#angel reese fanfic

[pbnbucks]

Smut Prompts Fluff Prompts Angst Prompts

PBNBUCKS WORKS ꨄ

𐐂 UCONN

Paige Bueckers

・Movie Night / NSFW

・Love And Friendship / NSFW

・Booty Rubs / FLUFF

・Hard Launch / FLUFF

・Strap Talk / NSFW

・Video Games / NSFW

・Caught / NSFW

・Graduation supprise / NSFW

・Wake Up / FLUFF

・S-L-U-T / NSFW

・Baby Fever / NSFW

・Regrets / NSFW

・High School Sweethearts / FLUFF

・Passion Fruit / SUGGESTIVE

・Monopoly Piece / NSFW

・October / FLUFF

Azzi Fudd

$ no works yet…

KK Arnold

・Gone Wrong / FLUFF

・Selfish / FLUFF

・Better? / NSFW

・Head Cannons / NSFW

Ice Brady

$ no works yet…

Caroline Ducharme

$ no works yet…

Jana El Alfy

$ no works yet…

Pazzi

・Mirror Sex / NSFW

・Hair Dye / FLUFF

・You Wish / FLUFF

・Senior Night / FLUFF

・What Was That For? / NSFW

・Back Shots / NSFW

Paige x Nika x Fem

・Camera / SUGGESTIVE

・Whats Your Problem? / NSFW

・Good Intentions / NSFW

・The Transfer Student / NSFW

・We Can Be Better / NSFW

・Im Sorry / NSFW

・Love You / FLUFF

・Parking Lot / NSFW

𐐂 LSU

Flaujae Johnson

・Mid Range / FLUFF

・Head Cannons / NSFW

Hailey Van Lith

・I Own You / NSFW

・Birthday Sex / NSFW

𐐂Gonzaga

Inês Bettencourt

・Only One / FLUFF

𐐂Southern California

Juju Watkins

・Borderline Delusional / NSFW

・Meet Me In The Bathroom / NSFW

request are always open!

[the-soul-of-a-morningstar]

Hello! Thank you so much for doing a matchup trade with me :3 you seem so cool btw. here I go!

Also just @ me when your done!

my name is jaxrel! i also use "jax" for short, I also use other names like lan, himawari, eden, etc. I use he/him pronouns and im a trans man who's bisexual with more of a male pref. and thanks to the testosterones I have a deeper voice :D im a aquarius and i have a lot of mental discorders which l'll get to in a bit.

PERSONALITY: I'm a ENTP, 4W3 (or 3W2) Ravenclaw. I'm very extroverted but I also have some introvert traits which l'll get down to in a minute, my personality is very unique but also hard to describe. I'm very confident, straightforward and I have a sense of justice for myself (I have a urge to correct someone of faulty information), uses "big" words, good sense of humor, playful, entertaining, optimistic, mischievous, curious(l'm nosy and I love gossip), I can be a rule breaker(sometimes don't mean to). l'm extremely independent, when comfortable talk about a lot of stuff for hours, loud talker, emotions come off as sarcastic or silly due to autism). As for my sense of humor I can be sometimes crude. l'm a very chill and intelligent person but some people would say I have some "repressed anger issues, get a reallyyy overractive Brain, tend to get deep and philosophical when I'm left on my own for to long, I can be verbally aggressive when prevoked. Usually when I meet people I come off as awkward and shy, even distant but l'lI get comfortable with them soon enough. I'm very polite and sweet btw! I may look scary sometimes (*cough* that's what I get for being emo *coughs harder*) but l'm always there for someone no matter what. I'm the dad friend. When I go out I always bring water bottles, first aid kit, chapsticks (pretty much anything you can think of). I have a lot of social awareness but i often intentionally act in a rash and unapologetic way because personally i do not care at all for social norms or rules. As l'm the dad friend (also the therapist friend too) l've been told give a lot of good advice and im also a very good listener too. English isn’t my first language either since I was born in the Middle East and speak Arabic more, basically my English isn’t the best and I’m much more fluent in Arabic, Spanish, Korean and Japanese. Here's more information linked here about me. (which I suggest reading)

I've been diagnosed with a lot of disorders such as Autism, ADHD, Schizophrenia, BPD + etc, it's hard especially with my Autism, sadly a lot of these run on my mothers side of the family and I gotten a lot of them, I'm prone to psychosis/ delusions and sometimes it happens in episodes that can last for months. I also get really mad if people piss me off which goes for my repressed anger issues.

When i'm talking to people I get very loud and unhinged, just very silly like i'm spamming cursed images and telling my friends i'm going to eat their skin and shit like that (AS A JOKE......), just being very neurotic. a lot of my friends describe me as a feral creature HELP. I also use a lot of memes to react to things (which is usually anime, kpop, or just random ones)

I'm very flirty towards people sometimes, sometimes even tease a little but it's not mean spirited or anything. I'm still a friendly person. And I spend time and effort on the people I like and the things I find interesting but I find pretty much anything interesting hehe.

I've been told I act a lot more like victor nikitorov from a lot of my friends and I kinda know why because of how cheerful can be and from what I know I don't seem to understand -or even care about-conventional social norms. I also have that rock star charm. And as an extra I can always dazzle woman and men alike without a single glance). And I also act like Elysia a lot too which you can find more here from her personality.

MISC.: clumsy; accidentally (+purposefully) misuses slang or common phrases ; enjoys skin care and hair care ; I also tend to enjoy makeup routines to be more masculine; able to pick up new skills relatively quickly; studied french, korean, japanese + etc; l'm very good at doing my outfits (probably because I got a lot of help from chinese people...) ; prone to being a bit directionless in life ; prone to bad luck but tries to find the humor in most situations ; life approach: to live a life of varied experiences, to not take life too seriously, to not dwell too much on the past.

KINS: hiyori tomoe (enstars), yoosung kim (mystic messenger), jumin han (mystic messenger), hanako (tbhk), felix kranken (twf), albedo (genshin impact), shoya ishida (a silent voice), tom (eddsworld). eridan (homestuck), karkat (homestuck), shu itsuki (enstars), miyamura izumi (horimiya), michael afton (FNAF), lolbit (FNAF), mangle (FNAF), natsume sakasaki (enstars), sora harukawa (enstars), urumi akamaki (alice in borderland), V (mystic messenger), hagumi kitazawa (bandori), matsubara kanon (bandori), shinji ikari (neon genesis evangelion), minami kotobuki (oshi no ko), lain iwakura (serial experiments lain), hajime hinata (danganronpa), k-angel (needy streamer overdose) and more.

KINS I RELATE TO THE MOST: Victor Nikiforov (Yuri On Ice), Tei (Nameless), Cutthroat (Akudama Drive, Except the Bloodlust cutthroat has.), Elysia (Honkai Impact 3rd), Ranpo Edogawa (Bungo Stray Dogs), Dazai Osamu (Bungo Stray Dogs), Space Ishtar (Fate), Okita Souji (Fate), Langa Hasegawa (Sk8 The Infinity), Sherlock Holmes (TGAA), Zack (Final Fantasy 7), Vash The Stampede (Trigun), Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist), Otonashi Yuzuru (Angel Beats), Karma Akabane (Assassination Classroom), Vanitas (Study Case of Vanitas), Zoe Hange (AOT), Shinoa Hiragi (Seraph of The End) + more

(psssst, my kin lists will help you know more about my personality:))

LOVE LANGUAGES: physical touch, quality time. (giving) gift-giving, physical touch, quality time (receiving)

(I really like physical touch the most and I always get called a "clingy koala" because I love hugs sm, and also because I cuddle my plushies for HOURS on no end)

IDEAL DATE(S): Usually if I was the one to chose a date it would be at dinner or at a picnic outside somewhere nice and maybe we can either go to the movies, arcade or mall. I wouldn't really care what my partner would like to do, and if they wanna do something and wanna buy something l'I have so much money on me. I would also die (not rlly, I would feel my SOUL go out of my body) if my partner were to ever get anything I liked (which is plushies, energy drinks, chocolate (AND) strawberries, etc) ILL LITERALLY HUG THE SHIT OUTTA THEM.

HOBBIES: gaming, anthropology pathology, theology, zoology, music, dancing, filmmaking, art (drawing, painting, pottery, digital art, etc), learning different instruments/languages, cosplaying, skateboarding, tabletop RPG's, taking pictures of things that I think are pretty, collecting figurines/stuffed animals and puppetry, science/history, soccer(football)/volleyball/ basketball, skating and swimming, cooking/baking, art is definitely my main hobby I dedicate a lot of time to it, I can play 5 instruments which is the piano, cello, koto and bass/electric guitar, I know 6 languages and I'm learning more right now (which are hindi, german, cantonese and chinese if your interested).

I love gaming a lot and I play a lot of survival horror games, role-playing games, visual novels, etc, spent a lot of my money on games for my nintendo, Ps5 and computer. I play too much on roblox and basically during my freetime when I'm not studying other things I like/OR for school I'm usually in my gaming seat playing away and eating junk food. The games I really enjoy playing is roblox, class of 09, honaki impact 3rd, omori, any rhythm games and etc…

I also like writing and reading a lot, including with a studying new things with history, languages, etc. I love taking naps too and I also enjoy watching youtube (my favorite youtubers are flamingo, berleezy, kub scoutz, markiplier, benoftheweek, funkyfrogbait, etc). This also includes with me liking to watch movies as well, same goes for tv shows, asian dramas, etc.. (I also tend to rewatch a lot but not too much; like watching the harry potter movies, any of the marvel movies, horror movies, etc.)

I've been told I'm a very good dancer! I do belly dancing and I also do hiphop dancing as well. I've been in a lot of sports for years now since I was little (thank you to my mother for forcing me :,D) and now I'm in so many! and l've won a lot of rewards and I've been to a couple championships all because of me.

I'm also very, VERY skilled in cooking, baking, etc and I'm always happy to share what I baked with my closest ones.

Likes: Chocolate, Strawberries, Pizza, Iced Coffee and Boba Tea, Anime/ Manga, Music, Food, Winning in arguments online or irl, Reading, Cats, Sharks, Animals in general, Cold/or Rainy Weather, Shopping, Action or Romance movies, Kdrama(pretty much any asian dramas), Spicy & Sweet Food, Ramen.

Music: | like (too much) music a lot. I'm a k/jpop stan, I listen to metal/rock a lot, I listen to vkei and vocaloid a lot too, this is also another genre I enjoy listening to but idk what to call it but it's similar to 6arelyhuman, Odetari, Kets4eki, etc (I make similar music to them), I also listen to a lot of indie pop, rap music and scene music. I've been a really big lemon demon fan and I really like listening to any sad music too. my spotify is here

Apperance: l'm pretty tall l'm 5'8 right now and l'm on the very skinny side (I literally get called a twig everyday I'm half Polish and Half Middle Eastern (Iraqi) / Filipino. People usually get confused and a lot I get questions if I'm from North Korea, Hawaii, Brazil or Mexico (it's mostly north korea though HELP idk why people think that), I have dyed black hair. My hair is pretty short (but a little long only going down my neck a few inches) but I get a lot of compliments for it. When I get out of bed from sleeping my hair is always looking like a mess (psst I also have bangs too. Ive been told I look both masculine and feminine. I have piercings (one in (?) my nose, two on the bottom of my lips, and a couple more on both of my ears). I want a tattoo so bad, If I ever get one it would be on the side of my belly and it would be a spider tattoo. I have a dimple on my chin and I have hazel almond eyes.

Aesthetic/Clothing Style: Ok so this is definitely what makes me unique to people other than my personality, my fashion extends to gyaru (hime gal, himekaji, agejo, gyaruo, rokku, manba, banba, kogal, tsuyome, and kigurumi), goth (trad goth, romantic goth, mall goth, cyber goth, and victorian goth), scenemo/emo (ofc), & Y2K, jirai kei, vkei, ouji and lolita, suits + dresses (+ MORE) I usually wear these fashion outfits whenever 'm in school, when i'm out somewhere, during my job, or just to look cool. Whenever I'm not in my crazy outfits I'm usually dressed in my "IDGAF" outfits by that I mean are like pj pants and a black shirt, usually I look like I'm alternative whenever I'm not dressed, I wear a lot of jeans, sweatshirts, etc.

