#Be ready for the relaunch

[purplehoover]

Are you still working on the cookie run eldritch au? I used to be OBBSESED with it. I I still wanna know if you're working on it and stuff.

Hi! Yes, there are still TONS of stuff planned for the Cookie Run Eldritch Au- but after having such a prolonged Hiatus, both mods have decided it would be for the better that we start entirely from scratch- and not be so afraid of having some Cookie Run OC interaction. Should I tell you to beware the rot? :)

[textiletattoos]

Only the Brave, Eroda and Sweet Creature patches are now available on my site! As always, everything is vegan, biodegradable and as sustainable as possible 🌱

If you buy 3, you get £1.50 (1.89 USD) off each one, which also includes my tote bags 😊

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

I'm as sceptical of Tom Brevoort's X-Men reboot as everyone else, but can't we wait until the issues or out or we at least know who the creators are before denouncing it as a total dumpsters fire?

I get the concern. Brevoort's record at Marvel is inconsistent at best. He oversaw Hickman's FF and Avengers, Ryan North's FF, Ewing's Ultimates, Gillen and Ribić's Eternals, and events like Secret Wars and Judgement Day. He also oversaw Slott on FF, Aaron on Avengers, and events like Civil War II and Secret Empire.

But as patchy as that record is, I'm just counting my lucky stars that it wasn't Nick Lowe taking over.

[imperaptorfuriosa]

kitchen nightmares episode where gordon goes to the krusty krab

[losergames]

Chop Shop is strictly 18+ for language, themes, and potential explicit content. 

🔗 - Game Intro | Bug Report | ko-fi

WE ARE LIVE!!! Chop Shop has officially relaunched on Itch.io! Available to play on desktop, tablet and mobile.

Prologue - EP .02 are ready to play - the same as the previous demo - with a new word count of 120k. The choicescript demo will be taken down at the end of the month.

Thank you so much to those who have helped me during this transition period of development! It has been crazy frustrating but I am so much more in love with the game than ever. And thank you to everyone who has been patiently waiting - hope you enjoy all the new bits and bobs!!

PLAY THE NEW DEMO NOW!

AN: CS has had some significant rejigging and rewriting. You can read the authors notes under the cut.

chop shop now has it's own UI! woohoo! (totally did not kill me) this, of course, will come with teething problems and accessibility issues. i am welcome to constructive feedback!

there are a lot of new dialog boxes to explore, especially the dashboard, which includes the PC's profile, inventory, contacts and a glossary page. (the stat definitions page from the old choicescript demo has been scrapped, too much text that wasn't needed.)

chapters are now called episodes! not a huge change but i prefer the vibe yknow.

there have been some extensive rewrites - especially in ep .01, the bar scene got a lot more fleshing out - so i expect typos and grammar errors have slipped through. this doesn't bother me too much but i appreciate any one who spots them to send them in!

there is now an 'end game' scenario in ep. 01. i won't be providing a walkthrough as i think it's relatively obvious given the scenario but it does give you an achievement!

i've kept achievements like the old choicescript demo but it no longer rewards points. maybe i will think of something to reward the player with later down the line?? who knows

i don't want to explain ALL the new details as i really encourage people to go find all the new flavour text and other things etc!!

next -- if you have not noticed, i have added a bug report to the links list. all issues, bugs, and errors found in the public demo can now be reported via the new bug report form.

in terms of writing, i am now porting episode 3. i have had rewrite plans for this chapter for a while, so i imagine this port will take some time. i was in the middle of writing episode 4 when i decided to make the twine jump lmao, so it hasn't been touched for a LONG time, probably since march. i plan to jump straight back into writing when episode 3 is all done!

like before, ep 3 won't be released until ep 4 has a first draft and i'm happy with the shape and direction. so it will be some time before i am able to release new content. but - we ball!

thank you for reading this far and i hope you enjoy the new and improved demo! happy reading! - becky :^)

[bluedesignwall]

It is Friday and I get to run at lunchtime, I love my Friday lunchtime run. Today it was freezing cold and pretty windy. The wind was aiding the tiny rain drops in their endeavour to water blast any tiny bit of exposed flesh I may have had. I arrived home after this run quite invigorated and ready to relaunch myself into my submission writing.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

H out and about and the comments are basically he's more confident, happy and enthusiastic without his wife. Looks like more and more people are saying she is the reason for him being miserable and the community there seems to have accepted him but are rejecting her.

I don't like this hero H or victim H narrative but I can only imagine how much it's killing her. She'll do a reconciliation with her family real soon I think because she's desperate for good PR.

No, I don't think there's any reconciliation with Meghan's FOO because they're still embarrassing her to the Nth degree. Samantha is still intent on suing her. If you believe CDAN, then Meghan just tried suing Tommy Jr. And Tom, well, Meghan probably views him pathetic for how he keeps whining to the Daily Mail for attention.

I think we're seeing Meghan get ready for her umpteenth rebrand and relaunch. She usually rebrands when she needs good PR.

[shellsweet]

Getting back into the flow of things again! Last wip sneak peek! 👀

Are you guys ready for the relaunch?

[androxys]

Comic Ages: Quick Breakdowns of the Dark and Modern Ages

Yesterday I wrote a quick writeup of the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Ages of Comics. Savvy readers may have noticed that those ages ended at 1986, and yet comics have continued to be published. So what Age are we in now? That's what this writeup discusses!

