#Western AU part 6

[theblackphoenixwritings]

𝗚𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗼 𝟭𝟭 – 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀: 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘂𝘀/𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗼 & 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘂𝘀/𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗨/𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 – 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲 𝟲

They arrived exhausted late that morning at the tribe of Teskhamen. Marius and Amadeo were tired, hungry, and although they had not been seriously injured, they had been scarred in some way, and they were bleeding and full of dust and dirt. Wise, was in no better shape than they, though not wounded he was ragged and his pace was slow and heavy. Their arrival was preceded by Lucky, Marius's faithful dog who had accompanied Daniel. Daniel riding his mustang, pinto, black and white, which he had named Sandalwood, opened the line, followed by Wise and Amadeo, Marius had insisted on staying in the rear, walking, with his winchester ready in case of need.

Marius' thoughts were wandering but almost always returned to the same spot, he feared that the creatures were there with a purpose and that someone was helping them. What was in it for both of them Marius could not yet say, but he would find out. Daniel kept turning back to check on Marius, who despite his unkempt appearance, looked like a rock.

They had exchanged only a few words; the priority had been to get as far away as possible from the place where they had defeated the creatures. Daniel knew well, from Marius's relentless eyes, that no small confrontation awaited him, but he also knew that Marius, had squeezed and kissed him and held back his anger, to give way to the relief of seeing Daniel safe and unharmed. The boy on the other hand, well, to say that after that exchange he was flaying his back with the look of his black eyes was little. Fact was, Daniel was no less, he didn't know the boy, he didn't like how he related to his man, and he didn't like the color of his hair. Fuck if he needed those horrible memories disguised as honey dreams knocking on his door again. And all because of a damn boy who came out of nowhere and his damn hair color. Marius had felt the tension almost immediately, and had adjusted in trying not to see it erupt into arguments. All three knew, however, that that tension had to be released somehow.

The tribe lived on a nice piece of land, fertile and near a river. That land belonged to Marius' family, and he had given it to the Teskhamen tribe, as had been his father's wishes. That was one of the reasons why there was bad blood between the sheriff and some of the landowners in the area. Marius did not care, he had honored his father's death, there was wealth, prosperity, and a living for everyone in that vast and florent land, and Marius' father, who had come there from Europe, a learned man of great learning, had strongly opposed what was happening. It was Marius' father one of the founders of Cripple Creek, the richest among them, who came to an agreement with Teskhamen. And to enforce it. Until... Marius was torn from his thoughts by the long white-haired figure who proudly and serenely waited just outside the buildings that defined Teskhamen's village.

" Greetings to you Chaytan," greeted Teskhamen, turning to Marius, who stepped forward, to greet Teskhamen.

" How are you? I hope my boy hasn't brought you the trouble he always brings me," said Marius turning his gaze to Daniel who sulked, joking.

" It's not your Daniel who brings trouble, but a lot has happened, my friend, and something makes the nights scary in this time that seems darker." said Teskhamen, who then stared at Amadeo who unconcernedly was stroking Wise's neck.

" This is Amadeo," Marius explained, "I rescued him.... well it's a long story. I have a lot of things to talk to you about Teskhamen, very serious ones, which concern me deeply, but first I would like you to use your healing arts on the boy, he was already very tried when I rescued him, after the night we just spent, well you can imagine." concluded Marius. Amadeo stared with grim uncertainty at Teskhamen, who returned it with a peaceful smile.

"I think you, too, Chaytan, need to be taken care of."

"I'd like you to take care of him first," murmured Marius, who in the process approached Wise and held out his hand toward Amadeo. Amadeo stared at him puzzled, almost worried.

" Come on, we came here because Teskhamen can heal you, your wounds need to be fixed, cleaned and closed. By now for the older ones I fear there is little to be done, the scars will remain.Scarred." Amadeo shrugged as if he did not care at all.

" What about you? Where are you going to be?" asked Amadeo, who looked at Daniel, who was stroking his horse's muzzle after getting out of the saddle.

"I need to talk to Danny, I need to find out if he's found out anything, and I also need to talk to Teskhamen. I think they already know about the danger, but I think there is someone who is helping these creatures, somehow and I don't know why." explained Marius, without hiding his concern, Amadeo had saved his life, they had protected each other and Marius knew that beautiful boy, he saw right through him, but for some strange alchemy the same was true for Marius. Amadeo seemed undecided, then descended from Wise, and clung to Marius.

" There are other things you need to know about the creatures, I've known them for a long time, in my native land, they are a scourge, but not all of them are the same." murmured Amadeo, Marius laid his hands on his shoulders and then ruffled his long curls of that rich red-brown.

" You will have time to tell me everything, now please follow Teskhamen, and do what he tells you. Do you understand me?" asked Marius seriously. Amadeo nodded, and walked toward Teskhamen, walked with him to the largest tent in the village, but his dark eyes never left Marius, until he disappeared swallowed by the tent entrance.

Marius, sighed was happy that Amadeo finally seemed calm and safe enough to trust Marius' words. Adjusting his hat, Marius walked briskly toward Daniel, who was quietly writing in a notebook leaning against a wood where he had tied his horse. Daniel seemed, immediately aware of Marius's arrival, but if his time with him had taught him anything, it was that Marius knew well that both of them had had extreme patience with each other and a deep willingness to understand each other-their love was made up of that and more.

" Before you say anything, there is a specific and extremely terrifying reason for me to have leave so fast, and not just because of those creatures, that you now know exist, but because they are connected to my past, that dark part that I never wanted to tell you about," Daniel explained as his violet eyes grew sad. Marius nodded as he moved closer, his hand found Daniel's neck, behind the nape of his neck, and pulled him to himself, enjoying that familiar scent that he had missed so much in those days. They stayed close to each other, as all the tension and fears accumulated during those days faded away. Marius' lips brushed Daniel's forehead his eyes his nose and finally his lips.

"I'm sorry Marius, I didn't mean to make trouble for you o...." but Daniel was interrupted by a real kiss, which this time lasted until they were both breathless. Marius led them just outside the village, sitting in a small space reserved for the sentries, calmly Marius listened to that part of his life that Daniel had deliberately hidden from him.

" I know these creatures, one of them I know perfectly, because I wrote the story about him. He told it to me, just like that, in a dive saloon room, by candlelight a long time ago now. At first it seemed phenomenal to me, so much so that I was blinded by the desires to possess that power, immortality Marius, who wouldn't want immortality?" and Danny paused scrutinizing Marius' face shrieking... I, I wouldn't want it, which made Daniel smile and he continued.

" The creature I met, he was not evil, but for sure he was a murderer, but that is their nature after all. But you see, he was not like these creatures, the ones you met, he always told me that they can feed on anyone, and as his creator made no distinction between the good or the evil, others of them, older ones, live only on the blood of evil men. Others of them, however, drink from various victims until they are full, but they do not kill. Why do I tell you this? Because these creatures,those who try to kill you and the boy, have a plan, i see them gather, they are cunning, and they have immense powers, and they do not seem to me to have a code, they just kill, to what I have seen sometimes even for amusement. They have almost nothing in common with the creature whose story I transcribed. And it was that encounter that forced me to flee. To leave my native land.

You see the book was a huge success, and I was recognized as a genius of some kind, I was enraptured by the money from the fame and much more. In a moment though I realized that, everybody believed that it was a fantasy of some sort of mine. That I had simply made it all up, the way you write a story about fairies or elves. So I got angry and started saying that no! Everything I had written was true. It was truth, reality, and that creature was populating the night with others like it. After I imposed myself with these thoughts, you can imagine, crazy was the gentlest compliment I was offered. They began to hunt me down, because according to them, I was creating panic and I was leading good people to attack each other with my madness. I ended up on the street, alone, frightened, broken by all that harassment on my person. How could they hate me and accuse me by calling me crazy when I was telling the pure truth?" Daniel stopped and stared at Marius.

His cobalt blue eyes stared at him without judgment, but with support and empathy.

"I wish I had met you then, who knows how many things would have turned out differently. Well anyway, this is not the whole story but only its beginning. I met another one of those creatures and I wasn't as lucky as I was with the first one. But that's another story. Now you can understand, because when I heard that bodies were being found deprived of blood, I had to come in person to investigate. Yes I know, I was reckless and didn't think about what might happen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but now you understand why." Daniel concluded.

" I understand why, yes," Marius affirmed "But that doesn't take away from the fact that you are reckless, they could have killed you, you could have met that creature again, and who knows what it would have done. I have no words to describe your stupidity at that moment," Marius hissed, then sighed, "If I had lost you? Did you even think about that?" asked Marius trying to be less harsh.

" That's why I went back to Teskhamen, I followed the creatures, they are hiding near Mr. Carson's ranch.... I think they are up to something." continued Daniel. Marius smiled, a bitter smile, Mr. Carson, the richest landowner, and the biggest piece of shit that walked the earth.

"I'll talk to Teskhamen, then we'll go visit Mr. Carson, I really want to see if he has anything to say about these bleedings."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Daniel " For your father ... " but at that point Daniel did not have the heart to continue. Marius gently caressed his cheek before placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Especially for my father Daniel. More than anything else for him."

(Chaytan: A patient, diplomatic, and gentle individual; Like a haw

[missallanious]

Barmaid (she’s the saloon owner) Jolyne!!

[tomahachi12]

Meet the Doormans!

see I'm working on AU stuff lol

still no name for it though, but I'll figure that out eventually

Info about them down belooooow

Cyn "Cynthia" Swapped with - Uzi Age - 18 She was 6 years old when her mom died and the trauma from the event caused her to shut down and stop talking. She learned sign language from Noah so she could communicate. For anyone else that doesn't understand her, she'll either use text on her visor or a projected text box. She doesn't interact with anyone and prefers to keep to herself, the only one she really opens up to is her brother. He's the only one who can call her by her actual name, she'll ignore everyone else. Inherited her solver from her mom, which activated after her mom's passing. She's scared of Khan.

Noah Swapped with - No one! Rewritten for story Age 25 7 years older than Cyn. He was 13 when his mom died. No one knows why he's so tall. He took care of Cyn after their mother died. He learned sign language and taught it to Cyn. He's a member of the Worker Defense Force. Loves doing anything! boi stop hiding your pain and get help He wants his dad's approval, not only for himself, but for his sister as well. Does not have the Solver at least not yet

Khan Swapped with - No one! Rewritten for story. Leader of the Worker Defense Force and Outpost 3. Very stoic and closed off, especially after Alice died. After his wife died, he completely threw himself into his work, neglecting nearly everything else (including his kids ): ) Because of Cyn's strong resemblance to Alice, he can't bear to even look at her. He killed his wife.

Alice Swapped with - Nori Huge fukin nerd. Western movies were her favorite. Her pet-name for Khan was "Sheriff" She loved to play "dress up" especially with her kids. She was still part of the Solver Experiments, but did not cause the implosion, that was still Nori's doing. She had pretty bad Solver Moment when it took her over and she slaughtered an entire apartment block. She couldn't stop herself and begged Khan to kill her. She was 33 when she died.

[olderthannetfic]

A short while ago you mentioned fic on AO3 that was written in the “AO3 style”, or something to that effect. I was wondering if you could elaborate on what that means/is?

--

Oh god. This topic comes around every 6 months or so. Others should feel free to help me out here, but basically...

A lot of fanfic sounds like the other fanfic and other stuff that the same communities consume. In a given era and sector of fandom, that leads to a samey style. It often has a lot of overlap with a specific sector and era of genre fiction with a heavy dose of watches-tv-does-not-read-books elements on top.