Accessories: Usually when I'm in my outfits I bring a lot of accessories with me, I have tote bags that I use to carry things I wanna carry INCLUDING with purses, back packs, etc. I'm a big kpop and jpop fan so you'll see me carrying photo cards or any kind of merch of my favorite groups/ group members. I also have anime keychains/etc, and I also have like hazbin hotel/helluva boss merch too. you'll always see me wearing rings around my fingers a lot, and whenever I'm feeling "girly" I wear a lot of earrings. I also tend to bring perfume and cologne with me, but it's usually any good smelling sprays like mint hot chocolate or strawberry short cake.

Thank you so much! Have a good day!

a/n: Lowkey forgot to not do this with the ask attached but I started yapping in my drafts and forgot to not do it with the ask so mb 😔 But thank you for doing this with me! Here are your results, dear!

Angel Dust

There’s a lot to touch on here, but personality wise I think you and Angel’s personality’s clash a lot (in good way!) Like, you both are very similar yet very different to me, and that helps balance things, I guess? Like you both know how to get eachother back on track or get the other one to see the other side of things, but with an understanding of the other, since you’re both similar yet different, you know?

Another way you and Angel Dust bond is over fashion, despite your varying tastes in clothes, Angel loves every item of clothing you wear. One of your favorite things to do (especially if one of you is leaving for an extended period of time) is picking out each other outfits out of each others wardrobes

Since Angel also has a language he speaks (Italian) if you don’t already know Italian, he will teach it to you, in hopes that you teach him your language(s) as well. He likes being able to talk with you in another language because it feels like there’s no one else in the world but you two, and it feels more private if people are around, y’know?

Runner-Ups: Lucifer, Vox, Charlie

@the-soul-of-a-morningstar : please do not copy, repost or translate onto any other platform.

[daisymae-12]

Tag someone you want to get to know better.

sorry I'm two weeks late 🙃 but tysm for the tags @myheartalivewrites @suseagull04 @heybuddy-drabbles @14carrotghoul @pragmatic-optimist ❤️

as usual, sorry for the rambling LOL

favorite colour: pink & yellow !

last song: Angel Baby - Troye Sivan (I'm on a Troye kick lately to get in the mood for his new album release)

last movie: I thought it was RWRB but I just remembered I watched Barbie in the cinemas after that

currently watching: nothing - I don't really watch a lot of stuff but there's some movies on my to watch list I haven't gotten to yet

other stuff I watched this year: Jury Duty, FBoy Island (Look, my husband and I only watched this one because we know one of the contestants irl 😂), Heartstopper, 911 Lone Star (but only the tarlos scenes + anything else I needed for context 😅), Your Place or Mine (I didn't enjoy this one - sorry but Reese and Ashton had 0 chemistry 😬), The Bachelor Australia (It's my guilty pleasure show 💀 although I hated what they did with it this year 😭)

shows I dropped this year/didn't finish: Never Have I Ever (I only ever watched the first season, then couldn't handle the rest so just watched the end to get closure lmao), Sex lives of College Girls (I loved the first season, and I do intend to watch season 2 eventually but haven't been in the mood for it lately)

currently reading: fanfic as usual

currently listening to: Got Me Started - Troye Sivan (I didn't love the first single, Rush, but it kinda grew on me. I'm liking Got Me Started a lot more though! It feels very different to his older stuff but I'm excited for the new album regardless)

currently working on: been jumping between my Henry drawing and my fake dating fic but then yesterday a Vampire Henry fic idea took a hold of my brain and I spent all day today working on that 😩 never had the urge to write a vampire fic before so I'm surprised at myself - I'm having fun though yay

current obsession(s): RWRB of course, Tarlos and Lamps (I've been obsessively looking for lamps for my living room recently 😂 I have 2 so far but need 1 more!! Haven't found the perfect one yet though)

not gna tag anyone cause I'm so late, everyone's probably already done this 😬😂

[ambitioncunningpridemieczyslaw]

25 fun and cute questions to brighten the spirits and get us through the holidays!

I was tagged by @halevetica who is literally such an angel and one of the best fanfic writers of all time!!!!!!!

Check them out on Ao3 cuz again they are one of the best and has never written a bad fic 💕

Hiya all! I’ve created this list as a reminder of happy memories and great times with our loved ones since I think we’re all feeling a tad blue this holiday season. Tagging my favourite blogs but all are welcome to answer :)

Best gift you’ve ever gotten: I would have to say the best gift I ever got came from my old high school ap lit teacher/theater director I was in the plays every year from 7th-12th grade and she got me a necklace with the drama faces on it along with a jewelry box that played at the beginning from Anastasia, which was the first song I ever sang with her on stage, when I graduated so yeah she gets the win everytime cuz she had me bawling like a baby at the final cast party we did

Nicest thing anyone’s ever done for you: I have 4 different friends who on 4 different occasions just bought me gifts not because of anything special or because they felt sorry over us fighting or something just they saw something and genuinely thought I would like it. I honestly just love receiving gifts that someone gets you out of the blue just because they simply think of you after seeing something and get it for you like it definitely means a lot to me that I'm the first person they thought of when getting those things

Your favourite holiday memory: Um... I honestly don't know if I have one, but something that I look back and think fondly of is when the one year my mom and I caroled with our church choir like I remember all the baking we did the day before in the church kitchen and it was a lot of us singing to Christmas songs that probably shouldn't be played in church lol and the caroling itself went well we gave out plates of cookies and caroled for any person who was on our prayer list at the time and seeing some of those people's faces like them seeing that people did care and that they weren't alone meant everything to me

Where you want to go first once we can travel again: New Zealand it's always looked so beautiful plus I mean that's where Lucy Lawless is from so it has to be amazing

Your spirit animal: I'm going to say a wolf just because I've always had this obsession with them since I was a kid

Your OTP: See I wanna say Sterek just because they're my favorite ship but I also like them in different pairings... I'm going to do a throwback shout out to Tyrus from Andi Mack cuz I can't handle seeing Tj and Cyrus with anyone but each other.

Tumblr pals you want to meet in real life: Literally anyone and everyone so I have more people to cuddle and binge shows with lol

Soulmates: real or fake: Imma say real like I do believe they're are souls who are cosmically linked together whether it be romantically or platonically I do think we all have that one person who we want to spend forever with

Favourite holiday food: those sugar cookies with the Reese Cups or Hershey Kisses in the center those are the shit tbh

What you wish you were doing right now: it's only 9:30 am so it's my chill in bed and contemplate life time lol but ig if there was something I wish I was doing rn it would be finishing the Sterek fic I'm reading rn

Your safe space/where or who you feel most at home with: My safe space would be while I was in school it was either the library or auditorium but now that I have an apartment that I share with my sister like I finally feel like I have a home to go to and genuinely want to be at so yeah my place is definitely my space but as for people I would say my sister and our two best friends

Favourite hobbies: Reading brings me joy lol which here are pictures I finally finished putting together my other book shelf the other day so if ya'll want to see here are some pictures. Definitely want more books though lol

Cooking or baking: Oh cooking for sure cuz I can't bake for shit 😅

Reading or writing: Reading

Gifsets or mood boards:

Coffee or tea: Coffee!!!!

City or suburbs: To visit city to stay suburbs

Someone who can always make you laugh: I would say my sister and our two friends we're always making each other laugh

Someone who always brightens your day: @crazyassmurdererwall just because anytime I'm having a bad day the fic I go to for comfort is Stuck In Reverse because it is literal perfection

Favourite day of the week: Whatever my day or days off are that week like how today is a glorious Tuesday cuz it's my only day off this week

Favourite animal: Wolves

Dream vacation spot: I mean I've been to the beach nearly every summer since I was a kid so I feel like renting out a nice cabin in the mountains somewhere would be dope af

Writer, artist, or creator(s) you want to see more of: @crazyassmurdererwall & @isthatbloodonhisshirt & @halevetica always 💕

Favourite movie, television show, and song: A Star Is Born (2018), Sex and the City, & You Don't Own Me by Lesley Gore

I tag @justkimberley @acercrea @charming-fan-girl @cinematicnomad only if ya'll want to of course & if I mentioned you and you see this and want to do this go for it!!!! Please tag me if you do and that goes for anyone who sees this I give you full permission to tag me so I can see all of your responses. Love you all!!! 💕💕💕

[yourlocalrandombisexual]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

I was tagged by @jamgrlsblog

Three Ships: 

1. Jed Bartlet and Leo McGarry - I’ve been on such a West Wing kick lately and any way you interpret their relationship, romantic, platonic, familial, is so beautiful and a lot fun exploring. 

2. Johnlock - a classic, so angsty, so fun, it really has everything you want from a ship, been getting into this again lately and loving it!

3. Garashir - Awkward Starfleet officer with a spy kink falls in love with a lizard spy? Um, yes please! Also the DS9 fandom here is fabulous! 

First Ever Ship: Kirk/Spock, I was like 12 or 13 and before social media and AO3, I had to Google and find a bunch of different sites for fanfic. I still love it, it's super sweet and fun!

Last Song: Angels by Khalid 

Last Movie: Holes which brought me right back to being in middle school and obsessed with this movie but the last movie I watched for the first time was Your Place or Mine, that new Netflix romcom with Reese Witherspoon and Aston Kutcher, eh it was okay, not the best, I would say skip it if your on the fence. 

Currently Reading: Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman, its the first in a series that I probably won't continue with not because its not good but it kinda reminds me of YA but it isn’t it just fiction and I’m not a big fan of that blend. 

Currently Watching: West Wing, Abbott Elementary, and I’m Not Dead Yet, all are really good and I love the autistic character/actor in I’m Not Dead Yet! 

Currently consuming: Sparkling water, very slowly

Currently craving: A three month vacation of traveling around Europe! Also just the ability to quit my job and not have to worry about working for a few months, that would be amazing. 

Also shameless self-plug I’m also on AO3 if you wanna read what I’ve been writing!

I am tagging: @assiraphales @dress @nitewrighter @sketiana @garaks-padded-bra @fractal-baby @dont-eat-the-crab-dip @xenobotanist @lost-fish-in-a-big-pond

[purkinje-effect]

The Anatomy of Melancholy, 61: Ряженье

Table of Contents. Second Instar, Chapter 28. Go to previous. Go to next. TWs: Needles, drug use. Preparations for the nuclear winter solstice.

_______________________________

A tall figure moved about Reese’s dwelling, tending to various materiel, some salvaged, and the rest likely requisitioned from the Deenwood Compound. ‘Choly stepped inside at a caution, rubbing at his shorn neck. He eyed the open space, expecting Reese. His face drooped when the figure faced him. Theirs mirrored his, their mouth open only partly as they eyed him.

‘Choly ineffectually cleared the viscosity in his mouth. Like Bones, Reese had not yet put their mask back on either. He scarce could recognize the Furriers’ leader from his memory of them at the Unfolding, though the vibrant purple and green garments seemed similar to what they’d worn the first time he’d met them. Terrence and Irene’s body now met near full, standard symmetry, save Irene’s extra eye in their left cheek.

“A Vault Dweller, then.” As Reese spoke, ‘Choly noted they had retained their lemniscate dentition. The eight foot tall figure’s lips became a thin line, and they unstuck to pull back their two-tone hair and pace. The smoke had remained to their voice, though now with a neatness to modulation and trachea it had not held prior. “This is where you slept. Are there other officers in your Vault?”

His gaze fell anywhere but on Reese.

“...A JAG Corps lawyer,” he answered, after doing everything he could not to think too hard about the two enlisted. “Really, it’s just me now. Is it a problem?”

“It simply explains a great deal about you. Deeper than the surface. Take, for instance, that you first made yourself more recognizable as an officer when we first met, sooner than wear something with distinct protective benefit. Either you valued concealing your involvement with a Vault, or you did truly awaken very recently, and have no concept yet just how valuable a Vault Suit even is.”

“It’s really nothing that deep,” he lied, laughing off being read. He rubbed at his upper arm. “I just had to change because my uniform to ruined at The Unfold--”

Reese guffawed, transfixed with enthusiasm, and turned heel with an intense glare.

“You see why we discard it all so far in advance! Tell me The Unfolding was everything you expected, Colonel.”

