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#millennium code
sciencemenace · 4 months
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I have made a thing!
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This is a map of every LEGO store in the USA, color coded by whether they have the Millennium Falcon in stock! You can click on every store to get more information about it.
As of posting, this only 16% of LEGO stores had it in stock.
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You can get the live version here:
https://clearscope-services.com/lego-millenium-falcon-map/
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lovebugism · 8 months
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"get up, you're snoring and i can't hear the movie." "then turn it up..." "so you can yell at me for waking you up? no!" "you woke me up anyway!" THIS is so Eddie coded
anon, you're so right. this IS so eddie coded. hope you like it!! — the one where eddie wants to spend time with you, even when he's so so tired (fluff, miscommunication, established relationship, 1.3k)
bug's summer fic fest ♡
Empire Strikes Back plays on the tiny television across the room, blurry through static and mostly unwatched.
The swelling score fills the small living room as Han Solo weaves through an active asteroid field. Green lasers from enemy TIE fighters light up the dark room in varying shades of vivid neon. The only source of light in the whole trailer comes from the glowing television screen. 
As the smuggler leads the Millennium Flacon to safety on a foreign planet, Harrison Ford mumbles beneath his breath — “Yeah, that’ll do nicely.” You’re forced to imagine the deep baritone of the man’s honeyed voice with Eddie snoring through the entire scene.
The Munson boy was known for being a loudmouth every other hour of the day, so it only made sense that he couldn’t stay quiet in his sleep. You never minded it, though. You found it quite endearing, actually. Though maybe not when his heavy breaths are billowing directly in your ear.
Eddie was the one who wanted to have a movie night, after all. Between your studies and his shifts at the car shop, the two of you were lucky to have a day to yourselves. This night together was the first one you’ve had without interruption in a week. 
Well, it was supposed to be, anyway.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Princess Leia frets as Eddie breathes in a soft snore. 
With the way he’s holding you — his arm thrown over your middle, pressing you intently to his chest so the two of you could fit on the small couch — his warm exhale fans across the shell of your ear. He nuzzles his nose against the skin there, taunting you with his cuteness.
Adorable, and so unaware.
“Yeah, me too—” Han quips, though it’s drowned out by a louder snore.
Tired and half-annoyed, you elbow the boy in the ribs — gently until he starts to stir. 
He groans and holds you tighter. You can imagine his scrunched features halfway hidden beneath his wild, curly hair. “Hm… What is it?” he grumbles in an inaudible slur. 
“You’re snoring,” you grouse with a dramatic pout furrowing your brows. “I can’t hear the movie.”
Eddie huffs. He’s almost as annoyed as you are now, displeased that you woke him up just to tell him that. His limbs grow heavy with sleep all over again. He hugs you tighter to him and smells your floral body wash when he buries his face against the side of yours. 
The ends of his hair tickle your neck. You fight back a shiver.
“Just turn it up,” he mumbles.
“So you can yell at me for waking you up?” you retort in a scoff.
Eddie exhales a faint laugh into your ear. It’s a much prettier sound than his semi-aggressive snores. “You woke me up anyway!”
“Because I can’t hear the stupid movie— the movie that you wanted to watch, by the way.”
You expect him to meet your quip with one of his own. Like he always does. Your relationship was practically built on petty banter and accompanied kisses. So when he responds with a strangely sincere apology, you’re quite visibly perplexed.
“I’m sorry, babe, I just…” he cuts himself off with yawn — a big one that squints his eyes and takes several long moments to get out. You feel his chest deflate with the heavy exhale. “…I’m just tired. I had to cover for Wayne and ended up working, like, twelve hours. I’m pretty sure my arms are made of jello now.”
He laughs his exhaustion off while you melt for him.
You grow suddenly heavy with a mixture of adoration and guilt. With pinched-together brows, you twist on the cushion until you’re on your back and staring up at the sleepy boy.
Half of his face is shadowed by the night, while the other half glows with the flickering scenes from the fuzzy television. 
As you expected, his hair is wild and his eyes are heavy and his cheeks are puffy with sleep. The day had certainly done a number on your pretty boy.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” you ask, much softer than you’d been just moments before.
He shrugs one shoulder with jutted pink lips, jostling you softly. Despite his fatigue, his chocolate eyes sparkle down at you.
“‘Cause it was my idea. And you were super excited about it… And also I thought I could stay awake,” he rambles, then scrunches the bridge of his nose. “I think I might’ve been wrong about that one.”
You twist on the cushions again, facing him more and melting with him effortlessly. He slides one arm behind your head and clutches your thigh with the other when you swing it over his hip. His gaze flits between yours as a smile pulls at your lips. 
“You were very, very wrong, Eddie Munson,” you lilt and smooth the palm of your hand over his jaw. “Here I thought, you were just getting bored of me.”
He snorts a bitter laugh, unamused by your silly half-joke. “Never,” he assures right before closing the short distance between you and pressing his lips to yours. 
He tastes like buttered popcorn, sweet soda, and much needed sleep.
It’s a languid peck — innocent and unwavering. A slotting of his mouth with yours and a lingering there for several moments.
When he pulls away from you, you mutter, “Do you want me to leave?”
His chin jerks back as though you’d just said something so inane that he can't help but be shocked by it. His dark eyes go wide accordingly, face lighting up in flickering shades of white and blue from the television screen. 
“Why would you even ask me that?” he wonders, taking full offense to your harmless inquiry.
“‘Cause you’re tired,” you answer with a quiet laugh. “And I want you to sleep.”
“I can sleep just fine right here.”
“No, you can’t! I’ll fall off the edge!”
“Not like this, you can’t—” he assures before maneuvering you all over again. 
He keeps his firm hold on you as he wriggles on the couch cushions. He twists until he’s lying on his back and his head is propped up on the arm of the sofa.
You’re lying on top of him completely, legs slotted between both of his, torso pressed intently against his own, and forearms above his shoulders to hold yourself up.
He exhales sharply through his nose when he finally settles, beaming up at you right after. He's visibly tired but looks like sunshine anyway. He’s too in love with you not to wear it all over his face.
“See? Is this perfect or what?”
“I’ll crush you,” you answer with a laugh, knowing if you rested your full weight on him, he’d have a much harder time being so comfortable.
“What a sweet, sweet way to go,” Eddie singsongs in a whimsical sigh.
“You’re such an idiot,” you giggle, shaking your head down at him. 
You brush the tip of your nose over the bridge of his for a moment before kissing him again. It’s deeper than the peck from before, but no less innocuous — lips clicking sweetly when you part from him.
You huff and wedge yourself between his side and the couch cushion so you can relax without halfway suffocating him.
You hold him like a teddy bear while he slides an arm over your back, curling his free one behind his head in a makeshift pillow. He tilts his chin downward and smiles when he watches you smush your cheek against his chest.
“Tired?” he hums quietly to you.
You shake your head in response even though your bones ache with the sort of exhaustion only a college student could know. Your eyelids grow suddenly heavy. Blinking becomes a chore.
“No,” you answer. Your words come out slurred in a terribly hidden yawn. “Are you?”
He shakes his head, slow and lazy. His eyes flutter shut a second later. Yours aren’t open to see it, anyway.
“Nope,” he says, popping the p.
Neither of you is entirely sure who fell asleep first — only that the movie played on without you that night.
You’ll spend breakfast bickering about who stayed awake the longest, between bowls of cereal and morning kisses alike.
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John Deere's repair fake-out
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Last week, a seeming miracle came to pass: John Deere, the Big Ag monopolist that — along with Apple — has led the Axis of Evil that killed, delayed and sabotaged dozens of Right to Repair laws, sued for peace, announcing a Memorandum of Understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation to make it easier for farmers to fix their own tractors:
https://www.fb.org/files/AFBF_John_Deere_MOU.pdf
This is a move that’s both badly needed and long overdue. Deere abuses copyright law to force farmers to pay for official repairs — even when the farmer does the repair. That’s possible thanks to a practice called VIN locking, in which engine parts come with DRM that prevents the tractor from recognizing them until they pay hundreds of dollars for a John Deere technician to come to their farm and type an unlock code into the tractor’s console:
https://doctorow.medium.com/about-those-kill-switched-ukrainian-tractors-bc93f471b9c8
Like all DRM, VIN locks are covered by Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a 1998 law that criminalizes distributing tools to bypass “access controls,” even if you do so for a lawful purpose (say, to fix your own tractor using a part you paid for). Violations of DMCA 1201 carry a penalty of 5 years in prison and a $500k fine — for a first offense.
This means that Deere owners are locked into using Deere for repairs, which also means that if Deere decides something isn’t broken, a farmer can’t get it fixed. This is very bad news indeed, because John Deere tractors are just computers in a fancy, mobile case, and John Deere is incredibly bad at digital security:
https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/23/reputation-laundry/#deere-john
That’s scary stuff, because John Deere is a monopolist, and a successful attack on the always-connected, networked tractors and other equipment it supplies to the world’s farmers could endanger the global food supply.
Deere doesn’t want to make insecure tractors, but it also doesn’t want to be embarrassed by security researchers who point out that its security is defective. Because security researchers have to bypass Deere tractors’ locks to probe their security, Deere can leverage DMCA1201 into a veto over who gets to warn the public about the mistakes it made.
It’s not just security researchers that Deere gets to gag: the company uses its repair monopoly to threaten farmers who complain about its business practices, holding their million-dollar farm equipment hostage to their silence:
https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/31/dealers-choice/#be-a-shame-if-something-were-to-happen-to-it
This all adds up to what Jay Freeman calls “felony contempt of business model,” an abuse of copyright law that allows a monopolistic corporation to reach beyond its own walls and impose its will on it customers, critics and competitors:
https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/
If Deere was finally suing for peace in the Repair Wars, well, that was wonderful news indeed — as I said, a seeming miracle.
But — like all miracles — it was too good to be true.
The MOU that Deere and the Farm Bureau signed is full of poison pills, gotchas, fine-print and mendacity, as Lauren Goode documents in her Wired article, “Right-to-Repair Advocates Question John Deere’s New Promises”:
https://www.wired.com/story/right-to-repair-advocates-question-john-deeres-new-promises/
For starters, the MOU makes the Farm Bureau promise to end its advocacy for state Right to Repair bills, which would create a repair system governed by democratically accountable laws, not corporate fiat. Clearly, Deere has seen the writing on the wall, after the passage in 2002 of Right to Repair laws in New York and Colorado:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/when-drm-comes-your-wheelchair
These two bills broke the corporate anti-repair coalition’s winning streak, which saw dozens of state R2R bills defeated:
https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/26/nixing-the-fix/#r2r
Deere’s deal-with-the-devil is a cynical ploy to brake R2R’s momentum and ensure that any repairs are carried out on Deere’s terms. Now, about those terms…
Deere’s deal offers independent repair shops access to diagnostic tools and parts “on fair and reasonable terms,” a murky phrase that can mean whatever Deere decides it means. Crucially, the deal is silent on whether Deere will supply the tools needed to activate VIN locks, meaning that farmers will still be at Deere’s mercy when they effect their own repairs.
What’s more, the deal itself isn’t legally binding, and Deere can cancel it at any time. Once you dig past the headline, the Deere’s Damascene conversion to repair advocacy starts to look awfully superficial — and deceptive.
One person who wasn’t fooled is sick.codes, the hacker who has done the most important work on reverse-engineering Deere’s computer systems, culminating in last summer’s live, on-stage hack of a John Deere tractor at Defcon:
https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/15/deere-in-headlights/#doh-a-deere
Shortly after the announcement, Sick.codes tweeted how the fine-print in the MOU would have prevented him from doing the work he’s already done (including “a direct stab at me lol”):
https://twitter.com/sickcodes/status/1612484935495057409
As with other instances of monopolistic, corporate copyfraud — like, say, the deceptive Open Gaming License — the John Deere capitulation is really a bid to take away your rights, dressed up as a gift of more rights:
https://mostlysignssomeportents.tumblr.com/post/706163316598407168/good-riddance-to-the-open-gaming-license
[Image ID: Hieronymus Bosch's painting, 'The Conjurer.' The Conjuror's shell-game table holds a small John Deere tractor that the audience of yokels gawps at. One yokel is wearing a John Deere hat. The conjurer is holding a wrench.]
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motherofdogs1010 · 5 months
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Masterlist
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I write with chubby-coded/plus sized, racial inclusive readers in mind; very rarely do I mention anything about a reader's physical appearance, all are welcome and are written in mind for everyone to enjoy!!
Must be 18+ to join taglists
I also take frequent mental health breaks since I do suffer from poor mental health, BUT writing is my safe space so I will always come back to you guys ❤️
Key:
💋 18 + Smut
😊 Fluff
💔 Angst
🖤 Dark Storyline
😉 Omegaverse
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Laurel Sickness (Sonny Carisi x Reader) 🖤
Summary: Laurel Sickness is an case of extreme case of obsessive love that is sweeping the globe with no explanation. People are becoming just as mad as Apollo once was when he first set his godly eyes on the virgin nymph, Daphne.
Warnings: 18+ only, dark!fic, toxic behavior, gaslighting, dystopian society, dark!Sonny Carisi, stalking, stalker!Sonny Carisi, the world's messed up in this story, age gap relationship, forced relationship, eventual non-con/dub-con, Stockholm Syndrome
Part I Part II TBA
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Need to Know (Peter Parker x Reader) 💋
Inspired by Doja Cat's "Need to Know"
Summary: When she was ready to get back out on the dating scene after dumping a certain Winter Soldier, Y/N was a woman ready to get back out there. She just never expected to find herself in a relationship with a certain nerdy spider.
Warnings: older woman/younger man, age gap relationship, heavy smut, drinking, swearing, daddy kink, mentions of cheating, toxic ex behavior, eventual pregnancy
Part I Part II Part III COMING SOON
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Little Darling (Thomas Shelby x Reader) 💋
Summary: Birmingham has received a new club, one that is showcasing a exotic type of dance that is drawing in crowds, but it is one particular dancer that catches Thomas Shelby's eye... one that goes by the stage name: Little Darling
Warnings: 18+ only, eventual smut, stripper!reader, mentions of prostitution/sex work, canon Peaky Blinders violence, swearing, drinking
Part I Part II Part III Part IV COMING SOON
Letters to Juliet & Romeo (Thomas Shelby x Reader) 😊💔
Inspired by 'Letters to Juliet' film...
Summary: Heartbroken and in the midst of the Great War as a nurse, Y/N L/N writes to a person she never expected to write to before... her brother's friend, Thomas Shelby... But the war's over now and it is time to face the letters...
Warnings: angst, wartime talk, fluff, reunion, pre-Peaky Blinders Tommy, solider!Tommy, nurse!Reader, chubby!reader, age gap (everyone is of age)
Part I Part II
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Of Messiahs and Seeds (Dark!Paul Atreides x Reader) 🖤💋
Summary: Emperor Paul of House Atreides has set forth with expansion of his empire on the planets that have resisted and has now come across the last stronghold that resists him: Terra Millennium...
