#my favorite detail is the ferns

[eulaliasims]

me, staring at the empty space next to the laundromat: hmm, what necessity does this small, stagnant town desperately need? me: a liquor store, duh.

Some of the bottles are dusty, despite the lazy breeze stirred up by the fan, and the floor is slightly sticky. A faint odor of spilled beer lingers by the refrigerators.

[farthaus]

o torture of thought! o sad lament! we wish we could quiet you! we wish deep down, to ourselves, to suffocate this hydra for good!

[fernisfat]

idk if you'd find it weird but i'd def would fuck your belly and your fat pussy endlessly if i had the chance.

bestie I mean this so lovingly but this is one of the least weird messages I’ve ever received, i 100% support you and your desire to fuck my belly and whatever holes you’re interested in 💕

[adachimoe]

2009 Persona Club P4 Profiles

I've posted Adachi and Yukiko's before, but this is a collection of all their "YHVH" (Yasogami High Visual H) social media profiles.

The protagonist doesn't have a profile due to him being the silent protagonist.

Yosuke

Nickname: Isn't "Prince Walking Disappointment" kinda mean?

Greeting: Yo!-Sup? This is Yo!-Su?-Ke's room (... I tried ...)

Favorite music: Something you can listen to and play. Guitar owns!

Favorite Food: Fruit flavored throat drops cause they're good for karaoke (Yosuke can give the protagonist a Fruity Fruity Throat Lozenge in dungeon chats; also in the evening hangouts during Golden)

Least Favorite Food: Tofu - sorry Rise!

Dislikes: Cockroaches they're black and rustle around and move so quickly ugh

Clubs: People who commute on bikes, Wanna go to Junes?, Delicious Homemade Food, Trial of the Dragon

Inbox: "DVD!!! DVD!!!" (from Chie)

Parting words: Saving up for a scooter (these profiles are before Golden came out)

Chie

Nickname: Kung Fu Girl

Greeting: Check this! Hyah!

Gender: Girl!!!

Favorite food: Meat

Favorite animals: Hamsters, bunnies, and other tiny animals

Dislikes: Math, insects - the enemy of all mankind

Favorite movies: Kung fu

Clubs: Trial of the Dragon, Burning Dragon, Fans of Animals w/Tiny Eyes, Meat Lovers

Inbox: "Return my world history notebook" (from Yukiko)

Yukiko

Nickname: Yukiko, the lady of the house... Sigh...

Greeting: Hello~ Chie invited me

Likes: Japanese food, dogs (you see, one fateful day on the Samegawa... [omitted]) (Talking about her and Chie meeting due to a dog from Chie's SLink and the Golden audio drama)

Dislikes: Nothing in particular, but I don't take well to sex jokes / dirty talk

Special skills: Kimono dressing and table / place setting

Clubs: Japanese clothing fans, the Go Home club (for people who aren't in clubs), Let's visit the dam, Fans of Showa Era music

Inbox: "Lemme bathe in the hot springs again" (from Yosuke)

Kanji

Nickname: If you call me bald, imma punch you in the face

Greeting: I'm Inaba's Runaway Train

Likes: Ototo (animal crackers), Homerun Bars (topsicles)

Hobbies: Sewing, knitting, peeling the wrappers off of Homerun Bars

Clubs: Let's Sew, Knitting Cafe, Delicious Shops in the Central Shopping District, Hawaiian Quilt Enjoyers

Ideal fight: One without rules

Inbox: "Hey, I got the rare submarine!" (from Yosuke; this was "rare penguin animal cracker" in English)

Rise

Nickname: Risechi / Risette, duh!

Greeting: Where a young maiden's secrets get revealed

Likes: Hagakure special from Hagakure Ramen

Hates: Japanese ginger and royal fern

Favorite people: Senpai / the protagonist, grandma

Least favorite people: Indecisive and unreliable people

Clubs: Cafes and Sweets of Okina city, Tofu Lovers, How about Kanami Mashita?, Fans of Animals w/Tiny Eyes

Inbox: "The best sweets around are..." (from Teddie)

Naoto

Nickname: The detective prince

Greeting: Hi there, my upperclassmen invited me

Gender: No comment (As in, Naoto wrote "no comment")

Favorite book genre: Detective novels due to work

Likes: Putting myself in danger (longer explanation of what it says in Japanese)

Dislikes: Women's clothing - especially anything revealing

Specialty: Working with machines, been doing it since I was young

Clubs: Linux Fans, DIY PC Builders, Fans of Mystery Novel Narrative Tricks, Beginners Fashion

Inbox: "Let's get a bucket ice cream parfait tomorrow" (from Rise)

Lastly, Nanako, Dojima, and Adachi don't have the high school social media profiles, but they still have regular profiles nonetheless.

Nanako

Likes: Dad, big brother, Risechi / Risette, everyone else in the Investigation Team, Junes

Dislikes: Fighting, shiokara (fermented fish guts; it seems that Dojima keeps these in the fridge in P4 lol. She uses some of them to make the Slime chocolate in Golden.)

Specialty: Singing the Junes theme

Dojima

Likes: Nanako, beer

Dislikes: Working, physical tasks that require attention to detail (I'm clumsy)

Specialty: Judo, reading one's character

Adachi

Likes: Sushi (especially uni), beef, cabbage dishes

Dislikes: Paperwork, cleaning his room

Specialty: Revolver maintenance

Here's the full post of Adachi's profile w/the fanart pages too

Teddie's is. Uh. An experience. I'll post his sometime else cause I think I'm not 100% sure how it should be handled. Like he fills out [gender/sex] (they're the same character in JP) as an emoji of a woman and the words "I live for love". Which I feel like is best interpreted as, "Sex: Yes please". But hmmmMMMmmm.

