#Lester Leaps Again

[kdo-three]

Kansas City Five featuring Lester Young - Lester Leaps Again (1944) (AKA Kansas City Five) (AKA Count Basie and His Kansas City Five) Buck Clayton (Wilbur Dorsey Clayton) from: "Lester Leaps Again" / "After Theatre Jump" (12" 78 RPM Shellac Single) and Various Compilations

Jazz | Kansas City Jazz

JukeHostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

Personnel: Lester Young: Tenor Saxophone "Prince Charming": Piano (AKA: William James Basie | AKA: Count Basie) Freddie Greene: Guitar Rodney Richardson: Double Bass Jo Jones: Drums

Produced by Harry Lim

Recorded: in New York City, New York USA on March 22, 1944

Released: 1944 Keynote Recordings Records

CD Compilation Released: 1993 Charly Records (Le Jazz Series)

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for Leap Year Day Thursday, February 29, 2024

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[creepswrites]

i've been dealing w/ a lot lately and wanted to write something nice so. enjoy.

SLASHERS w/ A GN! S/O WHO IS DEALING WITH DEPRESSION & ANXIETY

MICHAEL MYERS

"I just don't feel like doing anything..."

Michael gives you space if you ask for it but will still stand and watch you from the corner of the room

He's not the most outwardly affectionate person but you can tell he's worried when he comes over to squeeze your wrist once or twice

And you can tell he's worried sick when he points at the television as an invitation to watch a movie with him

He'll let you cuddle against him and he plays with your hands or hair and actually does hold you back

(It's not that he's NOT affectionate, just not usually like this)

The two of you can spend all day watching silly tv shows and movies to make you laugh

Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.

LESLIE VERNON

"Oh my god, Leslie, I think I'm having a panic attack."

Your hands are shaking so bad, you're sweating cold, and your vision is starting to get spotty as he hurries over to catch you

He rocks you through it, sits you down on the floor, and keeps you close to his chest while running his fingers down your arm or through you hair

Leslie's voice is soft and grounding as he tries to talk you back down

When you're finally able to breath again, you break down into such guttural sobs that he just holds you and rocks you gently

He lets you stay over at his house, you two get your favorite for dinner, and he reminds you that if you ever need to talk, he's there

After watching a movie, you talk to him about it. About how everything feels so overwhelming, how you feel helpless and out of control, and how you feel alone. He listens, really listens. And right now, that's all you really need: to just talk it out with someone

Even the darkest hour only has 60 minutes.

STU MACHER & BILLY LOOMIS

"I feel like everything is going wrong."

Stu happily listens to you vent about your problems and tries to drag you out on walks or to see movies or something

Definitely the type of guy to take you to amusement parks to give you constant dopamine hits

Billy, in contrast, will give you solutions to your problems and gives you space

He's not the most emotional guy so he tries to give you space to sort out your thoughts

So you've got a good balance!

Whenever they catch you starting to spiral again, Stu will go grab you a drink or a blanket while Billy tries to talk you down, reminding you that your problems are temporary and you will be okay

You've survived everything up till this point. You will continue to survive.

VINCENT SINCLAIR

"Do you hate me?"

Honestly, Vincent is surprised you could even think that!

But he understands how your mind works at this point so he takes you aside and opens the floor for you to talk

Everything just spills out. Small things he may have done on accident that just began to pile up, larger things that have just added to weighing you down, everything

Anyone else would think you were blaming him for your problems but he didn't see it that way. He saw you finally cracking and asking for his help to fix things

He can't magically solve everything for you but he supports you, showers you in hugs and kisses, and starts talking to Bo about maybe driving you out of Ambrose every so often to see someone about your mental health

You're grateful for his help. Everything feels so much less overwhelming when you have someone to hold hands with while you try to get help

Small, baby steps each day add up to huge, giant leaps over time. Don't give up.

LESTER SINCLAIR

"I think everyone hates me."

Lester's head snaps around and catches you staring down at your phone with wet, sorrowful eyes

You break down when he hugs you, spilling everything about a fight with your friends that left you scared. Not sad - scared

That's what sets off alarm bells in his head. He puts your phone aside and listens to you talk, vent, cry, anything you need

You're afraid. Afraid of what your friends said, worried about what they might tell others, and a petrifying anxiety that you'll end up alone

But Lester reminds you if they do that, then they were never really your friends to begin with

He peppers your face in kisses and reminds you that, no matter what, he will always love and care for you. Even if the whole world was against you, you'd always have him Jonesy comes and sits in your lap, licking your face and hands as she tries to smother you in her love as well!

Don’t dwell on those who hold you down. Instead, cherish those who helped you up.

[small-sinclair]

Musical Muse

Vincent Sinclair x reader

House of Wax Slasher band!au

Tw: Vincent was in a fire (he’s okay), some hints at sex but nothing graphic described, let me know if I missed anything!

A gift for @im-his-druidess and au by @arkunder

It was Vincent’s first night home for a 7-month-tour around North America. Late night FaceTime calls, texts messages, postcards, poems— it was good to see him home. The penciled in a two-week break for Lester’s doctor appointments and for a mental break. It was good to rest and sleep in for a moment. All three of them needed to recover from the accident—

He takes a deep breath and let it out slowly. He won’t dwell on it. Not now at least. Lester is safe and Bo’s hands were healing. That’s all that matters now.

Vincent tried to be quiet when he entered. He hung his base on the hook and stopped to look at the photos of you both. One of you two in the studio, another in a band shirt, and a lovely one of you and him at the alter, saying your vows.

As soon as he heard your footsteps flying down the steps, he felt his heart pull. “You’re home!” You shouted smiling, leaping up.

He threw his duffel bag on the floor in the doorway just in time to catch you. He spun you around in the air, smiling under his half wooden-plated mask. He blushes as your kisses littered his half-shown face.

“I missed you!” You yelled, giggling as he lowered you back to the floor. He rests his forehead against yours and held your hips just memorize you once more. “I really missed you, Vincent.” You lift your hands and hold his face. “You were gone forever.”

He nods in agreement. He didn’t want to sign anything, not just yet. Vincent didn’t want this moment to be over. Having you back made his unwritten melodies complete and he could hear notes play as he takes you in. You are his muse for most songs after all.

He took your hand and guided it to his mask, gesturing to you to take it off. Your feather-like hands took off his mask slowly and he closed his eyes, shivering at the cool air. His mask hung in your hand, and you smiled when you saw his face. He’s just as beautiful as the day he left you. Your free hand held his scarred cheek, his head leaning into your touch, while your eyes tracing every bit of him. He leaned down and kissed your forehead, your hand, then ending with your lips. He pulled away before holding you close to deepen his kiss.

He has time to make up. Seven whole months without your touch, your embrace… he is a sinner. Your sinner. His deity. He has to find forgiveness.

