#but darkwood really deserves it

[herbgroom]

fucked up eastern european games tournament

[canadianno]

ima need you to lore dump about your heritic au becaus i wAS LITTERALLY JUST THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

:3

The premise of the Heretic Leshy au is that instead of my normal lamb being the last one alive -> bearer of the red crown, it's Anoana, who is. Who is a 5 year old.

And one thing about my Leshy, is that he LOVES kids. So much. It's a little bit ridiculous and this whole au proves it.

Base premise is that after sacrificing the last lamb- which he was already pretty against in the first place seeing as she was 5- the bishops instruct Leshy to go bury the body

(Kinda like a- "you were being so annoying about not killing her, so now you gotta bury her, we're in darkwood anyway it's fine)

So. So. The 5 year old wakes up in his arms while he's in the graveyard. He nearly drops her. You know how it is.

Leshy can't bring himself to kill a child, even if that child is now wearing the red crown and a harbinger of a prophecy that will destroy his family. So he holds her close and takes her back to his temple. And he cries to his disciples about what the hell he's supposed to do.

If he let's her go, just releases her into the wild, she's going to have a very bad time because a 5 year old can't survive on their own, and even with the red crown she will still be traumatized as hell. He doesn't WANT that. He wants the child to be HAPPY. Because he loves them and thinks all children deserve to be happy. For the record he is correct.

Basically- Leshy keeps the lamb, hides her, and at one point gives up his crown to break his shackle on Narinder, but has to just keep pretending he's the god of chaos. Leshy discovers he can call on the crowns even without being the bearer of them- which yeah btw every time we defeat a bishop in this story Ana picks up their crown and the crowns IMMEDIATELY decide they wanna protect her. At the end of this story Ana has 5 crowns and like 12 parental figures.

Leshy is not the vessel of the red crown, but he is the one doing it's bidding. Heket is killed by accident in secret, Kallamar manages to send warning Shamuras' way before he dies, and Shamura is so so so angry. It's also worth noting that there's no Narinder fight, he just gives up his crown (he is NOT going to ask the 5 year old to be sacrificed for him, not when their parent who clawed their way out of heaven and into the gateway is sitting RIGHT THERE)

It's really fun, there's technically more to it but that's the basics :]

Take some doodle page for reading this much lmao

Fellas, does it make you a heretic by not wanting to kill a baby? No, but it does when you start killing your siblings about it

[yanderes-galore]

HELLOOOO looks at your top five fandoms and blinks my big eyes. could you write something up for helob (cotl) w a darling he had captured and was at first intending to eat/sell off?

Sure! It may not be long but... I can throw out some ideas for you :)?

Yandere! Helob with a Captured! Darling

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Consumption, Biting, Blood, Violence, Gore mentioned, Possessive behavior, Dark themes, Mentions of selling people (?), GRAPHIC descriptions, Forced "relationship".

This is yet another situation where, no matter what happens, the obsession doesn't win.

The moment you were plucked from your home, your fate was sealed.

Your meeting with the spider isn't amicable.

You're left alone in your realm, be that Darkwood, Anura, Anchordeep, or Silk Cradle...

However, there's always threats with wandering alone.

Monsters of all kinds roam the realms of The Old Faith.

Be that mindless creatures... foxes... or spiders...

The moment you take a misstep, you're caught in a web.

One of the many webs Helob has set up.

Helob's original thoughts about you are as you think.

A pathetic little creature who wandered too far from home...

Cute weak little prey.

The moment you were caught in his web, Helob couldn't help but feel hungry.

He could sell you... or he could eat you outright.

The taste of your flesh was so tempting.

Although... Helob may even have other plans for you.

Maybe you catch his eye, or maybe he just ate?

Either way, your life gets to be "spared" for a little while.

"This one's so cute... I want to save them for later...!"

The entire obsession places you on borrowed time.

Helob's simply keeping you around because you entertain him.

Perhaps he won't get rid of you, no, he wants to keep you in his home.

You look so adorable covered in his webs.

Helob often talks to you after he has his meals, the spider chatting away with his new prisoner companion.

He really shouldn't play with his food, but with you he can't help himself.

You're so cute he could just eat you up... yet he won't... for now.

He'll have restraint because you interest him so much.

The food you're given is usually stuff you can stomach.

Helob knows you can't eat what he eats... so he finds berries and other foods you can.

After all, he can't have you looking all skinny and gaunt....

Helob wants you to have some meat on your bones... delicious meat that he just wants to taste.

Helob's "romantic" feelings and the craving he has for your flesh is a very blurred line.

He feels maybe he loves you, a cute little partner he took in for himself.

At the same time... he wants to dig his fangs into your flesh.

You're his prey... he makes such a thing obvious when he tells other paying customers you're not for sale.

Even that Lamb that keeps showing up is turned down, Helob can't bear the idea of parting with you.

Eventually, perhaps weeks or months into your capture, Helob can't help but give in.

He's hungry... he desires you... he just wants a little taste.

The moment he sinks his fangs into your flesh... The taste is euphoric.

Your blood spills into his mouth and he can't help but think he's the only one who deserves such a taste.

You're all his... all of you... including your delicious taste.

Helob knows he should savor you, keep you around as a little treat, but once he starts...

Ohhh... He doesn't want to stop.

You cry and scream into the silk gag he made for you as he digs into your taste.

He chews bits of flesh, tears through flesh, and drinks your blood like it's ambrosia.

By the time he's done, there's barely any left.

Your cries stopped a long time ago, the taste of you still on his tongue.

He's upset afterwards... He had really enjoyed you, really loved you...

But now you sat heavily in his stomach, the feeling sickeningly pleasant.

Helob wishes he could experience such a thing again and again... He desires it!

Yet now, no one else can have you...

You know what they say about spiders...

They have a tendency to eat their mates.

[cr0ftisprocrastinating]

Do you have any all time favorite fics? Any that specifically inspired your own? I absolutely love some recommendations for feel good, sexy, engaging romance (enemies to friends to lovers or just friends to lovers) fics. Thank you so much!!

Hello! And YES, I absolutely do. Some of these are the classic ones that everyone recs, but I've also included some WIPs that I am really loving atm that make me happy. SO:

Classics I re-read all the time:

DMATMOBIL - @isthisselfcare. This singlehandedly got me back into the fandom. I'm sure you've read it, but if you haven't, you absolutely must!

I love everything that @scullymurphy writes (plus they have great taste in music, and wine). Start with Universal Truths, but the recently completed Teach Me How To Forget is also delicious.

Similar for @thebemoon, I just love their stuff. The Darkwood Wand and The Gloriana Set are just so fun and enjoyable. I smile the whole way through.

Love and Other Historical Accidents by @pacific-rimbaud is frequently rec'd for a very good reason. Beautiful.

Also I have to shout out The Nature of Purity by @starsoforionwrites for some really interesting takes on wizarding society (and electricity!!!) which I am still thinking about.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by @olivieblake is the closest fic I've found to a Caput Mortuum-esque unhinged Hermione, and is really great fun.

Now we get to the WIPs that I'm loving, which again probably don't count as inspirations but are very much in the genre of things I love to read (and therefore, write!)

You Do It For Me by @zeebee3 is just delicious. Talk about fics you smile the whole way through.

I am ADORING Scary Partner Privilege by @nightbloom7reads. It deserves SO MUCH hype, because it's just excellent.

Erotic Friend Fiction by @whiskeygreen hasn't been updated in a while, but it is hilarious and you have 47 delicious chapters to get through!

Things Without Remedy by @onebedtorulethemall is also brilliant and deserves more hype. Very sexy big brain, hyper competent Hermione, and very sexy laboratory descriptions too. Anyone who writes anything about time travel I instantly am in awe, because I just don't think my brain could ever work that way.

Finally, If These Walls Could Talk by @incognitotoro is absolutely delightful. Bloody love cursebreaking, bloody love the medieval period, bloody love when they both exist in a fic.

these are all I can think of off the top of my head, but yes, I hope there are a few that you haven't come across yet! xxx

[cerberus253]

About Wolfman from Darkwood, I honestly think he’s like that because of how awful the treatment is towards him based on what he is. He’s treated like a beast, so he became one, thus he’s so uncaring for others and mostly just sees people as a threat, and potential food. If people were so quick to violence against you based on your looks, you’d loathe people just as much as he does, especially in this setting.

