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theresattrpgforthat · 3 months

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I was wondering if you had recommendations for a game that evokes the vibe of like The Thing (or Among Us) from the social angle - there is something here passing itself off as human, as *one of us*, and we need to find out who it is. Maybe with hidden roles? It seems like there's a lot of interesting space to explore there.

Thank you!!

Theme: Hidden Role Games

Friend, I've got more games for you than I thought I was initially going to find, and each one is in a different setting! Enjoy!

What We Thought We Knew, by Mouse.

You play as a group of friends who have known each other for many years- at the very least since highschool, and have gone through many transitional phases with each other.

It has recently been revealed to you that someone in your friend group has not actually been there for all of these events- they have been implanted in the group for whatever reason and all your memories modified to fit them into the narrative. None of you know who it is -- not even the fake.

In order to find out who the fake is, you must experience some of your core memories together again, moving through them like you are those versions of yourselves again, to try and spot the mistakes in the memories, the distortions that don’t quite make sense in the context of everything else happening.

The hidden role in this game is as determined by the GM, and the fake will not know that they are the imposter at the beginning of the game. The setting for this game appears to be relatively agnostic, so you could make this a fantasy setting, a futuristic setting, or even a modern setting. Characters have four stats: Head, Heart, Flesh and Beyond. The game is designed off of Caltrop Core, so when you roll your dice according to stat, there’s graded successes/failures. Players will also get chances to identify a distortion, which helps the group figure out what pieces of information don’t add up. If you want a game with mystery for almost everyone a the table, you might want to check out this game.

Jackrabbit Parole, by Willow Willis.

Well, you screwed up. Whatever you did, it was bad enough to land your ass in prison. Not just your average state-of-the-art correctional institution, either. This place is Bad News.

Parole? Don’t make me laugh. This is your life now. There’s no help coming for you and your fellow unfortunates. You’ll shit, sleep, work and eat when and where they tell you to for the rest of your miserable existence. If you want out, there’s only three paths:

Execution. Suicide. Or escape.

And since the first two don’t sound too promising, all you’re left with is jackrabbit parole.

Jackrabbit Parole is a game about prison escapees, one of which is a Snitch. The exact setting of the prison is up to you - the only thing that matters is that you’re stuck here unless you find a way to get yourselves out. You’ll roll to determine what your characters’ relationships are, and draw cards determine your roles.

There are two special roles: the Ringleader and the Snitch. The Ringleader has access to everywhere in the prison; the Snitch wants to get as much information as possible and pass it on to the guards. The Snitch profits by keeping everyone here, which means that players cannot communicate openly about their plans. The game plays over three acts, so I think it’s pretty easy to contain inside a single session, and it comes with some suggested settings if you’re not sure where to start.

Conspire, by Cherry Picked Games.

Conspire is a hidden-role storytelling game. Players delve into any moment of conflict, real or fake, and populate the scene with shady figures. They secretly assign objectives to these in-world characters and shuffle the roles amongst themselves. Everyone draws a role to inhabit and acts them out, not knowing who any of the others are or what they are trying to accomplish. What follows is an intense tale of bluffing, brokering deals, and shaping the very universe to your whims.

This feels like a GM-Less game, with all of the roles and motives of each character determined according to the setting and people created by the group at the table. Each piece of the puzzle is created collaboratively, so you’ll know what’s going on with one or two people, but not the whole picture. If you want a game that gives everyone the same responsibilities and has the flexibility to fit the settings in your head, this might be the game for you.

Eulogy of a Fool, by Kate.

In Eulogy of a Fool, all players are attending the funeral of a Fool. However, the Fool is in this crowd, having faked her own death to collect on a life insurance policy. Everyone in attendance must give a eulogy while the Fool tries to blend in and everyone else is trying to single out any suspicious persons.

This game consists of a series of cards, 20 of which are Identity cards, and 30 of which are relation cards. There will only be about as many cards in play as there are players for any given game, so I think having so many options allows for a different game every time you play. Each player will also have to give a eulogy about the deceased, using information given to all non-imposters, while the Fool will have to improvise as best as they can. Looking at the instructions and prep for this game, I think this game would be very easy to learn. There’s a script for the GM to follow while running the game, and the cards make it easy to generate characters on the fly. If you want a game that’s part ttrpg, part card game, this might be the game for you.

EUREKA, by @anim-ttrpgs

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is an original, fully fledged, 200-page 2d6 TTRPG from The Agency of Narrative Intrigue and Mystery inspired by The X-Files, Kolchak: The Nightstalker, and much more!

Eureka features investigation mechanics that let players take initiative, use their characters’ unique strengths to find clues, and deduce conclusions themselves rather than to just walking into a room and roll Investigate.

EUREKA’s main focus is on solving mysteries, but the way character creation is meant to be set up means that it is very likely that characters will have a lot of secrets, purposefully hidden from the rest of the group at game start. If you are playing a supernatural creature of some kind, your character will have plenty of reasons to keep their identity a secret. While the group is trying to solve whatever mystery there is, your characters will have to decide just how much they trust each—other, with dramatic reveals possibly prompting some thrilling and suspenseful moments. This game isn’t quite in it’s final form, but there’s a robust community currently play-testing it, and the folks behind the development are very eager to answer questions and help you get a game to the table.

Loyalty, by jackdawfactories.

You are the crew of a deep-space mining vessel who have just been awoken from stasis. You are coming in to land on a previously uncharted planet, and must investigate the nearby cave system for its utility to you - but of course, there’s more to it than that…

Loyalty is a game based on Ridley Scott’s Alien, and combines standard RPG mechanics with a hidden role aspect. Survive the horror you have unleashed while working out who - anyone - is the traitor in your midst.

This is a game in which more than one person could have a secret role. You draw a card from a regular deck of playing cards, and based on what kind of face you have, you are either an android infiltrator, or a human. Because the character creation is randomized, it’s totally possible to have an entirely human crew - but the players won’t know this, and thus the paranoia will still be present.

On top of this paranoia, you’ll be facing off against an alien, and the more you come up against it, the stronger it gets. There’s a win condition, a lose condition, and the possibility to eject a suspect out of an airlock. If you like heightened stakes and no good endings, this might be the game for you.

The Warmest Place to Hide, by Rosie.

The Warmest Place To Hide is a TTRPG homage to John Carpenter's The Thing.

It is the longest night in Antarctica, and something has made its way inside the research station at which you work. You and your teammates must work together to protect yourselves from assimilation - but when the creature can make itself look like anyone and anything, who can you really trust?

Create a base, populate it with crew, then see if you can survive an alien invasion.

This is the game for folks who want a direct re-creation of The Thing. As this is a Caltrop Core game, the rules are fairly minimal and use dice pools of d4’s. You can roll randomly for your character’s background, and choose an archetype that will give you specific skills and special abilities. You’ll also receive a random assignment of “Human” or “Something Else”. If you are Something Else, you always have to opportunity to take over any dead characters.

I’m not entirely sure how you communicate to players that they are Something Else without alerting the whole table; I’m assuming that this is the sort of game that involves passing a lot of notes. I think it might also be interesting if the GM introduces other threats that could kill players so that the Thing can approach and assimilate them without the players necessarily knowing who’s doing it.

#indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #dnd #game recommendations #asks #hidden role

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tornioduva · 4 months

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Nitpicky rant about Dungeon meshi e Frieren elves

lately i've been reading Dungeon meshi e Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and i've noticed a recurring detail, that will now bother me till the end of my existance:

Elf ears. Ears in general to be honest, but in elves is particularly visible.

They all share the mickey mouse ears syndrome, where they can only be seen by profile, only facing their insides, no matter the head's rotation aside from when you're behind them.

It's like these authors can't decide whether the ears are protruding or attached to the sides of the head. it's driving me crazy, because it keeps shifting the design i form in my head of the characters.

Like, i'm no expert in anatomy, let alone ears (they are the bane of my existance when drawing them) but i'm pretty sure Frieren ears should look something like this when you look at her by profile:

As i said, i'm no expert, feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, i'll accept the L.

Now, i've seen that, at least in Dungeon meshi, they are able to freely move their ears, so the quick explanation could be "ears too hard to draw in that view, elves just move them and sometimes protrude, sometimes they do not" and i can kind of live with that, but it's too consistent as a thing to believe uhuh.

Anyway, this does not influence my experience with these stories, my opinions on them lie elsewhere; just an odd detail i noticed (that carried in their animated adaptations strangely enough) that now you too can't unsee! you're welcome.

#tornio #tornioduva #torniod #fantasy #torniotalk #dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #frieren: beyond journey's end #fireren #sousou no frieren #elves #elf #ears #elf ears #rant #nitpick #anime and manga

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mitsies · 4 months

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❊ a night to remember - dazai osamu . . you're a barista in the middle of a turf war. dazai is assigned to babysit.

the café you work at is nowhere near 'fantastic,' like the critics acclaim.

it's situated on a busy street corner, right next to an even busier airport. this draws an unfortunately large amount of new customers. you cringe thinking about the poor foreigners, unable or unwilling to purchase overpriced airport cuisine, who find refuge (and a meal) at your workplace. it must be an awful first experience in the country, you think.

despite the wealth your employers must've accumulated from an ever-rotating customer base, you don't think a single dime has ever gone towards improving the place. the outside seems nice enough, but the appliances are hardly functional. paint peels off the walls in the back, and the windows have long since been sealed shut. it gets way too hot in the summer. tables are rickety and every time someone takes a seat, you fear for their life. a small hole in the wall exists right by the entrance to the back, and sometimes when you go to close shop you hear skittering (which you pray is a mouse and not a ghost.) the good part about this, though, is that a little cat frequents your block around nighttime. she's the only reason you enjoy working at the joint, really, especially since it's open so unusually late, meaning you have to work stupid hours. who needs coffee and sandwiches at 10 at night?

you wonder how your shoddy little place of work has passed a single health inspection. you also wonder how you're still alive, because you're pretty sure that there is black mold growing in the storeroom. that, and the fact that you're all too often worked to the bone. your boss never does much, and your coworkers, though lovely people, take way too many sick days to be normal. you think the black mold may have gotten them. either that or they're lazy and love to see you suffer. more often than not, you're the only one working the busy café all day. that place would be a mess if it weren't for you, you like to believe.

it's an unusually slow night when the cat comes by to visit. she's a little thing, with a fluffy grey body and tiny white paws. her nose is a black button framed by white fur and long whiskers. you call her misty, like the character from pokémon.

you haven't gotten a customer in a while. you suspect it's because of the bad weather; your usual clientele of travelers are all seeking shelter within the airport, not daring to venture out quite yet. misty herself is dripping water all over the entrance of the café, but she's too cute for you to care. you walk out from behind the counter to pet her with the back of your hand. your skin comes away damp and covered in a thin layer of cat fur, which is a little gross but you've seen worse while working here. she meows. from your place by the door, you can see outside to the rain-soaked sidewalk. hard droplets of water pelt down like hail, staining the world a shade darker. you grimace, because there's no way you can walk home in this downpour.

