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bluestar22x · 8 months

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A Haunting In Jackson

A Haunting In Jackson - A "Visitation Rights" Short Fic (Absolutely can be read as a standalone fic)

Summary: A campfire story told by Tommy Miller leaves you spooked

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader; Miller family dynamics (includes Ellie)

Rating: 13+

Warnings: Just an eerie setting, reader being nervous, fluff and Miller family dynamics. Some swearing. A spooky ghost story told around a fire pit on Halloween night.

Word Count: 3,200 (ish)

Author's Note: For the Halloween writing challenge made by @pedrocontestsrus ; set after Visitation Rights and Morning Routine, but definitely can be read on its own if you're not interested in reading the other two. That's why I'm submitting it for the contest. It's a standalone in this fic verse. Happens 7 months after Morning Routine (for anyone who cares about the timeline).

Prompt #2 Theme: A Dark and Stormy Night ⚡️

Must include: A lit candle, bare feet, a creaking sound

I keep visiting this Jackson verse, but I don't mind! Funny how Visitation Rights was basically just a spur of the moment fic.

xxx

Jackson, 2025

You hadn't watched a horror movie in over twenty years, but you remembered one that had an eerily similar scene setting to this. Thunder rumbling in the distance, lightning flashing, rain pelting against the roof, wind howling, blocking most sound out and causing the branches of the old ash tree behind the house to smack violently against a window in the spare bedroom that your boyfriend, Joel Miller, used as an office and workstation for his smaller projects.

You were padding cautiously down the short hallway to the stairs in the dark of night barefoot, you know, like any sane person who'd been startled awake by a loud thump, armed with nothing but a burning candle stick in your left hand. (The electricity had gone out right before you’d gone to bed that night and the stick was closer to you than a flashlight.)

Paranoid you was mentally bashing yourself for not waking Joel, letting him stay curled up in your shared bed, completely unaware that something might be going on. Joel might be half deaf, but he was a strong and capable fighter even at 58, and you could've used back up in the form of his broad frame, just in case.

Logical you however, had managed to convince yourself that whatever you'd heard couldn't be anything you couldn't handle on your own. You'd survived more than twenty years by yourself in a fungal apocalypse with nothing but dogs for company. Besides, it had to be nothing. A raccoon, if anything. Or a squirrel that managed to chew its way into the house. It couldn't be an intruder. This was Jackson after all. A small town filled with a community of proven trustworthy people and guarded by a fence and patrol twenty-four-seven. It was for that same reason that it couldn't be one of the infected. They never could get even close to the fence line, the Jackson patrol, which you and Joel were a part of, made sure of that.

And it definitely wasn't a ghost. It sounded stupid in your head even as you were denying it. Billions of people had died since outbreak day, most on that very night or during the following few weeks, and you'd never run into anything that suggested ghosts existed. If you couldn't find evidence for them after such a tragic and violent event, you figured there was nothing to find.

That somehow didn't stop you from being on edge anyway.

Damn you, Tommy, you cursed silently. Damn you for getting it into my head.

You'd always hated horror stories, ever since you'd been a little girl around a campfire, your friends swapping scary stories as tradition insisted. Your friends had fun with it, but you didn't, spending half the night lying awake in your sleeping bag, listening for any strange sounds, even though you were always camping out in the relative safety of each other's backyards.

You'd braved a few horror films here and there in your twenties, but only for dates with guys you were really interested in, and you always lived to regret it, spending hours on edge, looking over your shoulder just cause you felt like someone was watching you.

When your life had become a literal horror story, the infected one of the greatest nightmares ever seen in fiction and reality alike, you'd hardly slept for days. Most people probably hadn't, as they feared the infected attacking and tried to comprehend their massive losses, but you had especially not been equipped to cope with the fungal spread. It probably hadn't helped that you'd taken off alone, with only your black Labrador Raven to comfort you at night. But she'd been a lot better than nothing. A second set of ears that allowed you to sleep enough to remain sane.

So you were the least likely person to understand why Tommy was insisting on telling a scary story as if you were all back in middle school.

It was Halloween night, and while it wasn't an official holiday Jackson still celebrated (for obvious reasons), Tommy and Maria had still invited you, Joel, and Ellie over for a chicken dinner and a marathon movie watch of The Addams Family DVDs he'd found in a store the month before while out on a supply run. Popcorn was even included.

It was later followed by supper over the fire pit in their backyard, which consisted of beef sausage made from one of the cows recently slaughtered in town. Joel had showed Ellie how to cook one over a flame on a stick pulled from Tommy's tree line and sharpened by the pocket knife you'd gifted him last Christmas.

It was after everyone had finished eating that Tommy brought it up.

Joel had groaned. "Don't we live enough horror?"

"This one's a good one," Tommy insisted. "You'll love it, Ellie. It's based on a true story."

She was the only one who looked remotely curious. You supposed that was enough since Tommy was settling into his seat and clearly mulling over how to tell the story. Maria seated herself right alongside him, willing to humor her husband.

Joel was distracted, and likely would remain so. He was seated cross legged in the grass next to his one and a half year old nephew, receiving handmade wooden blocks over and over as the toddler willingly passed them to him. Joel had accepted each one with a grateful smile that mesmerized you a little. The kid was too young to know, but Joel had made them himself not long after he'd returned to Jackson with Ellie, months before you showed up. But you knew. You knew how much his nephew meant to him, and how much he valued his time around him. You were so focused on their endearing interaction you almost didn't catch on that Tommy had begun telling the story. (You'd later wish you hadn't caught any of it at all.)

"This story happened here in Jackson," he started. "The Green family, husband, wife, their teen twin daughters moved here in 1925, lookin' to start up a ranch like most who moved out here back then." He took a beat. "Now, Jackson was a small town then, might've been even smaller than it is now, but it wasn't that safe. Most of the west had been tamed but there were still a few outlaws, and no matter how tame a place gets, there's always someone stirring up trouble of one kind or another." He paused, "Mr. Green was one of those men. Wanting so desperately to afford his own land, he took to gambling, and cheating when he knew he was about to lose. Ripped off a lot of people, and in turn pissed a lot off too. In revenge, someone lit up his little clock shop on main street with him inside. They didn't know his wife was there with him at the time."

"But their daughters weren't?" Ellie prompted, invested in the story already, hands on her knees.

Tommy shook his head. "Thankfully, no. They were at a friend's house."

"So, what happened after?"

Tommy sighed. "The sheriff found the burned bodies of the husband and wife in the morning, unrecognizable, but the twins recognized the jewelry they were wearing, and everyone knew he'd been there that night. The fire was immediately deemed suspicious, but the murderer was never found."

"Of course not," you couldn't help but huff out. You'd heard a lot of similar "true" stories like this.

Tommy ignored you. "The orphaned twins found their father's secret stash of money and were able to rebuild the shop, turning it into a sewing store. A place where they handmade clothes to sell to people and sold supplies to make clothes, depending on the customer's preference. They turned the second floor into an apartment, living in the same space together. It made their lives easier to be able to walk downstairs and immediately get to work."

"There was one hiccup though," he stated dramatically, "The twins kept hearing noises at night. It started out as random thumps and creaks they could easily explain away as the place settling or their cat knocking something over, but eventually turned into sounds like footsteps and dragging furniture. It freaked them out, especially since whenever they got up to check, the living room chair would usually be out of place. They couldn't believe it. Something was moving it, but they didn't know what. Didn't want to know."

"What happened to them?" Ellie encouraged him, frowning.

"About a decade after their parents died, their shop burned down mysteriously," Tommy told her, poking a stick at the burning logs in the pit, moving them around so the flames could get more oxygen. "Luckily, they weren't inside, but because there was no evidence to otherwise, it was deemed as an accident this time. The twins weren't convinced. They thought their parents' killer was out to get them. They thought their parents had been with them in their apartment and were trying to scare them out, like they knew it would happen again. Of course, they couldn't prove it. That didn't stop them from moving out of town, settling somewhere else. The locals heard that they lived out long, mostly happy lives after, but they were, to say the least, haunted by what happened until their last breaths. They never did get justice for their parents. Their killer was never found."

Everyone here that isn't under two years old could relate to that, you thought. Being haunted by loss and injustice.

"While that was the end of the story for the Green family," Tommy continued, "It was not the end for the town. The spot the shop was built on was used for other things. More shops, eventually a house when main street was moved over to where it is today. No more burned down, but the roof on one shop collapsed because of heavy snowfall one year. Of course, that's not the spooky part. It's that the buildings on that piece of land were always haunted. The owners always heard strange things a night, always found furniture moved from where they'd been left."

"Where is the piece of land?" Ellie inquired curiously, if not a bit nervously.

"You don't actually believe him, do ya?" Joel teased, glancing over at her.

"Of course not," she denied. "I just want the full story."

He grinned like someone who'd found a secret to weaponize against a friend. You were smiling too. Who knew Ellie was superstitious?

"No one knows where the piece of land is," Tommy declared. "It could be one of our houses for all we know. I don't think it's mine, but then I sleep through a lot."

"Tell me about it," Maria huffed.

You chuckled at her comment but couldn't help but shiver a little. It wasn't like you thought Tommy's "true" story had actually been real, but rather that the spirit of the story (pun not intended) had settled over you, so similar to the feeling you used to get after finishing up a horror movie. It may have been fake, but your body reacted like it wasn't, getting keyed up over the creepiness of strange noises happening in a house that should be quiet.

Joel, ever so vigilant, noted your shiver, but assumed it was from the cool wind picking up. It was probably close to ten at night.

"Well, we outta get home, huh?" he suggested, looking up at the sky. "The clouds are gathering. Might have a storm tonight."

"I'm certain of it," Maria told you both. "Can smell it in the air."

You never quite understood how people could do that, and wondered if your sense of smell was just bad.

You pushed yourself up off the log you were sitting on as Joel scooped up his nephew and handed him off to Maria. "See you tomorrow," he said to both her and his brother. They both nodded.

"Thanks for the story, Tommy," Ellie said, hopping onto her feet. "Even if it's totally fake."

"If you say so," he hummed, smiling. He almost convinced you that he believed the story and that it wasn't entirely made up. Almost.

Ellie was about to walk away when Joel stopped her with a hand. "Where are you going?"

"Some friends of mine are hanging out with Dina at her house," she informed him. "I said I'd stop in."

Joel gave her a disapproving look. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I won't be long," Ellie replied, giving him a pleading look. "You know them."

It was mostly true. You and Joel had seen her with her friends before and had met Dina herself, but you both weren't naive enough to think that wasn't just the tip of the iceberg of knowing them. Teens hid their truths well.

Still, against his better judgement Joel gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Be at the house by midnight the latest."

Ellie jumped in spot. "Okay, I will. Thanks!"

Joel shook his head as she jogged off. "Am I going to regret that?" he asked you.

"Probably," you said honestly.

You both turned to Tommy and Maria one last time to say goodbye and kissed their son on the cheek before strolling back to your house across the street.

The wind started to really blow and thunder boomed in the distance. An autumn storm was definitely on the way.

A wooden floorboard creaked behind you and you spun around, heart pounding in your chest. You relaxed instantly when you saw that the noise had come from Joel stepping on one of the house's loose floorboards (that he had been, in fact, planning to fix that weekend). In the dark you couldn't really see the details of his face, but there was enough light to see the outline of his sleep mussed hair and angular nose. You could also see that he'd slipped on the matching shirt to the gray sweatpants he sometimes wore to bed on chilly nights before following you.

"What are you doin’ up?" he murmured sleepily, voice as gruff as ever.

"I heard something," you whispered back. "Probably nothin’, but..."

Joel nodded, understanding. If there was anyone who could outmatch your anxious state of being at any point in time, it would be him. He already had the handgun he kept hidden in his nightstand in his right hand.

