#and samuel in the alien game

[lethality-of-dual-strike]

"I would hug you, but I do not have human arms or warmth."

[mistress-light]

Alien Isolation • (dev. Creative Assembly 2014)

[rosy-station]

Open the door SEGA I just want to know if Anthony Howell is in the Alien Isolation sequel y/n

[keyofmgy]

happy Alien Day to my boyfriend Christopher Samuels

[csamuels]

Apollo Samuels AU? 👀 I literally sniffed it out in your tags like a goddamn animal

(≧∇≦)ﾉ aahhhhh I'm so sorry you sent this ask two years ago and I started it, put it in my drafts, and COMPLETELY forgor about it 😭 coupled with me loosing interest in alien isolation for a bit. HOWEVER a new ripuels fic (lifeline by jsystemexe my beloved) and my ocs made me return (and consider writing a fic based on one of these aus) so here we are! I'm on mobile and half asleep rn so I apologize for any writing/formatting issues.

There are so many variations iirc but the main two are one where Sevastopol still remains, albeit now much closer to the gas giant, and one where he escapes but Apollo is sorta piggybacking in his head which causes many problems for both of them.

both of these are set some time after the main game idk how far ahead but there is a bit of a time gap

Sevastopol Remains/Puppet AU:

What remains of Sevastopol is now in a low orbit around KG348. It’s no longer falling but is pretty close once the last gravity mooring finally gives. Despite no longer being in immediate danger, any outside access or communication is near impossible due to the station’s newfound location.

So with Sevastopol’s now decrepit remains in a steady new orbit slightly within KG348′s upper atmosphere (I’m ignoring the concept of planetary gravity for the sake of this concept rn I’ll think of something better later lskdhksdhs), Apollo now needs to do a LOT damage control. Problem is most systems are down, making is very difficult to tell the state of the station.

    Samuels is a perfect host to get a better idea of the station’s situation and is able to make up for Apollo's damaged elements. Despite his less than stellar condition and complete unwillingness. But since Samuels is in a shit condition he can’t really stop Apollo too much against using him like a puppet.

Together they try to keep the station from falling into the planet. However there is a lot of clash between the two. There are still Xenomorphs on the station and still acting under the company's orders, Apollo intends to keep these creatures and restore contact with Weyland-Yutani. Samuels on the other hand wants nothing to do with the company anymore, and is focused on getting the few survivors off the station alive.

This AU mostly focuses on the conflict between Samuels and Apollo. Though at some point Samuels and the survivors do get a message out, which just so happens to get shown to Amanda. Who then immediately decides to return to Sevastopol.

There are two alt version of this AU where Apollo is destroyed and to ensure the safety of the very few survivors, Samuels takes its place. Most I can remember of this is that Amanda returns. Samuels has to stay hooked up to the station to open a path for them and to have surveillance on the aliens. He is the only thing keeping the station from falling again.

However, after disconnecting the ship from the station, Amanda can't just leave him behind even though he begs her to. She ends up getting back onto the station and makes her way to the chamber that once held Apollo. He tries to stop and black her but she finds away to him, eventually convincing him to go with her. They rush to the exit and make it out the airlock and to the ship safely as Sevastopol and the xenos finally fall to their destruction.

The other alt version is moreso an "evil au" kinda where Apollo has more control over Samuels and is using him to do Apollo's dirty work.

-

Host AU:

Samuels was still barely alive as Sevastopol was beginning its fall. Apollo was heavily damaged and did not see destruction as an optimal outcome. Seeing that Samuels was still somewhat functioning, it saw it fit to transfer itself into him while he was still partially connected to the reformat chamber (I know he wasn't hooked up to anything in there but we are slightly changing canon to make this work).

This leads to quite a rude and forced awakening to make Samuels evac the both of them off of the now falling station. Using a short distance ambulance shuttle they just barely make it off. Now this AU also has two variants. One where they are found by Weyland-Yutani, and the other where they are found by a scavenger.

I don't have much for the au where they are required by the company. This one also has two sub aus. Either they are used by the company as the station AI for a trap/research station for the Xenomorphs. Or they are kept away in containment or something I'm still figuring it out.

The other version of this AU has them being found by a scavenger or after drifting for some time, crashing on a nearby ice planet. They have to work together again to survive and keep their synthetic/AI identity a secret. This has some elements from the Sevastopol remains AU as Apollo wants to return to its new owners (the company) while Samuels wants to escape (and maybe try and find out if Amanda lived and escaped).

They end up finding refuge in an underground colony on the planet and do odd jobs to earn money and gain the trust of those around them. They get a support dog in this AU :). The scavenger who found them (if it's that case/version) would probably be the only one who knows the truth and would aid in keeping their secret. It is very difficult as Apollo is a station AI, and requires a lot of power and storage. Samuels often finds himself overwhelmed by information and warnings coupled with him overheating. Other colony residents find it odd how he can tolerate the cold in comparison to the rest of them. On the flip side, Apollo (while not having the same emotional range) finds it suboptimal to not have its previous access to a wide array of data and controls.

Hopefully this explains things somewhat lol. I'll either add onto it later or make some more posts going into detail. I just really like the idea of these two. There are plenty of different ways these AUs could be done from the way I wrote it and if anyone wants to add on or write something based on these 👀👀 I would love to see it.

[where-is-my-mind-tho]

Alien Isolation 2 is really happening 🥰😍

[bioshocked-astroghost]

Love that the Alien Isolation devs dropped the game into Steam and in the almost 10 YEARS it’s been out never once applied any kind of update lmfao

Like it’s not exactly BROKEN it works just fine with no game-breaking bugs (to my knowledge) but I’m still surprised? Like, nothing at all my guys?

Who knows, maybe they’ll drop something for the 10 year anniversary 👀

[clarionglass]

so i have been bitten by the sam reich!master bug courtesy of some phenomenal art by @northernfireart and uh. as is too often the case i had to write something otherwise if i didn't get it out of my brain i would go absolutely insane

(there may be more vignettes coming if i have ideas..... there are definitely other episodes i'd like to give the Treatment to, plus with the new dw series coming out on the weekend i may have ideas for how to incorporate the dw gang! however, i promise neither more writing or no more writing. that said, this was a lot of fun so there'll probably be more at some stage :D )

this has full spoilers for the game changer ep "escape the greenroom", but hey that's been out for a while now so,,,, if you haven't seen it i'd highly recommend it as an episode!

so, without further ado:

--

Samuel Dalton was a complete fiction, of course, but that didn't mean that when Sam Reich snuck back upstairs to get tied up in the “out of order” bathroom, the Sam that remained on the monitor, laughing at the contestants, was a pre-recording. And if Brennan, Siobhan and Lou had snorted at the idea of a time-travelling evil magician great-grandfather (for good reason), going in with the actual truth of the matter would have sounded like jumping the shark.

It sounded bizarre, but the time travel bit was the only part about his new partner in crime that was confirmably real. Admittedly, the jury was still out on “evil”—he gave off a weird vibe at times, but so far, no lines had been crossed, and it had all been funny as hell—so for now, Sam was willing to roll with it. But perhaps most surprisingly, there wasn’t even the possibility of blood relation between Samuel Dalton Reich and the guy who had shown up out of the blue one day with his exact face and a plan to really fuck around with things on Game Changer.

Yeah, the whole alien thing had really ruled out that particular prospect.

There had been various bits and pieces of confirmation that this guy wasn’t human through the time Sam had known him, but the final nail in the coffin for that one was when his doppelganger had looked him dead in the eye and tried on one of the heart rate monitors—sorry, “range extenders”—for As a Cucumber. The damn thing had literally sparked up, then died completely. Trying to process input from two separate heartbeats at once would do that, apparently. 

His doppelganger was a Time Lord, or so he had nonchalantly said one afternoon in casual conversation, though Sam still wasn’t sure if that one was a joke or not. It was hard to tell, sometimes, because he said the wildest things with the straightest face, and so far, most of them had turned out to be one hundred percent certifiably true. The time travel, the space travel, even the changing faces thing—it sounded objectively insane, but the proof was undeniable. 

