#if we're lucky enough to get a sequel

[lazuliblur]

Today I finally saw the Saint Seiya live action film, and it was so much fun! I had a great time!!

I could tell that a lot of love went into making the film, and, in my opinion, it completely paid off. I enjoyed it a lot. Yes, the story is different from the manga – but our beloved characters are 100% there, and I can’t wait to see them go on a new (different) adventure!

[down-in-the-rainbow-square]

Remember that post that said u wanted to write that one, the reader goes into puppets/welcome home dimension?

I got u!

Can I request a Welcome home crew x reader, the reader from our world just looking at the website and suddenly blacks out. Then they open their eyes to see the puppets looking down at them! :D

Welcome Home x Reader - A Whole New World (and a Whole New Back Pain)

Not proofread! Thank you for the request! I'm definitely in my isekai sort of phase right now right x readers. For this one I'm just going to assume the reader hasn't discovered the hidden secrets of the website yet. Clown said we're only 5% in, so when we're closer to the end I'll do a remake with the reader knowing all the spooks and secrets (plus, it's really fun to just stick to the happy-go-lucky tune for now)!

I don't know what blacking out is like so I kind of just wrote random feelings instead. Hope that's okay!

P.S., This focuses more on Y/N than the characters but I'll make a sequel that focuses on them more!

Words: 1353

Type: Headcanons, platonic

Tw: food, mentioned kidnapping, mentioned death, injury

You were sitting at your desk when it happened. It was nearing sunset; a bowl of two-minute noodles sat cooling beside your laptop to serve as tonight's meal. Scrolling through social media, a sudden notification popped up on the screen. It was from a friend of yours.

Opening the message up, it read, "hey! Check out this website I found!" Attached to the message was a link to a cheerful looking website. Your friend described it as the link to an old and near-forgotten puppet show your parents had taped on VHS. You used to watch it together when you were really young, apparently.

Opening it up, you were sent to a title screen of sorts. It featured a little red house with a blue roof and yellow chimney. The website invited you to click on it. Doing so, you were revealed the real meat of what was inside.

The next half-hour or so was spent perusing the website. Some of the characters vaguely rang a bell; you remembered something about a guy called Frank, but you also thought there was a child, so perhaps you were making it all up. Maybe that was Wally.

Eventually, though, you were hit with a sudden drowsiness and a sick, twisting feeling in your stomach. Assuming hunger pains, you reach for you food on the desk. It would have gone completely cold, but you would have to deal with it. Fork in hand, you lifted it up to your mouth only to-

Only to wake up in bed. Strange; you never remembered going to sleep. The last thing you remembered doing was getting bad hunger pains and eating your noodles. Though you assumed you had just passed out in bed and not remembered anything.

You rolled around in bed. You were too tired to get up just now. You were about to drift off to sleep when you heard something - or someone.

"They're waking up!"

What in the hell?!

You instantly bolted upright only to be hit with a horrible pain in your spine that sent you back down again. Groaning in pain, you rolled over onto your side and opened your eyes to see... People? No. Monsters? Maybe. No, they were definitely puppets.

Looking up, you saw you were surrounded by them. They were all different shapes, colours, and sizes, but shared the same look: concern. Concern for your wellbeing or concerned because their meal just woke up you didn't know, but you didn't plan on staying for long enough to find out.

Again, you tried to sit up, ignoring the excruciating pain in your lower back. It was then that you realised this was also not your bed you were in. No, this was much larger than you could afford and had a red wood frame with feathers carved into the head.

Your first thought is that you've been kidnapped. Your second thought is you've been kidnapped by puppets. Instantly, you try to heave your way off the bed, only to be caught by a pair of arms. Well, two pairs of arms, actually.

"Hey, hey! Calm down!" Looking up, you saw a tall, green puppet looking down at you. He slowly placed you back down on the bed. Taking a closer look at his facial expression, he almost looked scared.

"Wh- what are you?" you whispered. You didn't care if it sounded rude, you'd rather be rude than clueless.

"I could ask you the same question." You turned to look at the source of the noise to see a different puppet. He was of medium height (for the puppets, of course) and had grey skin. Or felt, for that matter.

"What?" you replied.

"Well," the puppet began, "for someone who fell out of the sky, you sure seem fine."

Fell out of the sky? What was this guy on about?

"Wait, I what?" you asked. The puppets shared a look.

"You don't remember?" another puppet asked. He was about the same height as the grey puppet, but had yellow skin and red hair. "There was a lot of yelling."

"There was?"

Safe to say, you were confused. How could you have fallen out of the sky and not remember? Unless you suffered some kind of head trauma, which would explain why your back was in such pain. But if you truly fell from the sky, wouldn't you be dead?

Eventually the puppets managed to calm you down enough for you to not try to run every chance you got. They told you their names, and you told them yours in return.

There was Howdy, the one who had stopped you from running away and hurting yourself; Frank, the grey one who had told you what happened; Julie, the one who had come to help you first; Poppy, whose bed you woke up in and who cared for you while you were out; Eddie, who was the first to actually notice something falling from the sky; Barnaby, who had carried you to Poppy; Sally, who had kept the morale up for the other puppets while you were out; and Wally, who had assisted in taking care of you.

You found them all to be very interesting in both their appearances and personalities. Sally, who you had been informed was once the brightest star in the entire sky, was a rambunctious, creative soul always ready for an adventure and new ideas. She often proposed imaginative but impractical solutions to your back problem.

There was Julie, a kind and fun puppet with long blonde hair. She was always playing some sort of game, or editing one to allow you to join, even when you didn't quite trust her. Her favourite to play with you was Patty Cake, because it was simple and could be repeated as many times as she wanted. Sally liked to join in on that one for the singing. You were surprised she knew what it was.

But no matter how intriguing you found the puppets; they were always more fascinated by you. They constantly asked you questions about who you were, where you lived, what life was like. Howdy was very interested in the 'Click and Collect' system you had at your local supermarket. The ability to know someone's order beforehand without even a telephone was incredible to him.

Frank was by far the most interested. He was always asking you questions while you rested in Poppy's bed. At one point he left for about fifteen minutes before coming back with a whole bookshelf's worth of books. How he managed to carry it without breaking apart you had no idea, but he looked strained.

Frank had sat the books on the floor and started going through each one, repeating his questions only to throw the book away when it didn't match what you said. He ended up with every book thrown in the messy pile by the end of it and was quite angry.

Everyone was surprised with how similar but how different your worlds were. Things like recipes, games, and speech were all the same and yet you had all this technology they didn't, and they had whole species you didn't. Howdy was shocked to know he could never exist in your world, and Sally was upset to learn that she would only ever be a ball of gas (though she felt a bit better when you mentioned how huge they were).

But more than anything they were surprised with you. The first time they saw you eat was fascinating. Sure, (for the sake of the television show) they can eat, but not like that. What you were doing was just plain weird by their standards, with your odd moving of these 'muscles'. Wally had asked you what you were doing with your mouth and was shocked (and a little disgusted) to see your teeth.

The day seemed to go on forever in this little town you were informed was called Home. Poppy was too big for her couch, but refused to move you, so you ended up sleeping next to her. It was comfy, if not a little suffocating.

I'll be making a part 2 for this!

[cerastes]

so Drimo for those of us who do not know what is the Armored Core series about [leaves out convenient soapbox for no reason]

If you asked a room of 100 people nowadays, "do you guys know FromSoftware?", the majority of them would stand up and answer, "oh, yeah! The guys that made Dark Souls, right?" You would hear about people wondering when Bloodborne will be ported to PC, or when it will get a sequel. You would hear lamentation for the lack of Sekiro DLC. You would hear praise and anticipation for Elden Ring DLC.

If you were in 2008 and asked a room of 100 people, "do you guys know FromSoftware?", maybe 4 would stand up and say "Oh, the guys that make Armored Core, right? My cousin had it, it looked ok."

The truth of the matter is, FromSoft was a niche studio before Demon's Souls planted a seed and it grew into the massive tree we know as Dark Souls, and its countless branches lush with beautiful flowers, like Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring. It even inspired nearby trees, all beautiful in their own right! Trees like Code Vein, Nioh, and others.

But I'm not here to talk about fucking trees and their god damn branches.

I'm here to talk about the sterile wasteland, the wilderness of fallen angels, where the ocean meets the sand. I'm here to talk about pre-Soulsborne FromSoft, when FromSoftware was an unknown, niche, small video game developer barely hanging on to relevancy. They had games like King's Field. They had games like Shadow Tower. They had games like Armored Core. Hell, all of these games still live on in Soulsborne! Did you know? The notorious Mushroom enemies that punch your entire lifebar out from Dark Souls are originally from 1999's Shadow Tower:

Iconic boss fight, Seath the Scaleless from Dark Souls? He's originally from King's Field 2!

The well-loved bald rascal with a penchant for annoying fighting styles and kicking, Patches? Originally from Armored Core! Lucky Patches AKA Patch the Good Luck:

The Moonlight Greatsword? That's originally from King's Field:

Knight Commander Dragonslayer Ornstein? The Bloodborne Reiterpallasch? Armored Core originals, baby:

The truth is, Soulsborne is as dear to old school FromSoft fans such as myself as it is because it carries the past of FromSoft, it carries part of all the old games. The old, niche, unknown FromSoft that we fell in love with lives on in this new, successful, popular FromSoft of nowadays, all without selling out. FromSoft's design philosophy and mission statement has always been to make things that are out there, that aren't generic, that have that slab of esotericism to it, that are inspired and raw and difficult and challenging and oh so rewarding. Soulsborne wasn't a surprise hit. Soulsborne exists built on a foundation of trial and error that carries in its DNA years upon years upon years of difficult, niche titles. I've not even mentioned all the Tenchu references that Sekiro has! How the Powderkeg weapons from Bloodborne are mostly Armored Core weapons scaled down to human size, such as the iconic Stake Driver being the mighty Kiku from Armored Core!

Armored Core was the biggest franchise FromSoft had prior to Soulsborne. The biggest. And it wasn't too big, to be honest. A rather niche, unknown game franchise with numerous titles that did just well enough to justify sequels, with strong cult followings, Armored Core is all about that mecha high octane action, right? Well, it's 50% about that mecha high octane action! Your average Armored Core is a high intensity, breakneck fast game full of machine guns, laser swords and huge explosions when you're in the field, but in order to be able to do that, you must construct your machine, your Armored Core, piece by piece. Not just the chest core or the head piece or the arms, we're taking about generator, radiator, targeting system, thrusters, subsystems, all of that! And each given piece has a stat screen that looks like this:

This is a single laser rifle's stat screen. Every piece has about this many numbers to it. As you can imagine, it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but for those that took the time to understand it? That familiarized themselves with the game well enough to just be able to look at a piece and understand what it did and roughly how well it performed? Oh, this was to die for. The amount of unique builds, of mechs that were your very own, unique creation, catering to your own specific tastes, was basically infinite. You could make your own dream gameplay machine, that operated in exactly the way you wanted it to. 50% of the time, you were in your garage, tinkering, mixing and matching different parts to improve your Armored Core more and more, to make it better, comfier, stronger, cooler.

