#this was a cool look at the community thank you to everyone who voted and responded
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it’s time for the JOblr census results 🧡🙌
before we start i want to thank everyone who took their time to answer this silly little project, gathering responses from 203 baby boos!! it’s my first time doing this so hopefully i can bring some excitement with the results <3
so buckle up and let’s get into it
general questions
Which continent are you from?
Unsurprisingly, the majority is European with a total of 80.8% but it’s amazing to see that they’ve crossed the continent’s border and we also have 9.9% people from North America, 3.9% from Australia & Oceania, 3.4% from Asia and 2% from South America. No person chose the Africa option.
Which country are you from? (optional)
With this being an optional question, 162 respondents out of 203 opted to answer it. Let’s take a look at the top countries by number of people in JOblr (small note: I counted the few people who wrote England or Scotland as part of the UK answer)
Drumrolls 🥁…..
Finland - 29
UK & USA - 15
Germany - 11
Poland - 9
Italy - 8
Australia - 7
Sweden - 6
Austria, Spain, The Netherlands - 5
Croatia, Slovenia - 4
Czechia, France, Romania - 3
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Ukraine - 2
Bolivia, Brazil, China, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, India, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Russia, Switzerland - 1
How old are you?
45.8% of us are between 18-25, following by 23.6% between 26-30, 18.2% between 31-45, 10.8% under 18 and two people who are over 45 years old.
Are you part of the LGBTQ+ community?
Remember when they said Joker Out are for the girls and gays? 🏳️🌈
Well that was absolutely not wrong since 77.3% baby boos answered that yes they are part of the community, while 11.8% are questioning and 10.8% have answered no
tumblr activity questions
How do you participate on JOblr?
a majority of 98 people are mostly reblogging posts in the fandom but sometimes making posts of their own, 38 are only reblogging while 36 lurkers have stepped out of the shadow and made themselves known. The least amount of people (31) said to be active posters
Do you post any of the following?
It’s already known this fandom is mad talented and entertaining!! It’s always a joy seeing everyone’s creations and posts no matter the type. And the people who are only enjoying and supporting the content are just as important 🫶
Do you also post about Käärijä?
Since these two fandoms are basically overlapping, sometimes even seen as one fandom, I was curious just how much
50.7% also post about Käärijä outside of Joker Out, while 35% don’t post about him at all (or perhaps very rarely). 14.3% are mainly coming from Käärijä’s fandom
joker out questions
How did you find out about Joker Out?
Another unsurprising result, with 89.7% of us finding out about them through Eurovision. But it was really cool to see that there are people who discovered them differently. Ten people found out about them through Tumblr or other social media, to four they were recommended by someone and one through a music platform. The “other” option was chosen as well and included:
finding out about JO through Käärijä
through a music blog review
on slovenian radio
Who from the current members is your favorite?
One of the hardest questions but it had to be done
So Tumblr’s top favorite members areee:
Bojan - 69 votes
Jan - 42 votes
Kris - 40 votes
Nace - 35 votes
Jure - 17 votes
Have you been to a Joker Out concert?
I did not expect this one to be so balanced but I am pleasantly surprised! 104 people have been to a JO concert, while 99 haven’t. It often feels like you’re the only person who hasn’t seen them live yet but it’s nice to see that you’re not alone, so if anyone feels the same don’t worry our time will come too 🥹
If you answered yes, have you seen them multiple times?
Out of the 104 people who previously answered yes, there’s still a balance between those who have been to only one concert and those who have been to multiple
If you’re into RPF, which one of the most popular ships (according to AO3) is your favorite?
Another optional question where 181 out of 203 opted to respond to.
Oh boy, ooooh boy this was a tough battle. It felt like I was watching a horse race. I can tell you that all three ships have been at some point in the first place, or even equal. Are you ready to see the most interesting result yet?
Drumrolls again 🥁…….
BoJere - 58 votes
BoKris - 57 votes
Jance - 56 votes
The “other” option was also chosen and the following ships were included:
BoMartin
Jan/Jure
Kris/Jure
Nace/Kris
Nace/Jere
poly!JO
aaaand that’s it, you made it to the end 🫶 hope you enjoyed and why not see you on the next census!!
#sorry in advance for any grammar mistakes:))#joker out#bojan cvjetićanin#jan peteh#jure maček#kris guštin#nace jordan
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BLOGGIES 2023 BEST BLOG POST OF THE YEAR
On 31 January 2024, the tabletop-roleplaying-game community voted for the Best Blog Post Of 2023.
Contenders were drawn from the winners of four categories. Links, as well as their very excellent acceptance speeches---more exhortations and manifestos, really!---found here:
Theory
Gameable
Advice
Review
+++
Anyway---you voted. Results were very close; I was constantly worried about a tie. Nevertheless, a winner emerged:
Congratulations are in order, and an acceptance speech follows.
+++
(Like an idiot, I didn't plan for, and therefore didn't have the time to make a bespoke prize for the overall Bloggie winner. So they'll just get a full quadtych of lino prints. Fortunately these don't look too bad together!)
PLATINUM BLOGGIE FOR BEST BLOG POST OF THE YEAR:
🔮Re-inventing the Wilderness: Part 1 - Introduction🔮
from SachaGoat
Sacha:
As an (award-winning) blogger who only started 6 months ago - I want to use this "acceptance speech" to share the 5 steps that will start your blog:
1. You don't need a cool blog name. screenname(dot)blogspot(dot)com is probably available - you can move it later if you think of a cool name. The trick here is to set it up so your ideas can go live as soon as you're happy (or tired of editing).
2. Post something. Dust off your notebook (or note-taking app) and turn those musings into a structured post with paragraphs and context. Don't have anything ready to go? Take your latest game session and write a play report or spotlight a specific moment. This will take less time than your ttrpg prep.
3. Share it! With your gaming group, ttrpg friends, community discords, xwitter/bluesky, reddit, forums etc.
4. Don't worry about the rest. I don't have a fancy blog template. I've yet to compile a sidebar or blogroll. I don't have a newsletter or patreon.
5. Continue. Your readers will contribute with comments. You will be shared in community newsletters. Peers will write posts inspired by your posts. Your ideas will be used at another gaming table. (And if you're lucky, you can win the next BLOGGIES.)
If you've shared your prep with a fellow DM… if you've contributed opinions on a ttrpg discord or forum… if you've read a blog post and have a thought that builds on it… if you have any tabletop advice or ideas … 👏 Start 👏 a 👏 blog
This finally brings me to the "thanks". Winning the 2023 BLOGGIES is such a wonderful welcome to this creative niche. Many thanks to the creators who encourage the community to blog (especially around June 2023, I can actually see the thread that motivated me to start). I also want to thank a community whose collective enthusiasm and support nudge me to release the next post. And finally, everyone who voted for my post over the amazing nominations this year - a huge thank you.
+++
On a personal note: I am really thrilled at this final result.
The BLOGGIES can come off as clique-ish. Voting is public, but "public" on the Internet generally means a circle-jerk between subculture friends, a popularity contest.
This thing began as a jokey riff on those best-tweet-of-the-year polls over on Twitter. While Prismatic Wastelands grew it into a celebration of OSR blogging culture, it still has NSR / POSR inclinations---the specific community soil it sprung from.
As host this year I tried to extend the BLOGGIES' reach. Canvassing for nominations outside the OSR space got a couple of indie-RPG designers on the finalists list. Am proud of that; we have much to learn from each other.
I made prizes---hoping that, one day, with enough dangling carrots, these awards will eventually be tasty enough for non-POSR cliques / communities to attempt a takeover? We'll see.
Ultimately: I am glad to water this sapling and watch it grow slowly. Community is made by growing trees, not building greenhouses.
+++
SachaGoat snagging the final win is a vindication.
Sacha's blog is new. We don't share any Discord servers. We've never spoken, hitherto; the first time I messaged him ever was to tell him he'd won the Advice category.
The BLOGGIES fulfils its purpose: to introduce folks to quality blogs; to preach the gospel and importance of blogging. Its shade is spreading.
I'm glad to get to know Sacha and his blog. (Obviously it's been added to my must-read list!) I am honoured to be passing the torch: Sacha has agreed to host BLOGGIES 2024.
Thank you, everybody. Here's to growing trees.
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Hi Sara! You are wise and cool and I'd appreciate advice if you have any! I am trying to make friends especially with fellow autistic people in real life but it is very very hard and scary also I don't know how to find people who want friends. Do you have any advice? (Please only answer if you want to!)
Thank you Ghostly!! 🙏 You are so valid - it *is* hard and scary to make irl friends!! (... Online friends too, tbh)
I don't know if I have any helpful advice, but I'll try!
I think what's worked best for me is to meet people in contexts that are related to specific, niche interests. I'm not entirely sure I have any IRL friends anymore who are only autistic, I do have a bunch who are both autistic and have ADHD though. And all of them, I've met through various kinds of special interests.
For example, several people in my TTRPG group are neurodiverse. How did I meet them? I happened to sit next to a guy I'd never spoken to before while at a work lunch, and we got to talking fantasy books (... I don't really remember how), which got us into RPG talk, which eventually led to him asking me by the end of the lunch whether I'd like to join the TTRPG group that he and some of his friends were starting up soon. That was 3,5 years ago, and we're still playing together to this day!
Another, I met through Magic: The Gathering - we were going to the same weekend event (not related to MtG) and I saw him post in a thread about looking for people to play some games with, so I replied to him, and we pretty much clicked right away because it turned out we had lots of other similar interests as well.
A third, I got to know through playing social deception games at yet another event, in which we sort of fell into a banter-y jargon while trying to convince everyone else to vote out the other. (We were both the wild cards in every game, because I had a habit of grinning wildly and looking generally untrustworthy regardless of which role I was given, and he had an absolutely straight face regardless and was really hard to read, so we pretty quickly identified each other as friendly rivals.) Then I figured out he lived in the same city as I did, and my train was cancelled, so I used my Charisma™ to hitch a ride with him and his dad back home :D
... So based on my own experiences, it seems I've mostly met other neurodiverse people through various kinds of games, which is one of my great passions in life! Depending on what your interests are, maybe there are events, groups or such that you could be on the lookout for? Sort of like it usually happens on Tumblr I guess, but IRL it's a bit harder since you have to do more work and research to find those places and communities.
The thing is though, it will always be scary. The first time I went to play with the TTRPG group, I was super scared. I barely said anything during the first hour or so, and even after several sessions, it still took some time each time to get back into it and relax. But I always have a lot of fun while playing, and I know they appreciate having me there, so that makes it easier to relax and not worry so much. It was the same thing with the MtG friend - I rewrote that first message sooo many times, and then had a racing heart by the time I went to meet up with him. The trick for me has been to recognise when it's worth pushing through that discomfort, and try to be accepting of the fact that sometimes it won't work out, but sometimes it will; sometimes it will lead to amazing friendships, but sometimes it will fizzle out or face plant before it could even start. And that's fine.
It gets easier with time in my experience, but it never gets easy. I've sort of had to accept that I usually don't make a great first impression. It's not that I make a bad impression, I just don't think I make much of an impression at all - I probably seem more shy than I really am, and sometimes my fears make me behave really awkwardly. But after a couple times, as I start to relax and get more comfortable being myself, I think I can make a really really good impression! And I stress a little less about first impressions when I remind myself of that.
Oh, and one more thing: I've personally found that it's a lot easier to meet new people if they are there by themselves. People who already hang out in groups are much harder to approach. Because of this reason, actually, I tend to avoid going to places together with my friends if my aim is to meet new people. It means I won't have the comfort and safety of my friends with me, but it increases the likelihood that I'll approach people I wouldn't have talked to others - or that they will approach me! (The friend I met through social deception games is the opposite, though. He says the comfort of having friends with him makes him more relaxed and confident, which makes it easier for him to meet new people.)
#ask a nerd#i hope this helped?#As usual I kinda feel like I started rambling.#But I really appreciate that you asked me this!! I'm happy you think I'm someone who can give good advice ^_^#I think you are an awesome person and I am glad that we met!!
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Thank you to everyone who voted on the last poll, and all the people who put their cool ideas in the tags. This is the new poll and it’ll have to be two parts because there’s too many degrees.
Thaumaturgical Artificing- The scientific study and application of magic as it pertains to Alchemy (the creation of of potions) and Arcana (the engineering of magical devices).
Advanced Applied Necromancy- A degree for those looking for the most modern and ethical methods of raising the dead. This is a degree for those looking for new and inventive ways to apply the Necromantic Arts to the betterment of society. Students can expect to learn the ways in which Necromancy can be applied to various fields such as medicine, criminal justice, and even industry, all wrapped up in serious discussions about ethics and consent.
Arcanic Archaeology- This degree walks students through the history of magical artifacts, how to find them, and their proper uses to aspiring Sorcerers and non-magic users alike.
Linguistic Incantology- The study of the properties of magical languages as well as the characteristics of those languages in general ascertained in order to gain mastery over the magical art of incantation.
Runic Studies- the study of the history of runes and sigils, their relevance in art, politics, and culture, and their various uses to the modern spell caster.
Magiphysical Sciences- The study of Humanoid systems, anatomy, and physical health and fitness as it pertains to magical gestures and more physically involved magic systems.
Mystic Virology- The study of magical diseases and curses, their effects on the humanoid form, and the treatments and counterhexes for such magical conditions.
Beasts Behavior and Health Sciences- This degree will prepare students for work with both wild and domestic fantastical creatures by giving them essential knowledge and essential skills in magical veterinary medicine and biology, grooming, feeding, and care, as well as wildlife rehabilitation.
Magical Performance Arts- A degree for those seeking to enchant and bewilder audiences of all ages. If you’re looking for something something showy and fun, look no further! Includes the option for courses like Enchantments and Shapeshifting.
Wandsmithing Technologies- This is a course for students looking to design wands. Students will learn to many essential lesson including, but not limited to, magidynamics, the magical components of many different wand building materials, and a comprehensive analysis on different wand styles throughout the ages. At the end students will have several wand prototypes and models under their belts.
Criminal Justice- Study how criminal justice organizations function, deal with people and their recurring problems, and create programs and policies that include and benefit the community. Here’s the twist; we add in a little magic to make your job easier. A popular magic class taken for this degree Scrying (with a warrant of course).
Supernatural Physics- the study of how and why magic came to be and how and why it works. Students will learn the structure of magic and how it interacts with other fundamental constituents of the universe.
Economic Divination- This degree provides studies in supply and demand, consumer behavior, and financial markets with an added twist. Students will learn the most reliable methods of divination to help insure future financial success.