The Dark Age (1986-2016)

After Crisis on Infinite Earths ended in 1986, DC got to make a whole new continuity! The comics that came at this point in time form the foundation of a lot of the characters and stories that we know today. For a good bit of time, we called The Dark Age the Modern Age, because at that point it was modern! But now that we’re nearly forty years removed from Crisis and comics are still being published, there was a fair question about just how “Modern” it was. I’m using the verbiage that DC seems to be endorsing themself—I learned the phrase “The Dark Age” from 2022’s Batman—The Ultimate Guide reference book. Calling this period a Dark Age is not an indictment about the quality of work in this period, rather, it’s to reflect the doubling down on darker, grimmer stories. Crisis ended in 1986, followed almost immediately by Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, two stories very interested in deconstructing the figure of a hero with a cynical eye. While these stories were not in the main DC canon, they would reverberate on the tone of what was to come.

Within the main DC canon, huge shakeups were occurring. There were no more multiple Earths; instead, there was a single New Earth that incorporated the histories of several Earths. The Justice Society had fought in WWII and retired in the 50s, but were still around and able to mentor the younger generation of heroes. There was only ever the one Superman and Batman figure, though DC would later figure out a way to have a Wonder Woman both in the present and among the Justice Society. Many of DC’s biggest heroes were getting revamps to introduce their new continuity: The Man of Steel miniseries detailed Superman’s new origin and once again established him as the sole survivor of Krypton. The Batman: Year One story that ran thorough Batman #403-407 detailed the early history of this Caped Crusader, revamping Jim Gordon and Selina Kyle in the process. Wonder Woman saw her title relaunched with a new #1, with George Perez taking the helm of a sprawling epic that redefined the character. The darker tone of the Dark Age continued to manifest. The Killing Joke was published in 1988, depicting the shooting of Barbara Gordon by the Joker, followed quickly by Jason Todd’s murder in A Death in the Family. Major comic events of the early 90s involved the villain Bane breaking Batman’s back and the monster Doomsday killing Superman.

In the mid 90s, DC was forced to reconcile with the truth that while Crisis had mostly succeeded in tidying things up, things were once again getting messy. To solve this, DC published the Zero Hour event, officially titled Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! (DC really loves to slap the “Crisis” title on anything load-bearing) Zero Hour, published in 1994, featured the Silver Age hero Hal Jordan becoming the villain Parallax and trying to undo time. Heroes banded together to stop him, though the timeline was slightly altered. This introduced many soft retcons—retroactive continuity fixes—that aimed to make things make a bit more sense. The jury still seems to be out on if it succeeded. 

By the early 2000s, DC decided that it was ready for a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, which they helpfully named Infinite Crisis. This event saw the return of several characters from the original Crisis, and more crucially, the return of a multiverse to DC Comics. This multiverse would be refined such that rather than an infinite multiverse of infinite Earths, there were now 52 parallel worlds. Some of the new worlds were established as callbacks to previously depicted alternate Earths, while some were new. Other major events within the Dark Age were Final Crisis, which saw the “death” of Bruce Wayne by Darkseid, and Blackest Night, which saw deceased heroes and villains resurrected as zombies by Black Lantern rings to feast on the emotions of the living.

In 2011, DC decided it was time for another major revamp. They wanted the characters younger and less burdened, and decided to launch The New 52 and end the era of post-Crisis New Earth. This was done with the Flashpoint story, which featured Barry Allen, the Flash, attempting to go back in time and prevent the death of his mother. While well intentioned, this event created a wildly branching timeline that he then had to set right. Though he mostly succeeded, the world Barry returned to was not quite the same. The post-Flashpoint world was dubbed “Prime Earth,” and was… controversial. Much of the post-Flashpoint continuity seemed to harken back to previous Ages–as mentioned, the characters in general were younger. Barbara Gordon, the Silver and Bronze Age Batgirl, was returned to the Batgirl role while her two New Earth successors were written out of continuity. Barry Allen was made the primary Flash of the DC Universe, with the Golden Age’s Jay Garrick and the Bronze/Dark Age’s Wally West removed. 

In 2015, DC would publish the “Convergence” event, which featured an extant Brainiac capturing specific slices from several timelines and pitting them against each other. This included seeing the pre-Crisis Teen Titans operating at the same time as the post-Crisis, pre-Zero Hour Suicide Squad, or the post-Zero Hour but pre-Flashpoint Batgirl. It was messy! But importantly, it showed DC acknowledging their older characters and characterizations, and restoring some of the multiverse that came before.

The Dark Age would eventually come full circle, with the Doomsday Clock event heralding the end of the Dark Age and beginning what we call (for now) the Modern Age. Doomsday Clock was a direct sequel to Watchmen, the iconic comic that helped set the tone for the Dark Age in 1986. Doomsday Clock suggested that part of the reason the New 52 was so different than the pre-Flashpoint New Earth was because Doctor Manhattan, the massively powerful Watchmen character, had removed several years from the timeline to observe how the world would change. Batman and the Flash discovered this meddling during “The Button” storyline, and DC subsequently began its Rebirth initiative.

The Modern Age (2016-Present)

It’s fickle to decide precisely when the Modern Age begins. DC Comics themselves states that the Dark Age ended in 2011, with Flashpoint, though I disagree. Many of the initial New 52 storylines hold on to the darker tone, though there is evidence that around 2014, DC began to pivot away. The DCYou initiative, for example, focused on refreshing some characters to a younger, more upbeat characterization–such as Barbara Gordon in her Batgirl of Burnside era–or by introducing new comics altogether–such as the more lighthearted Gotham Academy series. You may disagree with me on precisely where these eras begin and end, however, and that’s okay.