With ease, he lifts you up, carries you with his arms under your legs, and heads for the bedroom down the hall.

~~~~~~

As you slept on his chest, Vincent held up his song book, writing silently, as a watched eye on you. Your shoulders were bruised with his love and affection like his. He only wanted to be closer to you and more. What praise can he give but love for you?

A song will do.

A song just for you so others can sing praises of you, be followers of you, but none will ever be as faithful and loyal as him.

He hummed the chorus one more time before closing his book just in time for you to wake up. He sat his book aside and laid flat on his back. You nuzzled into his neck and left a small kiss over his adam’s apple. A relaxed sigh escaped his throat as he threw his head to the side.

“Did you miss me?”

He nods, tracing his answer in your skin, ‘Yes.’

“Bed was too cold while you were gone,” you noted, his thumb gently making circles in your back. “But sleeping in your shirt’s comforted me.” You drew a heart in the center of his chest. “I took care of the plants, too. The cactus gave birth so there’s baby cactuses. Guess that makes us grandparents or something.”

He smirks and chuckles.

Silence was warm and comfortable between you two. The soft thumping of his heartbeat made house feel like home again. “…I really missed you,” you murmured. You felt Vincent’s lips in your hair as he pulled you closer to him. In a way, that was him showing that he’s here and you’re safe. “For a while, I went crazy thinking you weren’t coming home. I saw the fire at that wax museum you and your brothers were playing, the wax falling Lester’s back, and they got a video of your mask melting…” your voice trailed as he stiffened at the memory.

If the silence is too loud, he can still hear his baby brother’s voice screaming in pain and agony. Bo and he made dirt out of the inferno, but Lester was trapped, scared and alone. He remember he took off his mask before running back on Bo’s heels; his mask felt too heavy to wear that night. He still sees how bright the orange and yellow flames were as Bo moved wood and metal off his back. He ended up burning some spots on his hands but he doesn’t care. He was just as desperate as Vincent to get their brother out. Each twin took an arm and raced out with him before the museum’s gas could explode. Bo and he cradled their brother then paramedics rushed to his side and took him to the hospital.

He remembered how the world of heavy rock and metal was quiet for the night.

That’s why Bo canceled two weeks of interviews that night, 16 days ago, so they can recover from everything.

He gripped your body tighter and held you closer. You figured he must’ve been scared because he didn’t give you room to wiggle or move. Your hands held his arms and closed your eyes. “I’m happy you’re okay and safe. I’m happy and thankful.”

Vincent made a soft noise, agreeing with you.

“Just want to stay like this and cuddle,” you said, not asking. Luckily he nods in agreement, lifting the blanket up higher over your shoulders.

He didn’t want anything else but this. Vincent wanted you in his arms, in his heart, engraved into his mind. He’ll finish the song and draw a picture of you to put up in the bus. For now, he’ll focus on you and the reality of this feeling.

The sunset over the town like a dream.

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Double the Popcorn - a Malevolent fic (Intermezzo spoilers)

You think there’s anyone I haven’t seen? Fucked around with? Followed? You think there isn’t a version of you I haven’t tweaked to be the very d-d-darkest you could be, with flesh in your fingernails and blood in your cheeks like a really fucked-up squirrel?

I. Have tried. Them all. And pal… they don’t fucking work. 

AO3

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

Look, I tried them all, okay? 

You think there’s anyone I haven’t seen? Fucked around with? Followed? You think there isn’t a version of you I haven’t tweaked to be the very d-d-darkest you could be, with flesh in your fingernails and blood in your cheeks like a really fucked-up squirrel?

You think there’s a Larson I haven’t used, to see if all that ambition could overcome his natural predilection toward excreting mucus? You think there’s a Butcher I haven’t used, bulldozing his way through everything like a gods-damned rhino and singing like an entire chorus while he did?

I. Have tried. Them all. And pal… they don’t fucking work. 

I suppose the disappointment is my own fault. Could’ve stayed in my lane, lived one life, stuck with time as-is and boring, but-but-but why? What would be the point? And of course, after I started leaping from string to string to string to fucking hammer, you had to know that wouldn’t last.

Did nipping through time make me a little crazy? Crazier? Probably! Who fucking cares?

I tried them all. That’s what I’m saying. And the only one who has ever consistently gotten me close to my fucking goal is the combination of John the Yellow King and his Court Jester, Arthur.

Which I say tongue-in-cheek, because we all know who’s topping in that relationship, and it ain’t the god.

Look. Look. I’ll do you a solid, since you asked. You get to leave! But first you have to understand why. Why you can’t trade places with him. Why you can’t help him out with all your widdle might. 

Because I already tried you, you chowder-eating cunt, and you never get close. Never. Not even insane! Not even blind! Not even inhabited!

Just him. It’s just him, and fuck if I know why. Hyperbole aside, that really is driving me crazy.

Crazier. Craziest!

I should know everything. I should because I’ve played this game too many times! Found all the Easter eggs. Unlocked all the puzzles. Blown all the doors right through the far wall to crush the children’s beds and ooze around their splintered edges like strawberry jam. I even know how to skip unskippable cutscenes!

So why Arthur? And why, for fucking hell, does it have to be Arthur with John?

Arthur alone doesn’t work. John alone doesn’t work. Arthur with any other god-piece doesn’t work. John in any other human doesn’t work. Why? Why these two? They’re fuck-ups!

They’re amazing fuck-ups, don’t get me wrong. They have personally doubled my popcorn budget, but that’s not what I’m saying.

It’s them. Just them. So no, twinkle-toes, you cannot take his place. You cannot help. You are in the way. So! I’m going to send you back because I’m nice (ha, no, it’s just because I’m in a good mood, I love a good zombie flick), and you are going to stay there this time. They think you’re in Spain. You’re staying in Spain. Come back again, and I’ll kill you.

Mmkay? We clear? Too-bad-have-a-nice-life-bye.

Fucking Lester. Always Lestering people. Who the fuck is showing up next in his corner, I’d like to know. Eh, who am I kidding, I already do.

It’s just Arthur’s next choice I don’t know. 

Time to get some snacks.

[cyberdragoninfinity]

Hm how bout Z-One for the character ask? :3

FUCKED UP PEEPAWWWWWWWWWWW

Why I like them/why I don’t: i know im like. THE Aporia girlie but make no mistake Z-one is also up there. he also makes me frothing rabid dogmouth crazy. HE'S A GREAT VILLAIN AND A GREAT CHARACTER AND PEOPLE HAVE SOME REALLY BAD TAKES ABOUT HIM BUT I'LL STILL BE HERE WITH MY SWORD AND SHIELD. FOREVER. like. he is just truly one of the most awful and unsettling and endlessly fascinating yugioh characters and each day im am so glad he's not just Yusei From The Future. he is Just Some Guy who thought he alone could save the world but Turning Himself Into The Protagonist Not Figuratively But Literally and then developed an absolutely insane god complex when that didn't work out. He condemned his closest friends to his own agonizing loneliness and then got all of them killed one way or another. He's a perfect "villain who thinks theyre doing the right thing" and his 'right thing' is DROPPING A DIVINE CITY ON ANOTHER CITY, KILLING EVERYONE. Z-one is petty and selfish and arrogant and fucking MEAN and i love him so fucking much. my favorite yugioh Big Bad by leaps and bounds. im so sad forever that his primary episodes never got dubbed. one day i'll write my character analysis of him. grandpa fucking suuuuuucks

What I like about their appearance: everything.... like. yusei's design is already so solid now make him Fucking Old as Balls and put him in a Crazy Life Support Contraption and that's Z-one and it fucking rules. i love how limp and gross looking his hair is. I love his contraption's gigantic CLAWS!!! THAT HE DUELS WITH. HE IS SO COOL IDGAF WHAT ANYONE SAYS

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? SAME IN BOTH. DONT GET ME STARTED ON Z-ONE'S ALMOST EVERYTHING NOT BEING DUBBED. AAAHHH

OTP: YOU KNOW IT'S ZONEPORIA BABEYYY!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE DIVORCE I LOVE OLD MAN AGONY. GOD AND HIS FAVORITEST MOST SPECIAL ANGEL. (i do also fuck w z-one/antinomy that's also one where im like. oh god. oh, god.)

NOTP: did see z-one/lester once and it made me want to start attacking people like a wild dog. 😐😑

OT3: iliaster peepaw polycule once more<3 this was paradigm-shifting for me.

Favourite card they use: Infinite Light aint my ao3 handle for nothin' <3 i really especially love his line for it in duel links, "my timelords will never leave my side again"-- he is SO angry and miserable over all his friends dying and 'abandoning' him he will make it EVERYONE'S problem!!!

Favourite moment they were in: to no one's surprise I do have to say it's his duel with Aporia. He is just so delightfully awfully nasty in that duel it makes my head explode. he lit his wife on fire in front of a child and god (himself) and everyone. HE IS NOT A GOOD PERSON. SLASH POS

Least favourite moment: my man is barely on screen enough for me to HAVE a least fav moment. all of his moments have me seated listening and learning etc

Something I associate with them: AND YOU SAID THAT ONE OF US WOULD BE ALL ALONE SOMEDAY / AND THE TRUTH OF IT ECHOED INEXHAUSTIBLY

Would I fuck, marry or kill them: ok i will leave this one in again just for now. old man pussy would not save me but i can dream. who said that. who the fuck said that.

[tsarisfanfiction]

Eclipse: Chapter 28

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Teen Genre: Family/Adventure Characters: Apollo, Hades Little more ichor warning here... Sorry about a delayed update tonight, various pieces of independant shit all hit the fan near-enough simultaneously in my life this afternoon/evening. I promise I always update these chapters the moment I'm free to do so! I have a discord server for all my fics, including this one!  If you wanna chat with me or with other readers about stuff I write (or just be social in general), hop on over and say hi! <<Chapter 27

APOLLO XXVIII

Family quarrel Meanwhile Bob says hello to The sun and the stars

Apollo felt his lips twist into a grim smile.

“You didn’t foresee that, did you, Koios?” he asked, running across air – clean, blessed air – as though it were solid land and sending another brace of arrows at the titans.  “I’m not the one who got too caught up in absolute futures – you are.”

“Less taunting, more killing,” Artemis scolded, loosing a steady hail of arrows herself.  The sun had almost set, Sol taking her chariot down on the last stretch towards the horizon, and in the imminence of the rising moon, Artemis was beginning to glow brighter, a silver that outshone icy blue as Koios’ form became darker and darker.

Apollo managed a soft laugh, the scolding of his twin a familiarity he hadn’t felt in too long – not truly since before he was mortal – and it was a return to a normality that he hadn’t realised he’d been missing until it happened.  He’d missed Artemis something fierce during his time as Lester, and they’d been a little off-kilter in the weeks since he’d re-ascended, partly because he’d been readjusting to being a god again, and everything that came with it, and partly because he’d been too busy worrying about Will and Nico’s prophecy, spending as much time as he could get away with desperately trying to find a loophole.

He'd found one, and the Fates had clearly agreed as the prophecy had almost completed without any intervention from the demigods, from mortals who had no place in Tartarus and would never have survived the Primordial’s wrath, nor anything else in the run-up to Tartarus’ rising.

It hadn’t left much time for reconnecting with his twin.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Koios snarled, and Apollo had to jump back as the titan diverted almost all of his attacks on him.  “You are still a child in the ways of the future, Phoebus.  Certainties exist, they cannot be avoided no matter how hard you try, and you should not try.  We are custodians of the future, guardians of it.  It is not up to us to meddle.”

He wielded his massive sword as though it was a fraction of the size, hacking and slashing with a proficiency beyond almost any god (Ares would have something to say if Apollo ever claimed a titan was a better swordsman, but it was a close run thing), and Apollo ducked and leaped, disappearing and reappearing in rays of light.

Compared to Kampê, compared to Typhon and Echidna and evading Tartarus itself, playing keep-away was almost easy.  Apollo’s reaction times were better, bolstered by the sun even as it dipped below the horizon, and his power was greater.  Fresher.  Renewed.  He wasn’t at full strength, but nor was Koios – and Artemis was.