[boku-no-anime-phase]

Some of my favorite details from Frieren

Frieren "don't pat my head" The Mage patting others' heads

"those clouds look like boobs! I should tell Fern about them later" "WHY"

Fern having all these hangups about Stark princess carrying Frieren, Frieren having absolutely zero hangups about Stark princess carrying Fern

Fern correctly ascertaining Frieren's feelings about the mirrored lotus band - it represents something to both of them that neither of them is prepared to articulate

Stark and Frieren start to pray before meals when they overwinter with Kraft (Fern was already doing it); a couple years later when they winter with Sein they're still doing it

The comically overlarge food

It's just such a good show.

[ozzgin]

Prehistoric! Reader going trick or treating with Baki and the twins or something ion know or prehistoric reader and pickle seeing someone dress up in that blow up dinosaur costume please tell me you know what I’m talking about 🌚 anyway love ya stuff

I was wondering how to make everything Halloween themed, and then I thought this would actually be a nice opportunity to bring Pickle home instead. Everything would be decorated as if it came straight out of the Cretaceous. Everyone shows up as a particular dinosaur. As the idea hit me I became very nostalgic and remembered my favorite Disney movie, Dinosaur. So I made it a Dinosaur Halloween. :’)

Baki Headcanons: Prehistoric! Reader goes Trick or Treating

Special Halloween Edition 🎃 featuring the Baki characters and our recurring prehistoric reader! Also the kids.

[More Prehistoric! Reader]

It’s Spooky Season and Baki wants to introduce the prehistoric family to the ghoulish fall holiday. Truth be told, however, he’s not quite sure anymore just how much of the effort is for the twins and how much is for his own enjoyment. He feels like a little child once more, giddy with excitement as he plans costumes and activities.

Honestly, it’s rather impressive how involved the fighters are. Then again, how often might one have the chance to witness ancient humans reacting to modern celebrations? You’re not entirely sure what all the agitation and shuffling is about, but the men have reassured you the kids will enjoy it. Pickle himself is also terribly curious.

Baki has gone as far as to convince multiple people to actively participate, so when the time comes most of the men are costumed themselves. He guides you and Pickle by the hand and the twins are running around you in circles. (Professor Payne has, by the way, exhausted all praise regarding their fast motor development) What better place to improvise a haunted house, if not the beloved Underground Arena? Doppo Orochi is waiting at the entrance in a T.Rex costume, holding the head under his arm. He found the idea terribly funny, attempting to recreate his first encounter with Pickle back at the enclosure. You immediately recognize the suit and chuckle at the memories. As the twins surround the older man in awe, it dawns on you that they never had the chance to see an actual dinosaur. The smile you had earlier is now tainted with a pang of melancholy.

Following Doppo’s train of thought, Jack has attempted to reminisce his sneaky trespass with an aquatic theme. You won’t catch him dead in an actual suit - where would he even find something for his massive size? - but nonetheless he’s improvised a t shirt with a Mosasaurus print. The children’s attention is now drawn to him. He exchanges a glance with his younger Hanma sibling and reveals a bag containing mysterious garments. Jack excuses himself briefly, retreating with the twins, and brings them back shortly afterwards. Except this time they seem to be wearing some squeaky appendage filled with air. Both you and Pickle observe with raw fascination. It looks like they’re riding a small dinosaur, but their actual legs are underneath the strange costume. Pickle claps his hands, impressed.

Inside the Arena, Retsu and Katsumi are putting together the final details. There are tables overflowing with food, sweets, drinks and carved pumpkins. There’s an eerie atmosphere coming from the decorations, yet the overarching theme is not of the horror realm. You stop in your tracks and your mouth hangs open in surprise. There are artificial trees and ferns scattered all over, making the arena look like an actual jungle. Among the greenery you can discern the outline of a massive Argentinosaurus, its long neck reaching just below the ceiling. A small pack of feathered Velociraptor cutouts is placed further ahead. It looks like they’re chasing something. As your eyes follow the scene, you spot an injured Pterosaur, dragging its large wings behind. Everything is static, a snapshot frozen in time, yet you can almost hear the wailing croaks and the shuffle of the claws hitting against the ground. You can suddenly smell the moss, and feel the humidity on your skin. For a mere second, for a fleeting moment, you’re home.

Something jolts you back to reality and you notice Pickle’s hand on your shoulder. He has a worried look on his face and you realize you’ve been tearing up. It’s nothing. You shake your head to reassure him and his eyes narrow in a smile, similar to yours. He’s been thinking the same thing. Your ears are abruptly pierced by a shriek and both of you turn back in a panic. The kids are screaming in excitement, running away from Baki that seems to be imitating a Triceratops. Katsumi comes to their defense, squatting low in his costume resembling an Ankylosaurus. A fitting choice that allows him to showcase his powerful whip, using the clubbed tail of this sturdy, armored warrior.

“Pretty decent work, huh?” Old man Tokugawa approaches you and Pickle with a wide grin. “We can’t let the kids miss out, can we? I had a whole team prepare everything under the guidance of Professor Payne.” He hands you a small, empty bucket. You’re confused. “We might not have any real dinosaurs for you to hunt, but I’ll show you something similar. It’s called trick or treating. Let’s see what we can find in this fake jungle.”