Locked up how to even begin to reply, ‘Choly nodded emphatically, eyes wide and obeisant as he looked up at Reese. Every other Furrier had grown more asymmetrical, more arcane, more everything from The Unfolding, but not their sachem--and somehow, that beguiled him more than anything about the whole ordeal. They clapped their two hands together with urgent delight, flashing him back to gravity.

“It warms me, to know this. We must discuss battle strategy. Earlier you sounded like you had a plan. The General will be contributing her service.”

‘Choly shifted between enamorment and frustration.

“I’m glad we’re in agreement. I’m getting a little tired of being told what I’m supposed to accomplish only after I’ve been cornered into agreeing to it.”

Reese calmed in the rebuff.

“It’s only right.”

‘Choly detailed his understanding, but he lost track of everything spilling out of him, troubled by his infatuation with Reese prior to The Unfolding. Or rather, its absence--now that Reese looked comparatively normal, the magnetism had faded. A recap of everything Liv had discussed with him came, without him really grasping he’d articulated it. His brow strained. He felt more predatory than usual, how his attraction to Reese could simply evaporate in a matter of hours.

He realized at some point that Reese and he had both spoken, but he retained nothing from the exchange. The dialogue waxed looping and incoherent in places, for both of them even, perhaps. At one point, he could have sworn Reese went on that the memories of the Rust Devil tributes had dispersed throughout the Furriers, and that they’d gained gained some tactical advantage in this way. He glanced down at his Pip-Boy, wondering with a petulant absence if he could attribute this brain fog as a side effect of the X-Cell-Squared wearing off. The vitals menu either yielded cryptic results, or his faculties had waned that thin.

Fidgeting idly, he noticed the device had saved a draft. He nodded to himself. It comforted him a bit, that he didn’t have to open it, to know what it was. He’d have to survive the rush, if not just to edit the draft into some enjoyable, viscously detailed reading.

Bones stood again in the doorway, politely waiting her turn to speak as usual. It took some time for the two of them to wave her in, and she smiled to them graciously. Reese snorted and shooed at ‘Choly with the stern protectiveness of a sibling-turned-parent.

“We pick our masks fresh again after The Unfolding,” Reese reminded as Bones took one of ‘Choly’s arms in two of hers. “Be certain to confirm yourself before we leave, Colonel. Thirty minutes, like you said. Not a minute more.”

He could do little more than nod. His heart swapped places with some other organ as the Mistress of Ceremonies dragged him along. It had been one thing, for the Furriers to have outsmarted the Devils with pit and wire traps, on their own property. It would be another entirely, for them to outpace the raiders on the Devils’ terrain. The whole thing felt like a test he hadn’t studied for.

Between Reese’s house and the Reservoir House, he noticed Angel milling idly, transparent in its proximity but also in a deliberateness to keep its distance. He’d have to apologize after Bones had finished with him.

Bones held out the coat for him to inspect. He reached out to run a cautious, gloved hand along the cobalt ultramarine jacquard brocade, jaw slack in distant admiration. It scarcely anymore resembled the white colonel’s coat he’d worn into Voire, between the lining and the turned long-pile peppered fur collar. He pulled back, to remove his rifle and Pip-Boy just long enough for him to slip it on. She gleefully helped him into it, delighting in his features as she fluffed at the collar.

Blood-borne diseases. He clipped his Pip-Boy back on and frowned meaninglessly to himself. The Vault Suit had synced to the Pip-Boy for more comprehensive physiological diagnostics. He swallowed hard to shove down the dread of inevitability. On the one hand, it had told him at the gold course that he had not contracted anything from the Bloodbug stab; but on the other, it had attempted to speculate just about everything else. He gave the device a plaintive touch. Please, never tell me that I fucked up trusting Liv.

His chin bobbled down into the fur, trying to connect their lines of sight while also looking over his glasses.

“Why... why was it necessary to redo the lining before we rush the Devils?”

“The officer’s martial coat had good leather to work from.” She smoothed down his lapels, and briefly broke their gaze to intimately trace at the twin Pharm Corps insignias she’d already pinned in place for him. “Leather has always been the best protection from the postwar elements anyone could hope for. We’ve named ourselves the Furriers, because we learned to survive radiation thanks to tanning and fiber craft. It’s unfortunate that we only had the one source of human leather at the moment’s notice, as it’s the zenith of rad resistance when tanned properly. But leather’s only effective against energy, not mass. I replaced the lining with something not just formidable against the rest, but,” she smiled sweetly to herself, “beautifully fitting of you. I hope the choice of pattern pleases you. It’s the only fabric I had on hand in the right color for you.”

He stood silent, simply running his gloves over the fur time and again. The coat now reminded him of a shuba. Except this one will protect me from the nuclear winter. The floral jacquard brocade reminded him of Hubflower, the way the vaguely iridescent pattern picked up both lavenders and ultramarines. He sniffed, locked up between that juvenile nostalgia again and the fidelity the garment now carried.

“Hub suits me more than I can say. Thank you, Bones.”

He put a hand to her cheek, and watched her watching him. Their lips closed in on one another’s.

A Furrier with a black cat mask and long stringy dark hair burst into the Reservoir House, donning a mix of oiled leather and military twill. Despite still carrying the silhouette of having a head on his shoulders, his arms sprouted from his hips. He pointed at ‘Choly, who jerked back like he’d been caught.

“Sticks said you’d be here. We should’ve left for the rush hours ago! Why should we listen to you! Can’t even handle your root!”

“Felix!” Bones hissed. “Watch your tongue. It was his first time!”

“And it’ll be the Devils’ first time, too. This isn’t Sanctuary! You don’t think--”

“--Don’t you THINK,” Angel entered at a roar behind him, “that you ought to show your commanding officer a little more respect!”

“Sanctuary.” The word fell from ‘Choly like bile. He knew the man meant it as a name, not an idea. “I don’t think what?”

Felix had to think twice before he spoke again, his head whipping around to account time and again for the number of people now in the workshop.

“Sir, with all due respect--and there’s so little. You don’t think it’s going to be a cake walk, do you? Be part of some elite group where you get to shelter yourself from the chaos whenever it’s convenient for you? This may still look loosely like a military outfit, but understand this, and understand it well: We stand with you, not beneath you. Not for a second. Not with who you are.”

A look gnarled ‘Choly’s face, like he’d mistakenly bitten into something rotten. His head barely would give him the words to put in his mouth.

“Excuse me?” His face righted just enough to form a response. “Where was this vitriol and doubt before The Unfolding?”

“Your little fainting spell just proved how frail you are. Whatever being in that hole in the ground did to you, you aren’t fit for command anymore. If you can’t handle your Root, you don’t have the Endurance to stay afloat in a fight.”

“I’m the one to make that measure,” Angel insisted. “Not. You.”

It put itself between the Furrier and ‘Choly. ‘Choly nearly squeaked in resignation that Felix was right, of course he had the constitution of... wet cardboard, wasn’t it? Felix took a hostile step forward, and Angel squared up, drawing its lasers.

“Go ahead and hide behind your baby blue cotillion bot, Colonel Carey. At the end of the day, we all report back to Reese, not your-- you.”

Bones glared at him, fists clenched.

“Felix, save this for the Devils.”

“He’s sure a demon I could put to rest,” Felix muttered, showing himself out.

‘Choly wheezed once he felt safer.

“What was all that about. Angel, thank you for coming to my rescue.”

“I’m sure you could’ve handled it just fine without me,” the Mister Handy started. He couldn’t discern from its tone whether Angel had intended it as a jab.

“Well I’m certainly glad that you swooped in after him,” Bones disagreed. “Between you and me, we must keep Melancholy in one piece. Am I right, D.I. Angel?”

“I didn’t know you brought the Vault Suit,” he appreciated, sheepish.

“Well, I couldn’t very well have let you get off without a change of clothes, now, could I? What sort of Automatron would I be!”

“You really do all you can to provide for me. You even know what I need without me voicing it.” ‘Choly lost his fingers in the fur again, his eyes distant. “Food, safety, security.” His wet eyes picked up, feeling a fleeting clarity. “Security. You’re home, moy Angel. ...Ty dom.”

“Oh, Sir... I turned you loose to the Furriers because I trusted Mister Hawthorne’s statement that X-Root and X-Squared are incompatible. Worst case scenario, you got a scare. Best case scenario, you enjoyed yourself. Sir... Sir, I can’t tell if you trust me anymore, to put your best interests in priority. And you must, if we plan to survive this full assault.”

“Of course I trust you. The... worry’s been whether you trusted me. I have to be honest with you, Angel. I’ve... I’ve been scared to navigate our arrangement, so I’ve avoided it altogether. Even when I thought chems might help.” His pale face shimmered as his breathing got heavier, and his ears stuffed up the harder he focused on keeping his train of thought in utter earnest. “Day’s already been hell, even before the X-Squared wore off too fast. I don’t think I can get through this day without chems, Angel. I feel the only way we’re getting through this is with a fistful of Stimpaks and Calmex.”

“You and I have an agreement, Mister Carey. You’re asking me to administer chems, and you’re asking me politely, at that. You replaced my worn out Nanny attachments with those in better condition. Let’s try them out, shall we?”

“I. Yes, please.” He stared at it, fumbling and dumbstruck that the understood one another so immediately. “Perhaps, just a dose of Med-X for now. If you could. Please.”

He pulled his left arm from its sleeve, and rolled up the Vault Suit just enough to bare his antecubital fold to the robot. It complied with delicate precision and without hesitation. Once he’d smoothed his garment back down, he leaned his forehead against Angel’s chassis, and it held a tendril against his back.

“Where do you suppose Sticks has gotten off to?”

“He’s doing a once-over on the Riverhawk before we head out, Sir. I’ll take you to him, if you must. We’re wasting daylight, the longer we dally so.”

‘Choly nodded. He looked to Bones.

“You’re the two piloting machines.” She urged them on with a certain distance in her eyes, as though it all made sense.

He walked up to her, and held one of her shoulders. Then, he pressed his lips to hers. Her lurid intensity drew him in with all six arms as she pressed back, the two of them coaxed rather than repulsed by the effect on her activated flesh.

“We’re going to get through this in one piece,” ‘Choly told her with a crooked smile.

“Out of many, one,” she agreed, with an even more crooked smile.

‘Choly took up the Syringer rifle and attempted to mount Angel. He struggled to hoist himself up steady on the foot pegs, but managed much better once he wrapped a fist in the juryrigged chain-belt reins and leaned over the top of the Mister Handy. Once it had tared to his weight, it spirited him out of the workshop, around the Christian Hill Reservoir, and to Ick’s house.

“Oh, good.” Sticks only looked up long enough to confirm he’d heard and seen right. “You’re done speaking with Reese. And playing dress-up, apparently. --Don’t... take that as ignorance. I know Bones was played your quartermaster.”

‘Choly didn’t feel confident in his ability to get back up a second time, so he stayed mounted atop Angel. He shoved down a frown as the heaviness of the painkiller hit.

“Are you going to be all right, Jacob?”

“Can’t take the Ick outta Sticks.” An exhaustive silence transpired while Sticks stuck his head back in the passenger side window, fishing through things he and Felix had loaded up. “It’s good you’re up there. Should’ve stayed atop Angel. You’d have been safe up there.”

“Doesn’t matter what I should’ve done. Does it?” He murmured to himself in a vague lyric, trying to find the words. “No, it does matter. Of course it does. But we can’t stand around sorting out what that means. We have war ahead.”

“Best thing I’ve heard all day!” Felix hollered from the driver’s seat, slapping the wheel. “Guns blazing!”

“Straight shot down to Back Central,” Sticks agreed, hoisting himself up into the back of the truck, where his mounted Flamer awaited him. As he stood in place, he glanced to ‘Choly. “You, leading the charge, and us, heading up the back... It works out, to have had the extra ninety minutes before heading out. We’re more together than we would’ve been without it.”

“I’m glad to be favorable.”

Felix turned the engine over, and they made their way out to the entry point of Voire. Any Furriers who had not yet taken up a mask chose theirs from a pile, then joined their neighbors standing ready for their commanding officer. ‘Choly remembered that Reese had urged him to confirm himself as well, but he didn’t feel right taking one of their masks. He reached into Angel’s storage, and produced his burlap sack hood. It had always hidden his identity, but masks provided the Furriers theirs. With this freakish crew marching through Lowell clad in masks and bright colors, he couldn’t help but imagine them as mummers. What dragon might they slay today?