It showed in the extra power of the silver arrows, hitting a little bit harder, burying a little deeper where they scored a hit.  Every so often, the simmering silver flames of his sister’s eyes flickered over to him, not an open concern but something, an awareness that Apollo wasn’t as strong as he should be.  He smiled back, waving it away because he was fine – would be fine, once he spent a few more hours out in the Overworld, away from Tartarus and its constantly sapping miasma.

Even with his injuries to account for, Apollo hadn’t realised just how much he’d been weakened until he was back in the Overworld and no longer being subjected to a steady yet subtle drain.  Even if he wasn’t at full strength, he felt powerful.

Koios, on the other hand, seemed to be weakening.  It wasn’t that titans were inherently weaker in the Overworld, although they did tend to get a boost in Tartarus that gods didn’t, but he wasn’t getting the same degree of revitalisation.  Apollo had no qualms about pressing his advantage, gold arrows falling thick like hail, dragging streams of golden ichor out of his grandfather’s form.

The titan refused to concede defeat.  Apollo was glad for that – he didn’t know how to handle a surrender, didn’t know if he could trust Koios to keep any word he might make, especially when his life was on the line.

But Koios wasn’t completely done.

“If I go back to the Pit, he’ll obliterate me,” he said, voice low and rasping.  “I risked everything to come out here, to see you, to see my daughter.  Do you hate me so much you would be responsible for my destruction?  What would your mother think?”

Apollo thought about his mother, her gentle demeanour yet intense stubbornness.  What would Leto think of her children destroying her father?  Apollo had never heard her mention him, but in their family that meant nothing.  Most family did not even acknowledge each other in any sort of familial sense on Olympus.

“If you wanted to see Mother, then you should not have threatened Olympus,” Artemis said harshly, more silver arrows joining Apollo’s golden ones in their persistent hail of destruction.  “This situation is of your own making.”

It wasn’t just Olympus, although Apollo of course didn’t want to see her fall.  It was the demigods, Apollo’s son – his children – and many others he had come to care about.  Demigods who, against a titan could not and should not be expected to fight.

For the demigods, for Olympus, Apollo could fight.

He stepped in, closer, and with a light spring jumped to land on the broad side of Koios’ sword, perching delicately on it even as the titan tried to dislodge him with some complicated strokes.  Inside the minimal striking range of the weapon, he drew his bow back again, a brace of arrows nocked on the string, and let them fly.

At point blank range, not even Koios stood a chance of evading.  All of them crashed into his head, impaling his eyes, his nose, his mouth.  The force alone stripped most of the skin away, leaving the icy blue titan far more gold as ichor spilled down his front.  Artemis leapt up into the air, as light and delicate as her beloved deer, and at the apex of her jump, released another arrow.

It punctured Koios’ heart and he jerked forwards, coughing awkwardly as he tried to expel the ichor that was no doubt pooling in the base of his throat.

“You don’t know… what you’re… doing,” he rasped, a warning that prickled Apollo’s skin for all that none of his foresight had shown him anything alarming that would come out of his grandfather’s death.  Perhaps Koios really had seen something that had eluded Apollo himself.

“Putting down a rabid monster,” Artemis said, landing lightly behind him but moving before his eyes tried to find her.  “It would hardly be the first time.”  With that, she walked away, not even bothering to watch as their grandfather slowly began to turn to ash, too many wounds of varying severity for even a titan’s constitution to keep up with.

Apollo couldn’t look away, not as Koios took a stumbling step forward, reaching for him – for him to heal him.  He watched, instead, committing to memory the sight of the gold-stained, icy blue titan as he staggered, falling to his knees and then slowly beginning to disintegrate, one limb at a time.

There was no saving him, not once the dust began, but Apollo felt no more attachment to his grandfather as he died then than he had when Koios had first sized him up.  He was a threat – had been a threat – and needed eliminating.

The last light of Sol’s chariot disappeared beyond the horizon as Koios took one last, shuddering breath.  Icy blue eyes bored into his, a desperate rage but no plea, Koios had more pride than to beg for his life, it appeared, and with the last of his strength, he threw the massive sword he carried straight at Apollo.

It was a last, futile, gesture.  Apollo simply stepped to the side, and watched it sail past, burying itself in the side of Hades’ temple, where his uncle could do as he chose with it.  When he looked back at where Koios had stood, there was no sign that he had ever been there.

“What about you, Iapetus?” he heard Artemis ask, and turned around to see his twin glowering up at the remaining titan.  There was something almost comical about a delicate twelve year old girl glowering up at a ten foot tall titan, but Apollo knew better than to laugh.  Artemis would punish him with far too many arrows in far too many delicate places if he did.

“I would prefer to go by Bob now,” Bob corrected.  “Iapetus was the name of the titan who opposed the elder gods and would have continued to attempt to do so had I not been forced into the Lethe and given a new life as Bob.”

"Bob, then," Artemis allowed.  "My question still stands: what about you?"

The titan looked at Hades, who stood beside him.  "I would like to see Nico, first, and then Percy and Annabeth.  I have no designs against Olympus."

"Nico will not be pacified until he sees you," Hades agreed.  Apollo noticed he was rather less offended by the idea than he had been when he'd first learned of Nico's reason for trying to return to Tartarus.  Perhaps the titan had grown on him slightly. His uncle glanced up at the sky, where the first glimmer of stars had begun to appear as a sliver of Artemis guided the moon chariot out of its stables.  "We should return to the Underworld now.  I have left it unattended for too long."

"What about Father?" Artemis asked.  "He will wish to see you about this."  The way she said the word left no doubt that she still did not approve of their quest, and knew that Zeus would not, either.

Hades let out a dismissive bark of laughter.  "My brother will not wish to see me," he said, and Apollo wondered if he was the only one to hear a strain of old pain behind the derision.  "He never does."  Apollo found himself the subject of his uncle's gaze.  "Come, Apollo.  I presume you wish to see your son again."   Before I pass judgement, went unsaid, the look in his eyes telling Apollo he was referring to Asclepius rather than Will.  "Before dealing with my paranoid younger brother."

"The longer you delay, the angrier he will be," Artemis warned.  "Don't make this any worse for yourself, brother.  It has barely been two months since the end of your previous punishment.  You shouldn't push him."

It was the reminder of the last time he was punished, disappearing without a word for six months, that convinced Apollo.

"I need to see my son," he said, meeting Artemis' disbelieving eyes.

 "Apollo," she argued, and his shoulders slumped.

 "I can't just disappear on him without a word," he said quietly, begging her to understand.  "Not again."

She still didn't look like she approved, but she backed down.  "Don't take too long," she warned, a plea of her own in her words.

"I won't," Apollo promised her, and she sighed.

"You'd better not."  She turned to look at Bob again, and Apollo saw her eyes widen.  Curious, he looked at the titan himself, and saw that Bob was looking up at the stars - specifically the newest constellation, the Huntress.

Zoë Nightshade, a long-time companion of his sister and, he remembered, a daughter of Atlas.  A granddaughter of Bob.

"Hello," Bob whispered, barely audible.  There was no response from the stars, the court of Ouranos forever separated from the mortal realm, but after a moment he lowered his gaze, looking directly at Artemis.  "Thank you for honouring her."

Artemis looked taken aback at the thanks, not that Apollo could say he'd been expecting it, either.  "Zoë was a long-time loyal friend and companion of mine," she said after a moment.  "It was the least I could do for her."

Bob nodded in understanding.  "Still, I thank you," he said, glancing back up at the constellation again before turning to Hades.  "I am ready," he added.  "Shall we?"

Hades turned away without a word, heading back into the temple.  Bob followed, but Apollo hesitated for a moment, looking back at his twin.  She looked resigned, although still clearly disapproving of his decision.

"Don't tarry too long," she pressed - Apollo could almost call it a plea.  I don't want to lose you again, passed between them silently, and Apollo flashed her a grin that was far more confident than he felt.

"I won't," he said.  "I just need to see my son, first."  She still didn't look convinced, but she turned away.

"I will find you later," she told him, a promise that almost sounded like a threat, and he smiled wider.

"I will see you then," he replied, and watched as she turned to the silver of moonlight, flickering out of view.

"Apollo," Hades called quietly, and he turned away from where his twin had been to follow his uncle and Bob back down into the darkness of underground, passing the gigantic ice blue sword buried into the outer stones of the temple as he did.  He didn't know how he felt about Koios, his grandfather yet a titan still determined to end Olympus.  Perhaps he should have felt guilty, not even giving him the chance to see his daughter, and knowing that Tartarus would likely eliminate him for good the moment he regenerated, however long that would take.

He didn't, though.  He couldn't, knowing that Koios was a permanent threat to the demigods, to his children and others like Nico and Percy who had been forced through too much already and deserved a peaceful life, not another titan determined to kill them.  And... as Artemis had said, he was an Olympian. He could never have stood by and watched Olympus fall without at least trying to save it.

Passing back into the shadows was less disconcerting than Apollo was used to.  Perhaps it was because, compared to Tartarus, it didn't seem all that dark at all.  It certainly felt more welcoming.  Hades guided them through the twisting passages of the temple, past the closed Doors of Death, until the atmosphere changed and they were no longer in the Overworld, but the Underworld.

Hades greeted Cerberus as they passed, ruffling the fur of one specific head as the massive hound grumbled in contentment.  Apollo gave the three headed dog a wider berth, not overly keen on being either bitten or slobbered on, whichever Cerberus elected to do.  Bob, on the other hand, greeted him as an old friend, and Apollo wondered at how much freedom Hades had given the amnesiac titan, if he'd been able to wander so far from Hades' palace and the associated janitorial duties.

Despite Cerberus’ enthusiastic greeting of Bob, they did not linger, passing the queuing souls waiting to receive their eternal fate – a sombre sight, and Apollo did his best not to scan them for any familiar faces, anyone he had known who had passed while he’d been unable to keep track.  He failed, and caught glimpses of more than a few mortals he’d had an eye on – budding musicians, successful musicians, underappreciated poets…

Mortal lives were short; Apollo lost friends, proteges, interesting mortals near-daily as the Fates cut their threads and moved them on to the afterlife.  It never made it any easier, but he took small comfort from the fact that at least none of his children seemed to have died while he had been in Tartarus (while he’d been mortal had been a different matter, and Apollo had been distraught to find one of his eldest mortal children, Ruth, had passed away shortly after her eighty-third birthday while he'd been rescuing the Waystation’s griffins from Indianapolis Zoo).  He almost never came to the Underworld – technically, he wasn’t supposed to, and visiting the souls of the dead was entirely off-limits so there had rarely been a point to dropping by unless it was to bother Hades – and the eternal parade of the dead unsettled him.

Hades, of course, had no such qualms at all, and nor did Bob, the titan whose descendant had created humans, who held domains such as pain and mortality.  The Underworld was a good match for him, Apollo realised, for all that he had no idea what the titan had planned after greeting Nico and tracking down the other demigods he had befriended to greet them, too.  There was snatches of something in the future, a silver titan laughing with demigods that hadn’t yet been born, finding open plains and simply sitting and staring at the sky, at the sun and the stars as they passed, glowing something fierce, splattered with golden ichor that may or may not have been his own.

Possibilities, all of them.  No certainties, nothing to tell Apollo what Bob would choose to do, but he did know that Bob had chosen not to join Koios’ ambition to destroy Olympus, that he had promised Artemis that he had no intention of doing so – and that those words had sung with the wholesome notes of truth.  For the time being, Apollo would trust the titan – watch him, yes, but trust his word.

