#they only vaguely know each other through their friends before the main story

[fanciestghost]

making characters for my story like mmm yeah, yeah youre all gonna be trans idc.

#there might be ONE cis character in the main group but theyre definitely not gonna be straight el oh el #theres trans man gay and trans woman lesbian solidarity but actually funnily not because they do NOT know each other #they only vaguely know each other through their friends before the main story #trans #transgender #trans characters #trans oc #trans ocs #writing #oc #ocs #original story #ouija board ghost

[musings-of-a-rose]

Mistake

Pairing: Frankie Morales/Santi Garcia x f!reader

Word Count: 3000+

Rating: Mature - 18+ ONLY!

Warnings: Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. 

Notes: Angst galore. Thanks to @vanemando15 for being a beta and @mermaidxatxheart for bouncing ideas around!

**If you want to be added to the taglist, join here or let me know!

❤If you enjoy the fic, please consider giving me a warm beverage! (It is not required in any way!)

**Reader is not described

Main Masterlist

Frankie Morales Masterlist

Santiago Garcia Masterlist

It's bright. Why is it so bright in here? Blinking my eyes open, I'm met with the light streaming in through the curtains, shining across my face. 

And then the headache slams into me. 

Groaning, I grab my head, my fingers kneading into my temples, willing the pain to go away without having to move. I drank way too much last night and I'm certainly paying for it now. Nausea starts to set in, churning my stomach slightly as if it's preparing me for a lengthy bathroom session later. It's when I reach for my stomach that I realize I'm not wearing any clothes. A peek under the covers reveals that I'm completely naked. Well, at least I got comfortable before bed?

I play the events of last night in my head. Having the same best friends as your fiancé has its perks, but when they're all former soldiers, you definitely have to work to keep up with their drinking, especially with us being in Vegas. Our Bachelor  and Bachelorette parties were combined, all of us simply hanging out in each other's rooms and basically drinking, playing the occasional game. I vaguely remember Santi telling me, somewhere between my 6th and 9th drink, that this was why he added a day between the party and our actual wedding. He knew we'd need to recover and he was right. 

If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be engaged to Santiago Garcia, I would have laughed in your face. Not that he's a terrible person, but he's not the kind of guy I usually fall for. He's impulsive, hard headed, and a giant flirt, which is why it took me so long to realize he was serious when he asked me out. I'm honestly surprised I'd said yes, considering the amount of women I'd seen run through his home, some of them throwing things at him as they left. 

I remember the first time I saw that happen. Frankie chuckled and shook his head, saying that's just how Santi is. Frankie is the one of the group I'd bonded to the fastest, quickly becoming best friends and remaining so, despite my desire to be more. But life had other plans, giving Frankie a baby from a girl he barely knew. And though they gave it their best shot, it didn't end well. 

But then Santi swooped in and somehow, we fell for each other. And now we're getting married, which is something I never thought he'd agree to. 

I roll onto my side, headache following me and I see a toned, tanned arm sticking out from the between the sheets. I reach out, my fingers brushing his skin as I smile, a handful of flashes of the night before dancing in my head. Santi is an amazing lover, always responding to my every need and desire with fervor. Something feels different about the memories, though I can't quite put my finger on it. 

Rolling to my other side, I groan, swallowing down the churning feeling in my stomach. Soft skin, and that same arm wraps around me, calloused fingers gently rubbing my stomach, a sleepy attempt to help quell my quesiness. 

"Santi."

I feel Santi scoot up behind me, his body molding to mine as he pushes his nose to the side of my neck, nuzzling into it. 

His hand skates sleepily down my body, gently rubbing circles between my thighs in an effort to make me feel better. My pulse quickens, my breaths coming quicker as he continues to work me open. A nip to my shoulder sends warmth between my legs and my breath hitches. I bring my hand up, reaching behind Santi's head to grip his curls. Except, I'm not met with the tight, short curls of my fiance. These ones are longer, softer, more flipping out before becoming actual curls. My brain is rapidly waking, pushing past the hangover to process what was happening, who was happening. A small moan from him and my brain finally clicks it all into place. 

Frankie.

I grab his hand and toss it from me, yanking my body forward to create as much space as I can considering I'm pinned under the sheets. He protests, his hands still reaching for me. 

"Frankie?" I question, hoping to anything that I was wrong. 

"Mmm?" 

Shit. 

"FRANKIE." I'm more firm, scrambling to disentangle myself from the sheets that now feel like a prison. 

"Come back to bed. You weren't finish-"

"Frankie."

His body stills as my voice finally seems to permeate his sleepy, hungover state. He sits up quickly, hand flying to his head as he blinks, swearing under his breath as his head pounds. He whispers my name and I can hear the desperation behind it, hope that he's hearing things and didn't sleep with his best friend's fiancé.

"It's me."

His large hands run down his face, rubbing at his eyes before he finally looks at me, regret pouring out from behind his deep brown eyes. 

"I- what..did we…" He stutters, already knowing the answer to the questions he's trying to ask. 

"I..I think so." Tears well up in my eyes, my voice cracking as the weight of what had most likely transpired comes crashing down on me.

On us. 

"Shit….SHIT!" Frankie yells, slamming his fist down on the bed. "What the fuck happened?"

I clutch the sheet, holding it up to my neck as the tears start to fall. "All I remember is drinking way too much and I think you offered to take me back to the room? Santi… I don't know what happened to him. But Frankie, what..what do we do?"

"I don't fucking know, do I? Shit, this is bad. I mean not that I haven't thought about… but that's not the point…wait. Are we sure we even really…"

"You had half your hand inside me just a few minutes ago, Frankie. Safe to assume we did."

Frankie is silent a moment. "Unless you thought I was Santi?"

"Does it even matter?"

An uncomfortable silence falls between us, so much left unsaid whether from fear or self preservation, I don't know. 

"Don't look."

Frankie glances over at me. "Why not?"

"I'm getting out of the sheets. Turn around."

"Haven't I seen it all?"

"Do you remember?"

"Fair point." Frankie turns his head and shifts his body away from me, attempting to give me some semblance of dignity. Whatever is left of that anyway. 

I extricate myself from the sheets, reaching down to grab my clothes off the floor. Which is when I see a certificate on the table. Pulling my dress over my head, I walk to the table, picking up the paper and scanning it, my eyes growing wider with every word. 

"Fuck…fuck!"

"Did I mess up your clothes?" Frankie asks. 

I wish that was our problem. 

Grabbing the paper, I walk around the bed and stand in front of him, shoving the paper towards him. Frankie blinks up at me and takes the paper, slowly turning it around to read it. His eyes grow wide and he stands abruptly, nearly knocking me on my ass. 

"WE GOT MARRIED??"

"I don't remember!"

"Fucking hell, I… I don't remember either!" His eyes scan the paper again, looking for the butt of a joke and finding none. 

"May…maybe we can get it annulled?" I offer up. 

"Could we?"

I shrug. "They did on Friends."

He glances back down at the paper. "That's only half our problem."

"I'm supposed to get married tomorrow, Frankie. What the fuck am I supposed to say to Santi?"

He looks at me, regret oozing from him. "I don't fucking know, do I? I can't remember anything to even tell him, aside from waking up with a major hangover and my hand shoved between his finance's legs."

He stands angrily and I back up a few steps to give him space. But he misinterprets my reaction and his eyes narrow. 

"Do you think I'd hurt you?"

"What? No, I was giving you space."

He steps towards me and I step backwards, my own back bumping into the hotel wall. 

"I'd never hurt you. I've only ever wanted to love you and be with you but not…not like this."

"Like this?"

He gestures around. "Whatever the fuck happened." He takes a step towards me again and my breath catches in my throat. I'd given up on Frankie a while ago, trying to give him the space he would need for his daughter and his doomed relationship with her mother. 

His hand comes up, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger there, thumb rubbing into my cheek as his eyes find mine. 

"I don't want you to marry Santi." It's whispered, but he may as well have yelled his confession. 

"I..what are you saying?"

His finger traces my cheek as I hold my breath, my eyes locked onto his as I wait.

"I love-"

Knock, knock!

I jump, swatting his hand aside as I walk to the door, smoothing out my dress before I look in the peephole.

Santi. 

"Querida, you in there?"

I glance back at Frankie who is still standing where I left him, pants pulled on but still shirtless. He crosses his arms, biceps pulling with the effort and he nods once. 

Taking a deep breath, I crack open the door and see Santi standing there, smiling when his eyes meet mine.

"Querida you're alive!" He chuckles and takes a step forward. When I don't open the door wider, he stops, eyebrows coming together.

"Is everything ok?"

Tears fall, tracing wet paths down my cheeks. But before I can speak, Santi steps forward and reaches out, wiping them from my cheeks. 

"Querida, what's wrong? What happened?" He's not joking around - he knows this isn't the time. His eyes take in my face, raking down what's visible of my body to check for any injuries. 

Suddenly, I can't talk. "I…I…" 

Santi's voice lowers, nearly to a whisper. "Blink twice if there's someone in the room that will hurt you."

Determined not to blink, I stare back at him. His shoulders relax after several seconds and he lets out a breath of relief. 

"Querida-"

"I love you, Santi."

"I love you too, but what-"

I pull open the door the rest of the way, inviting him in. His eyes are on me as he steps in and I gently close the door behind him.

"Querida, what-"

Frankie had shuffled his feet and Santi turns around, immediately on alert for trouble. He relaxes when he sees Frankie, not taking in the situation.

"Hey, Cat. You're alive too I see?"

Frankie glances at me. "I survived the night."

Santi laughs. "Surprising. You had so much to drink. I'm nursing a mad hangover so I know you have…to…be…" Santi's speech slows, his brain making the connection between my tears and Frankie being shirtless in my room, the sheets all mussed up. Santi's eyes snap back to Frankie's after looking at the bed. 

"Oh, what the fuck man?" I can hear him holding back his anger, hoping that he's misreading the situation. 

When Frankie doesn't reply, the hope disappears from Santi's eyes, replaced by a hurt that pierces me straight through. 

"You were supposed to get her back safe!" Santi yells, stepping closer to Frankie. 

"I did! She's here isn't she?"

"She's here and fucked by you! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you with her. I fucking knew but I thought you were over that little crush you had-"

Frankie moves away from the wall and steps towards Santi, finger pointing at him angrily. "It was never a little crush and you fucking know that. And you went after her anyway!"

"You went and got some girl pregnant! It's not my fault you weren't there."

"But you made damn sure you were there after!"

"Someone had to take care of her!"

Frankie steps closer, glaring down at his friend. "You fucking took her from me!"

"You fucked my fiancé!"

They were in each other's faces now, just a step away from each other.

"You never cared for her! Only wanted her after I said I loved her!"

Santi's eyes flash red, his entire body shaking. I've never seen either of them this mad before. 

"I fucking love her, Frankie!"

"Love her so much that you sent her back to a hotel room with the guy who she's been in love with for years and who loves her back?"

WHAM!

Santi's fist collides with the side of Frankie's face, sending his head flying to the side, Frankie stumbling from the force of it. Santi takes advantage of Frankie's momentary distraction and lunges at him, fists flying and hitting their targets. Frankie rallies quickly, throwing his own punches, shoving Santi back, his head hitting the carpeted floor as Frankie climbs on top of him, fist raised and ready to slam into Santi. 

"STOP!" I yell, but he doesn't hear me. I lunge for him, shoving Frankie sideways off Santi onto the floor. He shakes his head and looks at me, anger flashing in his eyes. 

I turn back to Santi who was trying to sit up, blood gushing out of his nose and his right eye swelling quickly. I reach out to touch his face and he flinches, swatting my hand away. 

"Don't touch me." It's quiet, but his words echo around my head. 

"Santi, I-"

"Let me guess. You're sorry?"

"I am, but -"

"No buts. You slept with Frankie. My best friend."

"I didn't know-"

"Do you have any idea how much you're killing me?" His eyes are watering and not from punches. "I never thought I'd stay with anyone and then…there you were."

"I-"

"You pulled me from a dark space. One I never thought I'd be pulled out of. I fucking loved you, querida." Tears fall from his eyes now and my vision blurs with my own as I watch him.

"And now you've fucked my best friend. My best friend! You just-"

"She didn't know." Frankie hasn't moved from where I had shoved him to the ground, aside from sitting upright.

Santi looks at Frankie with digust. "Didn't know? Did she just fall naked into the bed then? Just an oops?"

"It's my fault."

"You wanna elaborate on that?"