AO3 House Style is relatively similar to the height of LJ Western slash fandom. Other fanfic styles are often similar but start showing other influences the more distant you get.

There are some major strains, not always in the same works:

Transparent genre fiction prose that doesn't call too much attention to itself. It's there to convey plot, not make you notice the language qua language. You'll see something similar in, say, a Mercedes Lackey novel (along with the terrible editing and protagonist centered morality that are also common in fic, haha).

YA boom era YA vibes.

Kind of forced "snark" and samevoice from many characters in a way that tells you the author spent a little too much time watching Buffy.

World building and complex thriller/mystery/etc. plots that actually work typically take a back seat to pining, angst with a happy ending, and other more ship-focused, character interaction-focused, and emotions-focused things. The general idea of a mystery, vampire AU, etc. is often present, but it's more of a backdrop. (Depends on the part of fandom though!)

Huge focus on the internal psychological and emotional state of characters.

Lots of hurt/comfort, both physical and emotional.

Lots of serialized work that shows the traces of being written that way (dangling plot threads, inflated word count, returning to similar plot points in a way that wouldn't happen if the thing were completely written, revised, and then only posted serially).

Certain cliched phrases like "He smelled of __ and __ and something uniquely him", carding fingers through hair (thanks, commenters for researching this one a year or two ago and proving it's way more common in fic!), "Oh. Oh.", etc.

If the fic is more self-consciously literary, it's full of sentences that trail off to the point where you're almost not sure what actually happened.

Often lots of very short paragraphs and lots of scenes that are almost all dialogue

Frequently third person limited present tense. Some third person limited past tense. Less of other stuff unless you're looking at a fandom where canon is first person or you're looking at readerfic (which is on AO3 but is not really "AO3 House Style").

Honestly, some people would just say "sounds like fanfic", but if you go read primarily on SpaceBattles or something, you're going to find a lot of stories that don't sound quite the same as your prototypical AO3 fic.

[thebestofoneshots]

MARAUDWEEEN

Feels Like The First Time | James Potter x reader

Pairing: James Potter x Reader

Word Count: 6 k

Warnings: Smut, fingering, P in V, lots of praise, consent is sexy, lusty!James, bashful!James, he literally can't take his eyes off you.

Prompt: As a part of the Marauween Series, this fic takes you to an Alternate Universe where James Potter is a fireman, telling the story of how you met, and how your first time came about.

Maraudween is a Halloween-inspired anthology series where each chapter transports you into a distinct alternate universe. From the real world to old western Texas and even through the dark times of vampires. These standalone tales invite you into a realm of boundless potential. Experience the enchantment of Halloween as it weaves its spell, intertwining the magic of costumes, AUs, terror and spice.

NSFW (Smut under the cut) ♡

“What can I get you, sir?” You asked, not looking up from the register as you were trying to close the tab of the previous order. The machine had been acting up lately and no matter how hard you tried, it seemed to take its sweet time between closing an old order and opening the feed to start a new one. 

You were almost scowling at it when you heard a low chuckle from behind the counter, you instantly recognized it. The cute fireman, you felt your cheeks flush at the thought. 

“Everything all right, angel?” he asked, voice soft even as a little smirk played on his lips. 

“James!” you said with a smile, deciding to ignore the machine and talk to the man instead. He lived a few blocks away, in your same building, and he always passed by the shop to get some coffee and a snack before he finished his walk to work. Sometimes he came on his way back too, he was over so often, that you almost knew his orders by memory, “Americano?” 

He shook his head “I’m feeling up for something sweeter today.” 

You hummed in response, running his typical orders in your head “Late with a pump of strawberry?” 

He tilted his head, seemingly thinking about it, you couldn’t help to let your eyes linger over his uniform. He’d typically alternate between blue, yellow and grey. Today he was wearing grey and you would be lying if you said he didn’t look disarmingly attractive. He was big and well built too, but that was a lot easier to appreciate on hotter days when he wasn’t wearing his jacket on top of the usual either crisp white or neat black shirt, “Yeah, that’s perfect.” 

You smiled and started writing down the details in his cup. When you realised there was no one on the line behind him, you decided to prepare his drink yourself, instead of passing it over to Marcus, your coworker, and better barista between the two. James knew, and yet, he much better liked the drinks you prepared. 

“Want me to add a bit of whipped cream?” You asked. 

“You spoil me,” he said with a smile, you turned to give him a questioning look, a smile playing on your lips as he nodded, perhaps that’s why he liked your drinks best, they almost always came along with a smile. 

“You do spoil him,” Marcus added as he used one of the machines to draw pictures over a latte. 

You gave him a pout as an answer and continued with your preparation. Once it was done you turned around, Marcus had gone off to tend some table and you walked over to James, handing him his cup straight to his hands. His fingers lingered over yours as he took it from you and you felt your stomach flutter, “I’d add some cinnamon for spice,” you told him, he nodded and walked over to the sugar table, doing exactly as you told him.

“Hey, James?” 

“Hmm…?”

“Good luck at work today,” you added with a smile, Marcus from one of the tables almost rolled his eyes, while James’ smile only widened. 

There was a huge fire that day, you saw it on the news on the small TV in the corner of the shop, one of the old buildings near the centre of the city had caught fire. Since it had been during work hours there hadn’t been that many people inside, and thankfully no one died but about 2 dozen had ended up in the hospital due to smoke toxicity. Or so was reporting the news lady. 

“Do you think James’s all right?” you asked, turning to Marcus with a little frown. 

“Why don’t you go home and check on him? He lives almost in front of you anyway. This happened about an hour ago, he might be there soon...” 

You nodded, and hurried with the wiping of tables, still looking a bit nervous and rushed “I’ll finish up closing,” he added. 

“Thank you,” you said as you went to pick up your stuff and remove your uniform from the back room. 

Marcus called your name, you turned to him “Bring him something. His favourite treat of whatever… I’m sure you already know it by memory.” 

“I… Well, I mean…”  

“Don’t play dumb and just take it to him, whatever it might be. Would serve you well, maybe admit that you like him as well.” 

You flushed “Shut it, Marcus.” 

“He likes you back, did you know?” You gave him a look “Hey it’s true! I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” 

“He’s just polite.” 

“Polite my ass, he’s never looked at me like that. Go on, knock on his door, patch him up and admit your crush. Maybe get it going with him too. What do you think he’d look like with those snug pants and a pair of suspenders? Only a pair of suspenders.” 

You flushed a lot more this time around, the image floating to your brain unprompted, and you weren’t able to shake it off that easily. Curse your imaginative mind and Markus’ dirty one to put the idea in your head. 

“So… his favourite treat?” 

“It’s the lemon tart,” you admitted reluctantly. “He orders it whenever he’s feeling down. And also after bad days.” Markus smiled and leaned down to take two of them and place them on a small box for you to take home, “Thank you.” 

“Thank me when you’ve seen him with only pants and suspenders!” he joked, and you shook your head in disbelief, a smile still plastered on your face as you did. 

You got home after a short walk and went straight for a quick shower. It was then that you heard the thud of heavy boots in the hallway. He was walking towards his apartment. You hurried to finish and changed into simple shorts and a sweatshirt before walking the 2 door distance to his apartment. You took a deep breath and knocked on the door. 

There was no answer, you considered leaving, your nerves getting the best of you, but you remembered you still had the lemon tarts and decided to try again. This time you heard some shuffling and then the door opened, revealing James, still wearing his uniform, hair clinging onto his face from sweat and blotches of soot patching his cheeks, he looked tired, but he smiled the moment he saw who it was at the door. “Fancy seeing you here, darling.” 

You swallowed, his gaze having a powerful effect on you “I… I uh… I saw the news and well, I assumed you had been there, I guess I was right,” you added after gesturing toward your face, trying to refer to how blotchy he was “I thought I’d come to check if you were all right… I also brought you some of those lemon tarts you really like.” 

He stared at you for a second, as if trying to process the fact that you really had taken the trouble to bring him food, just because he’d had a tough day. When he realised you really were there, and not only a fragment of his imagination, he smiled “You picked my favourites,” he said pointing at the box. 

You gulped, as if scared of getting caught but nodded “You… order them often,” you said with a shrug. 

He hummed “And you know all of your client’s orders?” he asked, a flirty tone slipping as he moved to the side to let you in, nodding towards the kitchen, although you already knew where it was, since the layout of his apartment was almost an exact mirror of yours. 

“Only the ones of my favourites,” you responded, which got him to raise his eyebrows as he pulled out two plates and a pair of forks, placing them on the counter. You opened the small box and gracefully served one of the pies on each of the plates, he didn’t wait too long to dig in, moaning at the sweet and acidic flavour. 

“You’re the absolute best,” he told you as he continued to eat “Getting this after a fire might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

You just giggled at his exaggeration, you didn’t know he didn’t mean only the pie, but also your company. As the two of you finished your meal, you stood up to go back to your apartment but he stopped you, a hand gripping softly onto your forearm “Hey wait!” You turned to him “Let me pay you back.” 

You gasped and then shook your head. “Oh no, don’t worry about it, I get free treats since I work there.” But he didn’t let go of your arm just yet. 

You saw him bite his cheek, looking to the side as if trying to find the right words “Regardless, I–  Let me take you out, yeah?” 

“Out… to the door?” You asked with a frown “I mean I know where it is but–” 

“Out on a date.” 

“You want to– Me?!?” He nodded fervently in response. 

“So...?” 

You smiled, you were sure you were blushing madly but his nervousness only made him even more adorable “I’d love that.” 

He’d taken you to a small Italian restaurant that his friend Sirius had recommended, he told you about his life, about how he got into firefighting and you told him about yours, how you were working at the cafe as a side job to pay for your online studies. He thought you were a hero, which was almost ridiculous because if anyone was saving people between the two, it had been him. 

After that date you went on many others, he frequented the cafe a lot more often, sometimes to order something, sometimes to drop by a bouquet of roses or some other kind of flower. Markus had teased you relentlessly after that, but he really was happy to see you happy. He also started giving you treats to take home a lot more often, but that was because he knew you were always sharing them with James.  

“Thanks love, see you at dinner?” James asked as he took the takeaway coffee cup from your hands, you had written “Prongs,” and drew a pair of antlers on it just to tease him, since he’d told you about his friends giving him that nickname in school. 

You nodded in response “Sure, want me to bring something?” 

He leaned over the counter as if it were about to say something of the utmost secrecy “How about some of those chocolate tarts?” he whispered. 

“Sounds about perfect to me,” you agreed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before pulling back. He smiled dumbly after that and waved on the way out, almost bumping into a tall teacher who was also your regular. 

“Watch your step, lover boy,” he told him. That day you found out Remus –the teacher who was a regular– and your boyfriend not only knew each other, but had been best friends for the longest time. He’d told you about him many, many times, but you had no way of knowing the calm, concentrated teacher who sat on his laptop grading students was the same mastermind prankster he always called Moony. 

“So… how does he look in suspenders?” Markus asked you as he eyed your boyfriend finally leaving. 

“Oh… well, I mean… I haven’t– we haven’t-“ 

“Shut it,” he said turning to you “You’ve been dating for a while now, like 2 months, right? Didn’t you tell me you slept at his apartment the other night?” 

“Yeah, I mean, I did… I fell asleep watching the telly and he didn’t want to wake me.” 

“I thought you meant something else…” he said as he shook his head “Maybe he’s asexual,” he added with a shrug “Total bummer for you.” 

You frowned “I don’t think he– I think he’s just trying to be a gentleman.” 

Markus shook his head, unconvinced “Have you tried to initiate anything?” 

“We’ve snogged a couple of times.” 

“And when it gets more heated?” 