Warnings: 18+ only, eventual NONCON/DUBCON, eventual forced marriage and pregnancy, violence, language, drinking, chubby!reader, dark!Paul Atreides, spoilers for Dune Part 2
Part I Part II Part III COMING SOON
A Jedi in Arrakis (Paul Atreides x Reader) 💋💔😊
Summary: While on the run from Empire troops, Jedi padawan Y/N comes to find out that hyper-driving in a compromised craft can have some major setbacks when she discovers not only is on a new planet but a whole new galaxy as well...
Warnings: jedi!reader, eventual 18+, NSFW, angst, fluff, eventual smut/pinv!sex, oral sex, talks of questioning the Force and teachings, spoilers for Dune Part I and II, eventual marriage
Part I Part II Part III TBA
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Solar Flare (Feyd-Rautha x Reader) 💋
Summary: Chosen as the bride of na-Baron Feyd-Rautha, Y/N finds herself at the hands of the sadistic na-Baron who seems keen on having his bride on their wedding night...
Warnings: 18+ only, NSFW, arranged marriage, DUBCON/ pinv sex, fingering, loss of virginity, brief knife kink, small breeding kink, crude language, forced arranged marriage
Dividers by @firefly-graphics & me
Banner by @vase-of-lilies
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serena-babes · 5 days
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Royal Knight Reader x Lucifer Morningstar + Charlie Morningstar
Part TWO!!
platonic! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
gender neutral!!
1.7k
Sorry for the long wait everybody! school really kicked my butt but I am back! and super excited to write! (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.゚
just wanna say rq that my requests are open! I will say though I can be a little picky but if you have something in mind I would love to hear it! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡
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“And so then I look over and this bitch is halfway down the street!” Angel gestured enthusiastically to the rest of the large table continuous chatter continues from everybody, especially for Lucifer and Charlie. It has been a while since this has happened. 
Dinner was, nice. Maybe not the nicest dinner, food-wise. But “family” dinners aren't very common when you're always on the move or working. Listening to the laughter and plates clinking y/n looks down at their plate. Shiny fork in hand, clean warm plate. It's been a while since it's been like this, everything is so clean and shiny, a semblance of normal in this hellhole.
Too long they realize more like a couple of thousand years long, back when Lucifer was Samuel. It feels like a millennium ago, hell, at this point, it could be a millennium ago. 
Heaven was a lot stricter back then, everyone was made for a purpose and whoever stepped out of line posed a threat. That was why Y/n was the perfect example. And the reason they were assigned to keep a certain someone in line.
“But, heavenly father you must understand I don't.. I'm not made to work on something… with all due respect. Frivolous and unimportant.” Y/n said sternly adverting their gaze from the man himself. But even with their protests, they were still whisked away to take care of the “problem child” 
Messy, is how Y/n would describe it. A workshop with haphazardly thrown-around tools, discarded projects, various writings, and plans. And the messiest part, the Man himself. 
“Samuel” he introduced himself reluctantly 
“I'm not happy with this arrangement either I hope you know that. I don't wish to be a babysitter, even though you're older than me.” Y/n deadpanned, Samuel not amused by this remark went to whatever he was working on. Looking over his shoulder observing his work, not quite sure whatever the hell he was working on.
Y/n whistled out a long note making Samuels eye twitch. “Whatcha.. Watcha working on..” Y/n clasped their hands in front of them. Friendly unprofessional conversation wasn't their forte. 
“I thought you said you didn't want to babysit” Samuel mocked you 
“Well yeah, but that doesn't mean we both have to be COMPLETLY miserable” y/n quipped back “Trust me this will feel a little more like a babysitting shift if I just stand here and watch you…so?”  Y/n gestured to the various mechanical and clay pieces Samuel was arranging. 
Now, not so reluctant. Samuel shows them, and that's how it all started. He would share almost everything with Y/n and soon Y/n couldn't see what was so horrible and troublesome about him. He was sharp and witty but also, a dreamer, a chaser, and stubborn. 
Everything was peaceful for a while, days spent with Lucifer, well Samuel. tinkering away or writing while Y/n trained or did whatever their heart desired. Days spent in the sun streaming through the wide windows of the laboratory some days all they would do was lie on the floor and talk
“So… why do you follow that code, what's it called again? Chivalry? “ Samuel asked laying straight on his back wings outstretched gazing at the laboratory ceiling.
“Yeah... Chivalry.” Y/n responded opting to stop training and laying down next to Samuel feeling their bones and soul decompress from the strenuous work. 
“I'll remember that,” Samuel said cheekily flicking Y/N's shoulder plyfully. 
“Well, I would hope you would I mean it's kinda my whole schtick” retorted Y/n.
“Why do you follow it anywho? I mean… in the end, what's stopping you from... I don't know, not?” He turned to watch Y/N's expressions. 
“You shouldn't... You shouldn't be questioning the heavenly father Sammie. It's dangerous.” Y/n looked over to Lucifer, sometimes Y/n worried his thinking was the thing that would kill him. 
“But, if you want to know, it's because I'm scared, I'm scared of what would happen if I chose something else. you know, what would happen to me. I'm too used to the security it provides.” y/n said honestly opting to look at the ceiling instead of straight at Lucifer. What Y/n didn't know was the saddened knowing expression Lucifer had on.
He was always the odd one out, believing more in himself than in the “higher being” that was his father. If only people could see the fear they had of the man was... Wrong. 
“Hm… I understand” 
“I think that's what I like about you, you're not afraid.” Y/n smiled, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a quick shake.
And that's how life was for a while, truly all rainbow and sunshine. 
Wasent until Lucifer started going to Eden. Slowly but surely changes in Samuels now Lucifer's demeanor changed. And Y/n couldn't keep up. 
“Sam- Lucifer. What. are. You. doing. You're going to get yourself killed.” Y/n pleaded. Grasping his shoulders hoping to shock him back to reality. But all he did was stare at the floor in silence.
“She's just a woman Lucifer .” Y/n took their hands off his shoulders and he started drifting.
“No, she's not..” Lucifer said meekly turning away from Y/n no longer wishing to feel their sharp gaze. 
“Oh? So what are you telling me? That this” Y/n gestured to all the papers heavens sent over giving him warnings. “THIS. was all worth it because you found the love of your life. and that this is the woman for you?” 
“I don't know… she could be.”Finally, Lucifer turned to face them. 
Silence enveloped the room 
“I just… Were both fucked. Things are changing, and I don't. I don't know what's gonna happen.” Y/n sat down on a nearby chair their head in their hands pulling and scratching at their scalp.
Lucifer moved silently across the room moving to observe Y/n. 
It was odd he thought, on the outside, they were the epitome of resilience, class, and discipline. If one of them would be the scared one it sure as hell wouldn't be Y/n. but seeing a strong being such as Y/n clam up. Made Lucifer see them better, no longer was Y/n their “noble babysitter” or another Angel following orders. They were someone who had such complexity as him. 
“Hey… whatever happens, we um.” he eyed the various papers demanding his meeting with his father.
“We will do it together, they always say new beginnings are good… right?” 
And so, off to the races they went. Building disdain in heaven for the “heavenly father” advocating for more rights, changing life on earth. Creating people and new creations. Letting all ingenuity seep out of heaven's angels and onto the earth below, Showering the planet in green. Lucifer and Lilith fall in love. New ideologies are building, and new tempting offers are being given to heaven-curious Angels. 
But, going up against an actual god. You're doomed for failure eventually.
Always an Angel, never a god. 
If you told Y/n thousands of years before that they would be kicked out of heaven with two lovers in toe they would call you mad. Crazy even. Why would you say something so ridiculous?
“Hey! Y/n you looked a little zoned out over there you okay?” Charlie turned to you and asked 
“Yeah! Everything is pretty great right now. I was just thinking.” Y/n got up from the table and went to help Charlie with collecting dishes 
“Oh really? About what?” Charlie said collecting various plates and cups 
“Oh, just about how, proud I am, and how good the hotel is.” Y/n smiles warmly putting a hand on Charlie's shoulder and shaking it a little. “Oh… oh Charlie... Okay, well don't cry! You know I'm not good with TEA-” Y/n said suddenly being engulfed in a bone-crushing hug and a waterfall of salty tears.
After some time, Vaggie has to take a spatula to separate you two. Charlie's tears ceased, and now you three were lounging on the couch. Very reminiscent of what Y/n and Lucifer would do in their youth… They are so scarily similar sometimes, if Y/n squinted they swore they saw Lucifer. 
“When I was a kid I used to be like… SUPER scared of you for a little bit.” Charlie said smiling slightly and laughing to herself 
“Really-”
“Yes.” Charlie and Vaggie both said cutting Y/N's words off. But all Y/n can do is laugh. 
 “Am I that intimidating? Me? I haven't won a single game of Hellopoly in my life, or uno… or I guess any card or board game. I don't see how that's intimidating.” 
“You'd be surprised” Charlie quipped back a small smile gracing her features. 
The room fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments the only sound in the room being the ticking grandfather clock which Charlie eyed suspiciously.
“Hey.. so crazy idea, haha! But. I don't know, I mean you can say no! Of course! But I was just kinda wondering if you would… like to stay at the hotel? I mean protection isn't a bad thing. And it wouldn't interfere with like your actual job… but I don't know I feel like you feel better here, and I know dad feels better when you're here too.” 
Y/n listened to Charlie go on silencing her with her hand 
“That sounds great Charlie,” Y/n said softly getting up to put their now empty glass of wine away. 
As Y/n enters the kitchen, all they see is Lucifer's pajama-clad form rummaging around in the fridge. 
“Now what, are you up to? Didn't we eat like hmm..” Y/n puts their hand up to their chin mocking a thinking pose “like an hour ago?” they quip as they move to wash their empty wine glass. 
“Haha!” lucifer says sarcastically pulling something out to eat.
Soft chatter filters between the two, the kitchen light pretty dark the only luminary being the fridge and the oven light.
“So… guess who is the newest resident,” Y/n said staring expectantly at Lucifer
And they swear they have never seen such a bright smile grace his face.  
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enviedear · 6 months
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i've been going solo now ⟶ ben solo
description ⌙ when you get a distress signal from your dad and his life-long goon you're quick to try and come to their rescue. only problem? so is ben solo.
pairing ⌙ smuggler!ben solo x f!reader
warnings ⌙ childhood crush/frenemies turned adults with horrible communication skills, reader is the daughter of lando (biologically or not you decide), ben is a jerk, reader is a brat, petty arguments, forced proximity trope, inner conflict all the time, han and lando are just two pals getting into serious issues that their kids have to fix don't mind them (they're just mentioned), most likely incorrect knowledge of the falcon & starship parts, smuggler!ben solo au because that's canon to me, ben calls reader kid (affectionate, kinda), typos probabaly
word count ⌙ 4.1k
— request | masterlist
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i just think ben solo is very much solo by future coded and i wanted to write about smuggler!ben and his smug attitude. special thanks to @crucifiedfaerie for letting me gush over this idea constantly in our dms <3
you never had the stomach for killing— the thought of it or the act itself. the notion of ending someone's life has always been abhorrent to you, leaving a sour sensation in your mouth that lingers long after the deed is done. but right now, you sit, filled with a growing and seemingly unstoppable rage that practically demands blood.
"don't even think about jumping into hyperspace, solo!" your voice is loud but erratic.
the black-haired man piloting the ship gives you a side eye, "and waste hours getting there? sure thing, kid."
you grip the co-pilot seat as hard as possible as he sends the absolutely geriatric ship into lightspeed. the force of it sends your head back onto the headrest, and you screw your eyes shut until the motion of the ship stills.
you've been flying with ben solo on the millennium falcon for a day and a half now, and this isn't even the first time you've wanted to kill him.
no, you'd harbored a hatred for ben solo for as long as you could remember. when you were little your father frequently left you in the care of the organa-solo's. any trip too risky for you to follow him on had you spending time on chandrila han and leia— and ben.
he was a few years older than you and so insufferable - spoiled rotten and full of mischief. the two of you would inevitably end up in scuffles over something, whether it be who got to shower first or which holovid show to watch. you often wondered how your father, han, or leia had managed to handle both of you. a hardheaded pair of troublemakers that needed little excuse to start bickering with one another.
but beneath it all, there had been another layer to your complex relationship with ben solo. even though you feigned anger whenever near him, deep down there had been an admiration growing since those early days spent together. your naive heart fluttered when he would absentmindedly flash his ever-present smirk in your direction. but you'd never admit or act upon any such feelings.
naviagting your crush had been difficult at first. especially having lando calrissian as a parent. you were forced to spend weeks around the source of your teen angst because of your father.
what use is a dad that can sweet-talk a jablogian if he can't fix your unwanted crush on his best friend's son.
you've cursed at his image in your mind every time you look at your ridiculous companion. if not for him, you wouldn't be with ben right now— you'd have never had the displeasure of his company.
you got away from the young solo, and most everyone else, for a good five years, hopping from planet to planet, picking up any honest work. which usually meant boring work— factory jobs, service stuff, a few instances of babysitting.
your life without ben solo is predictable and a little boring.
but you'd rather be bored than deal with the recklessness that becomes your life every time you see the smuggler.
but here you sit beside him, forced to spend an unknown amount of days with him until the both of you find your idiotic fathers.
you had gotten a rouge comm-link message from your dad just days ago. he sounded fine, voice still leisurely and warm, but it was his words that were worrisome, "han's got us in a bit of trouble, little star. would you mind coming to help your old man out? we're somewhere in the trilon sector— i'd try batuu first!"
when you got the message, your mind had gone into autopilot. you had rushed to comm leia, which had been a fatal mistake, as she had ordered her son to pick you up and accompany you. so now you're here, stuck with ben solo and his frightening flying.
"you know, dad should have warned me i'd be flying with a coward." ben's lips are curved into a grin, as usual with his teasing.
you whip your head in his direction, eyes ablaze, "well my father should have warned me that you've gotten even more annoying, somehow."
ben narrows his eyes, a stupid smirk still plastered to his face, "whatever you say, kid."
you feel your blood go hot, why he decided to start calling you kid, you didn't know, but you do know you hate it.
ben's barely your senior, only twenty-three years of age in comparison to your twenty. besides he behaves like an out-of-hand teen away.
"stop calling me that." you groan.
ben chuckles, "aw, what's the matter, kid? tired of following orders already?"
you grit your teeth, the way he talks down to you will forever get under your skin, "i don't take orders from you, solo."
"sure you do. you're on my ship, remember?" ben retorts, his eyes focused on the coordinates displayed to his left.
you cross your arms over your chest, "we're supposed to be working together to find han and my father and get them out of trouble, not bickering like children."
ben rolls his eyes, "it's not my fault you're so uptight."
you take a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down. you can't afford to lose your temper and start a fight, not when you're relying on him to get you to your destination safely. so, you force a smile, "look, can we just be civil? we're both here because we care about our dads and want to help them."
ben's expression softens a little, "fine. but if you start nagging at me again, i can't promise i won't call you kid."
you roll your eyes, "deal. now, can you tell me more about what's going on? my dad was pretty vague in his message."
ben hums, "same with mine. all i know is that lando got mixed up in some kind of shady deal, and now he's in trouble with a gang of criminals called the ninth sun. my mom's been trying to negotiate with them, but they're not ones to bend the knee."
you groan, "of course not. what's the plan?"
he shakes a stray black strand of hair from his eye, "no plan, just find them and go from there."
