#put down dread ages ago because I got completely stuck on a boss

[nerdwatching]

Just finished Metroid: Zero Mission. Very fun game. Time to move onto Fusion I think.

[dameronology]

london calling {poe x reader} - 1

a modern coffee shop au 

in this chapter: you could have sworn that london was trying to eat you alive. you didn’t ask the universe for a reason to stay in the city but it gave you one anyway - in the form of poe dameron, your new manager. 

warnings: swearing 

this was based off of a dream i had & then @cherieboba​ mentioned an AU...and now we have this. enjoy!

- val xx 

‘Will you watch where you’re fucking going?!’ 

You hated Tuesdays. Tuesdays were truly and completely awful in every sense of the word. They were slightly better than Mondays but still...undeniably dreadful. This one had been no exception. You’d woken up late (and hungover, but that wasn’t relevant) and you were convinced that the Department of Transport had personally paid every single commuter to make your life a living hell that morning. Whatever patience you’d had upon waking up - and trust me, it wasn’t much - had worn completely thin by the time you’d been released from the hellish grips of the London Underground. 

Your main concern was getting to work on time. The start of your shift coincided perfectly with the morning rush - also known as two straight hours of grumpy, uncaffeinated commuters. It was your job as a barista to provide them with coffee and to do-so in a timely manner. Anything less than thirty seconds would often result in a middle-aged, greying businessman coming for your ass. This morning, you were prepared to bite back. 

‘How nice of you to show up.’ 

‘I know, I know!’ You pushed past your co-worker, tugging your apron around your waist as you did. ‘I overslept,’

Finn rolled his eyes at you, shaking his head. ‘Then you owe me five pounds.’

‘Why?’ You grumbled, pulling an order receipt from his hand.

‘The bet, remember?’ He replied. ‘You have officially been late twenty times so far this year.’

You let out a groan, mind going back to New Year’s Eve. The pair of you had made a deal that whoever was the first to be late twenty times owed the other a fiver - and it looked like you would be paying for his lunch today. It was unusual for you to be late so many times in a row but in the absence of a manager or acting boss, you’d let yourself slip a tiny bit. You knew that had to end today, however, because your new manager was due to start. 

‘I’ll give it to you when I get paid.’ You said. ‘My rent is already late and that five pounds could be detrimental-’

‘- I’m just taking the piss.’ Finn chuckled. ‘Get these orders done and we’re even.’ 

He slid you the pile of receipts and you immediately slipped into autopilot. You’d been a barista for the better part of five years by that point; your hands could be at work whilst your mind was elsewhere. That was certainly the case today - your mind was raking through your financial woes and the fact that your rent was due four days ago - as you worked. After fifteen minutes of here’s a small skinny latte for Brian! and a large Americano to go for Roger!, you’d completely ridded the shop of the queue. 

‘Busy morning, huh?’

You peered up from the coffee machine, eyes falling on the man in front of you. He was holding a half-empty cup of coffee, a smile on his face and warm brown eyes examining the mess of coffee and milk around your work station. He had a tangle of messy curls and...well, hot fucking damn. What else were you supposed to say?

‘Uh, yeah.’ You smiled. ‘Highlight of my day, I suppose.’

He grinned at you. ‘Do you enjoy working here?’

‘Yeah.’ You nodded. ‘I mean - it gets stressful but a job’s a job, right?’

‘Right.’ He replied, eyes falling to where your name tag rested on your apron. ‘I’ll see you around.’

Trying to hide the blush on your face, you picked up the empty milk cartons and carried them through to the kitchen at the back of the shop. Finn was already in there on his phone, swiping through Tinder. Your best friend’s love life was often a subject that came up on shift - as far you were concerned, he deserved the world. It was finding the world that was the hard part. 

‘Hot customer alert.’ You greeted him. ‘And I mean hot.’

‘What kind of cute are we talking?’ Finn looked up from his phone. ‘Like...Leo Dicaprio in Titanic cute kind of hot or Leo Dicaprio in the Revenant, large and hairy kind of hot?’

‘Kind of in the middle.’ You replied, dumping the cartons in the bin. ‘He said he would see me around, so I guess he’s a new regular?’

‘Actually,’ somebody else’s voice came from the doorway. ‘I meant see you around as in I’m the new manager.’

You had never wanted the ground to swallow you more. Seriously - if the jaws of death could have opened right there and then, you’d be willing to jump into them with the tip of your hat and a so long, folks! This was definitely the worst Tuesday of your life. That was truly saying something, because you’d spent all of last Tuesday scraping dried milk off of a table. And, the Tuesday before that, you’d got stuck in the doors of the tube on the Jubilee Line and then -

-Not relevant. The presence of other shitty days didn’t erase the fact that you had just called your manager hot and compared him to Leonardo Dicaprio. Right to his face. 

‘Hey, Finn?’ You glanced up at your co-worker. ‘I think it’s time I quit-’

‘- no, I take it as a compliment!’ He chortled. ‘I’m Poe, Poe Dameron. You’re the assistant manager, right?’

‘Yeah.’ You nodded, trying to hide the blush creeping up your cheeks. ‘Unless you fire me.’

‘No, I like a colleague who bigs me up.’ Poe grinned at you. It only made the blush worse. ‘It’s a nice store. I’m excited to work here.’

