#what should be my last game of 2017

[son-of-rap-bear-art]

So, do y'all remember the Adventure Time Mash-Up Pack for Minecraft back in like, 2017? Me and some friends have been messing around with that map lately and revamping some of the areas we consider a bit lacking with creative mode, and for me that was the Treehouse! I got ~100 reference pics from various episodes and tried to put it all together into the most autistically accurate Treehouse I could, and I wanna share it here cause I'm really proud of it!

Feel free to skip the text and just look at the pretty pictures. Cause when I say "autistically accurate" I MEAN IT. It's MY blog and I get to choose the special interest. :p

The exterior is mostly unchanged from the official map, but I added the orange tree from My Two Favorite People, and the pond. Also the log where Finn sits and thinks in Gotcha!

Yes, I will be mentioning specific episodes like this often.

I didn't make the Grotto, because I'm not THAT crazy, but I did make the pond really deep and filled it with the sort of things you see when Finn swims down there in Beyond the Grotto.

The first thing you see when you actually go inside is the treasure room, of course! The official map's treasure room is so small and sad, but I made it more accurate to how it looks in the show, with a ton of ladders and platforms going upwards until you get to the kitchen.

Speaking of, at this point I should show the layout I based the rooms' positions on...

I put this together myself and I THINK it's the most consistently accurate layout... of course, it's a cartoon, sometimes you'll get stuff like the bathroom in the left branch for the sake of a gag in Dentist, and characters will frequently run offscreen and then teleport to another room, BUT this is what I observed to be the most common layout seen when the camera will actually follow the characters through doors and ladders and etc.

Interestingly, the ladder in the trunk actually seems to connect to the kitchen, which is HIGHER than the living room, and then you have to go down a separate ladder to get to the living room. Confusing! But it checks out.

So yeah, climbing up past the treasure room takes you right to the kitchen! Some specific details to call out here are: - The picture of PB with the two spatulas is from Abstract, and I painted it myself in-game via a mod! Unfortunately I didn't get around to other paintings yet, they're a bit annoying to make. - The urn supposedly containing Margaret's ashes, from Conquest of Cuteness, is on one of the shelves. - There isn't a single torch in this whole build! It's carefully lit up with candles, just like the Treehouse should be! - There's actually this easily missable tiny room connected to the kitchen, seen in the last pic, that has another trapdoor and also the door to the bathroom. I believe that first shows up in Incendium and then stays around forever. - The cooler is entirely full of eggs, like how Finn exclusively buys pre-boiled eggs when grocery shopping without Jake, in Temple of Mars.

The bathroom! Funnily enough, the bathroom might be the least consistent room in the whole Treehouse. It's just made up of a toilet, bathtub, and sink, but these three things shuffle around the room entirely at random from episode to episode. In this sort of situation, I consider the most accurate way to handle it to be the same as the show: just put them wherever! So I did that.

That door in the kitchen leads to this room, connected by a bridge. I just called it the "bucket room" because it has a bucket that Finn and Jake ride in in Rainy Day Daydream, although that episode has a pretty wacky Treehouse in general.

I hooked up a hand crank with the Create mod, so you can use it like an elevator kinda.

Down the other ladder in the kitchen gets you to, the living room! This room's just a small round circle in some episodes, but others have it a bit bigger.

That bookshelf is there in Jake Suit, and has Dream Journal of a Boring Man, Vol 12 on it. Since one of the decor mods I'm using lets me place down books, I copied the 3 excerpts we get to see from it down into a written book, so it's even actually there!

A really inconsistent aspect of the living room is this weird platform with a door. I can only remember it appearing in In Your Footsteps and Three Buckets, but maybe I've just always missed it? I made it lead back into the trunk, so you can use it as a shortcut up to the kitchen.

Also over here is this workbench, which to my knowledge suddenly shows up in season 8 and becomes a REALLY REALLY consistent part of the living room?? Seriously, it's in Two Swords, Horse and Ball, Abstract... It's suddenly all over the place!! But I genuinely can't recall it existing before that. Am I crazy or is this an actual thing?

Anyway, connected by bridge to the living room is the den! Surprisingly, even though it barely even shows up in any episodes, the den is SUPER messy and lived in. I tried to reflect this by jamming as many decorative blocks as I could in there.

Also for some reason this fireplace doubles as a pizza oven in Abstract? Yeah, Abstract's got a really silly Treehouse. But it was easy enough to slot in there, so I did!

Way back to the kitchen and upwards: the bedroom! I always thought the bedroom was so tiny and cramped, but a good few episodes actually show it as pretty spacious! I tried to hit a good balance.

The pictures hung up around Finn's bed are a blurry, badly taken picture of Huntress Wizard, and a clearly old picture of Flame Princess. They're both cute choices for Finn's future, and are my girlfriends' respective favorite characters, so I included both :D

I also included the attic, which as far I know ONLY appears in Dad's Dungeon. I think it's neat, though, so I put it here. It'll be nice for survival mode storage.

If you exit through the attic, you can get to the cloud that Finn and Jake have tied down for its rainwater. The dripstone on the underside looks a bit ugly, but it makes it functional! If you scoop water out of any of the cauldrons with a bucket, it'll slowly refill with water from the cloud!

We're nearing the end! Here's a back shot of things. I added the power lines, Neptr's cave, and the farm. For some reason, Holly Jolly Secrets has a second, distinct set of powerlines, but those would be ugly so I didn't include them.

Lastly, the chicken coop, as seen in BMO Noire and mentioned in Three Buckets, featuring Lorraine. Who looks like Boobafina in this texture pack, which is silly.

I'm... honestly not very satisfied with the coop's placement, as BMO Noire shows it being out on a rarely-seen branch, but this is the best I could do without a major facelift on the tree itself.

So, yeah! That's the image limit. There's a good few extra details scattered around here and there, but I'll leave it at that. I hope this is as fun to read as it was for me to write :D

#adventure time #atimers #minecraft #mineblr #yall use that tag right? mineblr? #minecraft build

[futureman]

take all of me

pairing: josh futturman x f!reader

summary: when a messy time jump leaves josh with a brand new body part, the only person he wants to show is you

warnings: 18+ MDNI, roommate!reader, friends to lovers, dick swap, smut, handjob, f!masturbation, unprotected piv, rough/painful sex, size kink, mild body insecurity, comfort

words: 4k

@tinycozycomfort this one's for you pookie <3

“You have to see this.”

The front door slams, and then your roommate waddles into the living room looking so excited, you'd think he just won the lottery. You laugh at his dramatic entrance after the initial shock subsides, not bothering to pause the TV behind him.

Josh bursting into rooms at random happens more often than it probably should, usually to announce a breakthrough in his game or gossip he heard at work. But as you wait for him to share his big news, you notice there's something off about him.

He's jittery as hell and standing awkwardly like he really has to use the bathroom. His legs are spread a little too far apart, and his hands are clasped tightly in front of his crotch like he's either protecting himself or hiding something. You're pretty sure he was out doing resistance stuff all day—and that's when it hits you.

Whatever he's itching to tell you has Tiger and Wolf written all over it, and that can't be good. Your smile drops and you raise an eyebrow expectantly, silently demanding an explanation, but he just continues to stand there with that goofy look on his face.

So, he's going to make you ask. Dumbass.

"Uh, you gonna show me or are you gonna keep blocking the TV?" you ask bluntly. He grins brightly at your interest, and your expression softens.

"Both. You're not gonna believe this," he says, suddenly fumbling with his belt and unzipping his pants. Before you can object or react at all, he tugs down his jeans and boxers in one fell swoop.

Your jaw drops. "What the fuck is that?"

He's right. You can't believe it. The monstrosity hanging between his legs definitely wasn't there when he left the house, or at the very least, it didn't look anything like that last time you saw it. Not that he walks around the apartment with his dick out, but living together, you see each other naked now and then, and that's...new.

"How the hell—did you get a penis enlargement or something?" you openly gawk, trying to wrap your head around what he's showing you. Josh's dick is massive, almost too big to fit his body.

Huffing out an awkward laugh, he moves to cover himself again, likely embarrassed by your reaction. You immediately feel terrible. You didn't mean to make him feel bad. There's just no way you could've seen that coming.

"The TTD is sort of...broken," he explains timidly. "The last time we jumped, it swapped a few body parts between the three of us. A couple toes, a finger—"

"A dick? That's Wolf's dick? Holy shit."

He nods excitedly, perking back up. "I know, right? It's crazy. One second, we're in James fucking Cameron's house and everything's going haywire, and then we're back in 2017, and suddenly my pants don't fit. How does he even walk around with this thing?"

You scooch forward on the couch to get a better look, oddly captivated. "I think you're about to find out since it's yours now."

Abruptly, his face goes blank like he's just realizing he might be stuck with Wolf's dick forever. You can't tell if he's happy about the prospect or worried, but you're starting to feel a little conflicted yourself.

Feelings you're usually able to ignore are bubbling to the surface, and it's getting harder to remind yourself that the dick currently making your mouth water is attached to your roommate. Curiosity gets the better of you, and before you can stop yourself, you ask a question you really shouldn't.

"Can I touch it?"

"What? You want to...what?" he sputters, taken off-guard. The tips of his ears burn bright red, and his mouth opens and closes repeatedly like he wants to say something. Ultimately, he gives up.

After the whole show-and-tell thing, you're a little surprised he's getting shy again, but the last thing you want to do is make him uncomfortable. It's a line you haven't crossed with each other. You decide to backtrack, hoping you haven't overstepped the boundaries of your friendship.

“Obviously, not if you don’t want me to. No pressure at all, I was just curious," you rush to reassure him. But when you glance down, you notice he's subtly grinding into the heel of his hand, already half-hard and giving away exactly how he feels about your request.

"I-I mean, yeah, totally. Go right ahead," he consents casually, but he doesn’t sound nearly as nonchalant as he thinks. You give him a playful smile, reaching out and grabbing a handful of his shirt to tug him closer, and he awkwardly shuffles forward until he's between your legs.

He watches you nervously, fidgeting as you trace a prominent vein that snakes from the base to the tip. A soft, needy sound from above you encourages you to continue your path up to toy under the ridge with your thumb, and when his cock twitches in interest, you peer up to gauge his reaction.

The sight alone makes you wet. His eyes are glassy and unfocused, and that flush that began at the tips of his ears has spread to his cheeks and down his neck. He's already gnawing on his bottom lip in anticipation, waiting to see what you'll do next.

Eagerly, you wrap your fingers around him the best you can and give him an experimental tug. He chokes out a groan, and it sends another wave of heat through your body.

"Is it sensitive?" you ask soothingly, taking it slow with a few loose strokes.

"Yeah," he breathes out. You pump him again, a little tighter this time.

"More sensitive than the other one?"

He nods, swallowing harshly. "Yeah."

"Want me to keep going?"

"Please."

Bracing a hand on his stomach, you push his shirt up for better access and pump him faster, marveling at how quickly he starts to leak onto your fingers. You tease the head with your palm, spreading precum down his length to ease the slide, but he doesn't melt into your touch like you expect him to. Instead, he tenses up, fighting to keep still.

"Hey," you duck down and kiss his hip to get his attention. "Don't overthink it. Just let me take care of you, okay?"

He nods again, panting as his head falls back and his eyes flutter closed, trying to relax his body like you told him to. His hips rock forward, steadily establishing a rhythm until he's a whimpering mess and all but fucking into your fist.

He's a lot louder than you expected. Your room is right next to his, so you know what he sounds like when he's jerking off, but this is on another level. And he looks wrecked.

Sweat dampens his forehead, curling the soft baby hairs at his temples, and his volume increases, easily drowning out the ambient music of the movie still playing in the background. It's turning you on way more than you'd like to admit, your underwear sticking to you so badly, it's getting impossible to ignore. As if on cue, he whines your name in search of more friction, and you realize you can't anymore.

Desperate for relief, you slip a hand past the waistband of your sweatpants and dip two fingers into your aching cunt, fucking yourself for a few blissful moments before trailing back up to rub your clit. It's not nearly enough, but there's no way you're asking Josh for help.

You're roommates, not fuck buddies—or so you tell yourself, even though you know it's a load of bullshit. Even though you know he'd say yes in a heartbeat.

While you continue to jerk him off, he buries his hand in your hair to ground himself, mumbling under his breath as his fingers tense and untense between the strands.

"Fuck, that feels so good," he sighs, his head lolling forward so he can watch you work him. But then, he catches sight of you playing with yourself, and he seizes up, jerking violently in your grasp. "Are you...? Shit—"

Before he can accidentally teeter over the edge, you squeeze the base of his cock and cut him off with another offer you really shouldn't be making. You must be out of your fucking mind. It's Josh. But he's so hard, and you feel so empty. You'll worry about the consequences later.

"I know something that feels even better."

His eyes fly back to yours, darting between them like he's waiting for you to elaborate or take it back. But you don't do either. Instead, you release his cock to shirk your sweats and underwear. Spinning around, you brace your hands on the back of the couch and stick out your ass—an invitation.

"Only if you want to," you continue.

Oh, does he ever. He stumbles forward in a daze, holding your waist with one hand while he slaps his cock on your ass with the other. He feels hot and heavy on your skin, and your mouth starts to water again.

"You're sure about this?" he asks hesitantly, even as he grabs a handful of your ass and spreads you open.

"Touch me, and then ask again if I'm sure," you reply over your shoulder, knowing it won't take more than that to convince him.

He looks hesitant to do that too, but concedes when you wiggle against his crotch. Cautiously, his hand disappears between your legs, and the moment he feels it, all of the air leaves his lungs.

"You're so wet," he mumbles to himself in awe, grinding his palm into your messy heat. Without warning, he dips a thick finger inside you and pumps it a few times before adding another one. "And tight, oh my god."

You push into him, thankful to finally have something inside you, but you want to be full. The weight of him so close to where you need him is slowly driving you crazy. You're tired of waiting.

"Josh, just fuck me. Trust me, I want it," you whine, sounding as desperate and needy as you feel.

His fingers slip out of you, and then you hear a wet noise like he's sucking them clean. Jesus Christ. You force yourself not to think about how much you want him to eat you out if this ever happens again.

He shifts behind you, muttering what sounds like a pep talk under his breath before he inhales deeply and lines himself up.

"Fuck, is it even gonna fit?" he asks incredulously, nudging your entrance. The question was probably rhetorical, but you answer it anyway.

"Make it fit."

His body reacts before his brain can catch up. There's a pained groan behind you, and then his hips jolt forward of their own accord, burying nearly half of his cock inside you. He manages to stop himself after a few jerky, shallow thrusts, but your walls are already squeezing him, and you can tell he's struggling not to cum on the spot.

And you're struggling not to scream. The stretch is mind-numbing, and the longer he stays still, the more intense it gets. Your nails dig into the couch while you fight to adjust, dangerously close to puncturing the cushions, and you've only taken half of him.

You want all of him. Just the thought makes you gush, and that sets Josh off even worse. He whines at the sensation, holding onto your waist for dear life.

"I need you to move," you finally manage to gasp out. "I need you to move right now."

"Shit, okay. Move...right, I can do that," he says quietly to himself, on the verge of another pep talk. His hands trail up and down your sides soothingly, but it feels like it's for his benefit, not yours.

"Josh," you all but growl, forcing yourself backward to steal another inch. That snaps him out of it.

"Hachi machi," he mumbles dumbly, his fingers digging into your skin hard enough to bruise. You'd tease him for it if you didn't think he'd stop again, but it turns out he's as desperate as you are. "Do that again."

You do as you're told. Using the back of the couch as leverage, you tug yourself forward, then force him even deeper. He curses loudly, slackening his grip on your waist, and you get the message loud and clear.

"Again," he grits out. "Please don't fucking stop."

"Not on your life," you reply, more than happy to give him whatever he wants.

Taking over, you work yourself onto his cock inch by inch, gritting your teeth at the onslaught of pleasure and pain. It feels so good, it's making you dizzy. When his hips finally connect with yours, your eyes roll back and your jaw drops.

You're so fucking full. Part of you just wants to keep him there, so unbelievably turned on by being split open like this. But you also want to be railed into this couch within an inch of your life, and that part wins out.

It doesn't take long for Josh to get sick of not being an active participant. Spreading you open, he guides you roughly by the ass—a punishing repetition where he pulls out to the tip, then rams back in, careful not to plunge too deep and hurt you.

You fall into a rhythm, fucking faster and harder until you're positive he's officially ruined you for all other men. You can actually hear how wet you've gotten, and as the sound fills the room, his thumb begins to trace your entrance.

"Wish you could see this. You're fucking...creaming on me right now," he mutters in disbelief, smearing it across your skin. "How are you so wet?"

"B-because you're huge—the fuck else would it be?" you joke breathily, but it comes out as a stuttered mess.

Of course, you'd still be bantering back and forth while he's balls deep. Leave it to you and Josh to moan snarky comments at each other like it's pillow talk. He tries to retort, but then accidentally hits something spongy inside you that makes your cunt clench, and you cut him off with a sob.

"I knew you'd sound pretty," he admits, grinding into that spot to see if you'll do it again. And you do—you can't help yourself. "Might have to keep Wolf's dick if you're gonna sound like that every time I fuck you with it."

Holy shit. What happened to your sweet golden retriever roommate? This can't be the same guy who invites you over to his parents' house for Friday night dinners and seeks you out for comfort after his game kicks his ass one too many times.

That guy never struck you as the type to fuck you so good, you forget how to speak. Or the type to say shit like that. You manage to find your voice, wondering if there are more sides to Josh you don't know about.

"I sound even prettier when I'm cumming," you goad him. You're already so close, and you both know it. Especially with the new knowledge that whenever you hear him jerking off, he's thinking about you. You think about him, too. "But not as pretty as you."

And he almost proves you right, then and there. But to your disappointment, he freezes up, exhaling shakily behind you. If his heavy panting is any indication, he had no idea you were listening in the next room, let alone that you liked it. You don't give him a chance to catch his breath before you go in for the kill.

"You should cum inside me. I'd love to hear what that sounds like," you tell him, peering over your shoulder to see his face. But his eyes are already squeezed shut, and he looks like he's either about to cry or burst. Maybe both.

"O-Oh...fuck—"

Just as you're about to pick up where he left off, his hips jolt forward again, pushing him deeper than you were prepared for. The shock combined with the low whine still vibrating in his chest sends you reeling.

"Fucking ow. Be careful with that thing, Futturman," you gasp as your legs threaten to give out, but it tapers into a moan. God, even the pain feels so good. His arms encircle your waist to keep you from falling.

"S-sorry, I just...what?" he chokes out, and it's so high-pitched, you almost miss it.

"I'm on the pill, just—"

He slaps a hand over your mouth, and you shoot him a pleading look.

"Shit, don't—I heard you, don't say it again. Unless you want me to cum literally right now," he says frantically.

"Do it," you all but beg.

His face screws up, looking conflicted like he's doing everything in his power not to. But then your entire body is thrown forward, and he's finally fucking you the way you need him to.

The dull, syrupy ache from earlier ebbs into heady pleasure that sends you hurtling towards your peak, making your head spin and your walls flutter around him. You quickly forget about chastising or teasing him, and once he finds that perfect spot again, you forget everything else, too.

