#more spooky shit 2024

[apencilandpen]

your world is just about to c r a c k...

[aaagustd]

freaky friday | myg (m)

title: freaky friday pairing: min yoongi x f!reader genre/rating: smut, horror, f*ckbuddies, friday the 13th au; 18+ summary: they were right to be afraid. wc: 2.6k warnings: m*rder, mild description of d*ad bodies, blood, weapon play, outdoor s*x, mentions alcohol, slight power play dynamics, ch*king, multiple org*sms, squirting, overstimulation, dirty talk, a bit of dark humor, i think that's all...will update later. can be triggering so please proceed with caution. release date: september 13th, 2024

note: hi! i'm back lol. had some downtime so I whipped this up. slightly edited but this was just a quick drabble i wrote. mask credit.

September 13th, 2024

Snap.

You stop in your tracks so another twig doesn’t crack beneath your feet. The forest becomes eerily quiet as you await your fate. After seconds of standing somewhere within the forest surrounding Camp Crystal Lake, you unclench your fists and cautiously tiptoe to the nearest tree. 

Relief washes over you but doesn’t erase the fear pumping through your veins. You’re not safe until you reach the lake so there’s no time to celebrate a victory this small. 

“Clap!”

Fuck.

You hear one of the seekers call out in the distance, and abiding by the rules, you clap your hands once to pinpoint your location. The caller is far from your area, but that doesn’t mean another isn’t nearby.

You brace yourself as you hear the sticks being crushed by someone’s footsteps behind the tree that shields you and you brace yourself for the jump scare that comes with being discovered.

Holding your breath, you close your eyes and wait—but the moment never arrives. Sighing, you turn slowly to scope out your surroundings.

The moon provides enough light to see what’s in front of you, but the night is gloomy and does an excellent job of concealing you in the darkness. 

Camp Crystal Lake has always been a popular summer camp location. You and your friends have run through these woods more times than you can count. Now as counselors, you still haven’t grown up entirely.

This place brings out the kid in you, but like quite a few attractions, it comes with a dark history.

The story of the boy who drowned in the lake has always been the camp’s employees' favorite spooky bedtime story. It’s a way to get the kids to bed early so that the adults can have some fun. Although it’s just a scary story, you can’t help but feel like there’s some truth to it. 

You can never really shake the feeling of being watched, but you won’t let your paranoia ruin your last night of fun. Camp ends tomorrow, and then it’s back to long nights of studying for you. Hopefully, you can snag a victory this time around and have some bragging rights for next time.

After looking in every direction twice, you take the first step. Looking around you again, you don’t see or hear any sign of movement. So, you make a run for it.

You don’t think you’ve ever run so fast. You cover over half the distance within a minute. You nearly slip and burst your ass when the ground becomes steeper.

“Better slow down,” you tell yourself.

You wouldn’t want to slide right into the lake. You’d be covered in mud by the time you climb out. 

Before you continue, you look around to make sure you haven’t been spotted, and this time—you aren’t so lucky.

“Oh, shit.”

Your heart drops when you see the figure standing no more than 15 to 20 feet away from you. You’re frozen because you know you’ve been caught, but what you can’t determine is by who.

After they’ve moved closer, you can make out the white mask and clothing. 

It’s Yoongi.

None of you know him too well. This is his first summer working here. You’ve heard stories about him but to you, he’s just a guy trying to make some extra cash. You don’t think he knows any more about this place than the rest of you. The kids have already given him every scary name they could think of, and that’s mainly because he doesn’t talk much and sticks to himself. It took you weeks to get him out of his shell, and he’s been fucking your brains out ever since.

“You still have that on?”

Like you, Yoongi pulled the short straw and they made him wear a hockey mask to scare the kids. You thought he went to bed after his little show, but maybe he couldn’t resist the opportunity to fuck with everyone.

He doesn’t reply or answer the question. Instead, he continues to make his way towards you. 

“Yoongi?”

Still, nothing comes out of his mouth and worry starts to build in your gut. You almost make a run for the campgrounds, but then he decides to speak up.

“Damn, you look scared.”

If you had a rock, you’d probably throw it at him. “Why would you do that?”

Yoongi laughs and lifts the mask. His skin seems to glow underneath the moonlight, fueling your attraction. His hair is pushed away from his face, giving you a full few of his forehead and slit eyebrows.

“I was about to kill you, but I changed my mind,” he shrugs.

Your mouth falls open.

“You would not!”

You smack his chest as he snakes a hand around your waist. The other clutches his prop—a machete he probably got from Party City.

“Maybe I won’t,” he replies. “It depends, really.”

“On?”

Another shrug of his shoulders serves as a response, an indicator that your question is probably one you already know the answer to. However, he still doesn’t hesitate to enlighten you.

“Are you going to be good for me?”

Your skin feels on fire as his lips move against your cheek. He invades your senses with the smell of s’mores and liquor mixed with his familiar scent of shampoo, detergent, and nature. His body is warm, his heart beating rapidly from his adrenaline. Yours is racing just as swiftly, anticipating another heated encounter with the mysterious stranger who knows your body better than anyone.

“I can try.”

Yoongi guides you closer to a nearby tree, gently pushing you against the bark. He pulls down his mask before he speaks again.

“I sure hope you can.”

His blade touches your thigh and you let out a small gasp because of how cold it is. It feels real. It looks real.

“Wouldn’t want to make me mad tonight, love.”

“Why not? You’re gonna use that?” you ask him, now entirely aware of how huge the prop really is.

Yoongi pauses and tilts his head. “Sounds like you want me to.”

You can’t deny how intrigued you are by the object. You’ve experimented with all kinds of toys, but this would be a new one for you. However, another opportunity like this won’t come often—if at all.

“And what if someone sees us?” 

“What if they’re already watching?” he counters.

Even Yoongi notices your reaction despite it being dark. Your hands clutch the bark, hoping your knees don’t buckle or give out. 

As Yoongi moves the machete further up your leg, you know he wants to know where the skin stops—when will he reach the fabric of your shorts? However, you just threw on some shoes and ran outside when you got the text. He’ll never find what he’s looking for.

Realizing at that moment, he lifts your oversized shirt slightly to confirm his suspicions. 

“Should have known.”

You give him a little smirk, letting him know it was intentional. You never know when a quickie will present itself around here. You have to be prepared at all times.

“You should have,” you repeat. “Wanna see the back?”

Yoongi nods and lowers his weapon so you can turn away from him. When you’re facing the tree, you lift your shirt, knowing he’s expecting you to stop at the waist. Instead, you remove the item entirely and drop it beside you, leaving you standing there in nothing but your panties.

Yoongi whistles and you scold him playfully. “Shh! What if someone heard that?”

“Trust me. No one did,” he promises.

Once again, he’s all over you. His arms around you, his lips kissing your neck and shoulders, his body shielding you from the breeze in the air. You’re drunk from his touch within seconds, and the way he speaks in your ear only intensifies the throbbing between your thighs.

“Don’t worry about them. I need you.”

No, he needs to be in you.

You can feel his boner getting harder the longer you stand there naked before him. You would tease him, make him chase you for it, but who knows how long before the others come looking for you?

“Well, it’s right here. Just take it,” you reply.

Yoongi doesn’t waste a second. He tears off your underwear, causing you to cover your mouth to capture your startled shriek. You would have just taken them off if he just asked, but you have to admit the manhandling is kind of hot. You’d put on seven layers of clothes just to watch him rip them off you.

The sound of his belt buckle and zipper lets you know what’s to come. You feel the thick tip of his dick touch your ass when he steps behind you, and just from the small contact, you know he’s standing at attention.

You spread your legs for him and he slides his cock between your thighs. Both of you exhale, already relieving some of the tension. Your wetness is already pooling at your entrance so he slowly slips inside of you in one motion. 

“Fuck me.”

He’s momentarily caught off guard by your eagerness but recovers quickly and fulfills your request.

“Can’t wait, huh?”

Yoongi begins to thrust his hips, causing a skin-slapping noise to resonate through the woods. You can only hope no one hears the obscene sounds coming from the two of you. You try your best to suppress your cries of pleasure but Yoongi doesn’t hold back as he moans in your ear.

“This pussy’s so good,” he mumbles against your flesh. His hand wraps around your throat and he begins to squeeze, making your head spin. “I’m going to miss this.”

“Not me?”

Your voice comes out rough and shaky. You can barely finish your sentence because the words are getting trapped in the back of your throat. Yoongi chuckles sending vibrations straight to your core, the sensation leaves you trembling.

“Enjoy the moment, baby.”

He knows you’re joking. You barely know each other. This is fun, but that’s all it is. You know you’ll probably never see him again.

“Oh, I am.”

You can feel yourself getting hotter. Each snap of Yoongi’s hips takes you closer to the edge. Drool and tears roll down your face but you don’t bother wiping them away. You barely know they’re there.

“You like getting fucked in the wood? Butt ass naked, hm?” he growls. “Such a little freak?”

“Fuck, Yoongi.”

He laughs.

“No shame at all, baby. You’re really enjoying yourself, huh?”

You try to nod but you realize that you can’t so you croak the best response you can give in your position. “I am. It’s good.”

“I know.”

As he fucks you from behind, you almost forget about what he’s holding in his right hand. It doesn’t cross your mind until the blade touches your skin. He drags it across your skin, leaving goosebumps all over your body. Only one question comes to mind.

“Is that real?” you ask through your labored panting.

Yoongi pauses and brings the machete to your throat. 

“Move and you’ll find out.”

Your eyes widen as your soul threatens to leap out of you. Excitement mixed with fear and curiosity makes you let out the moans you so desperately tried to conceal. You can feel the sharp edge threaten to break through your fresh as Yoongi begins to fuck you again. You aren’t sure how much you have left in you, but you know it’s not much.

“I feel you clenching,” he reveals. “You’re just as fucked up as me.”

He’s no longer controlling himself. He goes deeper and deeper with each stroke, touching your cervix and making your back arch. Your head tilts back, resting on his shoulder for support. Your nails dig into the bark as you stare at the moon, mind racing with a flood of disgusting thoughts and possibilities. 

You wonder if someone’s watching, or recording you. If the blade will leave a mark, making you remember this encounter forever. Everything just hits you like a whirlwind. You barely have time to warn Yoongi.

“I—I’m cumming!”

The leaves and dirt become damp with your juices squirting all over the ground beneath you. Yoongi has to drop the machete to keep you on your two feet. He fills your ears with the filthiest things, intensifying your orgasm. You have no idea how long you’ve been cumming all over his dick, but Yoongi’s only a few thrust away from reaching his peak.

“This pussy’s so good. Give me another one,” he demands, fucking you harder.

“Wait a minute!”

