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aquanova99 · 1 year

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Haunted (Cato x Reader)

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Part 6

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A/N: I know I know and I’m sorry! Thank you for being so patient and not giving up on me🤍

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Y/Ns POV

My eyes shot open. Your body did not follow. Your muscles were stiff and ached from the slightest movement. Where was I? How did you end up here? You were almost completely covered in what you hoped was the morning dew of the forest. The walls surrounding you seemed to have been made from old tree trunks fallen over a group of rocks. A perfect little makeshift cave of sorts. Too perfect. You were almost sure this was made as a possible hiding place for the tributes, courtesy of the gamemakers. This seemed like a place you would pick to hide in, but from what you recall you didn’t make it very far after collecting Glimmers arrows. The arrows! You needed to get out of here, get your bearings. You needed to push against your protesting muscles. You decided on moving one singular muscle group at a time. You turned your head noticing your packs were still next to you. Your arms were next. Slowly, ever so slowly you patted your body down searching for your knives. Nothing. Not too surprising I guess. Whoever put you here would be an idiot to leave you armed. It took another five minutes just to sit up. You shuffled next to your pack going through every pocket. You small first aid kit seemed rummaged through but other than that nothing seemed out of place. The smaller pack had been mostly cleaned out, probably nothing of real use anyway. You left the other bag you stole from Glimmer. You decided to make your way out of the tiny hole you found yourself in, a much bigger effort now that you were carrying your bag. You needed water. And food, but water was once again, your first priority. Climbing was out of the question. You looked at your canteen… full. Could you trust no one had poisoned it? You shrugged away your worries, if they wanted you dead they could have found a hundred ways to do so by now.

The sun was blinding. You’re only hope was that the careers are hopefully doing much worse off than you. Your brain struggled to get itself together. You were walking target. You allowed yourself a few deep breaths to force yourself together. You recognized the area. Your body moved instinctually until you were at the small body of water that had already once offered you sanctuary when the fire started. How many days ago was that? You finished the water in the canteen before filling it up and setting the iodine drops in. You decided to clean yourself of all of the blood, mud, and sweat you had built up since you were thrown into these games. Even in the worst parts of twelve, you would have never seen anyone look as disheveled as you were right now. The heat levels made you feel secure enough that your clothes would dry out quick enough if you washed them, you hesitated knowing you were still being watched, but after all the blood and gore you doubted they’d care about someone trying to maintain themselves. Honestly if anything, it might give you some brownie points from the capitol. Whatever. You stripped down to your undergarments as you washed what you could out of your clothes. You look at your hands, traces of some makeshift bandages beginning to peel off. You questioned why they wouldn’t just use the first aid kit…You continued to stare before the realization that the location of the tracker jacker stings were almost untraceable. These were not bandages. Great, another debt you may not be able to repay.

You could hear Haymitch scolding you for being so reckless. Here you were trying to…what? Feel clean? Look nice? Meanwhile You were without a weapon and completely out in the open. Stupid. You threw your head back with a sigh, and decided to put on your damp clothes and start regathering yourself. You dig through your pack cursing silently when you realize any rope you have left was burned up in your attempt to flee the fire. You have no choice. You have to head back in the direction you came from. Someone kept you alive. And someone had your weapons. Your mind spins with the jerk of your head towards the sound of a twig snapping. Your eyes begin scanning every inch of the spread of trees before you. You saw nothing. Heard no one. You stay frozen in place, only darting your eyes until they land on the smallest tip of what appears to be a child’s boot.

“Rue??” Her eyes peek from behind the tree, ands it all you cand do from sprinting over to her. Your voice comes out in a harsh whisper, barely managing to contain your excitement “oh my god. Are you okay?”

“You’re worried about me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Did—did you help me?”

She shook her head, “Not just me…uhm are we still allies?”

Relief washed over your body, “of course.”

“I’m sorry I took your knives. Thresh wanted to make sure.” You ask get a rundown of the two nights you were unconscious. There’s only ten of you left. Rue chews on her cheeks, “Y/n…Thresh is injured pretty bad.”

“What?”

“Well…I went find him first and we were running towards the edge of all that smoke from the fire, he wanted to see if could get Arioch while he was more out of it. But the closer we got we heard them find you. We didn’t want them to find us so he climbed a tree to sleep and I went to find you. The tracker jackers freaked the careers out and Thresh went to investigate because I hadn’t made it back to him. They were running back toward the lake by the cornucopia. Clove and Marvel were first and didn’t even see him. Arioch was starting to see things and we don’t know what he saw but he pushed him down and kept running, but well. You know Arioch he pushed really hard and thresh fell back pretty hard. His shoulder looks like bad.”

“He dislocated it?”

“I think so. I found him first because I heard him scream, I think he popped it back into place but he wont tell me. But if he wasn’t hurt he would have gone after the careers. Now they have medicine.”

You knew he had to have been the one who moved you. That probably didn’t help much. No wonder he took your weapons. “Well, lets find him. Once I get that bow we can hopefully get some food.”

“Enjoy your rest?” Thresh asked as the two of you joined him

“Cheerful as always, aren’t we?....How are you doing?”

He shrugged, his first mistake. The pain on his face was evident. Rue asked him about your weapons. Thresh was more than reluctant to give everything back. You couldn’t blame him. With only ten people left the alliance wouldn’t last forever. You saw him wince as he lifted his arm to hand you the knives. You thought about the gift from your sponsor. The fire had hit your leg, but you were quick to swat the fire on your thigh. Your calf was not so lucky. If the medicine from the capitol went deep enough through the layers of skin to heal the burn, you wondered what effects it would have on Thresh’s bruised, and likely strained muscles.

“I don’t know if this will work but, it may help some of the pain.” You rummaged through your bag to pull out the gift from your sponsor. It had done its purpose. Your burn no longer caused any pain, it wasn’t pretty to look at but you could manage that.

He scoffed, “Nice sponsors.”

“Do you want to work with me or not? Take off your shirt so we can try this out.”

He sighed but gave in to your request. If the cream Haymitch sent you had brought a cooling relief when you had first put it on, then at the very least it would relieve some of the stress in Thresh’s shoulder. You grabbed a bandage out of the first aid kit. Thresh’s body reflexively jerked from the touch of your hands on his skin. Though the bruises on his skin were barely visible, it was clear that the slightest contact still brough sharp pain through his body. In a way that was a good thing, it meant that he just needed to rest. On the other hand, he need to rest. And rest was something they couldn’t afford in these games. “How does it feel?”

“Cold. But good. I guess”

You nodded and began wrapping, you started on the top half of his arm. Thresh’s was again, but fortunately and unfortunately, very muscular. He could hold his own in the game, and would hopefully heal quickly. But you would probably use the whole roll of wrapping you had acquired. You prayed none of you needed any more. After starting with the upper half of his bicep you went across his chest to stabilize his shoulder. It would limit his range of motion, but the more he let it rest the longer he would last. You and Rue helped him put his shirt and jacket back on before he spoke again.

“Thanks.”

“Why didn’t you take it?”

“How was I supposed to know what it did?”

“Okay. Fair I guess.” Something told you something didn’t want to betray any trust, probably Rue, “Okay we need to get food. You guys have anything for snares?”

“Nothing. But we have lots of berries and roots. See?” Rue said excitedly, her eagerness brought a smile to your face.

“I guess its my turn to bring something to the table. I’ll be back.” You looked at Thresh’s hesitant face, “Here. You can keep the knives and bags if it makes you feel better about me ditching. Be right back.”

You took a few practice shots before going to far. The bow was easy enough to carry, or it would have been if your body didn’t feel as if it was run over by one of the peacekeeper vehicles. You tried to remember all those times Katniss and Gale would tread carefully near one of your hiding places. You felt ridiculous. You wish you would have taken up Gales offer on going hunting with him and Katniss right about now. Your aim was still off, definitely improved, you would be able to get food. But if it comes down to an arrow your precision could be what loses you the game. You came into a smaller clearing with a flock of birds grazing. If you ever got your hands on more rope, you would remember to set the snares in this area. You shot at the slowest moving bird, you tried to hit the general area of his chest. Your breath steadying as you released the notched arrow. Feathers flew as the birds flapped to make as much distance between you as possible. You got lucky and clipped through one of the wings. Not exactly where you were aiming but it would do for now. You tried not to make a face as you broke the bird’s neck to finish him off. Maybe this is why you never asked to be taught how to shoot. This always made you swallow back any possibility of vomiting. The cracking of bone, the squirming of the animal’s body. Maybe this is why you preferred the spear, though wooden and perhaps not as quick as the metal one from the capitol, they almost always finished off the animal in question.

You tried not to get in your head as you headed back to your new alliance. You had to be honest with yourself. You had picked up the knives quickly. They were lightweight and deadly. Your arms were too shaky with arrow and it affected your aim. You were good with snares but that wasn’t exactly helping take out any tributes. You were, at the end of the day, average or below average in everything. Your best shot was hiding and hoping to pull off another sneak attack like you managed to do with the tracker jackers. And even then, you wouldn’t have even noticed them without Rue. You’d never won in hand to hand combat in the training center, you had little chance of making out of a physical fight alive, that had always been Peetas strength.

Peeta…Where was he right now? Not with the careers according to Rue. Was he okay? Should you even care at this point?

“Nice catch 12.” Thresh grunted as you stepped back into view

“Thanks. I don’t suppose you’d mind plucking this thing?”

He chuckled, “Yeah, sure. And its groosling.”

“A groosling?”

Rue jumped down from a smaller tree, “Yeah we have them all over 11, when they come into the field we get a decent lunch.”

“Not much food there either?”

“No, you get in a lot of trouble if you take anything you harvest. They’ll whip you in front of everyone. Thresh act—”

*ahem Thresh coughed. You didn’t need to hear more. Your heart sank. You would have never thought you’d be grateful to have been from 12. “We better be quick about cooking up this bird. We don’t want to risk lighting anything once it gets dark.”

They both nodded and as Thresh worked you asked more about the Careers camp Rue had spied on. She had made good work of flying through the trees. They had replaced Peeta with the boy from 3, Elias. Why would he be working with the careers, he wasn’t a fighter, and he couldn’t bring food to them. The thought made you uneasy. Rue was explaining how they had set up all of their supplies in one big pile. The seemed risky, could the tracker jackers have messed with their mind that badly? As Rue is finishing telling you about seeing Peeta head towards a river in the opposite direction of the careers Thresh plops down next to her. “Now, what?”

You make quick work of starting a fire, and begin cooking. You have to entrust Thresh and Rue to make sure the bird cooked through while you stand in case the smoke gets too visible and draws in wanted attention. Much to Thresh’s chagrin.

“Y/n. Its all done.” Rue says quietly, you proceed to quickly douse the fire and stomp out any remaining embers. You hand a knife to Thresh and tell to cut off however much he wants to eat, you cut off thigh and leg, and hand it to Rue. “I’ve never had a whole leg to myself before.”

“Well, you need to keep your strength up.” You smile at each other. You slice off some of the bird’s breast and begin eating. For a moment all the three of you can do is pick apart the food and eat. It was a good a meal as any back home. You felt your body relax a bit more. You should probably save more of the bird, but not much you could do with it. Might as well have the energy to get through the next day.

“How long do we do this?” Thresh asked the question youd been avoiding

“The careers need to go. Then we split.” The steadiness in your voice surprised you. Thresh nodded, Rue changed the subject on dividing any food leftover in case they get split up. You noticed neither of them had had the luxury of finding a sleeping bag. “Thresh you and Rue can share the bag. I’ll keep watch first. We can switch out when its your turn.”

They both looked at you shocked that you had offered something so valuable. Thresh regained his composure first, “Thanks. So how do we take care of the careers?”

“I don’t know. But if all of their food is in one pile, it sounds tempting to find a way to destroy it.”

“That could get us killed.”

“Do you have any other ideas?”

“You two fight a lot.” Rue chimed in, giggling

You sighed, “You’re right. I want to destroy their food. It gives us the best chance at winning.”

Thresh echoed his own sigh, “Alright. Lets figure out what we’re doing tomorrow.”

You perch yourself up against a tree and hope the venom lingering in your body doesn’t drag you into slumber. You think about the best way to draw the careers from the cornucopia, but unless their up to hunting the rest of us down there’s little you can do to avoid being seen. You draw in the dirt in front of you with your knife until a voice draws your attention.

“I think it was all fake you know?”

“What?”

“The whole love act you and the other guy from 12 put up.”

“It was an act, you didn’t hear about him working for the careers?”

“Yeah and I’ve also heard you trying to figure out if he actually saved you. I also know he isn’t working with careers anymore.”

“He was probably just trying to make people think he’s in love with me. It doesn’t matter anymore anyway.” You go back to playing with your knife. You knew it was an act because you knew who Peeta was actually in love with. Still, why did he try and get you to leave? And did he actually fight Arioch?

“Those glasses in your bag…you should use them at night if you want to actually see anyone coming.”

“They’re night glasses??”

“Yeah.”

