#Candlelight is awful at melee

[pushing500]

I didn't know that the anxiety trait gave colonists panic attacks. Aw, poor Vu. At least Candlelight was there to help calm her down.

Irwin wants everyone in the colony to have a good time, which is all good and well, except that the food we're binging on is only edible by about three colonists. Everyone else is gonna be living off tea and coffee for two days.

We all headed down to the riverside for the feast, which was very eventful and lovely (well, lovely for some people- Candlelight couldn't walk for a few days, but that's what she gets for getting into a fight with someone who is actually capable of melee combat).

Why does nobody want to take the only colonist I actively dislike?? I don't want to deliberately accidentally get him killed, but it's getting to the point where I think it might be my only option...

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[churchobones]

DWC August 2024: Melee

It was well past noon when Hesterlynn finally stirred.

Her head throbbed with each sluggish beat of her heart.  She clutched the icy weight in her chest.

Where am I?

A bed, but not her own.  The room was spartan, almost clinical, devoid of any decoration save an ornate vanity by the window, with curtains drawn shut against the red dusted sunlight of the Eastern Plaguelands.  A silver tray held a cold tea service and a vase bursting with colorful wildflowers: violet dreamfoil, white peacebloom, crimson roses–

Zelion’s instructions had been simple: “You are to offer your assistance to Lord Bloodrose in whatever manner he sees fit.”

Hester willed the Light to the awful ache in her skull, and caught sight of her chipped manicure. Beneath her nails was dirt and shredded skin.

She lifted the dull linen sheets. The fabric of her dress was rife with wood splintered runs and ruined by dirt.  A gorey spill of dried blood ran the length of her ruched bodice.

It was not her own.

She should have never gone to that party.

Lord Bloodrose had dressed outlandishly in ruffles, cogwheels and his workshop goggles.  He requested she wear “something poofy”.  She obliged in the form of a tea-length, robin’s egg frock.  The billowing skirt was made of layer upon layer of airy chiffon.  A demure neckline shrouded her secrets but exposed her pronounced collar bones and milk white shoulders.

The confessor stumbled from the bed, tripping over her ivory shoes.  The right one was missing its low heel; the left had a rusty smudge over the toes.

She lurched to the vanity, gripping the edge of the woodwork as the world swam.   

Her reflection was haggard but whole.  Bruises circled both biceps and wrists like bracelets.  Impossibly long blonde hair, free from its styled ties, fell in haggish curls peppered with wilted white flowers and matted with blood.  Dark circles framed the candlelight glow of her eyes, dimmed and glassy.

She looked monstrous.

The cleric swallowed hard and tore off the damaged dress.

The diamond cut crystal embedded in her chest still slept in its nest of black veins.

Hester was quick to shroud the Mournstone in a cozy sweater; one long and shapeless on her willowy body that fell just above the knees.  As she slid into a borrowed pair of house slippers, she inspected the punctures and tears in her ill-fated dress until her hand fell on a disc of cool metal.

"... As a bit of a thank-you for attending this lousy party with me."

A brooch forged in bronze and plated by gold.  The detailed cast depicted a bouquet of flowers, unpainted, but remarkably detailed-- Plaguebloom, Arthas' Tears and dreamfoil, all with a backdrop of Sungrass stalks. On close inspection, each squared blossom spun as a cogwheel, parting the bouquet like a curtain to reveal a greater detail beneath.

"It's just what I thought of when I thought of you… I hope you like it."

To think that Hesterlynn Mournvalor was naught but a bouquet of pretty flowers was sure to be a mistake, or so Lord Bloodrose must have thought, for behind the bouquet was an intricate knife with a pearl handle and a blade of sharpened steel.

She pinned it to her sweater before bustling out of the bedroom and down the hall on legs still wobbly as a newborn fawn’s.

A saw hummed behind the double doors of his workshop.  Hester sucked a sharp and desperate breath before wrapping her scraped knuckles on the woodwork.

Crash! Metal rang in the air. Lord Bloodrose swore loudly, then swung wide the door.

