#you know this day is a holiday for Shaun

[snowmasscourier]

Today I woke up to Shaun playing V’s initial monologue from “V for Vendetta” for Lovey, who seemed more interested in reaching for his glasses.

Atta girl.

[muddyorbsblr]

onyx pt1

See my full list of works here!

Summary: You're stuck in the Avengers Compound because of an injury from your last mission, and you come across an adorable and affectionate little kitten.

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: language (no i'm not sorry, Rogers); talks of explosions and injuries sustained from explosion [let me know if i missed anything!]

Things to be aware of: one-sided crushing (but is it really…?)

An eerie silence served as your only company in the Avengers Compound the last few days, some of your teammates off to finish the HYDRA mission that left you injured while the others took time off to visit their families over the holidays. With the promise to keep their comms on in case they would be needed until the New Year.

Now all that remained in the Compound with you were a few junior agents that drew the ends of the short stick, Val, and Loki.

Sadly your teammate, friend, and occasional drinking buddy Val was out blissfully spreading holiday cheer throughout New York with her girlfriend.

And Loki? Well, the God of Mischief wasn't exactly on chummy terms with you. Didn't even so much as give you a passing glance when you were at mission briefings.

Which was a damn shame because what you would give just to get lost in those stormy ocean eyes.

You made your way to the pantry in the common room to replenish your stash of snacks, towing along a little wagon to help you on the way back. Every step had you feeling every square inch of bruising on the left side of your body that you got from being unlucky enough to be caught in the blast radius of an explosion at the HYDRA base you were trying to infiltrate with Shaun just a few days ago.

Your phone buzzed with a new message. "Speak of the devil," you muttered to yourself, seeing Xu's name on your screen as soon as you pulled up next to the elaborate barista setup, putting a few Lindor truffles in a small bag for your wagon. "Hey FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Agent Y/L/N?" the AI answered immediately.

"Could you make me a white chocolate mocha with peppermint while I raid the latest Costco delivery for uhh…supplies. Yeah, I'll go with that."

"Right away, Agent Y/L/N." The sound of the barista setup whirring to life filled the kitchen area as you checked on Shaun's message.

Thor just mentioned that he'll ask his brother to take a look at your injuries. Maybe get him to kiss it all better. He finished his text with a smirking emoji, along with some hand gestures that painted a less than family friendly picture, making you roll your eyes at the screen.

You recorded a voice memo for him. "You know that he'd need to actually be willing to look at me so that he could see the damage from the blast, right? And last I checked I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm Medusa reincarnated and I'll turn his Asgardian ass to stone."

You went on to the ridiculously stocked pantry to rummage the delivery that came just a few hours ago, trying to find a bag of Jalapeño Cheetos somewhere in the mix, when you heard a tiny meow from somewhere behind you. You looked to the ground to find a black and white munchkin cat looking up at you with wide blue eyes.

"Hi there, baby…" you cooed, surprised the adorable little creature hadn't hissed or scratched at you yet. Cats normally didn't take to you, which was a shame because you often found yourself fighting the urge to pick one up or stroke its head whenever you crossed paths with one during your errand runs. "How'd you get in here?"

The tiny kitten caught you by surprise with what it did next, walking up to your feet and proceeding to rub its cheek against your ankle, a little purr emanating from its small fluffy body. You decided to risk the hissing and scratching and bent down to pick it up, your heart melting once he placed his paws on your cheek and proceeded to nuzzle your face with his nose.

"Aren't you a complete darling." He settled into your arm as you carried him out of the pantry, a little whine escaping him when you placed him down on the counter. He stood on his hind legs and made grabby hands towards you, blue eyes wide and pleading for you to pick him back up. "Just a second, sweet baby, I'm just getting you something to drink."

You took out a tiny sauce dish and poured some cream into it, pushing it toward the kitten that responded with a slow blink and a meow before licking away at the rich liquid.

"I'm sure your owner's gonna crucify me for giving you that but I can't help spoiling little fur babies especially when they're as adorable as you are." You took a sip of the coffee FRIDAY had finished making before shouting out a question for her. "Hey FRIDAY, you have any clue who this little bub belongs to?"

It took a second for her to answer. "Negative, Agent Y/L/N. There is currently no other agent on the premises looking for their pet. I also see no collar on them and from a preliminary scan they do not seem to have a microchip on them."

Those words stopped the kitten from drinking to look up toward the ceiling and hiss at the source of the voice. He only relaxed once you started stroking his fur again, going back to drinking and letting out a few purrs along the way. "No owner, huh? Does that mean I can invoke Finders Keepers then?"

"It appears so, Agent Y/L/N. What would be your new companion's name?"

The kitten looked up at you, as if expecting your answer. You wondered briefly if he could actually understand what it was that you and FRIDAY were talking about. "How about Onyx? I know I know it's absolute garbage for originality to name a black cat after a black gemstone but--"

His eyes widened before he climbed up your arm, only stopping once he'd reached your shoulder to nuzzle at your neck again. "It seems he likes the name, Agent Y/L/N."

"Then it's settled." You placed a soft kiss on top of his head. "Hello there, Onyx."

You brought your new kitten back to your apartment, setting him down on your bed while you tried to take off your sweatshirt as gently as you could manage.

"Ah, fuck it," you hissed as you felt the bruising around your ribs, letting out a pained sound when you opted to whip the garment over your head as fast as you could instead. Your reflection revealed that the bruising on the left side of your torso was quickly becoming a frightening deep purple.

Onyx meowed from your bed, again standing on his back legs and making grabby hands at you, eyes wide with evident pain.

"What's wrong, little baby?" He placed his paws gently on your side when you made your way to him, pressing his nose to the skin near where your bruising began. "Oh don't you worry your pretty little head about those, sweetie. They'll heal…eventually."

He kept on pressing his face to the area, your heart melting for the tiny kitten even more realizing that he was pressing kisses to your wounds.

"You really are such a precious little bub, aren't you?" You picked your new kitten up, placing him on the armchair in your reading nook before setting an alarm for dinner in a few hours and settling into your bed. "Get some sleep, sweet baby Onyx. I'll see you in a few hours."

Your eyes had only closed for a few seconds before you heard another tiny meow followed by a soft thud, immediately making you sit up on the bed looking for the kitten. He'd already made his way to your bedside, standing on his back legs and reaching up trying to climb up the sheets.

"Alrighty then," you mumbled, picking him up and placing him on the pillow beside yours. You rolled over to lay on your right side to remove any pressure to your injuries the best you could, hovering your finger near Onyx's nose once you'd settled in. He leaned up and pressed his nose to your finger, paws kneading on his pillow. "Boop," you giggled. "Sweet dreams, baby."

Just as you'd closed your eyes to try catching an hour or two of rest before you had to eat again and take those pain meds that Banner prescribed you, your phone began to blare Immigrant Song way too loudly by your nightstand. There were only two contacts you gave that ringtone to and one of them was currently out with her girlfriend.

"Talk to me, Thunder," you muttered, groaning when your stretch to reach for your phone made your bruising smart a bit. "You all good over there?"

"Absolutely grand, Lady Y/N," the blond god's voice boomed from the other end. "I was just wondering if you could check on my brother, he refuses to answer his phone yet again."

"That's gonna be a hard pass from me, buddy. I've already been cut and bruised, I'm not too keen to add stabbed to that list. He's probably just practicing spells. Or out on a date." You winced at that last part, an irrational part of you flaring up with unwarranted jealousy at the thought of Loki out with just about anyone. "Just--I don't know, check up on him yourself when you get back. You can take a stab better than me anyways."

Thor sighed loudly, the low rumbling making Onyx step back from his pillow and start hissing at the phone. You stroked the top of his head to calm him down. "Very well then, Lady Y/N. Rest well. We're scheduled to return after nightfall."

"I'll have pizza here waiting for you guys. Bring your own mead." You clicked off and tried to get some sleep, having FRIDAY place an order for pizzas and wings for when the team gets back. Your new kitten padded his way over to you, resting his head on your outstretched arm and letting out a soft purr.

The sound of the Quinjet coming back roused you from your nap, along with the feel of little paws on your arm and Onyx nuzzling your cheek.

"Looks like everyone's home," you mumbled, pressing a few kisses to the kitten's head before making your way out of bed. "Come on, little baby. Time to meet the team."

With a whole lot of discomfort and groaning, you slipped your sweatshirt back on before presenting your hand to Onyx and patting your shoulder, prompting the kitten to climb up your arm and perch himself on the spot, nuzzling his face behind your ear.

The team had already arrived and filled the common area when you made your way there, some of them helping themselves to the pizza. Barnes and Wilson walked in with coolers, probably filled with chilled bottles of beer inside.

"Hey, there she is!" Shaun exclaimed, pulling out a bottle of Pepsi before making his way over to you and pulling you into an embrace. "How's the healing go--Whoa there." He took a step back as Onyx hissed in his direction. "Where'd you come from, little guy?"

You shh'd the kitten, pressing kisses to his little cheek to calm him down. "It's okay, baby, Shaun is a friend. One of the good guys." You turned back to your mission partner. "Shaun, this is Onyx."

"Always thought you were a dog person, Babes," Natasha spoke up before taking your arm and walking you to the food. "We leave for one day and you become a cat lady. Where'd you even find the time to go to a shelter and get baby blue eyes over here?"

"I didn't, actually," you answered the master assassin. "I just went to the pantry and poof there he was, meowing at my feet. Like the cat distribution system mailed him to me by magic or something." He nuzzled your cheek again before starting to knead at your face.

"And he doesn't belong to anyone? You're sure?" Shaun spoke up, backing up immediately when he tried to pet your new kitten and getting hissed at. "Easy, kitty. I'm a friend, I'm not gonna hurt you." The martial artist turned back to you. "He wasn't collared? Or chipped?"

"Nope. FRIDAY scanned him and everything."

"You wanna think about getting him chipped?"

Onyx hissed again at the question before swishing his tail around to curtain your hair around him, his little body shaking on your shoulder. As if he was silently pleading for you to not take him out to have him chipped.

"Don't you worry, baby. I won't get you chipped, I wouldn't hurt you like that," you cooed, letting out a little giggle as he placed his paws on your cheeks and nuzzled your nose, giving the tip tiny licks. You were so focused on your cat's affections that the bellowing of Thor looking for his brother was a distant muffled noise in the background.

Until he got to where you were standing and his booming voice was impossible to ignore. "What an adorable little beast you have, with you, Lady Y/N." Onyx buried himself in the crook of your neck, shaking at the sound of Thor's voice.

"It's alright, Onyx. It's just Thunder, he may be all big and menacing on the outside but he's just a fluff ball on the inside. Come on, go say hi."

The blond Asgardian approached you, examining your new pet carefully before a knowing grin graced his bearded face. "Hello, Brother."

A chill went down your spine at his words. "What the fuck d'you just say, Blondie?"

He motioned toward the kitten on your shoulder. "This is the explanation for his lack of replies on his phone. His absence from his quarters. Lady Y/N, the little beast hiding himself in your hair…is my brother. That is Loki."

In your stupor, the only words you could manage to say were, "Bitch what?!"