Frankie takes a deep breath, his eyes heavy and weary as he glances at me before looking at Santi. "We were both drunk. Her more than me. I really only remember getting her up here, making sure she took off her shoes. I told her to change her clothes because she had throw up on them. The next thing I know, she's yelling at me to get up, shoving me away from her."

"That doesn't-"

"She kept calling me Santi."

Frankie looks at me, hurt in his eyes. "She thought I was you right up until she was fully awake."

"I thought you said you don't remember-"

"I'm getting flashes. She called me Santi."

"How is it your fault?" Santi asks. "It's not like you just let her-"

"I didn't stop her. She called me Santi and I didn't stop her. I should have…but I didn't."

He moves too fast for me, olive skin bunched into a fist collides with Frankie's face, sending him flying backwards. 

"Fuck you, Frankie." Santi struggles to his feet, his hand coming up to dab at his bleeding nose. I stand with him, hands moving to his face to inspect his injuries. He flinches at my touch, but his eyes find mine and I break. 

"I'm sorry." It's not enough but all I can choke out. 

His hands grip my wrists, bringing them away from his face. 

"I love you, querida. But I…I can't." He cries, tears falling silently as his heart breaks from the pain I put there. "I can't do this. I can't even look at Frankie, and you? You're the last person I thought would ever hurt me."

"Santi-"

He drops my wrists and heads towards the door, pausing at the table where the marriage certificate between Frankie and I lays. He stares at it for several long moments before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wedding band, my wedding band, and sets it on the certificate. He doesn't say a word and he doesn't look back as he leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind him. 

The room is oppressive with its silence, despite not being alone in it. I feel like I'm suffocating, dying, like a part of me went with Santi and I knew I'd never see it again. 

"I'm sorry." Frankie quietly breaks the silence. 

"You're sorry?" I turn to face him. I know I am not innocent but what he just revealed makes me sick. "You knew I was calling out for Santi and you didn't stop me?"

"I-"

I wanna throw up, scream, throw things, something, anything to get away, crawl out of my own body. 

"I trusted you."

"I…lied."

"What?"

"I guess I didn't realize how much you actually love him. And how he loves you. And I wanted to give you a shot so I lied."

I take a step closer, anger radiating out from me. "Lied about what exactly?'

Frankie takes a deep breath. "You never called out his name. Not until this morning before we both were….aware."

"Then-"

"You called out my name. And I just…I couldn't resist. I'm so sorry. I'm a weak person I know. I was drunk and in love and…" He gestures randomly. 

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get out of my room."

I don't have to repeat myself. Frankie gets up off the floor, grabbing his shirt on the way out. He doesn't say anything but pauses to look back, regret and pain in his eyes. 

I don't blame Frankie. The more the day wears on the more I start to remember. I definitely started it, thinking it was Santi. When I realized it wasn't, I didn't stop. Just switched to the right name, my long love for Frankie winning out over drunk logic. 

And now I get to go back to an empty home, all because of someone's love for me that was not my fiance. 

>>Mistake Part 2>>

-------

General Taglist:

@frankie-catfish-morales @chaoticgeminate @janebby @astoryisaloveaffair @balekanemohafe @greeneyedblondie44 @hoeforthefictional @marvelousmermaid @hauntedmama @giuliarogers-blog @icanbeyourjedi @wretchedmo @sunnshineeexoxo @livingmydreams13 @adventures-of-a-noodle @sara-alonso @theewokingdead @punkerthanpascal @giggly-otter @f0rever15elf @phandoz @dirtytissuebox @gallowsjoker @lovesbiggerthanpride @sarahmilesbendrix @booksarekindaneat @mrsudontknowme @swol-bear @charlispersonallyhell @xoxabs88xox @amneris21 @gooddaykate @alindeluce @avengers-fixation @paintballkid711 @harriedandharassed   @ladykatakuri @marrianena  @practicalghost @withakindheartx @batdarkladyvampir @justanotherkpopstanlol   @alexxavicry @justreblogginfics

#frankie catfish morales #santiago garcia x reader #frankie morales #santiago pope garcia #frankie morales x reader #triple frontier #pedro pascal #frankie morales x you #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfic #pedro pascal character ff #pedro pascal character fanfiction #frankie morales x f!reader #francisco catfish morales #santiago garcia x you #santiago garcia x f!reader #santiago garcia x female reader #santi x you #santi x reader #santi x f!reader #santi x female reader #oscar isaac #oscar isaac character #oscar isaac characters #oscar isaac character fanfic #oscar isaac character fanfiction #oscar isaac character ff

[a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all]

Old Friends

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Maverick's Daughter!Reader, f!reader

Word Count: 2309

TW: Fluff, Kissing, Angst, Explicit Language

Note: This story takes place BEFORE Top Gun: Maverick but DOES contain spoilers for the movie

Top Gun Masterlist

As you stand outside the front doors of the main building, you struggle to remain professional and contain a squeal of excitement. Your whole life has been leading to this moment and once you walk through these doors, your dreams will finally become reality. Despite the double-edged sword that came with being Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s daughter, you had made a name for yourself independent of your father’s reputation and earned your spot here same as everyone else. One of the elite few admitted to Top Gun.

Taking one more deep breath, you throw open the doors and hurry down the hall which is currently crowded with cadets, instructors, and other Navy personnel. While you recognize many of the instructors as friends or colleagues of your dad’s, you don’t seem to know any of the students outside of passing acquaintances. You roll your eyes when you notice Jake “Hangman” Seresin in the corner with a few other cadets who look vaguely familiar. Hangman only stood out because he had relentlessly hit on you at one of the awards ceremonies you had gone to with your dad. The night ended with your drink in his face and if he didn’t watch himself now, you’d resort to a much harsher deterrent.

You are so focused on your thoughts of Hangman that you don’t even notice the man walking directly towards you until the two of you almost collide. Apparently, he hadn’t noticed you either because as you both made eye contact, the same look of surprise is mirrored on each other’s faces. Standing before you is a man you haven’t seen for years but had once been as close as family. Your best friend, your first (unrequited) love, Bradley Bradshaw.

But before you can say anything, he mutters, “Ah hell no.” before whirling around and storming down the hall in the opposite direction.

You hurry after him. “Wait! Please! I didn’t know you’d be here. Bradley, wait! I swear, I didn’t know!”

He comes to an abrupt stop and whirls around to face you, anger and betrayal burning in his eyes. “If you did, would it have made a difference? Would you not have come?”

You looked at the floor as you softly shook your head. “No, of course not. You know this is my dream just as much as it is yours.”

“Yeah, but no one stole your dream right from under your nose and left you to fight tooth and nail just to get back to the same position you were four years before!” he spits the words at you, and you can’t help but flinch.

Softly, you whisper, “I told you back then, I didn’t know what my dad was going to do. If I had, I would’ve tried everything I could to stop him from pulling your application to the Naval Academy. You were my best friend in the whole world. Do you really think I would have just stood by and let him do that if I had known?”

“He was the closest thing I had to a father after my dad died and he betrayed me. Why shouldn’t I think you would do the same? You’re just like him.” He starts off down the hall once more, but you quickly follow.

“Just because I refused to cut him out of my life like you did doesn’t mean I agreed with him. But, come on… He’s my dad. What was I supposed to do?”

“You were supposed to have my back. If you couldn’t back then, how am I supposed to trust you to have it now in the air?”

You stop as he keeps walking, your jaw falling open at his accusation. Up until now, you had been feeling regret, sorrow, and a little shame. But all of those emotions quickly turn to rage as you scream, “Fuck you!”

The busy hall instantly goes silent as every person turns to face you but you don’t care. Marching up to a surprised Bradley Bradshaw, you jam your finger in his face. “I know what my dad did was horrible. I know you have every right to be furious with him. And fine, you can even be mad at me for not siding with you over it. But don’t you dare insult my skills or abilities as a pilot or as a wingman. You aren’t the only one who had to fight with everything they had to be here. Do you think it’s easy being the daughter of Maverick? One of the most accomplished, yet most written up pilots in the last thirty years? Everyone always expects me to be him, the recklessness, the arrogance, the total disregard for the rules. And I have worked so fucking hard to show people that I am my own person, my own pilot, and that I deserve to be here. So don’t you dare try to tarnish my reputation just because we have a troubled history.”

You storm past him, ramming your shoulder into his as you do. You feel his hand reaching for yours, but you yank it from his grasp and continue down the hall and out the door.

Later that night, you stand leaning heavily against the railing of the deck of the bar, a beer bottle quickly warming in your hand as you stare out into the waves in front of you. This was not how you pictured the happiest day of your life going. Being a Top Gun pilot was all you ever wanted. The chance to follow in your dad’s footsteps. Yet after your confrontation with Bradley, everything felt spoiled.

You had often wondered what you would do if you ever came face-to-face with your ex-best friend again, but things had gone worse than expected. Not only did you announce to a whole hallway of other pilots that there was friction between the two of you, but you had revealed who your dad was, something you had planned on keeping a secret for as long as possible.

While most of the higher-ranking officers or people who had served with him for years knew about Maverick’s one-night stand that resulted in an illegitimate daughter a few years before he first attended Top Gun, you always tried to keep your identity a secret from the pilots around your age. People had very different and polarizing ideas about your dad, and it was better to just not clue them into the situation until it was necessary. Which was why you went by your mother’s maiden name despite the fact your father had raised you practically on his own since you were 5. Yet now, everyone would know. Already you heard the whispers in the hall, felt the eyes on you, and knew they were making judgements. All before the first one of them saw you in the air. Just great.

You feel someone walk up next to you and lean on the railing. You don’t even have to glance over to know who it is. The two of you stand in silence for a moment, just watching the waves ebb and flow before you.

Finally, Bradley sighs and says, “I’m sorry. You were right. I should’ve never brought your flying into it. I was just stunned to see you and it threw me for a minute. But from everything I’ve heard, no one should ever question your skills in the sky or for watching out for your fellow pilots. You do deserve to be here. And not because of him, but in spite of him.”

“Thank you. I know that couldn’t have been easy for you.” You sigh softly, “But you know, we’re going to have to work this out somehow. Like it or not, we’re both going to be here for the next few months and there will be times we have to work as a team. Can you handle that?”

“Can you?”

“I never wanted things to change between us. You were my best friend, a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and it broke my heart that you just wrote me off like that. But I get why you felt you had to. So, I don’t want to push you into something you aren’t comfortable with, but I would love to see if maybe, someday, we could try to get back to something close to what we had. Because I miss my best friend, and I would like to have him back in my life, even if it’s just in some small way.”

He looks out towards the water for a long time before finally saying, “What your father did, it wasn’t your fault. I know that. I was just hurt and then I was embarrassed, and I didn’t know how to reach back out to you. And then today…. I didn’t know how to deal with seeing you again. But I’ve missed you too. And while I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive your father for what he did, I’d like to try and get back to us being friends.”

You both stand in a comfortable silence for a minute before you playfully nudge his shoulder with yours. “By the way, the mustache is new.”

He ducks his head as he runs a finger over it. “Yeah, well, new good, or new bad?”

“New good. It suits you,” you say with a small nod. Then in a softer voice, you say, “You look just like your dad.” He swallows hard as he nods and you see his jaw tense, his gaze seemingly a million miles away. Softly, you reach up and turn his face towards you. “Hey, he would be proud of you. So would your mom.”

He nodded again but you could see tears starting to form in his eyes. “I’m trying, I’m trying so hard but-” He cuts himself off as he hangs his head.

“Bradley, look at me. Look. At. Me.” Reluctantly, he raises his head. “You made it to Top Gun despite the setbacks and challenges you faced. This is the best of the best. The top 1% of all naval aviators. And you’re one of them. You did it. There’s nothing left you need to prove, to anybody. Not the ghosts of your parents. Not even to my dad.”

He stares deeply into your eyes for a moment before sliding his hand across the railing to rest on top of yours. “What about proving myself to you?”

You rotate your hand so it is now holding his in return and you give it a tight squeeze. “You’ve never had to prove anything to me. I’ve always known who you are, what you’re capable of. I’m just glad it seems you’re finally seeing that for yourself.”

He turns to face you head on and steps closer, his chest barely brushing against your arm. You gaze up into his brown eyes which once seemed as familiar as your own, but now hold a sadness and wariness that hadn’t been there before. He reaches up and softly strokes his thumb across your cheek, causing your eyes to flutter closed and your breath catch in your throat. This was not friendship; this was something else. Something you had only fantasized of with him, but now seemed as if it was about to be in your grasp.