Of course he'd taken your concern seriously. Even though he'd been in Jackson for nearly two years, he still fell into old habits easily. He'd probably never quite believe that the town was one hundred percent safe. It was why he'd joined patrol.

He didn't know why you were worried, but you being worried was enough, and you decided not to tell him that the single thump wasn't really what had compelled you to get up.

The storm was dying down, and when another thump sounded, followed by a soft whine, your current dog, a senior black Lab named Penny, limped out of her bed, stopping by your side loyally and growling, neck hair standing on end. Though your heart was banging in your chest and your mind was once again wondering what the hell was in the house, there was still a part of you that managed to wonder how Penny had heard the sound at all. She'd been progressively losing her hearing during the past year, and her deafness was in both ears, unlike Joel's.

You and Joel glanced at each other anxiously and quietly made your way down the stairs, Joel automatically taking the lead, and you gratefully following. Penny smartly lingered at the top of the steps, watching you go.

Once you'd both made it to the kitchen, Joel tried flicking on the lights, and you were grateful when they worked, surprised that the men who dealt with the power supply had gotten it back up and running so soon.

Ellie, however, was certainly not pleased by that revelation. She blinked at you and Joel, squinting in reaction to the sudden bright light, and groaned. "Fuck."

She was seated in one of the kitchen chairs, bending slightly over to rub the big toe of her right foot, clearly having stubbed it on something when she'd stepped into the room. Her tied back shoulder length brown hair was soaking wet and she was still wearing the dark green raincoat Maria had gifted her on her sixteenth birthday.

She pulled her hand away from her toe to pinch the bridge of her nose, eyes avoiding both yours and Joel's. "How much trouble am I in?"

"Ellie, do you realize what time it is?" Joel lectured, immediately switching into dad mode. You liked to think it was trademarked to him. "It's four AM. You promised you'd be home by midnight."

"I know," she moaned. "But I fell asleep, and no one bothered to wake me up. Dina didn't know I wasn't supposed to stay over."

"Why didn't you tell her?" Joel quizzed as he approached her. He sniffed the air. "And why do you smell like you poured alcohol over your head?" He stared at her disapprovingly.

Ellie grimaced. "I may have drank a little." She knew better than to deny it at least.

"Go get washed up and get to bed," Joel ordered sternly, eyes narrowing. "And don't think about spending time there next weekend. We'll talk more in the morning."

Ellie chewed her lip, but didn't argue, standing and bowing her head in defeat as she raced past you both to do as told.

Joel shook his head as he watched her go and scrubbed a hand over his face. You blew out the candle you were still holding and placed it on the kitchen table before reaching out to slip your newly freed hand into his. "Teenagers."

Joel grunted. "She listened better out on the road."

"Out on the road she was in survival mode," you reminded him gently. "Here she feels safe enough to make mistakes. To get into trouble."

"Are you trying to imply it's a good thing she stayed out all night and drank?" he huffed. "Did God knows what else?"

"No," you said simply. "I don't like it either. But at least it's normal."

And it was far better finding Ellie in the kitchen, even if she was a little tipsy, than some ghost.

You snorted at your train of thought.

"What're you thinkin' of?" Joel asked, having noticed.

You shook your head. "Nothin’. Let's get back to bed."

He agreed to it reluctantly, still stewing over what Ellie had done, and after you shut the light, you led the way back upstairs, past Penny, who'd climbed back into her dog bed in the hallway.

He got back into bed first, and you followed, wrapping an arm around his middle, burying your face against the back of his shoulder, and he accepted your embrace without protest.

You slept soundly for the rest of the night, what little there was left, despite Ellie having come home late.

There were worst things in life than a teenager coming home drunk.

At least you weren't living out a horror movie called A Haunting In Jackson.

xxx

Tagged: @harriedandharassed

xxx

Main Masterlist

Visitation Rights

Morning Routine

#The Last Of Us (HBO)#Joel Miller Fanfic #Ellie Williams Fanfic #PedroHalloween2023 #X Reader #TLOU Fanfic (Mine)#Fanfiction #Mine

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captainelliecomb · 1 year

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WIP Wishlist Round Twenty

WIP Wishlist

make yourself another by aliveanddrunkonsunlight @aliveanddrunkonsunlight (1,200 words)

Posted to Tumblr only, as far as I found. There are several other posts with more bits scattered around this tag.

Jaime x Brienne, arranged marriage, Joanna Lannister lives and changes some, but not all, things.

Things I Love: Arranged marriage stories, Jaime’s voice, Jaime and Joanna’s relationship, sweet young Brienne when they first meet, Brienne’s love for Tarth, the politics around Tarth and pirates.

when the sun shine, we shine together by cardinalgirl75 (9,340 words, first posted 15 March 23, last updated 28 March 23)

Summary: Brienne spent one incredible weekend with hockey superstar Jaime Lannister, only for him to break her heart when it was over. Four years later, she's moved on with her life and made a name for herself as the lead choreographer for one of the hottest shows on television--Lip Sync Battle. The last thing in the world she wants is for the show's creator to announce that he's pursuing Jaime to be one of the contestants.

Things I Love: Brienne and Jaime’s voices and characterisations, Brienne the choreographer, the setup of the story, this iteration of Jaime and Ned’s long-standing feud, Jaime and the Flea Bottom kids, social media in fic, the Jaime and Starkling social media snarky conversation, the rhythm of the writing.

A king’s decision by Musing_and_Music @musing-and-music (5,958 words, first posted 21 Feb 23, last updated 31 March 23)

Summary: In 252, king Aegon V Targaryen decides to name prince Duncan as his heir once again. This decision will have long-term consequences for the kingdom and the royal family.

Things I Love: This sort of premise where Duncan and Jenny are set to inherit the throne, interesting, twisty political and interpersonal connections, Alysanne and her sweet flower crowns, the conversations, the quick whip of short chapters, Genna Lannister.

marvel at flowers you’ll have made by jellyb34n @nossbean (5,398 words, first posted 5 Jan 23, last update 24 Jan 23)

Summary: Since Jaime and Brienne were last together, the world has fallen apart and is starting to come together again. Going north to check in on the Winterfell settlement gone mysteriously dark, they travel a Westeros whose people are making sense of life when the dead walk, when flowers are used as protection against them, and where some don't care for the gentler approach. Brienne and Jaime navigate their own fractured history, the things they've done when apart, and discover that hope continues to grow between them, even after hurt, distance, and an apocalypse.

Things I Love: The sweet tension and pain between them, Jaime’s humour, the flowers, the world building, Brienne and the children, the history simmering between them, the way Brienne sees Jaime.

On the Breaking (and Keeping) of Oaths by auntie_social (2,620 words, first posted 2 Jan 23)

Summary: A masked man in a blue top hat has been orchestrating broken betrothals in King's Landing's high society for years. Though women throughout the ton had him to thank for their rescue, when Jaime Lannister begged for him to help his sister his pleas were coldly rejected. Jaime has long harbored thoughts of revenge, but when he finds himself forced into an unwanted betrothal there's only one man who might be able to help....

Things I Love: The world building, arranged marriage, the hero of the women throughout the city, highborn and smallfolk alike, the tone and pacing of the writing, the building thrill of the plot.

#wip wishlist #jaime x brienne #aliveanddrunkonsunlight #cardinalgirl75 #musing_and_music #jellyb34n #auntie_social #asoiaf

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smoshgoshbefosh · 23 days

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October 12th :o

Dude you got two videos pretty early on. That doesn't usually happen until 2011/2012 ish. Very exciting!

What Smosh Videos were Posted on Your Birthday?

2008:

Boxman for President- Smosh Main

Smosh Boxman "President" Dance How To(+Contest)- Smosh Main

2009:

No videos uploaded October 12

2010:

No videos uploaded October 12

2011:

No videos uploaded October 12

2012:

How to Annoy a Gamer- Smosh Main

Best Video Game Weapons- Smosh Games

Facing Off in Mortal Kombat- Smosh Games

2013:

This Will Break Your Brain- Smosh Pit

The Zombie Apocalypse Needs No Story (Gamer Nation)- Smosh Games

2014:

New Smosh Games Members?? (Bonus)- Smosh Games

2015:

Watching Old Videos 5- Smosh Pit

Lasercorn is a Pyromaniac! (Maricraft)- Smosh Games

2016:

Every Bird Ever- Smosh Main

Hacked to Death in Watchdogs 2 (Press Start)- Smosh Games

2017:

Extreme Clothes Swap Challenge (Squad Vlogs)- Smosh Pit

2018:

No uploads October 12

2019:

No uploads October 12

2020:

Every White Friend Ever- Smosh Main

2021:

Try Not To Laugh 80 (Luck of The Dice)- Smosh Pit

Mystery Krispy Kreme Challenge (w/Steve Zargoza)- Smosh Games

2022:

We Surprised our Friends with an Award Show- Smosh Main

2023:

Anthony Reacts to "Where's Anthony" Jokes- Smosh Pit

Remember when Slenderman was The Scariest Thing on the Internet? (Short)- Smosh Games

Can You Guess the Game from One Scene? (Shorts)- Smosh Games

Can Shayne Finally win A Match? (Live)- Smosh Games

#smosh #smosh games #smosh pit #still no smoshcast in the birthdays #interesting #smosh birthdays

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olivia-anderson-fanfic · 10 months

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Welcome To The Show

Summary:

Scenario 1: Introduction Description: Kill one living thing before the time runs out! Time limit: 10 minutes Penalty for lack of completion: Death Reward: 1000 Coins per kill

(ORV Maribat au)

Adrien had spent many hours reading online. It was better than laying there, in the dead of night. Wondering if his father really loved him if he kept him locked up in this house. Wondering whether his mother’s disappearance was as sudden as his father claimed. Wondering why, if both him and his father were at home as often as they were, Adrien never seemed to see him.

Was it him? What did he do? Could he fix it? Please, tell him how –.

No, he would much rather peruse the internet for content.

This was how he found the story. Three ways to survive the apocalypse. Or Ways of Survival, for short.

It was a work created by an online novelist, who dropped thousands of words weekly. They were, perhaps, a little wordy, a little too concerned with sidestories and lore and fleshed out too many side characters and all the like, but… Adrien couldn’t help but be enchanted. His heart practically jumped out of his chest every time his email got a notification that the work had been updated. There was something about the writer’s specific style that kept him coming back, over and over again, week in and week out. Kept him commenting on what he liked and what his theories were every chapter.

He was the only one reading. Had been since practically the start. After about fifty updates, people started to dwindle… and, by the hundredth, he was the only one. Adrien understood, most people had lives, but he didn’t. Not outside of this story, at least.

That would have discouraged many writers, and yet his writer kept going. After a while, it started feeling like the writer was specifically writing for him.

It felt like a love letter made for him, personally. And he was happy to respond in kind, professing his own love in the comments and in occasional donations when he thought his father wouldn’t notice the chunk taken out of his bank account.

And now it was done. The final update. 3049 updates later. After years and years and years…

Here it was.

But the ending was… strange. Sudden. He never truly got to know just what the Ways of Survival were.

Just that, apparently, he would survive having read this story.

Funny, tongue and cheek. But still strange.

He frowned to himself. Maybe he had missed something? Maybe the author wasn’t all that good at endings? Maybe the Ways of Survival were supposed to be implied?

Well, he could always reread it later, for now he would write out a quick comment:

OmniscientReadersViewpoint: I’m sure it’s a huge weight off of your chest to get this thing done with. I can’t wait to reread it all over and over again!

And, for the first time, he got a response.

TSL123: Thank you for always reading my work. Can I have your email address? I’d like to send you something to thank you.

His heart pounded in his chest as he, slowly, letter by letter, typed out his email address. He looked it over multiple times, making sure that he had spelled it right.

And then he hit send.

It didn’t take much longer than a minute for his email to get a notification.

[email protected]: My story has won a contest, and must subsequently be taken down. I would like to give you this copy for safekeeping.