In 2016, DC began its Rebirth event that sought to reconcile some of the pre-Flashpoint elements into the Prime Earth continuity. This was spearheaded by the return of Wally West, and continued to gradually fold back in pre-Flashpoint elements into the Prime Earth timeline. The events of 2020's Dark Nights and Dark Nights: Death Metal finalized it, placing characters in a sort of super-state of having access to all of the memories of all previous versions of themselves, while still ostensibly having only lived the one life. It’s complicated, but it crucially gave writers the opportunity to have characters make reference to past events that happened on New Earth, canonizing them for the Prime Earth continuity.

The end of the Dark Nights saga resulted in DC’s Future State and Infinite Frontier projects in 2021. Future State’s premise was showing possible futures for various DC characters, and then Infinite Frontier launched characters on possible paths. The emphasis was on this being a new starting point for many characters, both old and new. Jon Kent, the son of Superman, had his own title launched during this time, and Yara Flor, a new Wonder Woman, got a miniseries. On the Nightwing title, a new creative team took over to steer the character out of the “Ric Grayson” amnesia arc, restoring Nightwing to his traditional hero status.

In 2022, DC would publish Dark Crisis, later rebranded Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (see what I mean about them just reusing the same words for emphasis?) which saw many classic DC villains from across different eras brought together by a powerful force. This continued to delve into the DC Multiverse and establish that everything was metaphorically on the table, leading to the Dawn of DC initiative. Similarly to Infinite Frontier, Dawn of DC was about fresh starts, new beginnings, and updates so that new readers could jump in. The Justice League was disbanded in the wake of Dark Crisis, leading the Titans to become the preeminent Superhero team. The Superman title was relaunched at #1, and many books got new creative teams.

It’s always easier to retrospectively talk about something that has concluded rather than to actively analyze something ongoing. However, I think so far it’s fair to say that DC is attempting to use the Modern Age to craft a more expansive, perpetually new universe. Old characters are getting new attention, new characters are being created, and the depth and breadth of DC’s publication is getting highlighted. The current Modern Age has seen DC focus on expanding its Young Adult graphic novels since 2019, and DC announced in 2024 that they would be bringing back the Elseworlds imprint to tell alternate universe stories. DC has committed to telling more diverse stories in the Modern Age, which I think is crystalized in the various “Celebration” issues published. DC’s annual Pride anthology started in 2021, and subsequent celebration anthologies have featured Asian American and Black heroes and creators. While we don’t know when the current Modern Age will end (I’m already hedging my bets on this eventually being called the “Rebirth Age”) I do think the future is bright.

[chameleoncharm]

New Home Soon!

Just a reminder to everyone that soon Chameleon Charm will be moving to a new home. I'm working on getting things switched around, but soon ChameleonCharm.com will take you to the new home of Chameleon Charm instead of the old Tumblr that I was posting on before.

As a reminder, starting Sept 18 - the 12th anniversary - I'll be relaunching the comic over at a new ComicFury page. The old Tumblr will stay up for archival purposes, and I may still post new comics to it when we get there, though maybe at a staggered rate from the ComicFury.

Hopefully the change over should go off without too much of a hitch, but if you'd like to register for #ComicFury so you can leave comments and subscribe, please check out the landing page for CC:

Again, no pages yet (queuing them up now so I'm ready to go), but take the time to get nice and cozy for the relaunch in a few weeks.I hope you all have a safe and fun Labor Day if you're doing anything this weekend!

Take care, Fil

[spaceorphan18]

The Rogue and Gambit Project: A New Beginning (X-Men #1-3)

The true beginning of Rogue and Gambit's story really comes with the new and somewhat iconic era of X-Men. X-Men: The Animated Series drew its inspiration from the relaunch designs, and for someone who grew up with this era, it feels nostalgic as well as historic. Rogue looks and sounds like the character I grew up with. Gambit being crucial to the line up and no longer an afterthought feels pivotal. I feel like we've finally arrived.

And while I know this era isn't void of problems -- believe me, I know... I kind of enjoy this early Rogue and Gambit dynamic. It's fun and flirty and has a little bit of an edge to it. And the angst. So. Much. Delicious. Angst.

The funny part is... there really isn't a whole lot of it in these first few issues. Things don't really heat up until issue #4. Not only that, I'm gonna have to bring up Rogneto again... I'm so sorry, guys. Blame Chris Claremont.

Alright, let's dig in...

X-Men #1

Rogue in her now iconic new uniform -- this is going to be a standard for quite awhile. Get ready to see this pose a lot - Jim Lee, and artists after him, really like to do the whole one leg up, one fist out thing. Anyway, despite the fact that I (shockingly) don't like that much yellow on her - she's so pretty. I've always loved this era's hair.

Anyway, you want plot details you say?? This is Chris Claremont's last hurrah on his initial, epic 17 year run with the X-Men. And of course you can expect two things -- space shenanigans and coming full circle with Magneto as the villain. The crux of it is about Magneto possibly being a threat, despite the fact that he wants to be left alone, and of course, the X-Men get sucked into the drama.

