#hello we have a problem in maths and i think i figured it out in more detail
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Hi there! I'm just another poor soul trying to figure out the intricacies behind deductive reasoning 😁. But I'm having a problem in converting my observations into complete deductions. I'm pretty sure I've got much more observational prowess than an average guy but can't really "deduce". So, can you please suggest some techniques for me to "deduce" from my observations?
Hello! i definitely have some advice. First of all let me link you to some of my other posts that tackle this subject:
How To Break Down Information
Ask: I really enjoyed the way you shape more information from the given clue, Can you tell me more about it?
Ask: I was wondering how do you see the world when you observe? What do you see? How is your perspective?
So, now for the actual advice: You got your observations, great! you now have a bunch of raw information you can work with, now what you want to do is try to understand what this information means. You gotta realize that we're not working in math where 2+2=4 is the entirety of the formula, every piece of information we get when we observe someone comes from somewhere, some action that person has taken, something they have done, which comes from a decision they made, or something they think, and you need to connect these things together because that's what give your observations substance, which you can turn into deductions
So now that you have observations about someone or something ask yourself why those observations exist, why is this thing here, why does this mark or stain exist, why are they wearing this piece of clothing? etc.
You're trying to find the meaning of these observations, what's behind them? you see a person's losing weight by looking at the cracks on their belt? okay how? what does that imply? it implies a diet or exercise, maybe both, but there's likely and effort to lose weight, why? medical reasons? insecurity reasons? outward appearance reasons? all of these have different things they also imply, maybe they have a severe, new medical condition, maybe they're getting out of a period of mental health struggles, maybe they're in a period of mental health struggles, maybe they're looking for a partner after a long time. You confirm or deny these things with more information, more observations, but this is how you turn observations into deductions, you pull on the thread of these observations and see what comes out
If you're still struggling with this, shoot me a DM, i can help out!
#deduce#learning deduction#deductionist#deductive reasoning#deduction#sherlock#logic reasoning#observant#observation#profiling#psychology#logic#sherlock holmes#bbc sherlock#sherlock bbc#Sherlockian Deduction#How to think like Sherlock Holmes#study#studyblr#learning#tips#memory#mind palace#microexpressions#criminal minds#the mentalist#house md#elementary#body language#answers
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hello there, hope you are doing well, can you recommend an inukag story where inuyasha is human, AU please, like soul therapy, thank you in advance
Hello @fmrinukag !
Thank you so much for reaching out to the Archive, we absolutely can get a list of Human Inuyasha stories together for you. However, in the course of making this list the team noticed an interesting quirk: Inuyasha is not always explicitly stated as being human or not in all AUs. He is sometimes given his hanyou coloring but with no mention of his ears, claws, or demonic heritage are featured in the plot. For organizational purposes, we chose to split this list into STATED HUMAN and IMPLIED HUMAN.
Happy reading!
STATED HUMAN
Oh, But You're Good To Me @witchygirl99 (M)
It’s a terrible photo, really. The action figure takes up the entire bottom of the screen and part of both of their faces. Shippo’s giggling though, eyes shut and crinkled in his mirth while Inuyasha looks at him. His expression is clearly fond. It’s the softest Inuyasha has ever, ever seen himself.
This is fatherhood, he thinks a little wildly.
He sends the photo to Kagome.
Inuyasha is a single father. Shippo is his adopted son. Kagome isn't supposed to be in the picture, but somehow, she returns anyways. A story about family, love, and all of its obstacles.
--
Shot Week IV: Lovey Dovey Edition (Chapter 7: You May Be Right) by TheMondayChild (E)
Kagome has been pining for Hojo who no longer pays her attention and brings her gifts as he once did. To try and get him to notice her again, she enlists the help of a known bad boy, Inuyasha, and they concoct a plan: bully her and let Hojo white knight his way back into her life. But will she still want him when all is said and done?
--
One Night Stand by doggieearlover (X)
A chance of fate throws two souls together.
--
The Jilted Lover by basya88 (T)
“You were very young, marrying you felt like clipping your wings before you took your first dive”, he said, looking at her like he still had the right to do so.
She huffed, her haughtiness apparent, “So you’re saying, you had to make a choice for me? Who gave you the right to do that, huh? Excuses, excuses, but yeah, you made a choice, and you choose to break my heart by leaving me.”
Those we’re the longest spoken sentences he heard from her in years and now she’s walking away from him, and if he didn’t stop her, she’d be gone for good. He can’t have that. He had to do something.
“Please, don’t walk away,” he pleaded.
Without looking back she replied, “You taught me how. You walked out on me once. Now, we’re even.”
Both of them forgot, that hundreds of listeners are witnessing their exchange thru the radiowaves.
--
A Late Loving by LittleDarkStar (M)
8 years ago Kagome ran away from her cheating husband, Now 8 years on Kagome lives with her Cousin Miroku and her son. But Inuyasha has found her again and wants his revenge.
--
all night long I feel his presence hover by @doginabirdcage (E)
It is when Kagome turns forty-five, living in a small apartment in Tokyo, with her child and husband long gone, that she inherits a fortune. She’s got a gray streak in her hair that she didn’t fight when it started coming in years ago. There are crows feet by her eyes. But suddenly, she is an heiress.
--
Skinny Love by emaniem5 (T)
"This was no love letter. This was a threat."
Flunking math, bad hair days, inheriting a family business she doesn't want, falling in love with her sister's boyfriend...If Kagome thought she had problems before, they had just been multiplied a hundredfold. And having to dress up like her sister to confuse a stalking pyromaniac was only one of them.
Slow burn. No pun intended.
--
I Do by Shirahime Shou95 (M)
A.U. "I hate you." She whispered in a low voice, tears brimming in her brown orbs. But the young boy before her just grinned smugly. "The feeling's mutual." When seven-year-old Kagome Higurashi met Inuyasha Takahashi on the elementary school for the first time, she would've never guess that fifteen years later, she would say those two words to him; "I do."
--
Hallway Shenanigans by toesalignedarch (T)
AU: When Inuyasha delivers flowers to Sango on Miroku's behalf, he runs into one of Sango's friends and unwillingly develops a little crush. He thinks he's just going to get over it. But when Sango finds out, she decides to play matchmaker. Told in snippets of 250 words or less.
--
Bad Influence by ji-an (Y)
Meet the bad boy.
--
9 Months by DeletedAccoutnNotChangingMind (M)
Kagome is given the weirdest offer by top business man Inuyasha Takahashi. With a few simple words he changes her whole life: "Will you bare my child?"
---
IMPLIED HUMAN
Soul Therapy by dolphingirl0113 (T)
{Alternate Universe Plot} Kagome is a young, aspiring physical therapist who receives more than she bargained for with Inuyasha, a victim of a car accident trying to walk again. She soon discovers reasons why you don't fall in love with patients...
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Dog Tags by @lemonlushff (E)
On the worst day of his life, an old WWII dog tag washed ashore. Now, being a Navy man himself, he feels like tracking this soldier down is the right thing to do. It's amazing how sometimes random twists of fate can help your heart heal in ways you didn't know were possible. M for language and lemon content. Inu/Kag
--
Memento Mori by LuxKen27 (E)
She was the embodiment of virtue. He was her forbidden temptation.
--
Shy by @ninmenkaspeaches (E)
Shy (Alternatively: What Inuyasha Most Certainly Is Not)
Sometimes love is the best thing to break you out of your shy little shell.
--
The Shogun's Daughter by @shnuggletea (E)
Kagome's father passed away when she was just a child but his Shogun status still makes her a valuable bride to a Lord of lands that border their village. Lord Inuyasha Tashio is pushed by the council into marriage, assured his new bride was an excellent choice. All their fears and anxiety are amplified when they meet.
--
Feel free to add your own recs in the comments or reblogs!
Check our Masterlist of previous lists to see which topics we've covered.
Send us an ask (here).
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"Bloody Mathematics Problem"
Request: Heyyy me again :) Can I request a Lucifer x gn teen reader who needs help with homework and Luci is being the cocky devil we all know him to be and offers to help bc he thinks he knows everything, but doesn’t end up knowing anything? JDOENSJSBJSNS This can include other characters if you want as well!! If not no worries <33
Fandom: Lucifer
Pairings: Platonic! Lucifer Morningstar x gn!teen!reader
A/N: hello!! thank you for your request booker :D no warnings needed for this fic, but lmk if i'm wrong. this is set in the start of s3.
-------
You sigh as you place your head in your hands. Your maths teacher decided that your grades weren't up to satisfaction, so they assigned you extra Maths homework. You weren't the best at Maths to start with, so having something harder on top of all your other homework was a pain in the ass. Usually if you were stuck you would ask Chloe or Amenadiel for help, but Chloe was at home with Trixie, and Amenadiel was...well who knows where he was.
You internally groan as you realize the only other person available to help- Lucifer Morningstar. He would be incredibly helpful if this were your German homework, given that he's fluent, but he's absolutely rubbish at Maths- worse than you, probably. Still, you were getting nowhere, and a fresh pair of eyes could always be helpful.
You grab your maths book and copy, and head up to the penthouse. As you wait for the elevator to arrive, you silently pray that Lucifer doesn't have one of his...girlfriends over. The elevator stops at the penthouse floor, and you step out. It seems God was listening to your prayers, as Lucifer is seated at his piano playing a tune you don't recognize.
Upon your arrival, he turns to you and smiles. "Ah! Y/n! How are you today?" he greets you. You give him a small smile in return. "I'm average, I guess." You pause momentarily, figuring the best way to word this without sounding desperate. "I, uh..need your help with my homework."
Lucifer looks slightly taken aback. You only went for his help if you had German homework, and today was Thursday- you didn't have German on Thursdays. He couldn't help but wonder what on Earth you needed help with.
"Of course, but may I ask why me? You don't have German on Thursdays, I thought." he queried as he led you both over to the bar (a.k.a, the closest thing to a desk in the penthouse). "Well, Amenadiel and Chloe were my first options, but both of them were busy, and you're the next smartest person I know." you say as you place your books on the bar. He raises an eyebrow at that, "And here I thought that I was the smartest person you know." Lucifer said, dramatically placing a hand on his chest.
You chuckle at his antics and open the page your homework was on, "I need help with Maths, for a change." you point to the problem you were stuck with. He looks down at it, and a for a split second he looks confused. It was quickly replaced with faux confidence and a big grin, "Not to worry! We should have this solved in no time!"
-------
Around an hour and fourty-five minutes later, you're laying down with your phone out and sipping a (non-alcoholic) cocktail. Currentley you're posting a picture of said cocktail with the caption "Perks of being in a penthouse that has a bar 😈 #thanksluci #tasty #cocktail #lux"
You had long since given up on your Maths homework, already planning an excuse for not having it- you couldn't say the same for Lucifer.
"Damn this bloody mathematics problem! We should just burn the book at this point." the Devil exclaimed, throwing the book on the ground. He perks up for a moment as he straightens himself out. "Actually, that's not a half bad idea.." Your head shoots up at this, "Oi! I have my Maths notes in there! At least wait till Halloween, dude." you protest. Lucifer seems to slump at this, but puts the book back on the bar anyway.
He makes his way over to where your sitting, "Honestly I cannot understand why you humans put yourselves through such torture, I mean that's literally what Hell is for." he scoffs, sitting where your feet are. You prop yourself up a bit and smile at him. "Well, thank you for being persistent Luci, it's very much appreciated." Lucifer smiles back and replies, "It was my pleasure. Now, do you want to get ice-cream? I say we've earned ourselves some."
You stand up and grin as you both make your way into the elevator. You may not have completed the homework in the end, but at least you wouldn't be hungry.
#lucifer on netflix#lucifer morningstar#chloe decker#amenadiel#trixie espinoza#gn!reader#platonic#requested
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Stranger things incorrect quote generator (feat. The Sapphic senate moments, Max and her Moms, random shit)
Part 1
Sapphic Senate
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Vickie: I just want someone to take me out.
Robin: On a date?
Nancy: With a sniper gun?
Chrissy: Both if you're not a coward.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
[AU where Ronance is not yet dating ig lol]
Chrissy: Hey Nancy, wanna third wheel on my date with Vickie tomorrow?
Nancy: Sure.
Chrissy: Robin! Wanna third wheel on my date with Vickie tomorrow?
Chrissy: Great! I've always wanted to go on a double date!
Nancy & Robin: ...
Vickie: Chrissy...
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Vickie: Chrissy, you'll be working with Robin and Nancy.
Chrissy: Alright! My fantasy threesome!
Everyone else: *blank stares*
Chrissy: ...Of people on a team.
(I feel like she would actually say that)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
*In a horror movie situation*
Nancy: I've got no service in my phone here.
Vickie: Shoot, my battery just died.
Robin: Sorry guys, I just broke my phone with a hammer.
Chrissy: Guys, my phone is a book.
(this seems very accurate for each of them)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Nancy: Everyone synchronise your watches.
Vickie: I don't know how to do that.
Robin: I don't wear a watch.
Chrissy: Time is a construct.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
[AU where Robin somehow married someone... And well Nancy was too late..]
Nancy: I'm gonna die alone.
Chrissy: Nancy, you're not gonna die alone.
Nancy: Robin, was my safety net, okay? They got married and now I have to get a snake.
Vickie: Uh- huh.Why is that?
Nancy: If I'm gonna be an old lonely person, I'm gonna need a thing, you know? A hook.Like that guy in the subway who eats his own face.
Nancy: So I figured I'll be “Crazy Lady With A Snake”, you know? Crazy snake lady.
Nancy: Then I'll get more snakes, call them my babies.Kids won't walk past my place, they will run! RUN AWAY FROM CRAZY SNAKE LADY!
(I'm too lazy to switch snakes to guns but guns would be very fitting)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Nancy: Chrissy isn't answering their phone
Robin: I'll call
Nancy: Vickie and I have both tried six times each, what makes you thi-
Chrissy: Hello?
(I feel like any of those people would pick up the phone if it's Robin)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Vickie: *Gasp*
Chrissy: wHAT??
Vickie: What if soy milk is just milk introducing itself in Spanish?
Chrissy: *inhales*
Nancy, in another room with Robin: Why can I hear screeching?
(I wonder why they are in another room together 👀)
Also I think this makes more sense like this, because Robin knows Spanish:
Robin: *Gasp*
Nancy: wHAT??
Robin: What if soy milk is just milk introducing itself in Spanish?
Nancy: *inhales*
Vickie, in another room with Chrissy: Why can I hear screeching?
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Robin: Why is Chrissy crying on the floor?
Nancy: They're drunk.
Robin: And?
Nancy: They saw a picture of Vickie's spouse.
Robin: But they're Vickie's spouse.