He may be too far gone to actually care about someone genuinely, but I think the most likely way to go about doing it is treating him like a person, not an animal. Don’t get me wrong, he does have many tendencies of an animal, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have unique thoughts, feelings, and dreams/desires like everyone else.

Of course he would not believe you, and think you’re manipulating him, so he’d get aggressive quick, but that’s where extreme patience, understanding, and kindness towards him needs to be. It will take YEARS to actually get him to genuinely trust you on your treatment of him, and it may not be as worth it to you, but it might be worth it to him. Maybe he wouldn’t feel so alone and despised anymore, or his icy cold heart and pitch black soul would warm and brighten a bit? Having all that constant anger and hatred can’t feel good, and seeing everyone as just objects will really make you feel like a monster. Be treated like a monster, you start to believe you are a monster, then you become a monster.

Be treated like a living thing that deserves love and understanding, eventually you’ll believe that, and hopefully return the affection back to, at least, the one who gave it to you. I definitely don’t believe he’ll be kind to everyone, but kind (in his own way) to very specific people, like those that did not treat him like a monster undeserving of anything good in the world, those that gave him a chance.

But anyway, yeah, he’s a major ass-hat, but I think there’s an actual reason behind it.

[saltysaltdog]

It's honestly really enjoyable to try writing dialogue for Leshy because I get to use fancy words wrong on purpose.

Like when he's in the presence of the other Bishops he's the one with the most expanded vocabulary.

Ie: "The heretic who lies bound below will be condemned to eternal captivity."

Vs "Before us stands the last of its kind. All others we have hunted down and put to the blade." From Heket.

He then steals that line from Heket.

"How can this be? You were put to the blade, Lamb, as all your kind were."

But aside from stealing lines, all his dialogue with the player is a lot more simplistic and all his large words are usually emphasised, sometimes almost feeling tacked on.

"And yet here you stand before me, unrepentant."

"The Red Crown rises again... but what an UNWORTHY bearer it has."

Sometimes he even uses a simpler word and then switches to a fancier one. Pulling a real reverse Mojo jojo.

"Your persistence is beginning to ANNOY me, little Lamb. You may think yourself clever. You may think yourself righteous in your service to HIM. But you should not be so trusting of the Chained One. Oh, well. It's too late for talk. One such as you deserves no absolution. This will not end well for you."

That said, sometimes when he uses these words it's a bit off.

"I grow tired of you, little Lamb... Time to put an end to this FRIVOLOUS MASQUERADE!"

I don't think this situation classifies as either of those things. It's not frivolous to be trying to kill each other or trying to keep Narinder imprisoned. Both those things are very important here to both people. And even if you attach it just to Masquerade, I don't think either party was really hiding their intentions whatsoever. Yeah the lamb was very much trying to hide their intentions to kill Leshy by *checks notes* killing all his minions. And even if Leshy is speaking of his own half-hearted attempts to give you an out and not fight him, those are kind of belayed by the fact he actively sends minions to you and tells you flat out that he's trying to destroy you.

I think the metaphor he was going for was "dancing around each other" which makes sense as this is the first time you'll actively face each other in battle. Masquerade has a much broader implication as a masked ball, fair, or other event, making it not a good substitute.

There's another minor one in:

"After everything we did. After everything we sacrificed. He will not be satiated."

Used like this, the word most people would expect would be: Sated, to be made full. Or satisfied. He's not using it wrong, per say. In fact, although satiated is more explicitly not about food (vs sated), it's typically paired up with more dialogue cues explaining what desire was satiated and how. It's almost exclusively used as an adjective rather than a verb.

Eg: she was tired.(adj) Vs: the motion tired her. (Verb).

He drank till he was satiated(adj) vs: He was satiated by it.(verb) To be Satiated is a wonderful thing. (Adj).

On another note, Satiated has the implication of excess to it, to the point where you'd refuse to have any more. Like Leshy is expecting Narinder to be like "nope, no, that's too much death now. No more of that." And stop anyone else from being sacrificed.

Even if that's the view he has of Nari, his use of the word still reads a bit odd because of the aforementioned reasons.

What's super fun is that once you've defeated him, he kind of stops doing this? As in, experimenting with words and being so casual. He instead tries to be as loquacious as he is with his siblings, taking a minute to get there.

"Lamb... this is not a favor. I do not need your charity!"

"But when dear brother Narinder struck us in his fury, my eyes were torn from the socket."

"One was salvaged, and hidden in the tangled Darkwood. I despair at the thought of it being uncovered by some simple-minded beast."

"You have navigated my realm once before. Do so again, and recover my eye. Perhaps we can make an arrangement."

My take away from this is that when you were just a vessel for Narinder he had no reason to worry about if he used a word incorrectly here or there, and had no reason for more complex grammar, because he was under the assumption you'd be gone soon, plus he doesn't need to be formal.

Once defeated, however, he has no choice but to regard the lamb as an equal and needs to choose his words more carefully in order to be taken seriously.

It's sooo youngest sibling coded. (Or slightly older sibling with an overly verbose younger sibling, if that's your headcanon.)

But when he's experiencing intense emotions all this pretense goes out the window and he's very blunt and simple with his sentences.

... I cannot see! Where is my crown!?" "Lamb! Damned Lamb! I know you are there, I smell you." "What... has become of us?"

"-but I am strong. And you are in my woods. I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

"...go away, Lamb!"

One last thing that I skipped over is leshy's line of "But when dear brother Narinder", which I'm having a hard time characterising. Does Leshy still hold Narinder in high regards? Or is he just super sarcastic.

We potentially have Narinder's characterisation (Narinder never says a bad word about leshy, never celebrates his demise, grows his favourite food as stated by dev of berries and camellias, etc) and the fact you can find red crown statues surrounded by Camellias in Leshy's domain for the former, but for the latter it's a bit more difficult as most of his dialogue is hard to read as Sarcasm, but he does seem to like verbal irony.

"But you should not be so trusting of the Chained One. Oh, well. It's too late for talk. One such as you deserves no absolution."

"Through the dirt I would wade until one day... I found a Crown... or perhaps it found me?"

There's nuance here, I know it.

I'm more inclined for the former, of a genuine about everything Leshy, because in my game he straight up asked me to marry him as soon as I unlocked the option. And I said fuck it because its not like anyone ELSE had asked me (I have yet to finish Narinder's quests as nobody has died).

So I'm biased.

[alexlesuagz]

Criminal Case fanfic ideas (because IDK, I’m bored)

[Possible spoilers for all 8 seasons]

{S5} Prequelfic where Amir realizes he’s gay and confides in Rupert about it.

{S5} Rupert having an ace awakening (because yes, I headcanon him as ace) and being extremely confused about his feelings, so he confides in Amir about it. (No seggs, only tea, amirite)

{S3} [TW: SA] Jack finally gaining the courage to tell Lars about Lavinia DeBrils SA’ing him.

{S1} How Chad Whickman and Rose Cassidy first met (because goddamnit, they deserved better).

{S1} AU where Chad managed to calm Joe Stern down, not die, and get the job.

{S2} [TW: Abuse] A day in the life of Duncan Young, living with his mother and sister and having to deal with her emotional abuse.

{S1} Adam Bentley talking with his foster brother at his grave.

{S1} The aftermath of Julian Ramis’s arrest from the perspective of Julian’s parents.

{S2} [TW: Homophobia] The end of Zack and Becky’s friendship.

{S5} James Savage first meets Carter Hayes.

{S4} How Timmy and Bridget Baker first became friends.

{S5} [TW: Implied Sewerslide] Rene Narcisse’s words almost push Julian over the edge until the player and Gabriel show up.

{S2} [TW: Murder] A young Yann Toussaint has an argument with his parents and storms off. That would end up being the biggest mistake of his life.

{S5} Jones accidentally stumbles upon Zoe suddenly using telekinesis.

