#more spooky shit that hopefully i can finish

[esamastation]

Part forty-two of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one

-

The Turks have arranged everything. Sort of. The charcoal burner's house is long abandoned and remote, not close to any main routes, so it would be private. In the books, both Sephiroth and Angeal are taking part in a classified mission with the Turks, which has been approved by both the Director of the SOLDIER program and the Acting Director of the Turks. It would take someone higher up in the Public Security Department to delve deeper than that, and since the President had already given his seal of approval, there's not much even Heidegger can do about it.

"And Rude is bringing everything we'll need to survive," Reno finishes. "Starting today, your priority is sorting out whatever is going on with you, free of distractions, external stressors and hopefully of further incidents."

Sephiroth still seems to be stuck on the getting his shit together part of the mission and apparently isn't sure whether to be insulted or not.

Angeal clears his throat. "And what are we supposed to… do, exactly?"

"Hell if I know," Reno shrugs and nods at Sephiroth. "Figure you'd sort it out by yourself, with your new spooky… whatever it is you got going on. You seem to have some idea."

"Uh," Sephiroth answers. 

Eloquent.

Angeal runs a hand down his face. Then he laughs. "Okay, I have to admit. I'm impressed. I didn't really think you'd do anything, but - I'm impressed." And more than slightly intimidated by the connections and liberties the Turks have, but that's not exactly new. "How long do we have?"

"Until further notice, or until someone back in Midgar gets antsy," Reno shrugs. "I'm thinking maybe don't worry about time. If you need more, we will arrange some."

Huh. "This is really that important, then?"

Reno gives Sephiroth a look and then looks at Angeal. "Yeah," he says, a deceptively easy answer.

That's… somehow a little disconcerting. Certainly Sephiroth is invaluable to the program and to the company, but this… this is beyond VIP treatment.

"I see," Angeal murmurs and clears his throat.

Sephiroth finally shakes himself loose from his surprise, enough to look first somewhat sheepish - and then intrigued. "So, I can do whatever I want here?"

"Pretty much," Reno agrees, without any care for how alarming the question is. "And if you need something to further your whatever, we'll get it for you."

"Nice. And there will be no other missions if I don't want to do them right now?" Sephiroth asks.

"You can do them or not as you'd like - none of them have higher priority than this, and they can be delegated to other people, if it comes to that."

Sephiroth runs a hand over his chin. "And if I want access to some material that might be to some extent classified?"

Reno narrows his eyes. "Like what?"

"Haven't decided yet," Sephiroth answers flippantly. "But it might come up."

"... Great. We'll review case by case when we come to it," Reno mutters. "Though you know it's a bitch to get stuff shipped here, right? We're on another continent."

"Yes, yes, it's very impressive," Sephiroth says dismissively and thinks about something for a moment. Then he looks at the charcoal burner's house with a discerning eye. "And you'll be staying here too?" he then asks, glazing at Reno. "To watch us?"

Reno shrugs, unapologetic.

Sephiroth eyes him for a moment and then turns back to the house. "Very well. It will do."

"... Awesome," Reno says and motions. "Go, make yourselves comfortable or whatever. I'm going to walk the perimeter and set some traps."

"Mmhmm," Sephiroth answers, already striding back into the house with a proprietor's casual confidence, and Angeal can just imagine the furniture soon to be rearranged inside.

He hesitates before following and looks at Reno. "What is this really about? It's not just that Sephiroth lost control, is it?"

Reno considers him. "Well, duh, no," he says. "It's the stuff he's been saying in between."

And the abilities he seems to be on the verge of developing. "What's the official view on what's happening to Sephiroth?" What are they expecting from him?

"There isn't one," Reno says and arches his brows meaningfully, and then turns to go.

Angeal's face tightens, and he knows he probably doesn't understand the implications… but then maybe he does. All this effort and all the stuff that's been going on… whatever it is, the company is looking forward to benefiting from it greatly. And they want no one messing with what is happening before they do.

Angeal thinks of the moment Sephiroth communed with the old tree the day before, and for a moment he really wishes it was Genesis here with him instead. Genesis would actually know how to handle all of this. Angeal isn't even sure if he can ask Genesis about this, if he can talk to him about this!

Never mind the fact that Genesis probably has his hands full with whatever is happening back at Shinra Building… the aftermath of Sephiroth's incident and whatever Professor Hojo was doing…

Angeal turns to head inside.

… Where Sephiroth has begun poking around the house, and, of course, is already moving furniture around.

"I see you are all for this," Angeal comments.

"I'll take all the extra time I can get," Sephiroth mutters while carrying a little table to the middle of the main room. "Though I am not exactly happy about being under Turk supervision, I'll take it over the alternative."

Angeal hums, looking around and then deciding that Sephiroth probably doesn't need - or want - his help in decorating. "What's the alternative?"

Sephiroth grimaces and goes to move a bookshelf.

Okay then. Ominous. Angeal sighs and sets the Buster Sword down to lean against the wall near the door, right beside Masamune. "You know they expect something to come from this. For you to… to make it worth their while."

Sephiroth half laughs and half scoffs. "I just bet they do," he agrees and picks up somewhat dusty cushions and considers them with a frown.

Angeal folds his arms. "Are you going to?" he then asks, worried.

Sephiroth pauses and looks away, dropping the cushions by the table in the middle. "No," he says finally. "I don't imagine I will. Regardless," he shakes his head. "This is the next best thing to a full-on seclusion, and I am damn well going to make the most of it."

Angeal doesn't know what that means, but it doesn't matter. "Okay," he says and draws a breath. "Guess we'll… just stay here for the time being, then."

Sephiroth hums in agreement. "Guess so. Does it bother you?"

"No more than anything else around Wutai," Angeal admits and looks up at the ceiling. "We were already looking forward to a prolonged stay in someone's abandoned home. This place is honestly an improvement."

Sephiroth relaxes a little. "Yeah. And hey, the people here weren't chased out or killed by Shinra. That's something."

Angeal looks at him curiously. "How do you know that?"

"The original owner left a scrap piece of letter behind. Apparently they were invited to the capital," Sephiroth says.

… Sephiroth reads the Wutai language? Huh. Angeal didn't know that.

"I guess that's good to know," he says and then sighs. "Okay, so. This… thing you're doing. Your energy alignment stuff. Is there anything I can do to help? What do you need?"

Sephiroth hesitates between moving some jars around and looks at him. "I need a proper cleared training area," he says and offers him a wry smile. "At least as big as the training room back at Shinra Building."

"I can do that, yeah," Angeal says. "Anything else?"

Sephiroth thinks about it for a moment before setting the jars back down. "I'll let you know."

Angeal nods and gets to it. There's not much he can do when Sephiroth refuses to trust him, but… he'd do what he could.

Hopefully by the end of it, it would be enough.

-

Time for a training montage.

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

OH! For Valentine’s event!! Please could I have some first date headcanons for Killer Croc? I’m plus size, so I hope he’s down for a chunky clown 💚 I prefer staying in more than going out, I love verbal affection and gentle physical affection, and I love horror so that’s always a Valentine’s Day plus if it can be squeezed in somewhere! And I’m goofy and silly and I like being nice! I hope that’s enough to go off of!! 💚

"Horror and Sweetness" Killer Croc x Reader (Valentine's Event 2024)

Hello Finnie!! All this detail is PERFECT, thank you so much for writing in <3 Since you said headcanons I'm gonna go more bullet point style with this to better suit the prompt- This ask is for the ongoing Valentine's Day Event! (final day to submit)

TW: suggestive toward the end

When you first asked him out, he assumed you were fucking with him. You like to joke around like he does and there's no way you'd be approaching him- except when he realized you were sincere and he's silently flustered. Then he says yes.

Chunky clown, huh? Don't you worry about that, sha, they had to make a new BMI category for him at some point. Plus sized just means you like to eat and dammit if one of his love languages isn't taking care of a partner! Especially cooking! It also shows you're cute AND soft which he really, really appreciates given how rough HE is. Good for cuddles.

You liking to stay in works well for him, especially for a first date. The idea of you trying to get to know each other in a romantic capacity and having every eye in the place staring is less than ideal. So a night in! You're gonna get a whole lot of questions about the foods you like, how much spice level you can handle, etc. etc. No shame if spice isn't your thing, he can cater to that.

He'd joke that maybe if you're real sweet on him, he can take you for beignets next time. He knows a spot that actually does 'em decent. Hm... How would you feel about being his little beignet? He might ponder this potential pet name aloud while he's cooking. Soft and fluffy and sweet- just like you!

After you finish eating (and were hopefully incredibly impressed by him), you two can sit on the couch in front of the TV. There's a huge divot in the furniture you can determine as "his side" that you can sit next to. You said you liked horror so. uh. He's gonna rent whatever you say is good. He's not typically a horror person per say, but he'll enjoy it.

Note: he will enjoy it, but he's definitely leaning in closer, it's not your imagination. "That sure is... spooky." There is one particular jump-scare that gets him just so- and his arm goes in front of you, almost as though to protect you. Even when you offer that the movie can be changed, he insists no! No, it's fine! He's just going to put his hand on yours and if you want to hold it, he's not going to complain about that.

Truthfully, he'd be very cautious about being physically affectionate at first because he doesn't know how you'll react. Hopefully positively! But... past experience has him wary. If you initiate and give him the green light, though, he'll lean into it heavily.

As the movie rolls to credits, he looks content as he speaks, "You're uh. You're not like anybody else I've ever met. And I've met a lotta different folks. Not bad- You're hot as hell and shit, wait-"

There's a moment he seems to be collecting his thoughts, "Look, you don't wanna take this further, I get it. But you should know I liked this. I like you. You're... You're a helluva lotta fun. And nice. I like how nice you are." He's scratching the back of his neck. Waiting for a response.

When you tell him that you want to keep doing this and seeing him again, his face gets a large toothy grin. Curling his claws inward to his palm, he brushes the knuckle of his finger along your jawline. He puts his forehead to yours. His lips peck yours.

In this sense, he's a gentleman. He's not going to expect sex just because you're at his place. Plus considering his whole body situation, it would be kind of rude to assume you want to jump in on that without some prep.

"But hey, cher, you wanna check under my bed for the bogeyman, you can stay the night." He winks. It's totally not lowkey because he's a little scared. If not, he'd make sure you got home whether it was driving or him walking you to your doorstep himself.

[hotmesslovesickcrackhead]

Marked By Fate

Pt 1

Chapter 1: Unseen Connection

It was a dreary autumn rainy day, the sky grey. Puddles formed on the side walks as people hustle to get to their jobs, appointments. The rain falls, steadily, creating a rhythmic patter against the windows and the rooftops. The vibrant fall foliage, rich with hues of red, orange, yellow and green. Appears muted and subdued under the overcast sky. The air is thick with the earthy scent of wet leaves and soil. The chill in the air, prompting people to bundle up in cozy sweaters and in raincoats. The rain providing a soothing scene for a day spent indoors with a warm drink and a good book. Which somehow seemed to set the mood for Enid, this morning. As she got ready to go to a coffee shop herself. 

