#Chapter 10 may be a doozy

[iaus]

so. the nature of epilogue made it really hard to hammer home the fact that. while porter did care about jace he was pulling strings. he was lining jace up to be his perfect little pet sorcerer.

and part of it i think is that i had to cut porter's reaction/discovery of jace's spell thiefing (which is a homebrew boss mechanic i made specifically for jace... and will be borrowing)

eli. if you read this i'm doing bad things to your new adopted wyrmling.

also i go over some mechanical stuff that... justifies jace to me. if you don't wanna read that skip to the giant ANYWAY.

and also. this post. is a doozy and i cannot tell how coherent it is tbh. so uh. if you read the whole thing. i love you.

first thing's first. this "stealing" that jace does was literally me saying fuck rules as written i HATE rules as written i want jace to have cool powers that porter would have IMMEDIATELY been interested in and wanted under his control.

the long and short i have jace as a level 20 divine sorcerer with a unique action that i have crafted. just for him. because if he's not porter's specialest sorcerer he's mine.

Spell Thief 3/Long Rest

You harness the source of your magic and use it to rip a spell from the Weave itself. This is considered extremely dangerous to you and those around you. You do not require components for the spell you steal, unless using this to resurrect a dead creature. The spell you steal does not have to be from your class list but 1) cannot be a spell you currently know 2) cannot be a spell higher than your casting level. (For example, a 5th level caster cannot use this to manifest the Wish spell.) With DM’s discretion, you can use this to steal higher level spells, but this may incur grievous consequences. The first time you use this feature priming the spell is a DC [10+Spell Level] spell check. Upon each success or failure, the DC raises by 5+Spell Level. To use this feature, roll a primer check [1d20 +Spell Casting Modifier +Proficiency] to see if you can manifest the spell. Whether the spell is successfully stolen or not, roll a CON saving throw at the end of your turn to determine the cost of your spell. Use the table provided below to determine the price.

i won't put the table in but the consequences vary from everyone around you has to roll a dex saving throw or take take [Spell Level Summoned] d20 + [Spell Level Summoned] force damage (the sorcerer always fails this save) to you can never cast the spell you stole again to you permanently lose spell slots to there are actually no physical draw backs (20+ save).

so as you can see this is a pretty fucking powerful ability. i'm going to be using it for a boss fight later in my campaign.

but anyway. giving jace this ability automatically makes him interesting to porter. it gives porter a reason to actually pursue jace (besides finding him attractive because i find porter being desperately attracted to jace so funny all the time, sorry man).

ANYWAY.

the (multiple) cut scene(s) i have from chapter 11 is one that gives a lot more detail to porter first bringing up that he knows about what happened to jace in college. but. due to how epilogue is written and presented it was JANKY. like it did not mesh well at all there was no reason for jace to think about what happened in college even IF it was a flashback with porter. the other thought was to have jace pass out after using his spell thief ability and to have a dream about rage!porter we saw in the finale.

this also felt janky and i didn't want to do any more dream scenes after chapter 6.

but this leads to these two cut instances of porter (in their first year of hooking up, because. though they don't really gel imo my first fic does lead into/happen in the same universe). i'm gonna put both of them here to kinda see what i was working with and to show why this ultimately got cut.

version 1 (scene that got cut quickly because the tone didn't match):

Jace had hummed, thought to say something snippy like speak for yourself, but stayed quiet and let himself relax in Porter’s hands. He wasn’t sure how long they had sat like that before Porter ruined it by saying, “Wanted to ask you something.” The memory of the incident—as Jace had taken to calling it during his later years at Aguefort—was fuzzy at best. The campus police reports filed were much more detailed. He had told Porter as much at the time, mood souring as he pulled back. “If you’re that fucking curious just pull up the paperwork. It’s easy enough to find. Especially since you’re a fucking adventurer.” “Hold on—we don’t have to talk about it.” Porter had sounded remorseful. As if he actually regretted upsetting Jace. He still pulled back. The blue and white snowflakes illuminated a dark look on Porter’s face. “Listen—” “I need to go home.” “Let me drive you.”

and version 2 (which almost made it into the final draft):