Adrien’s eyes widened as he quickly opened the attachment, and found the story there, as promised. Had the author been refraining from publishing for his sake? And now giving him a free copy so he wouldn’t have to pay for the actual thing?

He smiled. He would have paid millions for the copy, if asked, but he appreciated the gesture. He hugged his phone to his chest, falling back in bed and staring at the ceiling.

And it was then that he was hit with one, very important question:

What now?

He probably should move on at some point. Read something new. But how could anything else compare?

A new hobby, perhaps? But were there a lot of things he could do without leaving his room? Maybe he could get into the fencing classes or modeling his father made him do, but he doubted it, if he hadn't found a passion in it after all these years then he probably wouldn't start now…

He was pulled from his musings by a brilliant purple light. He groaned and peeked one open, half expecting Nathalie to be shining a flashlight into his face to see if he was alive without touching him, only to find something similar to a screen hovering in front of his face.

For a second, his eyes couldn’t really focus on the words. Instead, they slid off, to the strange shape of the screen. It was shaped… like a butterfly?

His eyes snapped back to the white text.

Scenario 1: Introduction Description: Kill one living thing before the time runs out! Time limit: 10 minutes Penalty for lack of completion: Death Reward: 1000 Coins per kill

This… had to be a joke, right? The same format, the same words… it was all reminiscent of the first chapter of Ways of Survival. Someone had to be messing with him. But how could it be a prank? He slowly reached out to poke the screen in front of him, expecting his hand to go right through it, because it had to be the product of a nearby projector or something, but instead he hit something that was very similar in texture to glass.

He gripped the sides of the butterfly, dragging it down to inspect it, looking for a string that might hold it up, and yet… there was nothing.

And, as the shockingly sharp glass began to split the skin of his palms, making blood spill over the sides, staining the otherwise pretty purple, he realized that it couldn't be a dream, either, because his hands hurt.

He tossed the glass to the side, but it didn’t even give him the relief of shattering on the ground, instead disappearing the second it was out of his hands.

But whatever. He was on a time limit.

Stuffing his phone in his pocket, more on instinct than anything, he rushed out of his bedroom.

Okay. Okay. Okay. He knew that the doors and windows to get out would be locked.

A butterfly of purple light fluttered by:

Gabriel Agreste has completed the mission! +1000 Coins!

+1000 Coins for a First Kill Bonus!

Already? Thought Adrien.

He swallowed thickly. His dad had probably noticed the same thing he had.

The rules said to kill a living thing, not necessarily a person.

He swung a hand out, trying to swat the little butterfly, but it had dissipated into thin air before he’d even gotten near it.

Yeah, that would have been too easy.

The ladder to the attic rattled loudly in the otherwise silent house, he didn’t even let the thing fully click into place before he clambered up it, eyes flickering around desperately in search of any kind of movement among the dust.

But he couldn’t find anything. Just a chair, some boxes, and old pictures of his mother that had been left to gather dust.

Why was it that the one time he actually wanted to see a spider, there weren't any around?

The ladder creaked again, and Adrien whipped around.

Nathalie.

He was almost relieved to see her alive. It meant that his dad hadn’t murdered her without hesitation. It meant that his dad had likely found a bug to squash. It meant that, maybe, his dad might have been innocent in his mom’s disappearance.

Almost relieved.

For Nathalie had a knife clutched in trembling hands and tears spilling down her cheeks.

It didn’t take a genius to see what was going on.

“Miss Nathalie…” Adrien began carefully, holding up his empty hands placatingly, backing up slowly, until he couldn’t anymore, blocked by boxes and the damned chair. “I’m going to find bugs for us to kill, we don’t have to do this…”

Nathalie shook her head. “Time is running out,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I.”

She lunged for him.

Adrien hit her with the wooden chair.

The chair shattered upon impact. Her body was flung to the side, glasses skidding across the ground, her thin form splayed across a pile of boxes. The knife clattered to the floor. Blood spilled from the wound.

The last piece of the chair slipped from his fingers.

He couldn’t seem to stop staring at her glasses. Laying on the wood, one of the lenses cracked. Blood beginning to spill down a nearby box to puddle at the feet of the glasses frames.

Purple light curled itself by his arm.

Special skill (4th wall) activated.

Nathalie started to lift her head, groaning.

Adrien knelt to pick up the knife.

He… should have felt worse about it.

He didn’t feel much of anything.

It didn’t even, really, feel like him. It felt more like he was reading about two characters. Distantly, he might be a little sad, but overall it was… fine. He was assured in the fact that it wasn’t really real, and that the person he was reading about was messed up because they were written to be that way not because of him, and that he could always just close the book for the night and go home.

Adrien Agreste has completed the mission! +1000 Coins!

Scenario over!

A few Kwamis are interested in you.

Kaalki has sponsored you +500 Coins!

He dismissed the screens with a lazy wave of his hand. For half a second, his eyes caught on the red staining his skin.

Oh. He had been bleeding earlier. It probably wasn’t good that he’d also gotten Nathalie’s blood on his hands.

He grimaced and cut the end of his shirt up to make two thin strips of cloth to wrap his hands in. It now looked like his tee was a crop top, but he didn’t particularly care as he tied off his hands.

Someone popped into view. It was a tiny person, no larger than the palm of Adrien’s hand, old and probably the type to hobble around with a cane if it were not for the fact that it was a mystical being and could fly.

“Hello! My name is Fu!” He said, coming to hover by his face. “Congratulations on completing the first Scenario! And thank you for not being annoying about how it had to be fake and all that like everyone else, the Kwami get upset when I kill too many potential Incarnations, but sometimes it’s necessary to prove a point. You get me, right?”

Adrien nodded, only half listening, his gaze flitting around in search of anything that might be of use.

Well, the boxes were all clothes and random trinkets his mom had left behind, and the photographs… well, he supposed he could shatter them for glass shards, those could be weapons, but it seemed redundant when he had a knife.

“Ah, I knew you’d understand! If only you’d tell my bosses that! Ha! Now, before your next task, I’d like you to – you’re not listening, are you?” The being pouted.

He scooped up Nathalie’s glasses and then turned to face him, sending a smile worthy of the model he was. “I’m listening. Second Scenario soon. I need to choose a Kwami to sponsor me.”

“I… never got to the sponsorship part,” Fu said, backing up just slightly, seeming confused.

“Context clues,” Adrien sighed, looking up at him. “How do I pick?”

Another butterfly popped into being, and he looked over the list of names that meant little to anyone besides him and, possibly, depending on which Reincarnation he was on, the Batman.

It was longer than expected, but likely nothing compared to the one that Batman would be seeing.

Kaalki

Probably because he was rich. Kaalki was known for liking upper-class people. Choosing them would not give him a leg up over anyone in Bristol.Plagg

Powerful, but dwindles your sanity every time you call upon their power.

Trixx

A good power, almost too good, to the point where it had had to be nerfed by making their Incarnation’s teeth just a little too sharp. Which, of course, would put everyone on guard once they realized what Trixx’s holders could do.

Longg

He didn’t know why they were interested in him, but he didn’t think he could live up to their standards.

Plotter

Adrien stared at that name for quite a while. It was different than the others, missing the five-letter naming scheme, and he didn’t recognize it in the slightest. He hesitated for just a moment, almost tempted to click on it just to see what he would get, but decided against it just as quickly.

He stared at the options he did know for quite a while before selecting Plagg. He had a few theories about his Fourth Wall ability, and he would love to know whether it would counter Plagg’s drawbacks at all.

It wasn’t like he was going to last long, anyways. He wasn’t delusional. It was the apocalypse, and he wasn’t a main character, he didn’t have the same kind of plot armor that Batman did. Chances were, his death was imminent.

So, he really wouldn’t have to worry about his sanity for long.

Besides…

“So, do I head out for the second Scenario now, or…?”

Fu looked at him for a long moment. A purple screen of his own, though infinitesimally smaller, appeared by Fu’s head, and he scrutinized it for a moment. The screen disappeared, then rematerialized, then dematerialized, then he checked again…

He looked at Adrien.

“Why is there no information on you?”

“Why would I know?” Adrien lied. It was almost definitely because he wasn’t an actual character, and therefore no profile should exist for him. “You’re the one with all the fancy stuff.”

Fu frowned at him for just a moment more, before dismissing both him and the screen with a wave of his hand.

“Sure. Head outside, the next Scenario will be starting soon.”

Adrien shoved Nathalie’s glasses and his knife into his pockets as roughly as he dared, and then made his way out of the house.

A few other people were poking their heads out.

Adrien hesitated in the doorway. He glanced back, listening for anyone in the house. But his father was nowhere to be seen.

Not unusual, but… he had hoped that, maybe, his father would have come out and, now that they had both lived through a life and death situation, realize just how precious Adrien was to him. Like in the movies.

But, unfortunately for Adrien, this was very real.

Scenario 2: Get to Gotham! Description: The bubble surrounding the Gotham-Bristol-Burnside area is shrinking by the second! Get to a safe zone in Gotham before time runs out! Time limit: 1 hour Penalty for lack of completion: ???? Reward: 1000 coins

He sighed.

It really was just like the book.

Kaalki’s teleportation would have been good right now. But it was doable, Batman had completed this stretch many-a-times, and had only chosen Kaalki once, on his first Reincarnation.

Besides, Adrien had Coins, and knew how the Store worked.

He pulled up the Store, and started investing in his Stats. His base score was… well, about expected. He did fencing, but only once a week, and he spent the rest of his time reading.

There was a Sanity score, too, which… was a little foreboding, even when at 100.

500 Coins into endurance, definitely, and another 250 coins into speed just to make sure…

Speed: 7 -> 8 Strength: 6 Endurance: 3 -> 5 Sanity levels: 100

He scrolled through some lower-level items, and then opted for a rebreather for 100 Coins.

There. And he still had 650 Coins left!

Yeah, that should be enough. Hopefully.

He glance back inside his house. Still nothing to indicate Gabriel Agreste was even alive, though Adrien knew he had to be.

He shook his head. No use stalling any longer. He started jogging. The bridge on its own was a 30-minute walk, and it wasn’t a nice stroll to the bridge itself, either. Making it in an hour would be difficult.

A couple of people passed him, running at top speed, but he would catch up soon enough. Rich people weren’t known for being extremely athletic, and endurance would be a problem in this Scenario…

His eyes found their way to a young boy who had popped into thin air next to him. The boy was small, probably six or so if Adrien had to guess. He wore a set of pajamas adorned with tiny Spongebobs and Patricks. This clashed terribly with the blood caked underneath his fingernails and the hefty lead pipe he held over his shoulder like a baseball bat. He panted heavily, sweat making his black hair fall in limp ringlets around his face.

Was that…

Character profile: opened.

Character profile?

Tim Drake, 8 Speed: 3 Strength: 4 Endurance: 2 Kwami: Kaalki Special skill: Picture Perfect (Unlocked) Other skill(s): none at the moment

Oh, that was helpful.

More importantly.

He was right! That was –!

Your understanding of this character is high. Would you like to make a bookmark?

Shut up, cryptic but also somehow helpful screen, he’s busy.

Holy crap. That was Tim Drake.

Adrien fought the urge to squeal.

He neared him, blood-covered hands behind his back. Everyone alive now would be murderers, for the most part, but he didn’t know whether Tim had come to that realization yet, and he didn’t want to risk scaring him.

More than necessary.

“Hey, are you good?”

The kid swung at him.

Adrien dodged easily, having been more than ready for that. “You have to up your Endurance in the Store, if you want to use your power more,” he repeated the words he knew would work, for they had worked thousands of times for Batman.

He found himself quietly wondering which Reincarnation Batman was on. Obviously, if Adrien could help it, this would be the last, but he hoped for the first as well. Less trauma, more idealistic, less likely to kill himself after any one thing went even slightly wrong… yes, that Reincarnation would be the easiest for Adrien to help with his expansive knowledge of the world he had found himself suddenly thrust into.

