#and all other records of its existence are COMPLETELY MISSING

[magentagalaxies]

one of these days i need to make a kids in the hall iceberg based on all the increasingly obscure side projects/behind-the-scenes info i've acquired over the past few months

#the only thing stopping me is all the super obscure stuff is scott related bc i don't know as many obscure things for the others #but anyway i'm currently listening to ''accidentally cool'' which would definitely be a deeper level #(it's a rock band kevin played guitar in. also i befriended the lead singer her name's tiffany) #fruit blog would also ABSOLUTELY be a super deep level #i think the most obscure one on the list might be scottland (tv show)??? bc even i can't find much info on it??? #like. it might genuinely be a piece of completely lost media which is why i NEED someone to explain it to me #scottland was a tv show scott made that was supposed to be the first internet sitcom #he made it in 1999 so quality streaming video was decades away. youtube definitely wasn't a thing it was his own website #the premise for it sounds completely bizarre #and i can only find one article mentioning its existence and 2 other places online where there's any record of its existence #(both with no major additional details) #the only image we have from scottland is an image of buddy cole dressed in cartoony kings robes #scottland fucking haunts me. most buddy cole things even if i can't find them online i have reason to believe someone out there has footage #or if not there's at least reviews of the live shows and like. solid records they happened. #some of these projects were even cancelled or on websites that no longer exist. but they're been referenced since #but scottland. scottland has only EVER been written about in one 1999 article #and all other records of its existence are COMPLETELY MISSING

[nyuuronfly]

On Rain World lore and it's implementation within the game.

This is kindof a random ramble I went on in a Discord chat and just feel like sharing elsewhere. (also note this is all primarily in reference to the original game, Survivor's story.)

I honestly think too many miss the forest for the trees a bit with RW, in terms of how important the lore is, if that makes sense. I talked with somebody about first-time experiences with the game and they said they'd watched a number of lore explanation videos on YT before starting, because of some reason along the lines of "I didn't trust the game to deliver its own story properly." To me this is almost saddening to hear because I really feel that misses the point of why the game has it's lore to begin with.

To me, while playing, any tidbits i learned about history or other information contributed to a feeling like the world I was navigating had a very real history that saturated it, yet one that I would be unable to grasp fully. It is an illusory feeling of realness, given how it is experienced. The game is mechanically not designed to incentivize collecting many information pearls, especially when in the original game you can literally just drop them off a cliff and lose them forever. You get the feeling often like you are bound to never be able to get everything, nor would you even probably want to put in the effort, so the illusion actually stays stronger because of that. Your mind wanders speculating about every little detail, whether intention truly existed behind it or not, because it feels like it did. You learned that it might have. Maintaining that illusion while playing I think is the primary reason they were included, not actually the experience of "knowing" the history. Rain World in general seems to have a thematic fixation on the simple idea that individuals have limited perspectives. Joar Jakobsson has said that one of the core ideas behind Rain World was to recreate the life of a "rat in Manhattan." That is to say, a creature that understands how to find food, hide, and live in a complex man-made structure, that cannot understand it's structuring purpose or why it was built. The very core issue of the iterators, is that the solution to the "great problem" intrinsically has to lie with knowledge that could only be obtained from "the other side." They are corporeal beings trying to know something that pertains to something outside corporeal reality. Yet pursuit of knowledge is very important to creatures like ourselves. Collecting any individual pearl is mostly an exercise in doing a lot just for little bits of knowledge. There is a lot of understanding of just how significant wanting to know more is, even something unimportant, when you are left in the dark the way you are in the game. Most information pearls you deliver are literally completely useless to know about, but they feel personally important, especially in how finding them relates to your connection to the iterators. My primary motivation to find pearls in my first play was to spend more time with Moon. On a very real emotional level, Moon felt like my only friend in the world while I played. On a mechanical level, she does literally nothing. But Rain World manages to operate on a very emotional, even instinctual level with how it's designed. I wanted to be in her company and have something to give her. Because I am alone, and lost. So something along those lines is why I felt saddened to hear the sentiment like Rain World somehow "fails" to deliver it's "story." The purpose of the game is not to find pearls and hear about some grand narrative. At it's core, Rain World is a game that's design was inspired by nature, and it's use of history within the world relates to us as a player the way history relates to us as people. It is relayed through people reading from records created by parties with their own perspectives, and connects us abstractly to a sensation that there is more out there than our own lives. That is a feeling you have as a player, and ultimately the true story that Rain World tells is the memories you have playing it. What you did, saw, and felt. The same as how our story is that of our own lives. That is the purpose of the game.

#rain world #just rambling

[soulprompts]

THE ART OF TIME SLIPPING. ( A PROMPT LIST! )

an absolute genius of a nonnie requested these, and i had a weekend off, and i wanted to write these because, i mean. time travel is a tasty concept on its own, but ACCIDENTAL time travel???? exceptional! anyway, my beloved nonnie, i truly hope that these are what you were looking for! and i hope everyone else enjoys them too! as always: DO NOT ADD TO THIS LIST OF PROMPTS! and do not claim them as your own!

FROM THE ACCIDENTAL TIME TRAVELLER:

“ look, i get it. I do. you have no reason to believe what i’m saying. but i promise you: i’m from the future. “

“ how many times do i need to tell you?! i’m not even born yet! you won’t see my birth records for months/years/centuries yet! “

“ wait… hold on a second, what year is it? “

“ you don’t even have the first idea what this feels like. i just found out that i somehow missed the last [INSERT TIME SPAN HERE] of my life, and in the blink of an eye. “

“ listen, this is going to sound mad, but… you’re my mother/father/parent [OR OTHER RELATIVE]. i can’t prove it, but you are. It’s the truth. i swear. “

“ i don’t understand how i came to your time. but i do know i need to get back to my one. “

“ i seriously wish you’d all stop asking me these questions! i don’t know how i got here! i just… slipped! it just happened! “

“ it’s so weird. all this stuff that’s going to happen between now and my time… i don’t even know if i should tell you about it. “

“ all the times i wanted to be alone, or i wanted to just be somewhere that nobody knew me… this isn’t what i wanted. “

“ i just want to go back to my own timeline. okay? I didn’t want any of this to happen. i never meant… this is so messed up. “

“ wait, you believe me?! i just told you a completely wild story about being from another time, and you just… trust that i’m being honest?! “

“ the wildest thing is, i didn’t do anything to get here. you know? i didn’t drive super fast, i didn’t turn a hot tub into a time machine. i just… i was home, then i was here. “

“ i guess there’s a risk it could happen to other people in my timeline, but i’m more concerned about me right now. “

" if i don't go back... there's no knowing what could happen. and if there's the slightest risk that you might stop existing if i choose to stay, then i don't wanna stay. your world needs you. okay? "

" hey. no matter what happens now, i want you to know that i'll never forget you. you believed me and my unbelievable story about time travel. that's not something that gets forgotten easily. "

TO THE ACCIDENTAL TIME TRAVELLER:

“ prove it. prove that you’re from a different time. then i might think about believing you. “

“ …sure… you’re from the future, yeah? okay pal, i believe you. so tell me, when was the last time you slept? “

“ this is some kind of dumb prank, isn’t it? wow. well done, well played, you nearly had me. jeez, time travel… that’s just next level insanity right there… “

“ i don’t know why, but… i think i’m going to believe you. it doesn’t make a single bit of sense, but fine. you’re from the future/past. “

“ how did you end up here? or should i say… now? “

“ haven’t you seen a single time travel movie? if you stay in this time, that could mess up the entire world! “

“ i… imagine this must be very weird for you. right? or is that the dumbest understatement of the millennium? “

“ if you’re from the past, then that means we should probably keep you away from the history books. it feels like a solid rule not to spoil your future for you. “

“ look, i can’t watch all those cheesy sci-fi flicks and then ignore the possibility that people can travel through time. “

“ no. no, i don’t believe you. i don’t believe a word of what you just said. but i figure i have nothing better to do, and i kinda wanna see where you’re going with this crazy story, so… let’s go out on a limb and say you’re telling me the truth. “

“ hey, i’m asking the questions here! you don’t get to just zap into my back yard and then assume you get to ask all these questions! who are you, and how did you get here?! “

“ did you live here before? or… like, in the future, i mean? “

“ the way i see it, there’s a lot of far easier lies to believe before you could ever expect anyone to swallow the whole time travel schtick. which probably means you’re telling the truth. “

" look. you wanna get back to your own timeline, right? that means we need to replicate everything that happened the exact second you showed up here. so let's go. "

" this is completely absurd! how did you end up here?! science? magic? how! this completely destroys any and all theories of quantum physics! you just... blinked into the past/future! it's just not possible! "

" from what you're telling me, it sounds like you could end up destroying the universe just by staying here too long. so let's find a way to get you back home. "

" you don't get it! if you're from the past, that means you need to stay there in order to keep this timeline safe. right? like the butterfly theory. if you're not there in the past, then you can't do your part to secure this timeline. we could stop existing if you don't go back! "

" i mean... would it really be so bad it you stayed? sure, a new timeline would exist, but... it'd be our timeline. where you and i get to stay together. that's not so bad, is it? "

#roleplay meme #rp meme #sentence starters #ask meme #writing prompts #roleplay prompts #rp prompt #rp memes #writing prompt #roleplay starters

[janehaster]

Dreadwolf won't be centered around Solas

Dreadwolf's big reveal won't be Solas' plan.

It'll be the Titans. More accurately, their connection to Arlathan, the Golden City and the true source of its magic.

The big magical mystery revealed in Inquisition - actually, in Descent - wasn't the Elvhen empire. We already knew the elves made a magical empire where they were immortal.

Sure, we were hit with a few surprises, like the fact that the elven magisters thrived due to slavery, to enslaving their own people.

Other surprises were: part of the empire was located in the realm of dreams, immortality ended with the creation of the Veil, spirits served the elven magisters, etc.

But the biggest reveal was the DEATH OF A TITAN. And by the hand of an elven magister, no less.

By now, every DA player knows about it. And how the afresco where it is presented is in a secret area. As if hidden on purpose.

Add to that Kieran's mysterious lines about ancient magic and a time before the Chantry, such as the ominous line to the dwarven origin Inquisitor - you can't be taller. Not without the Titans - and Shaper Valta's discovery of a living Titan, plus how she broke the age old taboo that dwarves cannot cast magic and you have one of the biggest magical mysteries of Dragon Age.

There are several other indications that Titans will take center stage in DA:D (such a weird acronym):

One, the arrangement of the eluvians around a water pool in the Well of Sorrows mirrors the shape of the Titan's core, where its beating heart is located and where we fight the Guardian. This means the kings and priests of Arlathan were aware of the existence of Titans and where their heart lay. They likely traveled inside a Titan for some unknown purpose. And if they did, they learned that the Titan is the source of magic, and that their blood is a way for you to acquire magical powers, even open portals to other realms, such as the Fade and possibly...the Beyond and the Void.

Two, plenty of codexes show the Titans were destroying the cities of the People. For what purpose, we do not know. But the discovery of Titan magic hints that magisters may have mined their bodies for lyrium, angering the stone giants, which lead to Mythal having to kill a Titan.

Three, we find a strange poem in the Fade in DA:I that hints at creatures of same nature being sundered, tainted, asleep and enduring while they wait for the moment to awake. There's every reason to believe they are the Titans, and that the Sundering might refer to when the Veil was created and they lost their connection to the Fade.

Four, Shaper Valta's fate teaches us that dwarves were actually made Tranquil for some reason since their connection to Titans was severed. The reason for it may be the creation of the Veil by Solas' hand.

I want to call your attention to parts three and four because I believe this is the most important fact we know so far: the Sundering, caused by the creation of the Veil was felt by the Titans and turned all dwarves Tranquil.

We never see this said directly in the game because not even the dwarves are aware of it. They completely forgot that part of their history. It's not recorded in the Shaperate, and Shaper Valta hints that the implications of it are quite severe. The entire early period of dwarven history was erased, and it revealed the existence of the Titans and their role in Thedas in the time of Arlathan.

Hence why I believe Dreadwolf will inevitably reveal this big truth, this missing big chunk of Thedosian lore, one that is behind the secret of Arlathan's magic, Elvhen immortality, the true nature of the Golden CIty, of the Fade, the Beyond and the Void.

Once the Veil is no more, the Titans may possibly awake from their slumber. They will be fully connected to the dreaming world, and that can have terrible consequences to the physical aspect of Thedas. If they awaken, they might destroy entire continents, kill millions, entire kingdoms may disappear overnight. They can literally reshape the surface of Thedas. Hence why I believe the consequences of Solas' actions will be apocalyptic. And he's fully aware of it.

As he states to the Inquisitor, as the world burns in the raw chaos, I will rebuild it. What he doesn't mention is that the chaos will be caused not by the arrival of demons or even the Evanuris, but by the cataclysmic actions of the Titans.

I'm really curious to see the full impact of this revelation on a dwarven protag and if they will suddenly develop magical powers once the Titans awaken...

#dragon age #dragon age 4 #dreadwolf #dragon age dreadwolf #dragon age speculation #da: dreadwolf #dreadwolf theory #dragon age theory #solas #solas dragon age #dwarves #titans dragon age #arlathan #golden city #theory

[builtbybrokenbells]

belladonna | i

Too beautiful to resist, and too deadly to survive; the tragic tale of belladonna in all its glory.

Masterlist | Taglist

Pairing: Danny Wagner x f!reader, f!reader x OC

Word Count: 12.5k

Warnings: mentions of toxic/abusive parents, mentions of/toxic relationships, mentions of criminal activity/criminal records, poverty, mentions of physical violence, mentions of blood, mentions of AA/NA, addictions, use of/mentions of drugs, mentions of drinking, mentions of hookups/sex, smoking, depression/anxiety, mental health struggles, swearing, sorry if I miss any!!

hi everyone! I’m so so excited for this one. I will forewarn you that this series will touch on some pretty heavy topics. i’ve been using this as therapy to avoid paying actual therapy bills 🤭 i hope that you enjoy this as much as I do, and I really hope that this series does for you what it does for me 🤍 as always, enjoy, be kind, and don’t mind any grammar mistakes!

March 31st, 2022

The sound of the radio hummed through the air, wrapping you in a blanket of comfort as you wiped crumbs from another dirty diner table. Your tattered converse were covered in spills and specs of food and your apron was stained so completely that the baby blue color no longer existed. The line cook in the back was whistling every time you bent over one of the booths, causing a blush and a slight smile to pull at your lips. Every so often, he’d make an obscene comment, just to see if you’d turn around to face him so he might be able to catch a glimpse of your cleavage underneath your black v-neck. Derek knew his limits, but he loved to push them.

“Don’t you have a job to do?” You glanced back at him over your shoulder, pushing your hips out slightly to entice him even further. He would never have the chance, but it was fun to let him believe it, sometimes.

“Yeah, actually. Why don’t you come back here and keep me company?” He sent a wink your way, causing you to chuckle. He was around your age, and undeniably attractive. His neck was littered with the peek of tattoos from his chest, and a gold chain hung around them to accentuate the detail. He looked permanently stoned, but he had a killer smile and a certain charm despite his vulgarity. His arms were strong and despite his constant flirting, you knew he would never make an unwanted advance. The only reason you refused to indulge in him was because of his very extensive criminal record, but even then, the temptation grew stronger every day. He loved poking fun only because you seemed to enjoy it so much.

“You’d like that too much.” You rolled your eyes, chucking a dishcloth through the kitchen window at him. He caught it midair, giving you a cocky smirk.

“Anything else you’d like to throw my way?”

“Leave the poor girl alone, Dylan.” The second line cook gave him a shove, pushing him out of view and popping into your line of sight. “Give me a chance, would you?” Not long after the words left his mouth, a playful wrestling match ensued on the other side of the wall. Instead of engaging in their antics, you turned and cleared the dishes of the last table of the night.

“Vincent!” You scolded, watching them battle for your affection. “If you guys break anything else back there tonight, I swear to god I will not cover for your asses!” Just as you spoke, the wrestling came to an abrupt halt, and Vincent’s head peeked up from the window. He raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side slightly. His loose brown curls hung down over his forehead, and the veins in his forehead were protruding slightly, showing you how much energy he’d put into getting Dylan to the ground. His skin was flushed red, partially due to the heat of the grills, but mostly because his blood pressure was always peaked. His emotions got the best of him, no matter good or bad, and his heart was ready to give out at the ripe age of 22.

“You wouldn’t do that to me, would you sweetheart?” He flashed you a smile, his eyes softening the longer he looked at your face. Your heart gave a small flutter at the expression. Dylan was attractive, but Vincent was completely captivating. You wish you could say that you had enough strength to abstain from both of them, but it just wasn’t true. Way back in the beginning, you’d fallen victim to Vincent’s intoxicating charm and fell into bed with him. You blamed it on being new to the city and lonely, but you knew it was all because of him. You were certain that Dylan did not know of this, because if he did, it would crush him. Also, you had cut it off pretty quickly after it started once learning about all of Vincent’s baggage. Save for a few drunken nights, the two of you were nothing but friends.

It was easy to tell yourself that, but every so often, when your eyes lingered on each other for too long, you could feel the energy in the air.

Although it was clear that Dylan’s only intent was to get in your pants, sometimes you had to question if Vincent actually felt more for you than physical attraction, or if you were just making it up in your own head. Then again, you knew he looked that way at every girl who stood before him, and you wouldn’t allow yourself to feel special (again). Also, upon learning about his aggravated assault charge from a bar fight in his late teens, you found it much easier to keep your distance after the initial hookups.

Although you hadn’t seen the criminal side of either of the boys, you knew that they hadn’t learned the right lessons from their brief stays in jail; they just got better at avoiding the cops. You made it a point to stay straight when you moved to the city, and you were intent on keeping the promise to yourself. Involving yourself with those two would be nothing but trouble, and you had grown to hate trouble with a passion.