“Ghost,” he murmured, smoothing it down under his coat collar. “Burlap. Sack. Ghost.”

‘Choly waved them all on, to follow out of Voire. As Angel flew backwards, he watched the Riverhawk get further away from him. He resigned to requesting the aforementioned Calmex and Stimpak, which Angel administered to his throat. He stood resolute, riding standing-saddle. The sky darkened to the East behind them. They brought the night.

Night was longest in the winter. He couldn’t help but feel more the part of Kara-chun, than ‘Choly-ada. And it tickled an important part of him.

His mind played Sticks’s voice as he again faced the front.

You’re just a ghost, Mindy. Well, hell’s full ‘cause the Devils are all here. And they’re going to have to deal with us.

Go to Next »»»

[mauselet]

I’m just trying out a new style and making some useful art; this is the cover for my new Dinosaur King fanfic Chains of Love.

[kcrabb88]

Queer Movies/Books/TV Shows for Pride Month!

Happy Pride everyone!! For your viewing/reading pleasure I have made a (non-exhaustive) list of queer media that I have enjoyed! 

Movies/Documentaries

Pride (2014): An old tried and true favorite, which meets at the intersection of queer and workers’ rights. A group of queer activists support the 1985 miners’ strike in Wales (complete with a sing-through of Bread and Roses + Power in a Union)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire: On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman (or, two young lesbians fall in love by the sea, and you cry)

God’s Own Country: Young farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker for lambing season ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path (Seriously this movie is GREAT and doesn’t get enough love, watch it! It’s rough but ends happily)

The Half of It:  When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend - or fall for his crush (as in she falls for his crush who is another girl. This movie was so good, and really friendship focused!) 

Saving Face:  A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations (this is an oldie and a goodie, with a happy ending!)

Moonlight:  A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood (featuring gay men of color!)

Carol:  An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York (everyone’s seen this I think, but I couldn’t not have it here)

Milk: The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official (the speech at the end of this made me cry. Warning, of course, for death, if you don’t know about Harvey Milk)

Pride (Hulu Documentary):  A six-part documentary series chronicling the fight for LGBTQ civil rights in America (they go by decade from the 50s-2000s, and there is a lot of great trans inclusion in this)

Paris is Burning (Documentary): A 1990s documentary about the African American and Latinx ballroom scene. Available on Youtube!

A New York Christmas Wedding:  As her Christmas Eve wedding draws near, Jennifer is visited by an angel and shown what could have been if she hadn't denied her true feelings for her childhood best friend (this movie is SO CUTE. It’s really only nominally a Christmas movie and easily watched anytime. Features an interracial sapphic couple!) 

TV Shows 

Love, Victor: Victor is a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation (this is a spin-off of Love, Simon, and it’s very sweet and well done! Featuring a young gay man of color)

Sex Education:  A teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school (this has multiple queer characters, including a featured young Black gay man and also in season 2 there is a side ace character!) 

Black Sails: I mean, do I even need to put a summary here? If you follow me you know that Black Sails is full of queer pirates, just queers everywhere.

Gentleman Jack:  A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner and cryptic diarist Anne Lister, who returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1832, determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home Shibden Hall (Period drama lesbians!!! A title sequence  that will make you gay just by watching!) 

Tales of the City (2019):  A middle-aged Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and reunites with the eccentric friends she left behind. "Tales of the City" focuses primarily on the people who live in a boardinghouse turned apartment complex owned by Anna Madrigal at 28 Barbary Lane, all of whom quickly become part of what Maupin coined a "logical family". It's no longer a secret that Mrs. Madrigal is transgender. Instead, she is haunted by something from her past that has long been too painful to share (this is based on a book series and it’s got lots of great inter-generational queer relationships!) 

The Haunting of Bly Manor:  After an au pair’s tragic death, Henry hires a young American nanny to care for his orphaned niece and nephew who reside at Bly Manor with the chef Owen, groundskeeper Jamie and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (sweet, tender, wonderful lesbians. A bittersweet ending but this show is so so wonderful)

Sense8: A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order (queers just EVERYWHERE in this show, of all kinds)

Books

Loveless by Alice Oseman:  Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance (don’t be turned off by this title, it’s tongue-in-cheek. This is a book about an aroace college girl discovering herself and centers the importance and power of platonic relationships! I have it on my TBR and have heard great things)

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters: Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?This provocative debut is about what happens at the emotional, messy, vulnerable corners of womanhood that platitudes and good intentions can't reach. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex, and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty, and deeply moving novel (again, don’t be thrown off by the title, it too, is tongue-in-cheek. This book was GREAT, and written by a trans women with a queer-and especially trans--audience in mind)

A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein: A gay Christopher Marlowe, at Cambridge and trying to become England’s best new playwright, finds himself wrapped up in royal espionage schemes while also falling in love (this book is by a Twitter friend of mine, and it is a wonderful historical thriller with a gay man at the center).

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer: a very very queer remix of The Picture of Dorian Gray (which was already quite queer), featuring amazing female characters, a gay Basil, and a much happier ending than the original. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: The gay prince of England and the bisexual, biracial first son of the president fall in love (think an AU of 2016 where a woman becomes president). Featuring a fantastic discovery of bisexuality, ruminations on grief, and just a truly astonishing book. One of my favorites!

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston:  For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train (This is Casey McQuiston’s brand new novel featuring time-travel, queer women, and I absolutely cannot WAIT to read it)

The Heiress by Molly Greely: Set in the Pride and Prejudice universe, this takes on Anne de Bourg (Lady Catherine’s daughter), and makes her queer! 

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters:  Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins (Sarah Waters is the queen of historical lesbians. All of her books are good, and they’re all gay! The Paying Guests is another great one)

(On a side note re: queer books, there are MANY, these are just ones I’ve read more recently. Also there are a lot of indie/self-published writers doing great work writing queer books, so definitely support your local indie authors!) 

[lemonlushff-iy]

I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO USE THIS SONG SINCE I WAS WRITING DOG TAGS IN A FANFIC. 

I FINALLY FOUND THAT OPPORTUNITY. 

He tried to calm his racing heart a little as Sweet Home Alabama started playing on the radio, and Kagome leaned back in the seat, a soft smile on her face. 

“Remember how I was obsessed with this movie for like...A whole year?”

“Remember? I think I have every damn line memorized at this point. We watched it anytime you could convince me to.”

“Reese Witherspoon is great in it!”

“That ain’t a reason to watch that movie a million times.”

“You’re right - Josh Lucas is why we watched it a million times.”

He couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes even if he wanted to. 

“Really? Josh Lucas?”

“Well...His character. Jake Perry. I’m a sucker for a hot country boy and a movie with a good plot.”

“Oh yeah...Great plot. Marry your high school sweetheart, move away as soon as you can, and only come home so you can get a divorce and marry your new big city man. Great movie.”

“It’s about more than just that...It’s about her going after her dreams and falling in love again.”

“And then giving them all up just to come back to the country and be with him. Yeah. Because that actually happens in real life.”

She looked over at him, and saw his knuckles had turned white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. 

“Yash? Should...we...Talk about yesterday?”

She watched as he opened his mouth to say something and then snapped it shut, closing his eyes for a second and sighing. He shook his head before briefly glancing at her. 

“We need ta. Don’t get me wrong...but...I think, all things considered, we outta wait. Till tonight. It will be easier,” he confessed softly, and she understood what he meant. When he was human, it was just easier for him to talk about some things, and this was going to be a conversation that they needed to be at their most open and vulnerable for. 

They couldn’t hold anything back. They needed to be honest and truthful and speak what was on their minds and what they wanted. 

It was just easier for him when the demon in him was out of the picture for an evening. 

“Ok,” she whispered. “Tonight then. When you’re ready.”

She watched him give her a single nod that she returned before she reached forward and changed the radio station. They caught Weak by AJR right at the beginning of the song, and she squealed in delight. 

“Oh I love this one!” she clapped her hands giddily as the chorus began, and he winced as she started singing along. She weren’t even trying ta sound good. She was just belting it. 

“BUT I'M WEAK, AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? BOY, OH BOY I LOVE IT WHEN I FALL FOR THAT! I'M WEAK, AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?”

Thank god they were gonna be at their spot in a second. He couldn’t take much more of this. Especially when the howling started. 

“OOOOAAAAAAAH EEEYAAAAAEEEEEYAAAAAA!!”

“Oh fuck...Did you murder a cat?!”

“Hey!” she laughed, the smile on his face easing any sting she might have felt. “I sound like an angel, thank you!”

“A dying one,” he smirked and she narrowed her eyes at him as their spot came into sight.

“ONE SIP, BAD FOR ME! ONE HIT, BAD FOR ME! ONE KISS, BAD FOR ME! BUT I GIVE IN SO EASILY! AND NO THANK YOU IS HOW IT SHOULD'VE GONE! I SHOULD STAY STROOOOOONG!”

“Oh my God! Make it stop! Please!”

“Make me!” she taunted as he cut the engine.

Make her huh?

He unbuckled himself as she opened her mouth to sing the next part and took her face in his hands, pulling her lips to his. He heard her breath hitch in her throat, the lyrics dying on her lips as his worked hers. It was soft. Sweet. Lingering. Just enough to make her forget all about the song in the background...and just about everything else at the same time. 

She felt him pull her bottom lip between his, scraping his fangs across her delicate flesh before his tongue wormed its way into her mouth. She responded instantly, moving hers against his and she felt her arms wrap around his neck trying to pull him closer, but he wasn’t having it. He liked control too much, and after a moment of their tongue battling against each other, he pulled away from her, pleased to see the flush across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. 

“Oh look. The song is over,” he pointed out a little too innocently. 

Wait. What?

Fuck!

He had distracted her to the point where she literally didn’t hear the song end. 

She knew she had told him to make her but...That felt far too sneaky. He knew what he could do to her! That wasn’t fair! 

“Cheater!”

“How is that cheating?”

“Because you...You…”

“Kissed ya?”

“Yes!”

“And that’s cheating how? Ya told me ta make ya!”

“I…”

He gave her an expectant look before his lips widened into another smirk. 

“Good ta know that kissing ya makes ya stop functioning. Come on Higurashi - we got a tent ta set up before nightfall. Unless ya need a minute?”

Her indignant sputtering was worth it.

[peoniarose]

Get to Know Better / Catch Up!

Rules: Answer the questions and tag 9 people you want to get to know better~

Thank you for @ithinkwehitametaphor for tagging me!! I had fun going through these questions! 🤩🤩🤩

3 ships …

Penelope x Colin (Bridgerton)

Kate x Toby (This Is Us)

Angel Reyes x happiness or stability (Mayans)

Last Song … Please Don’t Say You Love Me by Gabrielle Aplin

Currently Watching … A Crap Guide To D&D [5th Edition] by JoCat (from YouTube)

The Cleric along with the Dungeon Master videos are my favorites!!!

Currently Reading …

Bellamy and the Brute by Alicia Michaels

She’s Just Not That Into You by @jedifarmerr (on Tumblr)

Heart of Stone by tessalovatt (on Wattpad)

Crumbs (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic) by circa1927 (on Wattpad)

Last Movie … Hercules (the animated one)

Currently Craving … anything Reese’s

I had a lot of fun with this! I would like to non pressure tag @ionlyjoinedforboydholbrook @wordvomit-foryourmind @holbrook-boyd @boydhoebrook @say-al0e @toomanystoriessolittletime @youvebeenlivingfictional @kesskirata and anyone else who wants to join in!!!