"what do i do now, misty?" you stoop down to stroke the cat a little more. she purrs a little, and her long fur continues to stick to your hand in its dampness. nasty.

standing back up, you make your way to the back of the shop to rinse your hands in the sink. you aren't expecting anyone to come in at this point, not when it's this late, and not in this weather. you are proven very wrong when you hear the door creak open, and misty's meow before she scampers away to a far corner of the store.

plastering your best customer service smile on your face, you look up and move to the counter to greet the new arrival. you expect them to be a particularly brave traveler, and you imagine the mess of rainwater you'd later have to mop up off the floor. you are, however, pleasantly surprised by the sight of one of your favourite regulars. "oda!"

he's usually not in this late. but he gives you a small kind of smile as he closes the umbrella he holds and stores it in the designated area, bless him. you, to this day, wonder why he chooses to come to this raggedy little shop enough to be considered a regular. the coffee isn't that good, and the pastries are always a little dry, in your opinion. plus, it's just gross. maybe you're just a hypochondriac, though, because oda seems like a smart and sensible man who would not come to a café that would give him diseases. probably. you hope.

he's a kind, quiet person. you don't know much about him, if anything at all. he's got your name memorised and always greets you, and he tips well, and he asks about your day sometimes. you think he's sweet. maybe not smart, actually, if he keeps coming back. or maybe he's a health advisor coming to collect evidence to shut the place down— oh, you could only hope this is true.

misty, upon realising it's just oda, walks her little feet back over towards the entrance. the tall man bends over to pet the little cat, and for the first time, you catch sight of another person behind him. a boy. he's tall, or at least taller than you. but he doesn't look like much. a set of spindly limbs, bandages covering one eye, while the other is sunken and tired. a coat hangs loosely from his shoulders. you wonder if he's been eating enough. in a flash, though, his eyes connect with yours. it's brief, and awkward, and he stares straight into you like he can see through your skull into your thoughts. a shiver runs down your spine. he might look your age but there is something about him that tells you he has been around far too long, and seen enough for lifetimes. oda stands back up, cutting your view of the boy off. you readjust, trying to shake off the uncanny veil that's just descended on your little store. "your usual, oda?"

he smiles again. "please. thank you."

you dare look at the boy again. "and anything for you, sir?"

his gaze flickers back towards you. it's less heavy than before, but still, a force resides behind it. he hums and smiles. it seems hollow. you try to pay it no mind. "nope."

you nod briskly and go about preparing oda's drink. in your periphery, you watch the pair settle down by a table on the side wall of the shop, right against a big window. oda's back is facing you and you can feel his companion's eyes following your moves every so often. you try your best to ignore it, the way his eyes carry a pressure that drills into your skull.

it's 8:07 at night when oda gets a call. you aren't eavesdropping, but you don't miss the furrow of his brows and the vacancy that passes through his eyes. he'd probably leave soon. you purse your lips; might as well close once these two leave. they came in half an hour ago, and not a single soul had even passed out the door since.

sure enough, oda stands. he fishes around in his wallet for a crisp bill— another reason why he was your favourite regular, his tips never fell short— and gives you a polite, tight-lipped smile. the mystery boy follows suit. he doesn't spare you a glance, though, not until oda halts at the door as if something's just occurred to him. he turns back to the counter and calls your name. you look up from where you were wiping down some ancient appliances. "everything okay?"

he nods, and his head involuntarily falls to the side inquisitively. "how are you getting home tonight?"

you grimace. "i'm walking."

oda and the mystery boy exchange a look. you presume it's the heavy rain they're concerned about, so you pipe back in: "it's okay, though! i have a spare coat in the back. i think."

the boy gives you another look. like you're an idiot, like he knows something you don't. you'd wonder what was going on, but that was likely above your pay grade.

oda turns back to his companion. you hear them exchange words quietly, quiet enough to be drowned out by the rain still pouring outside. they are discussing far too intensely for it to be just about the rain. at the end of the spirited conversation, oda looks resolved, and the boy looks.. upset? disgruntled? he looks more his age, that's for sure. younger, even, like a petulant child. you would laugh if you weren't so on edge.

something is off. it's like the air in the shop has suddenly grown heavier by a hundred tons. it's suffocating. you are more excited than usual to close early and go home once these two finally make their exit. but then the boy sits back down. you fight the frown growing on your face.

oda is still standing. he takes the umbrella by the door and taps it against the entrance matt. clear flecks of rainwater fall down into the fabric like a small scale version of the downpour outside. he turns back to the boy, and then swivels to face you with a small, polite smile. "thank you for the drink. i hope you don't mind that my friend dazai is staying here for a while to avoid the rain."

you want to die. staying at your place of work for the next few hours until the official closing did not seem like an ideal night. mentally you mourn the night you planned to have when you got home early; goodbye to your cozy blanket, and warm bed, and movie and popcorn. but making coffee isn't that hard and you're basically paid to be nice and stay up late, so you just smile back and say, "no problem! we close at 10, and it'll probably have calmed down by then. probably."

oda nods and walks back out the door. misty meows at his heels, until he's out from under the overhang and gone from sight. faintly, you can see his silhouette blue-lit beneath streetlights, only if you squint. after a few beats, even the shadow of the man is gone.

you slump back down onto the counter, and then slide back up because you'd just cleaned it and now you'd have to do it again. a resigned sigh escapes past your lips, and you look up to see that the boy is looking at you. what was his name again? dazai? you somehow manage a nice-enough smile, looking back into his hollow eyes. he remains expressionless; it unnerves you, like a glass of cold water down your back. awkwardly, you begin, "do you... want anything to drink now? or eat? i'm going to have to throw all these out soon."

his heavy stare leaves you for only a second as you gesture vaguely to the display case of pastries. he looks like he considers it for a second before he smiles and says, "a chocolate croissant seems good!"

it's uncanny, the way the hollows of his eyes misalign with the tone of his voice. he sounds happy. he sounds young. but the way his joy is displayed is strange. it's a mirror. like he's only watched other people be kind and learned to imitate. as if he's pretending to be human. you can't look into his eyes anymore. instead, you turn to warm up the pastry without words.

when you move to bring the pastry to his table, you find dazai surveying the glass door, as if he is mesmerised by the rain still falling in heavy torrents. your plan is, originally, to slide the treat in front of him, smile and say nothing, and speedwalk away back to the counter and pretend to be busy cleaning until the stranger either a), leaves, or b), the rain stops and you can get out of here. however, it seems that misty has other plans. in a motion that you're sure she intends to be a show of affection and not a ploy to humiliate you, she runs in front of your legs and headbutts your ankle, causing you to trip over. you land with a less-than-gracious huff, and barely manage to pull yourself up from your stomach to your knees before you feel dazai's eyes back on you.

there is a small smile on his face, that creases his visible eye. you frown ruefully, and move to rise and apologize for the disruption. but to your surprise, he stands to help you up. his extended hand is slim. he has thin fingers, like wire, and a wrist wrapped in fresh, white bandages that show through his white button-down. his hands are just as cold as they look.

"graceful," he comments as he pulls you up. you purse your lips, choosing to ignore his comment.

"i'm sorry. i'll remake your food."

he considers you for a moment, looking you up and down. suddenly, you feel very seen. in a strange, unfamiliar way. you hope your apron isn't askew or messy. you hope you don't look as frazzled as you feel. why do you hope that?

"no worries!" and thank god he says that, because you truly are not in the mood to be doing much of anything. but you ask the obligatory, 'are you sure?' to which he just says, 'i'm sure,' so the whole conversation was redundant, really. shifting back to behind the counter, you begin to clean out the display case. and you're really finding yourself in a cleaning flow until dazai's voice breaks through your haze. he says your name. you're confused as to how he knows your name, until you realise you wear a nametag, and then you're just a little embarrassed as you reply, "yes?"

"does oda come here often?"

you glance up at him while wiping a shelf with a rag. he's not looking at you, rather staring back out into the rain. misty is approaching his table. she's usually shy; you wonder if she will let him pet her.

"often enough. he's usually here once or twice a week. never usually this late, though."

at your response, you see out of the corner of your eye as dazai shifts to face you, transfixed on the methodical motions of your hands cleansing the mess of the counter. he hums, "really?"

"yeah. he's one of my favourite regulars." and you almost leave it at that but your curiosity gets the better of you, and you ask, "what are you both doing out here at this time, anyways?"

dazai considers you. then he turns back away with a ghost of a smile. "business calls."

you can't help the look that crosses your face. what a tasteless answer. so dramatic. and then, something clicks. you blink. your area was under port mafia protection and recently, a rival group has been posing threats to it. it's never affected you, always in the western district of your area, so you've never really paid it much mind. you blink. so, this boy was affiliated with those groups. either the mafia or the rebels, but you're inclined to believe that it's the former because of his crypticness and the sheer amount of black he wears. (you're honestly a little surprised you didn't clock this sooner. no normal people dress like that.) your neurons are firing at a rapid pace, making connections. so... was oda in the port mafia too? your eye twitches. you have been serving a mafioso black coffee and almond muffins for months without knowing.

when you finally look back at dazai, he's watching you again. there's something like curiosity painting his expression, more than you've seen from the boy since he walked in. you're maybe perhaps a little shellshocked so all you can manage to ask is, "am i in trouble?"

he laughs an echoey, hollow laugh. you're embarrassed but also a little indignant because you think you have a right to know, maybe. "you haven't done anything. as long as i'm here you'll be fine."

your eye twitches again.

"so i am in trouble, then."

dazai frowns. "you have such little faith."

for a split-second you forget that he is a member of the most dangerous organization in all of yokohama and not just a boy your age, as you retort, "it's hard to have trust when the person left in charge of my safety looks like he weighs the same as my cat."

misty meows as if she understands you. dazai blinks. you blink back, before adding a tasteful, albeit a little uncomfortable, "with all due respect. sir."

and he smiles. it's a familiar one. faint smile lines appear, his left cheek creases deeply enough to dimple. it's a real, earnest smile. he looks young and alive like the boys at your school. he's cute, almost. you can't help but smile back, just a little. suddenly, you're thinking about his hand again, and how it felt in yours. you turn away with a light exhale and busy yourself with wiping down cases again.

"oda told me that he 'appreciated your sardonicism,'" dazai muses, "and i didn't know what he meant until now."

you turn the sink on and begin to sponge down various mugs. "thank you, i think."

"you're welcome."

menial conversation follows. dazai asks about your work, and you're glad he chose this topic, because really, you could complain about this establishment for hours if someone gave you the opportunity. he listens intently as you talk about your coworkers and manager, the abysmal pay, and the ghastly sanitary standards of the place. to this topic, dazai glances around and questions you.

"maybe you're a hypochondriac," he says, "it looks clean enough to me."

you stare at him, hands still in the sink, covered in suds. you blink. was he blind?

you're about to respond, when the door opens. you glance at the clock; 9:48. twelve minutes before closing. you're about to try and muster up the last of your energy to be the best barista you can be before dazai speaks first. "oda. you're back early."

thank god it's oda. you look up to see misty run to him purring, as he puts his umbrella down. "we finished up the..." he glances carefully up to you, "business early."

dazai waves a hand dismissively. "they know."

oda raises his eyebrows and looks at you. "you do?"

"i do," you affirm, "you keep less-than-subtle company."

"hey!"

you and oda both ignore dazai. the taller man addresses you instead, "then you should know that it's safe to go out for tonight. and the rain is stopping, too."

you exhale. it'd been easy to ignore how stressed you were about the 'dangerous situation' that you'd been told nothing about happening right outside your place of work. and then, it clicks; dazai was distracting you from all that on purpose with his torrent of questions. you look back at him. he simply smiles.

oda speaks again. "i'll be back tomorrow morning to check on things. get home safe."

turning to dazai, he states, "the car is waiting outside. take the umbrella."

his departure leaves three people in the shop, like it's been for the past hour; you, dazai, and misty the cat. so, two people, you guess. and you can't help the twinge of sorrow that makes itself known inside your chest at the fact that this may be the first and last night that you see him. the only thing you can say is, "it was nice to meet you, dazai."

he stands. misty makes a cat noise. he meets your eyes and there is something less than hollowness there. his smile seems more real than before.

"you'll see me again," he almost promises, as if he could read your mind.

"good," is all you have time to reply, before he is out the door. you bite the inside of your cheek to restrain the grin that is breaking out from across your face, "good."

flowers chosen: pink camellia & forget-me-not . . longing for you & don't forget me

❊ send a request! ❊ 5k masterlist ❊ event info ❊

#i have not touched bsd in so long i am sorry ..#dazai osamu x reader #dazai x reader #osamu dazai x reader #bsd x reader #bungou stray dogs x reader #bungo stray dogs #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs #bsd #reader insert #mitsies 5k #insp by “a night to remember” by laufey & bea <3 #this was gonna be longer and more dramatic but i had to cut it off bc too long!

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qsmpmiraheze · 3 months

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Recap of "CONFIDENTIAL EXPERIMENTS" by QSMP Info

(For the most recent edition of this recap make sure to visit QSMP Miraheze Wiki!)