Besides the painful flirting, they were good company to pass the time, and when you all spent so much time working together, it was impossible not to form some kind of bond.

The Foxhole was a fabled place, and after decades in business (albeit, with many changes), it was still one of the most popular diners in the surrounding area. It sat just outside of city limits, drawing in attraction from travelers and all of the concrete jungle dwellers, too. New York was a large place with many different types of people, and after a year and six months of living there, you were still trying to find your place in the world. When you moved, you had little money in your pocket and lots of hope in your heart. You had a backpack full of clothes and personal items and nothing else but a dream, running as fast as you could to get away from the curse of being your mothers daughter.

Eighteen months later, it felt like you were still running.

You went to a public library and printed off a million copies of your resume (which was incredibly bleak, with only one previous job and a reference stated previous employer, but was really your best friend from high school) and you applied at every bar, restaurant and corner store within walking distance of your low income rental. The Foxhole, although not your dream job, responded within days to schedule an interview. You showed up with a smile and kindness, but quickly realized that not even friendliness was a requirement to be a server there. John, the (third) owner, asked if you had a criminal record (with a follow up question of ‘if you do, how extensive is it?’). Not ten minutes later, you had an apron in hand and you were scheduled for the upcoming week.

Not long after starting, you quickly gauged the environment of your new workplace. The Foxhole, although popular with the public, was an absolute shithole (You soon learned that this was actually the nickname your fellow employees referred to it as). In the seventies, it started as an old tavern. It was popular with middle aged men who hated their families, but not many others. It ran for just under a decade before the original owner stopped paying his mortgage and filed for bankruptcy, and the whole establishment flopped. It was then purchased by a younger couple in an estate sale from the bank in the early eighties, who decided to keep the bar theme. Instead of marketing themselves to middle aged, miserable men, they painted it bright colors and added a dance floor, trying to push the disco theme. To nobody’s surprise, they followed in the same footsteps as the original owner.

Although they did try a bit harder, and the proof remained to this day. You could see bolts in the floor of the old dancing area, signifying a stripper pole was once installed. They put in some more booths and tried to push a menu, but eventually, it went belly-up. Before the banks could foreclose a second time, John stepped in and made the purchase, which ended up changing his life. From the stories you’d heard, you could not gauge if it was for better or for worse. John gutted the whole place and painted over the abhorrent neon colors, placed an old jukebox in the corner and refinished the interior. He named it Foxhole, and seemed to strike gold despite the building causing nothing but shit for previous owners. With a small menu and cheap food, he’d been milking the success for over thirty years.

Success meant little when it equated to making only enough money to keep the doors open, though.

Employed at the Foxhole was four female waitresses who were older than the building itself, five line cooks (three who had a criminal record), two busboys, and four young women who waitressed the overnights (including you). John worked nearly 24/7, and his wife sat in the office and yelled at him all day. They capitalized off employing older women who had nowhere else to go, struggling students, and ex-convicts and addicts. That way, they could offer employment to the desperate and still pay them much less than anyone else. Plus, shared tips were a great selling point. Besides, how else would you find staff for the only 24-hour diner in the area?

You took the Thursday-Sunday overnights with a girl named Katie, while the other young waitresses took the rest of the nights. The older waitresses split the days, and the line cooks worked according to a similar schedule. Vinny and Dylan almost always worked with you, and a part of you was grateful for it. Although they had their flaws, you had grown to enjoy their company, and could honestly say that they were the only real friends you’d made since moving to the city.

“You gonna go home and write your silly little poems?” Vinny asked, his Brooklyn accent nearly grating as he hoisted himself up on the counter. As he waited for a response, he gave you a smirk. You rolled your eyes, dunking your hands into the steaming water in the industrial sinks. It was nearing 5, which meant you only had an hour left to go.

“Yeah, all about me.” Dylan cut in, leaning against the door of the walk-in freezer.

“Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart.” You could only manage a half-smile as you spoke, the thought of writing nearly tearing your heart in two.

“What’s wrong, dollface?” Vincent asked, picking up on your withdrawal. “You better still be writing. That’s the whole reason you came here. That’s your ticket out of here.” His lips turned down into a frown.

“I… I am, yeah.” You nodded, drying your hands on your apron. You didn’t have the heart to look him in the eyes, nor could you admit that writing was the last thing you wanted to do. Inspiration had run dry, and now you were stuck wondering if this really was the end of the road, or if your mother was right and you would come home with your tail between your legs. For the last year and a half, you wrote about everything; the way the trees looked in the sunlight, the skyscrapers, the way the birds chirped, and even the cracks in the sidewalk. You found inspiration in your own sadness and fear, and your own happiness when it came along (even if it was rare). You wrote about failed relationships and lost friendships, and most of all, you wrote about the broken kinship between you and the woman who gave birth to you.

Writing was your safe space, but now that the motivation had passed, you were left feeling unsecure and lost. You feared that you had written every single thing that your brain could come up with, and that the desire would never return. Since the decline began, you’d been desperately searching for something to give you that spark back. You sat at the grocery store for hours, overlooking the produce, brightly coloured yet blemished. You looked between the cracks in the city stone, finding moss rooted and peeking out from the concrete. You looked at the sprouts of weeds in the sidewalk, and the crying babies and laughing children as they passed you on the street.

You searched everywhere for just a hint of an idea, but you were left with nothing. The feeling was gutting, and you feared that you did not know how to live without your pen pressed to paper.

You’d heard stories of writers block, and lately, even found yourself reading articles about it, but you had come to one, horrible realization; you had never experienced it before, and you were unsure if it was truly just a bout of writers block, or if it was a permanent, more serious issue. After twenty three years, you had never felt this way, and you were beginning to believe that it was just the way life was, now. You went home after work, sleeping for hours instead of your usual routine of writing until your eyes forced themselves shut. You couldn’t look at your laptop, and your journal was a stranger.

You came to New York to write a book, but you feared that you were now stuck in New York with nothing but a wasted dream and crushed hope.

“I’m definitely no palaeontologist, but I think you might be lying.” Vinny raised an eyebrow, pointing a finger at you.

“P-palaeontologist?” You asked, stifling a laugh. “Do you by any chance mean… a psychologist?”

“Oh, fuck off with all your fancy words.” He snipped, getting defensive. For a moment, you could see the vein in his forehead pop out again in frustration. “Clearly you know what I fuckin’ meant. You know I didn’t graduate.”

“No, no, I think you have me misunderstood. I’m actually quite impressed you know that word.” You assured him.

“Yeah, but I don’t really know what it means.” He calmed down, laughing at his own stupidity.

“That’s okay, darlin’.” You reached out, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “I guess I am lying.” You shrugged, looking towards the floor. “I haven’t really been writing much at all, lately.”

“Why not?” Dylan joined, immersed in the conversation now that the laughter died down.

“I don’t know,” you sigh “guess I just haven’t had much inspiration. Hard to write something meaningful when I know nobody is ever going to read it… or fucking care about it.” You grumbled.

“Listen, I know we can’t read very well, but I’m sure the two of us could piece it together.” Dylan gave Vinny a pat on the shoulder, smiling over at him. Vincent nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, we care, sweetheart. Don’t we count?”

“Of course you do.” You chuckle, finding your cheeks heat with a blush. “It’s just… weird, right now. I usually want to write about everything, no matter what. Emotions, memories, places I’ve visited, but now I don’t feel like anything is worth writing about. I don’t feel like it’s interesting enough.” You tried to explain it. “Feels like I’m just putting words on a paper, and nothing more. Think maybe I’ve been in my head a little too much. Sad and angry, and all of that… fuck, I don’t know.” You groan, running a hand through your hair.

“Why don’t you write about that, then?” Vincent offered. You looked up at him for a moment, contemplating his words. “If you’re feeling all of that stuff, then maybe it’ll mean something more.”

“Yeah,” Dylan agreed. “Go home tonight and write about not wanting to write. Maybe it’ll help you figure your shit out.” You looked between the two, giving a soft smile. After a few moments, you gave a slow nod.

“Yeah, maybe I will. Think you guys might finally be right for once.” You teased, trying to keep the conversation light. Vincent’s face lit up with a grin, happy that you thought it was a good idea.

“What can I say? I’m more than just a pretty face.”

April 3rd, 2022

You stood, top half leaned out the back door of the building as a cigarette smoldered in your hand. The night was darker than usual, and the city was much quieter, even for a Sunday. You took a long inhale of smoke, puffing your cheeks out and pursing your lips as you blew it outside in the direction of the dumpsters. As you did so, you felt a hand on your lower back as someone reached to open the door a little more. Vincent leaned his head out beside you, just over your shoulder as he gave you a cheeky smile and raised an eyebrow. Without any words exchanged, you rolled your eyes but brought the cigarette to his lips. His eyes fluttered closed as he took a drag, waiting a moment before he exhaled through his nose. His hand remained on the small of your back, the gentle touch sending a shiver down your spine.

“You can use your words, you know.” You tried to sound stern, but there was a smile on your face as you continued holding the cigarette to his lips.

“Why should I? You already know what I want, sweetheart.” He shot back, taking another haul.

“I do,” you chuckled. “For some reason, I don’t think it’s a cigarette, though.” His grip on you tightened for a moment as he shot you a sideways glance.

“What do you think I want then, Miss know it all?”

“An excuse to talk to me?” You raised an eyebrow, offering the idea. He stayed silent for a moment, but eventually gave a slow nod. A smile began to break out on his lips, knowing he’d been caught.

“So what? You have a problem with that, sugar?” His body was closer to you than it had been in a long time, and you wondered if he was taking his shot while Dylan was preoccupied with the freezer inventory.

“No,” you whispered, shaking your head. “Unless I should have a problem?”

“Nope,” he popped the p, shaking his head. His head was still turned to face you, his lips unbearably close to your own. He watched as your gaze flickered down towards them, but he didn’t move any further. “Goin’ to the Pony after this, if you’re interested?”

“Are you actually, or is it just an excuse for me to let you sleep at my place?” You questioned. The Pony was a bar just around the corner from your apartment complex, and it was in just as poor shape as the Foxhole. The drinks were strong and cheap, but it didn’t have much else to offer (except for smoking inside, which was a rare thing to stumble upon). There were a few old slot machines in the back, and they played blackjack in the main room on Tuesday’s.

It was mostly occupied by gangbangers who were looking for a new client to sell to, and 70 year old men who chose drinking over starting a family. Vincent went quite often, but you feared that it was for one of two reasons; he was still caught up in his old habits, or he was trying to find an excuse to wiggle his way back into your life. He lived on the other side of town, and once he had a few beers into him, the drunk calling started, and you were never one to let him drink and drive. He knew this well, and he used it to his advantage.

There had been many nights where he came knocking on your door, or when you stumbled out into the darkness to find him drunk, leaning against his car with a grin but no intent to drive. His brown eyes would sparkle in the moonlight, and his soft lips would invite you in. He wouldn’t have to speak a word to get you to open your arms, inviting him in for a hug before you inevitably invited him upstairs. He spent many nights on your couch, but a few in your bed. As much as you wanted to scold him for pushing his luck, you knew you were the only one to blame; you invited him in every time, and you woke in the morning with a sense of freedom and happiness, like you’d just broken free from the chains you had placed so tightly around your own wrists.

You wanted him, and somehow even after convincing yourself that he was bad for you, you never felt a shred of regret for what you did with him. He wasn’t all that bad, but you knew that distance was your best option; he did not seem to outgrow the bad habits you had tried so hard to keep yourself away from. That did not make him a bad person, nor did it make him any less important to you, but you knew that if you wanted to keep yourself on the right path, a relationship with him was out of the question.

“If I wanted to come over, I would ask, and you’d say yes.” The cockiness radiated from him, and you hated that it only seemed to entice you further.

“Vincent…” you warned, giving him a sad stare.

“Oh, would you cut that shit, y/n?” He snapped, the withdrawal seeming to sting him. “You make it seem like I’m a monster.”

“That’s not… that’s not what I meant, and you know that.” You felt the fire burning in your chest, but you managed to swallow it back.

That was another reason to stay away from Vincent; he always seemed to bring out the worst of your emotions at the drop of a dime.

“Then what do you mean, doll? ‘Cause I don’t seem to be understanding.”

“Fine, Vin. You want me so bad, get clean.” You snapped, just the thought of it irritating you. “I’m not going through rehab all over again ‘cause you want to fuck me.” The words seemed to hurt him, but you were unsure of the reason. Part of you wanted to believe it was because he was appalled that you would ever think that he would let you backslide, but the more logical part of you knew it was because he hated your rejection. He had a taste of the sweetness you had to offer, and he couldn’t stand the idea of never having it again, but it came between you and his lifestyle, you knew what the priority was. “The Pony’s a shithole anyway. Wouldn’t want to waste my morning there.”

He looked like he wanted to fight, but instead his lips turned into a tight frown as he gave a curt nod of his head. “Once an addict, always an addict, right?” He said, moving back from you completely.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” You rolled your eyes, turning to face him.

“It means,” he said, narrowing his gaze at you. “That’s all you’ll ever fuckin’ see me as.” You swallowed the sour taste in your mouth, scowling at him as his chest heaved with his hurt. Vincent’s biggest flaw was not the addictions, nor his history with the law, but how every emotion he felt always seemed to dissolve into anger, and his ability to turn every conversation into a fight. “At least getting high never makes me feel the same way you do.” With that, he turned on his heel, storming off to join Dylan in the freezer. You tried to hide the look of hurt on your face as you tossed the cigarette butt in the bucket, slamming the door with enough force to shake the walls. You threw your lighter down next to the pack of smokes sitting on the metal shelving unit, walking back out into the main area to keep cleaning.

When you walked out the swinging half-door, the other waitress, Katie, leaned against the counter while scrolling her phone. She looked up at you just for long enough to give you an expression of distaste, almost biting her tongue hard enough to hold back a snide comment.

“You planning on working tonight, or are you just going to make the whole place smell like cigarettes?”

“Yeah, ‘cause you sure look like you’re fucking hard at work.” You grumbled, kicking the rolling mop bucket out from behind the counter. The dirty mop water sloshed from the sides, spilling over onto the floor and inevitably pissing you off even further.

“You have another fight with your boyfriend?” She smirked, the sneer in her tone making your skin crawl.

“Do you ever take a night off from being insufferable, or is that a permanent kind of thing?” You grabbed the blue metal handle, ringing the head of the mop out before swinging it over the side. It landed on the tile floor with a squelch, and you wasted no time in cleaning up the mess you made. She didn’t respond to your jab, instead making a move to restock the jam holders at all of the tables. You worked hard scrubbing the grime from the floor while she took her time making sure the single-serve condiments were organized. Every so often, you shot a piercing glare at the back of her head, wondering what it would be like if you threw the whole mop and bucket at her.

Katie was undoubtedly the worst part of working at the Foxhole, and you considered it a victory when she called in sick for her shifts. It was a regular occurrence, and since you were hired, you’d heard that it only became more common. Your distaste for being around each other was shared, and you knew hers stemmed from your ability to get along with Vincent and Dylan. Or, perhaps, their ability to get along with you.

From the beginning, it had been clear that you were not the only one who’d fallen victim to Vincent’s charm, yet you seemed to be the only victor when it came to his heart.

When you first arrived, Katie did not seem all that miserable. She was timid, but smiled at you and taught you the ropes. You would have to be blind to miss the nervous stutters and blushing cheeks when she was around Vincent, and it made you think the two of them had something beyond what it looked on the surface. You quickly learned that was not the case, and her schoolgirl crush resulted from a lazy hookup in his car after a long night shift, and after that, his interest in her greatly declined. When you both walked in the front door of the Fox one day, standing a little too closely with matching hickeys on your neck, her smiles became scarce and her desire to get to know you fled.

You did not know the history between the two when you first hooked up with Vincent, nor did you know much of anything else. It did not take long for her to do whatever she could to make you miserable, starting with explaining Vincent’s criminal record and (required by parole guidelines) his AA/NA meeting combination. Instead of jumping the gun and shutting him out, you approached him with the new found information looking for an answer, and after some heavy avoidance, he admitted to all of it. It was a long night shift with many conflicting emotions, but you eventually came to the conclusion that you had to stay away for your own sake, despite already falling for him beyond anything you’d felt before.

Even after you ended things, Vincent and you remained close friends, and every so often, broke the boundaries you had set in place. Katie still hated you, despite your efforts to apologize and make amends, and Vincent seemed like he struggled to comprehend the fact the two of you could not be together. It was a shitshow, yet it was oddly comforting. You weren’t sure if you could handle it if something were to suddenly change. Even when your misery got the best of you, you knew that Katie would always hate you and her snide remarks would keep you on your toes, that Vincent would always trip over himself to flatter you (which would eventually lead to a fight), and Dylan would never know the true extent of the situation and serve as comedic relief.

As you finished mopping the corner tiles, relieved that most of the dirt was lifted from the floor, something light struck you in the back of the head. You furrowed your eyebrows, letting out a small huff as you turned in the direction it was thrown from, first looking at the floor to find a balled up piece of receipt paper. Then, you saw Vincent looking at you, a playful smile on his face, but regret in his eyes. You placed the mop back in the bucket, using the handle to wheel it along with you as you walked towards the back. Vincent’s eyes followed you as you moved towards him, but he didn’t speak. When you joined him in the kitchen, wheeling the bucket towards the mop closet, he followed close behind.

“You have something to say?” You grumbled, opening the closet door as you flipped the bucket upside down on top of the grate covering the drain. You were still upset, and he could see that. His words, like always, had a huge impact on you. You wished he would think before he spoke rather than speaking out of anger and trying to apologize ten minutes after the fact. For someone who claimed he cared, he wasn’t very good at showing it.