‘And I assume you know how to make coffee?’ You quirked an eyebrow at him. 

‘I could do it in my sleep.’

You handed him an apron. ‘Brilliant.’

It seemed as though whoever was above had answered your prayers, because another queue quickly began to form and you had to get back to work. Poe and Finn chatted amongst themselves, bonding over the fact that they were both Americans working in London. You, meanwhile, focused on pumping out oddly specific coffee orders. 

‘A hot-but-not-too-hot black Americano for Holdo!’ You called. 

Mrs Holdo - or, Holdo as she insisted on being called - was one of your regulars. She was a high powered business woman who stopped by the coffee every morning. It was usually one of the highlights of working the morning shift. You were convinced she was on steroids of some point because she was the literal definition of a power bitch. The fact she dyed her hair lavender made her even more iconic. 

‘Morning!’ You beamed at her, sliding her drink across the counter. ‘How are things at the law firm?’

‘Stressful, as always.’ She grabbed the cup. ‘New manager, I see?’

‘Oh, yeah.’ You glanced over your shoulder at him. ‘That’s Poe.’ 

‘You talkin’ shit?’ He grinned at you, giving you a wink. 

Once the queue had died down again, you made yourself a coffee. A few people were fluttering about the shop; it was the usual, really. There was a businessman on his laptop at one table and an artist at the next. One of the perks of working in such a central area was all the people you got to meet. It certainly made the job more interesting - and you had a feeling that your new manager was only going to add to that. 

‘So - tell me about yourself.’ Poe leant against the counter next to you, nudging you with his elbow. ‘Other than the fact you think I’m hot and that you probably love Leonardo Dicaprio.’

You let out a groan. ‘You’re killing me, man.’

‘If that’s the case, I hope you get someone to cover your shifts before you die.’

‘Isn’t that your job?’ You shot back. ‘Being the manager and all.’

‘You are my assistant manager-’

‘- no I am the assistant manager.’ You cut him off. ‘And I’ve been here five years so I know all that you could possibly need about running this place.’

‘Mm?’ Poe raised his eyebrows. ‘Care to share?’

‘Finn can’t be on shift with Hux - he’s an irritating part timer, really up himself - because they will kill each other.’ You paused to take a sip of your coffee. ‘And Kaydel is super sweet but she’s always late, so it’s best to put her on afternoon shifts.’

‘Like you were late this morning?’

You groaned again. ‘It was just one of those mornings - it was one thing after the other. I swear it won’t happen again. 

Poe gave you a soft smile, the sarcasm fading from his face. ‘I’m just kidding. Don’t be so hard on yourself.’

With that, he took the coffee from your hand and took a sip. ‘Jesus Christ, what is in this?’

‘Four shots of vanilla syrup.’ You snatched your drink back from him. ‘Let me guess - you’re the kind of guy that exclusively drinks espressos and judges people for adding sugar?’

He simply raised his eyebrows, holding his hands up in defense. 

--

Nine hours later, your shift was finally over; you were closing with Poe, who was currently sweeping the floor and singing I Want To Break Free. Your feet were aching but thanks to the free coffee, you were slightly buzzed. You’d decided that you liked your new manager - there were some pitfalls, however. Watching him flirt with every woman that came in was bordering on painful by the time lunchtime came around. 

‘Rey’s here!’ Finn popped up from behind the coffee machine. He was supposed to be cleaning it, but it looked as though he was counting coffee beans instead. ‘Do I look okay?’

‘No different than usual, Finny.’ You replied. 

Rey was your room-mate and best friend (Finn would argue differently). She worked in a primary school a few streets away from the coffee shop. She usually came in after you’d shut to get a free drink - she also drove to work, which meant you didn’t have to take public transport home. After a nine hour shift and with an impending caffeine crash, being shoved into a small tube carriage was your idea of hell. With that said, Rey’s driving wasn’t much better. 

Fiddling with your keys, you unlocked the door to let Rey in. She looked tired - presumably from chasing after little children all day. You could see a bottle of wine sticking out from the top of her bag. That was this evening’s plans solved. 

‘Hey!’ She greeted you brightly. ‘Hey, Finn!’

‘Rey, hey!’ Your co-worker waved at her. ‘I mean hey, rey!’

‘I’m just gonna clock out.’ You said, glancing over your shoulder at Poe. ‘If that’s cool with you?’

‘God knows, god knows I want to break - oh yeah, that’s fine!’ He suddenly pulled his headphones out. 

‘This is Rey, by the way. She’s an honorary team member here.’ You explained. ‘And this is Poe, our new manager.’

‘She thinks I’m cute.’ Poe grinned. 

You turned to face Rey. ‘I’ll explain later.’

‘Right. Of course.’ She gave you a wink. ‘I went home at lunch to feed Chewy. He’s eaten another pair of your shoes.’

Chewie was your six-month-old border terrier puppy. He reeked havoc pretty much everywhere he went - usually leaving a trail of fur behind him - but you loved him dearly. He’d earned his name after eating through eleven pairs of shoes in his first week at your apartment. 

‘Of course he has.’ You grumbled. ‘See you tomorrow!’

‘See you!’ Finn waved at you, before giving Rey a sweet smile. 