Iapetus had always been known for keeping his word, even if in the legends, in the histories he had scraped together later from his mother’s stories and even his father’s, when Zeus was still of a mind to tell stories, those promises had generally been of a darker, more brutal nature.

So far, Bob had done a good job of keeping the agreement they’d released him under, so Apollo figured it wasn’t too naïve to hope that his promise-keeping was applicable to all his promises, and not just ones along the nature of I will make you bleed, slowly and painfully, until you wished you could die.

They passed the Judgement Pavilion and swept through the outskirts of the Fields of Asphodel, the shades absent-mindedly passing out of their way, as though it just happened that they were wandering in those directions – although Apollo knew better, knew that it was Hades’ presence that was gently redirecting them around them rather than risking them coming into contact with the gods and titan.  Hades’ robes, in particular, were a threat to the peaceful shades; Apollo didn’t know how, exactly, it was formed, but he would not have been surprised to discover it operated similarly to Stygian Iron, drawing in any souls it touched as it passed.

None of the residents of Asphodel deserved such a fate, and Hades was fair to his subjects despite the inherent unfairness of death.  Only those that deserved to suffer suffered; the others were left to either a peaceful existence or the celebratory joy of an eternal afterlife.  Even if Apollo hadn’t, on some level, already known that, having felt the depths of his uncle’s essence, the complexity of death with the black and white and grey in between, he would have to be blind not to recognise it.

Beyond the Fields of Asphodel, in the distance Apollo could see the razor-wire containment enclosure that fenced off the Fields of Punishment, their screams just as grating as they had been the last time he’d heard them.  Every soul that was trapped there deserved to be there, for the atrocities they had committed during their lives, but that didn’t make Apollo any happier to hear their screams – especially when his thoughts turned to Asclepius’ amended punishment, and the likelihood that Hades would send his immortal son there.  He hoped his uncle would be more merciful, but he was well aware that he had bartered as much as he could for Hades’ mercy in keeping his son out of Tartarus, and that there were only so many places in the Underworld where the punishment could continue.

Sisyphus was there for defying death.  Asclepius had done the same thing, although at least he hadn’t imprisoned Thanatos to do it.

It still wasn’t a comforting thought.

Apollo tore his eyes away from the sights of various punishments, some milder than others but all torturous to the recipients, and did his best to ignore the screaming as his gaze was instead drawn to the brightest patch of the Underworld: Elysium.

Guarded by high, ornately decorated gates, the sounds of music, laughter and joy spilled out.  Apollo assumed the gates prevented the sound of screams from entering and disrupting the valorous souls’ eternal lives, but it did very little to stifle the sounds of joy emerging.  It was a startling contrast, but one Apollo gladly latched onto, for all the flicker of want stirred inside him.  He had children in there – some lovers, too, but mortals in modern times tended to end up in Asphodel unless they did something truly spectacular.  Elysium was a place for heroes, and while some modern mortals qualified, over the centuries it had largely tended more and more towards demigods and legacies.  Apollo didn’t know exactly how many of his children had ended up there rather than Asphodel – or the Fields of Punishment, a thought he didn’t want to dwell on for any length of time – but he knew of some that had certainly reached Elysium.

Of that number, several were also some of the most recent, sudden, deaths; ones he had yet had time to fully finish grieving for.

“Apollo.”  Surprised, he turned his head to see Hades had slowed to a halt and was looking at him.  Puzzled, he paused next to him, aware of Bob stopped on the other side of his uncle, watching them curiously.  The older god tilted his head towards Elysium, a graceful and almost regal movement – the king of the Underworld in every inch of his posture.  It was a comfort, in a way, to see Hades in perfect control again.  Apollo could still feel the freshly-revealed light in his uncle’s essence, knew that who his uncle was hadn’t changed from Tartarus, but he had always seemed in control and his struggles in the Pit had been wrong.  “Go.”

His muses screeched to a halt.  “Excuse me?”

Hades’ lips quirked up in one corner, an admission of amusement.  “While I am in the process of upsetting my paranoid brother, I may as well add one more transgression to the list,” he said.  “This is the only time I will do this, but go.  Say the goodbyes you were unable to.”

Apollo gaped at him, then glanced back at Elysium, at the gates he’d never been allowed to pass.

The gates his uncle gestured towards, which soundlessly edged open in a silent invitation as the behest of the god.  “You do not have long,” Hades warned.

Apollo needed no more prodding.

He split, staying with Hades and Bob because he knew there wasn’t much time, and that he had two still living sons in the Underworld to reunite with, both of whom would panic if he didn’t appear with Hades, but also heading towards the open gates, pausing in wonder as he stared up at them.

Was this the right thing to do?  Would his children want to see him?  Phoebe had never been the most devoted daughter, not since she joined Artemis’ Hunt, and all his children that had died fighting for Olympus, for him… did they resent him?

This was for closure, he told himself.  A goodbye, Hades had called it, and the selfish, desperate part of Apollo pushed him forwards, through the gate and into Elysium.

Elysium was bright, not lit by the sun but something similar, the warmth and light of paradise, familiar from the echoes of Hades’ essence.  Music played, songs ranging from older than Apollo himself to recent hits from the latest decade, and he slipped through the laughing, happy souls, many familiar over the millennia, searching for the few in particular he had not yet gained peace with.

He found Lee first; his kind, child-loving son had found himself a group of eternally-young demigods and was telling them stories, interspersed with strains of music from a perfect replica of the flute he’d had in life.

Michael was also listening, lounging in the lower boughs of a tree, with a bow held lazily in his hand and a half-full quiver on his hip.  Some of the arrows were buried in targets a hundred feet away, but he seemed content to just sit and listen to his older brother tell stories for the moment.

Apollo approached him first, silently leaning against the base of the tree until his son noticed him, brown eyes widening in shock.  “Dad?”

He had to catch him when he lost his balance and fell out of the tree, for all that he was just a shade, now, and wouldn’t get hurt even if he did fall.

He splintered further, slivers of himself going further into Elysium, finding children doing what they loved best, content in a way they’d never been able to be when they were alive.  Some of them had grouped together – Robyn and Nathan had been of an age when alive, and of an age when they died fighting against Kronos, firm friends and as thick as thieves – while others had wandered further, meeting with old friends or even making new ones, now that they had all of eternity to do so, and no risk of losing the other.

Apollo sought out all of them, leaving a little bit of him with each as he found them to talk, to sing, to do whatever they wanted in a bittersweet goodbye (Michael hugged him, the first time his son had ever initiated one, and Apollo burst into tears while Lee laughed and disentangled himself from his enraptured audience long enough to join in).

Phoebe was the last one he found, running freely with many other familiar faces Apollo remembered from the Hunt, and he felt a pang of regret that Artemis couldn’t be with here, saying her own goodbyes to those she’d lost.  His daughter did a double take as she caught sight of him.

“Apollo?”  She hadn’t called him father since taking her vows; Apollo hadn’t expected that to be any different now that she was dead, but it was a marked contrast to the rest of his children, who upon realising he was there had called him various iterations of ‘dad’.  “What are you-  The gods can’t come here.”

“Phoebe,” he said, taking in the sight of her for what he knew would be the last time.  Tears prickled at the corner of his eyes as he smiled at her, bittersweet but suddenly so thankful he could, one more time.  “Hades let me in, just this once.”

Chapter 29>>

[thebigshotman]

(My movie review this week got ranty and long lol, I did NOT like it. It’s under the cut for interested folks so as to avoid dash clutter!)

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a great week. It’s time once again for my weekly post where I talk about the movie I watched in film class in college! This week, though not in person due to an ice storm, we watched “Breathless”, a French film by Jean Luc Godard.

…I’m gonna be real with you guys. My inner “late 2000s media reviewer” came out watching this, if you know what I mean. I didn’t hate it, it just…frustrated me. So many elements that could’ve been good that were spoiled by “artistic French film” BS. Not that it being a foreign language film made it automatically bad, but every trope associated with that phrase was in play. Let’s go into detail, shall we?

The plot concerns a man, Michel, who thinks he’s the cream of the crop, who ends up stealing a car and shooting a police officer. He then flees to Parish, where he runs into an old flame, an American woman named Patricia. He starts to romance her again in occasionally creepy ways…for a long time…but when she finds out what he did, things heat up as she battles with herself whether to turn him in or not. What will happen? Well, the movie is in no hurry to allow you to find out. Because before she finds out, we have to endure a 20 minute long, ad-libbed conversation between their actors in a bedroom as they talk about everything under the sun that comes to mind.

It could’ve worked; Tarantino movies famously do just that and often. But those moments in his movies are scripted. This wasn’t, and it shows. Maybe it’s cause I’m Ace, but a 20 minutes long bout of pillow talk wasn’t fun at all. There’s another thing, too: The two leads are amazing separated; they have individual stories and its interesting to see how things will work out, genuinely. But the second they’re together after they first meet up again, things get boring. The American girl occasionally struggling with her French is cute, though, to her credit.

And another thing! You start so excitingly, with a man wanted for murder and meeting an old flame while on the run! How the hell do you screw this up so badly and remove anything and everything exciting and intriguing about it until the last 30 minutes?? …But to avoid sounding like those aforementioned reviewers, I’ll put a clamp on my complaints now. Cause there were some good aspects that made me feel like it wasn’t a waste of 90 minutes.

The editing was easily the only thing that kept me engaged during that very slow scene. This movie was the origin of the “jump cut”, and it definitely shows in a very positive way. So many disorienting, small leaps in time, with no indication what happened between them! It was kinda fun, I’ll admit it. Fun fact, that ended up inspiring Richard Lester during the making of Beatles’ film “A Hard Day’s Night”, which thereafter inspired every music video ever made. I wish we watched that instead…

Anyway! The music was great. If you liked Cowboy Bebop’s OST, like me, there’s a lot of good stuff here. Tellingly there was no music during the pillow talk. And like I mentioned, the acting from the leads was phenomenal…I just only noticed it when they were separate. Finally, the first and last 20 minutes were great. What I thought the entire movie would be, but frustratingly that wasn’t the case.

Overall, I’m glad it watched it for the good aspects, but I am not watching it again. Give me the Richard Gere remake to watch for the first time instead of this again. The good parts were interesting, but not enough. If all of Godard’s films were like this, I have no idea why he’s viewed so highly. Guess this is my first “old movie” hot take lol

Anyway! Next week, fortunately, is a movie I’ve wanted to watch for ages! “Dr. Strangelove” by Stanley Kubrick. Look forward to my thoughts on that one next week! Replies to threads and the many asks in my inbox will come tomorrow night and Sunday. See you all then!

My thoughts on this movie in a single gif…the actors were good looking, too. Another good thing at least

[44gamez]

Planet of Lana Review (Switch eShop)