Cucurucho started its stream by talking to chat. It was soon approached by a prison guard in a turtle helmet:

WORKER: Sir, I apologize, but it seems the convicts are no longer in our institute grounds. They have ran for the greenhouse, they left a great damage in the property. CUCURUCHO: Where? Any ideas? WORKER: Please follow me, I will show you the place

The worker led Cucurucho through the now-empty prison and outside. Cucurucho was surprised at the changes in scenery and the destruction that had happened. It updated the report.

Report 311 ar. Greenhouse has been destroyed. Residents involvement possible?

It warped to where the islanders had fled, where it found the eggs along with asleep residents. It walked around, looking at all of them. It asked the eggs how long they’d been there. Richarlyson said that it was none of its business and Chayanne said it was “long enough” they didn’t expect it to show up. Cucurucho updated the report.

All residents are asleep. The EGGS are awake as expected.

Cucurcho reassured the eggs that the residents were safe. Dapper asked it to sign their kidnapping punch card, which it did. Prison guards came by. On of them suggested they follow up on the EGGs project:

We have all the EGGs in one place. It’s been quite a long time since we did a follow up on this project. Let’s take advantage of the fact that the caretakers aren’t around and we can do testing pretty easily.

Cucurucho agreed with the idea. They placed a warp plate as eggs were too weak to walk. Cucurucho called the eggs one by one to use it. Leonarda was first, and she was incredibly hesitant. Next were Sunny, Dapper, Ramón, Pepito, Richarlyson (who didn’t show up and prompted Cucurucho to comment how he was always a troublesome egg), Tallulah (who was hesitant to step away from Chayanne), Chayanne (who hit Cucurucho a couple of times before warping away), Empanada and Pomme (who also didn’t show up and also prompted a derogatory comment from Cucurucho).

Cucurucho warped back to the federation offices where the eggs were kept. It was approached by one of the workers:

We are ready to conduct the experiment that was paused, we will carefully evaluate each EGG.

Cucurucho walked into the observation room where the eggs were. Cucurucho explained that they were going to do. The first task for them was to draw their biggest fear. Empanada said that she hated canvases, which Cucurucho commented on as “unacceptable”. The eggs started drawing.

Cucurcho asked Chayanne to come with it and led him to a separate room.

CUCURUCHO: Good morning. Who are your parents? CHAYANNE: philza and missa CUCURUCHO: Which parent do you spend the most time with? CHAYANNE: philza CUCURUCHO: What have you learned from your parents? (Pause.) What have you learned from your parents? CHAYANNE: to trust yourself and the closest people around CUCURUCHO: Do you feel weak? (Pause.) Do you feel weak? CHAYANNE: not much different. i’m, okay / i don’t feel weak CUCURUCHO: Good.

It then returned Cucurucho to the other eggs and called for Dapper.

CUCURUCHO: Who are your parents? DAPPER: BadBoyHalo and Baghera CUCURUCHO: How are you currently feeling? DAPPER: like killing certain bear in front of me but also than that nothing CUCURUCHO: Have the cookies made you happy? DAPPER: cookies is cookies so I guess yes CUCURUCHO: Good.

Next up was Leonarda.

CUCURUCHO: Who are your parents? LEONARDA: foolish y vegetta CUCURUCHO: Do you hate somebody? LEONARDA: hay que ser sinceros??????? / la sunny CUCURUCHO: Do you feel weak? LEONARDA: debil??? no, yo soy fuerte y mamadisma CUCURUCHO: Good.

Cucurucho went back to call for Empanada.

CUCURUCHO: Who are your parents? EMPANADA: mamae bagi mami mouse mama niki and eomma tina CUCURUCHO: Have the cookies made you happy? EMPANADA: I trusted you it would be safe and that trust killed me / change the baker of the cookies / also pasa tudo bubble blower CUCURUCHO: What do you know about the Federation? (Pause.) What do you know about the Federation? EMPANADA: you could give me my life back, but i’m not perfect enough am I CUCURUCHO: Good. EMPANADA: bubble blower

Cucurucho led Empanada back to the main room and asked for Sunny.

CUCURUCHO: Who are your parents? SUNNY: PA TUBBO POP SLIME MA LENAY :D CUCURUCHO: What have you learned from your parents? SUNNY: THAT IM THE CUTEST :D CUCURUCHO: What do you know about the Federation? SUNNY: MY STEP PA WORKS HERE :D / ILL TAKE OVER SOON >:D CUCURUCHO: Good.

Next, Cucurucho came for Pepito.

CUCURUCHO: Who are your parents? PEPITO: apa quackity, apa mariana y apa roier -D CUCURUCHO: What do you value the most? PEPITO: que mis apas sean felices asi muy muy felices:] CUCURUCHO: Who do you get along with best on this island? PEPITO: con mi bestie leo, mi awelo foolish y soulmate empi!! :D CUCURUCHO: Good.

Cucurucho then interviewed Ramón.

CUCURUCHO: Who are your parents? RAMÓN: fit and pac you should know CUCURUCHO: Do you hate somebody? RAMÓN: maybe / but that’s personal right? CUCURUCHO, after a pause: Maybe. CUCURUCHO: What do you know about the Federation? RAMÓN: only what the federation wants me to know / thats what u do right? CUCURUCHO, after a pause: Yes. RAMÓN: can i ask u to make the island less homophobic? would be great CUCURUCHO: Good.

The last egg to be interviewed was Tallulah. Empanada placed a sign that read “take that cucuruchop arrombado BUBBLE BLOWER”. Chayanne hit Cucurucho with sticks; Cucurucho noticed that Dapper was methodically taking things off shelves in the room, but did nothing to stop that (though it did note that in its report).

CUCURUCHO: Who are your parents? TALLULAH: Papa Phil, Papi Wilbur, Pa Missa CUCURUCHO, interrupting Tallulah playing her flute: Do you hate somebody? TALLULAH: No mames cucurucho / Maybe CUCURUCHO: What do you value the most? TALLULAH: I value quality time, something papa Phil and Chay give me :D CUCURUCHO: Good.

Cucurucho returned to the eggs’ room. It asked the eggs to follow it, and led them to the Combat Testing Ability Room. It told them that the second test would evaluate their strengths against each other, and asked each egg to take a totem and a stick. The first pair to fight were Chayanne and Empanada, with Chayanne winning (though he let Empanada go without popping her totem). The next were Pepito and Dapper (with the winner being Dapper), Tallulah and Ramón (Tallulah accidentally placed a stick in the ground, but proceeded to win anyway), Sunny and Leonarda (with Leonarda winning, but Sunny continuing to hit until Leo popped her totem as well).

The eggs chatted as Cucurcho instructed them to return to the main room. Cucurucho noticed a sign that claimed one of the chairs as Sunny’s “queen chair” and a raccoon placed by some of the children. Cucurucho announced that the evaluation was over and that some of the parents may be contacted as a result. It then instructed the worker that accompanied it to take care of the eggs until the protocol was over.

Cucurucho then left. It looked through the report barrels and placed the one for that day in a spare one. Four workers came by, and Cucurucho told them that they needed the whereabouts of the two missing eggs. The workers submitted their reports as well. Cucurucho added that they needed to know who failed and why, and that failures were inacceptable. The workers left as Cucurucho reminded them to follow the protocol. Once alone, Cucurucho reflected on the experiments and the ones that failed, and then went through the eggs’ files once again.

#qsmp #qsmp info #qsmp recaps #qsmp cucurucho #qsmp eggs #qsmp wiki #qsmp miraheze wiki #from hope

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heartoreadallthequeerthingz · 10 months

Text

Little Shifter (Part 1)

This is incredibly late I’m sorry!! If you think of a better name for this let me know.

THE REQUEST:

(Could you write something like this please?

Pairing: Little fem powered reader x Wanda maximoff X Natasha romanoff

Prompt: “I feel different, not quite human”

Plot: Little fem reader has been experimented on, granted shapeshifter powers, usually resulting in one of three forms, these being a wolf, a tiger, a lion. Hydra treated the reader like an experiment not knowing about their being a little..

LITTLE SHIFTER! PART 1:

Wanda’s POV

Wanda hummed to herself as she flipped a mickey mouse pancake. The smell of coffee permeated the air, drawing a certain Redhead into the room. The widow was clad in a sports bra and yoga pants, still sweaty from her workout.

“Hey Sweetheart, thanks for making breakfast” Nat said, leaned over to kiss the Witch’s cheek. She looked around while grabbing a glass of water. “Where’s Y/n?”

“I’m not sure, I thought she was with you. She wasn’t in bed when I woke up”. Wanda

furrowed her brows.

Since y/n got rescued from Hydra, she had taken to training with Nat most mornings. It wasn’t that she was a bad fighter, Hydra had just ambushed her while she was Little and there were too many guards for her to handle. It had taken the team a month to find her. She was already a good fighter but all of them would feel more comfortable if she trained even harder.

Wanda listened for y/n’s thoughts, but they sounded murky and muffled. She couldn’t tell where they were coming from, but she was relieved y/n was within range of her abilities. The two split up to find their girlfriend.

I found her! We’re in the lounge. The widow’s voice sounded in her mind.

Wanda rushed to the lounge as quietly as she could.

–Wanda POV–

I found Nat kneeling in front of a cowering y/n. The avenger had a blanket wrapped around her and over her head. Y/e/c eyes were trained on the redhead, as she rubbed gentle circles on the palm of the hand she wasn’t holding.

“Malysh, can you tell us what’s wrong?”

“Me…I don feel…” the agent huffed and pulled her hand out of the spy’s grasp. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

“Malysh if you need to drop it’s okay”

“I don’t feel entirely human” y/n forced out softly, trying to stay big.

“That’s alright delta, we’ll figure it out” I said gently.

“Can we take the blanket off?” Nat asked softly.

Y/n’s eyes flickered back and forth between us, before nodding hesitantly. Nat gently took the blanket from our girlfriend. I gasped when two lion ears came into view. A mixture of a hum and a muffled squeal came from the widow. Y/n shyly looked up at us, fiddling with her hands. I turned to see Nat grinning behind her hand.

“My little lion” Nat cooed, she made herself smaller and spoke even softer than she normally did to our little one. She opened her arms,

“It’s okay, mama’s got you.”

I did my best to keep from gaping as y/n seamlessly shifted into a lion cub and leaped into Nat’s arms. The widow squeaked in surprise, but adjusted her grip to hold the excited cub. I shuffled closer and gently ran my hand through her fur, giggling as our lion cub sprawled out across both our laps, purring softly.

Time skip-a few hours later

Nat’s POV

I tried to keep a straight face when I heard quiet steps behind me as I entered the kitchen. Y/n was slowly stalking me in cub form, she had yet to change back, and Wanda was currently talking to most of the team. The goofball clearly thought she was being sneaky when she wiggled out of the witch’s arms when we parted ways.

I continued looking in the fridge pretending not to notice. Everything happened too quickly for me to react. Y/n went to pounce on my leg just as Clint walked in -letting out a loud scream at the sight of y/n. Y/n startled, abruptly shifting into an adult lion. I grunted as she knocked me to the ground. Clint pulled his arrows out and released one as I screamed and shut my eyes on instinct.

The room was still and silent. My heart hammered as I slowly opened my eyes to a red haze.

The arrow was frozen in a cloud of red and I sighed in relief. Wanda glared at Clint as she quickly moved in between us.

Bare skin replaced fur and I looked up to meet y/n’s guilty panicked gaze. She scrambled off me.

“I’m so sorry Natty” she whimpered, as I rubbed my head and sat up with a wince.

“Babe it’s ok-” Y/n stumbled onto her feet and sprinted out of the room before I could finish my sentence.

“WHAT THE FUCK CLINT?!” Wanda bellowed.

“How was I supposed to know that was y/n?!” He spoke defensively.

I sighed as I took in his attire, he was still in mission clothes.

“Wands he didn’t know”, I said as Clint helped me up.

