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bahamutgames · 11 months ago

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AFTERTHOUGHTS - ROUNDUP ROUND 8

October - November 2023

Hello again!! Soon December will be upon us (or maybe it already is by the time I finish this lol. We'll see) and before you know it, 2023 will already be over. Sheesh. But we still have a few days of November and some big things in December to go through so let's take it one step at a time, okay?

Had an interesting time during October as I was finishing some RPGs and fell into a bit of a funk / gamer block after some junk. But thankfully I managed to pull myself out of it and I'm happily chipping away at my next RPG as we speak! I ended up playing a good amount of shorter stuff these past 2 months, so let's go ahead and talk about some of it!

Per the norm, these aren't reviews. Just my thoughts I'm slapping up here. You should play everything I talk about regardless of what I say and form your own opinion. Cool, let's begin!

Pikuniku (January 24, 2019) - Xbox One

As I said earlier, I fell into a bit of depressed slump for a little. And I decided that replaying Pikuniku would fix me. I played this back around the time covid started, so it had been a long while since I played it. And, yeah, it's still REALLY good! Cute visuals, one of my favorite OSTs ever probably, super charming script and story. It's such a good time honestly even if can be a little rough at points. If you haven't played this game before, I've played it twice now and it 100% gets my seal of approval.

Hatsune Miku Project DIVA F 2nd (March 27, 2014) - Playstation Vita

But... Pikuniku, despite how much I adore it. Didn't fix me. No, sadly, I was still in a bit of a slump and not sure what to play next after being drained of my gamer energy. Then I dug through my games to fetch a console for my sister, and happened to accidentally find out my other sister owned a Miku game on vita. I had no idea we had this! And I've been getting more into vocaloid lately. So what the heck? Why not play it?

I used to hate rhythm games but lately I like them a lot more and, yeah, I had a great time with this! Staying up late in bed playing it late at night was a ton of fun. I discovered a lot of new vocaloid songs I hadn't heard before (off the top of my head I really liked Melt and the spooky themed one but I'll have to relisten to them all to say which were favorites). The game is super cute, I think it looks great, I LOVE that there's a lot of costumes for each of the 6 characters, I liked all the music, and honestly yeah this game really made me feel a lot better.

Only things I can say against it is that easy is WAY too easy, not even asking you to use most buttons of the system. While normal was just WAY too brutal, I couldn't even beat Melt on Normal. Maybe I just suck though. Also I think it can be a little difficult to figure out how to equip costumes but it's not that big of a deal. I like the magician miku outfit a lot, fun game :)

Paratopic (September 6, 2018) - Nintendo Switch

Hey! Here's a game you probably would NOT expect me to play because I avoid horror like the plague lmao. But my brother bought this a long while back, and I saw it sitting there unplayed. And it's like, less than an hour long. So I figured, what the heck? And gave it a shot (shoutouts to my siblings owning random games I guess lol).

Paratopic is interesting because it's meant to be played in one go, with no saving at any point. There's not really any losing either, so it's kind of like an interactive movie. It's told out of order and is also not super in your face about the plot which could be a drawback but it's very clearly the intention so I think it does it very well. Graphics were nice, story is odd and interesting, it's a very unnerving game. I couldn't even relisten to the OST while writing this cause I was too scared (still listening to miku). But again there's no major scares as far as I recall? It's similar to Fatum Batula in art, odd themes, and the fact that it's probably a good horror game for people who hate horror. Not my thing but happy I played through it!

SLUDGE LIFE : The BIG MUD Sessions (August 2, 2023) - PC

DID YOU KNOW I'M A SLUDGE LIFE FAN!? DID YOU KNOW THAT? DID YOU KNOW I 100% COMPLETED THE FIRST GAME THE DAY I STARTED IT AND I OWN A CIGGY TSHIRT CAUSE I LOVE IT SO MUCH!?

Well anyway, I do. And somehow I missed out on the fact that there was a Sludge Life 2 demo that was free to play and had its own plot! So, naturally, I had to sit down and play it! Not a lot to say because it is a small story, taking place only in one building rather than a big city. But I thought it was a great way to get back into the swing of things with Sludge Life, and I had a blast completing this bite sized story! I even completed the full Gato Mago demo present in the game lol. If you're not sure if you'd like the games, I might honestly recommend playing this to give it a shot since it's easy to complete but has everything present in the main 2 games.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass (March 18, 2022) - Nintendo Switch

I talked about the end of the Booster Course Pass a little bit on twitter. But just in case you missed it, I wanted to talk about it here. It's finally done, and honestly I had a blast with it. While this DLC was kinda rough at first, being pricey for some admittedly low quality tracks (at least in terms of graphics) I really think by the end they pulled it together and made this a very worthwhile package with LOTS of new tracks and even new characters that they didn't have to do! I really appreciated it!

This final set of stages was nice, DK Mountain is a classic and it's great to have it back. Rosalina's Ice World was a pleasant surprise! Bowser's Castle 3 seemed like it was gonna be the most boring one but I LOVED it! And Rainbow Road Wii was such a nice send off! Great remake of a great track!

For new tracks, Piranha Plant Cove stood out to me the most. I adored it, as it was brand new to me since I don't play Tour (my younger sister does and she hates this track lmao). But I thought it was gorgeous, has a great aesthetic with the beach/jungle ruins at night, and has great music. It felt like something out of a JRPG which love, and the music particularly reminded me of Sea of Stars a bit!

New characters were great too! Overall while there's still some characters and tracks I wish returned (Wario Stadium, ROB, stuff like that) I do think overall this DLC made MK8DX such a complete package and was totally worth the price of entry I payed however long ago. They brought back some of my all time favorite MK stuff such as Choco Mountain and Petey Piranha.

And honestly, it's looking like MK8 might finally be done. We might actually be moving onto Mario Kart 9 soon which feels crazy to me. MK8 is finished, Tour is done getting new content. I really truly think the next MK thing we see will probably be 9. And I wanted that for YEARS! When they announced the booster pass it rubbed me the wrong was cause I just wanted 9 already. But now that it's here? I'm gonna miss 8 a LOT. It's my favorite one next to DS probably. And it's been the latest Mario Kart for SO long. I remember going to gamestop the day it launched on Wii U to pick it up in 2014 (THAT'S 9 YEARS AGO, BTW. 9 YEARS OF MK8). I've gone through major life changes during the course of MK8's existence. Graduation, learning to drive, moving out (multiple times), presenting in public for the first time. Mario Kart 8 has oddly been a consistent part of my life for a while now. And I'm honestly a little emotional to let it go.

However, I'm very excited to see what comes next from this series. I'm waiting with baited breath for 9, and I'm sure that regardless of what the next game is like, I'll probably love it. It's hard to say goodbye, but I do really love MK8 more the more I think about it and reflect on my time with it. Late night playing with my sister, playing online with friends, playing with randos, driving around the tracks slowly to see all the little details. Thanks for all the good times Mario Kart 8. I'll always be using tilt controls :')

Super Kiwi 64 (December 2, 2022) - PC

Wow that last one got a little emotional, huh? Let's move onto something I haven't spent a large formative part of my adulthood playing. Siactro is a small indie dev I have become fiercely loyal to, playing just about everything they put out since I first played the original Toree! So when I saw they were making a new 3D Collectathon, I was VERY excited!

And this game lived up! It's great! Some GORGEOUS worlds that look so breath taking with these N64 styled graphics. Some fantastic music to accompany you. It feels WONDERFUL to play, I genuinely am OBSESSED with Kiwi's moveset. Gliding, dashing, stabbing into walls to climb up them. It might make exploring a little easy but exploring is absolutely the focus more than platforming is. And I think these tools make that goal very easy and EXTREMELY fun. In fact, it's so good I'm actually sad it isn't longer. There's only 8 worlds and they're all 100% completed rather quickly. Which is fine, Siactro games tend to be short. But this one was just SO good, I wanted more! That's a positive though I promise!

My only real negatives are that the game doesn't explain the plot too well, you have to play Beeny to understand what's happening. Which is fine for me, but it's odd they did that. I also think it's odd that there's NO ENEMIES! I don't think I took a single hit of damage through the game. I think some cute (CUTE NOT HORRIFYING) enemies would really elevate the game and make it a little tougher. Likewise, I know there's only 5-6 main collectables in each world, but I do think some way to keep track of them would be huge. Even just a hint list so you know what you're looking for. Regardless, super fun game, another banger from Siactro and if you're looking for a shorter 3D collectathon, do give it a look!

He Fucked the Girl Out of Me (July 24, 2023) - PC

I'm not sure it's appropriate for me to discuss this in this format as this is a deeply personal game for the creator that tackles real life serious subjects about their past. However, it is still a game and it's a game that's VERY good and I think everyone should play!

He Fucked the Girl Out of Me is a visual novel about the creator's life as a transwoman, and their time as a sex worker. It's a very sad game but that's exactly how it should be and it does end well. But I think it's a really interesting game just by the nature of it being an autobiographical game. That's something I've been interested in for a while and this game does it very well. Really putting you into the head of the creator as they take you through the story.

The graphics are nice, looking like a gameboy title. The story is told very well and did honestly make me cry a bit (I'm particularly sensitive though I cry a lot aha). It's a short game but I would love to see more games that tell people's experiences like this, I think getting to play it can give you a look into their life that a book or movie just can't do the same way. I really loved the scenes where you could pick snacks and see her thoughts on them, and I thought the scene where you see what people message you in this line of work was very well done. There's isn't a ton to say about the gameplay side of things, but I think that's fine since again, it is autobiographical and it manages to tell that story very well through a more VN styled approach.

The game tackles topics about shame, and hiding your trauma due to fear of getting in trouble and the trauma that fear adds on top of the shame. It's a something I think a lot of people can relate to even if you don't go through something as traumatic as what the creator of the game went through. It's an important message and I'll absolutely be keeping an eye on this developer going forward. If you've got the time, give this game a shot.

SLUDGE LIFE 2 (June 27, 2023) - PC

And here we are, Sludge Life 2! As a huge fan of the first, I couldn't resist anymore. I'm a little late but I just HAD to play SL2!! This game picks up RIGHT where The Big Mud Sessions ends off. Big Mud has gone missing after recording, and it's up to Ghost to track him down! All while tagging, making some new friends, and taking pictures of stupid stuff along the way.

It's very similar to the first, but now with the added Ciggy City attached the main town from the first game so there's a LOT more to explore now! Just like the first one it's a ton of fun to run around and platform about while tagging stuff and making friends with random taggers. A lot of them are new this time but there's some familiar faces too. It's still a blast, there's still lots to do, I like that the plot covers some more serious topics, it's very funny, it has great music, I love the graphics. Overall it's a blast! There's a fully uncensored penis in it which is awesome! This is random but I think more games should be allowed to have full uncensored nudity without getting an AO rating.

However, I personally didn't prefer it over SL1 or the Big Mud Sessions. It is fun. But like, I think it wasn't as fun. And it felt like they were leading up to something a little cooler than how it plays out. The death mold felt like it should have been a big thing leading to a big finale. But it's just the bad ending and it's quick and not addressed much, which is how the bomb worked in the first game. But the bomb wasn't teased and didn't feel like it may have been a big deal if that makes sense? I thought Ciggy City could be a little annoying to navigate at times, I don't like Gato Mago as much as the game in the first, I feel like they didn't improve some issues such as it being REALLY hard to find tag spots when you're near 100, I couldn't figure out how to spit in that guy's food! It is still good and I had a great time playing through it, but it just didn't feel as amazing as I was hoping a sequel would feel.