Mystic Ecology- The study of relationships among living magical organisms, humanoids, and their physical environments. This degree looks at organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Students can expect to learn how to use their magic to help repair damaged ecosystems, increase power output, and cast diagnostic spells to access what remediation is necessary.
Novel Entomology- The scientific study of magical species of insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans.
Magic History- The history of magic and it’s uses across different ages and cultures. This class will look at the different major events involving and influenced by magic and it’s interaction with society.
General Studies- This degree covers the most basic information on various magical studies and provides a great opportunity for students to discover their magical passions and/or complete their prerequisite courses before moving on to a more advanced degree.
#screw jkr#harry potter#hogwarts houses#polls#magic school au#college#fantasy#folklore#mythology and folklore#magic science#magical realism#aspiring author#neurodivergent author#writblr#science#chemistry#engineering#virology#linguistics#constructed language#ecology#entymology#magic story#necromancer#performance arts#theater kid#woodshop#archeology#zoology#veterinarian
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Weekly Wrapup 12/17/23
Top five smashable wrestlers this week:
Hangman Adam Page - 86.4% smash
Hikuleo - 86.0% smash
Hiromu Takahashi - 77.0% smash
Sonny Kiss - 75.3% smash
Zack Sabre, Jr. - 72.7% smash
More stats under the cut, along with my observations, commentary, and some of my favorite tags...
Bottom five smashable wrestlers this week:
Undertaker (American Badass Variant) - 34.8% smash
Raven - 38.9% smash
Andrew Everett - 41.6% smash
Scott Hall (Diamond Studd Variant) - 43.7% smash
Drew McIntyre (Young Variant) - 57.0% smash
Most total votes this week (most enthusiasm)
CM Punk - 527 votes
Hook - 449 votes
Hangman Adam Page - 447 votes
Zack Sabre, Jr. - 363 votes
Sonny Kiss - 324 votes
And least total votes this week (least enthusiasm)
Andrew Everett - 173 votes
Scott Hall (Diamond Studd Variant) - 197 votes
Raven - 211 votes
Hiromu Takahashi - 230 votes
Hikuleo - 236 votes
The closest match was Scott Hall (Diamond Studd Variant), who lost 86-111.
Top Five Overall
Kris Statlander - 91% smash
Hangman Adam Page - 86.4% smash
Hikuleo - 86.0% smash
Rhea Ripley - 84.2% smash
Eddie Kingston - 82.8% smash
Bottom Five Overall
Vince McMahon - 3.9% smash
Kane (Corporate variant) - 10.1% smash
Triple H (Terra Ryzing variant) - 18.6% smash
The Boogeyman - 22.6% smash
Brock Lesnar - 23.2% smash
Top Women Overall
Kris Statlander - 91% smash
Rhea Ripley - 84.2% smash
Julia Hart (Spooky Variant) - 81.9% smash
Chyna - 78.2% smash
Penelope Ford - 72.9% smash
Top Men Overall
Hangman Adam Page - 86.4% smash
Hikuleo - 86.0% smash
Eddie Kingston - 82.8% smash
Kenny Omega - 82.1% smash
El Desperado - 80.3% smash
Top Tag Teams
The Golden Lovers - 80.4% smash
Best Friends - 66.7% smash
Motor City Machine Guns - 65.5% smash
Young Bucks - 43.8% smash
Average Smash Rating
Week 1: 52.7%
Week 2: 57.7%
Week 3: 54.4%
Week 4: 62.9%
Thanks for being cool about the CM Punk poll. He's a very polarizing figure, so I really appreciate the fact that everyone was able to keep their tags civil. CM Punk received the third most smash votes to date (358 smash votes, compared to Adam Page's 386 and Eddie Kingston's 365). Punk Also received the 8th most pass votes. He just received a ton more votes than anyone else.
Onto other news, you guys massively prefer older Drew McIntyre (79.3% smash) to young Drew (57.0% smash). Tumblr maintains its reputation for being the "sexualize that old man" website!
I really struggled to find a good picture of Hook for his poll. He looks like my little brother, so it kinda felt like I was perusing my baby brother's thirst traps to show off to all the other horny weirdos on the horny weirdo website. It was easier than looking at all the Boogeyman worm photos, at least.
I'm thinking of running a few demographics polls in addition to the regularly scheduled smash or pass polls. Data on favorite wrestling promotion, sexual orientation, and age might make the poll results more interesting. Feel free to send in suggestions for other questions to ask. I can't promise I'll use all questions submitted by the community, but you guys will no doubt think of something I forget.
Some favorite tags this week
@discow1tch on Zach Sabre, Jr.: #you gotta see him twist a couple guys into pretzels before you fall for him
@samixayn on Hook: #if you love me you will bend this twink in half
@samixayn on Motor City Machine Guns: #is there not an eiffiel tower emoji or can i just not spell eiffeil.
@arthausen on Hook: #smash but he has to call me daddy and danhausen has to be there
@mancewarner on Hook: #passing bc he needs to be humbled
@pavlovean on Undertaker (American Badass Variant): #maybe if i knew where he was on january 6th and it wasn’t the capitol
@debbiechanclub on Hikuleo: #oh that's drilla in the first photo#and then he's holding a drill in the second#intentional op or not? lol
(Answer: no it was not intentional. I am not that clever)
@daddywrasslin on Hangman Adam Page: #SMASH SO HARD MY NEIGHBORS NEED A CIGARETTE
@regalityandcoffee on Andrew Everett: #he looks like hed ramble to me about Pearl Jam for two hours
(He looks more like a Tool fan to me, but yeah exactly)
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This month, we have a strikingly beautiful set of levels to Feature -- this is in keeping with the trend from the incredible N++ level design community :D
Here’s what the curators have to say about these:
This batch of features includes the three winners from dMMc MM04, aka the N++ community’s regular mapmaking contest.The theme for MM04 was "HOME". The maps submitted for that month can be found by searching “MM04” in-game. The top three maps were determined by votes from N++ community members:
1st place - habitation mode: outpost [MM04] by NateyPooPoo
2nd place - reverie [mm04] by wolf
3rd place - You Are Always Welcome Here [MM04] by yahoozy
These contests are ongoing, so if you would like to create or vote for dMMc maps, check out #contests on the N++ community discord. Thank you to everyone who submitted maps and voted on their favorites!
https://monthlymapping.wordpress.com
discord.gg/nplusplus
Thank you for the submissions, Damian, and to everyone who contributed levels (Qz, abho, yahoozy, wolf, and NateyPooPoo) and commentary (bigblargh aka sam, and DarkStuff)! Also, thanks to donfuy for creating this Monthly Mapping Contest, it’s super cool :D
Here are the levels, from the top screenshot above, to bottom:
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Name: Alternating Current
Author: Qz
“Despite the best efforts of your physics teacher, comparisons to water pressure or moving rope fail to tell the full story of electricity. It can’t be accurately modeled by any other physical phenomena; electricity plays by its own rules. An annual average of two electrocution deaths are associated with consumers disassembling microwave ovens. Do not attempt to open or dissemble electrical appliances without training. You can be electrocuted and killed by capacitors even when the device has been unplugged. Do not attempt to save a person who is being electrocuted or you also risk electrocution. You can only touch them when they are no longer being electrocuted, at which point you must call emergency services and prepare to start CPR if they are not breathing normally.”
-bigblargh aka sam
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Name: bag of chips
Author: abho
Just like a bag of chips, I keep taking handfuls of this level when I am well aware I should stop and take a break. It's the perfect junk food level: it looks hard but it isn't, it looks messy but it's very intentional, it's short enough you can just keep taking bites, and it's got a nice variety of simple flavors -- such as gatling, laser, and your classic zap, along with some sprinklings of mines. It's one of those simple levels I just can't stop playing. Om nom nom.
-DarkStuff
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Name: You Are Always Welcome Here [MM04]
Author: yahoozy
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Name: reverie [mm04]
Author: wolf
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Name: habitation mode: outpost [MM04]
Author: NateyPooPoo
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Want to play these levels? Awesome! All levels can be played from all platforms. First, you’ll need N++:
Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en_CA/games/detail/n-plus-plus-switch
Xbox One: https://www.microsoft.com/en-CA/store/p/N-/BT33CHSSB89V
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/230270
PS4: https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/n-plus-plus-(n)/cid=UP2108-CUSA00041_00-NPPGAMENPPGAMENP
Kartridge: https://www.kartridge.com/games/MetanetSoftware/n-nplusplus
Then from the Main Menu, just go to Browse, and choose the “Featured” tab. So easy! Of course the levels probably aren’t ;)
Want to suggest levels to feature, to make your own levels, or to enter design contests? Join the excellent community on discord: http://discord.gg/nplusplus
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POLL RESULTS
(I did not include the final option since I added it knowing full well I would likely be the only one voting for it to keep track of results)
Alllll right! Looks like the people want OC lookbooks and shared sims with linked and/or included CC. I'm about 40 folks away from my next follower milestone but I might do one of each to celebrate the first two I did.
One thing on this poll that upon reflection, I wanna do regardless of the poll's results is give a free & no paywall CC creator some love. Honestly, this community is full of so many amazing folks making cool stuff for love of the game and they deserve all the praise they can get. I will only do ones I personally use, but given my severe CC-downloading addiction (I have 250+ GB in my mods folder right now T_T), I am likely to come across a ton more.
Thank you again to everyone who took the time to do this survey!
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Hi! I saw your congratulations post thing and thank you for doing this.
I been having a rly hard time in life, I wanted to finish college but I have bad credit so no student loans I'm in debt for community college, so I just dropped out and gave up. I had dreams but I guess the universe said no. I been applying to jobs left and right but I'm not good enough apparently no matter how much experience I have, I'm not good enough because of a stupid piece of paper.
But I got an award earlier this week from my climate change volunteer org for being one of the top 3 editors of the year. So we're placed in different teams of writers and we're all nominated and all the writers vote anonymously and give reasons on the editors (it's really hard to explain).
I didn't care much about the actual award but hearing my team and other writers talk about how I never break them down and always push them to keep going and love hearing everyone's ideas, something in me just, I broke down sobbing like a blubbering mess when I was read everything that was said about me. My boss who announced it to me had never seen someone cry so much about this.
So yeah I been struggling to find a paying job but to hear my team and other people in my organization think I'm someone to look up to I just
Bro I'm crying thinking about it LOL. This happened on Monday and I logged in this morning to our portal and I have everyone's little notes about me still lol.
Honestly college itself can be hit or miss in alot of things and for some people iys just a better situation to not do it than it is to do it. I know that aint alot of help but still something to think about.
As fir thr job thing i wouldnt beat yourself up about that, the job market is FUCKED everywhere so i honestly wouldnt put to much stock in struggling to get a job.
And holy shit thats so fuckin cool are you kidding me!? I mean winning that award and by the sound of it you are an amazing team member its no wonder you got the award. That is incredible holy shit well done!! Im so proud of you!!!
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hey hi hello yes how was ur day cutie
CLAPS HAPPILY THANK U SILKY!!!!!!!!!
ill put it under read more teehee
ok so me n my sister were on our merry way to the young adults thanksgiving party for our community thingy and i was feeling GOOD in my blue dress and i had a cool necklace too
^ YEAH
then we got there and everyone was asking each other who they were dressed up as and i was like huh.......................... well damn ! no one told me there was a dress code. i thought my sister just dressed extra emo today who wouldve known she was going as rodrick heffley. i really didnt wanna be left out as the kid who didnt dress up BECAUSE! and so i tried to think of a blue character who would be easy to improvise n i thought of sapphire from steven universe
^ her and i drew an eye on my forehead but my sister said it looked like a eukaryote so she made me go to the bathroom to wash it off 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I WASNT DONEEEEEE but i did redo it and made it more realistic helppp it was kinda ugly though
so i walked around with that ugly ass eye on my forehead and one of the popular kids asked me who i went as and i was mortified but i did say sapphire and she had to pause i could basically see the loading sign on her head LMAOOOO then she went "OHHHH" HAHAHA
there was a vote for the fan fave costume and i voted the girl who went as luz noceda i dont watch the owl house but it looked really good but when i saw who actually won i was like WOAH bc that was even better it was cruella de vil and it was REALLY GOOD so i had y #EXTROVERTMOMENT when i went up to BOTH of them and told them their costumes looked good and the cruella de vil girl even made small talk w me which was so cute and awesome she was so pretty and nice
to top it off they were taking batch pictures and while i was waiting for my batch to be called there was a girl behind me who was looking at me i could tell and she was shuffling like she was trying to decide if she should tell me something HAHAHSH and i was getting ready to move bc for some reason i thought thats what she was gonna ask me to do lmao but YOU KNOW WHAT SHE SAID?????? OD U KNOW?????? SHE SAIDDDDD "i like your makeup" LIKE HELLOOOO GIRL U ARE SO AWESOME
then i went home and died! jsut kidding i girlblogged and kissed silky on the cheek
ANYONE WHO READ THIS TO D END HIIIII
#i also got a cute top from my uncle as a gift#some popular kids were also in my team bc of my sister and cousins extrovert connections#asks#silkylious
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The Princess and The Pogue (pt. 3)
Pairing: JJ x Female!Reader / Topper x Female!Reader
Warnings: underage drinking, mild swearing, mentions of drugs
Words count: 2k (it’s short but the next part is long)
Part Summary: As the night dwindles away, JJ feels pressured to secure a place in your life. His chances grow times ten when Sarah arrives with some interesting news.
Masterlist
You and JJ share a log around the fire. His arm rests over your thigh, his hand gripping your knee slightly. Your chin rests on his shoulder as you two exchange whisper back and forth, making the Pogues sick with how lovey-dovey you two already are becoming.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” JJ asks, kinda hoping he could ask you for real date but he’ll understand if you already have plans.
“Hanging out with you,” you cheekily answer, earning a blushing grin from him.
“Oh! cool, cool...” He presses his lips together with a faint laugh, finding it hard to hide his childish grin.
You giggle at his bashfulness. He’s so shy around you and you can’t help but find it adorable.
"Here comes Sarah!" Kiara announces as he spots their friend's car rolling up the drive.
You and JJ finally break your hype-focused attention away from each other. Almost to make up for the lack of verbal communication, JJ shifts closer to you and plants a quick peck to your temple.
"Hey! Sorry for the delay!" Sarah announces as she walks over from her car. John B rises from his position, trying to intercept Sarah before she sees you and JJ. Once she reaches John B, she notices how you and JJ are sitting. Her brows scrunch together, but she does her best to mask her confusion. "My parents were having a hissy fit about me borrowing the car. I told them and Y/N's parents that we were staying the night at Kiara's since she doesn't feel well. I hope that's okay, Kie," she asks as she gets closer to the bonfire.