The cinematic platformer: though some nice examples have emerged over the many years, the style maybe under-celebrated, with its followers particularly under-served for an extended stretch within the 2000s. It has nonetheless offered some really legendary video games: Prince of Persia, One other World, Flashback, and Inside. Planet of Lana gathers collectively essentially the most interesting parts of all of those – together with different notable examples of the style – and rolls them up into one thing trendy and fascinating, if not fully authentic. Planet of Lana, the debut title from indie developer Wishfully Studios, is a visually hanging puzzle-driven platformer. It has shades of Studio Ghibli in its muted palette and nature-versus-technology themes; it additionally maintains a low-stress environment via its mild problem, sweeping surroundings and wealthy musical rating. The story begins with Lana enjoying video games with a pal. A sudden robotic invasion results in her pal’s seize and kicks off a quest to rescue her. Alongside the best way, Lana is joined by an alien sidekick, with whom she cooperates to beat obstacles and stealthily evade baddies. Gameplay Assists Controls Visible Audio Full Accessibility Report Knowledge by Family Gaming Database Whereas feeling and looking trendy and accessible, Planet of Lana makes some neat callbacks to traditional cinematic platformers. One characteristic of these early video games, for instance, was a sort of modularity. Prince of Persia and the like achieved cutting-edge animations by shifting their characters in little chunks. Every unit of the slick, rotoscoped animations all the time performed out, with the participant’s subsequent transfer – altering course or timing a bounce – solely following after a step of the animation. A facet impact of this was a form of “bounce help”, the place the lag within the controls gave beneficiant home windows wherein to manoeuvre. Though Planet of Lana is rather more trendy, resembling marrying its flowing visuals with larger responsiveness, it fortunately replicates that forgiving nature by permitting a really beneficiant “coyote time” – a wide-open alternative to hit bounce even simply after operating off a platform. A facet impact of the flowing however fastened animations in older cinematic platformers was an equally modular degree design: Lester in One other World, Conrad in Flashback, and the Prince of Persia all moved in predefined chunks, so the degrees have been composed of items of a corresponding dimension. Flashback’s gun fight additionally operated in discrete items of motion, so scenes performed out like a sequence of pre-calculated puzzles. Planet of Lana completely harks again to this, the world being constructed of a sequence of set items, constructed round a traditional moveset of runs and jumps, ledge-grabbing, and rolling. The general result's a extremely playable mixture of contemporary fluidity and retro specificity, with a concentrate on gentle, sequential puzzling over exploration.

Traversal is sleek and satisfying, too, extra like Playdead’s Inside than the abstracted controls of the classics, constrained by these animations. Once you’re operating, leaping, climbing, or swinging on ropes, all of it feels strong and enjoyable. If there’s one criticism, it’s that there's a bit an excessive amount of time spent simply operating proper, with out vital obstacles or any want for different inputs. It made us consider Beethoven & Dinosaur’s The Suave Escape, which used a easy – even foolish – however fairly ingenious thought of including a single button press to play a guitar whereas the hero runs. In need of a guitar, Planet of Lana may need benefitted from a extra playful bounce or roll to toy with whereas operating. “Simply operating proper” is a symptom of the cinematic platformer's trendy drive for spectacle. Because the background and foreground explode with colors, flashes and world-enriching depth and scale, operating proper is a option to have it play out in a manner that the participant can sit again and admire. Planet of Lana opts with confidence for that low-difficulty design method, releasing you to drink within the spectacular surroundings and soundtrack. It does imply all of the occasions lack a component of peril – not like, say, Adrian Lazar’s Planet Alpha, which used skill- and patience-testing challenges to provide the visible set items a little bit of oomph. Planet of Lana’s straightforward operating is tons of enjoyable in case you’re comfortable to play fairly passively at instances.

And the spectacular presentation helps construct the story – to an extent. The narrative is imprecise, to say the least, so whereas the beautiful vistas add flavour, it’s not all the time clear what they’re including flavour to. The less-is-more method nearly works, and we loved the reminder of One other World with its alien helper. Calling the alien in an unknown language and dealing to assist one another, the connection is moderately like guiding Yorda in Ico, with some comparable, if spatially extra simplistic, puzzles. There may be, in actual fact, one other free Ico connection: composer Takeshi Furukawa gives the rating, as he did for Fumito Ueda’s Ico descendent The Last Guardian. The music sits quietly within the background for the regular play of the sport, spinning up the stress successfully for the motion and stealth interludes, shifting from gentle piano to highly effective orchestra, even breaking at one level for a vocal set piece. Lana’s critter companion does a bit greater than comply with alongside and obey orders, too. By means of it, Lana can management enemies for sure puzzles, paying homage to 2023’s One other World-callback Full Void, from OutOfTheBit. These are a number of the extra attention-grabbing and difficult puzzles amongst a reasonably gentle assortment. When ordering your companion, manipulating the atmosphere, steering enemies and platforming all mix, the world feels richly interactive. Nonetheless, these moments are scarcer than the bits the place you simply run proper.

Conclusion

Planet of Lana intelligently combines parts of traditional cinematic platformers to make one thing distinctive and characterful. For a decent 5 hours or so, it retains up the tempo, with only a few taxing puzzles or tough motion segments to gradual progress. Leaning into simpler gameplay in favour of visible and auditory spectacle, it seems to be the half and runs constantly properly. It’s a deal with for the long-suffering cinematic platforming fan – maybe even destined to affix that quick record of classics. Source link Read the full article

[rolandrockover]

Radio 16

I'm in the midst of a rather marginary yet tricky quandary right now, because I'm not quite sure how to thematically classify our comparison today.

Is Radioactive an evolution of Christine Sixteen, a re-write, or simply what is usually dismissed as a rip-off? Maybe I'm approaching this banality a bit too pointedly, because actually it's all one and the same anyway, and in the case of Kiss even more so, right? Then even twice more so. That should be only right and proper to me, and besides no bad reason to be allowed to evade this anyway pedantic question.

And what else would there be to say about Radioactive?

There would be those sexy, snappy riffs again, you know, the ones that are so characteristic of Christine Sixteen, like whistling after a hot girl. Same piano. Identical vocal melodies. The echo chorus in the refrain. All that, just shifted around a bit. The way you do it every leap year in your own home basement. Sure, one could argue that Radioactive could be categorized rhythmically, at least partially, as a precursor to Charisma, but then I'd have to rummage around in the Wicked Lester mothballs for Simple Type, but I don't feel much like that today, and besides, I could save that for another review, which I plan to do anyway.

But to say it again with one last metaphor, this time from my own moth-box: Radioactive is exactly what you'd get if you put Christine Sixteen in a cocktail mixer, mixed it once vigorously, and poured it back into your glass.

Now that's what I call a Straight Shooter. You can count on Gene.

Today no highlighted links, you can hear it all out quite wonderfully even without half a dozen video examples.

Christine Sixteen (1977)

Radioactive (1978)

[noisynutcrusade]

Runaway steer 'Lester' wrangled on Michigan freeway

An escaped steer named Lester was wrangled on northbound Interstate 75 in Holly, Michigan, on Sunday. The bovine was reportedly on the lam for weeks earlier than being caught. Lester was cornered by 4 folks — considered one of whom was on horseback — and lassoed earlier than he tried to leap a guardrail and cross into the southbound lane. “The bovine was not charged and is again within the…

[amor-est-potestas]

Library DnD Session 2

The Party:

Alex, the Human Wizard

Melody, the Elf Sorcerer-Hexadin

Kim, the DM-piloted Lightborn Cleric

And me - Lester, the Tiefling Warlock

We roll initiative at the top of the session.

Black Dragonborn start crawling out of the woodwork, previously hidden from us. They are becoming increasingly hostile and we are forced to leap into battle with them.

We're doing okay, but are very much helped out by the arrival of two unexpected allies!

Galadin, the Elf Barbarian

Locke, the Human(-ish???) Hexblade Warlock

Turns out we weren't the only ones heading to the Capitol along this road, and this pair want to get through as badly as we do.

The fight goes badly for our enemies and one of them makes a break for it, desperately trying to flee. Lester is so infuriated at having to deal with another runner that he Misty Steps over and murders him with a Chill Touch to the throat.

After all of the Dragonborn are dispatched, Galadin's rage ends and her glazed over eyes return to a normal state. Locke's form seems to change, too. Something about him looks different but we aren't sure what, yet.

Since we are all headed to the same place, we decide to unite as one, larger party and continue along the road to the Capitol.

We have to make camp before much longer. As the sun sets and most of the party get some rest, Galadin spies a Raven nearby. She can still see it by the time she swaps watch-shifts with Melody.

Entirely in-character, Melody sends an Eldritch Blast at the Raven... but it barely flinches! She tries again, and it survives again! It flies off while some members of the party wake from the noise and tell Melody to shut up.

We briefly discuss the strange bird at the beginning of our journey in the morning, but are rudely interrupted by a Young Black Dragon attacking our moving cart!

Just as the session is about to end, Locke and Lester form a plan to make the best of Locke's Pact Weapon. They link hands and each cast Misty Step in succession to teleport 60 ft. in the air - right onto the back of the Dragon!

[End of Session]

[dreamties]

Slashers with a sweet & shy pushover GN! reader

A/n- I should be just about arriving to the airport by the time this posts (so I won’t be able to check it at all)- but I really hope everyone likes this! I’d love to hear from everyone <333

T/W: Swearing, inferences to non-con (not by the slashers !!), cringy pick up line I got off the web 😭, uhhh maybe other stuff? I think that might be it though. A teeny bit of angst tho!

Characters: Brahms Heelshire, Bo Sinclair, Vincent Sinclair, Lester Sinclair, Michael Myers, Billy Loomis & Stu Macher and Kurt Kunkle

Brahms Heelshire

you would follow his rules so well !! afraid that messing up even a single step will end in catastrophe (you couldn't disappoint the Heelshires like that 😔)

before meeting face to face with Brahms- and you still thought you were just taking care of a doll -you never purposefully broke a rule. not once. and this is something he had never seen his other nannies do !! he's impressed and curious, and begins to feel much more comfortable with the idea of heading out of the walls to greet you.

you're definitely thoroughly spooked when you actually meet him !!

but your reaction, frankly, surprises him. he's met with confusion, sure. but also curiosity and a sense of wonder.

your not scared- which maybe you should have been. but you were given no reason to assume that this man could be of danger to you.

you don't leap into his arms (though he would've been quite thrilled by that!), but you don't run away screaming, either. it takes some soft explanation from Brahms, but you adapt to it. you invite him down for lunch. quietly letting him know there'd be sandwiches, and you'd cut off the crusts just the way he likes it.

Brahms is an extremely handsy and clingy boy ! you're just completely oblivious to his advances though, poor Y/n :(

you're always getting upset when you have to deal with the rat traps, and it's not like Brahms is gonna help you- that ain't his job. the most of support you might receive from him is staying nearby to you as you clean them out. despite how upsetting it was for you, you handle the dead rats with care and respect.

I think having someone like you in his life really helps him,, mature in a way.

like when he throws fits, you always get so scared and start crying

and...he might not be totally aware that he is causing that at first, but over time Brahms starts to notice. and he feels awful about doing this to you.

"Y/n?" Brahms calms himself, reaching out to you in a tiny, quieted voice. He tilts his head, giving a worried look at your shaking form. You're covering your eyes with your hands.

You turn away from him, discreetly lifting your hands to wipe away your tears and then move them back into place with the same ease- perfecting the weeping image. Your throat feels tight, and even as you try to let your boyfriend know that it's okay, you're fine, it comes out warbled. Brahms frowns behind his mask. "I hurt you?" You shake your head in your hands. "Sorry, no, no- I. I'm sorry." "It's okay." "But-but-- I'm supposed to be taking care of you and-" you try to muffle your words. "My yelling hurt you?" He asks again. You finally drop your hands to your lap and twist your body to look at him. He's genuine about it, his eyes boring into your form. You simply nod. Your tear streaked face displayed entirely to Brahms. He brings a large, shaky hand to cradle your face. You lean into it as he says he's sorry again and again.

