#double life ranchers you will always be something to me <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[tunastime]

hiccuping tears into the shoulder + ranchers by chance?

hiccuping tears into their shoulder (1087 words) (x)

For the first time in a good, long portion of his life, Tango despises how silent the night gets. It's not without its natural noise—the balmy, sticky humidity and breeze in the grass, or the crickets, the cicadas quieting down, the sounds of animals rearranging themselves to a comfier sleeping arrangement. He should be doing the same, but he's sitting on the edge of the bed, his spine a rigid line. He can feel the blood in his body, he can feel the spaces where his muscles connect to each other, with every breath he can feel his lungs separate out the oxygen. It's at the very least startling, and at the very most, he feels like he might dissolve on the spot if touched. 

Tango knows how death feels—painless respawn and a few seasons of a life game behind him, but to feel someone else die, too. The echo of death alongside your own. He didn't like that! Not good at all. All his blood and heartbeat-y things are rushing around in his ears. He doesn't even hear Jimmy the first time he speaks up from the other side of the bed, with how his voice scrapes out.

"I didn't know they were aiming for us," Jimmy says.

"Of course not," Tango says, furrowing his eyebrows. "I know you didn't."

He's still looking at his hands, running his thumb over the lines in his palm and pushing into the tiny bones and muscle there. Jimmy flexes his hands like he can feel the pressure and bones moving around. He watches him fold his hand tight around each other and slump, pulling his shoulders to his chest. His breath squeezes in his chest as Jimmy deflates tiredly.

"I just don't want you to think—"

"I'm not gonna think this is your fault, alright?" Tango says, frowning at him. "Why would I?"

Jimmy sighs. His jaw works.

"Cause it usually is," he grits. Tango scrunches his nose on instinct, recoiling out of habit before he manages:

"That's not fair, man."

"This whole game isn't far!" Jimmy huffs, waving a hand about.

"Sure but—"

"But nothing, Tango. I just—I can't lose and drag you with me. That's more than not fair."

"I don't care."

"I care."

Before Tango can argue, though, he tastes the faintest hints of anger and frustration at the back of his mouth fade. He watches Jimmy's face contort as he tries to come up with a better sentence, something he probably thinks Tango deserves. Maybe an apology. 

Tango just looks at him. He kind of feels bad, that little bit of gut wrenching cold that trickles in, but mostly he's just confused. Jimmy's words bat around in his brain like dust particles. Dust bunnies. He definitely assumed they were done with this. That maybe Jimmy made peace like he did—though really he hadn't had that much time to make peace, if he's being honest. He's still bitter. He's sure a lot of people are still bitter. But in terms of Jimmy's whole situation? It's not like it could be helped. They just had to be careful. So Tango was being careful, and Jimmy was taking what Tango thought was a calculated risk, so he was mad, sure, but he couldn't really stay mad for a long time. So he takes a long breath and sighs it out his nose. It still tastes surprisingly reminiscent of smoke.

"So what are we going to do?" he asks softly. Jimmy inhales.

"I don't know," he says. "Go to bed? Wake up and start planning?"

Tango hums plainly. He likes that idea. The small spool of feeling in his chest that must belong to Jimmy gives a little tug, like it wanted to take him down with it. 

"Yeah," Tango says, voice coming hoarse. "Yeah, I think so."

For a moment, Tango runs his tongue over his teeth, runs his thumbs over the seams of his knees. He sighs, and then he leans into Jimmy's shoulder with a definitive huff. He's tired. From the ache in his bones, to the breathlessness of dying, to just taking in Jimmy's stress. Man. He's exhausted. Jimmy snorts quietly. He feels him press his cheek against Tango's head. The hand Jimmy had been fiddling with in his lap ends up at the base of his spine, splayed over the fabric. Tango squeezes his eyes shut.

"Thanks Tango," Jimmy says shakily. He sounds like he's on the knife's edge of crying, so Tango fumbles out a hand and lands it solidly on his knee. It's not a terribly comfortable thing to stretch one of his achy shoulders or biceps that far but he does anyway, and Jimmy huffs out a damp laugh. "Guess I'm just... pissed off."

Tango snorts.

"If you think you're pissed, just wait until they rile me up," he says into the fabric of Jimmy's shirt. Jimmy laughs. Tango tries to hold in a grin that he also smothers into his shoulder, but fails. Jimmy's hand skips over his knuckles and squeezes the hand on his knee.

"Sure thing, Rancher," he teases. Tango makes a half-suppressed noise of indignation, squeaking as he bolts upright. He nearly knocks into Jimmy's jaw as he untangles himself with all the grace of a cat trying to weasel out of someone's arms. 

"I'm just sayin'," he grumbles, crinkling his nose. "You seem like you're in a better mood though."

Jimmy sighs, rounding out his shoulders. 

"Think so," he says, working his cheek between his teeth. Tango feels the sensation of prodding in his mouth. Bleh. "Think so."

"Probably a good idea to make good on that sleeping... thing,” he says, reaching up to scrub at his eyes. He barely stifles a yawn as Jimmy stretches, twisting his tall body around in a way that feels surprisingly pleasant to Tango’s stiff muscles. He can’t imagine, especially with the way Jimmy holds all his emotions in his shoulders, that his upper back is doing him any favors. Jimmy makes a little noise in confirmation as Tango turns, attempting to make ample space for him in the small bed. He knows they’ll end up back to back at some point, but as he lies down, shoulder to shoulder, an easy comfort rolls over him. Sure there’s all the red blood rushing around in his ears, and sure he feels it right up on his skin like a bad rash, but for now, next to Jimmy, he shuts his eyes.

They’ll make this time count for something, at least.

[swamp-chicken]

I woke up today and wanted to make a List about the life series so here it is. warning: it gets /neg for wild life but I don't mean any harm I PROMISE

without further ado... here are my favorite moments from the life series <3

Third Life

Bdubs organizing group punishment w the arrows and fire

Etho trying to destroy the crastle w bombs just bc he could

Cleo stealing Pizza

Grian devoting his life to Scar

Scar falling into the ravine and dying oh my god

The desert battle w the underground bunker rigged to explode???

Bdubs betraying Impulse for a clock

Last life

Aha!

Bdubs and Etho forever and always I think they may have actually ruined my life I remember going to tumblr immediately after watching last life thinking there HAS to be a fandom,, PLEASE… I NEED fanfiction of these two but back then fandom was super undeveloped and people were still very weird about “rps” and my first tag search didn’t turn up anything so I left… so sad

etho and bdubs threatening to kill each other and then never actually doing it is basically endless foreplay......

Scar’s whole shtick. The magical mountain, the crystals, when he went red and started speaking in that booming voice

When BigB KILLED cleo and then she spawned in her bed and Etho was there invisible stealing from her and he was like “… I’m so sorry.” Oh my god

Bdubs dying and Etho being like that hurts me a lot actually and Cleo there with him empathizing bc Bdubs was ALSO her teammate in a past life. And she loved him too!!!!!!!!!!!

When Etho starts losing it he’s panicking he’s turning against former allies. And cleo climbs the ladder and says “it’s just me” and he. Relaxes. Wow the Cletho. 

Double life

Some people don’t like double life which I don’t get bc it was literally perfect. Like a married at first sight reality romance show set in the middle of summer. And bdubs playing into it with the love island intro music. 

The ranchers! and maybe the most iconic moment of tango rage ever recorded

The cleo-martyn-scott-pearl mess and the amazing storylines that emerged from it

Desert duo brought together AGAIN by fate like I have never really shipped desert duo but there was that moment at the end of episode 1 where grian drops the stalactite on scar and then hauls him off with his fishing rod so exhausted but FOND in a way that really made me open my eyes and be like… ohhh okayyyy

Bdubs and impulse being the perfect couple meanwhile bdubs seething inside bc etho’s not his and etho seething inside bc bdubs isn’t his and the weird tension when impulse and etho went to the deep dark together it makes me CHOKE laughing and when etho asked “impulse treating you okay, bdubs” I really. Can’t. Dominant and support. 

The red velvet keep battle was so insanely dramatic w scar water bucket clutching and jimmy-tango dying wahhhh

When cleo and Scott were spying on the reds and etho said something like “don’t mess w cleo” and cleo turns to Scott and silently loses it bc wtf why is etho so scared of her

Limited Life

The clockers gave me everything I wanted and more like yes please let’s put all my favorite ccs together on one team and give them a bizarre family dynamic. The first ep where bdubs says “make me a pickaxe cleo! Fasterrr.” That audio plays in my head on repeat. The FAMILY DINNER. Etho taking his sons out to play catch w a TNT minecart. Everyone was improvving their hearts out like it really was something to behold. 

When bdubs and etho built the road together and had a serious conversation about Building.

When cleo insinuated that Etho was washed up

If you’re going to be an absent father, at least be absent!!!!

I really only liked the clockers from limited life now that I think about it but I liked them SO much that it made the entire series for me

Secret life

CLETHO!!!!!!!! “Don’t take cleo away from me” “I’m not a protector cleo” followed by him protecting cleo like a mf…..

Be nice to bdubs day more like be still my heart day. When they’re in the middle of praising each other/being grossed out by praising each other etho stops and laughs FULL body and says “I like this. This is fun” EWWWW…. IT IS SO GROSS

Did that make you jump?

It was kind of fun the first time they brought up the warden

Bdubs getting a fun arc where he kills the dragon!

Wild life

Bdubs and etho again!

Other than that…

I have tried to watch later eps but I just find it exhausting

And then this crazyyy thing happens! And the entire episode is them dealing with this crazy thing! Not compelling to watch for over 5 minutes

At least in secret like the crazy thing was something the ccs themselves were doing i.e. bringing up the warden, killing each other, w/e. This time it’s just inexorable cosmic forces acting on them which are impossible to manage, stop, reason with, or in other words develop a plot line around

Sorry wild life. I am going go try and give you a full watch over my Christmas vacation but idk if I will be successful

[radioactive-mouse]

top 5 lifeseries seasons

RAAHHH 🔥🔥🔥‼️ wow it is so funny there’s exactly 5 of them tgat’s so crazy. unfortunately this is a question that plagues me

1. 3rd life. that feels like a cop out because it is The Classic and i truly didn’t think anything would dethrone last life but ? i’ve reflected on it (by which i mean i’ve rewatched last life a million billion times as part of the completionist grind) and i’ve realized like. i don’t think i super love last life as a season, i just remember the completely insane fandom atmosphere that the time with a lot of fondness. so 3RD LIFE 💥💥💥💥 i’ve been thinkin a lot about treebark recently…… also look at my pfp cmon brother

2. secret life. maybe it’s just because it’s the most recent full season but genuinely it was SUCH a riot, by far my favorite season to rewatch, everyone’s got something uniquely stupid going on and also like ? usually when it becomes to alliances there’s always a couple duds for me, like at least one per season that i just never had much to say about, but i genuinely think i could have a paragraph prepared about any of the groups in secret life. this may be subject to change but ❤️

3. limited life. im sorry who would i be if i didn’t put martyns winning season in at least top 3. i know limlife is divisive but personally the time gimmick Really did it for me, the fact that death was cheaper meant it’s by Far the season with the most carnage, that map was complete fucking rubble by the time it was over. i know a lot of people didn’t like skynet and truthfully i would’ve hated it in any other season, but it added such an interesting landscape to the season, having to always reach for higher ground and watch the skies all the time made the combat incredibly distinct and just. ugh. when the pvp changes as a result of the seasons themes ❤️ limlife i love u im sorry nobody appreciates you you’re my darling forever

4. double life. genuinely double life used to be my least favorite season?? idk the soulmate pairs made alliances a little too insular for my taste but it has grown on me a LOT as of late. divorce quartet you were iconic. ranchers you will always be famous. forfeit all mortal possessions to pearlescentmoon.

5. i cannot BELIEVE last life dropped from first to last since the last time i ranked them. that would’ve been fucking unthinkable to me a year ago. but i just. don’t super love rewatching last life? i have a LOT of good things to say about it, and i think it laid a lot more groundwork than anyone gives it credit for, and OHHH MY GODDDD sorry i have NEVER seen a season quite as completely steeped in dread as last life was. i just. feel like it kind of drags a little bit too much for me, and maybe i’m just bored of it because i’ve seen it a million times. however EVERYONE SHOULD GO WATCH MARTYNS LAST LIFE NOWWWW GO WATCH IT NOW 💥💥💥💥💥 OR DIE BY MY HAND.

honorable mention real life was the funniest shit i’ve ever seen and i wouldn’t have wanted cleo to win any other way. fuck em up queen ❤️

[rainbowchaox]

Pokémon Teams for the ranchers:

My wall was full of Pokémon stuff so you know what that means- lmfaoooo. This was gonna be something quick but I had to go full detail lmfao.