“I’m sorry guys, I’ll walk Nat to the med bay-maybe you should find y/n?” He said hesitantly, slightly hiding behind me. Wanda was still glaring at him with red wisps around her hands. She flicked out her hand sending Clint smacking face first into the couch.

I held back a laugh “Baby! Go find y/n/n!”

Wanda smirked before leaving the room.

“You could have scolded her” Clint mumbled and I smacked him on the back of the head.

“Shut up! You got off easy! You tried to shoot the love of our life with an arrow! Now let’s go to the med bay.”

“I might need it now too…”

“Clint when my head stops hurting I’m gonna kick your as-“

“Okay okay I’ll stop”

To be continued…

What did y’all think?!

#caregiver natasha #caregiver wanda #little reader #wandanat x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #wanda maximoff x reader #shifter reader

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notroosterbradshaw · 1 year

Text

The Relationship Experience - five

part of: The Boyfriend Experience universe

four.

Things continued well for the next month weeks or so. Rooster would come to your place most nights straight from work, domesticity at its finest. You’d cook, watch tv, tease each other unmercifully and you’d fuck until you fell asleep, wrapped up together until he snuck out quietly the next morning. You continued playing the same cat-and-mouse game around your friends. You knew they were starting to wise up that you were pretty much inseparable but never gave them the benefit of the doubt to arrive and leave together or be found away from the group at the same time.

You owed Natasha a lot to help throw your friends off the scent, but she couldn’t do much about you two flirting quietly together or if the longing looks you’d be swept into. Bradley Bradshaw just got more handsome every time you looked at him. It was criminal.

You were almost busted by Payback after you blew Rooster at Phoenix’s early Friendsgiving dinner in her bathroom. Having him across from you at the table was just too much, watching him laugh, drink, and relax among your friends. And not to mention his cream Henley was just a little too tight over his tanned chest and arms. You were a goner. If no one could see the heart eyes that you had for Rooster that night… well, that was on them. He watched you across the table, failing to hide his grin behind his wine glass as your foot crept against his calf. Yes, you were playing footsie and you both fucking loved it. He slouched a little in his chair, getting just a little lower to your reach. All you wanted to do was get him naked. It was just so simple.

“You can do that any time you like,” Rooster grinned like a Cheshire cat, his palms holding your chin roughly as he kissed you wildly a few moments after he’d cum. “Christ, that was incredible,” he chuckled quietly as he tucked himself back into his boxer briefs and zipped up his jeans. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I fuckin’ like it,” he kissed your neck as you turned away from him to smooth your hair that Rooster had gripped in his fist to keep from crying out while you made his dreams come true in the mirror. “I’m almost speechless.”

“And that never happens,” you taunted back at him in the mirror, watching as he left wet kisses on your jugular, his honey-coloured eyes watching you keenly in the reflection, his palms squeezing your hips and drawing your body back to his. Your knees were weak, and your eyes fluttered closed. “Bradley, I…” you tried.

“Bradley I, what?” he repeated softly, watching you intently, as he wrapped his strong arms around your waist to support you. “You smell so good,” he was a little lightheaded himself.

“I…” you tried again. The words were failing you. Fuck it.

He ceased his ministrations and raised his eyebrow gently. “You okay, sweet girl?”

I’m completely in love with you, Bradley. “I’m okay,” you turned and kissed him softly, confusing him with the change of tone after you practically devoured him moments earlier. “I’ll go out first, okay?”

He sighed, cupping your jaw. “Okay. That was amazing. Can we do that every dinner party?”

“You can repay the favour any time you like.”

“Well, don’t leave and lose your undies,” he started to move to his knees as you giggled and used your index finger to bring him back to you by the chin.

“Bradley Bradshaw,” you sighed. “Is there anything you wouldn’t do for me?”

“Anything, without hesitation,” he declared.

You kissed him. “I don’t deserve you.”

He smiled, the rose in his cheek flushing. “You deserve everything,” he kissed you again and he drew you into his strong arms. “Forgive me. I can’t keep my fuckin’ hands off you.”

“I don’t want you to let me go anyway.”

“Sure you wanna escape?”

“Everyone will be looking for us.”

"They’re gonna have to find out sometime.”

“You want them to find us with your head between my legs?”

His eyes twinkled, flooding with mischief. “I love how you think I would be embarrassed by that.”

“You’re not making this easy,” you rolled your eyes, trying not to laugh.

“Here’s a counter, at least. Meet me back here in 15 minutes and I will make you cum so hard, you’ll see stars…” he licked your top lip. “Can’t wait to taste you.”

“At ease, big boy.”

He groped his crotch, a little uncomfy. “This is on you and that…” he breathed. “This dress. It’s almost… Jesus. It’s so hot, you’re actually paining me,” he knocked the strap off your shoulder and nuzzled up your clavicle to your pulse.

“Rooster,” you dragged out, losing your fingers to his messy curls. “You need to stop.”

“Ask me again and I will, I promise,” his hands bunched into the skirt of the dress, drifting the material higher in your thighs.

“We will be caught.”

He laughed into your skin. “Still not a threat.”

You begrudgingly stepped away from him and he made grabby hands to try and lure you back to him. “I’ll go out first,” you kissed him once more as he used his thumb to wipe away some lip gloss that smudged.

“You’re thoroughly debauched. No one will believe you weren’t completely indecent in here,” Rooster grinned widely, clicking his tongue. “Maybe they will even think you were by yourself,” he groaned at the thought of you touching yourself and he swore he was hard again.

“Then leave me alone!” You hissed, slapping his hands away gently.

He held his palms up. “I give,” he promised. “Until I get you back to that apartment and you show me what’s under this… sorry, sorry excuse for a dress. Fuck, you look so good. Please get out,” he begged. “I’m hard again and I have to… not be.”

Laughing quietly, you slipped out of his arms and opened the door slowly, hoping for no one on the other side. Success, you thought about the slip back in and let know Rooster know the coast was clear.

“Hey!” Payback grinned, wandering towards you.

“Oh, hey Reuben,” you smiled, quickly slamming the door after you, hoping Rooster heard you. There was nowhere for the poor bastard to escape.

He chuckled. “You good? Look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

You forced a loud laugh. “Red wine has gotten to me a bit, I suppose.”

“Ahh, I hear that,” he said, looking over your shoulder to get in behind you. “May I?”

“Umm, I think someone is in there.”

“You were just in there,” he frowned then smiled wide, his smile was phenomenal, and you found yourself distracted for a moment. Fuck, how much had you had to drink? “Maybe you are a little hammered. Want me to drop you back at your apartment or something? I don’t think you should drive,” he squeezed in as the front door rang. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

You heard the commotion at the front door as Mickey opened it for Rooster, who broadcasted his excuse of locking himself out after needing to get something from his car. You later learned he’d booked it out the bathroom window, catching a neighbour’s rose bush on the way past in the dark. He was surprised you couldn’t hear him curse a litany of profanities with it.

It’s how he got the scar on his hip he named after you.

It was jagged and deep, and he loved it.

But time was starting to run out when Rooster got a text from your sister one evening the week of Thanksgiving.

“Huh,” Rooster huffed a laugh as you brought him a glass of wine and you sat together on the couch after you’d showered from work, dinner still a while away. “Thank you, sweet girl.”

“No problem,” you cupped his face and kissed him gently. God, you loved his soft lips. He smiled against yours and showed you his phone.

“Your sister texted me…” he explained.

“Why does she have your number?”

“I’ve had this number for too many years,” he admitted with a shrug. “She and I wear friends before I wore you down,” he teased as you rolled your eyes.

“What does Annie want?”

“She asked me to Thanksgiving. Looks like I won’t have to spend it on base alone,” he murmured, teasing you. “That’s very kind of her.”

You nodded, knowing you’d have to hide your panic a bit better than this if you didn’t want anyone to know you were dating yet. “You wouldn’t have to spend it on base,” you took a seat next to him as he placed his palm on your chin and kissed you gently. “I would have invited you to our family dinner.”

But why hadn’t you? Was it just implied that he goes where you do now? Shit.

“Look at you, freaking the fuck out,” he laughed quietly. “I love it.”

“I’m not freaking out,” you stated. Of course you were.

“Sure you aren’t,” he replied, texting Annie back out loud and very much in spite of you. “‘Annie, thank you so much for the invite. That sounds great if I’m not imposing.’ Send.”

“Do you write every text out loud?” you sniped.

“Only the ones you are shitting yourself about,” he retorted. “Now,” he sipped his wine, massaging your calf. “Explain to me why you don’t want to tell your family about us. Pretend I’m an idiot.”

“What are you talking about?” you downplayed the situation and he raised an eyebrow as you sighed. “It’s only because my family are crazy and when we tell them… you’ll get it too. Engagements, weddings, babies, funerals, cemetery plots,” you exaggerated and he laughed.

“You know, if I had a family to tell, I would have told them already,” and for a guy that was orphaned at 18, he looked awfully smug about it.

Oof. That was rough. “Oh, Bradley,” you grimaced, covering your eyes, pained as he laughed a little louder. Goddamn masochist. “Rooster.”

“Baby,” he matched your tone. “Only I’m allowed to say that, by the way.”

“Okay, okay.”

“So why are you hesitating?”

“I just don’t want to tell them all yet. There’s so many of them, and I never really brought guys home to meet them unless they really meant something.”

“And I don’t really mean something?” he quirked his eyebrow. “Shit.”

“Of course you do,” you said quickly. “Please don’t put words in my mouth.”

He frowned. “Are you embarrassed by me or something?”

Aghast, you replied, “Oh, my God. No. Why – how could you ever think that?”

“Well, I’m not a bad guy. Your family knows me. I thought it would have been easier for you to introduce me as your boyfriend than some other guy.”

“Why would I have to introduce you?” you asked him. “Everyone has known you forever.”

“Do you not want to tell your family we’re together?” he asked, a little concerned. “Do you think we’re just fucking around here?” he asked, voice low.

“No, of course not,” you replied. You sipped your wine eagerly.

“We are together every night. This has been a wonderful secret, but I’m ready to yell from the rooftops that you’re mine, that we’re together. Sweetheart, your family has no idea about us.”

“Rooster, please,” you said evenly. The pressure hit hard and fast. “I get it.”

“No, you clearly don’t,” he protested. “I want this. I want you; I want us. Don’t you?” he asked warily and adjusted his posture to sit up straight.

“More than anything.”

“Then why are you hesitating?” he continued to push.

“Well,” you paused, realising how much you enjoyed this little bubble of love the two of you’d created. It was private, it was fun. “I like that it’s just us, you know?”

“The holidays are coming. Many of them. I mean, I might not be here for Christmas, it’s pretty unlikely at this point. But I’d like to spend them with you, my girlfriend… and I guess that means your family too,” he smiled easily. “If you change your mind, of course.”

It all seemed so obvious. To now, it had been so stress-free not to mention Rooster to Annie, your mother, and your grandparents. But now it seemed so confronting, a little exciting, but mostly terrifying the deal they'd make. Wait, girlfriend? “Girlfriend?” you played off coolly. Rooster grinned, knowingly. This gorgeous asshole before you was purely enjoying himself now. You hadn’t been a girlfriend for a long time. It felt strange to be referred to as one and he was thriving on it.

“What, you’re not?” he teased. “Did we have to have the conversation about how serious this was before or after you gave me your apartment key?”

“Well, that was to make sure I was safe when you left before sunrise every day.”

“True, would never want anything to happen to you,” he joshed along. But you were certainly not joking the way he was. “You’re still doing the confused face, and I don’t know why,” he retreated a little.

“I know we’re serious.”

“Good,” Rooster smiled. “Because you were acting like this was the first time you’d thought that I was your boyfriend,” he chuckled quietly. He cursed and rubbed his eyes when you only look at him. “Aw, shit. I knew it.”

“What?”

“You are still in that… how do I say this?” he smoothed his moustache and moved back to the other end of the couch that felt like it was a mile away. “You’re freakin’ out about us.”

“I’m not freaking out,” but you weren’t convincing him or yourself.

