#see you folks in another 7 years with part 3

[16th-of-a-twigg]

Not me coming back 7 years later to quickly draw some more panels to this old thing... I can't believe I started this before we even had season 2 💀 If I recall, the premise was post identity reveal and Marinette wasn't sure if Adrien showing affection was him liking her or projecting his feelings for Ladybug. (Red lines are the new stuff. I didn't even bother pulling up refs to keep on model 🤡)

[opal-owl-flight]

Decimation.

Youve been stealing back millions of eggs from Grizzco for years. And in a single night, they took it all back.

How does it feel to face a possible extinction?

Uhh lore abt Grizzco and the salmonids below!

So in my interp, Grizzco started somewhat small, bc back then Grizz and...an associate... were doing everything by themselves. When his associate went nuts, and almost ended the world by driving the nearby salmonid nations nuts as well, Inkadia launched Project Piranesi. (More on that another time.) Grizz had to think of another way to get those eggs..

…how perfect was it then, that Inkopolis, a fairly new city, was having a bit of a salmonid problem?

Grizz inserted his corporation as part of the damage control along the run routes. it only grew from there.

he expanded to the Splatlands later, though admittedly the folks there were more adapted to the salmonids compared to Inkadia. Its not as strong a hold but Splatsville and its surrounding establishments appreciated the extra precautions Grizzco provided.

Neos born fighting for her life and for her clans. Its why shes so aggressive and finds it difficult to be anything but. If shes not angry, fighting for her clans to have a life of peace…for a present and future where she can live -- what is she?

she and 3 arent so different, in that regard.

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Grizzco says that the last 7 big run locales had "unusual magnetic readings" and in my world that just means THEY DAMN PUT IT THERE!!!!

They intentionally put something there to confuse the migrators and to steal the next generation -- and the Inkfish? Ofc theyd fight for their homes.

The Splatlandians TRIED to avoid the routes when they built the city after thousands of years of observation. Sorta like the dykes and canals some cities build next to swelling rivers.

Another comparison is that the big runs are just like other natural calamities in the eyes of the nations. Its like a flood, an earthquake, a typhoon. Hell its somewhat announced that way too. The infrastructure is built with the runs in mind. The powers that be have built countermeasures.

*I say try bc some sleazy/unaware corporations still built along those routes bc of the cheaper land/other "economical reasons."

And then Inkadia just wasnt aware at all, being a newer city compared to the ancient splatlands.

Grizzco intentionally causes property damage for bigger gains. Theyve been suffering a "shortage" thanks to Neo3 and the platoon's banditry. In a bid to take everything back and more, they decided to make the biggest event in the Splatlands the salmonid's next target.

They know that EVERYONE will show up to it.

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I think seeing that counter keep ticking up gives Neo3 a sense of creeping dread. Thats the number of eggs she put back in the sea. And more. All done in a single night. All her work, down the drain.

The platoon does manage to get a LOT of it back but god. What about the fallen runners, who were supposed to get to the actual spawning grounds?

Those lives disrespected and their bodies unable to feed the spawn. (Theres only so much the survivors can drag back.)

I wonder too, how many of those runners arent there for the runs at this point. They are there to kill.

Ticked off by the persistent attacks and the misdirection. As Polyphemus says in Epic, "Take from you what you take from me."

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After multi-magnetic field disruptors in the biggest run, these salmonid have had enough and want to hit back. I wouldnt blame them...god, I wouldnt blame them

The salmonids have never resorted to kidnapping any inkfish. Theyve killed. Yeah. Part of the whole running ceremony. But it was always just a part of that.

To actually go out of their way to fight instead of spawn? Thats different. In the grand run, inkfish may notice that some bosses arent dropping golden eggs. Bc they were never here to spawn. Theyre here to drag every inkfish they find into hell.

Subsequent big runs may end up with more and more of those eggless bosses.

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Happy 700 mil!! I HAD MANY NEO3 AND SALMONID THOUGHTS. THINGS ARE GETTING SO FUCKED UP IN SPLOONWORLD. The platoon as a whole is trying to restore peace between the Splatlands, Inkadia, Octaria AND the Salmonid nations, but unless Inkadia and the Splatlands change (COUGHS mostly Inkadia), nothing can really be done.

This is the shit 3 fights for. That harmony is what they dream of. The whole world rests on their shoulders and they press on, ever forward.

[pinkrosealice]

A non-exhaustive list of art, pieces of media, franchises, authors, and thinkers that I really need my fellow Cultsim/BoH/Secret Histories fans to get into and discuss with me and between themselves.

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(WARNING A LOT OF THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS COME WITH A LIST OF CONTENT WARNINGS AND ARE SOMETIMES CONNECTED TO CONTROVERSIAL ARTISTS AND PUBLIC PERSONS. THIS LIST IS NOT A ENDORSEMENT OF ANY PROBLEMATIC IDEALS OR STATEMENTS MADE BY ANYONE MENTIONED IN THIS LIST AND IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT ANYONE WHO LOOKS INTO ANY OF THE MENTIONED WORKS OF ART DO THEIR DUE DILIGENCE AND THOROUGHLY CHECKS FOR DISTURBING / TRIGGERING CONTENT AT THEIR OWN VOLITION)

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Film Recommendations:

1. Dario Argento's Three Mothers trilogy, especially Suspiria & and especially especially the 2019 remake of Suspiria. Very Dancer DLC-coded, very Sisterhood of the Triple Knot and Thunderskin.

2. The Magic Lantern films of Kenneth Anger, who was a practicing Thelmaite* for many years. Lantern Principal is obviously what comes to mind when you hear of the name of the series and the dreams that were mystical experiences that inspired and were expressed in art, in this case films is very much akin to stuff we see in Cultist Simulator.

(* As shown in later parts of this recommendation list I argue that the games of Weather Factory become even more interesting and artistically impactful if you learn more about late 19th and 20th century occultism and movements like Theosophy and Thelma.)

3. Hereditary and Midsommar are obvious recommendations but even more so I would recommend the original 1970s The Wicker Man. Folk Horror in general is a great source of what the arts of The Bosk would look like in real life. They were definitely worshiping The Low Red Sun on Summer Isle.

4. A Dark Song, a 2016 horror film that actually revolves around the performance of a very famous and important real life occult ritual. I think a lot of the visual imagery in that film can give some inspiration for the kind of Rites our player character in Cultist Simulator is performing.

5. The Lair of The White Worm is a movie loosely based on a Bram Stoker story and is also very much a Gods of Stone overthrown by forces associated with humans raised to Divinity and the powers of the Sun and Apollonian principles type of story. Plus the whole Worm/Wyrms thing going on. I also recommend it because it's one of the more light-hearted and comedic entries on this list and I want some variation in tone. Also its psychedelic visuals compliment a lot of the surrealist elements that are tied to things like the Moth Principal.

6. Black Swan isn't explicitly supernatural but it is very Dancer Coded.

7. The Hellraiser movies, but only the first second, fourth, and the reboot. Leviathan, being associated with pain and pleasure and having the name of a mythical sea monster is probably very similar to whatever the hell The Tide was before The Red Grail vored her. The Cenobites are Long with Grail, Knock, & Forge as their Principals.

8. Pan's Labyrinth, for the Woods and the Bounds appreciators. I also think there is something to be said about the fascist subtext that underlines much of the Edge Principle, especially in The Colonel that can be explored and appreciated in this film and its reckonings with the evils of Spanish fascism.

9. To compliment the recommendation for the Magic Lantern films, also check out the short film The Wormwood Star, you can find it easily on YouTube and it's another piece of art heavily influenced by Thelma and stars Marjorie Cameron who I will talk about more later in this list.

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Game Recommendations:

1. Hollow Knight, it might as well be a story set in the era of the Carapace Cross. Sentient bugs, mighty Wyrms and dream gods with the powers of light but not necessarily moral goodness. Even the Void in Hollow Knight, and it's antagonism to The Radiance is very similar to The Nowhere and it's relationship with the established hierarchies in The Mansus.

2. The Silent Hill games, particularly the entries that revolve around The Order; like 1,3, Origins, and Homecoming. Dream worlds, Sun worship, the Dark Feminine and female psychics/mediums with deep associations with blood, birth and menstruation. Valtiel is totally a Name. Even the fog and mist of Silent Hill is giving The Bounds and it's Forge smoke meets Woods darkness type energy.

3. Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines, it's basically playing a Grail Long.

4. The tabletop games Geist: The Sin Eaters and Wraith: The Oblivion line up really well with the Ghoul / Medium DLC. *

(basically most if not all of the World of Darkness and Chronicles of Darkness tabletop games contain some themes, elements, or bits of World building that should appeal to anyone interested in the games created by Weather Factory)

5. The video games created by Korean studio Project Moon. Lobotomy Corporation has a lot of timers and simulation elements that have many similarities to those found in Cultist Simulator, and as the title implies Liberty of Runia takes place literally in a paranatural library just like Book of Hours even though the game play between the two is very different.

6. Fallen London and it's related media. The reasons why should go without saying. The controversies around AK aside, Echo Bazaar and Secret Histories are blood siblings and I desire more intersection and interaction between the respective fandoms.

7. The Bayonetta games have a surprising amount of real mythological and occult influence in their world building. The Solar Lumens juxtaposed with the Lunar Umbrans definitely has some resonance with Church of The Unconquered Sun and their on again, off again antagonism and allyship with The Sisterhood of The Triple Knot. The Apollonian natured House of the Sun contrasted with the Dionysian Woods & House of the Moo, and the Nowhere being connected to all three but being distinct; is not all together that different from the division of the Bayonetta universe into Inferno, Paradiso, the human world and Purgatorio between all of them.

8. The Shadow Hearts series of JRPGs are a Gothic, urban fantasy, historical fantasy, lovecraftian adventures around late 19th / early 20th century Europe and Asia. It has a lot of comedic elements and its world building and cosmology are not all that similar to the ones in Weather Factory games (barring their shared history as being inspired by Lovecraft). But if you want Lovecraft in video game form without the racism associated with his writings and you found Cultsim/BoH to fill that niche, then I recommend you give these games a try as well.

9. Secret World Legends, a functionally dead MMO but still incredibly fun to play and I think one of the best examples of urban fantasy / soft Lovecraft or post lovecraftian media in existence. Absolutely fantastic & memorable fully voiced NPCs and characters, really intriguing and rich world building and takes on mythology and folklore. Also given that you play as a quasi immortal with a deep association with bees and an ancient techno-organic goddess you're basically a Long.

10. To compliment the Lobotomy Corporation recommendation and the later SCP mention I think it's only natural that I also recommend the urban fantasy games of remedy entertainment like Alan Wake 1 & 2 and Control. Artists channeling / being used by Eldritch Forces in other dimensions and government institutions related to keeping a control on the supernatural are the most obvious similarities to stuff in WF games.

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Visual Artists:

1. Francisco Goya, especially his Black Paintings, his insights into the witchcraft and folkloric traditions of the Basque region and elsewhere in the Iberian peninsula should be very appealing to fans of The Twins and The Thunderskin. Plus all of the Catholic imagery brings to mind The Mother of Ants.

2. Austin Osman Spare, Rosaleen Norton, and Marjorie Cameron. All three of these people were heavily influential occultists and illustrators/painters so their work is definitely a great representative example of the kind of occult art that you are making when you Paint in Cultsim.

3. Salvador Dali is also a relatively obvious, but I think very appropriate all the same recommendation. Surrealism is by and large the big big tonal influence on Secret Histories in my opinion. He also did a tarot deck so that brings in the Lucid Tarot connection

4.Erté, absolutely the kind of art and fashion you would find in Cultist Simulator's 1920's. Art Deco for days but also his works in particular show a more flowy and organic influence that we would more stereotypically associate with the Art Nouveau of decades prior.

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Comic Books:

1. Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing and Grant Morrison's run on Animal Man. DC's Red and Green (plus all the other elemental forces) are a deeply underappreciated and underexplored element of the setting, and I think they have a lot of similarities with the Principles we find in Secret Histories.

2. Related to the above, Alan Moore's Promethea and Grant Morrison's The Invisibles for an exploration of 20th and 21st century occultism. Despite the two authors general distaste for each other, their works are often very complimentary.

3. The Hellboy franchise doesn't have a lot of one-to-one parallels with Cultsim & Co. but they draw from the same artistic influences of gothic fiction, weird fiction, mythology and folklore and the occult. So I feel very strongly that fans of one would and should find the other to be enjoyable. Both fandoms need to be more active on this hell site and though there are a handful of quality hidden gems of fanfiction for both franchises I desperately need more people to be writing & reading fan fiction for both. Plus I do strongly believe that Mike Mignola' s art style would really excel at illustrating characters and settings from Secret Histories. His non Hellboy work is also recommended especially the works that fall under his Outervers setting, like Baltimore and Joe Golem.

4. Although I will admit that I am not up to date on it, and that there has been a considerable amount of discourse around the quality of its storytelling (especially within the past few years) I would recommend the webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court to fellow Cultsim fans. Alchemic imagery, interesting reinterpretations of folklore and a setting and tone that is quintessential British urban fantasy / science fiction, Gunnerkrigg is in my opinion a work that has a lot of appeal for fans of WF's games and stories.

5. Lackadaisy Cats is an awesome Webcomic and animated web series. 1920s/ 30s gangsters and bootleggers in the form of anthropomorphic cats! And absolutely beautiful Art Deco illustrations! What's not to love.........

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Anime & Manga:

1. Any of the anime directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura especially Serial Experiments Lain and Ghost Hound(this one is seriously underrated in my opinion.) Surrealism is the name of the game as I've said earlier.

2. Le Chevalier D'Eon, both it's manga and anime even though the two are very totally different and have divergent takes on a similar premise. Historical fiction that reinterprets 18th century historical events through an occult lens is so very very Secret Histories. Plus both works have interesting explorations of gender and the nature thereof. It helps that as far as we know the French monarchy's Secret Histories equivalent are associated with the Hours, my personal headcanon is that Louis XIV was Lantern Principal aligned, and Louie XVI had Knock as his Principal. Also the manga version of the story has a lot of its magic system based around the Tarot.