Regardless, I still recommend this series, and I hope we get a Sludge Life 3 that can maybe make good on some of its plot teasing? I am interested to see how the Death Mold will tie into a potential 3rd game as well seeing more uprising against the corruption in the world and the clops. I also would like to see a boss fight, because I really thought the health bar in the trailer meant there was gonna be a boss fight. Doesn't need combat or anything, I think the moveset present in these games could already make for an interesting boss.

Hello My Name is (Val)iant Or Val's Guide To Having A Broken Vag (June 1, 2023) - PC

Another short visual novel about sex and body stuff! This was also a game I randomly discovered a few weeks ago and had a great time playing through it! This game is more lighthearted than He Fucked the Girl Out of Me, but is still a great time and still has important things to say. You play as Val, a transman who has lived with extreme vaginal pain their whole life. And you see the struggles that comes from doctor negligence and trying to find love with that problem.

This one has some more gameplay like scenes, mainly 2 minigames you play twice. But the way they're handled is VERY interesting! I won't spoil it but there's a Tetris minigame used for talking to doctors, and a Rhythm minigame used for having sex. And the way it contrasts the feelings between 2 different experiences in both situations using these minigames is REALLY well done.

It's not autobiographical I don't think, but is more autobiographical in the sense that it capture's the dev team's past issues with doctors ignoring you, medical racism, and the lack of help and care for people with vagina's comfort in sex and just in their bodies in general. I'm not kidding when I tell you this game taught me more about vaginas than my entire life of sex ed in school. Drop out and play video games, kids. You'll learn more.

Great graphics, great music. I know I shouldn't compare it to HFTGOOM so much but I liked both of these a lot! I would love to see more games about real topics that affect real people in the future, and especially ones that maybe tackle more genres than just Visual Novel (though I understand it is the best medium for this)

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode I (January 19, 2012) - PC

It's time... to talk about Sonic 4... I want to preface this by saying I LOVE SONIC, and I genuinely feel kinda bad whenever I trash on something Sonic related because the series gets so much undeserved hate. And I know I recently had some negative opinions on the Final Horizons DLC but oh my god... Sonic 4 made me appreciate that so much more. Guys, this game sucks. I'm not joking when I say this is probably the worst Sonic game I've ever played.

This game feels so absolutely soulless in a way no other Sonic game can even come close to imitating. It's trying so hard to be like a Classic Sonic game by copying its level themes, concepts, and music style. But it copies absolutely none of the charm in any way. The music just isn't very good (kind of a sin for a Sonic game?). The graphics are REALLY bad imo. It's trying to make all the 3D models look like 2D sprites but it fails MISERABLY. The effect only works on the final boss. I really can't explain it, you'll just have to see the final boss for yourself, it's clearly trying to look like a 2D sprite. The game plays like GARBAGE! Sonic is so slow, takes forever to reach any meaningful speed, and the homing attack doesn't work 99% of the time. It's truly baffling to me.

Speaking of the final boss, that sucks too. The bosses in this game are all rehashes of earlier bosses, but less fun! Big surprise! This game ends with the Death Egg Robot again but unlike the Generations fight with it which is cool. This fight is like, a massive slog that takes FOREVER to kill. I seriously think it may take like 10 minutes to get through if you do perfectly? And it certainly took me about an hour with all my deaths. And the story being like, just the Sonic 1 story is so boring, no one talks, the animations don't look that good. This game just SUCKS. And that's just the game, not even considering the fact it's uploaded to Steam with an error that makes it so you can't launch it without a fan made launcher!

I think what bothers me so much about this game is that people ALWAYS like to flame on the usual suspects when it comes to Sonic. 06, Shadow, stuff like that. But I will die on this hill, those games, while maybe not being GREAT and certainly lacking polish, are FUN and full of heart and soul. Why is this game NEVER brought up? It has barely any, if any, redeeming qualities. I know this was made for youtube reviewers who hated Sonic having friends and stories but I genuinely cannot believe that even they would enjoy just playing Sonic 1 but worse and shorter? Truly a game for no one. Let's move on.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode II (May 15, 2012) - PC

So right out of the gate, this game is SO much better than the first it's actually jarring. I still don't think it's great. But it's more just, eh, rather than being terrible like Episode I. For improvements, they drop the art style which is a big help. I feel like the music, while still trying to sound like Genesis music, actually works this time and sounds pleasant and fun. And while Sonic is still REALLY slow and the homing attack still doesn't really work, it just feels better to play. And the addition of new content instead of just rehashing old stuff is VERY welcome. Sonic 4 Episode 2 opens with a brand new, gorgeous castle stage. Has Tails who is used for team up moves, and features ACTUALLY NEW BOSSES! Wow!

Overall it is a massive improvement over the first. But it still has a lot of issues. For one, the levels are SO long. Like, they just do not end ever. And they do kind of start to copy other games in the second half . The Tornado level is a SLOG and just not fun. I hate the stupid half pipes (does anyone really like these?) And the bosses are even worse, they're not BAD but they're SO long and all end on this big hit you have to land that can be a chore to get right (the trash golem boss). And the final boss, while it is WAY cooler, lasts SO long!! You have to walk through a not super short level to get to it, watch a not short cutscene, then watch a cutscene after EVERY PHASE. Unskippable, do this upon EVERY DEATH. Not every Game Over, EVERY DEATH!

Whatever, again, it is a LOT better than the first. It's not offensively bad like that one was. But still, kind of an odd game. The boss themes are great though.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode Metal (May 15, 2012) - PC

I probably don't have to discuss this as it's just Episode I backwards. But I do have to give some props to this one cause it is kinda neat. And probably the most interesting idea of Sonic 4. Letting you play as Metal is cool, I'm a sucker for stuff like this where you revisit worlds in a different context (you start at the final world and work your way back to the starting world.) It's neat! And even though it's pretty much identical to Sonic 4 Episode 1. It's way shorter, with no bosses. So it's more fun.

Overall I'm happy I tried Sonic 4. But these games just sucked man. If you wanna play one, just play Episode 2 don't even bother with Episode 1. I genuinely get a bit of happiness knowing there was never an Episode 3 I have to suffer through. 2D Sonic still has a place nowadays. But everything offered here is done better in LITERALLY EVERY OTHER ATTEMPT AT A NEW 2D SONIC!

Want classic gameplay with nice classic pixel art? Sonic Mania is there. Want classic gameplay with the modern designs? Sonic Advance Trilogy is better. Want 2D Sonic with homing attacks and boosting and stuff? Sonic Rush games are better. Oh but you can't play as Metal? YOU FOOL!! SONIC RIVALS 1&2 ARE BOTH BETTER AND ALSO HAVE SHADOW AND EVEN ROUGE IS IN THE SECOND ONE!

And when do these games take place? Is it trying to imply this ACTUALLY takes place between Sonic 3 and Adventure? Like is this supposed to be saying Metal is only in heroes BECAUSE of this game? That's nuts right? That sounds insane right?

Again, truly a game for no one. Go play Sonic Rivals.

Portal (October 10, 2007) - PC

Ah, Portal! You may be surprised to learn I've never beaten this game! And more surprised to learn I've NEVER beaten a Valve game prior to this! I started this game when I was young but got stuck during one of the puzzles (the only where you have to launch yourself across the barrier you can't shoot through?) and dropped it. But I own it again on steam and thought I should give it another go. And I'm glad I did!

This game was SUPER fun! It's short but every level is genuinely cool to try and figure out how to use the portals to their fullest. Which, in of itself, feels very impressive to me. I can't help but feel like programming and making those portals work must have been a NIGHTMARE! But it payed off because again, it's SUPER fun! GLaDOS is really funny during the whole thing, the credits song is of course fantastic, and the creepy parts where you see outside of the experiments were VERY scary and I had to mute the game during them cause they unnerved me so much lmao.

But without a doubt, the best part of this game was the final boss. I thought it was SUPER interesting trying to get the portals lined up to blast GLaDOS. And the context of the fight, with GLaDOS being obsessed with flooding the facility with toxic gas was very funny.

The only real drawback I can say the game has considering it's so short is that the final escape sequence is a little long. But GLaDOS taunting you during it and trying to sound like she's in control of the situation was fun and I did like the part where you have to fight a bunch of the turrets at once.

But yeah! Fun game! Glad I finally beat it! I still hold firm that Chell is the best choice for a Valve character in Smash Bros. cause I'd be SO interested in seeing them make the portals work in that game!

#2023 #thoughts #roundup

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xpiester333x · 2 years ago

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A list of all the games I played in 2022:

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

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

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

Unpacking (completed) - 4 hours - 8/10

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

Lost Ark - 47.5 hours - 6/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stray (completed) - 10 hours - 10/10

Lorelai (completed) - 7 hours - 6/10

Calico (completed) - 6 hours - 4/10

Oxenfree (completed) - 6 hours - 5/10

Sudocats (completed) - 6 hours - 5/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tacoma (completed) - 3 hours - 5/10

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

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

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

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

Persona 4 (completed) 100 hours - 9.5/10

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

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

Littlewood (not completed) - 4 hours - NA

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

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

Zodiacats (completed) - 5 hours - 5/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#video games #video games 2022 #easy as pie #personal #pie plays #thats a tag now idk

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paigenoelchas-blog · 2 years ago

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Feels Like Home

14: Double Date

It has been a month since the incident. During that time, the air has cooled a bit filling the world with a crisp feeling of autumn. The sky is bluer, and the leaves are changing colors as if the creator himself has taken out his paintbrush and colored the Earth. The owls hoot their music at night and the sun peeks out its glorious head in the morning. People are friendlier, and love fills the air.

I am, for once, blissfully happy and, for once I am not going to overanalyze our relationship. Jake and I are in love and he is free. We now get to live in that freedom. It is more than I could have dreamed of.

We haven't spent all of our time together. He has been true to his word. We have called and texted every day. We take walks over the phone, talking while we walk. It may seem odd, but we are getting to know each other better. Jake has coffee delivered to my door every morning without fail. I made him a running playlist he swears he listens to it every morning.

We didn't go out for a couple of weeks after the incident. It took a while for him to heal. He said the bruising wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. I think he's was hiding out until he looked a little better. He finally asked me out on a real date and it was lovely. We went to the movies. It was a horror film. I hate those things, but I like cuddling up next to him in the theater when I am scared. I think he likes it too.

Life got busy, with with his job and with mine. We haven't been able to enjoy each other's presence for a while, but we have plans today. I can not wait.

We are going to our town's autumn festival. It is a big event. The whole town turns up. We drink pumpkin-flavored coffee, eat pumpkin-flavored desserts, and shop at craft booths. There are always events happening like three-legged races, a petting farm, and a turkey race. The fair includes all of the fun family things that I want to do with my kids when I have some of my own. It will be fun to see Jake in this environment, him being a former hacker and all.

At night, the fair boasts several adult only activities. The town has a pumpkin cider that is local to the area which is served in the arena where there is also a live band with a dance floor. The town offers moonlit hayrides for the adults. Even though it is only September, they also let things get a little spooky. People dress as monsters and try to scare the attendees and the decorations take on an eerie glow, but my favorite thing, the thing I have never been able to do, is the haunted house. I hate to be scared, but I have Jake and I trust him. He promises that he will hold my hand and never let go. I am glad that I can trust that and trust him.

I love my life of firsts with him. There are many firsts in general and there are many firsts that we haven't done with each other. We will get to those later, but tonight we get to share a first. It is his first haunted house too.