Yet, as he leans towards you, you place a hand on his chest, causing him to pause. “Bradley, I’ve known you since the day I was born. And you never once showed this kind of interest in me, even when I was throwing myself at you when we were teenagers. So, before anything happens, I need to know…. Do you really want me? Or is this your way of getting back at my father?”

He pauses for a second, his lips hovering just inches from yours. “If I said it was about your father….. would that matter?”

Without hesitation, you answer, “No, but it would be nice to know where I stand.”

He smiles as he closes the distance between you and presses his lips against yours. The kiss is soft and tender and a bit hesitant, but it was something you had dreamt of for almost as long as you dreamt of being a pilot. Bradley had been your first crush and while others came soon after, you had always kept an ember burning for him in the deepest reaches of your heart. And as he continued to kiss you, pulling you in closer as he cupped the side of your face, you feel that ember start to grow until it is soon a raging fire of desire. And when he finally pulls away, your soul aches at the loss.

Softly, you whisper, “Huh, I’d always wondered what that’d be like. And I have to say, it didn’t disappoint.”

“I’m glad,” he says as his eyes roam across your face, your lips. “And just so you know, it doesn’t have anything to do with him. Since I left, there hasn’t been a day that I haven’t thought about you. And as time went on, I realized that I missed you more than just as a friend. That I should have made a move a lot sooner. And after the way I acted today, I was afraid I drove you away for good.”

You lean into his hand which still rests on your cheek. “You could never drive me away. No matter what happens between us, I’ll always be here for you. In whatever way you’ll have me.”

He smiles as he closes in once more, nudging your nose with his and causing his mustache to tickle your lip. “Well, tonight I plan on taking you every way I can.” And with all the passion and heat that was lacking in the first kiss, he captures your lips once more.

#sfw repost #fic #top gun #top gun: maverick #top gun maverick #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #f!reader #miles teller #top gun maverick spoilers #fluff #angst

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

Old Friends

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Maverick's Daughter!Reader, f!reader

Word Count: 2309

TW: Fluff, Kissing, Angst, Explicit Language

Note: Thank you to @loverhymeswith for the request "Do you really want me? Or is this your way of getting back at my father?" and thank you to @lorecraft for beta reading for me! 💖

This story takes place BEFORE Top Gun: Maverick but DOES contain spoilers for the movie

Top Gun Masterlist

As you stand outside the front doors of the main building, you struggle to remain professional and contain a squeal of excitement. Your whole life has been leading to this moment and once you walk through these doors, your dreams will finally become reality. Despite the double-edged sword that came with being Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s daughter, you had made a name for yourself independent of your father’s reputation and earned your spot here same as everyone else. One of the elite few admitted to Top Gun.

Taking one more deep breath, you throw open the doors and hurry down the hall which is currently crowded with cadets, instructors, and other Navy personnel. While you recognize many of the instructors as friends or colleagues of your dad’s, you don’t seem to know any of the students outside of passing acquaintances. You roll your eyes when you notice Jake “Hangman” Seresin in the corner with a few other cadets who look vaguely familiar. Hangman only stood out because he had relentlessly hit on you at one of the awards ceremonies you had gone to with your dad. The night ended with your drink in his face and if he didn’t watch himself now, you’d resort to a much harsher deterrent.

You are so focused on your thoughts of Hangman that you don’t even notice the man walking directly towards you until the two of you almost collide. Apparently, he hadn’t noticed you either because as you both made eye contact, the same look of surprise is mirrored on each other’s faces. Standing before you is a man you haven’t seen for years but had once been as close as family. Your best friend, your first (unrequited) love, Bradley Bradshaw.

But before you can say anything, he mutters, “Ah hell no.” before whirling around and storming down the hall in the opposite direction.

You hurry after him. “Wait! Please! I didn’t know you’d be here. Bradley, wait! I swear, I didn’t know!”

He comes to an abrupt stop and whirls around to face you, anger and betrayal burning in his eyes. “If you did, would it have made a difference? Would you not have come?”

You looked at the floor as you softly shook your head. “No, of course not. You know this is my dream just as much as it is yours.”

“Yeah, but no one stole your dream right from under your nose and left you to fight tooth and nail just to get back to the same position you were four years before!” he spits the words at you, and you can’t help but flinch.

Softly, you whisper, “I told you back then, I didn’t know what my dad was going to do. If I had, I would’ve tried everything I could to stop him from pulling your application to the Naval Academy. You were my best friend in the whole world. Do you really think I would have just stood by and let him do that if I had known?”

“He was the closest thing I had to a father after my dad died and he betrayed me. Why shouldn’t I think you would do the same? You’re just like him.” He starts off down the hall once more, but you quickly follow.

“Just because I refused to cut him out of my life like you did doesn’t mean I agreed with him. But, come on… He’s my dad. What was I supposed to do?”

“You were supposed to have my back. If you couldn’t back then, how am I supposed to trust you to have it now in the air?”

You stop as he keeps walking, your jaw falling open at his accusation. Up until now, you had been feeling regret, sorrow, and a little shame. But all of those emotions quickly turn to rage as you scream, “Fuck you!”

The busy hall instantly goes silent as every person turns to face you but you don’t care. Marching up to a surprised Bradley Bradshaw, you jam your finger in his face. “I know what my dad did was horrible. I know you have every right to be furious with him. And fine, you can even be mad at me for not siding with you over it. But don’t you dare insult my skills or abilities as a pilot or as a wingman. You aren’t the only one who had to fight with everything they had to be here. Do you think it’s easy being the daughter of Maverick? One of the most accomplished, yet most written up pilots in the last thirty years? Everyone always expects me to be him, the recklessness, the arrogance, the total disregard for the rules. And I have worked so fucking hard to show people that I am my own person, my own pilot, and that I deserve to be here. So don’t you dare try to tarnish my reputation just because we have a troubled history.”

You storm past him, ramming your shoulder into his as you do. You feel his hand reaching for yours, but you yank it from his grasp and continue down the hall and out the door.

Later that night, you stand leaning heavily against the railing of the deck of the bar, a beer bottle quickly warming in your hand as you stare out into the waves in front of you. This was not how you pictured the happiest day of your life going. Being a Top Gun pilot was all you ever wanted. The chance to follow in your dad’s footsteps. Yet after your confrontation with Bradley, everything felt spoiled.

You had often wondered what you would do if you ever came face-to-face with your ex-best friend again, but things had gone worse than expected. Not only did you announce to a whole hallway of other pilots that there was friction between the two of you, but you had revealed who your dad was, something you had planned on keeping a secret for as long as possible.

While most of the higher-ranking officers or people who had served with him for years knew about Maverick’s one-night stand that resulted in an illegitimate daughter a few years before he first attended Top Gun, you always tried to keep your identity a secret from the pilots around your age. People had very different and polarizing ideas about your dad, and it was better to just not clue them into the situation until it was necessary. Which was why you went by your mother’s maiden name despite the fact your father had raised you practically on his own since you were 5. Yet now, everyone would know. Already you heard the whispers in the hall, felt the eyes on you, and knew they were making judgements. All before the first one of them saw you in the air. Just great.

You feel someone walk up next to you and lean on the railing. You don’t even have to glance over to know who it is. The two of you stand in silence for a moment, just watching the waves ebb and flow before you.

Finally, Bradley sighs and says, “I’m sorry. You were right. I should’ve never brought your flying into it. I was just stunned to see you and it threw me for a minute. But from everything I’ve heard, no one should ever question your skills in the sky or for watching out for your fellow pilots. You do deserve to be here. And not because of him, but in spite of him.”

“Thank you. I know that couldn’t have been easy for you.” You sigh softly, “But you know, we’re going to have to work this out somehow. Like it or not, we’re both going to be here for the next few months and there will be times we have to work as a team. Can you handle that?”

“Can you?”

“I never wanted things to change between us. You were my best friend, a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and it broke my heart that you just wrote me off like that. But I get why you felt you had to. So, I don’t want to push you into something you aren’t comfortable with, but I would love to see if maybe, someday, we could try to get back to something close to what we had. Because I miss my best friend, and I would like to have him back in my life, even if it’s just in some small way.”

He looks out towards the water for a long time before finally saying, “What your father did, it wasn’t your fault. I know that. I was just hurt and then I was embarrassed, and I didn’t know how to reach back out to you. And then today…. I didn’t know how to deal with seeing you again. But I’ve missed you too. And while I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive your father for what he did, I’d like to try and get back to us being friends.”

You both stand in a comfortable silence for a minute before you playfully nudge his shoulder with yours. “By the way, the mustache is new.”

He ducks his head as he runs a finger over it. “Yeah, well, new good, or new bad?”

“New good. It suits you,” you say with a small nod. Then in a softer voice, you say, “You look just like your dad.” He swallows hard as he nods and you see his jaw tense, his gaze seemingly a million miles away. Softly, you reach up and turn his face towards you. “Hey, he would be proud of you. So would your mom.”

He nodded again but you could see tears starting to form in his eyes. “I’m trying, I’m trying so hard but-” He cuts himself off as he hangs his head.

“Bradley, look at me. Look. At. Me.” Reluctantly, he raises his head. “You made it to Top Gun despite the setbacks and challenges you faced. This is the best of the best. The top 1% of all naval aviators. And you’re one of them. You did it. There’s nothing left you need to prove, to anybody. Not the ghosts of your parents. Not even to my dad.”

He stares deeply into your eyes for a moment before sliding his hand across the railing to rest on top of yours. “What about proving myself to you?”

You rotate your hand so it is now holding his in return and you give it a tight squeeze. “You’ve never had to prove anything to me. I’ve always known who you are, what you’re capable of. I’m just glad it seems you’re finally seeing that for yourself.”

He turns to face you head on and steps closer, his chest barely brushing against your arm. You gaze up into his brown eyes which once seemed as familiar as your own, but now hold a sadness and wariness that hadn’t been there before. He reaches up and softly strokes his thumb across your cheek, causing your eyes to flutter closed and your breath catch in your throat. This was not friendship; this was something else. Something you had only fantasized of with him, but now seemed as if it was about to be in your grasp.

Yet, as he leans towards you, you place a hand on his chest, causing him to pause. “Bradley, I’ve known you since the day I was born. And you never once showed this kind of interest in me, even when I was throwing myself at you when we were teenagers. So, before anything happens, I need to know…. Do you really want me? Or is this your way of getting back at my father?”

He pauses for a second, his lips hovering just inches from yours. “If I said it was about your father….. would that matter?”

Without hesitation, you answer, “No, but it would be nice to know where I stand.”

He smiles as he closes the distance between you and presses his lips against yours. The kiss is soft and tender and a bit hesitant, but it was something you had dreamt of for almost as long as you dreamt of being a pilot. Bradley had been your first crush and while others came soon after, you had always kept an ember burning for him in the deepest reaches of your heart. And as he continued to kiss you, pulling you in closer as he cupped the side of your face, you feel that ember start to grow until it is soon a raging fire of desire. And when he finally pulls away, your soul aches at the loss.

Softly, you whisper, “Huh, I’d always wondered what that’d be like. And I have to say, it didn’t disappoint.”

“I’m glad,” he says as his eyes roam across your face, your lips. “And just so you know, it doesn’t have anything to do with him. Since I left, there hasn’t been a day that I haven’t thought about you. And as time went on, I realized that I missed you more than just as a friend. That I should have made a move a lot sooner. And after the way I acted today, I was afraid I drove you away for good.”

You lean into his hand which still rests on your cheek. “You could never drive me away. No matter what happens between us, I’ll always be here for you. In whatever way you’ll have me.”

He smiles as he closes in once more, nudging your nose with his and causing his mustache to tickle your lip. “Well, tonight I plan on taking you every way I can.” And with all the passion and heat that was lacking in the first kiss, he captures your lips once more.

Taglist: @loverhymeswith, @babblydrabbly, @lorecraft, @skvatnavle, @clints-lucky-arrow, @srry-itshockeyszn, @edwardbaldwin

#fic #top gun #top gun: maverick #top gun maverick #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #f!reader #miles teller #top gun maverick spoilers #fluff #angst

[causenessus]

binary stars

part 0.05. intros. OIKAWA'S EMOTIONAL SUPPORT GROUP

NOW FEATURING...