There were some notable exceptions, though. Saying he’d been trapped for aeons inside Neil Patrick Harris’s gold tooth went just that bit too far to be believable, though Sam did appreciate his double’s slightly warped sense of humour.

It was that offbeat line of thinking that lent itself well to game design, as it turned out. He had a knack for coming up with ideas for Game Changer episodes, albeit with the occasional suggestion that went way beyond the bounds of good taste, and, as in the case of Escape the Greenroom, had devised some blinding twists on concepts Sam had already half-formed. The letter puzzle unlocking the secret door? It was perfect.

Understandably, Sam’s doppelganger had wanted to observe the fruits of their labours in real time, rather than watching the recording later. It happened, sometimes, particularly when it was one of his ideas that had made it through to the episode list—they’d swap places for a session, with nobody being any the wiser. Watching those edits back always felt a bit weird—it was uncanny how flawless the mimicry was—but hey, the guy was right. It was always fun.

Escape the Greenroom, specifically, with its “Samuel Dalton” conceit, provided them with a unique opportunity. Instead of swapping out the camera feed for a recording when the cast piled into the tiny secret room behind the wall, as per the original plan to get Sam in position to be discovered in the bathroom, they could just swap out the people. Sam would go upstairs, and his double would take his place at the podium, ducking out of sight when everyone came back to the main stage to “defuse the bomb”.

Sam was keen—hell, if their situations had been reversed, he’d want to be there to watch, too—but caution raised a flag. “You don’t think it’s too risky?” he’d asked when the subject was first raised. “Both of us being in the same place?”

His doppelganger had shrugged one shoulder with supreme unconcern. “The crew won't notice.”

At the time, Sam had shot him a sceptical look, but right now, Sam-Reich-in-a-purple-tie and Sam-Reich-in-an-orange-tie were standing backstage post-record, clearly visible and and calmly chatting, and not a single member of the crew had given them so much as a second glance. 

…Hardly even a first glance, come to think about it. If anyone looked over their way, their eyes seemed to… not exactly go through them, but slide over the two of them like water. He was tempted to wave to Nico or Ash or someone, just out of pure curiosity, but something in the back of his mind told him that wouldn’t be the world’s greatest idea. He had a funny feeling he wouldn’t like to see what would happen next.

(He’d given the prop bomb back to the crew once the cameras stopped rolling, and though it looked the same as the one he remembered from before he’d headed upstairs, it felt different in his hands. Heavier, more… serious, somehow. He was sure nothing would have happened—but at the same time, he was suddenly very glad that the cast had cut the correct wire with no less than a minute fifteen to go.)

(The jury was still out on evil, after all.)

“Worth coming in for?” he asked instead.

“Absolutely,” his double replied with relish. “Locking those three in a small room for an hour? Brilliant, fantastic. Inspired. It was absolute chaos.”

“Have you seen up there?” Sam asked, a smile starting to spread across his face. “They messed up the set real bad.”

His doppelganger smirked at him. “You know it took literally two seconds from you telling them to escape the greenroom for Lou to smash that guitar?”

Sam shook his head. “Oh my god. Yeah, they were stressed.” 

“Mmm. Some real panic in that room,” his doppelganger agreed, and Sam chose to ignore the faint note of satisfaction in his voice.

He shifted his weight, settling back to lean against the table behind the set, in the exact instant his double decided to do the same thing. It really was freaky how similar they were, down to the smallest mannerism—like looking in a mirror, only weirder, because the face that looked back at him was truly his own face, not mirror-reversed. Even now, it still caught Sam off guard from time to time, but at least it had faded into a more comfortable kind of strange. He had an exact lookalike who was an actual time-travelling alien. Cool. Doesn’t everyone?

The pair shared a companionable silence for a few moments, before a thought Sam had been turning over for a while rose to the top of his mind. He shifted again, this time on his own, and he felt his double’s regard swing up to fix on him like a magnet. 

“Okay, real talk,” he started, and his doppelganger frowned back in an approximation of confused innocence. “What’s all this for?”

“Who says it has to be for anything? Aren't we just having fun?”

Sam hummed, considering. “Yeah. No, I'd believe that, if I didn't sometimes walk into production meetings and find out I'd apparently been very specific about the people I wanted for certain episodes.”

“Point for Sam,” his doppelganger acknowledged with a grin. “You got me. Wasn’t hard to make a few phone calls on our joint behalf.”

“Yeah, but why?” Sam pressed. “I mean, Siobhan, Brennan and Lou are always great comedy value when you put them together, and it was awesome to have them for this, but I get the feeling you’re thinking of something other than making good content.”

“Who, me?”

With that, his double gave him a look of such overdone pantomime innocence that Sam suddenly and thoroughly understood why, not half an hour earlier, Brennan had very seriously threatened to push him down the stairs. 

He rolled his eyes, which earned him a smirk for his troubles.

Dropping the act, his doppelganger continued. “I’m expecting an�� old friend, I guess, to show up at some point, and—well, I’d like to put on a really special show for them. I thought it would be a good opportunity to try a few things out, you know?”

Ominous pause aside, that was actually kind of sweet. Sweeter than he’d been expecting, that’s for sure—he was half anticipating the revelation that he and his cast were subjects in some weird experiment. Hey, that still couldn’t fully be ruled out, but still.

“Okay,” he acquiesced. “Well… just let me know, next time? Before you start ordering in my cast like takeout?”

“Who says they’re your cast?” his double shot back with a twinkle in his eye, and Sam snorted.

“Fine. Our cast, then. But seriously, let me know?”

His doppelganger nodded, which, if not quite fully convincing, was good enough. 

“Oh, and do you know when your friend might be arriving?” Sam asked. “Because if you wanted to plan something, we can—”

“I don’t know,” his doppelganger interrupted. “So yeah, we’ll have to move fast when they do get here. But I’ve got it under control.”

He broke off, then shot Sam a mischievous grin. “In the meantime, though, I’ve had this fun thought about time loops…”

[miaowitch]

What Makes a Date? (18+)

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

Read on Ao3 or below !!

Sam (SDV) / Fem! Farmer OC

cw ⋆｡‧˚♡ swearing, smut, porn with plot, grinding over clothes, blowjobs, cumming without warning, sam pov, sams a loser?, canon/oc

summary ⋆｡‧˚♡

Sam has two tickets to his favorite band, but none of his friends want to come with him. What does he do instead? Ask the farmer on a totally platonic outing, just as friends with no underlying feelings! Everything should go according to plan, especially the part where he ends up in her house! Right?

5k words

Sam found himself in an odd situation. Two tickets to a concert in Zuzu City, two busy friends, and one available farmer. He’d been talking with Bella for a few months. Every time she came around he couldn’t help feeling like his heart would burst from his chest alien-style, but all in all he tried his hardest to be normal around her. Even if he’d written hundreds of scrapped melodies about her, even if he dreamt of her constantly, even if he wanted her laugh as his alarm clock. Samuel Neilson was a normal 20-year-old who could have hot friends. 

He’d been a fan of the band JamPot since middle school, and he figured Sebastian and Abigail would’ve died hearing about the tickets. They were all massive fans in fact, they’d discovered them together on YouTube in fact. Sure, he could only take one, but Sebastian rarely left his house anyway. Abigail was his backup plan for concerts most times, he just liked extending the offer to Seb. Abigail would never turn down the option to go to a concert without paying. 

He decided to ask them both on their weekly pool night, Sebastian was riding on his first win of the night and Abigail was lounging on the couch closest to the table. Sam thumbed the tickets in his pocket before working up the courage to ask, “Hey uh-” He started, pulling out the envelope. “Either of you wanna go with me to see JamPot on Saturday?” Sam’s hopeful tone was instantly crushed by their simultaneous rejection. “Sorry, Sammy. I’ve got plans on Saturday.” Abigail finally looked up from her phone to look at his defeated expression. “Yeah, I’ve gotta catch up on work. It wouldn’t be smart to..” Sebastian had just finished setting up the next game, but Sam couldn’t care less. “Whaat?” Sam whined out, leaning on the pool stick now. “I spent 50 on the other ticket, just hoping one of you’d tag along!” 