“Sorry, sweetheart.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, looking down at his feet. “Shouldn’t have said that.” You held back a scoff as you let the closet door fall shut, not straining yourself to soften the slam. “Do you ever think that maybe, instead of turning straight to insults, you should bite your tongue for a second and fucking think about what you’re saying?” You brushed past him, grabbing the spray disinfect and a new rag. This time, he didn’t respond, which only seemed to piss you off more. “I’m not out to get you, Vincent. I’m protecting myself.”

“From what, y/n? You keep saying that, and I don’t get it.”

“I moved here to purse my dream of being an author, but I also came here to get away from the life I made for myself at home. I spent six months in rehab, and the minute they let me go, I packed my stuff and I ran. I thought that once I got here, I could start over.” You paused for a moment, spraying down the metal countertops. You took a long breath before speaking again. “I like you, but I don’t like that lifestyle, Vin. I’ve already fucked up too many times, and I’m scared that if I do it again, there’s no going back. Besides, I can’t pay for another detox at the hospital.” You chuckled at the thought, knowing that the seven days of torture was not worth the thousands of dollars, even with insurance coverage (which the Foxhole definitely did not provide).

“Okay,” he gave a slow nod, looking across the kitchen to gather his thoughts. “So… if I get clean, you say you’ll give me a shot?”

“Sure, yeah.” You forced out the words, the pained look on your face clear. In a perfect world, that’s how it would be, but you knew that he’d never stick to the promise. You couldn’t force him sober, and he didn’t really want to recover. Even if he did, you weren’t sure if you could trust him enough to believe he would stick with it. The conversation went the same way every time, and clearly no progress was made, hence why you were sitting in front of him explaining the same things for the millionth time. You could not allow yourself to get your hopes up, and you could not trust him while knowing that making a promise to stay sober for any person other than yourself is a terrible idea.

“I think… do you think that I don’t care?” You stopped for a moment, your whole body freezing as you wiped the lemony-smelling cleaner from the countertop.

“What?” You asked, looking back over your shoulder at him. His brown eyes looked sad beneath the tough exterior he’d built up. His cheeks were red, irritated from the cold of the freezer. He was only a couple inches taller than you, but in the moment of high emotion, It felt like he was towering over you. For once, anger did not seem present in his face.

“I know… I’m not the best at the whole emotions thing, and I say shit I don’t mean, but I care if you’re sober too, doll. I mean, your last detox was… it was hell. I don’t want you to go through that again.” You swallowed hard at the thought of the relapse, and the thought of his concern.

“You just hated working without me.” You forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood. When focusing on your own addictions, you began to panic. The fact that he knew that part of you so well scared the shit out of you, but also made you feel like he should understand why you were setting the boundaries. There were many things you didn’t understand about Vincent, the biggest one being his long list of red flags, yet his huge heart that cared about everyone so deeply. You knew that it was not entirely his fault; he had no guidance growing up, nor did he have anyone to help him correct his mistakes, but that did not change the fact that he was a 22 year old man that did not know how to hold himself accountable for anything.

Vincent was many things; a son born into a family who did not care if he lived or died, a child who was never loved the way a child should be, and a hurt little kid who grew into a man that was angry, lost, and trying to bargain with his crushing disappointment over his own failures. He struggled with the law, but more than anything, he struggled with his own demons. He had an addiction he could not face up to and overcome, and monsters in the closet that all looked like his father with a belt in his hand. He had a criminal record which stopped him from pursuing the things he once dreamed of, and was destined to be stuck working at the Foxhole until he could either clean himself up, or he died.

He was vindictive, sly, arrogant, and naive. He was raised by drug dealers who taught him all of the wrong morals, and who always made it a point to show anger before any other emotion. He was taught how to evade the law, and how to use fists instead of words. He picked himself up off the ground every time he fell, and grew a nasty amount of independence. He relied on nobody but himself, and would not let anyone take that away from him. He did not know how to trust, nor did he know how to love, but god did he want to. He felt like he needed to, especially when his eyes landed on you.

Despite his struggles, he was not a bad person. He cared deeply for the people that were important to him, and he would die for them on any given day. He was funny, and he was goofy, and he was great company. He was easy to fall in love with, but that was the danger. Although all of those things were true, down to the core, what he said earlier was correct; he was an addict, and worse than that, an active addict. Nothing was more important than a fix, and it turned him into the worst version of himself. You were no stranger to the evils of substance, but now that you were sober and intent to stay that way, you could finally see the monsters it created. His irritability and his lack of control over his emotions was staggering, and his inability to understand the harm he was putting on to others was catastrophic. He was selfish, and so much so that it constantly hurt others in the crossfire.

You could not judge him too harshly, because you knew all too well that it would take little for you to become that person again, too.

Even though you saw him for all of his flaws, you saw him as a human being, too. You saw him as the charming man who only had to smile in order to make your stomach fill with butterflies. You knew him as the boy who would drive you around as needed, or would lend you his car if he needed to be elsewhere. You saw the man who showed up at your front door with a wrench and a smile when your pipes burst in the kitchen sink and your landlord did not care enough to fix it. He was your friend, and he was someone you cared deeply about. His addiction was not who he was, but rather what made him be so hard to digest sometimes. You knew that if he managed to get clean and stay that way, he could be that person all of the time.

Unfortunately, you did not have the courage nor the ability to help him get there, and the thought of that alone nearly killed you.

Helping him was all you wanted to do, but you knew better than anyone that the only person who could help Vincent was himself.

“Don’t look so sad, sweetheart.” He said, reaching out and laying a gentle hand on your arm. You looked down as his fingers connected with your skin, the touch sending jolts of electricity through your whole body. You caught his eye, your lips turned down into a frown. You wished so bad for it to be easy, but after twenty three years, you knew that this lifetime was never meant to be kind to you.

Before you could speak, you heard the familiar chime of the bell above the door. You looked between Vincent and the empty dining room. As if she knew, Katie peeked her head back into the kitchen, giving you a look and a raised eyebrow.

“They’re in your section.” You could hear the distaste in her voice. Unlike usual, you didn’t have a witty comment or a sarcastic response to shoot back at her.

“You… you can have it. Take the tip, too. Don’t care.” You muttered. “I’ll finish cleaning.” For a second, you thought you saw a shred of humanity in her eyes when she caught sight of your pained expression. Without any further words, she turned and left the two of you alone again. Before Vincent could continue your earlier conversation, Dylan pushed open the door of the freezer and stepped out, shuddering at the sudden rush of warmth on his skin. The tip of his nose was burning red and his teeth were chattering together.

“Cold enough for you, dumbass?” Vincent asked, baffled and Dylan’s refusal to wear anything other than a t-shirt while he did inventory.

“Keeps me awake.” He said, doing a couple small jumps in his spot to get the blood rushing through him again.

“No, makes you look stupid.” You corrected, wiping at the counter again. “Is that grill on? We’ve got a customer.” You nodded towards the blackstone grill that looked awfully cool. No billows of black smoke were filtering into the air, telling you they definitely turned it off in anticipation of having no more customers for the night. Dylan rolled his eyes, but flicked on the heat to the max, hoping to get it hot before Katie brought back the order.

“Who the fuck goes out to eat at,” he paused, looking at his watch “two in the morning on a Sunday?”

“Obviously them, and enough people that John decided to keep us open 24 hours.” You sighed, knowing you would have to clean the dining room all over again.

“Okay, miss know it all.” Dylan put on a mocking smile as he walked to the window to grab the order slip. Once you deemed the kitchen clean enough, you sat atop one of the counters you’d just scrubbed clean. Vincent seemed to be keeping his distance, now. You weren’t sure if it was because you had hurt his feelings, or he was too afraid to show his emotions around Dylan. Katie hung out by the window, using the soda machine just underneath to pour the customers their drinks. “You write about not wanting to write, yet?” Dylan asked, throwing a veggie burger on the grill.

“No, not really.” You chuckled, looking down at your hands. “I mean, I did, but it was terrible.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad, doll.” Vincent said, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Yeah, no, it definitely was.” You gave a slow nod. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Feels like I can’t write anything anymore.” You sighed. “I’m trying to find inspiration in anything, but it all just seems… bleak.”

“It’ll come, always does.” Dylan assured you, flipping the food with the thin metal spatula.

“Yeah,” you noded, trying to believe it. You ran your hands over the hem of your apron, pondering your lack of a muse, when suddenly it seemed like the universe was laughing at you.

No, it wasn’t the universe laughing; it was something far more beautiful and melodic than something that was normally so sinister.

Your head snapped up and your heart pounded against your chest. The sound was so powerful that it seemed to shake the whole building, making the rotten foundation quiver and threaten to give way. More than powerful, it was breathtaking, and you were desperate to know where it was coming from. You looked out the window, peeking into the dining room to see what the commotion was, and why it was so striking that it made your heart skip a beat. Your eyes soon landed on the corner booth, taken by the only two customers in the entire store. Sat in the very corner, shoulder pressed against the window that onlooked the road dimly lit by street lamps, was a man who was certainly the most beautiful you had ever seen.

The smile was still lingering on his lips and the ghost of his laugh hung thick in the air. His hair, long and curly, hung down over his broad shoulders to frame his beautiful crafted face. A tattered band shirt with the sleeves cut off and a worn out logo magnified his strong arms. His jawline was sharp, angling down into a soft chin, and although large, his nose was stunning. His eyes, even from far away, managed to make your stomach flutter with curiosity.

Whoever he was, he had turned your entire world upside down in an instant. The warm embrace of his presence was more profound than anything you had ever felt before, and as you sat staring at him, you were aching to know him. His beauty was blinding, and his laugh seemed to strike more inspiration in your heart than you even thought was possible.

It was in that moment that you realized a muse was not something you could search for, but rather something that finds you when the time is right.

After weeks of feeling defeated, wondering if your entire life had lead to nothing but disappointment, or spending hours in bars and coffee shops trying to find inspiration yet met with nothing, it only took a split second for your hands to beg to be wrapped around a pen. You needed your notebook, or your laptop, because the sight of his face prompted enough emotion for you to write entire novels about the feeling.

Dylan served the two plates in the window, and you watched as Katie walked it to the boy and his company. Whatever his friend said prompted another laugh that blossomed straight from his chest, echoing off the walls and making home in your heart. His friend seemed loud, definitely more talkative than the curly haired boy. He was facing away from you, his long brown hair falling down his back. You did not even truly care what he looked like, because you were certain he would pale in comparison to the boy who already managed to steal your heart. You sat, completely immersed in the sight with no shame about your staring. You hung on to every small detail and miniscule expression, hoping to sear it into your memory for the rest of time. Every time a laugh fell from his lips, butterflied erupted in your stomach.

He did not notice you, but god did you notice him, and so much so that it was hard to see anything else.

When you finally broke from the trance and looked back into the kitchen, Dylan and Vincent’s eyes were both burning into you. Dylan was smirking, like he already knew what was running through your head without you having to say a word. Vincent, on the other hand, was definitely not even close to smiling. His jaw was hard set, the vein in his forehead protruding slightly as he clenched his teeth together. He knew exactly what you were thinking, and it absolutely gutted him. Your cheeks tinged red as if it were the cherry on top of an already catastrophic disaster, and you wanted the floor to open up and swallow you whole. Instead of speaking, Vincent grabbed the pack of cigarettes the three of you shared and walked out the back door, making sure to slam it for extra salt in the wound.

You swallowed hard, looking back at Dylan with a flicker of anxiety in your eyes. He shrugged it off, clearly not understanding the extent of the situation and leaned against the counter beside you.

“So, are you gonna go talk to him?” He asked, giving you a goofy smile as he gazed out at the man in question. You looked back towards the dining room too, your eyes shining with wonder at the two unnamed men. You have a slow shake of your head, knowing that you would never, but wishing that you would.

April 4th, 2022

You woke with a start, your head pounding as the sun shined brightly through your large panel windows. You shifted in your position, immediately wincing from the aches and pains that ravished your body. You blinked a few times, trying to focus your eyes as you took in your surroundings. You were on your living room floor, head propped up against the couch with your journal still laying atop of you. You must have fallen asleep writing, as your pen was still clutched tightly in your hand.

You quickly located the source of the disturbance, seeing your phone ringing loudly and irritatingly beside you. You picked it up, focusing your eyes on the screen to see who could be calling. When you saw John’s name on the screen, you felt your stomach drop for a moment. You swiped across the screen, accepting the call as you hit the speaker button.

“Hello?”

“Hey, y/n.” He said, almost sounding pained to be calling you.

“What’s up, John?” You asked, stretching your limbs out to rid yourself of the pain lingering in your joints. Sleeping on the floor was definitely a bad call, even if it was only for a few hours.

“I hate to ask this, but could you come in and cover the lunch rush? I know you worked overnight last night, but Linda had to leave; her husband fell and she had to take him to the emergency room.” Linda was one of the older ladies who worked the mornings. You quite liked her, even if you did think she smelled like the basement of an old Catholic Church. “I’ll pay you time and a half.” He offered, hoping to bribe you with the extra pay.

“Yeah, that’s no problem.” You would have agreed anyway, but the offering was not something you were willing to refuse. “Give me about thirty minutes and I’ll be down.”

“Thank you, darlin’. You’re a lifesaver.” You could hear his relief through the phone.

“Love you too, John.” You chuckled, ending the call and making a move to stand. You quickly ran to the bathroom, jumping in the shower and washing away the night shift that was still lingering on your skin. You washed your hair and took an extra minute to condition it and sit under the warm water, then rinsed off and jumped out. You blow dried your hair and styled it slightly, dusting on some light makeup. You always made sure to look nice for a busy serving shift, because it made the older men much more generous with their tips.

You ran to your bedroom, pulling out a pair of black leggings and an old Zeppelin shirt that once belonged to your brother. One thing you liked about the Fox was that the dress code was nonexistent. You could show up in your pajamas and John would just be relieved that you showed up at all. You stuffed your purse full of the necessities and grabbed your phone from the couch as you passed by. You locked the door as you made your way into the hallway, throwing your keys in your bag and slinging it over your shoulder. As you walked down the stairs of the creaky old apartment building, the sun already began to hurt your eyes before you even reached the door. You pushed open the front door and took a long breath of air, the coldness filling your lungs and making your chest ache for a moment. Spring was just around the corner, but winter still seemed like it was trying to hang on.

As you slipped your headphones in your ears and hit shuffle on your playlist, your eyes noticed something familiar across the street. You furrowed your eyebrows, your lips turning into a frown as you recognized the rusted out body of the 80’s model car. As you walked a little closer, you noticed the silhouette of Vincent, sleeping soundly in the driver's seat. You approached the vehicle, raising your fist and rapping it against the glass with force. It only took a second for him to shoot awake, looking around to try and figure out where he was. With a defensive stance, his head whipped towards the window. As always, he looked ready for a fight, but when his eyes landed on you, his expression softened. As you pulled your jacket closer to your body, he rolled the window down.

“What are you doing sleeping in your car, Vin?” You asked, clearly displeased with his actions. “You know what type of people hang out around here.”

“Drank too much last night,” he grumbled, rubbing his face in his hands as he squinted at the sunlight. “Knew it was best not to drive.”

“You could have called.”

“Thought you didn’t like it when I did that, doll?” He cleared his throat, the rasp of cigarettes still heavy in his tone.

“I…” you paused, shifting your weight between your legs. “I'd rather you be safe.”

“I’m safe, don’t worry sweetheart.” He chuckled, his cockiness peeking through. Vincent loved framing himself as unafraid of anything, but it simply was not true. He thought he was invincible, even if you knew he was just a man. “What are you doing, anyway?”

“John called me in, something about Linda’s husband falling. She had to leave.” You explained.

“That guys always fucking falling. Should get him one of those little stair elevators, you know? Like in the commercials?” You laughed at his idea, nodding in agreement.

“They probably would if they weren’t poor.” You reminded him.

“Yeah, aren’t we all?” He leaned his head against the headrest, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to keep the hangover at bay. “You want a drive over?”

“Sure, if you’re headed that way.” You agreed, walking around to jump in the passenger seat. He started the car, the old engine turning over a few times before eventually sputtering into a slow start. The interior immediately began to smell like gasoline, but you ignored it. It was one of the most charming quirks about the vehicle.

“You sleep last night? It’s awfully early to be going back in.” He noted, looking down at his watch. The radio system in his car no longer worked, including the digital clock (it read the wrong time when it did work anyway, so it did not really matter).

“A little, fell asleep on the floor of all fucking places.” You chuckled, pulling your jacket closer to your body again. He rolled the window up, noticing your small shiver. “I’m only going in for a few hours, so it doesn’t matter much anyway.” He did not respond to this, instead pulling the car around and driving out onto the highway. The rattle of the engine filled the stale air, and you looked out the window as he drove.

“You’re going to miss NA.” He stated, glancing over at you for only a second. “You didn’t go last week, either.”

“I know, I know.” You sighed. “I’ll catch the Wednesday meeting instead.”

“You promise?” He pushed, not willing to let it go. You bit your tongue, knowing he was the last person in the world who should be scolding you about missing your meetings.

“Yeah. Are you going today, or do you want to come with me on Wednesday?”

“I’ll come with you.” He said without hesitation. You were the only thing that made the meetings bearable for him. You did notice he was slightly withdrawn, and he did not even attempt to reach over and put his hand on your thigh.

When you turned your head to look at him, you finally noticed the details you managed to overlooked before. His eyes had dark circles underneath, and the whites were bloodshot. His pupils were blown, nearly engulfing his irises, and if you squinted hard enough, you could see the red ring of blood lining his nostril. He was still coming down from the high the night before, and the thought almost made you sick to the stomach. The emotion was not because he chose to do drugs, but because in the moment of seeing him like that, you could remember what it felt like so vividly that it made your head spin. Your hands went clammy and your fingers began to tremble as you bargained with yourself to just make it to the diner.

He clicked on his turn signal, cutting sharply into the parking lot and pulling up to the door so you wouldn’t have to walk through the parking lot. “Thanks, Vincent.” You choked out, still trying to distract yourself from the idea of his endeavors the night prior.