A/N: Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to the members of SAS, beloved besties, and fellow whores! I've had this idea doing a slow lurky crawl in the microwave that is my writing noggin for the last few months, and I'm so excited that I finally get to share it with y'all! Part 2 is coming in a few days, and then it's a coin toss on whether I'll be trying to end the year with crossing off some things on my writing todo list, or crossing off some titles from my Tumblr TBR 😳👀

everything taglist: @simplyholl @loopsisloops @imalovernotahater @coldnique @loz-3 @huntress-artemiss @salempoe @vickie5446 @athalialaufeyson @lokiprompts @kats72 @kikster606 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @lokixryss @thomase1 @mischief2sarawr @peaches1958 @lovingchoices14 @lunarnights95 @goblingirlsarah @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @creationsbyme @maple-seed @mjsthrillernp @ladyofthestayingpower @mygfloki @sititran @glitterylokislut @ozymdias @fictive-sl0th  @lokidbadguy @mochie85 @silverfire475 @joyful-enchantress @elizabethmidnight2017 @holdmytesseract @smolvenger @gigglingtiggerv2 @lokidokieokie @lunarnights95 @superficialdomina @anukulee @kmc1989 @november-rayne @goddessofwonderland @buttercupcookies-blog @peaky-marvel @lokiified @tom-hlover

[nonotnolan]

The Ends Justify The Means

As always, this February story is dedicated to my valentine, @mergeman

"Okay, but did we have to add him to the Hivemind?" Jordan said, looking at his unconscious boss with a look of resigned disappointment. "If I end up with an old man's vocabulary because of him, I'm gonna be so upset. This body looks too good to sound like a geezer." He tossed his shirt to the ground and gave me a flex. "See what I mean?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Some humans stress-tested my 40% Free Will rule, and Jordan was definitely one of them. "One, bringing him into the Collective is the only way to bend his authority to our will. Two, the symbiote doesn't change our speech, it just enhances our knowledge. And three, the eventual goal is to overtake most of humanity anyway. We were gonna have to add Shaun sooner or later."

Jordan nodded, though I doubted he was paying any attention me. He was one of the part-time workers I had converted within the past two hours, and so his symbiote half was still checking out his new body. I can't blame it, I suppose.

I wasn't sure this plan was even going to work, so I was glad we managed to succeed. Capturing the part-time college students who worked here had been easy-- a bit of flirting from a tempting body, a kiss to introduce the symbiote, rinse and repeat. Shaun had been much more difficult. We had to resort to ambushing him in the bathroom where there we no cameras. Jordan's strength held him in place while I pried open his jaw to insert the new symbiote. It was far from elegant-- Shaun was stronger than he looked-- but at least it worked.

Shaun finally opened his eyes, and looked at me with a wry grin. "Alright, sir. I know we have a lot to talk about, but let's retreat somewhere else, shall we? It's cramped in here, and I think Jordan is a few moments away from whipping his dick out."

"You're not wrong," I said, shaking my head. "We should probably leave him to it. If nothing else, it will be nice to talk things over someplace a bit... less pungent. I assume you know what is going to be expected of you?"

"I do," Shaun says, crossing his arms. "Although I was hoping to talk to you about that one. I scheduled Darren to work Valentine's Day because I haven't had that day off for the past three years. This body's wife is threatening to make life miserable if I still have to work the holiday despite my recent promotion. I have a proposal for you."

I smiled at the audacity of this symbiote. Clearly its host body had a lot of confidence.

"Darren will still get the day off, of course," Shaun said. "But instead of working the day myself, I'll just tell Jenn that she's going to have to handle the shift solo. We don't need two store managers tomorrow night-- no one goes furniture shopping on Valentine's."

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

"You'll never guess what happened today!" Darren said, greeting me when I arrived home. He and I had been dating for a few weeks now, ever since I was granted control over this host body. Unlike the symbiotes who were mostly extensions of my mind and my personality, I had full control and full autonomy over my decisions. Coming out of the closet was one of the first changes I made to this host's former life.

"Your store is actually closing for a holiday?" I guessed, walking up to him and hugging him from behind. I held him close, feeling the heat of his body against my borrowed chest. Humans were very big on physical contact, and it was a ritual I was more than happy to join.

Darren chuckled as he turned around for a quick kiss. "Okay, so it wasn't a miracle. But it was still pretty crazy! Shaun texted me, and approved my vacation time for tomorrow. Can you believe that? I've never known him to change his mind like that before."

I just smiled at him. "Maybe your District Manager yelled at him about it? You did submit that request a few months ago." As much as I hated feeding white lies and omitted facts to my boyfriend, I couldn't justify telling him my full truth this early in the relationship. Anyway, the only way I'd be filling him with a symbiote would be if we broke up and he posed a risk to my secret. I wanted a relationship with an equal, not a masturbatory fling with a clone of myself. Anyway, what was the phrase? The ends justify the means.

"Well, maybe." He paused a few minutes to consider this possibility before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know, and I'm not going to question it. I'm just glad you kept those dinner reservations! I'm looking forward to tomorrow's date!" He smiled, and I could feel my heart melting. I would do anything in my power to make him happy.

[imagine-silk]

I wanna wish my fallout 4 boys for a merry christmas... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I LOVE YOU!!! (happy christler to u too iff u celebrate)

》And I love you random citizen. I did have a good Christmas, thank you... but I got sick immediately after. Happy holidays!

[Codsworth] "Sir/Mum, I've hope you like the decor. It's not perfect but as long as we're with loved ones we'll love. Isn't that right?"

Under his cheery attitude he is grieving the loss of the world. It's his first Christmas with you back and he wants the rest of the family. Nate/Nora and young Shaun, along with brothers and sisters, and uncles and cousins. But he forces himself to stay positive. Not focus on 'what was' and focus on 'what is'.

[Danse] "Say the word and I'll be there. Whatever you need."

He's more concerned with helping. Having a huge party was something he's never done. Back in the Brotherhood all holiday affairs were kept under wraps. So in all the new excitement he doesn't really care about the day itself, more like being involved.

[Deacon] "Tell me, [Name], have you been a good boy/girl?"

You will not see him outside any sort of costume the entire night. And he has several lined up. Santa, Rudolph, an elf, scrooge pj's. He's also seen with a drink always in his hand. Whether or not it's the same drink, no one knows.

[Hancock] "I'm probably already on the naughty list so let's just have fun."

The entire town of Good Neighbor is partying like the Santa's actually gonna join them. There's a stupid amount of milk and cookies considering the fact none of them are chemed or spiked. They also have a giant white elephant with all the presents.

[MacCready] "What the hell is Christmas?"

In Little Lamp Light they didn't have the tradition and after leaving he never let himself indulge in it so he never learn what exactly it was. To him it's just a gift exchange. Explaining it to him isn't easy either. A big old man, who wears red, flies all over the world in one night in a sleigh with reindeer delivering presents to all the children. What is a reindeer? How? Why?

[Nick] "Merry Christmas, pal/doll. You deserve a break."

No matter what relationship you have with him, he's going to catch you under the mistletoe to tease you. Especially if he's a sort of mentor to you. He thinks it's cute. Besides that, he makes sure you're relaxing and not worried about anything so you can have a break.

[Preston] "I'm glad we did this. It's nice to see everyone warm."

For him, Christmas is the most stressful holiday, given that it's the coldest and people tend to fight over gifts. But it's still a holiday so it's nice. He's also almost immediately buried in gifts by settlers.

[X6] "Happy holidays."

He doesn't care in any meaningful capacity other than you celebrating, he has enough decency to keep it to himself though. You know he wasn't going to give you a gift so he doesn't. If you get him anything he'll take it and tell you why he likes it as an effort to be nice.

[sugarbombs-n-stuff]

Companion Birthday Headcanons

Ada: June 7th, She sees her birthday as when Jackson found her, she celebrates quickly but she finds it fun nonetheless.

Cait: February 20th, She never celebrated before sole but now that she does she loves it. Definitely a chocolate kinda girl.

Curie: April 12th She was powered on for the first time on this date! All Mister Handys/Miss Nannies sing themselves a little happy birthday jingle like the mars rover. Now that she's a synth her favorite cake flavor is strawberry. She loves celebrating with everyone, think of like a 5 year olds peak birthday and that's what Curie wants. She loves being gifted anything from prewar.

Codsworth: September 30th. He was purchased before shaun was born and was powered up a bit after he popped out. He loves wearing a party hat and like Curie, sings himself a birthday jingle. He loves the festivities of birthdays.

Danse: March 15th. In the brotherhood it was a quick happy birthday and then back to his duties. He feels indifferent about his birthday until Blind Betrayal, for a few months after he refuses to even think about anything that indicates he's human but when does accept that he's a synth he appreciates his birthday. His favorite flavor of cake is German Chocolate.

Deacon: December 25th. Though no one would ever find out except for Sole, he is a Christmas baby. Anytime someone asks what his birthday is it changes every time. He will celebrate his birthday with friends once he starts trying to find the real him but for years after Barbara's death he wouldn't even acknowledge it. He enjoys a good party but also likes something simple, he doesn't expect much cause it falls on a holiday though. His favorite cake flavor jokingly is funfetti, his actual favorite is just simple yellow cake with chocolate frosting. He will heavily appreciate any gag gift or fiber art craft thing that comes his way.

Dogmeat: January 1st. No one really knows so they celebrate on New Years Day. He gets plenty of brahmin ears as gifts though.

Piper: August 18th. She celebrated plenty when her parents were still alive and Nat tries to make her a present or two and she is very grateful. She enjoys spending her b-day with Blue and everyone as well. She doesn't care for cake, so she gets cookie cake.

Preston: November 3rd. He celebrated with is family and the early minuteman but after the quincy massacre he doesn't have the time or energy. If he had a choice, he would want to spend his birthday on the river outside sanctuary with a BBQ. His favorite flavor is lemon!

Nick: Human Nick's birthday was May 23rd, Synth Nick wanted some separation from him so he celebrates his birthday on February 14th, Valentines Day. He doesn't need any gifts or a big party, he's perfectly fine with a birthday card and since he doesn't really eat anything, a nice cup of coffee.

MacCready: June 2nd. Duncan's birthday is the day after so they normally celebrate together. He likes parties and gag gifts. His favorite cake flavor is actually orange with chocolate frosting. The only way he can get said flavor however is pouring Nuka Orange and using that instead of water when baking, duncan thinks its really nasty though.

Hancock: August 28th. When they were kids his brother would always make sure his birthday was good but after he left Diamond City and started celebrating with chems and shitty beer. When the sole survivor and their merry band of misfits rolls up he starts celebrating with a big meal among friends where he tries to cut back on chems. He's happy to get any gift and his favorite cake flavor is tarberry.

x6-88: October 1st. He never celebrated his birthday until sole showed up. He appreciates getting candy, weapon mods, and pre-war toy kits where you can build your own car. He doesn't mind sitting on the beach as a bonfire is being built. He enjoys swimming and eating whatever was packed and he finds that he actually enjoys his birthday. His favorite cake flavor is coconut with red frosting.

Strong: Pre-War, Strong's birthday was November 27th. He doesn't remember now and doesn't care.

Gage: January 13th. He celebrates by putting on a record and target practice, he'd prefer a rager with plenty of chems and loud music, Afterwords, go home, eat cake, and listen to some pre-war audio drama. His favorite cake flavor is vanilla with mutfruit frosting.

Longfellow: May 16th. He doesn't celebrate cause he doesn't really care. He drinks a beer at the bar then goes fishing with Diamond City Radio playing. His favorite cake flavor is coffee cake with tarberry jam on top.

[lcdrarry]

LCDrarry 2024 Round-Up Post | Week 5

On Sundays during our posting period, we won't post new works, instead you have time to catch up with the works that posted during the week and hopefully leave lovely comments for our creators.

Happy reading, commenting and sharing! ;)

~Your LCDrarry Mods

PS: Please have a look at the author notes and tags on AO3 for additional information. Thank you!

PPS: Please share far and wide! Thank you!!

***

Fic

***

Black Sheep

Prompt: "Shaun the Sheep", 2007-2020 Prompted by: Anonymous Author: Anonymous Word Count: 10,808 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: smut, dirty talk, praise kink, soft d/s dynamics, begging

Summary: “You know, Potter, maybe all you need to win is a little—incentive, let’s say.” “An incentive?” Harry asks, his interest piqued. He takes a step closer to the fence, and then another one, until he’s standing so close that he can smell the intoxicating scent of Malfoy’s expensive cologne. “Shall we say that if you win, you can have whatever your heart desires?” Malfoy replies with a smile. “Anything.”

Read it now on AO3.

***

Jackknife To The Heart

Prompt: "Mad Max: Furiosa", 2024, George Miller Prompted by: Anonymous Author: Anonymous Word Count: 11,723 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Gunfights

Summary: Draco licked his lips, slow and sensual. He climbed over Harry’s lap and slid down onto his knees. “Keep making love to me, darling,” he said, gazing up at Harry, something starry in his eyes; and then he pulled down Harry’s pants and took his cock in his mouth.