{S2} [TW: Cults, PTSD, and Implied Abuse] Not even Russell is safe from flashbacks, and surprisingly, the one who helps him out of a PTSD-induced panic attack is Frank.

{S4} The events of Vittorio Cappechi’s murder from Seamus’s point of view.

{S6} One of Amy’s therapy sessions with Marina following Nebet’s betrayal.

{S6} Sirius wonders why Orlando constantly ignores him, so he decides to ask. It doesn’t really go well.

{S6} Sequelfic(?) where Tony meets the player during S1 and tries to recall why they seem so familiar.

{S3} Baxter Fraser goes to therapy.

{S3} AU where Obaasan (IDK how to spell it, sorry) is found dead and Tsukada Hiroshi is alive because he killed her.

{S7} An apology note Dolores wrote to Gwen before her demise.

{S7} Inspired by @katrinahood , a crackshipfic between James Savage and Sam Ellis.

{S5} Crackshipfic between brunette bastard Louis Leroux and Joe Warren.

{S8} Jones and the player bond and catch up after 3 years.

{S8} Hugo Mercier giving love advice to Carrie.

{S5} Jones copes with Tony Marconi’s death.

{S8} Hugo and Jones bond over similar experiences.

{S5} [TW: Sewerslide] Gabriel and Jones talk after Jones’s attempt.

{S2} One of Jupiter’s letters to Russell, apologizing for being a shit dad.

{S5} Jones, Zoe, Alex and Cathy have a double date.

{S7} Larry Zarus goes on a car ride with his friend and business partner, Bernie. Next thing he knows, he’s waking up in a coffin. His own coffin.

{S4} Charlie reveals that he can’t slow dance for the life of him. Maddie decides to teach him.

{S2} [TW: Abuse] Frank confronts Miriam Young about her shit parenting.

{S2} [TW: Abuse] Duncan confronts his mother about her shit parenting. It goes as well as you’d expect.

{S2} [TW: Abuse and Death] The day the Young siblings’ father died was a hellish day indeed.

{S5} [TW: Underage Drug Use] Julian and Vicki smoke weed together and have a chat about life.

{S7} Dolores tries to figure out a way to apologize to Gwen.

{S7} Arthur Darkwood never really enjoyed the small things in life, and he never noticed until he spent time with the Supernatural Hunters.

{S5} Jones is lowkey kinda lonely, so Ramirez decides to set him up on a blind date to cheer him up. Unbeknownst to Ramirez, Jones’ blind date was one of his old college acquaintances — Zoe Kusama.

{S6} The “Altered Present” Arc, but Lars is in it for some reason.

{S7} Zander Stark and Danny Kwame were queerplatonic bros, change my mind— (I hc Zander as bisexual and Danny as omniromantic asexual)

{S8} Cody reminisces on his failed relationship with Eleanora.

{S8} Prequelfic where Jean-Phillipe slow dances with Marguerite.

{S5} After skipping the trial of Rosamund Wilcox, Julian runs into Chelsea Bloom and they have a chat.

{S7} Human AU where Arthur and Reggie decide to have some “brother bonding time”, so they go to a local art museum. Things don’t go well.

{S4} Seamus makes eye contact with Giulietta at Mr. Alastor’s party.

{S2} A series of noteworthy recorded conversations between Bobby Prince and his therapist over the span of a year.

{S3} 5 times Jonah tries to smile and the first time Marina makes him smile.

{S3} [TW: Kidnapping, Torture, and PTSD] Elliot claims that he’s moved on past the whole “Anbu Devanesan” thing. He has not.

{S6} Serap and Roxelana’s love story, starting from their first meet.

{S6} Noah Lowe gets some advice from Ian Devine about love and life and shit (also, Noah lives in this fanfic concept, because bro deserves better).

{S7} AU where Rathimael lives, Arthur lives, and they live a peaceful life together in a small lakeside cottage on the outskirts of Michigan.

{S2} “What happened to the Francis I loved and cared about deeply?!” “He’s dead, and I killed him a long time ago.”

{S2} Bobby Prince’s last thoughts were about the idyllic life he would live with Amy via the virtual reality. (This was inspired by Bojack Horseman btw) (No I do not like Bobby Prince)

{S5} [TW: Attempted Murder] AU where Zoe survives Louis’s attempt on her life.

{S3} [TW: Implied Abuse] Michelle Zuria’s traumatic childhood at the hands of her nanny.

{S5} [TW: Sewerslide] AU where Jones decides to go home after Leroux is arrested, and the player decides to accompany him. Possible alternate endings available.

{S7} Fabien de la Mort chills out and asks Gwen for advice on how to properly swoon a certain someone (*cough*, Luke Fernandez, *cough cough*)

{S7} [TW: Murder] Ruth Wu’s final moments were in utter agony. (Deserved tbh)

{S4} [TW: Murder] Elias Willingham pays local pimp Kristopher Bauer for information about his missing daughter. Like many moments in the Criminal Case universe, things do not end well.

{S7} AU where Arthur Darkwood survives the events of S7 and decides to join the Supernatural Hunters.

{S2} Anjulie Cruz breaks up with Bobby and remembers all the red flags he showed while they were dating.

{S1} AU for “The Rorscach Reaper” where Ramirez arrives just in time to arrest Tess — but too late to save the player.

{S5} Canon divergence after Zoe’s arrest when Jones confronts Marconi and breaks down. Marconi talks him out of doing anything foolish and the two of them just talk while lying down on the grass.

{S7} Arthur never really had a family (besides Reggie, but we don’t talk about Reggie) due to being a demon. One of the Supernatural Hunters (probably Hope Newman) makes an offhand comment about how he’s family to them. (Bro deserved better imo)

{S5} [TW: Attempted Murder] AU where Nathan manages to regain consciousness just before Kit pulls out the snake.

{S6} Series of transcripts from Marina’s therapy sessions with different Criminal Case characters, including Jack, Amy, Jones, Chief Arrow, and Arthur Darkwood.

{S5} Prequelfic where Joe Warren meets his new college roommate, Louis Leroux.

{S2} After the events of “Once Upon a Crime”, Frank decides to call his daughter to tell her what happened.

{S5} [TW: Sewerslide] Either Alex, Grace, or Ramirez get the call about Jones’ attempt on his own life.

(I’m perfectly fine with y’all using these, just please ask first and credit me!)

[runaway-may]

Did I forgot to shape the nails on my right hand? Yes.

But who cares (I do) I have a Darkwood inspired manicure 😌

(This game really deserves some appreciation)

[famousblueraincoatmp3]

game recs:

pumpkin panic: a cute and different farming game where you play as a little pumpkin lad. beware of deer. solo dev i think so be respectful.

fallout: the first title in the iconic series. currently 75% off!

tormented souls: different indie puzzler inspired by classic survival titles like silent hill and resident evil. i think its moreso inspired by res, but there's some silent hill influences in there too.

cultist simulator: from the creator of fallen london, i think. it's a card game where you build your own cult. i was obsessed with this game in 2018.

darkwood: this is not going to be for everyone but it was for me. an indie title from eastern europe which really stuck with me after i finished it. i think the main thing for me is the forest being so encompassing. im from northern europe so it really did feel like just hitting up the gorcery store on the way home from work for a pack of cigs or whatever

sunless sea: idk if anybody has played this one but i love it. the dlc is so good too. if the story is confusing for anyone the summary is so basically a bunch of bats dragged london underground and now everything is kind of silly.

remothered: tormented fathers: an indie giallo-style title that is unlike anything else i've ever played. it's like if an italian played clocktower and was like. you know what. this needed to be even more yellow. which is probably exactly what happened. ps. the sequel is broken as hell but the first one is still good

martha is dead: another italian produced indie game from the devs of the town of light, set during world war 2 on the tuscany countryside. you know a horror game is going to go crazy when it has a laundry list of trigger warnings and "self harm" is like the least extreme of them.

maid of sker: welsh inspired lovecraftian horror game that is actually so good. warning this one has a dog in it so you spend like 90% of the game with an elevated heart rate just because of that. if i could ban any feature from horror games its including pets without knowing whether or not they're just going to die.

faith: the unholy trinity: i FINALLY. played this game. i know i know. she was a dust bunny for a while but i worked it off this weekend. i deserve an award. maybe laziest person of the year? person-most-likely-to-put-off-things-they'll like-because-for-no-reason award?