"lovely, that's totally going to work," you bite your lip, "oh and, it was han who made the sketch deal, not my dad."
ben shrugs, "and who told you that?" he rests his elbow on the armrest and brings his hand to his chin, "lando?"
you clench your fists, "let's just focus on finding them. no need to dwell on the semantics."
ben glances at you and for a moment, you swear there's a flicker of something in his eyes. something other than his usual teasing, mischievous demeanor, but it's gone as quickly as it came and he turns back to the console.
the ship hums steadily beneath you, and the silence between you two stretches on, broken only by the occasional beep from the controls. you fidget in your seat, uncomfortable with the unfamiliar hush. you've never been around ben so long without saying anything, and you're about to speak up before he interrupts you.
"we'll have to make a pit stop, i need to refuel." his voice sounds tired.
you nod, "alright. any nearby planets we can stop at?"
ben checks the navicomputer, "yeah, there's one a couple of light years away. i've been there before, it's not too bad."
"okay solo, lead the way." you say, leaning back in your seat.
as he pilots the ship toward the destination, you can't help but study him from the corner of your eye. he's changed since the last time you saw him. the boy who used to pull your hair and steal your toys has grown into a man. he's lean and toned with longer hair, still as sable black as ever. it falls into his eyes, despite how much he wills it not to, giving him a slightly disheveled look that you can't help but find attractive.
you rue the thoughts plaguing your own mind.
the embarrassment you used to feel over your crush has come back ten-fold. the feeling shocks you. he's trying to act all suave and mature, but you know deep down that he's still the same old ben who annoyed the life out of you. you can feel the familiar tug in your heart every time he speaks, and you know he can't have changed much over the years. not when he's making you feel just like you're fourteen again.
but there is something different about him now. maybe it's the way he pilots the ship with ease– no longer the boy who'd cover his ears ar take off, or maybe it's just the way his muscles flex under his tight-fitting shirt. he's almost mesmerizing.
it's clear that he's been doing this for a long time, navigating the stars all alone with nothing but his shitty attitude and perfect hair. you find yourself marveling over him, sure and smooth, his hands deftly moving over the controls.
ever the realist, you try to shake off the feeling, but it's proving difficult. you feel a strange urge to preserve your current addiction.
as you watch him fly, you feel a fixation building within you. it's a sentiment you haven't felt in years, not felt since the last time you saw him.
you try to push the feeling down, knowing that it's not the time to have those kinds of thoughts. you're supposed to be focused on finding your fathers and not getting killed by some lethal syndicate, not lusting after your childhood nemesis.
you feel wrong stealing glances at him, trying to understand what's changed and why you're feeling this way. you're towing a dangerous, line. especially if those feelings are inspired by ben organa-solo.
finally, after what feels like hours, you arrive at the refueling station. as soon as ben lands the ship, you stretch your legs inside the falcon, looking out at the new scenery. the planet is bathed in the evening light, and the scene around you is wide awake. the station itself is a bustling hub of activity, with all kinds of alien species milling about.
ben leads the way to the fueling station, where he begins filling up the ship's tanks. you stand by the ship's entrance, people-watching. your eyes find ben's figure again, and you let them stall. when he looks your way, you advert your gaze and step out of the falcon, swiftly approaching him.
the evening air is cool as it hits your skin. this planet is a strange one, with vibrant purple plants and thick, white fog swirling around. but you don't pay too much attention to it, your eyes are locked on ben.
he's leaning against the ship, checking over the fuel meter with a frown on his face. you walk over to him and clear your throat, expecting to get his attention.
he looks up at you, eyes meeting your own. you feel your heart skip a beat, and you curse yourself for being soft for him.
"you know, you didn't have to follow me out here." he mumbles, hand coming to brush the hair from his eyes.
you hum, "i didn't have anything better to do."
he ignores you and looks back at the fuel gauge, his eyebrows furrow, "i found something for you to do." his voice is monotone, but you're all too familiar with the subtle cut of annoyance within.
"what does that mean?" you own voice comes out a bit too anxious.
ben groans before looking at you, "one of the damn tanks has a leak— i told chewie to fix that weeks ago." he follows up his words with a few curses before kicking the faulty gas tank.
you roll your eyes, "can't we just get another one? i'm sure if we go inside someone would know where we could get another one."
"the problem isn't finding one," he tsks at you, "the problem is that this tank has been leaking fuel into the beacon finder. without that, we're never finding our dear old dads."
your heart sinks. you had been so sure that you would find your dad quickly, but now it looks like that might not be the case. "so, what do you suggest we do?" you ask, crossing your arms over your chest.
"i'll have to fix the beacon," he sighs, "luckily i have the tools for it, but i need to find one more part, and with the sun setting soon…" he trails off, letting his silence complete the sentence for him.
you take in a deep breath at his implication. you can tell what he is suggesting without explicitly stating it.
you will be stuck on this planet with him tonight and forced to share the same cramped room. you thank god for separate cots, at least.
you try to ignore the warmth creeping up your ears, but you know that it's a losing battle. you haven't shared a room with ben solo since you were kids, endless unwilling sleepovers at each other's houses. but those instances were filled with innocent pranks and arguments, not the tension and longing glances you've found yourself giving him.
"alright," you say, trying to keep your voice even, "we'll just get the part and fix the beacon. the faster we fix this, the faster we can find our fathers and get back to our lives." you move towards the entrance of the fueling station, wanting to put space between you and ben.
"you mean so you can get back to your life." he calls out to you, and you look back at him only to be met with contempt in his brown eyes, "the one where you avoid me."
you give him a sharp eye roll before making your way toward a small gaggle of vendors, much more interested in finding this part. ben follows closely behind you, and you can feel the weight of his stare on the back of your head.
you're at a loss as to why ben solo would ever care that you've been avoiding him for the last five years. the ben you remember would've never batted an eye. when did that change?
you find a vendor selling the part that ben needs, and you both split the payment before heading back to the falcon. ben sets to work on the beacon, and you sit nearby, supposedly looking over the coordinates but mostly watching him work.
there's an abnormal sense of calm that fills you as you watch him. concentration is etched on his face, lips bitten bright red. you can't help but admire him, not for the sake of not trying.
you're brought back to reality when he starts cursing under his breath, "what's wrong?" you ask, moving closer to him.
"this damn thing won't budge," he grunts, trying to pry apart two pieces of the beacon.
you move to his side, peering down at the device. his breath is hot on your cheek, and you feel an urge to shiver. trying to focus on the task at hand you take a few breaths.
your eyes keep drifting to his lips, the way they move when he curses. you shake your head, trying to clear the inappropriate thoughts from your mind. "let me help," you offer, reaching for one of the tools he's using.
he hands it to you, and you lean in closer, your sides pressed together as you work the tool. you can feel his heat exuding into you, a warmth that isn't just from the planet's humid air. you try to focus, but it's becoming increasingly difficult. every time he moves, you catch a whiff of his scent, musky and rich, and your mind starts to wander to places it shouldn't.
finally, after what feels like an eternity, the piece pops free, and ben lets out a sigh of relief. he turns to you, a small smile on his face, and you can't help but smile back. his eyes lock onto yours, and suddenly, the air between you is charged with something foreign.
you let your tone come out sardonic, "looks like i saved the day. you're welcome, solo."
ben tilts his head, eyes narrowing, "you're a brat, kid."
"i thought i told you to stop calling me that." you want to hit him.
"i said i had a condition," he pauses, arms coming to either side of you, palms pressing into the falcon's floor, effectively trapping you against him, "a condition you just broke. so you're back to kid, kid."
you feel your resolve slipping, "you're the worst. you always have been, and i can see now that will never change."
he has the audacity to let out an amused breath, "if you're going to say shit like that, at least mean it."
your brows furrow, "pardon me? as if i don't mean that."
his hands creep from the ground and to your hips, you gasp as he pulls you in closer. if he were anyone else, you'd expect him to kiss you next, but he's not anyone else. so instead, he cranes down and whispers in your ear, his breath hot against your skin. "i know you want me," he growls, his fingers digging into your clothed flesh. "don't act like you don't,"
you're completely caught off guard, and before you can respond, he's pulling away from you and grabbing the beacon. you watch in silent horror as he makes for the falcon's exit, leaving you confused on the floor.
you sit there, rooted to the spot, your mind and body in turmoil. you know if you follow him you'd just be throwing yourself into a petty or embarrassing altercation.
what did he mean by that anyway? how could he possibly know?
taking a steadying breath, you turn away from your seat and make for the other side of the ship. you need to keep yourself busy until nighttime, and you know that there's some maintenance to do on one of the storage bays. when you get there, however, it's already been taken care of. your fists clench in frustration as you realize ben must have done it earlier.
you start searching around the ship for any other tasks that might help keep your mind off things and pass the time more quickly- checking cords, tidying up shelves or going through supplies lists so nothing gets low.
the hours seem to stretch on endlessly despite how much work you manage to do, and all too soon darkness begins to fill the sky outside of the cockpit windows. with a heavy sigh, you head back towards where you and ben had been working earlier. he's back now, tinkering away with the beacon as if nothing had ever happened between the two of you earlier— as if his words hadn't sent a tremble down your spine and confused the emotions tumbling through your mind.
you catch an expectant glance from him when he finally notices your presence. you're sure he's expecting you to say something to him. maybe he wants you to yell.
you don't say anything though, instead offering only a terse nod before checking the endless cords around you.
your fingers move quickly and expertly over the tangled cords, your mind too preoccupied to focus on anything else. but you can feel his gaze on you, burning through the back of your skull like a branding iron. his presence is suffocating and you know that if you don't get a handle on your emotions soon, you'll combust.
eventually, you're so lost in thought that you almost miss the soft footfalls approaching you. you turn to see ben standing beside you, his eyes locked onto yours. the air between you is thick with strain, unspoken words, and feelings. there are so many things you want to say to him, but you don't know where to begin.
"so," his voice breaks through the silence like a blaster shot. "when are we going to talk about it?"
you hear the depth in his baritone voice and it's all you can do to keep your face neutral, your thoughts collected, "talk about what?" you ask, even though you know perfectly well what he's referring to.
"about me and you," he says, voice low but insistent, "or we can just keep ignoring it. the tension seems to be getting us pretty far."
your expression shifts as you take in his words, the longing that had been coiled in so tightly before now coming to the surface. you can feel yourself flustering under the intensity of his watch but you refuse to look away, instead lifting your chin higher and narrowing your eyes.
"there is no us, solo," you say firmly, though your voice is riddled with a hint of something else entirely, "there never has been, and never will be."
ben seems unfazed by your words, his eyes steady and intense. "you say that," he says, his voice softening. "but i know you better than anyone else. and i know there's some part of you that actually likes me. i bet it pisses you off, doesn't it?"
he's right— it does piss you off that your heart can't seem to let him go. no matter how annoying you find him, he's beautiful and confident. and he does know you better than anyone. he knows what buttons to press and how hard. with ben, there's always the thrill of how perceptive he is— that he can see through the walls of anger and indifference you try so hard to build up around yourself.
you can feel your will crumbling under his words, your heart throbbing in your chest, but still, you push back, "even if there is something there, solo," you say, your voice shaking slightly, "it doesn't change anything. we're two different people living two very different lives."
ben smirks, "you don't know anything about my life."
you let your eyes roll, "as if the life you lead is some kind of mystery," you take a deep breath, "i mean, what's to know? you fly alone, smuggle, and rack up credits. that's your life, solo."
he hums, right hand finding a home beside your head on the wall, "you know me so well, kid. you should write a book."
you feel inexplicably hot, "maybe i will. a long book of all the reasons you piss me off."
he doesn't respond, just looks down at you for an uncomfortable amount of time. he pushes himself from the wall and you, twisting and letting his back hit the durasteel wall. his face is turned to you, eyes downcast.
"you know," he says finally, breaking the silence, "i remember when we were kids, it was always you who used to be the one to instigate. you probably don't remember it that way, but i do, and i loved it. you never hesitated. you were fearless."
you look at him incredulously, wondering what this has to do with anything. but he continues, "you were the only girl that would play with me, and not just that, the only one that could beat me. but then one day you just stopped. you ignored me completely."
you stiffen, unwilling to admit even through body language that he might be right. a pre-teen you found avoiding your ben sized crush the most viable option. you just never thought he'd care.
he continues, eyes unwavering from yours, "you used to look at me like i was the only person that mattered. and then, you just stopped. it's was like… like you had something to hide."
it's like he can read your mind because he reaches out and grasps your wrist in his hand. his touch is nice against your skin, sending a comfortable feel through your veins.
"i miss you, the girl who wasn't afraid of liking me," he whispers, his voice low and husky. "and i want you to admit that you miss me too."
you struggle to find words, to make sense of everything inside of you, but before you can speak, his lips are on yours. his kiss is hot and demanding, and instinctively lean into him, body melting against his in perfect harmony. his hands slide around your waist and hold you close as the kiss deepens, and you can feel all of the frustrations of the past slipping away. when he finally pulls back, his eyes are bright with emotion and a hint of a smile graces his lips.
he looks down at you for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "you want me to do that again?" he steps closer to you and cups your face in his hands, his eyes twinkling with amusement. you can feel the warmth radiating from his body and if it weren't for his strong arms around you, you would have melted into a puddle.
you nod slowly in agreement, too lost in the moment to say anything else. he leans down and brushes his lips against your cheek before pulling away completely, "then be honest. right here, right now. you like me."
you screw your eyes shut, basking in the shame of being found out, "i like you, solo. i like you a lot, but if you don't get off your pedestal and kiss me again i'll withdraw the opportunity."
he gazes down at you with an expression that's tender yet mischievous all at once. "i like you too," he whispers before chuckling lightly, you open your eyes to see.
his dimples are on full display, and for a second, he's the spirit of the little brat you fell in love with all those years ago. "c'mere, kid." his voice is soft as he pulls you back into him, lips meeting yours.
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dduane · 10 months
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At @dduane's Ebooks Direct, now in progress: the Summer Solstice "Get Our Whole Store For $44" Sale!
(ETA: I'm reposting this because some folks have been getting the non-discounted version of the sale, and I want to make absolutely sure the right version of the sale URL is in place. Obviously I don't mind refunding people the overpayments, but I think we'd all rather they didn't happen.) :)
(Sound up for Vaguely Inspirational Music!)
The Solstice arrived a little more than an hour a day ago, so we're celebrating the best way we can think of: by making the ebooks at Ebooks Direct even cheaper than usual.
