#the real spooky season is me realizing the posts have been an hour late all week bc daylight savings ended here

[homestuckreplay]

Explore Remix (This Time It's Wobbly)

(page 827-835)

This is a neat segment, opening and closing with pesterlogs we’ve seen before, filling in some gaps and bookending three really important things: Dave’s monologue, Jade’s FreshJamz, and the Midnight Crew. One small thing stands out - ‘He is undoubtedly gallivanting around his house in a state of barely restrained birthday mirth.’ (p.827) is a strange perspective on John, and sounds more like Jade herself. She doesn’t recognize him in the Midnight Crew comic (p.831) either, so she doesn’t know what he looks like and also doesn’t really see below the surface of his personality.

Dave’s monologue. Dave messages Jade at 23:14 Jade time which is 05:14 Dave time which means this guy does NOT have a good sleep schedule. In his living situation it’s not surprising if he struggles to sleep due to always having one eye open for the next trap. Dave clearly leans on his friends a lot, and they have subtly different roles – John is who he messages about an unexpected juice windfall, Rose is the person he pesters ‘like clockwork’ (p.415) because he can be honest with her about his feelings, and when he can’t sleep, he wants to talk to Jade.

Jade also helps Dave with the self-exploration he’s otherwise not comfortable with. He’s clearly joking when he’s creating his kangaroo rat fursona Akwete Purrmusk, but he’s still creating them. Jade has a FurAffinity account (p.834) and she’s gotta get Dave on there too so that he can start making ‘ironic’ furry art so many layers deep that it becomes sincere.

Dave – and more importantly Andrew Hussie – should not be using a homophobic slur on page 829, as it’s not in the context of reclaiming it. However. As a person who does sometimes reclaim that word I found it a pretty funny variant of the act 2 title [cw slurs if you click that].

FreshJamz! Jade’s music player confirms that all four kids compose music. John and Rose wrote their own themes, ‘Showtime’ and ‘Aggrieve’, both of which have been remixed by Dave. Jade composed ‘Explore’, which was featured in ‘WV: Ascend’ (I will stop talking about Jade-WV connections when they stop showing up) and now Dave has remixed this too. Dave and Jade co-wrote the top tier ‘Crystalanthemums’, and it is very cute to imagine the two of them trading this file back and forth and building on each other’s work. Jade is not a gamer, and John, Rose and Dave have spent a lot of time playing games together, so this media player establishes a shared interest between Jade and the rest of the group.

Midnight Crew. I don’t think page 831 breaks the fourth wall, more like it puts two or three additional fourth walls up, and man do they destroy the image quality. This image doesn’t correspond to an exact page or quote in ‘real’ Homestuck, but it’s based on the events of p.163-165. I think it’s VERY relevant that John is referred to as ‘GT’ here, which are the Pesterchum initials he would have had if he followed his friends’ pattern (TT, TG and GG). And this is happening five pages after we’ve seen a bunch of new chumhandles.

We currently know of [GT/EB], TT, TG, GG, CG, AG, TA, TC and CA. Using only G, T, C and A, we are missing seven possible combinations: GC, GA, AT, AC, AA, CC and CT (which is my initials so I could get assigned a chumhandle!) I think four of these could correspond to the Midnight Crew, but that still leaves eight unaccounted for characters. It may be a coincidence, but these four letters correspond to the base pairs of DNA, and ‘biologist’ and ‘geneticist’ both show up in chumhandles. I’m uncertain of what this means right now, but there is a laboratory near Rose’s house decorated with the Skaian spirograph. If that’s where the mausoleum tunnel leads, that might give us more information.

I think the Midnight Crew is objectively a worse comic than Homestuck. It’s on Act 1031 (10/31, Halloween) but the story is still establishing its titular characters and having them hit each other with sticks. No wonder Dave’s fallen off this so fast. But I also think this is going to become important, and these stories are deeply entangled – Midnight Crew is a story within Homestuck but Homestuck is a story within the Midnight Crew and it’s not impossible that the Homestuck we are reading could also be zoomed out to find another Midnight Crew. More concretely, the player submitting commands could be one of these four characters, similarly shiny and carapaced to WV, the commander we’ve seen.

The beta kids are four thirteen year olds, and the Midnight Crew are four suits of thirteen playing cards – so they’re like a counterpart group, the after dark, morally questionable version. Time is complex in this story but it would be fun if any time it hits midnight for a Homestuck character, the story switches over to the Midnight Crew before the sun comes up, as is suggested by the sun/moon clock at the start of page 833 – something like the Flatland MSPA[LINK].

MSPA, where Midnight Crew and Homestuck are hosted, is also the only piece of media all four kids are into – John, Dave and Jade have all looked at Midnight Crew (p.112, 327, 833), while John and Rose both have Problem Sleuth art (p.11, 224). The Problem Sleuth characters also show up briefly in Act 1031, indicating that it was the previous MSPA in this universe as well as ours. So my new theory is that John, Rose, Dave and Jade all met on the MSPA forums prior to or at the start of Problem Sleuth, giving them over a year before the story starts to form close friendships to the extent of exchanging addresses and birthday gifts. Given that the forums are where commands are submitted in our world, it would be a cool addition to the many meta layers.

> Jade: Navigate to MSPA Forums and submit a command for the Midnight Crew.

[star-six7]

Here In This House of Wolves

MCR x Gender Neutral!Reader Choose-Your-Own-Ending Halloween Extravaganza!! Word Count: 1042

A/N: Happy Halloween, Ieroween, and Mcrween! Hope you guys have an amazing day and enjoy this fic! I’ll add links to the endings at the bottom of this part as they are posted :) 

Disclaimer: This is entirely a work of fiction. No part of this story is meant to be libel, slander, or in any way derogatory towards any character’s real life counterpart. I’m not delusional; I know that these characters are simply based off of a public persona and may not actually resemble the people behind those personas. Any additional characters that you do not recognize are entirely fictional, unless otherwise stated. And finally, if you got here by Googling yourself, whatever happens next is 100% on you.

You and Gerard tumbled out of the van after Brian, squinting into the bright, brisk October sky. It was My Chem’s favorite time of year- Halloween. Not only was it the birthday of one Frank Iero, it was also a time when the band’s vampiric and gothic style was in every storefront and front lawn, movie theatres showed only the best kind of movies, and the spooky spirit seemed to hang in the air. (Not to mention, fake blood was both abundant and relatively cheap, something that Brian greatly appreciated). Essentially, Halloween was a moment when all of MCR’s interests and influences came into one, perfect, horror-tastic circle.

You were snapped out of your reverie when you accidentally slammed into Gerard’s back, not noticing that he had stopped at the brochure display right inside of the gas station’s convenience store. He was staring at one lying haphazardly on the top of the shelf with wide eyes, seemingly transfixed.

“What’d’ja find, Gee?” you asked after you had recovered from the jarring collision.

“We have to do this,” he said, still not breaking his gaze. “Look, it’s for a haunted house! And there were actual murders there!” 

“Hm,” Mikey said from Gerard’s elbow, where he had seemingly appeared from out of nowhere. “Let me see that.” He snagged the brochure from his brother.

“Hey. Why are you all standing in between me and the snacks? Oooh, Mikey, is that for a haunted house?” Frank cut in, as Ray carried him in reluctantly. He then tried to grab the brochure from Mikey, which, of course, turned into round 453 of the everlasting Mikey-Frank-Gerard squabble. 

“Children,” Ray said, giving a long-suffering sigh before turning to you with a friendly grin. He dumped Frankie on the floor and moved further into the gas station in search of the aforementioned snacks.

All of this commotion had caused Brian to turn away from the register, where he had been poring over a map of the greater Midwest with the cashier. “Why is it that every time we stop for directions and gas, and only directions and gas, it always devolves into this?” He turns to stare down Frank, Gerard, and Mikey. “If the three of you are not off the floor in ten seconds, I will be calling your mothers. And you-” he swiveled around to glare at Ray, who had his arms piled high with snacks- “unless you’re planning to take out a loan, I suggest you stick to the peanut-butter sandwiches in the van.” Everyone scrambled to attention under his glare, though there was no real malice in it.

“Wait, Brian!” Gerard interjected from where he had emerged victorious with the brochure. “Come on, we have to go to this haunted house. Here, look!” 

Brian studied it. “Are you sure this is legit? It looks like it was made in MS Paint.” “That’s what makes it exciting! The risk factor!”

“Well then. If you’re sure about this… we’re still about a day out from the next venue. If you’re okay with giving up motel night tonight, we can do it, but we’ll have to drive through the night.” “Deal,” Gerard said instantly.

“Tis the season.” Mikey smiled.

“Best pre-birthday murder trip ever!” Frank exclaimed.

“What the hell, why not?” Ray grinned.

The rest of the band turned to you expectantly as you thought it over. It was only a couple days before Halloween, and you had been drumming shows literally every day since the second week of October. You had been dreaming about the hot showers at the motel for three days. On the other hand, the guys all seemed so excited, and you couldn’t deny it would be nice to spend a little extra time with… no, nevermind that. It was Halloween and this was a fun way to celebrate, that was all.