He gave a small smile. “Look, it’s okay. It’s early days. But isn’t exactly rocket science… unless I’m moving way too fast,” he realised. It was hard to admit, but he was definitely moving a lot quicker than you were. He took your foot and dragged you down the couch to him, moving you in close and perching you deliberately on his lap, forcing you to keep his gaze. “Am I going a bit too quick?”

The thing was, he wasn’t. Everything seemed to be going at the exact speed that felt comfortable for you both, yet you were hesitating. “I love being with you.”

He nodded simply. “Me too. But…” he urged. When you didn’t continue, he breathed deeply. “Okay, mature, adult conversation coming up. It’ll be painless, I swear.”

“Fuck,” you muttered, sipping again. “Okay.”

“Baby steps, I promise. I don’t want to scare you or feel like I’m forcing something in to you that you aren’t ready for,” he said softly.

“I really love every moment we spend together,” you admitted and he brightened a little.

“But we are dating, correct?”

“Correct.”

“We have an amazing time together.”

“Definitely.”

“You are very satisfied sexually.”

“Rooster,” you smacked his chest as he laughed, breaking the ice.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Also, me too,” he winked. You high-fived him. He caught your hand and held it to his heart. “I’m here every night.”

“Yes...”

“Then who am I to you?”

You raised an eyebrow.

“Pal?”

“No.”

“Fuck buddy?”

You cocked your head to the side. He muttered your name and shook his head dismally. “Baby, please!” he tried not to laugh.

“Okay,” you rolled your eyes. “No, I guess. But we’re very good in that department.”

Rooster concurred. “So, I’m not your pal,” he counted on his finger. “And I’m not your buddy… who is Bradley Bradshaw to you?”

“You’re everything,” you told him simply and he was. A fond smile crossed his face, and you thought maybe he was satisfied with your response.

“Good answer,” he admitted and reached across to kiss you. “Boyfriend doesn’t seem so big in context, huh?”

“Probably not,” you admitted as he laughed.

“God, you’re hard work,” he playfully rolled his eyes. “Come on, let me fuck you senseless to celebrate this new arrangement,” in a true feat of strength, he stood and hoofed you over his brawny shoulder as you giggled all the way to the bedroom. Was hard to argue when he laid it out like that…

“Bradley,” Viper extended his hand that Rooster willingly shook. “So glad you could join us, son.”

“Thank you, sir. Appreciate the invite as always.”

“The door is always opened,” Viper told him as he moved to hold your face and kiss your forehead. “Hi, sweetheart. Where have you been hiding lately, huh?”

“Sorry, Grandpa,” you said meekly. “Work has been busy and you know...”

“Life,” he smiled widely.

“Life,” you repeated with a nod. That works.

“Good time to get here together,” Viper said, humoured.

“We drove together, sir,” Rooster said as you gripped the sweet potatoes a little tighter.

“Oh, handy,” he said, taking Rooster inside, Viper’s hand on his shoulder, guiding him in, chatting immediately about work. You sighed and left at the doorway.

“It begins,” you muttered to yourself.

But to be honest, it was all going okay, you realised later in the day. Nana had enlisted Rooster to help her trim the tree; you had time to snuggle with your niece, Ava, all the while discreetly watching Rooster’s body moving in perfect motion as he reached, ducked and bent for decorations in those jeans that were a little less conducive to tree decorating, while your nephew Oscar had claimed Rooster as the best person going around, not helping Rooster at all but if Rooster could put up with you, he could certainly deal with an eager three-year-old.

...until dinner time.

“So, are you seeing anyone, Bradley, sweetheart?” your mother asked, mid-meal. You tried not to give him your attention and reached for a side.

“Umm, actually…” he said, looking anywhere but at you. He was trying so hard to respect your wishes that you’d tell your family today, and in your time, but you both knew the questions were starting to get more and more purposeful and detracting from them was only pushing your family closer to figuring it out themselves. “Kind of, yes.”

Dammit, Rooster.

“Oh, why didn’t you tell us?” Annie asked, the sarcasm evident in her voice, and looked directly at you. “I would have told you to invite her too.”

BRUTAL.

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Tell us about her!” your mother continued excitedly. He chewed his lip. Rooster didn’t get nervous easily, he oozed confidence and charisma and could fake it until he made it in extreme situations but right now, all allusions and aspirations to keep up appearances were almost out the window.

“Bet we do. I mean, it’s a small town, right?” Annie taunted. She said your name, demanding your attention. “You probably know her really well.”

“Why are you like this?” you asked her, she had you exactly where she wanted you.

“You know why.”

“Is it because you’re an asshole?” you muttered as Nana tutted you.

“Can the abuse wait until we’ve finished the meal?” Grandpa added. “And knock it off, Annie. Don’t upset your sister.”

“I’m not doing anything, Grandpa,” she laughed quietly as Arron nudged her to behave. “I’m sorry,” but you and everyone at the table sure as shit knew she didn’t mean it.

Silence remained for a moment, and with the pressure entirely on you, you sighed. “Fine. Okay, you win.”

Annie was almost bursting with excitement. The same could be said for Rooster beside you, although he was containing it a little better than your sister. Annie beamed. “Be our guest, the table is yours.”

You looked at Rooster and he gave you a fond smile, encouraging you. “Bradley and I are…” you started, kind of lost in his hopefulness. His eyes were so warm and reaffirmed just how in love with him you were. The arm he rested on the back of your chair moved to sweetly massage the nape of your neck. But he wasn’t going to help you. This was your news; he was just there to support you.

“You two are dating,” Annie announced before you. Groaning, your eyes dropped. If Annie was good for one thing, it was her inability to keep her trap shut.

“You’re dating?” Nana asked. It begins.

“How long has this been going on?” your mother asked, looking between you and Rooster expectedly.

“Wedding, at least!” Annie exclaimed. “I friggin’ knew it! Ma, I told you they were into each other!”

Rooster giggled quietly behind you as you put your head in your hands. “This serious?” Viper asked sternly from the end of the table and Rooster straightened up. He didn’t know who was supposed to answer so he did.

“Yessir.”

“How long?”

“It’s new. Six weeks?” you finally spoke up. “Things changed after the wedding and now we pretty much spend all our time together.”

The silence in the room was unexpected and didn’t make you feel any better about the situation. You looked at Grandpa, the only person at the table not smiling… and you’d never quite seen Grandpa like this. Not when Annie brought Arron home, not when your mother announced she was getting married again. Having Grandpa arc up was… maybe a little expected, but the look on his face took you back 20 years, cross at something from work and a storm in a teacup. Rooster gently let go of you and placed his hands in his lap. He could feel the air in the room change too.

“I don’t understand why this had to be a secret.”

Rooster looked at you pointedly.

Annie laughed. “Grandpa, it was a secret because we’re all little nuts here. You know she’s private.”

“Grandpa,” you said, ignoring Annie trying to make the situation easier in her convoluted way. “Can we talk outside?”

“I’d appreciate that,” he pushed his chair out and left the table. You felt about two inches tall as you thanked Annie again.

“Dad, give her a break. They’re young and still figuring it out,” your mother called after him. “Don’t worry, Bradley, darling. Dad is just a little protective.”

“I understand,” Rooster said softly. He took your hand gently. “You okay?”

“I’m okay,” you kissed his temple as Annie yipped with joy and you threw your hands up. “Nana, I hate to swear, but Annie, you’re an asshole. This could have been done any other time.”

“When you’re 90?” Annie challenged.

“It wouldn’t matter, because it’s still my – ours,” you stood behind Rooster and rested your hands on his shoulders. “It’s our news.”

Annie sighed across from you as your mother nodded and reprimanded your sister.

“I’m going to speak to Grandpa,” you kissed Rooster gently and he nodded. “You have full reign to savage Annie if needed.”

He laughed. “It’s okay, really. It’s all out there now. Go talk to Viper.”

You gave Annie the finger as she sighed and gave a meek apology. You wandered outside, taking a seat on the porch step where Viper was seated, staring out towards the ocean. The mid-afternoon sun was disappearing with the clouds coming in off the water. You both stayed silent for a while. You offered him your hand and he willingly took it.

“You don’t hold my hand much,” he noted. You didn’t really know what to say to that. “But I guess you’re not the baby anymore.”

“Well, there are literal and figurative babies in the family now,” you gently reminded him.

Grandpa chuckled quietly. “I suppose so.”

“Are you upset?”

“About Bradley?” he asked, patting your joined hands. “Not at all… but if there was anyone I tried to make you keep your space from… It was a Navy man.”

“You’re a Navy man,” you reminded him.

“Yeah, but I’m one of the good ones,” he teased back.

“So is Bradley,” you stood up for Rooster. Grandpa smirked. You knew he was giving you shit. “I didn’t exactly see this coming, Grandpa. It just happened.”

“I know Bradley is a good man, sweetheart. You have my blessing, not that you need it. But I feel like Bradley thinks he does. I couldn’t be happier for you. But all I could ever ask, sweetheart… you happy?”

“We are, Grandpa.”

“Do you love him?”

“I think so…” you admitted softly.

“You think so?” Viper repeated.

“Well, we haven’t... said that yet,” you admitted bashfully. He nodded, slowly.

“Do you think he loves you? Because of the way he looked at you when you made your little announcement inside? Sweetheart, he looks at you like you hung the moon. I was watching him while Nana was ordering him around the lounge room, and decorating the tree. He can’t keep his fondness off his face, darling.”

You laughed quietly, and Viper could swear, he saw the cheeky toddler who thought he was the best thing ever. was before him again. “I really need you to be okay with this.”

“What makes you think I’m not?”

“Well, you got kind of cross inside.”

“Well, I just don’t understand the secrecy. You two arrive together and pretend your just friends when it’s clear to everyone that you’re everything but?” he smiled.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Darling, it’s written all over your face how much affection you have for him. No one missed the jibes as you teased him while decorating the tree.”

You wondered how many other people knew and were just being polite if your family knew immediately. “You guys are the first people we’ve told. Aside from a few of Rooster’s teammates. This means a lot to me. I need to know you’re okay with this.”

He frowned. “You’ve never been so bothered by my opinion on your companions before.”

“Grandpa… Bradley isn’t my companion. This isn’t just a passing fling,” you looked up at the overcast sky above you, grey and stormy, while Viper remained quiet and you added, “I see my future with him.”

He hummed. “I think he sees his future with you too,” Viper conceded. “I sincerely think that Bradley is deeply in love with you. Maybe more than you realise he is.”

“I’ve never felt about anyone like I do Bradley,” you confided.

“It’s very serious, very quickly.”

“I guess so.”

“He’s not based here, sweetheart. You’re not thinking about leaving us, are you?”

“He got a transfer a few months back.”

Viper laughed. “It’s like you’ve thought of everything, huh?”

“I personally think Ice helped get the quick transition, but it’s just a hunch.”

“Sounds like Ice,” Viper sighed. “He’d do anything for Bradley with Mav still out of the picture after all these years. I’ll never forget the night Bradley came here and asked why I denied his access to the Naval Academy. He was so desperate for me to do anything to revoke Maverick’s recommendation.”

“Could you have done anything?”

“I was retired, darling. I knew I still held influence... but I surely did not hold authority. In hindsight, it was probably best for Bradley to go to university after his mother’s death. He needed to see the world without the Navy guiding him,” Viper sighed solemnly. “I know it breaks Mav’s heart that Bradley couldn’t understand it. But one day they will find common ground again, I’m sure of it.”

“Hope so, Grandpa,” but you knew the unadulterated rage Rooster still carried for Pete Mitchell and it would take hell freezing over for that to change.

“Come on, let’s not let Bradley sweat. You know I’m going to give him a hard time though? He doesn’t get to sail through anymore.”

You sighed. “Poor Bradley.”

“Yes. Poor Bradley,” Viper grinned wide. The old man was going to enjoy this.

Your mother stood beside Rooster as he washed the dishes later that evening. You’d excused yourself for baby cuddles and helping Annie put Ava to sleep. “I can see you’re deeply in love, Bradley,” she told him quietly. He looked at her and smiled kindly.

