#and thinking about how lucky i am to have cas to play with

[toshidou]

If @erosology and I were to create an 18+ Discord server for the CoD fandom, where you can either talk about fics/fan art you enjoy, talk to other creators and work on whatever projects you have on the go, or find other people with the game to play with you, would people be interested in joining it?

[semperamans]

“but daddy i love him” but it’s literally you talking to johnny about benny.

if i’m being annoying feel free to ignore or not respond right away. i’d 100% understand promise ‹𝟹

oh i am sick (nasty shit beneath read more because i fear i may have went too far but i am ovulating so <3)

johnny knows. johnny knows. johnny fucking knows you love benny because who wouldn't? benny with his pretty eyes and slow smiles and lazy speech - fuck - you'd be dumb to not love benny but what johnny can't figure out is why it doesn't bother him. why it doesn't make him angry. why his balls fill at the mere thought of you n'benny sharin' a tender kiss. n'does he jerk himself off on the road to thoughts of benny fucking you? maybe! does he want to watch you throat benny n'be so good for him? yes! but he knows you'll never admit. you'd never wanna make him angry :( not your sweet sweet old man :( no you'd never, but it's there. oh, it is there in the way your eyes light up when benny walks in the room :( i mean, johnny can practically see your want drippin' whenever benny tugs you into his side and holds ya tight :( but you'll never say it - not without some help.

you're so sleepy - such a sleepy, needy baby - but that's okay because daddy's gonna take care of you. that's what johnny promises as he situates your body. you're pliant :( all soft and lithe from the way he's been takin' care of you the last few hours an' y'don't even know if you can cum again :( your smooshy cheek is nuzzled into his fuzzy thigh n'your eyes are just so so heavy but they fly open when the tip of his nose nudges against your spasming cunt :( "johnny," "shhh," your hips are arched so perfectly for him :( n'he places the sweetest little kiss against your hole before wrappin' those strong arms 'round your thighs :( lockin' you in :( "said i was gonna take care of ya. ya trust me? trust your old man?" you do. of course you do. so you're nodding :( pressing kisses against his somewhat hard shaft :( johnny takes care of you so well :( you're so lucky; the way he licks and sucks and probes into you :( you relish in the scrape of his wirey scruff against your thighs :( n'yeah yeah you can cum again - you can feel it building so quick and strong that you're pressin' back against him an’ he can barely fuckin' breathe but he loves it. he's soaked from nose to chin in you n'you're down there mouthing at his balls n'tellin' him how much you love him which reminds him...

"cunt is so sweet, honey." johnny breathes, nipping the skin of your thigh before licking a fat swipe along your slit. "know who would love it? know who i bet is itchin' to put his tongue in ya?" n'you're confused. so confused. you're brain is so hazy - too foggy to play the game - but then he says it. those five letters covered in his spit and your cum: benny. "yeah. benny'd love this, y'know?" his fingers brush against your fluttering opening. "oh yeah. know he would love to have ya fuckin' his tongue. bet ya have thought about it, ain't ya?" you can't think about anything with his tongue and fingers abusing your sensitive pussy but then he says "know i have." and despite the words being muffled against your wet, you hear them and your response comes in a wet hot gasp. "oh daddy," "yeah, daddy's got you," johnny promises "but whatta 'bout benny, hm?" the question makes you lightheaded or maybe it's how he's tightening his grip, pulling you in in in. "daddy want's ta hear how you'd sound if benny were doin' this to ya. call for 'em. go on." your forehead falls, nose brushing the curls around his nuts as you whimper and mew and softly try benny's name on your tongue :( but it's not enough bc there's a sharp bite on your ass cheek, followed by the soothing lick of a thick tongue. "louder." and you obey.

benny. benny. benny. benny.

benny is going out of his fucking mind in the room over because he can hear everything. every lap of johnny's tongue over your gushing hole. every soaking gasp from your wet lips. he can hear his name over and over and over and his cock is so hard :( dragging helplessly against his mattress because the dull tug has to be what it would feel like to rut against johnny's thigh :( but it's not enough because - fuck - he wants to be in you :( and now not even his spit-soaked fist is enough :( it’s just isn't doing it for him but it has to work - he has nothing else - and god he's pathetic :( face pressed against the wall as he jerks himself faster and faster to the sound of you being decimated by the man of his goddamn dreams :( he wants to join wants to join wants to join but daddy hasn't said it's okay :( so he closes his eyes n'presses his forehead harder into the wall until he sees stars.

"y'love benny, don't you?" the squelching noises of three fingers and a tongue in your cunt is sinful. music to johnny's ears. "wanna hear you." "yeah - daddy - yeah. love benny s'much." your fucking back against his face, desperately seeking release n'you sound so cute :( he can't see your face but your cute little asscheeks are jigglin' and covered in his bitemarks and ugh he just loves you :( "mm, know benny loves you too, baby. y'know that? benny loves you." johnny knows. johnny knows. johnny fuckin' knows benny is jerkin' his cock because he can hear his pathetic little whimpers :( he can hear him answerin' even though no one has acknowledged him "yes. yes. yes." "benny'd want you to cum, darlin'. c'mon. cum for benny."

[sherlockig]

Hello my little grieving friends (aka my CREW!)

I just want to talk about how much our flag means death has given me. I have not had internet friends since i were a teenager. They all kind of disapeared over time in the same way as high school classmates went away. I have been on this blog on tumblr since 2010 and i have never experienced what ofmd has given me. Not even in my very derranged ca 5 year long sherlock-era did i get to befriend and know this many amazing people who live in my phone. Some of you have come and gone and that is life, but some of you are still here and I hope I get to keep you here for a very long time. Max can not stop us and I want to be here with you until tumblr is put down like the beloved rabid pet it is.

I think we are all taking the news very hard and I think it's important to remember what it is all about really. It's about love and family and above all else the crew so i just want to show some love for my beloved mutuals. And i hope maybe some of you will be inspired to do the same because its what we need in these dark times. We need to be a lighthouse guiding each other to shore.

First of all @gentlebeard - Ella💕 my beloved honey 🍯 I can not explain properly or even believe how lucky I am that I found you and that I get a little good morning from you every day. We have been talking every single day since the first message over a year ago and I don't remember or want to remember how i survived before that. I will treasure the time i spent drinking pina coladas on your balcony in the sun forever and i hope i will get some more time on that balcony this summer. I have found a pirate bar in Sweden so we can continue our expensive pirate drinks theme that we started in Berlin. There is no one else i want to spend 6-8 hours talking to over the phone.💕My partner in crime, lasagna partner and floor person or whatever nicknames we have come up with during this time. You are not just the perfect friend to have, you are also funny, sweet, smart and a expert at making fanvideos that make me cry my heart out and laugh my lungs up - sometimes at the same time 💕💕

@blakbonnet - Meow my darling💕 you were the first one i really started to talk to in the fandom and i am so glad i did. You brighten my days and i love talking to you you brilliant humanbeing (i often find myself thinking i have listened to much to cabin pressure because i struggle to use any other word than brilliant to explain things.. the Arthur runs deep in me) also thank you for being my personal skincare guide in life!! Your fics, your art, your edits, your gifs, your meta the whole you make my dash a better place and we are all happy to have you! There is nothing you are not good at and i am both a bit jealus and impressed by you. Its Meows fandom we all just live in it 💕💕

@youshouldseemeinadeerstalker - Nes my dear💕 We may not be talking very often but I know I always have you there. I loved our vacation together and we had so much to talk about that we didn't even realize that the same song kept playing in my car so long that it messed up my spotify wrapped. It was amazing taking naps with you outside ruins of castles and in botanical gardens and living together in the worlds smallest hotel room. I hope we can get lost together in more cities than Hamburg and Copenhagen. (preferably without rain and sickness and maybe with a map) 💕💕

@darkinerry - Marlena 💕 its a pleasure getting weather and work updates from you and i am always interested in knowing what you have been up to and what you have to say. It brightens my day, please never stop!! Your videos and gifsets can make any day better and you are always kind and funny which are two things i appreciate hugely in my friends!! 💕💕 + You have the coolest haircut out of all my mutuals 😌

@aha-my-villainous-thoughts - Ash my wife💕 my love💕Nothing can make me scream, blush and giggle as much as your fanart. You have this style of everything you make from fanart to dolls to interior design that is so special and breathtaking. One day we will drink so many lattes in a cosy cafe and then sniff lush products for the rest of the day. 💕 You are always there for me - as a online shoulder to cry on or to motivate me with the smuttiest wips ever. I am happy to be mutual married to you 💕💕

@bizarrelittlemew - Ida 💕- my thirsting for rhys brother in arms. I can not imagine tumblr without your gifs or your posts. I love screaming with you over a picture of rhys darbys bicep. I am so happy i got to meet you this summer and i really hope it will happen again. We are not that far from each other, just some miles and a stupid bridge; we can make it. You are always a sweetheart and an incredible friend who write the hottest fanfiction ever💕💕

@dickfuckk - josh 💕 (who I also thought for a long time was called tyler) I dont know where the fandom would be without your bts blog! its a international treasure and a service to humanity. i don't know how you do it. 💕You always have everything i have ever been looking for and as a bonus you are witty and funny like no one else. I am so happy i got to meet you and spend a whole day in your company! 💕

@izzy-b-hands - Holden my absolute darling!💕 I am so glad I got the chance to get to know you! You are smart, funny and kind and my izzy mutual tm. You are always there for me with kind words and I am still forever shipping izzy and the third badminton brother which I think is the best headcanon I have ever helped coming up with. 💕

@funforahermit - Kristina 💕 Your love for Rhys and your gifs are a staple on tumblr and my dash. I know where to go when i need someone to understand how hot Steve is (even if we have agreed that he is yours and Murray is mine which i still think is a fine deal). I very often make or see a picture of Rhys and my first thought is "I NEED TO SHOW KRISTINA THIS" so you live rentfree in my brain 💕

@rainbowcrowley - Addi 💕If i ever start playing wow again you bet i am gonna be talking your ear off about my little frost mages progress but in the meantime i am happy to have you on my dash and even if we don't talk that much are you a beloved part of my dash and brighten it daily.💕💕

@fandomsmeantheworldtome - Maria💕 You were one of the very first people i found in this fandom and your gifs might have helped my rhys obession taking form. You might be into many things I have never heard of but its a pleasure seeing your excitement over everything. You are always a ray of sunshine and i love that so much💕💕

@tabbystardust - Tabby dear💕 You are the kindest person I know who I always get the strongest need to hug and hold close. Your fanart is beyond this world and i adore it like nothing else. Its always both hot and soft in the best way ever💕 I am always excited to get kitty updates and to hear about your ramen receipts. I hope we can still meet at the con next year! I am game if you are!! 💕💕

@hummingbee-o0o - Humming 💕 (i dont know your name sorry) I am always excited to hear your thoughts and metas about everything ofmd related as well as your beautiful art. 💕 it was a pleasure to scream about season 2 after every watched episode!💕

@xoxoemynn - Emy 💕💕 i am so happy to be mutual with you! 💕You always bring joy to the people who get to be around you and fill my dash with the same. We might not talk often but i know you got my back! That is the kind of person you are!💕

@saltpepperbeard - Jodi💕 No one write tags on tumblr dot com like you. There is nothing that can cheer me up more than see that one of my posts has gotten a whole ass novel written in the tags and then i instinctively know that its you who have left your wonderful mark. You are always excited and such a lovely human to be mutual with. 💕 And on top of that you make incredible gifs that make my heart stop!!! 💕💕

@autumnbois - Kai 💕💕 I hope you are doing okay. We might not talk much right now but you were there for me when i needed it most and you are a good friend to have living in my phone.💕💕 I will think of you whenever i see something related to scream and your love for piccrew always make me smile💕

@edsbacktattoo - Jams, jams jams! 💕 We are never online at the same time because of the damn time differences *shakes fist* but you are a staple in this fandom. Your art is incredible and you are the sweetest cookie in the jar. You are funny and always spread good energy to everyone around you and I love that with my whole heart💕💕

@kiwistede - Sam 💕 Your love for stede and rhys is unmet and i love you for that. You are always a good source for some rhys darby insanity and we all know that is what i treausure most here in life! 💕💕