X-Men #1

Gambit's redesign - which uses his initial costuming but man does he look so much better. He looks 'cool' in the way that all the X-Men look cool in this era. The dude can pull off the color fuchsia. That isn't easy to do. I do like, however, in color theory that the pinks and purples of Gambit goes well with the greens of Rogue's coloring. But more to the point - Gambit is pretty now, which is what we're all really here for. ;)

Anyway - because this is a relaunch, after our initial Magneto based prologue, we get a (re-)introduction to the entire team in one of my absolute favorite sequences of X-Men comics. The teams will eventually be divided into two groups; the Blue Team -- Cyclops, Beast, Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, Psylocke, and Jubilee and the Gold Team -- Storm, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, Forge, and Colossus, but for now, they're one happy family doing a classic danger room sequence as designed by Charles Xavier.

X-Men #1

The whole sequence is really pretty awesome, but it leads to one of my favorite comic book moments -- where Gambit just goes for it and kisses Jean. It's a fake, robot Jean, but it's a bold move. And leads to Cyclops wanting to drop a truck on him. It's such a classic moment and I love it.

X-Men #1

Our first Rogue and Gambit panel happens right after Wolverine wins the whole training sequence (because of course he does). (Also - Claremont can't quite resist and we get a final 'bang, you dead' moment.) Meanwhile, Rogue and Gambit still haven't spoken to each other - but at least they know the other one exists. Progress, right?

X-Men #1

I really need to take a moment and appreciate the fact that most of the time during this era, when Gambit isn't in his uniform, he's running around half naked.

X-Men #1

Ug, alright, let's talk about Magneto again. This whole arc is about Magneto kind of having an existential crisis (which, you know, happens when they need to reset you to villain again). And, unfortunately, we'll get a few of these moments scattered throughout these issues of Rogue trying to talk sense and reason into him due to their 'spark' in the Savage Land. I get that someone should be a reasonable voice -- especially when the rest of the X-Men are attacking the guy before any kind of provocation. But I'm still rolling my eyes that it's Rogue. Notice he calls her 'child' during this? He'll do that throughout. Eesh.

Magneto claims that he has no beef with them and offers them all safe haven on his floating asteroid base -- Asteroid M. And guess who doesn't join him? That's right - Rogue at least has enough sense to stick with the family she knows and cares about over a possible, not really fling. Btw - I hadn't mentioned it back when I was talking about the Savage Land, but there was nothing to suggest Magneto can actually touch her. (I think that might be an Age of Apocalypse thing?)

Also, in case you think any of this sounds familiar - pretty sure X-Men '97 drew heavily from this arc for their Season 1.

X-Men #1

The first time either of them mentions the other one, and it's Gambit being sassy about whether or not Rogue should be a considered a lady. I kind of love it, actually. And love that Beast is like -- oooh, you're playing with fire on that one.

X-Men #2

They're getting more on panel togetherness! Granted it's group shots and they're taking down Magneto, but I'm taking all the scraps!

X-Men #2

Alright, well as much as I'm not a fan of the Rogue/Magneto dynamic, I'm still going to be fair and talk about it. Because it is part of Rogue's development. The key thing here though is that Rogue isn't going to compromise her values and beliefs because she may feel something for Magneto. And this will continue to ring through always through the comics. Of course, how nice of Magneto to swat her away like an annoying fly. Romance for the ages, guys.

X-Men #2

More on panel time! They're really going for all the group shots these days - probably to milk sales. But I mean, Rogue and Gambit look good just standing next to each other, so who am I to complain?

So, back to the plot... Magneto is getting pissy because the world governments are seeing him as a threat. He kidnaps Moira MacTaggart and berates her and blames her for all of his issues (because, you know, she messed with his genetics after he was de-aged, in an attempt to make him /not/ a villain). It was... a whole thing don't worry about it.

Anyway, he has Moira (somehow) brainwash the Blue Team into joining Magneto's side. Because they can't otherwise be convinced. Which, oh my gosh - what's with all the brainwashing lately?? Of course, this means it's Gold Team to the rescue...

X-Men #3

I'm going to try to document every time they're on the same cover. Also, it isn't X-Men unless there's at least an X vs X brawl every other month.

X-Men #3

Another group shot with Magneto in between them?? What can this mean??? Actually, nothing, I think it's just a coincidence. But - I really like the art here.

But.. you guys! YOU GUYS! We get our first real Romy moment in this issue! Granted - they're still brainwashed! But it's another first! Here we go...

X-Men #3

So, they're all hanging out on Asteroid M, taking it easy because - apparently that's what you do when you're a brainwashed Magneto fan. I love that Cyclops is still in his full uniform while Gambit has managed to strip down to his undies. I'm sure we can all tell who is the real fun one of the group.

You know what I like about this exchange, though? Gambit was casually complementing her diving skills and Rogue is the one who decides to get flirty about it. Of course, Gambit's going to push it further - see how far she wants to really go, and that'll cause her to run -- a dynamic that we're going to see a ton of as we go through all of this early stuff.

But for all that Gambit's going to push - it's not completely unwarranted or completely out of nowhere. Yeah, he gets flirty with the ladies on principal. Yeah, he went for kissing (fake robot) Jean unprompted because he thought he could. I won't defend some of the ickier aspects of these comics.

But... I'm fascinated by the idea of - what if she could touch? Would it still be a game to him? Would she have let it continue? Would they just have had a little fling right off the bat? Are her powers what really pushes them to have a deeper relationship than what they might have had? Just all the thoughts I'm throwing out there.

I also like that, that little moment of humor, where she knocks him into the pool, is so genuine it shakes her out of her mind control.