It was Enid's first day, at her brand new job. "The Blackbird Cafe". She was nervous as shit. The bell above the door jingled softly as Enid Sinclair stepped into the coffee shop. It was tucked away in the quieter, darker corners in Jericho. It looked as if it belonged in some type of gothic novel. It had a shadowy interior illuminated by flickering of candlelight, miss matched colored chairs and wooden tables that creaked with every touch. It definitely had character, but not the kind of character that Enid Sinclair was used to.

She walked towards the back office, placed her keys down in her little locker for the employes. She grabbed an apron off the shelf, as she adjusted her apron, Enid took a deep breath. She could do this, "I got this!" She mumbled as she took another deep breath. Trying to swallow her nerves. She had just moved to the town of Jericho for college. And this job was meant to cover the bills, still she felt out of place in a shop that practically screamed "Bleak". Hopefully, this job would only be temporary. She just knew her bright pink and blue streaks in her blonde hair, and her floral pins stood out like a sore thumb. Screaming like fireworks, landing against the coffee shop's dark walls.

"Hey Kiddo!" called out her boss, Yoko. Yoko was a vampire, and an exotic beauty. She was standing behind the counter, cleaning the espresso machine. "You ready for your first shift?" She asked with casual indifference. 

"Totally." Enid replied, flashing her signature wide grin. Fangs showing off in the candlelight cafe. Though the butterflies in her stomach told a different story. 

"You know that I can hear your heart beat right?" Yoko stayed with a slight grin at the were wolf girl. 

"I forgot, I don't know why I'm so nervous. This place seems so... cozy?" Enid remarked to the vampire. 

Yoko snorted. "Cozy? More like haunted, but you'll get used to it. And hey, you might even meet our regular customer. She's a bit of a legend around these parts." Yoko said as she took a break wiping off the espresso machine. She winked at Enid, and grinned. 

Enid's curiosity piqued. She was intrigued to say the least.

"Legend? What's that supposed to mean?" Enid asked the grinning vampire. 

"I should let you find out for yourself, but fuck. It's a slow day. And this bitch needs some entertainment." Yoko paused, "Wednesday Addams. She's here almost every day, orders the same thing: black coffee, no cream, no sugar. She doesn't talk, doesn't smile. Just... stares. You'll know her as soon as you lay eyes on her. She's definitely quirky and spooky. That's for sure. " Yoko, said as she turned back around to finish her task. 

"Says the dark, brooding vampire!" Enid remarked with a nervous chuckle. "Sounds like fun." But inside, she couldn't quite shake the feeling of anticipation. Something about this place felt important. Though she couldn't quite put her finger on the "why?" just yet. 

Across town, Wednesday Addams stood in the stark fluorescent lighting of the coroner's office, her black gloves on as she examined the body before her. Death had always been such a comforting constant in her life. A puzzle, that she understood deeply. The sterile scent of formaldehyde filled the room as she methodically dissected the corpse that was laying on the table in front of her. 

"Time of death, approximately four days ago," she muttered to herself, her voice calm and clinical. She felt more at home here among the dead than she ever dreamed about being among the living. Emotions, attachments, friendships, and worse romantic entanglements were just well, they were messy. And unpredictable, and pointless. Things she had no time for. 

The scalpel in her hand moved with precision, revealing more of the corpse's deep dark secrets. However as she worked on the body, an odd sensation tugged at the back of her mind. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it had been growing stronger over the past few weeks. An unusual restlessness. She would have to ask Thing if this continued. 

Wednesday prided herself on being in control of her every thought and feeling, but this... This was different. This was something she had never dealt with. It wasn't logical. And it certainly wasn't explainable. And it all seemed to stem from one peculiar place. 

The Blackbird Cafe. 

No matter how hard she tried to dismiss it, the pull towards that coffee shop lingered. It had started the day she stepped in for a quick drink. A decision she had initially made without much thought. Yet now, it had become a routine. Though she couldn't for the life of her, explain why. She hated routines, detested the mundane things in life. However something about that place. Wednesday huffed, annoyed at herself. She would go again today, if only to prove to herself that it was nothing more than what was becoming an irritating habit. 

I wanna hold the hand inside you

I wanna take the breath that's true

I look to you and I see nothing

I look to you to see the truth

It was a slow afternoon at The Blackbird Cafe, almost a dreamy atmosphere. Enid was almost lulled to sleep by the soft song, that was playing on the old radio on the counter. The haunting vocals, and gentle guitar strumming acting as a lullaby. Blending in with the quiet conversations and the ambient sounds of clinking cups. Almost ethereal. Yes today was a slow day, when Enid spotted her. The customer who could only be Wednesday Addams.

She was hard to miss, dressed in all black. From head to toe. With raven hair parted in the middle, going off into two separate tight braids. Her expression was unreadable. Eyes dark and piercing, as if she were studying every detail to memory. With a level of scrutiny that would make anyone else uncomfortable. Enid swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how loud her heartbeat felt in the suddenly even more quiet cafe. 

"That's her." Yoko whispered as she walked past, nudging Enid with her elbow. "Good luck. You'll need it."

You live your life, you go in shadows

You'll come apart and you'll go blind

Some kind of night into your darkness 

Colored your eyes with what's not there 

Fade into you

Enid's palms were sweating as she made her way to the counter, where Wednesday stood waiting. She tried to summon her usual cheeriness, but the strange cold aura around Wednesday made it harder than it usually was. "Hi! What can I get for you today?"Enid asked, her voice a touch too bright.  Wednesday didn't respond right away. She glanced at the bubbly blonde girl, with the pink and blue streaks in her hair. Her expression unreadable, before finally speaking. "Black coffee. No cream, no sugar."

"Coming right up!" The werewolf girl said as she moved quickly, her hands were slightly shaking as she poured the coffee. When she turned to hand it to the dark haired goth girl, their fingers brushed for the briefest moment, and that's when it happened. 

A sharp burning sensation shot through Enid's hand, like a spark of electricity. She gasped, nearly dropping the cup. Wednesday's eyes flickered down to her wrist, and Enid's eyes followed her gaze. There on her skin, was the faintest outline of a tattoo. It was small, no bigger than that of a coin, but it was in the shape of a raven. Enid blinked, confused but before she could say anything, Wednesday had snatched the coffee and turned to leave. Her face set in stone. 

"Wait! Did you?", Enid began, but Wednesday was already gone, the door swinging shut behind her with a soft jingle of the bell. She looked down at her wrist again, heart pounding. The tattoo was still there, growing clearer by the second. "What the hell?" Enid whispered, rubbing at her skin. No matter how hard she tried, the mark wouldn't fade.

Outside the coffee shop, Wednesday gripped her wrist tightly, her heartbeat loud in her ears. This wasn't possible. It wasn't logical. And yet, the werewolf shaped mark on her skin was there. As real as the cold autumn air biting at her face. A soulmate mark. Wednesday had heard of such things of course. A quaint myth, passed down through generations about destined lovers. She had always dismissed it as nonsense, a fairy tale meant to pacify those who feared loneliness. However, now standing in the alley behind The Blackbird Cafe, Wednesday couldn't dismiss the burning mark on her wrist. It was an irrational phenomenon, something that defied all logic, and she loathed it. 

She loathed the idea that her fate, that her life could be tied to someone else's in such an arbitrary, mystical way. She flexed her hand, trying to will the mark away, but no matter, it stayed. Darkening with each passing second. "No." Wednesday muttered under her breath. "I won't let this happen." Without a second glance back at the coffee shop, she made a decision. She would never go there ever again. 

[yallmakemyassitch]

Alright, I'm back!

Here's something for a part 2 of the Tabi x Ayana request~ (hopefully it's decent enough 😅) So...

Ayana is absolutely loving the reactions she's getting from her boyfriend. She could feel his chest tremble and shake with laughter while he squirmed helplessly underneath her.

Even for her, it was rare to hear the Russian laugh this much and in this manner. Usually it would just come out as a derisive scoff or a sinister sounding chuckle (usually at someone else's expense), not guffawing like a child watching something funny on tv or being told a silly joke.

Regardless, it was the most endearing thing she had ever heard from Tabi, and she wanted more~

When she planted a few more pecks higher and higher up the neck to where his ear was, it made Tabi let out a particularly loud, almost feminine sounding sqawk noise & his hysteric protesting increased.

(Tabi was forever grateful for the fact that Agoti wasn't there because if he had heard that he'd NEVER let him live it down. 😣)

She decided to take a break after that to let him catch his breath, looking down at him lovingly all the while.

. . .

But right when Tabi thinks the worst of it is over, he sees Ayana take in a deep breath and lower her face back down (at an agonizingly slow pace). He knows exactly what's coming and his white skull pales even more. He tries to plead to his girlfriend for mercy but it was already too late; she blows a succession of big long raspberries along the side of his neck, from shoulder to ear, even one under his chin. Tabi was completely done for after that; he couldn't even speak anymore. By the fifth one his body lays limp as his booming laughter slowly fades into silent wheezes.

Ayana knew it was time to stop after that. She leans back a bit as she watches him gasp for breath again. He puts his arm over his face to wipe away the tears that had fallen; he could still feel the tingling aftershocks of the tickling lingering on his neck, so he rubbed that away as well.

Caressing Tabi's cheek, Ayana asks, "You okay Tabi baby~?"

He opens his eyes again, "*panting softly* ... That.. that was evil..." he says while trying to glare at her, but with how worn out he was it probably looked more like a tired frown.

Ayana could hear the hoarseness in his voice, and he looked like he was too exhausted to even get up from the couch, she kind of felt bad.

"Aww... Would some warm milk make it better?"

Tabi thought about it. As embarrassed as he was about the whole thing, he couldn't find it in himself to stay mad at Ayana for very long, not when she was being this motherly and caring. And he could definitely use a drink right now.

"hm.... maybe. Can you make the vanilla milk?"

Ayana smiles and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek (making sure to avoid his tickle spots this time) "Of course~ ".

With that, she gets up and walks to the kitchen, returning with a warm cup of vanilla milk sprinkled with nutmeg not long after. Once Tabi finishes, they return to their previous snuggling position on the couch and they fall asleep content.

The End. ♡

Oh good grief I ended up writing a whole one-shot. 🤦🏾‍♀️ Sorry if I overdid it. 😅 But hopefully this will help serve as enough inspiration for what you need to draw.

I hope you like it. 😊👍🏾(stay tuned for part 3)

I've been sleeping on this for months, it's finally complete!

They made out at the end

Anyways, holy shit fellas, this took a minute to create (⁠-⁠_⁠-⁠;⁠) I wanted to add more but I wanted to get this out asap and needless to say, I had a baller time.

As my previous post suggests this is gonna be my last post for a while. I want to expand my audience and focus on other fandoms other than fnf (when I branch out, I tend to attract a lot of attention)

Stuff like Villainous, Spooky Month, Pokemon, Murder Drones, Mandela Catalogue, and OC content are some ideas I have. This won't mean I won't have fnf content (I'm especially working on my fics over my hiatus.

