#might add the three investigators to the list
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kathastrophen · 1 month ago
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thanks for the tag @tiny-steve! (absolutely delightful choice of topics on your side btw!!)
Rules: List five topics you can talk about for an hour without preparing any material, and tag five (or more) people!
Guitar Making
Obviously. It's my job after all. From building guitars from scratch to a top 10 of my most interesting repair jobs to amazing and annoying customers to all the guitar maker gossip to species protection to tools to being a woman (or not being a man) in trades.
2. German Crime Shows (esp. Tatort, Polizeiruf, Blind ermittelt)
I'm obsessed with Tatort since I'm fourteen, I made friends because of it, I watch it kinda religiously and dissect every new episode with my mom on the following wednesday over the phone. I guess I could talk about Stedefreund's undercover-arch for an hour alone and why I don't ship Leo and Adam romantically and why I find Leo's reaction to Adam reappearing disappointing. Also the lost potential of Adam Raczek and Vincent. Why Bukow and König were so appealing until they weren't and why Pöschi is the most underrated character ever.
And also on a more general note why it's so uniquely german, how to spot the culprit and why some dynamics between characters are so appealing and how 'the fandom' works.
3. Zine Making and Bookbinding
I could teach you how to make a zine in an hour, I guess? Like a little folded one, but I could also talk about how we did the Crime Zine and all the work that went into it.
And while we're at it I could also talk about my favourite hobby, which is bookbinding.
4. The Franklin Expedition
Watching The Terror led me down an excessive rabbit hole, esp after reading "Erebus" by Michael Palin. So I could also talk about both ships and their former expeditions.
5. Having an Ateliergemeinschaft
I could go on an on with stories from my colleagues and the almost eight years we know each other. Also how to found and set up a good old german Verein and how to defend your Gemeinnützigkeit.
tagging: @black-cat-aoife @tinypi @foxesonstilts @maxwellshimbo @crazy-fruit
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chrysanthemumgames · 4 months ago
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Could you share a little more about your writing process? Do you outline? I’m struggling with keeping the amount of choices down in my game but also keeping it customizable
I may not be the best person to ask about this, as I'm honestly still quite an amateur, but I'll share some of what I do, and maybe it'll help.
I do think some amount of outlining is pretty necessary for writing an interactive fiction. Flying by the seat of your pants (that is, just writing until you're done, then going back to rewrite everything into coherence) isn't really sustainable practice for a (long) choice game. You really want to know at least where all the major branches of your game are going, and where they can meet back up again.
Those meeting places are called chokepoints, and they're vital.
For example, in Chapter Four of FoA, the player has three different routes of investigation they can take. They can go talk to Lethe and try to help heal her, they can go into the city to see if the spirits know anything, or they can go to the riverbank to try and pinpoint the source and nature of whatever is ailing the river Lethe. This results in three distinct scenes, each with their own choices, and if I'd wanted to, all of them could have further branched in some big way that would affect the plot, and so on, and so forth.
The thing is, that's not really doable. There needs to be some place the branches meet up again so the story can continue, at least as early in the game as Chapter Four! In this example, it was literally a meeting where everyone talked about their findings, but of course it doesn't have to be. The point is, it brought the branches back together again and allowed the story to continue. You should probably at least have a sense of when the bigger branches are going to occur, and what's going to bring them together again. That alone will help you control the number of choices and branches you offer. If you know they all have to eventually get the player to the clock tower at midnight or something, then you know how to steer things within each branch.
My outlines tend to be a little more detailed than that. I start with a beat chart for the game (or, in the case of BotL, a beat chart for each subplot, because it's basically several subplots stacked together wearing a trenchcoat), and from there I put them in the right order and make a beat chart for the whole thing.
A 'beat chart' here is just a list of the big things that happen like 'PC meets Iasion' or 'Trial of Pirithous and Theseus.' Once you have a really general outline like that, you can stop outlining if you want. You have a roadmap, and if you're more of an improvisor, that should still be enough to help you steer yourself towards the necessary chokepoints. If you prefer to plan more, like me, you can break your outline into chunks and add levels of detail. I will do a chapter-by-chapter outline with a list of scenes for each, and then when I come to the specific chapter I will actually outline the scenes with code before writing my way through them. Sometimes all at once, sometimes in the form of outline, scene, outline, scene.
Finding the process that works for you is a big part of succeeding at finishing an IF, I think. Yours might not (probably won't) be the same as mine; the important thing is that it keeps you moving forward (and not just laterally, into more and more branches). Branches are great, but you have to prune them back sometimes for the healthiest plant. IF. You get what I mean, I hope.
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vinnsley · 4 months ago
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This is a part 2 to THIS post right here requested by: @sethmp3! Thank you for all the love on my last norton post :3
(EDIT: So i definitely forgotten what event happens when, so i'm terribly sorry if it's super off from canon, but if it is, ig this can count as an AU then or smth😭)
TW: Mention of blood, pickaxe (?? does this even need a tw), murder, death, gun... thats it i think
[--------------]
At first, no nobody pestered you about you and Norton's relationship, but soon enough, curiosity always kills the cat.
Comments about how close the two of you were, suggestive comments asking if theres something between the two of you... the list could go on forever.
But the 3 didn't have that many chances of actually investigating this matter, due to either you sticking by Norton, or vice versa.
Which you were lowkey thankful, actually. You didn’t like when people tried to get into your personal affairs, much less Norton's. That part always infuriated you, no matter how you look at it.
But when you were alone, walking towards your room which was the neighbouring room of Alice's room, someone grabbed your arm which made you freeze, as you were pulled inside a room, you out of insticnt hit the perpetrator, who turned out to be... Orpheus?
You questioned what was happening as he rubbed his face you just hit. Not so softly, might i add.
Alice, who was sitting on her bed looked over at you, and explained the situation, While Melly was looking over Orpheus, just watching to see if he got seriously injured.
Turns out, there was more to Kreiburg than you thought, which actually, made a lot of sense to you. Ever since he introduced himself, you knew he was probably a douchebag with intentions not so friendly.
And now knowing that it was confirmed that he was a fishy individual, you agreed to help investigate with the three.
Next morning, you woke up, had breakfast, and went to Alice's room.
What you noticed, was that Norton was nowhere to be found. Weird. He always waited for you before and after breakfast after you two reunited.
But you brushed it aside, thinking he just wanted space like he usually did at times, just a break from the world. So you didn’t think of on his door to check on him.
With Alice, the two of you went out of her room, chatting about a few things, before you both noticed Kreiburg... leaving the mansion.
You thought that leaving the mansion while waiting for the owner was... prohibited. Or something like that.
So what was Your and Alice's bright idea? Of course, go after Kreiburg and find out if he actually is hiding something behind that cold mask.
As the pair slowly stalked followed after the man, they noticed that Kreiburg stopped. The two of you quickly hid behind a tall bush, before glancing at eachother with unease as Kreiburg said that he knew someone was there, and he advises them to come out this instant.
His steps could be heard against the grass, drying leaves crunching against his boots that made a shiver run up both if your spines. It was either you two give yourselves up now... or you might never see the light of day again.
Before you could sacrifice yourself, Orpheus suddenly appeared, holding you back as he put a finger to his lips, shushing the both of you as he revealed himself.
Kreiburg seemed distracted enough. Having a chat Orpheus, telling him about some of his life, how this... horse racing place or whatever it was called was connected to his family — his past.
And the mention of a box. A box that was definitely hidden somewhere around these horse racing grounds, as Kreiburg said.
Alice glanced over at you, and nodded to the side as the pair of men went the other way, trying to look for this box that Kreiburg mentioned.
You nodded in response, as the two of you bolt to the other side, going to the three hills that seemed a bit awfully suspicious.
As Alice began digging up one of the hills, you watched as she worked the dirt with her hands, before she felt something hard against her palm.
Alice quickly started digging further, before she reached inside the small hole, and grabbed... a box. This was probably the box Kreiburg mentioned.
Before the two of you could open it though, you heard steps coming your way aswell as small talk you couldn't decipher.
The two of you quickly hid behind one of the hills and waited the outcome of what might happen.
As the men arrived, Kreiburg commented about how somebody was faster than them. Or should he say... somebodies were faster than him.
That's how every one of you knew you were busted. Accepting your fate, the two of you slowly revealed themselves, Alice holding the box.
After a bit of ranting from Kreiburg to which you in all honesty, did not focus in at all, he opened his cane to reveal... a gun.
You and Alice's eyes widened, aswell as Orpheus'.
Kreiburg instructed Alice to put the box infront of her, three steps onward.
Hesitantly, she did. She put down the box before stepping back beside you. Kreiburg immedieatly took that opprotunity to grab the box as fast as he could, but not before he threatend the three of you.
If any of you three decided to turn around before the gun shot, it would be the last thing you'd hear. Creepy, you admit it.
Neither of you three turn around. Waiting for the gunshot as you close your eyes shut. Counting mentally to yourself before you hear the loud gunshot go off.
As the three of you quickly turn around... you realized, Kreiburg ran away. Escaped.
Fuck! But no atleast you three knew he was as fishy as he looked since the start.
The three of you try to get out, but you see that the entrance gates... are locked? What?
They weren't locked when you three entered. This was weird. Probably Kreiburg trying to stall you.
Orpheus found a generator and said he's gonna try to decode it, while Alice and you find nearby ciphers to decode. Since somehow... Orpheus knew a lot about these.
When you asked him how he knows, he just replied with 'I am a writer, i do research of things i write.' Damn man.
You part ways, now jogging alone trough this nightmare maze-like place as you finally find a cipher, starting to decode it, which... somehow you actually knew how to do, even if you had 0 idea what this thing even did.
But as you decoded, your heart started thumping louder and louder inside your chest. Like a warning. You looked around, but saw nothing so you shrugged it off. Maybe it was the caffein and the nights you spent awake getting to you.
But the thumping didn't go away. It onky intensified, aswell as your gut began to churn. A cold shiver running down your spine as you felt like you were being watched. Stalked.
You started to turn left and right more frequently now, it was like something was nearby. Lurking. Maybe waiting. But you didn’t want to guess, as you suddenly made a dash for it.
And you were correct.
Loud thumping behind you could be heard. Someone or... something was chasing after you from behind. Their feet making louder noise than a regular humans would.
You took a sharp turn, and were met with a dead end. You pant, exhausted already from sprinting so much. As you tried to go forward the same path you went on, you felt a sudden pain in your back, letting out a shout as you suddenly got a speed boost, running to... whatever, at this point.
Your lungs felt like they could give out at any moment, you were holding onto your side in pain, you could also feel the bloody flesh of your back against the suddenly cool air of the race place.
You got more unnerved from the blood that you felt trickling down your back and stained your jacket you wore today. Aswell as your hands as you tried to wipe it away, trying to atleast get rid of the uncomfortable feeling if you were already running out of breath, quite literally.
Your body felt weak. It became more heavy then you felt it was before, your feet thumping harshly against the leaves, branches and many other things you stepped on while... running from god knows what.
As you reached a small barricade, you decided jumping over it would be a good way to give you some loop hole against your hunter—
Another sharp pain, but this time to your left side as you collapsed on the floor, writhing in pain as blood began to pool underneath your body from your open wounds.
You whined and whimpered, trying to crawl away before giving up. You couldn't do anything, your body was giving up on you. Your lungs were burning, the air was much, much more cooler than when you arrived.
You turned over on your back, to atleast see who or what was hunting you down like a bloodthirsty animal desperate for prey.
Your eyes widen. This... wasn't a person at all! It seemed like it's... body was...made out of stone? Or was it coal? You couldn't tell from your blurry vision. You could make out the big shadow of a pickaxe... If it even was a pickaxe in the first place.
But upon looking at it's face... it's face seemed very familiar. You just... Couldn't put your finger on it. The black hair, the scar over one if it's eye... the helmet? It all seemed so familiar yet you couldn't pin point why it so familiar.
But before you could think more about it, you saw the.. monster-human hybrid grab it's pickaxe harder, lifting it up over it's shoulder, getting ready to swing at you.
Before it smashed your head into a million different pieces, you whispered out your last words.
'I love you, Norton.'
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lollystocks · 4 months ago
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Therapy for the Dead and Buried, Chapter 4
Chapter three here
Masterpost here
AO3
“Patient 17-A-2, session four. Have officially designated the patient as an ‘A’ type, specifically emotion-alteration, as well as some unspecified action-at-a-distance ability. While both may fall under ‘A’ categorization, I’ve yet to see two such different abilities manifest in the same patient. Though a surprisingly wide range of atypical abilities can manifest in the blowing of my light bulb…”
“Today I want to work on exploring the capabilities of the emotion-alteration. I believe that full control is the path to dampening, and that focussing only on suppression would be… ineffective.”
“Patient has said some things in previous sessions that I find intriguing. References to events that are untrue, a strange usage of the word ‘here’ when talking about the world, and an off-hand reference to ‘they are out to get me’. While most patients are naturally suspicious of my intentions, James is unusually guarded.”
“Note to self: investigate the known limits of ‘D’ type abilities. As… sore, a subject that may be for me.”
--
“... and let the leaf float down the stream. When you are ready, exhale, then open your eyes.”
Danny did as she said, wincing a little as the bright sunshine of the office met his eyes. He cleared his throat and rubbed his hands on his knees.
“How do you feel?”
“Um. A bit more relaxed, physically? I guess some nice deep breathing for ten minutes is like, actually good for you.”
“Just physically?”
“Yeah, um. I’m not sure I’m very good at the exercise. Acknowledging the thoughts and just… letting them go down the stream. Like, if a thought comes to me, it sticks around, you know? I can picture a leaf or something drifting away from me but like, the actual thought is still in my brain. So rather than letting it drift away it sits there, and then to do the exercise right - having a new thought arrive on the stream - I try to think of what else could go on a leaf, and now I have a new thought, and they’re all piling up in my brain like a rotten leaf pile in the fall. You know?”
