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nicromancytarot · 28 days

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HOW WILL YOU MEET YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE?

This is a general reading based on a collective of people. Take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. If you don’t feel the pile resonates with you, don’t be scared to try another, if it still doesn’t feel right, that’s ok! Maybe our energies aren’t as connected and my readings are not for you.

I do these strictly for fun and educational purposes. I don’t change for these readings and I do not fake readings. I would tell you the cards I got but I pull like 20-30 cards each reading and that just slightly a strenuous task to write them all down lmao.

PICK A CARD READING

I asked my spirit guides how you will meet your future spouse, pick a pile to see what they had to say!

Pile 1 ———> Pile 2 ———> Pile 3

PILE 1

For you guys I am getting the feeling that you’re at some type of work convention, possibly an important business opportunity. There seems to be a theme of money and work for this pile, I’m getting heavily that this is something that you either didn’t want to go to, or we’re reluctant to attend.

This mindset could have something to do with you possibly being nervous about what this opportunity has in store for you. Some of you may be at some big gala type event trying to build your reputation so you can get more business, or even a promotion. I see someone who is really on the edge of their seat with nerves, they keep topping up their wine glass. I can’t help but notice the outfit that they are wearing, for me I’m seeing a feminine figure, they’re wearing a long gold sparkly dress, apologising for almost knocking over a glass of wine as they pour themself another, this person does seem very anxious lmao.

I think you will be introduced to your future spouse through either a friend, or some older male figure that you work with. For a few of you, you will be really not wanting to meet anyone new during this time, you’ll be stuffing your mouth full of all these delicacies like pastries in order to not have to speak to anyone.

It’s at this point that this masculine comes over to retrieve you, for some it may be your boss, or manager, for others this will be one of your closest friends.

Your future spouse will take control of the conversation when the masculine leaves, they will be quick to bring you into an engaging discussion over possibly something to do with your job. You’ll be very confused as to why you don’t feel uncomfortable around this stranger, some of you may even notice that this is your future spouse since the spark will be there in an instant.

A select amount of you will be asked for your number, or email, something so they can contact you for “business”, this form of contact will absolutely not be used for business lmao.

PILE 2

You guys are really going through the ringer around the time that you meet your future spouse, for some of you, you maybe even be around the age of thirty at this time, the only reason I say this is because it could be your Saturn return which is influencing all this hardship. However, a lot of you will be pretty young, as I’m seeing someone going out to a club/party to go get absurdly drunk.

A lot of you will be going through a really hard breakup during this era of your life, this could be with a partner that you were will for a long while, as I’m getting the feeling that you though this was your forever person. I don’t think you’ve really given yourself much time to heal from this partnership before you go out clubbing to detach from the feeling of aloneness.

For a very select few of you, you may have been cheated on by your partner, and find out only a few days prior to this meet.

You’re going out to feel free and completely out of control of whatever is going on around you, some of your friends might even try to encourage you to leave before something happens, as I do see you trying to cope with your sadness by drinking yourself into oblivion.

A small amount of you will meet your future spouse, eye them up and then take them to the back or to your place, possibly even their place to have some intimate time. So yes, this could start of as a hookup.

Others of you are going to embarrass the hell out of yourselves, I’m seeing some tripping over and falling onto the lap of the other, in another scenario there’s someone falling down some stairs and some other person catching her just before she plummets.

This person may even stay with you to help you sober up lmao, you may confide in this person a little too much and cry to them about your failed relationship while in a drunken state. They could even hold your hair back while you’re busy throwing up #cute.

I’m seeing that they may ask for yours or your friends number so they can check on you later that night, or in the morning.

PILE 3

You guys are also going through something during this time, for some of you it’s a failed situationship which I think you were committed to for a long time, this seems to have come out of the blue, a completely unexpected betrayal.

Whoever the person you were dealing with is, they are the type to say that “labels are pointless”

Others of you were under the impression that you were in a relationship, but instead you were actually in a situationship and your person slept with or got with another person, this caused an uproar and you were quick to make the decision to leave.

For a very, very small amount of you, you possibly got up and left off to another part of the world, wanting to be completely disconnected from this person and their terrible sense of loyalty.

The rest of you are also travelling or on vacation in another country/state etc (depending on where you are stationed) I see that you may go into a store or to a market place and have to ask the clerk/seller for the price of the piece, or possibly you accidentally ask a random person, thinking that they are a worker.

Whichever way this goes, that is your future spouse. They will do their best to help you, if you mistook them for a worker, they will be sure to laugh it off.

I’m seeing someone that you just instantly click with, they may not be your ideal type, but the two of you just make so much sense together.

This person will either say something about your beauty, compliment your style or even the item in your hand, this will then turn into a long winded conversation about whatever it is they have brought up, some of you may give your number, others of you will leave and come back to the store/market place another day while on your trip and meet with this persons again.

Bonus: they have a gorgeous smile.

#tarot #tarotblr #tarotcommunity #tarot witch #free tarot #tarot reading #tarot cards #pick a card #pick a pile

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dailyadventureprompts · 4 months

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Homebrew Mechanic: Fixing D&D’s Gameplay Loop with Item Degradation

Normally I have snappy titles for these, but in this case I wanted to be super upfront with what I was getting you all into.

Some people are not going to like the idea of introducing item degradation into the game, and they’re ABSOLUTELY right to be hesitant. Just about every attempt I’ve seen (includig both RAW versions from previous editions, examples from videogames, and those I’ve put together myself in the past) have been horribly clunky exercises in beancounting that only ever existed to needlessly slow down gameplay for the sake of joyless realism.

I’ve come at it from another angle however, but to explain we’re going to need to get into some game design talk.

The basic gameplay loop of D&D is supposed to be:

Seeking adventure leads you to face challenges

Overcoming challenges leads you to rewards

Rewards Help you get stronger

Getting stronger allows you to seek tougher adventures

After a while this system starts to break down specifically with regards to gold as a method of reward. Even if you’re the smart sort of DM who flouts the rules and gives their party access to a magic item shop, there’s an increasingly limited number of things to spend gold on, leading to parties acquiring sizable hordes of riches early on in their adventuring career, completely eliminating the desire to accept quests that pay out in gold in one form or another. This is a pretty significant flaw because adventures that centre around acquisition of riches ( treasure hunts, bounty missions, busywork for rich patrons that will inevitably betray you) are foundational to storytelling within the game, especially early on in a campaign before the party has gotten emotionally invested. Most advice you can find online attempting to solve this problem tends to dissolve down to “let them pour money into a home base”, but that can only really happen once per campaign as a party is unlikely to want more than one secret clubhouse.

TLDR: What I propose is the implantation of a lightweight system that forces the party to periodically drop small amounts of wealth into maintaining their weapons/armour/foci. The players will be motivated to seek out gold in order to keep using their best stuff, giving value to treasure drops that previously lacked it. Not only does this system act as an insulation against powercreep at higher levels, it also encourages a party to engage with the world as they seek out workshops and crafters capable of repairing their gear.

The System:

Weapons, armour, shields, and caster foci (staves, holy symbols etc) can accumulate “ticks” of damage, represented by a dot or X drawn next to their item entry on the character sheet. Because you get better at handling your gear as you level up, an item that exceeds a total number of ticks equal to its bearer’s proficiency bonus breaks, and is considered unusable until it is repaired.

Weapons and Foci gain a tick of damage when you roll a natural 1 on an attack made with them, or if they are specifically targeted by an enemy’s attack.

Armour and shields gain a tick of damage when you roll a nat 1 on a saving throw or when an enemy beats your ac by 5 or more. A character equipped with both can decide which of the two items receives the tick

Creatures with the “siege” (or any “does double damage to objects” ability) deal an extra tick when attacking gear.

A character with a crafting proficiency and access to tools can repair a number of ticks of damage equal to their proficiency on a four hour work period. This rate is doubled if they have access to a properly equipped workshop. A character with access to the mending cantrip can repair ticks on any kind of item, but is limited to their proficiency bonus per work period.

Having an item repaired by an NPC crafter removes all ticks, but costs vary depending on the rarity of the item: 5g for a mundane item, 10g for a common item, 50g for uncommon, 250 for a rare, 1250 for a very rare, 6250 for a legendary. The DM decides the limit on what each crafter can repair, as it’s likely small towns have access to artisans of only common or uncommon skill, requiring the party to venture to new lands or even across planes if they wish to repair end game gear.

As you can see, degradation in this system is easy to keep track of and quite gradual, leading players into a position where they can ignore obvious damage to their kit for the sake of saving their now precious gold. It likewise encourages them to seek out NPC crafters (and potential questhooks) for skills they do not possess, and encourages the use of secondary weapons either as backups or to save the more potent items in the arsenal for a real challenge.

Consumables

Everyone knows the old joke about players hoarding consumables from the first adventure past the final bossfight, it transcends genre and platform, and speaks to a nature of loss aversion within our shared humanity. However, giving players items they’re never going to use amounts to wasted time, resources, and potential when looking at things from a game design perspective, so lets work on fixing that.

My inspiration came from witcher 3, which encourages players to make frequent use of consumables by refreshing them whenever the character had downtime. The darksouls series has a similar feature with the signature estus flask, which provides a limited number of heals before it must be refreshed at one of the game’s checkpoints. When the designers removed the risk of permanent loss and the anxiety it creatures, players were able to think tactically about the use of their consumables confident in the knowledge that any mistakes were just a resupply away from being fixed.

My proposal is that while the party is in town they can refill the majority of their consumable items for a small per item fee. Just like with gear degradation, this encourages them to seek out crafters and do quests for the hope of discounts, while at the same time encouraging them to explore new realms in the hope of discovering higher level artisans.

The price for refills is set at: 5g for common, 25g for an uncommon, 125g for a rare, 625g for a very rare, 3125g for legendary. I encourage my own players to keep a “shopping list” in their inventory with prices tabulated so they can hand out a lump sum of gold and have their kit entirely refreshed.

Characters with a relevant skill and access to their tools can refill a number of items equal to their proficiency bonus during a four hour work period. With access to a proper workshop, this rate doubles. ( At last, proficiency with brewers supplies, carpenters tools etc become useful)

I encourage you as a DM to check out this potion flasks system, which I’ve found adds a delicious factor of uncertainty back into the mix. Attached is also my super lightweight rules for tracking gear and supplies, which I absolutely refuse to shut up about.

Artist

#5e homebrew #dnd mechanics #crafting #item degradation #mechanics #homebrew

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multifandomgirl08 · 6 months

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Sugar Daddy!Daniel Ricciardo x Fem!Reader Headcanon

A/N: New possible story idea. I'm just trying to see where I can take this idea from here. This is really just story set up.

This is inspired by me cleaning out things from old Pinterest boards

The Arrangement Masterlist

You used to be a big party girl when you were in college.

You were in Vegas on vacation with a group of friends when your roommate said that she would be going out for the night to have dinner with this guy.

The next morning you found her back in the hotel room with a stack of hundreds stuffed in a yellow envelope.

She told you about her dinner with this older guy. He had money, was well-connected, and paid her to spend time with him.

It all seemed perfect.

So the next night she went out with him, she invited you along.

And that was how you met Daniel.

He was sitting at the bar and you started talking to him.

Daniel didn't know what a sugar baby was when he met you.

You thought that he did.

You were quite embarrassed when your friend came up to you asking him how much he was willing to pay you for the time you had spent together in the restaurant.

You could see the color leave his face.

"Are you?" He started to ask.

You just nodded playing it cool before muttering, "A sugar baby."

You weren't really a sugar baby, at least he didn't know that you weren't.

You could see his shoulders relax just a bit.

Your friend ended up pulling you away from him and you didn't see him the rest of the night.

One of your friends ends up letting you borrow a dress to go out to some expensive restaurant on the strip the next night.

And you saw Daniel again. He's with a large group of people. Your eyes connected in the low lighting of the room.

Halfway through your dinner when you're on your way to the bathroom you end up bumping into him.

He asks for your number.

You figure that he'll have it and never text you because some guys are like that.

Instead, the day that you are back in your apartment unpacking from your trip you get a text from him.

Look, I don't know what a sugar baby does aside from a few weird stories that I've heard from some friends but would you be willing to try with me?

You contemplate not texting him back before showing the text to your roommate.

She encourages you to go for it. It's easy money and you get a free meal out of it at least if it goes wrong.

It takes a few weeks before you have the chance to meet up with Daniel.

Your friend gave you a small list of things to bring up with him.

Allowance, things that you were willing to do and not, and how often you would see one another.

It was a lot to try and remember while she gave you one of her more expensive dresses from the back of her closet, and let you borrow a vintage Chanel bag that her own sugar daddy bought her.

Once you are at dinner, you find that it's easy to talk to him.

It's not awkward at all, you ordered food and were sipping on the wine that he had chosen before he brought it up.

"So, I figured we'd talk about that sugar babe thing or whatever."

You put your fork down before looking up at him again.

He told you he didn't know what he was doing, and you didn't either.

"Maybe we can keep doing this... going out to dinners and you going with me to events. I'll pay for it, hotel, clothes, shoes. We'll make a schedule or something..." He's quick to offer.

It doesn't sound exactly like what your roommate has, but it sounds similar. Her sugar daddy pays for her half of the rent, and the allowance he gives her goes to paying off her college tuition and buying herself things that you never noticed were in her closet until recently.

