#Chapter 10 may be a doozy

[fir-fireweed]

STORY UPDATE! CHAPTER 11 IS LIVE!

Happy Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, everyone! And also happy Chapter 11 day!

Those of you on Robin’s route, enjoy. 😉

Some people mentioned having trouble playing from a previous save when I added chapter 10, so you may have to restart the game with this update, I'm not sure. Apologies if you do.

There are a lot of branches and variables I had to take into account in this chapter. I’ve tried to test as many routes and combinations as possible, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed something. Please feel free to report any bugs, screenshots are helpful.

I've been updating monthly but I'm afraid I'll be unable to keep that up. Chapter 12 is a doozy with several branches and variables. I won't be able to finish it by the end of the year as I had planned, especially with the holidays coming up. Rest assured it won't be a huge delay, and I hope this sustains you until then.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement! I can not express enough how much I appreciate it, thank you!

[amywritesthings]

SILVER UNDERGROUND / deleted scene 05.

gifts are gifts. :: a deleted scene that was originally meant to take place during flashback: seven. james and levi spar and have a verbal argument after reuniting.

this one is such a doozy. i had this one sitting on a page in draft prison because this was my initial plan of their 'reunion'. yes, spoiler alert, the ignoring was going to last three whole chapters. this is so far removed from the deep bond james/levi shared, and much more in the vein of the first 10 chapters. this is also before i decided erwin's recruitment offer extended to james. i read this back and i'm like oh my god?! you can really tell i wrote the story completely out of order with this excerpt! this is unedited. 970 words / explicit language, fighting. :: please remember: this is additional deleted content, not tied to the current canon of the story.

“You need to get rid of that.”

Your head feels fuzzy from the impact of solid ground beneath it. “What?”

Levi grits his teeth, emphasizing every word. “Get. Rid. Of it.”

He reaches for the necklace. You react just in time to forcefully smack his hand away and push up, up until your palm connects with his throat.

“Gifts are gifts, asshole,” you grunt, squeezing his neck.

Levi doesn’t react to the abrupt violence. If anything, he leans into the assault.

“You don’t get to suddenly disappear on me and then make demands.”

“Technically — all that superiors do — is make commands,” he chokes out, finally flinching when you squeeze harder.

“Smith made me a Lieutenant.”

“That doesn’t mean shit in the Scouts,” he spits. “And technically still — under me.”

In more ways than one.

You growl, pushing at his neck one more time before letting go. Levi bows his head, giving you both a moment to catch your breath in the aftermath of the spar. His matted hair hangs over his forehead, hiding his eyes where you lay.

He doesn’t opt to move away. You’re trapped under him.

Then he speaks without an edge.

“Join the MPs.”

You stare up, frowning. “I can’t. You know that.”

“There’s still time to convince Erwin you’re innocent.”

He must sense the shift of the fight, because he lifts his chin just enough to regard you from under his eyelids. Your lips part with an unknown question.

“I didn’t tell them about you. It must have been Isabel.”

Her name hangs like lead off of his tongue.

You pause, nostrils flaring with contempt. “How do you know it wasn’t Furlan?”

“Because Isabel didn’t know how to keep her mouth shut,” he replies. If you’re not careful, then you may project a rueful hint to his tone. “Furlan never left my side.”

(Loyal to the end, and for what?)

“What are you saying, Ackerman?”

“You’ve always wanted to see the surface, right?” You don’t nod, but he continues as if you’ve acknowledged him beyond furrowed brows. “I argue that you only worked for us once because of some naive obsession with the surface. Isabel likely felt the need to drag you under the bus thinking it would buy her some unfounded favor from Erwin. He could believe that.”

Your stomach clenches at the implication of his lie.

“You would do that to her name?”

“She’s dead, James.” Callous, without doubt; Levi shifts his hold on your wrists to your forearms. “You’re not.”

You sink into the ground, deflating against his hold. “So I’d get transferred by the good graces of Commander Erwin and, what? Leave you here?”

Something flashes in his eyes, but he decides this time not to answer on impulse. Here in this proximity, you can hear him taking calculated breaths through his nose — inhale, exhale, controlled and slow.

“It’s your best option to surv—”

“No.”

The soft and certain answer cuts through his next argument. Levi freezes like you’ve confessed to being part-titan this whole time — his short-circuiting bewilderment is loud and screaming in your face when he refuses to speak candidly. 

He looks like a teenager again, the starry night sky your makeshift backdrop of an Underground you both deserted.

His eyes narrow. “No?”

Your growing smile surges that terrible temper back on the sparring grounds. He lets go of your arms — a fatal mistake — to gather the strap of your chest harness into a closed fist. When he drags you up to meet him, you easily follow.

“Furlan is gone. Isabel is gone. What don’t you fucking get about that, you shithead?” he speaks through clenched teeth, fist trembling. “You lived and you’re pissing that away.”

Just when he thinks he has the upper hand, yours shoots out — quickly you grab his own chest harness, bringing him directly down to you.

Nose to nose.

The proximity catches your long-lost friend off guard.

(Levi Ackerman is good at many things. Being comfortable with someone in his face in a non-violent setting was never one of them.)

“Do you think,” you begin in a murmur, “that I really give a shit about living a life on the surface if that means you’re not a part of it?”

His gray pupils grow black.

“I’ve lost you twice now—”

“James.”

“—let me finish, you… arrogant little shit,” you breathe, and for once in Levi Ackerman’s life, he listens. Intently, it seems, because he won’t stop staring at your face. “I’m — we are out of the Underground. Captains, Lieutenants — maybe they’re both arbitrary titles and fucking ridiculous, but they can mean something. I now have a chance to do something.”

“You have a chance to get yourself killed,” he mumbles. “This isn’t the time to become a fucking idealist. This is war.”

“And this is my choice.” Warmth spreads through your system at the tickle of his breath on your face. “Maybe I didn’t choose the Scouts, but I did choose—”

You.

You’ve been brave up until this point, but now you can’t say it. Not when Levi’s still so close. His nose accidentally brushes yours, and he shoves you — hard — back into the ground to break your grip on his harness.

Like a frightened animal, he quickly sits back on his calves to steer clear of your reach. By the time you can see straight, he’s already standing tall.

“Do whatever the fuck you want,” he spits with venom, “but you’re making a mistake for a person that doesn’t exist.” Levi collects himself, straightening his chest harness straps. “Whatever you think you remember — that isn’t me. Not anymore.”

You roll to lean on a bent elbow, propping you against the ground, but it’s too late.

Levi walks away and doesn’t look back.

[oonajaeadira]

For the Love of Fic: August 21

Now that the busytimes are over, I just desperately wanted to get back to the fic world. And I may have binged a little. No punishments plz. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Also dang, there's a lot of Jack this time around. There must be whiskey in the water...

🪐 = Year of Themed Creation fic

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JOEL MILLER

Kindred Spirits by @all-the-things-2020 🪐 It's Anne of Green Gables, but with Ellie and Joel. Really, y'all, this one caught me in my chest and had me tearing up more than once watching Joel come back to life for the love of a new daughter. My heart!!!!!

Surrender Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 by @ezrasbirdie So now we've gotten to the end of Kin and I'm still tense about Joel and Ellie even if I understand that their story will lead them back to Jackson. But now I'm just worried about Daisy. She's so vulnerable, so convinced that love is an accident or will always be so fragile and fleeting, I'm so afraid she'll run from it before she has a chance for it to really sink in. I just want to smoosh her and never let her go.

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EZRA

Taking Root by @the-blind-assassin-12 This short story takes place in an existing Ezra storyline, but you don't need to know that series to appreciate this fluffy bit of lovely, heartwarming give and take between Ezra and Cee as they make a gift for someone they love and care for.

E is for Exhibition by @butchmandalorian 🪐 Pro dom!Ezra is back, my beloved, and this time it's sex in a movie theater. He is such a menace and loves his work so much. I really wish the man was real. I am not a BDSM girl, but there's just something about butchmandalorian's Ez that gets me in all the right places.

Kinktober in June: Focus by @leslie-lyman Holy balls, y'all. This is mesmerizing in every single sense of the word: a little hypno-kink will do ya. Even without his arm and his humanity, Ezra still has many skills. The ability to manipulate and get what he wants. A silken voice. Patience. And apparently, that's all you need too.

E. - "Are you sure you're ready for this?" by @missredherring A drabbled writing exercise wherein Miss Red takes the prompt out of the smut box and into a softer place. Which is totally my jam.

Miles and Time by @never--doubt 🪐 Have I said yet how much I love Ezra? Or soulmates? I've never seen this mechanic before--the one where you have numbers on your wrist counting down the distance between soulmates. I love it. There's a lifetime of angst, but man, Ezra's worth the wait.