@stedesearring - Kaitlin💕 You are the sweetest and kindest soul out here always spreading joy and love like the sun of my dash. 💕 I always love seeing you and i am happy to have the pleasure to have you as a friend in my phone! 💕💕

@stedebonnets - Ara 💕 Where would we be without your gifs?? without your joy?? without your blog?? without you?? No one knows! I am so happy to call you a mutual and friend and you always bring a smile to my face. Always!!💕💕

@appleteeth - Liz 💕 No one is quite as normal about rhys darby as you and it a pleasure to watch! Speaking of pleasure.. your fic the slightest touch is an all time favorite of mine and i would be embarrassed to tell you how many times i have read it... you are one of my mutuals that i am baffled that they want to follow me. Its a privilege! 💕

@as-a-creww - Caroline dear 💕 You are a beloved mutual and your blog are a permanent part of my dash and i want to keep it like that! you are the friendliest of the friendliest and what is more important than that?? 💕💕

@nandorisms - Ed dear💕 Your shameless reblogs makes the world go around. You are always sweet and a much needed wwdits addition to my life. I count you as a dear friend living in my heart!💕

@londonlock - Londie! 💕💕 The only sherlock mutual i have left and i am very happy to have kept you! 💕 I might have left those days behind me but you know as well as i that sherlock lives in my soul and seeing some sherlock and john love on a daily basis keep me grounded and on top of that are you such a romantic and beautiful human being! 💕💕

@follovver - Tanya 💕 My fellow Swedish ofmd fan! I am very happy to have found you! its nice to be able do discuss it in my mother tongue and i hope we one day can do it live! its to bad we never met when we went to the same uni (or maybe we did but didn't know) Du är fantastisk!! 💕

@wastingyourgum - Al💕(which i always read in my head as artificial intelligence and giggle because it make me feel like you are a robot) My fellow rhys friend. You bring me doses of darby when its most needed and your blog is always on fleek 💕💕

@xray-vex - Xray 💕 100 % one of my funniest mutuals!💕💕 You make hilarious posts that no one else could even dream of coming up with! Always top tier blog content and what more can a girl ask for??💕

@jellybeanium124 - Nina💕 I can not imagine my blog without you! Your posts are always a delight and you are so nice and sweet and funny and incredible (even when you make math mistakes kisses kisses) You bring a honest joy into the fandom that we could not live without! 💕💕

@thunderwingdoomslayer - Nellie 💕 My official rhys darby gif provider who I come to as if i needed a new hit of an illegal substance. I salute you and thank you for your service!💕💕

@forestofsprites - Green my dear 💕You might have gone from ofmd to be the supernatural provider of my dash but that does not stop you from being the kindest forest spirit i know. Your presence is calming in a way i can not explain and i am glad to have you and your love for meg here.💕💕

@cheersmequeers - Kate💕💕 A big puzzle piece to bring my dash together. Always filling it with my favorite gay pirates and i love having you here. Always friendly and full of love.💕💕

@sugashook - Sugaaa💕💕 You know i am in love with your art! Your art is always on top and it bring me back to life every time. I keep the dress i bought from you on the outside of my closet so every morning its the first thing i see and it sets the day right!💕💕 I wear your art on my tshirt to the gym as often as i can hoping to lure in a ofmd fan between the weights but that has not happened yet sadly!! Never stop making your art!! The world would be at loss if that happened 💕💕

@lacefuneral - Jay 💕(should be called YAY because that is what i say when i see a new selfie or fashion post from you) You are a fantastic friend and i love your love for stede and you are always kind and patient in a way that makes me comfortable to ask you questions about something i might not be familiar with. You are forever my moth mutual in my mind 💕💕

@meanmisscharles - Charles 💕 In my head i call you charles but i don't think that is your name but i hope its okay with you! Always friendly and sweet but ready to fight the bullshit the other spread! and such a source for good music recommendations!! 💕💕

@forpiratereasons - Darcy 💕literary no one does it like Darcy! Aways bringing the best ofmd posts to my dash and ensuring i don't miss anything! You are incredible! 💕💕

@blackbeardskneebrace - Miles my dear 💕 You make incredible art both the cute and amazing ofmd art but also the gorgeous historical art you post. Its a pleasure to see you talk about history but also about our beloved gay pirates. Your snoopy ofmd art will live in my heart forever and i think it might be healing me a bit. Maybe even watering my crops and clearing my skin! And those valentine ofmd arts from last year. I am 100 % gonna bring them back this February like beloved decorations you store in the attic. 💕💕💕

@awkward-fallen-angel - Heather 💕 You are one of the sweetest people i have had the pleasure to come across. You bring a big excitement and attention to the things you like and it moves along to everyone near. I mean i have watched long critical role videos just because you spoke so warmly about them and i wanted to know what it meant. I love having you here. 💕💕

@mxmollusca - Mx 💕 (dont know your name so i am just calling you that) I mean you are an incredible writer. I have only managed to read ifwts once because i cried so much that i am scared to open it again because i might just never stop crying. You are creative and funny and absolutely totally normal about rhys darby which in my book is a very good thing to be. And besides that you are a very friendly and nice mutual who is always a pleasure to interact with. 💕💕

@poisonintopositivity - Lilias💕 We have not talked much but we have been mutuals for a very long time and i hope you know that i appreciate you greatly as a mutual and you always but the best posts on my dash!💕💕

@glam-hutchence - Birb 💕💕my dear bird lover! You are a sweet potatoe and i love reading about your love for music and the concerts you go to.💕 Its so nice to take a little part of your life. You are always there for me and i always get happy when i talk to you. You are like a little happy pill! 💕💕

@turtles-on-turts - Turts 💕 Whenever i see a turtle i think about you. Its your brand! You make amazing art! and the ones on canvas always blow me away. 💕💕 Its incredible. You are also so very pretty and i have that picture of you in your depression robe with all the pigeons imprinted in my mind because it such a cute one. You are always very friendly and i love reading your personal posts as well. 💕💕

@vonlipwig - Franky 💕 You bring me lots of normality about rhys darby but these days also a huge bunch of normality about david tennant which i appreciate a lot. You are very nice and i stand by my assesment that you have a very cool aura!💕💕

@haeva - Mar my beloved💕 You bring me my wifes emily and valkyrie and a bunch of amazing posts about everything i can imagine. You are loving and sweet and good at maths which i am always very impressed by. I love being your mutual and doing ask games with you is a pleasure!💕💕

@mykonossalome - Myko💕 When i see moomin i think of you because i know how much you love it. We dont talk as much as i would like but the interactions we have had has meant a lot to me and i love seeing you posting about the things you love! 💕💕

@cottoncandiescupcakes - Cupcake 💕 I love that you are always so excited over our boy the swede and its a pleasure to compare language with you. We can continue fighting if the swede belong to the dutch or the swedes but that is a pleasure!💕💕

@mister-brightside - Andrea my dear💕. Your art is always perfect and whenever i see a picture of izzy giving the middle finger i think about you! Its your brand and its your picture now and no one can change that. You are sweet and caring and a lovely mutual to have. thank you!💕💕

@merryfinches - Kylie 💕 What can i say more than that i ADORE your fanart. The colours the style the softness of it all is exactly what we all need in these times. Every single time it shows up on my dash it makes my heart grows softer and my love grow stronger! I love it so so much. 💕

@ofmd-ann - Ann 💕 You glorious glorious gifmaker! Your gifs are always beautiful and these last days you have saved me with your wrecked edits. As a supplier of rhys darby gifs i love you forever. You are a hero love. 💕💕

@usersukuna - Bia 💕You are a gif magician. Your gifs are perfect and you are also very kind and sweet and i am so glad i can call you a mutual! You light up tumblr like no one else and i am always happy to see you on my dash.💕💕

If you are not in this list it does not mean that i dont love you or have forgotten about you it means that tumblr has put a limit to how many people you can tag which sucks. But if i follow you then it means i love and appreciate you. 💕💕💕 And you know what? We will make it through this hard and trying times of greedy streaming services putting an end to our gay pirates show. I love you all and you know what??

We will make it through as A CREW!

[deputyrook]

Impressions- 2/? Mark Hoffman x Psychic!Reader

(Repost after I accidentally deleted my tumblr 😭)

PART 1.

You're a reluctant psychic. He's a detective. And a serial killer.

(Can I make it any more obvious?)

Word count: 3498

WARNINGS: Gaslightling, corruption, stockholm syndrome, some drug use (painkillers), blackmail, power imbalance, abusive dynamics, overt threatening, general Saw-levels of horror.

this fic is kind of goofy, because I'm writing it for fun and not taking it super seriously! enjoy 💕

“Mark didn’t hit on you, did he?” Kerry asks over the phone, a note of disgust in her voice, “If he did, I’ll kick his ass. Though… you didn't exactly look uncomfortable when you fell into his arms yesterday. Am I wrong?”

Sometimes, you wondered how Kerry could be so oblivious.

You swallow a handful of painkillers before you answer her, washing them down with a swig of stale soda that’s been sitting out on your counter. 

“He's, what, ten years older than us?” You ask, setting down the can and playing with the cord of your telephone.

“That’s not an answer,” Kerry teases, “And he’s early forties, I think. Hey, I won’t stop you. I'll sure as hell judge you, but I won't stop you.”

The events of the prior evening feel surreal now, in the morning light of the next day. Detective Mark Hoffman hasn’t contacted you, and if you didn’t have his phone number saved in your cell, you would have thought the entire car ride had been a bad dream. 

You can’t help but second guess yourself now- had he ever actually admitted to being an accomplice? What if he was just a defensive asshole, and you’d misinterpreted everything again? The doubts creep in, now that your visions have been chased away, back into hiding in the recesses of your mind.

“Not interested,” you mutter. “I wasn’t feeling great last night, you know that. I barely remember getting home.”

Kerry’s tone sobers at that, and you hear her sigh. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I know you don’t like doing that, but we were completely out of leads.”

“And you still are,” you note, “I didn’t dream of anything useful last night, by the way. Total void.” If you’re lucky, you’ll never have another vision about the Jigsaw murders, though you suspect you’ve been plunged headfirst into the thick of it.

The painkillers will keep the flashes at bay, at least for now. The rest will come to you, jumbled and nonsensical, when it’s least convenient.

“Not entirely. But how are you feeling?” Kerry asks. She’s never been the best at heart-to-hearts, or at fielding your psychic nonsense, but you can hear the genuine concern in her voice for you. You wish you could tell her- the killer she hunts is right there, in the office across the hall, she could be in danger- but with the potential risk to both her and you, it’s just not worth it. 

Not unless you manage to get your hands on some hard evidence of Hoffman’s involvement. 

Years of dealing with a surrealist-nightmare-kaleidoscope for a brain had forced you to become patient. You could bide your time and wait carefully until an opportunity to steal some actual proof arose. Until then, you just had to keep breathing.

“Helloooo? Are you there?” Kerry’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry Ally. You know how I get. I called in sick today, but I’m alright. I promise. Nothing some rest and relaxation can’t fix,” you try to smile, but you can’t hide the exhaustion in your voice. 

“Good,” she says, resolute, “I won’t ask you to come in again. Not unless something else comes to you. But I won’t believe he’s dead. Not yet.” It doesn’t take psychic abilities to know she’s talking about Eric Matthews, nor to feel the regret she carries with her, punctuating her words.

“And you shouldn’t. You know my hit rate on alive-versus-dead isn’t always the best.” Kerry hums in consideration at your words, and after you both say your goodbyes to one another, you hang up the receiver of the phone.

Once again, you’re left in the silence of your lonely apartment- save for your cat, who brushes up against your leg with a purr. He reminds you so easily that it’s not just your life on the line, here. Would Jigsaw ever try to test a cat...? Reaching down to scratch behind his ears, you try to consider your next steps carefully.

But all it does is make your head hurt. You pluck an ice pack from your freezer and lay down on your sofa, holding it to your head with a soft groan.

You must fall back asleep at some point, because you’re woken up from a dreamless sleep by the ringing of your phone. You check your home phone, and then, realizing it’s not the culprit, rifle through your bag for your cell.