‘See you in the morning!’ Poe called. ‘And be on time!’

tags: @thespareoom @softly-sad @interwebseriesfan24 @yougottakeeponkeepinon​ @princessxkenobi​ @blue-space-porgs​ @cherieboba​ @highlycommendable​

[sunkissedpages]

We’re Only Kidding Ourselves- Part Eleven || Tom Holland x Reader

A/N: fucking finally lol hope y’all are ready

Prompt: Enemies to lovers au (from @marvelellie‘s 1k writing challenge!!)

Summary: You work as a production assistant for the Spider-Man: Far From Home crew, or rather as Tom Holland’s handler. The two of you don’t get along very well to say the least, but you won’t quit and he can’t fire you so you’re stuck with each other.

Warnings: swearing, angst :)

What I listened to while writing: the Bad Times at the El Royale soundtrack

Word Count: 3.1k

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten

“Speak of the devil,” Haz said as Tom jogged over to the two of you and you couldn’t help the ‘literally’ that slipped out of your mouth automatically. Force of habit.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” he asked you, still breathing heavily from the scene they’d just been shooting.

“Like you give a shit,” Haz scoffed and Tom shot him a look.

“What’s your problem, mate?” Harrison shrugged and pursed his lips, looking off at the water. “Harrison?”

“You don’t actually care one way or the other, mate, don’t pretend like you do. It’s tacky.”

You and Tom shot Harrison identical looks of shock. Sure, everyone knew you and Tom had a bit of a Road Runner/Wile E Coyote dynamic, and no one knew it better than Harrison, but you didn’t think you’d ever heard him snap at Tom before. Especially not in your defense.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Tom asked, having moved past shock and on to annoyance.

“God, you’ve always been kind of an asshole to y/n, and I never said anything, but you’re not even going to acknowledge how shitty it was of you to ditch her in her hotel room alone after you dropped her off last night?”

Tom shot an accusatory glance in your direction. “Who the fuck told you that?”

“No one had to tell me, Tom. You know you could’ve texted me before running off to fuck some random Italian girl that way at least somebody could have taken care of her.”

You watched as Tom’s gaze turned icy and his jaw clenched. “Why d’you assume that’s what I was doing?”

“Come on, it wouldn’t be the first time.” Haz sneered bitterly.

Wouldn’t be the first time? When the fuck had Tom lied about doing something when really he’d gone off to get laid? Had it been under your watch? Had he ever lied to your face and laughed about it behind your back with Harrison? A feeling of dread settled in your stomach at the implication. You shouldn’t care, but you did. Your mind told you that it was completely natural to be upset. Tom had possibly lied to you. But your heart told you that it was what he’d lied to you about that was making your stomach churn.

If either of the boys remembered you were still sitting there, they didn’t make an effort to include you in the conversation.

“Oh, fuck off, Osterfield.” Tom laughed angrily and ran a hand through his hair. “Give me a fucking break.”

“Well if you weren’t screwing some girl, what were you doing?”

As if he was suddenly reminded of your existence Tom looked over at you. You locked eyes with him and you could tell he was torn between lying to his best friend and telling Haz the truth, but you both knew what would happen if he came clean. You pleaded with your eyes for him not to. He needed to say something else. Anything else.

“Fine,” Tom spat. “I was with someone.” Anything but that.

Harrison looked equally surprised and furious. “You’re kidding.”

“What’s the big deal?”

“Are you that dense? Y/n was nearly blacked out and you left her alone!”

“I made sure she got to the hotel safe. That was all anyone asked me to do.”

“I can’t believe you.”

Tom didn’t respond, but he didn’t back down. He just stood in front of Harrison with his hands in his pockets, glaring at him. You wished you could disappear. Or be anywhere but here, but you were frozen to the spot. They weren’t just bickering, they were fighting, and they were fighting because of you and you suddenly wished you could take everything back.

“Who was she?” Harrison asked.

Tom shrugged nonchalantly. “I never got a name.”

“Bullshit.”

He smirked slightly. “Just because she was screaming my name doesn’t mean I returned the favor.” God he was good at this, too good. You’d heard enough.

“Always a class act, Tom,” Haz rolled his eyes.

“Harrison, it’s fine,” you interjected finally, something you clearly should have done ages ago. Harrison tore his eyes away from Tom, his anger softening only slightly when he looked at you. “I’m an adult I can take care of myself.”

“You were really sick, y/n. Something could’ve happened,” he reasoned, now ignoring Tom who was still standing in front of both of you with his arms crossed.

“I only had, what, four or five drinks? I’ve handled much worse, trust me.”

Harrison didn’t look convinced. “You weren’t blacked out?” You shook your head, hoping he’d just drop it. Tom was due back on set any minute and he’d wasted his entire break arguing with his best friend. “What was the last thing I said to you?”

Fuck. “Um,”

“You don’t remember, do you?”

“Harrison, mate, drop it,” Tom sighed. “She’s still hungover can we talk about this later?”

All three of your pagers buzzed at the same time, meaning there wasn’t another choice anyway. Tom had to be back on set and you and Harrison had to get back to work.

“Yeah, whatever,” Haz muttered and watched Tom jog back off.

“What the fuck was that about?” you hissed lowly so that none of the other crew members could hear. “Tom’s your boss too, you know.”