“I’m definitely in,” you nodded. “Let’s go.”

---

The haunted house was a few hours drive from the gas station, in a small town not far off the interstate. It was late in the afternoon, but the streets were empty. The shops seemed to be open, yet there wasn’t a single customer in sight. After some hectic directions from Frank, Ray parked the van in front of an old, three-story building on the back edge of the downtown area.

“I thought you said this was a haunted house,” Frank said, squinting up at it. “This looks like a hotel or a club, or something.”

“I said it was a haunted house set up in a place where real murders actually happened. Apparently, it used to be a boarding house for miners in the area, and there were a couple of killings over the years. Bar fights and prostitutes and such.” “Well, whatever,” Mikey said, glancing over his shoulder suspiciously. “I still can’t shake the feeling that the zombie horde is gonna come by any minute.”

While Ray and Brian went inside to buy tickets for everyone, you leaned against the van, taking a moment to enjoy the cool fall breeze and collect your thoughts. On the way to the haunted house, you had become both nervous and excited. Though you had tried earlier, you really couldn’t deny your crush anymore. If you were honest with yourself, it had been there since the beginning of the band, and it showed no signs of going away anytime soon. While it could be inconvenient at times to have a crush on your bandmate, you still wanted the chance for something more. And with the band’s growing success and a major record label deal on the horizon, you were starting to realize that it was now or never. However, you just couldn’t help but keep looking for the perfect opportunity to tell him…

You were startled out of your train of thought when you realized that everyone was heading inside. You glanced at them, hoping that they hadn’t somehow been able to tell what you were thinking. Taking a deep breath to steel your nerves, you followed the group into the lobby. You had no idea what was going to happen next, be it murder or maybe, just maybe, a chance to finally get your feelings off your chest. Horror movies have happy endings all the time, right?

A/N: Stay tuned for the special endings! And as always, feel free to send in requests or tell me what part you liked best!

- Mikeyway Ending

- Frank Iero Ending

- Ray Toro Ending

[citrusella-flugpucker]

All 68 of my SU fics, apparently

((Because @novantinuum did it and then I wanted to do it and then they said “do it” and I took it as a dare

Compiling these gave me a sense of accomplishment. And pain. In my wrist.

Multi-line summaries nearly always squashed to lessen the vertical length of this post, even if most of it is below a readmore))

Multi-chapter fics, regardless of collection status (chronological order--oldest to newest):

And He Doesn’t Wake: My first SU fic, complete; “It can't end like this. Or: Waxing realistic as we examine the events of the episode "Bubbled".” Steven suffers halfway-realistic effects from being exposed to the vacuum of space. Probably not super canon compliant given what we learned in Growing Pains but a fic that branches off at Bubbled and rejoins canon around Mindful Education (and written around that timespan).

Diamond in the Rough: Incomplete; “Connie is in the hospital with a serious disorder, and her biggest chance is an experimental treatment combining minerals with blood transfusions. Little does anyone know...” Originally crack of “Connie gets powers from PD-infused blood” but then ASPR happened and I have to figure out where it goes now (and I want to! but...).

The Results Are In: Incomplete; “Sadie gets a piece of mail from her dad. For most people that'd be pretty mundane, but it's a little more complicated considering who exactly her dad is.” Barb/Blue Diamond crack (it makes sense in context) and affectionately called “Space Maury” internally for reasons that will make sense later. Has a similar but less “it flips the ENTIRE plot” issue with ASPR. I have many idea chunks but almost no connection between them

He’s Gone: Complete (and technically a oneshot with two “bonus chapters”); “Steven asks Peridot to get the shirt Connie got for him for his birthday from his closet. He says he wants to look nice. She's confused by his request. Greg and the Maheswarans are less confused and more terrified. He keeps saying it'll be okay. They'll be okay, even though he'll be going away. It'll just be a couple of days now. Or: Steven and Pink Steven are unable to fuse after being separated on Homeworld. That's not good for Steven.” Steven dies. That’s it. That’s the whole fic. Might potentially get an extra chapter or two still. Or not. Eh.

Thanks, Padparadscha: Incomplete/open-ended oneshot collection; “Stories about the best gem.” Padparadscha oneshots.

Your No-Good, Dirty-Rotten, Gem-Shattering, Rebellion-Leading Mother: Incomplete, little desire to finish; “What if Steven had gone to Camp Green Lake instead of Stanley? Or: If Steven Universe And Holes Were The Same Universe: A Fanfiction (thanks @captainjzh) Or, as the top of my Google Doc I started back exactly a year ago (*2019-01-07) says: SU x Holes: Because the fact that Steven Universe and Stanley Yelnats are both 14 is messing with me”. Wrote this as an exercise after reading the appalling original shopped screenplay for the Holes movie which was basically a nuclear fallout enthusiasts dream world but also quite possibly the worst and most uncomfortable thing ever written and I have had to have whole pages bleached from my memory

It’s Okay to Need Help: Incomplete (three chapters total planned), the last part of the pre-SUF-finale “Steven Corruption Theory” collection; “"Everybody needs support sometimes, and you need support right now, with this. And that's okay." She takes a deep breath. "It's okay to need help, Steven." Or: (Based in corrupted Steven theory as well as taking inspiration/using characteristics from a fic by @love-killed-the-superstar​) Sometime after coming back from corruption, Steven sees a therapist to try to hammer out some lingering issues.” Steven has specific lingering issues from corruption due to the way they had to mitigate it, and that affects how he communicates with his therapist some days. Just been blocked on the best way to write it

Waiting is Worse: Incomplete; “Is there anything more awful than the feeling of powerlessness?” The movie mostly ends the same, except Steven doesn’t un-rejuvenate.

Realism: Incomplete, strong desire to complete; “As much as he may want it to be, this is not a dream. He's not possessing anyone. It's not happening to someone else. It's real.” Steven has the same effects happen to him as the Watermelon Steven from Escapism--an arm and a leg are amputated.

The President Kisses Babies, and Other White House Briefs: Incomplete, open-ended oneshot collection with very little overarching plot; “Oneshot escapades of President Connie Maheswaran and her First Man, Crystal Gem and public speaker, Steven Universe.” Inspired by a Tumblr post and with more ideas in the pipeline! Love this fic even if I lost most inspiration for four years!!

Collection (series) oneshots (chronological order):

Citrusella Tries (And Succeeds!) to Write a Fic Each Day of the Bomb: A collection where I tried to write a fic each day of the HotCG (wedding) bomb. I succeeded but also kind of not? XD

Could You Imagine?: “Imagination is wish fulfillment. What are some of the things Pearl has imagined?” Now We’re Only Falling Apart

Partake In New Extraordinary And Pleasing Pizza Lover Experiences (Or: Kiki's Lament): “Kiki rarely hates her job. But she does hate pineapples.” What’s Your Problem? (Also the title spells PINEAPPLE o.o)

Acquired Taste: “Steven has a snack as he helps prepare for an important ceremony.” The Question

My Whole Life: “Some people are just born to go into certain careers.” Made of Honor

We Can Think About Hope: Incomplete multi-chapter with no hope of completion (why it’s not listed in the multi-chapters, BTW... also the “kind of not” regarding success); “What's going on? What do we do now? Can you still hear me? (Or: The end of Reunited plays out differently.) (Or or: And He Doesn't Wake: Part II: This time with weirder angst! And more not waking!)”

Citrusella's "Steven Corruption Theory" Collection: A collection of fics written on the corruption theory premise before it became canon. It’s Okay to Need Help not duplicated here but would be at the end.

Change: “Steven's come back from probably the most serious thing that's happened to him--save almost dying after his gem was ripped out--but that doesn't mean he came back unchanged. (Based on the "corrupted Steven theory".)”

My Skin: “Steven does a mental inventory of what's changed about him since his uncorruption and finds himself starting to fall into a hole of self-criticism, until a song playing downstairs sets him straight. (Based on the "corrupted Steven theory".)”

Eternity in a Moment: “It had only taken a few hours, and yet, an eternity.”

I Can't Say with Confidence: “Over an hour. He's been sitting in the tub, fully clothed, the bathroom a mess… for over an hour.It should be working! Why isn’t it working?!” Based on this art!

It’s Okay to Need Help

Happy Steven's Day!: Just after Steven discovers his mother is Pink Diamond, Mother's Day rolls around...Greg just doesn't want Steven to be in a slump about it anymore.

You Deserve All the Joy: “Because nothing is better than being surrounded by family and love. Or: Steven's once-a-year struggle with a holiday he doesn't exactly have the ability to traditionally celebrate.” It’s Mother’s Day and Steven is sad. Post-ASPR

Universe Day: “"Being your dad is the only present I really need." Or: Greg and Steven talk and realize their experiences with Mother's Day have been two sides of the same coin.” Post-SUF

Citrusella's Comfortember 2020 Fics: Fics written based on prompts for November 2020 Comfortember... not finished with it

Speed Bump: “Steven's first night on the open road isn't as smooth as he wanted it to be. Attempt to combine prompts 2-6 of Comfortember (prompt 1 just couldn't be squeezed in): "first day/night", "nightmare", anxiety", "cuddling", "afraid to sleep"”

In the After: “Steven wonders if it was corruption. Comfortember days 7-10, though only in the most tenuous, technical sense (and by that I mean all four phrases are mentioned): "blanket fort", "lashing out", "confession", "crying"”

Late Night Hot Chocolate (described in next section)

Zombie Club Chronicles: Steven endures a violent accident on Frightnight (Halloween) that changes his life forever.