He is about to pick me up in his fancy car. I check in the mirror one last time. I am wearing my hair in two twin braids landing in the middle of my back. My sweater is a deep navy and my jeans fit perfectly. I zip up my tall boots and am ready, finally ready, to meet him. This is the first time that I have been able to be excited about hanging out with him, the first time I have gotten dressed wondering if he will like what I am wearing. I'm oddly nervous. I begin to question my hair and my sweater. I put on an extra coat of lipgloss and grab my orange peacoat when my phone dings with a message.

Jake: Hey Mahri, a quick question...

Jake: ok, two quick questions.

Mahri: Ask away.

Jake: First, is it too soon for pet names?

Mahri: As long as you don't call me sweet cheeks or muffin.

Jake: ok, I'll save those for later. ;)

Mahri: 😉 ...the second question?

Jake: Well, Betty called me and I told her what we were doing and she wondered if she and Phil could meet us there?

Mahri: Are you going to be fine hanging out with Phil?

Jake: He won't be flirting with you. He is with Betty and Betty likes him, so...

Mahri: This should be interesting. Of course, Betty is always welcome and I think Phil is great.

Jake: I promise we will still have our time together.

Mahri: I'm counting on it.

Jake: I'll be there in five minutes, Three if I am unencumbered by traffic.

Mahri: Drive safe.

Jake: Always, Dear. Do we Like dear?

Mahri: Eh, it could be worse but it could be a lot better. Put down the phone and get over here.

He arrives in 2.5 minutes. Yes, it is too fast, but part of me doesn't mind. I have been so anxious. As I watch him walk up the drive, I can tell he is also nervous. He is taking too long to get to me so I run out the door to meet him.

As our bodies approach each other, he takes me into his arms and wraps me tightly in his embrace. I return the hug.

"Hello, Lamb." He smiles and winks. I grimace.

"Nope, Lamb won't work."

"Noted. You look incredible." He sweeps a loose hair off of my face. Why do my knees get weak every time he does that?

I pull back to examine him. "And you, sir, have healed quite nicely" I wink and he blushes.

"Shall we?" He asks holding out his arm for me to grab onto.

"Very gallant," I say.

"I am nothing if not a gentleman, m'lady." He smiles and chuckles under his breath as he holds the car door open for me. He is wearing a blue button-up shirt that brings out the color in those gorgeous eyes of his, and his jeans fit just right.

Upon his entering the car, he adjusts the radio, checks in his rear view mirror, and fidgets with the heater.

"Are you cold, or too hot? Do you want to change the music? Is the seat comfortable?"

I grab his hand next to mine. "Jake, I am fine. I will ask you if I need something. Take a deep breath."

He does.

"I just want today to be great. I want to have fun and just be together," he confesses.

"Then let's do that. I want to be with you. I want to have fun with you. You don't have to impress me. I am already impressed. You don't have to woo me. I have already been wooed, remember?" I retort.

"All right, let's go, darling.." he smiles and kisses the back of my hand before I can respond. "That one even sounds creepy to me."

We drive the rest of the way in idle banter and careless flirting. Out the window, I see leaves dancing in the wind. Today is about fun with Jake and now with Betty and Phil. I had almost forgotten. I hope the boys can control themselves.

He pulls into the parking lot and takes out his phone quickly texting someone. Then, he throws his phone in the glove compartment and locks it.

"Enough of that for today. I just had to text Betty so she would know where to meet us. You now have my undivided attention for the entire festival."

I smile. "No phone for a whole day? I feel special."

"You are special and should be treated as such." He states, matter of factly.

I grab his arm and slide my hand down until our hands meet and our fingers intertwine. The warmth is incredible. He raises our hands over his head until his arm lies over my shoulder. I am tucked up next to his side. Comforted. Loved. Happy.

There are a lot of people here. I notice Jake grab my hand a little tighter. "Are you ok?" I ask him.

"Yes. I will be fine. I haven't been around a lot of people in the last five years." He admits with a shy expression.

"We can go..."

"NO! We can not. I need to do this and I am calmer with you. I feel stronger when you are with me." He kisses the side of my head and nods as he meets my eyes. I know he means it.

"If you change your mind, I will hang out with you anywhere, we can leave at any time," I assure him.

" I won't. If I get anxious I will just look into your eyes. That calms me. Besides I have three firsts to cross off of my list today."

"Oh right, the list," I remembered. I had asked him to make a list of things that he wanted to do for the first time and we decided that we would do them together.

"What are today's three?" I asked.

"First autumn festival, first candy apple, and the third, you know, is my first haunted house."

"You are gonna be so scared," I tease.

"I'm more worried about having to carry you out," He retorts.

"I am a strong, brave woman who can handle all manner of monsters." I hold my arms up in weightlifting pose to show my nonexistent muscles.

"You're cute for thinking that. Luckily, I have fought many a monster and will put my training to good use for you." He bumps his hip against mine playfully.

"Chivalry isn't dead." I say and step on my toes to kiss his cheek.

We make it to the ticket booth and Betty and Phil are already there. Betty looks completely different from the last time I saw her. Today, she is wearing a motorcycle jacket with some of the tightest pants I have ever seen. She is in heels and stands just a little taller than Phil. Her tank is cut a little too low, but as usual, she still looks classy. Her hair is wavy and rests just below her ears. Phil is leaning against the wall wearing a white t-shirt and black leather pants. Maybe he brushed his hair this morning. Somehow, he still looks sexy. For once, Phil looks a little intimidated, but a smile creeps across his face as he laughs at something she said.

We reach the couple. Betty hands out hugs and Phil waits.

"Phil, good to see you," I call out and walk toward him.

"What's up gorgeous?" He says with a sly smile, "How are we gonna work this out without Jake killing me?"

"Simple," I say. "Don't flirt with me and be good to Betty."

"That can be done. I like her. She's bossy. And she's prettier than I am." He grins when he speaks of her.

"She's an upgrade if you ask me," I say and wink.

----------------

Jake's POV:

"I know you two have a past and I need you to be chill. I really like him." Betty says, leaning in so Phil doesn't hear them.

"Betty, I will do my best." I reply.

"Jakey, you will do as I say," she pauses, "Now, I love you, so I better see some romance tonight. That woman needs to see that she is adored," Betty commands.

"I'm just afraid to ruin it. I don't want to push her." I look down and realize just how scared I am to mess it all up.

"Suck it up and be a man," Betty is firm. "Just have a good night. Enjoy the love you two share. Don't talk about babies and your eternal lives that are intertwined. Ugh. You have to stop worrying so much. If she tells you no, then stop."

I sigh. "Ok. I will." I feel much better as Betty gives me the confidence to push things just a little.

I raise my eyes to Betty and look at her outfit up and down.

"Your dad let you leave the house like that? If Phil touches you I will..."

"Congratulate him for his excellent taste in women." Betty interrupts and watches my face for acceptance.

"Yes ma'am," I say with a smile.

Betty turns and leaves, grabbing Mahri's arm as they walk toward a coffee booth.

"Where are we going after this?" Betty asks as they walk ahead leaving the men to follow.

Jake looks at Phil and grits his teeth. "Hello, Phillip," he manages to squeeze out.

"Hello, Mr. Punching Bag," Phil says with a smirk.

It is going to be an interesting day indeed.

#duskwood fandom #duskwood jake #duskwood everbyte #jake x mc #everbyte duskwood #jake duskwood #duskwood fanfiction #duskwood #everbyte studio #everbyte #duskwood episode 10

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hanjizung · 3 years ago

Text

♡ Imbroglio. ♡

Bang Chan x Reader.

Word count: 6.5K

♡ Warnings ♡: Matures themes ahead.

SMUT; consented sex, unprotected sex, vanilla, vaginal sex, begging, praising.

Sobrenatural themes; ghost hunter! Chan, nightmares described, mentioned blood, mentioned death, mentioned murder, ghost possession, violence, choking, attempted murder.

A/N: This is the first time i try writing something like this, i had too much fun working on this! i hope you all enjoy it as much as i enjoyed working on this. happy spooky month, lovelies!

The two of you met under particular circumstances. You were picking some herbs in the forest when you suddenly saw a shadow behind you, it was big and couldn't let you see clearly from blocking the sunlight to you, and when you turned to see, you saw him with a knife raised high aimed at your back ready to stab you. He remembers that moment too well, telling you that he was waiting to hear your scream, but the noise never came.

Questions were answered when you tied him up with a rope made with the ripped skirt that you improvised to capture him, finding out that he was hired to kill you because someone thought that you were a witch who had put a spell on their partner.

The hunter admitted to having been spying on you for a few days, adding that your behaviour was strange and decided that you were indeed too suspicious to be a simple human.

After that encounter, you took the hunter to your place, your little cozy home and explained everything you did to him; he understood you, and gave you a word of advice telling you that you should leave or they would hire someone else to kill you.

He offered for you to go with him, and you accepted. Eventually, you found out that Chan was a hardworking man, he always put his best effort in everything he did, and he knew when it was fine to surrender or to keep trying. You liked that of him, you decided.

Since that day in the forest, the two of you had stayed together. "Pack everything you have and we'll leave as soon as possible," he ordered. You thanked him, telling him that he could stay in your home until he had to leave again and he gladly accepted.

It was rough for you, having to hide and hearing the townspeople cheer when he announced that he had killed the witch, which you discovered almost everyone called you freely behind your back, but you wouldn't cry, no. Why would you cry, if your dream was to leave that tiny place? If anything, you were glad that Chan asked if you were willing to go with him.

Three days passed, and on the fourth night he announced that everything was ready for you to go to the next town. "How do you know where to go next after visiting any place?" you asked him when the two of you were inside the carriage.

"I receive letters. I have a reputation I must live up to, after all. My father taught me everything he knew, and now I made it my job to save people from other worldly creatures," he explained. You listened to him, asking him about what he had done and what he had to deal with.

He said it was usually human kidnappings that caught his attention, but didn't reveal much of his adventures, saying that you would get to see it yourself soon, anyway.

"Why did you ask me to come with you?" you finally asked, looking at him with your eyes fully open.

"Because you seem like you're special, and besides, you know how to heal people. If I get wounded, I'll be happy to have you by my side to take care of me" Chan laughed, dismissing any longer explanation and suggesting you go to sleep.

When the sun was high enough and the lightning filtered through the curtain of the carriage's window, you rubbed your eyes and saw Chan leaning to said window, appreciating the scenery in front of him. You shifted to try and see where you were, knowing that you wouldn't be able to recognize anything since this was just the first time you were far from your hometown.

"Ah, you're awake" his voice startled you, making you look at him. "That's great," he commented, putting his hands together and sitting correctly "we're almost there."

"What were you hired to hunt here, Chan?" you asked, voice a little raspy from having just woken up. He smiled before answering you.

"That's the fun part of having a job like mine, Y/N. You never know what to expect," he said, sighing. You didn't know what to say to respond to that statement.

The carriage started slowing the speed, fully stopping when you reached a big staircase that led to the main entrance of a manor. The man in charge of the carriage hopped down from the front, hurrying to open the door and announce your arrival.

"We have finally arrived at Lovain Manor, Mr. Bang" the third voice called. Chan nodded, finally stepping out and touching the concrete with his own two feet, stretching his arms freely while the other man helped you come out of the carriage. You did pretty much the same procedure as Chan, breathing in the new air and allowing yourself to take a look around.

The manor looked… enormous. It was bigger than any building you'd ever seen in your life, you thought that it was possible for a place this big to house a whole town and some more, even.

A hand on your shoulder brought you back to reality. "Care to join me?" Chan asked, suitcase in hand as he took your hand in his warm one, guiding you to the entrance.

He placed his suitcase down, knocking on the door two, three times until a middle aged woman appeared behind it, waiting for Chan to present himself.