Do you know what was influential in Dark Souls' success? And I say this with all the love in my heart, as a massive Dark Souls fan: It was simplification. Dark Souls is a different beast in many regards, of course, compared to Armored Core, but what Dark Souls did was simplify the Armored Core formula, in both comparative gameplay execution and building, and focused on other aspects, like making incredibly cool unique enemies, polished combat, great enemy placement, the works. But end of the day, Dark Souls is a simplified Armored Core. You're not boosting around and firing laser weapons in Dark Souls, but the fundamentals are all there: Tempo based fighting, with intensifying speed, lots of numbers to play with in order to optimize your character to your preference and needs, and the flexibility to switch around builds to certain degrees, more so in the mid game and late game. Hell, the ever-present "little plain white number above the enemy that shows you how much damage you did recently" and how Poise works in Dark Souls are both originally Armored Core things. Most every Armored Core veteran that I know, myself included, that played Dark Souls just felt it click naturally after a bit. Because it's an extension of Armored Core (and King's Field/Shadow Tower).

Armored Core, since its inception, has been about being a mercenary in a callous world where companies that are as powerful as countries, plural, wage in economic war with each other. Rarely has there ever been a good guy in Armored Core, it's the pristine FromSoft absolutely horrid and doomed world narrative that they love so much. You can even go into debt! Your rewards at the end of any mission are affected by how much ammo you consumed and how banged up your AC got, you have to foot the bill for repairs and ammo (unless your client specifically states that they'll cover it for you), and if you don't perform too well and end up going into sufficiently big debt? Why, you forcibly get put into the Human-PLUS program to offset your debt, which actually makes your stronger, since it gives you the ability to ignore Total Weight restrictions and gives you infinite energy! At the cost of, you know, your humanity. At that point, you're literally just a corporate drone with more machine than brain in the nogging. It's a fancy Easy Mode toggle, so to speak, that comes with lore. This game is from 1997. Even from back then, they were making stuff like this. The setting of Armored Core is ruthless, cruel, and brutal... And yet, beautiful, the little things, they are there. But I won't tell you about them. You have to find them yourself. The beautiful things only have value if you find them in a horrid world by your own merit.

This is true for Armored Core, and this is true for Dark Souls.

Armored Core, on a personal level, is what I grew up with, what inspired me as a child, the kind of storytelling that gives you a few explicit morsels, and the rest, figure it out yourself. Armored Core is basically what came before Dark Souls. I consider Soulsborne sequels to Armored Core. They are so very alike.

Brutal gameplay, challenging management, ruthless storytelling... It's heaven.

Armored Core is a series of a gaming era long gone. Armored Core is the opposite of "cinematic experience" games. Armored Core is brutal, it wants to test you, it grants you no quarter, but it wants you to succeed. Armored Core wants you to master its management systems and its high speed combat. Armored Core wants you to be a sharper, better you.

Armored Core is a video game series about giant robots blowing each other to bits.

Armored Core is both a test and teacher, and it wants you to win. It wants you to become the you that can beat it.

Armored Core loves you. Armored Core will do all in its power to prevent you from winning. Armored Core knows you can win, which is why it tries so hard.

Armored Core is a good video game.

[wheels-of-despair]

Eddie Munson and the Best Anti-Valentine's Day Ever Pairing: Eddie Munson x You Summary: Eddie hated everything about Valentine's Day… until he met someone who hated it more than he did. Contains: Female reader, first Valentine's Day together, high school bullshit, alternative V-Day plans, awkward jokes and excessive sarcasm, director yelling "cut!" before the good shit. Words: 2.8k-ish

This is a sequel to Eddie Munson and the Worst Valentine's Day Ever. You can read that first, read that after and pretend it's a flashback, or fine, be that way, don't read it all, see if I care. (Please read it.)

Eddie Munson hated Valentine's Day.

After an unfortunate incident in the 2nd grade, Eddie did his best to avoid the stupid non-holiday, but he was never successful. There was no escaping it. It was everywhere. He scowled when the stores would turn an entire aisle red and pink. He glowered at the ridiculous decorations littering every hallway and classroom at school. He rolled his eyes when jewelry ads took over every commercial break. He hated that people lucky enough to have someone to love waited until that one corporate-approved day to show it.

Yes, Eddie Munson hated Valentine's Day.

Until he met someone who hated it more than he did.

You hadn't been together very long. He'd been so worried about getting your first Christmas together right - which he did - he'd completely forgotten about Valentine's Day. When he realized that it was right around the corner, and he finally had someone who would expect him to acknowledge the occasion, he panicked.

Does he buy flowers or chocolate? Flowers and chocolate? What kind of flowers? What if they didn't have your favorite kind of chocolate in a heart shape? Is regular chocolate okay? What about the teddy bear situation? Would you swoon and fall into his arms, or laugh at him? Should he just tell you why he hates Valentine's Day and hope that you understood? Why was this so hard?

He expressed his concerns to Wayne, who knew how Eddie felt about the holiday. He'd caught on pretty quick to Young Eddie pretending to be sick every February 14th so he wouldn't have to go to school on Valentine's Day. Wayne had laughed at him, in that loving you're being an idiot, but I love you anyway way, and told him that "It doesn't have to be flowers and teddy bears, son. Just do something she'll like." That was not helpful, Uncle Wayne.

And then one day at lunch, about two weeks before the dreaded non-holiday, something happened that confused Eddie even more.

A cheerleader was making her way from table to table, selling chocolate roses for some dumb fundraiser. Eddie half-expected, and fully hoped, that she would just pass on by the freak table. But since the universe had it out for Eddie Munson, she stopped.

"Hi! I'm Tanya! Would any of you like to buy a chocolate rose for Valentine's Day? It benefits the basketball team's new uniform fund!" The Hellfire Club was so stunned that there was a cheerleader in their vicinity, everyone suddenly forgot how to speak. Eddie bit his tongue, trying to think of a nice way to dismiss the bubbly blonde. Until you did it for him.

"Nope, I think we're good." You picked the tomato off your burger and plopped it on Eddie's tray without looking up.

"Are you sure? It's only $1 a rose! You just fill out a card and write the name and homeroom of the person you want to send it to on this," the cheerleader shakes her hot pink clipboard, "and we'll deliver it on Valentine's Day! Everyone's doing it. It's a great way to show your friends you care, or let someone know you have a crush! And the basketball team gets new uniforms! Everybody wins!" Tanya giggles.

The Hellfire Club, finally coming to their senses, begins to shift uncomfortably. But Tanya and her dumb-ass clipboard weren't going anywhere. You turn to her and offer a tight-lipped smile. "You know what, that sounds great. Why don't you let us talk it over, and if we decide to buy, we'll come find you?"

"Okay!" she giggles again. "But make sure you buy from me! We're having a friendly competition to see who can sell the most, and nobody else wanted to ask…" Her face falls. Your gaze turns to steel.

"Ask what?" Your voice holds a challenge. The freaks? The weirdos? Eddie is stunned, not sure what the hell is happening. The rest of Hellfire remains silent, watching with wide eyes.

"N-nothing, I've gotta go meet my friend, please come find me if you decide to participate!" She vanishes quicker than she appeared. The tension in the air is so thick, Eddie could cut it with his pocketknife.

You survey the awkward teenagers surrounding you. It's the longest you've ever seen them quiet since you moved here.

"Oh, I'm sorry," you begin with a mock sincerity that quickly turns into a decent impression of Tanya, "did you guys wanna, like, support the basketball team by purchasing overpriced candy from the only cheerleader brave enough to speak to the freaks and weirdos? 'Cause I can call her back!" No takers.

"Wouldn't want anyone to feel left out when they're the only person in class who doesn't get a ten-cent chocolate rose during this month's popularity contest." You were going for sarcasm, but the way your voice softens toward the end of the sentence gives you away. Eddie feels a tightening inside his chest. Had you gone through it too?

Gareth cracks a joke about ten-cent hookers, and the dark cloud over the Hellfire table lifts. Everyone laughs, and the conversation returns to normal again. But Eddie watches you carefully, more worried than ever about how to approach the V-word with you.

Exactly seven days before the dreaded event, he gets his chance.

"What do you want to do for Valentine's Day?"

You're lying on your back on his bed, head hanging off the edge next to where he sits on the floor. You'd already finished your essay on Romeo and Juliet - wow, Romeo and Juliet for Valentine's Day, how very creative of the Hawkins High English Department - and were on standby to help Eddie with his. The question had come out of nowhere, and though he'd been thinking about it nearly nonstop for weeks, he still had no idea how to answer.

"Uh… I don't know?"

"Very helpful Edward, thank you."

"What do you want to do?" You turn your head and meet his curious but hesitant eyes. You inhale deeply and stare at the ceiling, preparing for a long one.

"I demand flowers and candy and a teddy bear holding a velvety red heart. Balloons are optional, but encouraged. You will wear a suit to school and present me with these treasures in front of the largest crowd possible, preferably on one knee. You will then take me to the Valentine's Day Dance in the prestigious Hawkins High Gym, which definitely won't reek of ball sweat like it usually does. Afterward, we will make sweet, passionate love on a bearskin rug in front of a roaring fire, and you will surprise me with a diamond of some sort." You were impressed with yourself for not breaking your deadpan during the delivery of your ridiculous demands.

You stare at each other for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is the corporate-approved Valentine's Day plan not good enough for you?" you tease, trying to catch your breath.

After the laughter subsides, you flip over onto your stomach to see him better. He's turned to lean his back against an amp rather than the bed, so he doesn't have to turn his head to look at you. Lacing your fingers and resting your chin on them, you change gears.

"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to. It's a dumb holiday. I just thought it would be weirder if we didn't acknowledge it at all."

He fidgets with the corner of a blanket hanging off the bed. You're not sure which one of you is more nervous at this point.

"I want to do something. But not like… a traditional something," he finally says.

"Okay," you nod. "So are we talking like a horror movie marathon, or destruction of public property, or anal?"

He chokes.

After another laughing fit, the two of you make a plan.

