#'25 run: scavenger

[4mrplumi]

SCAVENGERY masterlist ── platonic batfamily x killer reader

#plotline . they are irritating and incompetent, your family. not fit to clean gotham. you'll take the burden of this duty on yourself, and you're lucky they don't pay any mind.

your little gang of shrikes does good work, so why are they perturbed? why are they looking for the person responsible for your crimes with horror instead of satisfaction?

so ungrateful.

#disclaimers gn reader, bug taxidermy, guns, unhealthy coping mechanisms, sociopathic tendencies, death, physical abuse, self-harm, violence, murder, assault, substance abuse, eventual fem love interest, toxic relationships, reader is not a good person!! mental disorders, bpd, underage drinking, etcetra.

&& author's note: playlist here. dooo send in recs, regardless of genre!

ZERO : i, ii, iii

ONE . chapter one

drabbles ^_^

( taglist ) ask to be added/removed... ♡

@.boredselkie @.shirp-collector-of-fixations @.randomlyappearingartist @.bat1212 @.maicenitas @.xjesterxjacksx @.heartjwonie @.lucienneb1ue @.vikkus-main @.adornedlace @.cuntiesweet @.minorlyatfall @.staarflowerr @.ithoughtthinks @.crazycaoticsimp

[c-schroed]

Why Not Watch Some Movies Set in 2025?

Another new year has just begun, and I love to start it with a look back to how some people years ago envisioned this specific year to be (just like last year). So, I'll share with you my list of movies set in the year of 2025, based on this gorgeous Wikipedia list.

Of course, some of the movies listed there don't provide much of a vision, because they're set just a few years in the future. So, I'll focus on movies that are at least ten years old, reducing my Get Ready For '25 watchlist to 11 entries. Future me will edit this post, adding a quick review to each film after I've watched it. So, let's have a look at the movies, after the cut.

Endgame (Original title: Bronx Lotta Finale). The oldest entry in the list comes from 1983, and it shows us a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic New York. Seemingly, some nuclear war has happened (around 1990, as a clever Wikipedia writer deduces based on the technology shown in the film), leaving a wasteland filled with scavengers and telepathic mutants. Oh, and hunters and gladiators who fight to death for a TV show called Endgame. A Boy And His Dog meets The Running Man, as it seems. One could start worse, I guess, though the writer/director worked under a pseudonym for this, which I admit is not the best of omens. PS: I usually look at places like Youtube and Dailymotion if someone uploaded some of the older flicks, and on this lil quest I among others found a German dubbed version with Hungarian voice-over of this originally Italian flick. So if you happen to understand Hungarian (I don't), have fun with this truly pan-european edition! Wow. I admit that this flick was a better start than I anticipated. It's still not great, but the first third is very entertaining, with some nicely choreographed fights. Very wrestling-esque, very sweet. However, then all of a sudden the whole gladiator fight TV show stuff ends, and instead we get some "Bring these guys to this place" plot instead. Entertaining The Running Man ripoff becomes less entertaining Mad Max 2 ripoff. 5 out of 10 points. Oh, and I solved the riddle of the director's pseudonym: He usually made smut films, so I guess he did not want to confuse his smut film fans by putting his smut film persona into the credits of this relatively non-smut production.

Future Hunters. A movie from 1986, and yet another post-apocalyptic world. Some rebel group search for the Spear of Destiny, which allows them to travel back in time. So, I'm afraid most of the film will not happen in 2025, but 39 years earlier, where the Spear has to be reunited with its shaft (the Shaft of Destiny, I guess?) to break its curse. Or so. Raiders of the Lost Ark seems to meet Terminator, here. And we even have Robert Patrick in one of his first leading roles, five years before becoming a real Terminator. I am indeed disappointed by how little a role the year 2025 plays. The Guy From The Future even dies within the first ten minutes, and afterwards it's The Adventures of I-Wanna-Be-an-Anthropologist-One-Day And Her Boyfriend Who Will Later Play The T-1000. Poor female protagonist hardly passes the Sexy Lamp Test – The plot needs her exactly one (1) time, and this is in fact the number an actual lamp is needed for the plot, too! I admit, though, that the final third of this wild ride is a bit entertaining. Still, a movie that makes you rethink your new year's traditions. 3 out of 10 points.

Futuresport. This one is from 1998, and it was made directly for TV. The eponymous sport of the year 2025 is a mix of basketball, baseball and hockey that uses hoverboards and rollerblades, and it is used as a less lethal alternative for gang warfare. Specifically, this sport shall be used to decide who will rule over the Hawaiian Islands. When looking at this synopsis, I can't stop thinking about one of my favourite movies, the 1975 sci-fi classic Rollerball. Rollerball is set in the year of 2018, so maybe I can spin me some head canon that has Futuresport developing from Rollerball. We'll see. Nevermind that head canon dream of mine, this has nothing in common with Rollerball. It's quite entertaining, though, I'll give it that. Of the 2025 visions so far, this one is the first to show a bit of imagination, with Borg camera operators and President Chelsea. Nice. And even a Beyond Belief moment. I liked movies for less. 6 out of 10 points.

Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision. A 2003 direct-to-video sequel to the Jean-Claude Van Damme flick of 1994. Timecop part one was set in 2004, and 21 years later, in the sequel, some guy is sent to Berlin of the past. To kill Hitler. Oh my. This could be quite the ride. I think I watched part one when I was young, but I can't remember much. So maybe this year is a good opportunity for a rewatch of this Van Damme flick - though I don't think it will be needed to understand part two. The double feature DVD box is cheap to get, so we'll see. Part one is indeed not needed to understand part two. But one scene in part one makes part two quite hilarious, so I don't regret watching both. Due to quite some mangling with the timeline, however, there's not much to learn about the year of 2025. Except that we have tazers that can fry someone's brain. And that Tesla Cybertrucks kinda exist for more than 20 years already. Quite the dystopia. Oh, and at one point they indicate that all the time crimes have their court hearings and judgements before a Time Cop is sent back in time to in fact arrest the convict. Which makes sense. They're time travelers, they can get back and grab the guy whenever they want. Why not get all the the paperwork done beforehand? It still is at best a mildly entertaining flick, that most of the time looks like an okay-ish TV episode. 5 out of 10 points.

Negadon, the Monster from Mars. A 2005 animated kaiju short film from Japan, wherein a mars mission brings some monster back to earth. Which of course has to be fought with some huge robot. Sounds okay, and we're talking about 25 minutes to spend. So why not. Aww. That one was quite lovely. I mean, the character animations were straight from the Uncanny Valley, and the story was pure cliché. But it has these clumsy indie production vibes that you don't get to see very often these days. Plus, we learn that in this version of 2025 we went to the mars to start terraforming it. With nuclear weapons that melt the poles. Get nuked, Mars! 6 out of 10 points.

Repo Men. A 2010 film that shows us a 2025 where bio-mechanical organs are rented to people in need. If they can't afford the organs any more, well, the repossession is quite bloody. So basically it's 2008's Repo! The Genetic Opera, but without the cool singing. I watched this movie when it was in cinemas, and it was okayish. So, time for a rewatch. Well. Obviously the story is a bit too optimistic regarding the 2025 state of bioengineering. On the other hand, a huge and expensive organ retrieval system is so stupid that any current supermarket's self-service checkout would easily outsmart it. Oh. And I totally forgot that this flick copies not only Repo! The Genetic Opera, but also Terry Gilliam's marvellous Brazil. If this is done deliberately, though, then it's not done well, unfortunately. Which is a terrible pity. And it's even more of a pity how Repo Men starts as a razor-sharp satire that takes cutthroat capitalism word for word, and ends as a run of-the-mill action flick whose ending betrays the biting social commentary of the exposition. 6 out of 10 points. Well, at least the Repo Men DVD has some nice extras.

Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City. Some Japanese superhero flick from 2010, of course it's a sequel to a film called Zebraman, from 2004, wherein a teacher starts to fight crime in the costume of his childhood TV hero. The sequel is set 15 years after part one (so yes, Zebraman 2 is produced in the year that Zebraman 1 is set in), and Tokyo is renamed to Zebra City and now has a "Zebra Time", a daily period of five minutes where all crime is legal, but presumed criminals will be attacked by the "Zebra Police". This could be hilarious, The Purge on speed (before the first part of The Purge even existed!), but I'll keep my expectations low. And I'll try to watch part one first, because Zebraman 2 seems to use a lot of its characters.

Pacific Rim. A 2013 instant classic. In 2025, giant kaijus must be fought with giant mechas (just as in Negadon; see above). Gosh, I love this one, but spouse hasn't seen it yet. And is highly sceptical. But when if not this year should one give this a try, right?

Hot Tub Time Machine 2. Four guys are sent ten years into the future by the eponymous bathing device, to find someone who tried to kill one of them. I absolutely did not like the first part, so I really feel tempted to skip this.

Mountains May Depart. A 2015 Chinese drama spanning a time from 1999 to 2025. The synopsis is full of love-triangles and family drama, so I don't suspect much of a vision of the future. Plus, it seems to be rather hard to get, so maybe I'll skip this one, too.

Ten Years. Also from 2015, this movie from Hong Kong speculates about what the semi-autonomous Hong Kong will be in ten years from then, with human rights and freedoms gradually diminishing as the influence of the Chinese government increases. I'm very curious about this one!

[norrisleclercf1]

25 Days of Christmas is a Christmas special of your favorite F1 people and cute little fics that I will be posting everyday leading up to Christmas.

It starts December 1st and goes all the way to December 25th, I have already picked which each fic goes with and the subject for the fics. Here below is the list of the fics, but who belongs to who will stay a surprise until it's posted! I hope you all can enjoy this as I've had so much fun making this!

Day 1: Decorating for Xmas Day 2: Snow Skating Day 3: Making gingerbread houses Day 4: Movie Night Day 5: Trying to Find each others present Day 6: Taking niece/nephew to meet Santa Day 7: First Christmas as parents Day 8: Tacky Holiday sweatshirt party Day 9: Playing in the snow Day 10: Christmas Lights watching Day 11: Reindeer run (marathon) Day 12: Winter Wonderland get away Day 13: Monaco Christmas market Day 14: Shopping for a Christmas tree Day 15: Roasting s’mores together Day 16: Night at the ballet Day 17: Christmas with his family Day 18: Volunteer at orphanage and give presents Day 19: First Snow Day 20: Dancing to Christmas Music Day 21: Painting Christmas ornaments together Day 22: Christmas scavenger hunt with friends Day 23: Dinner Party Day 24: Spending Christmas Eve Day 25: Merry Christmas Baby

[phoneguyfnafmonth]

Announcing... Phone Guy Month!

Hello? Hello, hello? Whelp. Looks like I'm declaring it; August is uhhhh…. Phone guy month.

You know, how Fazbear Entertainment has a policy where they'll wait 90 days or until the place has been cleaned before they report an employee as missing? 90 days is 3 months. August is 3 months before November, which is when FNAF 1 takes place. So what better month to dedicate to our favourite mentor than the month that he likely went missing. Dark, I know.

I was inspired by @halogenrobotics Vanweek and @puhpandas ggyweek, as well as my own midnight brain deciding that I'd bully my own Phone Guy during August for the exact reason above.