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JACK DANIELS

Draft Release: Dial Up the Jack, Dim the Whiskey by @artemiseamoon 🪐 You know, I had the same reaction to Jack that OFC Bria does here. Initially, I thought he was ridiculous and full of ego, not worth losing my heart to. But she gets to see the Jack that's deep down inside that Whiskey persona and...well...never say never.

untitled by @brandyllyn Hi would you like to be punched in the heart with just 600 words? Why don't you read what happens when Jack comes back from taking another bullet to the skull? I feel like this could be the prologue to a story that could end up so so sweet...but damn, that last sentence is a doozy.

Saying I Love You With Flowers by @songsformonkeys 🪐 I'm not really a flower person myself, but if I was getting them from y crush constantly, I could be converted real fast. Is there anything as lovely as when Jack's both a scamp and a gentleman all at once? He's the master at it and I am a puddle at his feet.

How Wrong You Are by @haylzcyon A short and sweet piece wherein Jack professes his care in the aftermath of a sketchy getaway. Haylz is never over-saccharine, but hits all the notes just right, just like a damn fine Whiskey indeed.

Bangathon: Position: Kneeling Reach Around (with Marcus Pike) and Position: 69 by @prolix-yuy My goodness, LJ is great at the smut and I love how she writes Jack. He's a confident lover, putting the object of his affection exactly where he needs them...and where they will soon understand they need to be. He may go after what he wants, but he never pushes too hard and always makes sure it's what they really want. I would 100% want to be in this man's mustachio'ed embrace. Yee-effin-haw.

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JAVI GUTIERREZ

Music Box: Prologue by @beecastle Aw yeah, we're getting Little Mermaid AU! This is a quick prologue setting us up for wanting more--both in terms of story AND in terms of the reader character wanting to learn more about humans. I'm hoping there's a certain sweet human in her eyeline soon....

To Your Rescue by @flightlessangelwings 🪐 Oh to be in the employ of Javi Gutierrez. To have his attention, his yearning looks, his protection. Really, my favorite thing would be to fall asleep watching movies with him...and you'll get that here too.

Litha by @grogusmum 🪐 Javi and his beekeeper girl are sweet as honey and I'm not gonna shy away from saying so. I love that he appreciates her taking an interest in his hobbies and family celebrations and shows that he cares for her interests by helping her celebrate a sweet Midsummers!

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MARCUS MORENO

Taste by @@radiowallet I generally don't read Marcus but I will always ALWAYS make an enthusiastic exception for Cat's Marcus. He is a true hero, both sweet and confident, pulled so ardently by his needs but really getting off on saving the day for you. And, of course, there's Cat's style of writing which is song in itself. If anyone can make me fall in love with period sex, it's her, it's Marcus, it's this sweetly smutty fic in all its soft, yearning glory.

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TIM ROCKFORD

First Mistake by @hopeamarsu 🪐 I am really delighted by this little character study. Hopes took what we see in the trailer and turned it inward, focusing on Tim's physical sensations and trains of thought. The way he registers the take-out he's eating, how he craves the whiskey in his desk drawer, his frustration as he looks at the clue board trying to make that crucial connection. It's a beautiful little piece, simple and yet full of so much.

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PERO TOVAR

untitled by @writeforfandoms I am such a sucker for Jen's modern-not-modern Pero. He is learning, but still such a menace and a hedonist that I can't help but giggle at him and adore him in equal measure. I love when his puppydog nature rears its head like it does here as he tries to keep his reader all to himself on a nice picnicy day...

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JAVIER PEÑA

The Third Date by @lowlights What Laura has done here is pretty much described my perfect third date with Javier. I mean, it's Javi being soft, giving his attentions, doing soft naughty things in public. But even more than that, it's tacos, y'all. Sign me up.

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DIN DJARIN

Year of Small Joys: Stargazing by @keldabe-kriff 🪐 I love that Lyr is focusing on small joys. It's totally my jam to see my favorite characters just having a moment of peace or happiness, just to see their reaction to something I find lovely or to hear their thoughts about something I'd never stopped to notice. This time it's Din and stars, which really should be old hat for him. But he still finds a beauty in stargazing...

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OBERYN MARTELL

2023 Summer Kiss Prompt #8: Oberyn Martell - Apology Kiss / Jealous Kissing by @something-tofightfor I might be living for this modern AU playboy Oberyn and his proclivity to be vulnerable in my presence, to open up and be real when hurt feelings are on the line. He did wrong, but I think he'll make up for it, and boy howdy do I want to be on the receiving end of that.

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SPECIAL GUEST CORNER

OBI-WAN KENOBI

A Chance Taken by @ghostofskywalker 🪐 I know that Obi-Wan has his duty, but wouldn't it be nice if he always harbored feelings and had plans to settle after the war? This one is living that dream....I wants it.

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BOROMIR

The Advice of Hobbits by @ironmandeficiency I mean, nobody should take advice from Merry and Pippin. And so it goes without saying that nobody should take love advice from Merry and Pippin. Ever. Poor Boromir. But I'm not gonna lie. The results are pretty cute.

[dryad-of-the-dogwood]

20 Questions for Fanfic Writers

Taking @fangbangerghoul's general tag as an invitation because even though I keep randomly vanishing from fandom when real life sucks, I figured this might be a good time.

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

14, though there may or may not be some orphaned stuff of mine out there that it feels like somebody else wrote by now

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

293,812 (though admittedly this doesn't include draft chapters just... loitering and waiting for me to not hate them enough to publish)

3) What are your top five fics by kudos?

I knew #1 for sure, but I'm actually surprised a couple of oneshots made it onto the list! (Including a really, REALLY old one, holy crap that thing's almost old enough to vote lol) 1. A Thread of Fate (Dragon Age, AU where my Cousland Nalissa wasn’t picked to be the Warden but does get picked to marry Alistair because of her damn name and is… upset about it. At first.) 2. Not Meant to Be (AtLA, about Zuko and Katara during the Agni Kai that I’m pretty sure I wrote at like 15) 3. The Grav Jump Tango (Starfield, featuring my former Ryujin cyber runner spacefarer Cassandra and Sam Coe trying to figure out what not being lonely feels like.) 4. Running the Gauntlet (Dragon Age, the original actually-set-during-the-Blight longfic for my Cousland I put on indefinite hiatus when the brainworm for Thread of Fate took over) 5. From the Outside (Dragon Age, a mostly-bitter-but-a-little-hopeful fic about my Surana Naeva starting to hear the fake Calling during Inquisition and writing to Alistair who left her when she made him king about it. He writes back.)

4) What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Dragon Age and Starfield now, but I've written for everything from Avatar (Nickelodeon, not James Cameron) to the Legend of Dragoon (which is so old that fandom is basically 6 people talking about how much we wish they'd make a Dragon Campaign prequel)

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

In general yes, because anybody who takes the time to comment is my fucking hero, but sometimes my anxiety gets the better of me when I've gone MIA for two damn years and have to slink back to a fic to admit it's not abandoned, I just can't always deal with life and fandom at the same time.

6) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh jeez, Until the End for SURE. It doesn't get much angstier than "Alistair and Cousland go on the Calling together." Special mention to Through Fog and Misted Glass for how terrible it was to write Tamlen blighted and dying in his own perspective though.

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Well shit, I think you've got me there. A Thread of Fate is absolutely gonna have the happiest ending once I finally kick myself enough to finish writing the last arc, if that counts.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Not on AO3, no. I definitely wrote for some fandoms back in my fanfiction.net era that got me some doozies though.

9) Do you write smut?

I do, but I don't usually post it. A Thread of Fate's got the only one I've ever put up on AO3 so far, but I may or may not have already written a future scene for The Grav Jump Tango that'll probably see the light of day once I get there too.

10) Do you write crossovers?

No, I've never really been a fan of them personally. I think I'm too much of a lore person to mesh two worlds I care about together like that, and I only write for worlds I care about.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Lol a couple of times, again back on fanfiction.net - and I have ABSOLUTELY no idea why, they were cringe teenager writing, which is why they've never made the jump to AO3.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but that would be the best compliment in existence, I think.

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Oh gods yes, far too many of them to count, but that was back in high school and college when I had a lot more free time and co-writing fics together over AIM or MSN Messenger was a thing.

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

If we're talking non-OC, Rogue x Gambit and it's not close. If we bring OCs into the equation, I think it would have to be Nalissa Cousland x Alistair, because that ship in particular was my saving hyperfocus during some of the toughest things I've ever lived through.

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I'd betraying myself as the eternal optimist if I say none because I'm gonna finish my WIPs if it's on my deathbed, so I'm gonna say To Mend What's Broken because it was originally supposed to have 4 chapters but I realized at some point I couldn't do my original concept justice and marked it complete at 2.

16) What are your writing strengths?