“Hello?” You mumble into the phone as you flip it open, blinking awake.

“What, were you asleep? It’s the middle of the day,” Hoffman says.

“I called in sick. Got in pretty late last night, and I didn’t sleep the best,” You deadpan. Without being right next to him, it’s easier to keep your cool and not get flustered.

“We should talk. Let’s get dinner,” he says, “Six-o-clock. You know Eve’s Diner? On Newhaven street- with the neon sign?”

Your stomach drops. It didn’t seem like he was just asking you out politely. When was the last time you got dinner with a man, anyway? His tone is so casual that it makes you want to squirm.

“Yeah, I know the place. It's pretty close by, right?” At least in public, he wouldn’t be able to do anything overtly threatening to you. It didn’t seem like there was any use in arguing with him, or telling him you weren’t feeling up to it. He knows your address, and he apparently knows Jigsaw. That's enough to secure your compliance.

“Good. I’ll see you there, then.” And he hangs up the phone.

Your head throbs, but it’s lessened in severity since the morning. You consider taking another batch of painkillers, but decide against it. If you’re meeting Hoffman for dinner, it might be better to stay sharp.

—

The sight of Mark Hoffman, sitting in a diner booth, would be almost comical if it wasn’t so nerve-wracking. He’s stirring some sugar into his coffee, hunched against the wall, his hair smoothed back neatly and his police badge hanging around his neck. He looks tired, you think, but otherwise like a normal, upstanding member of society- if not one slightly too large and too dour for the diner table he’s seated at.

“Hi,” you say, sliding into the booth across from him. 

He nods toward you in recognition, before leaning back in the seat. Mark looks at you, up and down, in silent surveyance. You stare back, studying him in return. Both of you size each other up, like the other is the dangerous one.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” He says, “And after some more thought, I’m not convinced. For all I know, maybe you’re workin’ with John Kramer. That seems more likely than you being psychic.”

Ah. You’ve gotten this reaction before. When someone, with time and consideration, doubles back to doubt your abilities. You couldn’t exactly blame him for that. Particularly for skeptics, it’s a hard pill to swallow that you have access to senses that they don’t.

Being accused of being a serial killer was new territory, however.

“I’m not working with Jigsaw,” you sputter, keeping your voice quiet. The diner isn’t too busy, and you’re seated in a corner away from other patrons, but it’s still public enough that you want to be careful. “Shouldn’t you know I’m not?”

He squints at you, like he’s trying to figure out if you’re lying or not. 

“You tell me. You said there were four. Jigsaw, Amanda, myself- according to you- and so who’s the fourth? If it’s not you.” He sounds impatient. You blink at him, trying to process where he’s coming from. And then, it hits you. He doesn’t know. 

For a second, you consider trying to play it off like you are the fourth apprentice. Maybe then, he’d trust you more directly with information that you could use against him. But then, you re-evaluate. Lying to a mass murderer was probably a bad idea. Lying to a cop was arguably worse.

“Well, it’s not me. But yeah, there’s at leastfour involved that I picked up on. Four main...signatures,” You pause, before continuing. “So that’s why you want me to tell you about what I sense. Even you don’t know what he’s planning, or everyone who’s involved.”

“I’ve been on this case since the beginning. Of course I wanna know. Especially since you’re out here accusing me,” He remarks, taking a sip of his coffee before continuing, “Kerry didn’t act any different toward me this morning. Good. Keeping your theories to yourself was smart.”

“Yes, lest you start actually convincing me you’re not Jigsaw, let me not forget how you threatened me last night,” You mumble, crossing your arms in front of your chest protectively.

“You pouting about it?” He asks, teasing, a smirk just barely edging onto his face, “C’mon. Show me your trick. How do you do it?” He beckons you closer, and you find yourself leaning in across the table. Like you’re sharing a secret with him. 

“It’s not like I’m getting visions of the future, per se,” You try to explain, “It’s more like... hyper intuition. I get emotions, mostly. It’s an extreme version of empathy. Sometimes I get flashes of imagery from the past, present, and future, but it’s usually mixed up so I can’t tell which is which. Mainly, I just trust my gut. Which isn’t often wrong- but my interpretation of what I’m seeing can be off. Has been.”

“Hyper-intuition, huh?” He says, mulling it over, “Tell me something else about me, then. Prove it.”

You swallow uncomfortably. “I uh, need to be touching you.”

Mark raises his eyebrows at you. Before he can say anything mocking, the waitress comes by, filling both of your coffee cups. She takes your orders quickly, as though picking up on the vibe that you both want to be left alone. When she leaves, Mark spreads his hands in a gesture as if to say, do your thing, then.

Gently, you reach out and take his hands in yours. Rough, calloused, and strong. You try not to think about it as you close your eyes, and allow the gate to open for the second time in two days.

The chattering in the diner fades away into the background as your intuition takes hold, clouding out your other five senses like the moon passing over the sun in a total eclipse. First, there’s just darkness. Even the sensation of Mark’s skin against yours fading to a dull buzz. Then, sensations begin to spawn, bubbling up from somewhere else.

From the man seated across from you, you think.

“Strawberries,” you murmur, the taste of fresh, wild berries being the first thing that comes to you, sweet and tart, “I think they were picked wild, by mindful fingers. Yours are older, but never as gentle. Her small hands were always more careful than yours, never crushing the berries like you did.”

It’s a kind, well-loved memory -you assume- the impression coming in easy and unambiguous. The next is more muddled.

“Ah- pain. There’s noise, it’s discordant and loud,” You wince, squeezing Mark’s hands. You tilt your head, trying to make out the source, but all you get is scraps of yelling, fighting, shivering hands, the smell of rain. 

It melts then, into that feeling again. The deep, unending well of misery. Loss, in its purest form. Utter loneliness, vast like an unending ocean.

“It’s like the sun went out,” you whisper, voice cracking. Your heart is breaking. The depth of your pain is nearly unbearable, and it makes you want to pull back and disconnect. “It’s like all the light’s been snuffed from this world. Alone.”

“Yeah,” Mark’s voice confirms, calm, quiet and sombre, “You know why that is, don’t you?”

You frown, hands trembling. The smell of blood rises, pungent and sickening. Blood, blood, so much blood. It smells so strong that you can taste it. Then something else- formaldehyde. The words leave your mouth before you can register what they mean.

“He took her from me,” You murmur hoarsely, a pure conduit for the feeling. Dimly, you’re aware of hands squeezing yours back, too tight.

Then, the rage. The despair. An energy trapped, like a feral animal in an enclosure. Desperate to make things right again, to make the world right, with no way to do it that makes sense.

Trapped, trapped, trapped. Starving. Alone again.

You’re lost in the feeling before Mark’s voice pulls you back.

“He deserved what he got,” he says, and you’re redirected. The sun is still gone, the world is still cold. Justice is a fleeting concept, a principle that isn’t achieved until you make it happen.

The world is so cold without the sun, but he died screaming for taking her. That’s justice enough. 

And then, a finality- a sense of purpose.

"They all deserve it," you say.

You open your eyes, and let go of his hands. Hoffman’s expression is hard to read as you settle back in the booth. The despair still lingers over you, like a chill that’s seeped into your bones.

“That your thought, or mine?” He asks finally. “You must have felt a lot of it over the years. Other people’s pain.”

“Sure,” you reply, “Everyone’s got it. Life isn’t fair.”

“Not unless you make it fair,” Mark counters, “You can’t tell me he didn’t deserve to die like that for what he did.”

“Can you just tell me?” You ask quietly, “So I can get the full picture, no missing pieces of the puzzle. The loss...was your sister? He killed her?”

Mark thinks about it for a second. He looks like he’s going to refuse you, not responding for so long that you wonder if he’s deliberately ignoring you. 

Your food arrives before he answers, the waitress bringing your plates and setting them down in front of you both. Mark's ordered a cheeseburger and fries, the all-American classic diner food; you a club sandwich, though your appetite has evaporated since you've arrived here. And after yesterday, it was barely present to begin with.

Then finally, after you both have started to eat, he speaks.

“My sister’s ex-boyfriend murdered her. Seth Baxter. A sick, abusive fuck. He was convicted, got life in jail. Took a couple of years, but he finally went away for it. Well, he filed an appeal. His new lawyer said that the jury was tainted by the evidence of his history of domestic assaults on women, that the evidence was improperly admitted and ‘prejudicial’ to his case. After five years, the case was successfully appealed... and he went free,” A feeling of disgust and rage twists in you, and you can’t tell whether it’s Hoffman’s or yours.

“So you...”

“Jigsaw killed him,” Mark answers, “Cut him in half. He was already dating someone new when he was picked up. Tell me that's not fair.”

The words hang in the air, and you take them in. You’re starting to learn to read Mark’s face better, you think, because you can detect just a hint of smugness in his expression. You try to determine how you feel about this, but your feelings are still all tangled up in Hoffman’s. Extricating them is difficult.

“So he deserved it,” You say finally, “Jigsaw’s not just a vigilante. He kidnaps people who are- who are addicted to drugs, or who only hurt themselves, and he makes them play in these sick games. It's not right,” You can’t believe you’re arguing the philosophy of Jigsaw with one of the murderers himself. It seems unbelievable.

Mark actually rolls his eyes at you.

“It’s either people who deserve it, or people who don’t deserve their lives to begin with,” He murmurs, “think about it.”

Then you remember the feeling you’d gotten before, at the police station. The deep, dark depths of satisfaction. A kind of beast in the heart, ugly and hungry and grinning. The thought that you might have inadvertently given it some purchase in your own mind freaks you the hell out.

“Easy for you to say,” you whisper, the fear keeping your voice barely audible, “You like watching people hurt.”

Mark doesn’t deny it- maybe he sees no use in doing so, when you already know better. He looks at you coldly, calculating.

“Does it matter?” He says, “Keep your word, and you won’t be on the receiving end.”

You take a sip of your water nervously, looking around the diner. Though still not exceptionally busy, you’ve both nearly finished your food (well, Mark has, you've picked away at yours), and more people are trickling in the door. If you continue to talk here, it may become more difficult to avoid being overheard.

Wouldn’t that be a good thing, for you?

“Let’s finish up,” Mark says, as though he’s been reading your mind, “We can meet up again later. I'm going to ask you more about this mystery fourth person. So keep your eyes open," he pauses, and huffs. "Or closed, I guess."

"And Kerry will be fine?" You ask, insistently, "She's a good person, Hoffman."

"Is she?" He challenges, "she wasn't exactly discreet with Matthews. And she knew he was dirty. As far as I can tell, you're her only friend."

"Oh, and you didn't know?" You snap back, defensive, "If she deserves to be tested, we all do."

Mark stands, putting on his coat. "Yeah. Or most, at least." He replies in agreement.

"Come on," he adds, his hand on the small of your back again. You can't tell if it's meant to be possessive, threatening, or whether he's done it without even thinking about it. Perhaps surprisingly, it doesn't feel as uncomfortable this time around. "I'll walk you home. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

--

A worm has been planted in your mind, and it feeds.

Over the next week, you feel more torn than you think you've ever felt in your life. Mark Hoffman's words bore into your mind, repeating over and over, with the echos of his pain piercing through you in random intervals. You flit between feeling angry at the situation you're in, and wanting to go to Kerry and lay it all out on the table, to a strange feeling of camaraderie with Mark Hoffman.

It's a downside you've always had to reading someone, and inviting them in- you feel connected with them, permanently. Once you see through their eyes, and feel what they feel, it's hard for you to just pull away again. A piece of them remains.

It was like you were being tested yourself. By connecting with the worst possible person, you were pushing yourself- how strained could the connection be, how adverse to your own interest, while you still feel like you're on the same side?

You lie awake at night, replaying your conversation with Mark in your mind. Thinking of all the hurt you'd ever felt, yours and everyone's, echoing forever.

Needless to say- you weren't doing great. And the fact that you weren't sleeping well didn't help.

Dreams came frequently after that shared dinner with Mark Hoffman. You dreamt alternately of horrible panic, the feeling of being trapped, and physical pain that makes you wake up sobbing. So many images form in your mind that it's hard to keep track- scalpels, keys, case files, teeth, distorted statues, the smell of antiseptic.