"I'm not really looking for anything more than this right now." He says.

So, you agreed to what he was offering and spent the dinner getting to know him better.

You find out that he was a Formula 1 driver and was currently without a seat for the next year.

You told him you didn't know what that was.

"Drive To Survive, it's on Netflix."

You would have to use your roommate's Netflix when you got back to the apartment and found out what he was talking about.

You told him that you were in your last year of college and a bit about your major.

When you get home you end up watching the first season of Drive To Survive, and when you see Daniel on your TV you can't help but be a little shocked, he seems so confident in front of the camera but with you is very reserved.

It was a few months later when you noticed that things were changing, but you still talked to Daniel the same amount.

He started getting more comfortable sending you things like flowers or he offered to pay for your textbooks before sending you a check that was more than your textbooks would have cost.

You were in between semesters when Daniel asked if you would be interested in spending your summer break with him.

#story ideas #daniel ricciardo imagine #new possible thing #I dont know if i'll end up making this longer #work in progress #daniel ricciardo x reader #part 2 is on my masterlist #SD!Danny Ric Series

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theresattrpgforthat · 2 months

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SYSTEM OVERVIEW: Forged in the Dark (FitD).

I’m taking a break from my regular recommendation posts this week to talk about a few different indie ttrpg systems that have gained a lot of traction over the past few years - how they work, why I like them, and what kinds of games there are out there that use them!

I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m a big fan of Forged in the Dark games. I’ve sung the praises of games like Brinkwood, Slugblaster and The Wildsea time and time again, and I’m even designing my own FitD hack! So let’s talk about what makes this system tick.

The Action Roll

The core mechanic of Forged in the Dark games is the Action Roll. To do most things in these games, the player will have to assemble a small pool of d6s. These dice may come from skills, special abilities, inventory - it depends on the game, but you’ll usually have somewhere between 0 and 4d6 to roll.

When you roll, you look for the single highest dice (or multiple highest, if you manage to get two 6s). If your best result is a 1-3, you’re not going to get what you want. If your best result is a 4/5, you’ll probably get a success with a cost - whether that be harm, only part of what you want, or more trouble down the road. If you get a single 6, you do it - and if you get multiple 6s, you do it well!

What I like about this is that it’s easy to tell at a glance how well you do, and that the dice used for this system are the most accessible dice on the market. Not only that, the possibilities of a 4/5 are quite broad - you could have a consequence that is physical harm to the character, but you could also embarrass them, break their stuff, or just hint at bad things to come!

But Mint, how do you roll 0d6? Well, in particularly difficult scenarios, the player will roll 2d6 and take the lowest number instead. This originates from the progenitor of Forged in the Dark games, Blades in the Dark, which is meant to be particularly difficult and punishing.

Position & Effect

Another core mechanic of FitD games is Position & Effect. These are narrative tools that help the GM communicate to the players how dangerous the proposed plan of action is, as well as how likely the characters are to succeed.

Position is going to be Controlled, Risky or Desperate, indicating how much danger the characters are in, but also the stakes of failure. Failing a Controlled roll means you’re probably going to get out of there with minimal harm, or possibly a chance to try again. Failing a Desperate roll means that shit is going to hit the fan, and you’re going to be caught up in all of it. Risky rolls are somewhere in the middle, and considered the "standard" difficulty.

Effect is a metric for how successful your character is going to be. Picking a lock might not be dangerous, but if your character isn’t a thief and doesn’t have any lock-picks, they might not be very effective! Players can alter the effectiveness of their actions by changing how they go about solving a problem, using the gear they have on hand, or agreeing to approach the problem from a more desperate Position.

What I like about this is that Position & Effect encourage conversation and agency between the GM and the players. The players have final say over what they do, but the GM is able to communicate why they feel certain approaches may be more or less effective. The story is generative, and the way the rolls are adjudicated allow all of the parties to contribute to what happens next.

The Resistance Roll

Related to this conversation about agency is the Resistance Roll. If a player doesn’t like the consequence that the GM hands out, they can choose to Resist the consequences. They usually do this by rolling a certain number of resistance dice, and spending a player resource called Stress. (Other games use other names.) Depending on the consequence, the player might resist it outright or reduce the severity, but spend too much stress and you run into different kinds of consequences - whether that be Trauma (Blades), Trouble at Home (Slugblaster) or something unlucky (Antiquarian Adventures). Stress can be managed during a phase typically called Downtime, through various activities dependant on the setting.

I like this mechanic not just because it gives players agency, but also because of the Stress track tied to it. This is a player resource but it can also be a track pointing a change in the character, a chance to build in narrative themes, or a reason to role-play certain narrative effects. Many different FitD games use Stress in a number of unique ways, and I think tweaking this element can do a lot to determine the tone of the game.

Crew Sheets

This leads to the next bit of Forged in the Dark games that I really like - Crew Sheets. Similar to a number of other narrative games, FitD has character playbooks (which are kind of like character classes in D&D, but also are a carryover from PbtA games - I’ll talk about them more in the PbtA post), but Forged in the Dark games also have a uniting theme that gives your players a reason to work together.

In Neon Black, this is your local community, which both takes care of you and asks you for favours. In Moth-Light, this is your Pact, which determines not just your group’s goal, but also the tone and themes of your story. In Brinkwood, this is your Rebellion and the Faerie patron who is taking care of you - but it’s also the Mask playbooks that all of the players share, with special magical powers that help you fight Vampires.

Modular Systems

There are bits and pieces that also exist in FitD games that help define the experience. Clocks, for example, are abstract representations of looming consequences or player goals, and allow you to work towards a big pay-off over time. Factions can represent a changing social landscape, with friends and foes that you can turn to for help or strike out against in order to gain ground. Harm can alter how many dice you roll, or how effective you are when acting. These are interlocking pieces, but they’re not necessarily required.

Most of what I’ve covered in this post is not strictly necessary for a Forged in the Dark game. The Wildsea doesn’t use Stress or pre-set playbooks. Protect the Child doesn’t use Trauma. Scum & Villainy adds a Gambit mechanic that gives you extra ways to earn dice. Slugblaster changes how you Resist consequences, and External Containment Bureau moves the Clock mechanic to the front and centre, while doing away with Factions pretty much altogether. All of these games have enough pieces to be considered Forged in the Dark, but the play experience is very different, and each mod included, altered or dropped are usually choices that support the genre or tone of the game.

I’ve talked about a number of Forged in the Dark games in the past, but here’s a few more that I’ve got my eyes on.

Dusk Academy, by Skullery Maids, is a game about a private school for teaching magic to girls.

CRASH/CART, by Galen Pejeau, is a game about paramedics in a near-future California.

a|state, by Handiwork Games, is a game set in a strange and Dickensian city.

Girl By Moonlight, by Evil Hat, is a game about magical girls, mech pilots, and other larger-than-life characters.

There is a good list of Forged in the Dark games on the Blades website, and I've also got a Forged in the Dark collection on Itch.io!

If you are looking to make your own game, John Harper has released the Game SRD on the BitD website. These rules are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license, which means that you can create your own games using this system as long as you give appropriate credit to Harper.

What Forged in the Dark game has caught your eye? Let me know in the tags / comments!

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #forged in the dark #mint speaks #system overview

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eowyntheavenger · 2 months

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Hi! I saw your post on telling Americans to vote, and I was wondering what you think of posts from people from other parts of the world who are calling Americans evil for voting for Biden because of his support for Israel. I've seen a few already. They seem to be completely convinced that Americans deliberately voted for Biden specifically to side against Palestine and no other reason, and spread the general (pretty ignorant and hateful) message of "Americans are evil because of the actions of their government and because they collectively refuse to vote for a president who is good and not simply 'the lesser of two evils'". It frustrates me because they seem to think they're experts on US politics, culture, and society and have all the answers, but it also makes me concerned because it reminds me of the whole Russian bot thing from last time. Like, I'm 99% sure the people reblogging these posts aren't Russian bots (don't know about the OPs though), and they unquestioningly believe this. What do you think of this and how would you go about addressing this issue? Do you think it's possible to get them to understand how little they actually know about the US and how they're actually promoting a message that makes things worse for everyone? I've also seen less scathing posts that are just disheartened and don't seem to believe the democrats are truly better to vote for than the republicans and so it's just two sides of the same coin. To be fair, I think that sort of feeling is only further encouraged because there didn't really seem to be much if any progress made with Biden, not even back to square one after Trump moved the country so far backwards. I think most Americans really wish the elections actually had good candidates and they could pick the best of two goods, but are frustrated and stuck with the current system and don't know how to actually get to the point where there are good candidates. (Though personally I think voting for the one who isn't actively trying to make themselves a king with unlimited terms is a decent start. I can understand the frustration though.)

Hi! Thanks for the ask. This stuff worries me too. I've gotten comments on my posts like that too, telling me/other Americans that we're evil for voting for Biden.

But I've seen a much larger number of comments and posts from people outside the United States BEGGING us to vote for Biden. I literally get tags like that on my posts EVERY DAY urging Americans to vote blue. So I think that's valuable context, even if it doesn't solve the problem of the "I hate everybody who votes for Biden" crowd.

And yes, it's definitely a shitty argument on their part to claim that people voting for Biden are specifically siding against Palestine. Literally every single person I know in real life and online who plans to vote for Biden has been criticizing and protesting his policies on Palestine.

In terms of convincing the anti-voters that they're wrong, honestly, I don't know. They don't listen to reason and they seem intent on spreading despair. Some of Biden's policies have been terrible (Willow oil-drilling project), some of them have been downright evil (military aid to Israel), but I'm a rational person and I know that Trump is worse in every respect.

I've tried debating them. It's been pointless every time. They genuinely don't know how the government works, which scares me. Common takes include: 1) a genuine lack of awareness of how pro-Israel Trump and the right wing are, combined with magical thinking that a virtually unknown third party candidate can win the presidential election, 2) truly impressive mental gymnastics blaming Biden for the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and 3) continuing the mental gymnastics to blame Biden and the Democrats for anti-trans policies...

I guess my advice is to either ignore them and move on, or debunk things when you have time/energy? It's easier said than done, I know. There's nothing more annoying than someone being stupid on the internet, especially when they accuse you of stuff that just isn't true, and especially when they're spreading dangerous misinformation or voter-suppression rhetoric.

Like you, I'm highly suspicious of anyone who advocates AGAINST voting, or against voting blue. And I agree, many of these people are not bots, like you said, but I call them useful idiots, because they're doing the bots' work for them.

The one thing you said that I'm going to push back on is "there didn't really seem to be much if any progress made with Biden." Biden's actually made lots of progress on a variety of issues, and reversed some of Trump’s damage, it just doesn't get a lot of fanfare and it’s unfortunately happening at the same time as Republican gains in state legislatures and while they control the Supreme Court. But Biden and his administration have:

• invested billions in green architecture and clean energy, including making sure federal investments benefit low-income communities

• introduced new fines for companies' methane emissions

• introduced a plan to cut the federal government's greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030 (that includes the military, which is a huge emitter)

• passed a huge bill for improving the country's infrastructure, including bridges, roads, broadband and more

• introduced first-ever national strategy on gender equality and equity and pushed Congress to pass the Equal Rights Amendment

• fought for women's reproductive rights after the overturn of Roe v. Wade

• put more women, people of color, and women of color on the federal bench than any of his predecessors combined

• nominated Kentaji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court

• boosted funding to historically Black colleges

• ordered the DOJ to end the use of private prisons by the federal government

• pardoned thousands of people convicted on federal marijuana charges

• created a White House office of gun violence prevention

• passed the Respect for Marriage Act, guaranteeing federal rights and benefits for same-sex couples

• rolled out a series of actions to protect the rights and safety of the LGBTQ+ community, including protecting queer and trans foster youth, improving access to mental health services, and addressing the rise in hate crimes

• challenged discriminatory state bans against gender-affirming care and trans athletes

• called to support trans youth in State of the Union address and restored the White House tradition of recognizing Pride Month

• changed passport rules so that people can obtain a passport with no gender marker

• examined efforts by each federal agency to advance LGBTQ+ rights around the world

• reversed Trump's transgender military ban

• protected the rights of incarcerated trans people

• forgave billions in student debt, repeatedly, and introduced penalties for college programs that trap students in debt

• slashed bank overdraft fees

• expanded guaranteed overtime pay for millions of people

• made union-busting harder

• prevented discriminatory mortgage lending

• made efforts to expand the child tax credit, which could lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty

• cracked down on agriculture monopolies to support farmers and small businesses

• made it so the government is going to start taking drug companies' patents away if they don't make affordable drugs

• made over-the-counter birth control pills available for the first time

• lowered the cost of hearing aids and expanded access to them

• spent millions of dollars on students' mental health

• reversed discriminatory healthcare rules

• reinvigorated cancer research

• announced plans to replace all leaded pipes in the next ten years as well as combatting lead exposure abroad

• changed rules for how people can get aid after disasters so they can get more protection and immediate payments more easily

• introduced new data privacy rules protecting people from tech companies

• pushed the federal government to monitor AI risks

• maintained steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression

• maintained steadfast support for Taiwan in the face of Chinese intimidation

• strengthened ties with allies in Asia and the Pacific Islands

• pledged climate change assistance to low-lying Pacific Island countries

• literally IMMEDIATELY after being elected, Biden fortified DACA, rejoined the Paris Agreement, and ended Trump's discriminatory "Muslim ban", ended the Keystone XL Pipeline and fossil duel development in wildlife monuments, (same as last link) rejoined the WHO, strengthened COVID-19 response measures on a variety of fronts, re-included non-citizens in the U.S. census, and passed executives orders on racial equity in the federal government

And I'm sure there's more I left out.