"Good morning, miss. My name's Bang Chan and this is my companion Y/N, you see miss, I received a letter from Mr. Lee" he said, letting go of your hand for a moment to look for the said paper with the Lee signature to show it as proof to the woman. When he gave it, he gave you a quick wink, maybe as some form of reassuring for you.

"Ah, Mr. Bang! Yes, the mistress said to expect your arrival soon, come on in, I'll tell the butlers to take your luggage to a free room," the lady announced, her face expression changing when she recognized the name.

Chan nodded, turning to you to let you walk in before him like the gentleman he was. You hesitated, looking from her to him, and then to the man carrying the rest of his and your stuff up the stairs. You could tell Chan to make his driver take you to the nearest town and dr–

"Don't be nervous, I'll take care of you if anything happens, Y/N. You're not alone anymore, I'm with you now" he smiled, placing his warm hand on your shoulder and smiling at you.

His smile… that was another thing that you decided you liked. Blinking after hearing those words, you walked in and stood behind the lady who was waiting for Chan to get inside as well before she started walking.

Once inside, you noticed his eyes still on you, so you looked at him and smiled shyly. He nodded, and took your hand again before following the woman who started walking to take the two of you somewhere.

You were thankful that Chan had grabbed your hand to follow the lady, it allowed you to look around and confirm that this place was as big as it seemed to be inside. You wondered how long it took to get the floor carpeted and how old the place was to have many paintings hanging on the walls. You thought that it was mesmerizing.

Standing outside a big door, you finally realized that you had reached your destination. It opened from the inside after hearing some knocking from your guide, and when it opened you found something similar to an office. A desk in the middle, a lot of shelves around, chairs; it was exactly how you expected offices to look like.

Behind the desk, a man who looked to be around his 40s was sitting, he had black hair with accents of gray hairs here and there and he wore glasses as well. He was looking at the door to see who dared disturb him during his work.

"Mr. Lee, the hunter has arrived," the lady spoke.

"Thank you for bringing him to me, Matilda," the man said. She bowed and turned to leave when his voice resonated again. "No, don't leave yet. Wait outside for him and take him to a spare room when we're done."

"Yes, sir" Matilda nodded, bowing again and waiting for more instructions. Her superior mumbled that it was okay for her to leave the room now, and she did, closing the door behind her.

"Now, Mr. Bang, why don't you and your… companion take a seat, hmm?" Mr. Lee stood up, pointing the empty chairs in front of him.

You felt a squeeze on your hand, and that when you remembered he was still holding you until that moment. Chan straightened his back and with his hand indicated for you to take one chair, you did and he helped fix the chair for you, taking the other one and resting his arms on the arm holders, looking comfy.

Mr. Lee waited for you to sit before sitting himself again, clearing his throat before speaking.

"As you might remember I wrote in the letter, Mr. Bang, my family and I are in need of your services. Three of my maids have disappeared here in the castle and others claim to have heard strange noises at night. I don't want them or my butlers to quit, so I need to resolve this problem" the man explained. You were thankful that he addressed everything, because you had no clue what you had signed in for when you decided to come along with Chan.

"You're very welcome, Mr. Lee. I'm going to need more information to know where to begin my research to get rid of this… annoyance. Do you happen to know when this began? Where do the noises start?" You looked next to you at Chan, he was asking those questions like it was a routine for him.

"No, I'm afraid I do not know, but my son might. He has complained about people running outside his room for many months now. Ask Matilda to take you to him, if you must."

Chan nodded, standing up and fixing his clothes. Mr. Lee did the same, saying something that you didn't quite hear and then you saw them shaking hands over the desk. You took that as an indication for you to stand up as well, shaking Mr. Lee's cold hand (compared to Chan's) and following your friend outside.

"Come on, Mr. Bang, I'll take you two to your room. Follow me please," Matilda said, starting to walk with you and Chan behind her.

"Mr. Lee mentioned that his son might know something. Can you take us with him after you show us our room?" the hunter asked when you were at the bottom of the stair, getting Matilda's attention.

"Of course, sir. That won't be a problem, young Mr. Lee is always in the kitchen" she smiled, turning and starting to go up the stairs.

The three of you kept walking until you were in a long corridor, different to what you were able to see downstairs, upstairs was full of doors and tables with plants here and there to decorate. On the walls there were a few paintings, but it still felt a little empty. Your heart ached a bit, so much space for such a small family…

Going to the left side, Matilda stopped walking when she was in front of the third door, she opened the door and walked in, turning on the light for you and Chan to admire the inside.

A bed so big like you had never seen before resting in the middle, it had posts and a curtain hanging from above making it seem magical, with nightstands on each side of it. In the right side of the room, a vanity mirror and more furniture that you assumed was empty for the guests to put their belongings in, and lastly, a love couch next to a bookshelf and a coffee table in front of it.

You failed to notice your luggage resting on the bed, and the door hidden next to the bookshelf. Your eye caught their existence the second time you scanned the room.

"I'll let you two get comfortable for now and come back later to take you with the young master," Matilda said, finding your marveled face cute when you walked in the room. Chan thanked her and you nodded, hearing the door close when she left.

"This is amazing, Chan!" you exclaimed, running to the bed and throwing yourself next to the suitcases. A hearty laugh coming from you which made Chan smile as well.

"It's temporary, Y/N. We'll get different housing wherever we go, so don't get too comfy, alright?" he said, sitting next to you and placing his hand on your knee while he explained. He treated you so gently, you knew you had only known him for less than a month, but you decided that you liked his company.

"Alright, I'm so glad you understand, Y/N. I'm gonna start unpacking, okay? You can go and have a nice bath if you want" you thought about it, but opted for staying and helping him unpack.

After all, you didn't know how long you would be staying, so you could bathe whenever you felt like you wanted to relax.

When you were all settled in, a knocking on the door distracted you from the book that you grabbed to read. Chan had stepped into the bathroom to take the bath you didn't and walked out just when you were about to open the door. You gave him a quick look, he looked refreshed and seemed like he needed it badly. You caught yourself smiling when you saw his freshly clean face.

Shaking your head, you placed your hand on the knob and opened it, a young man near your age greeting you from behind it.

"Hello, Mrs. Bang, my name is Hwang Hyunjin. Miss Matilda told me you wanted to see the young master, I will take you with him, if you follow me?" he said, making you blush when he first addressed you.

"O-oh, it's okay but please, you can call me Y/N! I'm just…" you rambled, now thinking what you were to Chan. His pupil? That couldn't be because you weren't interested in what he did. Companion, probably, but the sound of that was like you were with him unofficially. His nurse? That was the most accurate option, because he told you that's why he invited you to go with him.

"Miss Y/N is my assistant, Mr. Hwang" chan interrupted, standing behind you and placing his hand on your waist. "Now, we're ready to visit Mr. Lee's son."

The young butler nodded and started walking. You passed the central stairs and walked to the other corridor, all the way to the last door and he knocked, calling for the young master.

"Come inside, Hyunjin!" responded a voice.

The three of you did just that, another fine, young looking man, barefoot and dressed with a brown suit was sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand on his head putting in place his rebellious wet hair, on his other hand a white towel that he placed next to him, dismissing it when he saw you entering.

"Oh, I didn't know we had visitors! Hello, welcome. How can I help you?" His cheery voice made you smile.

Now that he wasn't touching his brown hair you could give him a better look. He had sharp features. You could see tiny freckles decorating his face, white teeth forming a charming smile and beautiful shining brown eyes.

"Hello, mister Lee, my name is Bang Chan, and this is Y/N," Chan started, walking towards him.

"Please, you can call me Felix, I'd very much prefer it," the freckled man said, looking at the two of you with a smile. Both of you nodded before Chan continued what he had to say.

"Understood. Alright, Felix, Y/N and I are here to investigate the disapparition of two of your maids. Your father believes that this is caused by something unexplainable. He mentioned that you complained about noises at night, do you remember when those began? At what hour do you hear them the most, do you only hear footsteps? Please, tell us everything you know."

Questioning Felix took longer than you imagined it would, Chan wrote down all the new learned information, "it all began a month after my birthday," Felix told you. "I was trying to sleep and I heard a knock on the room my parents used to sleep in, then some running. And every night after that, stomping in the corridor." Time flew by as he told you everything he could, even losing the main focus and laughing when he caught himself. You found that cute.

The butler Hyunjin came back after a few hours to take you all to dinner, guiding the three of you to the dining room. Felix went with you, telling you about how fantastic the chefs were. He knew he wasn't of much help, and he apologized for it many times, offering his help as well if you needed an extra hand while you went to dinner.

The table, just like everything you had seen. That moment you met Felix's mom, a beautiful, young looking woman.

Dinner went by, you were asked a few questions by the Lee's, clearly worried about what you two had discovered, and then it was time to sleep.

Or at least that was what Chan had recommended for you to do, saying he would rather stay awake and hear the noises himself.

"I'll stay awake with you then" you told him, taking off your shoes and going to the bathroom to put on your pajamas.

Chan was reading on the couch like you were doing before, a book you couldn't recognize on his hands and his notes on the empty space next to him.

"You think you can tell what we're dealing with already?" you quietly asked, sitting on the bed brushing your head. He hummed, acknowledging that he had heard you but finishing reading what was under his eye before speaking to you.

"I've got an idea, but I'm not too sure" a yawn interrupted him, but he brushed it off and continued reading. You remembered that you hadn't seen him sleep since you got on the carriage and started the journey to this manor.

"If you think you know what it is, maybe… maybe you should sleep" you suggested. He looked up from the book at you, incredulous to what you said. He laughed, tiredly.

"Why are you laughing? You must be exhausted, I'm sure it won't change anything if you decide to rest tonight" you argued, making very valid points.

"I can't, Y/N. I have to help this family," he sighed, returning his gaze to the book on his lap "and besides, if I were to go to sleep, I would stay on this couch" he shrugged his shoulders.

You furrowed your brows, but then you realized. There was only one bed, and he was leaving it all for you to sleep comfortably. He was a true gentleman.

"Nah, you can't sleep there. Sleep here with me, there's plenty of space, Channie" you answered, looking to the untouched space next to you, avoiding his gaze with a blush on your cheeks after hearing yourself say the nickname out loud.

'Channie' chuckled at that, but he closed the book and stood up, sitting on the other side of the bed and then laying on his back, right in front of your eyes.

"I'll sleep, but in the morning we're going to question the personnel about the noises, okay?" you nodded, content that he had decided to rest. You got up to turn off the lights and drift to sleep, glad to be in a comfortable surface to recover from the trip and the day you had.

You regained consciousness too soon for your liking, opening your eyes to the darkness of the room. You heard a muffled voice calling your name but it was too strange. It was almost incomprehensible, but to you it made sense. You patted the space next to you, your hand hitting just the cold sheets. Looking next to you and expecting to find Chan, you saw nothing but an empty space.

Thinking it was him calling you, you stood up and left the room without caring to look back, the obscure corridor greeted you and trying to get your eyes used to the lack of illumination you blinked multiple times trying to distinguish anything when the voice called you again.

Turning your head to look at the source of the noise, you saw something move. You hesitated to follow it, something about it… didn't feel right.

The voice called again, there was no audible emotion that meant anything, but you still followed it, you had nothing to lose, anyway.

You were too far away from the voice, leaving you no option but to run, try to chase it until you found who it was and could ask what it wanted of you, but you never seemed to get close enough. You walked until you reached the stairs, another calling rang and you rushed to get to it, jumping as many stairs down as you could.

When you stopped hearing sounds, you took in your surroundings; a part of the manor you hadn't been in yet. It appeared to be a dance hall, with too much spare space to dance and a little stage for singers and bands to perform, you assumed.