It's going to run from August 1st to August 31st, but I'll be honest, you can do this whenever the hell you want, don't let a silly timeframe panic you.

There are 31 different prompts, but you don't have to do all of them and you definitely don't have to do it on any specific day. The numbers are just an ID to separate one prompt from the next. Just pick and choose the prompts you like!

It's Phone Guy month but any of FNAF's human mentors are accepted, so Phone Guy, Phone Dude, and Tape Girl (Kim too, but she's generally considered one of the Phone Guys).

Art and fics are accepted. Here is the AO3 Collection.

Tag what you make with "PhoneGuyMonth2024" so that I can see it!

Prompt text: 1 - First night 2 - Hello? Hello, hello? 3 - Mentorship 4 - Night 4 5 - Night 5 6 - Day off 7 - Lockdown 8 - Foxy 9 - The back room 10 - Murder?! 11 - The bite of 87 12 - UCN 13 - MCI 14 - Co-workers 15 - Ghosts 16 - Training tapes 17 - Springlocks 18 - Faulty wiring 19 - Scavenger 20 - Family/Friends 21 - Truth/Lies 22 - That office 23 - Injury 24 - Mascot costume 25 - Play Dead 26 - Bad advice 27 - Possessed 28 - Haunted 29 - Fears 30 - "You know too much." 31 - Missing persons report

[hotgirlbedtimescenarios]

Wish

For the first time in years Joel acknowledges his birthday and wishes on a star. He gets pulled into the past and relives his birthday, the day that changed everything.

Words: 1.7k+

Warnings: all of the emotions. Sadness, depression, but also happy moments and hopefulness :)

*part of @burntheedges roll-a-trope challenge*

Main Masterlist

---

September 25, 2033

It’s almost Joel’s birthday. Again.

Over the years, he’d let it pass without thinking about it. Losing track of the days was easy while he roamed, too caught up in trying to survive.

But now, in Jackson, time isn’t as elusive. Joel wakes up knowing that Mondays and Tuesdays are for patrolling, Wednesdays and Thursdays are for guard duty, Fridays are for helping with construction, and the weekends he keeps to himself.

The powers that be in Jackson also keep track of time, mostly for crop rotation and organizing the seasons, giving structure to the lives of its citizens. That means Joel has been aware of his birthday this year, creeping closer and bringing along memories he hates.

This year, he can’t live in blissful ignorance while it comes and goes, especially with Tommy around to remind everyone. So instead, he runs from it.

Joel walks down the soft, snowy streets of Jackson with his camping gear strapped to his back. He told Tommy he was going outside the walls tonight, making up some excuse about scouting a building that might have supplies to scavenge.

It was a lie.

Joel needed space—a place where he could wallow in solitude when the old feelings haunted him as his birthday approached.

With his gathered supplies, Joel mounts his favorite horse and rides out of the commune, waving to Tommy atop the lookout tower.

“See ya when you get back! And happy early birthday, big brother!” Tommy yells down.

Joel winces at the reminder and rides off into the distance.

---

Hours later, Joel makes his way to a familiar spot in the forest, a clearing he often visits while out on runs.

This hidden clearing, nestled deep among the trees and brush, is spacious enough for him to see the stars twinkling overhead while remaining safely concealed from any lurking dangers.

He sits by a small fire, eating his rations and gazing up at the night sky, lost in thought. He reflects on how he ended up here, all that he’s been through and all that he's done, dragging himself deeper and deeper into the pit of despair he so often finds himself drowning in.

Suddenly, something twinkles far above in the night sky, streaking across the tops of the tall oak trees.

A shooting star.

Joel had never seen one before; he had thought they had vanished like so many other pure wonders and good things in the universe. But tonight, he was wrong.

Unable to resist, Joel’s eyes follow the tiny, sparkling fragment as it glides across the sky. In that moment, he decides to be hopeful just one last time. After all, his birthday is approaching. Despite years of loathing it and skipping celebrations, maybe he deserves to make one wish.

As midnight strikes and the star falls, Joel closes his eyes and makes his wish.

He wishes to no longer hate this day. He longs to free himself from the burden of September 26th—the day he was born, but also the day he lost his reason for living, the day he lost Sarah. He wishes the memories of despair would lift from his shoulders, that things could have been different. That he could have cherished just one more birthday before everything fell apart and the world went to shit, giving him more good memories to hold onto and keep him company throughout the years.

When the shooting star fades from view and the sky darkens again, Joel feels a wave of silliness wash over him. Of course, his wish wouldn’t come true. With a sigh, he stamps out the fire, crawls into his sleeping bag, hand resting on his rifle, and drifts off to sleep.

---

September 26th 2003

Joel wakes to the sound of an alarm clock blaring.

He bolts upright, heart racing, and instinctively reaches for his gun—only to find nothing there.

As his vision clears, he realizes he’s not in his sleeping bag anymore. He’s in a bed—his bed—from thirty years ago.

Joel rubs his eyes, blinks, and even pinches himself, trying to shake off the dream, but it feels all too real.

Looking around his old room, everything is just as it was on the last day he lived there: rumpled sheets, a pile of dirty laundry in the corner, an old newspaper, and a glass of water on the bedside table.

It’s as if he’s been transported right back to 2003.

Warily, Joel gets out of bed and notices his joints don’t ache as they should. He races to the mirror attached to his dresser and takes in his features. He looks exactly as he did thirty years ago: fewer lines of age and worry, hair short and dark, no grey in sight, and far more muscular. There isn’t even a scar across his nose or temple.

Joel stares at himself in the mirror, breaths coming rapidly. It’s a dream, he tells himself, repeating it like a mantra.

But what if it isn’t? What if everything is as it’s supposed to be? A redo.

Just then, he hears something he never thought he’d hear again, and it takes all his strength not to fall to his knees.

“Daddy!” Sarah yells, her singsong voice bright and clear, just as he always remembered.

She bursts through his bedroom door, grinning from ear to ear—beautiful, whole, and safe.

“Happy birthday, you old fart!” Sarah teases.

Joel bounds across the room, scooping her into his arms.

“Babygirl,” he chokes back tears, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “You’re okay.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” she replies, her voice muffled against his chest. “Why are you being so weird?”

He doesn’t want to scare her, so he pulls himself together, trying to act like this isn’t the most magnificent moment of his life—a blessing to have another chance with his girl.

Gently, Joel loosens his grip and smiles down at her, cupping her cheeks in his hands.

“I love you so much,” he tells her.

“I love you too, Dad. I wish you didn’t have to work today. Working on your birthday is so lame.”

She’s right. That is lame. So, Joel does what he should have done the first time around: he pulls out his old cellphone and calls his boss to take the day off.

“Does that mean I get to skip school too?” Sarah jokes.

“Well, it’s only fair,” Joel says, a grin spreading across his face.

Sarah’s eyes widen. “Really?!” she squeals, excitement radiating from her.

“Why not?”

---

Joel meets Sarah in the kitchen, and together they spend the morning making pancakes and dancing to their favorite tunes. When Tommy arrives, Joel manages to talk him into skipping work as well.

“Come on, Tommy, you’ve never complained about skipping work before,” Joel teases.

“Fine,” Tommy says, his mouth full of pancake. “But when I’m short on rent this month, I’m counting on you to back me up.”

The three of them enjoy breakfast together, relishing their time as a family.

They spend the day having fun together, going to the park for Sarah to show off her soccer skills, stopping into town for ice cream on the way home, and lounging around on the couch, soaking in the quality time.

They end the day with a movie—a birthday tradition featuring "Curtis and Viper 2." This year, they even have a cake since Joel was able to skip work to pick one up.

With bellies full of sugar, Joel, Tommy, and Sarah are all sleepy-eyed on the couch, watching the end credits roll, when Sarah suddenly perks up.

“Present time!” she cheers, darting to her bedroom. Moments later, she returns with a small box in her hands.

“You got me something?” Joel asks, pretending to be just as surprised as when he first opened his birthday gift.

Sarah hands him the box and settles next to him on the couch. “You kept complaining about your broken watch, so I figured… you know.”

Joel opens the box to reveal the watch he prized above all else. He picks it up delicately, admiring the shine of the silver and the smooth, unbroken glass of the watch face.

“You like it?” Sarah asks, her voice tinged with nerves.

“Honey, this is nice,” Joel replies, tapping the watch. “But I think it’s stuck.”

“What?” Sarah exclaims incredulously. “No way! I just got it fixed—”

Joel bursts into laughter, and Tommy joins in.

“Oh ha ha, you got me,” Sarah concedes, rolling her eyes. “That was lame.”

“Where’d you get the money for this?” Joel asks, placing the watch around his wrist and snapping it into place.

“Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs.”

“Nice, kid. Real proud of you,” Joel laughs, playing along.

“Maybe you can help me out with this month’s rent then,” Tommy jokes from the other end of the couch.

“Thank you, honey,” Joel says, pulling Sarah in for a hug and kissing the top of her head. “I love it.”

Soon after, Sarah falls asleep on the couch, leaving Joel and Tommy some time together. Joel appreciates this; he’s missed his brother, and it weighs on him how their relationship has deteriorated over the years.

“Wanna go out to the bars to celebrate?” Tommy asks after a while.

“Hell no,” Joel replies. “Your ass will end up getting arrested.”

“Not fair! That only happened once!” Tommy whines.

“And it sure as hell will happen again if I don’t keep you in check.”

“Whatever,” Tommy concedes, settling back into the couch and scrolling through TV channels in search of something to watch.

“I’m gonna take her up to bed,” Joel says, nodding toward Sarah before standing and gently scooping her into his arms.

He carries his sleeping daughter to her room one last time, tucking her in with a kiss on the forehead. Instead of leaving, he wants to soak up every moment with her, as if any could be his last. So, Joel kicks off his boots and slides into bed beside her, wrapping an arm around her.

He falls asleep with a full heart and a smile on his face, grateful for the best birthday he’s ever had.

---

September 27th 2033

When he opens his eyes again, Joel wakes up on the cold, hard ground to birds chirping in a forest clearing. He should feel disappointed to be back in the present, but instead, he chooses gratitude. Grateful for the chance to relive the last moments with his daughter. Grateful for a wealth of new memories to carry with him through the years.

He realizes that maybe next year, when his birthday rolls around, he’ll remember the laughter and dancing in the kitchen with Sarah instead of the horrors that have haunted him for so long. The warmth of those moments will be a beacon, guiding him away from despair and toward hope.

With a deep breath, Joel rises to meet the day, ready to embrace whatever comes next.

[virtueofsanityx]

open to: anyone (m 25+ if romantic) with: hari cha plot: zombie apocalypse, hari and ym run in to one another while out scavenging (complete strangers? old friends who never thought they'd see one another again? utp)

her breathing is quiet, but shallow, eyes focused as she sinks to the ground, eyes watching the pair of feet walking on the other side of the small gap in the rubble, before they suddenly stop and another face is looking at her. she has to bite her lip to stop from screaming out, and with wide eyes, immediately jerks back up. "i'm unarmed and have absolutely nothing good on me."

[twistofstory]

Phew, what a crazy year. So much changed in my life, both personal and creative, and this year a lot of it was, surprisingly, for the better.