Josh isn't doing much better. He's devolving into a whimpering mess again, his movements messy and uncoordinated like he's about to lose it, and you're not far behind. You try to warn him between rough thrusts, but by the time you pull yourself together enough to speak, it's already too late.

"Josh, I'm...fucking cumming—fuck, I'm cumming," you sob, and your legs actually give out this time. You clamp down like a vice, gushing around him as your orgasm slams into you, wave after wave. It's intense and overwhelming, and god, you feel so fucking full.

You're too blissed out to realize how hard you're squeezing him or how hard he's fucking you through it, but it doesn't take long for him to steal back your attention.

"Holy shit, that's tight. Oh my fucking god, you're gonna make me—" He lets out something breathy and desperate, and you were right. He sounds so pretty when he cums.

Instead of catching you as you crumble, he yanks you up, holding you flush against his chest while he empties into you as deep as your cunt will take him. His hand splays across your stomach so he can feel himself moving inside you, and the other cups your cheek, tilting your head towards his. Then, his lips are on yours.

Your first kiss with Josh is awkward and messy, a heated exchange of breath more than anything else, but it's still perfect. Because it's him. He tastes vaguely like apple juice, sweet and a little tart, and it spreads across your tongue as the kiss deepens. He moans into your mouth, trembling as his hips slow and your aftershocks wring out the remainder of his orgasm.

For a while, you stay like that, letting Josh hold you and kiss you insistently, then sweetly once you've both come down from your highs. He doesn't part from you until his cock softens and slips out, and even then, he only pulls back far enough to turn you around and rest his forehead on yours.

"That was...," he trails off, his long eyelashes fluttering as he processes everything you just did together. Your eyes meet his, and you get lost in soft hazel, anxiously waiting for him to continue.

"You're incredible," he finishes, gazing at you almost reverently. You're flooded with relief, unable to stop the huge smile that spreads across your face. And you don't want to.

He kisses you again, and you melt into each other, slowly sinking onto the couch. This time, there's no heat or desperation. You're just enjoying the newness, exploring what already feels so comfortable and familiar.

Without breaking your kiss, he wraps his arms around you and pulls you onto his lap. His release begins to leak out of you, smearing across his thighs, and the sensation brings you back to the present. You can tell he's reluctant to pull away, but when he finally does, he looks nervous—maybe even a little insecure.

"Talk to me," you say softly, cupping his cheek and thumbing across the stubble on his jaw. He sighs, averting his gaze as he leans into your touch.

"I'm just...I don't know," he starts, and you can tell that whatever it is, he does know. He's just scared to say it. You let him work up to it at his own pace, and after a long pause, he continues. "Would any of this have happened if the TTD hadn't swapped my dick with Wolf's?"

Ouch. You had a feeling this conversation was coming. These are the consequences you knew you'd have to face eventually, but you never expected him to believe you were so shallow.

You school your expression before responding, trying to ignore how much it hurts that he could think so little of you.

"Yeah, I think it would've. It might've taken a little longer, but we would've gotten our shit together eventually. The TTD stuff just sort of...sped things up," you tell him honestly. "Maybe this wasn't obvious before, but I clearly like you, new dick or not. Most of the shit we do isn't even remotely platonic, and I'd never do that with another roommate, let alone fuck them. I thought you knew me better than that."

"I did—I do. I'm sorry, of course I know that. Things are just happening really fast, and it feels like everything's changing—you and me, my body, the future," he says, exhaustion creeping into his voice. "I like you so fucking much. I just needed to know you didn't sleep with me after all this time because my dick got bigger."

His words sink in, and your expression softens. He looks more vulnerable than you've ever seen him. You hold his gaze for a moment, then lean in to kiss him, draping your arms over his shoulders to pull him close as your lips move purposefully against his. Separating, you meet his eyes again.

"Josh, I could care less about superficial shit like that. It could literally fall off right now, and it still wouldn't matter as long as you and I are okay," you respond, hoping he believes you this time. "And for the record, I wanted to sit on your dick, too. I just never got the chance."

He huffs out a laugh, relief radiating off of him in waves. "Have I mentioned that I really like you?"

"Oh, I know," you grin, wiggling in his lap to ease the remaining tension. "I think you forget our beds share a wall. I've had to listen to you jerk off almost every day for over a year, and I don't know if you realize this, but you say my name. A lot."

He smiles sheepishly, his cheeks turning pink. "Jesus, okay. Point made."

The two of you quickly slip back into easy banter, and it feels good. You're still the same roommates who annoy the hell out of each other, but everything's out in the open. Now, you can actually act on all of the offhandedly dirty shit you always say to make him blush.

"I never said I didn't like it," you laugh, biting your lip. "Maybe I can help next time."

That catches him off-guard, and he accidentally swallows wrong. "Uh, yeah," he clears his throat, trying and failing again to sound nonchalant. "I'd be down for that."

"Can I put it in my mouth?" you ask innocently, and he winces, tipping his head back onto the couch. His hands slide up your thighs and squeeze, tugging you closer to his crotch.

"I'm gonna get hard again if you keep going," he whines, even though he's already halfway there.

"Not really seeing an issue here."

Threading your fingers through his hair, you guide him back to your lips and kiss him messily, still in disbelief that it took a time travel disaster to finally get you to this point.

You'll have to thank Wolf for his noble sacrifice later.

thanks for reading!

divider by @saradika-graphics

#josh futturman x reader #josh futturman x you #josh futturman #future man #future man smut #josh futturman smut #future man fanfic #future man imagine #josh hutcherson #josh futterman x reader #josh hutcherson x reader #josh hutcherson x you #josh hutcherson fanfic #josh hutcherson smut #jhutch

[lil-tachyon]

For the last couple weeks I've been drawing logos / designs for local-ish (mostly NJ, some PA and NY) bands as warmups in the morning. Here's what I've come up with! Massive post below the break explaining each logo + where to find each band and listen to their music.

Teenage Halloween- a staple of New Jersey basements for probably about a decade now and finally getting wider recognition in the last couple years. Pop punk / power pop with a killer horn section. First time I saw them was in New Brunswick playing with Walter Etc. and Blowout. They played a killer cover "Build Me Up Buttercup" and my wife got a black eye in the pit. Recommended tracks: "Brain Song," "666," "Clarity." Their first EP is on a separate bandcamp page btw, check it out here it's great.

Sweet Pill - They will call themselves a Philly band but in my heart they'll always be from Glassboro. Definitely one of the more recognizable names on this list. Emo revival - early stuff is more twinkly, more recent stuff is heavier. All of it's great. Recommended tracks "Nephew," "High Hopes."

Shark Club - Central Jersey's finest. I'm very biased because I actually know these dudes and they did the music for my wedding. Some of the best pop punk you'll hear and the nicest people you'll meet. Recommended tracks: "Game Theory," "Bill Murray," "Heavens to Betsy."

Rest Ashore - My favorite band for the last (oh God I'm old now) eight years. From gut-wrenching emo ballads to virtuoso math-rock instrumentals they do it all. One time I got to sing vocals on "Lucy's Theme" at a house show- thank you Erica! Recommended tracks: "Hjarta," "Chinese Opera," "Devotion," "Soyuz Sweetheart." Too many bangers to name honestly, just deep dive their discography.

Morus Alba - First band I ever went to see at a house show and still one of my absolute favorites. Their music feels like the bridge between the best pitchfork, /mu/ alt rock bands and high energy basement emo. I mean that as a compliment and I hope it comes off as one lol. I should note that since 2019 Morus Alba has morphed from a band into an experimental hip-hop project so later releases sound radically different and basically disconnected from the earlier stuff. Also my favorite release from them, Live at Isabelle's, has been scrubbed from the internet but if you'd like the files just email me. Recommended tracks: "Skyscraper," "Human Resources," "The Goodnight Waltz."

Have a Good Season - another Jersey mainstay that's still going strong. Emo revival in their earlier releases, now with more 70s power pop influences in their newer stuff. See them live, they put on a fantastic show and usually play some great covers in addition to their original music. HaGS guys if you're reading this, please put your version of "Since You've Been Gone" online, I'm begging you. Recommended tracks: "Joseph / Shel Silverstein," (you have to listen to them together for the drop, so good) , "Gum, "Gleaux / Scab." Also, frontman Nic Palermo interviewed me once.

Elephant Jake - If you see any of these bands live make it EJ, they put on such a damn good show. Electrifying indie punk from the Empire State. Recommended tracks: "F.D.C." "Sarah Moyer," "Goodness to Honest," and of course you gotta learn "Sebastien Bauer" for the singalongs.

Blind Lion - Sadly one of the greats that we lost along the way. Defunct since about 2017. I only got to see them once but it was a great performance. Alongside their own stuff they played some killer covers of "Bad Moon Rising" and "Moonage Daydream." I had trouble doing a logo design for them because I actually really like the composition, if not the "Ed Hardy-ness," of their existing logo so what you see here are two separate attempts, neither of which feels entirely satisfying to me. Frontperson Larry Flately currently plays in Nematode and also handled production of Bradley Gardens joke hiphop group The Breakfast Boiz under the moniker "DJ Ova EZ." Recommended tracks: "Brumous," "Dinner."

Fighting Seasons - A band that I sadly found out about too late (via a sticker under the bridge in my town which has since been painted over). 2010s pop punk that packs a helluva punch, especially considering that I'm pretty sure the members were high schoolers for most of the band's existence. I think some members may have gone on to form Sawce (FFO Chon, Polyphia, that type of music) but I can't remember where I read/heard that so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Recommended tracks: "Fighting Seasons," "Oil on Canvas"

Milkmen- Another fallen giant, officially disbanded in 2019. Like Morus Alba, they played the very first house show I attended and their few releases remain on constant rotation in my home. Used to put on a great show and were one of the bands I always thought would make it big until suddenly they weren't around anymore. Frontman Ben Thieberger contributed guitar and vocals to Covid quarantine project Kin if you're looking for a bit of an extra fix but beyond that I don't know what these guys are up to these days, sadly. Recommended tracks: "Ramus," "Johnny Dangerously," "how sieves catch breeze," "K.O.T.H."

Stand and Wave - New York (now Philly) pop punkers delivering instant dopamine hits with every track. Another great live act, see them with EJ if you can! They often play shows together. Recommended tracks: "Convos," "Mrs. Dash," "Splashton Kutcher," "Michael Collins."

My Chemical Romance - You know who they are. While I was drawing all these other logos I ran a poll on Patreon to decide which famous New Jersey band should also be graced with a drawing from me. MCR won the poll by a hefty margin so unfortunately you won't get to see me do an illegible black metal take on Hoboken's Yo La Tengo. I ended up doing two versions: the one with the halo is the first, the one with the bats was the second. I tried to do something kind of thin and elegant with the first one and I don't think it's terrible but I also wasn't quite satisfied with it. For the 2nd attempt I tried to lean into the kind of pulpy, almost horror punk aesthetic of early MCR and I think that one looks better even if it's less original.

Anyway if you took the time to read through all this, thank you very much! And please support these bands! Also If any of the links aren't working please let me know.

-Logan

#emo #pop punk #new jersey #band logo #logo design #punk #my chemical romance #mcr #emo revival

[blueskittlesart]

I've heard that while most people really really love BotW and TotK, some people hate those two for going open-world, and some people hate TotK specifically for something about the story. As the resident Zelda expert I know of, what do you think of those takes?

"something about the story" is a bit too vague for me to answer--if you look at my totk liveblog tag from back when the game was newly released or my general zelda analysis tag you may be able to find some of my in-depth thoughts about the story of totk, but in general i liked it.

the open world thing though is something i can and will talk about for hours. (I am obsessed with loz and game design and this is an essay now <3) breath of the wild is a game that was so well-received that a lot of the criticism from older fans who were expecting something closer to the classic zelda formula was just kind of immediately drowned out and ignored, and while i don't think it's a valid criticism to suggest that botw strayed too far from its origins in going open-world, i am more than willing to look into those criticisms, why they exist, and why i think going open-world was ultimately the best decision botw devs could have made. (totk is a slightly different story, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.)

Loz is a franchise with a ton of history and a ton of really, REALLY dedicated fans. it's probably second only to mario in terms of recognizability and impact in nintendo's catalog. To us younger fans, the older games can sometimes seem, like, prehistoric when compared to what we're used to nowadays, but it's important to remember just how YOUNG the gaming industry is and how rapidly it's changed and grown. the first zelda game was released in 1986, which was 31 years before botw came out in 2017. What this means for nintendo and its developers is that they have to walk a very fine line between catering to older fans in their 30s and 40s now who would have been in nintendo's prime demographic when the first few games in the franchise were coming out AND making a game that's engaging to their MODERN target demographic and that age group's expectations for what a gaming experience should look like.

LOZ is in kind of a tough spot when it comes to modernizing, because a lot of its core gameplay elements are very much staples of early RPGs, and a lot of those gameplay elements have been phased out of modern RPGs for one reason or another. gathering collectibles, fighting one's way through multilevel, mapless dungeons, and especially classic zelda's relative lack of guidance through the story are all things that date games and which modern audiences tend to get frustrated with. for the last few releases before botw, the devs had kind of been playing with this -- skyward sword in particular is what i consider their big experiment and what (i think) became the driving force behind a lot of what happened with botw. Skyward sword attempted to solve the issues I listed by, basically, making the map small and the story much, much more blatantly linear. Skyward sword feels much more like other modern rpgs to me than most zelda games in terms of its playstyle, because the game is constantly pushing you to do specific things. this is a common storytelling style in modern RPGs--obviously, the player usually needs to take specific actions in order to progress the story, and so when there's downtime between story sections the supporting characters push the player towards the next goal. but this actually isn't what loz games usually do. in the standard loz formula, you as the player are generally directly given at most 4 objectives. these objectives will (roughly) be as follows: 1. go through some dungeons and defeat their bosses, 2. claim the master sword, 3. go through another set of dungeons and defeat their bosses, 4. defeat the final boss of the game. (not necessarily in that order, although that order is the standard formula.) the ONLY time the player will be expressly pushed by supporting characters towards a certain action (excluding guide characters) is when the game is first presenting them with those objectives. in-between dungeons and other gameplay segments, there's no sense of urgency, no one pushing you onto the next task. this method of storytelling encourages players to take their time and explore the world they're in, which in turn helps them find the collectibles and puzzles traditionally hidden around the map that will make it easier for them to continue on. Skyward sword, as previously mentioned, experimented with breaking this formula a bit--its overworld was small and unlocked sequentially, so you couldn't explore it fully without progressing the narrative, and it gave players a "home base" to return to in skyloft which housed many of the puzzles and collectibles rather than scattering them throughout the overworld. This method worked... to an extent, but it also meant that skyward sword felt drastically different in its storytelling and how its narrative was presented to the player than its predecessors. this isn't necessarily a BAD thing, but i am of the opinion that one of zelda's strongest elements has always been the level of immersion and relatability its stories have, and the constant push to continue the narrative has the potential to pull players out of your story a bit, making skyward sword slightly less engaging to the viewer than other games in the franchise. (to address the elephant in the room, there were also obviously some other major issues with the design of sksw that messed with player immersion, but imo even if the control scheme had been perfect on the first try, the hyperlinear method would STILL have been less engaging to a player than the standard exploration-based zeldas.)

So when people say that botw was the first open-world zelda, I'm not actually sure how true I personally believe that is. I think a lot of the initial hype surrounding botw's open map were tainted by what came before it--compared to the truly linear, intensely restricted map of skyward sword, botw's map feels INSANE. but strictly speaking, botw actually sticks pretty closely to the standard zelda gameplay experience, at least as far as the overworld map is concerned. from the beginning, one of the draws of loz is that there's a large, populated map that you as the player can explore (relatively) freely. it was UNUSUAL for the player to not have access to almost the entire map either immediately or very quickly after beginning a new zelda game. (the size and population of these maps was restricted by software and storage capabilities in earlier games, but pretty muhc every zelda game has what would have been considered a large & well populated map at the time of its release.) what truly made botw different was two things; the first being the sheer SIZE of the map and the second being the lack of dungeons and collectibles in a traditional sense. Everything that needs to be said about the size of the map already has been said: it's huge and it's crazy and it's executed PERFECTLY and it's never been done before and every game since has been trying to replicate it. nothing much else to say there. but I do want to talk about the percieved difference in gameplay as it relates to the open-world collectibles and dungeons, because, again, i don't think it's actually as big of a difference as people seem to think it is.

Once again, let's look at the classic formula. I'm going to start with the collectibles and lead into the dungeons. The main classic collectible that's a staple of every zelda game pre-botw is the heart piece. This is a quarter of a heart that will usually be sitting out somewhere in the open world or in a dungeon, and will require the player to either solve a puzzle or perform a specific action to get. botw is the first game to not include heart pieces... TECHNICALLY. but in practice, they're still there, just renamed. they're spirit orbs now, and rather than being hidden in puzzles within the overworld (with no explanation as to how or why they ended up there, mind you) they're hidden within shrines, and they're given a clear purpose for existing throughout hyrule and for requiring puzzle-solving skills to access. Functionally, these two items are exactly the same--it's an object that gives you an extra heart container once you collect four of them. no major difference beyond a reskin and renaming to make the object make sense within the greater world instead of just having a little ❤️ floating randomly in the middle of their otherwise hyperrealistic scenery. the heart piece vs spirit orb i think is a good microcosm of the "it's too different" criticisms of botw as a whole--is it ACTUALLY that different, or is it just repackaged in a way that doesn't make it immediately obvious what you're looking at anymore? I think it's worth noting that botw gives a narrative reason for that visual/linguistic disconnect from other games, too--it's set at minimum TEN THOUSAND YEARS after any other given game. while we don't have any concrete information about how much time passes between new-incarnation games, it's safe to assume that botw is significantly further removed from other incarnations of hyrule/link/zelda/etc than any other game on the timeline. It's not at all inconceivable within the context of the game that heart pieces may have changed form or come to be known by a different name. most of the changes between botw and other games can be reasoned away this way, because most of them have SOME obvious origins in a previous game mechanic, it's just been updated for botw's specific setting and narrative.

The dungeons ARE an actual departure from the classic formula, i will grant you. the usual way a zelda dungeon works is that link enters the dungeon, solves a few puzzles, fights a mini boss at about the halfway point, and after defeating the mini boss he gets a dungeon item which makes the second half of the dungeon accessible. He then uses that item in the dungeon's final boss fight, which is specifically engineered with that item in mind as the catalyst to win it. Botw's dungeons are the divine beasts. we've removed the presence of mini-bosses entirely, because the 'dungeon items' aren't something link needs to get within the dungeon itself--he alredy has them. they're the sheikah slate runes: magnesis, cryonis, stasis, and remote bombs. Each of the divine beast blight battles is actually built around using one of these runes to win it--cryonis to break waterblight's ice projectiles, magnesis to strike down thunderblight with its own lightning rods, remote bombs to take out fireblight's shield. (i ASSUME there's some way to use stasis effectively against windblight, mostly because it's obvious to me that that's how all the other fights were designed, but in practice it's the best strategy for that fight is to just slow down time via aerial archery, so i've never tried to win that way lol.) So even though we've removed traditional dungeon items and mini-boss fights, the bones of the franchise remain unchanged underneath. this is what makes botw such an ingenious move for this franchise imo; the fact that it manages to update itself into such a beautiful, engaging, MODERN game while still retaining the underlying structure that defines its franchise and the games that came before it. botw is an effective modern installment to this 30-year-old franchise because it takes what made the old games great and updates it in a way that still stays true to the core of the franchise.