3. You can't recommend D'Eon without recommending it's biggest inspiration (apart from Rose of Versailles of course) and that would be Revolutionary Girl Utena. Edge Dyads for days with that one. Utena and Anthy are totally The Twins. And the whole show and it's movie are full of surrealist pseudo occult imagery practically to the bursting.

4. Baccano! , a light novel / anime series that's about a bunch of immortal Mobsters in the 1920s and 30s. I mean that's basically The Exile DLC right there.

5. xxxHolic and Legal Drug / Drug & Drop, by CLAMP. A shop that grants wishes and a pharmacy that handles the paranormal are both the kind of businesses that I could see existing alongside Morland's, Oriflamme's Auction House & The Ecdysis Club. Plus both manga are hella gay and I will push my Weather Factory games are inherently Queer pieces of media agenda till the day I die.

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Theater, Operas, Music and Albums:

1. Jimmy Page's unused soundtrack for Kenneth Anger's Lucifer Raising. Definition of Occult rock and role.

2. Kiki Rockwell, especially her two most recent albums Rituals on the Bank of a Familiar River, and Eldest Daughter of an Eldest Daughter.

3. Stravinsky's Rite of Spring might just be the closest we will ever get in real life to an occult ritual in the form of an entire ballet like we see in Cultist Simulator and Book of Hours. Definitely a skill that could fall under the Wisdoms of Birdsong and The Bosk.

4. On that note, Mozart's Die Zauberflöte is also full of Hermetic Elements, Lunar / Solar antagonism, mystical initiation and ritual deity impersonation. Mozart was a Freemason so the fanfic of him as a Heart Adapt practically writes itself.

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Literally Fiction:

1. The webnovels Pact and Pale by wildbow. A magic system that revolves around incredibly hierarchical relationships between humans and mystical beings, where magic fundamentally requires discarding one's humanity and transforming into some kind of mystical being yourself is very similar to the Adapt to Long pipeline we follow in Cultist Simulator.

2. The Rivers of London series is one that I'm still familiarizing myself with but it's another example of wonderful British urban fantasy (that isn't the wizard books that shall not be named) The fact that the main characters of the series are magic police officers gives it a certain Suppression Bureau appeal.

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Nonfiction- Philosophy and Occult works and Authors:

1. Georges Bataille!!!!!!!! If you only pick one thing from this list to investigate further let it be the philosophical works of this man. His theory of religion as it relates to concepts such as economy, sacrifice, and eroticism you literally completely change how you understand The Hours and The House Without Wall.

2. Aleister Crowley, and any of his students, especially Kenneth Grant. He really is the quintessential modern English occultist, whether or not AK and Lottie intended it, the DNA of his beliefs or those of his Golden Dawn contemporaries, or his students is all over Cultsim and BoH. The Red Grail is like, so blatantly Babalon it's kind of ridiculous.

3. The Book of English Magic by Phillip Carr- Gomm & Richard Heygate, is a good introductory source of information on the history of magical practice and occultism on the British isles.

4. Occult Paris by Tobias Churton is a fascinating insight into some of the mystical practices that were en vogue in Europe just a few decades prior to when Cultist Simulator takes place.

5. Atlas of Cursed Places by Oliver Le Carrer. I could totally see some of the places documented in this book as being locations you could send your Followers to in Cultsim.

6. Please read everything you can that is academically critical about Greek magical Papyri. There are tons of resources for reading translations and analysis of these documents that are some of the most foundational examples of what real historical magical belief and practice actually looked like.

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Web Original Content, Podcasts, YouTube Channels and Tiktok Recommendations:

1. Greedy Peasant over on Instagram and tik tok does fascinating content related to Catholicism, medieval history and art, and other related topics. If you like all of the interesting reinterpretations of Christian religious iconography into sun worship that happens in Book of Hours I highly recommend his content.

2. The last few years have really seen an incredible ecosystem of academic scholarship on religion, mythology, occultism and esoteric philosophy develop on YouTube. Channels like Esoterica, Angela's Symposium, Let's Talk Religion, Religion for Breakfast, Jackson Crawford, The Modern Hermeticist, The Archaeology of Ancient Magic, and others are just overflowing gold mines of accessible and easily digestible but still academically critical and pseudoscience and conspiracy theory free information about mysticism historical occultism and esoteric religion and mythology.

3. There are also a number of great YouTube channels that aren't academically critical but are run by actual practicing witches and occultists and they offer fascinating and interesting insights into these same topics but from a lived more personal perspective which is just as important I think to learn about as the academically critical sources. Great channels include Benbell Wen, Maevius Lynn, Marco Visconti, & Nordic Animism.

4. In terms of fictional internet media, SCP is so broad that there's a lot of stuff that is completely different in appeal from what is enjoyable about Secret Histories, but there's also so much overlap. I need crossover fanfics and fan art more than air!!!!!

5. Lastly this is a fiction podcast so it's a little incongruous with the other nearby recommendations but, I cannot stress enough......... The Mangus Archives and Magnus Protocol!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are a lot of key differences between those two podcasts and Weather Factory games, but there are so many similarities that I have to write an entire three other posts about how similar the settings are and how I want to write a crossover/ fusion fic. I've seen like, one or two pieces of fan art and fanfiction that was related to both series but in my humble opinion it's not nearly enough. I really really really really really need Cultsim fans to talk more about Magnus and I need Magnus listeners to play these games soooooooo badly!!!!!!!!!!

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Well that mostly concludes this piece of propaganda for the time being, will probably make another post with further additions in the not so distant future. Feel free to reblog this with any other pieces of media that you think would also be appealing to fans of Cultist Simulator and Book of Hours.

[red-dead-sakharine]

Tickles - Part 7

Raphael x Tav, RaphaelPOV, soft!raphael, gn!tav, fluff, hurt/comfort, body worship, conflicted!cambion

Part 1 | P 2 | P 3 & 4 | P 5 | P 6 | P 7 | | P 8

Raphael sat at his desk in the boudoir. He had sent Korrilla to to keep an eye on the adventurers again. While he had an avid interest in keeping them alive before, his investment has now skyrocketed to new heights. The mere thought of losing his little mouse has become unbearable to him.

He wrinkled his nose. The fact that he had become so... attached to this mortal bothered him somewhat. It was a weakness. It was un-devil-like. It was pathetic. That was his fiend blood talking, and he knew it. His mortal side longed for Tav's affection. Their touch. Their understanding. He's had a long and difficult life. But never in all his years, has he felt as whole as he did last night, when his little mouse held him tight and told him he was perfect. He had craved this. And he feared it. And he hated it. The thought of killing the mouse crossed his mind. It would prevent him from more mistakes. From indulging in this weakness. But he could not bear the thought.

He sighed. No matter how much his father's blood rebelled against it, he would keep his mouse safe. And once the brain was defeated and he had the crown, he would keep them close and never let go again.

He threw a glance at the clock, almost midnight. His fingers drummed impatiently on the desk - just once. But that already was something that irked him. It was unlike him to be restless. When you live for thousands of years, you perceive time differently. But today he was eager to act, but he had to wait for the right moment and it made him antsy. A feeling he rarely experienced.

Finally, a knock on the door frame announced Korrilla. Raphael's insides were doing handsprings, but he kept his composure and projected a picture of calm superiority on the outside. Though as the dwarf approached, his nose wrinkled again, "What is that smell?"

"Your favorite misadventurers have been trudging threw the sewers all day." Korrilla grumbled slightly.

"Ah." That explained things. "I take it, they are back at the tavern now?"

The dwarf nodded, "Yes. When I left them, they were fighting over the rights to the bathtub."

The devil's nose flared in disgruntlement. This would mean he'd have to wait even longer for them to all get to sleep. He tried not to let his frustration show, "Did anything of note happen today?" "They seem to have found the entrance to the temple of Bhaal but couldn't get through the door." Korrilla reported. Raphael hummed in acknowledgement, "They'll figure it out, I'm sure. Good work." he waved the warlock off, and she nodded and left. No doubt to go burn her clothes. That sewer stench would never get out.

The devil's fingers drummed on the desk once more. How could a day feel so impossibly long?

He waited several more hours - the finger drumming on the desk slowly increased in frequency as the night dragged out. In the early morning hours, Raphael finally stood up. Surely, the tadpoled mortals have had enough time now to get clean and fall asleep.

Still, to not end up in another embarrassing disaster, he decided to appear outside their room. And so he did. With a flash of fire and ash, he appeared right in front of the door to their room in the elfsong tavern. The place was quiet for the most part. He could hear some drunkards from below, but at this time of night most of the merry folks had already passed out. He cautiously put his ear to the door. Nothing. Good. Slowly, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He scanned the room for the vampire spawn, but he wasn't there. Probably out feeding. Next he looked for the animals. He didn't see them at first, but a few steps further into the room, he spotted them: Curled up at the foot of the tiefling's bed. A quiet spell later he could be sure they wouldn't wake, and disrupt him.

Now for the reason he was here...

[mood music]

He turned to where he had been during his first visit, and there they were. His little mouse. He quietly moved over to them - and frowned. There was a bruise on Tav's face, that hadn't been there last time he saw them. Who dared to hurt you, mouse!? He was angry at whoever caused the damage, but he was also quite confident that the culprit was already dead. His favorite mortal probably cut their way through several Bhaal cultists today. The thought made him smile. He made a mental note to try and watch from the shadows sometime. He found the image of his mouse covered in the blood of their enemies incredibly arousing.

He took a deep breath and shook the thought off, though. This was not why he was here. He knelt down in front of Tav's bed and looked them over. They were lying belly-down, the uninjured side of their face squished against the pillow. It looked a bit funny, but also incredibly endearing to the fiend. He smiled at the picture and just drank it in for a while.

When he had memorized every detail of the sight, he began to act. He gently pulled the blanket down to their waist and snaked his fingers below the nightshirt. He leaned in, hoping the mortal would smell his perfume, and he whispered every so quietly into their ear, "O apple of my eye..." He meant to wake them as gently as he could, to avoid repeating that calamity from last time. His fingers gently stroked Tav's back. He enjoyed the feeling of their skin. Soft. Vulnerable. A few battle scars here and there, that told tales of victory and prowess. "Little mouse... I'm in your house." he whispered and smirked at his own rhyme. His fingers ran across their shoulders, one by one, tracing the shoulder blades. "You're so fast asleep, little mouse, you don't even wake at this..." He whispered against their ear, and his fingers traced back down their spine. Perhaps they are too exhausted. It didn't matter. He kept caressing their back, their sides. And he looked at their face. That beautiful - squished - face, looking so peaceful and without worry. Looking so kissable. He leaned in, "Little mouse, you're such a sight." His words were barely audible, and he followed them with a gentle kiss to Tav's cheek.

That finally caused them to stir. They inhaled deeply, and without even opening their eyes, a smile formed on their lips, "Raphael?" they mumbled into their pillow. He smirked to himself. They knew his smell. "Yes, little mouse. I was in the area and thought, I'll stop by..." he lied in a whisper, and stroked their back gently. Their smile widened, "Glad you did." they mumbled sleepily. He brought his face close to theirs and placed another kiss on their temple, "Just relax, sweetling." And they sighed happily. His hand moved up to run through Tav's hair. Another sigh. He could not help himself but to place another kiss on their cheekbone, and their smile grew even wider. They liked what he did. He felt proud and happy. He caused them to feel good, and it was his accomplishment.

His hand trailed down their back. Now that Tav was at least somewhat awake, he became more daring. He placed his hand at their waistband and waited - an unspoken request, like the ones before. He looked back into Tav's face, and their eyes were open now. Looking at him in the darkness, still smiling. He had his answer. His hand slid down into their pants, gently stroking over their butt cheeks, one by one. The mortal's eyes closed again. Enjoying the attention.

His heart swelled with pride. Never would he have thought that he'd feel so good, just from causing some mortal pleasant feelings. But he did. He felt elated to be the cause of their happiness. And after all, this wasn't just some mortal. This was his little mouse.

For a short moment, the feral fiend inside him wanted to tear off their clothes and ravage them on the spot. But he calmed the monster and pushed it away. This was not why he was here. His fingertips ghosted over the mouse's rear, and he heard them sigh. It made him feel so good. This was better than a short moment of sexual relief. This was... soft.

He began to like soft.

He looked back into Tav's face and they were still smiling. Likely drifting somewhere between waking and sleeping. He would be gone by the time they woke up in the morning. Perhaps they will think this was all a dream. He wasn't sure if he liked that idea, or if he wanted them to remember his visit. He pondered over it, while he continued to caress their butt cheeks, then their back again. Trailing down their right arm - the only one he could reach. His kissed their hand. Another sigh. He trailed kisses up their arm. That happy smile never left their face. Their beautiful face. He leaned in again to place a kiss on their bruised jaw. They hummed. Another on their cheek. The smile grew larger again. Another on their temple. On their nose. And after a moment's hesitation, on their lips. They kissed back lightly. Obviously more asleep than awake, but still reacting to his touch. He was filled with love. He kept going, gently stroking and kissing them, until the sun poked their first rays of light into the room.

He finally stood up to leave. But he hesitated. He wanted them to know, he decided. He wanted them to know, it wasn't just a dream. He used his powers to nick a single rose from a bouquet he had in the devil's den. It appeared between his fingers, and he left it on Tav's bedside table.

Then he bent down to place a parting kiss on Tav's cheek, and pulled their covers back up to their shoulders. He drank in the picture for a few more moments before he vanished. Leaving behind the smell of his perfume, ash and sulfur.

His heart sang with delight,

he had enjoyed this night.

👉 Part 8

[saphire-dance]

Welcome to the Transformers Fandom

Did you just see Transformers One? It was good, wasn't it? Do you want to be fannish about it? This post is for you.