That's right: we're reinstating the "Get Our Whole Store For $44 Sale"! That's 36 of Diane Duane's ebooks (@petermorwood's are still with another e-publisher, sorry, though there's a freebie of his in the package...), all DRM-free and with free replacements included in the price if they're lost or you change platforms. The package on offer includes the 9-book set of Young Wizards New Millennium Editions and the LGBTQ-centered Middle Kingdoms books, along with much more fantasy and SF. So if you've missed out on this offer previously, now's your chance to take advantage of it! (And us. We don't mind.) :)
Also, in honor of Pride Month—and much earlier than we'd normally put a new release into the whole-book package—we've added Tales of the Middle Kingdoms #2: Overdue to the offer. The only other place this new work appears at the moment is in the 2023 Pride Month package. (If you've been looking at that package, please note that everything in it appears in the Whole Store bundle, at a similar discount level. But the Whole Store offer will only last for 72 hours. The Pride package will be available until Irish midnight [GMT+1] on June 30.)
Interested? Then just click here to put the $44 whole-store package in your shopping basket and grab yourself a bargain! The product page will say it costs $55. But the link above has the discount baked in. Use it and the store will show the $44 price when you've gone through all the checkout steps before payment. (Sorry about this: it's how the store behaves when there are two discount offers running at once.)
If you go through to the just-before-paying stage and are still seeing the $55 price, please put the discount code EVERY72 into the "gift card or discount code" field on that page, and enter it. That'll sort things out.
Meanwhile, If you're not interested in the offer, would you consider reblogging it so that others in your timeline can have a look? Thanks! (And one final note: due to Brexit, unfortunately this offer isn't valid in the UK. Details about the situation are here. Our apologies, as always, for the inconvenience.)
Meanwhile, happy day-after-Solstice to everybody! (Bearing in mind that there's another one going on in the Southern Hemisphere... though probably not so sunny.) And here's hoping that our offer will make your longest day (or shortest one) a little brighter.
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omgthatdress · 1 year
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Oh my god I hate Mattel so much.
They took the American Girl brand and gave it a lobotomy.
I was going to make a very very very very bad joke about one of the 90s girls getting an eating disorder after watching Britney Spears, BUT DECIDED AGAINST IT because eating disorders are something you don’t joke about, BUT. HERE’S THE THING.
Here’s the thing. Being a tween-to-teen-age girl in the late 90s early 2000s was BULLSHIT. You had 16-year-old Britney Spears singing “Hit me baby one more time” in her Lolita schoolgirl miniskirt and crop top showing off her perfectly flat abs, and then you went to school and had abstinence-only sex ed mandated by the evangelical right wing who gave out purity rings and told you that only sluts had sex before marriage. And then there was the issue of being a fat girl trying to find jeans that met her school’s dress code the days of low-rise jeans and belly button rings.
I ended up adoring Linkin Park because their music gave voice to the rage that I had inside of me because of all that. I wore men’s pants from Hot Topic not only because I thought they were cool, but they actually fucking fit and they covered my ass crack. I wore black because I didn’t fit in to the ultra-skinny, ultra cool kid Abercrombie aesthetic. And THAT is what growing up in the 90s and coming of age in the 2000s was like.
“Nicki Hoffman is a nine going on ten year old girl living in Seattle, Washington just before the year 2000 (the turn of the millennium). She is six minutes older than her fraternal twin sister, Isabel, but one inch shorter. Nicki prefers grunge, ska music, rock, alternative, and skating; she is the "grunge" to Isabel's glitter. She does not like eating raw fish and sushi; her father teases that they can's spell "finicky" without Nicki. She likes sour candy--the more sour, the better. She's known to be shy, to the point Isabel points this out; she initially doesn't have other friends than Isabel. She's very anxious about the Y2K problem and the risks and worries that have been circulating, so Isabel and her create a list to take her mind off her worries of things to do before New Year's.Her favorite color is purple, her favorite animal is a dog (she adopts her puppy, Blossom, as a Hanukkah gift), her favorite band is No Doubt, and her favorite show is The Powerpuff Girls (her favorite character being Blossom). She likes to snack on Wild Berry Pop tarts. She does not like her middle name, Pearl.The family is interfaith and celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas. “
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It’s a sterilized and dumbed-down version of growing up in the 90s, one where they only real problem facing girls is the y2k bug. It’s about the aesthetic but not the experience. Honestly the girls of today deserve to see that their moms had it difficult, too, and that the pressure to grow up incredibly quickly and be beautiful and flawless and instantly become a woman is nothing new, now it’s just on TikTok instead of MTV.
It’s the trap of nostalgia. Just because you were younger and not as aware of the issues going on in the world doesn’t mean the world was better.
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tatooineknights · 7 months
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Day 1: SAFETY NET
His trembling lips parted as he looked down at the clouds below him, gasping as the familiar sight of the Millennium Falcon appeared before him. He instantly thought of his friends, the family he'd gained over the years, and weakly smiled. "Leia," Luke Skywalker whispered aloud to himself once more, thankful that he hadn't succumbed to his certain death. She heard him.
The top hatch opened and Luke saw a man he hadn't seen before - a bold mustache complimented his face, vaguely reminiscent of a friend he once had on Tatooine. He dressed in blue, and had a certain regality to him; self-assured, charming. His arms were outstretched, waiting for him to let go. The wounded Jedi blinked down at the man tentatively before nodding off whatever trepidation he had - if Leia could trust him, so could he.
Luke made on last look up from where he fell at the belly of Cloud City and traveled down the pole and antennas to where he was now. He made sure he would never forget it. With a relieved sigh, Luke's only hand let go of the weathervane he dangled ever so precariously from, his palm still slick with desperate sweat, as he fell toward the man below him. Gentle hands met his shoulders and his waist, catching him with grace and kindness. His eyes twinkled in astonishment as he looked up at his rescuer, equally from the shock of his cauterized stump and his actual survival.
"Pleased to meet you, Skywalker," the man said, clipping something onto the belt loop of Luke's fatigues to keep him in place. "Lando."
"Luke," he whispered back, though between the roaring winds and the growing throb in his temple, he wasn't sure if it came out at all. He laid on his side of the Falcon, focused more on finally catching his breath than escaping. Luke watched Lando curiously as he punched in codes, prepping their descent. With a short burst of reality coming back to him, Luke crawled on the exterior of the Falcon to his new-found friend, whose arms wrapped around him in thankful sanctuary.
"Okay, let's go."
The bright lights of Bespin slowly faded into darkness as the hatch closed, lowering them both down into the Falcon. Luke's hand clung to Lando's with all the strength he could muster, mumbling to himself in feverish delirium. The adrenaline was finally wearing off and he could feel all power slowly fading from his system; shock, he supposed, in a brief moment of clarity.
"You must be freezing," Lando said, brushing his windswept and sweat-matted hair out of his eyes, clawing for a blanket. After wrapping it around Luke, he carefully lead them back into the cockpit. "The princess is here for you. She's got your back."
"So do you," Luke weakly responded with a small smile.
The man grinned with a nod, opening the door to the cockpit.
Luke's heart came to life at the familiar sight of Chewbacca at the front seat of the Falcon, with Leia in tow, and the droids gathered round. Her large brown eyes widened and she ran straight to him, taking Luke out of Lando's arms and into hers.
He saw the worry in her eyes and, momentarily, he anticipated the dread of what she'd soon find out. But he couldn't worry about that right now; maybe in a minute. For now, he was safe.
"Leia," he trembled, thankful beyond the tenor of his voice could let out. With her arm around his shoulders, he began to limp to the side-room, where he could finally recover from his ordeal.
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isagrimorie · 8 months
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I just want to bite into Ahsoka and Huyang's discussion re: Sabine and the Jedi.
First, I love how Ahsoka is protective of Sabine.
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Sabine: Well, I discovered that according to Huyang I’m the worst candidate to be a Jedi out of every Jedi he’s ever known.
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Ahsoka: You said that?
Huyang: It's true. (Savage!)
I love how annoyed Ahsoka is at Huyang for getting in Sabine's head.
And then later, I love that Ahsoka and Huyang pick this discussion again:
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Ahsoka: Well, what you said didn't help.
Huyang: I only spoke the truth. The Jedi Order would not have accepted her! She is not an acceptable candidate!
Ahsoka: By their standards.
I love this because it is true, that Sabine wouldn't have been chosen to become a Jedi by the High Council. At the same time, Ahsoka mentions that the Jedi Order doesn't exist anymore. Still, it also feels like when Ahsoka says: "By their standards", this echoes what Anakin told her when he decided to accept Ahsoka as a Padawan.
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Anakin: You're reckless, little one. You wouldn't make it as Obi-Wan's Padawan. But you might make it as mine.
(THE MUSIC BTW. I didn't realize it was the start of Ahsoka's theme and then it starts playing when Ahsoka walks away from both Anakin and the Jedi Order, and then it plays a more somber tone when Ahsoka and Vaderkin fight in Twilight of the Apprentice).
Obi-Wan very nearly didn't become a Jedi Padawan, Anakin was too old to become a Jedi learner, Ahsoka was too reckless, and Sabine would never have passed the first set of tests.
Unconventional Lineage indeed, or as we like to call them fondly, the Disaster Lineage.
But also I keep thinking back to what Ahsoka said in the first episode: "These days there are few who could wield the Force."
This seems to greatly sadden Ahsoka. There used to be thousands who could use the Force, not just Jedi, but Nightsisters and various non-Humans. Now they're a fraction of a fraction, and I feel this is one of the reasons that motivates Ahsoka to teach Sabine.
So some aspects of her culture can survive.
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Huyang: Standards which were proven over a millennium.
Ahsoka: And failed.
This seems to be a controversial statement but also she lived it. She witnessed how much the war ate at the Jedi. It's been a question she's pondered since she was 14 when Barriss spoke about her concerns about the Jedi becoming soldiers.
And becoming so closely entangled with government interests that it seemed to supersede even the Jedi Order's own codes. Of course, the Jedi should and did help protect people in the war but it didn't help that they became the Generals and the Face of the war.
Ahsoka came by her complicated feelings for the Jedi honestly. And I'm so interested in how much she wants to put all that she knows about the philosophies and teachings up into the light for scrutiny. To poke and ponder, and maybe tweak.
If there end up two schools of Jedi somewhere out there in the universe, one traditional and one non-traditional I'm all for it.
(You could say it's a schism kind of like when the Roman Catholic church and Greek Orthodox church did their own thing. In Martial arts ways -- having two schools of the same style but different philosophies. Two Dojos!
Like the Saotome School of Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū or Anything Goes Martial Arts and the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Except it is the Skywalker and the Tano School. And then the two heirs of the school marry to unite the schools! Okay, okay I'm getting way too anime about this).
But also Ahsoka tells Huyang:
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"I don't need Sabine to be a Jedi. I need her to be herself."
And I think it also boils down to this -- it's why she also doesn't care if Sabine doesn't fit the box of a Jedi because Sabine can be anyone she needs to be.
I have to say again, I am actually happy Ahsoka has complicated feelings for the Jedi. I was worried she was just going to be Zen Ahsoka, the way she was on Rebels.
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blueiskewl · 5 months
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Temple Dedicated to Alexander the Great Discovered in Iraq
Archaeologists uncovered signs that Alexander the Great was worshipped as a divine figure in a 4,000-year-old temple in Iraq.
Scientists had been puzzled by the discovery of more recent Greek inscriptions at the ancient Sumerian temple of Girsu, in the modern-day town of Tello.
Now, British Museum archaeologists believe a Greek temple to Alexander the Great was founded on the site, possibly by Alexander himself.
The discovery of a silver coin minted around 330 BCE by Alexander’s troops suggests that the conqueror may have visited the temple after defeating the Persians.
This would make founding the temple one of the last acts of Alexander’s life, shortly before his death at the age of 32.
After excavations began in the 19th century, it appeared that a Greek structure may have been built on the site but the only evidence was a mysterious tablet.
In both Greek and Aramaic the tablet read: ‘Adad-nadin-aḫḫe’ meaning ‘giver of the two brothers’.
What puzzled researchers was that the temple had been abandoned in 1750 BCE, more than 1,000 years before Alexander the Great had even been born.
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The Greeks of Alexander the Great bult temple on the Iraqi site
British Museum archaeologist Dr Sebastien Rey now believes that the Greeks had founded their own temple on the ancient site, potentially to declare the divinity of Alexander.
“It is truly mind-blowing. Our discoveries place the later temple in Alexander’s lifetime,” said Dr Rey.
“We found offerings, the kinds of offerings that would be given after a battle, figures of soldiers and cavalrymen.
“There is a chance, we will never know for certain, that he might have come here, when he returned to Babylon, just before he died,” Dr Rey told The Telegraph.
The discovery of the silver coin alongside an altar with offerings usually found in Greek temples implies the site was being used as a place of worship by Alexander’s forces.
The offerings included terracotta cavalrymen which were very similar to the ‘Companion Cavalry’ which formed the personal bodyguard of the young conqueror.
The researchers say this could mean that whoever made the offerings was very close to Alexander, or that these were possibly made by the conqueror himself.
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Meaning of the Greek inscription
The discoveries also shed light on the meaning of the cryptic Greek inscription found at the site which referred to the ‘giver of the two brothers’.
Alexander the Great had an immense personal interest in the figure of Hercules and had declared himself the Son of Zeus while in Egypt, making him the brother of the mythical hero.
Alexander may have asked the Sumerian people who most resembled Hercules within their culture and been directed to the temple of Ningirsu the warrior God.
Dr Rey believes that the temple was dedicated to Zeus and the two brothers, a combined figure of Hercules and Ningursu, and Alexander the Great.
‘This site honours Zeus and two divine sons. The sons are Heracles and Alexander. That is what these discoveries suggest,’ says Dr Rey.
This theory also suggests that ancient cultures had a deep understanding of their history and a long cultural memory, knowing the exact location of the temple and its use over a millennium after it was abandoned.
The city of Girsu was part of Sumer, one of the world’s most ancient civilizations that built the first cities and created the first codes of law.
While the site of the city had been badly damaged by 20th-century conflict and destructive excavations by French archaeologists in the 19th-century, remote sensing technology suggested a larger, hidden complex.
In the Autumn of 2022, a team of researchers found walls and administrative records of a huge palace and the sanctuary where the Greek temple was later constructed.
By Tasos Kokkinidis.
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10moonymhrivertam · 5 months
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A lil Dreamling bodyswap thing I’m directly copy-pasting from my phone notes, hopefully I get back to it someday
Apparently I was taking inspo from a Witcher post I’ve lost XD I’m gonna go look for it
@avelera if you’re interested 💜
~~~
“Sounds like you’re living the dream.” Their lips curl into a conspiratorial smile over their glass. “Still. All bounds of ‘reasonableness’ aside. If you could have anything you wanted. What would it be?”
“Careful. Dressed like sin, shelling out for the good whiskey…a man might think you’re trying to trap him with a question like that.”
“Who, little old me?” They batted their eyes. Hob wondered if perhaps they knew Morse code for ‘I am absolutely trapping you’. “I’m just having a bit of fun. Come on, what could it hurt?”
Hob frowned at them. “Are you one of the Fair Folk?” He blurted.
They snorted, and their coy smile twisted downward into something just short of a sneer. “The faeries dipped out half a millennium ago.” Hob felt a little dizzy, his brain buffering through the realization that it was within his lifetime. As the matter-of-fact tone penetrated past the haze, he found himself rewarding the frankness with honesty.