Harry sucked in a breath, threw the shifter into gear, and drove.

Read it now on AO3.

***

the beating of our hearts (is the only sound)

Prompt: "Pacific Rim", 2013, Guillermo del Toro Prompted by: @stavromulabetaaa (stavromulabeta on ao3) Author: Anonymous Word Count: 12,675 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: canon (Pacific Rim) creature grossness

Summary: Do you want awesome, kickass fights between giant robots and aliens??!?!?

Go watch Pacific Rim.

This is a story about two flawed men who fall in love during an apocalypse.

Read it now on AO3.

***

Draco Malfoy's New Guide to Old-Fashioned Dating

Prompt: "How to Lose a Guy in 10 days", 2003, Donald Petrie Prompted by: @sleepstxtic Author: Anonymous Word Count: 52,377 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: Non-Consensual Drug Use

Summary: When Harry's job as an auror is threatened by his perceived negative attitude towards Death Eaters, he makes a desperate gamble with his boss to save it. Bring a Death Eater as his plus-one to the company holiday party. Unfortunately for him, there's only one person he can think of to ask...

Meanwhile, in order to save his best friend Pansy Parkinson from a terrible social fate, Draco Malfoy makes a bet with Pansy's mother. He believes that old-fashioned, traditional courting methods are the best way to repel, not attract, a potential suitor. Now, if only he can find a wizard who has no clue about those methods...

Read it now on AO3.

***

A Ferret, a ScarHead, a Weasel, and a Baby

Prompt: "Three Men and a Baby", 1987, Leonard Nimoy & "Taken", 2008, Pierre Morel Prompted by: Anonymous Author: Anonymous Word Count: 91,420 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Angst, Anxiety, Epic Fight Scene(s), Canon-Typical Violence, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Blood, Muggle Weapons, References to Past Child Abuse, Abduction, Injuries

Summary: They say becoming a parent is an unparalleled, priceless joy. Draco Malfoy finds himself putting that theory to the test when the star witness in his dangerous illegal potions case entrusts him with a powerful wish: protect her newborn baby at all costs. Now, it's up to Draco to fulfill that wish despite the looming threat of criminals hunting for the child. To think, just the day before, he was fretting over his inappropriate feelings for his annoying, bespectacled git of a housemate—not the mechanics of changing nappies!

Thank Merlin it takes a village to raise a sack of flour, ah, child.

Read it now on AO3.

***

Please help promote the fest by sharing your favourite submissions, so more people can enjoy all the amazing new Drarry works of LCDrarry. Thank you!

Creator reveals are on 15 June.

[sombertide-0]

so i had a fun time talking with @avoidantvoidd this morning and got inspired to write a fic about Desmond being biracial (half white half syrian) and i focused on arab culture and yeah, here it is if anyone's interested

basically it's ramadan and desmond is sad about not being able to properly participate and it kinda fucks up his animus syncing, so becks and shaun decide to do something about it

Desmond comes up from the animus with a gasp, clutching at his throat. He’d been unfocused, hadn’t seen the guard coming at him before it was too late. He coughs, the taste of blood lingering on his tongue as the world steadily slows its spinning. He can hear voices, see faces that aren’t really there, feel the cold metal slicing his neck-

“Desmond!” He’s startled out of his thoughts by a very worried Rebecca. Right, he’s Desmond Miles, he was in the animus, he desynced. He groans and tugs the needle out, hunching over and clutching his stomach.

“Merda, fa male,” he wheezes. He shuts his eyes tightly. “No, wrong language, fuck… Sorry. Give me a minute.”

“What gives, Des? This is the fifth time you’ve desynced in half an hour. We need you to get through this memory.” Her voice sounds far away as he tries to separate himself from Ezio. He recites movie quotes under his breath, tries to remember his days as a bartender, remember what date it is.

It's Ramadan.

Fuck.

“Fuck…”

Shaun glances at Desmond over the rim of his glasses. "You aren't planning on fasting, are you?” Desmond cringes. He didn’t mean to say it out loud. Shaun keeps going. “Fate of the world hanging in the balance and all? We need you at your best, relatively speaking."

Desmond sighs and rubs his face. The bags under his eyes are more pronounced, stubble growing sporadically across his jaw, hair a mess. He shakes his head.

"No. I... I'd like to, but it's... not the same. Alone," he mutters tiredly. Beck and Shaun share a concerned look.

"Try to get some rest, Des," she says, powering down the animus. He nods mutely and stands on unsteady feet, slowly making his way to the room they have their bedrolls in.

"Poor guy," Becks whispers," Must be hard, being so disconnected from his culture." Shaun nods silently, staring as the door to their room shuts behind Desmond. "What do you know about Ramadan?", she asks. Shaun pauses. What does he know?

It's a social holiday, focusing on fasting during the sunlit hours of the day, followed by a big feast with family and friends. It lasts for 29 to 30 days, then is followed by three or four days of Eid, the celebration time. Sweets, gifts, parties, dances, music, it's all community based, and here they are, an American, a brit, and a sad Arab.

He sighs. As much as Shaun loathes Desmond, he can understand the isolation that comes with finding himself in such a different environment. "Okay," he says, "Here's what we're going to do."

Desmond wakes up from his nap not knowing if he feels better or worse. He groans, turns on his side, then the other, before deciding he wouldn't get anymore sleep. He stands, shadows dancing in his vision; Altair, Malik and Maria, sitting together around a warm meal. His stomach growls. God, when was the last time he ate?

No light seeps through the rotted curtains, alerting him that it's night. He must have slept for a while if it's already dark out. The others aren't in their beds though, so it can't be that late.

He slowly makes his way back to what was most likely a living room, before freezing at the door to the sorry excuse of a kitchen they have. Shaun and Rebecca were there, cooking together. Desmond shakes his head to make sure he's actually awake. He can see some of the food they'd already put out: a bowl of fresh dates, kisra and moulah, falafels, salata't rob, even a platter with freshly cut watermelon. When he looks back at what they were preparing now, he could see the telltale golden hue of one of his favorite sweets; basbousa.

Rebecca's the first to notice him standing there in shock. She offers a grin and beckons him to the table. "Hey, Des! We thought you could use a little pick me up," she says. Shaun rolls his eyes, cutting the cake into even squares and placing an almond in the middle of each one.

"Little is quite the understatement, don't you think?", he snarks, wiping his hands clean of the syrup, "We have enough food to feed a small town." Becks shoves his shoulder with a laugh. "Oh hush, this was your idea!" Shaun sputters.

"I- it was not! I simply answered your questions-"

"Then decided to look up the proper recipes and go out and buy the right ingredients and put in the time and effort to make all of this-"

"Listen, it wouldn't be worth anything if we couldn't do the culture justice!", he bristles, face a lovely shade of red. Rebecca snickers and drops the conversation, looking over to Desmond who's still simply staring.

"I...", he starts, swallows the lump in his throat, "What is this?"

Shaun scoffs. "What does it look like? Iftar. And you're late, the sun set over an hour ago."

"Iftar... But you don't celebrate, why...?" Shaun's gaze softens ever so slightly. He shifts his weight from one leg to another. "Well, Rebecca and I have noticed you weren't... performing as well as usual. So, we thought giving you a break and something nice would help get you back to your old self, however poor your performance already was." Desmond laughs despite the jab. "You did this for me. All of this, you..." His voice breaks. Dammit, he's not going to cry, he's not going to cry, he's not-!

Thin arms wrap around him tightly, the smell of rubber and cheap shampoo a strange yet comforting mix.

"You deserve nice things, Des," Rebecca says, rubbing soothing circles on his back. He hugs her tightly in return, tears stinging at his eyes.

He hasn't been able to truly participate in this holiday since he ren away from the farm, not having anyone around him to share it with. It used to be fine, but recently, with Altair's memories still knocking around in his head, and Ezio's celebrations he couldn't get through, it hurt a lot more. He never realized how alone he felt.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly pulls away from Rebecca to give her a warm smile. She gives one back and pats his shoulder. "Come on," she says, taking a seat at the table, "You better eat while it's still warm, I did not spend all this time and effort just for us to get a cold meal."

Desmond laughs. He's about to join her when he notices Shaun standing awkwardly with his arms crossed. The tips of his ears are still pink.

"Shaun?", he calls. The brit perks up. "Yes?" "Thank you." Shaun releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Don't mention it."

As they sit down and break the fast they hadn't started that day with a date, Desmond feels at home for the first time in a long time.

"Ramadan Kareem, Desmond," Shaun says with a hint of a smile. Desmond beams. He can’t help the fondness warming his chest. Maybe… maybe he’d be okay after all. Saving the world can wait for just one night.

“Ramadan Kareem, you guys.”

“… you overcooked the falafels. “

“Just shut it and eat, Miles!”

[stellarron]

:// 𝙸𝙽 𝙰𝙱𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙰

[ AN ARGENTI × FEM!READER FIC ]

For @favonius-library 2023 Secret Santa gift exchange 🎄💝 Media: Honkai: Star Rail Characters: Reader (she/her; written in third person perspective), Argenti Word count: ~2.6k

Content warnings: Present day AU. Setting is based off the southwestern United States. Angst — this is (the beginning of) a story about grief, but also about love. Argenti and reader are in a pre-established relationship; both of them are the same age, and of majority age (20-21 years old). From the author: Happy holidays Mimi ( @aimixx ) ! It’s your Secret Santa here. Argenti… He is so… (screams into pillow and bites it). I hope you enjoy the story I’ve written for you — this is only chapter one, so there’ll be more to come in the future! Special thanks to @souglias + @verxsyon + @shiinleaf for giving this chapter a read-through and sharing your thoughts! Soundtrack: Heroes – The Midnight (live version) / 失恋ソング沢山聴いて 泣いてばかりの私はもう。(Summertime Render ED2) by Riria. / Way Back Home – Shaun / Meant To Be (Tower of Fantasy OST) – Shymie

:// 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 1: 𝙼𝙴𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙸𝙰

“y/n… y/n…” 

She stirs to the soothing lilt of her boyfriend's voice, his palm firm on her shoulder as he gently shakes her from her slumber. Her eyes flutter open to the incessant patter of raindrops outside the car window; beyond the rain-marred windshield, she can make out the sight of asphalt stretching into the horizon, flanked on either side by even concrete pavements and vibrant, tidy rows of bungalows. In any other time of year, perhaps this scene might have served as a tableau of prime suburban living, picture-perfect with lush gardens and the laughter of frolicking children; but today, their once vivid hues stood dampened and dulled beneath the descent of a frigid winter downpour. 

The car begins moving again. She sits up in the passenger seat, stretching to alleviate the stiffness in her neck. As the car turns into the driveway and into the shelter of the garage, she shifts her gaze towards her boyfriend. Even against the backdrop of the bleak outdoors, his signature crimson locks don’t lose their blazing lustre, remaining brilliant and bright even when up in a messy ponytail, framing his weary countenance.

He feels her eyes on him, and turns to her. His lips curve into the ever gentle, familiar smile she knows and loves as the car comes to a stop and he cuts the engine.

“We’re here,” he tells her. “Welcome to Roselied.” 

y/n and Argenti first met in their freshman year of university.

Their school ranked among the top in the nation. Admissions were reserved for none other than the cream of the crop; even then, those gruelling demands would prove only the tip of the iceberg for those lucky enough to comprise the student body.

It was with this understanding y/n pushed herself to the extreme late one night in freshman year. It would be the tennis team tryouts the next day, and she was dedicated to not wasting a single minute, perfecting serve and swing against an indomitable opponent: the back wall of the school’s locker rooms. Most of the school’s tennis team had been admitted on sports scholarships; anyone who was to fill in its remaining ranks would have to rise to their impeccable standard: that of those who had honed their form and skill for years, who had made the sport their lifeblood. Failure was not an option.

She would eventually lose track of time, though she cared not for the hours that had passed as much as for the number of hits she had missed, for the growing frequency of flaws in her form as the minutes wore on and fatigue crept up upon her. 