I did mention totk in my opening paragraph and you mention it in your ask so i have to come back to it somehow. Do i think that totk did the gigantic-open-world thing as well as botw did? no. But i also don't really think there was any other direction to go with that game specifically. botw literally changed the landscape of game development when it was released. I KNOW you all remember how for a good year or two after botw's release, EVERY SINGLE GAME that came out HAD to have a massive open-world map, regardless of whether or not that actually made sense for that game. (pokemon is still suffering from the effects of that botw-driven open world craze to this day. rip scarlet/violet your gameplay was SUCH dogshit) I'm not sure to what degree nintendo and the botw devs anticipated that success, (I remember the open world and the versatility in terms of problem-solving being the two main advertising angles pre-release, but it's been 7 years. oh jesus christ it's been SEVEN YEARS. anyways) but in any case, there's basically NO WAY that they anticipated their specific gameplay style taking off to that degree. That's not something you can predict. When creating totk, they were once again walking that line between old and new, but because they were only 3ish years out from botw when totk went into development, they were REALLY under pressure to stay true to what it was that had made botw such an insane success. I think that's probably what led to the expanded map in the sky and depths as well as the fuse/build mechanics--they basically took their two big draws from botw, big map and versatility, and said ok BIGGER MAP and MORE VERSATILITY. Was this effective? yeah. do i think they maybe could have made a more engaging and well-rounded game if they'd been willing to diverge a little more from botw? also yeah. I won't say that I wanted totk to be skyward sword-style linear, because literally no one wanted that, but I do think that because of the insane wave of success that botw's huge open world brought in the developers were under pressure to stay very true to botw in their designing the gameplay of totk, and I think that both the gameplay and story might have been a bit more engaging if they had been allowed to experiment a little more in their delivery of the material.

#wow it's been a while since i've written a real homegrown organic legend of zelda essay. i missed this #hi everyone. when the fuck is the next game going into development i need to have something to wildly theorize about again #god. it's been. seven years since botw came out. im going to go chew on live electrical wires #zelda analysis #asks

[festivalsofmargot]

You Are a Memory {Sebastian Sallow x GN!Reader}

Introduction: END GAME SPOILERS!!! AGE 18+ SCENARIOS

Starts after Sebastian’s questline and goes until the two of you are in your 7th year, aged up to 18+. Sebastian has just killed his uncle, and it finally dawns on the two of you how far down the dark path you’ve gone. You aren’t good for one another, and it’s time you let each other go. 

Could be a standalone, but if you’d like some extra background on yours and Sebastian’s relationship, feel free to read these first: Pining in Potions Class, Pretty Thoughts, and Selfless. (I like to write a non house specific reader, but Gall of a Gryffindor can work too if any of you Gryffindors out there want that little extra).

Word Count: ~ 5,400 😬 whoopsies

Warnings: Kissing, Angst, Sex (first time making love, gender neutral so not crazy explicit smut level, characters are aged 18+)

Author’s Note:  Listen listen listen listen… it’s not that I don’t like you guys. I just wanna make you pretty cry a bit, okay? You and Seb have been too happy together in my short stories and I’m ready to be the drama and add a little spice. This is my first attempt at a sex scene and a gender neutral one at that. I’m happy with how it turned out, but I’ll keep pushing myself to write better. Enjoy everybody, hope you’re having a good day 😊

Songs (if interested, bonus songs because it’s a long one today, pop them on and join my sad vibes):

You Are a Memory - Message to Bears

In This Shirt - The Irrepressibles

Exit Music (For A Film) - Radiohead

September 15, 2017: Cassini - The Grand Finale - Sleeping At Last

Light - Sleeping At Last

Falling Colour - Vanbur

You finally left the room of requirement after having spent a good amount of your Saturday there. The magical beasts you saved were always excellent company, even in a time as dark as this. When Deek had excused himself for the night, it was then you realized you should probably get to bed yourself.

You silently cursed when you saw how dark and empty the halls were. It was difficult to keep track of time with the vivariums and Deek’s room ambience enchantments. No question you were well passed curfew. Though, a detention was the least of your worries at the moment.

You heard your name called from somewhere in the darkness. You gasped and turned quickly to see Sebastian pushing himself off the wall he was leaning against.

“Sebastian? What are you doing here?” The two of you hadn’t spoken since he ran from the cave. You hadn’t sought him out when you returned to the castle. You let him have his space, and heaven knows you needed it too.

“I needed to see you.” He said, not meeting your eyes.

“How long have you been waiting? I’m so sorry, if I had known -”

“It’s alright. I... needed the time to think about what I was going to say to you.”

Noticing the room of requirement’s door was still there, you pulled him back in with you. “Let’s talk in here.”

Sebastian’s eyes roamed the room. He would have been in awe at the beauty of it all. But the image of his dead uncle and the heartbroken look on Anne’s face took away any levity the room could have given him.

With Sebastian’s hand still in yours, you guided him to a nearby couch which had been your favorite spot aside from the beast vivariums, though you had a feeling it wouldn’t be any longer after your conversation that night. You sat and gently tugged at his hand for him to sit down with you.

Releasing your hand, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He looked down at the floor, and you waited for him to speak first. You didn’t want to rush him.

“How did things go so wrong?” He buried his face in his hands, his voice faltering. “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean to -” 

Hearing his distress, you placed your hand on his back, rubbing up and down.

He took a shaky breath to right himself. He then grabbed your hand that was rubbing his back and held it in his lap. He rubbed a thumb across your skin and stared at the lines that graced your palm. “We need to end this.”

Your breath hitched in your throat and tears stung at your eyes. You also knew the two of you were heading this direction, but to hear one of you actually say it out loud still broke something in you. “I know.” You whispered.

Sebastian shot a hand up to cover his eyes, desperately trying to stop tears of his own from falling. His shoulders began to shake with silent sobs.

You leaned forward, wrapping your arms around his waist, resting your cheek against his back. “I know.” You said again, still with no conviction. “I’m just as tempted by the dark arts as you are, Sebastian. If we stay together, I'm afraid we’ll cause even more damage.”

“I don’t want this.” He choked through his tears.

You held him tighter, the tears finally falling down your cheeks. You breathed in his scent once more, taking in everything you could of him before he would leave that night. “Neither do I.”

He gently tugged at your arms to get you to release him. He stood to his feet and made his way to leave. You knew you should let him go, but you jumped up from the couch and called for him just as he was going to open the door. “Sebastian!”

His fingers hovered over the handle, he turned slightly to look at you. He waited for you to continue, but you could only stare at him, eyes sparkling with tears. 

Digging his heels into the ground, he closed the distance between the two of you in only a few steps. He took your face in his hands and crashed his lips onto yours. You met him with just as much need and grabbed at the fabric covering his chest to keep him close. The both of you whimpered at the despair in your kiss, cheeks wet with tears. This was the end of it and there was no running from the pain.

Before you knew it, Sebastian left your embrace, speeding out of the room. Once the door shut behind him, you collapsed to the floor and allowed your sobs to consume you.

-

The remaining days of your fifth year went by the slowest. Each day you weren’t working with Professor Fig on your ancient magic and going through the keepers’ trials, you struggled to fill your time. Poppy was finally taking it easy after you had helped her with the centaurs. And Natty was still recovering from your fight with Harlow. Her mother had a closer eye on her than ever before, so spending time with her away from the castle wasn’t happening.

Every time you saw Sebastian, you did everything you could to keep your distance and avoid looking his way. At first you tried to sneak glances, but you found it hurt too much, and it only tempted you to run back into his arms. 

“Maybe we were too rash. Maybe we can be better together.” You envisioned yourself saying to him, but you knew it wouldn’t be true. It was made clear every time you left the castle and ran into poachers. They made it difficult to stray from your dark path. Seeing what they had done to so many animals, you were nowhere near done with the cruciatus curse. You weren’t good for Sebastian, you needed to accept that and let him heal. He could be better, and he would be.

-

You don’t know how you made it out alive against Rookwood and Ranrok, yet there you were. You shifted uncomfortably in your bed in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. Aside from some deep gashes that needed stitching, a ton of bruising, and a sprained ankle, you had managed to make it out all right. But Professor Fig hadn’t, and it weighed on you heavily.

Word spread fast about how you fought alongside the professors to defend the school.  All your friends had come to see you - well - almost all of them. Even some people you didn’t know very well came to check in. 

When Ominis came in to the hospital wing, you felt yourself go stiff. Along with leaving Sebastian behind, you left Ominis as well. You panicked at the thought of facing him. If you had never entered their lives, Sebastian might not have been able to dive so deep into the dark arts. He might have listened to his closest friend and the whole mess wouldn’t have happened.

“How are you?” Ominis asked as he pulled up a chair by your bedside.

“A little roughed up, I suppose. And you?” You were afraid to ask, because the conversation could so easily move towards Sebastian.

“I’m well thank you. And a little roughed up? From what I hear you sound like you belong in this hospital bed for the remainder of the year.”

You began to laugh but then hissed in pain, grabbing at your side. “Well, I can’t really disagree with you there, can I?”

He gave a soft chuckle, and then he fell quiet. The look on his face made it seem like he was debating his next words. “Look, I heard what happened between you and Sebastian.”

“Ominis, please -”

“Let me finish. I heard what happened between the two of you but I’m still here for you. That day you took on the cruciatus curse for him, I knew you’d proven yourself to be a true friend. I understand why the two of you are no longer speaking, and as much as I’m sure it hurts, I agree it’s what’s best for the both of you. Please know, you don’t have to be a stranger when it comes to me.”

It hit you how much you had missed Ominis as well. “Thank you.”

“I'm afraid I have to get going now, I snuck away from Sebastian to check in on you. I feel I’ve constantly had to talk him out of coming to visit the second he heard what happened.”

You nodded your head, “It’s best he doesn’t come. I think I’d fall out of this bed and crawl right into his arms if he had.”

“I thought the same.” He stood up from his chair. “Now get some rest. I can grab something for you from Honeydukes later.”

“Chocolate Frogs, I’m begging you.” Just as you were starting to cheer up, the thought of Hogsmeade reminded you of Rookwood, and what he had told you before he tried to kill you. “Ominis, wait. There’s something you and Sebastian need to know about Anne.”

-

Sebastian couldn’t stand it. Though he knew full well Ominis was right about how he shouldn’t go to visit you, it had gotten to a point where he wasn’t able to sleep without having seen how you were doing with his own eyes. 

Sneaking out of his dorm, he made his way to the hospital wing. He crept in, cloaked with the disillusionment spell and stood at the entrance. Eyes searching, it didn’t take long to spot you. You seemed to be the only student admitted.

He tiptoed over as not to wake you. When he reached you, his heart crumpled at the sight. A majority of your body was covered by the blanket, but from the skin he could see on your neck and face, you were riddled with bruising and stitches. Without thinking, he brushed his fingers along your cheek. 

You let out a soft moan and Sebastian yanked back his hand, panicked he had woken you. But you went quiet again, the only sound escaping you was your breathing. He should have listened to Ominis, seeing you again like that had pulled him right back in. He needed to get out of there.

Just as he as he turned to leave, you mumbled, “Sebastian?”

He looked back fearfully, thinking he was caught. But you were still sound asleep as you murmured his name. He ached to kneel before your bedside and grab your hand. He wanted to kiss it over and over, reassuring you saying, “I’m here. I’m here. Everything’s alright now.” But he couldn’t, and before he could fight himself on it any longer, he forced his feet to move one in front of the other until he was back in his dorm.

-

It was the beginning of your seventh year at Hogwarts when the Triwizard Tournament was announced to take place. It sounded like just the thing you needed to get through your last year.

You don’t know how you made it through your sixth year, it wasn’t nearly as eventful as your fifth had been. Though you were thankful everything seemed to be going a lot smoother in the world and your friends were safe, you were still uneasy with all the free time you had. You busied yourself up in the room of requirement if you weren’t with Poppy or Natty, and would stay just late enough to make it back right before curfew.

Though it was impossible to not see Sebastian, you did everything you could to minimize the chances. By the end of the year, you had found a good routine to get you through the rest of your time at Hogwarts. And adding this tournament on top of it could really help you thrive.

You fiddled with the folded up parchment that had your name written on it as you stood in the crowd around the Goblet of Fire. You were standing side by side with Natty who was also going to put her name in, the two of you waited for your turn to walk up. It was interesting watching all the Beauxbaton Academy and Durmstrang Institute students put their name in. They all looked so confident, and with such athletic builds, you couldn’t believe some of them were only 18 years old like you were.

After Natty placed her name in, you clapped along with everyone else and threw in a special holler just for her. Then it was your turn. As you were about to let the parchment fall in and be swallowed up by the flames, you looked out to the cheering crowd and locked eyes with Sebastian. Out of everyone around you, how did you manage to spot him? Dropping your name in, the crowd erupted in applause. You bowed your head and smiled as you left the circle.

When you returned to your position amongst the crowd, you tried to shake the image of his face from your mind. The way he was looking at you when you entered your name into the fire, it was almost as if he was crushed to see you do so. But you immediately dismissed the thought. It was dark in there and the only light source came from the Goblet, you couldn’t have possibly gotten a good read on his reaction. You two were no longer in each other’s lives and it’s been that way for a while. Get over yourself. He wouldn’t care what you did any more.

-

“You? But... why?” Was all Sebastian could ask his best friend. Ominis had just informed him he was the one taking you to The Yule Ball. Sebastian had known you were going with someone after overhearing you turn down a Durmstrang student, apologizing and explaining you already had a date. He had been in a dreadful mood ever since. But his sour mood turned perplexed at Ominis’ announcement.

“Honestly? Because I’m afraid of what you’d do to anyone else who did. Also, it looks good for a Gaunt to be going to the ball with the Hogwarts champion, if I’m not going to be the champion myself. Got my family off my back somewhat.”

Sebastian sighed. “Ominis, you didn’t need to trouble yourself. I’m fine now. We’re fine. We haven’t spoken in who knows how long. The two of you should go with people you -” have an interest in. He finished in his head, unable to say the words aloud without feeling sick.

Though he’d hate to admit it, Sebastian was filled with immense relief Ominis was the one taking you to the ball. He had seen the rather large amount of people who had approached you, and he wanted to shoo off each one of them. But he had no right, he needed to let you live your life. After all, it would have been highly hypocritical of him considering he had said yes to going with Amelie Dupont, the champion for Beauxbatons Academy.

-

Sebastian and Ominis waited side by side at the bottom of the stairs for their dates. He was hoping with every fiber in his body that you would walk down those stairs before Amelie did, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist watching you come down with undivided attention. And that would be horribly rude of him with his date at his arm already.

But of course, Amelie arrived first. He shouldn’t have expected any different knowing how you were. Always off doing something until the last minute.

With Amelie’s arm linked in his, all champions and their dates stood, lined in formation to enter the ballroom, except one.

“Ah Mr. Gaunt, here is your date now.”

Sebastian shot his gaze to the stairs at Professor Weasley’s words and went stiff. In that moment, he could have sworn his heart stopped. You were breathtaking. He had never seen you in such formal attire. For some reason, feeling foolish about it then, he had expected you to be dressed in some variation of the Hogwarts uniform. It had been all he’d seen you in for the passed year and a half.

“So sorry I’m late.” You called down as you descended the steps, watching your step as you did so as not to trip in your new fancy shoes. You were still breaking them in and weren’t the most confident. When you looked up your eyes met Sebastian’s, and the way he was looking at you had your insides twisting.

Sebastian swallowed thickly when you looked his way, and for a brief moment he let himself live in the fantasy that you were walking down the stairs to meet him. Time slowed down and memories began popping up all at once in his brain: the first time you met, the both of you trying to hide your laughter at Garreth’s nonsense in potions class, your first kiss in the library, all your sneaky pecks to his cheek, and even the times he’d rest his head on your lap as the two of you laid in the grass under the sun.

“Alright you two, join the line here.” His thoughts were interrupted at Professor’s Weasley’s voice. You took Ominis’ arm and got in the back of the line. Sebastian made himself face forward, awaiting further instruction.

“You look very handsome, Ominis.” He heard you whisper to his best friend.

“Thank you, I’m sure you look wonderful yourself.” You and Ominis cackled.

Walking out in front of everyone and doing the traditional first dance was all a blur. Sebastian hadn’t been able to compose himself after he saw you coming down the stairs.

Once the dance was over, he excused himself from Amelie and went to the washroom. He leaned against the sink, trying to steady his breathing. How could he have ever thought he was over you? You still meant as much to him then as you had when you parted ways in the room of requirement. He was extra thankful Ominis had been your date, if anyone else had been and he had to watch you link arms with them he didn’t think his heart could take it.

Once he returned to the ball, his eyes landed on you and Ominis on the dance floor. You were talking and laughing with him easily, seeming to not have a care in the world.

Do I have even the slightest effect on you anymore? Sebastian wondered as he watched from afar. He thought back to when you put your name in the Goblet of Fire. Your eyes had met his and he silently pleaded with you not to go through with it, people died in this tournament. Though he knew you were capable, having to watch you be put in harm’s way and he wouldn’t be able to help had him petrified. But you dropped it in and turned away, proud to have your name in the running. When your name was chosen from the Goblet, because of course it was, the terror and misery that went through him was paralyzing. Ominis had to help keep him steady the rest of that day.

He had a sick hope he made you hurt at least a little having come with Amelie. But you were the one on the dance floor, happy as can be, not the one trying to keep it together in the washroom like he had just been.

Sebastian went and found Amelie. He apologized and asked her for another dance.

The night went by decently enough for Sebastian. Amelie was beautiful and talkative, so when the two of them weren’t dancing, they were surrounded by a group of people asking her an abundance of questions. He was thankful she took the reins in conversation because he wasn’t in a socializing mood. Every now and then he took glances your way, not once did he catch your eye.

It was nearing the end of the night and Amelie had asked if he wanted to go back to the dance floor. He looked out and saw you and Ominis were back out there already.

“I - I apologize, I promised a friend a dance and it’s slipped my mind ‘til now.”

Amelie nodded with a smile and went back to speaking with a few Durmstrang students who were eager for her attention.

Before he knew it, he was making his way over to you and Ominis. When he reached the two of you on the dance floor, he held out a hand towards you.

Your laughing and dancing ceased.

“May I cut in?” Sebastian asked, gaze on you unflinching.

Your insides began buzzing with nerves. The thought of your first time interacting with Sebastian again through a dance was nearly too much to handle.

“Go ahead.” Ominis said with a smile as he released you, his approval taking you by surprise. “I need a rest anyhow.” Before you could protest, he was gone, leaving you and Sebastian alone.

You tentatively grabbed his hand and he pulled you into a dance. This being your first time speaking and touching after nearly two years, you didn’t think you would be able to look him in the eyes. But that was the only place you could look.

The two of you didn’t speak, it seemed you didn’t need to. Over the course of your dance, the two of you moved in closer, dismissing the official waltz stance you were supposed to be in. Your arms found their way around his shoulders and his around your waist. He leaned his head against yours as you slowly swayed from side to side.