Brahms would adore being able to pull you close and cuddle up with you so much !! all soft and cuddly like a lil teddy bear

it is SO hard to say no to him, and he nearly always gets his way because of your push over nature :(

he will not be standing up for you, unless it's against other people or intruders (he's protective of you, just not from him...)

Bo Sinclair

Bo totally freaks you out at first !!

he's just so,,, him. and he's stubborn on changing. he's got a bit of a temper and tends to be loud (and violent) when he's angry. that's all he really knows how to be.

when you finally come around to him...I think it would be after witnessing a softer side of him. like he's feeling sad and avoiding his feelings, and just focuses on his work and doesn't talk much. cause he doesn't want to yell at you. and when you're given time alone with him, you offer to be his shoulder to cry on, and accept him with gentle caution. he doesn't accept it...but he doesn't flip out in a burst of anger. it's progress. and it shows the two of you are comfortable with each other.

He doesn't apologize much. He hates admitting that he's in the wrong, but if he ever makes you cry, then he's quick to comfort you.

That feels so unforgivable.

He'll promise though- kissing your forehead, cheek, then lips- that he'll be better. For you, for the sanctuary of Ambrose, for the love of his brothers; he'll be better, kinder. He'll lose cracked and falling bits from his angry facade.

and it sort of...works? Your kindness runs off on him, and he can slowly afford to be better towards you and maybe even his brothers. But damn it, Y/n, he ain't boutta be treating his victims like real visitors anytime soon. Whether you like that or not.

He stands up for you all the time. EVEN against his brothers! :O

If any visitors say shit to you, then you know for sure, they'll be hell to pay

It's just Bo's love language <33

Vincent Sinclair

Vincent isn't shy but...he does keep to himself more.

like...he has to participate in the killings. but he does that to keep himself and his brothers safe. to keep the town hidden. it's what he needs to do.

what he likes to do though, is stay in his work room, and create his wax sculptures. or lounge in his room, sketching. which I think is great for you, I'd imagine it would be pretty overwhelming for you to be around all of the brothers, all the time. but having that one on one time?? that's all the two of you really need. is that. each other.

speaking of him sketching !!

he loves sketching you. you're his muse. after he's done he'll gently slide it into your hands, for you to take a look. no matter how many times he does this, you always get so happy and end up as a blushy, blubbering mess. like !! vinnie !! ur so sweet !! i dont deserve this !! *tearing up from pure joy and the feeling of being completely and wholly loved*

Just because you’re a pushover does not mean you don’t have strong feelings! You can get really upset easily, but it’s much harder to actually share with Vince what’s wrong.

since he’s generally quieter (and watches from the shadows a lot :O)— he’s very perceptive. He’s often able to figure out when you’re upset before you begin showing it, y’know?

you’re not crying (yet) but there’s a twisted & scrunched line between ur brows that you’re desperately trying to smooth out— by willing your emotions to go.

but that’s not how that goes :( you’re only hurting yourself, love

Vincent will scoop you up and carry you to the bedroom. He’ll sign to you, asking what’s wrong. Petting your hair as he watches and/or listens for your response.

Lester Sinclair

Lester and Vincent are the only men I'd trust with an s/o like this

I think it would take a little longer for you to fully adjust to Lester though, he's so much louder and more out going than you are !! it's a lot to take in. but he's also such a sweetie, the two of you complement each other so well <3

Lester WILL stand up for you with passerby's and "guests" but I think has so much respect and love but also this terrified feeling around his brothers that he has a very tough time letting them know when boundaries are crossed.

if it’s emotional stuff, okay. Whatever. He hates that Bo can just— act like such a jackass to you with no repercussions! But…he’s Les’ brother. What can he do?

if it’s physical boundaries being crossed- Lester is slow to it at first, but he may start a physical fight with his brother(s).

Michael and Lester are akin to each other in this way, but Les openly expresses it more: how has he picked up such a lovely partner? He’s just the ol’ scraggly, road kill guy.

you seem to always see the best in people (or just naively unaware of your constant danger. . .)

will definitely try his best to get you out of your shell !! But is very understanding if it makes ya anxious doing certain stuff.

you’ll go with him to pick up the animals left out to rot!

you’re not real big on handling them the first few years you live in Ambrose, but the closer you get with ur boyfriend and the more accustomed you are to his way of life— you help him bring them to his truck and drop off ones you don’t need to decompose into the earth.

you won’t skin any animals with him- you’re still pretty timid when it comes to watching him do it.

but you’ll help clean his knives

And delicately scrub the dirt off his face, till he’s bright and new and fresh

and in return- not because of all the sweet things you’ve done (though he mighty appreciates it) but how much he loves you- he brings you to bed in his house. Getting the both of you comfortably under the sheets, tangled your legs with each other’s and the cooling features of your comforter. He’ll hold your head, your face, his entire love in his tough, overworked hands. Kissing your nose and wiping the tears before they meet his skin.

Michael Myers

oh, people yelling freaks you out??? well good news for you, because this man doesn't talk- at all !!*

*well okay, he does a little bit but-

I think Michael would be super confused on how he ended up with you in his life. you're all the things he isn't.

your kind and tender, and incredibly patient with Michael. you rarely get upset with how Michael functions. he's quiet and near emotionless, but you'll take him in your arms with care regardless.

while he may not be anything like you- that doesn't mean he should be treated like a monster. he's done a lot of dark things, but he isn't all the bad things he's done. he's more than his bad behaviors. and there's this raw sense of innocence to you. it's not that you don't know about everything he's done, and you're not ignoring it. but you're able to see everything that's underneath. and no one has ever been able to do that to Michael before. not at Smithsgrove, with Loomis and other doctors constantly surrounding him, poking and prodding, trying to figure out what made him tick. what was inherently wrong with his being.

just because he had murdered once didn't mean that it would happen again. it was a darkness that simmered beneath him. it was preventable.

you treat him as anything but a monster

it's that "sorry, but they asked for NO pickles" meme, except Michael's just standing there with a knife to some dudes throat, while you nervously hold your burger, shaking like a wet cat

You present yourself with all honesty, Michael can learn to be himself around you. Whoever he is

He likes that he can just sit in the same room as you, and do individual activities and not have to talk. But still having the comfort you're nearby <3

He'll show you his little "craft projects" and may even invite you to help out.

I'd imagine still being pretty nervous to help out though- it's not like you think he'll hurt you if you mess up, but that shy, anxious energy coursing through you says otherwise.

back tracking a bit— Michael is killing every single fucker that thinks it’s even remotely okay to mess with you. Or talk to you. Or. Breathe in ur direction.

he’s just Extra Extra protective with an F/O like this haha

love this guy <3

Billy Loomis & Stu Macher

these boys will tease you so much about it !!

but...if anyone else tries anything they may or may not end up dead the next day :)

they can't do that to every person though because that would "raise suspicion" or whatever. they'll definitely be chewed out for making fun of their baby though >:(

Also!! Billy will encourage you to stand up for yourself. he loves you and he feels so GOOD being able to protect you from any harms but dammit Y/n :\\ it hurts him to see you shoved around like that

Stu will be embarrassing the hell out of you every pick-up line he gets!

“Feel my shirt,” he tells you. You look up with a muddled confusion.

“I’m sorry?” You squeak out. Stu’s mind briefly wanders, I wonder if there are any good mouse ones. . .cheese? Hmm— next time. Yeah.

“Feel it,” he tries again, holding the hem of his sweater out for you to touch. He wiggles his eyes at you and you can’t help but cover your face at his expression.

“C’mon,” he whines. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t like his little jokes but they’d been so consistent over the past few weeks. You’re boyfriend was a nutjob. But oh, did you love him. You laugh to yourself, feeling the fabric. It’s so soft- you want to bury your head in his chest. “Do you know what it’s made of?” You quirk a brow at him. ”Boyfriend material!” He grins, his whole aura beaming with a sunshine glow. The dust of pink and warmth on your cheeks blossom and you hide behind your hands, as Stu can’t help cracking himself up— finally covering your form in his. God, you were so cute when you were embarrassed.

Kurt Kunkle

Kurt loves doing those trendy couple tags and challenges- in hopes that'll help his channel grow and he'll get more recognition :)

he absolutely drags you into these...even if you don't want to

he shows you off a lot, which makes you so nervous !! but he's so proud and excited to call you his partner <333

He kind of just. Ignores your anxiety and pushes you out of your comfort zone. Like all the time. you'll be fine!!! He promises. C'mon! Join him! Pleasseeeeee !!!!

you still try your best to be patient with him though, even if he's not always really patient with you.

As for soft cuddly time with his precious, beautiful partner that deserves literally everything??? Oh baby, he's all over you.

He adores being allowed just. In your presence.

You're so sweet to him. He could drown in the warmth of your arms spread wide, clinging onto his body, fingers curling in the fabric of his tee-- cuddling like he's a big teddy. It's cute. He wishes he could see it from at outsiders pov

There will be no Kurt making you cry in this household !!! No, no...you poor darlins.

He totally messes up a lot though, and you'll tear up even at his mistakes.

He's recording an intro for his channel and his voice is a little too loud. It catches something more stern one night while playing Fort Nite on stream, jokingly calling out a commenter.

He won't rush to care for you right a way, but he'll awkwardly hold you in his arms and try to kiss away your tears <33

Kurt is a little wacky but he's also just suuuuuuch a fucking sweetie, cutie, whatever. All of the pet names 🥰

[the-pinstriped-hood]

Sleighbell Wishes

If it can actually be believed, it managed to snow in Louisiana for the first time in a long time.

All the way from Baton Rouge to New Orleans the paved streets and old crypts were covered in powder white snow.

The tiny hidden town of Ambrose was no exception. Repairs had to hold off and there were no tourists to murder so what did our favorite six townsfolk have planned for this most chilly of seasons? Well I'll tell you. My name is Pinstripe. I'll be your festive narrator for this evening. Where to begin? Ah. Let's start with our favorite artistic couple Ellie and Vincent shall we?

See, the calm twin of the Sinclair's has been planning something very special for his sweetheart for quite some time. Even asking Lester, Ava and Percy for help. Of course all three of them agreed and tonight, it was all about to come to fruition….

A gift to my one of my best friends @rottent33th and her OC Ellie. Love you girly girl!!!

Vincent peeked out the curtains, Salem on his shoulder. Making a rather disgruntled noise, his eye darted nervously as he scanned the snow covered street for his brother's pickup. No, Bo couldn't keep a secret to save his life, especially not one as important as this. Vincent had to call upon Lester for this one. Lester had been in town with Ava all day so as not to arouse suspicion from Ellie if Vincent had left.

Ellie walked down the hall, barefoot as always. "Something the matter, Vinny? You've been looking out the window all day."

Vinny silently grimaced, thankful for his mask hiding his face, holding his hand to sign. "No, I'm fine…are the cookies almost done?"

Ellie smiled. "No, they aren't. But some things bother you..cant you tell me?"

Vincent shook his head, signing. "Not yet. If I tell you, I'm going to ruin the surprise."

"A surprise? For me?"

The mute artist nodded, Salem leaping off his shoulder as Vincent stood to his full height. "We have to go somewhere to get it. Why don't you put on one of those really pretty Christmas dresses you bought with the girls?"

Ellie smiled, walking back down the hall but not before gently lifting Vincent's mask slightly and kissing his cheek.

He couldn't help but smile and blush, that woman had such a hold on him.

Vincent pulled on a nice sweater and got bundled up as the doorbell rang. Vincent opened it, finding it was Lester and Ava.