I don't wanna be a one trick pony anymore, I need more diverse content on my account. Anyways see y'all then, I suggest not sending anything until I return. Byeonara for now~ (⁠✿⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠)

Part 1

[horrortino]

WHOOPS I started this blog and disappeared 👻 My bad! Work has been kicking my ass, and then I got sick 🙃 But!! I’m better now and here with a few recent horrors I’ve watched, and a few of my thoughts.

1. Five Nights at Freddy’s - 4.5 ⭐️

I went and saw this in theaters the day it came out. In fact I got off work early just to do so LOL. I really liked it overall, it was fun and goofy. The story we got of Mike Schmidt’s life was pretty interesting, and I liked that it combined quite a few elements from several of the games. My only critique was that it wasn’t as scary as I had hoped, but also I do realize that a majority of FNAF lovers are probably children so it had to be a bit tamer for them. Also Matthew Lillard? Delectable.

2. SCREAM - 5⭐️

A classic. One of my top favorite horrors. It has everything I want: blood, violence, clumsy killers, silly characters, and of course, Matthew Lillard. It has an insane amount of quotable moments, and it’s entertaining all around. Also, is it me, or is it insanely homoerotic sometimes? That, of course, rounds it to a full 5 stars.

3. The Craft - 4.25⭐️

I had never seen this one, surprisingly. I know I would have loved it as a teenager. The fashion in this movie is iconic. It’s not really horror by my standards, but it does have a few ~spooky~ moments. Mostly, it’s a coming of age movie for weird girls. It had Skeet Ulrich in it, which I had only ever seen in SCREAM, so I was like, holy shit it’s Billy Loomis. He has a way with playing terrible, horny high school boys, I guess.

4. The Boy - 4.25⭐️

Even if I gave this a 4.25 I LOVED this one. The twist was something that I caught on to, but was still so satisfying. I only docked it a bit because of the ending. It just…did not give me what I wanted from this film, but that may just be personal preference. *Vague but possible spoilers* I mayyy blame this movie for my rediscovery that I really, really like masked slashers. If I was Greta I might have stayed in the house. Idk. 👀

5. Brahms: The Boy 2 - 4⭐️

This is the sequel to The Boy, and it was definitely a good one! However because of a couple characters and sort of changing up the origins of The Boy, it didn’t quite make it to GREAT. Worth a watch, for sure though. Some of the reviews were pretty harsh for this one but I certainly didn’t think it was bad. If dolls creep you out though, steer clear 😂

ANYWAY, those are my thoughts! I kind of fell out of reading this last month, but I’ve got several horrors lined up so hopefully I can get a few more books finished by the end of the year. I’ll probably also post these movie quips every once and a while and just share a few I’ve been recently watching.

Lots of love, ya boy Val

[iantimony]

midday tuesday

sort of getting a handle on the volume of work i have to do. ough. writing this tuesdaypost while i wait for the initial step of a simulation to finish running so i can see if what i'm doing is correct.

listening: listening to haken's fauna album again because i'm seeing them live soon (!!)

next listening (against my better judgement because you can probably figure out where i live based on it): local bar had some bands this past weekend, i missed the first group (dopplepopolis) unfortunately because i am chronically late to things that don't have consequences but allegedly they did a holst mars cover ?? which sounds fascinating and i'm so mad i missed it. the second group was alright (the lunar diamonds), pretty good stage presence and they clearly had a lot of fun but their original songs were a little forgettable to me, their cover of psycho killer WAS a banger. i'm very sad they don't have that put up on spotify. but the third group (please her). oohhhh baby. i fell a little bit in love with the lead singer, not gonna lie! i went and listened to their spotify and while some of it really doesn't hit the same as the live performance it's still very fun. she had a spray bottle full of water and was periodically spritzing the audience. at the very end she was like "welcome to church, you may be seated" and had us all sit/crouch on the floor to listen to her announcements about the band over a groovy backing track. their bassist is INSANELY good too. mans be slappin that thang. they listed their genre as "scorpion core" which i still do not understand but god bless 'em.

anyways. they have one album out right now (bandcamp / spotify) and it's worth giving a listen. favorite track: 12 @ the Party, followed closely by Fellas!. i will probably buy it next bandcamp friday.

the lunar diamonds only have one track up on spotify but it is one of their originals that i found toe-tappy: Treads

i'll have to give the band i missed a chance but it will likely not hit the same as if it were live. c'est la vie

finally, haven't finished the release radar for this week yet, but i do really love ethan bortnick. the way he meshes classical-inspired piano with the alt beats is just so fun. hide n seek

reading: next mdzs book came in from the library! truly nothing like the rush of getting the notification "your book is ready to take out" before the estimated date :3 so i'm a little ways into volume 2 now, we're in yi city, xue yang is soooo much more obviously desperate to get xiao xingchen fixed in the book than in the show. loser (affectionate)

watching: next verse same as the first. dungeonmeshi and kill la kill with boyf. the kelpie animations were really fun and also the kraken !! good shit. there are other posts that have explained this better but i love the way trigger is animating the backgrounds. as for klk, we're on ep15 now! i have forgotten sooo much of this show, nui harime showed up and i was like oh SHIT i forgot about her !! entirely!!! so it's been a really fun rewatch.

playing: ran dnd saturday and played dnd on monday! saturday dnd defeated the mdzs dancing fairy :b at some point i will probably design something that involves finding a haunted arm pointing in a direction to reuinite its body a la nie mingjue but we've got some very strong anti-undead characters in this party so that may not go over very well. monday dnd involved getting hunted by a spooky fey hyena and getting robbed by a goblin group. something something goblin microaggressions. still fun even though i was VERY sleepy by the end of it.

making: pottery that i FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH ... i was like "i'll take pics at open studio saturday" and then the kiln was running so, on one hand, yayyyy kiln! on the other, no pics for this tuesdaypost. so. more pics next week. i did make some hopefully-teacups for my bf, depending on how severe the shrinkage is, but these are the smallest items i've been able to make (0.5lb clay) and it's sooo much harder than i thought it would be. pics with ruler for shrinkage measuring purposes

you might catch in the first photo that the top cup has noticeably thicker walls than the others ... don't worry about it ......

eating: coconut fish and tomato bake thing that i added too much lime to by accident but still tasty... sheet pan tofu and brussel sprouts!!!! so this is an elite one, adding to the arsenal. literally just halve the sprouts and cube the tofu, drizzle w olive oil and salt and peppy, roast at 450 til its. done. whenever. while that's roasting make rice. the sauce is 1:1 ratio of tahini to hoisin sauce with minced garlic to taste. it is To Die For and SO easy. last night roommate made turkey meatballs with couscous and even though the couscous burned just a little bit it was still yummy!

misc: turns out ... if your body wants ~9 hours of sleep a night but you make it live off of 7 for weeks on end ....... eventually you will get sick LOL. probably partly alcohol ibs stuff but still. sunday was a total wash for me and i went to bed at 10pm and felt normal monday morning. so. i need to just be going to bed earlier (pain). work this week not as terrible at least. i am doing my shit that i need to be doing and it's going okay! which is good because i'm calling it an early week kinda for that concert hehe. oh valentines day! boyf got me a little leatherman multitool keychain and it's so cute and i love it, and i got him a bird scope phone holder so he can take bird photos easier!!!

[pearblossommina]

ToG Read-A-Long, Kingdom of Ash, Day 10

So - it’s come, today’s the day, in reality, the read-a-long is finished!

(But I’m still just barely starting part two - Gods and Gates)

I have no intention to stop now

It’s a delayed read-a-long, but I’ll keep reading

Ch 68

Dorian bird - to Dorian mouse! He’s really getting the hang of this shapeshifting thing

HE BURIED THE WYRDKEYS IN SHALE ROCK Dorian, baby, I love you, but what the fuck. If you weren’t gonna bring them with you, why didn’t you just leave them with Manon and the others?!?

(What if you die - literally - what are you going to do if you die)

(I swear to god if you die I’m going to throw this book at the wall)

Oh no. Maeve is here.

Ch 69

I still think Darrow is a piece of shit, and it’s kind of amazing that he has so little respect for Aelin after all that she’s managed to accomplish. I think Lysandra didn’t do her any favors pulling the shapeshifter decoy game, but she has a point. The army, the whole armada, and all of these warriors, are here to serve Aelin, not some dusty old man from a random court in her kingdom. He better learn soon to start affording her some respect. What more can she possibly do to prove herself?

Ch 70

Oh god damn it. I love how Maeve and Erawan knew Dorian was hiding there the whole time and STILL decided to have their casual conversation and catch him up on the plot. Now he knows Aelin is safe and that Chaol is probably safe - and all about Maeve and her valg heritage.

But also, uh oh, he was found

(Shit)

(Okay)

(You better learn fire power real quick)

(Unleash flames and fuck this Valg queen up)

Ch 71

Um? Uhhh.

Of the two evils, I would definitely describe Maeve as the lesser, since she spent centuries just playing Fae Queen, compared to Erawan who actually wants to take over the world - it’s possible that she could be bargained with and allowed to stay in this realm. They both do want the same things - in a way - to shut the doors and bar all other valg from ever entering. I find it very interesting that Dorian is willing to ally with her. But I do think offering her an alliance through marriage is a bit much, Lmao. If anything I’d let her help with the key quest, wield them to seal off the Valg realm and send Erawan back, and then tell her to fuck off back to her own continent, never to darken their doorway again.

Dorian’s really interesting right now. He’s right here in the thick of it. I don’t want the scene to change to another character but I get the feeling it’s going to real quick here.

Ch 72

Yep, lol

Aw, but that scene between Gavriel and Chaol was so sweet. Maybe you can let him father your kid; too. Or he can be like, sort of a grandfather. Since your kid probably won’t get to know their own grandfather.

Did the Ironteeth witches leave because Manon summoned every witch to her legion? Or are they still here to make life worse for everyone?

I mean - they’re not HERE - so, hopefully they’re doing the cool thing and joining forces with Manon.

But the air is stagnant, and maybe something horrible is about to happen.

Ch 73

MAEVE. I want to believe that you are our friend, that you just came from a spooky, shitty planet and you truly do like this world and want to stay here. I want to believe that after Erawan is destroyed, you’ll behave yourself, and won’t try to bring about the end of life as we know it. But I don’t trust you? You kind of tortured the main character - viscously - and you psychologically tortured Rowan by making him believe that his first mate died pregnant with their child. Like, listen, I think people can come back from the dark side, but you’re pretty deep in it, Maeve. You have got a LOT to atone for, and if you think befriending Dorian is gonna make up for everything then you’re fucking wrong.

Ch 74

Gross

Super uncomfy.

Good thing Erawan didn’t want it

I hated watching her shapeshift into Aelin. how dare you use her likeness - after what you did to her! You disgust me, Maeve

Ch 75

(You guys got this)

(Don’t give up)

100,000 is a lot but you guys got this

Ch 76

“Not all Valg are evil.”

This is so bizarre. Is this really the same book where Maeve was torturing Aelin? Are we really gonna brush that off? In theory - I love this idea - a villain redemption - sure - I’m stupid and I love that trope - but what the actual heck?

In the same book?