BONUS REC: sanitarium: a classic jacobs ladder-but-oh-its-lovecraft inspired story that is actually really interesting.

[xpiester333x]

A list of all the games I played in 2022:

A list of every game I played in 2022 with my hours and my ratings for no reason other than I like making lists and its fun :D. Also because I've been working really hard at my back log and this is satisfying to look at!

I only rated the games I finished or gave a good shot at. If I played a game for 30-40 hours but didn't officially finish it, I think I still deserve to rate it. If it was only a few hours tho, I left those unrated for now.

I meant to post this last month but honestly I wanted the ability to add a read more because I PLAYED A LOT OF GAMES THIS YEAR.

Unpacking (completed) - 4 hours - 8/10

Darkwood (not completed, too spooky) - 4 hours - N/A

Lost Ark - 47.5 hours - 6/10

Garden Paws (not completed) - 29 hours - 8/10

Skyrim (not completed) - 12 hours - N/A

My Time at Sandrock (not completed) - 35 hours - 8/10

Wildermyth (not completed) - 3 hours - N/A

SCP: Secret Laboratory - 27 hours - 9/10 (with friends)

Stardew Valley (completed but not really) - 300 hours - 10/10

Little Witch in the Woods (not completed) - 1 hour - N/A

I'm On Observation Duty (completed) - 4 hours - 8/10

I'm On Observation Duty 2 (completed) - 2 hours - 7/10

I'm On Observation Duty 3 (completed) - 4 hours - 9/10

I'm On Observation Duty 4 (completed) - 6 hours - 10/10

I'm On Observation Duty 5(completed) - 12 hours - 9/10

Among Trees (I didn't abandon this game, it abandoned me) - 4 hours - 6/10

Stray (completed) - 10 hours - 10/10

Lorelai (completed) - 7 hours - 6/10

Calico (completed) - 6 hours - 4/10

Oxenfree (completed) - 6 hours - 5/10

Sudocats (completed) - 6 hours - 5/10

The Room (completed) - 3 hours - 8/10

The Room 2 (completed) - 3 hours - 8/10

The Room 3 (completed) - 7 hours - 6/10

The Room 4 (completed) - 5 hours - 9/10

Death & Taxes (completed) - 5 hours - 5/10

Little Nightmares (completed) - 4 hours - 10/10

A Building Full of Cats (completed) - 3 hours - 5/10

Bear & Breakfast (not completed) - 30 hours - 8/10

The Mortuary Assistant (completed) - 5 hours - 7/10

Tacoma (completed) - 3 hours - 5/10

Donut County (completed) - 2 hours - 5/10

Spiritfarer (not completed, barely started really) - 2 hours - NA

Resonance of the Ocean (completed) - 30 minutes - 4/10

100 Hidden Hares (completed) - 21 minutes - 5/10

Persona 4 (completed) 100 hours - 9.5/10

Wanted Raccoon (abandoned) - 1 hour - 0/10

Potion Permit (abandoned) - 6 hours - 3/10

Littlewood (not completed) - 4 hours - NA

Among the Sleep (not completed) - 2 hours - NA

A Little to the Left (completed) - 5 hours - 7/10

Zodiacats (completed) - 5 hours - 5/10

Save Room (completed) - 2 hours - 7/10

A Castle Full of Cats (completed) - 2 hours - 8/10

How to Bathe Your Cat (not completed) - 35 minutes - NA

Ever Seen a Cat? (completed) - 1 hour - 5/10

Hidden Shapes: Cat Realm (completed) - 5 hours - 6/10

NPC Problems: Vertex Coloring (completed) - 2 hours - 6/10

Hidden Cats in Paris (completed) - 30 minutes - 5/10

Ralph and the Blue Ball (completed) - 19 minutes - 6/10

Persona 5 (completed) - 130 hours - 10000000/10

Final Fantasy 14 - 1,975 hours (this year, almost 16k hours on record, and ever ongoing) - It's aight.

I plan to go back and finish the not completed ones one day, they just got temporarily forgotten for one reason or another. I have terrible ADHD so if I stop playing something for about a week I'll just forget it exists for a while so.

Some were very short, some were very long. Some were great, some were not so great. All in all though I accomplished what I wanted to this past year. I played more games, I worked through my back log.

Can't wait to play even more next year!!!

[wildflowertips]

Hi! I was curious if you had anymore Kuroko fic recommendations? Thank you! 🥺💗

hey! 🥺 i do have more kuroko fanfic recs. i didnt know what type of kuroko ship you wanted, so here are a few from some kuroko ships <3:

Kagakuro Recommendations

the flower that blooms in adversity by aotetsu

When Kagami falls for Kuroko Tetsuya, a famous prostitute from the red light district, he manages to find a whole lot of trouble and a person worth it all.

this fic deserves more love and attention. kagami love for kuroko absolutely made me sob

Brothers in Woo by buttwade

in which Himuro jokingly offers to help Kagami win Kuroko over and the joke's on him

kagami is drunk & himuro cracks jokes. this fic is funny. jealous!kuroko

Beastly call by TCon

"You mean," Kuroko started. "You'd be my Heat Partner?" He didn't expect Kagami to explode into a myriad of different shades of red more impressive than his own hair. "Y — yeah tha's what I'm sayin'!" for some reasons he lapsed into english with an odd accent. KagaKuro Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics & Sex Pistols AU - Fusion

Lots of smut in the beginning. there’s crime, suspense, and i read this fic like 5 times.

Stamina Training by tnsxbunny

As the weakest member in the team, Kuroko stays back after basketball practice to train on his stamina. Kagami watches from afar and decides to show Kuroko what real stamina training is.

SMUT. SUCH GOOD SMUT. thank u

The advantage of being Kuroko by heartfilledteddybear

mayuzumi hits on Kuroko & Kagami gets jealous 🥵

Akakuro Recommendations

Forget me not flowers in our hair by miniaturepsycho

When Kagami is captured by a beast Kuroko doesn't think twice and bargains to take the red head's position instead but it seems that there is more to this castle than meets the eye, and what has it have to do with forget me not's?? Basically a beauty and the beast AU that I decided to do after seeing the live action (which I totally did not cry at, not at all!!) COMPLETE

Contains Aokaga. Akashi as beast & kuroko as belle. So good 🥺

All I ask by TsuruKuni

"It's none of your business." "Tell me, Aomine. How can it be none of my business when you're throwing away the only person I've ever wanted?"

THIS FIC MADE ME SOB AT 3 AM. I highly recommend listening to ‘All I ask’ by Adele. I promise you will cry. Aokuro & Akakuro.

Bridezilla by DancingMarshmallows

Weddings are stressful... try helping people plan them. With two months to get everything together, a bridezilla and her bitch of a maid of honor, and finding love at the worst time, Kuroko would be lucky if he makes it out alive.

CEO!Akashi & WEDDING PLANNER!kuroko. you will not regret reading this one.

That Ridiculously Long Dance by Harmonia_Silverberg

Aomine, Kise, and Kagami never learn, do they? But apparently their "joke" works in Akashi and Kuroko's favor this time.

literally one of my all time favorite akakuro fanfic

What Would Chihiro Do by anewtinystory

Akashi is dating Kuroko, whose two brothers are very protective of him.[Based on a Tumblr anon's prompt: Nijimura and Mayuzumi are Kuroko's brothers; while Nijimura approves of Akashi, Mayuzumi feels the opposite]

slight smut. protective bros. i love it sm.

Aokuro Recommendations

Traded Mistakes by Acetate, Chrystie, exuberant_imperfection, kate882, luckypen

For the prompt: Aomine having an accident and losing his memory so all he remembers is being best friends with Tetsu and he doesn’t understand how that could stop.

Angst, oh the angst 😫😭.