"Ya'll ready to head out?"

Vincent nodded, "give her a minute, she'-"

Ellie emerged from their shared bedroom as beautiful as a Christmas dream, nothing fancy but she looked gorgeous. "Ellie! You really look good!" Ava grinned, fixing her beanie and scarf as another small flurry came off the roof.

"Thanks! Are we going to get the surprise?"

"Sure are, Ava, sweetpea why don't you help Ellie get settled in the car, make sure the heatin' works?" Lester grinned. The girls left him as Vincent scrambled back inside for the last minute items he would need, including the finished cookies placing them in a picnic basket.

"Please tell me you have everything ready…" Vincent signed quickly. Lester rolled his eyes. "Course I do! I wouldn't leave you hangin' Vinny! Ava an' Percy'd kill me…"

It was actually stressful for these boys to surprise their loves with something magical during the holidays,since they had never done so before. But with plenty of work, they were able to make them happen.

Vinny snuck the basket into the car and locked the door again as the four of them took off out of town.

Ava messaged Percy who had been waiting with their surprise in the cold.

'Yeah, Bo and I are waiting for you guys. Does she suspect?'

'i don't think so…'

Ellie was puzzled so far. Why was Vincent so nervous tonight? What was all the fuss?

Eventually coming up on the nearest town, Ellie's eyes lit up watching all the Christmas lights 2and all the most colorful displays.

The car ride was long but eventually Ava parked and everyone got out. Bo and Percy were waiting with the sleigh driver.

The sleigh was being pulled by a pair of beautiful Clydesdale horses, Christmas lights and tinsel adorned it. Bo was dresses in a black long coat with a red scarf, embers from his cigarette illuminating his face.

"A sleigh ride?!" The artist squealed. Ellie hugged Bo and Percy before they turned her in Vincent's direction. "It's was all his idea, Ellie Belle. Have fun…"

Vincent swapped seats with his twin as Bo and Percy got in their car. "Have fun!!" And with that they drove off, disappearing from our tale, for now at least.

Elegantly, helping Ellie up into the polished wooden seats, Vincent wrapped a blanket around them as the Sleigh took off, bells chiming as the horses hooves clip clopped their way down the street.

The two curled up together, watching the Christmas lights pass them by and sipping hot cocoa and cookies.

"Vincent. This is the most wonderful gift. Thank you…" the pair shared a kiss and enjoyed their evening.

Tag: @slaasherslut @kalid-raven @bluecoolr @angxlslasher @allthingsblood @texaschainsawslvt @cries-in-latino @probably-a-plant-thing

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Christmas Hurt/Comfort Masterlist

A Toast to Now (ao3) - melapplesphan

Summary: It's Christmas Eve, 2016, and Phil Lester's plane home for the holidays has been delayed due to snow. In a fit of boredom, he finds himself taking an uncharacteristic leap and striking up a conversation with "DanielH."

Meanwhile, Dan Howell can't quite believe that AmazingPhil - the same guy who ignored his messages 7 years ago - just started chatting with him on Grindr.

All I Want for Christmas is You (ao3) - Evening42

Summary: Phil plans to spend Christmas apart from Dan again with their respective families, however all Dan wants is to spend Christmas together.

Christmas Party - cafephan

Summary: During a Christmas party with his friends, Phil finds himself alone and upset in a room full of loved-up couples. Dan is there to comfort him.

crimesmas (ao3) - cuddlydreamsonrainydays

Summary: Phil wants to graduate. Phil will graduate. And he'll do well. Whatever it takes. Even if he'll have to be a shell of himself for a while.Then, Dan comes along. Things do not always go according to plan.

or

He's a student first, a criminal next, and somewhere in the attic of himself, he'll find this thing he used to be, this person, too.

december 18th: mama's boy (ao3) - angelmichelangelo

Summary: when phil said kath had put up that shout poster in his bedroom when he came home for christmas :3

no matter how old phil gets, he's still babied by his mum

home is where the wifi connects automatically (ao3) - oqua

Summary: The wifi at Dan's parents' house is utter crap, which is definitely why he's always so miserable when he visits his family for Christmas. Because of the wifi.

(Or at least, that's what he chooses to tell himself.)

I’ll Be Home For Christmas (ao3) - wigglyfishh

Summary: Dan finds himself missing his home over the holidays.

make up something to believe in your heart of hearts (ao3) - The_Blonde

Summary: "A fic based in reality where Dan breaks Phil's heart. Maybe he cheats on Phil or breaks up with him or says something really terrible to him. The saddest fic ever that will make me ugly cry. Happy ending preferred but not required."

Because who doesn't love a bit of angst at Christmas?

Patching the Holes (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: Dan is really close with his grandma. He spontaneously decides to come out to his very homophobic family on Christmas. Obviously doesn’t go well. Then stuff happens

So tell me when you're going to let me in - definitelythor

Summary: After Dan's kicked out of his family home at Christmas, he picks up a hitchhiker on the way to York, and at first he wonders if he's made a huge mistake. But Phil's actually kind of perfect, and maybe fate does exist after all

there's no winning on christmas (ao3) - neopold

Summary: Phil bought an extra ticket, but Dan just can't follow him home for Christmas

something else is supposed to happen (ao3) - wrongbed

Summary: Dan hates going back to his family’s house for Christmas. He hates going back to his family’s house, period. But, honestly, he doesn’t really like going to Phil’s house either.

What We Are to Each Other (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: So maybe they both suck at communication. Maybe Dan needs to talk to Phil about what they are to each other. And maybe Phil needs to sit his parents down and tell them that big, slightly scary thing about himself. But maybe it'll all work itself out, one way or another.

Where You Lead, I Will Follow (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: all you have to do is call my name and I'll be there, on the next train.

would it be enough if i could never give you peace? (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: They've been through a lot, over the years. Some days are harder than others, but they are each other's constant.

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Pedantic, chapter five - a Malevolent AU

Arthur Lester is the best IT architect in the world, and the reason Carcosa, Inc. has its fingers in every pie. Government, medical, everyone in the world uses its systems. Arthur is also going blind and nearly gives up… until a deeply annoying cybersecurity programmer prods him into trying something new.

Chapter Five: Arthur ran.

AO3

----------

Doe was surprisingly easy to talk to.

Arthur found himself doing it at random times. “I can’t believe he signed me up for the fitness package! What the fuck!”

That asshole. Wanting you healthy. How dare he.

“That should be a question mark, you prick,” said Arthur.

Pedantic.

“No, that’s you,” Arthur huffed, clinging to the side of the pool.

“Now, Mister Lester,” beamed the physical therapist from hell, “you’re not done laps yet!”

“I’m sending godsdamned Kayne poison frogs for Christmas!” Arthur cried, and continued swimming while John laughed at him.

#

Yeah, can’t compare to my dinner, John said in response to the stunning lobster tail, corn succotash, and heirloom brown rice creation Arthur was eating. This was followed by what looked like mushy o-shaped noodles in a glutinous red goo, vaguely in the shape of a can.

Arthur choked and had to take a moment to reply. “Fuck, Doe, you’re paid better than that.”

Fuck, Lester, I like this stuff. Go fuck yourself.

Instead, Arthur took a picture of himself, mouth open, forkful of lobster poised and ready to chomp.

There was silence for a long moment.

Arthur chewed. Swallowed. “Choke on your pasta, Doe?”

Did you mean to send me that?

Arthur blinked. He squinted at his screen. “Uh. Why?”

It was hot.

Wow, okay. He could not see that. “Why?” Arthur said again, baffled.

The way you’re looking at the camera, intense and hungry and challenging. Your mouth, lips already reddened from eating. I can’t see what you’re about to eat, either—since I assume that’s what was going on—so it’s just… inviting.

“Oh.” Arthur had no idea how to respond to that. “I’ve never sent that kind of picture before.”

Well, you did a bang-up job for your first one.

Arthur’s face continued feeling hot as he finished his dinner and never came up with a good reply.

#

John sent four cat pictures in a row, and they told a story.

Photo one: Guy the cat peeks over the top of the counter. Photo two: Guy the cat is blurred in motion as she leaps for the countertop. Photo three: Guy looks moderately startled as the papers she landed on slide due to her inertia. Photo four: One paw and the tail of Guy the cat are visible as she falls over the other side of the counter, having pulled everything that was on it down with her.

So that’s how my day is going, said John.

Arthur laughed and laughed. Maybe he just hadn’t socialized enough in a while, but this little misadventure—including its disastrous end—was the funniest thing he could think of right now. “She all right? You all right?” he asked finally.

Yeah, yeah. She pulled my sandwich down, but free turkey for her, I guess.

That had not been conveyed in the photos. Arthur laughed again.

Aw, shut up, said John. Let’s get to phase two already.

“Sure,” said Arthur, disappointed they already had to get to work.

#

Arthur extended his stay. He was beginning to enjoy swimming laps—the control of it, the regularity, the focus required—and John was doing amazing work translating his design into reality.

It wasn’t the same as coding himself. It wasn’t; but it was still good, and he didn’t feel the terrible, itchy mental stuttering he did when not creating.

This could work. This… could really work. And the program they were creating…

This would save lives. This would enable wise decisions for the future—and for countries with greedy insurance, the TOS prevented this information being shared.

It’s not like all the details weren't already out there, anyway. All of it was publicly accessible. Anyone could have done what he and John were doing… if they knew how.

This personal database—connected to a highly secure and personal virtual server—would use every single record of every single known ancestor, including photographs with identifiable medical clues, to help predict what an individual might go through, genetically—and if he was right, it would be 98% accurate.

The results were fully owned by the individual. Not easily accessible by insurance, doctors, employers, or anyone else. It would, he hoped, help prepare people like him. He also knew it could be misused in the wrong hands. So… it would stay in his.

John’s. Technically. But his.

Nobody had to use it who didn’t want to, and any employer or insurance who tried would be open to such lawsuits they’d never try again.

It was good. It was useful. It felt right.

I think we’re ready.

Arthur took a deep breath. The sunset had turned the Hudson’s black sparkles slightly red, a portentous color, and he felt ready. “Do it.”

A link appeared in his feed.

He went through the process. Signed up. Had Cassilda read both the long-form TOS (listening so carefully for all legal wording—this was fucking specific), and ensuring the shortened TOS summary was clear and missed no pertinent details and provided no “out” for the unscrupulous.

John sent numerous texts explaining exactly how he’d secured all data.

So far, so good. Arthur finished signup and provided his personal information.

Within minutes, Arthur saw what he knew. Then, he saw what he didn’t know.

Tie-in information from unnamed DNA relatives. Information about how these unknown relatives had responded to space travel. Information how relatives he didn’t know he had responded to living under the sea or in the desert or high in mountains and rarefied air. Incredible.

Well?

“It fucking worked. Okay, hold on.” He logged in as administrator to see how it looked from the other side. Beautifully anonymized. Wow. “Did we do it?” whispered Arthur as the sun finally set. “Really?”

Tested successfully on systems as old as Play 1.3 and as new as 14 beta. I also signed up several times with slightly different info, but the same ancestry, and got the same results.

John have to have multiple identities to pull that off. Multiple social security numbers. Arthur was reminded the man was genuinely dangerous. “That’s incredible.” He poked around.

All the other “users” were anonymized, too. As a simple admin, he couldn’t see it.

What had John put into the system? If Arthur went into the back end now, Doe would see it. He could wait. Yes. “Share features?”

The proper warnings came up when I tried to share with you.

“Which you obviously didn’t go through with.”

Nope.

“You owe me something personal.”

A beat.

My connections are family. High up in the company.

Ooh! “Come on, Doe. Give me more than that.”

Fine. Kayne is my uncle.

Arthur spit out his drink. “WHAT?”

I promise you I hate him more than you.

“He’s your uncle?”

Step uncle. The worst.

Somehow, this made Arthur consider the fact that Kayne had family, which made him a human being, which made him (somehow) a sexual being, and Arthur groaned.