But, for now, he would help Tim.

Tim, who was eyeing him warily. “Store?”

“Mhmm. It should appear at your fingertips if you ask it to.”

Tim glanced at him, and then at his hand, and then back at him. And then, hesitantly, his other hand still holding his pipe in a vice grip, he lifted a hand and said “Store, please.”

It wasn’t necessary to say it aloud, but Adrien didn’t correct him. God, this scene was even cuter in person.

The 4th wall is shaking.

…

The 4th wall is restored.

Adrien glanced at the screen out of the corner of his eyes. Hm.

Nevermind that for now.

Tim hesitantly used all of his Coins to up his Endurance to a 6, and instantly relief washed over him, the tension in his shoulders lessening visibly. He smiled at him. “Thank you. How’d you find that out?”

“Well,” said Adrien. “Once you hit sixteen, you get this magical ability to know everything.”

Tim squinted at him for a minute. “Dad does say teens are know-it-alls…”

“Exactly,” Adrien said, fighting off a laugh. “Once you’re my age, you can know-it-all, too.”

“Like curse words?” Tim said, his eyes gleaming.

“Especially curse words,” Adrien said solemnly.

Some Kwamis have taken a liking to your new friendship.

Tikki has sponsored you +500 Coins.

Secretive Plotter has sponsored you +100 Coins.

There it was, the true way to get Coins. Scenarios were good and all, but could last several days. No, what you needed to do was get Kwamis to watch you, and get them to root for you.

Plagg urges you to hurry along.

And the Kwami you choose as your Sponsor has the most weight on your decisions. Money was great, and could buy you either good items or stats, but when you were an Incarnation then you would have to abide by the rules of your specific Kwami, because they were the only one that could give you a buff. And a buff could be the difference between life and death.

“Are we on a gameshow?” Tim asked, eyeing a screen of his own, though Adrien couldn’t see it. “They’re cheering for me.”

“Something like that,” Adrien said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “If they’re cheering for you, then you’re doing good. If they’re not, then you need to do something good.”

Tim nodded diligently. “You sure are smart, Mister!”

“Adrien is fine, and thanks, but I’m just well-read,” Adrien said, his lips twitching into a kind of grin. “Can I know your name?”

“Oh! Tim! Tim Drake!” he stopped walking to stick a hand out.

Adrien took his small hand in his, and then tugged his arm, forcing him to walk again. “We can do formalities when we get to a safe zone, yeah?”

Tim looked at their interlocked hands for just a moment before breaking into a wide smile.

“Okay, Mist – Adrien!”

The Kwamis are cooing over you.

Tikki has sponsored you +500 coins.

Adrien and Tim shared smiles as they stepped onto the bridge with thirty-five minutes to go.

No wonder Batman kept choosing Tim. The kid really did pick up things fast.

Speaking of Batman choosing Tim…

“Who are you?”

They both whipped around.

“Tim!” Tim squeaked.

The man’s eyes lingered on Tim for a moment, then trailed to their interlocked hands, then found its way to Adrien’s face.

“I don’t know you.”

“Adrien Agreste. Now you do.”

Batman didn’t seem particularly amused by the joke. He stalked towards Adrien, only to stop when Tim held out his pipe, stepping between Adrien and Batman oh god.

Adrien placed his hands on Tim’s shoulders. “Hey, hey, no, we’re not threatening the very scary man, okay?”

Tim frowned up at him for a moment.

“I’ll be fine. Head across the bridge, okay?”

Tim looked skeptical for just a moment. He glanced at Batman, then Adrien. There was a… very visible strength difference.

Adrien pulled out his knife. “There. I’ll be alright. Head over, okay?”

Wayzz has sponsored you +1000 Coins.

Plagg is calling you a self-sacrificing idiot.

Tim sent him one last, wary look before teleporting halfway down the bridge.

Adrien dismissed the screens with a wave of his free hand, stuffing his knife into his pocket once again, and then looked at Batman.

“Why are you here? Nothing I did up to this point should have caused any changes.”

Adrien shrugged. “No clue.”

You are under the scrutiny of a Lie Detection skill.

You have passed.

Adrien smiled. “Glad we’ve cleared that up, can I go now? Time’s a-ticking, y’know.”

Batman raised an eyebrow. “No, because you brushed past the words ‘Nothing I did up to this point should have caused any changes’ without blinking. How do you know about my Reincarnations?”

“I –,” Adrien said, backing up a step. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! I just didn’t want to make things awkward by asking!”

You are under the scrutiny of a Lie Detection skill.

Whoops.

You have failed.

Adrien swallowed thickly. It suddenly dawned on him just how intimidating Batman was. Well over six feet tall and approximately 200 pounds of pure muscle. Dark hair throwing his eyes into shadow. And advancing on him very quickly.

He had to fight an instinctive urge to test out the power Plagg had given him. Because, chances were, the spell would bounce off of the man’s plot armor, and if it didn’t then he would experience hell in the next Reincarnation. If he would even be there for it.

And… a hand gripped his shirt, and Adrien might have squealed over the man being so close to him and real, but knuckles pressed against his windpipe, and he was far more concerned with trying to keep his feet on the ground. His hands scrabbled at the one on his collar, desperate to loosen his grip. Fruitless in his attempts.

He should have invested some money into Strength.

The 4th wall is shaking.

Great, thanks. Just what he needed.

His mouth went dry.

Step by step, Adrien was forced closer to the edge.

“WAITwaitwait, I know the future!” Adrien screamed, desperate as his heels passed over the edge.

Batman paused.

His eyebrows knit together.

You are under the scrutiny of a Lie Detection skill.

You have passed.

“A prophet,” Batman mused aloud.

“If that’s what you want to call it,” Adrien said.

Batman stared him down for just a moment.

“Oh, really? You say you know the future?”

His grip shifted to hug Adrien’s throat, and he lifted Adrien straight off of the bridge, letting him dangle.

The water really was oh-so-far away.

“Then prove it. Will I let go, or not?”

Adrien, shakily, removed one of the hands that had been scrabbling at Batman’s.

He flipped him off. “Just drop me already.”

For just a moment, Batman, the man known for caring about nothing other than his goal, Vengeance personified, Bruce Wayne… smiled at him.

“Perhaps you are a prophet, after all.”