"Yeah, no problem!" Kiara waves her hand, not caring at all.
"Wait, so what's the game plan?" You ask Sarah, but also everyone else for their input. You're thankful for the group's help, but weren't exactly prepared for an overnight stay. You understand why Sarah did this nonetheless.
"You all can stay here tonight," John B shrugs as the Pogues do it all the time.
"Your parents believed it," Sarah assures you. "I would just text your parents to help it seem more legit."
"Okay! I'll text my mom," you comply with enthusiasm.
Hey, I told Sarah to tell you but in case she didn't, we're staying over at Kiara's tonight. I had to drive her home in her dad's car because we think she got food poisoning or something. I'll text you when I'm heading out in the morning. Sarah can drive me home or something :)
"Finally! It'll be nice not being the only girl! I was kinda hoping you and Sarah would stay over anyway," Kiara adds, offering you a kind smile.
"That makes two of us," JJ whispers for only you to hear.
"My folks were pretty pissed about me ditching on the party, so I feel no urge on going home," Sarah huffs, right as John B asks for her to help him inside real quick.
You and JJ watch as John B escorts Sarah inside by the arm. They try to be nonchalant, but it's so obvious they're freaking out. Sarah's whispers aren't exactly quiet and John B's doing his best to fill her in on what he knows.
JJ turns his face toward yours with a smirk, suppressing his laughter. "They're definitely talking about us."
"Oh for sure!" You nod slowly with a snicker.
You two share in your amusement as your friends slowly lose their minds. A Pogue from The Cut was caught kissing the Princess of the OBX. If your friends from the other side of the island found out they would have an even more dramatic reaction.
Your phone buzzes in your lap and it's from your mom.
Ok. Text me when you wake up.
"All set!" You voice to everyone remaining around the fire. "I doubt they'll even care since "I'm still on the Figure 8,” you make air quotes.
"Yay!" Kiara claps her hands.
"I say we watch a scary movie tonight!" JJ suggests beside you.
"The Conjuring!" You vote swiftly, earning a laugh from JJ.
"No!" Pope instantly refuses. "Nope! Last time we watched that you guys made me sleep on the porch and I heard creeks all night!"
"Aw, I'll stay with you tonight Pope," Kiara offers, reaching for her friend's hand with a pout. "I'll keep you safe from all the ghosties."
JJ leans in brushes his lips against your ear. "You gonna keep me safe?"
You smile softly, turning your head toward him as you nod slowly. "I'll have your back if you have mine."
His beautiful eyes meet yours in the gold flickering light of the fire. "Always, Baby." He plants a kiss to your lips, this time slow and comforting, as though you two have been doing it forever.
___________________________________________________________
All six of you are gathered in the living room, watching The Conjuring. John B and JJ insisted that all lights in the house must be off, much to Pope's dismay. Kiara and Pope are positioned on the carpet, their backs against the couch. Pope has been hiding in a ball with his face behind the blanket he shares with Kiara. Sarah and John B are sprawled comfortably on the couch, well invested in the movie. You and JJ share the old red recliner, tucked close in a ball under a comforter. Right before the movie starts to get interesting, you shift forward in your position. JJ whines, disappointed in the loss of contact. His pouty face makes you giggle and he playfully tries to keep you close by holding onto your wrist.
"I need another drink, anyone else?" You offer quietly, making sure not to step on Kiara or Pope on the floor on the way to the kitchen. You receive various forms of declines as you do your best to navigate your way through the dark and unfamiliar house.
Finally finding yourself in the kitchen, you make yourself a glass of water. The moonlight shining through the window over the sink acts as your saving grace. Suddenly, you feel a pair of arms slip around your waist, causing you to jump.
"Hey, Gorgeous," the blonde whispers against your neck.
"JJ!" You gasp your heart racing.
"Did I scare you?" He chuckles quietly to not alert the others.
You spin in his hold and nudge him on the shoulder playfully. "You did that on purpose!"
"Not really but-" In one swift motion, JJ picks up and places you on the counter. He parts your legs to stand between them. His palms glide up and down your thighs. "That I did mean to do," he smirks, biting down on his lip.
"JJ! Y/N! You're going to miss the wardrobe part!" Pope shouts, his voice shaky with fear.
"I wish I had spoken to you sooner," JJ confesses abruptly, completely his friend in the next room. All he cares about right now is you.
"Dido," you smirk, placing your arms over JJ's shoulders.
"Really?" He voices in disbelief. Despite how much you've reassured him or have reciprocated his affections, he still isn't convinced that you truly like him.
"That first time I saw you at the Cameron's?" You recall with raised brows. "Um, yeah! You looked hot in that pale green Ron Jon shirt."
"I can't believe you remember that," he shakes his head, leaning in closer to you. I thought there was no way you'd know who I am."
"JJ," you say his name in a mild groan with a toss of your head. How can this boy not see how amazing he is? "You're definitely worth remembering."
"It was at the Boneyard," he states a matter-of-factly.
"What was?" You grin.
"The first time I ever saw you," he tilts his head back slightly, relieving his sharp jawline. "You were dancing with Topper on the wall. The fire made your skin glow and shimmer like bronze. You wore a navy blue bikini with ripped white booty shorts. Your hair was half up and all I could think about was how much I wanted to run my fingers through it. You were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen," he tells you, never once breaking eye contact.
"That was last summer!" You can't believe he remembers that.
"I know," he replies as though it's completely ordinary.
Your jaw drops, "you're saying you've been waiting to talk to me for a year?!"
"Okay well, when you put it that way," he tries to play it off and be cool now.
"Aw JJ!" You express a little too excitedly, bringing your hands to his cheeks.
JJ is quick to press his hand over your mouth. "Shh, Baby. Before you alert everyone in the living room!" Mischievously, you plant a kiss on his palm, catching him off guard. JJ swallows hard, peering down at you with hooded eyes. "Okay, now you're just teasing me."
You place your hand over his and remove it from your mouth. "You make it too easy," you giggle in a whisper.
JJ simply stares down at your lips as he bites down on his own. Before you have a chance to react, he hungrily presses his lips to yours. Ever kiss up until now has been gentle, new, and hesitant. Now, JJ is forgetting his nerves and is acting on impulse. He breaks away from you and moves his assault to your neck. You comb your fingers through his thick blonde hair, gripping the strands on the back of his neck.
"JJ," you pant breathlessly as your eyes fall shut. "What are you doing?"
"Making up for lost time," he breathes against your neck. I'm really kicking myself right now."
"It's my fault too," you try to speak as JJ makes a track down your neck to your collarbone. "I could've at least said 'hi' instead of smiling like an idiot."
"At least you were nice," JJ mumbles against your chest. "I was a statue. Plus, I always thought you and Rafe may be-"
"Ew! Don't even finish that sentence," you scoff in disgusts.
"You were always at the Cameron's. He's always on top of you and watches you like a hawk," JJ explains as he pops up for air.
"He's had a thing for me for a while now. I've turned him down," you inform him.
JJ frowns in confusion. "Why?"
You figured it would've been obvious, especially considering how much JJ hates Rafe. "He's an arrogant ass. He thinks he's invincible and I hate people like that."
"Well, you can tell him you're taken now," JJ grins, leaning in to kiss you.
"Oh, I am?" You question playfully against his lips.
"Yep," the boy nods as he begins to glide his lips across your jawline. "You're mine... and only mine..." He whispers, making you bite your lip with anticipation. Boy, this kid knows how to get you turned on. "I'll make sure everyone in the OBX knows it too," he declares as he starts to suck on the sensitive skin on your neck. At the rate JJ is going, he's certain to leave a mark or two, just as he wanted.
"You guys!" Kiara calls this time.
JJ huffs with annoyance as he appears out from your neck. "Coming!" He shouts, completely unfazed by what he was just doing. "Got you're so sexy," he plants a quick peck to your lips. "I hope you know I'm going to be dying through this entire movie."
Ever the gentleman, he grips your waist and helps you down from the counter. He slips his hand into yours and grabs your water with the other before leading the way back into the living room.
"She couldn't find the sodas in the fridge. I had to grab a new box from the back," he conjures up as you two cross the living room toward the recliner.
"Sureee," John B and Sarah say in unison with amusement.
"Sorry guys, what did we miss?" You ask while you and JJ get settled.
After you take a quick sip from your water, you place it on the side table between the recliner and the couch before getting comfortable again with JJ.
"Nice water, Y/N." Sarah giggles as she peaks over from the couch at your hand, earning an eye roll from JJ.
"The crazy demon lady jumped on the daughter. I hate this!" Pope rushes out to answer your question.
"Oh my God! You're fine, Pope!" Kiara groans, not hiding her annoyance.
"I wish it wasn't so dark in here!" Pope shouts dramatically.
"I kinda like it," JJ purrs in your ear.
You turn your head to the side and he plants a kiss on your lips. As the others watch the movie, you and JJ spend most of the time whispering back and forth or too caught up in each other physically to talk at all. Of course, you two are respectful of your friends and keep it PG. Yet, you can't get enough of each other. It's all so soon, energetic, and freeing. As the thought of tomorrow morning lingers in the back of your mind, you’re starting to dread the idea of parting from JJ.
__________________________________________________
Masterlist
Tags: @starkeythinker @bethii1 @thegunnerkelly @cc13723things
#jj maybank fic#jj mayback x reader#jj maybank imagines#jj maybank fluff#jj#john b routledge#sarah cameron#rafe obx#pope#kiara#topper obx#obx jj#obx#obx fanfiction#outterbanks#outer banks#topper outer banks
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Rivals Are Always One “Make Me” Away From Kissing
Tossing the controller onto the desk, Adrien reached for Marinette’s waist and slid her into his lap. She came willingly, looping her arms around his neck and weaving her fingers into his hair. (An Adrinette no powers video game AU - 10,000 words)
Adrien had to admit that he was a little bit of a nerd. Here he was, fifteen minutes early for school, in an outfit his personal assistant picked out for him, and looking over his homework alone in the hallway instead of talking with classmates or hanging out in the sunny courtyard like everyone else was doing.
A gust of cool air rushed in through an open doorway and ruffled his hair, making him sigh. It was no wonder he was still single.
The whisper of his name on the wind caught his attention.
"Nino?" Adrien called. The hallway was deserted, so he stuffed his homework into his backpack and stepped closer to the open doorway to investigate. The back of Nino's red cap came into view. He was sitting on the front steps, brushing shoulders with Alya.
"You have too much faith in my bro," Nino said.
Adrien stopped walking forward as his heart sank to the floor. Nino didn't believe in him about something?
"I'm giving Marinette one week, tops," Alya said.
"It's going to take him at least a month," Nino countered.
"You willing to bet on that?" she asked, standing.
"Yeah, I am."
Alya stuck out her hand, then pulled him up as they shook on it.
It was only when they started to turn to come into the building that Adrien realized he shouldn't have been eavesdropping while standing in the dead center of an empty hallway. There was nothing to hide him from the surprised eyes of his friends.
Alya was the first to recover, her expression quickly slipping to suspicion. "How much of that did you hear?" she asked, hands on her hips.
"Nothing!" he said, hands up. "I didn't-"
"Did you hear the news?" Nino cut in.
"N-no? What are you talking about?"
"The Olympic Committee voted."
"About?" Adrien asked. He tried to forget… whatever they'd been talking about.
"eGames are in for Paris 2024!"
"Seriously?" Adrien asked. "I thought they voted against that last month."
Nino ignored the comment and held out a hand for a high-five, but it was more like a middle five, limp and unenthusiastic. Nino glanced toward Alya, and they shared a smile.
"I bet I could get us tickets easy," Adrien said, pulling Nino's attention away from his girlfriend. "Want to come-"
Nino snapped back to attention, eyes gleaming. "You should sign up for the team."
"I should what?" Adrien asked, bewildered by his friend's sudden change in tone. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm not that good."
"No really, dude." Nino grabbed his arm. "I think you could do it." He threw an arm around Adrien's shoulder, turned him around and marched him deeper into the school.
"No thanks?" Adrien let himself be steered into a crowded hallway, Alya stalking behind them, her eyes burning into his back. "I'd need more practice than I have time for. Some of those gamers-"
"All you need-" Nino guided them around a group of upperclassmen. "-is a partner to practice with."
What was going on? Adrien knew he was kind of sheltered and maybe a little socially awkward, but he knew Nino well enough at this point that he could tell he was trying to set something up. "I get it. You want an excuse to play on my system every day. But you know my father-"
"Oh, no way, man. I'm not good enough." They stepped through a pair of double doors and out into the morning sunshine of the courtyard. Students laughed and yelled at each other. Others lounged on the stairs going up to the second floor. Nino's hand on his shoulder tightened and they stopped moving. "But maybe there's someone-"
"Yeah," Alya cut in. She shoved her way in between them and pointed to the middle of the courtyard, toward a tight cluster of students. "I bet Marinette would want to practice with you."
Adrien followed the line of Alya's finger. Marinette's dark hair and bright smile peeked out from the center of the group. As usual, she was surrounded by admirers, all of whom were laughing at something she had just said. His stomach clenched, though he wasn't sure why.
"You're kidding, right? She's one of the most popular girls in school."
"Did you miss the memo, sunshine?" Alya said. "You're pretty popular yourself."
"And the four of us hang out together all the time," Nino said. "I'm sure she would love to spend some time with just you."
"I don't even think I want to be in the Olympics," Adrien said, turning away from Marinette and glancing at his other friends. There was definitely something going on. Nino and Alya traded sideways glances and wiggling eyebrows, communicating something Adrien couldn't figure out.
"You really should ask Marinette to practice with you, dude," Nino said.
"No, I don't think-"
"Come on, Agreste." Alya stepped up into his space. Not that he could ever tell Nino this, but his girlfriend could be scary when she wanted to be. She was somehow towering over him, even though he could have sworn a few seconds ago that he was taller than she was. "You want a gold medal, don't you?"
"No?"
"Yes, you do. Now go ask Marinette."
"This isn't even about the Olympics, is it?"
Alya nudged him through the open door and into the light. Adrien blinked, disoriented by the sudden movement and the direction his morning had taken.
"Get moving," Alya insisted.
"Okay, okay! I'll ask her!" he said. His plan to skirt around Marinette's knot of students and escape to the other edge of the courtyard was shot down when his friends' footsteps crunched behind him. They weren't going to let him get away.
Feeling their eyes on him, Adrien weaved his way through the students that filled the yard, hoping the bell would ring and give him an excuse to abandon his quest. What was really happening here?