I also like that Gambit's genuine concern for her stops his playfulness.

It's such a tease of some great stuff coming up, and I am here for it.

X-Men #3

And that's really all we get guys. The Gold Team shows up to save the day but not before some X-Men fighting amongst each other. Magneto monologues for a while. Charles tries to get him to see reason. The people of Earth try to nuke Asteroid M and everyone gets outta there while Magneto decides to go down with the proverbial ship.

X-Men #3

This is in the closing moments of the issue - and I'm putting it here because it is Rogue talking about Magneto again -- but kind of seeing reason and how their ideologies do not work. She's trying to get Xavier to see this, and it's funny that Xavier is having a very hard time trying to let his old 'friend' go. Rogue, however, is fine. Maybe there had been a small, romantic spark of being caught up in close quarters in a shared moment. But that was all it was.

There is more to a longer lasting romance than fleeting moments due to circumstances. ;)

The X-Men take off leaving Magneto and his real followers to their fates. Of course... we know that it's never the real end of Magneto. Asteroid M may blow up, but he'll be fine.

However, I'll take a moment say that it's a poetic ending. Chris Claremont closes it out with a sort of goodbye. His tenure on X-Men is now complete, and we've fully stepped into a bright, new era!

X-Men #4 is gonna bring it. Let's do it! ;)

[monstersandmaw]

Holy moly, folks, this one was supposed to be a 3k word story, ready to post in the middle of the month, and (a bit like the last one which was 12k) it morphed into nearly 15k of feels and fun... oof. Thank you so much to those who reassured me on Discord that it was ok to take a few extra days to make sure it was something I was happy to post. I hope you enjoy Celann the grumpy werebear...

Let me also just briefly take this opportunity to thank you for returning to Patreon to support me and for joining up since I relaunched in October. It means the world to me that you value and enjoy my writing enough to pay to have access to it once a month. Really, I cannot tell you what it means to me for you to give me this income and independence. I tear up just trying to explain it, even in words.

Anyway, apologies for the delay! I wish you a very merry festive season, and hopefully there'll be another little Christmas bonus for you too, as per the poll from a while ago. May 2024 bring you every happiness and blessing, folks. And here's to many more stories and characters to share and enjoy.

Content: gender and body neutral reader who is a healer/surgeon, a thinly-disguised Roman Empire/Iron Age Britain setting, a secondary character is seriously injured (no super-gory descriptions, only a brief catalogue of her injuries), a big, gruff and reserved loner werebear, brief brush with hypothermia from the reader, some good old 'cuddling for warmth', and some penetrative sex later on too.

Wordcount: a whopping 14,585!

Castle Rise Outpost, in the extreme, northernmost reaches of the Republic’s ever-expanding territories, was hardly the most illustrious or auspicious posting you could have hoped for.

As you and your tired horse plodded along the sandy track over the region’s high, wind-blasted heath, your heart ached for every last mile that stretched between there and your warmer homeland. It all seemed so far behind you now, but this was a new start and a new adventure as the surgeon and healer attached to one of the Republic’s vast network of military outposts, and you were determined to make a good life of it.

Gods though, this place really was desolate.

On your right, away to the east where the light was fast fading, a dense forest of gnarled and mossy oak trees looked as though it was spilling down from the rolling hills and tumbling inexorably down into the valley in a wild, green tangle, and below the treeline, a fast-flowing river cut through the landscape in a dark and sinuous ribbon. The water was rich with tannins from the falling leaves in the forest, and as the ebbing light caught it, you thought ominously of the colour of blood. Behind the forest, as the afternoon darkened towards the deeper hue of an early autumn evening, the far off shape of the snow-capped Highlands lurked on the horizon; their shape now black and foreboding as the stage background of a mummer’s drama.

The commiserations of your fellow graduates from the medical academy in the capital now rang in your ears as the wind picked up and you tugged the thick, woollen cloak further up around your neck to keep the damned weather out. The chestnut mare, your only constant companion for the hundred or so miles since the last major city, tossed her head and trudged on with her long, damp forelock dangling into her eyes and obscuring the white, asymmetrical blaze that dribbled down her ginger face towards her nose. She seemed half asleep on her feet, and you weren’t far off that yourself either.

A flock of rooks erupted out of a patch of dark elm and tall sycamore in the valley below on your right, tugging your mind back to the present. Your gaze tracked them as they sailed away like flakes of dark ash on the wind. Both you and the rangy mare shifted nervously, and you couldn’t help but remind yourself that the locals weren’t always friendly to the Republic’s advances further and further north. Stories of skirmishes and wild tales of shapeshifters and sacrificial magic swirled through the ranks of soldiers, but they were largely dismissed by those who had lived a comfortable life in the Republic’s neatly-planned towns and cities, with their hot bath complexes, intricate mosaics, and heated floors.

“Not long now, Copper,” you said, petting the horse’s mud-encrusted neck as much for your own reassurance as for hers. You’d named her for the vibrant colour of her coat, reminiscent too of beech leaves at the height of the season, but you’d been made to feel foolishly sentimental for giving such an ordinary horse a name like ‘Copper’ by the progressively rougher soldiers at the staging posts on the journey north.

The mare didn’t even flick her ear in your direction at the sound of your voice, and you sighed and pushed yourself back up into a better position in the saddle, shifting uncomfortably as your bruised seat-bones protested yet another day of riding. How the Messenger Corps managed, living almost their entire life in the saddle, you had no idea.