Third time’s a charm (or maybe fourth) by LajtHane

Aomine really didn't mean to crash into him at Quidditch practice.

HOGWARTS AU. if that doesn’t temp you, idk what will. My fav Aokuro fic.

Maybe a touch of your hand by skinandbones

[Written for AoKuroWeek 2015]: Aomine moves into a new apartment and befriends a ghost boy.

no bc this fic made me cry too. pls read it 🎶ifwehad5moreminutes🎶

The Boyfriend Jersey by exuberant_imperfection, kate882

Kuroko, in a half-asleep mistake, ends up wearing Aomine's jersey to school.

THIS FIC IS CUTE SUCH DORKS

Hey, Come Here Often? by imabignerd

In which Momoi holds his magazines hostage, Aomine hates everything and everyone, and Kuroko is politely bewildered.

Aomine crushes on the lifeguard!Kuroko & Momoi is a little shit about it 😌🤍

Midokuro Recommendations

It’s Always your Fault! by warsandwich

Kuroko and Midorima are secretly dating, but Takao finds out their secret. De-anon from the anon meme.

Short, sweet, & funny 😌.

Partnership by Fayah

Their partnership starts in English class, but like everything else in their lives, turns into a matter of basketball.

Midorima really cares for Kuroko 🥺

Midokuro Ficlet by pandacchii

based off of imagineyourotp blog post: "Imagine your otp confessing while they were half asleep" Pairing: Midorima/Kuroko

short story but it’s really cute ☺️

An Unexpected Alignment by cinnaelle

Midorima Shintarou does not expect such a reoccurring encounter. But the wheels of fate are turning and Akashi moves his shogi piece.

well-written i love it sm. deserves more praise

The Way You Come Undone by oshare_banchou

"Midorima Shintarou is completely silent during sex. And Kuroko, who is both fascinated and frustrated by this discovery, wonders just how much it would take to make him come undone." - Kuroko/Midorima, in that order

do i need to say more? 😫

Kikuro Recommendations

Careless Whisper by DarkWoods

When Kuroko is dared to come up with some dirty talk, no one expects him to be good at it. Certainly not Kise.

my favorite kikuro fanfic. flustered!kise & tease!kuroko

如果的事 (If) by stormterror

People fall in love in many different manners. Love feels like many different things to many people, but Kise Ryouta thinks there's nothing that quite beats the feeling of being in love with Kuroko Tetsuya. [kise/kuroko]

SO GOOD I CRIED I SMILED SO HARD. pls kikuro deserves the world

Wires, Connecting by Bakagami

It's like being blind but not, like touching air, grasping at straws, voices dissipating and reverberating.

This story is locked so you need to login into ao3 to read it. PHONE SEX & DIRTY TALK 🥵

He Promised by imabignerd

Kise promised he'd smile for Kuroko the whole way through, all the way to the end.

Zombie apocalypse AU. Death. sobbing violently.

It’s a Small World by SilentSilhouette

Kise tries to find his soulmate through social media. Soulmate AU where a picture of your soulmate is tweeted to you on your sixteenth birthday.

This one made me crackle & laugh😂😂

Murakuro Recommendations

No Such Thing as Too Much Vanilla by plumtrees

Kuroko and Murasakibara have baking days. What do you mean it isn't canon?

baking!boyfriends & fluff 😌😉

Vanilla Cream by yoimrei

Murasakibara eats Kurokos ass after something Ahomine says which sparks his jealousy.

here me out first, the ass eating in this is *chef’s kiss* 🤌🏽🤌🏽

Philia by DarkWoods

That time Murasakibara and Kuroko started kinda-sorta fake dating, and kinda-sorta never bothered to break up.

Still going & i love this writer sm. i read all their stories 😙✌🏽

Lavender Secrets by SailorHikarinoMu

Kuroko was the one to bring out his true love for basketball, which had been hidden from prying eyes since the beginning. It was one of those things he was unsure whether he should feel grateful for, but all the same, it did mean something. What this 'something' was, exactly? Murasakibara did not know. Not yet.

FLUFF AAA FLUFF

Rainy by overdose

Kuroko listened to the rain pouring, and more importantly, Murasakibara's steady breathing.

smut. couch sex. size difference. 🥴

BONUS

Hanamiya Makoto/Kuroko Tetsuya

Scotomas by Darkenedcrystal

After the game against Jabberwock, Kagami goes overseas and Kuroko finds himself without a light. A slightly angsty, rather light-hearted story about what happens to Kuroko after Kagami leaves. Features teens finding their way around life, Seirin without a light, the Generation of Miracles being a family, the teens finding love and appreciating the heartbreaks. Kuroko tries to find his own style without a light, and stumbles into the darkness that is Hanamiya Makoto instead. Extra chapter added!

love this fic so much. downside: akashi is kinda a dick

Of Unlikely Friendships, Sneaky Bets, Shogi and Sake by itsthechocopuff

Imayoshi had introduced his two favourite kouhai to each other as an experiment. He did not predict they'd get along so well, both being shadows, but they did, and they worked, oddly enough. Hanamiya brought out the worst in Kuroko, while Kuroko brought out the the best in the other; and they both caused heartattacks to unsuspecting teammates who could not believe their darling shadow was not as innocent as he seemed.

you wont regret reading this one omg

Haizaki Shougo/Kuroko Tetsuya

A Taste That Lingers by therealmoyashi

I couldn't say anything, and that was alright because he didn't want an answer. I'll never forget the way that tasted. Yeah, I thought, he ruined me.

i cried reading this for the first time. out of character kuroko

By the Tomatoes by Wayfarer_Rye

It starts with a blue-grey t-shirt that says "Nothing but Net".

Haizaki wants to try again.

[crimsonophelia]

I came across this blog by pure chance and to say I’m in love with your work would be a COMPLETE understatement <3 If you don’t mind, could I request an imagine involving Diluc and a femme maid reader? The reader has feelings for Diluc, but knowing the consequences of what would happen if she were to even try anything with him, she instead devotes all of her love and care into her work—cooking him extra hearty breakfasts, staying up late well into the night to welcome Diluc home after his duties as the Darknight Hero and to help patch up any wounds he might have acquired, etcetera—entirely unaware of Diluc subconsciously picking up her signs and slowly growing fond of her for it.

It all comes to light when the reader makes a passing comment about being excited to take care of Diluc’s children someday. (“Well, who wouldn’t be excited to take care of their own children?” “...My own children? I was talking about your children, Master Diluc.”) And Diluc promptly ends up struck with the realization that he can see no one else take care of him and his future family better than the reader herself (as his wife, perhaps? 😉)

I apologize if my request was a little specific, feel free to absolutely take any creative liberty with it—just the honor of you writing it would be MORE than enough. Thank you, and I hope you have a truly wonderful day! <3

featuring: diluc x fem!reader

warnings: none

published: april 23 2021

form: imagine

a/n: anon you’re so nice i’m gonna cry TTTT but really, you flatter me, and i also love this request. diluc deserves soft domesticity. i hope you like it, my dear! <3

mondstadt around windblume festival was always quite busy. the knights were busy setting up the decorations around the favonius headquarters, and all the local businesses were preparing for extra-heavy business during the season.

dawn winery was no exception. the ragnvindr family, led by young master diluc, made lucrative incomes during this time of the year, what with all the young lovers courting one another left and right, feeding the city’s wine, restaurant, and flower businesses. the winery also leveraged its monopoly on mondstadt’s most diverse selection of wines and spirits, and hosted numerous winery and vineyard tours throughout the course of the windblume festival. 

needless to say, the staff and owners of the dawn winery were not short of chores and tasks that needed to be completed in order to prepare for incoming business. you were certainly no exception, as a maid of the winery, and by extension, the ragnvindr estate. 

you were tasked with decorating the interior of the winery with various floral arrangements of what they liked to call “windblumes”, but in reality were just a number of other flowers that vaguely fit the description. the rest of the maids were outdoors, preparing the vineyard for the wine tours and marking which barrels of wine would be made available to visitors on the wine tours.