Walking to the tables covered in plastic to protect them from dust, the noise of screaming caught your attention, a piercing scream too audible for the hairs on your neck to stand made you react, running to save whoever was hurt, finding yourself in a tiny bathroom, dark just like the rest of the manor.

You turned on the light waiting to see a bloodied person in front of you, but a mirror was there, showing you your reflection, and the face of a woman standing behind you.

Turning to ask her if she was okay, a growl came from her and her hands wrapped around your neck, pushing you to the mirror and hearing it shatter, pieces of it falling on your face and scratching you.

You tried to fight her, tried to get away from her but her hold on you was too strong and you couldn't do anything; you felt powerless.

You were shaking, sweating, struggling to breathe…

And then you opened your eyes.

"Y/N, Y/N, calm down, you're okay…" Chan's soothing voice made you look for him frenetically. You were breathing heavily, still shaking, sweating and you also noticed that your view was blocked with a few tears.

You looked at him, trying to regulate your breathing. The light was off, like in your dream, but this time he was there. You could feel him, his hold on your arm as he tried to wake you up still there, his eyes with a concerned shadow. You wasted no time and hugged him tightly, both of you sitting in the middle of the bed.

No more words were said as you kept crying, remembering the cold touch of the woman and the force she used to choke you. Chan had no idea what had happened to you but he felt terrible to see you in this state, trembling under his hug and sobbing like a lost child. All he could do was hush you until you calmed down and tried to go back to sleep.

When you finally stopped crying, you raised one of your hands to touch Chan's cheek. He was really handsome, you decided that when you saw him for the first time in town, and he was very kind too.

He was looking at you, never stopped doing so since he took you in his arms, cradling you sweetly like a mother does to her child. You took his face with both hands, moved in his arms and placed your lips tentatively over his, as if asking for permission.

A silent permission granted by him when he closed the distance and kissed you; his lips felt soft, tender but the moment was more than that. It wasn't a romantic dinner under the moon with lit candles, or him leaving you at your house, but it felt… correct. It was sweet, not perfect, but almost.

You separated from him, and he stared at you, parted lips and a fond look in his eyes. You shyly smiled at him, and he took your head with his left hand and kissed you again, harsher than before, his tongue exploring your mouth shamelessly, it was like you had left him wanting for more and he was a starving man ready to hunt his prey.

You couldn't complain, no, because you would be lying if you said you hadn't fantasized about him kissing you like this, touching you so inappropriately, no. You wanted this, wanted him, everything he had to offer. You wanted to scream when you realized that, before he tried to kill you, when you didn't know what he did for a living.

Now your dream was becoming a reality, he pushed you carefully on your back while still kissing you. You sighed dreamily when he removed himself from you, seeming agitated.

"Gosh, Y/N, you're gonna be the death of me, you know?" he asked, not waiting for an answer before he continued his attack on your now bruised lips. You placed your hands on his face, encouraging him to keep going, and that was exactly what he did.

One of your hands left his neck to look for one of his and guide it through your body like you wanted him to touch you, when he realized what you were doing he pulled away, examining your eyes looking for consent.

"Please, touch me, Chan. I want you, please. Do whatever you want to me, I want all you have to offer" you said, eyes half closed from the desperation while you wriggled under him, dying to feel his touch on you.

You saw him nod, and he took off his shirt while you tried to do the same and rid yourself of clothes. Luckily, all you wore under the oversized shirt was some panties, so it didn't take long to be bare in front of him.

"You're so beautiful, Y/N, I'm so lucky that you allow me to see you like this, come here" he whispered, kissing you again, gentler this time.

He was still sitting on his knees, bending down to kiss you, one hand roaming your body and the other stabilizing him. One of your hands rested on his thigh, the other on top of his own, letting him play with you, provoking goosebumps on you and a sensation of fire wherever he touched you, it was magical.

Your mischievous hand moved until it came in contact with his hardened member, and he made the most sexoesr noise you ever heard a man make, something between a moan and a growl. You did what you could to make him do it again, but you didn't know how, so you kept touching him there to take in all of his reactions.

He did the same, too, his hand went south on you and you willingly opened your legs for him, moaning when he passed his fingers through your fold feeling you, your wetness caused by him. He smiled, proud that he had provoked that.

Meanwhile, you were under him chanting his name with sighs and long moans, enjoying every second of what he was doing to you.

"Take off your pants, I'm all naked and you're not" you complained at one point, pouting at him to try and convince him to follow your orders. Chan chuckled like you'd heard him do before, but you were happy when you saw him stand up and take every remaining cloth off.

He climbed back on the bed, on top of you until his face was at the same level of yours, pecking your lips. Your legs were parted, open as wide as you could and you felt him aligning his cock at your entrance, his tips teasing you.

"Are you ready, darling?" he sweetly asked, waiting for your consent once again. You nodded, swallowing the knot that had formed in your throat. "I need to hear your words, love."

"Y-yes, I'm ready, Chan, please do it" and after hearing you, he pushed himself inside you, both of you groaning and gasping when he filled you. He called your name so sinfully, and you moaned his name too when he was completely inside you. Chan held you lovingly, pressing kisses over your face before he started to pull out.

His lengths was welcomed by your velvety walls, you felt so tight around him, he thought that if he died right after having sex with you he would die a happy man.

Starting to thrust slowly, grunts and moans filled the room. You had no idea if there were people in the rooms around yours, but you were hoping that was the case because the cries of pleasure and the particular noise of skin slapping skin were too loud as both of you approached your climax.

You found your release first, clinging your nails on his back and closing your eyes, your mouth forming an 'o' as the effect of the orgasm numbed your body. The tightening of your walls around him triggered Chan's own orgasm, who tried his best to pull out of you and let his seed cover your stomach, his hand holding his cock as he pumped himself to prolong his orgasm.

Chan plopped down next to you, breathing irregularly just like you and a coat of sweat on his forehead and body, but he stood up and went to the bathroom, coming out of it with a towel on his hands that he used to clean your stomach. He kissed your forehead sweetly. He hugged you in his arms, pulled up the blankets and covered the two of you. You fell asleep again in his arms, feeling protected.

The next day you woke up to an empty bed again, except that this time you heard the sounds of water falling coming from the bathroom. You stood up, entered the bathroom and were delighted by the view of Chan's bare back. He turned when he heard the door closing, telling you good morning.

After the two of you got ready together, you went to investigate with the maids, as Chan had said you would.

You intercepted one of the butlers when you walked outside the room, it happened to be the one who took you to Felix's room the day before. You asked him if he could take you to the maids' quarters and he did.

Both you and Chan interviewed as many people as you could, repeating the same questions over and over. A lot of answers were the same, sadly, until a woman named Eunice revealed new information to you. The start of the interview was normal, you asked if she knew when all of it started, if she was familiar with the pair who disappeared, and if she had seen anything special.

Everyone answered a firm negative to that question, but Eunice didn't.

"It was during young mister Lee's party, I was serving there along with Adelaide and Edith. There were many guests that night, it had been one of the busiest nights for us since I started working here… the last memory I have of Edith was her in the dance ballroom, everything bloody and lifeless… next to her, Adelaide with a knife in her stomach, her hands holding it. It was a tragedy, truly" Eunice recalled, pausing to think and taking a zip of water. Nodding to encourage her to keep going. She blinked, cleared her throat and continued.

"I ran to get the Lee's and show them, but all they commanded for us to do was bury them. Hide any proof of what happened. Two butlers buried them in the backyard and I stayed up cleaning the bathroom."

"Who else was part of that?" Chan asked.

"Two young butlers, Thomas and William. Pretty strong, they finished digging and doing everything quickly," Eunice recalled.

"Alright, that was very helpful. I think I now know what we're dealing with, thank you so much, Eunice. We won't distract you any more, have a nice day," Chan announced, standing up and shaking hands with Eunice. She simply nodded, and then you and Chan walked out.

"Wait, Chan, could we go to the ballroom?" you asked him, taking his hand and looking at him with puppy eyes. He was surprised, but nodded to your request. He suggested asking a worker if he could take you there, but you told him there was no need to do it, you had a blurry memory of having walked there alone. The route still kind of fresh in your mind.

You got there, stepping inside and looking at everything in place, just like you remembered, plastic over the tables, the empty stage, a white piano and some instruments in their boxes; but you ignored all of that, focused on getting to the bathroom where you were attacked in your dream.

Chan hadn't asked what made you so agitated at night, the reason behind your crying but while he walked behind you his mind was connecting dots. He noticed how your face changed, becoming somber when Eunice talked about the murder scene, then you told him you wanted to come here and lead the way like you'd been living in this manor for your whole life. Surely, a malign spirit manifestation who was completely angry and couldn't rest.

You stood still outside the bathroom door, staring at it blankly. Chan left you be, passing next to you to open it himself.

It seemed like Eunice had cleaned everything deeply and shining, no signal of dust anywhere. The temperature got cold, the lights flickered and Chan held his breath. He turned to look at you, getting nervous when he saw the spot you were in empty.

Swallowing, he shook his head and continued investigating. He knew that to get rid of this spirit he would have to free the soul, help them cross to the other side, and the first step to do that was to establish contact.

Chan was often frightened, having to do the things he did, but had ever prepared him for this moment.

He found you standing in front of the mirror, pale and touching a spot on a crack like you knew how it got there. He saw you touch it, and the next thing he knew, you were on top of him, trying to choke him.

"Who– who are you?!" Chan struggled to say, keeping you off him as best as he could without harming you. He knew it wasn't you acting, but that was still your body and even if he knew that you were somewhat of a doctor who could heal yourself, he would rather not do any damage.

"I want to rest," you screeched in a voice that didn't sound like it was yours.

"That's why I'm here for, I'm going to help you" Chan responded, rolling and now being on top of you, your hands on each side of your head and legs kicking, failing to do anything because he was sitting on your middle body.

Whatever, whoever it was controlling you had so much rage in them, all they wanted was blood, death, revenge… something that wouldn't cooperate with him to leave the world of the living, forcing him to do the next best thing that crossed his mind.

Starting with some mumbling, Chan initiated a chant that he knew too well. It was foreign to the little part of you that was still conscious, and powerful too, when you realized that you were screaming but your mind wasn't feeling any pain. The other resident in your body was harmed, Chan was making it leave, whether they wanted it or not, and little by little you started gaining control of yourself, relaxing under him because you knew he cared about you.

Everything stopped when the bathroom lights went out, hearing a sigh coming from the person on top of you.

"Is that it? Is the spirit gone?" you asked, liking your lips while you waited for an answer. You were feeling incredibly tired, for some reason.

"it should be gone. We'll wait until tomorrow to see if anyone comments on strange behavior" he stood up, helping you on your feet and grabbing your hand to go somewhere else. You were just walking outside the bathroom, when everything went black and your body collapsed.

The next time you opened your eyes, you were on the bed of the familiar room of the Lovain Manor, bright sunlight entering through the wide window. You looked around and saw Chan reading and writing in a little journal, an adventure journal you supposed that it was.

Sitting on the bed, you got his attention with the noise of the bed, he quickly stood up and sat by your side, taking one of your hands in his.

"How are you feeling?" was his way of greeting you. You simply nodded, hoping that he would understand that as 'fine.'

"The city doctor came to check you, he said that you fainted because you were fatigued, but I think I know better than that. It's not easy having your body possessed. I'm glad that you're fine now, you were asleep the whole day" he explained your situation, taking some hair out of your face so he could see you better.

"T-the ghost?" you asked him, throat hoarse from not speaking in a while.