You try to bargain for a month to recover from your last orgasm but Yoongi’s ready to blow his load. He grabs your hips and drills into your sensitive cunt with only one thing in mind. All you can do is hold on and hope he doesn’t have to carry you back to camp.

“Fuck!”

He curses loudly into the night when another wave of pleasure causes your walls to squeeze around him. This time he has no choice but to pull out and release his seed all over your ass. He moans and groans as the ropes of cum paint your skin. Soon, the only noises you hear are the crickets and both of you breathing heavily.

“Where is everyone?” 

You can’t help but notice how besides the two of you no other voices can be heard. The game of hide and seek doesn’t even seem to be going on anymore. 

It’s dead silence all around you.

“Probably dead,” Yoongi answers.

You roll your eyes and grab your shirt, shaking off the dirt before putting it on. You turn to Yoongi who’s adjusting his pants. His mask lies on the ground beside his machete, and you can’t help but notice the red stains splattered all over the white object.

“You really went all out, huh?”

You point towards the items and he laughs. “Yeah, you can say that.”

Both of you stand there for a minute before you decide to head back to camp. You assume everyone forgot about you so technically you have a victory.

“I’m gonna head back but this was really fun.”

Yoongi nods. “Tell your bunkmates I said hi, yeah?”

“Uh, sure. Okay.”

Everyone calls Yoongi a little weird, but you like that about him. You talk about all kinds of things that others would find strange. However, you don’t ever recall him speaking with the people you share a bunk with. They don’t even work with your group.

The walk back isn’t a long one, and on your way to your cabin, you take a peek at the kids. Some are actually sound asleep while the others are pretending to be. You smile thinking about how you and your friends did the same thing as kids.

You leave them to continue doing whatever it is they were doing, giving them a last taste of summer before the return home and school begins.

For some reason, the counselor quarters are unusually dark tonight and you struggle getting in the door. You don’t turn on the light, noticing that there’s someone slumped over the couch asleep. They look hammered so you leave the be. In your room, you notice that your bunkmates are all asleep. You tiptoe so you don’t wake them, but slip on something wet as you make your way to your bed.

“Shit, what the fuck?! I’m sorry guys.”

You carefully get up, covered in some sort of thick goo. You struggle for several minutes to find the light switch and when you do, nothing but horror awaits.

Blood.

The entire room covered in it. You try to shake everyone, trying to wake them up from the sick prank. However, the longer you examine the state of their limp bodies, the realization finally dawns on you.

“He wasn’t joking.”

[bananaactivity]

Sooo… Hook and Morgie huh.

Morgie and Hook look so different in this world… I love it. I actually ended up changing his hair to match Morgana from Troll Hunters 🫣. I wanted him to look more interesting cause people kept saying he was random and lame, Red heads with mullets aren’t lame I think 😃

( outing myself as a troll hunters fan in the year of 2024 💀)

Down below I put a little GIF of Morgies eyes doin the changing thing

(Why he kinda serving Edward Cullen tho like 😛)

Turns out Morgana Le Fay is REALLY powerful, so by extension Morgie should have the potential to be a pretty spooky sorcerer/ witch/ fay/ god. Based on Descendants canon, parents magical abilities is hereditary ie it’s VERY likely Morgie has all his moms powers in Arthur mythos. Which includes stuff like NECROMANCY AND OMNIPRESENCE, shapeshifting, immortality, time travel, illusion, flight, casting spells, healing, ASTRAL PROJECTION, telekinesis, mind control… other stuff across multiple media projects. I’m actually gonna keep a lot of this, minus omnipresence and time travel cse that’s way too powerful. As a caveat morgies still gonna be stupid and goofy asl… and he’s not the bossy type. He’s also tooo young to be super strong he can only do low level versions of his mom’s powers… like he can only turn into a Cat, snake, small dragon, crow, and big wolf for his transformation powers currently. I like to think anything he turns into is always black with his serpent eyes. Actually I don’t think that’s just true in my universe. Also because he’s stupid it makes since for Merlin to be okay with him at his school. Since Morgies mom has literally hated him for like centuries atp.

Speaking of this still adds another layer to the “ why is Uliana in charge when her crew consists of gods and supernatural entities that are much more powerful than she is” all she has is tentacles…. And even hook could turn her into Sannakjii if he wanted to fr bro… 3/5ths of her crew are literal gods or god adjacent 💀

I think this picture sums up My Hook and Morgie pretty good… I have more goofy pictures I wanna do of them.

Yes I did give Morgie fangs and black fingertips… necromancer??… shapeshifter??… can’t help myself??

Dont worry Hook is still flamboyant and crazy, he’s just a little sad at the beginning. He meets Morgie at school right after Peter Pan cut his hand off and banished him from Neverland because Hook got a scholarship to Merlin’s academy and he wants to be a pirate… so yeah he’s pretty sadge and struggling to function with his hook 😥 he won’t let that stop him from finishing his Swashbuckling masters degree tho 💅SLAY WE LOVE AN EDUCATED KING EVEN THO HIS SON CANT COUNT. Morgie is also a weapons smith major and he imbues his shit with like dark souls so that’s pretty cool.

I’ll have more on Morgie after I finish the goofy pictures…

[dancinglikebutterflywings]

Ghosts are Real | Lee Felix

Pairing: Lee Felix x Ghost!Reader

Request: No. This is a repost from my old account and part of the Halloween special I did last year.

Synopsis: Felix doesn't want to believe ghosts are real until Hyunjin mentions Y/N, the resident ghost.

Warnings: I tried making this one spooky but it just ended up sweet because, after all, it's Felix. Mentions of death, exhaustion. Reader has a little brother.

Word Count: 1,303

Requests: Open.

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©️ 2024 dancinglikebutterflywings - do not copy/modify/repost anywhere. reblog instead.

A chill runs down Felix’s spine as he hears a whisper that sounds right by his ear. He pauses the game he’s playing with Jeongin, causing the younger man to groan and drop his controller on the couch in annoyance. He was just about to beat Felix at Mario Kart for the 1000th time.   

“Did you hear that?” Felix asks his friend as he looks around the room for someone else. He knows that it’s just him and Jeongin in their dorm. Minho is out visiting his family and cats and Seungmin is out filming a vlog with Changbin and Hyunjin.   

Jeongin, slightly annoyed and thinking Felix is trying to distract him from winning this race, replies, “I didn’t hear anything.” He un-pauses the game only for Felix to pause it again causing Jeongin to become even more frustrated with his Hyung. “What the hell, Hyung?”  

“We’re still the only one’s here, right?” he asks making sure no one had come back when he went to use the bathroom or when he went into his room to grab something.  

Jeongin nods his head and stands up before disappearing into his bedroom. He comes back out a minute later holding his shoulder bag. “I need to go grab a few things. Do you need anything?”  

“I’m good,” Felix shakes his head, exiting the game before switching it off.   

After Jeongin leaves the apartment, Felix questions if he should have gone with him as an unsettling feeling falls over the apartment.   

“Ghosts aren’t real,” his voice comes out soft as he tries to convince himself that the spectral beings don’t exist. His mind travels back to all the times someone has told them about their experiences with the paranormal.   

The sound of something clattering on the floor causes him to jump and spin around, searching for what could have made the noise. He finds a metal chopstick laying on the kitchen floor. Confused and frightened, he picks it up, cleans it off and places it where they keep the chopsticks.   

“Ghosts are still not real,” he tries to convince himself again and looks for ways the chopstick could have moved from the sink to the floor.   

“-very real,” he hears a whisper. It was so quiet that if there was any other sound, he wouldn’t have heard it.  

“No, you’re not,” he finds himself arguing with the faint voice. “You’re not real because ghosts don’t exist.”  

Rushing into his room, he turns on his computer, grabs his headset and puts it on as he sits in his desk chair. As he’s about to load up his game, the computer switches off and reboots. The words ‘I am real.’ come across the black screen. Terrified he throws his headset off and hurries out of the room. He’s about to leave the apartment when Seungmin and Hyunjin make their way through the front door, causing him to scream in fright.  

“Are you okay?” Hyunjin asks coming across his terrified friend, who is on the verge of tears.   

“I think we need a new dorm,” he tells them, calming down and feeling a little better that he isn’t alone anymore. “I think this one is haunted.”  

“I thought you don’t believe in ghosts?” Seungmin says as he moves into the kitchen to get himself a drink.  

“I don’t want to,” he groans. “But too much weird shit goes on here. Things are moved, doors open and close and now I’m hearing voices. Maybe I’m going crazy.”  

“Or you’ve finally met Y/N,” Hyunjin says like it’s no big deal. As someone who’s had sleep paralysis, he’s seen some weird shit and wasn’t all too surprised when he found out that the dorm the youngest three occupy with Minho is haunted.   

Felix’s fear turns into confusion, “Y/N?”  

“She’s your ghost,” he explains. “I’ve seen her a few times. She’s around our age and seems nice. But I think she’s a little lonely. It would be quite lonely being a ghost. No one can see, hear or touch you.”  

Both Felix and Seungmin look at him stunned.   

“Have you talked to her?” Seungmin asks, not sure if he should believe it himself.  

“No, but I see her out the corner of my eye sometimes,” he says and turns to Felix. “If you’re noticing everything than maybe you should talk to her. Has she tried to reach out?”  

“Something weird just happened with my computer and I know there’s no fault anywhere in it. I built it myself,” he admits. “What should I do?”  

“Get a Ouija board,” Hyunjin suggests.  

“I’m not getting one of those,” Felix shakes his head. “I’ll just download one of those apps.”  

Later that night, Felix is in his bedroom, earphones in his ears as the static from the ghost talking app plays in his ears. All afternoon he’s been debating with himself whether he should do it or not. But his curiosity won out over his fear, and he downloaded the app he’s now bravely using. He wanted to know what was causing all the strange occurrences that’s been happening in the dorm and if any of what Hyunjin said is true.  

“I don’t know why I’m doing this,” he sighs out loud.   

“For me,” a faint woman’s voice cut through the static, surprising the blonde.  

“Y/N?” he asks, his voice shaky and heart pounding against his chest. He looks around his bedroom trying to find any hint of another person being there. There’s nothing and no-one.   

The same voice cuts through the static again. “Yes.”  

He pulls his earphones out of his ears not quite believing what he’s hearing. He takes a minute to settle his racing heart and his mind before he puts the earphones back into his ears. The static fills his head again.  

“Is your name really Y/N?” he asks wanting confirmation.  

“L/N... Y/N...”  

“Hyunjin’s right about you,” he says more to himself.  

“Yes... Hyunjin... good.”   

“He’s going to lose his mind when I tell him about this,” after he says that he hears a giggle come through. He can’t help the smile that makes its way on to his lips. She has pretty laugh. “What happened to you?”  

“I... died,” he hears.  

“Obviously. How did you die?” he asks.  

“...Exhausted...”  

“Were you young?”  

“21.”  