[pbnbucks]

Smut prompts Fluff prompts Angst prompts

PBNBUCKS WORKS ꨄ

𐐂 Las Vegas Aces

Kate Martin

・Strangers, Friends, Lovers, Strangers Again. / SAD

・Knee Deep In Love / FLUFF

Kelsey Plum

$ no works yet…

Aja Wilson

$ no works yet…

𐐂 Indiana fever

Caitlin Clark

・My Bad / SUGGESTIVE

・Christmas Morning / FLUFF

・What Happens In Bora Bora Stays In Bora Bora / SUGGESTIVE

・Sit On It? / SUGGESTIVE

・Jealousy Head Cannons / NSFW

・Are You Serious / NSFW

・Sweet Heart / FLUFF

・Girl Kisser / FLUFF

・Short Head Canons / NSFW

・Melting / FLUFF

・Only For Tonight / ANGST

Nalyssa Smith

・Head Cannons / FLUFF

𐐂 Seattle Storm

Nika Muhl

・The Storm / FLUFF

・Camera / SUGGESTIVE

・Whats Your Problem? / NSFW

・Good Intentions / NSFW

・The Transfer Student / NSFW

・We Could Be Better / NSFW

・Cause Where Toxic Baby / NSFW

・Im Sorry / NSFW

・Lovers Day / FLUFF

・Love You / FLUFF

・Parking Lot / NSFW

・Injured / FLUFF

・Short Head Canons / NSFW

Sue Bird

$ no works yet…

Skylar Diggins-Smith

$ no works yet…

Gabby Williams

・Maybe / SUGGESTIVE

・Head Canons / NSFW

𐐂 New York Liberty

Breanna Stewart

・Jealous / NSFW

・Cheering For Me? / NSFW

・Only You / NSFW

・Bad Game / NSFW

Sabrina Ionescu

$ no works yet…

𐐂 Chicago Sky

Chennedy Carter

$ no works yet…

Angel Reese

・Only / FLUFF

𐐂 Phoenix Mercury

Diana Taurasi

・High On You / NSFW

・Drunk In Love / NSFW

・Head Cannons / NSFW

・Baby Fever / FLUFF

Brittney Griner

・Headcannons / NSFW

・Can You Move? / FLUFF

・I Love You / FLUFF

・Nasty / NSFW

・Short Head Cannons / NSFW

・Ginuwine / NSFW

𐐂 Washington Mystics

Aaliyah Edwards

・Head Cannons / FLUFF

request are always open!

[amalthea9]

2, 3, 4, 8, 15, 20?

2. What's your favorite candy?

I haven’t had candy in years. But I used to eat Reeses, gummy worms, and swedish fish

3. Favorite love song?

Oh god I don’t think I can choose just one! But the ones that come to mind right now:

Anniversary (Autoheart) 

Earth Angel (Aaron Neville’s version)

The Longest Time (Billy Joel)

Balance Beam (Blue October)

4. What was your first kiss like?

Unfortunately, my first kiss was guilt-tripped out of me. 

 8. Favorite fanfic trope?

I’m not exactly sure! But thinking off the top of my head:

Both are convinced the other doesn’t love them, but something happens to one/or both of them and love is confessed then.

One of them nurses the other back to health and it blossoms into a romance.

One of them blurts out their feelings for the other in a moment of heavy emotions.

15. What's your ideal first date?

Hmmmm, I have a few ideal dates.

Being taken to a zoo or animal sanctuary, with a picnic afterwards.

Going for a walk in a park, either day or evening. Sitting on a bench with wine or a dinner.

20. Sweetest romantic memory?

Valentine’s Day 2020(realized this this morning and had to correct it lol). I came home from a long day at work on the 13th, and saw the plush Godzilla I had been wanting for a while, on my bed. He had a printed tag around his neck that read “If you got the boop. Then I got the snoot.” I had no idea that Kyle(current boyfriend) remembered that I wanted this plush, because it had been months since I mentioned it. Not to mention adding the note, because I had talked about how I wanted to boop Godzilla’s snoot. <3 <3 <3 It was the first Valentine’s Day in my life that I felt loved.

(Thanks for the asks dear!)

[sapphireglyphs]

Thanks for the tag, Amy my dear! @shineyma ❤ Also, you moved to Louisiana?! How is this the first time I’m hearing about this?! O_O *sigh* we need to catch up, friend!

1. What is the color of your hairbrush? So my current hairbrush I got while I was in Hawaii for my middle sister’s wedding. The head of the brush is an iridescent lime-yellow with black bristles and yellow tips. The brush’s handle has a quilted-patterned silicone for a comfy, semi-squishy grip. I got it bc it reminded me of a pineapple.🍍 

2. Name a food you never eat. Banana; I’m allergic. 

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? Too warm. 🥵

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? The 7Leaves drive-thru for my morning milk tea. 

5. What’s your favorite candy bar? Reese’s Fast Break or a Twix.

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? I don’t think so...

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? “Ah! Sorry water bottle!” (I knocked him over on accident 🥺)

8. What is your favorite ice cream? Pistachio

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Milk tea

10. Do you like your wallet? So... I have a thing for mid-end wallets and purses... it puts a strain on my bank account but I make do. The very first time I saw my current wallet was on Ebay and it was love at first sight. The problem was it was an older design so it was harder to find for less than $100. So I waited and waited and waited whilst also scouring the internet for months looking for one that was reasonably priced in the color I wanted... and I nearly gave up when, lo and behold, it was going on sale for $60 bucks plus free shipping on some outlet website! I had to triple checked the website (make sure it was legit) before I shelled out the cash for my prize and the rest was history~ 😍

11. What is the last thing you ate? Lunch.

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Not last weekend.

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? Oh my goodness... it has legit been so long since I’ve watched any sports elated anything (besides the occasional sports-like competition on my weekly variety shows)...  

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? I’m not a huge popcorn fan (mainly bc when it gets stuck between my teeth it can get really painful) but California’s own “Gaslamp Popcorn” Malibu Mix, which combines the company’s signature Sea Salt & Olive Oil, White Cheddar and Kettle Corn flavors is like crack. Arguably, the best popcorn in existence!

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? My friend Anson. 

16. Ever been camping? Does 6th grade camp count as camping?

17. Do you take vitamins? Not regularly.

18. Do you regularly attend a place of worship? No - it used to be a family thing. So now I only go to my local temple for New Years. 

19. Do you have a tan? I don’t tan, I typically just burn.

20. Do you prefer Chinese or pizza? It depends on what I’ve had recently.

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw? Only if I’m given a straw. 

22. What color socks do you usually wear? I typically wear nylon socks bc of the flats I wear to work so they’re mostly nude or black. 

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? More often than I care to admit unless I am distracted (which is not great either way). 😅

24. What terrifies you? Not being able to find someone to call my own. 

25. Look to your left, what do you see? Water bottle, can of compressed air, pencil pouch, sunglasses, glasses, and old receipts. My table is a mess. T_T 

26. What chore do you hate most? I hate cleaning the bathroom... ugh! I’m getting a headache just thinking about it! 

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? Jake Sim of Enhypen reading his lines for their debut trailer. 

28. What’s your favorite soda? Every holiday season I would get my all-time favorite soda, Canada Dry (Cranberry) Ginger Ale... when it’s not in season, I typically drink clear sodas like 7-up or Sprite... and ginger ale. 

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thru.

30. What’s your favorite number? 9

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? My mom.

32. Favorite meat? Fish.

33. Last song you listened to? "All Night” ASTRO. K-pop playlist on shuffle~

34. Last book you read? Ah… I haven’t been reading anything outside of fanfics lately. The last like novel I started reading but never finished was “A Thousand Beginnings and Endings” by Ellen Oh… I should pick it back up again.

35. Favorite day of the week? Tuesday.

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? I think so but not nearly as fast nor proficient as I would be the right way around. 😆

37. How do you like your coffee? I don’t typically drink coffee but when I do I like it so sweet and creamy it shouldn’t be considered coffee any longer. 

38. Favorite pair of shoes? I have the cutest pair of navy blue ballerina flats with scalloped edges and a tiny gold bow atop each side.

39. Time you normally get up? Lately it’s been late... usually around 9-9:30?

40. Which do you prefer: sunrise or sunsets? I think I prefer sunsets.

41. How many blankets on your bed? 1 comforter is usually more than enough for me.

42. Describe your kitchen plates. Vintage, milky white chinaware with scalloped edges and a pink cherry blossom pattern. Circa France,1960.   Florentine by Arcopal.

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment. Pretty damn clean but that’s bc yesterday was the holidays, so my mom was in a cleaning mood. 

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? I don’t drink.

45. Do you play cards? My family plays a Thai version of Old Maid called “Dummy”. It’s kinda’ addicting but I can’t play it by myself which sucks. 

46. What color is your car? Dark blue. 

47. Can you change a tire? Nope. 😕 I should probably learn how to do that...

48. Your favorite state or province? I’ve only been to a few and I think like Washington best... but Cali is where all my friends are sooo...

49. Favorite job you’ve had? Clerk typist for the elementary school I worked for.

tagging: @cancered-gemini​ @omiyukio​ @nosevenadapresente​ @cerberus-angel​ @doiloveyou-myohmy​ @safelycapricious​ @moonladymusings​ and anyone else who fancies killing some time!

[fand0mfancies]

Came across this on Tumblr a few days ago, it amused me for a couple of hours or more, filling it in, while watching QI.

 Fandom Questions

 1. What was the first fandom you got involved in?

Star Trek: Voyager, I suppose at least for reading. Started writing with Stargate SG-1.

 2. What is your latest fandom?

I dip in and out of lots of fandoms on and off, the most recent ‘pick up’ is Ballam from Eastenders, I don’t watch soaps, but Robron and Ballam both appear a good bit on my tumblr, so I eventually gave in to checking them out via fic and youtube – thank god for youtube, lol! I still don’t watch soaps, but I watch those storylines!

 3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?

Gosh, that’s... actually no that’s really easy. Primeval. For anyone not familiar, it’s a ‘silly little dinosaur show’ produced in the UK. It had 4 short seasons, with a somewhat revolving main cast – although they managed to keep 3 of them through all 4 seasons – but the fandom was/is amazing. I made life long friends through the fandom and even though I don’t write much any more I still read some and still talk with those people.

 4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms?

I would say no. I can’t say every fandom has always been amazing – ship wars anyone! – but mostly fandom has been a very positive experience in my life.

 5. Which fandoms have your written fanfiction for?

How long have you got... in genuinely no particular order (basically as they came to me) Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Star Trek (TNG, DS9, Voy, Ent & Reboot Movies), Marvel, Kingsman, Person of Interest, Due South, Quantum Leap, Firefly, Buffy/Angel verse, Harry Potter, The Sentinel, Torchwood(/Doctor Who), Hawaii Five-0, Shadowhunters, Sherlock, Primeval, Emmerdale (Robron), NCIS, CSI (Vegas, NY & Miami), White Collar, Empire Records, Bull, Diagnosis Murder, MacGyver (the original), 1-800-Missing, CHAOS, Without a Trace, M*A*S*H, Charmed, Queer as Folk (US), Will & Grace, Bring it On, Nash Bridges, Magnificent 7 (TV series), House, Babylon 5 – I think I got them all... a few of those were one time only deals, but a lot of them have more (anywhere from 2-52 (or more still!) ranging from 100 word drabbles, to thousands of words – hey I’ve been writing fic for 21 years... you tend to amass a lot of fandoms...

 6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.

Oh geez, here we go, lol! Okay...

 Stargate SG-1: Jack O’Neill/Daniel Jackson

Stargate Atlantis: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard

Star Trek: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir, Chakotay/Tom Paris, Jonathan Archer/Malcolm Reed, James Kirk/Spock – I don’t particularly have an ‘otp’ in TNG, the couple I’ve written were Picard/Data, I’ve also dabbled reading Data/Gordi)

Marvel: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Kingsman: Harry Hart/Eggsy Unwin

Person of Interest: Harold Finch/John Reese

Due South: Benton Fraser/Ray K

Quantum Leap: Sam/Al

Firefly: Malcolm Reynolds/Simon Tam

Buffy/Angel Verse: Buffy/Giles, Angel/Spike, Xander/Spike, Willow/Tara

Harry Potter: Harry/Draco, Harry/Hermione, Harry/Hermione/Draco

The Sentinel: Jim/Blair

Torchwood: Jack/Ianto

Hawaii Five-O: Steve/Danno

Shadowhunters: Magnus/Alec

Sherlock: Sherlock/John, Mycroft/Lestrade

Primeval: Nick Cutter/Stephen Hart, James Lester/Hilary Becker Emmerdale: Robert Sugden/Aaron Dingle

NCIS: Gibbs/DiNozzo CSI: Nick Stokes/David Hodges, Mac/Danny, Horatio/Speed White Collar: Neal/Peter/Elizabeth

Empire Records: Joe/Lucas

Bull: Benny/Jason

Diagnosis Murder: Steve/Jesse

 I’ve left a few out where I don’t have particular OTPs

 7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

Here we go again... lol!