"Gone. The maids haven't heard any noise, the butlers didn't see anything at night and I asked Felix about the footsteps. He told me earlier today that he didn't hear them or the knocking" Chan smiled.

"Where are we going next?" you asked him, making him laugh.

"Eager, are we? I sent a letter to Chauncey to come pick us when he can, so we'll see where that takes us in a few days. You should rest for now, you did very well for your first mission," he patted your head, moving away and standing up. "I'll go get you breakfast, darling, then we'll discuss whichever of the letters I have gets your attention, does that sound alright to you?" you nodded, watching him walk to the door.

"Alright, see you when I get back, huntress."

"Don't take too long then, Mr. Bang. I'll be waiting for you to come back."

#skz smut #stray kids smut #chan smut #bang chan smut #stray kids fanfic #skz fanfic #bang chan x reader #chan x you #self insert #original content #mine #fanfic smut #sobrenatural fanfic #paranormal themes #mine; fanfic

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korgbelmont · 2 years ago

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Choices Insiders October 2022

Sorry for being a bit later this month. Happy Spooktober everyone! 🎃👻

Here we are once more with the latest Insiders email.

Ramble Alert!!

The sequel to our infamous legal mystery book has arrived! Players all over the world became lawyers once again, and dug into the chills and thrills of Laws of Attraction 2. Make sure to check out new chapters every Friday.

So I must admit, I haven't actually got to this yet. But I am intrigued as to what the main mystery will be.

Top 40 here we come! The official Murder at Homecoming soundtrack was published on our YouTube page last month. From spooky sounds to adrenaline-inducing bops, the Murder at Homecoming playlist has it all.

Also, players put their detective hats on in the Wide Release of Murder at Homecoming. New chapters are released for all every Wednesday!

Murder at Homecoming has me intrigued with its mystery, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

Wide Release players experienced the dramatic finale of The Cursed Heart. But fret not adventurer, the story continues in The Cursed Heart 2, currently in production.

I ended up enjoying The Cursed Heart, I love fantasy, it's one of my favourite genres. Looking forward to BK2.

Sound the trumpets! The debut of Guinevere is near. (A rhyme!) Our writers have sent the following BTS sneak peeks by royal pigeon.

First, some advice for our noble players: The story of Camelot has been told many times, and like some of our readers, the heroine of this particular story knows a little about what's coming... Paying attention to the past and future of Camelot just might help you save its present!

This makes me think that the planned villain will be someone who had something to do with Camelot's past and is back, maybe someone like Mordred. I'll talk more about this in a sec after the image

Next, check out these WIP art sneak peeks:

I think that the whole thing about paying attention to the past may be done by collecting tapestries or something like that.

This looks like it's meant to be a library or something like that. Not 100% sure on that. I am intrigued as to how Guinevere will interpret Arthurian legend and how everything will play out.

Supernatural?? Mystery?? Fantasy?? My favourite genres!!! Looking forward to seeing what they'll be. Curious as to what point in time the period piece will be set. Only one way to find out!

We know that Kiss of Death will be a crime book, so it is one I'm looking forward to, given everything we know about it so far, I think it will be a single Love Interest book.

Getaway Girls is one I'm interested to see, sounds like it will be a holiday book, but as we don't have much info on it other than it is the much awaited black-led book, I don't know what else to say about it.

Roommates with Benefits sounds like it will be a more mature book, given that this is the first we have heard of it, I can't say much else. However the font used does look similar to the Nanny Affair font.

It's the same case for First Comes Love as this is the first we have heard of it, I can't really say anything on it.

Immortal Desires is definitely my top book of all the ones releasing at the moment, I can't believe the finale is next week! Cas and Gabe are amazing Love Interests and it is a shame that it won't be getting a follow-up. The world building and lore has given an interesting world that I would like to have seen more of.

I've fallen behind on the Nanny Affair 3 and Slow Burn, so I can't say much.

I must admit, when I saw the ghost asset for Gabbie, I did wonder if Murder at Homecoming was going to have a supernatural element to it, but instead it is a grounded crime mystery that I am enjoying.

The Phantom Agent is this month's public book, I imagine it may start either next Wednesday when Immortal Desires finishes or the following Wednesday. Unfortunately no book for non-VIP in November and Surrender will see us out of 2022 as the final book of the year.

We are currently hosting our annual pbpARTy! If you haven’t yet, check out our list of art prompts for each day of October: pbpARTY Prompts. Make sure to include the hashtags #pbparty2022 and #playchoices! We always love seeing fan art, and can’t wait to see what you come up with for our spooky Choices-themed categories. And lastly, before we say goodbye, we want to know: Which upcoming book are you most excited for?

Looking forward to seeing what amazing art pieces come up this month from these!

So that's it for this month. Looking forward to the upcoming books and what else will be announced.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Keep safe!

#playchoices #choices insiders #thoughts and theories

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nerdythebard · 3 years ago

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#32: The Gentleman Ghost [DC]

I've got one more in me for the Month of Spook, my darlings.

I'll be honest, I've recently became a little obsessed with this particular character. His mannerisms, history (he debuted in 1947 and yet we hear so little of him), and general vibe seemed to resonate with me. I've became a fan of "Gentleman" Jim Craddock aka The Gentleman Ghost. Let's get spooky with it!

Next Time: Speak shyly and carry a big shield.

So, what do we need to be the resident not-friendly ghost?

Dandy Phantom: The Gentleman Ghost is... well, a ghost and a gentleman. We need to somehow incorporate that in our build.

Tricks and Treats: Craddock has several gadgets at his disposal, including a (sometimes magical) cane, flintlock pistols, and even a ghostly horse and carriage to move around.

Scary Spook: Gentleman Ghost has shown a number of supernatural powers, including mind control/hypnosis, fright inducement, short-distance teleportation, etc.

---

Although originally a human (and British), Craddock is a ghost now. That means, we're picking the Reborn from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. We get a +2 and +1 to two abilities of our choice (Charisma and Dexterity), proficiency in two skills of our choice (Sleight of Hand and Acrobatics), knowledge of Common and another language, and Knowledge from a Past Life; whenever we make an ability check, we can roll a 1d6 immediately after rolling the d20 and add the result to the overall score. We can use this a number of times equal to our proficiency bonus, and we regain all uses after a long rest. Finally, due to our Deathless Nature, we gain several undead benefits:

We have an advantage on saving throws against diseases and being poisoned, as well as resistance to poison damage.

We have an advantage on Death Saving Throws.

We don't need to eat, drink, or even breathe.

We don't need to sleep and magic cannot put us to sleep. We can finish a long rest in 4 hours if we spend them in a motionless state.

In life, Craddock was a highwayman and a master thief... what other background can we choose but the Criminal? We gain proficiency in Deception and Stealth, proficiency with thieves' tools and one type of gaming set, as well as the Criminal Contact feature. We gain a reliable, trustworthy NPC contact, whom we can ask for informations, deliver messages, set up meetings with other shady individuals, etc.

ABILITY SCORES

Dexterity will be our number one, we wear little armour, we need to be sneaky and nimble, and we're pretty skilled. Charisma is next, we are a charming gentleman after all. Constitution follows, even death couldn't keep us down, so we can take a few hits.

Wisdom is next, Craddock was and still remains a crafty and witty individual, eluding various DC heroes successfully. Follow that up with Intelligence, Jim's father was indeed a gentleman, so he probably had some education. Finally, we're gonna dump Strength... we're dead. No muscle.

CLASS

I've had a few ideas here, some included multiclass, others got some triple-class elements in it. Finally, I've decided to go with the easy path and go Rogue start-to-finish. Rogues get a d8 as their Hit Dice, [8 + Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, and thieves' tools. Since we already have those last ones from our background, ask your DM to replace it with firearms proficiency from the Artificer class. I'd rather we don't pick an armour, but if you have to, go for a simple leather one. For weapons, get a cane (flavoured quarterstaff), perhaps throwing darts, maybe a rapier, too. Our saving throws are Intelligence and Dexterity, and we get to pick four class skills from the list (Insight, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion).

Level 1: With Thieves' Cant, we learn a secret system of phrases, symbols, and gestures used by criminals to hide messages and recognize one another (or, you know, British slang). We also get Expertise, which lets us choose two skills we're proficient with (or one skill and thieves' tools) and double our proficiency bonus applied to them. Let's pick Stealth and Sleight of Hand. Finally, we get Sneak Attack. We can apply extra 1d6 damage (changes as we level up) whenever we gain an advantage on a weapon attack (weapon must have a finesse or ranged property) or whenever our enemy is within 5 feet of another enemy of theirs.

Level 2: We get Cunning Action, which can be used to move and act more quickly. We can now use the Dash, Disengage, and Hide Actions as Bonus Actions.

Level 3: Our Sneak Attack damage is now 2d6.

We get to pick our subclass, our Roguish Archetype. This was another close one, but in the end I've decided to go with the Phantom archetype from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. As we walk the line between life and death, we hear Whispers of the Dead. Whenever we finish a short or long rest, we can choose a skill we're not proficient with and gain temporary proficiency until we choose another.

Finally, with Wails from the Grave, we channel the power of death to harm another creature. After rolling our Sneak Attack damage against a creature, we can choose another creature within 30 feet of the first one and deal [our Sneak Attack dice halved] necrotic damage to it. We can use this feat a number of times equal to our proficiency bonus. We gain all uses back after a long rest.

Level 4: Time for our first Ability Score Improvement. We're going to raise our Constitution by two points.

Level 5: Our Sneak Attack damage is now 3d6. We get Uncanny Dodge; whenever we're being hit by an attack we can see, we can use a reaction to receive half of the damage.

Level 6: We get another shot at Expertise. This time, we're going to double our proficiency bonus for the Intimidation skill and our thieves' tools.

Level 7: Our Sneak Attack damage is now 4d6. At this level, we get the Evasion feature, which is probably one of the most powerful in the game. Whenever we are forced to make a Dexterity saving throw that would make us take half damage on a success, we instead take no damage (we take half damage on a failed save).

Level 8: Another ASI. We put one point into Constitution and one into Dexterity.

Level 9: Our Sneak Attack damage is now 5d6. Time for the subclass upgrade. Tokens of the Departed lets us use a reaction whenever a creature dies within 30 feet of us to snatch a piece of its soul and create a tiny token from it. We can use the Tokens in the following ways:

While we have a Token on us, we have an advantage on Death Saving Throws and Constitution saving throws.

Whenever we use Sneak Attack, we can burn one Token to immediately use the Wails from the Grave effect without expending the use of it.

As an action, we can choose to destroy a Token and release the soul sliver. When we do so, we can ask the spirit one question. The spirit knows what it knew in life but is under no obligation to speak truthfully.

Level 10: Halfway through the build, and we get another ASI. This time, however, we're going to pick the Shadow Touched feat. Doing so, increases our Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1. We also learn the Invisibility spell and one other 1st-level illusion or necromancy spell (Cause Fear). Once we cast either spell, we cannot cast again until finishing a long rest.

Level 11: Our Sneak Attack damage is now 6d6. We get another good feature: Reliable Talent. Whenever we make a check for an ability we're proficient in, the rolls of 9 and lower are treated as 10.

Level 12: Time for another ASI. We're going to raise our Dexterity by one point and Wisdom by one.

Level 13: Our Sneak Attack damage is now 7d6. We also get another subclass feature. Thanks to Ghost Walk, we can assume a spectral form as a bonus action. We gain 10 feet of flying speed, we can hover, and attacks against us are made with a disadvantage. We can also move through people and objects, but we do suffer 1d10 force damage if we end our turn inside one. We stay in this form for 10 minutes. We cannot use this feature again until we finish a long rest or destroy one Token.

