#the unfortunate side effect of my room being in the basement is that the basement is also the garage

[two-calicos-in-a-trenchcoat]

One thing we discovered while installing my floor is that my room does not have straight walls

They are slightly curved in some places

So that made installing very straight floor boards *super* fun and not at all frustrating

[theresattrpgforthat]

Do you happen have anything that's about food, but in the way that Dungeon Meshi is about food? (defined to me as, classic(TM) adventure but with food as a central feature) Generally food-centric games would be welcome too!

Theme: Dungeon Meshi, Food Adventures.

Hello friend, I am very excited about this week's request! I have some recommendations that have been simmering in the back of my head for a while now - a few of which can be used in the game of your liking!

Bakto’s Terrifying Cuisine, by Roll 4 Tarrasque.

"The entrance to the Kitchen Arena appears only to those hungry or foolish enough to find it. Perhaps a dusty pantry in a backwater restaurant, or a forgotten refrigerator in the basement of a busy hotel. The door closes behind you—it never opens again. At the bottom of a long set of pristine stairs, Bakto awaits."

Bakto’s Terrifying Cuisine is primarily an adventure for The Vanilla Game, which is free to play, but it strikes me as pretty system-friendly. You are all responsible for creating a dish for a hungry demon, and are provided with a dungeon map as well as descriptions of what waits for you in each room. The pamphlet also comes with 10 terrifying ingredients and 6 possible treasures, as well as a d6 table of random encounters. There’s so much packed into just 2 pages!

While this is probably only good for a one-shot or a two-shot, I think it’s definitely worth it. If you end up liking this game and want more from the same creator, you can also take a look at To Catch A Hellforged Swine, a system-agnostic adventure about hunting a cursed pig.

Gourmet Street, by theunlawfulneutral.

Gourmet Street is a setting that can be plopped directly into any world or adventure and serves up an extra side of gonzo fantasy. It is populated with street vendors serving every possible food you can conceive as well as a fascinating accoutrements of culinary artifacts, edible monsters, and bizarre dishes.

Another setting rather than game, Gourmet Street is great for OSR games like Knave or The Black Hack, but also works in games such as AD&D. It’s a street vendors’ alley, rife with rival factions and dangerous foods, as well as a series of custom, culinary-related monsters to throw at your players. There’s roll tables for dishes and their effects, as well as some descriptions of major food factions, including their defining characteristics, their advantages and disadvantages, and a quick summary of their values or goals. If you want the culinary process to be stick, dangerous, unpredictable and full of slime, this is the setting for you.

Iera Entera, by Nathan Blades.

In this world, Divine Beasts roam the land. Delivered to us from otherworldly realms, they lord over the grounds they manifest on. They’re incredibly violent, are replaced in mere days after being removed, and are capable of supernatural powers.

They’re also delicious.

This game takes the idea of eating monsters and turns it up to 11. You’re not just eating dungeon creatures - no, you’re hunting down Divine Beasts. The game is split into two sections - working out how to bring the Divine Beast down, and then figuring out how to cook the damn thing. If you are playing with folks who are familiar with Dungeon Meshi, I imagine they would have a lot of fun ideas about how to cook the entrails of a great beast, but there’s also three or four suggested beast hunts in the game itself to get you started.

Cook & Hero, by Raul Fontoura.

You’re an aspiring master cook, in a face off competition amongst worthy rivals to create the perfect dish. Unfortunately, you’re supposed to make it out of scary and scaly monsters in very dangerous underground conditions.

This is another pamphlet game, similar to Bakto’s Terrifying Cuisine, but the tone is very different. In Bakto’s, players are on the clock to satisfy a dangerous enemy. In Cook & Hero, the art conveys a more lighthearted competition, even if your character decides that it’s a matter of life or death. The 2-page game comes with some simple character creation, and the resolution uses a roll-under mechanic with a d10. It feels like it takes a number of cues from Honey Heist, but it’s definitely a distinct game.

Ghastronomy, by Timepool.

You are a ghastronomer, a chef that doesn’t cook for the living— but for the dead. You have been hired to help guide a ghost to the afterlife, by collecting the lost pieces of its soul and cooking ghostly grub to make it whole again.

Alongside your co-workers, you will arrive on the scene and use your cooking credentials and what you learned from each of your ghastronomy schools to find, obtain, and cook a wayward spirit's remaining traces. With proper planning, teamwork, and a little bit of luck—  you might just piece its soul back together before it fades away forever.

Ghastronomy looks fairly easy to learn, with an interesting apron mechanic in which your apron is also a shield. You’ll also probably all have different styles of cooking, as each character will come from a different culinary school. If you like the idea of cooking for more than just survival, and you want to incorporate the paranormal into your game, this might be for you!

Lutong Banwa, by Sinta Posadas / Diwata Ng Manila.

Lutong Banwa is a cooking game, where you set out to adventure and find ingredients from Spirits and recipes from old civilizations. Embark on this anti-canon storygame adventure with its own custom system and play to find out just what sort of zany adventures you can get up to in this weird, wild world. Do whatever you want.

Lutong Banwa feels like a cozier game than some of the others on this list, and I enjoy the perspective it brings to the genre. You are playing tamale, the successors of the earth after Humans have faded to history, trying to replicate old world dishes. Your characters will use a number of different-sided dice, depending on which stats they use, and what strengths they have. Rather than character death, your characters simply have a limited number of chances to complete a task before they are forced to rest for a day or so. Altogether the game encourages creative thinking and playing outside the box. I think this is an extremely charming game and you absolutely should check it out.

[jvstheworld]

The Buffy Re-watch: S2E11 (part 2)

Ted

Trigger/Content Warning still in effect for this episode just in case.