Beach City Zombie Club

Prompt: [Randomly roll from list: Steven] doesn’t enjoy the Halloween season, but [Fill in: Steven] take(s) them on a well-meaning trip to an old Gem Ruin where they come to realize [Pick from list: They’ve made a terrible mistake in coming here]

On Frightnight when he is 17, Steven experiences the most serious event of his young life. Almost exactly a year later, Steven takes Steven to Lars' ship in hopes of being able to hop off at a truly secluded gem ruin to talk about something that Steven and Steven have been disagreeing on for several months. Lars has an idea, and Steven comes to a realization.

For the Cluster Spooky Writing Challenge!

Late Night Hot Chocolate (also a Comfortember fic)

"Steven? What are you doing?" He stares into the pot.

The gem half's voice comes monotone. "Making hot chocolate."

"It's three o'clock in the morning. Why on earth are you making… hot chocolate?"

The slyness on his face is one pixel away from nonexistent and yet it's practically a traffic cone to his other half, as he remarks flatly, "Because I've lost control of my life."

Or: Steven and Steven both have nightmares that threaten to take them back to... that night... One copes by making the other hot chocolate and pretending he really isn't having any problems.

Comfortember days 16-18: Protective, Flashbacks, Hot Cocoa

Standalone oneshots (reverse chronological order--newest to oldest):

Rumble Strips:

Prompt: [Randomly roll from list: Greg] notices [Fill in: Steven] is in a somber mood lately. Out of the goodness of their heart they try to cheer up the sad soul in the only way they know how: [Fill in: WHO WANTS TO GO ON A ROAD TRIP?!]

"I really thought I could handle myself on my own." He scoffed. "Even my own therapist didn't think I could do it."

"I bet she thought you could handle yourself just fine. She probably just thought you'd do better with your support system close, bud. Like, literally, I mean." His eye weaved through the thin line of gravel past the edge of the shoulder. "You started saying some pretty concerning things."

Or: Greg and Steven stop on the side of the interstate on their way to Empire City for New Year's, to have a conversation.

For the Cluster Christmas Writing Challenge!

Auto-Injector: “In an alternate timeline, Steven meets Bluebird at her welcome party but he cannot, under any circumstances, try her hors-d'oeuvres. Or: Steven ends up with allergies because why not” (I have three more ideas for chapters)

Don't Put Beans Up Your Nose: “"I know you want answers, and I wish I had some for you, really, Steven, but from what you've described…  those aren't things to play around with. It's unethical to knowingly subject you to those for the sake of 'experimenting', even if you consent." Or: Steven asks Dr. Maheswaran a question she's not ethically able to answer.”

The Exor-schist:

Prompt: A series of events have led to a terrifying effect on one or more of the series’ characters. [Randomly roll from list: Mr. and Dr. Maheswaran] are now suffering from [Randomly roll from list: Spiritual Possession]. How did this happen?

"This corrupted gem, it has a powerful connection to organic matter. Ones this powerful have been known to overtake and even kill humans."

For the Cluster Spooky Writing Challenge!

It's My Party and I'll Dry If I Want To: “You would dry too, if it happened to you! Or: Steven says he wants a pool party for his eighteenth birthday in Delmarva, after over a year of traveling the country. ...But why isn't he swimming?”

Ace Up Your Sleeve: “Or in your back pocket, same diff. Or: Steven's sad about potentially not getting to go to Pride.” (oneshot and an epilogue)

Milestone: “"Okay, so like, the books aren't, like, useless, but they assume you have like the perfect baby. Maybe consider the following: kids are dorks, man." Or: Steven went to the doctor. Once. Or: Greg thinks Steven, at 15 months, is being weird and missing milestones and is worried he's a bad dad so he goes to Vidalia for help.” May eventually be part of a babby Steeb over the years collection

Full Enclosure: “What am I going to tell you? You're better off not knowing the trouble I'm in. / I don't want you to worry about what I've just seen, about where I've just been. / You don't have to be a part of this, I don't think I want you to be! / You don't need this, you don't need me... Or: Steven defines himself by his connection to others. So when they all leave, then… he's no one. (In short: Steven is crushed by his need to be needed.)”

Vice: “He could stop whenever he wanted to. He just didn't want to. Or: Steven falls into a bad habit and tries to rationalize it as okay as long as he's not completely abandoning the idea of improving his life.”

Stairwell Solitude: “Over ten years, Greg wrote just six letters to his parents. What could they have contained?” Post-Mr. Universe

Striations: “At Connie's behest, Dr. Maheswaran makes a house call to Steven's place after his un-monstering. It's different than his last appointment, but its core is the same.”

Everything Stays: “Ever so slightly, daily and nightly, in little ways, when everything stays... Steven's therapist brings up something she's noticed about him outside his PTSD.”

I Do It For Me: “"Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, and overcomes negative emotions such as resentment and vengeance." Steven asks his therapist a question. The answer may surprise him.”

A Break in the Case: “Dr. Maheswaran takes a look at Steven's results but quickly finds herself in over her head.” Mid-Growing Pains

I have a couple entries in the @connieswap omake collection (Comic Relief and Same Old Steven)--I’m not linking them

Changing Tastes: “ Steven and Connie share a conversation after watching Crying Breakfast Friends: Under the Butterknife.”

Rejuvenated Regrets: “Someone calls Steven's name from downstairs. He's not listening closely enough to know who it is. He's not sure he cares right this moment. He wants Mom—Rose—Pink—and that's the one person he knows it's not.”

Gut Feeling: “Every time, he has to push his brain off that train of thought--what if she does it again?--but for someone with super-strength, he's surprisingly not very good at pushing.”

Lapis Watches Titanic (1997) ...There’s no summary

The Cluster Halloween Exquisite Corpse 2019 (I only wrote part of this!!): “Lars tells a horror story but loses track of it, or; a bunch of fic writers do an exquisite corpse and hilarity ensues. Written by DocCairo, citrusella, E350, love-killed-the-superstar and br42.”

Drift Away: “There are timelines where Steven fell into the biopoison when the Earth cracked under his feet. Here we see three times Steven (technically) lived despite a dive into pure poison, and one time he didn't.”

The Rose Wilts: “Once upon a time, he knew Rose. But he knew he didn't know everything.Sometimes it feels like he's learned more about her after she died than he ever knew while she was alive.“ Doug and Rose used to be friends

Tying the Knot: “Steven never wears shoes with laces, because he can't tie them. When Connie finds out, he's pretty chill about it.”

Haploid: “You're not sure if this is what being shattered feels like. You don't know if you want to be sure.” Mid-CYM

Thestral: “"How many have you seen?" "All of them." She answered without hesitation. "Oh." Or: Pearl and Steven talk about a type of gem that corruption has given some... special characteristics.”

500 Words a Secret Santa Gift: The Gratuitous Reference: “200 words a day, every day, until Under the Knife comes back. Or Crying Breakfast Friends. We're not picky at this point. Secret Santa edition! (A Secret Santa gift for @e350tb that deliberately and gratuitously references their 100 Words a Day series.)”

Sesimorp, Sesimorp: “A Lapis Lazuli makes a beautiful work of art.”

Ship Talk: “Lars and Steven share a moment on the Sun Incinerator.”

No Way Around It: “An order is an order.”

Give It A Try!: “Steven gets a Diamond to try something new.”

Better Off: “Peedee ponders what could have been.”

Steven x A Nice Calm Life Please and Thank You™: A Case for the Realization of a Bold New Ship: “Steven deserves a happy life free of interplanetary struggle and strife. It's my OTP. So I'm going to give him that! :D”

I Don't Know: “Will this ever make sense? Will this ever feel normal?” Post-ASPR

Force of Nature: “Her diamond gave her orders no longer.”

My Gemmortal (by XXXbloodstoneshardz666XXX): “the escupaids fo steven hardlight amnesia lion universe and his freinds n crushs” (this is exactly what it sounds like)

The Picture of Steven Pink: “It took a lot out of him.” (SU but Steven takes on the injuries he heals)

Self: “In the Connie Swap AU, Steven considers his identity and place in his family, community, culture, and himself. For a kid who at least tries to be all sunshine and rainbows, this isn't exactly the most fun thing to do, but sometimes it's necessary.” (these are different than the things in the CS omake collection)

I Really AM My Mom...: “"When you're singing, you want to use enough air that you could blow a throatful of peanut butter clear across the room." The crackiest of escape-from-Homeworld plots, based on a ClickHole article and a joke headcanon.”

Left: “Of course there's shame in bailing.”