It was about then that Argenti appeared.

She still remembers the first time she saw him: turning around the corner to sharp, sudden glare she had shot him for his intrusion, wide-eyed astonishment mellowed to sympathy as she softened her gaze in apology, realising just how wound up she was in that moment. 

“I’m sorry,” he began, “I heard this weird thumping from back here, so I came to check it out.”

She had merely grunted in reply, and returned to her practice. She could afford no respite — not at this juncture.

Argenti continued to linger, observing her as she practised. He watched as weariness began to take its toll on her, her movements becoming more sluggish, her countenance more frustrated with every move she made. Each motion seemed to prove more laborious than the last. When minutes had passed and he had not left, she paused, intending to lay into him for being a distraction, but before she could speak up, he did:

“Why don’t we play a match together?”

At the incredulous expression on her face, he explained, “I do have some experience from playing back in high school. I might not be as good as you, but still… Practice is practice?”

She cast a glance at the wall before her. He was right — she’d make no proper progress continuing to play against the wall like this. After all, an inanimate entity could never hope to replicate the true circumstances of playing against an actual opponent: the unpredictability of their motions, the intensity of their presence, the dynamism of their being. 

And so they found themselves at opposite ends of the tennis court. Her spare racket in his grasp, Argenti primed himself for her serve. It was a pleasant surprise when he managed to receive it.

Thus continued their back and forth upon the deserted court. As the match went on, she realised he was only a little above the level of an amateur, playing not to defeat his opponent, but simply to be able to return the ball across the net. The rational inclination would have been to dismiss his efforts, to deem the current minutes wasted and better spent on practising by herself; yet she could not deny the pounding of her heartbeat, the thrill of the moment, the swirling sentiments rising from the pits of her stomach: she was having fun.

Another hit of the ball back at him. She noted the movements of his racket as he attempted to return it, the angle of which caused it to soar up, up into the air… He had shouted a hasty apology to her, but her attention was focused solely on the trajectory of the ball. 

As the ball descended into her court, she seized the golden opportunity, leaping into the air and smashing it back into his court. He rushed to receive it, but his unpracticed swing could not match its velocity; he felt the recoil of the ball against his wrist, and, in his momentary struggle to return it to her court, the ball lost its inertia, bounding off his racket to hit the net between them. 

Argenti bowed his head, a chuckle of concession leaving his lips. He raised his head back up to a sight whose memory still takes his breath away: her, smiling for the first time that night, the look in her eyes wishing, wanting, waiting for more.

He could not help the grin that spread across his face. Their eyes met, and in the gaze held between them, an unspoken understanding: gratitude met with encouragement, a newfound relief, and mutual admiration; the precedent of a sentiment beyond the banality of reason, of sparks beginning to fly.

He was the first to break the silence. “It’s late,” he told her. “We should be heading back. You’ve got a big day ahead of you tomorrow… You need the rest.

“You’re going to do great. I promise.”

And taking his advice would prove to be something she would later be grateful for — the following day, as she waited her turn on the bench beside the court, nerves ate away at her, allowing her no mental respite. As waves of anxiety overtook her mind, she wondered just how much more worn out she would be had she not heeded his words. 

“y/n,” the team manager announced her name, indicating the beginning of her turn in the tryouts. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the court. 

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she’d noticed the movement of a familiar, striking hue across the bleachers. She turned to see who it was, and there, in the top row, sat the face from last night: Argenti, casting her an encouraging smile, and giving her a thumbs up. 

She felt a surge of adrenaline through her veins. Tossing the ball in the air, she launched a powerful serve against her opponent… 

And the rest was history.  

Individual efforts, fates aligned — such was the impression left upon others of the romance between the rising star of the school’s tennis team and the gallant prince of the law faculty. The whispers, cheers and jeers alike dubbed the both of them campus royalty; and for all it’s worth, she knew it a title well-deserved on her part: the reward of consistent diligence and discipline factored into every facet of her life, from her consistently stellar academic performance to becoming the youngest member to represent the school in tennis competitions, and even in her everyday appearance and social engagements. 

Yet, when met with these comments, Argenti’s eyes always seemed to take on a certain sadness. It never lasts longer than an instant — a fleeting shadow, a trick of the light — but she had seen it enough times to know it was there. She had brought it up once, early on in their relationship, but he had been surprised at this observation, totally unaware of its occurrence and later dismissing it as a result of fatigue. It was thus that she surmised that perhaps it was an unconscious idiosyncrasy of his; and if there was really more to it, she trusted he would confide in her in time. 

When he first invited her to spend the year-end holidays with him at his hometown, the memory of that look in his eyes came back to her. She wondered if visiting the place where he grew up would bring her the answers she secretly desired. 

And now, as they pulled up to his childhood home amidst the merciless rain, she watched as the same melancholy bloomed in his eyes, more vivid, more forlorn than ever before. 

“Make yourself at home,” Argenti pushes open the door, stepping aside to allow y/n into the guest bedroom. “I hope you can forgive that we’ll be staying in different rooms.”

The room exudes a humble elegance: a high, queen-sized mattress with patterned bedsheets sat upon a frame of lacquered rosewood, complemented on either side by a wardrobe and bedside table of similar makes. Cream-coloured drapes hung before each of the windows, and, on an adjacent wall, a door leading into the attached bathroom, pristine, bright and replete with toiletries. 

y/n accepts the handle of her suitcase from Argenti and pulls it into the room. “It’s no problem at all,” she replies. “It’s your parents’ place after all. I totally understand, mine are the same way.”

She walks over to the wardrobe, setting down the last of her luggage in front of it, and turns to face him. He’s leaning against the door frame, smiling at her. He extends his arm, and takes her hand in his. “Want to see my room?” he asks.

She squeezes his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. The corners of her lips twitch upwards into a smile. “Of course.”

He grins, leading her down the hallway. The door just by the bannister of the staircase is painted the same cream white as others like it in the household, leave for the fact that its two panels were coloured in with wide, dry strokes of paint, a larger red panel atop a smaller one in gold. On the doorknob hung a wooden door hanger carved and painted to resemble a wilting rose, the letters of his name affixed to its faded silver stalk. 

He unlatches the door to his bedroom. Turning to face her, he takes both her hands in his as he walks backwards, pulling her into the space with him. 

Argenti’s bedroom is a museum of memory; the material of his very soul made manifest. The ivory-hued walls that surround them are adorned with posters of movies y/n recognized as his favourites, prints of famous paintings, a triangular flag bearing the colours and acronym of their university, as well as polaroids of himself with individuals around his age whom she did not recognize. Behind her, a hand-painted mural of roses blooming amidst vines bordered his room door on the inside.

Facing the doorway, an expansive stretch of windows occupied the widest wall in the room, framed by red curtains. Before the windows stood a vintage study desk, its surface faintly scratched and stained, with rows of drawers built into both sides of it and a swivel chair neatly tucked into the space between. On either side of his desk stood a wardrobe and a bookcase, while his bed sat in a corner away from the windows, neatly made: two pillows had been stacked at its head, while a row of worn, well-loved plush toys stood lined against the adjacent wall, while a quilt of exuberant hues lay folded at its foot.

Argenti steps towards his bed, unfolding the quilt into a larger rectangle. He sits down upon it, meeting y/n’s gaze and patting the space next to him. 

No sooner had she settled down next to him did the older, feminine voice of his mother rise from downstairs. “Argenti!” she calls. He sighs, casting an apologetic glance at y/n.

“I'm sorry,” he explains, rising from the bed. “We arrived earlier than anticipated, and my mom— Well, she was really excited to meet you. She doesn't want to keep you waiting for dinner.” 

y/n shakes her head. “It’s alright,” she replies, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

He shakes his head. “My mom wants to keep it a surprise.”

“Argenti!” yells his mother again. He rushes toward the staircase.  

“Leave the door open,” he calls after her. “Just look around at whatever you’d like! I’ll be right back up!”

As he descends the stairs to heed his mother’s call, y/n wanders the room on her lonesome, looking around at the myriad trinkets and items scattered about the room. Her eyes fall on his bookcase.

In the otherwise well-kept room, Argenti’s bookcase posed a region of chaos: books of varying subjects and genres lay upon its shelves in haphazard arrangements, employing no apparent system of organisation leave for that exclusive to the mind of its owner. Her eyes scan past rows of tattered exam guides with frayed spines, yellowed literary classics, thick biographies, glossy-covered fantasy and romance novels, before eventually arriving at the top shelf: the most organised level, chock full of yearbooks and photo albums, each labelled with their respective years.

Her face lights up with an impish curiosity. She perches on her tiptoes, stretching her utmost as she reaches towards the yearbook labelled ‘Roselied High School: Class of 2021’. As her fingertips graze the top of the yearbook, she trips over herself, losing her balance and tugging the yearbook down to the floor with her in a storm of dust and grime. 

The resounding thud sends Argenti into a panic. “y/n!” he cries, racing up the stairs from the kitchen, his hand still clad in an oven mitt. 

He breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of her unscathed, seated on his room floor. Yet, instead of turning to him or scrambling to help tidy the disarray surrounding her, she continued to face away from him, her interest piqued by an unknown object. 

He steps closer to see what she had found.

She holds a stack of photographs in her hands. She takes her time examining each of them, placing one behind the other one at a time. He notices the rest of the paraphernalia in front of her: a bundle of handwritten letters, bound with twine; a dried rose, each of its once white petals tinted with different hues of the rainbow; a spiral-bound notebook full to bursting newspaper clippings and post-it notes; a compact disc, its iridescent surface visible through its yellowed plastic casing; and two sheets of yellowed paper held together by a rusted staple, all neatly placed into the open wooden box he’d hidden at the very top of his bookcase, resting above all his photo albums and yearbooks.

“Argenti.” She senses his presence behind her, but does not turn to face him.

“Who is Idrila?”

[teecupangel]

Submitted by @saberamane

I’ve spent WAAAAYYYY too long thinking about this, so I figured I’d share.

A modern day AC AU where Desmond is a bartender at a high end strip club. Altair, Ezio, and Ratonhnhaké:ton are, of course, dancers. Altair starts out as his arrogant AC1 self, he has a nice body and knows it. Ezio is, of course, flirty and loves the attention dancing gets him. He doesn’t actually need the money seeing as his family is filthy rich. Meanwhile Ratonhnhaké:ton is dancing ONLY for the money. He’s quiet but perceptive, typically steering clear of Altair as he can be quite snooty, and Ezio because his flagrant flirting makes Ratonhnhaké:ton uncomfortable.

Desmond, while an experienced bartender, is new to the establishment. And within a month of his employment all three dancers come to the same conclusion.

They need to get Desmond to agree to a date.

Now I’m thinking this evolves into a harem situation, where at first all three want to date Desmond, then are trying to out compete each other for Desmond’s affections, and in the end all 4 of them are dating each other.

Also I was thinking of a schedule for the club, lol. It’d be a mixed club, so men and woman dancers, servers, bartenders, and clientele. Mondays are men only nights, so only men are working the club and only men are allowed in. A sort of ‘gay’ night, if you will. Likewise, Wednesdays are woman only, or 'lesbian’ night. Fridays are themed, which is posted the Monday before on their website. The theme can be anything, and while clientele are encouraged to also dress in the theme, it’s not mandatory, but the workers of the club have to dress as the theme. Some examples would be like holidays, Halloween, Christmas, valentines, st Patrick’s day, etc. And then Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are mixed crowds with the dancers allowed to do their own routines.

And I’m going to stop there, because I’ve already put too much thought into a fiction idea I probably won’t ever write due to time constraints lol.

=================

Addition from teecup:

I kinda like the idea that Desmond’s old bartending job is actually Bad Weather and he had to find a new one because Bad Weather got into… well… let’s just say it’s under investigation by the cops at the moment. The detective on the case was like “Don’t skip town for now, kid. Sure, you’re clean but it’ll look bad if you just leave while we’re investigating and shit” and Desmond got a job in the high end strip club because he has no other option. (And the pay was better than all the other options he had)

The owner looked super young to be the owner of a strip club but Desmond isn’t going to ask any questions at all and just goes to work in the high end strip club called “Thousand Eyes”.