I've generally gotten compliments on character introspectives, melee combat scenes, and using canon dialogue in unexpected ways, but I like to think I've got a decent hold on writing distinct perspectives in the same fic too.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggle ridiculously hard at being brief about anything I think is important (bet you couldn't tell from this post alone), I've got to police myself regularly in editing not to pepper in my favorite adverbs like seasoning, and oh god editing in general. I can't write anything and just post it; it takes hours of pulling my own hair out to feel like anything I write shouldn't just go in the trash.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I'll be honest, I'm afraid of even trying, but admire endlessly anyone who does!

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Oh jeez. If I answer that literally, then Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, because I absolutely wrote stories where I got to be one of the teens in Angel Grove when I was like 6. But because I would prefer not to be absolutely mortified thinking about it had no concept of what fanfic was at the time, I'm gonna claim Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, which was the first fic I ever wrote and posted once I knew fanfic was a thing.

20) Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

That's actually a pretty tough question, because I really do like some of my work once I give it a little space and come back to reread it. A Thread of Fate's got a super special place in my heart and I'm overall proud of how most of it reads, but depressing as it is, I think Until the End might be one of the best things I've ever written because it can always give me a good cry when I need it.

This was pretty fun! Kind of felt like I learned a few things about my own writing filling it out too. AND hoping this will serve for inspiration to keep some motivation for what's supposed to be coming next~

Tagging anybody else that might feel like giving it a shot, because I'm pretty sure every other writer I follow has already been tagged lol.

[donationwayne]

hello I wanted to give my brain a lil break from my 911 big bang fic bc the length is gonna be a doozy (already sitting at 24k lol)

I’m waiting on typo editing notes for Feelin’ Good (Could Be Better) from irls for chapters 3-10

so I decided to work on one of my short fics and may have finished the first draft of my sick!buck fic 😇

[quartings-main-blog]

Pseudo Harem Reviews: Episode 5

The summer episode! Fun to finally see Ayaka as predicted last week, and she does a great job gelling with Rin and Eiji’s dynamic. I must say it was pretty smart to compile her appearances here to make the episode feel more focused.

Also I thought they’d adapt and extend all the small water park chapters to take up 2/3rds of this episode, but I’m surprised that the Lazy-chan chapters and all the summer chapters were able to fit in this one episode already. The chapter with Shiro was a surprise to see here since in the manga it takes place much later, around Episode 10 by my estimates. Which means that Episode 10 might potentially have more time to spare for other stuff? I also like that the Lazy-Chan chapters were split up throughout the episode to make the summer feel longer in a way.

Either way, Episode 6 should be an absolute doozy if my estimates are correct. If you’ve been sleeping on the series so far, definitely give it a binge when it drops next week! The pacing may have been rough for the first 3 episodes, but it has absolutely gotten better now and will only keep improving!

My main concern (should I wait for the episode previews before posting these reviews?) is that they could potentially use Episode 6 as a dumping spot for a bunch of extra chapters and postpone the plot stuff to Episode 7 instead. I’m still really excited for what the next few weeks hold, though! I already have stuff planned for my art blog in anticipation!

[codenamehazard]

.:(Kill All) Sons of Bitches:.

Chapter 10: (Kill All) Sons of Bitches

Hey guys!

Another chapter, another doozy! Things are really picking up in the Wildlands and in a hurry. This chapter took a while, a lot of rewriting, a lot of head-banging, a lot of staring at a wall while eating copious amounts of fruit snacks, lots of kitty cuddles, but I made it in the end!

Big, big, BIIIIIIIIG shoutout to @rogueshadeaux for her help in making sure everything wasn't a jumbled mess. She deserves all the love in the world and if you're a fan of InFAMOUS, check her out!

And without further ado, here's chapter 10!

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I stare out the window of the jeep as the humming of the wheels drone on in my ears. Thoughts flitting through my head as I watch the seemingly endless expanse of flat land pass. It feels like life was throwing me curveball after curveball and making my head spin. The ride thus far has been quiet. It was that weird and fucking awkward quiet that just makes everyone uncomfortable. Even with Pangolin trying to ease the tension, the short answers from me or Kestrel made it abundantly clear it wasn’t going to work.

Speaking of the bird, I occasionally glance over at her, she has a window down as is currently airplaning her hand in the wind, making it go up and down. She’s pressing up against the other side of the jeep as far as she can go. Aside from the arm out the window, she looks like a pouting child. Not even looking at me save for brief looks. Fine by me, the important thing is that she’s not running her mouth.

Looking at her causes a question to pop back up into my head. It may not have been obvious at the start, but looking back it was clear. Mako knew that the gunsmith she was talking about was Kestrel, but why didn’t she tell me sooner? At least then I wouldn’t have been blindsided. I’ll have a chat with her later after this little outing.

There was also the issue of this “they” thing that I’ve been hearing about. This enigmatic boogieman that has an entire town of full fledged conduits scared out of their mind, so scared that it’s making Kestrel act stupid. Risking her neck to complete a project for what I can only guess is some sort of super weapon against whatever the hell “they” are. Is it that big of a deal? If it was, why haven’t I encountered these things? I’ve been on my own for a while so surely I would have seen something.

I lurch forward as the jeep comes to a stop, the movement taking me out of my thoughts. Pangolin shuts the jeep off as I get out and stretch my arms and legs. I watch Pango out of the corner of my eye as he gets out the pickaxes from the passenger seat and hands one of the tools to Kestrel.

I look at my Amp and frown. It was in bad shape and I feared that if I used it any more than I already have, it would break apart. I’ve managed to keep it usable thus far, but the only one who could truly fix and restore it is dead. Been dead for a very long time…

I walk over to Pangolin as I take the Amp off of my sling. He looks over and pulls out a pickaxe.

“Here.” He says simply. “You’re gonna need this.” I nod and take the tool before giving him the Amp. Pangolin looks at it before looking at me.

“What’s this?” He asks as he examines it.

“It’s mine.” I snap. “Make sure nothing happens to it while I’m gone.”

“Alright, I’ll keep it in the Jeep.” He states as he slips it into the trunk. I raise an eyebrow.

“You’re not coming with?” I ask, Pangolin shakes his head.

“I’m gonna be staying up here to guard the entrance as well as to make sure nobody tries to jack the jeep.” The brick wall states matter-of-factly. “Now, there is one thing I have to stress to you two. I know you hate each-other's guts, but for the love of God, do not get separated and watch each-other’s backs.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Kestrel huffs, already looking like she’s raring to go. “Buddy system, stay close, don’t wander off.”

“I mean it, Kestrel.” Pangolin chides. “Last thing we need is to have to send the others after the two of you and hope you’re still alive because you got lost.”

“I get it! Jesus!” The bird snaps. I roll my eyes at her childish behavior and I see Pangolin pinch the bridge of his nose. Makes me wonder if this is normal for the two or not. “Get in, get the materials, get out. Short, sweet, to the point.”

“Just don’t kill each-other. I’ll keep watch and if you guys don’t come back up at sun-down, I’ll radio for help and come down to get you.” Pangolin states before pulling out his gun and starts a patrol around the entrance. Kestrel and I take this as our cue to head inside. So with pickaxe in the sling and the bird chomping at the bit, we venture into the dark and the unknown to seek our prizes.

—-

My arms hum and buzz with power as crimson sparks jump off of my arms, bathing the mine in its light. I can tell this place has seen better days, lots of old mining equipment and wires. The old junk, the darkness and the claustrophobic feeling of being enclosed reminds me of being back in the sewer systems of Empire City, looking for sub-stations to power up and gain power in kind. Only difference is I don't have to fear death by water, it smells slightly better and what I seek isn’t a power-station, but this natural Rayacite Kestrel and Pangolin briefed me about.

I lick my lips as I can sense the energy of the natural shards and cores, but with so many energy signatures, it's impossible to pinpoint exactly where they are, even with my enhanced Radar Pulse, and the topography of the cave system doesn’t help any. I look over to the bird to ask if she has any bright ideas, but it seems like she’s way ahead of me on that.

Her hand on the ground, eyes closed and with what looks like small filaments coming from her hand. The mental image of a dog with their nose to the ground trying to pick up a scent comes to mind. I watch her sway slightly and turn her head before opening her eyes and looking down a tunnel, pointing at it.

“This way.” She states, eyes focused on the opening. “I picked up high concentrations of pure RFE coming from that direction, high likelihood of high quality shards and cores.” I blink at her in disbelief before scoffing.

“And how do you know that?" I sneer.

"I told you I have a knack for it, now are you going to come or not?" She snips as she starts to go down the path. “How else did you think I made a bee-line to the shards?” I roll my eyes and follow her down the path.