You had fought so hard to distance yourself from him, and all it took was one dance to pull you back in. You never wanted to let go. Because as soon as you let go, he would be gone from your life again. The way he was holding onto you made you believe he had the same worry. You breathed in his scent like you used to do when you were this close. You hummed and pulled him closer, he still used the same cologne you loved.

Sebastian closed his eyes, imagining it was just the two of you in your own little world. He relished every second of this dance with you. Having you back in his arms felt right, like this was where you were always supposed to be.

“Excusez-moi? Sebastian, I’m getting tired. Would you like to walk me back to the dorms?” Amelie hiccupped, seeming to have had some drinks other students snuck in.

His eyes shot open and you tried to pull away quickly, but he grabbed your hand with a strong hold so you wouldn’t get too far. As the two of you looked at Amelie, you shook your hand from his grasp and cleared your throat. “Of course he would! Appreciate you letting me steal him away for a quick dance. Always great to catch up with an old friend. Goodnight, you two.”

Sebastian watched as you escaped to Ominis’ side, your vanishing warmth making him feel empty. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t leave things there and not speak to you for another year and a half. Dancing with you and holding you close would never have been enough to hold him over.

“You’ll have to guide me.” Amelie giggled, linking her arm in his. “This castle is a maze.”

“It can be. Would you excuse me one moment?” He slipped from Amelie’s grasp and ran to your side. He touched your elbow and your attention was back on him.

Your eyes widened at the gall Sebastian had to leave Amelie’s side. You already felt terrible she had to witness the two of you dancing the way you were, but truth be told she was probably too sozzled to notice. “Sebastian, you can’t just -”

“Meet me in the undercroft, I’ll be there shortly.”

“I can’t, I -” You gestured weakly to Ominis who was aware of everything that was happening.

“Please.” The rigor in his voice made it clear he wasn’t asking, then he returned to Amelie’s side.

You looked to Ominis, dumbstruck at Sebastian’s actions. “Ominis, you need to speak with him. Get him back to his senses.”

But Ominis only shook his head, “Meet with him.”

-

After all this time, you found yourself in the undercroft again. While you waited for Sebastian, you looked around, nostalgia washing over you. You found your way next to a wooden table covered in markings you hadn’t remembered seeing. Sebastian’s, Ominis’, and Anne’s names were all over, along with some carvings of stick figures. One of the carvings was a heart with yours and Sebastian’s initials. You rubbed your hand over your chest in hopes to slow down your rapid pulse. Then you ran your fingers over it.

His heart ached as he watched you. “I did that when you were recovering in the hospital wing. I was a mess.”

You startled slightly at his voice.

“A few weeks after we... well...” He looked down, kicking the dirt at his feet, wanting to change the subject. “We haven’t bumped into each other down here since fifth year, have we? How often do you come these days?” He asked, looking back up to you.

“Oh, I... I haven’t been in here since fifth year.”

“You haven’t?” A large part of him hurt at the thought of you leaving the undercroft behind.

You shook your head, eyes continuing to roam around the room. “No. This place was always yours, Ominis’, and Anne’s. Never mine.”

“I tried to make it yours too.”

You met his dispirited gaze, and you didn’t know how to respond. You turned away and began meandering around. “What is this about, Sebastian?” You hoped he would get on with it, this whole night had been torture. Watching him dance with Amelie and barely leave her side, you were thankful you had Ominis to lean on.

He took a step towards you. “I want to be in your life again.” He blurted.

Your heart picked up its pace again and you froze. It was exactly what you wanted to hear, but as much as you wanted to run and jump into his arms, you kept yourself in place. It wasn’t what was best for him.

“I want us again.” He said, taking another step towards you.

“Sebastian.” You sighed.

“Believe me when I say I’ve changed.” He began desperately. “I have no more temptations with the dark arts. Just ask Ominis! He’ll tell you how far I’ve come. I’m better now.”

You swallowed thickly in your throat. “But I’m not.” You confessed, barely above a whisper. You released a shaky breath and met his stare. “I am so proud to hear you’ve come far. Truly, I am. But I am still no good for you.” You glanced away from him then, unable to say it to his face. “I still use the unforgiveable curses... all the time.” You went tense at the admission, “These poachers Poppy and I come across, they conjure up something so monstrous in me, I -” You stopped yourself, not eager to explain further.

“I can help you.” He was by your side then. “I brought you into the dark arts. I can help get you out. My hatred for Ranrok’s loyalists? I was able to overcome that too.” He took your hand and pressed it to his chest. “You don’t know how far I’d go for this. I’m so in love with you it hurts. I can’t stand to see you and act like I don’t know you anymore.”

You shook your head at the overwhelming nature of it all, an unsteady exhale left your lips. The look on your face told him you were considering his words, and he couldn’t help but hold his breath. “Sebastian, if I pull you back to the dark arts, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“You won’t.” He brought the back of your hand to his lips. “I mean it when I say I’ve changed. Have a little confidence in me, will you?”

You bit your lip, and thought through everything that could go wrong if you went back to him. But him telling you he was in love with you had taken away all your resolve. All the warnings you usually chided yourself with were falling flat, not being at all effective like they used to be even just a moment ago. You nodded your head. “Okay.”

“Okay?” His eyes went wide, unable to believe it.

“Okay. And I love you too. So much, Sebastian.”

Sebastian picked you up and swung you in his arms, causing a boisterous laugh to spring out from inside you. He set you down and brought one hand up to cup your cheek, smashing his lips against yours. Being able to be with you like this again had him bursting at the seams with joy.

You kissed him back with just as much fervor. Your hands shot up to his hair and you gripped his locks between your fingers. He backed you up until you hit the wooden table you were looking at earlier. Without taking his lips off of yours he hoisted you up and positioned himself between your legs. He licked at your bottom lip and you opened your mouth partly for him to taste more of you. You let out a whimper, then you felt him press his front against yours. You gasped at the sudden feel of it and he made himself stop kissing you.

“I’m sorry.” He said breathlessly, forehead pressed to yours. “We don’t have to. I just couldn’t help myself. You just -” He buried his face into your neck and sighed, “Every time I see you, I go mad. I’ve missed you all this time and to finally have you here in my arms -”

You began to unbutton his shirt with delicate fingers. He pulled back and looked you into your eyes. 

“A - Are you sure?”

You smiled at him and nodded your head, continuing to undo his buttons. He helped you shakily yet eagerly. Then he began to help you undress, covering you in comforting kisses as he did so. It was nerve-racking, undressing in front of each other for the first time. But you weren’t with just anyone in that moment, you were with Sebastian, and he was with you. The two of you were hopeful for the future, but in that moment neither of you cared what happened from then on. The two of you were ready, and you wanted be each other’s first. 

You moved to the floor together, laying on your clothes, he covered your body with his. He leaned down to kiss you, his chest pressing against yours, and the feel of his skin was electrifying. You could feel his hardness pressed against you as you continued to hold each other, taking your time exploring one another in a way no one else had.

He shivered as you touched him, sighing your name against your lips. He dragged his fingers from your neck, lightly touching down your body, passed your waist, until he placed his hand between your thighs.

And right then, with the urgent need about to burst from both your cores, you knew there was no other place in the world you'd rather be. This ache you felt for each other left no room for doubt, this couldn’t have happened with anyone else, you were made for one another. You both were on the brink with each other’s touches, clueless how it could possibly feel better than it already had. 

“I’m ready.” You whimpered.

Sebastian, eyes clouded with desire, nodded his head. You both adjusted until you fit each other perfectly, starting slow to get the hang of it, and eventually losing yourselves in one another in a tangle of limbs. You covered each other with kisses, licks, and even some bites as the need to melt into each other grew more and more. In those moments together, as your breaths and moans echoed throughout the undercroft, the only temptation presenting itself was each other, and it was pure bliss.

#sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow fanfiction #sebastian sallow fluff #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow smut #sebastian sallow x you #sebastian sallow mature content #sebastian sallow angst

[timetorace]

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭

HELLO! My first Max one shot, so excited for this one. To the anon that requested it: Thank u so much I hope you like it. 

ship: max verstappen x toto wolff daughter!reader.

summary: Five years ago you used to love Max but you had to say goodbye, will you be able to save what you could have been?

warnings:  SMUT. SMUT. Unprotected sex. Oral (f! receiving). Doggy style. Dirty words. 

word count: +6.0K

waity katie: Catherine Middleton was given the nickname “Waity Katie” to mock her because of the time Prince William took to propose to her.

May 2017 | Monte Carlo, Monaco

It was raining buckets; you weren’t surprised it rained that week. It was almost a tradition that it rained for the Monaco Grand Prix. All of Monaco was in a bubble after yesterday’s race but you were going to see him. You had decided that you had had enough. Max and you had been seeing each other secretly for a year now, long enough for both of you to know what you wanted. You had been mulling over going public since the beginning of the year while Max was still scared of the consequences. Or at least that’s what you thought at first. Now you weren’t sure anymore, especially after last night. You and Max had hung out with his friends and some mutual friends who worked on some teams. The club was full, but even so, when you had returned from the bathroom you had heard how one of Max’s friends called you “waity Katie”, the rest laughed and Max just stood there, said nothing or moved. You didn’t even try to say anything. The problem was that this had been like a wake-up call for you because when you arrived home you couldn’t stop thinking and seeing what you had lost.

When you thought about it, you realized the signs were always there, the way he changed the subject when you talked about going public with what they had or at least telling people around you like your dad. Oh, your dad. That was another thing. Your dad was Toto Wolff, who had tried to get Max to sign with Mercedes instead of Red Bull a couple of years ago but he had failed. Your dad would not be too happy that you got involved with a driver. They were strictly forbidden, especially since you were only 19 years old and most of them were much older than you.

You felt like a toy, after not sleeping the night before thinking about it you had concluded that Max didn’t care enough about you, you really hoped you were wrong though. Because otherwise, you could already feel your heart breaking. You were afraid, afraid that Max wasn’t into you half as much as you were into him.

You let out a sigh as you got into the elevator and put in the magnetic key so you could go up to Max’s penthouse. That’s how serious you thought you were, you had the key to go up to his apartment; you liked to use it to go to his house after leaving work and cuddle up against him. You liked that. Now that made you feel so stupid. Haven’t you seen the signs? Or had you seen them and ignored them because you were too into him to recognize them? When the elevator stopped at the top floor and before the doors opened, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath to prepare yourself.

“Hey, you’re early,” Max greeted you when you got out of the elevator. He was in shorts and a T-shirt watching a soccer game on television.

“My boss let me go earlier,” you explained. You were interning at a venture capital firm and living with your father, Susie, Jack in Monte Carlo. Your father was more than happy because he had always kept you at a distance, living in Germany.

“Surely he saw you hadn’t closed an eye last night” You hadn’t but not for the reasons he believed. You hadn’t even had enough to drink to have a hangover, you hadn’t stopped giving the subject a run for its money.

“Yeah, probably” You shrugged and crossed your arms. If you were going to have that conversation, you were going to stand still.

“Are you okay?” he asked, frowning.

“Yes,” You hesitated “Well, no” You added, “I think we should tell them” By them, you meant your family, his family, and possibly Max’s PR team.

“I think it’s still too early”

“Soon? Max, we’ve been doing this for a year now” “This” was referring to whatever it was you had, until yesterday you thought it was a relationship but now you thought it had actually been just an adventure or an affair all this time. “My father will get over it,” you told him before Max winced and you knew it. Toto Wolff wasn’t his problem “But my father is not the problem” You murmured before closing your eyes “Oh my God” What a fool you had been. Max wasn’t afraid of what his father might say. He wanted you as his little toy, his secret. You let out a bitter laugh. Less than 24 hours ago you were sure that he loved you. How had life changed so fast? “Don’t” You told him, taking a step back when you saw Max get up from the couch to approach you.

“(Y/N)” He called you

“I don’t want to be your dirty little secret, Max,” you said, letting out a bitter laugh. That couldn’t be happening to you “I can’t and won’t be the other woman” Max was a young promise and the girls literally threw themselves at him. You had had to shut your mouth more than once in the last year when he was involved with other girls. And above all, believe him when he told you that everything was rumors. Had he lied about that too?

“You are not my dirty little secret” That was a lie. He knew it, you knew it.

“You treat me like one,” you pointed out. It was almost as if he was ashamed of you, but you knew that in reality, he was too immature to be honest with you about it “And I deserve more than that”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that if you weren’t ready to commit, you just had to say so, Max! There was no need to have me hovering around you” You were angrier at his lack of honesty than anything else.

“It’s not that I lack commitment, it’s that for me it’s still too early”

You released an ironic laugh “You and your friends must have had the time of your lives laughing behind my back”

“No one is laughing at you, (Y/N)” He said in a calm tone that almost made you think it was all in your head.

“One of your friends called me 'waity Katie' yesterday” You pointed and saw how his expression changed to a mix between astonishment and surprise “Yes, I heard it, thanks for defending me by the way”

And then he did probably the thing that hurt you the most that night. The bastard shrugged. He shrugged. As if he didn’t care.

“They are just messing around” Was he downplaying it? Wh-What was going on? You had entered a parallel reality suddenly.

“And you let them do it?” you raised your eyebrows

“What am I supposed to do? A scene?”

“Em, yeah,” you told him as if it was obvious.

“Don’t be ridiculous”

“I’m not- “you started before stopping mid-sentence. It made little sense. He had already said everything you needed to know. He didn’t interest her. Not only was he not interested in whitewashing you, but he didn’t even care enough to stand up for you. "You know what?" You left the magnetic elevator key next to the coffee table next to the elevator. “Have a good life” You ended up turning to look at him one last time before walking towards the elevator.

“(Y/N)” He called you but you ignored him and pressed the elevator button.

“I don’t want to hear any more of your bullshit,” you replied, looking into his eyes one last time. Max looked devastatingly beautiful, as always, even with that look on your face “Not anymore” you added before the doors closed in front of you. He didn’t come back. He just stood there.

You greeted the doorman on your way out of the building. Dammit. The storm had broken, and you hadn’t brought an umbrella. Could that day get worse? Apparently yes, because when you were halfway home, soaked to the feet, your phone vibrated with a text from Max.

Max: Call me when you calm down, please?

Call him? He wanted you to call him? Hadn’t he caught the vibe? If he wanted to talk to you, he knew where you lived. He could call you instead of asking you to do so. Suddenly you realized something else. It was always you who made the effort for you. You just sent him to hell, and he was making the minimum effort. How pathetic and painful. Not even the rain could erase the tears in your eyes. It was incredibly painful to find out that a person didn’t love you even a quarter of what you loved about him.

(Y/N): Do me a favor, delete this number.

———————————————————————————————

June 2022 | Montreal, Canada (Five years later)

There you were. Canada. It wasn’t like you didn’t like to travel and accompany your father from time to time, but Canada meant jet lag and jet lag. He insisted and you couldn’t tell him no, since you had moved back to the UK, you didn’t see each other as often. The bad part was that he hadn’t gotten a room in the same hotel as his, so you were staying somewhere else. What you didn’t know was that Max was staying in the same hotel as you. You were going down in the elevator to have breakfast when it stopped at the fifth floor and Max went up. Great. You two met twice but just exchanged glances or a brief hello, as if you were strangers as if you barely knew who each other was. Actually, for the rest of the world, it was like that. You two never existed.

You moved your leg up and down impatiently, looking at the floor numbers as the elevator descended. Just as they were about to take you downstairs, you saw out of the corner of your eye that Max, who had been staring at you ever since he entered the elevator, would open his mouth, ready to say something.

You beat him to it “Whatever it is, save it, I don’t want to hear it” You told him before the elevator doors opened and you shot out of there.

The fight between Red Bull and Mercedes was real. Especially after last year, when he had been world champion. You couldn’t help but be happy for him even when your father was still complaining about how Masi had given away the championship to Red Bull. Max deserved it because he was an incredible driver but also now everyone was doubting last year’s championship and you knew he wanted to show that he was worthy of being world champion. You could respect that.

That same night, when you were watching a movie and about to sleep, someone knocked on your door. When you looked through the peephole, you saw it was Max. You got nervous. Anyone could see him standing there in the middle of the corridor in front of his door.

You yanked the door open “What are you doing here? People are gonna see you,” you whispered before grabbing his arm and pulling him into your room to close the door behind him.

“I need to talk to you,” Max explained

“I don’t see why,” you replied, crossing your arms over your chest.

“You know why”

“No, I don’t, I don’t read minds”

“I wanna talk about it” You knew that by “it” he probably meant the obvious. What had happened to you? You didn’t want to put labels on it because you didn’t even know if what they had qualified as a relationship.

“About what? You’re gonna have to be more specific than that, Max.” If he wanted to talk, then they were going to talk, but first, you were going to make him suffer a little.

“I wanted to talk about what happened, in Monaco, five years ago”

“You will say”

“You tried to give me an ultimatum” Oh, if that was how he was going to start by accusing you, then it would not end any better than last time.

“After a year Max, that doesn’t even count as an ultimatum, especially when you were supposed to be in a relationship,” you replied, trying to keep your voice as calm as possible. What you had had had been a relationship, at least for you.

“We were in a relationship,” Max corrected you.

“It didn’t seem like it.” You wanted to be as honest as possible. For a year it had seemed that way, but then you realized you had just ignored the signs.

“I’m sorry, for everything”

“You’re going to need more than that Max” That he apologized was the beginning, but now that he had stirred up the past, you wanted him to really mean it.

“I was an asshole” Max ruffled the hair on the back of his neck with his hand.

“Yes, you were” There was no point in denying it when it was what you thought.

“Thanks,” He replied with a sarcastic tone

“You said it first,” You shrugged

“I’m sorry I kept you in the dark and kept you a secret,” He clarified. At least he acknowledged that he had done wrong “You deserved more”

“That’s not even the problem” Actually it was okay for Max to admit that he had been wrong for keeping you a secret but that wasn’t even what hurt you the most “You made fun of me by letting other people put me nicknames” The fact that he had said nothing. Uff, that if he had hurt “You played games with me, I didn’t deserve that” The lie had bothered you the most. He just needed to be honest with you “You could just be honest and tell me you weren’t ready for commitment in the first place”

“You’re right, I was immature”

“Yes, you were”

“I should have been honest with you”

“Yes, you should have”

“And I should have said something that night at the club”

“Yes, you should have,” you repeated with a nod. You would deny nothing or try to make him feel better about it. If he wanted to be a big boy, then he had to accept his mistakes.

“Are you going to agree with everything I say? Well, that’s something new,” He scoffed.

You shrugged. “If you’re going, to tell the truth, I won't make you feel better about yourself.”

“I’m really, really sorry” He finished, and you believed him. After he listed the mistakes he had made, you believed him. It meant that he really knew that he was wrong and that he wasn’t saying it to sweeten your ears or because it was what he thought you wanted to hear.

“Because right now?” You asked, a little curious, why he had removed all this so many years later and why he seemed so eager to clear things up, “Why did you come?”

“Your perfume”

“What?”

“Today, in the elevator, I could smell your perfume,” Max explained “It reminded me of a lot of things, but it made me realize I miss you and that I could never fill the void that you left”

“We have crossed paths many times in the last few years,” you pointed out. You had not spoken, but you had seen each other on over one occasion afterward. It wasn’t like I saw you for the first time today.

“And I’ve always been able to ignore what I felt after seeing you, letting it go” Max nodded I understand what you were referring to. It was strange because his visit that night had taken you by surprise “Until today”

“And what happened today?” You raised your eyebrows.