Jimmy team:

Altaria (Shiny): Primarily because the shiny version is yellow like a canary and I always am bias for floofy wings Jimmy. Also canonically the pokedexes are like they sing so well that anyone who listens to them experiences dreamy wonderment. Also I want Jimmy to be able to hug what is pretty much a bird cloud pillow. Moves I would presume his Altaria would have is Perish Song (a move that makes any Pokémon in play faints in three turns) you know like THREE lives, Sing (a move that puts a target to sleep if it hits) primarily because canary singing in a coal mine etc, Play Rough (Deals damage and has a 10% chance of lowering target attack) primarily because that’s how Jimmy acts when he gets antagonized canonically lol. And his final move for his Altaria would be Will O Wisp (A attack that causes the target to become burned) because ya know coal equals fire.

Absol: look it’s literally called the disaster pokemon. It used to be known as the cause of said disasters but now recently it’s now trying to warn others of said disasters. Literally the most misunderstood Pokémon and it has so much in common with Jimmy. The moves I imagined his Absol has is: Future sight (deals damage, but does not hit until two turns after the move is used.) again eventual chaos in like 3 turns, Curse (raises non ghost Pokémon attack and lowers their speed) obviously because Jimmy is cursed in fanon, Double edge (Pretty much a move that deals damage but the Pokémon that used the move will lose 1/3 health) pretty much how Jimmy does pvp he will always hurt himself, Sucker punch (Attack that deals damage) look Jimmy has vibes if he was fighting someone he would use his manly fists.

Mudsdale(Shiny) : Look it’s the a horse that go do mud and sand attacks. And completely vibes with the Mesa as the shiny one matches the color scheme. (also I want Tango and Jimmy to be able to ride horse Pokémon together sue me). The moves the Pokémon has will be High Horsepower (attacks the target with their whole body) Look it’s one of the strongest attacks with literal horse in its name, Hyper Beam (A move that deals damage but the user needs to recharge) look this is one of the moves not isn’t like a grass type that is sorta like a gun. Mud Slap (a move that deals damage and makes the target lose accuracy), not only is it like throwing sand in someone face but also again gun fight energy. Roar (causes the Pokémon to flee if they are lower level etc) I won’t lie I chose this one because Jimmy is a loud mouth /Aff

Quagsire: Legit a easy going kinda dumb water and ground Pokémon. One of the most Himbo pokemon. Move set will be Water Gun (just does damage) I chose this because GUN. Muddy Water (damage and 30% chance of lowering accuracy) obv I chose this because swamp is muddy water. Dig (goes under ground) just cause MINE out of MINECRAFT, and finally Surf becayse Jimmy deserves to ride on his pal in the Oceon etc.

Leafeon: Literally not only does Jimmy have one of the cutest grass types but canonically Leafeons are sweethearts and don’t like to hurt other Pokémon (I’m bias tho because they are my fav eevee evolution). Moves the Leafeon would have: Charm (lowers target attack) and because canonically Jimmy flirts with so many men. Giga Drain (Drain the target hp) COUGH last life COUGH. Razor Leef (deals damage) gun but grass with crit hits more common. Leaf Blade (deals damage) Grass sword. Enough said.

Banette: Literally because of the toy Jimmy lore. Also the Pokédex is pretty much a abandoned doll gets pissed and evil which suits possessed doll Jimmy lore. The moves the Banette would have would be- confuse Ray (attack that causes confusion) clearly because Jimmy is always confused. Skill swap (move that like copies the target move) primarily because Jimmy def learns from others. Shadow claw (offense attack) refs the void energy of watchers. Helping Hand (boosts the attack of your partner Pokémon in double battles) LIKE YOU COULD SAY SOULMATES.

Tango Team:

Rapidash: LOOK LOOK this was inspired by asks in Hybbat box. Also canonically the fire doesn’t hurt the people they trust. So trainers could ride. Also bias because I want Jimmy and him to ride Pokémon horses together. The Rapidash moves would be is- Ember (attack that can burn) look it’s just adorable to have tiny sparks because netherborn lore. Flame Blitz (Attack that burn but also harms the Rapidash) YOU could say attacking one self could be Tango rage. Charm (lowers attack) Look Tango knows how to charm. Iron Tail (damage and might lower defense) because I feel like Tango would whack people with his tail therefore bam.

Luxray: LOOK HIS WHOLE FANON GIVES ME SUCH LUXRAY VIBES. Plus he is cat energy and Luxray is just a electric lion. Bite (damage and flinch) LOOK tango has Teef and probs does bite people. Spark (damage and maybe paralysis) because I always feel that tango machines spark way too much. Crunch (Damage) again tango got them Teef. Wild charge (damage but recoil) More Tango Rage Energy.

Metagross: primarily because canonically it’s just a living super computer and I feel like most redstoners would have one of them in their team. But it’s hilarious for tiny tango to ride on his Goliath of a Pokémon. The moves the Metagross would have will be- Metal Claw (damage and can raise attack) again fire cat energy tango has. Take Down (damage and has recoil) again rage tango vibes. Stealth Rock (move that throws hidden rocks around) because Tango likes his traps. And finally Psych Up (copies target stat changes) solely because Tango is such a hype man.

Alolan Ninetales: This is because Ninetales are foxes and foxes are cat like. I chose the Alolan version because of the Deep Dark Citadel skin tango has currently. That’s primarily ice based. And a Alolan Ninetales is also like magical. The moves would be- Nasty Plot (raise special attack) because Dungeon master Tango gives very much evil game master vibes. Ice Fang (damage that can freeze) again tango has Teef but ice flavored now. Blizzard (damage and can freeze) The deep frost citadel got have gotten covered in snow someway. And finally Dark Pulse (damage and flinch) Because Shulk and bad magics vibes.

Golurk: GOLURK IS PRETTY MUCH THE WARDEN! Enough said. The moves the Golurk would have would be- Nightshade (attack equals your level) because a warden is a boss mob so it deserves to be broken. Heavy slam (more damage the heavier the Pokémon) because wardens are big boys that are hecka scary. Shadow Ball (damage and lowers special attack) THIS IS PRETTY MUCH HOW THE WARDEN ATTACKS. And finally Iron Defense (raises defense) because wardens are so hard to kill.

Coalossal: now this Pokémon is literally coal and coal is the best metaphor for redstone. So all redstoners have a Coalossal or a pre evolution version. Plus all the coal mine and the canary fanon. The moves would be Tar shot (lowers speed and makes the target weaker to fire moves) this relates to Coal Mine Fanon. Smokescreen (lowers accuracy) coal mine smoke etc. Explosion (high damage but causes the user to faint) Tango rage again. And finally Incinerate (damage and burns berries) Tango full fire rage energy.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Misread Details: Robert

CW: Dehumanizing language, BBU blanket warning, serial killer/death talk, descriptions of death/abduction/murder, blood, whumper death, some real vague implied noncon references, creepy whumper, sadistic whumper

Part One: Nanda | Part Two: Brute | Part Three: Robert

The Dark Discovery in Robert Weber’s Basement: Box Boy Killer, Part 3

r/LetsTalkTrueCrime

•Posted by u/oshaycanyousee

3 days ago

After Part One, where we learned about the mysterious, but possibly entirely natural, death of Nathaniel “Nanda” Benson, and Part Two, where we saw Henry “Brute” Hanlon’s double life lead to his untimely gruesome murder, you see the single thread that connects these two men who otherwise never met, interacted, or even shared a single person in common… a nameless Box Boy, present at the death of Nanda even if he isn’t responsible for it, and the proven killer of Brute.

It’s my theory that this Box Boy may have accidentally killed his legal owner, Nanda, and then picked up a taste for the act and moved on to taking shelter with those he turns into his victims.

With Brute, he simply didn’t know the man had a wife and children and entire other life, and may have assumed no one would come looking for him or recognize his death. With our third individual, Robert Weber, it seems like our Box Boy Serial Killer got in over his head.

I give you… the Accidental Vigilante death of Robert Weber.

You decide if our unknown killer is simply the unluckiest guy in the world or a killer who even now may be somewhere living with - and earning the trust of - his next victim.

-

One bright and sunny day in the quaint, old-fashioned California town of Rancher’s Rest, Robert Weber was late for work.

Weber worked in a vehicle repair business owned by lifelong “RR” resident Randy Niles, who had known Weber since his childhood and had been his boss since Weber was eighteen years old and fresh out of high school.

Niles, who is now nearly seventy-five and still spends his days in the shop with an Australian Shepherd named Cody and a blind pit bull named Sue keeping him company everywhere he goes, stated that Weber had no living family he knew of beyond his sister in Vermont, and he was just about the closest thing Weber had to a relative just from having known him so long.

“He didn’t have too much to do with his sister,” Randy said in an interview with Unsolved Mysteries. (You can see the interview on the new Netflix reboot of the show! It’s a really good episode, definitely recommend. It’s how I got into this case in the first place.) “Or nobody, really. Just us at work, the guys at the bar, that kinda thing. He was quiet, kept to himself really. You’d never just strike up a chat around town or anything. But he got on just fine with the boys here in the shop. He was a bit of an egghead, too, always going on about this thing or that he’d seen on the news. Little… odd. Little bit off, you might say. But really, who isn’t? In any case, you know, I’d known him since he was a little boy, so he was just Bobby Weber to me.”

Then, of course, one day Robert Weber didn’t show up to work. Randy Niles immediately felt that something was very wrong.

“When nine, nine-thirty came and went and he wasn’t there,” Niles said, “I knew someone needed to go check on him. Bobby showed up for work right on time or ten minutes early, rain or shine, for twenty years. My first thought was maybe he’d had an accident at home, or some kind of, you know, health thing. Almost never called in sick, took one vacation a year, that kinda thing. So I drove right on over there. This would’ve been, oh, probably ten or ten-fifteen when I got to the house. Had my dogs with me, and they never did like Bobby much, but as soon as I opened my door and got out of my truck they just lost their damn minds. Barking, growling, Cody’s hackles were up like you wouldn’t believe. I know it sounds damn crazy, but I’m sure those dogs could smell that evil had been done in that house.”

On camera, Niles goes quiet, here, his gaze slipping away from the interviewer as he scratches at the side of his nose. When he looks back, the hint of good humor that seems to be an eternal part of his expression is gone.

“I didn’t know what Bobby had been up to all this time. None of us knew. I’ve known Bobby Weber his whole life, and I… I had no idea.”

Randy Niles was unable to convince his two dogs to exit the truck, and eventually rolled down the windows to give them some air and a way out if they chose (he is insistent on this point in the Unsolved Mysteries episode - “don’t you dare say I left my dogs locked up in a truck on a sunny day, I sure didn’t - Cody even knows how to pull a door handle if it’s the right kind”) and got out to knock on Robert Weber’s front door.

No one answered.

Niles knocked again. Still no response.

The front door was locked, but Niles was able to locate an unlocked back door into the garage, where he found Weber’s car neatly parked and nothing out of place. However, once he used an interior door in the garage to enter Weber’s home, what he found was so shocking he still struggles to describe it today.

“The, uh. The first thing I saw,” Niles says in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, wiping at his mouth with a handkerchief, “was a cage. Big old cage in the living room. Like a kennel for a big dog, Great Dane or something, except… except, you know, kennels’re usually mostly wire, not that heavy. You can fold ‘em up, put ‘em away. This was… geez. This was pure metal. Bunch of blankets all piled at the bottom, too. Here’s the-... you know, my mind just didn’t want to even make the thought, but I just, I looked at it and-”

In the episode, Niles has to take another moment, here. His eyes grow wet, and his voice is hoarse when he speaks again. “People cage. Bobby had a damn man-sized cage in his living room. That’s when my stomach just fell out. Even then, though, I couldn’t-... I just thought, oh, well, what people get up to in their own homes is their business. But still, I just. I just decided, find Bobby, figure the rest out later. So I kept walking around looking for him.”

Randy Niles continued to call out, hoping to hear Weber’s response, but received none… at first. The radio in the kitchen was playing a local public radio station (“Bobby always hated the country western and classic rock we played at work, he was a big news man, big into classical, jazz, you know.”)

Niles noticed, he says, that the cage next to the couch had a wooden top, as though it were meant to act as a side table, and on that table was a small woven basket. Inside the basket appeared to be several State IDs and Driver’s licenses. Niles took note of this but his first assumption was maybe that Robert Weber had stolen some IDs or something.

Which was technically true, just… not quite the way he thought.

The kitchen, hallway, and all three bedrooms were equally empty of life. Every room was clean, everything neatly in place. Empty bottles of Jameson whiskey, Weber’s favorite brand, were lined up like décor along the mantel, and one half-full bottle was next to two clean, empty glasses on the kitchen table.

Even the beds were perfectly made.

The only thing missing was any sign of Robert Weber himself.

The question of Weber’s whereabouts was answered when Randy Niles heard a sound coming from the open door to Weber’s unfinished dirt basement.

“Like a ghost,” Niles said in his interview. “Just this low moaning sound. Hardly even thought of it as human, you know. But I just-... I called out, ‘Bobby? That you?’ and the moaning got a little louder, like whoever it was was tryin’ to answer. I could still hear my girls in the truck just going nuts, probably worried about me knowing what they maybe could smell even out there. I figured… I figured I’d best call the cops and get them out here. Seemed like a plan. So I picked up my phone and dialed, and then I headed down those basement steps.”