Guys and girls alike were leaning over Marinette's shoulder, and as he got closer he could tell the laughter was due to something on the sketch pad she was holding. Her smile and the light hitting her hair just right made her glow. Her eyes sparkled.
And Adrien stopped moving.
There was no way he could approach her with this many people around. What was he going to say, anyway? Hey, I think our friends are terrible and plotting something against me, and I'm going to regret asking later, but will you please play video games with me? It sounded stupid even in his head.
A single, sharp fingernail between his shoulder blades reminded him that he had no choice in the matter, so he stepped forward, excusing himself through the crowd of Marinette's admirers, until he was close enough to grab her elbow and borrow her attention.
"A-a-adrien?" she asked, stuttering when her bright eyes found his. "How you- uh, what?"
"Can we play video games later?" Ugh. This was even worse out loud than it had been in his head. "Um, the Olympics are coming up later. And we should practice." Yes, that was an eloquent explanation. Very smooth.
Marinette's eyes went wide in a doe-eyed stare, like she couldn't believe he'd ask her such a thing. "Oh." Her voice shook. "Th-tho nank you. No thank you! I don't-" She glanced behind him, over his shoulder. "I mean, yes! I would love to!" She stared at his feet and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.
Adrien glanced quickly behind him. Nino and Alya were standing a little way away, looking far too innocent. Alya examined her fingernails. Nino was gazing all around the courtyard, not fixing on any one point, his face blank. So they were bullying Marinette into it, too? Whatever they were planning, he wasn't going to let them make her uncomfortable.
"You don't have to," he told her quickly, and her head snapped back up to his. "I mean, it's probably a stupid idea. If you don't want to, I understand. It's kind of a weird idea. And I think the Olympics are dumb and, I mean, you probably like them, so-"
"No," she said quickly, mercifully cutting him off. She reached out to grab his arm, but pulled back just before her fingers brushed his skin. It was close enough to raise goosebumps.
"I do want to practice with you," Marinette said.
He raised a questioning eyebrow at her.
"Really," she said, putting enough force into it that she sounded almost convincing.
"Okay," he said, skeptical. She must have so many friends and demands on her attention. She was really going to make time for one-on-one time for him? "I have a free two hours before my piano lessons tomorrow. I'll ask if you can come over."
"I'm free then!"
After her initial hesitation, he was surprised to hear her so excited. What was really going on? "Then, that's good, I guess. Sounds... good. Great."
"Great," she echoed.
The bell rang. Relieved, Adrien walked off through the shuffling crowd, pushing through sharp elbows and heavy backpacks and toward Nino and Alya, who were muttering to each other, their heads close together, and not paying him any attention.
Alya was whispering as he approached. He only caught a soft, "They're going to be-" before she noticed him and walked off.
"Bro, please make me lose." Nino adjusted the headphones around his neck.
"You want to lose? What, a bet?"
"Can't say," Nino said. "It's important, though. You've got a month."
If Adrien was confused before, he was stumped now. The only thing he was sure of was that this had nothing to do with the Committee vote or video games. Was Marinette in on it or was she his fellow victim?
Now that he didn't need the bell to save him from anything, it happily rang the beginning of class. Dozens of shoes shuffled down the hallways. Friends called out to each other. Adrien trailed far behind Marinette on his way to their class. Her pigtails bounced to her enthusiastic step.
What was really happening?
***
A week later, Adrien didn't really care what the motivation behind the practice sessions had been. He was having too much fun. In a stunning display of paternal affection, Gabriel had allowed Adrien to set up regular video gaming sessions with Marinette. Or Nathalie had put it into his schedule and not mentioned it to his father. Probably the second one, though he liked to pretend.
Today, they were up in his room, being washed in the music of Mario Kart that they were playing on his gigantic television. Adrien sat up straight on the couch, toes digging into the plush carpet, and pouring his focus onto the screen, but Marinette was draped across the furniture, one foot dragging on the floor, the other accidentally poking his knee whenever one of them leaned into a turn.
In the past few days, a remarkable change had come over Marinette. Instead of being anxious and fidgety whenever they ran into each other at school, the hours of being together had forced her to grow relaxed around him. It was amazing to see the side of her that everyone else so admired shining out of her when she was with him, instead of it being trapped under her awkward stutter like it used to be. He loved this.
As he rounded the final turn, Marinette on his tail, he squeezed the controller even harder, though his character was already going at top speed. A squirt of black ink blocked out his half of the screen.
"No!" he yelled, trying to negotiate the curve while blind. "I forgot you had that one! I thought you were out!"
Marinette didn't leave her position on the couch until she'd crossed the finish line. When she did, she jumped up and crowed her victory. "I beat you again! Admit it! You're going to cry yourself to sleep tonight because I creamed you so bad!"
Adrien wiped away a fake tear with her controller and was rewarded with one of Marinette's soft giggles. The sound was infectious, and soon his laughter joined hers. This was the way a lot of their games ended. Win or lose, they were both happy, just because they enjoyed each other's company.
Adrien's suspicions had melted away over the past few days. Nino and Alya were dating, and they wanted their best friends to spend time together. That must have been it. He had to admit, he loved the idea.
And he loved that she was comfortable enough with him to be the person he saw her be with other people, bold and funny and expressive, somehow kind and fierce at the same time, ready to compliment him or trash talk him at a moment's notice. It kept him on his toes.
While the question of why it had taken her so long to warm up to him nagged at him, it wasn't enough to keep him from acknowledging that he was much happier when she was around.
"So what do you want to play next?" Marinette slid off the couch and pulled out his collection of games.
"Shovel of Hope," he said quickly.
"I usually pick that one," she said, turning to direct a questioning eyebrow his way.
"It is. And I want you to be happy, so we can play your favorites twice in a row."
A slack look of shock was replaced quickly by Marinette's shy smile, and Adrien's heart flipped.
He'd always known she had a nice smile. So why did it seem like a new revelation just now?
***
If Adrien's observation about their first week together was how much he liked Marinette, then observation about the second week was how much his game had improved.
Marinette's skill on most games was just a little higher than his own, so playing against her was always a challenge, and teaming up with her was always instructive. Of course, her teasing continually spurred him on.
Today they were in her room playing Zombie Fighter 2, which he'd never even heard of before. And it showed. After seven rounds, he had failed to land a single hit on Marinette's character. He went down in a shower of sparks.
"KO'd again! I can't believe it!" Adrien tossed his controller into his lap. He noticed every time his left knee brushed her right as they sat cross-legged on her chaise.
"Your skills are improving, young grasshopper," Marinette said.
"How is losing improving?"
"You lasted a whole ten seconds longer than last time. You're learning how to run away."
Adrien socked her in the face with a pink pillow. He'd been in her room a handful of times now and he still couldn't get over how pink everything was. Walls, curtains, blankets, even furniture. It suited her, though.
Marinette stood up and stretched. A small strip of skin peeked out where her shirt rode up. "We should head downstairs. Your driver will be here soon."
"No." Adrien averted his gaze quickly. "Let's play one more!" The warmth of Marinette's room wasn't something he looked forward to leaving, not when his own sterile, empty room was the only thing waiting to welcome him home.
"I was hoping you'd say that," she said. "Can't get enough of me, or can't get enough of being pounded into the ground, I wonder?"
"Jury's out."
"Ouch! Why do I keep you around, again?" she asked.
"Must be because I'm so cute." Adrien selected his character, and the screen lit up with another round.
"Must be." Marinette ruffled his hair.
Adrien sat up a little straighter. Was it the praise? Or was it her touch? When she took her hand away, it was to fix his grip on the controller.
"You're never going to win like that. Your fingers aren't spread out enough. Like this." She adjusted each finger individually, pushing and poking and smoothing each one into place until they curved just so.
Her hands radiated warmth. But not just that. It felt like... kindness? Caring? How was he getting that from just the feel of her fingertips against his wrists, directing him to relax the sudden tension in his arms?
By the time she pulled away and they started playing, Adrien's hands were shaking. He pulled them deeper into his lap, so she wouldn't see the tremors.
What was happening? And why did he feel like Marinette touching him again was going to make him feel better? Whatever it was, it wasn't helping him win.
"That'll teach me to compliment you," Marinette said after cutting down his avatar with ease. "That was awful. What happened?"
"Just tired, I guess," Adrien said, putting his controller between them and flapping his hands, like they were sweaty or cramping or something else normal.
"Tired, huh? I can play better than that in my sleep! So what's the real reason?"
"Tired. That's really the reason."
"Tired of getting beat, maybe."
"Oh, lay off."
"Make me."
He needed something to do with the nervous energy in his hands, and Marinette was asking for it. When he poked her side, she made the most adorable squeal he'd ever heard, and he had to do it again. The tickle fight that ensued was nothing short of inevitable. She tried to reach for the pillow on the floor to defend herself with, but he took the opportunity to poke her side and she tumbled off the chaise and pulled him with her. It wasn't enough to stop him.
"I surrender!" Marinette gasped after only a few seconds. "You win!"
"You admit I'm better at something than you?"
"No, your arms are just longer, like a monkey's." She laughed even before she felt his retaliation tickle for the jibe.
As their laughter subsided, Adrien felt lighter. He hadn't had fun with a friend like this in he couldn't remember how long. His father always made him feel foolish for finding something mildly amusing. Somehow, Marinette made falling off his seat liberating instead of embarrassing. He loved that about her.
Sprawled out as they were, it took Adrien a few seconds before he noticed where his hand was resting. Right on Marinette's soft stomach. She was smiling up the ceiling, not seeming to notice or care that he was touching her. It felt nice.
But it was probably weird. He was being weird.
So why was he not moving?
His hand moved up and down with her breathing, rhythmic and calming. Would she stop him if he slid his fingers along the fabric and felt the texture of her shirt?
He kept his hands still until she sighed deeply, and then he guiltily removed it.
***
It had been the best month of Adrien's life, and he owed it all to the girl who was walking toward him. The school courtyard was packed with students going home for the day. Backpacks hung off shoulders. People shouted to each other. Heads bobbed up and down as they tried to find their friends in the crowd.
Marinette's small build made it difficult for her to push her way through the crowd, but shoved backpacks and used her elbows and finally reached him. He was touched by the effort that she made to be near him.
"Nino and Alya coming?" he asked.
"Over there," she said, nodding toward the couple. "You ready to head out? My dad promised croissants for all of us today, and I'm very done with school right now."
It wasn't easy to pick out their friends in the mass of students, but he finally found them by the stairs, heads together like they were whispering despite the noise.
"What are they talking about?"
Marinette sighed. "The, uh, that bet." She looked sideways at him, like she was hoping he'd say something about it.
"Oh," Adrien said, racking his brain for scraps of memory. "Nino won, right? He said it was going to take over a month." For someone who won a bet, he didn't look very happy about it. The two looked over at him at the same time and frowned. Well, Nino frowned. Alya glowered.
"Technically, Alya's got until the end of the day but... yeah." Her voice became very quiet. Small and sad. "Nino's going to win."
"I never learned what that was about," he said, hoping she would provide an answer to the mystery.
Marinette just shook her head and started fidgeting with her purse strap to avoid looking at him. "L-let's wait for them," she stammered.
That wasn't a good sign. He didn't want to push her into her old habit of not being able to hold a conversation with him, so he didn't ask again. "Sure, we can wait," he said, taking a step to the side to give her some space. "It looks like they're on their way over already."
Nino and Alya approached with fake smiles plastered on their faces, like nothing had happened. Neither greeted Adrien or Marinette when they reached them, just kept walking toward the doors. The crowd thickened the closer to the door they got. Students pushed to get out of the building, and Adrien quickly lost sight of Nino and Alya somewhere ahead of him. He and Marinette squeezed through the doors and finally made it out onto the stairs.
"Oh no!" Marinette pulled at her hair as they started down the stairs.
"What?" Adrien asked, shuffling behind a red backpack that was going much slower than it needed to.
"Nothing, nothing. I just broke an elastic again." Keeping one fist in her hair to hold the pigtail in place, she fished in her purse for another one. Their pace became a crawl as she searched.
"Just wear it down," Adrien suggested.
"I'll look stupid," she said, giving up the search in favor of digging in her pockets.
"Come on, you'll look fine," he said, trying to convince her so they could catch back up to the others. He could see them waiting by the crosswalk, backs to them. "I've never seen your hair down before."
Marinette half turned to him, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "All right," she finally said, letting it fall and taking out the other side to match. She brushed it out with her fingers as they finished walking down the stairs.
She looked nice like that. Really nice. A piece of him thought he should probably tell her that, so she wouldn't feel self-conscious. The rest of him was just glad Alya and Nino weren't looking at them, so they couldn't see him gaping at Marinette like a vulture.
That was when his hands started trembling. The nervous energy was back, urging him to reach out and touch her. Maybe tuck that stray strand of hair behind her ear and let his fingers linger by her cheek, his fingertips graze her jaw. But he didn't want her to pull away again, so he clenched his fists and tried to remind himself that there was no reason for him to be acting this weird around her.
"I feel like everyone is staring at me," she said after only a few seconds.
Well, I don't know about everyone. At least one person is. He cleared his throat and forced himself to look away. Students started breaking away from the main group, escaping down the sidewalk toward their homes. Nino and Alya had finally noticed their approach.
"My hair must look stupid. I knew it!" She threw her hands on top of her head, a combination of covering herself and patting it down to lie smooth.
"They're only staring because you're so beautiful."
Adrien and Marinette stopped and stared at each other. Alya and Nino stared at the pair of them. A light turned green and cars streamed past, the wind they created making Marinette's hair dance.
Marinette looked as surprised at his words as he felt. But it was true. He'd never thought about it before, but she was probably the prettiest person he'd ever met. Inside and out.
When the initial shock wore off after three seconds, Marinette hunched her shoulders. "Oh, w-w-well, y-you th-thank."
Panic settled over him as she stuttered. He'd messed up somehow. She was nervous. He'd made her uncomfortable. He was weird and made her feel weird, and he'd messed everything up. She was upset.
He opened his mouth to apologize – he had no idea how to apologize for giving an honest compliment but he knew he had to try – but the look on her face froze his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Shock and disbelief, warring with curiosity. But they were all replaced with the familiar crinkle in her eyes that meant a challenge was sure to follow.
"So your true feelings come out at last," she said in delight. "Sorry, but I can't get involved with my sparring partner, so don't ask."
"What-"
"No, no. Your begging won't work on me!" She pushed him away with one hand flat against his chest.
Could she feel his heart beating through his shirt? She must have been able to. The whirlwind shift in her attitude was making him nervous.
He looked at Nino and Alya for help at this sudden change. They were both open-mouthed.