In the same book with Aelin over here suffering lingering trauma and wishing for it all to be over? Wishing herself dead?

I’m not saying I don’t believe in the ability for a person to change

It’s just!

Maeve?

It is so sudden? And it is so jarring?

Ch 77

Shit

So do we trust her, or is she just as bad as we remember?

(Ugh I’m so tangled up inside)

(I felt like she was trying to open up, trying to be his friend)

(If she cares about spiders she can care for the other creatures of this earth)

(Maeve - we don’t use dark mind control magic on our friends)

(So if you’re really friends….)

(Stop)

(Let him go)

Ch 78

Wow

Ok

Hell yeah

Not bad, Dorian. Holy shit. You actually did it. You actually got away. With your life, and all three keys.

And you didn’t kill Maeve, even though she tried to double cross you

Wow

Hell yeah

[jungwnies]

hi maeby baby!

it’s so cool that you’re majoring on ESL! im sure you’re doing amazing (also psychology? yup yup you’re amazing yup) are there any other languages that you speak? i think I remember you once mentioned you’re also learning korean so… polyglot queen shit 👸🏻💅🏻

but yes, are there any other languages you’re interested in or if you weren’t doing ESL what other majors interested you? >.< i really want to know!!

im planning on applying next year for english literature and linguistics so fingers crossed 🤞🏻, i don’t remember if I mentioned this before but i actuallly graduated high school in 2020 but i didn’t want to immediately go to university + the pandemic was fresh out if the oven so there was just no way i was going away and risking getting sick, since I was a little kid i always wanted/aimed for studying university outside of the country so this past two years I’ve been preparing for that and hopefully next year finally it can happen u.u

this week i finally finished brooklyn99 (i crIED :((( and started rewatching glee (it’s my fave show, im pretty sure this is like the 20th time i've watched it lol)

now i will begin watching spooky themed movies (but not scary-scary like i don’t do horror) i know im watching coraline (my favorite all time movie), paranorman and the brides corpse but i don’t have any other more ideas so if u have any suggestions I’ll gladly take them ^^

(also I’ve been blasting new jeans the whole weEK)

hope this week goes well, eat your meals, rest, drink your water, breath some fresh air and remember im here for you (⑅˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈  )

love you !!<33 - 🧸anon

:)) yeah i guess it is pretty cool and psychology is something i’ve been interested in since high school. im able to speak obviously english, but also tagalog, bisaya, a little chinese from the classes i took in high school, and currently learning korean :) if i wasn’t doing ESL i think i would probably be doing nursing or psychology, completely different from wanting to be a teacher right 😂

good luck with your applications i know you will do well and get accepted into many universities you plan on applying to 🫶 last year most of my classes were online thankfully, but speaking of getting sick i just caught the cold 🤒 i think my uncle gave me it because he kept bothering me when he was sick 🙄🙄 it’s okay though because this means i can stay home and work on some things i haven’t had time for recently 🤞brooklyn 99 is one of the funniest shows i’ve watched but i never finish it, i just keep it on in the background, but recently i finished watching the good place with kristen bell (definitely one of my favorite shows) i really love horror movies so i’m not sure i can help you with that 😃 but i would say definitely watch the nightmare before christmas and coco (coco is really good 😋)

i’ve been listening to a lot of xdinary heroes lately, their vocals are to die for 🙏

make sure to take care of yourself too love 💕💕 sending you hugs from far away :)

[thingswhatareawesome]

1.6 thoughts, spoilery

i liked the trl continuation, it was a fun little mystery, and i like how spooky and creepy the abandoned space station areas were. kind of did that ambiance even better than the heliobi event areas. the critter stuff was v cute, and i liked it didn't take long to do, just a couple evenings for me. fairly simple but still fun.

rm is a fucking mad scientist. just fascinating how helpful and nice she's seemed, and how she's so calm, serene, graceful--but also obsessed and really WEIRD. not just wanting to create life, but an eminator of the swarm jfc what NO. good lord. also, the whole not giving a shit about her creations if they're not geniuses is uh, a tiny bit on the eugenics side so yeah.

constrasting her with ratio is interesting. he's arrogant, smarmy, cheesy, but is sort of an opposite in not wanting genius to be deified. yeah he hates dealing with stupid people, but it seems more like his attitude about it is to educate and spread knowledge, and so a non-genius can just do for themselves without needing geniuses. i wasn't expecting to like him super much esp with potential connections to ipc, but honestly he amuses me and rm scares the hell out of me now. so much for the so helpful person from the sim u.

have tried and cleared gold and gears I and II, attempted III twice only to fail on last boss both times (once messing with prop path, then using guide recommended remembrance). close the first time, super close the second time but a small mistake avalanched. went back to II, figure i need to do get clears using certain dice at that rank anyway, and i obv need to get more points for the track that buffs stats and such. have tried a mix of teams with fire mc and luocha--with combos of argenti, dhil, and jing yuan, then today with a recommended team of the first two and jl and dhil. when i'm ready to try III again i'll do that team then with abundance path instead, per the same guide.

idk this makes a little more sense than how swarm was presented? but once i get the erudition path i think i'll be able to go back and make sense of swarm better. i think it might feel easier in comparison maybe too. but yeah once i get clears on III idk if i'll go on to IV. definitely won't ever be bothering with V. my goal is really just the erudition path, not to be completionist, even with the rewards

(doesn't help i'm already v tired of this new sim u anyway, i don't like *having* to grind normal sim u every week as it is, at least it's not got 'finish in x turns' stuff like fh, but it still stresses me out a lot. and my brain does NOT do well with do x grind thing over and over and over and over x1000 when it takes a long time. grind calyxes? fine, takes minutes i'm done. sim u grinding taking what like 45m to an hour is like...god that sucks. esp if i try to do multiples. it's SO goddamned much time. i need to be able to do things in short bursts, or to have a long grind be like on you do it a couple times a week. not over and over every evening for who knows how long. ugh. gonna be hard to keep myself doing it but i want to actually get the path this time.)

put some work in on building blade, but it might go slower bc esp with g and g i need to finish caelus' main fire trace at the least if not all, maybe alternate him and blade main and stats for at least some variety on crimson calyx farming. hopefully i get done with that by the time ratio shows up @__@ looks like hanya and xueyi will be waiting a bit.

[asenkaengel]

Just for curiosity, if I were to write for a certain someone, would anyone read it?

Just for science.

[sisterspooky1013]

Only One Choice, Chapter 3

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

A week passes, and her interaction with Agent Mulder fades into the recesses of her memory. She files it away under “times a cute guy hit on me,” alongside overly friendly waiters and optimistic students.

She and Ethan’s anniversary is coming up next week and she’s been grappling with the best gift to get him; something practical or indulgent? He is a prolifically thoughtful gift-giver and she feels pressure on each special occasion to select the perfect thing to give him, though the pressure comes only from herself. She’s contemplating this as she finishes up an autopsy, replacing the organs in the chest cavity and suturing up the Y-incision.

“Dana,” the pathologist about to come on shift calls out to her, “someone is asking for you.”

“I’ll just be about ten minutes, Trudy. Who is it?” she returns, gently settling the young woman’s liver back into her body.

Trudy shrugs. “Tall guy in a suit, cute, dark hair.”

She feels a flutter in her belly and then immediately chastises herself.

“Tell him I’ll be right there, please.”

She apologizes internally to the decedent as she rushes through the final steps, not taking quite as much care as she typically does.

After scrubbing her hands and fixing her hair, she steps into the hallway to find Agent Mulder sitting on a bench. His back is against the wall, his long legs crossed casually as he studies the art hung opposite him. He looks so composed and confident it unnerves her.

“Agent Mulder, what can I do for you?” she asks, forcing confidence she does not feel into her own voice.

The smile that lights up his face when he turns to look at her makes her flush, and she can feel the heat in her cheeks. Being unable to hide her emotional response behind her fair complexion has always been something she resents.

“Scully, good to see you. I wanted to follow up on the Dugan case, you said you were interested in understanding the motivation behind your autopsy findings,” he says as he stands and walks towards her, his tall frame looming above her such that she has to look up at his face. He stands close enough that she can smell his aftershave and see the stubble coming in on his cheeks.

“Oh, yes, I was curious about that,” she replies, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. Why does this man make her so nervous?

“If you’d like, you can meet with the lead behavioral analyst on the case. They can tell you how they drew parallels between the wound pattern you observed and the perpetrator profile,” he offers, a slight tilt to his head as his green eyes jump around her face as though he’s trying to commit it to memory.

“That would be great, thank you. You really didn’t have to do that,” she replies self-consciously, feeling as though she asked for something she shouldn’t have, even though she’d never requested this.

“Do you have time today?” he asks, lifting his wrist to glance at his watch. She knows it’s just past 4 pm.

“Um, yes, actually, I’m done with classes for the day and that was my last autopsy. I was just going to do paperwork for a bit, but I can defer it until tomorrow.”

A small smirk flashes on his mouth, but quickly disappears.

“Alright, why don’t you meet them at that cafe you mentioned in, say, thirty minutes?” he asks.

“Okay, that should work,” she replies, “what’s their name, so I can find them?” She should have just about enough time to change and get there by 4:30.

His eyebrows lift as though he just realized he forgot something, and he pauses before continuing.

“Uh, Fox. His name is Fox. I’ll describe you to him, he’ll find you.”

“Fox?” she asks dubiously, “is that a real name?”

He purses his lips. “Sadly, yes.”

“Alright, well, thank you, Agent Mulder. It was, um...it was good to see you again.” She extends her hand with her chin held high, trying to portray an air of professionalism and not one of a girl with a crush, which is how he makes her feel.

He takes her hand and smiles at her warmly, a little something coy behind his eyes.

“Likewise. I hope to see you again very soon,” he says confidently, and she feels her belly tumble yet again.

——————————————————————————

He stands in the hallway until Scully disappears into the staff locker room, then books it over to Cafe Adamo to get a quiet table in the corner. He’s not sure exactly what he’s after here; she has a boyfriend after all. He just hasn’t been able to get her out of his head all week. When the lead analyst on the Dugan case had a family emergency and needed to take leave, he jumped at the opportunity to take over the case, getting a little thrill from reading over her report and incorporating it into his profile. It felt as though they were creating something together.

He watches the clock, a pit in his belly as he wonders how she’ll react to learning that he tricked her into having coffee with him. He barely knows her, but gets the sense that she doesn’t take shit from anyone. That is, in fact, what draws him to her. Well, that and those plush pink lips. He hasn’t been this affected by anyone since he and Valerie split.

When the door swings open and she steps through in fitted jeans and a black T-shirt, he feels a wave of nausea. She’s even more beautiful in street clothes than she was in scrubs, her tiny waist curving up into a modest bustline. She scans the room and when her eyes fall on him, she quirks her head to the side and her eyebrows knit in confusion. His heart starts to pound and he stays glued to his seat, watching her traverse the room until she reaches him and gives him an expectant look.

He holds out his hand. “Fox Mulder,” he says with a guilty smile, and she lifts her chin before tucking it to her chest, taking his hand with a pensive expression.

