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heathersdesk · 2 months ago

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Something About Me You Should Know

Have any of you seen that person on TikTok whose whole thing is finding people's birthdays based on nothing but their available social media presence?

I have all the necessary skills to do that. I'm a genetic genealogist. I use commercial DNA testing to help adoptees, donor conceived people, and people with unknown paternity in the United States document their biological heritage and find living family. I'm very good at what I do. I find people, whether they want to be found or not.

I have to exercise a great deal of self-control not to do this to the men who berate me in my comments all over the Internet. They're not worth it. They don't learn anything from the experience. It makes them twice as hateful as they were before because all it does is increase their fear, which is what motivates them to do what they do.

But that doesn't mean I haven't learned anything from it.

I did this to someone from DezNat who was harassing me, and to someone who has been harassing me since the election. Let me tell you what I learned from those experiences.

The DezNat individual was deeply concerned about being perceived as morally correct. They were also in Idaho, not far from me. When I threatened to come to their testimony meeting and reveal who they were and what they were doing, they got scared enough to contact me personally from another account. They wanted reassurance that I wouldn't actually do it. They pretended to be "a friend of that guy" and confirmed the suspicions I had from the very beginning: all of those accounts were being created and managed by a very small number of people. Their network included accounts pretending to be left-leaning, specifically so they could engage in arguments under false pretenses and increase the feelings of loneliness and alienation among left leaning people.

This second case is more recent. They chased and hounded me for three days about voting for Kamala Harris. I lost all of my patience and went to work on election night because I had the time. I learned an incredible amount about this guy—enough to know he was only pretending to be a leftist concerned about Palestine, and was actually a Trump supporter in rural Pennsylvania. I know his stepmother is an Asian Trump supporter, as are several of his half siblings. This is exactly how I know he's a Trump supporter. He doesn't care about what happens to them, and neither does his Trump loving father, who was dumb enough to put his zip code in his Instagram handle.

That guy also didn't learn anything from the situation, but I did. Once again, it's confirmation that people in leftist spaces harassing people the most, including those who appear to be on the left, are actually Trump supporters playing stupid games. Don't engage with them. Block them. Report them.

They want you to be angry and exhausted. They want to take your time and energy away from the work you're doing. They want to perpetuate the perception that the left is fractured and disorganized. They want to put you in the mindset where you attack other leftists because of what they say to you.

There's a reason I use my full name on the Internet and have for years now. I am exactly who I appear to be. You want to show up in my ward or at my house? Do it. Look me in my face and say the things you say online. Put yourself in actual space where I could show you exactly what I think of you. That guy from DezNat knew where I lived. I told him to come. Let me see his face. Let me see exactly who it is that pretends to be my brother at Church but is secretly a predator. Let me see you.

They won't because they're cowards. They're terrified of what they cannot understand. Everything they do is motivated by fear.

Don't waste a second being scared of them and what they can do. Peel off the mask and there's just a terrified mouse of a human being, scared that someone bigger and badder than them is going to come along and eat them. That's why they love Trump so much. He makes them feel strong because they're not. He makes them feel powerful because they're not. He vanishes all their deepest insecurities, which is something they desperately need.

That's why they're scared of you: because you don't need that. And if you ever figured that out for even half a second, you would destroy every illusion they have about themselves and the world with the truth.

You want to taunt a Trump supporter. Don't call them racists or fascists. They don't know what those words mean. Tell them "I know something you don't know." Because you do! You know all kinds of stuff about Trump that they don't know! You know all kinds of things about the world that they don't know. They live in a bubble of their own construction. Point out all the things they don't know because they live in their bubble.

If you're feeling sad and frustrated right now, that's okay. But don't be scared of these people. They're unworthy of your fear. Being unbothered by anything they say and do is the smartest thing you could do right now. Regroup and recommit to ruining their day. That's what they're afraid of, and it's what they deserve. Show them everything they're missing out on by staying in the bubble that was made for them.

Be free and happy as yourself because they are not. That's the best revenge there is: to be full of the unconditional love for yourself and compassion for others they don't have.

#mormon #lds #mormonism #tumblrstake #the church of jesus christ of latter day saints #queerstake #afrostake

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breelandwalker · 9 months ago

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Hey Pennsylvania pals - Are you a fun-loving geek? Do you love the outdoors? Do you love medieval fantasy? Do you love the idea of running around in the woods beating your friends with padded plumbing supplies?

Then come join me and my LARP fam April 27-28 at Olivet Blue Mountain Campground in Hamburg PA for Game 2 of the 2024 season of Xanodria Productions, Inc!

Xanodria (or XPI) is a Medieval Fantasy Live-Action Roleplay group based in Southeastern Pennsylvania, with over 30 years of history and lore and a lively, inclusive atmosphere where all are welcome, whether you're a veteran LARPer or just picking up your first sword.

You can create your own character in a well-established and deeply-immersive medieval fantasy world with many nations, faiths, and professions to choose from. Learn swordplay, magic, alchemy, physiking, and other skills to help you on your journey. Join a faction or forge your own path. Join your fellow wanderers as we explore new lands and battle the forces of evil. Or if you'd rather, join the cast, get your monster on, and give those foolish mortals what for!

(Onsite accommodations for lodging and camping are available. Food is provided with your admission fee and new player orientation is held before every event.)

Visit the Xanodria Productions Inc (XPI) Facebook page for more information or check out our FAQs and feel free to message the staff with any questions you may have.

Pre-registration for Game 2 is now open! Tell 'em Bree Landwalker sent you. 😉

Hope to see you there!

#larp #larping #ttrpg #Xanodria #XPI #Definitely come join us if you can! It'll be on my birthday! 😊

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pagesfromthevoid · 2 years ago

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Safe & Sound | j.m. | 3

Joel Miller x fem!reader

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: Age gap (she’s 32); She’s Frank’s niece. Heavily implied SA towards the end (not by Joel; if you wanna skip it —stop reading when we flashback to 2018)

Author’s Notes: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I like the idea of playing shitty road games with Joel and Ellie

Series Masterlist | Talk to Me! | AO3

“Eyes on the map,” Joel scolded, pointing at the paper in Ellie’s hands.

“Jeez, I’m all turned around –it’s not like I’ve ever been in a fucking car before,” she argued, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. An annoyed silence fell between the three.

In the backseat, she glanced up from her book –a ratty copy of a romance novel she’d read a thousand times already –and looked between the two. Ellie was red in the face, frustrated by her lack of navigating skills, and Joel had managed to scowl even more than usual as he glanced at the girl in the passenger seat. The tension in the car was palpable, and the only sound was the soft hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of pages as she turned them. She could tell that Ellie was on the verge of yelling at him, and Joel's irritation was only making things worse.

“Did FEDRA not teach you how to read a fuckin’ map?” Joel demanded, trying to snatch it from Ellie’s hands.

Tired of the bickering, she sat up. “Why don’t we switch seats for a bit?” She offered, tapping Ellie on the shoulder with her book.

Ellie didn’t hesitate, pulling her seatbelt off and practically falling into the backseat.

“Jesus, could you not –,”

“Joel,” she warned, though her voice was soft as she climbed into the front and into Ellie’s place. She picked up the map, turning it over a handful of times before she finally got her bearings. “It looks like we are…” She pointed at a small town on the map, then out the window as they passed a half visible sign off the highway. “Right outside Everett, Pennsylvania. If we follow this stretch, we’ll run through Kansas City. Is there a QZ there?”

He glanced over at the map, as if confirming she was right, before nodding and returning his attention to the road. “There was. Not sure if it’s still up and runnin’ though.”

“And if it’s not?” She asked, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

“Hope that no infected or anything else is waitin’ for us.”

She hummed a bit in response, grinning at him teasingly. “Totally reassuring.”

Joel was about to respond when Ellie bumped the back of her seat, making a sound of disgust and confusion.

“What the hell is this?”

She glanced over her shoulder as Joel looked at Ellie through the rearview mirror. Being held up in their face was an old magazine, very clearly enjoyed, with a half naked man on the front. Quickly, she reached back and considered taking it —then pulled her hand back when she realized why the pages were so wrinkled.

Then she gagged.

“Oh my god, put that away,” she begged, wiping her hand on her shirt even though she hadn’t touched it.