Doctor Bright nodded. The corners of her eyes softened a touch and the side of her mouth twitched. “I wouldn’t be too worried about how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ you are at meditation, James. This was your first attempt, and it might take some time and work for it to click with you.”
“I guess. Just feels like another responsibility, you know? Chores and grades and my job and paperwork, now I’ve got to add another thing to the list?”
“I suppose you could think of it that way, James. Our mental wellbeing is something that takes work, and sometimes doing so can infringe on other things in our life.”
“Yeah!”
Against his better judgement, Danny liked Doctor Bright. A bit. That she often simply agreed with what he said was… well. He wasn’t exactly used to it. He craved both her approval and disapproval in equal measure, so couldn’t help himself from pushback when the opportunity arose.
“And like, I know you’re gonna say it needs to be a high priority, but everything’s high priority. I need good grades if I’m gonna have a future, I need to keep the apartment clean if I don’t wanna get evicted, I need to keep myself clean and fed so I don’t get sick, I need my job to get money to do any of the above. It’s just, like. It’s a lot. Twenty minutes a day is a lot.”
“Many teenagers find their lives to be uniquely pressured. All the responsibilities of adulthood are coming in, with all the restrictions of childhood. Many feel a sense ‘now or never’, and that their future success is totally determined by their achievement as an adolescent.”
“But it’s hard not to think that, when that’s what every adult is telling you. Like, I can know logically that it’s all bullcrap and that teachers and school admins tell you that so you get good SATs and go to a good college ‘cause then they get better funding and reputation and stuff, I know all that. And that like, plenty of people turn their lives around when they’re an adult. But in a way it is kinda true for me ‘cause I have nothing else going for me right now, Doctor Bright.”
He sat up straight and, clutching his imaginary pearls, recited, “I’m seventeen, I’ve no money and no prospects. I’m a burden on… the state? And I’m frightened.” Accent and everything.
Doctor Bright’s eyebrows raised at that. “Pride and Prejudice?”
“Yeah. My si-. Um. I used to know someone who was obsessed with it. I could probably quote you the entire film.”
“Film? I thought it was a miniseries?”
“Oh. Yeah. Anyway, yeah, I don’t have a backup plan. If I flunk out now, I have no real future. I need to do well now to go to college so I can make money and have an actual life.”
“Unfortunately, your stress is understandable. Many of your personal circumstances - poverty, emancipation - these are significant obstacles. Whereas others your age can afford to spend some time finding their feet in their adolescence, you’ve had extra responsibilities placed on you, many that your peers could never understand.”
“Wait, so you agree? That I'm screwed?”
“Not at all, James. From what I’ve seen, you are more than capable of making your way in the world. You’re smart, driven, and passionate, and I believe wholeheartedly that you can succeed. You have a future, James. You’re right in that it will be more difficult for you than for others, but you need to allow yourself some grace. The occasional mistake, or even failure, will not doom you.”
Danny didn’t answer, and took a deep interest in the decor instead. There was a strip of sealant around the doorframe that was coming off, just slightly. He wanted to rip it off all the way.
It was moments like this that really drove home that therapy with the doctor could only get him so far. The occasional mistake will not doom you.
Only last week, he’d nearly had a panic attack when he’d seen another kid surreptitiously check their phone during a surprise test. Danny hadn’t even been the one cheating, but simply being witness to it had brought on visions of bombed-out cities.
Doctor Bright already knew more about him than he was comfortable with. His lingering terror-guilt-disgust over that one potential future would not be something solved in this office.
The doctor’s voice snapped him back.
“If I may, James, I’d like to come back to what you said earlier about the leaves stacking up in your mind during the visualization. Do you often feel like that?”
Danny scoffed. “Oh, a hundred percent. It’s constantly like - you know that thing, where if someone says, ‘don’t think about penguins’, all you can do is think about penguins?”
“I’m familiar with the concept.”
“I feel like that all the time. Like there are thoughts I know I should be having, like my internal to-do list, or concentrating on the lesson, or looking at someone in their face when they’re talking to you. And then there are the thoughts I really don’t want to be having, but I’m always aware of what I’m trying not to think about, so. I think about them. And then it all stacks together and it’s like everyone talking at once, the good and the bad and the necessary, and then it’s all ‘Hey, kid, you listening?’ and someone in the real world is snapping their fingers in my face.”
“That must be stressful.”
“It is. And even though the meditation was kinda the same, it was… less, I guess? Like rather than try and push the bad thoughts down, just having them sit there visually, I don’t know. They stayed more like surface thoughts than anything deeper. Like the leaves were still there, but I was holding them in my hands rather than having them sucked in through my ears into my brain. You know?”
“That’s excellent, James. I think if you can try to find any calm moments in the day to practice this visualization, you’ll get better and better at identifying and diffusing these discrete thoughts. Not to mention the physical benefits you mentioned.”
“Okay. I’ll try.”
Danny didn’t want to get into a discussion about how there were no ‘calm moments’ in his days. But this did bring him onto something he’d been wondering about.
“Um, Doctor Bright. I gotta ask - why are you teaching me meditation? I thought we were gonna work on my ‘scary thing’, now that I know you know that I’m a, um. An Atypical.”
“Ah, I should have explained better. While anyone can benefit from meditation, there is a wealth of evidence that it is particularly useful for Atypicals who are learning how to control their abilities - especially those that are linked to their emotional state. Which, to be honest, is most of them.”
Danny felt his eyebrows furrow. “‘Linked to their emotional state,’ how?”
Barely perceptible, Doctor Bright’s eyes lit up slightly. “Here’s one example. A fytokinetic is someone with the ability to control plant matter with their mind - it’s a very broad ability type, with many manifestations. Someone with limited control over their ability - say, a young person who’s new to their powers - would likely find the plant matter around them acting in direct response to their mental state. Intense sadness could cause wilting, or feelings of self-disgust and loneliness to plant matter rotting and decaying. Bursts of joy could cause flowers to bloom.”
“So, classic X-Men stuff, right? Powers as a metaphor, ‘show don’t tell?’”
“In a way, although I encourage my patients not to equate their lives with fictional worlds and people. You, your life, and your powers are real, James. Your ability isn’t a metaphor, it’s just a fact of life.”
“A shitty one.”
“Maybe so. But it doesn’t have to be.”
“How could it not be? Say I get full control, what then? It’s hardly useful, the ability to scare people sh- witless. It’s not something I need any more, but it’s still here, making me miserable. It’s stopping me from making friends, or keeping a job. The best thing I can do with it is stop it.”
“I wish I had more answers for you, James, but I don’t. Your ability is a part of you, whether or not you like it. And you have to learn to live with it.”
“Hah. Live with it.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Nothing. Never mind. So coming back to the mental state thing - if I can better control my emotions, I can better control my abilities?”
The Doctor looked like she went to write something, then thought better of it. “That's the case for most Atypicals, yes. Especially so for those whose abilities are of the psychic type, interacting with others’ minds, as yours is. I've already seen good evidence that your own mental state influences your ability.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yes. I'm pretty attuned to identifying when my mind is being influenced by an Atypical ability, as you might imagine, but even without that, I think I would have noticed a difference. My sense of fear and unease spikes when you appear to be agitated or distrusting; it eases when you're relaxed. You may not feel that our visualization exercise was working well, but I experienced a significant drop in my fear.”
“Oh.”
In all honesty, Danny had forgotten that his Fear was continuing to influence the doctor. She certainly didn’t act afraid of him - or any of the other manifestations he experienced. Scorn. Anger. Disgust.
Danny didn’t want Doctor Bright to be scared of him. That she so readily admitted that she still was, in such a dispassionate, clinical matter-of-fact way, was kind of a bummer.
“Does that surprise you?”
“I mean, it shouldn’t. I've always… um. Just like, everything else I do in life is harder when I'm anxious, so I guess the same goes for this. So are you saying the key to managing this is to just what, be happy?”
“That's an overly simplistic way of looking at it. No one can, or should, be happy all the time. But I believe that addressing the root cause of your own fear and anxiety may be the best course of action.”
“Wait, so this is still just like, normal therapy? Talking about my feelings and not like. Doing tests? Taking samples?”
“Yes, James. My therapist practice isn't some front for Atypical coaching, it's still therapy. It's simply that effective therapy for Atypicals is necessarily holistic - better mental health leads to better control over abilities, which improves living conditions, which in turn improves mental health.”
“But there’s got to be more to it? Like, you talk like there’s a whole science to studying Atypicals. Do you not have some kind of like. Um. Lab?”
Danny was not a fan of his voice crack at the end there.
“I don’t personally believe that is necessary, James. There is already a wealth of evidence on psychic-type abilities to reference. This is talking therapy.”
“Okay. So we just, what, talk about my anxiety at school? And boom, I’m cured?”
“‘Curing’ is not a model I subscribe to, James. You are not sick. What I’m here to help you with is control. But there are other things we can do, besides addressing your mental health.” She adjusted her glasses. “I find that discussing my patients’ experience of their abilities often yields fruit in opening up new ways to control them. Would you be up for that kind of discussion?”
Dangerous territory. You’re not a fucking ‘Atypical’, Danny, you’re dead.
What if the way he described his abilities was totally unheard of for the Doctor? What would she even make of that? He didn’t know the first thing about the people he was trying to mimic.
Play it cool, play it cool. You’re a scared little mutant with one inconvenient power, in a world full of scared little mutants with inconvenient powers.
“Um. Sure? But uh, I don’t know what’s normal. Like, how do other people describe their abilities? Actually, I know nothing at all about like… typical Atypicals. If that makes sense?”
“I'd encourage you not to dwell too much on being a ‘normal’ Atypical. It is, after all, a bit of a contradiction.”
Unhelpful, Doc.
“But I want to know about Atypicals in general! So I can know what's me-weird and what's Atypical-weird. Like, when do people get their powers? How many are there? How long have they been around? How does no one know about them?”
“Let's see… ability onset is incredibly varied, with some manifesting in utero, and some not developing until well into adulthood, though those are edge-cases. It is somewhat typical for abilities to onset at puberty or during teenage years. It's very hard to estimate numbers. Recent studies put it as high as four percent of the population-”
“Four percent?!”
“-but that is skewed in multiple directions: on the one hand, many people with abilities live in secret; on the other, some abilities are so mild as to not register as much more than unusual talents or intuition. I have a colleague who thinks as many as twenty percent of Olympians may be low-level Atypicals. Atypical abilities aren't strictly binary, but scalar, and cover a wide range of power and disruption. In terms of the number of people with abilities either powerful enough to be noticeable, or to cause problems in someone's life? Maybe one in one in five hundred people?
“And as far as we're aware, there have always been Atypicals. More than one time traveler has witnessed them at the dawn of human history.”
“... time travelers?”
She smiled. “Yes, James.”
“Doesn't that cause huge issues with like, the timeline? Paradoxes, evil futures?”
“Most abilities aren't powerful enough to disrupt the universe, and have some inbuilt fail-safes. Most time travelers, for instance, can only witness the past, not influence it. And the future is nearly always mutable.”
“That's… wild, actually.”
“It's certainly fascinating. But to bring us back again: how would you feel about discussing your ability with me in more depth?”
“I mean, what is there to discuss? I don't even do anything.”
Doctor Bright set her notebook on the table. “I want you to close your eyes for a second.”
Danny did so.
“Where's a place you frequently find yourself anxious?”
“School. Especially in crowds.”
“Okay. I want you to picture yourself in school. The bell has gone, and it's the crush between lessons. Your ability is influencing those around you, making them fear and distrust you.”
“Okay.”
“Could you describe what emotions you feel? Besides anxiety?”
“Um. Is ‘fuck off’ an emotion?”
He heard Doctor Bright let out a slight huff, as if amused. “I daresay it is. Describe it to me.”
“Like I want everyone out of my personal space, and the more they get in my face, the worse it gets, until I want to fucking bite anything that comes near my face.”
“How does this feeling move around you? Does it come from an outside source, or from within you, projected outwards?”
“Oh, the second one, for sure. Like I want a gust of wind to push everyone around me away from me.”
“If this feeling were visible, what would it look like? A gas, a liquid? Is it slow, fast-?”
“It's green. Toxic green.”
“Okay. I now want you to picture yourself alone, somewhere you feel calm. It can be a real place, or imaginary. Think about what it looks like. Imagine the sounds, if there are any. Think about your body in the space - are you sitting, standing, lying down? Think about the temperature, the smells…”
Easy. The roof of the observatory, on a clear night - he imagined it clearer than possible, really, in Amity. The Milky Way stretched thick and dense overhead, the constellations large and proud. The air was cool and fresh, a slight breeze blowing through his hair. He wasn’t sure what color it should be.
As Doctor Bright talked, it became more real, more solid. Her voice started to fade into the background, and his awareness of the office started to dull. He tried to lean into that fact, and not let it scare him.
The concrete sloped under where he was sitting, to the gutter below him. Small weeds and flowers grew from it, and moths flittered about, attracted to his soft glow.
Doctor Bright invited him to imagine a loved one, someone he felt safe with. He couldn’t pick one, so now Sam, Tucker and Jazz all sat with him, pressing on either side.
He couldn’t remember how they should smell. But he could remember that Sam’s perfume always reminded him of smoke.
A lone car rumbled by. An owl called.
His chest was a gaping wound, draining slick, green sludge down his front. It moved of its own accord, fingers rising and falling, surging outwards. He didn’t move, simply watching as it crawled down his stomach and up across his shoulders, grabbing and dragging itself across the others. They recoiled, sounds of dismay from their mouths and they scrabbled to escape, and the Danny of this vision didn’t move, didn’t even watch.
The ectoplasm became more violent, faster, pushing its fingers into their eyes, their mouths, stifling their screams. Tucker clawed backwards in fear, getting ever-closer to the edge, losing his balance, falling-
The vision froze. Danny held onto his friend, arresting his fall, fixing him in place. He started ripping the ectoplasm away from him, digging his real fingers into his mouth and pulling, and pulling, on and on.