Level 14: We get Blindsense. Yes, Rogues do get a lot of good feats. If we are able to hear, we are now aware of all hidden and invisible creatures within 10 feet of us.

Level 15: Our Sneak Attack damage is now 8d6, and we get the Slippery Mind feature. We gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.

Level 16: For another ASI, we're going to increase our Dexterity by two points.

Level 17: Our Sneak Attack damage is now 9d6. We get our final subclass upgrade: Death's Friend. Whenever we use the Wails from the Grave effect, we can deal the necrotic damage to both targets. Additionally, at the end of a long rest, if we don't have any Tokens on us, we wake up with one Token.

Level 18: We gain the Elusive feature. While we aren't incapacitated, attacks against us cannot be made with an advantage.

Level 19: Our Sneak Attack damage is now 10d6. Time for our final ASI of the build. We're going to cap our Dexterity and dump one point into Strength.

Level 20: Our capstone is Rogue 20 and we get the Rogue's ultimate feature: Stroke of Luck. Once per short or long rest, if our attack misses a target within range, we can instead make it hit. Alternatively, if we fail an ability check, we can treat the d20 roll as a 20.

---

So, this is another spooky fella for this year's October. What do we have?

Seems like a standard Rogue. Large arsenal of skills, decent elusiveness, and abilities to turn around failed rolls.

Our AC is 16, we have a +5 to our Initiative and 153 Hit Points on average.

Honestly, I don't have much to say in terms of weakness. Our Strength is pretty bad, true, but overall... I am pretty satisfied with this one. Perhaps I'm even gonna play it myself one day. Yeah...

---

One more spooky build for the road. Once again, I cannot express how grateful I am that you guys are enjoying these silly things and are actually suggesting what you want to see. Thank you once again, and thank you for 100 followers.

- Nerdy out

#dnd 5e #character building #dungeons and dragons #dnd build #gentleman ghost #dc comics #dc #reborn #rogue #phantom rogue #halloween #samhain #ghost

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minisception · 3 years ago

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2021 Summer Painting Challenge: Retrospective

Summer has come to an end, and with it Warboss Tae's 2021 Summer Painting Challenge. That was... a lot of painting, most of which has been collected above. Huge thanks go out to Tae - if you haven't checked out his youtube channel you can do so HERE, as well as to all of the other participants. There were a lot of cool projects, and you can see them all on Tae's discord HERE.

My main goal in participating was to get together a fully painted starter army together. Despite some stumbles along the way I'm happy to say I met that goal, with a small but playable Soulblight Gravelord core units of 20 skeletons, 20 zombies, and 10 dire wolves, a couple elite unit options in the Blood-born and Vargskyr, plus a selection of hero options including a Vampire Lord that I'm quite proud of plus a couple necromancers, not to mention the named character options from Cursed City and the Underworlds Warbands.

Speaking of underworlds, I now have three fully painted warbands to play against my roommate in that game. And I made some progress on the long overdue Ravenguard commission, so that's cool.

More importantly, for the first time since I came up with this paint scheme way back when the Oldhammer Fantasy 8th edition Vamp Counts book was released, I finally have enough painted models to put them all together and have a feel for the overall effect, and yeah, I'm pretty happy with it.

I definitely learned a few things along the way - though as per usual it mostly came from mistakes. Looking at what I learned/screwed up month by month...

JUNE

Pledged - Cursed City, 3 Underworlds Warbands, 4 Sidequests Completed - Everything, though the Sidequests got extra time

June was the only month where I actually met my pledge, despite it being the most ambitious of the pledges by a fair bit. But the pace I set was absolutely unsustainable and I was already crashing by the end. In the future I'll have to set a more realistic pace.

Other things I learned: Don't use your good brush for washes (RIP my favorite brush), you can wash a wet palette in the dishwasher, but only if you take it out before the dry cycle (RIP my palette). I also think I went a bit too excessive on the greens. I want the army overall to be darker so the greens pop more, so moving forward I'm using more black cloth, reserving green cloth for detail bits, and details like gravestones and rope that I painted ghosty greens on the June models are greys and browns after.

On a more positive note, I really liked how the black armor with green highlights turned out on the Crimson Court, and have decided to make that the distinctive feature of vampire models in my army going forward. The process is a pain, and I will eventually have to go back and re-paint the dragon lord's armor to match, but it's worth it.

JULY

Pledged: 10 Zombies, 10 Dire Wolves, Rhino Completed: 10 Zombies, Rhino

I was already crashing hard when July started and ended up spending most of my free time in the early part of the month playing video games. I though I had balanced this out by aiming for a reduced pledge and not committing to daily updates, but a smaller pledge than June was still way too more than I could sustainably handle, and without the daily updates I ended up letting my break run on way too long, plus I was stuck out of town for a week. But while I may have failed my pledge, I still got 10 nice looking zombies done, plus the commission rhino, which is a lot for me, and I was really on a roll going into August.

The main thing I learned is that regular posting does a lot to keep me engaged with the hobby, and that's something I'd like to try to continue after the challenge is done.

AUGUST

Pledged: 10 Skeletons, 5 Blood Knights, 1 piece of terrain Finished: 10 Skeletons, July's Dire Wolves, June's Sidequests

I honestly should have known better that to pledge so much with so much leftover work to do, including the sidequest tutorials that I still needed in order to confirm my project from back in June, but I was on a high and on a roll at the end of July, and I let my ambitions get away from me. And I knew almost immediately that I had made a mistake, just assembling the Blood Knights I could tell that each one of them was going to require more work than most of the heroes I've painted.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the most important thing I learned. The most important thing was that Army Painter brand black primer is SUPER grainy, to the point of obscuring some of the surface texture and details of the models I sprayed it on, which tragically includes the Blood Knights. They weren't quite as badly done by as the poor skeletons, but on such a cool and important unit it's still a bit disheartening.

On a positive note, I learned from the dire wolves that hexwraith flame can be used in my paint scheme to punch up saturation a bit & add a bit of slimy green gore effect that I quite like. At some point I'll have to go back and use it to punch up the zombies & maybe the zombie dragon a bit.

So where do I go from here?

I'm going to be out of town till the middle of next week, but when I do get back I want to keep up the monthly goals with regular update posts. Maybe not every day, but a few times a week at least. But I don't want this to be my only hobby, either. I got games to play, and now that hectic summer vacation schedules have calmed down I've got a family D&D campaign to start running again. Plus some other stuff to work on. So I'm going to try to keep future commitments more manageable. One unit per month sounds about right.

I need to make some more progress on the Raven Guard commission, and I want to save October for something spooky and undead, so for September I think the one unit will be a Raven Guard landspeeder.

I'd also like to actually get to the local store to try to get a game or two in with my newly painted models. If I do, I'll be sure to take some pictures and report back to you on how badly I get thrashed.

#warhammer #age of sigmar #2021 summer painting challenge #soulblight gravelords #vampire counts

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silvereddaye · 5 years ago

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Hi Silver. So, I can't handle horror stuff(hence this is quite literally my least favorite time of year) but I'm super curious about what happens in your latest one-shot, (In the Shadow of the Woods?) and how it relates to Luke and Vader. I KNOW if I read it I'll most likely regret it! I can handle gorey stuff, but not spooky stuff. Would you be so kind as to just give me kind of an overall summary of what happens? Thanks! Love you!

Sure. No problem.

A group of college students go to a lake in the woods. It’s very secluded and remote. They got there by driving Jeeps through the woods. While relaxing at the lake, one of the kids notices a house on the side of the lake. Thinking it might be some kind haunted house, four of the kids leave in one of the Jeeps while the rest stay. However soon the kids that stayed hear screaming coming across the lake. The go and investigate and arrive in time to see one of the kids get snatched up by some shadow monster in the woods.

The monster then starts picking the kids off one by one, so the kids run into the house. While in there they find a baby with blonde hair and blue eyes asking for it’s dada. So the kids pick the baby up and take it with them as the monster continues to attack their group. Eventually it’s down to only three kids and the baby. They have made it back to the Jeep and are driving down the road away from the house.

The baby starts to get upset and cry for his dada. It changes into a white glowing monster. It is then the shadow monster arrives, rips apart the car, and collects the baby. The only surviving kid runs away from the Jeep. While running he comes across a cabin in the woods where he meets a man (Obi-Wan Kenobi). The kid, Davis, tells Obi-Wan of what happened to him and his friends.

Obi-Wan tells the story of the monster Vader:

“What you ran into was Vader. Darth Vader. An unholy horror. Some call it a demon. Others might call it a wonderterror. But monster also works.” Davis noticed the smooth accent coming from the man. It sounded European.

“I . . . don’t . . . what? You know about this thing?”

The man took a long sip of his glass.

“There once was an order of men,” the man said slowly as he stroked his auburn beard. “It was rumored they had been around since the dawn of civilization. Their current organization was hundreds of years old. Dating back to medieval times. They had been established by the church. A holy order of knights known as the Jedi. Their purpose was to protect humanity from evil.”

The man paused as he took another sip of his whiskey.

“This order continued into the modern age. It was a secret order, and their numbers were a few hundred strong all across the globe. Fourteen years ago one of the senior knights discovered a boy. He had a human mother. He himself looked human, but he was not. He was a son of Satan. But that may not be the right description. He was something else. Something more. Something from beyond. A child of the Great Old Ones. Wherever this child originated from, it is beyond our mortal comprehension.

“And the order knew this. They took the child in. They should have killed him, but they were too curious. They wanted to know more of what lay beyond their reality. The order had been able to tap into the small rifts of this world and draw power from the beyond. They called it the Force. Magic. And this boy seemed to be made from it.

“And he was just a boy. A boy who they could raise as one of them. To think like them. To dress like them. To do what they wanted him to do. A weapon. A tool. However, there were other organizations who knew of this truth of the world. One of them was the Sith. And unlike the Jedi Order who sought to protect humanity, the Sith sought to dominate it. They also used the Force, but for their own selfish means. And they wanted the boy.

“This demonic order tried to tempt the boy. They sent many dark servants to tempt him. Darth Maul. Darth Tyrannus. Ventress. Savage. They all failed. The order’s training had prevailed. The boy couldn’t be swayed away from the ones who had raised him. At least that’s what the order thought. But it was not the darkness that won the boy over. It wasn’t the holy order either. In the end, it was love.”

The man sighed. He looked off into the distance. Then he took another deep sip of his whiskey, finishing the glass off. Davis finished his off as well. He was feeling the buzz of the alcohol.

The man continued his story, “It was the love of a human woman that caused the boy to abandon the order he had called home. The order had forbidden the boy from attachments. From things like marriage, but it had happened behind their backs anyway. The boy married in secret. His human wife got pregnant, and then she grew sick. She was a human carrying the spawn of the devil. Carrying reality made flesh. Fearing for his wife and unborn child, the boy revealed his secret to his family. The order was horrified and angry. They decided the wife and the child needed to die.

“Of course the boy did not take this well. He turned to the Sith for help instead. And they gave sweet promises they could cure the wife and baby. All for the price of killing everyone in the Jedi Order. And the boy agreed. He slayed them all including the women and children. But the Sith had lied. They had no idea on how to save the wife and baby, so the boy killed almost all the Sith too in his rage. In the end, it was all for nothing. The wife survived and gave birth.”

“The baby!” Davis shouted. “That was the monster’s baby!”

All that time the baby had been crying for its dada, it had been crying for the monster. He recalled the small little tentacle wrapping around a large black one. Like a baby’s hand wrapping around a single finger of their parent.

