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cozyteez · 4 years

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Hii, do u have any tips for writing fics?? I’m so used to writing research reports, lab reports, and formal essays that creative writing has become something I really struggle with. I guess it’s having the freedom to write anything and not knowing how to make sure it’s not corny. I tried outlining a fic one time but it was so frustrating LOLOLOL. Anyways, I love your ateez fics. They are so cute and creative!!

hi !!!! im like rlly touched u asked me and i feel u actually that's why i started this blog; im a biomedical engineering major so as u can imagine i dont get to take much creativity with what i write because writing papers and reports and proposals are so formulaic and u gotta stick to the facts so that being said i actually tested out of all my college writing classes so all my writing knowledge is from ap english in hs lmao so take it w many grians of salt

the #1 thing i do when im feeling sort of unmotivated about a story or maybe like like dragging myself thru mud to write it is to just write the "fun" part first. to me the fun part is usually the climax or maybe the like the "wouldn't it be cute if..." moment that came to mind that inspired me to write a blurb in the first place! then usually once i sort of get the ball rolling on that my brain will help me out and keep the momentum going by thinking of maybe "oohh okay maybe this can happen next" or "oohh and what if this led up to it" or !! just stop there !! something ive learned from my mx writing blog which is like a year older than this one was that you don't owe anybody context especially for a blurb so maybe it really is just 3 sentences of a cute moment u thought of like its whatever ur the one writing it

now for longer fics im going to be honest jongho's first love is my first and only completed attempt at a multi stage coherent story. and that was fueled purely based on the fact that when i look at jongho he just gives off sort a really excited sort of innocence that i wanted to further explore and personify through the idea of him experiencing love for the first time but even then i really struggled w the last part because that's where my personal experience stopped and i had basically nothing to go off of because ive never been in love so i did have to kinda wait for ideas to come to me. for prince yunho i have posted 4 chapters but have all the way through chapter 15 drafted. and by drafted i mean it's like 3 sentences of the overall idea. again, the fic was inspired by the duality between yunho's on stage vs. off stage persona where if somebody was to watch an ateez performance for the first time they may find him very serious and maybe even intimidating but atiny would know that his off stage persona (the one he choses to create for us anyways) is very silly and happy-go-lucky and approachable, which is why prince yunho is seen as narameth's strong and stoic pride and joy but in reality he's sort of clumsy but means well. so i let that and his relationship w xenia who is an original character (OC) sort inspire stories or interactions that i force into a plot line. so for example i believe when i first started thinking abt a prince au for yunho i thought "wouldn't it be funny if the first scene started out painting him as this strong and serious man and then cut to him choking on food or something" and that sort of inspired the idea of him being nervous abt the speech and then xenia came out of that because he needed a complementary character imo since i knew he was gonna be kind of one dimensional and then his backstory with xenia inspired other ideas and then one day i was sad and wanted a hug so that inspired a piece of the plot line and so on. so basically: let an idea or even an aspect of somebody come to you and just write it down, let it inspire other ideas. and don't be afriad to completely start over. i wrote a whole chapter for prince yunho and deleted the whole thing because i hated where it was going and started back from scratch. sometimes you have to revisit things abt your characters and their relationships with others to get a new idea. there's a story in every person and every relationship you just have to find the clues

here's an example of what i mean by "write the good part first". this is typically what the very first draft of a blurb will look like for me

((( blah blah blah basically its raining and y/n is sad bc wooyoung broke her heart two weeks ago idk maybe go into it maybe not)))

y/n is all sad and feeling sorry for themselves on the couch theyre past crying but still feel pretty shitty plus it's storming and cold outside. great

there's a knock on their door ofc they have the cliche "who could that be moment" even tho they lowkey know. we literally all know

so yeah wooyoung's there soaked in rain eyes puffy y/n thinks he's been crying

-this would be the "fun part". i'll fix all that garbage up top later or maybe even change it completely idk yet-

"y/n? i - uh. hi"

he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck while you crossed your arms over your chest, fighting the urge to close the door and walk away for good

"hi? really wooyoung? is that the best you can do?"

(((wooyoung does smth idk)))

"well i just -"

"you just what? showed up here in the rain after you broke my heart and didn't even bother to tell me why? this isn't some romance movie, asshole. you can't just come here late at night and expect to find me all sad and willing to take you back because i'm not. so say what you're gonna say so i can get back to my life"

your face was red hot and you trying very hard, probably too hard, to fight back tears. ((( idk talk some more abt y/n's emotions then what wooyoung is doing)))

"look, i made a mistake i-"

"oh my god! why did i know you were gonna do this. i just knew as soon as i saw you-"

"will you let me get a fucking word in!?"

well that was new. in the entire time you'd known him he had never raised his voice at you like that, your shock causing you to immediately close your mouth and fold your arms back into yourself (((make y/n seem more scared))) noticing your reaction, he lowered his voice back down and instictively reached for you, heartbroken at the way you jerked away from his touch

"please y/n, i'm sorry. i didn't mean to raise my voice it's just that i need to tell you that i regret what i did i regret breaking up with you so fucking much and you don't have to take me back i just need you to know how much you meant, no, mean to me. i still love you, a lot. there's not a day, an hour, a minute, or a single second that goes by that i'm not thinking of you"

"then why?"

your voice was small and wavering, your tears now dangerously close to spilling down your cheeks

"why what?"

"why did you break up with me like that, just all of a sudden"

he pushed his hands into his pockets and looked away

"because that morning i woke up before you and when i looked at you asleep next to me, i saw myself spending the rest of my life with you and it scared the shit out of me"

"why did it scare you?"

"because i just figured you didn't feel the same. i was selfish and wanted to save myself heartbreak down the line and so i told you i didn't wanna be with you anymore, but that was a mistake because it turns out i can't function with out you, i can't breathe without you i can't live without you, y/n. i shouldn't have let you go"

tears were now freely flowing down your face (((okay brain no work anymore y/n kisses him duh and then ofc they make up wooyoung prob says smth cheesy and y/n is like ur lucky i love you or smth ahaha the end)))

tl;dr -> don't be afraid to get messy. creative writing is not nearly as structured as academic/scientific writing. write whatever u want first it can even be the middle of a huge fight scene or some dialogue u think is funny. if ur stuck read what you have or maybe just take a break and let an idea come to you. a story doesnt have to come together til the very end so it can be as messy and out of order as u want until u wanna post it. also i would always use the third person omniscient point of view for a longer story like a chaptered fic as a default and only change if it would impact the plot in a negative way. this is where the narrator knows what every character is thinking/feeling and im p sure a teacher in middle school told me it was the easiest to write and follow

#sorry i got carried away #also rmbr how i was like my brain cant stop imagining dramatic and disgusting love confessions in the rain? i meant like that #it's so chessy ik 😔 bleh #amanda talks

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artistic-mathematics · 5 years

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Is this another She-Ra theories/speculations post?

It is indeed.

Season 3 spoilers!!! Again!!!

Part 1 is here!

Catra’s redemption arc (and Beast Island?)

Yeah, I think she’s getting one. She seems irredeemable at the moment, but I’m here to try to change your mind.

There’s been a bit of talk on the sidelines about how Catra will probably end up at Beast Island and the whole sequence of the people seeing her as a queen, yada yada. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, go read about the original Catra. Yes, from the original theories.)

Generally speaking, Catra’s hit a new low. It’s noted that her main motivation is spite, and will do whatever it takes to defeat Adora, even if it meant watching the world burn in the process. She’s kidnapped Bow and Glimmer, tried to kill Adora several times, destroyed many parts of Etheria in her quest to gain power and have Hordak trust her.

Irredeemable, though? I think not.

Remember that Catra had an abusive upbringing. She was always overshadowed by Adora as they both grew up, only because Shadow Weaver saw that power within her and glorified it, while Catra was only kept around because Adora was “fond” of her. She was always overshadowed, always being thrown around like she’s useless, always being blamed and taking the fall for any of Adora’s mishaps. In order to lessen the blows, she always acted somewhat tame around the others.

The moment Adora left, her one motivation to stay tame disappeared. She didn’t want to go with Adora not because she necessarily liked the Horde, but because she wanted to prove to Shadow Weaver and Hordak that she was capable. At first, it was getting Adora back to the Horde. When that failed, it became the ability to defeat Adora and the Princess Alliance.

Catra simply believes that Adora betrayed her by leaving to join the Princess Alliance. She didn’t go with Adora just because she wanted to prove that she was just as capable, even more so, than Adora in the Horde.

That’s why her interaction with Shadow Weaver in the prison was so crucial. Catra leaned into her touch like it was addicting, almost. Shadow Weaver praised her, even mentioning how Catra could be better if she took the right precautions. Shadow Weaver felt like the parental figure she never had, for a moment. Then Shadow Weaver escaped and Catra was devastated. She thought she had met her expectations for once, her being especially crucial. As abusive as she was, Shadow Weaver was the only parental figure Catra had known. She was happy for a second, comforted by that one parental figure for probably what was the first and only time, only for her to realize that it was Shadow Weaver manipulating Catra one last time, punching her in the gut, and leaving her... once again, for Adora.

And Catra is ticked off by it.

Now she no longer cares. She’s been backstabbed by Shadow Weaver who screwed her over for Adora. She’s felt so insignificant. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the approval of the person who’s truly in power here, Hordak.

Remember in the Crimson Waste when Catra mentions she’s lost everything? Haha, no she didn’t, at the time. The moment she left the Crimson Waste to return to the Fright Zone and prove to Hordak that she was useful, she lost everything she’s had, for real this time.

She backstabbed Entrapta after she admitted Adora was right, even after she saved Catra’s life. If Hordak ever finds out, she’s utterly screwed.

She then turned on Scorpia, who tried to intervene when Catra stabs Entrapta with a stun baton. Scorpia looks extremely hurt, although later mentions she believes that Catra was just scared and didn’t mean to. But Scorpia doesn’t even entirely believe that anymore, considering her face expression as she tried to convince Adora of it. Scorpia is no longer convinced herself.

Notice how both Scorpia and Entrapta cut off mid-sentence when talking about Catra in the warped reality and pause for a second? Yeah.

The worst part is that Catra pushed Adora to the limit here too. Catra’s pissed Adora off completely, and Adora is no longer going to go easy on Catra. Adora’s always been gentle with Catra despite the fact she could easily take her out (cue berserk She-Ra scene) but she never has. It’s no longer the case now, and Catra knows. She knows she’s made a huge mistake.

Catra has now completely lost everything.

Now here’s what I’m thinking... there’s two main ways (I could think of that’s fairly reasonable) the plot could go with this.

Catra gets away with backstabbing Entrapta, but soon finds out that Hordak isn’t even the true leader. Hordak gets his redemption arc, in which he sides with the princesses against Horde Prime. Angered, Catra sides with Horde Prime.

Going down this course, however, Catra’s going to realize that she is nothing to Horde Prime as well.

Horde Prime clearly wants to be a monarch. He doesn’t care about others. He’s not going to want Catra to be a second in command at all. Even if he does end up doing that, he’ll just use her and dispose of her.

The only thing I can see here is that Catra will eventually be forced to join the Princess Alliance.

Hordak finds out about what Catra did and gets sent to Beast Island just as the Princess Alliance go to the island as well.

Scorpia is very likely going to rat Catra out. That scorpion cannot keep a secret for her life and it’s... pretty obvious.

Catra gets sent to Beast Island and there’s the whole sequence of Catra and her mask and being the queen of the Magicats... this is entirely speculation upon the original She-Ra series. You can read the original Catra’s story here.

Even if the whole Magicats sequence doesn’t happen, I’m sure that she’ll end up just rallying a bunch of people against Hordak or something. How much do we all want to bet that there are a bunch of Horde rejects there and they end up influencing her into taking revenge? I mean, her main motivation is spite, once again.

Either way, I think she’ll get a redemption arc. It may take a while, and I think it’ll be after Hordak gets a redemption (ahaha, who we thought to be the main villain getting a redemption? who thought?) if he gets one, which I really think he will.

To be completely fair, with his interactions with Entrapta, I really think he will. It’s clear that he’s bitter about being cast out and definitely has emotions that he represses. Where have we seen that before, hmm...

Madame Razz

Alright, we’re coming back to her.

I originally thought that she may be a First One, but by the way she acts and talks, I don’t think so anymore. I think she’s just been on Etheria for a very long time and has come to expect the weird things that occur on the planet. She also seems to be some sort of magical being. She seemed entirely unfazed by the portal instability, possibly because of Mara, but I’m starting to wonder if she has some sort of time traveling experience, or is some all-seeing being maybe? (I mentioned time-travel because she does mention that it was “just yesterday” for herself when she watched Mara do the same thing, trying to fix the portal...) In fact, she walked straight into everything that was disappearing while everyone else fled from it.

And she does say “Oh, it’s been such a long time since we last saw each other, hasn’t it? That, or, it hasn’t happened yet. I always get those two things mixed up.” How the hell do you mix up the future and the past? She has to have some sort of time-travel capability. (or future vision like Garnet, like where she mentions she can see into other timelines and stuff...)

She was kind of everywhere in S3E5, which caused Adora to run around the Fright Zone while freaking out. She even led Adora straight to Hordak’s sanctum when the door disappeared...

I mean, she seems to know Adora’s power very well from Mara. And since Mara and Adora look nothing alike, I wonder if she senses the same magic Shadow Weaver sensed from Adora.

It would make sense, at least, because they both are She-Ras... and Razz can’t exactly tell them apart.

Also the whole Mara and She-Ra thing on the piece of paper would make more sense, but that could just be Adora struggling to remember and her subconsciousness screwing with her.

She’s still a huge mystery to me. At least I could mention this, at least.

PS! She-Razz when?!!

Light Hope and the First Ones

Oh boy, do I want to talk about this.

I think they’ll end up being the end-game villains.

Note Mara’s words here... “I never wanted to be a hero. I won’t be remembered as one.”

It’s odd. She never straight-up mentions that she wasn’t a hero. She said that she never wanted to be one... and those who remember her name won’t see her as one. It’s very unique wording. And it shows a lot.

Light Hope seems directly programmed in getting rid of Adora’s attachments. She’s constantly telling Adora to move on, never really explaining Adora’s background and purpose, never giving Adora a choice in anything.

Mara grew attached. But to what?

The First Ones were explorers. They weren’t native to Etheria.

They created all these structures and seemed to have left in a hurry, or at least, that’s what Adora said when they were in that Ghost Town. My speculation is that they left when Mara was stranding Etheria.

I feel like the First Ones were colonizers. They didn’t care much for the people around. Mara realized this, grew attached to the native people of Etheria, and tried to save the people of Etheria from future colonizers. I’m assuming the settlers panicked and fled.

It would also explain why there are no more First Ones. They all ran when Mara turned against them.

It also explains what She-Ra was for before Horde Prime. She-Ra was for keeping peace, for restoring balance. So what type of disorder was there back then?

If the First Ones were explorers, then the first thing that comes to mind is peace with the natives of Etheria. It would also make sense that Mara grew attached to them, much to the First Ones’ dismay, causing them to shun her. Causing Light Hope to declare that Mara was, well, a failure. But she really wasn’t.

Even Razz says “Destroy the world? No! Mara saved the world!” And I think Razz is right.

A general speculation...

The storyline of She-Ra is a massive struggle for power. Those who end out on top are the people who were willing to widen their perspective. The same is true, mostly, in the real world.

We’ve already seen a few examples of this...

Let’s hope some of the current antagonists of the story do the same.

#she-ra theories #she-ra #adora #catra #hordak #entrapta #madam razz #razz #scorpia #the first ones #first ones #light hope #mara

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khadorek · 5 years

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WENT DOWN IN HISTORY-

(at long last I am posting this! This is my first major piece in a while, so it might be a little flimsy at parts haha. This was also asked by @safrona-shadowsun, enjoy!)

The Hinterlands, ~37years after the current date

“C’mon grandma, I want to Uncle Og!” The little boy, who wasbarely older than eight exclaimed as the grey-haired woman in question hurryingalong behind holding the hand of a much smaller girl who staggered along inthat curious way toddlers do.

“Slow down, Michael, Angela and I can only go so fast.”Katherena laughed softly, though deep down she couldn’t shake the feeling ofmelancholy that was always with her when she came to this place; so manymemories in this quiet little tavern for that was what the Blue Raven mostlyserved as these days. Though the Brotherhood had not disbanded by any means, inthe days following the final battles against the shadow, and the beginning ofan age of peace between nearly ever faction of Azeroth and beyond, the demandfor mercenaries had fallen dramatically. As such, the Brotherhood of Valor hadmostly become a gathering hall for veterans and their families the world over,and General Ogrimskar, or ‘Uncle Oggy’ as a small army of children had taken tocalling him, spent much of his time regaling these children with stories of thegreat battles of the Brotherhood, much to their continued delight, andoccasional chagrin of their elders, as for better or for worse, Og rarelyskimped on the details and personal opinions. Kath had bore witness to her fairshare of these stories as they happened, so they didn’t have much appeal toher, but she promised the young ones that she’d take them out to the Raven forthe first time today; she couldn’t bear to let them down, despite her ownpersonal reservations. Still, as they passed along the Walk of Valor, the stonewalkway that lead up to the front doors of the inn, her feelings only grew moreintense in the shadows of the heroes of the Brotherhood, many of which had castoff their mortal bonds in the long years of conflict prior, now foreverimmortalized in the stone and metal figureheads that now towered above themalong the walkway. She felt small under their unflinching gaze, and she washesitant to meet it or read the names at their bases, though by now she knewthem well; Cyrus Bain, Dare Cogspanner, Field Medic Arexzia, Kurt…

“Hey who’s this guy?” Michael calls out, and Kath turned tothe direction of his voice, and her heart sank; of all the statues of allthe heroes, he had to notice the one that was closest to her heart. Wrought ingleaming metal and ageless stone, this statue stood head and shoulders overmany of the other human statues on the walk, blade extended on an angle towardsthe sky, helmet held in his shield hand letting his sharp features and longhair be exposed for all to see. Kath shuddered softly as she approached,reading the dais at the base of the statue to herself as she did so.

(Mood music, enjoy the feels)

Knight CaptainKhadorek Perceval Blackbyrne, the Unyielding, Champion of the Valarjar and ofthe Brotherhood. Disappeared in the Battle of Blackheart’s Rift.

“That” Kath began, trying to keep her words steady, “is Khadorek,he was a knight, like one pulled straight from the story books.”

“A knight? Was he strong? Where did he get that fancy sword?Was it magic? What happened to him?” Michael asked, excited to hear about thisnew figure.

“One of the strongest,” Kath replies, placing a hand at thebase of the statue, “and yet… also one of the gentlest; he was brave and kind,and utterly loyal to those he cared for…” She went on, starting to get a littlechoked up. “I’m not sure you want me to tell you that, ‘Uncle Og’ can likely doit better.” She suggests half-heartedly, and Michael, his excitement preventinghim from entirely noticing his grandmother’sinternal strife, nods eagerly. Kath looked down to the little girl, letting goof her hand. “Go on ahead with your brother, Angela, I’ll catch up with yousoon.” She tells the little girl, who nods and moves to follow him.

“Ok!” Michael exclaims as he runs down the path, Angeladoing her best to keep up, and soon Kath was alone with the statues. She smilessadly, running her hand along the base.