I moved The Scavengers into an original setting, created a very fun AU (that got way bigger than was intended) and done some cool illustrations. And don't forget about conquering my fear of making comics!! Pearl of the deep may not be perfect, but its main purpose is to have me experience comic making process, and it delivers wonderfully. As of now I completed 25 pages of it — and I hoped to only make at least an 8-page short comic this year.

What happened irl? I quit uni and dedicated myself to art fully, FINALLY legally changed my first and last name to more gender-neutral versions, and, for the first time, I visited a fandom convention and artist alleys! Speaking of the latter, I even was a volunteer on one! I never thought that I could run around all energized for 12 hours straight after sleeping for 3.5 hours... I loved it And, most importantly, I found my people outside a couple of close friends, and in my own city no less. Turns out you can make friends and acquaintances even out of formal education system ;) And a little list of main thing I want to accomplish next year: 1. Finish Pearl of the deep (shouldn't be an issue, I'm halfway done) 2. Make my own swap-cards (I really really want these uhhhhhh) 3. Continue compiling a proper draft for The Scavengers (I started it, actually, I just want to do more. I'm pretty sure of the story's structure and main events + have a lot of notes and scene drafts, they need to be worked with) (and perhaps some other stuff, like doing more horror art/art for Another chance AU, getting out of my comfort zone and making more fanart, etc.) Plus continue creating and getting better at art and writing, maintain decent social life and figure out what I want to do with my style. All pretty much attainable goals, hope I'll get 'em ^^ Previous art summaries:

[ilexdiapason]

(part one here) (part three here)

(CW: character experiences a severe derealization episode)

“D’you want me to order pizza?” Oli asks, somewhat redundantly, because Martyn is twenty-two (according to the police report) and a gamer, of course he’s not gonna turn down free pizza.

“Oh, god, yeah,” says Martyn. And, a second later - “Please.”

He fires up the Domino’s website obediently, pulls up the deals and picks one that’ll leave him some leftovers for when Martyn’s long gone tomorrow. Meateor for himself, as usual, and then he spins the laptop round on his knees to present Martyn with the options. “What are you having?”

Martyn stares at the screen, unblinking, for a few too many seconds.

“... Something wrong?”

He clears his throat. “Yeah, no, just. Um. Been a while.”

“D’you just want a margherita, then? Keep it easy?”

“No, I don’t - I was -” he grimaces, shakes his head roughly, and thumbs at the fabric of his shirt where the tea stain sits “- trying to remember what I liked.”

“Vegetarian?”

“No,” Martyn responds immediately.

“Olives? Mushrooms?”

“I’m not picky -”

“Pineapple on pizza?”

Martyn snorts. “Okay, yeah, I don’t much like pineapple on anything, I’ll give you that.”

“But as a concept.”

“No problem with it.”

“Then, Marty, my friend, you’ve lost the plot.”

He sits another moment, deliberating. Then - “Sweetcorn.”

“Yeah?”

“I like sweetcorn on pizza.”

“Alright,” says Oli, and spins the laptop round again to check the options. “Vegi Supreme or Chicken Feast?”

“I’ll take the chicken,” Martyn says, resolute.

Oli sends the order through, with potato wedges on the side, because it’s his money and he’s gonna pick the extra items for the deal. Then, once the little order tracker with the fake AI has popped up and started telling him stupid jokes to amuse him for the next 25 minutes or so, he turns back to look at Martyn. “Can I ask something?”

He raises his eyebrows. “Ask what?”

“And you don’t need to tell me if it’s, like, personal or whatever, just… what were you eating? If you haven’t seen pizza in however long?”

Martyn makes a face. “Whatever, honestly. It wasn’t a big worry for me - I mean, not like I could - yeah, it was just whatever. Not dead yet, so I’m clearly not malnourished.”

Oli cocks his head. “Whatever like whatever you were given, or whatever like you were scavenging?”

“Like - uh - like - I mean, I wouldn’t say scavenging, that’s - like whatever I could find? I know I’m not explaining this very clearly, it’s -”

“No, no, I said you didn’t need to tell me! Don’t have to say anything you don’t want to.” (It’s not like Oli doesn’t want to know, but he doesn’t need to know if it’s going to make Martyn uncomfortable to explain it.)

“Anyway. It wasn’t bad, it was just… y’know how Covid makes it so you can’t taste anything? Little bit like that.”

“Original Covid did. I don’t know about all the new variants.”

“Ah, yeah, heard about those! Did they ever run out of Greek letters?”

“Don’t think so, thank goodness.”

“Yeah,” Martyn nods.

Beside Oli, the little Domino’s robot lets him know that their pizzas are now going in the oven.

It feels odd, to be sitting here on the sofa, taking an extended lunch break with somebody who he’s only known from Minecraft servers and scratchy in-game prox chat. It feels odd to know that he’s doing hospitality for a man six or seven years younger than him, a friend who’s never answered out-of-character about himself before today. It feels odd to know that he’s actually looking at the real Martyn - not some rat, not some pirate, just… some guy.

Oli swallows and steels himself for what he’s about to say. “Erm - again. Don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. But… besides this whole Doc thing, what was your life like? Your normal life?”

Martyn’s expression flips into something unreadable for a second, then mellows again into neutrality. “Yeah, uh - nothing special, really. Born and raised in Nottingham, did alright at school, got the grades for uni but I ended up deferring. I was trying to get a job in my gap year but I didn’t really wanna end up behind the counter at GAME or McDonald’s or anything, and nowhere else ever got back to my applications, so… spent a lot of time at home, playing video games. No girlfriend, no mates who really stuck after college; not much worth writing home about. I wasn’t much of anything, really, not then.”

Oli is, he decides, going to ignore the implications of that comment. “Family?”

“Mum, dad, sister who’s been moved out for a few years. Dog. Oh, I hope he’s still alive, that’d suck if I never see my dog again.”

“Fingers crossed,” says Oli.

“What about you? What’s the home life of OrionSound like, when he’s not at the computer?”

“Oh, Marty, my entire life is at the computer,” he quips. “I work in software development. I actually did my degree in psychology, but you’d be surprised, there’s not a lot of room in the market unless you’ve done a load of other certifications as well. I guess I could have got a therapy licence, but as it turned out, I’d spent enough time in first year making terrible visual novels that by the time I got into the workforce I technically knew how to code. AI snapping at our heels now, of course, but it’s probably gonna eat itself by Christmas, so I’m not too worried about that.”

“I dunno,” says Martyn, “I’ve seen some pretty advanced AI.”

“So, yeah. I spent a few years freelancing, contracting for one place or another - I’m quick, which people seem to like, although that’s mostly so I can get back to gaming as soon as possible. And then… like two and a bit years ago? Yeah, would’ve been two years this past July… then I got a really nice position at CHESTCorp, it’s mostly remote work, I drive down to London every few months so they can “review my performance in a controlled environment”, whatever that means, and they pay well enough that I can afford this place on my own, which is -”

Oli stops talking when he notices Martyn’s face has gone white as a sheet.

“What’s wrong?”

“I knew it,” Martyn murmurs.

“What?”

“I knew it,” he says again, stronger, “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you, I knew you - I thought - he told me this would happen, I’ve seen it happen, I should’ve just learned from my mistakes the fucking first time, but clearly I’m stupid.”

“Marty, what are you -”

“Didn’t wanna believe this shit could follow me out here, but evidently it - oh. Oh, no, no, you fucking - it’s not over, is it? I’m still - that’s why nobody picked up the phone, it wasn’t real, you couldn’t synthesise my mother’s voice, I’d know! You’re CHEST, of course you’re CHEST, the one person I thought - I mean, I hoped - you’re fucking cruel, is what this is, it’s cruel, and you’re not fooling me twice. Don’t know how you got the food this realistic, but -”

“Martyn,” Oli tries to interrupt, “are you okay?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Martyn says through gritted teeth. “You’ve given the game away now, CHEST agent. Should’ve known it wasn’t real. Should’ve known I couldn’t get out that easy. Or you caught up before I got out, one of you fuckers, planted something, or - I don’t know, made me think I was finally out of this stupid place. Made me think it was fine so I’d start giving up secrets. Well, you’re not getting another word out of me, you fucking idiot. Some interrogation room you’ve got here, huh? This your best simulation? Get a better model for your TV, I’ll tell you that for free, the reflection’s too smooth.”

Well. Er. “Martyn,” he tries again, “I think you might be having a flashback?”

“Nothing back about it, you bastard. Giving me false hope like that. Thank god I don’t actually know Doc’s name, or you’d have been able to track him too, wouldn’t you? Fuck you. Don’t ever bring my family into this again, any of you.”

“Okay,” Oli says slowly, rifling through his psychology knowledge for grounding techniques, “you think this isn’t real, right now?”

“I know it isn’t real,” Martyn spits, “and it’s getting worse the more I’m poking at it. See, look -” he stomps a foot at the floor “- you’re losing resolution trying to keep it running.”

The carpet, which has not changed and is certainly not lower resolution than it was when they got here, endures being scuffed at. Oli doesn’t want to actually lay a hand on Martyn right now, though; he’s got a bad feeling that’ll end in something much worse than being kicked. Instead he dips into the kitchen across the room, pops an ice cube out of the tray faster than he’s ever needed to, and brings it back over to the sofa. “Here,” he says, chucking it at Martyn’s lap, “that real enough for you?”

Martyn catches the projectile reflexively. He stills, silent, both hands cupped around the ice cube, staying in the air.

Then, gradually, his eyes unfocused… his arms lower.

He opens them and stares down at the piece of ice in his palm, and, slowly and almost imperceptibly, begins to rock forward.

The Domino’s tracker chimes again. Their food has finished cooking, and it’s being delivered by Amal. Oli almost wants to laugh at the absurdity of it.

Whatever Martyn’s running from, it must go a lot deeper than he thought.

(part five here)

[kuwdora]

ao3 wrapped: 3, 12, 25!

eeeee these are good numbers, thank you for the ask nic!

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Some Kind of Disaster my TWN Season 3 missing scene fic with Yen and Jaskier is the one I’m most proud of this year. (Though to be fair I only managed to finish/post 4 fics this year so it’s a small pool… But still!) This fic hits all of the emotional beats that had been swirling in my head for a few years now, so I was over the moon when I got to the end of the fic and it was done and it was everything I wanted. Such a great feeling to see it into the world.

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

The number of WIPs are always too many. Prioritizing my WIPs is hard at the best of times, heh. I had maybe 6-7 active WIPs in the past year that I didn’t finish. On top of a few more new WIPs and ideas that wanted to be WIPs. Hard to stay focused.

As I said in previous ask, I have a yennskier nonsexual kink fic to work on. Since I’m still very much in witcher mode regardless of time between seasons.

But I still have my 20k+ Ciri fic that I really want and need to revisit. I have 30k+ more Jaskier fic that I yearn to work on. It's really matter of me poking @littlestsnicket and maybe enlisting some other folks to wave pompoms in my periphery to remind me that I want to go chasing that’ finishing-a-longfic/series feeling.’ I forever need to practice sharing more WIPs on main.