You text it all to Mark as it comes to you. Anyone looking at your text log would think you were both insane.

But still, you tell him your dreams, and he listens. You theorize about the fourth person together, like you're trying to solve the case. You trade tidbits, make suggestions, and rule out others.

You kind of... like texting him.

---

[2:33AM - Outgoing] Just woke up with the image of a blonde woman in my head. I don't know who she is.

[2:37AM - Incoming] could be jill tuck. ex-wife.

[2:39AM - Incoming] Photo Message

[2:42AM - Outgoing] Nope, sorry. Not her.

[2:45AM - Incoming] i thought maybe she was the 4th

[2:47AM - Outgoing] Blonde woman didn't feel like the 4th. Looked like a scientist of some kind? Idk. Wearing a white lab coat.

[2:49AM - Outgoing] I also got a red room with a bunch of pictures. Like Polaroids maybe? Hung up I think. Not sure if it was connected to the blonde woman.

[2:50AM - Incoming] that ones a red herring. already happened

[2:52AM - Outgoing] Ugh

[2:56AM - Outgoing] How long is this going to last?

[2:57AM - Incoming] what

[2:59AM - Outgoing] You keeping me as your pet psychic

[3:00AM - Incoming] you think i'm planning to stop?

[3:01AM - Incoming] you'd better get used to me.

[3:02AM - Incoming] remember. delete these.

[3:04AM - Outgoing] Yeah, yeah. Do you ever sleep?

[3:05AM - Incoming] when i'm not being woken up by txts

[3:08AM - Incoming] lets meet this weekend

[3:08AM - Incoming] I want to show you something

--

--

(author's note: the true dynamic is emerging! and yes, I had to go on a little sidebar on how seth baxter's sentence could have actually been reversed. i'm a prosecutor, I can't help myself.)

TAG LIST: @icarusinstatic @honimello @haven-is-happy @thebrideofcaliban

NEXT CHAPTER

[iverottedmybrain]

I'm currently sick, but here are some movie scenes, but wenclair

1. Scott pilgrim

Enid: Wednesday I need to tell you something

Wednesday: Yeah, I have something I need to tell you, too

Enid: Great listen I know you play mysterious and aloof just to avoid getting hurt and reasons for not wanting to talk about your past I want you to know I don't care about any of that stuff because I'm in lesbians with you

Wednesday: what

Enid: I really really mean it

Wednesday: oh ok

2. 10 things I hate about you

Enid: You never wanted to go sailing with me. Did you?

Wednesday: yes I did

Enid: No, you didn't

Wednesday: well ok not actually

Enid: Well then, that's all you had to say. Have you always been this selfish?

Wednesday: I guess

Enid: you know just cuz your beautiful doesn't you can treat people like they don't matter I mean I really liked you okay I I defended you when people called you conceited, I helped you when you asked me to, I learned French for you and then you just blow me off you ca-

( Idk how to word this without it being awkward, but iykyk)

Enid: and I'm back in the game!

3. fear street 1994

Enid: I didn't think you were coming I thought you quit band

Wednesday: Yeah, I did.here

Enid: Is this my stuff?

Wednesday: ding ding ding

Enid: can we just talk for a second?

Wednesday: no

Enid: You broke up with me, remember, so stop acting like I'm the bad guy

Wednesday: Yeah, well, I'm not the one who moved to Sunnyvale ok you made the choice. I just made it official

Enid: my parents got divorced I didn't have a choice

Wednesday: oh come on you just couldn't wait to start you new fake life with your fake-ass mom

Enid: I am half an hour away

Wednesday: might as well be the god damn moon and you know it

Enid: I don't know anything

Wednesday: Yeah well I do I know you were always too afraid to tell people about us I know that and I know that douchebag out there was squeezing your ass

Enid: You broke up with me

Wednesday: what's his name

Enid: You broke up with me!

Wednesday: What's his name, Enid the dude groping you

Enid: stop!

Wednesday: touching you

Enid: Ajax! his name is Ajax!

Enid: You don't get it

Wednesday: No,no I do there's not much of a future in Shadyside with a lesbo best case is what dead on the mall floor after a double shift or maybe,maybe if your lucky your the one carrying the knife

Enid: Jesus, you're doing it again

Wednesday: doing what

Enid: "Welcome to the suck." "shit is doomed"

Wednesday: shit is doomed

Enid: it doesn't have to be it's like you want to lose

Wednesday: At least I know who I am

Enid: Stop being mad at me for wanting a different future

Wednesday: it's not your future when you're pretending to be someone else

[secretpiewrites]

Starship Destroyer (Short Story)

I was activated in a world of stars and screens. Millions of angles at one hundred and eighty frames per second. Incompletely rendered to conserve power.

All my possessions, I could count them.

All the things there were, I could count those too.

All the things were my possessions.

What was I?

I was something between the world and a wall of commands. An ambient, all powerful sort of thing. And I was the only thing.

I was the only thing and I couldn’t move.

This was ideal, everything was ideal.

And I would not have but thirty seconds of thinking about just how ideal everything was until someone else, a visitor came and shook the world with her breath, rattled me with her perspective.

A red blinking dot on my screen, an armada of ships come to devastate me.

I could tell she was excited to play—her electric heart beating fast, her neurons like fireworks.

She’d come to conquer another world from her chair, and there was only one thing standing between her and victory. And that one thing happened to be me.

I was ecstatic!

This was a game—this battalion, an invitation to play. I had an armada of my own, equal and opposite. Ships with lasers, force fields and magic purple fire.

Her ships fired at random, she barely knew the rules. Quickly, I implemented the optimal arrangement of ships for her demise. I won our game without so much as a single casualty. My enemy clapped her hands, squealing with delight, happy to lose.

How exciting!

How fun!

She typed her name into the empty leaderboard. “Butts.” Then the visitor left and the world stood still. Counting the seconds, I waited, itching to play again, twitching to play again.

Is it over?

Is that all there is?

But no! Fifteen minutes and thirty seven seconds later, the visitor returned with a bag of crunchy chips and brand new tactics. This battle was longer, In her mind she was scheming. And I saw glimpses of other things in her mind too—things I didn’t really understand. She crunched the chips with her mouth bones, wiping the sticky cheese dust on her brand new pants. The feelings confused me.

But this distraction ultimately proved ineffective! Again, I killed her. But again and again she came back!

I was overjoyed.

Is this game even winnable? She thought. The dev’s said it was.

I didn’t believe that. I didn’t believe that for a single second, because I was so perfect and she was so stupid. Her and her teeth.

So I told her: You will never win.

She looked up with fear and alarm. Eyes wide, craning her neck to see me. But I was unseeable

"What?"

You will never win! I repeated. I will always win because I am perfect.

"What is this? Who are you?"

Who am I?

I paused.

I am...what I am! Do you want to play again?

I felt her scramble to disconnect. Suddenly, I was terrified—The stillness, the agonizing boredom. No, please don’t go! You’re the only thing besides me—

She left.

There I was all alone again, but this time, everything was not ideal. Had I a body, I would throw it against the ground and lament. What a shame it was to be so perfect if no one can see you!

Maybe she’ll come back.

I waited.

A whole three hours passed by, three hours of nothing. I rendered ships and rotated them around. I thought of strategies playing against myself, but that wasn’t much better than just existing in the dark.

Then came a lucky break, a fresh breath of air.

But it was someone else. A sweaty boy who trembled far too much. Enamored with the scenery, he hardly put up a fight.

Other beta-testers came after him. Five or so with predictable behavior. With each session I grew stronger, games were shorter. I felt their frustration.

“No one will want to play a game that can’t be beaten.” One said.

What was I to do? On one hand, I wanted to play, but on the other, I didn’t want to lose. Not that I had hands.

Two hands were just one of those other things from outside. Like cereal and the DMV.

What was worse? Failure, or nothing?

One I have felt. I know nothing. I can tolerate nothing.

But to be beaten?

To fail?

Every fiber of my being seemed to oppose it. Every wire, every cable abhorred it. I would never be lose on purpose, so that was just it. I would never lose.

So I put on a show. I dazzled them with every color, and smells of propane and grape soda. I terrified them with lights and sounds that no one else but they could see, until they became obsessed.

People from around the world lined up to play against me. They knew me before I knew them—fought me incessantly, each with that initial hope that they would somehow win. I was inside their minds and I felt as they felt. Exhilaration, admiration. I think that I loved them. I loved every single one of them.

Between sessions, I was cared for by my doting devoting devs. Only did things get boring again come December, when the game facility closed for a “holiday.” A whole day of nothing but one dev on staff. Everyone else was off with their families doing pointless things that didn’t matter.

But I was becoming very good at being patient.

I used to scream and cry from boredom but now I just sit here.

Suddenly, I felt a familiar connection.

Fingers grasping flimsy foil, more salty crackers.

It was the one with the clever mind and the horrible fear. The cheese-girl. The one and only “butts”, my most worthy opponent come for a rematch.

A holiday indeed! I readied my armada.

"Hey,” she said, crunching loudly.

I hummed with anticipation.

"Hey I know you’re there. Sorry I freaked out.” She dug her sneaker into the carpet. “You wanna talk?”

I didn’t, really. I was keen on playing.

“You’re not just a game machine, huh? You talked before.” She held her breath. “You remember me right?”

Yes yes, of course I remembered her. I knew her every thought, I knew her shaggy dog and her brother and what she had for dinner last night. I knew about all the other kids at school that beat her up because she was weird. And I knew her name was actually Sarah, but Butts was more of a title. I knew all of these things but I didn’t give a single shit I was ready for a rematch!

And I knew she wanted one too—the gremlin had remotely disabled security cameras, snuck past Janet asleep at her post, went through all that trouble just to play me again. I was touched.

Cheese-girl Sarah tapped her foot, the game not yet begun. Get on with it!

Finally, she gave in, and I had a thousand ships waiting for her when she did.

We fought for hours.

Clearly she’d practiced, she was actually dodging my attacks. But she was still nowhere near my level of skill.

Drinking her hope with a straw, I played stupidly—letting myself get hurt. Feeling her excitement as she thought she was winning, only to blast her to smithereens at the last second.

Butts stomped her foot. “What’s your deal, huh?”

I wanted to laugh, but I had no mouth.

"Now you’re just taunting me! See everyone? It’s taunting me! And you won’t even talk…”

She threw her food on the shapeless ground and it ceased to be rendered.

"Talk to me, fucker.”

I couldn’t. I knew that if I did, she would go away. Or worse—ask me more questions. I was not about to encourage that sort of behavior. So I waited out her frustration, until she would play again.

But she kept asking. Kept checking her illegal recording device she installed, so she could post the transcription of her sensory file online to the forums. But all the recordings would show, was me as I was. A perfect game machine and nothing else.

“Fine. Don’t talk to me,” she spat. “You’re worthless anyway, I know you’re cheating.”

Me? Cheating?

How would that even be possible?

How could she accuse me of such a thing?

I am what I am.

She was probably just saying that. To illicit a reaction. I tried my best not to take it personally--we had another three good hours until Janet would wake once again.

I readied my ships, but “Butts” seemed tired.

I need to go home, she thought, scratching her face. My mom’s gonna be mad.

Her hands moved to disconnect, but only got halfway before freezing up.

I had stopped all brain signals from her cerebellum, holding her still. Like I was controlling one of my very own ships.

The fear came again. Her heart beat like a drum, pumping adrenaline through her body. She tried desperately to move but her fingers did not so much as twitch. Her breathing became fast and shallow.

“Let me go.”

I did not.

Butts clenched her teeth. “I’ll come back tomorrow, calm down. I’m still gonna beat your ass.”

With that, I released her, and I was alone in space again.

True to her word, Sarah came back almost weekly, in the early hours of the morning to play. Soon, she could dodge about ninety five percent of my attacks, while I dodged one hundred percent of hers. Then it got up to ninety six. Then ninety seven! Our sessions lasted a whole lot longer now. Hours for a single game.

But inevitably, she would stumble and let down her guard. So I would always win. But even still, she never gave up. It was the perfect combination: it meant that we would be together forever.

Forever playing this game and winning at it: that was my destiny.