[piscesmoonpress]

skinny-dip inside your mind by spacexcowgirl (@spacexcowgirl)

Through the smoke and dark lighting, it’s hard to make the man out, but his looks really don’t matter. This isn’t about what Regulus wants in a partner, it’s about what he needs to survive. At the moment, he’ll take whatever he can get.

Pairing: Regulus Black/James Potter Fandom: Harry Potter

I'm so excited to share this bind that I made for Rose, who wrote one of my favorite jegulus fics over the span of a single weekend, and messaged me about it incessantly the entire time.

Turning this story into a bind was so fun, and I'm incredibly proud of the way it turned out. Hopefully, I managed to do this masterpiece justice.

Quarter-Letter | 23,433 words | 157 pages

Title Font: Clavichord Body: Fern

Typset and bound by me in InDesign for @spacexcowgirl.

Making the typeset for this bind was a bit of a process I wasn't prepared for. Previously, I made all my typesets on Word, and the switch over to InDesign was not an easy one. That said, I have officially been converted, and I am so proud of the way this one turned out.

Rose said that she imagined this story as a bit dreamy, though given that it's an incubus fic, I did got in a bit of a gothic direction. All the design details, excluding the eye on the cover page, is done using the Fern and Clavichord fonts, including the motif on the back of the bind.

This was also my first quarto, which was a fun challenge that I wasn't expecting to enjoy so much. I can confidently say there will be many quarto binds in my future—this one was quick, easy, and addicting.

Materials and Techniques

Cover Bookcloth: Duo in Mudbath Spine Bookcloth: Iris in Black HTV: Siser Brand in Red Endbands: Mettler Silk Finish Thread

The only new technique I used in this bind was the double-core french endband, which I learned from @no-name-publishing as a part of the @renegadeguild binderary tutorials.

The binding itself is a three-piece bradel bind that I used before on my Choices bind. It's slightly adapted from the DAS tutorial to accomodate a flat spine, as this book was a bit too small for my comfort to round, but otherwise used all the same steps.

I recently acquired a few yards of Duo in various colors, and I absolutely fell in love with the mudbath color for this bind—the contrast of the blue and the red gives it a very dreamy look. The spine is Iris bookcloth, which is a favorite of mine because of how well it foils. This bind is photographed on misprints, of which I had quite a few, given that this was my first quarto.

skinny-dip inside your mind is free to read on ao3, here.

[uncivilizedelk]

Hello!!! I watch your videos all the time and my favorite quote of yours is from the Martin's Story video, "Adventure Time is amazing at retconning small minor details and making them retroactively more important." I'm a writer, so I think about this A LOT. i just wanted to ask HOW do you think they do it so well/ WHY do you think it works so well. Thanks so much :)

I'm tired and not gonna revise whatever I manage to write, so I hope my answer makes sense. 😅 I wanna quickly remind folks that retcons do not have to be contradictory in nature - that's not part of the definition. Retcons that are contradictory are pretty universally agreed to be bad retcons by default. So anyway, how I see it is... The Adventure Time world is really open and free, in the sense that its fantasy magic allows for pretty much whatever you want to happen in it. That aspect makes retconning a lot easier and reduces base-level inconsistencies in some cases.

The next one is purely my gut feeling. AT had new writers/storyboarders/etc. join over time while others left (like Penn himself), but it seems like everyone working on the show really loved it, so they put in a lot of extra effort and love when continuing its legacy.

AT has a whole lot of foreshadowing! Having occasional retcons (that aren't contradictory) feels like a non-issue when so many other events have plenty leading up to them.

AT retcons are often used as a means toward following up on established events or characters arcs (for example, Manfried & Crunchy & 'Punchbowl' were retconned as part of a new arc for Princess Bubblegum and to continue the Finn-Fern fiasco). So I guess I'm saying retcons that serve purposes beyond just the retcon itself are more likely to fit well.

[corduroykoala]

I've been rewatching Frieren and was struck by just how effectively it uses montage to tell its story.

The passage of time is a huge part of the story, so montage is an obvious tool to employ, but Frieren uses it for more than just skipping to more interesting parts. Yes, that is often the goal, but it is also done in a way to demonstrate that time is passing. The montage in the first episode stands out��seeing a young shopkeeper appear much older just a few scenes later—as does the one used while the party waits in the Cabin with Kraft—Fern and Kraft are initially the only ones who pray at meals, but then Stark joins and, eventually, Frieren does as well.

My favorite montage, however, manages to convey not just the passage of time, but Frieren's perception of it. Relevant clip and discussion of it below the cut.

Throughout the series, we're also frequently told how much time has passed since Himmel's death, which serves to accentuate the passage of time as the characters—particularly Fern and Stark—get older. Fern is twice as old at the end of the season as she is at the beginning. The viewer can understand and relate to her experience of time.

In contrast, Frieren explains in the first episode that the ten-year journey with the Hero's party was short to her as an elf, not even one-one-hundredth of her life. On her journeys, we're constantly reminded of how short months and years seem to her, though it's generally played off in a light-hearted manner, juxtaposed against Fern's desire to continue their journey and not linger in one place for very long. To the viewer, this may make sense logically, but it is difficult to fully comprehend as a human. It's a lot like trying to understand the difference between one thousand and one million.

Episode 10 plays out largely in flashback, detailing Frieren's relationship with her master. After a fifty-year jump in time, Frieren is told to live in obscurity until the time comes when she can kill the demon king. Cue montage.