You okay? The text that just came through was weird.

Cassilda sent his groan? “What was it?”

Ooooaaaauuaaauaaah.

The program didn’t do any better reading it back.

Arthur laughed. “Oh, what the hell?”

He’s worth that response, believe me.

“So he’s why you have the job.”

No. He’s just a connection.

And Arthur lost his mind. “Am I really smart to trust you?” slipped out.

Yes.

The breaths between replies seemed too long. “Why?”

Because I’m on your side. I meant everything I said.

“I want to believe you.” He didn’t say the weight in his chest was terrible. He wanted John as a friend. He didn’t want the bad thing to be real. He feared what he might have entrusted, if John might betray him. A million fears.

How can I prove it to you?

“Tell me where you were until a year ago.”

Nowhere.

“Come on, Doe.”

Nowhere. I mean it. I was nobody, doing nothing. All of this has been a surprise to everyone.

“That makes no sense. You’re too knowledgeable. You didn’t just… absorb decades of information in a month.”

No, I already had the information. I mean… nobody knew it mattered that I did. I was found, like you.

“But I was found because I entered a contest.”

No, you were found because they were looking.

“What did you do that they found you?”

I was looking for more information. I ended up breaking into Carcosa’s systems because I wanted the data.

Oh, bullshit. "That didn’t happen.”

It did.

Bullshit! “Do you really think I don’t have monitoring set up? I’d have known.”

I circumvented it.

Fuck, fuck, fuck... “How?” Arthur demanded.

John told him.

Told him exactly how he exploited an issue Arthur hadn’t known existed, tweaked loopholes he'd never considered, dug up coding wormholes that just felt unfair, and Arthur knew it was the truth.

He felt… sick. No: he felt humiliated. “And you still wanted to help me after that?” he said, sounding angry, suddenly furious that the anger didn’t get translated. "I'm that easy to get around, all my hard work, all my fucking life's work, just like pushing open a door for you, is it?"

Don't be stupid. It wasn't easy. And yes, of course I want to help you. Your mind is

“Is what?” Nothing. “Is what?”

Beautiful.

Arthur wiped his eyes. Confused didn’t cover it. “You don’t know my mind. You don’t know me.”

I do. I speak your language. This program is my love letter to you, in your tongue.

Stunned.

Arthur was stunned.

Spooked.

Arthur was spooked.

Arthur did not know what to say.

Panicked.

Arthur freaked out.

Arthur.

“Cassdila, block…” Could he do it? Could he? No. Fuck. “No. Cassilda, silence all notifications from John Doe.”

Done, Arthur.

He couldn't stay still. Couldn't stay in sight of the home of the man who'd... done whatever this was, unraveled his supposedly brilliant code like a knot in yarn and then made him a 'love letter.' Arthur checked out that night and bought his own ticket home, and even after they’d given him the drug so he would sleep through the dangerously interdimensional travel, he still felt like he was running.

--------

CHAPTER SIX

Notes:

Guy was my spouse’s Siamese when we married, and yeah, she was a really special kitty.

[vamp8687]

Howdy, I hope you're well!

Can we get what dating Vincent is like or sfw alphabet with Vincent?🙏 please and many many thanks 🖤

Ofc you can!!❤️🖤❤️🖤 This is the first sfw alphabet I’ve done so I hope it’s good.

—————————————————————————————

Requested by @sirstompely 🖤

I try to make everything as gender neutral as possible, the gifs are always a bit off but I hope you enjoy🖤❤️🖤❤️

Vincent Sinclair, Sfw alphabet

A= Affection (how much affection do their give to their s/o?)

Vincent wouldn’t really be used to affection, he wouldn’t be the best at physical affection at first, but after a while he would warm up to you. Affection in general he would try his best!! He wants you to feel safe and loved 🥺

B= best friends (would they be friend with their s/o beforehand?)

No.

Vincent has had his eye on you since you walked into Ambrose🥰

He was insecure though… usually people liked Bo more… he was handsome, and Vincent in his mind was just the ugly twin..💔 (NOOOO VINCENT YOUR BEAUTIFUL😭)

When he found out that you liked him back.. he was so so so so SO happy☺️

C= cuddling (if they do cuddle how and when do they cuddle their s/o?)

Again like I said he isn’t used to physical affection😭 but he loves cuddling you thought ❤️

if you were ever have it something like a anxiety attack, Vincent would understand having probably experiencing them himself, so be prepared for lots and lots of cuddles from Vinny🥰

He also likes to cuddle you when you two are going to sleep, so when you wake up in the morning he is the first thing you see😌

When he fights with Bo, vinny could also use some cuddles from you🖤

How he cuddles ⬇️

D= domestic (can they cook or clean?)

Vincent isn’t an amazing cook but he can put together a few dishes, sometimes you would come home to a dinner he prepared for you or wake up to breakfast in bed☺️

Vincent can actually clean, I mean you kinda need to know if Bo and Lester are your brothers😤

E= effort (how much effort do they put into the relationship?)

This man, solid 10/10

He would pour his heart and soul into your relationship🖤

F= fear (how do their take care of their s/o being scared?)

Most importantly he would understand, this man fears things himself and he knows who’s to handle the situation😤💪

He would let you leap into his arms, as he strokes your hair and you two would stay in that position until you feel better.

If it was someone would made you feel like this though, you would get to see protective Vincent in action😎

He would make sure they die a very slow. Painful. Death.

He wouldn’t make them into a wax figure tho, they don’t deserve that 🙄 they deserve rotting away in Lester’s roadkill pit

G= gifts (what kind of gifs would they give their s/o)

He would definitely make you little wax sculptures or Jewelry😍😍😍

He would always be makeing them all the time for you, each one with its own special meaning🤧🤧(THIS MAN IS TO DAM CUTE😤)

H= hugs (how would they hug their s/o?)

Ofc he would!! All you need to do is ask❤️ like I said earlier this man isn’t to used to physical affection but he loves to hug you, to him he hopes his hugs make you feel safe and loved🥺

how he would hug⬇️

I= I love you (who would say it first?)

He has secretly been wanted to say it for a long time, but is to nervous…. But one day when you two are cuddling going to sleep, you feel him shift slightly. You look and see him sign ‘i love you y/n’…💖 (CURRENTLY SCREAMING RN) you smile and give him a kiss and tell him you love him to🤧😭

After that he says it to you all the time probably like 10 times a day and you love it 😊

J= jealousy (how jealous are they?)

Vincent wouldn’t get so jealous… more insecure 😓

A lot of people come into Ambrose and your job is to lure them in and get them to trust you.

He saw you talking to handsomer guys from the shadows and he wouldn’t feel jealous just insecure 😞

In his mind he would be think ‘they are better for them’ ‘they deserve them not me’….😔 (NOOO VINNY😭)

All it takes for him to feel better though is when you reassure him that you wouldn’t leave him for anyone ❤️

K= kisses (are they a good kisser? Who gave the first kiss? How do you kiss?)

After him was comfortable with his mask being off around you, you wanted nothing more than to kiss him!! But in his mind… he was a nervous wreck🥺 he has never kissed anyone before and doesn’t know how to.. what if you leave him if he can’t do it right…

You help him through the first few little kisses then after a while, he gives you Little Pecks all the time!🥰

He likes to kiss you all over your face so he can watch you giggle😫

And whenever you two made out they would be long slow passionate kisses

How he kisses⬇️

L= little ones (do they want children? If so how many?)

He would be nervous at first of the idea of having kids but after a while he would like the idea.

He wouldn’t want a lot probably only 1.

You and Vincent have 1 boy together and Vincent is one of the best dads❤️

He would teach your son how to make little wax figures and he would definitely put them in the house of wax, if your child looks like His then Vincent would assure him that he doesn’t need a mask and he’s beautiful the way he is

Your son has the best uncles, Bo would teach he how to fight and use a shotgun much to Vincent’s disliking😂 and Lester would bring home him gifts he would find on the side of the road and take him out on drives all the time😚

M= mornings (how are mornings like with them?)

Mornings with Vincent would be sweet and calm

You would wake up in his arms and then he would make you breakfast 🥺💖

After that you would shower and do your makeup (if you wear it)

If you do wear makeup be prepared to be watched the whole time you do it Vincent loves watching you doing your makeup

After that he would need to go and work on his wax figures 🖤

N= nights (how are nights like with them?)

Nights with Vincent are interesting…

If there’s a victim in town you’ll have to get use to Vincent not being at your side 😔 he would need to help Bo chase them down, which would cause ALOT of noise so you wouldn’t even get sleep🙄

After they had killed the victim, Vincent would go to your room and get in bed with you, “Vinnyyyyy” you groan. He looks at your tired scrunched up face and cuddles you to make you feel better😪 ‘sorry’ he signs. You knew he had to do his job but you hated the fact that it would have to be in the middle of the night

On other occasions wear he wouldn’t have someone he needed to chase, you two would just cuddle each other to death and fall asleep in each others arms, quite simple as that

O= open (how open would they be with their s/o)

Vincent would have a hard time opening up but after hearing you open up, it was his turn.

He would tell you about the childhood abuse and his face and everything he hated about himself😢

You would hug him and reassure that your always there if he needed to talk❤️

P= playful

He’s not overly a playful person.

He is quite shy and calm whenever your around him but that doesn’t mean he isn’t playful sometimes 😚

Q= quizzes (how much do they remember about their s/o?)

Vincent would remember everything. Every word that comes out of your mouth he cherishes🥰

If ever tell him something important about you or your past he would never forget it.

R= remember (what’s one of their favourite moments in your relationship)

Vincent would never forget the time you stood up for him against Bo.

Bo was being a dick as usual and started yelling at Vincent for not killing one of their victims sooner. You walked in and saw how Vincent was practically shaking… Bo always gets angry but this time it was really bad.. you went up to him and pushed him away from Vincent (like bitch you got a problem-🤺)

Bo now angry looked at you the veins popping outta his neck.. (sorry I couldn’t help but laugh while writhing that😭😂) “awh’ look at that vinny.. you gotta’ get your little gf/bf to protect you.. fuckin’ weak…” he laughs bitterly

But then it was his turn to be scared. You stared screaming at him for yelling at your boyfriend like that, then you punched him right in the nose and brought Vincent up to your bedroom for some cuddles 🤗

S= Security (how safe are you with them? How protective are they?)

Vincent would be quite protective over you

He knew how to defend himself, and he definitely knows how to protect you🥵

He would always get nervous when victims came into Ambrose, he didn’t want you getting hurt and if you ever did he would definitely blame himself for it☹️

If you were ever attacked by one of his victims then, uM LoRd HavE MercY on them🚶‍♂️

He usually doesn’t show his protectiveness but definitely thinks about you and your safety 24/7

R= random (something randomly cute they do?)

He gives tons of Eskimo kisses 😫 (this is so cute istg-)

Doesn’t matter who’s watching or where you are- he will give you tiny Eskimo kisses🥺🥺

If you look close enough he would definitely be blushing under his mask😭💖

best gif I could find ok 😭

U= ugly (what are their bad habits?)

Poor little Vincent already has a habit of hidding his beautiful face away, 🥺 but he has others to

He bites his nails a lot… whenever he was feeling distressed ☹️

You would try to help by grieving him something else to do, like playing with your hair or hugs

V= vanity (how concerned are they for there looks?)

Vincent doesn’t care about looks

He wears the same thing everyday anyways

W= worrying (how much would he think/worry about you?)

Ohh Vincent is worried about you 24/7

He always is thinking about you

What if your hurt… or SAD… GASP… what if your lonely 😱

He spends most of his day making his wax figures and you spend most of your day lureing victims into Ambrose

He would definitely been worried about you

X= xtra (a random headcanon for them?)

He loves doing art with you

Even if your not good at it, he would enjoy every second of it❤️

Y= yuck (things they don’t like in general?)

Vincent HATED SWIMMING.🤚

Like he loathes it..

He hates swimming. He hates swimmers. He hates sand. He hates water. He hates the sun.

AND HE HATES THE BEACH.🤨

So don’t try getting him to swim, if you like swimming however.. he might be willing to go with you to watch AND ONLY WATCH!!

Z= zzzzzz (their sleep habits?)

Vincent SNORES!

You might be trying to sleep and he would be making weird ass noises.

👹

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I this was good, it was my first slasher sfw alphabet🖤

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