The Monday before Valentine's Day, which was on a Thursday, you and Eddie walked into school together and both froze. You took in the sights around you and slowly turned your heads toward each other with wide eyes before bursting into laughter.

It looked like Cupid's elementary-school aged children had thrown up in the halls of Hawkins High. Red and pink hearts made from construction paper were everywhere. And chains! Paper chains! How old did they think you were?

"Hi guys! Do you have your tickets for the dance already?" someone far too perky for this early hour chirps at you from behind a table a few feet away.

"Nope, we have other things to do that night," you inform the girl you've never noticed before, probably an over-achiever on the decorating committee, not wanting to be completely rude.

"You have other things to do the night of the Valentine's Day dance?" she asks indignantly. And to think, you'd tried to be polite.

"Those virgins aren't gonna sacrifice themselves," Eddie says in a low voice, before you can think of a sarcastic response. She gulps. You bite back a laugh and tug him along, to anywhere but there.

You'd decided not to do anything special on the corporate-approved day of romantic acknowledgement. Your plans would wait until Friday: An Anti-Valentine's Day Date. Hopefully the first of many.

The next few days were relatively uneventful. Well, as uneventful as life can be with Eddie Munson as your partner in crime.

On Thursday, the shitty construction paper littering the halls wasn't the only thing that was annoyingly festive. You'd never seen so much pink and red in your life. They must've cleaned out the mall two towns over. Not a fuzzy sweater or a heart-patterned sweatshirt could have survived this shopping spree. You're surprised you haven't seen something about it on the news. Breaking: High Schoolers Clear Out Entire Red-Hued Inventory. Dye Industry May Never Recover. Pastels Definitely In for Easter, Possibly 4th of July.

"God help us," you mutter as you grab Eddie's hand. Two figures clad in black weave their way through a sea of red and pink toward homeroom. He walks you to your classroom and gives you a peck on the forehead. "Homeroom, homeroom! Parting is such sweet sorrow," he quotes wrongly. You roll your eyes with a smile and give him a playful push toward his own classroom, located four doors down.

The student council member with the honor of delivering the morning announcements is bursting with joy as she informs everyone that the cheer squad broke the school's previous fundraising record with the chocolate roses they sold for Valentine's Day. Greeeat, you think. Those will be delivered during this period.

You hate waxy, overpriced candy. You hate the basketball team. You hate the cheerleaders. But more than anything, you hate the thought of your friends feeling excluded. You'd fallen in behind a pair of airheads discussing the number of roses they'd sold in the hall one day last week. What's-her-name wasn't lying when she gave Hellfire her sales pitch. Everyone was doing it.

So you'd found the only cheerleader brave enough to talk to the freaks and shelled out a few bucks to send each member of Hellfire a chocolate rose. You were weak. You were soft. You were hard candy coating with a squishy marshmallow inside. You were hopeless.

As if on cue, a pretty brunette with poofy hair came in with a pail full of chocolate roses. It was a small lump of red tinfoil, stuck on a green plastic stem with a fake leaf or two on it, and a little white card attached with a ribbon. That's all. It was just as underwhelming as you'd imagined.

Instead of watching her make her deliveries, you decided to spend the rest of homeroom writing a dirty, overly dramatic love letter to the Dungeon Master of your dreams. Depending on how filthy it turned out, you might even sign it "Love, Principal Higgins" and stick it in his locker before lunch.

You were adding extra emphasis to the words "engorged member" with a red pen when a rose was dropped onto your notebook. You looked up in confusion, but she had already moved on to the next desk. Putting down your pen, you reach for the card bearing your name, attached to the thin plastic stem with a cheap red ribbon.

"Hail Satan."

The Hellfire Club was practically vibrating at lunch. Nobody wanted to admit that they'd received one of those stupid chocolate roses from an anonymous admirer, or that it had made them all so unreasonably happy. But you knew. You looked over at Eddie. He knew. Despite your attitudes and outward appearances, you were both just mush on the inside. You shared a knowing smile and intertwined your fingers under the table, silently agreeing to never speak of what you'd both done.

Supporting the basketball team. Honestly.

After school on Friday, the day after Valentine's Day, you and Eddie had gone on a Hawkins-wide store tour and purchased several bags full of discounted candy. Your reward for surviving another V-Day.

You'd also stopped by Family Video to grab a few things to watch during your Anti-Valentine's Day Date Night.

"If you're looking for anything romantic, we're out," the exasperated clerk informed you the second you stepped in the door. Eddie shook his head, laughed, and led you to the horror section. You left with four $1 rentals: Old creature features. Bad ones. The bottom of the barrel. The shittier the effects, the better. You couldn't wait.

That night's meeting of The Hellfire Club went off without a hitch. Progress was made, nobody died, everyone was in high spirits and pumped full of candy. Was everyone's good mood due a great session, to surviving the least awful Valentine's Day in recent memory, or the massive amounts of sugar? Who's to say.

After everyone cleared out and you helped Eddie clean up, he took you home. You'd spared no gory detail when you told your mom everything you had planned for your Anti-Valentine's Day Date, and she'd agreed to let you stay with him for the night. After all, who'd want to get frisky after playing a nerdy game with a bunch of sweaty virgins, filling up on cheap candy and cardboard-like frozen pizza, then finishing the night by watching disgusting monster movies in their rattiest sweats?

You and Eddie Munson, that's who.

The next morning, you woke up before he did, and decided to make him breakfast. Your Anti-Valentine's Day Date was over, so you could do cute couple-y stuff now. You knew Wayne would be home soon, so you made yourself look moderately respectable before heading into the kitchen to forage for food.

Eddie stumbled in while you were making pancakes, wearing nothing but his favorite black sweatpants and a sleepy smile. He saunters up behind you, places his hands on your hips, and rests his chin on your shoulder.

"What, no heart shapes? Just plain pancakes? Some girlfriend you are." You swat at him with the spatula and he laughs, kissing the top of your head and making his way to the coffee maker.

He wants a special pancake? You'll give him a special pancake. Lifting a plain circle out of the pan and dropping it onto the stack of boring pancakes, you get a little more creative with your next pour.

"Will you clear off the table so we don't make a mess of this?" He grumbles and does as you ask, sitting down at the cluttered table to start separating the junk mail from the bills that had been accumulating. You don't care about eating at the table, you just don't want him to see his special pancake yet.

You flip it. It's perfect. When it's done, you plop it onto a plate and grab the syrup bottle, heading toward the halfway-cleared table. You place it in front of him with a wicked grin.

"Is that…"

"Yup."

He tilts his head from his special breakfast to you, an incredulous look on his face.

"That's a dick."

"Yup."

At that very moment, you hear a car door slam. Wayne's home. Shit. You and Eddie are frozen in place; Eddie still shocked by his dick-cake, you panicking about Wayne seeing it.

The door opens. Eddie grins. You gulp.

"Hey Wayne, look at the special Valentine's Day breakfast that--" Eddie's mouth is suddenly filled with a dick-shaped pancake, leaving him unable to finish his sentence.

"Good morning, Wayne. Would you like a pancake?" you ask sweetly, wiping the crumbs from your hand onto your pants.

"Sure, darlin'."

You return to the stove, your face as red as one of those stupid construction paper hearts that were probably still littering the halls of Hawkins High. Thankfully, Wayne thinks nothing of Eddie shaking with laughter at the table, his cheeks stuffed full like a chipmunk's.

Maybe this Valentine's Day stuff wasn't so terrible after all.

Did you read the prequel that reveals why Eddie hates Valentine's Day? Click Here!

[benevolentcalamity]

Code: S.O.S [Epil.][Xenomorph x Fem!Reader]

Hey, I'm back, did you miss me? I felt this needed an extension since cliffhanger endings in... Really anything are the worst if there's not gonna be a sequel.

And for you thirsty bitches that wanted monsterfuckery with the Xenomorph - are you okay by the way - you get a one-shot. If it's popular enough, I'll make a full-fledged series. Scout's honor.

Also, I had an anon before that was digging this series. I hope they come back to see the redone Chapter 3. (Yea I think about anons that give me genuine criticism, what about it)

CURTAINS!

"Vitals are stable, and the medicine's been administered. [Last Name], can you hear me?"

Through the shining haze, you find Yutani's face, squinting as even the minute aches in your legs are ground to nothing. As the anesthesia courses through your blood, she tugs a clipboard and writes on it with precision and speed inhumanly possible. Before long she's finished four forms and put the clipboard back aside.

Comforting, her gloved hand reaches and undoes a few tangles in your oily hair. "How are you feeling?"

After a moment your lips manage to part. "... Hungry..."

A soft chuckle, and she pats your shoulder. Looking over to another crew member, she raises her head. "Tran? We're still well-stocked on supplies, right? Please make sure we have some stew, if possible, after the surgery."

"Understood, Doctor." Some footsteps, and your chin is lifted from your head falling to your chest - and the moving equipment.

"Don't look at the surgery, look at me, alright?" She instructs. Once she has your full attention she sighs, relieved. "I hope you don't mind, we managed to clean out the rest of that ship. The Far Reach is lucky, to have had only one of those creatures on it. You're very brave, to have fought it on your own."

Swallowing, you manage a nod. "... Anderson...?" Your eyes are too tired to move.

"Anderson is okay." She accompanies this with a minute glance toward the door. "... We're very lucky we found you so soon. The alien inside your chest isn't big enough to be a risk to your life during the surgery."

You lift your head, and she stops your motion of looking once more.

"... Do I smell bad?" Maybe a dumb question would help lift your mood.

Yutani chuckles deep in her chest, patting your shoulder. "Like you just crawled out of a bonfire on a carrier ship." The jovial tone in her voice helps you relax further, with her eye flickering towards your chest, and then the monitors. "... Here, allow me."

Before you can question her, her hand sets the pen aside, and rests over your eyes. Harshly you drag a lip between your teeth, inhaling sharply. Weirdly no pain, but you feel the sensation of something clinging onto and then being forcefully removed from near your heart. For a moment your chest spasms from the feeing, with a grotesque squelch and a series of hisses to follow.

Right when you can bear the mystery no more, the machine makes a buzz and a few harsh clicks, before something wet snaps in two. By the time Yutani lifts her hand, the machine is beginning the process of stapling and stitching you back together.

"Not a minute too soon." A relieved sigh makes her heave.

"... Have you done this before?" You ask, eyes falling to the process. By her reaction, the worst part of it is over, and you have no reason to really be scared. Apart from, well, surgery being something you'd rather not be awake for.

"Mhm. This was made... shortly after the discovery of the Xenomorphs," She replies. "We're approaching the finishing of backbursters as well."