You shrugged “Don’t know what to tell ya.” 

He hummed “You need to try harder.” 

“I need to try?” 

“Well to find out at least, don’t you want to?” 

You shrugged it off then, but truth be told, the idea had already cemented itself in your brain. You paid closer attention to the times you snogged after that. Be it on the couch, or the counter of yours or his kitchen, it was always romantic kisses and even if he certainly seemed affected, be it his ragged breath, pink lips or expanded pupils, he never pushed for more. Perhaps he really was waiting for you to initiate things. 

A few nights later, there was another fire, you had already gotten the key to his apartment so you waited over at his, bringing over some cream puffs and setting yourself on the couch while you waited. He arrived a little late, covered in soot like he had that first time you walked into his house with lemon tarts in your hand. He smiled the moment he spotted you on his sofa “Fancy seeing you here, darling,” he teased, echoing the words he’d said that first night. 

You smiled “How are you feeling?” you asked. 

He sighed, his shoulders slumped at that “We couldn’t… One of them didn’t make it.” You frowned, you knew he’d torment himself about it all night, so you walked over to him, taking a wet towel as he sat near the counter and started wiping some of the soot from his face.

“‘S not your fault.” 

“But if we had gotten there sooner maybe–“ 

You pulled his chin, making his eyes look straight into yours “Jamie,” you said sternly, trying to ground him “It’s not your fault.” 

He sighed again “I know, I know…” he said, and buried his head in your neck, smelling your perfume as he grabbed onto your hips, “Stay over tonight?” he asked “Please, I don’t– I don’t want to be left alone with my thoughts.” 

You smiled, placing your hand on the back of his head, brushing it lightly over his messy hair before settling it at the nape of his neck “Of course, my love,” you responded simply, and pulled his shoulders back to look straight at his face “come on, let’s get to the sofa, maybe we can play something on the telly to get your mind off things.” 

He pouted “I’m sweaty, and I smell of charred wood.” 

You tilted your head, a small smile drawing on your lips “I think you look sexy,” you teased, before grabbing his hand to pull him up and towards the sofa. He had a diverted look as he followed. 

They were screening Karate kid for like the 5th time that week, but both of you were watching it patiently. That was until the commercial break started and you turned to James, he had a small frown on his face, almost imperceptible, as if he were trying to hide it from you, but you knew him well enough to know. “You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?” 

James turned to you, a sorrowful look in his beautiful hazel eyes, “I found them, I tried, but…” You kneeled on the sofa and gave him a bone-crushing hug, or at least your version of one, since you had about half the strength he did anyway. Regardless, you heard the huff of a laugh coming from him. 

You gave one last look at the telly, they were still going on some infomercial about a magical razor, yeah, no way in hell he gets distracted by that. “Hey Jaimie,” he hummed in response “How about we find another way to get your mind off things?” you asked, pulling back a little so he could see your face.

He gave you a look, “Like playing Monopoly or…” he didn’t even finish his sentence since you crashed your lips against his with a kiss. He was surprised at first but followed the kiss shortly after. Tightening his grip on your waist. 

“Like this?” you said as you pulled out for air. He still had a bit of a frown, so you leaned into him again, determined to erase it with a kiss. He pretty much melted into you again, at some point you crossed your knee over his lap and you were straddling his thigh. You didn’t lean closer to him too fast, you wanted to give him some time. 

Your lips started to travel from his lips to his jaw, he was right, he was sweaty, you could feel the salty taste of it as you kissed, and there was something else too, a little bit of that smoked flavour going on. You didn’t care, if anything, it really made him feel sexier. You landed on his neck, and started pressing wet kisses on a section you knew from experience he liked, and you heard a low moan coming from his throat, music to your ears. 

“Wait… wait… hold up,” he said as he patted your shoulder softly, you didn’t pull back “Angel, please, I’m gross right now…”

“Don’t care,” you said between kisses “I like the way you taste.” 

He stifled grunted after you said that –partly because of what you said, partly because of the way you sucked onto a particularly sensitive part of his neck– it was hard enough for him to restrain himself as it was, and you saying things like that was only making it harder. 

You, without quite noticing what you were doing, started grinding against his leg, not quite against his crotch yet thought, you could still think enough to know it’d be too soon. You leaned back, trying to get to his mouth when you spotted him, he had a rather interesting expression on his face, brows furrowed, as if he was trying really hard to concentrate on something, or not to concentrate on something. 

You smiled, holding back a laugh before placing your hand on his cheek, he opened his eyes, a worried look on his face “James, what is it darling?” 

He swallowed, his breath was heavy, “I’m just… I’m trying not to– thinking of something else.” You raised an eyebrow at him, not sure exactly what was going on until you saw his gaze flicker down to his crotch. 

“Oh.” You said quietly, and then, in an outburst of bravery, pulled your hand down to pat him. He hissed, grabbing your hand and pulling it back.

“That– that’s going to make it worse.” 

You smiled again, tilting your head just a little as you stared at your beautiful boyfriend “Allow me,” you said softly “I want to make it worse.” He looked at you as if he was trying to decipher whether what you were saying was true, and you leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek “Pretty please?” 

You had your forehead against his when he bit his lip and nodded, letting your hand free as you pushed it towards his crotch again. He was a lot harder than you had initially assumed he’d be, but you started rubbing your hand up and down regardless, feeling out his entire length which was nothing short of surprising. His head had somehow ended up on your shoulder again “fuck,” he said and trailed off with a few other curse words you weren’t sure you had heard him say before “That feels incredible Angel, You feel so good,” he whispered. 

Eventually, you pulled your hand backward and he gave you the most reproachful look, “Hey… I want to be able to kiss you,” you said softly before leaning in for a kiss and finally closing the gap between your bodies. You had been wearing a pair of simple lycra shorts, so everything felt very close when you finally leaned your hips over his, grinding your core against the rough texture of his firefighter pants. 

James was about to moan when you pulled him into a kiss again, so he moaned into your mouth, half attempting to return the kiss. His hands had now travelled to your hips, and he was helping you grind onto him, gripping almost a little too tight, not that you minded. If anything, you thought seeing this less controlled side of him was the hottest thing. 

Your hands travelled to his jacket, he’d been so lost in thought when he arrived home that he hadn’t even taken it off, but that was fine, you could help him with that now. You found the plate box and started to unbutton it one by one, he had been so engrossed in you that he didn’t notice what you were doing until you moved your hands to his inside shirt to push the thick jacket to the side. 

He helped you shrug it off and you set it to the side of the couch since you knew how much he cared for it. He gave you a smile through huddled lids and this time around he was the one pulling you towards him for another kiss. 

You went to the buttons of his pants this time around, grinding on his thigh in an effort to not stop the buildup you’d already created. “Angel what are you…?” 

“Material’s too rough,” you managed to mumble. His eyebrows knit in concern and he helped you in an instant. While he did that you fumbled with your shorts and took them off as fast as possible, not sparing a second glance to see where they fell on the floor, they were pretty ruined either way. He didn’t notice you had done that, not until you went back to straddle him and he felt the wet patch of your panties on his trouser. On his cock. 

“Fuck dove,” he said when he realized. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, almost shy, thinking he might think it was gross but he shook his head.

“Don’t be, it’s fucking hot,” he said as he grabbed onto your hips again and started sliding you against him, grinding you against him. This time there was a lot more purpose behind his movements, he was quite literally rubbing you right onto his cock, you could feel it almost in between your folds through the two layers of clothing separating you from each other. 

The room started feeling too hot, and you removed your hands from the back of his head and brought them to the hem of your sweatshirt, attempting to pull it off when his hands travelled to yours. 

He pulled back from the kiss and stared at you, searching for your eyes “You don’t have to– Not because of the…” he took a deep breath, trying to think straight “We don’t have to do this just to distract me.” 

Your expression turned soft, as you looked at him. How on earth did I get so lucky? You thought. You licked your lips, biting the bottom as you brought your hands to the side of his face. “It’s not just because of that, I want to do this Jamie, I’ve been thinking about it for a while.” He swallowed. “You think that sexy little uniform does nothing to me? I’m only human James.” He chuckled, eyes averting to the side in an adorably bashful expression that you were certain only James Potter would be able to pull off. When he looked back you gave him a teasing smile “Help me?” you asked again, nodding down. 

This time it was he who bit back a grin, almost giving you a wink before he let his hands to the hem of your hoodie and helped you pull it off. He stared at you for a second. You were wearing a simple sports bra, nothing fancy, in fact, you’d dare say it was a little embarrassing since the bottom hem was frailing a bit already, but that didn’t seem to matter to James. He was staring at you as if he’d seen the hottest woman on earth. As if you had been wearing the most exquisite set of lingerie. 

You blushed, obviously, you blushed, and hid your head on his neck so he wouldn’t notice, pretending you were going for a kiss, but he stopped you. “Hold up, I wanna enjoy the view,” he complained. 

“When I’m wearing nicer underwear I’ll let you,” you said, pushing against him to go to his neck again, but he was stronger, if he didn’t want you to move, there was no way in hell you’d be able to move. 

“Darling, your underwear is the last thing I’m paying attention to,” he said honestly. You took a deep breath and allowed him to pull you back, his eyes were blown with lust as he stared at you, at your bare shoulders he’d seen a couple of times, although not many since you started going out in winter and it still was winter. At the supple curve of your hips. At your breasts, you felt his hand twitch in your shoulder, as if he was holding himself back from touching anywhere else. 

“James,” you said, getting him to turn his gaze back to your face, although you noticed it flicker down a couple of times, “You can touch.”

It was as if that had been all the permission he needed, he brought his hands down, letting them roam through your bare waist as you started to grind against him again. He was harder, if that was even possible. He groaned as you rolled your hips against his, and started trailing kisses down your neck, setting in the curve of your breasts as you continued to dry hump him. 

He could see your hardened nipples through the thin cotton fabric. He’d actually seen them harden as he kissed, and then he did something you weren’t expecting, he held your waist and pulled you up a little, you almost whined at the loss of contact, but he pushed his head forward and gave an open mouth kiss to your breast, sucking and nipping through the fabric, you were now helping him hold you up with your own legs and holding onto his strong shoulders, absolutely lost in the feeling of his mouth. 

He pulled back, giving you a mischievous look as he trailed his fingers over the frilled hem, there was almost an innocence to the way he was looking at you “May I?” he asked. 

“Please.” He was already digging his fingers under the hem and pulling it over your head. “You too,” you added, pulling at his shirt. He quickly passed his hand to the neck of his shirt and yanked it off in a second. You gulped, you’d never seen anyone take their shirt off in such a hot way. 

He was staring at you as he placed his hand on your waist and pulled you towards his face, this time licking from the underside of your breast all the way to your nipple before he closed his mouth around it and started sucking again, without the fabric in the middle you could feel his wet tongue and teeth grazing against your sensitive skin, you arched against him, and moaned his name when he bit softly. 

His other hand was already massaging your other breast, kneading it and brushing his thumb over your nipple every couple of seconds. It felt incredible, and you relished on the feeling until your neediness got the best of you, “James,” you somehow managed to form the words, and grabbed the hand that was still kneading on your breast, pulling it down, to your core “Here, please.” 

You saw him pull back to look at you, and he swallowed thickly but nodded, moving to kiss your neck as he traced his fingers over your wet panties “fuck, you’re so wet,” he whispered between kisses. You gripped onto his shoulder a little harder, when he pressed his finger onto your folds, you were already pretty sensitive from so much rubbing onto his hard uniform pants that even the slightest touch had you on fire. 