First thing to know is we use the tag maccadam. This practice dates back to when the live action movies would flood the Transformers tag with actor pics. Maccadam is where you will find the robots. It is a reference to Maccadam's Old Oil House. A bar found in some continuities. You can still use the Transformers tag

Speaking of references. Let me introduce you to your new best friend: TFWiki. The Transformers Wiki is the place to go if you want to know anything about Transformers. Shows, Movies, Comics, Books, Toys. It's all there. We're spoiled with how good this wiki is. Thanks, guys.

Now you don't have to watch more Transfomers to be a fan. If you loved the movie you're already a fan. You don't have to ever watch another thing and you are still a fan and welcome here. But I'm betting you want to see more Transfomers. Here are some other continuities and where to find them. This is not an extensive list. This is a starter pack.

The Transformers (1984) AKA Generation 1 AKA G1. The original that started it all. Dubious 80s animation and some of the greatest voice actors of all time. Available on Tubi for free.

Beast Wars AKA TFBW. If G1 started everything Beast Wars is what kept it from dying out. Absolutely bleeding edge computer animation in the 90s. It's, uh, very dated, but the story and voice acting still hold up and I recommend giving it a chance. Available on Tubi for free.

Transformers Animated AKA TFA (yes we fought the Star Wars folks over that tag) Debuted the same year as the first Live Action Movie. It is very anime influenced and shows a very different side to our favorite characters. One of the more popular shows in the fandom. Available on Tubi for free. Also on Pluto

Transformers Prime AKA TFP AKA Prime. Another very popular show with the fandom. Part of the Aligned continuity which featured books, games, and other shows. This is probably closest to Transformers One in characterization and I would recommend making this your next watch if you can. The First season is on Netflix with the rest available on Tubi. Yeah I don't know what is up with that.

Rescue Bots AKA TFRB This is a Show for Preschoolers, but don't let that scare you away. It is one of the best Transformers shows. Somehow also part of the Aligned continuity. Season one is on Netflix and it is also available on Pluto

Transformers Cyberverse AKA Cyberverse AKA TFCV. A fun Bumblebee focused show. Very few humans. Season 1 is on Hasbro's YouTube channel, Season 3 (????) is on Netflix, Also on Pluto.

Transformers EarthSpark AKA TFES. The most recent show. Lots of new characters and a new side to Megatron that I love. On Paramount+ and YouTube premium.

Live Action Movies. There are 7 live action movies the first 5 are directed by Micheal Bay and are collectively known as the Bayverse The other two movies Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts, are also sometimes lumped in with Bayverse. It is debated if they are reboots or prequels. Personally Bumblebee is my favorite. They are all available on Paramount+

Comics. Comics have been part of Transformers from the very beginning. First with Marvel and later with other publishers. Marvel Dreamwave and IDW are the best known publishers. IDW is still very popular in fandom. Currently comics are being published by Skybound. Unfortunately finding out of print comics can be very difficult/expensive and I recommend checking TFWIKI for summaries if you can't find them.

[ktwritesstuff]

The Babysitter (a Last of Us fanfic) pt. 2

Title: The Babysitter Fandom: The Last of Us Rating: Explicit Characters & Pairings: Joel Miller x Reader Word Count: ~3,500 Summary: Outbreak day and adventures in babysitting. Lovingly beta-read by @bs-fangirl. Additional content notes below the cut

Part 1 | Part 2 (below cut) | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

Content Notes & Warnings: Man, oh, man, the Last of Us girlies are thirsty! This part follows the game/show fairly closely so there shouldn't be too many surprises. Just to forewarn you, this chapter includes a teenager fantasizing about a grown ass man (explicit, but short,) canon violence, & character death.

Austin 2003

You usually didn’t get into the school spirit, especially when it came to football.  You played in the marching band at halftime, but weren’t usually invited to the afterparties.  It was your senior year and the Bulldogs were headed to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. So when your best friend invited you to a celebratory bonfire after the game, you figured it was probably the last chance you had to make fond memories of the place.

You drank a few beers while Cheryl and her boyfriend made out on the blanket next to you and listened to Mike Zurowski try to give an inspiring speech about how they would dominate the state championship.  But after the first string running back took off his pants and streaked across the highway you decided you’d better leave before someone called the cops.  You were just heading out when your phone rang.  It was Joel Miller.  You felt butterflies in your chest, wondering why he would call you so late.  

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sweetpea,  It’s Joel.  I didn’t wake you, did I?” he sounded tired.

“No,” you said.  “We were out celebrating the big game.  I was just heading home.  What’s up?”

“Listen, I’m sorry to call so late,” he explained.  “I’ve got to go see Tommy–is there any chance you could come keep an eye on Sarah?  She’s already in bed, I just don’t want her waking up in an empty house.”

“Yeah, of course,” you said.  Of course it was for Sarah, it was the only thing that made any sense.  

“Give me about 10 minutes. I’ll have Andy and Cheryl to drop me off.”

“You’re an angel,” Joel sighed.  

“I’ll see you soon.”

The short drive was surprisingly harrowing; you nearly got pancaked by a fleet of firetrucks and emergency vehicles.  You guessed some folks had partied a little too hard.  

Joel already had his keys in hand as Andy dropped you at the curb.  Thankfully, he seemed to be in too much of a hurry to notice you still reeked of Lone Star beer, despite the mints Andy kept stashed in his glove compartment.  

“Thanks again,” Joel said, meeting you at the door.  “Be sure to lock up behind me.  Make yourself at home; help yourself to anything in the fridge.  I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

“Sure thing, Mr. Joel,”  you said.  “Drive safe; I think the drunks are out.”  

You went to the kitchen and checked the fridge.  You contemplated helping yourself to another beer, but decided against it.  The Millers didn’t drink soda, but they always kept a few cans of Diet Coke on hand for you.  You took a seat on the couch and turned on the television.  

About half an hour into reruns of Dawson’s Creek, a car alarm started going off.  You ignored it at first, but it just kept going.  Finally you switched off the television and turned to peer through the blinds onto the street.

“What the hell is going on out there?” You murmured to yourself; finally the alarm went silent. 

You climbed the stairs in the darkened house to check on Sarah, cracking her door open just enough to find her sleeping soundly in the bed.  You closed the door softly.  Your gaze drifted down the hall, lingering on the door to Joel’s room.  A little voice in the back of your mind told you to turn around and go back downstairs, but he had told you to make yourself at home.

You tiptoed down the hall and put your hand on the knob, turning it slowly.  The door creaked on its hinges as you pushed it open.  You froze, listening intently, but all you could hear was a neighbor’s dog barking in the distance.  Your heart was pounding as you stepped into the room.  

There was an exercise bike in the corner, a full laundry basket with used towels and worn clothes spilling on the floor.  You had never been in a man’s room before.  Even at home, your mother devoted considerable effort to cleaning up after your father and brother.  You noticed a framed picture of Sarah on the cluttered dresser along with an oscillating fan and radio.  The bed was unmade, a striped quilt and dark sheets looking comfortably rumpled and inviting.  You took a seat on the bed, feeling the soft fabric under your fingertips.  Against your better judgment, you laid down.

The bed smelled faintly of sweat and old spice.  You closed your eyes and rolled over, pressing your face into one of the pillows.  You liked the idea of sharing Joel’s bed.  Not now, but in a few years.  You’d be 22 when Sarah graduated from high school, Joel would still be in his early 40s.  That wasn’t so unthinkable, was it?

A weight settled onto the bed beside you, warm and firm.  A soft whisper of a moan by your ear.  Your right hand followed the path of his as it snaked over your waist and between your legs.  You reached behind you with your left, fingers twisting in thick curls.  His breath was warm and his beard tickled the delicate skin of your neck as he kissed you.  You felt safe.  You felt peaceful.  You felt loved.

You leaned into him as his mouth traveled across your shoulder and down to the top of your breast.  You opened your legs so he could slip inside you, fingers stroking through your hot folds up and down and up and down as hips rocked into you.  You felt a knot tightening in your belly.  You wanted to feel him there.  You pressed back into him.  Your toes curled.  You were so close; you were already so full of him, but you needed more.  Just a little more.

You jolted out of sleep at the sound of the front door opening.  Your face felt hot and flushed with sleep with one hand stuffed down the front of your jeans–how embarrassing.  You pushed yourself up and glanced at the clock on the bedside table.  It was after 2 in the morning.  You had no idea what had kept Joel out so late, but you did not want him catching you in his bed with your hand down your pants.  You jumped up, re-ruffling the sheets as quickly and quietly as you could before slipping out of the bedroom.

In the hall, Sarah’s bedroom door was open and her bed was empty.  From the top of the stairs you could see the front door had been left hanging open as well.

“Shit,” you gasped, pounding down the stairs.  “Fuck!  Shit.  Sarah!  Sarah!”

You spotted her in the neighbor’s yard, dragging their dog toward the house by the collar.  It was fighting her hard, like it didn’t want to go.  

“Sarah!” you screamed.  Your heart pounded as you ran to her.  “What the hell are you doing?!”

The dog finally managed to slip its collar and took off down the street.  

“Mercy!” Sarah yelled, lunging after the dog.  “Mercy got out.”

You grabbed Sarah by the arm, harder than you intended.  As you stood there on the dark street, there was a deafening roar.  You looked up to see a plane flying low, too low.  A wave of icy dread washed over you.  

“Leave it!  Get back in the house!” you yelled, pushing her in front of you as you rushed back to the house.  “Now!”

Once you were inside and had locked the door, you took a breath.  Sarah rubbed her arm with a frown.  You felt terrible, realizing you had really scared her.

“I’m sorry,” you said.  “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to hurt you.  I didn’t mean to yell.  I just got scared.”

“What are you doing here?” Sarah asked.   “Where’s my dad?” 

“He had to see your Uncle Tommy,” you explained.  “He didn’t tell me why, but he asked me to come keep an eye on you.”

Sarah went to the living room and grabbed the remote from the coffee table to flip on the television.  The station that had been playing reruns earlier was now nothing but static.  She began to scroll through the channels, still nothing.  

You screamed at the sound of a key scraping in the lock and threw your arms around Sarah.  The front door swung open, Joel and Tommy were on the other side.

“Jesus, you girls alright?” Joel asked.

“We’re fine,” Sarah sighed in relief.  “You just startled us.”    

“What’s going on?” you asked.  

“There’s been an accident,” Joel said, breathlessly, pushing Sarah up the stairs.  “Tommy’s going to take you home.  Sarah, go get your backpack, come on.”     

You remembered the morning of September 11th–sitting in the auditorium as the kids with parents at Camp Mambry got called out of the room–all the teachers would say was there had been an accident, a plane crash.   

You watched with increasing anxiety as Joel disappeared up the stairs with Sarah.  No more discussion.

“Come on,” Tommy said, ushering you out of the house.  “We gotta go.”

You had met Tommy only a few times, but you knew him by reputation.  He had served in the Gulf War and spent over a year in Afghanistan before an honorable discharge.  Given that he was such a hothead, you sometimes wondered about the honorable part.  

“What’s really going on?” you asked, as he climbed into the cab of the truck beside you.  

“I don’t know,” he said, starting the engine and peeling out of the driveway fast enough that you grabbed on to what your mother referred to as the ‘Oh, Shit’ handle above the door.  Somehow that answer managed to scare you even more.  

“Are we going to be okay?” you asked.  

“You just get inside and lock your doors,” he instructed.  

You thought you heard a scream and turned to look out the rear windshield, straining your eyes in the darkness, but there was nothing.

“You got a basement?” Tommy asked.

“Yeah.”  You met his eyes in the rearview mirror.

“Get in it,” he instructed.  “You grab whatever food and water you’ve got.  Take your family down there and seal up the windows and doors, you hear me?”

You nodded.  You were shaking.  Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes and you wiped them away with the cuffs of your sleeves.  You felt like you were going to be sick.  Tommy’s driving didn’t help; he took the turn down your street hard enough to slam your body into the passenger side door.  

“If they don’t listen to you, you make them listen,” Tommy warned.  “Or leave them.”

You nodded.  Tommy pulled into your driveway, slamming on the breaks just shy of running into the back of Paul’s Jeep.

“Get your keys out now,” Tommy instructed, he flipped on the overhead light as you fumbled through your purse with shaking hands.  “Get inside, quick.”

You sprinted up the stone path and steps to the door.  The porch light was off and you scrambled to get the key in the lock.  After a few seconds the door finally swung open and you glanced over your shoulder to see that Tommy was still parked in the drive.

As you turned back, you realized Paul was standing in the hallway, but he didn’t look right–his head cocked to one side as he watched you.  There was something in his mouth.  He was covered in blood.  It coated his arms and dripped from his chin, staining the white and gold of his football jersey.         

You screamed.  Paul ran at you, slamming into you like a freight train.  You threw your arms in front of your face as he snapped at you like an animal, grabbing for your throat.  You screamed again, trying to fight him off–he grabbed your breasts with both hands, like he wanted to tear them from your body.  You knew you were going to die; you kept fighting anyway.   

There was a deafening bang…

The next thing you were aware of, you were in the bed of Tommy’s truck.  It was dark except for the headlight beams stretching out across a deserted cotton field.  

“She ain’t family.  Doesn’t mean she’s sick; I’m just saying we don’t know.”  

You blinked, willing your eyes to focus.  Tommy and Joel were standing at the tailgate speaking in hushed tones.  Tommy had his rifle in his hands, not aiming it, but still too close for comfort.

“I know,” Joel said.  “But she goes to school with Sarah–been with her all night.  If she’s sick…”

“Sarah,” you started to panic, trying to push yourself up.  Everything hurt; your arms felt like jello.  “Where’s Sarah?”

“Daddy,” a soft voice called from inside the cab of the truck.  

“You stay in the truck, baby,” Joel yelled.  “Don’t come out here.”

You smelled metallic, copper penny.  You were covered in blood.  Whose was it?  Your momma’s?  Daddy’s?  Paul?  Your chest hurt from where he had grabbed you.  He was so strong.  How had you gotten away?  Your eyes drifted back to Tommy’s gun.

“Do it,” you said.  