Old shames (chronological order): Stories I just kinda cringe at now

Shrinking Rose: “Steven never felt bad about his stature. Until he did.” (I just don’t love it)

A Rose for Emily: “What if Rose wanted to spend the rest of her life with someone before Greg? ...It's safe to say she has a skeleton in her closet.” (less old shame than the others on this list but was hard to shoehorn in the A Rose for Emily style writing)

Alone: “Steven won't open up about how everything that happened is affecting him. Not even to himself.” (I know I’ve written other dark stuff but this one just hits different)

You Should've Asked Me, I'm Really Good at Naming Bands (November 2019 Unfinished WIPs): “(title subject to change) I did a challenge that I had to write my WIPs in November (revised to November and December) or be forced to post them unfinished. I got some updates done, but several not done. These are those stories. Dun-dun.” (only “shame” because they were things that were never finished--I also had a Connie Swap omake I was supposed to finish or the punishment was not to post it unfinished but to write Steven and Spinel (NOTP) but I just never did that)

[tirednotflirting]

haunting me forever from the start

some spooky season Cake for @ashesonthefloor‘s halloween fic event :) 

so so much thanks to ainslee for organizing such a fun event !! i feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to take part in something with some of my favorite writers and people and if you haven’t dug through everyone else’s posts i recommend checking out the event masterlist here !!

alright you’re gonna have to forgive me because i have never been to a haunted house and i wrote most of this in the middle of the night after work and I was always too scared to find haunted house pov videos at that hour. so i took some creative liberties on some of this.

also this is likely pushing the limits of how much fluff i should be allowed to fit into something but i promised miss meg Cake fluff after the other piece i posted of them earlier this week sjdflksdj

soooooo my prompt was: “We’re part of the same group in this haunted house, and you won’t stop clinging to me every time we get spooked.” Or, one person is really clingy with someone else in their group. It’s a good thing they’re cute. They can either know each other or not.

okay enjoy the silly fun and happy halloween !!!

{read on ao3 here}

Genuinely, Calum should have expected this when he told Michael he could pick out their Friday night activity.

Or well, Calum really hadn’t gotten the choice in picking what they did since he only got out of his calculus midterm probably forty-five minutes earlier and Michael picked him up, and rather than driving back to their shared apartment for another movie night, they’re now somewhere on the north side of town in a parking lot. It’s the parking lot at the fairgrounds which at first had Calum confused because Michael hasn’t been a fan of this fair since the trouble he had with the corn dogs here about a year ago. But then Michael asks him to grab the folded papers out of the glovebox and after just a bit of inspection, Calum learns the real reason they’re here.

“No. No way.” Calum shakes his head, his arms folding across his chest, defensively.

“Come one, Cal,” Michael whines. “You’ve barely left campus or the apartment in weeks because of midterms. You can’t tell me that you really wanted to spend another night watching superhero movies in the living room.”

“That’s literally exactly what I wanted to do tonight. Mikey, my brain basically melted during that exam.”

“Great,” Michael starts as he swipes the papers from Calum’s hand and moves to open his car door. “Then this haunt probably won’t even scare you too bad like the ones we tried last year.”

Calum huffs out a breath as he opens his own door, slamming it closed a bit harder than probably necessary and joins Michael in front of the car. It’s early October so the air in their college town is cool but not yet cold. Either way, he’s thankful for the hoodie he had decided to bring to campus that morning. They head up in the direction of the fairgrounds and Calum lets Michael lead since he obviously has a bit more of an idea about where they’re headed.

“Or that’ll just make it even worse.” Calum tries to argue. “I’m barely a functioning human right now. My head is filled with integrals and fear, Michael.”

“You’ll be fine. I’ll be right there with you the whole time and if it really is that bad, I’ll owe you a hot chocolate and funnel cake once we get out, okay?”

Calum purses his lips in thought for a moment because that is a pretty good deal, all things considered. Plus he hasn’t had anything to eat since the late lunch he had a few hours before his exam and his stomach is yelling at the mere mention of junk food. “Fine.” he concedes. “But you aren’t allowed to make fun of me like last year if I get freaked out in there, okay?”

“You got it.”

They continue through the fair, the bright lights around the food and game booths starting to light up all colors of the rainbow as the sun makes its final descent below the horizon. It’s an awfully cheery prelude to a haunted house, Calum thinks, and he’s kinda surprised Michael somehow found a haunted house nestled into the middle of a fall fair. Around them, families and groups of high school kids wander with bright eyes and smiles from booth to booth. Kids clutch sugary treats and oversized stuffed animals while parents follow closely behind. Young couples wait in line for the ferris wheel and share clouds of cotton candy. It’s all such a rosy picture of an autumn evening and Calum wishes he were taking part in this rather than heading up toward the nightmare factory Michael is leading him towards.

Eventually, they reach a barricade where some kid in a neon t-shirt with the name of the haunted house printed across the front scans the printed tickets that Michael has and they’re pointed toward a line forming outside of the metal building that’s likely has some other not-so-spooky purpose outside of the month of October. In front of Michael and Calum are a group of boys probably around middle school age, if Calum had to guess. He’s considering how mortifying it’s going to be when a bunch of actual children hear him scream when Michael chimes in, as though hearing Calum’s thoughts.

“See, Cal,” Michael lets his elbow drop to lean on Calum’s shoulder. “These kids aren’t even scared of this. You’ll be totally fine.”

Calum is moments away from giving a snarky response when he catches a glimpse of the people in line behind them as he turns in Michael’s direction.

And of course the most beautiful boy he has ever laid his eyes on is just steps behind him and also about to witness Calum shriek like a baby at the sight of a clown or something.

The boy is accompanied by another (though their body language seems to be mimicking Calum and Michael as they laugh at something on a phone screen so for the time being he decides they are not on a date) and he’s tall, taller than Calum by a few inches probably. He’s got curly blonde hair tied up back into a little bun though the cool evening breeze has some of the hair around his face blowing into his blue eyes. Calum is trying not to be overdramatic but he thinks he might be looking at an angel. (Or a really pretty demon. He is like, seconds away from walking into one of his greater fears, after all.)

He shakes his head before abruptly turning back toward the front of the line to avoid staring when Michael, of course, decides to take a look at what Calum had been glancing towards. His face lights up and Calum assumes he’s about to be teased until they head into the haunt when Michael himself blushes just slightly across his nose before speaking. “Ashton! Is that you?”

The boy walking up with the angel pulls the hood from his sweatshirt off from around his head and smiles brightly. “Michael, funny seeing you here. How’s it going?”

“Doing well. Finally got the roommate out for an evening on the town since he’s been studying like it’s his full time job for the last three weeks.”

“Michael, we’re sophomores. Studying actually is my full time job,” Calum pouts. Great, he thinks, now the cute boy is going to think he’s a total nerd. Which he absolutely is but that’s not the point.

Ashton laughs at the exchange. “He’s got you there,” he starts while extending a hand out toward Calum. “I’m Ashton. Michael and I took developmental psychology together during summer session. This is my roommate, Luke.”

Calum accepts Ashton’s hand and smiles shyly first at him and then Luke, who holds his hand up in a short wave as Ashton introduces him. “I’m Calum. It’s nice to meet you guys.”

Similar greetings are exchanged among the four of them as they go through obligatory What’s your major? Where are you from? undergrad small talk as the line inches toward the entrance.

Michael and Ashton eventually pull the conversation toward what they’re taking in their psychology classes this semester (Ashton is a year ahead of the rest of them and Michael very obviously wants the low down on the finals he’ll be taking at the end of the semester but also Ashton’s number if Calum is reading the signs correctly). Luke laughs and turns his eyes toward Calum's as they’re shut out of the conversation.

Suddenly Luke is leaning in toward Calum's ear and he swears his heart skips a beat because Luke is very cute and smells very nice. Luke giggles softly before speaking quietly enough that it’s obvious he’s trying to avoid the other two hearing him. “Ash used to come home from that class with heart eyes, I swear. If he doesn’t get the guts to ask Michael out before the end of the night, we may need to take matters into our hands.”

Calum grins, feeling accomplished that he read the situation correctly. “You like playing matchmaker then?”

“Only when it’s for people being that dumb.” Luke gestures over to the blushing pair standing a couple feet away from them. He’s got a point, Calum admits silently. He’s been friends with Michael since they were kids and he knows that flirty face anywhere.

“Alright so if we get to the other side of this and they’re not exchanging numbers, how subtle do we go about suggesting they get together again to geek out about psych theories?”

Luke shakes his head, a playful grin playing at his lips. “Oh no, I’ve always found greater success with a more direct approach. It’s the engineering major in me. We like to face our problems head on.”

Calum is opening his mouth to make another comment back (though he will admit, trying to fit flirting into an exchange about setting up his best friend is a bit of a challenge he’s realizing) when the line starts moving again, bringing them just about to the front of the line. And of course, Calum was too distracted by the short banter the line allowed to pay attention to how much time had passed and now he’s just about to step into this mess of an idea of Michael’s.

The group of kids that had been in front of Michael and Calum are let in with the family that had been just before them, and the person running the door lets the four of them along with the couple behind Ashton and Luke know they’ll go through the haunt as a group. Ashton lets out a short laugh once the kids head off into the darkened doorway. “Honestly, glad we’re not going through with them. Love a haunted house but I swear kids will just scream so loud for fun in these things.”