He had to change the ectoplasm. Change how it looked.
It was red. No. Pink. Something between the two. And it was oily, and slick, and watery and moved according to his whim, not on its own accord. It was what held Tucker in place.
It was warm, and sweet-smelling, and giddy, and fascinating.
He turned to look at Sam and Jazz. Both were smiling, the glowing red-pink oil dripping from their bared teeth, their eyes pinned open-
Danny wrenched himself back to the office with open eyes and a gasp. “Doc, I’m not sure what-”
The Doctor was staring at him.
Her eyes were wide open, round as balls, and her pupils were totally blown. She leaned forward, way too far, but her body seemed relaxed. She breathed deep and even.
Danny stood up and stepped away from the couch. “Um. Doc? Doctor Bright? What are you doing…?”
Her posture didn’t change, but her eyes followed him, and she continued to take deep breaths. Her lips parted slightly.
“Doc, fucking, snap out of it. Doctor Bright? What are you…”
She started him down, totally entranced. The corners of her lips started to turn upwards.
Then she whispered, almost undetectable.
“Danny…”
Next thing he knew, Danny had thrown his untouched glass of water right in her face.
She spluttered and recoiled, taking in her bearings. Her eyes returned to normal.
“What. Where…?” Her eyes landed on him. “James…?”
Danny gripped his hair. “Doc, what the fuck was that? You were, I mean, it was totally freaking me out, I didn’t know what to do, oh my god you're soaked I’m so sorry, what was that?”
“James, calm down, I need you to calm-”
“What did you do? What did I do?! I’ve never done that before! Was that me? You called me- shit do you remember? Do you remember any of that? Shit.”
“James, please calm down-”
But Danny didn’t hear the rest. He ignored the receptionist, Sarah’s stunned cry (and she was also gasping, clutching her heart) as he slammed through the office door, and was halfway home before he remembered to breathe.
---
The Inbox of ‘James Jackson’
To: James Jackson
Subject: Checking In
Hello James,
Just wanted to check that you were okay and safe after our session - I could not get through to your phone.
I want to reassure you than Sarah and I are perfectly fine, and I cannot discern any noticeable ongoing side effects from the hypnosis.
While I have no memory of the experience, I know it must have been distressing for you.
I want to apologize for putting you in that position. I did not anticipate that the exploration exercise would yield such an extreme result.
Please let me know you’re okay.
Best wishes,
Dr. Joan Bright, PsyD, ABPP
Licensed Therapist
---
The Inbox of Joan Bright
To: Joan Bright
Subject: RE: Checking In
Hi Dr Bright. I’m safe. I’m really sorry about earlier. I don’t know what happened.
Sent from my iPhone
---
The Inbox of ‘James Jackson’
To: James Jackson
Subject: RE: RE: Checking In
Hello James,
I am glad to hear it. I want to reassure you we are still on for next week. If you want an emergency session in the interim, I would be happy to oblige.
Best wishes,
Dr. Joan Bright, PsyD, ABPP
Licensed Therapist
---
To: James Jackson
Subject: Are you okay?
Hello James,
I am concerned that I have not heard from you since last week. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
Best wishes,
Dr. Joan Bright, PsyD, ABPP
Licensed Therapist
---
To: James Jackson
Subject: RE: Are you okay?
Hello James,
I am following up on your missed appointment today. I am obliged to inform the school, but I do not want to do so yet, given your situation. Please let me know you’re alright.
Best wishes,
Dr. Joan Bright, PsyD, ABPP
Licensed Therapist
---
The Inbox of Caleb Michaels
To: Caleb Michaels
Subject: RE: Referred Patient
Hello Caleb,
I did not get a chance to discuss this with your classmate in our last session. However, I am worried, as he has not been responding to my emails, though I know he has continued to attend school.
I was going to suggest that you two begin some e-correspondence, so you could both talk without being affected by your respective abilities. I cannot share his details without his permission, so you might have to make contact in person.
Please bear in mind, he’s flighty. But I know he could do with a friend or two.
Best wishes,
Dr. Joan Bright, PsyD, ABPP
Licensed Therapist
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misc-obeyme · 1 year ago
Note
Do you think solomon is one of the representatives of the human world who agreed to imprison lucifer in cocytus?
I mean it aligns with his intention to keep the human world safe but at the same time it would mean upsetting mc and risking them hating him and thats one thing solomon doesnt want at all.
Then i think, he could also have been hoping mc wouldnt find out so he went ahead and did it anyways?
Idk, but i'm really suspicious of him rn haha
-🧼
Oh a new emoji signature! I will add it to the list!
Ahh Solomon... he makes me insane.
But I don't think he did.
SPOILERS just in case lol
If I'm remembering correctly, they said that only two of the three worlds needed to agree. And we got confirmation from Simeon that someone from the Celestial Realm agreed to it. And it sounded like Diavolo knew that the other person was from the Devildom. So the human world didn't need a representative to agree because only two are needed. Currently we don't know who any of them are because Michael ain't talkin' and Diavolo hasn't finished his investigation into who the Devildom rep was.
However, I do think it's an interesting idea to consider. Like if it came down to that, what would Solomon do?
We're kinda back to the thing where it comes down to what Solomon cares about more: protecting humanity or MC's happiness.
I don't know if I think Solomon would consider it necessary to have Lucifer imprisoned in Cocytus in order to keep humanity safe. I think he might like to have that information should he ever need it, but unless Lucifer lost his mind and posed a deliberate threat, I think Solomon wouldn't go out of his way to make it happen.
Then if you factor MC into things, I think he'd be even less inclined. Because exactly as you said, he doesn't want MC to hate him. At the very least, he would put off doing something like that as long as possible. And maybe decide to just not do it at all. He might even pass the decision on to MC. Let them make the choice instead.
Solomon makes me crazy because he's so down bad for MC it's ridiculous. But there's no denying he knows something he hasn't told MC about this entire situation. I like to think he has a good reason for keeping the secrets that he does. Because I very much believe that Solomon does everything he can to protect MC from everything that he can.
Anyway, those are just my thoughts! I think Solomon would see this as a very drastic choice and probably wouldn't do it, especially if it meant MC hating him.
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itsss4t4n · 1 year ago
Text
Who I write for /Rules
Masterlist
I'm new-ish to writing (i used to write fanfiction when i was like 13. i'm 19 now and write very rarely) but I really wanna do it again.
So this is a list of characters/fandoms I write for as well as some rules for asks. Some things may be missing from this list so if you dont see something on this list, feel free to ask. :))
Do add as much detail as you want to a request and please ALWAYS have at least some sort of prompt, as i'm really not good with coming up with storys on my own yet.
I WILL NOT DO SMUT SO DONT REQUEST IT! I might however do spicy stuff (Nothing more than making out or somewhat implied stuff tho).
My writing will be mostly pg 13 but please still be careful if the fic-warnings include sensitive topics, and i might repost some 18+ things so be careful when navigating my blog.
Please be nice and have manners when requesting.
Also please include what gender/pronouns you want the reader to have (i write for all genders). If its not included I will default it as gender neutral. :)))
I also write poly relationships and AUs.
Some things I will not write include: Pregnancy, toxic/yandere, student x teacher, love triangles.
(Also english isnt my first language, and even though, in my opinion, i speak it really well, if they are any mistakes, thats why.)
Heartbreak high
Harper Mclean
Quinni Ghallager-Jones
Darren Rivers
Spencer "Spider" White
Anthony "Ant" Vaughn
Malakai Mitchel
Sally face
Sal Fisher
Travis Phelps (male or gn readers)
Larry Johnson
Ashley Campbell
Harry Potter
Fred Weasley
George Weasley
Charly Weasley
Bill Weasley
Cedric Diggory
Olliver Wood
Draco Malfoy (+6th year only)
Theodore Nott (+6th year only)
Marauders
James Potter
Sirius Black
Remus Lupin
Regulus Black
Evan Rosier
Barty Crouch jr
Pandora Rosier
Lilly Evans
Marlene Mckinnon
Hogwarts Legacy
Sebastian Sallow
Ominus Gaunt
Gareth Weasley
Poppy Sweetings
Imelda Reyes
Die drei fragezeichen / the three investigators
Bob Andrews
Peter Shaw
Justus Jonas
Skinny Norris
Twilight
Jasper Hale
Emmet Cullen
Carlisle Cullen
Esme Cullen
Rosalie Hale
Alice Cullen
Sam Uley
Paul Lahote
Charlie Swan
Leah Clearwater
Jacob Black
Pjo
Let me know if you want book or show
Percy Jackson
Annabeth Chase
Luke Castellan
Clarrisse La Rue
Selena Beauregard
Charles Beckendorf
Ethan Nakamura
Nico di Angelo (no romantic fem readers)
Rachel Elizabeth Dare
Will Solace
Travis Stoll
Connor Stoll
Hazel Levesque (no romantic)
Jason Grace
Leo Valdez
Piper Mclean
Magnus chase
Magnus Chase
Samirah al Abbas ( no romantic)
Alex Fierro
Blitzen
Hearthstone
Mallory Keen
TJ (Thomas Jefferson jr)
MCU (Avengers)
Bucky Barnes
Steve Rogers
Tony Stark
Sam Wilson
Natasha Romanoff
Yelena Belova
Peter Parker (tom holland and andrew garfield)
MJ
Wanda Maximof
Piedro Maximof
Clint Barton
Scott Lang
Stephen Strange
Kate Bishop
MCU ( Guardians of the galaxy)
Peter Quill
Daredevil (Season 1)
Matt Murdock
Karen Page
James Wesley
X-men universe
Deadpool
Wolverine
Francis
Xavier
Mystic
Angel
Kurt
Venom
Eddie Brock
DC
Harley Quinn
Jason Todd
Dick Grayson (any version, young justice, robin, nightwing,etc.)
Wally West (youngJustice)
Artemis (young justice)
Roy Harper (young justice)
Disney Descendants
Mal
Evie
Carlos devil
Jay
Benjamin Beast
Chad Charming
Audrey Rose
Jane
Lonnie Fa
Uma
Harry Hook
Gil
Rise of red
James Hook
Hades
Bridget
Ella
Cloe
Red
Morgie
Kingsmen
Eggsy
Tiny Pretty things (Netflix)
Bette Whitlaw
Oren Lennox
Shane Madej (no romantic fem readers)
June Park
Jennifers Body
Jennifer Check
Colin Gray
Ever after high
all characters
Redacted Audios
(no x reader, just ships)
literally all characters
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meloncholy-words · 8 months ago
Text
Robin: A Word That Means Run (Chapter 1: Nightwing)
Nightwing hasn't been Robin in years. He still remembers what that name means in a situation like this.
A/N: I'm not going to apologize for any inaccuracies in lore and characterization. If canon can fuck off and do whatever they please than I can too. I'll try staying as close to what I know as canon as possible but also I do what I want lmao.
~~~
Chapter Warnings: Explosions, minor gun violence(no one gets shot but there are guns), canon typical violence(nothing graphic/explicit! it's just there), swearing, Scarecrow's fear toxin (though the effects of it happen off screen), mentions of past violence, mentions of injury(stitches, concussion, etc.). No permanent injury or death occurs! Let me know if I should add more warnings!
AO3 | Chapter List
The case was simple: Scarecrow was shipping out vials of fear toxin to buyers from other cities. There were five buyers; one from New York City, Washington DC, Brooklyn, Metropolis, and Blüdhaven. All that they had to do was intercept the sales, arrest the buyers, and run tests on the toxin to check if it was a new strain. It usually wasn't, but it never hurt to check. If it was, that would mean that Scarecrow was planning something big.
The issue was that all sales were happening on the same night, and all in different parts of Gotham, with not enough vigilantes to handle all of them.
Red Hood was investigating a new business of dealers near his territory, trying to gauge how much of a threat they were so he could take them out. They were experienced, and growing fast; if he didn't nip it as fast as he could, it might grow out of control and start becoming an issue.
Spoiler and Black Bat had had a recent run in with Killer Croc, and were both benched due to injuries. Steph had a sprained ankle, and many stitches all along her arms and back. Cass had a dislocated shoulder and concussion, as well as many stitches along her legs and torso. Both were lucky to have not gotten worse.
Signal, despite insisting that he should go, was out of commission. He'd already worked well into the night shifts the previous three nights due to several kidnapping situations that happened too close together to not be connected, but ended up just being very coincidental. That, plus his need to keep his grades up, had him pretty sleep deprived. While not usually an issue, a fourth night out later than he should've been would've only made it worse, and fear toxin with sleep deprivation was one of their absolutely nots.
That left only Batman, Robin, Red Robin, and Nightwing to deal with busting the sales. Four vigilantes to deal with five sales in five separate locations within the city. No problem, could be done very easily.
Nightwing had gotten the sale in Fashion District. The information that Oracle had been able to dig up lead him to an alley behind a two-story boutique. An unusual meeting place, but better than some abandoned warehouse. That was just becoming cliche at this point.
He was perched on a rooftop above, blending into the dark, clouded sky. It wasn't as efficient as the shadows, but he had been yet to be spotted. A car was already waiting, three guys twiddling their feet as they waited. The buyers, undoubtedly. Nightwing sat studying them from above.
Their car was a black SUV, covered in family stickers. Likely to be more inconspicuous, but could've been from one of their moms. Criminals were just like that sometimes. Two of the men were obviously well built, their frames on the bulky side. The third wasn't quite so built, but he seemed relaxed as they leaned back against the metal frame of the car, so he wasn't just some lackey dragged along. Likely a getaway driver, maybe the leader of this operation.
After around 15 minutes of sitting around, a van pulled up to the entrance of the alley. The driver stayed inside, while the the passenger and a few men from the back hopped out. The gimmicks of their outfits told Nightwing that they were Scarecrow's men. One of them was carrying a briefcase, which he identified as the goods.