THE STAR AND HIS PLANETS ‧₊˚✩彡

oikawa tooru .°˖✧

seijoh’s volleyball captain and distant uncle of the team (most certainly not a co-parent). did not realize that what he felt for y/n was romantic until their first year in secondary school when she tried to distance herself and now he feels stupid. whenever he needs to be put in his place (e.g. after leading on another girl too much) he can always count on iwa to talk him down and remind him about how badly he’s messed up </3 currently pining after y/n without making it obvious because he’s scared of ruining what they have in case y/n doesn’t like him the same way back - follows y/n's private on his main and private in case she ever decides to give him a second chance </3 - known for unfollowing people when he wants to say something without someone in specific knowing (e.g. ranting about the one sided mental war he's fighting with kenma inside his head without kuroo knowing). once he feels that his point has been made, he'll delete the post and follow the person again so that they can see his private (y/n uses this and the picture he leaked as reason for why she's never letting him back onto her private when in reality they're just excuses to be able to indirectly post about him without him ever knowing)

FEATURING...

iwaizumi hajime & bokuto koutaro .°˖✧

iwa-chan

co-parenting seijoh with y/n. also their ace and vice captain. will have an aneurysm if neither tooru nor y/n make a move on each other. he loves y/n but he will only be able to handle oikawa for so much longer. maybe he’d be able to last if he got to go to y/n’s girls nights more but that’s kuroo’s role while he has to attend tooru’s boys nights as his best man. he’s feeling a little bit like atlas rn but he knows it’ll be worth it in the end (if they ever get to the end).

bokuto

FUKURODANI’S ACE !!! found his way into the solar system after a practice match between fukoridani and seijoh. he could tell immediately that something was up between their manager and captain. he had fun getting to know oikawa and felt like he had seen their manager before. bo talked it over with akaashi, asking him if he felt like there was something going on between seijoh’s manager and captain. akaashi nodded and then was shocked when he fully processed how socially aware bo was being. he then answered bo that yes, he had seen their manager before because she was good friends with kuroo. after that, he knew who to talk to in order to get the details ❤️ his entrance into the gc went as follows: oikawa: why was bokuto just added to the gc kuroo: he would like to speak for himself your honor bokuto: I KNOW YOUR SECRET

FEATURING...

matsukawa issei & hanamaki takahiro .°˖✧

mattsun

seijoh’s middle blocker and one of five third years. him and makki are just there for a good time, and watching essentially four people and a few more distant people try and manage the mutual pining of two idiots who might as well be blind qualifies as entertaining. he’s taken it upon himself to maintain the mental stability of the team whenever oikawa’s messes up and sends y/n through the five stages of grief--starting with setting up the net for the team

makki

seijoh’s outside hitter and one of five third years. is thinking that perhaps him and mattsun should get onto the trend of co-parenting and adopting someone. they’ve assumed the role of the grandparents that seijoh’s team has to put up with whenever y/n or iwa are out of commission LMAO both him and mattsun usually get oikawa’s side of the story but sometimes they work together to try and fit the vague, out-of-context tweets on y/n’s private into the puzzle of oikawa’s stories

not featured:

kuroo tetsuro </3

currently undercover for y/n but he can’t complain. is still good friends with oikawa and as a result hears about a lot of his feelings in their groupchat but when it comes down to it he’s on y/n’s side. neither oikawa nor y/n realize how much information both iwa and kuroo have because they’re good at what they do. kuroo’s trying his best to alleviate iwa’s stress as he continues to watch the disaster of miscommunication occur between his two childhood friends that's been happening since they were kids

full picture of what oikawa posted to his private bc unfortunately it's not an upside down dick </3

prev. | m.list | next

#oikawa tooru #tooru oikawa #oikawa tooru x reader #tooru oikawa x reader #oikawa x reader #oikawa smau #haikyuu smau #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #hq #hq x reader

[the-yuri-librarian]

Review: After Hours by Nishio Yuta

Summary: After Hours starts in media res, at a club at the beginning of the night. Asahina Emi enters the club on the phone, trying to find her friend Meyumi. She doesn't find her, and instead has a chance meeting with a self-described clubbing afficinado named Kei. By the end of the night, Emi goes home with Kei, who ropes Emi into helping her DJ at a club later. Emi reluctantly agrees, but, when she actually goes through with it, she falls in love. From there, Emi and Kei become close, their new relationship just starting to bloom. But, not without tribulation, as Emi is struggling with the aimless path her life is on, her own insecurities, and coming to terms with her feelings for this woman she has now become entangled with.

Review below the cut (trying out a new format too!)

If there is one word that can be used to describe After Hours, it is potential. From the moment Emi and Kei meet, this manga feels special. The backdrop of Tokyo nightlife serves as a beautiful canvas where Emi can explore who she is, who she wants to be, and exactly wat Kei means to her. She is shy, yet bold, a personality combo that causes her to thrust herself into the story before really considering the consequences of her actions. Kei is also incredibly well-written, not only as Emi's love interest, but also as her narrative foil. A little older, she seemingly has everything figured out. But, there's trouble brewing beneath her cool exterior, and as her and Emi both struggle against their own problems, they are forced to grow, sometimes when they're not ready.

Unfortunately, potential is where most of the good of After Hours ends, and it is also where the problems begin. Near the beginning of the story, a large group of Kei's DJing friends are introduced, and they all have various histories with her and work well as the main supporting cast. But, they are severely under-utilized in the story. Not only that, but all of Emi's problems are under-developed and, quite frankly, a little vague. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, she has a boyfriend who is never on screen, and she has never been romantically interested in a woman in her entire life. And, while many of these issues are resolved by the end of the story, their resolution is as fleeting as their introduction. Thus brings forth the biggest problem with After Hours; it is too short. Sitting at 17 chapters, this story could easily double in size without having to introduce any new story elements. As it is now, the story ends as quickly as it starts, and it leaves a empty disappointment once it is over.

Before it ends, however, it does hit a high note in chapter ten. Chapter ten contains scene where Emi and Kei's relationship becomes more concrete, and it is beautiful. Half-make up, half confession, it is a heart-warming and genuine to a surprising degree. As Emi and Kei tenderly embrace, their affection for each other shines, becoming the real highlight of the story.

Overally, After Hours starts out incredibly strong, and held back by its length, peters out at the end. Despite this, I still reccomend this series due to chapter ten alone. Combine that with the Amex vibrant setting and charming characters, and this manga becomes a real treat.

Rating: B

#after hours #yuri #girls love #gl #yuri review #manga #manga review

[hamofjustice]

very slight teal mask and indigo disc story spoilers (the kind that'll probably help decide if you want them or not instead of ruin it for you, probably?) and very long commentary about it. mostly about how they've chosen to advertise it

gonna hit you with my longest run-on sentence yet, here we go.

the fact that we had to datamine the teal mask, a DLC whose only returning character is jacq and does not add a line to or scene of anyone else (well, mentions of heath and clavell, i guess?) due to being available to do at any badge count, the fact that we had to dig and pry in unintended ways, just to finally prove that our implied greatest treasures nemona arven and penny would at least be available to hang out with in the indigo disc...

with no new images footage or mentions of the friend trio of in any of the six months since the DLCs were announced, and ten months after these kids opened their hearts and dorm rooms to us, saying we could hang out any time from now on, and turned out to be statues with one line of dialogue after we had already gone on an adventure with them following us around, helping us in battle, and getting to know each other as we walked, and our rival promised to keep up with our strength forever, then never got any stronger...

and now, in the narrative's timeline, we run off to another country to transfer away from our rival for life's school to one she would fit into perfectly the MOMENT she opens up to us about her problems and how she's so much happier now that we're the first person she can actually connect with and be herself around, and shows clear signs of worry that you're going to leave if she doesn't make you promise not to...

and also shortly after Arven became effectively a high school orphan, who's still treated as kind of a butt monkey dumbass for some reason, when he was putting everything he had into researching how to save his dog, his only dependable family, instead of going to class (i guess he's not telling anybody what he's going through, as usual with these kids)...

because TPC did not think these characters being present in the second DLC in any form and not actually having their newfound, hard-earned sense of belonging ruined by the basic premise of said transfer-student DLC was worth advertising at any point, and only showed off gym leaders Katy and Kofu... and that was only if you even bothered to look at the website to notice the feature at all, because hanging out with, battling, and trading with all of the past characters who aren't present in Paldea anymore is now actually a feature, but wasn't in the trailer...

is fucking mind boggling to me.

why is it a secret that they're in the DLC. why would they not just. tell people that as soon as they revealed the DLC. why is it still supposed to be a secret now, half a year later. why weren't they in the first half. why did they not think we'd be worried that they aren't in the second half.

silly me, why would you want to advertise giving people more of the story and main plot-driving characters, the main thing people defend the rushed game for, or that they might get some resolution, or reassure them that the vaguely happy ending to their sad stories isn't going to be ruined like they've implied it will be? that'd be silly. the only way anyone is going to find that out is through hacking

but at least we were finally able to pry that basic fucking information out of them against their will, the only thing I wanted to know about the DLC before I'd buy it, because they left in placeholder stubs for it by accident. oops. wouldn't want to tell people who were on the fence about getting the DLC this information on purpose or anything. need to keep it a secret

we were able to confirm through our own digging that nemona (and many others) are at least allowed to hang out with us, but the thing that would make both her as a character and me as a Pokemon player happier than we've ever been is if she actually got to enroll with us. why wouldn't she go, right? what do a school and society that don't respect her and an empty home where her parents should be have to offer, compared to living her dream with her favorite person, surrounded by people just like her? who can stop a champion from going wherever she wants? but for that to be the case, one of the "club rooms" we found references to would have to be hers. only us kieran and carmine clearly have what are marked as dorm room objects.

i'm glad we're getting what we're getting, but it's still no guarantee that nemona arven and penny will continue to be important to the story that they were the driving forces of, or get the true resolutions and healthier happy endings that they deserve, or that our "true equal" will ever be any stronger or more important to our character than our home ec teacher, or that they'll ever actually get to be a friend group on screen without life or death situations or harrowing grief being involved

oops! accidentally wrote decent character arcs and relationships in a pokemon game! they're going to spend time together in the postgame! abort abort abort quick shove them off into different countries before they hug

okay that's just me being cynical, they will almost certainly be important to the story, but... TPC has the power to make me not cynical and they keep choosing not to do that. but they do keep making really sappy recap videos using previous cutscene footage, like this attachment and uncertainty is something they're milking on purpose

maybe stringing people along with how much they miss the funny, cute, loving, strong characters, or are worried about these three lonely and isolated kids dealing with parental neglect, ptsd and self loathing, autism and motor impairments, identity issues, and more, whose problems are clearly not resolved yet if they can be at all, will... help sell more plushies and gacha pulls, and get people consuming more spinoffs, or something? idk, maybe

love to stop and helplessly gaze upon penny's depression pile every day before i go do tera raids / link battles with strangers (i don't actually do this but i might if poke portal worked indoors)

that all being said! it's pretty damn cool that hanging out with NPCs in a meaningful way and staging selfies with them and stuff is actually a game feature at all. that much is reassuring. it's a step in the right direction considering 90% of pokemon gameplay for a lot of people takes place after the credits roll and everyone normally despawns or becomes a one liner / repeating boss fight statue, or maybe if you're lucky a Multi Battle partner. it was just implied this game would be different, is all. i just don't know why they've chosen to string their audience along this way. wanting to have friends shouldn't throw up a $35 tollgate right as you go to talk to them that takes a year to open, and over six months to find out if it'll kill them when it opens.

i'd like to see pokemon postgame feel more like an animal crossing life sim type game in the future, personally, and this feature is a step toward that. i'd love if it one of your rewards for completing indigo disc was being able to take anyone you like as a follower as you go about your business and have them get on miraidon/koraidon with you as needed so your movement isn't impeded by it, even if there was no dialogue for it or anything. it's 2023, i shouldn't have to imagine something happening in a video game, or have to fill in my own fanfic to make a story satisfying, it should just be happening, on the screen. dammit. having a follower that goes with you everywhere even if you drive or have a following pokemon already was a feature in teal mask, so why not utilize it permanently?

(is the obvious player arven nemona penny 4v1 battle being saved for the final boss or something, is that why tera raids with them aren't a thing you can just do normally?)

Long story short: The basic transfer-student premise of The Indigo Disc implies that we ruin Nemona's happy ending and rub the one she really wants in her face to go enjoy it with Carmine instead for being more marketable, and I don't think they're even aware of why that would be a problem. Why have we not been reassured to the contrary in the last 6 months? I think a lot of us are waiting for this DLC anxiously instead of eagerly, especially after the first half.