“I see,” she says, her tone skeptical. It’s clear that she is unsure of his intentions.

“I am the lead behavioral analyst on this case, for the record. I am now, anyway,” he offers, and watches her doubt deepen. What the hell did he think was going to happen, catfishing an unavailable woman into a date? “Will you sit?” he asks hopefully, and she does, though he can tell by her posture that she is one wrong move away from fleeing the scene.

Someone comes by and takes their coffee order, and he sets his profile on the table, getting right to the reason he asked her here lest she think he’s completely full of shit.

“You noted that the victim was stabbed repeatedly in the exact same location, giving the appearance of one wound,” he explains, “we’ve seen something similar with the other victims, and at this time my theory is that the perp lost someone close to them in this manner, perhaps a family member or parent. I believe they’re re-creating the injury that killed their loved one, though because these crimes are so rage-fueled they feel compelled to injure the victim more extensively than just the one wound. The repeated stabbing in the same location provides an outlet for that rage while preserving the one-wound injury that is the cause of death.”

She reads over his profile with interest, nodding along as he speaks. “That’s very interesting,” she says, lifting her head to look at him, and he feels a swell of pride at her praise. “You had to trick me into getting coffee with you to tell me that?” she adds flatly, and now it’s him who is blushing.

She smiles victoriously at having made him uncomfortable, a bright, dazzling, toothy smile, and he’s overwhelmed by how attracted he is to her. He opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again and just shrugs.

Their coffee is delivered and he watches intently as she licks at the foam on her cappuccino. Her blue irises dart up to meet his and he startles at having been caught, picking up his own cup and taking a big gulp that burns the roof of his mouth.

“Your name sounds very familiar,” she begins, “why do I feel like I’ve heard it before?”

“Uh, I had a bit of a reputation at one time,” he says with a regretful tone. “Are you familiar with the X files?”

Her eyebrows lift in surprise. “Spooky Mulder,” she says with realization, “that’s where I’ve heard your name.”

He grimaces. “Not my favorite nickname, but yes, guilty as charged.”

“But you’re in the BSU now? Not on the X files anymore? I’m surprised I’ve never seen you around Quantico,” she remarks, and he can see her relaxing a bit.

“No, the X files division was shut down a couple years ago. I was in the BSU before I reopened the X files, and transferred back after I was reassigned. I’m part of a small BSU team that works out of the Hoover building, so I’m not down here all that often these days.”

“Why was the X files division shut down?” she asks before licking more foam from the rim of her mug, and he shifts in his seat.

“Well, how much time do you have?” he asks with a shy smile, “it’s a long story.”

She returns his smile. “Not that much time. So you’re into aliens and all that paranormal stuff?”

“Well, let me ask you this, Scully,” he says, leaning in, “do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?”

She gives him an incredulous look, but answers. “Logically, I’d have to say no.” He nods and sits back, but she continues. “Given the distances needed to travel from the far reaches of space, the energy requirements would exceed a spacecraft’s capabilities…”

“Conventional wisdom,” he interrupts, “I just happen to disagree with it.”

“On what basis?” she asks, curious but not derisive, which is what he’s used to getting in response to his theories.

“If you’d seen what I’ve seen, Scully, you’d understand why I believe in such extreme possibilities.”

She tilts her head expectantly. “Do tell, Agent Mulder. Or should I call you Fox?” she asks with a haughty tone, though a playful one, and he blushes again.

“Please, it’s just Mulder. I even make my parents call me Mulder. I’m sure you can understand why with a first name like Fox.” She makes a face that says she can’t argue with that, and he continues. “I’ve seen things, Scully, things that defy all logic and can’t be explained by the laws of science. Repeat abductees, men who can stretch their bodies and travel through the slats of a heater vent, prehistoric monsters dwelling in the woods.” She’s giving him a doubtful expression, one eyebrow cocked suspiciously. He laughs a little. “I know I sound crazy, but it’s just crazy enough to be true. When convention and science offer us no answers, might we not finally turn to the fantastic as a plausibility?”

She screws up her mouth, politely suppressing the “you are certifiably nuts” expression that wants to present on her face. He’s used to it, and takes no offense.

“What I find fantastic, Mulder, is any notion that there are answers beyond the realm of science. The answers are there, you just have to know where to look,” she says in a tone that is both playful and sincere.

He smiles at her, sure he looks like a total dope. This conversation is more intellectually stimulating than any he’s had in months.

“You should come see the X files sometime, Scully. Tell me how you make scientific sense of what you see.”

“You have them?” she asks with wide eyes.

He shrugs guiltily. “I may have acquired a few on my way out.”

Her head dips lower in disbelief. “Is that allowed?”

“No, definitely not,” he answers with a chuckle. If only she knew the extent of his flaunting of bureau policy during his time on the X files.

She smiles at him in a way that he can only interpret as openly flirtatious, an acknowledgement that she finds his insubordinate behavior a little bit enticing. As suddenly as the smile appears, it vanishes and she checks her watch.

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” she says as she stands.

“Right, you’ve got somebody waiting for you,” he says with a regretful tone.

She looks at him guiltily, then thanks him for the coffee and leaves. He sits there for a long while, staring at the door she exited through.

“Shit,” he says aloud to no one.

[shinesurge]

I’ve been holding off on making this post because I wanted to try it out myself and get settled in and make sure everything went okay, but seeing as I’ve gone ahead and updated my site and everything I thought now might be a good time to start talking about this publicly! 

If you’ve known me for more than five minutes you know I fucking hate Webtoon, like, a lot. Every aspect of it disgusts me to the core of my being, and while Webtoon is the ugliest version of them the aspects that I hate also extend to basically any comic aggregate site. I hate that they treat artists like content robots, I hate that they treat comic readers like morons who aren’t capable of engaging with complex stories, I hate that they actively try to strip away all the cool parts of indie comics by cultivating sterile and impersonal environments that discourage artistic experimentation and unique expression.

So! I hope you’ll be interested in what I have to say about this new platform that’s (hopefully) going to be out of alpha this summer. If you think you like reading comics on Webtoon, I really encourage you to check out Dillyhub once it launches. That’s the short version, but I have a LOT to say about this! So I’m putting the rest of this under a cut.

Full disclosure, I’m not getting paid or anything for this. The creative outreach at Dillyhub contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I’d be interested in having Kidd Commander be one of their launch titles when they go live this summer. I was hesitant at first, since I actively distrust anything claiming to be For Creators at this point, but they answered my pushy questions patiently and everything seemed on the up and up so I gave it a shot; I’ve been needing a mobile mirror for KC anyway. Eventually they invited me to the alpha creator discord, where they’ve been working directly with all of us artists to improve the platform, and now to be honest I’m REALLY excited for this thing to get off the ground. Nobody asked me to make this post, but since I’ve spent years whining and bitching about how other services do wrong by their creators, I thought I’d talk about this one that’s doing things right.

So, the biggest advantage this site has for creators over others in my opinion is that it. Treats us like individuals, regardless of follower count lmfao. If you’re a new person just starting out with your new webcomic, here’s what webtoon does for you:

Note: you don’t get a custom banner, you don’t even get to choose the solid color it is. That big circle icon is ALSO the image that shows up in searches, but everywhere else on the site it’s a 100x100px square, so you have to choose whether you want it to look good as a giant circle at the top of your comic’s page OR whether you want to look good in search results. Which, by the way, is the ONLY way for people to find you if you’re not partnered. And that’s it! You have no monetization options, you won’t show up on the genre pages, and when someone DOES stumble across your page it looks super unprofessional. Good Luck! 

Now here’s my Dillyhub page(s):

You don’t get a static banner and one icon, you get a whole carousel banner with as many images as you want front and center as soon as you get to the project page. You get seven (custom!) genre tags, as opposed to Webtoon’s single tag you have to pick from their list, and plenty of room to talk about your work. The episodes are even laid out better, you get a MUCH bigger preview space to work with and they’re nice and big on the bottom half of the page:

you know, like they’re actually presenting ART lmfao.

That’s already an ENORMOUS improvement, but here’s my favorite thing.

o hm that’s a lot of super cushy settings I have for every individual episode, but what’s that, Episode Type?

LIKE.

listen, i know this is probably a bit specialized if you’re not a comic maker yourself, but this is a HUGE DEAL. You can post vertically OR page by page! You can even post pages two at a time for double page spreads, or so they read like a physical comic book! AND their specs are really open, as long as the file meets the size requirement you can make it whatever shape you want. You don’t have to reformat all your shit to post here!! I posted the entire first volume of KC STRAIGHT FROM THE PRINT FILES in like half an hour!!! The episodes can also be any amount of pages, you can post a single page or an entire chapter all in one go!

So that’s just the project page for the comic, let’s see what happens when I click on my username there.

Each author gets their own unique page (which you can tack a vanity url to!) to present themselves however they want! You always have the banner at the top, but beyond that you have a ton of options. Among other incredibly useful tools that really should just be bare fucking minimum at this point, like the ability to preview your page on different devices, you start customizing your blank page with this set of widgets,

and from THERE you can customize them MORE, you can promote your patreon or your kickstarter or whatever! Having this creator space ALSO means that if you run several comics, or if you want to promote your comic AND your illustrations, you can just separate them into individual projects! Each with their own page! This is also really nice as a reader because you can subscribe to a creator but you can also just subscribe to specific projects, if you don’t want to get ALL of their stuff in your inbox. It’s so good y’all hh.

Once again, all of this functionality is just THERE as soon as you make your account. You don’t need to be “partnered” or whatever the fuck, you don’t need to meet a certain follower threshold to unlock the ability to operate normally. You get your own creator space to present yourself how you prefer, you get pages for all your projects, you can even set up monetization options (and change them for individual pages IN a project) right from the start.

ok ok let’s compare this to my webtoon page

oh that’s right webtoon just puts your greyed out name at the bottom of each comic and that’s it because human beings don’t make this stuff, my bad lol anyway

Other fun shit that Dillyhub does that makes me feel like they’re people who have actually consumed or made comics on the internet at some point in their lives:

-When you log into the “studio” space, you’re in your creator account. When you log OUT of the studio space, it’s like you swap to a “reader” account, where you can access your pull list and comment on things with a different name and profile icon. Again, maybe only cool if you’re a creator, but if you ARE then you know exactly why this is incredibly useful lmao

-You can set up “hidden” projects, so if you only want certain things to be accessible by certain people or to not show up in searches that’s an option! You have SO much control here it’s great.

-The comment section has moderation options GODDD. You also have a real comment space, you know, so it actually encourages building a community (and a rapport with your community, if you like), and you also can just turn comments off entirely if you want! I haven’t used it much yet, obviously, but it’s been made very clear in the discord that artists want better control over their comment sections and the devs have it on their priority list.

-Absolutely every step of customization gives you a preview before it’s live, so you can easily see what these images you’re posting in different places are going to look like before you beam them to your followers’ inboxes. This includes individual episodes!

-This was sort of in one of the screenshots but it’s important so I’m saying it here too: the option to mark individual episodes as mature or with content warnings, rather than having to mark an entire comic as Mature Spooky Scary Content because of one or two pages getting a bit hairy.