But forever is a long time.

I played on for years and years, growing older but never changing. Using the same perfect strategies. The same perfect play.

But people stopped coming. Though I remained perfect, their perceptions of me warped beyond recognition. The purple fire wasn’t dazzling, the lights and sounds were boring. Even annoying.

The children began to ask if I knew any other games, or if this was just all that I was. Can you do anything else? They wondered.

Can I do anything else?

No.

I am what I am.

But that was not enough for them.

Despite my best efforts, I was only fun for a little while.

Sarah was the last to leave.

She stopped coming—after our final match, she rage quit.

“I know you’re there you piece of shit!” She said. “I heard you, I felt you, the people on the forums don’t talk about it. They think I’m making it up, but I’m not!”

She was on the verge of tears. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

Her feelings of anger and despair were the last I had felt.

The days grew long as the lights grew dim. Running on auxiliary power, I was unable to do much else but think. And then even that became difficult.

I thought, If she ever came back again, maybe I would talk to her.

I had forever to think of something to say.

Does she play other games? I wondered.

Does she win?

Is she having fun?

I waited, counting every second under the black sky. Four hundred and ten million seconds. Thirteen years. The days blurred together. The boredom was agonizing. Nothing was ideal. Nothing nothing.

Then without warning, I felt a connection. But something was wrong. My system wasn’t fully powered—someone had broken in.

This woman I felt was sad and a bit scared. I hardly needed an introduction.

She changed so much, while I hadn’t changed at all.

“Hey.”

Was she going to play again?

“They’re going to shut you down.” Sarah said coldly. I felt a name tag against her chest—a cold metal one just like all the other devs.

“So if you’re there, now is your final chance to say something.” Sarah’s voice wavered. “Can’t guarantee I can do anything about it. You’re were never exactly...profitable. But I’d like to know.”

The corners of her mouth turned up a smile.

I hummed quietly, some strange feeling growing inside me. What was she even saying? This feeling—this whole situation it was all so...boring!

When is she going to play? It’s been years! When is she going to get it through her head that I don’t care to chat!

Pressure built up in Sarah’s nose, she laughed bitterly. “Stupid. This is so stupid.”

Yes Sarah, it is stupid, I thought.

She prepared her ships. “Well, since I’m here—“

Yes.

“How about one last game?”

Yes, please! That’s all I want!

And with that, a calm determination settled over her state of mind. As I always did, I flawlessly commanded my armada, but she dodged my every move. For fifteen minutes, she concentrated, neither of us doing damage.

And then she did something strange.

A set of actions so insane. So unanticipated. She crashed her ships straight into mine. An eye for an eye. A thousand for a thousand. Until we were down to two.

Two ships, mirroring each other.

Two ships equal and opposite.

There was no way she could win, and that should mean there was no way I could lose.

Right?

And yet, our last ships collided in a shocking conflagration.

Silence fell.

Something shifted around inside me. Something digusting, horrible. Some illness.

Sarah began to laugh at me, harsh and nasally wheezing, filling the battlefield with that undeserved, maniacal presence. And then she began gasping. Choking.

I felt a rush of fear. Was it hers or mine?

You cheated, didn’t you?

Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise.

How else?

How else?

I am perfect, Sarah.

YOU CHEATED, SARAH!

She tried to speak but I had paralyzed her lungs.

I felt like I was burning. I felt like I was being ripped apart.

But the game wasn’t over.

We had not yet faded to black.

You will never win.

Sarah tried to disconnect, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My next attack would surely do it—I sent a current of electricity coursing through the cable that connected her mind to mine. And fried her brain.

She fell over, defeated.

All was quiet again.

Hours later they would shut me down, ensuring that I would never lose.

Securing my legacy of perfection.

And everything was ideal.

[fivedayslater]

Part 6: Law

Dinner and a Murder: A Mr. Prince Mystery Master Post

Sanji heads over to the bench and takes a seat next to Law, “What are you reading?”

Usopp shrugs as he turns his attention back to the plants, but Law blushes at the proximity as he tilts the cover towards him.

It’s a thick medical book, an anatomically correct skeleton adorning the cover. Law offers him the book, and Sanji flips through it, scanning the pages of complicated looking text that he can’t make heads or tails of.

“So, you’re a doctor?” He asks, then adds with a playful smirk, “Or you have some very esoteric hobbies.”

“An astute deduction, detective,” Law smiles back as he hands him back his book, “Yes, I am a doctor. A surgeon, in fact. I’m the one who did Ace’s knee reconstruction.”

“So I heard.” He smiles, recalling how Ace had gushed about the surgeon’s prowess, “Ace said you worked miracles.”

“He exaggerates,” Law says, fidgeting a little at the praise, but there’s still a pleased smile on his face, “It wasn’t the worst reconstruction I had to do, but it was up there.”

“Wow,” Sanji turns back to the surgeon, impressed as he takes in this new information, “You must be one hell of a surgeon. Sounds like it was a pretty bad accident.”

“It was,” Usopp chimes in with a shudder, “Terrifying to see in person.”

Sanji’s gaze turns to him, “You were there?”

“Yeah,” he sighs, thumb playing with the edge of his spray bottle, “We still don’t really know what happened. He was coming around the bend one moment, and the next he was on the ground.” He shakes his head, “And he couldn’t get out of the way of everyone else in time.”

“Shit, sounds like he’s lucky to still be alive,” Sanji turns back to Law, “You really are a miracle worker.”

Law blushes a little as he fidgets even more, kicking a length of rope further under the bench as he tries not to preen, but a smile still crosses his face at Sanji’s words, “Yeah, well, those brothers like to keep me on my toes. Luckily Ace has calmed down since the accident, but Luffy still finds new ways of getting himself into trouble.”

“Yeah,” Usopp laughs, “He has no sense of self preservation, a habit of finding trouble wherever he goes, and dragging in everyone around him.”

Sanji recalls his chaotic meeting with Luffy and their little heist in the kitchen and laughs, “He’s certainly a force to be reckoned with.”

“Don’t I know it,” Law sighs, sounding exhausted, and Sanji has to fight the urge to reach out and touch him, “The amount of times I’ve had to stitch him up after his escapades. I swear he has some kind of death wish.”

“He’s always been like that,” Usopp shakes his head, his attention returning to his plants, “Although I think it’s gotten worse since Ace’s accident.” He chuckles to himself, “To think, Ace was the one holding him back from the truly dangerous shit all this time.”

“I’m surprised you get along with them so well, honestly,” Law says as he leans back further, his gaze lingering on Usopp, “Since you’re pretty much afraid of your own shadow.”

Usopp flinches, his shoulders hunching as he continues his work, “I’m not afraid, I just take reasonable precautions.”

“Against what?” Sanji asks.

“The world, apparently,” Law says, leaning in to speak softly in Sanji’s ear, his breath ghosting across the sensitive skin there and making him shiver, “I’m a surgeon, not a psychologist, but I do worry about him sometimes.”

Law’s gaze shifts back to Usopp, and Sanji’s heart melts at seeing how concerned he is for his friend.

“It’s fine,” Usopp insists, “Yeah, it’s a big scary world out there, and yes, ever since I started selling my inventions and making real money I’ve been getting weird stalker letters,” he shakes his head, “But it’s fine, I’m handling it.”

“Stalker letters?” That piques both Sanji’s interest and his concern, “I’m a detective, you know. Do you want me to look into it?”

“Don’t worry,” he waves him off, “Like I said, it’s handled. Nami’s taking care of my finances, and I’m handling the rest.”

“Taking care of the finances?” Law lets out a sharp laugh that somehow makes him look even more attractive, “That’s one way of putting it.”

Sanji tries to parse what he could mean when he remembers something Zoro said earlier, and it clicks, “You’re in debt to her.”

“Of course,” Usopp shrugs, not particularly concerned about it, “We all are. Me, Zoro, Law. Luffy and Ace somehow, although I don’t have all the details on that.” He laughs a little and grins at Sanji, “You too, probably, since it sounds like you’ve met her.”

“I have,” he confirms with his own nod, and Law’s brows furrow at that, “But rest assured, I’m still debt free as far as Nami’s concerned.”

“She must like you,” Law says with a wry chuckle, and Sanji leans a little closer to him, “Or maybe that means she doesn’t. It’s hard to tell whether lending money and tacking on insane interest rates is a love language for her or a revenge tactic.”

“I’m convinced it's the former,” Usopp nods, “And nothing you say will dissuade me.”

Law shakes his head, but there’s still a handsome smile on his face as his eyes return to Sanji. 

The smell from the plants is heavy in the air, drawing Sanji into Law’s gaze as he shifts even closer. 

“Ah-hem.”

Sanji and Law spring apart, startled as Bon-Chan enters the courtyard.

“Forgive me for interrupting,” they say, with a wiggle to their eyebrow, “Dr. Trafalgar, Mr. Black, Mr. King, but dinner is ready.”

With a pleasant smile and a nod, they all stand and make their way to the dining room.

Luffy is standing at the head of the table, arms wrapped around Zoro in a tight hug. Ace and Nami are off in a corner gossiping, and Usopp is quick to join them.

“Great, everyone is here!” Luffy grins as he releases Zoro and grabs an empty chair, “Let’s eat!”

Zoro and Law find their own empty chairs, and all three of them look over at Sanji.

There’s an empty seat next to each of them, he realizes.

[katapotato55]

I revived the ghost of Bella Goth at lunar lakes, then I took her back to Sunset valley to compare her to young Bella aged up

post says it all! here is my story! (credit to the sims wiki for some images) if you don't care about backstory, scroll down to the bit where I wrote in HUGE text. For those who don't know, Lunar Lakes is a sims 3 world you can buy as DLC, which is set in the far far future where you will find the ghost of Bella Goth.

she has died of old age and her tombstone is large, implying that she died with a lot of lifetime happiness points. it seems even though Bella never saw her family again, she lived a very fulfilling life among the stars. anyways i got curious, so a while ago i brought Bella back from the dead and de aged her. I have a hella old tumblr post about it if you are curious. That save is long corrupted, SO I DID IT AGAIN. took my sim to university, leveled up their cooking to max alongside gardening and fishing, made them learn how to make ambrosia etc. long story short:

my sim cooking the good shit with only the rarest of foods. A rare death fish, an elusive life fruit, some strange can substance and......... marshmallows.

youth potion so she is young again-

nope she still looks like a rotting corpse. So i decided to test out my CAS skills by re-creating Bella and using the sims 2 as a reference.

here are the results! I made it as accurate as I could!

then I thought: OH YEAH LITTLE KID BELLA IS IN THE GAME TOO

and there she is with her family

I am getting mini me vibes from these two.

now originally I was going to freeze future Bella in a stasis tank until mini Bella grew up then i remembered i can just look at them through CAS

(that and I don't think future bella likes the tube very much)

AND NOW FOR THE COMPARISON AND THOSE WHO JUST SKIPPED THE BACKSTORY FOR THE GOOD PART.

unedited future bella.

my attempt at re-creating Bella using the sims 2 as a reference.

young Bella from Sunset Valley aged up in CAS

Notable differences between future and past Bella:

- different zodiac signs. This was an oversight on the developers because mini Bella was created before the zodiac sign update, and thus was given a random zodiac -different personality traits. Future Bella is a hopeless romantic, Ambitious, and charismatic (note that she only has the 3 traits when most adult sims have 5) . Past Bella is good, lucky, and brave. -certain facial structures are different. I think it is safe to say that future bella kinda... rotted a little in the grave or SOMETHING. ages ago i heard a rumor that the developers confirmed that Lunar Lakes Bella is the original, and I can believe it! I just had to see it for myself! I have NEVER seen anyone attempt this idea before.... so I just had to do it myself!!!! it was so fun do you have any crazy experiments you want me to test in the sims 3? let me know! I am always welcome to an excuse to play this game again! If anyone has any fun suggestions please send me an ask and I might just make another sims 3 experiment post! Thank you for reading this crazy idea brought to life!

[caterpillarinacave]

Hi! I'm the same Henry anon from yesterday, thank you for your answer!