You put them on immediately. Almost letting out a laugh from your surroundings, it would definitely help you see if anyone was coming. Thresh said nothing else, and you let him rest until your eyes could no longer stay awake. Rue cuddled into you, reminding you of how lonely these games feel when you work by yourself. You missed people, you missed your family, and the few friends you had. The warmth of Rues body pressed against you lulls you into a deep slumber. The boom of the cannon scares you awake, and it takes everything to not scream as you bolt upright. The careers were hunting again. Which meant you had to destroy their supplies, today.

You missed dusk, so cooking anything was out of the question. You had some of the groosling left over for each of you but you would need to wait to for anything of sustenance. Rue had found eggs for all of you in a marsh, while the texture would usually make you want to puke, you have to eat. You learned about Rue, the oldest sibling, fiercely protective of them, even risking foraging knowing about the peacekeepers harsh punishments. She tells you about her love of music, you smile at the light in her eyes.

“Do you get a chance to enjoy music at home?” you ask

“We sing at home. At work, too. That’s why I love your pin,” she says, pointing to the mockingjay that I had all but forgotten. You cant help but agree. Your brothers, they didn’t mind working in silence. But when you had first had to find food you would wake up dangerously early and you hated it but there was something about listening the birds singing as if to welcome you into their world. Rue talks about making friends with the mockingjays, how she uses them to signal everyone that its time to go home. You begin unclasping your pin but Rue stops you, and says that it let her know she could trust you. Rue starts to talk about Thresh, but she barely manages to get out that he has no siblings before he interrupts.

“So, whats the plan 12?”

“Are you ever going to use my name?”

“Not likely.”

You rolled your eyes, he took stubborn to a different level. In a way you understood. The less you knew, the more you could separate the games. Only one person made it out, you had to keep telling yourself that. You all decided on your plan by lunch. We would meet back at the same site, close to the stream. You leave them the sleeping bag in case they need it. You could probably find the other bag you had hidden away in the beginning of the games. But decide to omit that information.

“What about you? Won’t you be cold?”

“Hey, don’t worry about me. Stealing isn’t illegal here. Ill find something before I get rid of the careers.”

Rue teaches me her mockingjay song. A signal that we are okay but can’t come right away. Before you leave Rue wraps you in a hug, which you return. There may not be much time left, and you needed her to know how much these last couple days meant to you.

“You be careful.” She says

“You guys too. I’ll see you at dinner. Take care of Thresh okay?” You joke as you poke her belly, she giggles and goes to join Thresh

“Good luck.” He says with a huff

You nod and go to make your way to the stream.You try to move as quickly and silently as you can. Your mind racing with thoughts concerning Rue, Peeta, your family. Was Peeta the death the canon was alerting you to? What would happen if it coms down to you and Rue or Thresh? Would you be able to make the first move? Take the first shot? And your family? You risked everything by coming down here, were they okay? Did the mayor decide to punish them for making a scene during the Reaping?

The closer you got to the career camp had you pause at any sound or movement in the woods. You had a knife out and ready, if more than one career showed up it would give you a better chance of making an accurate kill versus trying to restring your bow. Your shooting skills were alright but they were slow, you couldn’t renock your arrow quickly and to get an accurate shot you had to stand almost completely still. You weren’t going to risk dying with those odds. When you get to the hiding spot Rue told you about you allow yourself to sheath your knives and get your bow out. The careers are moving slowly, their body is covered in bumps from the tracker jacker stings. If they had gotten medicine it wasn’t working all that well. The supplies were in a pyramid, it so tempting but its clear that it had to be booby trapped. Most likely Elias’ doing, he was from three, the technology district. You couldn’t remember his score. He had shrunk away when you had tried to talk to him. But if he was anything like his other victors, you were sure he had a few tricks up his sleeves. You knew better than to count anyone out. For now, theres noting to do but wait, wait for them to reveal what the trap was, wait for them to go hunting, or wait for Rue and Thresh to get the fires going.

Arioch’s shouts let you know the alter is what was happening. You can hear an argument start. Marvel and Clove think they should leave Elias to guard the supplies.

“Hes coming. No ones touching the supplies anyway.”

“And lover boy?” Marvel asks. So, Peeta was alive for now. You don’t know whether to feel relief or frustration. You wondered if they were fighting to keep Elias away so they could take the chance to deal with Arioch before its too late.

“It’s a miracle he hasn’t bled out yet. He isn’t moving, and he definitely is not an issue. You don’t think I know where I hit him?” He grabs a spear and pushes it into Elias, “Come on. And if its her I get the kill, my way. Everyone understand?”

Probably doesn’t mean Rue if you had to guess. You sit for a while longer, not knowing what exactly would be the best option here. You’re about to get closer when you see the girl from five, Cora, run towards the pile. You have to stop yourself from shouting out. She was willing to talk to you about alliances, but you doubted with so little people she would trust you now. And Thresh certainly work with you with someone else on board. You see her dance to the supplies. It was so deliberate. She was smart enough that you knew she would be able to tell that it was booby trapped, and she had figured out exactly what the trick was. She overshot one of her jumps and fell forward, a squeal escapes her. It suddenly clicks. You look back at the plates you had all stood on as you waited for the timer to count down. The dirt dug around it, then uneven patches of land. Elias was even smarter than you had thought. Rerigging the mines. No one has ever done that. For a split second you smiled at the thought of something being pulled over the gamemakers before you realize that unless you wanted to sacrifice yourself there was going to be no way of getting to the supplies after all. Your memory was good but you had already forgetten Coras dance. And she was probably long gone for me to offer any kind of truce.

Damn it. You scan everything in the pyramid of food and crates. You had no chance of getting from here. Rue and Thresh’s second fire had begun. The careers were smart enough to figure out something was off. You needed to think of something, and you needed to think of something now. Your eyes land on the bag of apples. No way. Theres absolutely no way. You might waste every arrow. You take a deep breath, you had to do this. You could do this. You step out into the clearing. Just enough to give yourself a good enough shot. You start to open and close your hand steadying it to the best of its abilities. You aim near the middle of the bag to see exactly where your arrows would land, you could readjust after. Its high, but that works in your favor. If you aim there again you might be able to release the apples entirely. You shoot another arrow and another, the arrows getting close but not enough your arms begin to shake with the tension of the bow. You take one last deep breath. You see an apple precariously balancing as you release a fifth arrow and finally the bag rips.

You only have a chance to be upset about your wasted arrows before the explosion sends you flying into the air.

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Catos POV

Come on… come on. Get up. You have to keep moving. Y/n’s face wavers for only a second as she sees the blood come from her ear, she doesn’t try and stand. Just begins to crawl back to tiny Rues hiding spot. Y/n puts up her hood avoiding any possibility of a blood trail. The screen flashes back to your tributes rushing to get back to the camp site. The boy from three did a good job. Too good. If he was smart he would begin running in another direction. The camera is back to Y/n as a loose crate triggers another mine. Y/n struggles to get herself back to a crawl with every stray explosion.

Y/n settles into her hiding spot seconds before Arioch breaks through the clearing. His usual tantrums seemed minor to the rage he displayed for the entirety of Panem. His hair forcefully came out in clumps. He began kicking and throwing anything that wasn’t destroyed in the wreckage as Clove and Marvel pointed to the sky, trying to explain that whoever set off the mines was probably long gone, and simultaneously avoiding getting too close.

The boy realized he should leave too late. He had only begun to turn around before Arioch came up to him and snapped the kid’s neck. Quick and painless. Probably. But nothing like Y/n would deal with if she didn’t figure out how to get out of there. Until they decided to go hunting she was stuck. The night sky offered nothing for the careers, Arioch cussed some before putting on the night glasses and heading in the direction of the last fire. The camera panned to Thresh and Rue, they decide to hide out until morning. They have no way to see and would probably get them caught. They stay at the third campsite and you realize theres nothing else you can worry about for now.

Exhaustion covers you. You let your head the back of the couch your sitting at. Victors from every district begin walking out. The capitol starts to play out some highlights of the tributes that lost today. You decide to turn on the screen in your room to play the live footage. The next day was sure to bring some, hopefully pleasant, surprises.

It did not. You didn’t fall asleep until early in the morning and miss the first few events. Everyone was beginning to gather in the screening room. The tributes had all been impressive this year to say the least.

“So, what happened?”

He looked you up and down before answering, “Jesus kid, do you ever sleep? (Not really you thought) And so far nothing, Thresh left Rue to see if Y/n needed help. Y/n is trying to find Thresh and Rue and she keeps snapping her fingers near her ear, so I’m going to assume she cant hear right now.”

That couldn’t be good. Being able to know when someone is coming is crucial to the games. Its leaving her with a weakness. The victors with tributes left talk sponsors. The two from your own district are going to have a hard time paying off all the supplies the sponsors wanted to send down. For now, they were holding off. The day drug on. Y/n was now anxiously waiting for Rue and Thresh to meet back where they planned. Rue was waiting for her and Thresh. And Thresh was checking around your tributes’ camp. The room continued to get more and more full. Haymitch noticed your leg starting to tap first,

“Nothings happened yet, if you need to go catch up on that sleep you obviously lack in your life.”

You nodded and began to leave the room. Deciding to work in the training room for a while and then spent some time outside. You were gone longer than usual, Enobaria had slowly been easing up on her guard duties, but it was better not to risk it. The fresh air calmed your nerves. You wondered when you would be able to be around people again like a normal human being. Not that you knew what being “normal” looked like. You’ve spent your whole life in a training center, then you were able to go into the games, and now…what? You still didn’t know what to do. Your life’s purpose had been the games. You went home for a week and realizes your parents were strangers to you. Proud of the accomplishments you’d brought your districts but widely uninterested in anything else. You knew nothing but to kill and survive the games. It felt empty, the last time you’d felt a spark of anything was…with y/n. And that was only because she refused to be afraid of the reputation that preceded you. She saw you as a human being, made you feel like a human being… It had been eight days since you told her you hoped she would make it back, I mean it had been eight days since the tributes were sent to the arena…

You decided to go back to the screening room. Everyone was silent. Not the best sign. Enobaria waved for you to sit next to her, “Rue is close to setting off a trap.”

You looked at one of the victors from 11. The woman, Seeder was unable to look at the screen. Chaff, sat next to her couldn’t peel his eyes away. She sang her four-note song to the mockingjays, the song that signified she was safe. The birds quickly picked up the tune. The camera panned to Y/n. It took a minute but she heard the melody and quickened her pace toward the song. The camera panned to Marvel, him, Clove and Cato split up to try and cover more ground. And likely to be ready to hunt each other once they took care of Y/n and Thresh. The only real threat to their game. The camera shoots back and forth from Y/n who had finished singing her response, to Rue, and a split second later a net descends upon her.

You could hear a pin drop. The room was silent. The young girl struggles to free herself. If she stays quiet, Y/n will reach her in minutes. But you realize Rue is a child. And children scream when they’re scared.

Y/N is sprinting the second she hears Rue scream her name, she responds letting whoever was there know she was coming. She should wait to see if any other tributes were incoming, but there was no logic behind this move. Only emotion. Y/n breaks through the clearing, the camera is focused on the young girl reaching towards her ally. But anyone who has watched games could tell there is something afoot when the camera panned into a high shot. Marvel has made it to the clearing as Rue says Y/ns name reaching for her.

Y/n and Marvel stare at eachother. A second had passed before Marvel took a step. His arm has thrown the spear right into Rue's abdomen. Y/n seems to suddenly remember what’s happening around her as she throws her knife into the center of his chest. You realize Y/n hasnt seen where the spear has landed, shes focused on the career about to run at her. You wonder if the shock affects her aim because the knife lands on his left side. A lung. He was dead either way. He’d bleed out the second he removed it. Y/n seems to know this because she runs toward him as he staggers forward, falling to his knees. For a split second you see Gloss and another guy from District 1 leave the room, probably to go make some phone calls probably for the sponsors. It was customary to be allowed to be yelled at by the ones who lost their gamble.

Marvel falls again but to his side. Y/n stands over him and seems to hesitate before pulling the knive out and driving it into the guys heart, she pulls it out quickly and a canon booms overhead. She seems to have just registered that his spear was still missing. She quickly turns to Rue as she weakly says her name again and begins untangling her from the net.

'Oh my God.'

'No. No no no.'

‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.’ Y/n is visibly shaking as she holds Rue’s hand. Repeating an unnecessary apology. Anyone watching would know she tried everything to get to her in time, including Rue. She was clever, she would know... understand. Rue asks her about the food and Y/n assures her she took care of it.

‘One of you guys have to win.’

Y/n is nodding, tears unable to stop flowing from her face. ‘Its going to be okay now.’ She tells her.

‘Don’t go?’

Y/n pulls Rue into her, brushing her hair out of her facing and stroking her cheek, siping it free of any tears the girl had no control in releasing, ‘Of course not. I’m staying right here.’

As Y/n continues to rock her, Rue asks her to sing. Y/n nods and sings an odd tune you’ve never heard before. Not that music was something you often heard in the training camp in 2. Haymitch tells you its an old lullaby. Well, he mumbles it to the room. A single tear drops from Seeder’s eye as she pats Chaffs hand and walks out of the room. The mockingjays pick up the melody of the song as she finishes. Y/n lays the child down as if she were taking a nap. Thresh bursts in too late.