#pokemon sv #pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon scarvio #nemona #trainer nemona #arven #trainer arven #penny pokemon #trainer penny #nemonaposting #arvenposting #pennyposting #the teal mask #the indigo disk

[bowserssupermariopartylaugh]

rambles about my messy af bowuigi yoshi's island au thing, at the "behest" of @maxium-defense-luigi i have more bits and bobs but tried to "summarize" the vague major points and failed 😭

Basically, it's yoshi's island's premise where kamek kidnaps baby luigi, but ends up taking him in as his ward. So now bowser and luigi grow up together and become each other's best friend.

But remember, kid mario and the yoshies are still looking for luigi. When they finally manage to defeat kamek, they take luigi with them, to "rescue" him. But, for the most part, what they've done is tear luigi away from the only family he's ever known.

And taken away Bowser's only friend.

From here, the story can somewhat fall in line with the movie premise. In that, the yoshies hide the human children away, sending them to a world where they better blend in. A world no one else seems to know of.

But kamek doesn't know that. He wages a war against the yoshies, razing their island in search of luigi. To no avail. He extends his search to other kingdoms, and Bowser grows up knowing only that luigi was taken from him—

—and that he /despises/ the boy in the red cap.

Moving forward in time to when bowser ascends to the throne, you can only imagine how someone like bowser only doubles the search efforts. He tears through kingdom to kingdom in search of luigi, and leaves destruction in his wake. He gains a reputation as a war monger, the world fears him, and he intends to keep it that way.

Until the day bowser's troops capture a human fumbling through the kingdom. Because bowser's hopes and dreams of a happy reunion with his invaluable friend are instantly dashed when luigi /doesn't remember him./ All Luigi seems to do is cower from bowser as if he were a dangerous beast, who won't let luigi go back home, and luigi /doesn't want to stay./

But bowser has gone his whole life looking for luigi, to have him by his side /always,/ and he won't let go without a fight.

Luigi seems real preoccupied with running back to some "Mario" guy, and lo and behold, bowser's scouts discover that the stubborn mushroom kingdom has also received a visitor.

A man in a /red cap./

The main timeline difference here is that in yoshis island, you rescue luigi relatively quickly. But in order for the au to work, the yoshies cant find and rescue luigi until he's been missing for like a few years. Oof.

Theres so many tropes i wanna cram into this thing likeee. I love to imagine that bowser has basically gastby'd luigi, ykno? Where luigi, like daisy, has almost become more of a concept than an actual person in bowser's head. And that luigi would just conveniently not care about bowser having terrorized numerous kingdoms for "luigi's" sake, and that he'd just /agree/ to stay with bowser forever and ever etc. even tho its completely unrealistic and frankly ridiculous

Ive made a short post about this before, where i wanted to explain that i would want to do these different phases of their lives as separate parts, so that I could focus on the different stages and their different tones without it seeming too disjointed for one story. Like i rly wanna dedicate a whole story just to kid bowuigi bc guh theyre so precious 😭

And clearly i want to cram beauty and the beast in there. I love the idea of bowser instantly crushing on now-adult luigi, but he can't make any progress bc bowser has also let himself degrade into the monster the world views him as.

Its also fun to consider this like, thing of how /kamek/ was the one who started this thing of marking the yoshies as mortal enemies of the koopas, moreso than any other kingdom or race. And so bowser grows up in a kingdom at war, and just kinda absorbs that mentality and those practices. It's kinda all he knows.

(It also just doesn't help that kid bowser was HELLA traumatized by having luigi kidnapped from his own home /right in front of him,/ as kamek hid them both together in a saferoom. Likewise, luigi is def fucked up from being kidnapped but whereas bowser explodes from all of his issues, luigi is a perfect embodiment of repressed/suppressed trauma. 🥲)

And remember, mario was basically raised a la tarzan by the yoshies (hell yeah feral jungle boy mario), and luigi is mario's brother. So now there's these two heavily feuding groups, and bowser goes and falls for someone he shouldn't associate with. Yes, it's romeo and juliet, dammit.

I have yet to watch howl's moving castle but (excuse me if im butchering your special interest 😭), i feel like this plot is also vaguely similar to that movie.

Its just fun. Like. Luigi's kidnapped as a baby by the bad guys, the good guys rescue him after like five years but it's basically kidnapping at this point, so whos in the right and whos in the wrong, etc

Ugh this is why i dont write this story lmao, im trying too hard 💀💀💀 this idea has clearly been rotting in my head too long and getting out of hand 😵‍💫

#my brainrot #bowuigi #au #yoshis island #smw2 #hcs #my wiritng #fic ideas

[aphrodijin]

slithered from eden | kim seokjin

pairing: kim seokjin x reader

synopsis: in which your new lover is probably a fairy or a vampire, you're not sure. all you know is that he's too beautiful to be human, to be even real at all.

genre: strangers to lovers au. fluff, suggestive/vague smut

word count: 700 words drabble

tags/cw: nothing much really, just pushing for that immortal seokjin agenda.

this is basically just my love confession and delusions on how i wanna spend the rest of my life with seokjin ♡ enjoy reading!

it’s hard for you to believe that your lover is just a mere mortal.

no, kim seokjin is too beautiful for that. too enchanting and mysterious and otherworldly.

the first night that you saw him was at a local bar, hunched over a piano with his eyes closed, and you were just a tourist passing through this small village you didn’t even know existed. his clear, silvery voice was the first thing that caught your attention, how the feelings and stories of each song he was singing resonated with you.

he was so breathtaking. you couldn’t help but gaze at him for so long, you didn’t even notice when his sharp eyes began to stare right back at you. you were so enthralled by his sweet voice, you would’ve done anything he asked you to without a second thought.

“come sit here with me,” and so you did, watching his fingertips play across the piano keys, feeling warm inside from the wine he offered you, from being so close to him.

“come home with me,” and so you did, intertwining your small hand with his as you walk through a cobblestone street in the middle of the night.

“come with me,” and that you very much did, with his lips hovering over your mouth, bodies pressed together as one.

one night with him and you've already decided at that very moment that you’re going to spend the rest of your life worshipping him. because there was something in the way he repeated your name when he asked you for it, and the way he stared deeply into your eyes when he commanded you to stay. you couldn’t care less to know what exactly it was, but you were grateful. because as you live in his ivy cottage, on the outskirts of this small village far away from everything you’ve known, the only thing that matters to you is him.

seokjin had loved and cared for you in a way that no one else had; like a friend, like a family, like a longtime partner.

you had spent your days reading old books from his collection and eating pastries he baked. he would show you his garden where he took care of his flowers and fruits. he would cook you anything you craved, even your favorite comfort food that has two main ingredients he’s allergic to: potato and garlic.

most nights, seokjin would bring you back to the bar where you first met and play songs most people in the audience don’t even know. sometimes, you two would just walk around under the night sky and you would listen to him tell trivial stories about this place as if he had lived in here for centuries. but every night would end with you two in each other’s embrace.

it’s only mid-afternoon and the sun’s nowhere to be seen as it had been raining all day. sitting on a countertop, his white knitted sweater and the heat of the oven as he took out the freshly baked muffins warmed you against the cold weather. his broad back turned to you, his soothing voice humming a sound that you’ve never heard before.

it was his birthday today, you had learned as he greeted you earlier this morning, saying cheekily, “i'm a year older today.”

“and how old is that?” you asked.

but seokjin only hummed in response, burying his face in your neck, breathing in your scent before pressing soft kisses there.

you didn’t get to ask him once again, and you honestly didn’t care as his kisses started to trail down there. he must’ve lost count, was the last coherent thought in your head before he turned your brain into mush with his tongue inside of you.

seokjin had ways of making you forget things like that.

breaking the muffin in half, he blew the steam off the smaller piece and walked towards you to let you have the first taste. your eyes caught the bright ruby-red seeds glinting inside the muffin before taking it into your mouth.

you smiled at him, having felt more happy and content with him than you ever did in your whole life. you’re never going to leave him.

thank you so much for reading! ♡ i hope you enjoyed it. reblogs and feedbacks are always welcome and appreciated.

if you want to support me, please do so at ko-fi.com/aphrodijin or you can also commission me to write you a fic. i could really use some help for my dental care funds.

thanks once again, and have a great day! ♡

#kim seokjin #bts jin #seokjin fic #seokjin fanfic #seokjin fluff #seokjin au #seokjin x reader #seokjin smut #fairy jin #vampire jin #siren jin #bts x reader #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts smut #jin x reader #seokjin drabble #jin drabble #songfic #cottagecore

[creaturefeaster]

Do any of the couples stay together when the get older? Like the future versions?

A lot is different in their future reality. Remember, the future that Older Michael comes from is a version that split off from the main timeline when The Fault triggered.

I won't be giving definite answers, but I'll elude to the possibilities and let you determine what you want from my words.

Everything in Older Michael's future functions as though the mimes never tore into the physical realm. People did not experience the same struggles as the split timeline the story focuses on. This means people who meet after The Fault would have never met in Older Michael's future-- at least not in the same way or at the same point in time.

All the characters have significance in the now and the future, and fate ultimately brings them together either way, but because their shared experiences are fundamentally different, so are their connections with each other.

So let's take a look at the people that meet, and the relationships that bud through the story:

Tim and Hannah, two best friends who meet up for the first time IRL which happens to coincide with The Fault. They would have met either way, but considering what they go through and how they're still mutually sorta half-pining almost two years after The Fault... would they ever feel close enough to crush on each other without any of that ever happening? Who could know?

Tim is a lumberjack in the future, working in the same town he grew up in. Is it possible he, a hometown lumberjack, and Hannah, a genius in the field of robotics, are a thing in the future? Maybe. But again, only after several near-death experiences did they even begin to show their crushy colors in the main timeline.

Then there is another not-quite-sure couple, Debbie and Vilmr. Obviously they already knew each other, grew up alongside each other, have that close bond already. Already there's a bit of oblivious pining going on before The Fault. Only after being seperated in their near future by Bristly, and then reunited, do they become more than something vague.

So would it take something that extreme going down the other path in the fork of the timeline, for them to express their true feelings? Did you know Vilmr also had a crush on more than just Debbie? Who could know where his feelings would take him if he wasn't toyed with by Bristly. Or how oblivious Debbie would remain if not seperated so viciously from her roleplay buddy.

We have Tanner, April, and Leon, the trio that already lives together. Before The Fault, though, Leon is a complete third wheel. Ape and Tanner are a rough couple up until Tanner and Frigus get offed by Atromea. It's through the challenge of death & afterlife that Tanner realises what he really wanted and needed in life.

Seeing April and Leon become close after his death is hard for him, feeling both betrayed but envious. Leon grieves for the loss of Tanner physically, and has a lot of emotions deep down he can't express. He has also fancied April for quite a while already. April wishes she could have done better by Tanner, but also begins to feel deeply for Leon at the same time.

So would this love triangle ever spark without Tanner's death? Or would he and April continue their rocky relationship with Leon left to the side? They all continue to live in Lystrike well into the future, so clearly they don't do so bad. But how well, is the question, hmm?

A big one, Samantha and Brook... they didn't even know the other existed until they met by chance fate after The Fault. The attraction was there fairly early on, but the most important thing is that they met the way they did-- confused, scared, and unsure of their future.

In the split future, Samantha is a realised god, and Brook is an elementary teacher. They have met through fate as expected, but not until several years after they would have with the triggering of The Fault. Brook is a positive influence on Samantha, but would someone with the weight of the universe on her shoulders have her mind set on loving a chipper school teacher?

All of the rest of the living, some of which who pine, a couple who have a fling or two, all of this changes if The Fault never happened to them.

Michael and Gary's fling would never happen. Michael has higher standards than you'd expect, so would he find himself in a similar situation with a grumpy, edgy punk in the Faultless timeline? Or Lauren and their obsession with Tanner. They find him attractive no matter the circumstance, and with his and Ape's rocky relationship... what the hell could happen there, you know?

Zack and Taylor were barely more than acquainted before The Fault, and they aren't even affected by the fate surrounding our important 15. Is it likely that Taylor would still fall for Zack if he wasn't stuck by his side 24/7 through thick and thin?

The only couples I can say with certainty remain unchanged by the tides of time are couples that already were before The Fault. Penny & Jess, Michael's mothers. Daniel & Felix, Gary's father & step father. Those couples still hold true for decades after the split, and decades without the split.

As for everyone else... well, what do you think? Literally anything is possible!

And on the flipside, when the Faulted heroes reach the end of their journey, and remake their own future going forward with all their bonds they've created between each other? I don't even know where they'll end up. That's another thing that's up to your interpretation.