“Guess it’s pretty obvious, huh?”

Your mother laughed quietly, taking the cutlery in Rooster’s hands and drying it for him. “Very much so.”

“I’ve never felt this way before, ma’am,” he admitted for the first time aloud. “Your daughter is very special to me.”

“That’s all I need to know, sweetheart. She’s a tough cookie, but she will come around. She has been alone for a long time. The emotional stuff was never her thing. Her first broken heart is her everlasting one.”

“Her old man?” he figured, taking the dish towel and drying his hands as your mother nodded.

“Just be patient with her. She knows more than anyone she’s hard work. She doesn’t mean to be but…”

“I’ve got all the time in the world,” he replied, piling a dish carefully into the drainer.

“You’ve got such a good heart, Bradley. I’m so proud to see the man you’ve grown into… and Carole and Nick would be too. It makes me so sad that they don’t get to see the kind, charming, intelligent man you are,” your mother stopped to wipe away the single tear that fell.

Rooster pursed his lips together. He heard things like that all the time but hearing it from your mother, someone who was so close to Carole, shook him a little. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Bradley, for Christ’s sake… you’re in your 30’s. You can call me Liv,” she sighed, biting back a laugh.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said again. “Sorry… Liv,” he corrected himself, nervously.

“Take care of my baby, okay?”

“Always.”

She patted his cheek and studied him momentarily. “With the moustache, you know how much you look like your dad. He was so funny and incredibly insightful. He would have done anything for you and your mother and I see so much of that in you. But Bradley, I need you to remember something, okay?”

He stayed quiet, a little overwhelmed by your mother’s sweet words.

“You are more than your parents' legacy. You have been so blessed to have your parent’s good looks, Goose’s wit, Carole’s good heart. But they would be so proud to see you grow into the man you are today. And you are so loved. By so many. Cherish that, okay?”

Rooster remained silent. He was sure if he said something, he would probably break down. You sighed from the other side of the wall where you hid when you heard your mother speaking to Rooster.

Not that you were eavesdropping, because you were without a shadow of a doubt, but hearing her carefully constructed words and her affection for him enveloped you with such warmth.

“You’re a good man, Bradley Bradshaw. You sleep well at night knowing that, okay?” you held your heart as your mother continued. And suddenly she was before you and shook her head in a joking tutt before heading back to the living room. You poked your head in to see Rooster staring into the sink, his knuckles white as he gripped the porcelain sink.

“Are you okay?” you asked softly as he looked over his shoulder at you and stood to his height.

“Hi,” he said as you walked to him and raised your arms to hold him and you could swear you felt him shake beneath you.

“Hi,” you kissed his temple as you smoothed his hair. “She has always been more of a sister than a mom,” you told him quietly. “But when she brings out the big guns, beware, because she dropped you head first down an emotional rabbit hole.”

His body shook with laughter as he looked at you. “So that’s where you get it, huh?”

Staring into his honey eyes, you wiped away the single tear that hadn’t melted into your shirt. You pouted and nodded softly. “Guess so,” you kissed him sweetly. “You really okay?”

“So fucking good,” he admitted quietly. “Thank you for today. Best Thanksgiving in years.”

You ran your fingers through his slicked-back curls and he nestled into you. “I’m glad it’s out there now. No more pressure.”

He smirked. “Wrong.”

“Wrong?” you repeated.

“I still have to cop so much heat about banging the admiral’s granddaughter yet,” he murmured in your ear.

Breathing to steady yourself, you asked, “Wanna take me home and bang me then so you’ll feel better about it?” you offered as he nuzzled your pulse.

“I was thinking we re-visit the bathroom...” he hinted with a whisper.

“Are you fucking kidding me? It will be a cold day in hell if you try getting into my undies here, big boy.”

He cackled. “Oh, one hundred per cent,” and just like that, Rooster Bradshaw was before you again as Viper wandered in and he pounced off you. “Sir.”

“Hmm,” Viper replied drily, grabbing a bottle of wine from the bench top. “Some decorum please, Bradshaw?” he muttered, walking out as you bit back hysterical laughter at the fear that crossed Rooster’s face.

“Not even worth the joke, baby,” you kissed him and left him to finish the dishes alone.

You studied Rooster as he drove back to your apartment later that night. His gaze kept to the road but he could feel your eyes on him and he looked at you, a wary smile playing on his lips as he spoke, “What?”

“Today went really well,” you reached for his hand on the gear shift.

He nodded. “Viper hates me, but your mom and Nana love me so I hope I can be spared somehow.”

“Grandpa just wants to give you shit, you know he doesn’t mean any harm.”

“Hmm,” Rooster said with a forced grin. “I’ll bet.”

You traced the thick veins on the top of his hand and he wriggled his fingers for yours to hold. “No,” you told him, content to learn his hands, long slender fingers, the freckle on his ring finger. You’d spent plenty of time memorising the curves and ridges of his back, his chest and abs.

“Okay, weirdo,” he chuckled quietly.

“I’ve decided I’m quietly obsessed with your hands.”

“My hands,” he gave you a side glance.

“Yeah, they do some incredible things. Help fast planes go zoom,” you teased as he snorted.

“Coming from you, I’d advise you never let anyone else hear that in this town.”

You chuckled loudly. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah. What else do they do?”

“They hold my hand, touch me. They make me cum,” you said mindlessly memorising their strength of them and jolted as he overcorrected the car. “Jesus, Rooster... you okay?” you grabbed his bicep to steady him.

He straightened, clearing his throat. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” you sat back in your seat, slightly concerned it was because of you he almost drove you off the road.

“Say that again?”

Smirking as you watched the dark road before you, you replied, “Which part?”

“You know what I’m talking about...”

Oh. “They make me cum?” you asked, your fingers walking up to this wrist, tracing over the face of his watch.

"When I least expect it, you just floor me,” he stifled a laugh.

“Someone has to keep you on your toes, right?”

“Suppose so,” he shook his head with a faint smile as he pulled into the lot of your apartment building. He shut off the engine and leaned across to kiss you. “Can I take you inside and show you what else these hands can do?”

“Bye, baby. I’ll see you tonight,” Rooster gently smoothed your hair and smiled into the kiss he placed on your forehead as you dozed. Desperate to wake and say goodbye, but also… it was so nice in bed, snuggled into his pillow, his smell all around you. “Thank you for the best Thanksgiving ever.”

You huffed a tired laugh. “Happy to bring any drama as long as it makes you smile, baby,” you couldn’t keep your eyes open. You couldn’t maintain these wake-ups and had no idea how he could do it every day without hesitation. “Have a good day. Be safe,” you yawned as he chuckled quietly into your hair.

“Go back to sleep, sleepyhead. I love you,” he said, softly before standing and leaving quietly.

Your eyes flicked open and you sat up as the front door closed. Now you were well and truly awake, sleep be damned.

six.

masterlist.

A/N: the tag list no longer exists. To keep up to date, give @notroosterbradshaw-library a follow x

#notroosterbradshaw #rooster #rooster x reader #rooster x you #rooster x oc #rooster x female reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #rooster fanfic #rooster bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw fic #top gun fanfiction #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #rooster fluff #rooster imagine #smut if you squint

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wyvernne · 5 months

Text

see you through til the day’s end (rewrite) teaser

taking a quick study break to post this for y’all. i have not read over it again nor has it been edited, so forgive me for any errors. i know a lot of you are also dealing with final exams, so good luck, and remember to take care of yourselves!!

————-

It was a stupid way to get caught. You’re not sure if it was the cold that dumbed you down, dulled your senses so gravely.

You slipped. That’s all it took. A single misstep is going to cost you your life.

What was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance on the growing Fatui encampments has quickly become the site of the last moments of your life.

You sigh. What a pathetic way to die. The soldiers did quite a number on you, too. You’re sure you have at least a concussion. Maybe a few broken ribs.

You tug halfheartedly on your restraints. The Fatui are no strangers to taking captives. Of course they know how to keep one tied down.

“Oh? What little mouse fell into the trap?” You freeze. It’s a voice you’ve only heard once before.

Your heart thumps sickeningly in your chest for a beat before you raise your head. It’s… a different one. A little older, but still a young man.

Dottore smiles at you. His face is entirely obscured by his mask, save for his eerie, chilling grin.

“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of officially meeting before,” you offer. You try not to sound afraid. Your heartbeat gives you away, certainly. You’re fucked. You’re so fucked.

Dottore’s smile never changes. “Is that so? You seem quite familiar.” He tilts his head. “Ah. Perhaps it’s the scent of the Abyss. It does quite remind me of that young man.”

He must be talking about the eleventh. You grit your teeth. “You must be mistaken.”

“Surely not,” Dottore replies pleasantly. He’s taking his sweet time getting to the point, really.

“Ah, that’s it!” He snaps his fingers dramatically, as if he’s suddenly remembered a particularly amusing factoid. “You’ve been in the company of a certain young winery owner before, too.”

A chill slips down your spine. You maintain your smile. “I’m merely a distant associate.”

Dottore’s doesn’t even grace you with a response, and the silence makes your heart beat faster.

You continue speaking, struggling to keep your voice steady. “I’m flattered that a lord harbinger himself is even gratifying me with his time.”

Dottore guffaws, doubling over in laughter. “Ah! So much spunk. It’s refreshing to have a subject who isn’t cowering in fear. How exciting.”

His laughter dies down abruptly. It’s just as chilling as when it began.

“Shall we run a little impromptu experiment?” he asks. Bile rises in your throat. You’d rather just have a swift end, really. Who knows what kind of circumstances Dottore will keep you alive under.

He draws a knife from his belt. It’s… it’s far more mundane than you thought. At the very least, it seems like he won’t be injecting you with some strange substance. “It’s a pity I don’t have my laboratory equipment with me here… but I supposed we’ll just need to make do. After all, the process is the fun of it.”

“Process,” you repeat, stupidly. It’s too cold, and your head was hit too hard. Your brain isn’t working like it should. You— you should be planning some grand escape. Instead you can barely follow the conversation happening between you.

“Do you know how much blood is in the human body?” he asks, spinning the knife carelessly in his palm.

You manage a dry laugh. “I haven’t measured. Don’t tell me you treat all your hostages with such hospitality?”

“How arrogant,” he scoffs. “You’re merely the delicious morsel of cheese. The real prize has yet to show itself.”

What the fuck is he on about?

He pulls something out of his pocket with his free hand. You spoke too soon.

You jerk against the restraints reflexively at the sight. A small vial. He pops the stopper with practiced ease, dribbling the viscous liquid over the length of the blade.

He pulls you up against him, sliding an arm around you. It’s like you’ve been already been drugged, your mind slow to comprehend what’s happening. His words keep ringing in your head. “You’ve a little more blood in you than… say, six and a half bottles of wine.”

And then there’s a sharp blow to your back, sending white hot pain jolting through your body.

You gasp, as if the air has been knocked from your lungs. The wheezing, wet sobs that rip from your lungs shake your body, but it hardly compares to the searing ache in your back. Dottore smiles. “I wouldn’t move so much, dear. Unless you’d like me to sever your spinal cord.”

He jerks his arm up, lifting you with the sheer force of his movement. He’s playing a dangerous game, cutting into you so blindly, so close to your spine—

You choke on the thought. He doesn’t care.

You don’t scream. Can’t. It’s like the air around you has been sucked away, and you can’t seem to get a single breath down. The only thing that comes from your mouth is a horrible, strangled gurgle.

He laughs, pulling the dagger out with ease. You sag, eyes wide. Move. Do something. Fight back.

You’re still gasping, choking on nothing. What is the point? Of this? Of any of it?

Dottore chuckles, wiping the dagger haphazardly on your shirt. “I guess you do bleed like we do. Shall we continue?”

You’re bleeding too much too fast. You can see it starting to pool around your feet, blossoming out in the snow.

You jerk against your restraints, throwing your knee up with a shout. You catch Dottore in the stomach, but he hardly reacts to your blow. He leans closer, so close you can feel his breath on your face.

