#super raft boat together

[snoozykazoo]

sup gamers? 👋

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we helped add the Vegetable Stew level to Super Raft Boat Together which is full of Turnip Boy goodness! 🫢 you can face off against enemies like the worm and pig, drown in soup, and fight God Onion! woah!!! 🤯

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[appealingtonobody]

[hardcoregamer]

PAX East 2023: Brace Yourself Games Delivers Another Dynamic Duo

But you can’t go wrong with either game when it comes to an enjoyable experience, or better yet, check out both of them when they come out later on. They look like another pair of winners for Brace Yourself, and I can’t wait for whatever pair (or more) they announce next.

Check them out!

[johaerys-writes]

Hello! Can you share some hcs/tidbits of Patrochilles that you choose not to show through the chapters of Disasters!AU? I'd love to see how you imagined them to be outside the picture😁 thank you, and have a nice day!!

Thank you so much for this ask!! I have a lot of headcanons for these two but after writing close to 150k words for this fic I'm not sure there are many I haven’t shared 😅 But there's a few that come to mind (mostly fluffy bc I love them):

- Every year Achilles makes a cake for Patroclus’s birthday. Every year, he fucks it up somehow. Either the frosting isn't right, or it doesn't cook all the way, or it deflates, or he forgets to get one ingredient or other. He has many talents but baking isn't one of them 🤣 And it's almost become kind of a tradition now so Achilles is always looking forward to Patroclus' reaction when he presents him his little fucked up cake. 

- They once tried to build a boat/raft from scraps and bits of wood they found in the garage and the fields. They started the project because a)they were bored, and b) Ajax told them that the Spercheios river goes all the way down to Athens (it doesn't). It took them two weeks to finish it and gather provisions etc for their voyage. They took it to the creek. It sank. Achilles cried for hours. It was wild

- I think this is obvious from the fic but as well as they get on with each other they do bicker quite a lot. Achilles can be deeply annoying and/or set in his ways, and Patroclus is also stubborn, in his own way. He is sometimes hesitant to try new things or might get a little sad and withdrawn or completely tune Achilles out, and Achilles just wants to shake him LOL. Also growing up Patroclus had to sometimes act as Achilles' impulse control, like "no we can't set this random pile of dried leaves by the side of the road on fire" or "no we won't ride to the beach at 3am on a winter Tuesday, we have class tomorrow" etc etc, but more often than not he is following Achilles in whatever dumb thing he's made up his mind to do, and then they bicker when it all goes south instead 🙃

- While they were in Phthia, they actually slept together almost every night whenever Peleus wasn't home. It wasn't romantic or anything at first, they just spent so much time together and in each other’s rooms that it didn't make sense to separate for sleep. Or sometimes they'd just fall asleep while talking/reading/watching films etc. Also like, with no parents or other caretakers in sight they were essentially each other’s source of comfort and affection and sometimes you just want to cuddle up with your bestie under a blanket and not do much else. ALSO also this isn't surprising bc the story deals quite a bit with toxic masculinity and internalised homophobia and how that affects Pat and Achilles, but I have a lot of thoughts about how the pressure to "man up" and "be tough" as they grew up really started to wear on them (especially Achilles), bc like what's wrong with crying or showing emotion or hugging your best friend or holding his hand or kissing him on the cheek! What's wrong with being soft and tender with the people you care about, what's wrong with any of it. So being able to come back home and have their safe space to vent and cry and be goofy and cuddle and not have to act a certain way around each other was such a lifesaver for them.

[Also I think their physical intimacy is something that's universal across every possible iteration of Patrochilles out there lol they're just super comfortable touching and hugging and kissing etc and I simply love how it might not even have sexual connotations a lot of the time, it's just something they do. They just like to glomp]

- I think this has been mentioned in the fic at some point, but Achilles often composes incredibly silly songs on the guitar or changes the lyrics to popular songs to tease Patroclus and Laika with. Often extremely early in the morning.

- Achilles has taught himself to knit and crochet as a result of a past hyperfixation over the span of a summer. The bright orange scarf he wears in Chapter 20 is one of his own creations, and Patroclus literally loves that thing. He teases him about it all the time. Achilles has made a few wonky beanies and mittens for Patroclus as well while he was practicing, they're very stylish (NOT lmao)

[laf-outloud]

I love Jared and no content will be enough for me, but these are the BEST years (kids still young, parents still around, he and Gen are young enough to be active with kids and parents together), Gen is his very real rock & his family is that rare thing called tightly knit, and I'm overjoyed he's choosing to make memories every day surrounded by these wonderful people's unconditional love. I will never forget the picture he tweeted after we nearly lost him. It was Gen and Tom and Shep and their dog crouched on a raft or boat on a lake, all of them looking at the water, and she was framed beautifully, and he captioned it "Happiness: found". He deserves the world. He's given us so MUCH in terms of taking Sam's story super seriously (but not himself), speaking out for mental health & against the stigma, and giving so much of his limited mental health resources to fans at cons & elsewhere. He's never mocked even the eccentric fans, he has held up when ppl dumped trauma on him even though he's already struggling every single day. He has done and continues to do so much. He deserves the WORLD & knowing he's living amidst the people who really love him warms my heart and makes up for any decrease in content. I love Walker for the story but more for the fact that he broke away from the SPN abuse and now gets to work in his town, with ppl like Keegan and Mitch who speak adoringly (and rightly so) of him. He deserves everything good this world could offer. I love him so much and I hope he continues to conquer mental illness -- that's what he called us (ppl with mental illness) years ago, conquerors. So yeah, if he wants to cut back, I support him 100%.

This is an absolutely beautiful post, anon. Thank you, dearly!

[themculibrary]

Post-FATWS Masterlist

A thing with feathers (ao3) - Em_Jaye bucky/sarah M, 48k

Summary: “What if you had someone else to help you run the boat?” he asks finally.

Sam laughs and looks at him sideways. “What? Like you?”

Bucky shrugs like it just occurred to him. Maybe it did. But it feels good. It feels like the kind of decision that’s just his. Not shiny around the edges, letting him know it was grown in someone else’s mind before being dropped into his. “Why not?”

“Why not?” Sam repeats. “Because you don’t know shit about fishing.”

“Well, from the sounds of it, neither do you.”

A Three Part Plan (ao3) - GrannyUnicorn T, 12k

Summary: Bucky was bored.

He’d been staying in Delacroix for nearly a month now that not much was happening since the flag smasher business. Turned out Sam was actually serious about that ‘long vacation’ thing, though the ‘separate’ part seemed to have slipped his mind. Which was fine. This was nice. In the beginning. But Bucky wasn’t used to sitting still, so after one and a half day of sleeping, reading, and looking out over the docks, he had started to get restless, latching onto any opportunity to distract himself.

And then John Walker mysteriously shows up on a boat and asks for his help. This can't go wrong, right?

(I mean, you've seen the tags and the answer is: yes it can)

A Visit From A Friend (ao3) - NovemberMurray G, 2k

Summary: Ayo visits Bucky in New York to deliver a message, a package, and-- most importantly-- an apology. She wasn't expecting him to have company when she knocked on his door, but it proves entertaining.

Beads On A String (ao3) - Sholio T, 14k

Summary: When Wakanda pulls Zemo out of the Raft and sends him on a mission, Ayo is tasked with being his handler. But there is more to it than either of them knows.

becoming a resident of the wilson household (ao3) - orphan_account sam/bucky T, 2k

Summary: Sam wiped his forehead after they set down the box on the floor; it was already hot outside, and moving boxes in and out didn’t help. “Wait a minute, you’re a super soldier with a metal arm. Can’t you carry all this yourself?”

“Technically yes, but that doesn’t mean that your help doesn’t make it easier.”

“You’re lucky I like you.”

“I’d hope so, since we’re sharing a room now.”

-

months after the events of tfatws, boyfriends sam and bucky are officially moving in together.

Captains and Crawfish (ao3) - StarlightDreamer21 G, 1k

Summary:

After the events of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, everyone needs some downtime. Sam decides that a true New Orleans crawfish boil is called for.

~

An introspective look into the mind of Sam Wilson and his many friendships.

Electric Love (ao3) - pouringinsheet sam/bucky T, 1k

Summary: “Listen, Shuri, you know I love the wings, right?”

“The wings that make most major publications refer to you as the Angel of America?” Now she just sounded smug. Sam rolled his eyes at the nickname.

“Is there anything else you maybe should have told me about them?”

When Sam realizes that his wings low-key read his mind, he starts reflecting on things. If this had slipped by his attention for so long, what else had changed while Sam wasn’t looking? One of those changes might be how he looks at Bucky. Another might be how Bucky looks at him.

everybody talks (ao3) - SuburbanSun sam/bucky G, 1k

Summary: As Sam spends a Saturday running errands across town, he starts to get the sense that his neighbors—and maybe even his sister—know something about his relationship with Bucky that he doesn't.

golden light lies ahead (it's just around the bend) (ao3) - sunflowergolden sam/bucky G, 2k

Summary: “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Sam wasn’t sure what his face looked like, but he was willing to bet he didn’t look very happy.