The fort itself came into view on the next rise in the road, and Copper’s ears finally pricked up at the break in the relative monotony of heather and sand and occasional rowan tree. Your own attention was caught, however, by the fact that ‘Castle Rise’ outpost was not, in fact, a castle at all. From that distance, it looked like little more than a grubby wooden palisade with a watch tower over the gateway, and a ditch running around it. Torches bobbed along the walls at regular intervals though, marking the sentries’ routes within, and when you reached the gate and drew rein, a woman’s rough alto yelled down at you.

“Announce yourself!”

You did, adding, “Healer and surgeon assigned to the outpost, until relieved of my duties by a replacement next year.”

“If you even survive up here that long!” she crowed back at you.

Read the whole thing now over on Patreon! For $3 you can have access to all my previous (pre-2023) stories, and for $5 you can have access to all that, plus all the new monthly exclusives.

[crascet]

I'll be seeing Deadpool & Wolverine in a couple hours from now, but I want to say a couple things about the whole X-Men movies first. I don't want to call this a eulogy, but rather a salute to the films.

I started this retrospective not just to get ready for D&W, but to give me an idea of what these films mean now, especially since this is the year of the X-Men, or I guess "The Year of X" with not just the release of D&W, but with X-Men '97, the relaunches of X-Men comics post-Krakoa, and the release of the MVC Arcade Collection all within the same year. And throughout this retrospective, I give these movies the respect that they earn in how they were made before and during the MCU.

The original trilogy were one of the biggest movie series in the 2000s and made the idea on how superhero films can be grounded and serious in the modern day, for better and for worse. And the films after have ranged from ok to some of the best in the genre that also took risks in how they adapt the source material, like with one of the first R-rated superhero movies with Deadpool and how it became a huge success, to having a more serious, sad but beautiful western type feel film that is Logan, and even a brief trip to horror with The New Mutants.

Another shoutout to the great performances in them as well, with Stewart, McKellen, McAvoy, Fassbender, Reynolds, and of course Jackman for giving iconic performances that people always think of when it comes to thinking about Professor X, Magneto, Deadpool, and Wolverine.

There were some problems with them be it with productions problem from the studio, delays, buyouts, or Bryan Singer, or just with the films themselves especially with The Last Stand. However, I want to give my respect to these films in how they contribute to the X-Men as a whole. So, thank you X-Men films and here's to seeing how the future of the team will become. Here's to many more!

[totallyhealthyobsession]

Remember that scene in Voyager when Q tells his son, in the most stern and serious and exasperated tone he’s ever used, to not provoke the Borg?

I just find it comical given that Janeway develops a habit of picking on the Borg in the DQ and eventually is The Borg Expert in the AQ (in the Relaunch novels). She’s basically the consultant that’s called in to deal with the greatest threat the galaxy has ever known, a ‘species’ that even The Continuum steers clear of.

I mean, her ship arrived back in the Alpha Quadrant via a transwarp conduit and blew up the Borg Sphere that followed them. In front of everyone. They even hitched a ride inside the darn thing at the last moment. Starfleet rushed to assemble an armada with the ships they had left after the Dominion War, ready to fight a battle they knew they would lose but dammit they have to try. Just to witness Janeway pulling up late to the party after speeding through a red light and side swiping a bunch of stuff.

There’s plenty to unpack regarding the power of The Continuum and how they relate to other powerful species (Q has a very noticeable respect for Guinan and she isn’t fazed by him). But there’s just something poetic(?) about Q warning his omnipotent but very immature son to leave the Borg alone and he doesn’t say anything to Janeway. And she basically starts playground fights because they are in the way and she doesn’t have time for their nonsense.

Iconic.

This seems like a good time to remind everyone that Janeway’s (temporary) death was the only thing that was a fixed point in space time in every single alternate universe/timeline and even Lady Q recognized the importance of Kathryn Janeway.

[yourcoffeeguru]

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Stay tuned for new product drops (including for humans too!) and follow our adventures on Instagram @gizmoandco for cute piggy photos and pet care tips.

[katyawriteswhump]

the freak in the penthouse part 11

E-rated (for sexual content), accidental millionaire eddie/sex-worker steve. On tumblr: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3.1 Part 3.2 Part 4.1 Part 4.2 Part 5.1 Part 5.2 Part 6.1 Part 6.2 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 or search #thefreakinthepenthouse :)

On AO3

Eddie had barely unwound himself from Steve—let alone relaunched his epic packing campaign—when Robin swept back in. She hustled Steve out to the couch, where she plonked a tray of super-late breakfast in his lap. She then swung her attention back to Eddie:

“You’re due out of here in less than nineteen minutes. You ready?”

Eddie opened his mouth. Shut it again. All he wanted was more time alone with Steve.

“Let’s try that again, goldfish-guy. This dump is awash with your junk. You want help packing?”

Eddie hadn’t been expecting that. She didn’t wait for an answer, just grabbed him by the elbow. When he glanced over his shoulder at Steve, she yanked him into the bedroom, closed the door. ‘Help’ turned out to be an opportunity to give him the tongue-lashing of his life, and he sucked it up.

“Okay, I admit it. Steve and I had our first proper row last night,” he said, while they hurled his beloved t-shirt collection into bags. “Something else happened today. Steve told me that he saw somebody from his past who made him remember stuff he tried to forget. Whoever it was, they shook him real bad.”