“Seriously, Ellie, get rid of that —,”

“Ah, ah, no way. I’m learning science,” Ellie argued, pushing herself back into the seat and opening it. “Gotta see what the big deal is.”

She covered her face with her hands, feeling a blush creeping up her cheeks. Joel groaned and continued begging for her to put away the magazine, reaching behind him to try to grab it. She refused to even try, pushing herself further into the door to keep herself as far from the krusty pages as possible.

“Will you take the damn thing from her?” He asked, looking at her in the passenger seat.

“Fuck no, I am not touching that. I know where it’s been!”

“Where’s it been?” Ellie asked, coming up between them, magazine behind her back.

Joel blanched, looking between Ellie and her with sheer panic on his face. She shook her head frantically, putting her finger to her nose. Joel was a dad at some point in his life; she knew that much about him. Which meant it was his job to explain that kind of shit to the child in the car.

“Nose goes.”

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ —,”

Ellie cackled, falling back into the seat again. “I’m just fucking with you both. You should have seen your faces, holy shit.”

The window rolled down, and Ellie chucked the pages outside into the wind. In the passenger seat, she groaned and covered her face with her hands again. Joel’s scowl returned to his face, though he was glancing at Ellie through the mirror. She turned and pressed her back into the door, using her backpack as a cushion.

“We should play a game.”

“Yes!”

“No.”

Joel and Ellie spoke over each other, earning dirty looks between the two of them as she laughed to herself. Then Ellie hit Joel’s arm, motioning to her in the passenger seat.

“Come on, I’m bored. She’s bored. You’ve been out voted.”

“You both know I am the only one who knows how to use a gun, right?” Joel asked, looking at her now with narrowed eyes.

“Are you threatening us because we wanna play a game? Holy shit, Joel,” Ellie exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

She scoffed. “Jokes on you, cowboy. I know how to use a gun. And a crossbow. And I know how to make a Molotov cocktail. Bill taught me.”

“The fuck is that?”

“Nothing,” Joel quickly interrupted, giving Ellie a pointed look in the backseat. Then he pointed at her, the scowl ever present on his face. “Don’t explain how to make that to her.”

She put her hands up in defense, rolling her eyes. “I won’t but you gotta play a game with us.”

He just groaned, banging his back against his headrest. But he didn’t say no, so she turned to look at Ellie with a grin. Ellie was practically bouncing in her seat, waiting for her to suggest a game.

“How about…I spy?” She offered, looking out the window.

“How about something not for babies?” Ellie countered, leaning forward again. “Never have I ever.”

“Absolutely not,” Joel refused, looking to her next to him for some sort of back up.

“Out voted again, cowboy,” she teased, shooting fingers at him with a grin. “We’ll keep it PG-13. How’s that sound?”

“Lame,” Ellie offered as an answer, but the smile on her face said otherwise. “Since Joel’s driving, how’s he gonna keep track?”

“We’ll start with five each, and I’ll track his?” She offered, looking at him now.

“I don’t care,” Joel grumbled, frowning as he kept his eyes on the road.

“You could at least pretend to wanna do this,” Ellie commented, giving him an annoyed look. But the girl’s attention soon shifted back to her, her annoyance turning to a grin as she held five fingers up. “Okay. Never have I ever…been in a plane.”

She laughed, looking at Joel as she put a finger for herself down. “I flew to Michigan once.”

Joel shrugged. “I have.”

She put a finger down on her other hand, pulling a knee up to her chest in the seat. I have was better than a grunt or an I don’t care so she wasn’t going to complain.

“Okay,” she hummed, thinking carefully. “Never have I ever…been to FEDRA school.”

“What!” Ellie exclaimed, putting a finger down. “Fucking lame.”

While her attention may have been on Ellie, from the corner of her eye, she saw Joel crack. Just a little bit. A small smile that barely lifted the corners of his mouth —but it was there, briefly.

Ellie hit his arm, getting his attention. “Your turn.”

Joel’s smile disappeared as soon as Ellie’s attention returned to him. He didn’t reply for several moments, and she wondered briefly if he was suddenly done playing.

“Never have I ever been raised in the middle of the end of the world.”

Ellie and her both stared at him, and that smile of his returned. Barely there, but clear as a day. A smug look in his eye as she put a finger down, leaving her with three and Ellie with two. Ellie was cussing up a storm, complaining how it wasn’t fair that he used that one because he’s an old man, of course you weren’t!

But Joel was grinning still, enjoying the reaction from the girl behind him. And she was enjoying watching him show some sort of emotion outside of being pissed off. For a brief moment, it felt normal. It was a road trip, they were playing shitty road games. Everyone was okay.

Until Ellie spoke.

“Never have I ever given someone a kiss for their fucking birthday,” Ellie exclaimed, looking rather proud of herself.

Joel’s smile dropped, and he immediately looked at her with annoyance. “We’re done playin’.”

“What —that’s not fair! Just because —,”

“Ellie,” she quickly warned, looking back at her with a Shut the fuck up look. The young girl clapped her mouth shut, falling back into the seat with a groan. “Why don’t you get some rest? Just take a nap, or something.”

“I’m not even tired.”

However, within half an hour of silence that had taken over the truck, Ellie was fast asleep in the back seat of the cab. She kept glancing at Joel, waiting for him to say something. Anything. Get mad at her, scold her. Literally anything would be better than the silence he was giving her.

She was the first to break, because of course she was. Joel was probably perfectly content not saying a word to anyone if he could help it.

“I didn’t mean to tell her,” she whispered, looking down at the book in her hands. “She was annoyed with you. I was just trying to reassure her.”

“Didn’t need you to do that,” Joel responded curtly. “I don’t need you spoutin’ off my business.”

“Our business,” she corrected, finally looking up at him. “It's our business, because you and I are involved.”

Joel shook his head, jaw clenching as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Did you tell her anything else?”

“No.” She shook her head, turning in her seat to face forward now. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she stared at the empty highway in front of her. She could feel Joel’s eyes in her, as if he was trying to see if she was lying to him. But she kept her eyes ahead, refusing to look at him. “God forbid I tell her what else you’ve done for me,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Don’t,” he practically hissed, pulling off into the grassy field.

She grabbed the support bar, surprised by his sudden detour. “Joel, what the fuck —,”

“We’re gonna stop for the night.”

Ellie had been woken by the sudden rough ride, disoriented as she sat up. There was an obvious tension in the cab, and Ellie was too smart to not notice it. But neither her nor Joel said a word as he drove them into the woods to find them camp.

*****

It hadn’t taken long for Ellie to fall back asleep, curled up in her sleeping bag beside the truck. Joel was sitting on his gun resting in his lap as he kept watch. He’d sleep eventually, and he knew he would. But right now, he couldn’t bring himself to try. They were too out in the open, and he didn’t want to risk not hearing any threats approaching.

“I can take the first watch,” she suddenly offered, sitting up from her own sleeping bag. She was closer to Ellie than to Joel, but she stood slowly to bring her space next to him. “You need to sleep, Joel. I’ve been well rested for ten years —I think I can handle it.”

But he shook his head, looking over his gun once again. “All the more reason I should be doin’ it. You’re not used to survivin’ on nothin’.”

“Don’t patronize me, Miller,” she scolded, sitting behind him. Her back pressed against his, covering the areas he couldn’t see. “I think you’re forgetting that Bill was also my uncle. I learned to survive even if I didn’t have to.”

“Yet you didn’t use those fuckin’ skills to stay inside the fence,” he countered, and she just knew he was scowling at whatever tree or sound he was staring at.

“Are you actually mad about something that happened like five years ago? You choose to bring it up now?”

“You pretty much told Ellie, you might as well talk about it now.”

She whipped around, shoving the back of his shoulder. How dare he get angry at her for something she had already suffered for? It wasn’t his right to throw a fit now, of all times. She was about to snap at him, pushing him again to get him to at least man up and look at her. But, when he turned and faced her, he wasn’t glaring at her or angry. He looked worried, and her frustration melted away as she sat down properly again.

“Joel,” she murmured, hesitating for a moment before she reached out and touched his arm. He didn’t recoil, though he didn’t look at her.