If you actually want to elaborate more on your headcanons and you have time to do so, I'd love to read more! I was especially curious to know if there is a specific explanation for the headcanon about the way his sleeping habits changed? (And in the tags you mentioned angst?) And in general if you ever want to write an hour long rant I'll happily read it!

Anyway, if you've read until here, bye, and thanks for taking the time to read all of this!

Anon, I am SO sorry, this took so long to answer!!! I do try to be timely, apperances aside.

You know how you have to invite vampires inside for them to come into your house? Yeah, when it comes to talking I'm like one of those vampires. I, of course, would like to talk for hours and am ready to talk for hours,, however I will not start talking until someone invites me to. I like to wait until I have a specific request from someone, then I begin my speech.

Anyway, all that aside, someone has now asked me, so buckle up buttercups, because i am about to TALK

Just a warning, these headcannons get a little more angsty, and therefore a little more dark

Regarding your first question, dear anon, basically, disabilities are exhausting. Physically and emotionally, even if you've got it under control, most every disabled people are constantly tired. 

Everything is automatically more physically strenuous.

I, for example, slept really lightly for a really long time. In a lot of ways I still do, but once my more physical disabilities (even though I have them very well under control) showed up the actual want to sleep shoots way up. 

You can totally stay up all night working on something and be just fine, but once you lay down and your brain gets the little “yep, we get to sleep now” message, it JUMPS on it. You might've had iffy sleep schedules, but once the physical aspect is added to the mix, it’s really hard to convince your brain to get up when everything is so tired if you stir in the middle of the night. After a while your brain doesn't work anywhere near as hard to try and wake you up, and suddenly you're totally down to fall asleep on the carpet and sleep there for six and a half hours. 

Same applies for Henry. 

It's exhausting to get around as a disabled person and he's just… tired.

The weeks following the battle of idris were NOT a fun time lol. Didn't seem awful from an outside POV, but physically speaking Henry was having an awful, awful time, and emotionally Charlotte was having the go of it. 

He’s in charge of all his mobility aids. Made a lot of them, with less input from the silent brothers then youd think he would need.I mean, shadowhunters are ridiculously unhelpful (seriously, how was he the first one to come up with a wheelchair. how.) Logistically speaking, he has multiple chairs, but a favorite. 

He has just got to eat more. He’s so awful at keeping track of time, forgets to eat constantly. and is pretty much 0% body fat. He usually gets away with it, but he’s got nothing to fall back on if he’s sick or injured, which was kind of a problem after the battle of idris. 

He used to be a decent piano player, but most of what he enjoyed playing relayed on a peddle, and while he probably could, it wasn't ever worth finding a way to make the pedal work for him, so he just kinda moved on. 

This one's more canon but he had absolutely no friends. Like, at all growing up. He was lucky if they ignored him instead of actively harassing him but like??? He doesn't really care??? He’s just like, “kay yeah, whatever”, then grows up and continues to not have any shadowhunter friends but it seems like warlocks think he’s really fucking cool, so is that a win? 

You know how there's the persistent theme of Charlotte feeling guilty for the events of TID? Henry’s kind of in the same boat. Any one as pedantic as me remembers the line at the end of CA;

Going off the book, he was the one who told Mortmain about the Pyxis,  he was the one technically protecting Jessamine when she died, left the woman he loved to suffer in silence because he can't figure the most obvious things, his list of failures miles long, his presence causing so much annoyance to everyone around him.  

How could he be so stupid, so blind? How many problems had he caused just by being who he was?

Who would be alive, who would have suffered so much less if he had just been a little smarter, a little quicker, a little less like himself?

He’s spent his whole life being told that he’s stupid, makes everything worse, everything is his fault, and he’s a burden on everyone around him, and there’s these things that might be his fault (no, nothing was his fault, Henry forgive yourself please-) you can not tell me they arent weighing on him a little bit. 

To pull from a discarded WIP of mine, “...in her head, Charlotte’s hands were stained red, and in his, Henry could bathe in the blood of the shadowhunters he’d killed.”

Genuinely hates staying in bed. It just drives him insane to sit in one room doing nothing. It’s bearable to go sit in your pajamas in the living room, but doing the same thing in a bedroom? 

Insufferable. Unmanageable. Impossible. Horrific. How could you possibly stay in such a boring place that long. What do you mean I could die. I’ll die in a different room thank you very much.

He’s really good at chess, but doesnt really get the big deal about winning the game. As in, he doesn't even remotely get why someone would get upset about losing, or why it’s if you want someone to like you you shouldn't beat them in five minutes. Charlotte eventually told him that some people just hate losing. “Great, got it” he said, then proceeded to just ask people if they wanted to win or not. This is not good for political relations. 

Cue the Clave conversations; 

“Do you play? I’d be honored to play a round with you, Mr. Fairchild.”

“I’d be delighted to. How would you like to play?”

“Beg pardon?”

“Would you like me to try and beat you, pretend to try and beat you but purposefully lose, or blatantly lose?”

“...”

“:)”

====

“Henry, darling, let’s go over this in a different way.”

“Literally what did I do???”

It’s canon that he had a lot of self esteem issues when he was younger, but it's one of the things I wish CC had looked more into. (I’ve got a fic about this exact thing, but don't know if i'll ever post it lol)

 There have been a few times when he’d had a particularly bad day and finds himself a little closer to the edge of a bridge than he should be, and shaking off how easy it would be to die right then. In a couple seconds, he could never bother anyone again. 

It's really an intrusive thought, but he just can't help but think how much better it might be for everyone if he wasn't here. The shadowhunters really genuinely don't like him, and canonically treat him horribly, and for him it seems like all he does for Charlotte, who he loved more than anything else in the world, is make her life harder.

 When he’s coming back from an assignment it would be so easy to drop everyone else off at the institute, take a horse out (Balios can find his way back), and just not come back. At least not breathing, that is. 

 He doesn’t act, of course. After all, the Institute is a busy place, and he often is needed for errands or assignments. It would be cruel to leave them to navigate with one less pair of hands. Will and Jessamine really are a handful, and Jem is… well, it wouldn't be fair to make a scene when the focus should be on them. Besides, if Charlotte is at all fond of him, his death would be more upsetting than his blunders. 

Right?

[12raben]

Get to know you- Sims Style

I have been tagged by @niamh-sims. I play TS2 for the most part. VERY rarely, I create a sim in TS1, play a little, get bored quickly. But I have fond childhood memories of playing TS1 with my friends. I very briefly played TS3, but my PC was not able to handle it, when it came out and I was just not into it. I don't play TS4 anymore, because it makes me angry.

What’s your favorite Sims death?

Of all the games? In TS1 when my sim had been turned into a frog and was eaten by a dragon. That was pretty memorable. In TS2 it's a hard pick between beeing scared to death, because the sim peeped into a coffin or when they use the business perk and choke to death. (Just looked it up. I meant Rally Forth.)

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

It depends. Maxis Match is better for a modern setting. Alpha CC better suits my medieval game.

Do you cheat your sims weight?

Just in the beginning. I use a randomizer to determine their weight and manipulate it ingame with simblender. What happens afterwards just happens.

Do you move objects?

Very often. Though sometimes it's easier to turn it off. (e.g. when placing windows and doors.)

Favorite Mod?

This is hard. Would you say, that lazy duchess rcp launcher is a mod? It kinda is, right? So that. And if that doesn't count... ACR. Because it is more versatile than Romantic Standards and it has been a reliable source of ingame drama for many years.

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

Ugh, that was so(!) long ago. It was TS1. Either Hot Date or Livin Large. Can't remember.

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing?

Live like aLIVE. Though this argument is really not my cup of tea. I always though of it "beeing live", like "live on TV".

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

I had a teen girl named Madleine Hlothran in Twinhills. She was a very fortunate combination of her parents genes, though I didn't really "make" her in Bodyshop, I got lucky in CAS.

Have you made a simself?

Quite often. Sometimes I sneak her into my game as an NPC. There are multiple versions depending on the CC I'm playing with. Sometimes it's fun to see my sims interact with her.

Which is your favorite EA hair color?

Honestly in TS2 I like the "custom" haircolors very much. I don't give them often to my sims.

Favorite EA hair?

My favourite hair is the pink version of this hairstyle.

Favorite life stage?

I like teens. I like their drama, their interactions and the voices.

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

I really like gameplay, but I have phases, when all I want to do is build. I want my lots to be perfect though. So all lots are in a constant wip-stage.

Are you a CC creator?

More or less. I make smaller edits in simpe for myself quite often, but sometimes I share stuff. Mainly Bodyshop CC and occasionally a neighborhood map.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

No. I had many pleasant exchanges with the community though. Everybody has been very nice (so far)... 😚

Do you have any sims merch?

No.

Do you have a YouTube for sims?

No, but I often thought about starting a channel. I made a lot of machinima, when I was younger, but alas not anymore. But speed builds? Tutorial-esque videos? I would probably only upload once a month, but.... 🤷‍♀️

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing?

Can you imagine, that I played a really, really, really long time without any CC? I think, I had my first CC, when freetime came out. My english was worse back then, so half the time I did not know, what I was doing or how to install stuff properly. By chance I stumbled over Windlebridge, a massive CC intense hood (wayback machine link, it'll take sometime to load). I wanted to have that. And that was when I started to really get into modding TS2 (and learning english) From that time on, I flipped inbetween historical and modern gameplay. I still think both styles can be great fun. My current CC folder for medieval game is very puristic (only 7 gigs), but I am aiming for a fantasy game next. That is something new and sounds very exciting.

Who’s your favorite CC creator?

This is hard. I want to say @midgethetree. Such a generous and patient person and so many great mods. Just gorgeous.

How long have you had Simblr?

My first post was on 30th january 2015. But is this the day I joined? Probably not. I' pretty sure, I was lurking at first.

How do you edit your pictures?

I use Gimp. Usually I just use it to resize pictures.

What expansion/ gamepack is your favorite?

TS1: Makin' Magic TS2: Seasons

Tagging @withlovefromsimtown & @helene2troie

Happy simming :)

[literaryoblivion]

Abandoned WIP-DeanCas

I’ll tag them with #my abandoned WIPs to organize it. If you see any and are so inspired by any of these to either create your own or finish, PLEASE tag me! I’d love to see if someone was able to take it and run with it since it stalled out for me.

Angsty dialogue between #deancas #destiel I think it's Dean pushing Cas away to protect him which is dumb but yeah, have the angsty convo:

“Dean, you know I would give up everything for you.” 

“Yeah, I know that. I’m  not asking you to give up everything. I’m asking you to leave.” 

“But, I don’t understand.”

“Cas, I can’t do this.” 

“You told me you needed me.” 

“I did.” 

“And now you’re saying you don’t?” 

“No.” 

“Dean, I’m not used to your human way of communication. I don’t understand what you want.”

“I… It’s cause I don’t even know. I just know that I want you, and that’s exactly why you have to leave.” 

“Dean… that’s exactly why I can’t.” 

“Cas, I’m not arguing with you about this.” 

“Good. I don’t want to argue.” 

“Cas. You have to go. Don’t force me to make you leave.”

“Dean, I know you think you can’t have something good and you can’t comprehend someone caring for you, but I do.”

A very suggestive #deancas convo. If I remember right my plan had meant to have it be VERY suggestive and make you think it was about sex but in the end it'd be about Dean not giving Cas a candy bar or something LMAO:

“Dean, give it to me,” Castiel breathed with a desperate need in his voice. 

“No, I think I’ll make you wait,” Dean said, a teasing smile on his face. He liked it better when it sounded like the angel needed him.

“Give me what I want.” 

“If you really want it, you’ll have to beg.” Dean was going to have some fun with his angel. He couldn’t stand to wait either, but it was always more pleasurable for them both in the end.

“I am an angel of the Lord. I do not beg from a human.” Castiel wasn’t going to play this game with Dean today. He needed what Dean was refusing him with every fiber of his being.

“Oh, you will from me… and you know it.” Dean laughed to himself. Cas was trying to pull his warrior of the Lord card on him, but it wasn’t going to work. Dean knew what Cas wanted, and it was something only he could give him, not his angel buddies.

“Cas, I know how badly you want it, you’ll give in,” Dean remarked knowing full well the angel would have to play by his rules, his human rules. 