Sebastian, as if he was unbothered by his friend's distress, just rolled his eyes in response. “Just ask Bella.” Beginning the match by hitting the cue ball, managing to hit a solid color into a corner pocket. Sam stood dumbfounded. He didn’t want to go alone, but he also didn’t know if Bella would even agree to the…date? Would it be a date? He pondered for a minute before Sebastian cleared his throat in frustration. “You’re stripes, now play the fucking game, dude.”

The rest of the night, Sam was in a sort of daze, wondering if he was even close enough to the farmer to ask her to a concert. What if she rejected him, thinking it was a date? What if he wanted it to be a date? After his…circumstances with Penny, he wasn’t sure if he should even try to make a move. Walking out of the pub at 11, he was still thinking about Sebastian’s suggestion. Abigail waved goodbye, the one sober member of the group. Sam was slumped on Sebastian’s shoulder, the two held each other up with drunk motivation. “Can I..” Sam sighed, tossing his head back. “Just take me to your basement, Sebby.” He didn’t plan on drinking so much, but he knew his mom would kill him if he walked in wasted. “Whatev’r…” Sebastian slurred back, as he lead Sam around the corner to the mountain path. 

Sam didn’t quite remember how he’d gotten to Sebastian’s house. He woke up with a twinging headache, sprawled on the rug next to Sebastian’s bed. An old throw blanket was tossed over top of his body, but no pillow. His mouth was dry, lips cracked slightly as he pried them apart. “Seb…” He groaned, his voice was dangerously hoarse. Clearing it, he called once more as he sat up. “Seb. Get up.” Sam reached up to push at Sebastian’s sleeping back, but only received an angry groan in return. Being friends with Sebastian for so long, he understood that groan as a rejection to waking up.

Sam decided to just leave on his own, his mother was probably concerned about the fact that he hadn’t even come home. The alarm clock on Sebastian’s bedside read off [11:00 am]. He sighed, searching for his shirt that had been thrown off in the night. Picking himself up from the floor, he grabbed his phone, found his shirt, and slipped on his laceless shoes. Hobbling up the stairs was the hardest part, with stiff joints it was hard to even walk a straight line.

“Hello, Sam!” Robin announced to the house as Sam emerged from the basement. He winced at her volume, but still put on a smile. “Hey, Robin, sorry I crashed last night.” Sam adjusted the faded band shirt, hoping she couldn’t tell he’d been half naked two seconds prior. “Seb’s still asleep downstairs, I don’t know if he’s getting up any time soon.” He rubbed the back of his neck, anxious that Robin could still smell the alcohol. She didn’t seem to catch on, laughing softly. “Oh, Sam, you don’t have to apologize for staying over.” She sat back in the chair behind the front counter. “You two always stay up so late at night, at least you’re having fun.” 

Sam said his goodbyes, walking out the front door and closing it silently for the sake of his aching head. He took a deep breath, feeling around in his pocket for his phone to text his mom that he was headed home. Instead, Sam found the tickets that cursed him. “Fuck.” He muttered to himself, but apparently not quiet enough. Bella was rounding the corner at that very moment. 

“Fuck what?” She appeared with a sly, teasing smile. Sam felt his throat tighten up. “Me?” He replied with a violent voice crack. Sam couldn't help feeling like an ass when Bella was around. Something about her jet black hair, piercing blue eyes, and….assets? He didn't want to disrespect her, she was a nice friend. Why would he talk about her like that? He respected her too much. 

Bella laughed, harmoniously (to Sam). While covering her smile, which killed Sam, she dropped it after her giggles. A happy sigh escaped her, straightening up to really get a good look at him. “You look rough.” Bella spoke with almost a hinge of concern, looking him up and down. Sam had been so caught up in overthinking, he forgot completely about why he had been overthinking. “Rough? Yeah, I guess I feel the same too.” His hand nervously rubbed at his neck, Sam had a habit of doing it. “A-Actually I had a question for you!” Bella cocked her head, Sam felt his stomach toss. 

Bella was a girl who loved music. It was her and Sam’s first conversation. Wearing an old TilledSoil shirt, a band Sam had seen upwards of 10 times. After their hour of conversation on their favorite bands, Sam deemed Bella to be cool. He knew she would agree to going to a free concert with him, but was he even confident enough to ask her out? “What’s up?” Bella asked, now actually concerned for Sam. He’d been clutching the tickets for the entire time. The ticket envelope crumpled in his grip. “Do you wanna go to a concert with me- If you’re not busy or- or anything.” He felt like a total ass. 

There was no reason for her to actually reject him, but every bone in his body was cringing out. Standing in front of his best friend’s house, asking someone to go on a maybe-date. If Sebastian had been awake, he’d be instantly cooked. “What band?” Bella spoke up to break the internal panic that fogged his brain. That and the hangover headache. “JamPot!” Sam blurted out, making his headache come back with a vengeance. “They’re just…some dumb pop punk band from overseas.. I just have another ticket!” Yet she was already smiling, “JamPot? I don’t think I’ve listened to them since middle school!” Pulling out her phone, she looked back up at him. “When’s the show?”

Sam seemingly forgot every single detail about the show in that very minute. After frantically opening the envelope to look at the tickets, he looked back up. “Tomorrow, doors at 7?” Bella then started looking through her phone for a moment. “I’ll drive too! All you gotta do is tag along!” Sam wasn’t trying to beg, but god, he just didn’t want to waste the money. She looked back up with a smile, “Deal, I’m free to go tomorrow.” Stammering to himself for a moment, Sam finally got out a sentence. “Cool! I’ll pick you up at 6?” Bella agreed, and Sam floated back into town on a high.

Sure, his mom was pissed, and he was slightly late to work. Sam just couldn’t care. He was just really excited to hang out with his friend Bella. There wasn’t anything else lingering there, no matter how many times Sebastian and Abigail brought it up. This was just two really good friends going to hang out at a concert. Getting close, and sweaty…and doing normal friend things. Sam wasn’t going to ruin anything. Surely. 

Sebastian and Abigail heard the ‘news’ from him over a text, both were convinced it was going to end in Sam’s demise. Abigail bet on Bella thinking it was a date, but Sam shut her down immediately. There’s no way Bella would think it was a date. Even as he put a little bit of extra time into getting ready the next day, he was positive that Bella was on the same page as him. After assuring himself that his hair was perfectly quaffed, he headed out to pick up Bella. 

His car was just a hand-me-down from Jodie, her old car from before they’d gotten a family van. Sam wasted a few minutes throwing trash from the passenger to the backseat. Scrambling just to make it to the farm at six. Pelican Town wasn’t the most drivable, but it was still nice to have a car for longer trips. He just hoped it was comfortable enough for Bella. Not that it was a big deal, of course, she was just like every other friend. He just wanted her to enjoy her first ride in his car.

Sam arrived at the farm at 5:52, pulling into the gravel driveway just after he was done freaking out about being late. He fixed his hair in the rearview mirror, fussing over nothing at all. Waiting for just another minute, he was too impatient and honked at the horn once. He didn’t have her number, but he also wasn’t sure if he could just walk up to the front door. What if she thought he was rushing her? At the moment Sam honked– Bella opened her front door. A black cat ran from the house, and Bella locked up the front door. Sam was leaning on the steering wheel, watching her. When she looked at him with a smile, he instantly straightened up. His palms were grossly sweaty, and suddenly he felt underdressed. 

Bella walked to the passenger side of the car. Sam for a moment felt compelled to brush off the seat before she sat down, but still held himself back. Sharing greetings, Sam took a moment to really look at her. Trying to get his breath back, he smiled. “Ready for the show?” Sam managed to get out, gripping the wheel with white knuckles. Bella could probably wear a burlap sack and look good, but her black skinny jeans and cropped tee suited her perfectly. Bella smiled back, buckling in. “You know it.” 