What? "Back... bursters...?"

"Oh. There's a mixture of Yautja and Xenomorph out there. While few, we must be prepared for every kind we meet." She taps the pen to her brow along this train of thought. "The only way to win is not to meet them, but should we, well, we're prepared now."

The intercom beeps, both of you raising your heads. An instinctive wish to not be alone has you reaching for Yutani as she retreats to answer it.

Pressing the button, she clears her throat. "Yutani."

"Yutani," Tran's voice rings through. "A call came in for you. It's her."

"Right, send her through." A few seconds after Yutani's go-ahead, her phone rings. In one quick motion it's at her ear. "Hello? Yutani speaking." Then her lips curl upward. "Yes, she's awake and stable - being stitched up as we speak."

Her eyes flicker to meet yours, and the assurance calms you once more. With a nod and a tacit farewell, she passes the phone to you. Swallowing, you pray you don't sound raspy.

"Hello? [Last Name]."

"[Last Name]. My name is Ripley. Ellen Ripley." Her voice carries strength and resolve, like she had fought a thousand battles and remains who they made her into. "Do you have time?"

"Yes, absolutely. It's nice to meet you, Ripley."

[t00nyah]

t00nyah explaining project moon without actually explaining project moon

after posting lcb trigger warning i wanted to do this

or

me explaining project moon in the shortest way possible except its goofy af bc im eepy and lazy but im in a desperately talkative mood (i post mostly about limbus company since it came out cmon)

what the fuck is projmoon:

project moon is the coolest ever indie game development team we love them; they've made three games so far, also have an unfinished novel, a...idk, just another novel that was initially a comic but im a hater (im sorry(not)), and another comic

they've been doing it for like 7 years almost and still have no idea what optimization is but its okay we love them

there's a lot of killing and just amoral guys in general who can and will kill thousands. its THE 'your meow meow killed thousands of people' 'and they looked good doing it!' universe. everyone is fucked up there guys. but UMMM thats kinda the appeal

so the games! we all here are gamerzzz!

LC

it all started 6 years ago, when lobotomy corporation released in early access and my gf was like hey look what i found

lobotomy corp is a game where you're a manager in a big company, L corp, and you have to get your guys, employees(lucky ones who got the job) to work with abnormalities(fucked up creatures) so they would generate enkephalin, a big energy resource

except your guys will probably die when you're already so attached to them so you just restart the day each time this happens

theres like a maaassive plot, it is the beginning of literally everything, like some stuff still haunts us in limbus company (looking at a particular individual) and there are more characters that you'll fucking love(sephirahs) and then learn their fucked up story (and then learn your fucked up story and not be happy about it)

ah yes while im on it theres no actual self incert in project moon games im sorry but every character IS a character

gameplay-wise you just have to organize your guys, give them equipment, assign them to a job, make them suffer and struggle to suppress abnormalities if they try to make a mess(kill everyone) and do hard tasks your besties make you do

LoR

later, in like 2018 i think, they almost immediately after full release of LC announced a sequel, library of ruina

library of ruina is a game that continues the story(duh) and i can't tell you much about it without spoiling lob corp too, but in this one you have to USE BRAIN like A LOT because its a STRATEGY CARD GAME

in this one you dont even have a character you play as, you just follow the characters' on their journey. but dw! you'll get your own customizable guys to adore here too!

basically in this game the characters from LC and your guys are called librarians and you have to greet guests of the library, that were specifically invited there and /tp-ed, basically fighting them. every battle has its own story and eventually it branches off into four arcs and oh gott i love library of ruina a'right you meet characters for like one story and then have to fight them knowing their issues and how life fucked them over enough to get there</3

gameplay-wise you build cool decks from cards of those you've killed for your guys, pick guys for fight and then pick cards. simple. i think. not so simple in game but i simplified it

there's also a lot of amazing lore drops, bc in LC we were kinda isolated and focused on the corporation, but in LoR? we get to see all kinda of people of The City, we learn about The City, we learn about factions and all, we get all the lore we missed by being stuck in that manager chair

LCB

okay and now we're here. limbus my fucking company.

limbus company was, again, announced almost immediately after LoR's full release(PM are CRAZY), and released february 27 of this year, and already has more story in word count than lor does or so i've heard...

limbus company is pm's first mobile game(but dw there is a steam release if you're more of a pc person or your phone will explode if you try to install it(and it will)) and their first...(behold) gacha game. yep. but no dont get scared it actually has the best gacha system ever known to men

they've also tried to make it enjoyable without getting into previous games but to me it doesnt feel right i dunno i feel like it's just not that cool without knowing the context and going insane screaming at carmen or connecting the dots, also like the events of LCB are all connected to LC and LoR, so ummm if you try to get into limbus without at least learning what the other games contain be ready i'll personally explode you

in this game you basically play as dante(they/them for the sake of mysteriousness of 'who TF they are') and you have 12 deranged guys named the sinners who are ALL BASED OFF FUCKING CLASSIC LITERATURE did you fucking know pm are fucking literacy nerds and cant have a game without book references without exploding??? well they are.

so the characters (IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED) are:

1. gregor (metamorphosis, franz kafka)

2. rodion (crime and punishment, fyodor dostoyevsky)

3. (emil) sinclair (demian, hermann hesse)

4. yi sang (the wings, yi sang (kim hae-gyeong))

5. ishmael (moby dick, herman melville)

6. heathcliff (wuthering heights, emily bronte)

7. don quixote (don quixote, miguel de cervantes)

8. hong lu (dream of the red chamber, cao xueqin)

9. ryoshu (hell screen, ryunosuke akutagawa)

10. meursault (the stranger, albert camus)

11. outis (the odyssey, homer)

12. faust (faust, johann wolfgang von goethe)

also don't forget dante is based on the divine comedy by dante alighieri!

also dante DOESNT FUCKING KNOW SHIT. faust seems to know all shit and never tell dante.

i mentioned it being a gacha game. so like. you dont pull characters. instead you pull the initial deranged guys' alternative versions where they end up on another job like cult leader or a terrorist idk

the best part? you dont necessarily have to get them from gacha in most cases, you can get special currency, ego shards, to get whatever you want separately. also pm added ideality that you get from unfortunate pulls that you can spend on the special identity from the banner. but tbh i think its way easier to get the shards needed than pull that much, not really worth it

gameplay-wise? well. you have to basically just choose your guys' identities(those alt versions, they use them in fights to be stronger), choose their skills, a little similar to ruina (except TBH lcb lets you fuck around and put it on auto until it doesnt really work out (please dont autoplay with r corp ishmael or at least check what they're doing you silly goop they might do friendly fire if you're stupid enough)). the game consists of cantos, chapters that tell you a separate story of a sinner(in the order i gave earlier, not everyone knows that), that have story-episodes(cool ones), story-and-fight-then-episodes(epic ones), and sometimes just-fight-episodes(who the fuck thought those are a good idea?). and in the end of a canto there's always a dungeon. honestly, first two cantos are easy enough to just learn basics yourself, im rambling at this point

there's also hellish grind options and paid stuff like battle pass with the coolest perks ever

also LoR and LCB have mili songs, which is fucking cool, they're such bangers. no no projmoon games' ost in general. just fuckign bangers my guys and i mean it.

well that was fun and games. like i mentioned theres also:

Distortion Detective

im such a fucking fan of this unfinished novel, im so upset they abandoned it </3 pm did say they're probably going to rework it as a game or smth later but in my opinion it just loses its charm if its not a novel

distortion detective ... i cant explain it without spoilers to the games but its basically about moses, the distortion detective, who solves distortions which are like uhhmmm... people turning into some funky shit(that expresses their feelings). and she has a parthner named ezra. they're both poor traumatized women. and stuff happens. thats all i can say without spoiling everything. you learn a lot about the distortion phenomenon from moses' perspective.

WonderLab

wonderlab is a comic made by artist mimi, that follows taii, rose and catt. its about another lobotomy corp branch that actually introduces us to the concept of abnormality aberrations (slightly similar but different abnormalities like we have a little red riding hooded mercenary's(do you remember me mentioning pm being literacy nerds?) team fortress blue team version or whatever) that is used in limbus quite a lot so we old people from LC can be like 'heehehehe this is like like snow white's apple's aberration, so funny, reminds me of good ol' days...'

Leviathan

my main enemy. initially it was a comic, but i think they had to stop working with the artist for some reason and continue it as a novel instead.

issue?

i didnt read it. im so sorry i failed you. but i cant. first vergilius, main character, is ugly AS FUCK and he's STUPID i hate his guts. BUT OH DEAR LORD HE APPEARS IN LIMBUS COMPANY AND I HATE HIM EVEN MORE. AND NOT JUST APPEARS, HE'S THE GUIDE OF THE BUS, HE'S KINDA ALWAYS THERE. I HATE HIS GUTS. oh hey lap-- charon, no, you're good, you're amazing, vroom-vroom, yes, right, you're so right.

i'm pretty sure it has A LOT of important context for some stuff in LCB but i just CAN'T MAKE MYSELF TOUCH IT. please read leviathan for me.

i'm sorry it turned into a looong ramble but here's t00nyah's awful brief guide to project moon. in case you want to know about world-building or the story in particular...i'm always here to dm me. please do. i really love telling people about project moon. there's just a lot to unpack.

edit. okay apparently it was easy to misinterpret my leviathan commentary so im putting this here for the sake of clearing the confusions for future!! tl;dr: i know it wasn't continued as a comic for REASONS, it's OBVIOUS!! and yes, leviathan is important, i just can't make myself read it therefore don't have enough knowledge to write about it(cool idea: write your own post about leviathan if you're seeing this and are enthusiastic about it! i just won't.), i still don't like vergilius, it's just a me-thing. DO read leviathan if you're interested</3

edit2. after thinking for a while, decided to add this just in case: i was given a summary of leviathan! well. it IS something. (opinion on vergilius hasn't changed much sorry not sorry, still a me-thing.) but yeah 👍 all good 👍 still not liking it much, mayhaps because i couldn't read it myself, but. it can be found here in the comment section.

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

Day 10 - Collar

Hehehe this is a sequel to day 5!!

Ping list: @ailesswhumptober, @whumperofworlds, @whump-captain

TWs: Collars, electrocution, dehumanization, kidnapping

As soon as the car was stopped, the door opened and Mariano was hauled up and out into the whispering fall breeze. A little house surrounded by quiet, empty land greeted him. The once-cheery yellow paint had faded long ago, and the shingles of the roof had gotten jostled by time and wind and storms.

Tommy tugged Mariano along, a hand gripping his bicep just too hard. "Okay. If you don't try any stupid shit, we'll let you go when everything dies down." Tommy's keys jingled as he got the door open.

