-- and now he wants to start over, because of how badly she made him feel.

"its not your fault." she muttered out. his eyebrows furrowed at the sentence. "but i've been the one acting weird so it-" "you've been acting like yourself, not weird." she said, putting weird in air quotes, "and when this started i wasn't happy with my roommate, so i kinda already decided that i wouldnt like you even before i knew you. and i honestly feel horrible now, because even though i know you have good intentions i just couldnt help but think the worst."

"woah" is all kuroo said. "i um, dont know what to say really." "i know im a bad person, i try to be better but-" "its okay, i understand." "you do?" kuroo just nodded "i mean if someone came up to me, mewed in my face then asked me for my number i'd have an opinion formed on them before i talked to them." she let out a small laugh. "i guess that is how it went down." kuroo nodded and laughed aswell. "i never did give you my number though."

okay so i love this story again 😁

tags (open): @giocriedpower @jellysupremacy @mirtaspace @pkjay @dwkkiu @rrosiitas @tetsuswhore @eruphi @nymphsdomain @0tsukie @milkystarrrycharm @obamakinnie @emotiandon

[momo-de-avis]

...

Was enjoying my holiday, doing some shopping, and I get two missed calls from my brother at 3pm. I immediately get this sinking feeling in my stomach because we don't talk, he does not have a reason to call me, so I know something terrible has happened. I call back and when he answers, his voice is muffled and he's clearly tearing up. And that's when he says our father was found dead in a pretty fucked up way. And then he says "it's already on the news but he's not been identified". I'm gonna come out and say something I never do, but my father was once an extremely important public figure which is perhaps the main reason why we barely had a relationship and what in the end fucked up my family more than it was fucked already. And now they've identified him and it's everywhere on the news and I can't deal with this shit. I have never been in this position, I spent years of my childhood having my surname recognised by randos who made a huge deal, I have debated changing my surname because of it, but past the 2010s it stopped. I just cannot conceive being thrown in the middle of this shit AGAIN.

Also, what the fuck are you supposed to feel. This person was never there for me except financially , that's the one area he never ever failed. I grew up in a family split in the middle. He never even announced to me that he had a new daughter, introduced me to his partner (who I don't even know if he was married to or not) ONCE, never bothered inviting me to hang out and get to know her at all, just casually showed me a video of a little girl and told me her name, never even told me that was her daughter (i deduced It from context clues) and in the end of his life he was trying, he was trying to get close to me but was so fucking late. Last time we talked he asked me where I was going on vacation and I said Ponte de Lima and he said come over and stay with us, and I was so hesitant because that closeness never existed. A third of my life was spent devoid of this man's presence while reaping the fruits of his public career. Now he's dead in a freak accident and the person who communicated the news to my brother was the woman who gave him my supposedly half sister and never bothered to get to know me cause she doesn't even have my contact.

I feel like my mourning is for the man he could have been but never was, which is not much different from what my adult self has done for a while, and it makes me feel like a monster.

What the fuck am I supposed to feel? To do?

Portuguese people: however vague I was, you're all going to see it on the news and you're going to know immediately when you see it. This is a small country. Combine freak accident with public figure and it will be easily deducted. Yes, if I had a wikipedia page I'd have a blue link on my father's name. I just ask that you keep this to what it is and don't bring it up. I've been avoiding this shit my whole life and I just cannot conceive dealing with this crap right now

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Witches of East End AU Thoughts

My previous thoughts trended towards Wendy being Lena's birth mom, and Lionel Luthor being a dark warlock, thereby making Lena a child of both light and dark magic. Which is something I really want to work with. Like, she straddles the line between white and black morality anyway, so it tracks that Lena would have this role as a witch as well. And Lena would be unique in the magical world for this birthright.

So maybe Lena would be the key to a curse or prophecy of some kind?

Of course, instead of thinking about that, I wondered what would happen if Lena were pulled into the plane of shadow/dark magic somehow. I was thinking of an experience to what Dean went through when he went to hell (i think?), where he met Benny. Except instead of meeting someone like Benny, Lena is landed in a world where everything and everyone wants to either use her or kill her outright.