“Oh Khadorek…” She whispers, a single tear rolling down hercheek as she looked up to the statue’s face, a face she remembered so painfullywell. It was so full of life back then, and now this was all that remained; a coldimitation of the proud, grinning visage he wore in life, as grey as the hairthat fell from her scalp. She closed her eyes, thinking back to those halcyondays. “If only you could see what you’ve become.” She remembers it like it wasyesterday, their last night together before that final battle; he went off tospearhead the charge, while she elected to stay behind to aid the wounded, ofwhich there were many. By the end, they had won, but at great cost, and she hadto say goodbye to many friends as the reports and remains flowed in. She nevereven considered that he would be among their number, though none could becertain of his final fate, he seemed to have just vanished, and all that couldbe recovered was his spear, found planted in the neck of a massive aberration.Those who saw him before he vanished said he fought with courage worthy ofThoradin himself, saving the lives of many others through his actions; someeven say he saved the life of the King himself, though the questionable sourcesmake this heavily disputed. Either way, his deeds drew much attention to himand his life, and people desired to know more about the life and history ofthis largely unknown man. The following weeks were a blur, as someone who wasvery close to him, she had to put up with people asking many questions aboutthe fallen hero, and while the accompanying deals she had gotten to write abouthim and the other lesser known heroes she knew from those days made her apretty penny, it made grieving somewhat of a challenge in the days leading upto the collective memorial ceremony. She remembered little of the ceremonyitself, as she had some rather shocking news revealed to her just prior to theproceedings; though she did know that it took place in Dalaran, and was fundedby all the major powers as a sign of international goodwill before peace talkscould properly begin. Something that stuck with her, however, was the strangewoman who stood in the shadows off to the side, staying away from the maincrowd, as if ashamed to approach in public. ‘Serves her right…’ she’d thoughtto herself in a moment of uncharacteristic coldness, assuming she was who shethought she was. After that, things had quieted down considerably, leaving herto her grief, and to her thoughts about what she was to do alone now,especially with…

“Ahaha, hullo there, ye two!” Kath’s eyes popped open as shewas snapped out of her reflections by the jovial greeting of the familiardwarf. She looked over to see Angela moving as fast as her tiny legs can carryher, burbling happily all the way, while Michael full on runs to meet him. “By meancestors, you’re both getting big, aren’t ye?” He remarks with a chuckle, andKatharena can’t help but smile at the sight of her old friend. Ever since themiracle of psychosurgery that allowed Death Knights to shed their sadistic conditioning,many Death Knights had succumbed to the melancholy and ennui that spawned fromthe accompanying loss of drive that came as an unexpected result, though thegood General was not one of them, in large part due to the hordes of youths whowant to hear all stories of war and glory they assumed he’s accumulated over hislong life. Ogrimskar had more than enough to share, and having such a largegroup not just listening to what he had to say, but actively seeking him out tohear more, awoke something in him like a sign from the gods. He’d found a newcalling in this humble role as storyteller, and the fact that many of the childrenwere born of the people who he so struggled to impart his hard-earned wisdom uponmade it all that much sweeter. He felt happiness like he hadn’t felt for years,and seeing these children show up to listen to him, and leave wiser, and a bit moredwarf-like in mannerism never ceased to make him smile.

“Hello Uncle Og! I’m so happy to see you!” Michael cheers ashe jumps up to hug the former general. Ogrimskar laughs again, giving him a paton the back, allowing him to hop down so he can pick up his little sister withpracticed care.

“It’s good to see ya both too, lad.” Og replies. “You gothere just in time, I was just about to start me tale; I was thinking aboutstarting with tha one about Lyanelle and Kurt. That was always yer favourite,wasn’t it?” He goes on, even now chuckling at the thought of Kurt. Katharenajust shakes her head with a soft giggle.

“Same old Og…” she muses, about to go join them, but notbefore looking up to the statue one last time. Her mind dwells on him again,and the news she received so long ago. “They don’t know…” She thought. “Theirparents would have let me if they told them the truth; Hell, he would have told me, he’d have been soexcited.” She assured herself this was all a coincidence. She never had achance to remarry after her first husband, and had kept the Graeson nameever since, so they never would have had the chance to find out about who theirgrandfather was. She wanted to be the one who told them, but to this day, shejust hadn’t found the heart to talk about it. They would have to find outsooner or later, it was inevitable. She took a deep breath. “Soon…” She toldherself. “I’ll tell them everything as soon as…” Her reverie was cut short by achild’s voice from near the door.

“I want to hear about him!” Michael calls out, and Katharena’shead snaps over to see little Michael doing exactly what she was afraid she wasgoing to do. Ogrimskar follows the way he was pointing, and seeing the statuethat he was pointing at, gives him a confused look.

“’im?” He asks, prompting a vigorous nod from Michael. “Yamean yer Gran ain’t talked your ear off about him already?”

“Nope, just noticed him for the first time today! Did GrandmaKath know him or something?” Michael asks. Og looks over at Katharena, who waslooking at them wide-eyed, giving him the universal expression for ‘please no,’and just grins, gives a half-hearted shrug as if to say ‘sorry, but now I haveto’ and looks back to Michael, turning to take them both the children in tojoin the group.

“Ohoho, laddy… ye and ye sister are in for a treat!” Ogrimskar declares, trying tocontain his excitement at what was about to come. Katharena was about to speakup, but stops herself, remembering that she brought this on herself withoutthinking.

“I suppose this might be for the best…” She thinks, lettingout a gentle sigh as she looks back to the statue. She smiles sadly, and wipesaway her errant tear before putting on a braver face. “He deserves to know,they both do,” she says aloud to the statue, “Angela will probably not rememberthis, but Michael… he has your fire, I just know it; if he learns his legacynow, it’ll encourage him to put it towards great things, like you did…” shereaches out to touch the dais once more, her smile growing broader and morehappy at the thought, closing her eyes as she embraces this rare moment ofsilence. “I know you’re out there somewhere, Khadorek, watching over us likeyou always did for me; I just hope you know how happy you’ve made me, and howproud I am of all you’ve given me. I hope you are proud too, dear, because youshould be; your actions made the world a better place, just like you wanted towhen you were young.” She steps away, opening her eyes to gaze upon his face. “Farewell,my love, until we meet again.” She whispers, before turning to fully face theinn and walking towards the door. Og might be telling the story before shewanted it told, but that wasn’t going to stop her from making sure he told it right.

(Mentions: @quipsbykath @ogrimskar and soft mentions to @lofaspack)

#non-canon

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femslashy · 5 years

Text

2018 fic year in review

thank you so much for tagging me @homosociallyyours !! this was really fun (and also a bit hard haha) to do ^__^

1. number of stories (including drabbles) posted to ao3: 19 (6 100 word seasonal drabbles, and out of the rest 4 are under 1k and 2 are chaptered but one of those is still a WIP)

2. word count posted for the year: 142,383 which is def more than i’ve written in previous years but my initial goal for this year was 200k and then i lowered it to 150k and then decided i should focus less on word count and more on actually finishing the fics lmaooo

3. list of works posted this year in order of posting:

the tesco fic (although i didn’t make the tumblr post until recently)

three spring drabbles (100 words each)

begin again [timestamp] (my only snowbaz fic in 2018)

we’re swimming with the sharks until we drown

SPHERICAL

got me an appetite, now i can taste it

Take a Chance on Me

Getting Naked on Camera (NOT CLICKBAIT)

my favourite colour is you

louis tomlinson’s completely 100% foolproof guide to snagging the fit bloke next door (3 100 word drabbles)

no better place than right by your side

days gone by (WIP)

love the cronch

zero to sixty

where the love light gleams

4. fandoms i wrote for: mostly one direction and by that i mean i posted a timestamp for a carry on fic from 2017 and the rest was one direction lol

5. pairings: harry/louis, simon/baz (ONCE)

6. story with the most hits: Take a Chance on Me with 10975 hits :o

7. story with the most kudos: Take a Chance on Me with 426 kudos

8. story with the most comments: Take a Chance on Me with 52 comments threads

9. work i’m most proud of and why: well Take a Chance on Me was both my first time doing a big bang as well as the longest thing i’ve ever written (twice the length of the previous longest!) and i’m still completely in love with the art for it courtesy of @vulpixlou and i def don’t go back to stare at it ever nope 👀👀

10. work i’m least proud of and why: i mean i could nitpick the hell out of my stuff and i know there are certain bits i would write differently now but at the same time i created something with my brain that didn’t exist before and that’s just too cool not to be proud of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

11. a favorite excerpt of your writing:

this is from Take a Chance on Me (shocker) and i was having trouble thinking of my fave but then i was skimming through all of my fics and ngl i had forgotten about this bit but y’all i’ve been trying to work a Dramatic Airport Reunion into a fic FOR FUCKING EVER and i finally did it and i actually don’t hate it? (spoiler for the ending of Take a Chance on Me)

“See…” Louis starts. “See, there’s this guy. And, oh god, he’s an absolute twat. Wanna know what he did to me?” Harry nods faintly, and Louis, emboldened now, goes on. “So, I already knew who he was, right? I knew him, because he’d been in this god-awful boy band for years, and even if me bloody sisters hadn’t been so bloody in love with him, I’d still have known him, because he was just that famous.”

“I wasn’t that famous.”

“Don’t interrupt,” Louis chastises, and Harry mimics zipping his lips. “So this guy, I knew him, but he didn’t know me, but, fucking hell, I think someone forgot to tell him that, because there I was, minding my own business, when this kid just…” Louis giggles then, because the memory is just so ridiculous, “he just starts fucking singing to me, can you believe it?”

Harry shakes his head. “What a weirdo.”

“Right? The weirdest.”

“What happened next?”

“I fell in love with him.”

“What? That soon?”

“Of course not, Jesus, Harold. I’m not that pathetic. I waited the appropriate amount of time to fall in love, thank you very much.”

“Is that why you’re here, then?” Harry whispers. “Is it because you love him?”

“That’s part of it, yeah. I love him, and I love the way we just fit, and I adore his daughter, and our pets are friends now, and I think our sisters are best friends now, so they didn’t actually give me a choice, but do you want to know the biggest, most important reason?”

Harry nods quickly, so hard his chin bumps his chest, and Louis’ so fucking in love with him at that moment that these are the easiest words he’s ever said.

“I’m here,” he tells Harry, “because I was lying in my own bed, in my own house, surrounded by all my things, and all I wanted to do was go home.”

He’s yanked forward then, Harry’s fingers digging into his shoulders, and he barely feels the pain because it’s Harry, and everything’s good when it’s Harry. He’s babbling into Louis’ neck, and the only words he can make out are his name and “love you” and he shivers with the feeling.

Harry’s hair has grown out enough since the night Louis snuck in to see him that he can tangle his fingers in the strands. So he does, pulling Harry’s face away from his neck and pressing their lips together. Every kiss feels like an apology. Every kiss feels like home.

12. share or describe a favorite review you recieved: so this miiiiight be cheating but i received two comments on a fic i wrote in 2015 and it was kind of a surprise that something that old still held up and people still enjoy it? def made me feel better about my current writing and also anyone who quotes my fics back to me has earned my undying love and affection

13. a time when writing was really, really hard: i have adhd so p much always ahahaha

14. a scene or character you wrote that most surprised you: the entirety of “we’re swimming with the sharks until we drown” ngl because i struggled with the like… morally gray criminal-y elements? and portraying the two of them in such a different way while still staying in character which i like to think i nailed? hopefully lol

15. how did you grow as a writer this year? i don’t feel like a i have? but i’m also bias and hypercritical so maybe i did and just didn’t realize ahaha

16. how do you hope to grow next (this?) year: i want to enjoy writing again and i want to finish more fics and not let them rot in my docs because of self-doubt

who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer: okay so first @amandaisnotwriting is the real MVP as she bears the brunt of my whining/complaining/drama queen moments as well as the fact that she listens (some would argue is forced to :p) and reads over fic for a pairing she doesn’t ship for a fandom she doesn’t care about 😂😂😂

@rainbowbaz always makes time to look over my fics even when she’s crazy busy and is honestly amazing and saves my fics from americanisms ahahaha

and FINALLY we met p late in the year but but @livingatthelairport ‘s comment on “the tesco fic” helped me out of a writing slump and now she’s become my cheerleader (and friend 💜) and that’s make a huge difference in my attitude towards writing! it’s also easier to write a fic for a specific person than worry about the opinion of a crowd which is def something i’ve been missing in this fandom rip

also to everyone else who has read my fics, listened to me rant about them or just helped the process along in any way at all this is a GIANT thank you!!

18. anything from your real life show up in your writing this year? i mean i can’t think of anything off the top of my head but a lot of my inspo comes from the world around me so probably lol

19. any wisdom you can share with other writers: there’s nothing wrong with feeling jealous of other writers because i’m not a fan of hiding feelings just because they’re ugly as long as you don’t let it fester and turn into resentment or make you bitter. there are a lot of factors that go into a fic becoming “big” in a fandom but honestly most of it is just random chance so don’t beat yourself up because someone else’s success is not your failure and it’s nice to get recognition for your hard work but if you’re writing solely for the feedback then you’re writing for the wrong reason and that will lead to the resentment and bitterness mentioned earlier

also if you compliment someone you say you like their outfit but if you complement someone then you complete them

20. any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

I’M GLAD YOU ASKED

these are all the things i didn’t start and/or finish in 2018 that WILL be completed this year

the cat fic

the doctor fic

the final three chapters of days gone by

penpal AU

Space. Florist.

teenage fanboys who are also best friends

baking blog fic

a short follow up to tacom

twitter drama fic

80’s/’high school’/secret admirer!AU

something based on yawning grave by lord huron

part three of the alien harry series

chocolate orange holiday fic

LA fic (wtwm)

70’s fic

monkey fic

i’m also planning to do the @larryabroad challenge again because i had so much fun with it last time :D

21. tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:

p sure everyone has done this but if you haven’t then do it now! and also tagging @cosyblack k bc you’ve had a really good year even if i have beta bias 😂

this took waaay longer than i thought it would omg but it was nice to take a look back!!

#me a writer writing all of this: i’m not good with words

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sokosaturneandthecandylife · 6 years

Conversation

oups i shitposted again about mcl

Hey, @vae-eldarya : you asked me to write one : New vs old route but since i don’t really know them i report it for later!

Instead…

if you missed the first part : http://sokosaturneandthecandylife.tumblr.com/post/174439095543/how-i-think-it-happened

—————

Lysander : I wonder why Nathaniel hasn’t come back, yet…

Kentin : Don’t worry! He’ll be fine!

Armin : Yeah!! It’s we’re talking about Nathaniel. He’s super serious! Nothing bad will happen to him, i’m sure!

Lysander : If you say so…

——————————————————

Beemov : They took it well

Castiel : Oh yeah, they look totally pleased, it’s not like I wasn’t happy to see my face is on pikachu collage… That’s not rock’n’roll

Lynn : Well. Well. Sure they took it well, they turned us into memes!

Beemov : Exactly! I though it would be worse! Like sending hate.

Lynn : Because they aren’t? Online hate. Online hate : everywhere

Beemov : This time i though they would send IRL hate. Like…dropping bombs or knives. Anyway! Where’s our rookies?

Castiel : behind the Beta door. They’re waiting.

Beemov : Ok, Gladys bring them. And be careful around the moonlight prototypes, they bite.

Castiel : Who’s Gladys? The rainbow Ryo from devilman series?

Lynn : They use a weird cristal projection technology, i don’t really know how it works.

Beemov : Haaaaa!! Here they are, bonjour, bonjour, sit down, how are our news ikemen going?

Hyun : We’re fin…

Beemov : SHALL WE BEGIN?

Hyun : …thanks

Priya : It’s not really polite to cut someone who’s speaking.

Beemov : I couldn’t care less about what you think, the only thing that matter is what YOU think.

Lynn : Me?

Beemov : Gladys.

Yes, you! After all, you’re the heroine. You first impression count. What do you feel about them?

Lynn : I’m nice to meet them and i look forward to know them better.

Beemov : NO, NONONONO, Noooow, of course you look forward to blahblahblah…Stop being that nice!WE SELL DRAMAS.

What do you perceive about them! Their apparence, here’s their description, tell us, the truth.

Lynn : Owww…Hmm…

Rayan : Come one, don’t be shy, it’s not like…

Lynn : I find you scary.

Rayane : Euh, is that so?

Lynn : Yeah, you look scary. You’re pretty yeah, but also pretty old. I’m sure it’s super cool to listen to your class and all, but seriously « Likes : philosophical conversation » what are you expecting from a dating game, please? Plus, what’s with the « struggles to hide his tortured self » lmao if you tried to touch me against my consent, i call my dad…He’s probably your age and…Brrrr, don’t even wanna think about it.

Hyun ¨keroshane worried look* : Rayan, you’re ok?

Rayan : *white hair appears*

Beemov : excellent! She’s like this with all of them at first, but when she’ll be used to, everything will be perfect! Positive things, maybe…???

Lynn : Hmmm…he has a beard. Wich is cool. I was tired of dating high school boys. And what’s forbidden is always fun. So, when the times come we can bang in the auditorium! Plus he’s arab. A clever, arab. And he’s not a terrorist,or a football player, or a gucci ghetto brat. That’s a miracle in the french media!!

Priya : Oh…Even if it stopped, his hair won’t turned brown again…

Beemov : That’s EXEPTIONEL! They wanted a mature one, they’re he is. Great, next!

Lynn : Priya…You’re great, everyone loves you, was gay for you. I knew you from long ago , and I was jealous at that time because you seemed to be a better version of me. More realistic, more resulted. Hope that didn’t change! I’m pretty happy I can date a girl. Still, you’re the only one but…That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Duh…Still they’re a long way down.

Priya : Waw, Candy, that’s kinda cool!

Lynn : Yeah, but don’t let me be misunderstood. Since, they decided to include a lesbian romance in the game, i hope they will deal with it correctly and not mess it up. I like you, and I want our story to be a sincere one. Ok?

Priya : Yeah…we’ll try to do everything correctly.

Beemov : Hm, Hm…Let’s talk about Hyun!

Lynn : Hyun, Hyun…How to pronounce your name. That’s korean, isn’t it?

Hyun : Yeah, It’s pronouced Hyun.

Lynn : Thanks god, we’ll never know it… Just like for Armin. And for Morgan. Fantastic.

From which side?

Hyun : Euh…From ….

Lynn : I love K-pop, i saw BTS at the billboard last week, are you proud?

Hyun : Euh…I don’t really see the…

Lynn : Do you watch drama? Wich one is you’re favorite?

Hyun : Actually, I prefer Mov…

Lynn: I loved Boys Over Flowers, are you rich?

Hyun : That’s…A bit impolite and…

Lynn : ANNEYSEO

Huyn : Please

Lynn : GAMSAMDYDA

Hyun : please, stop

Lynn : OPPA SAREANGAE

Hyun : Stop

Lynn : KIMCHI

Hyun : shut the fuck up you racist bitch

…

Lynn : See, « unfailing support ». He’s not even capable to handle Koreaboo…Do you realize, that’s the reason why they choose you. Because they’re seers. They want to play on the Hallyu wave. You know what it means? People will play only because you’re the asian guy they dream of.

Beemov : Hmm… Gladys, report that to the moderators. Koreabos are still a flaw.

Hyun : Ah…Sorry that i wasn’t good enough. It pissed me off. You were being rude.

Lynn : I know. Happy to see that you’re not THAT calm. But, you’re look cute and nice! And honestly i don’t know why they choose you for that archetype…You’re not rich, neither arrogant. A god? Hmm…

But, you’re involved with coffee so I suppose it’s enough!

Hyun : Sorry for calling you racist bitch.

Lynn : It’s ok…I’m used to. Actually, I’ve been a basic white cis-het girl all my life so, it feels new to me. To take care about those things. Thoses details that are so important because they defined the uniqueness of the individuals. They don’t look like it, but they try to do it. And, I’m trying to be a better person. And i’ll go with my time! So my wardrobe, please…

Beemov : Speaking of wardrobe, Gladys, did you finish?

(Castiel comes out from behind a curtain)

Castiel : So, what do you think?

Lynn : LmAO OMFFFF you look like a 2010 emo kid from skyblog, Kentin was right.

Castiel : Euh, hey…Lynn!!

Lynn : AHAHA LOOKS LIKE A TOKIO HOTEL MEMBER AHA HOW GREAT, YOU EXHUME THE CONCERT’OUTFIT ROSA MADE 5 YEARS AGO, I CAN’T STOP LAUGHING

a TiE PLSsSs So sKYrOCk!!

Beemov : Don’t you think it suits him????

Lynn : AHAahahaha, Hmm aha, i like the tattoos. Is it Lysander’s one? So cute. And, the hair. And the grumpy face.

Castiel : Ahaha shut up, idiot, in 7 years you change juste like 2 times.

Lynn : It’s because i was perfect ahaha back then, wich wasn’t your case.

Castiel : Tsss

Lynn : Look at me, i’m a bad boi, a play in my garage when my parents are gone. I have a dog called Démon. That’s excellent.

Castiel : Stop making fun of me. I’m not that ridiculous?

Lynn : Do you like it?

Castiel : Yeah. A lot.

Lynn : Then I like it too. It suits you. Punk garbage.

Beemov : Well, well. The beta is ongoing that’s great, everything is fine. Candy,…

Lynn : It’s Lynn.

Beemov : Talking about changing. And in 4 years thing happen so…

Lynn : I just realized..They’re like 4. Isn’t someone missing?

Beemov : HEY LOOK AT THIS FLAT CHESTED SHOULDLN’T WE MAKE SOME PROPORTION CHANGE.

Lynn : W-Whaaaat? What kind of change?

Beemov : Just, trust us ;)

Gladyyyyys.

——————————————————

Nathaniel : 2 days have passed since they put me here, with you all, i feel bad for them.

Louis : You should’t, in the Beemov’s plaaaaaan

Louis, Agatha, Kiki, Dake, … : they use us sometimes they doN’T!

Nathaniel : Oh pleaaaase make it stop, i can’t handle this anymore.

??? (in a dark corner) : Here, take that.