“Today I couldn’t let go,” He said and you couldn’t help but gasp. Was he saying what you thought he was saying? “And I hate I can’t move on, get over you. Today I just stare there, watching you walk away from me and it felt painful” Oh God. Oh my God. He was saying what you thought he was saying. There were no doubts. You didn’t believe in destiny. You were a person of facts. If you couldn’t see it, you didn’t believe in it, but your heart wanted to believe Max. You hated when your heart got involved because he was the one who made you make stupid decisions.

“So…” you said after a moment of silence between the two of you, not sure how to continue that conversation or if there was actually anything else to say.

“So…”

“You like my perfume,” you told him, raising your eyebrows in mockery.

Max let out a laugh “I just gave you an entire book of apologies and that’s the only thing left in your head?”

You shrugged “You said my perfume made you come here, so it’s an important fact though” You answered before he took a step towards you, closing the distance between you “What are you doing?”

“I’m kissing you,” Max answered before leaning towards you to meet your lips with yours. That took you back in time, to those sneaky caresses, to those stolen kisses and secret encounters. It took you back to his apartment in Monaco, to his couch, petting Sassy, while Max watched a football match. It made you remember him and the familiarity of him and, unfortunately, you liked that a lot. He felt like home, he felt like he belonged. When you separated you stayed looking at him but you saw how his gaze lowered a little and you noticed that from above he had a good angle of your boobs under your pajama satin tank top.

“Stop,” you told him, crossing your arms over your chest to cover yourself.

“I didn’t do anything,” He replied, feigning innocence and raising his hands up.

You gave him a reproachful look. Clearly, he was looking at your boobs, taking advantage of the fact that he was a couple of centimeters taller than you. Honestly, you weren’t expecting visitors either, so you were in pajamas and without a bra, so you didn’t want to lower your eyes to see if your panties were showing on the satin.

“Ok, sorry, it’s not my fault they’re exposed like that”

You let out a laugh “Really? You just apologized and now you want to offend me again?”

“Is a compliment”

“You are very close to being kicked out of my room” You warned him

“What do I have to do so you don’t?” He asked to give you a puppy look. You hated the way he was a professional extortionist and the soft spot you had for him.

“Stop acting like a slug when I just forgave you,” You said, and he licked his lips almost without thinking, which made you unable to prevent your mind from drifting towards not holy thoughts.

“Ok, ok, I’m done,” He said, raising his hands in a sign of innocence before you approached him a little closer, bumping your chest against his to kiss him again. Were you acting contradictory? Yes, of course, you did, but suddenly you wondered how it would feel to run your hand through his hair. To feel again the sensation of your fingers massaging the nape of his neck.

“Who’s acting like a slug now?” He scoffed, briefly separating from you to rest the back of his head against yours.

“Shut up,” you complained before kissing him again so you wouldn’t have to listen to his arrogant and stupid mouth mocking you. Max was arrogant, and he knew what generated you, you were not immune to his charms and there was no point in denying it. What were you doing messing with him five years after you dumped him? Clearly, I wasn’t thinking rationally. You were thinking about your vagina. Were you going to regret it later? Definitely not because sex with him had always been good. Now, the problem was going to happen after that. Because if there was one thing you didn’t want, it was to go back to where you guys had been and there was no chance of getting back into a relationship with Max after what had happened. You weren’t sure you could bet on yourself again.

Your hands slid down the back of your neck caressing your hair. You remembered how much you liked to do that. Max grabbed you around the waist to lift you slightly into the air and carry you to the bed. You pulled him to you again by his shirt from him when he put you on the bed. He was still wearing the same perfume. You took a few seconds to inhale his scent. That felt familiar and felt too close to make you feel sentimental. That was a bad idea. You had to act and not think. You slid your hands to unbutton his jeans before removing the Red Bull polo shirt.

“You really want to undress me I see”

You rolled your eyes. “Shut up.” You had forgotten how arrogant he could be. As in everything he did, he liked to succeed in all areas of his life. You hated to admit it, but he fucked well and he was well aware of that.

He giggled and just kissed you again, making you smile between the kiss, remembering how much fun you guys could have together. Max grabbed the edge of your shorts and pulled them down your legs, along with your panties. Your legs stretched out and your feet stood on tiptoes, craving his touch. 

He moved you to the edge of the bed, and he knelt between your legs. You rested your elbows on the bed so you could see him. He ran his tongue along your folds and you gasped, throwing your head back. The anticipation was killing you. He started playing with his tongue in your pussy, playing with your opening, teasing you, and getting to know him. Max was enjoying taking you to the limit. You moved slightly, and he placed his hand on your belly to keep you still by pressing you against the mattress. He moved up your folds to your clit and sucked on it, making you let out a loud, clear moan. The way he took his time, to adore you, to make you feel as much pleasure as possible. Your hands clung to the fabric of the sheets as Max worked on your pussy. You felt how the muscles of your pussy contracted against his tongue and you knew he was stubborn enough not to stop until you came in his mouth. You moved your hips against your mouth as much as his hand pressing your belly against the bed allowed. Max nibbled lightly on your clit before outlining it with the tip of his tongue, making you crave contact as he ran his tongue around his without touching it. He knew what he was doing because two minutes later he was back at it, licking up your juices and sucking on your clit, making your cunt twitch every time he did it. Your moans grew louder as he reached for his arms to play with the tips of your nipples between his fingers. That was it, that sent you over the edge and it was all it took for you to let out a little yelp of pleasure before you came against him. Even in the post-orgasm fog, you could feel him sucking your juices. Playing with your fingers there didn’t feel nearly the same. You had forgotten what devastating orgasms were like.

Your mind was still trying to recover from the earthquake that had been your orgasm when you felt Max pull you towards him and turn you over, placing your face down on the mattress. You let out a lopsided smile. He still remembered it. Bastard.

“I still remember how much you liked to do it that way,” he murmured, pushing you into doggy style on the bed.

“Do you?” You asked, raising your eyebrows as he brushed your hair to one side so that it fell over your shoulder.

“Yes, I remember it pretty well actually,” He whispered, playing with the tip of his cock against your folds. You couldn’t help but move your ass against him “Along with your moans when you were full of my cock”

“You may imagine things,” you pointed out, letting out a gasp as you felt him place just the tip of his cock inside you.

“Do you believe so? We will see,” He said before sliding the rest of his cock inside you in one motion.

“Fuck yes” You exclaimed. You felt so full with his cock inside you.

“You were saying?” He asked, and despite having his back turned, you could feel the arrogant smile on his face.

“Shut up,” you moaned before he moved inside you. How good that felt. You were so full, so wet that his cock slid smoothly inside you. You felt how he approached your ear and played with the earlobe, nibbling on it while he rammed you hard. Max’s hands slid in front of you to play with your clitoris between his fingers, rubbing it hard and making you let out a couple of moans that came out more like screams than anything else. The combination of sensations and movements was exquisite. You needed it as much as you needed to come at that moment. You could feel your juices soaking into your thighs too. He panted and moan against your ear, causing the air to tickle you, making you want his cum more and more. You wanted to cum, you needed to cum.

“Should I-” Max asked in a gasp. You knew what he was going to ask. He always asked you the same thing when you guys had safe sex.

“No” He wanted to know if he had to get his cock out of him or not. The answer was always no, but you were taking pills and the idea of ​​having your cum between your legs really turned you on. “It’s okay”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah” You confirmed him and that was enough because he started moving faster against you. You could feel the noise of his balls slapping against your legs until the tug of your earlobe between his teeth and you knew he was on edge. You contracted the muscles of your pussy around his cock on purpose, which made you feel the first load of his cum inside you, which triggered your second orgasm of the night. How good that felt.

You rolled over to place your back against the mattress and Max threw himself next to you. You fell into silence for the next two minutes before Max spoke again.

“Everything is ok?”

You just gave him a shaky smile in response because you weren’t sure you knew what to say.

————————————————————————————————————————

July 2022 | Monte Carlo, Monaco 

The next few weeks were a bit of a blur. You had returned to England but then found a lame excuse to visit your father in Monaco. You and Max hadn’t stopped fucking in those two weeks. If it wasn’t in bed, it was on the couch and if it wasn’t on the couch, it was on the kitchen counter. Anywhere was a good excuse to get naked. You hadn’t talked about what was going to happen to you later. On the one hand, you didn’t want to do it because you really wanted nothing more than sex. You needed to repeat it to yourself. Just wanted sex from him. You couldn’t hope for anything more about Max. They hadn’t spoken until that night. The next morning Max was going to go to Silverstone, and you were going to stay with Susie and your brother Jack.

You were both in bed after watching a football game, watching the post-game interviews with Max hugging you from behind in a spoon position when he turned down the volume.

“I grew up,” He said suddenly.

“I see,” you told him, raising your eyebrows, thinking that he was referring to his sexual abilities.

“No, not like that,” He shook his head “I’m not a kid anymore”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that I learned from my mistakes,” He clarified.

Oh. He wanted to go there? You straightened up to separate yourself a bit from him, sitting on the couch to turn to look at him “What are you saying, Max?” You wanted to know what he meant before you said anything.

“I want to say that we deserve a second chance”

You laughed “Yeah, I’m not doing that again, you wanna fuck? Fine, but I’m not trying anything else with you ever again”

“Why not?” He asked, and you felt a little guilty for being so blunt about it, but you had to be. You felt you had to protect your heart.

“Cause we already tried once and everything went down the drain”

“(Y/N), I’m not just fucking with you, I don’t want just sex from this” Max frowned "I thought we agreed about it”

You raised your eyebrows “Apparently we are not”

“You thought I just wanted sex from you and that’s why I went to apologize? I was hoping you would have a higher opinion of me.”

“I do, It’s just that-” You let out a sigh “We already collided once Max, the last time it didn’t go very well”

“So? Let’s try again”

“Max, I-” You passed your hand around your neck “I can’t allow you to break my heart again” The feeling of losing it and the anguish of having done it that way had left you broken into a thousand pieces.

“I won’t do it”

“You can’t give me guarantees,” you pointed out

“(Y/N)” He called you taking you by the cheeks so you could look at him “I know what I did wrong five years ago and I don’t plan to do it again, this time we are going to do it right”

“And what if not?”

“Then I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.” He replied, and the sweet way he said it made your heart race.

You sighed “Do you really want to do this?”

“Yes, I do”

“Don’t break my heart again Max”

“I won’t”

—————————————————————————————————

July 2022 | Le Castellet, France

You believed it could not be repeated and yet, Max and you had returned to stolen kisses and secret meetings everywhere. You had agreed to try something serious again with him, but you had not agreed to make it public yet. Now, the one who did not want everyone to know was you. The roles had been reversed. You still weren’t sure that this was going to end well, and you didn’t want to stir up the abyss for nothing.

“Ok, we need to tell them,” Max told you as he stroked your hair. You were lying on the bed of the motorhome waiting for it to be time for him to go to the paddock.

“No, we don’t”

“You know what Christian is going to do if he finds out for someone else? Eat me for breakfast,” Max complained.

You rolled your eyes “Sometimes I can’t believe how dramatic you are”

“(Y/N), we are going serious about this,” Max frowned “I thought we agreed on that”

“We do, but I don’t want to stir everything up for nothing,” You shrugged “Let’s go step by step”

“Are you afraid that we won’t last?”

“Honestly? I don’t know what’s going to happen” You confessed biting your lower lip “And I don’t want to add more factors to the equation”

“Your father deserves to at least know” Max’s family already knew and had kept it a secret, so it was only fair that your father found out too.

“Now, do you want to tell him?” Five years ago, that had been one of the turning points for you and now he kept pressing you to be honest with your father.

“I told you to grow up and I think so. He deserves to know” Max shrugged “Besides, I’m not a child. Toto Wolff doesn’t scare me”

“Sure?” It didn’t scare him as a director of Mercedes but as a father-in-law? That was a whole other version.

“I would do anything for you” He wasn’t a romantic who was always making grand gestures or saying cheesy things to you, but when he said things like that your heart swelled.

“Ok, I’ll try to tell him after this weekend”

The “after this weekend” ended up becoming “today” because you couldn’t deal with the anxiety of sharing the garage with your father and the only thing you could think about throughout the race was that you were a liar. Max’s words kept echoing in his mind. Susie was with you and Jack was staying in Monaco, so maybe with her around you could soften the blow? Would you have to tell Susie first? You walked to your father’s office. He was working on his laptop. Your flight back to Monaco was supposed to leave in an hour and the airport was five minutes away, so you weren’t surprised your father was still working. You walked into the office that had the door open, rubbing your hands, not knowing what to say, or having an armed speech. were you doing the right thing?

“What happened?” He asked before looking up at you and chuckling, “Why do you look like you’ve broken all the china?”

“I need to tell you something,” you told him, swallowing hard.

“You say,” your father replied, leaning back in his chair and putting aside his laptop. One thing you loved about him is that he always found time for you, but at the time you hated he was staring at you like that.

You decided to just blurt out the truth at once, without anesthesia “I’m kind of dating Max” You confessed with a sigh before clarifying “Max Verstappen”

Your father stared at you for a minute, which made you wonder if he had even heard you because he didn’t even blink at you “For how long?”

“For a few weeks now” You bit your lower lip

“Is it serious?”

“Yes, well, I hope it’s” You wanted to be as honest as possible with your father so that he wouldn’t believe that you simply had a crush on Max.

Your father just stared at you. He didn’t say a word. You opened your mouth to ask if he was okay before he jumped up and walked past you to leave the office.

“Dad?” You asked, walking next to him. Your father didn’t answer you, he just kept walking out of the Mercedes garage. “Dad?” You repeated a little more anxiously when you followed him into the Red Bull garage. The garage was half empty except for some engineers and Christian who seemed to review some papers.

Horner looked up when he saw your father walk past him without even acknowledging him. “Toto what-“

“Not now, Christian,” your father replied curtly. You gave Christian an apologetic smile before following your father down the hallway to the garage.

You let out a groan when he watched as he yanked open the door to Max’s driver’s room. Shit. You got to him and saw that Max was putting on his shirt with your father staring at him.

“Dad,” you called him, standing between him and Max to get into your father’s field of vision. Max reached out his hand to take one of your hands in his.

He ignored you “This is what we are gonna do, you are coming to my house when we return to Monaco and we are having dinner properly, with you as my daughter’s boyfriend because I hope you are decent enough to make her your girlfriend, are we clear?” Your father hadn’t even looked at you. He was staring at Max, who could only nod.

“Yes sir”

Your father rolled his eyes, although you could see a small twinkle in his eyes. He was enjoying having Max at his mercy “Now take your dirty hands out of my daughter,” He added without waiting for an answer before leaving Max’s driver’s room.

You giggled as your father left before turning to Max “I never thought I’d live to see you call my dad ‘sir’”

“Oh, shut up,” He replied rolling his eyes before pulling you in for a kiss. You were going to make it work. This time, everything was going to be different.

#max verstappen x reader #max verstappen one shot #max verstappen x oc #max verstappen imagine #max verstappen x you #f1 imagine #f1 one shot #f1 smut #f1 x reader #formula one one shot #formula one x reader #formula one imagine #formula one fic

[avalil18]

(Series) Only The Young

Summary: you and Joe meet at OSU and start to get to know each other

Pairing: Joe burrow x reader

———————

September 10 2017

Y/n POV

It was a cool September day at OSU. The sun was shining but a crisp in the air flowed. I was heading out the door to go to my English class. I was wearing jeans, a white long sleeve Flowy top, and boots. My backpack was as heavy as a boulder and was making my back ache. Once I got to my English class I sat down on one of the auditorium seats and pulled out the moving table from my arm chair to put my notebook and pen on. After a few minutes more people started to come I wasn’t really paying attention to any one of them until someone caught my eye. It was one of the quarterbacks from the football team. He recently joined the class. I’ve seen him walk around before and I’ve seen him play. He is really good at football but I don’t understand why he is a backup. He should be QB1 from the way I seen him play. He sat down in the row below me. He fisted bumped someone who was probably one of his friends and pulled out his stuff from his bag. He was so cute. But I have to focus. The class was long but all I could think about was him. He was right there the whole time just being perfect. As the bell rang it startled me but I got up and put my book in my hands and swung my backpack on my shoulder. As I was getting out of the row to head out someone bumped into me. It was him! My books fell out of my hand and he went to pick it up.

“Oh my god! I am so sorry”-joe

“Are you ok?”- joe said as he handed me my books back

I smiled

“Yeah! I’m ok. Sorry that was my fault I wasn’t looking.”-you

“Haha! Don’t worry about it I wasn’t looking either.”-joe

“I’m Joe by the way, Joe burrow!”-joe

He puts his hands on the straps of his backpack clearly not knowing if he should shake my hand

“I’m y/n!”- you

“Well y/n it was nice meeting you,and so sorry for bumping into you.”-joe

“Don’t worry about it! And it was nice meeting you to Joe burrow.” -You say with a smile

Joe smiles big trying not to blush but I could definitely see it.

We both walked out and onto the main campus. He wasn’t a little bit behind me but I could feel eyes on me as I walked and knew it was him which gave me butterflies.

“Wait y/n,wait up!”-joe

I turned around to see his beautiful blue eyes and wide smile.

“Do you by any chance have the notes from last class? I missed them because I was at an away game.”-joe

I smiled

“Yeah! I was actually about to go to the library to finish them though. You can join if you want!” - you

Um! What was I thinking! Inviting the QB to take notes with me!

“Yeah actually! I would like that!”-joe

“Great! This way!”-you

Joe started walking with me and my heart was pounding. After a few minutes Joe spoke up.

“So, tell me about yourself!”-joe

“Haha! Well since you want to know so badly. I am from Northgate,Ohio which is right out of Cincinnati. I have an older sister and a twin brother! And I love dogs and the beach!”-you

“Oh!I’m from Ohio too! I have two older brothers!”-joe

“Really! Where in Ohio?”-you

“Athens!”- joe

“Oh I’ve been of Athens! My friends and I used to go there sometimes during the summer because there is this old house on the lake and where we used to hang out!”- you

“Yeah! The famous lake house! I go there all the time!”-joe

“Haha that’s so funny! People in Athens are so sweet that’s one of the reasons I’ve always loved going.”-you

“Yeah,they are really nice!”-joe

Joe and I got to work on our notes but we couldn’t stop talking and laughing.

“So you really only seen Star Wars once?”-joe

“Yes!”-you

“Damm y/n I really got to go take you to go see it. You have to watch it!”-joe

I looked at him in shock. Did Joe just ask me out?

“Let me take you out Saturday night! We can go to the theater right around the corner.”- joe

“Are you asking me out on a date, burrow?”-you

“Maybe…”-joe

“Well then it’s a date!”-you

“It’s a date! Here give me your phone number.”-joe

I handed him my phone. My heart is racing. I can’t believe I’m going on a date with Joe!

“Here! I will text you.”-joe says handing back your phone.

“Ok! See ya! Got to get to physics which sucks!”-you

Joe looks back at you in shock.

“You hate physics? I love it!”-joe

“What!! I can’t stand it! I don’t understand what Professor Burn talks about. Well I just don’t understand it in general.”-you

“How about I help you! You can help me in English and I will return the favor by helping you with physics!”-joe

“Ok! I got to go but text me!”-you

“Ok! Bye y/n!”-joe

“Bye Joe!”-you

I walked away with a smile on my face.