He let go.

~~~~~~~~~

#ttt #tag team tournament #maribat #rare flair #bruce & adrien #ig #how dare you guys inspireme

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comicgoblinwrites · 1 year

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Comic Goblin Writing & Writeblr update!

(Because I've been away and also not writing for a while.)

Well, I've been polishing finished short stories to submit to journals and things, so I guess that's writing. But nothing that I've felt the itch to share. Anyway!

I'm still here.

Primarily I've been getting things prepped for submission. I've got a handful of short stories that I'm polishing to submit to journals/contests, and I'm getting my series (that I have the most progress on) ready to query.

Project updates:

The Ember Arcanum (science-fantasy space opera)

Book 1 (The Fire Between Stars (TFBS)) is semi on hold/not my top priority right now (though I'm probably going to write on it tonight). I'm about 62k in, and noodling on some pacing things, though I know where abouts the story is going.

Marcel and Maeve have just been hanging out while I'm distracted, though they're getting a little impatient.

The Sound of the End (sci-fi post-apocalypse thriller)

Book 1 (needs to be renamed possibly, so y'all might see me asking about that at some point).

Currently Beta reading

Getting a query letter together

Another pass on revisions before I start querying

Book 2 needs it's first pass on revisions, but I'm not worrying too much about it until I'm on a solid track with book 1. Similarly for Book 3, though I'm still transcribing it from longhand. The last book is outlined.

Darcy would probably prefer if I left her alone, but that's too bad. This series is itching to be finished.

Anyway, that's what I'm working on right now, and I'll probably start sharing updates again. If you want to be added to tag lists for either TSOTE or TEA, let me know.

#writing #writer #writing update #writeblr #science fiction #scifi #science fantasy #TEA #The Ember Arcanum #The Sound of the End #TSOTE #comic goblin writes #mage and knight

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an-ocean-viewer · 7 months

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I became too busy once again.

Things I liked about the 5 days I was missing #7 to #11 (in no particular order.. just writing as it pops up in my head)

1. Friends and I had a heated argument. Managed to calm the situation down and even helped mend my friend's relationship with another friend they have beef with. I am very cool

2. Joined a pageant. I didn't get picked as a contestant but I think I did alright. I had the highest score of all the boys, a solid 95/100. However the way I 'strutted' on the runway leaves a lot to be desired. It was my first time so I'm not in the wrong. I also don't watch pageants. But when they told me to "Get everyone's attention for more points" my interpretation of that was awfully different. I now know that yelling "ATTENNTIONN!!!" like an army sergeant in a drill is not the way to "Get everyone's attention". Was definitely a lot of fun tho.

3. Had a wonderful time with my friends and we vibed while talking about random stuff.

4. Took a picture with a pretty woman (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

5. Dogs captured the noisy rat that was plaguing our roof. The rat went down to get food and my dogs activated hunting mode

6. Finished the 100 items math homework that was copy and answer w/ complete solutions

7. New notebooks that look like books ✨✨

8. New notebooks smell like books✨✨

9. Friend told me they felt like playing a Minecraft Zombie Apocalypse (last time we tried, Aternos Free Server Hosting couldn't handle our pack). So, I created a lightweight zombie apocalypse modpack

10. I never had this much fun playing while simultaneously being scared shitless.

11. After our first session, we agreed that us being able to build walls were too op..... so, I made some of the zombies able to break blocks and now none of us are safe. Doesn't help that some of the zombies have lots of health and good armor and sometimes get speed boosts. It was amazing to experience

12. We made changes to the music and by the gods I swear the atmosphere is just mwah, chef's kiss. Or maybe being chased by a pack of zombies while C418's piano lofi set a low standard. Either way, mwah. The atmosphere is amazing

13. Discussed our thesis concepts with my groupmates and made significant progress

14. We had a consultation for our thesis, first experience with doing so despite having done a handful of dissertations myself.

15. Received a thank you for cheering someone up. Definitely a highlight of the past five days.

16. Wrote a short story for a friend as an example of how to use Tarot Cards for story telling. It was about a prodigy wizard stagnating, becoming depressed, finding someone they could mentor who never gave up, and them being affected by that mentality and finding the courage to save his town from a dragon.

Picture of dead rat being held attached below

#3 good things #nice #minecraft #zombie #apocalypse #rat #well it's dead but it is a rat #pageant #writing

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eazy-group · 8 months

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Simple And Fun Halloween Camping Activities!

New Post has been published on https://eazycamping.net/simple-and-fun-halloween-camping-activities/

Simple And Fun Halloween Camping Activities!

Plan some frighteningly friendly fun with these awesome Halloween camping activities the kids and adults will enjoy. There are tons of ways to enjoy your Halloween camping trips!

Psst we’re compensated…see our disclosures.

Halloween Camping Games

Add a Halloween holiday twist to ordinary games. Here are a few ideas…

Eyeball Egg Toss

Create an eerie feel to an egg toss game by using black electrical tape or magic markers to draw an eyeball on the egg.

You can use raw eggs to add an extra-gross feel to the competition when an egg is dropped … or just use hard-boiled eggs to keep clean-up to a minimum.

Each team of two people toss their egg back and forth, when a team drops their egg … they are out of the game.

Glow Sticks Pumpkin Bowling

Glow Stick Set With Connectors

Make 10 glowing bowling ball pins from bottled drinking water by activating the glow stick and dropping it into the bottle … then replacing the screw-on lid.

Now, use a mini-pumpkin as the bowling ball and play a game fit for the Halloween holiday!

Wicked Witch Ring Toss

Satin-Soft Black Witch Hat Party Accessory

Place a Halloween costume witch hat on the ground and use glow stick necklaces as rings to toss around the hat.

The camper with the most rings around the hat is the winner.

Hot Pumpkin Toss

Just like a game of Hot Potato, toss a mini pumpkin around a circle while playing music, when the music stops, the player holding the pumpkin is out of the game.

Candy Bar Bingo

Fun Size Halloween Candy Assortment

Play a game of bingo but replace the board chip markers with mini bite-sized Halloween candy. This is a fun activity for the entire month of October.

Send me FREE camping tips!

I want “5 Secrets To Successful Camping Trips” plus weekly camping tips & recipes.

Spooky Treasure Hunts

Glow in The Dark Halloween LED Flash Rings

Hide little Halloween themed items (like cheap Halloween rings, mini candy bars etc) around the campsite and draw a haunted treasure map for the hidden items.

The camper who finds the most treasures in the scavenger hunt wins.

Festivities In The Halloween Spirit

It just wouldn’t be Halloween without a few spooky stories and costumes! Here are some ideas to make it easy at the campsite.

Tell A Sort-Of Spooky Story

It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse!

If you need to stay away from frightening ghost stories and zombie apocalypse tales, go for a little-kid friendly option instead and the whole family will sleep better without turning a fun weekend into a total nightmare. P.S. It’s not just younger children who will appreciate this magic pumpkin patch approach to your Halloween celebration.

Scary Movies

Show scary movies after dark if you have a way to play them. Halloween is a classic. Other favorites are the Blair Witch Project and the Friday the 13th film series (which can be shown on Friday night to start Halloween-themed weekends off on the right foot).

Halloween

Host A Halloween Party With Fellow Campers

Host a party with your camping friends by incorporating these ideas:

Invite Halloween campers to dress up in their favorite costumes then have costume parades.

Serve holiday-themed food (I have awesome ideas for you later in this post).

Use holiday-themed plates, cups and napkins (easy ways to dress up cups is to glue googly eyes on them).

Have decorating contests like camp site decorating, ATV or golf cart decorating then have an ATV & golf cart parade (fake spider webs and plastic spiders are always a fun way to decorate around the campground).

Family dance including playlists from Halloween-themed movies.

Pumpkin carving contests.

Pancake breakfast.

Let the Halloween experts help. Take a short drive to visit local Halloween events like:

Haunted hayrides or fall hayrides for the younger kids

Haunted walks along a haunted trail or in a haunted house

Autumn farmers markets (make sure you pick up a few caramel apples) and craft shows

Horseback riding

Wagon rides

If you’re camped at one of the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park RV park’s across the United States, you’ll have built-in fun Halloween activities during Halloween weekends (yes, that is plural! Many RV resorts have consecutive Halloween-themed weekends throughout the entire month that are filled with family fun for younger and older kids as well as adults. It is so much fun, when Sunday morning rolls around, you’ll be disappointed it is time to pack up to head for home!)

Camping Trick Or Treating

Plan a trick or treat event for the kids and pets. This is really fun if you are camping with other families.

It’s a good idea to do a little pre-planning to coordinate this especially if anybody has food allergies or special dietary restrictions.

Make sure you have pet-safe treats like dog bones … it’s an extra bonus if they are Halloween-themed!

Halloween Bone Bons Organic Dog Treats

Halloween Dance Party

Hold a Halloween ball with a glow dance party and play fun Halloween music like Monster Mash (Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers), Thriller (Michael Jackson), Ghostbusters (Ray Parker Jr.) etc.

youtube

Costume Contests

Have a costume contest where everyone gets to vote for their favorite costume ideas in categories like …

Most unique camping-themed outfit etc.

Simple Costumes

Face Paint Kit For Kids With Stencils

If you want to dress up but don’t want to wear full-blown outfits, here are some easy options. Fun face coverings in the form of masks work great but it is even easier and less stuff to pack if you cover faces with paint. Face painting is fun for kids of all ages and if you use a kit with stencils, you don’t have to be an artist!

Temporary Tattoos

Halloween Temporary Tattoos

Using temporary Halloween tattoos and glow in the dark stickers are quick and easy alternatives to wearing complete Halloween costumes. Want a variety in one convenient package?

Halloween Arts And Crafts

Do some Halloween crafts like pumpkin painting and carving … and you’ll get cute campsite decorations out of the projects to display during your trip. Don’t forget to bring the supplies for your planned Halloween camping art and craft projects.

Carve Pumpkins

Who doesn’t love carving jack o lanterns for Halloween? This is one of the most fun Halloween camping ideas because kids and adults can get creative with fun or spooky designs. You can do it free-hand or use stencils.

Pumpkin Carving Stencil Kit

The Ultimate Pumpkin Carving Kit With 10 Pop-Out Stencils

One of my totally non-artistic friends carved a pumpkin with a lot of detail in the design and I was amazed at how easy it was when she told me she “cheated” by using pumpkin carving kit stencils! The pumpkins are so cute … WOW!!!

These are easy and fun Halloween camping crafts that will also decorate your campsite for the rest of your trip!

A quick caution about carving pumpkins at the campsite … carving tools are sharp and pumpkins can be awkward to handle so take extra precautions … especially when small kids are carving your jack o lantern!

It’s also a good idea to use battery-operated tea lights instead of candles to light up the carved pumpkin. Practice good camping safety tips to make sure everyone has a fun-filled camping adventure!

Pumpkin Painting

Crayola Pumpkin Paint Set

If you don’t feel comfortable with sharp objects, just paint the pumpkins. Any acrylic paint works great, just make sure you have good Halloween-y colors.

Painted Rock Craft Halloween Creatures

Pick up a few rocks around your campsite and paint them with funny zombie faces then set them out as decorations during your trip. See how to make them on sustainmycrafthabit.

Lollipop Paper Ghosts Made With Coffee Filters

Turn lollipops and coffee filters into cute ghosts with this edible craft project. See how to make them on katherinerosman.

Easy Handprint Zombie Craft For Kids

Create adorable zombies that you can hang around camp as decorations after the kids finish this easy craft. See how to make them on simpleeverydaymom.

Halloween Craft Felt Bat Pencil Topper

Enhance your pencils with these lovable bats made out of felt and a few simple hand-sewn stitches. See how to make them on easyfeltcrafts.

Pretty Pumpkins Craft Project

See how easy it is to make these Dollar Tree DIY pretty pumpkins on your Halloween camping trip then use them to adorn your tables. See how to make them on dollarstoreliving.

Egg Carton Tissue Paper Ghost Craft

Don’t throw out the egg carton after breakfast. Make these fun ghosts and then use them for site decorating your camp decor. See how to make them on jinxykids.

Halloween-Themed Food

Serve some yummy treats with these fun Halloween camping food ideas. Your fall camping trip will probably be filled with cooler temperatures. So, you’ll want your picnic table filled with warm and hearty food. Check out all of my winter camping recipes that are great additions to any cold weather trips.

Halloween Lighting

Hang Halloween camper lights around your campsite to add a creepy or cute and spooky feel to your event.

More Tips For Halloween Camping

Experiencing the great outdoors in autumn is unique and exhilarating. Get tips on fall camping so you are fully prepared for your Halloween adventure.

More Meal Ideas

There are so many options to enjoy yummy meals!

Source

#camper

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dispatches-from-the-lorecord · 1 year

Text

Time to meet the rest of the Gauntlet kids!

[February 3, 2023, third part of this conversation]