What Randy Niles discovered in Robert Weber’s basement was a dying man, battered and stabbed eight times, lying in a half-dug grave.

Robert Weber had been beaten with the very shovel that had done the digging. The shovel lay off to the side, caked in dirt and blood. Police would find some of Robert Weber’s hair on it, too. Then, the individual who had beaten him had gone back upstairs - blood smears were found on the railing to the stairs - and taken a kitchen knife out of the knife block on the countertop. A bloody fingerprint was found on the side of the knife block. They had then returned to the basement where Weber was stabbed, almost entirely through the stomach and chest, twenty-six times, until the cheap knife simply broke from the force.

Randy Niles admitted in his interview that he became very ill at this time. “From the shock,” He elaborated. “I haven’t been able to smell much since I was in a car wreck when I was young, so I didn’t smell what-... what my girls prob’ly smelled from outside, and what the cops smelled. To me, it was just… just a little off, is all. It was the sight of it that got to me, not the smell. The sight of the-... the hand.”

Behind Robert Weber’s body, the hand of another person was sticking up out of the loose dirt, as though someone was trying to dig their way out.

“I remember… I remember her nail polish was pink. That’s when I got sick, actually, was when I saw that hand with the painted nails. That’s when it just hit me all at once what Bobby had done.”

Randy Niles went back up the stairs and waited for the cops to arrive. Rancher’s Rest is a small town where everybody knows just about everybody else, and Niles was on a first-name basis with every single police officer he spoke to that day and in the days after. He would learn alongside the investigation that Robert Weber was not simply the quiet, intellectual car mechanic he had always seemed.

Instead, Robert Weber was a serial killer whose potential final victim had managed a miraculous, deadly escape.

Robert Weber never answered a single question about his own murder - he never fully regained consciousness and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. His injuries were simply too severe. His autopsy showed that the cause of death was a stab wound that went deep into his chest and that he was first stabbed only after the beating with the shovel had taken place. Like Brute, most of his stab wounds were applied post-mortem in a rage rather than as part of the killing itself.

Medical examiners also found scratches on Weber’s face and arms, indicating that he had attempted to defend himself - or someone else had attempted to defend themself from him.

So why was Robert Weber killed, and why was there already a body in his basement? Investigators would piece together the story over the following days and weeks from a crime scene that only seemed to become darker and more baffling as time went on.

Excavating the basement was originally thought to be something that would be brief, but after the first body was removed, another one was found beneath it. Then another off to the side of that. And another, although this was simply bones.

Every time the forensics team thought they’d found the last human bone, they dug a little deeper or in a new spot and found more.

Eventually, the remains of twenty-two individuals would be removed from the basement of Robert Weber’s home, not including Weber himself. The oldest located victim was identified as Melinda Traxson, an Iowa woman reported missing by her family after she ran away in March of 1996… more than two decades before Robert Weber didn’t come to work one day.

Investigators are still working to match up every body with a missing persons’ case. For nearly all of them, the cause of death could not be easily ascertained due to the deterioration of the remains, but some showed signs of skull fractures. Identified individuals so far include:

Melinda Traxson, 19, from Iowa, ran away from home in 1996.

Billie Mortimer, 21, disappeared from a day out with friends at Lake Tahoe one year later in the summer of 1997. Her friends went to get lunch from the car after a swim and when they returned, she was gone.

Matthew Ranger, 22, went missing during a road trip to Yellowstone National Park in 1997 (only five months after Billie). His car was found abandoned by the side of the road with a flat tire.

Karl Janssen, 24, a tourist from the Netherlands who was also visiting Yellowstone, disappeared a month after Matthew. Last seen by an employee of the park who witnessed him speaking with another young man and getting into the man’s car. The employee said that the two seemed to be friendly with one another and did not seem like strangers.

Hannah Pointer, 26. She was reported missing in 1999 by her mother after failing to return home from work in Reno, Nevada. This disappearance occurred more than a year after Karl Janssen’s. Investigators would later discover that during this time period, Robert Weber dated a young woman from his hometown and he may not have wanted to risk her finding out what he was doing.

Isaac Jackson, 26, a Rancher’s Rest resident who disappeared after going out to a local bar to see his friend’s band play in 2000. His car was found submerged in a small pond two years later. This is the first time Weber apparently killed anyone close to home. He was actually briefly suspected in Jackson’s death, as he was the last person noted to see Jackson alive, but was cleared of suspicion at the time.

Dustin Swill, 21, who was driving from Colorado to California to visit his sister who had moved to Berras to work for WRU in 2001. He was last seen in a gas station near Yellowstone, where employees noted he spoke to a man who was smoking outside, who gave him a cigarette. When Swill left, employees saw the man put out his cigarette and leave shortly after. They did not find this unusual or noteworthy at the time.

Maria Vargas, 25, a Rancher’s Rest resident who was reported missing in 2002. Her family is intensely private and have shared few details about her, but it is known that her boyfriend at the time suspected Weber, who had attempted to convince her to leave the boyfriend for him and had apparently threatened her. He remained a suspect but there was never enough evidence to charge him.

Jennifer Striker, 28, from who never arrived for an appointment with a realtor in 2011. The long pause between Maria Vargas’s murder and Jennifer’s appeared to be due to Weber keeping a man named Finn Schneider within his home for more than a year after abducting him, as well as Weber serving five years in prison for a violent assault on a man he believed had sold him a defective vehicle. (Schneider was no longer in the home before the assault and prison time.)

Riley Nievelt, 25, was staying at the Big Meadow Campground with six friends during a weeklong vacation in 2012. She vanished while on a trip to purchase supplies. Her cell phone was found on the ground in the parking lot of the Food Lion in Rancher’s Rest, a short and easy drive away. At this time, with multiple individuals vanishing after being seen in Rancher’s Rest or being residents of the town, police begin to suspect and start hunting for a possible serial killer.

Alexander Peterson, 29, was a long-haul driver who vanished while working. He was last seen at a rest stop in 2014 on the California/Nevada state line, and would likely have passed right through Rancher’s Rest on his journey. He was reported missing by his ex-wife in South Dakota when he did not return as scheduled for a custodial visit.

The most recent victim, and owner of the hand that Randy Niles saw sticking up out of the dirt, was Yolanda Pierce, 26. She was a Rancher’s Rest resident with a troubled relationship with her husband, who had stormed out after an argument and was never seen again. She is believed to have died the same day as Robert Weber.

More remains exist but have not yet been identified. If you or anyone you know has a friend or family member who went missing during this time period in or near Rancher’s Rest, Yellowstone National Park, or Death Valley, it may be worth looking into, as those appear to be Robert Weber’s “hunting grounds”.

Disappearances in Yellowstone and Death Valley almost always matched up with Robert taking one of his rare weeklong vacations from work.

When investigators located three large diaries hidden inside a locked box in Weber’s closet, the first two fully filled up and the third nearly two-thirds finished, they found an exhaustively detailed record of Robert Weber’s crimes.

In these records, they discovered Weber’s first three victims were killed within 24 hours of abduction, with the rest being kept alive for longer and longer time periods. It is believed all of them met their end in Robert Weber’s basement.

Diary entries included records of two victims who were not a part of the bodies buried in Weber’s basement, both of whom may still be alive:

Finn Schneider, 19, a German tourist who disappeared in 2003 during a visit to Death Valley. Until Weber’s journals were found, it was believed he had perished in the park and had simply never been found. Robert Weber also visited Death Valley during this time. No one linked the two together. Evidence found in Weber’s home after his death, including the aforementioned diary entries and photographs, shows that Schneider was alive in Weber’s home for nearly sixteen months. It is believed Weber purchased the “human cage” that Randy Niles noticed around this time. The last diary entry that mentions Schneider states that he was “traded” on June 16th, 2005, to an individual only referred to as “Mouse.” What Weber received in exchange is unclear, but he was seen driving a new, custom-painted truck around this time, which he said he bought “from a personal ad” when asked by Niles about it. Schneider has never been found. However, his mother did receive a phone call in 2013 from an individual she believes to be her son, telling her that “Finn” was okay and to stop looking for him.

Our Box Boy, 334235, purchased by Nathaniel Benson years prior, whose whereabouts had been unknown since he murdered Brute Hanlon. Weber believed the Box Boy to be in his early twenties, according to his diary entries, and mentioned that he had picked the Boxie up hitchhiking and had intended to kill him before seeing the barcode on the inside of his left wrist and changing his mind. His diary suggests the Box Boy remained in his possession for roughly a fourteen months prior to Weber’s murder. Police have not released the details of what the Boxie was subjected to during this time, stating only that it is not the public’s interest for this information to be known, and they would like to locate the missing Boxie and interview him about certain details.

Four murders occurred during the time the Boxie was kept by Robert Weber. Weber noted that “the dog helped” with either murder or burial, suggesting that he may have worked as Weber’s accomplice in his terrible crimes.

Is it possible that they bonded over a shared urge to kill? Did the Boxie start a captive and become a companion?

Weber’s diary contained other disturbing facts, as well:

Weber also noted three failed abduction attempts in detail, in 1998, 2004, and 2017. In each he described with incredible precision of memory the appearances and descriptions of each person he failed to capture. He also appeared to do intensive research using their license plates and other information to find out where they lived and who they were. The names of these individuals have been kept quiet for privacy reasons.

Other failed abductions were noted, about one per year, without much detail. Or at least not enough for police officers to know who they were. Nearly all these failures were in one of three locations: Yellowstone National Park, Stanislaus National Forest and nearby campgrounds, and in or near Death Valley.

The last entry in Robert Weber’s diary was penned the day of his death.

NOTE: Weber referred to the Boxie as “the dog” in nearly all his journal entries. His last entry went:

May 6th, 20XX: The dog is pissed about something again. He’s always pissed about something. I think the thing in the basement probably kept him up all night with her caterwauling. He never gets used to the noises they make. God knows I can’t sleep either, at least not well. I’ll handle her tonight, have a drink with the dog after, see if that shuts up his nonsense for a while. Note: missed NPR interview with Senator Carlotta Grant on new leg. about the bb prohibition act. Find that on website later.

Found in Weber’s home, in boxes under his bed, were a series of restraints made of leather, high-quality items that appear to be custom-ordered to specific measurements. These included “gloves” intended to keep someone from being able to claw or scratch in their own defense, five sets of cuffs, a body harness, a leather half-face-mask that police referred to as a “muzzle”, several gags, some of which were deemed to be “designed to cause injury to the inside of the mouth”, and “other assorted items for use in torture and torment”.

You can find some leaked police docs online that go into more detail, but suffice to say they pretty much match the kinds of “toys” found in Nathaniel Benson and Brute Hanlon’s homes, too. And apparently, if you really know where to look, you can find some blurry low-quality photos Weber took, too.

While the items are a bit salacious, they aren’t entirely uncommon in consensual relationships, too, so it’s really not clear if they’re evidence of the Boxie being held against his will or not.

The investigation of the crime scene suggests that at some point after writing his final diary entry, Robert Weber made himself a pizza, which he ate half of and put the rest away in the fridge. His shaving cream and razor were found out on his sink, and Weber’s body was clean-shaven, suggesting he shaved shortly before his death.

He then watched three episodes of Law & Order: SVU. We know this because he texted during this time with his only living relative, the sister in Vermont. Little is known about Weber’s family and childhood, beyond his sister’s recounting of a quiet, strained home life with an overbearing mother and her mention that Robert endured several head injuries as a child and adolescent, including one that hospitalized him for days.

After he finished watching TV, Weber entered the basement and murdered Yolanda Pierce. It is believed he took the Box Boy downstairs with him, either as accomplice or witness. At some point while he was disposing of Yolanda Pierce’s remains, the Boxie became enraged for one reason or another, beat him with a shovel, got the kitchen knife from upstairs and stabbed him to death, and then left the house.

A neighbor remembers hearing odd noises around 3:30 AM and looking out their window to see a shadowy figure walking quickly down the road, but they weren’t able to see well enough to say whether or not the individual matches the description and WRU-provided photos of the Boxie. It does seem reasonable, though, to assume that the neighbor witnessed the Boxie fleeing the scene of the crime.

The Box Boy has never been seen again.

Police are pretty mum about the active investigation into the Box Boy’s whereabouts. I was able to get ahold of one source closely related to a member of the investigative team who said that there’s just not a lot of urgency. “Weber killed nearly two dozen people, just that we know of,” The source said. “The cops are a little bit ‘good riddance to bad rubbish’ about the situation. Unless the Boxie comes back to RR, they’re just inclined to let sleeping dogs lie.”

The sense of “let it be someone else’s problem” would be understandable… if this Box Boy weren’t responsible for one other direct murder, possibly two.

Police believe the Boxie has not left California, and is likely to be continuing to survive by engaging in prostitution or perhaps panhandling or some other hidden way of making money. Unconfirmed sightings have been located in three cities in central California, but all of these are unverified and should be taken with a grain of salt.