Bucky just looked at Sam and raised his eyebrows, just a little bit. “Many things, Samuel, you know this. I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a little more specific.”

or, the one where Sam and Bucky haven't spoken in weeks and Bucky suddenly turns up at the cookout. Sam is finding it very hard to be mad.

Joining a Family You're Already Part Of (ao3) - r_n_g_are_dead bucky/sarah T, 7k

Summary: Bucky never really thought he’d ever get married. He also never thought he’d be part of a family again. Plans change, though. Post-TFATWS Bucky/Sarah, but mostly Bucky & Sam being bros.

One Last Name (ao3) - MiraculouslyTrashy G, 3k

Summary: “But I am no longer The Winter Soldier, I’m James Bucky Barnes, and you’re part of my efforts to make amends” he recites for the last time. So why doesn't he feel the relief he was hoping for?

“What does that mean?” Morgan’s nose scrunches, turning to him now, “What’s ‘amends’?”

(In which Bucky has one last name in his notebook: Tony Stark)

Power Broker Is Watching (ao3) - a_boy_and_his_dog T, 27k

Summary: “What the hell? You guys took forever,” a voice said from somewhere in front of a blindfolded Sam as the men holding him forced him to a stop. “We’re kind of on a schedule here, it’d be nice if you followed it. Let’s go.”

He was once again shoved forward, this time being led down a staircase. Sam almost tripped down the first one, but one of the hands gripping him kept him on his feet. Fifteen steps, Sam counted. Fifteen steps down into… wherever he was.

Someone groaned as he was brought forward, and the voice from before said, “You can shut it.”

“Hmph, and you… you can fuck off."

Yeah, Sam was pretty sure that was Bucky.

the rain never came (ao3) - last_honey minor sam/bucky T, 1k

Summary: Against her better judgement, Yelena meets with James. The conversation doesn't go how she wants it to.

The Same River, Twice (The Man Is Still Left with His Hands) (ao3) - amoneth, dorian_burberrycanary steve/bucky G, 4k

Summary: Steve had meant to stay forever and didn’t last a year. He meant to return right back to when he left, but that doesn’t work out the way he planned either.

Turns out a lot can happen in nine months.

—

Steve didn’t need his first month back to make him aware of just how many degrees forgiveness comes in, but some lessons feel new each time. Getting a text from Sam asking him to Delacroix for the weekend feels like one tick closer and Steve’ll take it.

He’s texting back when Sam adds, Bucky will be there.

And Steve? Steve’ll take that, too.

A post-The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Stucky Endgame fix-it where a lot needs fixing.

the wires for empathy (ao3) - napricot sam/bucky T, 90k

Summary: “I feel like literally, actually saving the world has given you unrealistic expectations. Most folks don’t need you to save the entire world on the regular, Sam," said Sarah.

“I hear you,” said Sam, rueful. He sighed and tipped his head back, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. “But I still kind of feel like I have to save the entire world, if I’m carrying this shield.”

“Sam,” said Bucky, and Sam lowered his hands and opened his eyes to look at him, only to find himself the subject of Bucky’s staring problem yet again. “Let’s just go out there. See who we can help, how."

Taking on the Captain America mantle is all well and good, but unfortunately, it quickly becomes pretty obvious to Sam that carrying the shield doesn't guarantee a paying gig as a superhero—at least, not any kind of job that fits with the kind of Cap Sam wants to be. But when it comes down to it, all Sam wants to do is use the shield to help people, so paying gig or not, he and Bucky set out on the road to do just that, and to figure out what kind of superheroes they want to be. Slowly but surely, they figure out just what kind of partners they want to be too. (Hint: it is not 'just a couple of guys.')

Trouble Man (ao3) - s_solo sam/bucky M, 34k

Summary: Sam’s in love. Bucky’s in denial. The Power Broker’s on the loose. What could go wrong?

unsung melody (ao3) - ace_oroes N/R, 2k

Summary: "What’s up?”

Bucky’s shoulder lifts in a shrug. “Just thinking.”

“Really? It’s gonna be that kind of night?” Sam teases, partly to give Bucky a hard time and partly to take his mind off the unpleasant sensation of mud seeping into the creases of his body.

Bucky doesn’t reply right away. Sam can almost guarantee he’s making some sort of face, because what else would an appropriate response from a one-hundred-and-six-year-old supersoldier?

“Just appreciating the irony,” Bucky says, like that clears things up. He correctly interprets Sam’s silence as confusion and adds, “Eighty years and halfway around the world and here I am on my ass in the mud. Again.”

During a stakeout some ten thousand miles away from Delacroix, Bucky remembers, Sam has plenty of thoughts of his own, and they maybe even learn a thing or two... and everything ends up okay for once.

Where The Heart Is (ao3) - The_Buzz sam/bucky T, 8k

Summary: When Bucky is made to believe he's the Winter Soldier again, Sam has to find a way to bring him home.

Winters Return (ao3) - TinyTiredWriter sam/bucky T, 4k

Summary: “It means he’s still in there.”

Those words haven’t left Sam’s head since Bucky said them in the backyard throwing the shield around. It’s been some months since then, a lot has changed since they’ve had that heart-to-heart.

~ ~ ~

Basically, Sam and Torres get captured, Bucky turns into the Winter Soldier to rescue them.

You Were A Gun (ao3) - qodarkness G, 2k

Summary: “All I can tell you is how he was different from Steve.”

After everything is over, Bucky and Dr Raynor have a conversation by the riverside.

[vergess]

how did you learn how to waterski what

Same way you learn how to regular ski: you go to a ski place and ask them to teach you. A lot of lakes that have a public park attached will have a water ski event over the summer, and you can sign up for lessons there (in the US, IDK about elsewhere). If the lesson costs more than... ehhhhhh $200 USD for the teacher and the skis for the day, you're being scammed.

Like, you can just google "water ski lessons <state>" and get results.

It's actually MUCH easier than regular skiing, IMO. The trainer skis in particular are literally bolted into the correct position so you physically cannot fuck it up. Which is good, because where regular skiing puts a lot LOT of pressure on your calves and shins (MY GOD THE SHINS), water skiing is all about them thighs (and abs), and you can get hella cramps once you're in charge of keeping the skis in position yourself. But anyway, learners have skis bolted together so you're just keeping your balance basically.

Also if you fall on water skis, you fall into water, which is basically harmless. Compare to normal skiing, where you fall onto rocks and shit and all your bones break and also you're out in the icy frigid cold so you're riding that fine line between numbness and agony.

Honestly, I recommend water skiing. It's a lot of fun. Top tier summer time activity. And unlike eg river rafting it's like... super safe as a water sport goes. It's why they let little kids do it. You're not likely to drown or be injured because you're in a very controlled environment.

But if it's too intimidating, almost every ski place these days also offers "tubing" (riding in an inner tube pulled by a boat), which is just as much fun with much less physical demand on you.

[chaoticgeminate]

The Saltwater Room (iv)

Summary: You’ve been a drifter across the sea for as long as you can remember, unwilling to stop and unwilling to settle, nervous to put down roots and trust others like you’d been taught growing up. Marcus grew up settled and happy, heartbreak led him to the sea and fate put him in your path.

Pairing: Marcus Pike x f!Reader

Rating: Explicit (Implied smut but not detailed, mentions of experimentation, mentions of pirates, general survival violence like fighting off animals)

Notes and Warnings: AU based on the video game Raft, will feature some locations and themes of the game. This is NOT how you survive if you’re stranded at sea, please don’t use this as practical.

Series Masterlist | Year of Video Game AUs Masterlist

i've never felt so at home (5.2k)

Vasagatan wasn’t a town, it was a ship, and you scanned the massive structure in awe. It wasn’t so large like the old cruise ships that it could take weeks to investigate but it was definitely some sort of luxury craft. Marcus dropped the anchor of the raft as you rolled the sail up and the two of you both looked at the large ship. In the week of sailing it had taken to reach the vessel you’d been meticulous about tending to Marcus’ injury, it was doing a lot better but you were still insistent on limiting his range of motion to prevent the almost healed area from getting worse.

Thankfully the salt water and herbal pastes were helping to keep infection away, big blessings seeing as you both had yet to run into an island with any communities of people, and Marcus looked over at you as he watched you get ready to head onto the ship. He was nervous to agree to it, especially after the radio tower, but you’d convinced him to stay primarily with the raft this time around; not only was he recovering from his injury still but if there were people here like at the tower then neither of you wanted to risk your only means of transport being stolen or for him to become a liability in a fight.