The three guys snapped to alert, the leaner man taking charge. That clued into him being the leader. They met each other half way, a conversation springing from hushed voices. Nightwing strained to hear what they were saying, but that wasn't the important thing. What he needed to do was stop the sale from happening.
He monitored the men for a bit longer, listening to them speak. They were haggling, probably. If they sale went through, than he would need to apprehend all of them. If it didn't, he'd only need to deal with Scarecrow's men. The others would be their own cities problem.
"My sale fell through," came Red Robin's voice crackling through the comm in his ear. "Moving in now."
Below him, the leader gestured back toward the car. One of the bulky men moved towards it, opening the back and pulling out a small duffel bag. He handed the bag over, and Nightwing shifted to get a better look at the bag that was being opened.
Yep, that was cash.
"My sale is going through," Nightwing said into his mic, hushed. "Moving in."
Before the trade off could happen, Nightwing slipped off the ledge of the roof quietly. He angled himself slightly, making sure that when he landed it was on the lean man's shoulders, sending him shooting down to the ground under the weight. The man under him grunted as he hit the ground, letting out a wheeze. He wasn't unconscious, but he made no move to get up. Probably due to the pain of being slammed into an alley's concrete floor from roughly 180 pounds from above.
"Gentlemen," he chirped in greeting, electrifying the ends of his escrima sticks before flipping of the man under him towards the other two. The men reached towards their waistbands, likely reaching for a gun, but it mattered little when the electricity pressed hard above their collarbones. They spasmed, muscles stiffening under the shock, before collapsing as he pulled back.
Scarecrow's men gasped, followed by shouts and the sounds of feet scuttling away. Nightwing grabbed the lean man's collar, tossing him towards the other two. He dropped a bead in between them that exploded, wrapping cord around their limbs and tying them together.
"I'll be back for you!~" he called in a sing song voice, spinning around to watch the henchmen loading into the van. He pulled one of his sticks up, letting the hidden grapple inside of it shoot into the side of the building. The van roared to life, and Nightwing used the momentum of his lines tension to propel forward, landing on the roof as the wheels screeched against the road.
"Sale went through, moving in," came Robin, and from the sounds of exertion coating his voice, he was a little late on that callout.
The van wiggled underneath Nightwing's grip, trying to shake him off. Nightwing acquiesced, his hands gripping the edge of the top as he forced his legs down and through the windows of the back doors.
Several more shouts filled the air, and Nightwing was quick to silence them. He was also careful to not shatter the fear toxin that had been dropped on the floor in the struggle. The passenger in the front whipped around, and Nightwing was distantly aware of the glint of metal pointing towards him, but he snapped the wrist pointing the gun at him before he even recognized it as a gun.
The henchmen yelped in pain, and then did it again when his head was slammed into the dashboard. Nightwing hopped over the seats, landing on top of the unconscious body, his feet resting in the lap of the driver. In his hands, a stick came to life with more electricity.
"You gonna pull over?" he asked, smile in his voice as he waved the shocked-up end at the other. The henchmen let out a small whimper, leaning away from the weapon. Nightwing almost felt bad for him as he screeched off to the side, obeying.
When all of the henchmen were tied up, and Nightwing had doubled back to make sure the almost-buyers hadn't managed to escape, he notified the police before sitting back on a roof, basking in his victory.
"All involved are apprehended and waiting for police custody, and the toxin has been secured," Nightwing said, stretching out from where he was sat. The men didn't put up much of a fight, but the few blows the did land would probably bruise in the morning. Probably. This was a surprisingly easy run. "Reports?"
"Scarecrow's men are being tied up now," Red Robin replied, his voice soft after the fight. "Toxin secured"
"All involved apprehended," came Batman, who hadn't given the status earlier, the asshole. "Toxin secured."
"You never notified us you were moving in," Nightwing said helpfully. Not that it mattered too much; he was Batman, he'd be fine. "I'll start moving into the last sale now. Send me the location, O." Then, after a beat, "Robin, status?"
There was a brief stutter of silence. Nightwing hardly noticed it as he crossed from building to building, careful not to break anything. Hardly.
"Robin?"
"All involved apprehended," came the shaky voice of Robin. Uh oh, not good. "Toxin secured, one... one vial broken."
Shit.
"Try staying calm, I'll head your way," Nightwing said, spinning on his heel to where Robin handled his sale in the Narrows. It was on the opposite side of Gotham, but he'd be damned if he didn't do anything to-
"Actually," cut in Oracle's voice, "You should get over to Diamond for that last sale. You're the closest, and if all other sales are finished by now, that one might be close to done, or already finished. Red's the closest to Robin, he can go."
Red gave an affirming hum into his mic. "On my way, hang tight Robin. ETA like... 12 minutes."
Robin didn't respond, which made Dick's heart stop, but he turned back to his original path. His family was reliable, and they'd be fine. Stopping this sale was important, and he wasn't even close enough to object.
"I'll go with Nightwing," Batman said, voice gruff and focused as usual. "If they're wrapping up, and he gets there too late, I can keep speed with the batmobile."
"Acknowledged," Nightwing acknowledged as he soared over the gaps between buildings. "ETA 5 minutes."
Those five minutes were rather silent, only filled with his heavy breathing and grunts and he hopped and rolled around and off the rooftops. The vials in the briefcase he had pressed against his ribs clanked together ominously, but there was not breaking glass yet. He hoped there wouldn't be.
This time, the place of sale was some old, rundown warehouse. Nightwing gently set down the briefcase on the roof, dropping through a shattered skylight and moving like a spider in the rafters. There was arguing below him, loud and... not quite angry. No, it was frustrated, and building up to anger.
"I'm just saying, that seems like a high price to pay for something we don't even know works." The accent suggested Blüdhaven. Good, these were his own criminals then. He could handle that just fine.
Nightwing slipped around the rafters a little more until he had a clear view of everyone. He took a quick headcount. Five of Scarecrow's men, and he thought he saw another van outside, so probably more in total. Seven men stood before them, and Nightwing thought he recognized them from a gang who caused a lot of problems for him. It was hard to tell in the dark. This warehouse was so run down that there wasn't even any lighting in here.
"Twelve counted inside, likely more spotted outside," he said into his mic, his voice kept low and even as the men continued to argue. "The outcome of this is probably gonna be a big fight, so have your rebreather on just in case."
Nightwing slipped his own rebreather over his mouth, fastening it tight behind his head.
"Understood. I'm pulling up now."
The arguing below softened, and Nightwing was struggling to hear what was being said again. He did notice the exchange of bags, though.
"Good, the sale just went through. You're just in time."
Once more, Nightwing dropped from the sky like a missile. This time, he focused on the henchmen, as the gang men had the fear toxin. He had to be careful to not break them open. Even if he had his rebreather on, fear toxin wasn't fun to deal with.
These henchmen put up a bit more of a fight. Not good enough, of course. The metal pipe to the back of his head was, though.
Four of the five of Scarecrow's men were down, and what knocked him off his feet was a metal pipe. Damn. He tucked and rolled with the blow, bouncing up on his hands and knocking the weapon away with a kick. He was back on his feet, escrima sticks in both hands and poised to fight when a shadow descended upon the others.
The fighting only increased with a new player in the ring, but it was easier this time. Batman wrestled the briefcase of vials out of the gang's hands, tossing it on the floor behind him and out of the crossfire. The final henchmen had been forgotten in favor of the others. By the time another four men were down, Nightwing had realized that it was a mistake.
A click of metal made Nightwing whip around, arms raised and ready to either take or deal some serious blows. What he saw, instead, was a grenade mid air, heading fast towards him. It bounced off the ground, nestling against the briefcases handle.
Nightwing's muscles tensed, crouching low and fast, the hold on his weapons loosening. He needed to grab the briefcase. If the toxin blew, everyone without a rebreather would be affected. Dealing with a large number of criminals was hard; dealing with a large number of criminals who were terrified out of their minds and fighting like caged animals was hell.
His eyes flicked over to the grenade, and he hesitated. That wasn't good. You never hesitated on the field like this. But he knew those grenades. Most had plenty of seconds of fuse in them, for optimal range. If a grenade blew up too quickly after it was thrown, you'd get caught in the crossfire. But these ones, the one that had been thrown his way and was nestled against too many vials of fear toxin, was very short fused. The best way to take out a bat was to surprise them. That was very hard to do.
Using a weapon with no guarantee of survivability for the user was a good way to do it.
Nightwing wouldn't have time to move, not anymore. Maybe if he'd jumped at first, he could've gotten far enough away. But he was crouched down low, leaning toward the thing rigged to explode in at most two seconds, one hand reaching forward. His mind processed, vaguely, that he should run. Maybe he could run still, maybe, but would his body catch up to his thought process? Probably not. It hadn't even registered he was in danger yet.
Shit. He was going to die, huh? Or at the very least get badly injured. He was going to maybe die because he was too slow to recognize danger and his body was even slower to respond to his mind's commands and-
"Robin!"
His body moved before his mind caught up this time. He didn't know why. He hadn't been Robin in, what, 8 years? 9? But he new that name. He new that tone. He'd heard them both countless times over the years. And when they were paired together like this, when his veins were full of adrenaline and his stomach felt like a pit of ice, it meant run.
So he did. His legs pushed up, and his hips turned so fast he might've gotten whiplash, and his arms reached out until they found something firm and dark and safe. There was the flutter of a cape, and then there were strong arms around him, grabbing so tightly that the skin and bone underneath them ached.
There was an explosion. He didn't feel it. He could hear the sound of it, the gunpowder igniting and swelling into a cloud of fire. He could hear shouts and shrieks around him, groans and yells and maybe something breaking. He could feel his side grinding against something he recognized as the floor, but it felt distant.
He could feel his face pressed into a chest, coated in a thick material that had repelled knives, bullets, and wandering hands and fingers that traced the bat design on it after he had saved someone that he would gag about later in the back of the batmobile because he was too small to ride shotgun.
The floor under him stopped moving, and the screams had cut off. He peaked an eye open, looking up at the roof of the warehouse. There was a face there, with a chiseled jaw and scars that were small enough they could only be seen up close. There was black material that only covered the top half of that face. Above them was a thick substance in the air. Fear toxin, he registered after a few moments.
Slowly, the two bodies pulled apart. A hand was under his arm, guiding him up to stand. A survey of the area showed no deaths. Everyone unprotected had at least been far enough to only have been blown back. No missing limbs, no cuts, no burns. Just a few bruises.
"Are you guys okay?" Oracle asked, a hint of panic in her voice. "Cameras showed a bright light go off inside, and your vitals are off."
"All good, Oracle," said Batman, still surveying the scene. "There was a little explosion. No one seems seriously injured. Everyone else is unconscious, though, and there's toxin in the air." He didn't mention calling for his Robin.
"Good news about that!" Red Robin chimed. "It's not a new strain, which means we have antidotes on standby. Also, Robin's doing alright."
"Hn, good. We'll tie up loose ends here and head out. See you at the cave."
There was a round of sign-offs, and the two in the warehouse began rounding up the unconscious thugs. Toxin seeped out of the skylight above. The henchman that threw the grenade was nowhere to be seen, likely having fled during the chaos.
"I left my case of toxin up on the roof," Nightwing said when everyone had been restrained. He didn't mention the name either.
Batman let out a hum of acknowledgment. "I'll be waiting for you in the batmobile to head back to the cave." The flutter of a cape - one that had protected him - let him know that his dad was gone.
Nightwing climbed his way up to the roof once more, slow and deliberate. His body ached a bit more, now that he'd taken more hits and had been thrown across the floor. Being thrown by an explosion wasn't fun, 0/10, would not do it again.
Despite that, there was a smile plastered on his face.
Dick kinda liked being Robin again.
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nomsfaultau · 4 months ago
Text
Another round of Palestinian gofundmes, I am not fully through my inbox so if you sent an ask and are not on this list/haven't received a donation yet I am still investigating. To my followers, every little bit adds up, so if you are able please help. Again, if you send an ask with proof of donations I will give you an sbi/dsmp/mcyt/any fandom doodle or drabble!
Ayaa has a family of 8 including elderly parents and an orphaned niece, and is vetted through association. https://www.gofundme.com/f/kr85g-safe-my-family?lang=en_US
Youssef, who is 18 and trying to support his family and needs medicine. Half way to his goal of 15k. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-youssef-provide-medicine-and-shelter
Safaa is a lawyer and has a newborn and husband, and is verified https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-safaas-quest-to-get-her-family-to-safety?lang=en_US
Wafa and their family has been displaced 10 times, and needs medication for their chronically ill mother. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-wafas-fight-for-safety-and-health
Eslam is a teacher with a family of four, verified by bees and watermelons, 90 ghost, and el shab hussein. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-eslam-save-her-family?member=35853319&sharetype=teams
Hanaa Jad Al-Haq and her family of three, has been displaced 3 times in one month. About a 3rd of the way to her goal, and verified by el shab hussein and nabulsi. https://www.gofundme.com/f/evacuate-yousef-and-his-family-from-gaza
Doaa and her autistic son Omar. They have evacuated to Egypt and need support. The conversion rate is favorable if in US dollars. Verified by 90 ghost. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-son-to-live-a-normal-live?lang=en_US
Tahseen has a family of 4, and the eldest son has Celiac’s disease. https://www.gofundme.com/f/tahseen-family-from-gaza-not-to-feel-hungry?attribution_id=sl:cc688d87-263f-43ba-80ad-fbedd7c95be9&lang=en_US
Unverified—Appear legitament as reverse search is clear and they are donation protected. This is what I could glean from the tags, I might have missed something and am not an arbiter on who needs help.