What a mess! Him, and the workshop too!

Tool chests lay opened, gaping like baby birds. Wires hung from the ceiling, thick black and coiled like snakes hanging from a tree. A mechanosuit stood vigil in the rear, headless and tethered like an ancient effigy reclaimed by vines.

And then Lord Corwin Bloodrose--no, Cory. An ugly bruise painted the bridge of his nose shades of red and violet. A bandage bound the worst of it, acting as a stint and giving padding to the scratched glasses resting gingerly atop.

"Hester!" he greeted, boyishly bright. "Come see this!"

To be continued.

@daily-writing-challenge

[prose-for-hire]

Zombie Land

Pairing: Cordelia Chase x reader

Request: hi! i could i please have “a haunted house, thats your genius idea” and cordy please 🥺👉👈

Requested by: @onehellagaykid​

You were sat with Cordy balancing on your lap, one hand on her waist to support her as she leant into you. She had her hands looped around your neck and had been kissing you softly every so often. You had a lazy afternoon, sharing the office at Angel investigations. It was quiet, the others were away doing something demon-related so you and your girl were holding down the fort. Nobody ever really called at the best of times but especially not on Halloween so you were mostly just enjoying each other.

“I know you haven’t been the biggest fan of Halloween since you moved from Sunnydale but I thought, maybe, we could do something this year for Halloween!” You said softly, threading a hand through her hair. She closed her eyes briefly before turning to you face you properly. Her head tilted to the side slightly in that way she always did when she was looking at you adoringly.

“Y/n, I know you mean well but like nothing good ever happens on this date”

“But… I have a little surprise for you! Something fun and kinda, maybe, a little cheesy!” You gushed, practically tugging on her sleeve for you to leave immediately to prove that it would be fun.

She sighed, but nodded, pecking your lips before explaining she would need to find something to wear. You shook your head turning to dig through the desk drawers to find an outfit you had prepared earlier. She smiled but you could tell she was a little unsure. She had planned to just stay in tonight, wear comfy clothes and cuddle with you while watching a very non-scary movie. She would usually at least pretend for you because of how much you loved it.

But she was wary, bad things always tended to happen and now she had you, she didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise it. She had visions (not literal ones) of ghouls haunting you or hurting you in some way; of hideous beasts taking you hostage; even slayers taking a trip to LA and getting you caught up in a horrific and ultimately fatal situation.

The last few hours at Angel investigations was filled with you and Cordy getting changed into your costumes, between a lot of breaks for kisses. You helped zip up her costume and as night started to fall, you locked the office up and made your way to the surprise.

You all but skipped down the lane to where they had set up the haunted house. It was basically a mansion and it looked exactly the kind of place that would be haunted. But this one was just for show. There were actors and they were selling candy and merchandise on every level so it wasn’t as if there was any chance things could go wrong. You had even paid for the tickets so that Cordy would come with you and hopefully enjoy herself. When you turned into the entryway, the sign read in typical creepy font that this was the most haunted house in the area.

“A haunted house, that’s your genius idea?!” She huffed, rolling her eyes.

“Come on, I’ll hold your hand through the scary parts” you winked and she arched an eyebrow. You both knew how tough she could be in the face of… well, everything from her past. But you enjoyed teasing her. And she let it slide because of how much she loved you.

She grasped your hand tightly and squeezed it, giving you the softest smile she only ever gave to you. You had walked through several floors, with her commentary making you smile. She had seen it all before and it had been a lot more real than this. She barely reacted to any of the scares, just arched her eyebrow and squeezed your hand.

You stopped in a darker corner and stole some kisses while the coast was clear. Your hands pulling her by her top towards you. She smiled into the kiss, pressing you against the wall. The glow of the fake candlelight and the distant screams were all a blur. All you could think of was her, every touch every brush of her lips had you putty in her hands. The kiss making you breathless as she ran her hands up your body, forgetting slightly where you were. She wanted to take you home immediately, forgetting about the house. She loved the way you looked in that costume and she knew you clearly liked hers – you had chosen it.