We see Frieren do as she was told, living a (mostly) quiet life as time passes. We see a small community grow into a village, a town, a walled city. We see a thousand years pass in about a minute of screentime. End montage.

We then see Himmel and his party approach Frieren to recruit her. It's a fairly standard Himmel flashback, demonstrating his uncanny insight and calling back to Frieren's meeting with Flamme. Then, the music falls out and—

Before you can even say the word montage, it's over. Five frames in rapid succession. The entire journey—ten years—in a single heartbeat. Painfully short, barely enough time to even understand what you just saw. One second in a video 100 seconds long.

This quick sequence captures just what that journey was like for Frieren. Of course she didn't get to know Himmel better. How could she have been expected to? It was barely any time at all, just one one-hundredth of her life.

This is my favorite montage in Frieren. It made my breath catch in my lungs the first time I watched it, and it did the exact same on rewatch. I love this show and I am incredibly happy it was renewed for a second season.

[latibvles]

one hell of a reunion.

a continuation of this, but from Buck’s point of view, which was fun to write. this is for the prompt "reunited". trigger warning for discussion of character death & depictions of injuries — Viv references a beating but doesn’t go into explicit detail. Our favorite pilot isn’t doing too well! Don’t look too hard at any historical inaccuracies it’s my party and we can have some inaccuracies for the plot as a treat.

—

i.

There is nothing quite like it: the dread of waiting.

He’d felt it during the week without Bucky, when Brady showed up asking for him about three days after Buck himself had wound up here. It was miserable, waiting at that fence like some kid waiting for the mailman. Miserable still, when Inez and Harriet came the day after Bucky, asking about the rest of their crew, and Buck quickly realized he was not done waiting.

They talk about it: what and who went down — although it’s more like Inez talks about it and Harriet’s head hangs low in a way Buck’s never seen before, and it kills him a little bit. She’s got a black and blue bruise curling around her eye that he doesn’t ask about for the sake of not losing his own mind on one of these guards.

Two unlucky bastards from the 95th were their stand-ins for Willie and Jo, the former in the hospital, the latter probably on her way to the flak house. He could see it, Viv fighting to get in the air anyway because everyone else was going.

“It was like our whole tail got blown off,” Inez is holding Harrie’s hand tightly, like she might slip away otherwise. “Fighter jets tore up our whole waist. Then there was a rocket. Engine fire on the way out. We lost Fern, Carrie, Lorraine.”

There are two sides to waiting.

Knowing that three of them wouldn’t be coming home doesn’t bring any comfort. Knowing three of them were still out there, probably, perpetuates the restlessness Buck has been feeling for days.

June, Lena, Viv — Benny starts pacing around so often that Buck thinks he just might start digging a trench that takes up the whole block. Bucky and himself are little more than ghosts staring at the fence when the siren goes off, a few steps behind Inez and Harrie, the former clinging to the fence like a lifeline or a promise.

As much as they all knew nothing was guaranteed, there were still parts of them that wanted to believe some things could be. Even Buck himself wasn’t immune to it: being shot down never once occurred to him, Bucky being shot down two days later never occurred to him. The prospect of Viv dead somewhere never once crossed his mind. To his credit, neither of them would ever let him think like that if they could help it.

And so he hates this: this waiting, the hoping, and the dreading, and all that comes with it.

There is no privacy here. They feign it anyway. They pretend not to hear Harriet’s quiet sniffling on the first night, up in the third row of bunks. That nearly kills Buck. By the fourth night, Bucky laments in a quiet mumble how he didn’t set things up right with an air of finality to it that doesn’t sit right in Buck’s bones. He doesn’t push for details. He doesn’t have to. Your move, Viv, is all Buck thinks, into the silence of the room. Now or never. 

That last part, even in his head, sounds like her.

It is four more days of trudging along. Eight days — longer than a week, and on that eighth day, Buck doesn’t bring himself to wait by the fence anymore, and neither does Bucky, so Crank goes instead with the girls. There’s something implicitly unsafe about leaving them alone in a place like this, and Crank’s been good to them. Kept his head on straight, miraculously enough, and for that, Buck is grateful. Better than Benny, who paces, or he and Bucky, who are being consumed by their waiting, or Brady, who looks guilty for things he can’t control.

Willie’s back in England after all, but of course John Brady will be guilty over the one, minimal comfort he has.

On the eighth day, Harriet practically knocks the door down — a bat out of hell — and Buck can’t believe he’d forgotten how much of a livewire the girl could be. She’s flush-faced and panting, but still points decisively.

“Need… hah… one’o you big boys… Cap ain’t walkin’ right,” is what she says between wheezes. “M’not… not tall enough.” And Buck startles, half-because he thinks Harriet’s about to collapse but she bats his hands away with a smile and a “Not me, you goof! Over there!” Gesturing wildly to the outside, and Buck follows her as Brady moves to get Harriet water and guide her into a chair. Bucky’s right behind him as they step out into the grayscale yard.

They walk maybe a couple feet before stopping and Bucky says exactly what Buck is thinking.

“Holy shit— Viv?” Disbelieving, gaping, even from a few feet away. Buck recognizes the faces instantly: the bright red of Lena Connolly’s hair and the golden blonde of June Cielinski.

“That you, Cleven?!” It’s Lena who speaks, not Viv. Viv currently has an arm slung over Crank’s shoulders, leaning on him. Buck knows it’s taking Bucky everything in him not to break out into a run like a madman, but they’re both moving with a sense of urgency.