though you were rather abashed, you hoped that this would be an opportunity to find some time to be alone with master diluc. you would never openly admit to yourself your painful longing you felt for the master of the estate, the beautiful man with the flaming hair. regardless, it was unbecoming of a maid to think such things about her employer. having a roof over your head and a stable income was already more than you could ever ask for.

but you couldn’t help but to feel a certain way whenever the young man occupied the same room as you, his presence so large yet so humble, always conscious of those around him. ever since he was a boy, when you had first met him, he had nothing to offer but kindness.

it was years of him returning to the estate in the ungodly hours of the night, covered in cuts and bruises, in which you patched him up, never asking more than “where does it hurt the most”, during which you fell for him as fast as his bandages turned as bloody red as his silken hair.

it was years of you two sneaking glances at eachother, summers in which you and the maids were out under the sun, counting the season’s harvests, where you would catch diluc’s eyes roaming you and only. and when you met his gaze, he would turn away, bashful as a naughty child, and cheeks dusting a rosy pink, almost as dark as the grapes he so loved to walk amongst.

leaving your memories and returning to your duties, you continued to string up the lanyards of cecilias and lilies across the darkwood of the winery foyer. the flora was indeed, quite pretty, although their lightness did clash a little with the dark and brooding mahogany bookshelves you were pinning them onto. reaching up to try and place some cecilias onto the top shelf, you realized that your fingers could only reach a few inches short of the top. dammit. you would have to go fetch the stepladder from the storage closet.

as you were about to turn around, you noticed an arm from your peripheral vision reach up and place the flower up onto the upoer shelf with ease.

“good afternoon, [y/n]. these decorations look lovely. good work.” flashing you his uncharacteristically warm, familiar grin that he seemed to save only for you, diluc finished stringing up the rest of the lanyard across the parts of the bookshelf he know you would be too short to reach.

“good day, master diluc. you flatter me.” you turned away, ashamed at your own girlish excitement. “i hope your work is going well?” the formalities exchanged between you and diluc had become almost like a secret language, one always being able to effectively distinguish the other’s true feelings, beneath the saccharine emptiness of upper-class etiquette. yet this time you hoped he wouldn’t be able to read the fluttering of your heart through your words.

“hm. quite well, indeed.” the man stepped back from where you were working, and looked at the room, as if assessing every nook and cranny with his usual, critical glare. he wasn’t wearing his usual leather suit and fur jacket. today, the young master donned a sharp, three-piece suit, always neat and pressed. perhaps he was ready to go into the city to take care of winery business.

he looked around the foyer, squinting as if looking for something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“is something the matter, master diluc?” you questioned. did you place the flowers asymmetrically? or perhaps there was too much space between the shelves and the potted cecilias.

“[y/n], do you ever feel like the winery is too empty?”

confused, you shook your head. perhaps now wasnt the time to bring up the emptiness left behind after master ragnvindr, senior, passed away. you always felt for diluc, and master kaeya as well, after their shining light of a father left the world. diluc had never been the same since then—you had caught him looking through childhood photos in the estate library when he thought nobody else was present.

“well”, you started, choosing your words carefully, “when the time comes for master diluc to have a family of his own, the estate might feel a little livelier then. and i would be very excited to nanny the future generation of ragnvindrs as well, if you’ll excuse my preposterousness.”

the man blinked, as if trying to make sense of what you just said. “nanny? dont you mean-“

oh. diluc sensed that he might have made a mistake. but yet, it made such perfect sense. in what universe could he accept [y/n] not being the mother of his children, the pillar keeping both himself and this entire estate afloat? certainly not this one.

the realization dawned upon him, as well as the regrets from years of inaction in his past. he wasn’t about to let someone else slip through his fingers. not again.

“say, [y/n], my dear. how do you feel about going into the city with me tonight? i have some business i need to run and i’d be much obliged if you accompanied me.”

a/n: aaaaah im pretty happy with how this turned out, and i hope you like it too! i wasnt able to go with your prompt word for word, which i hope is okay. the whole time i was literally imagining scenes from downton abbey lolol

[sparklyandhaunted]

“Well, that’s just wrong.” Granger was indignant. “I was wrong. You are a better man now and you deserve more consideration.”

Draco goggled at her. “I’m not and I don’t.”

She shook her head. “You deserve respect.”

“I really don’t,” Draco was the one insisting now. “Truly, Granger, I deserve any amount of torture you care to inflict. Bring out those talons.”

- The Darkwood Wand by ThebeMoon

[teacup-crow]

Maybe, Maybe, Maybe

Fun bit of survivors’ guilt for @badthingshappenbingo, based pretty heavily off Don’t Poke the Bear and Variations on a Theme. Post-finale.

They take it in turns to keep watch for when he wakes up: Doug, Reneé, Isabel, first names still such a novelty. Just his luck, he opens his eyes to the impassive face of Captain Lovelace.

“Hi, dickbag. Sore head?”

“Unnnnhh…” he whines as if he’s lying under a ton of rocks rather than a cosy quilt on Renee’s living room floor. His face is a patchwork of bruising. “Aspirin?”

She takes pity, and passes him two and a glass of water. The sitting up takes longer than he thought it would.

“You look terrible. Lucky for you, Renee makes a mean chilli con carne. Never would have guessed she could cook.”

“No thanks, I should, should be going-”

“You need food in your system, that’s non-negotiable. First thing’s first, though, you’re having a shower, and you either go willingly or get dragged bodily, because you goddamn stink. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” he mumbles automatically, and he remembers the Colonel - Warren? Was it on a day he could call him Warren? - once saying something similar and his head pounds. ((“mr jacobi, of all the irresponsible, stupid shit i have seen from you this really takes the-“))

“Bathroom’s on the second floor, just past the master bedroom. Dominick put a pile of clean clothes in there before he left for work. And it’s Isabel, okay? Not sir. Not Captain. Never again.”

***

“Who did this to you?”

He grips his mug of sweet tea like it’s thousand dollar whiskey. He’s still ashen. “I did this to me.”

“You beat the shit out of yourself? Okay, yeah. Don’t buy that one.” Isabel repeats the question. “Who did this to you?”

“Just some guys I pissed off. I don’t know how many. I don’t know who. Happy now?”

The room goes silent. Isabel continues:

“And did you go provoking them deliberately?”

Not for the first time, Renee wonders whether they should have included Doug in this little intervention. He’s been through so much just like the rest of them, but he doesn’t know it, and he’s clearly freaking out at the situation.

“Why would he want something like that to happen? He looks terrible!”

“I don’t know, Doug,” Isabel says levelly. “Care to answer, Jacobi?”

He’s not on a first name basis, apparently.

“Not… I didn’t... no. No, no, no. I was too drunk and… picking fights, but suddenly there were too many of them, okay? But I got out. And if I want to drink then that’s my own problem, so thank you for the hospitality but-“

Renee cuts in there. “When you drink yourself into a stupor, get attacked by a gang in a back alley, and stumble into my doorway at 0300 hours after six months of radio silence, it becomes our problem.” Her look of pity makes his stomach churn even more than the chilli did. He breathes in, hold, out; in, hold, out; in-((alana’s breathing technique and why why why is she everywhere in everything why does he have to see her out of the corner of his eye when it’s been so long he can’t properly remember her face-))

“Fine. What do you want from me?”

“You are a good man and you saved every single one of our lives and we need to understand why you’re so intent on throwing yours away.”

Jacobi starts laughing then, guttural laughs that worsen the ache in his head and bones but he can’t seem to stop them. “...me? I’m a good man? Oh my God, Lieutenant, that’s hilarious. Give us another.”

“You need to take this seriously! This is a form of self harm! You could have died!” Isabel is pacing up and down. She and Renee do good cop, bad cop like it’s a professional sport.

“Boo fucking hoo. And the world would forever be worse off for my passing.”

Isabel stops, and turns back towards him with some heat in her gaze. “I have lost too many crew members who deserved to die far less than you do. Okay? Is that what you want to hear? Do you need me to reconfirm that you are a an asshole? Do you need to hear about how Fisher, and Hui, and Fourier, and Lambert were all far better people than you will ever, ever be? Or will you accept that you are good in there? That deep down you’re on the right-“

“We burned their letters.” He’s staring at the duvet he’s wrapped in, running his finger over the flowers on the pattern. “Okay? Still think I’m a good person?”