#i do know the fate of their relations on either split of the timeline #but it's one of those things I'd rather leave a mystery for now #i gotta leave some stuff up in the air after all. #plus it leaves room for people to have their headcanons if they so wish #and i looooove seeing ppls hc's!!!! #so some of my vagueness here is for me >:3... just a little teehee. #brambleramble

[rethomiata]

A Special Kind of Weird; chapter one (cross posted on AO3)

Jester Lavorre is a Traveler fan.

Okay, maybe a lot of folks are fans of The Traveler, but none are as enthusiastic about them as Jessie. She’s read his books since she was old enough to vaguely understand the concept of romance — back when her mother would read her children’s stories, and the little tiefling would steal her books off her bookshelf in the dead of night.

She’s just… a big fan. Yeah. Big fan.

So why is The Traveler making college so fucking difficult?

It’s the first week of September; college is on the horizon, with students just getting into their dorms, meeting their roommates, the likes. It’s a time that, as a child, Jester looked forward to — and now, as she sets a box on one of the three beds in her cramped dorm, butterflies dance around in her stomach. Her roommates have barely arrived too, which she’s thankful for — it gives her a last few minutes with her mom, the Ruby of Nicodranas — famous singer and performer, who Jester wishes she could be like.

She tears into the box as soon as Marion leaves for another… in it are posters of The Traveler’s main character, Garmelie, a satyr who goes on… well, to Jester they’re romantic escapades… to others, they’re sexual flings that would normally result in a bunch of STDs. The poster she first gets out is signed by The Traveler himself — one she was lucky to get in a giveaway online, even though she’s never met the man. The second one has Garmelie and a unicorn — unicorns are Jester’s favorite animal — and the third and forth share The Traveler’s cloaked portrait, with his right index finger up to his lips, as though he’s telling the photographer a deep, dark secret that’s not for anyone’s ears but theirs.

Oh, how romantic…

“Sapphire, did you pack your toothbrush?” Jester instinctively shoves the forth poster back into the box as the Ruby comes back, holding a stack of boxes labeled ‘Jessie’s clothes’ and ‘fun thingies’. She sets them down beside her daughter’s bed before going to give her a tight hug. “I can’t believe it… my baby is a college student. It’ll be so lonely without you, little one.”

“Aww, Mama! I’ll email you like, every single day,” the blue tiefling says through the squished hug. She squeezes her mother back, only to feel sad when Marion backs up after a few solid minutes of hugging. She sits down on the bed, staring up at Jester, who’s… trying hard to be brave. For her mama. For school.

For The Traveler.

“Do you know when your roommates are coming?” Marion takes a look around the small dorm; there’s a small desk to the left, and a bathroom that the three girls will have to share — the three beds are bare, just boxes atop them, no bedsheets or pillows to make it look homey. It almost makes the blue girl want to dig out her paints (that she brought, of course) and paint everything a nice pink or blue… maybe yellow? “I’m sure they’ll be… more friendly than the kids at school.”

More friendly could mean anything for any kid. For Jester, it means ‘kids who don’t pick on me for writing nasty fanfiction instead of going to beer pong parties’.

Yeah… her old friends are a relic of the past.

The girl takes one of her posters and heads to the corkboard above her bed, where she starts to pin it up with pink starry push-pins. “Ah! Oh my, doesn’t he look just so cute ?” I’ll avoid Mama’s statement if I can, she thinks. “Mama, do you think you can convince Bluud to invite The Traveler to the Chateau during the winter break?”

Her mother doesn’t suppress her giggle. “I’ll ask him, little Joy.”

Just as the pair are about to banter on, the dorm door bursts open with a ca-thud . Two girls struggle to go in, each saying “after you”; one looks like a sad poet, and the other looks like she could bench press Jester like she were a sack of flour.

The ‘poet’ is the first to enter. A white haired girl, she’s wearing an Orphanmaker shirt and ripped leggings; she has only a small bag with her, and a pillow under her arm. The other girl, who Jester feels both intimidated by and also… very interested in, has dark brown hair, brown skin, and striking blue eyes; she’s in gym clothes and has three duffel bags in her arms. A little boy no older than three is running after her, yelling, “Beau! Beau! Beau, you’re gonna miss me?”

“Yeah, you shithead, I’ll miss you.” The girl, Beau, says to the toddler as she throws her bags on the bed closest to the bathroom. The toddler simply giggles. “Don’t tell Mom that I swore and I’ll get you a… fuck, what are kids into? — a toy or something, when I get home. Yeah?”

“Okay!” The boy screeches and runs back out of the room, most likely to whichever adult was helping Beau take things in. She swings herself onto the foot of the bed, narrowly missing the bed frame’s wrath.

Beau looks at Jester with peak curiosity. “You one of the new roomies?”

“Yeah…” Jester’s voice goes quiet; she looks over at her mother, who’s helping unpack her clothing and putting it in the trunk at the end of the bed. She takes in a forced breath before turning back to Beau with a plastered-on smile. “I’m Jester! You’re—”

“Beau. Just… just Beau,” the other girl says with a smirk on her face. She looks like she could pick Jester apart just by words alone, and yet— “Oh, you a… a raunchy book fan?” She points to the poster. “Not gonna lie, I’ve only seen the movies, but they’re better than Fifty Shades, really.”

Thank gods… Jester’s forced smile turns more genuine at the thought of someone knowing her passion — and oh, how this series is a passion! She takes a seat at the desk nearby, looking at the ‘poet’. “And you are…”

“Oh…” the girl with the white hair is hanging stringed lights from her cork board and bed frame as she pauses to speak. She’s a good six feet tall, if possible. Jester has to really look up to meet her eyes — colorful ones, too. “Yasha… you’re pretty uh, colorful?”

“Thank you, Yasha!” The tiefling looks down at her own clothes (a pink skirt, pastel, of course, and rainbow Converse — a custom made one she bought recently with money from the café she part-timed at) with a wide, toothy grin. “You look kinda… are you into poetry?”

Yasha stops hanging the lights, holding the strings in her hands for a solid minute… before nodding. “I like… poems. My sibling and I write together, though he prefers, ah, songwriting… he’s also a tiefling, if that means much to you..?”

Tiefling? Another one? “Is he here, too?” Jester inquires, with an ounce of hope in her voice.

Yasha nods, not looking away from the stringed lights. “Yeah… his name’s Molly… er, Molly mauk , but everyone calls him Molly, really. He’s weird, but he’s… you know, a good kind of weird. Like—”

“Like me!” Jester says enthusiastically. The white haired girl chuckles as the blue girl gets up and spins in the tight quarters. Marion beams.

“Sapphire, I better get going.” The mother stands from her daughter’s bed; she’s tall, too, but nowhere near as tall as Yasha. She takes Jester into a tight hug, kissing her forehead, before leaving the room, trying (and failing) not to look sad.

Jester isn’t used to being away from her.

“Man, did she look like she was gonna cry or what?” Beau blows a bubble of pink gum and pops it. “Jess, you’ll be fine. There’s like, no need to cry.”

Am I crying? The tiefling touches her cheeks; her fingers come back damp, and she’s quick to wipe her tears off on her sweater. With a sniffle, then an eye rub, she heads back to her side of the room, grabs another poster, and starts to hang it up…

xxx

“Ja, I-I know, I know, Essek —” click .

Caleb Widogast sucks at relationships. Period. He was in a relationship of three, maybe four years that blew to smithereens by the time he graduated high school… then there was his summer boyfriend Essek, who didn’t seem too awfully thrilled about a long distance relationship with the human boy.

The human throws his phone down on his barely-made bed as his roommates snicker. “Shut up,” Caleb mutters; Mollymauk chucks a pillow at his head, just narrowly missing him. “Molly!”

“Look, I’m sorry Mister ‘I bring three fucking toothbrushes with me to a sleepover’ is mad, but you’re too damn adorable for him.” Molly is a short genderfluid tiefling with spiky black hair that falls to his shoulders, and has a habit of wearing funky outfits to ‘find myself a partner’ (his words, not Caleb’s). His other roommates are a half orc boat lover named Fjord, and a giant firbolg known simply as Caduceus, who’s not really studying anything, but he runs the library at school for tuition. “You shouldn’t waste your time with him! Find yourself a new man — or woman, whatever your little Zemnian heart desires.”

“Please… stop.” Caleb feels his face grow red just in time for Molly to ‘ooooh’ about it; thankfully Fjord elbows the purple circus man in the neck, making him shut up. “I didn’t… think he’d break up over the phone.”

“As opposed to in person?” Caduceus isn’t very versed in romance; he’s more of a ‘watch and learn’ type, whether that be from his years as a ‘homeschooled’ kid or just… general ‘Deuces vibes. “At least it wasn’t in front of your family.”

Ah… family.

How did he tell them about his fucked up family? Maybe he would ignore it; maybe he’d pray that his ‘dad’ wouldn’t show up for band practice or fun days. Maybe…

“Well, it’s over, which is good, ain’t it?” Fjord asks. The half orc is quite short for, well, one of his kind, but it doesn’t stop him from trying to sound big. In all fairness, no man is as tall as Caduceus, so Fjord has little to fear.

The human groans into the palm of his hand. “It’s… I actually liked Essek, though,” he mumbles; prays nobody picks up on what he said. “He was… fascinating. Breathtaking, even. It’s… I don’t know—”

“Can’t you just, like, bone someone and call it a night?” Molly flops onto Caleb’s bed, sprawling his body out like a cat.

Caleb’s cheeks burn red. “I— listen, circus man , it’s frankly none of your business, ja ? Yeah.” He tosses a small box on his bed before deciding, albeit last minute, to open it.

Inside, amongst pictures of Essek, is his favorite book by his favourite author — a known Traveler, who a girl in another hall idolizes…

Here’s hoping Caleb isn’t the only Traveler fan in freshman year…

#jester lavorre #caleb widogast #widojest #mollymauk tealeaf #yasha nydoorin #beauregard lionett #caduceus clay #fjord stone #veth brenatto #fjolly #fjeth #beauyasha #the mighty nein #critical role #fanfic #fanfiction #my fics #my fic #my writing #archive of our own #majesticath #college au #university au #modern au

[dragonmuse]

I love reading your writing and your takes on the characters in various scenarios! (Also shout out to you for being a librarian, truly, librarians are pillars of our society! It's not easy work, but please know that you are appreciated) Anyway, I'd love to see a story/snippet of a timeline where Pete's dad lives and gets to meet Lucius if it's something you'd want to write! I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since you mentioned something about it after the fishing story

(First off, thank you! I love my profession and I'm glad we're appreciated!

I am feeling very Halloween-y and one of the quiet themes of Leda House is the way the dead stay with us, so this is main story line. If anyone would like more in this vein, let me know because I set it up to be poked at.) 

Lucius rarely falls asleep before 2 AM and it’s usually more like 3. He’s never been afraid of the dark, a kid who stayed up with a flashlight under the covers all this life.  The city in those wee hours feels like it belongs only to him and a small handful of others, denizens of a different metropolis. Most of those nights when he walks the streets, it’s he and Pete going home together after a show or with one of their other friends. Sometimes even Izzy can be coaxed to staying up past midnight to bear witness to the witching hours.

Then there are nights like this where Lucius just spent pleasant hours at a stranger’s house and he’s entirely on his own. He takes his time, just one earbud in (even someone that owns the night can get taken by it and he's no fool about that) as he strides down the sidewalk. The moon is a sliver, but the streetlights gush brightly over the pavement until it glitters wetly.  The world is a beautiful place just now. 

When he reaches home, no one else is awake. Someone’s mattress springs creak, a body rolling over that Lucius guesses is Frenchie’s as it’s followed by another, slightly louder creak of John chasing his warmth. The apartment is a little chilly. Just late enough into autumn that the cold air is leaking through the windows, not yet close enough to real cold for the heat to kick on. Lucius leaves his shoes by the door. Sheds his clothes in the vague direction of the hamper as he enters their bedroom. A quick turn in the bathroom, then he’s back, slipping under the covers. Pete murmurs, hand flying out towards Lucius’ face in his sleep. Lucius dodges, takes it in his. Smiles as Pete’s fingers fold around his own. 

He falls asleep holding Pete’s hand and the clock strikes 4. 

There’s a lake. Or perhaps a great sea. Lucius can’t see land. He’s on a boat, size indeterminate. It’s old-fashioned. Wooden, maybe. He’s by the rail and there’s a fishing line cast off. He feels relaxed here, easy out on the water. Vaguely, he’s aware of other people, talking and calling to each other. No one sounds stressed. No one needs him right now. He sets his elbow on the railing. 