This—whatever volatile, greedy thing inside him made it possible to do this—it seemed no one could take it from him. Porter had asked him about it once that first year they knew each other—had tried to play sweet at the Moonar Yulenear party and told Jace he had wanted his help on a faculty adventuring quest over the break. You were flagged when I tried to add you to the roster, Porter had said with a frown, said you were… what was the list called. Jace had left the party—drove home tipsy and ignored Porter’s calls and messages for the next three days. He’d been intent on ignoring Porter the entire break until he showed up at Jace’s townhouse with a coffee and breakfast sandwiches. Didn’t think you were gonna be rid of me for three weeks, did you? He’d been charmed. And Porter didn’t ask about the list again.

i am kind of disappointed that this ultimately was decided to be not.... jace enough to make it into the final draft but. what i'm about to say is going to reveal WHY it could not make it into the final draft:

porter, to me, is a little too... overt. almost creepy in theses scenes (which i was angling for). but for the context of epilogue where jace is romanticizing and pining for this idealized porter he has in his head... it didn't work.

this is porter angling to get something from jace. he's fishing for information about what jace did in college and whether jace felt remorse over it or not, he shuts it down and porter then has a reaction to it. in version 1 even jace manages to notice a "dark look" and this is in their first year of being a situationship!

this is a little peek into what epilogue porter actually was. it's really hard to get a read on him in epilogue since he is a memory/ghost for the entire story and we are viewing him in this hopeless, searching for meaning jace who cannot see himself without this man who has abused, used, and killed him. he is coping by only remembering the good things about porter-- he is seeing porter as a man who loved him so much he had to kill him, who wanted jace so much that he was doomed to never leave.

it's what he's always wanted-- no one has ever wanted him like this, chased him like this. but the problem is we can't see porter's thoughts in this. as author of this horrid little universe i know the approximate truth that these two unreliable men hold for each other and i can say that i do think porter loves jace. he sees it as love, but there's a lot of dark shit. a lot of isolating, patronizing, possessive unhealthy ownership happening that makes it, imo, inevitable for jace to break down the way he does.

he doesn't want the reader to see that in epilogue though.

he wants to frame this as a i need to get back the only person in my life who loves and gives a shit about me.

but in his need to do this, he glosses over really dark shit about porter and their relationship.

to continue that version 1 scene a little:

Porter rubbed the curve of his hip and smiled indulgently. “C’mon, Jace. I’m being a considerate coworker.” That had made it worse, somehow. “Sober me up. You do it all the time.” “Tapped out—some of the seniors got rowdy last period.” Jace rolled his eyes. “Fine. Take me home. One condition.” Porter hummed, still rubbing circles along Jace’s hip. “No. Asking me about.” He waved his hands vaguely. Porter had agreed, then stood and tucked Jace under his arm. Told everyone they passed: Stardiamond’s cut off. Just looking out for him. “You,” Jace had announced as Porter fiddled with the climate control. “Did that on purpose.” Porter grinned at him. “It’s winter break. Everyone will forget about it.”

[...]

“It was an accident,” Jace finally said, head feeling unfortunately clearer. He recognized the streets. They weren’t going downtown; they were still in Tillering—winding the streets to Porter’s house. “It was… like a wild magic surge.” Porter had stayed quiet, keeping his eyes on the road. Snow was finally beginning to fall (what a strange detail to remember so clearly). Despite the empty roads, Porter signaled his turn and as he was slowly easing onto his street he finally spoke: “Didn’t think you were that kind of sorcerer.” “I’m not.”

i think this is a perfect example of the kind of read flags jace was ignoring and the kind of red flags he wouldn't want in his narrative. (there's a reason this scene is cut.)

porter does a few notable things here, right:

ignores jace's boundaries- jace puts distance between them. porter ignores it and grabs him. intimately. and continues the contact.

porter tells everyone he's taking jace home. something jace doesn't want (especially since this would be like 5 months into them fooling around.)

he then, instead of taking jace to his townhome, takes jace to his own house. when he knew jace didn't want to go there.

like. jace doesn't react to these- he sees them as flattering in a way. but it's bad. porter starts this shit early and it doesn't stop. jace just doesn't tell us about it in epilogue because he doesn't deem it good enough for his narrative of the man who wanted him so bad he was willing to sacrifice him and bringing him back all wrong.

also... in chapter 6 jace does give the tiniest nod to porter and this whole college situation but it never comes up again because jace doesn't think it's important outside of his dream:

How strange to think that Porter had known about that in this moment. Had that been what made Porter pick him?

he knows porter knew about his spell thief ability. we just don't get to understand it until much later.