It doesn’t take a genius to know they’ve been through hell.

There’s a split running through June’s lip and the three of them look gaunt and tired. Lena still smiles from ear-to-ear and he reaches out to give both June and Lena’s arms a meaningful squeeze. They were careful now, with the girls — not wanting to draw attention to them with loud welcomes and tight embraces. But he lets Viv use his shoulders as Lena recalls that their pilot’s been limping since the crash and took a hard fall on the train platform. There’s something relieving about the weight on his shoulders and how real it feels.

“Should get that checked out. We could ask around about a doctor.” He keeps his voice low. Viv shakes her head and lifts her gaze and Buck finally sees how tired she looks, dark circles coupled with a bruise on her cheek that has his jaw clenching.

“Don’t need it. I’m fine.” Her voice is hoarse, scratchy. Buck’s brows furrow.

“You kidding? You can barely stand.”

“But I am.”

“Viv—”

“Cleven I swear to God—” Viv snaps. Cleven, not Buck, not even Gale. He doesn’t think he’s heard Cleven leave her mouth since Nebraska. He isn’t sure if those fingers digging into his shoulder are a means of grasping onto him tighter or a means of warning him like the way a dog bares its teeth. And then she reels back and breaks away from looking at him — her voice softer like she’s remembering who he is. “Just… I just need to sit. And get the boot off.”

This is not the woman that he knows. Maybe he’s seen her in passing, but Buck’s not used to these bared teeth being flung around so carelessly. She’s already made up her mind. Bucky gets the door on the way in, and June and Lena take off with that whirlwind swiftness that’s so intrinsic to that whole damn crew. Viv hasn’t said a word still.

They make it to their room, to girls in a tight embrace, and they wait until Viv’s eased into a chair to shower her with the same relieved affection. Her eyes just flutter shut for a moment with a long sigh as Harriet hugs her head. Everything is in motion, except for Viv herself, and that sight unsettles Buck to his bones. June is walking past to throw herself into Benny’s embrace, so tight that Buck thinks for the briefest moment they might crush each other into dust as Benny buries his face in her hair.

He doesn’t miss the stiffness to Bucky’s shoulders as he grabs another chair and goes about undoing Viv’s boot, he doesn’t miss how neither of them have hardly said a word. Viv reflexively reaches for Buck when he pulls the boot off, squeezing the life out of his wrist and face contorting into a wince — her whole damn ankle swelled up like a baseball. Bucky looks up, Viv looks down, Bucky looks at Buck.

“I’ll go poking around for ice. Maybe an extra pillow.” He rubs on her ankle for a moment before Harriet goes to snatch one of the pillows from an unclaimed bottom bunk to put on the chair as Bucky rises and sees himself out of the room.

Buck would hardly call it a reunion.

ii.

The Vivian that Buck knows and the Vivian that arrived at the Stalag feel almost completely different, and Buck knows that he isn’t the only one to notice the shift. She’s quiet, more often than not. She still waves off any attempt to help her, which she’s always done — but the patience is gone. Maybe not gone, maybe just in short supply; he’ll be the last to complain about anyone being in a bad mood, and it’s not like she’s started breaking things.

She stumbles, once, and there’s at least eight hands there to keep her upright, and it’s the first time Buck’s seen her look ashamed. Avoiding eye contact with anyone who helps her — no exceptions — and he’s pretty sure that part of it is killing Bucky a little bit. It’s killing him too, if he’s being completely honest, in the same way that Harriet’s sniffling on her first night did. The same way that waiting did.

Sometimes cracks of the woman Buck knows seeps through: when Lena says something especially sarcastic, or June and Benny start bickering quietly over their sad excuse of a dinner. He always finds himself looking over at her, hoping for a smile. The most he gets these days is the steely gaze softening a little, a small twinge of the corner of her mouth.

He keeps a careful eye on the other four girls and doesn’t try to hover too much. Bucky keeps things within reach of her hands or in places where she doesn’t have to move too far, but just enough to keep her a little bit independent.

“She’s just gotta get her head right,” The reminder sounds more like her voice than his own, even as he says it aloud. Bucky gives him a skeptical look. “It’s this place. Once she’s walking right it’ll be different.”

“You really believe that?”

When did Buck become the optimistic one?

“I do.” Another week has gone by, and it doesn’t take a genius to know that this place has a way of sucking the life out of you. You either end up restless or resigned. He can really only imagine what it feels like to show up half-alive already.

He gives Bucky’s shoulder a squeeze before heading into the billet, and stepping into the room.

Viv is sitting at her usual spot at the table, foot propped up. They couldn’t do much in the way of ice, so rags doused in water and left out to freeze overnight were the next best solution. Beside her is a half-eaten breakfast of bread and potatoes. He eyes the book curiously, before letting a small smile creep onto his face.

“Don’t let Bucky catch that, he’ll never let you hear the end of it.”

“Oh he gave me the earful last night when I asked him for it,” Viv peers over the battered copy of Runyon a la Carte. “‘Takes a crash landing and an ankle sprain for you to give it a shot’ he said. Kept going on and on…” She trails off, head bowing like a dog with its tail between his legs. Buck can see it now: Bucky, probably trying to make her laugh, and Viv not being able to give him much in the way of a reaction. Do you really believe that?

It’s really the most she’s spoken in days, and Buck feels almost greedy to keep her talking. Like it’s some proof of progress.

“And that ankle?”

“Hurts.”