There are also things Biden does that literally don’t make the news, but matter a lot, like funding the Postal Service, and continuing to have a State Department so we can conduct overseas diplomacy (Trump tried to defund the USPS and wants to purge the State Department and fill it with loyalists).

#asks #US politics #Biden administration #I'm planning to make an even more comprehensive post at some point #my post

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level2janitor · 4 months

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grid-combat sandbox thing!

i get distracted with new projects a lot, but lately my brain's been hyperfocused on one in particular. i wanted to take a crack at combining 4e-style tactical combat with OSR-style sandbox play, which on the surface seem like entirely opposite directions. and they kind of are, but i think i have something

since i started work on it i ended up dropping the words "OSR" and "4e" from my descriptions of it bc i think they end up evoking the wrong image. there's a lot that's core to both playstyles that i'm omitting to make it play nicer with the other playstyle. but it's far along enough now that i can talk about some of the design philosophy and how that manifests.

little to no scaling

the traditional way modern D&D (and to an extent even old-school D&D) handles progression is with big numerical scaling. a level 2 PC has nearly twice as much HP/damage as a level 1 PC. so you scale monsters to match, because the PCs have to get into fights around their level for the game to work.

skeletons are a real danger at 1st-level. they're manageable by 3rd, easy by 5th, and a joke by 7th-level. so you just stop running into skeletons, and when you're nearing the end of that level range any skeleton encounters that do happen will have a lot of skeletons.

this is bad for sandboxes! say i'm preparing a sandbox setting ahead of time and have a dungeon with a bunch of skeletons in it somewhere. i don't know what level the PCs will find it at - depending on whether they go through it as a 2nd-level or 6th-level party, it might be incredibly easy or so dangerous there's little they can do to mitigate that difficulty. or i'll just have to redo my encounter math the moment they find it, and that sucks for both the GM and players.

so, big numerical scaling is out. there's levels, you level up, but most of what you get from that level-up is a new ability. not a big pile of hit points and more damage. there's some scaling, your numbers are like twice as big at 10th-level compared to 1st-level, but it's a small enough range that a hard encounter at 1st-level will stay relevant throughout a whole campaign.

the game's far along enough i can create & fully level a fighter PC, so i made a 1st and 10th-level (max) character and put them side-by-side to get a feel for the scaling.

the warrior class

speaking of, the first class i made is the fighter, obviously. it's always the first thing i want to get right if i'm making a D&D-like system.

this is a good showcase of what each class is going to end up looking like: you start with a few core features & two perks (3 for warrior bc i like them being customizable). warrior perks range from a few unique moves to useful passives that let you resist statuses, strike multiple enemies, move further, equip heavier gear, parry weak attacks, etc.

the two core features, versatile fighter & combat opportunist, are designed to reward you for engaging in core combat mechanics. you get bonuses to attack from high ground, and this increases that bonus. every weapon has a unique special move you can do with it, and this lets you use any weapon you have with no cost to switch.

i've never liked the way most D&D-likes handle weapons, where you design your build around one specific weapon. you invest all your feats into being The Polearm Guy and when you find a cool magic warhammer or dagger you're just like. well i don't want this. it's not a polearm. so this fighter is instead designed to encourage you to carry around a ton of different weapons and use all of them.

exploration & the ranger

i used to hang out in the 5e community a lot, and people hated the 5e ranger. why? cause nobody used the travel rules, and you can't really blame them. the game has rules for how far you can travel each day, for random encounters & whether they ambush you, foraging, encumbrance, different travel speeds.

but most people who play 5e don't want that kind of experience, and 5e half-commits to it by leaving these rules scattered through the dungeon master's guide and making them too tedious. everything's measured in real numbers - miles, minutes, pounds. you track weight with pounds instead of item slots. of course nobody wants to track encumbrance when they have to stop the game to ask the GM how many pounds the macguffin weighs. nobody wants to dig through the DMG looking for the rule that tells you how many miles you can move. it just gets in the way and stops the game, so nobody does.

all of this screws over the ranger class which gives you bonuses to things like travel speed, not being ambushed while traveling, finding more rations, and tracking. people disliked the ranger so much that a supplement came out that replaced all of their exploration features with naturey combat features and some skill boosts, and since then that's the actual ranger when anyone wants to play one.

with that context, here's the exploration features my game's ranger gets.

the feature on the left is inherent while the right two are perks. there's combat features, but they're not part of the point i wanted to make.

the ranger needs to feel useful, and for that, the exploration needs to be front and center. so what better game than one designed for sandboxes?

i don't want this to be the kind of big-damn-heroes game where you skip to the next setpiece because the travel is boring. the travel is the game. that's where the OSR influence comes in.

you track rations. it's important - if a place is far from civilization, it feels like it because there's nowhere safe nearby to restock rations.

you track encumbrance. deciding how much space to spend on arrows and rations, and how much to spend on treasure, means more decision-making.

you do hexcrawling, you track time, and you care how many days a journey takes because the world changes as time passes. enemies & other factions progress their schemes, new developments come up. so sometimes you go, wow, good thing we have a ranger - we can move 3 hexes today instead of 2!

the ranger is better at foraging rations so you can venture further into the wilderness, better at moving your party faster, better at keeping watch. i want that to matter! i can envision it being so satisfying to play a ranger and constantly come in handy. and i want parties without a ranger to wish they had one in a way that isn't just tedious.

so hopefully that gives you a good idea of the sandboxy direction for this game. will be posting about it more as i make progress, and gonna continue to support iron halberd in between this sort of thing

#ttrpg #d&d #ranger #osr #nsr #l2j archive

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steventhusiast · 1 year

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i saw a tiktok of a dad DMing a DnD game for his wife and 4 year old and it has me thinking that eddie would SO do that for his and steve’s kid.

steve would be resistant at first, worried that the graphic way eddie describes things would scare their little girl, or that she wouldn’t keep up with the language or math involved.

but there’s a way for him to check that those things don’t happen; eddie needs at least one more party member for the easy campaign he’s planned for their girl, so steve agrees to play because if it’s simple enough for a 3 year old he should be fine right?

and from taking part in the game, he gets to see that his worries weren’t necessary at all. just like every other aspect of eddie’s relationship with their daughter, he is nothing but supportive and encouraging to her.

she struggles with the math at first, but eddie’s patient. he writes the numbers 1 through 30 on a sheet of paper so she can count along the written out numbers to add up her bonuses or if she uses multiple dice. and it’s incredible to see their little girl able to do basic math like that, and the way both her and eddie’s faces light up when she gets the right number. or the gentle way eddie corrects her when she gets it wrong.

she struggles with the big words at first too, but it ends up being incredible for building up her vocabulary. especially when steve gets to watch robin’s jaw involuntarily drop when his daughter uses the word ‘pungent’ in casual conversation. she says it adorably slowly, sounding out each part of the word to make sure she says it right, and robin immediately questions her use of it as eddie asks steve “do i use pungent too often in descriptions?” to which steve shrugs. fancy words have never been his strong point.

but the thing she doesn’t struggle with that steve thought she would is the gore. eddie tampers down his descriptions a massive amount to start with, but their baby girl is dissatisfied. when she asks eddie what happens to the giant spider she just defeated and eddie gives a vague description of the spider falling over and going limp, she pouts at him and demands more. and when eddie goes into more detail about the way its limbs fall off its body and black goo oozes out of the wounds left behind, steve grimaces and expects their little girl to be scared. but she just says “fun!” and waits for eddie to continue.

in the end, it’s steve that struggles with all the things he worried their daughter would. all because he’s been out of school for too long and being a hair stylist doesn’t require much math or english literature skills.

#the tiktok i based this on was actually adorable #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #parents steddie #steddie ficlet #steddie drabble #dad eddie munson #dad steve harrington #mywriting

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patchwork-crow-writes · 7 months

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More Thoughts on Kris x Ralsei

This is a continuation of my prior post on the subject, inventively titled "Thoughts on Kris x Ralsei". This is Part 1.5, because it adds on to Part 1, but isn't really substantial enough to be its own standalone thing.

If you wish to read any of the other parts in this series, here's a handy TOC linking to all the parts written so far!

Part 1: And They Lived Happily Ever After Part 1.5: I Believe Your Choices DO Matter <- (You Are Here!) Part 2: A Pair of Star-Cross'd Lovers Part 2.5: In Another World, We Could Have Been (Just) Friends (Future parts to be added as they are written)

Part 1.5: I Believe Your Choices DO Matter

I wanted to add a bit onto my previous ramble about Kralsei, on the nature of how Deltarune heavily encourages you to invest in the pairing. On that post, I did receive some feedback saying that many of the options to "flirt" with Ralsei are largely optional. And that's entirely correct! Most of the interactions ARE entirely within your choice to accept or refuse.

...but take another look at some of these choices we're offered, and you'll start to see something interesting. Let me show you what I mean.

So, we have the tutorial battle. During this battle, Ralsei will instruct you to hug the dummy (which looks just like Ralsei, a fact that will become important in a moment), so that you can practice ACTing. You hug the dummy, lesson's over. But then you see another option: Hug Ralsei. You choose it, Kris hugs Ralsei, who lights up like a fluffy christmas tree. That was cute, wasn't it? And hey, guess what? You can do it again! And again! And again! In fact, I'm pretty sure that hugging Ralsei is the only action you can perform repeatedly that won't force him to end the tutorial. (feel free to correct me if this is wrong!)

Here the game is teaching you some things, quite separate from the battle mechanics: One: Ralsei is huggable. Two: he really, REALLY likes being hugged. Three: there will be situations specifically tailored to allowing the player to positively interact with Ralsei. The game (and perhaps Ralsei himself) is priming you to expect more of these little interactions, and if you're receptive to that, you'll start looking for them.

And you won't have to wait long, either, because the next example I want to talk about is the ribbon. Picking up the ribbon in the treasure box will prompt Ralsei to give a tutorial on armour and equipping. He'll suggest you equip it to Kris, but you can choose instead to equip it to Ralsei, who will make a comment about looking cute.

There are many ways to avoid this dialogue - don't open the treasure chest, equip the ribbon to Kris, don't equip the ribbon at all. But here's the thing: the game assumes the player is familiar with the conventions of RPGs. You always open treasure chests. You always equip better armour as soon as you get it... and you will usually equip your strongest armour onto your most frail party member. And who would that be in this scenario...?

Why, if it isn't Ralsei... what are the odds of that?

Deltarune does something rather sneaky here: it uses player habits from other RPGs to ensure that a dialogue option that is ostensibly "optional" is in fact much more likely to be seen by a large number of players. And if you're trying to avoid that dialogue, it's because you're aware the dialogue exists and are going out of your way to ensure it doesn't happen... which more than likely means you already triggered it on a prior playthrough.

(This then primes a receptive player further, by saying "look, Ralsei says cute things sometimes when you try equipping him with stuff!" Which is probably how a lot of people stumble onto the Snow Ring interaction: "Are... are you proposing?")

Not enough for you? Okay then, to Chapter 2, and the return of the Dummy!

There's an option to return to the dummy at the beginning of the chapter - specifically, after Ralsei asks you to return to the abandoned classroom, but before you actually go there to orbify the room's contents. Interacting with the dummy prompts a yes/no choice on whether to hug it. And here, you can choose no, and "walk the path of fluffiness no longer".

But interact with it again, and you're given the same choice again. Say no again, say no ten times, or a hundred, but you'll always be given the choice again... UNTIL you say yes and hug the dummy. Then a text box will appear proclaiming "you're all hugged out." The choice only becomes closed when you accept hugging the dummy; until then, the choice remains open.

Of course, once you do hug the dummy, if you go back to Ralsei, he'll make a comment about not needing the dummy anymore, and how he'd rather you "practice on the real thing..." Which is a pretty unambiguous statement to unpick.

So what's the point I'm making here, exactly? Only this: You DO technically have the choice to not initiate these interactions, but the choices you ARE given are weighted towards initiating them, in one way or another. And for some of these options, it doesn't even matter what you choose... but we'll get to that in Part 2 proper.

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next one :)

#Rambling #essay #thoughts #long post #Kris x Ralsei #Kralsei #Krisei #Kris Dreemurr #Ralsei #Deltarune #Part 1.5 #shipping

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dbh-bb · 18 days

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Q&A

The mod team have been getting a lot of question, and we thought we'd use this opportunity to share the answers, and allay some fears. Whatever you're concerned about, you are not alone!

1. What if (as an artist) our story idea is terrible and nobody wants it?

A. The mods have a collection of ways to ensure everybody gets a good match. Unless your idea is (a) actually offensive, (b) a bad faith take for a public event (say, a meme done poorly, a crack prompt that's too specific, or a private joke taken too far), or (c) something so extremely detailed and specific that you should consider commissioning rather than participating in a public event, at least one person is going to be interested in creating for you.