Calum watches the three of them agree and he finds himself nodding but also silently preparing himself for being the annoying kid screaming. Though in his case it’s more because he’s a bit of a wimp and not just doing it for fun.

He chats back and forth with Luke for a few more minutes while they wait for their turn to head inside. Luke’s telling him about some ridiculous thing that happened in one of his labs the week before and Calum finds himself a little shocked at how quickly their conversation has become so comfortable. He’s not used to feeling so at ease with people so quickly that aren’t Michael or maybe his sister. He would sit with the feeling for longer, really let himself think on why he might be feeling that way, but then the kid at the door is telling them to head on inside.

The haunt starts basically in Calum’s least favorite kind of way. (Though given his disdain for these things, it’s not like he has a favorite but that doesn’t change how this is his least favorite.) It’s nearly pitch black as the group of six step inside and it’s just a little bit too quiet, the only sound in the room being the wind blowing against the metal roof of the building. He hears some snickering coming from the group that he tries to focus on as he squeezes his eyes shut and wills them to adjust to the lack of light.

Soon enough though there’s some scratching noises coming from the corners of the room and a couple actors in dark, obscure costumes pop out in the direction of their group. Calum contains most noises of panic, really just gasping as his feet stop short. The chest of the person walking behind him collides with his back while a gentle hand grabs onto his shoulder as the person steadies. Automatically, Calum assumes the person to be Michael since he’s typically the one jumping to comfort Calum with such little hesitation.

But then just in front of him he hears a giggle that he knows belongs to his best friend and he feels his forehead scrunching up in confusion until a voice speaks quietly near his ear. “You good?” Luke asks him, his hand still placed comfortingly against his shoulder. Calum feels his face relax then, his mind just a bit more at ease knowing that it’s not that other couple with them stuck behind his panicked body.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good.” Calum whispers back to Luke after clearing his throat. Luke’s hand drops from his arm after what feels like a gentle squeeze and they continue on ahead. Calum takes a deep breath both in an effort to calm himself and in annoyance. Not only is he going to have nightmares for weeks after this but there’s also no way in hell he’ll be able to make eye contact with Luke once they’re out of this thing.

The scary noises drift in and out and Calum finds that those aren’t too bad. The hissing of a smoke machine lets him anticipate the floor of the next room being covered in a fog and he feels pretty proud of himself when he gets it right. The room isn’t too bad; the actors in there are obviously meant to be some brand of zombie and it was only about a week earlier that Michael and Calum did a rewatch of Zombieland for movie night so the memory leaves him giggling along with everyone else for once.

Calum is just starting to believe that maybe he’s got a grip of things this time around in terms of containing his fear at the whole situation when suddenly the room is filled with strobe lights and loud noises (chainsaws, maybe?) and Luke’s chest is once again colliding with Calum’s back as he shoots back some at the noise. This time around Calum feels gentle hands moving to hold onto his arms, the touch instantly one that calms him and gets his feet to start moving in the direction of the rest of the group again. Calum focuses on the feel of Luke’s warm hands tapping out a beat against the fabric of his sweatshirt and his view of the back of Michael’s head as they move down the path set out in the room to avoid looking at his surroundings too much.

The haunt isn’t a long one and according to what Calum had heard Michael saying about this place on their walk into the fairgrounds earlier in the night, there should only be a couple more rooms before their group reaches the end. Calum continues to jump at most of what is set up throughout them but he feels a lot more grounded and at ease than he typically would since about 75% of his attention is laser focused on the hand that Luke eventually moves to rest between Calum’s shoulders.

Soon enough though they’re back outside in the cool fall air and under the colorful lights of the fair. The settings oppose each other quite extremely, Calum thinks while he makes a little huddle with the other three boys. He can’t help but notice how Luke’s hand has yet to drop from his back and he leans just slightly back into his touch. Michael and Ashton are babbling along together and don’t notice the silent actions of the other two but when Calum turns toward Luke, their eyes meet and Luke’s already blushy cheeks go just a bit more pink.

Luke’s hand drops away from Calum’s back then and a confused look drops to his face. Luke looks toward the ground, a nervous smile playing at his lips. “Sorry I didn’t like, ask before trying to comfort you in there. Not exactly appropriate of an almost stranger, I guess.”

Calum shrugs. “It was welcomed, honestly,” he starts, his grin growing as Luke looks up at him a bit shocked. “I mean, I was very obviously ready to run out of there like two minutes in. You’re basically the only reason I didn’t turn and immediately head out. So, thank you.”

“Any time.” Luke smiles brightly.

They continue to just stare at one another for a few moments, neither really knowing what to say next, when Ashton clearing his throat pulls them out of it. Calum turns his face toward the other two and tries to control his shock when he sees Michael’s lazy grin and strong grip on Ashton’s hand. Ashton gives them a knowing smile.

“We’re gonna go grab some snacks and maybe try out some of the games. Meet back at the entrance to the fairgrounds in an hour?” he coordinates, already starting to walk backwards away from the two of them.

“Sounds like a plan,” Luke answers for them. “Have fun, boys.

Ashton raises his free hand to give a short salute before turning and pulling Michael toward the row of food booths. “So they figured things out then?” Calum says as they watch their friends walk off.

“Apparently.”

Calum laughs quietly and moves to step in front of Luke. He’s not that great at being bold (especially after being terrified for twenty minutes straight) but he figures he could at least give it a shot. “Guess it’s our turn?”

Luke’s gaze pulls away from their friends to meet Calum’s eyes again. “What?”

“Let me buy you a hot chocolate as a thank you for protecting me in there?”

Luke smirks and replies quickly with his own request. “Only if you’ll let me take you out for coffee next week.”

Calum sticks his hand out between the two of them. “Deal.”

They giggle as they shake on it and then start off in the direction that their friends went just a few moments before them. Luke is quick to reach for Calum’s hand and weave their fingers together as he starts a rundown of questions that should feel like small talk but for some reason they don’t. Calum figures it has to do something with the attentive look in Luke’s eyes or the smile pulling across his face as Calum speaks about something as mundane as the calculus exam he took earlier in the night. Though it also again feels like it could be something more, something bigger than that.

But Calum’s mind is a crazy mix of adrenaline from the haunted house and endless thanks to Michael for bringing them out tonight and trying to pick out the perfect way to describe the blue of Luke’s eyes. For now, he decides, it’s enough to squeeze his palm against Luke’s to pull him in the direction of the hot chocolate with sprinkles and worry about the bigger stuff another day.

*

It’s a year later when Calum is sitting at the kitchen counter, staring at his statistics homework like it’s in another language and Luke is laying on the couch scrolling through his phone, his homework already finished. The university was closed that day due to the snow so Luke had decided it wasn’t worth it to go back to his own apartment after reading the email notification that morning.

Calum is too focused on the problems on the page in front of him to hear Luke pad over into the kitchen so he jumps just the slightest bit when he feels a pair of warm arms wrap around his middle. Even on the coldest days Luke is warm like sunshine, Calum has come to know and love in the last year. He lets his pen drop against the counter as he lifts a hand to play with the curls around Luke’s ear when he leans down and lets his chin rest against Calum’s shoulder. “What’s up, love? I’m almost done with this and then we can watch a movie or something while we get dinner going.”

Luke hums in agreement with the plan, his face turning a bit to press a kiss against Calum’s cheek. “I was thinking about date night next week. And I think we should do that haunted house at the fair again.”

Calum sighs and turns his head then. “Luke, I love you but despite the incredibly cute, horror loving boy that guided me through half of that thing, I still really don’t like haunted houses.”

Luke pouts then and huffs out a little sigh. “Fine,” he starts, his arms wrapping a bit tighter around Calum. “We should do something special though. Think anniversaries are supposed to be celebrated, right?”

“We could still go to the fair if you want?” Calum suggests with a shrug. “I’ve always wanted to be kissed at the top of a ferris wheel.”

“I think that could be arranged,” Luke smiles before pressing another quick kiss against Calum’s hair.

Luke stands up straight then, not giving Calum more than a moment to respond to the sweet words, and heads into the kitchen. Calum lifts his arm to rest against the countertop and lets his chin fall into his hand as he watches while Luke starts pulling things out of the fridge to make dinner. (It’s my night to cook, Cal, don’t you dare try getting up.) He decides then that he’ll probably go ahead and buy a couple tickets to the haunted house as a surprise for when they go to the fair the following week. Because if there’s anything Calum has learned in the last year, it’s that nothing can ever feel too scary or unsafe with Luke at his side.

*

[writinginthedarkwood]

BNHA Black Eyed Kids. Denki Kaminari x Reader.

Hey I know I should have posted this during spooky season, but really, in this house, It’s monster boy season all year round!!