“...wait. What?” She laughs a little, in shock perhaps. “But you told me…”

“I told you what I needed to tell you to make you trust me. We burned your crew’s letters. Lambert’s… I remember those especially. His hands were shaking really hard when he wrote them, weren’t they.”

It’s not a question.

Isabel stops pacing, and Jacobi grins again but it doesn’t reach his bruised eyes when he looks up at her. “More than mine, even. You could tell he was sick. They didn’t make any sense. We laughed at them. The irony of a Communications Officer who can’t communicate. Are you listening to me? We read their letters and we burned them and we laughed about it-“

Renee loses her softness. “Jacobi, that is enough!”

Isabel has a hand on her chest as if something has hit her there. She counts to ten in her head, ((fisher’s technique to try and stop her fighting with sam, never worked but still stuck in her head, or this copy of her head, or whoever she is now-)) and leaves the room.

They hear her slamming drawers in the kitchen.

Doug glances at Jacobi and shakes his head, before hurrying after her.

“How could you,” Reneé says. “How could you.”

“I don’t know. Will you let me go and ruin my own life now?”

“Never,” she replies. “Because, God help me, you’re still a member of my crew.”

At that, his eyes prick with tears he can’t explain. He rolls over on the air bed, and closes them.

***

“Lovelace?” Jacobi finally makes himself walk into the kitchen, grimacing like each step is on hot sand. The words are monotone. “I’m so sorry. What I did and said is... inexcusable.”

“Nope. That’s too large a word for your vocabulary. Come back to me with an apology Renée didn’t script,” Isabel snaps, going back to scribbling in a sketchbook.

“Look, I’m not much good at this-“

“You’re telling me.”

“I’m… really used to people yelling at me and hitting me until they feel better. Or you can shoot me if you like!”

“Jesus. Well, I am not about to do that to ease your guilt. You look like you’d snap if one more person poked you. So apologise properly.”

“I’m sorry…”

“For?” Isabel prompts over the top of her book.

“I’m sorry for burning your crew’s letters.”

“You did what you were ordered to do. It is what it is. I’m not condoning it.”

There’s a moment of silence, and Jacobi realises she’s waiting for him to continue. “And… I’m sorry for bringing it up. That was… needlessly cruel. It sucked.”

“It really did,” she replies, putting the book down. “Tell you what: that sounded somewhat genuine, and Goddard brought out the shit in all of us. You look so pathetic, I’m going to forgive you. Not because you deserve it, but because I don’t bear grudges. Not anymore.”

She holds out a hand, and he shakes it. “Thank you.”

“Wow. That actually hurt for you to say.”

Jacobi nods. He sits down across from her at Renée’s huge darkwood table, and thinks about how she and Dominick must have bought this when they moved in together with plans to have people over for dinner every other night. Maybe even plans to have kids.

He wonders if Dominick ate at it alone while his wife was gone.

“So, you gone on that holiday yet?”

“No, actually. I’ve legally been dead for about seven years, so getting a passport is proving pretty tricky.”

“I can imagine.”

“Where have you been, anyway? We tried to get into contact with you. We drove down to your old apartment - got your address from the Goddard database - but it was cleaned out.”

Jacobi looks sheepish. “Yeah, well, I’d mostly been staying at Alana’s for the last few years or overnight at… yeah… so I’d not been a very good tenant and turns out they took ‘lost in space’ as the perfect opportunity to kick me out. So I’ve been sofa to sofa, on the streets a bit-”

“For heaven’s sake, Jacobi. We would have helped you, you stupid asshole! All you had to do was ask and you could have stayed here! Renee and Dominick would probably even let you have a cheese collection or whatever the fuck it was.”

“Guess the amount of drinks it takes for me to lose my pride is somewhere over eighteen?”

“How do you have a functioning liver?”

They sit in an almost comfortable silence for a few minutes, Isabel reopening her sketchbook.

“I never knew you drew.”

“You never knew me outside of a life-threatening situation.” Isabel sighs, twists the pencil between her fingers. “I don’t think I did. Before. The old ‘me’, I mean. But I was bored and I can’t get a job because of the ‘being dead’ issue, so I thought I should take up a hobby or something. Might be therapeutic. I’m not very good at it…”

“Can I see?”

“I, uh,” Isabel suddenly looks uncertain. “I drew her. Maxwell. I drew everyone, actually. Are you sure you want to look?”

“Yes.”

He leafs through the pages, at first simple doodles before branching into full portraits. Eiffel, upside down and smoking a cigarette. Hilbert, looking troubled at a shadow behind him he can’t quite see. Two ghostlike figures in lab coats staring out at the star, the man with a prophetic terror etched on his face - must be Isabel’s old crewmates. Mr Cutter smiles up at him with far too many sharp teeth in sharper lines where the pencil was pressed far too hard and he turns the page quickly. There’s Kepler, mid-whiskey speech and it almost stops his heart. He pauses. Maxwell.

In the picture, her eyes are shining as she stares at Hera’s console, fingers nothing more than a blur - the three-day stint she spent trying to get the AI online. Aside from the orange and blue of Wolf 359, elsewhere in the book Isabel has barely used colour, but here the room is bathed in a serene green light from the screens. Behind Maxwell, Jacobi sees himself, little more than a stocky, sketchy outline, waiting for her to finish.

He looks so proud of her.

He looks so… content.

After staring for a long moment, Jacobi closes the book and hands it back. “Thank you.”

“You can keep the pictures of them, if you like,” Isabel offers, but he doesn’t know whether he would like, so he says:

“Tell me about your crew.”

“What?”

“Your old crew. Tell me about them. Was Lambert the one staring at...?”

“No. No. No, that was Kuan Hui, our senior astrophysicist. He was whipsmart and funny and fearless, until the time Goddard Futuristics played around in his brain, stretched out his perception of time. He was completely alone in the dark for two weeks. His smile never really reached his eyes after that.”

Jacobi sips tea awkwardly, even though it’s cold.

“Something like that, it stays with you. At least he had Fourier, though.”

“That’s the woman behind him?”

“Junior physicist. Victoire Fourier had eyes like stars. Cleverest person I’ve ever met. She played six instruments, spoke four languages and she had the most gentle soul. She used to read to Hui when he got sick with Decima. Coughed up every organ in his body. I thought it would break her, but she was made of stern stuff. She vanished off the space station in the final days and I still don’t know what exactly happened to her-”

“I… do. If you want to know, I mean.”

Isabel shakes her head. Then pauses. Then shakes her head again. “I get the feeling whoever is to blame is long gone.”

Jacobi shrugs. “Who else?”

“Well, there was Mace Fisher. Fisher… Fisher died because of me, not Goddard Futuristics. Asteroid shower tore him from my hands. He had a boyfriend waiting at home. He was sensitive, sensible, grounding. A real older brother type. I- I didn’t deal particularly well with his death. Well, you know that much.”

((Pill popper!)) Jacobi gulps more cold tea.

“And Lambert?”

“Sam Lambert. Officer Samuel Lambert had a stick up his ass. He was whiny, and authoritarian, and he treasured his copy of Pryce and Carter more than Reneé and Kepler combined did. He drove me nearly insane, and I drove him likewise. The best second in command you could ask for. A damn good man. Sam got sick after Hui, so we knew what was coming. What it meant. He was brave, though. At first.”

((“C-Captain, please shoot me, please, it hurts, it hurts, Captain, please, I just want it to-”)

She falters.

“Lovelace?”

“Yup?”

“You know, it’s not even really about the Hephaestus. I keep… it’s insane, but I keep thinking about… I was an explosives guy for the Air Force. Before Goddard. A trigger failed and two men died. Andrews and Sullivan. I haven’t thought about them in years and suddenly-“

“They’re everywhere?”

There’s a sudden understanding between them.

“They’re everywhere. Them and Maxwell and Kepler. They’re in mirrors, in the back of my brain, around corners.”

“Flashes of them.”