“I’d like to know what’s going on in my best friend’s head once in a while.” STHe hesitated, but…in for a penny. “[Dissonance of glad to be back but definitely traumatized?]”ST
“A ‘walk a mile in their shoes’ sort of thing?”
Hob snorted. “Not sure I have enough style in me for his shoes.”
“You never know.” They shrugged sinuously. They set down their glass and stretched, full-bodied. It was the dangerously toothy yawn that really made it cat-like. “I really must be off.” They stood, pausing beside his seat. “Good to meet you, darling.” They pressed a kiss to his temple. A sudden shiver ripped down his spine.
“Good to meet you, too,” he said absently
*
For five centuries, Hob always remembered when he dreamed, even if their details slipped away like water come morning. In his sixth century, it was more questionable. He suspected he still dreamed, but he never woke up with anything on his mind, unless it was old memories returned to haunt him. He was just getting used to having the full experience back, which is what made the blankness he was waking up from so strange. He was so preoccupied with it, staring into the middle distance, that it took him at least three minutes to register the voice that had groaned when he’d sat up; the fine bedding beneath the hands propping him up; the wall he was staring in the direction of.
[And then he wanders around and eventually runs into Matthre and Lucienne. Matthre recognizes him as not-Dream on a close examination]
“That’s not ideal.” He’d hoped speaking would calm him down a little, but - he knew that voice. That fucker. They’d never actually denied being Fae, had they? Hoping he was wrong, he looked around for a mirror. He felt himself call it, but it appeared like in a dream - like he’d simply overlooked it before. The face staring back at him was familiar in all the wrong ways, save the eyes. Instead of the icy blue he’d expected, there were voids with twin stars. As bizarre as it seemed, it - kind of fit, actually. Hob raised a hand to his face reflexively, resting under his eye. It was strange to see Dream’s figure doing it.
“Right. Okay. Right.” Wind rattled at the doors to the balcony - balcony? Of course Dream had a balcony. “Maybe if I figure out where we are?” He mumbled to himself, making for the door. For all that Dream seemed more amenable to sharing personal information now (a name, even!), they were still used to Hob doing all the talking, and they hadn’t met much yet despite agreeing to keep a more friendly schedule. He hoped he was in or near London, but there was a pit in his stomach that doubted it. It grew as he stepped into the hall and realized just how massive Dream’s home must be.
He picked a direction and set off. Whatever storm lay outside seemed to be growing, which didn’t help his sense of dread in the slightest. As he kept walking, it seemed like a lecture hall’s worth of chatter was growing louder without growing any closer. Eventually, he came to hear snippets of it: “I have to remember to change that lightbulb”; “she reminds me of my niece”; “Did someone break in? …I really need to fold those clothes”; “Did I leave the stove on?” It left him distracted enough that he didn’t take in many details. The chatter and the storm and the knowledge that this was absolutely his fault swirled around him until he broke free to an open area. After looking around, he realized it was a throne room. Because of course it was. Suddenly, a number of things about Dream’s attitude and conduct made sense, but now he had absolutely no idea where he was.
“Hey, have we got another mission or something? That’s a hell of a gale.” He turned around, his eyes searching upward for the voice without him deciding to do so, landing on a raven flapping towards him from the presumably-front door. Before Hob decided what to say, the raven suddenly winged back, staring hard at him. He settled on the floor halfway down the room. “You aren’t the boss,” he said warily.
“No,” he confirmed. “I know him,” he added, hoping to head off the worst of any panic or interrogation. “But, um…yeah. I’m not Dream.”
“Oh, don’t do that again.”
“Do what?”
“Hearing him say ‘um’ is freaky.”
He cast his mind back over old meetings, recalling how deliberately Dream spoke on the rare occasions that he did, even in 1689, when he’d done most of the talking. “Yeah, no, that’s fair.” He paused, contemplating what to say next. “This is my fault. I think I accidentally made a deal. Anyone I can talk to about that? Besides, y’know, Dream?”
“…yeah, yeah there might be someone.” He took to the air again, and Hob followed in his wake. The chatter and the storm pressed at the edges of his brain, but having someone to focus on helped. He paused as they crossed the threshold to a library. He was sure he’d been in here before, once or twice, and yet…he didn’t remember a damn thing about it.
*****
• Lucienne &/or Matthew call Death
• Death calls a family meeting
• “Alright. I’m hoping one of us did this, because if it was someone else, this becomes much more serious immediately. I have two prime suspects. Given that Delirium isn’t pointing and laughing, Desire needs to start talking”
“What, i didn’t do anything to Dream” and/or similar until “wait YOURE hob gadling?”/“someone tell me what Hob gadling looks like”/“where does Hob gadling live” and Desire realizes they fucked up more than intended and they are simultaneously delighted and terrified
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raxistaicho · 4 months
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I really can't see how people keep calling Edelgard the villain of Three Houses. Her methods may be questionable (but really, whose methods aren't in this game?) but her ideals and reasons for starting the war are sound. She wants reform. She wants positive change. She wants people to suffer less. She wants to remove the powers that result in things crest eugenics and extreme wealth gaps and various forms of abuse and human rights violations. She wants a better world for the people of their continent. And while those things may come sometime in the future through slower "peaceful" reforms, not everyone in Fódlan can wait that long, or will even live to see it. Especially with the added issue of those who slither in the dark being part of the equation. Also, looking at the lyrics for "Edge of Dawn", canonically Edelgard's song and the main theme of the entire game, how can anyone look at her and go "oh, yeah, that's an irredeemable war hungry villain".
Edelgard is a character who saw the issues plaguing the people, heard those in power say "it is what it is, and peaceful change takes time" and decided the risk of starting a war for change was worth it.
A lot of her motivations and methods honestly remind me of Lelouch from Code Geass, and people consider him one of the greatest heroes and tacticians in all of anime.
Why can't people see Edelgard is cut from the same cloth?
Edelgard detractors tend to fall into two camps, one of which I understand (though still disagree with), while the other are the kind of people I interact with here.
First you have the reasonable Edelgard detractor who acknowledge her positive motives but disagree with her methods. I understand where they're coming from (war sucks after all, not even CF pretends different) but I also disagree with them that life in Fodlan could have been fixed by just having the three lords and Rhea sit at a table and talk things out. Systemic issues that have lingered, and if anything worsened, for a millennium don't get fixed by just having the "right" leaders come into power and fix them.
Then the Tumblrite Edelgard criticals are just the type who think she's a vicious Nabatean-hating racist who want to reclaim the old Adrestian territories. For them there's just very little middle ground since they aren't even coming at it from a baseline accurate read of her character. It'd be like trying to argue with someone who thinks Dimitri was having a blast slaughtering Imperial troops in boar mode...
And yeah, there's a whole video comparing her to Lelouch, it's really good stuff!
Link here for anyone who wants to see it!
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marquisegallery · 2 months
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This took me. So long. To finish. I had hoped to finish it sometime in February, but now here we are. :u
Anyways! Much like the Devil Theory headcanons post I did a long while ago, this is a headcanons post for DOT EXE! All frickin' 8 of them!! Suffice to say this is going to be incredibly long, so keep that in mind before you jump into the Read More. You have been warned!! :P
(Also much like with Devil Theory, some of this might be based on stuff in the game, but a lot of it will just be "I personally think this would be neat!!")
There are going to be very many sections here, so I'm splitting them up to keep things organized and easier to follow. :u
The Overall Crew:
First and foremost, names! Plus heights, because I finally decided on heights for the individual members now :P
2 = Twoson (172 cm / 5’ 8")
4 = Fourside (173 cm / 5’ 8")
5 = Cinco (186 cm / 6’ 1")
8 = 8-ball (192 cm / 6’ 4")
9 = Neun (182 cm / 6’)
10 = Jūrō (178 cm / 5’ 10")
14 = Quatorze (196 cm / 6’ 5")
And then the cue ball member is just… Cueball, lol. He is 190 cm / 6’ 3". I was originally going to make him more-or-less the median height of the crew, but changed my mind later.
I know the 10 and 14 members found in the code aren't "official" members, especially since they seem to be just extra palettes for a potential playable 8-ball. But you know what, I made characters out of them anyways!! :P
Starting off with DOT EXE in general:
As mentioned in the game, they’re a group of full-cyber writers and breakdancers!! They also have a bit of a reputation as hackers, though truthfully it’s only some of them, specifically 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco. They’re the ones who came up with the name too, they just wanted something computer-y. It was originally just the three of them, and the others joined over time. In order, Quatorze and Jūrō were asked by 8-ball to join, then Twoson and Fourside asked to join after they went full-cyber, and then Cueball was the last to join.
Their writer aliases/street names are of course based on the billiard number shown on their screen faces. Which person gets which number was originally based on the actual number of letters in their real given name, but that doesn’t apply to Cueball, Twoson, or Fourside.
They have a reputation of being pretentious and stuck-up assholes (though at least not violent assholes like Devil Theory). They basically look down on most other crews as noobs, about the only writers they respect are DJ Cyber, Felix, and eventually BRC in general after the end of the game.
Of the current big crews in New Amsterdam, they’ve been operating the longest (with varying number of members of course), for about 2 decades at this point! However, them being an actual “big name” crew has only really happened in the past couple of years. They mostly stick to their own territory in Millennium Mall.
On that note! They literally own the mall. All of it. They collect rent from the various stores and companies operating in the mall. They keep the rent super low for local businesses so they can afford to compete with the big brands (especially huge international ones) that set up shop here. Meanwhile, said big brands are charged like five times more in rent. Of course, they’re never actually told that’s the case! Those companies even assume it must be the same for everyone else in the mall. The way DOT EXE spin it to them is along the lines of, “C’mon, don’t you want the prestige of having a store in the one and only Millennium Mall?!” Basically I imagine the Millennium Mall is a huge deal in that way, hence why the big companies don’t suspect anything’s off. :P
So yeah, DOT EXE make money that way. Even after taking out whatever has to be used for proper maintenance of the mall itself, for the most part they end up with a lot more than any of them need (especially since, being full-cyber, they don’t have to worry about food and stuff, just electricity and occasional maintenance/repairs). A lot of the money is saved for emergencies and fun stuff (like hobbies), and then they donate the rest to local charities.
The local businesses are aware of DOT EXE being the owners of the mall, and honestly don’t mind them being writers either! DOT EXE are also more reliable than the police when it comes to asking for help with a problem. In the case of shoplifters in particular, DOT EXE don’t even really punish the thieves, they’ll pay for whatever was stolen and ask if they need additional help (like if they only stole because they didn’t have a job and need help, etc).
The crew hate that the police can intervene at the mall, especially with the helicopters and walking tanks, not to mention the police tube things. They’ve tried to complain to the local government about it, but have been shot down every time. Now they will at the least sabotage the tubes and turrets whenever they can.
The mall is so big that there’s basically a huge solar panel farm on top. Whatever electricity doesn’t get used up by the mall ends up redirected to other parts of New Amsterdam that need it.
There’s also a whole community greenhouse up there! A rather illegal one actually, with New Amsterdam (currently) having some very strict regulations on larger-scale gardens and such (given there’s only one tree in the actual game, and it’s been dug up from Old Amsterdam). DOT EXE do not give a fuck about that clearly, and keep it operational. Especially since it’s a great source of food for a lot of people! DOT EXE managed to hack the local government offices to give the mall’s greenhouse an “official exception”, so the police have to (very begrudgingly) leave it be. Half the crew like the greenhouse since it’s such a great benefit for others, and the other half like it because they know it annoys the cops.
Their hideout is a small part of the mall that’s been sort of sectioned off just for them. Basically behind some pulled-down grates, a bunch of the stores behind said grates have been converted into rooms for them, and is collectively their hideout! There is an actual part of the mall in the game that looks like this, see below:
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The rooms of the hideout are as follows: a main meeting/living room area (which also has a disused kitchen, since they don’t need to eat), a main rec area with a ton of custom arcade cabinets and hacked game consoles, a storage room, and then 4 personal rooms for the members, shared between a few of them. One for Cinco and Neun, another for Twoson and Fourside, another for Jūrō and Quatorze, and the last for 8-ball and Cueball. Though since 8-ball was killed, it’s been Cueball’s room by himself.
So yeah, they all live there, whereas pretty much every other crew has their hideout but then individual members (usually) live elsewhere.
They actually aren’t all the same age as the Oldheads, it’s just a cover so people don’t try and figure out any personal info about them. Specific ages/age ranges will be mentioned in individual sections, but really only 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco are around the Oldheads’ ages. Quatorze and Jūrō are actually a good chunk older than them, while Cueball, Twoson, and Fourside are all much younger.
Cueball in particular will always hide his real age, since part of it is related to how he went full-cyber. He will lie to most people and saying he's around the same age as 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco. He hates the pity he gets from people otherwise (more on this later!!).
Twoson and Foruside don't lie about their ages when asked, but would just say they were inspired by 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco to go full-cyber to keep being good dancers and writers. Meanwhile, Quatorze and Jūrō are pretty honest about why they actually did it (again, more on this later!!).
Their voice, outfits, and billiard screens are also covers for their identities!
For the voice, the idea is that there's a "default" voice all the DOT EXE folks use in public, but they still have their own voices based on how they sound from before going full-cyber (Twoson and Fourside are technically exceptions to this, but yeah, more on that later). Their actual voices are only used when they’re going around as “civilians” rather than writers, or otherwise in private at their hideout.
The tracksuits are basically just their costumes, similar to the costumes the other crews wear. So they do wear clothes besides the tracksuits. Sure, they don't really need to, but they like to! Especially when they're not out doing writer stuff, makes it easier for the cops to not suspect something. Each of them has their own personal style, which will be noted in the individual sections!
The screen face can be changed to different images. When they're out and about as "civilians", they tend to change their screens to sort of robotic faces, kinda similar to what non-screen cyberheads have. Those specific faces will be shown in the individual characters’ sections, with their "DOT EXE face" on the left and their individual faces on the right.
Combined with the difference in clothing and voices, it does a good job of actually hiding who they are from the cops!
Note that Cueball is an exception on the voice and screen thing, but I’ll get into that more in his section!
They are all gamers to some degree, otherwise why else would they have a rec room with so many games? They each have their own favorite genres, but overall play a wide variety of them. They’ll play by themselves or with each other depending on the game. The whole crew can get pretty competitive about high scores too, especially on the arcade cabinets!
They also each have their own hobbies outside of gaming, but again, another thing to mention in their own sections.
They all have the capability to communicate wirelessly like computers and phones, i.e. send messages directly to one another instead of to their phones. However, they don’t do that anymore. Mainly because the one time they tried to use it more often, Twoson, Fourside, and Cueball spammed so many memes to Neun that it caused him to crash. Hence why they still rely on text and calls like full-flesh writers, though some of them still do direct wireless messages to one another sometimes. Basically equivalent to whispering to someone so other people don’t hear them.
As full-cyber people, they all have sensors all over their bodies which can act the same as nerves. Detecting damage/pain, temperature, pressure/being touched, and even textures to a degree. The only difference is that these can be turned on or off, or even set to varying “levels” of sensing in between. Usually they turn down the pain/temperature detecting part of the sensors while they’re out (especially while doing writer stuff; basically just detecting damage/temperature without causing actual pain to them). They only turn them fully back on once they’re safe at their hideout.