It’s also possible he hooked up with a pet liberation movement group, in which case he may be hiding out in a safehouse, protected from the consequences of his actions by the pet lib movement’s understandable insistence on total secrecy and anonymity for the Boxies they take in.

If he’s an innocent victim of circumstance, that’s fair.

If he’s a burgeoning serial killer with three victims under his belt and a taste for inflicting terrible violence on those who take him in�� well… anyone who gives him shelter may be next.

Is our Boxie a purposeful killer or just supremely, almost incomprehensibly unlucky? Will he kill again? Was he Robert Weber’s accomplice or his victim?

Will he strike again?

Should there be an audit of WRU’s psychological testing on potential sign-ups to see if, perhaps, a Box Boy-wannabe with an urge to kill slipped through the cracks?

What do you think?

-

@astrobly @finder-of-rings @burtlederp @whump-tr0pes @raigash @eatyourdamnpears @orchidscript @doveotions @pretty-face-breaker @boxboysandotherwhump @outofangband @whumptywhumpdump @whumpfigure @thehopelessopus @downriver914 @justabitofwhump @butwhatifyouwrite @newandfiguringitout @yet-another-heathen @nonsensical-whump @oops-its-whump @endless-whump @cubeswhump @gonna-feel-that-tomorrow @whumpiary

[girlsexbattle2]

I spent like a good hour writting this shit in a reblog but i want to know if it is shit or not so here we go

was going to wright this in the tags but its annoying sp ill write it here <3 (i also havent watched jimmy/scott 3rd life so Sorry)

the prickel of the abyss surrounds you. not that you can really *tell" bc of the whole, yknow.. dead thing. you desperately try to focus on the past, the serve in horay! You died first! The most consistent disappointmemt of them all, not to think about how fucking furious your other is- should! be. You ruined it. again. always first out, and now not alone! (Not alone? like in hobbit homes or the scent of poppies or the god forbidden joy of being choosen despite all your flaws. someone made the decision to put up-) And youre thinking about it again. I told you not to did i not? For the love of god dont look *that* misserable. Arent you used to this feeling by now? and its not like your soulmate ever got that mad at *you*. however, for your credit its kinda hard to run from memories, here (?) if you call this a here. the feeling of this void is uncomfortable. not enough to ever be upset about but enough to unnerve. Something about the utter emptiness outside of you envokes inner emptiness. Anyways you were looking for him right? What do you mean no, what else would you look for? Everyone else gave up on you in the end, gotta let him have his moment too. Its difficult to 'move. its like space in a way! but it some what works. You wave your arms frantically or kick off the smoke and you go somewhere! in a direction probably. i mean i dont know why im telling you this. you are quite familiar with death arent you? oh cheer up you get front row seats you should be happy. Dont ignore me. You say ons Wrong- wait you whats that.

The smell (you can smel!! yay!) of nether smoke and gasolinehits you. youve never been happier to know an argument is near by. You take a deep breath and try your best to follow, adventually slamming into something smooth. after some re adjustment you are set for walking. Moon walking that is, with the whole lack of gravity. But that wont deter you. for some damned reason you are hell set on finding a man quite literally smoking with furry but your own double death, or would ot be quadruple? you cant run from me jimmy im in your head! well you are still running towards fire. A glow in the distance. A shinmer of hope that atleast you wont be alone in this. But instead of a furious wall you find a crumpled spark. "Look Tango buddy, Im sorry. You deserved a better ending than that." The flame is still. you take another breath of smoke and try again.

"I messed up, and even if you never talk to me again just know ill always be glad to be a rancher with you! Again!" You both just stay still for a while. there is no sound for anywhere to 30 seconds to years but adventually you hear a small sob.

"Tango!"

"Oh youre still here?" his voice sounds devoid of life. Before you can get a single thought out (dont worry we know its difficult for you)

"Go home..." You have nothing to add. Your thoughts are anything but blank (for once) but not a single one can coherently conjure in your mouth. You only see home. There is no coW shit feet away from you bed, ashes neV

A/ashing out of the floorThere is no cow shit feet away from you bed, ashes never washing out of the floor,.. or the grass,... or the walls. Its clovers tied lovingly in your hair, mountain air, the promise of no matter what you were loved (and how it shattered), even the bickering! But you cant let him down. Its not that you dont love him! its just you know better now. "Go"

Well its definitely NOT a question. But you know bickering quite well.

"My home isnt *there* anymore..." The flame shoots up a bit. Not a reaction you were going for but you can come back from this! Team rancher #1 baybe!! "But i dont want to be alone forever. Tango, I dragged you down in the curse, we were doomed from the beginning because of ME. Im not asking for forgiveness i just want.. dont know. just! dont know man! have no idea." There is another space. You hope it is consideration. Maybe... Maybe.

oakyyy hopefully that makes any since in the narrative and its not just how i read it! welp see ya

[epicstuckyficrecs]

Weekly Recap | September 16-22

A bit late, but better late than never! :P

Complete

a slow start by birdjay/ @bird-jay (PWP | 2,6K | Explicit): It’s a gorgeous sight, Steve spread out like this. He wants to lick, wants to bite, wants inside where he’s hot and tight. Wants to make Steve make that gasping noise that he loves so much.

Ceasefire by ipoiledi/ @ipoiledi (PWP | 4,5K | Explicit): It's too hot out to be alive, is what it is.

The Pugilists by ipoiledi/ @ipoiledi (PWP | 4,5K | Explicit): There’s only one way Steve wants it when he gets like this, and nice ain’t the word for it, that’s for damn sure.

To the Victor by ipoiledi/ @ipoiledi (PWP | 1,8K | Explciit): “Oh, Thor,” Bucky remarks, and Steve huffs a laugh, warm and low against Bucky’s cheek. “You sure are seeing a lot of this guy lately.”

💙 Calisthenics by ipoiledi/ @ipoiledi (Steve/Thor, PWP | 5K | Explicit): Thor’s laughing. “I mustn’t tease you so,” he decides.

💙 We didn’t need this to love each other, but I’m glad we get to do it anyway by AidaRonan/ @bisexualstarbucky (Canon divergent | 1,9K | Teen): Or the one where same-sex marriage finally gets legalized in NY and two very old men do the thing.

💙 Next Chapter by NachoDiablo/ @samstevebuckyhq (Famous/Not-Famous | 15K | Explicit): Bucky’s life is at a bit of a standstill these days as he commits to embracing his inner hermit, brewing the perfect pour-over, and writing popular fanfic for the Avengers movie franchise. When he strikes up a friendship with Steve, the snarky yet earnest fan of his latest fic, he finds himself opening up for the first time in years. Things get more complicated, however, when Bucky realizes that Steve’s more than just an everyday fan of the Avengers. As he and Steve grow closer, Bucky will have to decide whether or not he’s ready to start moving forward again.

Stranger in the Shell of a Lover by dragongirlG/ @dragongirlg-fics (Modern AU, sex worker Bucky | 10K | Explicit): Bucky is a young truck stop sex worker in Brooklyn who's trying to save money for sisters' college fund. He doesn't usually get attached to his clients, but he finds himself making an exception for Steve, a regular who always treats Bucky with gentleness and respect. When Steve finds Bucky in the bathroom the night before Thanksgiving, injured due to rough treatment from another client, the boundaries of their relationship blur and leave them both wondering if there could be something more between them.

💙 A Hunk of Burning Love by cleo4u2/ @cleo4u2 (Chris Beck/Johnny Storm | 10K | Not  Rated): Dr. Chris Beck is a dedicated, intelligent, NASA astronaut. Johnny Storm is a disgraced NASA pilot, a superhero, and a practical joker. This is how they fall in love on the trip to rescue Mark Watney.

the long lost ghost by StuckySituation/ @stuckysituation (Stripper Steve, WS Bucky | 4,9K | Teen): Modern!AU with a drunk HYDRA agent sending Winter Soldier on an escort mission, and Steve "Captain America" Rogers getting the shock of his life when his long lost fiancé isn't quite as dead as everyone thought. (Part 1 of Stripper!Steve AUs)

the one where Bucky is NOT making a scene by StuckySituation/ @stuckysituation (Stripper Steve | 1,4K | Mature): Bucky is busy moping in the guest room that the cute guy is giving a strip tease show to his sister, but when he overhears few guests dissing the stripper for not being a big and buff American beefcake, he has to step in and defend the guy's ultimate sex god level sexiness. (Part 2 of Stripper!Steve AUs)

secrets and sex workers by StuckySituation/ @stuckysituation (stripper Steve | 2K | Mature): Bucky frowns at the message and calls Jenny back. “You sent me the wrong address.” “Uh, no I didn’t. I double checked it with the guy before I sent it to you.” “It’s my address, duh.” “What? No way.” She laughs. “Unless you’ve suddenly turned into a blonde hunk who goes by the stripper alias Captain America and is literally a walking wet dream, then nope. My cousin assured me he’s legit.” “...a blonde hunk?” (Part 3 of Stripper!Steve AUs)

💙 Beyond the Yellow Book Road by crinklefries/ @spacerenegades (Shrunkyclunks | 30K | Teen): Before he was Captain America, he was Steve Rogers, knobby kneed and wild-eyed, with scrapes on his knuckles and a book in his hands. In 1942, he leaves for war and eventually crashes the Valkyrie. In 2011, Steve's body is dragged from ice off the coast of Greenland. In 2015, he meets a bookstore clerk. This is what happens when a superhero loses his way home and the only way back is through the Yellow Book Road.

Anything You've Done by AidaRonan/ @bisexualstarbucky (Canon | 1,3K | General): "I want it to be different," Bucky said. "So we'll make it different."

Reading in progress

avalanche by pieandsouffles/ @amerrichavez (Uni AU | 46K | Explicit): super-straight fraternity presidents. super-meddling friends. what could go wrong?

WIP 

💙 Latte Art and Slow Dancing in the Dark by deadonarrival (Modern AU with powers, Daddy kink | 16/20 | 81K | Explicit): Bucky is a somewhat well-adjusted former army sniper that got his shoulder blown out. He took his discharge and went home to finish school. His best friends and roommates (Nat & Clint) are CIA agents and tip him off that their local Sbux is hiring. He gets a job there and meets none other than the hottest guy on earth. So how does one get a date in the most top secret government location in the US? What happens when that guy is more than just a hot dorito and wants to give Bucky everything he wants? 

💙 oh the glory of it all by hitlikehammers (Post-Endgame | 4/23 | 9,9K | Mature): They end up stumbling almost unexpectedly into the white-picket-fence, apple-pie life they used to dream of. Except it’s not like that at all.

💙 This Side of the Blue by notlucy/ @notlucy (Mermaid AU | 37/44 | 135K | Explicit): A trick was the only explanation for what Steve saw floating there. This figment of his childhood. This myth. This legend. Within the tank, the siren bared its teeth.

💙 four dreams in a row where you were burned by voxofthevoid/ @voxofthevoid (canon divergent, post-Endgame, 1945 alternate timeline | 6/? | 34K | Mature): When Steve uses the last of his Pym Particles to travel to 1944 and save his best friend, he doesn’t have a plan beyond leaving behind the battlefield and living his life alongside the people he loves. But the life that finds him is not the one he expects.

💙 Political Animals by crinklefries/ @spacerenegades, Deisderium/ @deisderium (Modern AU, politics | 6/9 | 55K | Explicit): Okay, so the real problem is that you shouldn’t fuck your arch-rival, political enemy, and the person you loathe the most in the world where you work. Or like, at least, you shouldn’t keep doing that.

Not In That Way by onymousann (Canon-divergent, post-Endgame | 2/5 | 11K | Not Rated): “I think— I want to stay. After the jump. I want to stay.” Or, Steve's epic stupidity and bad decision-making have unintended consequences.

dirt king, black crown. by Spacedog/ @softpunkbucky (Cowboy AU | 1/2 | 3,5K | Explicit): The year is 1877. In the sun-baked town of Timely, Sheriff Steve Rogers is in mourning. It’s been five years since Bucky Barnes—Steve’s deputy, best friend, and lover—fell to his death. But as a masked vigilante gunman begins killing off ranchers and railroad executives at the edges of that dusty desert town, Steve is forced to reconsider his role as sheriff, long-held truths, and the very legitimacy of Timely itself.

Re-read

💙��Fraternizing With the Enemy by AidaRonan/ @bisexualstarbucky (Uni AU | 7K | Explicit): Steve and Bucky are both the presidents of their respective fraternities. Steve thinks Bucky's frat is filled with selfish party animals who care about little else. Bucky thinks Steve is a giant pretentious douchebag who owns too many Lacoste polos. They hate each other. Passionately. Until they don't.

[yourfaveisamunkid]

Percabeth are MUN kids

P e r s e U s 

- He’s got the charisma and quick wit to be a worthy delegate at any conferences.

- His dad’s Poseidon, so he LOVES doing GAs about marine life.