 Stargate SG-1: Jack/Sam, I just... no. I’ve read a few where it’s a background or secondary pairing, but it always makes me wince a bit. I’ve read a few with Sam/Daniel as a secondary pairing that didn’t make me react that way and I’ve read Sam with other characters, but Jack/Sam just is a nope for me.

Stargate Atlantis: McKay/Keller – no, just no. that was horrible. She treated him like... awfully, trying to change him to suit her, just... no.

Marvel: Contentious, but Tony/Pepper, also Peter Parker/Tony Stark. Maybe because I saw the movies before I ever looked at the comics, but meh.

Due South: Benton Fraser/Ray V – again, contentious, but honestly I think Ray V was kind of a shit friend to Fraser.

Firefly: Anything with Jayne. No really, I just can not stand the character. I spent most of the series wanting to punch him in the face and sometimes you get characters you love to hate, but I just hated him.

Buffy/Angel Verse: Buffy/Spike, Willow/Kennedy

Harry Potter: Ron/Hermione, Ron/Harry, Harry/Ginny... basically, Ron and Ginny should just be loveless hermits who live by themselves. Ok, no, that isn’t fair... but as much as Ron was Harry’s first friend, he was selfish and bitter and Ginny/Harry just... never sat right with me. Ron literally says she spent ‘all summer talking about’ Harry, when she’d met him for all of three seconds. She didn’t know him. It always felt like she fell more in love with the *idea* of Harry Potter, than Harry Potter himself.

Sherlock: Sherlock/Molly, he’d eat her for breakfast. Serious, she’d never survive him.

Primeval: Oliver Leek and anyway. Arg. Creepy little dude is creepy and evil.

NCIS: Ziva/DiNozzo – ugh, just no.

 Again, I’ve left out ones where I don’t have particular NoTPs

 8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom?

Tumblr, god damned bitches posting gifs of pretty boys falling in love, roped me in!

 9. What are the best things about your current fandom?

I dabble in several fandoms at once... but if we go by ‘most recently picked up’ as ‘current’ we’re talking Ballum, which hey, it’s always fun to have an actual canon pairing be my OTP, that’s rare for me, lol.

 10.  Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in?

Well (so far) I haven’t written any Ballum. (I say so far, because I’m a realist, lol). I rarely read in fandoms and not end up writing in them at some point. Although I have probably dabbled in a few I’ve not written for, but if I read it with any sort of consistency, I mostly end up writing it. I am weak!

  Ship Questions for your Current Fandom

 11. Who is your current OTP?

Okay, so that list above, just basically go with that. While I do drop in and hour of fandoms and some I certainly read in more than others, I do tend to go back to fandoms... If we were talking about what I’m mostly focused on writing atm... Steve/Tony, Mycroft/Lestrade, Harry/Draco and Robron are ones I’m currently working on most.

 12. Who is your current OT3?

I’m not currently writing anything that’s OT3 with any real focus. I have a couple of Neal/Peter/Elizabeth WiPs that I will at some point finish, but they aren’t a big focus just now. I did recently read a fabulous Neal/Peter/Elizabeth fic that’s been on my tbr list for ages.

 13. Any NoTPs?

Just... see above, lol!

 14. Go on, who are your BroTPs?

Harry Hart/Merlin, those two are Bro’s until the end and I will fight you on this. Also, Eggsy/Roxy! OMG they are such a BroTP! And Tony/Pepper/Rhodey – I may no like Tony/Pepper as a pairing, but I love them as best friends and of course, our Rhodes, because again, I will fight you on this, they are awesome and Tony needs his best friends!

 15. Is there an obscure ship which you love?

I’m not sure there is. I suppose I’ve read a few fics for some random pairings over the years, but nothing that’s made me really ship-ship them. I like Clint Barton/Bucky Barnes, after seeing it as a secondary pairing in a Steve/Tony fic, but I’ve seen that pop up a few times since, so maybe it won’t stay obscure for long!

 16. Are their any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike?

Jack/Sam, Tony/Pepper, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Buffy/Spike – they all seem to be het pairings, oops. But I am mostly a slash fic reader/writer, so I suppose that’s not too surprising.

 17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite?

Jack/Daniel from Stargate SG-1. I still love them. I still read them, although it has been a while since I’ve written them on their own (I have got some SG-1/SGA x-overs where they feature)

 18. What ship have you written the most about?

I’m genuinely not sure... without going and counting (and I’m not going any counting!) I’d guess Jack/Daniel, McKay/Sheppard, Jack/Ianto and Steve/Danno.

 19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?

No, not that I can think off. I either like it or not. I do occasionally feel bad for not reading a fic if it’s an author I really like, but I don’t read that fandom or pairing, but nothing specific.

 20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking?

Robron and Ballum, lol. I do not do soaps!

  Author Questions

 21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?

 Stargate SG-1, Jack/Daniel, a story called The Dare, The Disaster, The Almost Happy Ending, And The Very Happy Ending – it was awful. Don’t go looking, lol!

 22. Is there anything you regret writing?

Don’t we all? No, I wouldn’t specifically say so. There are certainly fics, especially older ones, I wish I could have written better, but nothing I’d go, ugh I should never have done that.

 23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it.

Uh... honestly that’s really hard. I... um... yeah, I don’t know, really. I wrote a nice little flower one in POI that I felt worked rather beautifully. The Language of Flowers. An I wrote an SGA fic for NaNo a few years ago, called A Different Life, but it’s not online, because I didn’t finish it yet and I knew I wasn’t going to finish it any time soon, so I didn’t feel it was fair to leave it up unfinished (there is a reason I don’t read WiP fics and I don’t post them either, because I know how much I hate unfinished WiPs) Edit: After writing this I reminded myself of a POI fic I wrote called Hours of Separation – It’s a Harold/John break up story that I always intended to write a sequel too where I ‘fixed’ them, but I just couldn’t do it. I broke them a little too well. But I really love it actually.

 24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?

The afore mentioned A Different Life needs to be edited and finished, lol! Also a Primeval fic with the working title Crypt Keeper (don’t ask) that I worked myself into a bit of a corner on and I figure out how to fix it, but I haven’t done it yet, so it’s still needs fixing and finishing, lol!

 25. What’s your most popular fanfic?

I haven’t the foggiest.

 26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles?

Sometimes, really easily, a quote, a line from the fic, a song title... other times it’s like pulling teeth, hence working titles on things like ‘crypt keeper’ which is a reference to one scene near the very start and has no actual hint of the plot, lol!

 27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries?

Oh the titles. Summaries you can just copy a few lines from the fic if you are desperate, if you had to post ‘untitled mcshep fic #67’ people would get cranky, lol, hell I’d get cranky!

 28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of?

Oh... I... huh. I mean who wouldn’t love fanart for their stories? Any of them honestly! But if I had to choose just one... I guess something in my Animal Instinct verse, which is Primeval (although I always intended to write other fandoms in the verse) where some people transform into animals, based on their ‘spirit animal’ and some art of the characters with their spirit animal form would be awesome.

 29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not?

Sometimes, look if you’ve read this far, you know I write in a lot of fandoms, lol. In some fandoms it’s easier than others to find beta readers. Also, sometimes if it’s just something short, I won’t bother. But I do try for my longer fics.

 30. What inspires you to write?

That old adage, if you want to read it, sometimes you just have to write it? Spite? Boredom? Honestly sometimes I just have ideas I have to get out of my brain and it’s write or go mad(der)

 31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?

That it inspired them to write something.

 32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?

Sometimes, sometimes I find it distracting when writing because I end up singing along and forgetting what I’m writing, lol! I do sometimes get inspiration from songs, I guess mostly from the lyrics, but no particular band or genre – although I listen to a lot of country music!

 33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?

Little from column a, little from column b... littler still from column c...

 34. What’s the word count on your longest fic?

Around 60k, I think.

 35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?

I have. Primeval had/has a week drabble challenge, mostly when I’ve written drabbles it’s been for a challenge, with a specific prompt.

 36. What’s your favourite genre to write?

Uh... I mean, my fandoms really span the genres, but I guess sci-fi or crime are probably my favourites.

 37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?

Third mostly, I have occasionally written in first person, if it felt like the fic needed it.

 38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?

Little from column a, little from column b... it depends on the fandom and the story. Sometimes you just need more characters, mostly they are minor roles, I don’t tend to write much established character/oc fic

 39. What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Ability to convince myself people will want to read it, lol! No actually to be honest, I love to know people read and like my stuff, but I gave up a long time ago on trying to ‘please’ people with what I write. I write what I want to read.

 40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?

Focus. The problem with 21 years of fandom history, is well... 21 years of fandom history. A lot of fandoms, a lot of pairings and as I say, I never really ‘leave’ a fandom, I just drop in and out and sometimes that means I’ll write on something consistently for weeks or months and then end up getting distracted by another fandom again and not touch it for weeks or months again. Hence, I don’t post WiP fics, because I know I’m easily distracted and don’t want anyone to suffer my lack of focus but me.

  Fanfiction Questions

 41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:

I don’t read WiP fics, so yeah... but 5 I’ve recently read in different fandoms that I’ve really enjoyed

 Turns Out, I Have a Rose Garden by betheflame (Steve Rogers/Tony Stark)

Lucky by china_shop (Neal Caffery/Peter Burke/Elizabeth Burke)

Colors by Quesarasara (Sherlock/John)

Betrayal by Blackghost7 (Gibbs/DiNozzo)

Matchmaker (Part 1 of the Marmalade Series) by HastaLux, Mottlemoth (Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade)

 42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:

See now this is hard, because... ahh so many...

 FredBassett – Primeval author, her Stephen/Ryan series is epic and brilliant and endless

https://archiveofourown.org/users/fredbassett/pseuds/fredbassett

 Keira Marcos – I know other people will have said her, I don’t care. I love all her stuff, across all the fandoms she writes in

http://keiramarcos.com/

 theapplepielifestyle – her Steve/Tony is amazing. Hands down some of the best I’ve ever read. I will fight you on this.

https://archiveofourown.org/users/theappleppielifestyle/pseuds/theappleppielifestyle

 JillyJames – her Tony DiNozzo is a real life grown up... exactly as he should be considered given he’s a goddamn federal agent!

https://jillyjames.com/

 missbecky – I’ve read pretty much all her Steve/Tony and Harry/Eggsy and it’s awesome.

https://archiveofourown.org/users/missbecky

 Honestly, I could have listed so many more, but, I’m being good!

 43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?

Everyone. The thing is, fandom at it’s best is like crack, the more you get, the more you want. The writing, the gifs, the art... it feeds you and makes you want to make more of it, because more of it needs to exist and if that means you need to do it yourself, so be it!

 44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?

ALL OF THEM!

 45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

Oh hell no, not even, I can not. It took me an hour to narrow down 5 authors, I can not narrow down one fanfic!

 46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why?

I mean, it depends on what they like... probably the Hour of Separation I mentioned above, if they like the fandom/pairing, or my Animal Instinct stuff.

 47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why?

Archive of our Own. I haven’t touched ff.net in *years* since they started getting super restrictive about what you could post. I do occasionally post stuff to tumblr, but mostly I now post to AO3. I did have my own site and I’ve yet to upload a lot of stuff to AO3 – one of these... months... that will be a project – but it’s amazing. Seriously, having been in fandom 20+ years, going from having to search all over a million different places and now it’s all in one place, where we’re honestly, spoiled and protected. The kids now have no idea how crazy impossible that once seemed.

 48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not?

Yes, but not as often as I should. I love AO3s kudos button, so I can sort of say ‘hey I enjoyed this’ without having to comment, because I sort of hate leaving comments just going ‘hey I enjoyed this’ because I always feel like I should say more, like, oh I enjoyed this specific thing, which yes is an unnecessary hang-up, but there ya go.