That was when it clicked. She was just teasing him again. Or more likely daring him. He knew her well enough to know that tone when he heard it, the same when she offered a bonus challenge round. That compliment had been sincere, but he knew how to play along.
"Oh please, Marinette," he said, falling to his knees. "Your grace and beauty surpass all." The words were so easy to say. Too easy. "Make me the happiest boy in school and go out with me?" He clasped his hands and unleashed the most pitiful expression he knew how to make, not sure if he was even acting.
Marinette flipped her loose hair over her shoulder. "I could never give my heart to my most bitter rival."
"Noooo!" He threw his arms around her waist, pressing his face into her stomach. He heard more than felt her laughter, but inside he ached. Ached as she ran her fingers through his hair and down the back of his neck and then because she pulled her hand away. Ached because it felt so good to be close to her and then because he was letting her go as he stood back up. It was all he could do not to let the ache show through his fake smile as he continued the "joke."
Nino had his face in hands. "I hate both of you," he mumbled through his fingers. "So, so much."
Alya had already given up on them. She was halfway to the bakery.
"That's unfair," Marinette said, shifting her backpack and not looking at Adrien like he wished she would. "This is completely Adrien's fault."
"Mine?" he said, trying to sound scandalized instead of bitterly disappointed. "You're the one who won't go out with me."
She opened her mouth to respond, only to pause when she saw his face. He tried to school his expression, hide the new emotions pulsing through his blood, replace it with a smirk and a wink.
It must have worked because Marinette tapped his nose and said, "Sorry, Adrien. You'll have to ask me again some other time. I'm too busy being single at the moment."
The words cut deeper than they had any right to.
Nino grumbled something and turned away. Across the street, Alya shouted, "Are you two done being stupid yet?"
It seemed like Marinette was the only one who was truly happy after the joke, though he thought he saw something else flash across her face as she looked away. He wanted to pretend that it was longing or maybe regret, but he knew that couldn't be true. Marinette considered him just a friend. They had only been joking.
No, she had been joking. Everything he'd said was real. Why hadn't he realized it sooner?
His compliments, all the praise, asking her out, every single word of it had been real.
The ache settled deep into his heart.
***
The next morning, Adrien arrived at school a few minutes earlier than he normally would have, heart pounding and exhausted as he walked through the front doors. The exhaustion was caused by barely sleeping at all last night, instead being consumed with thoughts of Marinette, her confidence, her hair, her laughter, her quiet beauty, her kindness, and how much he wanted to touch her and spend time with her.
It hadn't even been 24 hours since he'd realized he was in love with her, but it spread through him like an wildfire, burning him up from the inside out, reaching through every part of him and carving out new places for thoughts of Marinette to inhabit, driving him to do something, anything so he could be with her.
His pounding heart was caused by that last bit, the knowledge that he now needed to act. His plan was simple, but he ran through it again anyway as he waited by her locker. As casually as he could, he was going to ask her out. But not on a date. Not yet. If she didn't like him that way (the "if" killed him; he knew she didn't), he wasn't going to mess up his chance by playing his hand too soon. He repeated his line over and over again. "I was just wondering if you'd like to do something other than video games with me some time?"
It was simple. It was normal friend stuff. He leaned against her locker, the cool metal soothing the voice that said she was going to say no, that he was an idiot for even asking her. After joking around yesterday, it was clear that she only thought of him as her weird gaming nerd friend. Why would she want to do other things with him?
But he had to try anyway. If she said yes, it would be a step in the right direction. He would be able to spend more time with her.
Though he tried not to, Adrien watched every person who entered the hallway, waiting for her. His heart leaped to his throat every time he saw black hair, and it crashed back down to his feet every time it wasn't hers.
If she said no, well, he would accept his place as just her gaming buddy, even though it would break his heart. And he could always pretend that their practice sessions were dates, right? Besides, he'd known her for over a year and he'd been okay with being only friends that entire time. It would probably be simple to find his way back to that easy, uncomplicated friendship.
He slipped a little farther down the cold locker door. His argument was very unconvincing, and he swallowed back the tightness in his throat at the idea.
Black hair bobbed into view, and this time it was Marinette's face underneath it. Blue eyes flashing. Smiling broadly at someone who wasn't him.
Excitement and terror washed through him. Her laughter echoed down the hall ahead of her, and he basked in the sound and sight of her. Would he even be able to speak by the time she finally saw him?
Marinette hadn't noticed him yet. She was talking with someone else, and Adrien's eyes flicked to her companion.
Nathaniel was laughing too, then laughing harder at something else Marinette said. Without hesitation, he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a side hug. Marinette looked content as they walked ever closer to her locker, and that's when Adrien finally accepted the truth.
She was going to say no.
And he couldn't accept just being friends.
With only seconds to make up his mind before she saw him, Adrien did the only thing he could think of.
He ran away.
***
Today's practice was taking place cross-legged on his floor, staring up at his giant television. Marinette sat with him, a six-inch gap separating them, but she looked over at him from time to time, concerned at his silence.
Over the past week, Adrien hadn't given up hope completely, though he knew he should have. Marinette didn't like him that way and was way out of his league. The knowledge didn't stop him from agonizing over the perfect thing to say that would get her to change her mind, or at least give him a chance.
In the end, he had waited too long.
Though he was trying to act like everything was fine, the jealousy ripping through him was affecting his mood, his game, even his face, and had been chewing him up all afternoon. For the millionth time, he tried smoothing out his scowl. He'd already given up trying to shake life back into his numb hands.
B, up, duck, A. Button smashing when he knew he wasn't fast enough. Finally watching as his avatar felt defeated to the mat. Again. He took a shaky breath.
"Okay, what is going on?" Marinette asked, placing her controller carefully down in front of her, lining it up perfectly parallel to her knees. "You're making a lot of rookie mistakes. It isn't like you."
"Oh, just tired," Adrien said, making a show of stretching and lolling back.
"You told me this morning you'd slept really well last night," she said flatly.
"Oh." Right. He'd said that. Shoot. "Tired... from school."
"Okay... What was so-"
Adrien started a new round, forcing Marinette to scramble for her controller and cut off her interrogation.
It was only going to buy him time. If Marinette thought someone was upset, he knew she wasn't going to let it rest until she'd helped them feel better. It was one of many, many things that he loved about her. But he also knew he'd be better off bringing it up before she did, so he could steer the conversation.
They played for a few minutes in silence while Adrien's character was annihilated and he organized his thoughts. "So..." he finally asked, and he was pleased to hear his voice sounding almost normal, not tense like he felt. "What did Nathaniel want to talk to you privately about earlier?"
Adrien knew. She probably knew that he knew.
Nathaniel had asked her out. Adrien had been too slow, and now she was someone else's girlfriend. Could she read the agony on his face underneath the mask of disinterest?
"Oh, Nathaniel asked me for a date." How could she be so calm about the thing that was causing him to die inside? Sensing his distress, his avatar also keeled over and died. Round sixteen ended in defeat.
"Oh? That's..." He gulped. What question would just a friend ask? "When's the big-" He forced the word out. "-date?" That had sounded awful. The words and his delivery.
"I turned him down," she said casually, and just as casually she slaughtered his character again.
The next round began as Adrien blurted out a thrilled, "Really?!"
Marinette's character killed itself by jumping off the edge as she dropped her controller and turned to stare at him.
Adrien cleared his throat. "Really? Too bad for him, I guess." I'm cool about this, Marinette. Not interested in you or your love life at all. His unasked question hung over them: Why did she turn Nathaniel down? He couldn't bring himself to ask.
She continued to stare, considering him, then turned away with a smile she couldn't quite hold in. "I've wiped the floor with you for the past eighteen levels. You want to go again, or are you ready to admit your defeat?”
"And let you rub it in for the rest of our lives? I don't think so."
"I promise not to if you agree to do my homework for the rest of the year."
"I would absolutely love to never do that ever. Bring on level nineteen."
"Oh, that's what I was hoping you would say." Her glance was sly, and Adrien felt a challenge coming on.
Their characters were whirls of pixels, but this time he had no problem keeping up. She'd turned Nathaniel down! Adrien was back on form, matching Marinette stroke for stroke, about to pull out his first win since-
"I bet you were wondering why I said no." Marinette's avatar slipped a punch over his slack fists, knocking him down to half health with one blow. "It's because I already like someone else." With one more kick, she finished him off.
Adrien gripped his controller, not seeing the screen or even her as the next level started playing. Of course she already liked someone. Someone as loving as Marinette would have someone she loved. He'd never even had a chance, even before he'd wanted one. He was an idiot for not realizing.
"Complete devastation!" Marinette said. She meant his character, but she could have been talking about the boy sitting next to her. Both were crumbling to the ground.
The practice session ended early that day. Marinette sent him several questioning looks over the next hour that he stubbornly ignored, and he was glad she didn't push him. He wasn't sure he'd be able to stand her sympathy.
Like the gentleman he was, Adrien walked her to his bedroom door. Even with the awkward tension lingering in the air, he wanted her to stay a little longer. Maybe sensing that, or maybe just still hoping to cheer him up, Marinette hesitated in front of the closed doorway.
Adrien opened his mouth to speak, but when he realized he had no idea what it was he wanted to say, he shut it again slowly. Marinette waited patiently, playing with the hem of her shirt. What could he tell her? Nothing that would help his situation. Nothing that would change her mind about whatever wonderful guy she had her eye on. Nothing that would make her consider her dork of a gaming partner.
Marinette smiled up at him. After the miserable company he'd been all afternoon, she still felt like smiling at him? He almost blurted all his feelings out anyway.
"Well..." she said. "I should go."
Pushing herself up on her toes so she could reach and putting her hands on his shoulders for balance, Marinette placed an unexpected kiss on his cheek, just next to his mouth.
Adrien closed his eyes at the tender touch, heart melting.
I could turn my head, he thought as her lips lingered. I could wrap my arms around her and never let go. The scene was vivid in his mind, her hands slipping from his shoulders to his chest, fingertips tracing the stripes across his shirt. Whispers of how much she loved him. Him pulling Marinette close, her wanting him to.
But it wasn't real. She wouldn't like that, he reminded himself, so he kept still. His hands gripped his jeans to keep them from seeking her out.
When she pulled away a few seconds later, her look was intense. Despite her announced intention to leave, she hesitated. Waiting for something. For him to say something?
The words were right there on the tip of his tongue. Confess! He could do it!
He could, but he shouldn't. She'd just admitted to liking someone else. How disrespectful of her confession would telling her now be? Adrien didn't want to lose her.
"See you tomorrow?" he said, pulling the door open for her.
She frowned, not like she was angry. Like she'd been disappointed. Without another word, she slipped through the door and padded down the wide atrium stairs. He didn't take his eyes off her the whole time, but she didn't turn around to see it. From his spot so far away, he heard the front door click softly behind her.
He stayed put long after she'd gone, replaying the kiss in his mind, what her soft lips felt like, the tingle he'd felt as she'd rested her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, the heat of having her body so close to his.
Had it been all his imagination, telling him what he wanted, or had her kiss really been that close to his mouth? It had felt like she'd almost touched his lips she'd been so close.
The memory was still fresh on his skin, and he outlined the spot hesitantly, then with awe as his finger brushed the corner of his mouth. It wasn't his imagination. She really had.
Maybe... maybe he had misunderstood. Hope bubbled up inside him. She liked someone else, someone other than Nathaniel. He wasn't Nathaniel. What if she'd meant him?
What if he did have a chance after all?
***
Adrien wanted to be absolutely sure. Getting his hopes up again, or listening to Marinette's rejection, would be too painful. He was going to make sure he was the one, so he spent the next week looking for clues that he was the lucky boy she'd set her sights on.
And clues were everywhere.
They were mostly little things, like the way her face would light up when he came around a corner, or how she leaned into his touch when he dared to brush her bangs out of her eyes, or how she didn't scoot away if he sat down close to her.
Four days later, in the middle of a hard level, he experimentally touched his hand to her knee, keeping the pressure as light as he could, in case it wasn't wanted. She scooted closer, like she wanted to make it easier for him to do it again.
Marinette knew about his strict diet and would often bring him goodies, leftovers from the bakery. The following day, she'd brought him ones she'd made herself "with love." That's what she said. The big L word. A small part of him told him to calm down. She could have meant that she loved him as a friend. Most of him excitedly took it as an obvious hint.
Overall, his second favorite hint of her feelings was how she glowed under his compliments.
"These pastries are the best things I've ever tasted! Could you teach me to make them?" Marinette stumbled over her words for the next five minutes.
"Forget competing in the Olympics," he said two days later. "You could be the team coach. You're amazing!" She blushed for the rest of the day.
The best hint, the one that left him reeling, was becoming a common occurrence: she talked to him. Lately, their practice sessions would be filled with long stretches when they chatted about everything and nothing, controllers abandoned.
Today, she lounged on his couch, and he sat on the floor by her head. She'd asked him about his day, and he'd listened to hers, though she admitted herself that it was boring. She'd asked him about his day, then about his dreams for the future.
The honest curiosity she had for his answers, the fact that she even cared, left him leaning the couch for support. Marinette was on her back and smiled up at him as the movement brought him closer.
The conversation hit a lull when he ran out of things to say. Instead of feeling awkward, it was peaceful, and she closed her eyes and sighed.
What a perfect time to test her feelings for him again. Before he could think better of it, he ran his fingers through her hair. Her reaction was immediate. Her whole body relaxed, her smile widening. When she opened her eyes to look up at him, they were soft, maybe even loving.
But the "maybe" was still too daunting, and he pulled his hand back and looked away.
He needed to tell her how he felt. He liked her too much not to. He wanted her to look at him like that all the time. So why was he pulling out the controllers again to avoid her? Was it really better to wait and see what happened? Or should he just lay his heart bare right now?
He settled on the couch next to her, Marinette bending her knees to give him room without moving from her spot. Was she still giving him that loving look? Or had it turned into a frown because he was being a coward? He hunched forward under the weight of all his questions, resting his forearms on his knees.
"I bet I could beat you in my sleep," Marinette said. Her voice sounded normal, so he dared to look at her. Her face was mischievous as she stretched out with an exaggerated sigh, throwing her legs across his lap and pinning his arms down. "Care to bet against me?"
"Um, move. I need those arms."
"Make me."
Two more hints: the ease with which she touched him, and the way she seemed to save her most dazzling smiles just for him.
"Make you?" Massive crush or not, Adrien was not about to pass up a challenge. "I'll make you."
Marinette settled deeper into the cushions, pressing down onto his arms. It was the best trap he'd even been in, and he couldn't reach much to help him, just the coffee table in front of them. Leftover snacks littered the table, along with a half-filled glass of water. He slid it off the edge of the couch as Marinette squirmed to keep him in place.