Even for ideas that aren't popular / main pairings / concepts, even for ideas that are a bit off the wall -- there are always going to be creators who like a bit of a challenge. Who look at things and go, HUH. NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT ONE. and proceed to YOINK it up.

2. If I have an idea that I've written in part and shared in other discord servers, or have published incomplete somewhere, and find an artwork that fits with that, can I use that pre-existing idea to write for that artwork?

A. We have a rule about anonymity in order to make it as fair as possible when we open claims, so for the writers, it's less important that their ideas be brand new. However, in the spirit of the Bang, we do consider it important that the artist you're working with feels they are getting a fresh piece of work from you, and you do need to produce 10,000 words of new, previously unshared fic. If that happens to fit in with an idea you've already been writing, that's fine, so long as your artist is happy with that.

3. Is it okay if I sign up and then have to drop if, for example, none of the prompts interest me, or as an artist I realise I can't commit the time?

A. We would ask that people signing up do so with full intent to commit and not abandon their entry, whether they are entering as an artist or a writer. We do understand that commitments can be made and then circumstances prevent someone coming through as they intended, but if you're aware now that there is a serious possibility you won't be able to provide what you're signing up for, you may be better positioned to be a back up, a beta, or a cheerleader.

In the case of a Reverse Big Bang, with the art coming first, and the ideas coming from the artists, it is extra important that participants offering art not overcommit themselves, as the artists are the first link in the chain. This said, there is also no rush to sign up right now, as sign ups for artists don't close until the 30th of this month, so you have time to try and review your workload and schedule.

For writers, if the scope of what you are prepared to write is so narrow that you think there is a real risk that you won't find anything you will be able to write for, we would ask you to consider if a public event such as this is for you.

4. How many pieces of art can I do for the idea that I submit? Can I submit more ideas?

A. You can do as many pieces of art for any one idea as you like. Presently, we are keeping the number of ideas we will allow artists to submit to two until we know how the ratios are going to stack up. The mod team will be making regular updates both on the discord and here on tumblr to let participants know how that is faring at the time of posting. If the ratios are in favour, we may allow artists to submit third ideas.

5. Can I sign up as a pinch hitter?

A. At this time, we do not have a sign up process for pinch hitters, whether they be artists or writers. However, you do not need to be a Bang participant in order to pinch hit. Right now, people who join the discord are able to assign themselves roles such as pinch hitter, beta, and cheerleader, and will receive discord pings to that role as and if those become required. This is why we encourage people to join the discord even if they're not participating in the Bang directly, as there are still ways to support and help your fellows in the fandom.

Should the need arise for pinch hitters, the mod team will also be putting the message out on this tumblr, and reaching out to anyone that signed up and said they may be prepared to pinch hit. If you are contacted there is no requirement that you agree, we would just ask you to review the ideas on offer.

6. Do I need to join the discord in order to participate?

A. No. All the information and updates that are on the discord are also shared on tumblr, it's just that on tumblr we schedule posts to hit major time zones, and on discord they're put up immediately.

7. Will you be sharing the information artists put in their applications about what they're thinking of working on, and writers put in about what they would like to see somewhere that we can see it?

A. Yes! There will be weekly updates with this in an anonymous format shared on this tumblr. We also intend to share how many writers and artists have signed up so far so that you can have an idea of how ratios are currently stacking up. Please bear in mind, however, when we share this, that none of those numbers are final, and that we are only displaying the number of confirmed works on offer, and that a number of people are provisionally offering more.

8. Where do I find all the information about the Bang, such as rules and schedules, and an up to date discord link?

A. The pinned post on this tumblr contains all of that information. We also update the discord link on there any time we are made aware that it has expired, again. The mod team have been setting this to never expire, but discord is apparently not our friend, so if you find the link has expired, notify us either via asks, a message on the bottom of the post, or a tumblr IM, and we will update it (again).

#dbhrbbb2024 #detroit become human #detroit: become human #big bang #reverse big bang #info post #detroit become human reverse big bang #detroit: become human reverse big bang

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milknhonies · 5 months

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The Spirit of Christmas Eve

Masterlist || Chapter 1 ll Chapter 2

Chapter Summary: After an unexpected visit from your younger, overly pregnant and concerned sister- you are yet again put into a terrible mood. You receive a night visit from the ghost of your predecessor and fall into an abyss of confusion.

Pairing: Chris Evans x f!reader

Chapter Warnings: 18+ Dead Dove Do Not Eat, Disrespect to Homeless People, R4pe Fantasies, Masturbation, Dark Joke about Abortion, Hinted Xenophobia, Humiliation, Ghosts, Swearing, Alcoholic Use, Drug Use, Classism.

Word Count: 5k

Author Notes: This is a parody of the classic "A Christmas Carol" story by Dickens, I hope you come to enjoy it even though the pov holds cruel, toxic and abusive traits.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

09:00am, 24th December 2023, New York City.

Oh how you hated the holidays. You hated the red and green colouring, you hated the carolling groups and bands singing every day in December leading up to the wretched twenty fifth. You hate the baby Jesus in a manager nativity set ups.

‘Jesus wasn’t even fucking born on Christmas. He was a January baby according to Jewish scholars. It was all a ploy to satisfy and celebrate Yule with pagans before encouraging indoctrination!!’

And the smell of peppermint, gingerbread and fatty sugary foods left you feeling sickly.

“Unnecessary calories to dissolve the enamel of my teeth when it comes back up in the goddamn toilet.”

The cold air and the slippery frost brought you no delight. Along the way you would kick the snow men in your walking path. You despised the bratty children sitting on the Santa laps in the malls.

‘Their parents should know half of those fat ass Santa actors are just paedophiles getting their kicks once a year? Yea I’d love a little boy all prim and plump to sit on my lap if I was a sicko in a red suit too.’

You hated the fact they were bringing Christmas trees in the day after Halloween.

“Sure, it spins the wheel of capitalism but God, do they have to look so trashy? Christmas is once a year, not two months long.”

You rolled your eyes and scoffed as you strutted the street to your work place.

Your senior associate Marlene who you could’ve considered your friend had a heart attack early that year. She was a woman in her prime, at forty years old she had managed to build her business empire. No husband, no kids, no pets. She didn’t need those things, not when she raked in over four million dollars a year. She drank and smoked like a chimney, you wondered if it contributed to her death in the end. She was rumoured to be found naked, getting fucked by some no name sexy twenty-one year old playboy from South Korea. And among her blissful orgasm, her heart just couldn’t handle the pressure and faltered.

Imagine his horror. Balls deep and not knowing she had died. Little shit tried getting her money in the inheritance scheme. He tried pushing that he was her long committed boyfriend. One threat to the immigration department sent that kid running for the kills back to Seoul.

You were named successor in her Will. Now, it’s not like you needed her millions, you already had a full pocket. At twenty five you’d made your first million all because you picked the right pattern in your investments and put every cent into them. You worked instead of partied. And many had said behind your back that it made you a miserable sourpuss bitch with no friends. You didn’t need friends. Marlene was just a funny coincidence.

Some might have called you careless, impulsive, and greedy. But what that translates to you was the word ‘Wealth and Success’. You were wealthy and money made you happy. The more numbers, the more joy in your cold heart.

You entered the building that was now yours. Oh did I forget to remind you...you were the CEO of your tax collecting firm. I think that’s important for you to know.

Entering the sleek grey, white and black minimalist foyer you sighed in relief. No Christmas or holiday bullshit in here. You had banned all decorations and affiliations.

And you refused paid leave to anyone asking not to work on Christmas day. You remember scoffing last night at the amount of requests you had received about time off for the holidays.

‘I’m running a business, not a charity.’

Christmas was the best time of year for your job. So many stupid people take out stupid loans they can’t afford especially during the holidays period when gift giving is the centre cause of financial stress. You got a thrill out of denying loans and upping payment interest rates for those suckers who didn’t make their payments on time because they chose to spend the money meant to be going into your pocket on some disposable wrapping paper and a cheap pharmacy gift last minute.

As you stepped into the elevator you smiled cynically at the empty space. You could look at yourself in the mirror and pick apart all the things you loved and hated about your body. It was strangely therapeutic. Something about the critiques gave you a massive high.

But just as the elevator doors where closing a hand slammed hard through the gap.

“Wait!” came a familiar cry. Your face fell and you felt a tight discomfort seeing the face of your younger sister. Caroline.

Your eyes shot down to her belly. Big as a house in the ugliest knit Christmas sweater.

‘Pregnant again. Jesus Christ. What’s this? Number four now?’

You clenched your handbag tighter. You tried recalling some sort of baby shower invite from months ago, you totally forgot about it once you moved it to junk mail.

‘If she fucking asks me for money again, I swear to god she’s risking an abortion voucher in a Christmas card...are abortion vouchers even a thing?’

Caroline had married her highschool sweetheart, he was some sort of mechanic or something. A bum, like your Dad. You couldn’t believe she was dumb enough to breed with an imbecile like him. Mind you, her first son was clearly an teen pregnancy accident that sealed them together. And every year, she just seemed to pop out a new one. And every year that meant you gave her a fat cheque, usually six thousand dollars.

You ground your teeth as she forced herself inside and pressed the button of the doors shut immediately, not at all taking notice of you until mid way moving up in the building.

Her face lit up and she shrieked in delight at seeing you. You strained a smile.

‘Yea, definitely looking for a handout.’

“Oh my god! I was about to fight security to come see you sissy!” she forced her arms around you. You bit your tongue. You hated hugs.

“Well…lovely seeing you too,” you muttered before awkwardly patting her back.

Her breath hitched at seeing the look on your face, “Sorry about not pre-warning, I did try calling you but your phone keeps going to voicemail.”

‘Oh good, she still hasn’t figured out I let them ring out.’

“And you didn’t reply to my emails.”

You fought a smirk, ‘because they go straight to junk mail’.

She smiled and babbled happily, “Anyway, I had to come here because I need to give you-“ she huffed and swiped a bead of sweat from her forehead before reaching into her nappy bag (that she treated like a handbag.) and retrieved a thick red envelope.

She handed it to you. Your manicured nails pinched the ugly stickers one of your nephews or nieces had chosen. Scribbled in absolute chicken scrap handwriting was your name, most likely also done by your nephew or nieces.

The elevator opened and you sighed, marching out to enter the offices with your solo office space down the hall with the largest window and finest view of the city below. You didn’t expect your sister to tail you. She waddled like a fast duck following you.

“I was thinking you should meet this guy that babysits-” She was talking to you about something but in all honesty, you weren’t listening until she mentioned the cursed words, “-Christmas Party.”

You deposited your handbag on your desk and spun on your heel. Your eyes wide, your smile straining into a sneer.

You snickered cruelly and laced your fingers together, “How many times have we discussed this? I. Don’t. Celebrate. Christmas. I don’t do presents, I don’t do carolling, I don’t do secret Santa’s and I sure as fucking hell don’t do Christmas Parties. I’m glad that you and Tim have fun with your kids and do all that meaningless stuff to shield them from the big bad world. I however am not in the mood for it. Work comes first. This is one of the busiest years of my life, the market is at an all time high in interests rates.”

She looked like she was growing smaller with every foul word that dripped like acid rain.

“It’s just one day, not even a full day. Just a few hours, not far from you,” she whispered and rubbed her belly comfortingly.

You shook your head and circled around your desk, “Might as well get this over with, you don’t need to ploy me with booze.”

You pulled out a cheque book from your drawer and slapped it down. You bent over and fished out a pen, pressing the ink to the slim piece of paper.

Your voice came out like a bark, “How much are you wanting this year?”

“Wh-what?” your sisters eyes grew wide.

You sighed and rolled your eyes, with a condescending tone, “How much money do you want to cover all the gifts? I hear Disneyland is great this time of year in Florida. I need a number. I have a busy day ahead of me so I’d just like to get this over and done with.”

Your sister didn’t answer. You glanced up. Her face was no longer smiling. She looked in pain. Her hand sat on top of her belly. She hissed and breathed out hard.

Her eyes were dimming down. She lost the joyful spark. She waddled to the guest chair in front of your desk and sat down.

She put the nappy bag on the floor.

‘great, thanks for the smell of cornflakes and breast milk on the carpet.’

Her breath turned husky and you started to reach for your desk phone ready to call a bloody ambulance to take her to the hospital. You couldn’t tell what the hell was wrong with her and prayed she wasn’t going into labour. You didn’t need to waste five thousand dollars on a carpet replacement because her waters might break.

Her eyes glared up at you as she tried to focus on pacing her breath. God, she looked like your mother with that look. It hurt. She got the best genes you had to admit. Even while pregnant she had this way about her that made men just want to beg for her number. You couldn’t tell if it was her ditsy personality or just good looks.

“Jim," Caroline corrected with strain, "-and I don’t need your money. We don’t want it. We have never have wanted it. This year, I just want you to put in the effort to spend Christmas with us as a family. You and I haven’t shared a Christmas since I was in middle school. My kids want their aunty to visit because I tell them you’re the coolest person alive...” her eyes narrowed, “Put the fucking cheque book away, and come to fucking Christmas dinner at least. It’s going to be at my house if you look at the invite that your nephew and nieces made special for you. They don’t want presents, they just want to see their aunty. Besides.... I told them you’d come if they put extra love into it.”