I may try to finish and post a little radskier ficlet I wrote in…idk I want to say March? And then there’s a Vilgefortz ficlet that I started last year, too that I think could be within finishing distance.

25. Did you receive any gifts this year?

I have a BOUNTY of gifts from this year! Like, so many. So blessed, everyone is having so much fun and I'm loving it all. Strap in, I got a squeeful recs list for you all.

Chantress did a podfic of my TWN Triss/Yenna ficlet Germinate which was a complete and wonderful surprise and is so, so lovely.

@astaldis did a remix of one of my Yennefer/Jaskier drabbles and it’s so great! It’s called Completion, very sexy feelings and hottness.

@she-who-drank-vodka-with-cats picked up a prompt I shared in the Smubbles server for some Meve/Reynard Thronebreaker awesomeness. It’s called the benefits of a prince consort. My prompt was: meve/reynard foot massage and comfort. ❤️❤️❤️

@sassaffrassa wrote me a smutty Geralt/Jaskier edging drabble called Stamina and it's of course 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Sass also wrote me Scavenger’s Reign Azi/Levi sex pollen drabble called flowering because robot yuri and sex pollen!!!!! If ever an an alien planet would have sex pollen, it would be Vesta. 🔥🔥🔥

@flootzavut gifted me a Jaskier fic called you do not get to hurt me which was a lovely surprise, lots of queer Jaskier messy feelings. I had a great time tossing the idea ball back and forth with flooty on this one when they were a little stuck on it. And the finished fic is so great and achey and I want to roll around in the Jaskier feelings all the time. Love you flootyfloots. I was bamboozled with love and utter surprise when I got an AO3 notification saying I was gifted a Stargate work. From none other than MSSalieri/troyswann who has been archiving their SG fic over the last few years. It’s an Elizabeth Weir and Daniel Jackson fic inspired by a prompt I offered Salieri several lifetimes and platforms ago. Salieri is an author and artist I have loved for an eternity, and I spent a lot of time reading and studying her fic when I was also first starting out writing fic. Trying to figure out how to do this prose thing. Really, just amazing…so much in a short fic. Reactivating the dormant Stargate feelings. The fic is called Unknown Waters. my prompt I had given Sal: If one tries to navigate unknown waters one runs the risk of shipwreck.

And then. There’s @ialwayscomewhenyoucall. Lira. Lira! Who I am constantly egging on with my Doctor Who Ten/Jack prompts in the @smubbles-etc discord server. Lira is just as delighted by my prompts as I am fucking excited to see what she comes up with. I’ve dumped approximately 200 million Doctor Who Ten/Jack prompts into the server this year. She’s been making me feel like a winner, lol. Lira is frolicking with prompts and I’m kicking my feetsies. ALSO Lira, have you made any headway on that Ten/Jack having sex performance for a paying alien audience prompt? Maybe for Smubble’s Wanksmas event? :D

Doctor Who Ten/Jack drabbles by LiraelClayr007:

Roses are Red - prompt: jack in lingerie. doctor admiring.

Black and (TARDIS) Blue - prompt: atyptical bruising patterns that jack is really into and wants more of immediately.

Different Body, Same Hearts - prompt: jack/ten reunion blowjob, the thrill of it all after so long.

Working together - a remix of my Refrain fic - Jack wants more. The Doctor is happy to give it to him.

You Can Wait - remix of my Syllable ficlet - Jack isn't allowed to come until the Doctor does.

From his knees - remix of my Reverence ficlet - Jack worships the Doctor.

Tether - The Doctor is spiraling after saying goodbye to Rose and his other self. Jack sees, and knows how to help. (not my prompt but lira's gotten so spun up from all my other prompts that I am still getting the goodies, ehehe)

The Doctor’s Song - Jack loves the sounds the Doctor makes. (not my prompt but still my joy !!!)

It’s a New Day - During sex, Jack asks the Doctor a question. He's surprised by the answer (not my prompt but still my gift, yes yayay)

❤️❤️❤️ I didn't manage to write/finish/post as much fic as I would have liked but I still had a great time with all the ideas and words from my brilliant friends. Here's to another year of awesome fic.

[darkvioletcloud]

Louisa is real, guys!! Look, she's been there since the beginning!

Just kidding, I came up with her skills and backstory, all below the cut.

Trigger warnings for brief descriptions of violence, abuse, suicide and depression, all that stuff. Nothing we haven't seen in Fear & Hunger, though I am a bit afraid I may have gone too far in certain places. I apologize if anything comes across as insensitive or offensive.

Skills:

Keen Eye (Passive)

Louisa has a higher chance of finding better items when scavenging, and sometimes finds an extra item.

Disable and Run (30 Mind)

A punch to the torso of humanoid enemies initiates an automatic run from battle while also doing a decent amount of damage. When back on the overworld, the enemy in question will be stunned for an extended period of time, allowing the party to start an escape.

Maternal Embrace (35 Mind)

Sometimes a hug and a shoulder to cry on is what someone needs. Hug a party member in the overworld to restore their mind and heal certain status effects. Reduces Louisa’s mind due to having to process and worry about the issues the hug recipient tells her about.

Home Cooking (Passive)

Unlocks recipes for Mind and Body-restoring food Louisa learned from her Vatican-born Nonna. Nothing is as calming and healing as a home cooked meal!

Focaccia Bread

Biscotti

Mushroom Risotto

Passionate Guard (25 Mind)

Take the hit meant for another party member. You take less damage, but the mental strain and anxiety from this attack will wear down on you.

Not sure how balanced these would be, and I didn't think of what the stats for the Home Cooking foods would be. It's just an idea!

(The following sections would be in a scenario where all contestants are playable, as it references having Tanaka as a party member, just a heads-up! Please also heed the trigger warnings.)

Initial Interaction and Recruitment

Louisa can be found at the train at first and doesn’t seem too upset about the train not working, despite saying she was meant to meet up with her parents at the Prehevil downtown station. She says it’s fine and that she’ll manage, and not to worry about her. She’s fine on her own. She’ll give the player some biscotti and wish them well.

If you return to the lake on the evening of the first day, Louisa will be standing on the shore and a cutscene will initiate. The player will ask if Louisa is having trouble finding her way downtown, and she says she’s right where she needs to be. She takes a gun out and the player can either attack her right away or ask what she’s doing. Attacking her initiates a battle where she won’t fight back, instead each of her turns will prompt dialogue of her saying that she’s going to be with her son very soon, and asks for you to make it quick. Looting her will give you her belt, a photograph of her with a man and a teenager, and another helping of biscotti.

If the player talks to her instead, she holds the gun and says she came to Prehevil to die. She wanted to die by the lakeside where she used to sit and read as a child. She laments about how she couldn’t protect her son from her husband and is as bad as he is, letting Leon be hurt, and how she was destined to be a terrible mother.

The player can talk her down and take the gun away from her. This can prompt another opportunity to kill her, or to recruit her. The player can give her a hug and, depending on the character, can comfort her in different ways.

If the player doesn’t prevent her from committing suicide, she’ll shoot herself in the head from under the chin and collapse. She can be looted for her belt, biscotti, and the photograph. Daan’s medical diagnosis will comment on how her breathing isn’t the typical agonal breathing. Not sawing off her head will lead to her body disappearing by the next morning, only reappearing in the chapel of the third day.

Moonscorching

Entering the chapel on the third day shows Louisa collapsed on the floor. Half of her face has been blown apart and by her side is a fallen cherub’s body, which she pets on occasion during the cutscene. Louisa will talk about how her first child was a little girl, saying “She was so quiet”, with the implication being she delivered a stillbirth. She says how she killed her daughter. She doesn’t know how, but it was her fault, it was all her fault. She rambles on about how she’s the reason Leon died and how she killed him by letting him leave to go to war.

Despite dialogue being initiated, nothing can stop Louisa from Moonscorching. She cries about how happiness always slips through her fingers right when she grasps it, and Alll-mer has forsaken her despite her faith. She asks you if she’s suffered enough, if she can finally be at peace. She’ll turn into Compassion, and each line of dialogue states how she already feels like she’s happy, as she can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s finally over, and she’s honored that someone is helping her for once.

As A Party Member

If interacting with a certain bookshelf in the bookstore, Louisa can pick up a book and say she had her eye on that particular one for a while. If Tanaka is in the party, he’ll ask her what it’s about, and she’ll stumble on her words and say it’s a romance about a Bohemian girl that gets caught up with a warrior from Edo and that it’s just a silly book for ladies. Tanaka presses further and it’s let slip that the book contains quite a bit of erotica.

In response to O’saa’s comment about escapism, Louisa will say that he’s right and mumble about how that’s the reason she didn’t go on to do anything in her life. If she didn’t indulge so much in fantasy, she could’ve done something with her life and go on to pursue higher education. If Abella is in the party, she’ll say there’s nothing wrong with indulgence, and how escapism doesn’t stop a person from learning. She’ll also say it’s never too late for Louisa to pursue her passions.

If Tanaka and Marcoh are at the train and practicing boxing, Louisa will be watching. If interacted with, she talks about how she’d like to join them and learn some self defense, but she’s too nervous to ask.

An interaction with Marcoh would prompt them to discuss food together, with him saying that a lot of the recipes she knows are Vatican in origin. She enthusiastically admits she’s half Vatican on her father’s side, and she learned a lot of her recipes from her Nonna.

If both Louisa and Henryk are saved and Louisa isn’t recruited, and neither are moved to PRHVL Bop, she’ll be found helping him prepare food outside the train.

As A Playable Character

Marina will call Louisa “the snoring lady” when she first wakes up, and Louisa can apologize and say she hopes she wasn’t too loud.

When entering the train again after the initial outside interaction, Louisa can converse with Caligura in a unique encounter, where the flavor text states that he puts Louisa on edge. His frown and posture are all too familiar to her, and if he’s pestered too much and leaves, Louisa will instantly feel relieved. If interacting with Marina right after, the player can tell her that Louisa is afraid of Caligura.

Character History

The soothing sound of the railtracks... You are not used to such a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

You can't help but let your mind wander. You reminisce about what has led you to this point in life…

You were born in Prehevil with the Soul of the Enduring, raised under an Alll-mer roof and went to an all-girls school. There was always a rift between you and the others. You were the weird girl, always the odd one left out. While the others braided each other’s hair and chatted amongst each other, you sat by your lonesome and devoured books.

A target had been painted on your back at some point. One of the girls had spread a rumor about you, and your isolation grew. As you walked home one day, you were stopped by a boy a year older than you, a boyfriend of one of the girls who looked down upon you.

One thing led to another, and the boy initiated a fight. A cowardly move, a bigger boy attacking a girl like you, yet you had to defend yourself somehow…

Hit him and run

You ended up socking him in the chest. Wherever you punched him, it must have messed him up.

The boy collapsed on the ground with the wind knocked out of him. While he wheezed and caught his breath, you ran off back home.

(Gain Disable and Run.)

Fight back

Though his fist cracked against your face, you spat your blood back at him and fought back.

It was a tough fight, and by all accounts, you lost, judging by all the bruises.

However, you gained a reputation that day - you weren’t afraid to get your hands dirty.

Not to mention, you figured out you were pretty good at throwing a punch or two.