“Way too young,” he suddenly feels sad. He’s only a few years older than she was. He feels like he still has so much to do and couldn’t imagine what it would be like having your life cut short before you can even live it fully. It makes him realize how truly blessed he is to be alive and living his dreams and reaching accomplishment after accomplishment. “I’m sorry you never got the chance to live a full life.”  

“Me... too...” her voice comes through again. “But... I lived... good... life... in years... had.”  

Feeling more at ease than earlier, he settles on his bed and spends the rest of the night talking to Y/N as if they were two new friends getting to know each other.  

Y/N told him all about her life when she was alive, her baby brother who she often goes and watches over, that Seungmin’s bedroom use to be her bedroom, but she always liked Felix’s the best because of the view and the way the sunlight and the moonlight would shine through the windows. He told her he doesn’t mind sharing the room with her and told her about how he’s living his dream with his seven best friends, how he gets to travel abroad, and do everything that he does. He even told her about his family and Australia.  

Eventually, he falls asleep with the static from the app still playing in his ears and making a mental note to talk to Hyunjin, telling him everything he learned about Y/N. 

Likes, comments & reblogs are welcomed and appreciated, thank you. 

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[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

OH! For Valentine’s event!! Please could I have some first date headcanons for Killer Croc? I’m plus size, so I hope he’s down for a chunky clown 💚 I prefer staying in more than going out, I love verbal affection and gentle physical affection, and I love horror so that’s always a Valentine’s Day plus if it can be squeezed in somewhere! And I’m goofy and silly and I like being nice! I hope that’s enough to go off of!! 💚

"Horror and Sweetness" Killer Croc x Reader (Valentine's Event 2024)

Hello Finnie!! All this detail is PERFECT, thank you so much for writing in <3 Since you said headcanons I'm gonna go more bullet point style with this to better suit the prompt- This ask is for the ongoing Valentine's Day Event! (final day to submit)

TW: suggestive toward the end

When you first asked him out, he assumed you were fucking with him. You like to joke around like he does and there's no way you'd be approaching him- except when he realized you were sincere and he's silently flustered. Then he says yes.

Chunky clown, huh? Don't you worry about that, sha, they had to make a new BMI category for him at some point. Plus sized just means you like to eat and dammit if one of his love languages isn't taking care of a partner! Especially cooking! It also shows you're cute AND soft which he really, really appreciates given how rough HE is. Good for cuddles.

You liking to stay in works well for him, especially for a first date. The idea of you trying to get to know each other in a romantic capacity and having every eye in the place staring is less than ideal. So a night in! You're gonna get a whole lot of questions about the foods you like, how much spice level you can handle, etc. etc. No shame if spice isn't your thing, he can cater to that.

He'd joke that maybe if you're real sweet on him, he can take you for beignets next time. He knows a spot that actually does 'em decent. Hm... How would you feel about being his little beignet? He might ponder this potential pet name aloud while he's cooking. Soft and fluffy and sweet- just like you!

After you finish eating (and were hopefully incredibly impressed by him), you two can sit on the couch in front of the TV. There's a huge divot in the furniture you can determine as "his side" that you can sit next to. You said you liked horror so. uh. He's gonna rent whatever you say is good. He's not typically a horror person per say, but he'll enjoy it.

Note: he will enjoy it, but he's definitely leaning in closer, it's not your imagination. "That sure is... spooky." There is one particular jump-scare that gets him just so- and his arm goes in front of you, almost as though to protect you. Even when you offer that the movie can be changed, he insists no! No, it's fine! He's just going to put his hand on yours and if you want to hold it, he's not going to complain about that.

Truthfully, he'd be very cautious about being physically affectionate at first because he doesn't know how you'll react. Hopefully positively! But... past experience has him wary. If you initiate and give him the green light, though, he'll lean into it heavily.

As the movie rolls to credits, he looks content as he speaks, "You're uh. You're not like anybody else I've ever met. And I've met a lotta different folks. Not bad- You're hot as hell and shit, wait-"

There's a moment he seems to be collecting his thoughts, "Look, you don't wanna take this further, I get it. But you should know I liked this. I like you. You're... You're a helluva lotta fun. And nice. I like how nice you are." He's scratching the back of his neck. Waiting for a response.

When you tell him that you want to keep doing this and seeing him again, his face gets a large toothy grin. Curling his claws inward to his palm, he brushes the knuckle of his finger along your jawline. He puts his forehead to yours. His lips peck yours.

In this sense, he's a gentleman. He's not going to expect sex just because you're at his place. Plus considering his whole body situation, it would be kind of rude to assume you want to jump in on that without some prep.

"But hey, cher, you wanna check under my bed for the bogeyman, you can stay the night." He winks. It's totally not lowkey because he's a little scared. If not, he'd make sure you got home whether it was driving or him walking you to your doorstep himself.

[mushiemellows]

All of my Frobin fics I have written from December 2023 when I first started writing, up through my most recent work posted August 2024, stored in one convenient place! 🌸

🍔 Staying Right Here (and not a step closer)

RATING: E

words: 317,056 status: COMPLETE chapters: 14

Set the week Post-Enies Lobby. The core lore mostly canon compliant getting together fic. Weird sex, fast food, and an accidental wedding. My first big fic, and an adventure into writing smut. Epilogues go up through timeskip/Fishman Island reunion.

🐊 These Foolish Things

RATING: M

words: 14,178 status: ONE SHOT

Includes the Wanihana ship to tell a story of Robin's healing over time. A songfic that uses a whole catalog of Frank Sinatra songs to frame Franky and Crocodile's differing relationships to Robin. A bit more serious, as it discusses abuse. This one was a practice in writing in complex tense.

✈️ Floating Through the Stratosphere

RATING: E

words: 30,742 status: COMPLETE chapters: 2

Modern day airplane pilot AU except they are only rarely on the plane. Half one-bed-rom-com, half amnesia medical drama. This was a really fun world to build up, and I've been considering writing more stories within this world.

⏱ Another Day in the Sun

RATING: T

words: 36,011 status: ON GOING chapters: 6~

The crew is stuck in a time loop, living the same day over and over again, but only some can tell. Matchmakers Robin and Franky have to get everyone to kiss each other. A thinly veiled fun little excuse to make everyone make out. And also its a bit (lot) poly (Paradise+EB5). An adventure in keeping things T.

🍼 Super Troupers

RATING: M

words: 11,130 status: ON GOING chapters: 1~

A baby fic! Chapter 1 is mostly set up, pregnancy, and delivery. But I'm still working at the follow up chapters, I want to tell more little stories with each of the boys. A bit sweet and sappy and emotionally indulgent but I don't care I love this fambly. M rating only for blood and a few intense discussions around pregnancy.

⚡️ What Makes a Man

RATING: M

words: 29,515 status: shrug emoj chapters: 11~

Putting the Franky in Frankenstein. A reanimation fic. Franky dies at Laugh Tale but leaves behind instructions for Robin to put him back together. Mainly meant to be little pocket character studies. I know I haven't updated in like 6 mo but I do know how this one's ending. Not technically abandoned because I chip at the wip.

💀 For the Thrill of It

RATING: E

words: 26,558 status: ONE SHOT

Nasty spooky Thriller Bark monsterfucker erotica. Brook joins the party and things get Weird. 5+1 but more like a 5+2. Established Frob with added skeleton. I have a portion of a chapter 2 in my wips as well, but we'll just have to see if I finish and post. And a chapter 3 in the back of my brain.

🤖 Handle With Care

RATING: E

words: 13,365 status: ONE SHOT

More nasty erotica for the sake of itself. Franky gets hurt, needing significant repairs and a full service tune up. This one is distinctly T4T. This one was written simply because no one else had written like, proper robot shit with Franky on ao3 and I was so appalled to see the hole in the market that I just HAD to fill it.

🧰 Showoff (the devil’s in the details)

RATING: E

words: 16,929 status: ONE SHOT

Even MORE porn without plot. Post-Egghead on the run to Elbaf, Franky shows Lilith Sunny and all of his little inventions. Things heat up between him, her, and Robin, but Vegapunk keeps all the praise to herself. This one was written in gut reaction to the most recent chapter, and I think I wrote it for entirely personal reasons lol. Franky just wants to be told he did a good job as do I.

That's all I wrote! 495,000 words this year (of just my posted fics, not counting other works and wips). I'm really proud about how my writing has developed over the year, I hadn't written much in the past so this was a huge journey, but a really fun one. Thanks for growing with me! Enjoy the works!

[euniexenoblade]

It's that time of the year again! The happiest, the jolliest time of the year! Fall! October! Halloween! So, as normal, here's Mordred's Annual October Watchlist for 2024!!

Halloween Rewatch Marathon: back in 2016, or something like that, I watched every Halloween movie. But it was before I had a letterboxd account and there are newer ones I've only seen once in theaters. It seems perfectly thematic for me to make the big thing I do this Halloween season be the titular series.

Higurashi: Last year I set my sites on a lot of things, included with that was trying to watch all of Higurashi. I somewhat failed, I didn't get through the final season until it was too late. I hope to finish it this season and post my reviews from last year and this one together!

Suicide Club: Since realizing I'm a huge fan of Sion Sono's work, I've been slowly going through all his movies. Having watched Noriko's Dinner Table, I want to rewatch Suicide Club and see if my opinion changes.

The Forest of Love: Another Sion Sono movie, this one about a horrific killer. Should be pretty fucked up.

Tokyo Vampire Hotel: A TV series Sion Sono did with Amazon apparently. Has a lot of bad reviews but that kinda makes me more curious about it.

Another: Anime series. One of my favorite horrors. I rewatch it every year.

Shiki: Anime series. One of my favorite horrors. I rewatch it every year.

Perfect Blue: Famous anime horror movie. I intend to show it to my husband this year :)

Nightmare Before Christmas: Sometimes shit is just fun. I wanna have fun. Let's have fun.

Reread Another, the original novel by Yukito Ayatsuji. One of my all time favorite horror novels, in my top ten favorite books of all time. If there's enough time and I dont adhd out, I'll finally try to read that new sequel.

Reread Goth by Otsuichi. My favorite horror novel and one of my top five favorite books.

Replay Malcatras' Maiden, which if you don't know is a free horror adjacent trans puppy maid visual novel. If you don't know about it, google it and play it. :)

Ambitious as always, but this is my list for things I want to watch this Halloween season! I know I'm starting my "October Watchlist" in September, but hey, it's never too early to be spooky 💖

[askspookyfox]

Wow, my artist, my guy, thanks for a whole lotta nothing for 3 years. It's a'ight. It's fine. Cool cool cool cool. Don't worry my sinners, I do still exist! Imma try to make plans to make a dramatic return and have an explaination for everything, but the timing just isn't quite right. Those of you who still watch this blog, I 'presh you. ✌️ Until then, I hope y'all been taking good care of October in my absence (and by 'good care', I mean annoy the heck outta her, heh).