You chewed your inner cheek and stood up straight, crossing your arms and sat on the edge of your desk.

“You shouldn’t lie to your kids, Caroline,” you coolly said with icy impact.

You watched her eyes start to shine and water.

“Jesus,” you muttered, “Don’t fucking cry.”

She broke down immediately. You sighed with annoyance. ‘why did she have to come today of all days and act like this. It’s not a big deal. God.’

“You’re such a bitch and my kids have done nothing to you except love you unconditionally. The least you can do is show up,” Caroline struggled to stand out of the chair and when you reached out to help, she snapped like a firecracker and hissed, “Don’t fucking touch me.”

She groaned as she bent down, holding her belly and reached for her nappy bag, that she let you help her with. She suddenly looked so tired and deflated compared to when she had ducked into the elevator. You started to feel a tick of that itchy sympathy. Pregnancy always looked hard. Her first birth was so difficult, the second slipped right out but she didn’t have an epidural and the third time was an emergency c-section. In fact you weren’t even sure if she was meant to be having this fourth baby. It would be too risky. She could honestly kill herself. Now that was a bolt of fear that coursed through you.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” you sniffled, trying to distract your little sister from her anger.

She looked even more offended and scoffed, “You know, if you had even tried to come to my baby shower, you could’ve eaten one of the gender reveal cupcakes.”

‘Ouch.’

You looked down at your Valentino pumps. Seven years younger than you and she still managed to put you in your place with the snap of her fingers.

She rubbed her wet eyes with the tips of her fingers.

“I worry about you...” she mumbled, “You might have a lot of money Y/N, but money can’t buy you everything. Don’t you want to share memories?”

You tried hiding the laugh limbing your throat,, “Not this argument again...come on, I’ll walk you out and hire you a cab.”

You escorted her back to the elevator, all your employees watching and whispering about it. You knew your office needed thicker glass.

As you quietly pressed the button down, your sister finally said, “It’s twins. A boy and girl.”

You didn’t say anything for a while. Eventually you only nodded and whispered, “Congratulations. You and Tim must be excited.”

“Jim," she grounded, "-and I are flat out on our feet with the others but yea...I’m thinking about naming the girl after mom.”

Again you didn’t respond. You wanted this interaction to be finished. You wanted to go to work and drink away the days leading up to New Year’s. Maybe you should take a trip overseas. You might run into a handsome one night stand with an attractive accent.

Your sister turned and hugged you again, she rubbed her sweet face into your shoulder and sighed, “I’m sorry for snapping. Please don’t be mad. Please promise me you’ll come to the party, even for five minutes.”

Her pleading eyes finally cracked your ice wall.

“Fine. Five minutes.”

The squealing giggle of delight made you groan internationally instantly regretting your words. Nonetheless you took it upon yourself to at least hug her back. God help you, you didn’t know how you’d survive.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

10:00pm, 24th December 2023, New York City.

On your way home you discovered with aggravation all the cabs and ubers nearby had been booked up and the traffic in the city horrendous. Of course. On Christmas eve it would look like this. You decided to march your way to the subway. It would be the quickest way back home.

You had to cross the park to get there though.

And among your walking you passed a man laying down on a bench. He wore a baseball cap that hid his face. He wore a blanket over his shoulders. A puff of cold air escaped his pink lips.

His shadowed face peered up at you and held up a piece of cardboard that read the following: Homeless, please donate a food and blankets.

And something inside you cracked again. You fought the urge to pull out your purse and give him the only hundred dollar bill you had. You looked him up and down. And froze. Next to him was a bottle of liquor. Something malicious dripped from your lips. Words filled with cruelty and hate. It was bold and dangerous. But you bet he was drunk.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t there any shelters taking in scum? Are all the prisons full? Maybe if you got off your ass and got a real fucking job, you would be too busy making money instead of swilling down booze!”

He did not react in the way you expected. He smiled at an ankle, winked and held a finger up to his lips.

Your face curdled in disgust and hacked back your throat, spitting on him.

“Booze bum,” you muttered, and marched on, away from him.

Your chin jerked high. It was a method of teaching you had learnt in your youth. Shame someone until they commit to a goal and out perform it. To this day you are still doing that very thing, why not share that gift of knowledge with others?

You scowled the entire train ride home and flicked through your emails.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

11:10pm, 24th December 2023, New York City.

Alone in your penthouse apartment, you padded your way to bed scrolling through your phone. In your hand you cradled a wine glass and set it on the bedside table.

Beneath the soft cotton covers you sighed happily and used your phone to command the fireplace to be lit up. A fake flame on a flat screen tv with heaters all around you, filling your place with warmth. Laying back into your pillows you scrolled your phone and frowned at all the Christmas themed posts online, all the tutorials and recipes you’d never follow and all the Christmas stories you’d never read.

Tossing the phone beside your wine glass, your hands snuck down into a drawer and retrieved your absolute best friend in the world. She was thick, long and quiet, totally sky blue and had twenty different settings. You slid the vibrator under the covers and shimmied out of your underwear. Your fingers fumbled, touching your wet cunt.

The alcohol was finally hitting you, warming you up. You weakly reached for your vibrator. You knew it would be a comfort to take away the anger and stress away from your day at work.

You pressed the silicone to your clit and switched on the toy. A soft sigh came from you as you rubbed it along your lower lips. You fluttered your eyes shut and tried to imagine a person and you having sex.

‘A policeman? No. College professor? No. Loser doorman? No…’ and then your eyes flickered in a quick vision of the homeless man from the park… ‘Yes. He must be miserable, pissed off, angry, he smiled but that would have been a lie, his long finger he held to his mouth should stuff itself inside me.’

Your hand slid up and pulled down the front of your night down. You dug your nails into your breast before tugging your nipple hard. You whined as you bucked your hips into your toy that you playfully prodded and tore out of you. You imagined that same stranger ripping your dress from your body and dragging you into the snowy woods.

Rape fantasies weren’t uncommon for you. It was something about the power struggle that sent thrills up and down your spine. You liked the pain. You liked being forced to give up your control. You slid the plastic cock deep into your slick pussy and mewled.

The homeless man would hold a knife to your throat and bend you over a log, no, no, that bench, so out and open and public for anyone to catch him tearing you apart. His hand would lick your skin in stinging slaps. The alcohol on his breath would be putrid. He’d call you names, whore, slut, bitch, cunt, fuckpig. And you would be totally helpless…

You lazily rolled over onto your belly and forced your ass up, your bed sheets falling down your thighs.

You pushed the dildo back in deep and turned on the highest setting, biting the pillow under you. You fucked yourself hard until it hurt.

The homeless man fantasy went on and on, forcing you to cum and cry. You didn’t care if neighbours or tenants below you heard. You imagined this terrible man after fucking you raw making you sit in his filthy lap, fucking you with the empty liquor bottle neck and letting strangers walking past the chance to spit on you and slap you until you cummed.

The fantasy didn’t have a fanciful ending fleshed out. You could only imagine him dragging you back to some ghetto homeless tent village under one of the city bridges and whoring your cunt out to his homeless buddies. You wanted to submit, to be used like that…

But not in the real world. Fuck no. Your reputation mattered greatly. You were too stubborn to willingly date a man and ask him to do something taboo like consensual non-consent play.

You tore the blue cock out and pressed it to your clit, riding out an ultimate orgasm that left your body feeling like jelly. Slumping forward you groaned into the pillows, you knew you had to eventually get up and pee. The alcohol still in your system made the journey feel almost impossible. But when your bare ass hit the seat, you leant back and sighed. 'UTI prevented!'

Getting back to bed wasn’t as hard as getting to the bathroom. You breathed in the smell of your own sexual prowess. No shame. You put away your toy and before you could search for your discarded underwear, you heard your phone pinged. You grunted with annoyance.

You glanced at the screen; it was a text from Caroline.

*Told the kids you are coming tomorrow! They’re so excited to see their aunty! Xoxo*

‘oh right…her Christmas party…it’s tomorrow…' you still hadn’t even looked at the invitation. Anger started burning its way into your chest when you saw the emojis and gifs she attached. Santa and reindeers and snowmen. God you fucking hated Christmas!! She didn’t need to remind you. You didn’t plan to be there longer than the strick three hundred seconds. The miserable evil stabbed your heart again.

It out you so over the edge you began to type, *Tell them I changed my mind, I’m busy.*

Before your thumb could slam on the message send, something strange occurred. The penthouse apartment lights started to flicker on and off repeatedly.

‘A circuit must’ve snapped. I know I turned off all the lights.’

You slammed your phone down and ripped off your bed sheets. Marching over to the telecom beside you door you prepared the mental speech of anger and abuse you’d deliver on whatever poor soul was handling the front desk of the apartment complex tonight.

You pressed the button hard and when no welcoming comment came you decided to wait.

You waited and waited and still no one acknowledged you over the telecom. There was a noise coming from it though. It was a sound of ragged breathing. Squinting with absolute judgement you hissed into the microphone.

You sobered up your voice and rubbed your eyes. Your wine was knocking around your insides at that point, it had polluted your blood. You just needed to stay awake for a little longer.

“This is penthouse three. Your lights are dimming and flickering out. I want someone to change all that bulbs and check the power wires immediately. Do I make myself clear?”

The unusual panting was still there and getting louder. You shook your head. Someone should’ve been repeating back your request and discussing a mode of action.

“Hello?” you angrily huffed into the microphone when no answer came for a long time.

You hissed, “Now you listen here. I don’t give a fuck it’s Christmas eve. You’re job is on the line if you cant fix my fucking lights.”

And then the line went totally dead and your apartment was entirely darkened. You groaned with anguish. Using your phone flash light you returned to your room.

“Fine,” you grumbled as you pulled the covers Of your bed back again, “Probably too drunk on eggnog to give a damn. Say goodbye to those two dollar tips dickhead.”

You laid back and fished out your bonnet, carefully lipping your hair inside the protective layer. You rolled onto your side under the covers and shut your eyes.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

12:00am, 25th December 2023, New York City.

For some reason at 12am you received a very obnoxiously loud phone call. Blindly you reached for it and accepted the call. You had a suspicion it was a prank call from overseas.

“Y/N,” said the caller. Your eyes cleared up fast at the sound of a voice you knew too well.

You almost dropped your phone. Surely it wasn’t her calling. You had seen her body at her funeral. She chuckled on the other side, her voice was just as rusted as you remembered. In the dream she had come over to your house and had a sleep over together.

Your eyes widened, “Wh-who is this?” you asked, “Do you fucking know what time it is?”

The identical voice of your passed companion echoed back, “In life you knew me as Marlene Jeong.”

You hung up the phone fast and sat up straight. Her hands trembled and the phone screamingly made another phone call from the same unknown number.

You answered it and heard her shriek, “Don’t you know hanging up like that is rude.”

You took a deep breath in. And shut your eyes. No. It couldn’t be.

“This prank isnt funny,” you barked into the receiver.

“Well I’d hope not. You know I wasn’t a fan of funny,” she grumbled back.

You picked up the phone and huffed, “If you’re really Marlene...tell me something only I would know...”

The phone went quiet and clicked off. You smirked, 'Yea, that's what I thought you sick fuck.'

The air around you grew colder. With the power out you accepted that the central heating was out too. Getting out of bed you stumbled down the hall to the linen cupboard and pulled out a few more thicker blankets. When you returned back to your room you screamed and jumped ten feet in the air, dropping the load of blankets.

Marlene was sitting on your bed, scrolling through your phone. She was not herself and yet was at the same time. She looked the same except for the fact her entire body was a light blue and translucent. She was naked. And you could see her translucent organs. In her hand was a false spiritual cigarette. Smoking rising from the tip and faded into the darkness. And don’t let me forget a important detail. She was floating and parts of her body wrapped in chains.

Hearing you, she turned her face away from your phone and winked. You slammed back into a wall, trying to get away from her as she floated closer to you. She took a mean drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke into your fear filled face. You could’ve fainted. The smoke didn’t smell like anything and was rather a cold breeze to your cheek.

You flinched and whimpered, “Marlene...what the fuck.”

She smirked and rolled mid air upside down,

“Long time no see. Or well...you can’t see me but I see you basically every day,” she cackled.

Your lips fell apart, “Wha-how- why...why are you hear? Should you be dead?”

She flicked the cigarette of ash that turned into blue light specs and disappeared before touching the floor.

“Oh trust dear, I’m dead, dead as a doornail. Little Kyong gave me a killer orgasm, literally,” she took another long drag, “I had no clue what was coming and poof! I’m on the floor choking and groaning and next thing I wake up to, is you moving your shit into my office and my penthouse. But I digress sweet snake...I’m not here on a social call...I’m here to send you a warning.”

Your head felt dizzy, “A warning? The fuck? Am I going to die soon or something?” you wrapped your arms around yourself.

She smiled and shook her head, “Oh no...no, no....something a tad more painful. See, I have been sent to play 'angel Gabriel' so to speak and inform you of a supernatural message.”

She floated around, chains at her wrist dragged behind her as she did. Marlene sharpened her gaze at you.

‘Woah did I take one too many Percocet with my wine...I must be high.’