(Gain Bare-Fisted Proficiency)

Your mother was reasonably upset as you came home with your school uniform all torn up and your face covered in blood. As she bandaged you up, your father praised you for standing up for yourself.

The fight made you a social pariah. You graduated the private school friendless and alone, but with the reputation of being not someone to mess with. You bulked up a bit and gained weight, both in fat and in muscle. Everyone called you ugly, and you believed it.

Your parents took you to Vatican City the summer before you entered high school, to celebrate your achievements. After all, that’s where your father was from. You met your grandparents for the first time. They lived in a cute area near the local bookstore.

Your parents were going out one day for a date between the two of them, leaving you to either entertain yourself, or to stay with your Nonna, who wanted your help with making dinner.

Go to the bookstore

Staying home would be like staying with strangers. Who knew if your grandparents even liked you? Would they find you to be an unlikable freak as well?

You went to the bookstore and spent the day peeking through fiction and nonfiction alike. You wrapped yourself up in a book of poetry, and ended up purchasing that, alongside a book on Alll-mer with an interesting cover.

(Gain New Poems of Love and Torment and Skin Bible - Alll-mer)

Cook with Nonna

You decide to cook with your grandmother. Though you were never much of a chef before, you caught on quite easily, and passion sparked within you.

The two of you spent the day preparing freshly-baked cookies, homemade bread, and a risotto for dinner, complete with mushrooms picked out of the garden.

As you sat at the dinner table with your parents, you told them how much you enjoyed cooking, and asked if you could help with dinner more often.

(Gain skill Home Cooking and book Recipes of the 15th Century Vol. 1)

You slipped back into isolation in high school. The first half was full of more bullying, now made worse due to the school being co-ed. More often than not, you came home bruised and bloodied.

You skipped class a lot and spent time hanging around coffee shops and stores, always with a novel in hand. On some days, you’d read by the lake, your favorite place. You neglected your schoolwork in favor of staying safe, and in that meantime, you got through quite a number of books.

One day when you were 15, a young man caught your eye. Tall, dark-haired, with a charming grin and dressed up so nicely. He smiled at you and approached you at the coffee shop, asking you what you were reading.

The man swept you up in a heart-fluttering haze. He bought you a drink and chatted with you. For the first time, you found a friend.

You skipped school more often to see him. You two would hide in the park to kiss and fool around. He’d curl your hair around his finger and say how beautiful you were. He promised that when you graduated, he would marry you right away.

And you did. When you were 18 and he was 24, the two of you married at a small chapel, surrounded by your families and his friends. He said you could live your life however you wanted. You wanted nothing more than to live happily with him. And so, you settled into the life of a housewife.

You moved away from Prehevil to start a new life. The two of you tried building your family right away. It was hard, but a few years in, you found yourself expecting. It was truly a blessing from Alll-mer.

You couldn’t wait to welcome the new addition to your family. Really, you could do without the nausea, the lightheadedness, anemia…

She arrived early. She was like a doll in your arms. Completely still. She never had a chance to take a breath.

You blamed yourself.

You fell into a depression. Your husband was caring and concerned, as he always was. The two of you tried again. Maybe this was a test from Alll-mer, to see if you truly cared about your family. And of course you did!

Finally, the two of you were blessed with a child. You named him Leon. You cried over even the littlest sounds he would make. Your family was complete.

Leon was all smiles as he grew. The boy radiated positivity and happiness. You were there to see every milestone of his.

Your husband was delighted at first, but as the years went on, something changed within him. He didn’t smile at you as he did before. His temper shortened. You tried to satisfy him as best you could, but you weren’t trying hard enough.

Leon knew something was wrong, and you knew that he knew, yet you still put on a false smile and told him mama and papa were okay.

As Leon grew, he became the exact opposite as how you grew up. He was studious, friendly, and outgoing. He stayed out late with friends and came home with stories of what he learned in school, and how fascinated the subjects were.

You knew why he stayed out, though. If he was home, he risked being struck by your husband. If you intervened, you would be hurt as well. With Leon out of the house, you took the brunt of the abuse.

One evening, as you were cleaning and your husband was reading the paper, Leon came home giggling and hazy-eyed. He had been out partying with his friends. He stumbled into the living room, right in front of your husband. Your husband shot out of his seat and grabbed Leon by the collar, shaking him and spitting at him. At one point, Leon was struck in the head with your husband’s pistol, splitting the skin open.

You knew that once he was done with Leon, your husband would turn on you next. It was your fault Leon was like this, after all.

Slip away while your husband isn’t looking

You left the room and locked yourself in the bathroom as you heard your baby boy cry out in pain from your husband’s actions.

You prayed to Alll-mer to grant mercy to Leon, yet you ask for no forgiveness for yourself. You’re a coward, after all.

Soon, all went quiet, save for the occasional hiccups and sobs from Leon.

(Gain Escape Plan)

Defend your son

You put yourself in between your husband and Leon. With tears in your eyes, you chastised the man you once loved, a man who had been gone for so long and was never to return.

Leon watched as your husband struck you and slammed you against the wall.

You felt no pain. You didn’t care if you broke your nose or lost a tooth, just as long as Leon was safe. Besides, you were used to this. It had been a while, but this wasn’t anything you weren’t familiar with.

(Gain Passionate Guard)

Your life was never the same after that incident. Your husband was a monster in the home. Leon didn’t come home on some nights. Your eyes glazed over as you tried escaping into the books you once loved, but the words would fall on tear-filled eyes.

Leon left home one day, enlisted in the army to defend against the Bremen Empire. The day he left, you gave him a hug and a kiss and sent him on his way with fresh focaccia and biscotti. He smiled back at you, with that loving, silly smile that he had back when he was young and innocent. For a moment, everything felt okay.

Leon never came home.

It was just you and your husband. Leon’s funeral ended with your husband screeching at you about how it was your fault the two of you didn’t have kids anymore. You didn’t process his words.

Finally, there came a day when you had enough. As you bandaged up a cut on your arm, you made a plan. A train to Prehevil left your town in the middle of the night. You would pack your bags in secret and leave. Make your way to your hometown and find peace there. Nothing left to live for anyway. You were not going to live a life suffering at the hands of a monster.

You were going to live with your parents again, yes, that was the excuse. Maybe you could see them once more…

You packed a change of clothes and a photo of your family, your last memory of Leon, smiling brightly at the camera.

There was still space left in your bag once you finished. What would go in it?

Stock up on medicine (Gain 2x Blue Vials and 2x Cloth Fragments)

Find something to read (Gain Alchemillia Vol. 1)

Find some extra cash (Gain Lucky Coin x1 and Shillings x10)

Your plan was to slip out in the night as your husband fell asleep. You steeled yourself and slipped out of bed.

Your husband hadn’t fallen asleep. He sat up and asked what you were doing.

You may have slowly failed school, but you weren’t stupid. You had his gun, smuggled under your pillow while he was showering.

You felt sick as you pointed the gun at him and told your husband you were done with him. He was not the man you fell for, and you were not the naive little girl that he once thought you were.

With a final goodbye, you left, and caught the train right before it left the station.

If you were going to go out, it was going to be on your own terms. As you rested your head against the window, you thought about the lake, your special little place. It would be a nice, relaxing spot, yes, to spend your final moments…

B Ending

How funny, you came to Prehevil to die, and yet you ended up being the only one to leave. The light at the end of the tunnel remained forever just out of grasp, and you still remained crawling towards it.

You couldn’t bear to live after everything you had done. You, sinful and stained, attempted once more to commit the unspeakable.

The gods laugh at you. Your attempt failed and you were hospitalized for months. Half of your face was mangled and scarred, your hands lost some motor function, and you began your long journey of recovery and rehabilitation. No matter how hard it would be, you would push yourself through it. The technology that helped save you fascinated you the entire way through.

The regrets of your past haunted you. You realized you never blossomed, remaining in a cocoon sewn shut by the life imposed by your husband and your lack of ambition.

You went back to school. A woman at your age, learning with children that your son should have been in the ranks of. If he couldn’t bloom, then you would, in his place.

You found your passion for science and emerging technologies. Not just passion, but skill and intuition. You used that passion to fuel yourself through this education, tutoring your fellow students and helping the next generation, while also doing for yourself what you should have done long ago.

[vaya-writes]

🎲 25 or 40 for Reader x Veron, accidental or impulsive kiss

Hi, I love you. I wrote this pretty much the day you sent this prompt, but have only now taken the time to rewrite and edit. Thank you for your patience <3

Featuring 600 words of fluff and a timeskip moderately into their story.

---

You’ll find that once immediate needs are taken care of, and you’re granted a sense of safety, apocalyptic societal collapse can be quite boring. 

The building is cleared. You have multiple gardens and water catchments set up. There’s a waste disposal routine. Rations are looking healthy, and you have emergency supplies and go bags on each floor. 

Leaving you increasingly restless, starting to go stir crazy, and more often than not, mind numbingly bored. 

You used to rely on electricity to pass the time. Social media. Television. Video games. The internet of things. Now you’re left with books and a handful of craft materials you have minimal skill at using. 

More and more you enjoy spending time with Veron. Even if you have to sit through his innuendos and ignore his heated stares. Sometimes he’s generous enough to play a board game with you. Other times you have to sweeten the pot.  

All in all, you can’t complain. You’re safe and surviving with a comfortable margin for error. You have companionship. Working on the garden and rereading your old books helps you pass the time. Veron does most of the scavenging, deeming it unsafe for you to leave the building. 

Yeah. You can’t complain.  

You’re not due for a supply run when Veron volunteers to go out next. You figure he’s as restless as you are. So, you stow your anxiety and give him a shopping list. You break your ‘food after work’ rule and let him take his fill of you. And afterward he sets out to go scavenging.  

You don’t get much done that day. Lethargic from Veron’s snacking, and too anxious to fight through the fog and leave your room, you instead take up vigil on the balcony. 

He makes it back before nightfall. 

It’s an effort not to go to him when he steps through your door. Not to touch him and reassure yourself of his presence. 

He unpacks a few food items from his bag. You’re pleased to see he’s picked up a handful of spice mixes for you to cook with, and some more toilet paper. But your mouth dries and the words leave you when he pulls a book from his bag. 

“I saw this series on your shelf. You haven’t got this one, have you?” 

You bite down on your lip to keep it from trembling. You can’t meet his eyes, instead fixing your gaze on that book. 

That book you had really, really wanted. That you hadn’t found time to pick up before the world ended. The next instalment in one of your favourite series.  

You cross the room and wrap your arms around Veron before you can even process what your body is doing. Embarrassed, you hide your face in his jacket, so he doesn’t see your tears.  

Your voice is hoarse with the effort of controlling your emotions. “Thank you.” 

He’s still for a moment before relaxing. Before he lets out a breath and tousles your hair. “No problem.” 

You take a minute to reign your emotions in. To compose your face before stepping back. Eyes fixed on the floor, unable to meet Veron’s gaze, you pull away from his chest. But impulse has you hesitating. Has you leaning back in. 

You press a kiss to the demon, an appreciative and shy peck to the closest bit of skin you can reach – the spot just below his collarbone.  

He freezes again. 