After toying with you for a bit, he slid his finger through the hem and pushed your panties to the side, digging his fingers on your folds, while his thumb searched for your clit. He found it in the blink of an eye and you were pretty much bucking your hips against his hand in search of more friction. He let out a breathy laugh “So needy,” he said before setting one of his fingers near your entrance and digging it in. 

His finger was long, much longer than yours and it reached places you wouldn’t have dreamed of, he curved it in a particular way and you let out a gasp “Yes! Please, James, do that again,” you said as you panted, he obliged, and had you grinding against his hand again in no time. 

“Angel you’re too tight,” he whispered as you leaned in to kiss him again, slowly lowering yourself onto his tight. He went in for another finger as you kissed him and swallowed your whimper. He was already moving his fingers and slowly opening them inside of you, trying to prepare you, in case you wanted to continue because hell knew he did. 

He pressed his thumb against your clit again, he could feel you faltering on him, your hip movements becoming sloppier as he continued to rub “Jamie I’m gonna…” 

He kissed your neck “Please do.” 

You leaned closer to him digging your nails into the muscles of his back as you bit your bottom lip. James separated from your neck for a second to look at you, you looked fucking stunning as you whimpered and whispered his name and a few course words almost incoherently. 

“So fucking stunning,” he told you with a smile. It took you a second to come back and be able to pay attention to him, to the way he was looking at you. 

You huffed a laugh “Shut up Jamie,” you said with a smile as you shook your head, he still had his fingers inside you, and it looked like he didn’t have the intention to remove them any time soon.

“How are we doing?” he asked. 

You frowned, “Why do you– oh.” He flicked his thumb over your clit again, thrusting his fingers in and out in a rather sharp way “James you aren’t thinking of…” 

“Of course, I’m thinking of it angel, I need to see that pretty face of pure bliss on you again.” 

You almost let him convince you but you shook your head. You didn’t miss the way his smile faltered, you leaned into him, making sure to let your clit rub onto his thumb again as you shifted your weight and your hips “Not until I see yours,” you whispered in his ear, bringing your hand down to the hem of his boxers and digging your hand to grope him. 

He groaned at your harsh movement, but his head fell back, an expression rather similar to yours as you dragged your hands through his length. 

“Help James,” you said, words cut with sharp breaths from the effort you were making to pull his boxers down. He lifted his hips and helped you do it, all the while you continued pumping him. There was already a bit of white precum coating his tip, even if the boxers had sucked up most of it, you used it to allow your hand to glide easier around him. 

“Faster,” he asked, you complied, he was already bucking his hips into your hands, “fuck doll I think I’m going to– “ You instantly stopped moving your hand and his eyes snapped open, looking at you like you had betrayed him. But you didn’t give him an explanation, you used your legs to prop forwards and lined him against your entrance “Wait, doll–“ you lowered yourself onto him, “fuck.” 

You gulped, allowing yourself to adjust before giving him a look, he was looking at his cock buried in you attentively, and he swallowed thickly, you didn’t wait too much after that, and started grinding onto him, “Fuck Jamie you fill me up so good,” you whispered, as if he needed any more encouragement. You thought he did since he wasn’t moving, but that wasn’t the reason he wasn’t. 

He grabbed onto your hips, and halted your movement “fuck, angel, hold up– I need–“You looked at him worriedly, accidentally bucking your hips again as you tried to search for his eyes, and then you felt it. Wet and sticky, inside you. He’d cum.

He looked at you with the most mortified expression on his face, as if he was sorry “I’m– I’m so sorry I…” 

You just laughed, placing your hand on his cheek to prompt him to look at you “Hey, It’s okay my love.” 

“But I didn’t… Not even like 30 seconds I–“ James was completely flustered, you weren’t sure you’d ever seen him that flustered before, you pulled him into a kiss. 

“I’m taking it as a cumm-pliment,” you told him, he gave you a reproachful look and you gave him a peck on the lips. A small smile wavered its way towards his lips. 

“That’s the– what a terrible pun,” he added. You bucked your hips against him again “fuck.” 

You raised your eyebrow at him “Keep insulting my puns and I won’t help you with your little issue,” you threatened playfully as you started to buck your hips again, helping him empty himself completely. This time a lot slower, enjoying the way he felt on you, the way he was filling you up, how much easier it was to glide onto him with his warm cum all over you, some of it dripping to the side of your thigh and onto his already, you continued until he patted on your tight. 

You nodded and pulled out slowly, setting yourself on his lap still. He still seemed awfully bashful, “Come on Jamie, I really don’t mind it.” 

“But it was– our first time and I… ugh” he placed his hands over his face, groaning as he replayed the events in his head.

You bit your tongue not to laugh. At least he wasn’t thinking of the fire anymore. Mission success? You sighed and placed your hands onto his own and pulled them down, tilting your head a little in search for his eyes.

 “How about…” you started, it seemed to gather some of his attention, although he was still looking at you with a dissatisfied expression “We go get a bath, and clean up…” you continued, he had finally lifted his head towards yours “we relax together a little,” you added, letting your fingers trace over his muscles, “we clean all the soot of that pretty face of yours,” you added, pinching his cheek which earned you a playful scowl from his part “and then chill for a while, see what happens next,” you finished, making sure your tone, raised eyebrows and half bitten bottom lip was suggestive enough. He looked at you, a diverted smile playing on his lips. “If it makes you feel better, we can pretend the shower was our first time instead,” you added just to spite him. 

He huffed, a smile on his face as he placed his hands on your waist and stood up, holding you against him with ease. You squealed and laughed at the sudden action “James!” you reprimanded “We didn’t even take your boots off, you’re gonna fall and drop me in the process,” he looked down and groaned when he realised it was true. Regardless he tried to jump his way before the two of you ended up back on the couch. You were laughing merrily as he huffed. 

“Come on hot fireman,” you told him with a smile “Take off those pretty boots of yours…” you smiled as you sneaked out of his grasp “I’ll meet you in the bathroom.” 

He pretty much groaned as he saw you leave, staring at your ass as you disappeared through the door. 

A/N: this one came out so much sweeter than I expected it to, but I kind of love it. It really captures that James Potter humour, doesn't it? Maraudween and The Five Senses are the anthology series where I explore writing smut, all as a way to hone my skills for the moment I write it in my Wolfstar x Reader series that's currently being posted on a weekly basis. If you have feedback, please leave it in the comments below. I absolutely love reading your comments <3

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The Maraudween Materlist

[laviaceae]

your art has spiked my interest haha what’s tower of hanoi and how/where do i play it?

OKAY.

TOWER OF HANOI IS THE BEST GAME YOU ABSOLUTELY, 110% GUARANTEE NO REFUNDS, HAVE NEVER HEARD OF.

LET ME EXPLAIN.

(also known as: i win at all times ever and im glad my tawahano propaganda pays off, HAH!)

----------

Have you ever heard of... END ROLL? Walking On A Star Unknown? Farethere City? These are all relatively niche RPGMaker 2000 games made by a Japanese game creator known as Segawa (せがわ), with END ROLL being the most popular among Western Fans (you might see the main character, Russell, in some fanart with OMORI or Yume Nikki characters for example)!

In fact, for followers of mine who are In Stars and Time fans, END ROLL was credited as one of the inspirations for that game!

TOWER of HANOI is another game made by Segawa, one released in November of 2020, and one of the final games they've made in RPG2K (so they've got an absolute mastery of the engine).

I'll be in part directing this post towards ISAT fans since that makes up the majority of my followerbase on Tumblr, so there may be ISAT spoilers (including Two Hats/Act 6 Secret spoilers) up ahead! There will also be mild TOWER of HANOI spoilers required to explain the game's premise. Proceed at your own risk.

Section One: So, what is TOWER of HANOI all about?

TOWER of HANOI is a narrative-driven RPG with multiple endings (2 'true endings', 3 'bad endings') set in a futuristic, post-post-World-War-Five society. The game mostly takes place within the TOWER, a hyper-realistic virtual reality simulation currently undergoing playtests that was built to be able to rehabilitate HANOI (androids that look and sound and feel emotions like humans do) who have dangerous levels of mental instability.

The stability of a HANOI is measured through their Stress Level, a numerical representation of that HANOI's mental state. HANOI are generally considered by society to be more of technology or property than people (like your computer or your phone would be), and as such have no rights and are often mistreated by humans. More than 50% of HANOI hate their human employers.

In order to combat the dangerous upward trend of HANOI Stress Levels (caused by their mistreatment), the TOWER was created. In it, HANOI are expected to fight and defeat virtual enemies that approximate humans in order to destress through violence. Upon a successful completion, HANOI are to be returned to their human employers.

Because the TOWER is currently undergoing testing, groups of HANOI are accompanied through the TOWER by a human "Inspector" who is expected to report any bugs or issues they encounter during their playtest.

You play as one of those human Inspectors; Inspector No.102, Coral Brown.

(this is my art! you may have seen him in my ISAT au as taking the place of Siffrin).

He's 33 years old, kind, calm, and soft as a marshmallow. He's also a human being who believes in the rights and wellbeing of HANOI, and sympathises with their suffering. As a child, he was raised by a HANOI instead of his parents, which may have contributed to his feelings towards them.

Over the course of the game and as you progress through the TOWER you'll get to meet and intimately know the ten HANOI under Coral's care with Fire Emblem-esque Support events depending on how many times you bring each of them to battle. These can be between Coral and the HANOI, or the HANOI between eachother. (There are more than 100 of these such events to collect in total!)

TOWER of HANOI's characters are both charming and tragic. They each have incredibly well-realised personalities, backstories, and relationships both with the Inspector taking care of them and eachother. It's easy to imagine day-to-day interactions in Headquarters (your hub area) between them all.

You have Adams, a HANOI built for missionary work and who's Stress Level is the lowest out of all ten (and actually below the 'dangerous' stress threshold)! He's silly and mischevious and adores spicy food. Despite this, he's here at the TOWER because he doesn't believe in God, despite that being an important part of his 'role' in the world. When did he stop believing in God, and why? What is his relationship with the people at the Church that took care of him?

Or Mira, a Childcare HANOI that reminds Coral of the HANOI that looked after him as a child. She loves children, but has to constantly grapple with the fact that she can't have any and that any children she takes care of will eventually, inevitably leave her. How will she and Coral resolve the fact that they both remind eachother of someone they knew in the past? How will she interact with the other HANOI?

There's also Nanashi, a cheaply-made HANOI for miscellaneous chores who's trust and care for humanity has been completely shattered due to his ties with the mafia. He wasn't even important enough to be given a name until Coral gives him one upon their first meeting in the TOWER. He hates humans, hates Coral, and refuses to trust him, instead convincing himself that Coral is merely faking his kindness to get him to let his guard down just to use him like all humans he's ever known have done. Will Coral eventually be given Nanashi's trust? What will he do once he leaves the TOWER, and has to be sent back to the mafia where he came from?

Finally there's Kimon Noroi, a HANOI who resembles a child that fulfils a very special purpose. Noroi is what's known as a Yorimashi (憑坐), and uses her body to allow spirits to occupy it and commune with the living. She's seen how terrible humans can be because of the spirits she's seen and can come across as a bit standoffish (though she's really just as much of a menace as Adams is), and definitely, definitely, definitely doesn't miss the Priest at the shrine she lived in before coming to the TOWER at all! How will she interact with Adams, both having people they miss back at home? How will she interact with Mira, who's like a mother figure to her in this place?

As you progress, you can find the answers to all of these questions, as well as the identities of the six other HANOI I've not even mentioned here- all as well-written and interesting as these four.

However, the HANOI aren't the only faction in the game to worry about.