THIS LITERALLY WENT NOWHERE I'M SORRY. but let me leave you with a cut bit that almost made it into the final draft and that i now regret cutting, but hope you can see why i felt it necessary to cut:

He wonders. Would Porter have been excited at the prospect of Jace’s talents if he had told him that night? Would he have asked in hushed tones if Jace could still do that. Could he still steal magic—rip spells that weren’t his out of the weave itself? Would Jace have seen earlier the way Porter might have wanted to use him? Porter had never been shy about saying how he loved Jace’s magic—loved watching him use it, loved how powerful he knew Jace would be. I’ll make you more than you are, Porter had whispered in his ear one night as he pressed Jace into the mattress. Imagine it, pet. Jace stares at the spot of blood on his carpet—aware of the ache in his bones, the blood under his fingernails and wonders, faintly: Did Porter ever want him? Was it always his magic? Did it matter? He thinks. Porter had felt so inevitable. Does it matter? He gets up. There’s one way to find out.

[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.

[river-muse]

“Okay so because you put Mundus on ice your way out of the Underworld’s not going to be there much longer, and neither is the island. If you don’t want to sleep with the fish then get moving!” Griffon rushes his words.

-

New chapter! A bit shorter than previous ones but this is- this one's a doozy.

[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.

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Link to the CoG Forums post

I also have a Discord server!

[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.

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

Chapter 10 - My Sheep Hear my Voice   

Fandom: Far Cry 5, Far Cry (Video Games) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge/John Seed, Female Deputy | Judge/Jacob Seed, Deputy | Judge/John Seed, Deputy | Judge/Jacob Seed Characters: Deputy | Judge (Far Cry), Female Deputy | Judge (Far Cry), Joseph Seed, Cameron Burke, Earl Whitehorse, Mary May Fairgrave, Nick Rye, Kim Rye, Boomer (Far Cry), Grace Armstrong, Jerome Jeffries, John Seed, Faith Seed, Tracey Lader, Virgil Minkler, Hurk Drubman Jr., Sharky Boshaw, Adelaide Drubman, Joey Hudson Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Religious Fanaticism, Religious Cults, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Swearing, Torture, Unhealthy Relationships, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Animal Attack, Peggies Get What is Coming to Them, Threats, Threats of Violence, The Seeds are Their Own Warning, Stabbing, Knives, Guns, Shooting Guns, Shooting, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Hallucinations, Sexual Humor, Sexually Suggestive Dialogue, Kidnapping, Villain Kissing, Kit is so Very Tired, Logic Has Gone Out The Window, John Being an Obsessed Weirdo, Joey Has No Time For John's Crap Summary:

This one is quite the doozy, my longest chapter to date coming in at 10,114 words. But there was lots to deal with before Kit's story really starts hitting the meat of it.

In this chapter, Kit heads into the Henbane, gets herself a new Fang for Hire, and falls into the Bliss once again. She also has another fun little meeting with the Baptist because he just can't leave the poor woman alone.

[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.

[paodocinh]

A small analysis on 3 'Can't You See Me?' Characters: Giselle, Six, Mono.

TW: Mentions of alcohol abuse, hospitals/pills y etc, blood?, religion, traumas.

Small context: This is me elaborating a bit on my thought process in a few characters of my Little Nightmares AU. It is on Ao3, with 10 chapters, and you can find it in my pinned post!

> Giselle.

I have yet to make her character sheet — But one thing about Giselle:

She doesn't have a set nationality. The thing about nationalities in CYSM is that they don't exactly interfere on the character's plots, but they help to bring in more depth to their designs through actual real-life cultures that they'd be a part of, or are inspired by, if the countries said cultures are a part of even existed in CYSM.

In a technical level, they do, but not explicitly —A Brazillian-inspired place isn't going to be called Brazil but readers would eventually find out it is basically the in-universe Brazil equivalent ig

So, with Giselle: She doensn't have a set nationality.

Giselle's nationality is a mystery because i personally thought it'd be cool if the girl who worships a alien god from somewhere from outer space, also decided to keep her roots hidden — It makes her more similar to her god and more mysterious in a way.

However, she's highly inspired by vampires and Rosaria from Genshin Impact.