And, ohohoho, he has been a bartender for a long time now so he knows when someone is attracted to him. All three of the best dancers being attracted to him?

Desmond didn’t like playing the field or even just leading someone on but her co-bartender Layla (a college student working there to pay for college) was like “No, no, this is pure entertainment gold, man. As long as you’re upfront about the whole ‘yeah, you three are thirsty for my dick’ (Layla!), you’ll be fine.” and well… Desmond didn’t really had any say about the matter in the end because Ezio goaded Altaïr and that turned into a competition between them which Ratonhnhaké:ton gets roped into. Desmond actually felt bad for Ratonhnhaké:ton until he realized that Ratonhnhaké:ton was just as competitive as the two and, really, having the attention of three hot men were too much for Desmond. He was only human and Layla was the devil on his shoulder pushing him to the dark side and yeah…

Desmond decided to milk it.

It backfired and he fell in love with all three of them instead.

Fuck.

Unorganized Notes:

Shaun is the accountant of the strip club. He comes every few weeks and always leaves slightly buzzed after hearing the latest ‘competition’ for Desmond’s hand. (Desmond is sure Shaun is living vicariously thru him… but he’s not going to say that out loud)

Layla is the main bartender for the woman only days and she’s an engineering student. She has a girlfriend named Deanna who likes to come to the club and watch her girlfriend get flirted with by other people. Desmond likes to joke it’s a voyeur thing, Layla keeps telling him that he’s not using the right word.

Clay is also a bartender and is in charge of the website and social media accounts of the strip club. On the side, he has a discord server where he talks about the shenanigans the three go to just to catch Desmond’s attention and people in his discord (which pretty much includes the regulars and some of the employees except the three idiots and the object of their affection) love it. He’s the sole reason why the strip club has an online shipping war going on and he’s milking it because of the whole ‘support your bias by coming to the club!’ posts.

Desmond has no idea who makes the ‘menu’ for private dances but he thinks they are either a genius who wishes to remain anonymous or they’re hiding their identity because they know they’re gonna get killed because some of the menu names are ‘Brotherly Love’ for requesting Malik and Kadar at the same time, ‘Trust Fund Babes’ for requesting Arno and Ezio together, and, Desmond’s favorite that he will never say out loud, ‘Repressed Catholic Special (10% off if you show your rosary)’ that is actually just Altaïr but he gets to order the customer around for the entire time.

Lots of customers want Evie to step on them (of all genders).

I feel like Jacob’s gonna have the most elaborate Magic Mike numbers for some reason.

Shao Jun has the most acrobatic set pieces and hers usually get a lot of applause because she’s a really great dancer.

Ezio’s family knows he’s a stripper and they just… let him do whatever he wants. The one time Claudia shows up in the club, Ezio actually messes his dance because “Jesus Fuck, that’s my sister!” and Claudia is like “Noooo, eeewwww, that’s my brother!”. She would sometimes show up when she knows Ezio won’t be dancing. To be sure, she always texts Ezio: “any chance I’ll see your ugly ass tonight?” and Ezio would always text back “Claudia! Stop texting me like this! People will get the wrong idea!” then text a few seconds later “No. Have fun. Make sure to tip well.”

Nikolai is the main bouncer. Cross is also a bouncer but he can get a bit too violent at times so he’s only allowed to work if Nikolai, his uncle, works with him.

Arbaaz is the father of Jayadeep who is also a stripper in the club. Arbaaz does not know about his son’s ‘part-time job’.

You know in some cabaret clubs, they actually have a wall of “top ‘employees’ of the month” and it’s ranking the top 10 for that month and I kinda think Reda would do the same because he knows many of his employees are competitive idiots.

The usual top one is Bayek, hands down. He goes to stage, people start throwing money.

… Is it too much if the ‘menu’ name for Alexios and Kassandra is ‘I Would Like One Bisexual Awakening’?

Eivor’s the only stripper that dances for both women only and men only days.

The Borgias are regulars. They tip well but they’re very handsy. They all favor Ezio.

… It would be funny if Abbas was in the corner, shades on, with a cap and being totally weird and out of place. Desmond sees him the first time and asks Clay if they should be worried about that dude in the corner. Clay goes “Naaahh, he’s harmless. I mean, he’s a weirdo that gets off getting ignored by Altaïr during his stage time but… harmless.”

You know what, all Templars are regulars and they favor the Assassin that killed them in canon (oh god, should… should we include Vidic thirsting over Desmond???)

Sidenote: I feel you. With the upcoming August megaposting this year, I’m scrambling just to prepare for the fics I wanna write for that month and there’s soooo many good ideas I have and ones I get from you guys XD Anyway, this is the best we can offer each other and to anyone who reads and enjoy this. :)

[thefallenangelsgang]

FALLOUT 4 HEADCANON MASTERPOST

two and a half years ago (👀) I posted a list of headcanons right around when I started playing around with the ideas in my fallout WIP

I've decided they ( 1 + 2 ) need to be updated and added to especially after Death Shroud gave me so many great ideas/things I want to steal. Added break to save you dash my loves <3

I will keep adding to this lmao

SECTIONS:

Post #1 Revisions

Post #2 Revisions

Death Shroud Stuff I'm Kidnapping

Misc Stuff From Asks, Mods, and My Brain (AKA THE LONGEST SECTION)

From #1 (Link Here)

We are keeping chair bound Murphy

I may or may not be recanting my gangly tall 'n thin Hancock HC. I oscillate wildly between wanting him to be Eldritch God™ tall and "gimme uppies! :3" short. He may end up being both. His height will be whatever is funniest for the bit.

oh yeah Sarah Lyons got merc-ed B)

We are still kicking with Kellogg in Nicky's skull but with the added angsty-ness brought in by Death Shroud. Oh the plot! Oh how it hurts so good! Kellogg wanting to find someway to punish the SoleSu(s) and Nick for picking through his memories? Ugh! Give me it all.

We are cutting Billy and the Fridge. I don't want to deal with the nightmare plot holes it will bring up and Quincy will already have enough BS. Plus the more I think about it the less I like the whole quest and its placement. Fuck! Maybe he'll be referenced in Publick Occurrences? I don't care! We're loosey goosey bay-be!

- 10. can stay. I have no issues with them and nothing funny to add

From #2 (Link Here)

Now I can bring up my beloved Vault-Tec Rep. Him in the Death Shroud? Perfect. Beautiful. Stunning. I no longer have to call him Paul Eiding as a very direct nod to his VO. Our Beloved David Dwecker is married to Sheffield and they have a house in Sanctuary filled with Nuka-Cola memorabilia (for Sheffield) and collectable plates (the kind grandmothers display for our lovely Rep). They have a little sitting area set up in the carport where they hangout, smoke, and dance together to Diamond City Radio. I need this for my mental health okay?

Shaun being Autistic is something I really want to explore. I truly forget who I first saw say this but it is not an original idea by any means. I also think the poor thing would have some level of trauma from everything so exploring that is gonna be fun! (no it will not oh my god I'm going to dredge up all my childhood issues.)

OHHHH CHRISTMAS. YULETIDE. FEAST OF ST. NICHOLAS. I find the "Seth Patrick" bit SO funny in Death Shroud so that is staying but also I feel like the feast of St. Nicholas got jokingly flipped into a celebration of Nick Valentine (Same with Valentine's Day) and people are beginning to forget the correct version. Nick tolerates it with an eye roll and a wry joke about people needing to read their history books but secretly finds the whole thing funny. Ellie has a santa suit for Nick to don during "his" holiday. Also the school children in Diamond City send Nick "Valentines" on valentines day and he displays them on his corkboard.

Music. My god the Johnny Guitar bit had me by the throat during Death Shroud. Expand those music libraries! Before you know it I'm gonna give Travis a rolling ladder attached to bookcases upon bookcases of records and holotapes. I want to hear people complain about how many Andrews Sisters records survived and God why won't Travis stop playing them!

The Flavor of Goodneighbor needs to be so complex. Like a good pasta sauce. I better be so overcome by the layers and smells and textures. Better Goodneighbor and Better Third Rail are really good starts but I'm expanding the shit out of both of them I think. I want to feel like Goodneighbor truly is dangerous to be in. Being able to cross most of the town in one sprint burst isn't cutting it Bethany Esda! Make it truly baffling how Hancock knows so much about the happenings in his town.

- 8. are about the BoS and I stand by them. You will get to meet my Lone Wanderer and learn about the hierarchies a little better. I redesigned the Orders and added one I think? I have to re-sort those notes lmao. Also the piloting thing is like MAJORLY important to me because the frequency of vertibird crashes in game pissed me off to no end.

From Death Shroud (@chadfallout76podcast THANK YOU)

Danse is just... Like That now. I can't wait to explore his character before and after Blind Betrayal especially because he will not be leaving the Brotherhood and he will still be Like That. [spoiler warning ;) for my story lol] I can't wait for the beautiful moments that will be born of it.

I actually kind of love some of the plot points in Death Shroud like the Mob Family wars? Staying 100%. Same with Ma and Boss Lombardo and some of the other families.

As is Charlie but I refuse to let him die. I got very attached to Charlie and his death was so perfect but this time he gets to stay alive dammit.

Magnolia sending Magnolia flowers with her letters? Genius

Vault-Tec Rep (David my beloved) being the saddest, wettest cat of a man imaginable when he's in Goodneighbor? Also fucking genius.

"Fish-lips" Malone being part of the same family as Skinny has me so excited for more mob family bullshit.

Ruffino's and the Black Rose is being transplanted somewhere and maybe might be near the Combat Zone. New den of sin anyone?

Obviously I'm not going to attempt to pull apart the fabric of reality in-canon but my god Death Shroud was fun <3

Some new Misc HCs

Diamond City is bigger and more populated, kind of in the same vein as the Goodneighbor HC. I haven't found a mod layout I like so I might end up redesigning it (Please kill me)

This is an old one from an ask! Hancock will help work the bar at the Third Rail occasionally. He's a notorious show off and his cocktails are mainly just straight liquor but he entertains the hell out of people when he dives over the bar to take orders and bother Whitechapel Charlie. There are major losses on nights he bartends due to the fact he forgets (sometimes purposefully) to take payment. Regulars know to put the cash in the tip jar so Whitechapel can collect it at the end of the night.

Another thing I'm keeping from an ancient ask, Danse wants kids. Badly. And the crushing blow of being sterile really fucks with him for a while. but he eventually comes to terms with it. He's also still touchy (as in he's always touching his partner) per that ask because I think that's cute.

I'm just going through old asks now lmao. Nick and Ellie dance together like the true father-daughter pair they are

I forgot who drew this but I once saw someone pair Sturges and Ellie together and that is the cutest damn thing so it stays.

MacReady got the Lone Wanderer's Grognak magazine as a gift for letting them into Little Lamplight and it's one of his prized possessions.

Macready and the Lone Wanderer's reunion is very cute my dudes.

More general slice of life stuff like fishing on the mainland and boats, more things to do in general, transportation, cool amputees, and other shit listed in this post I reblogged YEARS ago

OH Travis and Scarlett get married <3

Danny Sullivan skips town after taking the fun way down from the mayor's office and travels with some cross country caravans before coming back to work in Diamond City. YES HE LIVES!

Holy fuck i forgot I had this mod but the Institute projects the sky up on their ugly concrete dome because this mod fucks hard

Just the general vibe of raiders employing children and stringing more dead mutilated bodies about. There are mods for that and let me tell you they make the raider camps horrifying. No I will not be linking them. But they are available on Nexus should you want them.

Okay I'm changing the layout of everything apparently: Including but not limited to the Railroad HQ, The Prydwen, Vault 111, etc. Fuck game design I guess lmao. I like XFreakish's Railroad Redone and NordKitten's A Sensible Prydwen Overhaul for in game and basically plan to build off of them.