As she touched Joel's arm, she could feel the tension in his muscles, as if he was trying to hold back a wave of emotions. She could sense his reluctance to engage with her, as if he was struggling with something within himself.

“Do you even know what I did?” He asked, his voice low. For a brief second, she thought he even sounded dangerous.

“I know you killed someone,” she offered, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “That’s all Frank told me, though. I just…I assumed that was all you did.”

“I did…so much worse than that.”

“Why?”

He finally looked at her, eyes hard. “Because…he hurt you.”

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

2018

“What the fuck do you mean, she went outside the fence?” Joel demanded, practically slamming his fist into the table.

Frank looked at Bill, and Joel knew suddenly that they both knew. They knew what he and their niece had been doing for years now. Joel wasn’t ashamed of what he’d done —what they’d done. It was only a handful of times, with stolen kisses here and there.

She wanted human contact, and Joel was happy to oblige, even if it never went further than kissing one another in empty kitchens or moments of aloneness. It satisfied a need for one of them, and he had other ways to get what he wanted anyway.

And she was pretty, and sweet. And it wasn’t as if she was a kid; she was twenty-seven. Capable of making her own choices. And her choice was human enough.

All she wanted was to feel wanted, and Joel did want her. There wasn’t an ounce of denial in him —not that he’d admit it out loud. He may have wanted her, but he wouldn’t do anything about it. He’d kiss her, he’d enjoy that softness that she offered, and he’d never tell her how much he actually cared about her well being.

It was best to not get her hopes up for anything more.

“She’s been talking to someone on the radio,” Bill explained, pushing the notebook she had been using to write down their messages. “Someone from the Boston QZ.”

Joel’s heart thudded in his chest, considering just who she was interacting with there. “Who?”

“She won’t say,” Frank sighed, rubbing his face. “But…but it’s a man, we know that much. Because…”

But Frank didn’t need to finish his sentence. He didn’t even need to explain it was a man. Joel knew it was a man; knew it was someone who hurt her. And it was like his blood was boiling inside his veins as his fists clenched at his side.

Tess put a hand on his shoulder though, giving him a look. “Let me talk to her. I know what she’s going through right now.”

Bill and Frank glanced between each other, but Bill delegated the decision to Frank. He simply nodded, motioning for Tess to follow him upstairs. Joel was left with Bill, alone. Both of them seething with an unbridled rage that became the first thing in common for the two of them in a long time.

“I’m gonna find him,” Bill swore, voice grave. “I’m gonna find him, and I’m gonna kill him.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

Joel looked up at Bill from his seat at the table. “You’re gonna stay here, and keep her safe. Tess is gonna find out who it was, and I’m gonna handle it.”

“Don’t think I don’t know why you fucking care, Miller,” Bill stated, standing up from his seat. Joel stood too. “I know what you two have been doing. Frank doesn’t want me to wring your fucking neck for it. So I’m not gonna —but you’re going to make that fucker suffer.”

Joel’s jaw clenched as he stared Bill down.

“You find who did this to her. And you fucking hurt him. I don’t want it quick. I want it painful. Do you understand me?”

“I do.”

He was going to make him suffer.

———

Taglist (OPEN): @aheadfullofsteverogers @jasminedragoon @buzzing-honeybee @garbo-lesbo @pedr0swh0r3 @boofy1998 @taraiel

#joel miller x reader #joel miller #joel miller fanfiction #the last of us fanfiction #tlou fanfiction #joel tlou #joel miller angst #joel miller fic

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puckish-rogue · 5 days ago

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Below the Read More is a copy paste of what I've sent some people regarding a brief overview of what my friend @whoredmode and I have been working on for our version of Steelport. Please keep in mind this is just a snippet. An actual post will be made sometime in the future to give a more rounded general idea of what the city is like. And then beyond that something with a lot more information.

I'm only posting this as like a sneak peak for y'all cause I figured it'd be a nice point of reference to have. That being said, if you have any questions regarding Steelport, please don't hesitate in sending me a message. I love world building, and this has been a fun little project to work on with Ted.

Anyway, please enjoy!

Steelport, Pennsylvania is a heavily industrialized major American city located entirely on Lake Erie. Founded in 1827 by blue-collar industrialists, Steelport would become a major hub for all manner of work during the height of the United States' industrial revolution. The city would also play a major part during both World Wars by manufacturing vehicles, supplies, and all manner of items during both respective conflicts. Unfortunately for the city and its many inhabitants whose main source of income came from these factories, the need for anything done in-house would take a sharp decline as the decades passed and more and more high profile clients would begin to use outsourced labor.

As with other cities and towns residing within the rust belt of America, Steelport fell on especially hard times, making it quite the hotbed for all kinds of criminal organizations to start showing up. Many of which consisted of Eastern European immigrants as they had already been living here for quite some time working as skilled laborers.

It wouldn't be until some time in maybe the early to mid 00's that Phillipe Loren and his group known as the Morningstar would make their presence known. Loren had already been making a name for himself across Europe as his rise to power within the criminal underworld has been making quite significant waves. Loren would view Steelport as the perfect candidate to jumpstart his expansion into the U.S., along with acting as a base of operations for his pet project The Syndicate. Eventually their partnership with Eddie "Killbane" Pryor's Luchadors would help them overpower any and all criminal groups within Steelport, and claim the entirety of the city as their own. So dominant were they that street names and things of that nature would be renamed in the Syndicate's honor.

So that's like the gist of what the history is. Still working on a lot more of it, but I don't wanna info dump too hard just yet.

NOW AS FOR THE CITY ITSELF

Steelport was allegedly inspired by Philadelphia, New York City, and Bridgeport in Connecticut. And when you look at its concept art it's no-brainer why that is. Unfortunately, yet not surprising, the actual in-game map looks nowhere near as interesting as its concept art. The layout of the map as well is also boring to tears. This is why we've modeled our version of Steelport after its concept art, its inspirations, and in general our own ideas.

This is an industrial city that blue collar workers built, and there's like absolute no zoning laws whatsoever. So there's just all kinds of buildings being pushed close to each other without this need to give everything its own designated space. It's a very dense city; the literal definition of concrete jungle. Notice how downtown is populated by all kinds of skyscrapers in different designs. Something that we want to put emphasis on are those design details.

There's a lot of art deco influence, brutalism, some gothic here and there. But among those buildings are also shiny glass towers that really give you the idea that they're trying to modernize things as well.

Downtown is meant to act as the modernized hub. As if it's the heart of the city itself. Surrounding it are the various other districts that are much more heavily industrialized and contain remnants of the city's past. That isn't to say that there are many abandoned buildings. Not at all. Some may be scattered around, but this is a city that's still meant to feel populated. There is just an EXTREMELY noticeable class divide given the state of things. Whenever you're in any of these other districts, you'll always get the sensation of downtown Steelport being a world's away. It's an entirely different sort of beast compared to everything else surrounding you.

Something else I want to emphasize is that there's a feeling of things being swept under the rug or repurposed. Like a lot of the buildings that were used for steelwork and etc have now been converted to god knows what. Two big examples of that are the Syndicate Tower and the 3 Count Casino.

The Syndicate Tower is this massive skyscraper that lords over the whole damn place. Now, while watching a GDC discussing the art direction of the game (which is actually a very embarrassing presentation), one thing that stood out to me were the comments about repurposing buildings. The bottom of the Syndicate Tower was sort of alluded to maybe having been a bank decades prior. Might have looked like those big fancy ones you see in period pieces. So instead of demolishing the whole thing to build a new foundation, why not build on top?

The 3 Count is another example of that. Having been a former oil refinery, it's now the main HQ and moneymaker for the Luchadors. It's such a strange but interesting kind of art direction that I wish they leaned into more in the game.

The other thing I wanted to bring up is that I won't be using the game's actual map because I don't think it's all that interesting in its layout.

Instead, I'll be using the beta cause I think it looks way cooler and has more I could work with! I'm gonna have to add an airport somewhere though cause I sure as shit don't see one there unlike the actual map/

#Lore Dump ⚜#Have fun kids. I'm turning 30 in three months. I can say that now.#Or is it two months?#I don't know how to count.

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schrijverr · 3 months ago

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I Didn’t Mean to Say I Do, but I Do. I Do. 9

Chapter 9 out of 50

Secret marriage of convenience buddie slow burn AU, where Buck and Eddie have been married for years so Buck could adopt Chris and no one at the 118 knows.