Giselle is a character that's very in line with toxic religion — not a specific one in mind, but just the obsessive faith one might have that they think they're entitled to something just because they believe on a certain god, even if the decisions they make around their faith might harm the people surrounding them, even if they don't hold the same beliefs.

I tend to be as light as possible on topics as these, to be honest — I don't think a Little Nightmares fanfiction is the place to discuss real-life serious issues, though with brevity and creativity, I think Giselle's concept/idea as a character works balances things out quite well — it doesn't go too deep on said topics but it also goes far enough for the storyline to progress while sending a message across.

> Six:

Okay so brace yourselves — Six is kind of a doozy.

Six is... well, she's a mix. I think she encapsulates well the aesthetic appeal of games like Silent Hill — when i think of Six, I think of something like that, believe it or not.

Blood splatters on the snow, cloudy skies on a windy day, open bottle pills — Six's personality and even her concept board(Sorry i can't show it :( Has spoilers) is very intertwined with hospital imagery. It could be because she herself feels ill, even if her own body is seemingly fine. There's a lot to Six, and obviously the themes of lost childhood are very present on her entire characterization in CYSM.

She looks like the kind of girl who'd stitch up creepy teddy bears and plush bunnies, the kind of girl who'd still play with and cherish her dolls even if she's past the age of playing with toys (perhaps once everything's normal again, she could become a collector?), and the kind of girl who enjoys cute and morbid things alike.

I think, if i had to choose a description for her — I'd probably call her a fallen angel or something along these lines. She has a unreal beauty and tragedy to her, and such a specific personality I often find myself having difficulty explaining how much thought went into her characterization with just words. She's much deeper than how I've written her so far.

Here's a small look into her pinterest board:

> Mono:

Mono, or also known as Mauricio — He's brazillian! — Is an artist. He's the definition of the word; a creative young man who isn't afraid to use his talents to change the world, the boy is afraid of life, but presses fowards even if he's terrified of what the future may hold for him. I mean, after nine years of doing nothing, it was about time he'd start exploring the world around him, yes?

And as he explores, he brings messages of hope and kindness for other survivors, through his art! Mono is the kind of relaxed, laid-back artist who enjoys scribbling in his notebook while drinking something, so he can eventually bring those drawings to life by replicating them on the walls everywhere he goes, may it be cities, broken houses, forgotten towns and village or even random rocks he finds in the wilderness — The world is his canvas, his home, and he's determined to try and fix it.

So it's not a surprise, as seen though his entire personality, that Mono is the kind of artist who enjoys making critics about the world they live in — He doesn't consider himself a hero, but he feels pride in sending the messages and criticism he believes the others need to hear.

hes also kind of a drunkard lmfao

(i couldn't find any credits for the art of the wolf on the print below, please tell me if you know so i can properly credit!)

[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!!!) 

[staceymcgillicuddy]

Holiday Break Day 8

Yesterday was one of those days where anxiety and depression collided and left me wallowing in a slime trail of negative self-talk and lethargy. This time last year I was in the midst of changing jobs, trying to figure out medication, and just so, so sad. This year, things are better, but not perfect, and I figure if I'm posting my accomplishments for accountability, I ought to be honest. Because, you know, sometimes you just fucking can't. So! Yesterday:

Write at least 1k on Soul chapter 14 I try to get one chapter a week written so I can stay ahead of my posting schedule, but this one is VERY long and VERY much a (fun) doozy so IDK, man. I just really don't want to get to a point where I'm trying to write and post a chapter the same week. I like some buffer. Which means I may have to skip a week, which gives me MORE anxiety. HOORAY!

Finish the counter sweep NOPE just a total mental block on getting this done in the kitchen

Go grocery shopping Yes but only because someone else was driving

Break down some of the boxes in the garage that have been sitting there for 6+ months because they are big and I am lazy, then put them in the recycling bin. The whole point of doing this was so that I could clean the garage today, but instead, I'm just going to focus on the boxes. If I can just do the boxes, then I'm going to feel accomplished. At least, that's what I'm telling my brain.

So, today:

Break down boxes. Stack them. The end.

Edit half of Soul chapter 10 so I can get it posted on Monday

If I can muster the energy to clear the counters in the kitchen, do that. If I can't, do not feel guilty about it.

[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)

[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!