*** To my followers waiting for another alien fic, it’s coming I promise! I’ve got two in my drafts!***

You were in your favorite t shirt and flannel pajama bottom combo when the door bell rang. It’s a cold, fall night. The kind where the air was heavy and crisp at the same time, nipping at your exposed ears and the tip of your nose. It smelled like damp, decaying leaves in your neighborhood. It was rare you had your parents house completely to yourself, you didn’t tell them when saying goodbye at the airport that you were nervous because well, you weren’t. You explained repeatedly that you would be fine on your own, but after that horror movie on Netflix you couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

You sat frozen, snack half way to your mouth when it first rang out. Your heart beat started to pick up, why would someone come by after dark? “Yeah that’s definitely a serial killer.” You saw your front door from your spot, it was locked tight. Nobody could get in right?

The door bell rang again.

“Come on dummy, it’s not a serial killer. It’s probably just the neighbor, or a late night package delivery.” Your mom orders a ton of stuff online, it’s not an impossible idea.

You slipped on your pair of slippers with the bunny ears, and padded over to the door.

You opened the door just a crack.

It was... a boy? He looked about your age. He wore a black leather jacket and a band tee underneath it. His hair was jagged and bright, but most of his face was covered by a thick pair of black sunglasses. “Hey Y/N!”

“Denki?” You hadn’t seen your friend in a long time. Years actually.

You opened the door a little farther, suddenly feeling embarrassed about your outfit. “I’m so glad you recognize me! I was worried you wouldn’t know who I was.” He flashed you a bright toothy grin. “What are you doing here?” You squeaked out from behind the crack in the door.

“It’s been awhile, I thought maybe I could just drop by.” He looked over your head an peered into your home. “Are you... by yourself?” He ran a hand through his hair as he asked you. “My parents are on vacation...” You opened the door a bit further and leaned against the frame. “I’m not sure I should uhm, invite you in...” He laughed a bit and you displayed a silly smile, grateful he wasn’t making this too awkward. “No, no I get it! Completely, I mean it is kind of late...” He trailed off a bit. “I just uh, I was driving nearby and stopped for gas. This is embarrassing, but I accidentally locked my key’s in my car.” You couldn’t tell much about his facial expression from behind the shades. It’s so dark, how can he drive with those things on? “And my stupid cell phone.” He looked down at the ground and bit his lip. “I knew you lived around here, and I was hoping I could uhm, borrow a phone.”

Your cell phone is charging in your bedroom, and your land line your parents insisted on keeping hung in the kitchen. “Oh, of course. I mean, I can’t leave you stranded.” You weighed the options over in your head, I mean you know your family would flip if they found out you had a boy in the house without permission, but I mean come on. Your getting older now, and they always taught you to look out for others. “Sure let me grab my phone real quick...” You turned to leave him their on the porch but he called out to you. “Hey would you mind if I stepped inside? It’s kind of cold, and it’s pretty dark.” He smiled warmly at you and something twinged at your heart strings. It was a long time ago, and you two were pretty young, but you always had something for Denki. He was funny, out going and adorable. You wondered where he had gone, rumor had it he got accepted into a prestigious school but, you hadn’t really heard anything else about him. “Yeah uhm, come on in. Let me grab my cell phone.” You opened the door for him and stepped aside. Denki crossed the threshold and smiled, taking a deep breath. “Thank Y/N, it’s so warm in here.” He put both of his hands in his pockets and lingered by the door. You walked away, heading for the stairs to your room. Denki closed the door behind him and locked the bottom lock, and the chain. He helped himself to looking through the items in the living room, picking up your can of cola and taking a sip. He smirked at your paused Netflix queue. “You really shouldn’t be scaring yourself with such silly things Y/N...” He sat down on the couch and felt the fabric of your favorite childhood blanket. “So cute...” He muttered under his breath.

Your feet were light on the stair case, but Denki heard you coming anyway. “Here! I unlocked it for you.” You smiled, and handed him your smart phone. “Cool, I’ll just text my friend to come pick me up.”

He typed into your phone and you sat down beside him. Your nerves got the best of you, you had quickly thrown a bra on and fixed your hair a bit before coming back down. Even tying your over sized shirt to sit right over your hips, you almost didn’t add that detail, but at the last second decided to do it. If he was going to wear his sunglasses to look cool, you could at least try and look cute right?

“So how have you been?” He put his arm across the back of the couch. His fingers gently brushed against the back of your head before resting on the back cushion.

The two of you engaged in small talk for a minute, but soon you were talking and joking like you did when you were little children. Denki said something funny enough to make you snort laugh, your face blushed terribly. “Oh don’t be embarrassed. That was cute.” He smiled and the two of you got quiet for a second. You hadn’t realized it’d already almost been an hour. Denki leaned in closer to you, his lips parted. You felt your eyelids flutter close and your airway tighten. You leaned to close the gap, but something falling over upstairs startled you and you jumped. “What was that?” You asked quietly, your eyes wide. “It was probably nothing. You alright?” He touched your hand and you settled a bit. “It sounded loud, like a person.” You tried to laugh, but the air came out whispy and cracked. “I can check it out if you want.”

“Don’t be silly, you’re right it was nothing.” You listened to the quiet of your empty home. You didn’t hear anything else. You two started to talk again, the mood lightening back up. You looked over Denki’s shoulder and noticed something rush by the window, something tall. A shadow? Or was that a person?

You gasped and grabbed onto Denki’s hands. “Somebody just walked by the window!”

“What?” He looked and saw nothing, but stood up off of the couch anyway. “Okay let me take a look around, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

He walked across the living room and peered out the window. You could see the side of his face better, he narrowed his eyes. “I think I see something.” He turned to you and crossed his arms. “Are all the doors locked?”

You played with your fingernails on the couch. “I can’t remember if I locked the kitchen door.” You thought about calling your parents and spilling everything. Begging them to hop on the next flight home. You reached for your phone and realized you didn’t know where it was. “Come on, let’s go look.” You nodded your head and grabbed onto the back of Denki’s jacket. He lead you through your home to the kitchen and you couldn’t help but kind of cower. He left you by your kitchen table and examined the glass sliding doors. “Looks locked to me.” He jiggled the door handle and it hardly budged. “Are there any other doors?”

Your jaw dropped open and you screamed a gut wrenching, raw screech. A boy with vibrant green hair, was staring at you intently from the window with a terrifying smile. His eyes were cold and dark, void of any pigment they were glossy and unblinking. He cocked his head to the side and tapped on the window with a finger. “D-denki!!” He rushed over to your side and hid you behind him. outstretching his arm across you like a seat belt. His finger hardly pulled away from the glass before pressing it back down, the window cracked and burst, glass flying in a spread across the kitchen floor. He gripped the side of the ledge and started to pull himself through without a word. You felt frozen, your feet glued to your spot behind your childhood friend. He was calm, took a deep breath and started to push you farther away. He realized you weren’t moving and firmly gripped your hand. “Run.” He said without any fear in his voice, confident and prepared to keep you safe from the sudden intruder. He pulled you into the hall, running past all of your family photo’s and the decorations your mom filled the space with. He stopped in his tracks and you screamed again, cowering behind him with tears stinging your panicked eyes. A girl with tinted pink skin and twisted horns sat causally on your couch, she stared at you with the same glassy black eyes as the boy in the kitchen. She was helping herself to your popcorn. Another boy was crawling through your living room window by gripping the glass and hooking onto the wall like a spider. His black hair sat flat against his head and his smile was wide. “What a nice place you got!” He called out, hanging upside down on your ceiling now. Some type of sticky material shot out of his elbows and attached itself to the T.V. remote he pulled it back to himself with a laugh. “What the hell is happening!?” You shouted and the girl giggled. Denki pulled you to the stair case and shoved you onto the carpet incline. You tripped a bit but quickly pulled yourself up by the railing and ran as fast as you could towards your bedroom. 

You flung the door open and gasped. A boy with bright red hair sticking straight up off of his head was laying on your bed reading your journal. Your lamp was laying on it’s side on the ground, the light bulb broken. He looked up at you with sharpened teeth and the same horrible, emotionless eyes. “Hey! What are you doing!?” You felt less afraid for your life and more embarrassed at your invasion of privacy. You rushed to the side of your bed and tried to rip the diary out of his hands. The boy quickly grabbed your arm and pulled you closer to him. “No need to be rude Y/N! I’m just trying to learn more about you is all.” He opened his mouth and let a slobbery red tongue fall out of his mouth, his top teeth grazed your wrist and you screamed, his drool fell in drops onto your bed sheets. Denki grabbed you by your waist and yanked you away from the monster. The two of you rushed to the hallway.

The house shook, you almost fell to your knee’s but Denki helped hold you steady. You looked down the stair case, your front door flew across the floor and you heard it shatter against the wall. “Did something just explode?” Your ears were ringing and your entire body was shaking. “We need to hide!” Denki pulled you into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, locking it. You sat down on the floor against the bathtub and hugged your legs in the dark. “I don’t understand what’s going on.” You wanted to cry, you could probably fall out of the bathroom window, you know you would fit even though it’s sort of small. But it’s a straight drop to the ground, and you’re sure you would break something. Denki sat down beside you and put his arm around your shoulders. He held you against his chest and rubbed your back. “Do you have any idea why you would be targeted like this? Did anyone know about your parents being gone?” He asked in a whisper. “No! I mean a few of my parents friends maybe, some kids from school knew I was coming home for the weekend but-” You tried to keep your voice low but controlling your tone was hard. You were shivering, it was getting freezing in here. “I’m just glad you’re here...”