She might be missing from our mortal plane maybe a couple days to a week, but Lena's stay is much longer on her end. So when Joanna and the rest of Lena's family summon her back to our plane, Lena is practically feral in her aggression towards anything that moves.

Lena comes back *different*, y'all. She's sensitive to light and bright colors, she doesn't trust anyone, and she's constantly on edge, unable to rest. Let's call it her emo phase. Her family doesn't really understand what she went through or how to help her.

And it's at this point, with Lena fresh out of the shadow plane, that Kara finally tracks Lena to East End.

Lena had left National City months to maybe a year earlier, on a sojourn to learn more about her presumed-dead mother and any other family she may find. Kara misses her, but keeps her distance, until she hasn't heard from Lena in months and she gets worried.

So Kara arrives and Lena is like... weird about it. She can barely look at Kara, and doesn't share much when Kara asks how things have been and how her search is coming along. Lena is very curt with her, single-word answers, if that. She's kind of squinting through most of the stilted conversation, but when Kara asks if Lena's okay, all she gets is "Headache, I'm fine. We done here?"

Kara eventually kinda follows Lena back to the Beauchamp home, and manages to introduce herself to the family without Lena knowing. And sensing that Kara a) means no harm, and b) loves Lena, Joanna reveals a bit about what little they know of Lena's ordeal, and how this change in Lena's nature is different for them too.

Lena very obviously does not want to talk to Kara, and does everything she can to avoid her. Which means Kara does everything she can to be persistent, respectfully. Eventually, Lena turns on her, anger at the ready.

"What do you want?"

"Actually looking at me would be a start," Kara would respond gently.

To which I imagine Lena's temper would reach its flashpoint.

"I can't!" she'd cry.

"What do you mean--"

"You're too *bright*, Kara!"

Which of course Kara has no clue how to interpret. She stares in confusion, but she's rescued by the fact that now she's started, Lena can't seem to stop.

"You don't even realize it, do you? Your energy, your aura, it's... its light, and pure, and good, and after so long in that place, where everything and everyone was so, so dark... you're too bright. You're just too bright."

Lena starts to cry then, tears spilling quietly to her cheeks. But before Kara can respond, Lena turns and books it out of sight, leaving Kara standing dumbfounded and alone.

The next day, Kara stops by the Beauchamp home with a pair of sunglasses, which she offers silently to Lena.

"What are you doing?" Lena asks.

Kara shrugs. "I figured they might make things a little less bright."

Lena stares at her a long moment, as though trying to decipher if Kara is making some kind of joke. But relying on what she knows of Kara, Lena deduces that her friend is in earnest.

She huffs. "It doesn't work like that," she says, accepting the sunglasses anyway.

"Oh." Kara stares glumly at her shoes for a moment. Then she shrugs. "They'll still look cute though."

The response takes Lena off guard, and for the first time since her return from the shadow plane some of the weight on her soul lifts. She chuckles. "Right."

Kara cocks a grin, waiting hopefully in the doorway. When Lena doesn't say anything more, she decides to press her luck.

"Can I come in?"

After a long moment, Lena relents. She steps aside, granting Kara entry to the Beauchamp home, and all the intimacy that comes with it.

[ffrostedfflakies]

Hidden Lover - Chapter One

You've recently discovered that you have a secret admirer. You're not sure what to think about that.

You’ve recently felt like there has been something new added to your life.

Well. More like SOMEONE new.

You don’t know exactly know when or why, but for some reason you seem have a new…friend? Hanging around you. Additionally, that ‘new friend’ just so happens to be Black Noir. As in, Black Noir from the seven. As in, one of the deadliest assassin in the world.

The supe doesn’t seem to be there to kill you, nor does he seem to be there to deal any sort of grievous bodily harm. But for the life of you, you couldn’t figure out why the man just can seem to leave you alone!

You think back to when this all started a month ago.

You had just come home after a long shift at work when to noticed a bouquet of dove orchids** and a box of chocolates. Although touched by the sentiment, you couldn’t ignore the obvious elephant in the room:

Someone would have had to break into your house to do this.