“How impudent,” he mutters, smashing the hilt of the knife into your temple. A shock of pain shoots through your head, and you bite down to silence a sob.

Why is he wasting his time on you? Your thoughts feel hazy. Maybe it’s just pain for the sake of it.

Pain for the sake of it.

Why can’t you catch your breath? You’re teary, but still, no sound can form in your throat. You feel like you’re suffocating.

An agent materializes behind him, kneeling obediently.

“Didn’t I say to leave me to my work?” Dottore huffs, exasperated. He’s speaking so flippantly, like someone just interrupted his daily newspaper reading.

You can’t tell how deep the wound is like this. It’s— it’s long.

You have… minutes, maybe, until you’ve lost too much. There’s no fighting your way out of this. There’s no winning here.

You barely catch the last wisps of conversation.

“…Forgive me, lord harbinger. The Tsaritsa has sent a message.”

Dottore clicks his tongue in annoyance, tossing the dagger into the snow as he turns away. “Well, I’ve lost interest, regardless. Lucky little you.”

The agent slices the restraints down with a swift movement. You crumple to the ground, gasping desperately for air. Dottore starts away from you, but then stops and smiles over his shoulder. “Your life is ticking away, you know.”

You barely register his words. Every second matters, now. You clamber unsteadily to your feet. Despite the freezing snow you’ve started to sweat, your muscles trembling with the effort of holding yourself up.

You take a stumbling step backwards. Not a single Fatuus makes a move to stop you. They watch you with their robotic, empty gazes. You take another, and then turn on your heel and run.

It hurts. It hurts like death. But you won’t win a fight here, and Dottore is bitterly right. Five minutes, at most. Five minutes before you’ve lost too much blood.

Your movements are sluggish and stilted, and the world seems to teeter on your vision. Like hell you’ll let yourself die without putting up a fight.

It’s only a few yards to the cliff side. Water rushes past you and you sway for a moment, nearly losing your balance.

You feel ill. This rush of adrenaline won’t last you much longer, not with how badly he’s cut you. Not with how much this hurts.

It’s a long drop. You know better than anyone. Still, you launch yourself forward, feet slipping on the last rock, and plummet into the raging water below. If you’re going to lose your life, you’ll lose it to the torrents of nature. Not to some damned harbinger’s passing fancies.

———————————

You’ve broken… something. It’s hard to tell at this point, even as you drag yourself onto the snowy banks of the river. Everything fucking hurts. It’s a miracle you didn’t split your skull in half on the rocks below, although the intense throb in your right ankle says you didn’t make it out entirely unscathed. Thankfully it’s cold enough, and you’ve lost enough blood. The bitter ache of any broken bones seems dulled entirely.

You can see the fading lights of Dawn Winery in the distance, but you’ve lost your gamble. You have minutes left, at most. You close your eyes.

You’re going to die here, bleeding out in the snow. Pathetic. To survive the Abyss only to die like a drowned rat.

You’re tired. So, so tired.

Even in this unbearable cold you feel sleep calling you, soothing you from your wounds and fatigue.

It would be so easy, just to let go.

You open your mouth, but all that comes out is a drawn, shrill gasp, drowned out by the sound of the waterfall behind you. Fucking hell.

One chance. That’s all you have.

It takes tremendous effort to get your tongue in the right position. You suck in air desperately, flinching at the shock that travels up from your ribs, and blow.

It’s a weak sound, at first, but it’s all you have.

Luckily, her hearing is better than any human’s.

It takes… twenty seconds, maybe. Thirty at most. You hear her shrieks overhead, having spotted her prey. But she’s no ordinary bird. You’re thankful for that, at least.

She vanishes again, and you’re left alone in the snow.

You jolt, startled. You nearly fell asleep. But you can’t. Not now. Just a little longer.

It feels like an eternity. You can’t feel your hands or feet anymore. All that’s left is a dull ache, and each breath you take feels like an enormous amount of effort.

In. Out. In. Out. Stay awake. Stay awake.

Finally, there’s a murmur of voices, the thumping of feet along the ground. Hands coming up to lift you from the snowy bank. You can’t focus well. Spots dance beneath your eyelids, and your breathing feels fluttery and faint.

“Stay awake, now,” One of the voices whispers. You’d know it anywhere. The warmth, the scent. Diluc.

‘Sorry’ you want to say. The words don’t come. Nothing comes, after that. Just darkness.

#hoping this will be posted very soon y’all #also subject to change because i’m still undecided about some things #wyvernne’s ramblings #diluc ragnvindr #genshin fanfic #diluc fanfic #genshin impact #diluc ragnvindr fanfiction #dottore #hurt/comfort #cw: violence

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writer-freak · 3 months

Text

Crackling Tension | Childe x Gn reader College AU

Summary: The undeniable tension between you and Childe had to snap one day and that day was finally here.

The headcanons and the fic are separate and aren't intended to play in the same universe

Warnings: gn reader, modern au, college au, have never played genshin so could be ooc, fluff, kissing, english isn't my first language

A/n: Wrote this for my bestie's birthday but personally I don't really know anything about genshin, still tried my best because he is my bestie's fav character. I wasn't very confident in writing him so I did some headcanons and also a little fic (they are not really related to each other)

Comments, likes and reblogs are always appreciated and really motivate me to write more

Childe as a Roommate (college Au):

Childe is that roommate who's always out partying

Whether it's a random weeknight or the weekend, you can bet he's got some plans or is trying to convince you to join him

His room is always cluttered with sports gear, gym bags, and probably a couple of questionable protein shakes

He's the guy who's always hitting the gym or asking you to come along for a workout, claiming it's a great stress reliever

Childe loves cooking, and surprisingly, he's good at it

Expect to come back to the smell of some mouthwatering food he's whipped up for the both of you.

And yes, he will brag about his cooking skills

There's a constant stream of friends coming and going from your shared apartment. Childe is social and has a wide circle of friends, so your place becomes the unofficial hangout spot

He's a bit messy but somehow manages to charm his way out of any cleaning responsibilities. You'll often find yourself picking up after him, but he'll make it up by treating you to his latest cooking experiment

Childe is surprisingly good with plants. He has a couple of potted ones in the shared living space, and he's convinced they respond better to his presence

You're not entirely sure if that's true, but you don't mind the greenery

His music taste is all over the place, one moment, you're hearing classical music and the next, it's heavy metal

Childe says that he believes in appreciating all genres

━━━━━━☆━━━━━━

The atmosphere around Childe and you crackled with an undeniable tension, one that seemed to intensify with each day of your college life. From the moment Childe decided to sit in the seat next to you, the spark between you two was inevitable.

It all began innocently enough, with friendly exchanges and polite smiles. However, Childe's teasing nature couldn't be suppressed for long. He can't recall the specifics of that day, the one where he shifted from pleasant banter to outright teasing. All he remembered was the scowl that adorned your face in response, and for some reason, that scowl did something to him.

From that moment on, Childe made it a point to tease you relentlessly. It became a daily routine, a game of cat and mouse where he was the mischievous feline and you were the feisty mouse. The scowl on your face only seemed to fuel his determination, and your responses, though annoyed, held a subtle hint of something more.

The teasing became a dance, an unspoken agreement between two individuals who refused to acknowledge the magnetic pull drawing them closer. It wasn't just about the words exchanged, it was about the charged glances, the stolen moments when your eyes locked, and the unspoken understanding that lingered in the air.

Onlookers couldn't help but notice the palpable tension. Friends whispered about the chemistry, the undeniable attraction that hung between you two like an electrified thread.

Yet, neither of you were ready to admit it. Pride and uncertainty danced hand in hand, keeping the unspoken truth buried beneath layers of playful banter.

Then came the night of the frat house party. The air was thick with anticipation as the music played in the background.

Childe, ever the provocateur, couldn't resist pushing the boundaries. The teasing took a different turn that night, the playful banter evolving into something charged with desire. Perhaps it was the dim lights or the energy of the party, but the tension that had been building finally reached its breaking point.

Childe's teasing became more daring, and your scowls began to transform into smirks and witty responses. Amid the crowded party, the world around you faded into background noise.

It started with hands wandering, you don't even remember how you ended up in a corner together with Childe.

But it didn't matter how you ended here, the only thing important for you was to finally feel his lips on yours.

Childe on the other hand wanted to prolong the teasing for just a little longer, seeing you so desperate was his favorite look on you.

Instead of connecting your lips with each other he purposefully stayed away from them deciding to ghost his lips around your ear.

While he continued his ministrations, you knew that there was a way to finally make him buckle. You leaned closer to him and breathily said his name into his ear, and that just snapped something inside of him.

The tension that had defined every one of your interactions finally found release in the searing heat of that unexpected kiss, leaving both of you breathless.

As the kiss deepened, the world outside of your moment faded into the background. The music became a distant echo as you and Childe started to completely get lost in the moment. His hands found home on your waist, drawing you closer, while the teasing glint in his eyes transformed into a more earnest hunger.

For a moment, everything melted away, leaving only the raw, unfiltered desire that had simmered beneath the surface for so long.

Childe's lips moved against yours with a fervor that mirrored the intensity of the tension that had led to this moment. Every touch, every sigh, became a testament to the unspoken connection that you finally expressed.

In this moment you completely lost yourself, intoxicated by the feeling of Childe against you.

Divider by: @saradika-graphics

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rottenraccoons · 9 months

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Not sure if this has already been asked yet, but how did the team come up with the four love interests in the first place? I feel like the hardest part of developing a character is figuring out how to start. All four feel so wonderfully complex, and are not very "trope-y," which is what I struggle with the most. Thanks!

Aw, thank you! I love answering stuff like this, so I decided to go through my process on Keir and rambled a bit. I'll put my answer under a readmore for brevity.

For us, we started building Obscura with the idea that we wanted to do something dark and mature, and began with developing a setting. Once we picked and started building out the marketplace under the mountain, we could start asking ourselves "why would anyone go to this place?" and work from there. (Vesper's fractum anima is one answer to this question that we really liked for the MC.)

"Thief" feels like a pretty natural role for a marketplace, and Tobi made it clear that she wanted to develop a very dark character, so I thought a more heroic Robin Hood-type character would be a nice contrast. My original concept of Keir was for a thief who burns for justice in a deeply unjust setting; think shounen-anime hero and you're in the right neighbourhood. Pretty tropey, and I say that with love! Proto-Keir would be a delight to write in a different story.

But the rest of the team didn't think that type of character really suited the dark tone we wanted to work with, and they were right. So we took the trope and twisted it. Yes, he's a good man who burns for justice in an unjust world; and he is extremely burned out. And that twist on the formula unlocked Keir for me and the rest of the team. Burned-out Keir could be exhausted and sarcastic and even cynical about the world, bitter about the state of the marketplace and very protective of Mouse Hole as a place he can improve.

This isn't to say that "burned-out activist Robin Hood" is an original characterisation that's never been done before; TV Tropes has a whole page on the Knight in Sour Armor, which deals with similar characters. But it was the foundation we could build on as a team to make a character that felt strong enough to be a romantic interest.

I've mentioned this before, but one of the inspirations I draw from when I write about the marketplace is the awful Web3/crypto environment, a topic I enjoy reading about mostly for the schadenfreude and ended up learning about as a consequence. For Keir, I use concepts like activist burnout and compassion fatigue, things I learned about much more intimately in 2020 (you can guess why). Taking these real life ideas and bringing them into my writing is my favourite way to add depth and texture to characters and settings. If you're looking to do the same, try looking outside fiction and see what things interest you, then bring them back to your fiction.

Not to say that tropey characters are a bad thing! I could write a whole other essay on the utility of character tropes, especially in the world of romance games. Tropes can be a great place to start constructing characters to ensure that they all have their own appeal, and they're just fun to experience as a reader, especially when it's one of your faves. There's no shame in being a bit tropey, if it suits the story you want to tell!