In this chapter, the 118 gets closer through a car accident and a plane crash, while the little family unit Buck has with Chris and Eddie also remains. However, it’s all still on unstable ground, impermanent.

On AO3.

Ships: Buddie (slow burn)

Warnings: internalized misogyny, injury, minor character death mention, addiction mention, referenced sexual assault (vague)

~~~

Chapter 9: Almost a Family

Buck is at the station when he is called again by a number he saved as Abby 911. When she called the first time, it felt nice. Someone checking in on him, giving him some advice, some reassurance, making him feel less like a failure.

However, as he watches the phone ring now, his stomach is filled with nothing but dread.

She got his number from the file. She saw him on the news. She sought him out and called him and is now calling him again. She probably wants something from him.

Maybe if Eddie hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have had the stupid crush – or deep love but who’s counting – and he wouldn’t have thought about what Dr. Wells did. Maybe he wouldn’t have noticed without Eddie pointing it out. Maybe he would be lonely now and flattered by someone liking him enough to seek him out. Maybe then he would have liked to be called again

But he doesn’t. None of that happened. Instead he’s here and the thought of answering that phone makes him a little nauseous. So, he hangs up the call without picking up, then blocks her number, trying not to feel rude about it. Buck isn’t ready to be back in the dating game. Or the sleeping with people game.

Instead, he tries to focus on his friendships, because he does have a lot of good friendships even if he wishes one of them would be a romance. And one day that non-romance will disappear, so he should cling to what he has, make a proper family out of the 118, so he won’t be alone when he gets left behind again.

And the others reach back. It’s not how Buck would’ve wanted it to happen, because it starts with Chimney getting a piece of rebar stuck through his head. It’s harrowing to see one of their own like that and he doesn’t even feel the usual mixture of butterflies and guilt when he crushes Eddie in a hug when he gets home, just needing his friend to be close.

Waiting for Chimney to wake up is the worst. They’re all climbing the walls and Buck is sure Hen is annoying Karen as much with her worrying as he does Eddie. He is glad to get a call so he can let the nervous energy out, even if he hates people being in danger.

When they get there and get the truck open, the relief to be doing something, anything, dissipates immediately. The truck is filled with immigrants, all in need of medical attention due to the conditions.

Buck and Hen work together to bring a kid back. As he does chest compressions all he can think is how this kid is about Chris’s age. How easily it could have been Chris there. He’s pretty sure Hen is thinking of Denny too.

He talks to their patient and his parents in Spanish, encouraging the boy to wake up, to breathe, then assuring the parents that he’s alive, that he’s okay when they finally get him back.

“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish,” Hen comments when the boy is in the ambulance.

“Lived in Texas before this, picked somethings up,” Buck tells her, because it’s close to the truth anyway. Eddie wants Chris to speak Spanish, so Buck has been trying to learn more right alongside the boy – who is more skilled at the language – Helena and Ramon didn’t care much about him learning, but Abuela and Pepa have taken to trying to teach him, refusing to speak English with him from time to time so he can learn.

“Aren’t you from Pennsylvania?” Hen frowns.

“Yeah, but I traveled. Lived in Peru too, was a bartender there,” Buck smiles.

“Okay,” Hen says after a moment, studying him. It’s as if she is still processing that he can do that and he rolls his eyes slightly.

He knows he doesn’t look it, but he can’t help but be slightly annoyed that his frat boy exterior prevents them from thinking he can’t have his intelligent moments. Sulkily, he thinks, if I took Eddie’s last name, they wouldn’t be so surprised. Before his face becomes beet red at the thought of having Eddie’s last name.

Fortunately, Hen is distracted by arresting the driver after spotting him, so she doesn’t notice his flushed look or thinks to ask more about his Spanish speaking skills.

They’re all relieved when Chimney wakes up that evening. When he seems to understand them and is capable of reacting to their input. It can still go horribly, horribly wrong, but there are positive signs. They need positive signs.

However, they find out the hard way that positive signs doesn’t mean the positivity will last. A plane crashes and Bobby almost gets himself killed to rescue a mom.

Buck gets it, he would die a hundred painful deaths if it meant Chris got out of a situation like that alive. But he also would want someone to fight for him, to fight so he wouldn’t have to abandon Chris, not leave him behind like Shannon had.

Still, he selfishly doesn’t want Bobby to die for her either. Doesn’t want someone he cares about to die, not when he can help. Doesn’t want to be abandoned himself either. So, he helps and together they do one of the most hair brained rescues that Bobby would have never signed off on, if Buck had suggested it under any other circumstance.

These big casualty events always make him want to call Eddie to check up on him and Chris, but he can’t yet. They still have work to do, this call isn’t over yet. So, he’s checking people’s vitals with wet shivering hands, ignoring the way his waterlogged uniform clings to him.

He’s not the only who’s out of it, when they’re finally relieved, the atmosphere in the engine is subdued. Bobby seems to be off in another world with how deep in thought he is and Hen is quietly calling her wife.

Buck wants to call Eddie, wants to hear him be okay and talk to Chris for a bit. But it’s late and unlike Karen, Eddie didn’t marry him out of love. He has no right calling Eddie awake and wanting him to wake up Chris, just for him. So, he just sits there and wraps the blanket that Hen shoved into his hands when she saw him shivering a little tighter around himself.

When they get back to the station, his phone rings, Eddie’s contact lighting up the screen. The others are trudging off to the locker rooms so Buck doesn’t waste a moment fumbling with his numb fingers to pick up. “Eddie? Are you okay?”

“Am I okay? What about are you okay?” Eddie replies, sounding stressed. “I saw your unit on the TV at the crash and then I didn’t hear anything from you.”

Oh, Eddie has been worrying about him. The thought makes something warm bloom in his chest, he never considered the feeling around these kind of accidents would be mutual. The worry makes him feel loved and he smiles: “I’m sorry, Eds. Didn’t wanna wake you or Chris.”

“Well, that- that’s nice, but wake me up next time, alright?” Eddie says. “And you didn’t answer my question, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Little wet and a little cold, but fine,” Buck promises. He’s shaken up slightly and he’s exhausted to all hell, but those are details.

“Stay there, I’m picking you up.”

“No, Eddie, you don’t-”

“Buck, you’re in no condition to drive.”

“You don’t know that,” Buck pouts.

“I do know that. You’re a stubborn shit and your definition of ‘fine’ and ‘little’ are off, so you’re gonna stay there and let me pick you up,” Eddie says forcefully.

Even if the context is off, Buck’s inside flutter at Eddie telling him he’ll pick him up. However, he is used to that feeling when around Eddie.

It’s been months since he realized he’s in love with his best friend and he’s learned to live with it. It’s a pleasant background feeling that sometimes pokes through the surface, making him painfully aware of it, but most of the time it’s just there.

Right now, he mostly feels fond affection and the fuzzy feeling of being cared for. Even without the romantic aspects of his feelings, he and Eddie are closer friends than average and he cares deeply about him. So, he lets Eddie care for him in turn too, smiling as he gives. “Alright, I’ll wait.”

They hang up and Buck goes to move to the shower, wanting to get that over with so he can crawl into his bed as soon as possible when he gets home. Maybe he can even nap in the car.

He runs into Hen on his way there, who is already dressed. When she spots him in his still wet clothes, she frowns: “Are you okay, Buck?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he smiles tiredly. It’s even true after his call with Eddie. “Just called for a ride, my arms feel like they’re going to fall off.”

“I hear you, I’m gonna sleep so hard when I get home,” Hen smiles back. “Want me to wait on your ride with you?”

Again affection blooms in his chest at the offer. The 118 truly is a family sometimes and Buck has been brought into the fold entirely with little moments like these showing how much they care, how much they all care.

Despite that fondness, he finds himself shaking his head: “Nah, I’m gonna shower real quick, ride should be here by then. Besides, you had a long day too. Go home to your wife, Hen.”

“Alright. Goodnight, Buck.”

“Goodnight.”

Buck doesn’t see Bobby when he goes to the shower, nor when he goes to change or leaves. He wanted to check up on him, but he supposes he’s probably gone home for the night. Buck can’t blame him for that, so he leaves the firehouse in the very capable hands of the B-shift.

Eddie’s truck is right there and he throws open the door with little grace, tossing his bag on the backseat, before collapsing in the passenger seat. It’s only when he’s sitting that the exhaustion sets in and he lets out a long groan.

“Still think you could have driven home?” Eddie asks smugly.

Buck sends him a half hearted glare. “Oh shut up.”

“I think the words you’re looking for is ‘you were right, thank you, Eddie, for picking me up instead of letting me do something stupid,’” Eddie retorts with a bad impression of him, as he drives away.