“I’ll see you Wednesday.” He said, forcing a smile. The come down had hit him hard, and you could tell his whole body felt like lead. His eyelids were heavy, and he would likely park in the empty lot next to the diner for a while to get some more sleep.

“Yeah,” you nodded, forcing him a smile, too. You jumped out of the car, pulling a half smoked cigarette from your pack to smoke before you went inside. You stood a few feet away from the door, and finished it as fast as you could. You crushed the butt beneath your old ratty converse and took two large strides to the entrance, pulling the door open and stepping inside.

The chatter in the room was immediately overwhelming, and the smell of the deep fryer hit your nose almost instantly. You rushed behind the counter and through to the kitchen, grabbing a clean apron and an order pad. You shoved the book and a pen in your front pocket, and knocked on the door of the office to grab a cash float. You heard John tell you to come in, and as you opened the door he sent you a smile. He already counted the cash and had it waiting on the desk for you, which you shoved in the second pocket.

“Thanks again, darlin’. You only have to stay for the rush.”

“Don’t mention it.” You smiled, closing the door behind you. You moved back out to the dining room after punching in a time card. John had not yet moved to an updated system, because computers were not his forte. Nobody complained, because you got paid all the same. Betty gave you a wave as she dropped off some order tickets at the window, relieved to see you there.

“Linda has the back section, and there’s a couple people who haven’t been served yet. You mind starting there?”

“No problem.” You assured her, grabbing a stack of menus to bring over with you. You stopped first at a booth with a family. They had two small kids with them who seemed to be getting impatient. The mother held the baby in her lap while the little boy sat next to his dad. You handed out the menus and took drink orders, stopping to crouch down and talk to the boy who looked to be only five.

“And how old are you, baby?” You asked, giving him a warm smile as he played with his tiny model car on the table.

“Four and three quarters!” He grinned, looking over at you.

“Three quarters?” You exclaimed, matching his excitement. “That means your birthday is coming up soon?” He gave an eager nod. “That also means,” you stopped and checked the front of the menu to make sure of the policy before saying the wrong thing. “You get to eat for free today!” You glanced up at the mom, sending her a gentle wink. Not often did you serve kids, because you usually only worked at night. According to the menus, kids under 6 ate for free. “So you can have all of the Dino nuggets you can eat.” The prospect seemed to excite him even more as he looked to his dad, hoping he would verify if you were telling the truth. “I’ll be back in a few to take your orders and bring your drinks.” You told the woman, who was smiling at you while bouncing the baby in her lap.

You moved on to the next table, an older couple who was sweet and already knew what they wanted without even having to look over the options. You wrote it down, knowing they were likely regulars. You assured them it wouldn’t be long before moving to the last table. You barely looked up as you made your way towards the corner booth, but when you did, your heart nearly jumped straight from your chest. The curly hair was unmistakable, and the outline of the big nose made your stomach twist with anxiety. You hated to admit that he noticed you and spoke long before your brain could formulate a word, ultimately leaving you looking like an idiot.

“Hey, mind if I have one of those?” As if it were some sick trick from the universe, his voice was just as heavenly as his laugh was the night before, and his eyes were just as soft and warm, inviting you in even further. His teeth were white and impossibly straight as he smiled at you, and it made your heart thud dramatically against your chest.

The boy that you’d spent all hours of the morning writing about was in front of you, sitting in the exact same seat he was when you had seen him for the first time.

“Y-yeah, f’course.” You forced a smile, your cheeks burning red as you handed him a menu from the dwindling stack in your hand. “You, uh… what brings you here?” You asked, internally facepalming at the stupid nature of your question. It was a diner; obviously he was there to eat.

“Uh… food?” He raised an eyebrow, smiling at you as he answered. He didn’t seem concerned about your nervousness, and if anything, it sparked an intrigue in him.

“Yeah, obviously, sorry.” You chuckled, shaking your head as you tried to straighten your thoughts. “I mean, you were here late last night, too. I know the food’s not that good, so it has to be something else bringing you here.” You flashed a real smile, your wit seeming to find its way back to you.

“Oh, yeah.” He laughed, nodding. “I’m not from here, actually. My friend and I are traveling. We booked an Airbnb for a few months, so it gives us some time to explore New York. Our flight came in late, and this was the closest spot last night…. And this morning.” He explained.

“The truth comes out,” you chuckled, cocking your head to the side. “Where you from?”

“Michigan.” He replied, trying to read over the menu, but his attention seemed to only want to be on you. “What about you? You definitely don’t have the accent like the rest of the city does.”

“Utah,” you grinned, surprised he picked up on it.

“So how the hell did you end up here?” He smirked, seemingly very interested in the conversation and uncaring that you were working amidst a lunch rush.

“Long story, sweetheart.” You laughed, brushing it off. He didn’t really want to know, and you didn’t want to bore him.

“I’ve got all the time in the world.” He shrugged, motioning to the empty both. You pondered his words for a moment, biting the inside of your lip. He was completely enamouring, and you barely even knew him. From the twenty seconds of conversation, you felt compelled to keep talking to him, wanting to know everything you could.

“Why don’t I take your order, and if you still want to know, we can make that happen.” You offered. He thought about it for a moment, finally seeming to realize you were working. He was so enthralled in your face and your words that the whole world around him seemed to disappear.

“Yeah, that’s probably a better idea.” He nodded. “Any recommendations?” He asked, completely ignoring the menu in his hand in hopes that you would keep talking.

“Breakfast or lunch?”

“Breakfast.” He confirmed.

“Omelet is good, vegetarian or not. Can never fuck up one of those.” You explained, smiling down at him.

“Sure, one of those, however you like it.” He said, his brown eyes lingering over your face. “And a coffee, please.”

“Sure thing.” You gave a soft smile, reaching down to pick up the menu again. “I’ll be back.”

“Can’t wait.” He shot back, keeping his eyes glued to you as you walked away. As you went to drop off the order tickets and collect the drinks for your tables, your cheeks were burning and your chest was filled with curious excitement. You didn’t know him, but you wanted to, and it was almost hard to believe that he seemed to want to know you, too.

You did not want to get your hopes up, because men had always let you down, even if they had ample amounts of promise. Then again, he seemed different than anyone you’d ever spoken to before. He didn’t seem creepy, nor did his eyes travel anywhere other than your face. He was friendly, soft spoken, and kind. He didn’t think your anxiety was strange, and he didn’t even mention it in efforts to keep you comfortable. You didn’t know him at all, but he seemed better than anyone you’d ever laid eyes on, looks and personality-wise.

You never know unless you try, and try was the only thing you knew how to do. You were determined to know him, and only then you could truly judge his character. Even if he turned out to be an asshole or disappointing in some way, he would at least be nice to look at in the meantime.

You dropped off drinks at your other two tables, then doubled back to brew his coffee. You tapped your foot against the floor in anticipation, hoping it would speed up the process. When the coffee maker sputtered the last pathetic spurt of liquid, it let out a tired groan as the button and lights clicked off. You poured a mug and grabbed a milk and cream dish. You carefully walked it over to his booth, setting it down in front of him with a sigh of relief. You were known as the coffee spiller amongst the staff, and you finally seemed to deliver one successfully.

“Thank you,” he smiled up at you, the sight nearly taking your breath away. “I’m Danny, by the way.”

“Danny…” you pondered, the corners of your lips tugging onwards. “I like it. I’m y/n.”

“Pretty name for a pretty girl.” He smirked, tearing open a sugar packet and dumping it into the steaming cup. Your cheeks dusted red again, your entire body heating at the compliment. “So you said you were here last night, but you definitely weren’t the one who served me. She seemed a bit…” he trailed off, trying to find the proper words.

“Bitchy?” You offered, raising an eyebrow. He let out a laugh, so similar to the one you heard last night. It nearly made you weak in the knees.

“Sure, yeah.” He nodded. “That’s not how I would word it, but that’s probably the best way to say it.”

“I shouldn’t be so mean,” you sympathized with the girl, even if she wasn’t standing there to hear it. “She’s not the worst person in the world, but she is hard to get along with sometimes.”

“Yeah, I can see that. She was giving Sam dirty looks the whole time.” He chuckled at the memory. “I get it, though. Sam’s loud, and he’s a lot to take in. I’m sure you guys weren’t expecting that at two in the morning.”

“We’re usually a bit busier at night, but last night was super slow. Think she was just doing it because technically you were sitting in my area, and I was busy.”

“Busy, but still concerned with who was sitting out here?” He questioned. You prayed your cheeks would stop rushing with blood as you tried to think of a proper response.

“I’m nosy, what can I say?” You shrugged.

“I must have left an impact, cause you recognized me today.” He pointed out, taking another sip of coffee. You gave a slow nod, a smile pulling at your lips.

“Yeah, well, we definitely don’t get too many cute boys in here. Usually just drunkards from the old tavern and teenagers who snuck out.” You explained.

“Cute?” He pressed, liking the sound of the term. You rolled your eyes, playful but sweet.

“Yeah, yeah, get over yourself.” You gave a soft laugh.

“No, actually.” He shook his head. “I’m sure I’ll be thinking about that for a while, especially coming from someone as beautiful as you.” You smiled, biting down on the inside of your lip again. Instead of continuing the conversation, you decided to play hard to get.

“Your food shouldn’t be too much longer.” You gave a smirk, adding a little pep to your step as you turned and walked away. Again, he watched as you disappeared behind the counter, waiting for your plates to be served.

Soon enough, the meals for the family of four were served on the windowsill. You grabbed the ticket and brought them their food, letting them know to just give a holler if they needed anything else. You went back and retrieved the plates for the older couple and dropped them off to them just the same. Eventually, Danny’s meal was served and you had to stop for a moment, regaining your composure before you brought it over to him. You picked up the omelet, carting it close to your body as you walked to the corner booth, being mindful of your steps so you did not trip over anything. When you reached his table, he gave you a smile as you placed it down in front of him.

“Looks good,” he commented, happy with the recommendation.

“Definitely not a Michelin starred restaurant, but we know how to make an omelet.” You grinned.

“Seems so,” he gave a nod of approval.

“Let me know if you need anything else, sweetheart.” You said, looking over your shoulder as more customers filled up the seats in your section.

“I will for sure.” He promised. “Thank you.” You didn’t respond, but gave another smile as you walked to greet the new customers.

After a while, the buzz began to die down. People were leaving with smiles on their faces and full bellies, and the tips were flowing generously. You brought the debit machine from table to table, allowing people to pay so they could make their way home. Every time you saw a customer out, you checked to see if Danny was ready. He seemed to be taking his sweet time, but you didn’t mind at all; it saved from another person replacing him in his seat, and it gave you something pretty to look at. If you could have it your way, you’d never let him leave.

He was intriguing, and you seemed to like every exchange of words more than the last. He was someone you wanted to keep talking to, and someone you wanted to share things with. He was interested in everything you had to say, and you hung onto every word that fell from his mouth. He was the most interesting person to ever sit in the diner, in the best way possible. You wanted to ask for more, to see him again, but your fear was stopping you. Rejection terrified you, and embarrassment was not any better. Instead, you stole glances at him and hoped that he would ask first, or that he would at least come back once he decided it was time to leave.

When most of the crowd filtered out, John let you know that you could head home, and that he convinced the night waitresses to come in a little early to cover the dinner rush. You nodded, letting him know you had one more customer to see through and then you’d be on your way. He thanked you again, wasting no time returning to the office. You liked John quite a lot; he was friendly, nice, and didn’t really care much about what you did during your shift as long as the job got done. He was old, and he was tired. The diner had given him a run for his money, and he was excited to retire, but realistically he knew it would never happen. You felt bad for him, but at the same time, you were happy to know he would be running the show for the foreseeable future.

You walked over to Danny, hoping to catch another quick conversation with him. He seemed to be pleased with your decision to join him again, smiling as you advanced towards him. “Back again?” He asked once you were in earshot.

“Just couldn’t stay away,” you smirked. “You all finished?”

“Yeah, think so.” He nodded, draining the last of the coffee from his mug. “Trying to get me out of here?” He asked.

“No, but the sooner you leave, the sooner I get to go home.” You explained. He gave a slow nod, picking up on the situation, now.

“If that’s the case, I’ll get out of your hair.”

“No need to rush.” You assured him, hoping you didn’t come off as rude. You’d stay all day if it meant you got to talk to him.

“I know, I know,” he chuckled. “But Sam’s probably wondering where I am, so I probably should get back.”

“Yeah, no problem. I can grab your bill?” You offered.

“Sure,” he nodded. “Mind if I borrow your pen for a second?” You grabbed it from your pocket, handing it over to him before running to the counter to print off his receipt. You brought it back over to him, placing it face down on the table.

“Shit, do you need the debit machine?” You asked, remembering that you hadn’t asked him yet. You were too caught up in the beauty of his smiling face.

“No, cash is fine.” He promised, flipping over the bill. You mindlessly watched out the window as he pulled some money out of his wallet, leaving it on the table as he made a move to stand.

“Oh, hold on.” You stopped him, eyeing the fifty dollar bill with unease. For a second, you thought you might have charged him wrong. “I’ll get your change.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he smiled. “I’ll see you again sometime?”

“Danny, that’s way too much-“

“Ah,” he cut you off, shaking his head. “Whatever happened to the customer is always right?” He raised an eyebrow. You let out a sigh, knowing that it was best not to argue with him.

“Thank you,” you said, feeling guilty for accepting such a large gesture. The tip was nearly four times his bill total.

“No need for thanks, the service was excellent.” He assured you. “You said you work the overnights here, right?”

“Yeah, usually.” You nodded. “Thursday to Sunday.”

“I’ll have to stop by sometime.” He noted, slipping on his jacket. Your eyes lingered over the muscles of his arms shown off under the sleeves of his t-shirt. You swallowed hard, trying to push the thought away.

“Guess so,” you agreed, nodding slightly. “Have a good rest of your day.”

“You, too.” He said, his shoulder gently brushing with your own as he passed by. The contact sent a shiver down your spine, and you turned to watch as he walked out the front door, wishing that you had the courage to follow after him or ask him to stay. Instead, you saw him disappear from view, and you were left with a sinking feeling in your stomach and regret looming overhead.

You turned to the table, grabbing the cash he’d left and your copy of the receipt. He’d penciled in the tip total, but what caught your eye was a napkin laying underneath that had black pen scribbled on it. You picked it up, bringing it closer so you could read the messy handwriting. As your eyes drifted over the words, your stomach filled with butterflies and your cheeks began to ache from the smile that took hold.

It was fantastic meeting you. If you ever have the time, I’d love to hear about Utah.

Below that, he left his phone number and a series of X’s and O’s. You bit down on your lip, slipping the note in your pocket to save for later, turning away to count your tips. As you went to the register, you couldn’t help but notice the excitement filling you, and how eager you were to get home and use the number he’d left, even if it was just to tell him about Utah. For the first time in eighteen months—no, for the first time in years, your happiness was genuine and you were eager to see what the next day would bring.

TAGLIST: @imleavingyoufornewyork @itsafullmoon @bladenotblaze @jessicafg03 @dont-go-home-without-me @peaceloveunitygvf

#gvf #greta van fleet #danny wagner #danny gvf #jake kiszka #sam kiszka #jake gvf #sam gvf #josh gvf #gvf fic #daniel gvf #gvf fanfiction #gvf smut #gvf fluff #gvf angst #gvf series #danny wagner series #danny wagner angst #danny wagner fluff #danny wagner fic #danny wagner smut #danny wagner x reader #daniel wagner #greta van fleet angst #greta van fleet fluff #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet smut #builtbybrokenbells #belladonna

[omgwhatchloe]

lets talk about sean macguire, or more specifically, his none-existent recovery and how it affected him before his death.

so as we all know, sean is captured by bounty hunters after the blackwater ship robbery goes horribly wrong. it’s confirmed in a side mission that he was tortured for information, most likely because ike skelding and his crew wanted to be the ones to bring dutch in as well, but he specifically mentions how they burnt his feet and pulled his teeth.

lets start with the affect of them pulling his teeth: it doesn’t take a genius to know ike skeldings bounty hunters are not fully trained dentists with numbing cream and injects, nor did they actually care about any of the long-lasting damage they were doing to sean, since they assumed he’d be getting hung and wanted to have their fun with him. that was the whole point, to torture him because any teeth related pain, i think we can all agree, is the worst of the worst. afterwards, he is seen struggling to eat, i think at least multiple people online have said they have noticed how he will only have one or two bites, or even none at all, and pour away the mostly full stew. i haven’t bothered to focus on anyone else’s eating habits, if im being honest, but i think i really picked up on seans because of the fact hes trying to eat with missing and likely damaged teeth. as we know, no one in camp really bothers to ask him if he’s okay or pick up on this, but this is not surprising as after all they are just codes and scripts and no voice actor has the time to record their characters entire life.

next, the feet burning: the fact they burnt his feet implies to me and gives me the idea that he was hanging from his arms at some point in his time of being captured and they had pretty clear access to his feet (ew). in camp, i did actually notice him walking funny like he was drunk, then having completely sober dialogue while limping along. though of course this game is not without its faults and glitches, and dialogue getting messed up is, in my opinion, one of the most experienced ones throughout the entire game, so perhaps this was him being drunk and accidentally having sober dialogue. but im going to pretend its because they burnt his feet.

his none-existent recovery: i actually spoke about this on a different platform, and compared the recovery that arthur had to the one sean had, which they both deserved, and lets just say some people disagreed. according to them, a party is good enough! despite the fact, sean needs to heal, or at least get the chance to see a doctor, and a party is literally the opposite of healing time. he has just been kidnapped, certain he wasn’t going to make it, getting tortured, and mentally that’s going to fuck with you. but again, no one in camp really cares or notices and he doesn’t get to really actually recover from that. obviously sean was not upset about getting a party in the slightest, dont get me wrong, but for other users to claim that’s all he needs while we’re discussing it just seems a little weird to me. and something that has always upset me is the way he is immediately put back to work, that is what i mean when i say he does not get to recover properly, he is straight back on guard duty. and we all know guard duty involves being on your feet for hours, which is especially bad for poor sean who has just had his feet burnt. seriously, give my man a break (NEWSFLASH: A PARTY IS NOT A BREAK IN THIS SITUATION)

anyways, expect another post about his napping and sleeping habits because i honestly can’t wait to write about that (watch out hosea you’re gunna get slandered)

#red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #sean macguire #red dead redemption two #hosea matthews #GIVE HIM A BREAK #PLEASE #sean rdr2 #he is my baby

[melleonis]

it’s 2015 and i am

sitting on my mattress on the floor in the spare bedroom of the chicago condo my friend’s parents bought for them with oil company money. both of us have undiagnosed and unmedicated adhd. neither of us clean. the wide, shallow bathroom sink grows a yellow-black film of residue and shaved hair.

i am trying to come to terms with being dead. the year prior was a cascade of horror, a chain of a hundred different sudden sickenings in the gut, and as far as the world and most people in it are concerned, i no longer exist - which would have been more than fine with me, except that time continues to pass.

until recently, porpentine had been writing a column for rock paper shotgun called live free play hard, reviewing free indie games. itch.io is in its infancy, but unity is ten years old now and really starting to come into its own, and this is the heyday of the so-called walking simulator - Dear Esther in 2012 to Firewatch in 2016. i never played most of the big names, the ones that attracted all that sneering gamergate hatred (Gone Home excepted) - after all, they cost money, and in 2015, i didn’t have any of that. so every porpentine article was a damp, fertile patch of sometimes-delicious always-free mushrooms. i play a LOT of itch.io games that year, and i’ve been missing them lately, so i wanted to talk about them here.

live free play hard is a decade old, at this point. links are dead. games don’t quite run the same on modern computers. twine games which once had music are now silent. these are some of the survivors.

their angelical understanding by porpentine, herself. ***STROBE WARNING*** and also for a text-based game this is an intense PTSD simulator. i considered linking others of her games here: neon haze (link appears to be broken), CYBERQUEEN (about which i’ve already said a lot) or howling dogs (which is arguably still her best), but i went with t.a.u. because, well, in 2015 a PTSD simulator was what i needed.