————————-

Joes POV

I got into English class and there she was y/n. She was beautiful. Brunette hair, blue eyes, and an amazing smile. She’s very sweet and calm. She has a funny laugh that makes me get butterflies. She sits right behind me. I always find myself looking at her for to long whenever she gets called on.

As I was walking out I wasn’t looking where I was going and bumped into her.

“Oh my god! I am so sorry!”-joe

I bent down to get her notebook and English book. As I gave it to her she smiled which made me get all giddy inside. I introduced myself and she did the same. We both walked out and I didn’t want to stop talking to her so I decided to say I didn’t do my notes and if she could let me borrow her notes. I actually did do them. All of it. I ran up to her and I asked. I then found myself sitting in the library with y/n taking notes. I found myself staring at her beauty. She was perfect. I knew I needed to ask her out. She got me. And not a lot of people really click with me like she did. She was different. A good different. So I asked if she wanted to watch Star Wars with me at the theatre even though i watched it millions of times. And she said yes! I gave her my phone number and turns out she needed help with physics which is my specialty. My plan is to take her out Saturday then maybe if she feels comfortable to come back to my place to study. Not to do anything else. I’m not that kind of person to rush into things like that and I know people are different when it comes to those kinda getting together things and I respect it. I was kinda sad when she left to go to class. I just wanted to keep talking to her forever. But now I have to plan the perfect night for Saturday.

——————-

Authors note:Ahhhhh first one of the series! Yay! I hope you guys like it! This is apart of How you get the girl🩷✌️

#joe burrow

[thenewrises]

enjoy my brain rambles (18+ MDNI)

idk the last time i did a theory/full lore post on anything since 17 year old me played mystic messenger in 2017 (IN FUCKING PHYSICS!!!!!) but for some reason 14 days with you has been on the forefront of my brain for over a year so. also it's so funny how not into yandere games/dark romance i was years ago but the moment i started college and started reading shit like ACOTAR (not dark romance but like... y'know... rhys...) i am like damn... what if someone was THAT into me me... (this does not include haunting adeline i fucking hate that book)

anyways sorry for the ramble!!!! some fun stuff i have found in the last idk few days of perusing old stuff, new stuff, etc.

also, a lot of hints i've found have been followed up by "👀". this is not the case with everything but just a lil tidbit i noticed! :)

The official 14DWY blog is @14dayswithyou

edit: put 18+ mdni in title because the game is 18+! should have mentioned that LOL

Ren's name!

I have been super interested in finding out his name, which i will send guesses sometime to the ask box when i have more as to not spoil anything if i'm right. BUT, i can share everything i have collected! i do know we will know more about him in day 7 possibly but i want to hopefully give some help if anyone wants to guess like me!

(Not In Name) ❌ - T, D, Z, S

(In The Name) ✅ - N, R, A, E

does not begin with - E, R, B, A, P

does not end with - N, L, Y

extras ⁃ 8 letters (could be more) ⁃ not traditionally masculine ⁃ american ⁃ emerald has three letters (E, A, R are my guesses) ⁃ clarence (two letters right spot) ⁃ emerson (one letter right spot) ⁃ marienne (one letter right spot) ⁃ his sister called him ren

so, with this in mind i have a few ideas. it seems the letter "R" is in the fourth position in his name. the letter "E" seems to be at the end of his name. i believe his name may be unisex or possibly more typically feminine, but he was named by his mother after her two friends (which i believe are Teo's relatives). some guesses about the name i have are: i believe his name may begin with an L or F, but this is just a guess i have but i do not believe it begins with a C. either "ren" is in his name altogether or another variation such as rien. but! this is just a theory (matpat... thank u).

some extras:

_ _ _ r _ _ _ e

edit: upon some scrolling before bed i am starting to believe their name may end in “rence” or “riene”. will update but that’s where i’m landing right now.

edit 2: may ALSO end in renie!

2. Ren's hands!

so we know ren has scarred hands from an accident prior to the events of the game before he ran from home. i don't know exactly what caused the scarring, but i believe it was some kind of altercation with his father from the sounds of it. it was said that ren left his mom in absolute hysterics when he left, so i believe there are a few things that could have happened.

i don't know if ren's father would hurt his mother but let's assume he wouldn't, maybe ren was presenting more masculine, talking back to his father, becoming a "threat" towards taylor, who knows! whatever happened, ren got into an altercation with taylor that ended in the scarring. I believe it has something to do with fire, taylor may have been set of fire somehow. maybe taylor wanted to burn the house down. OR, maybe ren tried to burn the house down with taylor in it...

it's possible that taylor may have tried to harm ren's mother that he attempted to save his mom and burn his father/harm his father. whatever happened, hana was not present for this as i believe this is when ren ran away from home IF this is how it happened.

maybe what happened to his hands was much longer before he left. i've seen some questioning that when leon had a birthday party, he invited hana but she did not go for reasons unknown. what this could mean is that something happened WHEN hana still lived there before she was sent off to school. maybe this was when ren got the scars on his hands. maybe taylor tried to harm ren due to him simply being male, maybe it was something else. maybe ren fought back. maybe taylor tried to hurt ren's mother, causing him to be punished by his father. all i know is, ren in an ask has said “I-I didn’t mean to… He— I didn’t have much of a choice…”

3. Playlist!

a while ago, saint put out this playlist and explained that characters and endings are connected to the songs. from other's guesses and my own curiosity, i went through and did some eliminations and found these to be the most possible to be connected:

shapeshift - ren

almost had me - violet

glimpse of us - leon

angel - ending

god complex - ending (possibly leon)

EDIT: gun - ending (most likely bad)

heart-shaped hologram - EDIT: I believe this is ren's introspection now

these could be inaccurate! but from what i have seen i think these are the best guesses for some of the songs. maybe i'll try to guess more in depth, but for now, this is just from what i've read up! 14 days also has the potential to be an ending, but once again this may be another post.

conclusion

i am so out of my mind. but it is so fun to evaluate lore i have always loved doing it and this game itched my brain. i reccommend this game if you're interested in horror and are 18+ then i say check out this game! read the warnings ahead of time, but i find it funky fresh

anyways womp womp, redacted come home, emo boy by ayesha erotica lookin' ass

#luv that pathetic mfer #i just love that emo freak so bad i wanna grab him by his shirt and shake him like a kinder egg (remember when those had toys in them) #also anyone else on their corporate 9-5 lunch break doing this? just me? ok. #will i make another post like this???? idk. i just live here. #14dwy #14 days with you #yandere vn #14 days with you ren #14dwy ren #14 days with you redacted #14dwy redacted

[alexbkrieger13]

Double vision

Partners on and off the pitch, Bayern pair Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson have firm convictions on all the big topics facing women’s football in an era of exciting growth and mounting pressures

In a room at Bayern München’s training ground, Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder are talking bicycles. One of their favourite things about Munich, the place they have both called home since making the switch last summer from Chelsea to Bayern, is the ease of travel for cyclists in the Bavarian capital.

Eriksson: “Now we live quite centrally so we can use our bikes to get anywhere.”

Harder: “It is a bit easier to bike here in Munich than in London.”

Magda: “We even took our bikes to Oktoberfest once.” 

Pernille (laughs): “We were biking straight!”

This is the beauty of an interview with the pair (even one conducted over Zoom, as this one is): you raise a subject and they bounce it around between them, their insights and reflections interspersed with lighter moments and laughter. And, as arguably their sport’s highest-profile couple – Harder is a two-time UEFA Women’s Player of the Year, Eriksson a Sweden stalwart – they have plenty to say. 

Both care deeply about matters on and off the football pitch. They are members of UEFA’s Football Board (of which more later), they support the Common Goal project – pledging one per cent of their salaries to support football charities – and on top of that they are advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. 

But, first, back to finding their feet in Munich, where the duo bring serious know-how to a Bayern side with big ambitions, despite an early exit from the Champions League in January. In Harder’s case, the Denmark forward knew German football already from her three years with Wolfsburg between 2017 and 2020. For Eriksson, after six seasons in England with Chelsea, this is an entirely new experience – which is exactly what she was hoping for.

“I think that’s how we are as people,” says the former Blues captain. “A reason why we moved is I am really curious about a new culture and a new environment.” From the sounds of things, that decision is paying off too. Away from the pitch, she is enamoured of the local coffee shops; on it, she has been impressed by the way “a lot of the girls take responsibility around the dressing room and with how things should work around the team. There’s quite a clear structure of different responsibilities, and the players take ownership of that. That’s something more like how it was in Sweden, and not at all in England. It makes us take responsibility and it’s something I appreciate.”

As for Harder, she elaborates on the unique culture of Germany’s biggest football club – one which attempts to marry sustained success with humility. “It really is a club where you have to work hard, be humble but also know your worth,” she says. “It’s a bit weird. There is no arrogance: we know we’re good, we know we are a big club, but we know we also have to work hard. There’s a lot of respect for each other, and it’s not only in our team. When we go to the campus and meet the academy boys or some of the other staff, you have the respect. You treat others the way you want to be treated, and that’s a really good value which aligns with my values.”

Now both in their thirties – Eriksson is 30, Harder 31 – they knew the women’s game before its lift-off moments of recent years. Thus, they bring a helpful sense of perspective to any discussion of its development, and how it might evolve in years to come.

If female footballers today have opportunities beyond the dreams of previous generations, they face pressures unknown by their predecessors too, as Eriksson explains. “I think there are two sides to every story. Maybe, when we grew up, there wasn’t that much pressure, but with a growing platform [and how] the women’s game is growing, there is also growing pressure. The fans are growing, social media is growing, so there are two sides to it.

“We can really help the younger generation of today to deal with that kind of pressure, which you have to be able to manage as a footballer,” she adds. “You have to find what you need to focus on and what you should really just shut off and not focus on. You need to find the people that you talk football with and the people’s opinions you shouldn’t care about.”

Harder picks up the thread: “When we were younger, there was only one focus and that was football – to get better and to win. It was just football: that was the thing we played for. Now, there is so much more and, with social media, it’s also about a lot of individual awards, individual recognition, when the focus should be on the team. And I think it’s easier to be distracted [from] having that right focus. That’s something important to think about…”

“And to remind yourself about on a daily basis,” Eriksson cuts in. “And also to spread that within the team – that it’s a team sport and the team wins, the team loses, the team scores, the team concedes. All of those things.”

“Except when Magda scores!” adds Harder with a laugh, teasing her partner over a goal she scored in the week of this interview.

Jokes aside, the pair obviously think a lot about the game, which makes them natural choices to sit on UEFA’s Football Board, the body set up last year to draw on the knowledge of current and former players and elite coaches in the shaping of women’s football. For Eriksson, it’s “inspiring to know you get a direct line to some really big decision-makers”, and the welfare of players – “the football calendar and making football sustainable” – is something both women are keen to highlight.

“We all want a long career, but sometimes if you have to play all the time and have no break, that will shorten it,” says Harder. “Often, we have tournaments in the middle of summer or late summer, so we have four or five weeks before the tournament for our summer holiday, but then we don’t really have that time off because you train to prepare for the World Cup. And then, after the World Cup, [Magda] had ten days and I had two weeks off, and then you just go straight back into it. So, you have to put the tournaments earlier so you have at least four weeks after when you can really, medically, relax and be ready for the new season. Everything else is just too hard mentally and for the body.”

“It was the same last year with the EURO and the amount of injuries we saw after,” says Eriksson, who, ironically, just days after our interview, suffered a metatarsal fracture in her left foot. “Again, [it was] a couple of weeks off for a few, even less for others, and then you are straight back into a high-performance environment where you immediately have to play games. Finding a balance in the calendar where you get the breaks at the right time and don’t have too many games in short spaces of time is the most important thing.

“The fact we are starting now to do research on women’s bodies and women’s players is the first step. With the way we train, the way we train conditioning, everything is based on research on men’s football players, men’s athletes. We don’t know if it’s the same for us. Should we train more or less, or in a different way?”

From Harder comes further food for thought. “When you think about it, we use the same football as the men. It isn’t that I want to change it, but it’s also the same size of pitch and we don’t have the same body; we don’t have the same strength in the muscles. I don’t know the impact from every time I shoot or make a pass, if that’s actually a bigger impact on my muscles than it is on a man’s. That’s something I think it would be quite interesting to look at. I don’t know if it’s something we want to change and have a lighter ball. Maybe it’s just small percentages of how heavy the ball is that could change it.”

“There is rivalry in women’s football, but respect, love and joy always come first”

It’s fascinating to hear this to and fro on the physical side of the game they love, and it’s not the only challenge they see. We talk too about misogyny and what Harder describes as “a mindset of some people who don’t want to change [and see] that women can also play football, women can also be commentating on men’s football, that they also have knowledge about football. They have their mindset and their values about it and it’s really difficult for them to change.”

What is not in question is that women’s football has taken giant steps already in terms of status and recognition. As the commercial opportunities grow, however, neither woman wants to lose the things that make it different from the men’s game. Eriksson recalls the celebratory atmosphere in Australia and New Zealand during the last Women’s World Cup; she cites too the friendly fan dynamics in the club realm.

“We are coming off the back of a fantastic World Cup where there were only positive emotions connected to the games. Of course, some teams win, some teams lose – that’s part of football – but the way the tournament was held and the fan culture, that was amazing. So much positivity, so much joy, and that’s everywhere in women’s football fan culture right at the moment. That is what we want to keep. In women’s football, that rivalry is still there, but the respect, the love and the joy is always what comes first.”

The last word comes from Harder, ever the finisher. “It won’t be easy to keep it like that, but that at least is the aim.” 

#great interview #magdalena eriksson #pernille harder #woso #fc bayern frauen #fcb frauen #swewnt #denwnt #hardersson #wlw #swewnt article

[rollercoasterwords]

I haven't seen many horror films and would like some recommendations. What are some must-watch horror movies for someone new to the genre?

oooh this is such a fun question but so hard 2 answer bc horror is like. such a versatile genre & where u should start depends a lot on like what type of movies u enjoy/what ur looking for….

like if u want sci-fi/alien horror then the obvious place 2 start is w alien (1979) and aliens (1986) (there are other sequels as well but the first 2 are the best) & then also the thing (1982) and its prequel film that came out in 2011 (also titled the thing). AND of course the fly (1986) is a must-see...and if u want something more recent nope (2022) or no one will save you (2023)...both a little more artsy and slow-moving than the 80s recs on this list but very very good <3

if ur interested in slashers then again start w the classics scream (1996) is SO fun it deserves its spot in the horror hall of fame...i know what you did last summer (1997) is also a fun & slightly older slasher; cabin in the woods (2011) is great if u want some meta-slasher-horror; ready or not (2019) isn't necessarily a conventional slasher but i'd still include it in this category & it's one of my faves

if found footage is ur jam PLEASE start w creep (2014) probably my fave found footage horror film ever...but also i'm not a huge found footage fan generally speaking lol. that being said the blair witch project (1999) is of course the classic here but it's not my personal fave; other good options if u want something genuinely freaky/scary are the bay (2012) hell house llc (2015) and gonjiam: haunted asylum (2018)

if u want like possessions & demons etc then. start with jennifer's body (2009) if u want horror-comedy it is SO fun & a staple of the genre atp but if u want something scarier then it follows (2014) is a popular one. there have also been a lot of good possesion movies coming out recently i thought smile (2022) talk to me (2022) and when evil lurks (2023) (<- literally JUST watched this one today lol) were all quite spooky

& sort of possession-adjacent but if ur more into hauntings, ghosts, etc then start w the babadook (2014) or his house (2020) both SO good. also the shining (1980) is a classic & la llorona (2019) is a personal fave of mine (NOT. the u.s. 'curse of la llorona' movie. the guatemalan one.)

if u want witches then start w the craft (1996) another sort of fun one <3 or if u want a classic then hungry wives (1972). the love witch (2016) if u want a visually beautiful & less scary one; the witch (2015) if u want a scarier one.

if u want eerie fantasy-horror then the company of wolves (1984) or tale of tales (2015). if u want a creature feature then blood red sky (2021) for vampires, ginger snaps (2000) for werewolves, and a quiet place (2018) for like post-apocalyptic creature invasion horror.

& SPEAKING of post-apocalyptic. if u want zombies i could make a whole separate post but. START w train to busan (2016) & seoul station (2016) the dynamic duo <3 & then if u want some classics from the genre of course night of the living dead (1968), dawn of the dead (2004...i haven't seen the original one u could watch that one too tho...), and 28 days later (2002). raw (2016) if u want an artsier one, the girl with all the gifts (2016) if u want a fun spin on zombie apocalypse, cargo (2017) if u want 2 cry. & if u want something funny then PLEASE watch zombie for sale (2019) or anna and the apocalypse (2017) or one cut of the dead (2017)

if u want kind of a slower-build psychological thriller then the invitation (2015) is one of my faves, but mother! (2017) is also good if u want an artsy pick & gerald's game (2017) and lyle (2014) are good as well

and then just a grab-bag of horror movies that didn't fit perfectly into any of these categories: barbarian (2022) if u want something really scary, piggy (2022) if u want slow-building horror, midsommar (2019) if u want sunshiney culty a24 aesthetic, us (2019) if u want something that'll freak u out & is slasher-adjacent, get out (2017) if u want slow-build thriller vibes, and teeth (2007) if u want teen-girl horror classic.

bear in mind that many of these films overlap between the categories i've divided them into 4 this answer, as is the nature of horror...if u were asking me 2 just like. force myself 2 choose a top 10 horror movies 2 introduce someone 2 horror w no preference 4 genre or vibe...i think my list would probably be (in no particular order):

alien (1979)

2. the fly (1986)

3. jennifer's body (2009)

4. ginger snaps (2000)

5. train to busan (2016) (<- pains me 2 say bc seoul station is my fave zombie movie of all time but if i had 2 choose just one zombie movie 2 introduce someone 2 the genre it would be this one...beginner zombie movie...)

6. scream (1996)

7. his house (2020)

8. barbarian (2022)

9. creep (2014)

10. us (2019)

#ask #SUCH a fun question 4 me 2 answer <3 #hope u find something u like on this list anon... #movie recs

[bracketsoffear]

Presenting my complete list of Fake Statement Ideas (with some revisions since last time), part 1:

“Play Nice”: statement of Sid Phillips, regarding his childhood toys. (Toy Story, Stranger) Title references Woody's threat to Sid, and Woody is of course empowered by the Stranger in the form of creepy early CGI animation.

“Revelation”: statement of Warlock Dowling, regarding his atypical upbringing. (Good Omens, Spiral?) Title references the Book of Revelation; I'm not sure what Fear this one is since Warlock realizing even part of what was going on with Aziraphale and Crowley would be creepy as hell, but his caretakers aren't actually malicious. Feel free to comment in the notes.

“Seventeen”: statement of Veronica Sawyer, regarding the 1989 suicide epidemic of Westerberg High. (Heathers: The Musical, Desolation). Title comes from the song "Seventeen," and JD is sooo Desolation in his edgelordiness-turned-homicidal rampage.

“Special Effects”: statement of Alissa Denton, regarding the last performance of Misty Moore. (Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City, Stranger).