‘What happened?’ he growled

Y/n is silent for a moment. At first, I think shes trying to steady her breathing. Maybe worried he’s going to have an Arioch level meltdown, ‘I got here too late. I only managed to get one career before the other one killed her. They didn’t have a weapon after they shot her. So, they got away.’

‘You didn’t chase them???”

‘Dont yell at me. Rue asked me to stay! Where were you??’ You wondered how the lie would play out outside of the game. Because now you were sure, one of them would be the ones to come back. There was no doubt in your mind. It was a smart move, if Thresh is feeling vengeful he may take out one of the other two threats in the game.

He lets out a scream in frustration, he says nothing about where he was ‘That’s it. Its done.’

‘Wh-what do you mean? We haven’t taken out Arioch yet!”

“Its getting too personal. Lets split up what we have and go.’

Y/n hesitates for a while before she just nods, ‘Fine.’

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Y/Ns POV

You finished separating everything quickly. You tried but fail to stop tears from falling. You were furious you hadn’t been fast enough, furious it wasn’t Arioch that ran through the clearing, furious that you felt sick to your stomach. Every camera was on you and you couldn’t hold your emotions together. But this was Rue, she deserved more than an act the capitol forced you to put on.

“Is that everything?” All you could do was nod. You were losing two allies in one day. It was too much to process right now. Thresh nodded and began walking away. You forced yourself to say something, anything.

“Hey Thresh!...Just-- Make sure you rest your shoulder.”

He paused for only a second, only when you called his name. He didn’t look back, “Thanks…. I hope I don’t see you again, 12.”

You let out a dry laugh, “Yeah, the feelings mutual.” And it was. You knew now that you wouldn’t be able to take that first move in the end. And you didn’t think he would either. Peetas words echoed in your head. You were so quick to dismiss what he said about being a piece in the games, but he was right. You were more than that. Rue was more than that. You couldn’t even be mad at Marvel. We were forced in here. Forced to kill each other.

Finish it, he had said. You were going to let him suffer for killing her. Training center be damned. His lips had barely croaked it out, Finish it. Finish it. Finish it. No one deserved to die alone. No matter what the cameras saw you knew they wouldn’t have made out his request. You held his arm while you sunk the knife into his flesh a second time. I would want that. To not be alone when it was my time to go. You couldn’t even really offer that to him not with Rue taking priority, but you hoped that somewhere he knew that his life wasn't meaningless. That you wished there was more you could do. But you were just one person.

You took a step into the woods and stopped. You collect any flower you could carry and bring them back over to where Rue and Marvel were resting. You started with Marvel first. You laid him down gently putting some flowers in his hand and placed sporadically around him. Rue took more time, she deserved more time. You placed flowers in her beautiful dark and curly hair, around her body, covering the fatal wound. By the time you finish it looks as if she fell asleep in a field of flowers, as if she had just stopped to take a quick nap. You press a quick kiss to her forehead, “Bye, Rue.”

A mockingjay warns you about the incoming hovercraft. You step to the edge of the clearing, unable to tear your eyes away. You hold in every profanity in your vocabulary bank and vulgar gestures as you see the flying vehicle come in to collect the bodies. As if it were routine. As if the two lifeless bodies meant nothing. Grief suddenly overtakes you and angry tears stream down your face as you fall to your knees. A young mockingjay lands on a branch next to you and sings Rues simple four-note song. The song that meant she was safe. Not here, but safe. You feel your lips tug in a smile and you pick your self up and continue walking. You aren’t sure where, back to the stream by the looks of it. You sit against the trunk of the tree you will be sleeping in today. You want to wait until sunset for no other reason than that your body felt suspended in time. You are about to try and stand when you see another parachute floating down in your direction. You almost drop the canister the second you open it. Peeta talked to you about the different kinds of bread in the districts, this wasn’t from 12. It could only be from Rues district. Suddenly you have more tears left to cry.

You stand up, “Thank you to the people in District 11.” Thank you for everything, you say to yourself. You begin climbing, all of the tears have exhausted you. And you are in no shape to kill anyone today. Anyone else, you remind yourself. The second you settle into a branch your body feels heavy, as if you couldn’t move if you wanted to. Sleep threatens to take you, which would be fine if you didn’t know the nightmares that would await you.

Then you realized you wanted them to come. You deserved them. A penance for living. For wanting to live after what happened and would happen to the tributes around…. Would happen? Hm. You were getting out of here. And you were going to win the Hunger Games.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Taglist: @adaydreamaway08 @artaxerxesthegreat @aunt-pipie @imtoanonymousforyou @lacychick @xcastawayherosx @chloe-skywalker @ietss @inky-sun

#hunger games imagine #cato hunger games #hunger games cato #hunger games peeta #peeta hunger games #hunger games #catching fire #mockingjay #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #thg #hunger games fic #cato x reader #cato imagine

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hawkepockets · 10 months

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mr hawte pocket, may we ask your thoughts on the expansion news, since you mentioned in that recent post you have mixed opinions (@commanderhorncleaver)

ok i'm just gonna go point by point

👍 standard price for the expansion size. pleasant surprise! i was put off at seeing only a $5-10 discount from prev expacs, but i also wasn't expecting 3 maps and such sweeping changes to combat. if it includes living world unlocks, i think $25 is very fair.

👍👍 mounted combat PLEASE. YEAH

👍 if i'm understanding the rune changes right, they sound solid. while certain stat sets may be collapsed together, i think that moving the current 6th rune perk into its own distinct slot will lead to more build customizability, not less, while cutting down on tp costs as a barrier of entry to endgame group content.

👍👍👍👍👍 MESMER RIFLE‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

👍 adding a new path to unlocking skyscale, while vet players who went through the tedious collection already are rewarded in the mastery tree. i’m glad their efforts aren’t gonna be totally thankless, and that the mount will be more accessible to the rest of us!

👍 "silent surf" is a gorgeous & highly vertical map. i'm sure the new zones will look and feel good.

👎 i have worries, based on the gyala episodes' failure to strongly tie the new oni threat to the end of the dragon cycle or the commander's canonical interests/motives & the amount of goofy filler, lore fudging, & fanservice in "what lies within," about the story's ability to follow up on itself. i think upcoming story releases will try to appeal to new players who haven't played the aurene storyline live and have less loyalty to the existing cast of npcs, while appeasing vet players with sloppy gw1 tie-ins and lazy answers to long-memed-about fan questions like "where's zojja" and "kessex wizard tower????" and that it’s likely to hurt itself in its confusion.

🥴 i hope that i'm proven wrong here, like i was by core eod story, and don't get me wrong i'm into wizards & demons, but after the false promises of "what lies beneath" and IBS i'm feeling... hm! well.

👍 i'm glad we're seeing more of cantha! 🫶 cantha...

🤨❓ decoupling elite specs from their signature weapons. here's where i get complicated.

IT WILL BE FUN. like. let's just get that out of the way it will be fun. i'm very excited to see all the new playstyles that become possible, a broadening of the endgame instanced pve meta, a big bang of rp builds tailored to character lore, new animations!! IT WILL BE FUN.

but i have some bigtime problems with it. first, i think anet has always fallen short of paying back vet players who've invested the most time, energy, and money to a game that gets continuously cheaper, easier, and more accessible. cheap and accessible are good things! high difficulty should be opt-in! and i don't in any way resent new players for having a better experience getting into the game. that said, the elite specs & their associated new weapon proficiencies were a major selling point of the prev expacs, right alongside story, maps, and gliding/mounts. it feels scammy for anet to now say, "remember when you preordered heart of thorns, full price, as soon as it was announced because you were THAT excited to play a guardian with a bow?? silly." the value loss here is not insignificant, and not reimbursed in any way.

& if access to the signature weapons is no longer an incentive to unlock and play an elite spec, there needs to be another incentive. those trait lines need to be powerful, individual, and on-point with lore and personality. that's the trade off. and right now, that is not at all the zeitgeist of gw2 balance patches. for a few years now, balance has been homogenizing specs, spreading out q/alac and heal capabilities while methodically deboning what's unique, potent, and vexing about the devs' least favorite classes: chrono boon support, mirage evasion, berserker dps, etc. without their signature weapons, what do these specs have going for them? what's their appeal? what's their vibe? where's their place in the world lore or the meta? opening up weapon selection, without reversing the trend of 2022-23 balance patches, accelerates the specs' decay into sameyness, and may make some completely obsolete. i'm not okay with that. keep guildwars weird.

however, i am hopeful that the change will address another of my beefs with balance, which is that in the current meta many elite specs are expected not to use their signature weapon at all. my feeling is & has always been, if i wanted to play D/D thief i wouldn't have trained specter, a spellslinger class made for scepter. if i didn't like axe, i never would've been attracted to mirage. so i hope the new armory system will put some of those back into play.

👍 hey. look at me. mesmer rifle.

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #secrets of the obscure #answers #commanderhorncleaver

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hellsbeenbettersincehesplit · 1 month

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What's this? Chapter 4 of shifting vertebrae is posted? Starring Valentino failing to be a detective and some interesting insight into the other side of people being confused by whatever tf Vel is up to?

Also, just a warning- I added a few tags for this one.

Cross-posted under the cut!

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Shifting Vertebrae

Chapter 4: An Interlude at Vee Tower

Valentino wasn’t quite as dumb as everyone seemed to think.

Well. Like everyone, he wasn’t the best judge of his own intelligence. But others seemed to assume a certain level of incompetence, and when Val let this assumption persist, he would typically get something out of it. People weren’t nearly as careful with their secrets as they should be around him, and when a deal maker can reveal information that you’d rather keep hidden… truly, exaggerating his stupidity and seeming incapable was a great recruitment tactic.

That’s not to say he was close to the other Vees. Or most overlords. He was around the same level as most sinners, and most sinners couldn’t play the games of overlord politics that his world was- that’s why most sinners never became overlord.

His Voxy could process information, statistics, and observations in the blink of an eye. His code could optimize their every business decision and respond expeditiously to new events. His cameras and memory ensured that nothing could get past him. And Vox had that smooth charisma that made people take their business seriously. Vel was likeable, Val was the sex appeal, and Vox was the perfect company representative.

Even more than Vox, however... Vel had people skills beyond what Valentino had thought was possible. She didn’t even have enhanced intellect from her descent, but that didn’t keep her from walking into a room, observing every scrap of information, and then drawing correct conclusions on her back burner while pushing the right buttons to end up exactly where she wanted to be. Vox and Vel both had gaps- his processors were perfect with hard facts, but his interpretations were a bit slower. He tended to rely a bit on his mind-controlling powers. Vel could take the facts from Vox and identify exactly what weak points he’d found. Usually her conclusions were correct. The scariest part? People almost never realized what she was doing in the first place.

Val wouldn’t want to be against either of the two. And if they were together against him, he may as well give up.

So, of course Val knew something was going on with Velvette, and of course he didn’t like that he didn’t know what. He’d barely seen her all week, she refused to discuss the friend she was staying with, and she had done something nice for her employees. What the fuck?

When he brought it up, her response was, “Ask Vox.” She hadn’t even glanced away from the lighting design she was considering for the next fashion show! She typed suggestions furiously, clearly not paying Valentino’s interruption any attention. Valentino honestly thought the design looked fine, but the last time he had made a comment like that about her work, she’d refused to produce the outfits he’d needed for his pornos for two weeks.

When Valentino did ask Vox, the reply was, “Vel’s mad?”

Which meant she was likely mad at Val specifically, and he had no fucking idea why. He was supposed to be the one always angry over small reasons! Over the past three months, nothing he’d done should’ve upset her. Velvette hadn’t been angry with Val like this since that time she’d found out about how he created the overlords porn series and hired her cousin to act as her. (In his defense, she’d refused! He was just following the money. He’d been comitted enough to producing the full set that he’d even found someone to act as a fake Alastor. That demon was in hiding since the real radio demon came back, but that wasn’t a problem for Valentino. In any case, the last thing he needed was a resurgence of that argument.)

Maybe she was thinking about that again? He dialed Vox’s number.

“Voxy,” he purred into the phone.

“Val,” Vox responded flatly. “What do you want?”

“Can you check the viewing statistics on my old overlord series?”

“Same levels as always. Why, do you need them pushed? Are you doing a remake so soon after the initial production?”

“Just curious.” So it wasn’t that. Val hung up the phone in his office, feet on the table. Why were women so irrational?

See, this was where he was weak. Velvette was supposed to be their emotional intelligence. They needed a second Velvette or some shit if they wanted to ever decode the one they already had.

He could ask, but that hadn’t worked the first few times, and it wouldn’t work the next.

“Sir?” One of the actors called out to him with a knock on his office door, interrupting his train of thought. “Are you ready for us to continue filming?”

So his ‘take five’ had run out. Valentino opened the door with mild distaste, reluctantly made his way to the director’s chair, and called out, “Action!”

Between shots, Velvette posted her two-week update on the ‘experiment.’ Like all her sinstagram posts, she looked fantastic- it focused on her typing on a computer in a professional-looking black blouse. She’d deemed this a business post: It resembled her other posts discussing the Voxtech corporation, giving off the perfect professional-yet-trendy vibe. The caption discussed the success of her ‘experiment’ and the notable increases in productivity. Val seethed when he saw that she’d said that other overlords would likely benefit from implementing similar strategies.