Not even counting the swim over, the ship had gotten wedged into rocks and pushed somewhat on shore of what might’ve been a moderately sized island, you had taken one look and knew that there was no way that Marcus would be able to make the swim without compounding his injury. He hadn’t wanted to agree with you but he knew you were right, which was why his arguing had been minimal.

“I’m going right for the navigation room, promise, the goal of this is coordinates or communication logs with Cadran.” Marcus nodded and the gentle kiss on your nose made you giggle, his own smile making you reach up to play with his scruffy beard, and you made a note to look for a good razor for him since he preferred to have a clean shave. Armed with a machete, your knife, and a headlamp that you’d pieced together with Marcus’ help you slipped into the water and began to make the swim through the gap in the rocks.

The vast difference in depth became apparent when you went from open ocean to kicking coral as you swam to the lowered back end of the boat; it looked like a ramp that had gotten stuck in the open position after the ship beached itself, with the disturbed sand and broken rock falling onto it and half submerging it. As you looked at the high wall and single door your nerves spiked, the headlamp sliding into place on your head, and you pulled the door open to see what you were working with. You had to immediately look right, the door opened to a narrow hallway in that direction, and it was dark.

The headlamp wasn’t super bright but it was better than nothing, the metal floors coated in a thin layer of algae in some places, and you thanked Marcus’ foresight of taking the shoes off the feet of the two from the tower. His pilfered pair were a little big, just like yours, so you ended up sewing together thick socks made of layers of fabric; they weren’t that comfortable but it was better than going around barefoot or in wood sandals. Every step made the sole of the boots squeak on the ground, or make a wet squishing sound, and your grip on the machete tightened when you heard rapid footfalls above you.

Not heavy enough to be a person, not heading in your direction, but the size didn’t track with anything you thought would live on an abandoned ship. The engine room was empty and you hummed after finding several notes from a mechanic, mentioning a rat infestation, but the noises you were hearing weren’t exactly small. Navigating the bottom floor was done slowly so that you could be quiet, one of the doors was locked and you backtracked to a room that had been open but you’d ignored when you heard something inside.

Your answer to what the hell was here came in the form of a giant rat…thing. The tail was curled up and it was easily the size of a small to medium dog, the screech as it pounced was a high enough pitch to echo on the metal around you but you hadn’t clammed up and instead the machete hacked right into the thing when you side stepped and put a horizontal swing into your arm. Dark blood sprayed on the walls as you stabbed it through the head to be sure it was not getting back up and you had to use your other hand to cover your mouth, gagging at the gore now on the wall and your blade.

You stepped gingerly over the body, rapidly looking around the room until you managed to find a key with the stairwell picture on the tag, and you took stock of what was in the boat and what wasn’t. Depending on how many of those rats were hanging around would determine if you came back to pilfer what you could, if there were too many then it wasn’t at all worth the risk.

Upstairs there were rooms, with plush beds, and to your immense surprise there wasn’t any water damage to any of the spaces. More notes were slipped into your journal, records of someone named General Olaf performing experiments on the rats, the lurkers, and each new thing you learned about him made your stomach crawl with disgust. He had planned to use them like soldiers, he had turned them loose on the crew when he’d abandoned the yacht after they realized it was going to get beached, and there was a chance he was still alive since the notes themselves were only dated a handful of years back.

You had to make a jack to move one of the heaviest cabinets away from the only room that had the chance of having a key for the bridge, finding a lighter instead, and with a soft grunt you began combing the ship again for supplies. If you couldn’t find the key to break the door down -since it was metal there was no way your machete was going to break through it- you had seen a gas tank that was somehow still sealed. A small part of you thought about swimming back to warn Marcus that you were going to construct a small scale bomb but it would only take longer and give more of the lurkers a chance to slip out of their hidey holes.

You’d already killed eight of the damn things and still had no idea where they were coming from, and you weren’t too keen on finding out the hard way.

One gas tank, a few electrical wires, one stray bullet, and with a lighter in hand you exhaled lightly before setting it down in front of the cabin door; the fuse was lit and you hauled ass down the stairs; there was just enough propane in that tank to work and the explosion was loud, your eyes clenched shut as you huddled down under the bottom floor staircase. There was a ringing in your ears but you saw the movement in the empty dance floor in front of you and didn’t wait, scampering up the stairs to see if you’d done it.

The door was half hanging off the hinges and you looked around the navigation room, finding blue prints with a note attached to them that had coordinates. The word Balboa was written with a question mark, the name familiar from the radio tower logs, and you couldn’t find anything else to give you direction. Your head was aching from the explosion rattling your brain but you would rest on the raft, shaking off the mild dizziness as you hurried down the stairs, avoiding the dance floor entirely to go down into the engine room and exit through the bottom most floor.

Two lurkers tried to attack you but you managed to kill one and use the door of the downstairs bathroom to stun the other one long enough to get out, making the swim for the raft after you made sure the papers would stay dry by slipping them into your bag. The woven leaves were lined with an inner plastic layer that enabled it to float, allowing you to swim without worries that the blueprints and the coordinates would be okay. As you expected Marcus was pacing, reaching out to haul you up out of the water the second you were within reach, and he began frantically checking you for injuries.

“You’re okay, thank fuck you’re okay.” He pressed his forehead to yours, gently, as he shuddered slightly with relief.

“I didn’t want to waste time to swim back and warn you I was making a bomb-“

“Why did you need to make a bomb? Wait how close were you to the explosion? Does your head hurt? How are your ears?”

“Locked metal door, went three levels down and ducked under a staircase with my hands on my ears, yes, and they still feel funny.” Marcus tugged you into the cabin, setting your bag down, and he began a cursory inspection of your ears and made you lay down.

“Don’t go to sleep, can’t do that after any kind of head injury, but I’m going to get a cold damp cloth to cover your eyes and ears. Walk me through what you found so that I know you’re awake.” He waited until he was settled in, you had the cloth on your eyes and ears, before taking your hand and letting you tell him about the ship and the lurkers and all the journal entries from Hanne and Olaf. Marcus was silent, or if he was speaking it was low enough that you didn’t hear it over the buzz of your own voice and the muffling from the wet rag, and he promised to get a course for Balboa done up.

You were good at figuring out what direction you were headed, you could get yourself pointed North with no issues, but using the navigation tech that you two had pieced together came more naturally to Marcus. He made you stay awake for a few more hours before he let you sleep, you woke up some time after noon the next day to see that he’d gone onto the yacht. The sight of a narrow, smaller, boat with a double sided paddle made you realize he’d put together what was basically a kayak but with sharper angles.

Marcus was pouring over the blueprints and offered a sheepish grin when he saw your expression, but you simply kissed him and ignored the blood stains you knew weren’t his on the bottom of his white linen shirt.

“Blueprint is for an engine.” That explanation was all the two of you really needed to justify staying long enough to piece together an actual engine, it could run on fuel or wood according to the notes. It was hard work, sure, but it also meant that Marcus had more time to heal before you went running into any other potential problems given that the radio tower notes involved distress calls there.

When the engine was finally assembled and installed, after days of non-stop work until you two absolutely had to sleep or eat, you laid in bed with Marcus and just slept as he cradled you close and praised you for how everything had come together. Downplaying his own involvement, even though he’d done most of the actual work since you’d argued against him going over to the yacht to gather and recycle what you could from the engines there. It hurt you to see him minimize his own abilities the way he was, honestly, since he was just as capable as you were even though he didn’t seem to see it.

Hanne had left notes about learning how to make a slapdash biofuel and biofuel refiner from the rangers on Balboa Island, though she hadn’t left that information -or she had and Olaf had taken it with him- but since that was your next destination you and Marcus worked on getting as much wood dried out as possible while agreeing to only use the engine in short intervals until you had a better fuel source. Leaving the Vasagaten behind was a relief, you didn’t know if the lurkers could swim but you didn’t want to chance it, and Marcus sat beside you that night as the sail and wind guided your way through the water.

“I’m glad you’re okay, I was worried that self-made bomb would have left more lasting damage.” He’d skewered two fish that were currently cooking over your little grill while the two of you ate potatoes from your planter boxes that had been cleaned and cooked up first. The clay cooking vessels that Marcus had managed to make, along with your metal cooking pot, had been a blessing in disguise now that you could actually make stews and soups. Meals like this, just sitting and relaxing as the fire crackled, were not only common but relaxing too.

“I’ll be entirely honest when I say that I tend to overestimate my abilities and my general health far more than I should.”

“You’re used to surviving on your own without someone else worrying about you, I’m not upset that you did what you had to. Like I keep having to remind you, Angel, you’re so impressive. You’ve taught me a lot.” Marcus’ free hand was holding yours, his thumb brushing along the back of your hand, and you leaned your head against his shoulder.

“You’re impressive too, you know, our skill sets compliment each other. Usually where I’m unsure you’re able and vice versa, Marcus, so please stop selling yourself short.” He hummed and pressed a kiss to your temple, the scruff of his beard and mustache tickling you a little, and the two of you spent the night after eating just laying together talking about what kind of a life you had imagined for yourselves.