Joel and Tommy both froze, realizing for the first time that you had been listening.  That you understood they were debating what to do with you.  Paul had tried to kill you; Tommy had killed Paul.  Your parents, you realized, were almost certainly dead.  And whatever happened to them, that was making people go crazy and hurt one another, would happen to you, too.  

“Do it,” you repeated.  You didn’t want to die, but if you were going to hurt someone, maybe even Sarah.

“Please.  I’d do it myself, but I’m scared.” 

“Shit,” Joel sighed, lowering the tailgate of the truck.  “C’mere, Sweetpea.  Come here, let me take a look at you.  You’re gonna be alright.”  

You inched forward on hands and knees.  Joel ran his hands over your arms, your face, your neck, you weren’t sure what he was looking for.  He took an extra moment, adjusting the collar of your shirt to examine the bruises blooming across your chest, probing them with his fingertips.  You realized it was the first time he had touched you, not rough, but insistent, hurried.  

“Open your mouth,” Tommy instructed, shining a flashlight into your face, still holding his rifle in the other hand.

You blinked against the bright light, opening your mouth.

“If she’s got it,” Tommy concluded.  “She doesn’t look like the others.”

“You stay down and hang on,” Joel instructed, slamming the tailgate closed; he and Tommy got back in the truck.  “We’ll head north and cut across toward Barton Creek.”

The road back into town was rough, but once you were back on the main drag things got a lot worse.  Most folks were running and screaming–others had gone violent, feral, grabbing on to whoever they could reach and tearing them apart.

You were terrified that one of them might jump into the bed of the truck.  You grabbed onto the handle of the big toolbox and hunkered down as best you could, squeezing your eyes closed while Tommy struggled to navigate through the chaos.

By some stroke of luck, you were thrown clear of the wreckage when the truck turned over.  You must have had a concussion–you lost consciousness for a moment–your head was screaming but you were alive and as Tommy hauled you up by the collar of your shirt, you were able to get your feet under you and stand.

“Come on, girl,” he said with surprising tenderness.  “You got this.”

Your vision cleared; Joel was digging Sarah out of the wreckage of the truck.  Her ankle had been pinned, probably broken, and wouldn’t bear weight.  You stumbled toward them and ducked under Sarah’s arm to help support her as Tommy went around to the other side of the truck to retrieve his rifle.    

“Look out!” you screamed, watching helplessly.  Tommy dove out of the way as a police cruiser slammed into the overturned truck.  The officer inside slumped over the steering wheel, unmoving.

“Don’t look, baby,” you reached to cover Sarah’s eyes.  “Don’t look.”  You had read how seeing human remains could really mess a person up.  You didn’t have time to wonder how what you had seen tonight would affect you.

“You go!” Tommy called from the other side of the wreckage.  “I’ll find another way through.”

You and Joel started down the sidestreet supporting Sarah’s weight between you.  You turned down the adjoining alley, trying to get away from the crowds and the chaos, and nearly ran straight into more carnage.  Joel froze in place; there on the other side of the alley one of those things–you wondered when they stopped being human–was, well, you could only think to describe it as feeding.  Like a vampire.  You had never really cared for Tom Cruise.  But its victim was still alive.  He saw you, reached out for help with a low moan.

“Here,” you whispered, lifting Sarah’s weight into Joel’s arms, slowly, carefully.  “Here.” 

“Don’t,” Joel hissed back, holding Sarah in his arms like a new bride. 

“Go,” you said, taking another step into the alley.  

You didn’t know what you were going to do, but you had to do something.  If sharing air and close contact with these things is what made you sick, then you were already dead.  But Joel and Sarah still had a chance. 

Then the thing sat up.  You met its eyes and it met yours and you knew whatever it was, it wanted you.  You had fucked up.

“Go!” you called, sprinting back through the alley after Joel and Sarah.  You were just a few feet behind them with the thing closing in fast.

You did have one advantage that perhaps even Joel or Tommy did not.  Like every girl you knew, you had devoted a considerable amount of your brain power every day to planning what you would do if there were a predator after you.  

You followed Joel through the back door of an abandoned bar, pushing tables and tearing down stools into the path behind you as you went.  The thing stumbled and clawed its way through–one leg jutting out at a sickening angle, but it still kept coming impossibly fast and unfeeling.

As you followed Joel’s path through the kitchen you used the extra seconds you had bought to push the standing cooler in front of the swinging door.  It took all of your might–adrenaline flooding your body.  But as you raced from the kitchen, you could hear the thing forcing its way through your blockade.

You heard a shot, staring down the road at a humvee and a soldier, but even with the thing chasing you clearly dead, he didn’t lower his gun.       

“Take her,” Joel said, handing Sarah off to you.  “Stay behind me.”  

You lifted Sarah, she was too big to be carried like a child, but you cradled her with her legs looped around your waist, covering her head with one hand.

“What about Uncle Tommy,” Sarah said.  

“He’ll be fine,” you said.  “We’ll go back for him.”

The soldier was talking on his radio, you strained to listen, but your hearing hadn’t recovered from all the gunfire.  Then the soldier was lifting his gun.

“Run!”  Joel shouted.  “Run!”

He was turning toward you and you turned to run, but then you heard the shots.  Joel slammed into your back.  You tried to hold on to Sarah, but you fell–all the wind knocked out of you–rolling down the hillside.

You pushed yourself up from where you had landed on your belly.  You saw Sarah on the ground a few feet away, a dark stain spreading across the front of her shirt.

“No,” you chanted, scrambling toward her on hands and knees.  “No, Sarah.”  

Sarah moaned as you drew her head into your lap and pressed your hands into her belly.

“I have to,” you cried, pressing down hard.  “I’m sorry.  I have to.”

You didn’t even notice the soldier had followed you to finish the job until you heard the second shot and saw Tommy standing beside Joel with the rifle, the dead man at his feet.

Then they saw you, struggling to keep Sarah’s blood inside her.  Joel lunged at you, pushing you off her.  Sarah cried in pain as he tried to lift her.  You watched as life drained out of her and she went limp in his arms.  You felt cold.  You felt sick.  You felt numb.  

“You’re hit,” Tommy said, kneeling down beside you.  You didn’t know what he meant until he pressed his hand into your shoulder and searing pain ripped through your body.              

[izunias-meme-hole]

My Top 10 Batman Villains (Revamped)

(Because I currently need to get this off my chest, also a lot of these are just in my opinion)

Honorable Mention: Bane (Various) - Despite being misrepresented as a dumb brute and the fact that one of the best adaptations of him somehow gets his voice and nationality wrong, Bane is a villain with QUITE the deserving reputation. A walking tank with a luchador mask that has the brains to match his brawn.

Number 10. Scarecrow (Nolan Trilogy) - Crane wasn't a big villain in the grand scheme of the trilogy, but my god Cillian Murphy does a great job with the character. Like I wish that his supervillain outfit wasn't just a bag over his face, but Scarecrow manages to be quite the dangerous and cowardly loon with a mask of sanity in Batman Begins, an active member of the underworld in The Dark Knight, and the guy actively sending folks to their deaths in The Dark Knight Rises. Could we have had more of him? Yes. Did he use up his screen time well? Absolutely. Though his fear toxin could've been infinitely wilder.

Number 9. Mr. Freeze (BTAS: Heart of Ice) - I feel like this is a "to the surprise of absolutely nobody" moment, but this show reinvented Mr Freeze as a tragic and vengeful figure, and his debut was a perfect example of that.

Number 8. The Phantasm (BTAS) - The Phantasm is one of the best darker counterparts to Batman a lot of levels.

Number 7. Harley Quinn (BTAS) - The minor side villainess turned breakout character of the show. If anyone has seen B:TAS and then seen the rest of the media she's in, then you know why this is the best version of her. A good amount of things about the character being based around her actress (R.I.P Arleen Sorkin), her interactions with half the cast, Peak HarIvy content, the best representation of how bad her situation with her abusive ex was, and the perfect mixture between being a not-so-great-person and a precious lil' thing who deserves better.

Number 6. Ra's Al Ghul (Various) - Ra's Al Ghul may be a more international threat in comparison to the other antagonists I've listed, but he's undeniably one of Bruce's greatest foes. A very rich and powerful older man whose mission and persistence is similar to that of the caped crusader. Though unlike Batman, Ra's is willing to do more than just kill, he's willing to commit genocide, and he's willing to use other harsh and controlling methods in order to create his ideal world. Ra's is pretty much the the worst elements of Batman shoved into a singular self-righteous figure, and when done well he's easily one of the greats.

Number 5. Two-Face (Various) - Harvey Dent is a man split down the middle, a two-faced dude in more ways than one, and an irredeemably tragic figure no matter the perspective, though funnily enough he's always a victim of chance. He's a victim of the one worst possible outcome that had just as much of an opportunity to be the best possible outcome. It's part of the reason why he makes choices based off a literal coin flip. Chance put Dent in the circumstances to become a villain, and as he surrenders his entire being to chance as Two Face.

Number 4. Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepot (Various) - He's just a pathetic and horrible little man. No I'm serious. Oswald has had various portrayals over the years, but they can all be summed up at "pathetic and horrible little man wanting respect" and its great to see in action because despite the fact that he can be legit menacing and sometimes tragic, Oz is just inherently ridiculous on some level. It's great.

Number 3. Catwoman (Various) - Selina, Selina, Selina... she's cool. Sure she is a classic example of a "femme fatale," but aside from that Selina has always been a thrill seeker in some way or another. Be it as a jewel thief who proudly shows this, or an anti-hero that covers this part of herself with actual justifications, there is always an aspect of Selina that enjoys what she does when she puts that mask on. Mrs Kyle is enjoyable, idk what else to say.

Number 2. The Riddler (Various) - Genuinely impressive intelligence and creativity mixed with an ego as big as 3 Russias and as fragile as a glass bottle. That's what you're always bound to find in Riddler. Be it in the 60's show, BTAS, Batman Forever, The Arkham Series, Gotham, or The Batman, Riddler is a Redditor with the theatrics of a gameshow host and the resources of John Kramer.

Number 1. The Joker (Various) - Come on. We all knew this was gonna happen. The Joker is a crook who fell into a vat of chemicals and got a clownish makeover, who ended up becoming the nemesis of Batman. While the other rouges have their particular danger levels, they all have some type of cause they're fighting for or they're purely out to benefit themselves. Joker just causes chaos, death, and suffering, for the sake of his twisted sense of humor. He is willing to kill and ruin lives in the most creative way possible, so long as he finds it funny. Yet despite how twisted he is, this evil ass clown actually can be funny. Not only that, but he's the most effective contrast to Batman, even more than the other rouges. Batman is a frightening figure with a semi-demonic visage who suffered one bad day in his youth, yet he is a hero dedicated to the cause of justice and protecting the innocent citizens of Gotham City. Joker is a colorful figure with a big 'ol grin on his face and a jovial demeanor, yet he is perfectly okay with causing as much unwarranted harm to others for the sake of artistic chaos. Ultimately, the Clown Prince of Crime is a villain that's managed to last for decades, despite the ever marching clock, for these exact reasons.

[romanreignseater]

Press Play Pt. 1

Roman Reigns x Black Female! OC! (Xena)

Rating: 18+

Warning: Smut, sex tape, leaking of relations, angst, breaking up with Roman, and a cliffhanger 🙂.

“Being the girlfriend to a famous divorced father of 5 wasn’t your plan at 26 years old. You trusted him with your life, so you agreed to film a little something, but now you regret ever meeting him when your whole life is exposed.”

A/N: The first part to my three part series, the next two parts will be out on the next two Sundays!! I’M SO EXCITED, I’m showing substance 😆!!

GIF: @jeysuso

“Turn on the camera baby.”

“Arch your back.” Roman gave a swat to Xena’s ass as she failed to arch her back.

“I can’t, it’s too much…” She begged for him to show mercy, but he still wasn’t satisfied.

As Roman’s iPhone recorded the whole thing.

Wanting to spice up the relationship, Roman asked if it’ll be okay to film some personal tapes. In order to suffice the physical intimacy when they were away from one another.

Little did she know…

“I’m not gonna say it again, arch that FUCKIN BACK NOW!!” Following his orders and wanting to cum again so badly after being denied, Xena let her back arch and stretched her arms forward.

“That’s it baby, now look at the camera while I fuck the shit out of you.” Xena’s eyes glossy as she stared up at the 6.7” screen showcasing the vision of her Samoan beast, body clad in sweat dripping from his head to his toes.

He slowly stretched her cunt out with deep strokes, taking the breath out of her as she looked at his eyes through the screen. Xena fell underneath his spell once again, her eyes rolling to the back of her head, her g-spot being hit instantly.

Once his assistant, now his girlfriend of 3 years. After a messy divorce with his wife, Xena soon came into his life and the rumors began.

“New Assistant?! More Like Old Affair.”

“Young Woman Nabs An Almost 40 Year Old Professional Wrestler, Roman Reigns.”

“Roman Reigns’ New Slut Gold Digging Girlfriend.”

They were harsh, but Xena was tough.

It had been almost 7 years since she watched WWE, and she remembered Roman during his Shield days and the roaring boos of the Big Dog. But, he did a complete 360. Bigger build, bigger personality, and a different outlook of his career in general.

Xena had no intention of even starting a relationship with him, but everything fell into place.

“Right there, please.”

“Please what mama?! Tell the camera what you want.”

“I want your cum to fill me to the brim.”

“Ya wanna have my baby you little slut?!”

“Yes daddy please.”

His pace quicken, his dick gliding in and out of her pussy smoothly. Xena’s ass galloping against his toned thighs. Roman’s thumb lodged into her winking hole, beating her cunt into a pulp. Her head bowed down into the sheets, writhing at the immense pleasure. Soon to be lifted up, staring directly at the camera.

“Take this dick and say ‘I’m a little slut.’ Go ahead. Straight into the camera.” Saliva decorating the entirety of Xena’s chin as she babbled. “What was that baby they can’t hear you?!”

“I’m SUCH A LITTLE SLUT!!”

