#too much egg but that's not a deal breaker

[missannwinchester]

Plaything, Joel x Reader SMUT

Thank you for the moodboard, @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog 💕

18+

adults only

SUMMARY: You're Joel's pretty doll.

part 2 here

WARNINGS: creepy behaviour, Joel dresses reader up like a doll, sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship mentioned, oral sex, sex, rough sex, hair pulling, pet names (baby, doll, darling, etc.), spanking, age gap (reader is in her late 20s) You sighed in your sleep when Joel opened up the blinds. The sun was shining straight at your face and you rolled over, facing away from the window, but Joel didn’t give up. You heard him walk around the bedroom and fiddle with his old, beloved record player. He always corrected you, “it’s a gramophone”, he would always say, but you didn’t really care.

Stars shining bright above you

You smiled when you heard the song, hiding your face in one of the pillows.

Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"

Joel walked up to the bed and sat on the edge. His calloused fingers stroked your hair, gently, almost hesitantly. You hummed to encourage him to keep going. It was way too early to get up, but you knew you didn’t have much of a choice.

The thing with Joel was that he liked his routine. He was strongly set in his ways and some people found it bizarre, but it never bothered you. Before every work day he needed to prepare his clothes for the following day. He always ironed what had to be ironed, and folded what had to be folded… or more like he folded even the things that you would never bother to fold. After that, he always poured two glasses of water and brought them on a tray to your nightstands. In the morning he liked his coffee strong and bitter, his toast crispy and with butter. For you, however, he was willing to scramble eggs or even make something as extravagant as chocolate chip pancakes. There were days though, when his routine looked different. Like today.

Birds singing in the sycamore tree

Still stroking your hair, he started humming the song, admiring your soft smile and barely noticeable, shallow wrinkles. He leaned down and kissed your cheek, making you finally open your eyes. “Come on, sweetheart,” he encouraged you and pulled down the comforter.

“I wanna sleep,” you argued. “Not now,” he said and grabbed your shoulders to pull you up to a sitting position.

He was very strong, never had problems with lifting you up. Sometimes it made you wonder how that was even possible because most men his age couldn’t stop complaining about back problems.

“Get up, I need to get you all ready,” he said, holding you by your chin and you reluctantly got up.

Was Joel a weirdo? Most definitely. You tried not to think about it because it creeped you out too much. At first you thought of it as a deal breaker, but you quickly realized that it was actually one of your favorite things.

“Get in the shower, I’ll be right there,” he instructed and you nodded before kissing him on the lips.

He smiled and watched you go. You left the bathroom door open and you knew he could see how you stripped from your pajama set and turned the water on. After a short while he joined you in the shower, and placing his big palms on your hips he turned you around to face him. You were both standing under a wide stream of water, watching each other’s bodies, tracing water droplets down your shoulders and chests. Joel’s cock was semi - hard, and your fingers traveled so far down his chest you could now brush your thumb along his length. Joel took your shampoo and poured a generous amount on his hand, getting ready to wash your hair. Your eyes closed as soon as his hands touched your head. His fingers rubbed the shampoo into your hair, applying just the right amount of pressure. He massaged every inch of your head and you’d lie if you said you didn’t enjoy it. When he was convinced that your scalp and hair had enough, he directed you gently under the stream of water again. He made sure to leave no foam, rinsing your hair thoroughly. Then, he put some conditioner on and you had to wait. It was a well practiced routine by now. You knew exactly he didn’t want you to be idle. He helped you kneel down on the slippery shower floor and he took his bar of soap and started cleaning himself.

Your greedy hand rushed to his balls, caressing them, feeling every inch. Your other hand grabbed his cock at the base. He sighed, loud enough for you to hear it over the running water, when you took his tip into your mouth. You sucked on it, still massaging his balls. He grew harder under your touch and you smiled, licking water off Joel’s shaft with your tongue. The bitterness you tasted came from the soap and you grimaced. You waited a short while for water to rinse the soap residue from his body, using your hand to pleasure him. Then, you licked the side of his length again before taking him into your mouth as deep as it would go. He let you control this experience so you picked your own pace, taking breaks to suck his balls too, pressing your nose into his pubic hair as you did. After a while his hips started rolling into your face uncontrollably and you knew it was a sign that he’s close. You focused all your attention on his balls for a little longer and then swirled your tongue around the tip to tease him just a little. Then finally your mouth slid down his length and the tip brushed your throat. You bobbed your head, picking up the pace until he grunted, grabbed your head pressing you into him and spilled his cum inside your mouth. Some of it ran down your chin, mixed with your saliva and water, but you managed to swallow most of it.

You stood up and Joel ran his thumb across your chin in an attempt to clean it. He turned water off and wrapped you in a towel before drying himself.

“Head,” he muttered and you bent over.

He wrapped another towel around your hair and let you straighten up.

“Upstairs now,” he ordered before kissing you softly on your lips.

Upstairs. The upstairs was a part of the house that the two of you would never ever want anyone to know about. You walked up the stairs slowly and as always you felt as if you were flying backwards through time. You knew you could open a museum here. You walked through the dark corridor towards one particular bedroom. You opened the door and walked up to the windows and started opening the old fashioned drapes, letting the sunlight into the room. Everything here wasn’t just old. It was historical. From the carpet to the chandelier. You unwrapped your hair, letting it fall down your shoulders and you took off the towel covering your body as well. You hid those under the bed just in time for Joel to walk into the room.

“So beautiful,” he admired you.

At the beginning of your unique relationship it bothered you that Joel wasn’t a talker. You couldn’t get out of him what he liked, not even his favorite color. Even though you were very uncomfortable the first time he took you upstairs for this, you really appreciated how he could open up here.

“Come here, my doll,” he requested and you took a few steps to get to him.

He was wearing the clothes he had prepared for himself last night - dress pants and a shirt. The sleeves hugged his bicep perfectly and stretched dangerously when he grabbed you and pulled you against him, kissing you passionately. He could still taste himself on your tongue.

“Come on, let’s get you all ready,” he whispered and walked up to a chest of drawers.

He pulled a pair of white underpants, the kind that women used to wear sometime in the past, and kneeled down to your feet. You grabbed onto his shoulder and lifted one of your legs, sliding your foot into the underpants. Then you did the same with your other leg.

“That’s right, sweetheart,” he praised you and ran his fingers up your legs before pulling the underpants on.

“Now something for the top,” he told you, stuffing you into something that resembled a corset, but wasn’t as restrictive as you imagined a corset to be.

“Beautiful. Who’s my most beautiful doll?” He asked and you knew he expected an answer.

“I am, Joel,” you said and reached out to caress his cheek.

“Yes, dear. Sit down, I don’t have much time,” he said lovingly and you let him lead you to the most extraordinary vanity in the whole world (at least according to you).

The carvings in the dark wood were very detailed, gold elements around the edges looked like the most thoughtful embroideries. You looked at yourself in the framed mirror of the vanity, completely unbothered by a crack in the top left corner. You remembered asking Joel why he never replaced it, but he told you that it just wouldn’t have been the same vanity.

“When do you have to be at work?” You asked.

“At 9,” he sighed. “I think it’s gonna be a really tough day today, you know?”

Joel reached for a vintage perfume bottle that you knew had been filled with your very modern detangling spray. He sprayed your wet hair with it and grabbed a hair brush. Gently, starting with your ends, he slowly brushed through your hair.

“Why, what’s going on?”

“The boss is coming over, you know how he is,” he explained.

He took a hairdryer from a drawer and plugged it in and you remembered the first time you saw it. You laughed hysterically at the absurdity of all of it and life flashed before your eyes because you were sure that your perverted sugar daddy would choke you to death with a medieval pillow and bury you in the backyard. Since that hadn’t happened, you convinced yourself to just go with it until you started enjoying it probably as much as he did.

Joel finished drying your hair leaving it damp and hid the dryer meticulously. He gently ran a brush through it again and then clipped a section at the top of your head. He took a basket with rag rolls he made himself and started carefully putting them on your hair.

“Your hair is so soft,” he commented and you caught his gaze in the mirror. “And so shiny,” he said and leaned down to smell it.

He slid his lips down a strand of your hair before putting it in a rag roller. It was things like that that used to make your skin curl, but you got used to them. Sure, if you thought about it it was still creepy, and even though your mind was telling you to run and never look back, your heart always gave you excuses to stay.

“It’s because of all those fancy conditioners that you use on it,” you say with a smile and the corners of his lips also lift up.

“Anything for you, my pretty doll,” he hummed in your ear, brushed his stubble against the soft skin on your neck and left a sloppy kiss on your pulse spot. 

You had been wet since the shower, but feeling his lips on your neck awoke the desire in you again. The desire you knew you had to repress for now. Joel’s thick fingers were surprisingly skilled and he quickly managed to curl the whole bottom section of your hair and unclipped the rest. He was humming Dream a little dream of me.

“I’m gonna be thinking about you all day, you know? I’m gonna be thinking of your hair and your lips and your thighs and your breasts, all of you, you know that, darling?” He told you when he was done.

“I’m gonna be thinking about you too,” you confessed and he kneeled next to you.

Joel put his hand on your lap and rested his forehead on your shoulder. You would have turned to face him, but the massive chair you were in didn’t allow it.

“I know, my doll, I know,” he said and brushed his fingers against your clothed clit.

“Please, Joel, I need you to touch me,” you told him huskily, but he shook his head.

“Not now, now get up,” he instructed and you bucked your hips to chase his hand. “Up!”

You reluctantly obeyed and walked up to the bed. You crawled on top of the embroidered blanket and sat, looking at him with a pout.

“Now, be a good doll and wait for me,” he said and kissed your forehead, stroking your cheek. “I’ll come play with you at 5.”

You nodded and watched him leave the room. You heard his heavy steps  on the creaking stairs and you lied down, waiting for him to leave the house.

Your days always looked the same. You ate breakfast, cleaned up a little, watched tv, and listened to music. When you didn’t have anything in your hair you could go to a mall or on a walk, but today you just read a book in the garden. You kept checking the time so that you didn’t disappoint Joel. You wondered what he might do if he didn’t find his doll where he left her, but you decided not to check. Not today, probably not ever. He was a peculiar man and you thought he was fairly docile, but you knew his rough side and you certainly knew how strong he was. So, you made a compromise with your brain to at least be obedient if you chose not to run away.

You heard the creaking steps before Joel opened the door to the bedroom. He looked tired and you knew that his day was just as bad as he had predicted.

“Good afternoon, darling,” he muttered tiredly and crawled onto the bed to kiss you.

“Hey.”

“You’re such a good baby, waiting here for me,” he whispered in your ear and grabbed your hands, pulling you off the bed.

You let him lead you towards a big closet, the one you were told not to open under any circumstances because the heavy door had a tendency to fall out of hinges. Joel opened the door carefully and you took a few hesitant steps. You reached out to touch a collection of old dresses, well to be fair some of them only looked old, but were made for you by Joel who had a few hidden, pretty unusual talents.

Joel chose a dress of his liking and started dressing you up. Corset, ribbons, lace inserts, tiny buttons. He looked like he was in a trance and you didn’t dare to interrupt him, just wanting him to relax. Next, he sat you on a stool to put on your stockings. He gently caressed your legs while putting them on, and kissed both of your knees. Your least favorite part was the uncomfortable shoes, but it wasn’t like you had to do a lot of walking anyway.

“My prettiest doll,” Joel said and looked at you with a shy smile. “Go sit in front of the mirror, darling, look how pretty you are.”

You did your best not to wince with every step, but soon you made it to the vanity and sat on the massive chair in front of it. You knew that now, Joel would take your rag rollers off and he did. One by one, they were gone, being put into a basket you held for him. He pinned half of your hair up, leaving the rest of the curls intact and took a dark green ribbon to tie it on top of your half updo. When he was satisfied with the look, he grabbed the massive chair by its armrests and turned it towards him. He kneeled in front of you and wrapped his arms around your waist, burying his nose in the crook of your breasts. His hot breath tingled you and sent a wave of arousal down your body. The corset had your breasts pushed upwards and Joel rested his face on them as if they were pillows. He moved his head to the sides, scratching your delicate skin with his graying scruff, making it red. He pressed his clothed crotch into your calf with a grunt and looked up.

“Almost ready,” he panted.

You wondered if he didn’t take more pleasure from this than from sex and you thought about asking him, but you weren’t sure you wanted to know the answer.

Joel searched for something in a leather bag and a while later he pulled out a lipstick. He put it on your lips with precision, then he colored your eyelids and he glued on fake eyelashes.

“Perfect,” he gasped, still on his knees in front of you.

“Am I your prettiest doll now?” You asked, stroking his cheek.

“You are,” he nodded eagerly. “You are my prettiest doll, darling, you always are.”

Even though Joel was a fan of routine, he still managed to surprise you. This time you didn’t expect him to grab your head and kiss you as passionately as he did, smearing your red lipstick all over you. One of his hands made its way up your leg, under the long dress, the other was behind your head, fisting your curls, pushing your face into his with unprecedented strength. He pressed his thumb against your clit over the underpants and your hips rolled in search for some friction. Joel reluctantly pulled his tongue out of your mouth and started rubbing your lipstick down your neck. Still assaulting your neck, he nestled himself between your legs and wrapped them around his waist.

“Hold on tight,” he instructed and you clung to him.

Joel lifted himself up from his knees and carried you to the bed. He laid you down only partially so that your butt was still in the air and kneeled down again to pull the underpants down. Then, he lifted both of your legs to rest them on his shoulders and hiked the dress up, covering you with it. Your arms freed you from under the dress, but it was so big that you could only see your feet swaying in the air as Joel ate you out like a man starved.