With his limited movement, he couldn't lift the cup very high, so he mimed pouring it over her shins. She shrieked and kicked him in her scramble to get out of the way, and the glass spun out of his hand, splashing water all over him before landing on the floor. It soaked into his shirt and dripped through his hair.
"I'm sorry!" Marinette jumped up immediately, flapping her arms around her head so fast they blurred. "I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"It's fine," he assured her while rivulets of water tickled his down scalp. "It wasn't that much water."
She groaned at the lie. "I'll go get you a towel."
Before he could protest, she ran toward the bathroom door. Adrien followed her, dripping. "It was my fault. Please don't-"
A fluffy towel muffled his words as she threw it over his head and started rubbing it into his hair. "Marinette," he mumbled. "You don't have t-" The pace of her hands became less frantic as she moved from the crown of his head, moving down to dry the back.
"Sorry," she whispered. Her tempo became even slower as she worked the sides of his heads, rubbing gently so she wouldn't hurt his ears. Plans to "accidentally" get himself soaked on a weekly basis were already starting to form in his mind. He wasn't sure if it was the attention she was paying him or her rhythmic pace as she stroked circles around his ears, but every muscle in his body seemed to be melting.
"Is that any better?" she asked. Her hands stilled, but she didn't remove the towel from his face. Her breathing was quick and shallow.
Adrien lifted up the edge to reveal Marinette's panicked face. What did she think? That he was going to hate her because of some water? He wasn't a cat.
Her eyes searched his, looking for anger or rejection or who knew what, and he gently grabbed her face with both hands to bring her back to reality. And as an excuse to act out at least the beginning of every fantasy he had about kissing her. With the way she was looking at him, he could even pretend that they were about to come true.
"It's fine," he said, rubbing a thumb across her cheek. "I'm all dry now." A cold spot was soaking through at his shoulder, but he ignored it.
After a few more seconds of wide-eyed staring, Marinette slid the towel off his head and looped it behind his neck, holding onto both ends and giving no indication that she wanted him to remove his hands. So he didn't.
Another clue. It finally was enough. He knew.
Leaning in slowly, so she would have time to change her mind, he looked at her lips, then raised an eyebrow in question. Marinette used the towel to pull him closer to her, closing her eyes. A rush of heat swooped in his stomach when he felt her body brush against him. Her breath fanned his face as he inched closer. They hovered, anticipation building, noses brushing, lips quivering, until he tilted his head and finally closed his eyes.
Without warning, the door swung open. "Adrien."
Marinette and Adrien jumped apart, the towel falling on the floor.
Nathalie walked in, staring at her tablet and almost ignoring the teenagers she was speaking to. She hadn't noticed anything. "Your piano teacher is here. Ms. Dupain-Cheng's ride is waiting downstairs." Without another word, or even looking around the room for them, she left, leaving the door open after her.
"Um," Adrien said. Cursing the interruption, he bent to pick up the towel. When he straightened he reached out for Marinette's hand, but she was already across the room, picking up her things and not looking at him, her face glowing red.
She snuck him a peek once as she was putting her shoes back on, but when she saw him staring at her, she looked down again. Probably because he was gaping at her like an idiot.
Marinette finally walked back over to him, eyeing the wet spot on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-
"Want a hug?" he asked, offering his arms. "It's nice and cold."
She chuckled as she leaned into him, resting her cheek against his. "Thanks for having me over." Her breath blew his hair, tickling him. "And for letting me beat you."
"Oh, yes," he said. The hug didn't feel cold at all. It was warming him up from head to toe. "I lost on purpose, just for you." How was he supposed to just let her walk out his door, when all he wanted to do was hold her and never move from this spot again? "Because your happiness is so important to me."
As she pulled away and stepped back, he grabbed her hand, and then just as quickly let it go, unsure how to recreate the mood that had so quickly evaporated.
They waited, neither moving, Adrien hoping for at least another goodbye kiss like she'd given him last week. Without warning her expression crumpled, and she walked through the door without saying goodbye at all.
She'd been waiting, he realized as soon as she was gone. She'd been waiting for a goodbye kiss, too.
Adrien ran to the window in time to watch her walk down the front steps. He followed her with his eyes as she slid into the car. When she turned to pull the door closed behind her, she paused, looking straight at him. He waved, but she shut it without returning the gesture.
"Tomorrow," he vowed. It was Saturday, and they had another practice in the morning. The first words out of his mouth were going to be his confession.
He just needed to figure out what to say.
***
Saturday mornings used to mean stifling isolation. There was no school to look forward to. His tutors often had the day off, and if there wasn't a photoshoot, he was likely to be confined to his room. Another benefit of having Marinette in his life was that he was no longer alone on the oppressive weekends.
"You're smart, and kind, and funny." Adrien muttered to himself in the back seat, his driver occasionally looking at him with concern through the rearview mirror. He'd been rehearsing multiple versions of his speech since last night. It was only a few minutes until he saw her, and he still hadn't decided what to say. Should he just blurt it out? "Marinette, I love you." Or should he build up to it? "I've loved spending time with you, and you're my best friend, and lately you've become more than that." He tested them both out. They were both fine, so why did they both sound so... wrong?
Maybe he wasn't being specific enough. Anyone could tell her she was great. So what should he say about her specifically? This only led him back to all the other lists of rehearsed lines he'd come up with in the last 12 hours, her confidence, her infectious joy, her compassion...
The car pulled up to the curb, and Adrien stepped out, knees a little wobbly with anxiety. He was going to have to just wing it. Say what felt right in the moment. Which was a terrifying idea, but now he had no choice.
The bell tinkled and the smell of fresh bread and chocolate chip cookies filled his nose as soon as he pushed open the bakery door. Sabine and Tom turned to him with wide smiles.
"She's already waiting for you," Sabine said, waving him through the door to their upstairs apartment. "Have fun!"
His footsteps seemed to echo through the small hallway. Hesitating only a second, he knocked on the door that led into her living room, and waited, heart pounding.
Marinette, I have something to tell you. Marinette, I love you. Marinette, before we start to play, can we talk? He'd promised himself. The first words out of his mouth would be his confession. Don't mess it up, Adrien. Just tell her you love her.
The door was yanked inward so fast that it hit the wall. Adrien jumped. "M-marinette. I lo-"
"I've got a new idea! Come here!" She reached through the doorway and clamped down on his wrist, then turned and towed him through the living room and up her stairs. A woman on a mission.
He had no idea what that mission was, or what really was happening, so his imagination started supplying possibilities. She got a new game? She needed to show him her newest art project? He tripped on the top step when he thought that maybe she was dragging him up to her room because she couldn't wait to kiss him.
He imagined her snapping the trapdoor shut, with the pink curtains closed and her room dimly lit by filtered light. She would let go of his hand, then turn around to face him, before slowly stepping into his space. She'd slide her hands up his shirt, stopping at the collar, grabbing fistfuls to pull herself closer. And closer. Their faces were millimeters apart. He could count the lashes of her half-closed eyes. He reached for her eagerly, wrapping both arms around her waist, pulling her closer, her stomach flush against him.
"I love you," she whispered. "You're the only one for me." Her lips parted slightly as her eyes slid shut.
Marinette's voice was suddenly bright and cheery. "Pick your favorite button!"
Adrien's daydream popped.
Sunlight flooded her room through uncovered windows. Her trapdoor was still open, as her parents had always requested, and she waited for an answer expectantly, bouncing on her toes and not looking smitten in the slightest.
"Uh, what?"
"Buttons," she repeated. "Which one's your favorite?"
She'd dragged him upstairs for sewing help. He cleared his throat and smoothed out the collar of his shirt, which hadn't been rumpled by her hands.
"I've never thought about it," he said, keeping the disappointment out of his voice. "Flat buttons are probably the easiest to sew with, but Father says shank buttons are almost as easy, and I think they look... What?"
Marinette was laughing at him. "No, your favorite controller button, you goof." She waved one in front of his face. The A button had been taped down. Taking it in both hands again, she mimed playing an intense round. Enthusiasm bubbled off of her. He had no idea what this was about, but he was already on board with whatever it was. (Even if it wasn't kissing.)
"I'm confused." And also in love with you.
It was too late for his confession to be the first thing out of his mouth. His fingers itched to touch her, but she was too excited to let him interrupt.
"See, we're getting too good. We need a new way to push ourselves, so I thought, give ourselves a handicap." She pointed at the incapacitated button. "And go head-to-head. What do you think?"
"I think that's amazing."
As soon as the moment passed, he'd realized what a perfect opportunity he'd missed. Marinette was scrambling across her room to tape down the B on his controller. "You're," he whispered, too quiet for her to hear. "I think you're amazing."
"Catch!" The controller flew, and he caught it deftly. Marinette flopped onto the chaise, leaning sideways against the cushioned back, leaving enough room for him to sit at the end, if he didn't mind her feet poking his thigh, which he definitely did not.
The computer monitor flickered as Marinette scrolled through the settings. Adrien leaned forward as the round began, trying to ignore the way her toes jabbed him when he got a hit on her. It didn't happen very often. The handicap was almost impossible to play with. Marinette won every round easily. At the end of the fourth round, she covered a fake yawn and stretched lazily, and he finally realized something important.
"You practiced this beforehand, you dirty cheater!"
Marinette laughed wickedly as his character was knocked out again.
"You're almost as good as I am now, young grasshopper. I've got to maintain my superiority somehow!"
"We both know that isn't true." He swiped for her hands, but she was too fast, moving the controller out of his reach. "Give yourself a second handicap."
"Make me," she said, her feet pushing against him to press herself further into the back of the chaise.
"Give it."
"No."
He leaned over her legs and into her space, but she kept the controller away from him, grinning wildly. Feigning defeat, Adrien leaned back. When Marinette lowered it into her lap, he pounced forward, but she was still too quick, lifting both hands behind her head, hiding it out of sight.
"Hand it over!"
"No!"
He reached, and she leaned back farther, one elbow poking his cheek. Pushing into her, he strained to get the controller, and she arched underneath him to keep it away.
His arms were longer than hers. He should have been able to get it. His fingers found her wrists, and he slid them up to find her fingers.
A warm breath on his cheek made him stop. He was face-to-face with Marinette. He was nearly lying on top of her, pressing her into the chaise. They were both breathing hard, though they'd barely moved. One of her pigtails was loose.
"It's not fair," he said, mouth dry. "You need to make it even."
She lifted her head, until her face filled his vision and their noses touched. "Make me." Her lips brushed his with each word.
He kissed her.
Every longing moment, every loving thought he'd ever had about her poured through him into his kiss. Again and again his lips found hers. Somewhere, a controller clattered to the floor, and then her hands were on him, in his hair, splayed against his neck, pulling him closer, and he kissed her harder, caressing her face, pulling out her loose pigtail so he could feel her soft hair between his fingers.
Kissing a line from the corner of her mouth to ear and back, he asked, "Have I sufficiently dazed you?"
She hummed dreamily in response.
Kissing just below her ear, he asked, "Think you can play like this?"
A whisper. "No."
Taking his time, he worked his way back across her cheek, making sure to kiss every inch until he reached the corner of her lips, but he stopped just shy of them, gently kissing her nose instead. "Good."
Somehow, he managed to pull himself off of her. Marinette clutched at his shirt, trying to get him to come back, but he circled the chaise and retrieved her controller, holding it out to her. He loved the way her fingers hovered over her mouth as her eyes wandered up his arm. When her eyes reached his lips, her fingers pressed down hard, like it was the only way she could stop herself from kissing him again.
"Up for another round?" he asked, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to the computer screen.
"Yes, but not of that." She scowled. Half of her hair was loose around her shoulder.
"Let me win this game and you have a deal."
"Never."
"Poor, Marinette," he said, settling down next to her and clicking Start. "No more kisses for you."
Ten seconds into the round and Adrien already knew his plan was going to end badly. His hands were shaking. Marinette's character wobbled. Every time he licked his lips, he could still taste her.
And she had realized that if she rubbed her toes against his hip, he would jump and look over at her. The first time she did it, he was unsure if it had been on purpose, but the second, he turned to find a sly smile waiting for him. This girl was going to drive him crazy.
"I don't think much of your tactics," she said a minute later, as her character finished him off. It had taken three times longer than normal because they were both awful. "You're clearly just as dazed as I am."
"Not nearly enough," he said. Tossing the controller onto the desk, he reached for her waist and slid her into his lap. She came willingly, looping her arms around his neck and weaving her fingers into his hair.
One of his hands stayed at her waist, the other reached up and pulled her other pigtail loose. "You really do look good like this," he breathed.
"You love me," she giggled. "Admit it."
He leaned forward, forehead resting on hers, eyes locked. "Make me."
"Oh, believe me-" Marinette's voice was a low whisper, and Adrien felt a thrill. "I will."
***
Author’s note: This might just be my new favorite thing I’ve ever written. :) I wrote this in response to a poll I took a zillion years ago. It’s finally here! Thank you @ours-polaires, @khanofallorcs and @actuallycannotflirt for beta’ing this one! I know it was long, and I truly appreciate the help!
@tbehartoo
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Nemesis - Choose Your Own Whump 2
With A receiving the most votes on my last post, for this adventure we are going with a drugged Villain whumpee. Sorry about the generic name for this one, I really couldn’t think of anything else ^^
I hope you enjoy, and thanks to everyone for replying to the last post! As always, votes can be sent in through any method you want. Comments, asks, and PMs are all just fine. I’ll see it!
CW//Falling off a building, hostage situations, shapeshifting, medical abuse, extensive talk of sedatives, brief mention of a needle
Please note that the third scene of this piece is from the point of view of a drugged character, and thus the scene has some aspects that could be described as unreality. Please skip this scene if this would make you uncomfortable.
The video was grainy.
It was always grainy. That was the strange thing about it-- everyone carried around miniature computers in their pockets, equipped with tiny cameras that would have rivaled the most powerful devices of years prior. Any civilian could take a 4k quality video on some social media, but the moment anything actually important was happening, technology seemed to regress twenty years.
Hero supposed it didn’t matter. Their memory of the incident was certainly clear as day, better than any camera could ever capture.
And yet...
They clicked a button on the remote, and the clip restarted.
The sides of the screen were blocked out in fuzzy grey-- the video having been taken through the bars of a metal fence. Between them, the camera focused at first on the foot of a brown brick building, before panning upwards, only stopping upon reaching the roof. It took a moment for the visual to adjust, focusing against the glare of the sun overhead.
Two figures, on the building’s roof. Two figures seen so often together, in so many similar videos.