But the kiss was cut short, she whined slightly as you slipped from her fervent hold. You instead took her hand and pulled her with you through the next room, giggling at her expression and the way she was trying to flatten her hair. She sighed as she looked around, “Hands grabbing at us down a dark corridor – that’s not been done before” Cordy rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips when she saw your ecstatic face as you skipped through all of the creepy rooms. You jumped and gasped every now and again but it was part of the fun.

You turned the corner into a new room. As soon as you got there, something felt off. There were people stumbling towards you, stepping over bodies with intestines and organs spilling from their stomachs. You both slid on the blood on the floor trying to step backwards.

Turns out they were zombies. Real zombies.

Cordy saw it straight away. The way they started to stagger towards you. Not just because they didn’t match the room you were in (serial killer pumpkin patch) and she had an eye for those kind of details.

They were horrific. Their pasty skin, almost green in colour. It was peeling and their mouths were dripping with blood and spit. They snarled, the noise hurting your ears as one grabbed at Cordy’s top and she fought it off her.

“Aw God, really?! This is a new outfit and you’ve got your zombie goo all over it!” She screamed, pointing towards the zombie as if it was about to apologise and offer to pay for the dry cleaning.

“Uh, I think they call that blood, Cor…”

“Quit arguing and run!” she shouted, this time she was the one to pull you away into a run, desperately hauling you towards the nearest exit.

Now everyone else had figured out the threat was real too. There were a lot of people running in all directions, barely missing the terrifying grip of the living dead. Cordy had to remove her hand from yours to prise open a door, she had turned from you for a minute. In that time, you had managed to get swept up in the crowd, separating you from Cordy in the melee. You ran against the crowd, trying to find her again. You had paused for too long, looking around everywhere for your girl.

You turned around and suddenly the entire room was empty. You were on the middle floor. It had been themed like a graveyard. With vampires and men in white sheets popping up from behind the polystyrene slabs every so often.

Suddenly, there were several zombies surrounding you. You started to move, to run away, but there were too many of them. The zombies were surprisingly organised for single-minded, flesh-eating beings. They seemingly worked together to keep you still. But you fought, hard. You had been forced into ‘couples self-defence classes’ with Cordy – she had been preparing you for this moment. She knew you’d end up getting targeted like this eventually and she wanted you to be safe. She always wanted you to be safe.

They were holding you down as they snapped their teeth at you, getting dangerously close to your skin as you kicked out wildly and tried to release your arms from them. One started to pull on your hair as if they could pull the top of your head off and suck from your brain like a cola bottle. At that moment, you could see her through the bodies. The only thing keeping you going. Cordy saw you and felt the pride swell in her chest as she saw the way you were fighting so fiercely.

She had a spade. Surprisingly, they had being using real spades in the graveyard room and Cordy turned it into a weapon as she smashed various zombie heads in to get them to release you. She stabbed at the zombies, hitting their heads and making sure they would no longer be a threat. It took a lot of effort, but she managed it.

You took a fake gravestone and hit a zombie over the head with it, taking its attention from Cordy so she wasn’t rushed by the entire group. You kicked at it, but it was strong. You were starting to panic, you were new to demons and you were starting to lose the upper hand.

She came to your rescue once again and dented its skull, caving it in and rendering it properly dead (rather than the undead it had been before). It fell forward, sliding down your body and wrecking your costume as you grimaced.

You ran at her, hurdling over zombie corpses and almost bowling the both of you onto the ground with the other corpses in your relief. She wrapped her arms around you, not caring about the blood down your outfit she just wanted to comfort you. Plus, her own costume was ruined too.

“Cordy you saved me!” You shouted, clinging to her.

“You saved yourself, I just helped a little” She shrugged, before deciding, “Okay, so I totally saved your ass” you both chuckled but you really meant it. You were so grateful to have her in your life.

“Thank you!” You gushed.