Mod Mutt: Heeeeeyyy.... So... 'Bout droppin that ball that I mentioned in my last post... Three years, huh? My bad, y'all. 😅

As it was stated in that post, I had some serious financial priorities that I needed a second job that demanded a lot of my free time (thanks student loans, always a blast whenever you sap up a third of my paycheck every month 👍👍👍). As of 2023, even though some things are new in my life, I’m still technically in the same situation as I was back in 2020. It’s really hard to have the energy and motivation to do art in general and when I do, I usually couldn’t do more than a sketch before I tuck it away and don’t finish. I’m knee deep in a burn-out, stuck in a cycle of working two jobs and taking care of adulting shit on my weekends. 

Honestly, I’m tired of living this way. 

I feel like a shell of who I used to be, giving my life to work. I miss the creativity that comes with art and telling stories. I adore watching my best friend do their October’s blog, year after year, and every year, I get the inspiration from them but lack the time to jump back into it. Such as this year, it’s just too late as we only have a week left in the month. 

However, if you’ll have me, as a New Year’s resolution for next year, I want to refocus back to art and sharing Spook’s stories and help Night push October’s storyline along with Spook’s help. If this means having to work on Spook posts once a week every week leading up to October 2024, then so be it! I can’t guarantee anything, I can’t make promises as life do still take priority, but I do have a lot of sketches and answers to your questions sitting in my computer, waiting to be completed, so who knows what you’ll see! For right now, please accept my apologies for literally disappearing on everyone in 2020. I want to do better and I want to bring Spook and all of his scary toothy sassiness back to you. Thank you to those who’s still around, I hope that you’ll come back in 2024.

Until then, stay spooky!

[busaikuknee]

a quick look back at may 2024

i got started on this early for once. character development, i suppose.

general overview and numbers

i watched 90 matches in may, 65 of which took place this month. this is…a lot more than i expected to, frankly! my sleep schedule has been kind of grim, so i ended up watching more shows live than usual. i might be sleepy, but at least i've been sports entertained.

nothing super notable to report on, though i have been backwatching quite a bit of dragongate this month. dead or alive got me bad. there's something about those cage matches, man.

most appearances throughout the month

hayata's in first place for both "matches that took place this month" and "matches i watched this month," so, fuck, i guess hayata's the Spreadsheet Champ of the Month. i wouldn't have guessed it; i feel like i've barely seen him this may, what with my Bad At Watching Tournaments disease striking halfway through best of the super juniors. i'll...catch up eventually, probably.

mumbling about matches

great sakuya and nagisa nozaki vs miyuki takase and nanashi (noah, april 1st)

starting off with one not from this month! i made a mental note to include it in last month's writeup, but realized that i left it off of the post proper right after i sent it out. unfortunate, but it's my self-indulgent summary post and i can break my "only talk about matches that happened this month" rule whenever i want, so it's making it onto this one.

anyway! short but very fun match. a blend of goofy hijinks and doing-moves wrestling that appealed to me greatly. the normal wrestler-spooky wrestler tag dynamics? the slasher movie sequence? excellent, wonderful, loved it. i've come to really enjoy nagisa nozaki, i should seek out more of her matches when i have the time.

kzy vs jason lee vs hyo vs shun skywalker vs jacky "funky" kamei (dragongate, may 5th)

i can count the number of times i've cried at something fictional on one hand. this isn't a good or bad thing, i just don't think i engage with media in a way that provokes that kind of response.

that being said, this match got me really, really close to crying. the power of love and friendship is real, maybe.

takashi sugiura vs masa kitamiya (noah, may 4th)

i'm reluctant to use this wording as i feel it sets expectations too high, but sugiura and masa had kind of a perfect ten-minute match? solid pacing, did everything it needed to, made both performers look stellar. masa rules and i just want him to have nice things. unfortunately, i also don't want him to experience head trauma, and that was not a wish granted here. my love for the single-trickle-of-blood-running-down-forehead visual is constantly at war with my feelings about shoot headbutts.

shoko nakajima vs miu watanabe (tjpw, may 5th)

i’ve been putting together a playlist of some personal highlights of 2024 wrestling to show some friends, and i am going to shuffle shit around as much as possible to make sure that this gets in there. “technical freak vs person who’s strong enough to just pick them up if they go for a hold” is a combo that always appeals to me, and since nakajima and watanabe are both excellent wrestlers, i was constantly delighted throughout the runtime. good, good stuff. while i might not cry often, i’m very soft-hearted, so the hug at the end made me Feel.

i find that it often takes a couple of matches for me to fully click with a wrestler, and i think this was the match that made me click with shoko nakajima. shokopilled bigkaijumaxxing.

kosei fujita vs el desperado (njpw, may 13th)

imagine a flame text gif reading “FUJITA ROCKS.” now imagine another, slightly different flame text gif reading “DESPERADO ALSO ROCKS BUT I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT BY NOW.” thank you for your time.

jun akiyama vs atsushi kotoge (noah, may 29th)

my exact spreadsheet notes were "still thinking about this. what a fucking match. why were they in love here."

onward to june! while there isn't a lot that i'm super invested in storyline-wise at the moment (barring minoura and yamato's whole deal), i am looking forward to a couple of the events scheduled for this upcoming month. despe invitacional save me. save me despe invitacional.

if there was something you particularly enjoyed this may, do feel free to share! see you next month!

[galaxy-brain-rasslin]

Thoughts on AEW: Revolution (2024)

There will be spoilers. There will also be a cut, as a courtesy.

Zero Hour:

The Bang Bang Scissor Gang (Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Billy Gunn, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, Jay White) vs Jeff Jarrett, Stanam Singh, Jay Lethal, Willie Mack, and Private Part

This consistent thing of Max flubbing on the rap is interesting. My current assumption is that they're potentially having Max break away from the group. Which is an interesting choice, because Bowens is significantly more popular.

The match itself was totally fine. It was a Jarrett match. I didn't go into it expecting it to be some sort of masterpiece of technical wrestling. I expected a fun, goofy little thing with a bunch of silly shit happening that also happened to have some decent-to-good wrestling. And that's exactly what this was. No complaints.

I have no idea if White's post-match promo was intended to be interpreted as a smarmy, insincere thing filled with deliberately cheap pops for the audience, but that's how I heard it. It somehow made it so much better.

Willow Nightingale & Kris Statlander vs Julia Hart & Skye Blue

Julia Hart's character going from a cheerleader to "What if The Undertaker was a spooky girl instead?" is such an amazing transformation. I can't get over how well she's committed to the presentation of the gimmick, and how good this is. Skye going from blue-themed girl from Chicago to a Dark Kingdom cosplayer has also been an interesting development. I like how these two also seem to be enjoying the changeup.

Stokely Hathaway is hilarious. I love him on commentary. His inclusion of the dynamic with Willow and Kris is just fantastic.

If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times-- I love Willow. She's one of my favorite women on the roster. The combination of the happy/bubbly personality that also contains someone who, if pressed, will rip you in half? Wonderful stuff. And Statlander is also consistently great. Watching these two throw Skye around was fantastic.

I was a little surprised to see Willow and Kris win without any major fuckery. Julia's moonsault looked significantly better compared the one with her match against Abadon.

It was a fun little match.

Revolution

Christian Cage vs Daniel Garcia, AEW TNT Championship

Christian Cage continues to be one of the best heels in professional wrestling today. A gimmick composed entirely of "lmao L + Ratio + Dead Dad" and "I will be your father"-- all while he wrestles in a goddamn sleeveless turtleneck? Everything about that is just somebody whose face you want to see punched.

Really happy to see Garcia get the match. I mentioned before that I had wanted DG to win. That didn't happen, but I thought everything about the match was great. Menard combing out there to beat the hell out of Luchasaurus/Killswitch in defense of Danny was great.

I thought Garcia looked good in this, and I don't think him losing to Christian (especially with all the interference) will cause any significant issues.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the match. I thought it was a good opener and kept me pretty invested the whole time. Although I'm wondering who is going to be the one to actually take the title off Christian.

Eddie Kingston vs Bryan Danielson, Continental Crown Championship (AEW Continental, ROH World, NJPW Strong Openweight Championships)

Bryan Danielson is without question one of the greatest technical pro wrestlers of all time. Also, he and Eddie both are fantastic in-ring storytellers.

Bryan Danielson, in his current iteration, is also a condescending piece of shit, and he's great at doing that, too.

Like Willow, I love Eddie. Eddie is up there with Hiroshi Tanahashi in that I will literally always cheer for him. I don't care who he's up against, I'm cheering for Eddie the whole time.

This match was amazing. Eddie and Bryan are so great at getting you emotionally invested in their matches. They both know what things they need to do for the audience to get hooked in, and they play those perfectly. The narrative of this match was perfect.

I went into this genuinely uncertain just who would win. The majority of the match didn't help matters. Eddie hitting the ring post with a chop, instead of Danielson, was a nice piece of drama to incorporate into things. I also liked how Danielson really made it a point to emphasize just how strong Eddie's chops are-- with commentary even pointing out Bryan things Eddie is better with chopping/upper body attacks.

A big narrative line through these Eddie Kingston Addresses the Blackpool Combat Club matches has been that BCC generally seems to think Eddie has the potential to be a lot better than he is, and they're trying to get that out of him. Except for Mox, they don't respect Eddie until he shows up and chops the fuck out of them. Eddie has always been on their level, but he doesn't believe in himself enough to really get there.

Great match. Just a great fucking match.

I know Eddie eventually is going to have to lose the belts. It's an inevitability unless just retire all of them simultaneously, but that seems unlikely. That said, I don't have to like it.

Wardlow vs Chris Jericho vs Powerhouse Hobbs vs Lance Archer vs Hook vs Brian Cage vs Magnus vs Dante Martin

Originally the Meat match, got changed up due to Reasons. I'll be honest, I didn't really care much about this match. I assumed Wardlow was going to win, because it didn't really make sense to do this repackaged presentation of him with Undisputed Kingdom, set up a match essentially to be like "Look at Wardlow slap all this meat" and then have him lose. The inclusion of the smaller guys was, like, fine. Dante Martin is great. Hook is fun. Magnus was also great. Chris Jericho was there.

I thought it was contrived and silly, but I also enjoyed when the smaller dudes all got knocked out of the ring so the bigger dudes could do a little pose off and have slap meat. But that's because the "MEAT" chants are hilarious to me.

My preferred ending to this match would have been if Wardlow had powerbombed Jericho for the win. But you can't get everything you want. Also, Wardlow using the Last Ride as his finisher is great. I wasn't the biggest fan of Bikertaker (and I believe he had only recently transitioned into Bikertaker whenever I fell off of watching WWF/E the first time) but Last Ride is such a great powerbomb.