“Good girl.”

“FUCKKKKK!! I’m gonna cum, keep fucking me please!!”

Roman’s thrusts hit harder and harder and harder, so hard the Xena was almost sent flying into the camera. Her pussy began to convulse as it was obliterated by a giant Samoan cock.

Xena’s arch reversed as she reached her high. “Fuckkkk..” A guttural grunt came from the mouth of the Samoan as he spilled his seed inside of pulsing cunt. He pulled out as Xena laid slump on the bed.

“That’s a wrap folks.” Roman ended the video. Roman’s choice of recording was clips on Instagram. How smart… As he went to turn off his phone and get a rag for Xena, his finger slipped and he pressed “Add to Story.”

He grabbed a rag and cleaned her up. Putting his phone in charge, it was now set to self destruct.

The Next Morning.

Xena woke up to the sound of her buzzing and vibrating phone. She sees 20 missed calls from her best friend. High on alert she called back. “Taylor what happened? Is everything okay?!”

“Your sex tape is ALL OVER THE INTERNET!!”

Chuckling, “What are you talking about Taylor?! Tell me you’re joking…”

“I’m serious and it’s trending number one on Twitter.”

Checking social media, her getting the shit fuck out of her was sprawled number one all over the internet.

All the breath was sucked out of her as she felt the urge to cry, but then a surge of pure anger came over her.

She turned to a peacefully sleeping Roman and repeatedly slapped him across the chest. Jumping up from his sleep, using his arms to bar the attacks. “What the fuck are you doing?!”

“I HATE YOU, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!”

“What are you talking about?!”

In a broken voice, “You released our tape last night?!”

“WHAT?!?!”

“IT’S ALL OVER… EVERYWHERE!!”

“I never released our tape.” Checking his phone, Roman realized what happened. He accidentally released their tape on his Instagram story. Even though it was 1 minute, that 1 minute went a long way through the internet.

“Baby it was an accident.”

“I can’t believe you did this to me, after everything the media already says about me?! You’d betray me like this…”

“Baby please my finger accidentally slipped last night when I was closing my phone. I promise on everything, it was a mistake.”

“You’re right. This whole thing was a mistake.”

Grabbing her belongings from the closet, she threw on her crocs and shorts, and stormed downstairs. “Baby stop.” Roman putting on his sweats while running down the stairs.

She placed her items in her car and slammed the door before Roman could reach her. He banged on the window begging for her forgiveness. Rolling down the window slightly, “We’re done.”

And with that she backed out of his driveway, with his mind spinning about when he would see her again.

He collapsed to the ground and cried.

“I’m sorry.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will Xena hear him out or shut him out completely?! How will this breakup affect Roman’s career?!

Find out next week on “Press Play.” 😜.

THE END!!

That was a little rollercoaster, but I hoped you all enjoyed and I released this way too late, I’m so sorry ☹️.

MY TAG SQUAD: @cyberdejos2 @thesamoanqueen @cococodysleevelesshoodie @nayys-world @mzv11 @babybatlover @vogueyonce @harmshake @harlem11680 @seeingstarks @thewarlordsworld

[socalledsomethingorother]

just finished reading another bkdk masterpiece so i wanted to compile a list of my favourite bkdk fics! all of these authors are incredible!!

a promise (2k words) - katsuki and izuku get a chance to talk before the final war. every time i read this and see that it has hardly any hits or kudos i get offended because this is one of the most beautiful representations of katsuki and izuku’s characters. i love this, so much. it could be drawn out and considered canon and i wouldn’t be able to tell that horikoshi didn’t write it.

#letdekusmash + @/fuckmeupdeku (22k words total) - a news site gives deku some bad press. luckily there’s a thirsty stan account to back him up. who could be running this account? (it’s katsuki) this has been my comfort fic for years. it never fails to make me laugh and it’s just auagsgahsh i love it so much!!! also i reccomend reading fuckmeupdeku first, it’s the one from katsuki’s perspective. i think it makes reading izuku’s perspective that much funnier.

chasing stars underwater (52k words) katsuki has to go undercover for a mission and his death is faked. izuku grieves over katsuki’s “death” while falling in love with his undercover identity. NO FIC HAS REWIRED MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY QUITE LIKE THIS ONE. IT HAS EVERYTHING. IT’S GOT IZUKU. IT’S GOT KATSUKI. IT’S GOT KATSUKI AS A FASHION DESIGNER. IT’S GOT ANGST. ITS GOT AHDHUSVAVDBSBBEBEB I CANNOT PRAISE THIS ONE ENOUGH

deku, enchanted (94k words) izuku is hit with an obedience quirk and is forced to do whatever anyone tells him to. it gets quite awkward when katsuki constantly tells him to “go fuck yourself.” OH MY GOD THIS ONE. THIS ONE AUSUUSGSGDGSGHSGDGDGG. THIS AUTHOR AGAIN. AMAZING. THE ENDING STILL GETS ME.

improbable (75k words) izuku and katsuki meet anonymously in a discord server and talk 24/7. they have no clue that they’re actually talking to each other. THIS FUCKIGN AUDUSUGSGEGEHEHGEGEGEHEHGSVDVSGSHDHHDHDHDHDBDBBEBSBDBDHDH EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WAS AMAZING. THE NICKNAMES. THE WAY THEY FIND OUT ABOUT EACH OTHER. THE ENDING. THE MIDDLE. THE BEGINNING. THE EVERYTHING.

off my chest (9k words) deku vs. kacchan pt. 3 and it’s pure hate smut. UAGHTHAGAHH AGAIN. ONE OF THE BEST PORTRAYALS OF THEIR CHARACTERS. MY FAVOURITE SMUT FIC. I LOVE THIS ONE MAN.

i’ve found hope in a heart attack (92k words) katsuki has a cancerous brain tumor and deals with it in the most katsuki way possible. THIS ONE HURTS, FOLKS. but man it’s just. it feels canon to me like this just feels like a “katsuki gets cancer arc�� of mha. it’s written so beautifully and man. it hurts. a lot.

and now a section dedicated to my favourite author sapphicpandabear who writes pure amazingness every time even though they’re constantly writing. i admire them so much!!

heroes on ice!!! (71k words) a yuri on ice x my hero academia crossover in which katsuki and izuku are a part of a program where they’re taught by quirkless pros. along with those two, a few other members of 1-A visit hasetsu, where they’re challenged to create a short program figure skating routine. YOU CAN FIND MY THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS OF EVERY CHAPTER BUT ITS MOSTLY KEYSMASHES BECAUSE I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS FIC AND THAT LOVE SHORT CIRCUITS MY BRAIN

break my heart (ongoing) izuku and katsuki haven’t seen each other in years, but they’re forced to work undercover together as a very sexually active couple. I GOT THIS AS A GIFT ITS LIKE PANDA READ MY MIND BECAUSE THESE ARE ALL OF MY FAVOURITE TROPES AND AUGH THIS IS ALREADY AMAZING

1 thru 5 (26k words) katsuki and izuku enter a friends-with-benefits type relationship and use a level system. I GET SO HYPED FOR SMUT FICS THAT HAVE A LOT OF COMMUNICATION AND THIS ONE DELIVERSSSS!!!! this was also gifted to me so ty ty

quirk entanglement (4k words) mina gets a bag of chocolate and each piece gives whomever eats it a random quirk effect. izuku gets an aphrodisiac quirk. i just love whenever mina is chaotically involved in things lmao

canada is too far away for this bullshit (12k words) while overseas, izuku sends katsuki a photo that happens to have a…toy in the background. katsuki goes insane about it. AUGH THIS ONE IS GREAT TOO!! also super funny lolol

[queenvidal]

The Missing Piece

Chapter 1: Just A Tingle

Chapter Summary: It's been a long time since Hancock wasted his time thinking about soulmates. Until the night Nick brings a woman from a vault into his town.

Wordcount: 2481

Chapter Index:

Ch. 1 / Ch. 2 / Ch. 3 / Ch. 4 / Ch. 5 / Ch. 6 / Ch. 7 / Ch. 8 / Ch. 9

Masterlist

The night air is cool against Hancock’s overheated skin. The sweet taste of mentats dances all over his rough tongue while he's leaning on the balustrade of his balcony. The streets below him are mostly empty except for only a few loner souls wandering around.

Behind him, he can hear his office door getting closed silently, careful not to attract attention. John has a smile on the remains of his lips as he lights up the cigarette. It's not like everyone in the Old State House heard him doing that gal just a few minutes ago.

There was no need to go outside for a smoke, but John wanted to give that woman some privacy to get dressed again and the said toy’s just left. Lover would be a too hard word for that lass, what was her name again? Never mind, toy is as a fitting name as any other and John doesn't intend to learn her actual name anyway. It was just a one night stand, like always. No strings, just hurried sex for the sake of the release.

The ghouls smile slowly fades and he takes a long drag, the gleam of the cigarette the only light source up there. The smoke fills his lungs and is kept in there for a long moment, before getting exhaled through John's broken and scarred nostrils.

On the street below, he can see the gal from before hurrying to the hotel. Poor thing probably doesn't want to be seen escaping the Old State House this late in the night. John's eyes linger on her as she makes her way. Red ginger hair, freckles on her nose, cute but other than that? Meh. Nothing that would keep his interest for long. And obviously she doesn't want a second run herself, if her lowered gaze and fast steps are any indicator.

In times past this would have hurt him, no one wants to be known as a ghoul fucker, even if the ghoul was the damned mayor of the damned city they were living in. But John doesn’t really complain in his position. After all, quite a lot of folks found their way into his bed regardless.

Sure, all of them were seeking something - power, caps, chems, you name it. But John’s not naive, he knows they are always trying to gain something from him with sex. And that’s something he can use for his own advantage. He'd sleep with them and wave them out, simple as that. With no shame or regret really. Most of the time he doesn't even bother to get undressed, removed sash and open pants are enough to get the job done.

After another long drag, John tries to think of something else, there is no point in indulging in reminiscences of past releases. Almost automatically his eyes wander down to his left underarm. His scarred skin, all grooves and ridges ruined the name that used to be there long ago.

For whatever reason the very spot of what used to be pitch black letters doesn't stop tingling. He first noticed it when things got heated between him and the little toy a while ago. His eyes instantly went to her arm. Veronica. John didn't know if should laugh or feel pity for her.

After all this years he didn't give one single fuck about soulmates. Why should he? Even if there was someone with his name on their arm, he'd scare them right away, no doubt. He knows what he looks like and if he is honest with himself, that's the main reason for staying dressed when fucking gals he most likely won't remember the next morning.

Damn, he should have taken jet instead of mentats, he is not in the mood of overthinking this bullshit, for stupid emotions. And he doesn't believe in finding his mate anyway. For a soulmate you actually have to harbor a soul and John is more than certain he's lost his in Diamond City. Well, if you are believing in the spiritual part of that, which he doesn’t also. The tingling is most likely just a symptom of his drug abuse, it has to be.

With the burning smoke captured between his lips, he traces the line of where the name used to be with his free hand. Sotiria. What a fucking odd name. Never, not once has he ever met someone with that name. Sure, better a rare one than those everyone seems to call their kids nowadays, like Lisa, Mike - or John. Fuck, how many gals and guys has he seen with his name on their arm? And fucking allways he felt hope inside him rising. Pathetic.

But there was never a connection, not the weird feelings people used to describe once they found their missing piece. A pleasant prickle of the name on each other's arm. The attraction, the unsatisfiable need to be close to the person - like an addiction.

Maybe it's just an itch. Yeah, that sounds plausible.

Suddenly there is yelling at the gate of his town, catching Hancock's attention. Was that Nick Valentine’s voice? What the hell is he doing in Goodneighbor this late in the night? John flicks the butt of his cigarette away and goes back inside. He grabs a new pack of smokes on his way to the stairs. He'd prefer alcohol right now but one of his supply lines got cut by raiders, a problem he has to deal with tomorrow. Hm, maybe buffout? That's a topic for later, first of all he has to know what is going on at the gate.

The tingling on his arm seems to increase as he takes the steps down to the exit of the State House. When he opens the door, the guy Finn can be heard talking. Hancock rolls his eyes, Finn is doing his old insurance scam again. Damn this idiot, does he really dare to threaten his visitors again? Finn already got a warning and is really testing Hancock's patience. Looks like John will have to send a few guards to visit him later. A quick reminder to behave inside the town's walls.

Once stepping outside, John’s eyes land on the new visitors. It sure was Nick Valentine’s voice he’s heard but the old synth is not alone. A woman is with him, one arm around Nick’s shoulders for balance and her other pressed on her abdomen. Blood is leaking out of what seems to be a nasty wound, turning her blue suit crimson red. She looks up from her wound towards Finn.

Damn, she's a sight! She looks like she’s stepped out of one of the pinup posters. Blonde, shiny hair, pinned up in various rolls, a light blue bandana wrapped around as decoration, sharp eyeliner, purple lipstick, curves to die for. Damnit, if she wouldn't look so disheveled and injured - injured?

"Fuck your insurance! Move, rassgat or you’ll gonna need one!”

John is blown away. He’s forgetting how to breathe, his lungs are burning from the lack of oxygen.

John immediately snapps out of his trance. Shit, that woman needs a doctor at once!

"Nice try, doll." Finn sneers at her. "You'll pass out before you could raise your little pistol. Caps or bleeding to death, your call, sugar."

That's enough! Line crossed, brother. John is more than fed up, ready to beat Finn out of the misery he calls life. "Move your worthless ass out of the way, Finn." John starts, walking up to the other man. "You lay off that extortion crap right now. Obviously she needs help and we ain't turning people in need away, nor do we threaten 'em."

Not impressed in the slightest, Finn turns to face the ghoul. "The fuck do you care, Hancock? You don't know her, she ain't one of us, would be a waste of stimpacks!"

Slowly and a bit over dramatically Hancock moves further towards the stupid bastard. "Better keep your tongue in your mouth! I said she can pass."