Nathaniel : a blue…pill???? And what I have to do?

??? : It kinds of…Helps bad vibes disappear

Nathaniel : Ok, medecine? thanks…?

??? : Lance. It’s. Lance.

Nathaniel : …Ok…Then, thanks Lance.

Lance : You’re welco…NO DON’T EAT IT…

Oh shit.

#is that even funny?#i had fun #mcl #my candy love #amour sucré #campus life #shipost i do #fist and last one of the day i swear #ho cares anyway it's my blog

48 notes · View notes

redditnosleep · 6 years

Text

Has Anyone Heard of The Left/Right Game?

oby NeonTempo

Hi Guys,

Sorry it’s taken a while to get this posted up. I’ve been busy chasing leads with US missing persons.

I won’t waste more of your time. Log is below. If you have any information then please send it my way.

Thanks for your help guys, it means a lot.

The Left/Right Game [DRAFT 1] 12/02/2017

Silence used to be an absolute.

That’s something I definitely miss.

Back in the real world, it would stand as self-evident that a group of people saying absolutely nothing, by definition, could not be saying any less. Maybe things are different on the road, maybe I’d just never encountered it before, but it’s clear to me now there are degrees beyond silence. A pervasive realm of deafening quiet which, following the loss of Eve and Apollo, our group has unreservedly embraced. Constructed out of our collective trauma, cemented with a cruel mixture of grief, guilt, and harrowing self-doubt, it quickly becomes apparent that this silence is stronger than all of us. The challenge of breaking it remains unmet for the rest of the journey.

We spend the next few hours burrowing through a featureless corridor of maize. The stalks rise far above the Wrangler, leaving only a thin strip of clear sky visible like the painted ceiling of a renaissance church. I find myself glancing intermittently at the CB radio, half expecting, half hoping, for Apollo’s voice to crackle through the speaker, bringing words of comfort, or a much needed attempt at levity.

After I catch myself staring at the radio for the fifth time, I decide it might be best to get on with my work. I plug my headphones into my notebook, bring up the audio files I’ve recorded thus far, and set about creating a very rough cut of our first day on the road.

APOLLO (VO) Everybody knows Rob, Rob's the god! Ahaha

I listen through Apollo’s first interview, making notes for the closing paragraph I’ll now be forced to write about him. When I have everything I need, I listen to the interview again, and then once more. It’s not lost on me that I just want to hear his voice, to lose myself in a pleasant digital echo, far removed from the frantic screams that followed him into the asphalt.

I listen to Eve’s interview next. She bristles with excitement as she talks about her upcoming visit to Roswell, steadfastly attempting to recruit me to the effort. She had no idea what she was heading into when she stepped out onto Rob’s front lawn. Then again none of us did.

The thin strip of sky is turning deep orange as I reach our encounter with the hitchhiker. It’s chilling to hear his voice after the fact, to revisit the conniving, veiled pleasantries he employed against us. I cringe as I hear Rob’s hand grasp my arm, ashamed that I let myself fall for the hitcher’s trickery.

ROB (VO): You did good, I’m sorry for grabbin’ you. I just didn’t want you to do something you’d regret.

AS (VO): No it’s fine. I was going to. Do you know what happens if you talk to him?

ROB (VO): Not sure. Came close myself once, a few years back. The way he looks at you when he thinks he’s got you? I don’t think I wanna know.

AS (VO): Rob, I-

I pause the audio file, clicking back ten seconds before pressing play again.

AS (VO): No it’s fine. I was going to. Do you know what happens if you talk to him?

ROB (VO): Not sure. Came close myself once, a few years back. The way he looks at you when he thinks he’s-

I certainly didn’t notice that at the time. I’d been so shaken by my run in with the hitcher, and so curious about the abandoned car that I’d been completely blind to anything else that had come my way. Maybe Rob misspoke, maybe he meant to say weeks or months. But if it wasn’t a mistake, if it was a truth carelessly uttered, then Rob has some explaining to do.

The Left/Right Game was posted online in June 2016, less than a year ago.

I glance sideways at him, a wall of corn rushing past us as we approach the rest stop. Throughout this trip, every emotion Rob’s displayed has seemed genuine. The sadness, the anger, the concern. They tell a story of a man who cares deeply about the welfare of those around him. Yet at the same time, it’s strikingly clear that there’s something he isn’t telling me.

With every new piece of the puzzle, the car, the text message, the faceless creature with the ringing phone, I’m left with the dilemma of when to confront Rob Guthard with what I know. I feel I’ve gathered enough to bring before him, enough to demand an explanation, but there’s no way I’d be able to truly verify his answer. I have a collection of strange and perplexing notions, lacking in the common thread that could bring me to any workable conclusion. If I am going to confront Rob, I need to uncover that thread. Much like the greatest journalists of our time, I should know the answer before I ask the question.

The jeep pulls up onto a large green space. Staring straight ahead, I find myself puzzled by the way the ground seems to stop, as if the horizon lies only twenty metres away from the car. As soon as the engine cuts out, I unbuckle my seatbelt, climb out and walk towards the grassy verge. The rest of the convoy pulls up behind me as I go.

I stop a few steps short of the edge, realising we’ve found our way to the top of a sheer cliff. A sudden swaying vertigo takes over, forcing me to take a few steps back. It doesn’t feel like we’ve been heading uphill, the road has been level since Jubilation, yet somehow I’m standing at the edge of a 400 ft. rock face, descending straight downwards, the distant earth shrouded by stalks of corn.

That’s the truly strange thing about this monolithic precipice. On either side of me, the maize runs to the very edge of the cliff and, at its base, the endless harvest continues until it stretches beyond the darkening horizon in every direction. It feels like I’m standing on the cliffs of Dover, staring over a golden ocean, its waves governed by the evening breeze. I wonder for a moment where it ends, then, taking consideration of the world I now occupy, I start to wonder if it ever does.

A belligerent scream rips me from the view. The source of the noise is blocked by the Wrangler and the first thing I see as I circle around are the shocked, wide eyed faces of Bonnie & Clyde. Once I make my way past the Wrangler’s hood, my expression mimics theirs.

Lilith has pinned Bluejay up to the side of the Jeep, a locked forearm pressing her chest against the door. Her other arm has been grasped in Bluejay’s hands, desperately stopped before it can strike her across the face. The two of them yell through gritted teeth as Lilith struggles furiously against her, vying to cause her any conceivable harm.

BLUEJAY Get the fuck off me you bitch! Get off!

I take a few quick steps over to Lilith as Bluejay attempts to kick her away.

AS: Lilith, we can’t do this… Jen…

Lilith doesn’t even register my presence as she continues her assault, deafened by the bubbling vitriol in every growling breath.

AS: Jen! We are not doing this now. Not after-

Before I can comprehend what’s happening, I’m staring at the sky, my head knocked back by the force of Lilith’s flailing elbow. A hot, raw ache radiates across my lower lip as I stagger back, raising my hand over my mouth.

Before Lilith can continue her assault, Rob swings open his door and takes two short strides over to her. He puts one arm around the girl’s waist and picks her up, carrying her safely, but firmly, over to Bonnie & Clyde’s Ford, and planting her back on the ground.

I seem to always forget how strong he is.

ROB: Damnit this is not the time.

LILITH: Take it back!

Bluejay has lost her usual snide demeanour, yet her aura still radiates an unbridled scorn. In response to Lilith’s demand, Bluejay walks back to her car and sits on the hood. She takes the Marlboros out of her pocket along with her lighter, and ignites a cigarette. I imagine the burning embers are the only company she’s comfortable to accept right now.

By the time I look back to the rest of the group, Lilith has stormed away.

AS: What did she say?

BONNIE: I didn’t hear it all.

AS: What did she say Bonnie?

BONNIE: I heard something about… she said Lilith was… that we were complicit.

ROB: Ah goddamnit… Bristol can you…

I watch Lilith, as she sits on the grass and looks over the cliffside. She begins to cry, yet I get a strong notion that it’s not something I should interrupt. It feels like something between her and Eve, a final act of reactionary mourning reserved for them, and them alone.

AS: Yeah… don’t worry. I’ll handle it.

ROB: Ok. I’ll cook us somethin’ up.

An hour passes. Lilith grows slowly calmer, drifting from cathartic release into a cold, wordless melancholy. Finishing up my dinner, I make my way over to her.

AS: It’s a strange view.

Lilith looks up at me. Her face falls.

LILITH: I cut you… I’m so sorry.

AS: It’s fine. You should see the other girl.

LILITH: Hah, yeah, I bet she looks like shit right about now.

I help myself down onto the cool ground, staring alongside Lilith into the ocean below.

LILITH: Bluejay thinks I’m complicit… in what happened to Eve.

AS: I heard.

LILITH: She used to think we were morons, now she thinks we’re all in on it… doesn’t make sense.

AS: I think she he has to believe this place is a lie. She needs it to make sense, and the harder it gets for her to rationalise the more she... Anyway, she shouldn’t have said what she said. She’s just... I guess the word is "troubled".

LILITH: She’s a fucking thundercunt.

AS: Umm… uh… ok.

LILITH: She’s right though... I killed her... and I killed Apollo too.

I look to Lilith, concerned, not quite sure what she means. Her eyes remain locked on the impossible horizon.

LILITH: Sarah… she wasn’t cut out for this, and she knew it. She wanted us to turn back this morning… but I didn’t want to.

AS: That wasn’t just your decision Lilith.

LILITH: Yes it was. She uh… she followed my lead. Always. Through everything. And I knew why she was doing it. I knew. But I let it continue, because it was convenient, because it was easy…. because deep down I liked having someone around who… who’d jump through fucking hoops for me… god it’s so fucked.

Lilith rests her head in her hands.

LILITH: She was weak. She was anxious and shy and… but that should be ok, right? You’re allowed to be weak that’s… but I made her come here. I dragged someone who couldn’t swim into the fucking deep end. And the last thing I did was lie to her and she fucking knew it.

Lilith takes a few deep, frayed breaths.

AS: What do you mean?

LILITH: I’m not uh… I didn’t, I… I loved her, you know as a… as a friend. It was always this fucking one-way street and… I don’t think she minded but. Then suddenly she’s vanishing right in-fucking-front of me and she said what she said… I mean how else was I supposed to respond to that? I had to say it back right?

Lilith maintains her composure as a steady stream of tears roll down her cheek.

AS: I don’t know what I’d do in that situation.

LILITH: I could see it in her eyes that she didn’t believe me. Fuck… I wonder how many people have died while being told like… comforting lies. How many of them fucking knew?

AS: I think you did the best you could Jen. I think you did better than most.

LILITH: You don’t need to tell me that just… are you tired? Do you need to go to bed soon?

AS: No, I don’t need to.

LILITH: There are some beers in uh… in Apollo’s bag. Is that like… looting? Or is that ok?

AS: I think he’d want us to have them, as long as he got a toast.

Lilith laughs briefly and finally smiles. She walks over to Bonnie and Clyde’s car, returning a moment later with a four pack.

We spend the next hour and a half slowly drinking them. Lilith can’t muster the right words for a toast so we just say thank you to Apollo, raising out cans to the open air. We talk about his tireless humour, his attempts to keep us all up during our first night on the road, how caringly he spoke to everyone, even at the edge of death.

We talk about Eve as well, about the pair’s misadventures, awkward college parties and the future of Paranormicon. Lilith smiles, and tells me there’s always a place for me once radio dies out.

After everything that’s happened on the road, the night can’t help but feel bittersweet. But for once, on a solitary cliff side in the middle of nowhere, it’s more sweet than it is bitter. That may not be much, but at the end of an awful day it’s more than either of us could have hoped for.

The next morning goes quickly. It’s amazing how efficient a group of people can be when none of them feel like talking. Not only that, but breakfast has become a noticeably brief affair. I manage to get through half a bag of trail mix before I find myself uncomfortably full. Rob’s words about the road’s sustaining properties ring in my ears as I look around the group. Everyone leaves their bowls half empty. Lilith hasn’t eaten a bite.

By this point, the launch protocol has been drilled into us. Despite our preoccupations, and the fractious rifts developing between us, the cars line up like clockwork as they merge onto the road. In fact, the mood of the group seems strangely procedural. All radio contact starts with the stating of a call sign, followed by that of the recipient. The cars maintain an even, careful distance between one another. We’ve seen all too clearly what happens when the rules are neglected, and no one wants to take chances any more.

AS: How far away are we?

ROB: From where?

AS: You haven’t got to the end of this road right? I mean… you’re still charting it?

ROB: That’s right.

AS: Well, how long until we get to… you know to… uncharted territory?

ROB: To be honest, not too long.

AS: What’s going to happen once we reach that point?

ROB: We’re gonna keep drivin’.

AS: Until we get to the end?

ROB: That’s the plan. You know I won’t judge you if you wanna turn around. I’m sure you can talk someone into it.

AS: Could I talk you into it?

Rob smiles.

ROB: ‘Fraid not. This trip ain’t like the others. Road’s kickin’ back like never before. I think it knows I’m comin’ all the way this time.

AS: … What is this place Rob?

Rob sighs as he slowly takes the next left on a quiet, rural T-junction.

ROB: I think it’s a stray thread… runnin’ off the spool.

The radio crackles.

BONNIE: Rob you just took the wrong turn.

An instant drum of fresh panic hammers in my chest. I stare at Rob, and he stares right back. I know he’s feeling the same thing I am, though he’s doing a much better job of keeping it off his face.

He thinks carefully for a moment.

ROB: No… no. I been down this road before. We took a right last time.

AS: Uhhh… yeah. Yes. The turn before this one was a right, I remember.

ROB: Ferryman to all cars. Thanks Bonnie for giving us the fright of our lives. We’re on the righ… we’re on the correct road.

BONNIE: No no that can’t be its… that’s wrong… Martin tell them…

CLYDE: Our mistake Rob, let’s keep going.

LILITH: Bristol…

There’s concern in Lilith’s voice. I lean over to my wing mirror, attempting to gauge the atmosphere in the car behind me. There’s clearly some commotion between Bonnie and Clyde, with the latter attempting to gently remove the walkie talkie from his sister’s hands.

There’s something else however. Past Bonnie & Clyde. Past Bluejay. An old, dilapidated road sign made of weathered timber stands by the side of the road behind us. I can’t read all of it as the peeling letters grow ever smaller, but I can piece together what it probably once said.

“Wintery Bay – 5 Miles”

BONNIE: We’re going to turn around right?

AS: Uhh one second Bonnie, I’ll… check the map.

I promptly switch off the radio.

AS: Are we not passing through Wintery Bay?

Rob turns to me, a puzzled look in his eyes.

ROB: Through where?

In the wake of those two, innocently inquiring words, my mind reels back to the morning of our third day on the road. Watching Bonnie and Clyde wander over to Rob to confess their transgressions with the hitchhiker, the quiet conversation that passed between them, Rob’s seemingly comforting response. I’d felt wretched in those moments. A few minutes prior I had tricked and deceived Clyde… yet I’d never once considered he might have done the same to me.

AS: Is it safe to pull over?

ROB: What? Why?

AS: Is it safe Rob?

ROB: Uh, yeah should be.

AS: Then pull over.

I switch the radio back on and grab the receiver. As I make a connection to Bonnie and Clyde’s car, it’s clear that an argument is brewing. Lilith is asking for me, a helpless passenger, caught in the middle of something she doesn’t understand.

AS: Bristol to all cars. We’re stopping up ahead.

Rob seems acutely aware that I’m not messing around. As soon as we roll to a halt, I throw my door open and jump onto the dusty roadside, striding over to the rest of the convoy, who are just starting to get out of their own cars. I’m conscious of a driving anger behind each step I take.

AS: You didn’t tell him.

CLYDE: Bristol, I…

ROB: What’s goin’ on Bristol?

Rob’s marches up behind me, more than a little restless to get a grip on my motives.

AS: Clyde?

Clyde looks around a circle of expectant eyes. When he delivers his answer, he’s unable to meet any of them.

CLYDE: Bonnie… Bonnie talked to the hitchhiker.

Rob’s expression shifts, his confusion degrading into a solemn understanding.

ROB: God… ahh Goddamnit. You knew about this Bristol?

AS: I told them to tell you the morning of the third day. I saw them go over to you I… I thought they did.

CLYDE: Bonnie… thought you’d… turn us around.

ROB: Well she’s was damn right. You seen what happens when the rules get broken. You shoulda told me as soon as you saw me and headed right back home.

CLYDE: That was before Ace… before everything. I didn’t know this place was-

ROB: The rules are the rules Clyde! Is anything even wrong with Bonnie? You said she gets confused... was that a lie?

Clyde doesn’t answer, avoiding Rob’s glare. As I process what Rob’s just said, I have to say I’m surprised by the deviousness of the two siblings.

When I thought they were telling Rob about the hitchhiker, it appears they’d instead told him that Bonnie was, to some degree, senile. It was a simple lie, but one that would adequately explain her odd behaviour, draw sympathy from Rob and, most ingeniously, prevent him from telling me about their conversation. A truth buried beneath an unpleasant lie, its subject matter just uncomfortable enough to head off any chance of discussion.

Still, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

CLYDE: We can head home if you want.

BONNIE: No.

The group turns to Bonnie. She speaks in a tone more decisive than I thought her capable.

BONNIE: He... the hitchhiker... he was talking about a… about the village we just passed. I was looking forward to seeing it, that’s all. I’m ok really.

AS: You’ve been talking about it a lot Bonnie.

BONNIE: It just sounded like a lovely place, I was sad that we passed it by. I’m sorry for worrying everyone. Please don’t make us turn around Rob.

Rob stares at them both. His position has been made crystal clear.

ROB: We’re stopping a little early today. Come the rest of the way with us, rest up… then tomorrow you both go home. You should count yourselves lucky you get the chance to turn around.

Rob marches back to the Wrangler, signalling that the discussion is over.

ROB: Lilith, you’re with us.

Lilith doesn't even try to hide her relief as she shuffles away from Bonnie & Clyde and climbs into the back of the Jeep. It’s a little heart warming that Rob still has the awareness to look out for her, angry as he may be.

As well as his surprising strength, I also tend to forget how perceptive he can be.

Bonnie, Clyde and Bluejay climb back into their respective vehicles. I catch Bonnie’s eye, the moment before she returns to the Ford. She appears truly disappointed, but otherwise resigned to keep going, satisfied to let Wintery Bay fade into the distance. It’s comforting to hear that she’s ready to put the place behind her.

It’s just a pity I don’t believe a word of it.

LILITH: It was fucking weird Bristol.

Lilith seems happy to be in the Wrangler, enjoying the sense of security the modded behemoth affords, and also greatly relieved to be away from Bonnie & Clyde. She’s spent the last five minutes detailing the thirty second argument that unfolded between them, charting its disturbing nuances as well as it’s eerie conclusion.

LILITH: ... but I swear she was basically like crying like… she didn’t understand how we could be going the wrong way. But then like, as soon as you pulled us over and she just stopped. Like I mean… stopped.

AS: That must have been disconcerting.

LILITH: You have no idea... So Rob, when are these cornfields gonna fucking end?

ROB: Soon. We’re gonna rest up for the night in a few turns. Then tomorrow it won’t be long until we’re on a track through the woods.

LILITH: The fucking woods? Are you kidding? Are we talking like… Sleepy Hollow bleeding trees or what?

ROB: Hah, wish I could tell ya.

LILITH: Wait, what do you mean?

ROB: I ain’t been that far yet. It’s new territory.

LILITH: Oh… great. Maybe the cornfields aren’t so…

Lilith goes quiet, transfixed by something in the rear view mirror, before quickly turning around to get a better look out of the back window.

The car behind us is out of control.

Bonnie is fighting to wrest the steering wheel from her brother. The Ford swerves erratically behind us, driven mad by the dynamic power struggle taking place inside it. Rob sharply accelerates out of the way as the car behind lurches drunkenly to and fro before skidding to a shuddering halt. Rob hits the brake hard, and by the time I’ve turned in his direction, he’s already slammed the door of the Wrangler, storming across the tarmac to Bonnie and Clyde.

ROB: Cut the engine!

The Ford’s engine goes silent and in the absence of its rumbling growl, new sounds emerge. The sounds of a struggle, and of wild desperate screaming.

Stepping out of the car for the second time today, I jump onto the road and cover the distance between us.

Rob is attempting to pull a screeching Bonnie from the car. Even with his impressive strength it seems to be a challenge. Bonnie claws at the walls, trying with all her might to regain her grasp on the steering wheel.

BONNIE: Please! PLEASE! Let me go! Let me go!

Rob extracts Bonnie from the car and attempts to subdue her amidst a flurry of flailing hands and elbows. She writhes and kicks as he pins her arms to her sides.

AS: Bonnie! Bonnie. Calm down ok? Let’s talk this through.