“You are saveable unlike my dead cold self,” she said flying back to your bed and lewdly laying down, “My dead frozen heart could not thaw,” she sighed and tapped her chest.

You could see inside her at the organ most resembling heart was literally made of icy and was not beating. It was disturbing.

“I’m destined to float while tethered to the world unseen, unheard, unloved…forgotten. But you? You still have a chance to atone. A spirit shall arrive and come to you in three shades…Christmas past, present and future. It shall greet you hourly between one and three o’clock.”

You timidly stepped closer.

“You need to open your mind and open your heart or else-“ she floated above you and groaned, “This will be your future fate.”

You rubbed your eyes and slapped your cheek. Marlene’s ghost was still there. She held up her wrist, showing off the manacle around it, “This is a fate no one wishes, trust me on that.”

Her face leant in closer to your face. Her hair floated around her like water tendrils.

She rattled the chains together, clinking them and explained, “The spirit will test you. And they will test you fairly. They will decide what to do with you after. They call themselves, Christmas past, present and future.”

When she had said these words, Marlenes ghost faded away, disappearing into the cold, quiet night. It took you a few minutes to catch your breath. You couldn’t believe or make sense of it and no matter how many times you pinched of slapped yourself, you found yourself still in the unexplainable dream. You tossed the blankets from the floor onto the bed. You had another drink of wine before you chose to return to bed. You tugged the warmest and softest blanket up to your chin. You were scared and confused. Your eyes grew heavier as you forced yourself to forget and ignore the apparition of Marlene chained nude and talking in riddles.

You laid your cheek into the pillow and fell into a deep slumber.

HELPINES:

If you are a victim of sexual abuse, assault or domestic violence or know someone who is please reach out to these links that share helpline services, phone numbers or emails. Consent and respect is important in every relationship whether between friends, family or even strangers.

Australian Helpline Services

UK Helpline Services

American Helpline services

India Helpline Services

#chris evans x female reader #chris evans x y/n #chris evans x you #chris evans x reader #chris evans #dark!chris evans #tsoc

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trainer-blue · 6 months

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there are three terms i see being thrown around in a ton of posts "supporting" palestinians that don't actually apply. if you're someone who calls israel an apartheid colonial state committing genocide and you either actually believe it or have seen those terms often enough to copy them yourself, i encourage you to think a little more deeply about what these words mean:

apartheid:

this term isn't one that you use for just any form or extent of racial discrimination. i have never seen anyone use this term in reference to the united states, and i think everyone reading this can acknowledge that racism is extremely prevalent and systemic here. in fact, i've only ever seen this term used in regards to south africa and israel. if you use it about israel, think about what policies are in place that make it an apartheid state in your view, and then think about whether any other country in the world has comparable ones. if so, why is israel considered apartheid when others aren't? here is some information about the term and why it does not apply. why israel isn't an apartheid state arab political parties and participation in israeli government

colonial state:

to most people, colonization involves taking land from indigenous peoples so that people who are not indigenous to the area / have no ancestral ties to that area can control it instead. colonial settlers could, in theory, return to a country of ancestral origin in which they would be a cultural majority or be safe and not expect to be subject to hate crimes because they are of majority status. one can acknowledge that palestinians have been displaced without it being colonialism. jewish people are indigenous. yes, even the white ones. no, not all jews are white. if any of these claims seem far-fetched to you, or you don't understand how jewish people can be indigenous to israel, i recommend reading these posts: jewish indigeneity from an archeological perspective history of jewish presence in israel

genocide:

"the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group." if israelis-- even the israeli government, which even "zionists" consider right-wing, fucked, and nonrepresentative of their values-- wanted to wipe out palestinians, we would have seen very different actions from them throughout history. one can acknowledge and mourn the loss of innocent palestinian life during wartime without framing it as something it's not. growth of palestinian population rates

"why does it matter what terms we use? isn't it GOOD to exaggerate or use buzzwords to catch people's attention? how else can we make people understand the true plight of palestinians?"

there is no reason to use terms that don't apply, actually. when so many people parrot these terms without understanding whether or not they're accurate:

1. this actual situation gets muddled, leading to people who have done no research of their own jumping to pick sides because they think they’re rallying against "the new nazis." These people may then support Hamas as “freedom fighters,” attack Jewish people around the world, and celebrate the rape, torture, and death of Israeli women and children because they’re “complicit in colonial apartheid genocide” and no longer considered human.

2. you imply that it is impossible to care about or support civilians affected by war if they’re NOT victims of genocide, colonialism, or apartheid states. Why do you need to rely on these terms to feel empathy for palestinians? If you acknowledged that they’ve been displaced by other indigenous people and are being killed in and affected by war, would your fervor for their cause die out? if so, is that a reasonable response to the realization that the real world isn't cut and dry, and not every conflict has a completely evil side and a side that is completely innocent?

3. ACTUAL instances of genocide, apartheid, and colonialism get watered down. I’ve seen people compare this to the Holocaust, calling Jewish people Nazis. Look back at the resource I linked to above. When you compare steady growth of Palestinian populations with the brutal erasure of ⅔ of the jewish population in europe, you are not only overexaggerating current events, but you’re also saying that the holocaust wasn’t all that bad, actually. To weaponize a people’s own genocide against them is. Gross. Especially when recent events have been catalyzed by Hamas beheading and burning babies–rather reminiscent of the Holocaust–and when people continue to deny that the 10/7 attack even took place. Also. rather. Reminiscent of non-jewish refusal to believe accounts of concentration camps.

similarly, when you water down terms like “apartheid” to mean any form of inequality for racial minorities, you deny the realities of apartheid south africa and imply that that’s “pretty much the same” as racism experienced in other countries around the world

hamas calling for jewish (NOT ISRAELI) death

perspective on equating israel to apartheid south africa

thank you for reading. this is not a call to abandon support for palestinians. this is a call to think about the terms you use and the misinformation you've seen.

#jumblr #i/p #tw genocide #tw holocaust #tw current events #tw rape #tw child harm #tw child death

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p-muffin · 1 year

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Death is at Our Door Pt. 1

Pairing : Joel Miller x Reader

Next Part

Warnings : Death of a loved one.

WC:2.2k

Summary :

Fort Vancouver, a happy and peaceful community in the north west. Y/n a kind, strong, and fierce woman. The world is peaceful for her and the people in her small town. Although when an unknown man and immune young girl are brought in from a clicker infested library, the pair bring unwanted visitors to the Forts front gates.

The fort of Vancouver Washington started as a settlement for the colonies when they came north and became a large trading post for the Hudson’s Bay Company. As the years went on and Vancouver grew, the fort became a well-known historic site. The great 20-foot walls ideal for the world ending. Just about five buildings were saved throughout history. As the fort became a settlement once again in 2004, the survivors added well over twenty new buildings/homes inside the walls.

Washington was known for its large and bruting Evergreen trees, the thick and sturdy wood perfect for building. The people were proactive in getting homes built for the remaining survivors. Carpenters, electricians - the old and young helped structure the cabins, drawing energy from the old Bonneville Dam. The homes were lit up with old grandmother lamps and string lights. A crisp woodsy smell filling each home beautifully. If the people needed paradise, this was it. Besides Jackson this was the most comfortable it got.

The leader, Vance Kelly – a humble but strong man, encouraged the people to build a log wall around the garden that laid outside the main gates. The fort had a well-functioning garden for decades before the world went to shit. Involved heavily with the public, it was basically a self-sufficient town. As Jackson Wyoming was flourishing, so was the northwestern community. One key difference being the lack of security from Clickers.

The hunting party was successful ninety nine percent of the time, getting most clickers and using whatever explosives they could find to dial down the infected rates. Vancouver was a large city before this. Almost one hundred and fifty thousand residents. Not including Portland’s large numbers. Vance was very forward about how things outside the community would go, the infected would be slaughtered – fully infected or not. No risks to be taken when it came to the town’s safety.

But, year after year the people of Fort Vancouver became strong and well equipped. Gathering supplies to feed and warm the group of one hundred-something people. Life was peaceful.

The autumn leaves spun in adolescent circles as they fell softly to the grassy ground, crisp air biting at y/n’s skin. A soft chuckle escaping her chilled lips as she walked down her rocky street. Pebbles popping under her worn boots. The woman clutched her thick Carhartt coat to her chest as the air nipped a little too much at her spine. Sun catching in her eyes, she kept her steady pace down to the gardens. People of the community waving as she passed by, gifting small smiles and nods as she continued.

Fort Vancouver was beautiful, only about three miles from her pre-outbreak home. The community members were hard working and skilled in protecting the haven. They had everything they needed to keep life peaceful. They did thorough checks when someone would go on a run and so there were never any cases inside the walls. Y/n was considered a lucky one, most of her family making it. Only her youngest sister perishing a month after everything went bad. Lost her to the nasty fungus.

The large garden came into her view. Birds sung in the trees above her, singing hopeful songs. Head falling back to gaze up, a shy grin grew on her cheeks. A quiet whistle leaving her cranked throat to sing back. Chuckling, she walked down to the potatoes. Gripping the plant tightly in her palms, she ripped up with little force. Dirt covered potatoes filled in her little woven bag y/n carried on her forearm. Turning swiftly on her heels, her feet led her to George – the garden trader.

“Good afternoon Ms. Kelly.” He smiled; hands folded in front of his old body. “Just the potatoes?”

Gazing down, she counted out loud. “I’ve got three potatoes and have three OPDIVO’s for Cheryl.” Y/n pulled a small plastic bag from her back pocket. Three little pills hanging loosely.

George’s eyes grew wide, the heavy stress falling from his shoulders. His wife now not having to worry as much about if she is going to pass from the cancer. “Thank you, y/n. Really.” He kindly smiled at the woman. Hands squeezing her own. He needed them.

Nodding politely, y/n walked off with her groceries.

Y/n was sweet, kind, and welcoming. When The neighbor lady had gotten too old, y/n took her in. Housing her within her family’s quarters. Now this old lady – Linda. Was of Irish descent and would beg for a colcannon potato, so as the oldest daughter of her family – Y/n would cook for Linda. Creating her own recipe and holding it quite dearly in her heart. The long afternoons when her and Linda would sit on y/n’s porch and laugh about stories they had come to write.

Her feet carried her to the steps of her cabin. Cabin number one, the largest home for the first family to arrive. The Kelly’s. The door swung open, hitting the logs softly as she scrapped the mud off her brown boots. Peering around, the house was quiet. Too quiet. Soft eyes gazing through the house, she didn’t notice anything out of place. They must be working, she thought to herself. Shrugging it off, y/n set the bag down on the wooden table.

Peeling off her layers – a scarf, her Carhartt jacket, and beanie. She smiled seeing her dads name written lazily on the tag. Vance. Her father was always up her ass about her layering, Vancouver was cold for about seventy-five percent of the year. Only summers giving warmth. The rest of the year gloomy and chilly. He had given her the beloved coat a year ago, when she had come back from gathering some seeds from a nearby abandoned nursey. The coat she adorned torn to shreds, blood staining it from the nasty rose bush she had admired.

Unfortunately, she didn’t gain a cool story from her trek. Just a sob story about how a rose bush jumped out and attacked her favorite coat.

The front door opened with a sharp squeak, the sound piercing y/n’s ears. Turning from the coat rack, her brothers wide frame stood in the doorway. Body stiff and eyes gazing off like a deer in head lights. Jacob, the warrior of the family. Never seemingly scared, looking like he’d seen a ghost.

Y/n’s hands reached out for him, her feet gliding her body to his. “J-Jacob?” Her voice almost at a whisper. “What’s wrong?”

His eyes flickered to her; head hung low. Breathing shot and slow. “Cory.” He paused, licking his bloody lip. “They got Cory.” Chokes of tears belted out, tears starting to pour down his beaten face as he came to terms with the death.

Cory was Jacobs best friend, brother if you will. Y/n had known him since her father welcomed his family in. “Oh Jacob, I’m so sorry.” Her eyes searched his face for a moment. “Are you bit?” Words like stone, y/n needed to be sure.

His lips folded together, disappearing as he sobbed. A small shake of his head soothed her.

Thank God.

Jacob tripped into y/n’s open arms; body heavy as he cried out. He hadn’t cried in what felt like ages, but y/n knew he needed to. Otherwise, he would bottle it up just like when their younger sister Opal died. He sat locked up in a hotel room for days, unable to come out and face the cruel world. That’s when he came to fight for his family, stuffing Opals passing away in the back of his mind. He decided he needed to be the savior of his family, he needed to fill what he had lost.

A loud sigh left y/n’s lips as she guided him to the couch, plopping him down besides her own body. His whimpers filled the air. She hadn’t seen him this bent out before, honestly, she was surprised he went to her and not his girlfriend.

He grew quiet for a moment. “Do you think Ella is wondering where you’re at?” Y/n mumbled.

Sighing he sat up from her shoulder. “Probably. Thank you, bug.” Jacob croaked. Standing, he ruffled at his younger sister’s hair.

The next morning was colder than the one before, temperatures dropping quickly for the coming winter. Beautiful morning songs unsung, the birds flying south to warmer weather. Drapes feathered at y/n’s face as she slept like a milk-drunk kitten. Arm thrown over her head, she was the most comfortable she’d been since, well ever.