He made a dozen new hickeys on the inside of your thighs and nuzzled your wet heat with his nose, inhaling your arousal. His tongue slid between your folds and he lapped at your wet pussy humming contently from time to time. You were horny all day long and waiting finally paid off. You squirmed on the bed, desperately trying to stop yourself from pressing his head into your crotch. Joel’s mouth was now on your clit as one of his thick fingers slid inside you. Your pussy was making obscene sounds as he finger fucked you, the vibrations from his muffed moans were sending waves of pleasure through your whole body. You started whimpering, tossing your head left and right, fisting the sheets beneath you and then, finally, you let out a husky moan and your legs trembled around Joel’s head as you came hard on his tongue. Joel brought his wet fingers to your lips and you sucked on the greedily, tasting your own juices.

“Perfect little doll,” he commented.

He let you sit on the edge of the bed and he stood up, your face level with his crotch. He pressed your face into it, and your cheek pressed into his considerable hardness. Your tongue nudged at the side of his still clothed cock and he guided your hands to his belt. You quickly took off his pants and he slid his boxers down his legs, freeing himself finally. He grabbed you by your hair, pulling lightly, then forcing you down on his length. Tears streamed down your face and saliva dripped down your chin as he face fucked you for about a minute. Then, he pulled out of your mouth and wiped the tears off your cheeks. You unbuttoned his shirt and he tossed it behind him before climbing on the bed. You followed, moving to the center of the mattress. He never fully undressed you. This time the only thing he took off were the underpants.

“Turn around, all fours,” he instructed and you obeyed, struggling to move in the layered dress.

When you finally managed to assume your position, he pushed your head into a white pillow and hiked the dress up. He pulled your hands behind your back for leverage. One of his strong hands was holding your hands behind your back by the thick material of the sleeves and the other was slapping your butt, with each slap your buttcheeks jiggled harder. You whimpered into the pillow, the white embroidery was scratching your cheek. When Joel was satisfied with your rosy butt cheeks he entered your wet pussy, bottoming out with a grunt. You moaned as his big cock split you in half, but he probably couldn’t hear you. Now, both of his hands were squeezing your wrists, using your own body as something to hold on to as he fucked you relentlessly. You could feel his tip so deep inside you you thought you might come any second. He didn’t show his rough side very often, actually probably just in the bedroom. You knew it was pointless to try and match his rhythm so you didn’t move, letting him rut into you, moving your body further up the bed with each powerful thrust.

“Fuck so tight!” He panted. “Fuck, you’re taking me so well, pretty doll,” he praised you.

This position was your favorite, it really allowed deep penetration, nudging spots inside you you never even knew about.

“I’m gonna fuck you so good, baby, so fucking deep, fuck! Yeah!” He gritted through his teeth.

Next, he let go of your hands and they fell, limp on your sides. He dug his fingers into your waist and literally fucked you on his dick, moving you effortlessly as you lied, being a whimpering mess, unable to move as another orgasm shook your whole body. Joel felt your walls fluttered around him and it only made him more feral. You could feel that his movements were becoming more erratic, less rhythmic and you knew he was close. His stamina was incredibly impressive, but it didn’t surprise you anymore. Finally, he bent over, pressing your body into the bed, you now laid flat on top of it, under his pressing weight. You couldn’t feel him as deep inside you anymore, but his strong movements rubbed your clit against the tactile bedding. His nose was buried in your hair, he was grunting right into your ear, a little too loud, but there wasn’t much you could do about it. The next thrust pressed you under the bed for a longer while and you knew Joel was cumming deep inside you. You didn’t know if it was the thought of his cum inside you or the harsh bedding under your clit, but you came again, just as strongly as before.

Joel was panting on top of you now, but a moment later he rolled off you, his softening dick sliding out of you and you whimpered quietly. You lied like that, with Joel by your side, his heavy arm draped over your worn out body. He kissed the back of your neck and sighed. When your heart finally calmed down a little, you rolled over on your back. You brought your hand to your face to discover that one of your eyelashes fell off and the bow that was once in your hair was now just a dangling ribbon, sticking to your sweaty forehead like the majority of formerly perfect curls. Joel’s face was covered in your lipstick and you could only imagine what your face looked like. Even your corset came loose and somehow got a bit twisted to the side. Both of your stockings were pooled around your ankles and one of your shoes fell off and was nowhere in sight.

Joel moved closer to you and his hand moved all the sweaty hair off your face before leaving an open mouthed kiss in the corner of your lips. You lazily caught his lips and slid your tongue along his bottom lip.

“Look at you, little doll…” he muttered, still panting heavily.

He picked up the lash from the bed and shook his head with disapproval.

“Did I play too hard with you, little one?” He wondered.

He sat up and looked at you with a sigh. He reached out to pull your stockings up.

“All broken now…” he muttered, looking for your shoe.

You supported yourself on your elbows and looked at him, his hands running through his disheveled hair.

“Let’s get you fixed up, pretty doll.”

PART 2

Thank you for reading ~missannwinchester

#joel miller #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fic #joel miller smut #joel x reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller/reader

[jelyfisg]

Maybe.... kaeya x reader domestic life headcanons...

hes a cutie patootie i gotchu

• work makes him have to get up early :( but he’d spend all the time he can laying with you in the mornings before he has to get up, morning cuddles with kaeya are immaculate

•i feel like he sleeps shirtless too, so waking up with him is just like skin to skin contact soft heaven in the morning

•makes breakfast when he can but again work makes him have to get up and out pretty early, if you were also an early riser then I can see him making something quick like eggs and coffee for you before he runs off

•buttttt on those days he doesnt have to go into work i feel like hed either serve you breakfast in bed or make a big breakfast for you two to eat together in the kitchen, either way those mornings he stays home include even more soft cuddling and gentle kisses than normal

•obviously this is kaeya so he teases the hell out of you, sometimes he purposely makes your house cold so you have no choice but to cuddle with him

•also if you happen to get sick he would 100% put everything else on hold to make sure youre okay, making you soup and constantly keeping an eye on you, no matter how much you tell him you dont need him to take care of you, hes gonna stay

•he likes to read before bed, sometimes if you ask him to he’ll read to you, holding you close until you fall asleep on his chest

•during holidays he probably bakes sweet treats with you, but definitely also drops a glob or two of batter/frosting on your nose in the process which may or may not turn into a bit of a food fight

•Even years into your marriage he’d make date nights at LEAST once a week a priority, you’re his best friend and he loves having fun and laughing with you

•I think he definitely wants kids, but it isn’t a deal breaker if you dont, he’d also be happy spending his life just with you

•If you guys do have kids though, hed be such a fun dad, hed love to take your kid(s) to different events around Mondstadt and have fun with them

•Those sleepy soft mornings with him would be interrupted in the best way when your kid(s) decides to crawl into bed between you guys, feeling comfortable and safe in the arms of their parents

•Personally trains your kid(s) when they get old enough, he feels responsible to make sure they’re safe and can handle themselves

•In general domestic life with Kaeya is so soft and sweet but also so fun!

Hope you enjoyed reading! <33

#kaeya x reader #kaeya alberich #genshin impact #genshin impact kaeya #kaeya headcanons #kaeya x you #kaeya fluff

[oonajaeadira]

For the ask game---

GTTT!!!!

2: What scene did you first put down?

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

(any or all of them, you choose darling)

Hoh boy, Blue baybay. ALL THE GTTT QUESTIONS. Okay. lessee what I have for you. Thank you for the ask. <3

What scene did you first put down?

I mostly write in order, so what you see first is what went onto the page first.

What’s your favorite line of narration?

I don't know that I look at any of them specifically as favorites. I like writing Pats' reactions to things in the things that he does rather than the thoughts he has about it, almost like he's exerting as much impartiality or distance to his feelings as he does to his clients. Instead of aknowledging that he's happy that Pres dumped the person she was sleeping with, he focuses on how good his pasta is. Instead of aknowledging that he'd do anything to please her, he just focuses on painting the ceiling, and if she likes it, that's good too. His head for a while there was just a constant herding of cats, and maybe still is, the way he doesn't truly just say, "I'm happy she's in my life" but rather observes the changes in the room because she's left things there. His egg is still cracking open and that's fun for me.

Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Not written, no. But once upon a time, I thought he would slowly leave all his clients for her. Something about that after a while though...didn't ring right. I didn't want her to have magic cure-all hole, you know? I just wanted him to simply fall for her because she sings to his heart, because he needs love in his life and she's so willing and patient with him. But I also don't believe that love means having to change. Sure, sex addiction isn't something you just accept and move on with (I'm treating it more like a positive hobby here, something he loves and he's good at but that is a big deal-breaker for relationships). But. This is a life that works for him. And I wanted to give him someone who filled in all his gaps and made him happy.

What did you learn from writing this fic?

I've learned that taking asks from people is huge fuel to the creativity fire. I mean, yes, this fic was built around asks, but also in general. Sometimes I don't really know where I'm going with a storyline and then someone will ask a genuine question about something seemingly innocuous and it's like a butterfly's wings that end up with a storm of writing. I know that is really basic, but I truly feel like I had that aha moment while writing Pats.

.

ask writers about their fic

#ask games

[p4latinus]

toots [part 2] | genshin characters [crack headcanons]

characters: bennett, fischl, venti, raiden ei, dainsleif, scaramouche, kamisato ayaka

genre: crack/fluff/humour (sfw), headcanons

tw:  the entirety of this is purely fart humour lol, mild references to shit

part 1 available here . 

bennett ✰

i have 2nd hand embarrassment

his farts r an earthquake

like a richter scale would be off charts

gift him a pack of diapers

pls i’m begging

on a lucky day he gets caught for farting

but doesn’t shit himself

smells like eggs + salmonella

no but do u guys know how bad egg farts are

like how much they stink???

bennett’s farts sound like eggs boiling in a shell.

fischl ✰

farts in soprano

talks over her fart to cover it up

“why yes, it was the divine flatulence of prinzessin der verurteilung. one shall experience such satisfaction & serendipity aft a SPLENDID BANQUET TO BE FEASTED UPON WITH THE MOST EXQUISITE members of court.”

yells to suppress the volume

oz’s last words: mein frauline… *tanjiro disgusted face*

no but it’s like gacha

sometimes her farts are loud

but sometimes they are quiet

or they stink like a mf—

either way she will over explain & complicate her reason to fart or wtv

venti ✰

… there’s a reason why dvalin beefs w venti

barsibatos more like barsiba-no

he’s drunk most of the time

so his farts gotta be nasty

poor diluc probably hates his job

as a god, he could renew his organs anw

no big deal am i right?

but his farts smell like he held them since the archon war

i’d rather throw myself off the cathedral than to smell venti’s silent wind breakers

probably would use his anemo power to prank others

smell a sudden whiff of diffusion? he blew it to u.

raiden ei ✰

bro i’m laughing my ass off over this

she is so used to farting w every yoga pose in her euthymia

plus no one heard her farts for centuries

the puppet shogun was not programmed to fart anw

ei … oh ei…

her diet consists of junk food & desserts so it’s inevitably horrendous

no pun but her farts would be thunderously loud

plus it can go on for so long bruh

even yae miko would turn to her like

‘this mf hitting the third gear’

dainsleif ✰

his pants r so tight, i just know that the gas particles r suffocating

like father free me pls… *chokes*

doesn’t seem smelly tho

just kinda high pitched

idk his farts seem cowardly to me

like they are too afraid of ripping a hole in his tight ass pants

if he wiggled his ass, his pants would rip & then his farts would be unleashed

like an abyssal roar

BAAAAADDOOOOMMMM PROOOOOOOTTTTT PRAAAATTATATATATAT PREEEEEEET BOOOOM PRAAAAAATT POOOOTTTOTOTOTOOTT PRETRETRETE PREEETTT

probably why those husks couldn’t forget dainsleif

like if u heard *that*, i don’t think u would either…

scaramouche ✰

oh god lol

it smells like pencil shavings & taco bell

a puppet has to clean its system ok

no but srsly what was ei thinking

considered to use his fart as a medieval torture device ONCE

then figured it would be too embarrassing if the culprit lived

instead he farts leisurely in his own room

kinda short & snappy like his temper

some what high pitched & airy farts

ayaka ✰

good lord she is good at holding her farts

but when she goes back to the kamisato estate

thoma secretly wishes to quit his job

loud whirling farts echoing down the hallway from the bathroom

everyone would suspect it’s ayato

until some uwu chick comes out like “delighted to make ur acquaintance”

nah man u gotta run

if only her farts smell like sakura petals

but they smell like powdered collagen induced mala hotpot

ok but if she was desperate to fart in public, she would hide in a cryo sprint

so the floor would be a wet puddle of ice and a slight bubble cracking the surface

it probably sounds crunchy

#genshin x reader #genshin humour #genshin funny #genshin x y/n #genshin crack #bennett x reader #genshin bennett #fischl x reader #genshin fischl #genshin venti #venti x reader #genshin bennett x reader #genshin fischl x reader #genshin venti x reader #raiden ei x reader #genshin raiden ei x reader #raiden shogun #genshin raiden ei #genshin raiden shogun #raiden shogun x reader #genshin fluff #dainsleif x reader #genshin dainsleif #dainsleif #raiden ei #genshin scaramouche #kunikuzushi #scaramouche #scara #genshin scara

[queentheweeb]

Aizawa X Pro Hero Gender Neutral Reader

A/N: This is a request and your quirk is chakra meaning you can power up based on the amount of energy you have

------------------------------------------------------------------------

You were dancing in your apartment enjoying your day off from hero work. Ever since the symbol of peace had to forcibly retire crime rates had begun to go on the rise as well as the League of Villains has become an even bigger threat now. You had extra patrol, extra paperwork, and, also bigger and harder villains to deal with. It was always the ones you least expect to cause the most problems. Just the day before you were on your usual route when you heard a ruckus and, it was a purse snatcher. You thought it will be quick and easy to apprehend the guy but, no he had to have a mutant-like quirk that let out tentacles from his mouth. You were slammed against the walls of buildings and the ground bruising your whole body- nothing you couldn't handle-. Exactly five minutes later the thief was knocked out, and in custody, and you gave the purse back to the lady who was thanking you profusely. Long story short you were still nursing the bruises praying that your boyfriend Zawa would not freak out if he finds out. "He said he was going to come over later so, maybe I should cook?" The thing is you had to go outside for that but, wanted company. So you called Hizashi since he was off too. In half an hour you were outside your home waiting for Hizashi

"Y/N WHAT'S CRACKIN' LACKIN' BAAABYYYY" You turned at the exuberant voice that came from no other than your favorite resident DJ. He was dressed in casual clothing, a white shirt with a floral button down open, his glasses and hair in a low bun with a pair of black jeans. Overall he looked nice and blended in with the general public.