You thought for a moment. He’s been gone for years, he never sent you a message, nobody had heard from him in so long. It was like he died, you had even mourned him secretly. You thought you’d never see him again, and then suddenly he showed up on your doorstep.

“Denki...” You hardly managed to speak his name. “Wh-who did you message to uhm, come pick you up?”  You whispered to him and he held you a bit tighter. “Maybe they’ll be here soon and they’ll call the police...” You hoped and prayed to anything that might be listening. You begged the universe to let this suspicious feeling be wrong, that this was all a coincidence.  “You know, I was wondering how long it would take you to put things together.”

You swallowed hard. His fingers traced over your arm and he brought his face closer to yours. He took a deep inhale, his lips dragged across your jaw. You put both of your hands on his chest and pushed him off of you. You scrambled away and flipped on the light. You gripped the door knob but instantly pulled away, it was frozen solid, the metal was so cold that if you held onto it any longer you would surely get stuck to it. “I really missed you so much. Being away from you was starting to get to be too painful...” He held his arms out like he was welcoming you back to him. “Denki please, what’s going on...” You whimpered and he took his glasses off. His facial features are as sweet as you remembered, but everything was wrong. His skin was a bit more pale, he had deep purple bags under his eyes like he hasn’t had a good nights sleep in years. He once had vibrant yellow eyes to match his electric personality, but they’ve been replaced by gleaming black orbs. “Just take a deep breath baby, everything will make more sense soon.” You couldn’t do anything but shake your head no, you wanted to sink into the door, but it was covered in a thick coat of ice. Denki pulled you back to him and pressed your back against your sink. “No, no no what are you-” Denki held you by your hips firmly and kissed your cheek. He flashed you a bright smile filled with wicked teeth. Your stomach was a confusing mixture of fear and butterflies. His fangs grazed against your neck, he kissed right over your jugular. “P-please d-don’t kill me..” You cried out, your hands gripped the sink counter with white knuckles. You hated that you had a terrible urge to embrace him. “Shh, shhhh baby. You won’t be dead for long. You’ll come back as soon as the last drop of blood leaves your sweet neck, you’ll come back and you’ll be with me.” Tears finally fell over your eyelids and you let out a choking sob. “We’ll never be apart again”

[zwritestuff]

sink your teeth into my flesh [branjie] - one-shot

a/n: yesterday i said that if a post about i made about a dream i had got one (1) like, i’d write a fic about it. it got two (2) likes, and here i am keeping my word. happy spooky season!

tw: bloody stuff, since it’s a vampire themed one-shot.

summary: brooke is vanessa’s host, but she doesn’t have her possession mark. 

“You haven’t been feeding yourself well,” Vanessa said with a firm voice. It wasn’t a question, it was a statement, and in matter of a second a million excuses ran through Brooke’s mind. “Is there something wrong?”

The blonde forced a smile, looking up from her plate.

“I just haven’t been very hungry lately,” she replied, her voice betraying her and sounding lower and shakier than she meant.

Vanessa cocked a brow, staring at her from the other side of the table.

“Bull,” she scoffed, “You’re my host. I feed off of you three times a day, remember? You have to be hungry, it’s how this works.” She tapped her fingers on the surface of the table, getting impatient. She couldn’t dive her fangs into the blonde’s neck if she hadn’t eaten anything; not only it was risky for Brooke, but Vanessa wouldn’t get any nutrients like she was supposed to.

Brooke clenched her fist under the table, and with her free hand she forced a spoon of mashed potato down her throat. Vanessa smiled pleased, unaware of Brooke’s real feelings.

The blonde knew the moment she turned twenty-one she’d inevitably turn into one of the Mateo’s hostess for as long as she lived, all thanks to her very lovely mom, a broke witch who sold her newborn baby to the Mateo family to pay a debt with the clan. The Mateos were an uncommon clan in The Underground, still using the ancient tradition of “hosts”; they’d feed off exclusively from one person as long as they lived. As the centuries passed, the other vampire clans stopped using this practice, preferring to go hunt their own food in the human world.

While growing up, the reality of the situation never really hit Brooke, being otherwise really good friends with some of the younger members of the clan, and ignoring the danger of her position in the clan. But when the clock hit midnight and it finally was March ten, she was awoken by the Matriarch of the clan dragging her off her bed repeating again and again, “It’s time to face your destiny”, while she tried to break free from her and ran away.

If Brooke thought about it, ending up with Vanessa wasn’t all that bad. Out of all the Mateos, she was one of the nicest and polite vampires she’d ever met — as far as Brooke was concerned, she could’ve ended up in Cousin Alistair, and that was a much worse destiny. His hosts never lasted more than mere months.

But despite how nice Vanessa was, only five months had passed since she was her hostess, and she couldn’t take it anymore. Being isolated, in the dark and with the constant fear of being assaulted by some other vampires from the clan wasn’t the life she wanted. When she was under the Matriarch’s care, nobody dared to touch her, since it would be a severe offense. She had to remain pure and unbitten for her future master and their possession mark.

But Vanessa hadn’t yet given her mark to Brooke, making her vulnerable to an attack at any moment. As a result she had been eating less than she should, fearing the smell of her blood would attract unwanted company.

“I’m done,” Brooke informed in an almost inaudible whisper, but she knew Vanessa would listen, she always did. It was a vampire thing, she supposed.

Within a second there were a pair of hands gently stroking her shoulders, as the blonde revealed her neck for her master, waiting for the so familiar pain that’d come next.

But when Vanessa placed her head in the crook of her neck and her lips were in contact with her milky white skin, the bite never arrived. Instead, she placed a soft kiss, leaving Brooke confused.

“I think I know why you’ve been rejecting Olga’s food, Brooke,” the vampire said, and a chill ran down Brooke’s back.

“I don’t know what you—” Vanessa cut her off.

“Don’t try to lie to me, darling, ‘cause you know you’re terrible at it.” Brooke clenched her jaw, slightly irritated.

“Oh? Is that so? Then tell me, master, why I rather starve than be healthy for you,” the blonde snarled, so done with whatever game Vanessa was trying to play.

As a response, Vanessa simply took the knife Brooke had been previously using and did a cut in her own left palm. Soon the black blood started pouring, the witch gagged a little; the smell of vampire blood was putrid and it weirdly reminded her of death.

“What are you…?” She couldn’t finish her sentence when Vanessa took her right hand and as deadpan as before did a quick cut in it. Brooke hissed at the feeling, but it was nothing she wasn’t used to.

“A little raven told me someone is angry for not having my possession mark,” Vanessa commented, holding tight Brooke’s hand. The witch’s eyes grew wide, feeling her hand burn. “In my defense, I was waiting for some sign that this certain someone didn’t really hate me.”

The blonde looked up at her master surprised to say the least, as far as she was aware, she’d always been cordial with Vanessa, never rejecting her when she tried to bite her outside of her usual eating hours; sometimes the vampire would come at her during the day, unable to sleep, and Brooke would read her a bedtime story.

So Brooke had no idea where such a thought came from, and was honestly offended Vanessa would ever think that.

“I never hated you,” she replied without missing a beat. “I— I actually consider you a friend, not that I interact with anyone else, but— You get what I’m trying to say.” The vampire cooed at her hostess rant.

“You cute little shit.” With her free hand, Vanessa softly traced Brooke’s jawline, a little smile appearing on her lips. The blonde realized it was the first sincere smile she’d ever seen on Vanessa since she was her hostess. “I hope this helps you sleep tonight.” Little by little, Vanessa withdrew her hand, and Brooke contemplated the drawing in her palm made by her blood and Vanessa’s.

She was in disbelief at how pretty it was, and a feeling of relief sat in her chest as she realized she’d now be free to leave the west side of the Mateo castle, or even better: leave altogether the Mateo castle, so long as she came back, of course.

Brooke looked up to her master, with a smile blossoming in her face, but she was surprised when she didn’t see Vanessa standing there. She suddenly felt sad, but soon remembered how master and host weren’t allowed to be near each other for the first twenty four hours after the possession mark was given; it was a rule as ancient as the practice, made to prevent any possible conversions. If the hosts were given any more vampire blood, they’d turn into a half-vampire creature, consequently going feral.

That night she laid in her bed, staring at her palm and detailing every trace of the possession mark with her index finger, and fell asleep thinking that, perhaps, the Matriarch knew what she was doing when she left her in Vanessa’s hands.

[orthonas]

Blog Post 3: Unhealthy Habits?

Okay so I haven’t posted anything the past couple days, partly because I’ve been depressed and tired but also because I got really into the banner saga games which are pretty fun.