🎱5️⃣9️⃣
8-ball, Cinco, and Neun in general:
They are basically the only ones that went full-cyber to be able to dance better for the most part, though they also did it to be able to get better as writers. None of them were particularly good at either of those before then, though they all clearly wanted to improve at it.
All three of them met and became friends via a transhumanism forum online, hence them going full-cyber together. The actual process is finished up around their 30s or 40s, and they're in their 60s by the time of the game.
Cinco is from Honduras and Neun is from Germany (or so he claims...). Meanwhile 8-ball was born and raised in New Amsterdam, though his father (who he shares with Cueball) had long since moved away to somewhere in the United States.
Both Neun and Cinco did writer stuff in their respective home cities, but 8-ball talked to them a lot about the writer scene in New Amsterdam, especially a lot of the big name writers at the time. That influenced all of them to want to get better at being writers, no matter what.
Once Neun and Cinco moved to New Amsterdam, 8-ball and them formed DOT EXE! They were all full-cyber by then, and practiced together to improve their skills, eventually becoming fairly big names like the other crews.
All three of them act (or acted in 8-ball’s case) as the IT people for the whole mall.
Them getting into hacking and computer stuff mostly started after they all went full-cyber, especially since all their augmentations made it a hell of a lot easier to do.
All three of them love rhythm games, but also have other genres they particularly like. They had rhythm game competitions between the three of them, and even with 8-ball gone, Neun and Cinco still do that from time to time.
On that note, yeah, in my ideas/AU/whatever you want to call it, 8-ball’s death is very much permanent. See this post with some further details on why that is, in particular how, just because his mind’s been digitized, doesn’t mean it’d be any easier to recover.
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8-ball specifically:
8-ball refers to Cueball as his bro in the game, and I like to think they’re actual brothers and not just brothers-in-a-friend-way. For my headcanons, they’re actually half-brothers, but refer to each other as brothers anyways. 8-ball is the older of the two!
He’s a bit egotistical. Just a bit.
Kind of a daredevil too, compared to the others. He was like that before going full-cyber, but then after the conversion, being “effectively” invincible just made him more reckless. Dangerous stunts! Tagging more and more high up heaven spots! Getting heat up just to be able to fight the police! So on and so forth.
He is the one who designed the team’s graffiti in-universe, hence why their small tag is more related to him that the team overall. Like I said, bit of an ego on this guy!
He is the one who managed to get ownership of the whole mall, and then just splits the management and collected rent with the others. He actually managed to win ownership of the mall in a (very) risky game of poker. And he didn’t just made that up to sound cool, Cinco and Neun were actually there to witness it!
For his normal fashion style as a civilian, basically he just focuses on looking “cool”, in particular with cool jackets. This usually means jean jackets or leather biker jackets. Also tends to wear jean pants, and shirts with cool designs on them. Which is often stuff like sharks, wolves, dragons, volcanoes, lighting bolts, tornadoes, etc. Also cool shoes of course!
For his personal favorite video game genre, he likes playing shooters, but moreso arcade style shooters and SHMUPs instead of FPSs. Still kinda ironic, given what happened to him…
Real name Frederik Visser. He mainly got into transhumanism just because he thought it was cool, and eventually took it seriously and ended up on the forum where he met Neun and Cinco.
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Cinco specifically:
From Cueball’s point of view, he’s the fun uncle!
Fluent in Spanish, speaks it with a Honduran accent. Sometimes uses Spanish words when talking casually, usually terms of endearment for others. Or insults/swears, because he finds it more satisfying to do so in Spanish, lol
Knows a ton of jokes, including puns, in several languages.
A charming guy, very outgoing and friendly with just about everyone!
Also a “he has your back when you need it” kind of pal to DOT EXE in general, but especially 8-ball and Neun. After 8-ball died, he got a bit more protective of Cueball too.
For his fashion style, he likes wearing patterned button-down shirts and sports shorts. For the shirts, of course that includes what’s called Hawaiian shirts, but really anything that has some sort of fancy/detailed patterned will catch his eye. Also tends to wear sandals/flipflops, or crocs.
He really likes racing games, also sports games in general!
Cinco was a bit of a jock type before going full-cyber on that note, playing a lot of sports back then too. He tried to get into various professional sports but never got very far. He’s good at whatever he plays, but evidently just not one of the best for it. Also doesn’t help that he never tried focusing on one particular sport at a time, to the point where he stretched himself thin after a while.
Occasionally plays basketball with the Franks, he’s actually good pals with them because of it!
Likes sports and muscle cars, though mostly driving them and not the maintenance part. He may or may not participate in drag races using stolen cars. Not that it’s hard to steal a car in New Amsterdam, there’s a lot of rich people with “smart” cars who don’t change the default passwords…
Real name César Hugo Raúl Garcia-Flores. On both sides of his family there’s histories of genetic illnesses, and after a certain point he was starting to show some early signs of them. This of course started affecting his health, and with his focus on sports and also wanting to get better as a writer/dancer, he ended up on the transhumanism forum to hopefully find a way to handle all that.
He genuinely didn’t intended to go full-cyber, just wanted to look into “less intensive” cybernetics. However, becoming friends with 8-ball and Neun and going over what they were planning themselves basically led Cinco to decide, “You know what? Might as well go all the way with this myself!”
A note on his full name, if people ask about it: he’ll say his parents couldn’t decide between the two middle names, and just gave him both. Meanwhile, neither parent was backing down about giving him one family name or the other, so they decided to just hyphenate it. But then they had an argument over the order (Garcia-Flores or Flores-Garcia), so they flipped a coin on it… that all being said, Cinco always says this like it’s another joke, so no one’s entirely sure if it’s the real story or not.
He had a boyfriend before going full-cyber. They broke up because of him hiding the fact he was planning to go full-cyber at all. Then again, them breaking up over that was inevitable anyways, because said boyfriend was the type of person to see cybernetics (especially full-cyber stuff) as something unnatural and disgusting. By the time of the game, Cinco has long since gotten over it (for the most part).
May or may not end up dating Escher, hee hee
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Neun specifically:
From Cueball’s point of view, he’s basically the stern uncle lol
Has a bit of a “neutral” accent when speaking in his actual voice. It’s clear he’s hiding whatever his “real” accent is supposed to be, but no one knows what he naturally sounds like, not even 8-ball and Cinco. His voice gets shockingly deep when he’s angry, which is very rare.
Fluent in German and Spanish, having grown up speaking both languages. Claims to be from Germany. Though, he’s only ever spoken Spanish with Cinco in private “for some reason”...
… The reason being that he’s actually Argentinian (of German descent, hence him learning that language) and very much has the accent when speaking Spanish. Cinco clocked him as such when listening to him speak Spanish one time. Neun doesn’t want people to know that about him, so he’s sworn Cinco to never speak of it to anyone, even 8-ball. More on why later...
When in public, he basically puts up a front and acts the same kind of “dudebro” kind of way the rest of the members act. Outside of that, overall he’s a very serious and kinda cold guy, but he does genuinely care about his friends (and eventually the rest of the crew, though it took him a while to get there).
Between him, 8-ball, and Cinco, Neun is basically the “friend in charge of the one collective brain cell” kind of guy. It’s also why he’s second-in-command of DOT EXE, becoming the leader once 8-ball is killed.
Also the crew’s accountant, mostly in charge of sorting out collecting rent from the businesses in the mall. He gives a lot of leeway for local businesses if they’re late on rent, but gives no such mercy to the bigger brands in the mall.
Likes to stay organized. He will pick up after the others if they leave a mess, but will also complain and berate them while doing so.
Not exactly a fan of jokes or pranks. He dislikes puns in particular and finds them genuinely annoying (not in a “Damn it, I wish I thought of that myself!!” kind of way). He makes an exception for Cinco’s jokes, but mostly out of politeness as a friend. And even then it’s not like Neun will laugh, he’ll just politely stay quiet and shake his head.
For his normal fashion outside of the tracksuits, well, Neun can be described as looking like a stereotypical nerd. This means collar shirts and khaki pants, lol
Neun likes playing RPGs and strategy games, though he’s very old school and picky about what he plays. If it doesn’t have some sort of hard mode, at the very least a hard mode that can be modded in, he won’t bother with it. Just as an example, he likes playing Pokemon games but only with modded super hard modes and with Smogon-style strategies and team builds.
Claims his real name is Sebastian Jäger. He was originally just on the transhumanism forum out of curiosity, not really taking it seriously. However, at one point he had a mid-life crisis related to mortality, especially after having to deal with a string of family deaths around the same time. With him wanting to be a better writer and breakdancer, at that point he felt like he had limited time to even live at all, let alone enough time to improve at either of those.
Hence why he started being more active on the forum and looking into full-cyber conversion in particular, and that eventually led to him becoming friends with 8-ball and Cinco. He’ll never admit to this though.
He’ll also never admit that he accidentally crossed the wrong people on his journey to both go full-cyber and move to New Amsterdam. He’s convinced they’re still looking for him, even if the chances are incredibly slim. Thus why he’s hiding at least part of his origins...
His actual real name is Sebastián Montero, but again, he’s basically in hiding right now. "Jäger" was apparently the family name of an ancestor of his.
(1️⃣4️⃣) 🔟
Quatorze and Jūrō in general:
Quatorze is French, and Jūrō is of Japanese descent, both born and raised in France. Both can of course speak French, with their real speaking voices having a Parisian French accent. Jūrō is also fluent in Japanese.
They were both big time writers in their youth, with stories about them being what inspired 8-ball to become a writer in the first place! Then him talking about them to Cinco and Neun is what collectively pushed all three of them to want to get better at being writers.
They are a married couple and still consider themselves married as wife and husband, even after going full-cyber together (technically they are considered legally dead and thus no longer married, but screw the laws man).
On that note, surprise, Quatorze is actually a woman! Thanks to the default voice for the crew and the tracksuits, everyone just assumes she’s a man without hearing her real voice. That’s intentional, I’ll get into it a bit more in her specific section.
They are very, very loving to each other. Think Gomez and Morticia Addams, just without a morbid humor angle. Jūrō basically praises and is encouraging of everything Quatorze does, and Quatorze love to compliment him for anything he does too. Though sometimes it does get on her nerves, and he apologizes when she asks him to dial it back a bit. But also they have the mushiest pet names for each other.
They are both willing to kill and be killed for the sake of their spouse, but of course each of them would prefer that the other not going that far.
They see 8-ball, Cinco, and Neun as their peers. Meanwhile, both of them dote on Cueball, Twoson, and Fourside like their actual kids/grandkids. Cueball finds it annoying but secretly likes it, meanwhile Twoson and Fourside outright call them Granny and Granpy respectively.
Real names Marie-Madeleine Lucille Perrault, and Maximilien Théodore Perrault, respectively. Their backstory of how they went full-cyber is connected, so I’ll just go over it here: Tragically, in their 70s, Quatorze got cancer at some point, a kind that was unfortunately very hard to treat. She had the option to go full-cyber instead of continuing risky treatment just to potentially die due to being weakened by said treatment. And her husband Jūrō also went full-cyber to be able to stay with her!
Unfortunately, their kids were not happy with that. For some of them, there was confusion about how inheritance would work (eventually finding out that Quatorze and Jūrō would be considered legally dead anyways, so it was “fine”). For others, it’s moreso that they had already accepted that their mom will die, only for her to choose to keep living in the most “selfish” and “unnatural” way possible.
Suffice to say, Quatorze and Jūrō have not spoken to their kids since then, and they haven’t seen their grandkids since then either. They’re more torn up about not seeing their grandkids (they weren’t exactly happy with their kids fighting over inheritance and criticizing their parents’ decision on how to keep living). For the most part they’ve come to accept they’ll never see them again, but Jūrō is secretly holding onto hope they might see their grandkids again someday…
After the two of them went full-cyber, sometime later 8-ball reached out to them, having heard about what happened to them. He was basically like, "Hey you guys were big inspirations to us as writers! Wanna join our new full-cyber crew??" (at that point it was just him, Cinco, and Neun). They responded, "Well, we're not sure how to spend our retirement now, so sure! :)" So by the time of the game’s events, they’re in their 80s.
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Quatorze specifically:
She’s basically the team mom! Very caring towards everyone in the crew, but also more than willing to put her foot down to get them to behave when needed.
Before going full-cyber, she was an actress. Her pretending to be a man when out and about as a writer is mainly to hide her identity. She was fairly famous at her peak, so even with her being “legally” dead, she doesn’t want people to find and bother her, especially not any overzealous fans. She does look back on her past work with fondness though, some of her favorite roles was getting to play as hammy, over-the-top villains in cartoons, animated movies, and live action movies.
Though as an actress, her pretending to be a man while in public as DOT EXE (including using the default voice the same as the others) is also just another role for her. She finds it a lot of fun!
She knits, as well as crocheting, weaving, and other crafts involving threads and such. She will knit you a sweater/scarf/hat if you ask politely!
For her civilian fashion, she likes wearing sweaters and long skirts. Sometimes she wears sundresses with a nice sunhat during the summer months, even if it’s not really necessary as a full-cyber person. She has fancier dresses she wears for date nights with Jūrō.
Her favorite kinds of video games are puzzle games and ‘slow’ platformers, mainly things along the lines of Klonoa, Kirby, Mario, and Banjo-Kazooie.
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Jūrō specifically:
He’s basically the team dad! Very supportive of his crew mates. He leaves being the “stern parent” to Quatorze though, especially since Jūrō tends to be too soft on someone if they messed up or started issues with the rest of the crew. It was the same when they were full-flesh with their kids and grandkids, he’s mainly just afraid of seeming too “mean”.
Unfortunately he can’t do dad jokes, but at least Cinco has that covered, lol
He worked as an accountant, but didn’t like the work very much. He was able to be a stay-at-home dad once Quartorze’s acting career really took off!
He likes to garden, and he’s the one that works the most on the mall’s greenhouse.
For his civilian fashion, usually wears nice pants (like the kind for suits) + long button-down shirts. Also wears sweater vests that his wife makes for him! He has full suits and waistcoats for date nights with Quatorze.
His favorite kinds of video games are life sim games, such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley (“If only growing plants were this easy in real life!”). He also likes idle games, especially ones that don’t demand his attention too much.
2️⃣4️⃣
Twoson and Fourside in general:
Yes, their names are references to the Earthbound towns of the same name. They picked out their own billiard numbers to specifically make that reference, lol
Twoson is agender (they/he) and Fourside is nonbinary (also they/he). Note that they were like this long before going full-cyber, since some people may assume it happened because of the transition.
For their voices, they actually only use their real voices when they’re alone together in private, and no one else knows what they “really” sound like. When out as civilians or in private with their crewmates, they use different synthesized voices from the one used for DOT EXE. Their specific synthesized voices will be noted in their individual sections.
For their civilian screen faces, these two will actually change them to express certain emotions, usually with very anime-esque stuff (eye shines, exaggerated evil grins, etc). Other members will just keep their faces static and express themselves through their voice and hand/body movement.