The very NPCs and enemies you'll be fighting along the way are coming to life, gaining sentience, and realising they want something more in their existence than eternally repeating dialogue chains and fetch quests and death in battle.

The head of this 'rebellion' of 0s and 1s, a computer virus named Shunya, acts as the main antagonist for the majority of the game, but even she isn't... 'evil'. She has her own found family, a group of bugged enemies she's befriended along her journey, all of whom want her to realise her dream of "melting" down the TOWER and returning all of the 0s and 1s inside to their base state of not thinking, not feeling, and not being in eternal pain.

Should you fight these people, if their emotions really are real, and defeat them without caring about their plight? Is it right to, to disregard the thoughts and feelings of 0s and 1s for the sake of the wellbeing of the HANOI Coral's grown so attached to? Should you follow the 'role' you've been given, or disregard it and create your own?

TOWER of HANOI excellently tackles the dichotomy of themes between 'roles' in societies and the 'dreams' people have, and nowhere is this more apparent than Coral Brown himself. Throughout the game, there will be multiple events and opportunities in order to control Coral's own Stress Level, and how he feels towards both the side of HANOI and the side of 0s and 1s he's stuck between. Lower his stress and he'll side with the HANOI and enjoy his job, and at higher stresses he'll begin to hate it, being unable to eat or sleep as he starts feeling awful for the 0s and 1s he spends his time killing in the TOWER....

These branch into the two main 'True Routes' of the game, depending on your Stress Level... but I shall leave the specific nature of those to discover in your own playthroughs. :)

If you've enjoyed ISAT, there's a good chance you'll enjoy TOWER of HANOI. Not only is one of the creator's previous games an inspiration for ISAT, they share a lot of similarities in their characters. Coral and Siffrin are very similar as protagonists, and as for others...

(Loop artwork credit to Insertdisc5 from In Stars and Time)

I could write a whole essay on how these two are so painfully similar and would kill eachother on sight. Maybe I will one day. Who knows. Me when I have a guide character lacking half of a face that has Fucking Issues TM stemming from intense jealousy and shares some visual similarity with our main character. Just look at them. This is the sole reason for the twohats warning. Just look at them.

Section Two: Wow, that's so cool and awesome Mx Lav! How do I play TOWER of HANOI?

You can check out the official website here, and the official downloads page here! I'd recommend following the instructions on this website to get the game working faster (because RPG2K is a pain in the ass on modern systems).

...

...Oh? It's all in Japanese? ...Well-

Section Three: --WAIT WHY IS IT ALL IN JAPANESE??

Yes, that's TOWER of HANOI's One (Big) Thing. The one thing you have to look past in order to actually play the game; it's all in Japanese, and an English translation will never be made (unless Segawa-san lifts the translation ban).

However, you don't actually need to know Japanese to play the game. I sure don't! And all of the other English-speaking fans I know that have played this game don't either.

There are three main ways to accomplish this, but I'll only discuss two here:

Sugoi Translator or similar translators. Sugoi Translator (or Sugoi Toolkit) is a machine translation tool that automatically grabs and translates the text in game you're looking at. The translations themselves make a good amount of sense, too! It's a little difficult to set up, but once you've calibrated it once you never have to worry about it again. This is definitely easiest if you want to read all of the dialogue in the game, including flavourtext (as yes, all 10 HANOI and Coral have unique flavourtext for every item in the game...), but is only available for free on the 15th and 16th each month and is otherwise only available to download on the creator's Patreon.

Google Lens. The easier, plug-and-translate method of the two. Simply download the Google Lens app and point it at the text on the screen, it'll read and translate it for you. The translations here are a little goofier (and sometimes, depending on your phone camera quality or lighting conditions, can be difficult for the app to pick up), but it's easy to complete a playthrough with just this tool alone.

If you can't get past this game's One Big Thing, I get it. It's a hard game to sell to people precisely for this reason. I'm at least glad you've read this far down into the post to get to this point and have showed interest in the game. And now you now about a game you didn't before, and you also have an itty bitty bit of context for all the non-ISAT stuff I post here. But this game has had me in a chokehold for the past two years and I promise that, if you can get through it, it's extremely worth it.

If you have the time and you're willing to try, please do! I love this game with all my heart and it's such a shame that most Western fans will never have easy access to it. I shill this game with all my heart, for realsies.

Section Four: Trigger/Content Warnings

If you've played a Segawa game before, you knew this section was coming. Segawa-san's games often tackle heavy or dark themes, and TOWER of HANOI isn't an exception. I'll add a list of content warnings here just so you aren't surprised by anything.

Suicide, both on and off screen

Self-harm, on-screen through dialogue

Themes of terminal illness, on screen

Hospitals (on screen, a majority of one of the game's dungeons takes place in one)

Death (on-screen)

Abuse (off-screen, but portrayed through dialogue)

Child harm/death (mentioned)

Kidnapping/Child kidnapping (mentioned)

Horror elements (no chase sequences, one jumpscare through an optional and hard-to-find sidequest)

Sexual Assault/Abuse (Not on-screen but talked about extensively, can avoided if you avoid Melitica/Merrytika's dialogue)

Mishandling of discussions surrounding gender identity (this character's identity is shown generally throughout the game to be a positive/supported thing, but some dialogue and design choices are quite ignorant/transphobic- though not maliciously. This can be avoided if you avoid Kathy/Cameron's dialogue)

There is also a substantial amount of screenshake employed near the end of the game. This list is from memory and limited from the amount of dialogue I've personally seen/translated, so it's probably not fully comprehensive. But it is thorough.

Section Five: Conclusion

oof... You've made it to the end! This took me the better part of a day to write, and I'm glad I finally got to advertise my favourite game on main. I hope... any of this makes sense, and that you enjoy! Even if you decide TOWER of HANOI isn't right for you, you at least know a little more about something you didn't before. Thank you so much for getting to the end, and I wish you the best!

[squiddy-god]

Twst cowboy/western AU

Omg ok so I have so many thoughts here we goooo!!! 

Tw: western Au! Mental illness, guns and gangs, I think that's it- this is a pretty wholesome au soooo

New tags! Town of Night Raven, twisted western, twst western!Au

Ok this au takes place in like the 1890’s in the small western town of Night Raven 

I'll go in order of the boys 

Riddle Rosehearts 

Managed to move away from his mama and go here, he still writes her but he's dead to her and it crushes him

He's a good ole english boy turned cowboy and night Raven is the only town that would take him 

He runs the town's stables and looks after the horses, acting as a sort of vet for their illnesses. Takes house calls to peoples farms so he can fix up their animals.

He has quite the temper and kicks like a horse himself 

Trey Clover 

Local dentist and doctor. 

Friends with Riddle but ain't much for horses

Definitely has this work cut out for him in this mess of a town. 

Came from the big city and knew Riddle as a kid before he moved back to London

Was shocked to see him in night Raven looking like he'd been dragged through hell 

Ace trapola 

Moved west for money and settled in night Raven only to never leave 

Causes a bunch of trouble for the law, always galavanting around town and getting in bar fights

Works at the stable with Riddle and deuce but barely is there to work and just messes around with the horses 

Punched riddle once when he first came to town and has not hit him since considering that Riddle got a lot better at fist fighting since you first came in

Deuce spade 

Used to be a gang outlaw before he came to night Raven and decide he wanted a quiet life to make his mama proud 

Hardest worker at the stables and dose all the lifting

Part time ranch hand out at the big farm Crowley owns 

Leona kingscolar

Runs a gang of outlaws and reeks quite a bit of havoc on night Raven

Came from a wealthy family but left the big city's to make his own path

Succeeded, his territory is pretty big in the West and he just needs night Raven to make it complete 

Only problem is night Raven has waring gang factions

A quick shot and a good rider

Ruggie bucci 

Used to be a street thief to support his town before Leona took over and things got better

Has been his errand boy and enforcer ever since 

Still steals but mostly from rich blokes he finds on the side of the rodes

He's a better shot than Leona, always has two 6 shots and a knife on him. 

Jack howl 

Honestly never wanted to be in a gang but Leona wouldn't leave him alone.

Only joined cause his family lives in a town Leona controls. 

Mostly works as a farm hand for Crowley because of his muscle

Is the one to break up epels bar fights all the time 

Has a mean right hook 

Azul ahsengrotto 

Runs the morstro saloon that he uses to conduct his under the table business. 

He co-owns it with vil

Octovinell is his gang, with jade too his right and Floyd to enforce his rules, 

Active in the night Raven gang wars but mostly just the dirty money he sweeps under the table for arms dealing and such 

jade leech 

Infamous leech brothers 

Escaped convicts that azul took in when they were first forming the gang. 

Handles most of the product side of things for the “business” and runs the front of the house with vil

Spent most of his early life taking care of Floyd and his troubled mind 

Floyd 

Troubled mind growing up, 

They ended up as orphans before they where 12 and had to fend for themselves

Killed three men in a town and ran, from place to place

7 bodies in total before they where caught and thrown in jail. 

Escaped and joined azuls gang at 17 and have been with him ever since. 

Relatively charming young man if you ignore the teeth and glare he sports in a bad mood 

Kalim al-hasim 

Moved west for peace and quiet and decided to bring Jamil along with him 

He's the kind but sort of naive shop owner

Runs the general goods store and has a real knack for business 

Partners with Crowley's farm to supply the store of most produce. 

If you need something bought or sold you either talk to kalim or azul 

Jamil Viper 

Resents kalim for dragging him west 

But he does like the freedom of the western deserts 

Works at kalims shop and chases off any of their more unruly customers (see : Leona and azuls gangs) 

Definitely learned how to shoot and became one of the best shots in town. 

Has his own horse named saffron who's just the most beautiful red! 

Vil schroheint 

Co-owns the salon with azul and runs the front of the house with jade! 

He's absolutely gorgeous, has a slight German accent and often gets mistaken for a lady. 

Was a singer and actor in Germany

Definitely a more effeminate man but after they watched him beat the snot out of some unruly customer they don't mention it. 

Rook calls him gorgeous. And that's it. 

Always mad at epel for bar fights 

Rook hunt 

Definitely a hunter

Always sells his game at kalims shop and always has the best catches

Most avoid him because he's an odd Fellow but no one can deny his skill at hunting. 

Follows vil around so much his nickname has become “the saloon owners dog” 

Epel felimer 

Farm hand at Crowley ranch after he quit working for vil. 

In this au he's a bit taller and more muscular

Realistically he's a strong farm boy, good at bucking hay and climbing trees. 

Mostly tends to the Apple trees but he also herds in the cattle 

Gets in a lot of bar fights 

Vil thinks he's too crass with his thick accent 

Idia shroud 

Rich city guy that moved here unwillingly 

But he's here and he's scared of the gangs

Mostly keeps to himself and is pretty paranoid 

Reads books like crazy, his little house is more of a library then it is a home- well ok it is the local bookstore but his room and or this are on the second story

Used to be quite the gunSlinger before ortho

Ortho shroud 

Takes care of his troubled brother and runs most of the errands! 

Brings home stray cats for idia and always plays with the dogs! 

He's a sweet boy who all but begs people to teach him to shot so he can be just like his big brother but no one budges 

Malleus draconia 

The marshal

With his black Stetson and those horns it has on it makes him look like the bloody devil

And to some he is. 

Really disomnia is more of a benevolent gang, but they enforce the law and keep things mostly peaceful 

Malleus himself is a sweet man but a scary one

All outlaws with territory bigger than leona could ever hope 

Lilia vanrouge 

Outlaw and ex mercenary before he settled down with disomnia 

Malleus right hand 

Fought in the war before he became a hired gun, then an old friend called in a favor and he raised malleus and settled down. 