And before he can react, you snatch the book and run. 

[levi501ackerman]

Steel Heart Chapter 16:

These Inconvenient Fireworks

Hange x Reader Chapter Index Masterlist AO3

Megan's Note: Title is after a Larry Stylinson fanfic I read when I was 14. The author sold hardcover copies of their fanfic on lulu.com (this was common with 1D fanfic authors) and at 14 years old I fr made my mom buy me printed gay fanfiction. She was just happy her daughter was getting into the love of reading like her! LMAO. I start fall semester tomorrow (UGH) and a new job next month. Posted: 8/25/24

Word Count: 3.8k

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Levi scoffed. “If there was a man, why would—”

“We’re being watched,” you whimpered into Hange’s neck. Levi crossed his arms and eyed you skeptically. “I did not have a nightmare, Levi! There was a knight in the forest! He had blonde hair, was tall, covered in blood, and had a crested sword like the Knights of the Royal King’s Guard! But I’ve never seen him before . . .”

“Squads one and two, come with me,” Levi beckoned the knights away from you. Levi’s unexpected commands made you unsure if he believed you. Tears fell down your face and Hange’s breath was on your neck. Levi was whispering with twenty knights huddled together in the darkness. Then, the knights broke apart and went into their tent. Your heart plummeted. The thought of the knights returning to bed while the strange blonde knight raided the camp made you sick. You pulled away from Hange and wiped your tears. “It should be around four a.m. since Franz, Daz, Samuel, and Thomas were on watch. But Daz is going to find a clear view of the sky and hopefully, the stars will be visible enough to tell time . . .” Levi kneeled beside Hange and put a hand on your shoulder. “The knights are getting some equipment and going to scavenge the forest for the man you saw and anything suspicious.”

“T-thank you,” your chest unraveled a little at the assurance that something would be done. 

“I want to speak with you,” Levi stood up and motioned to Hange, who was clutching your cloak around their naked body. 

“No! Please . . . don’t leave me,” you said. You grabbed Hange’s arm, and their half-lidded eyes glanced at Levi. Your wide eyes studied Hange’s face, seeking comfort. They blinked a few times. They looked lethargic and exhausted; even when they nodded, they were slow. A tinge of admiration spread through your chest when Hange gently grasped the hand you placed on their arm. They held your hand against their heart. 

“What do you want to talk about?” They asked Levi, and he crossed his arms. You noticed Hange cared for you as they did what you asked. They stayed. Levi hesitated, and his eyes shifted knowingly between you and Hange. Knights emerged from their tents with candles and their swords drawn. Connie approached the lifeless campfire and worked on igniting the logs.  

“It’s not that I do not believe you saw a man, but I think we will be alright. Depending on the time, we will get a head start on our day,” You recalled Levi having insomnia and not sleeping well through the night. Levi averaged two to four hours of sleep per night. In the past, Levi, being awake, had managed to help predict when you would have nightmares and he was ready to calm you down so you wouldn’t disturb the other knights. Levi sleeping during the incident of you in the forest could point to the time being near dawn. “How do you feel? Do you feel tired?”

“I don’t think . . . I don’t think I could go back to sleep,” you stammered.

“Okay,” Levi softly said. 

“What do you think, Hange?” Hange’s inner eyebrows were perked up like they were trying to keep their eye open. They squeezed your hand and rubbed their thumb against your skin. 

“I’m going to try to get more sleep, Princess,” Hange admitted.

“Okay, I guess I can try too.” Light and warmth burst from behind Hange and Levi. Connie stepped away from igniting the fire and turned to notice a knight running back from a part of the forest. His hasty nature did not appear worrisome or like he found the bloodied knight in the forest. His face was determined yet calm. He looked familiar and you recognized he was one of the knights who came up to you after you found Franz. He was one of the guards on rotation. 

“Commander! Captain! I found a clear view of the sky and did the math. It is around four forty-five and five fifteen,” Daz said. “The sun will rise soon and we’ll have more daylight.”

“Great work, Daz,” Hange said and groaned. There wasn’t enough time to go back to sleep and feel rested. Breakfast would be between six and six thirty. Daz's concerned eyes studied you, checking how you were. 

“How are you, your Highness?” He gingerly asked.

“I feel safer, thank you, sir.” 

“I should start taking down the tent instead. It’s best if we go bathe right after eating, and then we can head to Flegel’s Farm,” Hange rubbed their eye. You could tell your incident woke Hange from a deep sleep. Guilt coursed through you as your outburst woke everyone up. But he was real. The bloodied knight with the crested sword was in front of you. 

He’s still out there.

Watching you.

He’s real. 

You leaned forward and wrapped your arms around both Hange and Levi. 

“I’m sorry for my outburst,” you whimpered and Hange rubbed your back. “He’s out there, I swear.”

While the knights scoured the forest for the bloodied knight or anything related to the Marleyan Cult, you helped Hange take down the conference tent. They had to tell you what to do, and you appreciated their patience. Hange returned your cloak and told you to keep the hood on. You didn’t mind because the air was chilly. You rolled your bedroll up and Hange took it for you. 

The morning rays of sunlight broke through the canopy of trees, making the forest more comforting and less frightening. The green grass returned, and the trees weren’t shadows anymore. Their brown trunks were magnificent, and you could see past the light of the fire, which gave you a sense of safety. But deep inside, you felt unfriendly eyes on you. 

After a half hour of heading into the forest, the Knights returned to the camp at different intervals. The knights who usually prepared meals started with breakfast. Eventually, all twenty knights returned. No one was harmed, and no bloodied knight was found. But something felt wrong and you trusted your instincts. 

Levi wanted you to eat more protein and told the knight serving to give you three eggs and more chicken than rice. You cringed at the thought of forcing yourself to eat all the chicken and eggs Levi wanted you to eat. Especially since the rice felt more satiating. You argued with Levi that you wouldn’t eat another plate unless he took off half of the chicken and added more rice. Levi rolled his eyes but obliged.

Hange was sitting on a log in between two of their squad members. One of them you’ve seen Hange talk to before because he’s one of the only other knights who wears glasses, and the other knight was a man with short dark hair. The guy with the glasses passed Hange a delicate cloth, and then Hange wiped the lenses of their glasses. The two knights were next to Hange, and you hesitated to ask them to scoot over. You sat on the ground next to Hange’s feet, which amused Hange. Abel and Keiji offered to scoot over so you could sit next to Hange. Eventually, you did, which only ended up with you following the three when they got in line for food. 

Hange was retelling a story to Abel and Keiji about how they caught a frog in the river when they were younger, but you couldn’t pay attention. You tried ignoring it as you ate your chicken while standing beside Hange. Hairs on the back of your neck stood up and you couldn’t shake the feeling that you and the knights were in danger. Though more than forty knights were in the camp and would lay down their lives for you, you remained fearful of the bloodied knight. You weren’t dreaming.

He’s still out there.

Watching you. 

He’s real.

As the knights cleaned and put away the cooking equipment, Hange suggested going to the river. You didn’t want to go to the river anymore. You worried being with fewer people might make the bloodied knight approach you. What if while you and Hange were down at the river, he slits Hange’s throat and takes you? You’d rather have him kill you than Hange. The bloodied knight’s piercing eyes flashed in your mind and you gasped. 

“Are you okay, Y/N?” Hange asked and you realized you stopped walking. Hange looked over their shoulder at you and then walked to you. You were frozen in your tracks. They eyed you, analyzing your body and then approached your trembling form. Hange placed their hands on your shoulder and you looked up at Hange’s pretty eye. The heaving in your chest slowed and you blinked a couple of times. 

“Hange,” your whispered voice cracked. “I can’t shake the feeling that we are being watched.” Hange comfortably rubbed their thumb against your shoulders. You gave in to the feel of their soothing touch. They pulled you into their chest and you surrendered to their touch. Hange would keep you safe. Your breathing became even and Hange stroked your back again.

“Let’s bathe quickly so we can leave this place.” Hange soothed. They pulled away from the hug and wrapped a protective arm around your shoulder. They guided you toward the river. The sound of the water was reaching your ears and then Hange gasped. You both stopped in your tracks.

In the distance on the shoreline was a small brown fur ball with a small white fur ball for a tail. A large smile grew when you saw the furry animal's head raise, revealing its long ears. A small cottontail rabbit was drinking from the river. Hange turned to you and with their index finger over their lips. They drew their sword from the waist of their tan pants and handed it to you. Then Hange held a hand up to tell you to stay and you silently nodded at them.

The bunny was frozen. It sensed you and Hange. Hange silently crept closer, and you hoped this was the moment Hange would catch you a pet bunny. The brown bunny hopped away from Hange and you both held your breath, hoping you didn’t spook the bunny.  Hange took another step forward and then waited. The bunny was petrified but anchored itself in place. Then Hange took another step and was a few feet away from your future pet. Hange dived for the animal and reached out their arms for the bunny. Their fingers grazed the bunny’s fur. The cottontail pounced away from the grasps of Hange and went into the tree line. 

“Hange!” You ran to Hange’s form lying on the dried pebbles of the shoreline. They winced and then pushed themselves up onto their knees. You crouched down next to them, “Are you okay? You’re always so close! I know you are going to catch us a bunny!”

“Those cuties are quick. Bunnies can run up to eighteen miles per hour, you know.” Hange dusted off their shirt. They got their white shirt even more dirty and will definitely need to wash it while bathing. “They're quick as a flash.”

“Quick like lighting!”

“Like lighting, for sure!” Hange started unbuttoning their white shirt. “I should wash this first to let it dry, " they said more to themselves. 

You placed Hange’s sword on the pebbles and then turned around to start striping your clothes. You looked across the river and back toward the camp. You and Hange were alone.

Hopefully.

“I bet the next time we see a bunny, you’ll catch it!” You encouraged Hange as you pulled down the tan slacks and shimmied off your pants. You folded your pants and then laid them against your boots. The light-hearted thought of a cute furry bunny roaming around the tent and feeding her carrots while holding it like a baby crossed your mind. The sloshing sounds of the river pulled you out of your daydream. Hange was naked and holding their dirty white top. They sat on their knees and their back was to you. They dipped the dirt-stained part of the fabric into the water and used their thumb to circle the area. “Let me help with that! I know a quicker way!”

“Oh yeah? The Princess is going to show me how to wash clothes? How unexpected.” Hange kept circling the stain with their thumb. You pulled off the cloak and unbuttoned the white shirt. Without a care to fold them, you piled them on top of the pants. You splashed Hange when you hastily stepped into the river. “Careful! I don’t want to get my entire shirt wet! It will take forever to dry!”

“May I?” You wanted to show Hange the technique Fairy Godmother Ymir showed you during childhood. Hange handed over their shirt and you placed most of the fabric between your bicep and ribs. Then, you fisted the fabric on the sides of the stains, letting the fabric slack. You dipped the dirt-stained part into the river’s water and used your fisted hands to rub your fingers against each other. The technique Fairy Godmother Ymir taught you was like using your fingers to act as a miniature corrugated washboard. You pulled the dripping fabric out of the water and squeezed. When you unfolded the damp bunched-up fabric, the dirt stain was gone. “Ta-da!”