“Figured you followed me.” I state bluntly, flicking my arms to help combat the pins and needles that sting my nerves. She rolls her eyes. I notice something that I find odd. Very rarely was there a time that the damn bird actually walked like a normal person, preferring to dart and dash around in plumes. Yet here, she wasn’t. She’s actually walking and dare I say… Looking a bit nervous?

“Well, I didn’t. The others sometimes call me their “shard-hound” because of my knack. One of the reasons why I’m the scout of the group.” She snips as she keeps walking. I shake my head in irritation before a devious thought crosses my mind. I know I can’t kill the bird, I need my gun… But there’s nothing stopping me from pissing her off. With an evil grin on my face and while she’s distracted with looking around, I give the girl a small zap, causing her to yelp. I snicker to myself as she turns around and looks at me pissed.

“The hell was that for?!” She hisses out and I just smirk at her, I don’t need to tell her a damn thing and I can see it’s aggravating her. “I’m glad you think that’s funny, you won’t be laughing if you keep it up!” Awww, she’s trying to threaten me. How adorable.

“And what if I do, what are you gonna do about it?” I jeer with a shit-eating grin. She pinches the bridge of her nose.

“It’s not what…” She sputters before looking at me like I’m an idiot. “Look, the Wildlands have few rules, but there is one rule she’s gonna drill into your head just like it’s been drilled into mine and that is if you go looking for raw Rayacite, you do not start flinging your powers around all haphazardly! You use enough to help you navigate and that’s it!” Her voice takes a serious tone, I frown at this.

“What are you going on about, girl?” I scoff as she fumes. “It’s an abandoned mine, we’re the only ones here and even if there are others here. I know I’ll wipe the floor with them.” A puff of smoke expels from Kestrel’s mouth as she face-palms.

“Look, I know you don’t trust me, there’s no dancing around that, but for the love of God will you at least trust me on this?? This isn’t my first time diving into these deathtraps so I know what the fuck I am talking about.” She gripes while looking at me. Deathtraps? Okay, I get that cave-ins are an issue and all, but to be this worked up? Really? I see the bird sigh again.

“Just… Trust me on this and let’s keep moving. The longer we stand around bickering, the more likely we’re gonna be spotted.” She hisses out before continuing on. Again with the vagueness, but she does have a point. We can go back and forth, but it won’t get us any closer to my prize, so we continue on.

The deeper we go into the mine, the stronger the energy signatures become and the more my mouth waters. Whatever the bird was doing, she wasn’t kidding about having that knack. It isn’t just the strength of the signatures that’s growing stronger, there is… Something else about it. The way the energy feels more… Concentrated. Purified? Whatever it is, it feels good.

I watch Kestrel look around, sweeping her head left to right almost like a searchlight. Are her eyes… Glowing purple? It’s one of those things where one moment it’s there but when I blink it’s suddenly gone. I’ll have to ask her later, but for now, we move on deeper.

A wave of raw RFE hits me like a truck when Kestrel and I walk into a large cavern dotted with deposits of crystals and metal that glow with that familiar purple-blue light. I stare wide eyes as I look around, my body hungering for the variable buffet on display. Well I’ll be damned, the bird is as useful as she claims to be.

Speaking of the bird, I look over at her and I see an expression familiar. Hunger. She licks her chops before she does the spot-light headsweep motion. Looks like I ain’t the only one who craves Shards. She better not get any crazy ideas. I intensify the sparks on my arms in warning and she gives me a look that’s a mix of “what the fuck are you doing” and “are you insane.” I grin at the expression, at least she knows she’s on thin ice and is less likely to do anything stupid. I watch as the bird climbs up to a cluster and tap it before nodding and signaling for me to come up. I nod back and join her, the hunger gnawing at my stomach something fierce being so close to just… Pure Rayacite. It’s nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

“Pick a cluster for yours.” Kestrel gestures with her hand as she gets her pickaxe out. “Once you pick, you mine it, I’ll grab it and then I’ll do the same for mine, but once metal hits ‘cite, we need to hust-”

“Woah, woah, woah, lil birdie.” I interrupt her. “Why the rush? You’ve been awfully jumpy ever since we’ve stepped in here and I see no reason why. I haven’t seen not hide nor hair of anything. No animals, no other people. Not even sensed anything. It’s just you and me, so why shouldn’t I take my time? Maybe take some extra for the road?” I can’t help but to snicker as Kestrel looks like she’s about to pull her hair out.

“Just because you can’t see or sense anything don’t mean they aren’t there, you overgrown sparkplug!” She whisper-yells while staring at me like I’m an idiot, I can’t help but to snicker at the bird’s flapping. “Don’t laugh, this is serious! You think the humans and monsters you had to face in the past were a pain, the things that like to call mines like this home are 10 times worse!” I scoff before laughing.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” I sneer before I walk over and hover my hand over the clusters. Kestrel’s probably bullshitting about whatever the hell she’s going on about, probably wanting to keep the rest of the goodies to herself. Like I’m gonna let that happen. Still… That tone in her voice and the look in her eyes, what if she’s right? That’s not the look of someone acting, something isn’t quite right.

Oh well.

I take the pickaxe off of my sling and stretch my arms before swinging the pick. The metal point connects to the glowing cluster I have chosen and with that strike, sparks fly and a wave of RFE hits me. I can feel my body absorb the raw energy like a sponge and goddamn does it feel good. Another strike and another wave, a manic grin starts to form. This pure, raw energy. I want more, more. I strike the cluster harder, more sparks, more energy, but it’s not enough. This is going too slow!

… Why the hell am I using this stupid pickaxe? I have something much better.

My eyes glow red and the heat in my body intensifies. Sparks gather in my hand as I stare at the shard-cluster, grinning with hunger.

“Cole, what are you doing?” I hear Kestrel ask, her voice filled with fear, but I ignore her. I know she warned me about using my powers in here, but I don’t give a shit. To hell with her nonsense. “Are you trying to get us both killed??”

I feel the energy build in my hand as I take aim, I see Kes panicking out of the corner of my eye and it fills my heart with schadenfreude. With a hum and a dark chuckle, I fire.

BOOM!!! 

Crystals and metal fly as an immense amount of RFE bursts out and washes over the both of us. Power flows through my body like a raging current and my grin grows so wide, my cheek starts to hurt, I even begin to laugh. It feels so good! So fucking good!! I start grabbing shards and draining them with a wild eagerness.

Kestrel just stares at me, her face pale with a visceral fear. I see her a hot second to grab 4 pieces of high quality shard and a monster of a blast core. Normally I’d fry her right then and there, but there was plenty so she can have a few, as a treat. I can see hunger in her eyes as she gathers the bits, but fear was overriding it. Heh, bet she’s really realizing that I’m someone who can back up when I say “I will get what I want.”

A cacophony of screeches, screams and roars stop my power crazed thoughts dead in their tracks as I see Kestrel’s head bolt up, if her face could have gone any paler, it would have. Her eyes wide in absolute terror. The noises sound human and inhuman at the same time, the only thing I’ve heard closest to this noise is the screaming of the Reapers, but even they didn’t sound this gnarly.

“We need to go… Now…” Kestrel whispers in a quiet tone, I just give her a questioning look. “You’ve gone and kicked the hornet’s nest, we need to leave before the horde shows up.” Did… Did she not just see what I did to the wall? Did she forget what I am capable of?

“What and miss out on the fun?” I scoff, looking over at her as I pop my knuckles. “Fat chance.” I grab another shard and absorb it before making my way to where I heard the scream-fest.

“Cole, I swear to God if you go in to face those things, I’m leaving your ass! I’ve got what I’ve come for so I have no qualms!” I couldn’t help but to laugh at Kestrel’s little tantrum, showing her cowardly colors again, hm?

“You can go run off and hide under skirts again, fine by me.” I sneer as I wave a hand at her dismissively. “That’s just leaves this aaaaaaaall for me.” The thought of having an entire mine of pure Rayacite to myself causes a shiver to rush up and down my spine. All that power, all mine. Mine to do as I see fit.

“You are. Insufferable!!” The bird screeches before she takes off down the path, leaving me alone to have all the fun. Her loss, no skin off my nose. I’ll juice up, have my fun and then I can gloat when I get bored of target practice and make the girl hold up her end of the deal, after all, fair is fair.

I go back to trekking when I sense the presence of others, it was strange because it was Conduit like, but something wasn’t quite right, not like it matters. They’ll go down all the same. The screaming grows louder and that’s when I see them.

A throng of people, rushing blindly, but these people looked sick. Really sick. Pale as death and emaciated, they made the Reapers look healthy and that’s saying something. They scrambled and shambled as they screamed, looking like something out of a horror film, but the thing that stood out the most to me was their energy, their face, nails, and what dripped from their mouths and eyes.