- Every power del (Except Annabeth) hates him because he slacks off all the time yet always ends up with a gavel.

- His STREET SMARTS make him very helpful in committees.

- He talks to horses, who help him gather information.

- He’s definitely fallen asleep in campaign before.

- But when he gets scary... he. Is. Terrifying.

- His eyes get all stormy and he actually develops a good posture.

- “With all due respect, that’s incorrect.”

- “Hey, wise girl, are you hearing this?”

- A Hawaiian shirt is essential with every suit he wears.

- Definitely says present and voting to make fun of Annabeth because she always says present and voting.

- “According to Frederick II, the working class in Ukraine in 1965 was HORRIBLY oppressed.” “Uhh... who was Frederick-” “-An appaloosa I interviewed. That’s a primary source. I will be taking no more questions.”

- “What do you mean a dolphin doesn’t count as a primary source? HE WAS THE ONE CHOKING ON PLASTIC.”

“Present.... and voting.”

- “Hey, I brought Jolly Ranchers! Anyone want one? What color do you want? Oh, well, I’ve only got blue, so...”

A N N Abeth 

- I shouldn’t even have to say this, but power del.

- She polishes all her gavels and lines the Athena cabin with them.

- As a child of Athena, she loves to compete in order to show of her intelligence.

- She secretly loves to double del with Percy, though she’ll never admit it.

- Has an extensive amount of research in literally every topic.

- Remember that one time she identified a shotgun on SIGHT? Total MUN kid move.

- Her obsession with architecture makes her great when representing Classical figures from Greece and Rome

- She always, ALWAYS questions sources.

- She loves to say “Present and Voting” because she knows it aggravates the mortals.

- Athena loves watching her and Percy compete with Poseidon. 

- In a crisis, she’s always got the most dramatic arcs.

- She doesn’t play by the rules. She WILL attempt to assassinate Stalin 3 times after selling U.S. secrets to the Russians.

- In GAs, she gives the best speeches.

- All her outfits are color coordinated.

- She uses her Yankees cap to snoop on the other delegate’s papers.

- She will hurt you if you make her a signatory.

- She’s the excec board leader at Camp Half-Blood.

- “Me? A signatory? [Laughs].

- “My source? COMMON SENSE.”

- “For a Renaissance philosopher, you sure are stupid.”

- “Brothers and sisters, the time for a rebellion is nigh.”

- [Passes a gossipy note to Percy.]

- “I can’t start a cult? We’re in CRISIS.”

- “I know a bit of French, so allow me to read a letter from a humble French Shepard who wrote during the Revolution.”

- “Present and VOTING.”

- “Alright, let’s skip the small talk- what’re your thoughts on Socialism?”

- “Seaweed brain, wanna team up and impeach the chair?”

- “Man, Dionysus should just hurry up and claim literally EVERY CSMUN delegate.”

- “Point of order?”

- “Yes, are you aware of the effects that this could have on the children who rely on the bread that comes from the wheat from the very fields you’re planning to nuke?”

- “SKIP THE PREAMBS. We’re not in DISEC, for gods’ sake.”

P e r c a b e t h ????????

- Separately, both are good. 

- Like Solangelo, however, when together... they are unstoppable

- Since Annabeth and Percy are both charmers, they take turns giving speeches and pass notes.

- They both love double delling

- When they’re together they are the most chaotic

- They’ve definitely started a cult during Salem witch trials

- They assassinate the same kid every Crisis because he talked down to Annabeth one time

- Both are very passionate, very scary, and very angry

- Percy loves coming up with acronyms for papers

- In a Crisis, they always try to outdo themselves

- They come up with the most hard-hitting, thought provoking questions during Q&As.

- “I’m sorry, WHAT did you say to my partner?”

- “Good evening, dishonorable delegates.”

- “Okay, only you five are allowed in our bloc.”

- “A signatory? Me? Why not just ask us to GIVE you the gavel?”

- “You can make me a signatory, but I’m taking all our clauses. Oh, don’t worry- I have a printed copy of them all.”

- “I may have gotten all the ladies accused of witchcraft to join me and overthrow the judicial system.” “I love you.”

- “ThERe’s A GREEK MYTHOLOGY COMITTEE???”

- “Off policy? At least we DID something, unlike the whole Eastern European bloc over there.”

- “Fellow comrades, I think we can all agree that this was NOT the play.”

- “See? The Jackson-Chase Insanity Postulate never fails. Do the craziest thing possible, win the gavel.”

- “Okay, I’ll take the gavel on Monday through Thursday, you can get it on the weekends.”

- “So, even if I punched a political enemy of ours, that would still be illegal, right?”

- “Hey, best dressed! Sweet!”

- “Dating? I think you mean one, united, powerful country.” 

[fyrapartnersearch]

Seeking Literate and Dedicated Partners!

Hello, you can call me Doe! I'm in my 20s, a student, and a proud cat mom. I write multiple paragraphs/novella style (200-500+ words). I love to write detailed descriptions and delve into a character’s head/emotions as well as surroundings. I compare it to writing a novel together. I understand if the scene doesn’t have alot going on and therefore requires less like rapid fire. I adore having long, thoughtful replies where we truly immerse ourselves in the world. I'm hoping to find a partner whose as enthusiastic and passionate about the plot and writing as I am. When I get invested in a story, it’s 100% dedication. Getting a reply is the highlight of my day. I'm a big fan of romance and using face claims. I’m the type to make pinterest boards, spam you with gifs, headcanons, and send you songs that remind me of our characters and/or ship. I'll get excited if we come up with a great plot idea or if our characters are being cute or going to get into trouble. I live for this kind of stuff honestly. Last but not least I only do MxF and don’t double, but I’m more than happy to write side characters of either gender to help move the story along. I'd prefer female authors writing male characters but male writers are fine too. Desperately Searching For - 21+ partners - For you to have an excellent grasp of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. Both in character and out of character. (Literate to advanced writers only, please. I'm not looking for newbies). - Plot before smut. While mature themes will be in my plots, and are even encouraged, there needs to be a good chemistry between our characters. I like to have a good mix of plot and tastefully written smut, along with doses of angst and fluff. - For you to write as an older male (Late 30s-40+). I'm a sucker for the gruff and tough men who secretly have a soft heart. I also love those grumpy, hypermasculine men being intimidated by darling, soft yet commanding, and pretty women. - The more description, the better! I'm looking for someone can write as much as me (2 to 4 paragraphs or more) and really bring the story to life. I lose interest if I'm the only one that's invested/enthusiastic or coming up with plot ideas. Quality writing makes my heart happy, as does world building together. - The use of real life face claims and joining me in the wonderful world of ship/character development isn't a requirement but I'd sure be delighted if we were on the same page in this regard. (I won't use anime faces, only art if you're uncomfortable with real life) - Someone who won't leave without warning or explanation after sending the first post. I'm looking for the long term here, and I have been greatly saddened by how many partners have left me high and dry recently. If you've made it this far, thank you! You won't be disappointed in writing with me. I tend to be online daily and I'd like it if you were too. Please let me know if you're going to be inactive, long days/weeks of silence make me nervous. Below are genres and pairings I love. Feel free to combine two or more and I’m sure we can come up with something great! Genres: - anything mafia related - crimes in remote locations - small towns and supernatural happenings - post apocalyptic/dystopia - supernatural/modern fantasy (werewolves, shapeshifters, a/b/o dynamic and everything that comes with it, monster x hunter) - southern/mid western/gothic - murder mystery (small town or big city) - western inspired/weird west (supernatural and fantasy elements) - modern/dark fairy tale retellings - sci-fi/cyberpunk - little coastal towns or little towns in the mountains - emotionally charged/dark and gritty - superpowers/gifted - unresolved sexual tension/slow burn - mythology (modern / hades x persephone) - redemption - action - fake dating - pacific northwest - suburban gothic Pairings: - age gaps (older man x younger woman) - enemies to lovers - cop x criminal - doctor x patient - friends turned lovers/pining - grumpy x sunshine - the broken man x the woman that becomes his light - fbi agents/cop partners - dark hearted man melting for the innocent woman - reunited old lovers and/or friends - boss x employee - neighbors - firefighter/cop x victim - mentor x mentee - spies - hurt/comfort - height differences - pet names - lady and the tramp esque - creature x human (I'm always up for NSFW things while in their beast form.) - ex-con x anyone - detective x witness - detective x suspect - person in witness protection x anyone - bodyguard x assignment - widow/er falling in love again - outlaw x schoolteacher - biker x doctor - biker x civilian - rancher/trapper/mountain man x city girl - interracial relationships Tropes: the papa wolf (craving), badass baritone, cultured badass, jerk with a heart of gold. ladykiller in love, mountain man, mysterious protector, southern gentleman, tall, dark, and handsome, gentleman criminal Plot Ideas: (these are just suggestions and if you have other ideas I'd like to hear them) 1. age gap + height difference + modern supernatural + werewolf x human + dark hearted man melting for the innocent woman A mentor x mentee pairing where the mentee has been a victim of some sorts and that's why they’re taken under the wing of the mentor. I'm picturing a guy capable of towering over most men and also knocking most men out, but with a soft spot (that takes a bit to uncover) for his mentee. He's a retired hitman, but such profession is nothing you can retire from. He's living out in a small town, keeping to himself and being the local town grump. Something happens to her, something horrible that makes her want to do something even though she is normally the sunshine in everyone's life, and through contacts she is given the address to a man who can teach her. (more to the plot available upon request) 2. age gap + spy x spy + modern supernatural + werewolf x coyote shapeshifter He has already been secretly hired by the US government to investigate this mysterious, new criminal organization. It would be at her first mission and already aware she will be working alongside a more experienced, freelancer agent. We could start with them meeting at the airport and we can go from there. 3. Muse A is a infamous criminal and Muse B is a FBI agent. Muse B has been helping Muse A take out their competition. They could kill each other but would die for each other. (Based on The Blacklist) Fandoms: (Will only do oc x oc/characters inspired by canon pairings) Star Wars, X Files, Haven, The Blacklist, Fringe, Zoo, Stranger Things, Heroes, The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, Mercy Thompson Series, True Blood, Stephen King's Universes, Red Dead Redemption, Marvel (Last but not least, I have a list of kinks if anyone's interested) I use email and discord to write. Contact me at doeeyes73@gmx.com or Doe#4017. If you add me using the latter, let me know where you came from. Please be detailed when you message me, let me know why you chose to contact me. Seeing "hey do you wanna rp?" is a guaranteed way to turn me off. Look forward to hearing from you!

[mosscloakenthusiast]

I posted 1,342 times in 2022

That's 1,342 more posts than 2021!

29 posts created (2%)

1,313 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@yellowsomethings

@theminecraftbee

@astronomical-bagel

@teamranchers

@its-shells

I tagged 129 of my posts in 2022

#empires smp - 6 posts

#empires x hermitcraft - 6 posts

#grian - 5 posts

#tma spoilers - 5 posts

#mythicalsausage - 5 posts

#oli orionsound - 4 posts

#rendog - 4 posts

#third life series - 4 posts

#bdubs - 4 posts

#bdoubleo100 - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 119 characters

#listen i need xb ‘constantly trying not to swear’ crafted to interact with mythical ‘always making an innuendo’ sausage

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

THATS MY GUY THAT’S MY DUDE HE WON MCC LOOK AT HIM GO

See the full post

125 notes - Posted November 12, 2022

#4

[in reference to the what is empires hermitcraft recap video] “-think of it as an empires breakdown, which is coincidentally what i’n having right now”. -- pix pixlriffs

132 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

#3

okay okay wait okay im trying to make this make sense

- im running with my Personal Theory that only winners remember the life series, and those who don’t win remember in flashes kinda??? with exceptions for Really Strong Emotional Connections (ethubs, scarian, ranchers) - and scott is just playing dumb because he’s like that. he’s coy .  - so that’s why like impulse recognises some people but not others?? maybe?? look im trying

- hermitcraft has modern technology (twitter, youtube, grumbot), empires does NOT

- following ren’s universe theory: this is the empires universe, other worlds include afterlife, empires s1, and possibly like fwhip’s hardcore world - hermitcraft universe includes all the prev. hermitcraft worlds (hence scar being all like “is this a past hermitcraft world”) and possibly some people’s hardcore worlds

- something somehting parallel universes parallel people means that the two falses cannot coexist, presumably neither can the gems, and pearl got a god fit  - following whatver oli orionsound has going on, everyone has like one Soul/center point that their characters deviate from? e1!sausage, al!sausage and e2!sausage clearly are linked, similar building styles; e2!joel has some preliminary knowledge about e1!joel; and clearly hc!pearl is linked to e!pearl (santa pearla)

- some worlds (such as like jimmy’s challenge videos, the life series TO AN EXTENT) dont create a new deviation on the soul, they just teleport a previously existing one from somewhere - clearly e2!jimmy and hc!tango were pulled into double life for example

look im trying so hard to make this make sense Help Me make this make sense feed me your hyperfixation rambles please lets talk about the lore of these wet cats

135 notes - Posted October 27, 2022

#2

jack manifold perfectly uses the multi-pov format of the dream smp to create a villain who’s motives are clear and who you can genuinely root for while understanding what he’s doing is Bad in this essay i will-

137 notes - Posted November 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

1,355 notes - Posted October 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[religious-pizza-roll]

Talk about.... 1 8 11 15 18 21 26 32 36 38

1. Talk about the first time you watched your favorite movie.

Well, my favorite movie right now is probably 

8. Talk about the thing you are most proud of.

I am most proud of the fact that I know what I want to major in now, even if it is a double major. 