CHYRZA by kitty horrorshow kh has probably Made It as an indie artist more than anyone else on this list? my metric for this is that there are two whole jacob geller video essays about her games. CHYRZA is pure tone: jittery unity platforming up desert monuments collecting audiologs. trust me, it’s really effective.

Bernband by Tom van den Boogaart this one still runs, but there’s a bit of slowdown in some areas. this is pure exploration through a very pixelly alien city: nightclubs, power stations, overpasses, late-night noodle bars. an empty chapel. a trumpet recital. the empty corridors and stairwells between everything. it’s stuck with me for all these years.

SABBAT by oh no problems this is the least subtle it is possible for a text game to be. it starts with animal sacrifice and gets really fucking explicit from there. as someone who had at the time cut a picture of baphomet out of the liner notes from a random black metal cd found in a des moine record store and taped it to my bedroom doorpost like a mezuzah, all i really wanted from SABBAT was the ability to have snakes for dicks, and buddy, it delivers. i remember there used to be a sort of sludgey doom metal soundtrack, but it doesn’t seem to exist anymore, and the credits link to a nonexistent soundcloud. so it goes.

HEARTWOOD by Kerry Turner hahaha man i’d completely forgotten about this game until i went back through the archives but fuck, it rules. it’s so simple. it’s pure sensation. i loved it then and i love it now.

Off-Peak by Cosmo D i think Cosmo D is still going strong these days! actually, i’m pretty sure i have unplayed games by them in my steam library, i should fix that. Off-Peak is a jazz exploration of the world’s most colorful train station. people are playing bespoke 2015 eurogames. a vendor is selling a bunch of sheet music that musicians have had to pawn, what with the way the economy is going. you understand. triplets stalk you. a man strokes a cow, menacingly. i would say it’s peak itch.io, but in point of fact it is, of course, off-peak itch.io.

anyway i lived, eventually, and went on to make art of my own, but it’s my belief - it’s my hope - that all my writing carries the spores these games and games like them put in me when i was dead and decaying and fertile ground for such things. i hope you play some of them. i hope you enjoy them. thanks for reading <3

[artsycrapfromsai]

I would like to say that I'm totally normal about Amaryllis and Astarion, but they're just so cute, and I can't get enough and I'm pretty much squeeeeeing every time. That little comic where she made an embroidery of his face was what pulled me in.

Aaaaaaa 🥺💕💕💕💕

I know i sound like a broken record, but hearing that always makes me so happy fjfjgd

Funny thing is, in the long run, I think that Amaryllis giving him the embroidered portrait is probably what immediately endeared her to him too fjfjhfhj Before that, while she was weird and... Strangely nice to him (which he just chalked up to her being a bleeding heart), she was still just something to use and manipulate for his safety

But the embroidery was completely unnecessary, no strings attached, no ultimatums, and clearly required hours of work, and probably prototypes. She didn't have to do that, just because he missed his reflection, but she did, because she thought he would like it. No one's ever just done something for him before, just because it might make him happy

And I think that's the point his inner conflict starts about what to do with her djgjgfjf

He's still trying to manipulate her, but he doesn't understand her- her actions confuse him

("She's willingly giving me blood because... She thinks its cruel to starve a vampire?"

"She's such a bleeding heart, almost disgustingly so, but she just casually says she dresses in red to hide blood stains after battle? How does that match up? Not that I mind such morbidity, but I just don't understand how that mind of her's works."

"I can't believe she would rather run and hide than discuss casual sex. Is she just a prude? But she doesn't mind nudity?? Either way, I can't just seduce her now, if I want to keep our good 'relationship' going... But how can I manipulate her if not with sex?")

Astarion wants to study her under a microscope bc, according to his personal experiences, she doesn't make any sort of sense to him and actively contradicts things he believed to be true gjhvjcc meanwhile Amaryllis is just existing and being herself

It's really confusing and frustrating for him, because he's genuinely starting to like her, and after her gift (probably the kindest thing he's ever received), he doesn't want to see her leave. but he has no experience with a real relationship and is relying on his 200 years of manipulation and betrayal to try and blindly find a way through to one

But if he uses what he knows, he might actually just scare her off instead, and that's the last thing he wants. So he doesn't really know what to do with her

Amaryllis has no idea about any other of this, and is getting confused and flustered by her own growing feelings akjdhfg she just enjoys talking and spending time with him, and she thinks he's dorky, and cute, and funny, and clever, and its fun to embroider with him

they're a pair of cute disasters

That's all why in the last comic, where she admits she likes him, he's startled but quickly goes back into flirty mode, bc that's natural for him and he's more confident with that sort of scenario (plus he really does enjoy getting compliments from her)

But if he asks her why she likes him and she answers honestly ("I think you are clever, and funny, and sweet, and I enjoy spending time with you") it would probably short circuit his brain right now, bc he's still got a lot of things to work through fjghjvcjv

As far as my canon goes, this is all still in act 1 bc we haven't moved from it yet in me n my friend's playthrough fifkhg

BUT YEAH AAAAAAA sorry i had to ramble dhdggdjf I'm so glad you enjoy their relationship & my art!!! Thank you so much!! 😭💕💕💕

#ask #amaryllis tav #bg3 tav #bg3 astarion

[whyyougottadothatbro]

Butterflies

In honor of Channie’s 12 years worth of hard work and the amazing artist and human that he is, here is a little drabble (that ended up being not so little) for the rightfully acclaimed Mr. Steal Your Girl. hope you like it~

wc: 1.2k

For the 2 chronically sleep deprived gremlins you and Chan were, it really hadn’t taken long for you to become each other’s human melatonin sources. Apart from the fact that no one could actually fix your sleep patterns given that you’d lost track of those long ago, the comfort that came along with the other’s presence was usually more than enough to knock you both out within 15 minutes, record time if you believed Changbin for that one time Chan hadn’t slept proper in 4 days and was snoring his exhaustion away after 10 minutes of cuddling you on the infamous leather couch. Which could explain your current situation, sitting atop your kitchen counter at god knows which hour, but it was certainly past midnight. You know better than to check the time, for it surely will stress you out to see the hours left till you eventually need to start getting ready for work, just hoping the night’s silence can calm you down enough for sleep to take over your body. Chan obviously hadn’t been home yet, he was working on the ‘butterflies’ demo after you had mentioned it in a not so deliberately placed comment about how you’d love to hear the full song. You’d definetly not been able to predict the outcome that was him spending the night till sunrise at the studio trying to finish the song or atleast a complete draft. Not checking the time had also meant for you to not see your phone, which was why you’d missed the text dear boyfriend had sent you half an hour ago, saying he'd be home in a bit.

The sound of the door keypad unlocking meant your boyfriend was finally home, exhausted out of his mind and looking forward to absolutely nothing other than dropping his stuff onto the couch and find you curled up in your bed, to dive under the covers and pull you flush against him to let sleep overtake his body too. What he hadn’t expected was to see you sitting on the kitchen counter, legs crossed as you sip on something from your mug of the cringy but awfully cute couple mug set you owned. He grabs himself a bottle of water from the fridge, unscrewing the cap as he wordlessly makes his way towards you, your legs detangling to hang off the countertop and make space for him to stand in between them, both of you silently sipping on your beverages till you finish yours and wrap your arms around his torso, probably looking like a lovesick puppy but you couldn’t really help it.

“Welcome home, Roo”

“Glad to be back princess, couldn’t sleep again hm?”

You silently nod against his shoulder, crossing your legs behind his, gesture enough to answer a question that had been rhetorical in the first place.

“Which tea was it? Lavender?” he asks as he pulls you closer to him by his gentle hold on your thighs, flush against him. You’d realized eventually that you could never physically be close enough to him, you could always be latched onto him like a koala and still want to be closer, to take in more of his vanilla scent and the faded fragrance of his cologne, just to bask in his existence on a whole.

Subconsciously enough you’d started nuzzling your nose against his neck, pulling him even closer with all your limbs, till his squeaky laugh had pulled you out of your little trance, as your arms loosen enough to let him breathe freely again.

“Could you tell I missed you today?” you look up at him, arms still lazily resting around him.

“Oh, I really couldn’t tell little one, I’m glad you told me. I thought you didn’t miss me at all love.” He spoke with all seriousness as he looked at you curling up against him again, eyes fond as he lets out another chuckle.

“Good. You should know your presence is extremely appreciated at all times” Chris swears he lives for the mumbling mess you become when its past 3 am and you finally get him to yourself because this, nothing in the world could beat this.

“Anyways, now that I presume you’re done talking like an executive, let’s get you to bed, shall we?” he’d already wrapped your legs around his body tight enough, waiting for your approval to take you up and away, when the whiny ‘no’ that escapes your mouth halts his actions.

“Why baby? What’s wrong?”

“thecounteriscoldanditfeelsreallynice”

“come again baby?” he’d clearly heard and understood you but would it really be him if he doesn’t tease you for your antics?

“You heard me I know” you mumbled against his chest again, shoving your face into it like one of those Felix posters he saw at the concert and smushed his face against his friend’s chest in a similar manner.

“Baby it is really late, you need to go sleep hm?”

“You don’t get to say that, you came home late too…”

“I don’t have to be up again for work in almost 3 hours now do I?”

“True. Fine, you win this time”

“Of course I do, now come on, let’s get this koala some sleep should we?” he finally lifts you off the counter, keeping you secure in his hold as all you find yourself capable of doing is nodding against him. He carries you to your bed, clearly showing signs of the tossing and turning he presumed to have happened earlier from the lack of sleep as he lays you down and tucks you in. Your eyes are barely open but you register the lack of warmth immediately, reaching out to make grabby hands as he strips himself of the minimal clothing he had on in the first place, muscle tee and basketball shorts. His eyes crinkle up again, voice serenading as ever, “let me change pretty, I promise I’ll be there in a minute yeah?”. Your hands slump down onto the duvet in defeat as you turn to face his side, patiently awaiting him as he finally slips under the covers. You presume your rightful position with your head against his naked chest, left leg sprawled against him as he hikes it up a little higher, arms wrapped around him as he justifies his title of your personal melatonin, sleep finding you almost immediately.

“I love you so much and you’re the best thing that happened to me and I love you, goodnight” Chan was now an expert when it came to comprehending your sleepy mumbles, and they all warmed his heart up in the best ways possible. He silently presses his cheek against the top of your head, dropping a few kisses against your crown as he feels you returning those with kisses against his chest in your sleepy state, and he suddenly can’t feel any of the day’s exhaustion anymore but only your tender love that surrounds him and wraps him up in a cocoon of warmth and safety. His adrenaline from working hadn’t really worn off yet, so he resorts to humming the melody he was working on earlier, noting it down in his head to show you the finished product later.

Baby you got me feeling butterflies..

 a/n : CHAN PLEASE RELEASE THAT TRACK I BEG YOU I’M LITERALLY AHBDKNKKNKNKJNDDSKDKF

here’s the track for anyone wondering... 

#stray kids #stray kids fluff #skz imagines #skz scenarios #skz oneshots #skz fluff #stray kids x reader #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #stray kids oneshot #stray kids bang chan #stray kids bangchan #skz bangchan #bangchan imagines #bangchan x reader #bangchan fluff #bang chan fluff #skz chan x reader #skz chan imagines #skz drabbles #bangchan drabbles #bangchan oneshots #skz fluff imagines #bangchan scenarios #bang chan x reader #bang chan imagines #bang chan

[lustspren]

My Number One ft Sullyoon

length: 6.4k words✦

NMIXX’s Sullyoon & Male Reader.

genres: smut, subbest sub! sullyoon, oral sex, fluffy af, daddy kink, love making, creampie✧ 

✦✧✦✧✦✧

It was very rarely the time when something took you out of your comfort zone. You worked as a streamer on the purple platform, your numbers were more than good, not as good as some of the big shots, but you lived more than well with the money you made, besides, making money playing video games? It was your dream job.

But like any job, there always has to be some disadvantage, yours was that if you wanted to maintain your numbers and your audience, you had to be constant at all times, streaming up to 5 or 6 hours a day, it didn't happen very often, but there were times in which mental exhaustion ate you up inside and you had to make a great effort to turn on your PC, that was the word that defined your work, exhausting. You had considered on multiple occasions to take a short vacation away from Korea, but the anxiety of losing everything consumed you, that's why rest days were non-existent for you.

Until now.

You hated to admit it, but if Seol Yoonah jumped off a bridge, you were going to be there to swoop down and catch her out of the air like you were Superman. You moved heaven and earth for that girl, and if you had the chance to put her in a little glass box just so no one else could ever hurt her in any way, you would. Saying that she was the love of your life seemed too hasty for you, but the truth was that you had never been so madly in love with someone; she made you happy in every possible way, always finding a way to brighten the darkest of your days with words, actions, or her mere presence. She was peace for you. Fuck it, she was the love of your life.

She was perfection personified, to such a degree that you often wondered if your life was a simulation, since there was no way a girl could be so ethereally beautiful. Her face was small, delicate, with facial features that seemed sculpted by a talented Greek sculptor, she looked innocent, pure, as if she were a guardian angel sent into your life to fill it with light. But of course, her face wasn't the only thing perfect about her, so was her body, with which she could easily become a Victoria's Secret model. And that was the main problem, she wasn't a model, she was an idol.

That was never a problem for you two, you were an understanding guy after all, and she was faithful like no other. But the relationship between the two of you was somewhat... peculiar. You were sure that she was your girlfriend, yes, you had asked her on a date several months ago, but still… things were quite different from a normal relationship.

You were driving when your phone screen lit up with 2 message notifications. Sully. You didn't want troubles of any kind, so you waited until you stopped at a traffic light to respond.

Sullyoon along with her group were in the second day of the ISAC’s recordings, a sporting event in which idols competed in various categories, just like the Olympics. She was going to compete in the dance sports category, which she had been telling you about for several weeks where she was preparing both physically and mentally. The emotion she contained to show how hard she had worked was huge, there was no possible way you were going to miss the big day. 

About your relationship... well, it could be said that Sully presented severe daddy issues from the first day, you never complained about it, on the contrary, you gave her everything she wanted, needed, and more, to the point that she never stopped calling you that, since then, that word lost its sexual connotation for you, and became something completely normal. Of course she was smart, she didn't call you daddy in front of anyone who wasn't trustworthy, her manager for example, or her company staff, which of course you appreciated, because the last thing you wanted was for some idiots to think that you were taking advantage of her, or something like that.

The traffic light changed from red to green, and you automatically put the phone away to drive to the Goyang Gymnasium. You arrived in a matter of minutes, overwhelmed by the large number of cars that were parked outside the compound, you had to go around a few times, waiting for someone to vacate a place for you to take it. When you finally parked, you turned off the car, grabbed your things, and headed straight to the entrance.

Entering wasn’t difficult for you,  you thought you were going to have to do miracles to get in, but it seems that your name was listed as part of the JYP staff, which could only have been the work of your girlfriend. However, your atmosphere completely changed when you started walking through gym’s halls, in the background you could hear the screams of the fans while the competitions were taking place, along with the commentators which you didn’t understand due to the distance. You took out your phone to text Sullyoon.

And so you did, you walked a little more, until you met the first person you saw to ask for the dressing room, he hesitated for a moment, but in the end he told you exactly where to go. After thanking him, you started to walk again, turning a few corridors in which you found yourself with a very pleasant surprise.

"Oh hi oppa! What are you doing here?" It was Jinni, dressed in her uniform, carrying a few snacks in her hand and a bottle of what appeared to be iced coffee. She looked beautiful with pink hair, but her dark hair made her look even more beautiful and mature. She pounced on you with a smile on her face, giving you a short hug which you returned.