“Good day for it,” a man says to his right. Lucius glances at him. 

“I know you,” Lucius decides. “Where from?” 

“Here and there, I’m sure,” the man was stocky, built strong in a utilitarian way. Like one could set a world on his shoulders and he would make it balance. He had thinning dark hair and uneven stubble on his cheeks. His eyes were a very clear blue. “You’re Lucius.” 

“I am,” he agrees because he’s fairly sure he is.  

“I’ve heard a few things about you.” 

“Hoo boy, I hope some of them were good. Or lies,” Lucius laughs.  

“I heard that you have a husband.” 

“Oh, I do. That’s not usually the first thing people notice about me,” he holds up his hand, ring polished and gleaming as always.  “Three years now.” 

“What’s he like?” The man asks and he’s holding the fishing pole. Should Lucius be fishing? No. He hates that kind thing, but he can be companionable. 

“Pete is....well to start off, he's good person,” Lucius has to sort through the pile of adjectives that come to mind. “He’s kind and thoughtful. He always does what he says he’ll do, but he doesn’t always have the most reasonable ideas of what he’s capable of.” 

The man laughs, “Yes, that sounds right. What else?” 

“Mm, let’s see... he’s very good with his hands. He and John and Frenchie make beautiful things.” 

“I’d heard a rumor about that.” The man has a nice smile, Lucius decides. Sweet and not show-offish. 

“Pete is the best at the mechanical stuff. Adds LED lights and builds all the hoops and corsets and things. Boning, he calls it,” Lucius giggles. “I give him hell for it.” 

“And you love him?” 

“Only more than my own life,” Lucius nods.

“You take good care of each other?” 

Lucius looks over the water. There’s mists at the edges, rolling through. 

“As best as we can. We fight sometimes,” he feels almost ashamed to admit. “Get on each other’s nerves. Get snappish. But mostly yes. Honestly, he takes more care of me than I do of him. Makes me feel guilty.” 

“I’m not sure that’s true,” the man slowly reels in his line. It takes a long time. It must be very lengthy. Lucius watches the glide of string coming up. “What would he say to that if you told him that?” 

“That was the exact opposite, most likely,” Lucius shrugs. “Maybe that’s a good marriage. Neither of us thinks we have the harder job. Pete is easy to take care of. Easy to love. He’s loyal and true. I’m a bit of a...mm. You don’t want to know about that, do you?” 

“Not particularly,” the man agrees and Lucius wasn’t sure how he’d known that, but he was glad that he did. “As long he’s content, it’s none of my business.” 

“That’s polite of you,” Lucius decides.  There’s more carrying on behind them and though he is very happy to look at the water, Lucius turns sluggishly to see what’s what. 

There’s a bit of a party happening on this boat. A big woman with thick dark curls and a dress straight from the 50s dances with a beautiful man with a rakish hat, who sings to her a song that Lucius is sure he knows. A woman that looks achingly familiar leans against the far rail, holding a length of red cloth that the wind rustles through. There’s no wind on this side of the boat at all. There are others, harder to see and dancing between all of them, just twirling and twirling is a petite girl in a black dress with a plaid flannel that kites behind her. 

“Oh don’t do that, lad,” the man takes him by the shoulder and turns him firmly around. “Fellas like you can see a little too clear. Does things to their head if they look too long.” 

“What do you mean 'like me'?” Lucius asks mulishly. Because he wants to look. To be sure he saw what he thought he’d seen. 

“The ones who like to look into hearts,” the man says. “You’ve got a way.” 

“I’m just paying attention,” he snorts. “Not my fault no one else does. Pete says I’m nosy with good intentions.” 

“Does he now?” the man grins at that. “Are you nosy?” 

“Very,” Lucius admits. “I just like to know what’s going on.” 

“Makes you feel safe,” the man nods. “Nothing wrong with wanting safety. Bet that’s part of what you and Petey like about each other, huh?” 

“He does make me feel safe,” Lucius agrees. “I hope I do that for him. Not that he needs me for that. He’s always landed on his feet. Finds people. He’s good at that, you know. Finding people. Banding them together. He doesn’t even see it. The way he knows who will fit. I think he did it when he saw me.” 

“His grandma was like that. Had a way with people. I never managed it the same.” 

“That’s not true. He told me how you rebuilt the union,” Lucius glances at him. “That was you, wasn’t it?” 

“You know I can’t tell you that.” 

“I didn’t know you couldn’t.  Now I do. I’ll remember for next time.” 

“You won’t,” Dave says fondly. “Or we’d be having a different conversation. But hey, do me a favor?” 

“Sure thing,” Lucius agrees readily. 

“Give him a hug from me. Don’t tell him it’s from me. It’ll only make him confused. Just a big ole bear hug, okay?” 

“Yeah,” Lucius’ pillows his chin on his hands. His dream breaks apart, he sinks into the ocean. “I can do that.” 

He wakes at noon, lush with sleep. Pete is already gone beside him and he stretches out in the empty space. Scratches his stomach a little, picks at a cuticle and then reaches for his phone. There’s no waiting messages, a few emails that can wait. He rolls out of bed and into enough cloth to be sociable, then goes out into the living room. 

John and Frenchie are either not home or in one of their rooms. Pete is in the kitchen, reading his newspaper. It’s a sweet affectation and Lucius loves him like this. Sitting at the kitchen he probably tidied, picking idly at a bowl of grapes, eating them slowly as he reads about some world event that he’ll try to explain to Lucius later as they fold the laundry. Lucius crosses to him, drops a kiss on his head. 

“Good afternoon,” Pete tips his head back for a proper kiss. “Sleep well.” 

“Excellent, thanks,” he lavishes the kiss on him. “You?” 

“Mm. Got up early. Restless, I guess. Want to go out in a bit? Just a walk, maybe.” 

“Sure,” Lucius reaches to start the coffee again, but the pot is fresh and hot. Bless the man. He makes his cup. “We could go down to the riverfront. See how the construction is going on the pier.” 

“Yeah, that sounds good.” 

Lucius drinks his coffee, eats a few of Pete’s grapes, then goes to get dressed for the day. They set out not much later, walking through the streets that seemed as different as they could from the night before and still be even remotely the same place. When they reach the riverfront, they slow, walking along the weathered wood and watching a crane lift up an enormous beam. It arcs over the water and Lucius watched it, an itch in the back of his mind. 

“Hey,” he says. “Stop a second.” 

“Something wrong?” Pete asks. 

“Rock in my shoe or something,” Lucius takes it off, shakes it, pulls it back on. When he straightens, Pete is right there, so close and dear. “Hey, lover.” 

“Hey,” Pete laughs and doesn’t resist as Lucius pulls him into a full body hug. “Some rock.” 

“I love you,” Lucius tells him sincerely as he knows how.

“Love you too,” Pete’s hug goes a little tighter. They say it a lot, but it’s still good to hear and have returned. 

Above them a bird turns a lazy circle then heads out back across the water with a cry.

#leda house and the kraken verse #ficlet #marry me about it #pete black #lucius black #dave black

[knickynoo]

You probably already answered something similar like this already, but what effect would it have on marty if Doc didn't return from 1885 so that they'd stay seperated forever? Would marty ever get over that? Like even if it takes decades?

Also now that i think about it: How would that be for Doc? Would he get over that quicker? Would he feel guilty for leaving his best friend alone?

You know, I've actually had some vague notes in my phone for about 2 years for a potential fic centering on this. It's just a few scattered scenes right now, but it's super sad.

I do wonder what it would take to cause Doc to not build the time train. I know that in his journal entries in the DeLorean manual, Doc mentions a few of his reasons for undertaking the task. His main motivation is to check on Marty, since he starts having a lot of nightmares and anxiety regarding whether or not Marty made it safely back to 1985. His other reason is that Clara starts to talk about her dreams of traveling through time. So, I suppose in order for him to make the decision to just stay put and live his life in the 1800s, Clara would have to show no real interest in traveling, and Doc would have to be confident that Marty was alive and well back home. He'd have to have the mentality of, "I did enough meddling in the continuum already, and it nearly ended in disaster several times. Best to leave things as is."

Marty would absolutely struggle if Doc never returned. To have his best friend ripped so unexpectedly from his life (AGAIN!) would be a very difficult thing to move on from. Not knowing if Doc and Clara were alright or having that closure of that visit would really impact him. I think he would eventually adjust as best he could--out of necessity--but he'd always feel that emptiness in the spot in his life Doc used to fill. OH! I just remembered that we actually do kind of get a glimpse into how Marty would react to not seeing Doc again. The comic book series does a whole story on it where, after his visit in the time train, Doc just sort of vanishes from Marty's life. I can't remember the exact time frame, but I think it takes place 6 or so months after part III? Anyway, our boy is not doing well. He misses Doc terribly and doesn't understand why he's been abandoned and is so noticeably depressed that his parents are talking in hushed tones with each other about what to do and if they should get him into therapy. So, yeah, Marty would take a long time to come to terms with Doc just being gone forever.

As far as Doc goes, I think it would be hard for him as well. Like I mentioned, I think the only thing that could really keep him from visiting Marty would be the belief that additional traveling would do far more harm than good. But the decision wouldn't be made easily, and he'd carry the guilt of leaving Marty for a good long time.

And I know that the end of part III leaves it uncertain as to what happens after Doc and the fam fly off (Do they just travel around a lot before settling back in the Old West--with maybe occasional visits to check in on Marty throughout the years?) but I very much headcanon things turning out the way they do in the animated series, where Doc, Clara, and the boys move to a farm in modern-day Hill Valley and Marty is at their house basically all the time. That's a much happier thought than a sad Marty and Doc who are permanently separated. Those besties need to stick together.

Thanks for the ask!

#asks #back to the future #marty mcfly #doc brown

[tact-and-impulse]

Narumayo Week 2023 Day 3

Making it in time with a vague RPG-of-your-choice AU!

Prompt: Video Games

The job board was empty again.

Phoenix sighed and returned to the lopsided table, where his cup of grape juice tilted precariously. He took a swig of the warm liquid, a meager distraction from Larry’s awful lute tuning. His friend’s bardic aspirations were lofty, though at least, he usually had someone take pity and toss a coin in his direction.

A paladin was a different story. Rare and without a properly recognized guild of their own, they scrambled for what was left by the fighters, barbarians, and monks. And there usually wasn’t much to pick from, if at all. The inn room wasn’t free either. No, Phoenix needed a job. In the meantime, he was forced to loosen the straps of his armor and endure Larry’s repertoire tonight.

At first, people filtered in and out, enjoying their drinks and meals. However, a rumble of thunder signaled an early rest, and the following storm meant a drought of customers. The waning notes of plucked lute strings almost sounded like a passable song, just as Phoenix dozed off.

The creak of door hinges jolted him awake. It was already late; the hearth’s embers were glowing deep orange, barely enough to ward off the night’s chill. Larry wasn’t around, his lute leaning against the wall; he must have wandered off temporarily. The dining area was otherwise empty, except for the newcomer.

The set of purple robes marked the young woman as a mage of some kind, although unlike any other magic wielder Phoenix had seen. She lowered her hood and her eyes practically lit up at the sight of the dying fire. She raced over, before sitting on her heels with a long drawn-out breath of relief. Her outstretched fingers wiggled and the hearth suddenly roared to a blaze.

“Whoa, too much…sorry!” The flames calmed and she nodded. “That’s better.” Then, she noticed Phoenix and flinched in surprise.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind. Is it raining a lot outside?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe!” She cast a cantrip, drying herself off. “I didn’t know they had paladins in this town.”

Oh, she recognized his class. He felt a little pleased. “Uh, I’m between work. I travel around the area, doing odd jobs in the meantime. My name’s Phoenix.”

“I’m Maya, cleric-in-training.”

“In training?”

“Not yet. It’s kind of a long story, but I left my village to meet with my sister. She’s in the capital, sending money home…I haven’t seen her in ages. I think I’m off the main road though.”

He considered the distance. “Yeah, it’s a couple weeks away on foot. Not an easy journey to make by yourself, with all the bandits and monsters and rough terrain.”

She slumped. “That’s what I was afraid of. I guess I’ll need someone to help.”

The thought was mutual, because they asked at the same time.

“Can I escort you?”

“Can you escort me?”

They stared at each other for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

***

“You can’t leave me!” Larry bemoaned. The morning sunlight only underscored his puffy eyes.