Mariano didn't quite believe him.

The living room was in shambles. The wallpaper was peeling and the windows were filmy. The lights were off, and the carpet was torn and stained with what had to be blood. A tattered couch sat against a wall, with a rusted dog kennel next to it that served as a side table.

That had to be what they'd been discussing in the car. Jasper and Darrel entered after them, breathing a sigh of relief as the front door shut behind them. "We'll hide the car in a little bit," Jasper said, flopping down onto the couch. "Darrel, go get the collar. We need to get everything set now before we get tired."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Darrel grumbled, wandering down a dark hallway.

Mariano swallowed. "I won't try to make an escape." He tried. "You can just keep an eye on me."

Jasper rolled his eyes, standing back up to get in Mariano's face. "You think we're idiots?"

Yes, he did. "No--no. I just...I don't want to cause trouble. I saw your guns. I can behave."

"Then we won't have a problem." Jasper accepted a collar from Darrel, reaching up to snap it closed around Mariano's neck. "This way, we can make sure you won't actually go anywhere." He took the remote from Darrel next, holding it up for Mariano to see as he turned it up to the highest strength. "Now. Give us your hands so we can cuff you properly."

Mariano raised his hands, still secured palm-to-palm by the leather belt. He watched as Jasper unwound it, gripping his wrists once he was freed. Mariano could tell that Jasper didn’t really work out. He could probably get free, could probably take the remote. 

It didn’t seem like the best idea, though. They hadn’t hurt him yet, and he wanted to keep it that way. He didn’t tense, didn’t struggle as his wrists were brought behind him and the belt was wound them again. “Good.” Jasper said, fastening the buckle. “Now, on your knees.”

Mariano felt dread crawling through his chest as he obeyed and two fingers hooked under the collar at the back of his neck. “Good.” Jasper almost purred this time as he started leading Mariano to the cage. “Maybe you’ll get out of this without us having to be too rough. Remember: we don’t wanna kill you if we don’t have to, so just behave.”

Mariano knew the stakes. Maybe he could make a break for it later that night--he'd run a marathon before, it wouldn't be terrible. Mariano nodded. Jasper shoved him forward. “Good, get in.” 

Mariano crawled forward on his knees, lowering himself down to get into the tiny space. It was large enough for something like a collie, Mariano thought as he tried to find a comfortable way to exist in the cage. It was not large enough for someone six feet tall with shoulders like his. He’d be lucky to even be able to lie down properly on the hard plastic liner. 

He watched as Jasper and Darrel and Tommy worked through the next steps of their…plan? They brought the money they’d gotten inside, starting to count up their spoils. He didn’t want to tell them to be careful of dye packs in the money–they’d find out about that themselves.

He knelt on the floor of the cage, shoulders already starting to ache, as the thousands were counted up between Jasper and Tommy. He almost hoped they took something in the six figure range–the jail sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping wouldn’t be worth it otherwise. Jasper just started looking more and more frustrated as they started to run out of bundles of bills. 

“What do you mean we only got thirty grand?” He snarled at Tommy. 

Tommy didn’t back down, growling back. “Well maybe we would’ve gotten more if someone hadn’t decided to take a hostage!” He motioned violently towards Mariano. “You’d barely gotten anything when you grabbed him.”

“Well what are we gonna do about it?” Jasper barked back. “We can’t just let him go.”

Darrel thought for a moment. “What about a ransom?”

Tommy and Jasper paused. They looked at each other, then Darrel, then all three looked at Mariano. He didn’t like that. 

“We just need to send a ransom video, right? Some sorta demand?” Tommy asked. “We could do that, yeah.” 

The collar felt even heavier around Mariano’s neck as Jasper picked up the remote. “Yeah,” Jasper said. “We can do that. Rough him up, get some footage of him being shocked. Just look at him. Someone’s gonna be willing to pay to get him back.”

The three pairs of eyes roamed over Mariano. It was almost flattering. He supposed his sweater and bright jeans and glasses chain really sold the "normal guy" look. Mariano wanted to laugh anyway.

Someone would pay to get him back, yes, but it wouldn’t work out how they wanted. If they were lucky, the police would get involved. If they weren’t, Bastian would decide to show up. And if they were even unluckier, the war mages would be pulled into the situation. For their sake, he hoped the police showed up to negotiate--maybe a SWAT team barging in would be nostalgic.

Tommy pulled out his phone, though, and glanced around the room at the lighting. “Yeah, we can work with this. Let’s go downstairs though, the concrete will be easier to clean up and look scarier.” Mariano’s stomach dropped. 

“I think we still have those extension cables around here somewhere.” Jasper said. “Those’d make a decent whip. Let’s see how bad this collar is, too. See if it’ll be good for the camera.” 

Mariano swallowed hard, barely able to take a breath before Jasper pressed the button, watching him curiously. Heat raced through Mariano’s neck and a strangled noise was wrenched from him. He jolted, head knocking against the rusted bars of the cage. 

Mariano dropped to the floor of the cage as he writhed, struggling to take a breath. It kept ripping through him, threatening to dislocate his shoulders from how it forced his biceps to flex and twist. Across the room, he heard Jasper laugh as the collar turned off again.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s perfect. C'mon, help me haul the cage to the basement.”

[kiwiana-writes]

Happy sleepover Friday! 🥳 I guess this falls under advice…what are five books you wish everyone would read?

Oooooooh what a THINKER of a question!

In no particular order, and a very small selection of a much longer list...

Bisexual Men Exist by Vaneet Mehta is an absolutely vital read for everyone, and I do mean everyone.

Queer: A Collection of LGBTQ Writing from Ancient Times to Yesterday edited by Frank Wynne is a stunning collection of queer writing. We're here, we've always been here, and this is such a wonderful collation.

Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised by Alice Te Punga Somerville is hands down my favourite poetry collection; it's incredibly thought-provoking as well as being beautiful writing.

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston -- I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC and y'all. Y'ALL. Casey has outdone themself for SURE. Tattoo some of the lines from this book on my heart, honestly.

Sins of the Father: The Long Shadow of a Religious Cult by Fleur Beale. A lot of kiwi have read Fleur Beale's YA novel about a religious cult I Am Not Esther and its sequels (which I also recommend!), but this is a non-fiction account of the children of the leader of Gloriavale here in Aotearoa. It's incredibly eye-opening and I've recommended it to a few people whose position on Gloriavale had previously been 'oh well if that's how they want to live, let them'.

[padfootagain]

Masterlist - Requests are still open! - The Tag list is open!

Hello everyone! Here is my posting schedule for the coming weeks! We're keeping the same rhythm with a new post every two days.

I've planned out over a longer period than usual because I'll start working again during that time, and I will have less time to write. So, I've written a lot these past two weeks to have more time to write for the next phase of updates!

We have TWO new series coming up! One for the Darkling, and one for Sirius Black... I'm also picking up Pirates! again for Caspian! I'm very excited, and I hope you enjoy these stories!

20/06/2023 - Old Crush

Ben Barnes x reader, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, one-shot, requested by an anon.

Summary: Ben didn’t know that you were a fan of his already before you started dating, and when he finds out, he doesn’t like it at all. All his insecurities are suddenly brought back to life…

22/06/2023 - Chapter 1 for The Last Ones on Earth

The Darkling x reader, angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, mentions and depiction of warfare and violence, new series

Summary: You and the Darkling are a team, even if no one knows it. Beyond being a team, you are the only one he trusts, and he's the only one you care about, and you're each other's true love. But if you've kept your secrets hidden for a long time, now that the Sun Summoner is fighting against you, it's time to reveal who you are, and what you are capable of...

24/06/2023 - How to Make Sport Fun

Ben Barnes x reader, tooth-rotting fluff, domestic love, lots of teasing, one-shot, requested by @thenerdysimp

Summary: You hate working out. Ben hates working out. Lucky for the two of you, like most things in life, it’s more fun when you do it with someone you love.

26/06/2023 - Chapter 3 for You and the King

Caspian x reader, fluff, angst, Sequel to The King and You, on-going series

Summary: After meeting Caspian in your own world, you decide to follow him to Narnia, your love for him too strong for you to keep your old life. But as you discover the magic of Narnia, you soon realise that this extraordinary world is as dangerous as it is magnificent. Will your love for Caspian be enough to defeat your new enemies?

28/06/2023 - All Too Well

Sirius Black x reader, hurt/comfort, one-shot, written from a prompt by @reg-arcturus-black

Summary: Sirius is going through a rough day, as what he has lived with his parents comes back to haunt him. Luckily, you’re here for him. You always are, despite knowing everything about him.

30/06/2023 - Pride!

Ben Barnes x reader, tooth-rotting fluff, silly but adorable, just to close Pride month in a cute way, one-shot

Summary: You ask Ben to come with you to Pride, and he’s more than happy to show he’s a proud boyfriend.

02/07/2023 - Chapter 9 for Something Good

Ben Barnes x Reader, Professor AU!, angst, fluff, slow-burn, enemies to lovers, on-going series

Summary: Coming out of a divorce and trying to get used to being a single mom, while teaching your classes at University, you thought your life could not get more complicated than it already iss. But when you are asked to take care of the theatre club with the colleague that you really can’t get along with, you realize that everything can still get ten times more complicated in your life. And when you start actually liking Professor Barnes, the troubles only grow exponentially…

04/07/2023 - Chapter 4 for Isle of Dogs

Wolfstar, fluff, angst, slow-burn, modern AU, bookshop owner x tattoo artist AU, on-going series

Summary: Sirius and Remus have been kind of in love for a while, but are both too scared to confess their feelings. However, everything changes when their neighbourhood is threatened by a new real estate project. But if they might fail in their fight against the City, they could also find something sweeter along the way.

06/07/2023 - Chapter 4 for Pirates!

Caspian x Pirate!reader, angst, fluff, adventure, mentions and depiction of violence, on-going series

Summary: As ships disappear across the sea, Caspian is forced to go investigate himself. But to win against the wild uncharted waters he must cross to reach his people, he needs to bargain with pirates. And then, he finds you…

08/07/2023 - Pet Names

Ben Barnes x reader, fluff, domestic fluff, extreme adorableness, one-shot, requested by @thenerdysimp

Summary: You find this popular prank on Tik Tok and decide to try it on Ben. But when you call him by his full name instead of your usual adorable pet names, he panics more than anticipated, and it kind of backfires.