BONNIE: He told me it was on our way! He said we’d pass through!

ROB: He lied Bonnie.

BONNIE: No… no we’re going the wrong way. We’re going the wrong way!

Bonnie lashes out again, striking at Rob’s legs with her own. Rob holds her firmly, hit teeth gritted through every impact.

It’s clear that Bonnie isn’t going to let up. I run back to the Wrangler and open up the trunk. After a few moments of rummaging through my bag, I find the first aid kit and pull out an unopened pack of white zip ties.

AS: Clyde, open the back door.

Rob sees me standing with the zip ties. Even in the midst of Bonnie’s incessant struggle, he looks at me with an almost questioning air, as if he’s wondering how we ever arrived at this point. As if he’s asking whether we can really do what I’m wordlessly suggesting.

Bonnie answers the last question for him. In the slim few seconds of distraction, she slams her head back into his nose, eliciting a disgustingly loud thud and a pained growl from Rob. Dazed and confused, his nose immediately fountaining blood, Rob manages to keep his arms wrapped around her. But it’s clear this isn’t going to be sustainable, and that she isn’t anywhere close to calming down.

Clyde has opened the door, stepping back and looking on like a frightened child as we carry Bonnie over to the back seat of the Ford. I lean in before him, adjusting the headrest until it’s pressed against the ceiling, ensuring that it can’t be removed from the bracket. I then loop a zip tie around each bracket and fasten them.

BLUEJAY: What the fuck is going on?

Bluejay has stepped out of her car, making her way towards us. I realise that, to someone who is fighting to not believe in any of this, the following scene would appear at best as a melodramatic farce, and at worst, as the attempted detention of an innocent and distressed woman.

Sadly, I don’t have time to field her questions. I climb into the car. Bonnie working constantly against us as Rob eases her in after me, his hand on her head to prevent it bumping against the top of the doorframe.

Once she’s inside, I loop a second zip tie around the one I’ve already fastened on the right bracket, forcing her right hand inside it. I pull the plastic tab over the sleeve of her jumper.

I hope it’s not too tight, but at the very least it’s secure enough to keep her in place. Bonnie continues to pull against the zip ties, but it’s clear her strength has been sapped from her spirited battle with Rob.

Not quite able to look her in the eye, I push a pile of luggage out of the way and climb out the other side of the Ford. Rob and I are both getting our breath back, the former pinching his nose and adjusting stoically to the fresh pain.

BLUEJAY: Hey what the fuck are… you’re not going to leave her like that are you?

AS: Get back in your car Bluejay.

I walk back to the Wrangler, tuning out Denise’s coarse protests. Rob reaches into the Jeep’s still open trunk, and pulls out a pile of blankets and pillows. In the rear view mirror, I can see him placing them on Bonnie’s lap, giving her a place to rest her elbows.

She leans her forehead against the back of the headrest. Even with her face blocked from view, I can tell that she’s crying.

We arrive at the rest stop some twenty minutes later, the vague outline of a deep green forest blooming on the horizon. It’s earlier in the day than we would usually stop. Rob tells us he wants the entirety of tomorrow to chart the woods, as well as good time to turn back before night fall should the need arise. I’m not complaining, I’m glad of the chance to rest up following today’s events.

For the rest of the day, we take it in turns to keep an eye on Bonnie, making sure she has everything she needs. When the Ford pulled up alongside us, Lilith, Rob, and I expected to see a quivering wreck, tugging ceaselessly against her bonds. We were all surprised, and more than a little disturbed, to find her smiling. By the time my turn comes around, the sun is already dipping in the sky. Rob has prepared a small pot of miso soup in case anyone can bring themselves to eat. I finish my bowl, all too aware of how unnecessary each meal now feels, and pour out a helping for Bonnie.

I find her in good spirits.

BONNIE: How are you doing Alice?

AS: I’m fine. How are you doing Linda?

BONNIE: I’m ok. Sorry for giving you all such a fright earlier. I feel terrible.

AS: It’s fine honestly. I’m sorry about… about all this.

I gesture to the zip tied restraints. Rob has reapplied them, fastening bandages underneath the straps to afford Bonnie a modicum of comfort. Still the scene rings with a sinister barbarity which no kind consideration can make up for.

BONNIE: It’s ok. I wasn’t myself.

AS: I brought you soup. I know you might not be hungry.

BONNIE: No no I’d love some, thank you. Everyone’s being so lovely.

AS: Well, we just want to make sure you’re alright.

I submerge the spoon, drench up a measure of warm broth, and begin to raise it towards her.

BONNIE: Oh no you don’t have to… I can feed myself…

She gestures to her bound hands, the clear implication hanging in the air.

AS: No I… I don’t mind. I think it’s-

Bonnie throws her weight sideways, her elbow jabbing outwards and hitting the bowl out of my hands. Soup spills over my fleece, just a little cooler than scolding hot, and soaks immediately into the fabric. I back away reflexively, and watch Bonnie’s expression flicker like a faulty lightbulb from kind tranquility to utter, burning contempt. It’s gone as quickly as it appears, just in time for the rest of the group to look our way.

BLUEJAY: What are you doing with her?!

Bluejay storms across from her car, angrily drawing from a Marlboro and forcing the smoke draconically back into the air.

AS: Nothing. Just an accident.

BONNIE: It’s ok Bluejay, it was my mistake.

BLUEJAY: Did she get any on you?

Bluejay leans in placing her hand comfortingly on Bonnie’s, before turning to fix me with a murderous stare. It’s almost impressive how, even when caring for someone, Bluejay still manages to be simultaneously venomous to those around her.

BONNIE: No no it’s ok it was my fault. It’s fine. I’m sorry for causing trouble.

Bluejay laughs at Bonnie’s submissive apology, unable to believe what she's thinking. Her eyes remain fixed on me.

BLUEJAY: You’re a fucking coward. Look what he’s making you do. Look!

My eyes follow where she gestures. I have to admit the helpless figure of Bonnie, restrained in the back seat of the Ford, rings with an innate inhumanity, and being forced to stare my actions in the face makes me feel utterly ghoulish.

The choices I’ve made must seem insane to Bluejay, but that doesn’t mean hers are not. Despite her pretensions of rationality, I can’t help but feel that Bluejay’s actions are simply being governed by a different insanity. An insanity borne out of the desperate need to explain the unexplainable, which has morphed into an ugly cocktail of paranoia, self-grandeur, and fervent antagonism.

Bluejay notes my silent expression, most likely taking it as a personal victory. Without another word she returns to her car and shuts herself inside, festering silently and alone.

BONNIE: Do you want to know what’s wonderful Alice?

Bonnie leans towards me, lowering her voice so no one else can hear.

BONNIE: He told me there’s a house… waiting for me. My home by the sea.

AS: I’m sorry Bonnie. I don’t think there is.

BONNIE: It’s going to be a such a beautiful place. Such a beautiful place.

Bonnie flashes me a broad grin.

BONNIE: It’s been lovely knowing you Alice.

Bonnie turns away from me, placing her forehead back on the headrest. The grin doesn’t fade as I turn away. I walk back to the Wrangler, faced with the choice of changing into new clothes or my thermal pyjamas.

After removing my fleece and lying down for a just a moment, I end up sleeping in the clothes I’m wearing.

When I wake up, the Wrangler is moving.

The air mattress reverberates and my body rocks as we make a sharp U-turn. I sit bolt upright, Lilith waking up next to me, similarly bleary eyed and confused.

Rob is behind the wheel. The gear stick shakes as he transports us down the road at incredible speed.

AS: Rob what’s happening?

ROB: Bonnie got herself free. She’s headed for the turn.

I pull myself into the passenger seat, suddenly wide awake.

LILITH: What? How did she get free?

AS: Is she with Clyde?

ROB: She hit him over the head, dragged him outta the car. I couldn’t wait for him, but he’s catchin’ up.

Lilith and I turn around. Bluejay’s car is gaining on us, a distant pair of high beams steadily drowning the rear window in light.

LILITH: Why’s Bluejay helping him?

AS: She probably wants to keep an eye on us. Rob, do you think we’ll catch up with Bonnie?

ROB: I’m workin’ on it.

The Wrangler continues to rocket through the darkness. We keep our eyes fixed forward, scanning the very edge of the horizon for any sign of Bonnie’s Ford.

When Bluejay pulls alongside us, I get a look at the pair. Bluejay is nought but steely determination, dedicated to reaching Bonnie before we do. Clyde looks mortified, rocked by his sister’s actions, a small contusion on his head to mark her vicious betrayal.

Rob screeches to a halt once we arrive at the junction. Bluejay’s headlights are already illuminating the road to Wintery Bay, and Rob’s lighting rig coats the entire area in an artificial twilight. In the middle of it all, we see Bonnie, standing next to her car, smiling.

She’s already beyond the threshold of the turn.

CLYDE: Linda! Linda, please… come on back now, ok?

BONNIE: You can all come with me. There’s a place for all of us. He told me. There’s a place for everyone.

CLYDE: Please Linda. You have to come back.

A strange trail of black dust is streaming off Bonnie’s skin, rising into the air and dancing in the breeze. After a moment, it becomes clear that the edges of Bonnie are slowly degrading, converting quietly into dark ash and drifting into the atmosphere.

BONNIE: I love you very much Martin. You’re always welcome.

CLYDE: No please… please.

Bonnie turns around and climbs into the car. Without looking back, she pulls away down the road to Wintery Bay. The trail of black particles rise from the Ford as she goes, with greater and greater volume as the entire car starts to wither away before our eyes. Less than a minute later the Ford, with Bonnie inside it, gradually dissolves into dust and scatters to the winds.

Clyde doesn't speak. His entire being is quiet. Lilith immediately runs back to the Wrangler. Rob waits a while, staring at he dancing cloud of dust, before putting his arm around Clyde and gently escorting him to the Jeep.

As I turn away from the road to Wintery Bay, I take note of Bluejay’s reaction. She looks absolutely petrified, more so than I’ve ever seen her. She impulsively removes the pack of Marlboros from her pocket and holds them in her hands, before quickly returning them, unsmoked.

The night passes slowly after we return to the rest stop. All of us are exhausted, and more than willing to surrender to the escapism of sleep. Rob rests in the driver’s seat, giving up his space on the air mattress to Clyde. Everyone drops quickly enough into a quiet slumber, leaving me awake with only my thoughts for company. I find myself thinking of Bluejay, of how she could possibly hope to rationalise the disintegration of Bonnie and her car.

I wonder how I’d feel if the Left/Right Game were exposed as some unparalleled magic trick. Would I feel foolish? No I don’t think so. Impressed, maybe. Relieved? Most definitely. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I miss the innocent days when I believed the game was a hoax. I suppose I see why Bluejay is so adamant about dismissing this place; trickery however elaborate is almost always a preferable alternative to genuine horror.

The Jeep’s door opens and shuts

Part of me tries to ignore it, to wash my hands of any other developments in this harrowing night. However, exiled as I am from the kingdom of sleep, I slowly find myself sitting up, quietly putting on my boots, and letting myself out.

I step out into the cool night, observing the figure before me.

AS: Where are you going Clyde?

Clyde turns to face me, I initially interpret the look he gives me as one of resignation, but the word doesn’t quite fit. Resignation is a defeat, the world exacting compliance from you against your own wishes. But the man before me is as calm as the night air around him. His wishes are clearly his own. There’s no defeat in his eyes, but something else entirely… peace, maybe.

CLYDE: You know where I’m going Alice.

Clyde speaks softly, a quiet conviction behind every word he says. I briefly glance towards the Wrangler, wondering if I’m really equipped to handle this on my own.

CLYDE: Don’t call Rob. I made a mistake coming back to the rest stop. I shouldn’t have done... please. Just let me go.

AS: Clyde, just wait for tomorrow ok? He’ll understand. He’ll turn us around and take you home.

CLYDE: It won't be home anymore.

Clyde’s gentle stare renders me silent.

CLYDE: Linda had a husband once. He was a good man. Died young. She could never bring herself to go looking again and I… I never found who I was looking for. We’ve been by each other’s side for sixty years. Sixty years. I gotta be honest, even after all we’ve been through, everything you and I have seen, I never felt like I was in a new world until now.

AS: I don’t think I can’t let you do this Clyde.

CLYDE: I’m sorry Alice, but it’s not up to you.

Clyde breathes in the cool night air, exhaling through his nose.

CLYDE: I yelled at her to come back, when she ran off to rob that ice cream parlour. I kept calling out and calling out. I spent so much energy trying to get her to come back to me. After a while I realised she wasn’t coming back… that I’d have to follow her. I should’ve realised it earlier. That’s all I can do.... follow where she goes.

Clyde looks at me, almost apologetically.

CLYDE: Goodbye Alice.

He turns away from the convoy and wanders back down the road.

AS: Clyde.

He turns around one last time.

AS: Do you want company?

It takes roughly an hour for us to walk back to the junction. In the time we have, I’m treated to the story of Bonnie and Clyde. The warmest fragments of their life together, the moments that built them, the waves that rocked them and the places they once called home. I don’t think I’ll ever agree with what Clyde is doing, but the more he talks, the more I understand.

His stories span more than half a century, supported by a transient cast of acquaintances and friends, but at the core of each tale is a pair of siblings who meant the world to one another. The pair existed as two relative souls, quantifiable only in relation to each other. In the absence of one, the remnant was indefinable. A drifting point, unanchored in space.

The story ends just as we reach the junction

AS: I hope she's out there.

CLYDE: I hope so too. Thank you for coming with me, I know it’s late.

AS: No… it’s never a bad time to see a friend off.

Clyde smiles at me one last time before turning to face the road. He steps over the threshold, past the old wooden sign. In the silence of the night, I hear nothing but his soft footsteps and the quiet breeze, which after a few minutes carries the last of him into an open sky.

It’s a long walk back to the convoy. My mind is numb to fear as I make my way through the dark, the corn rustling in the wind beside me.

It’s been four days since I arrived at Rob Guthard’s house, sat down at his table, and listened to him speak about the new world he’d discovered. In that time, I’ve seen things I can’t hope to comprehend, sights that exist beyond the spectrum of our reality. Things I wouldn't have deemed possible.

For all I know there is a Wintery Bay, and Bonnie has already arrived at her house by the sea, standing at the door, waiting with quiet confidence for her brother’s arrival.

I may never know. But I do hope they find each other, wherever they may be.

#creepy #horror story #series #left right game series #author: NeonTempo

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resbang-bookclub · 6 years

Text

AMA Transcript: Simple Melody

For our final AMA of Resbang 2017, @alliope, @bbbutterfingers & @daciafu stopped in to answer questions about their Resbang, Simple Melody! Here’s some of what went down:

Q: My first question for Allie is what inspired you to do this AU?

Allie: Well I've generally had the idea for an Over the Garden Wall AU for a while, not necessarily for SE, but as the first check-ins deadline was approaching I ended up rewatching bits of Over the Garden Wall and it just kinda clicked? Mainly I think it came from Crona's betrayal and Beatrice's betrayal and everything fell into place from there. I thought the eerie atmospheres would work well together! So I ended up scrapping my previous idea and wrote 3k plus a summary like three days before the first check-ins, rip.

Q: For butter/dacia, what went into how you decided which scene(s) to art?

butterfingers: HM well there was some chitchat when we started about what kind of work we wanted to do and I said that I loved the Boom comics covers, and then I shouted WHAT IF I MADE COMIC BOOK COVERS! and I think Dacia went WHAT IF I DID BACKGROUNDS and I guess we just approached it as if we were doing something comic-y haha!

Allie: You two were the power duo.

daciafu: I've always been in love with the style of the backgrounds of OTGW since that's where all those cozy and spooky feelings of fall and the Unknown really shine and I'm honestly HORRIBLE at designing backgrounds so I wanted to take the challenge and push myself to get better! Mimicking other people's styles really helps me break down how they make their choices and teaches me how to make things look Decent so I was super hyped to pick up the OTGW style! And then when Butters and I were trying to figure out What Do and she said she wanted to tackle covers, I decided to do background-heavy scenes. 😊

Q: What is generally your guys’ process (writing for Allie and arting for butters and dacia)?

Allie: Well, I wrote in little scenes, like I would get an idea for a scene and just go for it, the fic wasn't at all coherent until maybe a few days before posting. This actually posed a problem since linking scenes took longer than I thought it would. Because I had most of my scenes written, I thought I had more finished than I really did. By the end of Resbang, I had 56k written but only 20k remotely post-able. I'm a super obsessive planner though, so my whole fic was outlined in detail early on, which was nice cause I knew what I was doing lol

butterfingers: I loved going through Allie's notes, I was always excited to see how they'd connect the dots! My art process is as follows: scribble something, put it aside, look at it a lot throughout the day with the thought that maybe I can surprise myself into seeing something new, find something I hate, fix it, rinse and repeat. For this project I actually... have a friend who works with Boom Comics and she was able to hook me up with a nice little gallery of illustrations for the OTGW comic so I got to go through and put together my mood board for it 😊

daciafu: I read over the gloriousness that was Allie's draft and immediately picked out some neat scenes or wanted to reimagine the classic OTWG ones. I spent a lot of time studying first! Looking at the art books, and poring over the show’s scenes and kind of getting a feel for the color palettes, textures and compositions. Then I watched a tutorial on Youtube where someone just deadass uploaded their painting process on a piece of official art that made it into the show. So that was EXTREMELY helpful to watch the way they painted back-to-front and kind of blended the planes without like, losing depth?? The internet is so, so wonderful. And then I got to work! Started with a soft brush for lineart so it wouldn't be too prevalent, moved onto base colors, then shading, and then really trying to establish textures and make the atmosphere Just Right(tm).

butterfingers: Genius!! Oh damn that sounds like such great advice vis à vis backgrounds. /takes notes

Q: You sound like the dream art partner Allie, I weep for my artists and my last minute HERE IS 10K I JUST TYPED UP BC IM A MESS.

Allie: Ahh geez, these two were the dream partners honestly, like I'm so glad they could gather stuff from my notes, cause I've always got everything together in my head, but then it gets out there and it's a mess, these two deserve all the love.

butterfingers: There was one thing I regret that I didn't have the chance to draw and it was like a throwaway line somewhere in your notes about Maka presenting Soul with a praying mantis and him freaking out. I resonated with that so hard hahaha.

Q: What was the hardest scene for you to write?

Allie: The hardest scene to write that's actually posted was anything with Justin really, I don't get his character and it was tough to write him. There were a few scenes that were hard to write because I rushed them, but I wouldn't say they were genuinely difficult scenes, I just gotta rewrite 'em! But overall the ending scene I'm still struggling to write and there's a dream scene that occurs which has been difficult to write just for making it dream-like enough?

Q: And what was the hardest to art? :o

butterfingers: I had a hard time with Maka's expressions. I had many scribbles designing a Ragnarok lantern, too, but it was very fun!!

Allie: Your design for the Ragnarok lantern was so good, I still cry over it.

butterfingers: Ahaha thank you! He was very Calcifer inspired ;)

daciafu: I struggled quite a bit with the first one I painted, just because it was all so new to me. I had to base color 3 different times because the soft lineart bothered me if something extended too far, or there was white background peeking through. And then reimagining the texture in the leaves and the ground to try to separate the planes there but also wanting them to be cohesive was a bit of a headache. If I had to go back and do that one over again I think I'd be more prepared to deal with the foliage lmao.

butterfingers: Your textures were very excellent, that was a quality I struggled with as well!

daciafu: The first one I painted was the Golden Light scene where Maka and Soul are leaving the woods and entering the fields.

butterfingers: Trees r hard.

Allie: They all came out so incredible though, I'm in awe of how you were able to create those leaves.

daciafu: Omg ;;;;; At the same time trees are so organic and flowy and the chances of getting them wrong are pretty slim considering they can get janked as hell lol they're super fun to just zone out to. "I’ll just put a happy little leaf here, ooh and how’s about another one right next to it. They can be happy friends. Oh look, the squad showed up!!" Channeling my inner Bob Ross... but yeah you can just do whatever with them and they somehow come together.

Q: Daciafu how do u.....background, like you did so well and all I hear from art friends is various levels of pterodactyl screeching when the word background is mentioned.

daciafu: I heavily based the Leafing the Forest scene and the church scene after stills from the show so I don't get composition points there, but I built the pumpkin fields just based off of the environment’s design elements. I really wanted to push the depth of that scene but also give it that same never-ending quality to it, and I'm super happy with the results. Another note is that I omitted the characters entirely while building the backgrounds. Since I'm usually a pretty character-heavy artist, I wanted to tackle it like I was preparing the scene for an animator later. And then once they were done, I added in our sweet kids. Doing it that way first really helped to cement the characters in the space rather than my usual "character is done, how can I put them in an interesting physical space?" struggle lmao.