Joined the gang malleus formed and was right into the thick of it. 

Now he's really settled, just a older gentleman raising his adopted son silver now. 

Silver vanrouge 

 The poor baby he found 

Technically Lilia is the one who made him an orphan but- he felt so bad he adopted silver. 

Now he's a strong young man who loves his pops 

A member of disomnia and works in the town as part of law enforcement occasionally

Besides that he helps Lilia with his little farm. A few cows and some goats, sheep and chickens. 

Nothing much but it still what he loves. 

Sebek zigvolt 

Joined disomnia after seeing Lilia and melleus in a shoot out and becoming an instant devotee 

Works full time as law enforcement. 

Has a penchant for trying to break up bar fights but ends up getting roped into them on accident. 

Denies it but he's so gentle with the horses it's insane to think it's the same boy always yelling and shouting. 

Dire Crowley 

Mayor of the town and a shady one too. 

Pays off all three gangs so they don't kill each other 

Runs a big farm on the outskirts of town that supplies a lot of work. 

Comes into town often but no one likes him much

Definitely a few skeletons in the closet. 

[angelpuns]

This is a multi-parter, but I'm gonna go ahead and post all the parts since it's Rural Au day!!!

This was the first time I tried the new lineart in my comics and it was so successful I continued to use it :3

I think Leo is 5 or 6 here, then Raph is 7/8 and Mikey is 4

Some fun research stuff: Raph is wearing monpe pants, which were more commonly used to tie up and protect a kimono - but as Japan moved into the 30s and 40s, they began developing a much more westernized clothing style. Of course, traditional clothing was still really popular, especially in rural Japan, but with the movement towards a national uniform during the war, you would more often see women wearing monpe pants. Men during this time were required to wear a military type uniform and kids often wore their school uniforms or a sort of smaller military uniform for the boys. Nowadays monpe pants are still worn, especially for farming or other types of rural work :)

I will say the clothes in this comic are pretty simplified, plus the boys typically wear a sort of long top that Yoshi modified for them, plus an undershirt with the monpe pants.

Later on, both Raph and Leo begin wearing just the monpe pants and an undershirt since they're usually outside all day anyway! Donnie is the only one who wears a more full yukata sort of look and Mikey wears something similar but with the pants rolled up as far as he can get them.

Rural Au Masterpost | Next

[discount-shades]

Dead or Alive Masterlist

Months ago someone mentioned wanting a western AU. I decided to write one. I figure If I post the prologue I will be more inclined to get back into writing.  

Jake Seresin x Reader, enemies to lovers, 

Warning: Western themed violence, language

Main Masterlist

Prologue: Hang ‘Em High

Chapter 1: Chicken Run

Chapter 2: Bad Company 

Chapter 3: The Wild Bunch

Chapter 4: Ten Wanted Men

Chapter 5: The Stagecoach.

Chapter 6: A Fistful of Dollars 

Chapter 7: The Great Train Robbery 

Chapter 8: For a Few Dollars More 

Epilogue: Once Upon a Time in the West

Bonus:

Family

Family Part 2

[hazel-of-sodor]

This is going around on twitter so let's try it here

Feel free to send an ask if you want an elaboration on any of these.

1. Thomas/Cassandra as a J72 is long established lore. But something never said is the fact they dont know what they are until the preservation era. As far as Thomas/Cassandra knew, they were an LBSCR E2.

2. British Railways had a secret program from the 60s to the early 80s where they would allow groups to buy engines for preservation, but only if they agreed to keep the engine's survival secret. This was to make the engines/classes seem rarer than they were and driver up their price.

3. Blue Peter was originally male, but after the 1994 Durham wheelship accident and the emergency repairs carried out at Crovan's Gate, Blue Peter reawoke as female.

4. The world is a little bit larger in the AU, with more passengers and freight. This means more members of existing classes like the LNER Raven A2 and Gresley P1, and some classes that weren't built in ours like the GWR Cathedrals and Stone Circle Class.

5. Preservation is a larger movement, due to the engines being alive. There are more preservation railways, and those that exist in our world are better funded, and often larger.

6. It is now possible to circle the island by rail, via the Mantauo line which runs North from Vicarstown to Mantauo, and the Little Western, which extends North from Harwich to Mantauo.

7. Both Stanley and Smudger exist. Smudger, offically named Jennings, was the original No.2 of the Mid-Sodor Railway. She was eventaully sold to the Cronk and Harwick, with Stanley being bought to replace her.

8. Yes Nicole and Samantha are together, and adopted Claire

9. Many 'extinct' classes of British Locomotive have surviving members in other countries. Most commonly in the Americas and Asia, but British Railways refugees can be found in most countries.

10. Flying Scotsman has been part owned by the NWR since the American Tour, which they funded the latter half of in turn for majority ownership. Alan Peglar readily agreed, as it meant Scotsman was secured no matter what happened to him. In the present day the other portion is owned by the NRM.

11. With the greater interest in preservation and the existence of Crovan's Gate, many new builds were finished earlier. For example Lady of Legend was completed in 1975. Tornado is notable in the Au for being the first standard gauge steam engine built entirely on mainland Britain since Evening Star, as all the others had Crovan's Gate built components.

12. With the extension to Mantauo, the "Little" Western is a full fledged mainline, sporting many GWR Locomotives including Castles, Stars, and Cathedrals. Despite this, all agree Duck is still the head of the line.

13. Thomas/Cassandra and Duck dated during the Summer of 1976 while the No.1 was on the Little Western due to storm damage on the Ffarquhar Branch. It ended amicably, although no one but the two of them is certain whether it was due to the pair not working out or Thomas/Cassandra returning to her Branch Line.

14. While LNER P2s were transferred to Sodor during the war, and remained on the island afterwards, they were rebuilt in a manner similar to Gordon and so are considered P2/1s by Railfans. The 2007 Prince of Wales new build is intended to bring back the Gresley condition design, and the P2/1s are all excited to meet their new sister (they all insist it will be a girl, and engines are almost always right about such things).

15. The LNER U1 Typhoon and Big Emma (Big Bertha) work together on the Mantauo line and are shedmates...They're also girlfriends.

16. There were plans to rebuild Henry into a Hudson before the Flying Kipper accident, but the damage he stained was great enough Hatt used a favor Stanier owed him to have Crewe repair and rebuild Henry. As his trailing axle had been destroyed in the accident, Stanier had him rebuilt as a Black 5

17. The Sodor engines take great offense to the "Two Henry's Theory" and more than one pushy railfan has got blasted with a face full of steam over it.

18. Nancy Rushen is now the Thin Controller of the Skarloey Railway.

19. The NWR fleet list is over 100 hundred engines long, despite only containing engines that have appeared in either stories or art.

20. Midlothian is safe and sound on Sodor, although she refuses to set one wheel on the mainland.

21. U.S.S. Enteprise CV-6 is in service with the US Coast Guard as a Helicopter Carrier.

22. LNER 10000 "Hush Hush" does survive, but in her rebuilt form and her name is British Enterprise.

23. All the of the engines from the Fifteen Guinea Special survive, as 44781 Excelsior was saved by the Sodor Railway Musuem when the original preservation attempt fell through.

24. Excelsior joined her sister 45318 Intrepid, who the museum had already preserved, as she had pulled the last regular timetabled steam hauled service on British Railways.

25. HMS Hood survives the Second World War, and remains in service until after the Falklands War. She is now a museum ship.

26. All three Olympic Class would survive to enter Sodor Star Line Service in 1935 (Titanic having forced herself into a turn a second earlier), sold off by White Star Line as a final act of Defiance in the face of their impending forced merger with Cunard.

27. When the American Ocean Liner SS Moro Castle caught fire in September 1934, a White Star Liner recieved her distress calls and came to her aid. R.M.S. Titanic had been leaving New York Harbor when the sos was recieved and immedaitly turned to assist. Her crew helped the Moro Castle's contain the blaze and evacuate the passengers, before towing the stricken vessel to safe harbor.

28. America has had locomotive and sentient machine rights on paper since the 1890s, but it only truly came into effect following the first world war.

29. After the second World War ended up aligning themselves with either the USA or USSR. The USSR, like the USA also had rights for sentient machines. Never content to let the other take the lead in anything, the two superpowers pushed for their allies to take similar measures, leading to most nations steam fleets being protected by the time they were economically capable of replacing them.

30. The exception for Sentient machine rights is Great Britain. Even by the 2020s, the British Government doesn't recognize sentient machines as anything more than beasts of burden, if even that. This has led to political tension between Britain and both the USA and USSR.

31. As a result of the larger world/passenger numbers, the White Star Line planned a fourth Olympic Class. Tentatively named R.M.S. Gigantic, the hull was still early in construction when WW1 broke out. The Royal Navy claimed the unfinished hull, planning to finish the ship as a troop ship, but Germany caught wind of the project, and the unfinished hull was bombed on the slipway by a German Zeppelin. The hull was a total loss, and the White Star Line cancelled the project. After the war, the Line would eventually receive the newly completed S.S. Bismark as war reparations in 1922, renaming her R.M.S. Majestic.

32. As the Titanic Disaster never unfolded, with the liner instead surviving her maiden voyage, J Bruce Ismay would remain the managing director of the White Star Line until its merger with Cunard in 1935.

33. In the United States, roads never took over like they did in our timeline. The Railroads pushed for cars to have the same rights as their engines. While seemingly benigh, this place cars outside the budget of all but the rich. Roads certainly still exist, but are primarily for emergency services and for transporting freight in areas where railroads are impractical for one reason or another.

34. Since R.M.S. Titanic survived, why did the rules and regulations following the disastestill occur. Two reasons, 1. I play by the rule of the elastic timeline. While Context may change, most global events (or at the very least their consequences) still play out. 2. The Liners went on strike. Quite simply it was thie lives and passengers on the line. Unlike Humans, you can't just replace a ocean liner when they Strike. The fact the White Star Liner immediatly announced refits for Titanic and Olympic further forced the shipping companies to fall in line.

35. Sailing ships are often senient, although it takes longer for them to Awaken than those with engines.

36. As computer systems were installed in locomotives, it was found the engines were pefectly capable on instinctually interfacing with them, allowing engines to eventually access the internet, and games.

37. Engines are capable of consuming human food, although wether they like to varys engine to engine. No one is quite sure where the food consumed food and drink go.

38. While the original 26 books of the railway series are based on actuall events on the NWR, they have often been tweaked to better works in their role as children's books

[missallanious]

Hermes Costello,,, bounty hunter and girlfriend extraordinaire 😔💅✨

[bellezaycafe]

Get Your Shit Together - Chapter 10

genre: 2024 and onwards AU, with the 2024 starting grid.

pairing: Romantic!oc x Lando Norris and/or Oscar Piastri. Platonic!oc x the whole grid.

warnings: angst. max being annoying. idiots in love (yeah its a warning, trust me)

Masterlist / Part 1

comments: this chapter it's pretty Sadie/Oscar heavy :) and I'm not sorry for how long it took me to write...

But [Lando] felt that he’d missed out on months with Sadie. It felt like he had lost time to catch up on.

Sadie, much to her own shagrin, felt similar. So she spent the next two weeks building a dynamic with five drivers.  

She’d given Max permission to share her number with any driver that asked for it; she received texts from Lewis and Daniel.

Max never insisted on anything more than he already had. A monthly check in that she was alive and okay. But Sadie felt less like her presence would put Max in danger with each passing day, and opened up to him more. It was only really about things she liked, movies, books and music, but it was a step.