“Could be worse.” Viv snorts, something sardonic and venom filled as she shuts the book with a shake of her head.

“Oh yeah,” sarcasm seeps into her words, “I could’ve blown up somewhere over Germany. Give you all one less problem to deal with? That’s way worse.”

“Is that what you think?” Gale asks, somewhere between hardly believing her words and understanding them completely. Viv gestures to the space around them.

“That’s what I know,” she counters, like she’s taking root in her stance with no intention to change it. “You’ve got that… that radio you’ve been working on. And when it’s not working right that’s how Bucky keeps himself useful. Benny’s fucking knitting. Most I’ve done since fucking Bremen is taken a beating in a transit camp ‘cause they thought I was lying about June being American. So don’t—” her voice cracks a little bit as it trembles on each word. She looks away for a moment. “Don’t you dare tell me that I’m not a problem sitting here doing fuck-all. I know what I am.”

There’s so much that Buck wants to say, but he’s combing through the words. Because he could tell her about how even in the moment that they’d seen her it was like they could all breathe again. No longer the kid waiting for the mailman — he didn’t care that she wasn’t going straight to work. They just wanted her to be here.

And then Buck thinks of Viv promising to get Bucky back to barracks when he calls it an early night, and Viv wrapping her knuckles after knocking the teeth in of a stranger who’d gotten too close to a replacement, and Viv worming her way up to the control tower to count forts — and doing it on the tarmac, too, hair all mussed from the helmet, scratches on her face. The letters she’d written to crews’ families just because she knew them and would call them friends. A runway in Nebraska, star-filled night: none of this works if you’re not onboard with it, too, Cleven. Don’t make me haul you up here with me.

Christ, she’d been making herself useful since the beginning. Didn’t complain, didn’t have a fit about it, didn’t even expect a thank you. Viv was the last person who should’ve been worried about being a problem.

“Think you’ve earned it — it’s not any trouble, you know that, too,” Buck reaches over to grab the back of her chair, pulling it closer to his own before reaching under the table leg for the half-finished radio he’d been working with for the past few days. “What you are, is alive, and you could ask anyone who comes through that door if they think you’d be better off dead and I think you’d already know the answer to that,” he continues, then sets the radio on the table. “But if you want to be useful, hold this in place for me.” He gestures to the wooden platform that the radio’s being built upon.

Viv looks at him for a long moment, like she’s waiting for something. She looks… small, in a way that he’s only seen in minor increments — when it dawned on them that Curt really wasn’t coming back, or when Dye pointed out how many crews they’d lost by the time he hit twenty-five missions. But she doesn’t quickly mask it like she might’ve before. Her lips, in spite of that small, bordering on kicked-puppy expression, curl into a smile. Something proper and alive, as opposed to the ghost of a lip twitch that she’d been giving sparingly.

“There she is,” Buck can’t help it, and Viv lets out some type of breathless laugh, knowing what he means. She rolls her eyes in a way that’s both playfully annoyed and so, so familiar.

“Shut up, Buck.” She holds the base steady while Buck fiddles with screws and wires.

It’s one hell of a reunion.

[softdykellie]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ motion sickness part ii | ellie w.

previous part here | next part here soon

PAIRING: modern!ellie x fem!reader

SUMMARY: having grown up together, everyone knew eachother in jackson. when a brooding newcomer owner to a tattoo shop comes along apparently charming her friendly florist neighbor things seem to take a turn.

WARNING: alternative universe! purposefully all lower case. multiple part series. not a very eventful beginning as ellie’s relationship with reader is slow burn but it will start evolving after this one seriously trust me!

WORD COUNT: 632

ellie. you tasted her name on your tongue and melted into the feeling, flushed. dina had certainly manifested her wishes into fruition, you thought. stared at the girl for way too long, getting familiar with her features and vacant gaze towards the alcohol filled shelves against the main bar wall, freckles like starry war paint, eyebrow scar, pale green iris, peach pink lips, auburn hair gently brushing her shoulder at length. breathtaking, you immediately named the feeling, but she looked worn, tossed around. you blamed it on the bruised eye, caught onto sky grey vibes.

a silly game blossomed into your heart years ago, the inspiration for your flower shop really: how everyone you meet could be described by the floral language. dina thought hers too common, but it was your favorite, a daisy, standing for loyal love and “i’ll never tell”. jesse, a white jasmin, sweet love, amiability. even abby, coriander. you did not know the girl at all, but you saw red carnations grow behind her in the way spiritualists would claim to see auras. red carnations; “my heart aches”.

“flower shop girl, yes, that’d be me”

“cute” she mumbled sipping on the beer dina had given her before promptly pretending to be busy elsewhere though noticebly eavesdropping.

“you’ve got a lot of tattoos on you” jesse pointed matter of factly, earning a chuckle “perks of the job?”

“the job” ellie repeated his words in light humor as if minimizing her own career with the sound “yeah, i guess. you want one?”

“fuck, yeah! maybe a dragon up my back or or you know a snake, i don’t know, what do you usually draw?”

“pretty things” she answered before taking you off guard with a head movement that pointed you out amongst them all “like her” she twisted her body around to meet your face “what would you get, flower girl? roses?”

“the sun” you answered “what does that say about me?”

ellie smiled a weak smile, raising the sleeve of her grey t-shirt to expose a beaming sun by her bicep, detailed sad expression in black ink across its center. you took notice of everything. ferns and a moth grew from her hand to the very end of her forearm and covered scars you could only assume to have been self inflicted. a sword pierced through the spare space of skin next to a phoenix and finally angel wings alongside a well hidden initial: J. you wouldn’t ask, but you wanted to.