Nancy: I know.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
[it's the headcanon when Nancy is drunk that Vickie is the responsible one or smth]
Nancy: *texting* Hey can you pick me up I’m drunk.
Nancy: Oh you don't have to anymore. I'm home now.
Vickie: Yes, I'm aware of that after dropping you off at home.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
[NSFW? Idk]
Robin: Nancy! I can't do this stupid math!
Nancy: What’s the math problem?
Robin: Well, we have to add the bed, subtract the clothes divide the legs, and hope we don’t multiply.
Vickie, covering Chrissy's ears, while Nancy smacks Robin upside the head: Not going to lie that was hella smooth.
(Damn tho)
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Chrissy: How is the most beautiful person in the world?
Vickie: *blushing* I—
Nancy, butting into the conversation: Robin is perfect, thanks for asking.
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Chrissy: I never said I was gonna get back together with them. But I was thinking, they're in town, would it be the worst thing in the world if I gave them a call?
Robin: No. No, Chrissy, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It would be the fourth worst thing. Number one: a super volcano. Number two: an asteroid hits the Earth. Number three: All the Evel Knievel movies are lost. Number four: Chrissy calls Vickie. Number five: Nancy gets eaten by a shark.
Nancy: I’m Nancy, and I approve the order of that list.
(I just feel like the ramble of Robin is very accurate)
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Nancy: You know, Chrissy gives Vickie flowers everyday, I wish you'd do that too.
Robin: Okay.
*Later*
Robin: *gives Vickie flowers*
Vickie: ???
Robin: I don't know, I'm confused as well.
(She didn't understand the assignment...)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Robin: We can bake these cookies at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or 4,000 degrees for 1 minute.
Nancy: No, that's not how you make cookies.
Chrissy: FLOOR IT!!
Robin: How about 4,000,000 degrees for 1 second?!?
Nancy: yOU'RE GONNA BURN THE HOUSE DOWN-
Robin: I'M GONNA HARNESS THE POWER OF THE FUCKING SUN TO MAKE COOKIES!
Vickie: DO IT!
Nancy: NO-
(iykyk)
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Vickie: Where's Nancy?
Chrissy: Don't worry, I'll find them.
Chrissy, shouting: Robin sucks!
Nancy, distantly: Robin is the best person ever! Fuck you!
Chrissy: Found them.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Nancy: They... well, I wouldn't call it inheritance per se. What do you call it when you kill someone and get their stuff?
Vickie: Um, murder???
Robin: Adventuring!
Chrissy: Tuesday.
(accurate??)
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Nancy: I give up. I am so tired.
Chrissy: Get the emergency supply!
Vickie: *carries Robin and places them in front of Nancy*
Robin: *smiles*
Nancy: AND I AM BACK BABY, LET’S GOOO
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
*Nancy's helping Chrissy out after they get injured, while the others are watching*
Robin: How does Chrissy look?
Vickie: A little better than you, actually.
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Nancy: Everyone synchronise your watches.
Vickie: I don't know how to do that.
Robin: I don't wear a watch.
Chrissy: Time is a construct.
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Nancy: How did none of you hear what I just said?
Chrissy: I've been zoned out for the past two and a half hours.
Robin: I got distracted about halfway through.
Vickie: Ignoring you was a conscious decision.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
[Nancy trying to cheer up the girls]
Nancy: You are now one day closer to eating your next plate of nachos.
Chrissy: That's the most hopeful thing I've ever heard.
Robin: But what if I die tomorrow and never eat any nachos?
Vickie: Then tomorrow is nacho lucky day.
(also I headcanon Vickie making dad jokes... Idk why)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
[+elmax]
Vickie: Dumbest scar stories, go!
Robin: I burned my tongue once drinking tea.
El: I dropped a hair dryer on my leg once and it burned.
Nancy: I have a piece of graphite in my leg for accidentally stabbing myself with a pencil in the first grade.
Chrissy : I was taking a cup of noodles out of the microwave and spilled it in my hand and I got a really bad burn.
Max: I have emotional scars.
(well that was not the best one to start with.... But accurate..)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Vickie: Wait, hold up, why you draw yourself like that?
Robin: Uh, like what?
Vickie: Like with gorgeous, muscular legs.
Robin: Uh, this is what I look like.
Vickie:
Robin: THIS IS WHAT I LOOK LIKE!
Vickie: Okay, then I want big beefy arms.Hot ones.
Max: I wanna have a cowboy hat!
Robin: Okay, arms and hat. * draws them*
Chrissy : Ooh, give me a cowboy hat too!
Robin: You can't just take Max's hat idea, Chrissy ! They thought it up all by themself like a good person! Come up with your own thing!
Chrissy : BUT I WANNA LOOK COOL!
El: Put Chrissy on one of those stupid baby tricycles.
Chrissy : NO!!
Robin: Tricycle, done. * draws it* Nancy, want anything?
El, making finger guns: Pew pew.
Robin: A blaster?! No, that's not really our style, Nancy.
Nancy, making finger guns: Pew pew.
Robin: You know what, okay. * draws it* But it's just for holding, not for shooting.
(I just found the Finger guns funny, also Robin telling Chrissy to not steal Max's is amazing)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Robin: If you got arrested what would be the charges?
El: Theft.
Chrissy: Disturbing the peace.
Max: Aggravated assault.
Vickie: Arson.
Nancy: All of the above.In that order, probably.
(I feel like Nancy would... #begaydocrime)
(also El and her stealing eggos)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Nancy: Fine! Judge all you want but...
Nancy, points at Chrissy: Married a lesbian.
Nancy, points at Max: Left a man at the altar.
Nancy, points at Vicky: Fell in love with a gay ice dancer.
Nancy, points at El: Threw a girl's wooden leg in a fire.
Nancy, points at Robin: Lives in a box!
(Idk why but I love that "Married to a lesbian" is Chrissy 😂, also I feel like max left Lucas at the alter 👀, and I feel like El would do that (only if that girl deserved it tho).... Also Robin and the Box 😂 Oof Robin "I'm poor" Buckley)
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Nancy: I CAN'T DO IT!
Vicky, laughing: I CAN'T EITHER!
Nancy: I CANT FUCKING DO IT ANYMORE
El: WELL I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, YOU CAN EITHER GIVE UP NOW, OR YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT. BECAUSE WE CERTAINLY CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU, AND WE KNOW YOU CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT US.
Nancy:
Nancy: I appreciate it,
Nancy: BUT LOOK WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH-
Max: Mom-
Nancy: YOU GOTTA DRAW THE LINE SOMEWHERE!
Robin: Nancy we gotta-
Nancy: YOU GOTTA DRAW A FUCKING LINE IN THE SAND.YOU GOTTA MAKE A STATEMENT.
Nancy: YOU GOTTA LOOK INSIDE YOURSELF AND SAY 'What am I willing to put up with today?'
Nancy, motioning to Chrissy: NOT FUCKING THIS
Bonus: ✨
Everyone silence:
Nancy still furious:
Robin to Max: Did you just call Nancy 'Mom'
Max: What?! No! *trying no to blush*
Nancy calming down imidiatly: Do you see me as a motherfigure Max 🥺
Max:. NO-
El: she does 😊
Max: EL!?
Everyone: Awww
Max: I hate you all
Robin: Hey! Don't talk to your mother like that!
Chrissy: yeah! Listen to your other mom!
Max and Nancy: Chrissy, I swear to God-
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Yes I did change the Nancy from max to mom lol and idk why the hell I did that bonus... Hope you had fun reading..? Imma gonna make another one (but different) right away, because I was bored and made lost of incorrect quotes.
#the sapphic senate#nancy wheeler#robin buckley#ronance#stranger things incorrect quotes#incorrect ronance#vickie x chrissy#Elmax#vickie stranger things#chrissy stranger things#max mayfield
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☔,🌤️?
Hello!
We'll do 🌤️ first: favorite mechanic from a game I'm working on. My focus at the moment is tentatively titled Szlachta Emblem, a ttrpg inspired by the GBA Fire Emblem games set in Nowa Polska, my Yiddish Fantasy setting. The game is a mashup of gba FE's mechanics transported into heximal (d66 math, essentially) with Belonging Outside Belonging to replicate the melodrama and angst that makes fe games so unique.
Getting both halves to play nicely with each other has been kind of tricky, but one of my breakthroughs today was adding a new type of Move: the Support Dynamic. In BOB games, there are four categories of Moves: strong, standard, lateral, and weak moves. Strong moves are powerful but require tokens, standard moves aren't as potent but don't require spending a token, and weak moves put your character in peril/make the situation worse in order to get a token. Lateral moves (from Galactic) let you give a token you have to another player. The only other way characters get moves is by taking advantage of another character's Lure, which grants a token to a character for reinforcing the fantasy/archetype of the Luring player. The thing is, I wanted to have the functionality of lateral moves, but I had a healthy number of strong, standard, and weak ones already that I didn't want to convert into lateral ones or cut to make space for new lateral moves. Then I had a moment of inspiration and figured out how to have my cake and eat it as well.
Last digression, I promise.
In FE, characters build Supports by fighting alongside each other. In the GBA games (and here), each character has a maximum number of supports they can have, so players have to choose carefully which relationships they want to formalize with a Support. As time passes, the characters grow closer, the player gets to read dialogue between them, and each gets mechanical boosts to their combat from having the other character near. So: how do we begin to meld the BOB framework and FE core mechanics while also solving the token economy problem described earlier? Support Dynamic.
Each class has both a Lure and a Support Dynamic. The Lure rewards other characters for playing into this class's central idea (characters who depend on the strength of a Hajduk to solve their problem gets a token, for example). The Support Dynamic lets the class give a token to someone they have a support relationship with (whenever the Hajduk enlivens someone they support, you gift them a token). Each class has their own, unique Lateral Move, limited by the degree to which they've invested in their personal relationships with the other characters. I'm quite pleased with this.
Now for ☔. This is really hard to answer, tbh. Are there any game ideas that I'm not sure I'll ever write? OK, sure. I had a setting before Nowa Polska that I'd spent years working on and writing a custom game for. It drew inspiration from a lot of different places, times, and folklores: ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, Irish folktales, and a lot from SE Asia. A lot from SE Asia. And then I went and did my research on ttrpgs drawing from SE Asia. And there are a ton of amazing games by designers who are, y'know, from/in SE Asia. I was just reading Balikbayan. Gubat Banwa is another phenomenal game. A Thousand Thousand Islands is just incredible. Diwata ng Manila's written some phenomenal games as well. The RPGSEA community is strong and vibrant and just incredible. I'm excited to have the chance to play some of their games. But I won't ever publish the setting that I was working on, nor the game I made for it. I don't think I could ever doe enough research or give enough due diligence to feel comfortable releasing it to the wider world. That's not to say some of the ideas I had won't be recycled into something in the future; some of them already have. But I'm happy to leave the setting as a whole behind me as I move forward to new projects and new horizons.
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After math of Earths attack pt 2
We can head back to the daycare and check the cameras. Maybe there will be something on them?” Moon said. He was trying to keep Sun’s hopes up. He doubted that there could possibly or at least hoped that Bloodmoon hadn’t somehow ended up finding some friend that could help him out. They both also shared the hope that Bloodmoon wasn’t the cause for the emergency signal being sent out. When the two of them walked into the daycare they saw Creator standing in it. Earth was leaned against the ball pit. “Hello Sun. Hello Moon.” the Creator said looking at them. “What did you do to Earth?” Moon asked, trying to keep his anger in check.
He was about to get very mad if he found out that the Creator had messed with Earth somehow or hurt her which was why the signal was sent. Moon though highly doubting that being the case Lunar had sent out the signal so the Creator could have done something to him. “I did nothing Moon. Earth was greatly damaged though so I only repaired her.” Sun looked at the Creator with a confused look. “What do you mean by ‘she was greatly damaged?’ What happened to her?” The Creator turned his gaze to Sun. “She was attacked by Bloodmoon. I do not believe that I have to explain more than that.” Moon balled his hands into fist.
“She was WHAT?!” Moon was over everything that Bloodmoon had been doing. He was honestly ready to put an end to the annoying bots' troubles once and for all. “He’s drawn the line to far this time.” Moon said. “We have to do something about him now Sun!” Sun looked at Moon. “I understand brother and I agree with you greatly, but we first have to ask the Creator what else he might know.” Sun looked at the Creator. “Did you see Lunar with her by chance? Was Bloodmoon there when you arrived?”” Sun asked. “Lunar was there with Earth. I am about to go and get him. I figured it would to be proper to leave him to be attacked. They are damaged though.
Lunar seemed to have done something that made his systems overheat. Their systems still can overheat if not careful. I do not know if he has any damage, nor did I consider ever fixing him.” Moon looked at the Creator. “Why didn’t you fix him?’ The Creator looked at Moon. “He is not my creation so it is not my problem to fix him if he is broken. He is yours to care for not mine.” The Creator said before he then left to go and get Lunar and Sun looked at Moon. “What do you think could have made his system overheat? I mean how did it even happen? Did Bloodmoon electrocute him somehow? Or damage his system?” Moon shook his head.
“I don’t think that Bloodmoon could have overheated Lunar’s systems with electricity. It would have to be very very strong to do that.” Suddenly the Creator appeared with Lunar. “Here is your brother. I am entrusting that this won’t get in the way of your daytime performance while watching the children, correct?” Moon nodded, not giving the Creator his full attention. “It won’t get in the way”
Sun said. The Creator left after he got a response. Moon picked Earth up from the ground. “You grab Lunar Sun. We’re going to take the two of them back to their room and then call SOlar and Monty. This is ending now.” Sun listened to Moon and picked Lunar up. “Ok brother.” he said before following Moon back to Earth and Lunar’s room. Once the two were safe and secure Moon scanned Lunar for any injuries.
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picking teams- chapter 8: cady
helloooo folks happy wednesday!! welcome to the homecoming chapter ooooh. also only next chapter you'll actually get some cadnis finally lol whoops
tw for
disordered eating thoughts
slut shaming
homophobia
implied SA
and as always if i've missed anything please let me know so i can add it :)
enjoy!
—————
Cady finds herself really enjoying the tutoring sessions she has with Janis.
Janis is polite. She always says hello and chats briefly with Cady's parents on the rare occasions they're there at the same time. She never leaves messes when Cady offers her something to eat while they work, and she's never pushy during the actual tutoring.
Cady's also learned that she's much smarter than people give her credit for. Janis' questions may be about things Cady finds simple, but after a more in depth explanation and a few extra practice problems, she picks things up in no time. Not to mention how much she's helped Cady with her English and history homework assignments.
But, the best part is, Janis is so... sweet. She always seems happy just to make conversation with Cady. She's always interested to hear Cady's Kenya stories. Nobody else in America has been. Except for Karen, but Cady knows she doesn't really understand what she's talking about. Janis tells Cady her own stories, and Cady likes to think they're becoming friends.