"Thanks for coming with me on such short notice. I wanted to make some dinner for Zawa so maybe you can help me choose?" He nodded and the serene atmosphere was broken by his chatter. It was wanted though and, his talking a lot was how he soothes his nerves and, keeps his ADHD in check. Very few people knew he was diagnosed with ADHD but, then again it was no one's business his own personal life let alone his health. The two of you made it to the supermarket choosing to make homemade ramen by buying the noodles, sauces, veggies, eggs, and whatever else you need for yourself. It was when you bent down to reach for something at the bottom shelf that Hizashi's chatter came to an abrupt stop. Curious you looked around to see if there was any danger before your eyes honed in on Hizashi "What happened Hizashi? Saw someone or something suspicious?" Yes, it was your day off but law-breakers and villains never had one. 

"Who did it?" He wasn't looking at you, he was looking down at your torso and lower region. Shit. You 100% forgot that he and Aizawa were best friends and he was getting the wrong idea. The bruises were in odd places you'll say BUT you had more...maybe not tell him that.

"W-what are you talking a-about?" So much for trying to play it cool so he doesn't flip his shit. You weren't sure who was more a force to be reckoned with. A pissed Hizashi or a pissed Shouta. You thought about it and they both were scary in their own right when angry.

"I saw them just now, Who. Did. It" He was in your face now his eyes swirling with concern and rage. It was a weird mixture to see from him

"I got attacked by a villain. It's fine. Shall we continue shopping?" You knew you weren't helping your case nor were you going to help Shouta when Hizashi told him. Well, Shouta was a bit more logical so he will fume but ask questions first. Hizashi was more of a react now and ask questions later kind of guy. Hizashi said nothing else but, you felt him staring at you. Every time you turned to ask him or tell him something he was nose-deep in the phone. That was fine though to you. It was getting late and, you wanted to get home and have dinner ready for when Shouta was ready. It was about 40 minutes before you got home with Hizashi taking you all the way and not leaving until you confirmed you were alone in your apartment. It was weird of him but, understandable since this wasn't the first time that he made sure you were home safe and sound and alone in your own home. Too many people get home alone and something happens. Not thinking too much of it, you decided to clean and start cooking. The food was done in about 45 minutes so you got in the shower. Once you were done you wore some shorts and a shirt to be in the house when your doorbell rang. Odd, Shouta wasn't expected to come until much later. Curious you went to the door and were shaken to see that it was Shouta! He had come over early! Now you were glad you had cooked first and showered afterward. "Zawa!" He grunted returning the hug 

"Come on in! I have food ready for you!" He did locking the door and headed straight for the bathroom dropping his capture weapon and sweater on the couch. He came out and sat down on the couch but something was off. He always watched you but, he was watching you more than usual. You couldn't figure it out until you looked down at yourself and saw that YOUR BRUISES WERE ON FULL DISPLAY. You almost chuckled but, didn't considering he would not be finding this funny. You slowly made your way to the sofa handing him his plate and setting yours down on the side table. He still hasn't broken eye contact and just as you thought you wouldn't be able to handle it anymore he spoke

"Tell me what happened before I kill someone." You jumped surprised he went straight to murder and then you thought about the situation and, figured you would be the same way in his shoes.

"Okay, I know the bruises placements are...odd but I swear he didn't do NOTHING like that. I got tossed around like a rag doll but I got him back with the same energy and so he's in custody and I'm home with my wonderful boyfriend." You looked at him hoping he wouldn't explode. He took a deep breath before getting up and going to the bathroom. He came right back out with the first aid and with no prompting you took off your shorts and top to give him full access. He sucked in a breath but said nothing as he carefully cleaned, put ointment, and bandaged the sensitive skin. It was a nice and intimate moment between the two of you. Once he was done he set the first aid kit back and sat down on the couch pulling you into his lap.

"I don't want your food to go to waste." He said nothing using his free hands to grab his bowl to eat. You did the same thing knowing it would be pointless to move from your spot. Not that you wanted to anyway.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

What are your thoughts?

#anime #manga #fanfic #bnha #mha #quirks #quotev #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #aizawa shouta #bnha shouta aizawa #aizawa x you #aizawa x reader #aizawa x gender neutral reader #fluff #one shot #romance

[helcross-fatherofvoid]

Howdy! I'm the author of most of the idiots you have fought so far. So, I'm gonna just say some things: I can make the mayor forget everything past him poisoning the doctor, and you admit he broke no part of the contract. I say he made a fair deal, after all. Not like an award winning smile will convince the prince, after all.

-much love, the god above them all

(ps, take the deal, it's better if you do. Trust me, the entity isn't too pleased with him you will see what I'm talking about if you take my offer)

Do you think I am scared? Because the only being I fear is in an egg. Why else do I want it eradicated?!

But I am intrigued, so I'll take the deal. If broken, the breaker dies.

[theomnicode]

Emotional loneliness & the subconscious

One thing we must never forget with Genos.

He will always pay back with dividends whatever action has been taken against him. Be it with hatred, revenge or with his utmost loyalty, support and love.

Maksaa kalavelat takaisin potut pottuina.

(Potut means potatoes, potut pottuina means with equal measure) (Kala means fish, velat means debt, kalavelka means grudge borne from unfair treatment)

So because Saitama lovebombed Genos with the divine power core, Genos will pay it back hundredfold. He's just that kind of guy, prone to extremes.

Just surely as the moon orbits around the earth, does the earth orbit around the sun, it's the universal law that Genos cares for Saitama. You'd have to erase his personality and himself entirely for this to not be true. And man, do the forces that be, try to do exactly that. It's like he can tip the scales of justice in his favour, a balance breaker in this regard.

So, the time to perform is night because OPM God is practically breathing down on everyone's necks and surveying the battlefield from below and above this time around and he wants to wring out some riffraff.

There is very much plenty hints, the chapters are throwing an overabundance of clues around. The amount of subliminal hints, metaphors, allegories, idioms, visual cues, wordplay, etc. is extremely staggering and it's done on purpose to appeal on subconscious level. Murata-sensei and ONE throwing all eggs into the basket for a homerun.

I feel like I'm constantly becoming big brained by looking at new chapters and making all these possible connections with my brain and trying to predict future outcomes lol.

It's like blaring warning sirens if you're suddenly aware of it.

There are many things one can start to predict in OPM. So OPM God can play chessmaster with everyone's emotions as the puppet master he is and get desired results.

But there is...one person that is completely utterly unpredictable...and that person is Genos. Nobody can completely understand Genos and his line of thinking.

Nobody knows what the fuck Genos is doing right now, for instance. We can only make educated guesses.

Except for one thing: he can't turn away from justice. Because he loves people too much. An emotional vulnerability that can and will be exploited. One he is not personally logically seeing.

Large amount of monsters are being released in an area with lots of civilians and being actually called on duty? Trust Genos to race to the scene, no matter what.

And in this it is also a race against time, who can seal the deal with who first. Who can emotionally connect with who first with their emotional loneliness.

Because everyone in this small area, are probably Super Empaths, also known as Heyoka Empath and emotionally lonely in their own ways. They keenly feel when others feel and bleed when others bleed and they can't turn this off. Emotional wounds bleed heavily.

And once you make a deal with OPM God, the God of Death or enroach upon his territory within the preternatural spiritualism, you aren't running away that easily. 4 people in the area are practically glowing with divine power.

What it means is becoming immortal and spending the eternity with this guy. Dead or alive. Sorry Future Garou, your sacrifice was most valiant. OPM God rewrote the script for that, because he did not want Saitama to give Garou therapy and emotionally connect via that, since Garou would've ended up just ranting about everything and confessing everything.

(Also denotes quite a bit about that there will be rivalries between individuals) (Cough death note) (Nice Ninja village leader and Blast ref here)

Like a jealous lover, it wants all the pieces to himself. Probably for some eternity in torture kind of thing. Oh and Genos and Bang have to die, naturally.

So yea, the dimple reference would match, just wants some company because it's alone in the dark...but actually horrifying af. Eternity in pure despair ay...

(I'm so sorry Homeless Emperor, Orochi...)

There is one thing that Saitama is vulnerable to, it's his emotional loneliness. Trying to become a hero to find some kind of intimate emotional connection with a person with similar values.

A heart displaced is a heart swayed.

The choice Genos can make where he chooses to place his heart into, will make it complete or shred it to pieces. The twilight zone between night and new dawn of day is still up. In the front is the sun of the new horizons and behind...the shadow of the looming death, The torii gate.

This race is also portrayed in the OPM ED1.

A race for Genos to connect with Saitama's heart first with his love, before anyone else does and doing so would protect him as well, because they are safeguards to each other's hearts. Monsters outside and inside exploit the desire for kindness, compassion, love and other emotions and when the heart is full, that's when the monsters can no longer find footing.

In short, Genos has to show that he absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, loves him whole-heartedly and confess. So Saitama can show his own vulnerability, his weaknesses like his suicidal ideation and make him strong enough to withstand emotional manipulation and exploitation that OPM God will do, is doing, to him. And in turn, his heart will also find it's home in Genos.

Cuz, Saitama is playing chicken with his own emotional blind spots. They will soon catch up to him and everyone else. Insecurities, unreliability, immaturity, self-confidence, anger, feeling weak...maybe even rebirth.

Saitama just does not have the guts to confess yet himself, he's far from certain about what he actualy feels since INFJ are slow and steady like the turtles racing against the rabbit in love business...but time is running out too fast to actually wait for the turtle to win the race because the rabbit fell asleep.

Dawn of the Last day, 24 hours remaining.

Saitama would just chicken out. Like bugs bunny under the rock face. Get second thoughts from not being absolutely certain that his emotions are reciprocated and shy away with his insecurities.

Saitama has a bucket list to go with him, so there's that.

jänistää (jänis = bunny) (jänistää = chicken out and run away)

livistää arkuuttaan (chicken out and run away due to shyness)

luopua aikomuksestaan uhkaa koettuaan (give up on doing something due to a perceived threat)

(Ah the Tanabata)

You can see the deformity in Saitama's eyes when he goads Garou into trying to hit him by appearing vulnerable while looking at him directly in the eye and seeing a glimpse of his soul. I don't think he likes that at all, since he's not the violent sort.

And oh, does this paint a clear metaphor, about what else can be found from the blind spot, upon the forehead, if he were to delve far too deep into the rabbit hole of his own psyche.

No wonder he's uncertain about Genos. There's definitely some kind of preternatural phobia or something involved. About the third eye/mind's eye. Definitely eldritch.

(Think Shimazaki from Mob psycho)

--

So, how does one Seal the deal with a God anyway?

A gesture in agreement, probably a hand gesture (since spiritual people seem to be doing that a lot) but also a sentiment with emotional attachment to that specific emotion, I would say. And wholeheartedly agreeing with the sentiment.

Genos already made a deal with a god by becoming his disciple and got an impartation of power; access to Saitama's emotional strenght via his empathy.

To seal the deal completely?

I mean, what else can it be but a kiss on the lips and a love confession from this utterly infatuated idiot.

To wake up the sleeping beauty like in the fairy tales. How romantic to soulbound with someone for all eternity. And cursed when their fates get twisted and they never find each other. Romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet.

I say idiot fondly because it's exactly what he would want right now, but Saitama is not ready if he were to get a sudden influx of feedback loop of emotions. He would not know where he begins and Genos ends, like two people living under the same egghead, if he hasn't build up some mental walls first. Individualization would be almost impossible. The shadow snuck too close for comfort.

If Saitama the antenna, that makes Genos the wi-fi signal. As in the mural.

Oh and Genos is definitely not ready yet either, he needs more mental strenght first to handle it. Saitama's emotions, his divine power, are strong af. He would probably explode.

I can predict about as far as Genos arriving to the scene...but it remains to be seen what kind of actions he will take.

He will probably end up doing something stupid or crazy though. But he will have to, to flip the webcomic script on it's head.

That will determine their fates. Because Saitama will need affirmation that he's not going to be left in emotionally lonely hell when the time comes. And neither will Genos, because Saitama would not allow it.

Clear skies, full hearts, can't lose.