A crisp morning wind shot under her blanket, shooting herself awake with a deep shiver. Teeth grinding as her eyes stretched open. Room dimly lit by the morning sunrise; her body rose from her laying position like an infected. Fingers rubbing the sleep away, y/n stretched her long legs out. Toes tapping the end of the vintage bedframe. Beautiful morning.

“Vance!” A deep voice called, snapping y/n from her morning thoughts.

Peering out the second story window, she saw Bobby shouting up at the window besides hers. Weird, he never was so intrusive. Y/n’s eyes furrowed as she leaned out of her window.

Raspy still, she spoke out. “What’s up Bobby, I think dads showering.”

His eyes were heavy, the look of alert written all over his aged face. “A man and a girl were found about 500 yards out; we need your dad’s permission on something.” Lies. Y/n thought.

“If they’re not infected, they are not to be killed.” Her voice dripped with anger, Bobby was known to make rash decisions and the fact that he was here asking to murder two people was shocking.

A scoff left his lips, head shaking in humor. “Why don’t you come with Vance, you should see this too.” Hands on his hips he gazed one more time at her father’s bedroom window. “Tell him to hurry his old ass up.” With that Bobby was vanished.

The woman jumped out of bed with anticipation. The plaid boxer shorts hugging her waist as she raced to the bathroom down the long hall. Water splashing loud and pools of steam pouring out from the door’s cracks. Her fists pounded on the wooden door; eyeballs shut tight.

“Dad there’s an emergency at the gates!” Y/n’s voice rang high, the shower squealed off. “Bobby said two people showed up, wants us both down there.” She continued, running back down to her bedroom.

Y/n threw a grey hoodie, green flannel, and her carpenter pants onto her muscular body. Strapping her custom knife holster onto one of her thighs and her leather Smith and Wesson Pistol holder to the opposite thigh. Slinging her thick boot socks over her feet, y/n’s favorite pair of old doc martens covered the layer. Bent over, her hair fell to the front of her face – blowing it from her eyes.

Standing upright, she placed the gun into its holster. The wind creeping in once more as she turned to walk out of the cozy room. Vance doing the same, the pair in sync shuffled down the stairs. Feet clamoring the wooden steps, the two trudged down the streets to the front gates.

People gathered around the medic building, just next to the main posts. Vance softly made his way through the crowd, y/n following behind her father. The building was small, only three rooms inside. They made their way in, past the small waiting room. Bobby stood in front of the far-left room; arms crossed over his broad chest. Bobby’s rifle strapped tightly to his front.

Vance looked around before he spoke up. “What’s going on, Bobby?”

Bobby gazed down at y/n, licking his lips as he started. “A man probably early to mid-fifties.” He moved from in front the window, a man gruff and grey laying on the bed. Y/n’s eyes stared down at him, intrigued by the man. “He has a concussion and a stab wound on his left thigh” Bobby scratched his beard. “He’s not the special one though.” The group shifted their focus to the young girl strapped down to the bed across from the man. Soft chocolate brown hair surrounding her little body, pale skin freckled innocently. “When we tested them, they both came up not infected. When we checked for injuries, she had a bite that looks like it’s been healed for a while.”

Y/n’s father peered over at Bobby, eyes wide and worried. “Bobby, what if it was a false test?!” His voice not raising a whisper.

Bobby sighed, rubbing his forehead. “We did blood tests and the scan.” He paused. “Shes immune.”

The Inspiration board for this story

#joel miller x reader #joel x reader #joel miller #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal imagine

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discluded · 1 year

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MileApo x Dior update

Reporters are asking about working with Dior, Po said wait for the good news coming soon. Wait for the official announcement…

Apo: What news will there be coming soon

Q: Will there be any titles coming from working the brand? The fans are wondering/hoping there’ll be a title for you

Apo: Have to wait and see krub. It might or just from the fashion side, it could be from movie, work, or even the film ManSuang, (we’d/I’d) like to stay tune for what’s going surprise everyone

Translation by MileApo Safe Place

I had mentioned in the Dior Gateway to India press roundup that Hello! India might have jumped the gun on announcing the Dior ambassadorship in their coverage or possibly misunderstood the invite... it looks more like the former is the truth now.

Additionally, I'd mentioned this in response to anon about Dior:

Dior might be testing the waters of how much bang they’re going to get for their buck too. I had also thought, given the ambitious nature of Man Suang at international film festivals circuit, a high fashion brand might want the exclusive rights to dress them for all the red carpets, which for BOC could be very lucrative. Putting Mile and Apo in front for Dior seems to be part of a larger strategy at LVMH. LV is the stable brand that drives the highest volume and sets the average, but LVMH has been vesting a lot of effort into making Dior a giant.

Apo's comments seem to be validating that that might be what's in negotiation too.

Finally, on the bang-for-their-buck and digital strategy element, that wasn't just a throwaway comment--! Hot off the press, Lefty.io just published their most influential figures at the Dior pre-fall show (Gateway to India)

This is what EMV stands for:

What Is Earned Media Value? Earned Media Value is an influencer marketing metric that's used to quantify the value of social media content. EMV measures engagement with social media content about a brand that is created by a third party.

I don't care about other celebrities or whatever, but as a point of reference you can look at other EMV values they generated in these tweets for reference: (1) (2) (3)

If you bother to click the tweets, there are some other Thai actors on the list including Bright and Win (from you know. that couple). Mile and Apo clearly still lag behind them, but for a year out of one successful show it's pretty decent, and brands are really starting to see the impact of the Thai media in international soft power realm.

Finally, in terms of Dior's overall strategy, this is on overview of their digital push:

(this one is for SS2023 show, which happened in October 2022 - MA attended none of these shows)

(For FW2023 which is the show Apo attended)

This is why when I and annoying other fan clubs or posters encourage you to engage with Twitter and IG posts - that's why. Brands can see the impact of the engagement directly translating into marketing value and will encourage further high-value sponsors with their projects.

I don't have Mile's numbers for the Pre-fall show nor am I giving this company my info to get it, but I would be surprised if it was below $1M. But anyway, please continue to engage with posts not just on Tumblr. It does make a difference.

#mileapo #mileapo x dior #dior #social media #marketing #kinnporsche #man suang #mileapo x king power #digital strategy #mile phakphum #apo nattawin #mileapo meta

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helianthus-tarot · 29 minutes

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RELATIONSHIP: What do men think about you? How do they see you? (general)

This reading is about men, people who identify as men and/or people who have a strong masculine energy, and their perception of you. It's meant to be about men as a group, but you can try asking about your person, though I can't promise you'll get an accurate answer. If you want to ask about a woman, or someone with a strong feminine energy, you can try, but again, I can't promise you'll get an accurate answer. Keep in mind, when we talk about perception, it's bound to be biased in some way, so if you get a negative message, don't let it affect your self-esteem.

I posted the extended version on my Patreon which includes what do men who are ❤️ romantically attracted ❤️ to you think about you 👀📝 There are other 60+ fun and juicy readings on Patreon too so definitely check it out!

Disclaimer: Here | Instagram: Here

Instructions: Focus on the topic and ask yourself the question. Choose a number/picture that you feel the most drawn to or that you can’t stop looking at. Trust your intuition. May the message resonate. Let me know which pile you choose! Feedback is appreciated!

Like my readings? Tip here!

PILE 1

General: 10 of Pentacles, 6 of Pentacles, 6 of Swords Rx (The Hermit). The Sun, The High Priestess.

They sense a stable and grounded vibe from you; they think that you are the type of person who moves slowly or who takes time to evaluate things before you make your decisions, the type of person who considers future impacts and future gains when you make your decisions, the type of person who cares about being sensible, like, having good personal finance skills, knowing how to take care of your health, etc. Some of them think you come from a wealthy family, upper middle class and above, you are privileged, or you receive material support from your family. For some of you, this could be the wealth or the material comfort that you’ve built on your own, but they assume it’s provided by your family.

Despite the privilege/wealth they think you have, whether it’s coming from your own effort or your family, they think you are also generous with it. You share your abundance with others, you guide and help others when you can, especially by providing practical help or material help. So them seeing you as well-off isn’t really coming from jealousy or envy, it isn’t something they do to look down on you or to treat you like you grew up spoiled; it’s just something they think you have, and they think you use it for good.

Some of them see you as someone who could be a good spouse, whether they are romantically interested in you or not. They could simply think that you’ll make a nice partner for their own son/daughter/etc, for example. They think you’re quite reserved and conservative. What I mean by conservative here is not necessarily you believing in traditional beliefs, it’s just that, you give off the vibe of someone who doesn’t really party a lot, you are kind but you aren’t exactly a social butterfly, perhaps you prefer to stay at home and cook or read or do activities that are pretty lowkey or that make you feel calm and stable. That vibe. You come across as committed and responsible to them, hence a good spouse material.

But they also think that you secretly have some wounds or sources of stress that you haven’t moved on from, and they wonder if these wounds are the things that make you feel a little distant sometimes, like, you don’t properly open up. Some of you lowkey give off a sombre vibe, despite outwardly showing that you are happy or you are enjoying your time and interactions with people, so they pick up on it.

You ‘make’ them feel at ease with themselves, they feel like they can be who they truly are around you and perhaps they also feel like you bring out their good sides, you ‘make’ them feel inspired or encouraged to be truthfully and authentically themselves. For some of them, your responsible vibe brings out their inner child, so they usually get the desire to express themselves more around you, without shame, without insecurities. Some of them may be more playful too as a result, it depends on their age, but they could ‘poke’ you playfully so you come out of your restraint, especially if you have a serious demeanour. They also feel open towards you, they feel inclined to receive you with open arms. You evoke curiosity too, hence why some of them may poke you playfully just so they can see more of you. Some of them are drawn to you in a way that they can’t explain, though this is probably because you bring out their inner child.

EXTENDED VERSION IS ON PATREON! What do men who are romantically interested in you think about you? How do they see you? Is it the same or is it different? Do they notice the real you? 🫢 Find out here! 👀📝

PILE 2

General: The Empress Rx (Judgement Rx), The Moon Rx (3 of Wands Rx), Temperance. Ace of Swords, 10 of Cups.

They think you are mild-mannered and placid, kinda passive. Perhaps you don’t react much, or perhaps they often see you taking the less confrontational way out. There’s this appropriate, agreeable and peaceful vibe coming from you, like you try to be mature, and patient, and try not to ruffle feathers. They think you often choose to be the bigger person, but some of them disagree with this decision. They think there are situations where you need to be more forceful and push for what you want, but you choose not to. Some of them could think that your peacefulness is actually coming from a lack of maturity (as if you aren’t fully ‘developed/mature’ yet to them, whatever this means) and a lack of self-assurance. Basically they think you haven’t properly come into yourself or stepped into your power.

This is just an example, let’s say you chose not to confront a problematic situation because you were secretly scared or you were insecure about something related to it, but you acted as if you just didn’t want to fight or force things to go your way, you wanted to be mature so you chose to let go of that situation instead. That’s the vibe that they get from you, or that’s the assumption they make about you. You sound wise when you talk and they might think that you are interested in the spiritual or philosophical side of things, but yeah. Remember this is their perception, in reality it could be that you actually speak and act from experience and wisdom.

They think you are secretive about your feelings, not in a good way, they think you suppress a lot of things, especially negative emotions. They think you often choose to show a smooth and kind demeanour to the world instead of the murky, ugly feelings that you truly have. And some of them see this as harmful, because they think you aren’t really dealing with those, or you don’t really address those issues. Honestly if they are right about you, I wonder if you have Enneagram 9, because this sounds like it.

Some of you may not fit the beauty standard, they think you look like you could become more beautiful but you are still in the process of becoming, you’re still in that awkward stage or the stage where you haven’t quite realised your own worth/value/beauty yet. They may not see you as someone to pursue romantically, or to introduce to someone else, because of the lack of self-assurance that they perceive, they think you aren’t properly yourself, like you suppress parts of yourself and you could have insecurities with regard to that, and you don’t seem like you are open to working on those either.

Whether they are romantically interested in you or not, your presence makes them think about your romantic potential, about how you act in a group and around other people. Especially if you are a woman, some men think about the romantic potential of women around them, especially when they are deciding whether they want to stay friends or pursue something more. And they can be critical of your romantic potential, of how you act around people and in a group; it’s like their critical nature comes out more when you are around, their mind starts to turn and they start to sit and think and observe, and notice things that could be problems if you were to become their partner or their friend’s partner, etc. It’s very clinical though, I’m not saying it’s good, but they aren’t actively trying to be mean when they think these things.

Despite that, they think a connection/friendship with you can be very pleasant, not much drama because you aren’t the type for it, and so they are open to including you in their group, they are open to being nice to you and getting along with you. Some of them could see you as someone to protect, despite not having romantic feelings for you.

PILE 3

General: 5 of Wands Rx (Ace of Swords), The Emperor Rx (Ace of Wands), 6 of Pentacles. 4 of Swords, Page of Swords.

They think you are assertive and confident, but there’s a negative connotation to this. Not super negative to the point that they hate you, no, but it bothers them a little. They think you are outspoken and combative, you fight for what you believe in, you say what you think, you stand strong in yourself, but they think there’s something wrong with this, or they think you need to do it in a certain way, or in a better way, you need to be less this or less that. It’s that kind of feeling. You behave in a way that ruffles their feathers lol.