 49. Do you care if people comment/reblog your writing? Why/why not?

Of course it’s nice to get comments, kudos, reblogs etc. I’m not as attached to them now as I was when I was younger, because I learned along the way that it was more important that I like what I’m writing than that other people do, but it’s still nice to know that something I’ve created is enjoyed.

 50. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction?

I went looking for Star Trek Voyager stuff online, pics etc, waaaaaaay back when! And I came across fanfiction entirely by accident... and I read some – het stuff mostly, then I started watching Stargate SG-1, went looking for fanfiction for that, but was not on board with Jack/Sam, found Jack/Daniel went ‘huh really? That’s weird’ read it... and yeah... 21 years later... lol!

 51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

Ship Wars. No seriously, just don’t. Like, who the actual fuck cares. I like my ship, you like your ship. I don’t care if it’s canon or not. I don’t care if it’s popular or not. I don’t read my NoTPs, but I’d never dream of telling someone else not too. Yes I think they are terrible, bad, no good pairings, but that’s *my* opinion. Don’t try to change my mind and I won’t try to change yours. I avoid them like the actual plague. If someone starts that shit around me, I will shut it right down. You are a dick. Go to Jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200.

[phoenixyfriend]

tagged by @perunikka

🌿 Favourite comfort food Oooooh uh. I mean I eat a lot of Reese’s minis but actual comfort food is probably anything my mom makes, but especially variations of Burek?

🌼 Favourite alcohol (or hot drink!) Alcohol: I don’t really drink, lmao. Recently I’ve been on a hot tea kick (English Breakfast), but I like Starbucks Soy White Mocha. A lot.

🌷 Favourite relaxing activity Watching reality TV (Project Runway, ANTM, Wife Swap, Queer Eye, Toddlers and Tiaras, GBBO, Say Yes to the Dress...), playing a mobile game (I’m really into June’s Journey right now), or brainstorming fic.

🌸 Favourite fluffy/feel-good fic Hmmmmm let’s go with  Storytime: Voltron is (Basically) a Disaster by @caffeinatedflumadiddle

🌻 Favourite calming scent Baking bread

🌺 Favourite relaxing (or uplifting) song OH BOY Uhhhhhhhh let’s go with “Honey, I’m good” by Andy Grammer, “Very Nice People” by DJ Mibor, and “Have it All” by Jason Mraz

🌵 Favourite white noise Like many people, I do love the sound of rain, but I’m not opposed to New York traffic (lived for years on the border of Upper East Side and Spanish Harlem, so it’s a thing).

🍄 Favourite book to get lost in Damn, it’s been a while... mostly I just reread fic these days, but honestly I feel like I reread Uglies, Twilight, and the Septimus Heap books every few years. (That said, I hunted down the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy recently because it’s so full of nostalgia for me.)

💐 Favourite chill-out TV show I mentioned the reality TV earlier, right? It’s so much more relaxing than TV shows with plots. With plots, I get STRUCK BY INSPIRATION for fanfic, but with reality TV I get... some ideas for an AU for fandoms I’m already in, instead of actual new fandoms, so that’s actually a massive relief.

🌹 The best advice you’ve ever had This is really niche and probably only applies to ND people but: The things you find cool and funny on a screen don’t work that way in real life; something you’d want to see a character saying, something that you’d laugh at and that the other characters would be impressed by? It’s only going to get other people pissed at you. Always think about how you’d react if the jerk in the office said that, not the character you love.

I tag: @brawltogethernow @firebirdeternal @probablybadrpgideas @sergeant-angels-trashcan @trickerydickerydock @spazzcat

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The Anatomy of Melancholy, 57

Table of Contents. Second Instar, Chapter 24. Go to previous. Go to next. TW: Total community nudity, forced nudity, body horror, human experimentation talk, discussion of drug use and overdose. States of becoming.

Edit 2021.03.16: Have that wip illustration of the speech scene.

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As they crossed the faded green truss-cantilever bridge between Downtown Historic and Voire, several scattered plumes of smoke took fresh to the air. A recent altercation had spilled the metallic, offensive stink of burning robotic fluids, and carnage from Eyebots and Protectrons littered their entry into the area of Lowell known prewar as Centralville. None of them liked the look of it, but they could find no evidence that the Furriers had suffered any casualties.

“If only we could run the Devils against whatever ungodly defenses these folks have,” ‘Choly whooped, glancing down around them and trying, from how many parts he could identify, to count how many of each kind of robot had been here. “We wouldn’t have to bother with this Unfolding nonsense.”

“No, we need to ‘bother,’” Sticks said, scanning for Furriers. He pulled a metal pea whistle from his pocket, and trilled it in lieu of being able to produce a similar sound with his cracked lips. After a pause, they heard the sound returned, and Sticks encouraged that they continue further into the suburb to Voire proper. “We’re talking a full robotic threat. Hard to say how many Eyebots and Protectrons the Furriers demolished, with how the Devils jury-rig them.”

‘Choly glanced down into the pit trap with an impaled Medical Responder Protectron in it. Its defibrillator pads sparked one more time and ‘Choly frowned. He wondered whether a similar setup could contend with a Sentry Bot.

Some robots managed, despite the damage they suffered from the defense traps, to catch fire to some prewar cape cod structures. As far as either could tell, the non-geometric composite mudbrick Furrier architecture remained in tact.

Having dispatched the robots, several disrobed Furriers, wearing only their Halloween masks, circled the three Rust Devils captured in wire snares. Though some trappers had partly fastened on their bandoliers, harnesses, or holsters, the rest seemed to have simply drawn their knives and guns, grabbed the nearest length of fiber, and run headlong to the Southwest route into Voire at the start of the invasion. The naked trappers better bound their captives at the joints with a mixture of rope and wire, and removed parts of their armor to make it easier to drag them into the settlement. As they hauled the Devils away kicking and yelling, they sang out:

“Our officer’s arrived at last! Our officer’s arrived!!”

Sticks dropped his flamer and slouched awfully, eyes on one of the burning prewar houses the Furriers were too unaffected to try to save. ‘Choly didn’t really notice his companion’s demeanor, too absorbed in watching the mutated locals joyfully leave behind an unceremonious trail of armor and rent garments as they toted off their prisoners and stripped them down to bare skin. The angles and placements of their limbs and joints, and the particular heft of their unusual musculature, felt no more demystified laid to the naked eye.

“Fucking weird that this place is an eye candy shop to you, but I can’t say it enough that it needs to stay at just that. Can’t believe I’m struggling to convince you not to do anything stupid. I’m jogging your chemist brain again, because I genuinely don’t think you’re getting it. Either that, or you’re not thinking with your brain. Sometimes it takes multiple doses of Addictol to kick X-Cell withdrawals, but it doesn’t work at all on the rest of the X-Cell family. If you do it, you’re not just getting addicted to the chem: you’re getting addicted to its point of origin.” The ghoul ripped off his ushanka and threw it up at ‘Choly, who fumbled to both catch it and balance. “It’s only right, you Russki. The Colonel needs a thinking cap. May it give you a level head for what you’re about to do and witness. You get with Bones, Carey. I’ve got to speak with Ick before all this goes down. Alone.”

Donning the hat, ‘Choly pressed the fur lining of one flap to his face, lost in a moment of familiarity he couldn’t quite place. By the time he looked up, Sticks had made himself scarce. Albeit a bit deflated, what Sticks said soaked in. The chemist mouthed to himself, dully,

“Are they her responsibility… or her project…?”

“Sir, if I may,” Angel interjected at a caution, unsure whether it was a legitimate question. “It’s not so much what they mean to her… What do these individuals mean to you?”

The Mister Handy made him double-take, and he chewed at his lip.

“They’re people. I can’t even begin to tell whether they’re still human, but they’re people. Just like Jacob. If all they want before marching off against killer robots is an afternoon of nursing a chem habit and spending time together, who am I to deny that? Didn’t he and I just do exactly the same, in a way?”

“Didn’t you ever,” Angel scoffed with exasperated indignity before spiriting off its owner in search of their Mistress of Ceremonies. “Hopefully, this afternoon goes for the Furriers nothing like it did for the two of you!”

Bones wasn’t at the Reservoir House. ‘Choly struggled to locate her among the hundred trappers, with them all socializing in the nude. All he really had to go on was her simple skull mask. Though ‘Choly didn’t know it, Angel’s sensors seemed to know exactly where she was, and followed a comfortable, steady speed directly toward her.

Meanwhile, awaiting ceremonies to commence, the Furriers, masks on as always, had resumed bathing one another in the pond-style semicircular reservoir. Angel sped ‘Choly along around the perimeter of the waters, tracing the gradual slope of the embankment as it took a comfortable curve to round to the side and behind. Along the way, ‘Choly overheard some of the Furriers discussing their Unfolding plans. With them all disrobed, he could discern three stark ‘stages’ of Furrier–very mutated, somewhat mutated, and a small handful who seemed to lack mutations altogether. Some intended unions ‘like Terence and Irene,’ and he swore he heard another propose, professing they wanted with their lover ‘what Reese has.’ Others planned out with their neighbors, friends, and lovers what anatomy they wished to give or receive. They put their peculiarly gnarled bodies on display to offer their own parts, and admired one another with disregard for personal space seeking what they might request others to bequeath. Juxtaposed with what Sticks had told him before vanishing, ‘Choly understood that X-Cell-Root did this to the Furriers, and that the more disfigured they were, the more times they must have taken the chem.

Unease clammed up behind his ears. He leaned across the top of Angel to steady himself long enough to tie up the flaps of the ushanka.

Angel found Bones at the northern edge of the property, which had once served as a small recreation field beside the waters. The athletic skull-faced woman with four arms, three breasts, and short shaggy steel grey hair sauntered up to them and laughed, wringing her hands.

“Aah! There you are. Follow me up to the observation round.”

To the Southeast of the field rose a forty-foot incline, and she led them up it. ‘Choly remained atop Angel as they took to the highest elevation in the suburb. He assumed she believed that by doing so, he played the part of the officer, putting himself both mentally and physically above his enlisted, but he didn’t clarify his wilted constitution out of paranoia of voicing that he already felt so poorly by the afternoon. The hill’s crest held a second smaller, circular field from which they could see the entire settlement and surrounding area. A tall wrought iron guard fence once stood to the water side, to prevent anyone or anything from spilling down into the reservoir, but time had eroded, or invention had transplanted, much of it away.

“I appreciate your regard for the gravity of the rite,” she commented, taking note his behavior. He straightened, admiring her shoulders. “You look… distinguished, riding so. Your illustrious robot must have our X-Cell-Root. This will truly be a grand Unfolding.”

“Thank you, madam,” Angel beamed. “I never would have imagined I’d be compared to a mighty, commanding steed, eager to carry its owner into victorious battle!”

She glanced to toss it the grin in her eye.

“Perhaps not all metal life forms are so bad after all.” Once atop the observation hill, Bones urged ‘Choly to dismount, crossing her lower arms over her hips. “I must check your robot’s inventory for myself before we begin, to guarantee we have enough for everyone.”

‘Choly complied to make way for Bones to access Angel’s storage compartment. Angel noticed him stumble and steadied him with a tendril. Bones whispered instructions to Angel, and the Handy gave affirmatives at equal volume.

“Oh!” Bones cried, at first indiscernible as to elation or dismay. “So good the General provided us with extra. She thought ahead, in the event of unexpected guests.”

She guffawed warmly, and patted Angel’s chassis, then helped push ‘Choly back up atop the Handy. Angel left its storage compartment door open, so that it could reach freely into itself once administration commenced. He looked down between the front of his feet at the crate nestled in the middle of all his chems, and frowned feebly to himself.

How could Angel be all right administering chems to a hundred people, when it now resists giving me even one Mentat? When did it start turning into a mobile vending machine for everyone but me? When I was captain, it helped me administer to a thousand enlisted, and it knew I smuggled morphine in my Melancholia but always dispensed it gladly. What’s changed, now that I’ve awoken into this freakish terrain?

“Everyone!” Bones called out from the front edge of the mound, rhythmically clapping both pairs of hands. “Everyone, come!! Come now! We commence!”