“What?! It’s that easy?!” Hange gasped. They grabbed their shirt from you and tilted it against the sunlight, trying to see if the stain was gone. 

“Yes! Fairy Godmother Ymir taught me that when I started learning to clean blood stains from my underwear!” Hange’s jaw was dropped and there was a fond satisfaction with impressing Hange. Hange stood up from the water, taking their shirt to their pile of clothes.

“And all this time, I’ve been doing dumb circles, which takes forever sometimes!” Hange placed the wet part of the shirt facing up so the crisp air could dry it. You started splashing water onto your arms and rubbing your legs. Hange sat on your left and you began rubbing your arms in the water. They poked your cheek and stretched out their legs. “Thank you, Princess Y/N, you changed my life!”

“You changed my life . . .” Their doe-eye glanced at you, causing your cheeks to turn pink. They darted away from you and you wanted them to look at you again. Their lips looked soft, and Hange started rubbing their legs, which were submerged in the river. Then, Hange took out the hair tie that held their short hair back. You pulled your hair tie out, letting your hair fall behind you. You wanted Hange to say something—to say anything. 

Say something!

“Are you excited to try on dresses for your wedding?”

Not that, UGH!

“I-I haven’t thought of that, honestly . . . I guess I am.” You noticed your hands trembling as you pulled your knees to your chest. You wrapped your arms around your knees, protecting yourself. Your heart. Then you said, “I don’t want to marry Prince Marco.”

“I know, Y/N, I’m—”

“No, Hange . . . I don’t want to marry Prince Marco .” There was a pressure behind your nose and you inhaled deeply. You did not want to cry. Small fishes swam by in the river, but you weren’t in the right headspace to be excited about tiny fish. The small fish probably could choose who they wanted to mate with. They did not have to worry about a cult hunting them. Those fish didn’t suddenly get the rug ripped from under them and forced into a new life—one of danger, death, and responsibility. “I’m forced to be married to a stranger and I’m forced to feel on the edge constantly because of a cult hunting me. I was forced to leave my cottage, books, clothes, and possessions behind . . . I want to choose something in my life!”

You tilted your head toward Hange, and their confused expression had a hint of helplessness. Their lips looked soft, and Hange’s brown eye usually comforted you. But their glance made you feel cornered and guilty. 

“You’ll get your opportunity to make your own choices.”

“I know what I want.”

“You know?”

“I know . . .” You’ve seen Christa and Ymir do it before and tried your best to replicate them. With a flood of courage, you turned and held yourself in a steadied stance on your knees before Hange. You grabbed their face, leaned in, closed your eyes, and smashed your lips onto theirs. The flesh was indistinguishable and you felt the tip of their nose on your cheek. You felt a new, exhilarating rush through your body and ache between your legs. Hange’s hands fumbled around and they grabbed your wrist and used their other hand to push on your chest. 

Hange’s eye was wide and their pupil was dilated. Their face had a rosy hue and their lips were flushed. Your lips tingled, and you wiped them with the back of your hand. Hange brought their knees to their chest and hugged themselves. They were silent and downcasted their eye to the river’s water.

Guilt surged through your body, and you carefully sat in the river again. You crossed boundaries and possibly upset your friend. You just wanted to try it—once. You pulled your knees to your chest. Pressure built behind your nose and you blinked rapidly, avoiding tears. 

The water shimmered from the morning’s daylight and the sun’s rays warmed your skin. A light breeze rippled the water on the river’s surface and blew over the taller grass stems on the other side. A bird unapologetically tweeted from high in the trees.

“You should not have done that,” Hange whispered and your heart twinged. They were blushing and hiding themselves. Hange sniffed and they rubbed their eye. “They will have my head for that.”

“Who?” It felt hard to breathe and the Hange getting in trouble raised the guilt in your chest. You should not have crossed the line. You made your own bold choices but at what cost? You can choose to do whatever you want, but you can not choose your consequences. 

“The Queen and her King. Marco’s parents. They would flog me and then kill me for ‘corrupting the Princess.’ I wouldn't be alive by the end of the day when they found out.”

“I thought my parents were nice . . .” Hange covered their eye with their hand and you heard them hold back a whimper. “I’m sorry, Hange. I just wanted to try kissing.”

“We can not speak of this,” Hange whispered harshly.

“This was my first kiss . . .” you whispered. Hange sniffled again and a tear streamed down their face. They wiped it off quickly and your heart ached at the sight of the vulnerable form. 

“It’s my first since I lost my eye.” Hange bitterly said. There was a pinch in your chest, and you recalled what Hange had told you last night. Hange was dating someone when they lost their eye . . . and you tied together that the girl did not kiss or show Hange affection after their injury, which ultimately led to their relationship ending. “Damn it!” The water sloshed as they stood up.

“What’s wrong?” 

“I knew you liked me,” Hange looked at the pebbles by their feet as they walked toward the grass. You chased after them, sloshing water and dripping onto the pebbles. You grabbed their wrist and they pulled away from you. 

“Hange!”

“I knew you liked me and I couldn’t stop myself!”

“I’m sorry, Hange! I am so sorry. Please, we can forget about this! Please don’t be mad!” Hange crossed their arms and looked at their feet, their hair masked their face. The knight in shining armor from the Karanese District was helpless, confused, and defenseless. You held onto their biceps, looking up at them. A tear dropped from their face and they wiped it instantly away, again.

“I’m not mad at you, Y/N. I’m mad at myself.” You didn’t know what to do, and you gently hugged Hange. You rubbed their back like they did when you needed comfort. “I like you, Y/N, and I know you like me. You are painfully obvious—your stares, your questions, your curious nature about romance. You don’t take your eyes off my body when I undress.” 

“I’m sorry,” your heart fluttered at Hange’s words. They liked you back, and some part of you hoped there was a chance. 

“Stop apologizing,” Hange clipped and you nodded obediently. “We should get back.”

“I haven’t washed my hair—we both haven’t yet.” Hang pulled away from your hug and they walked back over to their pile of clothes. 

“That’s because you were going around kissing some knight in the river.”

“Hange . . . I don’t want to marry Prince—”

“It doesn’t matter what you want!” You flinched at Hange raising their voice. “You’re a Princess going to become Queen and I’m a knight. I’m just a knight.”

“But you like me, right? So why can’t we date?” 

“Oh you’re so naive—”

“I’m sorry!” A storm of thoughts loomed over Hange and you, the rage between desire and the constraint of duty. You stood next to Hange, watching them dress themselves. You crossed your arms, covering your exposed chest. Hange was hopping on one leg, trying to get their tan slacks over their damp skin. You wanted to explore love and explore it with Hange. 

“Listen to me,” Hange put their hands on your shoulders after they zipped their slacks. You accidentally glanced at their boobs and then blushed guiltily. “I-I want to call you mine,” their voice cracked as they confessed. Your heart raced, noticing the window of opportunity—your desires in reach. “But if we are caught, I will die.”

“No!” You took Hange’s wrists from your shoulders and held their hands. “I want a chance with you . . . I want to be yours and I want you to be mine. You are my best friend—the light in the dark. You are my savior—my angel. You were sent to protect me.”

“I should not give in to temptation,” Hange whimpered, resting their forehead on yours.

“I want to be yours even in secret.”

“I should not give in to temptation.”

“I will protect you if the Queen and her King find out.”

“I should not give in to temptation,” Hange inhaled sharply. Their anguished face was evident. Their eye was squeezed shut, and their lips were trembling. You placed their hands on your waist and then yours on their shoulders. They fondly grasped your waist, feeling your damp, soft skin, getting a glimpse of what could be theirs—giving in. They whispered, “I am going to die if we get caught . . .”

“Give me your life and I’ll give you mine,” you whispered. Hange tilted their chin and gently pressed their lips against yours. You followed Hange’s tender rhythm. You affectionately cupped one of Hange’s cheeks and leaned into them. They pulled your waist into their hips and you whimpered. Your heart skipped a beat and you felt a tingle and warmth spread through your body. You will always remember this moment with Hange by the river. The secret that will stay between the two of you.

And the man watching.

next chapter Chapter 17: Garden of Rabbits

chapter index masterlist

[petrolstationflowers]

You've been all over - Lucky Palms, Strangetown, Neighborhood 1 - but have you ever headed for the bright lights of Vegas and the wasteland beyond? For those who are looking for a cheap place to live and employment that's open to anyone, the New Simfornia Republic Army might be the career for you! Based on Fallout: New Vegas' New California Republic Army faction, but with a Sims twist!

This is a branched career that splits at level five. You can choose to take the Combat or Political branch -- are you looking to become President of the New Simfornia Republic, or are you looking to be at the helm of the Rangers? The choice is yours. As always, you will need NRaas Careers for this to work!

Levels and other info under the cut!

For the initial five levels, there are a few custom tones:

Run Laps (builds Athletics), Maintain the Barracks (builds Handiness), and Tend Crops (builds Gardening).[/list]

For the Combat branch, we have:

Perform Weapons Drills (builds Athletics), Spar With Fellow Recruits (raises Martial Arts), and Write Reports (builds Writing).

The Political branch, on the other hand, has:

Prepare Talking Points (builds Charisma), Study (builds Logic), and Network With Other Politicians (builds Gambling). As this is a hidden skill that comes with Lucky Palms and the casino content, you will need that world downloaded for the skill to work correctly. Otherwise you may be able to alter this through MasterController.

I have made three opportunities that appear for Level 10 at both branches. These are to read a book, throw a party and invite a coworker, and attend a meeting. This is my first time making these so please let me know if you have any problems! There are also no carpools as thematically they wouldn't make sense1

Here are the levels and descriptions for the initial five before the branch:

[*]Wastelander - 10 simoleans p/h - M-F Description: New Simfornia is an okay place to live. Electricity runs for at least six hours a day, and the water supply is mostly clean. But there’s bills to pay and food to put on the table; scavenging pipes from the scrapyard and selling mutated wildflowers just doesn’t pay like it used to. The New Simfornia Republic Army is looking more appealing by the second… Recruit - 20 simoleans p/h - M-F Description: You’ve hiked your way out to the barracks and impressed the recruiters with your enthusiasm. Now it’s time to show them what you’re truly made of; mud, sweat, and dubious rations shipped from Strangetown. Hope you like green meatloaf and hard tack so solid you could use it as a weapon! Labourer - 25 simoleans p/h - M-F Description: Boot camp is over and done with, thank the Watcher. Now you’re stuck with menial labour; dull, but safe. You’ll spend your days planting crops, making flour, or putting together weapons on the factory line. Long hours for half decent pay, it’s not a bad life (unless you actually like scavving or fistfighting the creatures in the mine for food). Auxiliary - 30 simoleans p/h - M-F Description: An actual uniform, your own dog tags, and a waterproof pair of cowplant hide boots, it’s like every Snowflake Day come at once! At least now you’re inside most of the time, even if the most exciting thing you do is drop off letters from Sunset Valley and listen to gossip from Vegas. At least there’s free coffee. Private - 40 simoleans p/h - M-F Description: Your commanders have made a big deal about how they’re trusting you with patrols now, where you’re let loose with a basic weapon and have the tiniest bit of authority. Citizens might respect you and you’ll get to see the sights of Strangetown and Lucky Palms, but you know what they say; patrolling the Simoran almost makes you wish for…