(The most hilarious and unpredictable thing would be for the romantic comedy to begin and Saitama and Genos make out in the base, in front of everyone else without any inhibitions, because Genos has the unholy hots for sensei and by sealing the deal, have this feedback loop.)

(Saitama would totally fall for Genos and even cosplay villain mafia boss if he had to and become anything at all for Genos.)

(ONE gonna go "Keep the change you filthy animals." when he feeds the shippers. But also because he's the biggest troll and it would be fucking funny to see the oldest joke in the series utterly dismantled and watch the fireworks.)

(Looks quite a bit to me that you're swinging that way indeed and walking in tandem. I don't believe that horsecrap saitama lol, nobody does)

(Tbh those also look like socks and or heels to me...Saitama & socks = sensuality and heels would def be sexuality.)

(Hehe Genos fighting for his love against opm god because Saitama is the rose bride from utena ahahaha, that would be some tug of war)

(Funeral suspenders btw)

#opm #one punch man #saigenos #genosai #emotional loneliness #subconscious #romance #opm god #preternatural #supernatural #soulbond #empathic link #saitama #genos #garou #super empath #emotional vulnerability #emotional blind spot #long #opm meta

[retphienix]

I haven't played too much today thus far since I'm confined to solo queue and solo play today (oof) but some opinions on some of the adjustments.

Short version: Looking forward to much much more and thoroughly enjoying what I've tried on difficulties 4~8 range (I don't like soloing helldive since I feel tunneled to stealth and jack of all trades loadouts- so not bothering)

Punisher: MUCH better place than it once was and arguably is just where it should be in terms of how primaries are balanced. It does it's job and does it well as an ammo stable slightly harder hitting but slightly more accuracy demanding Breaker. I think I love it? But I am still holding out for the pseudo med armor pen of the slugger once I get that thing (bought it while typing this).

Heavy Laser: MUCH more fun and useful than it was. I actually never considered the "intended use" the devs claimed for pre-patch, it was a damn poor version of a Machine Gun- infinite ammo or not. But as a medium armor pen weapon it definitely shows a lot more promise and effective utility in a loadout.

But.

It kinda still falls into a middle ground between "swarm clearing" and "heavy targeting" that's a bit awkward- definitely has potential in a squad but not something I would recommend to anyone playing solo like I was.

It instantly melts through any medium armor targets like hefty bugs or most bot targets, but it's still entirely useless against heavy armor and as such struggles to tickle chargers outside of post-charge which is the same period of time when literally any weapon can tear them down so- it has found "a place" but that place is strictly medium armor clearing and slight ammo efficiency buff to your other weapons. DECENT buff, definitely needs some more in my opinion- perhaps a complete rework of lasers in general would help as some have posed that "heat" weapons should melt off armor with extended contact. Purely hypothetical, but that'd do it.

Stick to unsafe-charged railguns for heavy stuff, if you're so inclined. (or any other option, I'm just pointing at the recently-brought-in-line-but-still-extremely-effective option)

Flamethrower: 10x more fun and effective, still demands team play or it slacks. The thing does nearly immediately kill anything in its flames that isn't heavily armored. Not sure what people claiming it does well against chargers are on about- unless they mean in team play where nothing else is involved.

In a "literal 1 v 1" with no distractions I think it'd do alright- it acts like the arc thrower in just "doing damage" and not super caring about the armor, but just like the arc thrower it's not an armor destroying monster- it takes TIME to kill the charger (10~ shots of an arc thrower can do it and I find that far more reliable than using a flamethrower).

But, I was solo and dealing with swarms AND chargers, so maybe in that 1v1 scenario it can melt their health bar reasonably, I can't say after 1 field test.

Now, the flamethrower does not in any way need to be an armor killer, I'm just mentioning it as it's one of the two things I tested against. It's MILES better against adds now, but it's not magically a charger killer- it just "can" do the job. Good buff! Still holding out that they implement some CC to fire damage so that enemies are staggered/scared by flames!

120kg barrage: Eeeeh. It's definitely 300% better than it was, for reference the 120 and 380 were fucking useless prior- their gimmick of "A barrage of explosions over a HUGE area" just didn't serve a real purpose in gameplay- not to mention they didn't even, you know, "barrage" an area, they kinda just went "This 9000 square feet area? We're gonna drop... hmmm.... 3 fire crackers in there randomly. Hope that helps!"

NOW, the 120 is actually pretty nice at softening up some objectives because it actually stayed near the intended target area. I tossed one onto 2 different egg batches and saw it genuinely soften up the area- nearly solo'd one 40~ egg batch on its own while killing a lot of the enemies in the area and even knocking out a nest or two I believe. It ACTUALLY serves a nice purpose of "slightly big area getting softened up".

Now, the utility of that depends on what other strategems people bring, but I know my preference for such things would pick something like the orbital barrage for its spammable cannon spray over this thing- but at least it WORKS now- I can see this actually helping!

Shield backpack: It's still insanely good. I genuinely think this is "almost" the perfect nerf because I can't say I think it's entirely overpowered anymore, but I can say it's still an incredibly versatile "get out of jail free" card that skips staggers and damage more often than it doesn't.

I genuinely think increasing its recharge delay in and out of "shield break" did well to make it no longer a borderline invincibility tool that you feel obligated to have at all times on higher difficulties- opening the way to more backpack options in my opinion. Kinda.

Because I said "almost". It's still an insanely useful tool and I still can't rightly say I'd prefer a backpack weapon over it, but perhaps I'm being a coward for disliking sudden slows from hunter tongues. In truth, that's a skill issue now ain't it, I simply think until we have more options to avoid stagger/slow or "ignore a damage source every now and then" like the shield does- the backpack will remain HIGHLY valuable to almost-if-not-certain overpowered degrees.

Still a good nerf in my opinion.

Liberator Concussive: It just got a name change don't go expecting anything. It's still bad and nothing changed beyond getting a much better name.

Railgun: I don't use railgun like at all, but I know what it did (and used a handful of times) prior to the patch and I have seen/heard what it does post patch. Sounds like it now HAS to overcharge to unsafe ranges to accomplish the same thing it did pre-patch in safe.

So like.

That means it's literally the same as it was pre-patch except you have to put some skill, timing, and positioning (to have time to charge) into using it, lol, sounds like a good nerf to me. If you want backpack-less armor pen with ammo to spare then it's still the tool to pick, you just have to use unsafe all the time now which seems more than fair when every other weapon has to be used intelligently to succeed. lmao

Breaker: It literally lost 3 rounds and some max ammo, big whoop lol

Still need to test the 380 and I plan to run the railgun for a few 7-8-9 runs to get a real feel for this new "actually try" era of railgun, but overall I like most of what we got adjusted.

Oh, and the spray and pray, but I'm not holding my breath much. I mean it's DEFINITELY gonna be better than the unusable state it was in, but it's also just not the weapon I'd strive to use much anyway so I'll certainly test it but I don't expect much.

I'm still looking forward to MUCH more in terms of balance adjustments, as I think many are, but I enjoyed what's here.

Also armor works now. It's underwhelming, but I'll be completely honest, I kind of expected as much because speed > armor in 90% of games so I figured armor would get fixed and still not really impact higher difficulty play much.

Maybe later adjustments will make it matter more? But for now it's still "Be fast, bro." and that's fine enough.

#helldivers 2 #RetPlays

[myz-wykkyd]

Hi♡ A few questions for lovely Rosalie♡

6. What’s their opinion on the Church of the Light?

7. What’s their opinion on the Research Centre?

13. What’s their favourite Relic?

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨🌹୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

Some spoilers ahead, watch out!

6. What’s their opinion on the Church of the Light?

So her feelings towards the CoL are definitely complicated. On one hand, Rosalie has always respected their dedication towards the betterment of the communities they inhabit, research into agriculture, and their desire to ensure preservation of nature. 

But their opposition towards technology from the Age of Corruption (which often feels like fear mongering to her) and the efforts they go to destroy any relics they can get their hands on are major deal breakers for her. Wanting to protect the world from re-experiencing the horrors of the Age of Darkness is fine and dandy ‘n all that, but in Rosalie’s humble opinion, it is far better to study and learn from the mistakes of the past rather than forget they ever happened. Especially when doing so gives humanity a much better opportunity to grow. Everytime she thinks about all the data discs they’ve destroyed and the potentially life changing possibilities they might have held- she gets plum mad!

She also doesn’t really like how involved they are with the government in the Free Cities. It just never sat right with her and, even prior to certain events in Sandrock, she believed their influence would one day create a breeding ground for the very corruption they were fighting against. And whoops, it turns out she was right---

Of course, that’s just her general view of the organization as a whole! She understands that for the most part, the CoL is made up of kind, well meaning people who just want to do some good in the world- and she doesn’t begrudge them for their chosen lifestyle. She liked the Sandrock chapter for the most part, too. She thought Matilda was wonderful- the kind of leader everyone in the CoL should aspire to be (Sobs ooc). She’d never cared for Miguel or Pen, but got along decently with Burgess and Dan-bi- though that one time they approached her about destroying Rosie made her steaming mad.

7. What’s their opinion on the Research Centre?

As you can probably surmise from the previous question, Rosalie’s opinion on the Research Centre is a lot more positive- especially compared to the church of light. She believes in the discovery, research, and use of old world tech for the betterment of mankind and happily provides Qi with all the data discs she can find.

She thinks Qi is a bit of an odd duck - but in the best of ways. She likes his fast, deadpan manner of speaking and serious disposition- even if she doesn’t always understand what he’s saying. Honestly thinks he’s hilarious- which he also doesn’t really understand but doesn’t completely mind. Especially when she’s always so quick to help him with his projects and provide him research material.

Off topic but slightly related- I have this hc (inspired by you saying Rosalie reminded you of that manga<33) that Qi once had an eager discussion with a very confused Rosalie about an “old world cartoon” he really liked- assuming she’d seen it and was also a fan because of her apparent resemblance to its protagonist. Of course she didn’t really know what he was talking about, which led to him being very embarrassed--- cause omg I just admitted I liked a Shojo anime.

13. What’s their favorite Relic?

All the machines that Qi unlocks/discovers at the research center that she uses for building. The Golden Eagle or Jeweled Egg probably? There aren't any relics that really speak to her. I do imagine she keeps all the books and journals she discovers while ruin diving carefully preserved, though.

#mtas #my time at sandrock #mtas oc #mtas builder #mtas spoilers #my time at sandrock spoilers #t: ren text #t: ren posts #t: ren responds #au: rosalie wilde (my time at sandrock) #oc: rosalie wilde #game: my time at sandrock

[egg-emperor]

Hello! I have one quick question. Who is your favorite dr eggman boss fight? Mine is Egg Emperor because of 3 reasons.

1 reason: he is the final boss of my favorite sonic game

2 reason: the music is just chef kiss

3 reason: i´ll show you what real evil is! I can feel the evilness in that line if it was real dr eggman and not metal sonic team sonic would not survive. Ok thats all goodbye have nice day.

Aaagghh it's hard to choose because he has so many great ones, especially when it comes to the designs! So I can't order them properly or possibly list all my favorites but I'll put some of the ones I think of and go back to the most for both design and actual gameplay here because not all of them have as great gameplay as they look but they're all cool.

My favorite that's actually controlled by the real deal Eggman has to be the Egg Dragoon. The way it has fire, ice, electric, drill, AND bullet attacks is super epic. The separation attack in Generations was pretty cool too. I like how the tail can throw things like when he'd try to swing it to through Sonic off him in Unleashed and throw rocks at him in Forces.

And it has a really awesome design, it's my favorite mech that wasn't modelled to look like himself 💜

My favorite version of the fight is the 360/PS3 Unleashed version of course, it's intense and I love how he gives it his all in throwing everything at Sonic that he's got, it still never fails to get me hyped. I also love how energetic crazy and angry Eggman sounds, he's beautifully threatening and it's my favorite Mike Pollock performance ever so 🥰

I'm still proud of my video of the fight in all three games with all S rank with no damage. You can tell I play them over and over a ton lol

The Egg Emperor is equally loved by me and that's why I have the name. It's metal as fuck, it's designed to look like him, and he made himself into the glorious emperor mech of his empire 💕💜💖💗

I'm just sad that he didn't get to use it himself (though I like to imagine he got to in Generations 3DS and seeing him use it in IDW was a delight). I love his lance and missile abilities and his super fast violent charge that used to make me jump. The music is hype and the way it changes to the repeated 3x loop of the guitar at the peak increases the intensity of the fight. All the teams would've been obliterated if it were actual Eggman in there for sure hehe

This is like looking into a mirror because we're both Eggman enjoyers, Heroes is both our favorite game, and my edit is your icon XD

Honorable mentions would be the Death Egg Robot and Nega Wisp Armor. They have simple gameplay but the Death Egg Robot is a classic with cool abilities to stomp on and shoot spiked arms at Sonic, and one of my favorite designs for being designed to look like himself. And the Nega Wisp Armor is always a blast to play with the speed, music, and the seconds you get to come face to face with Eggman hehe

The Egg Breaker is also actually really cool, I dig the different abilities it has in the different fights, like the mace he can jump and slam down on people and he runs and swings around, the laser beam eyes, and the bombs with his face on them are golden. And also the- okay I'm gonna stop otherwise I'll just be listing every single Eggman boss ever at this point because I love them all for their designs, gameplay or both wjhshksbgkshf

Thank you, hope you have a nice day/night too! ^^ And the Egg dollar bill is much appreciated XD

#asks #dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #badniks #my post #opinion

[betweenlands]

so im going thru 'if i had a chance' (love this btw) and im wondering about the classifications.

the life series sound like the tourist destination B-Class breaker worlds

would empires 1 be a breaker world? because it has an apocalypse, but im not sure if it counts more as the radioactive/passive danger sort of apocalypse?

would active pvp servers like lifesteal be breaker worlds? like the affects of large groups of people inhabiting a class B for too long? how about dsmp which isn't specifically a pvp world, but definitely became more and more hostile as time went on?

glad you're enjoying crash and burn! so the difference between a breaker world and A Difficult Place To Survive In is that breaker worlds are actively hostile towards their inhabitants in a way that somehow is more than a normal world would be capable of.