A silly and fun match. It was a nice cooldown from Eddie/Bryan.

Roderick Strong vs Orange Cassidy, AEW International Championship

AEW's doctor said that OC wouldn't be cleared to wrestle unless they taped up his ribs and back. So the match starts with OC wearing a comical amount of kinesio tape. In a match against a man who is literally called "The Messiah of the Backbreaker".

Strong came to the ring wearing a white hooded cape and a skull-themed, like, paintball mask. I didn't recognize it at first, but I think it was intended to be something like Taskmaster from Marvel Comics. Which is kinda cool. I'm not as familiar with Taskmaster as much as other villains-- mostly because I just haven't read a lot of Marvel stuff.

Anyway, this was a good match. Roddy, as one would expect, beat the hell out of OC's back. I think OC did great at showing that he's just a beat down dude who has barely let himself take time to recover from any injuries. And having him go up against someone who basically specializes in hurting the area that OC was already injured was just perfect.

Roddy is great. The number of ways that man can spin something into a backbreaker is always impressive. I'm glad he won. I maintain that getting this win will absolutely help the legitimacy of Undisputed Kingdom.

Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli) vs FTR

I think that FTR is one of the greatest tag teams around today. I've said this before. I was a fan of theirs when they were in NXT as The Revival, and I loved their little Belt Collector run with AEW. In terms of non-WWE tag teams, they're usually right up there with The Young Bucks, and whether you're a fan of the Bucks or FTR really seems to boil down to the style you like to watch. The no-flips-just-fists of FTR is a great callback to the older era of wrestling, and the two of them do it well.

Mox and Claudio also do that very well.

This was a great match. These four dudes beat the shit out of each other, and I genuinely wasn't sure how the match would go.

BCC doing a Doomsday Device with a goddamn European uppercut was wild.

I think having Mox and Jon win was perfectly fine. FTR isn't going to be hurt by losing to these two dudes. They're fucking FTR. I could easily watch these four have several more matches together. There's a kind of respectful brutality with them.

That all being said, I do wish the meme of Mox bleeding every match-- or people being surprised when he isn't bleeding-- would finally die. He hasn't done it in a while.

Of course, half of Mox's character is basically some sort of blood freak with a violence fetish, so I still expect blood somewhere in his bigger matches.

"Timeless" Toni Storm vs Deonna Purrazzo, AEW Women's Championship

Mariah May coming out to Toni's old theme, with her old gear was a great touch.

Deonna is great. I'm happy to see her here. I'm glad that there's solid technical wrestling the women's division with her and Deeb being there. This was a solid match. I didn't really have a lot in terms of expectations-- I haven't seen a lot of Deonna's other stuff, but I knew she was good.

While I think it would have been fine if Deonna had one, I also think it may have been a bit too soon for that. Also, if Mercedes is debuting soon, that sets up a bit of a lose/lose if Deonna is the champion and they try to hook those two into a feud.

I definitely want to see more from Deonna. I think she would be a good person to take the TBS belt from Julia. I don't want her down in ROH-- but that's because ROH is a subscription service, and I don't currently have it (although I do want it, because Athena is one of my favorites).

I thought this was a solid match for both of them. Toni is always fun to watch in the ring. I'm curious to see where things go with both of them after this.

Will Ospreay vs Konosuke Takeshita

1 Like = 1 Bruv.

My expectation for this match was, quite literally, just that it was going to be a fucking fantastic match. Ospreay is one of the greats. Takeshita is steadily (and rapidly) approaching into the ranks of the greats.

I fucking loved this match. The crowd at the arena fucking loved this match. Every time Ospreay and Takeshita started in on each other, you could eat the people just get so into it.

Was this a dirty spotfest? Yeah. Of course. It's a Will Ospreay match. That's what he does. But you know what? I don't fucking care. I can enjoy watching ZSJ and Bryan Danielson spend an hour in the middle of the ring, trying to break each other's fingers and I can enjoy watching Ospreay and Takeshita jump around and flip and smash each other with elbows before jumping and flipping some more.

Spanish Fly is also one of my favorite moves to watch.

The match fucked. It humped. It was great. I loved it. It was A Spectacle if there ever was one. The kind of match you can eat popcorn to, although you're going to throw it everywhere because you jerking the bag around out of excitement. So much fun.

Samoa Joe vs Swerve Strickland vs HangMAD Hangman Adam Page

Did I want Swerve to win? Yes.

Did I want Hangman to win? Yes.

Did I want Samoa Joe to win? Yes.

Did I want Hangman to completely lose his mind and deliberately fuck over Swerve? Oh god, yes.

Swerve Strickland the most over wrestler who is not named "Sting" in AEW. There is nobody who comes close to this man. He literally broke into Hangman's home, and threated Hangman's infant child, and the crowd still loves him, because he's that fucking cool. And he's that good. Swerve's popularity is so strong that anyone who goes against him is going to be booed on some level.

Hangman has, as the upper-third of his name plate said, completely lost it. Wide-eyed, driven, and completely unhinged. Does he want the championship? Or does he just want Swerve to not have it?

Samoa Joe is Samoa Joe. We all love him. He's great on the mic. He's great in the ring. He feels credible and legitimate as a champion and a challenger. Having him be the champion for this feud is great.

A fantastic match. A ton of fun to watch. There was a perfect amount of drama for this thing. I loved it.

This match also cemented the double-turn for Swerve and Hangman.

Hangman, in an attempt to prevent Swerve from winning, beat up two different referees. The only way that's a babyface move is if your name is Bobby Heenan. Hangman's obsession with screwing over Swerve has caused him to start doing this stuff. I can't wait to see where they go with him now. Are they gonna change the music? Will they keep the goofy comments in the nameplate?

Swerve, by extension, refused to use Prince Nana's crown when it was offered, saying that he didn't need it. A thing that had been used before in matches against Hangman. There is an attempt here to have Swerve redeem himself for the deplorable things he's done.

In the end, Hangman tapped to Samoa Joe. Excalibur, help to sow the seeds that many people were wondering, posed the question if Hangman was tapping because he actually gave up, or if he was tapping to spite Swerve. I think it was the latter, because he's that much of a (justified) hater.

I am still 100% in favor of Hangman and Swerve fighting forever.

Sting and Darby Allin vs The Young Bucks, AEW Tag Team Championship

Sting's last match. Going out on his terms. This was a big deal for a lot of people. Even people who weren't in AEW. I knew this was going to be special.

Before the match starts, Ric Flair made his way down to the ring to take up space. Then, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat came down as the guest timekeeper. They also showed various other wrestlers in the audience.

The Young Bucks come out in robes and have cannons shoot out business cards. It felt like a corporate Okada entrance. I liked it.

Darby came out as he does.

Then we got a little video package of Sting in an empty theater as they show various career highlights. In the end, he says, "It's showtime. It's showtime for the last time. Let's do this."

Sting's entrance starts with one of his sons dressed as a red, white, and blue-themed Surfer Sting, complete with the blonde hair. Another son is dressed as Wolfpac Sting. Then we have Sting show up.

While Tony Schiavone's voice isn't as strong as it was in WCW, you can tell during his initial commentary during the match that's definitely trying not to get emotional.

Watching Sting, and his two sons, do Stinger Splashes to the Bucks was great.

Tables, chairs, a ladder, and panes of glass were brought out. Panes. Multiple. A series of chairs were set up, and one or two sheets of the glass were placed on top, like a table.

Sting and Darby went through tables.

Darby jumped from the ladder (which was quite tall) and landed back first into Chekov's Glass-and-Chair Table. He laid on the ground for quite some time, his back just absolutely shredded.

Sting, also, went through glass. However, he had clothes on, and looked unscathed.

The match was chaos in the best way. I had no idea who would win-- I expected The Bucks to do something fucky to screw over Sting. They threw everything at him. He withstood multiple superkicks and BTE/EVP Triggers.

Eventually, Darby came back to life, and managed to keep Nicholas Jackson at bay long enough for Sting to throw on the Scorpion Deathlock. Matthew taps. Sting and Darby retain.

Sting's last wrestling match, and he goes out on top. I didn't expect that. I don't know why I didn't expect that. Tony Khan is a billionaire wrestling nerd, and Sting was/is probably a favorite of his. If there was ever a wrestler who deserved to go out as the winner, it's Sting.

If AEW is around long enough to have a "Hall of Fame", Sting needs to be one of the first people inducted (the first person has to be Brodie Lee, or I will personally fight Tony Khan). I hope they are around long enough for that.

Miscellaneous non-match things

PAC IS COMING BACK. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I've missed that bastard.

KOR IS BACK. YESSSSSSSSSSSSS. I missed that goofy son of a bitch. I was so worried he wouldn't be coming back. I can't watch to see how he's going to be interacting with Undisputed Kingdom, since he seemingly rejected Roddy's offer to join.

Apparently Toni Storm called out Wendy Richter again in the post-show media scrum. Which I just find consistently hilarious.

In Summary

This shit was fucking fun as hell, dude. AEW is very consistent in having good quality PPVs. World's End was probably the weakest one I've seen, and even then, it wasn't bad. I can't wait to see the fallout of things on Wednesday.

[chronotsr]

Pre-G1 Modules, part 5 - The Tower of Zenopus

So you probably noticed that this is being posted after G1. Sorry! File this in July 1977, so just after DK1 and 2 and Tsojconth and City-State and Tegel Manor but before Thieves of Badabaskor et c.

This post being released out of order is a function of where Zenopus is hiding. You see, the dating of Holmes Basic is a little squirrely. Most places say 1977 broadly, some people will say "the earliest reference is an ad in Dungeon in September '77", and a few internet sleuths say July 11th . So I hadn't had that down in my to-review list before I released G1, and in the rush I had forgotten that hiding in the back of Holmes Basic is the beloved little module simply entitled "Sample Dungeon", later known as The Tower of Zenopus.

And, consequently, I have no fancy cover to show you! Just this hand-drawn little map:

The Tower is unique in that it is the first module on this list that I have actually run for a real party. Now, granted, I did not run the Tower in Holmes Basic (I ran it in Fantasy AGE 2nd edition), but nonetheless -- it's the first one I have personal knowledge of. And I love it quite a bit.

So historywise Holmes Basic has a lot going on that I cannot quickly explain, so simply accept that Eric Holmes offered and was eventually hired to re-edit Original Dungeons and Dragons ("Little Brown Booklets") into a less labyrinthine mess. This was an extremely good call, and the Basic productline would go on to live for a very very long time in one form or another, only getting seriously changed much later by Frank Mentzer in 1983. There is a lot of Corporate Politics wrapped up in the release of ADND vs Basic vs Original DND, with concerns about copyrights and royalties and extremely Type A Gary Gygax not wanting to share his toys with the others. And, done.