Q: Did you guys feel like your writing/arting changed at all or that you learned anything/picked up new skills/honed old ones etc. etc. during Resbang?

Allie: Gosh yeah, it changed a lot. In hindsight a bad idea, but this was the first fic I'd ever written with intention of posting and the longest piece I'd ever written. Before this I had written very little and my longest piece was maybe 10k. Throughout Resbang I've learned most of everything from the ground up, it's taught me a lot about my limits, how I work and writing in general. I've definitely improved a lot from the experience!

butterfingers: Let me tell you all about the airbrush tool that I discovered during Resbang. Amazing. Incredible.

daciafu: I learned how to paint backgrounds!!! Which is something I've always wanted to get better at. And I got super comfortable in Clip Studio (I'd just gotten it) as well as using texture brushes, so overall it was a very helpful and wonderful experience as a Resbang participant and as an arteest.

Q: Oh that reminds me butters, what program do you use?

butterfingers: Paint Tool SAI for the most part, and then Photoshop for color correction, borders, and, like, finesse things! :)

Q: Did you guys listen to any music that inspired you or helped you create?

Allie: Ah, yeah! I had a playlist actually! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTCaFkFU6rkD1edJwCZmHvJiUwlSUeGZ

If you want I can explain some bits of it? I use music a lot when writing aha. I like to associate certain songs with characters and character relationships, so most of the songs are connected to a particular part of the story. The Monroe Transfer, Wayfaring Stranger, and Mountains were all more general atmosphere stuff. Blame was very much related to Maka, which may not be apparent now, but yeah. Ragnarok I actually connected a lot with Willow Tree March. Soul was probably closest with A Lady. Crona had a lot of songs, but Neptune was most specific to them, as was probably Ghost Towns. Some character relationships I associated with certain songs, Crona-Ragnarok and Soul-Maka were both pretty connected to Always Gold, especially that dang last line "there were holes in you, the kind that I could not mend" oh man. Crona-Maka was definitely We Could Be Friends, Bloom, and Spell. Meet Me in The Woods I thought was a pretty good group song! Those are just some general bits of my thinking with the music aha.

daciafu: Definitely checked out Allie's dope playlist. For most of my working time, tho, I was either listening to TAZ: Commitment or MBMBaM oddly enough lol. I will forever think of Justin's uproarious laughter whenever I look at them lmao.

Q: Were any of the relationships difficult to characterize?

Allie: Mmm this may sound weird but early Maka-Crona was weird for me, cause they were kinda at that point where they want to (or at least Maka wants to) like each other, but they don’t like or trust each other at all and it's a weird spot for them. I'm used to writing them as at least interested by one another, if not enemies or already fond of one another, so this felt like a very odd place to start with them.

Q: Do you guys have future plans for writing/drawing? Aside from polishing and posting the rest of the fic!

Allie: I have,,, too many plans,, I need less plans,, someone please take them away from me, I can't be trusted with them,,,, I do want to do a sequel for this when I get it finished, playing on the detail about crows memory lasting five years so. Beyond that I have a SoMa fic to finish for the prompt challenge!! I'm working on a gift for Crescentcrona, which is a fantasy Kirona fic called Eat The Rich. I have polyam week fics that I'm cleaning up, I think my favorite so far is a Azusa/Naigus/Sid/Mifune one for Through The Seasons. And God I have so many CroMa fics I want to write, I gotta fill the AO3 tag. I think the biggest one right now is a wings-related soulmates au that I've been working on on the side since October I think?

daciafu: Yo there's one scene that I'm like sUPER hyped to do if Allie does the sequel because I already know exactly how I wanna draw it but I wasn't able to fit that in near the end, and it didn't end up in the first part. But there are a couple of other scenes Allie and I workshopped that would be super fun to do and I would love to draw them. Other than that, my drawing plans are pretty much working on commissions as they come in. Surprisingly my queue has been maxed out and I just got a full time job so of course now I'm like.... hm.... I'll get 'em done eventually!!

----

That’s the end of the AMAs for the 2017 season! Thanks again for reading along with us, and see you next year! :)

#AMA transcripts #resbang book club #rbbc #simple melody

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bookshop · 6 years

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navel-gazing (+ pronouns)

I have talked before about being genderqueer, but I realized today that the only time I’ve really talked about it extensively here is when I’ve been accused of not being genderqueer enough.

And, granted, I am barely active on Tumblr these days for a bunch of reasons — but that bothers me; I feel like I don't talk enough about how genderqueer I am, even though i think about it all the time, ahaha. It's the most defining thing about me at this point and I barely ever mention it or, like, "perform" it. But it's a HUGE part of my understanding of myself.

I ID as “genderqueer female” for a plethora of reasons, many of which are discussed in that first link up there. This means I answer to she/her. The tl;dr of this post is that as of this post, I’m switching to they/them pronouns — but in a casual, no-stress-if-you-still-call-me-she/her, way.

My entire life I have been anxious about my gender, first, because I was constantly afraid that i would never be able to perform femininity, and then subsequently this fear that I'm not really nonbinary enough to call myself genderqueer. It actually took one of my friends (@nonmodernist who prolly doesn't even know she did this) POINTING OUT TO ME ON TWITTER that i was genderqueer for me to get it — many years ago, but hilariously not long ago enough for it not to be embarrassing at how long it took me lol.

I had tweeted (on my locked Twitter) something to the effect of "wow, if this is how i feel as someone without gender dysphoria, imagine what someone who actually HAS gender dysphoria feels" and Alex was like, dude, that IS GENDER DYSPHORIA. Me: Oh. OH. oh, god i'm so dense omg.

I spent my entire life being constantly anxious about my inability to perform femininity or to understand why i *should* perform it. I spent so so much of my childhood feeling like every woman around me was in on some secret that I just didn't get. I felt like an alien. I was constantly anxious, to the point of having panic attacks, about wearing heels, putting on makeup, shaving my legs, having periods (oh god my fucked-up relationship to my uterus and my breasts lolol), doing “female” things like going shopping together, trying on clothes, talking about boys at slumber parties — I was so fundamentally bad at all of it,and I knew I was supposed to be better, but I couldn’t wrap my head around why I was supposed to be better. I just knew that I was failing at it.

For the longest time I thought that was just how all women feel, like, I thought that the big Secret about womanhood was how every woman hates being a woman. It took me SO LONG to realize that wasn't the case. And then once I had that framework in place, it was so, so, so GLARINGLY obvious that I was dysphoric. As a kid I was always trying to wear hats and men's ties and coats—I, a late-80s/90s kid, idolized Denise Huxtable because she wore hats and ties, and I imitated her. I was also always writing female heroines who had androgynous names like Alex, Sam, Darcy, Max. Many of these characters also habitually crossdressed. And I never realized what that all meant, even when all of the stories I wanted to write involved being genderqueer, gender fluidity, or the nature of being nonbinary in some way. The first published short story I ever wrote had a trans character as its protagonist; all of my book pitches have trans characters as their protagonists; my podcast has a genderqueer main character. I am and always have been extremely genderqueer.

So subsequently, after realizing all of this, I’ve perpetually struggled with this fear that i’m not nonbinary enough to call myself genderqueer. This feeling has been exacerbated by instances in the past where I’ve been basically accused of misgendering myself when I’m really cis, or pretending to be genderqueer for brownie points.

Well, I am emphatically not pretending to be genderqueer for brownie points. There are creators out there who seem to dabble in genderqueer identity for fun, or even initially as a joke, only to then start questioning their own gender and decide that the nonbinary descriptor applies to them — and I just have to say for my own health and sanity that this has never remotely been me. I was so confused about my own gender identity despite all the things I dealt with my whole life as described above, and despite constantly, constantly agonizing over my own inability to perform gender, that I had to be verbally hit over the head, had to have it pointed out to me, in order to figure it out. I feel like I just wind up protesting too much? “Yes, I’m genderqueer, I’m really, really genderqueer!” but this is partly because I’ve had to defend my gender ID in the past and partly because I’m still struggling with what it means to be genderqueer and to live with an awareness of this very female-coded body as nonbinary. Even now i’m afraid someone will read this post and go “none of these things you experienced make you genderqueer, fuck off.” I just. I constantly worry about this.

As one of my new year’s resolutions, I'm going to try to work harder to stop feeling this way. It’s especially important for me to work harder at it because we’re about to launch a podcast with a character who’s genderqueer, and the last thing I want is for any of our amazing amazing actors to experience an iota of stress or discomfort because of me. I’m only marginally better at performing my own genderqueerness than I was at performing femininity, back when I tried to perform femininity; but starting now, I’m going to at least give myself the gift I’ve wanted to give myself for a while: I’m going to be trying out they/them pronouns for myself. And I’m still going to ID as genderqueer female, and still probably forgetting and calling myself she/her in bios etc ahaha. So it’s really totally fine if you keep calling me she and her.

I just want to establish for myself that “they/them” is okay for me too.

#me #navel-gazing #genderqueerness #2017 #long post #idk #nb stuff

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sending-the-message · 6 years

Text

Has anyone heard of the Left/Right Game? (Part 6) by NeonTempo

Hi Guys,

Sorry it’s taken a while to get this posted up. I’ve been busy chasing leads with US missing persons.

I won’t waste more of your time. Log is below. If you have any information then please send it my way.

Thanks for your help guys, it means a lot.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

The Left/Right Game [DRAFT 1] 12/02/2017

Silence used to be an absolute.

That’s something I definitely miss.

APOLLO (VO) Everybody knows Rob, Rob's the god! Ahaha

ROB (VO): You did good, I’m sorry for grabbin’ you. I just didn’t want you to do something you’d regret.

AS (VO): No it’s fine. I was going to. Do you know what happens if you talk to him?

ROB (VO): Not sure. Came close myself once, a few years back. The way he looks at you when he thinks he’s got you? I don’t think I wanna know.

AS (VO): Rob, I-

I pause the audio file, clicking back ten seconds before pressing play again.

AS (VO): No it’s fine. I was going to. Do you know what happens if you talk to him?

ROB (VO): Not sure. Came close myself once, a few years back. The way he looks at you when he thinks he’s-

The Left/Right Game was posted online in June 2016, less than a year ago.

BLUEJAY Get the fuck off me you bitch! Get off!

I take a few quick steps over to Lilith as Bluejay attempts to kick her away.

AS: Lilith, we can’t do this… Jen…

Lilith doesn’t even register my presence as she continues her assault, deafened by the bubbling vitriol in every growling breath.

AS: Jen! We are not doing this now. Not after-

I seem to always forget how strong he is.

ROB: Damnit this is not the time.

LILITH: Take it back!

By the time I look back to the rest of the group, Lilith has stormed away.

AS: What did she say?

BONNIE: I didn’t hear it all.

AS: What did she say Bonnie?

BONNIE: I heard something about… she said Lilith was… that we were complicit.

ROB: Ah goddamnit… Bristol can you…

AS: Yeah… don’t worry. I’ll handle it.

ROB: Ok. I’ll cook us somethin’ up.

An hour passes. Lilith grows slowly calmer, drifting from cathartic release into a cold, wordless melancholy. Finishing up my dinner, I make my way over to her.

AS: It’s a strange view.

Lilith looks up at me. Her face falls.

LILITH: I cut you… I’m so sorry.

AS: It’s fine. You should see the other girl.

LILITH: Hah, yeah, I bet she looks like shit right about now.

I help myself down onto the cool ground, staring alongside Lilith into the ocean below.

LILITH: Bluejay thinks I’m complicit… in what happened to Eve.

AS: I heard.

LILITH: She used to think we were morons, now she thinks we’re all in on it… doesn’t make sense.

LILITH: She’s a fucking thundercunt.

AS: Umm… uh… ok.

LILITH: She’s right though... I killed her... and I killed Apollo too.

I look to Lilith, concerned, not quite sure what she means. Her eyes remain locked on the impossible horizon.

LILITH: Sarah… she wasn’t cut out for this, and she knew it. She wanted us to turn back this morning… but I didn’t want to.

AS: That wasn’t just your decision Lilith.

Lilith rests her head in her hands.

Lilith takes a few deep, frayed breaths.

AS: What do you mean?

Lilith maintains her composure as a steady stream of tears roll down her cheek.

AS: I don’t know what I’d do in that situation.

LILITH: I could see it in her eyes that she didn’t believe me. Fuck… I wonder how many people have died while being told like… comforting lies. How many of them fucking knew?

AS: I think you did the best you could Jen. I think you did better than most.

LILITH: You don’t need to tell me that just… are you tired? Do you need to go to bed soon?

AS: No, I don’t need to.

LILITH: There are some beers in uh… in Apollo’s bag. Is that like… looting? Or is that ok?

AS: I think he’d want us to have them, as long as he got a toast.

Lilith laughs briefly and finally smiles. She walks over to Bonnie and Clyde’s car, returning a moment later with a four pack.

We talk about Eve as well, about the pair’s misadventures, awkward college parties and the future of Paranormicon. Lilith smiles, and tells me there’s always a place for me once radio dies out.

AS: How far away are we?

ROB: From where?

AS: You haven’t got to the end of this road right? I mean… you’re still charting it?

ROB: That’s right.

AS: Well, how long until we get to… you know to… uncharted territory?

ROB: To be honest, not too long.

AS: What’s going to happen once we reach that point?

ROB: We’re gonna keep drivin’.

AS: Until we get to the end?

ROB: That’s the plan. You know I won’t judge you if you wanna turn around. I’m sure you can talk someone into it.

AS: Could I talk you into it?

Rob smiles.

ROB: ‘Fraid not. This trip ain’t like the others. Road’s kickin’ back like never before. I think it knows I’m comin’ all the way this time.

AS: … What is this place Rob?

Rob sighs as he slowly takes the next left on a quiet, rural T-junction.

ROB: I think it’s a stray thread… runnin’ off the spool.

The radio crackles.

BONNIE: Rob you just took the wrong turn.

He thinks carefully for a moment.

ROB: No… no. I been down this road before. We took a right last time.

AS: Uhhh… yeah. Yes. The turn before this one was a right, I remember.

ROB: Ferryman to all cars. Thanks Bonnie for giving us the fright of our lives. We’re on the righ… we’re on the correct road.

BONNIE: No no that can’t be its… that’s wrong… Martin tell them…

CLYDE: Our mistake Rob, let’s keep going.

LILITH: Bristol…

“Wintery Bay – 5 Miles”

BONNIE: We’re going to turn around right?

AS: Uhh one second Bonnie, I’ll… check the map.

I promptly switch off the radio.

AS: Are we not passing through Wintery Bay?

Rob turns to me, a puzzled look in his eyes.

ROB: Through where?

AS: Is it safe to pull over?

ROB: What? Why?

AS: Is it safe Rob?

ROB: Uh, yeah should be.

AS: Then pull over.

AS: Bristol to all cars. We’re stopping up ahead.

AS: You didn’t tell him.

CLYDE: Bristol, I…

ROB: What’s goin’ on Bristol?

Rob’s marches up behind me, more than a little restless to get a grip on my motives.

AS: Clyde?

Clyde looks around a circle of expectant eyes. When he delivers his answer, he’s unable to meet any of them.

CLYDE: Bonnie… Bonnie talked to the hitchhiker.

Rob’s expression shifts, his confusion degrading into a solemn understanding.

ROB: God… ahh Goddamnit. You knew about this Bristol?

AS: I told them to tell you the morning of the third day. I saw them go over to you I… I thought they did.

CLYDE: Bonnie… thought you’d… turn us around.

ROB: Well she’s was damn right. You seen what happens when the rules get broken. You shoulda told me as soon as you saw me and headed right back home.

CLYDE: That was before Ace… before everything. I didn’t know this place was-

ROB: The rules are the rules Clyde! Is anything even wrong with Bonnie? You said she gets confused... was that a lie?

Clyde doesn’t answer, avoiding Rob’s glare. As I process what Rob’s just said, I have to say I’m surprised by the deviousness of the two siblings.

Still, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

CLYDE: We can head home if you want.

BONNIE: No.

The group turns to Bonnie. She speaks in a tone more decisive than I thought her capable.

BONNIE: He... the hitchhiker... he was talking about a… about the village we just passed. I was looking forward to seeing it, that’s all. I’m ok really.

AS: You’ve been talking about it a lot Bonnie.

BONNIE: It just sounded like a lovely place, I was sad that we passed it by. I’m sorry for worrying everyone. Please don’t make us turn around Rob.

Rob stares at them both. His position has been made crystal clear.

ROB: We’re stopping a little early today. Come the rest of the way with us, rest up… then tomorrow you both go home. You should count yourselves lucky you get the chance to turn around.

Rob marches back to the Wrangler, signalling that the discussion is over.

ROB: Lilith, you’re with us.

As well as his surprising strength, I also tend to forget how perceptive he can be.

It’s just a pity I don’t believe a word of it.

LILITH: It was fucking weird Bristol.

AS: That must have been disconcerting.

LILITH: You have no idea... So Rob, when are these cornfields gonna fucking end?

ROB: Soon. We’re gonna rest up for the night in a few turns. Then tomorrow it won’t be long until we’re on a track through the woods.

LILITH: The fucking woods? Are you kidding? Are we talking like… Sleepy Hollow bleeding trees or what?

ROB: Hah, wish I could tell ya.

LILITH: Wait, what do you mean?

ROB: I ain’t been that far yet. It’s new territory.

LILITH: Oh… great. Maybe the cornfields aren’t so…

Lilith goes quiet, transfixed by something in the rear view mirror, before quickly turning around to get a better look out of the back window.

The car behind us is out of control.

ROB: Cut the engine!

The Ford’s engine goes silent and in the absence of its rumbling growl, new sounds emerge. The sounds of a struggle, and of wild desperate screaming.

Stepping out of the car for the second time today, I jump onto the road and cover the distance between us.

BONNIE: Please! PLEASE! Let me go! Let me go!

Rob extracts Bonnie from the car and attempts to subdue her amidst a flurry of flailing hands and elbows. She writhes and kicks as he pins her arms to her sides.

AS: Bonnie! Bonnie. Calm down ok? Let’s talk this through.

BONNIE: He told me it was on our way! He said we’d pass through!

ROB: He lied Bonnie.

BONNIE: No… no we’re going the wrong way. We’re going the wrong way!

Bonnie lashes out again, striking at Rob’s legs with her own. Rob holds her firmly, hit teeth gritted through every impact.

AS: Clyde, open the back door.

BLUEJAY: What the fuck is going on?

Once she’s inside, I loop a second zip tie around the one I’ve already fastened on the right bracket, forcing her right hand inside it. I pull the plastic tab over the sleeve of her jumper.

BLUEJAY: Hey what the fuck are… you’re not going to leave her like that are you?

AS: Get back in your car Bluejay.

She leans her forehead against the back of the headrest. Even with her face blocked from view, I can tell that she’s crying.

I find her in good spirits.

BONNIE: How are you doing Alice?

AS: I’m fine. How are you doing Linda?

BONNIE: I’m ok. Sorry for giving you all such a fright earlier. I feel terrible.

AS: It’s fine honestly. I’m sorry about… about all this.

BONNIE: It’s ok. I wasn’t myself.

AS: I brought you soup. I know you might not be hungry.

BONNIE: No no I’d love some, thank you. Everyone’s being so lovely.

AS: Well, we just want to make sure you’re alright.

I submerge the spoon, drench up a measure of warm broth, and begin to raise it towards her.

BONNIE: Oh no you don’t have to… I can feed myself…

She gestures to her bound hands, the clear implication hanging in the air.

AS: No I… I don’t mind. I think it’s-

BLUEJAY: What are you doing with her?!

Bluejay storms across from her car, angrily drawing from a Marlboro and forcing the smoke draconically back into the air.

AS: Nothing. Just an accident.

BONNIE: It’s ok Bluejay, it was my mistake.

BLUEJAY: Did she get any on you?

BONNIE: No no it’s ok it was my fault. It’s fine. I’m sorry for causing trouble.

Bluejay laughs at Bonnie’s submissive apology, unable to believe what she's thinking. Her eyes remain fixed on me.

BLUEJAY: You’re a fucking coward. Look what he’s making you do. Look!

Bluejay notes my silent expression, most likely taking it as a personal victory. Without another word she returns to her car and shuts herself inside, festering silently and alone.

BONNIE: Do you want to know what’s wonderful Alice?

Bonnie leans towards me, lowering her voice so no one else can hear.

BONNIE: He told me there’s a house… waiting for me. My home by the sea.

AS: I’m sorry Bonnie. I don’t think there is.

BONNIE: It’s going to be a such a beautiful place. Such a beautiful place.

Bonnie flashes me a broad grin.

BONNIE: It’s been lovely knowing you Alice.