The man nodded. “Yes. The boy, long since a man, moved out to these woods with his family. To be left alone. To live away from everyone else.”

Obi-Wan reveals the reason the monster hasn’t killed him yet is because he wears a kyber crystal on a necklace. The crystal was a spell that casts a protective ward on him. He gives one to Davis and drives Davis home the next day. A month later, Davis gets visited by a news reporter and her cameraman. No one believes Davis crazy story and everyone says his friends have all gone off to do different things with their lives. The reporter listens to his story. He shows her the crystal on the necklace, which she steals from him.

It is then revealed the cameraman is the monster (Vader) and the reporter is his wife (Padme). Padme leaves and Vader kills Davis.

--------

That is a non-gore summary of part 1. Part 2, which I’ll hopefully have up on Halloween, tells the story from Vader’s perspective. Which is basically him trying to raise his little babies who can change shape and keep getting into trouble and Vader has to deal with their messes and his tired wife. He is tired and hungry when some punk kids show up at his house in a Jeep and jeopardize his family’s safety (as they’re hiding from Palpatine) by taking photos and posting them on instagram. (A joke in the story is that Obi-Wan chatises Anakin for not having a password on his wifi.)

#I decided to publish this in case others were curious #ask silver #horror movie au #nijiroz

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benjaycaptain · 3 years ago

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as i said before i enjoy reading new ships and it gave me a good opportunity to get a feel for what you might like for your gift. i am still in the brainstorming stages lmao. really enjoyed how you wrote ben! i feel like people definitely underestimate him a lot, but he doesn’t mind too much since he likes surprising people.

i don’t know much about ballets aside from the nutcracker but i hope you get to go at some point! i haven’t been going to a lot of social events lately either for the same reason.

i’m a big movie fan too, though i haven’t seen a lot of the ones you listed. definitely need to look up more of the older ones. i really love the muppets christmas carol, actually did a rewatch of that recently. the nutcracker and the four realms was really pretty, though i was disappointed that clara and the nutcracker didn’t end up together. how the grinch stole christmas is always a fun one and elf! it’s been a while since i watched the santa clause. i’m definitely due for a rewatch. taking notes so i can watch more of these this month, thanks for the recs!

i’ve been on a cheesy romantic christmas movie binge lately. have you seen single all the way on netflix? it’s an adorable gay christmas romantic comedy (finally!) and has all the feel-good holiday vibes and romcom tropes. i’m really a sucker for friends to lovers stories.

ooh, actually that’s a good question for you! what are some of your favorite tropes to read about or watch in shows/movies?

and i’ve got to say i am both a halloween queer and a christmas queer. i just love all the decorations and dressing up for the occasion. my list of favorite halloween movies is so long (probably as long as your christmas movie list lmao). i like a little spooky but not super scary.

-gifter anon

oh yes, i usually never start actually writing for this exchange until like a week before christmas lmao i always go back and worth with what i wanna write, and i am indecision personified xD

funnily enough, i think my most favorite gift fic i've written for this exchange was the mal/carlos fic. tho, getting to write jay/jane was a nice highlight as well lmao

single all the way is on my list! [i'm very slow to watch new things sometimes] but it's up next after i finish watching centaurworld today. and then after that is klaus, which i should've seen long ago weh

oh man. it's hard for me to take about tropes in a non fandom sense, cause mainstream does it a bit differently. i love devouring disaster/apocalypse/survival movies tho that fight to live

OKAY WAIT PAUSE. i was typing this reply as i was marathoning centaurworld, right, and now i have finished the series and i am emotionally distraught!!! that last episode what the actual fuck. this is now one of my new favorite shows lmao i mean, it's got most of the good shit: it's a musical, smooth af animation, zany over the top silliness that belies trauma depth and soul, a Very good corruption arc, self discovery, Found Family and the Power of Friendship, just the Right amount of Fucking Creepy, a tragic villain done right, death not equaling redemption nor forgiveness, actually funny lines/bits, and so much more!

okay i'll stop now i already know i'm gonna be thinking about this damn show for the next few weeks lmao

but! other things that make me go feral: undying loyalty for better or for worse, fake dating, Humanity is Inherently Good [i cannot stand humans are the real monster things], meet cutes, friends to lovers, opposite worlds [or interspecies] friendship/romance, omgosh the cinderella story lmao i am such a slut for cinderella stories/adaptations [except that crap amazon one; like, seriously, for me to not like something cinderella you'd have to be actively trying to make a shit version], band of misfits, loner and or jaded cynic learning to embrace parenthood type emotions and responsibilities and Love again [or any type of Loving Emotions, doesn't have to be for a child they accidentally acquired/adopted/saved/whatever], most fantasy elements stuffs, annnnd idk i feel like i'm rambling and not actually answering the question lmao

i think i used to be more halloween oriented, but that was only when i was a kid? i don't do candy now, i'm too lazy for dressing up, and i'm too much of a wuss. i think my only must see halloween movies are hocus pocus, nightmare before christmas, the halloweentown movies, under wraps [1997, haven't seen the remake yet], and the little vampire [2000], which isn't really a halloween movie but ya know lol

#shippy speaks #i really must apologize because again i am just a rambly bitch lmao #gifter anon

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hashtagsmitty · 6 years ago

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Smitty's Thailand Adventure - Day 7

Goddamn happened again - I spent two hours on this post and my phone deleted it.

In which snakes get tortured, an expatriot hero is honored, a suit is fitted, and axes don't get thrown.

I slept weird again last night - I'm not used to box spring mattresses. I have a Koala foam mattress and April has a futon, so springs poking me in the ass all night is a new experience for me. Plus the air con, it's hot then it's cold, etcetera.

Usual morning routine - the Hitler Youth and White Family Mart for breakfast. I planned my day while I ate - I wanted to visit the snake farm. Technically, the late queen's memorial snake farm. I thought that sounded awesome.

Skytrain to Siam, swapped to the other line. Not much new to say about the skytrain except there's this jingle that one of the ads plays that I will never get out of my head. Also, there's barriers around some but not all of the platforms, and the train stops perfectly such that the doors are between the openings in the barriers. It's pretty special.

Crazy Thai traffic aside, I made it to the snake farm. It looked like something out of the Walking Dead:

It was mostly the rust on the spikes. And the overgrowth. And the barriers in front of the entrance. And the red cross trucks unloading pallets of gear. I did not think I was supposed to be in there, but the sign said this way to snake farm, so in I went.

I found the place fine. Once I got past the zombie movie shit anyway. The farm looked awesome!

It was a big pagoda with open air snake enclosures all over the place. Very tropical, very novel. There was a big old rat in one of the enclosures. I watched him for ages to see if a snake was going to get him, but he was as still as a statue, with only his tiny rat ears twitching.

After the pagoda was an indoor museum - much the same, but with single cages for each snake. With glass. It wasn't quite what I expected from a Thai snake farm - far more like a zoo than a snake farm. Not enough zero-fucks-given Thai dudes with snakes wrapped around them. I looked at the snakes for a while. This guy was my favourite:

He's a Malayan Mangroce Cat-Eye Snake. I think he's gorgeous. I also thing I have a thing for snakes. They're like nature's ropes.

There was maintenance work going on inside - some drilling or digging or something. Lots of noise. I found it unpleasant, and I'm not a creature whose entire experience of the world is through vibrations. I didn't stay long inside, and left straight after.

I'm not 100% certain that I would never get a snake as a pet. I was before the snake farm, but now I'm not sure.

On the way back to Siam, I saw the Jim Thompson store! I had to go inside and pay my respects to a true expatriot hero.

Thompson's business was selling Thai silk, so the entire store was silk scarves and shirts and other stuff. Expensive silk stuff - one shirt was $200. The cheapest thing I saw was a scrunchie for $40. I looked around for a while then left, richer for having experienced the life of a great man. Also richer for not having bought any of that tourist bait.

I went back to Siam and went book shopping. I had almost finished Growth Mindset and needed something else for the plane. I found this awesome bookshop:

It took up the whole floor, it was so big. It had the largest non-fiction section I'd ever seen. I spent an hour walking around looking at stuff. It was great. I love bookshops.

I bought Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius, a stoic philosophy book I've been meaning to read for ages. I also got The King in Yellow, by Robert W. Chambers. Lovecraft listed it as one of his influences, and I love spooky.

The coolest bit was that the clerk wrapped the two books in plastic to keep them safe. I thought that was a really cool idea, and I was impressed by how quickly she wrapped them - like 5 seconds each. I only noticed later that the plastic had the store's logo on it - even better, now I won't forget its name.

I went home via Thai KFC. I wanted to try it before I left. I knew it was a mistake going in. I always know that KFC is a mistake going in, but this was bad. Weak McDonald's style chips, boring chicken "pops". A waste of time, what with bonchon around the corner. I regret it immensely.

I went home and chilled out for a while - it's been a big week. I've walked a good 75km, according to my phone. I finished Growth Mindset and wrote some notes, listened to music, charged my phone, lazy stuff. Josh texted me and I met him at my station. We went back past Siam to a station near the tailor.

We got bonchon chicken for a late lunch/early dinner. It was great - best I've had in Thailand, and way better than the culinary abortion I had for lunch before. I distracted Josh with a game I've been playing :

It's a programming game, which is 100% Josh's thing. He hated it, but couldn't keep his hands off it. It's based on Assembly, a really old programming language. The first one, pretty much. It frustrated him because it wasn't like normal programming, but I thought it was a good challenge in thinking iteratively.

We walked to the tailor from bonchon. I cursed that I was going to be fat for the fitting. Josh could barely move - we got 18 pieces of chicken and he had 12 of them. I was still full from my mistake earlier.

On the way, I told Josh how frustrated I was with Bangkok's footpaths. There are lips and cracks and broken bits of concrete everywhere. Manhole covers that could drop you into a sewer if you're not careful. Just look at this:

That's a tame one. I've lost count of how many of these things I've tripped over. Or on trick edges to the footpath - step down onto the road, expect it to be level, nope there's another step down, don't you look smart. Or, walking down the steps from the skytrain, again, expect it to be level. Nope! It's on a raised platform, enjoy your trip, see you next fall.

Josh told me to not stand on the manholes.

We walked past some massage girls. I finally saw first hand what Josh has been talking about all week - they pretty much screamed at him. "hey handsome man," they'd say, and he'd say "no thank you," and they'd say "come over here sexy," and he'd say "no thanks". It looked uncomfortable for everyone involved.

I don't know if I Iook less approachable, less wealthy, less naive or less desperate, but none of them have reacted to me like that. Maybe it's because he's 6'3".

We got to the tailor. The suit was almost ready :

Looks awesome - the vest turned out exactly how I wanted it to. The tailor is going to courier it to the hotel tomorrow after some last minute changes. I hope.

We walked back to the skytrain, but the foot traffic was terrible. Peak hour in Bangkok is insane compared to Melbourne. We couldn't even get onto the platform last time we tried. So, we sat down at Starbucks and shot the shit for a while. I showed him my notes on Growth Mindset, and we argued about that a while. He talked about how he was going to do some of Bill's contract, then renegotiate. Seemed reasonable.

We headed home around 8 - our earliest night this week, but it's been a big one for both of us. Josh is moving to a new condo tomorrow. The train ride back was bittersweet - it's been a fun holiday. We both said while walking around that there's very few people either of us could hang out with for a full week without going crazy. He's probably coming back to Melbourne next month though, so it's not too bad.

I'm going to miss him when I head back. But I'm not going to miss much else. Bangkok is -

I guess I'll save my thoughts on the city for when I'm safely no longer in it.

I found this set of signs on the street today and it made me laugh:

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