It was hard to pay attention to the road with her in the passenger seat. Bella wasn’t distracting in a bad way, but Sam couldn’t help wondering what the feeling in his gut was. He just didn’t want to mess anything up. The drive wasn’t boring by any means, Bella and Sam talked the whole way there. Bella mentioned listening to JamPot’s new album, and Sam had to hold himself back from gushing about each detail in the chord progressions. But– It wasn’t long until he did start gushing about it. It was really difficult for Sam to not spill every thought around her. Normally, people would just grin and bare it while Sam rambled about music, but Bella listened to him. She seemed like she really was interested, a rare find. The drive and the time spent waiting in line was mostly just the pair talking about shared interests. Finding out she also preferred Hawaiian Pizza was a game changer for him. 

The venue was old. It’d been there since the early 70s, but was still kept up with. High ceilings, low concrete floors and bars located on both sides. It was already halfway packed in, the merch tables weren’t busy either. Small fairy lights decorated the trim of the brick walls, highlighting the merch tables easily. 

When they were actually in the venue, Bella split off to find the merch table while Sam grabbed a spot on the floor. “I’ll see you in a few.” She smiled, softly placing a hand on his upper arm before walking off. Before Sam melted to the sticky concrete, he had to text his friends. Sending a frantic text to Sebastian, Sam felt his head swimming. [ “Is this a date?” ] He typed the words with nervous, shaking thumbs. Sam was wrong, kicking himself in the ass. What if he was in the process of destroying any chance with Bella? What if he did like her more than he was allowing himself? 

[ “Yes.”  ] Sebastian responded, Sam mentally crumbled.

This was the issue with Sam. He didn’t read the room properly, didn’t understand most situations. It’s what ruined a lot of past relationships for him. Bella didn’t seem like she was hating their conversations, but girls were just so confusing to him. During his overthinking, Bella returned. A new beanie on her head, and a CD in her hand. The new JamPot album. “I got this for you, I wasn’t sure if you had it already.” Holding it out to him, Bella had no clue what had been occurring in Sam’s head. “What?! I’ll pay you back, Bella, I swear.” All fear dropped from his mind, her presence was enough for him to stop overthinking. She shook her head, “It’s for the ticket, don’t worry about it.” Bella’s hand touched his arm again. Soothing his anxiety, but slightly raising his blood pressure. 

After each of the two openers, Bella and Sam kept getting closer and closer. The crowd crushed together in excitement, filling the air with the heat of upwards of 200 people. “Are you okay?” Sam spoke up, bending to Bella’s ear just so she could hear him. She responded with a thumbs up, but still moved closer to Sam. Somehow they’d pressed forward to the barricade, in the middle-left. The headliner hadn’t come on yet, but Sam was preparing. His hands were holding the barricade, with Bella standing between them. He knew she’d be fine on her own in the crowd, but he wanted to keep her safe. The crowd had been rough all night, the openers being much heavier than JamPot, but Sam didn’t want her getting crushed against anyone else. 

Music played across the loudspeakers to fill the silence for the crowd during the stage set. The energy throughout the show had made him less high-strung, less worried on the topic of their night. “You’re having fun, right?” Sam asked, again at a higher volume, just so she could hear him. Bella nodded, leaning against the barricade and looking up at him. “Thanks for bringing me, Sam!” She hadn’t been able to stop smiling that night. 

It was honestly rare that Sam had seen her leave the farm. She and Abigail hung out by the mines occasionally, and he’d see her on walks by the water. Sam just rarely saw her doing anything out of Pelican Town in the few months they’d known each other. He liked taking her out, taking her places with him. “N-No problem.” Feeling that same tossing in his stomach, for some reason his face felt hotter. Maybe it was just the room? 

If Sam thought the first half of the show was close quarters, he wasn’t ready for the second half. Pressing up tightly to Bella’s back as she jumped around was the hardest thing Sam had to endure. On one hand, Bella was safe and comfortable at the barricade, while Sam had to get knocked into continuously. On the other, every single movement against Sam’s dick was like the purest form of torture. It’s not like she was grinding into him, but every once in a while they’d make contact when Bella would start jumping around. Gritting his teeth through it, Sam stood strong. Even if he ached, feeling the slightest brush of her hair against him. Her perfume with hints of clove, brushing by him, was his own heaven. The only thing Sam could circle back to at that moment was the original question.

Was it a date? Sam really tried to focus on the band, but how could he? He’d tune in for a song, then get lost in thought, staring at the back of Bella’s head. The end of the show came quicker than he’d been paying attention. The encore was really just one song, then the whole night was over. Sam felt like an ass, once again, for letting his mind wander all night. Walking out of the venue, Sam stayed close behind Bella. He felt like he’d been a weird freak all night, he just watched her. Bella didn’t notice anything, she’d been talking about how great the show was all the way to the car. Sam bantered back, acting as if he had really watched the concert.

After finally making it to the car, everything sort of shifted. Bella felt a little shyer now that they were fully alone. “Um– Sam?” She asked, as Sam put his keys in to start the car. “Yeah, Bella?” He looked over to her, the radio in the car started playing some obnoxious radio song. The CD hadn’t been automatically reading, so he reached up to press the button. “Well, I just wanted to thank you for taking me on this date. I really had a lot of fun with you tonight.” 

Sam froze in place.

Date? It was a Date?

The annoying pop track played its repetitive tune. Sam was staring at Bella with a dumb look on his face. “It was a–?” He managed to catch himself before saying his first thought, “Right– Well, I just thought..” His extended hand toward the stereo retracted, holding the back of his neck to feel at any beads of sweat. “I just thought it was about time, y’know?” A goofy grin cracked on his face, feeling suddenly free of his worries. “Me too..” Bella had been messing with a strand of hair framing her face. “I really appreciate it, Sam. We should really do this again, okay?” She smiled again, softly. The fluorescent lights in the garage gave her an outer glow, a soft halo on her black hair. Sam had to look away before he forgot the route home. 

Still, a sort of tension lingered in the car. They talked like normal, joking about the show. They talked about typical things from the daily special at the saloon, to weather during the week. Sam considered for a moment that he was just being dense, not understanding the palpable pauses between each topic. Bella adjusted in her seat every few minutes, Sam could’ve sworn he caught her looking his way every few minutes. His energy was high from the concert’s atmosphere, so maybe his mind was just working overtime. 

Eventually, though, they made it to Bella’s home. Pulling in the same gravel driveway as a few hours prior. Sitting in silence for a moment, neither truly wanted the night to be over with. Bella finally offered though, “Sam, I think I might have a pizza in the house. If you’re hungry or something..” Bella played with the fabric of her beanie, now clutched in her lap. Her hair was slightly messed up from hat hair, but to Sam, she hardly looked imperfect. 

“Yeah, uh.. I don’t see why not.” Sam turned off the car a little too enthusiastically. Mentally high-fiving himself for making it this far. Considering how the situation started, he didn’t even think he’d be in a car with Bella. Let alone be on a date with Bella. It was only midnight, his mom knew he’d be back late, so Sam didn’t have any reason to say no. 

“Sorry if it’s a little messy, I don’t normally have people over..” She apologized, unlocking the door with a set of keys attached to a decorated keychain. Sam figured it would probably be cleaner than his room, and he was right in assumption. Bella was exaggerating. Only a couple of cups laid on the coffee table, a few sweatshirts and jackets were draped on one of the dining room tables, and burnt out candles littered the main living room. “It’s not messy, don’t worry.” Sam made sure to close the door behind him, only slightly jumping when a black cat ran through the house and towards the bedroom. 

Sam quickly followed Bella into the kitchen, where she was staring at the box of frozen pizza branded with JojaMart logos. “Have you had this before?” She asked with a pensive tone, looking over her shoulder and back at Sam standing in the doorway. He felt a knot in his throat. “Please, I think I’ve had every frozen pizza in the Joja aisles.” Sam tried to push past it, leaning on the dining table to keep himself from collapsing. 

“It says it’ll take 30 minutes, can you wait that long?” Bella set the box on the counter and turned to him. It was one of those fancier brands with a rising crust. “I could make us some sandwiches if you’re too tired, I know I’m already keeping you out pretty late..” Her lips pursed in thought, but Sam scrambled. “I-I can wait!” Bella began opening the box, and setting the frozen disk pizza onto the tin tray. Watching her preheat the oven, Sam felt his heart race. Two peers, in a house…alone. Sam hadn’t thought this far ahead. 