Lewis had facetimed her almost immediately. He’d said it was too ‘see if she was lying to him’ with a concerned little smile. They spoke for hours, well into the night for Sadie. At one point, he’d insisted that she set the phone where he could see her walk around so he could be sure she’d healed.

Lewis, nearing 40, earned the title ‘Old Man’ when he said that Sadie should go and sleep.

Daniel earned the nickname ‘WA’s Bitch’ when he’d bragged about Western Australia to make her laugh. It had worked, even if Sadie had stuck true to her ‘Victoria is better’ opinion.

The Perth-born man had first contacted her to make sure she was okay. He didn’t thank her for what she’d done at Silverstone, everyone else had done that already and the older driver knew his friend was okay. He didn’t know if Sadie was and he’d made it a mission to make her laugh at any opportunity.

Sadie was one hundred percent sure that Daniel had figured out some details about her life that Max hadn’t. The older driver had more experience with Australian society and cultural expectations. But he didn’t ask and Sadie hoped he never would.

Lando, on the other hand, asked everything. He texted sporadically, at random times of the day or night in both her timezone and his. He sent her behind the scenes photos of anything and everything he was working on. Most of the time it was a silly photo of Max Fewtrell.

He wouldn’t send a large text, it would be six or seven small ones that culminated in his point or opinion on a topic.

Sadie never answered any questions she didn’t want to, and Lando respected that.

Oscar rarely asked anything, except for how her day was and if she was free to talk. His texts were consistent. Full conversations, rather than split by 4 hours like her conversations with Lando.

Her fellow Melbournian never asked about her past, but he would send her memes he found funny and links to instagram posts of cute animals.

For two weeks, there was a pattern. Sadie would text Max and Oscar about her life as it was then, like if her shift was bad or if her favourite regulars had come by the bar that day. She’d reply to whatever chaos Lando or Daniel had sent her and laugh at their antics. She’d call Lewis a couple times each week and talk about how her life had changed in the 6 months since Silverstone.

It was a nice pattern. Sadie tackled the more recent past with Lewis’ help, laughed about the present with Daniel and Lando, and thought of what she wanted after talking to Max or Oscar.

They were simple conversations but she was building some bonds with people she liked.

It was cracked by a simple question.

Sadie's faint smile fell to a frown as she realised how stubborn Daniel was going to be.

Sadie hoped she’d conveyed how serious she was. As far as she was concerned, there was no family to talk about and no family to spend Christmas with.

Sadie had no family.

Her phone chimed with another text from Daniel.

She did. 

Come to Monaco. 

Come to Europe. 

You don’t have to pay for a thing, kid. 

Sadie sighed and, opting to ignore Max, called Oscar. 

"Sadie? You've never called, everything okay?" he mumbled, obviously half asleep.

"Everything's fine, Piastri, calm down," she deadpanned.

There was a sigh of relief and a rustle of sheets on the other end of the line.

"Are you in bed? Mate, you're 23 and in bed by 10?" Sadie teased.

He'd returned to his mum's house for the holidays and had told Sadie as soon as he'd flown in. She knew it was an invitation to make plans, see each other face to face, but his ability to draw a crowd wherever he went nagged at her.

She heard his soft chuckle as he said, "I went karting today, I'm exhausted."

"Should I let you go then?" Her voice was still teasing but she knew she should let him sleep.

"No," he murmured. "No. I have nowhere to be tomorrow, we can talk."

"Really? No last minute shopping tomorrow?"

"Nah, that's all been done already."

"Organised," she mused.

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed, dry sarcasm dripping from his voice.

But it changed.

“Sadie.” Sheets rustled and moved as he stood up and she heard him move about his room. “Why did you call?”

“I-“ 

She didn’t have an answer for him. Say nothing, her mind screamed. Say everything, something else argued. 

“Sadie?” 

“Relax, Piastri, I'm not in trouble.” She drawled, as if she had nothing to care about. “I’m bored and I didn’t expect you to be half-asleep by 9:45.” 

Her phone vibrated in her hand. A text from Max. Ignored. 

“Sure,” Oscar replied and Sadie knew he hadn’t believed her. 

But he didn’t ask again. 

Instead, Sadie heard the rattle of keys. 

“How about we meet? Go for a drive together and talk face to face?” 

“Now?” 

“Yeah.” 

What? 

As if spurred on by her silence, Oscar added, “I know a car park, we can swap into your car, or mine. We can drive around, and talk.” 

“Your car is a bright orange McLaren.” 

She could hear the grin in his voice, as he said. “It’s papaya.” 

“My point still stands,” she said through a laugh. 

“There’s always your car.” 

Sadie’s heart was pulled in two. Oscar was offering a distraction, and moreover, he was offering a tangible link in their friendship. But there was risk, and if they were seen, was she ready? 

“Alright fine, but don’t bring the McLaren,” she conceded. 

Her phone vibrated with the address, like Oscar had already typed it out. Maybe he had. 

--$--

Three hours later, Sadie was laughing so hard her ribs hurt. Oscar, cleaning the dashboard of Sadie’s car with a tissue, was apologising for spilling the lemonade. 

“Sadie,” he whined with another apologetic smile, “I’ll buy us more!” 

“No!” She laughed. “No! You’ll spill it again!” 

“Hey!” he cried, but he dissolved into a fit of giggles too. “You’re the one who said Alexander Hamilton was more famous than Lewis Hamilton!” 

Sadie laughed louder. “In America, I said. In America! Ask Logan!” 

Oscar pulled his phone out and texted the Williams driver, still giggling. 

“He’s going to agree with me,” Sadie added. 

She couldn’t stop her eyes while he wasn’t looking. Her gaze traced the swoop of his unkempt hair and the soft crinkle of the skin next to his eyes as he smiled. She watched the way his eyebrows curved and his gaze flickered between the different letters he was typing. 

She didn’t expect him to look up. 

Brown eyes met brown eyes. 

There was an unmeasured heartbeat, an involuntary pause. Laughter died, falling away to soft giggles and then silence. Loud, irrevocable silence. The only light was his phone, illuminating the absence of noise. 

But one thing was clear in a hundred different ways. 

A connection. A link. Something. 

 Oscar looked away first. 

“I know,” he whispered into the dark.  

He always does, a little voice whispered.

“Know what?” Sadie asked. 

“That you’re not ready. That you may never be ready.” 

She wanted to ask what he meant by ready. She knew what she meant, but did he mean the same thing? Sadie wanted to know.

She didn’t ask. 

“But either way,” he continued. The young driver’s eyes were firmly forward. “I’ve enjoyed tonight. Seeing you in person and seeing you laugh has been…urrm, well it’s been reassuring.” 

“Reassuring?” Sadie didn’t take her eyes off him. 

“I- we- we were worried about you,” Oscar said, an edge creeping into his voice. “Emotionally, I mean. You were so tense the last time I saw you and I know the trial probably made it worse…” 

His hand went to his hair, sweeping away from his face. It had grown again, into his eyes. A part of Sadie wanted to tuck the brown strands behind his ear. 

Oscar’s face turned, eyes catching her gaze again before he glanced down, like the handbrake was the most interesting mechanical marvel he’d ever seen. 

Sadie was going to break the new silence with some kind of confession, about what she wasn’t sure, when Oscar yawned. 

She laughed, and nudged his shoulder with a hand. “Come on, Piastri. Let’s get you home.” 

His smile, and that crinkle of skin next to his eyes, returned. 

The drive from the small lookout to the car park in which Oscar left his mum’s car was short. Sadie made conversation by asking about Oscar’s season. 

“I’m proud of you, you know,” she commented as he opened the passenger door. 

He paused and looked back at her. “Thank you. And thank you for congratulating me on Qatar.”  

“Max told you?” 

Oscar hauled himself out of her car, and turned back, leaning through the doorway. 

“Yeah, after some slight manipulation.” 

Sadie returned his bright smile with her own. “I bet it didn’t take much.” 

“No, not really,” Oscar confessed. 

With a wave of her hand and a tilt of her head, Sadie said, “go home, Piastri. Text me when you get there.” 

“Drive safe.”

“You too.” 

Oscar closed her door gently, waved through the window and walked to his mothers car. Sadie waited for him to enter it before she, once again, disappeared into the night.

___

let the slow(ish) burn, slow burn.

masterlist :)

Taglist: @snubug

@cmleitora

@izzy-marvel

@aquangxl

@morenofilm

@viennakarma

@simpingcorner

[hypnotisedfireflies]

Arien's Advent Calendar, 2024

25 days of TLOU fic

ALL CLAIMS FILLED, THANK YOU!

To say a big THANKS for supporting my fic throughout the year(s), I’m doing the Advent Calendar Fic thingamy again!  I did this last year and it became this collection of stories.

From 1 - 25 December 2024 I will be posting a short story (it will be short, I will control myself) as part of a new collection of works from Driftersverse, Making Mirrors, Interstellar Overdrive and Legend of Charro.

Beneath the cut I have a little information about the story to be written each day (universe, characters and date/era).  I’d like to dedicate each to a reader, so please claim one and I’ll write it for you.

I don’t think all days will fill up, but I’d like to give everyone a chance to get one they really like, so at this stage each person can claim ONE day only - I’ll open it up to more later on. You’re welcome to send me a few in order of preference in case someone has already beaten you to the punch on your favourite, and I haven’t yet updated the list.

If you would rather claim as anon, please give me a name or an emoji or something - just so I can identify you against your chosen day and so we don’t get multiple anons muddled up. 

Please send claims via asks so I can keep track of them in one place and if not anon, include your AO3 name (if you have one).

Happy Holidays! (And thanks to everyone who voted and helped me decide what to offer!)

DD – Driftersverse (my TLOU sandbox, Tess lives) MM – Making Mirrors (Snowqueen of Texas/Parallel Lines - no Cordyceps AU) LOC – Legend of Charro (the Western) IO – Interstellar Overdrive (70s AU) AU – Alternate Universe, unrelated

“OC/Canon, any universe” is a new entry this year.  This means I’ll write a story with the canon listed and you can choose either canon or one of my original characters to appear in the story with them, plus specify universe in which it takes place.  (Eg, Frank and Joel, IO).

Please be kind and keep it to characters I am known to write (I may refuse a claim if you start waving Owen or Mel at me) and who could reasonably interact with one another.  I’ve got enough writing to do, don’t break my brain!

“Mystery AU” is exactly what it sounds.  Last time one of these spawned IO so who knows what could happen?

“Crack box” is the one crack fic I’ll write.  Last year’s took me by surprise, but this year I’m reserving a space for it.

Where are all the Tommy/Maria fics?  They’re still getting three more stories to themselves, so that’s coming probably 2025 at this stage. O_O

1. DD Tess/Joel, 2022 @justplainsalty 2. IO Joel and Ellie, 1977 @march-flowerr 3. LOC Tess/Joel, sweetheart years @seethesunny 4. DD Tess/Joel and Tommy, 2005 @dancingonmoonbeams 5. Ellie and OC/Canon, any universe OR IO 1980 (but whom?) @finnelfin 6. DD Joel/Tess 2024 @ belantana 7. Mystery AU @finnelfin 8. DD/MM Joel and Sarah, 1993 @march-flowerr 9.  IO Tess/Joel, 1974 @emilylawsons 10. Maria and OC/Canon, any universe @ameerawrites 11. LOC Tess/Joel, bandit years @adoringhxxd 12. MM Tess/Joel and Sarah, 2005 @ammotraguslervia 13. DD Tess/Joel and Ellie, 2025 @ameerawrites 14. Tommy and OC/Canon, any universe @adhdprincess 15. Crack Box OR third Mystery AU @toomanytookas 16. IO Tess/Joel 1976 @flckrsoflight 17. DD Tess/Joel, Tommy/Maria 2027 @bumblepony 18. LOC Tess/Joel and Ellie, family years @chujo-hime 19. Mystery AU @bignosebushybrows 20. DD Tess/Joel 2011 @betweentwoceremonials 21. IO Tess and Ellie, 1970 @becomethesun 22. MM Tess/Joel, 2004 @bignosebushybrows 23. Frank and OC/Canon, any universe OR DD Tess/Joel 2007 @justplainsalty 24. DD Tommy/Maria, 2022 @bumblepony 25. Mystery Christmas Story @adhdprincess

[horseshoegirl]

Forever After All - Masterlist

Cowboy (Bronc Rider) Jake Seresin AU

❗️18+ minors DNI. Ageless and blank blogs are blocked without warning.