10/07/2023 - Part 1 for Where We Kept Out Magic

Sirius Black x Muggle!Reader, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, unbearable cuteness, new series

Summary: You and Sirius meet when you’re still young, and yet you fall head-over-heels for each other. But everything gets complicated when you learn that Sirius is a Wizard! Now, your whole world has to be reimagined. - This series is made of many independent snippets taken from Sirius and Muggle!Reader’s lovestory

12/07/2023 - Love on Tape

Ben Barnes x reader, fluff, too much sweetness, a menace for sure, the-one-for-which-I-bothered-you-all-with-the-11:11-release, one-shot, requested by @simpforhotties

Summary: Ben is working on his music video for 11:11, and he asks you to be a part of it. But not simply as a make-up artist, no, he wants to use this opportunity to announce your engagement, in a subtle way.

14/07/2023 - Chapter 5 for Because We Are Made of Dreams

Sirius Black x Original Female Character + Jily, rewriting of my first fic ever (because my English was terrible then and I wasn't very good at telling stories...), Slow Burn, Mature (graphic depiction of violence, mention of child abuse, graphic depiction of torture, mature themes), on-going series

Summary: The Marauders come back to Hogwarts to begin their sixth year there, and many things will change for them during these coming months. Outside the safety of their school, the world is growing darker. Inside the Castle, they’ll find both new friends and enemies.

[mikeys-bike-slut]

Untitled - Sequel - PT.3

Once again sorry for the late update, things are a bit rough on my front. I hope you will enjoy it <3

Previous Part

T.W: n/a

***

Wakasa 3rd POV:

The white leopard started to get restless when the clock in his living room struck 9pm and his beloved kitten was nowhere to be found. She often had dinner with Kazutora after their shift ended but usually she always messaged yet tonight, nothing. Trying to call her did not seem to work as the phone kept on ringing until voicemail switched on. He was about to raise an alarm and send out his Black Dragons when suddenly his doorbell rang. He rushed to the door and his eyes widened and the worst thoughts rushed into his mind as he found the Haitanis standing there with Angel in Rindou's arms. 

"What the fuck is going on?!" snaps at the brothers he takes Angel away from younger. "Is she okay?!" he asks as he frantically looks for her pulse and wave of relief washes over him as he feels her pulse. "Get the fuck in, right now" he growls at the Haitanis who reluctantly at first but walked in not daring to start shit with the White Leopard himself. 

Once inside Wakasa gently laid the unconscious young woman onto the sofa then looked at the infamous Roppongi brothers, who not enough just randomly showed up at his door after 5 years of absence but showed up with the girl they swore to avoid, unconscious. 

"This is a long story, and a cruel twist of fate" Rindou shakes his head as he looks at the leopard. 

"She is fine, we gave her a small dose tranquilizer, she should be awake soon, if she asks what happened, tell her she slipped and hit her head and you found her unconscious in the shop. If she mentions us, or Sanzu or Kokonoi, tell her she was dreaming" Ran instructed Wakasa who was still confused. 

"What the fuck is going on exactly, Haitani?" he cocks a brow looking at both of the brothers.

"One of our associates got shot and by accident ran into the pet shop where Angel worked... If Sanzu wouldn't have recognized her we might have had trouble. Long story short she basically saved our associate's life. Normally we shoot any witnesses, but for obvious reasons we did not harm Angel" Rindou explains.

"She needs to believe what happened was a dream so she won't come looking for us. She has to stay away from Mikey" the older Haitani's voice sounds eerily serious which was out of character for him.

"I mean obviously..." Wakasa just rolls his eyes and Rindou lets out an annoyed growl.

"You don't understand, Imaushi. He will kill Angel if she goes anywhere near him again" Rindou barks at Wakasa. "Trust me, it fucking sucks to leave her behind and not to see her again but if she starts snooping around us she will find Mikey and that won't end well so for her sake we're gonna disappear" 

"Wait... I don't understand... As last as I knew Mikey and Angel were fine?" he gives them a  confused look.

"A lot has changed since then..." Ran shakes his head. "Mikey changed... he was alright in the beginning, he actually started dating again but he never got over Angel, to the point that the his new girlfriend was basically a split image of Angel, except her personality was just pure trash but Mikey didn't notice, he became fixated on her and obsessed with her, which she took advantage of and just used Mikey. We tried to warn him, but it ended in Mikey beating Sanzu so bad he ended up in hospital... That's when we noticed the change in him, that was until he caught her cheating, he lost it. He massacred her along with everyone who was in sight, even we barely made it out alive" Ran explains as he lifts his shirt up showing a deep scar on his abdomen. 

"After that he wasn't the same, he lost his mind. He got this delusion that Angel did that to him, and he got fixated on killing her if he'll see her again. Angel got very lucky at Emma's wedding. By some miracle Mikey was able to control his impulses probably because of his love towards his sister, but if he catches her alone... Angel would be in grave danger" Rindou continues the explanation making the older man let out a deep sigh. 

"That fucking kid I swear..." he shakes his head then looks at the Haitanis. "Thank you...both of you" 

"We promised to always protect her and we're keeping our words" Ran says in a serious tone. "We should go" he glances at his brother who just nods. 

"Take care of her, Imaushi" the younger looks at the white leopard before giving one last glance at the unconscious cyclone and walking out. 

"I will" Wakasa nods then walks out the Haitanis and locks the door behind them. "You make everyone crazy..." he sighs as he walks back to her sleeping form and just watches her laying there. How can one single woman could have such an effect on so many men? It's been five years and the Haitanis are still wrapped around her finger. "You little witch" he sighs softly then gently picks her up and takes her up into their shared bedroom and after changing her into her pjs he lays her into their bed. "Goodnight kitten" he whispers against her temple before tucking her in then walking back downstairs. 

Later that night - Angel P.o.V:

When I woke up to my confusion I was in our bed, at home. I look around confused and hold my head as I feel dizzy all of the sudden. What the hell happened...? I suddenly feel a strong yearning for Wakasa's presence. I climb out of bed and put on his Black Dragon jacket then slowly walk down the stairs hoping he is home. 

"Waka...?" I call out with my voice almost breaking. The thought of being alone right now was terrifying me. 

"Baby, hey. Are you okay?" his voice comes from the sofa as turns his head to look at me. Without a word I just rush up to him and climb into his lap, cuddling up to him. "Hey, hey. Is everything alright, baby?" he asks in a soft tone as he instantly wraps his arms around me and caresses my back.

"I don't know... The last thing I remember was Rin and Ran..." I whisper into his chest. 

"Hmm? The Haitanis?" he asks with confusion in his tone. 

"Yes... Someone was shot end I... I saved his life, then there was Sanzu too" I explain as I try to recall what happened.

"Maya, there was no one there, and there was no sign of anyone being injured. You slipped and you must have hit your head because when I got there I found you unconscious behind the counter and the bowl of water spilled. You gave me quite the scare" he sighs. 

"Really?" I ask confused. "Though... that would explain why I feel dizzy. But it... it all felt so real... Ran's kiss, their arms around me... I thought I finally got my brothers back" I mumble into his chest. "I miss them so much..." 

"That's probably why you had a dream about them, your subconscious trying to ease the yearning you feel for their presence" he explains as he keeps caressing my back. "Try to forget about it, okay? Don't cause yourself more pain"

"You're right..." I sigh then close my eyes. "Please stay with me tonight... I can't bare to be alone right now, I need you..." 

"Of course, my gem. I'll be right here with you as long as you'll need me" he says softly then presses a kiss on top of my head and gentle gives me a squeeze which starting to relax me. I rest my head on his chest then close my eyes, slowly putting my mind at ease as I listen to his steady heart beat. 

[yorozuyaxxangelsxxicons]

Gintama Sentence Starters: Funny Edition

Gintoki: "Blah blah blah... Put a lid on it. Are you in heat, or what?" "I mean, I get so cranky if I don't have sugar." "Was your sister raised by a gorilla or something!?" "Ow ow ow ow ow!! What did you do!? Is that my brain leaking out?" "I-it should be okay, you know... Wake Up TV's astrology segment said... I'd be lucky this weekend." "Whoever ate it, raise your hand now, and I'll only kill you three-fourths of the way." "Can't you say something like, 'Leave me, ____, you go on ahead'?" "How long are you going to go on and on and on like some stupid, gum chewing, Kyoto girl on her cell phone?" "SHUT YOUR PIE HOLE, FREAK!" "So, what do we do now? Can we touch your ass or something?" "Clearly you're the one who needs help! You can't do jack shit!" "GIVE ME YOUR BALLS." "'Is this love?' My ass!" "It's all my fault. If only I hadn't gone to pachinko! I'll repay you by doubling it in pachinko!" "Believe in yourself! Believe in the dick of the owner you believe!" "You have an ultimate move, even though I don't? Isn't that unfair?" "T-Toei Animation's gonna kill us!" "What? I never said I was talking about you. You actually thought your family was rich? You actually call yourself Richie Rich?" "Mr. Kakashi from Class N had his Sharingan stolen after school yesterday." "Hey, bitch. I'm done with Kingdom, so get me all the volumes of Terra Formars within three minutes, or I'll have your head." "I'll curse your family for seven generations, damn you!" "It was far too large to be called a sword stuck in my ass."

Shinpachi: "Sheesh!! You hide a filthy soul behind those beautiful eyes!" "You two think that anything with a mustache is Mario, don't you!?" "Why are you pretending to break your bones!?"

Kagura: "Don't need a license to hit and run, yessir!" [text] Good morning. Your poop is very smooth today! "We're not toilet paper for you bastards to wipe your asses with!" "Behold me, the 30,014th shogun!"

Hijikata: "You wanna sleep permanently? Huh?" "Why leave the party, pal? It's a nice fight. Let's have some fun!" "What do you mean you missed!? Hey! Look at me!" "Okay. Don't come back." "Then how about a handshake? I'm a real Bentendo fan." "You Zega fans should be quiet and play your Creamcast, stupid. Keep waiting for your sequel to Shenmue, stupid." "I'm going to defeat Breeza!" "Hey, just give me some balls. You have some, right?" "Have you heard of a penile break?" "I'll lick the soles of your sandals or anything you ask me to!" "You can use the tepid kiddy bath over there. It's probably your style." "I don't remember allying with you, either. Crazy bitch." "You're not innocent, are you!?"

Okita: "He doesn't look hurt, but trust me he's suffering inside." "Just so you know, I was supposed to work really hard today, but I took the day off." "Isn't he stereotypical? He thinks he's Vegeta. He's planning on casually joining in." "Go buy me a Yakisoba pan, and JUMP, too. Of course, you pay for them." "I'm going to investigate whether the octopus balls actually have octopus meat in them." "I'll cut right to the chase. Could you let ____ fuck your robot girl over there?"