They are both pranksters, they love to cause mischief and mayhem! Not even their own crewmates are safe.
They get along with Cueball in a sort of sibling way. Sometimes getting along great, other times being at each others’ throats (i.e. Cueball vs. Twoson and Fourside, the two of them are deep friends and have never really fought each other).
Jūrō has taught both of them Japanese. He insisted on it after hearing them talk (or rather, trying to talk) in Japanese once, they were really horrible at it before his lessons. They both also know a bit of Spanish from Cinco.
Between the two of them, they have a huge anime and manga collection! I will mention some of their individual favorite genres for that in their respective sections.
They make video games! Just as a hobby, so all the games they make are free. Said games are mostly in the form of super hard ROM Hacks, or weird/eccentric/trippy games (think along the lines of Yume Nikki, OFF, Hylics, Space Funeral, Goblet Grotto, LSD Dream Emulator, etc.). Neither of them can code very well, so they usually convince/force Cueball into helping them with their various projects. What they provide for said projects themselves is mostly the ideas (both of them), music (Twoson specifically), and art assets (Fourside specifically).
Suffice to say, the games they make are not ones that any of the other DOT EXE members normally play. Neun has played some of the ROM hacks they’ve made for RPGs though, mostly because of the ridiculous challenges they put in.
They both have similar tastes in music, usually stuff that is fairly “eccentric” compared to mainstream music. Basically along the lines of Caravan Palace, Will Wood, Lemon Demon, Jack Stauber, GHOST and Pals, Vane, and R.I.P.. Also enjoy a lot of Vocaloid and Synthysizer V songs, especially the more creepy and macabre stuff.
On that note, they’ve definitely hijacked the mall’s sound systems to play their favorite songs as pranks on people more than once.
They both really like horror games. With poorly made ones, they only play them to riff on them and make fun of their game design. They may or may not have a YouTube channel dedicated to this. They may or may not also do streams as vTubers on that note…
Honestly they like horror content in general. Movies, novels, games, anime, manga, comics, TV shows, art… they’d probably get along great with Daishō!
Real names are Beau Driessen and Robin Zaal respectively. Like with Quatorze and Jūrō, Twoson and Fourside’s backstories are connected. Twoson was severely injured in what was ruled an “accident”, to the point of only having two options: go full-cyber, or just stay bedridden for the rest of their life. Meanwhile, Fourside went full-cyber in order to bury their old identity, after having taken care of the people who caused the “accident”. Both of them going full-cyber happened in their late 20s, they're both about 35 now.
They were both writers before going full-cyber, and the “accident” was caused by some rivals they had to deal with. After the conversion, they heard about DOT EXE as a full-cyber crew, and decided to join up with them.
They are very protective of one another. Fourside in particular will get very vicious against anyone who tries to hurt Twoson, even if it’s another DOT EXE member.
They’re also the type to use insults to show affection to each other, “You nerd!”, “You’re such a dork!”, etc. Towards anyone else, it’s genuine insults.
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Twoson specifically:
The voice they use when going around as a civilian is an androgynous synthesized voice that’s a bit on the higher side.
Twoson is the nicer of the two, for what it’s worth, but still tends to be obnoxious at times. They also like to be fakely sweet sometimes, especially when trying to get a favor out of someone else.
For fashion, Twoson likes wearing a jean vest covered in a ton of buttons. They also like to wear skirts over cargo capris, tie-dye shirts, chokers/collars, and headbands which have been modified to fit over their head.
They like to do craft stuff sometimes, like origami, needle felting, papercraft, and clay sculptures. They also make the buttons and tie-dye shirts that both themself and Fourside wear.
They make music! The best way to describe it is very weird and also sometimes creepy. Basically ranging from quirky digital/midi music, to dreamy but still unnerving drones and tones, to Silent Hill 1 industrial scary noises.
Besides horror video games, they really like dating sims and visual novels. They have a whole menagerie of what they call their fictional spouses.
Twoson likes the magical girl genre in particular for anime and manga. They actually really hate shows like Puella Magi Madoka Magica that try to subvert the genre or otherwise do an intentionally “edgy” take on it. A lot of magical girl series already have dark themes anyways!
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Fourside specifically:
The voice they use when going around as a civilian is an androgynous synthesized voice that’s a bit on the lower side.
Fourside is the meaner of the two, for what it’s worth. They’re more quick to genuinely insult people and use a lot of sarcasm. However, they will be respectful when it counts, usually only for other DOT EXE members.
For fashion, Fourside also likes wearing a jean vest with tons of buttons and tie-dye shirts, like Twoson does. They also wear a skirt over skinny jeans, lots of bracelets, and beanies that Quatorze has made for them.
On that note, Quatorze made some of the thread/string bracelets that Fourside wears, and she showed them how to make bracelets on their own too. So the rest are the ones Fourside made! You can tell which ones were from when they first started out, and which ones are more recent and thus better quality. They’ve also made some of the collars/chokers that Twoson wears.
Fourside does digital art in the form of 3D models and complex MS Paint stuff. They mainly do this just to make weird stuff and put it out their for people to enjoy. A lot of it is very abstract and weird, with a sort of “old-school Internet” vibe a la ENA/Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong-Nou/Disillusion ST/Hylics/etc.
Besides horror video games, they really love beat ‘em ups and fighting games! Do not challenge them to some of the big ones (Street Fighter, Tekken, Smash Bros, etc.) unless you want to lose.
Fourside has no particular favorite genre for anime/manga, but tends to like series that end up categorized as shōnen. Also really enjoys superhero tokusatsu shows and movies (i.e. stuff like Super Sentai/Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, etc).
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Cueball
He’s the lovable goofball basically. Lots of joking around and teasing people, especially his friends! That’s basically how he shows affection a lot of the time.
Though he’s also fiercely loyal to his friends and crew. Mostly because despite being friendly and outgoing, he doesn’t exactly have a lot of friends outside of DOT EXE. Eventually that changes once he joins BRC, but he still cares about and hangs out with his old crewmates.
He’s from the United States, and 8-ball helped him with moving to New Amsterdam.
He loves cats! Before he went full-cyber, he was very allergic to cats and wasn’t allowed to have any because of that. After going full-cyber, he eventually realized he didn’t have to worry about allergies anymore. And so he set out to adopt ALL the cats, lol. It got bad enough to be a hoarding situation, and the rest of DOT EXE at the time (8-ball, Cinco, and Neun, this being before any of the other and Cueball himself joining) had to step in for an intervention. They got the cats rehomed or put in adoption centers/cat shelters, and Cueball decided to just volunteer at those shelters to help out. A much better situation for everyone involved, especially the cats!
Cueball owns a ton of blankets and pillows, and likes to make his own pillow forts and stuff in his room for Extra Comfort. Also sometimes throws them in a clothes dryer to make them warm. With the thing about body sensors for full-cyber people I mentioned earlier, Cueball is of course the one that takes full advantage of the sensors whenever he can!
Quatorze has made whole blankets for Cueball. He doesn’t like to admit it, but he does appreciate those blankets, they’re very comfy.
His favorite kinds of video games are action, action-adventure, and search action (a.k.a “Metroidvania”).
Cueball hates his real voice for the most part, and he’s the only one who will keep using the default DOT EXE voice even when alone with the rest of the crew. They do know what he sounded like before he used that default voice (he only started using it all the time after he joined DOT EXE), but it’s been so long that most of them have forgotten it by now.
When it comes to fashion, Cueball’s “style” is more about comfort than anything else. Hoodies! Sweatpants! Sweaters! Oversized t-shirts! Comfy socks! Super comfy sneakers! Sometimes various winter hats if he can find any that will fit over his head lol. He has a ton of stuff that Quartoze has made for him, though he feels embarrassed to actually wear them outside of the hideout.
As mentioned previously, he doesn’t bother changing his screen face to a different one from his billiards face. Though he will change the red triangle in the middle to different emojis or reaction images/gifs for expressions. Or otherwise to mess with people.
So Cueball is the only one who doesn't bother with the voice changing nor face changing. The only thing different is his clothes. If a cop suspects he's the same Cueball from DOT EXE, he basically goes, "Oh? You think I look like a criminal just because I'm full-cyber too? Prejudice much?!" and that actually gets them to back down most of the time lol
He used to do programming and other computer related tasks (including messing with servers and hardware) as a job after going full-cyber and before eventually joining DOT EXE. He’s still good at those things too! But at least now he keeps up with those more as a hobby, which he honestly prefers. He thus tends to refuse to help with the IT stuff for the mall, he’s sick of doing that kind of thing for work.
He wanted in on the crew mostly because he was sick of feeling “left behind” by everyone else whenever they’d go out to do writer stuff. By the time he joined, Quatorze, Jūrō, Twoson, and Fourside had already become part of the crew.
He’s the only DOT EXE member with no prior experience as a writer (especially before going full-cyber), and so he’s had to put in a lot of practice with the rest of the crew. Due to his lack of skills, he was only really allowed to join because his older brother 8-ball let him join, and even then only after Cueball begged him about it a lot.
On that note, and as mentioned in 8-ball’s section, Cueball and 8-ball are specifically half-brothers. They cared about each other, and 8-ball very much tried to help out his little brother whenever he could. Back when the two of them were still full-flesh, they weren’t too close, but at least kept in touch via email and sometimes actual postcards despite the age difference between them. Mostly 8-ball wanted to be sure Cueball had another adult he could turn to if he was in trouble, because he knows how their dad is.
After moving to New Amsterdam, they did get a little closer as brothers. Cueball has a lot of admiration for his older brother because of his writer activities, though sometimes Cueball would be annoyed or even hate 8-ball for (in his eyes) “babying” him when 8-ball was just trying to keep him safe. Eventually, sometime after 8-ball died, Cueball mostly just regrets not really knowing 8-ball that well in the end.
Cueball starts trying to get into rhythm games after 8-ball’s death, and he even tries to join in on the rhythm game competitions with Cinco and Neun. He’s getting pretty good at it!
He does a lot of pranks with Twoson and Fourside. Also prank wars between the three of them! Neun makes a point to have plans outside of New Amsterdam for the weeks surrounding April Fools Day, while the rest of the crew just roll with it.
Besides Twoson and Fourside, Cueball gets along fairly well with Cinco, Jūrō, and Quatorze. For the last one, he has accidentally called her mom once, and he had her swear to never tell anyone else what happened.
He’s dating Bō! Cueball is really big on physical touch as a show of affection. He is thus incredibly cuddly and big on handholding and hugs! He also cuts back on the jokes and teasing just for Bō (for the most part).
He used to do a lot of cooking and baking before he went full-cyber. Once he started dating Bō, he actually go back into cooking to be able to cook stuff for his boyfriend! He still remembers all of the recipes he tried out, plus reads up on new ones to try. Unfortunately, due to of course having no sense of taste now, he has to either use recipes that don’t need tasting in between steps, stick with recipes that he already knows Bō likes, or otherwise make sure Bō is around for taste-testing.
Bō is the only one who knows what Cueball’s real voice sounds like, and even then Cueball only uses it when they’re alone together in private.
Real name Ernesto Alberto Visser. Cueball got Covid when he was about 15. The resulting long Covid was bad enough that, in his early 20s, he decided to just go full-cyber instead of continuing to suffer. His older brother 8-ball helped him out with that. At first it was just helping him move to New Amsterdam to get better medical treatment (and to get away from their dad and Cueball’s mom for that matter) once Cueball turned 18. Eventually that lead to helping Cueball with going full-cyber once the treatments proved ineffective. He did so sometime after 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco went full-cyber themselves. Cueball is about 43 during the time of the game.
Cueball originally had plans to become a chef or at least a baker, but when he got sick, part of the problems from his Covid infection was that his sense of taste got completely messed up. He was originally going to do programming as a hobby thing. But once he went full-cyber, he did programming as a full time job since he didn’t have anything else going for him, until eventually joining DOT EXE many years later.
Because of why he went full-cyber, he is distrustful of doctors (due to both the quack doctors his parents forced him to see to pretend that his Covid symptoms “weren’t that bad”, and the actual doctors later on who knew how serious his condition was but couldn’t do much for him anyways). He insists on accompanying his full-flesh friends to their doctor appointments to make sure they’re safe!!
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killabratzzcherri · 2 years
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♥︎. — ryomen sukuna x black!reader
♥︎. — she was his perfect partner, the only woman worthy of standing by his side. he was her husband, the only man accepting of her vile ways. Now that these two have finally reunited, the world with only know chaos.
♥︎. includes. — smut, black coded reader, evil reader, reader switches between 3rd & 2nd person, mentions of blood(nothing big), degradation, rough play, choking.
♥︎. tags. — @dejwrites
♥︎. note. — written for villainfuckers.com hosted by my girl @dejwrites . This was supposed to be the 2nd fanfic for this collab but suddenly I got inspiration at midnight last night and here I am the next night finishing it. While mind you, the original first piece was started months ago yet still isn’t even close to be finished. That’s sad.
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It was a busy night in the city of Tokyo. The buzzing of life seemed even more abundant during the night than in the day.
It was a busy night in the city of Tokyo. The buzzing of life seemed even more abundant during the night than in the day.
From one of the highest penthouses in Tokyo, a brown-skinned woman slowly sat up from her king sized bed. She turned her head to look out the window overtaking the whole wall in front of her, the view of the brightly lit city there to greet her. She then stood up, revealing her naked body in the dark, and walked towards the wide-spread window that cover most of the wall of the room.
Placing her palm on the cold glass, her [e/c] eyes glowing a bright pink hue in the dark, and a chilling grin grew on her face. Her pupils resembling that of a heart. She placed a hand against her cheek and tilted her head before opening her mouth to speak.
❝He's back, Sukuna finally returned to me~❞
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You wore a rather small tube-top black dress that showed off your curves, along with long black thigh highs with black high heels. You were breathtaking, to say the least, and you knew it. It was hard to miss your cocky smile and the model-like way you walked with confident strides.
No one knew the true demon stirring inside the woman who wore skimpy clothes and had the body even Aphrodite would be jealous of. No one knew the insatiable hunger that drove you crazy, that could never be filled no matter how many men she slept with. Even when she had room full of men, awaiting their turn to have a chance at getting even a slight taste of your divine presence. She still wanted something. She needed it.
No.
It wasn’t a something, but a someone. The only person who could warm your heart, the only one to hear your sweet laugh, to make you drop to your kneels with a simple look, the only one to dominate you. Your love.
But he was dead. You saw him be killed with your own eyes and the experience was… devastating to say the least. Sometimes you could still feel the blood sticking to your body from the aftermath of your unbridled rage. Although you knew he wasn’t completely dead, the sorcerers unable to destroy his fingers, you had eventually lost hope as there was no sign of him for centuries.
In that time you had taken your sorrow out in many ways, going on a sorcerer killing spree was the very first thing you did, resentful for what they had did to your beloved. After that, you went looking for comfort in the embrace of different men and women, wanting to fill the void of emptiness inside you. As the generations progressed, you dabbled a little in human affairs, from politics to business, you found a way to exploit humans corrupted nature. In the end, you had way more money than you actually cared for.