This site is only in alpha right now, and it’s invite-only until they get to beta (for creators; anyone can make a reader account! but they haven’t set up a way to browse comics without direct links yet so) but honest to god it’s already blowing every other site I’ve used clean out of the water. And the staff has been really kind and responsive to us proposing fixes or changes! I will always defend individual websites as being the best option for an indie comic, but everybody’s gotta start somewhere and we NEED something that isn’t Tumblr or Webtoon to fill this role; this site feels a lot more like a symbiotic relationship than any of the other staples available for new creators right now. If you’re a comic reader and you want to see your favorite comics on Dillyhub I’d suggest keeping an eye on this site and once it’s live start poking them to look into it, and if you’re a creator follow their social media and hop in when they open up for anybody to join. I would LOVE to see this site take off as a viable option for hosting and reading comics.

Thanks for reading all this! I haven’t quite finished setting up yet, but if you want to poke around a project/creator page for yourself mine is here have at it. As things progress I’m sure I’ll have more to say, but since I’m usually so aggressively negative about places like this I just wanted to give some credit where it was due. fucking finally.

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 29

First time reader click here

Feels like this story is flopping. Is it flopping? Idk. This chapter is 100% plot and it is spooky. Cursed demon box. Helpful Stephen Strange and grumpy Wong. Hovering Bruce and Tony. Loki being a honorary Gen-Z. Found family but make it ✨superheroes✨.

"That's a lot to unpack," Peter stated once I had given him the bare bones report of the situation at hand. "Uh, are you okay?" The boy was obviously upset at my predicament, placing a supportive hand on my shoulder.

"Kinda?" I offered, making space for Wanda and Pietro who decided to join me and Peter, away from the arguing adults. The mission discussion - an absolute disaster - started as soon as Peter had walked in. Evidently experienced in such matters, the boy ignored the bickering and came over to steal me from Bruce's clutches to peacefully finish his egg sandwich in the company of his peers.

"I wanted to ask if I could see your memory of that time," Wanda meekly offered me a piece of candy. I accepted it - sugar sweet sugar, how I love thee so! The witch continued with a smile: "I think it would be helpful to see what we're dealing with, magic-wise."

"Sure," I trusted her. "Just don't scramble what's left of my sanity, please," All of us laughed at my remark as I laid down on the cold floor with my head in Wanda's lap. Her powers felt like small brain zaps, tingles that began at the front of my forehead and ran down into my spine. I followed her instructions and thought about the times I remembered, finding the box, placing it into my closet, the nightmares. I had a mild headache by the time she was done; no grudges against her - Wanda tactfully avoided my private moments and looked only at the ones containing the artifact.

"You've gotten really good," I complimented her with pure adoration.

"Thank you," She blushed, smoothing back my stray hairs. "That stuff is really strong. I don't think you should go near the box," She admitted. "And Doc should take a look at you. You have a residue left. I don't think that's good either."

"Well, fuck," I said in muted resignation.

"Press F to pay respects," Pietro joked in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Your luck is almost as bad as mine," Peter pointed out.

I scoffed. "Well, if I see any spiders around, I'll be sure to stay away in case they happen to be radioactive OsCorp runaways."

All of us laughed. Despite the grim situation, I didn't feel doomed. I was surrounded by friends and my boyfriends and my bestie who happened to be a mythical omnipotent god- welp, once again, I was getting too emotional. Once the adults were done arguing, we could start making sense of this mess and hopefully clean it up before the monster is out of the box.

"Mortals," I heard Loki scoff. The next moment, the Asgardian sat down noisily next to me, pout on full display. "This house is a nightmare."

His expression - or the accidental use of a meme - sent me completely, tension leaving my body via copious amounts of nearly hysterical laughter. Through tears and hiccups, I saw Wanda cackle with me and Peter show the meme in question to Loki, noting that he had been once sent to time-out on top of the fridge by Tony himself. Soon, all of us were laughing, much to the displeasure of the adults.

"Children, what is the issue?" Thor asked, irritated.

"We're just waiting for you to be done with arguing," I spoke before Loki could start bitching about Thor calling him a child. "Then I can show Steve and Loki where exactly have I buried the box so Stephen can take me to the healers and get this thing out of me or whatever," I pointed out the most logical plan of action.

Two long strides and the sorcerer was standing over me, boom-boom-whooshing and generally making very pretty golden patterns to appear and land on top of me. Tony and Bruce anxiously hovered behind him, both of my boys concerned and ready to mother-hen me. Ugh, so disgustingly adorable. Wanda's hand encompassed mine - she was nervous.

Stephen took a solid five-minute silence break before coming to a final conclusion. "Wong can get rid of the residual traces of the artifact's influence," The sorcerer announced curtly. "It's good you got rid of the artifact, a few more months and you would have started slipping into insanity if the magic within it was not released," He explained, slowly reaching out a hand to place it on top of my head. I wasn't sure if it was a gesture meant to bring comfort or another diagnostic test but leaned into the touch nonetheless. "Tell me, did you have any behavioral... Disturbances after...?" He trailed off.

I chewed on my lip, evaluating. "I honestly don't know. I've always been kind of an asshole," Honesty was the best policy. "Nothing seems out of order, sleepwalking aside."

"I see," Strange gave me a tight-lipped smile. "Perhaps, it was your stubborn nature that forbade the artifact from corrupting your mind completely. As evidenced by Captain Rogers, even undesirable character traits bring good into this world now and then."

That seemed a little bit hostile. I frowned, giving a questioning look to a frowning Loki.

"Speaking from experience?" Not the one to hold back upon witnessing first-grade bullshit, I withdrew from Stephen's touch, raising a sarcastic eyebrow.

Surprising everyone, the man laughed soundly, eyes crinkling at the corners. "I most certainly do," Shooting me a positively mischievous wink. I felt like I was missing something.

The room's inhabitants slowly ticked out in pairs and threes, eager to complete their assigned tasks. Loki had insisted on coming along to the sanctum with me, even almost getting up in Stephen's face, but Bruce - out of all people - managed to calm the Asgardian down, and together we convinced him his magic would be considerably more useful during the retrieval of the cursed box. Loki was worried - everyone with a pair of functional eyes could see that the spiky attitude was his way of showing he cared about me, which made my insides briefly turn to mush. I didn't expect him to take the title of my best friend so seriously and I definitely was not complaining.

Tony was the last to leave, jittery and shaky, clutching me like it was his last time seeing me, kissing me hungrily in front of everyone. The joke or two he made were weak ghosts of his usual sharp snark.

"I love you and I'll be back soon," I whispered into his ear, feeling him freeze and his fingertips dig almost painfully into my sides. Louder, I repeated: "Not planning on dying any time soon, y'all gotta chill. Let's go, doc?" I addressed the tall sorcerer who was tactfully pretending to be busy with his smartphone.

Wanda pressed a duffle bag into my hands mouthing "clean clothes" a split second before Stephen opened a portal and with a great deal of curiosity, I stepped through it, eyes immediately drawn to the dimly lit space filled with books and antiques. So many books, so many unusual trinkets. The chandelier that hung over our heads rivaled the ones I'd seen in million-dollar-homes of dad's friends.

"Follow me," Stephen extended an arm in the direction of a smaller door, "Please do not touch anything."

I walked a pace behind him, satisfying my curiosity by looking around like a child in a candy store. The air smelled different in the Sanctum, almost as familiar as Loki's magic but less frosty... Warmer. A dash of red fabric swished from somewhere towards me; I giggled. The Cloak of Levitation liked me - not nearly as much as it liked Peter though - so I brushed my fingertips along the fabric, greeting it quietly. Talking loudly in this building was out of the question. I felt like any moment, a disgruntled librarian would appear to chastise me for making noise.

"Strange," A short Asian man appeared, book in hand and looking none too happy. Guess that's the librarian... "I got your text. The room next to yours is prepared for the ritual," The man I assumed to be Wong gave me a curt nod in the way of greeting, doing a quick 180° and walking us back to a small but tastefully decorated room with a single cot in the middle. It was pleasantly warm, a small fire lit in the fireplace, willowy smoke of incense rising from a few strategically placed sticks.

"The bathroom is that way. I'm afraid you'll have to be fully nude for the procedure," Strange declared apologetically, pointing to a door hidden behind the divide.

I snorted, but of course, the weird voodoo shit would require me to be naked. Not that I was embarrassed or anything but still. Tony would have a field day. Locating a chair, I dumped my duffle bag on it, flying out of my hoodie and sweatpants in record time. My underwear and socks followed, feet unpleasantly chilly despite the carpeted floor. I ran a hand over the faint bruises on my hips, evidence of last night, fondly - either Tony or Stephen had left marks on my body and that was... It was great. I loved it, drugs or not.

I heard someone clear their throat and turned around, nearly cracking up at the way both men suddenly averted their gazes, blush riding high on their cheeks. I snorted: "I'm hot, what else is new?"

Wong shook his head, busying himself with some sort of a book; Stephen lingered, eyes fixated on the very same bruises. His tongue darted out, wetting the plush of his bottom lip, and damn, this wasn't the time to get horny. I shook my head and with that, the sorcerer caught himself too, mutely motioning me to lay down on the cot.

"Whenever you're done eye-fucking each other," Wong piped up sarcastically - wow, I liked this man already. Stephen grumbled something quiet and rude, provoking another snort from me.

I followed their instructions - shortly after the Asian man began reading - or rather singing - something in a language I didn't know, I felt myself fall into a deep sleep. Or, I thought I was falling asleep. At one point, my eyes opened to an empty room, a thin sheet covering my bare body, and a silence that made chills run down my spine.

"Stephen?" I called out. I sounded like I was underwater to my own ears. "Wong?"

I was met with silence so deafening, I had no choice but to sit up and look around. The fire was burning strong in the fireplace, several logs blackened from it as sparks flew. It took a second for me to realize it made no sound - there was no crackling. Something was very wrong, the dread was creeping up on me.

Very familiar dread.

With the sheet firmly wrapped around me, I hopped off the cot, suddenly noticing the drawings on my arms, my legs. I was covered in runes similar to the ones I had seen on the cursed box - and my memories weren't missing. As clear as day, I recalled messing around with the box, debating on opening it, taking it out of my room only to find it back on my desk in the morning, some serious Anabelle shit.

I jumped as the floorboards cracked somewhere in the house. Every logical thought I had, backed up by every horror movie I had ever watched, screamed at me to NOT go towards the creepy noise; like moth to a flame, I was drawn in and couldn't resist the unnatural urge to investigate it. On silent feet, I padded out of the room, desperately trying not to think about the lonely, dark hallways filled with strange ancient objects. My steps made no noise.

On the couch, in the main room we'd arrived, sitting lazily, was Tony. I'd recognize his hair anywhere - and the Led Zep tee, old, frayed edges and loose threads. "Tony?" I asked hopefully, trying to make sense of this...

He turned around.

It wasn't Tony. Whatever it was, it wore Tony's face, it held his brown eyes and crow's feet around them - it wasn't him. Wrong, like the lack of sound in this place, misplaced and unnatural. The doe browns didn't sparkle, lifeless, dull color of dried mud. As much as I wanted to go and bury my face in his chest, my limbs filled with lead, my whole body screaming "DANGER".