11. Talk about the worst dream you’ve ever had.

I don’t remember my dreams :( but it was probably something about dying or being kidnapped tbh.

15. Talk about the first time you were content in life.

Honestly, I don’t know. 

18. Talk about something that happened in elementary school.

At my school, we did the Olympics every 4 years and we split into different countries and do different academic and athletic tasks to see who wins and I was on team Finland and was put in the spelling bee. I won the spelling bee and didn’t even notice until my mom started cheering because I was so caught up in the fact that I almost misspelled the word even though I was at an advanced spelling level for my age and constantly praised for it. But I won a gold medal for my team so I’m happy lmao. 

21. Talk about a time you had to turn someone down.

I mean I turn people down for shifts all the time at work because apparently, no one knows how to read a schedule. I don’t turn down people often though. 

26. Talk about things you do when you are sick.

Pretend I’m not sick until it gets noticeable. Then, I drink a shitton of water and lay in bed with a million blankets. 

32. Talk about a place you remember from your childhood.

I really loved the house I used to live in when I was ages 8-13. It was this cute little yellow house that was on the same street as our county fairgrounds and it was only like 3 blocks from my elementary school, so I got to walk to and from school until middle school. I also lived by some really kind people who always visited. I also had a cool garden and a cool basement. My garden naturally grew rhubarb and asparagus and it was so cool. It was the only house I have ever lived in and I really wish I could live in a house again. I miss it. 

36. Talk about your guilty pleasures.

My guilty pleasures are candy, pop, and books for real. Mostly unhealthy things haha. My favorite pop is either Dr. Pepper or Sprite and my favorite candy is for sure Jolly Rancher Bites. 

38. Talk about songs that remind you of certain people.

My ex from sophomore year of high school listened to a lot of Skillet and Lifehouse, so every time I listen to almost any song from those bands, I think of him, which is not fun. He also loved Demons by Imagine Dragons and I can’t listen to it now. 

My old best friend got me into anime and whenever I hear the anime intro for Shugo Chara, I think of her and how much she wanted me to get into anime and when I finally did, she didn’t like it or me anymore. Same with Twenty One Pilots, which sucks because I listen to them a lot. 

Every time I listen to Praying by Kesha I think of how narcissistic and shitty my grandma was and is to my mom and I want to cry because I am so happy she is not in my life anymore, but I also just wish she would just learn how wrong she really is. 

Every time I hear the songs Fight Song(Rachel Platten), Whole Lotta Woman(Kelly Clarkson), and songs similar to those I think of me and my mom and I cry happy tears. 

There are more, but I have already listed a lot of songs haha. 

[ahiddenpath]

Vidja Games

So I checked out Game Informer’s list of the top 300 greatest video games, and they are objectively wrong, lol (I can’t imagine the fights that went into making this list??)!

I’m no critic, and I’m not interested in attempting to objectively rate games, but here are my (subjective) faves in rough order-ish, if you’re interested!  They are arranged by franchise for my sanity below the cut.

The Elder Scrolls (TES)

My all time favorite video game series is TES, although I wasn’t able to stomach playing I and II.  In order, my favorites are: Morrowind, then Oblivion, then Skyrim.

Morrowind is unfriendly to casual gamers, and even experienced folks need to learn the lay of the enormous world, how to fast travel, and even how to level and plan characters to best effect.  The learning curve is enormous, and if you decide to play a different type of character later on, you’re stuck!  You might even have to start over, since you level your character by increasing the major and minor skills you chose upfront.

But I have never experienced such an open, imaginative world.  The later installments felt both smaller and less varied.  In Morrowind, you’ll find everything from sprawling floating cities to houses built into enormous mushrooms, with ashlands, swamps, and mountainous terrains in between, complete with hell-on-earth smack-dab in the middle of everything.

Oblivion is more user-friendly than Morrowind, and it has some of the most engaging quests in the series.  What it loses in environmental diversity and sheer exploration potential, it almost- almost- compensates for in fun quests (there’s much less ‘fetch me some swamp muck’ involved), easier transportation, and the wonderful world of Shivering Isles, an expansion.

Skyrim is the most accessible of the three by far, and it’s forgiving in that it allows players to change their play style on the fly with little repercussions.  It also has the best combat.  Sadly, the repetitive environments make it far less compelling to explore than its predecessors, which is a huge part of TES’s charm for me.  I also found the enemies repetitive.  The more fanciful enemies are almost absent, and the few that exist are tied to specific daedric quest lines.  Do you know how hard it is to recharge enchanted items when you only encounter a handful of daedra?  Wolves and trolls just don’t fill them back up well.

Also, while the accessibility widens the target audience considerably, it cuts into the customization options previously available to more experienced gamers.  That was a huge disappointment for me, personally.

To be clear, though, I still adore Skyrim.

Personal anecdote:  My Morrowind strategy book was so worn that it fell apart, so I punched holes in the pages and kept it in a binder.  I took out the fast travel map and the local map of whatever area I was combing to find a dungeon door tucked into a cave hidden behind ivy or whatever.  I still have it; it’s a sentimental treasure.

The Sims

The more open-ended a game is, the more I like it, and The Sims is king of that arena!  For me, 3 is by far the best installment.  2 introduced the idea of having types of Sims with personal goals to meet to create direction for the player, but ultimately, it felt like I was stuck with the same five Sims over and over again.  The wishes and moodlet system of 3, along with the five slots for personality traits, gave me so much more power to create Sims that felt like actual characters.

I... don’t even want to know how much of my life I’ve put into The Sims...

My ranking:  3>1>2>4

It should be noted that I didn’t mind 1′s lack of direction, since my imagination alone is way more than enough to pull me forward in a sandbox game.  In comparison, 2 felt restrictive by creating five character types, limiting me to that in a way I couldn’t ignore.

Personal anecdote:  I received the original Sims for Christmas when I was in middle school.  I accidentally played from bed time until 4 AM, which is the closest I’ve ever come to pulling an all-nighter.

Sonic the Hedgehog

WHERE DO I EVEN START WITH THE BLUE BLUR.

Sonic was an enormous part of my childhood, guys.  I played all the games.  I watched both cartoons (the one with Sally and the Freedom Fighters and the one where it’s just Sonic/Tails/Eggman/some robots), I learned to read with the comic books.  I have a vivid memory of my brother taunting me by refusing to let me see his comics “because I couldn’t read”...  So I spite-learned using the comics when he wasn’t paying attention.

I don’t think I can pick a favorite!  As a kid, I played Sonic 3 the most; I was a huge Knuckles fan, so that might have played a role (also the original Sonic was too difficult for me at the time, although I certainly tried).  But I also loooooved Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2.  And Sonic Generations was so much fun!

Mario Bros

Lord, I was playing Mario games before I could read, I don’t...  Mario has always been around for me, okay?  It’s a huge part of my story, and the franchise is so iconic that there’s little for me to say.  There are way too many amazing games in this franchise for me to name, but personal faves include: Super Mario RPG, Super Mario World, and Yoshi’s Island.

The Legend of Zelda

This is another franchise where I don’t know what to say...  It’s too iconic for me to offer much.  Zelda games are known for their exploration and adventure, even from the beginning.  Ocarina of Time was a big part of my childhood, but I also adore the newest installment, Breath of the Wild.  And I know this may be silly, but I love Hyrule Warriors!  I can’t wait to play it on the Switch with all the DLC.

And the music???  Guys?????  THE MUSIC?!?!?!    

Bioshock 

Amazing atmosphere, fun game play, and one of the best stories in gaming history add up to an unforgettable experience.  Also a fore-runner to the idea of playing dialogue and recordings while the player explores, a trend that caught on in a huuuge way.

Persona

It’s hard to describe Persona games...  They basically combine Jungian psychology with various mythologies, sprinkle in some horror (or glob it on in the case of 3), throw in an RPG, and add a heaping serving of everyday high school life.  The games tackle a wide range of ideas and game play, creating a unique experience that has drawn a devoted following.

I’ll make this quick:

3:  Best story and atmosphere, worst/most needlessly frustrating game play, very prickly cast lol

4:  Best characters and character development

5:  Best game play (exquisitely polished game play, really), best overall style, worst story and character development

My ranking is 4>3>5.  It should probably be noted that story and character are king for me, so while 5 was incredibly polished mechanics wise, the comparatively weak story and characters sunk it to the bottom of the list for me.  It was one of those games where I understood where they were going hours ahead of time, and then they would explain “the twist” to the player for half an hour over and over and over.  Frankly, it was... kind of insulting, and soured the experience for me.

Also, Mona, I swear to god, how am I supposed to pass school if you don’t let me study or do my homework because you think I need to sleep at 5 PM every day ahhhhh!  XD

Harvest Moon

Oh god, here’s another franchise I don’t want to delve into in terms of hours I’ve spent playing O_O

I can’t even explain why I like these games...  In HM, you are a farmer, and your job is usually to prove to the villagers that you’re a valuable member of society so that they won’t evict you from your own inherited property.  (I’m curious about their deeds and legal policies, lol.  How do you write that clause up?).

These games combine farming with socialization and light dating sim elements, and time management is the name of the game.  They pull in players by tapping into the universal desire to create order and advancement.

My favorite installment is Friends of Mineral Town.  I also adored Harvest Moon 64, but the controls are sadly too dated for me to replay it.

Pokemon

I’m sure I’ve missed at least one, but I’ve played almost every mainstream release of Pokemon since Red and Blue came out.  It must be doing something right, lol!

I’m a huge sucker for games where you choose monsters to raise.  It’s so fun to assemble a team based on your tastes and raise them just so!

My favorite release is the remake of Gold and Silver.

Monster Rancher 2

OH MY LORD I played this game to the point where I’m shocked the disc still works.  In Monster Rancher 2, you find monsters by placing discs into your Play Station, which each encode a monster.  In order to access the strongest monsters, you must raise your rank as a trainer by winning official tournaments.

I wish I could explain why I latched on to this particular game so hard, but...  I think it had something to do with the massive variety of monsters, the difficulty of the tournaments (I never did hit S rank, and not for lack of trying!), and the myriad of odd ways to unlock special monsters.

Mario Kart

Seriously, who doesn’t like smiting friends and family on the race track?  MK is a fun, family-friendly way to deliver a beat down...  As long as you contain your desire to cuss like a sailor, anyway.

It’s so hard to pick a favorite here!  It’s hard to top the original for the challenge...  But Double Dash and Infinity are contenders, too.

Danganronpa

Danganronpa games are visual novels that mix survival, horror, and crime-solving into a dark, bizarre, unique experience.  I’ve written a ton about this series lately, so I won’t delve into it here, but you can check out the danganronpa tag on my blog for more.

Kingdom Hearts

These games are so charming and fun to play!  I’ve never completed one on my own- linear games are rough for me- but I’ve seen my husband play them all, even the (many) extra installments.  KH2 is probably my favorite, although Birth by Sleep was amazing, too.

Final Fantasy

I’ll admit that I don’t really enjoy playing Japanese RPGs; linear gameplay doesn’t appeal to me much in general.  But the FF franchise is famous for its sweeping narratives, imaginative environments, and breath-taking music, and I enjoy them for that.  I’ve watched my husband play X-XV, and I briefly joined him in playing XI and XIV.  My favorite is probably X...  Although I have an enormous crush on Ignis from XV.  

My favorite FF game to play is Theaterhythm: Curtain Call.

Mass Effect

How do I say this...  I don’t think I’ve ever played a game that better simulated becoming an entire universe’s hero and moral center.  In Mass Effect, you shape the world and the political climate in unprecedented ways.  By the end of 3, every player is so deeply invested in their Shepard and the world s/he created.  In that sense, it’s en epic experience without peer.

Destiny

I love playing Destiny with my husband and our friend!  I’m a titan, Tony is a hunter, and our buddy is a warlock, and together, we are... three guardians, lol!  

Okay, so the vanilla Destiny release needed some help, but it became a great game with the expansions.  I’m still waiting for that breath of rejuvenation for 2, but I treasure the time we spend together kicking ass as a team.

Left 4 Dead

This game redefined what co-op meant to me.  I always thought of it as Halo, basically competing on the same team against other players.  And yeah, you do that in L4D...  But the cooperation angle that this game brought to the table was more or less unprecedented.

In L4D, if your team of ragtag survivors doesn’t work together, it’s unlikely that anyone will survive.  I spent a lot of free time in college playing this with my friends spread out over different schools.  I had so, so much fun with it.