They were in fucking hell. Weak-ass sinners were lucky to gain power from an overlord. If they can work harder from breaks, they can work harder without them. This wasn’t for productivity, it couldn’t be. No, this was some kind of power play. At best, an attempt to look like the nice overlord to attract new sinners. Maybe a way of shifting public opinion to make her look better when some shit hits the fan, or keeping attention away from some ongoing scandal.

Valentino had to figure out what was going on to keep them all intact, but he was miles from figuring out whatever Vel was hiding.

“You,” he ordered, pointing at a random nerdy-looking sound tech of his. “Schedule me a meeting with the other Vees.”

There! Now, the three of them could have a nice, open, honest conversation. Whatever this was, it could be fixed or strengthened by working together. That’s how they’d built their empire, and that’s how they would maintain it. This problem would go away with a little communication.

And yet, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” was the response he’d gotten from Vel.

“Your little sinstagram stunt? The fact that you’ve been avoiding us? I looked at your content, and you haven’t even promoted the actors in my latest porn to trending!”

Vel only picked her nails with an eye roll. “You’re overstating things. Not my fault nobody cares about your shitty actors.”

“No the fuck I’m not-” Vox’s hand caught his arm before he could take his emotion out the usual way.

“In any case,” Vel’s eyes narrowed with distaste, “Vox knows exactly what he did.”

“No he doesn’t!”

Vel raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

Vox’s claws scraped the table. “I would know if you’d fucking tell me! “ His voice changed the way it sometimes did when he was angry.

Velvette didn’t even glance at them. “Look, I have SinToks to review for the latest trending sound.” She stood. “Why don’t you two put your two braincells and single line of code together and see if you can think for once in your afterlives.” Then she fucking walked away from Val? What the fuck?

“That bitch!”

Vox sighed. “Val, it’s a lost cause. Whatever this is, she’ll tell us eventually, just like the last time we upset her.”

“And wait for our empire to crumble while she has her pity party?” He responded. “Look through your memory! What was the thing two and a half months ago that got her like this?”

“Nothing from that week should have made her upset,” Vox replied after a moment of processing.

Val was pacing. “Is she just being crazy?”

“Babe,” Vox interjected, his tone infuriatingly calm. “We clearly can’t get to the bottom of this right now. Why don’t you take this out on your workers, and I’ll review some camera footage?”

Val groaned. “Will you call me when you find something?”

Voxy smiled. “Of course.”

So here Val was, having stormed back to set. “Cut!” Val called out. “Make it faster, make it rougher! Nobody watches mafia for whatever this slow shit is.” It was fine, honestly, but nobody got to leave until Val felt better about that meeting.

If only he could order the rest of his life into perfection. At least here, there were no cryptic phrases and confusing actions. When there were, he could weed them out. Around the other overlords, everything was schemes, and Val could tell he was a chess piece without knowing what each side wanted from him.

Whatever this shit with Velvette was, he would solve it if it’s the last goddamn thing he did. And if he couldn’t, Vox would. It was only a matter of time.

#velvette #hazbin hotel velvette #valentino #valentino hazbin hotel #hazbin #hazbin hotel #the vees #fanfic #backbone of the Vs #val #shifting vertebrae

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69bitterbeingz · 5 months

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IF YOU'RE GONNA BE DUMB || CH. 1

next ->

DISCLAIMER: This is a reupload from my prev account! best to follow the fic through ao3 [linked below] to avoid any future issues PAIRINGS - johnny knoxville, bam margera, steve-o, chris pontius, ryan dunn x reader WARNINGS - swearing, drinking, smoking, brief injury mention

ao3 version

“So what are you doing at the moment?”

“What am I doing…” You repeated, twirling your cigarette between your fingers, clicking your tongue. “Things, y’know. Stuff.”

“Stuff?”

You chuckled. " Yeah, stuff. Guy’s gotta have secrets.”

“Any new music?”

“Well….” You dragged your tongue over your top teeth, then smoked your cig. “…You didn’t hear it from me but we may or may not be working on a new album.”

“Exciting! Fans have been getting pretty restless - after all, it’s been a year since the last album.”

“C’mon, one year really isn’t that long to wait for an album. Want it to be shit?” You took another drag.

“Any details? Release date?”

“Nah, can’t say. Maybe we have some exciting collabs lined up but my lips are sealed.”

“Alright, alright, point taken. Moving on to new appearance, you’ve recently been featured on the new season of MTV's hottest new show—“

You cackled, immediately catching on.

“So what’s the story with you and the ‘Jackass’ daredevils?”

You shook your head, grinning from ear to ear, “Where do I start?”

“How about the beginning?”

⋅───⊱༺ ♰ ༻⊰───⋅

Curtains drawn, lights dead, total darkness in the room; sun tried to bleed through thick fabric, but it was blocked, only able to illuminate the window sill. The room was silent aside from the whir of a desk fan set up on a chair by the double bed, jaggedly inching from side to side, over and over. The floor was littered with clothes, shoes, wires, it goes on. Clearly the inhabitant was a fan of clutter. Everything remained still, until a loud beeping cut through the stagnation. The duvet stirred, and an arm snaked out from under it to clumsily smack the buttons of the wired phone on the bedside table.

Click

“[Y/n] ? Didn’t think you’d be awake.”

“Then why’d’ya call…?”

“ I was going to leave a message. ”

“Mmm…” The duvet stirred again, a head now peaking out from the nest; your eyes were barely open a crack, even the low light of the room hurt. “...For the record, I wasn’t awake. How’s it going, Valo?”

“ Tired, but exciting all things considered. That’s why I called, actually.”

“Oh yeah…?”

“ Mhm, doing a concert in LA tonight, you should come to the show. Been a while since I’ve seen you. ”

“What’s the venue?”

“ A place called ‘The Wiltern’? Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah yeah, done a few shows there myself. I’m game.”

“ Great! I don’t suppose Mila and Dan want to come…?”

“Nah, rest of the band is out of town.”

“ Ok, I’ll see you tonight then.”

Click

Fuck. You should’ve asked when it was. Reluctantly, you pushed off the duvet and pulled up the swivel chair to your desk, powering on the computer. Not difficult to figure it out. You scratched your arm as you waited for the dial-up to stop screeching, glancing at the time on the toolbar and cringing slightly. 3:49pm'. Eh, at least you’re consistent. Looks like the concert started at 7, so you had time, too. That’s good, the last few times you made last minute plans you had about 20 minutes to prepare, but b y the time 7:30 rolled around, you were as ready as you could be, sleep still dusting the corners of your eyes. You were dressed as you normally would, a little on the goth-y side with tripp pants and all, but that's expected from a metal musician. Tripp pants are the shit , don’t need a handbag when you have like 8 fucking pockets. You made the rounds of the house, making sure everything was locked while you rang for a cab; once you hung up, you noticed the text you’d been sent from Valo.

‘See you soon’

It was kinda a pain in the ass having to go outside, but it would be worth it.

There was already a large crowd forming as you pulled up to the venue, making you instinctively sink down into the car seat. At least the cab driver knew to roll around to the back so you wouldn’t have to deal with the large crowd, or god forbid people recognising you. You slunk out of the car as quick as you could, only needing to show the security guarding the back door your face for them to let you through. Another security guard waiting inside led you to the green room, making small talk since you recognised him from one of the previous shows you did here.

“Warm up’s on stage right now, you got about half an hour ‘til the band goes on.” He let you know as you arrived, and you just nodded. Granted you're a little late, but you’d make up for lost time at the bar after. Mr security guard swung open the door, and once Valo saw you he got up to greet you.

“[Y/n], so good to see you!” The two of you hugged, ending with a pat on his back.

“Wouldn’t miss it, Ville. Nice to get out the house.” You said hi to the other band members, until you came to somebody you didn’t recognise. Or- well, not consciously at least, as something about him was oddly familiar. He stared back as you raised an eyebrow, shoving your hands in your pockets.

“Heya stranger.”

“Ah, [Y/n]–” Ville took a seat next to the outsider, gesturing to him. “This is Bam, he's with the warm up band.”

“How come you’re not on stage?” You flanked Bam on his other side, and he shook his head.

“It's my brother's band.”

You hummed, scrutinising him. “You sure that’s all you’re known for? Swear I’ve seen you somewhere…”

He smirked, leaning his arms on his thighs. “You ever watch MTV?”

Then it clicked - that’s where you’ve seen him.

“Ohh, you're on that new show where all the idiots hurt themselves, right? I've seen that, pretty decent for torture porn.” You snickered, satisfied you put it together with his help. He made a face, like he wasn’t sure if he should be smug you recognised him or insulted you called him an idiot.

“Idiot?” He repeated, looking unimpressed; offended it was. You shrugged awkwardly.

“I say as an idiot myself.”

Surprisingly, the two of you continued to talk after that small blunder. It wasn’t long before Ville and his band had to leave, but you were strangely unbothered by carrying on a conversation with a guy you had just met. The warm up band filtered in then left for some pub, empty bottles started to add and add to the coffee table, and soon you were talking like you’d known each other all your lives, braying like donkeys - it's incredible what alcohol can do as a social lubricant. He was a bit of a self absorbed asshole, but hey, who wasn’t? He was fun to talk to and right now that’s all you really cared about. By the time Ville came back, the two of you were very obviously 6 beers deep each. Ville chuckled.

“Good to see the two of you getting along...?”

That was one way of putting it. Bam had his arms tangled around you, drunkenly dragging you into his lap as you cackled and knocked back another beer, ungracefully thrown over his thighs.

“Where were you hiding this one, huh?” Bam slurred, tightening his hold on your waist for emphasis and making you squeak. The vocalist smiled, waltzing over to the couch and grabbing a beer for himself.

“I didn’t think you were her type.”

“Huh?”

But you cut Bam off with a choked back snort, slinging your arm around his neck to hoist yourself up.

“ Come off it Valo, you don't know shit.” You finished your beer in one last gulp and threw it on the floor, breaking free from Bam to stretch your limbs. “You guys’re done here, yeah? How’s about a pub, eh?”

“Speakin’ my language.” Bam’s grin met his eyes. Ville had a look on his face like this would be a disaster of a night, but lord knew he was all in.

It seemed Ville’s intuition was correct. The night consisted of crashing into clubs then getting subsequently kicked out, charging through the streets to find the next poor place to take you all in. Maybe it was how obviously trashed you all were or your tendency to get pissy at the bouncers when they gave you an ‘attitude’ - who knows, who cares? You were all too busy painting LA red. The entire time, you were hanging off of Bam’s shoulder like a lovesick teenager, which might have been embarrassing if he wasn't returning that energy, hugging you close to his side like his life depended on it. The debauchery ended outside some seedy metal bar you’d never come back to as the sun peeked over the horizon, more sober and definitely more bloodied than when you started. There was just you and Bam left, sat next to each other sharing your cigarettes. The dry blood on your hands and face contrasted nicely with the all black [torn] clothes.

“Cab’s comin’.” You said, shutting your flip phone and fiddling with the charms hanging off of it. “You sure you don’t want me to order you one?”

“I know someone lives near here… just crash at their place.”

You nodded, lighting another cigarette and offering him the last from the pack. Bam gladly took it, lighting his end by yours. He kept glancing over at you, eyeliner smudged over his cheekbones blending into the black eye that was starting to form; he seemed like he wanted something.

“Hey.”

You glanced up at him, cigarette hanging from your lips. Bam motioned for your phone, and without question you handed it over.

“Lemme give you my number.”

“Sure.” You shrugged, a slight smile on your lips. “Gotta say, you made this night worth getting out of bed.” That seemed to please his ego, a smug grin on his face as he finished punching in his number.

“Glad to hear that, sweetheart. I had a good time with you.”

“Yea, hopefully it doesn’t end here, y’know?”

He took a drag of his cigarette. “I’m filming here for another couple months before I go back to Philly… come see me on set.”

“Really? They won’t mind some random chick joining in?”

“Fuck them, I want you to come. You’ll make things more fun.”

You scoffed, stamping out your cig and playfully shoving his shoulder. To any bystander, it may have even looked bashful. “Watch it.” But you were smiling playfully. “Alright, text me the office address, or… wherever the fuck you end up. Got nothing better to do right now, so I’ll be there.” You were so occupied by Bam’s wide smile that you didn’t notice the taxi pull up to the two of you until the driver yelled your name. With a sigh, you slapped your hand onto his shoulder in a farewell gesture and rose to your feet, trying to ignore whatever the fuck you had done to your leg. You were too tired to look back as you opened the taxi door.

“I’ll see you round, Margera.”

#jackass fanfic #jackass x reader #johnny knoxville x reader #bam margera x reader #steve o x reader #chris pontius x reader #ryan dunn x reader #if you're gonna be dumb

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prydainroyals · 9 months

Text

“Oh? Well then! If the boy wants to stay, I ought to let him,” Francis declared, albeit with the kind of glint of mischief about him that said he knew it might cause problems and he was all too prepared not to care.

Thomas let out a mirthful and amused snort as he glanced toward the porthole-shaped window yet again.