“From his past?” Her whispers came at him like the rat-a-tat of machine gun fire. “You mean, from the year he was forced into prostitution to pay back his parents’ debts? It wasn’t only sex, you know. Some of those bastard’s got off on hurting him. All you are, Eddie Munson, is the John who pulled him back into the game after he’d fought his way free, and who wasn’t quite such a shithead.”

Ouch, ouch, OUCH.

She kept on kicking: “Still think his feelings for you are anything other than Stockholm Syndrome?”

Eddie only faintly knew what Stockholm Syndrome was. He felt sick. Everything she told him made him feel sicker and sicker. However, if he was gonna help Steve—heck, if Robin was going to have a clue how to help him—he couldn’t cave on this.

“You didn’t answer my question, sister.” He batted a wasp from his uneaten jelly donut. “When Steve was acting odd, I think he was having flashbacks. Shit, I need to talk to my uncle. He knows about that kinda thing. Any ideas who could’ve made Steve flip out?”

Robin gawked at him in silence for a moment. Which was jarring and bordered on creepy.

“I can’t be sure,” she said, returning to her whirlwind of activity. “Too many candidates in this place, though one new guest stands out. Some limey asshat—Lord Dickchester, or something like that. He’s a jerk, rude as fuck. Got hands crawling everywhere they’re not wanted. Nobody’s gonna do anything, ’cos he’s the friend of some other asshat who recently bought a ton of shares in the hotel. He’d be my number one suspect, but then there’s also…"

Eddie tuned out. He checked the drawers, and then the wardrobes and cabinets, and then under the bed. Aaaaand repeated it all. He couldn’t focus on anything.

He was so fucking angry. And scared. Steve needed help, real help, and Eddie had no clue what to do about it.

“You trippin’ out there?” Robin clicked her fingers under Eddie’s nose.

“Huh?”

“You hear me?” she hissed. “Word in the kitchen is that Steve’s been fired. I’ve managed to wrangle a few days leave. I’m gonna take him home to my mom, but we’re not exactly minted down in Castle Buckley. You are gonna pay him, right?”

Eddie’s groan grated through him like a broken amp.

…

Steve sat on the couch and stared at the tray on his lap—orange juice, oatmeal and banana. He ate a few spoonfuls, took a sip of the juice, then shoved it aside.

He’d taken his meds. They could fix how he felt, and he sure didn’t feel like eating much. Now the adrenaline rush, or whatever, had crashed, he didn’t much feel like anything at all. He sure as heck didn’t want to watch Robin help Eddie finish packing. Ugh. It was so… final. He was relieved when they disappeared into the adjoining room, though Robin returned quicker than Eddie.

She broke the news that Kline had given him the heave-ho.

“Oh,” he said. He should be freaking out. What if that douchebag carried out his threat of turning Steve over to the cops? He was simply too drained to freak out about anything anymore.

And then she informed him she was taking him home to her mom.

“I’m not a stray puppy,” he sniped, then added, with a roll of his eyes, “I guess I should thank you.”

“Why break the habit of a lifetime, bitch?” She winked at him, wandered off.

“Steve?” said Eddie, and Steve glanced up again. He’d not noticed Eddie tiptoe out of the bedroom. “You know that I can’t actually pay you what I owe right now, so…”

He offered out a glittery silver guitar case. One of the few things he owned that wasn’t layered with metalhead stickers.

“It’s the Jimi Hendrix one,” he explained. “I’m ninety-nine percent convinced it’s a phony, and the dude I bought it off doubtless took me for a chump. Still a beauty, and gotta be worth several hundred bucks, even if it wasn’t blessed by a God.”

“No way.” Steve avoided Eddie’s pleading gaze. “I’m not having you pay me. I’ll be fine. Okay, Robin’s mom is apparently just like her, so I’ll wanna top myself by tomorrow, but—”

“I heard that, Dingus! Take the damn guitar. Christ knows, we can’t keep you in treats and kennels, rent free, forever.” She marched out of the bedroom carrying several garbage sacks, then disappeared into the corridor, slamming the doors behind.

Eddie dumped the case at Steve’s feet. “Sell her, pawn her, whatever you need. Keep her—maybe you can become the next George Michael. Or Rick Astley.”

His snicker totally rubbed Steve up the wrong way. “Oh, right. So, you’re a tortured genius, and I’m a wannabe?”

“Not what I said, Steve.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just…” Dying inside here. “Hungover and grouchy.”

Steve swept his hand shakily across his mouth, pushed himself to his feet. He actually let Eddie help him. Damn, what wouldn’t he give to scuttle back to that bed, curl up with Eddie, and sleep till the world started over.

“You’ll take her?” Eddie’s hand rested very lightly on Steve’s hip.

“I guess.”

He wound up staring at that stupid pillar. He vaguely recalled blundering into it, the handcuffs and… Oh shit, did I really do that? Panic flashed, then Eddie pulled him close, notched his chin on Steve’s shoulder. Steve melted into him.

“I’m crazy about you, Stevie,” whispered Eddie. “God, I’m gonna miss you so freakin’ much. Here’s Henderson’s number. Call me, okay?”

Eddie slipped something into Steve’s pocket. Steve choked up. He couldn’t help it. “Crazy about you too,” he murmured, sliding his arms under Eddie’s. He breathed deep as he dared, chiefly of Eddie’s sweat. And he smiled into Eddie’s puffy, sweaty hair. Maybe he should be dreaming of a cold shower together rather than hopping straight into that soft bed. Wasn’t gonna happen.