The Tower is interesting from a historical standpoint in that whereas The Tower of the Frog is "here is a dungeon, here is what that looks like", Tower of Zenopus is "here is how to make a dungeon, and this is a dungeon that will teach players how to play". There will be far better attempts at those two goals, but nonetheless Tower represents a module that genuinely holds up in 2024 with some cleanup. It was given a loving nod in 5e's Ghosts of Saltmarsh by having the neighboring Portown be a little up the coast from Saltmarsh and I strongly recommend having that be your second adventure after the haunted house.

So, what's Tower's backstory? Both more and less than you'd expect. Zenopus built the tower next to the graveyard, it was suddenly engulfed in green flame, Zenopus was killed "by some powerful force he had unleashe din the depths of the tower", and it sat around for a bit. The villagers saw spooky shit going on there and smashed it with a catapult. Your party has assembled in the Green Dragon Inn and is going to investigate for phat lewt. Go on, scamp!

The structure of the tower is unusually genius for an early module, in that it features a lot of routing loops that allow for nonlinear but clear movement through the dungeon. The overall structure is, ultimately, a rimmed wheel, an outer ring connected by spokes to the hub. The shape hides this well but not too well, which is perfect for the new DM. So here's the room by room highlights:

The party enters on a four-way intersection, each taking you to a different feature of the dungeon. I have heard this dungeon describes as "like a theme park with four wings" and that's an apt descriptor here -- you're picking between the rat area, the pirates area, the wizard area, and the tomb area.

A very cute and simple puzzle, which is one of those most precious things in life: a four-way room freely opens from the outside, but only lets you out from one door. A statue in the center points towards the door that is currently open, and the statue can be spun to change the door. It's a neat little trick in that if the party gets separated during combat, anyone in this room can't assist anymore unless they work out the trap, but outside of combat it is largely a non-issue so long as they take the time to puzzle it out.

A pretty standard but new for the time tell that the wizard has a petrification wand with a little garden of stony adventurers. It's a classic for a reason.

A regulation water-rush trap that separates the party with the current -- again, a certified classic, creating tension by making fair encounters that are hard if the players get separated by traps

Ye olde "question answering mask" with, again, a precious simple puzzle: a tiny little riddle. If you parse out that the mask is powered by the sundial, you can abuse your light sources to make it be 4pm.

G i a n t c r a b, the most classic of scary "normal monsters", because it is armored and hits hard but people still immediately understand "oh fuck it's a crab" in the way they understand a bear is a serious issue

Giant spiders ambush from the ceiling silently. Zenopus really is a classics fest, but in 2024 that's kind of novel simply because THIS type of classic isn't done anymore.

For reasons I cannot fathom, the local pirates have taken to smuggling in the Tower because it's connected to the sea. This works in Ghosts because Portown is abandoned and so it's far away, but as-mentioned in the original module the tower has to be suuuuper far away from town, but also near enough to be the graveyard, for it to be a good smuggler's den. Regardless, there's a canned setpiece in the sea access room where pirates are coming on boats with a kidnapped noble lady from Portown. They're moving in on skiffs when, a giant octopus attacks! It's very, very good. This is, for my money, the best room in the dungeon and also one of the best moments in DND until we get all the way to N1's tavern.

In the center of the dungeon is a staircase leading up into the remains of the tower -- I made a rather major change from the original here, the original is merely an old alchemist's laboratory complete with a pet ape.

Instead of the alchemy lab, for my adventure I made a rather large change: the original module suggests expanding downwards because That Is How It Was Done in 1974. Instead, I went up. The horrible thing Zenopus discovered had formed a shadowy parallel dimension, so they were in a pocket dimension where the old tower was, even though in the prime material plane it was simply rubble. This blog is not About My Modifications but, that's my free tip about the tower if you ever run it -- subvert the old timey expectations by making it an upward dungeon instead of a downward dungeon, with the power of weird magic.

Anyway, that was all, and amends are now made for my previous error. See you in checks notes like 5 hours with G2!

[bookaddict24-7]

Reviews of the Week!

Every week I will post a various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews here.

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The Inheritance by Nora Roberts: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ever since Nora Roberts surprised me years ago with one of her fantasy novels, I've become more and more intrigued with her novels. INHERITANCE was so much fun and so addicting that I'm not convinced and I must read more of her books.

INHERITANCE starts with an MC who finds herself is a heartbreaking situation but is oddly not heartbroken? I loved her. She was a badass who grew a lot as a character and who brought so much fun to her story with her dialogue and observations. But along with her being a great MC, we also have the side characters, especially her bestie, who gave this novel that extra slice of fun.

Even though this is about a haunted house and it had some spooky moments, this was whimsical, at times romantic, and full of an engrossing mystery that I definitely want to one day solve. I loved the atmosphere of the setting and it fully felt like one of those "what if" scenarios that someone might dream up if they were to inherit a haunted mansion.

Also, there are some pretty cute dogs in here. AND an MC that no matter what life throws at her, she KNOWS she's great at her job and it's shown throughout the book.

I just had a lot of fun with this one and I'm definitely going to strive to read more Roberts this year!

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2. The September House by Carissa Orlando: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are the chances that the first two books I read in January 2024 are about haunted houses?

I didn't know what to expect of THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE. Much like usual, I didn't read the synopsis before jumping into this one. I'm happy I didn't because it all hit me like a one, two punch of surprises after another.

First of all, one of the comical things that endeared me to this highly unreliable narrator was her blasé way of referencing the ghosts in her home. "Oh, there's one who pops up in the closet sometimes" "Oh, there's one that bites". It was a surprising touch of humour in a book that proceeds to share the traumatizing past of the MC. While we learn about her abusive relationship with her husband, the fraught relationship with her daughter, and the potential decline of her mental health, we get reminders (often bloody and spine tingling) of just how haunted her home is.

The MC also has a set of rules that she follows in her fight to survive all that life has thrown at her, so I found it oddly fitting that this domestic abuse survivor is the one faced with the haunted and highly dangerous house.

While I actually really enjoyed this book and the dark humour, and the blatant horror-aspects of the book, I did find it a little harder to come to terms with the MC's daughter and her behaviour. I will admit that she annoyed the hell out of me. This grown-ass woman throws tantrums and I just wanted to shake her a bit. BUT with that being said, as the story progresses and truths are revealed, I could see the potential reasoning behind her actions. But also, we are seeing her actions through the perspective of an MC who is a bit unreliable when she's telling us about the people in her life. By the end of the book, I think I had a better understanding of her as a character. Both women were victims of a man who is given a quasi-redemption that well, I won't spoil it.

If you like haunted houses with very angry and bloody spirits, an MC who takes it all in stride, and a twisted history of experiences that help make it all make sense, then this might be the horror book for you!

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3. Rejected by Jaymin Eve: ⭐️⭐️

The frustration I felt while reading this book. Major side eye, tbh.

REJECTED started out so interesting--I love these kinds of bully stories because I just know the MC is going to prove them all wrong. I was incredibly invested and I was fully engaged, and then...shit hit the fan and it all just...slowed...down. The story went from intriguing, to drawn out and kind of boring. I haven't fallen asleep with a book this much in a long time. Every time I picked it up, I felt my eyes drooping. And listen, it's not to say the story didn't have it's great moments, but it just felt never ending.

I did like the tension between the MC and the Shadow Beast, but that cover is a total catfish. Also, the MC was this badass woman who constantly touted the whole "us women have to stick up for ourselves" (which I agree with), but then she'd immediately forgive or forget something the Shadow Beast or some other man in her life did to her. Or, there's a point where she's like "this person hurt me so much and my past is so dark because of them but my heart was moved and blah blah blah." Yes, I get that it's complicated because of her wolf, but it was ridiculous. I actually groaned in frustration at that scene. Why can't we just have a character who holds on to her anger and grudge without being "moved" by the actions of a horrible character? That's not empathy, that's idiocy tbh, and self-sabotage.

I won't lie, I've started book two because I'm curious about certain things, but I'm again just feeling that dragging that this book caused. It's like a shapeshifting book meant to edge the reader into painful submission. And I get that this works for many readers, but damn. The constant back and forth and the repeated tedious tasks just...

Anyway, strong af start, disappointing middle, vaguely intriguing ending because now I want answers. I'm scared of how the second book will go LOL.

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4. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this SOOKIE STACKHOUSE book! I was immediately pulled in. This is also the first one in the series that isn't a re-read for me--which I feel is a huge feat.

A lot of references in this one were such a throwback (like the comment on Britney and Kevin. I think I actually laughed with that one.) And we get to see how the fictional and paranormal world dealt with the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Seeing how their lives were affected by this very real and devastating hurricane was eye opening and brought back to mind a younger me watching the news about the events happening in New Orleans.

I also enjoyed that we get to see Sookie grow a bit more in this one. I think, so far, this is the one book where she's starting to truly use her voice and set her boundaries. She's always been outspoken, but I found it moreso in this one--especially when it came to her comfort level. We also got to see the development of, of course, the complimented love life of our MC.

There were some outdated commentary (of course) to "sluts" and "whores". It's incredible to see how far we've come in fiction and writing that this felt like jarring descriptions of women.

I'm proud of myself for continuing this series. I'm enjoying it so far, imperfections set aside. I'm excited to get to the next one, especially since it's all fresh and new from here on out!

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5. Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have many thoughts about this book. I've read nearly all of Ashley Herring Blake's works and I am a massive fan--especially of her middle grade books because of how accessible and relatable these books might be for younger readers trying to find themselves in fiction. While I enjoyed HAZEL BLY and have many thoughts, it's not my favourite book of Blake's.

Before I jump into the review, I want to talk about something I read in some of the older reviews on Goodreads that made me hella uncomfortable. There are some reviewers that really had an issue with the non-binary character in this book and how Blake tells her readers about what it might mean to be NB. I've been thinking about those transphobic comments throughout my time reading this book and getting angrier and angrier. Someone even took a star off for Blake being "too woke" and trying to do a check list of some sort--Ya'll know these books are queer right? Like, Queer with a capital Q. How dare kids who might identify as non-binary potentially see themselves in fictional stories? I'm not going to swear because a kid might read this review, but honestly, some of these reviews were disgusting. This is a child and this book is QUEER.

Moving on.

We know the representation in Blake's novels are always going to be top-notch. These are usually my go-to books when I get a baby LGBTQ+ visiting the bookstore and looking for books that feature non-hetero characters. I loved that this exploration of one's identity is so pure in this and not made into some sort of show or shock and awe plot device. It just is.