Other: "Look, you just keep your mouth shut." "Your heart isn't big enough to embrace their wonderful flaws, and that's why you aren't popular with the ladies!" "A leader must use any means possible to lead his organization to victory. As such, you'll play Uno with me! Because I'm good at Uno!" "____ made me pay 108 yen for a Yakulk the other day. Did they make you pay, too? It wouldn't be fair if I was the only one who had to pay." "Quit acting like you're a leader already, damn errand boy." "To remove this apparatus, either go to your nearest church or withdraw 3 million yen from an ATM and deposit it to my account." "If sorry was enough, seppuku wouldn't exist in the world." "In my country, '(insult)' is just how we end sentences. I wasn't implying anything, (insult)." "Is she a man or Orochimaru?" "Quit talking about my butthole like it's some parking stall!" "The hell are you doing in my house!?" "Why are you sneaking into my house in the middle of the night to make fried rice all dramatic-like!? And turn off the damn music! It's bothering the neighbors!" "You're the one... who bent me over."

Other (Multiple Lines): "Now we can't use the 'I wanna eat your cooking' line." "Oh, well. Skip a few steps and go with 'I wanna eat you' instead." "That's skipping too many steps! What kind of irresponsible advice is that!?" "I'll help you outta there. 'hee, hee, hoo' got that? Together now. 'hee, hee, hoo'." "I'm not a pregnant woman, you moron!" "This is ____, and this is ____. Understand? Let's write them down ten times each." "Oh, fuck you!"

[cardinal-copia-popia]

So uh ummmm something about a spicy sequel for Copia 👉👈

I got you, anon! I bring you a spicy part 2 of angsty Copia!

Part 1

Mirrored here on AO3

If you have any requests, send them my way!

NSFW under the cut

You Have Me, Part 2 (Copia x gn!reader)

You and Copia lay there for several moments longer, simply enjoying each other’s presence. You could tell Copia was getting sleepy, aided by how you were lightly stroking his hair and humming soothingly under your breath. 

“Copia,” you whispered. “Why don’t we get you cleaned up before you get too sleepy?”

He murmured something and snuggled closer, making you smile.

“Come on, love, let’s go. I’ll run you a bath; that way, you can relax for a bit longer.”

“You will join me, sì?” he asked, raising his head to blink sleepily at you.

You kissed his nose, the love you felt for him filling your chest. “Of course I will.”

Getting him out of bed was trickier than you hoped as he was still reluctant to move, but you eventually got him up and into the bathroom. After you got the tub filling, you turned your attention back to your lover, who was watching you with a fond smile on his face. 

"Hop up," you said, patting the counter.

He did while you got a soapy washcloth ready. You loved doing this. You loved washing away the paint around his eyes to reveal the man underneath. But now, you were also washing away the remnants of his tears, which was not lost on either of you.

Copia kept his eyes closed, leaning into your touch as you gently washed the soap away. Anytime you were this close to him, you took the time to admire his features and ask yourself how you got so lucky. But it still made your heartache to know that he struggled to believe in himself. You wished you could give him the world, even though you know he would tell you that just you being there with him was all he needed.

Once you were done, he looked at you again before tugging on your shirt to pull you closer and gently kiss your lips in a silent ‘thank you.’

After that, he got off the counter and let you begin to undress him.

As you did this, you noted his smile turn into a smirk. "What is it?"

His smile grew. "We often get distracted when we're naked together."

You chuckled. "I would have thought you'd be too tired for anything."

"Oh, sì, I am, but… some things cannot be helped."

As he said this, you undid his trousers and peeled them off. They were tight enough that they left no room for underwear, leaving him now fully naked before you and beginning to get aroused. And as much as you wished tiredness was not an issue, tonight was about him.

You leaned in and pecked his lips, ignoring your desire to touch or drag him back to bed. "Go, get in the bathtub. I'll join you in a second."

Despite the slight smirk on his lips and the faint smolder of lust in his eyes, he still looked sleepy. “Okay, amore.”

You watched him for a moment, drinking in the sight of him walking away from you. The second best view you could ever have of him… He seemed to know you were watching and sent a smile to you over his shoulder. You smirked back.

You quickly stripped down as well but let Copia have a moment to relax in the warm water. Once the tub was full, you turned off the water and turned your attention to Copia. He was leaning back against the back of the tub, his eyes closed and breathing slowly. You were tempted to let him stay there for a bit longer, but you decided he could rest just as easily against you.

You tapped on his shoulder. “Scoot up just a bit.”

He looked at you for a moment, his gaze flicking over your naked form appreciatively before complying. You climbed in behind him, your legs on either side of his. He was just about to lean back, but you stopped him, an idea hitting you.

“Wait. Stay there for a minute.” You grabbed the soap and lathered up your hands. Once they were sudsy, you began to massage his shoulders, drawing out a sharp intake of breath from him before he relaxed back, giving in to the kneading of your hands. “Good?”

"Mm, amore…" he moaned, tilting his head back as you worked the muscles in his shoulders. "I would say you do not have to do this, but please… don't stop."

You smiled and pressed a kiss to his back in an un-soapy part. "Don't worry. I have every intention of pampering you tonight. A massage is just what you need after a long day. Besides… it's what a cardinal and future Papa deserves."

He moaned again, more so in lust and pleasure this time. You worked and worked his shoulder muscles and down his arms with him making the most delicious sounds. You were mildly surprised that he was able to stay sitting up with how relaxed he was seemingly becoming, melting under your hands. And you reveled in it. Reveled in the feeling of his skin under your hands, of his sighs and moans, of how he was so easily letting his guard down around you because he trusted you so implicitly. 

You eventually pushed on his back, urging him to lean forward as you massaged your way down his spine to his lower back. Copia was not holding back now, letting his pleasure be known with his sounds and the arch of his back. You could not help but kiss his back again, multiple times.

"You are so… beautiful," you whispered, slipping your hands around to his front and pulling him back against you, so you now rested against the back of the tub.

Now, Copia whimpered both at your words and the light teasing of your fingertips over his chest and tummy. He shifted restlessly against you, his hips pushing upward. A thrill of arousal went through you upon seeing his now fully hard cock breach the surface of the water.

"Amore," he whined. "Please."

You pushed your fingertips lower, lightly and teasingly massaging his lower abdomen. "What do you need, my love?" you whispered in his ear.

Copia's hips lifted again. "Touch me, please."

How could you deny your dear Cardinal? You wrapped your fingers around him, touching and stroking him exactly how he liked to have him moaning and thrusting up into your fist almost instantly. Tonight was not a night for teasing. You wanted to make him cum and get him back into bed for a good night’s rest.

Copia breathed out a litany of Italian curses, his head rolling back onto your shoulder. You rested your cheek against his, watching every little reaction he had, every twitch, every breath, the way the water rolled off of his skin with each thrust of his hips, committing it all to memory. And seeing and hearing him like this, in the throes of pleasure, only made you love and want him even more.

As you stroked him, you managed to soap up your other hand and continued to bathe him, running your hand over his arm, chest, and tummy. The feeling of your hand moving over the rest of him, as well as how you were alternating between stroking him and teasing the head of his cock, only seemed to excite him further. Copia was gripping the side of the tub with one hand while the other was braced on your knee. Watching your hand sliding over him, the movement of the water somehow making things more erotic, and seeing the glistening precum gathering at his tip made you wish you had gotten in the tub opposite him so you could take him into your mouth, taste him, make him cum that way.

Copia turned his head and captured your lips. You kissed him back fervently, teasing his lips with your tongue and teeth before slipping your tongue into his mouth. He whimpered, his body nearly rising up out of the water. You knew he was close and began to twist your hand just right on him, making him break the kiss to moan your name. In the next instant, he tensed and came, spilling over your hand into his stomach. 

Little whines and grunts left Copia, sounds that were music to your ears. You wrapped your arm around his chest, holding him tight as he came down, and gently kissed his cheek. He turned his head, looking up at you through unfocused but tearful eyes.

"I love you."

You kissed his forehead and then pecked the tip of his nose. “I love you, too, Copia.”

He smiled warmly, contentedly.

You continued to wash him, scrubbing everywhere you could reach. Copia got heavier and heavier in your arms, and a few times, you thought for sure he had fallen asleep. You gently kissed his temple.

"Copia… Let me wash your hair."

He hummed lightly in response, hauled himself up, and tilted his head back. It was not often that you got to do this, so you relished it, loving the intimacy of it. You also loved his response, practically purring as you massaged his scalp. Once you had rinsed out the shampoo and conditioner, Copia turned as best he could, snuggling into your arms.

"I don't deserve you, amore mia," he breathed against your neck.

The water might have been cooling, and it might have been a tight squeeze with both of you in the tub and somewhat uncomfortable, but neither of you cared. Both of you were sleepy and content for the moment. 

You rested your head against his, the love you felt for him nearly overwhelming. "You deserve the world, my love."

You felt him smile. “But I only want you, amore.”

[lantur]

Challenging day today! Derek and I were going to go to see his grandparents for Christmas Eve brunch, and then have dinner with his parents tonight. I didn't sleep well because our heater stopped working overnight and it was super cold in our bedroom. But I had a nice morning with a homemade tea latte, texting some friends and family, and doing a good morning yoga routine. We got dressed up and ready to go.

We hit a patch of black ice on the highway and got into a bad spinout within ten minutes of leaving home. It was terrifying. We did multiple circles and ended up facing three lanes of oncoming traffic on the highway. Thank God we didn't get hit. I had never been in a car that had a spinout before, so it was awful. The car stalled and shut off and I had to call 911 because we were facing the wrong way on the highway. Thankfully Derek got the car started up again and we were able to drive home on surface/neighborhood streets, staying off the highway.

It was the scariest thing. Highway car accidents are a huge fear of mine, and I feel like we were lucky that it ended without anyone getting hurt.

We decided not to go over to Derek's parents tonight. He feels bad to ditch them, but we were both shaken up. I'm honestly tempted to skip Christmas with the family tomorrow as well because I'm that shaken by it, but if we do go, we'll stay off the highway.

That was hard enough, and tbh I have a hard time with changing plans - I had planned my day around these two family events today. Derek and I played 7 Wonders (board game) and Monster Train (video game) instead. We're going to order Chinese food for dinner and probably watch Glass Onion, the Knives Out sequel. I'll try to write as well and hopefully the day will end up really good despite the challenges.