The asks: Hancock bartending, Danse wanting kids and being into physical affection, Nick and Ellie Dancing + MacReady and the LW's Grognak (same ask)

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

🔎 YA Under the Radar Part 6 🔍

for a long time, I've been keeping (and eventually posting) lists of YA books I read that have received less attention than they deserve. it's been more than 12 months since I posted the last list in this series but I finally hit 50 the other day so here it is, the latest instalment of my YA Under the Radar series 😊

all of these books have less than 15,000 ratings on Goodreads, give or take, and were books that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. I've marked ones with queer rep with pride flag emojis and ones with disability rep with wheelchair symbols. be sure to check them out!

Vampires Never Get Old (ed.) by Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C Parker 🏳️‍🌈 ♿️

Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales (ed.) by Poppy Nwosu 🏳️‍🌈

How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow 🏳️‍🌈

This Poison Heart duology by Kalynn Bayron 🏳️‍🌈

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

Slipping the Noose by Meg Caddy 🏳️‍🌈

Into the Crooked Place duology by Alexandra Christo

The Scapegracers series by HA Clarke 🏳️‍🌈

Lakesedge duology by Lyndall Clipstone

Clean by Juno Dawson 🏳️‍🌈♿️

Meat Market by Juno Dawson 🏳️‍🌈♿️

Wonderland by Juno Dawson 🏳️‍🌈

Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson 🏳️‍🌈♿️

The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake 🏳️‍🌈♿️

The Witch King duology by HE Edgmon 🏳️‍🌈

The Not So Chosen One by Kate Emery

Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller

Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard 🏳️‍🌈

At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson 🏳️‍🌈♿️

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson 🏳️‍🌈

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson 🏳️‍🌈

Social Queue by Kay Kerr ♿️

Kiss and Tell by Adib Khorram 🏳️‍🌈

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger 🏳️‍🌈

What They Don’t Know by Nicole Maggi

Fix by J Albert Mann ♿️

The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

The Killing Code by Ellie Marney 🏳️‍🌈

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore 🏳️‍🌈♿️

Fraternity by Andy Mientus 🏳️‍🌈

Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz 🏳️‍🌈♿️

At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp 🏳️‍🌈♿️

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal ♿️

The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins

Wider Than the Sky by Katharine Rothschild 🏳️‍🌈

Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin 🏳️‍🌈

Crown of Coral and Pearl duology by Mara Rutherford

Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass 🏳️‍🌈

The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers by Adam Sass 🏳️‍🌈

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa 🏳️‍🌈

Market of Monsters trilogy by Rebecca Schaeffer

Windfall by Jennifer E Smith

Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E Smith

Arden Grey by Ray Stoeve 🏳️‍🌈

Definitions of Indefinable Things by Whitney Taylor ♿️

Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton & Aśka 🏳️‍🌈 ♿️

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White 🏳️‍🌈 ♿️

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

Henry Hamlet’s Heart by Rhiannon Wilde 🏳️‍🌈

Where You Left Us by Rhiannon Wilde 🏳️‍🌈

More of my rec lists can be found in my "book recommendations" tag

[shesboundtobruise]

i know it's dead o'clock and already xmas here on the EST, but i've been meaning to try to drop this holiday hc blurb since, idk, dec. 1st. anyway... this time of year is, uh, not great for lou, so i'm gonna cruise down a list of things main verse (here) lou does to celebrate/not celebrate:

honestly? she doesn't really decorate her home with anything festive for the season. her store gets a little bit of a holiday makeover, but that's mainly to not bum folks out and keep that cashflow coming. she tries to respectfully represent a variety of holidays without appropriation or misrepresentation. for example, the baked goods she gets daily for the store become more of different holiday favorites across religions, faiths, celebrations, etc.

she was raised in a christian home, and thus, raised with christmas on the main stage, but, in her adult life, she really does nothing to celebrate. her idea of a good christmas is a bottle of the finest whiskey she can get her hands on, excellent takeout from whatever restaurant around her is open, and listening to probably the saddest songs she has in her collection, ending with louis armstong's "what a wonderful world." if you don't know the story behind that, ask after the holidays. i don't wanna be responsible for bumming you tf out.

lou spends christmas eve and christmas day volunteering anywhere that needs help (think soup kitchens, shelters, children's hospitals). it's better than staying completely alone...

as she drinks her christmas night away, she drafts at least ten texts to eddie. all with words like, "i miss you" and such. one of these times she's going to accidentally hit send and screw up her little life in solitude.

she sends out anonymous holiday cards to folks she cares about, like the conlon family. anonymous because she doesn't want people tracking her down and surprising her, and in the case of the conlons, she still feels so much guilt over what happened to shaun, despite them (sans dom) never blaming her.

sometimes, very rarely though, she go out and get laid. because santa shouldn't be the only one coming that night. bad joke, i know, but it's hers and i'm gonna embarrass her for that.

that's all my tired, pneumonia-ridden brain can think of now. pls be kind to your local vinyl-selling drunk this holiday season.

[loquaciousquark]

4-Sided Dive Highlights - Critical Role C3 up to E40 (Dec. 7, 2022)

It's Christmas! We'll pretend this isn't three weeks late as we join Liam, Laura, Matt, and Taliesin. Liam wins host with a 6 and Matt nearly topples the Jenga tower cheering. The host's script instructs him to intro in song ("Motherfucker!") and to The Twelve Days of Christmas we get "On tonight's 4-Sided Dive/We will have for you/A silly gift exchange game, Mercer's Nein Mighty's reunited, Taliesin played as Kingsley, Orym totally died, and Laura Bailey sundered a tree. Let's fucking do a show!"

What the Happy Holidays Fuck is Up With That? Everyone is sad Eshteross is dead. Matt never killed Allura or Shaun or Essek, so this took the players by surprise. Matt says it was possible in any campaign (Gilmore & Allura did almost die), but it still sucked for him to do. There's been a lot of death for this party in the two-three months they've been together.

Laura says it felt like Otohan was toying with them; the only reason they're not all dead is that she wanted them to live. Matt says it was meant to be a deadly encounter but she was defeatable. Now they have something to work for.

Everyone wants to know where Imogen's mom is. The moon? Yios? Is the city on the moon old or did Otohan set up a popup town?

The were clan was very cool and they were all very attractive. They joke about derailing the campaign to set up a dating sim in the Gorgynei and leaving the moon stuff to Vox Machina.

Matt was so stressed going into the VM stuff, which Liam brings up to discuss as he wasn't on the last episode. "All I could think of leading up to us recording that next session was going, 'Oh shit! I have to do multiple characters of your characters in front of you to each other! Great.'" Everyone agrees that Matt did an awesome job representing their characters. There are a lot of side conversations the players didn't get to see; Matt thinks everyone was communicating with each other on the back end (especially with Percy) while the ritual was going on.

After a dig from Taliesin, Matt reveals that the old Talks faux-pas where some incredibly expensive scotch was mixed with Coke was not actually his doing; it was mixed for him. Sure, Matt. Sure.

Taliesin and Matt discussed Whitestone's advancement and development over the years, since it's a bunch of very expensive resources in a very tiny space. Taliesin tells us that the acid pit has become a low yield battery electrifying street lights at night in the city. "What Lex Luthor could have been with better friends."

Laura protests that she knows nothing about the Ruidus flares and is met with general skepticism. Matt tells us the flares have happened for years with no pattern; this isn't a new thing. However, the recurrences are getting more frequent.

What's causing the flares, the gods trying to break free? Otohan? Laura doesn't think Otohan is on the moon. Laura posits that the city is all the gods' original worshipers; when the gods were bound there, all their worshipers & belief were transported there and bound with them, since that's what gives the gods power. Laura realizes belatedly (and very dramatically) that if this were true, the BH's efforts to figure out what's going on are actually weakening the barriers to belief and helping them be released. Liam has been wondering this for a while, apparently--what if Otohan is the hero and BH are accidentally releasing these evil gods? Horror upon horrors! Matt's poker face reveals nothing, argh.

The Mighty Nein reunited! Everyone loves Kingsley's vibe. Laura regrets not at least calling Caduceus for help. Laura improvs calling him in the moment, and oh my gosh I've missed Cad's voice so much. "Caduceus, Uk'otoa's free and we need your help! Can you come, please? Because you're a healer, and I'm still a healer, but you're better." "Hey. Oh wow! Yeah. Look, I'm kinda stuck here, working on a spell and my house that needs to be fixed. I wish I could help." Taliesin tells us he's in the middle of resetting the Blooming Grove by casting Temple of the Gods, which must be cast in the same place every day for a year. This is partly why Tal played Kingsley; he couldn't justify Caduceus leaving for this, and Kingsley had imprinted hard on the pirate life and would be more fun anyway.

They all loved the incredible fight and AMAZING mini. The tactics were super fun and they loved the opportunitis to experiment. Matt thanks Tyler Walpole who designed the mini and Ian of Iron Tusk who did the painting.

Matt talks about how they left many long term threads open at the end of C2 "like Law & Order for twenty years." He was glad for the opportunity to come back and close this one.

Uk'otoa is not a god, he's the creation of the god the Cloaked Serpent. He's just very powerful, and when the gods were sealed beyond the Divine Gate, he took his old god's dominion in the Lucidian Ocean by the Menagerie Coast for his own. He converted some of the Ki'Nau people there to his worship which gave him power. It wouldn't have been world-ending if they'd failed to seal him, but it would have changed a large chunk of the navigable waters in that area.

The Tower of Inquiry! It visibly wobbles multiple times, but Laura manages to get the block pulled. What would your characters' custom cocktails be? Imogen: a dark and stormy with the beer head being lavender-infused. Orym: an Aviation (which Marisha drinks a lot and Liam dislikes), which apparently tastes like potpourri, yuck. Ashton: a drink Taliesin can't remember the name of which involves pouring lots of clear liquors together with fruit infusions, which must be drunk quickly to avoid it seeping through the paper cup. Matt for Weva: Corpse Reviver (gin, Lillet blanc, orange liqueur and fresh lemon juice).

Gasp, an abuse of power: Liam forces Laura to go pull from the Tower again immediately, which she does successfully despite great sturm und drang. #10: what would your characters' phone cases be? Orym: a blue gem case. Ashton: duct tape over a cracked screen. Imogen: full horse girl with a custom case from a photo of Flora. Eshteross: a Blackberry with a silver stylus, ha!

The Deep Dive! Orym is just trying to do right by his group, lots of push ups and egg whites. He's feeling very overwhelmed all the time, but he tries to focus on the job at hand. There's no way forward without the group, and he's wondering if the current crazy conversations are what Keyleth and Percy used to experience. His death was a moment of certainty in his abject failure to everyone he loved, but he's dutiful and wants to serve, so he keeps his panic quietly to himself. :(

Imogen is also overwhelmed at the minute with the roller coaster of emotion. Her mom's alive but refuses to see her; they don't know what's happening with the moon. Liam marvels at the dichotomy of seeing this path of power before her that she seems clearly fated to master, and yet fearing becoming a villain if she leans into it too much.

Orym is flat-out the reason that Ashton joined the group because of his connection with "Ashari," similar to the "Hishari" keyword connecting Ashton to his past. The moment everyone went down in the Otohan fight was the moment Ashton realized he was genuinely invested and was going to have to put in an effort to build these relationships. Liam loves Ashton's reaching out to people and feels Orym and Ashton have started becoming quietly supportive.

Matt imagined the Claret Orders scattering throughout the world to help those who were cursed. The Gorgynei were a splinter group focused specifically on lycanthropes, and Matt created them in response to Chetney. Matt LOVES taking elements from the characters' narratives (some backstories, some future goals) and getting to tease and reveal it in game. Travis especially "lights up like a lighthouse" when he realizes they're getting into character material. Matt also says definitively that there are no wereherbivores. Alas.

Orym doesn't really blame himself for having his mind read to reveal Eshteross's location; he's a swordsman with no magical defenses. Matt knows a ton about Eshteross's backstory and hopes to get to discuss it soon.

Imogen doesn't think she created her own dreams, even though she can control aspects of them now.

Character block break!