Their energy felt like RFE was bleeding out of them. Their teeth and nails, more like claws, look to be made out of purple, crystalline Rayacite and the stuff dripping from their faces was the same glowing purple hue that the shards are.

Were these the things that Kestrel was talking about?

I smirk and start blasting, my powers currently charged up with Beast energy and the extra juice, the bolts crash and explode. Making short work of the first wave of the horde, but I quickly notice that A) the concussive forces of the charged bursts were starting to shake the entire mine and B) instead of turning tail and running away, more flocked. All screaming with a feral hunger.

In the beginning, it wasn’t too hard to fight them off and I reveled in the challenge I was given, but over time, they just kept coming. It was like a stampede. It doesn’t matter how weak a target is, if they just keep coming like this, the numbers can be too much.

Blasts and shockwaves fly out of my hands as I move, climbing around and keeping on the move so I’m not a sitting duck. The more I take out, the more husks crawl out of the caverns. Jesus Christ, how many of these things were in here??

They start to get too close, way too close. Their mistake. A small grin starts to form as I pop an ionic charge, red and black energy whirls around me and starts to pull in the energy of the things around me. My grin widens as I expect to feel a rush of power flood my senses, but the smile was short lived when instead of the pleasure, I felt pain. I double over and start to cough and sputter violently, spark popping off of my body. What the hell was that?! I pull out my pickaxe and swing wildly to keep the bastards at bay, but my head is throbbing and I feel sick. It was like getting a faceful of that damned black tar Sasha always spat out, but worse! Raging headache, nausea and my powers wigging out.

I continue to fight, now swinging the pickaxe around to knock heads. I’d be lying if I said that fear isn’t rising inside me as the horde closes in, seeming hellbent on attacking me. It was like I was a light and these bastards were the moths. I scream in rage as I swing and blast. I’m not gonna let these fuckers cut my life short, not here. Not like this!!

CRASH!!!

The sound of a rail-system collapsing and a burst of RFE grabs the attention of the fuckers long enough to me to get my barings straight again and hit the crowds with a couple of Alpha Blasts, my powers weren’t behaving right, trying to do more was making me dizzy, but I at least made myself breathing room. Shaking my head, I go back to swinging. Arcing hits rip into the bodies of the shambling horde and weaken them, but they don’t seem to drop.

I growl to myself when I hear a loud burst and see glowing shrapnel rip into a few of the things, tearing their bodies apart and I see a plume of shimmering smoke dart around and make its way towards me. Well I’ll be damned, the bird came back.

With rapid firing bursts of smoke and slag, she rushes in to join me in the clearing I made and assists in making it bigger with more shotgun shards tearing through the bodies.

"What happened to "leaving my ass?"" I sneer as I fire off a volley of Alpha bolts at the crowd. She turns to me and gives me a hot iron glare.

"Can it, bug-zapper." She snaps. “I hate you and you’re an absolute cockwomble asshole, but we came in here as a team, we’re leaving as one.” She takes her pickaxe and buries it into the head of a lunging husk.

"Awww, well ain’t you a peach." I scoff as we move back to back, surrounded by the horde, but we both see a way out and we both know what we need to do.

"Shut it and aim for the head!!" Kestrel snarls at me. I roll my eyes, but she doesn’t need to tell me twice.

We nod to each-other before slag and sparks start flying and pickaxes start swinging. The bird’s got one hell of a swing, I’ll give her that. She darts and dashes around in the same flighty and dancey patterns that I remember from when I chased her, but there was a shift in her style. She’d put her hand in a monster’s face before unleashing a barrage of slag shards, completely obliterating the head before she leaps off and buries the tip of the tool into the brain case of another. Her eyes glowing hot and her annoyed expression slowly twisting to a grin.

My own pickaxe whistles as I run up the body of one of the things and slam the tip into the head of the fucker, using my strength to fling the stuck husk into a small grouping in the horde, causing them to fall over. A couple of Skull bolts light up the air with crimson sparks as heads explode and those unlucky enough to not get popped get their heads crushed underfoot or under spike. My own face curling into a sadistic smile as I impale one of the fuckers square between the eyes and send volts straight into the brain.

We slowly made our way towards the exit, grace and power fueled by brutality as charred bodies and bloody gore fly. Kestrel watching my back and I watching hers. Making short work of the waves. The fuckers put up a fight, their claws rip into our skin and we got hit a few times more than we’d like, ripping clothes and tearing flesh. The more we fight, the more they come, like piranhas to the scent of blood.

“Got any ideas, birdie?” I shout as I fry a husk. “These bastards just keep coming!”

“Jesus Christ, this is a full blown nest!” Kestrel exclaims as she curbstomps a fucker on the ground. “We’re gonna have to blow up the entrance and cave the place in to keep the fuckers from following us!”

“And how are we gonna do that?” I retort to her and I see her point at a large cluster of shards.

“Shoot that.” She states matter-of-factly before she yelps, getting hit in the side by a husk. She grabs its head and cooks it before throwing it into his buddy that was trying to jump me. “You recovered enough from the botched drain to turn loose one of those missiles?” She asks and I give a quick nod. It will do a number on me, but I can do it.

“Count of three, I shoot, we run?” I ask as I watch Kestrel charge up a strong burst of her own.

“Yeah, Count of three, you shoot, I blast, we run.” She confirms with a nod. Back to back once again, we aim at our respective targets.

3…. 2…. 1…..

I fire off an Alpha Rocket at the shard cluster and the bird unleashes a large volley of shards that rip into anyone poor fucker in the way, making a clearing for us to run.

The mine starts to rumble and shake, causing the horde to scream in rage and panic. We both stumble from the shaking, but we waste no time in making a bee-line to the exit, dodging falling rubble and debris all the while. It isn’t long until we emerge from the darkness and into the fading light of day.

Seeing the jeep and Pangolin was a sight for sore eyes as the two of us scramble into the jeep. Pangolin looks at us questioningly, looks like he was in the middle of making a call.

“Kestrel? Cole?” He questions. “I was about to-”

“DRIVE!” Kestrel barks, interrupting her friend. He looked like he was about to scold her, but when he saw the dust being kicked up by the collapsing tunnels, he held his tongue and floored it. The rapid acceleration jostling the two of us around before we got settled in and buckled up.

Panting, I lay back in my seat and I see Kestrel burying her head into the back of the driver’s seat. We were both wiped out and I know I have so many more questions to ask, but I have a feeling that I may get to ask them soon.

I turn my head to face the horizon and relax at the sight of the sunset colors. There’s a high likelihood that Pangolin might stop to set up camp when we lose all the daylight, but I don’t care. Camp means rest, rest means I can try and sleep off the remainder of this.. I don’t even know what the fuck it is.

There is one thing I can take some solace in, that ordeal is over and now I’m one step closer to getting my new toy. A smirk twitches on my face at the thought as now Kestrel will have no choice but to make me my weapon after going through that hell.

After all, a deal is a deal.

[dominiquewritesthings]

Meet The Author

Hi everyone! I realized I never did a Meet the Author post, so I figured now would be a great time to introduce myself as I'm 3 months into using Ko-fi! LOL!

To come up with questions, I submitted my own and put a question box on my Instagram! Make sure you follow me, here! 

1. Is Dominique your real name? Yes! I used to go by Dee for a while in the Episode community, but now that I'm trying to branch out my work and become a professional, I use my real name. I still take my internet privacy very seriously (as you should, too), but I'm more comfortable with people knowing my real name and age. 

2. Are you in school? Yes, I am! I'm a freshman (first-year) in college pursuing my Undergraduate Degree in English and Literature Studies with a Concentration in Creative Writing, which is a long way of saying my major is Creative Writing. 

3. How did get into writing? I had always written stories when I was a kid for fun. Then, I stumbled upon Episode for a year, and realized in 2015 I could write on the app, and since then I've been writing interactive fiction on Episode. And for Wattpad, I started writing there in 2017. 

4. What is the most difficult part of your writing process? I would say the coding involved in Episode and proofreading is the hardest part! Proofreading an Episode Chapter is difficult because it's not set up like an essay, short story, or novel. The coding aspects make it difficult to proofread, so I typically read it in the app. This helps me proofread my coding at the same time! 

5. How many books have you written and which one is your favorite? I've written 10 stories on Episode and 2 stories on Wattpad! And of course, while I'm writing Magic Prep, I have one I'm working on in the background (Iconic Members know)! My favorite would most likely be Lovely Belated! I'm so proud of writing that one and going against the grain. The story was about self-acceptance, and not getting with the love interest. It certainly ruffled some feathers but that was the goal of the entire story, so I'm happy I finished the ending no matter how controversial it was. And it's my first featured story so it's extra special to me! That being said I really love the new story I'm working on. The passion is too passionate.