Like the games have a really cool viking aesthetic from the soundtrack to the art to the story it’s all super cool and interesting, like I’m listening to the ost as I type this and I’d recommend it to anyone if they like orchestral music. The story is what’s been the most interesting so far, the game basically plays like oregon trail but you’re in the viking apocalypse instead. So just watching all the events unfold and being like oh shit that was a bad idea and all that jazz is fun. The gameplay is cool too, I guess I’m biased cuz I usually enjoy strategy games but it’s got some decent fights and stuff which are fun. I tried playing on the hard difficulty for a bit but having to plan that far ahead was irritating and I didn’t feel like playing that much for the gameplay but it’s definitely worth a try.

Although looking back on my past two weeks leading up to like me making the diary entries and getting into banner saga I have some seriously self destructive habits. Like I didn’t really think about them until I realized I just put like 20some hours into a game in the past 3 days or so, at least I think those are the right numbers they might be a bit muddled since I haven’t been thinking straight lately. Like I just tried to spell straight with an e and I don’t really know why. Like I have some serious issues with self control and trying to decide when I should do stuff like I’ve been ignoring all my schoolwork and it’s getting out of hand.

Speaking of schoolwork I haven’t gone to college for two weeks because I had a bit of a mental breakdown (what started these entries?) and I”m going back tomorrow which is a bit spooky. I’ve got like 3 exams lined up too so hypesalad for that. It’s hard to find the motivation to go to school or do anything and it gets harder the colder the weather gets. I dunno I guess seasonal depression is hitting me hard and on top of that i have to drive to school and I absolutely despise driving and that gets worse in the cold weather sot that sucks.

Plus my physical health has been declining lately, like I haven’t been eating anything substantial and my colitis has been getting worse and my dysphoria (I guess that’s more mental) has been getting worse too. Yesterday all I ate was some bread and hummus and a shake and some candy, I might have eaten some cheesy chips and salsa but I honestly can’t remember, like my memory has been getting foggier too as of late. Not sure if it’s cuz I’m depressed or from a lack of nutrients specifically hemoglobin and iron. I don’t really know though since I”m not a doctor.

Oh I’ve been reading the Holyland manga lately and that’s pretty cool, it’s sort of depressing/uplifting at the same though so the uplifting part is fun at least. I’ve read a lot of depressing stuff lately like the Bell Jar and Lonely Bones and now Holyland. The Bell Jar and Kamashiro’s backstory from Holyland are honestly some good examples of how depression is. Like it feels sort of weird and surreal and validating all at the same time to read about someone else’s experience with depression and how they felt because it’s just a good description of how depression is. That lack of desire to do anything, the fear of the future while at the same time the lack of conviction to do anything about it. It feels nice reading it I guess even if it’s sad and I feel bad for the character. And in the Bell Jar’s case the author because that’s an autobiography sort of which makes it ten times more depressing in my opinion. One day I want to write something like these stories, something that can accurately describe how depression is so that maybe I can get my feelings out? So I can feel like people understand me? I don’t really know.

Thinking about writing something like that is super daunting though like I”m not a great author/writer. Just look at these entries they’re super disconnected and floaty and random, some of the words I use aren’t even real. Maybe some day I’ll get there haha

[404-brainnotfound]

Live-blogging/reacting to the Black Tapes 303

And apparently shit gets real and it’s really painful, based on some of the posts I’ve seen. I’ve been a little absent lately, adjusting to a new apartment and figuring out a new job (programming/IT - officially a STEM lady!) and starting a Java college class, and just getting back from a trip, so those are my excuses.

Anyway, here’s my long-winded live reaction:

“enigmatic”

I can’t believe this still is so accurate describing Strand.

“...But first I went to Turkey”

LOL WTF is this segue? I bet Terry Miles wrote that stupid line.

Simon sounds more raspy than normal, like Simon to the power of 10. Reminds me of the transformation from Wolf 359 season 1 Hilbert voice to season 3(?) Hilbert voice.

In fact, Simon’s monotone is a little Extra (TM) to me

Why does Simon use “tapestry” here when he’s been so fond of music metaphors in the past?

ALEX YOU WOULD LET SOMEBODY BLINDFOLD YOU

Nice imagery Alex describes post-kidnapping-and-blindfolding

Bet Paul wrote this part. Has nice show, don’t tell vibe, which Terry fails at most of the time.

Side note, “magic hour”/“witching hour”/“golden hour” plays a big part in the Japanese animated film “Your Name,” and it has a GORGEOUS song composed specifically for golden hour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH_tMmaMGO8

“But first we’re headed back to Seattle”

man this episode is really jumping around

I LOVE the Pythagoras stuff. Episode 109 with the Pythagorean comma was my fave behind 104.

Of course the modern day group is a death cult

“or at least that’s my theory”

Oh Alex.

“Okay...” “..if you’re not happy with my response, I don’t know what else to provide-”

LMFAO their interactions are so weird and have ALWAYS been. There’s this insidious tension, feelings of derision and mistrust between the two of them, but it’s mixed in with a general fondness of the other person, because they’ve been forced to spend so much time together and share so much of their personal lives. It’s like they see each other as unfortunate but permanent parts of each other’s lives, like a toxic relative who they can’t help but feel obligated to try and maintain a relationship with, so they mistake that obligation for actual love. I’ve heard of this concept in romantic relationships as “misattribution of arousal” where a person mistakes their feelings of arousal as romantic attraction rather than a physiological response to fear and shared trauma. One of the queer YouTubers I follow just put out a video about a similar phenomenon that occurs between queer people who become friends only because they’ve both experienced the trauma of societal marginalization for being queer. Those queer people bond quickly and deeply over that shared trauma, only to later realize that they have nothing in common and make poor friends. Here’s that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrtCRMbq9Q

“Your podcast is about the Black Tapes, but it’s also about us...you are at the center of this with me.”

How VERY true Dr. Strand. In fact, I hate horror, but the characters of Alex and Strand drew me in so much that I stayed all this time.

TBTP has always been intimate and character-driven in a way that Tanis never was, and that’s why it has the staying power even after a year-long hiatus.

The TRUST discussion, why didn’t this happen EONS ago, but here it is, the core of what makes this relationship (in a non-shippy way) SO interesting

“We have to watch over each other” ;___;

And damn Alex’s reaction is INTERESTING

She’s TRYING to be skeptical of her subject! FINALLY, oh my bb, look at your character development, just look at it!

Did anyone else think that Alex was going to talk to Nic instead of Simon when she mentioned “needing perspective”?

“We all have a choice, Alex” = Key theme of this season?

i.e. We choose what we believe, we see what we want through our own confirmation biases? Just a thought.

I love how Simon is so much more present this season.

Horn of Tiamat is actually a song? Back to the spooky music motif, YASSSS

side note, how does Simon know cuneiform/ancient Sumerian?

I guess he knew sacred geometry so there’s that

Stored beneath the Vatican? Does this tie back in the exorcism machine stuff left hanging last season?

These dental ads are boring, I low-key miss the Me Undies cringefest of last time.

Simon’s phone was out of service the next day

That boy is SO extra

So the cuneiformist doesn’t think it’s a song, interesting. I bet it’s a song though, so it matches the spooky music thread we’ve had going all this time.

Aaaaand cueniformist already sent numbers in an email, MK would be proud.

This mention of Sebastian Torres after so long makes me want someone to write a fic set 10 years later in a “Where are they now?” style confessional show.

Any takers, @the-wonderful-jinx​, @buckybabs​, @luminescent-wanderings​ & co?

“What do you mean I’m at the center of it?”

Um, see the discussion you have with Alex not 10 minutes before in the episode, my dear amnesiac Dr. Strand.

“Perhaps I should sit for this presentation. [sigh]” “I’m serious.”

This line had me laughing hard. I love Strand-style humor when he lets it out. Similar Strand humor instance is this quick interaction from 107: ALEX: You know Tannis Braun’s bi-locating sounds an awful lot like the Simon Reese situation. STRAND: Tannis Braun and Simon Reese have a lot in common. ALEX: You don’t like him. STRAND: Who? Simon?

“Ex-wife” “WIFE... we never divorced.”

JESUS CHRIST ON A CRACKER THE AWKWARDNESS

Why are you being so confrontational Strand?

I guess Alex kinda ruined the Strand & Coralee reunion.

Didn’t Alex also call Coralee Strand’s ex-wife in 104ish?

Even more Strand humorous quips/snipes... he’s such a diva!

“We’re all male?” truly stood out

“Everything about that man runs counter to what I consider civil behavior.” “...” “What?”

Just a fucking beautiful exchange with humor that rises out of character rather than a joke for the sake of a joke (for example: ‘What’s a podcast?’). When PNWS is good, they’re so good.

THE ME UNDIES AD IS BACK, WOO

It changed Alex’s LIFE, guys!

Not nearly as good and cringy as the now-infamous “cradle your jewels” one

And she called him “Richard” again, just hitting home the weird dichotomy of their relationship, that mix of fondness and severe mistrust

“Are you serious?” “When am I not serious?”

So, so many good, quality, humorous lines that match with the characters’ personalities perfectly. This episode really had some great character-driven dialogue, and in fact might be my new favorite episode!

OOOOOOH SPOOKY CLIFFHANGER

Is Sebastian Torres a clone of Simon Reese?

Do they look alike? Do we have any descriptions of them in past episodes?