"Hey Pinky, good to see you, I'm here to see Sully," you said, pulling away from her a bit.

"Really? Well, follow me, I'm on my way, I lost the rock-paper-scissors game and had to go out for food," she let out a small sigh and then turned to walk. You followed closely, until you were in front of the dressing room door, "I'll tell her to come out, wait here," she stood on her tiptoes and gave you a little peck on the cheek that you definitely weren't expecting before entering.

You only had to wait a few seconds until she came out. And for God's sake, you were speechless at how beautiful she looked; her hair was tied up in a braid that ended in her loose hair, a couple of little clips that held her hairline to her forehead, and makeup that gave her a ferocity and elegancy that you had never seen before. The second thing you noticed was that she was wearing one of your t-shirts, that you didn't even know how she had ended up with, but that didn’t matter.

Just like Jinni a few seconds ago she lunged at you with a big hug, but this was accompanied by a kiss which she didn't give a damn about anyone else seeing. You wrapped her body with your arms, without separating from her lips until a few seconds passed, Sullyoon put both arms around your neck, and saw you with that adorable sparkle in her eyes that showed how much love she had for you.

"Thanks for coming Daddy, I really needed you here," she said, a small relief smile in her face.

"You don't have to thank me, I would do anything for you," you smiled, and then gave her a tender kiss on her forehead, "you look beautiful, you know that right?

"Do I? I was really worried if you were going to like it or not, I've never worn makeup that made me look like this…" she winced.

"Are you kidding? I love it! It's perfect, baby, seriously," you gave her several little kisses on her lips, one after another without resting, until you finally got a smile out of her.

"I love you Daddy, thank you."

"I love you too, my little deer," you gave her another peck.

"I… I'm so nervous," the smile faded from her face now filled with concern, now looking like a distraught puppy, "what if I screw it all up? I don't want to disappoint you," she pouted.

"Baby, you've worked so hard for this for many weeks, besides, you're an amazing performer, you're not going to mess anything up," you said confidently.

"What if I don't get first place?"

"I don't care if you get first place or not, you will always be my number one, nothing will change that," you let go of her body, only to cup her delicate little face in your hands, she put her hands on your wrists, and shortly, little by little, her eyes filled with tears, "no no no, don't cry baby, please."

"It's just…" a tear rolled down her cheek, "I'm so lucky to have you, no matter what happens, you always manage to make me feel safe.”

"It's the least I can do to thank you for everything you've done for me," you wiped the tear from her cheek with your thumb, then placed a little kiss there.

The door to the dressing room opened, and with the corner of your eye you saw a mane of dark hair peeking out of the gap between the door and the wall. She cleared her throat to get her attention, and you thought it was Jinni, but it was actually Haewon.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt, hi oppa," she gave you a friendly smile, but then looked at Sullyoon, "it's time, you have to come in."

"Sure, give me a second unnie," your girlfriend nodded, before the door closed again, "there's a spot reserved for you in the stands, C-24, see you out there daddy."

"Count on it honey, now go," you took her firmly by the shoulders and gave her a very little shake to get her nerves off, then finished with a kiss on her forehead and turned to walk in the opposite direction, straight towards the stands. .

The screaming out there almost makes you deaf at first, apparently a category was just taking place in which boygroup's members were competing, you took a quick look at the boys just out of curiosity, but then you focused on finding your seat, which you could say took a while to find as it was one of the very few empty seats left in the gym.

The wait had been long, but it didn't bother you at all, you had to admit that it was certainly fun to watch a bit of competition between celebrities, besides, the atmosphere was quite lively in the important moments, you never felt uncomfortable, or out of place, in fact, you were in the area of the stands that corresponded to NSWER, NMIXX’s fandom, so some girls were in charge of letting you know when Sullyoon was coming out onto the floor.

And shit, your jaw almost dropped to the ground.

You didn't know if what you were seeing was real or not, it seemed like some kind of hallucination or lucid dream, but you could swear that right at that moment you were seeing the innocent and tender Sully walk out on the Olympic track cheered by her fans, wearing the most elegant and sexier red dress you have ever seen in your life.

You still couldn't believe it, it wasn't a hallucination, she was really wearing a dress that left her entire beautiful back uncovered up to her waist, and also her right leg, which came out with every step she took. The swaying of her wide hips kept you hypnotized for a few seconds, until Sully finally stopped, only to turn around and see just where you were, to give you a two-handed wave with a smile on her face that filled your heart with love.

If before it hadn’t been clear how much in love you were with her, now that feeling clung to your heart like a koala to her branch. And it seemed dumb, but you felt like you were going to start crying because of how gorgeous she looked at that moment. Her gaze stayed on yours for a few seconds, until something else caught her attention, the competition would soon begin.

It all happened in a matter of seconds, the staff moved exceptionally quickly with preparations while the announcers went about their business. All the participants were already with their respective dance partners, including Sullyoon, you didn't know the order of who went first, but you were going to find out soon.

The first two contestants (especially the second one) had left you speechless, Tsuki and Xiaoting. The Chinese girl had left everyone in the gym stunned, her steps were so precisely strong and elegant that she was scary, it was as if she had been performing this type of dance all her life. You had no doubt that she would take first place, but you were still confident that Sully could take silver.

Her turn was just coming, and the first thing you did was take out your phone to record everything. How could it be otherwise, Sully was doing an excellent job, she wasn’t as strong and explosive as Xiaoting was, but she made up for everything with her facial expressions, her elegance and her figure, she was just perfect, every movement captivated you by complete, hypnotized you, you must have looked like an idiot by how you held your phone by one side and your gaze was completely lost on your girlfriend.

Anyway, her turn was over much faster than you expected, maybe you had lost track of time, but Sully was already doing a few bows of thanks as she left the ring to make way for the last contestant, Eunbi. She also gave a very good performance, it was quite evident that she was the most mature and experienced of the three, but of course, she hadn’t left you as amazed as the previous ones.

You lowered your phone, taking a quick look at the video you had just recorded as they prepared everything to announce the final podium. You noticed with your peripheral vision that thrones were being moved along with small platforms towards the center of the canvases, you waited patiently, with your sight on Sullyoon 70% of the time until the announcers spoke.

Xiaoting took first place, you weren't surprised at all, you expected it, but the surprises came in a matter of seconds. Second place went to Tsuki, you were surprised but not upset, she deserved it after all. Third place, however, made you jump out of your seat in anger, next thing you knew was that Sullyoon, unable to hide it due to her having to look pretty for the cameras and give the applause, was about to cry.

You clenched your fists full of disappointment and rage up to your neck, but eventually you calmed down, now you just felt helplessness for not being able to go down there and wipe the tears out of your girlfriend's cheeks. However, you were relieved to see her unnies arrive within seconds to comfort her, which soon made the tears disappear, and the sad, fake smiles appeared. She couldn't break down in front of the public eye, but you knew her, you knew that inside she was shattered.

The entire protocol and ceremony for the end of the competition was slower than expected, all the contestants had sat on their respective thrones for a few long minutes, until they finally stood up and began to say goodbye to their fans. Each one went to their respective area of the stands to interact, which meant that Sullyoon also approached you, you expected her to give you a look, a smile, whatever, but it just didn't happen; you frowned a bit confused, but in the end you just associated it with wanting her wanting to be nice and thank the people who are there supporting her since yesterday.

The moment Sullyoon returned to the halls you were immediately on your feet, almost running over several people as you made your way to the stairs. You were inside the gym again in the blink of an eye, and of course, the first thing you did was look for her like crazy; many people looked at you with suspicion, more than you would like, but in the end you found her, she walked next to her members, and Haewon kept wiping her tears.

"Sullyoonie!" you called her, and immediately everyone stopped to look at you, including her manager. Your girlfriend brought her hands to her mouth, and immediately her heartbroken crying returned as she walked right up to you, to bury her face in your chest.

"Uh... who is he?" you heard her manager say while you cuddle Sully between your arms.

"He's a good friend of ours, ah… don't worry, she's that affectionate with him," Haewon answered, being more nervous than a person.

Sully still had her face buried in your chest, sobbing like a little girl.

"My god... I'm so sorry, I'm sorry for disappointing you, I was terrible, I-"

"Hey hey hey, honey, please calm down," you cut her off in a whisper, your right hand on her head to press her against you, "you didn't disappoint me, and you definitely weren't terrible."

"What are you talking about? I got fourth place, it was terrible," her sobs seemed to lighten.

"A single night of competition does not define you as a dancer or as a performer, okay?" you knew that all the attention was on you two, so you kept the tone of your voice only audible to her, "you remember what I said, right? my number one."

Sullyoon separated her face from your chest, to look at you with her two bright eyes.

"Am I your number one?"

"You are my number one now, tomorrow, and forever."

There was a short silence in the hallway as Sullyoon looked at you with a faint smile.

"Take me to your place, daddy," she said, matching your tone, making sure no one else heard her.

"Uh, what?" you frowned

"I want to spend the night with you, please, I need it," she pleaded, her fingers crumpling your hoodie.

"Baby, I don't think th-"

"I'll tell Haewon unnie to cover me” she interrupted you now, “she'll know what to do, trust me, okay?" the sweetness with which she emphasized that last word melted your heart, and unable to refuse, you nodded, "thank you daddy."

She took a few steps back, then turned around and went straight to speak to her leader. You could tell from Haewon's face that she wasn't at all comfortable with the idea, but Jinni, on the other hand, saw you with a mischievous smile on her face, bit her lip slightly, and winked at you. You pretended not to have seen her, but you were lousy at pretending.

Finally Haewon and everyone else went down the opposite side of the hall, while Sullyoon met up with you again.

"We can go now, daddy."

—---------------------------------------------

When she walked into your apartment the first thing Sullyoon did was take off her heels and throw them somewhere between your sofa and your bookcase. You approached her from behind, and wrapped your arms around her abdomen, making her feel your warmth.

"What do you want to do now baby? I'm all for you tonight," you placed a kiss on her neck, and she cupped your cheek with her right hand before turning around.

She wrapped her arms around your neck, "take me to your room and kiss me all night daddy," she said with a spicy and seductive tone of voice, you couldn't help but smile at her sudden change of mood.

"I'd love to."

You crashed your lips against hers in a slow kiss at first, loving, careful, as the two of you have always been used to, but inevitably the situation began to heat up as your hands explored her body, mainly concentrating on her bare sweaty back. The kiss became passionate, deep, your tongue seeking total dominance of the situation as it got inside her mouth. You grabbed her ass with both hands, causing her to moan against your lips and bring her hand right to the bulge in your joggers for a gentle squeeze, while you practically blindly walked towards your room. When you finally arrived you opened the door with one hand and pulled her inside with you, then closed it with a little push from your back. You switched positions with her and sat on the edge of your bed, Sullyoon straddle your lap, not caring that the skirt of her dress rode up; you took advantage of the fact that her thighs were now completely exposed to caress them slowly, Sully responded to this by slowly grinding her hips on you.

"Wait, I want to do this for you daddy," she said breaking the kiss, to stand in front of you. She took a step back, played with her dress for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, the beautiful crimson piece was on the floor, revealing to you her white panties, and above all, the absence of her bra and her small beautiful tits. She stood there for a few seconds with her hands on her back, biting her lip and gently rubbing her right knee against her opposite knee, it was evident that she wanted to show you how her statuesque and perfect body looked together with her hairstyle and makeup, and fuck, you were as hard as a rock, which she knew more than well, "I hope you like what you see…" she said with a hint of shyness in her voice.

"I love it baby, I've told you many times that your body is just as beautiful as you are."

Sullyoon walked towards you, to kneel between your legs and make you spread them apart. She met your eyes as she stroked your cock gently through the fabric, a few seconds of silence forming in the moment.

"Can I suck your cock, daddy?" she said out of nowhere, in the purest and most tender way, but at the same time it was hot as fuck.

"Go ahead."

Giving her the green light, Sully grabbed her fingers around the edge of your joggers and boxers, pulling them both down to your ankles in one motion and throwing the clothes into a corner of the room; with your hard cock already free, she spit on her right hand and grabbed it with it, then started moving it up and down; you expected her to go straight for the main attraction, but instead she bent down slightly to take your balls in her mouth; she sucked on them gently as she slowly jerked you off, just the way you liked it, they were soon covered in her saliva.

Having had enough of your balls, Sully stuck out her tongue and slowly licked the back of your cock all the way to your tip, immediately surrounding it with her lips, giving it a light suck and then a few little licks around it. She knew perfectly well all the things that you loved, such as the fact that she looked into your eyes at all times, or that she was now worshiping your cock with needy kisses along your entire shaft. You ended up taking off the rest of the clothes that were left on your body, which prompted Sullyoon to take you into her mouth with a pronounced "mmmmmm" sound coming from her throat.

She took half of your cock, sucking it delicately and gracefully, like basically everything she did. The blowjob was nice and slow, but you weren't capable of demanding anything more from her, since that way she was already capable of driving you crazy with pleasure. Sullyoon noticed thanks to your heavy breathing and your little moans that she was doing a good job, so she decided to up the ante, taking a few more inches of your shaft inside her warm mouth, but not only that, she also added her hand under her lips, turning the act into a handjob as well.

The pumping of her head and her hand remained in a constant rhythm for several seconds, until with an extra effort she took you straight to her throat; her nose pressed against your pelvis, and you let out a long moan that made you close your eyes, but it wasn't long before her gag reflex kicked in, coughing against your cock and pulling it out of her mouth automatically. Now your manhood was slippery with her saliva, perfect time to fuck her, but you wanted to reward her first.

"Come here baby, sit on my face and let me eat you, you can still suck my cock if you want," you leaned in to kiss her forehead and then climbed onto the bed, laying your head on the pillow, Sully followed you, not before taking off her panties to throw them with the rest of her clothes. The first thing she did was obey your command, turning around to place her ass right on top of your face and press her thighs to either side of your head, finally she lowered her hips, and with it your mouth met her gleaming pussy.

A long moan escaped Sullyoon's mouth as you took your first taste of her pussy, as luscious as ever. You moved your tongue up and down between her folds multiple times, getting Sully to cling to the sides of your torso as her thighs began to squeeze your head even more. Soon her angelic moans made music to your ears, now you devoured her with greater intensity than before, concentrating on stimulating those points that you knew made her squirm on you. Your tongue went into her as deep as you could, and with that, your girlfriend's body fell forward with her tits pressing squarely into your abdomen, next thing you knew she had taken your cock into her mouth once more. 

To your surprise, the rhythm of Sullyoon's blowjob was no longer slow and delicate, it was now messy and sloppy as fuck; you expected no less, after all your tongue was fucking her pussy mercilessly, only coming out to give a few quick licks to her clit. You couldn't do anything but pay her with her own coin, you wanted to make sure she had the hell of a first orgasm, so you doubled your efforts on her pussy; you grabbed her buttocks with both hands and gave them a hard squeeze, followed by a hard spank that made her moan even louder around your cock.

You were both close to your own orgasms, she knew it, and you knew it. You wrapped your arms around Sullyoon's body in a tight hug that would hold her in her place for what was coming. Ready to give her the finishing touch, you transformed into a meat-hungry animal, eating her pussy like there was no tomorrow; she wasn't far behind, now she was taking your cock down her throat with every pump of her head, and it soon became too much for both of you.

Sullyoon's orgasm hit her with the intensity of a lightning, her thighs clenched so hard you felt like your head was going to be crushed, and all her muscles contracted thanks to her intense spasms, her delicious nectar shot straight into your mouth, and you made sure that not one drop went to waste. Your climax came right after, just as you released the first spurt of cum you thrust your hips up, Sullyoon understood and kept your cock buried in her throat as you shooted your entire load inside. You moaned against her pussy, causing her to squirm before choking on your cum, which seeped down the sides of her lips as she coughed. She pulled your cock out of her mouth, bathed in her saliva and your own load, but it took a few seconds of recovery for Sullyoon to start cleaning up the mess she'd made. Soon your cock was perfectly clean, and your cum, straight into her stomach.

The thighs and ass that nearly suffocated you (much to your regret) parted from your face. Sullyoon got off your body and turned her head to look at you with an innocent little smirk, as if she hadn't just swallowed all of your children and choked against your cock; she lay down next to you, who were still struggling to regulate your breathing, and  hugged you with one arm and one leg.

"Did I do a good job, daddy?" she asked pretending she didn't know the answer, even though she knew she was fucking amazing.

"Of course you did a good job, silly, can't you see I'm about to pass out?" you joked, managing to give her a small smile. Sullyoon giggled and patted you on the chest.

"I hope you haven't spent all your energy, you haven't made love to me yet…" she whispered, to give you a little kiss on her cheek.

And as if you had downed four cans of Monster, your entire body recharged in a matter of milliseconds.

You were on top of her in an instant, both of your hands on either side of her head, she spread her legs wide for you and cupped your cock in her hand to rub it against her folds, your gaze never leaving hers at any time, not even when she lined you up with her entrance, so you just had to start thrusting slowly. Sullyoon's face transformed into a beautiful work of art as your cock buried itself inch by inch inside her extra tight wet pussy, and it wasn't until your full length was inside her that her back arched and her eyes closed, releasing a loud moan that prompted you to start moving your hips back and forth.

It was clear that you weren't there to fuck her like an animal, you were there to fuck her the way she really deserved, like an elegant and pretty princess. You filled her with little kisses all over her face, and your hands gently caressed every part of her body; she wrapped her arms around your neck and drew you in for a passionate kiss, which did nothing more than set the mood of the situation, you felt how she was trying to convey all her love to you through the kiss, gratitude for all the things you had done for her and above all, for having been there for her on such an important night.

Her legs caught your torso in a tight embrace, prompting you to thrust deeper and harder inside her, but not increasing the pace in any way. She broke away from her kiss to moan against your lips, her ragged breath impacting right into your face.

"Look at me, baby," you whispered between gasps, as your cock slid in and out all the way inside her. Sullyoon opened her eyes full of desire just to see you, "I love you, with all my life."