6. Would you and your main character get along? Well, if you're talking about Londyn from Magic Prep... absolutely not! She tends to not know what's going on and I do for the most part, so that would get on my nerves quickly. Olive from The Other Half of Me would be difficult to get along with since she studies all the time and focuses a little too much on academics. 

7. What do you need in your writing space to stay focused? I need three things. Absolute silence. I am creating a symphony of words in my head so the slightest noise takes me out of it. A good drink. I usually drink a Matcha Latte, Iced Tea, or a Chai Latte because my coffee crashes come quickly and hits hard! And I need hype music. I need some kind of music that I've already listened to that's upbeat and fast-paced to keep me writing with the beat! 

8. What is the most valuable piece of advice you've been given about writing? You do not need to write every day to be good. You simply need to write often with the goal to improve every time. You may look at me and think that my writing is amazing, but I'm still improving. I decided to start writing more short stories to improve my descriptions because that's not my style. It's still not my style, but my descriptions have improved significantly! 

9. What books did you read growing up? I read a lot of Nancy Drew books and The Babysitters Club books! In fact, I read 130 different books from The Babysitters Club in elementary school. I also loved Dork Diaries. I'm planning on re-reading some of the books, so if you're an Iconic Member and want a book review let me know! 

10. What book (or books) are you currently reading? This is a doozy. At the time of writing this (October 18th, 2022) I am reading 4 books. Personally, I prefer reading one book at a time, but two of my classes in college require me to read a book, and I'm also in a book club. I'm currently reading A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin, All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I think I'll make a separate blog post to talk about each book that I'm reading and why, since I'm reading a lot right now! 

[doublegoblin]

I'd like to hear about . . .

💧Rain - What's the most emotional scene you've ever written?

☀️ Sun - What's your favorite part of your WIP?

🔥 Wildfire - Who is your most emotional character and why?

Well howdily doodily! I love a chance to speak about my baby Rituals and Red Tape

💧Rain - What's the most emotional scene you've ever written?

So I have a couple answers for this one. First I would say the one where I was the most emotional was in a story I posted during pride month about my two little husbands first meeting. All I'll say is that when i was writing it I was channeling the spirit of the Ur-14 year old crackfic writer (affectionate). As for the one with the most character emotions I'd have to say the biggish blow up Peter had in Rituals and Red Tape (whatever the most recent chapter I posted on here was lol I think 10).

I'll be a little sneaky and say the most emotional scene is still yet to come, and if I am able to build it up right...it's gonna be a doozy for everyone involved!

☀️ Sun - What's your favorite part of your WIP?

It's a toss up. On the one hand I am actually enjoying going back through the older chapters and getting them tonaly in line with the more recent stuff, expanding on stuff I put in as a place holder, and tweaking shit. I have a much clearer idea of what I want out of this. Also going through and seeing "Ope! I made some symbolism here I guess, gonna roll with it"

On the other hand, if we are talking about an actual part of scene; the big fight scene I had a couple chapters back with Alex Vs Giant Flesh lady. I found myself trying to action out the motions in real life (we have a squeegee we use to clean and I was trying to figure out how a giant hammer/mace would move using it). It was something I had been thinking about the entire lead up to it and I think it turned out really well!

That and the scene where Alex goes to speak with their boss Dave in his pocket dimension.

🔥 Wildfire - Who is your most emotional character and why?

Peter hands down. As for why? This dude is a fresh Dreamer like a freeeesh boy off the line. For a more literary reason, he is supposed to be a kind of foil for Alex (and maybe a tiiiiny audience stand it). A little scared barometer of the messed up horror aspects that Alex is so numb to at this point. And there is also a secret third thing that I won't talk about =P

thanks as always for the ask! Best of the day to ya and may writer's block not darken your door!

[onpancakesandmadmen]

What’s this? A war chapter impending? Song of the Nightingale readers better buckle up. We may have one more quiet chapter before the storm.

[breachverse]

Breach: Chicago War Zone - WIP Update 12 - 20th of November 2022

I did it, only took me a few sleepless nights a bunch of head scratching and begging for Ben to come back and help me fix Breach’s coding, but, I did it!

Breach: Chicago War Zone - 20th of November 2022 - WIP Update 12 has been released. Chapter 2 Part 1 for both routes is FINISHED! Finally, thank god, I can move on from that goddamn chapter… anyways, You may play it on the link below.

Breach: Chicago War Zone (Updated)

DEVELOPMENT LOG#12 (20-November-2022) (Public Testing)

(B2.1.1.22.11.20)

Alpha - 12

Fixes, patches, scripts and typos

Added chapter restart at the end of every chapter (Experimental)

Tweaked relationship scaling in both routes

Finished Chapter 2 Part 1 of The AA branch

Finished Chapter 2 Part 1 of The FBI branch

Very Easy difficulty now heals 2 wounds instead of 1

Tweaked available skill points to 120 spread across 3 days (40 each)

W.I.P.: Chapter 2 Part 2 of The AA branch (15%) W.I.P.: Chapter 2 Part 2 of The FBI branch (10) W.I.P.: AA Hangout (5%) W.I.P.: AA Store system (21%) W.I.P.: FBI Hangout (5) W.I.P.: FBI Store system (21%) W.I.P.: Stat screen upgrade COMPLETED: Chapter 2 Part 1 of The AA branch (100%) COMPLETED: Chapter 2 Part 1 of The FBI branch (100%)

Word Count: 593,471 words including codes (Last update was 544,114)

Been a crazy month for me, not sure how everyone else has been but, I've been very comfortable with this progress. That being said, I need to push myself, I need to get Breach finished soon so that it'll be released next year. That is my ultimate goal.

This update focuses mainly on finishing off the romance scenes in the Archangel route of Chapter 2 Part 1, as well as finishing up the last sequence of the FBI route, finally ending my work on Chapter 2 Part 1… finally. This whole chapter has been a doozy and working on it has had me questioning my own choice of making this game two whole different stories.

… May have my regrets, but I will continue this path and finish my story how I intend to.

Just, finally dawning on me how big of a project this is with just one person. Even if I still had Ben's help, this would definitely be a huge task for me to write two stories at the same time.

That being said, it's turning up great, and the upcoming chapter lets me ease up a bit since the routes will soon converge, before diverging again.

Which means, yes, meeting your old friends. Be it in the FBI route, or in the Archangel route.

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

Link to the CoG Forums post

I also have a Discord server!

[ashkazora]

Destroy them all, the power whispered. And Lance obeyed.

A small drawing I did a couple months back for Chapter 9/10 of my fic, When It Rains, It Pours! I meant to post this when posting the chapter but uhhh, I may or may not have forgotten. Sorry about that lmao. Tumblr ruined the quality and colour whoops.

Anyways, keep your eyes peeled, because a new chapter of wirip is in the process of being edited right now! And this one? Well, it’s a doozy. 

[superbatdisasterblog]

FINALLY!!!

I have updated Unreasonable Love.

This chapter was a doozy, and I’m not particularly happy with it, but it needed to be DONE.

I hope it’s enjoyable! :)

Unreasonable Love, Chapter 10: The Truth

Please check rating and tags on ao3!

Summary: Clark learns a lot from the ship, and a goo monster may be the turning point.

Excerpt:

The key lingers on his coffee table over the next several days. He goes to work, and when he comes back in the evenings it’s sitting there, taunting him. And on the third day of being haunted by the stupid thing, Clark sits down in front of it and glares. The thought has been simmering to life slowly, and he lets himself finally think it:

He could install it.

He could build a place. Just a fortress. Somewhere in a forested area. Somewhere remote, and calm, and untouched by the world. It would be useless for him, given his…health. But Bruce could use it. Heart jumping up a notch, Clark stands.

There’s an idea.

He could give it to Bruce. If anyone could use a calm oasis— a secure fortress away from the rest of the world— it’s Bruce. And that hungry, desperate voice in the back of his head groans with desire at the thought of Bruce, safe in his fortress—

No. No, it won’t be his. It will be Bruce’s. He’ll make it for Bruce.

Licking his lips, Clark makes his decision. In less than five seconds he’s back in his suit with the key carefully tucked into his sleeve, and then he’s floating out of his apartment and up into the atmosphere.

[thegreatobsesso]

Characters Out of Context

THANK YOU @avrablake I LOVE THIS ONE!

Rules:

Include one character quote — of your choosing ⁠— from each chapter of your WIP (or as many chapters as you’d like).

Give absolutely no context, save for what’s between two parts of an  interrupted sentence, should that occur. You may mention who said it.

Have fun, no pressure!

Obviously I’m going with Callie, as if there was ever any question. I’ll take it all the way through book/part I. :) There’s a couple doozies in here, be forewarned, haha.

Chapter 1

“Are your guard dogs gonna keep this a secret, hmm? The cops must be on their way. You know you shouldn’t be alone with me, naughty boy.”