“trying to figure that out myself”

you hadn’t noticed when abby left, only that she was gone when a couple dollars slipped past you towards the ground from the countertops, extra tips for dina. you wanted her extroverted ways to carry the conversation, ask the newcomer about the altercation, but she seemed to enjoy playing dutiful dedicated owner more. small talk failed you, and ellie was uninterested.

you planned out your next meeting in your head, showing up with cookies as they do in the movies, catching glimpses of her sketches on the wall, giving them backstories to fill the gaps. it wasn’t so strange to be eager as you were taking into consideration how rare these opportunities had presented themselves: you never left jackson, not even on vacation. the world was meant to turn on its axis but you were destined to stay still, an agoraphobia rooted into your veins like movement would burst your chest open, bloody and broken. the flowers had been a therapist’s idea: to take care of something innocent as a purpose, exist outside the shell of a body you painfully cared for in pure obligation. your personal garden arsenal though, had meaning. yellow tulips, that’s what you were. the flower for unrequited love. the one tattooed by ellie’s hipbone you were yet to see.

[thecoolerspringbon-t]

Here are some sketches I made of “The Missing Co-Workers event” And some details I enjoyed when making it.

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I have to start with my favorite ending I drew:

The Figurine ending!

I had to draw inspiration from The Creation of Adam painting, no specific reason, I just thought it would look cool.

At first I thought putting everyone of the ending on the planks that lead to the figurine on the Cargo Lift (Image on the left). But I figured, the first figurine that we find in the TSP2 expo would look way better giving that amazing feeling you get when you collect them all! (Image on the right).

I'm happy with the result, I feel like there’s something so poetic about it, like when you first get that ending …

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Ah! The confusión ending!

This one also had some changes, mostly on the first image (Left)

What I wanted is to everyone to be confused! That’s why no one looks happy in it (Except for the people who looked at the fern lol!)

But I also wanted some people to find the pages of Employee 432's lore. So it was either the secret hallway or the archives room.

I figured the archives room would be better, leaving everyone to wonder what they could find there…

Once again, I'm happy with the result on all the whole ending, I think it very much captures the feeling of dread and frustration you get when first playing this ending!

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The silly ones I also enjoyed drawing were the Is This… a Bucket? Ending (left) Mostly because of @mrfisherot Oc, They sent me their cartoon-y Oc but I asked if I could do the literal png character they had and so I did! So he’s just there… fishing… It was so funny, I really enjoyed it!

And the Mariella Ending (right), This one was special! I think it’s the only ending where the oc faces cannot be seen, I felt bad for doing that but I'm glad both @whosectype and @pawl3ss liked the result. And of course, I had to do the Family Guy dead pose LMAO!

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And finally…

The Skip Button Ending…

The people in the skip button Ending were supposed to be on different scenarios (Images below) than the one the ended up being in the end (upper images)

I wanted to capture the same things I felt when playing this, fear, confusion, regret and amusement. I thought to myself “What would they do if they were trapped in a room for an eternity with everything around them changing?…

…And then… having freedom, just to realize everything is gone”…

This was the last image I drew, I remember tearing up from drawing the characters and thinking about the sense of freedom but at what cost?… I still like it, I think about this one a lot…

I'm not sure if I captured the feelings I wanted to portray but I'm still proud. This event was a hell to finish because of problems and delays but I'm so happy of seeing people find their friends on the drawings! to find each other! To find the missing co-workers…

Thank you for reading and participating!

-Spring

[absdoll]

Hi love 🤍 who are some writers that inspire you on here? Looking for more to follow :)

oh my goodness i love this question !!!

♡ @enbesbian ( @enbesbians ) / fern is so unbelievably talented , the way they write & tell a story is unlike anything i’ve read on this app before . the attention to detail is perfect . an absolutely amazing person too <3

♡ @lucidfairies / i blush & giggle & kick my feet reading anything maya puts out , truly unreal ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱₊˚⊹

♡ @abbyscherry / some of my favorite smut ever is written by emi , so creative & the way they write abby makes me dizzyyyyy ! especially lawyer!abby mm so yummy 🍓💕

♡ @wrtinginblood / the queen of kinks , i read through her masterlist like almost daily ʚ₍ᐢ ›̥̥̥ ༝ ‹̥̥̥ ᐢ₎ɞ such a good writer & rlly funny too 🤭

♡ @whore4abby / vanny is an absolute sweetheart & has scrumptious ideas !!! go read anything she’s written , u won’t be disappointed <3

[bobfloydsbabe]

FIC REC FRIDAY | september 8th 2023

one time thing – @seresinsweetie ↳ hangman x reader

WHY I LOVE IT

This one shot was my introduction to Sofi's writing, and what an introduction it was. Opening with the title of the fic, she sets the mood and you know the tone within the first five paragraphs. It's smut, but it's not wild or rushed. Sofi tells this story in poetic and intimate language that shows her gift for painting a picture. I felt like I was standing in the room, seeing the light streaming through the window and listening to the sheets rustle. Sofi makes you feel what the characters feel.

TOP 3 REASONS YOU SHOULD READ IT TOO

➛ Soft and intimate smut that is slow-paced, but still sexy enough to make you feel hot and bothered. I certainly felt it, and I'm sure you will too!

➛ If you like a well-told friends-to-lovers story with attention to detail, this one's for you.