Here’s the thing though – there are literally zero signs of forced entry- plus the fact that nothing was taken, means that all the intruder did was come in and leave the gifts on your table.

Slightly disturbed yet also a little intrigued you place the flowers in a vase you just so happened to have and move to sit down on the couch, chocolates in hand.

Chewing on them slightly, you realise that you had received no note with this present, so there was literally no way to deduce who on earth your secret admirer is.

‘Oh well, more free food for me I guess.’ You think to yourself.

The following weeks follow the same routine: you come home from work, encounter a bundle of flowers on your table and some sort of confectionery alongside it. Again, with no not whatsoever. Then, you consume the sweets in some semblance of peace trying to ignore the fact that there is a person breaking into your home on a daily basis leaving you gifts. Then the cycle repeats itself.

Until now.

You arrived at your home, prepared to do the same things you have been doing for the past few months when you notice something different with your present.

Finally, there was a note!

You rush towards the package, fumbling to open the envelope, desperate to get any sort of clue of who your secret admirer (and possibly stalker) could be. Flipping open the note you read:

“I’m finally back from my mission my love ♡! Can’t wait to see you

Forever yours, Your beloved.

Frankly, you were bewildered. Why were they talking to you like they knew you? Why did they call you my love?

And for the love of everything holy, why oh, why have they drawn a picture of buster the beaver on the back???? Didn’t that business go out DECADES ago?? Genuinely how old was this person?

So many questions and yet so many answers.

You put the card down, still in absolute disbelief at what you just read. Now, for some reason, you weren’t eagerly anticipating the next package.

[bakawitch]

Au, where Bakura is a serial killer and Ryou is a true crime enthusiast. One day, Bakura is just going about his business, trying to dispose of a body when Ryou appears and catches him off guard. Ryou is a wide-eyed idiot whose current fixation just so happens to be The Ring Killer (who just so happens to be Bakura). Despite his innocent, naive get up, Ryou has an insanely analytical mind, and he was able to deduce where The Ring Killer would be based on a few arbitrary clues. Bakura tries to deny it, but Ryou insists that he has to be The Ring Killer and that his secret is safe with him because he's actually a big fan of Bakura.

Bakura contemplates killing him for a while but eventually decides against it and asks Ryou to prove his intentions by helping him get rid of the body. Ryou is weirdly enthusiastic about the whole thing, and even after the deed is done, he follows Bakura around. Ryou gets really attached to Bakura for some reason, and they eventually develop a symbiotic relationship with each other. Ryou provides Bakura with information, helps him out with murder stuff, and advice about logically what the police's next move would be, and in return, Bakura keeps him reluctant company.

As predicted, Ryou turns out to be equally if not more messed up than Bakura and eventually kills some hired gun who went after Bakura after he killed some highly influential rich guy. Ryou's very happy that he has another thing in common with Bakura now, and Bakura ends up realising that Ryou is more terrifying and worse than he is. The only problem for him being is that he's not sure whether he's scared shitless or if he's kind of into that. Weird murder-romance dark humour hijinks ensue further!

[jettermelon]

I think this is a week or two late, but there was some fantastic discussion happening on TTRPG Tumblr earlier this month about incentive systems in rpgs - @thydungeongal, @imsobadatnicknames2, and @cavegirlpoems all have good posts that you should read. I’m here though to talk about incentive systems in games more generally. I’m seeing a lot of confusion in the notes of those posts about why they’re used in the first place (and also because I’m trying to articulate my own thoughts about them! I’m still a baby designer trying to figure out how all this works).

So real quick, let’s all get on the same page. Games are a voluntary limitation of agency, right? While playing the game, participants agree that certain arbitrary actions are off limits, while other actions are desirable. Which actions are off limits and which are desirable then create a certain experience. Go Fish and Texas Hold ‘em play fundamentally differently, and create a different emotional experience in their players, despite literally using the same components. The only difference is which actions are off limits, and which are desirable. We then play those games because the emotional space that play creates is... well fun. The whole point of rules in games is to put players in a specific emotional space. 