The standoff had taken from dawn till sunset. How Villain had gotten into the building unnoticed had yet to be fully understood, but, regardless of method, they wasted little time in taking hostage a group of professors, eating lunch together. A single one had been released, bringing with them a message:
“Everyone leaves. No one comes in. Everyone stays outside the fence.”
It had seemed like a trap, at first. Of course it had. It wouldn’t be the first time that Villain had played such a trick. After much debating, however, evacuation was deemed to be the best option, and the campus was soon barren.
The hours afterwards had been as long and hot as they had been nerve-wracking. The very thought of following orders from Villain made Hero’s stomach twist, but their orders were incredibly clear: Don’t do anything stupid.
It was an incredibly difficult order to follow.
Establishing a line of communication had been the hardest part. Villain had quickly disconnected any security cameras in the vicinity, alongside confiscating any technology their hostages might have held.
In the end, it was decided that a reporter would be the one to go in. One of the most recognizable faces in the city, and one that was neutral. Not fighting for either side, but representing the citizenry.
The whole plan bet on one fact: That the shapeshifting Hero could pull of the imitation.
It worked. At least, it worked for as long as it needed to. Villain accepted the olive branch, and allowed the supposed reporter to enter unharmed.
Of course, the illusion broke as soon as Hero opened their mouth. No matter how good they were at changing their shape, it did not change their voice. In the brief moment of confusion, the hostages had managed to make their escape.
Leaving only the two nemeses, and the building as their battlefield.
It was hard to remember the fight. They had waged so many battles against one another, they all seemed to blend together, at one point or another. There was broken glass, pushed over tables, exploding equipment, and then-
And then they were on the roof.
Villain was stupid, but they weren’t, well, they weren’t stupid. They may have had the moral compass of a kleptomaniac feline, and the brain cells to match, but they had common sense. A sense of self-preservation.
Forcing them to the edge of the roof... it was supposed to be like pushing them to a corner. Trapping them.
In the video, the two figures danced. Forward, and back, until one took the lead. Until they were up against the edge, with nowhere left to go.
They were supposed to stop. They weren’t supposed to fall.
They stopped their own fall, or at least they tried. They were telekinetic. Of course they did. But they were surprised, or confused, or, or something. They slowed themself down. But they did not stop. The force with which they struck the concrete parking lot below was more than enough to knock them out.
The video ended.
And... that was it. The end. Years and years of battles, some won, some lost, all ended. They should have been happy, and they were! They hated Villain, sincerely and truly hated them.
But no other villain fought like them. No other villain had their tongue, their wit. Their skill. Their fight.
Villain’s defeat should have been epic! The ultimate confrontation of good and evil, of chaos, and order.
Yet, their downfall was a simple trip.
In the corner of Hero’s TV screen, small white text helpfully reported to them just when that video had been recorded.
One year ago.
One year, since that day. Since Villain’s downfall. And now...
Hero’s phone buzzed. A text message. The confirmation of a meeting.
One whole year, and still, Hero’s mind was consumed by their lost nemesis.
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The diner was terribly busy, and yet, when Hacker walked through the door, Hero had no doubts as to their identity.
Despite their rather stereotypical appearance, there was nothing about the person’s manner that would have indicated the sheer amount of time they spent behind a computer screen. They greeted the receptionist, pointed to Hero, and exchanged a few words beyond that. With a smile, then, they parted, and made their way to Hero’s table.
Their manner only seemed strange when they sat down, and Hero noted that the way they smiled seemed to pain them.
“Is this seriously what you people act like?” They hissed through bared teeth. “Can I stop smiling now? Or will they look at me weird?”
“They’re already looking at you weird.”
“They are?”
“You- You don’t need to do that.”
“Oh thank god.” Immediately, their expression fell into one far more analytic. Far less friendly. “I, uh, don’t get out much.”
“Really?” Hero raised a brow incredulously.
“I’ve got more important things to do than, uh, than going out. Anyways.” They stuck a hand outwards. It was partially covered by a fingerless glove. “I’m Hacker.”
“I figured.” Hero shook the offered hand. “I’m Hero, though I suppose you already know that.”
“You’d think people here would be, uh, a bit more in awe? It’s not everyday you get to eat in the same building as a superhero.”
“Keep your voice down, please.”
“Oh, sorry. Is it, like, a secret? You don’t have a secret identity, do you?”
“No. But when I’m out of costume, I’m not exactly that recognizable. So let’s keep it that way. Kapish?”
“Kapash. But, still, oh my god. This is so cool! A real life hero...”
“Yeah... Yeah. A real hero alright.”
A hero who could hardly focus during battle. A hero who infuriated their team leader more than they aided them.
“Anyways.” Hacker raised their head, a far more natural smile coming onto their face. “I have the... thing.”
“You mentioned that. It’s about Villain, right?”
“Mhm.”
The person across the booth leaned down, prying a laptop from a carrying case and placing it atop the table. It was a bulky thing, and as soon as it was turned on, the shrill sound of fans struggling not to overheat filled Hero’s head. Hacker clicked around a bit. They gripped the edges of the device, as if about to spin it around, before they stopped, frowning.
“It’s been a year now, hasn’t it?” They commented.
“Since Villain was captured. Yes. 374 days.”
“You remember?”
“Yes.”
“You miss them, don’t you?”
It was so direct. Hero couldn’t help but stutter:
“I don’t- Of course I don’t miss them. I hate them.”
Hacker looked up over the laptop screen to give them an incredulous look. It wasn’t a convincing lie.
“I don’t miss them.” Hero stood their ground. “But I want to make sure they’re contained.”
“I just... I don’t know if this is something you want to see. You’re trying to move on, and-”
“Show me it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. If it’s something to do with their containment, I need to know about it. I can’t let them hurt anyone else.”
“Well, that’s not the problem here. If you’re sure.”
With a sigh, Hacker spun the computer around, so that it’s screen faced Hero.
They weren’t sure what they expected. Some kind of... deep web threat? A message from Villain? A copycat? An escape attempt?
But they didn’t get any of that. Instead, the screen displayed a simple PDF. Medical records. At the top, in bold letters and a rather ostentatious logo, the header read:
Specialized Criminal Rehabilitation Unit of Organization
For the most part, the page was Greek to Hero. A slew of ID numbers and attending physicians with far too many acronyms following their names. What did make sense to them was the spreadsheet that made up most of the page, labelled:
Approved Daily Medication Dosage for Patient: Villain
The spreadsheet took up two pages with solid text. Hero did not recognize the medication names, of course, but they did not need to be a doctor to understand the entries written under the column labelled “Medication Purpose.”
Every single data cell, even as they scrolled to the bottom of the document, contained only one word. The same word.
Sedation
“This is...” Hero muttered, furrowing their brow. Scrolling up and down. This had to be wrong, somehow.
“I don’t understand most of it.” Hacker commented sheepishly. “But, uh, I have a few friends with some more medical knowledge than me. They’ve never seen anything like it. It’s more than enough medication to sedate a fucking elephant- sorry, excuse my language.”
“It’s fine.” The confusion in their voice was rapidly melting to fury.
“Even for major surgical procedures... nothing near this level would ever be used.”
“This has to be a mistake.” Hero shook their head. “A mix-up. Maybe it’s like... all the medications the facility ordered. And they just labelled it wrong.”
“Well, if it’s a mistake, they’ve been making the exact same one for an entire year. I’ve got 374 of these files. Newest one just got uploaded a few hours ago.”
“And they’re always the same?”
“With some minor dosage adjustments, but yes. That’s not, um, that’s not all of it.”
Hacker reached over, dragging the computer back so that it faced them again. There was more clicking this time, along with typing at a speed that made Hero’s fingers hurt, just to watch it.
When the laptop was spun back around, this time, it was a video.
A camera feed.
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Villain felt about to choke on their tongue.
It wasn’t a new feeling. More or less, it was the only thing they felt, anymore. That heavy block of muscle in their mouth, threatening at any moment to block throat choke air no air no-
They were losing their words again. Words... wordsssssss... Voices. Voices spoke words. Sometimes, they did. Sometimes they grumbled and muttered and sputtered and murmured like a car murmured. Cars... or was it cats? No, cats didn’t murmur. They purred. What else did they do? Not bark... no, barking too loud for cats. Cat go mew mew, real quiet like.
Cat’s meow, that is a cat’s voice. There were other voices, too. Quiet like cats. Two of them, two voices. They knew those voices, those were the doctors’ voices. The doctors liked to talk a lot. They talked, but they did not see. Or... no. They were not seen. Villain did not see them. They wanted to, but their eyes were broken. The engines in their eyelids would not run anymore, would not open the garage door, Sally!
One of the doctors’ voices got closer. A million miles away, a hand was laid upon Villain’s wrist, flipping over their hand so that their palm faced downward.
“Let’s move it.”
It was a silly thing to say. Nothing moved in this place. Nothing that Villain could see, as their eyes were broken.
“Is the other vein healed enough?”
“It’s going to have to be.”
Silly words... Villain wanted to laugh, but their muscles were firmly locked away behind a padlock.
“Okay.” The doctor sounded so sad. Why were they so sad? Villain’s mouth was full of soil. The doctor was tired. “I’ll get the rest of the medicines.”
“We’re going 30 milligrams up from yesterday on the Propofol.”
“Oh? Why?”
“They opened their eyes, yesterday.”
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Hero felt sick. In the top right corner of the security footage, the same logo from the medical records was displayed. The Specialized Criminal Rehabilitation Unit of Organization. Below it, a subtitle.
“Keeping the city safe.”
Was this safety? It shouldn’t have been. They had known, of course, what had happened to Villain after their capture and very brief hospital stay. It was what happened to all villains. They were sent to the rehab unit.
A therapy program. Helping villains to control their powers and reform their lives. To return them to the straight and narrow. But, now that Hero thought about it...
Villain was the only one who had never been released.
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Thanks so much for reading! Just like last time, there are two options along with every part of this story. Alongside each options is a question, so that you guys can give more specific suggestions if you so wish. The option that receives the most votes will be the choice that our Hero makes!
A.) Tell someone about what is happening - Who should Hero tell? (They are on a small team, as well as part of a larger Organization, for reference.)
B.) Attempt a more direct approach. Visit Villain in the rehab program - Should Hero try to rescue Villain immediately?
#whump#whumpee#whumpblr#whump community#hero villain whump#drugged whumpee#drugged villain#villain whumpee#hero villain prompt#choose your own whump#choose your own adventure#nemesis
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Mcytblr 2021 Elections
Hello again, Mcytblr! We’ve got another round of elections coming up, run by @mcytblr-elections-2021, and once again reported on by Main Journalist DoomedIdeas. To those of you who don’t know about the elections, consider this a good introduction! We’ll be going over what they are, what’s happening, and some information on the team running this whole event. Hope to see you running, and as always, don’t look back. The elections are coming up, and this time, the best we can do is keep moving forwards!
First of all, keep in mind that these are not the same elections as before. This cycle is run by new people, with new candidates, and let’s treat them all with respect, please. If you’d like to join, it’s really easy- find yourself between 1 and 7 other runningmates, make a campaign, register with the mods of the elections, and go wild. Posts about the election run from propaganda, to slander, to bystander memes, and even some amazing fanart- keep on the lookout for that!
Now that the introduction is complete, I’d like some of the moderators themselves to tell you about what’s going on. I was able to get an interview with @braveboyhalo (ginger) and @kiwilovescitrusfruit (kiwi), two admins of this year’s elections. Here’s what they had to say.
(Quotes taken directly from source, with slight editing for clarity and comprehension.)
Did you have any involvement with the 2020 elections, and what do you think about them?
Ginger: “I was involved in that, yeah. I did pretty okay and I enjoyed them a lot! I’m not much into roleplay but there were a lot of other reasons it was fun, I made a couple friends.”
Kiwi: “I actually had zero influence at the time! I was just getting into the mcyt community after several years without, so it was around that time I started originally getting into the fandom. I saw a few posts about it on and off, but I never participated or really followed through on it!”
Do you think the past elections will influence this one, and if so, how?
Kiwi: “They definitely have a huge influence, a lot of people have been nostalgic for the ways things used to be. I’ve heard several comments already that this season of the election reminds them a lot of the original! Besides, our inspiration to start this was the original elections and our desire to improve upon the second ones.”
What do you think of some of the currently running parties?
Ginger: “We have a lot of them. Most of them have pretty, uh, funny names, which sets the tone for the election. A couple of the parties already have posters and such, so they’re pretty passionate, which is surprising.”
Kiwi: “Well, they’re… a lot! [UNNAMED PARTY] kind of scares me. A lot of the parties kind of scare me! There are a lot of funny, cool, popular and talented people in the running, and I encourage everyone to go through our blog and check out each and every person who’s up to doing this. It takes a lot of courage to run for president.”
What do you expect to see in the upcoming weeks?
Ginger: “The mod team and I are midway through setting up the official discord and making it able to hold enough people. We have a couple parties forming already, so we’re trying to keep it going while making sure everyone gets what they need.”
Kiwi: “I expect to see [TRANSCRIPT PARTIALLY LOST]. The planning discord is full of sparkly banners [LOST], big runners have [LOST], and the tags are fuller than ever! This is going down hard in the community, and I couldn’t be more excited! I’m also hoping for cool art. I’m always hoping for cool art.”
What is the modding situation like?
Ginger: “We’re planning to add a lot more regulation and modding so it stays friendly. Our bot coder is setting up a ticket/report system, and we’re going to have a lot of pretty active people modding to keep chats safe. We don’t want a lot of drama or hurt feelings, so I myself and some people I trust to be impartial and fair will be actively modding for most of it.”
Is there anything else you’d like to say to the readers?
Ginger: “I’d just like to thank everyone for giving us a chance, and i’m glad we can get a lot of new or shy people into the active mcytblr community.”
Kiwi: “I’d like to say that I’m very proud of everyone who’s come together to run for the elections, I’m very excited for what’s going forward. Also, hermitblr, please feel free to join. You guys know elections and corruption, and are really cool. I just think it would be fun!”
Overall, this election is absolutely full of new faces, and trying to draw more in. It’s well set up, the candidates are raring to go, and everything will turn out just fine. Feel free to run, vote, and get involved in any way you wish- The Mcytblr 2021 Elections welcome everybody, and we’d be glad to see you here!
(Please remember that the Journalist is unbiased, and these statements are relatively unedited. If you have any questions or concerns, our inbox is always open, and we are happy to accept anything from slight corrections to letters to the Editor.)
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Lioness And Her Lion
Request: Yes / No So the reader is Daryl’s younger sister and with soulmate marks Glenn and the Reader each have half of a tattoo please? any season is @julia-potter626
Requests are closed <3 Have a nice day/night
Glenn Rhee x Fem!Dixion!Reader
Word count: 2645
Warnings: Nothing really I think
Y/N: Your Name
PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK!