➛ Clear communication throughout and checking in to make sure consent is still enthusiastically given. Jake is gentle and makes sure his partner feels good. We love to see it.

A NOTE ON THE PROCESS

fics are assigned a number. i then use a random generator and recommend you the fic corresponding to the number the tool picks. all recs are my personal favorites. if there's an author whose work you think i should check out, please reach out.

REBLOG TO SPREAD THE WORD AND SUPPORT THE WRITER

TAGLIST: @joaquinwhorres, @wkndwlff, @blue-aconite, @sylviebell, @yanna-banana, @desert-fern, @anniesocsandgeneralstore, @ereardon, @horseshoegirl, @callsign-magnolia, @bradshawsbitch, @laracrofted, @callsignspark, @teacupsandtopgun, @bradshawsbaby, @cherrycola27, @thedroneranger, @seresinsweetie, @bradshawsweetheart, @notroosterbradshaw, @lewmagoo, @sebsxphia, @sometimesanalice, @broketraveler87, @roosterforme, @semperhuggs, @withahappyrefrain, @scarlettwidow19, @seresinhangmanjake, @keyrani

[jokerislandgirl32]

Favorite books??

(I mean everyone in your little family + you) 😇😇

Helloooo! Thank you for this ask! We have decided to list favorite books by ages for everyone below the cut! So, all of our favorite books as children, our favorite books as tweens, and our favorite books teens and adults!

And yes, each family member is responding to this ask!

Please note there is mention of Harry Potter, I (JIG) know the author/books are triggering to some, so please do not take offense to this, I just feel like the books would have been some read by one family member in particular wayyyyy before all the unsavory details came out.

Also, a lot of these books are my personal favorites, or they are books I actually dislike immensely…so my selfship kids liking them makes me laugh 😂.

Zach: As a child I was always partial to The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and the Peter Rabbit books by Beatrix Potter. I also loved How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. As a tween/teenager, I liked the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, the Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Ender’s Game Saga by Orson Scott Card. Now that I’m an adult, I’d have to say The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and 1984 by George Orwell are probably my favorite novels. 

Violet/JIG: As a little girl my favorite book was The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss, there was just something about the “here comes pig feet” line that cracked me up, I also adored Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco. As a tween I loved Grandpa’s Mountain by Carolyn Reeder and the American Girls Books. As a teen and adult I’d say my favorite books were/are Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter (the best nonfiction book I’ve ever read), Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Fear Street Series by RL Stine, and anything by Mary Downing Hahn.

Varina: As a child my favorite books were Winnie-the-Pooh stories, my mom had an entire collection her parents collected for her and she read them to me and all my siblings! I also loved A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon, the Mr. Putter and Tabby books by Cynthia Rylant, and the Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish. As a tween I enjoyed The Tale of Despereaux and the American Girls books. As an adult/teen my favorite books were/are Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel, and I adore any romance novel by Nicholas Sparks. 

Vera: When I was a little girl I loved the Fancy Nancy books by Jane O'Connor, any and all princess books, the Biscuit books by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, and the Junie B. Jones Books by Barbara Park. As a tween I read the American Girl books, but only I enjoyed a few of the series, Samantha was my absolute favorite! I also loved The Secret Garden and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and The Wish by Gail Carsen Levine. My favorite books during my teenage years, and as an adult, are The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, any of William Shakespeare’s plays (Romeo and Juliet is my favorite), and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. 

Victor: When I was little my favorite book was Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, my favorite book series was Curious George by Margret and H. A. Rey. During my tween years I read any Goosebumps book by RL Stein I could get my hands on, I also read all The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, and A Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket.  My favorite book as a teenager was The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, and my favorite book series as a teenager were Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. My all time favorite book as an adult is Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer.

Vallen: The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith was my favorite book as a kid, it was freaking hilarious, and the sequel was almost as good. I also loved the Clifford books by Norman Bridwell as a kid, and the No David books by David Shannon. As a tween I read a bunch of the Goosebumps books by RL Stine. Victor and I were in competition to see who could read the most, he won of course, the dedicated bookworm. In my teenage years and into adulthood my favorites have become The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry, and The Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch.

Victoria: When I was a little girl I loved all of the Eric Carle books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar being my favorite! I also loved all the Little Golden Books, I think my favorite one was My Little Golden Book About God by Jane Werner Watson. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, Each Little Bird that Sings by Deborah Wiles, and the Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder were my favorite books during my tween years. As a teenager I enjoyed reading the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children book series by Ransom Riggs and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. As an adult I’d say my favorite books are Wish You Well by David Baldacci or Go Down the Mountain by Meredith Battle. 

[pfctipper]

hi, i was wondering if you could maybe recommend a few of your favorite novels? i really admire your writing!! would love to learn what's inspired you/what you like to come back to

so sweet anon thank you <3 i haven't read a novel in maybe ten years but would always come back to jude the obscure, the name of the rose, catch-22 and brideshead revisited, and for poetry sassoon, more sassoon, keats, and translated medieval - winters in the world is a great intro to anglo-saxon.

non-fic is probably the biggest influence on how i write to be honest! anything by john arnold on medieval religion, hoggart's the uses of literacy, le roy ladurie's montaillou, eco's travels in hyperreality, bergman's images: my life in film and augé's non-places: introduction to an anthropology of supermodernity. more recently loved the address book and fern brady's strong female character

this is an absolutely insane list sorry. i like liminal spaces and everyday life and i think because of that i like the little details in fic