“Oi, I don’t sound like that,” Buck complains.

“You do a little.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes-”

“Ugh, stop it,” Buck cuts him off, before he can go on. Too tired to argue. Instead he asks: “How was Chris’s day? And yours?”

Eddie doesn’t have it in him to play offended at Buck adding his day as an afterthought. He knows from the army how on some hard days, you just want to know your kid is okay. He doesn’t begrudge Buck for that or deny him the comfort.

So, he talks about the failed pancakes then cereal for breakfast, what Chris talked about on the drive to school, then repeats what Chris told him during dinner. Beside him, Buck sinks off into sleep pretty soon. He looks exhausted and Eddie doesn’t want to wake him. If Chris wasn’t waiting at home, he would have taken a detour, but as it is now, he drives home and sits in the drive way for a few minutes.

He was really worried today. He’s not used to being on this side. To being home while someone you care about is out there and in danger. Buck has had dangerous calls, but not like this. Not where Eddie knows about it while Buck is still out there, instead of hearing about it in hindsight.

Eddie wonders if this is what it was like for Buck when he was off fighting, if he worried like this too, if he was relieved any time he answered the phone. It makes him grateful all over again for Buck’s presence. That Buck stayed.

For a second, he doesn’t know what to do with the feelings that overwhelm him. He has never had a friend like this, never had a person like this. Someone that chooses him over and over and always sticks by his side. Today, he thought something might have happened to Buck and he could have lost that. It scares him. It makes him realize just how much he has. How much he can lose.

So, he sits there and watches Buck for a moment, tracking the way his chest rises and falls, how his face is slack, ridding itself of the worry and exhaustion.

Then he shakes his head. He’s acting weird. He didn’t lose Buck and he was just worrying for nothing. There is no reason to be all- all emotional about it. He can just suck it up. It’s just the job, the same job he’s going to have soon. Getting stuck on those kinds of things won’t help.

Still, his hands are gentle when he prods Buck awake and he shoos him inside, grabbing Buck’s bag to carry in, because he doesn’t want Buck to exert himself. Buck rolls his eyes at it, but lets him, going on ahead. When Eddie joins him inside after putting his bag in the proper place and getting the dirty clothes out, he finds him at Chris’s door, peeking in through a crack.

“Just wanted to make sure he’s okay. Irrational, I know,” Buck whispers.

He sounds apologetic, he often does when doing something for himself in regards to Chris. Eddie wants to get it into his thick skull that he can do that as much as Eddie does, that there is a reason Chris calls him papi. However, every time he tries the words get stuck and it feels weird. “I get it, I check on him all the time.”

Buck is quiet, just nodding. He doesn’t seem to be fully there mentally, staring at Chris for a little longer. Eddie is about to suggest going to sleep when Buck says: “Me and Bobby saved this kid and his mom.”

“Yeah?” Eddie asks, prompting him to continue.

“We got the kid out pretty easy, but the mom was stuck. Bobby ordered everyone out, but he was going to stay behind himself to save her. I, uh- I stayed behind too. Against orders. It was stupid, but I couldn’t leave them, I had to try and save her. She had a kid to come home too, I couldn’t let her abandon him. I’d want someone to try and get me back too.”

“You made the right call.”

“Did I? Because right now, all I can think is how I nearly died and left Chris to save someone I don’t know.”

“That’s your job, Buck. It’s who you are. You save strangers despite what will happen to yourself, you always try to help. It’s what you did for me and Chris.”

He can see that Buck doesn’t really know what to do with that honesty. “Oh, uh- well… I mean, Chris wasn’t exactly a stranger. You were. I wanted to help Chris, I just kinda got stuck with you.”

“Oh fuck off,” Eddie replies, a grin on his face. It’s a joke to deflect, he knows that Buck is doing it, but he’s not going to push.

“Shush, there are children nearby.”

“Chris is asleep and you should be too. Come on, let’s get you to bed, big guy, you look dead on your feet.”

Buck does shut up at that and Eddie is confused about why he’s red, there isn’t anything too embarrassing about being tired. But he doesn’t point it out and lets his friend save face, instead following him to the bathroom so they can brush their teeth side by side, before they wish each other goodnight and retreat to their respective bedrooms.

The next day, Buck is up with the others. He is still sore, but he has the next day off, he can sleep later. He wants to spend this morning with Chris and Eddie.

He makes them breakfast and drives Chris to school with Eddie in the passenger seat, so he can drop him off at PT. He would like to stay, but he’s buying decorations and gifts for Chris’s birthday that is coming up.

He is half playing with inviting the 118. Chim is in recovery and things might settle down. He wants to open up more, maybe share this part of him and he feels a bit better about it after last night with Eddie saying he saved them.

However, that idea goes flying out the window when he comes in to work and Bobby isn’t there for his shift. Bobby is always there for his shift.

Finding Bobby the way they do is absolutely heartbreaking. He is in clear need of help, of someone to be there for him.

So they’re there for him. They check up on him after rough calls, reign him in when he snaps and sit with him in the quiet hours – though none of them will ever dare to use the word quiet.

Still, they don’t know anything about him, about why he started drinking and why he stopped. Much like Buck, Bobby has a tight grip on his personal life, but Buck now learns that might be because he doesn’t have a personal life. Just a job.

He can’t imagine what that is like, what not having people to come home to is like. He probably wouldn’t have survived some of the things he saw these past few months if he couldn’t come home and hug Eddie or watch Chris breathe.

However, it also makes him realize that no matter how close they’re all getting and how nice it is in the firehouse, he has no clue what these people are like outside of team drinks.

Of course he has faith that they’re good people and with time, they will probably become proper family. But not now. Not yet. It feels too early for something like inviting them to Chris’s birthday party. He needs to know more about who they are outside of work, before he exposes his son to them. Maybe next year.

And it feels like he makes the right call when things get frosty between Bobby and Hen. He doesn’t know exactly what went down on the call at the wedding, but something must have. Now, the team feels out of balance.

Much like them, he can’t wait for Chimney to get back. He hopes the other’s presence can pull things in balance once more. He can’t have this falling apart on him.

Despite his reservations, he has not felt more at home anywhere but with Eddie and the 118. He knows what he has with Eddie is temporary, so he needs this to be permanent. He needs the 118 to survive.

Buck doesn’t really know how to make a family survive.

He never could make his mom or dad love him, only succeeding in temporarily gaining their attention. He couldn’t get Maddie to stay with him. Couldn’t convince Shannon that him being there would make a difference. Could only convince Eddie to build this life with him because there literally wasn’t another option and he married the man with the promise of an easy divorce, even if that hasn’t happened yet.

For him, family has never been permanent, no matter how hard he tries. It all feels unsteady, so he does what he does with Eddie, pretends that he doesn’t feel the way the ground shakes and hopes that the building is strong enough not to collapse in the aftershocks.

And he is thankful for Hen, who despite her frostiness, is capable of making it work. Of making a family.

Through working with her, he has heard about her wife and her son. He loves hearing about her and Karen. He himself isn’t out at work, but hearing her always makes him happy – albeit a little wistful too – and confident that when he wants to share, it’ll be okay.

Hen made her family. He doesn’t know exactly how they got Denny, but she mentioned once he was a child of her ex. Getting to where she is now, she must have worked for that.

So, it makes sense that she’s the one that gets through to Bobby and gets Bobby to open up to them a little over family dinner that day.

He is incredibly grateful to her for that, but he doesn’t say that. He doesn’t want to mess up the good thing they have going on. Doesn’t want to mess up the work she put in. So, he just gives her a nod and a smile and carries on as if this is normal, as if he never thought anything else would happen. As if people always stay, instead of leave.

However, just because he doesn’t mention anything, doesn’t mean he isn’t desperately clinging to it all in the background.

When Hen asks for help planning Chimney’s welcome back get together, he jumps in feet first, doing anything she asks to make sure it’s all good. Up to her standard. Up to what Chimney deserves.

Sure, they’re getting closer, but Chimney is a glue, a heart and they need him back. He can deal with Hen when she gets snippy due to stress, he’s been there long enough that he back talks to Bobby, and is social and open in a way that allows him to pull Buck into the fold easily without it being awkward or forced.

Meanwhile, he’s also planning Chris’s birthday parties with Eddie, since that is coming up soon.

Both are kind of anxious about it. It’ll be the first birthday where no one has recently left or can’t attend and the first where Chris will have a kid’s party at an earlier date, before family comes. Because, yes, Helena and Ramon are flying in for Chris’s birthday.