As the Furriers in the reservoir and the settlement congregated at the mound, ten split off into the center of the circle–six very mutated, two somewhat mutated, and two unmutated–with the three Rust Devil captives in tow. The rest gathered around them. Angel positioned ‘Choly slightly off center, sandwiched between those in center and those congregating around them. ‘Choly couldn’t even begin to keep his eyes from wandering throughout the sea of anatomical singularity, so he did his best to focus on Bones alone, who paced around those in center. With everyone present, Bones started with a speech, her fruity voice clear and eager:

“We, the Furriers, Unfold today that we rejuvenate our perpetual stock. It is our tradition and our right that we accept this chem into us, that we usher the next era of our Voire. We cast down our masks in the rite--” she paused as everyone did as instructed, “--that we may slurry together and stand again anew in community, oneness, and purpose.” She gestured to those in the center. “These thirteen, our tributes today. They will over-dose. In a permanent death of ego they will witness our Unfolded infinity, and bestow it upon us all. May they each now speak their name, their intent, and their final wishes before their entireties become completely one with us all from this moment on.”

The ten Furrier tributes nudged the stripped-naked Devils to speak first.

“Please just let us go,” the first begged. She glared desperately out to those surrounding them, but received scorn rather than pity. “My name is Cherry.”

Reese rushed forward to kick her from her kneeling position, into the dirt. Undressed, the duality of their form became far clearer, and ‘Choly could understand why they had been referred to as both Terrence and Irene. Their vitiligo-mottled physiology mesmerized him. To their left Reese appeared to once have been a tall blonde woman, and to their right, a dark-haired man. The blonde hair, they kept short, while the dark trailed long, loose, and thick, intimating the look of a dyed side-shave. Their faces had fused together partly, down to a one-third overlay of skull and grey matter. Irene’s features contributed two pale left eyes, one embedded in the maxillary sinus, while Terrence’s only brought a single dark right eye to the face. Their orbits only seemed deep-set, for sake of the contorted angle of their join line, though their noses had fused nearly neatly. Their jaws had joined at an odd angle, still able to function provided they took turns. Supported by two lower legs, their right leg bifurcated at the knee. They each brought an arm to their remarkable geometry. From the approximate point of what would otherwise have been the symmetry of either, a second right arm jutted at the breastbone, and their shoulders and ribs captured the permanent backward curvature of a breath bolted in a moment of rhapsody.

“You’ll speak respectfully of the rite,” Reese growled, their left gold earring swinging forward with animation. With each phrase they alternated between the left and right side of their mouth with a terrifying snarl amounting from having infuriated both constituents of their persona. Their voice held in it a gravelly smoke, and ‘Choly could hear from the approximate throaty echo that they still possessed both larynxes. “This is our one holy day, Cherry, and fortune favors you that you’re included. This is not a death warrant: It is a life warrant. We are to let you carry on among us.” The veritable goliath dragged her back up by the rope binding her, and she knelt again, sniveling, dirty, and furious. “We honor one wish. One... respectful... wish.”

A second Devil blurted out, “I’d sooner die than play this sick shit. I’ve heard what this is. You call what you’re doing religious? It’s a fuckin’ CHEM HI--”

Before the young man could finish his tear, Reese had pulled their pistol from a thigh holster and shot him in the head.

“No one Unfolds without their consent. Even war captives have a choice here.”

Shaking, Cherry murmured, “We’re fucked. We’re fucked no matter what. Just let the chem shit be quick and painless. I’m begging you.”

“You wish for that which already is,” Bones soothed, petting the woman’s sun-worn buzz-cut face. “It’s the most painless thing you’ll ever experience.”

‘Choly noticed Sticks among the Furriers that had gathered around the tributes, declaring with his nudity his intent to participate. He did his best not to fall into a coughing fit, but still managed to choke on spit anyway.

“I...” The third Devil shook his head, broken from having his gang-mate murdered right beside him with the three tied up. “I don’t know what you want me to say... I’m Shrapnel. I... I don’t have anything more to say...”

“If you have no wish,” Reese replied, “I instead offer a gift. Furriers! Whoever retains the first memory from this Rust Devil, come to me for personal apprenticeship. Either you have unmatched humility, Shrapnel, or you will learn to.”

Jealousy and confusion burbled up in ‘Choly like bad heartburn, to understand that Sticks planned to participate all along only to insist ‘Choly shouldn’t do the same. He couldn’t make up his heart whether a matter of trust or confidence separated them now in the moment. Deep down ‘Choly could already see that the way things would pan out, Sticks took the role of the enlisted, and ‘Choly that of the officer. He swallowed, his ears ringing like static. Surely, Jacob can’t have purposefully put me in such a position. Hurt contemplation distracted him from the other tributes’ speeches, whether it had been Ick’s or Sticks’s idea for the ghoul to participate, and he was trapped between trying to figure out which of them to be angry at, and trying to shove down his grief.

‘Choly didn’t even realize that Ick stood among the tributes until he recognized the voice when he began his speech, and his jaw slacked in recognition, his attention snapping back to the ceremony itself. The old man with wiry, wild clear-white hair had some of the gnarliest of anatomy of anyone on the observation mound. His head emanated from his left shoulder, his left arm from where his head should have been, and his torso and legs were mangled and reshaped to where ‘Choly couldn’t even make sense of the bone structure. He thought there were three legs, but he couldn’t tell, too intent upon the leathery, keloidal hand protruding from the ribs of his head-side, which gesticulated just as the other two while he twanged away anciently at his address.

“Today, I am Ick. Today, I become you all. I recall through my original Deenwood stock, and beseech the original stock that exists in you all, that every of the base’s officers was a different kind of wicked. My body remembers lots of the captains an’ lieutenants, remembers the tests. I know we all have some manner of nightmare in our guts, what happened on that base, before the war and after it a ways. But, there’s a reason we all carry generational memory of the General specifically. Most of ‘em only followed through with it all ‘cause their country told ‘em it was what was right; same applies to any original stock. But, we all know that the kinda wicked the General was, she still is: she wanted to, an’ liked to, make living creatures suffer for her personal scientifical gain.”

He went on to speak his wishes. The words came difficultly as he attempted precision in his vocabulary, to match the tone of the ceremony.

“My wishes are two-fold, as I am honored in my sixth memory of Unfolding. I’ve decided to attempt to give back the given, and return to Sticks the flesh he’s lacked fifty years. Two Unfoldings ago, the General took from him his hand, and unrightfully gave it to me. Half a century, he’s been denied true Unfolding. He’s learned not to try to trick the General. An important lesson we all learn in one way or another. A body must only ply her or avoid her altogether. Today, Sticks becomes a Furrier in entirety.”

Sticks took a step forward and held up his wrist in expectant affirmation. Reese merely nodded and closed their eyes, awaiting the other half of the request. Before ‘Choly could compute the significance of having guessed correctly about the hand, Ick spoke next of him.

“In this way also, we must honor that Melancholy is only following out orders, by dosing us today. He is unique among the officers that have dosed us in all six Unfoldings I can remember. The others were honorary, but he, he holds the actual rank of Deenwood colonel. Look at his uniform! My stock recognizes it as genuine, for certain, as should ours all! He plans to lead us against the Devils, that we excel and triumph. That is why I beseech, Reese-- beseech that we must leave him as he wishes to exist, to choose where he has had no choice--that today, we let our commanding officer choose whether he becomes us all.”

“--Sticks! If you had anything to do with this--” ‘Choly started, stooping to a jockey posture ready to fight.

The contention Ick’s request stirred among the Furriers, to break tradition, drowned out ‘Choly’s outburst, and he piped down to stew in gratitude of Ick’s self-censorship. He’d referenced ‘Choly as an officer of Deenwood, without explicitly waving a finger and reminding them all his full identity. His mind wilded in his skull, knowing Sticks told Ick exactly who he was and that Liv had promoted him, but mounting details just continued to further obfuscate anyone’s intentions, especially not those of anyone willingly volunteering to be made tribute.

“OFFICER!” Reese roared, to silence the Furriers. “We refuse to exclude you. State your name and intent: Do you spectate, or do you participate!”

With all eyes on him, ‘Choly sputtered and his head swam. For a moment, he believed the ultimatum presented him wasn’t whether he lived, but rather how he would die. He cleared his throat to steel himself.

“I didn’t think I needed to have a speech ready, so forgive me... If this stuff really does make it so you can access the same memories of Deenwood from over two centuries ago, then many of you already know me, or will in the moment, just as you all know General Francis. It’s inevitable that you learn the truth, so I may as well state my name and intent.”

He choked up the reins fashioned from chain and leather, and stood as straight as he could, balanced on Angel’s foot pegs. He ripped off the ushanka and visor and tossed them down into Angel’s open storage compartment, poorly tolerating the chill and the sun in his face.

“I am your colonel. Colonel Alan Carey, of the Deenwood Pharm Corps. Call me Melancholy! I’ve been asleep since the Great War, but stand before you today. This Unfolding business is different from when I supervised the testing of Agent CM on Deenwood’s enlisted. You may again be my enlisted, but you lot were not drafted: All have volunteered to aid the effort to eradicate the Devils from Lowell. This is your settlement, your community. There is no longer any country telling ANY of us what’s right. So tell me, Furriers! What is right! You’ve tributed all others who delivered your X-Root. You called them your ‘officer’ for your ritual. Is this an effigy against the General? Ick just admitted the others weren’t officers. But today, I’m giving you the chance to put a real Deenwood Colonel to death.”

“Mindy, you idiot!”

‘Choly glared at Sticks with desperation, but quickly had to shut his eyes, the sun too intense.

“But... it’s our gratitude to include you,” a meek, gnarly Furrier from the crowd murmured, recognizing him. “The officer of the Unfolding holds the highest honor. You provide the X-Cell-Root. You administer it. The chem will fade from our bodies, but if you tribute yourself, we carry you in us forever. The Unfolding will be your doing, and we celebrate this.”

The sentiment sank in ‘Choly’s heart like a demented love letter, but he couldn’t convince himself for a moment that any of the description of physicality of the ceremony itself could be taken literally. Surely, the mutations they all exhibited were the sole consequence of chronic chemical exposure and experimental chem abuse. Surely, there was a better explanation for Reese’s anatomical arrangement. Possibly, the X-Cell-Root could, at least, provide the Furriers with a vision of history akin to Mama Murphy’s Sight. The idea that his dying experience might be another heaving ego death sent him back to the Jet overdose he suffered in the Corvega plant, and he nearly puked recalling it. Shaking, he made it look like he rubbed at his forehead, though he really needed to shield his eyes with his hand.

“As much as I hate to say it, ladies, gentlemen, and all, but watching is what I’ve been trained for. I’m going to make the executive decision that you do not want my stock, as the conditions that made it possible for me to be alive today corrupted it. Since I can’t test how the chem will react with my body, I can’t, ah, tribute myself. But, I’m already, in my own way, made of past, present, and future, and I’m already a part of you all. I’m a ghost. I’m content to remain a memory. This day is about celebrating and respecting you all, because none of you got your dues when it mattered most.” With a look in his eye of knowing dying wasn’t good enough for all he’d committed in life, he weakly held up his left wrist, so that his enamel remembrance poppy cuff link caught the light, to represent in the circumstance all fortitude he needed but had drained from him across the entire day. “We do this in honor of all those before us, and all who come after. I will supervise, and do all I can to monitor your chem use to keep you safe. My Mister Handy, Angel, will dole your chem. Promise me that if I do this for you, whatever stands after the Unfolding will march with me.”

Everyone gaped rapaciously at Reese. With a conflicted look, they warmed to excitement.

“Then you spectate. Melancholy, you spectate! Today we truly have our commanding officer. This Unfolding will be like none other.”

“All right, everyone!” Angel cried out, excited to get to work. “If we’ve all had our turns to speak, I believe administration is in order. First, I’m to give the tributes their three ampuoles each. Next, to all betrothed, I’m to give two. After that allotment, I’ve three pincers, so you can form three queues! Ha ha! Plenty to go around.” As it began handing out its special stock, it turned its ocular lenses to look up at ‘Choly, and spoke at a hush. “I’m proud of you, Sir. At least one of you all ought to remain sober and lucid amongst all this.”

At once disappointment, remorse, and relief washed over ‘Choly. The tension of committing to a decision fell through, and he failed to process that he would probably never get a chance now to experience Unfolding. Yet, he warmed knowing he would still experience it vicariously, a feat at which he excelled.

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