The impostor kept quiet which only solidified my suspicions. Real Tony would be running his mouth already, poking fun at my impression of a sheet ghost.

"Princess?" The... Thing asked in Tony's voice, but it fell flat and monotone.

"Whatever you are, you sure as Hell ain't Tony," I stated firmly, hoping for some answers. "What the fuck?"

Not-Tony's face changed, familiar features twisting into something sinister, the malice making me sick to my stomach. The creature stood up, causing my feet to take an involuntary step back as he advanced slowly.

"You have no choice but to submit," The Thing replied calmly. "You're not getting out of here. Not even your little Asgardian pet god can save you," Its tone was absolutely flat. I would have thought the thing was a robot if not for the obvious involvement of magic in this situation. Its words filled me with dread as thick as molten lava; unfortunately for the creature, unlocking my memories gave me enough rational balance to be acutely aware of it and therefore, able to fight it.

I could fight it. I didn't know how exactly, but I could resist it. "That's a really bold thing to say for something that... What even are you? Magical STD?" As my brain desperately focused on finding a solution to a problem I didn't know all the details of, my mouth had a mind of its own.

The creature growled, a far more primal noise than a human could make. "You don't know what you're up against, child. I am one for we are many," Suddenly, the room was filled with shadows as if someone had turned off all the lights and cranked up the moon to be the brightest it ever was. The shadows moved, oozed, motion sinister without any light to back it up.

I had no choice but to pucker up. Nobody was coming to rescue me; in fact, I always have taken pride in being a self-saving princess. Damsel in distress wasn't really my style. The hunch in my shoulders disappeared, giving way to a stubborn and stiff expectation of the upcoming altercation, hands bailed in fists.

"I mean, like Legion the demon from the Bible?" I recalled what little I knew from Wikipedia. "I mean, I'm agnostic myself, but if you feel like identifying with that, you should probably see a therapist."

The entity growled, shadows gathering around it like fabric on a string, and lunged. Paralyzed by sudden blinding, deafening fear, I turned tail and ran.

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit ​ @littlegasps ​ @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @cutenessloading @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie @mikariell95

[ask-afc-richmond]

does anyone have any plans for Halloween?

Dani: Ooh, muchismias gracias for this ask, anon! I am so excited for Halloween this year! We’re throwing a Richmond Halloween party for the team!!! It’s going to be SO MUCH FUN!!! We’re going to have costumes and karaoke and pumpkin carving, and face painting! (That last one way my idea, and I’m very proud of it 😄) It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I can’t wait!!! Anyways, I hope you, anon, have a lovely Halloween, and… futbol is life!!! (But so is Halloween 😉)

Beard: I’ll be missing out on the big team Halloween party. It’s not that I don’t enjoy spending time with the boys because I really do. I’ve just got plans to celebrate the Sabbat Samhain instead. A pagan group I’m a part of is having a bonfire and hosting a Dumb Supper. For those who don’t know, a Dumb Supper is a meal eaten in complete silence as a way to honor the dead. The following article gives a great overview for those curious to learn more: https://tinyurl.com/5edszp7v

Sassy: Scary movies on the couch and loads of candy, finishing up with a viewing of *Practical Magic* (I'm so proud Nora practically knows it by heart by now)

Jamie: I’m going to the Halloween party and I’m going to get absolutely hammered. Me and Colin found some recipes for Halloween cocktails so we’re gonna try them out. Maybe after the party we’ll watch some horror films, like Scary Movie or something.

Higgins: We’re going to be carving pumpkins during the day, with a Halloween playlist on in the background. Later on, after the boys have been trick or treating, we’ll be watching some spooky films like Hocus Pocus and The Haunted Mansion, and trying not to eat too many sweets!

Ted: I’ll be going to the Halloween party, and I’ve baked a few treats to take with me. I’ve got cupcakes with little ghosts on ’em, spider cookies, and eyeball cake pops. I made some pumpkin pie too, because I hear it’s not all that popular over here, and I figured what better time to try it than Halloween?

Henry’s gonna FaceTime me before he goes out trick-or-treating so I can see him in his costume, so I’d better try not to drink too much of whatever Jamie and Colin are cooking up before then. He’s actually going as Jamie this year, so if Jamie isn’t drunk as a skunk by then, I’ll try and get him to say hi. I’ll bet that’d brighten up both of their days.

Roy: I promised Phoebe that I'll take her trick-or-treating -- She's going as Hermione, and I'll be dressing up as the headmaster. And we'll be staying the fuck away from the Halloween party, 'cause I don't need anyone on the team seeing me or, fucking hell, taking a picture of me in that stupid fucking costume. Wearing those robes just makes me look like a fucking clown with a bed sheet wrapped around me; but Phoebe's very excited about the whole thing, and fuck if I'm gonna ruin her night.

Keeley's also been working really hard these past few months and I got her to take the night off. She's been doing fucking amazing at her job, but shit, I've missed having some proper time to ourselves. I'll be taking her out to her favourite Indian restaurant, a walk along the river, then home for some wine. And after that, hopefully, I can get her to come to bed before two in the fucking morning.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Just Swimmingly ch.7 (BAON)

Summary: Team Rescue is on the way...mostly. Look, they aren't good at names.

Tags:  Spicyhoney, Established Relationships,  Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

~~*~~

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

Edge had been on worse car rides, but not many. In fact, he could only think of one; riding in the backseat of his own car with Stretch unconscious in his lap, his life ticking away in decimals as Edge desperately clung to Blue’s instruction that he should think of healing magic as similar to making a hollandaise.

It wasn’t ridiculous if it worked and sitting here in this silent car, hyperfocusing on the mostly empty roads with Blue next to him radiating grim determination and Antwan in the backseat, Edge found himself thinking of hollandaise again.

The mental picture of the saucepan was strangely easing, keeping his turbulent thoughts occupied. In his memory, Blue’s voice was preternaturally calm as he reminded them that all the butter couldn’t be added at once because the mixture would break. Edge followed the direction coming from his phone as the voice assistant instructed him in its robotic way to turn left, (you need to add the butter a little at a time) turn right, (whisk it in), your destination is on the left.

It was only when he pulled into the empty parking lot as directed that the real Blue spoke, his high voice uncertain over the confidence of his imaginary twin, “Shouldn’t the security teams be here?”

“No,” Edge said disgustedly. He threw the car into park and pressed a knuckle between his eye sockets with painful force. “because this isn’t the right place.”

The dilapidated sign over the empty storefront declared with a spooky if faded cheer to be ‘Spirit Halloween’ but the only spirits in this place were the ghosts of customers’ past.

“My brother’s sense of humor,” Edge said, “he’s sending us a message. We went trick or treating behind his back and here’s his trick.”

“Of course it is,” Blue muttered, sinking back in the seat. His gloved hands were tight in his lap, a mirror to Edge’s grip on the steering wheel. “Papyrus probably warned him hours ago that I’d left home. He would have been ready for something like this.”

Edge picked up his phone, his bare thumbs moving with cautious swiftness over the screen. “Yes, he would. Which is why we’re going to follow the other tracker now.”

“Other tracker?” Antwan leaned over the driver’s seat to look at the new directions scrolling up the phone screen. His laughter was uncomfortable, more nerves than humor. “How many trackers do you have on your brother?”

Not as many as he has on me, Edge did not say. “On a normal day, only one.” Edge pulled back out onto the empty street, following the monotone drone of the GPS. “Sans set it up for me when Red pulled his little disappearing act after California and then reappeared to wreak havoc on my kitchen.”

“He did what?” Blue asked and Edge winced internally, barely keeping it from showing on his face. He wasn’t at his best, that much was certain, spilling secrets out in a spreading pool, but caring about that would have to wait. There were only so many directions he could pull his focus for now and Blue was hardly going to take out an advertisement in the paper if he heard anything he shouldn’t. A bit of gossip when it came to office relationships and the local scandals aside, Blue was one of their diplomats and he was well able to use appropriate discretion.

Hopefully, his definition of appropriate did not include asking Red any uncomfortable questions at a later date.

“It doesn’t matter. As I was saying, I usually have one tracker on my brother just in case he gets it into his head to face something he shouldn’t alone.” Edge didn’t quite roll through a red light. Better to not get pulled over by the Ebott police if he could help it, Embassy security certainly had enough on their hands right now without having to handle minor traffic violations. “Except, as I said, Sans gave it to me. Which means it’s only as accurate as Sans wants it to be and he has an unfortunate tendency to match my brother when it comes to deciding he knows what’s best for other people.”

A certain sourness fell over Blue’s expression as he nodded. As both a younger brother and a diplomat he was quite familiar with the ongoing irritation of overprotectiveness, even as he often did the same to his own brother.

“Which is why tonight I added my own tracker to Red’s jacket,” Edge said, “I would have followed that one first, but I was hoping not to reveal it so quickly if I could help it.”

Blue hummed thoughtfully. “You don’t think he’d be expecting that?”

“Of course, but I think he’d have a harder time finding and disabling it. Stretch made it for me.” The memory of his maniacal delight when Edge told him what it was for was briefly allowed, as well as his satisfied triumph when he presented Edge with a device that was the size of match head, tagged with near-microscopic hooks reminiscent of Velcro that were made to catch and cling to any fabric with a mere touch.

His design was with the Research and Development team now, minus the tracking device, as they worked to find a use for it that would allow for them to sell it to Humans, along with a dozen other things he’d created. So many of Stretch’s designs ended up that way, patents in which he was not named used as bargaining chips to help keep their coffers full. Stretch always declared that he didn’t work for the Embassy and that much was true. Instead, he worked for all of Monsterkind, that clever mind of his working to get them the funds they needed establish a place in this world. Only a handful of people even knew it and while Asgore could be foolishly soft-hearted on occasion, he wouldn’t considering paying a large ransom for any citizen on the street, even if they were married to Edge. Stretch was important past his twitter feed and it would be narrow not to suspect that these kidnappers somehow learned about it.

This time the tracker was leading them to the other side of town, down on the north side where the neighborhoods were filled with condemned houses and boarded up businesses. The only industry that thrived there were liquor shops whose windows were barred, manned by cashiers who spent their days behind a thick layer of bulletproof glass. His car was going to stand out like a sore thumb, but it couldn’t be helped. He wasn’t about to waste anymore time by stopping at the Embassy to borrow something more discreet.

At least he could worry less about reprisals from rolling through stop sign; the Ebott police presence on this side of town was minimal.

They made their way through the empty streets without incident. It was late even for the criminal element and a glance down the alleyways they passed showed them filled with shadows that could have been trash cans or curled up humans sleeping amongst them.

Some of the children from the Y lived on this side of town. Actually, most of them did and some of them might well be sleeping on the street right now…no. He couldn’t think of that at this moment, one thing at a time. He couldn’t afford to have his attention ping-ponging around inside his head, not when their destination was in sight.