{Krizste:}

quick rapid fire me the other crazy kids

{Haji:}

N / Nia I'd feel awkward doing a rapid fire for because I only really know my lore for them 😂

But a few things of note:

- She's sometimes called "The Wurm Queen" because early on we had like three notable Wurmple before settling on one that became a Dustox and made it to the Hall of Fame

- Her relationship with Norman is usually portrayed as pretty friendly. This incarnation of him is awkward and doesn't know how to dad, but that's okay because she's such a nature girl she doesn't come home often either. They care but... They're just friends.

- In BB2 because of the mod, all of the Hoenn leaders showed up like you guys saw in Volt White 2. There were jokes that as leader of the region, she probably brought them all with her to help with whatever is going on in BB2.

Some lore has her as literally N since it's her name so she's able to talk to Pokemon and is seriously a Disney princess but much like N, that doesn't mean she won't kick ass if she sees Pokemon being abused.

Her Aggron was named ATM and is sometimes portrayed as a literal machine 😂

Also like with N we seemed to change our team after every town but around Slateport is when we started to stabilize. Possibly because Team Aqua made it clear she needed a set team to take on these guys as her usual "whatever is in the area works" tactic wasn't good for dealing with serious criminals

This sometimes causes her to butt heads with Izzy.

Isabelle Bow aka Ice has a few interpretations for her

All of them have her being a studious and relatively serious young lady though. She's very no nonsense to a point where the main joke with her is her post game team had Giratina, Dialga and Arceus and she totally doesn't believe in gods (despite accidentally creating one in the form of God Fish)

So different lore branches

- The bow aspect made her a contest star and she'll be happy to show that frilly girly girls can still beat your ass.

- A big part of her skepticism is because she works as a paranormal investigator and is out to prove none of this hocus pocus actually exists

- A member of the Interpol on Galactic's trail. Undercover name is Ice while her rival Diamond is more of a friendly fellow agent keeping each other up to speed and up to snuff because these space men are no joke.

- .... Possibly all of the above are true with her being a paranormal investigator who does contests between projects and was recently enlisted by the Interpol to help due to her expertise on disbanding cults if she can just prove Cyrus and this whole 'new world order" is a fraud

The blonde hair in her design came up because the last Animal Crossing game had just been released and people made the connection to the adorable dog secretary Isabel. Combine that with the meme of Isabel and the Doom Guy are friends and she occasionally goes into the Doom world to hunt and stress relief and welp :tppWowee:

Didn't help that we had a Torterra named BFG

Which could be Big Friendly Giant, but also had some portrayals that the tree on its back is a BIG FREAKIN GUN 😂

{Mitzi:}

yes, yes, i should be in bed. quick personal gauntlet kid characterisations:

red: obsessive antisocial glitchmancer/hacker who discovered his original timeline self started an apocalypse cult at age 10 and has never been quite the same since. is exactly as Like That as red and abe, but don’t tell him that

dipper: just wanted to look at plants and it all got a bit out of hand. token sane guy, probably the closest they have to a leader, poor kid

n: n. smiles serenely, befriends eldritch abominations, obeys no law of god or man, possibly immortal. extremely good at wrecking everything while remaining kind and enthusiastic throughout

izzy: discovered she lived in a lovecraft short story and immediately started investing in legendaries. won’t back down, won’t take no for an answer, won’t admit she might not actually be able to do something

reese: flamboyant dresses, acting stardom, and also maybe some plot if she absolutely has to. fought iris purely to steal her dress

esther: look she’s 9. likes hats and (association) football, is friends with an eldritch horror but that’s basically the most unusual thing about her. gonna grow up into an absolutely terrifying adult though, no question

BONUS:

team release the fossil gods: n, esther (kinda)

team do not release the impossibly ancient lovecraftian deities, they will literally destroy the world: red, izzy (when she doesn’t have more pressing things to worry about)

team please stop fighting: dipper

team you literally could not pay me to care about this: reese

{Krizste:}

{Haji:}

But yeah, so the longer version with Reese is Red0 is trying to be edgy and chaotic and darkness and stuff, Reese is literally a natural. Not even trying. S/he ignores the plot in favor of whatever has caught their interest at the time, which ended up being the first (?) Unova host to 100% the PokeStar Studios.

- Also the game did something weird where we got Darkrai to appear before the post game and it became our ace for that run.

- Reese loved fashion and bright lights, I think they'd get along with Yuu in the worst ways possible. Reese doesn't do explosions though, but would probably enjoy the flair if running the catwalk with pyrotechnics.

- There were questions about the relationship with Darkrai, whether Reese was being puppeted for dark purposes or if Reese was the bad influence and now Darkrai is a big name director making some of the worst movies but we love them anyway. Either way, we think the other hosts may have shown up in the post game because Reese was perceived as a threat whether they actually are or not.

{Krizste:}

{Mitzi:}

HOW BAD EACH GAUNTLET KID WOULD BE TO FIGHT, FROM MOST SURVIVABLE TO LEAST:

reese: a lot more collected than her gender presentation would imply, and if you did actually manage to piss her off her immediate recourse would be mean girls bullshit. if you do get into a pokemon battle with her, beware: her signature strategy is cheese

esther: her being friends with a fossil god comes up less often than you might think, she prefers to fight her own battles. if you do manage to hurt her badly enough though, there is that small omnipresent all-but-omnipotent sentient-piece-of-the-universe wrinkle to worry about

izzy: big jump here. izzy’s hobby is strat-o-matic-ing battles with universe-devouring lovecraftian monsters, cross her and you’re basically doomed. best you can hope for is register as an insignificant enough threat she’ll forget you exist after dealing with you

red: look the thing about glitchmancers is that they’re only moderately in control of their crazy powers at the best of times, and sometimes red will even admit that. he’ll either ignore you or make you wish you’d never been born, and you’ll probably not know which is which until all your insides have been swapped with chewing gum

n: oh god. n is even harder to piss off than reese but makes up for that by being (1) an ambiguously human unaging immortal of unclear origin and powers with friends in some very high places and (2) completely unpredictable in every possible way. n follows n rules, n does whatever they want, and n’s been known to bring regions to their knees. i’m honestly not sure what they’re capable of, but i’m sure it’s Bad

dipper: is he hiding some sort of secret rage mode superpower or angsty superpowered dark side? nah. dipper is exactly as kind-hearted and harmless as he appears, a true sunshine boy. you’d have to be a real tool to even think about hurting him

you know who agrees with me about this assessment?

the other gauntlet kids

{Haji:}

The question seems to imply you've already pissed them off, so for me it goes Esther, N, Red0, Dippy, Reese, Izzy. But as you said, the problem with some of these is they aren't so quick to attack. Esther is more likely to get in a fight than Reese, but the image of Dippy being the worst one to upset is because the others will all jump you is amazing 😂

I still find it hilarious with Dippy too because I'm sure most Trainers would look at the squad and go "Go for the tree hugger! He's the weak link!" And then Dippy has a fucking bear and steel giant and other things they probably weren't expecting a simple botanist to have :OMEGALUL:

YOU COME FOR THE TREES, YOU DEAL WITH THE FOREST

Oh and I will note in the branching lore for Reese to save on future confusion, some will say girl, some will say guy so decide your own pronouns. Reese may actually not have any

Or all

That's just a very Reese thing to do

{Krizste:}

reese pronown officially Thon

:^>

{Haji:}

I think I actually remember us joking at one point about Reese trying to physically hold all the pronouns. 😂

{Krizste:}

reese going to abooth with pronown stickers/badges and taking them all and decroating a hat wit hit like roark

{Tranzi:}

i was just thinking of reese as a drag queen but this interpretation is funny so i accept this :Keepo:

{Haji:}

I have him as a drag queen in my head :tppPika:

{Tranzi:}

when reese discovered the beautiful world of nounpronouns it was the time when darkrai actually tried to use dark void on its own owner to prevent world from a catastrophe

:Keepo:

{Mitzi:}

… i generally think of reese as a she/her gay man, but thinking about it yeah, she probably doesn’t give much of a shit

her gender is ✨gorgeous✨

{Tranzi:}

her gender sparkles so much that lil'd is crying in his french corner

:tppWait:

{Haji:}

Oh! Actual last thing I'll say about Reese

The run kinda soured towards the end because in order to beat the game, we had to be the Gauntlet PWT where the devs brought the previous four kids back. ... In a gauntlet... With boosted levels and items... And some "interesting" abilities for the Red and Crystal mons since they didn't have them. And no healing in between. This went on for days(? Certainly felt like it) until we had run out of other stuff to do to cool off from the frustration of losing and most were ready for this to be over with. We even traded in for a Landurus grinded to 100 and still couldn't win. Finally chat got mad enough to go into democracy mode to use healing items and I think we stayed in demo to fight too. Because we knew it could be done but it was so precise that it seemed like one wrong input could cost the whole thing which couldn't be done with the crowd we had for this. And then when we FINALLY win, the devs had put in the original gauntlet with the S1 kids for us to fight as well. I like to think Reese was so pissed by this point they just steamrolled it.

Hilariously, I actually hc that after this experience at the PWT, Reese was so mad at the others after the GKids found out Reese wasn't the world ending threat they thought, (HE was trying to stop THEM), they weren't on speaking terms for years. Reese has been living in Kalos under the name Diantha for some time by the time Esther came around

D has been well acquainted with this sparkle bun for some time now

{Mitzi:}

oh did we mention that reese is diantha? (in gauntlet y, anyway)

reese is diantha

{Haji:}

That was coming up when we got to Esther stories XD

I mean, that's just my hc, but going back to earlier when I said Wikstrom had Red0's team, Diantha had Reese's. Drasna had Izzy, Seibold had Dippy's, and Malva had N's

Some say just go with the game explanation where the E4 got to borrow them, some say the GKids came in during the post game, but like I said, me and a few others like to think the Diantha we see throughout the game was Reese all along

I missed a lot of X so I'll let others explain. A few key points though

- Esther being into sports came up from the Amie mini games iirc. This was the first time we had enough control to legitimately play them.

- Had Sail, which even if some other others had fossils, this was a first for TPP so there's some depictions that Esther may be an Acolyte (like Red is to Helix). Sail is an interesting god because it's usually said to be in charge of relationships; friends, family, lovers, meetings and partings, it's no surprise given how many friends Esther has either. Between the in-game group you travel with and the GKids asking her to join, she's pretty popular.

- notably we have a Ducklet named Fucklet and some tease that Esther doesn't know what that means, others say she totally swears up a storm surprising people given her age.

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dementedfilament · 2 years

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For context on that last post and just because I feel like rambling about it:

Someone (and a few other people kinda) I know has been really encouraging me to publish a short story anthology, since my short stories are arguably better than my novel, and it would be an opportunity to build a fanbase before publishing said novel. And I mean, I would love to! But part of why I’m writing so much fanfic is because it’s all I can mentally handle right now. I’m struggling so much to come up with my own characters and plots, and fanfic-writing has been a nice way to have my writing outlet while having the bones of a story already made for me.

However, after mulling over a few different ideas, I think my personal council has led me to a decision.

There was an old novel idea I had about an apocalypse caused by a war between gods, but I ended up throwing it out because of the cliched concept and general lack of cohesive plot. (This idea is what my introduction to the crazy cult leader, Andrew, came from.) A while after throwing around that idea, I wrote a “steampunk fairytale” for a contest loosely based on that novel idea’s world, and I fell so in love with it. I planned to actually merge the two worlds together, but ultimately gave up the novel idea in the end.

But! I still have the fairytale’s world that I love so much, and I wanted to play in that sandbox more anyways. The story in question is Steam Train, which I’m actually going to steal the title from. Long story short, the fairytale itself won’t be included in the anthology for many reasons, but the concept of a world destroyed by the gods’ war and the general setting of the fairytale will remain the same. Characters from both stories will also appear in them (not that anyone will care, lmao), as well as a bunch of new ones. It’ll be a weird mash of steampunk, post-apocalypse, and fantasy, focusing on the stories of multiple different characters and slowly expanding on their special little hellhole they live in.

With some help from the personal council, this project is now titled:

Steam Train: Guns and Gears Anthology

(...At least for now, lol.) This is the same story that I posted a Pinterest board for not too long ago.

Now, this project (probably) won’t take precedence over any of my other projects tbh, and it’ll probably be a while before I even remotely got close to finishing any part of it outside of the prologue. But! It’s one I have in the works now and that I will probably occasionally gush over 💞