Mohammed Al-Shawish has a family of 8, soon to be nine as his wife Tohfa is pregnant. Only have 76€. https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-mohammed-his-wife-and-children-from-the-war?lang=en_US&attribution_id=sl%3A3dd9f1c9-c672-428f-b1b2-9bf90cfd6eee
Najah Al-Haila has a large family she is trying to get out. https://www.gofundme.com/f/jtrbdq-help-us-to-survive?attribution_id=sl:5ceac81f-397e-4a1b-92bf-fe3507a3e5c8&lang=de_DE
Asala Almashni is a widow with her toddler Alia. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-to-protect-my-only-daughters-childhood?lang=en_US
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xf-cases-solved · 5 months ago
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S1E13: Beyond the Sea
Case: A young couple is kidnapped in North Carolina, and the authorities have five days to find them before they're murdered. Unfortunately, they have no leads, except for the testimony of Luther Lee Boggs—a serial killer Mulder put behind bars years ago—who is claiming to have psychic knowledge that will lead them to the missing children. In some serious turning of the tables, Mulder is skeptical of Boggs' claims, whereas Scully—whose father just died, and who is desperate for just one more message from him to know that they didn't part on bad terms—finds herself believing Boggs, much to her chagrin. After Mulder is shot, Scully is on her own to work with Boggs, leading to some sexy fucking "Silence of the Lambs" -esque scenes that make this episode not just a top tier s1 episode, but a top tier episode of all time. Mulder tears up his New York Knicks shirt (he probably has like seventeen tho, so it's okay), Scully is scared to believe, and Brad Dourif puts his entire goddamn pussy into playing Luther Boggs. A+++, fam.
Does someone die in the cold open: Yes! But it wasn't a crime. Scully gets the dreaded "middle of the night phone call" and learns that her father just died. (Even tho she just saw him sitting in her armchair across the room. Say what???) 
Does Mulder present a slideshow: No. 
Does the evidence survive the investigation: This is another where it depends on what you mean by evidence. Evidence of the actual, literal crime? Yes, that actually worked out like how normal police work is meant to go if you're good at your job. Evidence of Boggs' psychic abilities, however? Unfortunately, proof of those went with him to the gas chamber. 
Whodunit: Lucas Henry, who is either Boggs' accomplice, or somebody Boggs keeps having psychic visions of. It's up to you to decide.
Convictions: Lucas Henry would have been convicted if he hadn't crashed through several floors and fell on his face directly onto some concrete, so we'll give it to 'em.
Did they solve it: While the supernatural element remains a mystery, the crime itself is solved. This one is a resounding yes!
[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]
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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Confusing and upsetting your loved ones by appearing to them after your death. Look, we all die—it's a fact of life!—but just because you're dead doesn't mean you have to be dull. When accidents strike, illnesses rage, or the clock has simply run out, keep the fun going by confusing and upsetting your loved ones by appearing to them after your death. By keeping the excitement of living alive by causing trauma to those closest to you as they mourn your loss, you're guaranteeing your time in the afterlife is off to a great start!
*Confusing and upsetting your loved ones by appearing to them after your death is especially recommended for those with loved ones who are particularly skeptical, or who are looking for answers to ambiguities left behind after your departure.
Try it today! Or, well, when you die, we mean. Which might be today!
***
General Total Stats:
(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)
Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 6 (holy shit, three in a row?? unprecedented!)
Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, it's me" phone calls: 1
Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 4 (Mulder was actually the one who was out of the room whenever Boggs said something that resonated with Scully)
Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 5 (pew pew) 
Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 3 ½ (half point bc she should have died, but she had that warning from Boggs, so it was kind of a toss up) 
Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 8 (i changed the stat to add in "uncomfortably intimate" bc especially in these first few seasons, a lot of the MSR moments are more like... buddy, i get that you're going through it, but that is your coworker, why are you holding them so gently with so much love in your eyes? anyway, Mulder cupping her face in the beginning, and Mulder putting his hand on her gigantic 90s pant suit shoulder pad at the end are the ones i'm counting)
Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 1
Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 1
Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 5 
Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car are Hurt or Killed: 1 (new stat!)
Total Number of Nosebleeds: 4
Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 1 
Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 2 (new stat! first one was actually in that snore fest "Conduit," but i didn't want to go back and add it since i just considered making it a stat now)
Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 2
Total Number of Maggie Scully sightings: 1 (new stat!)
Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 0 :(
Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 3 ½
Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 2 (we stan Beyond the mother fucking Sea)
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lonestarflight · 1 year ago
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The complete Shuttle Fleet AU
This is just my thoughts about how things might align for Enterprise to be refitted into an operational shuttle. This comes after reading a lot of the behind the scenes decisions and abandoned plans NASA had over the last 40 years. I only listed major events.
It wasn't meant to be this long but I hyperfocused too much on it one morning. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.
• 1972: NASA started the Space Shuttle Program.
• OV-101 Enterprise: same rollout and testing as our timeline in 1976-77
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•STA-099: delivered to Lockheed for structural load tests to simulate the launch and re-entry of an operational orbiter in February 1978.
• Point of divergent: The decision to use STA-099 instead of OV-101 as the second operational orbiter came too late as the frame was already tested to 90% stress load. At this point, it would be too costly to repair and bring it back inline. It was decided to continue testing to destruction (as was originally planned in our timeline), although some parts are removed to be refurbished for OV-103.
• OV-102 Columbia completed and rolled out in March 1980. (NASA doesn't relocate Columbia to KSC in March 1979 in an attempt to speed up her tile installation, which only delayed her completion).
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•STS-1 is launched in December 1980 (instead of April 1981)
• NASA gives the go ahead to add Enterprise to the fleet and have her rebuilt after Congress increases their budget, but the work would start once OV-104 is completed.
• 1981: long led items for Enterprise's rebuild are started. This includes a new crew pressure vessel and a new aft-fuselage.
• OV-103, starts earlier and it's production is accelerated with parts salvaged from STA-099 (such as the forward fuselage upper section, elevons and vertical stabilizer). Construction completed in 1982 and christened Challenger.
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• 1983: STS-7 is Challenger's maiden mission. Onboard is Sally Ride.
• 1983: OV-104 is competed and christened Discovery.
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• STS-12 is Discovery's first mission.
Note: NASA never uses the STS-41-D format. Where the first digit indicating the federal fiscal year, second digit indicating the launch site (1 was Kennedy Space Center and 2 was Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base), and the letter indicating scheduling sequence. This was due NASA Administrator James M. Beggs's triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13). In this timeline, the assistant admins were able to talk him out of it and simply skip STS-13.
• 1983: Enterprise is returned to Palmdale for her disassembled and rebuild. As a weight saving measure her mid-fuselage is returned to Convair for a complete rebuild to bring it inline with OV-103 and OV-104.
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• 1985: at long last, Enterprise is rolled out and joins the fleet. She weighs about the same as Columbia despite weight saving implemented during her rebuild.
• 1985: Columbia is returned to Palmdale for refurbishment and to remove testing equipment (most notable is the ejection seats). This sees her thermal protection system revised and her 32,000 tiles reduced to 24,300. Most are replaced by Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation blankets which was used on the other three orbiters.
• September 1985: STS-21 is Enterprise's first mission
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• STS-25 (STS-51-L in our timeline) launches at a later date due to NASA management listening to the Engineers about icy conditions on January 26, 1986. NASA quietly orders the complete redesign of the Solid Rocket Boosters.
• May 1986: tragedy strikes OV-103 Challenger during STS-27, when the attempted launch of the Centaur carrying the Ulysses probe explodes killing all those onboard. (A real fear in our timeline.)
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• The Shuttle fleet is grounded for a year, during the investigation. Ultimately the Investigation board concluds NASA was trying to do too much with too limited a system/funding and is used by the administration to demand a bigger budget. (It has less of an impact on the American psyche since it wasn't televised).
• The USAF cancels all Shuttle missions from Vandeberg Air Force Base. (Same as our timeline)
• With an increased budget, NASA agrees to Rockwell's offer to build two new orbiters for the price of one offer.
• 1986: Columbia is returned to NASA after her refurbishment. However, he is placed into storage with the rest of the fleet.
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• 1987: return to flight with STS-28 with Discovery. Also first launch with the redesigned SRBs.
• 1988: NASA launches the Shuttle-C program (or Cargo Transportation System), an expendable unmanned cargo pod, using the existing shuttle hardware. The goal is to increase the number of launches by augmenting the Orbiters and reduce the risks to human lives.
•1988: STS-29 Atlantis suffers a foam strike during launch. Post flight analysis determines the foam came from the bipod connected the ET near the top to the front underside of the orbiter. The orbiter was nearly lost during re-entry if it weren't for the fact the strike happened to a tile that was over less critical areas and the missing tile was over a steel patch for an antenna, which gave extra protection to the spacecraft structure. NASA removes the foam from the bipod connection on all missions going forward.
• OV-105 is built from spares from Challenger and Discovery. Completed in 1990 and christened Atlantis. Her design is the first to include a glass cockpit and other improvements.
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• 1991: STS-45 is Atlantis's first mission
• OV-106 is a complete to an slightly improved design, making her lighter and stronger than her sisters. Externally she looks the same. Completed in 1992 and is christened Endeavour.
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- Structural spares are built to replace the ones used in Atlantis's construction and are designated OV-107.
• 1992: first launch of the Shuttle-C (CTS-1). Mission was a success, carrying a DoD payload.
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Shuttle-C render by Nathan Koga for Space Flight Insider: link, link
• CTS-3: launches the Ulysses II probe
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NASA image: link
• 1993: STS-59 is Endeavour's first mission
• Rockwell International merges with Lockheed to become Lockheed-Rockwell.
• December 1993: OV-101 Enterprise is retired due to being the oldest in the fleet. Endeavour takes her place in the fleet. Enterprise is given to the Smithsonian with the option of being recalled by NASA if needed.
• 1994: NASA launches the X-33 program to compliment the shuttle as an unmanned reusable launch vehicle (RLV) and replace the Shuttle-C.
• 1996: CTS-5 carries the first component of the International Space Station.
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Artwork by okan170: link
•1996: the Shuttle-C program is cancelled to divert funds to the X-33 program.
• 1998: Lockheed-Rockwell design is selected over proposals from McDonnell-Douglas and Northrop-Grumman/Boeing
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SDASM Archives: 08_00991
• 1998: NASA begins the X-38 CRV (Crew Return Vehicle) program. The CRV is designed to be a lifeboat for the ISS.
• 2001: X-33 RLV program is shelved due to technical challenges and budget cuts.
• 2003: STS-118, Columbia conducts her first (and only) mission to the International Space Station. While docked, it was discovered an ice strike damaged her reinforced carbon–carbon leading wing edge panel. The crew stays in the ISS a week while waiting for rescue from STS-119 Atlantis. NASA jerry-riggs an autopilot system to have Columbia re-enter the atmosphere unmanned after her leading edge was temporarily repaired. It was expected for her to burn up in the atmosphere and what remained to land in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. However, against all odds Columbia survives and lands at Edwards Air Force Base. Although her port land gear collapsed during breaking after tough down and caused additional damage to the batter shuttle.
• The crew of STS-118 ride back on STS-119 Atlantis and land in Kennedy Space Center.
• Unfortunately, the damage to Columbia is too extensive and she is retired. She is placed in storage at Palmdale, California.
• In the wake, NASA begins Project Constellation, with the goal being to complete the original space transportation system (STS) mission. Which was a reusable system to carry astronauts to the moon and beyond. NASA and the US calls on the international community to fund and build the components.
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NASA ID: MSFC-70-PD-4085 B
• The ET is modified with a half shell to remove the risks of form/ice strikes and the Shuttle TPS is upgraded with the materials from the shelved X-33 program.
• OV-101 Enterprise is recalled by NASA to be the prototype of an unmanned shuttle and is given a thorough rebuild with newer and lighter wings and other components but entirely unmanned. Some joking refer to her as Enterprise-A, as a reference to Star Trek.
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• NASA funds Lockheed-Rockwell to build OV-107, another uncrewed version, to augment Enterprise.
• The ISS construction continues but becomes a research/launching platform for missions to the moon and ultimately beyond
• 2004: the X-38 is launched on a liftover Shuttle-C, modified for lifting body, to the ISS (CTS-10).
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Artwork by SpacePozzolo: link
• 2005: return to flight with STS-121 Discovery.
• 2008: first flight of Enterprise-A (CTS-11).
• 2008: the ISS is completed
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Artwork by NanoRacks: link
• 2009: OV-107 construction is completed and christened Constitution. Her first flight happens later that year (CTS-16).
• 2009: NASA announces the rocket that will carry the components of the Constellation programs beyond Earth orbit will be called the SLS (Space Launch System). Boeing was selected to build the core stage. The SLS will used SSME at the end of their life's and newly constructed expendable versions. A third launch, pad 39C, will be constructed for the SLS.
• 2009: Lunar Transfer Vehicle (LTV, later renamed Orion) is used to transfer crews from LEO to Lunar orbit. Two components make up the vehicle. The crew section is to be built by NASA/CSA and the fuel/propulsion section built by the ESA. The SLS will be used to launch the fuel/propulsion section of the LTV.
- OV-101 and OV-107 are used to launch the crew section of the LTV. Which will rendezvous with the ISS.
- SLS Block II, an upgraded version, is use to launch the Gateway components. Gateway components will be built in the ESA and Japan.
- A Lunar space station, Gateway, launched and constructed in lunar orbit for Orion to rendezvous and house the Altair lunar lander. Three Orions are kept in orbit, one at each station in case of an emergency and a third in use.
• The first is find locations with abundant raw materials for fuel the future moonbase.
• 2010: NASA announces the X-50 SSTO Program and the Commercial Crew Program, with the goal of replacing the Shuttle (including the Enterprise and Constitution). The X-50 is the successor to the X-33.
• 2012: Lockheed-Rockwell is selected to build the X-50
• 2014: SpaceX Dragon and Sierra Space Dreamchaser are selected as part of the Commercial Crew Program.