“Next year we are not leaving the house” She stated firmly and she smiled as you nodded and leaned in to kiss her lips. It was sweet, you leant into her and pressed your lips adoringly against hers. You cupped her cheeks, pulling her in again as she started to pull away. You pressed several soft kisses against her lips, never wanting to forget the way her lips felt on yours.

You eventually moved from the kiss, smiling at her. Her own relief meaning she missed the sorrow in your eyes. That kiss had been bittersweet. When she looked away, your smile dropped slightly as you moved to pull your sleeve down. You shifted your sleeve to hide a nasty wound on your wrist that was now turning purple. 

They had got to you before she could. You had been bitten.

[verifiedaccount]

I knew a little bit about Woodstock ‘99, mostly that it was awful, but I’m listening to the And Introducing... ep about it and it was full on JG Ballard shit

Violent actions occurred during and after the Saturday night performance by Limp Bizkit, which included fans tearing plywood from the walls during a performance of the song "Break Stuff." Several sexual assaults were also reported in the aftermath of the concert.[8][12][13][14][15] The band's vocalist, Fred Durst, stated during the concert, "People are getting hurt. Don't let anybody get hurt. But I don't think you should mellow out. That's what Alanis Morissette had you motherfuckers do. If someone falls, pick 'em up."[12] Durst said during a performance of the band's hit song, "Nookie", "We already let all the negative energy out. It's time to reach down and bring that positive energy to this motherfucker. It's time to let yourself go right now, 'cause there are no motherfucking rules out there." In contrast, partway through "Break Stuff", Durst encouraged the crowd to be angry.[16]

Violence escalated the next night during the final hours of the concert as Red Hot Chili Peppers performed on the east stage, and Megadeth on the west stage. A group of peace promoters, led by the anti-gun violence organization Pax (later renamed the Center to Prevent Youth Violence), had distributed candles to those stopping at their booth during the day, intending them for a candlelight vigil to be held during the Chili Peppers' performance of the song "Under the Bridge".[17] During the band's set, the crowd began to light the candles, some also using candles and lighters to start bonfires. Hundreds of empty plastic water bottles that littered the lawn area were used as fuel for the fire which had spread to both stages by the end of the performances.

After the Chili Peppers were finished with their main set, the audience was informed about "a bit of a problem." An audio tower had caught fire, and the fire department was called in to extinguish it.[18]

Back onstage for an encore, the Chili Peppers' lead singer Anthony Kiedis remarked how amazing the fires looked from the stage, comparing them to the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.[19] The band proceeded to play "Sir Psycho Sexy", followed by their rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Fire". Kiedis later stated in his autobiography, Scar Tissue, that Hendrix's sister had asked the Chili Peppers to play "Fire" in honor of Jimi and his performance at the original Woodstock festival, and that they were not playing it to encourage the crowd.

Many large, high bonfires were burning before the band left the stage for the last time. Participants danced in circles around the fires. Looking for more fuel, some tore off panels of plywood from the supposedly inviolable security perimeter fence. ATMs were tipped over and broken into, trailers full of merchandise and equipment were forced open and burgled, and abandoned vendor booths were turned over and set afire.[20]

And Wikipedia doesn’t have this but Rolling Stone does in the 19 Worst Things About Woodstock ’99:

3. Insane Clown Posse’s Money Giveaway Insane Clown Posse created a little mayhem during their set at Woodstock ’99. Performing on the East Stage on Friday night before George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic, ICP was the first act to incite the crowd “by throwing $100 bills into the audience and watching gleefully while a melee ensued,” the San Francisco Examiner reported. Considering how expensive water was at the fest, and how personal pan pizzas were $12, it’s not surprising those Benjamins created such a ruckus.

9. A Truck Randomly Driving Through the Audience Yup, it happened during Fatboy Slim’s set in the festival’s rave area under an airplane hangar. As MTV reported, “The set was stopped momentarily after someone accidentally started to drive a truck into the area. After a 10-minute delay, Slim playfully threw on a 45-second snippet of Carl Douglas’ 1974 disco hit ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ before returning to his own dance music.” 

There’s also more about the many, many sexual assaults in more detail in the Rolling Stone story so content warning