#nyssa rambles #[ Familiar Faces Through the Storm ]#Steam Train #ST: GaGA #LMFAO THE SHORTENED VERSION #I'll probably just tag it as 'Steam Train' instead and that ver instead of the whole title though #maybe #probably #I'll think about it #I also had more ramble to ramble but I literally forgot the rest of it as I was typing #lmao #but yeah #I've got a relatively lengthy worldbuilding doc now #so I'm trying to iron out the setting details #then I'll eventually dive into characters and plots #rn I have at least two protagonists #...for now at least #Roxxy and Fayfeather

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supportforindieauthors · 3 years

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Interview with Daniel Cubias

1) Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind your entry for this contest?

Every story about extraterrestrials assumes that they are either cuddly friends who want to get to be our pals, or they are malevolent invaders. But what if they are largely indifferent to our existence? What if they just don’t care that we’re here?

2) What made you decide to enter this contest?

I thought my story offered a unique take on what the end of the world might look like.

3) Who are some of your favourite authors and why?.

Kurt Vonnegut because of his mix of weary cynicism and guarded optimism.

Stephen King because he’s the master.

Mark Leyner because he’s hilarious.

4) What is your favourite book you read this year and why?

"The Cabin at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay.

And speaking of the end of civilization — this novel was a fresh take on the genre. With such compelling characters, I couldn’t figure out who was telling the truth or who would ultimately survive.

5) What is your best piece of advice for all the new independent authors out there?

Read a lot. Write a lot. Go outside every once in a while. Support your fellow authors. And live in peace and harmony with people of all colors, creeds, and nationalities. Stuff like that.

#Author Interview #Daniel Cubias #First Place Winner #Apocalypse Short Story Contest #Support for Indie Authors

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carouselcarl · 4 years

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If you are interested in fantasy adventures involving the end of the world please check out the short story The Last Thing on webtoon

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/the-last-thing-h/list?title_no=456990

#webtoon #short comic #short story #webtoon contest #the last thing #end of the world #apocalypse

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rapid-artwork · 3 years

Photo

Finally cleaned up an old doodle I started a while ago.

A stoic biker dude from a Mad-Max style post-apocalypse world gets teleported to a magical fairy realm where all conflict is solved through enchanted baking contests.

Long story short he adjusts quickly and becomes an adopted dad to an entire kingdom of magical baking witches.

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fiendishpal · 3 years

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hii fiend!!! i literally adore your art its so pretty and it- it just- *inhales* *exha-*💞💖✨💞💖✨💞🙏🛐🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️anyways so- bcz u guided me to the osaaka ship and now im in love w it couldya please offer me some fic recommendations? ok, i just love ur art ur one of ny faves lov u have an amazingly sweet and beautiful day!!! :D

sure thing!!

i’ll put them by category here (i also have some art for some of them, i’ll post them when i’ve got the time)

i’ve put a star ★ beside fics that i’ve read a bunch of times hahaha!

canon-compliant

(fics that i think you should read first. mostly canon-compliant. so these are post-timeskip. after their meeting at the black jackals vs adlers game. these really won’t make any sense if you’re anime-only, sorry.)

stay with me go places by sparksandsalt ★

this fic. THIS FIC!!!!! this started everything for me!!! this is the reason why i started shipping osaaka!!!! the way they handled the characters is sooooo!!! *chef’s kiss* they really stick true to the characters' voices and the care they put into characterizations is impeccable. i also love bokuto and akaashi’s relationship here!! they’re so in each other’s lives that bokuto ends up exposing akaashi’s feelings indirectly and accidentally lmao and also atsumu and osamu’s relationship is so funny and hilarious. they are like how brothers are, atsumu showing his support but also clowning osamu in the process

this fic single-handedly fueled me to create so much osaaka content.

i dont know how many times i’ve read this tbh

wait by sanguinedawns

i love the yearning in this fic. the longing and the waiting and the expectation there. they’re trying to be subtle about their feelings for each other but they’re seen at the end but at 4k it’s narrated so smoothly. i love mutually pining idiots.

in the afternoon by yamaboto

this is so!!! i love this so much!! at 1k we see osamu yearning for akaashi once again. i love how they write this short scene. i could really picture the afternoon light coming in through the traditional panel doors and how the light must feel on your skin.

take what we love inside by yamaboto

this is an established relationship osaaka and how they got together. in the afternoon (the fic above) is a snippet of how warm the writer could put words together. and it really is so sweet there’s a scene where they slow dance and it’s the best. i also love the simple fact that they put in how osamu cannot let anybody go hungry hhaha

shout softly by lostsunsets

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS MADE MY HEART FEEL SO LIGHT AND SOFT AND TENDER. THIS FIC IS SO PRECIOUS OH MY GOSH

i love love loooooooove how the author put osamu's love and passion for food and filling in the pieces on what osamu does to fuel this passion --while in the back burner-- while he was still playing volleyball in high school

AND HOW HE LONGS FOR AKAASHI. THIS IS MAKING ME AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

GO READ IT PLEASE

we’re in au territory

(the setting is not canon-compliant)

sleeping with the enemy by billionairevolleyboysclub ★

the setting is in 2013 haikyu volleyball circuit. meaning they’re still in highschool and are still playing volleyball and they just happen to chance upon each other at interhigh.

i love how sweet osamu is and how he got his crush on akaashi. and it’s lovely how they wrote the budding of a highschool relationship!! and their take on how osamu and akaashi handle ldr??? it’s delicious. dont let the fake/pretend relationship tag fool you this is very cute i love them so much!! i guess the ‘no drama’ aspect is what i like about this a lot bc osamu’s a pretty straightforward guy esp i guess back in highschool. also the second-hand embarrassment is real lmao

welcome in by risquetendencies ★

in this setting osamu’s still the owner of onigiri miya but the au aspect of this is that they haven’t met before. so basically a meet-cute.

and man oh mannnnn the tension written here is good food. osamu is written so obviously into akaashi (i mean who wouldn’t) and akaashi is affected by this greatly and it is!!! wow!! i just love how smooth osamu is here and how flustered akaashi gets bc “omg a hot guy likes me????” (yes akaashi, this hot guys thinks you’re a sexy piece of ass please believe it)

akaashi in a gay panic is literally the best thing.

blood brothers by billionairevolleyboysclub (18+)

miya twins are vampires and akaashi has a thing for fangs. that in and of itself is enough reason for you to read this. i also love how the writer puts a distinction between atsumu and osamu on how they interact with/ feed on akaashi.

like the dawn by eggsan

this fic is actually inspired by my royalty au but im not putting this here bc of that. i really like how the writer introduced their story. i remember telling someone that the atmosphere of how they write is like the voice of a soft-spoken maiden hahaha it's lovely!! think light academia aesthetic. i also love how i get the doki-dokis when osamu, who is essentially a stranger, gets close to akaashi. i can feel akaashi's excitement and trepidation.

forgive the sea, follow the tide by KyryeDuBarie (18+)★

PIRATE AU!!!!!!

i love the fresh twist that they did here on the classic mermaid/pirate au. the twist being akaashi is actually a pearl diver and at the same time being vaguely hinted as a mermaid hhahaha. osamu's a pirate that got shipwrecked and got washed up on akaashi's shores that akaashi, of course, saved.

there's a bunch of cool things that happened too that i cannot disclose bc that'll ruin the thrill of reading this. the plot is solid and the romance between osamu and akaashi is gradual but so so sweeeeet!! i highly recommend this!! but better clear up your schedule bc this hefty boy comes in at a whopping 40k!!!!

keep time on me by yamabato

this fic is based from my zombie apocalypse au!! and even though it’s set in the end of the world, they were still able to write it so sweet and comforting????? i only wish osamu and keiji the happiness they deserve :’)

i also like the whole theme of time in the story and how the story revolves around it. it’s very good!!!

the contest between by batman (18+)

akaashi is a documentary director and osamu is his subject. i love love looooove how the author wrote how stubborn both of them are and how they could clash sometimes but not in the explosive type of way. it’s actually cute and sweet, you’ll see what i mean when you read this hhehehe

AND AKAASHI IS SO LOVELY HERE!!! so lovely!!! and he laughs and smiles a ton and those moments were written in a way that just said ‘look at this angel!’ LMAO idk maybe that’s just me. i love akaashi so much

AND THIS BABY COMES IN AT A WHOLE 75K!!!!!!!!! AMAZING!!!!

#chocomilked #fiend talks #fiendish recs #GIVE THESE AUTHORS SOME LOVE #love love looooove these fics i swear by them!!!!#if i find more i''l update these!!#happy reading tumblr used chocomilked!! hahaha #osaaka #EDIT: added two new fics!!!#let me go around the fics i've read again hhaha

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dmsden · 3 years

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Changing Things Up - What to do when you find you’re stuck in a rut

Hullo, Gentle Readers. This week’s Question from a Denizen comes from asfarasicouldgct who asks, “Any thoughts on ways to spice up your games if you're writing your own content but feel like you're following the same patterns to excess?”

We’re all been there, right? We get stuck in a rut and keep telling the same stories. I, myself, have told a version of the King Arthur story in so many campaigns, including the one I’m running right now. I think that we return to comfortable patterns automatically, but we all want to find a way to strive upward and tell something new. So how do we do that?

Well, step one is realizing you’re doing it. I realized it too late in this latest campaign, but I’m aware of it now, for sure. Short of running the King Arthur Pendragon RPG, I’m going to fight hard to make sure I don’t do it again in upcoming campaigns.

Once you know you have an issue, it’s time to look at what you can do instead. For one thing, you can engage in a twist. Maybe the much-prophecised king shows up, but they are thoroughly evil. Now instead of supporting the king’s ascendancy, maybe the PCs will struggle against it. Or maybe the king whose coming was foretold doesn’t come back among the “good guys”. Maybe an orcish chieftain rises among the orcs and ogres, leading them to war in the name of Gruumsh. This gets even more ironic if the human kingdom had this prophecy but thought it was a good thing, only to have it turn out to be just the opposite.

You can also simply omit your familiar territory, deliberately avoiding it in order to not tell such a story. If the PCs never get anywhere near the nobility, there’s no reason for such a story to be told, and you can look at other stories instead. Or you can do a variation on the story, but hide it in plain sight. The street gangs of Greyhawk used to work together, but they’ve been scattered since Oleg Blackcloak was executed by the town’s corrupt sheriff. Now his son, Tureg Blackcloak, who was raised in secret, is back to unite the gangs and rise up against the sheriff and the nobility who support him.

One thing I can highly recommend is to ingest new media when you’re trying to avoid falling into the trap of using a plot element that you’ve used before. Watching TV shows, reading books, reading through adventures for D&D or completely different game systems, reading comics, playing video games, watching movies, watching or listening to podcasts...I like to think that inspiration for a good game can come from anywhere or everywhere. I was actually inspired to run one of my favorite sessions of Werewolf: The Apocalypse after watching the Dolph Lundren Masters of the Universe movie. I didn’t like the adventure I was going to run, which involved fighting a god-like entity that the PCs should have had no way of affecting. Watching He-Man fight the ascended Skeletor gave me the idea that PCs weren’t trying to win the fight...just to distract the entity until a group of Mages could bind the entity. It ended up being quite memorable.

If you want a fun exercise to help you break out of a writing/storytelling rut, go down to any convenience and grocery store. Look for the worst, most ridiculous tabloid you can get your hands on. Buy it, take it home, and read it, thinking about how each story could be a plot in your RPG. I guarantee you that you’ll find inspiration in those pages.

The fun thing is that, when you work on and reskin these movies, tabloid stories, comic books, or whatever, it’s super unlikely your players will ever suspect where the plot came from. Take for example the infamous “Eye of the Beholder” episode of the original The Twilight Zone. You could take the basic idea of that episode (there are people with standards of beauty completely alien to our own), combine it with the D&D implications of the title, and, suddenly have the PCs asked to judge a Beholder beauty contest. I mean, that’s ridiculous, of course, but it’s likely your players will never guess where the inspiration came from, and it could end up being a very memorable adventure.

I hope this has helped! I know it’s no fun to be stuck in a rut, but inspiration lurks in the most unlikely of places. Until next time, be well, and watch out for Invisible Stalkers.

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rizlowwritessortof · 3 years

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Riz’s Master List

Just updated my master list (finally) - haven’t added anything new for a few months, unfortunately, but I’m working on it! Links below the cut. HUGE THANKS to @firefly-graphics for the dividers, you are a GIFT, my friend!