After removing my fleece and lying down for a just a moment, I end up sleeping in the clothes I’m wearing.

When I wake up, the Wrangler is moving.

The air mattress reverberates and my body rocks as we make a sharp U-turn. I sit bolt upright, Lilith waking up next to me, similarly bleary eyed and confused.

Rob is behind the wheel. The gear stick shakes as he transports us down the road at incredible speed.

AS: Rob what’s happening?

ROB: Bonnie got herself free. She’s headed for the turn.

I pull myself into the passenger seat, suddenly wide awake.

LILITH: What? How did she get free?

AS: Is she with Clyde?

ROB: She hit him over the head, dragged him outta the car. I couldn’t wait for him, but he’s catchin’ up.

Lilith and I turn around. Bluejay’s car is gaining on us, a distant pair of high beams steadily drowning the rear window in light.

LILITH: Why’s Bluejay helping him?

AS: She probably wants to keep an eye on us. Rob, do you think we’ll catch up with Bonnie?

ROB: I’m workin’ on it.

The Wrangler continues to rocket through the darkness. We keep our eyes fixed forward, scanning the very edge of the horizon for any sign of Bonnie’s Ford.

She’s already beyond the threshold of the turn.

CLYDE: Linda! Linda, please… come on back now, ok?

BONNIE: You can all come with me. There’s a place for all of us. He told me. There’s a place for everyone.

CLYDE: Please Linda. You have to come back.

BONNIE: I love you very much Martin. You’re always welcome.

CLYDE: No please… please.

The Jeep’s door opens and shuts

I step out into the cool night, observing the figure before me.

AS: Where are you going Clyde?

CLYDE: You know where I’m going Alice.

Clyde speaks softly, a quiet conviction behind every word he says. I briefly glance towards the Wrangler, wondering if I’m really equipped to handle this on my own.

CLYDE: Don’t call Rob. I made a mistake coming back to the rest stop. I shouldn’t have done... please. Just let me go.

AS: Clyde, just wait for tomorrow ok? He’ll understand. He’ll turn us around and take you home.

CLYDE: It won't be home anymore.

Clyde’s gentle stare renders me silent.

AS: I don’t think I can’t let you do this Clyde.

CLYDE: I’m sorry Alice, but it’s not up to you.

Clyde breathes in the cool night air, exhaling through his nose.

Clyde looks at me, almost apologetically.

CLYDE: Goodbye Alice.

He turns away from the convoy and wanders back down the road.

AS: Clyde.

He turns around one last time.

AS: Do you want company?

The story ends just as we reach the junction

AS: I hope she's out there.

CLYDE: I hope so too. Thank you for coming with me, I know it’s late.

AS: No… it’s never a bad time to see a friend off.

It’s a long walk back to the convoy. My mind is numb to fear as I make my way through the dark, the corn rustling in the wind beside me.

For all I know there is a Wintery Bay, and Bonnie has already arrived at her house by the sea, standing at the door, waiting with quiet confidence for her brother’s arrival.

I may never know. But I do hope they find each other, wherever they may be.

#reddit #nosleep #scary #story

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esteliel · 6 years

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2017 Fic Review Meme

My 2017 fic production in review, stolen from my DW flist.

Total number of posted stories in 2017: 15 (That is SO LITTLE for me! And I’m pretty sure everything but the slavefic was written for exchanges.)

Total word count: 325 530 words, of which 179 381 words were fanfic. (Obviously, the largest part of that was the slavefic with ~120k.)

Fandoms written in: American Gods (TV), Anastasia the musical, Dream Daddy, Westworld and 3 different Les Mis canons (the Brick, Dallas and 1952).

Fandoms I wouldn't have expected to write this year: All of them that aren’t Les Mis. :D I’m pretty monofannish, so it’s always a surprise to find out what the one or two fandoms are I’ll get interested in enough to want to write for Yuletide!

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted? More than I thought I would, though I’m pretty sure I was aiming at 300k for the year regardless.

What's your own favorite story of the year? Sold to the Law. It’s a story that literally only exists to make me happy, and it’s so good at that! I was looking something up in older chapters recently and totally got sucked into rereading all the guilty convent sex—surprise, for some reason I was totally catering to my own id there.

My best story of this year: Probably The Subject of a Heart, which is one of those things where I started writing and it just kept flowing out of me, which is always a good sign. It’s a story about making deals with the devil, featuring the afterlife and St. Peter, which is a sort of setting I always want to write and I always find incredibly daunting, because so much hinges on getting the atmosphere that’s in your head down onto paper. For some reason, I didn’t even have to think about it here, it all just came rushing out and looked exactly as it had in my head.

My most popular story of this year: Including the slavefic, Sold to the Law, which at 74 chapters isn’t really a surprise. Excluding the slavefic, it’s Code Word: Toulon, which is a surprise! I was pretty sure that would please no one but me and my recipient.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: I hesitate to say the Westworld fic – I never heard back from the recip but honestly it’s entirely possible that it’s not very good. /o\ Also where are all the people wanting to squee about Valjean getting flogged with me. (Ahaha no worries, I know why that is not as popular a trope as I wish it were. :D)

Most fun story to write: Definitely Sold to the Law. I didn’t do any writing on it in December, just editing, and getting back to writing this story in January was just SO MUCH FUN! I think the most rewarding thing about longfic is how well you come to know your characters, and after so much time building up the story, there are all these points you’ve been looking forward to where you can wring buckets of emotional pay-off out of these two.

Sexiest story/story with the single sexiest moment: Also Sold to the Law. This is the year they went from grudging respect to emotionally fraught sex to an actual, real, emotionally honest consensual relationship (or well, as emotionally honest as you can be when you try to never ever talk about your feelings, but at least they’re trying! :D). And there was a lot of sex.

(Although actually, it might be The Price of Purity? It’s hard to decide. That story was definitely just written for an audience of one, but I’m still so into the thought of Valjean & cock cages. It’s such a good kink for him.)

Hardest story to write: Hmm, I don’t think there was anything I really struggled with this year. Struggling as in, being close to giving up. From all the new canons I gave a go for exchanges, Westworld was probably the hardest to try and write though, and the one where I was the most uncertain about the result.

Did you take any writing risks this year? Yep! Every single exchange fic for a non-Les Mis canon was, haha. But sometimes that pays off – for some reason I really enjoyed writing for Anastasia, and I’m still quite proud of the little pre-relationship adventure fic The Deputy Commissioner's Office!

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year? I went with another 300k goal for Get Your Words Out – I shouldn’t have much trouble hitting that again. Honestly what I should aim for is probably 400k with at least 200k not fanfic, so we’ll see how that goes. :D

Stories I haven't yet written, but intend to: Honestly I’m so emotionally wrapped up in the slavefic I have no idea what I’ll do when it’s done. Sometimes I worry a bit because fandom has dwindled so much, or at least most of people who’d chat Les Mis with me have left, and what if I’ll never get that back? On the other hand, there’ll be a new adaptation, and no matter what I feel right now, new, niggling fic obsessions will pop up and demand to be written. (Also, I could always do porny slavefic AU scenarios if I miss them too much.)

#a week late but I was feeling the need to procrastinate /o\#fic meme #2017 #writing

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simba-bonfamille-lyons · 7 years

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☾ ♥ ● ♦

I put this under a readmore bc it’s LONG AS FUCK im sorry

☾: Favorite moment from your Muse's canon, and why. (If your Muse is an OC, then favorite aspect of their story.)

i love this question.

Belle: my fave is def the scene where she’s taking care of the Beast after the wolves attack them and he gets all grumpy and she Shuts That Shit Down. i take so much of my inspo for belle from that scene alone tbh--but i also do love the opening sequence and how could you not love I WANT ADVENTURE IN THE GREAT WIDE SOMEWHEREEEE

Simba: ugh, so many good moments, but the best scenes in the whole movie are def the stars scene with mufasa and when simba sees rafiki. i also LOVE LOVE nala and simba’s reunion. also, ofc, okay this part is def my fave: the running back to pride rock UGH THAT SCENE

Toulouse: FFT FFT FFT!! that was legit the only part of the movie i remembered from watching it as a little kid. also when he and ber are fighting on the piano, i love that scene, it’s so cute.

Bambi: the part where thumper and bambi are like hanging out and thumper is teaching bambi to say shit. and he’s like BIRD BIRD BIRD BIRD and he’s walking along following this lil butterfly, ugh so precious my darling.

Perdita: gosh there is not a lot of canon perdy tbh but i do love her and anita’s relationship. also when she’s kickin ass and taking names to save her babies. also how she really doesn’t want to get covered in coal and pongo says “c’mon perdy time to put on your make up!”

Sweet: everything?? about him??? he’s so great?? all his lines?? but i love the part where he’s taking care of the old king the best bc before that moment he’s kind of been liek quippy and comic relief but u get to really see his compassion and strength and steadiness in that scene and i love it.

Maui: his backstory, definitely. that was what made me really interested in playing him bc he totally models slyth but is actually a big ole puff and just wants people to love him. also i like the scene where he leaves moana after she Fucks Up (tm) i know that’s probably a weird scene to love but idk i thought it was super interesting.

Hercules: alskdjfladjkflaskjdfljfl EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM?? herc is just my precious darling. but i love how awkward he is but then how FIERCE he gets when he’s protecting people. like you think what a soft marshmellow how is he a hero and then when faced with danger he RISES and it just always warms my heart. my fave is the hydra scene bc that’s the first time he’s like rly sUCCESSFUL as a hero and it’s such a good fight and he uses his strength to his ADVANTAGE ugh i lvoe hercules.

Attina: ahaha she also doesn’t have a lot of canon, but def my favorite is when they find out that ariel has been #gettindown at the club and attina is like NO ABSOLUTELY NOT and hten everyone makes puppy faces at her and she caves so easily. i based a lot of her character on that. like she seems like a hardass but she’s rly not she wants her sisters to be HAPPY

Akela: gosh, he really does not have a lot of canon to go off of at all, in either movie. i’m gonna say the Law of the Jungle. That’s really important to his development in my head. also the scene in the live-action with grey where he tells him that the runts get eaten sometimes bc it’s like the only time he’s not the Serious Alpha but to me it just showed this like softer side to him? that was playful--and i based a lot of his character on that.

♥: One thing you love about your Muse.

Belle: laksdjflkajdf what don’t i love about belle? i mean as a character as a whole i love how inspiring she was to all young girls who loved to read and encouraging girls to be SMART and not be SHY about it. to EMBRACE their bRAINS which is such an important lesson for young girls. and i really love that about my belle too. that she is very demure about a lot of things but DO NOT QUESTION HER INTELLIGENCE. it is the one thing she will unflinchingly defend about herself and i don’t think we see that enough in female characters.

Simba: i love how much simba loves himself. i make fun of it quite a bit, bc he can be so over the top with it, but i really appreciate his level of self-care because that’s something i struggle with. like--not so much confidence, i have a decent amount of that but just, he really does take care of his overall physical health. he exercises, he showers, he eats properly (tho i mean he eats a lot too and lets himself indulge which is important). but he like idk keeps his beard trimmed and takes care of his skin and this sounds like a really weird thing to admire but since i struggle w depression, it’s nice to see ppl who function normally even tho he also struggles w depression. ALSO i love his flirting. haha. inspires me to be a better flirt.

Toulouse: kind of self care too, in a way? i love that lou is unapologetic about who he is, even when he doesn’t like himself. and he really does take care of himself before anyone else. like he does not let other’s opinions (except his siblings) influence his decisions and that’s something i struggle with. it actually makes lou one of my most genuine characters, because if he is sweet to you, if he helps you, if he protects you, he’s doing it because he wants to, not out of any obligation. as someone who struggles to say “no” to people, it’s admirable.

Bambi: ahaha honestly there isn’t much i admire about bambi. not because he’s a bad person but because he’s a teen who is still finding himself and struggling with a lot of self loathing and is in that place in his life where he is making mistakes. but, i do like that, writing him, im getting a--chance to look back and rexamine teenhood from a new perspective which is interesting and fun.

Perdita: i love how FIERCE she is. i always say perdita’s attitude is mine if i didn’t care about what people thought of me and that’s definitely true. i love that the first impression that paul got from her was she didn’t care what anyone thinks BUT i love that she really actually does too bc it just adds so much dynamic.

Sweet: gosh i love how level-headed he is. as someone who is temperamental i really appreciate characters like sweet and poca and haku who are very centered and strong and sturdy. i appreciate their calm presence in my head. i also LVOE how poetic writing him is. he’s one of my characters i feel like i can indulge lyrically in my words with the most.

Maui: i love how conflicted maui is. i love that he has this really stark duality to him and is much more than his cocky exterior and he genuinely really does care about people, not just about the attention, though that is a big draw. i also love what a BOY he is. it’s really fun to play him walking that line of fuckboi and genuine person.

Hercules: what a PRECIOUS MUFFIN HE IS. i just love the whole super strength but has no way to control it thing. it’s just a great duality to play with. like he is so gentle and so afraid of hurting people but has this awesome power. he’s just very precious to me just so sweet and good and pure.

Attina: my self indulgent bae ahaha. i love that she’s a MERMAID i love that she’s so bubbly. i don’t have any BUBBLY characters. and she’s so happy and smiley. i mean, simba is kinda like that both of them just Radiate Joy. and i also love playing sisters. i love love the family dynamic and the fact that there is so many of them, because it just leads to such RICH character development. i love what a romantic she is. i love how soft and kind but how protective. how scared but how brave. ugh my beeb

Akela: he’s another really calm person. i love that akela doesn’t linger on his mistakes. he has regrets. he acknowledges when he’s done something wrong and then--wait for it--HE MOVES ON. he doesn’t dwell. he doesn’t beat himself up. he picks himself up and dust himself off and moves on. which is so refreshing bc most of my characters are wallowers ahhaa

●: If you could say just one thing to your Muse, what would it be?

Belle: GIRL I S2G GET SOME FUCKIN SELF CONFIDENCE it just really annoys me that she needs to be poked and prodded into feeling good about herself bc she’s so BRAVE AND STRONG AND KIND AND WONDERFUL she’s perfect and she SHOULD KNOW THAT SHE IS WORTH GOOD THINGS

Simba: honey, stop, trying, to, please, everyone,, it’s not gonna work and you’re just gonna wind up making a mess of things. also i love you /pets

Toulouse: i s2g i have so many things that i could say to toulouse but if i could ever interact w some real form of him u know what i would do? i would give him a goddamn hug. just a good, long hug where he can put his lil head on my shoulder and just relax. he craves physical affection ppl

Bambi: i would give him support about his choices and tell him it’s okay to be afraid but he should be brave too bc being brave is the best fuck u to all the people who want to scare you.

Perdita: i understand why you did what you did and i don’t blame you for it.

Sweet: keep doin you babe

Maui: IT’S OKAY YOU CHEATED JUST LIVE UP TO IT NOW (also you are real hot and we should date)

Hercules: embrace ur powers lil honey u are wonderful

Attina: relax babe you should take care of YOURSElF (she won’t listen to me)

Akela: i’m sorry about your family *gives him snuggles*

♦: Relationship with your Muse.

im gonna answer this like “how does the muse come about” kinda deal bc this question is weird

Belle: well her voice comes so easily to me i love it except it’s SO thinky. she is always who i write the longest posts on bc she just examines everything but i love it bc i so do not think like that but it opens my mind to interesting thought processes i haven’t explored myself before. though i also edit her the most bc her dialogue is SO HARD. it’s getting better tho as she gets more confident but it only takes one set back to go back to stuttering and holding her tongue.

Simba: gosh. i love his voice. it’s so COLORFUL. i can write simba all day because even in his darkest moments he is so BRIGHT and he feels everything so deeply. i love his background. i love writing about africa and islam and how he is bisexual and his race (but in the little things like how he has sensitive skin and likes movies like Hairspray lol). he’s really so different from me in so many ways, but he’s also an accumulation of like all the men in my life i’ve admired so he has a v special place in my heart.

Toulouse: gosh i love toulouse. idk his voice comes SO naturally to me. he is, without a doubt, the character i just instinctually know the best. i can’t even explain it but he just popped into my head completely formed. i knew everything about him almost immediately and even the things that came later just fell into place so easily. i just love him because he is so complicated and dynamic and feels so deeply while also having a really complicated relationship with those emotions. writing him is both frustrating bc he always makes the same mistakes, but very easy for me.

Bambi: ugh i love bam. he’s another one that i just loved from the start. i wanted him for so so long before i actually got him and he just mad sense to me. i love his shyness. i like writing his view of the world since he def has so much influence from books and movies and he thinks in like tropes a lot and i’ve never written like that before and it’s super fun.

Perdita: i love how concise she is. i love all the sharp language i get to use with her. how every sentence i feel like i hit the period mark really fiercely. every sentence is important and to the point. she doesn’t like meander and as someone with flowy writing it’s nice to be able to know that i can do shorter stuff.

Sweet: UGH i love the poetry to his voice. making him a poet was a great move on my part bc i just looooove it. i love his voice. how calm. how gentle. how wise. and beautiful tbh. also all his experience is really fun to write. he’s like a fully formed person.

Maui: i think i mentioned this but what a BOY he is. i love it. i love being able to play with the line between saying shitty sexist things but not knowing they’re shitty and sexist and really being a (mostly) genuine person but not always kosher or PC or anything like that.

Hercules: im still getting used to his voice but i really like how much he curses lmao he is like FUCK FUCK FUCK in his head at all times and i love that bc he’s so soft and smol and it’s such a funny contrast. also i get to play with humor and irony a lot with him and that’s fun. hopefully i can do more allusions to mythology once i start working with his powers more and that’ll be fun

Attina: i love her OCD. i think it makes for really interesting writing because people with OCD repeat phrases and stuff a lot and always having to be hyperaware of her actions like--remembering she doesn’t like to touch people and remembering that she locks the door nine times and that she doesn’t eat food from public places. it just really plants me in her head every time i write her.

Akela: his connection to nature. tbh being able to play as a wolf im ngl. but also a LEADER that people RESPECT AND LISTen TO. also i love how his voice is sad but not depressingly so. so it makes it really interesting to write like balancing all that emotional with his cool, level-headness.

#asks #headcanons #personal #calliope-hesiod

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thegeminisage · 7 years

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more botw blogging, SUPER spoilery

this is a real long post sorry normally i break these up and this time i didn’t

and finally, off we go to a new province

this time im making its tower my first stop, since i can see it from here

i tried to paraglide across the river but i didn't have enough height so i landed on the cliffside and ITS RAINING!!!!! for fucks sake

i cant believe this game actually got me to hate rain..........

not only that but when i died in the water it didn't reload me back to where i started to glide from but a bit of cliff i stood on lol so #struggles right from the first minute

rain for the next 3 hours.......and i gotta climb it in the rain....jesus

i guess i could fast travel but i'd have to walk all the way back there :/

hmm. maybe the gae's throwing me the rain on purpose. an npc mentioned this river was notoriously difficult to cross :///

yep as soon as i turned away: it cleared. Great

well i see some bridge-like things further downstream i guess i'll check that out

lol jk i managed to glide across a different part and climb

like i saw my forecast change but then it changed back to sun so w/e i'll take it im up here now

aaaaah i can see so many cool things from here!!!!! i cant wait to explore them all!!!! that #new province feel

i hate like, feeling obligated to track down every last bit of stuff in the old ones when you're seeing new exciting stuff

but i love the feel of getting to a new one and not even knowing which cool thing to check out first

ohhh my god lol there's a big-ass bokoblin camp on the way to the tower i think i see a moblin but im not sure

aaaand im dead

at least there werernt any moblins!

tbh it isnt a difficult camp i just wasnt vigilant about healing

me every time i see something new: what the Fuck is that!?

in this case it was an ice wizzrobe which made it snow EVERYWHERE oh my god

That Was Difficult

if i didn't have my fire arrows and lynel bow it would have taken way longer

i died again!!!

those weird pattern bokoblins have SO much attack power ):

come on i have to clear out the camp AGAIN? and kill the wizzrobe?

naw dude i am skipping this nonsense i am going straight up the fucking cliff

HA i sniped them from above >:3

there's a zora on top of this tower!!!!!!!

omg poor thing he can't get back down i wish i could carry him on my paraglider

man i love the tower cutscenes and music and the way they unfold it's so cool

BIG SHINY NEW PROVINCE YYYYEAH!!!!

oh hey i found another zora down near these bridges

they all want me to go see their prince haha noooo i have too much to explore!!!

oooh it's so easy to get all turned around on these bridge thingies

man i love this province it's SO pretty

ah i found a goron on a sandbar!! how did you get out here with all this water...

nooo the blood moon again i knew it was coming the music has been funny all night >:(

lol jk the music faked me out its 2am and i warped to the stable for nothing (i was trying to get that one dude's reaction)

i came back and did the shrine and found another zora!! lol they all really want me to go see that dude

there's a thing i need to climb but ugh rain

while i was bored i chopped grass and attached octo balloons to things

now i am in the wetlands which are AWFUL to walk through i can practically feel the mud squishing between my toes and i want to die lmao

there are horses here!! i miss mine ):

ive done enough shrines now to get another upgrade but i dont feel like doing all that backtracking blegh

oh noooo i see a guardian out here, a moving one ;_;

ah it's been awhile since i failed to fight the still ones on the plateau...i wonder what the start screen meant by "the right tools" ive got a lot of damn tools!! did they mean arrows??

lol yet another zora telling me to meet with the prince.........dude

this prince must be either desperate or spoiled

okay maybe its a glitch but i think?? i see?? a flying island in the distance? What The Fuck

wait no it looks kind of like a ship or giant bird??

my pins don't stick to it, it's definitely moving around

jesus fuck

AHAHAH FUCK THE GUARDIAN SAW ME

HAD TO TAKE REFUSE IN THE FUCKING SHRINE

jesus christ i hate those things!!!! you can't kill them!!!!!!!