Finn crosses his arms over his chest, not stepping to the side like he was told to. He even straightens up, trying to look intimidating. "Soft, Hancock. Way too soft. Keep letting scum enter our city, let them benefit from our supplies. But one day there will be a new mayor."

John just huffs a laugh. That daring asshole. "Heh, lemme tell you something, brother." With the flash of a smile the ghoul comes closer and when he is close enough to smell the jet in Finn’s breath, he rams a knife into his chest. Twice, no better make it thrice, for good measure. Finn is dead before he hits the ground, blood slowly pooling around him.

"Quick." John stresses. "Bring her to Amari in the Memory Den."

Nick nods and tries to help the woman walk through the street. John takes the lead, while cleaning his knife off of Finn. "Sorry for the harsh welcome, this probably wasn't the best first impression but the rest of us are civilized - usually."

John can hear Nick snicker behind him. "Uh-huh, always making a show, huh, Hancock?"

"You know me, Nicky. Ain't gone miss a chance to show off." Although Hancock is playing cool and collected, he is everything but at the moment. His arm is killing him. The tingle got really bad, now it feels like tiny electric shocks are running through his skin and flesh. That's not tingling anymore and it's starting to get fucking annoying. He'll have to talk to the Doc himself later, maybe his last batch of psycho was bad. But didn't he use his right arm? Hm, maybe -

"Damnit, Blue! Stay awake!"

Nick's sudden panicked voice brings Hancock’s mind back to the street. He turns around to find the Synth trying to stabilize the woman. "Shit, we better fuckin' hurry!" Hancock says, when Nick quickly picks her up, carrying her.

Both men start to run towards the Memory Den. John slams through the door, holding it open for Nick and Blue to enter. Was that her Name?

"There!" John points at Irmas chair in the middle of the room. "Lay her down there. Doc! Quick, got an emergency in here."

Nick carefully puts Blue down onto the lounger. His clothes are blood soaked as well. Hell, she lost a lot of it.

"My lounger!" Irma yells in anger when she enters the room as well, woken up by all the noise.

Doctor Amari storms into the room with a bed head and in her pajamas. "What's going on, what happened?" She asks. Hancock just nods at the lounger and the doctor quickly moves over to Blue.

“A gunshot wound.” Valentine answers. “Got ambushed by Supermutants. We had the upper hand until they sent a suicider. We had to retreat but she got hit before we found cover."

John rolls his coal eyes. "I'll buy you a new one." Damn, she's really worried about that stupid piece of furniture, while the girl is bleeding to death?

“Looks like the bullet got caught in her rip.” Amari tells them. She takes a pair of thin tongs out of her bag and buries them into Blue’s flesh.

Irma is about to argue about that, when Amari orders her to shut up and get her medi-bag. While still mumbling to herself, Irma is doing what she’s been told and hands her friend the bag.

The doctor skips on the gloves and gets straight to work. Everyone watches Armari unzipping the woman's suit in order to get better access to the wound. Hancock recognizes the suit, she's a vault dweller? Vaulties usually never leave 81, what the hell was she doing out here and in company of a synth?

Irma gags before she quickly turns around, covering her mouth. "I want a giant couch after this!" She glares at Hancock before heading for her bedroom again.

"There you are." The doctor smiles slightly when she removes the tongs with the bullet inbetween it. She drops her equipment on the ground and continues. After a quick inspection of the wound, she gets two stimpacks out of her bag and injects them on each side of the lesion. The tissue starts growing back together but only very slowly. Amari frowns at that, this doesn’t look too good. With quick hands she wraps a bandage around Blues middle. “Alright, all done.”

"Will she make it?" Both Nick and John ask in unison.

The doctor nods in confirmation. "Yes, but she'll need rest, a lot of it. It was a very close call, she’s lost a big amount of blood. Two weeks of strict bed rest would be the best for now."

“No problem, Nick.” Amari smiles at him for a moment, before continuing to search her bag. She returns back to Blue, after she found what she’s been looking for. She rolls up Blues sleeve on her right arm and injects a dose of sedatives. This way the vault dweller should sleep through the majority of the pain. Amari zips the suit back up and covers the sleeping woman with a blanket.

Nick lets out an artificial breath in relief. John can't recall having seen the synth that distressed ever before. Must have been a hell of a fight. "Hey, Nicky, go and get a room in the Rexford. At my expense." John knows synths don’t sleep, but Nick seem to be in need for some space to cool down.

“Thanks, John.” Nick gladly takes the offer. “And thank you as well, doctor.”

“Nicky, don’t worry,” John grabs Nick’s shoulder, trying to sooth him. “We're gonna take care of her.”

Nick only nods a few times before patting John’s shoulder in return, his silent thanks. After one last glance at the sleeping blonde, Nick eventually takes his leave, disappearing through the door.

“Your arm.” She turns around to face him. “You kept rubbing it the whole time. Bad batch?”

“Alright, Mayor. What was it this time?” Amari asks while gathering her equipment.

John raises a nonexistent eyebrow in question. “What was what?”

Only now does Hancock realize he’s holding his left arm. “Heh. Can’t do shit unnoticed by you, huh?”

He tries to play it off, but Amari won't let go. “Come one, let me check you.” Amari stands up and moves to her office. “Bare your arm, Hancock. You probably missed the vein again.”

Hancock follows Amari into her office. On his way he decides that he doesn't care about the name.

Hm, yeah. Maybe he missed it.

John takes one final look at the vaultie. For a moment he considers to roll up her other sleeve and have a look on the letters of her arm. But something's holding him back. Maybe his deeply flawed conscience. Afterall he can’t just put his hands on a blacked out woman, also the name of someone's piece is a very intimate matter. He has no right to know.

Soulmates are bullshit.

Masterlist

Chapter Index:

Ch. 1 / Ch. 2 / Ch. 3 / Ch. 4 / Ch. 5 / Ch. 6 / Ch. 7 / Ch. 8 / Ch. 9

[toffee-rambles]

SDV Green Rain Dialogue Compilation

I haven't seen anything like this yet, despite how intriguing this event is, so I pulled all the related dialogue lines from the game files! There's three types of dialogue: one for the first year, one for the day after, and one for the following years.

This is quite long and major spoilers, so it's under the cut. All villagers, listed alphabetically, as well as a vague note on where they spend the day (which is lacking in some parts because I didn't get to see everyone on my run, feel free to confirm/correct any locations)

Abigail [Home?] "GreenRain": "I want to go exploring, but I can tell my Mom is kind of worried. I don't want to add to her stress.", "GreenRainFinished": "And just like that, everything's back to normal. It's like magic!$h", "GreenRain_2": "Have you seen all the crazy trees around town? Everything looks so different… I feel like we're in a fairy world.",

Alex [Home] "GreenRain": "What's going on out there? Any action?#$e#I gotta stay here with my grandparents…$s", "GreenRain_2": "I tried to go for a run this morning, but the plants have gone crazy! I couldn't get very far…",

Caroline [Home?] "GreenRain": "I've never seen green rain before… It must not be too dangerous if you made it here!", "GreenRain_2": "Ah, the special rain is back! This year, I'm going to make the most of it!#$e#This calls for a cup of green tea!$h",

Clint [Saloon] "GreenRain": "It's situations like this where a person's true character is put to the test.#$e#I'll keep Em… I mean, I'll keep everyone safe from the toxic rain!", "GreenRainFinished": "Well that was a dud. And here I thought it was finally my chance to be a hero. Oh well… Back to the grindstone.", "GreenRain_2": "I feel bad admitting it, but sometimes I wish there was a real disaster, not just some dumb green rain.#$b#Something to shake everything up, you know?#$b#Not that I want people to get hurt…#$b#I just want to feel alive… To feel like I have a purpose…",

Demetrius [Outside, in a hazmat suit] "GreenRain": "Don't mind me, @. I'm just collecting some samples. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!$7#$e#Erm… If you see my wife, can you tell her I'm okay?$7", "GreenRain_2": "The rain appears to be harmless, so I'm taking less precaution this year.",

Dwarf "GreenRain": "I can't see the color green very well.#$b#I guess it's part of living underground for so long.",

Elliot [Saloon] "GreenRain": "Let's not get in a tizzy, now… Gus! I propose a round of drinks to settle the nerves!%noturn", "GreenRain_2": "Ah, yet another unique day in the valley. Stimulating, to say the least!",

Emily [Saloon] "GreenRain": "There must be a meaning behind this… Nature is trying to tell us something.$3#$e#What, though? I can't tell… It's hard to read. I feel a strong presence, though…$3", "GreenRain_2": "Can you feel it? The forest is singing! The trees are dancing with joy!",

Evelyn [Home] "GreenRain": "George, dear… Is this the end? It's been a good life, but I'd like to see Alex find his way before departing…$s%noturn", "GreenRainFinished": "Oh, my dear… I'm so glad everything ended up okay. And my flowers look healthier than ever!", "GreenRain_2": "The flowers seem to love this rain…",

George [Home] "GreenRain": "There, there, honey… Don't you worry.%noturn#$b#Even if it is poisonous, I breathed in more noxious gas in one minute back in the ol' coal mines… And I'm still kickin'!", "GreenRain_2": "Looks like the young folks will have to do some extra weeding after this one…Heheh…$h",

Gus [Saloon] "GreenRain": "I saw the weather report last night. It really gave me a scare!$s#$e#Are there monsters out there? What's happening?", "GreenRainFinished": "I'm glad that's over. Running the saloon is enough to worry about, I don't need exotic weather in my life!", "GreenRain_2": "sniff… These rains have a particular smell. Have you noticed? Almost like freshly minced herbs…",

Haley [Saloon] "GreenRain": "I don't think I've ever set foot in this place. It's actually kind of cozy!$h#$e#Oh, I'm not worried about the rain. I'm sure it'll pass.", "GreenRain_2": "Wake me up when there's a pink rain… Or better yet, a pink cake rain!",

Harvey [Saloon] "GreenRain": "I brought some medical supplies, just in case. Be careful out there!", "GreenRain_2": "The first time this happened, we were all worried that the rain might be dangerous.#$b#But what if it's actually healthy for the body? Who knows… The plants seem to respond well to it, at least.",

Jas [Marnie's Ranch] "GreenRain": "I'm scared…$s", "GreenRain_2": "I hope the rain doesn't turn my dress green…$s",

Jodi [Home] "GreenRain": "Are you alright? We've never seen anything like this before…$s#$e#I wish my husband was here. He'd know exactly what to do.$s", "GreenRain_2": "Vincent got up early to go play in the rain. I just hope they're right about it being completely harmless!",

Kent "GreenRain_2": "Heh… The rain is a blessing. A reminder that there will always be forces greater than anything conceived of by man.#$e#That's actually a comfort, @.",

Krobus "GreenRain": "The flow of water has been unusually strong today… what's going on up there?",

Leah [Home] "GreenRain": "Where did all these plants come from? It's a surprise, but I'm not complaining…", "GreenRainFinished": "I guess everyone in town was scared of that strange rain? I had no idea… I just thought it was incredible!$h", "GreenRain_2": "Imagine if this rain lasted all summer… The plants would take over the entire valley!",

Leo, only after moving to the town "GreenRain": "I like this weather… it's so humid. It reminds me of the forest back home.",

Lewis [Saloon] "GreenRain": "I just got off the phone with the Governor… Apparently this rain is supposed to be completely harmless. Just an unusual phenomenon of nature.#$b#Still, some of the townsfolk are panicking, which is never good…", "GreenRainFinished": "Well, that was quite the excitement for our little town! I'm just relieved that everyone is okay.$h#$e#If this ever happens again, I think we'll all be a little more relaxed. It's not the end of the world!", "GreenRain_2": "I guess we can expect these unusual rains every year. I think everyone is a little calmer knowing that it's just part of nature.",

Linus [Mountains] "GreenRain": "All these strange trees will be gone tomorrow… it's one of the mysteries of nature.", "GreenRainFinished": "How did the moss harvest go? Hehe… My bed is a lot softer now.", "GreenRain_2": "I've already gathered enough moss for the entire year. How about you?",

Marnie [Ranch] "GreenRain": "You're not worried about this rain? That does put me at ease a little…#$e#I just hope the cows tucked themselves in…$s", "GreenRainFinished": "Well, looks like we all got scared for nothing… The rain was totally harmless!", "GreenRain_2": "The animals seems to enjoy this rain… I think it's putting extra nutrients into the grass.",

Maru [Home, basement] "GreenRain": "I want to go collect samples with my dad, but my Mom is insisting we stay here…", "GreenRain_2": "This is a rare opportunity to study a unique phenomenon… every moment counts!",

Pam [Saloon] "GreenRain": "It's a sign from the Almighty… We're doomed…%noturn$s", "GreenRainFinished": "Well, I guess the end-times haven't come just yet, kid…#$e#Ah well, back to the ol' nine to five…", "GreenRain_2": "I think these rains are a show of force… a warning.#$b#You could say it's from nature, from Yoba, whatever you like… but that's what I think.#$e#What I mean is, we can't get too cocky. Or else, instead of a green rain, maybe we'll have a blood-red rain… See what I mean?",

Penny [Saloon] "GreenRain": "Are you alright? We're all wondering what's going on…$3", "GreenRain_2": "This strange weather is a good opportunity to get the kids interested in nature!$h",

Pierre [Store] "GreenRain": "Gahh, no customers! Any more of this 'green' rain, and my ledger will be in the 'red'!$s", "GreenRainFinished": "Well, I'm glad things are back to normal. Seems like it was all overblown… just like everything.", "GreenRain_2": "Glad to see you, @. What's a little toxic rain when you have seeds to buy?$h#$e#I'm just kidding. The rain seems to be completely harmless.",

Robin [Home, basement] "GreenRainFinished": "I hope Demetrius is happy with the 'samples' he collected. Seems like his little science project is more important to him than his own wife. Hmmph.$6", "GreenRain_2": "There's all kinds of good wood out there today. Better get chopping, huh?",

Sam [Home] "GreenRain": "Whaa! Is it acid? Will it burn through the roof and sizzle us alive?$8#$b#I gotta keep my little brother safe!$7", "GreenRainFinished": "Seems like there's no damage to anything… That was a strange one. How are you holding up?", "GreenRain_2": "You notice how warm this rain is? It feels alive…",

Sandy [Store] "GreenRain": "I heard there's a rare weather event in the valley.#$e#I wish it rained here sometimes…$s",

Sebastian [Home, basement] "GreenRain": "My mom's freaking out, but I'm actually kind of enjoying this. I bet the frogs are going wild out there!$h#$e#I'm gonna stay here to try and keep her calm, though.", "GreenRain_2": "I was hoping this weather would come back. It makes me appreciate the summer a little more.",

Shane [Marnie's Ranch] "GreenRain": "I don't have to go into work today, so I'm not complaining…", "GreenRain_2": "Oh, there's some kind of weird weather today? I didn't notice.",

Vincent [Home] "GreenRain": "Mom! I wanna go outside and play!%noturn", "GreenRain_2": "%Vincent is covered in moss.",

Willy [Saloon] "GreenRain": "Aye… I hope these weird rains don't bother the fish… It could ruin me life!", "GreenRainFinished": "Well, the fish seem as healthy as ever. In fact, I swear they've been biting with extra vigor!", "GreenRain_2": "If the fish like these rains, then I like 'em, too.",

Wizard [Home] "GreenRain": "Though the unusual rains may be alarming, there is nothing to fear on this day.#$e#In fact, it is a day of great joy for many living things.", "GreenRain_2": "Nature is a powerful force, not to be trifled with.#$e#Excuse me, but there are special matters I can only attend to on this day.",

[loveinhawkins]

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 ao3

Eddie finds Wayne outside, round the back of the hotel. He’s sat on a little bench next to a trellis doing another damn crossword, the newspaper folded across his knees; and it’s almost funny, how he so easily seems to find peace and solitude during the impossible. But then Eddie remembers unplanned nights at the trailer from years ago, seeking refuge from raised voices and smashed bottles—and figures that Wayne’s always been good at carving out quiet moments amongst chaos.