“I never thought I’d really find someone in a romantic sense, actually, because of how things seemed to just fall apart for me. I’m happy that I have you, of course, I just never thought I’d have this.”

“I pictured sailing around for a bit until I felt less heartbroken, a year or two tops, then I’d go to either Tangaroa or Cadran or whatever city I could and just settle down. Ideally around my family, my parents and my sister weren’t exactly keen of me venturing out on my own, but I knew that I couldn’t really count on always being able to find them and I needed the space to be alone for a while.”

“Which you never would have gotten in any of the cities, I remember hearing from people who left Tangaroa about how strict the local government actually was with everyone working. Apparently most of the people were crammed into small apartments there and the only places with real space were for city founders and company big wigs.”

“Somehow I’m not surprised, I was worried when my family said they wanted to sail for Cadran but I can’t blame them for wanting something better than living on the ocean.”

“It’s definitely not the life for everyone.”

“Would you… if I wanted to settle somewhere would you settle with me?”

He sounded scared to ask and you knew why, logically, he was worried about you rejecting it; that you’d retreat into what you knew best, life on the sea, and leave him behind somewhere. But you weren’t afraid to try something new, you hadn’t been afraid when you decided to trust him or afraid to give him your heart, so it would be hard but you weren’t afraid to settle down if it meant keeping him in your life. You told him that, plainly and clearly, and Marcus’s eyes spilled over with tears that you kissed away before he had you on your back and crying his name into the night sky with heaving breaths against the onslaught of his mouth and a most intimate kiss.

Balboa Island was large, easily the largest island you’d ever seen, and you felt Marcus’ body stiffen when you pointed out the sign innocently sitting in the sand on the beach.

Beware of Bears

“Well…. Fuck.”

“Talk about a deterrent.”

You dropped anchor well off shore, over the week of travel time here Marcus was finally in a much better place physically, you’d fashioned a second kayak and paddle since it was convenient but the idea of facing bears was enough to seriously make you question going onto the island.

“Even if there’s two of us… the odds against a bear are bad.”

“I see the satellite receiver station there.” Marcus pointed up and you followed the line of his arm, spotting the satellite tower, and logically that meant the ranger station had to be close to it. There was a distinct lack of boats anywhere, making you wonder if the distress call from Balboa was because of the Vasagaten like you’d suspected, and you knew that Marcus wouldn’t risk it if you didn’t want to. But you didn’t want to risk the chance that Cadran’s location was actually here, seeing as it could take you and Marcus months to get close enough to pick up a radio signal until you came up with a better way of tracking where you’d already been.

“Since they aren’t actively broadcasting I don’t know what we’re going to find here but if you’re willing to try than I am too, the state of the Vasagaten and the Radio Tower along with the other notes from the tower have me worried about your family needing you.” Marcus’ jaw tightened a little at your words but you knew he appreciated that you weren’t trying to sugar-coat the potential truth, you watched his face carefully and when he nodded once and made for his kayak it was clear what he’d chosen.

Arming yourself with the hunting knife, so that Marcus had the machete, you also grabbed one of the spears so that he could take the other. It was a slow paddle to shore but as you dragged the two small vessels up out of the waves it almost felt like there was a timer, the faster you got to the tower and got answers meant the faster you could leave. Storms, sharks, and thirst were the threats you could handle without batting an eye; facing down bears though?

Marcus captured your free hand in his and pressed a kiss to your palm, the gratitude in his eyes clear even as he turned his attention to the steep pathway up off the shore, and you used the butt of your spear like a walking stick to make the upward walk a little easier. The two of you opted to move slower, the further you were from shore, to preserve as much sprinting power as you could in case you needed a quick getaway; what neither of you counted on what the sight of a man in a dark green uniform sitting in some sort of a stand, smiling at you both at the very top of the path.

“Howdy folks, welcome to Balboa Island, I’m Jack. You ain’t gotta worry ‘bout the bears on this side of things, we finally managed to set up a solid perimeter to keep ‘em on the East.” Marcus made no move of relaxing his tense posture, and neither did you, but the man didn’t seem bothered by it at all. He kept his hands off his weapon as he approached, he was actually calm with the two of you facing him down.

“Do you know the coordinates for Cadran? My family was headed there and we’re trying to find them, we’ve been through a lot to get here.”

“Coordinates? You got a workin’ navigation system?”

“We managed to piece one together.”

When Jack smiled it was joyful, even with the slight uptick of his mustache that made it seem more like a smirk, and you couldn’t help but relax just a little bit.

“Then hows about we trade? Coordinates are free but we got some extra supplies, if you could just look at our tower? Some crazy military man on a yacht showed up and had his crew ransack the tower while my team and I were fixing the relay stations, but the main Radio Tower connecting us to Tangaroa never sent anyone to fix it. when we sent a distress signal.”

“The two people there were abandoned by someone else, they attacked us when we showed up so-“

“Right, if you got the coordinates to it I can send Tequila and Ginger to inspect it. If our radio goes up we can reach out to the Caravan Island, they got lots of engineers there and can go fix up the Tower. It’d reconnect us to Tangaroa, if we get word out to them that the pirates are goin’ after towers then maybe we can get some more defenses goin’ up.”

Jack was leading you and Marcus toward the ranger station, you could see that it was actually a little community since there were a few tents and small cabins scattered around the clearing, and the people there all waved warmly at you.

“Howdy folks, come have a sit and some food.” Champ, as he introduced himself, didn’t take no for an answer and was an avid listener to you and Marcus as you recounted your meeting and adventure on the sea so far. He looked equally disturbed when you read off General Olaf’s journal entries, about experimenting on the lurkers that had infested the Vasagaten, and Jack handed Marcus a razor and a towel with a smile before Ginger led you both to the bathhouse now that you’d been fed.

None of them seemed at all surprised you wanted to keep your weapons close at hand, in fact they seemed to expect it, and while you certainly wanted to indulge in a little touching now that Marcus was freshly cleaned and shaved you both knew better than to get distracted.

The new, fresh, clothes they’d provided felt amazing compared to your salt crusted linens and as you joined them again you looked up at the tower looming over you. It was high up, the kind of height that you worried you’d get sick from, but the ladder wasn’t broken or in bad shape at least.

“I should get looking at it now, while I have sunlight.” Marcus nodded once and you began ascending the ladder, keeping your gaze up instead of out or down, and when you reached the platform you could have kissed the metal if you weren’t determined to just hurry up and get back down. The system wasn’t nearly as bad off as the Radio Tower, the worst of it all was frayed wires, and the boxes of supplies up here included a good bit of electrical tape. You did have to salvage a few new sets of wires from the old parts already up here, peeling back covers to make sure they could be easily spliced into the system, but it wasn’t anything you hadn’t already known how to do.

After patching up what you could, making notes for Jack and the others so that a proper engineer could get everything fixed up later, all that was left was to flip on the device. The solar powered unit buzzed and squealed for only a moment before the sound of crackling static filled the air.

“Base to tower, you copy?” “Tower to base, I hear you loud and clear.” “Hot dang, you are a miracle worker!”

Jack’s praise made your face warm a little, you couldn’t help it, but what you hadn’t counted on was a rapid beeping as another incoming signal was picked up.

“Balboa Ranger Station, do you copy?” “Ranger Station copy, this Caravan Island?” “Sure is, good to hear from ya’ again.”

Knowing that they had their re-established contact, and that it was going to start getting dark, you began descending the ladder carefully; Marcus greeted you at the base and hugged you, no doubt terrified that you might’ve fallen, but just being back on solid ground settled your nerves.

“We got the coordinates and an offer to stay the night, but they did load us up with supplies if we want to get moving.”

“We know its hard to trust, seein’ the state of things, but you’re welcome here; Ezra, over at Caravan Island, passed a message along to Cadran to see if your folks made it. So if you want to wait it out you’re welcome to stay until we know.”

“Sounds like a good enough reason to stay, right Marcus?” He nodded and you realized that he’d let Ginger pen copies of the notes you’d found from the Tower and Vasagaten, you were honestly glad to see that some people actually wanted to try and end the piracy and attacks. To reconnect people so that everyone could be safer and happier.

“Nervous?”

“Not really.”

Marcus was watching you but you really weren’t all that bothered, his family had not reached Cadran but instead joined a small community near Caravan Island, now that you’d finally tracked them down and knew they were okay it only made sense for him to see it for himself. He’d been away from them for three years, the longest in his life, after all.

“If I- if I wanted to stay… would you?” He sounded scared to ask and you knew why, the countless conversations you had about feeling trapped and paranoid around people after everything you had been through were good enough reasons that he’d worry, and instead of being upset by his questioning you appreciated it. Far more than he’d ever know, really, the fact that he understood your past but didn’t treat you with kid-gloves because of it.