Ashton's habitually being left behind causes low expectations of other people. "People come. People go. People die. People don't. It's kind of just how it goes. It's a very low-impact reality." All his intimate relationships thus far have been built on that, with knowing everyone loved and cared for each other while still maintaining a safe distance.

Yios, the City of Flowing Light! It's illustrious and in the middle of the lake and is rivaled only by Ank'harel in its places of learning. It's a mostly orc/half-orc society.

Orym felt awful about being chosen over Laudna; it echoed everything in his past where the important people were gone and he was still there.

Imogen/Laura "sobbed every single day" Laudna was dead.

Ashton's feelings about his own death are very different to Laudna's resurrection. He deserved what happened to him; she didn't.

Matt considered bringing in Essek to fight alongside the M9 but didn't want to overshadow the main characters; plus, he's still in hiding from nearly being executed. It would have had to be seriously dangerous for him to come out. Matt was glad for the brief cameo at the end.

The Tower of Inquiry, Reprise! Laura pulls a third block even faster than the last two, but the tower wobbles dangerously. What would your characters hoard as dragons? Ashton: things that are not useful: string, packaging from iPhones. Caleb: a pile of flame-retardant books. Orym: a pile of pies; Vax: a horde of days in the sun, ouch. Percy: a mine of money and magical rocks and oh, right. Jester: sweets. Imogen: a field of flowers.

The Tower of Inquiry, Matt Edition: he baaaarely manages to pull one successfully, but does. Laura: "Let me propose something to you. If we stop pulling from the tower now, then whoever does 4-Sided Dive next is going to have to suffer the consequences of our actions." Liam: "You're asking me to band together with you and turn on them. I'll take it into consideration."

Is it hard to keep character backstories from each other? Liam prefers delighting/disappointing people at the table, so it's not hard for him. Taliesin likes keeping it secret as well, but did talk with Travis about blood hunters. He often tells secrets to Dani because she likes knowing secrets, ha! Laura has a tough time not discussing it with people.

Liam is gone to the bathroom and orders Laura to pull another block while he's gone. However, mutiny from the inside reveals no block pulled and a charade played by all remaining actors instead. Except--a second twist! Liam doesn't actually go to the bathroom, he goes to play a wolf puppet with glasses whose mouth hardly ever moves (I get the impression Liam is having to work very hard to stay up with the teleprompter). Wolfie tells us the story of Winter's Crest with more racing hot rods and Errevon the Rimelord vs. Santa than I think I remember from C1.

Post-Break Shenanigans! A gift-exchange game based on die rolls, apparently a combination of White Elephant and Dirty Santa, along with questions scattered about throughout.

Weva was created as an interesting mirror to a society that can speak with the dead and bring the dead back to life. She reminds Matt of the theater goth girls he knew in high school that used to ask him if he knew about rotten.com.

Orym has gotten glimpses of Percy & Vex in the past, and it was cool for him to be in the company of greatness.

Ashton is growing more comfortable with physical contact from the BHs the more he gets to know the BHs. Strangers cause worse pain.

Matt was very excited to get to play the Uk'otoa oneshot. The Earthquake spell at the temple really shook up his plans, ha ha ha.

For Laura, killing Delilah twice was beautiful. She was terrified to fight her at that level.

Laura keeps rolling the "steal a present" number and holds the entire stack in her arms like a child. It's hilarious.

Jester loves living at sea; all she wanted when she left home was to have an adventure, and this is a chance for her to get to destroy and create. She thinks she and the Traveler have become really good friends but she understands him better now; it's like knowing your parents after you've grown up, where you understand better where they've come from.

For Laura, seeing Vex in all her glory was fabulous. She thinks Matt well understood Vex's motivations and her greed/generosity.

Liam felt so low with Orym's death. "It was not the way I would have ever wanted his story to end." Seeing Will was beautiful.

Caleb went to the Soltryce Academy because it's better to keep your enemies close, and also Beau made him.

Final gift tally:

Taliesin: looseleaf tea, a ball of Band-Aids (ew!), a laser pen, and deer knuckle bones (fitting)

Matt: an Oculus Quest 2 (!) and staffer Jerry's stapler

Laura: a small digital camera that insta-prints photos, A BAG OF SAM'S BABY TEETH GOD WHY

Liam: a ream of printer paper, the original shellacked Tower of Inquiry (ha!), candles from Cantrip Candles, and duct tape & gaffer tape

(It should also be noted that I was tracking these in real time as they switched and stole from each other, and at one point Laura gave Liam the shellacked tower in exchange for another gift--only at that point the tower was actually TALIESIN'S and not hers to give, so clearly the whole thing is moot and ought to be redone)

Liam makes Laura draw one last time from the Tower due to her earlier truthlessness, hahaha. No topple, though this sucker is now precarious. Theme songs for characters? Imogen: Barracuda by Heart. Orym: Queen. Ashton: War Baby.

We close on a gripping monologue about the tragic ephemeral joy experienced by seasonal decorations from a set Santa statue in a pilgrim hat. Who's writing these??

And that's it! Merry Christmas, and is it Thursday yet?

[abstergo-industries-hr]

Hello Abstergo Family,

As a reminder from yesterday, Abstergo does NOT authorize “fight clubs” in our parking garage, even if yesterday was called “Boxing Day.” I’m sure it has nothing to do with actual boxing, and now we at HR have reams of paperwork to fill out for accident reports.

For future reference, “Boxing Day” has nothing to do with fighting and is a Commonwealth holiday. If you want to know what it means…the lobby barista is British and he might know. Wait, was that a micro aggression? Am I going to have to take remedial workplace training now?

- Bree from HR

FYI, Shaun the barista will be happy to go on for ages about Boxing Day—I know from personal experience. So, maybe don’t ask him if you still want a reason to live.

No, wait, actually, everyone in this office needs to go ask him about Boxing Day and other British holidays. I mean EVERYONE. It’ll provide a perfect distraction for the Assassins….this really boring week between holidays.

- Clay the “Intern”

[super-unpredictable98]

The Curse of Wertham Hollow (Misfits x Curse of Bridge Hollow x IT Crossover)

Word Count: 3k Warning: Strong language, mention of death, gore a/n: Happy @sheehalloween everyone! This event has been amazing and it was awesome reading and seeing all your creations. This fic was written before the movie Curse of Bridge Hollow came out lol I just really liked the concept and wanted to use it even without knowing how it would work on the movie. I think it turned out pretty neat (despite having nothing to do with the actual film) with the addition of Pennywise and I hope you all enjoy it.

(Masterlist)

"Don't you think you're a little old for trick or treating?" Nathan asked as he made his way with Lydia and the rest of the gang to the posh part of town where Simon's house was, and by extension, Lyddie's old home as well.

"Why? Do you have something better to do?" She asked defiantly, which was really funny considering she was dressed as Kiki from the movie Kiki's Delivery Service.

Nathan covered his mouth not to laugh, she looked so adorable he simply couldn't take her anger seriously. He was dressed as Tombo as per his girlfriend's request, even though he had never seen the movie and didn't know any of the characters.

The rest of the gang had the most generic costumes, Curtis and Alisha were matching as Danny and Sandy, Kelly repurposed an old dress and added a pointy hat to become a witch, and Simon was L from Death Note (which could hardly be considered a costume without the black wig, it was basically what he wore to bed).

"I think Lyds wanted to see our house," Simon mumbled, brushing his hair away from his eyes. "Dad always goes all out with the decorations and it's her favorite holiday."

Nathan made a face despite deep down feeling kinda bad for her. She had to hide from her own family, her dad seemed like an actually cool guy and he couldn't begin to imagine how much she missed him. All for what? To be with him. It made him feel a little guilty when he stopped to think about it.

"Besides, we're just killing time until the party," Alisha added.

"What sort of party starts at midnight anyway? People have jobs," Kelly grumbled, already tired of having to wake up early every single day for community service. "And I don't even get paid, it's bollocks."

"It's Halloween!" Lydia tried to cheer her up and lighten the mood. "The Midnight Monster Ball is a tradition, besides it's not like Shaun is gonna be watching us, you can take a nap tomorrow while we pick up litter or something."

"Y'gotta find yourself a bloke," Nathan teased. "Maybe this time a different primate, like an orangutan, or a chimpanzee!"

"Shut up, you prick!" Kelly barked.

The banter going down within the group stopped them from realizing something didn't feel right. As they walked down the streets, the number of children was getting smaller, which could be because it was past 10:30, but it wasn't the case. 

The lights in the houses were mostly off and instead of creepy Halloween decorations, they saw empty, boring lawns with unkempt grass. 

Even the Bellamy house didn't have the traditional zombies and skeletons Lyddie's dad always liked to display, the only reminder of the most beloved holiday in that household was a couple of pumpkins by the doorstep.

"Is dad okay?" She asked, turning a worried frown at Simon.

"I think so, when I left everything was up like always," he narrowed his eyes, trying to see into the house through the window and check if there was anyone home. "I put the stuff up myself with Blossom two weeks ago."

"Do you think someone nicked it?" Curtis asked. "Thought this part of town was a little safer."

"What are the chances? Who would want some old props? Besides, every other house is missing their stuff too," Lydia looked around, her heart sinking with the realization that something twisted was about to unravel.

"Maybe it's a serial killer, only instead of killin', he steals Halloween decorations," Nathan suggested. "Maybe someone wanted t'have the scariest house and wiped away the competition!"

"Do you actually have a brain or is it just echo in there?" Alisha asked mockingly.

Before he could get her with a witty comeback, someone (or something) passed them by. It was massive, at least eight feet tall, and moved with surprising agility for its size.

"Is that the Frankenstein?" He asked.

"The Frankenstein's monster, Frankenstein is the name of the doctor, not the creature," Simon corrected.

"Cool costume," Curtis shrugged before they kept walking to see if the problem with the houses continued on the other blocks.

The streets that just a moment ago seemed desert now were filled with people roaming in elaborate costumes: ghosts, witches, skeletons, demons... and even some more recognizable ones like Ghostface or Michael Myers.

"JESUS CHRIST!" Lydia jumped when a swarm of demonic babies with sharp fangs and red eyes crawled by her feet like roaches. 

The exclamation seemed to attract the attention of all the other creatures walking around and as if they were sharing a hive mind, they all stopped what they were doing to stare at the group.

"Lydia... Isn't that dad's old zombie?" Simon's voice cracked when he pointed at the undead man walking among the monsters at the end of the street. 

"What? The zombie from your yard just came t'life like some sort of Pinocchio from hell and left?" Nathan laughed.

"Mr. Spencer's grim reaper, Mrs. Callway's vampire, Lana Kadri's ghost bride," Lydia grew more horrified with each prop she was able to recognize. "Run!"

When the group took off to get away from whatever that was, they were followed by a large cloud of bats and a crowd of ghosts, the white ones that look like someone covered in bed sheets.

"Is this about the storm?" Alisha asked. 

"I don't know," she stopped to hide under the porch at her parent's house. "All I know is that the decorations I used to see every year are fucking walking around by themselves!" 

"That's just great, that's fuckin' amazin'," Nathan groaned, tossing and turning. "What the fuck is this? Fuckin' Scooby-Doo? There are actual monsters out there, what the fuck do we do?"

"Is this just in this neighborhood or do you think it's all over the Estate?" Simon asked.

"How the fuck are we s'posed t'know?" 

"Someone has a potty mouth..." a raspy voice called from behind them.

"JESUS! NO! KILL IT!" Alisha yelped, crawling out of their hiding spot only to get up and find herself face to face with the scariest clown she had ever seen, smiling and showing its sharp teeth covered in blood.

"Hey there, Lisha," it called.

"What?" Lydia and the others soon followed when they heard their friend's scream. "Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck! Mr. Wallace's Pennywise... Shit! This isn't how I pictured meeting Tim Curry for the first time!"

"This ain't Tim Curry, love, that's a demon!" Nathan practically hid behind her in the presence of that creature.

"Alien," she corrected, much like her brother would do.

"Beep beep, Nathan," Pennywise teased before seemingly disappearing into thin air. 

"Is he gone?" Kelly asked.

"It, it's pronoun is it..." Lydia mumbled.