Never Look Back

Dean Winchester/Female OC, 21 chapters

Bethany Rae Cooper didn’t realize when she met the Winchesters in her family’s bar and grill that her life would never be the same. But she’s always believed that everything happens for a reason, even if it’s not exactly what you were expecting…

The Shadow’s Edge

Dean Winchester/Female OC, 17 chapters

Sequel to Never Look Back. When the demon Dameon was killed, Dean and Beth thought their son was safe from the prophecy. But when Cas brings them news of the new battle for Hell, they realize that their war has just begun.

The Fine Line

Dean Winchester/Female OC, 34 chapters

An unexpected tragedy sends Devon down the dark path of hate and vengeance, but she will learn that things are not always what they seem…

Scars

Dean Winchester/Female OC, 10 chapters

Sequel to The Fine Line. Dean and Devon’s relationship has always been stormy - but can they work through the scars of their past to find each other again?

Stars In the Darkness

Dean Winchester/Female OC, 8 chapters

A crushing loss brings Dean and Sam to Sioux Falls, and ghosts from the past and present bring them across the path of Tiara, a girl they haven’t seen since childhood.

Dreaming

Dean Winchester/Female OC, 5 chapters

Dean Winchester has always been a bit of a thorn in Kelsey’s side - a very attractive thorn, but still… A visit at her uncle Bobby’s reunites her with the boys, and she begins having vivid dreams - about Dean. Is it just her subconscious trying to tell her something? Or is there more to it than that?

My Unimportant Little Life

Dean Winchester/Female OC, 11 chapters

Season 5 timeline. Dean gets yanked from 2009 to 2014, so he can see the ‘consequences’ of saying no to Michael. At Camp Chitaqua he meets Reggie, and is surprised to find that she comes from 2009 as well…

Back In the Saddle

Dean Winchester/Female OC, 10 chapters

Dean and Sam are back in the old west again - in answer to a cry for help from Samuel Colt. And if Dean just happens to get tangled up with the spirited redhead that owns the saloon… what’s the harm, right?

Sweet Escape

Dean/Female Reader, 2 parts

What happens when a friend jokingly does a spell at your birthday party to bring your cardboard standup of Dean Winchester to life? This one’s dedicated to my friend, Liz, who gave me the idea. If only…

Sweet Escape Part 1

Sweet Escape Part 2

Shut Up and Drive

Dean/Female Reader, 2 parts

Reader teases Dean while he’s driving, so - he gets even

Part 1 - Keep Your Eyes on the Road

Part 2 - Or We Could Park - Parking Is Good Too

Take the Long Way Home

Dean Winchester/Female OC, 8 chapters

A look at Dean and Rusty’s relationship, in the present and through their memories. Flashbacks/memories are in italics.

Black Velvet

Demon!Dean/Female Reader, Dean/Female Reader, 9 chapters

You and Sam are broken after Dean’s death. Nobody expected him to come back with black eyes…

Fade to Black

Dean/Female Reader, 11 chapters

Sequel to Black Velvet. Dean is no longer a demon, but he’s still cursed with the Mark of Cain, and the lure of that darkness grows stronger as time goes on.

Dean and Toby Series

Part 1 - The Meet-Cute (Actually Rescue but Whatever)

Part 2 - The Emergency Bed-Share/Move In With Us Combo

Part 3 - The Hit and Then Run Like Your Ass Is On Fire

Part 4 - The FINALLY Admit Your True Feelings and Get Busy

GENERIC

I’m Good

This is the story that was published in the Seasons - Supernatural Short Story Anthology in 2017. Bobby sharing some memories.

Combo Shot

Dean/Female Reader

June 2015 GIEPP (Girl In Every Port Project) entry. Prompt: Pool/Poker hustler competitive chick. Pretty much pure smut.

A Hunter Walks Into a Bar

Dean/Female OC

Prowling hunter, sassy bartender

Shelter

Dean/Female Reader

Dean providing comfort

That’s How It Should Be

Sheriff!Dean/Female Reader

They have to make a fast escape, but Dean won’t let being on horseback stand in the way of showing a lady a good time

The Storm

Dean/Female Reader

You’re terrified of storms, and Dean is concerned, feelings get shared

Pest Control

Dean/Female Reader

You think you’ve got mice. The exterminator that shows up is Dean Winchester. He’ll just let you believe that, and take care of the problem. And you.

Happy Birthday, Baby

Dean/Female OC (KK)

Fluffy, smutty birthday fic written for a friend

Gunpowder and Dean

Dean/Female Reader

You’re pissed off at Dean, taking it out on the firing range, but he just won’t leave you alone…

Juicy and Delicious

Dean/Female Reader

My entry for Dean’s Flavor of the Month fic challenge - Peach Pie. You bake some peach pies for Dean, and he’s very grateful…

Lost In You

Dean/Female Reader

A casual flirtation leads to a violent encounter, and Dean’s reaction is a little more than you expected. Warning for brief description of attempted (unsuccessful) assault. Protective Dean.

What You Need

Dean/Female Reader

You’re watching as Sam and Dean prepare to interrogate a demon. Dean knows you’re watching him, and he knows exactly the kind of effect it’s having on you…

Santa Claus Is Coming Tonight

Dean/Female Reader

Dean’s really getting into the Christmas spirit…

I Need You

Dean/Female Reader

You screwed up, Sam got hurt, Dean’s pissed and you aren’t handling it very well.

Snow Day

Dean/Female Reader

You and Dean, stuck in a motel room in a blizzard

Frisk Me

Dean/Female Cop Reader

You’re a cop, in hot pursuit of a murderer, and guess who crosses your path?

Comfort

Dean/Female Reader

Dean had a rough hunt, and he’s beating himself up as usual. You take his mind off things for a little while…

When I Think About You

Dean/Female Reader

It was a wild hunt, and you’re both a little high-strung. Surely there’s some way to blow off some steam…

One Finger

Dean/Female Reader

Dean Winchester has never been one to back down from a challenge

What Makes You Feel Alive

Endverse!Dean/Female Reader

The world is bleak, the struggle endless after Croatoan. You and Dean do what you have to do to keep going.

Sweet Misery

Dean/Unnamed Female OC

My entry for Bev’s Song Challenge - song prompt was Cryin’ by Aerosmith, lyrics at the beginning

Winchesters Don’t Giggle

Dean/Female Reader

A friend and I were having this discussion about giving Dean a back rub, and whether he might be ticklish…

Confession

Dean (Priest!Dean)/Female Reader

When Dean returns from some undercover work, you discover a fantasy you never realized you had

The Bait

Dean/Female Reader

This was written for @jessica-bones-winchester’s (now on her 100th url as @cavillanche - Love you, Jess!) Dating Dean Writing Challenge. The prompt was ‘dressing up as an anime character for his birthday.’ And I have to admit, I really enjoyed this one… Reader dresses as Sailor Mars (from Sailor Moon) for Dean’s birthday.

Hey, Man - Nice Shot

Dean/Female Reader

This is for @jessica-bones-winchester’s ( @cavillanche ) Dating Dean Writing Challenge. The prompt was ‘competitiveness in the shooting range (loser cleans the kitchen for a week) No smut.

Take the Pain Away

Dean/Female Reader

This was written for @jessica-bones-winchester’s ( @cavillanche ) Dating Dean Writing Challenge. Prompt was ‘him taking care of you when you’re sick.’ Reader falls victim to a migraine, and Dean helps her through it. No smut.

Lose Yourself

Dean/Female Reader

Smut, pure and simple… Just imagine having Dean tied up, at your mercy while you worship those perky nipples…

The Contest

Dean/Female Reader

Dean loves to give you a hard time, and one night he pushes things a little too far… Flashback in italics. All’s well that ends well.

Slow Ride

Dean (Bullriding!Dean) /Reader

Yeah, after 12x11, y'all should have known this was coming - they don’t call me Cowgirl for nothing… Written (coincidentally - timing is everything!) for the Smut Apocalypse (Smut Appreciation Day) on Tumblr.

The Photo Booth

Dean/Unnamed Female OC - Dean’s POV

This was written for @winchestersandwordprocessors SPN Valentine’s Fic Challenge. Prompt was Semi-public/Risk of getting caught.

Make You Mine

Dean/Female Reader

Dean’s jealousy gets the best of him, which is not a bad thing…

Take a Chance

Dean/Unnamed Female OC - Dean’s POV

In 7x04, Dean gives himself a little pep talk before his planned hook-up with the bartender. That scene is what inspired me. This one is more important than the usual one-nighters, and it’s making him a little nervous…

If We Don’t Make It

Dean/Female OC

This fic was written for @whispersandwhiskerburn Angel’s 2K Follower Celebration. My song prompt was “Broken” by Lifehouse, and the dialogue prompt was “If we don’t make it out of this, I need you to know…” No smut.

My Deliverer

Dean/Female Spirit - Her POV

Dean is hunting a vengeful spirit. But another spirit is in this place, and she is drawn to him…

Friendly Advice

Dean/Female Reader - Dean POV, Reader POV

This was written for @deansdirtylittlesecretsblog Mimi’s RomCom Fluff Challenge. The fluff got a little smudged into smutty fun… oops! Two POV’s, Dean’s thoughts are in italics and Reader’s are in regular font.

Old Times

Dean/Female OC

Sequel a few years down the road from A Hunter Walks Into a Bar. Tiara goes back to the bar for a visit, and who should show up the next night but Dean Winchester… Flashback in italics.

You Can Leave Your Hat On

Dean/Female Reader (nicknamed Taz)

Inspired by the sexy AF Cowboy!Dean we were treated to in 13x06 Tombstone. Helped along by Joe Cocker’s rendition of “You Can Leave Your Hat On.“

Wish Her the Best

Dean/Female OC - Dean’s POV

This is an angsty li'l fic inspired by Thomas Rhett’s ‘Marry Me,’ tore at my heart until I finally wrote it. No smut.

A Matter of… Time?

Dean/Female Reader

This is the crackiest piece of work I’ve ever written - for @percywinchester27 Ana’s PJO Quotes Challenge. Prompt was “Don’t you ever feel that way? Like you could do a better job if you ran the world?” - “Umm - no. Me running the world would be kind of a nightmare.”

Demon Seed

Demon!Dean/Female Reader

Demon!Dean stops in for a drink and decides he wants you. He’s very persuasive. Written for @evansrogerskitten’s Hottest Dean Challenge.

Not Wasted Now

Dean/Female Reader

When you all decide to get drunk in the aftermath of a bad hunt, lines get a little blurred. Or crossed. Or fucking erased. Fluffy, smutty, comforting, sweet and sexy Dean.

Bad Guy

Demon!Dean/Female Reader

This was written for @eyes-of-a-disney-princess Rapunzel’s Tangled Up With Supernatural Challenge. My Tangled quote was “You want me to be the bad guy? Fine, now I’m the bad guy.”

Shiny

Trucker!Dean/Female OC

Trucker!Dean AU. Breaker, breaker, got your ears on? 67 Midnight Rider, put that hammer down…

Some Kind of Hero

Dean/Female OC

Written for Tiff’s WTF Challenge. Dean’s just filling up Baby, minding his own business, when he hears an argument and gets involved. Protective Dean, no smut, left that to your imagination.

Crave

Dean/Female Reader

So, have some ‘Riz is craving some sexy Dean action with a big ol’ side of schmoopy fluff’ stuff. Because I was, and I’m sharing with you - the smut and all the sickenly sweet cuddly that I just need sometimes. If y'all are in the mood for that kind of thing.

Perchance to Dream

Dean/Female OC

Using African dream root on a case leads to an awkward situation, and Karlie can’t handle the tension between her and Dean any longer

Ruined

Dean/Female Reader

Dean comes home from a hunt, and he’s had something on his mind…

Going Home

Dean/Female Reader

Written for @crispychrissy’s Gif It To Me Challenge. Overhearing only part of a conversation sends her running, but jumping to conclusions without the whole story isn’t the best decision. No smut.

Not the Smartest Thing

Dean/Female Reader - Reader POV

Only Dean Fucking Winchester could turn taking a swig of beer into pornography. Cocky bastard. But two can play at that game.

Suzy Q

Dean/Female OC - OC POV

Written for @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan’s Multi-fandom Follower Celebration Challenge. Prompt - “I think I’m having a feeling. How do I make it stop?”

Invisible Touch

Dean/Unnamed Female OC

Rowena teaches Dean something new, and he gets inspired. I have no idea where this came from, but here it is…

Maybe I’m Amazed

Dean/Unnamed Female OC

An accident leaves her unconscious and fighting for her life in the hospital, drifting in and out of awareness and memories as Dean refuses to leave her side. Written for @rockhoochie’s 1K Love Supernatural Style Writing Challenge.

Reunion

Dean/Female OC

Passing through town, Dean runs into an old high school classmate. Fluffy and smutty, no angst here!

Playing With Fire

MOC!Dean/Unnamed Female OC

Late Season 10 MOC!Dean smut fic that just wouldn’t leave me alone…

Uninvited

Michael!Dean/Dean/Unnamed Female OC

Michael gives Dean a choice, because sometimes Michael likes to watch…This one is darker than my normal, PLEASE heed the warnings.

What Happens At the Roadhouse…

Early-Season Dean/Female OC

Bailey’s just looking for a couple days post-hunt R&R at Harvelle’s - and then he shows up. Cocky bastard.

Unleashed

Post-Purgatory Dean/Female OC

She’s still struggling to cope a year after Dean disappeared in the explosion that killed Dick Roman.

The Pool House

Dean/Unnamed female OC

Inspired by a dream - one I will never forget!

The Break-In

Dean/Tara (female OC)

One night I started thinking about what it would be like using mics and earbuds and having Dean’s voice RIGHT IN YOUR EAR. And then this fic happened. Hope you enjoy!

Tired of Missing You

Dean/Journey (female OC)

This is one of those times when my story yanked the wheel out of my hands and I just went along for the ride. So if you’re in the mood for a fluffy, angsty cookie with a smutty, creamy middle - here ya go!

Compelled

Dean/Brandi (female OC)

Have you ever had a really bad day at work? I’ve never had a day quite as bad as Brandi’s - but damn, I’d love to use this method to relieve the stress…

The Devil Made Me Do It

Demon!Dean/Shea (Female OC)

Shea is in a reckless mood. Demon!Dean is happy to help her indulge that mood.

Driving Miss Baby

Dean/Reader

Dean decides you need a driving lesson in Baby.

Just a Little Story About Lou and Sam

Sam/Female OC

Lou and Sam walk into a bar… written for a friend who’s a Sammy girl

Doctor-Patient Relations

Sam/Female OC

One-shot inspired by The Born-Again Identity - sick Sammy and Dr. Nicole. Written for another Sammy-girl friend

Head vs. Heart

No title

Fourth of July

Working Saturday Isn’t So Bad

11x17 Drabble

Some Nights He Dreams

Most of the Time

The Name Game

God Bless America

Stress Relief

Dean Hurt/Comfort Drabble

@mrs-squirrel-chester ‘s Album Fanfic Writing Challenge Drabbles

Dangerous

For My Brother

In Chains

Kiss and Tell

The End of Me

Choices

Hero

Pure

In the End

#riz's master list #updated 6/12/21 #dividers by firefly-graphics

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