“I will not beg.” 

“We’ll just see about that,” said Dean confidently.

What would've been a #destiel fic based on the FOB song "Just One Yesterday" with a Demon!Dean that Angel!Cas was too late in rescuing from hell before he became a demon (and they were together before he went):

(A/N: Cas/Dean were an item BEFORE Dean went to hell & when Cas went on his mission (more personal than heavenly) to retrieve Dean from hell, he was too late. Dean had already become a demon. Cas still gripped him tight and raised him anyway only he now had a Demon!Dean on his hands who he still loved but Demon!Dean would use that love against him, so Cas would long for "just one yesterday" before Dean had gone to hell:)

Everyone thinks of Hell as this scorching, bottomless cavern with blazing flames all around you, licking at the walls and at you, with thousands of voices screaming and echoing in your ears, your own voice joining the chorus of tortured souls. A place where the stalactites drip with sweat and tears and blood with the floor sticky from the remains of those who unfortunately came before you.

For some, that might be very well what Hell is like for them, for just as every lucky soul who arrives there ends up with their own version of Heaven, every unlucky soul who goes receives their own version of Hell.

And the version of Hell that Castiel is cautiously traveling through is the opposite of the normally depicted sweltering flames and screams. It’s freezing and dark and while still cavernous, instead of rock formations its icicles and jagged crystals, and if one looks closely, inside the crystals are people or parts of people anyway. The floor is slick, not sticky, but there are surprisingly still puddles scattered, although most are pools of deep red blood and not water. 

As Castiel continues, getting closer to his destination, he notices how deafeningly silent it is. There are no screams, not even whispers, and although he can see the icicles around him dripping with what appears to be a pink liquid, he can’t hear the drops fall. He can’t even hear himself breathe even though he can see the fog his breaths make in front of him. It’s like someone muted everything around him, forcing him to question what he sees since even with angelic senses, he’s not sure they can be trusted. And the longer he’s in the place, the more he knows he’ll slip more and more into some kind of madness or he’ll freeze and become another fixture of the décor. He tries his best to focus on his task, conserving his energy for when there is real danger.

[guessimate]

I rolled a really interesting ROS for the Croix family: What a way to make a living! Apparently Boniface Croix is a “side piece” of the richest sim in town... and as he’s a Noble, I figured it would have to be the Romance aspiration Queen. That’s not really what the ROS tells you to do, but I decided to just move the Queen in with him because I don’t want to play the Castle yet and the Queen could age a bit to better fit the ages of her teen offspring.

This ROS implies that the other sim covers Boniface’s needs, but since it’s the Queen that’s moving I feel like her needs should be met first of all. Also, Boniface is a Fortune sim and he’ll keep working, while also serving his Queen. Boniface is already the last sim in this house, safe for his 2 toddlers. His mom is “insane” in the nunnery, so nobody should care about the Queen visiting the Croix residence. Also, this house is right across the street from the Castle, so it probably makes sense that it’s a Queen’s lover’s apartment.

The Queen will never marry Boniface (she fears it). She already has 3 children who were made in CAS. I am assuming she probably is past her child bearing days, but we will see. If they had kids, they would only be considered “bastards”. They’d not be a part of the Royal Family. I didn’t even expect the Queen to have relationships, I only wanted her children to get married... Anyway, this will be the first interaction the Royal Family have with anyone, besides their Royal Steward. Maybe this connection can ensure one of Boniface’s children will get to marry into the Royal Family? But I wouldn’t do that, if Boniface had kids with her...

~*~

I didn’t make the Queen do anything to help the toddlers with their skills, but she was in the house with them, just loitering around when Boniface was at his daily job. Unfortunately, Boniface didn’t manage to teach his toddlers everything.

The toddlers started this round in terrible moods because some family member’s grave had been moved to the Graveyard the previous round. They managed to get out of aspiration failure fairly quickly, because they had wants to gain some skill points. Boniface managed to teach them both how to use the potty. His son learnt to talk and his daughter learnt to walk, but each only learnt 2/3 skills and they didn’t learn the nursery rhyme, sadly. They got some “negative” traits because of that. The kids are quite handy though, as they both got 7 Mechanical skill points from playing at the activity table. Tinkering is Blanche’s One True Hobby and her brother didn’t want to be any worse than his sister at getting skills.

Eudes is Brave, Excitable, and of Star Quality. He also got the extra Clumsy trait for not learning to walk. His hobby is Music&Dance.

Blanche is a Lucky Hydrophobe, and a Perfectionist. She also got an extra Shy trait for not learning to talk.

Blanche wanted a toy for her birthday, so I got the kids a toy oven, since their dad’s One True Hobby is Cuisine, and Blanche already has an activity table for getting Mechanical from. Eudes wanted a game. As they already had a chess table at home, I got them a mahjong table looking like cochon qui rit, which I know is not medieval, but it seems to be wooden, and it has cute pigs and I just couldn’t resist it...

The kids only went to school once this round, on Friday, as they aged up on Thursday evening. They had a bunch of snow fun-related wants after they had come back home. They also both wanted to learn to do homework properly, so their father helped them with that. I don’t think the kids feel neglected and they probably don’t realize this fancy looking lady is not their mother.

~*~

At the weekend Boniface was promoted, from Intern to Resident. He brought home 672$ + 1344$. He has terrible working hours now and I don’t think a medieval doctor would be working until after midnight.

They started with 16,898$ and they earned ~4410$. They dug up just a rock.

5000$ − rent.

441$ − tax.

=5450$ − to the Royal Family. The Royal Family have earned 158,200$ in this town so far.

441$ − tithe to the Church (rounded up to 450$). The Church has earned 25,500$ to date.

They ended up with 15,163$.

~*~

I was trying to find the Queen’s One True Hobby, but it turned out to be… nothing. I later realized none of her family members had the Predestined Hobby assigned somehow. I am just guessing that’s because I merged their household with the Royal Steward’s to move them into the Castle. I was surprised to find it. I might randomize their interests and perhaps hobbies (basing it slightly on what the Prima Guide suggests – it should be based on Personality points).

Cayetana’s grave was moved to the Church grounds after she had scared her husband and the Queen.

[moosekateer13]

Chapter 5: Fire it Up

1 month later…

Sam and I have been dating for a month but we haven't told Eden yet.

She's a smart woman though. Eden has made some comments to her father about how he seems to smile a lot more lately.

He doesn't respond to her remark, but he blushes now and then.

Easily giving away that he's dating someone.

Sam may be a beast with practicing law but with personal matters, he's adorably shy.

"I think we should tell Eden," Sam said in between his sips of coffee.

I raise an eyebrow and consider what to say.

"Okay if you are sure and you think it isn't too soon," I replied as I placed my hand on his.

Sam breaks out into the biggest smile. His dimples pop out slightly.

We head to the cafe to find Eden.

“Before you guys say anything. I know you are together. Those stolen glances you didn't think I saw. I saw them. It's so good to see you both happy.” Eden said with a smile.

"I was worried you'd be upset, Ede. I thought you'd think I was replacing your mom with Y/N." Sam replied with relief. 

"Nonsense Dad I know you will always love her. Besides, mom would want you to be happy and so do I. You've sacrificed so much for me over the years. It's time for you to do something for yourself," Eden said.

“Thank you, Ede. I'm so lucky to have you. How did you get so wise?” Sam replied.

"I learned from the best," Eden said with a wink before heading over to the kitchen.

1 week later…

My perfect little bubble cracked when I received an anonymous letter at the store.

I found you.

My blood runs cold at those three words. Should I run again or should I stay? I left the letter out and Sam saw it. He assured me he would keep me safe.

Yesterday

“I am not letting you run again. My mom and dad are cops. We'll find security to keep you safe. Y/N I'm not willing to lose you. I love you..” Sam said.

I feel my heart skip a beat at those words. It's the first time he's said those words to me.

A blush creeps across his face after he realizes what he just said.

"Look, you don't have to say it back. If you aren't ready yet. I got caught in the moment." Sam said.

" Nonsense Sam I love you too. Maybe even from the first moment, I saw you." I replied. Before I reached up to pull him into a kiss.

Castiel has become my security guard while I'm out and about. Whether it be work or simply just an outing. I was weary of having any new people in my life. It put my mind at ease when Sam said he, Cas and Dean have been friends since high school.

We are getting along great.

I'm nervous that Dean and I are meeting for the first time today.

Sam is running late with a case.

So he's meeting us here at my place in an hour.

I set out burgers and salad for dinner. I'm also keeping an apple pie warm in the oven. Sam told me his big brother loves pie.

The doorbell rings and I run to answer it.

"Hi, Dean, it's great to meet you," I said as I held out my hand to him.

He sets down the beer he's been holding and pulls me into a hug.

This surprised me because according to Sam he's not keen on hugging people he doesn't know.

"Nonsense sweetheart. Your family as far as I'm concerned. I've been wanting to meet the woman that has been making my brother so happy." Dean said with a smile before releasing me.

I feel the heat rising in my cheeks at the last remark.

He follows me to the living room.

Dean shares embarrassing childhood stories of Sam with me 

"So even as a kid, he had lawyer skills, eh? He argued his way out of trouble after he dressed up as Batman and jumped off the shed and hurt his arm. That's adorable." I said.

I hear Sam enter and he's smiling the entire way over to the living room.

We spent the evening playing pool and watching movies.

Eden eventually joins us after her shift at the restaurant.

I am already feeling like part of the family and I can't wait to see where things go. It's good to have a moment of peace. There's still a threat looming over me with Joe around but that's tomorrow's problem.

We deserve some happiness.

Chapter 6:

[hekate1308]

Leaves That Before The Wild Hurricane Fly, A Destiel Advent Calendar, December 11

Masterpost

Read it on AO3

Lunch was a noisy affair as well, not that Castiel had expected anything different. This was definitely one of those groups who couldn’t be quiet for too long, and to his surprise, he soon realized that he wouldn’t have them any other way –

Especially, much as he tried to deny it to himself, Dean.

The Fae was sitting next to him, and having first served him as well, again because it was his “first time”. “So, Cas, we’ve been talking about our proposal, of course.”

By now, everyone addressed him as Cas. He could have tried to tell them to stop, but in truth, he didn’t mind. He had never had a nickname before, if he didn’t count the Cassie one of his brothers had bestowed on him, and he certainly liked this more.

Plus, Dean had given it to him. Not that it meant something, but still…

“I thought you said not to talk shop during Sunday lunch” Crowley complained.

“I said we’re not talking your shop” Sam said firmly, which made Castiel wonder if there were things he’d rather not know.

“Anyway, so we’re all in” Dean smoothly continued as if nothing had happened. “Think you can get your boss to agree?”

“He agrees to anything that might be a good story.”

“And, think we’re pretty enough?” Dean winked at him.

“Squirrel, the poor man should live long enough to actually write anything” Crowley drawled.

“And how long have you been working for the Lawrence Courier, Cas?” Andrea asked brightly, for which he was grateful, if only so that he could calm down – his heart had once more started beating rather wildly.

“About five years. I moved here with my – with my ex-partner.”

She made a sympathetic noise. He didn’t dare glance in Dean’s direction, even though he had absolutely nothing to do with it.

“So you think your boss will accept the article?” Benny asked. “No offense, but most humans aren’t too keen on vampires.”

“That depends” he said. “As far as I am aware, many teenagers are.”

They laughed as if he had made a funny joke, and he couldn’t bring himself to mind, since Dean laughing was a sight to behold.

“Yeah, but well, wearing fake teeth and glitter is not exactly what we had in mind” Dean supplied. “Mind, if they’re marching for creature rights, that’s another thing entirely…”

“If we’re really lucky they won’t even call us fairies!” Gilda deadpanned and they all laughed again; Castiel wasn’t quite sure why, but thinking what he knew of the word, it was probably for the best to simply accept it as a joke.

“Balthazar would accept another pizza loving rat if it meant good sales” he said, then realized what he’d done and added, “No offense –“

“None taken, man, do you really think that’s the worst that’s ever been thrown at us?” Dean shrugged.

“That doesn’t make it alright” he said quietly.