“I can try, you just would just have to be patient with me-“ He kissed you before you could even finish, you knew he wouldn’t have asked if he wasn’t seriously considering it and you understood it since he’d grown up only traveling on the ocean when he had to. Being on land, being around his family, was the most comfortable for him and he wanted to include you as a part of that.

Marcus sat down with you between his legs, arms wrapped around your middle as the engines rumbled along toward the island. Jack and the others had given you more than enough wood for engine fuel to speed up your trip, after you helped them construct a small raft with an engine that they could use to patrol around Balboa, and evidently the gunshots in Tangaroa had been because of General Olaf attempting to take over there and failing against the city’s military.

You both must have drifted off to sleep because when your eyes opened the sun was high and you shook Marcus gently, it would be safer to head into the cabin than stay out here and risk sunburn, but he pointed at the sight of a flag and high rocks. A small raft came out to meet you and Constable Raymond seemed delighted to learn that Marcus was one of Geoff and Marissa’s kids, the two elder Pike had evidently become a backbone of the little community.

Being led ashore, raft anchored alongside some of the others, you watched Marcus practically sprint the distance to engulf his mother in a hug. His sister Laura and her wife Sue greeted you warmly, the former very welcoming and the latter was already recounting her own tales of traveling and rescuing a Pike that she ended up falling in love with.

“They’re like sirens.” Your joke made Sue burst out into laughter and hug you, while Laura rolled her eyes good naturedly, and you followed the family to the community cabin building where the other residents had been waiting for you both since learning that you were going to be visiting. It was overwhelming, everyone was curious about you specifically, and Marcus held your hand while helping you tell a very watered down version of your early life and then happily telling them the very in depth details of how you saved him and how impressive you were.

It was too much, after hours of being surrounded by people, and you escaped to the shore to just sit and listen to the waves. Marcus joined you a little bit later, just sitting beside you, and you took his hand gently in your own.

One week turned into two, with each passing day you began to grow more comfortable around the others here, the island was definitely large enough to not only house everyone but offer places to run away and hide when you felt overwhelmed. So when Rouhi approached you about buying your raft from you, in order to take up traveling, you were faced with a decision.

It wasn’t like you couldn’t build another raft, the island had plenty of resources, but there was a part of you that knew the truth; as long as you had a way of running away… you probably would. Marcus was an amazing man and you loved him, truly loved him, but even he had guilt in his eyes on nights you would wake up fighting the monsters of your memories that plagued your nightmares. When you would need to be sitting by the shore to remind yourself that even though you weren’t moving now that you could.

He wanted to stay, to settle and not have to fear starving or dying of thirst on the open ocean, and you completely understood why. You had a choice to make and Marcus gave you the space you needed to do so, watching you finish whatever task you were assigned for the day and disappear until nightfall. It was a hard choice to make and in the times of walking away and just thinking you found a friend, someone else who felt trapped and needing to run away,

Someone like you, except his drive was strictly to go to Tangaroa to join their academy to become an engineer.

The raft drifted along the waves, the gulls cry louder than ever, and Marcus stood watching from the shoreline. He looked torn, eyes shiny, and then turned to you with a smile on his face as you watched Rouhi leave with the last remnant of your life before Marcus.

“Come on, Marcus, let’s go home.” He took your hand in his and walked beside you up the worn path toward your cabin, it was early afternoon and the two of you had a few more things you wanted to get done today, seeing Rouhi off had been hard but you’d wanted to say goodbye to the raft that had served you well for the decades it had and give the young man your blessing.

The seashell pendant on your neck was new, a gift to celebrate your marriage, and you wanted to make sure all your work was done so you could spend the next few days with your husband celebrating the start of this new life.

[chaletnz]

Rafting in La Fortuna

I decided the other cafe nearby wasn't worth the super early morning so I slept in and took my time to pack up my things. It took about an hour for us to drive out to the Sarapiqui river where we would start our rafting adventure. On the drive out we were feeling half asleep until the driver hit a massive eagle that rolled over the bus and on to the side of the road, then we were all sitting up in horror. They just kept driving knowing it wouldn't have survived that collision. Once we arrived at the changing area to sign a waiver, they offered us free water shoes. Super annoying because Dennis our guide has told us all to go out and buy them from the supermarket which we had done! Everyone had signed the waiver and was waiting on the bus ready to go except for Charlie who left his shoes, hadn't signed the waiver, and then kept us all waiting while he went to the toilet. We were given a safety briefing on the ride from the changing area to the river and then we unloaded the rafts. They were an assortment of sizes so Tyrza, Georgi, and I teamed up together with our guide Gabriel in one of the 4 man rafts. He wasn't quite our guardian angel, but instead made sure all of us fell out at least one time during the ride! This was a level 3-4 rapid river so a bit more intense than the one in Niseko! Gabriel had us sitting on the front of the raft with our legs in the water going straight through the rapids, and he would instruct us to paddle or move to the wrong side that would cause us to capsize. It was fun for me though, Georgi was hungover as usual so she wasn't enjoying it quite as much. It didn't rain as forecast, plus the cold water was actually nice and refreshing on such a hot day. There was one point when we went over a rapid directly into a rock and i hit my bad knee really hard. It sent a jolt of pain through me but then I switched sides on the boat and felt better. We took a break about halfway down the river for some freshly cut pineapple and watermelon, then after the rafting we were taken back to the changing area for a shower, and big lunch. It included rice, beans, chicken, spaghetti, and coleslaw. There was no way I or anyone else could finish it all. There had been a slideshow of photos playing during lunch for us to watch, and then came the sales pitch. They were asking $50 per boat for the photos as I don't think the photographers realised we were all one big group. Now it made sense to their strategy that we had been split into smaller boats. We could've fit into less larger ones, but then they wouldn't be able to squeeze as much out of us on photos. I wanted the photos but Tyrza didn't want to pay and Georgi didn't like her hungover face in them. So why would I want to pay $50 on my own. The other groups were also annoyed about the price of the photos. Charlie had gone in the 3 man raft with Dennis and the guide, and of course Dennis didn't need the photos but Charlie wanted them. We'd already established that Dennis was not a very good tour guide so when we asked him to negotiate the price in Spanish for us he just shrugged and said we should pay it. I took over the leader role to try to hustle the hustlers and said we would pay $5 each minus Georgi and Tyrza who didn't want them. That left about 11 of us who wanted the photos so I offered him $55. He then tried to make us pay $70 but realised we were backpackers who were not going to pay these extortionate amounts for photos that frankly weren't that great anyway, and that $55 would be better than nothing. He reluctantly agreed and took our $5 each and we were later emailed all of the photos. I paid in full and then spent the remainder of our last day trying to get them all to pay me back which was so annoying.

We had a misty drive through the mountains to our final destination - the Costa Rican capital, San Jose. It was lashing rain when we pulled up to our hotel Le Bergerac and Georgie took a spectacular slip. Once we'd unpacked in our rooms and had some time to plan for tomorrow's departure, and shower, we all went out for our last group dinner at Olio, an expensive tapas restaurant. I chose a chicken quesadilla as everything else on the menu was super expensive - another place Dennis would eat free when bringing in all the gringos. After dinner we all gave Dennis a tip (I gave him $20 which was the same I'd given Walter for half the amount of time) and then headed to the Fallen Stag pub for a final drink together.

[adooooora]

ADORAS EPIC DEMO ROUNDUP STEAM NEXT FEST FEBRUAR 2023

Demos Played: 63 Demos

Disqualifiziert: 5 Demos

Space Reign, Demo Rating Crashed BOOK OF HOURS, Demo Rating Sexpest Dev Dawnlands, Demo Rating Uninstalled on Signup prompt HumanitZ, Demo Rating Broken on Resolution changed WitchSpring R, Demo Rating Pedophilia Accusations

Unspielbarer Müll: 9 Demos

58. Uncharted Waters Origin, Demo Rating 1/10 57. The Last Plague: Blight, Demo Rating 2/10 56. Perseus: Titan Slayer, Demo Rating 2/10 55. Cavalry Girls, Demo Rating 2/10 54. Monsters Domain, Demo Rating 2/10 53. Corsairs Legacy, Demo Rating 2/10 52. Desynced, Demo Rating 3/10 51. Dark Envoy, Demo Rating 3/10 50. Route 66 Simulator, Demo Rating 3/10