Chapter 2

“You know you shouldn’t trust strangers, right?”

Chapter 3

“Oh gosh. So sorry, ma’am, I’ll just-”

Chapter 4

“I am so close, and I won’t let you stop me. If you try again, I will kill you.”

Chapter 5

“I did it because I already have more power than any living magician in the world and I want more. I did it because I’m above him, and above you. I’m more. I’m special.”

Chapter 6

“You have to forgive me, your honor, it’s been a tiring couple days. But I totally did it, hundred percent, guilty of murder in the first degree.”

Chapter 7

“I like kissing people. I like having sex with people. I don’t care if they’re interested in me, so long as they’re interested by me. Last thing I wanna be is boring.”

Chapter 8

“So, every run-of-the-mill idiot gets to have their own cozy chat with the warden before they’re sent off to gen-pop?”

Chapter 9 

“Well, obviously, you’ve never fucked a telepath.”

Chapter 10

"And here I was, thinking we were friends."

Chapter 11

“No, go on. It’s bad for you to keep your feelings all bottled up, babe. Speak your truth.”

Chapter 12

“Give it back.”

Chapter 13

“Oh. Of course. I’ll hitch up my safari boots and get right on that. Shit, Anka, we’re in supermax, if you haven’t noticed. And why in the world would I care about some dusty old piece of shit buried in a cave that probably doesn’t even do anything?”

Chapter 14

“Hey, check it out, everybody! I’ve gone insane, and I’m gonna kill this girl for no reason unless Warden Prescott jumps out of a cake and gives me a lap dance!”

Chapter 15

[My god, Callie doesn’t speak in this one, haha]

Chapter 16

“Eat a metric ton of shit, you fucking sex predator.”

Chapter 17

“Hey, c’mere. I need something. Listen. I need one that tastes like, like what it feels like when there’s a flash of lightning, but right before the thunder, and like, you just know it’s gonna be so loud when it happens, but it hasn’t happened yet. Make me one that tastes like that.”

Chapter 18

“Oh, sorry. I was just enjoying the sight of the super villain herself without a plan.”

Chapter 19

“Right, you little bitch. I need you to work for me. No more fucking around. Please open.”

Chapter 20

“Magicians love old-looking shiny shit. A building dedicated to the preservation of the world’s biggest collection of old-looking shiny shit-pieces’ll be protected by keys, guaranteed.”

Chapter 21

[No Callie!]

Chapter 22

“I’m sorry. I just really wanted to see the look on your face.”

Chapter 23

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Can we just… see each other tomorrow?”

Chapter 24

“Oh my God, you’re gorgeous when you’re angry. Fuck me for real this time. I’ll be me and you be you, please, Riley, I want you.”

Chapter 25

“I’m gonna show you what it’s like to fly.”

Chapter 26

[No Callie dialogue 😳]

Chapter 27

“Take her.”

Chapter 28

[No Callie!]

Chapter 29

“If you were as shitty as me you’d do the same. All of you would. You don’t know. You can’t. You don’t know what it’s like to be this way.”

AHHHH THIS WAS SO FUN! I enjoyed this retrospective of Callie lines so much I don’t even have words. I tag @pandawriterstuff, @the-orangeauthor, @winterandwords, @blind-the-winds and @dontjudgemeimawriter to post as many quotes as they want, no need to go ape shit like I did!!! (unless u wanna!!!) 

[madswonders]

A Lesson In Romance #10: Thoughts

Spencer Reid x Fem!BAU!Reader

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: Implied anxiety, Mentions of canon-typical violence

Word Count: 2.5k

Plot: Reader keeps getting caught in rom-com situations with Spencer Reid. This time, they're paired together on a case.

A/N: I know that the BAU's conference room has big-ass glass windows but just imagine that the blinds are closed for the entirety of this chapter aha. Also this chapter is a doozy... like 1k words longer than usual, so enjoy!

Masterlist | All chapters here!

---------

As Peter Gizzi once described the phenomena of love, "About you there is nothing I wouldn’t want to know / With you nothing is simple yet nothing is simpler."

In high school, your reputation always preceded you. The cynic that never had a boyfriend, much less a drunken one-night stand; a prude who waited over ten dates to have her first kiss; or the "ice queen" who kept her emotions locked up and threw away the key.

If they saw you now, you wondered if they would laugh at how you've changed; because these days, you looked like you were keeping the best secret in the world, one that threatened to burst from your lips every time you smiled.

What you didn’t know, is that you didn't need to be a profiler to see it. From the bubbling laughter and whispered conversations, to the not-so-secret longing glances. You and Spencer disappeared into your own world when you were together, and everybody knew it.

And for the first few weeks, that was enough. You found it easier than usual to ignore the thoughts that lurked in the back of your mind. That is, until you couldn't.

"... I want you and Spencer to work on the geographic profile." Hotch had announced, and you remembered the feeling of your blood running cold.

There were two reasons for this. First was the fact that this case linked twenty homicides across three years to a single unsub. If there was any case that required the two nerdiest members of the BAU to team up, this was it.

Unfortunately, that fact was closely followed by an overwhelming fear — and you wanted to preface this by saying that you were usually a woman of logic and science — but, somehow, you couldn't shake the thought that something bad was going to happen to you and Spencer, and you weren't ready for it.

Leaning against the cool conference room wall, you tapped your toes in an impatient rhythm against the carpeted floor. You were trying to recite what you learned from your PhD; that your mind was jumping to conclusions and that it was normal to be nervous. It was normal to feel this way. You were normal.

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked, jolting you out of your mantra.

You realised your boyfriend had been talking to you for awhile now, but clearly, you weren't listening. You shook your head apologetically.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. Could you say that again?"

"I was just saying, you can start by pinning the names and locations of the victims, and I'll put up the crime scene photos... but are you sure you're okay?" He asked again, this time shooting you those puppy dog eyes that made you weak.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Let's get to work." You said firmly, grabbing the box of push pins. You felt his gaze linger on you for a second, before he began picking up his own stack of pictures.

The first hour sped by quickly as you and Spencer listed out all of the unsub’s possible motives and next victims. At the half hour mark, Hotch dropped in to check on your progress, bringing takeaway coffee and leaving with a rare smile.

At the second hour, the rest of the team returned with some new leads, and unfortunately, new bodies, but nothing that helped solidify the profile any further than what you already had.

At the fifth hour, there was no denying it. The team had hit a wall. While the rest of them were back in the field investigating more leads, you sipped on your second cup of coffee while staring at the evidence board. Spencer paced the room behind you.

"The messy dump sites. The carvings onto the victims' chests. One points to the unsub being disorganised and inexperienced, but the other is a clear, almost narcissistic ritual." The doctor thought aloud.

"Usually that means the unsub is trying to make a statement, but he killed his first ten victims before the police found out, then killed another seven and three right under their noses before going dormant. If he wanted to make a statement, why wouldn't he tip off the police or media sooner?" He grumbled.

"Are we sure it's not a taunt to the local police’s competency? Many of his first victims were found in secluded areas with limited police support." You pointed out, tapping the edge of your cup in thought.

"No, the victimology and locations are too wide spread. A taunt would present a clearer message." He said.

You turned around suddenly, causing him to halt in his steps. "Here's something completely off the wall — but what if the unsub was trying to achieve a specific pattern with his kills?" You said, gesturing with your cup.

Tap, tap-tap, tap, you created the rhythm with your finger.

"That would explain why he isn't acting like a narcissist. Maybe he's suffering a mental condition that compels him to complete a certain pattern, and subsequently, ritual with his kills. Could be rhythmical, musical, numerical..." You explained.

"Numerical. That's it!" Spencer squeaked, rushing to the board with a marker. "I thought these numbers seemed familiar earlier, that's because they make up prime numbers!"

He backed away from the board to reveal what he wrote. The numbers 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11. A lightbulb turned on in your head.

"2, 3 and 5 make up the first ten kills. 7 is the next, which he managed to complete perfectly, but something happened to the unsub at 11." Spencer voiced your thoughts.

"He might have been incarcerated, or injured. But we can't rule out the possibility that he might have moved out of town and resumed the pattern elsewhere. So either we can expect 8 more victims here, or the unsub has already moved onto the next number: 13." You quickly finished the train of thought.

"Love, you're a genius!" Spencer rushed over to pick you up by the waist, twirling you as you laughed in relief. But the relief turned to surprise when he kissed you deeply.

God, he was good at this. Even when your feet touched the ground, it felt like you were seeing stars. Though it was only when your lips parted that he had the decency to blush.

"Love?" You breathed.

Spencer's cheeks turned crimson in embarrassment, but he didn't back away. Instead, he leaned forward, bumping your foreheads together gently.