Although 2 had more varied game play, which was great, I enjoyed the original more, mostly because the online game play wasn’t as loaded in favor of the zombie team.  Objectively speaking, though, the sequel was the more robust game.

Personal anecdote:  L4D is where I learned about dealing with males online.  With Halo, which I also played at the time, I only enjoyed it enough to play it with people I knew.  I loved L4D so much that I would log in to play even when my friends weren’t available, which meant that I was teamed with random players.

I have a very feminine voice, which apparently means that I am meant to be treated like crap online.  Even though it’s a co-op game, and communication is important, I spent most of my sessions with the headset turned off.

Borderlands

THIS GAME, I HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH IT!  The crass humor, the expanse of wastelands, the gun-slinging insanity, the incredible couch co-op!  What’s not to love?

Sadly, the sequel was a downgrade from the original, but the first game was an amazing ride.  I’ve been considering replaying it with Tony with all of the DLC.

Metal Gear

I’ve never played these myself, but I watched my husband play the first three.  They’re so cinematic and goofy and over-the-top and awesome!  I love breaking out my Solid Snake gravel voice, too.  My favorite is... probably 3?  It’s hard to pick between 2 and 3, though... 

Disgaea

Hmm...  How to describe these games...  They’re tactics games, I guess?  And there’s a lot of story, too...  Game play wise, the later installments perfect what the earlier ones started, but you can’t beat the story and characters of the original.  Laharl is still one of my all-time favorite male video game characters.  He’s... such a brat?  I love him???

Honorable mentions in no order (ie, I’m tired of writing descriptions, sorry to the rest of these games):

Halo, Dragon Age, Fallout 3, Ratchet & Clank, Resident Evil, Portal, Soul Calibur, Tetris Attack, Uncharted, Ms. Pacman,  the Batman Arkham games

EDIT:  I forgot Nier: Automata and Super Smash Bros!  FOR SHAME!

[misgivings]

Halloween candy, ranked

43. Peeps: Plumbing caulk. Leftover foam party residue. I don’t care if you made it look like a cute little ghostie. It’s still meringue with poor self-esteem.

42. Popcorn balls: At least hand out apples, Mom.

41. Weird off-brand chocolate wrapped in foil: If a candy sits in a bowl and no one eats it, is it still candy? At what point does it become an artifact?

40. Candy pumpkins: The candy equivalent of eating crown molding. This is for decoration.

39. Candy corn: Though it is similar to its pumpkin-shaped colleague, the saving grace of these most divisive Halloween candies is that you can stick them on your canine teeth and pretend to be a vampire with gingivitis. What would you call that flavor, anyway? Expired sugar? Dull resignation to the way things have always been? Be better to yourself.

38. Lollipops: Dum Dums are legit. Anything else takes too long and keeps you from eating other candy.

37. Bubblegum: See above. As a Koopa shell is in Mario Kart, so this is. It just gets in the way. Don’t get me started on Blow Pops.

36. Smarties: Some blackboard chalk magnate is cackling at the greatest scam ever pulled.

35. Swedish Fish: Like a fine malbec, one cannot appreciate Poseidon’s gummiest children until adulthood, and even then only if they have particular tastes. They’re not worth putting in a festive cauldron for all to enjoy.

34. Taffy: No one else is in on the joke, grandma.

33. Jellybeans: I want to shove candy in my mouth, not consult a chart just to figure out if I’m about to taste lemon or pee.

32. Jolly Ranchers: These are a prize for many children, enticed by a shard of glass that will turn their tongue blue. The discerning confection connoisseur knows they’re one-note and cloying.

31. Airheads: Only ranked higher than taffy because it doesn’t double as a low-cost dental filling. Softer, gentler, still inessential.

30. Nerds: These are heterosexual Pop Rocks.

29. 3 Musketeers: You get out of life what you put into it. If you put in only nougat, you become the elevator music of candies.

28. Milk Duds: I love a Milk Dud. I hate needing a Waterpik and a blowtorch to not look like Austin Powers when I’m done.

27. Pixy Stix: One one hand, I respect the simplicity of distilling the concept of candy to straight-up sugar granules. On the other hand, it’s like ordering coffee at Starbucks and just getting a cup of beans. Do a little work, man.

26. Hershey’s Kisses: This is a Christmas candy.

25. Hershey’s Bar: It’s like eating a dry baked potato. Sure, you can do it. But you don’t have to.

24. Sweet Tarts: Smarties are Olivia Newton-John at the beginning of “Grease.” Sweet Tarts are Olivia Newton-John in leather pants.

23. Sour Patch Kids: A year-round favorite of kids, and for good reason, but don’t you find all that sour sugar gauche?

22. Kit Kat: Humble and workmanlike, like a dad who works nights.

21. M&Ms (peanut): This will be an upset ranking, but I don’t care. These are not bad, but I’ve never eaten a bag of plain M&Ms and thought, “I wish this tasted like a free snack from a bar.”

20. Snickers: The prototypical candy bar. You’ve got your chocolate, your caramel, your nuts. Somehow, that chewy devil, nougat, snuck into this party. But all things considered, it’s earned its prestige.

19. Milky Way: There is a small chance I just don’t love peanuts in my candy.

18. Twix: The main problem with candy in general is that it’s not cookies. These sugary Frankenstein sticks found a crunchy, chewy gap in the market and filled it like capitalist heroes.

17. Almond Joy: A flood of tender, tropical sweetness mixed with crunchy, hearty almonds and enveloped in milk chocolate. My stance on nuts is becoming more inscrutable by the minute. I guess sometimes you do feel like a nut.

16. Pop Rocks: For the kind of Halloween that says, “I WANT CANDY TO PUNCH MY TONGUE REPEATEDLY BUT ALSO HISS INSIDE ME LIKE A MELTING SNAKE.”

15. Nestle Crunch: Look no further for evidence that texture is a major player in the confectionary Hunger Games. The defined ridges on the Crunch bar are fun to bite into; the crisped rice mixed in keeps the sensations coming with each chew.

14. Whoppers: They’re like little eggs filled with crunchy powder that taste like an ice cream treat. Weird, but good! They’ve been around in some form since the late 1930s, which is exactly the era in which you’d think someone would create something called a “malted milk ball.”

13. Lemonheads: This list has not been kind to harder candies, but Lemonheads (and to a lesser extent, their various fruit-flavored siblings) combine a sweet-and-sour lemon flavor that’s not too precious with a layered texture experience. Bonus: The creator named them after his newborn son because he thought the baby’s head looked like a lemon. Delicious and inspired by a casual insult to an infant!

12. Starburst: Picking up taffy’s slack since 1960.

11. Skittles: Just not the purple ones.

10. 100 Grand: This candy bar makes me feel like I have clear pores and a Roth IRA.

9. Tootsie Pops: See, lollipops? All you needed was a little punch of chocolate in the middle to transcend this world.

8. Dots: Soft, juicy and unique in their interpretation of a classic fruit palette. Don’t sleep on these gumdrops.

7. M&Ms (plain): Peanuts are a distraction. I meant it.

6. Reese’s Pieces: On the other hand … You’re going to start noticing a theme, and it’s that I will praise peanut butter like I’m a choosy mom who chooses bribes from the peanut butter lobby.

5. Twizzlers: Black licorice? A poisonous hose. Red Twizzlers? A delicious, edible soda straw.

4. Gummy worms: You could slot any gummy product here, because they’re all pretty legit, but the worms take the trophy home with their name engraved on it, due to the fact that they’re spooky.

3. Tootsie Rolls: It has recently come to my attention that many people dislike Tootsie Rolls. This happened when I expressed my love for it at work, and my colleagues shrieked like I’d told them our newspaper was pivoting to video. They are wrong, and I question their moral fiber. Tootsie Rolls are chewy, they have a mellow cocoa taste and they’re really hard to melt. Also, this fact, per the Tootsie Roll website, is bonkers and worthy of respect on the creepiest holiday: Inventor Leo Hirshfield’s “recipe required the incorporation of the previous day’s Tootsie Rolls into each newly cooked confection, a graining process that Tootsie continues to this day. As such, there’s (theoretically) a bit of Leo’s very first Tootsie Roll in every one of the sixty four million Tootsie Rolls that Tootsie produces each day.”

2. Butterfinger: Just enough of a peanut butter flavor to be warm and familiar, but just different enough to be its own thing. Perhaps the most gorgeous of the candies on this list — more treats should look like geologic formations when you bite into them. Crispety, crunchety orange shale forever.

1. Reese’s Cups: King candy. The reigning champion of decadence. You know you’re in charge when your name becomes synonymous with your flavor combination. When I worked at Amy’s Ice Creams, we were told the peanut butter cups were one of the most expensive crush’ns. Royalty knows its worth. Now, figure out a way to get more peanut butter in that cup.

(source)

[taylorswiftfiction]

Together we can do anything.

I was spending the last week of November in Rhode Island where we had plans to celebrate Christmas with both our families. Joe and I would be heading to London for a couple weeks and come back to the states to celebrate my birthday. After my birthday we were escaping to a little cottage in the middle of the woods. It had been a crazy year and I wanted nothing more than time alone with him. We made time to see each other but we were both so busy, it would be nice to have nothing to do but be with each other. I wanted to make sure everything was ready for Christmas before we left for London so I left for Rhode Island a couple days after Thanksgiving. After I had a week to do all boring stuff and joe finished filming he would fly to Rhode Island and we’d have a few days to decorate the house before heading to London.

I spent a lot of my life dreaming about finding my Prince Charming but the thing is that love isn’t at all what I thought it would be. It’s so much better. It’s not about kissing in the rain and prancing through fields of daisies. It’s about the way he stops on his way out the door to say “I love you” when he’s running 15 minutes late. It’s about the way he strokes the side of my index finger when I’m nervous. It’s how no matter how many times I tell him I’ll be okay without him I still find one of his favorite tee shirts in my luggage. How he sends me flowers because it’s Tuesday. I had never found that in a guy before joe. They were always doing these grand gestures in attempts to impress me. I didn’t need to be impressed, I just needed to be loved. I had toured the world and broken countless records but nothing excited me more then the thoughts of spending the rest of my life with him.

It’s strange how the most life changing things seem to surprise you. The first day in Rhode Island I was making a list of groceries and other household items we would need to stock up on when it hit me.I was late. “Fuck” I muttered as I dropped the pen and paper and walked across the room to double check the calendar on my phone to verify that I was in fact late. For the next several hours I continued wandering around the house completing various tasks and attempting to push my worries away. So much of my life depends on things going as planned and when things get messed up it kind of sends me into a panic. Eventually I decided the only way to calm myself down was to take a test. I kept some in my toiletries kit “just in case”. I read through the instructions carefully, tore into the package, peed on the stick, and waited.

After two minutes of pacing the length of the bathroom the flashing hour glass disappeared and was replaced with the words “pregnant 3-4 weeks.”  I felt the pressure in my chest rising as I pushed myself against the wall and slid down it until I hit the floor. I propped my elbows up on my knees and stared at the test for a good 20 minutes trying to figure out how this happened. In the middle of October I got strep from a certain someone who was spending a lot of time on set with a lot of people weren’t getting enough sleep. I was put on antibiotics and reminded that antibiotics and birth control pills didn’t mix well. We were more carful then normal knowing our primary source of birth control was most likely ineffective. Then Halloween happened. We went to a Halloween party as Spider-Man and Mary Jane and we got very drunk and he did not look bad in that costume. I remembered aspects of the night but after the fifth shot of jolly rancher flavored vodka things were a bit fuzzy. We woke up naked together and stumbled into the kitchen to down an aspirin with a cup of coffee and that was that.

I wanted to call joe so he could tell me it was gonna be okay and we were going to going to figure it out because we could do anything. The thing is that calling him meant telling him over the phone before I really knew how to feel about it myself. It was bad enough that I would have to tell my future kid that they were completely unexpected and conceived because their mom thought their dad was hot in a spider man costume. I didn’t want to have to tell the story of calling their dad on the bathroom floor crying. At around 7 I pulled myself up from the floor, made a grilled cheese for dinner and surfed channels till I fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up and processed the events of the day before. First of all I decided to take another pregnancy test to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. When it came up positive I called my gynecologist in LA to make an appointment with an obstetrician in her office. I was still scared shitless but at the same time I knew it was going to work out and ignoring the issue wasn’t going to help anything. I spent a lot of time thinking and googling and planning and sleeping.