Sure, he’d kept a condom in his wallet, but that didn’t mean he just expected to get laid. He wasn’t that cocky. He understood that they were just two friends, fresh off an unexpected date. Two very available people that liked each other a considerable amount. Sam just knew the kind of guy that he was. He wasn’t the type to hold off if he wanted something. And god, did he want Bella. 

She turned around now, unaware of the horrible thoughts in Sam’s brain. He wondered if he should just go home. “Well, we’ve got a 30-minute wait… anything you wanna do while we wait?” Bella took a few steps closer, setting the flannel she was wearing on the kitchen table behind Sam. “You.” He felt tempted to say his desires out loud, but held himself firm. “Oh, I could just watch TV if you want.” He was lying, but it was late. Sam doubted that she was that into him. 

Following Bella into her living room, he took a spot on one end of her blue, velvet couch. Bella placed herself on the other side after getting the remote to her tiny television set. She sat forward, stiff as she tapped through channels, just trying to find something to fill their silence. The tension between the two was thick, Sam just tried to relax. Leaning back in his seat and getting comfortable. It was almost 11 at night, there was nothing to be worried about. As if the notorious early bird farmer Bella would stay up much later than 12. 

A couple of minutes passed, but Bella didn’t seem to relax. Sam kept stealing glances, but each time she would lock eyes with him. Her panic hidden as she looked back to the boring music documentary they landed on. “Are you comfortable?” Sam finally offered, figuring that it was an innocent question. Bella finally looked at him, “Um… Well…” She shifted in her seat, “I guess not, I just can’t rest after concerts..” Bella seemed almost embarrassed, “I just have such a hard time laying down..” 

Sam opened an arm at the instant. “C’mere then, I’ll show you how to relax, Bella.” He didn’t have bad intentions at all. Sebastian was the same way, you had to force him down to get any sleep after going through concert adrenaline. Sam had no problem getting cozy, he just wanted to help her out. 

He was more than surprised when she actually agreed to it, Bella gladly crawled over to lay on his chest. Sam positioned himself to lay along the couch, one hand behind his head to pad the hard arm of the couch. Bella just draped herself on the inside of the couch, pressed onto him, but hardly comfortable. She still felt like she wasn't quite comfortable, so Sam let a hand creep down and rub the space between her shoulders. A sigh released, and Bella let her guard down.

Sam’s hand continued to rub circles around her back, and Bella’s sighs became more frequent. Every shift she’d make against his thigh, every shudder as his hand shifted to her mid-back. He wasn’t sure what he was doing to make her react that way, but he’d always been told he had magic hands when it came to massages. “Are you still comfortable?” He asked again, not sure why he was whispering. Bella could hardly be heard as she softly moaned at his touch. Sam felt himself going insane as their eyes met. Her lashes fluttered, his heart could’ve given out at any time. 

It only took a second for Sam to realize what was actually going on. Bella moved up, now straddling him to the couch. A mere centimeter away from his lips as she felt her own hesitation. “Bella? C-Can we…” Sam started, but Bella cut him off. Their lips met with sparks under Sam’s skin. His hands drifted to her waist, rubbing slow circles with his thumb as their tongues mingled. One of Bella’s hands moved to his hair, lacing together with gelled, blonde strands. Even lightly brushed against his hair almost made him burst, but whatever Bella was doing to him made him weaker to the touch. 

Their kiss broke with Sam panting, holding on tighter with one hand on Bella’s waist. Basically guiding her to grind against the center of his crotch. “Ohhh… Oh god, Bella…” Sam couldn’t help begging for her, what else was he supposed to do with a beautiful woman on his dick? Her hips gyrated, moving forwards and back to tease at his quickly hardening cock. 

It’d been too long for Sam. He didn’t fool around as much as he had before Bella came to town, but she was enough to dedicate his life to a monogamous relationship. “Y-You’re so fucking good, holy shit…” He gasped as her hands trailed up his chest. Holding herself firm as she now stopped and held herself up. Moving down, she positioned herself between his legs. Sam propped himself up, sweaty and confused. Watching Bella lay on her stomach with a determined look in her eyes, she understood her intentions as she unbuckled his checkered belt. Her soft hands pulled down blue checkered boxers, taking in everything slowly. 

Sam’s ears were burning hot, he threw his head back to avoid her seeing his embarrassment. Bella, on the other hand, slid her hand around his cock with love. Licking her lips with anticipation as she took it all in. Gently kissing the blushing head of his cock, leaking precum and begging for more. Sam writhed under her, missing her lips after every sweet peck down the shaft. He begged, desperate for something that wasn’t a teasing kiss. Bella listened, smiling devilishly as she swept her long black hair behind her. 

Bella’s hands firmly stayed on Sam’s hips, making sure he wasn’t bucking too hard. Her mouth wrapped around him warmly, lowering slowly to halfway, then bobbing back up. “S-Shit..” Sam cursed, biting his lip to stop from exclusively swearing. His right hand gripped at the back of the couch, while his left hand trailed to Bella’s head. Softly petting as she moved with intention. Her big eyes looking up as if she wasn’t melting him with each move she made. 

“B-Bella slow down, Please-” She bobbed faster, and stopped teasing him. His hand now gripped in her hair, inky black strands lacing between his fingers. “Fuck- Fuck, you’re so good to me, Wh-” Sam’s rambling was cut short by his body near folding from her mouth hitting the base of his cock. Sam wasn’t monstrously lengthy, but he was still slightly longer than average. Aside from the fact that he wasn’t getting very many blowjobs, he’d just assumed deepthroating didn’t exist. Tortuously, she moved her mouth up, with her tongue pressed to the bottom of his shaft. Sam couldn’t keep his mouth closed. A mixture of her name, whimpering, and swears poured out as she worked her head up and down. His head pounded, a whooshing in his ears grew louder.

Without warning her, Sam crumpled under her. Cumming into her mouth, now holding onto her head gently to keep her still. Bella moaned, the vibrations only making him moan out louder as he bottomed out. She pulled herself off as his hands fell, a quiet ‘pop’ broke the humming in his head. As she got up and left towards the kitchen. He’d realized the timer started going off when Sam heard the creaking of her oven door. “Bella?” Sam called out, almost missing her after she left the room. A second later, Bella’s head peeked around the wall of the kitchen. “Do you still want pizza?” She acted like she hadn’t just been on his cock, like she still couldn’t taste him in her throat. 

“No, I think I want something else.” He propped himself up, smiling back at her. 

[kirain]

What's your take on the whole Max and Chloe break up in Double Exposure?

Also are you going to play it? I enjoyed your analysis of True Colors and Before the Storm.

Thank you! And oh boy...

My friends and I have actually been talking about this for the past few days, and maybe it's just my specific friend group, but ... we're fine with it? 😅

None of us sacrificed Arcadia Bay for Chloe. I'd say half of my friends hate her and half of them love her, but even my friends who love/relate to her couldn't justify it to themselves. One girl from our group, who dyed her hair blue after playing the game and absolutely worshipped Chloe, still chose Arcadia Bay. So from that standpoint, none of us are really hurting from Deck Nine's decision.

As for the people who are hurting, I'm sorry. Truly. I'm sorry you're disappointed. I understand how it feels and it sucks, especially when you chose Chloe despite the consequences. That was your decision and you had the right to make it. You had the right to enjoy it. Narratively, though ... it does makes sense. At least in my eyes. The only aspect that doesn't is Chloe ending up with Victoria, which I've heard happens? But I've searched high and low and that doesn't seem to be confirmed anywhere. There's a message where Victoria and Chloe go to a concert together, but that doesn't mean they're a couple, so I think this is just a stretch from angry players.

Other than that, I don't find Deck Nine's thought process all that outrageous. Their reason for breaking up is something I considered when it came time to choose between Chloe and the town. Chloe openly asks you to sacrifice her, saying that her mom and everyone else in Arcadia Bay deserves better—and I agree. Joyce, David, Warren, Kate, Alyssa, Stella, Dana, Daniel, Ms. Grant, Samuel the custodian, they all deserve to live. Even the characters we don't like, like Taylor and Victoria, at least deserve a chance. They're teenagers.