NO oh my god there's a hinox over here too

why this Why This

lol the hinox fighting music is giving me trauma flashbacks

actually that wasnt so bad with a defense elixir on

maybe it's just me but this province feels kinda small? i feel like i could finish exploring it p quickly, which is nice

not that i'm not having fun but i know i'm going so slowly ):

me every five seconds: i miss my hooorse i want one to ride around to go faaaaster

i guess...i could catch...one of these

and like. not register it bc the stable is 10000 miles away but

a temp ride. let's see if i can. need to use up some of my sneak potions anyways

i caught one and rode it awhile, but my heart's not in training it...i want My Horse

oh my god wait i hear town music!! is this a stable right here!! AAAAAH

so i did catch a pretty black one and named it luna - had to let the first one i caught go lol but it didn't have great stats and i only rode it once so it'll be happier in the wild probably

KASS IS AT THIS STABLE IM SO HAPPY SO IS HESTU

he's playing epona's song i'm gonna CRY

I MISS EPONA IM DYING

oh my god he had a story for me!! the same one that impa told!!!!! man

the music is still so good. fuck.

lmao i was talking to one dude and he was like well might as well head back inside ugh that place is so filthy and the women so free you might as well call it a manfill

UM?? NINTENDO??

i can see hyrule castle super close from where i am and it looks super scary and i super want nothing to do with it rn

i get the feeling you can like, go in there whenever? maybe even do the endgame stuff early? but oh my god i Dont wanna

OMG i just mounted a bear

i read that you could ride things other than horses but holy shit lmao

i mean

it killed me after i got off, but man

sadly i must now board my horse and continue with The Story see i explored the non-story bits of that province SUPER quickly dang

oh no

this shrine is called a minor test of strength

Oh No

Why, God

oh. that was actually like SUPER easy compared to the other two haha phew

this lady at the crossroads said the prince was creepy omg i knew there was something, ahaha, excuse me, "fishy"

whoa i love his music theme!!

lmao i always get so SHOCKED when they talk!!! even still!!!!!

voice acted cutscenes of this game are like fmvs of final fantasy games in generations 5-7 lol

oh my god...the wink/sparkle thing...he's such a HAM

he's flattering me TOO much omg dude what do you want.......

ok, ok, i like him

he doesn't seem very trustworthy but since his people are in trouble i'll cut him some slack on that one

oh nooo i gotta climb this in the rain......

ah, it's sunshowering tho! that's kinda neat

i just got attacked by octoroks and my heart wept a little because traveling up zora's river dodging octoroks to get to and save zora's domain...I've Been Here Before

listen, i could write a book on this

(lol i did write 300k on this but shhh that was a long time ago)

like...if link is actually a reincarnation does he get flashes of memory

oot happened in every timeline but i know wind waker didn't

but do you think assuming this is in the same timeline as wind waker something in him feels at home the first time he sails a raft again

or hears kass play epona's song at the ranch

or ducks an octorok on his way to zora's domain

people treat the incarnation thing as a kind of tragedy - the world will never be free of evil so long as ganon/ganondorf exists

but maybe there's happiness in it too

no matter what happens, no matter how sad the ending - i mean hell, in this very game, link and zelda LOST

no matter what though, it's guaranteed that they'll see each other again

over and over and over without end, link and zelda are gonna meet and be together for awhile while they defend hyrule again

frankly if that's not a soulmate idk what is

and frankly i'm perpetually offended that they don't develop ganondorf the man more like they did in wind waker...that was the Peak tbqh

i would kill for something like that again

anyway

i love how present the current here is, like with the stuff floating down the river, thats a NICE touch

tbh it's actually really nice that he keeps uselessly checking on me on the way up the river

like, i've been so lonely

even now i miss my companion going "what's WITH that guy" like they probably would if i had one

so this is nice. tbh.

i know it was probably a deliberate choice and makes the game stronger but a companion for this game, someone to share it with...that would've been cool

even just zelda as the protag, she could do some internal narration

but the whole thing is just so quiet.

this place is so pretty tho?? in the distance i see these like, pink coral looking plant things, and the blue columns and bridges are gorgeous

OH NO LIGHTNING GOD WHY

i think its an area thing too i cant just wait it out lmao im gonna Die

oh jk it's just rain now

idk why my entire forcecast changes to a particular type of weather and its only like that a few seconds...super weird and annoying

lol sidon all "you're almost halfway there i believe in you!!" and not helping fight and link's little "k" wave

i love link as a silent protag even if i did have him talk in my writing like it's so endearing

i wonder if link is like sgr like "i am 100 years old what is this zora kid even doing. what is he EVEN DOING."

lol just had to dodge some rocks rollin down a hill

you see this is what i mean. there's a weird sense of familiarity and nostalgia if you've played the games a lot. i wonder if the spirit of the hero feels that way with each new adventure, too

like if he's okay doomed to an eternity of fighting and parting with zelda over and over

because in the end he always gets to do this again

like i can see the spirit of the princess/goddess being high key miserable about those circumstances but i wonder if the spirit of the hero is maybe secretly glad

because part of him will always yearn for the next adventure

he never COULD be happy settling because this is what he was born for

WE love doing this again and again and again, maybe it's not such a stretch to think the spirit of the hero does too

or maybe i'm projecting so hard onto him because undertale has so successfully blurred the line between the player and the game for me LMAO

oh man i just noticed all the names on this map

lulu, mikau ;_;

i miss them!!!!

just once i wish zelda games would feature the same side characters in two or three titles

we never got to see saria or darunia or lulu again

we get to come back to the world but every friend we've ever made has been gone

like some narnia shit i swear to god

lol this is why i should never do story all i do is rant about My Zelda Feels, which are literally endless

oh NICE battle with a blue moblin on the bridge!!!!

ah i like the zora history here too please give me all the worldbuilding i wanna know everything about this world that i can bc rn all i know is "we got Fucked"

i guess i also know about the automans but i need More

i say, while procrastinating on getting to the story

in other news i have an ice and lightning rod which i havent bothered trying to use

bc when i tried to use the boomerang i failed utterly lol

but these? holy shit dude these are Powerful when you actually land a magic hit like Dang

i Love them im never avoiding another wizzrobe again (thats where they drop from)

oh wow

i finally made it, and

man. oh man. it's so beautiful

i wish i could see if better

jesus the zoras always had the prettiest parts of the games imo

OH NO THE MUSIC

OH NO!!! im gonna cry omg

it's the same melody from oot i think!! oh my god!!!!!!

omg there's a zora here named rivan who says he knows me?!?!

omg no he's listing some of link's old pals from Before im so sad why can't he remember

OOOH i shouldn't speak to the elderly bc apparently i am "guilty" of something?? i love this development PLEASE tell me more

i love that they all age so slowly #nice

am i walking into a fucking execution lmao sidon don't play me......

omg the little zora kids are adorable!!!

omg there's a statue of the zora champion ;_;

man this is all so cool i wanna know EVERYTHING about what happened back then!!!!

lol the shrine here was SUPER nerve wracking god you had to like, roll the giant ball down a hill and stop time at JUST the right moment skjghf

oh my gosh ANOTHER zora who knows me (lol "linny")

im so ;w; they all know me!!!!!!

i slept on the blissful water bed at the inn and was mystified and alarmed by the sound effects but i got an extra stamina wheel and 3 extra hearts!!! god damn you can't beat that shit

im so amazed at how many people knew link and like, blame him? i wanna know so bad what happened, i wanna know more about mipha

ten bucks says she's still alive and like trapped in the divine beast but corrupted

or a ghost or something like the old man ;_;

aww zoras sleep in the water aw aw :3

i'm loving this theme of link sleeping for so long like at first i thought of sgr but i just realized it's also like oot (and i can't believe i didn't make that connection first...)

like in oot the people who knew him Before are so happy to see him again and are sure he can help them

but in this game it's a bit mixed

and in this game we don't know the details of 100 years ago yet ;_;

zora's domain here is like. so GLOWY. reminds me of waterfall from undertale tbh lol i wanna paint it

so i'm talking to the king and this one elderly zora goes "the hylians abused an ancient society's power to turn hyrule into what it is today" & like...tbh my dude you have a point. if they had never gotten those guardians out then they couldn't have turned on them

oh my GOD

i just got my first look at a divine beast and i can't believe i was calling them jaegers

my jaw dropped irl holy shit

like that thing truly looks both divine and beastly (this one is an elephant)

is mipha still in there as like a ghost ;_;

it's so clear how much everyone misses her

and she seemed so sweet in the one short memory i recovered

every time sidon does his sparkle smile i love him a little more

i didn't trust him at first bc he seemed a little too eager but now i see he's just doing his best!!!!

especially as someone who thinks radically and progressively in a society where elders stay around hundreds of years

YESSSSS I GOT ZORA ARMOR!!!! YES!!!!!!!!

SWIM SPEED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

omfg and it's an engagement thing just like the sapphire

MADE BY MIPHA?

thats right that other lady said link was supposed to choose between her and mipha

listen mipha seems cool and all but i've been shipping zelink for 19 years, so

oh NO, mipha had feelings for link

oh no poor mipha...oh my god

WAIT AM I ABOUT TO GET ANOTHER MEMORY??? OH MY GOD!!!!!

duuuuuude

"no matter how bad the wound i will ALWAYS" heal you and then link wakes up in water

did she do that!!! did she save him ;_; oh my god im going to cry

"you are quivering like a hatchling" PLEASE protect my poor son

muzu is making me sad dude he misses her so much and he hates this so much

ooooh i have to fight another lynel for shock arrows...good Lord im not looking forward to that

I KNEW IT

"calamity ganon took control of the beasts and trapped the champions inside" yep either she's still alive like link and zelda or her body is in there and so is her fucking ghost

DUDE!! i just swam up my first waterfall and it was AWESOME!!!!!

so im at shatterback point now hwere lynel is just bc i wanted to swim up a waterfall but probably he will kill me quickly lmao

apparently you can mount him too which. sick.

but idk i dont have any good food or elixirs or weapons ready im just up here for science im probably gonna knock off soon i gotta Draw

Oh Fuck There He Is ):

it's super tedious to have top go back and delete every fucking picture i take for my copendium one by one those shouldn't save in my album automatically come on dude im trying to take a picture of this lion centaur thing here

aaah there's a rainbow here too #nice

ah well got him about a quarter pf the way down before i died :/ not bad for being completely unprepared

tbh i only had one defense food?? had i had more i could have whittled him down eventually

anyway thats all for tonight!! i doubt i'll play anymore tonight bc i have drawing to do

lol this is a long post but it's all in one bc i'm typing them in notepad now and don't have to worry about them getting too long

#in which im too busy having the feels to play the goddamn game #personal #loz blogging #botw spoilers