My biggest gripe with this book is how the mother treats the MC. I know they are both grieving, but it was heartbreaking watching this kid be in so much pain and in need of the comfort of touch and communication. I actually hunted down reviews to see if I was the only one noticing this (hence why I came across those transphobic reviews) and one person made a comment about being sick of emotionally abusive parents in MG and honestly, yes. It's always been one of my biggest pet peeves with middle grade--how awful parents can be, how apathetic they sometimes are, and how dismissive they are of their child's emotions in comparison to their own feelings/beliefs. They can come off as bullies just because "I'm the parent and you're not".

I'm a person who lost a parent at twelve (like the MC) and I had a mother who helped me grieve while she also grieved. It's doable. Hell, we even see it in how another mother grieves with her own daughter. But while it was infuriating, it was also kind of genius in how Blake was able to show the reader these two comparable situations and the different end-results in having an open communication-led grieving process and one where the surviving parent completely shuts down. It was an interesting and complex exploration of grief and how different it truly looks.

Did I cry a few times? Absolutely. Did I feel the joys of childhood watching the MC slowly open up and potentially even find first love? Of course. There's so much innocence in spending your summers hunting for an elusive mermaid and sharing those secret smiles with your potential crush. It's things like that that make a pre-teen childhood so memorable (or cringey, depending on who you ask.) And for those who think these kids are too young for this--they're twelve and thirteen. You're going to tell me you didn't have a crush when you were twelve?! (Unless you didn't actually have one, then you know, you do you, that's perfectly fine.)

I think some of these characters need therapy and it's definitely mentioned (TW: for a suicide attempt). One of the beautiful (and heartbreaking) things about Blake's writing is that she doesn't shy away from the tougher topics that are sometimes seen as taboo by parents. Listen, I work at a bookstore, I have seen all kinds of censoring from parents. But there are a few parents who want their children to read those stories that explore the scarier realities of what it means to be human. And then, you also have those parents who have kids who would heavily benefit from books like this because they might be able to relate to the characters' journey. This is why I will always jump into a Blake novel, feet first.

So, while this wasn't my favourite book of hers, it was definitely one of the more complicated ones. While we get the seemingly summer-filled magic of a mermaid who looks a little too much like the MC, we also get the heavy undertow of emotions unexplored and words unsaid. It's gorgeous, raw, and thought-provoking. I think it's important for kids to read these books, but also adults so they can get a bit of a glimpse into a child's mind.

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6. Happiness Volume 1 by Shuzo Oshimi: ⭐️⭐️

All I can think when I think about this book now is:

I'm sure this is a cult favourite or something, but it was anticlimactic, weird, and kind of meh. I've read this author before and was genuinely uncomfortable in the past and weirded out in an awed way. I don't know if this was a "first volume" syndrome, but this was honestly missing everything I was hoping for.

One of the things that I think could have been done better was the portrayal of the MC's personality. The MC has a moment where he is faced with a situation that he probably normally doesn't find himself in and instead of showing us the progression of that, he just yells out "I'm not like that!" I wouldn't know, buddy. There is barely any lead up to making me think you're not like that.

Finally, the MC in this meets another character who is kind of weird and kind of mean and it brought back memories of a character we meet in BLOOD ON THE TRACKS (which is an incredible series by this author that I will always recommend). It felt a bit trope-y now that I know this author might do this on occasion.

I think I definitely need the rest of the series to fully get any sort of hype for this series, but my issue is that I don't think I care enough to do that. The art was beautiful, of course, but I just couldn't find it in me to care. I'm glad I didn't buy the rest of the volumes in this series 😅

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7. Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The moment I saw this cover, I knew I wanted to read this book. Even with the punny title, I was grabby hands for this story. And it didn't disappoint!

One of my favourite things about this book is how it shows the reader the differences between the families--like the haves and have-nots. Have a lot of money? Have a not-so-great family, but hey, a big cottage! Barely surviving with all of the hospital bills and regular life bills? Have a family that broke and healed itself again into a loving and spontaneous family.

I loved how grief was weaved into the story, but it didn't create a bitter relationship between the family members and the newer members. I want more stories like this where a blended family is just a thing and not the plot device. Anyway, I loved the family dynamics of the MC's family and even though his sister was annoying to me, I also understood why she was the way she was. Change is scary--especially when everyone else is changing and you're standing still because you're too scared to change.

I also liked the slow burn of the relationship, watching the characters slowly fall for each other was adorable. But much like the MC's sister, I was skeptical. I'm a Taurus, I'm gonna side eye you until you prove that you're not a shady person.

Loved the setting, the putting down of the smug ex boyfriend, the character growth, and the lead up to this tense event that is everyone's motivation. I LOVED the allusions to Latine culture and even the Spanish thrown in there every so often.

I do think some things happened a little too quickly and abruptly and that we're left with some unanswered questions. This is where I wish we had dual perspectives--I just think it would have made the story feel a little more rounded.

I'd recommend this for anyone looking for a cute and fun warm weather read (they're having Christmas in the sun, I'm jealous). Also, for anyone who likes to read YA books with complex familial relationships and that difficult topic of falling into what we love and still having that self-doubt of "is this really for me?"

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Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them?

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Happy reading!

[nitrateglow]

Spooky Season 2024: 1

If the Christmas lovers can start in October, I can start Halloween in August!

Leprechaun (dir. Mark Jones, 1993)

A friend and I inaugurated the spooky season with a viewing of Leprechaun, a schlocky masterpiece of glorious stupidity that Warwick Davis swallows whole.

Basically, a sadistic leprechaun with a shit-eating grin is mad a bunch of humans stole his gold. He terrorizes a quartet of innocents in a remote shack located somewhere in New Mexico. Many goofy, gory shenanigans ensue, the best involving a pogo stick as a murder weapon.

Leprechaun comes off like a Disney Channel original movie crossed over with slasher nonsense. It's definitely not for kids, but it has-- kid movie vibes, I guess? It's more a comedy than anything. I howled with laughter throughout. You can definitely tell the filmmakers were in on the joke.

The shining star is Warwick Davis as the world's nastiest leprechaun. He is a delight every time he's onscreen with his shit-eating grin. I can see how they squeezed a whole franchise out of this character.

All in all, a great way to start the season!

[diaphanouso]

✨ Fic Masterlist ✨

Last Updated: July 4, 2024

Hello! 💞 Below is a list of all my fics, completed and in progress. Each listing is formatted as follows:

Title ※ Word Count ※ Status ※ Rating ※ Relationship/Character(s) ※ Brief Description/Summary

Unless otherwise noted:

The works below live on Ao3.

"Explicit" rating is for smut 🌶️

Baldur's Gate 3

To Have and Behold ※ (2,293 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Rolan/F!Tav (Ruby) ※ Ruby shares a fantasy of hers with Rolan. They decide to try it out, and Rolan finds he's really into it. A companion piece to In Full View.

In Full View ※ (1,000 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Rolan/F!Tav (Ruby) ※ Ruby indulges in front of a (mostly) silent audience.

To Burn in Desire's Name ※ WIP ※ Rolan/F!Tav (Ruby) ※ Series in progress centering on Rolan and my Selunite Cleric Tav, Ruby. Snippets I've posted on Tumblr so far:

A Compliment and a Kiss ※ Spice level: 🥛 (none) ※ Rolan receives a very nice message from Tav — so nice, it reminds him of the night she bestowed upon him a platonic kiss on the cheek that was surely nothing more than a friendly gesture.

Rolan With His Books ※ Spice level: 🥛 (none) ※ Rolan spends some quality time with his books just before some weird/spooky shit happens.

He Needs to be Touched, Y'all 😭 ※ Spice level: 🌶️※ When a tame fantasy about Tav is enough to send Rolan over the edge...

Emergency Use of Thunderwave ※ Spice level: 🌶️🌶️ ※ Rolan goes farther in his fantasies about Tav than ever before. Features a tailjob and the singular terror of a family member walking in on you.

Angels' Fury ※ (3,614 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ Shadowheart & Tav; Shadowheart & Astarion ※ Tav and co. make their way to a confrontation with Orin the Red, but they get waylaid by an unexpected foe.

Dispel Darkness ※ (5,210 words) ※ Complete (for now) ※ Explicit ※ Halsin/Female OC ※ A Ranger returns from the Underdark feeling unlike herself; she runs into an old friend who's more than willing to show her there's still good in this world. (Please see my A/N re: the Underdark!)

The Shape of Water (2017)

Lonely Gods ※ (2,344 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ The Asset/Elisa Esposito ※ A former god ruminates on his past, and the nature of love and reverence. (This has some of the writing I'm most proud of ❤️)

Mass Effect

Vox Spiritus ※ (69,929 words) ※ WIP ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (Humanity-as-client race AU) Shepard, a cabal squad leader, joins the first human-turian mission in an attempt to catch Saren following a tragedy on Eden Prime.

One (1) New Message ※ (5,011 words) ※ WIP ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (AU swap) Garrus falls asleep in his apartment one night, only to wake up on an unfamiliar ship, in a life he doesn't recognize... and face to face with a ghost.

Acts of Amity ※ (5,322 words) ※ WIP ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian/Nihlus Kryik ※ Garrus and Shepard's fantasies about their hot friend Nihlus become reality.

Acts of Temperance ※ (7,297 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ Garrus suffers and is more in love than ever; featuring my headcanon that "meditative edging" is very much a thing for turians.

Acts of Service ※ (7,635 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ Garrus is a good boy in love; affectionate talon/nail grooming as turian headcanon.

Flare ※ (10,886 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ Shepard and Garrus would both like a repeat of the night before the Omega 4 Relay, but they're too busy saving the galaxy and being dumb quiet about their feelings... until a cosmic force decides to have a say in that.

Ship of Theseus ※ (22,894 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (The first smut I ever wrote! 🎉) Feeling like a ghost haunting a body she doesn't trust, Shepard desperately wants to prove she can be more than the weapon Cerberus intended her to be, to make this body at least feel like it's hers. Luckily, she has a friend who's willing to help.

Moon in Your Mouth ※ (4,377 words) ※ Complete ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (Post-Synthesis grief/angst) For Garrus, rebuilding the galaxy without Shepard feels impossible. He's lost her twice now, and he's certain he'll never recover. But one day, he hears a familiar voice coming from his visor…

One in Ten Thousand ※ (5,526 words) ※ Complete ※ Teen ※ FShakarian ※ A very mogwai  space hamster Xmas.

Twenty-One Seconds ※ (15,511 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ A post-Destroy Xmas Carol.

Growing Pains ※ (3,381 words) ※ Complete ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ Grunt starts losing his baby teeth.

Happy Little Trees ※ (6,310 words) ※ Complete ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (Garrus discovers Bob Ross) Shepard gets Garrus a paint set. Garrus is grateful, but he finds that embarking on his new hobby provides more than simple wish-fulfillment.

Deeper Understanding ※ (2,426 words) ※ Complete ※ General Audiences ※ EDI & Legion ※ EDI and Legion catch a movie while visiting the Citadel.