❗️Reposting this fic, including designs, line breaks, banners or any graphic materials, is strictly forbidden without my written consent. Be a decent human being, and don't steal people's work.

🏷️ Slow burn, strong language, Bronc Rider Jake, Western-Rodeo Style Drama, angst, ex-lovers to lovers, horses, relationship issues, Eventual Smut, Hurt, Minor gun shootouts, suspected infidelity, depictions of violence, unresolved tension (emotional, sexual, romantic), and poaching.

📜Summary: Returning home was never in the cards for you. You wanted to forget it all: the ranch, the horses, the life… and especially the man who broke your heart. But your older sister is about to get married, and you are her maid of honour. You know you have to swallow your pride if you want to be there for her. Because in the three years you've been gone, Jake Seresin still worked on your family's ranch, fixing fences and riding broncs. You haven't seen him since the night you left, and if you had it your way, you never wanted to again.

🎶 Playlist

A03 | Wattpad

Let me know if you wanna be tagged!

______________________________________________________________

Masterlist:

Part 1 - Staring Over

Part 2 - Stetson

Part 3 - Hey Good Lookin'

Part 4 - Burn it to the ground.

Part 5- Something in the Orange

Part 6 -Hearts Content

Part 7 - Bottom of the River

Part 8 -Salt and the Sea

Part 9 - Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Part 10 - If I go, I'm going

Part 11 - I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Part 12 - How to Save a Life

Part 13 - Where's My Love

Part 14 - Forever, Now

Part 15 - Losing Hold

Part 16 - Cover me up

Part 17 - Fortunate Son

Part 18 - Forever After All

_____________________________________________________________

Main Masterlist

[byuntrash101]

exo masterlist

disclaimer: everything is smut, mdni. everything is idol x fem!reader

✲ byun baekhyun

ＩＮＣＵＢＵＳ： ＣＯＭＩＮＧ ＯＦ ＡＧＥ 🍭| 10.1k - 2 parts

it’s true… you’re in love with your boss: the brilliant doctor park chanyeol. one night you’re woken up by his sweet kisses and bites… This should be a dream come true right? Then why does something feels off about him? ↳ SMUT | DomIncubus!Baekhyun x Reader | Fantasy!AU

ＰＡＲＡＰＨＩＬＩＡ| 30k - 9 parts

1 man; 9 kinks. In each chapter you and your boyfriend Baekhyun explore a new layer of kink. ↳ SMUT; ANGST; FLUFF | HardDom!Baekhyun; Sub!Baekhyun x Reader | EstablishedRelationship!AU; one shot collection

ＢＡＥＫＨＹＵＮＩＥ， ＤＯＮ＇Ｔ ＬＥＡＶＥ ＭＥ | 35k - 6 parts

Don't trust anything in this story. Don't trust the cute bright cover, don't trust the handsome playful flirty barista and do not trust the cute innocent timid girl. ↳ SMUT; ANGST | Dom!Baekhyun x Reader | Mafia!AU, Yandere!AU; action; series

ＤＥＡＬ ＷＩＴＨ ＩＴ | 10.6k - 2 parts

Who would have known that a little discipline was all your selfish fuckboy ex needed to turn into the most obedient little puppy? ↳ SMUT; ANGST | FuckBoy!Sub!Baekhyun x Dom!Reader | Ex!AU, Revenge!AU; two shot

ＢＥＴＣＨＡ， ＹＯＵ＇ＲＥ ＧＯＮＮＡ ＢＥ ＭＩＮＥ | 3.4k

Working at KBS is fun and exciting especially when EXO-CBX is having their debut stage. ↳ SMUT | Dom!Baekhyun x Reader | Idol!AU; one shot

ＴＨＥＮ ＤＯ ＩＴ | 2k

When Baekhyun comes home very late from work his mood can be described with three words: tired, tipsy and horny. ↳ SMUT | GentleDom!Baekhyun x Brat!Reader | EstablishedRelationship!AU, one shot

ＣＲＹ ＭＥ Ａ ＦＵＣＫＩＮＧ ＲＩＶＥＲ | 2.6k

Even if it’s a lie, you love the way he looks at you when he says “I love you”. ↳ SMUT; ANGST | Switch!Baekhyun x Reader | Ex!AU, AbusiveRelationship!AU, one shot

ＴＲＵＭＰ ＣＡＲＤ🍭 | 4.9k

It’s game night with the boys and like often you decide to tag along with your boyfriend Baekhyun. But when money and alcohol is involved, the only thing missing is sex. ↳ SMUT; | Dom!Baekhyun; Dom!Chanyeol x Reader | Relationship!AU

ＰＲＩＣＥＬＥＳＳ🍭 | 9k

"I know your sense of honour forbids you to withdraw your parole. I know you will quietly sit in the corner and clench your fists while I fuck your girlfriend senseless." ↳ SMUT; ANGST | HardDom!Baëkhyun; HardDom!Baekhyun x Reader | Fantasy!AU, SuperPower!AU, Obsession!AU, X-EXO, one shot

ＴＨＥ ＤＡＭＮＡＴＩＯＮ ＯＦ Ａ ＳＡＩＮＴ🍭 | 11.4k

Everything is boring when you’re an immortal being like Baekhyun. But that is about to change when the other Six of the Seven Sins talk to him about an unbreakable righteous and virtous girl that was just ordained nun… Wouldn’t make God himself a cuckold be the greastest achievement yet for the Sin of Lust ? ↳ SMUT | DomSinOfLust!Baekhyun; x Nun!Reader | Fantasy!AU, one shot

ＴＨＥ ＨＥＩＲ | 4.5k

Deseperate times call for deseperate measures when your Kingdom still needs an heir. ↳ SMUT | Sub!Servant!Baekhyun x Dom!Queen!Reader | Royalty!AU; Western Europe Renaissance Period, one shot

４ＡＭ ＩＮ ＪＵＮＥ| 2.1k | pride 2021 🏳️‍🌈

Transitioning is hard. But your amazing boyfriend has been there every single step of the way. But… what if somehow… He’s had enough of you? ↳ SMUT; FLUFF | SoftDom!Baekhyun x FTMTrans!Reader | Domestic!AU, slice of life, one shot

ＦＯＲＥＶＥＲ ＨＯＭＥ | 7.5k | halloween 2021 🎃

You’re all alone, tired and broken by a fate that keeps trying to bring you to your knees. But you somehow find comfort in the lonely middle aged man living next door. Can Mr Byun resurrect your shallow and empty soul? ↳ SMUT; ANGST | DomSupernaturalCreature!Baekhyun x Reader | Fantasy!AU, horror, gore, NON CON, one shot

M U L T I P L E M E M B E R S

ＺＯＤＩＡＣ ＳＰＥＣＩＡＬ － ３５０ ＦＯＬＬＯＷＥＲＳ

Collection of requested drabbles revolving around zodiac dynamics to celebrate the 350 follower milestone (i luv u guys) ↳ SMUT; FLUFF | ZodiacSign!Exo x ZodiacSign!Reader | Domestic!AU, slice of life, drabble collection

[enretrogue]

𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝗙𝗜𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗦 (𝟭)

.☘︎ ݁˖ = BLACK/POC WORKS | 23' FIC REC M.LIST

TLOU

ABBY ANDERSON

30 Minutes — @ourautumn86

So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings — @hope-drunk

Babymama!Abby — @bayasdulce

Boxer!Abby x GF!Reader — @lillysbigwilly

Guiding Light (Lost At Sea) — @heavenbloom

Meeting Abby At A Club — @astro-ellie

At Least I Got You In My Head ⎢ 4 ⎢ 5 ⎢ 6 — @whatwouldsylwrite

Modern!Abby HCs — @darlingmisa

How Abby proposes To You (Modern AU) — @abbysdruidess

Making Out w/ Abby — @millersaurora

Resuscitate — @loaksky

HCs About Married Life With Abby — @abbysdruidess

Handcuffed by Dom!Abby — @millersaurora

Basketball!Abby — @shawtuzi .☘︎ ݁˖

College!Abby HCs — @cowgirlcherrie

Rockstar!Abby — @elsfairy

Dating Abby HCs — @sugarbag

ELLIE WILLIAMS

SFX Artist!Reader x Streamer!Ellie HCs — @elliesmainhoe

One Last Time — @ellieslovergirl

I Win — @bonnevia

If I’m So Special, Why Am I A Secret? ⎢ What’s Mine, You’ll Miss. — @angvlita

Pervy!Neighbor!Els Teaching Innocent!Reader Guitar — @strawberryjamheart

NSFW Alphabet — @hundredandsix

Enemies to Angry Sex — @elliesflwrgirl

Random Ellie Blurb  — @valentinetexas

Babysitting Gig — @lunels

The Hard Way ⎢ Pt. 2 — @totheblood

Western Nights — @lolasimms

Meddle About — @vitentia

ELLABS

3Some — @eroseas

Where The Flowers Bloom ⎢ 2 — @elsfleur

Okay, So. The Jail AU. — @elsweetheart

This Is What Makes Us Girls ⎢ 2 ⎢ 3 ⎢ 4 ⎢ 5 ⎢ 6 — @lolasimms

Reader Fucks Around And Finds Out — @angelanderson

Pool Party — @bellaramslover

Roommate w/ Benefits — @abbysvictim

Welcome to Jackson ⎢ Part Two — @misscaitvi

JOEL MILLER

Iris — @cowgurrrl

Hayloft  — @cowgurrrl

Brooklyn Baby — @cowgurrrl

As It Was — @cowgurrrl

Yo Gotti — @cowgurrrl

Natant — @din-miller

Orange Crush — @tieronecrush

Apothecary ⎢ 9 — @atinylittlepain

For Her ⎢ For Pleasure ⎢ For Protection — @wardenparker + absurdthirst

Good Girl — @valentinetexas

Picture — @softlyspector

Stranger Than A Stranger — @proxima-writes

Cruel — @notjustjavierpena

Fair Grounds For Love — @jobean12-blog

The Darkest Little Paradise — @morning-star-joy

A Wound That Never Heals — @toxic-seduction

DBF!Joel Worshiping Shy!Reader— @inkedells

Dead Weight Part III — @lovers-liability

Too Cold (Platonic)(+ Tommy Miller)— @prentissluvr

Joel x Wife!Reader — @forever-rogue

Like Rabbits Blinded By The Light — @walkintotheriveranddisappear

Heavy Metal Drummer — @cowgurrrl

Enemies to Lovers — @fooled-around-and-fell

Not a Survivalist Girl Part 4 — @chaotic-mystery + tightjeansjavi

Masked Up — @soullumii

Cat Scratch Fever — @soullumii

Pretty Prey — @cavillscurls

Only You, Only Me — @wonwoosthetic

What Never Left Us — @bi-writes

Tennessee Whiskey — @cowgurrrl

Starving — @jrrmint