She certainly hopes they are, anyway.
Janis looks at her in confusion as she stands up towards the end of their session one Saturday, rooting through her closet for something to wear. "You going somewhere?"
"Hm?" Cady hums, turning around with a short skirt and a tank top in her hands. She grabs a denim jacket, too. It's chilly today, but Regina threatened to burn all her jeans if she wore them in public one more time. "Oh, I'm going homecoming shopping with Regina and Gretchen and Karen after this. It always takes me forever to figure out what to wear."
"Oh," Janis says. "Sounds fun."
"Yeah, shopping with them usually is," Cady says. "I mean, I always get totally overwhelmed and all the fabrics feel awful, but I like the process."
"That's about how it goes," Janis chuckles. "I always hated polyester too."
"It's the worst! It's never comfy," Cady pouts. "But it's all they say I look good in."
"You look good in anything."
"Thanks," Cady says with a smile. Janis won't look at her, for whatever reason. Cady shrugs and heads to the restroom to get changed. "I'll be right back."
"Okay," Janis says, her voice a bit squeaky. She must be having a weird day.
Cady does have to admit that her friends have good taste. As uncomfortable as the clothes are when she puts them on, she does look pretty in them. Regina's taught her that shorter skirts will make her legs look longer and more proportional to the rest of her body. Tighter shirts make her look thinner, and layers are an extra bonus. She tucks the shirt in to highlight her waistline, and sucks her tummy in the slightest bit to zip up her skirt.
Maybe one of these days she'll recognize herself when she looks in the mirror wearing these clothes.
Cady heads back into her bedroom after giving her curls a quick fluff. "How's it going?"
"Fine," Janis murmurs. Cady turns around to look at her and finds Janis staring quite interestedly at her math work.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Janis says, barely glancing at Cady. "You look nice."
"Thanks," Cady grins. She swipes on some quick makeup while Janis finishes working, then plops down next to her to look over it. "All right again! I think we can move on next time."
"Thank god," Janis sighs, going totally boneless in her beanbag. "If I had to do one more of those I think my brain would melt out my ears."
"I mean, you'll probably have to at some point," Cady says. "You do have that test next week."
"Shh. Let me have this moment of peace."
"Okay," Cady giggles. She relaxes on her own beanbag, looking up at her ceiling like Janis is doing next to her. Maybe she should get fairy lights like Regina has on hers.
"Do you have a date?" Janis murmurs after a couple minutes.
"Huh?"
"For homecoming. Are you going with anyone?"
"Oh," Cady says. "Nobody's asked me. I think we're just going, like, as a friend group."
"That's cool," Janis nods. "It's usually more fun that way."
"Do you have a date?" Cady asks, looking over at her.
"Yeah," Janis chuckles. Cady feels her heart squeeze a bit, but she can't figure out why. "Damian and I always go together. Every dance since ninth grade. He always drags me with him. I guess he just wants me to, like... get the 'proper high school experience' or whatever."
"You don't want to go?" Cady asks sadly.
"It's not the same for me as it is for you," Janis says quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"You're popular. You have a friend group," Janis says. "Everyone at school knows who you are, for a good reason. Everyone at school knows who I am for a bad reason. It's not that I don't want to go, or that he's not a good date, but... I only go with Damian because he's the only option I have. I don't have any other friends I can go with, or... an actual date I could ask."
"Oh," Cady says. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Janis says. "Damian always makes it fun. I'll have a good time. Don't worry."
"You could come with us, I'm sure," Cady offers. Janis laughs outright at that. Why is that funny?
"Really not an option," she chuckles sardonically. "But thanks for the offer."
"Why not?"
"I'm sure Regina's already given you some version of what happened," Janis says softly. "Just... not possible."
Cady gets the sense that she shouldn't push here, so she just nods sadly. Janis gives her a sad smile in return and gently takes her hand.
"I promise I'll have fun even if I can't go with you. For your sake, I'll have fun," she promises. Cady giggles and squeezes her hand.
"I'm holding you to that, Sarkisian."
"I always keep my promises."
"Good," Cady grins. "Can I ask you something?"
"Maybe," Janis chuckles.
"Is Damian, um..." Cady says, pausing awkwardly. "Gay?"
Janis laughs again, much harder this time. "Yes. He's almost too gay to function. You really couldn't tell?"
"I mean, kinda, but I don't like assuming things," Cady says in embarrassment. She decides to leave out the part about her friends telling her a good bit of Janis and Damian's life story within a few days of meeting them. Something tells her that wouldn't go over very well. Janis nods.
"That's good, though. And for future reference, Damian is very very gay. But if you want to know about anyone else you should probably ask them directly. It's... the kind of story someone should only tell for themselves, you know?"
Cady nods eagerly. "Got it."
"Tits. I'll see you Monday," Janis grins, zipping her backpack shut and standing up.
Cady's sad she has to go. She wonders what kinds of things Janis would pick to wear to homecoming. Wonders what going shopping with her would be like.
"Bye. Have a good weekend," Cady says before she can beg her to stay. Janis waves and is out Cady's bedroom door. Cady waves back and heads over to the mirror to make sure her makeup is perfect. Regina said that if even a single eyelash is out of place it ruins the image of their whole group.
With another coat of mascara she thinks she looks perfect enough for even Regina's standards. She rushes out, trying not to break an ankle on her ridiculously high heels, when she hears Regina laying on the horn outside. She's lucky her neighbors haven't filed a complaint yet.
"Hi," she says breathlessly as she takes her usual spot in the backseat.
"Hey," all three of her friends say at the same time.
"Are you excited, Cady?" Gretchen asks. Cady nods.
"Yeah! I never really wore dresses until I met you guys, I'm excited to get something more... snazzy. I've never had much reason to dress up super fancy before," she says.
"It's so fun, you'll love homecoming shopping," Karen says.
"Shopping with you guys is always fun," Cady grins. "I hope I find something."
"Oh, you will," Regina chuckles, almost ominously.
—-
Cady was expecting to go to the mall again, but apparently dress shopping at the mall is a total fashion faux pas. She looks around at the fancy dress store she's found herself in. They have everything from homecoming dresses to wedding dresses, and most of them seem very far out of her budget.
Her friends head over to the racks of homecoming outfits in their sizes and start grabbing just about everything they can see. Cady is confused by the tulle tornadoes rushing around her, but she shrugs and follows suit as best she can.
Once they all have a decent stack of potential dresses, they make their way over towards the changing rooms. One of the stacks of dresses asks, "Who goes first?"
"Me," another responds, so the other three all waddle over to the benches and plop down. Cady looks to either side now that the dresses aren't covering their faces and sees Karen is the one missing.
They all wait until the curtain opens and Karen comes back out, clad in a bright pink two piece dress. The top has a sort of criss-cross hem, and the skirt falls just above her knee.
She does a twirl so her friends can see the dress in all of its glory. They all hem and haw over it, showering her in rightfully deserved compliments.
The process is repeated for about six more dresses, until Karen reaches the last one she grabbed.
"Which one?" Karen asks, still wearing the last one.
"I think the first one, honestly," Gretchen says. "That one really suited you."
"Not this one. Makes you look like a cheap slut," Regina says like that's a completely normal thing to say. "Definitely go for the first one."
Karen nods sadly and goes back into the changing room. She returns in the original bubblegum pink dress just to make super sure this is the one she should choose. Everyone eagerly confirms it, so she changes back into her regular clothes and switches places with Gretchen.
Cady blinks through dress after dress after dress Gretchen tries on. She compliments every one, because Gretchen does genuinely look great in all of them.
She's more indecisive than Karen was. Cady thinks she will be too. So many choices. How are you meant to know which one is correct?
Each of them had a favorite dress that Gretchen tried on, so she goes back to try those three on again. When she has the last one on, she whines an, "I just don't know!"
"We could all wear pink dresses," Karen offers. "Crown emoji. Then we're, like, matching, but not matching enough to be totally cringe, teeth emoji."
Was that English? Cady asks herself desperately as Regina and Gretchen mull that over. Cady decides to pipe up with a, "The pink one did really suit you, Gretchen."
"Really?" Gretchen asks. "It didn't make my stomach too noticeable?"
That's an issue? Cady wonders. "I didn't think so."
Gretchen shoots her a thankful smile and goes to try that one yet again. Her friends all nod when she pulls the curtain open and steps out to reveal the tight watermelon pink dress. It has long tulle sleeves, which seems to make Gretchen a bit more comfortable in it as well.
"You look really pretty, Gretchen," Regina says. Cady and Karen nod in agreement. Gretchen sighs with a smile, the relief visible on her face as her turn is up. "My turn, bitches."
Cady finds herself bracing as Regina takes her pile of dresses, wondering what circle of hell she's in for now. Regina is always the most demanding when they go shopping. She almost never picks her clothes herself. She leaves that for her lackeys, demanding a certain fashion and quality, and compliments on top of everything.
Cady's definitely glad she made an exception today. Regina picked all her own dresses to try, so they just get to experience the hurricane of lace and satin they're about to be forced into.
Hurricane is an understatement. Regina looks fantastic in everything, because of course she does. They quickly run out of compliments to shower her in. Things turn to, "Ooh!" or "Wow!" rather quickly.
Cady feels like she's woken up from some kind of homecoming coma by the time Regina has tried on the last dress. She shakes her head to clear it when Regina sighs, "So which one?"
"Uh... that one looks great," Cady says.
"Yeah, your waist looks, like, so tiny!" Gretchen says eagerly. Karen just nods along like a little bobblehead.
"Really?" Regina asks haughtily, whipping her blonde hair around to find a mirror. She puts her hands on her hips and does various poses in her fuchsia bodycon dress.
"The, um... color really brings out your eyes," Cady agrees, trying to sound like she knows what she's talking about. Gretchen and Karen both nod again. "And your... hair."
Regina looks at the mirror with a thoughtful pout on her face. "Eh, as long as guys are staring at me."
Oh, definitely, Cady thinks to herself. It's oddly reminiscent of the time she watched a snake eat a cow. The snake has more sequins than the one in Kenya did, though. Wait, is that rude?
"Your turn, Cades," Regina says with a wink. She heads to change back into her (arguably fancier) normal clothes, so Cady gathers her mound of dresses.
"I don't have many pink ones," Cady says anxiously. Gretchen and Karen both take the ones that aren't at least pink-adjacent and give her the ones they have, since they're all close enough to the same size to get away with it. Cady is significantly shorter than the rest of them, but she thinks she'll be able to pull it off with a bit of tailoring if she needs to.
The first dress she tries is awful. The material is glittery, and it has long sleeves. So itchy. It's so tight Cady can't even reach far enough behind her to zip it up all the way. She settles for zipping it as much as she can and just holding the neckline at the top for the same effect.
"It's nice!" her friends say when she kicks the curtain open enough to wiggle through and show them.
"It's really uncomfortable," Cady says, wiggling in a ditch attempt to get the itchy fabric off her skin.
"Pick a different one, then. Can't have you squirming like you're about to piss yourself the whole night," Regina sighs, waving her back into the changing room.
Cady can't quite hide how relieved she is as she turns around and practically rips the dress off her body. She stands there in her underwear for a split second to recover from the awful fabric before she grabs the next dress.
The next few go about the same way, made of too-tight uncomfortable materials that Cady can hardly bear having on her body. Pink is also a tricky color for her to wear with her hair and complexion, so some of the shades simply don't suit her. All this makes for an... interesting homecoming dress shopping experience, to say the very least.
She's down to the last four or so and getting more and more worried. What if she can't find anything? What will Regina do to her?
The next one she tries on is a tight strappy contraption and turns out to be so complicated that Cady gets tangled in the wrong parts of it for a solid three minutes. She takes it off without even showing her friends and places it firmly in the no pile.
But the next one has promise.
She can get into it herself, which is a plus. She can even do the zipper up all the way. It's not saying much, since there's not much zipper in the first place, but it definitely helps.
"This one, I don't even need to see the rest," Regina says when Cady pulls the curtain open to show it off.
"Really?" Cady grins. All three of them nod eagerly and practically shove her over to the mirror so she can see for herself. Cady looks at herself, spinning from side to side to observe the dress from all angles. She does look beautiful.
It's a baby pink, one that actually brings out the red of her hair in a nice way, with small gold sequins scattered around. The bodice is tight and dips into her cleavage in a way she's not the most comfortable with, but she decides she's into it. Her back is almost totally bare, so she'll have to figure something out in terms of a bra that won't show, but that's manageable. The skirt flares out and falls to just above her knee. She shakes her hips the slightest bit, and the swish factor is excellent.
"I like it," Cady nods. "Are we done?"
"No, it's time for shoes!" Gretchen squeals.
Ah, hell.
—————
Aaron turns to look at her when she takes her seat behind him on Monday. "Hey."
"Hey," Cady grins. "How was your weekend?"
"Not bad, not bad. My dad made me spend most of it at a football workshop thing, but it was less tedious than most of them are," Aaron replies. "How about you?"
"Oh, mine was pretty good too. I didn't really do much," Cady says, trying to find an appropriate amount of time to stare into his eyes. So shiny.
"Uneventful weekends are always the best," Aaron says. Cady giggles and nods.
"Definitely."
Aaron chuckles as well. Cady can't help but smile at the sound. "So are you going to homecoming?"
"Yeah, Regina and Gretchen and Karen and I are all going together. Just, like, as friends," Cady says. "Are you?" Please say no, please say no.
"Yeah," Aaron nods, flipping his swoopy hair out of his eyes. Cady tries not to swoon. "Couple buddies of mine couldn't land any dates, so we're just going as a group too."
"That's cool," Cady says, squealing internally. He doesn't have a date. "I hope I see you."
"I'll save you a dance if you save one for me," Aaron says with a wink. Cady flushes bright pink and nods eagerly.
"I will."
"Cool," Aaron grins. Cady tries to stop blushing enough to grin back.
"Cool," she squeaks.
—————
Janis and Cady agree to push their weekly tutoring session back a week. They've decided to spend twice as long the next Saturday working to make up for it.
Which means Cady has all day on Saturday to get ready for the dance.
The dance starts at eight, but Cady's been instructed to be at Regina's house by eleven in the morning at the absolute latest. Apparently getting hot is an all day affair.
Cady's knocking on the door at 10:45 just to be safe. Mrs. George pulls it open and practically drags Cady along with it. Cady stumbles into the house and gives Mrs. George her usual hug. "I like your tracksuit today, Mrs. Sabrina."
"You do? Oh, thank you, honey! You're just the sweetest thing," Mrs. George replies. Cady's heart breaks the slightest bit at her eager response to a pretty basic compliment. "Well, I won't keep you too long. Regina's in her room getting everything set up for you guys."