DSMP wouldn't be considered a breaker world at all, it's just got a lot of uh. infections of the egg variety, but the egg to my knowledge isn't the literal world itself so, not really. Lifesteal might be considered a modified hunt world, but the general consensus from the Lifesteal lore i've seen seems to be that this is kind of an intentional game everyone is playing (ie a plugin, something they brought with them) rather than being inherent to the world itself being twisted. same with Empires, because there's a difference between a world with cycles and a world that Hates You

the traffic/Life series on the other hand absolutely constitutes a breaker world, and my headcanon for that is very much along the lines of "it was considered a B-class breaker world and then partway through 3rd Life it woke up and became way more actively involved in messing with people"

in other words it's an A class breaker world and that's uh. that's why Last Life was so much. tempted to say the Double Life server is in a properly analyzed world and the old spooky one is now in quarantine after Grian finally realized what was going on.

(i should really write out my full headcanons on that actually but it's like very long and i'm already making ONE long worldbuilding document. tldr the fic would be Grian dealing with Oh God I Enabled A Breaker World. Aw Fuck)

#i dont consider watchers canon to the life series btw. like ik theyre canon to martyn but #martyn's voices never explicitly SAY they're watchers so #it very well could be the world itself messing with him yknow? #yt #ask #orig #hphks #anony mouse writer

[softyarnball]

Things I did not expect

Recently, two of my HS friends just had a quick reunion in the States. My little bird told me that my ex from HS had not dated any one since then. Everyone was surprised because it was at least 10 years ago.

Dating life must have been hard for him. I just remember that he was hanging out with our other common friends and asked if I could come to hang out. It was during office hours, so my other friends were sensible enough to refuse the request. That was weird.

I think there could be a few reasons why dating life has been a disappointment for him.

Just like my single HS little bird, that ex may have so high standards that he can hardly find love. Looking back, most of the (practical) married couples are like “we were just fooling around” until they cannot leave one another. What high standards can that be?

I once explicitly told him that I want money, lots of money, which I am also currently tell my bf so. The thing is that I want my partner to make money so that we can have a comfortable life. I derive pleasure from squandering my money for extravaganzaaa, not spending my partner’s or my parents’ money. I wonder if this is the deal-breaker for him. He did leave me with a long email detailing how we would not work out. I couldn’t remember what was the exact reason but the vague idea was that he didn’t want me as a lifelong partner. Looking back, it could have been one of the reasons that I have a huge red flag waving on my forehead. I was a poor young girl, with little future prospect while his family can afford his tuition, room, and board in much more expensive country. Of course, I think that his family could have given some sort of disapproval. I mean I was wayy below his standards if you only judge on where I come from (not asset-wise, which I think I have an upper hand thanks to my parents’ frugality). Plus, the blatant gold-digger attitude is definitely a red flag.

Education can also be one. However, as far as I know, a college holder should not have higher standards than me, right? Or it could simply he is looking for is someone with whom he can exchange some intellectual conversations. I cannot say that I am intellectual, considering how I am compared to my bf, but somewhat engageable in those conversations.

Good-looking? Well, that is not a very high bar, considering my appearance. If he wants to have a gym partner, then well, it’s hard. Nutrition can either go to your brain or your muscle. Another point is that while I am slowly hitting the wall (at 30), the wall is smashing his appearance. Hard. It is hard to ask for a same-age good-looking partner without a fortune to rest on. 

Anyway, I feel like standards are good to have, but it also restricts potentially good match. Like the long-term relationship couple I talked about earlier, things happen organically. People build relationship with trust, collaboration, and frustration every now and then. I can’t leave my partner alone in his darkest pit, neither should or does he.

I don’t think that anything from that time lingers so much that he couldn’t date anyone. It was more than 10 years ago, and we were a couple of clueless (late) teenagers. Or was it just me who was clueless? Was he too calculated in our relationship? I should have noticed that earlier.

I have no idea why he thought it was a good idea to ask my friends to call me. I think it was platonically driven. He met quite a few people over the years. I was someone who was close to him during that HS time. I can totally see that it is normal to want to greet and meet.

I still believe that he would have really good marriage prospect. Males don’t really need to get married at this age anyway. While women’s eggs are failing us, men may get younger girls as they age (with money).

[adventures-of-the-creeping-bam]

NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY: THE ADVENTURES OF THE CREEPING BAM,  BOOK TWO: ONE COLD TRAIL - CHAPTER 22

If you’re new to the story, please go check out Book 1 first …

Book 2 Chapter 1 is here …

IMPORTANT:  Please note this story includes content that may be considered mature, such as moderate battle violence, some strong language and occasional mild sexual scenes.

If you want to support my writing, feel free to swing by my Patreon or Ko-fi.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:  ART

“What d’you reckon then?”  Kesla speaks in low, hushed tones, and I get where she’s coming from, this is a hell of a moment. She’s acting like she’s working with a particularly skittish horse, and that’s not too far off what this actually is, because we’re dealing with the unknown.  ‘Least where Shay’s coming from …

She doesn’t say anything, far as I can tell she never even heard her. She stays where she is on the top step, her shadow not spreading far over the beach below, not at this time … but it’s clear to me now that it ain’t the sand she’s looking at, probably not even the lapping breakers as high tide rolls in.  No, I know what she’s looking at right now.  Her eyes are locked on that vast, endless, unbroken blue horizon.

It's a good day, not too warm by Untermer standards but given that it’s significantly warmer than Hocknar this time o’ year, the others have deferred to the heat, Shay included.  Those who usually wear heavy coats have bundled ‘em up in Yeslee’s bag for safe keeping, but at least this far below the river nobody bats much of an eye at all the steel this has revealed to the elements.  Shay in particular’s shed a lot of layers, but while Kesla’s lost her big duster and tunic now she kept her jack-of-plates on in deference to maintaining some armour, just in case shit were to go down again.

That said, it does look a little off with the rest of her gear.  It’s a garment that’s really designed to be worn under other clothes, essentially a vest of layered, quilted linen with small pieces of steel plate woven in-between to stop stabby blades from ruining her day.  It’s also a striking cream colour, which doesn’t at all match the dark buckskin of her loose britches, leather bracers and strappy fighter’s boots … although it does look very interesting indeed worn over her ubiquitous loose-fitting, poofy-sleeved white linen shirt.  When she lost her coat and tunic to reveal it earlier I wasn’t the only one of the group who had to work on stifling a near-overpowering urge to laugh my arse off, but I managed to cut short of giving her shit over it.  Reckon the brief look of hot-eyed murder she cast my way in particular probably helped with that, anyway.

I still reckon she looks a little like she’s on her way to a fencing match , mind. ‘Specially with her sword still strapped at her hip, although the effect’s somewhat spoiled by her handaxes and a few choice knives belted about her too.  More than anything else she just looks like a walking threat right now, though I s’pose that ain’t all the way a bad thing, ‘specially given the ground we’re covering today.

We slept well in the temple, which took me a little by surprise once I thought about it some.  Deferring on the offer of actual rooms, we instead opted to camp out in the lounge, so by the time Kesla and the others who left to interrogate our prisoner returned more than one of our ever-growing group had fallen asleep on the couches.  So we shoved together as much of the furniture as we could, bolstered by warm fur blankets provided by mindful attendants, and settled in for the night.  Yeslee, being Yes, preferred to sleep on the floor, but then I never expected anything else from her, while the goblin, Brung, was happier curled up in front of the fireplace anyway.  Reckon a bellyful of overlarge, thick warm roast beef sandwiches and some impressively strong ale helped us along, but then we were all proper tired by the time the lamps were turned down and most of the candles extinguished.

There was fresh bacon, eggs, sausages, fried tomatoes and piping hot baking powder biscuits ready for us when we started to stir in the morning, and I’ll admit I stuffed my face ‘til my guts were fit to burst seeing it all laid out like that.  We finally discussed what the others had learned from the boy then, since everybody was awake again, and after some deliberation decided on what, given the slim lead we actually had, our next move should be.  So once we were all ready to go, we headed for the docks.

We’ve spent the morning touring the tightly-packed, slightly salt air-rotted streets clustered around the city’s massive crescent harbour, slipping between taverns and shops in search of every tattooist we can find.  Given this is the territorial stomping ground of the many thousands of sailors, traders, merchants, smugglers and sellswords who frequent the port all-year-round there’s a lot.  They’re a superstitious lot who like to have their litanies and mantras to various patron gods inked into their flesh so they don’t have to waste precious breath praying in an emergency, it’s one of the biggest growth industries in all of Untermer.  Granted it’s the real talented old pros who really do the biggest, briskest business, but even the hacks seem to scrape in plenty o’ coin to get by every year.  So there’s dozens of the places to go through.

Apparently Wull, as the captive would-be killer goes by, was convinced to allow Gael to look into his head enough for them to use a nifty little spell to capture an image from his memory of the artist responsible for the physical application of his cursed tattoo.  They said it’s not a perfect likeness, since it’ll be eroded some by the passage of time and the unreliable nature of memory, but what she got hopefully should be good enough to give us a good enough impression to go on.  Since he wasn’t able to get a name to go with the face we’ll just have to check ‘em all and hope we can find this venerable talent somewhere in the noise.

So the group split into two parties, each taking one end of the long, sprawling neighbourhood and planning to meet in the middle when we’re done, ‘least if we don’t find ‘em before.  Gael gave Tulen the image for herself so she could go with the other group, although the young dragonhalf was reluctant to leave her friend’s side, ‘specially after the shit that went down yesterday.  Urgency won the day, though, so she was convinced to go with Thel and the rest. So in the end it was just Gael set up with me, Kesla, Krakka, Shay, Big Man and Brung, Kesla insisting Yeslee go with the others.

Dar too, and I suspect she was as happy to be leaving my company as I was to be free of hers, although I could tell that she was more thrilled not to have Driver 8 darkening her back too.  Kesla insisted anyway, wanting to have at least one Untermer native in each group along with a wizard so both can get round good and quick in territory they know. Big Man offered to stay behind at the temple, knowing how conspicuous he’d be down here, but Kesla shot that down before he’d even finished speaking.  After what happened to both us and Thel’s band yesterday she decided discretion can be damned in deference to our safety right now.  So he's been strolling along behind us the whole time, drawing a lot of looks the whole time but also attracting a very comfortable zero in terms of trouble.

It’s been a varied collection of lower class Untermer life for us so far, venturing from parlour to salon to stall to tent, ostensibly to check out the services and flash-art on offer but mainly to get a good look at each and every artist we can.  We asks what questions we feel we can get away with without running the risk of arousing suspicion, but usually we can work out within the first few minutes whether or not they’re even a potential candidate or not, regardless of if Gael gets a look.  Turns out a whole lot of these guys ain’t even comfortable working outside their places of business to begin with, preferring to work on walk-ins or purely by appointment.  The ones who are willing to make house-calls for special jobs get a closer look, but so far all we’ve found is a big bunch of dead ends.

Once the sun climbed to its full height into the sky and the heat in the press of the crowds and the tight streets became too much for us to bear for one morning, we broke off to find some food.  Remembering my way well enough, I led the group to a vendor’s window in the wall down by the docks and, rather than asking what anyone fancied, instead ordered six servings of best battered cod and chips.  Gael started to protest about not being given any say in what she’s getting, but I insisted that this is the best meal they’re gonna get anywhere on the whole Strip.  I promised they’d love it, and while they gave me a pointed look over what they clearly consider my presumption, they didn’t argue further.

Once we had our order, I remembered our promise to Shay the day we arrived in the city, and led the group off down the docks to the bay beyond the end of the quay.  Gael seemed a little thrown by the implied journey given the ground we’d already covered, but Kesla knew well enough what I was leading to, so she nodded her assent and the others went along happily enough.  Now it’s clear enough to all I was right.

“It’s …”  Shay falters, still rooted to the spot as she takes it all in.  “I can’t … it’s amazing.  How … how big is it?”

“Thousands of leagues across.”  Gael answers in a similarly hushed tone to Kesla’s, although in their case they’re a little taken aback by the view themselves.  I know this ain’t the first ocean view they’ve had, they’re well-travelled enough to have seen a coastline at least once, but it’s clearly still enough of a novelty for them too.  Besides, this is the Untermer coast, ain’t none more spectacular in all Rundao, y’ask me.

The beach stretches for a quarter mile further before the great craggy white cliffs cut it off, the sand a dull gold in the bright blaze of the noonday sun, but the water’s warm and clear enough here that it’s a powerful deep azure blue.  It sparkles white where the sun flashes from the rolling waves, while the breakers are dramatic enough even from here, the surf impressive even this early in the year. It’ll get a whole lot more aggressive as winter proper starts to press in and the sea becomes more treacherous from the storm season, but even now the crash and boom of the cresting breakers is heavy enough rolling into the sands.  Up beyond the cliff-line, where the rocks begin to climb in jagged haphazard spires, columns and arches carved by thousand of years of brutal water and wind, the waves crash with unrelenting violence throughout the day.