The week went by quicker then expected and before I knew it Joe was pulling me into his arms. We had only been apart a week but it was amazing how quickly I could forget how good it felt to be held by him.He smelled like home. I could of stayed in his arms forever but we had a lot to do and not very long to do it. “Why don’t you to put some comfy clothes on and I’ll make some hot chocolate or something. He kissed me one last time before heading upstairs. I knew I couldn’t keep this from him for very long but I had a plan and I was going to try and stick to it. By the end of the night the majority of the main living areas were decorated. Joe was fiddling with command hooks trying to get Patrick’s stocking to stay put. "Hey babe, are we missing one?”  He paused and counted the stockings before answering.“ No? Tom can’t come, so unless Austin is bringing his Girlfriend I think we have them all.” I paused and bit my lip thinking of my next move. “I’m sure we’re missing one, would you go look in box by the piano just to make sure?” After pulling out piles of tissue paper and plastic bags that the stockings came in he finally pulled out a stocking. “Tay all that’s here is the extra one you bought in case someone else decided to come.” He threw the stocking on the couch and took a sip of his hot chocolate"No, I had to return one because it had a hole in it remember? Look  at the top, it might be embroidered.“ He sighed but picked up the stocking again just to make me happy. "Taylor I’m sure we-” he stopped dead in his tracks. “Taylor what, what does this mean? Are you?” He said with a slight quiver in his voice. I smirked a bit. “ well what does it say?” “It says "baby Alwyn-Swift coming 2019” Taylor are you?“ I nodded and pulled him into me. "You’re going to be a daddy.” We were both crying and that’s when I knew it was going to be okay. “ I can’t believe I let you climb up that fucking ladder.” I giggled “I’m fine I promise.” There was a lot to be worried about. Joe was just starting to really make it, I was just starting to gain some privacy without completely hiding from the world, and the timing definitely wasn’t perfect. We weren’t doing it alone though. We had publicists who were trained to deal with this, friends who had done it before us, and family who loved and supported us. Most importantly we had each other, and together we could do anything.

[commiemoth]

all the sweet and soft asks except the one abt athleticism lol

Sweet- i think my favorite type is either blueraspberry jolly ranchers or snickers! Depending on The Mood

Smooth- i leik, 2 beethoven songs and 1 chopin song otherwise i h a t e because ive been forced to learn it most of my life and its repetitive and pointless to me, also has too many rules with no purpose (double sharps instead of just writing the note) (writing something in a key with 5 flats or sharps and then using naturals for 90% of the notes) sucks man

Baby- im not ready to be a parent!! I feel leik i might be in the future but right now im terrible with kids and theyre kind of annoying sometimes, to much responsibilty an stuff

Courage- whos “athlete” idk them lol

Lovely- it depends on whos askin! Its usually some for of ‘gud’ tho, if ollie is askin its either “mmmmgud :3” or “just shoved a sunny d up my ass” :/, if jack asks its usually “ *a picture of doctor eggman but it has no limbs and massive balls* ” or something similar and! I always try to remember to ask the other person how theyre doing too!

Cutie- my favorite orange thing is either an orange (the fruit) [controversial] or! Orange juice or sunny d :P

Skin- yell heah i want tatoos!!! I want a snake going spiraling down my arm so the head is on my wrist and the tail is starting in my back, a rose on my other arm so that the rose bud is in my palm and the stem spirals up my arm and ends on my back, and a crescent moon surrounding a heart with a sword through both on my back really big! Thats my thing! , and maybe a minimalist solar system design on my chest!!

Pictures- art is very important to me! When i grow up i wanna be an artist leik in music, visual art, and writing . Its my passion and i would die if i had to do anything else for a living :/

Stars- enthralling!! One word isnt enough tho space is so cool leik: vast, quiet, solemn, majestic, space is everything!

Religion- i dont practice any and im not really affiliated with any either but! Im not sure if this is that related but i really wanna get into witchcraft more and start practicing!

One- no! I hate competition it always makes me feel bad whether i win or lose :/

Makeup- i dont use any makeup yet but as soon as im out of my parents house i think my most used products would be eyeshadow and lipstick (in lots of cool colors)

Sheets- i sleep with one blanket in the summer or 2 in the winter, i would have so many more but if the blankets get out of alignment it bothers me so much i cant sleep and more than 2 is too many to keep track of

Chalk- uhhhhhhhh im? I think im best at photography maybe? Or english when we do poetry but thats not often, i wanna be better in art class but i still need to learn more, my worst subject is math without a doubt!

Blush- so! Easily! Embarrassed!!!!!!!! If you say something nice about me ill die on the spot, if you show me physical affection and i leik you ill get blushy and start makin weird noises cus idk wat to do!!!!

Water- i think it was over the summer? That was the last time i cried emotionally but i cry sometimes when listening to songs but idk if that counts

Karma- i dont really know wat i beleive? If something gud happens im all of a sudden: “wow im so lucky!!!” And if something bad happens im: “theres no such thing as luck! Take fate into my own hands!!” So idk :/

Lips: uhhhhhh a kiss from ollie cuz im gay :/ or one of those gingerbread snaps cookies things my dad got from his dad!! Theyre so gud i wish i could taste them again! Or hot chocolate is always gud :3

Cupcake- cookies and cake!! Pie ans ice cream are gud too but sometimes too hot or cold messy :/ Cake Is Best Without Icing

Music- this is.a hard one uhhhhhhhMadeonPorter RobinsonNeroChoosing only 3 isnt enough aaaaaa!!

Night- during school leik 4-6 hours, on weekends around 11-13 but i go to bed at leik 3AM, during the summer leik 14-16 but i go to bed at leik 6AM :/

Smile- my day has been pretty gud so far!! Glad to be back in school and i can see ollie at least once a day :3

[grumpyzutara]

Youth - T

The couple from Unexpected Visits returns that Saturday to dance away their youth. Will they get jiggy with it? I should also preface by saying I've gone to like 3 bars in my life and 0 with a date. While I'm of age, bars are not my scene. So take the below with a grain of salt.

My Uber will be here in a minute, then we'll be on our way to the bar. See you there! ;) -K

Emojis were never Zuko's strong suit. He could figure out what the basic ones meant, but a winky face emoji? That could mean a hundred different things! And he definitely didn't know what Katara's text meant. Well he knew what she was saying, but what did she mean? Why did she include that? Did she send that to everyone?

Then came the issue of how to respond. After multiple drafts, Zuko finally sent his text back.

Great. I'm just around the corner. -Z

Sure it was short and simple, but he didn't want to get ahead of himself. There had been a few texts back and forth throughout the week, mainly initiated from Katara.  

They learned they both went to the same college (not surprising) and regularly had classes in the same building (very surprising). Zuko was working on a business major and Katara was studying civil law but their gen-ed classes were in the same building. Most surprising was that even though they were 2 years apart, Katara at 21 and Zuko about to turn 23, they had similar hour credits due to Zuko's delayed start.

Oh my gosh, this Uber is the best! He has Jolly Ranchers and rope lights on the inside! -K

Are you sure that's safe to eat? If you're hungry I'm pretty sure the bar has chips and salsa – Z

No time for eating, just dancing! Well and talking I told you I'm bringing friends right? -K

I think you've mentioned it multiple times now. Don't worry. I don't always go to bars by myself. I know how to deal with groups. - Z

Katara didn't have time to respond before they arrived outside the bar with Zuko in sight. Katara piled out with 2 other friends and headed for him.

Zuko was nervous when he saw her two girl friends get out of the car. If he had any hope of dating Katara, he obviously had to win their approval. Then again, he wasn't even sure if Katara liked him or was just taking pity on him.

"I hope you weren't waiting for us too long, but I saved you a Jolly Rancher. I hope you like strawberry." Katara gave him a warm smile before offering him the red candy.

"Thank you. It's one of my favorites." Even if he didn't care for that flavor, Zuko would have taken it. "There isn't a line to get in so we should go while we can," Zuko said before putting the candy in his mouth. He didn't want it to get sticky in his pocket. On the way inside, Katara tried introduce her friends but Toph had other ideas.

"My eye sight is beyond bad so you're going to be my escort tonight," Toph gruffly said before hooking her arm through his and started walking toward the entrance.

"That's Toph for you. I'm Suki," the other woman said from behind Zuko. The bar was half full and they were able to grab a high top table between the bar and the dance area easily.

"You guys can stay here, I'll go order the first round," Zuko said. The girls gave their order and he walked away. He was surprised that just after he placed the order, Katara appeared by his side.

"You'll need help carrying the drinks. Plus, we haven't really said hi. I'm glad you showed up."

Again, Zuko was at a loss for words. It seemed that Katara was interested in him, but it could be that she was just a nice person. "Thank you for inviting me out. I hope you and your friends have fun time tonight."

Just then their drinks were ready. A craft beer for Suki, a long island for Toph, whiskey on the rocks for Zuko and a fruity blue drink for Katara.

"Well I hope you'll save a few dances for me," Katara said, winking before taking two drinks and walking away.

Ok.

Ok. Ya. So Katara was definitely sending "I'm interested" vibes. Zuko had to remember what he was doing for a second before grabbing the other drinks and following after. Now came the question of how to show he was interested as well. By the time Zuko caught up to the table, the girls were into a discussion of a test they had on Thursday. The scores had just been posted online.

"I don't want to hear it Katara, you're the one that screws up the curve every time," Suki complained.

"Fine, then let's drop the school topic. Who want's to join me for the next good song?" Katara looked around at the group. Toph said she wasn't buzzed enough and Suki said she wanted to wait a few songs until Sokka showed up. Zuko didn't know who Sokka was but he took that it was her significant other.

Not wanting to leave Katara hanging for a dance partner and seeing it as a good chance to make his intentions known, he answered, "Uh, I'll join you." He almost added that he wasn't that good at dancing, especially with a girl, but that was a minor detail.

Katara's smile was brighter than the strobe lights. "I want to wait until they play something I know so we have time to drink a little more."

They didn't have to wait long. Zuko finished off his drink as Katara started to drag him out. Her hips were grinding on him before he could ask her how she wanted to dance. He let his hands go to her waist and tried to match her rhythm. Their side to side sway kept them going through the song and into the next. His hands never staying from her waist, though he thought about it. Her hands were everywhere. On his thighs, covering his hands, on his forearms – and he loved her touch.  

They took a break after the 2nd song, plus Katara still had her drink to finish before it got watered down.  

"Man, it's already getting warm in here!" Katara shouted as they approached the table, "They should open up the main doors and bring in that cool air."

"I don't know Katara, it's not that hot in here to me," Toph said, smirking.

"I don't know Toph, maybe it's just warmer on the dance floor than over here?" Suki joined in. Obviously, the pair were ganging up on their close dancing. But Zuko didn't care. He had a great time out there. Even if Katara didn't dance with him again for the night, he would still be able to leave happy.

Zuko stood near Katara, with a hand at the small of her back. While the girls talked, he was enjoying just being a part of a group. He hardly felt like the odd man out.

"I'm going to order another round, anyone ready for theirs? I'm buying," Katara asked. Toph was still working on her drink and Suki shook her head even though she was looking down at her phone.  

"I'll go with you. I want to order some nachos." Zuko started to step away from the table but stopped once he heard Katara yell a name.

"Sokka! Over here!" Katara took a few steps to the bar but pointed in their table's direction. It was easy to tell once Sokka was in view that he was Katara's brother; their appearance was so similar. "I'll introduce you to him late, let's go get those drinks now." She threaded her arm through his and pulled him away.

While they waited for their drinks and snack, Zuko tried to start conversation with Katara. "So are you related to that Sokka guy?"

Katara thought she was being subtle as she bumped her shoulder into his arm, "Ya, he's my brother. He's pretty cool. Don't worry if he gives you a hard time."

"Why would he give me a hard time?" Now he was starting to get worried.

"Well, cause we're, you know," Katara's words were accompanied by a shoulder shimmy.

"Uhh," came Zuko's intelligent reply.

Katara looked him in the eye with a serious look on her face, "Dance partners, duh." Zuko tried to stop it, but he could feel his face fall at the news. He was hoping she would say a different answer. But then she busted out laughing, "Oh Zuko, I'm sorry, that was mean of me. Obviously there's this buzz between us. Sokka will give you a hard time because he knows I want to go on a date with you. One where my friends aren't invited."

"Oh, ok, ya, that-that sounds great actually! Well not the part about your brother, but going on a date." Zuko gave her a smile, possibly the first of the night.

She leaned over to give his good cheek a kiss. "Then let's get back to the table and get back to dancing!"

Katara carried the drinks while Zuko ate a few nachos along the way. The moment their things were set down, Sokka introduced himself but he only had a second before Katara wanted back on the floor for her favorite song.

Hips grinding and her hands moving, Zuko was in bliss.

"You know, you can move your hands on me," Katara had tilted her head back so he could hear her over the music.

Moving his hands from her waist felt like going into uncharted territory, but he was eager to put on his explorer's hat. Slowly, he rubbed his hands along her shirt until he hit her jeans. He kept his slow pace even though their hips were doing double time. It wasn't long before Katara snaked a hand up to hold on to his neck, hips pressing harder.

And that's how they danced the night away. Always touching. Even when they stopped for a break, Zuko would have his arm around her shoulders or Katara would sneak a hand into one of his jean back pockets. When they end of the night came, Zuko waited for their Uber ride showed up before walking around the corner to his place. Still thinking of the kiss goodnight she gave minutes ago.

He felt like a teenage boy, getting so worked up after one night. But man, was it a night. With the promise of brunch tomorrow too.