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• 2017: OV-104, OV-105 & OV-106 are retired when th Dreamchaser and SpaceX Dragon are brought online. List of each shuttle's last mission:
- STS-203 Discovery
- STS-204 Endeavour
- STS-205 Atlantis
• 2018: the maiden flight (CTS-70) of the X-50 Starlight (OV-201 Constellation)
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• 2019: OV-101 is retired for the final time when the X-50 Starlight shuttles are brought online. OV-107 is kept in standby but eventually is turned over to a museum. List of their missions:
- CTS-74 Enterprise
- CTS-75 Constitution
• NASA has three operational Starlights. Spares are construction, OV-204.
-OV-201 Constellation
-OV-202 Columbia II
-OV-203 Adventure
• 2019: the first launch of the SLS was a success
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Artwork by okan170: link
• 2020: the Space Shuttles are displayed in the following cities:
- OV-101 Enterprise: Space Center Houston
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- OV-102 Columbia: California Science Center in Los Angeles, California (volunteers at Lockheed-Rockwell repair her enough to be put on display)
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- OV-104 Discovery: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Smithsonian, in Washington DC
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- OV-105 Atlantis: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
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- OV-106 Endeavour: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, New York
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- OV-107 Constitution: National Museum of the US Air Force in Riverside, Ohio
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• 2022: the first Orion (LTV-101: Pathfinder) is launched into orbital aboard SLS-2. It conducts tests over several orbits and docks with the ISS.
• 2023: OV-202 Columbia II launches and fuels up the Pathfinder. Four crewmen board the spacecraft and depart from the moon...
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Artwork by Seth Pritchard: link
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undertheknightwing · 7 days ago
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✏️ new year, new wip game 🖋️
the rules: list all your wips (or as many as you feel comfortable sharing), and open your ask box for people to inquire! share the ideas you had, any for it, a snip if you're feeling generous! whatever makes your lil heart happy.
Tagged by: the lovely @not-so-mundane-after-all my bestie in Rot 🖤💙
I don't have many actual wips. A lot of my ideas are just that, ideas. I'll add my favorite ideas since they're more likely to be written.
First, the actual wips:
1. Escapism - Wow! Surprise to no one! It's all I've been writing for three years! The fic was born because I wanted to give Jon and Gar some spotlight and develop their characters because their respective shows sure didn’t. It was supposed to be more like a sit-com with each chapter being a different but somewhat connected story, but it quickly got out of hand and now it's a 100,000+ word beast with a storyline it follows. More angst/hurt + comfort than anything else and A LOT of character development/exploration.
25 chapters out of 30 done. Last chapter I posted was "The Monster Hunter", now I'm onto the next: "The Monster".
2. please don't take my sunshine away - a more angsty version of Jon's "death" scene from s4 cause I knew it'd need to be slowed down so it could have more emotion. My first and only fic I'll write in Jordan's pov.
3. name in progress - i can’t say too much cause it's Mundi's christmas gift.. season 4 au mostly focused on her favorite bluebirds with some Codycore sprinkled in. I'm hoping I can post it today or early tomorrow.
4. "come with me (I want to show you something more)" - the most self indulgent fic ever. Jon running away from home after the events of season 2 finds himself in Titans season 1 where he runs into Gar in the woods and Gar takes him back to Doom Manor. In a nutshell, it's if Gar met Jon instead of Rachel in s1 ep4.
I also want to use this to explore Gar's character since season 1 (while the better season) still lacked in letting him be a character with depth and feelings.
Now onto the ideas:
1. they don't know you've haunted me, so stunningly - Gar's ex-friend: the rich and famous starboy Jonathan El, who betrayed his trust years ago, shows up on his doorstep. He's soaked from the pouring rain with these sad, pleading eyes, and he asks Gar for help cause he has no one else. Of course, right when Gar is starting to feel better and move on, he shows up and now feelings are about to become messier than before, but deep down Gar still cares and lets him into his house. This one decision causes a ripple effect and Rachel might not forgive Gar this time.
this is gonna take some explaining, months ago I read @not-so-mundane-after-all and @wonderbatwayne 's masterpiece of a fic Wicked Game and saying I got brainrot would be an understatement. The universe was so interesting and full of potential, it's such an unique au with so much love put into it, I fell in love. Long story short, Mundi and I got to chatting cause I wouldn't shut up about an au where I could give Gar a story, and that simple au ended up being an entire idea we planned together to be set in the universe itself; not an au.
This fic would take place many years after the original fic though. And the Jon in this fic is our own Jon made for the Wicked Game universe specifically, but Jon-El and s&l's version of the Bizarro World was an inspiration since they fit Wicked Game's theme extremely well.
2. A Superman and Lois/Titans crossover - a mixture of s1 Titans and post s1-pre s2 s&l. Needing help in his mission to keep Rachel safe from the people hunting her, Dick takes the group to Smallville to meet up with his old friend Clark Kent, who might be only person who can keep both kids safe while he and Kory leave to investigate further and gain more information to stop the end of the world, Lois comes along cause she thinks Dick could use a professional's help.
The kids are supposed to stay at the Kent farm but Gar leaves to wander around town and ends up meeting the boys who are at football practice (and by practice I mean Jon is sitting on the bench cause the coach hates him and Jordan, who's not a player anymore, is keeping him company).
3. Some s&l episode rewrites but in my power swap au aka an au where Jon gets powers first and how differently the show would have went if that was the case.
4. Something that involves Jon-El since I don't think I've ever written a fic about him... which is surprising since he's a part of my brainrot trio. I'm thinking of fic where Jon-El's second chance is having to live with the Kents since they're the only people Sam trusts to keep him in-check.
Tagging: @atsushigrayson and anyone else who wants to 💚
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druidx · 3 months ago
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Her Countenance was Light - Chapter 36
CW: None AO3 ; Chapters: 01. 10. 20. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. Tag list (ask for +/-): @aquadestinyswriting, @hannah-heartstrings, @jacqueswriteblrlibrary, @babyblueetbaemonster @mr-orion
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Soon enough, they arrive at the correct room and Elo walks in to find Cobbleskater still frantically trying to sort piles of papers. "Did you leave the window open?" she asks. "Did the wind mess everything up?" Cobbleskater startles, looking up with clear embarrassment. As well he might, Elo thinks, because he's usually just so neat and organised and this… "Were there monkeys?" she says – because this is about as far from tidy and organised as the Earth is to Pluto. "Ah, Lieutenant," Cobbleskater clears his throat. "No, there were no monkeys, as such. I… allowed Ms Green to assist me. She and I have, ah, different working styles." He swallows, looking at her with the face of a child who has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar, pages clutched in both hands. Elo takes a breath. "That's fine. We'll get everything organised, and then you can let me know what you need help with." Cobbleskater nods gratefully. "Right, since you two have got this handled, I'm gonna go help Monday with that shakedown," Farren says and beats a hasty retreat. "Well, I never," Cobbleskater huffs. Elo lets out a bark of laughter and reaches for the first stack of papers.
As they set about sorting the pages, Cobbleskater explains, "We started by using the copy machine to blow up the pages of her journals, then noted which book and page number they were from. We then began to review each page and add the Roman characters under each sigil. Only, somewhere along the way, all the pages got a little… higgledy-piggledy. It's much harder to translate when the context gets lost." He sighs and runs a hand through caramel-blond hair. "With the addition that this is not a cypher, as I expected, and there is no clear marker to show when one word ends, there are some pages I'm not convinced are correct." Elo frowns, searching her memories. "No… I suppose it's not. I think, perhaps, we conjured a whole other language." She stares down at the pages in her hands, an itch forming in the back of her mind. She shakes it away – they have more pressing issues. "Why don't I review what you've already got, while you finish sorting the pages?" Cobbleskater nods and hands her a stack of pages. "We think that the vic separated her journals into three sets – one is a personal diary, the second contains notes on her exposé, and the third… Well, we're not exactly sure, but we surmise it's the rough draft of the report she was compiling. These are the start of the exposé notes."
Elo settles back, reading through the pages and taking note of where Cobbleskater or Candy have marked in red pen a translation they're unsure of, and correcting where necessary. As she reads, Elo finds the flowing language returns – like a skill gone rusty, but never quite forgotten – and as she moves onto new pages, abandons translating piecemeal in favour of writing out a summary which is pinned to the respective page. At the top of each page is a date, stretching back a fair few months. Evie's investigation stemmed, it seems, from a trip to an art gallery, where a piece of fine art was up for sale, described as an original by one of the old masters. And certainly, it looked the part but there was something off about the piece. In between attending bake sales and knitting circles for her fluff column, she delved deeper into the mystery – quizzing the gallery curator, searching for the piece's provenance and, once it had been purchased, badgering the new owner to have the paints analysed at a reputable lab. As she dug further, Evie discovered that not only was the painting a fake, but the gallery was now offering for sale another painting by a different old master, just as plausible as the last. After a fruitless hunt for the suspected ring which was creating these forgeries, and nearly giving up to go to the police with what she had, Evie was approached by someone with a tipoff. There's no physical description or explanation of who this person is, only being identified as 'Deciduous'.
Intrigued, Elo searches Evie's personal diary for a corresponding dated entry. She's further astounded when it begins, 'What I record here, no one will ever believe. I hardly believe it myself, but I would swear under oath this is the truth…'. The entry goes on to describe a creature resembling an Eshen who speaks in the tongue of their school days – something that Evie believed she and Elo had created for themselves. The creature reveals to Evie that alongside the fraudulent paintings, someone in high office is smuggling something dangerous into the city. What and who, the creature doesn't know, but gives Evie a tool – the artefact, Elo realises – which will reveal the truth of who, at least. Unlike Elo – who came to live in Toreguard after the unrest caused by Greydown had been quelled – Evie lived through it and lost her mother as their family fled. The fear Evie felt at the Eshen's statement is palpable through her writing, but Elo can read between the lines; were it a normal person conveying the information, Evie would have gone immediately to someone in authority she could trust – her father, perhaps. Maybe Elo herself. But Evie didn't think she would be believed, so she kept it to herself, continuing to investigate with this new tool. Elo sits back, a hollow sensation growing in her chest. If only Evelyn had reached out… "Ma'am? Lieutenant?" Elo blinks. Cobbleskater is looking at her with a worried frown. "Is everything alright, ma'am?" Elo finds herself faced with the same conundrum as Evie. "I. Um. I reached a part where Ev– Our victim was approached by someone who seems to have been a whistleblower. This feels like the part in the story where things take a turn for the worse." Elo sighs. "I could have helped her. If she'd reached out, she might still be alive." Cobbleskater gives her a sympathetic smile. Elo runs a hand over her face. "My apologies. I shouldn't let my personal feelings cloud my perceptions of events." "It's perfectly understandable, ma'am. Maybe we should call it a day here, and you can return home and get some much needed rest." "Thank you for your concern, but I'm alright to continue a little longer." Cobbleskater nods and returns to where he's collating her summaries of the pages back into one pile for ease of reading. Elo turns back to reading the diary – but finds her pen hovering above the paper. Both her police training and sense of honour say that, by all rights, she should faithfully record exactly what Evie has set down. But there is the nagging feeling that doing so would cause her friend to be branded insane, and Elo cannot abide that thought. Rather than make the difficult choice, Elo reads onwards, learning that Evie spent some time hanging around City Hall, peering through the hole at the center of the artefact to find one of the hundred or so councillors who would match the profile of one who might be putting the city in silent danger. Elo frowns, wondering how that works. In her experience, it isn't possible to read from appearance alone who the bad guys are, and nowhere has Evie recorded what she's expected to find. There is a list of all the current councillors; around half have a cross next to their name. "Hey, LT?" Elo jumps as Monday knocks on the door. "Pryderi!" Cobbleskater grins. "Are you here to help?" "'Fraid not, buddy," Mondays says, not sounding at all sorry. "I'm here for our Lieutenant. LT, your–" he clears his throat in a manner that suggests he can't decide if he should be angry or amused "–man from City Hall has arrived." "Right. Yes. Thank you, Monday." Elo stands. "We'll pick this up tomorrow, Cobbleskater." "I can continue from where you've left off–" "I'd rather you collate a timeline of our vic's movements. I'd like you and Breakwood to go back over her steps and see if you can find this informant." Cobbleskater's head twitches in confusion, but he arrests the motion. "Of course, Lieutenant."
Elo and Monday start the walk back to the bullpen in silence filled with the sense of Monday trying to figure out how to word whatever he wants to say. "You have an interesting talent for understatement," he says eventually. Elo flashes a grin. "I seem to recall that 'interesting' was why you moved over to our side of the bullpen in the first place." Monday laughs. "True that." They walk a bit further before he says, "So how's it coming? The translations I mean. You find out anything about the little doohickey the vic had?" "Not much. It was a gift from a whistleblower, but there's no indication yet why it was given." "Hm, that's disappointing. But I'm sure you'll figure it out."
As they approach the bullpen, Elo wonders exactly how badly she's set the cat among the pigeons. "He's waiting in the break room with a coffee and pastry, just as requested," Monday says. "Thank you. If you need me, I'll be at City Hall for the next few hours," Elo says and peels off, heading to where Strucker waits.
She can't quite put her finger on it, but the bullpen feels more industrious as she walks between neatened desks, bereft of dirty crockery and reports waiting to be filed. Rather than the boisterous comments she's used to, the air is filled with hushed voices and busy clacking of typewriters. Elo can't help but huff a little laugh at her colleagues' reactions to having their Commander-in-Chief present, even though as she enters the break room she finds anything but a vision of the gruff General, barking orders. Instead, Stucker is sprawled on the sofa, reading a newspaper with one hand and the other clasping a polystyrene cup of coffee, seemingly oblivious to the effect he's having on the officers outside. With his silvering hair, neat cropped salt-and-pepper beard, and a touch of comfort around his middle, he looks more like a father waiting to give his vagrant daughter a ride someplace. The pastry flakes dusting his casual dun-green suit isn't helping the picture. The only signs of his status as Commander-in-Chief are the insignia on his epaulettes and the strips of colour on his breast that Elo has never quite figured out the significance of. A second low huff of laughter leaves her at the sight of such domesticity, but Elo gathers herself enough to knock on the door. "Hey. Sorry if I kept you waiting long. My team–" Elo thinks she will never get used to saying that. "My team had some updates about the case. We're doing well translating the cypher in E– the victim's notebooks and we've got a bead on the owner of the barge. Things are looking positive." When Strucker looks up, it's with a strange expression for a moment. Then he gives a sharp nod, chugs his coffee with the practice of a man who doesn't know when his next will come, and pockets the half-eaten pastry. "Good to hear. Shall we go?" he asks, gesturing to the door.