If you sacrifice Arcadia Bay, the animation when Max and Chloe drive through the demolished town clearly shows an air of regret on Max's face. She refused Chloe's first and only selfless demand and let thousands die for her; animals, men, women, and children. I personally find it difficult to believe that their relationship could work after that. Even the comics explore this concept, with Max leaving Chloe for a while because she can't handle the guilt.

The first Life is Strange is essentially a game about a girl who can't stop running from the past and a girl who can't let go of it. Given what Max and Chloe go through together, and considering how different they are as individuals, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that, as they grow and mature into adults, they wouldn't be able to salvage a slowly breaking relationship. Chloe would forever see the girl that killed thousands—including her own mother—for her, while Max would see a constant reminder of all the people she killed. It's a very realistic outcome for Pricefield, if we're being honest. And according to the letters, Chloe wanted to move on, but Max couldn't, while Max felt like Chloe was being a hypocrite. It's raw and complex and entirely believable.

Not to mention the first game never promises that Max and Chloe become a couple. You can sacrifice Arcadia Bay without romancing Chloe. There's two variants, couples or besties. So how on earth was Deck Nine going to cater to everyone, especially when there's a timeline where Chloe is dead? It would be impossible without making two drastically different games. Their only option was to remove Chloe from the plot entirely (alienating her fans) or miraculously revive her, in which case she would become the main focus of the story instead of Sifa, and it would negate the majority of people's decision from the first game. Nearly 60% of players sacrificed Chloe across the board, so I can understand why Deck Nine gave that outcome precedence. But it was a lose/lose situation from the start, so perhaps the best argument one can make is that they shouldn't have made a new game at all.

NOTE: I just found out that in the comics, Victoria and Chloe actually become good friends and Victoria matures a ton, so I dunno. Maybe the two of them getting together makes sense after all. 🤷‍♀️ That said, the comics aren't canon to the games and, in my opinion (based on what I've researched), they seem like a fanfic written to try and justify the sacrifice of thousands of innocent people, so I'm pretty indifferent to them.

Of course, there is another detail I've rarely seen people broach when discussing this drama: we don't really know anything yet. Above all, I think we need to remember that the game isn't finished. We've only seen two episodes. We have no idea where the narrative is going. For all we know, Max and Chloe might get back together by the end. Or even more likely, this is an alternate timeline Max. Much like the comics, this is just one of infinite possibilities. I think people need to calm down and hold their criticisms until we see the final product.

[bluescarabguy]

Been rewatching a whole YouTube playlist about DOOM, and it's got me thinking about Doomguy as a hero

Because despite being the executor of possibly the most brutal violence and carnage ever put on a TV screen...Doomguy's force is never directed at a fellow human being. People have described the Slayer's one and only goal, his purpose, as "to exterminate each and every demon in existence", but I think I'd view it more as "his purpose is to protect innocent lives, period".

Still probably the greatest piece of characterization in these games is the very beginning of DOOM 2016, the leadup to the title screen. Doomguy enters that elevator from the intro facility to the start of the game proper, and Hayden starts telling us about how "oh, they only had the best of intentions when they started mining Hell for energy. Sure, it's all gone bad now, but it was worth the risk, I assure you!". As Samuel tries to convince us that this was all for the greater good, he only had people's best interests at heart, Doomguy simply looks at the corpse of a security guard on the floor of the elevator (who definitely didn't sign up to the possibility of being disemboweled by hellspawn), looks up and is visibly shaking with fury as he presses his fists together, and then smashes the speaker Hayden's talking through, transitioning us to the game's title card.

Absolutely perfection. Tells you everything you need to know about Doomguy's motivations and resolve without a single word. Though if he had said anything, it'd probably just be quoting Ripley from Aliens: "Bad call? THESE PEOPLE ARE DEAD! Do you realize what you've done here?".

Everyone in these games is constantly trying to tell Doomguy that sacrifices have to be made for the greater good, and he utterly refuses to entertain that notion when human lives are concerned. Not to mention that, while the games play with the metatextual conceit that Doomguy doesn't give a shit about the lore or narrative or bigger picture, he's just there to slaughter evil (the same way most Doom players and indeed Doom co-creator John Carmack view story as merely window dressing for gameplay)...if you headcanon that Doomguy actually IS reading all the logs and lore that he's picking up as collectibles, you know he's aware that all of the higher-up decision makers at the UAC are straight-up demon worshippers attempting to bring about the apocalypse, and thus nothing they say can be trusted.

As far as Doomguy is concerned, there's no compromise when it comes to innocent lives. If one innocent person has to die in order to uphold the established system, the system is to be violent ripped down and smashed into the dirt, never to be rebuilt. That's how he feels about Hayden's UAC, that's how he feels about Khan Maykr's plans in Eternal. That's WHY his fight is eternal, because he'll fight anyone, even those he once fought alongside, if they choose to say, to end this post on a joke, "some of you may die, but that is a risk I'm willing to take".

[slippinmickeys]

Prompt for funfetti or just in general because I love your writing! Mulder gets hurt(breaks a bone or needs stitches or something) doing some sort of handy work on the house and Scully goes into full Dr. Scully mode

Krypto barking and then William at the door, his face pale and frightened. 

“Dad’s hurt,” he said, before turning back and leaping off the porch. 

Scully, her hands covered in butter and halfway under the skin of a cold whole chicken, swore and washed them as best she could in 5 seconds and then, sliding her feet into the closest pair of shoes to the door—William’s, and several sizes too big–she tore off after her son. 

She was concerned with what she'd find when she found her husband. It could be anything from a reaction to the corrosive exposure of alien blood to a gunshot wound if past experiences were any indication, but Mulder and William had been out doing yard work so she felt like the options were at least somewhat limited to something of a more domestic variety. 

That said, this was Mulder. 

She took the corner of the house at a tear and had to pull up short when she nearly collided with both of them—Mulder sitting on the ground holding his ankle next to a ladder that was half hanging off the side of the roof—and William who was crouched next to him, nervously licking his lips. 

Mulder looked up at her, winced. 

“I’m okay,” he said, a notable hoarseness to his voice indicating that he was anything but. 

Krypto was sniffing around everyone, thrilled with whatever new game seemed to have been invented just for him. 

“Jesus,” Scully said, kneeling down next to him. “What happened?”

William answered. “He fell off the roof.”

Scully turned to glare at her husband. The over-40 set, of which Mulder was a long time member, as a rule,  did not go on the roof without a spotter. 

“That’s not true,” he said, sensing the incoming wrath of his better half and leaping immediately to his own defense. “I fell off the ladder.” He looked at his son, admonishing. “I was not on the roof.” He turned back to Scully, “I was not on the roof.”

Scully took a long, slow breath in and out of her nose. 

“You could have broken your back,” she said. “Your neck.” 

He gave her a pained grin. “It’s my ankle.” 

“You’re lucky,” she said. 

He appeared able to move all extremities, so she allowed herself a few more seconds of Aggravated Wife before switching to Doctor Mode.

“I want you to lay supine,” she instructed. “And bend the knee of the affected side.” 

Mulder did so without complaint, which meant he probably really hurt something. 

Scully unlaced the work boot he was wearing and gingerly removed it. 

“What were you doing on the roof?” She asked, leaning in to observe the lateral aspect of the foot and ankle for hematomas or bruises.

“I was on the ladder,” Mulder corrected. 

“He was cleaning the gutters,” Will helpfully supplied.

Scully offered her husband a glare and turned her attention to locating the three lateral ligaments so she could palpate along their course for crepitus and tenderness.

Mulder hissed. 

Scully leaned back on her heels and sighed, resigning herself to an afternoon of non-preferred pursuits. 

She looked at her son. “Go put Krypto in the house and then come help me get your dad in the car.”

“Why the car?” Mulder asked, and William paused, his hand on the dog’s collar, carefully observing his parents. 