"Thanks," Cady says, lugging her garment bag up the stairs and knocking on Regina's door.
"What?!" a voice yells from inside. "Kylie, I swear to god!"
"It's Cady!" Cady calls back.
"Oh," the voice says, quieter. The door opens in front of her, revealing a clearly tense Regina. "You don't have to knock, you know."
"Sorry. I didn't want to, like, barge in or anything. I didn't know if you were getting dressed or something," Cady says sheepishly.
"Not like it matters. Not like you're some kind of lesbo," Regina shrugs. "Anyway, are you hungry? You should eat now so you won't later and look all bloated in your dress."
"Oh, um... I guess I could go for some breakfast," Cady says, trying to seem casual about it. She actually hasn't eaten yet, so she's starving. But seeming too interested in eating isn't a good look. "If it's not too much trouble."
"Yeah, whatever," Regina says. Cady winces as she suddenly shrieks at the top of her lungs. "Mommy!"
Mrs. George is at the door in record time, slamming it open and stumbling into the room. "What's the matter? Ear piercing incident? Herpes?"
What kind of family is this? Cady thinks desperately. Regina turns and looks at her mother with that sickly sweet grin Cady has gotten very used to being on the receiving end of.
"Is there any breakfast left? Cady needs some," Regina coos. Her voice is almost unnaturally high, like she's talking to a young baby and not... her own mother.
"Oh, of course! Let me whip something up really quick, I'll be right back!"
"Thank you!" Cady calls as she goes running from the room at the same speed. "So... why do we have to be here so early?"
"Because we need time to wash and style your hair, do all the skincare we need, do makeup, and last minute touch ups and hemming to our dresses, duh," Regina says.
"Oh. I didn't think it was that involved," Cady says anxiously.
"It takes work to look this good, Cady," Regina says. "If we aren't the hottest bitches at the dance, do you have any idea what would happen?"
We wouldn't be the hottest bitches at the dance, Cady thinks immediately. Out loud, she just says, "Oh."
"Once Gretch and K get here we can get started," Regina sighs, already primping in the mirror. She already has makeup on, even though her bed hasn't even been made yet. Cady wonders if anyone has ever actually seen her without makeup. "Lazy bitches."
"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Cady replies, almost defensively.
"They'd better be," Regina huffs. "Where is my mom-"
"I can wait!" Cady interrupts as she sees Regina prepare to shout again. "It's totally fine. I, uh... have a quick metabolism. I shouldn't look too bloated in the dress."
"I have a spare corset if you need one," Regina says.
"We'll see," Cady replies.
—-
Gretchen and Karen arrive about fifteen minutes later, rapidly trailed into the room by Mrs. George returning with Cady's plate. French toast and some mixed fruit.
"Thank you, Mrs. George," Cady says.
"Oh, of course, honey! If you girls need anything you just let me know, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy, out!" Regina says desperately. Mrs. George's face falls the slightest bit before she nods and backs out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
Cady eats her breakfast while Regina starts washing Gretchen and Karen's hair in her shower. Karen comes out first, a shower cap over her hair and some green goop on her face. Gretchen follows after another few minutes, just as Cady is swallowing her last strawberry.
"So have you seen any guys you think are cute, Cady?" is how Gretchen chooses to open a conversation.
"What? Uh..." Cady stutters. "There's this guy in my calculus class, he's really cute. Aaron Samuels?"
Gretchen makes some sort of squawking noise oddly reminiscent of some of the birds Cady got acquainted with in Kenya. "What?! No!"
"What do you mean?"
"Aaron is Regina's ex-boyfriend!" Gretchen says in shock. No. No, no, no! "He just broke up with her this summer."
"I thought she dumped him for Shane Oman," Karen pipes up absentmindedly. Cady feels her core go cold just at the mention of his name. Great taste, there, Regina.
"Irregardless," Gretchen huffs. "Exes are off limits to friends. That's just, like, the rules of feminism!"
"Um... okay," Cady says in confusion. No more talking about Aaron in public, got it.
"Oh, but don't worry. I'll never tell Regina what you said," Gretchen says. "I'm great at keeping secrets. Like, Karen and I are dating and we haven't told anyone!"
"Gretchen!" Karen yelps. Cady's eyes go wide as Gretchen claps her hands over her mouth.
"Hey, it's okay," Cady soothes as Gretchen's eyes well with tears. "I won't tell anyone, I promise. Secret for a secret. I'm happy for you guys."
"Really?" Gretchen asks, her voice wobbling.
"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't do anything like that," Cady promises. "Your secret is safe with me."
"Thank you," Karen murmurs as she pulls Gretchen into a hug to comfort her, carefully, so the stuff on their faces doesn't smear.
"Cady! Come on, your turn!" Regina yells from the bathroom. Cady hops up and runs in, leaving Gretchen and Karen to have a moment to themselves. "Bend over."
"Huh?"
"Did I stutter? Bend over. We gotta wash your hair," Regina huffs.
"Oh," Cady says. She takes her hair out of the ponytail she had it in and shakes out her curls before she bends over Regina's very nice bathtub. Regina sets the water on and makes sure it's warm, checking it with her hand before she turns it on Cady and starts hosing her down. Cady flinches as the water hits her scalp and starts running down her auburn hair. "Ack."
"Sorry," Regina says, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "Your hair is really soft."
"Thanks," Cady says. "It smells nice in here."
"My shampoo," Regina replies. That explains it.
Regina massages some into Cady's roots and leaves it for a few minutes before rinsing it out, once again with absolutely no warning. She follows it with something in a tub Cady can't read from this angle, raking it through the ends and harshly ripping apart a few tangles. Cady winces and tries not to say anything at the tearing sound of her hair or the harsh pulling at her scalp. Beauty is pain.
Regina is quick if she's anything. Cady can't have been in for more than two minutes before Regina is twisting her hair around itself, clipping it to the top of her head, and covering the lot in a shower cap. "Hair mask. Holds in the moisture."
"Cool," Cady says. Regina snorts.
"Sure. Alright, over here," she says, beckoning her to the sink. Cady looks in the very well-lit mirror and carefully adjusts the shower cap on her head. "Avocado or melon?"
"Hm? Um... melon, I guess," Cady says, thinking she's talking about a snack. She jumps as Regina approaches her face with some pink goop on a silicone brush.
"What? It's just a face mask, it's not gonna bite you," Regina huffs.
"Oh," Cady says. "Sorry, I've just never done one before."
"Oh yeah," Regina says. "It'll make your skin softer. Makeup will go on smoother, blah blah blah. It's an important step. Now don't talk."
Cady listens, shutting her mouth firmly and allowing Regina to brush it over her face. She shuts her eyes when prompted and feels Regina brush more onto her forehead.
"Okay, you're set. Tell Karen to come do me," Regina says, rinsing the brush off under the tap and screwing the lid back on the face mask.
"Okay," Cady nods. She heads back out to the bedroom. Gretchen and Karen practically leap apart and put a sensible amount of distance between them. "Sorry, just me. Oh, and Regina wants you to help with her hair and stuff, Karen."
Gretchen looked like she was about to stand when Cady mentioned Regina wanting someone, and her face falls when she says Karen's name. Karen just shrugs and heads into the bathroom, so Cady takes her spot sitting on Regina's bed.
"Did Regina seem mad at me?" Gretchen asks as soon as Cady hits the mattress. "I'm always the one who does her hair."
"I don't think so. She's probably just stressed about today," Cady says, trying to comfort her. "I mean, you haven't done anything to upset her. I don't see why she'd be mad at you."
"It's always something I miss," Gretchen says anxiously. "I'll just buy her something nice."
"I really don't think you have to. And you shouldn't have to, she's your friend," Cady says sadly. "Just try not to worry about it, tonight should be fun."
"Okay," Gretchen says, her voice a mere squeak. "Yeah, okay."
Cady gently squeezes her shoulder. "I got your back either way. I'll talk to her if she is mad, you don't have to worry."
"Thanks, Cady," Gretchen says with a smile.
"Of course."
They both jump when Regina slams the bathroom door open and comes strutting out to the bedroom. Karen follows rapidly, returning to her perch on the bed.
They all jump yet again when Regina's mother suddenly slams the other door open, rushing in with a pink book in one hand and a cocktail in the other. It's eleven thirty in the morning.
"Regina, baby, before I forget! Look at what I found in the back of your closet the other day," she squeals, doing a weird mix between a dance and a walk over to her daughter.
"Why were you in my closet?" Regina demands.
"I was just admiring your dress," her mother says. "Keeps me young. Anyway, I found your... Burn Book!"
"No way!" Gretchen and Karen squeal. They both rush up to gently take the book from her hand and start flipping through it.
"Oh, Cady, this was just the funniest thing they did a few ye-"
"Out, Mom!" Regina insists, pointing to the door.
"You got it, baby! Have fun, let me know if you-" Mrs. George says as she scurries back to the door. Regina glares at her, so she jumps straight to a, "Bye." and shuts the door behind her.
"Cady, come look," Karen says, beckoning her over with a wave.
"We cut out people's pictures from the yearbook and wrote in comments," Gretchen says. They flip to the first page. "Trang Pak is a grotsky little beeyotch."
Cady's met Trang Pak. They have history class together and she's on the junior varsity cheer squad. She doesn't know what grotsky or beeyotch mean, but it doesn't sound like anything good. Cady frowns. Trang doesn't speak all that much English, but she's really nice.
"Still true," Regina titters as she's doing something to her eyebrows at her vanity. Gretchen flips to the next page.
"Dawn Schweitzer is a fat virgin."
"Still half true."
Cady knows Dawn, too. Dawn is one of her bases in cheer, and she's always nice to her. She's frowning and thinking so hard she almost misses them reading the next page. "Janis Sarkisian, space dyke. Oh my god, I forgot about that!"
Almost.
Cady feels her heart skip a beat. What does that mean?
"Who's that?" Karen asks, pointing to the page. Cady takes the excuse to peek over their shoulders at the photo.
It's Janis a few years younger, maybe a freshman. Her hair is much blonder, less of the roots having grown in. She's also wearing what Cady recognizes as her infamous army jacket. Janis said she had been working on painting it for a few years, and she can see it as a work in progress in the photo. She has her arm around Damian, smiling at the camera, but Janis' eyes are... empty, almost.
"That's that kid Damian, remember?" Gretchen says. "He's one of Cady's bases."
"Yeah, he's almost too gay to function," Cady laughs affectionately, quoting what Janis told her a few weeks ago. She loves Damian.
Regina whirls around in her chair. "That's really funny."
"Oh, I didn't mean that in a bad way, I-"
"No, put that in," Gretchen insists, handing over the book. Regina passes her a Sharpie, so Cady hesitantly scrawls the comment with an arrow pointing to Damian. "Oh, and put in that stuff about Ms. Norbury, too! I'll get her picture. The Book is great for venting."
"Karen, we should rinse you out now," Regina says. Karen scrambles to her feet with a nod and runs to the bathroom while Gretchen cuts Ms. Norbury's photo out of the yearbook.
The moment is over, but Cady stares at the drying ink in the book. She tries not to think too hard about what she's done as she closes it and rests it on the velvet seat at the foot of Regina's bed.
—-
Before Cady totally knows what's happened, her hair is rinsed and brushed and braided up and her face mask is cleaned off and she's being patted dry with cushy towels.
"How do you want your makeup?" Regina asks as she dabs some preparatory skincare onto Cady's face.
Cady thinks for a second. Aaron dated Regina at some point. Some point recently. Maybe Regina is the kind of girl he likes. She can't be with him directly, but nothing says she can't try. "I dunno, like yours?"
"Gotcha," Regina says. Cady braces for another whirlwind as Regina taps varying products over her cheeks and swipes blush on with itchy brushes and puts on more layers of eyeshadow than Cady thinks an average girl would apply in her lifetime.
Within an hour, she's done, and her spot is vacated to make room for Karen. Gretchen gasps when she gets a good look at her in full glamorous makeup for the first time. "Oh, Cady, you look so pretty!"
"Thanks," Cady smiles. "Is it supposed to itch this much?"
"Yeah, just don't scratch," Gretchen chuckles. "Look."
She grabs a handheld mirror from Regina's vanity and holds it out so Cady can check herself out without being in anyone's way. Cady takes it and turns her head from side to side to see herself.
It's almost reminiscent of her cheerleading makeup, with less blue and other bright colors. Her eyeshadow is gold to match the sequins on her dress. It's packed on so thick Cady can't really open her eyes all the way, which apparently makes her look sexier. Somehow.
Again, her freckles are totally covered, packed away beneath a thick layer of foundation. Light bronzer makes her look less dead, and blush gives her cheeks an admittedly adorable rosiness. The lipstick is natural looking, which Cady is thankful for. Her lips but better, as Regina explained.
Her look is very similar to all three of her friends', which Cady supposes really solidifies their whole group motif situation. They look nice, even if they all do look like clones of each other.
Regina is more okay with her mother taking pictures of them this time. Cady thinks she understands the point of dances now that she's all decked out in her fancy makeup and pretty dress.
"Look at those fly bitches!" Mrs. George coos as she snaps an unfathomable amount of pictures in just a few seconds. "Oh, you girls look so beautiful!"
"Thanks, Mrs. George," Gretchen, Karen and Cady all say. Regina just smiles the slightest bit wider in response.
"Just one more!" Mrs. George says. "Okay, I'll let you go. Cady, honey, do your parents have Facebook? Instagram? Marco Polo?"
"Uh... I don't think so. But I can give you their phone numbers," Cady replies.
"That'll work," Mrs. George nods eagerly. She hands over her sequined-cased phone that's almost too big for Cady to hold and lets her enter her parents' numbers. "I'll get those sent off. You girls have fun! And remember to use protection!"
"Mom!" Regina groans. "Bye!"
"Bye!"
"We got a limo?" Cady asks in awe as Regina pulls open the door to the fancy vehicle.
"You picked the right lunch table, Cady," Regina smirks.
————-
"Whoa," Cady says when they step into the school. The theme for homecoming this year is loosely based on a casino. One of the PTA parents is working a 'bar' and serving up alcohol free cocktails, with others working blackjack tables and other 'gambling' events.
"Good evening, ladies, would you care for some gambling money?" Principal Duvall greets, offering little goody bags of Monopoly money and poker chips so they can participate in the events.
"No, thanks," Regina hums haughtily before any of the others can speak up. They walk further in, making their way to the gym where the main dance is set up. "I'll never understand why they come up with those bullshit themes. People are here to dance and find people to hook up with, not for a cheap impersonation of Vegas."
"Yeah," Gretchen scoffs. She listens for a second before she squeals, "Oh my god, it's our song!"
Someone grabs Cady's hand and hauls her towards the dance floor, so Cady runs along so she doesn't roll an ankle on these absurdly high heels.