“There’s islands out there too.  A lot of ‘em.”  Kesla’s returned to her normal, conversational volume now, happy enough Shay’s just impressed, not overwhelmed.  “Too many to count, some big enough to be nations in themselves. I’d like to see more of ‘em one day, if the gods are willing.”

Now Shay finally breaks from her trance, turning to face her with real excitement dancing in her eyes.  “Really? Sounds amazing.  You’ve been out there, then?”

I know she’s thinking about the dozens of ships we’ve seen clustered around the piers and jetties of the quays, some are quite modest vessels but more than a few great multi-decked three-mast beasts tower over the rest.  Some are heavily armoured traders that sail dangerous waters threatened by pirates and lethal monsters alike, but there’s plenty of Tektehran naval vessels moored in the harbour too.  The thought of setting out on the deep, unfathomable waters of the vast ocean seas is daunting to me, but in a strangely enticing way.  I get what she’s feeling now.

“Once, in my second year as a merc.  I crewed security on a merchantman trading hides, ore and lumber from Hocknar to Krebet.  We had a couple close calls with pirate crews and got brushed by a leviathan on the return with a hold of spice and oil, but nothing too eventful.  Didn’t have to draw my sword in anger the whole voyage.”

Shay cocks a brow at that.  “Well that’s no fun.”

“Oh, I dunno.  Wasn’t really about that.  I was there in case we ever got boarded, we just had to protect the cargo, but that wasn’t my reason for signing on.  It was a chance for a little bit of an adventure, and to actually get paid for it.”  Kesla grins wide.  “I went for an experience, and I sure as hell got one.  Turned out I got a good pair o’ sea-legs, too.”

“Well it sounds wonderful.”  Shay looks out across the vast waters again, her smile growing wistful.  “I want to try it someday.”

Kesla leans in and gives her a little shoulder-nudge.  “Maybe once we’re done with this job we can hire out to a merchantman, get you a chance.”

“Oi, we still ain’t had any proper downtime from the last job yet.” I growl, but it’s largely in jest, I can’t quite keep the smile from my lips.  Thankfully Gael spots it, ‘cause otherwise it could maybe look like I forgot why we’re actually here in the first place.

Tipping me a little wink, Kesla reaches out and wraps her arm round my shoulders, but then turns it into a loose headlock as she pulls me in close.  I go along with it, only pretending to squirm and protest, and we chuckle for a few moments, our spirits suitably lightened.

After a few moments, Krakka cocks his head, regarding the rest of us with his bright-dark eyes.  “Do you suppose Yeslee would be up for that kind of adventure?  You’ve seen what she’s like in a large city, how do you think she’d be out there on a ship?”

Letting me go, Kesla regards him for a moment, then me, before turning to Gael. Finally she regards Shay, who simply shrugs, then she bursts out laughing, and it’s not long before the rest of us join her.  Even after the laughter subsides we simply stand there for a few moments more, just enjoying the pleasant moment.

“Okay,”  Kesla finally interjects  “So what’s the plan, we setting down here or what?”  She casts about the curving stone seawall marking the end of harbour. There are a few people dotted about its length, some townsguard on watch patrolling it and a few locals fishing off the wall with long poles, but otherwise there’s no-one camped out here with any real purpose.  It’s a working port, not a sightseeing spot.

“You don’t want to sit out on the beach?”  Gael enquires  “I thought that was the point of this little detour.”

I have to frown at that, looking down at the darker wet stretch marking the tideline, then the brighter stretch further up, leading into the tall grass-dotted dunes mostly obscuring the hill beyond.  “You’re sure?  Looks like an invitation to a sandy crotch to me.”

Gael gives me a very flat look.  “There are ways around that, genius.”

Cocking my head, I give ‘em a sharp look of my own, but there’s no more venom in it than their feigned reproach, and it doesn’t take ‘em long to smile again. Gael turns to Kesla, doesn’t say anything, simply raises their brows in clear enquiry.

Kesla looks to Shay now, who’s already looking down at the beach like she’s seeing it all for the first time.  I gotta admit she really does look intrigued by it.  Finally Kesla frowns a little, like she’s just remembered something, and turns back to Brung, who’s been pretty much silent for most of the morning.

I’ll admit, he’s too much of a novelty for me to just forget about, even if he has spent most of this time with his hood up as we’ve been making our rounds, but it’s thrown back now, has been since we broke off for lunch in fact, I realise.  Like he’s finally comfortable enough in our company to let himself be really seen now.  Suddenly I realise I didn’t even wonder if he might actually like fish in the first place, and I start to feel bad about ordering the same lunch for everybody …

“You cool with that, Brung?”  Kesla asks it so matter of fact I feel worse.  She’s accepted him into our little circle already.

He regards her for a long moment with those blazing bright eyes, and I still find myself wondering what the hell’s even going on behind them half the time. I have no more dislike of goblins than Kesla does, this unusual little sellsword is a perfect example of the fact they can be well-rounded people just like the rest of us.  But about the only real encounters I’ve had with his kind have always been when they’re trying to kill me, it’s proper weird to suddenly be interacting with one in a social situation.  But when I realise I’m thinking about it like that I hate myself for it.

“Your party, Mistress Shoon.”  He finally rasps, his expression unchanged.  “Your call.”

“No, really, I’d like to know.  We’re all in this together, sure, but that don’t mean you just have to put up with what we wanna do.”

His brows raise a little at that, I’m almost surprised to see it, and maybe the slightest tick of a smile touches the corners of his beaky mouth. “Beach is fine.”  He starts walking now, not even bothering to head for the shallow stone staircase leading down into the sand further up but just stepping straight to the edge of the wall and dropping the eight feet down onto the beach itself.

I turn to Kesla, my own brows shooting up through no fault of my own, and she just grins sidelong at me, shrugging with wry amusement.  “Guess that’s it, then.”  She pauses before stepping to the edge, then looks down, considering it for a stretch.

Still feeling a little bad about my attitude, I try to mask it with an eyeroll as I step to Krakka, who’s frowning down at the sand too.  “You all right with this, old man?”

Turning my way, our cleric gives me a pointed look at the address.  “Less of the lip, lad.  I’m not so old I can’t still put you on your arse before you can blink.”  He’s smiling despite the threat, but I know it’s not entirely idle.  “But yes, I suppose I am.  Not that I’m too enamoured of this route, though.”

“Allow me.”  Driver 8 finally shunts into life again, startling Shay a little so she skips aside a big step as he starts to move towards the edge now, not even pausing before he steps off.  It’s not a particularly big drop, but even for his ten feet it’s not exactly just a single step down, and when he lands it’s with a very loud, heavy thump that sends up a great pluming gout of sand in all directions.  He looks down for a moment as he finds himself now sunk almost two feet into the beach, but he simply picks either foot up with additional little puffs before turning back to us.  He raises his hand now, offering it to the edge for Krakka to step onto.

Krakka lets one of his barking, discordant laughs go seeing that, and steps into the offered palm without hesitation.  “Why thank you, Big Man.”  He’s still smiling as broadly as he’s able as Driver 8 start to lower him carefully to the beach below.

“My pleasure.”  the golem rumbles, and I could swear he almost sounds pleased with himself.

This time when I look to Kesla, she’s stifling a laugh.  Gael’s still just frowning down at the drop, clearly unsure about this.  “This is … um … perhaps I should just …”

“Oh come along, now.”  Shay steps past her and just jumps, landing with an impressively subtle puff of sand that barely even rises off the ground, one of the most graceful things I ever seen her do, in fact.  She turns straight round to look up at them.  “It’s easy.  You’re half-elf, this is in your blood.”  She takes a step back, two, then holds her arms out.  “it’s easy.”

Frowning a little, I turn back to them.  “You did survive the Viper.  This is a piece of cake compared to that.”  Then I step back myself … and there’s nothing under my feet now. I drop fast, seeing their eyes widen quick watching me drop, their mouth dropping open too in surprise, but I keep my face cool as I hold their gaze all the way down.  I got no idea of the exact footing I’m about to find as I land, but I trust my luck all the same, and when I land I let my knees fold as I take in the impact, spreading my arms a little.  Inwardly I breathe a sigh of relief, but I keep my eyes on Gael even as I stand up again.  “You coming?”

Gael turns to Kesla, the only one left up there with ‘em now, looking pretty nervous.  “Should I … ?”

“Up to you, luv.”  Kesla gives them a reassuring little nudge, then drops into a crouch, putting her own hand down on the edge of the wall.  It takes me a moment to realise exactly what she’s about to do, so when she boosts herself off in a considerably more controlled jump than my own I gotta scramble aside with a little less grace than I’d like before she drops right on top of me.  She bends at the knees same as me when she lands, and must not suffer any more discomfort from her own landing since she simply steps up to my side with a cocky half-smile I find more’n a little infuriating.

“Come on, Gael, it’s fine.”  Kesla calls up to them.  “If I can do that, you definitely can.  It’s fine.”

Shay stays where she if, holding out her arms, beckoning a little but mostly just prepared to catch her if this goes horribly wrong, and I can tell that’s definitely what the young wizard’s thinking about.  They take a few nervous breaths, looking up the length of the wall to the steps a good twenty yards further up, clearly considering chickening out and just running over to take that safe route down, and I can’t say I’d really blame ‘em.  This really ain’t actually necessary, and none of us would actually think any less of ‘em for playing it safe like that, especially after what happened in the mountains, and then that close call yesterday.  But I know ‘em too well, Kesla too, and it’s becoming clear enough to Shay too – she’s fully capable, and she’s definitely someone who wants to do all the same stuff we can, they won’t be able to live with themselves if they don’t prove they really can.  So they take a last deep breath, tighten their lips and narrow their eyes, then, as an afterthought, toss their staff over the side towards me.

Ain’t really expecting that, so I almost miss it, having to lunge somewhat to catch it at the last, but in the end reckon it just looks like a cool last minute reaction instead.  So I plaster a half-smile on my face to make it look like that was my plan all along, and look up at them again, broadening my smile as encouragement.

Gael doesn’t quite close their eyes as they jump off, but I can tell they want to.  They drop without any real finesse, and Shay moves forward anyway, reaching out to catch ‘em as they come down, but in the end they land straight enough and have the good sense to drop into a crouch when their feet hit the sand.  The sand that’s kicked up is no bigger than what Shay set loose, and they manage to keep their balance, although they got their arms spread wide just in case, and they look pretty shook now they’re down.  Shay crouches too beside ‘em, putting a hand on their shoulder, and leans close to mutter:  “Hey, that’s it, you did it.  That was great, Gael.  Well done.”

They take several deep, unsteady breaths, but slowly a smile starts to creep across their face as they realise they actually pulled it off.  Finally they raise their face to look up at Kesla, who’s stood by with her arms folded and head cocked.  “Yeah, I suppose I did.  I really didn’t enjoy that.  Can we use the steps to climb back up?”

“Definitely.”  Krakka interjects before Kesla or Shay can answer, although he’s smiling a little too. “I have no more time for that kind of nonsense than you do.”

“I most certainly agree with you there.”  Gael takes Shay’s offered hand and allows her to help them stand up again. They’re looking pretty sheepish now, I’ll admit.  “But Shay’s right, it’s in my blood.  I shouldn’t be scared of that kind of thing.”

“You just need more confidence.”  The half-orc gives her a companionable pat on the shoulder.  “There’s a warrior in you, you just have to let them strut once in a while.  If you have the guts to port headlong into a solo fight with a bunch of masked nutcases a simple eight foot drop shouldn’t baffle you.”

“All right, I’m fine, okay?”  Gael shakes her off, but does it politely.  “Can we just get on?  I’m hungry.”  They push through the group now, moving out into the open towards where Brung’s been patiently waiting for us all this time.

As we start after them I realise I’ve still got Gael’s staff.  It’s lighter than I was expecting, certainly given how effectively I saw them wielding it yesterday, but it’s also bloody tall, way taller than I am, and it’s definitely a bit of a handful for me to move around with.  I have to juggle it somewhat as I head out across the sand, following the slight incline up the beach with the others, finally leaning it on my shoulder and holding onto it with both hands and hoping for the best.  As I look sidelong up at Shay she’s watching me with a growing smile.

“Chivalry can be a pain sometimes, can’t it?”

“I don’t mind, really.”  I lie through my teeth.

“They’re lucky to have you, Art.  And I’m glad you’re both in a good place again.  I was starting to wonder what’s been up between you two since yesterday morning.”

“Has there been … I dunno what you mean, I hadn’t noticed –”

“You know, for such a sneaky little bugger there are times when you can’t lie for shit, you know that, right?”  She gives me a proper sly, toothy grin now.

Frowning deep, I give her a hard glare, but she just smiles right back, oblivious.  Up ahead Gael’s fishing through their pockets, final shrugging before drawing out one of their now rarely used handkerchiefs and shaking it out.  They stop in a likely spot halfway up the beach, a decent stretch back from the high-tide line, where there’s a decent sized gap between the scattered driftwood and other detritus that’s built up on the sand, and raises it in front of them.  Muttering under their breath, they blow out across the handkerchief, a long, full lungful, then start stretching the square of light white linen between their fingers. And it obeys them, genuinely seeming to grow larger as she pulls.  Larger and thicker too, I can see.

Finally they got a piece easily long as the span between their hands held wide, but instead of stopping they take another breath and blow through it again, snapping it out in front of them in the same moment.  As it whips out I see it expand outwards a good deal more dramatically now, and when they finally stop blowing there’s an easy twelve-by-twelve square foot overlarge handkerchief in their hands.  They snap it out one more time and this time let it settle down on the sand in front of ‘em, and seeing this seems to snap Kesla out of her impressed reverie enough to help smooth it out in place.