[jamiesfootball]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

So I wasn't going to do this because I don't even have five fics posted yet, but then I decided you know what? Fucking goals, man. So here's the two I've got and the (top) three that I'm working on that should see the light of day this year:

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. fic - Did you like the 2015 Man From UNCLE movie? Did you walk out of that theater going 'what a wild romp? I sure hope it gets a sequel.'

Well we're never getting a sequel, but here's a lovely OT3 fic that I was lucky enough to co-write with the very talented @thischapstickaddict (the bestie with the best outlines). She brings the romance, I bring the punchy action scenes, and together we crafted enough dramatic backstory to hopefully satisfy the 100 other people online who were obsessed with this movie in 2015.

The Garrison Reserve (aka the BBC's Musketeers Cooking AU fic) - Speaking of older fandoms. Are you hungry? Would you like to be hungry? Come be hungry what started as a crack idea but slowly became a thinly veiled excuse for me to talk about food for 64k words and make my case for why D'Artagnan is a manic pixie Florida man (until depression and life circumstances dragged me to a crushing halt at chapter 4/5 with half of chapter 5 written and never posted) (ngl I miss this fic and now that i've got brain waves again it's back on the menu) (as soon as i relearn every side character's name again it's back on the menu) (we also did, in fact, write a real menu for this. those are real recipes)

NOW ONTO THE NEW STUFF BABY!!!!!!!

[Redacted Title] Post Season Three Fic - MY TRIUMPHANT RETURN. It's gonna have all the hits for me: food! crying! backstories for people who didn't get backstories! food as a love language! shameless nerd culture quotes that no one but me will notice! shenanigans! fun group scenes with multiple people talking and being friends! friends who are your family now! If you, a blessed Ted Lasso fan reading this post have somehow stuck it out this far here's your reward - I'm feeling really good about the progress, and I maybe might don't want to jinx it but I might be able to start posting. Soon. Soonish. Like within the month. Previously aforementioned bestie has been getting snippets and I am tentatively excited that it will be up to snuff. This is good news that only you, the patient one who's read this far, now know. Yay for you!

Pavlov's Dog (the Jamie falling asleep 5+1 I've mentioned) - it is going to be a race to see if this one beats [Redacted Title] to the light of day. This one takes an episode coda / deleted scene approach and its fueled by punk and sadness and rage (so mainly The Wonder Years songs with the occasional Mountain Goats lyric thrown in). I was actually making really really good progress on it and then Mom City happened and [Redacted Title] was born.

Now I've got a handful more Ted Lasso fics half-started in the rafters, but the other fic that's likely to get posted this year, the one that I've been just dying to get out there, that one that i'm like a redbull and an ADHD fit away from posting even though no one but me has ever wanted it:

MY BATFAM / THE CONJURING AU - THAT'S RIGHT. ARE YOU A FAN OF BATMAN AND SPECIFICALLY HIS ADOPTED FAMILY? DID YOU LIKE THE MOVIE THE CONJURING? ARE YOU SCARED? WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE SCARED? IT'S SCARY. I WROTE A THING AND IT'S SCARY.

This is my mid-year resolution! These things I have written - people will see them!

[elfwreck]

Hello! I think, in a post a while back you mentioned the book "The Gentle Art Of Verbal Self Defense," - I've been reading it, and it's been extremely helpful in contextualizing odd interactions and also navigating other ones with more grace. Do you have any other book recommendations in that vein?

YAY!

There are several more books in the GASVD line, and they're all good.

"More on the Gentle Art..." and its sequels have a few more attack patterns & their counters.

"The Gentle Art of Written Self-Defense" is not about any kind of textual interactions - it's about how to write letters on incredibly uncomfortable situations. I have used its techniques several times; they're a lifesaver in the office, especially when you need to write "Look, yo, this is totally NOT MY FAULT but we're sorry it happened and um we're not actually going to punish the person whose fault it is because ah legal something so... please continue to buy our services because we're better than everyone else."

(Once you learn the base pattern for written apologies, it works all the time. Sorry I was late with that report. Sorry the package got sent out without Page 3. Sorry I won't be coming in tomorrow and I didn't tell you about that last week. And so on.)

There's a GASVD about business/workplace communications. Has helped, even though I've been lucky enough to avoid almost all hostile workplace settings.

Cannot speak too highly of Elgin's work, all of it, plz read. She was just getting into web communications before she died. (She was ozarque at Livejournal; her posts are sorted in "memories" because tags didn't exist when she got there.)

So, other recs:

Not communication, but philosophy: Lewis Hyde's The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World (Former title: The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property; I am so annoyed they changed it) - understanding gift economies and what things are considered unethical to sell even in a capitalist world.

Robert Anton Wilson's Quantum Psychology, which includes practical exercises in, well, weird thinky stuff. Perceptions and language and how they shape our understanding of the world. (More of his stuff is also good but that is a wild ride I won't specifically recommend.)

Starhawk's Truth or Dare is a book about Pagan activism. It strongly influenced how I understand group dynamics and power structures.

Sesyle Joslin and  Maurice Sendak's What Do You Say, Dear? is a children's picture book (followup book: What Do You Do, Dear? is at the internet archive); it's short and simple and the focus is: It doesn't matter how bizarre the circumstances are; the basic rules of etiquette don't change.

[bookwormscififan]

The Crimson Files, Chapter 7

Taglist: @brokentimewatch

Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

A/N: I'd say we're about four chapters from the end. If enough people ask, I have some ideas for a sequel and a prequel.

--

Robert had never experienced a rush quite like the one he got from drinking the warm blood of a living human for the first time. Feeling the blood pulse through the veins toward the wound his teeth had made, tasting the copper bite and rich fullness as the liquid passed his lips, experiencing the warmth as the blood flowed down his throat, it was all so much better than anything he had ever experienced.

He stood slightly behind Chase, one hand wrapped in his hair to pull his head to the side and other grasping his shoulder to keep him still, chin tucked into his shoulder as he sank his teeth deeper into the skin to allow more blood to pass through. He heard Chase groan at the feeling, felt him grow heavier as Robert hungrily consumed his blood, and his head went light at the rush that the fresh blood gave him.

It wasn’t until he was being pulled back from his victim that he came back to himself. Hands were wrapped around his torso, keeping him away from Chase, and someone was saying something to him, but all he heard was the rapid pulsing of Chase’s blood in his veins.

“…calm. Stay calm, Robert.” Someone was soothing him, grip tight on his sides as he realised he was thrashing his way toward Chase, and he stopped, standing still and breathing heavily. He blinked away the hunger clouding his mind, registering the calm voice of Jameson as he was led to the day bed and sat down. He watched as someone else moved Chase gently to the bed, laying him down and checking his pulse.

“He’s still alive,” the other man said, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and pressing it to Chase’s neck, “He didn’t lose that much blood.” Robert froze as he heard Jameson sigh, releasing his hold on Robert before moving to stand before him.

“You’re lucky you didn’t kill him,” Jameson chided, “If you had, Shawn probably would have killed me.” Robert looked at the other man – Shawn – and took in his appearance, realising he was a vampire as well, and he pulled his hands close to his chest in an instinctual attempt to protect himself. Shawn smirked, moving away from Chase and joining Jameson in front of Robert.

“I’m not going to drink your blood,” he stated, amused, “You’ve turned. It won’t taste any good. And Jameson is only half right. You would be in a lot of trouble had you drained this man, but I wouldn’t kill you. I’d just take out your fangs.” He grinned as Robert stared, revealing a chipped fang, then turned as footsteps were heard from the hall.

“I heard a clatter,” Jackie panted, out of breath, “Is everything alright?” He looked to the bed, seeing Chase, then looked at Robert, blood smeared across his lips, and walked into the room, standing beside Jameson and Shawn.

“You must be Robert,” he said, extending a hand, “I’m Jackie.”

--

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Henrik hissed, standing behind Marvin as the two headed for the castle. Marvin chuckled, adjusting his grip on his bag as he led the way.

“You’re more than welcome to stay at home,” he commented, keeping his eyes forward as he moved. He heard Henrik scoff, stopping behind him, and stopped to turn around.

“And let you die alone, surrounded by vampires? Not a chance,” Henrik responded, looking earnestly at Marvin, “I will not leave you to become vampire food. I made a promise to your parents, and I aim to keep that promise.” Marvin smiled, heart swelling at Henrik’s words, then stepped forward to wrap his arms around his friend, pulling him into a tight embrace.

“Thanks, Henrik. I only want to find out what happened to Jackie.” The doctor nodded, releasing Marvin, then the duo resumed their journey up the path to the castle, setting their plan into action.

--

Chase opened his eyes slowly, feeling a dull throbbing in his neck as his fingers twitched, feeling his bedclothes beneath him. He took a deep breath, hissing as an attempt to turn his head resulted in a sharp pain, then noticed the concerning presence of other people in his room.

“Charles, be careful, slowly.” He recognised that voice. Jameson. There were four silhouettes around him, watching him carefully. He blinked, vision clearing as he recognised the faces around him.

Jackie was standing to his left, wringing his hands with a worried look on his face. Jameson was on his right, hands placed gently on the bed, with another man beside him, light brown hair falling into his face, most likely the ‘Mr. Flynn’ Adam had mentioned. Chase raised his head slightly to look at the fourth person, trying to ignore the blood smeared across his face as he recognised the dull eyes.

“Robert?” His voice was husky, croaking around a seemingly bruised throat as he stared at his friend, brows furrowing as he allowed himself to register the blood on his face. “What happened to you? Are you hurt?” He frowned as he heard a small chuckle from beside him, unsure if it came from Jameson or his associate.

“Charles, how are you feeling? Are you lightheaded at all? Sore?” Jameson asked, leaning over Chase to look at him with concerned eyes. Chase cleared his throat, lifting a heavy hand to his throat to feel a scrap of silk fabric against his neck, and gasping as he remembered what had happened.

“Robert… what… bite…” he couldn’t form a coherent sentence, struggling to sit up as fear filled his gut, straining against Jameson’s strong hands holding him back as he looked at Robert with betrayal in his eyes.

“Charles.” The voice was calm, soft, and Chase stopped to look at the man he presumed was Mr. Flynn. He stood beside Jameson, eyes gentle as he looked at Chase with a soothing smile.

“My name is Shawn,” he continued, “You’re perfectly safe here right now. Jameson has made a couple mistakes, but nothing will hurt you again. I will assure you that I will stop whoever in this castle tries to harm you.” He sent a pointed look at Jameson and Robert in turn, then looked back at Chase with kind eyes. Chase for some reason felt strangely calm as Shawn spoke, and he allowed himself to be guided back down by Jameson, nodding slowly to acknowledge Shawn as he breathed deeply. As long as Shawn was there, Chase was sure he would be alright.