She's surprised to see Regina dancing too. Regina said she only dances to slow songs so she doesn't sweat. Maybe one song is okay for her.
Cady doesn't know how she should dance. She danced to the music the people in the villages played in Kenya, or whatever her parents managed to get their hands on in terms of CD's. But the only people around for hundreds of miles back then were her parents and a few isolated villagers, and they're much less judgmental than American high schoolers.
She tries her best to follow along with her friends' movements. Before she knows it, the song is done. She's slightly out of breath, but she's having fun.
"Alright, I'm gonna go sit down," Regina says. "Later, bitches."
"I'm gonna go too, but I'll find you guys in a minute, okay?" Cady asks.
"Yeah, of course!" Karen says. "Have fun."
"You too! You guys deserve it," Cady says. "I'll be back."
Cady goes to lean against the nearby wall and people watch. For the budget they have, the school is remarkably well decorated. Lots of red streamers and gold confetti scattered around. Cady takes a moment to breathe and try to get used to the thumping bass and blaring music playing through the loudspeakers. The lights are both too dark and too bright at the same time, and Cady's already totally overwhelmed by it all. And her feet already hurt in her shoes.
She screams the slightest bit when someone slides up next to her with a, "Hey."
"Aah! Oh, Aaron! Hi!" she says. "You look so nice!" Hold me 'til the pain goes away, pleasepleaseplease.
"You do too. This dress looks amazing on you," Aaron replies, looking Cady up and down with a small smile.
"Thank you," Cady replies. "How are your friends?"
"I dunno, they all abandoned me as soon as we got here," Aaron says, leaning against the wall next to her with a small but adorable pout.
"That's rude," Cady frowns. "They shouldn't just ditch you like that."
"Nah, they're fine. I get to do my own thing this way," Aaron shrugs. "Like come talk to you."
"Then I'm glad they ditched you," Cady grins, turning her head to look at him. "God, these shoes are the worst!"
"They look painful," Aaron acknowledges with a grimace. "I thought you looked taller."
"Four inches taller," Cady grumbles, rubbing the ball of her sore foot. "Sorry."
"Don't be sorry. I never understood why girls wear those," Aaron says with a shake of his head. "Probably best to keep them on, though, god knows what's gonna be on this floor tonight."
"Ew," Cady whimpers. "Thanks for the tip, though."
"Anytime," Aaron chuckles. "Hey, uh... do you wanna dance?" he asks, offering her a hand. Cady grins and smooths down the skirt of her dress before she takes it.
"I would love to."
Aaron leads her out to the dance floor. Cady wishes she'd had the foresight to request a slow song, but she'll take the upbeat poppy one playing if it means she gets to dance with the boy of her dreams.
Dancing is a bit of a loose descriptor. They're actually just jumping up and down to the beat of the song, or as close to it as they can be fussed to get. Their hands are still linked, and Cady boldly shifts to twine their fingers together. Aaron pulls her hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles, making Cady blush furiously beneath her wide smile.
They both deflate a bit when the song ends, pausing their dancing and looking at each other.
"Can I tell you something?" Cady murmurs.
"Yeah, of course. Anything," Aaron replies gently. "What is it?"
"I really-"
"What?!" Aaron yells as another song picks up. Cady sighs. Maybe now isn't the right time.
"Never mind," she says. "I'm gonna go get a drink, do you want anything?"
"Nah, thanks. I'll be here!" Aaron says, starting to dance like a madman once again. Cady giggles at his antics and heads over to the drinks table.
"I wouldn't drink that," a voice says as she pours herself a cup of punch. Cady whirls around in shock, and smiles when she sees Janis. "Already been spiked. Stick with water if you don't want a wilder night than I think you're expecting."
"Thanks," Cady replies with a grateful smile, leaving the cup on the table for someone who wants a buzz to take. Janis nods, but when Cady looks up after pouring herself some water, she's gone.
She finds out why when Regina is there instead. "Why were you talking to her?"
"I wasn't, she was here when I got here," Cady says. "I think she spiked the punch with something."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Regina hums, leaning casually against the bleachers. "She's probably planning some big lesbian orgy and trying to get everyone drunk."
"Probably," Cady agrees. It never gets easier, talking about one of the only decent people she knows like that.
"So how're things going with Aaron? I saw you two talking earlier," Regina says, a glint of something in her eye.
"You're not mad?" Cady asks sheepishly. "I know you... I mean, uh... that he just broke up with you. That must've been hard."
"Oh my god, of course I'm not mad," Regina says, seeming aghast at the mere suggestion. "I'm, like, totally over him. If you want... I could talk to him for you."
"You'd do that?" Cady asks.
"Of course! We're friends, aren't we?"
"Thank you so much, Regina," Cady says, sagging in relief. "Just don't say anything totally embarrassing, please?"
"I gotcha. I'll go right now," Regina hums, pushing off the wall and strutting in Aaron's direction. Cady hastily pours herself another cup of water and chugs it all in one go.
She tries not to make it too obvious that she's watching them, not wanting to seem like a total creeper. She does give a small, shy wave when both Aaron and Regina look in her direction, but beyond that she doesn't risk anything beyond an occasional glance.
Cady is confused when they seem to be getting closer together every time she looks their way.
Her worst fears are realized when she looks up and sees they're no longer there. She looks around the gym, trying to see where they've gone, and finds them on the dance floor. Regina is practically wrapped around Aaron, her arms linked behind his neck and his hands dangerously low on her hips. Regina meets Cady's eyes, a mocking, knowing look in her own before she pulls Aaron down for a kiss.
Cady blinks back tears that threaten to spill and turns around, dropping her cup behind her. The water splashes onto her shoes, but she doesn't care. All she can think about is getting out.
She runs out of the gym and out of the building, ending up on a small staircase that's meant to be a fire escape. She leans against the railing and breaks down.
She should've known. Regina would have never volunteered to do something like that for her without expecting something in return. Without a catch. And what a catch she's gotten.
Of course Aaron would pick Regina over her. Of course he'd pick the girl he's been with before, the one with experience, the one he knows. The pretty one, the hot one, the tall one, the... everything one.
Cady is nothing.
She's not sure how long she's out there, feeling the brisk wind against her bare arms and listening to the birds who have been brave enough to stick around this late into autumn. The one benefit of it being so chilly is that the sky is clearer.
Cady looks up at it, looking at the billions of stars surrounding her. They're not as comforting, anymore. Now they just make her feel small. Even more insignificant than she already felt.
It's not like it really matters. She can barely see them through her tears, anyway.
She about startles out of her skin when the door opens again behind her, whirling around in shock.
Of course it's Janis.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," she says gently. She heads up next to her, leaning on her elbows against the railing and looking up at the sky with Cady. "Nice night."
"Yeah," Cady sighs, trying to keep the tremble from her voice.
"You okay?" Janis asks lowly. "I know we don't... know each other all that well, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I just wanted to check, I guess."
"Regina... Regina took Aaron back," Cady sniffs. "She just took him back."
Janis gasps gently, but it seems almost like that wasn't too surprising to her. "I'm sorry."
Cady doesn't know how to respond. It's not okay. Cady does care, a lot. She really likes Aaron. She is hurt.
"It's not-not your fault," is what she settles on after a long beat.
"Need a hug?" Janis murmurs gently. Cady nods, not even bothering to check for people who might see them before she sinks into an embrace with her... friend. She thinks she can call Janis that now.
If she couldn't before, she definitely can after this. Janis just holds her close, gently but with the occasional squeeze. She doesn't even mention the tears and snot soaking into the shoulder of her very nice blazer. Janis seems totally unbothered by it. Content just to let Cady do what she needs to do.
"Sorry," Cady sniffles when she pulls back. "I dunno where that came from. I'll get that dry cleaned for you."
"S'alright," Janis shrugs. "Don't worry about it. Hey, um... Damian and I were gonna ditch early and go get waffles, would you... maybe wanna come?"
That sounds amazing, getting away from the too-loud music and lights that hurt her head. And away from her, most of all. But...
"I can't," Cady says apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'd really like to, I just... can't... let her win. I can't let her ruin this night for me."
"Dangerous game," Janis chuckles lowly. Something about it makes the hair on the back of Cady's neck stand up. It's... a warning. "Well, if you're staying, we should fix your makeup."
"Shit, I didn't bring any," Cady realizes.
"Gimme two seconds," Janis says, hauling the heavy door back open and running inside. Cady waits, getting colder and more confused by the second.
Janis returns, as promised, with Damian and a large bag of makeup in tow. Damian coos sadly when he sees Cady's tear-stained face. He gently pulls her into a hug and gives her a squeeze before he pulls her back to observe his canvas.
"Theatre kid," Janis explains when he pulls out some makeup wipes and gets right to work. Cady lets him gently wipe off her ruined makeup and swipe on a quick replacement look. It looks similar enough to what she started with that she doesn't think anyone will be able to tell the difference.
"Thanks," Cady says with a sniffle. Damian holds up a mirror so she can see herself. She almost likes this look better. The foundation he used is thinner, so her freckles actually show through, and her eyeshadow compliments her eye shape more than the old makeup did. "I love it."
"Anytime. You sure you don't wanna come with us?" Damian asks. Cady nods.
"Some other time. But you guys have fun," she replies. She jumps as Damian spritzes her with some setting spray, coughing a bit as she accidentally inhales some.
"Sorry."
"It's okay," Cady giggles. "Thank you."
"We gotcha," Janis says with a wink. "Knock 'em dead, Caddy."
Cady wraps her in another hug, squeezing her so so tightly in thanks. Janis squeezes her back before she turns her around and sends her back into the gym with a pat to her shoulder.
Cady heads right back to the drinks table and grabs yet another cup of water. She chugs it, making extra sure not to smudge the very nice lipstick Damian applied.
Cady feels better once the ice cold water is settled in her stomach. She walks over to Gretchen and Karen, who are taking a break from the dancing to sit on the bleachers and people watch. "Hey!"
"Hey!" they reply, beckoning her over to sit with them.
"I saw Regina with Aaron," Gretchen says. "Are you okay?"
"Oh my god, of course!" Cady says like it's obvious. I've never been less okay in my life, Gretchen, but thanks. "She must've, like, really wanted him back if she was willing to take him like that. I'm glad they're working their stuff out. Do you guys wanna go dance?"
"Uh... sure," Karen agrees. She seems to catch on to Cady's odd demeanor more than Gretchen does, but wisely doesn't bring it up.
Gretchen and Karen follow her back to the dance floor. Both of them squeal when the next song comes on, some upbeat pop song both of them love but Cady doesn't recognize. She dances along anyway.
She looks over her shoulder at Regina as she holds hands with Gretchen and Karen and dances around. Regina has a challenging look, almost a glare, in her eyes. Waiting to see Cady's response, what she'll do, what she dares to try.
So Cady just smiles.
To anyone else watching, it's a friend smiling at a friend. But Cady knows. Regina knows. A smile can be a threat.
This one says you may have won the battle, but I will win the war.
A declaration.
May the best girl win.
————-
hope you enjoyed!!
here's the links to everyone's dresses! the colors aren't exactly what i was envisioning for most of them but the styles are so just bear that in mind :
regina: https://www.lucyinthesky.com/shop/giulia-square-neck-dress-in-pink-sequins
gretchen: https://www.lucyinthesky.com/shop/doe-power-mesh-long-sleeve-dress-in-purple
karen: https://www.elliewilde.com/ellie-wilde/fall-2020/ew22018s
cady: https://www.promgirl.com/shop/dresses/viewitem-PD2420297
have a lovely day!
#cadnis#paint by numbers#space safari#cady heron x janis sarkisian#cady x janis#cady heron#janis sarkisian#regina george#gretchen wieners#karen smith#aaron samuels#damian hubbard#mean girls#mean girls musical#mean girls broadway#mean girls the musical#mean girls on broadway#picking teams
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hello again my hooligans, I am still in the absolute depths of 'waiting room' chapter three and I've just decided to cut one of the Murray scenes because I realised that it just straight up didn't fit (and is borderline incredibly OOC), but I don't hate it. It's very self-indulgent and really focuses on the autistic eddie munson hc, so instead of just losing it to time I thought I'd toss it on here. So, here it is:
Murray is a bizarre person to be around.
It’s obvious from the moment that Eddie arrives in the back of Joyce’s Ford Pinto that putting Eddie up is something that Murray has decided he has to do, rather than something he wants to do.
It’s not that he makes Eddie feel unwelcome as much as he makes Eddie feel on edge. Like how Eddie would sometimes act larger than life in order to freak people out except over-the-top is just Murray’s default setting.
If anything, it’s like Eddie has finally met his match.
What’s worse is that Murray seems to be able to see Eddie in ways that other people either don’t. He picks up on little things and, unlike the rest of polite society, he doesn’t have a problem with bringing them up.
First up is Eddie’s constant fidgeting and hundred mile an hour brain. They’re sitting in Murray’s kitchen watching something on this tiny TV that he has balanced on his counter and Eddie’s leg hasn’t stopped bouncing since he sat down. All he can think about is the people he’s left behind in Hawkins. The way they’ll be dealing with the accusations of harbouring a fugitive. He worries at his bottom lip as he stares in the direction of the TV, fingers tapping out a frantic rhythm against his jawbone.
He almost doesn’t notice when Murray turns the TV off and clears his throat. “You got a whole lotta nervous energy, don’t you kid?”
“I was just run out of town,” Eddie says. “You telling me you wouldn’t be nervous too?”
Murray shrugs. “I’m just saying that I’ve seen that type of nervous energy before. Got friends who deal with that sorta shit. Brain always turned up to a hunred type of shit.”
“Hopper said you didn’t have any friends.”
“Yeah, well Hopper also said he didn’t want Joyce Byers and here we are.”
Eddie concedes to that.
“All I’m saying is that there’s shit you can do if you want. Had a friend who I used do stake-outs with who used to have to get out of the car and do laps. Another guy used to jump on the spot.” He tilts his head. “Tryna think if it was the reason Chrissie had all those candy necklaces but that might’ve just been a snack.”
Eddie’s no stranger to the calmness that can come from throwing himself about. His body has always been the most expressive thing about him. From grand and sweeping hand gestures to the little movements that used to get him sent out of class on the regular. The problem is that the world isn’t built for people to just get up and move. (He’d learnt that the first time he got tipped off a chair by some kids that thought it was funny that he rocked while trying to figure out third grade maths.)
“What happened to those friends of yours?”
Eddie sometimes wonders if the feelings go away the older that you get. Like how some of the foods that used to send him crawling deep under the duvet don’t give him a second thought now. But even that has taken years and if the rest of it is going to take just a long he doesn’t…
“Uh, two of them still work for the paper and Chrissie, uh, she got eaten by a shark down in New England.” Murray says it as if it’s nothing. “Told her not to go in the water down there but no one ever listens to me.” He shakes his head. “Why, you want tips?”