“Because we’re going to the ER,” Scully said. “To hang out with all the other weekend warriors who neglected to implement adequate safety protocols.”

Mulder winced. “All those years of med school. Can’t you just do it here?”

“Treat you?” Scully asked, incredulous. 

“You gave me stitches at the kitchen table once,” Mulder pointed out, pushing himself back up to his elbows. 

Scully turned to their son, and asked in mock seriousness, “William Samuel, in the last month or so, have you developed X-Ray vision as a part of your suite of superpowers?”

“Um,” Will said, his gaze darting back and forth between his mother and his father. “…No.”

Scully turned back to Mulder and smiled beatifically. “Then I can’t treat you here.”

Mulder swore. Krypto stepped forward and licked his face once. 

“Will?” Scully said, turning to their 13 year old. “The dog?”

“Right,” said William, and hauled the dog off toward the house. 

Scully lowered herself fully onto the ground next to Mulder, who finally managed to give her an apologetic half smile. She sighed heavily.

“Was it not last month that you dropped 150 dollars on some hideously complicated As Seen On TV telescoping brush system that was supposed to make cleaning the gutters from ground level—if I’m remembering the words of the salesman—‘duck soup?’”

“Oh that thing,” Mulder said, no longer able to meet her eye. “Didn’t work.”

“It didn’t work or you couldn’t figure out the Some Assembly Required part?”

“You’re being awfully patronizing,” Mulder said. “It doesn’t suit you.”

Scully continued to look at him without speaking. 

“The assembly instructions were written in Chinese and then translated back and forth between English and, I don’t know, Swahili, a minimum of fifteen times before being published,” Mulder said defensively. “Ask Will, he’ll back me up.”

Scully continued to stare at him. 

“The screws weren’t the right size,” he grumbled. “It was shoddily made. It was missing parts.”

The thwack of the screen door into the siding announced William’s imminent return and the end to Mulder’s current humiliation. 

“Come on,” Scully said, finally letting a little empathy leak through. “Let’s get you up.”

It was only when they were pulling up to the ER entrance that she remembered she’d left an entire uncooked chicken on the kitchen counter. And she’d instructed her son to put the dog in the house rather than chain him up outside.

Mulder, she decided, throwing the car into park and getting out to help her husband into a waiting wheelchair, wasn’t the only one who’d just caught a particularly lucky… break.

[killjoys-makesomenoise]

April has come to a close and so has the April’s Fool’s prompt fest!! We had 16!!!!! Incredible works written in the month of April, I am so impressed with the community and passion that everyone showed. Go check out the collection and give the writers some love in the comments 💕💕

strange, strange game by joeysnowy Teen | M/M | 6.9k The thing about working for a top secret spy company is that it is, largely, some of the most boring shit Ben has ever done in his life. But Ben is not, like, a necessary part of the spy thesis of the company. This suits him just fine. (a spies au!)

If not by faith then by the sword by Flyguys E | M/M | 3.2k The first time Sam glimpsed him, Lord Doyle was lounging at the side of the training grounds, sharp eyes watching all the would-be knights sparing. Sam is a weapon learning how to be tender in Ben’s hands; A Knights AU

Don't Eat a Glowworm by huntedbybenforsport E | F/M M/M | 5k At 25 years old, after 9 years in the business and 3 years hunting alone, Adam Chase was beating the odds. If there was one thing he was good at, it was surviving. Age, on the other hand, had stopped applying to Ben a long time ago. If there was one thing he was good at, it was killing. But really, what's the difference?

holding it together by idleflower Teen | M/M | 8k He wasn't distracted. His eyes were still on the road. There was nothing he could have done - but he would still wonder, later, if that brief thought about McDonald's might have made the difference. Because in that moment, without warning, another car turned directly in front of him, plowing right into the hood of his car. --- Sam's hurt and Ben has to take care of him, but getting Sam to accept care isn't always easy.

girl problems, no problems by vincisor E | Multi | 4k Ben had always been a menace with his oral fixation and penchant for biting, but ever since Sam's tits had finally started developing, he'd somehow gotten worse.

fools of all kinds by callabang M | M/M Multi | 1.5k The best part of being a jester was, of course, the little hat. The second best part was riling up the knights.

bunny mode activated by ten_nine_eight M | M/M | 1.9k V/O Sam: Bunny Mode Activated. Purchase and wear a set of bunny ears. You must send a photo to the seekers of you wearing the bunny ears. After you send the photo, the seekers are required to obtain a fox costume before asking their next question. You will earn an extra half hour bonus if you keep your bunny getup on for the rest of the game day.

 “As Samuel Denby would say, we are s-s-s-s-so back.” Ben pulls a card in Hide and Seek that triggers a new game mechanic for the players eyes only.

we only lose a little by night_night42 M | Multi | 6.4k This would be incredibly easy for any other person on Earth. Unfortunately for Adam, he isn’t any other person on Earth. He's not even human. With all this pressure on him to not get found out, it’s no wonder his anxiety levels are so much higher than a human’s. If Sam and Ben knew about this, they would understand why he did everything he did. adam is an alien, and also in love with his coworkers. it's a bit messy

Freaky Friday by Flyguys E | M/M Multi | 15k “Ben?” Adam sounded pretty worried. Well, shit. That got Ben immediately into damage control mode. “Yeah Adam, you called me, what happened? You alright? You need me to come over?” Ben hit the speakerphone option so he could get dressed, sitting up in the bed. “Ben I didn’t call you, I called myself. And this isn’t Adam.” Ben froze. AKA the body swap au

protective lies by ninja_assassin E | M/M | 3.8k It started when Adam’s trial period was coming to a close.

for fox's sake by ten_nine_eight M | M/M | 1.2k Sam could hear the dogs behind him as he sprinted through the woods. He had forgone clothes, as he usually did at the estate, but was starting to regret it as branches scraped his arms. He had been running for what felt like hours now, and the dogs had just caught up. If the dogs were close, then Ben and Adam had to be right behind. Ben and Adam go fox hunting but Sam is the fox

With Golden Thread by idleflower Gen | M/M | 2.1k He let his hands sink into Sam's soft blond locks and then pulled them back slowly, gently parting the strands as they slid between his fingers. As it all came loose, he fluffed it up again, thinking about the texture. It would be fun to curl Sam's hair a little, but that was too big a step for the moment.

learn to listen by ten_nine_eight E |  M/M | 1.7k Sam is incredibly frustrated with Ben's seeming lack of care for the game and decides to take it out on him. “What does that even-” Ben was cut off again as Sam shoved him down. His knees buckled and he collapsed onto the floor of the train bathroom, face turned upwards by Sam’s fist in his hair. Ben tried to get back to his feet, but Sam’s grip and leverage made it impossible. “Sam, you’re not going to do this, right? Right?”

dizzy on dreams by night_night42 E | Multi | 3.5k

“Was he hard?” Ben whispered. “Just from you leaning on him?” “I don’t think it was me,” Adam said, mind still racing. What the fuck had his life turned into? “I think it was the plane.” sam might be into transport, adam and ben need to get to the bottom of this

Orient Express by whitchbhitch E | M/M | 2.5k They'd talked about CNC beforehand, had safe words like always. Sam hadn't been worried about it before they'd started--he's not good at more complicated role-plays, can't improvise the way Ben and Adam can, so normally he plays someone who doesn't really talk that much. To him, it's basically just regular sex while Adam and Ben riff with each other. No biggie. And this one wasn't any different. Why would it be any different?

The Samuel Denby Picture Show by huntedbybenforsport E | Muti | 14k Sam Denby did not like musical comedies. He did not like performing in front of crowds. He did not like sharing details of his sex life with his colleagues. Ben and Adam didn't set out to change all that, but maybe that's just the power of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

[mykxfyresims]

Stay tuned..

Before starting to make the save in game, I am going to be sorting through and making notes of all the playable families in each game and then comparing the information to see how many generations of sims will need to be played through to make lore accurate families, what another ancestors need to be filled in to properly connect or answer what canon familar connections are already mentioned in game (ei: Victor and Samuel Goth canonically having no parents to connect them on a family tree etc etc), which sims have canonically changes appearances between games and what genetics make more sense realistic based on all the other relatives.