To answer their question, a knife dropped from the sky and stabbed the grass right between Curtis' feet before the rain started to pour, only instead of water drops, small needles were falling from the sky. 

"Let's get out of here!" Simon warned and they all went inside the house, except for Curtis, who tried, but a pair of hands grabbed his legs from underneath the porch.

"Let me go!" He pleaded, but the rain grew heavier, stabbing little holes all over his arms and shoulders. "What the fuck is this?" 

"Let's see if you run again," the clown's voice echoed around him, the same knife that landed next to him, now slashed his ankles, tearing his sturdy achiles tendons completely and shedding a puddle of blood that covered the grass rapidly causing excruciating pain.

Curtis was about ready to faint when he felt another pair of hands pulling him up and into the house, thankfully this time it was Nathan. Once they shut the front door, the cuts were gone, as if they never even existed.

"Fuck, I thought I was done for..." Curtis muttered, grabbing at his legs to make sure he wasn't hurt.

"Nah, we're all fine, we're all- JESUS CHRIST!" Nathan screamed when he found all the others laying on the floor, agonizing as the deep wounds on their chests gushed blood all over the place. "Lollipop! Lydia!"

He got down on his knees and took his girlfriend's body, his eyes filling with tears knowing he would never be able to join her. "Nate, why didn't you save me? It killed me because you weren't there..." 

"I'm sorry, baby, I'm so sorry," he cried, holding her against his chest, filled with guilt and regret. "Please don't die! Please!"

"Did you hear that?" Kelly asked as she heard Nathan's pained howl from downstairs.

"Do you think he's okay?" Alisha followed her to one of the rooms without even realizing the rest of the group wasn't behind them. "This is so fucked up, Kels, this is worse than anything we've dealt with before!"

A knock on the door made both girls jump. They were terrified to face that creature again, so in an unspoken agreement, they decided not to open it, simply ignoring the banging growling louder and louder. 

"Kels! Lisha! It's me," Lydia's voice called.

"Lyds?" Kelly asked.

"Please let me in, it's after me!"

Without thinking twice, Kelly opened the door, but instead of their friend, someone else walked inside. Tim, the video game guy they had met only a while back, with his gun pointed at them. 

"Roxxy! Why did you run away from me?" As soon as he opened his mouth, hundreds of tiny spiders spilled out, crawling down his body and up Alisha's. "We were gonna get married, you cunt!"

"This isn't real, you're in jail!" Kelly shook her head.

"Get this off of me! They're getting in my ears, I think I swallowed some!" Alisha squirmed and coughed, trying to shake the spiders away unsuccessfully. 

"Alisha?" Simon called, banging on the wall from the other room where he was stuck with Lydia, the real one. "Lyds, do you smell something burning?"

"No, what are you talking about? Where's Nathan?" She paced from one side of the room to the other, hoping he would come through the door, her breathing was getting more labored and her vision was starting to blur.

She felt her chest constricting more and more, heavier with something she couldn't identify, and her throat started to close as if she experienced an allergic reaction. Simon, noticing his sister's struggle, took her in his arms, looking into her mouth when she pointed desperately.

"Oh my God!" He pulled out the object that was choking her: an entire rose, thorns and all. "Are you okay?" 

"Do I look okay? Everything itches, it feels like my skin is burning and falling apart!" Lydia whimpered, her voice hoarse, as she turned to look in the mirror. The reflection that stared back at her was a terrifyingly pale girl with flowers growing all over her face. Leaves came out of her nose, petals spewing from the corners of her mouth. "Simon! Nathan doesn't love me!"

"What?"

"This is hanahaki, Simon! Means I love someone who doesn't love me back!"

"That made-up disease from manga?"

All of her words were drowned out when more rose petals forced their way out of her mouth and nose, stopping her from breathing and piling on the floor in front of her. 

"Calm down, we're gonna fix it, it's probably just Pennywise screwing around!" Simon lifted his sister up and opened the door, hoping finding the others would help, but it turns out the smell bothering him was the entire first floor of his house burning down. "Fuck! What do I do?"

"Lydia!" Nathan cried once again 

"Nathan!" She was able to choke out. 

"Lyds! You're alive? I thought I lost you!" He called from the living room.

Those words warmed her heart and her airways were slowly clearing up, she gasped loudly and jumped to her feet, running down the stairs and pulling her brother with her.

"There was no fire?" Simon mumbled.

"ASBO GANG! LIVING ROOM RIGHT NOW!" Lydia yelled, her voice replenished. "PENNYWISE IS FUCKING WITH US, NOTHING THAT YOU'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW IS REAL! TOGETHER WE CAN SOLVE THIS!"

Kelly and Alisha ran out of the room, mostly to get away from Tim, and soon they were all able to reunite in one place, exactly like the Losers Club had done in the Neibolt house when they were able to defeat the monster.

"Okay, so Pennywise from the Stephen King book 'It' is after us. Turns out the decorations coming to life have the same powers as the characters they are supposed to be and we might be completely out of luck. It feeds on human flesh, and loves the taste of fear, this is exactly what it wants."

"You've read the book, what do we do?" Kelly asked.

"We need to... perform the ritual of Chüd," Lydia murmured, shaking her head in disbelief. 

"What the fuck is that?" Alisha screamed, still shaking her hair to get rid of spiders only she could see. 

"First of all, I need you all to believe you can kill it. Believe it with all your heart and don't be scared no matter what it shows you. It's all just an illusion, we're in control," she explained. "I'll look into the dead lights and bite its tongue with my mind, I'll fight it in its realm and when it's weak and vulnerable, you lot reach into its chest and rip out the heart, destroy it."

"Wait WHAT? You'll bite the clown's tongue? You gonna french it or somethin'?" Nathan yelped nervously.

"It's all metaphysical, you'll see... Just believe in yourselves and don't let it get into your head. We're together, we're alive, nothing it can do can hurt us if we don't let it..."

"Yeah, okay, we can do that," Simon nodded.

"PENNYWISE ISN'T REAL!" Lydia shouted with such confidence, which prompted a huge reaction from the creature, always very offended by that sort of affirmation.

"Not real?" It growled, coming to her not as a clown or the giant spider she expected, but as Nathan. "Then how come you're growin' flowers everywhere cause I don't love you?" 

"I'm not, you are not Nathan and the real Nathan does love me. That's why you used me to scare him. You're no better than a bully and I've dealt with plenty of those in my life, so come at me you fucking wanker!"

"Don't taunt it!" Curtis warned, but Simon shook his head, signaling for him to allow Lydia to do whatever she had to.

"Please, Maturin, help me out..." she muttered as Pennywise opened its mouth wide, showing her the dead lights in the back of its throat. 

"L-Lollipop!" Nathan tried to hold her down when her eyes rolled back into her head and her feed left the ground as her body lifted into the air, dangerously close to those sharp fangs. The best he could do was to follow her instructions and believe everything would be okay. "Yeah well, fuck you, clown thing! I've seen pubic haircuts scarier than you! Barry's face is scarier than you, so fuck off!"

"Y-yeah! You're not even a little creepy, we've killed people and shit..." Alisha added. 

"You have to believe it, Lisha," Simon whispered. "Lydia is fighting it right now. We have to do our part."

"Fine, alright! You stupid fuck, we're all superheroes, you messed with the wrong people!"

The others quickly understood their assignment and started screaming all sorts of mockery. It didn't seem to be working until the lights started flickering and Lydia finally moved, gasping loudly and sticking her hand into its throat to pull the three glowing orbs out which happened to pull the entire digestive tract of the monster with it, truly a repulsive image.

"Ew! Ew!" Kelly turned her face as her friend dragged a long rope of intestines out through its mouth causing the alien to slowly die in front of them.

"Now! The heart!" Simon stuck his hand into Pennywise's chest and pulled out the first thing he reached, still pulsating even outside of the body. 

"I'm gonna be sick," Curtis moaned when Nathan took the organ and smashed it on the floor, stomping it like his life depended on it (and it probably did).

"Is this it?" Alisha asked when Lydia fell on the puddle of weird goo and blood left beneath her. "Did we do it?"

"Did you snog the clown?" Nathan asked almost at the same time, but went quiet when he noticed it wasn't the time for jealousy. 

"I think so... killed it, not kiss it," Lyddie sighed. "We better get changed and go home, there's no way-"

Before she could finish, the clock on the wall made a sound to announce it was midnight. A sound she was well familiar with from the time she used to live there. 

Once she sat back up, the only thing she saw was a Pennywise plastic sculpture, just like the one she always saw in Mr. Wallace's yard. The goo, the guts, the blood, it was all gone. 

"Oh, guess the curse is over?" Lydia gave the sculpture a shove just to make sure it was fake.

"It's no longer Halloween technically," Simon shrugged, feeling rather dumb for wasting all that effort when they could've just waited a few minutes.

"Anyone wanna hit the Centre for that party still? I could definitely use a drink," Nathan sighed dramatically, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Kelly groaned, grabbing the prop so they could give it back to the owner. "Yeah, why not? Let's forget this shit show."

Tag List: @firstpersonnarrator @seanfalco @elliethesuperfruitlover

[redlegumes]

Chapter 7: New Year’s

She's my date not my babysitter, but I'd definitely get smacked for saying that. "This is my spot. I brought you here to have a good time, so why don't we go back in and dance." Eddie helped her up, and thought she looked so fucking pretty as her head leveled once more with his own. He pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her, and kissed her in the cold. That kiss did a better job at filling him with bubbly warmth than the champagne had.

Stevie was a bit breathless when she pulled back. "What was that for," she asked, looking just a little starry eyed.

"Little practice." He grinned. "Clock is ticking down."

Stevie worked her arms inside of his jacket to rest them on his corset. "What are your resolutions, Eddie Munson?"

He brushed some of the hair that had fallen from Stevie's pin back from her face. Figure this out. These feelings… Shaun being shitty was one thing. Lots of people were going to be shitty. He'd seen enough to know. If Stevie didn't pass day-to-day, together they wouldn't be 'straight' enough for bigots, and if she did… there could be bullshit in their own community for being privileged, straight presenting. He shoved others' potential perspectives back to reconsider his own.

Holiday dates were one thing, fucking was one thing, but he was gay… He'd always been gay. Pretty was pretty, but he'd craved sure hands, hard bodies, and raging boners. What did it mean now that he was head over heels for the lovely girl, soft and sweet, in his arms? She was wearing baby blue for Christ's sake! But I want… her. I want Stevie Harrington.

"The future," he said finally, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. "I want to focus on what I want for the future. Figure some of it out." Stevie nodded and kissed his cheek. "Hey," Eddie said, turning her chin back toward him. "Time to fess up. What're your resolutions, angel cake?"

She shrugged a little. "Go big with the pronouns I guess? She/her it up. Change out my wardrobe?"

"You don't sound too sure about that." Eddie worked one hand to her ass, sliding over the satin. He gently kissed her neck. "You look really good tonight. Dresses definitely suit you, Harrington."

"I guess I can take your word for it. Though our tastes are a bit different," she crinkled her nose at him and ran a hand over the collar of his leather jacket.

"I like some of the things you wear."

"Besides my one black t-shirt and jeans?" She raised an eyebrow as Eddie wracked his brain.

"Ooo the yellow sweater. I liked the yellow sweater," he said, nodding.

"Eddie. I don't even know if that rowboat is still intact. That sweater is gone."

"I'm sure I'll like your new outfits." She looked unconvinced, and he rolled his eyes. "Even if they aren't black. Though you do have a pretty sweet Mastodon hoodie now."

“That's my hoodie is it?" She gave him a shy smile. "Guess I'll need to actually listen to their music."

Eddie watched her perfect lips move as she spoke. "If you don't like them, and someone asks, you can always tell them you stole it from some hookup."

"It’s a little chilly out here.”

Eddie stared into her big eyes, reflecting the city’s light just enough to glisten. “Starting to feel a bit hot to me.”

Stevie shook her head again and tugged at the waistband of Eddie’s jeans. “Come on, dance with me.”

...

I didn't have a Tumblr when I first shared these on Twitter so, bringing 'em on over