Mittelmäßig & Egal: 21 Demos

49. Yog-Sothoth's Yard, Demo Rating 4/10 48. Tribe: Primitive Builder, Demo Rating 4/10 47. Super Raft Boat Together, Demo Rating 4/10 46. Voidtrain, Demo Rating 4/10 45. Trinity Fusion, Demo Rating 4/10 44. Sons of Valhalla, Demo Rating 4/10 43. Farworld Pioneers, Demo Rating 4/10 42. The Last Starship, Demo Rating 4/10 41. Scene Investigators, Demo Rating 4/10 40. Pixelshire, Demo Rating 5/10 39. Dungeon Drafters, Demo Rating 5/10 38. Wandering Sword, Demo Rating 5/10 37. Cardboard Town, Demo Rating 5/10 36. Super Auto Battlemon, Demo Rating 5/10 35. Boundary, Demo Rating 5/10 34. Xenonauts 2, Demo Rating 5/10 33. My Dream Setup, Demo Rating 5/10 32. Yet Another Zombie Survivors, Demo Rating 5/10 31. Tape to Tape, Demo Rating 5/10 30. Bleak Sword DX, Demo Rating 5/10 29. Ravenbound, Demo Rating 5/10 

Schön und Nett: 17 Demos

28. Roots of Yggdrasil, Demo Rating 6/10 27. I Am Future, Demo Rating 6/10 26. Grim Guardians: Demon Purge, Demo rating 6/10 25. Plan B: Terraform, Demo Rating 6/10 24. Wall World, Demor Rating 6/10 23. Affogato, Demo Rating 6/10 22. Oblivion override, Demo Rating 6/10 21. Raidborn, Demo Rating 6/10 20. Shadows of Doubt, Demo Rating 6/10 19. Planet of Lana, Demo Rating 7/10 18. Gestalt: Steam & Cinder, Demo Rating 7/10 17. Meet Your Maker, Demo Rating 7/10 16. Mika and The Witch's Mountain, Demo Rating 7/10 15. Inkbound, Demo Rating 7/10 14. The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Demo Rating 7/10 13. Fabledom, Demo Rating 7/10 12. Rusted Moss, Demo Rating 7/10 Actually richtig geil (Wishlisted): 10 Demos

11. Mr. Saitou, Demo Rating 8/10

10. Sherlock Holmes The Awakaned, Demo Rating 8/10

9. Bramble: The Mountain King, Demo Rating 8/10

8. Bionic Bay, Demo Rating 8/10

7. Lakeburg Legacies, Demo Rating 8/10

6. Phantom Brigade, Demo Rating 8/10

5. Spiritfall, Demo Rating 9/10

4. Darkest Dungeon II, Demo Rating 8/10

3. Radio the Universe, Demo Rating 9/10

2. System Shock Remake, Demo Rating 9/10

GOAT: 1 Demo

1. Cavern of Dreams, Demo Rating 10/10 

[hdriverexcursions01]

Why Hells Canyon is Best Experienced in a Jet Boat

Did you know Hells Canyon is the deepest canyon in North America? At some points, its depth is more than 8,000 feet. That’s more than half the height of the Empire State Building!

The best way to explore this natural wonder is with a jet boat tour. There are so many benefits to exploring the canyon in this way.

If you’re looking for reasons to go to Hells Canyon, read on. We’ve put together this article to explain why a jet boat tour is the best way to see it.

It’s a Great Way to Stay Cool

It may not be as hot as the fires of the netherworld, but Hells Canyon can get pretty humid at times. Hiking the trails beside the canyon can be pretty punishing and on a hot day, you might find yourself struggling to keep cool.

When you’re on a jet boat, there’s no need to worry about the heat. You’ll feel the spray jumping up onto your face, providing the perfect antidote to the hot sun.

On the other hand, we’ll ensure you stay warm if you’re traveling in the colder months. Our boats are equipped with curtains and heaters during the winter.

It’s Super Convenient

A jet boat ride through Hells Canyon isn’t just a lot of fun. It’s also the most convenient way to travel through the area.

The terrain around the canyon is pretty unforgiving with few access points for travelers, especially around Hells Canyon dam. The rough nature of the water means boating and rafting can be somewhat difficult. The control and maneuverability of a jet boat make it by far the best way to negotiate this tough canyon.

If you’re planning on staying a night or two, a boat is by far the most convenient way to get around.

You’ll Get Up Close and Personal With Local Wildlife

Hells Canyon is packed full of amazing wildlife. There are hundreds of species, ranging from birds to amphibians around the dam. If you’re keen to get up close and personal with all kinds of creatures, riding a jetboat offers you an excellent chance to do just that.

Bass, steelhead, chinook salmon, and many more species of fish can be seen in the pristine waters of the canyon. When you’re zooming through on a jet boat, you’ll benefit from clear sightings of many of the local aquatic species as well as birds flying overhead and mammals like elk and goats by the banks.

When you book a tour with us, you’ll also see plenty of wildlife on the way to the starting point. We offer a convenient shuttle bus from our base in Pittsburgh, offering you an excellent chance to observe local scenery and wildlife.

Book a Jet Boat Ride On Hells Canyon Today

These are just a few of the many benefits of taking a jet boat ride through Hells Canyon. The best way to discover all of them is to book a ride for yourself.

We’ve got the experience to ensure you enjoy a fantastic experience on your ride through the canyon. Contact us to book a tour today!

[digitalvoidtv]

Super Raft Boat Together is now available for wishlisting and with a playable demo on Steam, coming later this year!

[freesia-writes]

Alright. After ruminating on it throughout the day, I think I've got a decent plan. ;) The HARDEST part is choosing one clone, because I loved Rex first, but my heart says Howzer... However, I'd accept Gregor or Hunter or Tech as well. ;) And this is in our modern world.

Day 1 - We have been friends for a while and had a crush on each other for a long time but haven't admitted it. I'm a whitewater raft guide, so I'd take Howzer (and 4 other clones!!) down the river -- fun, nature, beauty, thrills, etc. He'd be struck by my humor and guide skills, and we'd be flirting all day. Afterward, we'd grab some Chinese food on the way back to camp. We'd take showers, then cuddle next to the river and watch the sun go down as we talk. He would finally confess his love, and we'd kiss. For a long time. ;) Then we'd snuggle up together in a tent and go to sleep.

Day 2 - Wake up in the tent, have coffee and a slow morning near the river. We'd pack up our stuff and go to a brunch buffet, then drive to a lake with a lush forest around it. We'd have a nice hotel room with a balcony with a hot tub on it, and we'd go explore the forest together, talking and marveling at nature and playing and kissing, until we're hungry again. Maybe we'd grab some sushi or deli sandwiches for a snack, then just relax at the hotel. Hit the hot tub on the balcony and maybe even take a nap. :D Then we would grab some dinner -- steak and luscious desserts -- and finish with a sunset cruise on the lake in a comfy little boat, finally dropping the anchor somewhere safe and quiet. We'd bundle up in a bunch of blankets, laying on the boat, and watch the stars, sharing stories and cuddling until we fell asleep with the water gently rocking the boat.

Day 3 - The sun would probably wake us up way too early, so we would grumble our way to the shore and find a super cute, cozy breakfast diner. After stuffing ourselves with coffee and warm food, we'd go back to the hotel room and take a nap (going back to bed after breakfast is peak living for me). We'd have a slow afternoon, maybe perusing a bookstore or something, then get ready for one last evening. I'm thinking a black tie affair... Some kind of gorgeous dinner and salsa dancing... And we'd pretend to be all fancy, but as soon as we got back to the hotel, we'd be in sweatpants and t-shirts, snuggling and watching The Office. If we stay up late enough, we might order a pizza. ;)

If you had 3 days to spend with your favorite clone, what would you do? And would you be in an established relationship or just falling in love? I wanna hear all the cheesy daydreams. 😂

[mega-taiga]

ok so here are my thoughts about this years minecraft live.

overall it was .... okay. i felt like there was a lot more padding than usual, like we only got small bits of information with large amounts of exposition in between. that could be from the whole "learning from last year in promising too much and delivering too little", so who knows.

minecraft legends looks fun. i like that the world is randomly generated each time so everyone will get a unique experience. the mechanics look interesting and seem to fit together nicely. the design of the mobs and plants and environments are really nice. im interested to see just how much of the game there is, the replayability, the longevity of the game, but overall looks like a solid game. ill probably buy it when it releases

the update reveal.... well, they gave us virtually nothing so i cant really comment on it. as previously stated idk why theyre only just learning how to properly do gameplay reveals, but im glad they took the criticism from the fiasco that was 1.19 and are actually listening. maybe listening a bit too much? we literally have no clue what this updates theme is. like last year they revealed to much so now theyre going the polar opposite direction and revealing nothing. ppl in my discord server were saying maybe a building update considering the new blocks and new default skins which ties into the whole "self expression" shit, so we'll see.

a quick aside, i gotta mention how absolutely vague the update description agnes gave was. "this year we want self expression and representation. we want identity and to unite all players together. and this year we did just that, with this update, that will connect players and identity, and representation". she spoke around what the actual theme was then said they want to make minecraft "minecraftier". what the fuck does that mean. anyway.

hanging signs are cool, they were frequently requested so im glad theyre finally being implemented, and in varying shapes and positions. no complaints there.

the chiseled bookshelf is... cool... but its functionality literally couldve been implemented into the normal bookshelf. plus, the chiseled ones just look better imo. so kinda confused there but oh well.

the new bamboo wood is alright, it looks a little ugly to me. i like the mosaic variety. the bamboo raft confuses me as it functions exactly like a normal boat, so im not sure the need to differentiate.

the camels are the BEST part of this livestream. they seem super dope and well designed with interesting and fun mechanics. anything that adds to the barren deserts is a godsend. 2 player rideable mob with a dash move? sign me up. my only concern is... theyre so intricate it makes classic mobs look so boring. the camels have a specific getting up and laying down animation complete with ear twitch animations and dashes while the cow just. stands there. so not super great in that department

and finally, the mob vote. SNIFFER SWEEP. i dont have much to say about this bc obviously the sniffer would win. it was the most interesting out of all of them. i had no doubts but the confirmation is exciting.

its 2am as i write this and im tired so thats all im gonna say for now. i probably forgot stuff and ill probably remember stuff later so ill probably more than likely make more rants tomorrow

[buckyjamesbarnes1917]

Endlessly

A/N: Reader is a survivor of the Super Soldier Serum Experiment and continues to be haunted by the nightmares & terrors she had to endure during her time as one of HYDRA's pets. One day when she's thinking her existence simply doesn't matter in the world, someone from her past showed up unexpectedly. This does contain a little bit of TFATWS spoilers!