But maybe they could go on a cheap date this weekend?

“Crap!” He pulled back and took Eddie’s face in his hands. “Your agoro-wotsit! You gonna be okay leaving this place?”

“Oh, I’m gonna whizz out of here like the Flash. You cured me, remember?” Eddie pulled a dumb face, crossing his eyes, then silenced Steve’s protest with his fingertips. “I’m gonna be just peachy. You go home with Robin and rest up.”

…

Eddie perched on the couch, his head in his hands.

It had been ten minutes since Robin and Steve had left. Since then, Eddie had glued himself to the seat, barely able to move a muscle. It took a shitload of willpower to shift far enough to discover what was jammed uncomfortably against his butt. Turned out to be Robin’s rolling pin, that’d gotten lost beneath a cushion.

When Steve was settled at Robin’s, would he want to call? Should he want to? Were Steve’s feelings for him really Stockholm Syndrome, or some equally messed-up shit?

Eddie’s mind raced through the past few weeks, all the scorching sex, the cool times hanging together. He settled on one of his favorite memories, which even brought a small smile to his lips. He’d been dozing on this very couch, daydreaming about being home in Wayne’s trailer—rolling on his tiny bed with Steve, making out like dumb teens.

Then real-life Steve had crawled on top of him, fingers tangling through Eddie’s hair and kissing him softly. So soft and teasingly gentle that Eddie’s every nerve-end shimmered, flooding him with dumbass levels of joy. Wide awake, he’d gabbed Steve hungrily and kissed him back like it was his last moment alive. They’d sucked face and wrestled and rolled about so madly that they’d tumbled off the goddamn couch and landed in a tangled heap.

They’d pissed themselves laughing on the Persian rug. Then they’d watched Ghostbusters II and chucked popcorn at each other, before head-banging their brains out to some serious metal and pop. In those moments, Eddie had sure as heck believed in his daydream—that he and Steve belonged together, in some badass time and place far away from his dungeon-tower gulag. Steve understood that too, right? Jesus, but even last night, Eddie had treated Steve… like a hooker. Worse. He’d pinned his wrists and swatted his ass, taken without asking. And now, after everything he’d learned…

“All you are, Eddie Munson, is the John who wasn’t quite such a shithead to him.”

As his guts twisted into fresh knots, he consoled himself with the facts. He was crazy about Steve. Steve said he was crazy about Eddie. He could make this right and real within days. Hours, even. Then he’d work his tatts off on ‘Vecna’s Doom Quest II.’ He’d make a shitload more money. He’d TAKE CARE of Steve. 

As soon as he’d shuffled out of here.

Riiiiight. In your own time, dude.

He managed to sit up straight, but his legs had set like stone. His rings dug into his tightly-curled fingers. Far below, in the street, his ride awaited, the meter ticking. Dustin was gonna shred him up and feed him to those damn donks.

A bellhop arrived with a trolley and gathered some of Eddie’s luggage. Then he came and fetched two more loads. Eddie was left on the couch with a few of his original tattered trunks around his feet.

Four o’clock was long gone. The chambermaid let herself in. At the sight of Eddie, she dropped her duster and gave a little cry.

“Hey, Doreen,” said Eddie, offering a small wave. “Uuuuuuh, just takin’ a breather. I’ll be outta your hair in a jiffy.”

“You take your time, hon’. I’m heartbroke to see you leave.”

She started up hoovering. Eddie rummaged through his stuff for something to give her as a parting tip and hit paydirt with an original 1964 Rolling Stones LP. Yeah, it was rad, but a recent purchase. Compared to the 7-inch vinyls he’d scrimped and saved for as a kid, it meant less than nothing.

He pushed himself to his feet, a monumental achievement that he was stupidly proud of. He puffed out his cheeks, rolled back his shoulders.

“Yoohoo! Doreen!” he called, and she stopped hoovering. He beamed at her and even wondered if he could build on this momentum to blast on out of there. “Got a teensy weensy pressie for—"

“What the devil?” An English-accented voice interrupted them, and Eddie wheeled about. A chunky middle-aged man in a three-piece suit blocked the doorway, leaning on a wicker cane. “I was promised this suite would be available this afternoon.”

“It will be Lord Godchester,” said Doreen. “Accept my sincere apologies. I will call down for assis—”

“I don’t care, woman!” Godchester strode into the room as if it was his birthright. “I want to move my trunks across NOW.” He swiped the cane through the air as he spoke. Clearly, he didn’t need it for walking. On noticing Eddie, he balked. “Who the bloody hell are you?”

Greetings and salutations, Lord Dickchester.

Eddie stared at the cane. Then he stared at the pillar. And back at the unspeakable bastard before him. 

Yeah. The picture was goddamn crystal clear.

“I asked you a question, man!” yelled Dickchester. Godchester. Eddie didn’t give a flying fuck either way.

He breathed hard and fast through his nostrils. His teeth grinded. Then he turned about and picked up Robin’s rolling pin.

....

Part 12 on AO3 Part 12 on tumblr

Thank you for reading. Likes, reblogs and comments much appreciated and will feed the bunnies🐰💕🐰💕🐰💕🐰💕

On tumblr: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3.1 Part 3.2 Part 4.1 Part 4.2 Part 5.1 Part 5.2 Part 6.1 Part 6.2 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 or search #thefreakinthepenthouse :)

On AO3 All my ST stuff on AO3