“Mantle of Whispers”: Statement of Agent Cuspin Clark, regarding a conspiracy of disappearances and doppelgängers. (Dimension 20: Fantasy High, Stranger). Title comes from one of Fig's former subclass abilities, which let her capture the shadows of the recently deceased and adopt their persona to impersonate them; Cuspin Clark is a character from FH: Junior Year investigating the disappearance of "Hilda Hilda" (one of Fig's aliases).

“Romance Partner”: Statement of Riz Gukgak, regarding the abnormality in his reflection. (Dimension 20: Fantasy High, Lonely) Title comes from Baron's self-proclaimed status as Riz's romance partner, and Baron is my beloved awful Lonely Avatar supreme.

“Skulk”: Statement of Steven, no surname given, regarding the creature he encountered during a caving expedition. (Minecraft, Dark) Skulk is the stuff that summons the Warden, who brings a magical aura of blindess with it as it hunts you through the Deep Dark to murder the shit out of you. Why the fuck did Warden lose so hard in the Dark bracket.

“The White Whale”: Statement of anonymous source, regarding how he murdered his stepfather. (The Mariner’s Revenge Song, Hunt/Buried)

“Danse Macabre”: Statement of Gog-Agog, regarding why you should be Gog-Agog too! (Kill Six Billion Demons, Corruption (and, for spoiler-y reasons, Vast)) Title comes from one of the recent strips, which reveals certain things about Gog-Agog's backstory, and also just generally fits her fucked up performance thing.

“Sugar and Spice”: Statement of Ruby, no surname given, regarding the stuffed toy she received from her grandmother. (Desolation, Mr. Hopp’s Playhouse) Title is a reference to Random Encounters' musical about the game.

“Treasure Hunt”: Statement of Stanley Yelnats, regarding his imprisonment in a correctionary boot camp. (Holes, Buried)

“Sickly Sweet”: Statement of Hans Ranstott regarding his sister’s protection of him. (Transformed: The Perils of the Frog Prince, Corruption) Fellas, is it Corruption to (attempt to) murder several people with poison in your misguided efforts to protect your brother, who then was about to finish the job by offing two children to prevent you from facing justice for your crimes?

“Shadow Puppet”: Statement of Lena Sabrewing, regarding her troubled relationship with her aunt. (Ducktales 2017, Web)

“Icarus”: Statement of Donald Duck, regarding his sister’s disappearance in space. (Ducktales 2017, Vast)

“Worldbreaker”: Statement of Gyro Gearloose, regarding a recurring problem with his creations. (Ducktales 2017, Extinction)

“Solemn Vow”: Statement of Twilight Sparkle, regarding her brother’s marriage. (MLP:FIM, Corruption)

“Urban Legend”: Statement of Emma-May Dixon, regarding the local tourist trap in Gravity Falls. (Gravity Falls, Stranger)

“See No Evil”: Statement of Tate McGucket, regarding his fear of memory loss. (Gravity Falls, Spiral)

“War Games”: Statement of Jack Merridew, regarding his time stranded on an island as a child. (Lord of the Flies, Slaughter)

“Dollhouse”: Statement of Coraline Jones, regarding what was behind a door in her new apartment. (Coraline, Stranger/Web)

“God Save the Queen”: Statement of Julie Jenkins, regarding the murders at her high school prom. (The Ballad of Sara Berry, Slaughter)

“Silent Assassin”: Statement of Pam Kingsley, regarding a string of inexplicable assassinations she reported on. (Hitman, Hunt) Title is the highest rating you can get at the end of the mission, after completing it with flawless stealth and little to no extraneous aggression--just go in, murder the target, and slip away undetected.

“God, That’s Good”: Statement of Tobias Ragg, regarding his employment in a meat pie shop. (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Flesh) Title comes from the Act 2 opener.

“Future Imperfect”: Statement of Arven Toro, regarding the results of his father’s research. (Pokemon Violet, Extinction)

“This Be The Verse”: Statement of Beatrice Baudelaire II, regarding her a series of unfortunate events her guardians experienced. (ASOUE, Desolation)

“Mayhem”: Statement of Marla Singer, regarding her boyfriend’s involvement in terrorism. (Fight Club, Desolation)

"Bunker": Statement of Henri Clément, regarding the creature he encountered on the Western Front. (Amnesia: The Bunker, Slaughter)

.

#asks #statement ideas

[littlethingwithfeathers]

I'm grumpy about Silent Hill again...

TW for discussions of suicide, self harm, abuse (both parent to child and amongst peers) and general spookiness. Y'know... the usual Silent Hill rigmarole of trauma and despair. Also be warned that I'm going to spoil a lot of the Silent Hill series, in particular Silent Hill 2 and the Short Message game that just came out. ***

So... one of my most popular posts out there is this one. It's about Pyramid head and the loss of subtlety in media. And I couldn't help but feel like we hadn't moved an inch from when I posted that back in... *checks date on post* hrrk. my bones... 2017. I'm going to die soon. Anyway. Today I watched Second Wind do a run of the short, free-to-play Silent Hill: Short Message. I admittedly had a good bit of trepidation going in just because of the marketing. Which, for all of you marketing majors out there, that is called "Not a good sign." Marketing should make you want to play a game... especially if you're a fan of the series already. But this... it was a bit of a wet blanket, largely due to the fact that it spoiled a lot of the focus of the game. It basically said "this is a game about how bullying and being chronically online is real bad. We're gonna be spooky about it now." And... straining to push aside how incredibly reductive that is... why give it away? Why say it out loud? Why did you tell us what you are doing? Can you imagine Silent Hill 2 if we'd known it was about James killing his wife from the jump? We didn't. We hadn't the first clue. We knew nothing other than that he was looking for her and she was maybe dead? But we didn't know how... possibly lung cancer or TB given that she had the most pointed coughing sequence since the movie Tombstone. And hey... the last game had someone looking for a loved one too. Maybe that's the deal with Silent Hill. Who knows? No one did at that point. It was still a big old mystery for the most part. And then the E3 trailer... like there's the weird pretty lady in jail? But what's she talking about? Who the fuck is Mary? Is that... his wife? Well then who the hell is Ms. Miniskirt? No wait... is that his wife in the VHS tape? What the hell is going on? Oh look gameplay! And... a little girl? And a weird guy with a gun... This soundtrack slaps. I'm gonna go see if it's up on Napster yet. (this was 2001... again... my bones etc) I remember combing over low-res copies of that video for HOURS when it came out. Why are the nurses different? It's not snowing? Who are all these people... And why do they all sound like they put ketamine in their coffee. It was like a great big puzzle to work out and we had a ball theorizing and researching so when it came out we were HYPE. And that was largely because in short... we knew SOME things at release. Fog. Nurses. Big stick. Weird people. Banger soundtrack. Dead (but probably not) wife. And we presumed or supposed more... cult activity? New beasties? Radio maybe? But we effectively knew nothing about the plot. And the best part was, while they had a solid hook (Find dead lady who we love so huggy buggy much) and instant intrigue (Angela in the cemetery being weirder than a film by David Lynch), and a very familiar setting (we may have improved draw distance on the PS2, but we don't have to use it!), we still didn't really know what was going on. The plot was essentially unfolding out of a black box. Silent Hill 2 was quite content to be a slower burn than trying to boil the Lake Superior with a signal flare. You don't even see the main "villain" Pyramid Head until a few hours in and, as I pointed out in that other post, there's no flashy cut scene to introduce him and go WOOOOOO SCARYYYYY. He's just chillin' behind some prison bars (which that totes is normal in an apartment complex) and staring at you like I stare at the inside of my fridge when I really would like some cheese to materialize.

And then... like we're not even really sure what the hell is going on for the longest time. We meet our wife's hot twin with the key to a strip club and she keeps getting killed over and over... and things keep getting increasingly rapey and lewd in a way that's just uncomfortable more than anything... But even at the end. Even with the big reveal of "You killed your wife." they still don't ever explicitly state "And you killed her because you couldn't have sex with her anymore." It wasn't until you finished the game, and talked to someone else about it, or let your brain cook on it for a bit that you went... heyyyy... he's a horndog! (In fact... if I'm going to chide SH2 for anything it's that right at the very VERY end they tried to frame James's actions as understandable because the woman who was dying and frightened and in pain was mean to him. Yes, being a caretaker is hard. But Christ... pick a topic for discussion.) But contrast all that with Short Message. The marketing and such all said out loud "THIS IS ABOUT BULLYING" so even going in... I was already like "yep. The bully is probably us, but we had reasons because we have to be complicated and you aren't allowed to make the player feel bad" And lo was I correct. There was no... intrigue. I was never curious about the character or the people around her because I knew this story. They already told me what story they were telling so I could practically sing along, especially as a millennial that had to grow up watching little videos and skits in school about the evils of bullying. And when you are going to tell a trope-ish story, and you tell the audience what the trope is, it becomes "say the line" writ large. This isn't me advocating for super twisty unexpected plot arcs (looking at you, Supernatural). Far from it. You absolutely should tell a story in such a way that the audience understands how you got from point A to point Z, even if there are some surprises along the way (See Sixth Sense for that masterclass). Rather, what I'm missing from this (and frankly a lot of the Silent Hill games and honestly... media in general these days) is a sense of restraint. A sense of trust in their audience to "get it." They can't just plonk us in the fog with a radio and a stick and say "You're here to find your best friend/dog/cousin/wife/business partner. Good luck. Here's a weirdo to prattle cryptically at you in order to unsettle you immediately. Bye!" No! They have to tell us what kind of story they're telling and what themes are important. They can't just... give us a Silent Hill Game and trust that we know what to do with it. It's... insulting frankly. Especially as a longtime fan of the franchise who remembers when they did trust us and they did have faith in their work. I will say this in compliment to Short Message. The environment design was pretty cool. Especially the sticky-note hallways... they looked like leaves... and sometimes teeth... and like tightly packed bones in an ossuary. It didn't... say anything really. But it looked cool. And you can't go wrong with Akira Yamaoka's soundtrack. But... while I'm on the subject of design. Y'all. An animate sakura tree in an oversized hoodie is not scary. But bless you for at least having the restraint to not make her Pyramid Head.

#silent hill #silent hill 2 #silent hill 4 #silent hill short message #horror #writing #story telling #suspense #video games #video game design #horror games

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

All Along the Watchtower (Chapter 17)

[Can also be read on AO3]

Pairing: Captain John Price x Fem!OC (3rd person POV)

Word count: 3.3 K

Warnings: Minors DNI - suggestive dialogue, sexual tension, flirting, smoking, canon typical violence

Summary: Rory and Price enjoy the morning after with one another at the end of their mission, and Rory is given a gift from Laswell to gain some closure from her past

Only one chapter left to go!!

A/N: Rory Sinclair is a dual citizen (both Canada and the UK) who's been living in the UK since she was 14. She is 28 at the time of this fic, Price is 32. This series is set in 2017 before the events of the first MW game. Rory's thoughts are bold and italicized, other italics are used for emphasis

November 3, 2017 07:12 - Al-Hasakah, Syria

Rory sat outside the tent, watching the sun rise above the horizon, streaking the sky in gold and pink. She found herself lost in contemplation, appreciating that certain harmony that came with the morning, and the sense of pride washing over her after successfully completing another op. Reaching up, she tugged on the brim of Price’s boonie hat sitting on her head and adjusted it to keep the sun out of her eyes. Arms wrapped around her knees, she felt the warmth start to kiss her skin and she couldn’t help but grin, her thoughts drifting back to the night before as she placed her cigarette to her lips, the tip of it matching the burning star up above. 

A quiet wind rustled what little greenery there was on the sandy overlook, covering the sound of the tent flaps moving as Price exited their humble abode for the night. A low chuckle escaping him at the sight of her in his hat enjoying her morning cigarette. “Mornin’, Sergeant.”

The thick growl of his voice upon first waking up caused a light bubbling laugh to leave her as she exhaled smoke. “Good morning, Captain .”

“Good night last night?” He asked knowingly, a cocky grin on his face as his sure strides brought him to stand by her side. A guardian presence she had welcomed into her life, one that she knew would stop at nothing to keep his promise to her, to keep her safe at all costs, to keep her his . 

She hummed and took another drag of cigarette. “Oh, you could certainly say that.”

His warm, rough hand came to rest on the back of her neck, giving it a tender, possessive squeeze. Eyes scanning the surroundings – always at the ready, never truly settling. “Nik’ll be here soon.”

“Suppose I should give you this back then, eh?” 

She went to grab the hat from her head to return it to him, but his hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her. His fingers squeezed against her slender wrist, powerful in his grip of her. A strength she got to appreciate while in his arms inside that tent. 

“No. Think I like it right where it is. Suits you.”

“You know I am aware of the hat rule, yeah?” Rory sighed, looking up at him with a raised brow.

“That’s just f’cowboys, not soldiers – I’m more of a gentleman than that.” He gave her one of his patented smirks and then sighed contentedly, overly pleased with himself and the previous night’s encounter as he gave a little bounce of his heels and a thrust of his hips. 

She couldn’t help but snicker. “Of course you are, darling.”

His eyes darted sideways towards her, catching that very clear use of a pet name from her for the first time, his smirk only getting wider, creeping up his cheeks and crinkling the corners of his eyes. Saying nothing more on the matter, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “My girl,” he purred against her. 

Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t help but smile. “Your girl,” she murmured before placing the cigarette back to her lips. 

He checked his watch once more and gave her neck another squeeze for good measure. “You stay right where you are, sweetheart, and I’ll pack up.”

“Leaving me forever indebted to you, eh?”

“Somethin’ like that.” Giving her a little nod, and with a twinkle in his eyes, he took an extra moment to look at her and then began to pack up what remained of their campsite. 

She turned to watch him work, the flex of his muscles as he took down the tent and the way his brow furrowed, and his lips pursed while he was focused on his task. “Tell me, John, did you have Nik take a little longer this morning to come get us in hopes of getting a little morning delight in?”

Her comment broke his concentration and half-grin curled his lip. “Can’t confirm or deny that, love.”

Rory laughed and butted out her cigarette in the sand beside her. “Truly the man with the plans, aren’t you? Just knew I’d give in eventually, yeah?”

“Everyone’s got their breaking point.”

“Spoken like a man who’s had his SAS interrogation training. All it took was making me feel safe, hmm? Just that extra little push.”

“Little bit of praise went a long way too.”

Rory bit her lip, sucking on her pout, stopping herself from talking back as much as she wanted to. She would only dig a deeper hole and John had her number. “Well, aren’t we quite the pair, I just have to keep impressing you and you’ll give me everything I want.”

“Everythin’ and more, darlin’.”

She could feel the blush slowly creeping up her cheeks, the heat overwhelming her face. Rubbing the back of her neck, the warmth spread there like a memory of his touch even as the cool morning wind blew against her. 

“Could have Nik circle and give us another twenty?”

“As tempting an offer as that is, John, I think I’d really rather get back to England and a proper bed.”

His gaze roamed over her, looking her up and down. “Desk duty’s made ya soft,” he teased.

“Didn’t hear any complaints from you last night about me being soft. In fact, I think you really rather enjoyed it.”

That hungry glint in his stare returned once more, eyeing her like a meal. Biting his lip as his scruffy adam’s apple bobbed with a heavy swallow.

“Are you going to continue staring at me like that, or are you going to pack up as was promised?” She stood and her hands came to rest on her hips, brow cocked, once more standing up to him.

“Stop lookin’ so goddamn temptin’ then.”

“Or you could simply control yourself, Captain .”

He growled low in his throat, returning to the task he had been working on prior, shifting the weight he carried on his hips, clearly readjusting himself. 

“And I’ll continue to ogle you like you’re a handsome workman and I’m a rich heiress.”

Steely powder blue eyes shot back towards her. Rory already knew he was going to get her back for that later and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Scoffing, he shook his head. “Already fantasizin’ ‘bout me, yeah?”

“You’re a man who has clearly never skipped leg day, I’m merely appreciating the view while you bend and lift. Besides, I'm your girl now, aren’t I allowed to do that about my man?”

Moving to her side, his voice was a rumble as his hand came to her chin, tipping back her head to look up at him, his thumb rubbing over her lower lip still kiss-bruised from the previous night. “Oh, that you most certainly are.” He snatched the hat from her head and put it back onto his, leaning down to whisper in her ear, his voice low and hoarse. “Gonna get you back for being a bloody tease, though.”

A cheeky grin spread across her lips, mischief in her eyes. “I look forward to it.”

“Just you wait…” The danger returned to his stare, leaving her with an open-ended statement that was either a promise or a threat. His breath fanned over her as his lips slowly lowered to hers, capturing her in a kiss. 

The sound of a helicopter’s rotor spinning thundered in the sky, traveling across the sprawling desert below to reach them. A black speck in the sky, moving towards them and the two lovers parted as Price finally finished packing up with Rory’s help. 

Within minutes, Nikolai’s helicopter hand landed and tossing their bags inside, Price and Rory boarded the aircraft. Looking back from his seat, Nikolai scrutinized his two passengers through his dark sunglasses. After a moment, he spoke, “Captain, you look… relaxed .”

Price snickered as Rory gave a heavy sigh, moving to shut the door behind them. “Feel it too, Nik.” He looked over at her and smirked, giving her a little wink as he flexed his broad shoulders. 

Rory’s cheeks burned with a hot flush, turning bright red. Refusing to make eye contact with the Russian pilot or Price, she took a seat in the back while he sat up front with Nikolai. 

The mobile in Price’s pocket began to ring, breaking the sound of the helicopter’s engine that filled the cabin. Slipping it from his pocket, he answered it quickly. “Laswell.”

“ Congratulations on the successful mission. I assume you’re on the way back ?”

“Just took off.”

“ I need a word with the Sergeant .”

“Rory,” he called her over, raising his voice above the din.

Making her way to the front, she took the phone from him. Holding onto the back of his seat to settle herself as she spoke with the CIA Station Chief. “Laswell.”   

“ Looked into Walker’s reports, thought you might be interested in something, Sergeant .”

Rory hummed, “What would that be?”

“ The location of one Abdullah Al Ghulam .”

Her stare darkened. She ached for the day when she would never have to hear that name again. “Where is he?”

“ Under protection in Dubai, has a charming little penthouse suite with his wife .”

Her jaw clenched tightly, and she spoke through gritted teeth, “Wouldn’t happen to have that address, would you now?”

“ I would .”

Fingers tapping on the leather of the headrest, her grip slowly tightened on the seat, indenting the crescents of her nails into the material as her stomach twisted. This could be the final closure she needed, dealing with the one that got away. “Thank you, Laswell.”

“ You did good work, it’s the least I can do .”

November 6, 2017  11:17 - Dubai, UAE

Traffic raced back and forth, luxury vehicles everywhere the eye could see driving along palm tree lined roads. Buildings of glass stretched up towards the bright blue sky above, reflecting the sunlight back into the marina, shimmering on the aquamarine rippling water. In a quiet cafe on the corner of the promenade, Rory sat at one of the tables under the shade of a white linen umbrella, flapping in the breeze and letting diffused dappled light through to dance on the glass tabletop. 

Watching the traffic and people stream by, she sat back in her chair, the shemagh tucked over her hair fluttering in the warm breeze at her back. Hazel eyes surveyed the crowds as she brought the cup of freshly brewed chai to her lips and sipped, decorated china tinkling as she returned the cup to its saucer, listening to the voice in her ear. 