“It’s fine,” Harrison brushed you off, not even looking at you now. “It’s not like he’s going to try to fire me.”

Ouch. You couldn’t even pretend that didn’t hurt. “Fuck you.” You stood and brushed off your shorts. “Come talk to me when you’ve decided to stop being an asshole.”

You couldn’t even focus on Tom’s schedule in front of you because you were still so put off by what had just happened. It had left a bitter taste in your mouth. The color coded highlighting jumbled together on the page and you couldn’t remember what any of the neon shades stood for.

The weirdest part of it all was that Tom was the one being nice to you? And Harrison was being a dick? You couldn’t make sense of it and your hangover wasn’t helping.

The remainder of the afternoon passed by in a blur. Somehow you were able to breeze through work without having to give anyone your full attention for the rest of the day. For probably the first time ever, Tom got where he needed to be when he needed to be there without you having to nag him. You half-wished someone had documented it.

You actually wore your headset for once, just to tune everyone out. You didn’t even have it switched to a channel.

The evening presented itself much more serenely than the morning had. You watched on from your spot with the other PAs by the canal as the sun sank below the stone buildings dramatically, painting the sky brilliant hues of orange and pink, eventually giving way to dusty shades of purple as dusk settled along the horizon.

“It’s time for more pills,” Tom leaned over and whispered, ignoring some of the glances from the rest of the table.The long day of filming had ended with a cast and crew dinner. There were only a few scheduled for the abroad legs of filming, but they were all mandatory, not that you could complain. You weren’t one to turn down free food, especially free food from Marvel.

“So you’re my drug dealer now?”

“Lower your voice,” Tom hissed and you couldn’t help but laugh. “Can’t have everyone knowing about my part-time gig.”

He passed two more ibuprofen over to you under the table which you fumbled, nearly dropping them, before actually bringing them to your mouth and swallowing with a sip of your lemonade.

“How are you keeping track of when I should take more painkillers better than I am?” You wondered aloud, looking at Tom intently.

He blinked like the question had caught him off-guard, but shrugged it off. “Easy. You’re hungover.”

You shrugged and let it go, but a little part of you wondered if that was really all. You couldn’t imagine Tom reminding you to tie your fucking shoes even just two days ago much less, remind you to take your medicine for a headache.

You noticed that Harrison had somehow managed to escape the mandatory dinner and you wondered where he could possibly be and how he’d charmed his way out of it. You were reminded, not for the first time, that you were surrounded by children disguised as adults. He couldn’t still be mad at Tom, could he? Was he mad at you? You wished he’d just grow up and get over it.

“So, I heard you had some fun last night, Tom,” Remy piped up from a few seats down with a smirk.

“Who told you that?” Jacob asked in confusion, looking over to Tom who apparently hadn’t told him yet.

“Not revealing my sources,” Remy insisted. “Journalistic integrity and all that.”

Tom chuckled and put his hands up defensively. “Alright, guilty.” He had all of the cast’s attention now. Everyone suddenly wanted to hear all about his night, about his conquest. You didn’t know if you could sit through it again.

“Think you’ll see her again?”

“Nah,” he said casually and stretched his arms out behind him.

You listened to Tom talk and watched as he settled into character. He spoke about sleeping with this woman he’d made up as if it was just another Tuesday night. Somehow it turned into a game of twenty questions and everyone wanted all the details. You wondered why they all cared so much, probably because he was acting like he didn’t. He was so perfect for the role, you weren’t sure why Hollywood kept casting him as these sweet, innocent, characters when he played fuckboy so well. Maybe because it hit a little too close to home. He appeared completely relaxed, and was joking around with the cast who were all eating out of the palm of his hand. The only thing that gave him away were the tips of his ears which you had noticed turned bright red as he talked.

You weren’t sure who asked, but someone at the table prodded Tom about what she was like. He didn’t hesitate to describe how gorgeous this mystery woman was and for a second you forgot it was all an act. If you hadn’t known better you’d say he was purposely going out of his way to describe someone who was everything you weren’t. It made you sink in your chair just a little.

“Sounds a lot like what happened in back in London,” Remy pointed out.

Tom froze for just a second, but long enough for you to catch it. “Yeah I guess so,” he said and kind of laughed it off, but rubbed his neck awkwardly.

Back in London. So Harrison was right, lying and then fucking a random girl was something Tom would totally do. It had been under your watch and apparently everyone knew, but you. Fantastic.

“Oh right, when was that?” you asked and you could swear every head at the table turned towards you. You realized you hadn’t contributed anything to the conversation yet and that most people probably hadn’t even known you were sitting there at all. But you figured the easiest way to get the truth was from someone who didn’t know you were the one who had been lied to.

“I think it was sometime around the filming of the bus scene, right?”

“Yeah,” Tom confirmed softly, with just a hint of edge in his voice.

“Right.” You nodded and pursed your lips tightly, afraid you might say something you didn’t mean if you didn’t.

Remy went on to tell the story, and everyone’s attention was back on him. If anyone noticed Tom’s eyes burning on you, they didn’t say anything. You could feel his gaze on you, but you ignored him, pretending to be wrapped up in Remy’s story, who was still blissfully ignorant to the tension at the table.