Ignoring the crocodile tears, Phoenix hoisted the pack of standard rations over his shoulder. “Well, you could come along, if it weren’t for…who again?”

The name was indistinct through his blubbering. “I can’t give up when I’m this close to winning her over!”

“So, just wait and I’ll be back soon.”

“Niiick…when you do, I’ll be filthy rich and famous!” With those final words, he retreated into the nearest tavern.

“You’d think he could do that in the capital.” Maya remarked. “Well, we’ve got each other’s backs. Anything I can help with?”

“Carrying the map would be a good start.” He dryly said and walked beyond the town’s boundary, following the dusty road.

Phoenix was already aware they’d reach the woods before dusk, and that typically meant an ambush if he lowered his guard. He had his trusty sword and shield, while Maya’s magical focus was an unfamiliar comma-shaped pendant. And they didn’t have a lot of valuables otherwise, even the minor health and mana potions were a bargain deal.

They were on schedule, stopping at the edge of the forest for lunch. As they scarfed down their sandwiches, he kept a close eye on the underbrush, which didn’t go unnoticed by Maya.

“Have you been in a lot of fights?”

“A few, mostly bailing Larry out of a misunderstanding. There are bigger and stronger folks, but in battle, it’s more important to think your way through. Knowing the enemy, the environment, your abilities…and coming up with an idea to win.”

“I see, it makes sense.” She nodded.

And that was when the harpies attacked.

***

The only warning was a screech, and razor-sharp talons just missed Phoenix’s head. He tackled Maya to the ground, bringing up his shield. A snarling visage under a cloud of pink hair soared overhead, rosy feathers fluttering in her wake. From a different direction, a wizened harpy began to drill her beaked face against the shield. Maya whispered under her breath, and an emerald green burst struck a brunette wielding a large fishbone. A flock of three.

Phoenix unsheathed his sword and parried each strike, especially against the particularly vicious pink harpy. Maya was holding her own, her pendant glowing brightly; she redirected the fishbone to escape its owner, who gave chase.

The silver-haired one switched tactics, diving towards Maya. She cast a barrage of ice crystals, but they melted too quickly. Phoenix pushed her out of the way, knocking the harpy with his shield. But she didn’t go down, stubbornly charging again. He was readying himself, when he realized too late that the pink one was flanking. She shrieked, ripping off his bracer. His forearm stung.

He wasn’t certain what happened next, the spellwork involved was totally foreign. A dark shroud surrounded Maya, towering to rival the treetops. Faint voices echoed, and the temperature dropped to an eerie chill. Shadowy tendrils extended from her fingertips, not necromantic, though the otherworldly nature couldn’t be denied. The harpies seemed to decide the fight was no longer worth it, the younger two grabbing the squawking old one and flying out of sight.

“What…was that?” He blinked. “Maya!”

She was brought to her knees, looking dazed. Whatever magic it was, it succeeded but had overtaxed her. He scanned for injuries, despite her protests; she was alright though bruised and fatigued. He rummaged through the pack, the two minor potions rolling into his weak grip.

“You can save the health one. Here, let me.” Her hands hovered over the wound, and green energy pulsed, closing the torn skin.

He flexed his arm, only a twinge of pain. “Thanks, Maya. That feels better already.”

“But it’s my fault you were hurt. I have to get stronger.” She somberly said. “So I can protect the people I care about.”

“I feel the same.” Protecting those who couldn’t defend themselves…that was the oath he swore and would keep until his last breath. He nudged the mana potion towards her. “In the meantime, let’s rest and recover.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she gingerly accepted the small bottle. “Thanks, Nick.” She uncorked it and swallowed the mouthful. “Ugh, you didn’t mention this tasted nasty!”

“Sorry, I didn’t know!”

#ace attorney #narumayo #narumayoweek2023

[blackaquokat]

Nobody asked me, but now that I've finished the main story of both Danganronpa games (Let's Plays, anyway, I'm going to play myself now), here are the thoughts running through my head. This post will be for the first game, I'll make another post for the second one.

(spoilers under the cut: I know the games have been out for a while but still):

1. It took me a LONG time to finish the first game after the first execution. I really liked Leon and not just because his design reminded me of Kirishima from MHA. I felt really bad about the situation he was in, even if, you know, he still killed Sayaka, his death was Brutal. I stopped watching for a few months because it haunted me, until my sister encouraged me to keep going because she wanted to talk to someone about it.

2. On that note, WHY, of all the available classmates, did Sayaka pick Leon as her potential victim? Why, if your goal was to kill, would you pick one of the Ultimate athletes? I feel like she would have had far more success if she'd chosen Hifumi or even Chihiro (sorry bb, I love you). Is there a lore reason behind it?

3. All that said, I am unfortunately interested in Leosaya content for the dramatic irony and tragedy of it, so if anyone has suggestions, let me know, and I also want to see Leon and Ibuki being best buds because she left her music group to pursue her actual creative dreams and Leon hated baseball and wanted to pursue dreams of being a musician and I can see them teaming up to be in a weird-ass band together. Someone direct me to any Leon and Ibuki platonic (or romantic, I'm down) content.

4. I think Leon is gaining blorbo status for me, but not as much as some other characters from the second game, but this is in no coherent order so bear with me, and also keep in mind, I have yet to play through all his possible dialogue in the School Mode version of the game so this is liable to change.

5. I went from waiting eagerly for Byakuya to die to being devastated that he died in the second game to REALLY HAPPY that that apparently wasn't even him (though I do like the Imposter & would like to know more about them). AND THEN to being so excited that he's apparently in a power throuple with Kyoko and Makoto, OT3s FOR THE WIN!!!!

6. Hina and Sakura were really sweet, and I Loooooove how protective Hina was, because yeah, the whole point of the fourth case was she underestimated Sakura's strength, but I also think Sakura deserved to be protected. Just because she's strong doesn't mean she didn't deserve people defending her.

7. On that note, ya'll, when I didn't know what to expect from this game, I legit thought somehow Mondo and Taka were going to die in that sauna. My stomach was in knots over it. Then they just. Were bros. And I was confused but on board with them (platonically AND romantically) and then the second case devastated me and not just because I had to watch Taka be Sad for so long.

5. I feel...so bad about the whole case with Mondo and Chihiro. They were BUDDIES. I know the whole point of the story is that people betray each other but God, imagine the "motive" you were given wasn't so much a motive as it was a fucking PTSD break and it lead to you killing someone that you were not only cool with, but who admired you for qualities you didn't feel worthy of, just FUCK--

6. If you let yourself stop and think of the Everything about these games and the stories, it really fucks you up, let me live in No Despair Land where everyone's friends with each other and there's no murder--

7. Also, the whole thing with Junko. I remember, before I took a break after Leon's execution, vaguely wondering about her last words? But it was a fleeting thought that didn't lead to anything, AND THEN IT CAME BACK AROUND??? So holy shit, that was cool.

8. Gotta say, as frustrating as a lot of repetitive stuff in the game got, I understood why it was needed for the case solving portion. As some of you can tell from my Clone Wars series with sweetiepie08, I LOVE mystery solving stuff when it's done right, and even if some of them are So SO convoluted, it's satisfying to see how they fall together.

9. The VAs in these games are fucking awesome. Even if some of the shit they had to say was ridiculous (which is par the course if that's your job), they did so damn good.

10. YA'LL, I legit thought Makoto was about to be executed, so when Alter Ego suddenly showed up and saved him, I shrieked, and then KYOKO found him, and I know a lot didn't happen after that except a shit ton of exposition, but I was so psyched.

11. *sigh* I don't know what the public opinion is of Toko, but she drove me insane with the debilitating inferiority complex. And then the Genocide Jack/Jill thing happened and I mean, at least she was...slightly more interesting with that, but still, I think Toko was somehow my least favorite out of the whole gang, next to Hifumi. I also would not have predicted that she'd be one of the final survivors.

12. I legit thought Hiro was going to snap at one point after his long period of denial at the beginning. I thought he'd snap and kill someone or get killed, so when he survived until the end, I was very surprised.

13. Tbh, I did not predict the endgame survivors for either Danganronpa. I think literally all I would have gotten right was Makoto, Kyoko, and Hajime. Everyone else was quite a surprise to me.

14. Not to compare another Danganronpa character to MHA, but I was super fond of Taka right off the bat because he's so Tenya coded, those two are definitely cousins or something.

15. Someone add onto my agenda of doing a Danganronpa x MHA fusion somehow, I'll make thoughts on another post.

16. I really loved Kyoko's dynamic with Makoto, idk why, and I just fucking love Kyoko in general, she's so cool. Sherlock Holmes, step aside.

That's about it! I'll make a post about the second game later.

#kat rants #danganronpa #naegirigami #ishimondo #sakuhina #leosaya

[juggling-responsibilities]

A Written Let's Play? Plus: Creation!

Welcome, friends! I've decided to do something fun with my spare time, which is by writing a book report as I play through a videoed game. You know, like a normal person.

It's actually something I used to do here and there, just for fun. Some description of the scene, some screencaps, a nice interlude while I wax unpoetic about musical themes or narrative devices. It's something I miss doing, so I'm doing it. And, because I put it on a sideblog, you're only along for the ride if you choose to be. Which you have, so thank you.

So, before I start, a little bit of housekeeping under the cut - and, just for fun, I've started character creation a bit early. Those polls over on my main haven't quite finished yet, but they're wrapping up and there's a clear winner, so I've gone ahead and just done it.

Let's get a few things out of the way first, though.

What this will be:

A little bit of everything. I'm going to take the opportunity to just luxuriate in the space. Describe the story as I go? Absolutely. Take some opportunity to write from the perspective of my main character? Done and done. Play around with the Enhanced Edition's Photo Mode? Don't mind if I do.

Fun. I'm doing this for me, after all, so I'm going to make sure to amuse myself while doing it. Hopefully that also means I'll be amusing the rest of y'all in the process.

The chance for me to actually finish this game. I've started this several times and the farthest I've gotten is somewhere towards the end of Act 2? I think? It's a very big game, with lots of options, and I've been a bit spoiled for choice. Locking it down into a fun writing project will help me focus.

What this won't be:

An unspoiled run. As I mentioned above, I've played this before - albeit not completely. So I do know some of the story beats that are coming, and have seen further ahead in the game than I've actually played, so this won't be fresh reactions.

Spoiler-free. To that same point, since I'm writing about the game as I play it, I'm not going to hide things as they come up. I'm also not tagging for spoilers - this is a sideblog specifically for this, which means you have to actually follow and click through to see it, and at that point that's on you. I will put it behind a cut for reblogs, but that's about it.

Regularly-scheduled. Each post will be done when it's done, and I'm not setting a release schedule that I inevitably will fail to follow. Instead, to keep this fun, I'm just going to do it as and when I do it. We'll see how frequent that ends up being.

And now, with that out of the way: let's get to the real meat of the matter. Character creation.

Because I left the polls vague - choosing party roles, rather than classes - I left it open to choose something weird and fun for my playthrough. I also did not provide options for all the mythic paths, but rather the ones that I felt had some of the best story potential. Granted, they all have stories, but some of them are a bit wild and out there, and while fun to play, probably less fun trying to organize for a writing project - especially for a first playthrough. Aeon and Trickster are probably best for second or third times through the game, for example, since they both play with the actual medium of the storytelling as much as (if not moreso than) the base story of the game.

The choices being what they were, the poll resulted in a Ranged build, following the Legend path.

I have an archer on another save - going Slayer (Deliverer) full class route on an Angel path - so I didn't want to just copy that. I wanted to do something fun and new, so I looked up some other options - a lot of guides recommend a weird and fun ranged build for Wenduag, a potential party member, which focuses on throwing axes instead of a longbow, so I decided to cannibalize that. I also wanted to make it easier on myself and start with a pet - Wrath of the Righteous does some really great stuff with pets. Ranger gets a pet eventually, but there's one of the hybrid classes that starts with a pet at level 1, and that's Hunter.

Throwing axes, with an animal. Something weird and fun.

Maybe it was the fact that I've been looking through some second edition materials and had Extinction Curse on the brain, but that sounded like circus performer to me.

With a selection of a leopard companion (because circus), all that was left was to choose a name.

...fuck. I'm terrible at names. I usually ask my wife to give me good names for my character, she's very good at names. But I wanted to do this one for myself. Something that was true to the origins of the character, something that reflected the medium upon which this was posted.

What do you name a character who was built from a tumblr poll?

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

I'll post her stats elsewhere - I know y'all are horny for numbers - but for now I think that's where I'll leave this.