“On getting eaten by sharks?”
“Kid, you’re really starting to get on my nerves.” Murray rolls his eyes. “But you’re in a troubling time so I guess I’ll let it slide.”
“Nice of you.”
“I’m a nice guy,” Murray says.
A couple of nights later he finds a small stack of emails printed off and stapled together. They’re from a guy called Winston and they list about fifty different ways he helps calm his brain down when everything gets too loud. On top of the paper is a small silver ring with a outer part that spins freely even when it’s on Eddie’s finger.
Written on the top of the paper in thick black letters is “so you stop distracting me while I’m trying to watch the news” and Eddie guesses maybe he can give the guy a chance.
#eddie munson#eddie munson fic#cop that jaws reference because its the only 70s reference you'll ever get out of me#ficlet#also if anyone would like to finish writing waiting room for me i would love it cause chapter three is kicking my ass#my fics
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All about Math
Hello everyone! My name is Deandre Javier P. Cang! I am a student from University of San Carlos South Campus! Today, I will be talking about my favourite subject, and that is math. Math is the universal language of the universe, as people call it. It is a mix of numbers, letters, symbols, Etc. There are a lot of jobs that uses math like Engineering, Architect, Computer programmer, etc. Math is really important for us to add things, subtract things, multiply things, in order to find the missing answer! It is also really interesting to learn more about mathematics because you can compete in different competitions and have fun with the other competitors.
Math has a lot of interest and easy things for you to learn in order to make things a lot interesting! Math is also important for calculation. And calculation is important for us to figure out what is the answer to our math problems. You can also have fun with math, like arithmetic. Arithmetic can make us do problems for us to answer so that we can solve problems in the real world easier and faster.
Math is also important for solving calculus, and other types of math for jobs. Since math is common for engineering and Computer programming. Math can also be benefit for adding and subtracting. Since you need it in the real world like taking away apples, and oranges, up to solving the factorial of x! Math also has other hard problems for you to solve! Math really is interesting if you think about it, you can try it yourself! So in conclusion, Math is interesting and sometimes fun! Thanks for reading this blog about math, I hoped you liked it!
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Mandala Volume I Hardworlder | Book 1 - The Office Job Chapter 3: The Target
Is there a price on my head, or am I just hungover?
Paul had a rough night and some strange dreams. He had stayed out clubbing till three in the morning and according to his account, had spent four thousand dollars at bars, strip clubs, and ATMs. There was no one else in his bed, but he had dreamed of two of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. He didn’t think he could have made them up. He wasn’t that creative.
What he was, at least, was rich. He traveled all over the country helping criminals hide their money, which lately meant a lot of crypto wallets and trying to explain the difference between Bitcoin and Monero to people who knew how to manage criminal networks like magic but had never passed a math class. Some trips were covered by his day job, supervising the west coast accounts unit at a large insurance company. He paid his manager three grand a month to fudge the productivity reports and generally make him invisible to management. He laundered his money in the usual ways and had recently made a fortune trading options in an insane bull market. Life was good.
One of his favorite things about his life was staying up all night, which also meant sleeping in. Most days, this wasn’t a problem. He would get up around one, make it to the office after three (already clocked in since eight). However, it was only nine o’ clock and he was wide awake. His phone was ringing for the second time, buried in his clothes on the floor halfway across the room and he kicked two bottles getting to it.
“Hello, Paul?”
He nearly threw it into the wall. It was his therapist. He had weekly sessions about a suicide attempt he only half-remembered. According to the police report, he had tried to drive his car off a bridge and only managed to get it stuck on a curb. He usually got really fucked up before he went, but had just skipped the last two. He figured that since he didn’t remember them anyway, there wouldn’t be any harm in not going at all. His therapist disagreed.
“Paul, I have you down for nine-thirty today. Do you remember when we agreed on that time? You rescheduled twice before, and you assured me this time would work for you. I tried to call you three times last night.”
So that’s who was blowing up his phone in the champagne room.
“I’m not going to be able to make it. I got to go to work.”
“I thought you didn’t go in until the afternoon. Isn’t that the arrangement?”
Paul pulled the phone away from his face and gawked at it. How much had he told this dude?
“Uh, no, what? I just can't make it. Look, I'm doing better, I just—”
“Paul, the court mandated that you attend our sessions. If you don’t show up today, I'll have to report it.”
Shit. He could probably pay him off. But why hadn't he done that before? Had he tried? He couldn’t remember.
“All right, fine. Can you give me a couple of hours? I just got up.”
“I will see you at ten. I’ll have breakfast brought to my office, so don’t worry about eating beforehand. Please expect to stay until eleven. Goodbye.”
He hung up! Paul considered having him dissolved in a barrel somewhere, but something told him he had to go to this session or the heat was going to come down on him hard. He decided just to pop something and head out, but found the condo completely drug-free, nothing but thin amber slivers left in the bottles.
He passed out in the back of the Uber on the way and dreamed of a room with no doors. When he screamed, his voice echoed back as a laugh.
His therapist’s office was halfway up a black glass tower downtown, in a hooked hallway between a hedge fund and a fintech startup. The breakfast spread came from a five-star kitchen at the top and almost made it all worth it. He gave his therapist, Andler, a censored summary of his last few weeks while he finished two plates. Afterward, Andler asked him something he asked every session, or at least the ones Paul remembered. It had never seemed weird before. It did today.
“Any strange dreams lately?”
“No.”
“None?”
“I never dream.”
“Everyone dreams, Paul. Every night. You just might not remember them.” The office was small and minimally furnished, but what was there screamed money. Andler was sitting in a love seat across the coffee table. Paul was sunk into a big leather couch he always struggled not to fall asleep in during their sessions, sipping orange juice and praying for vodka.
“Then I don’t remember them.”
“Paul, you’re sober today for once, which I appreciate, but you usually don’t have any problems talking about your dreams. That tells me you want to, but you think you need the drugs to get up the courage to do so.”
Paul didn’t remember ever telling him about his dreams. Looking back, he could remember being asked, but had no idea what he had said.
“So, you analyze dreams? I thought that was outdated.”
“I don’t analyze them in the Freudian sense, no. However, they can be useful for you to talk about.”
“Like, what I say I feel about my dreams is more important than what you think they symbolize?”
“You could say that.”
Paul ate more of the scones and drank some coffee. He watched the river glitter behind the downtown skyline out the massive floor-to-ceiling window and wondered if any patients ever tried to throw themselves out of it.
“Paul, you really can't recall any of your dreams? You told me last month you would try to remember as many as you could.”
Andler moved his papers around in his folder. Paul hated it. Despite his efforts, there was more of him in those pages than on this side of the coffee table. Maybe coming here high had been a bad idea.
“It was one of our goals, the first one. ‘I will try to remember my dreams. I think they are important. That’s what you wrote right here.”
Andler showed him the paper with his handwriting. Paul didn’t remember writing it. He looked at it like he was giving it serious thought and imagined some maniac throwing Andler through the window.
“We talked about lucid dreaming, how a friend told you about it and you felt it would be helpful to you.”
Paul smiled and nodded. His friend had said “Bruh, you can fuck any girl you want, any way you want when you go lucid. I fuck porn stars two at a time every night”. It had sounded legit.
“Do you remember any of your dreams this week?”
Paul thought about the two girls from last night, which was easy as he had been thinking about them off and on all morning, and decided it would be funny to see Andler’s reaction. He couldn’t imagine the guy even discussing sex. If those two girls showed up at Andler’s house, he’d probably make them tea and ask them about their dads.
“Well, last night I dreamed about two girls, the hottest girls I've ever seen, I mean ever. I don’t know how my mind did it. I'm not creative enough to come up with girls that hot, you know?”
Andler’s reaction was not what Paul had expected. He got very still and seemed to be waiting for Paul to give some grand confession.
“What did these girls want from you?”
Paul laughed and spilled his coffee.
“Are you a robot, Andler?”
Andler didn’t laugh, and something in his not laughing killed Paul's laughter. Was he analyzing his dreams for real?
“Did they ask you anything?” Andler said.
“Uh, yea, you know, normal girl shit. Where I worked, how much I made, what I do for fun.”
“What did you tell them?”
“I don’t know why, but I told them about my job, that I worked for an insurance company. It was weird but, they seemed really interested. Like they thought it was cool that I worked there. What's that mean?”
Andler took a moment to snap out of whatever thoughts he was having.
“It could be a sign that you want to be that person, to take pride in your job. The idea of someone liking you for that seems to be something you want. What else did they ask you?”
“Uh, where the good clubs were, stuff about the city. I think they were from out of town. What does that mean?”
“What else did they ask you?” Paul usually took no shit from anyone, and by all rights he should have backhanded Andler for his tone alone, not to mention ignoring his question, but something had come over him and he couldn’t even consider doing anything besides answering truthfully.
“They asked me where I would be tomorrow. I mean today. They wanted to see me again.”
“What else?”
“That’s it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Sorry.” Paul couldn’t remember the last time he had apologized to anyone.
Andler sat back and sighed.
“Well, I want you to think about what you think that dream means and tell me about it next session. And try to remember any other dreams you have. We talked about dream journals a few sessions ago. I suggest you try your best to write in yours regularly.” There was a pause.
“Are we done?” Paul asked. It had only been half an hour.
“Yes.” Andler didn’t offer any other explanation, and Paul remembered he didn’t want to be there anyway, so he got up and left.
When he was gone, Andler took out his phone.
“He just left. Someone’s trying to get to him. No. I don’t know. Two girls, it seems. Got his P.O.E. Understood. No. Well, call me if they do so, and I’ll get him up.”
He hung up and went behind the desk, pulled the carpet up, and opened a floor safe. He took out a Beretta Px4 with a custom grip, a pouch of three magazines and some car keys, then grabbed his other keys off the desk and went out the door.
Continue
#mandala#the office job#edward eidolon#web fiction#serial fiction#new weird#cyberpunk#dreampunk#dreamcore#lucid dreams#indie books#fiction#web serial#web novel#serial novel#sci fi#writeblr
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Game Development with JavaScript
Blog Post 1 - INTP-362
So recently, I started learning JavaScript focusing on the game development side of it instead of just the regular website functionality stuff.
I'm going off of the assumption that you are from my class who has learned JavaScript in terms of website development before (if you aren't then hello!), I'm also gonna assume that you already know how to code and the basics of JS.
So game development using JavaScript isn't anything new, having been used in many beloved games such as Bejeweled, Pac-Man, Tetris, Agar.io, and so on and as game development has always been something that I've always wanted to learn, I figured why don't I try to make my own? "But why JS?" you may ask. Well here's the true answer, as cool as it would be to learn game dev in C or C++, those are simply just languages I'd rather learn on my own time without the pressure of meeting certain deadlines or having due dates for deliverables for while learning whereas I already am familiar with JS and it'll be easier for me to produce product that way :P (as this entire thing is currently kinda just for school and one of my subjects).
I started my journey learning JS game dev on a site called SoloLearn (a website that's whole purpose is to allow people to learn and practice coding). For the first couple weeks, the lessons were purely just recap of things I had already known (html, css, basic web dev stuff) and given the limited amount of lives that would be taken away if you answered the quiz questions wrong (which was embarrassingly more often than I'd like to admit. Turns out the recap was definitely needed lmAO) I only recently actually started getting into the new content.
From my limited time actually getting into the game dev side of JS, there's definitely a lot more math to be done. So far in our courses, I've found that we haven't really needed to get deep inside complex math (I'm talking trig and things to do with radians and pi and vexes and shapes bc let's be honest, that stuff is harder than calc or algebra I wiSH I could be doing calc or algebra instead of using pi bro) but I've found that JS game dev heavily relies on these aspects. Now of course, you don't need to manually do every single calculation to figure out every shape (circles make themselves essentially if you know what you're doing) but looking at all these numbers and tryna remember which axis is the x and which is the y after 2 years of not touching that pains me. I had to relearn how to convert angles into radians I'm in pain. But other than circles, the math was still necessary, especially given the short quiz questions that were handed out to me in which they gave us the x and y dimensions of the canvas (which is where all the cool shapes and stuff shows up) and we had to do math to figure out where a shape was supposed to be placed if we wanted it in a certain space on the canvas like the centre. While you may be thinking "Hey OP, that's genuinely not too bad, you simply divide the canvas x and y in half!" yeah, sure for circles but for rectangles/squares, it's a tad more difficult (or a lot more difficult if you have monke brain like me). In order to place a rectangle in the middle of the canvas, not only must you find the middle of the canvas, you must also take the width of the rectangle divided in 2 and then subtract that from the width of the canvas divided by 2 and then do the same for the length of the rectangle and canvas. Now while that may not be too bad, you must remember that my brain has the memory of chimpanzees (who apparently have the worst memory? Just like me fr) and I simply cannot remember that many numbers while still processing future math problems because I simply currently don't have the ability to (my memory is being reserved specifically by random minecraft and science facts).
Now that I've finished malding over the pain of numbers, onto what's kinda the neater part of game dev: the animating. I cannot explain to you the pain I went through when testing out different things. Fortunately, SoloLearn provides examples that you can run on the website while learning but despite the example being directly in front of me, I still manage to make mistakes when adding features to practice my understanding. Take this code for example:
A nice loading bar-like animation! For the longest time, I sat there wondering as to why when changing the value to blue, a portion of the line would flash blue before reverting back to red then doing the same thing again. This, of course, was because when I redrew the line starting from the beginning, the code to actually set x to 0 and to redraw the line in another colour was in the last if loop, causing the line to just restart drawing in red when the function was called again. Now while the solution was simple, as most of you have probably encountered before, actually finding the problem is a much more difficult process. I cannot explain the many errors and hours (it was more like max 5 mins but it deffo felt like hours to me) that it took for me to finally understand exactly what the problem was. But alas, my stupidity doesn't end there! Take another snippet of code and output as example:
The way that I viewed this animation was like watching cars go by or maybe the windows of a train or something of the like truthfully as it is, it can be whatever your heart desires it to be. Regardless of how you might view it, though, nothing can deny my pain when trying to code this. So the steps when coding animation for a moving subject is as follows:
Clear the canvas
Draw the object(s) in their new position
Update positions based on logic
Repeat
Along with the rule that whenever you draw another shape, you must always context.beginPath(). Pretty simple, right? Well admittedly, yes it is fairly simple HOWEVER recall my previous mention of my monke brain you will also have to remember that I fail do simple procedural things. Now I hope you have realized where this is going. When trying to code the blue moving square, I came across a problem. Suddenly my red square had disappeared like my hopes and dreams. But how could all the (extremely simplistic like a kindergartner's drawing probably worse if I'm being honest) cars looks the same? Where's the diversity? After hours (again, minutes) of searching my code to figure out who had been the cause of this devastation (it's me) I had finally found the reason(s). The first problem was that I had added another context.clearRect(). Because of this problem, I had completely erased all red cars from showing themselves, leaving a hole gaping hole where they would've been found. Now once fixing that problem, everything should be fine right? Wrong. I had accidentally forgot to include context.beginPath() meaning that while now there were the proper amount of cars, there was still a lack in diversity. Failing to execute this code causes the former shape to inherit the same characteristics as the latter shape which caused all my cars to become blue (kinda like white wash-). Finally, once that code was added into the correct place, it finally looked like as it should.