“And if you just reach out far enough, maybe-“

“Maybe-“

“Maybe.”

((let’s go be monsters)), Jacobi’s brain echoes. He grits his teeth.

“Did it stop for you? When does it stop?” He finds himself asking. Isabel doesn’t answer.

[whaleofatjme1920]

I saw your wolfman reader and loved it so much! Was wondering how you feel about maybe a Trader x reader? He's so sweet I feel like he's always looking out for you in the woods whether you know he is or not 🥺 also thank you so much for the darkwood fic we are starved here

Late Autumn's Trader

[The Trader X GN!Reader]

[Warnings: like, none?]

[AN: I was watching the VVitch when making this, and Thomasin is well, Thomasin. That poor girl deserved so much better lmfao, I will stand by that statement forever. At this point, I should just say that the Creepypasta/Marble Hornets requests are closed until Sunday lmfao I am not in love with that fandom rn. Anways, I hope you enjoy and that it's up to par <3 1.4K words]

The sun is beginning to set on the cursed, yet self-sufficient village you call your home. It’s not like there’s really a sun to see - the light is never able to pierce through the thick clouds, but it’s gradually glowing darker. Autumn is slowly coming to a close, and the villagers have found reason to celebrate.

The sow has been most bountiful, and the woods more graceful.

The lights of the village are almost as warm as the ever falling orange and red leaves that now blanket the forest floor. It’s almost surprising how good this year has been, almost as if the power that be is granting a moment of breath and mercy.

Of course, the woods grow at an alarming rate and soon you will be consumed, but it is a sweet consumption all the same.

Your father and mother call it false security.

Quietly, you step out of your house into the cold autumn air, wondering if winter will be just as gentle and forgiving. In the distance, you can hear violins carrying on the chilly breeze and the sound of people dancing.

This is the only levity they’ve had in years.

You pull at your shawl, attempting to stay warm before blowing warm air into your hands and rubbing them together. Perhaps you’ll stop by the square and pick up some soup. Your boots gently tap against the earth, a small hum leaving your lips as you do so. The air smells sweet, nostalgic and still stuck in time, but sweet. The woods around you, though dark and foreboding, are not near as imposing as they normally are.

You huff silently before crossing through the dirt paths, your journey taking you near the entrance of the village. You glance out to the side, the shrine in her glory decorated with offerings both to the woods and herself. She’s done an incredible job of keeping her people safe and the woods to bring sustenance for yet another year.

But there, out in the darkness, is a man you’ve only ever seen in whispers and sparsely through the fog. He rolls his shoulders forward, almost as if he’s uncomfortable with the weight on his back before nodding to the shrine. He holds his hand out to her, the metallic band catching the remaining of the sun’s lights and flashing in your eyes before he leaves it at her feet.

You blink and flush with embarrassment when you realize you’ve been staring a tad too long and quickly avert your eyes, unsure if he’d take offense to the notion or not. Instinctively, you grip at your shawl and will yourself to move forward.

The man gazes at you, his head tilting to the side as he draws closer to the mouth of the village.

Embarrassment floods your system as you move closer to the crowds. That was rather rude of you, come to think of it. The smell of food and fire fills your nose as you walk closer and closer still. You’re watching the heads for your mother or your father, your younger siblings and hope to find them. It would do you well to see some familiar faces after that rather awkward experience.

You keep your head on a swivel as you walk and push past the people who chatter like they’ve never seen a nicer night. The moon is rising higher and higher in the sky, and the light she is able to shine through the clouds bathes the village in her beauty.

It almost feels warm.

You mentally curse yourself at finding your family when a strong bout of intuition leads you back away from the celebration, to the outskirts of the square.

“Excuse me,” you mumble as you push past merry people, your gut guiding you downwards.

What a sight to behold.

Your eyes widen and you feel an immense amount of protection flood through your system, practically breaking from the lights and merrymaking when you see that man from before, knee on the earth as he places a crown of autumn leaves on your little sister’s head. She giggles, her hands grasping at her dress as she sways side to side, a warm smile on her lips.

“Thomasin!” You hiss, rushing forwards and tackling the young girl, snarling in defense when the man widens his eyes in surprise.

“R-Reader!” She cries out and yelps, her small hands grasping at your forearm.

“Don’t touch her!” You growl.

The man immediately backs up, his hands raised in submission before stepping back, giving the two of you your space. The glass of his mask is fogging as he breathes in deeply, the scent of mushrooms overtakes your nose.

“Well?” You sneer as you back up with your sister in your arms. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

The man only stumbles for a moment, his movements snapping out of a daze before he rolls up the sleeve of his coat, revealing smudged marks.

You’re barely able to open your mouth when you see him procure a pen.

‘I’m sorry,’ the words read out.

“Huh..?”

His gloved index finger points again at the words. ‘I mean you no harm,’ he scribbles down after wiping away the previous words. ‘I came here for business, but your little one-’

“My sister.”

He wipes the words away. ‘Your sister (apologies) asked for my help.’

You look at the young girl in your arms and raise a brow. “Thomasin?”

She looks up at you sheepishly, the autumn colored leaves covering her head obscuring her full expression from you before she giggles nervously. “I’m sorry, Reader,” she says with that same sheepish smile. “I wanted some flowers.”

“It’s almost winter,” you frown.

“That’s why he gave me the leaves instead,” she beams. “He is a nice man!”

Curiously, you look between Thomasin and the man who nods in agreement. Your eyes lock with his, checking for any deceit when you find none. “Do you know the way back to mother and father?”

Thomasin nods against you.

“Head over there now, please.” Hesitantly, you unpeel your arms from your little sister and watch as she steps forwards to the ‘nice man’. Her hands reach out to him, and he smiles ever so slightly, his gloved hand reaching back out to her before you shoot a disapproving look his way. You sigh, unwrap your shawl from your shoulders and throw it over her to keep her warm for the journey back.

You clear your throat before she scampers off, an apologetic smile on her lips as the man watches her disappear into the crowd.

“So,” you begin.

‘So,’ the man writes.

“What’s your name?”

‘Most people call me the Trader.’

“Creative.”

He smiles. ‘Reader is a pretty name.’

You flush for a moment.

An awkward pause follows between the two of you, the quiet growing and swelling much like the village’s festivities. You can hear laughter, the sow in the distance, good tidings for am approaching, hopefully short winter.

“Did you get to check out the festival yet?” You ask quietly, effectively breaking the thick silence.

The Trader shakes his head.

“Would you like to?”

He nods.

Slowly, the two of you stand, almost hesitant in the other’s presence and look each other over in full. He looks like a traveler, covered in layers of clothing and gear you’ve never really seen before except for maybe on the strangers that wander through once in a blue moon. You’ve heard whispers that they are the ones who come from beyond the trees.

You feel safe in the numbers of your fellow villagers, a small smile spreading on your lips as the Trader sticks close to you. You get the sense that he likes it too, and you reaffirm it when you see the ghost of a smile on his lips through the mist of his mask.

You’re about to ask him something when you’re suddenly pulled from the crowd to the center, a gasp falling from your lips before the music is seconds from starting back up. You look around with concern before the Trader steps forward, his bag an afterthought as he assuages your brief fear.

You smile at him as he holds his hand out to you, the beginnings of a lively song beginning to fill your head. He feels warm, and gentle, like sunlight that pierces through the clouds.

He nods his head almost playfully at you and you follow in suit, a courtesy feeling far too formal but you give in and demonstrate anyway. Another smile crosses onto his lips, his form dipping to accommodate yours.

You melt into his warmth and dance.

[shoezuki]

sometime soon or like. any time i have the house to myself i wanna test at streamin on twitch. like using some of the more Hardcore framerate games i got to test it out n see how it operates

but mostly i jus REALLY wanna stream my games. like. the kinda games i play is ofc minecraft. but mostly i play those types a indie games that are Bangers and are weird as fuck. rusty lake series, cult simulator, sundered, moonlighter, all supergiant games, iris and the giant, roki, darkwood, etcetecetc. and I REALLY WANNA STREAM EM.

part it'd be Fun. other part being that funky indie games deserve more love