Chris is thrilled and excited to see them again, Buck and Eddie less so. It’s the first time they’ll be there after the two of them basically fled the state to get away from them. This party has to impress them. Has to prove they’re capable of raising Chris without them.

Buck is glad Eddie isn’t starting the fire academy yet. He will soon, but he’s still getting his strength back and gamely taking Buck’s house wife jokes in stride.

For now it helps that Eddie is available to pick things up and organize things, while Buck busts out his planning skills. However, Buck is jittery and stressed. This has an added layer now. He’s in love with Eddie and he already knows his in-laws hate him, hell, they hate that they’re his in-laws to begin with.

He still remembers Shannon complaining about her horrid ex-in-laws in the Johnson farm kitchen, how he listened to her sympathetically, glad it wasn’t him. Now it is him and, unlike Shannon, he actually wants a family, a life with Eddie, and that sadly involves in-laws. He’s never going to get their approval, he knows that, but he at least wants to impress them.

It’s stupid and he knows it, but he stresses about it and to forget stressing about it, he lets himself drown in party planning.

And it works.

Chimney’s welcome back party goes well, the cake is done one time and everyone from the A and B shift is there. Athena shows up too. Everyone has a good time. He doesn’t even get weird when they talk about Valentine plans, happy that he has a shift then, so he can’t get in his head about it. Plus, they get to enjoy the party, before the alarm goes.

Chris’s party with friends from school goes well too. Both Buck and Eddie are familiar faces from pick up and they’re somewhat friendly with the parents from the other kids. It is a sweet kind of torture to be seen as an actual married couple by them, neither of them having ever felt like explaining the whole situation, since it’s complicated and personal.

The important part is that Chris enjoys himself and no one gets hurt and the house is in one piece at the end. When everyone is home, Chris is in bed, and he and Eddie are cleaning up the house, Buck relaxes a little bit.

He has survived two out of the three parties he planned. The full moon is this week, so that’ll be over by the time party three rolls around. He’s going to be fine.

A/N:

The horrible balancing act of Buck being a chronic over-sharer, but needing him to keep a secret for the sake of plot lmao

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rafent · 4 months ago

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TOA Anniversary Monday

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is. Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing! Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Name: Soji

Pronouns: She/her

Birthday (no year): October 14th

Where are you from? What is your time zone? United States and EST timezone. I was born in California, I lived in Pennsylvania for 15 years, and now I'm living in—(it's a secret)

How long is your roleplay experience? 14 years, phew

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole? Wolfquest Online

How were you introduced to TOA? The TOA blog spamming the Fire Emblem RP tags which I can't even blame because it works

Do you have any pets? Soji Man my lovely chinchilla. There's a Bichon Frise puppy in my household right now but I consider him more my mom's dog

What is your favorite time of year and why? Maybe Thanksgiving for the food. Autumn is the best

What is your IRL occupation? I'm a medical scribe in the meanwhile but I'll be going back to school. Occupation...soon to be student :littleantbitch:

Some interests and things you like/enjoy? Sleeping and also curating my pride and joy Fire Emblem shrine

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? FFXIV, Lethal Company, and Stardew Valley with friends when the mood strikes

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: My favorite Pokemon is Scizor and I like bug type Pokemon

Tell us some fun facts and trivia about yourself! 1) My favorite food is shaved ice with condensed milk. When I last went to Korea that's what I ate every day so I understand Rafal's sweet tooth 2) I have very strong, dexterous toes from years of picking up laundry and throwing it in the bin with my feet

How did you get into Fire Emblem? SSB Brawl and Marth (soft smile)

What Fire Emblem games have you played? FE1, FE3, FE7, FE9, FE11, FE12, Awakening, SOV, 3H, Engage

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games: Awakening was my first game. My favorite games are Shadow Dragon, FE3, and Engage

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series! Marth, Rafal, Rath, Xane, Alear

Who was the first character ever to make you go “ooh I like this one in particular” and why? Can be any context and reason! Marf

Any Fire Emblem crushes? None

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays?

- Awakening: First was Stahl, then Chrom. I'd still S support Stahl now - Fates: Have not played, but Leo or Takumi - Three Houses: Dimitri was my first S support. I'd support Yuri now - Engage: Alfred at first. I would S support Rafal or Gregory now

Favorite Fire Emblem class? Manakete

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable? Archer or mage I feel it in my gut. Good skill, okay speed, and okay attack. Shitty defenses. I would be playable

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Blue lions

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent? Boons in archery and faith. Bane in axe. Potential budding talent in sword

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? Solm, my original bias nation in Engage

How do you pronounce TOA? Toe-uh

Current TOA muses: Rafal

Past TOA muses? Marth and Xane * blows them a kiss *

Who was your first TOA muse? If you no longer have them, can you see yourself picking them up again? Marth! I could see myself writing him again but not for a long, long time. He and I need a break

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? I joke about it all the time in DMs, but yeah...sighs..."The Little Brother"

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could? Soft, girly girl type characters. I've written female muses before but I'm usually very picky. I like my women chaotic and cray cray

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? I like writing scenes with complicated emotions. Feelings are funky, this is true for reality, but I like putting that to words in roleplay as well. I think characters most come to life through these moments and it gives them a 'human' edge so to speak

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”? I don't really have a wish list. I find value in every interaction that Rafal has because he's a bit of a blank slate. The perks of starting over as a new person and turning over a new leaf

Favorite TOA-related memories? The first month of joining when everything was fresh and new

Present or past tense? I can do either, it just depends on the muse for me, but I've definitely written in present tense more

Normal size text, small text, no preference? Small text! I think it looks nicer for myself. No preference for partners though

Got any potential muse delusions to share? Not right now. When I consider possible muses, I am very focused on their potential for longevity because I tend to be extremely loyal to what muses I DO have. Call me an oshi with how I give them 100%

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑 ╱ meme.#yay time capsule

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ciaossu-imagines · 2 years ago

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Ideal vacation trip for each of the Vongola guardians?

Of course, anon dear! Thank you for the request and I hope you’ll enjoy the headcanons!

I honestly don’t think Tsuna is someone with a strong degree of wanderlust. He doesn’t really have a big urge to travel and is more of a homebody. He knows Namimori, he’s comfortable in Namimori, and he’s perfectly content with staying there for the most part. He might be okay with trips, though he prefers them to be small and to stay within Japan, mostly trips to hot springs or trips to the beach or things like that. I do think that he has to travel as head of the Vongola, going to Italy a lot, and he really never looks forward to trips abroad as travelling that far stresses him out.

Now, I definitely see Gokudera as someone who wants to travel and has a lot of different destinations he wants to visit, most of them related to his love for the paranormal or the bizarre. Of course, he wants to visit Area 51, the French catacombs, the Stanley Hotel because he’s definitely a fan of the Shining, and he wants to visit Louisiana because of it being touted as such a strong place for the occult and the paranormal, along with going to Ireland because of the strong paranormal folklore of that country, with the tales of fairies and leprechauns and Banshees and all that sort of stuff.

Yamamoto’s a baseball nut, so is it any wonder that his dream destination relates to baseball? He really wants to go watch a game at Fenway park and he’d die to go visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York. However, I do see Yamamoto as being someone who’s really just into new experiences and such and loves any vacation trip outside of Namimori, just for the new and wonderful experiences he’ll get.

Ryohei is a boxing nut, so, much like Yamamoto, it should surprise nobody that his dream destinations have to do with boxing. Any trip that can be classified as a training trip will appeal to him, like going to study with a master of the sport anywhere in the world, but he really does want to visit Tocco’s gym in Las Vegas, where so many champions trained, like Sonny Liston or Mike Tyson. He also really wants to go to Deer Lake in Pennsylvania, where Ali’s old training camp has been recreated.

Lambo really loves theme parks and amusement park rides, so he would really want to visit all the major theme parks throughout the world, from Disneyland to Universal Studios to Six Flags and Sea World.