Lead Me Home ※ (2,038 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya ※ The night before the beacon, the end, a beginning.

Stay ※ (14,292 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Samara/Nihlus Kryik ※ While hunting down her daughter, Samara witnesses a Spectre killing an innocent. The Spectre flees into the wilderness, and the pursuit ends up being more than either of them bargained for. Or: how that "cat-and-mouse" encounter between Samara and Nihlus went down.

Decompression ※ (1,635 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ Nihlus Kryik/Dr. Chloe Michel ※ Dr. Michel runs into a handsome, injured turian who refuses her help, but it's not the last time they meet (the first fic with this pairing on Ao3! 🎉).

Longing Makes a Thief ※ (17,711 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Kasumi Goto/Rolan Quarn ※ While trapped in a mansion together, Kasumi and Rolan Quarn get to know each other; creative use of 3D printer.

Star Pupil ※ (4,366 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ FShep/Kasumi/Conrad ※ Shepard and Kasumi are very mean to Conrad Verner and he loves it.

Breathe With Me ※ (6,948 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Thane Krios ※ Shepard and Thane spend some time recuperating after the Reaper War.

Sweet Tides ※ (4,333 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Hanar OCs ※ When Shepard is cordially invited to take part in a hanar ritual, she’s honored in a way she doesn’t expect but is totally into. Features tentacle sex and a hot Elder hanar with a deep voice (no, it's hotter than you'd expect).

Shelter From Storms Within ※ (8,297 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Liara T'Soni/Feron ※ Even after taking on the mantle of Shadow Broker, there are still some things Liara is uncertain about. But how much she cares for Feron? That may be the only thing Liara is sure of. Features drell memories and asari mind meld used for sexual purposes.

The Becoming ※ (4,605 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Prothean OCs ※ Stranded in a system with a broken relay, Karvok and Pavor make a home on Erinle, having escaped the Reaper threat; explicit rating is for gore/body horror.

Agony of Creation ※ (1,417 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ Morinth/Male OC ※ From the second she laid eyes on him, Morinth knew he was hers. Or: Morinth brings home her prey.

Mass Effect Drabbles

Godless ※ (100 words) ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

Memories ※ (100 words) ※ General Audiences ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

Concussion ※ (100 words) ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

Come Back Alive ※ (100 words) ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

Seashells ※ (100 words) ※ General Audiences ※ Mordin

The Taming of Time ※ (200 words) ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Nihlus Kryik

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

4/5. Releases 10/15/2024.

Vibes: rivals ro lovers, haunted houses, danger banging, and unfinished business

Heat Index: 7/10

Penelope Skinner carries a huge grudge against Neil Storm--and it culminates in her throwing a book at him at a conference. Why? Because Neil claims that his books break Native stereotypes, while they simply seem to embrace them. Penelope's been blacklisted ever since, so she's none too happy to see him at a writers retreat in a spooky Scottish castle. Neil isn't thrilled to see her either--but as they discover that the castle's ghosts may be realer than expected, they're forced to work together to help the spirits resolve their unfinished business... while fighting some of their own.

This was a really interesting, different debut--and I'm excited to see what Colby Wilkens does next. There's a lot delved into here, especially surrounding the politics of passing (as Penelope, who is Native, does), gender privilege, respectability, and the particular way that publishing treats BIPOC authors.

However, it's still first and foremost a romance, and a good one at that. Neil and Penelope have a crackling chemistry from the start, and it only intensifies as they spend time together in this castle... full of tight passages.... (in more ways than one).... and occupied by a ghost that's always showing up at the right times. (And by the right times, I mean the times that force Penelope and Neil emotionally and physically closer.)

There's some... interesting... genre marketing happening with this one, but I'm here to reassure you: 'tis a romance!

Quick Takes:

--Okay, so, the genre stuff. I've seen this marketed as "horror romance" or "horrormance". I am just... refusing.... with horromance. I'm done with the portmanteaus, I can't do it anymore. HOWEVER! I can see horror romance being a thing, maybe? I have yet to read it, but maybe? As a subset of paranormal romance? But it's tricky, and I still wouldn't say this aligns with any conceptualization I have of theoretical horror romance.

So, what is it? I'd say VERY light paranormal romance, or, more accurately, a contemporary romance with a sprinkling of paranormal. None of this is critique; the book is good no matter what it is. Just--if you like contemporaries and don't like paranormals, don't worry. Read this. You'll like it, and it's not scary, I promise. A little spooky, yes, but not scary. And if you enjoy some spookedy bump in the night stuff, you'll like this, too.

--I can see Penelope being a polarizing heroine. Mostly because she has, I don't know, an opinion. And she gives Neil shit. And she's not right all the time. She needs to consider nuance! Her hot takes have holes in them every now and then! She's a little morally rigid and judgmental! Gasp, horror.

Personally? Her flaws made her more human for me, and she's quite likable. As is Neil! I actually loved how palpable his irritation with Penelope was. Like--she didn't have the whole story, but she had his number, and he knew it, and that bugged him. Fun fun fun.

--The ghost story is cute. I will say that it's weaker than the romance, which is fine because this is a romance novel, but... I did expect a little more there. However, the way it resolved did amuse me greatly. There's one detail that I kind of can't wait to see unfold further.

--One thing I really liked about the way Colby Wilkens presented Penelope and Neil's contrasting opinions and experiences is that there wasn't like... a wholly right or wrong side? Both of them had points. Their histories were valid. I feel like there are going to be a lot of judgments made (especially against Penelope) but to be real, if you're white (like me) maybe you should.... pump the brakes.

--Random, but when Penelope and Neil have sex, she notes that he has a soft belly. Because he's a writer. He's a nerd. He sits at a desk a lot. I LOVED THIS. More body diversity in romance please, especially for heroes.

--There is a lot of "Neil is hard at an inappropriate moment" here. What a great choice. I approve. Yes.

The Sex:

It's definitely a sexy read--and one that handles sex in a smart way. You wait a while before Neil and Penelope get down to it... But once they do, they're all over each other. You have several penetrative p in v sex scenes, and a particularly delightful fingerbang (and, obviously, Neil goes down; you can sense it in him from the start). All of it is treated like sex, which I appreciate. However, I also liked that a throughline in the sex scenes is that Penelope guides Neil? It's not that he doesn't know what he's doing, but he doesn't know HER body yet. And it's totally cool for her to show him where to touch her and how, and HE thinks it's hot. It was both really consistent with their characters, and really good to see in a romance novel.

Here, we have a fun romance novel with a legit interesting, unique premise and point of view. Like, I can genuinely say that I haven't read anything like this before. It's funny, it's hot, and it covers issues you really don't see in the genre often at all. More, please!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[alyjojo]

September 🏋🏽‍♂️ 2024 Monthly - Aries

Preshuffle: It’s like you can see a problem coming from a mile away and have plenty of time to prepare for it, you’re not even answering the phone 😆 Aries isn’t home.

Meditation: Some Devil 👺 in a costume laughing maniacally to a bunch of kids in costumes, it’s clearly Halloween. There’s a whole house decorated with spooky things and fog machines…planning early?

Main energy: 5 Cups rev

What’s going on in September:

10 Pentacles, Page of Wands rev, Knight of Wands rev, Knight of Cups rev & 6 Pentacles

First thing I heard was “these damn kids” and I died laughing 😂 Someone has them, and they’re the type to spring shit on you without asking, planning, or thinking of the practical elements involved - like there’s no way you’re buying a $300 costume for one night, they must be trippin’. Or they gave you an idea in July, you bought the thing, and now they’re changing their minds in September - you do not even care, they better go back to liking Peppa Pig because that’s what they got. Whoever and whatever is involved with you this month is getting the response of “Deal with it 😎” whether they like it or not. I’m also seeing forced family costumes, like everyone is dressing up as an Inside Out character and you don’t care how much they protest…they probably will.

Outside of children, this could be work or family members where everyone has gone their own way and someone in particular or (for most), you, are trying to wrangle everyone back together. One person doesn’t communicate with anyone and leaves everyone waiting for responses. Another person has a crazy relationship or intense commitments and they’re hard to get ahold of. A third person is kinda dreamy & delusional in your opinion, but what can you do? I don’t see you judging anyone (out loud), more like you just want everyone together again. It’s possible it’s always you doing this though, why can’t everyone else get their shit together for once? You’re the leader and director of this show, clearly, but…isn’t that what you want? Wouldn’t you be unhappy if you weren’t that person? Could be something to think about - for now though you’re questioning your role as in, do others reciprocate your efforts? And going from there. That’s fair 💜

Signs you may be dealing with:

Sagittarius, Capricorn, Cancer, Taurus & Aries

Oracle: ✨

29 Changes 🍁

Like ripples from the smallest drop of water in a pond, the smallest of changes in one’s life can bring about the greatest rewards. Think about changes you can make in your life. These do not have to be grand, sweeping changes. Judicious, small changes can add up to life changes after time. Think about small changes you can make now to add to your quality of life: clean out clutter, commit to walking every night after dinner, cut out processed food from your life. Alternately - big changes are coming your way.

Trust Your Path 🧭

Listen to intuition, seek direction, and embrace discovery. Answers reveal the journey within.

True Intentions 😏

Stay authentic and aligned, trusting your inner wisdom to guide you toward genuine fulfillment.

We enter into September as:

Righteous Raspberry 💅🏽:

“I have the same high standards for myself as I do for others.”

This is a message to lighten up! Notice your present attitude towards others. Perhaps you’re being too hard on yourself, and others as well. Allow others to be as they are. Supporting others around you creates allies. Watch your expectations, you could be setting yourself up for disappointment. You cannot be satisfied if you expect others to live up to standards you can’t even live up to. Besides, others are not you. Do it wrong, mess it up, have flaws. Trying to make the world perfect will only exhaust and alienate. Allow things to simply be. Look for what’s right in your world.

What is to be learned in September:

Royal Purple Brick 🧱

“She resists what she clings to.”

The fear of stepping out, of being abused, has grown so great that you no longer need a wall of fear to prevent you from living - a simple brick will do. Which of course symbolizes that what frightens you is much smaller than you imagine. What we resist, we cannot heal. Royal Purple Brick appears when we are resisting something, and may indicate a loss of faith. This is a sign of fear holding you back in some way and preventing you from moving forward. If you are experiencing pain, holding on tighter will only worsen the situation. Fear may also indicate you’re trying to save yourself from a path that will not serve you! Are you following your true passion? Is it divinely guided?

This can also indicate presently using your energy in a self-defeating way. Use your courage to let go of control and allow Spirit to come in and heal you. The promise of Royal Purple Brick is freedom after surrender. In letting go you may feel some discomfort, but you’ll also allow healing in. The fear of something is always greater than the actual event. This time period will be a life changing experience for you. Accept mystery. Release the brick and be free.

Purple may be a lucky color 💜