This same idea can then be applied to more complex or thematic games. For example classic board game Clue loosely simulates the experience of being an old school mystery novel detective. It drip feeds you clues, and because the first player to correctly guess whodunit wins, players are encouraged to make their guess before they’ve mathematically “proven” the solution. Winning at Clue, then, requires some deductive reasoning skills, and when everything’s working it makes you feel like the hero in an Agatha Christie novel. That feeling is the goal of Clue’s design.

Okay, sweet, so we all agree that systems when voluntarily engaged with can create certain emotional states in the player - and those systems can be deliberately designed to invoke specific fantasies (this is what folks mean when they say “game design is real” btw!). Now I want to take a look at incentive systems specifically. So far the games I’ve used as examples all have the same, very simple incentive system: do a specific Thing and you win. Even with such a simple system, you can get a lot of mileage. Again, to win at Clue you have to name the murderer before anyone else. That “before anyone else” bit is key here. It encourages the player to be risky - to try and deduce what the other players know. That way they can make a call before anyone else has the chance to gather enough clues to solve the puzzle through process of elimination. That single incentive system contains most of the game’s fantasy. Change how you win a bit, and the game no longer fulfills its fantasy. If multiple players could win, you would no longer have incentive to make a call before you had literally all the information and therefore no deduction would be necessary. 

Now obviously “winning” doesn’t have to be the only incentive, especially as your game gets more complex. Let's take a step out of the tabletop realm for a sec (there are other board games I could use here, but all that’s coming to mind are fucking Nerd Games™ and I want to keep my examples accessible) and take a look at the most recent Legend of Zelda games. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have incentive systems a lot closer to your typical TTRPG than something like Clue does. Sure, there’s the main quest to win the game (kill Matthew Mercer), but that’s really difficult to do at the start. And also like... not really the fun part of those games. The fun part is exploring Hyrule. And whether you realized it or not, the Zelda designers bribed you into engaging with the fun part of their game. 

Imagine for a second if Breath of the Wild was missing its Shrines, Korok Seeds and sidequests. Literally the exact same game, same level geometry, same backstory, same enemy placement, just no rewards out in the wild. It would kind of suck yeah? You’d get tired of exploring right away, and just play it like an action game. Even if you added back in the parts of the game most of us consider fun (Shrines, Korok puzzles, actual content to find out in the wild) but withheld the rewards which make Link stronger (loot, Spirit Orbs, Korok seeds, etc), only completionists would bother doing any of that. The rewards are what lured us into the fun part of the game - without the rewards the game would have been less fun. Not only that, but it would have lost its core fantasy. It would have stopped being a game about exploring the wild, and turned into a game about killing an evil pig. All you had to change was the incentive system.

I think you're seeing how this applies to TTRPGs now. The things which make a player character stronger (that is to say, gives them more agency over the gameworld) are the things your players will gun for. A smart designer is going to make sure their incentive system rewards play which guides players to the game’s core fantasy. If your game is about being a badass monster hunter, XP for killing monsters is a fine reward structure. If the game is about making your and your friend’s OCs kiss, then you need a reward structure that incentivizes OC smooching. 

Now some of you are protesting “but my friend’s OC and my OC smooch in D&D sometimes! What gives Lucy?” What you’re doing there is called playing pretend (a fantastic pastime, this is not meant as a knock on playing pretend. I do it all the time actually), but you shouldn’t give D&D or its designers credit for that. YOU AND YOUR FRIEND are responsible for that cool story - not WotC. Take credit for the cool shit you and your friends make, don’t give it to some corporation. 

Idfk how to end this uhhhh.... Game design is really cool, and it can incentivize real neat stories when properly utilized. If you’re ignoring your game’s designed reward structure, then the cool stories that come out of it are a result of you and your friends being good at telling stories (seriously go give your GM a big ol’ hug if you haven’t already), not the game. If you are the GM and regularly ignore your game’s incentive systems, there are probably other games which better reward the style of play you want. Love yourself more than you love D&D and life is good. Or whatever