You remembered the day the bus scene was shot. They had put Tom and the rest of the cast on one of those double decker buses on one of the hottest days of the summer and then spent the entire day trying to figure out how to rig the camera so that it could swing smoothly between decks. There had been a two and a half hour break, mostly for safety since it was so warm out and they were still having technical difficulties.

Tom had made his way over to where and you Haz were sitting and interrupted your game of cards.

“I’m going to run to a quick PR meeting, kay?” It was more of a statement than a question and he ran a hand through his sweaty hair impatiently as he waited for you to pull up his schedule.

“You don’t have one today,” you said, squinting at your phone screen in the sunlight looking over the spreadsheet again just in case. “Press is months away.”

“It’s a last minute thing, only just got notified about it. They scheduled it because we have the break.”

“Okay,” you shrugged and put your sunglasses back on. “Just be back when we start again, and let security know.”

He ran off without a goodbye or thank you, but that was typical. You only spoke to each other when you had to. Haz dealt a new hand and you forgot about Tom for a while, until you realized Tom had gone and Harrison had stayed. One didn’t go somewhere without the other following closely behind, especially to meetings. That was Harrison’s thing, always had been, and you were glad he already had that down before you showed up because being trapped in a conference room with Tom talking numbers was your literal worst nightmare.

“Do you need to be at that meeting Tom’s at?” you asked as you drew from the deck. He looked up at you with confusion.

“Hm?”

“The PR meeting Tom’s at, shouldn’t you be there?”

“Oh, right. No, it’s confidential Marvel stuff I guess,” Haz explained simply before turning his attention back to the game. You were a little offended that Harrison had obviously known about the meeting beforehand and not bothered to say anything to you, making you look like an idiot, yet again, in front of Tom, but ultimately let is slide.

Tom had come back late, of course, out of costume, hair a mess, and cheeks pink. You couldn’t believe you hadn’t realized it then. That he’d lied to you, used you. You’d filled the hole in his online schedule so that no one would wonder where he was, when in reality, you had no clue where the fuck he had actually been.

Your cheeks burned with embarrassment now at the recollection of it all. How had you been so blind?

“You okay, y/n?” Zendaya asked, putting her hand on yours, pulling you out of the memory.

You looked up and realized food had been put in front of you, who knows how long ago, and you hadn’t even touched it.

“Yeah, sorry, still feeling the last of the hangover.” It wasn’t technically a lie.

Z nodded knowingly. “Eat. It’ll help.”

You forced a smile. “Thanks.”

The conversation at the table had moved past Tom’s one night stand some time ago and everyone was lost in their own smaller groups, passing bread around and trying each other’s drinks. At least you wouldn't have to pretend to be interested in who Tom was fucking anymore.

Everyone clapped when one of the producers, you couldn’t remember his name, ordered a round of champagne for all of you, collected the check for the night and slapped down Marvel’s credit card. It was tradition.

You didn’t hesitate to take a glass when it was offered to you. The bubbles felt good on your throat and the crystal felt cool in your hands.

Tom nudged your shoulder. “Hey, if you’re still not feeling well maybe you should...” his sentence died off as he watched you chug the rest in spite. “You’re gonna regret that.” You shrugged. “Are you not talking to me now?” Another shrug. He sighed and rubbed his mouth with his thumb. “For fucks sake, y/n. You’re impossible.”

Everyone was still mingling and hugging around you, chatting about how the scenes went today and how the party was last night. The room had grown warm and stuffy and you wished you could slip away without being noticed, but you had nowhere to slip off to. Venice was still unfamiliar to you and you had no idea how to get back to the hotel from here.

Eventually, after most of the cast had already gone back to the hotel or off to wherever, Tom asked if you were ready to go and you followed him out of the restaurant and into the cool evening air. The sky was speckled with stars now, and the sidewalk was empty. It felt a little like last night, except you weren’t talking.

Tom led the way through winding, narrow cobblestone alleyways and you trusted he knew where he was going because you were lost in your own thoughts about what Harrison had said about Tom and what had happened back in London. You were still trying to make sense of it all.

“I’m sorry for sleeping with that girl back in London,” Tom said, breaking the silence finally and you stopped in your tracks.

“That's...not what I’m upset about Tom. I don’t care who you’re sleeping with.”

“Sure you don’t,” he scoffed and shook his head in disbelief.

“I’m upset that you lied to me about it,” you continued, aware of how your voice was growing firmer.

“Why is that such a big deal?”

You looked at him, hard. “Fuck off.”

“No, I’m serious!”

“You could have just told me you were going to see someone, but you lied to me. You had Haz lie to me, you let me believe it for months!”

“Right, like you haven’t lied to me before. And how is London any different from what I’m doing here?”

“It’s not the same thing!” you cried.

“How so?”

“You’re lying to your friends. I am your handler. Something happens to you, it’s on me. Don’t you get that?!”

“Yeah, I am lying to my friends. My best friend. And I’m lying to him, to all of them for you, y/n. It’s your ass on the line, not mine.”

You took a step closer to him. “Are you fucking threatening me?”

Tom took a step forward in turn. “Should I be?”