“You want to know my opinion of him? I’ll tell you, Thomas,” Francis began--

“--The Lieutenant has so far met and exceeded expectations in his role as Engineering Officer--”

“He’s shown confidence and competence in his tasks, has proven to be judicious and methodical when delegating between our research teams.”

When it comes to things he’s less familiar with, Arthur is flexible, imaginative and humble--he’s willing to learn, to listen, even to those below his rank. And he isn’t blind to all the wild possibilities of how many things can go wrong up here.”

“As I recall, I asked for the unofficial verdict,” Thomas noted.

“Patience Thomas, I’m getting there,” Francis airily replied.

“... Arthur is a good lad, a decent enough man,” Francis went on.

“As you said, he has a good head on his shoulders. He gets on well with his fellows and subordinates. Despite his... records of... mischief from his school days at the Academy, he’s not a fool, either. Doesn’t do things that risk other people’s safety--”

“--appears to be actively concerned for the base personnel. Hell, he seems to actually care about the research we’re doing here, if you can believe it.”

“I believe he may actually care a little too much, in terms of attachments, taking things personally. He can get flustered, hot-headed, even insubordinate--”

“--So I’ve seen,” Thomas interrupted with another grin. “And coming from you, those are all compliments.”

With a roll of his eyes being the only response he gave to dignify Thomas’ comment, Francis carried on yet again:

“My point, Thomas, is that he’s been sheltered. I’ve scarcely seen anyone manage to thrive here, but he still has a lot to learn. The Lieutenant has potential, and if the King wants us to babysit his son at the arse end of the world, then I’m happy to keep him.”

“Can’t stand old George anyway,” Francis muttered as an afterthought, eyes drifting to follow Thomas’ gaze. Thomas let out a dry laugh of acknowledgement and settled more comfortably in his chair. Francis would say nothing further out of respect for the monarch, but being annoyed by him and saying so was fair game.

“...What I’d like to know is, what do you mean by ‘distracted’?” Francis suddenly asked. “You said he’s been distracted.”

Following a few moments of thought, Thomas nodded quietly. “... He’s been getting that look in his eyes. It’s the one you have when you’ve got somethin’ on your mind--”

--Francis huffed and his cheeks tinged with grudging color--

“--I think you should speak with him, Francis. Ask him what’s on his mind.”

“Me?” Francis asked, mildly incredulous. It’s not that he didn’t want to try to help Arthur, but he was definitely not know for being gentle and soft.

Thomas, however, knew him better than that.

“I’d have done it, but you’re the one he follows around like a little duckling.”

With another huff, Francis relented. Thomas, in his strange ways and long-haired wisdom, was right.

”Alright, alright. I’ll talk to him,” Francis relented.

The two men settled into the comfortable silence that can only be found between old friends well-acquainted with each other’s company, and watched the snow fall pale on the desolate world outside.

- - -

In the present once more, the Captain Commander and Operations Officer wrap up their discussion on the Heir Apparent’s performance and demeanor on the Arctic research team. And also flirt a little.

A number of things have been set up and it’s time to explore Arthur’s time away from home, as well as how his absence has affected the loved ones he left behind.

- - -

PREV | BEGINNING | NEXT

- - -

#atff: story #c: thomas #c: francis

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fbj723 · 8 months

Text

honestly been going back and forth w myself on a lot of things lately attaching a read more for the sake of ik i'll be rambling like theres no tmr

a part of me wants to drop pnc but i havent really gotten everyone i wanted yet + im broke so i need to build my stash up *looks at clotho and eos* oddly enough pnc has been a game ive been pretty happy on playing still hate how i missed a login day tho tbf ive rarely borderline never interacted w the fandom so me just being in the dark w what goes on there has kinda been a blessing and a curse in a sense that i can enjoy the game in peace but it feels like im alone doing so

pgr im really REALLY tempted on dropping my glb acc, once nocti comes around which will prob be around the end of the school yr for me thats where i'd be like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ welp ig im done and drop that acc after playing around w nocti and whatev. tw im still not too sure abt?? prob when i get around to lvling up my main teams i can be like ok im done and drop that at any time since im just there to experience content ahead of time without being in cn directly

before dropping pgr entirely i do wanna complete a few stuff i had in mind tho

countdown for hyperreal which will prob happen bambi patch

still need to finish that nocti countdown for tw ive barely had any motivation completing that

nocti's bday countdown (similar to how lee's went)

glb nocti's countdown

draw every char up to latest one in cn

a few noctiskk comics thats been in the back of my head for MONTHS now

basically LOTS of countdowns and nocti stuff before i drop everything entirely

will i still draw pgr stuff after all that? mayyybeee???? itll moreso be towards kye's lore building rather than it being a standalone thing. i'll still collect merch and build up my shrines and make cosplay for chars but aside from that i'm pretty much gonna be moving on to other things

ive always had 50/50 feelings w being in the pgr fandom, tho being introduced to it on disc and then going to twt may have affected my views on this whole thing. esp when the side of the fandom i was first introduced to is like the lowest of the low, i dont want to go back to a place where a bunch of dudebro incels made fun of me for being afab and liking lee and me thinking that was a norm when it clearly isnt. its been 2 goddamn yrs and theyre still poking fun at that?? like my god grow up im so sick and tired of it.

if by a slim chance i still want to participate in being in the pgr fandom i'll just go back to lurking like ive always done in prev fandoms, if i really wanna be active in talking abt the game i'll talk abt it in servers or dms, but publicly i felt that i could never really comfortably talk abt how i feel abt it aside from here cause this site >>>>>> bc i felt like my opinions arent valid, tho that really applies to anything i do so 💀💀

pgr has been a really nice game for me to destress and detach myself from reality for a bit, tho now i wanna move on to other games and focus more on my ocs like i did back in the day. once i properly set up everyone's lore doc maybe in the future i'll make a game around them, nothing too big since i'll pretty much be making most of it, but i kinda wanna fulfill my childhood dream that was just recently unlocked

theres also that small part of me that wants to be known for my oc stuff rather than pgr stuff, but bc im not tagging w popular art tags im kinda just existing, and thats fine by me. hitting 500+ follows on twt was like peak realization of me going like "oh shit, 😨 maybe this big of a following aint for me" and it truly isnt lol

#fbj rambles

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youredreamingofroo · 2 months

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hey rooo 😝 4-6 for the editing questions!

gatekeeping this post under the cut, it got lengthy 🤧🤧

4: If you can remember, why did you start editing?

Okay, so this may be a little off topic, but it still talks about editing LMFAO but I started editing mainly cuz one day I saw Minimooberrys renders and was like WOW okay, I want to learn to do THAT and editing, so she was a MASSIVE inspiration for me to start, not only that but I also watch solitasims and lovvvvvveeeddddd her stuff, and wanted to do what she did but mix in editing :) (I think that answers the question, idk I guess like, I've always wanted to edit, but more importantly the want to learn how to render and also do storytelling in TS4 helped motivate me to start editing if that's a better answer)

5: if you caption your edits, what do you decide to put in the caption?

I tend to keep the caption relatively clean (tags are where you get my reaction and shit LMAOO), if you take Leo and Roos posts for example, they're song related, so I'll put some lyrics that I think correlate to them and the scenes placed in the post ("and then you looked right back and caught my stare"), or sometimes scenes not necessarily mentioned in the post, but can be heavily implied or just assume occur ("It's really nice to talk to you, it's really nice to hold your hands," which implies that they talk a lot and that they do hold hands a lot, whether it be romantic or platonic 🤧). There's other situations where I don't have a song (tbf the Reo posts were the first posts where I did put songs agsiabs), like the valentines day prep posts, I just put "valentines day preparations: [sim perspective]", or like in earlier NSB posts, I just put prev / next cuz idfk what to put in the caption. With more recent posts, ive been trying to caption the posts with something related to the characters (like cataleyas drowning post, where it basically lays out the metaphor for the post, which is "too much love from the wrong person").

6: give us a quick breakdown of your editing process

WOW okay, LMAOO well, I'm gonna have to whip out my laptop for this one

For Cas shots: Usually i put cas shots together, so first thing I do is import the images I want to use in a 6000 by 3000 canvas (to preface: I do all my CAS ss in the dimensions 3000 by 3000), and I usually choose from a few mental presets, two headshots and a body shot, two head shots and a half body shot, three body shots, and theres more to list but im not gonna do all that LMFAO so after that, I place them in their positions and then erase the black background (which DOES get tedious when two screenshots sorta overlap and have to make sure theres no black left around the sim), after that incredibly tedious and unnecessarily long process, sometimes I play around with flipping the character around (in the case of two head shots and one body/half body shot, I make the headshots face toward each other, so basically headshot > body shot < headshot- if that makes sense), although that can be placed anywhere in the editing process sometimes I do it earlier on or later on doesnt really matter lmao. Around this point, its just final touches, looking for weird shadows (which is USUALLY more prominent in blender renders, but it can happen), places where shadows look a little too sharp, and cleaning up those spots. For the VERY VERY final touches, I use sharpen and depending on the shot, contrast or saturation, I sometimes use the hue tool to make a certain color brighter or a different color, however I avoid the latter because it creates a weird effect on the picture, the sharpen tool is important for this part, because I tend to make the sharpen effect stronger on closer shots (head shots), or i dont change settings that much for decently faraway shots (half body shots) and i try to make full body shots to not have SUPER strong sharpen, but i tend to go on the lower end for full body shots aisuhdg

For in game screenshots: This is a bit different, so I import the screenshot that I'm using into a 3840 by 2160 canvas (the size the screenshot was taken with), depending on the shot i may add text, the font i use is Walter Turncoat (in most instances, they vary for different posts lmao), I make sure to color the text depending on whos talking or whats going on, a good example is in the catty drowning post and VDAY prep post, I dont do "[character]: [text]", i like the element of figuring out whos speaking (EVEN if it can be frustrating for me), i try not to make it too challenging to figure out, around my level of reading comprehension (/j), so like Catty is pink, calico is yellow, etc etc. I dont use as much sharpen with these shots since theyre clean as is. A lot of my shots like Gifs are pre-planned and thus is a different story, but in short I usually just edit the gif frames as usual and then put them together later. I also have a custom set of black bars to put around my screenshots bc even tho i do use reshades black bars, sometimes bloom or DOF messes with them, and have to put a clean set above them. I dont really know what to say that is quick, I guess for more "complex" shots, like with moodlets or text messages, i just get the assets online and then edit them for myself 😭

and LASTLY, for renders: Trying to keep this short, I usually just do what I do for the aforementioned shots, but like I said in the CAS shots, weird and sharp shadows are more prominent and I just edit those to make them cleaner and then also just add sharpen and make it brighter or more contrast-y idk 🤧

#good lord the last question is NOT a quick breakdown im sorry i just talk WAY too damn much stg #if i had included screenshots it may have been a bit shorter idk #these are all long but i swear most of the time it doesnt ACTUALLY take this long in most cases #knowing me i probably missed SOMETHING in here that is like crucial to what i do in my process but wtv ☠️#yapping

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titlemewickedwonderland · 2 years

Text

Blind by Love (Part 9)

Summary: A once condemned man now free of charge but living the life of someone who's been through hell Eddie Munson believed he is incapable of being loved after what happens in the Upside Down that nearly takes his life. What happens though when he meets an unexpected girl who is thrown into his life and teaches him that one doesn't need to ability to see what's right in front of you to know love is never out of reach?

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Blind!OC

Story Contains: Set after S4. Story mention of Past trauma, PTSD, and mention of gore/blood; if you are sensitive to any of these topics please refrain from reading for your own mental safety. I don't want to accidentally trigger you, darling! Stay safe!

Chapter Warning: Fluff. Set after S4 in 1986

PREV.

They were wondering what she was doing here. She knew they were. She didn't play D&D. She would have been the only girl there too if Erica, Lucas's younger sister wasn't there sitting and staring quizzically at the strawberry blonde as the older girl sat a little too close for the comfort of the group to their Dungeon Master. Gareth, Jeff, and Freak may have been oblivious to the fact she was here because frankly they were so used to the older teen by now that it was a common thing as if she were part of their group regardless of her lack of activity in their games. That being said, Mike and Dustin, both seemed a little confused and off-put just like Erica to see Nicole there in the dark room lit only by the orange glow of Jeff's basement. To say the ride over here with them was…a bit awkward for sure.

"So, tell me again what she the hell she doing here? She ain't playing." Nicole's pale skin flushed at Erica's rudeness but she was comforted if only a bit by Eddie's warm palm on her bouncing leg beneath the cover of the table.

"Erica! Don't be rude!" Mike hissed but the other female merely shrugged and made a 'so what?' face as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I got a point though. Who cares if she's your cousin Mike? Who the hell invited her? What happened to this group being exclusive to the campaign members?" a dark brow cocked as she eyed the other female whose mouth had dropped open.

"Erica!" her name was shouted by both Dustin and Mike this time as the others fell silent and glanced between them.