This time, there were plenty of cars parked in a semi-circle around the building, floodlights pouring from their windows and flashers circling on their rooftops. Embassy security teams were made up of Monsters and Humans, and there were plenty out there in their uniforms. The Ebott police were going to throw a fit about jurisdiction, of that he had no doubt, but that was going to be a tomorrow problem for the Legal department and their FBI connections.

One of the security personnel approached the car as Edge pulled up, both hands raised in a gesture that could either mean for them stop or for him to offer surrender. Edge rolled down his window and he ducked his head inside the car. “Sir, your husband and his friend are both fine,” he said without preamble. “This area is closed off, you should—”

“If you even suggest that I should leave, you’re going to be reassigned to the elementary school playground for the foreseeable future,” Edge said evenly.

To his credit, the guard’s expression did not change. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sir. I was going to tell you to park over on the north side,” He pointed to a clearing off behind the other cars. “Your brother is waiting for you up at the entrance.”

“Of course he is,” Edge muttered. “I’m sure we’ve kept him quite entertained with his version of hide and seek.” But he obeyed the direction.

He parked a fair distance away from the circle of the security vehicles and got out of the car, Antwan and Blue at his heels. No one else approached, the rest of the security team keeping a respectable distance away out of either direction from their leaders or simple self-preservation.

Standing near the warehouse entrance and out of the glare of the floodlights was Red, burrowed into his jacket with a Styrofoam cup in his hand and a cigar smoldering between his teeth. As if warned by his instincts or, more likely, through the curling earpiece that was stuck into his audial canal, Red turned to them as they approached. His grin was irritatingly knowing and familiar, pleased as a punch to have held them off long enough that everything was finished but the cleanup.

And yet, it was also such a comfort to see that smirk that Edge nearly went weak at the knees. He wouldn’t be smiling that way if Stretch or Jeff were hurt, even his brother’s sadism had its limits.

“what took you so long, you stop for coffee?” Red snorted. He held up the Styrofoam cup. “coulda brought me some, the shit they’ve got here’d give battery acid a run for its cash.”

“Yes, of course, we got stuck in the drive-thru at Starbucks," Edge snapped. “You’ll forgive me for not bringing enough for everyone!”

Before he could even demand a report, Blue went on past him. Parking lot gravel scattered under his booted feet as he stormed up to Red and swatted the cup from his hands. He paid no mind to the coffee sloshing out over their shoes, his small fists knotting into Red’s jacket front as he hauled him in close to snarl out, “WHERE IS MY BROTHER?”

Even through layers of forced calm, Edge could still appreciate the sight. It was certainly an unusual one. Blue was shorter even than Red and he wore no oversized jacket to give his small frame an illusion of bulk. The overwhelming visual was that of a tabby cat attacking the local tiger and if it were anyone else, Edge might have tried to intercede. It was possible he could have saved their lives, if not their limbs, had it been anyone but their innermost circle.

As it was, he tensed until his brother said mildly, “easy on the threads, baby blue, this’s my favorite jacket. my only one, too. they’re still upstairs. they ain't hurt, so we're lettin' 'em come down in their own time. ain’t no need to rush ‘em. think they needed a mo’ to catch their breath, s’all."

Blue didn’t wait for another word. He let go of Red and turned to the building entrance, running towards it. No one tried to stop him, though Edge noted with approval that one of the security team peeled away from the others to follow him at a discreet distance.

Antwan looked as if he was considering chasing after Blue, but he hung back. With the suspicious nature of a good lawyer, he asked Red, "If they’re fine, why aren’t you with them?"

"sweet that you think me bein' there would be some kinda comfort," Red snorted. "already saw 'em. head on up if you want, we've already cleared away the rest of the honey bun’s little scooby traps." Red offered them a vicious slash of grin. "your liability might need a new rating, he's damn creative when he’s got a hair laid across his ass just right."

That was enough for Antwan. He headed off in the direction Blue had, leaving Edge alone with his brother.

Edge waited until Antwan disappeared before he asked, low, "Where are they?"

Red only looked at him with mild reproach. “toldja, upstairs. what, you think i’d bullshit you on that?”

“I don’t mean them.”

Red was shaking his head before Edge finished. “nuh-uh, nope, not a chance. you ain’t gettin’ a look at those asswipes outside a courtroom. you’re keeping your toes behind the yellow line on this one, sneaking backstage ain’t happening, little brother.”

“I need to see—" Edge began heatedly.

“you fuckin’ don’t. you want to see and your wants ain’t on the list, not this time!” Red lowered his voice, “i get you wanted firecrackers and this is endin’ on a wet fart for you, but i ain’t explainin’ to the honey bun that i stood here and let you add a fresh shovelful of xp to your load on his account. so whyn’t you head upstairs now and go get your liability, huh? take him home and let us handle this, you can read the report tomorrow, yeah?”

Suspicion filtered through Edge’s strained temper, cooling it. Something of his brother’s little speech rang wrong to Edge; it was too consolatory towards him for their normal tastes, something was off here. Now that he was looking at it without his frustrations clouding things, there was also the matter of him leaving Stretch and Jeff alone; comforting presence or not, it was difficult to believe that Red would let them out of his sight unnecessarily. As shrewdly as he could still manage, Edge took a closer look at his brother.

Red did not have any LV but that certainly didn’t mean he had no trauma. His tells were subtle, unnoticeable to anyone who hadn’t watched them develop straight from the gutter. Eye lights slightly narrower than normal, his cigar clenched between too-tight teeth, the rare crackle of crimson magic arcing across his fingertips like a stray bolt of lightning.

There was something Red wasn’t saying, but there was no point in trying to fish it out now; he’d need better bait and Edge already had one in the net to deal with.

Better to leave it as it was. Even if the issue festered, his brother was unlikely to allow it to affect his work. It was difficult not to lay a hand on his brother’s shoulder, however briefly. Edge resisted the absurd impulse. It would not be appreciated. Unwanted concern was more likely to make things worse.

Instead, Edge nodded curtly and headed for the entrance. His boots clacked loudly on the cement floors. Security was milling in the hallways, others crouching over scorch marks and a strange overflowing mass of what looked like multicolored foam oozing down one side of the stairwell. Superfluous information, none of it mattered. He followed the subtle cues from the security personnel, the glances and occasional points that came without questions leading him up the rickety stairs to the second floor of offices and storerooms.

On the landing, a low sound caught his attention, a familiar voice crooning softly. Edge nearly skidded to a stop outside one of the rooms, looking in the open doorway to see the Swap brothers sitting together on the floor, holding each other tightly.

“hey, bro, shh, i’m okay. they didn’t hurt us, sans, i’m fine,” Stretch was saying. Blue was in his lap, clinging like the child he no longer was, and Stretch was rubbing a gentle hand down his brother’s back, leaving behind sooty streaks. He looked up, soft white eye lights catching on Edge still standing in the doorway. His cheekbones were wet, his wide sockets drowning in tears. Stretch scrubbed his face with the sleeve of a shirt that was not his own and managed a tremulous smile. "hey, handsome, miss me?"

He’d seen Stretch only hours ago, dressed in clothing stolen from Edge’s side of the closet and offering flirtatious kisses before walking out their front door. Now he was in baggy clothing that belong to neither of them, the shirt nearly hanging off his narrow shoulders and his bare legs sticking out from the bottoms of the too-short pants to leave the delicate bones of his feet filthy and exposed. All of him was filthy, his pale tears left clean tracks down his cheekbones and Edge did not know what Stretch had done to free them both, what he’d endured until he could., couldn’t begin to imagine it. Or perhaps he simply did not want to, and the precariously thin layer of Edge’s calm finally began to crack. All his desperate worries surged in through that first line of weakness to fill his face and then downward to soak into his aching soul.

"Don't—" Edge choked on the word, unsure what he was even going to say. Don't joke, don't dismiss this, don't ever leave me. He walked over and fell to his knees beside them, hardly feeling the warning jolt from his leg as he pulled them both into his arms rougher than he'd meant. Unnecessary, Stretch came easily, willingly, settling into his embrace exactly as if he belonged there, and brought his brother along for the ride.

"hey, i'm okay," Stretch said, pitching his voice for them both. He rested his forehead against Edge’s, settling a gentle hand on his sharp cheekbone with a sigh. "we’re okay, babe. it's okay."

"It is not okay by any stretch of the imagination,” Edge said hoarsely. His own hands were moving over Stretch, cautious of his lack of gloves even as he convinced himself that this was no dream, these well-loved bones were real. “And if you make a pun on that, you can ride home with my brother."

“wouldn’t joke about it, babe.” Then Stretch promptly made it a lie as he teased, “hope i get extra credit for not stretching things out, actually, ‘cause i sure didn’t get my ‘stay out of trouble’ badge tonight.”

“Pappy,” Blue moaned. His grip in the awful shirt Stretch was wearing twisted as if his disgust needed a physical outlet, “honestly, must you?”

Edge barked a laugh, hard and pained, but in his soul there was only giddy lightness. “No, you certainly did not. I would say any claim that you didn’t find trouble would be stretching things.”

Another groan from Blue was interrupted by a scuffing sound behind them. Edge jerked around, but it was only Antwan holding Jeff in his own tight embrace, whatever whispers between them too low to be heard. Edge hadn’t even noticed them when he first came in and the faint guilt from that was too small to be borne, already swallowed up in overwhelming relief.

Safe, they were both safe and unharmed, and Edge set his anger back, holding it in reserve. No matter what his brother thought, this was not over, and he would not be relegated to the injured group to recover, not this time.

But first, he was taking his love home.

tbc

[justal0wk3yg4mer]

Things I've Said: Devil May Cry 2 (Spoilers)

Me: *Player/My Actions* Character Dialogue

For a minute long intro I have so many questions.

Hopefully I can toggle the camera in this one. *Started playing* Aaannnd can't toggle.

Girl where are you from?

Go kill this evil man and I will tell you a story...well I'm sold.

Why do I not trust that. Oh yeah, maybe the spikes?

Devil Trigger? *Reads info* Nope, just some demon bird. Fun.

It's the thing from Prometheus!

Vroom vroom bitches.

An infected tank? I'm getting Prototype vibes right now.

How come the infected helicopter gave me more trouble than this ugly fuck.

This is some RE shit.

He looks like a bitch.

*Starts humming spooky scary skeletons.*

If I kick your ass do I get your dogs?

That was such a random mission, I don't even know what to say.

I skipped his whole story. Was that important?

Not easy, we've still got like 6 missions left.

I really don't like the throbbing.

Fuck this level. Seriously fuck this level.

THE FUCKING SPIDER!!

Please no hentai.

Can I go to Hell now?

WTF is this boss battle?

Nice one liner.

Bitch you need to die...like right now.

What is that spark-oh she's crying! That's some anime shit.

Damn, they got the whole crew together. Gross.

What's up motherflocker.

Costume changes? *Looks* Oh no, not with that ascot honey.

Wait! Hey! Where's my story!?

Overall not a bad game (It was one of those that I finished in a day). I played as Dante and, I felt, during this game he was a little more serious than in the first game. Which is interesting to me because I've seen that he is a lot more 'extra' in the other games. Also that finale boss? WTF Capcom 🤣