Wayne looks up when Eddie sits down on the bench, too, appraises him thoughtfully.

“You’re looking better.”

“Well, damn, Wayne,” Eddie says, “was I ugly before or something?”

Wayne raises his eyes to the heavens, but he can’t hide the tiny smile tugging at his lips—and, God, Eddie thinks, he’s never taking this for granted again. Lately they’d gotten too used to passing like ships in the night—they had a vague plan to order takeout, watch T.V on one of Wayne’s rare days off, but then Chrissy…

“Steve doing good?” Wayne asks shrewdly, and Eddie nods, says that he’s heading to his house to pick up some of his stuff.

Wayne reaches into his back pocket, brings out his car keys and tosses them to Eddie. He jerks his thumb to the hotel parking lot.

“I’m parked near the front, just bring it back whenever you’re done.” He eyes Eddie, a little grave. “You just take care, all right? Don’t stop for no-one.”

Eddie nods again. Pushes back a tight knot of anxiety. “I won’t. Hey, uh… how long do we, you know,” he glances at the hotel building, “have here?”

Wayne follows his gaze. “Well, they’ve not asked me for my credit card yet,” he says, entirely straight-faced, and when Eddie just huffs a small laugh, he adds, “Government’s stepping in to re-house folks. Heard some of the trailers aren’t too damaged, so…”

Eddie puts two and two together. “People are moving back?”

“Some of ‘em,” Wayne confirms mildly. “The park still needs more work, reckon it’ll be months, at least, before it starts looking like—”

“I don’t think I can do it,” Eddie blurts out. “Go—go back, I mean.”

It’s painful to admit, that he wants to run from the one place that used to make him feel safe. But he can’t hide from it, how the horror is pervasive: how he thinks of Chrissy in the living room, and Steve’s missing tape in his bedroom, and him sinking to the ground in the trailer park, despairing, a lifeless Steve in his arms.

“All right,” Wayne says, like it’s simple.

Eddie bites his lip. “But. Wayne. It’s… it’s your home, too.”

Wayne sighs but not unkindly. He ruffles Eddie’s hair. “We’ll figure it out, Eddie,” and it sounds like he’s saying, You know full well that’s not really where ‘home’ is.

Eddie smiles. Blinks and looks away to wipe his nose with the back of his hand. When he stands up, he takes a peek at the crossword, tuts and says, “Come on, old man, you’re getting slow.”

“You’re a damn menace, that’s what you are.”

“Six across, four letters,” Eddie continues, sing-song, “All you need, to the Beatles.”

“I hadn’t got round to—”

Eddie twirls the car keys round his finger, does a stupid little spin as he leaves, just because he can. “Love!” he exclaims, hand on his heart, and Wayne chuckles.

-

He goes the extra mile in being cautious, takes backroads that he knows will be quiet, makes himself as small as possible in the driver’s seat. The town still feels ghostly, and the very occasional people he does drive by on the sidewalk don’t appear to really notice him, and he doesn’t quite know how to feel about it.

When he pulls up into Steve’s driveway, he glances in the rear-view mirror and sees another car crawling past—like it’s surveying rather than stopping. Then he realises that it’s Nancy who’s driving.

He sounds his horn as quietly as he can, and she starts, waves at him with a significant delay. She gets out, meets him at the front door.

“It’s empty, Jonathan took them all on a grocery store run,” Nancy says. Her voice is too level, like she’s putting all her effort into keeping it like that. “The spare key’s here.” She lifts up the door mat and bends down to pick up the key.

There’s mud all over her boots. Eddie only needs one look to know that it’s from the trailer park.

He kind of wants to hug her, honestly, but he doesn’t know yet what she really needs.

He lifts up the bag he’d brought. “Thought I’d do some laundry,” he says lightly, just to break the silence.

Nancy regards the bag with something like relief, and she takes it from him. “I can start a load,” she says, and then she opens the door and stops, right there in the hallway.

Eddie doesn’t blame her. With the house empty, their footsteps seem overly loud. There’s nothing to distract him from remembering the last time he was here, watching Steve’s forced normality. The clinking of bottles, back to the kids. His voice echoing eerily off the ceiling. You guys trust me, right?

Eddie gives himself a shake, heads for the stairs. “I’m just gonna—Steve wanted some clothes picked up, so…”

He trails off in invitation, looking over his shoulder.

But Nancy stays right where she is. She looks up to the top of the stairs then rapidly pales, a hand reaching out to steady herself against the wall. There’s a faint thump as she drops the bag onto the floor.

“Woah, woah.” Eddie hurries back, grabs her by the elbow. “You okay? You wanna sit down?”

Nancy shakes her head, screws her eyes shut for a moment. “No, I’m—I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Eddie says, uncertain.

She grips Eddie’s arm, breathes. Lets go and raises her head. “Yeah, I’m… I just need.” She picks up the bag again, straightens. “Just need to not—not think for a bit.”

Eddie releases his hold on her slowly, steps back when she doesn’t sway again.

“Yeah, I get that,” he says softly.

She reaches for a door to the left, before the kitchen. “Laundry room’s in here,” she says. Then, matter-of-fact, adds, “See you once you’ve got his things?”

Eddie nods but stays put. “Shout if you need me?”

Nancy softens. “Sure.”

-

In the end, Eddie’s almost glad that he heads to Steve’s bedroom alone, because he ends up freezing in the doorway for almost a full minute.

There’s more ghost-like memories in here. One of Steve’s drawers has been pulled fully out, left on the floor, and it’s like Eddie can hear Erica and Lucas scrabbling, throwing things out in their search for the tape.

Then he thinks of Dustin, his voice cracking; hearing him in the midst of asking, incredulous, “—not even going to look at me?”

Dustin’s furious, watery eyes flash through his mind, as does I hate you, and Steve turning his back, hiding as one tear falls down his cheek—

Enough.

Eddie takes a deep breath. Once he finally crosses the threshold, it’s easier—he does his best not to stop. He focuses on finding clothes that are loose and soft, easier for Steve to put on over a cast. It’s endearing, to see wrinkled t-shirts in the closet, placed close to hand, clearly worn and familiar and comforting.

He has to reach for the drawer on the floor anyway, picks a couple of sweaters in case Steve gets cold. And maybe it’s silly, but his hand lingers on the wooden surface as he does so, touching the impression of where Steve’s hand had been; as if he can somehow reach into the past and keep him safe.

He skims the bookshelf with interest, prompted by Steve’s suggestion. The majority of it is made up of old children’s books—twee collections of Winnie The Pooh and Beatrix Potter which make him smile. Then there’s a volume of poetry that catches his eye, simply because it’s been left crooked on the shelf, like Steve had recently been reading it, before distractedly putting it back.

Eddie picks it up, puts it on top of his little bundle of clothes and takes it with him.

- Nancy’s sitting on a beanbag in the laundry room, watching the washing machine whir, eyes unfocused. The beanbag is a garish red, at odds with the rest of the furniture in the house, marking it as a ‘Steve purchase.’

The washing machine beeps when it’s done; Eddie puts his clothes in the dryer, remembering Steve’s words and slamming the door shut. Nancy jumps in her seat.

“Sorry,” Eddie says.

She exhales. “It’s fine.”

It’s then that Eddie notices she’s taken her boots off; there’s dried blood on her socks. He recalls Wayne saying she looked like she’d been at the trailer park for hours; and he wonders just how far she has walked.

But before he can even tentatively ask, Nancy speaks first.

“I’m—it wasn’t you, I just. I can’t go in his room.” Her voice is thick. “You know, Barb… Barb’s parents, they kept her room ex-exactly like it…” She laughs sadly. “I couldn’t stop thinking that she’d just walk through the door.”

Eddie got an inkling that the disappearance of Barbara Holland was Upside Down related when Nancy came out of her Vecna trance, trembling in Steve’s arms. Before they’d scaled the rope, he’d overheard her whisper, tearful, “He showed me Barb.” Caught when Steve made a soft noise like he’d been punched: “Oh, Nance.”

Now Eddie watches Nancy glance upwards, blinking rapidly, and knows that Barb can never come home.

“I just couldn’t…” Nancy sucks in a sharp breath. “Couldn’t go in there, not when—when he’s not here, this place feels like a fucking museum.”

“He’s coming home,” Eddie says. “He’s gonna be okay.”

Nancy nods slowly. She curls further into the beanbag, wincing as she moves her feet.

They don’t speak for a short while, the dryer churning in the background. Eddie finds a handheld brush in a cupboard, picks up Nancy’s boots.

“Scooch,” he says gently, and they share the beanbag.

Little by little, Eddie scrubs the mud off Nancy’s boots. It’s dried and caked on in places, obviously fresh in others.

His uncle’s voice in his head again: I think she was waiting for something to happen, too.

“Hey, Wheeler?” Eddie says, almost a whisper. “You don’t need to, uh… keep checking, you know?”

Nancy doesn’t look at him.

He thinks of her freezing at the trailer park, clutching a coffee Wayne brought her, stuck waiting, and it breaks his heart.

“Don’t go back there,” he says.

She sighs like she can’t promise that.

Eddie gathers himself. “Fine, here’s the deal.” He waits until she turns to him, expectant. “If—if you need to… don’t go back there alone, okay?”

She blinks those eyes that have seen far too much. “How?”

“I’ll go with you,” Eddie vows.

She doesn’t say anything. But she leans into him, their shoulders pressed together, and that’s all the answer he needs.

-

“Why’d you bring so much?” Steve says with amusement when Eddie shows him the bundle of clothes.

“So you’ve got options! I don’t know how you style yourself, Harrington.”

“Whatever brings out my eyes,” Steve says, deadpan.

“I thought you said your hair was your ‘best feature.’”

“Thanks for the air quotes, man, appreciate it.” Steve actually bats his eyelids. Idiot, Eddie thinks fondly. “Why’re you limiting me to only one best feature?”

“Wow. Think all that hair just hides your big head.”

Steve flips him off—correctly this time. “Pot, meet kettle,” he echoes, and laughs when Eddie throws a sweater in his face.

-

Steve catches him reading the poetry book over dinner. “You can, like, doodle in it or whatever, if you want.” He shrugs. “I’m not precious with it.”

Eddie reaches for a pen, but only to add a tongue-in-cheek note for Steve to find on the title page, signs and dates it: When it was discovered by Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson that Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington had hidden depths.

It’s an anthology, so Eddie flips through it out of order, settling on random pages on a whim. Then several markings in pencil catch his eye.

He pauses. He vaguely recognises this poem from English. Steve has underlined the very end.

I was much too far out all my life  And not waving but drowning.

Eddie stays on that page for a long time—thinks of Chrissy, how he’d only ever remembered her as smiling before she sat in front of him in the woods, picking the skin around her fingers.

Pictures Steve, his inexplicably tender smile in the RV. This bit really isn’t so bad, Eddie.

Steve clicks his fingers, burnt lasagne mid-way to his mouth. “Hey, where’d you go?”

Eddie starts, turns the page. “Oh, nowhere.”

He shuts the book.

[uncleasad]

This post came past my desk today, and I thought folks here might find it interesting/helpful, particularly the suggestions (from the academic paper, as summarized by the author of the blog post) for clearing a block—or at least a specific type of block:

Take a break from writing: “Stop writing, decide tomorrow is another day, and walk away from the computer until the next day.” (26%)

Work on a different writing project: “Jump from the work on which I’m currently engaged to another.” (13%)

Keep writing: “Force myself to write to a certain page number” (12%)

Revise or reread current work or skip ahead to work on a later section: “Reread notes or drafts” (10%)

Read a book or watch a movie: “I read the work of authors I admire to become inspired.” (10%)

Take a walk: “I go for a walk” (6%)

Discuss ideas with others: “Ask for advice. See what other people think. While you usually won’t use what they suggest their ideas can kickstart you brain.” (8%)

Change writing location or writing method: “Switch up locations or methods of writing – write using a pen, a typewriter, etc.” (6%)

Exercise: “Exercise/movement” (3%)

Research: “Researching relevant or related topics” (3%)

Eat or drink something: “Drinking coffee or snacking” (2%)

Meditate/do yoga: “Meditate for five minutes” (1%)

Number 2 is responsible for pretty much the entirety of my In-Progress list as well as for the Tales from the Salvatore Kitchen series. I’ve also done a lot of #4 (especially on After Ten Long Years, which currently consists of 5 distinct sections, but I also successfully employed the reread/revise strategy on the final part of the Josie Saltzman’s Final Holidays trilogy), some #6—which is really a specific subset of #9 I think—(often working in the yard/garden or mowing the lawn instead of walking per se), sometimes #7 (looking at you, friends 😀)…and #10 is a good procrastinator 😂

One thing I don’t see mentioned, and the source of all my best ideas (as I’ve mentioned before) is take a shower; the article I linked to in that post explains why that works.