Then for the combat branch levels:

[*]Captain - 70 simoleans p/h - M-F Description:You’ve spent your years slogging away as a cog in the machine and now the higher ups have finally recognised your efforts. You’re leading your own team, which can somewhat be like herding cats, but at least you get to go on more interesting missions now and have so say in the logistics. Even if those command meetings could have been an email. Major - 80 simoleans p/h - M-F Description:Your own office, specialised assignments, and the authority to get someone else to clean the bathrooms… the life of a major isn’t a bad one. But it does come with a price; you’ll be leading troops into battle and having to command the bigger outposts, which is a headache in itself. Solving squabbles over caravan routes and shipments of energy drinks, followed by a firefight at the New Simfornia border? All in a day’s work. Colonel - 200 simoleans p/h - M-F Description:You’ve moved somewhat away from petty disputes, but even if the pay is better, the responsibilities increase with it. You’re looking after entire regions and their platoons, making sure troops are dispatched to the right areas and civilian areas are kept safe (as much as they can be). Ranger - 500 simoleans p/h - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Description:You’re finally the ranger with the big iron on their hip and hefty bounties to track down. You’re the one they call when the alien threat gets out of hand and the two-headed bears start rummaging through cabins on the Hidden Springs lakesides. You’ve got the chance to earn decent money on your own terms, provided the ghouls or yetis don’t take you out first. Chief - 750 simoleans p/h - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Description:You’re out in the field less these days and spend more time dispatching the rangers under your command to get the jobs done. Still, you get a cut of the bounty that they bring back, and you don’t have to scramble through radioactive swamps to take out a target! It doesn’t get much better than that.

And the political branch levels:

Intern - 50 simoleans p/h - M-F Description:You’ve got a knack for bright ideas and saying the right things at the right time. This hasn’t gone unnoticed, and your superior has suggested working in the political branch of the New Simfornia Republic Army. At the moment it’s more running missives and making coffee of dubious quality, but everyone has to start somewhere! Law Maker - 75 simoleans p/h - M-F Description:After many, many years of dealing with the general public and your fellow squaddies, you’ve gained enough knowledge to know what needs to change – and spent plenty of time daydreaming how to do it. It might not be a seat of power, but determining which laws make it to the senate and writing detailed bills is a step in the right direction. Senator - 250 simoleans p/h - Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday Description:Finally, you’re where you deserve to be. Away from the dust and dirt of the Wasteland, your days involve a freshly cleaned suit and arguing with your fellow senators about the day’s agenda. Even if people don’t know you, they still have a healthy amount of respect for you (and maybe some fear). What you say, goes, and after all – you know best. Councillor - 500 simoleans p/h - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Description:Unlimited power! … almost. You’re the one pulling the strings, whispering in the President’s ear and making sure they’re steered along the right track. You mostly work from the shadows now, only making appearances when needed, but your words are weighted like the finest Aqua Pura. Use them wisely. President - 1000 simoleans p/h - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Description:The sky’s the limit; everything the light of the bomb touches is your kingdom. Whether New Simfornia flourishes or fails is entirely dependent on your whims. The army? Your personal bodyguards and playthings. The populace? Dolls to rearrange and position as you please. Watch out, Vegas; a new sheriff’s in town…

Translations: I've included the English Strings in the file; if anyone is talented enough to translate, I would be incredibly grateful, so please let me know in the comments!

With thanks: A huge thank you to all the kind people on MissyHissy's Discord server for helping me to test and troubleshoot, and to the person who requested this career and very kindly made the icon for me!

[beni75]

Photos and text: @thomaspeschak

1-. A blacktip reef shark navigates a narrow canyon off Aldabra Atoll. Seychelles

2-. Every winter sub-adult whale shark gather in the seas off Djibouti

3-. Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives

4-. I had been watching these seals for years & wanted to photograph them surfing a unique underwater perspective on southern African marine reserves

5-. In Mexico's San Ignacio lagoon a gray whale mother pushes it's young calf to the surface so it can get a better look at the photographer

6-. June-July is sardine run time off South Africa's East Coast. Long-beaked common dolphins are the only predators that hunt cooperatively

7-. Kira is a black labrator that loves swimming with dolphins

8-. Manta rays. Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives

9-. Mantas feeding amongst baifsish. Hanifaru Bay

10-. Reef mantas feeding at Hanifaru Marine Reserve

11-. My fascination with seahorses began more than 10 years ago when I still was a graduate student in marine biology

12-. Not all sharks look like Jaws. An endemic Puffader shy shark hovers above dive guide hand

13-. Sharks, Bohar snapper and other predatory fish are abundant on the fringing coral reefs of the seas around D'Arros Island and St. Joseph Atoll, Seychelles

14-. Long beaked common dolphin hunting sardines off South Africa's Wild Coast

15-. South African free diver @hanlinprinsloo diving with blacktip sharks in the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area

16-. y 17-. South Africa's Table Mountain Marine Protected Area host a unique sevengil shark aggregation site wich draws divers from all over the world

18-. South Africa's Wild Coast is a mosaic of river mouths, grassy hillsides and formidable sea cliffs

19-. Aerial perspective of the sanctuary zone of the Ponta do Ouro Marine Reserve, Mozambique

20-. Steller's sea lions ar common off Canada's British Colomia coast where populations of their preferred prey such a sand lance and herring are still relatively abundant

21-. Sunflower sea stars are the largest shallow water starfish in the world

22-. The broadnosed sevengill shark is a top predator in South Africa's kelp forests. With saw shaped teeth akin to tiger sharks, they hunt fish and scavenge dead fur seals

23-. The seas around Aldabra atoll are some of the most pristine in the Seychelles and the entire western Indian Ocean

24-. The tail belongs to one of the top predators in South Africa's kelp forest

25-. This green turtle traverses the unbelievably blue waters of Europa Atoll in search of a mate

26-. To survive in the vastness of the open ocean, Silky sharks rely on their boldness and curiosity to investigate every opportunity that might yield a meal

27-. y 28-. This pod of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins regularly crosses from Mozambican into South African waters

[paigelts05]

"Olive B." [FNAF Renegade AU, TalesVRWorld]

https://www.deviantart.com/paigelts05/art/1090792387

Published: Aug 25, 2024

Prior to Fazbear Entertainment releasing a series of stories set in the megaplex, several of Mike's contacts had managed to infiltrate a VR environment that Faz Ent had been running.

That was at the begining of the year. Mike had not heard from them since.

Then, Fazbear Entertainment started releasing books about the megaplex, chronicling events that could never have happened in the real world, which made sense as these tales were peddled as fiction.

But Krasnyy begun to spread a code word among investigators.

TalesVRWorld

A code phrase that quickly informs investigators and journalists alike of the theory that the events chronicled in the books that Fazbear Entertainment released about the megaplex are part of an elaborate cover story to cover up the experiments that Fazbear Entertainment had been running within that VR environment and conceal what the moles had found.

If the contents of the stories were based on events from the VR environment, it would offer an explanation as to why the moles have not yet returned.

It would not be the first time Fazbear Entertainment has attempted a cover up on this scale, and it makes sense that they would: missing persons reports had been filed for the MIA moles prior to the release of these collections of tales. It would make sense that Faz Ent would be proactively discrediting the moles. Especially considering that Faz Ent knows that even death cannot silence whistleblowers. So they have to be keeping the moles captive somehow.

After Mike infiltrated the VR environment to try and find his missing associates, Fritz had also sent out VR headsets to a handful of other people, as he knows Mike can't investigate the whole digital world alone, and Krasnyy received one of those headsets.

Now using a defunct AI assistant as his character for this infiltration and switching its main "job" to journalist, Krasnyy Guy can begin investigating the dark mysteries that Faz Ent intends to hide.

•°°•🌹•°°•

Digital infiltration, a tie-in game for Renegade Interference, this game chronicling Krasnyy's investigation into Faz Ent's VR environment will be released when I have the art for it and have the fic completed.

I'm uploading this as a part of phone guy month under the prompt 19 - scavenger because he and Mike become information scavengers during the events of RI/DI and this would not get posted out of my backlog otherwise.

[whatsmyisyours]

Rain World Theory, Spolier below for all campaigns

I have noticed something that I think should be shared with the class. This about Five Pebbles and how the Slugcats reflect his traits.

Spearmaster

Represents how Five Pebbles went slient for a long period of time, and also represents how at the time Five Pebbles was taking Looks to the Moon / Big Sister Moon's water. With no mouth this creature cannot speak, thus cutting it off from connections with it's kind. Along with that, the fact it has no mouth means it must parasitically suck food from others, like how Five Pebbles was sucking water from Moon.

Artificer depicts Five Pebbles violence towards Moon, and his rage towards all life in general. After the death of her children, this bombastic warrior started a genocide against the scavenger population. Now stuck in an cycle of violence due to her rage towards the scavengers she mirrors Five Pebbles and how he only made his situation worse by lasing out at others.

Hunter stands for the fact Five Pebbles still cares for Moon, and his the rot. With only 20 cycles (25 if you visit Five Pebbles) Hunter clearly has rot, as you can find its corspe in the Gourmand. And well...

yeah. But also it mission is to deliver slag keys to Moon so she may create a few neuron flies for herself. And we can see the remorse Five Pebbles feels towards the situtation in Rivulets campaign. Thus early on the Hunter illustrates Five Pebbles' early regret towards what has happened to Moon, yet his inability to do anything about it. As even this creature can do little more than restore basic funcition, and short term memory storage to Moon's puppet.

Gourmand embodies Five Pebbles gultony with the water situation. As all Gourmand does before being told to take its people out of Five Pebbles' ground is consume food. It also is the only slugcat with a crafting mechanic, and Five Pebbles was trying to craft something to destroy him so he could ascend.

Survivor and Monk together represent Fiver Pebbles' relationship with Moon. As the slugcats are both siblings, they mirror how Five Pebbles and Moon see their relationship, especially due to how close their were built to one another.

The Rivulet epitomizes Five Pebbles hurried nature. Often when playing as Rivulet the player find themselves biting off more than they can chew due to the fast movement speed of the creature, they are invited to run into the unknown without thinking about the danger that might lurk ahead. Rivulet echos how Five Pebbles rushed to iterate the cells he need to ascend, but he put himself and Moon in danger instead.

Finally, Saint. It personifies the end Five Pebbles longed for. Ironically, it arrives when Five Pebbles can no longer recongizes what is it. Furthermore, Five Pebbles in his dulled mind is ready to recieve help, yet all the help he can now get is from Saint as he can no longer reach any other Iterator. Saint also brings Five Pebbes relationship with slugcats to its conculsion as they start as thing beneath him to Five Pebbles but overtime became his only means of interaction with Moon, Saint brings this to it logical end as now these creatures that Five Pebbles disliked is his only way of iteracting with the world outside of his music pearl, he finally wants to try to be kind to other beings, yet in his state all he can do is warn about the incoming worsing of the blizzard.

In all the slugcats have things that connect them with Five Pebbles, whether it be their own traits or their relationship to others. And I just think it isn't noticed enough :D/nm.