"I didn't know you had that in you, doctor." You teased.

"Well, my mother did school me in classic romance literature from a young age. Not to mention, I happen to be a genius at most things..." You could hear the smile in his voice, and you giggled.

The doctor pulled away then, an adoring smile still plastered across his face. "Are you fee—" He began, but his voice died in his throat as his gaze fixated on something behind you.

"Ooooh, am I interrupting something?" You turned around to see none other than Penelope smiling coyly from the doorway, and the two of you jumped apart.

"N-no, nothing!" Spencer blurted out.

"All fine and dandy here." You added on, blushing furiously.

The tech analyst smiled deviously. "Well, I thought I'd come and check on my two favourite lovebirds. Anything else from the case for me to chew on? Except whatever that was earlier." She teased.

"Actually, there is." You cleared your throat awkwardly, while the good doctor looked like he wanted to melt into the carpet.

"We need you to search up murders in neighbouring cities that match the mutilation by our unsub, then cross-reference the time frame with any new residents. We suspect he might be trying to complete a pattern, and that he may have done it somewhere other than here." You said.

"On it, future-Mrs-Genius. I will get back to you so fast that you won't even have time to get down and dirty." She half-yelled that last bit, heels clicking as she walked back to her office. Before you could even formulate a response, she was gone.

You felt your boyfriend wrap his arms around you from the back. "Now, where were we?" He whispered.

You giggled, leaning back into the doctor's chest while he rocked your bodies side to side. "Are you feeling better now?" He asked.

"Next time someone says it's not as intense in here as it is out there, I'm going to give them a stern talking to." You joked.

"You know what I mean, love." Spencer reiterated gently, the pet name falling from his lips like it was the most natural thing in the world. "If you tell me about it, I can help you. You know I'm always here for you."

You sighed softly, blinking back tears that threatened to spill.

"It's something stupid. I-I'm fine."

He turned you around, brows furrowing in concern when a tear rolled down your cheek. "What's wrong?" He asked, wiping it away tenderly.

"I— I was worried about us working together." You admitted. "And it's not because I don't like working with you, but I just— I just couldn't—"

"Take a deep breath, love. Slowly." He held your shoulders as you breathed in and out, once, twice.

"I've been afraid this whole day — no, for awhile now — that something was going to happen to our relationship." You confessed shakily. "And it's not about our jobs — although I worry about that too — but I'm scared that one day you'll wake up and realise that I'm not worth the trouble."

You looked up at the ceiling, trying to stop the next wave of tears.

"A-and it's only gotten worse because I've never been so h-happy with another person before. Only you've made me feel this way, and I'm t-terrified that I'll lose what we have."

There was a brief silence as Spencer pulled you close to his chest, one hand stroking your hair carefully. You could hear his heart beating fast.

"Do you remember when the team tricked us into sharing a bed?" He whispered, a hint of a smile trickling into his voice. "I think about it every single time we're about to go into the field. Because you said you'd never leave me, and now, whenever we're out there, I know I'm not alone."

He breathed in deeply, your head gently rising and falling together with his chest.

"You've given me someone to come home to, love. What we have, you'll never lose it, okay?" He whispered.

"Baby, I—" Your voice halted. Crap.

"Wait. Baby?" Spencer repeated back to you, a teasing lilt in his voice. Your face flushed, and you unwinded your arms from your boyfriend to cover your face.

"Oh god, can we pretend that didn't just happen?"

"I have an eidetic memory." He pointed out. You let out a watery laugh, knowing when you had lost.

"Alright, alright. But I do have another ide—"

Then, the conference room phone rang. It was Emily. "Hey guys, Garcia managed to narrow down the unsub and we're 10 out, but we'll need some back-up."

"Be there in 15." You replied, while Spencer shot you an amused look, Luckily, he waited for the call to end before saying the next words.

"Let's go, baby." He wiggled his eyebrows.

You rolled your eyes and laughed, already strapping on your kevlar. "That's it. You're not driving."

"Aww!"

---------

After the major breakthrough in the case — all thanks to Nerd 1 and Nerd 2, as Derek fondly called the two of you — the case managed to wrap up neatly and the BAU found themselves in a rare position. Ready to end the work day, on time.

Not that anybody was packing up to leave just yet, although you wished they would, because Penelope had decided to start enthusiastically retelling how she found the BAU's resident lovebirds in the conference room, unable to keep their hands off each other.

"Last I heard, pet names aren't a crime — and how long were you standing there anyway?" You accused, blushing.

"Firstly, they are. Criminally cute, that is!" Penelope squealed, while the rest were in fits of laughter. "And secondly, you should never underestimate my awesome ninja abilities, because I heard everything that I needed to hear."

"Do I even want to know?" Spencers winced.

"I don't think you do, pretty boy." Derek laughed, clapping the genius on the back.

"Wait, wait, wait. Can we go back to how Spencer's pet name of choice is love?" Emily gasped in laughter.

"You've got to admit it's kind of cute, Emily." JJ smiled.

"Sure. If you're courting Mr. Darcy and attending cotillions."

"C'mon, Prentiss. All that means is that our boy's got style." Derek added to laughter, while Spencer whined in protest.

The door to Hotch's office opened suddenly, both him and Rossi stepping out with expressions of urgency on their faces.

“Sorry to break up the fun, kiddos. But there's been an update to the case.” Rossi announced, following right behind Hotch to the conference room.

The laughs were wiped off everybody's faces as you traded concerned looks. As you filed into the room, Hotch had already begun speaking.

“Another body was found half an hour ago. Same MO, same random victimology, and same kind of dumpsite. And the unsub just told us where to find his copycat.”

“Wait, we never profiled a second unsub.” Derek interjected.

"It doesn't makes sense — the first unsub is a control freak. He didn't like the idea of anybody messing with his sequence. Wouldn't he have done something if he knew somebody else was copying his pattern?" You asked.

"We profiled that he wouldn't be able to deviate from his pattern. What if he had to continue, even when somebody else was committing some of the crimes for him?" Spencer countered.

“Hold on, you said the unsub gave us a location?” Emily asked.

"And a time." Rossi voiced up. “8pm tonight at The Basil. The first unsub claims that's where the copycat finds his next targets."

"How do we know if we can trust him?" Derek asked.

"We don't. But he didn't display any telltale signs of doubt when he told us, and this is the only lead we have." Hotch's frown deepened. You had a feeling he didn't like the idea of this either, but the team didn't have a choice.

"Okay, if we're doing this, he can't know we're onto him," Emily thought aloud, "and we'll need precautions in case it's a trap. That means..."

"Undercover agents... and the bait." Hotch said with finality.

“And who did you have in mind for that?” You piped up, and everyone turned their eyes to you.

“You and Reid.” He stated the obvious.

“B-b-but, I’ve never gone—"

“You’ve more than proven your abilities in the field since you joined us, and having natural chemistry will make it less suspicious to the unsub.”

You opened your mouth, but no words fell from it. Hotch was right. Of course he was right.

As if hearing your thoughts, Spencer took your hand in his and squeezed, and you felt a little calmer already. “Ok, I’ll do it.” You said determinedly, while the doctor echoed your sentiment.

Hotch nodded, beginning to assign roles to the rest of the team while you squeezed your boyfriend's hand tighter, a new mantra forming in your head.

Everything is going to be okay. Everything will be okay.

----------

Tag List:

@blue-space-porgs @nobutalsoyes @lady-loves-a-lot @queen-flower @agentcarterisgay @totalmess191 @sapphic-prentiss @oops-all-ajs @spottedzebrasinpartyhats @mellowalieneggsknight @kenny-0909 || @averyhotchner @amesandpineapples @willowrose99

[her-reidiance]

op!! thoughts on the new arknights episode 10 coming out?

Extremely excited! I have been enthralled with Arknights' story ever since I started playing at the beginning of this year. Caught up with chapter 9 last month and I am absolutely on board with both the Reunion Mk. II storyline and what's going on with Reed, as well as learning more about Kazdel.

I don't actually keep abreast of much in the CN server aside the upcoming Operators to save for so I don't know any of the plot coming for us but I'm excited to see Heidi again as well as Horn! I loved her in Chapter 9, and I wish I could roll for her and try to get Bagpipe but unfortunately... the next banner is too much of a doozy to pass up...

The only thing is that with the exception of Reed and her... family? I'm not quite as invested in the villains yet. Obviously the likes of Talulah et al had multiple chapters to be built up and these guys have only had the one so far but I suppose I just don't quite feel the mystique for Mandragora or... the other one I forgot her name compared to Skullshatterer or... *choking sob* Frostnova...

Still! Episode 10, in about 30 hours! How exciting! I hope you are as excited as I am! I may even try to live blog some of my reactions and thoughts...♡ (if I don't get too overwhelmed)