Nicole hadn't gotten to know Erica very much since she was a few years younger than Lucas and anytime she'd come to visit her family Lucas was always alone over at the Wheeler's house but the blonde certainly had heard of Erica's spicy tongue; she didn't like being at the end of it right now though. For someone who's only 11 years old, she was smart and too blunt for her age. A sort of bluntness that was over bordering full of bitchiness.

"It's okay. J-Jeff if you don't mind could I use your phone so I can call my aunt to come to pick me up?" the girl began rising from her folded chair beside Eddie but the party quickly began protesting much to her embarrassment and uncertainty.

While Erica didn't want her here for whatever reason the rest of the boys had her back even if they too were confused about her presence. Nicole maybe thought the younger girl could be jealous but that was a stretch; she wouldn't be surprised considering Erica had been the only girl for a while playing so having another female in the room might have thrown her off even if she wasn't playing. Who knew the real reason though for the hostility but it was making the older female uncomfortable. It was clear she wasn't welcomed.

"Sit down Campbell." Eddie's voice stated firmly over the shouting of the other players as his strong hands gripped her waist and pulled her back down

But instead of the softness of leather beneath her that she expected and the cold metal of the chair, she felt the warmth and strength beneath her that was all Eddie as he had pulled her to sit on his thigh instead of the chair with one arm draped lazily around her waist. The new position allowed her to smell the scent that she'd come to recognize and find comfort in that was all Eddie and feel the steady beating of his heart against her back as he leaned closer to the table to level the entire table with a stern glare.

"Nicole stays. She is our guest," he stressed the words out as he pinned Erica down in her chair. "She is a defaulted member of this table even if she is not a member of the campaign, Sinclair. So shove a sock in it before I pull you from the company."

The threat made the smaller girl's mouth open in shock and the boy's eyes grow wide. Eddie never threatened anyone with abandonment or being thrown from the campaign party. The fact he was doing it over a girl was something surprising even more when they noticed her positioning. Mike felt a flare of protectiveness and opened his mouth to say something while Eddie was still glaring daggers at the younger girl across the table but Dustin's hand gripping his shoulder made his jaw snap shut. It took him a second to notice that Nicole was not in any uncomfortable position. She did not seem nervous while being encased in the older male's grip and instead seemed to lean a little into him as she took in the arguments around her.

The teens exchanged looks with raised brows as if promising each other they were going to talk about it later but for right now the night was just beginning and they couldn't be out too late since they had school in the morning so the pair finally slammed their hands on the table in front of them at the same time regaining everyone's attention.

"It's fine! Nicole's my cousin and she's always with me so it's all cool!" Mike stated

"Yeah, besides. She'd be bored doing nothing at home right Nikki?" Dustin shot the girl a smile despite her not being able to see but the girl still turned her head in his direction and gave a soft smile in return.

"Not much a blind girl could do. I think I'd have much more fun here with you guys…I may not know how to play but I do love good storytelling." her smile was a little more genuine as she said this. Since she couldn't read to pass the time like she used to; she enjoyed listening to others talk and tell stories or better yet, reading books aloud for her.

"Well, Eddie's the best storyteller out there so you're in good company!" Gareth cheered clapping with a grin with relief that the air around the table settled again.

"Hey knows, keep that up and you'll boost my ego man." Eddie grinned evilly over at the other who rolled his eyes playfully.

"Right, so that's settled, Eddie let's start man!" Dustin tapped a beat onto the top of the table in excitement trying to get the ball rolling again.

Erica didn't stand a chance seeing all the others backing up the girl so she kept her mouth shut even if her glare would often shoot over at Nicole every few minutes. Despite the feeling of the hospitality like ice picks stabbing her in the face every few moments in time Nicole felt comfortable enough to lean her body back into Eddie's chest as his chin rested on her shoulder as he spoke. Gareth wasn't joking when he'd mentioned Eddie being a good storyteller. He was very animated as he told sceneries and snippets of a story scene. The rumble of his voice and laughter would vibrate along her spine as she kept her position perched on his thigh with one of his arms wrapped around her waist to keep her there. The way he would lower his voice every so often to whisper quips into her ear as the others would talk or argue over decisions to be made would often make her giggle and she swore not only once but a few times that she could feel Eddie's smile against her skin as he rested his face close to hers and every time she would find those stupid butterflies in her stomach flutter.

Sometime during the night both her legs had draped over the older man's lap as she readjusted herself to rest her head against his shoulder; content to be cradled with one arm on her hip and the other caging her when he'd reach to grip the tabletop. He did not move or rise from his chair in animations like he normally does due to the fact he had a girl in his lap but the others didn't seem to notice as his storytelling skills seemed to make up for it. Despite it, all the group had a good time, even Erica. Sometimes during the campaign, Eddie noticed that Nicole hadn't reacted in a while and when he looked down at her he noticed that the girl was fast asleep. She was so calm and relaxed against his chest that he couldn't help but smile down at her softly and pull her closer against him with his arm. When he lifted his gaze he caught Mike's stare and the soft smile fell quickly as he returned his attention to the game. After the game was over and the board, pieces, and books packed up in their respective packages from the players and the others sneaking back upstairs to leave it was just Eddie and Mike left in the basement. The tall male was just about to wake Nicole when Mike's voice spoke up quietly; hushed and with a hesitant tenderness that the older boy wasn't used to seeing the Wheeler teen show. He looked so awkward standing there with his hands in his pockets and his bag slung over his shoulder.

"She hasn't been sleeping good you know," he commented looking down at his older cousin. "I hadn't noticed it when she first arrived cause I'm such a heavy sleeper but…She's had nightmares, dude, I mean like…Upside Down worthy nightmares." there was a guilt that was written all over his face. "I caught her with Nancy during one of her episodes. She kept crying and begging us not to let it get her. Not them…not him or her Eddie…IT. She said 'Don't let it get me' and…I just…" he swallowed hard and looked up from his cousin to his friend's face which was uncharacteristically sober as his dark brown eyes stared up at the younger boy.

"She saw something back then Eddie…I-I don't know what it was but…" Mike hesitated to try to find words but both Eddie and Mike looked towards the stairs when Dustin's voice spoke up from the dimness of the stair lights as he leaned against the railings. Obviously having stayed behind without being noticed and hearing everything

"If you think about it…Nicole had that accident what…3 years ago?" his blue eyes were staring at the girl. "And when did the whole Upside Down begin Mike?" his friend looked over at the taller boy who seemed like he was struggling.

"It started with Will's disappearance remember? With the Demogorgon. 3. Years. Ago." Dustin stressed that point out. "When did you get the call about Niki's accident?" one brow rose pointedly

It took him a minute before the teen's face fell and his skin paled as he slowly looked over at Nicole who lay peacefully sleeping against Eddie's frame. "A few days after Will's disappearance." the words felt like acid coming out of his throat.

"She told me about it…she didn't know what it was but she remembers…she was scared to tell anyone because she thought people wouldn't believe her." Eddie's voice was low as he tightened his grip on the girl. "I told her what I knew of the Upside Down because it sounded like a creature that you'd described to me before." his dark eyes grew darker

The three boys fell silent. "You know I think this is the first time that I can remember that she's slept without waking up from a nightmare." Mike broke the uncomfortable silence.

Eddie glanced down. "Yeah, I bet. Poor thing must have been exhausted from not getting sleep" he didn't tell them.

He didn't tell them that he knew everything. That Nicole knew everything. That he'd let his guard down and let this slip of a girl slide right through the cracks of his armor. He couldn't tell them that he slept better too when he smelled the scent of her lingering on his pillows and sheets. He didn't tell them that he'd let her inside his heart and allowed her to see the most damaged part of him that he could barely even look at himself in the mirror. But what he most certainly couldn't tell them was the fact that he'd fallen in love with this beautiful girl and she didn't even know it. For all, they know their dungeon master was just attached to a special needs girl because he was an only child and found something in her that he was missing. But they would never know the depths of just how special she truly was to him and he was okay with that. As long as Nicole knew and never left him because if she left him; Eddie would have lost a part of himself.

#eddie munson series #eddie munson #stranger things #Eddie x blind!oc #eddie stranger things

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primusfortuna · 1 year

Text

Shaymie ⟡ Wonder Tea Party (02)

[01] [XX] [03] [04] [05] [06] [07]

“No Clue, But That I Know”

As we were searching for a way to escape the Land of Wonders, a black rabbit suddenly sprung out from the shadow of a tree.

Emma: Oh, how cute!

Rouge: This is the Land of Wonders, you know. Maybe it can talk or dance?

Rabbit: Of course I can. I’m quite skilled at the waltz, in fact.

Rouge & Emma: Woah! / Huh!?

Shaymie: Ahaha, it actually spoke~!

Rabbit: What a peculiar thing to say. You lot are a bunch of rabbits yourselves, no? And you’re speaking just as I am.

Rouge: Ahaha, I guess that’s true! Consider me a rabbit that can sing and dance.

Emma: Excuse me, Mr. Black Rabbit. Do you know how to leave this country?

Rabbit: I don’t have a clue, but that I know.

Rabbit: I may not know, but if you’d like to know all that I know, you must defeat me at a game.

Rouge: This sounds kinda confusing... but I guess we should just take him on?

The game he proposed involves flipping over cards to collect matching pairs.

Rabbit: Now, who would like to be my opponent?

Shaymie: Me me! I wanna try!

Shaymie rummages through Rouge-san’s bag before pulling out a bottle of pink liquid.

Emma: Huh? Is that the drink you found at the restaurant?

Rouge: Wait a minute, when did that get in there!?

Shaymie: It was when you said “I want some booze...” and Emma stopped you~!

Shaymie: My head snaps into crystal-clear focus when I drink this~!

Emma: But is that allowed in the game...?

Rabbit: Certainly! I am a generous soul, after all.

Shaymie: Thank you~... *gulp gulp* Mm, super sweet and tasty ♪

After gulping down the drink, Shaymie begins playing against the rabbit.

Shaymie: Umm, the music note cards... here and here!

(He flips two cards)

Emma: Wow, you got it right again!

Shaymie: And then... this one and this one match too! Ah, I think the flower cards were right here~

Rabbit: Eh!? Ehhh!? How did you remember all that!?

With his extraordinary memory, Shaymie flips through all the cards in no time.

Shaymie: Did I help you guys~?

Emma: Yes, very much! I wouldn’t have been able to memorize them like you.

Rouge: Having you here, it’s like you’re stealing all of Rouge-san’s chances to shine.

Shaymie: Ehehe, I’m gonna shine even more~♪

Shaymie: Well, I won... What can you tell us, Mr. Rabbit?

Rabbit: It’s something I don’t have a clue about, that I know. I know that I don’t know how to leave this country.

Rabbit: I also know that Alice knows what I don’t know.

Rouge: Ahaha, talking to you makes my head hurt.

Shaymie: Who’s Alice? Where is she~?

Rabbit: Alice is simply Alice. She is everywhere, and she is neither here nor there.

Rouge & Shaymie & Emma: Hmm...?

Our discussion went nowhere, as he answered with nothing but riddles no matter how many questions we asked.

Emma: I guess for now we should go look for this “Alice” person.

Rouge: Yeah, you’re right. I’ve got no idea where we’d find her, though.

Shaymie: Let’s do our best to look~! Ready, set, go~!

Rouge: Go~!

Emma: Hehe, you’re so fired up, Shaymie.

With Shaymie hopping up and down in front of us, Rouge-san and I trail behind him with smiles on our faces.

← Prev ❖ Next →

#yumekuro #yumekuro translations #yume shokunin to wasureji no kuroi yousei #dream meister and the recollected black fairy #ymkr #ymkr tl #fairy story #shaymie #wonder tea party

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silver-wield · 2 years

Note

LOL WHAT?! Silver I swear to God that in my phone the author's note is there!! It's the same note that I read in 2015/2017! I'm gonna copy the start of the chapter and the end so y'all can see it, Idk why tf y'all don't see it but it's there! I'm not lying. I hope I'm not annoying you Silver, but I don't want to be seen as a liar when I'm seeing the A/N in front of my eyes! I'm gonna start now: 1/?

...It didn't immediately trigger a vicious onslaught of guilt, and he was able to fully enjoy that fleeting warmth Tifa had left with him—at least for a little while. (End of chapter) A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Wow. Cloud got a LOT of hate last chapter! I was surprised yet impressed with the responses I got. You guys were pissed and very protective of our Tifa. Trust me, I GET IT! But just take a deep breath, my friends! It is not as bad as it seems! I promise! 3/?

I'm just trying to make this as real as possible and because of canon constraints that means that I have to be a bit harsh sometimes. I refuse to write one of those stories that does things like completely ignore/downgrade Aerith and Cloud's relationship to STRICTLY platonic status just to justify Cloti. I'm not doing it, and I don't have to in order to make Cloti a thing. I am not going to be all out cruel with this material, but I am not going to be merciful either because that goes– 4/?