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I realize this is weirdly specific, however, may I ask if you can recommend any fics where Inuyasha and Kagome are in a relationship, but either of their parent(s) do not approve and/or actively try and split them apart for some reason or another? Cannon-flavored or AU are both fine, as is NSFW. I apologize for any oddness, but I’m just looking for something with that type of family angst in it. Thank you kindly for your hard work, and please have a wonderful day.
Hello Nonnie!
Thank you for your patience; since this is a very specific type of angst it took the team a minute to find. That said, some of these fics stretched your ask a little bit in that parental/guardian disapproval is only one part of the plot and not the primary focus of the fic.
We hope this is the family angst you were looking for.
So Now We'll Let the Rain Fall by @witchygirl99 (T)
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but it doesn't leave you any less broken. Inuyasha is stubborn, broken but inexplicably beautiful. Kagome is drawn to him like a moth to a flame, unable to stop herself from saving him, and saving herself.
--
Ours by @shinidamachu (T)
The stakes are high. The water's rough. But this love is ours.
--
Heartsong by DeletedAccountNotChangingMyMind (T)
The War had consumed the people for many years the War of humans and Demons Kagome heir to the human throne needs to marry Inuyasha king to the demon her mother doesn't approve but her people need the peace now they must fight for it to keep it.
--
Vanilla and Orange Blossom by sakura ten'nyo (T)
Two feuding families. A centuries old quarrel. A pair of starcross'd lovers. In fair...Tokyo? Romeo and Juliet with a twist. Enjoy!
--
Enchanted by @akitokihojo (T)
"Too bleak?" He asked.
"Not at all." Kagome answered, their eyes meeting. "There's plenty of beauty in embers."
A thud in his chest, a swelling in his diaphragm. He could feel the thin skin of his lips slowly part as he let her statement hang in the air. The stillness between them was comfortable, as was her stare, and he allowed himself a small moment to stop thinking, to stop trying to figure out what was happening and just relish in the peace he'd found. As the sun hid itself behind the distant mountains in the West, shadows filling the woods, Inuyasha pushed himself to stand.
--
The Debutante and the Dog by @fawn-eyed-girl & @ruddcatha (E)
Kagome Higurashi has lived a privileged life: the best schools, the best clothes, the best of everything. Except with that privilege comes with a cost. Kagome’s parents have also always planned everything out for her, including her career: they want her, more than anything, to be a doctor.
The only problem? Kagome sucks at math, and science, and would give anything to be able to be an artist, and not a doctor, like her parents have planned.
And when she sees the handsome half-demon from the wrong side of the tracks in her art class, she realizes that there’s a way out of this life that has been mapped out for her.
She just has to convince Inuyasha Taisho to be her boyfriend for two weddings, and she’s willing to use any means necessary to do so. Including ten thousand dollars.
She just didn’t plan on crushing on him so hard.
--
All That Matters by @kstewdeux (M)
Inuyasha is hunted on his human night but this time he doesn’t manage to come out unscathed. Complete.
--
Possessed by @splendentgoddess (E)
Direct sequel to Possessing, taking place right where that story left off. Come see how Kagome and Inuyasha adapt to their newfound relationship status, once they realize being an official couple means they no longer have to hold themselves back. Well, most of the time, at least. It still has to stay a secret from the world at large. How does their day-to-day life together change as a result? What stays the same? And what happens when Sango and Miroku find out?! Plus Kagome really ought to tell her family...
--
Until You're Mine by mangx3 (E)
Now in the midst of adulthood and recently married, Kagome Higurashi is more than shocked when she sees her ex-boyfriend from high school, her first true love who still has a special place in her heart but has also broken it. Despite her reservations, she agrees to a seemingly meaningless reunion when their conversation brings back memories she doesn't want to remember, choices she can't make, and heartache she can't handle.
--
Beautiful Stranger by @splendentgoddess (X)
Desperate to get over a bad breakup, Kagome lets Sango talk her into having a one-night-stand. She meets the perfect candidate in Inuyasha, who initially mistakes her motives for financial in nature. Did I say this was supposed to be a one-night-stand?
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Impulse looks over. Grian and Pearl have taken to playing with Pancake, and Mumbo appears to be contemplating life while staring at the void and also the things in the void in the distance. Scar isn’t too nearby any of them; perfect. Impulse doesn’t know how far sound carries, given that they’re all only imagining there’s sound in the first place, so Impulse is pretty sure everyone can hear conversations they think they’re supposed to be able to overhear, or something.
This conversation… this is one he just wants to have between the two of them, y’know? So it’s good he can catch Scar alone now. He ambles (for whatever definition of ambles is their physics-defying movement in this place) up to the man and taps him on the shoulder.
“Why, hello there Impulse!” says Scar brightly.
“Hey Scar,” Impulse says.
“What brings you here?”
“Yeah, I had a question for you,” Impulse says. “I was wondering if you could explain again - why exactly is it smarter for us to wait here, instead of trying to hunt down a universe on our own?”
“The Swaggon -”
“Plainly, please? You know neither of us have actually cared about the Swaggon or its reputation for probably months now.”
Scar falls quiet again. “Alright. Give me a moment to collect my thoughts, okay?”
“I can wait,” Impulse says. “Although, it is sorta urgent.”
“How?”
“We’ll get there. Like I said, I can wait,” Impulse says, and he does, while Scar clearly takes time to carefully think through his words. Scar doesn’t do that often, so Impulse is pretty sure the man’s actually taking this seriously. Slipping the salesman idiot off for a bit. It’s honestly disconcerting, but hey, Impulse can’t judge disconcerting decisions on how to interact with others, right?
Finally, and with some weight, Scar begins speaking. “Okay. So, my calculations were wrong,” he starts. He’s clearly holding back comments about the Swaggon and refunds. Impulse appreciates the effort. “I thought we’d hit the nearest neighbor universe through the void months ago. So it’s safe to say I miscalculated, or even just misunderstood how deep the void between worlds was, if you could get past the killing part. I swear, I used all the latest research! I may sometimes exaggerate the truth, but for something like this…”
“For what it’s worth, I do trust you not to be careless with our lives,” Impulse says. “Or, uh, sorta trust you? I mean, I figured you’d do something wrong, and the zippers did have air gaps, but…”
Scar winces. “I…”
Impulse shrugs. “Perils of the job, really. Honestly did not realize those were a problem. Figured it was intentional until, well... But, okay, you were wrong, no nearby universe in our path. We can move now. Why not just go looking?”
“Because the odds we find one are tiny,” Scar says. “It’s a void! We’d just as likely navigate in circles! And even if I - well, I sort of feel like I may be able to actually navigate some, I don’t think I can figure out how to navigate out. Not anymore. Not when clearly I already got a lot of things wrong.“
Impulse inclines his head. “Isn’t that better than nothing?”
“Well, we’d leave the search radius the others would be looking in, then!” Scar exclaims. “My calculations may have been wrong, but I’d talked to Cub about them! And he’s far better at math than me. He could figure out the radius we’d end up in, based on all his own fancy calculations, but only if we stay in it! Why, I imagine even Xisuma, or Tango, or - the point is that if we just stay put, we’re far more likely to be rescued than if we go searching for things we won’t find.”
“Right, but they won’t,” Impulse says.
“Excuse you! Cub -”
“Wasn’t really doing so well at the end, we both saw him. He, at best, was going to rocket himself off alone. He’s dead, Scar. Xisuma? Xisuma’s been out of it for months, and we all know it. He didn’t know what was happening, let alone have time to make an escape plan. He’s dead too. I’d suggest Tango or Zedaph, but Tango was missing before we did this trip, and Zedaph refused to acknowledge anything was wrong. Dead. Next on my list -”
“Impulse -”
“- I’d check with maybe Doc? Doc and Ren said they were trying something, which could be good, but they seemed pretty possessed, so honestly sounds like they’re dead too -”
“Impulse -”
“- which leaves, who, Xb? Man builds survival bunkers, but that’s not something that can survive a moon crash, let’s be real. So he’s dead t -”
“IMPULSE, STOP,” Scar says, and his voice cracks, and Impulse stops. “Impulse, I’ve - I’ve already had my breakdown. Impulse, I - we’re here and that’s my fault already, I don’t need you to calmly explain why all of our friends are dead.”
Impulse blinks. “Oh. Sorry, I guess. I was more making the point that there’s probably no point anymore waiting for -”
“Just stop,” Scar says. “They aren’t dead.”
“Scar, we have to be proactive,” Impulse says. “Unless you noticed, Pearl ate an eldritch horror earlier. If we don’t go finding a way out soon, we’re going to go over an event horizon, and then we may not be able to leave.”
And Scar… Scar laughs, and it’s a little high and wild. Irrationally, Impulse’s first thought is: oh, he got that from Grian. But then he processes Scar’s words:
“Impulse, we’re long over any event horizon there may have been. You’re the one who pointed that out. If there was a point of no return it was two months ago. Too late, buddy! It’s too late!”
Impulse blinks again. For a moment, something in him cracks. It’s probably the dam he’d built out of cheerful obliviousness and a friendly apathy. Yeah, it’s that wall, because everything starts getting fuzzy, because everything sort of goes out of focus, because he stops being able to happily ignore that they’re all already monsters, because he can’t stop noticing that he doesn’t have to breathe so what’s the point of trying to control his breath when he’s panicking, because they have weird vision and he’d been acting blasé about it but it’s not nothing it’s, because he’s hungry too, because the wall has cracked and, and -
“Scar, Scar, I’m terrified, though,” Impulse says, shakily. “Because - there has to be something we can do, Scar. We can’t just have to wait and never be able to -”
He feels Scar’s hand on his shoulder.
“Impulse, buddy, tell you what. If you find a way to find us a universe, we’ll go. Event horizon, rescue, or not. But until then…”
Scar is shaking too, Impulse realizes.
“Until then… god, I’m so, so sorry. I never wanted this. I never wanted this.”
They stay there next to each other until Impulse has carefully rebuilt the dam again, and, Impulse thinks, until Scar’s own breathing stops getting fuzzy thinking about the things Impulse has said. Then, they both turn back to the others.
Impulse stares, and then laughs quietly as he realizes all three of them are pretending they hadn’t been eavesdropping. Still, they all look so shaky that Impulse can’t help but feel a bit bad he didn’t find a way for them to not overhear. He takes a deep breath.
“I think now’s a great time for truth or dare,” he says, and Grian groans, and it’s a terrible distraction, but terrible distractions are how Impulse has been staying sane this whole time, so no one calls him out for it.
Scar begins proposing rules, and Impulse starts thinking of truths, and dares, and universes.
#hermitcraft#the continued adventures of the boatem road trip#unreality#(minor but it comes up a little)#cut is for length but also for. lots of talk of dread and the possibility of the other hermits being dead#so be aware of that#some amount of horror#currently bad at judging how much though#this one… this one is a serious one#anyway impulse strikes me as someone who is very intentionally go with the flow#and who very intentionally doesn’t let things affect him horribly in situations like this#he strikes me as someone who would try to be the ‘reasoned’ one#of course. right up until he’s not.#have fun with THAT conversation boatem crew huh
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First Kiss
[Andrew Garfield Peter Parker x reader]
“Ugh! Why do you have to be so difficult!” You screamed at your math homework, practically throwing it across the room. You needed a break, so you decided sit on your balcony and get some fresh air.
You watched the city below you, your mind slowly calming down from the stress of your homework. You then saw a red and blue streak, swinging through the city. You smiled, recognizing the streak as Spider-Man. He had been around for almost a two years now. A while back he had disappeared, but he returned and continued to save the city.
Spider-Man had now disappeared into an alleyway and your gaze landed on the Empire State Building, it was beautiful and you loved living in New York.
Breaking you out of your day dreams, your phone started to ring from inside your bedroom, where your messy university homework laid. You went back inside and picked up your phone.
You smiled at the caller ID, “Hello Peter,” you said, running a hand through your hair and putting your right hand in the back pocket of your jeans.
“Hey, I’ll be over in a few minutes to study. I had to run a couple errands...” he trailed off, vaguely. You looked at your homework and then at yourself in the mirror, “Oh it’s fine, I was taking a break anyway,” you replied. He chucked, “Okay, see you in five,” he said, then hanging up.
You looked down at your phone, the picture of Peter you had taken in Central Park was your wallpaper. You blushed seeing his smiling face. Peter Parker was your best friend and your crush, but you know he didn’t feel the same way. Not only had he lost someone romantically close to him last year but you probably weren’t even his type.
In Peters eyes, you were exactly his type. He wanted to be more than just friends but he knew that some of his enemies knew who he really was, if they saw him getting close to someone he really cared about they could be a target. He didn’t want you to get hurt so he never asked you out or revealed his feelings. This was extremely hard for him to do, because you were so close, you always studied together.
Peter was mesmerized by you when you would study. The way you would chew on the top of your pen or pencil. The way you ran your hand through your hair when you were really concentrating. He loved everything about you and wanted so desperately to have you in his arms. But he needed to keep you safe, even if he knew you would never feel the same.
Peter had arrived just in time. You moved your homework to your kitchen table and made you and Peter each a glass of iced tea. Handing him the glass he mumbled a thank you. “So what question are you on?” Peter asked, looking next to you to see your paper. “Question five,” you huffed, the stress of the math problem coming back to you.
“Oh this is easy, you just have to find out how they got 243,” Peter explained. You looked at the problem again and it all became clear.
“Really, that’s it? Oh my god, you do, how the hell did I not see that before,” you laughed, taking your pencil and quickly solving the equation. Peter watched you as you worked out the problem, butterflies filled his stomach. You were absolutely adorable.
He giggled and you looked up, “What?” You asked, giggling yourself.
“Nothing,” Peter shrugged off.
You nudged him, “Oh come on, tell me,” you replied.
He shook his head, smiling, “I can’t, I want to but I can’t,” he admitted.
This made you more curious, “That doesn’t make any sense, Peter.” You said. “Just tell me,” you added.
“I think your laugh is adorable. I loved the way your eyes lit up when your figured out the solution to the problem. I think your the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen and-,” he said, but you cut him off with your lips.