I am going to be starting with the sims 1, listing all my notes of every family and the details we have exclusively in the sims 1 to try to ensure we aren't missing any forgotten lore. My plan is to list every playable family in sims 1 and all possible details. Then repeat the process with sims 2 exclusively in another post, then sims 3, and then finally sims 4. Then, when all four lists are done, making another post comparing the same families details from each game and where the discrepancies are / what needs to change and which families would make sense to be related to fill in where blanks are going to be to relate the different towns. EXAMPLE: What if the Caliente's are new the pleasantview because Nestor Caliente was the older brother of Kitty Curious (instead of her ancestry, merging both of theirs together to fill gaps instead of making more families and bulking the hood) since they have similar*** genetics and we know Nestor was abducted by aliens. That can be used to help explain why Vidcund and Jenny have blonde hair and Jenny has green eyes where as Pascal and Lazlo look like their father.

I usually begin with a pen and notebook (I knowww) and good old research deep dives, but since I'm sharing this version with the wider community, I have decided on turning my notes into posts so anyone can follow along and give input.

(I'm sorry, ignore how the page looks.. my toddler got my book wet 😅🫣)

This is important!!!

This is my official disclaimer that it is not and never will be my intention to whitewash OR blackwash any sim with the lore edits I am going to make. This is a purely technical experience that will account for any and all presented genetics.

For example:

Mortimer Goth has always been represented as a white man, and his family has both Greek and German influences. While I am going to keep this for some of his ancestors, EA has also introduced his relatives Lady RavenDancer Goth and Agatha Crumplebottom as being black women, as well as the ghosts of relatives in sims 1 Goth House also having black or "medium" skin. These details will ALSO be factored in, and the family tree will be made to ensure every part is accurately explained and represented. My sims are going to be genetically correct and born in game as I am going to be making all the appropriate intital ancestors with bodyshop, but "playing through" The correct timelines so that everything happens in game. Like I've explained in my previous post, this is to ensure that once the save is actually ready for download, you'll be able to visit the museums and see art or pottery made in game by ancestors of currently playable familes, there will be photos in the albums of past events, etc etc.

That being said, I can not control if, for example, Mortimer Goth looks differently than what you were expecting. If he is born with blonde hair, or if he has medium or dark skin, will all be up to genetics and the games system.

If the color of a sim's skin offends you and you think I'm being ✨️woke✨️ because your favorite sim is now darker than you wanted them to be, disrespectfully, keep scrolling.

That being said 👏👏👏

If you are friendly and respectful, and you have ANY suggestions or know of anything I've forgotten or got mistaken, please feel free to contact me. I'm just about creating a safe place for the entire community and will not tolerate hate.

Genuinely thank you to anyone still reading this and more on the way..

[ihaveforgortoomany]

Veryyy general look at the Story Chapters (Books? Wait genuine question are we calling the main story Books or Chapters?) and the Books / media they are based on (Global only)

(I think someone has done this already?)

Prologue: This is Tomorrow - quick search seems that the title is a reference to the 1956 London Art Exhibition that opened in the Whitechapel Art Gallery and considered a watershed in British post-art and kick starting the art movement of "Pop Art" (see the effects of the Storm having comic book like attributes)

(Richard Hamilton was a painter famous for Pop Art and had a work in that exhibition so it checks out)

Book One: In Our Time - based on a collection of short stories of the same name by Hemingway. these are stories about before, during and after WW1. The stories have a general theme of separation, loss, death, grief and alienation. (Potentially allusions to Druvis maybe?)

Book Two: Tender is the Night - this is the final completed book by Scot Fitzgerald (who wrote the Great Gatsby and referred in the beginning quote of the game) and is a tragedy that follows the deterioration of a married couple that reflects Fitzgerald's own troubled relationship with his wife who Schneider's design greatly references. (The couple in the Book either inspire Druvis and FMN's relationship or Vertin and Schneider's relationship)

Book Three: Nouvelles et Textes pour Rien. (Translation is 'Stories and Texts for Nothing') - Again a collection of stories by Samuel Beckett. Seems to be lesser known, heres from Wikipedia "All three stories deal with the deplacement or expulsion of three old men who are forced to leave their modest lives in search of a new niche they might fit" (the SPDM kids desire to learn more about themselves and the outside world)

Book Four: EL ORO DE LOS TIGRES (Translation "the Gold of Tigers") - this is even harder to find stuff on and in English,An allegoric analysis of the contemporary juvenile reality. A review of the movie based on the book- "Inspired by a J.L.Borges' collection of poems, the story recounts the survey of an individual conscience by three young men, surrounded by the nihilism of a society with a hopelessly urban future" ( the struggle between Madam Z and the suitcase fam against the oppressive Foundation maybe?)

Book Five: Prisoner in the Cave - Based on Plato's allegory of the cave

Book Six: E Lucevan le stelle (Translation "the stars are shining") based on the opera of Tosca by Giacomo Puccini in 1900, the title is a direct reference to an aria sung in the Third Act which Isolde also sings parts of.

[meowmeowriley]

Have a list of everything I've got on AO3! (And a few things I don't yet)

Current WIPS on AO3

Little Meow Meow - Emo catboy!Ghost can't die. Let's rewrite the games!

Poké-Pandemonium - Pokémon, COD, and secretsssssss. I've worked hard to make this fic welcoming to Pokémon fans and non-Pokémon fans alike ❤

More Than Just Loose Ends - after 09 Ghost dies he wakes up again, as an ethereal being that only 22 Ghost can see. Can we call him a guardian angel if he's actually a bloodthirsty psychopath?

Oh, Brother - An outsider POV of Ghost and Soap getting together, told through the eyes of their siblings. Now a series!

I Don't Think We're in Space Anymore - An alien crash lands in Mexico, and Price and Laswell decide to give it a mask and a gun. That alien is Ghost.

Was tHat thE BiTe oF 22 - FNAF, but with COD characters. Lot's of child death, but like it's fine, they possess the animatronics! They're totally fine.

Be Kind, Rewind - Ghost gets de-aged. He's still Ghost. In theory, this could be greatness! A soldier with his experience in a younger, more virile body. He's now young, not really dumb, and full of cum! (Provided he can convince Soap to sleep with him, that is.)

Current WIPS confined to my notes app

Duo Fatui - An Unus Annus tribute. Soap is Unus, Ghost is Annus. Rewriting my favorite episodes/moments with the boys in place of Mark and Ethan.

Is That Gonna be a Problem? - Simon met Johnny and Jenny, twins, as a kid. On leave in Glasgow, he reconnects with his childhood friends. Post Roba, Pre 141

Cohabitation - Simon Riley died and came back. Twice. His corpse was resurrected as a zombie, and his spirit remains as a ghost that possesses said corpse. Ghost!Ghost and Zombie!Ghost, and the 141 finding out about their odd situation.

Lost a Bet - Ghost lost a bet with Gaz, and Gaz gets to design Ghost's next mask. Ghost now has to wear the cat themed mask for a month. During that time he bonds with the stray cats around base.

Outlaw Outta Time - a COD and RDR2 crossover. The boys accidentally go back in time while looking for Graves, and get tangled up in the Van der Lind gang's shenanigans. A fix it for Arthur (side ships include Ale/Rudy and Arthur/Albert Mason)

??? - Unnamed fic about trans!Ghost dropping hints that he's trans, and Soap who thought he was straight having the most confusing crush on his lieutenant. They fuck about it.

??? - Unnamed fic about a rescue mission to save Elizabeth. Johnny thinks she's Ghost's girlfriend, she is not. She's his dog. Ghost is aware of the miscommunication, and does absolutely nothing to correct it, because it's funny.

??? - Unnamed fic about Ghost and Soap getting sucked into our world a la Supernatural's The French Mistake. They have to pretend to be Samuel and Neil until they figure out how to get home.

I also have a collection of completed One-shots! MMR's One-Shots

I'm desperate for interaction! Did a fic catch your eye? Have questions, comments, or concerns? Is there something you'd like me to write? Talk to meeeeeeeeee!!!!!