Warnings: Suicidal Thoughts, Nightmares/terrors, and torture & death. (All three & flashbacks are in italics)

“P-p-please no, you don’t have to do this, I have a family,”  said a man trembling and begging for mercy on his life with tears rolling down at his face at the end of the barrel of the gun

I just stood there with the same cold, blank stare that stayed upon my face on every mission, mind unfazed, no emotions, the way HYDRA created me. I still felt part of my mind screaming “Don’t! He’s done nothing wrong!” but my mind couldn’t fight against the forces & the control HYDRA has on me. I pulled the trigger and muttered, “The mission is finalized.” After I determined the man to have no sign of life, I stepped over the body to then feel his hands grasped my ankles and then I saw his bloodied face frozen with an agonizing expression.

I awoke suddenly to then start panicking, thinking I was still within HYDRA’s facility where they still had control over me & tortured me to do their biddings. After I finally calmed my breathing down, I reminded myself, “You’re okay, you’re safe in your own apartment, HYDRA fell with S.H.I.E.L.D when the Avengers took them down, just continue the breathing exercises, and everything will be alright.” Except, it’s not going to be alright, though doing the breathing exercises keeps my breathing under control, I’m still being tormented by my nightmares. I sighed and got out of bed, maybe a shower will help me clear my thoughts.

~Meanwhile, on a plane to America~

“What’s the story about the name Zemo was talking about when we were on our way to Madripoor?” Sam asked as Bucky thinks back to the conversation.

“To beat Karli, we need a lot more allies, I suggest we start by enlisting the help of Y/N L/N,” Zemo said as Sam looked confused & Bucky’s facial expression tweaked 

“Who-” Sam started to say until Bucky interrupts him, “Don’t you ever mention that name again.”

“I’m sorry, so let’s talk about the plan,” Zemo responds as Bucky went back in his seat.

Bucky sighed and said, “Her name is one of the people I have to make amends with, she was one of HYDRA’s experiments.”

“Hold up, I thought Zemo got rid of all the super soldiers, why did he spare her?” Sam responded as he and Bucky finally exit the plane

“He spared her life because he had a feeling that she could be free from the controls of HYDRA and so that she could try to live a normal life, like me,” Bucky said as Sam looked at him confused and asked, “How do you know that?”

“Before The Dora Milaje took him to The Raft, he knew she was on my list when he went to cross his name off. Zemo didn’t give me a definite answer why he told me, he just felt like it,” Bucky responded as Sam nodded an okay

“You think she can help us?” Sam asked as Bucky nodded his head and then said, “But it’s not going to be easy to convince her to join the cause.”

“Why? Did you do something to her that caused her to be on your list?” Sam asked 

Bucky sighed and said, “You don’t even want to know.” as Sam stayed silent, a sign that he understands and doesn’t want to push it

“I’m going to visit Isaiah before heading home to Sarah and the boys, want to tag along?” Sam asked as Bucky shook his head

“No, I’m going make amends with someone I should’ve made them with a long time ago,” Bucky responded as he only has one mission on his mind.

~Back in New York, a day later~

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” I kept whispering to myself, repeating the mantra

The shower did help me clear my thoughts, but throughout the day, I couldn’t shake the dread & despair the nightmares and terrors brought me. I know it wasn’t my fault for all those deaths, I was a weapon that HYDRA created and used, but HYDRA doesn’t exist anymore so I’m not a weapon. I don’t know why Helmut Zemo spared my life that day he confronted me, I have no place in this world nor would be of any use to make a difference.

“Why am I still alive? I’m nothing and nobody even cares about me nor care I still exist.” I whispered to myself as I rest my head on my knees

Then I heard a knock on my apartment door and stayed silent to see if I can recognize if one of my neighbors is behind the door. I got up from the floor and composed myself together before I go up to the door to check through the peephole and I suddenly froze when I saw who was on the other side, James Barnes aka The Winter Soldier, HYDRA’s former powerful weapon. A lot has changed and its been a long time since I came face to face with him.

“Y/N, I know you’re behind the door. Can you let me in so we can talk?” James whispered so I can only hear him

“You know he’s changed too, he isn’t The Winter Solider anymore, let him in,” I could hear my conscience telling me

I then started to unlock the door and opened it to him standing there, with a concerned face.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as James walked into my apartment

“Your name’s on my list,” James responded as I looked at him in confusion

“What list? Your list of people to kill or torture?” I asked as James hands me a notebook with his writing that shows my name under the title, “Amends”

“I’m no longer the Winter Soldier. I’m James “Bucky” Barnes and you’re part of my efforts to make amends,” James said

I was about to ask something, but then James interrupts me by responding, “I heard you.”

I started to develop a confused look on my face and then realized, with his enhanced hearing, he heard what I said minutes before he knocked on the door. I looked away from him and mutter, “Of course you did.”

“How long have they been happening?” James asked as I said in response, “Since before & returning from the Blip. Glad to see you’re looking well, therapy going good?” adding a little irritation at the end since therapy hasn’t been working for me

James sighed and then responds, “I’ve been having them too so, you’re not alone.” 

“I thought therapy was suppose to help with that,” I said with a tone of shock in my voice that maybe he hasn’t changed much

“It’s helping, but not as much as it needs to.” James replied 

 James sighed and then said, “I’m sorry for what happened in the past, all the pain & torture I caused you as the Winter Soldier. I know I can’t take it back, but if you’ll allow me, I want to make it up to you. I need your help.”

I contemplated accepting his apology to then say, “Okay. What do you need help with?”

“Are you aware of the Flag Smashers?” James asked as I nodded my head in response “Well, their leader, Karli decided to lay low after what Walker did to one of her followers. We need to be prepared for her next move when it happens, but Sam & I can’t do all this by ourselves, so will you help us when the time comes?”

“Why me? You heard what I said, I’m nothing, Zemo should’ve ended me when he had the chance,” I responded as James looked away

“You are not nothing, you are a survivor and a fighter. Zemo spared your life because he believed you would make a difference in this world and protect it when the time comes. I know that you are strong enough to stand your ground and I believe in you,” James said as I stood there, stunned not knowing that his words would make that much of an impact on me.

“Okay,” I responded as James looked back at me, “I’ll help you and Sam take down the Flag Smashers, whatever it takes.”

I could see James thinking about something so I asked, “James, what are you thinking about?”

“How would you feel about taking a trip down to Delacroix, Louisiana? You get a break from the city and you get to meet Sam so you can start to build your trust in him,” James responded 

“Think that would do me good since I haven’t gotten much sleep, also sorry for getting irritated with you,” I said as James laughs and smiles at me

“It’s fine, doll, also call me Bucky,” Bucky responded as he starts to back up and turn around to leave my apartment with me walking behind him

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile or laugh like that before,” I thought to myself as I start to smile at the ground, “It’s definitely having an effect on me.”

As we’re on our way to Louisiana, he caught me up on what happened overseas, including the incident with John Walker.

“So wait, Walker wouldn’t give up the shield and felt no remorse for what he did to Steve’s legacy? What an asshole,” I said as Bucky chuckles in agreement.

“Yeah, Sam and I took the shield back, which left Walker with a broken arm,” Bucky responds as he looks at his vibranium arm that’s resting against mine.