Your meaningless existence finally gained meaning when for the first time in over a millennium, you felt the familiar presence of your lovers power. It was at the dead of night and the excitement overwhelmed your body as you could only mutter a small sentence.
“He’s back, Sukuna’s finally come back to me.”
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
Every since Itadori had eaten the cursed finger, he had a weird sense that someone was watching him. Whenever he felt that way the curse inside him, Sukuna, would yell inside his head, telling him to find her but he didn’t know who she even was. He’d figured that whoever was watching him was connected to Sukuna and it put him on edge, preparing for another life-threatening fight.
He confided in Gojo-sensei about it but he said that whatever thing that wanted to get to Sukuna would have to go through him. Which made Itadori feel a little bit safer and Sukuna only scoff at the idea. Itadori had tried to get Sukuna to tell him who she was but he only refused.
It was in the middle of the day when he finally got to meet you. It was outside of the school so no one knew that a curse had gotten so close to him and he had no chance to alert the others of his situation. It all happened so quickly. He was just walking down the street, behind the rest of his peers and teacher since he got held up by something. Just as he passed one of the many dark alleyways, a pair of arms came and wrapped him. One hand going to cover his mouth to prevent him from screaming and the other keeping him from escaping.
Itadori called for Sukuna, asking for his help but he didn’t answer. He squirmed around to break free from the perpetrator but they were to strong, not even flinching at the elbow to their stomach. The person went closer to his ear, speaking to him.
“Stop moving, will you? Keep squirming like that and I might end up cutting off a limb and I don’t think you humans can grow those back.”
The voice was sultry and smooth, it had a natural seductive tone despite the harsh and graphic words being said. Hearing this voice made his body relax for some reason, as if it wanted to obey the voice despite Itadori fighting this to try and get away.
The world around him began to warp and disappear and change, halting his resistance for a moment in confusion. He had been teleported before when Gojo-sensei took him to see his fight against that mountain looking curse. But this, this was different. It was if you were destroying and creating the location itself.
Itadori found himself standing in a fancy, modern bedroom. Lit by a dazzling hanging chandelier, a round canapé bed draped with sheer baby pink curtains. It was low with small steps leading up to the bed and he was in awe at the beauty of the room. He was brought out of his amazement when he felt the arms that were once binding him, slip from their tight grip and leave his body. A part of him wanted to jump back into their arms, to feel the warmth that they provided and submit but his mind was stronger than his body so he resisted.
He jumped back away from his captor, taking a defensive stance ready to fight if need be. Now that he was facing the person, he could see their actual appearance and his stance faltered at the sight. The woman in front of him was stunning, beautiful, gorgeous. Even putting Jennifer Lawrence to shame.
“Now now little lamb, I’m not gonna hurt you~ I simply want to speak with the creature inside you,” you spoke, breaking the tense silence.
Itadori was going to protest, to demand answers on why she had brought him here and why she wanted to speak to Sukuna. But before he could do any of that, his vision began to fade away and he could feel the loss of control of his body. He wanted to protest but he lost control and lost consciousness.
In his place, tattoos formed over the boy’s body and face, his hair taking on a more slicked-back look, his nails growing sharp and dark, and his body taking on a more chiseled shape. The transformation only serving to make your mouth water and heat pool to your core in lust. The man that now stood in front of you was your beloved, your darling, your husband.
“Sukuna.”
“Darling.”
His deep voice traveled through your body and weakened your knees, the nickname only adding to the fire. The smirk that followed was entrancing, his cockiness on full display. He knew the effect he had on you, he knew that for him, it didn’t take much to have you on your knees and begging for his touch. Just as you did to the other poor men and women that fell for you. He is the only one able to satisfy you.
You wasted no time in running into his embrace and planting a passionate kiss onto his lips. Even if it wasn’t his body, it was him and that’s all that mattered to you. He wrapped his arms around your waist, hoisting you up so you could wrap your legs around his waist as he held you up by your ass. You peppered his face with kisses, each ranging from the purpose of love to lust.
He chuckled in amusement as you showered him in affection. He wasn’t opposed to this, letting you express your excitement. It wasn’t long before you stopped, knowing his patience only ran so far. Instead, to quell your excitement at reuniting with your husband and to satisfy his growing desire, you said the thing that you’ve been waiting for every since you found him.
“Fuck me,” you spoke before diving in for another hot kiss. His tongue pushing its way into your mouth and your tongues dance with each other. He carried you over to your bed, his hands already moving to lift your dress and expose your lower half.
You were forced to separate when he dropped you onto the mattress, wrinkling the pristine sheets and comforter. You were panting, flustered just from kissing him and you were excited about what’s to come. Sukuna grew hard at the sight of you under him, the image never failed to excite him but after a millennium it really does it’s job of being a turn on.
He pressed his knee down onto the bed to lean over you, his hand moving to trance over your exposed cunt. Other hand weakly grip at your hair.
“Naughty naughty girl~ wearing no underwear? You’re practically begging to be fucked,” he purred, flicking your clit and making you mewl from the sensation.
“Tell me. Tell me what you want me to do to you,” he said. He kissed at your neck and squeezed at your inner thigh, avoiding your aching cunt.
“Fuck me! I don’t care how rough just put it in! Hurt me! Make me cry! Anything! Just please fuck me!” you cried out, pulling on his hair. You could feel the shit-eating grin forming on his face but you didn’t care. Your beloved has come back to you.
Sukuna chuckled and was quick to rip the front of your dress, your breasts spilling out from the tight fabric and on full display. He ripped off the top off his body and freed his leaking erection, making your mouth and cunt water in anticipation.
“You’re still a little freak, aren’t you?” Sukuna leaned down biting onto your throat and drawing blood and not bothering to lick it over, allowing it to trickle down your dark skin. He moved down to your cunt, spreading it open with two and placing his tongue inside as you wriggled beneath.
“Hurt me. Make me feel something. Don’t stop no matter what I say. Just make it hurt.”
“Stop ordering me around slut,” he said, voice low and dark, sending shivers down your spine. You felt his head and hand retreat from your cunt, reaching forward to curl around your throat, his grip dangerous to a regular human but arousing to you. He pulled you up to sit up and pressed your body flush against the warmth and hardness of Sukuna’s chest. “Behave, or I'll rip off your head and end your pathetic existence right here and now. Is that how you want to die, pet? Splayed out and dripping like the used whore you are?”
Usually you would submit, listen to him and took whatever he gave you. But you weren’t having it today, you had waited for him to return and now he’s gonna condemn you for getting to excited. You deserved to have a little control in this moment. You narrowed your eyes at him and moved your hand to grip at his hair, pulling his head back and forcing him to glare down at you with a frown.
“Listen here asshole, I’ve waited over hundreds of centuries for you to return to me. I deserve a little fucking respect so calm your goddamn ego and fuck me like I told you, you hear me?” you spoke, eyes glowing a menacing pink in warning.
Sukuna scoffed with a roll of his eyes, but conceded to your commands. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he shoved you back onto the bed, positioning his cock over your unprepared cunt. He grabbed both of your wrists in one hand, holding them tightly over your head.
He pushed in, blood being the only other lubricant you had. You felt alive. More alive then you had been all this time.
You let out a loud cry as Sukuna tore your hole open, groaning as he bottomed out in one go. The tears were instinctual based purely on the pain alone, but it wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle. The high of feeling so much pain mingling with the pleasure of your g-spot being stimulated had you overwhelmed. There was something so euphoric about the pain you were experiencing, coupled with the feeling of blood running down your thighs to stain the pink bed sheets below them.
He pulled out slowly, before thrusting back in sharply and making you gasp. He thrusted in again, harder and nearly knocking the air out of your lungs. You whined, arching your body to try and handle the pleasure being given to you.
You shout and moan with every movement. Usually you would be more reserved, bratty and make someone work for the honor of even touching you, but right now, your nothing but a slut for your husband to cum in and use however he wants. A whore meant to be obedient and fucked. So you think being an obscene slut fits the situation.
"Fuck… fuck! yes," you moan. "Fuck me harder, harder, please! I want it, please! "
“What did I say about ordering me around?”
You whine softly in overstimulation, legs squirming in Sukuna's hold which only makes you gummy wall to rub and squeeze around the cock thrusting inside you. It makes Sukuna groan and grip tighter at your legs to keep you still in that position.
He backed off as he fucked into you, one hand gripping your breat, the other still holding your wrists together over your head. He pounded into your ruined and sloppy cunt, your makeup and hair messy from the sheer roughness of his movements. He admire this image of such a powerful and vile woman, defeated by a mere good fucking. To him, it was empowering.
“Your cunt’s so tight, slut. You get off on pleasing men like me? You get off on whoring yourself out to anyone with a bit of authority? Fucking pathetic.” He growled, biting into the other side of your neck hard enough to draw blood again. You whimpered, kicking your legs as you let Sukuna ruin, hurt, and degrade you.
“Stop moving, or this is gonna hurt a lot more.” He retorted, his thrusts growing more erratic and sloppy. You could tell he was getting closer to his climax just as you were. Grunts and moans filling the bedroom walls, accompanied by the smack of skin against skin. With every thrust you felt yourself growing more and more closer to the edge, just needing the final push.
“Sukuna, I’m going- mhm, Please… master! I’m going to cum, I’m- ahh!”
You were cut off by a bruising kiss, Sukuna grabbing you by the chin and capturing your lips as he came inside of you. His hot semen filled your cunt and womb to the brim, his name spilling like a prayer from your mouth. You’d never admit it, but the absolute euphoria of finally having your love in your arms, coupled with your overstimulated body was that final push that pushed you over the edge. You came over Sukuna’s cock, both your orgasms mixing inside you and spilling out onto your bed sheets.
You laid there, on your back, panting hard as Sukuna released you and got up. He was about to go and get something to clean you off with, but he felt your hand grip onto his wrist. He turned to look at you and you looked at him with a confused expression.
“Where are you going? You’re not done yet. You’ve got whole centuries to make up for”
“But-“
“Don’t ‘but’ me, you don’t stop until I say you can stop. That annoying sorcerer won’t notice that kid’s disappearance for a while so bring your ass back over here and fuck me,” you barked.
Sukuna, for the first time since being reawakened, remembered why a part of him was afraid of you. Nevertheless, he chuckled and shook his head, obeying your words and returning back to your sweet embrace. Pulling you into another passionate kiss.
After all, he too was a sucker for his spouse.
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readingwiththereids · 10 months
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yanda! speaks: hello my pretties! as promised, here is chapter 2! again, minimal carm so i’m sorry but we do get to see camila interact with the rest of the gang <3 hope you like it, don’t forget to like and reblog! lots of love and light 🤎
masterlist
night rain ; chapter 2
2022
Emilia was hyper and extremely difficult to tire out. Even after a two-hour trip to the park filled with nonstop monkey bars and swings, the young girl still always had another activity in mind for her and her mother to do. And that was why Camila was currently trying to stop Emilia from jumping from couch to chair and cracking her head open as they played “pirates”.
“Emmy, I swear to God if you jump, I won’t make you pudding for a week.” Camila yelled as she eyed her daughter sternly.
As the toddler huffed and sat down on the arm of the couch, a muffled ringtone sounded from under the pile of toys on the living room floor prompting Cam to rush to answer. It was Tina.
“Mami? ¿Qué pasó?” [What happened?]
“Why would you assume something happened, Camila? What if I just wanted to hear your voice?”
“Because when I tried to call you during the day last week you told me to, and I quote, ‘hop off your dick’.”
“Okay but that was different, I actually want something from you now.”
“So you do need something.” Camila chuckled into the speaker.
“Yes. Yes, whatever, God you’re just as bad as the new girl.”
“Who?” 
“No one. Could you please be my darling daughter and bring me one of my extra clean aprons? Your boyfriend won’t stop yelling at me about it.”
Ignoring the way her mother referred to Carmy, Camila replied watching Emilia start to yawn on the couch, “Are you aware that your darling daughter is also the mother to a two-year-old?” 
“Isn’t it nap time? Just bring her with, she can sleep in the car.”
A pause.
“Will you take care of her on Friday during the gala?” 
^^^^^^^^^
“I’ll be right back.” Camila whispered as she exited and locked her child in the car.
5 minutes. Just 5.
The woman thought as she hesitantly walked through the door of The Beef before being met with almost half a dozen bodies hovering around what seemed to be sandwiches.
“Cam?” 
Marcus spotted her first, immediately walking around the group to engulf her in a huge bear hug. Suddenly everyone was surrounding her. She couldn’t even count how many hugs, kisses on the cheek and pats on the back she received from her chosen family. The commotion obviously summoned the king of noise and ruckus himself, Richie and an unknown girl with multi-coloured braids trailing behind him. 
“As I live and breathe!” Richie’s voice boomed through the front of house.
“Hey, Cousin.” Camila laughed as he picked her up and spun her around.
“Feel like I haven’t seen you in ages, Mini.”
“Likewise,” she said before turning to the girl she had yet to be introduced to. “Camila, nice to meet you.” she smiled.
“Hi! My name’s Sydney, I’m staging today.”
“Awesome, I hope everyone’s made you feel welcome.” 
Angel stepped in, clearing up the confusion on Sydney’s side. “Cam is Tina’s daughter.” 
“And Carmen’s ex-girlfriend.” Ebra loudly whispered.
“Ebraheim, you know you can’t whisper.” Tina rolled her eyes, slapping his arm.
Breaking the awkwardness, Sweeps walked up to Camila with a sandwich in his hand. “Yo, you gotta try this.”
“Holy shit, this is fu-”
“Fucking fire, we know!” Richie groaned. “I don’t know why you all act like Cousin shits out a golden egg every time he makes something, nothing is that good!”
“Well, have you tried it, Richard?” Camila asked.
The scruffy man paused before shaking his head as if that was one of the most absurd questions anyone had ever dared to utter in his presence.
“Exactly,” Cam continued. “Also, I’ve seen you eat a slice of pizza off the floor in the middle of Millennium Park, so I’m not entirely sure if your standards are up to code, Rich.”
That statement resulted in many exclaims and expressions of disgust, amusement and pure shock which were all interrupted when the kitchen door slammed open.
“Alright! Everyone stop standing around, we only have an hour left till-”
When Camen looked up from his phone and saw the very reason his employees refused to get back to work, he froze. Believe it or not, this was the first time in three years that he had seen Camila’s face. After she left, she never told him where she went, removed him from all her social media, left some money for him to pay off their apartment and basically disappeared off of the face of the earth. It hit him hard at first but he soon realised that he had to just keep going, keep himself busy, which his career did a fine job at. 
However, it still felt weird seeing her again. Not exactly like reopening an old wound but rather reminding him of one that never really healed, that he’d just forgotten was still hurting.
Due to his train of thought, Carmy failed to notice that the room had almost entirely cleared out, leaving just him and the woman he’d been in love with once (and honestly was still in love with).
“Hi.” he eventually croaked out.
“Hi.” she smiled sadly.
yanda! speaks (again): cam in her bad mom era tbh. like girl why are you leaving your child in the car in the middle of river north?? 🤨
🏷️ list: @rexorangecouny @louderfortheback
[dm me to get on the tag list :b]
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