–––
Then they are in the car, on the way to City Hall. "So what did you learn from Evie's notes?" Stucker asks. Elo bites her lip, glancing out at the passing shop fronts and then to Stucker. "There was a whistleblower. We haven't finished translating… the victim's notes, but it would be a good bet that this is the person who gave her the tip-off about the barge. Sadly, there's no good description of this person, only a moniker. I've got the boys looking over… the victim's movements. Hopefully, they can find where this informant might have come from." Strucker glances at her, that same strange expression. His voice is quiet, tone accusatory. "She has a name." So that is what that face was for, Elo thinks and takes a deep breath. Equality quietly, Elo says, "Forgive me; but she doesn't. Not yet." She keeps her eyes on the road in front of them, on the traffic of her city, surging like blood in veins. "I can't name her until I've served her with the justice she deserves." Strucker grunts – he doesn't understand. So Elo explains: "It's something my partner taught me early on, to help stay focused and professional while on a case. The dead that come over my desk are all victims of the worst transgression man can take against man. The terms 'corpse' or 'cadaver' are too dehumanising. But using their name can swamp you with emotion, leaving you unable to give them the justice they deserve. So instead, you call them 'victim' to remind yourself of your duty. Only once their justice has been served, in whatever way you can manage, can you return their name. Only once they're at peace, can you think of them once again as a person and mourn as appropriate. To do so before the case is solved may mean not solving it at all, and that cannot be abided." Strucker remains silent, the air in the car tense. When Elo risks a glance towards him, she can see a battle being fought there. She thinks he understands now – might be relating it to his own experiences of loss in combat. But this is his little girl they're talking about. It must hurt him so much to hear how she must be dehumanised, all so her killer can be found. "I'm sorry," Elo says; but only gets a grunt in reply.
Air from traffic in the opposite lane buffets the car like a heartbeat as they sit in their separate bubbles of thoughts. It is only as they cross the bridge to the city center that Strucker speaks. "I do understand," he says. "Of course I do. I know that one must remove one's heart from the equation when one's comrades fall. I know how one must push emotion to the side if one would keep moving forward. But knowing and understanding does not mean I have to like it. I dislike it in myself, I dislike watching it in you, and I dislike that it's against my baby girl." "I'm sorry," she offers again. With a sigh and words laced with a pain that's terrible for Elo to hear, Stucker says, "It's your job."
–––
The tension has eased by the time they pull into Stucker's reserved parking space. Next to his, sits Clayrmantle's Racing Green E-Type Jag. Beyond that is a sight that makes Elo's blood run cold – a dark blue Lincoln Continental with tinted windows. As they get out, Elo swallows away any waver her voice might make before she asks, "Who's Continental is that?" Strucker looks over. "Ah, that's Brauma's. I'm surprised the old boy got it back from the mechanic so fast. He made it sound like it had been totalled." He closes the driver's side door as Elo grips the car roof, breathing hard. "Say what you like about the man," Strucker continues, oblivious, "he has good taste in motor vehicles."
As they walk into the Hall, Elo's head is spinning with the implications of the Exchequer having run her off the road. Stucker, still oblivious, launches into a potted history of the Lincoln division of the Ford Motor Company, the statistics and capabilities of the '64 Continental Saloon, and comparisons to both the year models on either side of it and contemporaries from other companies. By the time they reach the Council floor, Stucker's rhetoric has brought back her equilibrium, and despite wanting to find the nearest phone, she must focus on the task at hand – unruffling feathers. With Strucker's introductions, Elo spends the next hour or so glad-handing various fence-sitting councillors. She gushes about her time in Fangthane, exclaiming her fascination with Icelandic culture and the beauty of their lands. She enthuses about King Storri's honour and nobility, declaring what good company he's been these past few days. Finally, Elo exhorts them not to listen to the naysayers who wouldn't know a good thing if it bit them in the ass, repeating that this alliance brought prosperity before – and it would do again if allowed to be ratified. Elo is deep in discussion with the Councilor for Herberg's Fork, talking through her concerns about increased postal pressures, when Strucker clears his throat. "I'm terribly sorry, Councilor Cordova, but Lady Elowyn and I are late for another meeting." "Oh goodness," Cordova says, as Stucker helps Elo up. "My apologies for having kept you." Elo smiles – though from a glance at the clock, they're half an hour late for Strucker's meeting with the rest of the Triumvirate and King Storri. "It's no problem," she says. "I'll be sure to pass your concerns on to the negotiating team. But please, do think about what I've said, and vote 'aye' when the resolution is tabled." "Of course, your Ladyship. And thank you for taking the time." "My pleasure." The two women shake, and Stucker shepherds her towards the Magister's office.
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jennaflare · 3 months ago
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Nextfest Game Demos You Should Try
I've been playing a ton of demos during nextfest (going until 10/21 if you want to try any of these yourself!) and figured I'd spread the good word about some games worth checking out. Naturally, all these demos are free. I trawled mostly through the "story-driven" section, but there's a range of genres I tried. If you like games like Disco Elysium, Pentiment, In Stars and Time, or Night in the Woods, we might have similar taste! (Here's a longer list of games I've enjoyed)
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
The sequel to the fantastic sci-fi RPG Citizen Sleeper (which if you haven't played it yet, what are you doing! go! play it!). This game is a Discolike that has its own identity and mechanics. Big emphasis on space capitalism and how awful it is. This one introduces an actual crew to the familiar gameplay of the previous game, which I'm very excited about. I love the idea of actually having my own ship + people aboard it who are a continuous presence in my game. Check! It! Out!
The Rise of the Golden Idol
An extremely good puzzle game where you collect clues and fill in the blanks (literally). I still haven't played the first one (only played the demo for that too) but man! The game mechanics are fun and I love the art soo much. I love solving puzzles and I love how these are decently challenging without feeling like I'm beating my head against a wall.
The Scarlet Deer Inn
An adventure game inspired by Slavic folklore where you play as a mother and innkeeper. All the characters are embroidered!! It's so cool!!! Visually, it evokes Ghibli and Pentiment. The story quickly took a dark turn in the demo, and I am extremely intrigued to see where this project goes. Highly highly recommend checking this one out.
Keep Driving
A lowkey management RPG with great pixel graphics and fun music. You're a young person on a road trip, so you need to maintain your car, work odd jobs to buy gas, and most importantly, have fun! I can easily see myself losing entire days to this game. Fun little gameplay loop. Give it a try!
Mushroom Musume
Raise a mushroom daughter in this pixel RPG! Just in the demo, there's something like 30 endings. I've played through three times and gotten three different mushroom daughters, and the final version (out later this year) will have double the content that's in the demo. The art is great and the game is well-written. I'm going to keep playing this demo until I've exhausted it!
Loco Motive
Point-and-click murder mystery comedy on a train. Great voice acting, fun & bouncy pixel art! Had a great time playing this one. Not a lot to say about it aside from it's fun and made me laugh.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center
Ooooo it's spooky! Another pixel game with really, really fantastic art. You're a new investigator for the Urban Myth Dissolution Center and it's your job to look into rumors of urban legends. This one's also a point-and-click investigation game, though with a bent towards horror. Really looking forward to getting to play the full release for this one.
The League of the Hustlers
A point-and-click adventure game set in 1700s France. You play as the members of a group of rebels who rob & murder nobility, specifically those tied to an organization called the Sons of Sun (I think they said that was the name anyway). I'm intrigued by this one! The demo was short and some of the mechanics are stupid difficult (looking at you, swordfighting minigame), but I was able to skip the section after a few failed attempts. There was very little in the way of instruction on the minigames, so I hope they add that in. I like the art style.
The Edge of Allegoria
Pixel turn-based RPG that takes inspiration from classics of the genre. It goes a little too hard on delivering on the steam store's page promise of "this ain't no f@#%ing kid's game" imo. Like ok I get it, you say fuck a lot and murder squirrels. That said I did have fun with the mechanics, and the humor could probably work for some people. Feels like the kind of game I really would have liked between the ages of 16 and 20 because it was "edgy" and "not for kids." ymmv.
Button Man
Set in 1920s Nova Scotia, you play as an enforcer for a local gangster. I love the vintage comic book art style with the halftones and comic book panels. The controls were a little weird (for some reason I couldn't use WASD for movement) and there's like two different interact buttons and they don't explain either? Didn't get to see too much of the story, but I had fun with it.
My Party Needs an Alchemist
Extremely cute. You play as an alchemist struggling to gather ingredients in a dangerous world. Luckily, you find a party to help you out, you just have to keep them alive! I have been craving an alchemy game that I actually think is fun (aka something that breaks up the monotony of making potions with story or some other minigame or whatever) and this looks very promising! The characters I've met so far are sweet and the art style is adorable. Looking forward to the release for this one.
Rooster
Another cute one. You play as Rooster of the Chinese zodiac, sent back to ancient China to learn a lesson. About being a decent person, I think? The art is cute and the music is nice. It's a very casual experience and feels like it's meant for a younger audience.
Polismos
An ancient Greek citybuilder. It seems very intricate and could potentially be fun! The UI is a bit busy, but that's kind of how citybuilders tend to be. I didn't play too much because I always WANT to like citybuilders but I never find them all that fun. Worth a look if it's your genre, though.
Demos I played so you don't have to
Divinastros - Card game using tarot suit cards & zodiac influences. You're fighting against Olympus (often mispelled in the game as "Olimpus," though the misspelling is inconsistent). I never really figured out how to play because it felt like the rules and objectives were poorly explained. Mediocre art and the game is rife with misspellings and grammatical errors I would have overlooked if the game had been fun. Maybe you'll get the hang of it, though.
Grimfield Mystery - This one was sooo disappointing. The art & vibe of the trailer made me think of Gravity Falls, but the gameplay was clunky, poorly explained, and not really fun. Maybe the full release will improve upon what's here but for now, I don't recommend it, and I'm not wishlisting this one.
Ad Agency Simulator - Another in these weird specific simulator genre. Fun enough, if that's the kind of thing you like. Drag-n-drop ad maker thing. Possibly uses AI art but I really didn't look that hard or play that much so. shrug.
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girls-are-weird · 5 months ago
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MASTER LIST: One Fic for Each Fandom [A-I]
i've been working on this for months now, y'all, i'm so tired. Dx
many, soooo many years ago, i came up with the idea of recommending one fic, not necessarily the best or biggest or most popular fic, but definitely my ultimate favorite fic for every fandom i was in at the time or had been in at some point up to then. there are some fics i love so much that i go back to them periodically, maybe every couple of years, even if i'm not active in that fandom anymore. so i thought having a list of them somewhere i could easily find them was a pretty good idea.
narrator: she forgot where to "easily" find the list.
but i still liked the idea a lot, and i told myself when i found the list again, i would update it with fics for all the fandoms i've joined/read for since then. well, a couple of days as of the first drafting of this post, i finally found my original list on my old livejournal (christ, i'm old) and decided i would start on that update, but to post on my tumblr blog instead.
so here it is. they're not all romance, though most of these will include one or more of my favorite ships for their respective fandom (which you can find at my ships archive), even if it's just in the background. some of the fics are the same as i had in my original list, but some of them are not, simply because i've found fics i love even more since then. needless to say, most of those that were 'ported from my original list are quite old or written before canon was finished (the list is from 2006… please refrain from commenting if you weren't born back then, lol. i'm acutely aware that my early fandom life is basically ancient history to most of you). even some from more recent fandoms might be pretty old or non-canon-compliant, simply because i've been collecting fandoms since time immemorial. some might contain elements that would be considered problematic in this day and age. some might be unfinished. they're all special to me in some way.
some fandoms seem to have slipped through the cracks in the transition between FFN (where favorites and alerts are very organized but i always forgot to use them, and there's no read history) and AO3 (where subscriptions and history are unreliable and impossible to search through, and there's no way to see which fics you've left kudos on)-- srsly, how hard is it to just save everything in this age of big data? smdh. some of the links might not work, as you might imagine-- it'll take me some time to find new links, or to figure out if the fic is still even on the internet. if you've heard of these fics and know where they can be currently found, please let me know! because of that reason, i haven't listed ratings for every single one, though i've tried to add that in where i can find it. still, i hope this is helpful for someone, and i'm going to keep it pinned on my blog so i NEVER, EVER forget where it is again (and can regularly update it as i am sucked into more fandoms).
back in the day, i had hoped this format could catch on as a meme type of thing, so that other people could take it as a template and make their own fandom recs lists. so i'd love to see yours! be sure to tag me if you decide to do this. :)
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[ FANDOMS A-I BELOW, J-Z HERE ]
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THE ADVENTURES OF SHIRLEY HOLMES
the case of the mysterious man (and sequels!) by HA senidal / @ha-senidal (PG/T).
with newcomer blake hewitt joining her and bo, shirley investigates a stranger who might know something about the recently stolen mona lisa.
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AA! MEGAMI-SAMA / OH! MY GODDESS
no mere mortal (and sequels!), by ed sharpe.
keiichi's cousin kenji comes to visit the temple for a week. what mischief will he get in with the three goddesses?
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AGENT CARTER
renegades by inkdust / @ink-dust (M).
or, peggy & daniel against the world
the real world doesn't have a hollywood ending. in fact it doesn't even pause. but they're a team. a wonderful team.
post-finale.