“Bloody hell, Gael.”  I manage to choke out after a baffled moment.  “How the hell did you … um … what?”

The look they give me is sharp, but it doesn’t stay that way for long, a surprisingly sly smile spreading across her face soon enough.  “Just go along with it for once, please.  It’s magic.  Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”

Ignoring the urge the glare back, I Instead hoist the staff off my shoulder and pass it back, then step up to this miraculous new blanket now spread out in front of us.  Crouching, I give it a careful, light-fingered poke, and I’m surprised to find that now, somehow, it feels more like some kind of waxed, waterproofed canvas. That makes me frown some, and when I look up I see their smile’s grown positively gleeful now.  I can’t help responding in kind seeing it, even if mine still feels incredulous.  “Cute.”

“C’mon, then.  Gael’s right, I’m starving.”  Kesla starts unbuckling her swordbelt.  “Shall we?”

Nodding, Shay steps forward onto the brand new blanket and sets the canvas bag she’s been toting since we set off in the middle before sitting cross-legged on one of the empty corners.  Gael sticks her staff into the sand behind her and unbuckles her own sword before settling down beside her, and I’m quick taking up the place on her other side before anyone else can take it up.  I see Shay give me a look when she sees this but I try real hard to ignore it.

Hunkering down on Shay’s other side, Kesla sets her sword down and reaches forward to open the bag.  The moment she does the smell of warm, freshly-fried battered fish and vinegar-splashed chipped potatoes wafts out of it, and my mouth instantly starts watering. Reaching in, she starts passing out each parcelled meal, holding the first out to Brung as he settles down on my open side.

Before unwrapping my own, I reach into the satchel of odds and ends I brought from the temple after taking them up on their offer of a few little takeaway bits and pieces before we set out this morning.  I find the flasks with ease, taking one out and unscrewing the cap, taking a little whiff to check its contents, then frown.  “Um … okay, I forgot I don’t know how this works. Gael, which is it that goes with fish again?”

Gael pauses with a chip hovering just shy of their mouth, cocking a brow my way. “Hmmm?  You mean the wine?”

“Of course the wine.  I didn’t reckon we’d wanna hit the spirits this early in the day.”

Their brow quirks a touch higher as they pop the chip into their mouth and start chewing, but they don’t rise to the bait.  “Red, obviously.”

“Ah yes.”  I screw the cap back on and drop the flash back in, recovering another and checking it. Bingo.  I seal this one again too but leave it set out next to the food bag.  “Obviously.”

“Oh my gods …”  Shay quietly exclaims, drawing everyone’s immediate attention.  She’s chewing slowly, a look vaguely close to ecstasy on her face now, and I see she’s torn off a little piece of fish already.

“Gorgeous, ain’t it?”  I grin now, finally starting to unwrap the paper bundle so I can start on my own. “I told you, best fish and chips in the world, that place does.”

“Reckon I might have to agree with you on that score.”  Kesla chews her current mouthful slowly, almost reverently, then when she does swallow she simply raises her hand and licks her fingertips clean one at a time before going back for another morsel.  “This is really something.”

“It’s something else, I agree with you there.”  Krakka picks through his own lunch with those strange long-fingered hands of his and considers for a moment before picking out a couple of chips.  “There’s … it’s something about the batter, I think. They’ve done something different than usual.”

“The beer in the batter.”  I beam him a smile.  “They got a deal with one of the upscale breweries in Tabaphic, so it ain’t just your ordinary ale.  That’s a special one, proper secret ingredient stuff.”

“Well it’s extremely good, you made the right call.”  Gael finally admits as they nibble on a piece, although I can see their cheeks are a little flushed again.  Gods, Gael, you really can’t bluff for shit, can you?  They see me watching after a moment, see how thoroughly incredulous a look I’m giving them, and they roll their eyes.  “Oh all right, it’s gorgeous.  My congratulations to the chef, or whoever it was.”

I smile at that, tearing off a big piece of my own fish and then halving it before selecting a couple of chips and popping both together into my mouth. It’s a been a while, so I really relish it, finally remembering just how this was one of the things I most missed when I left.  The others are clearly enjoying their own meals as much as me, I don’t even need to ask after Brung the way he’s quietly chewing away, again smiling that subtle half-smile of his.  So I just munch away happily for a while, and the others seem similarly happy to just shut up and enjoy their meal for a while too.

After a few, Driver 8 finally stirs from his quietly contemplative observation of the beach around us and turns to the water, seeming to consider it for a few moments.  Then he just starts walking, moving with slow, implacable steadiness across the sand, and when he reaches the lapping surf he keeps going.  I watch him wade in un to his knees, this hips, then when he’s up to his chest and still stepping I arch my brows, turning to Kesla.  “What the hell?”

“What, you worried he might drown?”  she chuckles a little as she regards me for a moment before turning back to watch him continue until he’s up to his neck.

He stops for a moment now, and I begin to think that maybe that’s it, that’s as far as he’ll go, but then he takes another step and suddenly he’s just gone under the waves, and I hear Kesla mutter something unintelligible, low under her breath.  She catches me watching her again and just rolls her eyes, returning to her meal. “Let him have his adventure. Ain’t like any of us can do that.”

“Yeah, I guess.”  I pick out another scrap of fish and pop it into my mouth.  I contemplate further for a moment while I chew it.  “So …”  I finally venture after swallowing.  “What’s the plan with the boy?  Wull or whatever it was.”

“Shul said they might be able to do something about the tattoo, given enough time.” Kesla answers after a moment. “Might be they can reverse the enchantment eventually, but it’ll be tricky, looks like.  Meantime they’ll give him a room in the back, look after him. Under guard, obviously, but … it’s more for his own good than anything else, really.  For all we know poor bastard’ll choke to death moment he sets foot outside otherwise.”

The thought of that makes me bare my teeth, I can’t help it.  Don’t ruin my appetite, but I still have to take a moment to suck my fingers cleaner before I pick up the flask and unscrew it, then take a quick swig.  I swill it for a moment before swallowing, and I have to admit it works really well with the fish.  Certainly I feel better after.

After a moment I notice Brung eyeing the flask with something that might be curiosity, so I offer it up.  Then I notice Gael watching me and I have to smile, which she returns.

“What’d Yeslee say?”  Shay ventures now, picking the flask up herself after Brung sets it back down in the middle of the blanket.  “You know, about that woman he described.  Ventriss, was it?”

“Vandryss.”  Kesla corrects her, not even looking up from her fish as she picks over what little she now have left.  “She … wasn’t sure.  She said it sounded like it could be a few different things, all of ‘em troubling, but couldn’t narrow it down on what she had to go on.”

“Then … what could she be?”  I wonder aloud, though I’m not really sure if I really want to know. “Potentially?”

“Might be she has some dark elf blood in her.  Maybe.  But she said the description sounded off, like if she was then she definitely ain’t pure, there’s something proper wrong in the mix.”  She finally looks up, turning to me as she pops another morsel of fish into her mouth.  “The way her eyes were … weird.  That threw her.  The teeth too.  That ain’t an elf thing.  Or the nails.”

“Dark elves, though … that’s far north, ain’t it?”  I pick out a few more chips, but don’t bite yet.  I’m still ruminating.  “Tektehr, mostly.  Heard they pretty much run the Empire.”

“Does that mean it’s them, then?”  Shay wonders  “This is Terror bullshit after all?”

“I don’t think so …”  Kesla lets out a weary sigh.  “No, the way the boy described her, the rest of it, the way this is all set up … this ain’t them.   There’d be no reason for it.  They got control already, why would they need to be so quiet about it?”  She picks out the last of her fish and a couple of her dwindled chips.  “No, this is something else.  The way they’re avoiding fucking with the Terrors, that’s them being smart, just like with the Guild.  And the way they’re using these disparate crews, non-affiliated, just common thugs? That’s smart too. Compartmentalising who knows what, and making it so whatever they do know, for what little it's actually worth, don’t get out.  Terrors don’t need to do that shit, not since they already run everything they need to.”

Krakka pisks up the flask now.  “But if she is a dark elf, even just half of one …”

“I’d say the fact they seem wrong is the key, then.”  Shay counters  “Together with that odd stray wizard, and especially the orc … Kesla’s right.  This is a whole lot more complicated than it seems. Like it’s supposed to seem, even.”

I have to scowl at that.  “I swear, this shit gives me a headache sometimes.”

“Reckon it’s meant to.”  Kesla smiles ruefully now.

There’s another thoughtful silence as we draw to the close of our communal meal, and once I’ve wolfed down every last scrap of my own fish and chips I find myself casting longing looks at the remains of others’ meals.  Shay catches me watching what’s left of hers as she takes another swallow of wine and cocks a brow, giving me a somewhat sharp smile as she screws the cap back on the flask.  Instead of calling me on it she turns to Kesla.  “You’re sure going after this tattooist’s the smartest play, then? We’ve already got the name of this gang leader, what was it?”

“Vik.”  Gael puts it, licking their fingers clean after finishing off the last of their own fish, although I can’t help noticing they still got a few chips left.  “And the one I fought in the alley was called Tog. He was quite good, I’m not sure I could have beaten him.”

“I’m just glad it never got that far.”  Kesla breathes, finally picking up her now empty food-wrapper and crumpling the greasy paper into a ball.  “Vik ain’t a viable lead, ‘least not yet.  Darwyn said she didn’t recognise the name herself, but if he is in charge of these freelance gangs then he’ll be real hard to find, and we sure won’t get nowhere just wandering round the bad part o’ town asking after him.”

Kesla’s right, the kind of circles that lot move round in won’t take too kindly to that at all, we’d be as likely to get out collective throats cut as just shown a good run-around.  There are plenty of non-affiliated gangs that operate on the fringes of most cities, scraping together thoroughly criminal livings through petty theft, burglary, extortion and general unpleasant behaviour, as well as the occasional sideline in smuggling.  If they steer clear of anything the Guild themselves are involved in, they’re permitted to operate, so long as they keep their noses “clean” – which essentially translates to leaving alone anyone who pays the guild for protection, or they’ve otherwise deemed off-limits.  As a result for the most part they just scrape by living off the scraps, the shit work that nobody looking to make their fortune would consider, and as a result their most lucrative enterprises tend to be hiring themselves out as freelance muscle, essentially paid thugs.  They’re dangerous, and they don’t like outsiders poking their noses into their business, as much because that might just get the Guild looking where they ain’t wanted.

“Tattooist it is, then.”  Shay finally allows as she picks up the last scraps of fish and bundles them together, popping the pieces into her mouth and making a clear effort not to look my way while she’s doing it.  She can’t help a slight smile at the thought.  I try not to let it get to me, seeing it.

To distract myself, I look out to the water again, where Driver 8 disappeared … just in time to see him emerge again, his head slowly cresting through the rolling surf.  It’s a slightly eerie sight, seeing his red eyes blazing through the prismed water before he breaks surface, but I guess I was at least half-expecting it so it doesn’t give me the start I suspect it’d inflict on a passing stranger.  The first I realise Brung, who already finished his meal before me, is watching too is when he hisses like a startled beast, and I realise he’s tensed beside me as he watches Big Man rise from the sea.  I manage the resist to urge to reach out and rest a calming hand on his shoulder, genuinely unsure of how he’d actually react under the circumstances.

“Bloody hell … golem.  Damn it.” The goblin sits back, flexing his claws for a moment as he looks away, shaking his head, eyes narrowed.  They meet mine and for a moment he just watches me, almost seeming surprised at being caught out.

So I smile, the warmest I can muster, hoping it’ll calm him.  “Big Man’s harmless, I promise.”

“How’d you end up with Thel and Dumoli, if I might ask, Master Brung?”  Gael asks him, seemingly out of nowhere.  When I look at them they’re regarding him with simple curiosity.

Those bright yellow eyes widen now, seeming genuinely surprised to have been addressed the way he has.  “Master?  Bloody hell … not master.  No. Brung only.  Please.”

Gael arches her brows, but doesn’t seem offended.  “Forgive me.  Brung. I just wondered –"

“Rescued me.  In Tabaphic. Was in a cage, after uprising. What they called it, anyway.  Bollocks.  Never killed any man before they tried to kill me.  Miners wanted my home, thought there was iron.  Pretended we were a threat so soldiers would clear us out. Family got cut to pieces.  Only one left.  Took me alive, put me in cage.  Paraded me, made example.”

“Minerva …”  Gael breathes, looking a little paler than usual.  “Brung, I’m … how could …”

Brung bares his teeth in what could approximate a grin, but there’s no real humour in it.  “Last laugh, mind.  No ore in our hills.  All that for nothing.”

“But that’s worse.”  Gael protests, looking genuinely offended.  “How could anyone –”

“People are greedy, and they don’t know any better.”  Kesla growls, clenching her fists as she looks out towards Driver 8 now as he finally clears the surf.  “We’ve run into that enough ourselves, remember?”

Gods, I do.  We’ve run into would-be employers in the past who’ve tried to get us to go into a forest lair or rocky valley or prospective mine to clear out a band of unruly goblins or a horde of rogue orcs who’ve been stirring up trouble.  Kesla’s pretty good at weeding out the genuinely needy from those looking to exploit established prejudices for their own benefit, and more than once we’ve sent opportunists packing for trying to fool us into murdering innocents for personal gain.  If they can’t prove these goblins or orcs are a genuine threat with blood on their hands we ain’t interested, but there’s plenty other merc crews out there ain’t anything like so discerning.