You wanted to scream. “You’re unbelievable, Tom! God, I can’t believe I ever took this job, I can’t believe I haven’t fucking quit yet, I can’t believe I’m halfway around the fucking world with you of all people-” then suddenly, out of nowhere, Tom leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours, effectively cutting you off.

ok wow finally in part eleven they fucking kiss lol also remy stans wherever u are I added him in for y’all :) anyway lmk what u think, I always appreciate feedback!

Forever Tags: @mischiefmanaged4 @bookingbee @cloverrover @captainbuckyy @perhaps-he-schnapped @awkwardfangirl2014 @the-queen-procrastinator @tastingthestarz @sleepybesson @everythingbooknerd @sunshine96love @bitchymathematician @livingincompletesilence @melbooktrash @swim-deep-or-die

WOKO Tags: @parkerstylesperalta @marvelellie @splashofbi @learning-howto-be-myselfx3 @timelock97 @ohheyitsem @starsholland @honeymoonparker @zeenee @musicgirl234 @brozekey3215 @tryn25 @gracie4290 @lovinnholland @bluparis @summernykole @alt-ernativewonderland @hbmoore1986 @falling-stars-never-cry @in-the-corner-coffee-please @mihcellejones @lillypedalsxx @thedaydreamingwriter @being-deadly-sirius @sherizaraiyah @thiccmillions @ive-got-some-lies-to-tell @tomsmelanin @dangerousluv1 @xitzbrookiex @illletitgrow @pleaseforthesakeofmysanity @fangirl-juchan@akwardnesshabitat @hazspancakes @canadianjelly @gioandreolli @obsessedmaggiemay @almostrosadiazz

Send me an ask to be added/dropped from a taglist

[pixelgrotto]

The horrific Resident Evil playthrough, finale

Approximately one year ago I began the somewhat mad quest to shove as much Resident Evil into my brain as quickly as possible. I blazed through thirteen games, a handful of spin-offs, and as much supplementary material I could get my hands on. I chronicled my thoughts each step of the way via posts here, on Twitter and in a massive ResetERA thread where a lot of good people gave me advice on how to proceed with the series. Not all of the stuff I experienced was great (those Paul W.S. Anderson movies come to mind), and sometimes this massive undertaking felt like work, but now that I’ve come to the end, I can say that it was worth it, because it’s quite the feeling to bring yourself from having zero knowledge of something to morphing into a Wiki-reading fiend in just a year. At this time in 2018, I had only the barest notion of what this series was about and who characters like Jill Valentine or Leon Kennedy were. Now, I could probably write a pretty heated Twitter thread about how Jill needs to be brought back to the forefront of the series not just with a remake of Resident Evil 3, but with an entirely new game, because she’s been sidelined for years despite being the central figure in promotional material like the fancy artwork that I’ve posted above! Ahem. 

My initial desire to become more familiar with Resident Evil has been part of a larger push in recent years to consume more horror media, mostly because as I get older I find myself increasingly attracted to eerie stories that I was too much of a weenie to dive into when I was younger. Some of it probably has to do with the fact that as an adult I now find stuff like health concerns, existential dread and paying taxes to be more horrifying than things that go bump in the night, but part of it is also because that even as a scaredy cat kid, I was always kinda intrigued by macabre stuff like Resident Evil, even if I couldn’t bring myself to play through the games. 

Now that I’ve plowed through the franchise, I wish I could go back and whisper to my younger self that aside from the first game, RE7 and perhaps bits and pieces of both versions of RE2...Resident Evil isn’t all that frightening. The series does have its jump scares and gore, but it quickly crosses genres into the realm of action, and even in its more tense entries, Resident Evil stays dripping with a fine dollop of cheese, either through B-movie dialogue or moments when the main characters wink at the camera and suddenly take a zombie to suplex city. Action, comedy and horror are unusual but frequent bedfellows, I’ve learned, and with RE embodying all three of these genres, translating them to the realm of electronic entertainment via a format emphasizing survival, it’s only appropriate that this is the franchise that has come to serve as the face of spooky thrills in the video game world.

Resident Evil’s also in a very good place at this moment in time. RE2Make has gotten well-deserved praise from just about everyone who’s played it, and after a moment where it looked like Capcom was going to tilt the mattress and upset the delicately placed bedfellows - emphasizing action and over-the-top comedy more than horror - now it appears that the devs have gotten their heads straight and maintained the balance once more. There’s still room for improvement and careful experimentation though. As the series forges ahead into the 2020s, I hope that Capcom doesn’t get drunk off of RE2Make’s success, milking its formula to exhaustion. I want at least another mainline game to utilize the first-person perspective of Resident Evil 7, which worked better than I ever would’ve imagined, and I’d also like to see the Revelations sub-series, which was supposed to focus on stories that took place in between the main games, continue - in spirit if not in name. (A Revelations 3 or similar spin-off with fixed camera angles - perhaps in a mid-tier budget point ‘n click style a la Detention - would be something that I’d love, though Capcom probably will never go in that direction.) Finally, I’d like Resident Evil to remember that it had fabulous female representation in its earlier entries. The later titles have mostly had male protagonists front and center, which directly reinforces the trope that it’s okay for survival horror games to star the “must be protected” ladies, but anything action-orientated should star dudes so that male players can have their power fantasy trip. This can easily be fixed by doing what I said in the first paragraph - bring the queen Jill Valentine back. 