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ANNE WITH AN E
the secret of distance by lil_redhead / @royalcordelia (T).
anne and gilbert embark on their journeys, but stay close to each other at heart. courting across 1000 miles isn't easy, but they're more than willing to step up to the task. (a post s3 story).
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ARTEMIS FOWL
endings and beginnings by novawastaken / @nova-fanart-dump (T).
begins right after the second to last chapter of the last guardian and continues on to the final chapter and beyond. spoilers for the last guardian! SPOILERS! no romance in here, but artemis/holly romance in the epilogue.
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ATTACK ON TITAN
stress relief by pepin-bones (M).
soldiers lead stressful lives, which means they need ways to unwind and cope with the stress of what they see and what they do - sometimes in unconventional ways. but eren thinks it's ridiculous, or at least he did…
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AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER
annakpok by dariussobreitus (E).
a "stolen" wife amdist a world rebuilding after a century of war, a repentant fire nation trying to redeem its wrongs and earn good deeds. excuse for invasion or not, the wife who left the northern tribe chief will be reclaimed, even if the poles of the south, and the capital city of the southern tribe, annakpok, must melt.
an AU of the avatar series with events inspired by the movie troy and their versions of the illiad. there will be differences, in both characters and events, with emphasis on key characters, battles, war, strategy and hopefully some the nuance within.
while serving in similar roles to the illiad/troy counterparts, the avatar characters are very much themselves and not heavily influenced by the illiad characterizations.
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BACCANO!
the successful wooing of chane laforet by splashfree (T).
“i’m in love with you, chane laforet,” he says. “and at the end of the day, that’s all there is to it.”
claire and chane go on a date. wackiness ensues.
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BANANA FISH
fool for lesser things by snow_falls / @nightofviolet (E).
"he knew irrefutably that if eiji left he would take something fundamental to ash with him, and without that, what would be the point in living? he might as well have let Foxx finish him, if he was going to cop out now. no, sing was right, the little brat, what the fuck would be the point if he didn’t go with eiji? god, he was an idiot."
or the fix it fic we all need. the alternate ending i cherish in my heart of hearts.
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BLEACH
next, home by inlay (T).
rukia was sitting in his room the first time he opened his eyes after. he does not know if this was a dream, or reality—remembers only that she looked very pale, and that there was a small, black hell butterfly perched on her finger. in this vision, she looked startlingly similar to the girl who used to crouch on his windowsill before school, shiny black shoes and black hair. he watched her for as long as his eyes could stay open, waiting for her to notice him and tell him what was happening. the battle hadn't felt like the deciding, dramatic finale he'd been subconsciously expecting, and he keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop.
what next?
(or, sometimes it takes a couple lifetimes to learn the difference between a love and a soulmate)
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THE BOOK THIEF
a changing of hands by antistar_e (kaikamahine) / @kaikamahine (T).
it happens like this, in a single fateful moment. a pilot sneezes, and the bombs, when they fall, are off-target. [AU].
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CAPTAIN PLANET
heroes for earth (and sequels!) by stephensmat (T).
our world is in peril. the conscious soul of the earth is aware that since the error is ours, the power to stop the chaos must be ours as well. an updated retelling of the series pilot. an origin story based on the premise of the show.
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CARD CAPTOR SAKURA
haikei (and its sequel, kitaku), by ciircee (PG/M).
when eriol left japan tomoyo promised to write. a history of time, in letters. ExT. part of third arc universe.
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COWBOY BEBOP
tuesday's gone by neviana (M).
she always had a way of surprising him. everything from emptying her glock into the ceiling of the bebop when he left to the icy glare she gave him upon his return. though somehow, this stunt seemed to top them all … spikeXfaye.
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DANCING WITH THE LION SERIES / ALEXANDER TRILOGY / ALEXANDER THE GREAT RPF
non frustra vixis by aramley, meretricula / @meretricula (NR).
in 2008, the previously all-women st. hilda's college at oxford began admitting men. in 2009, classics afficionado, rowing prodigy, and all-around posh bastard alexander macedon decided his new ambition was to join his best friend at hilda's and start a men's rowing dynasty.
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DARK
face your fears by narrative_bear (T).
the inevitability of an event doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to experience. the recent birth of mikkel nielsen weighs heavily on michael kahnwald, who begins to withdraw from his family. in an effort to reconnect with his wife and son, michael decides to accompanies them to the nielsens’ where he is forced to confront his past.
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DERRY GIRLS
maybe someday series by areseebee / @areseebee (T).
capturing moments when james and erin are growing up and growing together at 17, 19, and 27.
these fics all take place in the same timeline and build on the overall story in each part. while personal space can stand on its own, smoke break and someday are best enjoyed as companion pieces.
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DIGIMON ADVENTURE
if you by chichamunkyhead.
sora poses as yama's girlfriend… sorato, takari, jyoumi, hint of kenyako. that's all of a summary you're getting!
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DRAGON BALL/Z/GT
automatic flowers (and sequels!) by rayne.
running away was never the way of the son family and pan son learns this lesson the hard way as she returns home to face a problem she never could quite solve.
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THE DRAGON PRINCE
a delicate arrangement by jelly / @jelzorz (M).
it’s not that it’s a bad idea. in all honesty, ezran thinks it’s a well thought-out, completely reasonable, perfectly sound idea that could solve a lot of his own problems, callum’s problems, and katolis’ problems, in one fell swoop - if it works, that is. it’s a little risky, he’ll admit, but it’s not the same as, say, running away from home at ten years old with his brother and a moonshadow elf assassin (whose mission was to kill him, mind) to return a dragon egg in the midst of a centuries-long war, and hey, they’d managed that all right. compared to that mess, politics should be easy, right?
right?
[or, the arranged marriage rayllum romantic drama no one asked for]
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FINAL FANTASY VIII
new seed (and sequels!) by klepto_maniac0 / @klepto-maniac0 (E).
an accidental start to something not so innocent. how far can a relationship run on pure lust before it turns into something else? set in a time when things haven't gone downhill yet.
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FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST (2003 ANIME)
he who searches for himself, by yuuki hikari / weatheringtea / @weatheringtea (M).
this story continues on fullmetal alchemist where episode 51 finished off. alternate ending to the series, not based on the movie. FMA gen!fic. characters and events up to 51 are included. the rating is for language and later violence.
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GUNDAM WING
a toast to the bride and groom, by orla.
in this fic by orla, duo made the mistake of opening the floor for speeches at his wedding. see what everyone has to say.
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HARRY POTTER
paradigm of uncertainty (and sequels!), by lori summers.
carla says: this fanfic series is the bible for any self-respected H/Hr shipper. lori's a wonderful storyteller. it is SO well-constructed.
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HAVEN
aether or by callmehux (T).
paige came to haven for a new life. she didn't realize she was coming to find some old ones.
this takes place after the series finale and probably won't make sense unless you've seen the whole run of the TV show.
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HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
persephone by sunflowerb (M).
she was meant to be the price for peace; her life in exchange for the dragon master's mercy. her captor wasn't supposed to be a ghost from her past, and she wasn't supposed to become his ally…or his lover. and when news spreads of a blonde-haired girl at the dragon master's side, there will be repercussions for dragons and vikings alike.
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THE HUNGER GAMES
lone star state of mine by jenye (M).
modern AU. there are three types of people in dawson, texas: those who are trying to flee, those who embrace their small town fate, and the mellarks. mellark ranch; largest cattle ranch south of dallas, employer of ranch hand, katniss everdeen, and home of the ohio state buckeyes' running back, peeta mellark. and peeta mellark is coming back home today.
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INUYASHA
dressing wounds (and sequels!), by personification of fluff.
SM [completed] rated R for citrusy situations. when sango finds out how much miroku cares for her, it's the battle of the sexes! the prize? sango's heart, of course. fluff-filled chapters, and an attempt to break every cliche and fill each plothole!
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[ FANDOMS J-Z HERE ]
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sitp-recs · 2 years ago
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Happy happy birthday @cavendishbutterfly! I still remember the excitement and blissful joy of finding your writing through Bridges, which remains one of my favorite Drarry oneshots to this day! I’m so happy to share this space with someone as talented and cheerful as you. Your fics have brought me comfort and warm, fuzzy feelings when I needed the most, and I love your supportive and positive energy towards fandom and your friends. Here’s a humble Cav reclist to celebrate your birthday and spread some love for my favourite gems. Check out that range with so many comfort tropes and ratings, plus the sexy healing and evocative atmosphere we deserve. From short shorts with beautiful prose to an 80k 8th year epic, this list has everything you need to get through one more week. And btw, Cav was incredibly prolific last year and I think everyone should go check their full catalogue right away. Then join me to add your own favorites 🎉🎉🎉
Windy City (T, 1.6k) - one of my earliest faves, such gorgeous prose and a sharp sense of place, the melancholy urban atmosphere is breathtaking. And journalist Harry as a treat!
Harry works hard at this whole journalism thing, even when they send him abroad to do his investigating. He'd just rather be home.
In The Wings (T, 1.6k) - this short is so gentle and healing I could cry, I’m enchanted by Draco’s soft pov and those vivid ballet descriptions, so very dreamy!
Ballet has been a path to healing for Draco after the war. Now, it's his final performance in the starring role, and his boyfriend is in the audience for the first time.
To Make A Way (E, 5.4k) - the fuck buddies cinema AU you didn’t know you needed! Sexy af mixing casual and sweet, organic slow burn and a gorgeous contemplative tone underneath. It’s about the aching!
When Harry finds Draco in the back row of the cinema, he doesn't mean to accidentally befriend him. Or fuck him. Or catch feelings. The thing is, Draco only does casual.
Glowing (T, 9.7k) - the softest vampire cottagecore domesticity you’ll read today, this made my heart melt. So darling and intimate, it felt like I was right there beside them. Flatmates by Cav just hits differently, I’m telling you!
Harry's lived alone and vampiric in his cottage for ages, until a long-lived Draco Malfoy suddenly shows up to answer an advertisement Harry had practically forgotten he'd put in the Prophet. Cue soft blood drinking, quiet nights of reading and crocheting, and Harry thinking that maybe--just maybe--he might not be so alone anymore.
Bridges (E, 16k) - ultimate comfort read with travel roommates exploring Budapest, Harry exploring his sexuality, soft contemplation and poignant conversations. I love how easily this fic flows and the atmosphere is 👨‍🍳💋
Harry and Draco are on a trip to Budapest to help with Kingsley's re-election, but that's the boring bit. More interesting: Harry Potter is changing his Tinder preferences to include men.
The Hardest Hue To Hold (M, 17k) - another incredible love story set outside the UK with a charming academic background and fascinating characters. I love how Cav included different mythology references, and the honest, delicate take on Harry’s trans journey.
Harry needs to get the hell out of England. So he sets up a teaching assistantship in America, hops on a plane, and heads off to a fresh start. Except there’s a familiar face among the university faculty, and it’s really not the familiar face that Harry wanted. Or at least, it’s not who Harry wanted at first.
Inertia (E, 83k) - almost 100k of delicious 8th year enemies to friends to lovers, I live for the angsty slow burn and the exquisite coming of age vibes. Soft and healing and full of hope!
It’s three months after the war. Harry has already mucked up all his plans. Draco is no longer the prince of Slytherin house. And they sure as hell didn’t both mean to go back to Hogwarts at the same time. Cue snarking, long conversations…and unexpected snogging.
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cinderella-ish · 5 months ago
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Fic Recs: Sohma Curse
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This list focuses on fics where the author developed some novel ways of dealing with the curse, whether they developed mechanisms by which to break the curse, had the nature of the curse change, or used other magic systems or folklore.
A Pretty Orange Color, by AnimeliaRose E | Kyo/Yuki | Epic Novel | angst, drama, fluff, romance & smut Yuki and Kyo end up spending some time alone together at the lake house, when they realise there is a fine line between love & hate.
Cursing the cursed, by modzy78 T | Tohru/Kyo | Novelette | drama Arisa, Saki, and Megumi discover the answer to a question they didn't know existed. Can you curse someone who's already cursed?
ichigo ichie, by me T | Tohru/Kyo, Akito & Haruhi & Tohru | WIP | crossover & drama Fruits Basket x Ouran High School / Your Name AU
The Last One Cursed, by cithara0211 M | Tohru/Kyo | WIP | drama, romance & smut The life of a college musician is a rough one. Add in a partially broken curse and an unexpected attraction to his new roommate, and this new semester back in Japan might be more than Kyo could have ever expected to find for himself.
Locked Up but Not Locked Away, by RoseWolf133198 T | Tohru/Kyo | Novella | Hurt/Comfort & Romance After the Somha Family curse takes on a different form, Kyo’s released from his cage due to mysterious circumstances. Once back at home,will the orange cat of the zodiac be up for a sweet reunion with his riceball.
Of Lost Cats and Half-Shadows, by me T | Tohru/Kyo, Megumi/Yuji | WIP | crossover, drama & romance Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara enroll at Kaibara High School to investigate the Zodiac curse and free the souls it binds. Kyo is immediately suspicious of the three new students and rejects their attempts at friendship. Will they be able to break this ancient curse before Kyo is locked up forever?
The Pursuit of Repeating History, by RiddleAfar E | Kyo/Yuki | Epic Novel | angst, drama, romance & smut In their third and final year of high school, Yuki and Kyo learn the hard way where their zodiac spirits end and they begin. *technically unfinished, but reaches a satisfying end and only has 1 chapter left (I think an epilogue?)
To Be Human, by Avelera T | Tohru/Kyo | WIP | dark, drama, romance, & tragedy When Kyo's bracelet breaks and he is locked in his original form, Tohru and the others are forced to consider if he can ever change back. Will this draw Tohru closer to the Sohmas or force her away from them for good?
I don't have a tag to link for this one! I'll try and make one!
Fic Recs Masterpost
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