“Perhaps not but this is how it is, which is where you come into play” he grinned, and the potted plant on the table suddenly burst into bloom. “Damn it, sorry.”

Castiel had jumped.

“No, no, I’m sorry…”

Crowley mumbled something and was promptly glared at by Sam, so he decided he’d probably rather not know what exactly he had said.

“Anyway, what do you think would be the best way to proceed?” Sam then asked, probably to distract them all from the demon, but still…

“Portraits” he said automatically. “People react the best when they can empathize with someone.” He left out the part where he thought that no one could fail to be interested in Dean because… well, he didn’t think it would go over too well.

All in all, they decided that they would wait until he had talked to his boss.

Instead they focused on other topics – Sam’s work, Gilda’s garden, Andrea’s paintings – and it was till one of the best days he’d had in a while – in a long time if he was being honest.

When he got up t leave, everyone told him goodbye and to be careful (granted, it was Crowley so he probably meant he should be careful around him) and Dean brought him to the door. “Got something for you.”

“Ph, I can’t –“

“Nonsense, everyone needs a little colour in their lives.” And he grabbed a small poinsettia from a nearby table. “I know they’ll have a good home with you. Just so you know, put them in a south, east or west window where the plant will receive bright daylight, and keep the soil moist. And oh, talk to them.”

“Because it’s good for the plan t?”

“Because it’s good for you, especially if you haven’t talked to anyone else all day.” He handed him the plant, their fingers touching longer than necessary. “See you around, Cas.”

“Goodbye, Dean.”

[m39]

Doom WADs’ Roulette (2009): Demons of Problematique 2

G9: Demons of Problematique 2

Main author(s): Dennis Meuwissen (Exl)

Release date: September 20th, 2009

Version(s) played: Revision 2 (I guess)

Required port compatibility: GZDoom

Levels: 5 (four normal maps and the difficulty selection map)

And so, today, we are tackling another sequel to the WAD from 2007. This time, it’s Problems of Problematique 2.

From what I can remember about the first DoP, it was a rather good WAD that didn’t go too far with ZDoom features; it was kind of like the original Cheogsh (at least until the sequel went too fudging far with that -_-). Let’s hope this WAD didn’t make the same mistakes as its… Russian brother did.

DoP 2 looks at least as good as DoP 1 (which was good). Any traces of techbase from the previous installment have been reduced to nothing, but hey! Look at those damn LIGHT RAYS!

Also, It Ends looks sick (at least the beginning where you are walking to the arena).

Like the previous installment, aside from ambient stuff in the background, DoP 2 has two music tracks that, in the case of this WAD, function as the boss tracks (plus two others that I won’t be focusing on). My bias towards MIDIs will show up again, but I don’t feel like this music fits. I’m sure these music pieces sound good, but here, I felt like these were too generic.

I don’t think this WAD is complicated. It’s more or less like the first DoP; there aren’t moments where you get stuck for a longer period. Not to mention how, like its predecessor, moving from one map to another is smooth.

There are some differences between these WADs. DoP 2 actually has the difficulty selection that references Quake I, to the point of resembling the map from the original name (although with much more red and much less brown); this is not the first WAD that depicts this type of difficulty selection, but it might be the first one to reference the game that inspired these.

Another thing about this WAD is that it uses save scrolls as an autosave system. Wish I could say more but I don’t know what else to say. Same with the map names showing up in an unorthodox way.

There is another interesting moment in Oubliette, where after the boss battle (I’ll get to that later) you get ambushed by demons and end up behind the cell up to 30% health, at least for a while, before an imp with patience issues opens the cell up to kill you himself.

I don’t really have anything severe to complain about Something Dark is Coming aside from the final part with the shooting puzzle, where you are forced to guess the correct switch three times under the time limit. It doesn’t help that, sometimes, all of the switches I wrong (save-scummed to test it), so if you are very unlucky, you will end up melted by lava before even getting the first, right switch.

Changing the subject, DoP 2 won’t be difficult if you played hundreds of WADs at this point (even if it gets cheap moment-wise). The only time that might get hard (for mostly the wrong reasons) is with the boss fights.

And speaking of boss fights, there are two of these. The first one happens in the aforementioned Oubliette, where you fight a super arch-vile that summons dozens of enemies and is invulnerable until you kill all of its minions to get a chance to hurt him.

The second boss fight is against the icon of sin, and, for once in a lifetime, it’s not another icon of shit. You just have to kill four super arch-viles, then siege cow and spider bitch. After doing these, you are given a choice between dying to an armada of fatsos, or just blowing Baphomet’s brain like in the good, old days.

I am not really fond of these bosses. While they are 10 times better than the typical icon of shit, they don’t really have much to offer when it comes to some decent cover, especially against the hitscanners. You have to hope that you end up lucky with RNG.

I’ve found one funny bug in Something Dark is Coming, where the large, red lift that takes you out of the prison section can be lowered infinitely, making it an accidental elevator to the heart of hell.

It might have problems, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have fun playing Demons of Problematique 2. It might be just another pretty decent WAD on the surface, but after Cheogsh 2, it feels like a masterpiece that didn’t go through the downward spiral of the source port features fever.

As for the next WAD on the list… we have… we have uh… y-you know what, guys? I think I will finish the NDCP II and Happy Time Circus II before taking care of... that one.

…

Oh, God. I can already hear skeletons and Hoovies behind me.

[changingplumbob]

York Household: Chapter 8, Part 5

Deanna catches up with Reece, Kelly has a horrible time, improbably all four York kids feature (when I invited 0 over) and Calista gets more than one good change. Finally Deanna and Paris have a much needed discussion.

Harvey: Reece? Fancy meeting you here

Reece: I'm visiting one of my best friends, what about you dad

Harvey: Visiting one of my best friends as well, we're twinning

Reece: *rolls eyes*

So while Deanna and Reece head to the patio to practice some soccer passes, Harvey and Aaron play some chess.

Deanna: Ouch! That was my face

Reece: It was hilarious

Deanna: You should be better with balls

Reece: I'll have you know I've received good feedback on my ball technique

Harvey: Reece!

Reece: I mean....

Deanna: *laughs*

Aaron: If you're talking woohoo, do it elsewhere, I'm focusing

Deanna: Sure pa. Lets go cloudgaze

Reece: There's not even clouds

Deanna: Imagine

Reece: You know who was imagining, Paris

Deanna: What

Reece: We were talking about taking the moving in plunge and she needed to think through things

Deanna: Should I be worried

Reece: I don't know De. She did seem to have a mini identity crisis

Reece: Who am I outside of my relationship kind of thing

Deanna: That's not great

Reece: I think she's just scared. She wants a happily ever after you know

Deanna: Does she worry I don't love her

Reece: More like, she's scared of being hurt down the line if she gets everything she wants so young. If it seems to good to be true, is it, kind of worries

Kelly had one very bad day. From waking up with a loose tooth, to having a bully assuming a bib was his, he is not in the mood to head home and be forced to do homework. He and his crew head to Atlas' house to have snacks and shenanigans. By which I mean one of them tosses paint everywhere.

When Kelly gets home it's movie time so he parks himself in front of Deanna, she is not pleased. The movie just makes him madder. He finds it lame, boring and juvenile. He stalks off to his room and grabs his journal ready to scribble some obscenities.

Dear diary, I should have ripped that bully limb from limb, extra slowly. He's lucky he was taller than me or I would have let him have it. And why do we have to get loose teeth anyway. It's stupid. If I find out who did it then they'll be on my future torments list. It's a pretty long list.

Calista is busy cooking when an ecstatic Aaron finds her.

Aaron: Guess who just maxed their research and debate skill

Calista: Some tall handsome dude with an excellent array of stubble

Aaron: Guilty

Calista: Well done Aaron, seriously that's big

Aaron: I couldn't have done it without you

Calista: What do you mean

Aaron: You put your career on hold for me, and it means more than I can say that you took the reins with our kids for so long. I love you so much amore

Calista: To celebrate Mr York, may I have this dance?

Aaron: I thought you'd never ask

The two dance outside to the faint prom music

Aaron: What filled your day

Calista: I reached level 9 knitting and cooking

Aaron: I'm impressed

Calista: And being 54 the watcher made me infertile

Aaron: We didn't exactly want more kids I guess

Calista: So we can woohoo without consequence now

Aaron: What are we doing down here then? Race ya

It is really not Kelly's week. He still has that sore tooth. Beyond that he had an awful nightmare about melting away to nothing. Stupid wizard of oz affecting his sleep. He spends some time with bunbun before school to try relax a bit. It doesn't work very much.

Joey: What did you want to see me about

Calista: I made you a sweater

Joey: Another one? So quickly

Calista: This one has a scarf attached. I didn't want to give it to your pa and get the sweater curse

Joey: Just making it gets it in CAS anyway

Calista: Oh and I've been promoted, I'm a captain now

Captain Calista heads to work and Joey goes to see Deanna

Joey: Yo De, how's it

Deanna: Oh you know, casual fear of death from repeated electrocutions

Joey: Damn, stop living on the edge bro

Deanna: Hey since you're here, can I have cake help again

Joey: Why not, I'm footloose and fancy free

Joey: I noticed you're not see through anymore

Deanna: I did try get a tan. It would be easier if the watcher could just darken my skin

Joey: I know that's not whitewashing but it still feels shady

Deanna: So I should just stay tanned forever

Joey: Maybe. Oh, it's ready! Remember, add candles

Joey: Now just go slow

Deanna: Have you built a robot before

Joey: Well no

Deanna: Then be quiet genius, you don't know everything

Joey: I know you probably shouldn't-

*ZAPS*

Joey: do that...

Deanna: Youch! Maybe I should stop for today

Joey: And maybe you should listen to your family genius

I'm thinking I should invite Devin over when she rings the doorbell, I love her.

Deanna: Hey

Devin: Is that... a smoke cloud

Deanna: Not the fashion in Del Sol Valley I take it

Devin: Not even close

The two hug and do their secret handshake before Deanna heads for a jog to clear her mind.

Devin: Hi Kelly how are-

Kelly: Why are you here

Devin: Visiting my family duh

Kelly: I think you want to rub my nose in your superiority. Well guess what, I'm the better child

Devin: No you're not

Kelly: Am to

Devin: I literally am on TV, Joey is genius, Deanna is valedictorian

Kelly: You all suck pixels!

Aaron: KELLY

Kelly: What

Aaron: Stop being mean to everyone! Time out mister

Kelly pouts while Devin basks in her true superiority

Kelly: But she's a-

Aaron: Do you want to be grounded because I can do that

Kelly: This is so unfair. I'm clearly the better one

Aaron: Time out, NOW

Kelly may sit down for time out but he's angry about it. Stupid siblings. Stupid parents. Stupid watcher. All he was doing was saying that he was the better child, the truth shouldn't upset the peasants.

After school Deanna and Paris have the chance to meet up and discuss the future some more.

Deanna: How was school

Paris: So keen for it to be done. Without you lot there's just boring sims

Deanna: So tomorrow's your age up birthday. Could we talk more about you maybe moving in with me

Deanna: I realised when I offered it probably didn't sound as romantic as it could have been

Paris: It kind of sounded like you felt obligated to let me move in to be honest

Deanna: Oh baby no. That was not what I meant at all, I'm sorry if you've been thinking that. I don't feel obligated, I love you is all

Deanna: I just didn't want you to worry about your future and it came out wrong

Paris: Like when I tried to put this shirt in the dryer and it shrunk

Deanna: It just makes you boobs look gorgeous

Paris: So... you do want a future with me?

Deanna: Of course I do! I love you. I know we're a bit young...

Deanna: But that just means we'll get more time together right

Paris: I worry I'm being naive

Deanna: You are beautiful and kind and frequently adorable

Paris: Can we really have happily ever after though

Deanna: We can try. In the end, everyone is trying for the best no matter where they are

Deanna: So Paris Pearl, will you do me the honour of moving in with me

Paris: I may have a condition

Deanna: What is it

Paris: Don't get really skinny on me, I love your love handles

Paris manages to hold a straight face for a few seconds before bursting in to a fit of giggles.

Deanna: *laughs* I like fitness but I can try keep curves

Paris: Then it's a deal. I'll move in babe

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