"I... I-ah! I-I love you too Daddy, with all... all my life," she managed to give you a small smirk even above the pleasure, "never leave me, please."

You couldn't do anything but stop for a few seconds, to smile back at her.

"I never will, I promise…" you leaned in to kiss her again and resume your thrusts inside her. You fucked her like that for a little while, until you came out of her pussy and lay down on the side, and as if she had read your mind, Sullyoon lay on her side, presenting you with the beautiful back you had been admiring all night, and above all, her perfect round ass.

Sullyoon arched her back a little, so that her ass was now pressed against your cock, which you took to align with her pussy again, and with a slow but steady thrust, you were back inside her. She moved her hand towards you and grabbed the back of your neck, drawing you back into a kiss. You made a few small adjustments to the position, starting with Sullyoon lying on your left arm, which gave you complete freedom to hug her with it, or play with her boobs while your right hand was on her waist.

"Daddy…" she murmured in a husky voice, inches from your lips.

"Yes?" you gasped.

"Could you fuck me faster, please?" she asked unexpectedly, you were used to her loving you to be tender with her.

"Are you sure honey? I thought you liked me being cuddly with you…" you sank into her neck for a moment, giving her hickeys and kisses.

"I just... ah... I just w-want to give it a try," her fingers tangled in your hair tightened a bit, "please..." that last word was said through a moan, which made you turn on twice as much as you already were.

The increase in speed in your thrusts was discreet at first, you didn't want to hurt her with some unmeasured movement, after all, but as the seconds passed Sullyoon's moans grew louder, so much so that they didn't seem to come from her. You didn't know how hard she was going to like it, so you decided to keep your thrusts at a moderate pace, just enough to make her ass jiggle as it met your pelvis. You weren't complaining about doing that, it felt fucking amazing, especially since now her pussy was tighter than usual, if that was possible, but still your cock was going in and out of her without any resistance, due to how wet she was.

But apparently the surprises weren't over yet, Sullyoon took your right arm by the wrist and guided your hand directly to her neck.

"Ha-rd-der Daddy, p-please, harder!" Now you didn't know if you were fucking turned on or fucking confused, Sullyoon definitely didn't look like herself, she had completely transformed, just like when she danced tonight, but you didn't do anything but please her, tightening your fingers on her neck and starting to fuck her fast and hard.

Sully's moans (almost screams) and the sound of your pelvis crashing against her ass with each thrust were now the only things audible in the room. Your face was buried in her neck, which you soon began to soak with sweat due to the effort you were making to keep up your pace without exhausting yourself.

"Daddy! I'm going to cum, don't stop, please don't stop!" she said between breathy moans, running her hand over your body to place it on your ass.

"Fucking cum baby, cum for Daddy…" you whispered against her ear, grabbing her thigh to lift her leg as you fucked her with the force of a train. It didn't take long until after a few thrusts Sullyoon completely exploded around your cock, her walls almost suffocating it. Her entire body writhed as if she was being possessed by some kind of demon, as the spasms she was suffering were nothing you had ever seen from her before. It took an extra effort to hold her in place, but she definitely had the hell of an orgasm.

You slowed down considerably while she was able to breathe again, you took your face out of her neck for a moment to see her in detail, all her makeup was smeared with sweat, and her perfect hairstyle was now all disheveled. It took her a few seconds to see you, but in doing so she gave you the green light.

"Cum inside me, daddy, and please…don't be careful," she said cupping the side of your face with her hand and caressing your cheek with her thumb.

You didn't need more. You hugged Sullyoon with both arms, giving her your warmth, showing her that she belonged to you and no one else, making her feel like what she was, your little baby deer. But that was just the contrast of the force with which you fucked her again. Your own orgasm wasn't far off, so it only took half a minute for you to start expending the last of your energy.

Your hold on her tightened, your nose pressed against her cheek as you gasped for air, and with one last push, you shot your entire load into Princess Sullyoon's pussy. Your orgasm hit you much harder than ever, you crumpled the pillowcase under you, and lightly bit the sharp and defined jaw of your girlfriend, who sighed and shuddered as she felt all your thick liquid paint her walls. A few thrusts in and out of her were enough to make every last drop of your essence remain inside her.

"Thank you daddy..." she said in a weak voice, struggling in vain not to close her eyes, because in the end she fell asleep, not caring if you were still inside her or not.

It took you a moment to catch your breath, but as you recovered you got down to business, the first thing you did was get out of her, causing most of your load to spill out of her pussy onto the bed; you gave her a little kiss on the cheek and another on the forehead before getting out of bed, and went straight to the bathroom to grab toilet paper and come back to clean up the whole mess. Once clean, you grabbed a blanket from your closet and spread it out to cover Sullyoon with.

And just then, you heard the sound of a notification on your phone, which you took out of the pocket of your joggers on the floor. It was a message from Jinni. Your jaw almost hit the ground with the photo she had sent.

It was her in the bathroom you assumed she had placed the phone on the floor next to the door, but she was posing with her back to the camera, looking over her shoulder, only in her underwear, her two hands grabbing her ass so that you get a little glimpse of her cloth-covered pussy as well.

<<You can fuck me whenever you want too, you just have to ask me... daddy.>>

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

Spren Notes:

Well, it's my first time writing something so fucking cute and fluffy, but Sullyoon deserves it.

I hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to support me on ko fi if you want. https://ko-fi.com/lustspren

#kpop smut #smut #sullyoon smut #nmixx smut #kpop fanfic #male reader smut #male reader insert #male reader

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

ROUND 2 MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

The Book of the War

Synopsis

The Great Houses: Immovable. Implacable. Unchanging. Old enough to pass themselves off as immortal, arrogant enough to claim ultimate authority over the Spiral Politic.

The Enemy: Not so much an army as a hostile new kind of history. So ambitious it can re-write worlds, so complex that even calling it by its name seems to underestimate it.

Faction Paradox: Renegades, ritualists, saboteurs and subterfugers, the criminal-cult to end all criminal-cults, happy to be caught in the crossfire and ready to take whatever's needed from the wreckage… assuming the other powers leave behind a universe that's habitable.

The War: A fifty-year-old dispute over the two most valuable territories in existence: "cause" and "effect."

Marking the first five decades of the conflict, THE BOOK OF THE WAR is an A to Z of a self-contained continuum and a complete guide to the Spiral Politic, from the beginning of recordable time to the fall of humanity. Part story, part history and part puzzle-box, this is a chronicle of protocol and paranoia in a War where the historians win as many battles as the soldiers and the greatest victory of all is to hold on to your own past…

Propaganda

Is it about Dr Who? I mean, sort of. Arguably. You could say the Doctor is present in it. Somewhat. Not by name tho because that would be illegal. But definitely there are uh. well. there's definitely stuff in it that's DWesque. It's Dr Who Adjacent. It's Dr Whoish. Strong Dr Who vibes. (@eighthdoctor )

Experimental sci-fantasy that defined the Time War and started a whole series of its own. (anonymous)

The City of the Dead

Synopsis

“Nothing can get into the TARDIS,” the Doctor whispered. Then he realised that Nothing had.

New Orleans, the early 21st century. A dealer in morbid artefacts has been murdered. A charm carved from human bone is missing. An old plantation, miles from any water, has been destroyed by a tidal wave.

Anji goes dancing. Fitz goes grave-robbing. The Doctor attracts the interest of a homicide detective and the enmity of a would-be magician. He wants to find out the secret of the redneck thief and his blind wife. He'd like to help the crippled curator of a museum of magic. He's trying to refuse politely the request of a crazy young artist that he pose naked with the man's wife.

Most of all, he needs to figure out what all of them have to do with the Void that is hunting him down.

Before it catches him.

Propaganda

It has dark magic and someone is hunting the Doctor in his dreams. Also great worldbuilding. (anonymous)

#round 2

[historia-vitae-magistras]

The Danegeld Axe

Part Four: Assets

First Installment: Here. Last Installment: Here. Current Installment: You are here! Next Installment: Here.

Author's note: Inspired by the 1950s short story "The Man Who Came Early" by Poul Anderson. This installment of the Viking-time-travel au sees government employees being stupid, Matthew Williams being less stupid and Arthur Kirkland finally snapping.

21st Century Washington DC Diplomatic Security Service

"Does the name Kirkland mean anything to you?"

"Costco brand home goods?" He grinned and slid a cup of shitty coffee to his executive branch counterpart. “Yeah, some aquaintance of my primary asset.”

“He’s your asset’s father, as far as anyone can tell.”

“Is that how they’re related? Huh. Good to know. The name has come up here and there.”

“Didn’t they tell you?”

“They don’t tell me shit. Everyone knows this is a cushy post. Keep the genius on board and try to keep his tinkering budget below world-ending for a couple of years. Do that, get one of the prestige posts overseas. Boom, career made. Jones hasn’t done anything but cooperate since I got here. What else did I need to know?”

“Yeah, well, he’s a well-connected genius. The father is old world money. And I mean old. The kind of money that's been bulking up interest since the crusades.”

"Jesus. Why do you ask?"

"He got wind you were looking for his other kid before he went missing."

“Matthew Williams was old European money? You’re not serious. He did grass with homeless guys in Stanley Park and drove a 78 Chevy. Everyone knows Alfred has got the brains and business sense.”

"As best anyone can tell, Alfred was probably conceived in Kirkland's navy days.”

Corcoran snorted. “Half of Boston is a Fleet Week baby.”

“Not an English fleet week, baby. No one knows. Williams was probably from Halifax or Arctic Command, maybe. No one knows their mother, if she's even the same one. They don’t live like old money, but the Kirklands spend way too much time around Downing Street to be nobodies, though.“

"There are more than one?”

“Three brothers at least. Unconfirmed but suspected sister somewhere in the mix.”

"So?"

"So tread carefully is all I'm saying. You’ve just lost his other kid on the ISS. And he’s bound to find out eventually.”

“I did what?”

British Embassy Washington D.C.

“What did you find?” Arthur sprang to his feet as soon as Matthew passed through the door. He hadn’t even gotten the fucking key out of the door before his father sprung on him.

“Nothing. Not a fucking thing. His place is in its usual state when he’s up there.” Complete chaos. Matt pressed his fingers into his temple, and the executive office and the state department were completely normal. Everything is normal. Nothing looks wrong. No one said anything. Nothing on the computers, nothing in the records.”

"Is your access still that high?”

“Of course not,” Matt snorted. “As far as the US government knows, I’ve been dead for about a year. I just use Alfred’s third set of back-ups.”

“How on earth—”

“Last time I took a northwoods sabbatical.”

“You mean the last time you had a mental breakdown and spent three months in the woods eating possum liver?"

“I prefer racoons thank you, and…” Matthew rubbed the back of his neck, preparing for the backlash. “Well, that was the second to last time.”

“What?” His father’s face was instantly furious and even more worrying, his father was concerned. “Matthew!”

He wasn’t having it. Not today. “I’m fine. I’m not the one missing from this mortal fucking plane. Point is, as far as the US government is concerned, I don’t exist.”

His father’s brain was working, his worry between Matthew standing before him and his firstborn clearly in conflict. Not on his face, never on his face, but Matthew knew what the slight flex of one hand meant. Alfred won. He always won. “And there’s no chance of them noticing? All that you’ve been doing?”

“What do you think?” Matthew snapped as he collapsed in a chair, and as fast as his temper had flared, it was gone. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled, feeling sick where there’d been a fire a moment ago. “Sorry.”

Arthur approached gently. “You didn’t sense anything?”

“Nothing.” He pressed his palms into his eyes. “Not a fucking thing. I woke up two nights ago feeling like this and it hasn’t changed.” The sick, cold feeling was back. It was like missing organs, or his skin, or half of himself. Maybe more than half of himself.

“You should sleep. You haven’t since I arrived.”

“I can’t sleep! I need answers.”

“We can’t get answers if you collapse on me. And we will get answers.” Matt hadn’t cried so far, but Arthur pushed his hair off his face and tapped him under the jaw in that affectionate ‘chin up, lad’ sort of way, and he couldn’t stop himself. His eyes itched, but he would not cry. Instead, he buried his face in his father’s shoulder, pressing his forehead hard enough to hurt. It was pathetic. He was grown. But he couldn't bring himself to care. Alfred was lost, and his entire body felt so wrong, with only his frosted fields and forests and none of the blast of noise and life that was his brother.

“You know what? Fuck this. I brought your good knife. Let's get answers.”

#the ask box || probis pateo #my writing || cacoethes scribendi #arthur || stone set in the silver sea #matthew || my country is winter #the dangeld axe to grind: the viking age time travel au

[sojourner-between-worlds]

Thanks to @ygobattleroyale 's King of the Autism poll/tournament/thing that's gearing up, I am here to once again spread propaganda for my (current) favorite autistic blorbo, Yusei Fudo, since he rightfully made the bracket.

I had a whole essay started once that I never finished, but here I will be summing up some of the main points. This is also based on the sub. (Not hating on the dub in this post but the two are so vastly different they are practically different canons so I thought I should probably specify.)

Someone on here pointed out once that Yusei has "resting b*tch face" aka flat affect and I've been thinking about that ever since. (Wish I could credit them but I can't find the post again, haha. Had screenshots and everything. Very thorough.)

He's pretty straightforward. He says what he means and he means what he says. He doesn't sugarcoat things or beat around the bush. The first line he has is a very blunt question followed by an equally blunt response to the answer he receives.

My guy oscillates wildly between semi-verbal and hyperverbal. He's the main character but you literally do not hear his voice for the first seven minutes of the show and when he's not in life-threatening situations he's really pretty quiet most of the time. But then you also have the episode with Bruno where Crow comments how Yusei has never talked to him that much at once -- maybe in total ever -- and along with that, Jack being offended that apparently Yusei never has important conversations with him (also pertains to the above point since Yusei was being very blunt in that moment and a little bit mean, though that's not the way he obviously meant it to be, lol.)

The whole of meeting Bruno, okay? All Of That. He makes friends with Bruno in about .2 seconds to the point of sharing Super Secret Plans with him all because of a shared interest in mechanics and engineering. #autisticbonding

Crow also points out that Yusei really seemed to perk up while talking to and working with Bruno, which is very on point for engaging with a special interest especially when you have someone to engage in said interest with.

He's obviously shown to have a strong interest in Duel Monsters (obviously) as well as mechanics and engineering. He built his first fully functional d-wheel out of scrap parts by the time he was 16, after all.

During the WRGP opening gala, one of the other teams comes up to him and are excited and wanting to talk to him and he completely brushes them off and walks away. Crow calls him out on it (“hey man, that was really rude!”) and he’s like “oh whoops, yeah I guess you’re right.” He may have been distracted by other things, but this is still peak "failure to read social cues".

Having a strong moral compass gets him into trouble on more than one occasion. Because of his circumstances, he has a strong (and justified) distrust of authority, and he’s not afraid to break laws that he deems unjust. Even though breaking out of Satellite isn’t in itself for any moral reason (its just the means to an end), he isn’t afraid of breaking the law that says he isn’t allowed to leave because he sees that law as unjust and doesn’t understand why it exists. (For the record, it is unjust but that’s not the point, haha.)

I am sure there are more points, but that's all I've got for now, haha. Feel free to add anything I missed, and be sure to vote for Yusei when the polls start!

#yugioh 5ds #ygo 5ds #yusei fudo #fudo yusei #shameless propaganda for this tournament...bracket...thingy lol #*insert car salesman meme* you can fit so much autism in this bad boy #autistic yusei fudo #i will be reblogging all of the polls btw #i'm sorry for anyone following me for anything other than yugioh lol

[headingalaxys-spicy]

Can we add a grim reaper darling in your angel/demon au? A neutral being between angels and demons but still have distaste for both of them due to demons interfering with their soul collecting. And angles looking down on them because soul collecting is their punishment for not appreciating the gift of life once given to them and they ungreatfully gave it up. (In short, self deletion)

Of course, they will fall in love with them but since grim reapers don't discriminate and they take down whoever gets in their way or needs to go. The yanderes would really need to be careful with this darling. Because they all know where it will end if they made the wrong move, at the end of their death scythe's blade.

Happy First day of October ya'll! Spooky asks will be posted all this month!

Of course, they will fall in love with them but grim reapers don’t discriminate and they take down whoever gets in their way. The yanderes will need to be careful with this darling. Because they all know where it will end if they made it the wrong move: at the end of deaths blade. 

I’m going to be doing this in groups with their opposites. 

America, England, Germany, & Japan (Angels) 

When it comes to keeping track of you it’s likely they have one of their right hands or a high ranking Angel handling the job. Such things like what your process when you soul collect? Do you spend more time in limbo, the human realm, or the underworld. These are all preliminary info so that they at least have some decent reason to approach you. Depending on your mood & the task you just completed: collecting the actual soul or recording the death. (Which is where the real emotional drain is for you because you do have to get into the nitty-gritty details on what led-up to their death in case any other other worldy being has inquiries.) 

Depending on the life that the hamn lived these records are used as tie breakers on where a soul is sent. They’ll always ask for “help” in finding one soul or another to possibly strike up a longer conversation that hopefully leads into non-work related subjects. 

America, England, Germany, & Russia (Demons) 

They’ll have scouter demons hunt for common portal spots that you use when you’re about to collect a mass amount of souls when a major catastrophic event happens. They like to disrupt you during these events because they know it prevents souls from receiving a final judgment/ resting place in a timely manner. The scouts typically use cherry bombs, fire arrows and bullets doused in otherwordly sleeping agents, and cause freaky storms that affect the souls that had just died. This provokes you enough to where you do occasionally attack. When you do so they get a better gauge on yor fighting style, strength, and any other combat attributes they should take note of to report back to their demon kings. They do this because every blue moon they do come up with elaborate plans to ensnare you. These attacks either leave you with a major migraine, a hangover or being irritated to hell. 

They’re also not above putting trackers in your dark robe. 