–against the canon setting I am breaking my back to maintain. As I've said before, the stories that portray Cloud as this very open, happy-go-lucky guy who spits rainbows and has magically overcome ALL of his trauma shortly after Advent Children irk me to no end. However, I promised Cloti, and I WILL deliver. You guys are just going to have to trust me! If it were up to me, Cloud and Tifa would be married and riding off into the sunset on a golden chocobo already, but that wouldn't be– 5/?

very realistic or believable, now would it? That concludes my ridiculously long tangent/Author's Note. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed Part IX! « First « Prev Ch 9 of 23 Next » /// That's all. The author's note is the same one since 2015/2017. I don't know why y'all can't see it but I have a clear conscience because the note is right in front of my eyes and I will never get an innocent person in trouble. The note is there, that's all I want you all to understand. 6/6

Okay, I think Tumblr might've eaten your second part, but since you were just quoting the text I don't see that as a loss.

As I said, it's not I didn't believe you, I just couldn't see the notes on my phone for some reason. I did find it and as everyone can see, it does exist.

Now I'm here reading all the author's notes from that fic again and surprise, surprise there's another one in chapter 22: "A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Given the sensitive subject matter of this chapter and the nature of some of the reviews for the previous chapter, I think it bears repeating that this is MY interpretation of the events that occurred after FFVII. And you may not always like my interpretation and that is perfectly okay! Regardless, I have stayed as true to— 1/?

—as true to canon as possible throughout and that means that Cloud is going to be an ass hat sometimes (like in the flashback from Part XXI). He will do things that upset us. I personally see it as part of his character so I am going to write his character the same way. Yes, this is a Cloti story but Clerith is a thing too (in my humble opinion, Clerith is a big part of Cloti). Because of the way the game was designed, it is unavoidable. There is going to be conflict. There is going to— 2/?

—going to be some preference and room left for interpretation. INTENTIONALLY! I try to look at all the facts as logically and with as little bias as possible and still find valid arguments for both sides. HOWEVER, I obviously pick Tifa, which is why we are here! I enjoy the angst. I like that their romance is flawed. I like that they will always have their issues. I like that there will always be insecurities because that is what makes them REAL. That's what makes them relatable and— 3/?

—and that is why I love them and why I love them together. Hopefully, all of us find some common ground in that somewhere! Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! You guys are the best even when you're pissed at Cloud ;)". 4/4 This part though: "(in my humble opinion, Clerith is a big part of Cloti)" ?????????? 🙃 okay.

And I combined this with the other one that continues the deluded author commentary.

Sorry not sorry, but where does clerith exist in the game? Someone please show me a non-optional scene between them, that the devs didn't retcon tf out of in Remake, that shows Cloud has feelings for Aerith.

I won't hold my breath.

All Aerith does is get between Cloud and Tifa, and because Tifa is so unsure of how Cloud feels, and is obviously more worried about his mental health than whether he likes her romantically, Aerith shoehorns her way in and makes Tifa doubt herself even more. Because Tifa is the type to back down for others happiness, even though all Aerith wants is a Zack substitute.

There is no point in the game that Cloud shows favour for Aerith. The player's options show favour, but Cloud's answers are rude and disinterested in her. I've literally shown this in screenshots.

The answer from the GS date tallies with the option and either way Aerith acts like it's a joke. Cloud is pretty mean to Aerith, which is why he feels so guilty about her death in AC. He was a dick to her and never really made amends before she died and as far as everyone was concerned she was their friend. There's no romantic reason for any of it and the fact Zack is literally by Aerith's side in AC and people still acted like there was something going on just proves they see what they want and don't actually give a shit about canon.

If people wanna pretend their HC is canon compliant that'd their delusion, but acting like readers should be grateful because you didn't understand the plot or you justify all the incorrect info you spew by saying you were really young when you played or you haven't played for years or whatever other excuse pops up in your head but people should believe you because you're providing them with free fiction is just shitty.

If you don't actually know what you're talking about then shut up. Just call it your headcanon and interpretation and don't spread lies like you're part of the dev team.

Imma add I still didn't read this fic, although I do actually remember the author note from when I was looking for fics to read because it completely put me off reading. I hate when people tag fics cloti and then throw in stealth clerith. Nobody wants to be ambushed with your gross headcanon, thank you. Just tag appropriately. And if you're asking why I say that...

No tags. Very fucking annoying. She doesn't even have Aerith in the tags, so you know whatever tf she threw in was gonna piss people off. It's always those with an agenda who do that.

#ship war #for the fandom

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wanderingwomanwondering · 2 years

Text

601 golf game meta - father-son issues

the golf scene in 601 keeps bugging me bc i can’t quite figure out what it means. but i know it means something bc it was a long scene and felt loaded, right?

i think the first half of the golf scene is about eddie and chris:

son doing something bc his dad loves it - maybe this is about eddie and chris doing things together this season on screen?

dad trying to teach him but the son feeling overwhelmed/annoyed bc the game isn’t his thing - we know chris is growing up. maybe this speaks to chris trying to do what eddie enjoys but wanting to break free?

“swinging in a barrel” - this is a golf putting technique i think but i have no idea how it applies? being constrained maybe?

dad gives the son his lucky ball but it doesn’t help - maybe about chris finding his own way as a person separate from his father? kinda like dad what’s helped eddie may not apply to chris in many cases???

***the lucky ball is marked with two intertwined horseshoes*** i mean yes horseshoes are classic symbols for luck but also the show had lots of references in prev seasons to “getting back on the horse” and going to equine therapy. both those horse related things were super relevant to eddie and to chris. for eddie, both were related to buck being integral to helping chris. first with building the skateboard and later with the value of equine therapy for CP. and we all know when buck helps chris, eddie and chris appreciate it. plus the equine therapy was intertwined with eddie getting back on the horse as a firefighter and with this mental health which moved buddie forward.

while looking for the lost lucky ball the father and son discuss the son’s current husband and his past boyfriend. the search for the lucky ball feels like a transition point from eddie and chris issues to eddie and ramon issues?? both sets of father-son issues have a side of buck ofc bc buck is an integral part of the family now. anyway the dialogue shifts from golf to choice of partner and to choice of golf buddy seem pointed!

so let’s go with it and say the second half of the golf scene is about eddie and ramon: (more below the cut)

I remember in 517 hero complex ramon said he wanted to be there for eddie so i definitely feel like eddie’s dad and maybe mom too are coming back this season. also eddie made that clear and pointed reference to his military days which always calls back to his time in texas with his parents. He even mentioned to albert one time that he joined the military at least in part to get away from his father and find himself.

the potential eddie and ramon relationship beats would fit well with how the second half of the golf call played out. the team thinks the call is a gsw but then find out it’s a wedding ring lodged in the father’s chest. the very ring that was given to the son by the husband that the father doesn’t like as much as the previous bf. the tungsten ring may represent eddie’s relationship with buck saving him from losing a part of himself to his father’s game/expectations. the budding buddie relationship knocking ramon off his feet... “wounding” him for a bit but ramon ultimately not taking it so badly or harping on it for so long that it destroys his relationship with eddie entirely. maybe ramon will mostly accept buck (as the “shotgun” husband) at first but still be attached to shannon for a little while (as the ex-wife and/or imagined symbol of eddie’s non-existent heterosexuality)?

I think it’s fascinating how much this scene leaned into the gsw misunderstanding too. we got buck trying to contain the gsw scene with caution tape which does feel like a callback to the s4 shooting and the role that we all know it played in showing buddie what they mean to one another and how intertwined their lives are and can become.

In terms of golf being the chosen game for the ep, I find that super interesting too! like. before 601, golf was part of 2 key buddie beats - one directly and one indirectly - as far as I can remember. Specifically:

i only remember golf/equipment featuring heavily in an important buddie ep once. and that was the darrell call in 310 christmas spirit where he was sucked into a jet engine. his life was saved by golf clubs. buddie ran point on that rescue. 310 was huge bc it was the first christmas after shannon’s death and so eddie invited buck over to spend the day with chris (as well as hen and denny).

darrell reappeared in 408 breaking point. the show made a point of noting that we met darrell before and buck recognized him.408 was the epic ep where we got buck watching chris while eddie went on his first big date with ana. We also got construction on sunset out of that ep.

now we have 601 let the games begin working to bring the buckley diaz family home. sorting out the eddie-chris and eddie-ramon issues along with way is going to be a part of it and i think buck will be important to what happens in both father-son relationships in eddie’s life.

#eddie diaz #christopher diaz #ramon diaz #buddie #buckley diaz family #911 meta #911 spec #911 6x01 #911 fox

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angry-geese · 2 years

Text

Blood Ties - Chapter Thirty-nine: Memento Vivere

Soulmate au Choso x Reader

Warnings: none! Overall sfw. Some light angst but this chapter is pretty tame compared to previous ones. Marriage, implied alcohol usage, and swearing

Word count: 1.8k

prev - next

Masterlist

Your phone should be dead.

It’s been days since it has last been charged. Finding an outlet in Tengen’s barrier has been an impossible task. So to say you're surprised when you see it ringing on your side table, would be an understatement; cold fingers of terror close around your heart upon reading the caller ID.

"I need the phone numbers of Fushiguro, Itadori, and Yuuta." James says. "Hakari and Panda's too."

Panda has a phone?

“Not so fast,” you say, "I want to know how you are able to contact me through not only Tengen's barrier, but the culling game ones too." It shouldn't be possible. He said it himself. The barrier would limit cell reception; even if someone has service, it's unlikely a call would go through.

“I think it has to do with my cursed technique,” he says, “so I don't have long.”

“I only have Itadori’s.” You say. A precaution taken before Shibuya, in case you were separated.

“That'll work. If you didn't have them, I figured at least he would.”

You read out the list of numbers, and he repeats it back to you, saying a simple “thanks” before hanging up.

You’re uncertain of how much time passes as you sit there. Dialing his number back only faces you with a robotic voice, saying it can't be reached.

There are very few things to do in Tengen’s barrier, if any, aside from staring off at some wall. If you have free time—alone time—you spend it sleeping. Yuki isn't much for conversation; Tengen is. He seems to not only tolerate your company, but enjoy it. Time itself seems to pass differently here, although that may simply be a trick played on your mind.

Today, Choso is up far earlier than you. It strikes you as odd. Typically he stays in bed until you wake up, unless it's his turn to guard Tengen. When that’s the case, he’ll hold onto you long enough to disturb your sleep, making sure you’re awake enough to say goodbye.

His side of the bed is cold.

The door opens slowly, much like he’s trying to limit the noise it may make. Choso must not expect you to be up yet, as he appears startled upon seeing you. He’s fully dressed, yet he hasn't pinned his hair back.

“Where are you off to?” You ask.

“Training?” Choso says. “There's quite a bit of downtime in here. I do not want to get… what is it you say? ‘Rusty?’”

This is the first time you’re hearing of this.

So much of your energy has gone into worrying about your current situation, that you haven't thought much about training. Oftentimes you find yourself paralyzed with this fear. You figured it best to conserve the little energy you have left.

“Yuki suggested it.” He says upon noticing your silence. “Do you want to join us?”

It couldn't hurt.

“I’ll tag along, but I don't think I’ll be much help.” You say. “You’re a stronger sorcerer than me.”

“I think you’re judging yourself too harshly.” He says. “There's always something we can learn from each other.”

He sits beside you silently as you get dressed. Upon exiting into the hall, the air swirls around you. The room it leads to appears to be a dining room. It's not a very grand space, but the wood walls, and dark paint of the ceiling make it appear cozy. There's a low set table, and a mat on the floor for seating, totaling four altogether. Lanterns float close to the ceiling, seemingly tethered to nothing.

Yuki and Tengen sit around the table, making idle conversation. Tengen, upon seeing you, motions for you to sit. With his pointer and middle finger, he pushes a mug towards you. The thin, dark liquid is hot enough to burn your tongue when you take a sip of it. Plain coffee. Despite having nothing added to it, it's not bitter.

The view outside—if you can consider it that—isn't much. It's shrouded in fog, and the faint outlines of buildings are visible, but not much more than that. If you look out the window for too long, an eerie feeling begins to creep up your spine.

“Don't look out there too long,” Tengen says, “you'll get lost.” With a wave of his hand, the shutters rattle closed.

“What's the deal with… that?” You ask.

"It was a city," he says, "at one point in time. Now it simply exists as an echo."

You down the last of your coffee in one swig. "Is that part of your cursed technique?”

“Yes and no.” He says. “The places you see outside existed at one point. Many were destroyed during wars, or fell to the effects of time. Now all that is left of them is a memory, or, an echo,

“I have no clue why they chose to remain here. Perhaps it is tied to my own memories. However, I sense that is something I will never get an answer to,

“Time itself is a complicated thing. It's not a linear event, as humans would expect. It doesn't loop, so much as everything—such as the beginning and the end—exists all at once. Certain things—certain events can disturb that cycle, and leave an imprint. We are simply living at both the beginning and end of the same timeless point.”

Like… the kalpic cycle in skyrim?

So what you’re seeing out that window, did exist, does exist, or could exist all at once? Your head is beginning to hurt.

“If there's infinite timelines, I hope during one of them I kick Kenjaku's ass.” You say.

“Well,” Yuki says, sucking her teeth, “there's still time…”

You pluck your cup from the table, frowning at the sight of it being empty.

“I hope in one timeline, we can do something boring together. Like grocery shopping, or laundry.” The voice can only belong to Choso. Who, without another word, sits across from you.