In reality, it could be that you are actually pretty chill, you know how to balance yourself, when to push and when to wait and receive, you may not be that aggressive or difficult, just healthily assertive and forward (some of you actually come with rough edges, but I don’t think these are bad). Regardless, many of them just don’t receive your masculine traits well, as if those traits challenge their masculinity or beliefs/comfort in some way. Some of them could think that you are a little stuck-up or full of yourself, perhaps they judge this based on your demeanour (or your face, maybe you have a resting bitch face), so when you are just out and about minding your business, getting what you want, to them it looks like you are acting as if you own the place lol.

Some of them could pick up on your more playful side, but perhaps you don’t show it often or openly. It feels like for some of you, they think your playful side is something they need to bring out, and in order to do that, they need to deal with your sharp edges. Despite the edges that they think should be smoothen out, they think you are generous and helpful. You share what you have with people who need it, especially things like skills, expertise, practical knowledge, money and material possessions. When you are in this energy, they think you come across as reliable, secure and responsible. It’s the quality that brings out your calmness and conscientiousness. Some of them think you are good with children, or good with people who need your help since you know how best to support those people. It’s a good quality that they think you have, yet there’s that but.

But they are often triggered by you. Again, not in a super negative way, they don’t actually hate you, not really. It’s just that you make them want to say something to you, to poke you, to challenge you, to get you to talk and respond to them, to argue with you a bit. It’s like you disturb their peace for some odd reason, and they have a lot of opinions about it. They could be slightly mean with their words just to see how you react or just to scratch the itch of their annoyance. They may be randomly or unexplainably confrontational, making sharp comments out of nowhere, or telling you what they think about you unprovoked and in a way that isn’t really kind, as if they have no social skills to handle the situation with tact. You ‘disturb’ their peace, now they want to do the same to you.

Some of them could take a more playful approach; they could intentionally be annoying towards you, tease you, make jokes and start random conversations with you, just to get you to respond to them. You evoke curiosity and desire to know, the way they go after this varies, like I’ve described, it depends on how kind and mature they are. Some of them may not be able to leave you alone without some kind of annoying behaviour or comment. They act like they know who you are, but it’s like, there’s a subconscious part of them that is lowkey open to change, as if they’re waiting to be proven wrong or they are waiting for reasons to change their mind about you. Perhaps they secretly feel like they don’t completely understand you, hence the desire to poke around.

PILE 4

General: The Sun, 4 of Pentacles Rx (King of Cups, 8 of Pentacles), The Empress. The Hanged Man, The World Rx.

You seem very genuine and positive to them. Your vibe is light and joyful, like a beautiful butterfly, it’s like you shine wherever you go. They think you like to laugh or smile, or you bring a lot of laughter and joy to people. They think you make people feel comfortable, you make your surroundings more beautiful and positive. They think you are full of inspiration and you seek to live your life the way you want, instead of following what’s accepted or what’s well-regarded by the external world. There’s this authenticity about you that is very freeing or liberating, like someone who passionately pursues what brings them joy and lives their best life. There’s a childlike quality to you, maybe you look youthful, or you give off a youthful, sunny vibe. Despite you having the wisdom to know that the world isn’t always good and nice, they think you are the type of person who chooses to see the good in others and the world anyway. Despite your youthful vibe, they don’t see you as naive.

They think you attract attention; some of them think it’s because of your vibe, it’s positive to be around you. Some of them think it’s because of your looks/beauty. Some of them think it’s both. They think you are stereotypically beautiful (i.e. you meet the beauty standard), or you take good care of yourself, like smelling and looking good, which makes you look beautiful. They think you have a good self-esteem, you value yourself, you know your own worth, so you live your life like that, but without arrogance. They think you are loving, generous and kind; to people, to animals and plants. It’s the vibe that they pick up on.

If you are a woman, they could think that you like stereotypically feminine things, like jewellery or the colour pink, cooking or baking, or being a homemaker or a mother. They think you deserve to live a good life, you deserve to have your needs met and some more. They think you aren’t closed off, you are open, you show your vulnerability with grace and integrity, you aren’t ashamed of what makes you human. When you have something you are working on, like a flaw or a weakness, you don’t mind showing it to them. So they can only acknowledge the emotional maturity that comes with that ability, i.e. they think you can do that because you are emotionally secure.

You ‘make’ them feel calm, to be honest, it’s like being around you put them into this introspective mode. They start thinking and pondering life, and feeling open to having their perspectives changed, to shift their understanding, and to look deeper into things. You make them more philosophical, and possibly also spiritual. Maybe through their observation of you, or words that you say; they learn more about the world and themselves, about their previous beliefs and misconceptions and how these can change, about a better way to be, a better approach to take, nuances they haven’t considered. They are also more patient around you, gentler and slower to react. They feel more open and willing to change their ways and adapt to you. Some of them are also more open to giving you what you need, even if it’s not something they normally do.

#pick a card #pick a pile #tarotblr #tarot readers #tarot community #divination #pick a picture #free tarot readings #pick an image #free tarot #pac #love tarot readings #future spouse tarot #love tarot #future spouse

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sp00kycrumpet · 6 months

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Paradise. (2/10)

Pairing: Javi Gutierrez x f!reader

Rating: E

Tags: Javi is baby, fluff, holiday romance, Nick Cage is Nick Cage, reader is bilingual

Warnings: swearing

Summary: Working as Nicholas Cage's personal assistant was your favourite job; so when he asked you to accompany him to Mallorca for this birthday party he'd been invited to, you were more than happy to go. What you didn't anticipate was the host himself.

Will also be posted on my AO3

(Part 1)

When you woke up the next morning, you were still buzzing from your interaction with Javi. It put a smile on your face and a spring in your step, it was such a small thing that possibly meant nothing but if it made you happy, you were going to enjoy it. You stretched out in the plush bed, checking your phone before getting up and getting ready for the day. You made your way out of your room and towards the dining room, half expecting to see Nick or at least Javi there. Instead it was just Gabriela finishing up her breakfast. She smiled warmly as you walked in.

"Good morning! How did you sleep?" You smiled back at her as you poured yourself some juice from the jug on the table.

"So amazingly! That bed is genuinely the most comfortable thing I've ever laid on." Gabriela laughed, wiping her hands on a napkin.

"Come, sit with me. I'll make you something to eat." You thanked her and sat down as Gabriela disappeared into the kitchen. You looked out of the huge window, admiring the garden beyond it with a content hum in your throat. Gabriela came back with a plate of food, handing it over before sitting back down.

"Is Nick up yet?" You asked, suddenly feeling like you should have gone to his room first. Gabriela nodded.

"He took a little encouraging but he is. Javi took him out to the cliffs. It's one of his favourite places, he goes there a lot to write or think." You smiled and nodded, glad Nick was getting out and spending time with Javi.

"Well if they're spending the day together, I think I'll explore the town and see what's out here." Gabriela smiled and agreed, giving you her phone number in case you needed anything as well as the details for Javi's usual driver that would be happy to drive you into the town. She named a few spots she personally loved and a few local areas that not many tourists would know of.

The town was as beautiful as you'd expected, a mixture of new and old architecture. You took a bunch of photos as you wandered around, bought a couple of things to take home for your parents and a bottle of wine to thank Gabriela for all of her recommendations - as well as a bottle for yourself since the shopkeeper said it was one of the best in Mallorca. You took a break in a little cafe, using their wifi to call your mother and tell her all about Mallorca and about both Javi and Gabriela, skipping out any details of Lucas as there was just something about him you really didn't like. She asked you to send photos so she could see what it was like and you promised to bring her here one day. You spent all day in the town, exploring everything it had to offer. The sun was beginning to set when the driver came back to pick you up, an older man who seemed happy to take a scenic route back to the villa and show the sights his home had to offer. You put all of your shopping in your room and grabbed the bottle of wine, planning on sitting in the garden and having a drink in the warm evening. As you pulled a glass from a cabinet, you were startled by Javi coming in the side door, damp from the pool and wrapped up in his dressing gown. He looked adorable.

"Hey Javi!" He looked over at you, almost like he'd forgotten you were here as his eyes went wide. "Hey… are you okay?" You asked softly, placing a hand on his shoulder as you studied his face.

"He finally has my screenplay. He's gone into town to sit in a bar and read it. I feel so nervous it's making me nauseous. I think I'm going to just… try to sleep." You tilted your head a little, watching the man for a moment.

"Or you could come and have a drink with me? Some company might help ease your mind, Javi." He looked at the bottle in your hand then up at your face, debating it for a moment.

"Yeah, that… that would be nice." He gave a small smile that made you want to bundle him up in your arms and give him the biggest cuddle. He took a breath before turning to lead you out to the garden, leading you through to one of his favourite spots amongst the trees that overlooked the ocean on the left and the lit up town on the right. You sat on a bench beside him, pouring wine for you both. Javi was quiet for the most part, twisting his fingers together nervously until you put the wine glass into his hands.

"I'm sure it was great, Javi. Don't worry so much!" You nodded your head, squeezing his hand gently. Javi just nodded as well, returning the squeeze before taking a swallow of wine. He glanced at the glass then at you.

"This is my favourite wine." You tilted your head and smiled at him.

"Really? I picked it up in town today, the shopkeeper made a great show of telling me how it was locally sourced and made and how it was his best seller." Javi finally laughed, nodding.

"I know which shop you mean. I've paid him to supply wine and champagne for my party." You chuckled a little, taking a testing sip of it before humming.

"It is really good Javi. You clearly have good taste." You teased lightly, nudging him as he smiled almost shyly. "So how was your day?" Javi tilted his head as he thought about it.

"I took Mr Cage to the cliffs, I tried to talk him out of quitting acting and tried to act out some of my screenplay to get his inspiration going. It was silly." You chuckled, watching him.

"Did it work?" Javi shrugged a shoulder.

"I think so? We ended up jumping off the cliff, that was such an adrenaline rush! We sat on the beach, had a smoke and just talked for a while. He made me tell him my top three favourite movies, he refused to believe my number one so I made him watch with me." You held up a hand, leaning in closer to study his face.

"Go on. What is your number one favourite movie?" Javi studied your face for a moment, taking a breath before answering.

"Paddington Two." He said matter-of-factly, watching for your reaction. You blinked, that was definitely not the answer you expected and yet it suited him.

"Adorable. It is an incredible movie." Javi seemed almost relieved that you agreed with him, a genuine smile breaking out over his face.

"Right?!" He laughed, finally relaxing a little more. "He finally agreed with me after watching it though. We went for a swim, had a few drinks and he talked me into sending him my screenplay right there. He wanted me to go with him while he read it but… I couldn't. My heart is racing just thinking about it." Javi rest his free hand against his chest, you smiled at him and took a sip of wine.

"Don't worry Javi. Remember? Believe in your work! I have no doubts it's great!" Javi nodded a little, you could see he was disappearing into his worried thoughts again. You placed a hand gently over one of his, giving him a smile. "So your party… are you excited?" Javi watched your hands for a moment then looked up at your face.

"Usually no, birthdays come every year but having Mr Cage here made it exciting. And you as well of course." He smiled, you had to fight every fibre of your being to not grin like a fool at the addition of you.

"I'm sure it'll be a great night! I'm looking forward to it. I usually don't do much for my birthday so I'm excited for a big party!" Javi laughed a little, finally distracted as he spoke about the band he'd booked, the food Gabriela had organised and everything. He had an excited twinkle in his eyes as he spoke, pausing to sip his wine now and then. You couldn't help but watch and admire him, Javi was so easy to be around. Such a warm person, he seemed genuine and the way his smile lit up his whole face was just beautiful. You found you could listen to him talk for hours, regardless of the topic. Yeah, you definitely had a crush on your host. And it was only the second day of being there.

The two of you sat talking for a while, only realising how long it had been when the wine bottle was empty.

"I'll buy you a new bottle, promise." Javi laughed, placing his empty glass by his feet as he relaxed into his seat. You waved one hand slightly.

"It's fine Javi, it's better to have good company with good wine. I doubt I'd enjoy it as much sat alone in my apartment." You smiled, finishing your drink as well.

"We should probably sleep soon though, I don't want to be here with Mr Cage comes back. I won't be able to look him in the eye." You shook your head and stood up, reaching for the empty glasses and bottle but Javi grabbed it all first. You followed him into the kitchen and got some water to take to bed with you, Javi walking with you to your room again.

"Thank you, again. For distracting me and keeping me company so I didn't just pace my room worried." You shook your head and smiled up at Javi.

"Any time. I quite enjoy our evening chats Javi." He beamed at you and surprised you by wrapping you up in a tight hug. You practically melted into him, the softness of his dressing gown and how good he smelt. You hugged him close, unable to fight the smile that broke out over your face. The two of you stood like that for a moment before he stepped back, taking one of your hands in his own like before.

"Sweet dreams." He said softly, kissing your knuckles before eventually pulling away to go to his own room. You bit your lip lightly, watching him go before slipping into your room. Waiting to make sure he wasn't there before having a moment of childish excitement. Usually you never were one for these fast crushes or romantic whimsy's but Javi was just something else entirely.

(Part Three)

#no use of y/n #pedro pascal #javi g x you #javi x you #javi g x reader #javi gutierrez #the unbearable weight of massive talent

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