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menacehaha13-blog · 7 years

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Warriors of Chaos: The End Begins Who would've known that the end of the world would just be the beginning of a new lifestyle. Dominic Reaper sure didn't. He also doesn't know why he can't have a single minute of peace or relaxation. Only one month after he escapes that state prison and starts to live a life he wants, a top of the line, best of the best military task force has to burst in and kidnap him. Dominic's life has been pretty crazy, well, crazier than normal, here recently. Lots has changed. The world went through a zombie apocalypse. And, the world isn't handling it very well, no. Society has hit a serious downfall. Plus, the downfall received help from Hades and his band of misfit monsters that now roam the earth. But, now Dominic fully believes in Zeus, Hades, Olympus, Underworld, and all the trimmings that come along with them. Before being kidnapped, and besides losing his brother, Dominic has never been happier. Him and his friends can now live anywhere they want, and they can do whatever they want. Now, they can legally have fun taking part in their favorite activities, killing things, blowing shit up, and destroying shit. And, since it's mindless cannibals and mythological monsters they're all killing they don't feel bad about it. Now, back to being kidnapped, Dominic slowly regains consciousness. Dominic doesn't open his eyes though, he's smarter than that. Dominic feels that he is laying on a flat, metal surface. He feels that his wrists, stomach, and ankles are strapped down. The metal surface he is laying on, strapped down to, is moving. Dominic slowly opens one of his eyes and sees a male whitecoat helping three nurses push him down a hallway. Oh great, Dominic realizes that the flat metal surface he's strapped down to is a stretcher. That's always a good sign (sarcasm). The windows to the right are boarded up. Dominic glances to his left where the whitecoat is. He sees that they're passing metal doors with numbers on them. This place is too low security to be a prison. Uh-oh. Dominic frowns as he starts to weigh out the options of where he could be. He's pretty sure he knows, but he prays he's wrong. Please, Zeus please, don't let this be a loony bin. Please, unless your starting your shift, being at a loony bin is never a good sign. Never! Especially under the current circumstances, during the apocalypse, and after just being kidnapped. The whitecoat looks down at Dominic, notices his eyes are open, "Are you okay, Mr. Reaper?" What kind of a stupid ass question is that, Dominic thinks to himself. All he can do is look up at the guy with a disturbed and slightly mad expression on his face. Dominic isn't slightly mad though. He's at a point between completely fucking pissed and completely fucking enraged. "Who the fuck are you?" Dominic tugs at the straps s little. The male doctor in the whitecoat ignores the question and starts to explain, "I'm Dr. Sloan Renegade, and I'm here to help." Him and the three nurses continue rushing Dominic down the hallway. "Let me the fuck go then!" Dominic shouts and struggles against his restraints as much as he can. Nurse #1 pulls a syringe with a small bottle of sodium pentothal. She loads the right dosage into the needle, then quickly injects it into Dominic's arm. "You bitch!" Dominic shouts, staring his enraged brown eyes directly at Nurse #1. He makes sure that the nurse knows that it's her he is calling a bitch. Dominic continues to struggle as the drug pulls him under, until he blacks out. When he comes to he is groggy from the drugs side effects. All he knows is that he was strapped to a stretcher, and now he's strapped to a wooden chair. Dominic will admit, he likes whatever injected into his arm. Dr. Sloan Renegade pushes a metal table over to Dominic. "Who's that? Who's there?" Dominic slurs his words, the effects of the drugs in his system are keeping him from being able to open his eyes. The doctor opens up a wooden box that's on the metal table, "Please stay calm, Mr. Reaper," He pulls the Menace Jacket out of the box, "It'll be over soon." The whitecoat sounds assuring. "I don't wan- jusss- oh sshhlit-" Dominic tries to speak past the effects of the sodium pentothal. Dr. Renegade walks the Menace Jacket over to Dominic, who is hanging his head forward, nodding off. Two of the nurses cut off Dominic's shirt, he doesn't even notice. Sloan carefully puts the hood on Dominic's head then wipes the sweat from his forehead. After a couple seconds, the cloth of the Jacket starts to accept Dominic as the new Menace. It does that by forming itself over his torso. Once the Jacket is finished, Dominic feels like he just took a big shot of meth. "Whoooaaaa!" He is fully awake, "I'm not tired anymore," He chuckles, looks at the three nurses, then back at the whitecoat, "What did you give me? What is this? What am I- Oh shit!" Dominic's questions get cut off by his body tensing up so bad that he's frozen stiff. "Ahh!" He cracks his neck as his face starts to be painfully covered by complete darkness. His face, eyes, nose, and teeth get covered by a shadow-like pitch blackness. "Ahaha," Dominic gets a chuckle in with his painful screams. Even though he is in extreme pain, Dominic gets off, mentally, by seeing what type of, and how much pain he can go through. And this pain he's going through is topping the charts, and he's got a feeling that this isn't the worst of it. Dominic's pretty average for his height, 5' 10". It's how stout and broad-chested he is that is over average. He's already ripped with muscle from having a life where he grew up in The Valleys. But, while his face gets blackened out, Dominic's body starts to grow in height and muscle. "Hahahaha," He keeps chuckling in pain. Dr. Renegade and the nurses stare in shock, amazement, and in fear of Dominic. They all thought Dominic wasn't going to make it because of his average size. Maybe size doesn't matter with the Menace Jacket. It's most likely a mental thing, it all depends on how sick in the head you are, and Dominic is known to be pretty sick in the head. As his average-sized build grows, his skin tightens, his veins bulge out around his body's main muscle groups. Then the color of his veins change to blood red. "Haaaa," Dominic's teeth start to easily fall out of his mouth. He spits out the ones that he catches with his tongue, tastes the copper flavor of his own blood. The rest of his teeth just fall out, leaves a trail of blood/saliva coming from his mouth. This transformation is just blowing Dominic away. Mostly because he's still alive. Dominic knows that if he survives this it'll be worth it. He's already seen what a man looks like after transformed into Menace. After all his teeth are gone, sharp pointed teeth grow in their place in a matter of seconds. Dominic exhales deeply once his new 'shark' teeth are fully grown in. All he can think is 'What. Is. Next?' Then, it happens, his question gets an answer. His eyes burst into a raging inferno. It's like Dominic's eye are balls of gas that just came into contact with a lit match. "Haaaa haaa ha ha," Dominic feels like he's being tortured by his own body. It's like his split personality knows Dominic gets off on seeing how much pain he can take, and this split personality of his is testing his limit. But, before Dominic thinks about saying uncle, the pain starts to fade. His eyes stay ablaze and his body stays transformed. Which makes Dominic feel even better, even more badass. He likes the way this Menace character looks, how Dominic looks now, who Dominic is now. And, Dominic doesn't feel a single bit bad about being Menace. He will embrace it, make Menace as much a part of him as he can. No matter what this post-apocolyptic world puts in front of him. As the pain from the transformation completely fades, Dominic continues to take deep breaths. He shows off his new smile. The nurses still stare in somewhat fear, but Dr. Renegade smiles at the success. The hooded, eyes of fire success sitting in front of him. Dominic let's all of his super senses kick in. He's able to hear conversations other people are having two stories above him. His eyes are able to pick up heat signatures and materials that can make fire. Like the Bic lighters in Nurse #1's and #3's pockets. Hmmm, Dominic wouldn't have guessed that any of them as smokers. He's able to pick up on odd objects in the room that can be used as weapons. And, Dominic sees that his 'quick grab' duffel bag is stashed under the metal table. The best part is that Dominic can control his new super senses like he's had them his while life. Dominic looks at Dr. Renegade with his normal eyesight and his permanent Menace smile. His once average height is now 6' 7" and hrs twice as stout. Dominic now has nearly three times as much rock solid muscle as he used to. And this feeling of power, oh man. To hell with the best speed, crack, or meth in the world, throw that shit in the trash. The world's biggest junkies wouldn't even want to touch any of that if they could smoke, snort, or shoot up something that would make them feel the way Dominic does. Of course, Dominic quit shooting and snorting since he got out of the state prison. He needed to get his life on track to escape that place. No more doing hardcore drugs, life is too dangerous as it is already. All Dominic does now is smoke weed, of course, and there's his occasional shrooms, acid, opium, or LSD flashback. Dominic's gaze turns to the three nurses, "Any of you girls have a cig on ya?" The nurses give each other questioned expressions, unsure what to do. "Don't ask yourself if it's bad for the monster's health," Dominic jokes around, like he always does with strangers, "And don't tell me you're too ladylike to smoke. Two of you have lighter in your pants' pockets and you must use them for something," Dominic continues to stare at the three nurses. He doesn't really give off a facial expression since his face is completely blacked out, besides his flaming eyes and razor sharp pearly whites. Because of of the attitude passed down from Chaos to Menace, it always seems like he's smiling in some sort of way. Nurse #3 gives in and pulls out a pack of Newport menthols. She takes a few careful steps toward Dominic, holds out the menthol cancer stick for him. "Sweet," He smiles, "A real cigarette. You mind putting it in my mouth and torching it? I'm kinda tied down at the moment," He chuckles. Nurse #3 tries not to seem so shaky as sets the cigs filter between Dominic's lips, then pulls out her lighter. "Don't be afraid of me darling," Dominic flirts a little, carefully holding the cig with his teeth . For looking like the such a horrific monster, Nurse #3 is stunned with surprise by his sweet sounding voice, gentleman type of sweet. "I could never hurt a gorgeous woman like you," Dominic smiles like the charmer he is. Actually makes the nurse blush. She tries to hide it along with her smile as she lights the Newport. Dominic keeps his blazing stare on her as he breathes in the cigarette smoke, "Oh, please let that smile of yours be seen," Dominic takes a deep drag, "You shouldn't hide one of your most beautiful features," Even without speaking, he's able to keep his sweet, gentleman's charm switched on. Makes Nurse #3's beautiful feature come back, and she doesn't hide it this time. She smiles and blushes hard, glances at the other two nurses. Nurses #1 and #2 are surprised to see that #3 is being wooed by this random guy (monster). All three Nurses will admit that Dominic was super cute before the transformation. But now, with that sinister grin and his terrifying fire blazing eyes. His huge arms, tight muscles, toned abs, broad/solid chest, forearms, biceps, and those BIG shoulders. Oh dammit, now the other two nurses are gawking at Dominic's new body. And Dominic is able to notice, even without his super senses. He lets out a few chuckles, along with the cigarette smoke that rolls out of his mouth as he looks back at the whitecoat. "Well," Dominic exhales a big sigh and the straps holding him down rip apart like tissue paper, "Whew, that feels better. " He leans back in the chair, takes a deep drag from his cig then holds it between his right hand's middle and pointer fingers. Twenty of the world's best soldiers, best remaining soldiers that is, come out of the room's shadows with high-powered assault rifle's aimed and ready to fire. Ready to fire straight into Dominic's head. They don't scare or startle D though, don't even make him flinch. He just takes another drag from his Newport and blows a smoke ring around one of the assault rifle barrels that's in his face. "Stand down! Stand down!" Dr. Renegade pushes through the soldiers, makes his way to Dominic, "He wasn't going to harm anyone," The good doctor looks around at all the soldiers, assurance in his gaze and voice, "He was just getting comfortable. Right?" He directs his gaze and question toward Dominic. Dominic smiles at Sloan then around at all the soldiers, and the guns in their hands. He makes sure to take his time answering, because he can, "Yeah, of course," D takes a drag from his cigarette, "I couldn't breathe." Dominic keeps his 'Fuck you' smirk on his face. "There, satisfied? Now lower the weapons," Dr. Renegade orders the soldiers. They all slowly lower their weapons and go back into the shadows of the room. Sloan watches the soldiers until they're out of sight. He lets out a deep sigh and shakes his head in annoyance, "Sorry about that," Dr. Renegade looks back at Dominic, "Ever since zombies came to town, they've all been jumpy, they're always on edge, plus that's all mixed with itchy trigger fingers." Dr. Sloan keeps his serious facial expression on Dominic, seriously annoyed expression. "It's ok yo," Dominic drops the butt of the cigarette on the concrete floor and stomps it out, "It's not the first time I've had a gun, or several guns, pointed at my head." He chuckles. "Well, now that we got the security out of the way, how about I tell you what I was told to," Sloan shows that he's a no bullshit, straight to the point type of guy. Dominic thinks that's a good trait to have. After reading the file that President Jaxon made on Dominic Reaper, Sloan has learned that D is the type of guy who doesn't care for bullshit talk. And it's Dr. Renegade's mission from the president to make friends with Dominic, in case he goes against the plan. Dominic motions for the good doctor to continue. "Once again, I'm Dr. Sloan Renegade," He paces while talking, "I'm one of the president's head scientists, house doctor, physicist," Dominic feels like this guy gets sidetracked by his own success at times, "I know more about the human body and the body's of multiple monsters more than any other of the president's staff members like me." Sloan's voice takes a pause, but his legs and feet keep pacing. "Jaxon?" Dominic quickly gets the word out before the good doctor starts up his life story and accomplishments again. "Yes, he's the one that brought you here." Dr. Renegade explains. "Before you tell me why he did that, where exactly has he brought me?" Dominic waits to be answered. He gets a good and honest vibe from this doctor. Not like the vibe he got from the last doctor he knew on a first name basis. "Well, now that we got the security out of the way, how about I tell you what I was told to," Sloan shows that he's a no bullshit, straight to the point type of guy. Dominic thinks that's a good trait to have. After reading the file that President Jaxon made on Dominic Reaper, Sloan has learned that D is the type of guy who doesn't care for bullshit talk. And it's Dr. Renegade's mission from the president to make friends with Dominic, in case he goes against the plan. Dominic motions for the good doctor to continue. "Once again, I'm Dr. Sloan Renegade," He paces while talking, "I'm one of the president's head scientists, house doctor, physicist," Dominic feels like this guy gets sidetracked by his own success at times, "I know more about the human body and the body's of multiple monsters more than any other of the president's staff members like me." Sloan's voice takes a pause, but his legs and feet keep pacing. "Jaxon?" Dominic quickly gets the word out before the good doctor starts up his life story and accomplishments again. "Yes, he's the one that brought you here." Dr. Renegade explains. "Before you tell me why he did that, where exactly has he brought me?" Dominic waits to be answered. He gets a good and honest vibe from this doctor. Not like the vibe he got from the last doctor he knew on a first name basis. "You're still in New York. We're at Bellevue mental facility," Sloan looks around the big, open, concrete room, "Well, what it used to be anyway." He seems kinda bummed out. "I never been here," Dominic says in a calm way, "It's been recommended though," He adds with a smile. Sloan gets back on the ball, "I've been told to tell you that the president wants you for a mission," He informs, "His late brother said you would be perfect for the mission, before you killed him." Dominic chuckles at the remark. Doesn't feel bad about murdering the president's youngest brother. The mad doctor was a psychotic, twisted asshole who deserved his death. "He also said you would be perfect for the Menace Jacket. Especially after the first candidate turned out to be a nightmare," Dr. Renegade sighs. Dominic thinks back to how bad things got in prison once the Darkness' gang leader's brother turned into Menace. How worst things got. The whole place turned into a burning riot that you couldn't escape. "Anyway," Sloan turns back to Dominic, "I was just told to tell you who brought you here. I've probably said too much as it is." The whitecoat sighs and rubs his forehead from the pile of stress that's been put on him ever since this strange apocalypse started. "Since you seem like there's too much on your plate already, I'll try not to cause any problems for you." Dominic says respectfully. Let's the good doctor know that he won't have any trouble coming from him. "I appreciate that," Sloan pulls a pair of glasses out of his whitecoat's breast pocket, "I really appreciate that actually," He slides his glasses on and weakly smiles at Dominic, very weakly, "I got to get back to President Jaxon so you can know more about what's going on," He goes to the metal table and picks up a small stack of files and papers, "The nurses will get you whatever they need, or whatever they can get you. We're kinda short on.......everything, ever since, you know, the apocalypse," Dr. Renegade turns and looks at the new Menace, "I should be back tomorrow though." He adds, keeps his bummed out expression on his mug. "Then that's when I'll see ya," Dominic smiles his new maniac smile, tries to keep spirits up. Because he can sense that there is something wrong with this doctor. And for some ungodly reason Dominic feels sorry for the guy, whatever his problem is. Dominic got his loving and caring conscious from his late, but still wonderful mother. He got his smart-ass mouth and Dont-Take-Shit-From-Anyone attitude from his late father. Just to even himself out. "Later then," Sloan waves goodbye as he walks to the open elevator door then up to the ground floor. He keeps his gaze on the concrete floor as the elevator's doors close. Dr. Renegade's eyes show that his mind is somewhere else. Dominic continues to lightly wave until Sloan is out of sight. He then let's out a sigh, "Poor guy," Dominic shakes his head a couple times then notices the three nurses cleaning up. He also notices that Nurse #3 is still gawking at him. She tries to smoothly look away but it doesn't work. "It's ok, darling. I don't mind if you stare, I don't blame you either," Dominic seductively chuckles and directs his grin towards Nurse #3. Which nearly makes her turn red and giggle beyond control. "It'll cost you another one of them Newports though, gorgeous," He adds, just to flirt more with this woman. Who can be classified as one of those HOTT nurses that guys like Dominic fantasize about. Nurse #3 smiles more at Dominic, her cheeks red. She pulls out another cigarette and walk it over to him. The nurse only glances at Dominic's new face but she sees that he is looking straight at her eyes. Eye contact is key when it comes to getting girls to like you. He makes sure that their hands touch when he gently takes the cig from Nurse #3. "You want me to light it?" She seductively bites her lip. Nurses #1 and #2 both watch and listen in. Both suddenly feel left out because they're not getting hit on, or flirting with a VERY, VERY muscular monster. Dominic sees the sign and tales the hint Nurse #3 just sent out. "Please do," He holds the menthol between his teeth. She pulls out her Bic lighter again. "You might be the only woman hott enough to light me," Dominic stares into Nurse #3's eyes. She get lost in the flames of Dominic's eyes for a minute. With his sweet and charming voice, those big and tight arms, plus that last statement he just made to her. Those flaming eyes, that were normal colored a minute ago, are bright orange at the bottom and blood red at the top. The colors blend so perfectly together. The other two nurses look at each other in shock. Not because of how sweet the statement was or any of the other nice comments Dominic gave Nurse #3. But, because he wasn't saying that nice stuff to them. Both of their moods turn to jealousy, or envy. Along with Nurse #3, the other two nurses think that's a lot of muscle on a man. It's the most muscle any of the nurses have seen on any man. And, if the nurses were given the opportunity, they would rub all over Dominic's body, caress his unclothed and clothed bulges. After Nurse #3 stares too long into his flaming eyes, Dominic gets a slight uncomfortable feeling, because he doesn't know the color of his flaming eyes change color. He doesn't know that's what the nurse is lost in. "Uh-hmmm," Dominic clears his throat loud enough to pull Nurse #3 back into the real world. The cigarette is still caught between his teeth, and is still unlit. "Oh, sorry." She snaps out of it, then quickly lights up the menthol for D, and returns to her dream world. Dominic chuckles as he takes in a few drags and crosses his legs. He suddenly gets a sense of jealousy coming from somewhere in the basement. Dominic takes in another drag from his cig, french inhales the smoke through his nose and glances at the other two nurses. Yep, that's where the source of jealously is coming from. Even if he didn't have these new powers, Dominic would be able to tell those nurses are jealous just by the looks on their faces, and by how they quickly look away when Dominic notices their gawking gazes. "What are you two gorgeous girls doing over there by yourself?" He asks very loud, gets their attention and Nurse #3 comes back out of her dream world at the sound of his voice. She was so engrossed by his body that the N.I.L.F. didn't even notice he started to look at the other two nurses. Which, Dominic now sees that they are also N.I.L.F.'s. Oh, what a great ending to a very shitty day. "Why don't we gather up some chairs ladies. I want you pretty things to be as comfortable as possible, and feel as good as possible." Dominic chuckles. All three nurses giggle and blush together. Without even noticing, the nurses race each other to find chairs. Only one of them gets to sit directly in front of this Dominic, the sculpted monster. With those oddly mesmerizing flaming eyes. Dominic takes in a couple drags of his cigarette. Even though he's smoking this nicotine into his system like a steam engine, he doesn't feel the side effects of his lungs filling up with too much smoke. And he doesn't have the feeling of dreadful coughs about to attack, or any type of of coughs at all. Which always happens to Dominic. Has this Menace Jacket healed all of Dominic's health issues. All he knows about it is the change it does to your appearance, and he'd guess that he's now somewhat indestructible. But, before he tests out how much he can now take, Dominic thinks it might be a good idea to have this Dr. Sloan explain it all to him. Besides, it's not the time for testing how resilient his new body is. It's time to test how his new male parts work. Has it changed size? Does it still function? Who knows? What Dominic does know is that he's got three N.I.L.F.'s who are perfect for testing. "I'm here." Nurse #3 quickly plops down a couple inches in front of him. "Yes you are," Dominic smiles at her, leans forward and gently rubs her thigh for a few long seconds. Nurses #1 and #2 unexcitedly sit down on each side of him, feeling they're left out once again. "Don't worry darlings," Dominic seductively smiles at #1 and #2, "I can serve all three of you. It's my duty as a real man to pleasure you all beyond belief," He adds some seductive chuckles to his smile. N.I.L.F. #1 and #2 blush more than they have this evening. N.I.L.F. #3 is lost yet again, this time in Dominic's muscular chest. "You two can sit closer," Dominic says to #1 and #2, "Here, let me help," Dominic slowly bends his torso over and stretches out his long muscular arms and grabs both of their metal chairs. Dominic glances down, "Whoops," He devilishly chuckles, notices that his face is an inch from being in the nurses lap. He continues to chuckle as he sits back up and easily pulls the other two N.I.L.F.'s closer to him by their chairs. #1 and #2 watch Dominic and Nurse #3, both turned on and excited about getting their turns. N.I.L.F. #3 stares anxious and seductively at him. She slowly unbuttons the top of the top of her shirt, reveals the mounds of fun stuffed in her tight, red, push-up bra. "I'm guessing your favorite color is red," Dominic rhetorically asks, not worried if she answers. It doesn't really matter if that's her favorite color or not. "Mhmm," She sexily moans the answer. Dominic looks at N.I.L.F. #1, who is gawking at his biceps. "What's your favorite color baby?" He calmly asks. The nurse quickly unbuttons her whole shirt, her way of answering Dominic. She teases him a little by barely parting her shirt. Then, she pops out her perky DD breasts, that are wonderfully sculpted by a forest green push-up bra. N.I.L.F. #1 slowly moves her hands up her sides. Pushes her drool worthy breasts together a little. Just to tease Dominic some more. He smiles at her, very impressed. Dominic looks at the last N.I.L.F. "What about you baby?" The nurse looks to the ceiling for a minute, thinks. The other two nurses giggle while they watch. Both sit in a few different poses in their chairs. But every pose they make their big breasts stick out, in case Dominic is looking their way. N.I.L.F. #2 playfully smiles and stands up. Steps closer to Dominic, but doesn't get in the way of #1's and #3's view. She let's her fiery red hair down and flips it to one side, somewhat covers part of her face. Then, she starts to unbutton her shirt from the bottom. As she gets to the top buttons, Nurse #2 makes sure her shirt doesn't part at all. She seductively smiles and turns her back to Dominic, then lifts the shirt so her whole stomach is showing. The nurse ties both halves of her shirt together and quickly turns back to facing Dominic. She shows that she's not wearing a bra. And N.I.L.F. #2 has the biggest breasts out of the three. "Wow," Dominic laughs, "Do you not have a favorite color," Another rhetorical question followed by his chuckles. "I didn't say I was done," She laughs a laugh that is unbelievably sexy, Dominic instantly looks back and waits in anticipation. She bends her torso over in front of Dominic so he can see her melon sized breasts hang from her body, they sway, and bounce into each other. "Oh my sweet baby Zeus," Dominic gets out, even though he is speechless. Nurse #2 giggles and continues to do that as she digs her thumbs into the sides of her pants. She slowly straightens back up and pulls the sides of her purple thong up onto the top of her hip bones. "I like purple," N.I.L.F. #2 seductively smiles then swings her bubble butt towards Dominic. She struts it a few times before sitting it back down. "Well," Dominic gets his head out of the clouds, "Before you girls get too excited, or get me too excited," Dominic jokes. The nurses giggle a little. "Let me check something real quick," He wiggles his, now, pitch black colored tongue behind his 'shark teeth'. Then he licks his lips that are also, now, just as pitch black, "Sweet, my tongue and lips are still work, so you ladies are in for a real treat," Dominic seductively wiggles his tongue at the three nurses, then laughs pretty loud. The N.I.L.F.'s laugh with him, continue to to pose in their chairs like pornstars. "So, are you three friends?" Dominic suddenly stops laughing, but continues to smile. "Yes," Nurse #2 answers for all three. "We were sorority sisters," #3 adds. "Really?" Dominic seems a little even more excited. "Mhmm," All three of them nod their heads together. "That's a wonderful thing," He chuckles, takes another drag from the menthol cigarette, holds the smoke in his lungs for a minute. Looks in the air while he exhales. "So, tell me something, you three beauties like to experiment?" Chapter 2 "I don't know, Zeus," President Jaxon looks across his desk at the all powerful god, Zeus. "Dominic Reaper is a pretty big risk," Jaxon swallows the rest of his scotch then refills his short glass. "I didn't come all way here to get your opinion," Zeus speaks with authority. Which should make President Jaxon think about treating him with more respect. But, it doesn't. He's the president and all that power has went to his head. During his second term in office, Cecil arranged it so if you're voted for enough you can stay president until the people vote for someone else during election. President Cecil Jaxon has been in office for three terms, and plans being there until the day he retires. All because he gives the people what they want. But not everyone's going to lie down and be told what to do for the rest of their lives. "You said you wanted to help Olympus in the war, here's your chance," Zeus pauses, "I can always take the Reaper brothers and find someone else to help me," He warns Cecil. He's not lying though. It wouldn't be a problem for Zeus to take back what's his. He's certainly not going to let some human on a power trip muck up his plans. "No, I want to help you," Cecil takes a sip of his scotch, "I'm just trying to give you better optio-" A mighty voice cuts Jaxon's sentence short, "I don't need any better options!" Zeus slams his hands down on Cecil's desk, "Just do as I say," He takes charge of the conversation. Zeus knows that President Jaxon sometimes forgets that he is the hired help, not the other way around. Zeus steps to the office's door then turns back to Cecil, "Just in case that kid doesn't believe you're working for me, I'll join you when you go see him," Zeus walks out the room, leaves the door open, "You'll hear from me," The deep and mighty voice of power echoes through the hall. President Jaxon's fake smile turns to an evil glare. He looks at his large, flatscreen computer monitor. It shows several views of the white house. President Jaxon watches Zeus walk down the hall, then he just disappears. Cecil drinks the rest of the scotch in his glass then sighs in hatred. Doesn't really appreciate being talked down to or being put in his place. Which is exactly Zeus has done. But, there's really nothing he can do about it, unless he wants to get a lightning bolt shoved up his ass. President Jaxon will play along for now, but at some point he will find a way to get something out of this for himself. "President, Dr. Renegade is on line one," Cecil's secretary beeps over the intercom. He finishes his scotch then picks up his office phone. The rest of the surrounding cities are without electricity so the white house can keep running. "Hello," He talks into the receiver. "The subject has successfully changed and wants to know more," Sloan gets to the point, as usual. He uses the same bummed out tone of voice. "Great," President Jaxon smiles, leans back in his leather chair and props his feet on his desk, "Do you think he will accept the mission?" Cecil pours himself another scotch. "I don't know. I haven't gotten to actually talking with him about it yet," Sloan doesn't really want to, but he's going to. It's the good doctor's job, and he gave his word. "Alright," Cecil takes a sip of scotch, "I'll fly out tomorrow. Someone will be with me," He gets a burning feeling in his stomach when the thought of Zeus enters his mind. "Who will that be, sir?" Sloan doesn't show excitement in the question. President Jaxon takes a minute to answer, "The god in charge of this whole thing," That's the best answer Cecil can come up with. Dr. Renegade gets a little excited and nervous about meeting Zeus, Mr. Lightning Bolt himself. "Are you going to be able to handle yourself around him?" President Jaxon can tell by the doctor's silence that things might get uncomfortable. "No, no. I'll be fine." Sloan trues to reassure the president. "Ok, a piece of advice though. Treat him as a regular human, he prefers it that way." Cecil finishes. No problem. Just treat The Creator, who has an unknown amount and unlimited powers, like a regular, everyday human being. Easy. Sloan swallows his nervous feelings and calms himself down. As much as he can anyway. "Yes, sir. I won't ruin things for you," He says respectfully. This so called zombie apocalypse didn't just turn more than half of the population into monsters, or stop normal human civilization. It also took away Dr. Renegade's amazing wife of six wonderful years. And, soon after that, his seventeen year old daughter goes missing. Not dead, just missing. That's what Sloan tells himself anyway, to help himself feel better. "Wonderful, doctor," Cecil pulls Sloan back into the real world, "I'll be on the east coast tomorrow," The president doesn't say goodbye, he just hangs up. No surprise, or the feeling of being rude to by Dr. Renegade. He's used to it. He expects it from the president. Sloan respects the guy just enough and does what he says because Cecil pays good and it keeps the good doctor's mind busy, and his body safe. But, President Jaxon promised, gave his word to Sloan that he would send out search parties to find the doctor's daughter. That promise was made over a month ago. And, deep down inside, Sloan's extremely pissed about it.

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