Maybe in the next life, you’ll be his bride, or he’ll be yours. You’ll have your own house, a big garden, and a bunch of cats. And the two of you will live off in your own corner of the world, unbothered.

“We will.” You say. “In one timeline, we’ll get out of here, and I’ll marry the hell out of you.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you swear you can see the gears turning in Yuki’s head. “I could marry you two.” She says.

Your head snaps up to look at her. “You're a priest?”

“In this case? Yes. Legally? No." She says. “If a traditional wedding is what you want, then I’m the wrong guy to ask. But if you want to do it, I can.”

You pause. It's not that you have to think about it; any answer of yours is going to be a yes.

What even is marriage to you?

Marriage is something old people use to talk bad about the person they chose to marry. They make it seem like a life sentence. Like they were forced into it. People who, at one point, claimed to be soulmates turned dry and bitter. They all laugh, and nudge you, expecting you to agree.

Marriage, to you, always seemed unattainable. Until recently, there was no string of fate around your finger. You were content in your ways to live alone. You did not need someone to feel complete. Your path in life was not a clear one, but you had been certain it was something to walk alone.

Now, marriage seems more symbolic than anything. If this world will not allow you the option to live as you please, then you will make it. Now, you have become content with being alone, that being with someone else shines a whole new light on the world. It's… as if… you're seeing things in color for the first time, after only ever seeing in black and white.

The only guaranteed things in this life are death, and taxes. When will you get another chance like this?

Choso’s gaze never leaves your face. Your eyes fall to the table, where you’re gripping your coffee cup tight enough to make your hand tremble.

“Are we going to do this?” You ask. “Are you sure you want to?”

“Considering this may be the only chance in our lives we’ll get to do this,” he says, “I don't think I’ve ever been so certain.”

“You have a crush on me or something? That’s embarrassing…” you say, turning to hide the dumb grin that's plastered itself on your face.

"We're soulmates." He says flatly.

The string of fate, for reasons beyond your understanding, has chosen to bind you two. This is simply the human version of displaying that.

Tengen waves his hand, and the table is covered with a silky white cloth. A vase of wilting flowers sits in the center of the table. Your coffee cup—much to your dismay—is replaced with a stack of bowls. There's three altogether, and a clay pitcher full of some liquid that smells heavily of alcohol. Sake. Tengen gathers the cups, setting them out in front of Choso, filling each about halfway with sake.

“I have no clue how to start the ceremony since one of you is the incarnation of an 150 year old cursed relic,” she motions to Choso, then to you, “and I don't know your religious background, so I’ll start with this:

"It was that who first joined us with the string of fate, who taught us that a life alone was no life at all. We gather here today to bear witness to the union of two souls in eternal companionship. To witness the bond of the string of fate. May you journey forth together in this life and the next, in prosperity and poverty, and in joy and hardship,

“Do you agree to be bound, now and forever?”

Choso squeezes your hands. Whether this is on purpose, or just reflexes, you can't tell. “I do,” you say, “now and forever.”

"I do," he says, following this with a noise that sounds like he's choking. "Now and forever."

"Well, if you had rings, I'd suggest you exchange them now," she says, "but this'll do."

Maybe in another life, you two will have a proper ceremony; one at a temple, or perhaps a church. Maybe you’ll get a dress, or a fancy suit, and you’ll have a big expensive cake. Or maybe the ceremony will be a small one, in a pretty forest.

But in each and every one, he will still hold you the same; like you will crumble between his fingers.

“What do we do now?” Choso asks softly.

“We kiss,” you have to bite your tongue to avoid adding ‘dummy’ onto the end of that.

With your face mere inches from his, his hands move to cup your cheeks. He pauses for a moment, hungrily taking in your skin’s warmth. The rough pad of his thumb traces across your cheekbone.

And when he kisses you, you taste like a curse.

#choso x reader #jjk x reader #choso kamo x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #choso #choso kamo #blood ties

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theadventuresofgarlandodra · 2 years

Text

The Adventures of Garl and Odra Manyboots- Never Have I Ever

Prev.

“Hey Crowley. You’ve ever played Never Have I Ever?”

Crowley glanced up from where he was cleaning off his mace. The entire party were sprawled the fire, save for the aasimar. “I have not. Is it another one of your games? Because I’m not playing another round of A Million Gold With A Catch. I learned far too much about how slutty your companions are.”

Dullahan set a hand on his chest and gasped in mock offense. “I am not a slut. I’m practical.”

Elphira cleared her throat. “Come on, Crowley. Even I’m playing,” she pointed out.

That was a valid point. Somehow that sassy little goblin brought out the gentler side in the half drow, probably because Thunderwarrior would continue aww’ing over the little monster whenever they were stopping for a break or camped for the night.

Whatever. Not like there was anything else to do out here in the middle of nowhere. Besides, it was starting to get cold. Might as well be near the fire.

Crowley laid his mace to the side before joining everyone else. “Okay, how do we play?” he asked.

Odra cheered. “Okay, okay, normally we’d do it while taking shots at the bar,”

Crowley snorted. “That sounds like the far more enjoyable method,” he muttered.

“Don’t interrupt!” Odra scooped up a pebble and threw it at Crowley’s head. Crowley barely ducked in time to avoid a rock to the skull. “Anyway, without shots, we’re down to the finger method. We all have five fingers up. Anytime someone asks ‘never have I ever’, and it turns out you’ve done the thing, you put a finger down. Whoever puts the least amount of fingers down by the end is a pussy. Sound good?”

Tynos frowned. “I thought whoever put the least amount of fingers down was the winner?” he asked.

“Not the way I play it. I’ll go first!” Odra shot up five fingers. “Never have I ever danced on the bar while drunk!”

Immediately Elphira, Kendrenal, Wick, and Sahsi put their fingers down. Sahsi coughed and immediately ducked her head to hide the blush on her cheeks. “Listen, halfling parties get intense,” she explained.

Odra cackled before looking at Garl. “Your turn,” she said.

Garl smirked. “Never have I ever eaten dead animals I’ve peeled off the side of the road,” he said, looking directly at Odra.

“Oh go fuck yourself!” Odra scowled as she put a finger down before glancing out at the others. “… That may have been unfairly targeted at me, but I’m not alone. I can get Kendrenal, fellow gob and all,” Kendrenal saluted. “But Dullahan!? You’re a human, idiot! That can actually hurt you!”

Dullahan shrugged. “It was either the dead squirrel or my toenails for the third day in a row. And I was running low on those.” He kicked his boot off and wiggled his toes- he was in fact missing his entire pinky toenail. “So. Squirrel.”

Sylvia gagged and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my god, you’re so gross, stop! Put your boot back on!” she said. Kendrenal wrinkled his nose but didn’t say anything- he just handed Dullahan back his boot.

Dullahan hardly seemed bothered by his confession. “You’d be surprised how much energy is wasted on growing toenails and fingernails. I was just re-purposing it to be useful. It also curbs my desire to eat flesh, so, there’s that.”

“My turn!” Sahsi blurted out. “Ummmmm… never have I ever… attacked someone from behind?”

There was much cussing as fingers went down. Odra flipped Sahsi off with her other hand. “That’s so not fair! I do my best work when they don’t realize I’m there!” the goblin complained.

Sahsi glanced around the fire, her jaw dropping. “Am I the only one who doesn’t go for cheap shots?!” she complained.

Tynos waved. “I didn’t put a finger down!” he said cheerfully.

“… You’re also a healer, like me.” Sahsi shook her head. “Literally everyone else put a finger down.”

Wick waggled his fingers. “You take the shots you’re given, darling,” he said.

Tynos clapped his hands together. “Okay! My turn! Never have I eveeerrr… made a public love declaration and gotten brutally shot down!” he said.

Wick smirked. “I’ve made declarations, but I’ve yet been turned down. Elphira, on the other hand…”

“Eat dirt.” Elphira put a finger down, her cheeks taking on a bit of a violet hue.

Tynos’ ears tilted down. “Oh, crap, sorry! I didn’t know! I wouldn’t have said it if I’d known,” he apologized frantically.

“Idiot, you’re supposed to say things you think anyone else has done,” Elphira shook her head. “… Wait, Turgut, did you put a-”

“It happens to be my turn! Do not take my turn!” Turgut interrupted, clearing his throat repeatedly. “Right then. Never have I ever disobeyed a direct order from a superior officer! Right, put fingers down, all of you! Even you, Tynos!”

Kendrenal smirked. “I mean, the satyr’s never disobeyed a direct order- it just hasn’t listened to you,” he sing songed.

Turgut sputtered angrily before shaking his fist at Kendrenal. “Then you acknowledge my superiority! You put a finger down, I saw it!” he accused.

“Oh, no, I disobeyed Calipher when I left it behind. Calipher ordered me to stay, but until I left the camp, I was still under its order.” Kendrenal nodded. “What made you think I’d ever view you as a superior?”

Turgut nearly swung at Kendrenal before forcing his fist down into the ground. “Take your turn, Elphira,” he growled.

“Sure. Never have I ever sucked a man’s dick.”

“Lesbians unite!” Odra cackled, getting up from her spot to high five Elphira.

Sahsi’s face was bright pink as she glanced over at Tynos, who seemed very focused on the constellations above his head. “… who’s?” she whispered.

“Satyrs are very in touch with their sexuality. I’ve been active with all sexes since I was old enough to consent to the acts,” he murmured back.

Crowley shrugged. “I think the only ones who kept fingers up were the lesbians, the virgin, and the straights- hello Turgut, Garl.”

Odra paused for a moment. “… Wait, what about that tiefling that worked at Fit For Kings for a bit?”

“Elphira specifically said a man’s dick. And I never went down on Ritari,” Garl shook his finger. “Specifics.”

“Fair enough. Your turn, ThunderWarrior!”

The Goliath flexed. “Never have I ever lost a fair fight against a fellow warrior,” she said.

Garl twisted his mouth but he did reluctantly put a finger down. Odra glowered and Garl had to reach over and physically put one of her fingers down.

Thunderwarrior nodded. “At least you acknowledge your failings. That means it is now your turn, Kendrenal.”

“Hmmm…” the hobgoblin drummed his fingers on his leg. “Never… have I ever… never have I ever fallen in love!”

Garl cocked an eyebrow. “You say that like it’s a good thing,” he said, even as his fingers remained perfectly still.

“It’s not?”

Dullahan cleared his throat. “Never have I ever owned a bag of holding,” he said.

“Really?” Sahsi asked as she put a finger down. “I guess it counts, I only borrowed it, but I kept it for a few months.”

“I want to make one, but apparently,” Dullahan rolled his eyes, “Sylvia thinks it’s too gross.”

“You wanted to turn a corpse into your ‘bag of holding’!” Sylvia snapped.

“Yes, because then it would have legs and walk around so I don’t have to carry it. I don’t see the problem.”

Kendrenal perked up, his ears twitching excitedly. “You think you could share your notes with me on that project? That sounds fascinating!”

Sylvia elbowed Dullahan before the human could say anything. “Never have I ever worn professionally tailored clothes,” she said quickly.

Sahsi paused as she saw Odra lower a finger. “Wait, really?” she asked.

Odra stuck her boots out. “What, my name is Manyboots! And finding generic shoes my size is a pain. Does going to the cobbler on a monthly basis count as pro tailored?” she asked.

Sylvia shrugged. “I guess.”

“Then yeah, my finger stays down. Really, you gotta see that cobbler in Lockmere, their shoes are so comfy!”

Crowley chuckled. “Then it’s my turn… never have I ever had such a good time playing one of your stupid games, Odra,” he said.

Odra stuck her tongue out. “I’ll take that as a compliment, and we move on. Wick, your turn!”

“Never have I ever participated in a sexual experience involving three or more people.”

Wick promptly put one of his own fingers down and smirked. Garl put a finger down and cocked his head to the side. “… So how many at once?” the gargoyle asked.

“Five. There would’ve been six, but the moment the dragonborn got on the bed it broke and that killed the mood. You?”

“Four. Odra and I just handled a big job, I was celebrating at Fit for Kings.”

Elphira made a sound of disgust. “We get it, you’re both whores- wait, Kendrenal! Tynos?! What the hell is wrong with you two?!”

“I’m a satyr! You ask me a sexual never have I ever, I’m probably going to put a finger down!”

“Gangbangs can pay good money!”

Turgut had taken a sip from a flask at the wrong moment, as he immediately choked and ended up spewing the mouthful of whiskey all over. Odra screeched with laughter, falling over into Garl as she cracked up.

Finally, she caught her breath, wiping the tears away from her eyes as she pushed herself up. “… So I completely lost track of how many fingers I put down, who wants to go another round?” she asked.

Wick raised his hand. “I’m in. Only if the next round is all sexual questions.”

“Sounds good to me. Anyone have any objections?”

Sylvia opened her mouth but before she could say anything Dullahan clapped his hands over her ears. “She’s going to bed, or I’m going to bed,” he said.

Sylvia hissed like a cat and snapped her fangs at him, Dullahan barely avoiding getting bitten on the arm.

“… I guess it’s me.”

#writeblr #dnd homebrew #short stories #spilled ink #goblins #gargoyles #the adventures of garl and odra manyboots #fantasy comedy #fantasy stories

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