(And if you're looking for a bit of extra ~secret sauce~: give your characters two things they want super badly, but getting one thing will compromise the other. Safety and love are a classic pair; safety often means staying closed off from other people to avoid being hurt, love requires opening up to others. Then let them struggle with those competing wants.)

#obscura vn #rotten raccoons #asks #about us #(by which i mean our process)

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arcadekitten · 7 months

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How I created a dress-up game in RPGMaker!

At least one person asked me to make a guide for this and that’s enough for me! Though, bear in mind, I may not be the best at explaining things and I used an example from assets I already had.

I made the dress-up game pictured below using RPGMaker MV, but I’m sure this method is applicable to versions above MV as well. I will be writing this post specifically through the lens of using MV (You’re also going to need some plugins, but not a lot!). At the time of typing this post, all RPGMaker engines are on sale until October 5th (just to let you know!)

(Please note: This method does not account for a game where you can freely change the colors of characters hair/clothes)

(Please note x 2: this is not a tutorial for learning RPGMaker, but a tutorial on how to make this specific type of game within the engine. Prior RPGMaker experience and familiarity is required when following this tutorial!)

I’m not the best at explaining things, but I’m sure going to try my best!

List of things we’re going to need:

-An RPGMaker Engine, preferably MV (or MZ) since they already come with mouse support.

-An art program

-A tileset consisting of words and arrows

-All your dress-up accessories as PNG images

-A blank PNG image

-2 plugins

First things first is you’re going to want to decide on the canvas size of your game. Keep in mind with the way RPGMaker works, there’s a high chance you’ll wind up with black bars on the side of your screen. If your game is intended to be played in browser on itch.io, it shouldn’t be much of an issue as you can choose the display size on the game’s page to match the visible game. (I also just personally wasn’t concerned about the black bars for a dress-up based game anyways) The canvas I chose to work with for this game was 1152 x 864, but you can choose whatever size you feel will help you draw most effectively(just keep in mind how it might appear in browsers or if the player will have to zoom out!) If using MV, you change your canvas resolution by going into the plugin list and selecting “Community_Basic”

When making the assets in your art program, I find it easiest to have your canvas match the canvas size of the game. We’ll use Nova as our example character for everything. I drew them and all their assets in the center of the screen (for easier mirroring). The position of all the items can be adjusted later in the engine

I would start by doing a few test assets and putting those in the engine to make sure you get the hang of the whole thing, but this is where you’ll be making all your assets for a given character! (So if you wanna make some test assets and then move down to the “Putting it together in the engine” section, that might be a good idea!)

Here I create and separate every asset into their own folders(categories) and subfolders. For example, hats get their own folder labeled “hats”, and the subfolders “hat 1” “hat 2” “hat 3”, etc, each containing their own individual hat asset.

You can make as many or as little categories for clothing as you like. When you have everything you need, make at least one asset from all your categories visible, and make sure all the categories are ordered in the way they are meant to appear in game. This way, you can make sure nothing is overlapping in the incorrect way(at least for what your intentions are). When your categories are properly ordered, keep them in that order, as you’ll use it for a basis later when importing the assets into the engine.

Alright, this next part is a little tedious. Now you’re going to save every asset individually by hiding every other folder/layer except for the one you’re saving. It might help to have a naming convention for your assets, for example all of Nova’s assets follow the scheme of “dressup nova-shoes 4.png” “dressup nova-shoes 5.png” “dressup nova-shoes 6.png” etc etc.

NOTE: In addition to these files, remember to include a BLANK png image with nothing on it! This will help later!

Once this is done, we can start importing them into the program!

Putting it together in the engine:

Open up your RPGMaker project’s file directory. Find the folder named “img”, and in that find the folder named “pictures”. Drop all your clothing/hair/face/etc assets into this folder.

Now we need to set the scene. The scene being…a map! I used multiple characters so my game has a different map for each one.

Since Nova is our example character, let’s focus on Nova’s map.

Make sure the width and height of your map is large enough to cover the whole screen (sans any black bars you might have on the sides). You can fill in the back with tiles, or you can do what I did and add a small parallax backing that loops across the screen. I made a small one with two hearts in the corners for a nice scrolling effect!

To start this map, let’s put in some of the categories to choose between. I did this by laying out the words on a tileset, and drawing that tileset onto the map. The order of categories I chose does not reflect the layer order of clothing items, but rather was organized by what I felt was a natural start-to-finish order progression in a dress-up game.

Don’t worry about putting the choice arrows next to the categories yet, though! We’ll do that in a little bit.

Now we’re going to start with actually putting your character and their clothes/hairs/etc into the map. Double-click anywhere on the map (where you won’t put any other buttons) to create an event.

We are going to set this event to autorun. In this event we are going to set up all your layers, even if nothing needs to be presented on them yet. To start, I added some comments to help me keep track of them. For context, when you choose to show an image in RPGMaker, it asks you for the image number. The image number is essentially the image’s “layer”, with 1 being the bottom-most layer and 100 being the top-most layer. Up to 100 images can be displayed on an RPGMaker screen at any given time. Even though 1 is the bottom-most layer, I chose to start at 10 just in case I wanted to add more layers underneath later. So layer 10 is my bottom-most layer, and layer 24 is my top-most layer.

Let’s start with our bottom-most layer, the background asset.

The background is this pink rectangle behind Nova.

Even if you change its appearance, this background itself is always visible. So we are going to show the first background on layer 10 with the Event Command “Show Picture”.

(Note, because I wanted all the dress-up assets to be on the right side of the screen, every picture’s X position is offset by 200. You may want to offset your game in another way, or keep it centered.)

Because this is an asset that is always visible on the screen, we are also going to set up its variable. Select “Control Variables” in your event commands, set it to a constant of "1" and add it underneath the "Show Picture" command,

Don’t worry about the #number of the variable, all that matters is the number of what the variable equals. As you can see we are showing “dressup nova-BG 1”, so our variable should equal 1 to correspond to this.

The next asset up from that is our back accessory on image layer 11. (Nova can have fairy wings or a yoyo accessory, for example.) The back accessory doesn’t always need to be present, so we will simply set this image as being our BLANK png asset.

We will continue going down the column like this! Any asset that doesn’t need to be present will be set as a blank, and any asset that does need to be present (like Nova’s background, Nova’s hair in the front and back, Nova’s face, and Nova’s base) will be set as the corresponding image and have its variable set to “1”.

(Note: The base does not require a variable as it does not change)

And because this is an autorun event, we have to close it off. Add a control self-switch A, and then add a new event page. On the 2nd event page, merely click off self switch A in the conditions box

Doing this will ensure that the autorun event won’t keep trying to show the images in an endless loop.

Go into your database tab and under system, check that your starting position is on the correct map (if you have more than one) and start your game. Your autorun event should show all the images you asked it to. (I was gonna have a pic here but I'm limited on pics so)

Now, using our category list that we placed as tiles onto the map, we are going to be adding the arrows next to them to make them function.

Even though it's at the bottom, we’ll start with the category Background as an example since that was the first we implemented.

Create an event on the left side of Background and make its event image a grayed-out, left facing arrow, to communicate that the player cannot click anymore in that direction. Set its condition to be variable activated, with your Background variable being greater than or equal to 1. Leave the event page contents blank.

Create a 2nd event page on this event. On this 2nd page, replace the grayed-out arrow with a colored arrow, and set the Background variable to be greater than or equal to 2. This means that as long as the variable is 2 or above, the player can press the back button and go back to see the previous Backgrounds.

This time, we WILL fill up the contents on the event page.

First we are going to put a control variable command. Set your Background variable to subtract a constant of 1. This means that every time the event is clicked, it will subtract 1 from your Background variable (since this is your “Back” button).

Next, we are going to include a conditional branch command like so!

Under this Conditional Branch we put a Show Picture command, where we show an image on layer 10(the same from our autorun event). We can see that if Nova’s Background variable is equal to 1, then layer 10 is going to show the first background–that pink rectangle from before.

Let’s copy-paste this conditional branch and edit it slightly!

Repeat this for every asset you have for a specific category. (In this case, Nova has 5 different backgrounds, with one background needing to be visible at all times.) So our 2nd event page should look like this:

This button event is now ALMOST complete–but we’re missing something!

We need this event to activate when we click on it! Normally in an RPGMV game, when you click on an event, the player character will walk to the event before it can activate. But for a dress-up game, we want the event to activate as soon as it’s clicked on!

Therefore, we need a plugin! You’ll need a plugin that makes events activate based on a click trigger. For me, I downloaded the “TDDP_MouseSystemEx” plugin for MV found here: https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/mouse-system-ex.46511/

(Remember to follow the terms of service for whatever plugins you use!)

After adding it to my in-game plugin list and turning it on, I added the “click_activate!” notetag to the event (as instructed by the plugin) and now it works as soon as it is clicked on.

Next, we have to make the Forward Button! This is easier now that we have the Back Button as a base.

To make your Forward Button, we’re going to copy the 2nd Event Page of the Back Button event, and make it the first page of our Forward Button event. We are then going to change three things:

-Remove the condition variable

-Change the image to a right-facing colored arrow

-Change the control variable from a “subtract constant of 1” to an “add constant of 1”

So your first Forward Button event page should look like this!

For the 2nd event page of your forward button, remove all the contents in your content box. Change the arrow to gray-right-facing arrow, and add a condition variable equal to your number of assets for the category.

Because Nova has 5 Backgrounds, our number is 5. If Nova had 7 Backgrounds, this number would be 7. If Nova had 3 Backgrounds, this number would be 3, etc.

This ensures that when a player has clicked to the last asset, they can’t continue increasing the variable past what is needed.

You then continue making these types of Back Buttons and Forward Buttons for every asset, until you have everything you need!

But WAIT!!

For objects that don’t always need to be present, we add one extra conditional statement!

Let’s use socks, for example. Nova does not need to wear socks to complete an outfit. So for the socks’s back button, we make sure to set the variable condition to 0.

After that, under the event contents of our sock buttons, we make sure to add an extra conditional statement for the sock variable. When the variable is zero, we show the BLANK image–so there are no socks to be seen! (Remember to apply this extra statement to both the back and front buttons!) Do this for every asset that doesn’t always need to be present such as socks, dresses, hats, etc etc.

That’s pretty much the basics of all the mechanics you need to get it to work!! I won’t be going over other things like the reset game button/disabling menu access/hiding the player walksprite, as those are things you probably know how to do already if you’re familiar with the engine.

But I WILL share one last piece of optional advice that I feel makes a big difference.

While testing things out you might notice that there is slight lag between changing images, a blip between pictures. This is because RPGMaker doesn’t preload images, and loads in an image as soon as it’s called.

In a downloadable version of a game this slight lag is negligible. However, if you intend for your game to be browser-based, this lag will be significant and noticeable. In order to fix this problem, I’d recommend downloading Galv’s Image Cache plugin found here: https://galvs-scripts.com/2017/04/26/mv-image-cache/

This plugin will help pre-load images so there’s no lag!

However, you will have to write the name of all your assets manually in its plugin menu. If you have a lot of images (which you will, for a dress-up game) this could take a very long time.

My advice is to go into your game’s picture folder, select all, and select “copy file path” from your folder options. Paste this list into an excel sheet, remove the directory name and file extensions, and then paste it into a google doc.

Edit the names together until there is no spaces between image names and they’re all separated by commas. Then, select all and paste your list into the Image Cache plugin’s settings. If you spelled something wrong or placed a space incorrectly, the game will not start and will tell you what image it was struggling to find. So having this to refer back to is very helpful and also means you don’t have to retype everything in the event of an error!

(Below is just a preview of how my list of image names looks for my dress-up game and what i copy-pasted into the plugin settings for the Image Cache plugin)

And thaaaaat should be everything! I hope this wasn’t too hard to follow, or messily formatted! But I tried my best and will try to answer any questions one may have about it!! Good luck creating your dress-up game!

#im so sorry i feel like this is so hard #but i hope it makes at least a little sense!!#i also apologize for the combo images tumblr doesnt let me have more than 30 #guide #rpgmaker #rpgmaker mv #dress up #dress up game #dress up guide #game guide

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