(Sadly, none of these suggestions are relevant for my current case of writer’s “block,” which is entirely a lack of time. Maybe I should stop visiting tumblr 😂)

[stusbunker]

First Line Tag Game

The idea is to post the first line from the last ten fics you posted and see if there’s a trend. I was tagged by @illegalcerebral who is an amazing writer for Star Wars, Criminal Minds and other fandoms.

Forgetting Who We Were Supposed To Be (A Destiel Omegaverse fic I'm only posting on AO3) 9/11/24

Dean hit his alarm at four am, like every other day. He arrived at the bakery before five, turned on the ovens and pulled out the dough they had prepped the day before to get their product started for the day. He washed his hands and poured flour on the counter to begin rolling out the sweet rolls.

2. Spotless (Dean/Reader, Dean/Bela, Fake Dating Rockstar Slowburn) 12/7/23

You woke up overthinking. Like continuing a conversation with yourself from your dreams, the thoughts steamrolled you into consciousness. The band was in the studio for at least another week and you had to make sure the anticipation continued to build. You had a call scheduled at nine with the record label, Bobby and some other folks who you knew by name but not by face or voice.

3. Take Two (Destiel Omegaverse Dad fic from last year's DOBB) 8/30/23

Dean stared at the green glow of the alarm clock from across the bed. He always woke up before he had to, but today felt earlier than usual. His back ached, and his eyes felt like the exhaustion was sucking them backward into his skull. He didn't want to move.

4. Smoking Spirits on the Roof (Destiel College AU) 1/13/23

If anyone asked him, Dean just said it was what he had available. But if you really knew Dean, you’d know that the costume he wore that night was born from a deep seeded interest— some may call a fetish— in cowboy culture, films and legend.

5. Oasis (part of my Places Verse AU again Destiel) 12/4/22

    Dean stares at the shelf in unfocused paranoia. He feels exposed under the harsh fluorescent lighting of the chain pharmacy and fumbling through the family planning aisle like a teenager on his way to prom, isn’t helping his nerves. He shifts on his crutches and exhales.      Cas is waiting in the car.     Cas.

6. The Places We Hide (Destiel Hermit/Divorce AU from DCBB 22) 10/18/22

The water erupts from the steaming faucet. Unfocused, Castiel stares at his hands as he scrubs, ignoring the mirror in front of him and the impossible white of the bathroom around him. He should get back to his desk, instead he lingers in the echoing emptiness of the fourth floor men’s room.  They called it a reshuffling. But what it was, what it feels like— is a demotion.

7. Wasted Potential (A Drowley Drabble from my 4Me 2U celebration) May of 22

Crowley didn’t know why they were lying there, legs entangled and breathing steady. Neither of them needed to sleep, afterall.

8. (W)hole ( Steve Rogers/Reader my only MCU so far) 3/7/22

Steve had known love before, knew anticipation and longing. Strove toward honor and valor and comfortable companionship. Until he met you, he thought he knew what love was. Now he knows it is an all-consuming, frustrating, festering pit of which he knows no way out of. And still he seeks it out.

9. Desperate Measures (Young Dean Omegaverse AU) 2/20/22

Dean walks up to the second floor offices with twelve bucks in his wallet and rent due in two days. He’s twenty one and has called this town home for only seven months. But Sam has made friends at school and John’s been less than present the past two months. It’s time to get serious.

10. Barstools and Backrooms (Chestervelle Omegaverse two parter) 2/4/22

This isn’t the first time she’s sensed him, felt his inner omega hide from her very presence. It is the first time she’s certain it’s not from repulsion, but from fear. A guy like Dean, doesn’t seem likely he hasn’t taken a knot; the hunting life is never that simple. So it probably isn’t a sexual insecurity, but that still doesn’t ease the tension between them, the silent truce each time they see each other thickening whenever she invades his space.

Well, the first few definitely tell me I start with waking up too often, lol. I was better at jumping into the action in the past, also used to be much more lyrical.

Could have been worse a discovery, but I definitely need to nail the next fic's first line now.

I could not tell you off the top of my head what the last ten fics I've posted even were, since I've been doing bangs and long fics for so long. So sorry if you've never heard of these fics before, it was a deep dive. I ended up using AO3 mostly for dates, but I'm sure I missed some drabbles or something.

No pressure tags:

@lastactiontricia @thoughtslikeaminefield @mrswhozeewhatsis @rockhoochie @there-must-be-a-lock @kazsrm67 @deanwinchesterswitch @malicmalic

[aime-aine]

Imagine mixing Jazz, pop, rock, folk and traditional occidental and Japanese music. That's the promise of Sheena Ringo (or Shiina Ringo), a Japanese songwriter, singer and musician.

Hi, I already harassed and infodumped my best friend about her so it's tumblr's turn.

[Id: photo of Sheena Ringo from her Wikipedia] I chose this pic because you can see her face really well and she has her signature haircut)

I won't tell you all of her story, just list some facts I love about her, you can see who she is on wikipedia

Before the album edition of her first single was released, it was said that the cover will be a picture of her in swimwear

Yes it was a picture of her in swimwear, when she was 7 and at the beach with her family :

She had an surgery that left 2 marks on her shoulder blades looking like 2 removed angel wings, she references these marks often - like in the clip of Kofukuron where she wears a top with 2 wings on the back (yes it is the top of card captor sakura)

Her stage name is Ringo because when she was in school her schoolmates picked on her and told she was red like an apple when she is embarrassed (Ringo means apple)

Her haircut is so iconic, many young girls wanted the same and the haircut was named "ringo haircut" ✨iconic✨

She did an album covering many musicians that influenced her music such as : Schubert, the Beatles, Bizet, Goethe, Edit Piaf, France Gall, Luiz Bonfa, Edward Grieg and Janis Lan - where she sings in french, japanese, english, german and espagnol.

She released an album where instead of using katakanas to describe the pronouciation of english words like everyone do, she used old ass kanjis that nobody knows and numerated the tracks using kanjis only used in administration. (shame that spotify didn't keep that and the musics name are in katakanas (it's for the better))

Once an interviewer asked how a kanji of one of her song was read. She bluescreened and forgot. (Youtube deleted the video, I'm so sad, it was hilarious)

Most of her song also have english and french name (a pain in the ass sometimes because youtube sometimes use english name but spotify only use japanese name). My favorite song - いろはにほへと- is called "Les couleurs chantent" (the colors sing) in french. いろはにほへと doesn't mean "the colors sing" in japanese. It's the old alphabet song !

[id : the clip of Irohanihoheto, featuring Sheena Ringo in a traditionnal Kimono passing by a mythical fox wedding]

Just showing you the video because it's really pretty, she makes really pretty music videos.

She has written so many songs, it's indecent, like, take a look the wikipedia page dedicated to her songs. Please mind she also made songs with her rock band "Tokyo Incident" which is another separate page, otherwise it would be 3 miles long.

Speaking of indecent, she doesn't write songs for kids. She describes her music style as "Shinjuku style" as the part of Tokyo for business at day and debauchery at night. Again : ✨iconic✨

Let's talk about Tokyo Incident for a moment or should I say "Tokyo Jihen" ? She constantly switches between the two, like, make up your mind already!!

When she announced the end of her solo carrier to join Tokyo Incident, she had her iconic mole removed to symbolise the change. Here's the superb clip where she wraps up her solo carrier by stitching together abstracts of old videos and concluding it by the disapereance of the mole :

(I love this video so much, it's really fun to find all of the references)

She is still relevant to this day ! She did the song to present Tokyo's Olympic games at the ending ceremony of Rio ! The song just before Shinzo Abe apparence, it's her !!!

This year (2024), she has a tour and I got a ticket. Yes that's not a fact. I just wanted to brag.

She made an album which is considered "perfect" musicaly. I. I. I don't even have words to describe it to you go listen to it. its tracks are mirroring each other and transitions are god-like : https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/album/2i4fy6a51XTaZOYA8rIdRK

she inspired the character Nana. ✨ICONIC✨

She is a big inspiration to a lot of young singer in Japan, it is even said that debutant wanting to sing rock must sing Crime and Chatiment at least once in their carriere

I have so much to say about her beside the fact that I love her and you should throw an ear.

Here's a top 5 of Sheena Ringo's song (not especially my favorite, 5 that represents her) :

(a little more calm for the chill people)

This one was diffused in the big screen of Shibuya, I wonder how it didn't cause an accident because this song makes me GAYER. Also the mv got one million view in 3 days (https://billboard-japan.com/d_news/detail/16338/)

From her latest album Sidenote : this movie made one of the fan in the fangroup I am bleed.

Have a good listen ! And thanks for your patience ! (do we still add a long text potato nowaday ?)

[clytemnaestraes]

Lady Stoneheart + Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Parallels and Symbolism

The steel was polished to such a high sheen that she could see her reflection in the breastplate, gazing back at her as if from the bottom of a deep green pond. The face of a drowned woman, Catelyn thought. Can you drown in grief? — Catelyn, ACOK

Catelyn's face reflected in renly's green armour reminded me of the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I decided to dig into it and surprisingly found many things evocative of Lady Stoneheart.

1. A Judge

The Green Knight appears in Arthurian tales as a judge or tester of knights, challenging them to honour their promises. Lady Stoneheart plays a similar role in ASOIAF by demanding that jaime and brienne honour their promise to return her daughters or face death.

2. Colours: Green + Grey

It has been argued that green is wrongly attributed to the green knight owing to a mistranslation of the Cornish word glas, which means grey. In another variation of the story, the knight is often called "the man of the grey mantle".

Lady Stoneheart is heavily associated with grey.

Grey was the color of the silent sisters, the handmaidens of the Stranger. Brienne felt a shiver climb her spine. Stoneheart. — Brienne, AFFC

3. Identities and Aliases

At the end of the story, the green knight reveals himself to be Bertilak de hautdesert, Lord of a castle. Before getting resurrected as a fire wight, Lady Stoneheart was Catelyn tully stark.

On my honour as a Tully, on my honour as a Stark. — Catelyn, ASOS

4. A Game (of thrones)

The word gomen (game) is found 18 times in Gawain. Its similarity to the word gome (man), which appears 21 times, has led some scholars to see men and games as centrally linked.

The story itself began with a "Christmas game", known in folk stories as a "beheading game".

What... what game?

The only game. The game of thrones.

Catelyn ends up as Lady Stoneheart because her son wins every battle but loses the war, i.e., loses the game of thrones. Catelyn too was one of the players of the game, of course.

5. Winter, seasonality, and the rise and fall of things

The Green Knight tells Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel in "a year and a day"—in other words, the next New Year's Day. Scholars interpret the yearly cycles, each beginning and ending in winter, as the poet's attempt to convey the inevitable fall of all things good and noble in the world

Winter is of course an extremely important motif in ASOIAF:

They are the knights of Summer, and winter is coming. — Catelyn, ACOK

It's also interesting to note that feasts are important events in both stories: the green knight first appears at a Christmas feast and Catelyn is killed at a wedding feast.

6. Trophies and Temptation: Girdles and Flayed skins

Roose bolton offers a piece of theon's flayed skin to Catelyn, and she is tempted to accept it.

"May I offer you this…small token of revenge?" Part of Catelyn wanted to clutch the grisly trophy to her heart, but she made herself resist. — Catelyn, ASOS

As Lady Stoneheart, she fully gives in to her temptation and ruthlessly pursues revenge.

"...She wants to feed the crows, like they did at the Red Wedding. Freys and Boltons, aye. We'll give her those, as many as she likes." —Brienne, AFFC

In Gawain's story, he is gifted a girdle by his hostess, the Lady Bertilak. He had earlier promised his host that he'd return whatever he got at the end of the day, but Lady Bertilak insists that it's a magical girdle that will prevent Gawain from being killed at the hands of the green knight. He gives in to temptation and keeps the girdle.

7. Chivalry and Contradictions: So many vows

The knight's code of honour requires Gawain to do whatever a damsel asks. Gawain must accept the girdle from the Lady, but he must also keep the promise he has made to his host that he will give whatever he gains that day. Gawain chooses to keep the girdle out of fear of death, thus breaking his promise to the host but honouring the lady.

Gawain's dilemma about whether to keep the girdle as ordered by his hostess or return it to his host and honour his promise to him reflects jaime's dilemma and the contradictory vows of knighthood.

So many vows...they make you swear and swear. Defend the king. Obey the king. Keep his secrets. Do his bidding. Your life for his. But obey your father. Love your sister. Protect the innocent. Defend the weak. Respect the gods. Obey the laws. It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or the other. — Jaime, ACOK

It's also interesting to note that the five pointed star or the pentangle is heavily associated with Gawain, reminiscent of the seven pointed star of the faith associated with Westerosi knights (and by extension with jaime) as they are anointed by the faith.

8. Wounds to the neck

Catelyn's throat is slit by the freys before they dumped her in the river, and as a result, she is unable to speak properly.

At the story's climax, Gawain is wounded in the neck by the Green Knight's axe.

The symbolism surrounding wounds:

During the medieval period, the body and the soul were believed to be so intimately connected that wounds were considered an outward sign of inward sin. The neck, specifically, was believed to correlate with the part of the soul related to will.

Hope you enjoyed this post!