“Hey, remember, you’re free from HYDRA, you don’t have the arm they provided you, and you learned to resist the trigger words,” I reminded him as he nods his head

“I’m sorry if this brings up the nightmares, but are they about your victims or is it just your subconscious making you feel what you do?” Bucky asked as I sighed

“They’re  just about me remembering what I’d done and how much control HYDRA had over me, it’s just hard to shake off the feeling of dread & despair after experiencing them,” I responded as I felt Bucky move his hand into mine and squeezing it in reassurance

“It’ll be okay, maybe the change of scenery will help the both of us,” Bucky whispered 

After we arrived two days before, we went to the docks where we saw everyone helping out Sam and his family with the boat. Bucky and I walked over to the boat when we see Sam talking to two locals when Bucky decided to help them get an equipment out of the trunk.

“Thanks Buck, this her?” Sam asked as Bucky nodded, “So will you help us?”

“Yes, I will help you with the Flag Smasher, need help with the boat?” I responded as Sam said, “Hope you don’t mind”

“No, we don’t mind. Where do you want us?” Bucky asked as Sam pointed us to where he wanted us

As we were working, I notice out of the corner of my eye, a woman who looks to be Sam’s sister, walking along the dock with a clipboard.

“Hey, I’m Bucky,” I hear Bucky say as the woman stops in front of him

“Sarah, nice to meet you, and who are you?” Sarah responds to then turn her attention to me

“Y/N, nice to meet you too, also don’t mind Bucky, he’s a bit of a flirt,” I said teasingly as Sarah laughs and Bucky makes a face at me that says “Really?”

“What? You know I’m right because if I recall, in the 1940s before you went to war, you were one of Brooklyn’s biggest flirts, I read about it at the exhibit,” I responded towards Bucky’s way 

Bucky shook his head and smiled to the ground, thinking no one would notice, but Sam did.

After I finished up with what I was tasked to do, Sarah asked me to help her out with something so I got off the boat and followed her to where we needed to go, leaving Bucky and Sam sitting there. Sam walks over to the cooler and grabbed two Heineken to then hand one to Bucky.

“Alright, so what’s going on between you two?” Sam asked as Bucky sighed

“We’re just focusing on me making it up to her and completing my efforts to make amends with her,” Bucky responded as he took a sip

“Bucky, I’ve seen that look in your eyes, you’re in love with her, how long has that feeling been there?” Sam asked, unknowingly oblivious to the fact I returned from helping Sarah and was standing nearby.

“I remember seeing her at the facility after Steve broke the trance, the first thought that came to my mind was, “Who was this girl with the blank cold stare?” then they commanded her to do her task and I could see for a split second that her eyes showed emotions. A split second, I knew she still had the parts to her that made her human,” Bucky responded as he then said, “That’s when it happened.”

“So after HYDRA fell, you forgot about her or did that memory only existed in the Winter Soldier persona?” Sam said as Bucky got up to stand

“After Hydra fell and I started to gain my mind back, I always thought back to her, wondering where she was and what she was up to. One day, I decided I was going to see for myself, so I found her. When I saw her that first time since that day at the facility, Sam, I wanted to make my presence known to her, she looked so lost and knowing what me as the Winter Soldier did to her, not knowing if she even remembers it, I didn’t want to force myself to stand face to face with her because I didn’t know if she was ready then to talk to me or if it was going to jeopardize her healing from the torture and the horrors of HYDRA. So I left, though it pained me that she never would’ve known someone still cared about her, and I wish I could’ve helped her with her nightmares before now,” Bucky said as he runs his hands over his face

“Y-you really feel that way?” I finally spoke, making my presence known as Sam and Bucky looked towards my direction

“Okay, that’s my cue. I’ll let you guys talk and have your privacy,” Sam said as he got off the boat and left, leaving me and Bucky alone on the docks

“Yes, I do feel that way and I am so sorry that you’ve been feeling that way for a long time,” Bucky responded with tears welling up in his eyes as I go on the boat to stand in front of him

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” I said putting my hands on his face, feeling one of his hands wrap around my wrist, “I’m glad that you did what you felt was right for me no matter how bad you felt about doing it. You were willing to be patient until the day you felt I would be ready to face you again.”

“So you’re not mad at me?” Bucky asked as I leaned in closer to the point where our lips are close to touching

“James Bucky Barnes, despite all the torture and pain you put me through as the Winter Soldier, I still forgave you at my own pace which you allowed me to have. That makes you one of the amazing guys I have the pleasure of knowing,” I said as I finally kissed him, making the first move

Bucky kissed back and moved one of his hands to my hair and the other to settle on my waist as we kissed in the sunset. We pulled away and I looked up to see Bucky smiling down at me, then he reached to one of his back pockets to pull out his notebook and handed it to me.

“So shall we cross off your name off the list?” Bucky asked with a smirk plastered on his face

I smiled back and said, “Definitely” as I took the notebook & pen from him and crossed out my name.

“Feels good huh?” I asked him as he laughed

“It does, so should we start finding a hotel to crash at before our flight back home?” Bucky asked

Before I could even answer or make a suggestion, we hear Sam from behind us, “You guys can stay at our place if you want to.”

I was silently glad that Bucky took up on Sam’s offer because that night was the first night in years where I had a peaceful sleep and it was in the arms of someone I loved & trusted in the house of people we felt comfortable around.

[firesoulstuff]

And/or Plane crash left them stranded in the wilderness together for Captain canary (although they kind of fit that already in a way. Like that’s a super plausible scenario for them)

(This is SO late, I am so sorry! I have some old asks to go through, and this one gave me such LOST vibes I really wanted it to be good!)

"He didn't recruit me."

Leonard raises an eyebrow at her sudden admission.

It's been a few months since the plane went down, or at least he thinks it's been months. It's hard to keep track of time on an island in the middle of the North China Sea.

Anyway, months since the crash, months since he and the other survivors of that crash started to get the feeling they might not be alone on this island, and weeks since they learned they were right. This place was... is... a medical testing site. It was a site in the sense that it's been defunct for seventy-two years, abandoned and hidden by the Japanese who carried out experiments here back in World War II. It is a site in the sense that a very crazy and very dangerous man uncovered its secret location and came here fifteen years ago with a team to carry out some... new experiments.

So far, Sara is the only one of them his group has seen. There are others, he's sure of it, but she won't give up numbers, or names, including that of her boss. Only that he is a he and that he's "revitalizing" the site.

Leonard does not want to know what will come out of “revitalizing”.

They managed to get the jump on her in the jungle and bring her back to their camp a few days ago. Len isn’t proud but for one thing he didn’t have anything to do with it. Rip, their self-appointed leader, decided it would be a good idea to take Mick and go looking for “The Others’” camp. He’d been against it, but he and Mick aren’t exactly on the best terms right now so he couldn’t stop it.

Besides, he never thought they’d come back with a person.

They've bound her up using some of the rope they recovered from wreckage of the plane but didn't have to use on the shelter or painstakingly unravel for fishing line – yet. So far she’s told them the history of the island, but again no numbers or names, and no specifics about what exactly her group is up to.

“So what?” Leonard asks, and for the first time she looks at him, though only from the corner of her eye. “You volunteered to reboot a World War II testing camp?”

She is the pinnacle of unimpressed as she glares at him.

Then she turns her glare outwards, squinting against the sun and lolling her head against the trunk of the tree she’s propped against. Leonard watches as her eyes track upwards, following the hilled landscape of the island.

“You know there’s a theory that Amelia Earhart crashed here?” She asks, almost conversationally. Almost. “There were rumors the Japanese had built these two huge magnetic towers here and brought down her plane.”

“And you believe that?” He asks, not quite sure where it is she’s going with this.

“I think it’s interesting.” She says with a shrug, gaze still distant. “My boat. The systems all started failing, it almost ripped clean in half. There were four of us, we drifted to shore in a life raft. Eventually the researchers found us and brought us to their camp. Now, of the four, I’m the only one left; and then your plane goes down.”

She looks at him, maybe gauging his reaction. He swallows, realizing what it is she’s really suggesting.

Researchers need test subjects, and he still has no idea exactly what they’re researching. Plus that story about her boat is eerily similar to the sequence of events on the plane. First they hit turbulence, then they were losing altitude, and then the plane broke up practically in half on its way down. It certainly would be a pretty big coincidence, and he isn’t exactly trusting of that.

“So I’ll take that as a yes.”

She smirks at him.

“His name is Anthony Ivo.” She says, “He has maybe twelve men on his payroll, not including me. They’re setting up plans to invade your camp.”

His jaw sets, and that is all he gives her in terms of a response, at least right off the bat. She doesn’t seem bothered by his silence. She watches him a moment, then turns her attention outward again, this time to the shoreline where Jax is trying to fish.

“Why would you tell me that?”

“Because you kidnapped me.” She says, rolling her head back to him. “No matter what I say to Ivo when I get back he’s going to kill me. He’ll assume I told you everything I know.”

“And did you?”

She smirks, and leans forward, so against his better judgement he leans in.

“Ivo thinks something one this island can cure cancer.” She whispers lowly. “He wants to find it and, somehow, take it back with him.”

Back.

Somehow.

So she doesn’t know how. He believes that, but somehow Ivo must have a way off this island.