Hibari really does want to travel, but the travel he’s interested in is travel that will hone his skills. Most of his dream destinations aren’t so much about the destinations as the opponents or masters he wishes to fight with and learn from.

Mukuro honestly doesn’t really take vacations. He does travel, quite a bit honestly, but it’s almost all for work or to further plans he has brewing in his mind. He’s a guy who has a lot going on, a lot planned and plotted, and living that way is fun for him. Vacation to him is the more relaxed days with the gang, not so much a destination or any planned thing.

Chrome really doesn’t have any desire to travel. If she needs to travel for something, most likely because Mukuro needs her to for work related purposes, she will but it’s not something she looks forward to or has any strong desire to do.

#replies #katekyo hitman reborn #khr #headcanons #tsunayoshi sawada #hayato gokudera #yamamoto takeshi #hibari kyoya #ryohei sasagawa #lambo bovino #mukuro rokudo #chrome dokuro

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batteredrugosa · 1 month ago

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WIP Wednesday!

here I am fresh from work to post for you some goddamn WIPS. I actually finished a draft of a thing thanks to this game, and man it feels good. This is the beginning of Ice, and original short story

Posted for @tildeathiwillwrite, @somefishycat, @zyrafowe-sny, @brucethegirl, @violet-prism-creatively, @stonemaskedtaliesin, @tamsinswriting,

Canned vegetable medley, microwaved. That was the smell permeating the air in the venue and coating her skin with a thin layer of oily moisture. The pink and brown carpeting blended with the unappetizing smell and the warm heavy air, leaving Leah mildly nauseated. She felt a headache growing behind her temples and made a conscious effort to relax her clenched jaw. Forced participation was coercion, and she did not feel particularly kind or charitable towards spending her day off at a charity auction doing unpaid photography work. She rolled her eyes and looked down at the table of sign up sheets, the insipid backdrop of wispy colors in trailing light beams precariously mounted against the wall to her left, and the general lack of any sort of chair. She placed a hand on the heavy camera hung around her neck, hating that she was responsible for the expensive and unfamiliar machine. Since when did counseling require photography skills? She sighed again to herself leaning as unobtrusively as possible against the brocaded wall behind the Memories! table. At least she was working alone- none of the other counselors were as new as she was, so none of the others were short of their mandatory community support hours. It was just her, the two interns outside parking cars and Ronit, the serious minded MFT who seemed to really enjoy coming to these fundraising events. Leah was glad to be working alone. Making small talk would be the final straw and she would probably slip and say something that was not appropriate for a small town community mental health center in the middle of nowhere PA.

The guests began to filter in past Ronit’s sign up table and Leah began people watching. The elite of Mountain Point Pennsylvania seemed to consist primarily of middle aged white married couples in khakis and floral dresses. She recognized The Millers, who owned a chain of car washes, and Mr. Samuelson from the car dealership out by the highway. The room began to hum with conversations as people moved through the center of the space, navigating around the decorated dinner tables with their rented mint green cloths, yellowish electric candles in jars, and plastic flower arrangements in order to head directly for the long bar across the opposite wall. Behind its polished press wood top, two bored bartenders exchanged sugary themed cocktails for drink tickets. By the time that half of the tables were full, the conversational clash began to rise and the most keen of the first arrivals were headed back up for a second drink. Leah hoped the cocktail hour would be short and she would be saved from tipsy requests to commemorate the moment. She studiously examined her list and laid pens out in a straight row, avoiding any possibility that she would make eye contact and invite attention.

#wip game #original work #rugosa writes

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iteh3xael · 1 month ago

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Witchcraft Ask Game

What drew you to witchcraft?

Old bestie in HS was into it (we bonded over Charmed) and then had a REALLY weird series of run ins once I graduated college and did some psychedelics. Remembered I used to lucid dream and was fascinated by the Christian Book of Revelation as a CHILD and that kind of all merging into the queer pagan I find myself today.

2. Do you follow a specific witchcraft tradition, or are you eclectic?

I have a whole theory on DND and how witchcraft plays into that and how we basically are imbued with the power of our namesake and then the rest of kind of based on whatever you're exposed to and I'm not saying crystals will straight up give you super powers but like, runes have meaning and maybe don't fuck the stalachtite

3. Do you believe in the Threefold Law or karma in witchcraft?

There's something to be said about consequences to actions and the 2nd Law of Newton (equal and opposite) and 1st Law of Thermo (energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred) that definitely applies. FMA also taught me about fucking with life and death magic and you gotta be REALLY careful with what you ask for because the universe is VERY finicky.

4/5. What advice would you give to someone who feels called to witchcraft but is unsure where to begin?

Gonna self plug a post here about things I wish I knew when I started (everyone actually practices to a degree, it's just become really archaic to exist in a present fashion while also embracing the wonderment of things like dreams.

6. Have you ever had a dream or vision that felt prophetic?

Used to! Don't as much but I think it's a skill. Some people naturally have premonitions through dreams and mine are more like vivid intrusive thoughts that play through my head and I have to figure out which is actually useful.

7. What do you think of Aleister Crowley?

Ngl had to Google who that was because I don't really follow many contemporary people and knew he was a "magician" of sorts but I don't take any stock in orgs like the Free Masons or even Satanism even if I think there's probably ~something~ there. He was clearly smart enough to make it work but idk how much is just really smart social engineering (he was a spy, afterall) and a smattering of esoteric networking that led to him being fairly successful at whatever his craft was

8. Do you think witches can create their own deities?

So... I think witches occupy a kind of weird realm/dimension (on my scale it's on like, the 6th degree akin to the "inverted" dimension where we would think of them being akin to IRL angels) and so our calling is rooted in whatever incarnation pulls from original sources. Our names have power and "create" the source of inspiration (deities, gods, spirits, w/e) hence why we "choose" them when "coming out" as a way of embracing our sense of servitude to a higher being outside of our general sense of self.

9. How do you feel about people worshiping deities from pop culture?

Sure, why not lol.

10. What’s your opinion on the idea that "all magic comes with a cost"?

Ohhh yes yes yes. Hence why I affirm that people need to be serious about their approach to science as magic is just when science and art come together perfectly (think of siren's and their songs, beauty inspiring wars, love SAVING people).

11. What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you during a spell?

For years, I had never done a spell with another person before and kind of just fucked around and using objects that I figured would have SOME use, I just didn't know what for.

For instance: there was this ridiculous rubber ducky I got from some rando woman at a hotel from a work thing I was at in bumfuck Pennsylvania where she basically FORCED it upon me after I literally said no and tried to give it back but they were SO insistent despite being a complete stranger. I HATE having useless shit and usually just throw it away immediately but I didn't want to be rude so I threw it into my bag and kind of forgot about it.

Anyway, fast forward to me visiting my old bestie (mentioned prior) talking about The Craft while I'm unpacking my bag and how I never could seem to figure out spells while at the SAME time, being like "Oh hey! Do you want this rubber ducky?"

They flipped their shit because, there is a VERY particular spell about rubber duckies and not just finding one, a portion of the spell reads:

"...presented by hand, in a way that's select

a peculiar find, to earn the craft's respect"

and since then we did a spell about keys that still kind of haunts me to this day so uh... be careful y'all lol

12. If you could cast one spell right now, what would it be and why?

A relationship healing spell. Any help would be greatly appreciated. <8

13. What’s your belief on the afterlife, and how does it affect your spiritual practices?

I definitely think there's another realm out there and I try to just be present with what comes my way since this reality is already full of surprises. I really don't do any major spirit work because I kind of have a deep seated respect where the sense of awe is a bit terrifying so I just kinda see where it takes me and ask mindful questions.

14. What’s your opinion on the importance of connecting with the land in witchcraft?

Plz touch more grass lol If the elements of the Earth (AT LEAST FOUR of them aren't present when approaching a situation, you might need to recenter.

15. How do you feel about using magic to influence others?