It was impulsive, yes, but he said all of those beautiful words with those big puppy dog eyes. How could you not kiss him. You began to pull away but he pulled you closer to him, kissing you back. It was sweet but then became passionate, like what happened after the ‘ they lived happily ever after’ title card.
You both pulled away for air, your lips swollen from kissing your best friend. “I’m-um, I didn’t mean to-wow,” you stuttered.
Peter nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah wow is um-right yeah,” he said, trying to focus on something else besides your lips.
You both instinctively leaned in again and another mini make out session began.
“This is probably not a good idea,” Peter whispered in between kisses.
“Why not?” You replied, confused.
“Well, we’re supposed to be studying,” he said, but really he didn’t want you to get hurt for being close to him.
“You helped me understand the problem. I’ll look at my notes again,” you shrugged, leaning into kiss him again.
Peter couldn’t take the guilt anymore and pulled away, “I can’t, I’m sorry,” he said, grabbing his jacket and leaving.
You watched him leave your apartment in shock , what the hell had just happened.
Four Days Later
After the kiss Peter ignored you. He wouldn’t answer any of your calls or texts. Finally you decided to just go over to his house. Knocking on the front door, Aunt May opened the door.
“Y/n, it’s wonderful to see you. Please come in,” she said sweetly. “Thank you. I’m here to see Peter. Is he here?” You asked.
Aunt May nodded, “Yes, I believe he’s in his room,” she replied. You said thank you again, then walking upstairs to Peter’s room.
It was closed so you knocked, “Peter, it’s Y/n. I need to talk to you,” you said.
No answer.
“Peter I want to apologize for any inconvenience I caused,” you added.
No answer.
You huffed under your breath, “Peter Parker, I’m sorry!” You yelled. You then noticed the door wasn’t fully closed and you lightly pushed it open, “Peter?” You asked. But no one was in the room.
The window was open, “Unbelievable,” you mumbled, upset.
As you turned to leave, a red and blue streak swung into the room. It was Spider-Man. He didn’t know you were there and he took off his backpack and then his mask. He turned around and you came face to face with your best friend.
“Oh my god,” you said in shock. Peter’s eyes went wide upon seeing you.
“Y/n? What are you doing here?” He asked.
“Your Spider-Man!!” You shrieked. He shushed you and fully closed his door. “Yeah,” he replied, still confused.
“Why are you here?” He asked. “I wanted to apologize for upsetting you after we kissed,” you admitted, a little embarrassed but still shocked that your best friend was Spider-Man.
“Y/n don’t be sorry. I liked kissing you, it was one of best kisses I’ve ever had. I just can’t be with you,” he said.
“Why? Because your Spider-Man,” you scoffed.
“Yeah,” he replied.
“That’s bullshit, Peter. We like each-other, why can’t we be together?” You asked.
“You could get put into danger because of me. You could get hurt,” he explained.
You huffed, waking closer to him, “I am not a damsel in distress,” you replied.
Peter walked closer to you, “I never said you were. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you because of me,” he said, putting his hand on your cheek.
“Nothing will happen to me. I’m staying, as long as you want me. I’m yours,” you said, embracing his touch.
“I want you,” Peter whispered, leaning into kiss you.
#peter parker x reader#peter parker andrew garfield x reader#andrew garfield peter parker x reader#Andrew Garfield#the amazing spider man 2#the amazing spider man#marvel#Spider-Man#spiderman x reader#spiderverse#peter parker#imagines#marvel imagine#peter parker imagine#spider man imagine
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hello hello hi! i see you are taking requests and so i request a tale of viktor trying to comfort sad jayce! i am a big jayvik shipper but if u wanna write it as platonic go ham ok thank u! 🦐
2 for the price of 1 prompt fills 💜 this is. Not really platonic. College AU because.... When does Jayce leave his mom in canon, really. Like never. No content warnings.
_______
It is 3am, and someone is crying in the common room.
Viktor freezes in the doorway of the dorm’s communal kitchen, holding his hot chocolate and debating which way to sneak upstairs. He had to pass the common room to get to the elevator. And then he had to stand in front of the elevator while he waited for it, presumably in sight-line of the person crying. The stairs were not an option. But he lives on the fourth floor, maybe he could fuck his leg up, make it up one floor by sitting down and boosting himself repeatedly and then catch the elevator on the second floor. But even as he’s doing that math, he’s doing the other set of math, the why is someone crying in the common room at 3am math. It’s wednesday. They’re probably not drunk. They had to have come down in the last few minutes, while he was working on his cocoa, and he hadn’t heard the beep of the door lock, so they hadn’t come in from outside, so that made having been kicked out of their partner’s dorm room post a break-up marginally less likely. More likely to have been kicked out by a roommate for.... Crying too. Loud.
Viktor is moving before he’s fully processed that last thought, cursing himself for having backdoored himself into further sympathy.
It’s– he stops, as he realizes that his image of some marginally pathetic freshman was– well, probably only a third accurate. It’s a boy. A very....tall. Boy. at Viktor’s footsteps he lifts his tear-streaked face.
“I’m sorry.” He says, voice breaking a little. “I can leave if I'm bothering you.”
Viktor sighs. “Don’t be stupid.” He says, coming over, and offers the boy his hot chocolate. Teary eyes get blinked at him, and Viktor just pushes the mug at him a little more firmly. He takes it, looking soft and a little confused, and as he sits up Viktor sits down next to him.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, figuring the direct approach is the easiest.
“Oh it’s... nothing.” He says, and Viktor resists the impulse to roll his eyes.
“Clearly it isn’t. What’s your name?”
“...Jayce.”
“Alright then, Jayce.” Viktor says, leaning back into the couch. “I’m Viktor, and now we’re on a first name basis, and we aren’t strangers. That should allow you the familiarity to tell me your problems.”
Jayce snorts, and Viktor counts that as a win.
“Is that how it works?” he asks, and Viktor smiles at him a little.
“Are you going to let it work?” He asks.
“–I guess I am.”
“Do you find physical contact reassuring?” Viktor asks, mildly.
“–um, yes.”
Viktor scoots closer, leaning a little into Jayce’s side, and pushes him forward until he can get an arm around him, and to Viktor’s only slight surprise, he immediately melts, moving to put his face in Viktor’s shoulder. Viktor rubs his back, waiting to feel trapped or uncomfortable, but it doesn’t come. He just feels...oddly warm. There’s something soothing about being able to offer comfort effectively. He’s not usually in this position.
“–um, I miss my mom.” Jayce says, quietly. His voice gets quieter by the word, like he’s embarrassed of admitting it, and he hides his face more in Viktor’s shirt, words muffled. “It’s just that i’ve never really been away from her for that long. I know it’s– i’m an adult and I shouldn’t–”
“It’s alright to be homesick.” Viktor murmurs, cutting him off before he can spiral too far. “Regardless of what home means to you. It’s okay.”
“I just feel like I shouldn’t–”
“That’s not how feelings work.” Viktor cuts him off, firmly. “You simply feel how you feel. There is no shouldn’t. You can tell the sky it shouldn’t be raining all you want. It won’t stop it raining.”
“My roommate told me I–”
“I think if someone was mean to you you shouldn’t tell me right now.” Viktor says, gently, reaching up to pet Jayce’s hair. “I will get angry and then I will be less effective at comforting you.”
Jayce laughs a little bit into Viktor’s shoulder and that sound seems to cover it up as the elevator door opens. Viktor makes eye contact with a wide-eyed senior girl. Jayce continues sniffling, not noticing.
“The protective fury is kind of nice.” he says, and Viktor makes a noncommittal hum and just glares at the girl, who mouths sorry and does her best to surreptitiously hit the door close button again, rapid fire a few times like she’s willing it to close faster.
Viktor starts talking purely to cover up the sound of the doors closing shut so Jayce doesn’t notice.
“You seem very... sweet tempered.” He says, “And you ought to feel safe enough to cry in your own room and not have to move to the common room because someone wouldn’t let you have your own space.”
“Well, I met you, so I guess it didn’t turn out too bad.” Jayce mumbles, and the girl on the elevator’s eyes get very wide as the doors slide shut, and Viktor puts his fingers in Jayce’s hair and scratches his scalp to distract him.
“–I suppose not.” He allows. “...You know, I don’t have a roommate. You could come up with me. Remove the risk of anyone else coming along less likely to be inclined to hug you while you’re crying.”
Jayce pulls back, sniffling, eyes red, and without thinking about it, Viktor reaches out to wipe his cheeks. Jayce tips his face into the contact, and he’s so pretty, and Viktor’s heart does something stupid. Oh. Oh no.
“Are you sure I’m not bothering you?” Jayce asks, softly, and Viktor swallows hard.
“Don’t insult me by implying I'm not fully capable of making my own decisions.” he says, imperiously, and Jayce snorts again, rubbing his eyes.
“Oh, of course not.” he says. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“Grab your cocoa.” Viktor says, gently pushing him back. “Let's go.”
“Yessir.” Jayce mumbles, and Viktor breathes through it.
Oh, he’s in trouble.
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Hello!! I was wondering when you'd write a general smut HC for Jon like you did for Damian
hell yeah, it's Jon day now 😤
when asked, Jon (after a lot of blushy fumbling) will claim that he had the normal teenage sex experience. He tried to have one, anyway. The occasional s/o had brought it up with him before, and Jon, desperately clinging to his human side for any sense of normalcy in his bizarre life, prematurely agreed. He soon finds out that he's barely compatible with humans in the first place. His strength alone makes the entire situation dangerous, since the premise to sex is a loss of self-control - Jon can't even stop himself from crushing his phone when he's not paying attention. Simple math.
So, he moves on to aliens. Being Superboy gives him lots of... access... across the galaxy, so he gets away with lots of things he shouldn't. Sneaking off to makeout with a girlfriend is pretty normal for teenagers, so Jon gets some points there. But flying behind Saturn to get some action in a spaceship? Not so much.
This makes Jon sound not so innocent, but he's still the gentleman we all know and love. These alien girls he goes around kissing are remembered by name and treated kindly every time Jon sees them again - he's not the type to play and toss. All he wants to do is learn about himself and other people. His sexual curiosity is definitely tied to his sense of identity, since it takes an entire saga for Jon to figure out what satisfies Kryptonians.
The answer: very, very little.
When he's hard, he stays hard, even after he cums. Jon's endurance is literally endless as long as the sun is up or light's touched him in the last day. His heat vision acts up when he's turned on, too, something he had to learn the hard way. He's probably never had a truly good orgasm in his life... (Until you, but will get to that).
But like every hard thing about being Kryptonian, Jon twists it into something positive.
Obviously, he's huge. He's aware how uncomfortable it can be for some people to handle something that big, so he's content with oral instead. Giving, that is.
Jon's mouth never tires, so he can stay between your legs until his breath runs out - which it doesn't. He picked up a couple handy tricks in space that make him a menace in bed. If Jon touches light enough and moves fast enough, his fingers can vibrate inside of you at super-speed. As he's tenderly kissing your clit, he'll blow icy puffs of air on your pussy to make you squirm. If you're cramped for room or can't find a good position, Jon can pick you up with one hand and hold your thighs around his face comfortably in the air. And if someone happens to walk in? A little super-speed goes a long way for your privacy.
There's other things about having sex that Jon learns to enjoy, too. His superhearing catches every wisp of a moan, every hitch of breath. He likes to remind you that his sense of taste is super, too ;)
Eventually, you start to feel guilty. Jon does so much for you but you're physically unable to do the same for him. Though it takes a bit of looking, there are solutions to this problem.
Star Labs discreetly develops a bracelet/collar that cancels out yellow sun energy with red. Jon's nervous to use it, but after the hundredth time you hear the little click as it snaps onto his wrist (usually before he makes love to you like a heathen), you both think of it like you would a condom or birth control. Though this means no super-vibration or limitless endurance, Jon makes it more than worth it for you both.
He's a sweet, impatient lover. Jon needs very little foreplay to get heated up, and he does a lot of whining and begging if you prolong anything. He'll scoop you off your feet and effortlessly drop you in his lap, where he'll pepper you with dovey kisses and giggle about how eager he is to feel you squeeze around him. Jon's just sassy enough to be considered on the edge of vulgar - but if you dare to dirty talk to him in return, he'll dissolve into a crimson-faced puddle and do anything you ask.
Years of being Damian's "sidekick" has given him the smallest degradation kink. One time, you'd smacked his ass with a kitchen towel and teased him for being a bad boy- only to end up bent over a counter and pounded into until your thighs were purple.
(And the spanking... the harder, the better. Pain is out of the equation for Jon, so all that's left is the nature of the act, of being punished and submitting to it. He's always forced to be the one in control. It's nice to relax and take orders for once. When he's not wearing that bracelet, the best way to turn him on is by clawing your nails up his back, over his neck, and into his hair. None of it hurts, but the sensation never fails to make Jon go berserk).
In bed, Jon's a very flexible switch. His default is bottom, since his powers always put him in charge in every other situation. After a harsh day as Superman, there's nothing he wants more than to go home and not be in charge for once, especially if it's him submitting to some filthy snuggling. Though he's always in a rush to get to the dirtiest part of things, Jon never fails to chase the bone you hang over his head. One x-ray vision glimpse of your lack of underwear makes him forget how to walk. The look you give him as you get out his bondage ropes - starved. A lot of it is about letting go and losing control for him, but just as much relies on getting some good ole fashioned attention. Jon loves to be treated like a puppy. Kiss him, coo at him, pet him, and he'll be yours.
His favorite positions are, without fail, the ones where he can hold you up. Jon's bumped your head against the ceiling plenty of times in the process, but he prefers to eat you out with your legs wrapped around his head, your whole body held up by two hands. He can maneuver you however he needs to in order to fuck you best with his mouth, and often it ends with your hands in his hair, pretzeled around his head and wailing while he devours you. Or, with your legs around his waist instead. It's a position that gives his strength the advantage, where he can easily kiss you and glide his cock into your core in the same motion.
Jon loves to take his time when you get to sex, but with his schedule and the constant calls for help, he will never mind a quickie. As long as you find an appropriate spot (aka: kitchen counters, behind the clouds in the sky, in the shower, against the front door before work, etc), Jon will satisfy you just as easily as he would with more time.
Along the way, Jon discovers that sex is his best outlet for liking his powers. After his first time, his confidence is permanently boosted. Behind those baby blues adored by the public, a dirty secret lurks: Jon knows precisely how to make you scream his name, and it has everything to do with why they call him the Man of Steel.
#jon kent x you#jon kent x reader#jon kent smut#jon kent#jon kent x reader smut#superboy x reader#superboy x y/n#superboy x you#superboy smut#superboy#dc comics smut#dc comics#dc smut#dc#smut prompts 2021#user uncouth
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