Finally, because these sorts of franchise reflections are never complete without a good ol’ fashioned list... Here’s how I’d rank the mainline games, complete with a snappy sentence or two for each.

Resident Evil REmake - Because if I had to recommend just ONE game for someone to get a decent idea of this series’ mechanics and themes, it would be this one.

Resident Evil 4 - It’s survival action instead of survival horror, but when the gameplay’s this good, can you really complain?

Resident Evil 2 - Over 20 years old and still a thrilling experience. The epitome of the fixed camera angle games.

Resident Evil 7 - I was afraid that the change to a first-person perspective would alienate me, but I beat this game in two days and couldn’t put it down.

Resident Evil RE2make - Almost as good as the original, and a great sign of the franchise’s future. 

Resident Evil Revelations 2 - Worth playing for the return of Barry Burton and the moving story alone, which is basically about fathers and daughters, loss and acceptance.

Resident Evil 1 - The OG that started it all. A little clunky to play in this day and age, but the magic’s still there. 

Resident Evil 6 - The equivalent of an overstuffed exploding cake, RE6 is excessive as hell and sometimes infuriating...but one thing you could never call it is boring.

Resident Evil 5 - A solid series entry about Chris Redfield punching boulders in Africa, this one’s excellent if you play it co-op. Solo, a little less excellent.

Resident Evil Zero - RE probably didn’t need this prequel showing what Rebecca Chambers was doing on the night before she got stuck in Spencer Mansion, but good chemistry between the main characters makes it worth experiencing.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - A lot of folks love this one, but IMO it feels less noteworthy than RE2 and RE1, probably because it was originally designed as a spin-off. I rank it low but am eager to see how a RE3make could boost it. 

Resident Evil Revelations - Jill Valentine’s in a wetsuit that clings to her booty this whole game and she hangs out with a partner who looks like Russell Crowe. Aside from that, Revelations is fine but kinda forgettable.

Resident Evil: Code Veronica - The only RE that truly annoyed me with backtracking and some cheap bosses, Code Veronica is technically still an okay game. But Steve Burnside is a garbage character. 

Thus, we bring the horrific, 2018-2019 Pixel Grotto Resident Evil playthrough to a gentle finish. *Cue relaxing save room theme here.* It’s been fun, ladies and gents. I need to rest up a bit and try some other games that aren’t survival horror for a while. But I like the idea of doing more series playthroughs in the future...

And I think Silent Hill might be a good choice for the next one. 

The header artwork is a textless version of the radical Biohazard 20th Anniversary poster that Capcom put out in 2016. 

[abewoodhullturncoat]

100 Asks Answered:

The meaning behind my url:  abewoodhullturncoat... Abraham Woodhull was a turncoat so I mean, it did not take much to come up with that one.

A picture of me: will post one soon.

How many tattoos i have and what they are:  One! A large treble clef in honor of my love for music.

Last time i cried and why: I do not cry often, as I was raised to believe a guy has no right to cry and it makes him weak,  but I cried just last night... When I realized I’ve forgotten the sound of my uncles voice. He passed around 7 years ago. 

Favorite band: I have an eclectic taste in music, so I couldn’t tell you for certain.

Biggest turn offs:  Pretentiousness, number one by far.  Also people who drop hints instead of asking for something, game-playing instead of being direct, and braggarts. -I don’t want to remove this because I share much the same sentiment. But I do wish to add that another turn off is the automatic judgment that a person put on someone before truly getting to know someone.

Top 5 (insert subject): Top five Ice Cream Flavors: Superman, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cookie Dough, Vanilla, and Birthday Cake.  

Tattoos i want: Something really cool that would be really... Me. Historical, I’d reckon. As my love for history is a big part of me.

Biggest turn ons: A mind of their own and a voice to speak it. Quick wit and a voice to impart it. A taste for romance. Easy conversation. A taste for fine literature doesn’t hurt.

Age: Over 21. (My birthday is October 3rd if you actually read this.)

Ideas of a perfect date: Sitting in front of a fire, on the couch. Whoever the date may be with beside me, reading books together or maybe watching a film? I’d cook her dinner. Dessert. And maybe if she permitted, I’d take her to her home and give her a romantic kiss on the doorstep.

Life goal: Travel to all of the American Historical sights

Piercings i want: None

Relationship status: Single

Favorite movie: The Labyrinth or FBAWTFT

A fact about my life:  I’m a huge history geek.

Phobia: Of being disliked.

.Height: 5'11"

Are you a virgin?   Um... Yes. Much to awkward to get a date. Let alone a proper good shag. 

What is your shoe size?  11

What’s your sexual orientation? Straight. 

Do you smoke, drink, or take any drugs?   I have drank in the past, but I refrain lately because it would mess with my anti-depressants

Someone you miss: My Uncle.

What’s one thing you regret?  My not working harder to accomplish necessary things. 

First celebrity you think of when someone says attractive:  Heather Lind, my goddess.

Favorite ice cream?  Mint Chocolate

One insecurity: Myself as a whole. 

What my last text message says:  I actually haven’t texted anyone since I got the phone really, but it was a text to my mum. Asking how she was. She spends a lot of time in the hospital due to her diabetes.

Have you ever kissed a member of the same sex? No.