Whether we like it or not, magic will ALWAYS be used to influence (literally just think of money or words as a concept). We have a duty to be responsible wielders for we are practitioners in a Dark Art that has a reputation for being misconstrued as evil. Embrace all the shades and don't be shy from the glimmers from the light :3

16. What’s your opinion on hexing or cursing?

I would advise against it though my namesake literally deals with them so uh, just be wise.

17. Do you believe in spiritual psychosis?

I want to say yet but honestly unsure of the full scope of the question so... TBD?

#blorbo #gay #itehexael #tumblr #:3 #lgbtq #witch #witchblr

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prominentgames · 2 years ago

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rabbitcruiser · 3 months ago

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National Chicken and Waffles Day

The lip-smacking and finger-sticking-inducing culinary combo of savoriness and sweetness that is chicken and waffles is celebrated today with National Chicken and Waffles Day. The day was proclaimed by Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles in 2021, at the same time they launched Roscoe's Motivation for Change Foundation (RMCF), which helps communities through charitable giving and focuses on "public service, culture initiatives, community empowerment, job skill development and programming in culinary arts and media training."

At the time of the day and the foundation's creation, Roscoe's founder Herb Hudson said, "Spreading joy through charitable activities is an integral part of our foundation and the core of our initiatives. We want to take ownership of the day by inviting everyone to celebrate with us and use this as a date to follow your purpose for good and join us." For the holiday's first observance, Roscoe's introduced the waffle tender, which was available for a limited time at select locations, and also introduced a new hot sauce, which was available at all locations.

Chicken and waffles generally consist of a waffle that is served with fried chicken and covered with butter and syrup. Variations of the dish may date as far back as the seventeenth century. The traditional Pennsylvania Dutch version comes from this era, and consists of stewed and pulled chicken atop a waffle, covered in gravy. It became a symbol of Pennsylvania Dutch Country over the next two centuries. The African American-created, Southern soul food version, made with fried chicken, is the most common version today. It became a menu favorite at the Wells Supper Club in Harlem in the 1930s, and at other locations in the New York neighborhood, and Wells is credited with boosting its rise in popularity.

In the 1970s, Herb Hudson moved from Harlem to Los Angeles and opened Roscoe's Chicken 'N Waffles, which made the crispy combo even more popular, in part because celebrities were known to frequent the restaurant. Roscoe's isn't the only restaurant known for chicken and waffles; Metro Diner also has some skin and syrup in the game. Regardless of where one eats chicken and waffles, it remains a staple of both Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine and soul food, and is specifically eaten today, because it's National Chicken and Waffles Day!

How to Observe National Chicken and Waffles Day

Celebrate by having chicken and waffles at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles, Metro Diner, or one of the other best places in the United States to have it. Check for specials and events in honor of the day. You could also make some chicken and waffles at home. Make the Southern version with fried chicken, or try the Pennsylvania Dutch version with gravy and cooked chicken.

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angrybatart · 9 months ago

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Re: Fun video games that (probably) won't fry your laptop. These are all on Steam.

-Factorio - Strategy/puzzle game about automating an enormous factory while siphoning natural resources from an infinite alien landscape. Highly moddable. Still receives occasional updates. Includes in-game tutorial, and peaceful mode if you don't want to fight the planet's giant cockroaches. Allegedly indirectly teaches you about software engineering.

-Killing Floor - Co-op first-person shooter survival horror. Work alone or with friends (difficulty scales with player count) to fend off waves of increasingly deadly mutants in locations ranging from West London to secret underground labs to Santa's workshop, before squaring off against their mad scientist creator. Already sequeled twice and receives no further updates (don't expect a huge player base), and many weapons (and cosmetic skins) are locked in DLCs.

-DEFCON - Real-time strategy about global thermonuclear war, inspired by the 1980s movie Wargames. Take control of one or more territories and try to eradicate as much of the population of up to fixe enemy territories while minimizing your own losses. Highly moddable, and often goes on sale for really cheap. Includes in-game tutorial. Was once the focus of an actual for real scientific study.

-DUSK - First-person episodic Boomer Shooter. Take on the role of Dusk Dude as he runs and guns his way through more than 30 levels of Pennsylvania backwoods, corrupted cityscapes, and places beyond the understanding of men. Fight your way through legions of cultists and nameless terrors, and finally, the cult's leader, Jakob. Somewhat moddable, and offers an arena-style multiplayer. Features a kickass thrash/industrial metal soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult. HD version also recently released (as a free add-on to the original game).

-Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - The third (and arguably best) iteration of the classic tactical stealth game, though almost totally separate from the stories of the first two. Play as Sam Fisher, a spy for the NSA as you use gadgets, cunning, and state-sponsored gymnastic skills to unravel the latest plot to push the world toward all-out war. Includes in-game video tutorials. Features co-op and versus modes (though I've never tried them).

-Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - Top-down arcade-style mass murder simulator drenched in blood, neon colors, and '80s aesthetics. Play as a nameless protagonist (fan named "Jacket") receiving orders from mysterious phone calls, and bludgeon, slash, and shoot your way through buildings crawling with Russian Mafia, wearing rubber animal masks that give you different abilities. In the second game, the story expands as you play as several other characters in the aftermath of Jacket's actions, each with their own motivations, yet inexorably bound together. Features many synth-pop tracks from various artists, available on a neon magenta vinyl record. Go for the high score and show off to your friends how amazing and handsome you are at a critically-acclaimed indie game. Second game also comes with a short virtual comic book!

-FAItH: The Unholy Trinity - 8-bit style religious horror game with rotoscoped cutscenes, developed b Airdorf Games. Play as Fr. John Ward in 1987 Connecticut as your quest to right your wrongs and complete an interrupted exorcism spiral into madness and the true depths of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. Features multiple endings, game modes, an arcade mode, and an in-game tutorial.

-Bloodrayne: Terminal Cut - A PC port of the cult-favorite third-person hack-and-slash. Play as Rayne, a dhampir hired by the mysterious Brimstone Society to handle situations too otherworldly or dangerous for mere humans; Which mostly involves slaughtering thousands of Nazis before they can get their hands on otherworldly artifacts. Includes a bunch of special codes that can be inputted to make the game easier, harder, or to activate "Juggy Mode." Game doesn't have any actual nudity but definitely enjoys its jiggle physics. One sequel (not as good IMO but also on Steam), a spinoff game, and also spawned at least 1 movie and some comic books IRL.

-CARRION - Metroidvania-style reverse horror game. Play as an unfathomable lump of runaway teeth, tentacles, and God-knows-what as you tear your way through Relith Labs, on a mission to escape and consume anyone who gets in your way. Evolve as the game progresses, growing larger and acquiring new abilities. Includes a small Christmas-themed free DLC that is essentially more of the same.

-Gone Home - Short, narrative-driven game about returning from Europe to your parents' new home, and discovering your sister is gone. Explore the house, discovering notes, clues, and secrets as a story of growing up and self-discovery unfolds. I don't want to spoil any of it, just take my word for it that it's a good game, and not violent or anything like other games on this list.

-Omen Exitio: Plague - Visual novel RPG where you take on the role of a doctor during an outbreak of a mysterious, deadly disease. Unravel the mystery bit by bit as you are hounded by madness and mysterious figures with ill intention, and make decisions that may alter the course of history.

-Hacknet - DOS-style programming game apparently inspired by hacking scenes in various movies. Delve into the world of professional hackers, complete jobs for clients, bypass security to break into servers, and discover the fate of your late benefactor, as his/her automated failsafe leads you toward the truth. "Labyrinths" DLC also available, and can be accessed and completed at any time before, during, or after the main game. In-game tutorial provided. Features an amazing techno soundtrack by various artists. Should not be confused with real-world cybersecurity activities - Those are much more difficult.

I have more, but this alone has taken me an hour to write. Let me know your thoughts.

Definitely been meaning to check out FAItH, and I've heard of Gone Home. If I remember what I saw in the trailer correctly, it sorta reminds me of that Edith Finch game.

As for that Plague game....do I get to actually be a plague doctor??????

#ask #goddammitbio

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