Worst thing is, half the goblin or orcish uprisings Rundao’s seen in the wilds over the years probably started with folk trying to take what wasn’t theirs to begin with.  There’s been times we’ve hunted down and killed genuine threats that ultimately turned out to have been riled up by somebody trying to earn a fast fortune in the Reaches or some of the other wilderness territories we ply most of our trade in.  So even though we’re justified in killing to protect innocent farms or villages, it still leaves a nasty taste in the mouth after.

It'd be instantly understandable for Brung to be angry about it, to want to inflict horrible damage on those he felt responsible, but instead he’s so calm I’m left a little beside myself seeing it.  Moreover the fact he’s clearly gone on to ply his own trade in the company of the very kind of people who would’ve been hired to do that sort of thing … it’s hard to fathom.  He catches me watching him now, and I can’t begin to guess what my face might be telling him, but he simply shrugs.

“Thel and Du … understand.  No hunting work, no purges.  Mostly just security, odd necromancer, warlock, etcetera like.   Careful about who hires us.”

That makes me nod, lets me breathe out again.  “Us too.  Too many arseholes out there.”

“Amen to that.”  Krakka growls, done with his own meal too and now cradling Bloodmoon in his lap as he frowns over this turn in the conversation.

Shay swallows the last of her chips, but leaves her paper laid out as she regards her greasy fingers for a moment.  “So when you said that they rescued you from a cage …”

“Literally.”  Brung nods once, almost more punctuation that affirmation.  “Was complicated.”

“Like a breakout?  From prison?”

“After fashion.”  I’ll admit his clipped, simplistic responses tell a story while revealing very little, it makes it a little baffling trying to follow his story sometimes, but mostly you catch the gist.  I think I got it this time.

“Well surely that was … I mean really …”  Shay’s frowning deeply now.  “Didn’t they get into trouble for that?”

“Ain’t been back to Tabaphic since, so hasn’t come up.”  There’s the subtlest smile touching the corners of his mouth again.

“Yeah …”  Kesla breathes after a moment, and no-one else seems to know quite what to say to that. I can’t help smiling a little, mind. I dunno why, somehow that’s just the funniest shit to me right now.  It’s all I can do to keep from bursting out laughing.

“None of us are perfect either.”  Driver 8 says now, breaking the silence at last.  He’s stood a few feet away from the edge of the blanket, which I suppose is him trying to be considerate since he’s still dripping wet.  “We have performed acts in our time together that might be considered by some to be problematic.”

“Ain’t sure you oughtta really lump yourself in with that, Big Man.”  I admit  “But yeah, you got a point there.  Still, most of us ‘least had the good grace to do it outside earshot of anybody’d actually be in a position to start any shit about it.”

Kesla grins wide, reckon she finds the sheer irony in my statement in her regards in particular a little hilarious.  Technically she’s a wanted enemy of the whole Tektehran Occupation, they just don’t know it.  She should have one hell of a price on her head.

Brung must pick up on it, given the way he regards her for a long, watchful moment. “Troublemaker yourself?”

“You could say that, yeah.”  Kesla admits with a wry chuckle.  “In my youth.”

He cocks his head.  “Resistance?”

Her smile narrows, but doesn’t fade entirely, her regard of him becoming more shrewd.  “Yeah. Freedom Legion.”

“Makes sense.”  He nods, again just once.  “Rest of you?”

That makes me blink.  “Gods no, I was just a kid.  And I was in the Guild, so …”  Coming up short with more to say, I just shrug.  “Y’know.  Never really came up.”

“I was still in school.”  Gael agrees.

Krakka simply shrugs.  “I largely stayed out of it.  My Lady didn’t take sides in that, so I had no right to behave any differently.”  He still gives Kesla a shifty look as he says it, and she gives another knowing little half-smile seeing it.

“Up in the mountains we mostly just stayed out of the Terrors’ way.”  Shay’s having trouble meeting anyone’s eyes now, I notice.  “We had other concerns.”

Brung studies her for in particular for a long moment, no suspicion in his regard, but I see her shying all the same.  Finally he turns to look up at Driver 8, who’s a little while answering.

“In truth I could not say.  I was still asleep.”

Brung frowns at that, and I just wouldn’t know where to start.  It’s a hell of a story, too long for a lunch that’s already over, but I guess we’ll get to it eventually.  For now he just looks up at Big Man for another long moment, face still unreadable, before finally shrugging once again, like he’s content to wait on that particular revelation.

Everyone seems to be finished now, the flask making one last round as we wash it down, and that pretty much drains it now before it comes back to me.  I suck down the last mouthful, giving it a swill to clean my teeth before swallowing it down, then cap it again and stuff it away while I lick my lips.  The atmosphere seems to have finished mellowing again, and we’re generally pretty contented after such a good meal anyway, so no-one seems particularly inclined to move just yet.  But we’ve got a job to do all the same.

It occurs to me now, as we sit here, that on the subject of the resistance against the Occupation at least, Yeslee’s never really spoken about what she was doing, and none of us ever felt inclined to press her on it.  I’ll admit I’m curious about it now, mind.  I wonder if she might think me too bold if I tried to probe her on it next time we’ve got a moment together.

“Reckon we oughtta get a move on, yeah?”  Kesla finally ventures, giving her knees a quick little brush off before shifting her legs about and pushing herself to her feet, picking up her sword as she rises.  “Best not waste the day if we can help it.”

“Why not?”  I scrape up the rest of the rubbish now and start stuffing it all, screwed up or not, into the bag.  “Still a lot of ground to cover.  You never know though, might be the others already lucked out on their end.”

“Doubtful.”  Gael interjects as she passes me her own bundled-up paper.  “Tulen would have contacted me as soon as they found him.”

“Ah.” I grimace a little as I accept her rubbish.  “Yeah.” I stuff it away with the rest before finally starting to work my way to my own feet, catching Kesla’s eye as I do.

Her smile’s subtle again, but bright with amusement, and it’s all I can do to keep from snapping in response to it.  Finally she gives a little shrug as she straps her sword back on.  “Guess we’ll see.”

TO BE CONTINUED ...

#never split the party #The Creeping Bam #the adventures of The Creeping Bam #book 2 chapter 22 #fantasy fiction #original fiction #original fantasy fiction #to be continued

[ofherlionheart]

fast balls only, are you ready? 9, 15, 32, 33 for the v day ask

babe a baseball reference?? get out of here baseball isnt even iN SEASON

9. have you ever been in love?

lol noooooo not romantically. is that the answer u would have expected based on the sappy shit i write haha

15. what’s your ideal first date?

omg. dinner date where i discover they have no major dietary restrictions**. the convo and vibes are so gr8 we end up lingering at the restaurant until close, at which point we're like … hm. wanna find a bar? we linger at the bar until close. we walk to the subway together and i give them a kiss on the cheek. by the time i get home they've already sent me a text saying they had a great time and they've love to see me again

32. favorite romcom (or any romantic movie)?

the proposal is my longtime love but my more contemporary 'rewatch when im sad' romcoms are to all the boys i've loved before (only the first. the second and third can rot) and set it up. that said im getting tired of those so im def open to recs lol. books too i love a romance novel. recently got character assassinated by the ex talk b/c while the premise was flimsy the narrator was, like, a psychological readout of many of my issues lmao

33. do you fall in love easily?

like, a fake love based on the version of ppl i made up in my head? super easily. that was the entirety of HS for me haha. now? no, i don't think so. but i think that stems more from deep-rooted skepticism and my own self-esteem issues than anything else LOL ✌️🤪

valentine's day asks!

#ask game #valentine's day #**sorry i can absolutely accommodate my friends' dietary restrictions but ive learned i love certain food too much to cut it out of my life #deal breakers are keto (i love white rice n noodles) vegan (runny eggs are a food group) and soy allergies (my blood is half soy sauce) #platonically i am always so deeply in love with multiple people #my friends are the fucking WORLD and i won't hear anything different #man can u tell from the fact that i need to be the one being pursued/seduced that i have major self-esteem issues in the dating department? #lol calm down babeygurl we're not getting into that #my roommate has a BF and she's been gone since friday night #while i love being able to take over our kitchen im also like … damn. what if i had a person who was spending this entire weekend with me #wistful sigh #there is no romance in NYC

[yichimi]

Oh my god I really love the blog aesthetic :')) BUT!! You don't have to do this if you want, but may I request Trey, Floyd and Jade having an s/o that's a vegetarian? Thank you, and have a good day!! <33

✨Thank you for your request and patience✨

Trey, Floyd and Jade with a Vegetarian S/O

TREY CLOVER:

Actually...he doesn't minds it at all

Its not a big deal anyway!

But he does appreciate the fact that you care about the animals so much, that you won't eat them! (If that is the reason why you're vegetarian-)

If you have any recipes with vegetarian food, he's always open to try it with you and explore everything-

And he really hopes it's okay for you when he still wants to eat meat-he wouldn't mind to skip some here and there tho. Or maybe try the vegan version.

Who knows, maybe then he likes vegan meat more-

But all in all, hes very careful and respectful with it. Pays extra attention if there is meat in anything or not

And honestly, he just likes to surprise you also with a great dinner

Yep, for Trey it's no problem at all!

JADE LEECH:

I mean...he was a bit confused about it at from the start. But when you explained why exactly you're vegetarian he understood

He also like Trey likes to cook with you and for him it's not complicated to cook something without meat

For him it's just, 'You don't eat meat? Ok!' and that's it it's not a deal breaker or anything

And as a vegetarian you also don't have to worry with him by eating mostly things that come from plants

Its all okay with him-as long as you're happy and healthy, hes supportive! In his own way kinda-

FLOYD LEECH:

Never understood it

And still doesn't does it to this day

Like....they're just animals-(his opinion not mine XD)

He still won't stop eating them. And if it bothers you he just turns around so you don't have to see

Also still eats fish and shrimps. But you're still his favorite shrimp to eat-

And eating things from plants? No problem, he can sneak you out a cucumber or maybe even a eggplant out of the kitchen from some random dorm if you crave it

But if you want cucumber you can also eat his-

And i mean...eggs are waiting for you too to eat-

MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST TWISTED WONDERLAND

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland headcanons #twisted wonderland x reader #Trey Clover #Trey Clover x reader #Trey Clover headcanons #Jade Leech #Jade Leech headcanons #Jade Leech x reader #Floyd Leech #Floyd Leech x reader #Floyd Leech headcanons #yichimi

[adobe-outdesign]

Thoughts on the Tympole line? Seismitoad's been a favorite pokemon of mine for a while and would love to hear your opinions.

Tympole's got a pretty good design, and would also be a good mascot for a headphone company. The colors are nice, and the music/vibration motif is well integrated with the little music note eyebrows. The warts on the side of the head are particularly well done, as they fit with it being a toad tadpole while also resembling headphones, which further ties back into the music theme.

The only thing that I don't care for is that the expression's never sat well with me. Maybe it's solely the eyebrows or maybe the mouth plays a part, but this Pokemon's always looked like it was either anxious or about five seconds away from bursting into tears. Some people might find that endearing I suppose, but it never sat quite right with me. Other than that, though, this is a solid start to the line.

As a side note, I also like how the 'dex entries for this line go over how they use sound as a means of communication, and how the warts' size affect the sounds they produce. Just some nice attention to detail there.

Part of me dislikes Palpitoad for reasons I'll get to in a second, but at the same time part of me just can't bring myself to hate this silly thing. It's a bean with tiny little feel and no arms, and I kind of can't help but like it solely for the sheer ridiculousness of that.

In terms of what bugs me though, i think it's the face. It's just so large and low on the body that it almost looks fake. My instincts want the head of this thing to be right where the top wart is, but instead we have this weird body-face that intersects the markings in a weird way and it just doesn't feel quite right to me. I'm also not big on the wart covering the eyes for reasons I'll get into with Seismitoad.

There are also one or two nitpicky design things I could point out too, such as the tail being white when nothing else on the body is (just make it cream) and the way the spots along the back lack the black lining. That spot on the lower back is especially weird because it adds nothing and wasn't in the original backsprite.

But at the end of the day, it manages to be its own unique Pokemon rather than looking like a blend of its evolution/pre-evo, and frankly that's really all I ask of middle evolutions.

When it comes to Seismitoad, I really like how huge and bulky this guy is. Most of the frog/toad Pokemon are much thinner, so these proportions give it a very unique, toad-esc stature that I dig. The expression and the warts themselves also look great.

So what's not working? Well, I'm not big on the two spots on the head. The way they overlap the eyes actually takes focus off of them, not to mention the weird gap at the back of the head it leaves. More importantly, it's just a shame to lose the headphone motif, as it was well done and a clever way to reflect the vibration theme.

And speaking of the eyes, the red feels like a random choice given that it comes out of nowhere and the rest of the line has regular white eyes. If you wanted to color them that badly, I would've at least gone for a bright yellow, as that would pop more and would tie into the cream color on the pre-evos.

There's also a bit of a consistency problem with the spots again, with the ones on the knees and back randomly lacking the black outlines. Not a deal breaker, but it does feel weird. (As a side note, I've heard some say that the back warts are meant to resemble how some frog/toad species carry their eggs on their backs. I kind of doubt that was intentional, but it's still a nice bonus regardless.

And finally, the elbows feel like they go in just a hair too far, though that's obviously a minor thing.

As a whole, these are some pretty distinct toads with solid designs all around. I just wish the sound theme carried through to Seisimitoad a bit more and that the warts were more carefully placed.

#tympole #palpitoad #seismitoad #pokemon #pokemon reviews