Have you ever slept naked?   Yes

Have you ever stole money from a friend?  No

Have you ever gotten in a car with people you just met?  Yes

Have you ever been in a fist fight?  Yes. Protecting my youngest brother from a group of people who loured him out of the house. I had an uneasy feeling when a friend of mine had refused to allow me to follow. Turns out that I made the right decision. They intended to beat the hell out of my brother, who has epilepsy and he’s too afraid to fight back. And the reason was because he was gay. They had no right to go after him, so I stepped in.

Have you ever had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back?  Yeah

Have you ever been arrested?  No

Have you ever made out with a stranger?  Yes

Have you ever laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by?  Yes

Have you ever been lonely?  Yes

Have you ever been to a club?  Once, and I was so very awkward. I went out on the dance floor and sort of just stood there while my friends just sat there... Grinding against me. I guess that’s part of being the only guy friend willing to hang out with the ladies.

Have you ever felt an earthquake?  Nope. But I was in a hurricane and a tornado before.

Have you ever touched a snake?  Aye.

Have you ever ran a red light?  Yes

Have you ever been in a car accident?   No

Have you ever cried yourself to sleep? The night my uncle died.

Have you ever sang karaoke?  Oh yes.

Have you ever done something you told yourself you wouldn’t?   Mhmm. I call it, “Living.”

Have you ever laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose?  It was at a fancy dinner. Root-beer out the nose.

Have you ever slept with someone at least 5 years older or younger?   No

Have you ever dreamed that you married someone?   No

Have you ever got your tongue stuck to a flag pole?  Ah, yes. Actually. To be young and stupid and willing to do anything for money.

Have you ever ever gone to school partially naked?  Ah... No.

Have you ever brushed your teeth?   Dude... Yes.

Have you ever been too scared to watch scary movies alone?  Nope.

Have you ever been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on?  Yes 

Have you ever been told you’re hot by a complete stranger?  Nope

Have you ever broken a bone?  In my right leg, yeah.

Have you ever been easily amused? Due to my own immaturity.

Have you ever laughed so hard you cried?  Many times

Have you ever mooned/flashed someone?  No

Have you ever forgotten someone’s name?   Yes

Give us one thing about you that no one knows: I  am so overly romantic that it is slightly ridiculous.

What was your last dream?  I haven’t the faintest idea. I’ve forgotten.

Would you be up for interplanetary travel if it was a thing?  Heck yeah. 

If you could travel back in time, where would you go? I would go back and fight with Washington and his men. Win the war. Make history.

Do you dread doctor visits or do they not bother you? I don’t dread them at all.

Favorite fashion decade of the twentieth century?  Fashion is not my strong suit. I’d just as soon bring back the breeches and waistcoats, and the courtships of the 1700′s

Are you wearing nail polish and if so, what color? Now I’m confident in my sexuality but myself in nail polish is not going to happen.

Are you into working out or no? Yep.

Do you have a temper?   No

Do you have one item you treat yourself with, if so, what is it? Rolllllleeeeplay.

Do you eat meat?  Yes

If yes, how do you like it cooked?  enough

Ever had a boss or a teacher you absolutely hated?  No.

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?  Hot Chocolate.

Do you wear makeup?  Nope.

If you wear perfume, what’s your scent type/favorite fragrance?  I’m a basic guy. Old Spice usually. But I do like Drakkar.

Do you have a girl crush?  Yes

Candles, wax melts, or incense?  Incense.

Favorite season of the year?  Winter.

Fanfic—do you prefer smut or fluff?   Smut

Do you like taking selfies?  Why or why not?  I mean, I take selfies. But I do not have myself convinced that I am God’s gift to women.

Do you want children? Not sure yet.

Do you prefer lots of friends or just a few good friends?  Just a few, not interested in crowds of pseudo-friends

Introvert or extrovert, or mixture of both?  Mixture

Ocean/beach or mountains?  Ocean, if it’s cold, cloudy, and the water is wild and gray.  Otherwise mountains.

Morning person or night person?  Both.

Do you initiate conversations with strangers?  Yes

Milk or dark chocolate? Milk chocolate is my secret weakness.

What do you post on your blog? Role play mostly.

Is it hard for you to apologize when you’re in the wrong?   I have no issue apologizing whether I am wrong or right.

Love at first sight?  Sometimes.

Best/funniest Halloween memory?  I was Jareth the Goblin King one year. Being recognized was great. But then the next year I was Westley from the Princess Bride and I scored myself a date at the very same halloween party.

Did your first crush work out or was it unrequited?  Unrequited of course.

Do you like old movies—and by old, I mean OLD old?  Yes

Do you tan or burn?  Both.

Do you think people deserve second chances?  Generally yes.  Hard to say no considering how many times I’ve fucked up.  But child molesters, that kind of thing–hell no. - Agreed sentiment, honestly.

What animal would be cutest if scaled down to the size of a cat?   Me, probably.

Do you have any weird food likes/dislikes? I hate fish and seafood in general. But I was introduced to ranch on hot dogs and I sorta dig it.

.What’s the funniest real person’s name you’ve ever heard? John Jacob Jefferson Schmidt.

I was tagged by @greenofallshades

@annastrxng @nellyforrevolution @bennjamintallmadge

and anyone else who wants to do it can. You can switch out questions if you wish, as long as there ends up being one hundred. Or about that.