“ Target’s just arrived on site .” Laswell’s voice came in clear through the earpiece. “ Ready to go when you are, Sergeant .”

“Copy.”

Sipping the last of her tea, she slid the cup and saucer away from her along with a few notes of Dirham for a tip. Reaching to the side of her chair, she lifted the handle of her small, hard bodied luggage case and stood up, dragging it behind her as she carried on down the promenade towards a sky-scraping hotel. 

With marble floors, fountains, and art adorning its interior, the hotel was clearly a place for only the wealthiest elite of tourists and travelers. Dressed as anything but a soldier, wearing designer fashion straight from the pages of Vogue, Rory moved through the scattered guests as if she belonged there and immediately made her way to the elevators, by-passing the front desk completely. Entering along with a group of several other guests, she happily took a spot in the back corner and quietly stood there, blending in as the other guests got off at their respective floors. Unassuming as always, they’d forget her as much as they would what they had for breakfast that day. 

Riding up floor after seemingly never-ending floor, she reached the very top and moved carefully through the halls until she found the roof access door. Climbing up another flight of stairs, carrying the case in her hand, she bypassed the lock on the exterior door and pushed it open. That much closer to the sun, surrounded by glass like an ant under a magnifying glass, the heat became almost unbearable, but she was willing to suffer whatever was necessary to see this through. She was so close, her trigger finger itching. Justice was in her grasp, it would never resolve the horrors in her head or the things his victims went through, but God, would it make everything that happened seem a little more worthwhile. Al Ghulam wouldn’t be another cruel man getting away with his monstrous acts because of money, power, or networking. Nor would he be serving out some pathetic sentence in more comfort than the average person had. He would be taken care of, a stain cleaned, scraped off like gum stuck on the sole of her shoe. 

Crouching down to take a spot behind the cement wall that bordered the roof for cover, she unclicked the latches of her luggage and flipped open the lid to reveal the spongy foam interior gently cradling the parts of her rifle, her scope and her rounds of ammo. Dexterous hands slotted everything together with ease, long fingers twisting the barrel on and cleaning the scope before attaching it. Giving her weapon one last appraising check, she glanced over the barrier wall at the soaring tower of condos across from her, the penthouse suite within her sight line. 

“ Are you in position? ” Laswell asked.

“Affirm. Exfil on standby?”

“ Ready and waiting .”

“Copy. I’ll be down shortly.” Rory slipped on her dark aviators and placed her rifle on the wall, placing her arm under the stock for stability and aimed through the scope to line up her shot. 

Behind glass that reflected the beating sun in a flare back at her, Al Ghulam paced back and forth inside his suite with a cellphone to his ear. Completely unaware. Living in luxury a man like him should never have been afforded after the way he had treated countless people. Safe for all this time, but no longer. The wolf was ready to snap her jaws around her prey. 

Taking a deep breath, she listened to the whistle of the wind, the low roaring past her ears as her head covering started to whip about, the airspeed faster with her elevation and little protection around her. Rory’s hand trembled the longer she watched him through her scope, anger building inside her, her blood heated in her veins as it rushed in her ears. Tightening her hand into a fist, she clenched her fingers tightly, letting her nails dig into the flesh of her palm. Letting all the rage and the guilt flow through her, having had it fester inside for long enough, she wanted to feel that pain now, to accept it, as her therapist had told her to do as part of overcoming her trauma. It would be a long road; this was just a single step – one that might help her sleep a little better at night. 

With her finger placed on the trigger, she took one last deep breath and waited for that perfect moment. Passing by the window, Al Ghulam paused his pacing, and appeared heated as he continued speaking on the phone. Hands shifting and moving wildly. 

Inhale . Holding the breath prisoner in her lungs, she squeezed the trigger. The bullet whizzed through the air, and within a second glass cracked and shattered, popping like a champagne bottle. The entrance wound. The exit wound stained the carpet below Al Ghulam in red as his body hit the ground, dead instantly, his eyes still open and with a hole left between them. 

Exhale . A slow stream of breath passed over her lip as her lungs finally cleared the stale air inside them. It was over. Done and dealt with. Her hands wiped clean of a burden that she had carried with her. A failure she wasn’t sure she could ever forget, but at the very least she might be able to forgive herself for one day. 

Wiping her brow of the beads of sweat that had formed there, she started to take apart her rifle, piece by piece. “Got a tap on who he was chatting with?”

“ His wife ,” Laswell replied.

Rory hummed. “That’s a pity.”

Placing each piece of her weapon neatly back into her luggage so it sat snug and safe, she treated it more like a child or a prized possession. It was her skill with the weapon that got her attached to working CIA black missions in Iraq to begin with, it was the reason she had ever been in contact with someone like Al Ghulam, and for all the nightmares it brought her, her accuracy with her rifle was still something she was proud of. The lives she had taken, the blood spilled, it all felt worth it in that moment. 

Following the same route out of the hotel, she gave no one any doubt of her reason for being there. Watchful eyes didn’t land on her, security didn’t stop her strut out of the foyer. As far as anyone needed to be concerned, she was a guest – nothing more. One with a trail of blood and bodies that followed in her wake. 

Upon exiting the building, a black luxury SUV with tinted windows pulled up. The back door opened immediately, and without question Rory stepped inside, taking her seat across from Laswell. The Station Chief had that same serious, no nonsense look about her she had had during their first meeting at Stirling Lines, even if this was an off the books assignment gifted to the Sergeant, Laswell was still all business. 

“Good work out there, Sinclair.”

Giving a little nod of the head, Rory crossed her legs and sat back in the plush leather row of seats, appearing far more relaxed than during their first meeting. “I appreciate you giving me this opportunity.”

“He was a threat that needed to be dealt with.” Laswell picked up the tablet from the spot beside her and passed it to Rory. “Now you can focus on bigger fish.”

“Al Qatala?”

“Al Qatala.” 

The tablet contained several confidential files and photos from recon, including one of the leader of the terrorist group. Her brow furrowed as she stared down at the screen, taking in her newest enemy’s appearance. “Who’s this?”

“Calls himself ‘The Wolf’.” Rory’s hardened gaze lifted to meet Laswell’s. “I figured you wouldn’t like that name much.”

“He’s the one in charge?”

Laswell nodded and continued, “AQ represents a threat to any and all western powers in the region. After twenty years of civil war in Urzikstan, they appear to want to strike back. Get even.”

Rory chewed her lip as she scanned through the rest of the files, flicking her finger over the screen. “Can’t have that, can we?” she muttered, knowing full well that despite being the enemy they likely had every right to want to take their country back for themselves.

“Glad we’re in agreement.”

“I assume he’s my primary interest going forward when I return to Stirling Lines?”

“You already work anti-terrorism in conjunction with MI6, you’ll be my go between. I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.”

“You trust me with this?” Rory lifted her brow skeptically, apprehensive about the deal being made with yet another member of the CIA.

“I do. Which says a lot, considering our line of work.” Pausing, Laswell added, “Also means you’ll be working closely with John.”

Lifting her eyes, she could pinpoint the nearly imperceptible smirk that pulled at Laswell’s mouth. She knew Kate was dangerous, that she would figure it out, never having even needed to be told. 

“He speaks highly of you. He likes working with people he trusts, and if he trusts you then I can as well.”

“Having blackmail over our careers probably helps to get things done as well, yeah?” Rory smirked back, understanding Laswell’s motives clearly. 

“Whatever it takes.”

Huffing out a laugh, she pulled the shemagh from her shoulders and ran her fingers through her hair, brushing through the short, tousled waves. “Whatever it takes.”

#call of duty #fan fiction #cod fanfic #john price #john price x oc #oc: rory sinclair #fic: all along the watchtower #chapter 17

[future--ghost]

I started thinking about Sammy Lawrence again. He genuinely means so much to me because he's such missed potential. The creators of Bendy proved that they COULD write good characters, but just don't. If time constraints are an issue, maybe you should deviate from your formula? Susie/Malice is a good character. She has development throughout the chapters, even if we don't explicitly see her much. Her actions resonate through the studio, not to mention that we can get her audio recordings from the past, each one showing her going from an excited, up-and-coming Alice to an angry, betrayed, bitter woman, who's about to become a victim to Joey. I WISH they'd explore Sammy more as a character. He could genuinely be so interesting. A talented musician who won an award, alongside his old friend and musical partner, Jack. Jack, who was a singer, and the sweeter of the two. Jack who can no longer form coherent sentences, nor can he sing any longer. Sammy, who has a more stable body than the rest of the lost ones, but who has lost himself to madness. One of the first overtaken by the ink. One of the first to be pulled into the depths of insanity by Joey's creations.

He could he so tragic. Sammy's belief in the Ink Demon "saving him from the inky abyss he calls a body" has always been considered dumb. How had he come to that opinion? That's something I'd see every once and a while after the release of chapter 2 of BATIM. After BATDR, I remember seeing a character analysis of Sammy's belief in the Ink Demon and how in BATDR, we saw a more manipulative and egotistical Ink Demon. It could be possible that the Ink Demon took advantage of Sammy's desire for his old body back to return to his former self. It'd be easy, wouldn't it? A sleep deprived musician who's been one of the first victims of the Ink. Spiraling downwards, even writing one last song, before the breakdown that marked the end to his former life. (Lighter Side of Hell was the last song Sammy composed before he broke down and was consumed by the Ink, I think.) I can't find the post, but I really did love that one, because ever since I've thought about him more.

Something I've thought about his character that has definitely sprouted from BATDR is Sammy's ability to compose in the form we see in the game. His body is made of Ink. INK. Ink doesn't hold a stable form. No matter what you do, it won't. It's not like skin. Skin will at least be soft enough to touch things, but inky will ripple at the touch of a string. Why might I mention strings? Sammy's favorite instrument is the Banjo, as he said in the Sammy Lawrence Hot Topic Twitter Takeover in 2017. Banjo is a string instrument, but an ink body wouldn't be able to use a string instrument. Sammy Lawrence physically cannot compose without damaging the ink body. The string would most likely cut through the ink. Not to mention all the other string instruments in the Music Department. He can still use other instruments, like percussion, right? It depends. The frequency might cause ripples in the ink. It depends on how it works. Personally, I'd like to think Sammy has a far more stable body, as his anatomy is not as see-through as the other lost ones. Sammy has a "skin" of sorts. The lost ones are just kind of bones, with ink dripping down. So Sammy may actually have a body under the ink, who knows! But my main point is that both Sammy and Jack are incapable of doing what their jobs and livelihoods were. Sammy can't compose his new body, which hinders the ability greatly. Jack can't sing. He was the more vocal of the two.

That's just a small bit of what they could think of. Idk that's just kinda been what I think about when it comes to Sammy.

#sammy lawrence #jack fain #susie campbell #twisted alice #malice angel #alice angel #BATIM #BATDR #ink demon #character analysis #ramble #Bendy #the cage #bendy movie #joey drew

[thiaquiche]

Feedback Fest 2024

Since the @transformativeworks is holding a Feedback Fest in honour of International Fanworks Day, I figured I’d join in the fun and put together my own reclist for the occasion! So, in no particular order, here’s ten fics I love and why you should read them! I’ve got a wide spread of fandoms here, so hopefully you’ll find something interesting. I have all of these fics downloaded, so if you’re seeing this in the future and a link to something you’re interested in ends up broken, just let me know and I’ll gladly send you a pdf.

Something’s Wrong with Danny Fenton Vol. I by Perfectly_Inconspicuous

Danny Phantom. Mature, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Gen. 55 065 words.

Danny Fenton.

The enigma of Casper High.

It's the first day of the winter semester when she notices him.

She notices him for what feels like the first time. Maybe because at this point he's the only alternative kid other than her.

Or maybe because boom, there he is: the locker next to hers.

--

A No One Knows AU where Danny transfers from a different school to Casper during Junior year and ends up befriending Sam and Tucker. Written for Invisobang 2021!

Why you should read it: This fic packs a wonderfully creepy, unsettling atmosphere that really makes this horror!Danny premise come alive (ba dum tss), and makes the development of his friendship with Sam and Tucker feel all the warmer by comparison. It’s incredibly gripping.

Soldier, Poet, King by Stargaze_Sunflower

Ducktales 2017. Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen. 104 510 words.

Dewey has always felt like something was missing from his life. Something big. And really, it's just like him to get caught up in a kidnapping plot and stumble across the puzzle of his life on complete accident, and now he's got more pieces than he knows what to do with. Luckily, he's got help in the form of new friends, his moderate skills with a sword, and the determination to believe in the impossible.

This gives a whole new meaning to 'Found Family'.

Why you should read it: This fic is an awesome medieval fantasy romp, and it’s just plain fun.

Friendship Games by WhiteBAG

Milo Murphy’s Law. Teen and Up Audiences, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings, Gen. 42 662 words.

Milo and his friends enter the Friendship Games. Dakota and Cavendish time travel to fight the monster.

Why you should read it: Without saying too much, the way the time travel plot winds back on itself is just so much fun. Even now that I’ve left the fandom, and haven’t read this fic in a long time, I still find myself thinking about it.

More Than Legacy by PanellaDePonce

Pokémon. General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen. 11 637 words.

It was time at last for the 150th Annual Convention of Pokémon Sciences to begin. Every year, the brightest minds in the field would gather together to present their findings to an eager audience of burgeoning scientists and casual enthusiasts alike. 150 years ago it started in Jubilife Village, and today, the conference is held in Jubilife City.

Before the conference begins, however, many of the leading researchers gather together to argue and debate, verbally slap fighting and throwing around their theories and ideas. Lucas found this tradition tiring, annoying, and most of all, incredibly boring.

Little does he know, something very interesting is set to happen at the meeting. Something he wouldn't want to miss.

Why you should read it: This thing made me BAWL. I was fucking SOBBING. Waaaaaughhhhhhhhhhh

Give Me Healthy Coping, or Give Me Death by Prince_Enby

OMORI. General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, F/M (past Hero/Mari) and Gen. 5420 words.

There was something weird about how Kel was acting, Hero thought. Hero's thoughts were all over the place these days, though, so that observation probably didn't mean anything.

Still, though, he was curious about that glint in his brother's eyes. It was the look of a man on a warpath - and all over a bowl of soup.

Weird indeed.

Why you should read it: This fic is chicken soup when I’m sad, and I wanna share the comfort, plain and simple.

Mari Suzuki’s Overly Busy Afterlife by ShardOfHope

OMORI. Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, M/M (Basil/Kel/Sunny), F/F (Aubrey/Kim), and F/M (Hero/Mari). 127 480 words.

Mari never left Sunny after the accident. She forgave him and promised she would stay until he was ready to tell the truth. Until he was strong enough.

Four years of staying with her gremlin shut in brother has made her slightly regret that promise. Well, more then slightly.

A retelling with a ghost, and a brother with no survival instinct.

Why you should read it: This fic is riotously funny. Like, wheezing on the floor funny. Rolling around, falling down the stairs and breaking your neck funny. (Yes I did have to force a stairs joke in there. Sue me, but sue me after you read this fic.)

Coming to Light by Candyland1030 [DeviantArt]

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. PG. 2819 words.

What goes around comes around. Sooner or later, everyone has to pay the piper.

Why you should read it: This is my favourite fic for seeing Bill Hawks get his comeuppance. A delicious dose of justice for a guy who got off far too easily in canon.

Theo’s Surreal Mountain-Climbing Adventure by CelestialHorizons (TerminalMiraculosis)

Celeste. Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen. 5519 words.

Madeline has been able to dash her whole life. She thinks this is rather mundane. Theo disagrees.

Why you should read it: Extremely funny depiction of speedrunning, also Theo is simply best boy. You agree. Read it.

An Empire of Ice by TimeCloneMike

Frostpunk. Mature, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Gen. 4621 words.

The Great Frost has come and gone. That was the easy part. Rebuilding human civilization? That's when things start to get difficult, even with automatons to do all the heavy lifting.

Why you should read it: Both oneshots are great, but I especially recommend the second chapter. The story of Project Legacy saving New Manchester in the actual game has always been touching to me, and this fic’s depiction of the rescue of New Manchester’s last scout gives me warm fuzzies every time. Both parts of this fic add a human element to the game’s more zoomed-out storytelling that I deeply appreciate.

Marital Bed, by MadameReveuse

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. Mature, No Archive Warnings, Multi (Randall Ascot/Angela Ledore/Henry Ledore). 3526 words.

A comedy in two parts.

The Masked Gentleman imagines all the ways in which Henry and Angela Ledore might have backstabbed him. Later, Randall sees it all with clearer eyes. Maybe his fantasy can still come true - in an altogether better, lovelier way. With himself included.

Why you should read it: I don’t normally talk about, let alone recommend, sexually explicit fics, but I read this one recently and just fell in love with the characterization. Considering sex in the context of Randall’s misguided hatred and Angela and Henry’s deceptive marriage adds an interesting layer to their whole *gestures* everything, and I found all of the headcanon ideas presented very plausible. However, warning for Azran Legacy spoilers offhandedly mentioned right at the beginning.

Bonus:

This awesome Miracle Mask AMV that has been so stuck in my head lately, lol. Editing’s great, song’s great, all around great. (Don’t watch unless you’ve finished Miracle Mask though, it’s spoilers.)

#ifd2024 #feedback fest #international fanworks day #fic recs #thia posts

[salvatoraes]

name : mirissa. nickname / s: rissa, riss to people closer to me ! height : 5"2. nationality : american. favourite fruit : strawberries !!!! 🍓 favourite season : summer !!! but fall too. favourite scents : campfire smell, lavender, lemon grass, fresh linens, cinnamon ... some more i can't think of. favourite animals : foxes, tigers, sharks, dogs. tea, coffee, hot cocoa :  iced coffee <333 average hours of sleep : usually like 8 - 9, sometimes way less when my brain won't shut off lmao. when my blog was created : this one is only a couple months old but i've had stefan since 2017 or 2018 perhaps ? # of followers : 350+ & i love all of you so much <3 random fact :  i was supposed to be born on halloween but i came early, coulda been a witch for real </3 favourite food : mashed potatoes, anything chocolate, pasta, steak, ice cream ... favourite t.v. shows : friends, tvd ( sometimes ) , gilmore girls, degrassi, chilling adventures of sabrina, bob's burgers, how i met your mother, buffy the vampire slayer, superstore, new girl ... god i have so many & this isn't even it ?? favourite movie :  titanic is my all time favorite but scream & nightmare before christmas are close behind. sexuality :  a proud bi - sexual heh. pronouns : she + her. favourite book series : ooo probably acotar or the hunger games ! favourite video game / s :  fortnite, mario odyssey, dreamlight valley ( really need to get back on omg ) & sometimes the sims. favourite subject :  in high school it was my digital media classes & college it was photoshop & my art ones. guys or girls :  both ! last time I cried :  a week or so ago i sobbed watching a movie lmao what I should be doing :  writing lol heh ... favourite fandoms :  i don't think i have any ???

tagged : nobody, i stole it from an old blog lol. tagging : @kwsatz , @forbaes , @klaeus , @neptunc , @nuks , @snnynatural , @wiredsmile , @chth0nia , @malka-lisitsa , @milleroptimism , @saralans & you, tag me !

#v. stefan's juice box speaking，out of character. #v. these are always fun，dash games. #long post /