China, France, Japan, & Spain (Angels) 

This is a dangerous as fuck tactic but they enjoy watching you while you counsel souls. They will disguise themselves as a human so that they can watch as you assess the prominent / defining moments and on some occasions, advocates for souls who’d been given unfair judgments. It's dangerous for them because its disrespectful to the soul in question to have other angels listen in who have little to no involvement. They’ll allow their ears to literally burn so that they can linger close as possible without being seen, while you ease mortal souls into being on a new plane of existence. Once you do catch that you have other “humans” in you midst, you politely pause the session that you had with the human to you can bring out your scythe to smite the nosey angels with lightning or fire. You intentionally miss them, but get your shots close enough to make a point. 

<All I can hear in my head while I imagine this scene is Blitzo shouting: DANCE BITCH! As you fire off shots, dear reader ahahahah.>

If they refuse to leave after the first few minutes of being shot at, then you do transform your blade into a machine gun-like weapon with blessed bullets designed to hinder angels. The bullets have some long-lasting inconvenient effects such as: 

Being inebriated for up to a week 

Sudden points in time where an angel will just knock out to be unconscious for varying periods of time. So it’s best for Angels not to fly for a month or so after being hit by one of these bullets. 

Only France has been hit and oh boy has he been able to tell the story of wow being hit by one is awful. This happened after he tried to give you roses while still in his human form. Being “brave for the sake of love” was a really stupid idea. 

Canada, England, Italy,&  Romano (Demons)

Requests the aid of imps to keep an eye out for you whenever you happen to be in their area of hell conducting official business on behalf of a mortal soul. You tend to be kurt with them if they try to extend past basic pleasantries. It also doesn’t help that they do try to give whatever spirit that you’re trying to obtain justice for unfair, cruel & downright inhumane contracts. It’s even worse if said person's soul fell into their specific domain & got trapped there. (The demon kings to some extent, do soul collecting of their own. Souls can move between the kingdoms. Just it’s sometimes difficult depending on the season amount of light, fire, ice etc that can obstruct passageways… and the demonic beasts that roman freely that are hungry for souls. 

They’ll set up traps, incantations, and even love potions to conjure up ways to bring you to one of the demon kings that’s paying the highest ransom and imps that are loyal and eager to Arthur, Feliciano, Matthew, or Romano’s trust and be boosted within their societies. The adrenaline

, drugs, and determination will be running rampant in all of the underworlds. These demons will be excited to get prestige if they manage to succeed. Hell, even ripping off a piece of your long dark robes or chipping the polished wood off your blade would get them a hefty prize. 

America, Canada, England, and Russia (Angels) 

Collaboratively, over a few drinks they will start by dabbling in poetry to try and seduce you with gentle, melodic words. This works…for like the time it takes for a leaf to fall to the ground. You’ll pause and roll your glowing eyes at the thought of trying to persuade you with fluffy words that offer no real sustenance. You slowly raise your hand that holds your scythe upwards like a ticking clock. 

“If you’re smart, you’ll heed my warning. Prepare to feel pain so bad that you’ll want the ability to die.” They’ll be biting on their nails mentally but will but on a facade that shows otherwise. 

America: “You can’t; it’s against heaven’s rules, dude! You wouldn’t want to upset the contract you signed.” 

Canada: “We’re in the mortal realm. There are people who could get hurt.” 

England: “You’re going to make it come to life and become a terrible beast. Those things can become harder than Cerberus dogs to tame, make a deal with, or to knock out. 

Russia: “Not a very friendly thing for you to do Y/N.” Their eyes will be glaring laser beams at your onyx clothes. You didn’t flinch at the holier-than-thou glares that they were giving you. You bring both of your arms up over yor head, giving the weak threats no place to sit in your mind. You needed them out of your way, you had important business to conduct. Retreating is suggested since being sliced in half isn’t pleasant nor is having your wings hacked off. Matthew was the only one who decided to teleport away. Alfred, Arthur, and Ivan decided to fuck around and find out. You cut their wings off slowly…. To make sure they’ll never try that dumb shit ever again. 

Germany, Italy, Japan, Prussia, Romano, & Spain (Angels) 

They all have the clever idea to disguise themselves as animals and mask their angelic auras this way you’re less likely to detect them. You’re not able to detect them unless they’re within 4 feet of you so this is a strong spell that is highly effective. Your work requires you to concentrate mainly on human souls. However, you have a few handpicked assistants who manage all of the animal clients. You only hired the most tender-hearted people. This group will follow you disguised as: 

German Shepard (Ludwig)

Persian Cat (Feliciano) 

Hokkaido Fox (Kiku) 

Hedgehog (Antonio) 

Corsican Red Deer (Romano) 

Grey Wolf (Gilbert) 

They use these disguises to follow you around and eavesdrop on conversations you have with mortal souls and your workers. They do this in order to see what angels have been assigned to a human case so that they can ask for exchanges and make reasonable requests as to why they should be done, in order to gain cases that need your close monitoring. When they do manage to bribe a few cases away from those who need to work closely with you, the working relationships are vastly different depending on who it is. 

Ludwig, Kiku, and Gilbert it’s smooth and despite the extra stares that they give you while you talk or them inching a little closer to you than you’d like it’s not so bad. However, the complete opposite is for Antonio, Feliciano, & Romano they slow down the process with archaic rituals & rites just so you’ll have to spend more of eternity with them. In the beginning, you roll your eyes and allow it to continue since you understood that beings of light and darkness had spiritual needs that had to be met. The three of them will take the hint when your bony fingers impatiently drum on the desk. They’ll pick up the pace and, while doing so hope that their small act of consideration will change your mind about being with them. 

China, Japan, Prussia, Spain (Demons) 

They come together to create an elaborate plan to catch your attention to win you over with disguises, food, meddling with client files, human lives, and many other atrocities that 100% violate quite a few points in the Geneva Convention. 

Let's just say that they did some meddling in a few nations' politics. Used their demonic power to create more chaos within places of high power to the lower classes of societies. Spread the worries and the woes. Misery loves company, doesn’t it? Spread it out in droves. People gossip about how things are as they shouldn’t be. From this point onward, it will be a chain reaction of tension and anger. Like dominoes toppling over, so do many relationships where toxic new ones will form. 

Angels will become busier than usual to diffuse some of the ignited bombs of hate. Some attempts were successful, others not so much. Leaving some parts of humanity in the midst of the rubble. While much of heaven is trying to manage the fires out on earth, Kiku and Yao will take the time to raid the files and shuffle them. This will make the average time for souls to receive a final judgment much longer. Keeping more people in limbo. More resources will have to be diverted in a reorganization effort, causing you to have to work closely with both head angels and the head demons. Even if you’re reprimanding them, they’ll take the added time you talk to them as a win. 

The final judgments will also be affected because people behave differently whenever a sudden onset crisis like war, flood, fires, etc happen. The result of the meddling resulted in 250k+ people. You won’t be getting a decent amount of rest for 10 years managing these cases. But it was your duty….So you pulled out a statute of justice scale to help you judge where souls will go. 

Bonus: (I’m not entirely sure why I wrote it but I thought it was funny to add in what others in this would be doing while all of this was going on.) 

The Nordics

 They’re having a blast whether they’re demons or angels laughing at the chaos…. But do have a reason to intervene if the fighting causes too much disruption and destruction. They will try the diplomatic middle by using a delicate mix of force, deals, trades etc to ease the conflict. And yes, the Nordic Angels and Demons are on the same team like superheroes. Haha. Just like Denmark has always wanted. (Cue all the furniture from IKEA to form the giant robot man.) 

Hungary, Austria, Liechtenstein, & Switzerland

Having a fancy tea party / sleepover to pass the time until they stop hearing screams from an angel being tormented outside. 

Prussia

Helping Germany in all scenarios. 

Thanks for reading ya’ll! Happy Spooky Season.

#hws #hetalia fandom #hetalia #hws america #yandere hetalia #alfred f jones #hws germany #hws canada #hws russia #hetalia demon au #hetalia angel au #headingalaxys writes stuff #hetalia headcannons #hetalia fanfiction #hetalia fanfiction writers #hetalia fanfiction writer

[littleoddwriter]

Hello my amazing and wonderful friend

I have missed your writing so dearly so I'm gonna take advantage of your asks being open right now and request a short college AU fic for Zsaszmask. It can be established relationship with just a look into their life or a first meeting. Write whatever is easiest for you, I will just be happy to read the words you wrote.

Kajahqhqh I'm so bad at sending requests so I hope this makes sense.

Wanna Hate You | Roman Sionis x Victor Zsasz | ZsaszMask

Hello there, my dearest friend! <3 Aw, thank you so much!!! And no worries, you made complete sense, heh. I hope you like what I did with it, thanks for the request, dhjfkhsjk! <3 summary; Victor wants to hate Roman, but finds himself fascinated by the young man. notes; College AU; First Meeting; Mentions of Violence.

Boisterous fake laughter echoed through the hall and into Victor’s dorm room. 

He wanted to hate the guy the loudest laugh belonged to. He tried very hard to hate him. After all, that guy was beyond obnoxious. Victor had every reason to resent him, really.

But something about him just caught his attention. He knew exactly what it was, but that didn’t make it any less confusing to him. 

Roman Sionis. The heir of the Sionis’ legacy and Janus Corp. A spoiled brat that had people gravitate toward him for the simple fact of who his parents were and that he had money. Lots of it. It was all incredibly fake, but Roman entertained them all. He thrived on the attention he got, fake or not. He loved to boss them around, to feel like a God, as they practically kissed the ground he walked on. 

Yet there was something lurking beneath the surface. Roman was like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at every minor inconvenience or grievance that came his way. Victor was fascinated by that. 

No matter how hard Sionis tried to play the perfect boy with Daddy’s money, making connections at Gotham Academy, he always failed to maintain it completely. 

There was an incident at least once a week, where Roman just lost it and punched somebody in the face, humiliated somebody, harassed those around him, yelled them into submission and fear, or even pulled a knife on them. The list went on. 

At least once a week, Roman snapped. And every time, his parents cleaned up his mess with bribery to keep Roman in college and to keep all those incidents off the records. Every victim was paid off, sometimes never to be seen again. 

As much as he didn’t want to admit it to himself, Victor looked forward to those incidents every day. They were what made college more interesting, what made Roman so fascinating and captivating. They were the only reason Victor couldn’t get himself to hate the guy. 

In fact, Victor often found himself thinking about how he could bring Roman’s next outburst along faster without making himself take the brunt of it. He liked to watch. To see that fire in Roman’s eyes as the mask started to crack and slip and his true self reared its ugly head. 

Part of him felt like it was unfair, though, that he knew so much about Roman and was fascinated by him, only for the other to not even know he existed. 

Victor was pretty good at fading into the background. Usually, that was exactly what he wanted. He didn’t like attention; especially all that fake crap these college kids at Gotham Academy were so very good at. But he started to crave attention from Roman. He wanted and needed it. And it really bothered him that Roman had no idea. 

Victor has been racking his brain, trying to find a good way to introduce himself to Roman, get his attention and keep it. 

As it turned out, Victor fantasised about all the different ways he could go about it for nothing.

___

After a full day of classes, which he all hated and he failed to remember why he went to college in the first place, Victor returned to his dorm room. He didn’t have a roommate, luckily. So, of course he was very surprised to find somebody in his room on that evening.

How Roman got inside was beyond Victor. Maybe he underestimated him. Maybe Roman was really good at picking locks.

He stared at Roman, trying to decide on what to say and how. He couldn’t mess up his chance of finally having Roman’s attention on him.

“Are you mute or something?” Roman asked rudely, crossing his legs one over the other and leaning back in Victor’s desk chair. 

Victor frowned, shaking his head. He hated to admit it, but Roman made him speechless. And he also made him feel exposed, now that his piercing blue eyes looked Victor up and down.

“What’re you doing in my room?” Victor asked back instead. 

“Waiting for you, obviously,” Roman answered, looking around the small room with a disgusted expression, “I’d never set a foot in this sort of mess otherwise.”

“Why?” 

Roman’s eyes snapped back up to Victor’s face. He stared at him for a long moment.

“I’ve noticed you and your little habit,” Roman sneered, “You’re always there when I’m having one of my… moments. Always watching. But instead of appearing to be scared or put off, you just smile. Like I’m entertaining you with my outbursts.”

Victor couldn’t believe what he just heard. Roman actually noticed him? The spoiled brat was more observant than Victor had expected. 

Giving Roman a lopsided smile, Victor responded, “You're very entertaining when you snap. It makes you interesting to me. They all had it coming anyway.”

Roman’s eyes seem to light up at that and he shoots Victor a toothy grin in response, “So you agree. You agree that those fake maggots deserve to be squashed.”

“I do,” Victor nods. “But I don’t get why you hold yourself back so much if you want to put them in their place.” 

“Because of my stupid fucking parents,” Roman groaned, “I’m already on thin fucking ice with my father as it is. He keeps threatening to cut me off and I can’t let that happen.”

“Why not? You’d be free if he did.” Victor’s words were blunt and he could see that Roman was intrigued, but also hated it, since he probably wasn’t used to anyone challenging what he said. At least not like that.

“I know that. But… I don’t think I could handle the humiliation,” Roman said in a whiny voice that - surprisingly - Victor didn’t find annoying.

“You could. With me by your side.”

There was a spark in Roman’s eyes, “Oh? Forward much, aren’t we?”

Victor shrugged. He didn’t care. Not anymore. This was his chance and he’d take it, no matter what.

Tapping his fingers against his thigh, Roman continued, “Well, what do you suggest? I can’t just let myself be cut off without a plan…”

___

Victor wanted to hate Roman the second he heard his annoying, loud fake laughter ring through the dorm halls at Gotham Academy. He wanted to resent him, but instead felt pulled toward him. Roman Sionis was a magnetic field and no one stood a chance when getting too close, least of all Victor. 

Now, twenty years later, Victor couldn’t possibly care less. Roman was his and his alone. 

They both thrived, running their businesses and revelling in their true selves. No more hiding. No more lurking. No more Mommy and Daddy that could ruin all the fun. That was the first thing they had taken care of all those years ago. Roman was much better suited as the head and face of Janus Corp, after all, with Victor by his side.

#as per usual this started to run away from me (esp when i write for them... i do not have control then) #roman sionis #victor zsasz #zsaszmask #fanfiction

[beannary]

Tell me absolutely everything about this Percy Jackson au please

ok so i wrote a WHOLE ANSWER to this question while i was walking back to work after my lunch break and long story short my phone refused to post it because it did not want to connect to the museum wifi and there is no cell service where i work so i may miss some things as im writing it out now because ive already written it out once before but OK LETS GO

so Hamato Yoshi moves from Japan to Hollywood and becomes famed movie star Lou Jitsu, and falls in love with Big Mama, the owner of the Lotus Hotel in Las Vegas. When Lou proposes to Big Mama she accepts! But she also is like we need to have our wedding or the honey moon or something basically she's like we need to go to my hotel and Lou is like sick this is so cool and normal and BOOM two seconds later like multiple decades have passed .

Baron Draxum is a scientist/historian who has fallen into this ancient greece sort of niche. He's not a demigod BUT he has the ability to see through the mist and has seen weird things happen and has dedicated his life to figuring out what is up. He manages to figure out that the mist exists and that it has something to do with ancient greek mythology, and he manages to figure out how to tell if a location is like enshrouded in the mist, which leads him to the lotus hotel. Draxum knows something is up with this hotel but then he starts noticing people who are dressed as if they are from completely different periods in time, and THEN he notices famed movie star Lou Jitsu and he's like ok theres some weird time thing going on here and he connects the dots between the Lotus Hotel and the Lots Beds from the mythology and he basically just yoinks Lou out of the hotel who is now like girl what on earth is happening its WHAT YEAR?????

im trying to figure out how the boys get in the picture. I was thinking that Draxum while doing his research ended up finding these four boys, who he determined somehow were the children of gods, and he wanted to do research and experiments on them. I think this would happen before he rescued Lou Jitsu from the Lotus Hotel maybe a few months before? Draxum ends up taking Lou Jitsu to his home where Lou is like thanks for saving me dude real cool of you, wait a second are those KIDS? YOURE DOING EXPERIMENTS ON THEM? and basically Lou is like actually no we are leaving now actually and he nabs the boys and dips in the middle of the night

Raph would be three, Donnie and Leo two, and Mikey one when Lou Jitsu takes them from Draxum, and I think the four of them were just in various orphanages or group homes before Draxum got them

Raph i think would be a son of ares but im still debating that Leo is a son of athena Donnie is a son of hephaestus Mikey is a son of apollo

The boys would have done the demigod thing where they bounce around schools every year. Leo is actually the one who gets expelled every year and he has a reputation as a trouble maker, but he's actually covering for Donnie. Donnie's you know super into tech and building but a lot of his stuff explodes or attracts monsters. Leo takes the fall for all these accidents and all the destruction because donnie wants to go to like higher education, wants to go to like university and whatever and it would look super bad on his record if he was getting expelled from every school. Leo on the other hand doesnt really care and he's normally around when Donnie's doing his inventing so its pretty easy for him to take the blame.

Because the boys are constantly bouncing around schools they dont really have any friends. Theyre only friend is April O'Neil who is their neighbor and who is able to see through the mist. She really runs with their chaos and all that. OH also the boys don't know that theyre demigods until they actually end up at camp, and Lou doesn't know the godly parents of the boys until again they end up being claimed at camp.

I think that Casey will also be a demigod? a daughter of ares i think. and about april i want her to either become the oracle of delphi like rachel does in the pjo books, or i think she'll start learning how to manipulate the mist like hazel does in hoo

all of this i just thought of today though so im bound to change things as the au develops and like feel free to chime in if you have any ideas because im really just flying by the seat of my pants with this one

#bean babbles #answered asks #rose-garden-posts #pjo au #im thinking so much about this au guys im so normal about this