If you want to be on the tag list for anything (My series fics, specific character fics, or just all of them) All you have to do is send me an ask and I will add you!
Masterlist
(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)
My two older brothers taught me all about soulmates when I was growing up. They each had a different tattoo. Merle’s was a deer on his hand while Daryl had a really pretty cherokee rose with two arrows.
They each got theirs when they were fifteen, so when it was my turn I was so excited to see what I would get! As soon as I blew out my candles I searched my body for the new tattoo. I found it quickly on my arm and smiled.
“That’s pretty badass, little lady.” Daryl said with a smile.
“I don’t know little lamb, seems you’re stuck with some asshole.” Merle said and Daryl smacked him.
“Fuck off, don’t scare her.” Daryl growled and I rolled my eyes at my brothers.
“Can you two please not fucking fight on my birthday?” I groaned. They always seemed to be at each other’s throats, but I was the only thing that seemed to bring them together. If anyone ever messed with me they would come together and take care of the problem. After I got my tattoo, they seemed to be extra protective of me. So when the world ended they took me with them and made sure I was always safe.
A month into the apocalypse, I had become really depressed. I gave up hope of ever finding my soulmate and my brothers noticed how crushed I was. Daryl always tried to keep my mind off it, or tell me that my person was still out there, but it was just so hard to believe that with the way things were going. It was especially hard to believe his words when I had Merle telling me that he was wrong and I should just give up like he did. Eventually the three of us found a group and joined them in surviving. Daryl had met his soulmate Carol, which went roughly, but turned out alright in the end. Merle had turned into more of a druggie and Daryl kept me away from him. I was honestly distant from everyone in the group. I was still so broken up about never finding my soulmate that I would just spend most of the time in my tent or out hunting with Daryl.
One day I was sitting alone in my tent, just staring at my lioness tattoo. That's really how I spent a lot of my time. How could something so beautiful bring me so much pain?
“Hey! Y/N!” I heard Daryl call for me. I sighed and pulled down my sleeve, then made my way outside.
“What is it bubba?” I asked, walking over to him. I noticed he was standing with one of the guys in the group, Glenn I’m pretty sure his name is?
“What did I tell ya about using that damn nickname around other people?” He growled and I rolled my eyes.
“Get over it. If you can call me little lady around everyone then I can call you bubba.” I said crossing my arms and he sighed.
“Whatever. Kid, show her your arm.” He said to Glenn.
“Uh, alright?” He said and extended his arm towards me. My eyes widened and I looked down at my covered arm.
“D-Do you think?” I whispered and looked up at my brother for confirmation.
“Only one way to find out.” He said and I pulled my sleeve up. I placed my arm next to his and our tattoos started to glow softly. Both our eyes widened and we looked into each other’s eyes.
“It’s you…” We whispered at the same time.
“Told ya you’d find him.” Daryl said and I smiled.
“But, if you even think about hurtin her, you’re gonna deal with me!” Daryl threatened and I groaned.
“Way to ruin the moment!” I said and my brother shrugged, but walked off.
“I was honestly starting to lose hope.” Glenn said, making me look back at him.
“I already lost hope, that’s why I’ve been so distant.” I blushed. Glenn placed his hand on my cheek, making me look into his brown eyes.
“You don’t ever have to worry about losing me.” He said and I smiled.
“I really hope so.” I replied.
Our group had grown, which meant we needed a bigger place to keep everyone. We had found a prison that we were all living in, it was a nice little community. Everything was great, until the Governor attacked us with a tank. I was grabbed by Maggie during the attack and she helped me get to safety, along with Sasha and Bob. I had no idea where Daryl or Glenn were, and I had no idea if either of them were safe or dead. The four of us were in the fog and walkers were growling all around us. We all stood back to back killing any walker that made their way to us. It was hard and I was almost bit, but Sasha shot it.
“You ready?” Maggie asked once we were all safe and recovered from the attack.
“We should wait till the fog clears.” Sasha said.
“We’ve been waiting a while.” Maggie said.
“You see all this? We got lucky. We need visibility. And we’ve got six bullets left.” She sighed.
“She’s right. We’ve been doing good following the plan. No need to get sloppy now.” Bob said and I rolled my eyes.
“I am a tracker, I could just lead us away from the walkers.” I pointed out.
“No, if we don’t keep you safe Daryl will have all our heads on spikes.” Sasha said and I sighed.
“Glenn wouldn’t be too happy either.” Maggie said and I nodded.
“Fine, whatever.” I said as Maggie pulled out a compass.
“What is it?” Sasha asked. Maggie tossed it to her and sighed.
“It’s broken.” She said and Sasha sighed in defeat.
“We don’t need it. Sun comes up in the east, sets in the west. We’ll keep an eye on it in between. We’ll be fine, right Y/N?” Bob asked and I gave a small smile.
“Yeah, we’ll be fine.” I agreed. The two women didn’t seem too convinced, but didn’t say anything.
Once the fog cleared we all headed out. We found some tracks and I sign that read.
‘Sanctuary for all community for all those who arrive survive Terminus.’
“Terminus. When we were out on the run to the veterinary college, we heard a message about this on the radio.” Bob said.
“They were broadcasting?” Maggie asked.
“What did it say?” Sasha asked.
“Couldn’t make it out. I only know because I’m seeing it now. “Those who arrive survive.”” He answered.
“We should go.” I said. Maybe Daryl and Glenn are there.
“I thought we were looking for your brother and Glenn.” Sasha said.
“What if they saw one of these? They would go looking for me looking for them.” I said and Sasha sighed.
“Look at this map. All these tracks from different directions, all leading to the same place!” I said with a smile.
“It’s far. And we don’t know if there are other signs.” Sasha said, thinking with her brain rather than her heart.
“You don’t think this is the only one?” Maggie asked and I smiled slightly.
“This is the best lead we’ve had so far. It says sanctuary. That’s just another reason to try. Others from the prison could be there. Tyreese.” Bob tried convincing Sasha.
“If it sounds too good to be true… Maybe if Glenn or Daryl saw one of these, maybe they’d feel the same way.” She said.
“Glenn wouldn’t. He’d believe, I know it.” I said.
“And Daryl?” Sasha asked and I sighed.
“Daryl would probably agree with you.” I answered and she nodded.
“Look, what do you want to do, Sasha? Keep making these circles from the bus? Or are you talking about us starting to do something else?” Bob asked and she looked at him.
“We’re not splitting up. That can’t happen. You want to take a vote or something?” He suggested.
“We don’t need to vote.” She said and walked away. I smiled at the other two and followed behind them.
After a while we set up camp in the woods nearby. Bob and Sasha stayed at the little camp while Maggie and I went to get firewood. Maggie had become the older sister I’ve always wanted. When we first met, she had become protective of me almost instantly, said I reminded her of herself when she was my age.
“Sasha isn’t gonna go through with it ya know.” I said with a sigh.
“Yeah, I know.” She also sighed.
“I’m goin’ with or without them.” I said and she gave me a small smile.
“Then I am too. I promised your brother and Glenn that I’d keep you safe.” My eyes widened.
“Really? You’d risk everything for me?” She nodded with a smile.
“Of course, I need to see my sister too.” She said and I nodded.
We decided we weren’t gonna actually tell them we were leaving. Instead, while the two of them were asleep, we left a note.
‘Don’t risk your lives 4 me good luck’
The two of us were off to Terminus. Trying to find anyone from the prison. Our siblings, my soulmate. We followed the tracks and ended up finding another sign. We ran up to it and I went to write on the box it was on, but a walker growled behind me.
“I got it.” Maggie said, but I stopped her.
“No, I got this.” I said with a smile. I walked up and kicked it in the knee, then stabbed it in the head. I cut its stomach open and used some blood to write on the box.
‘Glenn and Daryl go to Terminus Y/N, Maggie’
Maggie gave me a smile and nodded for us to continue. She handed me a rag and I cleaned the walker blood off.
“That was a smart idea.” She said and I smiled slightly.
“Thanks, Daryl taught me use what you got.” I said and she chuckled.
“Smart man your brother is.” She said and I nodded.
“It came in handy when the world ended.” I said and she sighed.
“The worlds not over.” I looked at her confused.
“What’d you mean?” She smiled.
“The worlds over when all the good people are gone.” She said and I thought about that for a moment. Maybe she was right.
When we passed another building with a walker near it I did the same thing.
‘Glenn and Daryl go to Terminus Y/N, Maggie’
I needed to leave a trail. I needed to be with them again. I needed to know they were alright. Not knowing anything was killing me, more than anything that’s happened before. I refused to believe either of them were dead. But I had to be strong like Daryl and even Merle taught me. Dixions were strong right till the very end.
Maggie and I reached a town. The two of us decided to see if we could find anything. It was abandoned like most places were nowadays. There ain't nothin’ safe out there anymore. Terminus might not even be safe, but it could be safe enough for a while. Maggie might have wanted to look for supplies, but I needed to find another walker.
“We need to rest for a bit.” Maggie said and I sighed, knowing she was right.
“Ain’t nothin’ looks safe enough.” I pointed out and she gave me a small smirk.
“We got walker blood all over us, we could just lay in the small pile over there and blend in.” She said and I thought she was crazy, but it was the best idea we had. So, the two of us laid down and rested for a bit.
We woke up to a sudden crash and walkers coming out from all their hiding spots. Maggie grabbed me and we went to grab some weapons. Maggie grabbed a sign and I pulled my bow from my back. We heard someone else fighting them and found Sasha on top of a car. The two of us joined in the fight.
“Where’s Bob?” Maggie asked.
“Out looking for you two.” Sasha answered.
“What are you here?”
“Supplies and rest.” Maggie answered and I bit my lip.
“I was looking for another walker.” I said and Maggie looked at me with slightly wide eyes.
“Obviously, we found more than I wanted…” I blushed slightly in embarrassment.
“Y/N, we didn’t need to go into town to leave another message.” Maggie said, grabbing my shoulders.
“I know, but what if they came through here before they saw any of those damn messages! I gotta leave as many as I can!” I said and She sighed.
“We’ll find them.” Sasha said and we both looked at her.
“We can make it there.” Maggie said.
“I know, so let’s find Bob and let’s make it there.” She said and I smiled.
It really wasn’t that long before we found him. All we had to do was follow the tracks, but at a faster pace. We saw him walking along the tracks and we all smiled.
“Bob.” Sasha called and turned to face us. He smiled and the three of us hugged him. After the short reunion we followed the tracks to another sign.
‘Glenn and Daryl go to Terminus Y/N, Maggie, Sasha, Bob’
We walked a while and made it to a tunnel. Another perfect spot for a message.
‘Glenn and Daryl go to Terminus Y/N, Maggie, Bob, Sasha’
We all tried goin’ through the tunnel, but we heard walkers. We couldn’t go through. We had to go around, I only hoped my boys would do the same. During our trip we found some people in a car. They had been with Glenn! We all heard shooting from inside the tunnel and quickly drove in.
“Get down!” Abraham shouted. Each of us took aim with our guns and killed the small hoard of walkers. When they were all dead I walked up to Glenn and hugged him crying.
“Oh my God.” He whispered. We pulled apart and I kissed him more than once.
“Hi.” I whispered.
“Hi.” He whispered back. My heart felt fuller than it did before and we kissed again.
All of us were clearing the walkers to the side, deciding to stay the night here.
“God, you are so beautiful.” Glenn said after we just dropped a walker on the ground. I smiled and laughed. He was adorable as ever.
“How’d it go?” Glenn asked Rosita as she walked back with the girl Glenn had been protecting.
“End of the tunnel’s secure. If anything tries to come in, we’ll hear it in plenty of time.
“We ain’t get to officially meet.” I said to the girl.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Tara, this is Y/N. Y/N, Tara.” Glenn said and she shook my hand.
“Hi.” She said.
“Hi.” I replied.
“He’s a big fan of yours.” She said and Glenn gave a small chuckle.
“I met Tara on the road. Couldn’t have made it here without her.” He said and I pulled her in for a hug.
“Thank you.” I said.
“When she heard what I was doing, she said she had to help me. She’s just that kind of person.” He said, smiling at her. If it was any other situation I would probably be jealous, but he was my soulmate and based on what she said, he talked about me a lot. Glenn grabbed my hand and I pulled him in for another kiss. My other half was back and I felt happy for the first time since the prison. Now all I needed was Daryl and my world would be perfect once again. But for right now, this was enough.
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Hey everyone, welcome to my blog. I’ve decided to start writing again and what better platform than Tumblr loool. Anyway, I’ve decided to start off with something light, so here’s 21 things I learnt in 2021:
1. The only thing you can control in this life is you.
2. Things get better, I promise. When will they get better? I can’t tell you for sure but they will. Even though the wait is long.😂
3. Get into a routine!!! It makes completing tasks so much easier.
4. Listen to your intuition. That gut feeling is right more than half the time.
5. Set Boundaries! Setting boundaries leads to you communicating your needs and dictating how you’d like to be treated. I got this from TikTok don’t sue me.😂😂😂
6. Friendships are relationships. You need to work on your platonic relationships just as you do your romantic ones.
7. There is romance in friendship. Being loved for who you are by people who just want to see you win?? Bliss.
8. Communicate your feelings.
9. You have to actively work towards achieving the things you want. That beach trip? Organise it. Girls night? Text your friends. The only person that can give you experiences is you!
10. You have to find happiness in yourself before you go looking for it in others. It sounds like a cliche but trust me.
11. You can’t do this life thing alone. You need people.
12. Ask for help, you don’t know everything.
13. Take people at face value.
14. We do not experience life the same. Eg. your very kind and conventionally attractive friend telling you to “put yourself out there” in terms of dating. It’s not the same mamas but thank you.😩
15. Engage with socio-political and economic issues. Vote at local and national government level. Political apathy isn’t ‘cool.’
16. Wear a mini-skirt.
17. Do not be afraid to be yourself. You hate something all your friends love? It’s okay speak up! Wear the print you love but everyone hates. As long as it brings you joy.
18. Allow yourself to feel everything. You cannot run away from your emotions. Trust me I tried.🤣😩
19. Do not be afraid to confront people. Unsettled emotions lead to resentment.
20. Better things are coming your way. DO NOT SETTLE.
21. “You cannot pin joy like a moth.” Don’t postpone your happiness, celebrate the good things. It’s so easy to dwell on the negative we forget to enjoy the things we worked towards that materialised! Live life today!
Happy New Year everyone! May this year come with good things for you all. God bless you.❤️❤️
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