Buffy, Joyce and Ted have dinner, Buffy is sent to her room, then Buffy goes out to patrol. She was probably out for about an hour at the minimum, maybe up to 2. So how long as Ted in her room for to be able to read her diary before she got back? Also, 'Vampire Slayer' kind of explainable there Ted.

The threat of being in a mental institution is something we kind of see happen in the comics. During the transition between LA and having just moved to Sunnydale. We see in 'Normal Again' in season 6 what it would have been like if she did end up there.

Buffy in shock after killing a 'human'. It's a massive difference between her reaction and Faith's next season.

I don't like the questions the police ask Buffy during the interrogation scene. If her hit her first, which he did, couldn't that be grounds for self-defence. My knowledge of criminal law is lacking since I haven't done it in a while (I was originally a law student at university before switching to journalism. Still had to learn law for journalism but it was less intense and more focused on legal matters like defamation and copyright).

Yeah, Giles would understand the guilt that comes with murder. I'm surprised Buffy even went to school, I would have just avoided everyone.

The gang wants to help while Giles takes over patrol. Luckily Willow notices Xander's change in behaviour after eating the cookie and knows that something is sus with it.

Ted drugged it. How much of the food he cooked did he drug? PSA: don't drug people or their food. It's illegal. I talked about this before in 'Reptile Boy' this is just a different circumstance, but it still stands. Just don't do it.

Cordelia coming through with the research on Ted. We appreciate her help.

Jenny may have been harsh to Giles earlier in the episode, but she needed to do what was best for her at the time. Her apology just comes at a bad time when vampires are around.

Where did Ted come from? Seriously. He comes from the side of the room where Buffy's bed is. It would have made more sense if he came from the side where her closet, because he could have been hiding in there, but the implication is that he was hiding under her bed waiting for her.

Jenny, use the stake, not the crossbow. Because you could hit Giles.

Ted is a robot/android reveal!

Cordelia's sense of style coming in to hep find hidden doors to secret basements of horror.

Ted has literal skeletons in his closet, from his first four wives. That he kept locked in there. And probably could never leave. Holy fuck.

After seeing Ted glitch, Joyce gets wise to Ted's weirdness.

Cast iron skillets- they make good weapons, just watch Tangled.

Joyce forgives Buffy for what happened after finding out about the other wives and the attempted kidnapping. Does she not know that he was a robot yet? Because Joyce knows by season 4, but it seems like she doesn't know here and Buffy is trying to cover that up.

jenny and Giles are back together again. We like to see this, but it won't last long unfortunately. It makes Cordy and Xander happy too, at the very least.

Robo Ted is a nightmare of a character. His victims deserved better than the life they were subjected to because of him. The terror they must have suffered knowing that one wrong move and he could hurt them or kill them. The worst part is knowing that things like this happen in real life. The only fantastical element to this episode is the fact that he is a robot. How many horror stories have you heard of women being in abusive relationships and not being able to leave because the man they are with won't let them, because they control so much of their lives. Not being believed about the things you have suffered due to them because they put up such a good front of being the nicest guy around to everyone but when you're alone with him, there is nothing stopping him from showing you his true side. Joyce was lucky that she had Buffy to see through Ted's bullshit and to stop him before she ended up another one of his victims. Not everyone is so lucky to have that support behind them. I know in my own circumstance, while nowhere near as extreme as this, or many other stories you might find out there, I didn't have the support needed to be able to get out of it quick enough before plenty of damage was done. And years later I am still dealing with what happened. I hope any of you reading this never have to suffer this, and if you have, I am sorry that happened to you and I hope you are able to get to a better place in your life.

I'm going to leave it here. This turned into a heavier episode that I thought. Tomorrows episode will be a bit lighter.

[heroloverangel]

Scientific Research

Animals with quirks were incredibly rare, but finding a plant with one was completely unheard of. As a quirk researcher, you're dying to know what kind of ability it has!

You look out the window at the ground below zooming by in a blur and try to contain your excitement. Animals with quirks were incredibly rare, but finding a plant with one was completely unheard of. The email from your boss doesn’t say what kind of power it has, or why a low-level research assistant like yourself is being rushed across Japan to study it, but you’re more than a little curious. You’ve never been in a helicopter before and your stomach flips as it makes a left turn towards your destination in the middle of the city, a massive building sporting a landing zone on the top. 

You scramble out of your seat the moment you land and wait impatiently before your senior research team can even open the door for you. “Tell me about the plant,” you demand immediately. “What does it do? Is it here? Can I see it?” You follow them down the stairs from the roof, across a long hallway and to the elevator. You look around as you go; you hadn’t noticed the name on the building, but you realize this must be the headquarters of the biggest lab in the country. You’re practically giddy with anticipation. Finally you come to a stop on one of the lower basement floors and your coworkers lead you to a plain, unassuming doorway before bidding you goodbye, glad to be rid of your manic energy. You’re ushered inside to see the familiar elderly face of your boss, flanked by two other men in lab coats as they watch something on a monitor.. “Good afternoon, sir. You requested my assistance, what can I do?”

He introduces the other scientists, but you’re too distracted to remember their names. “It has some very...unusual effects, and I believe your quirk will be useful. Could you show them?” He slides a small blowtorch across the table towards you, and you get your first clue.

“Oh! I guess it has some kind of fire ability, then?” You smile, rolling your sleeve up and grabbing the tool. One of the men reaches to stop you, but you shake your head. “Don’t worry,” you insist as you turn it on and casually shove your arm into the flame. “That’s my quirk, I’m fireproof!��� A sigh of relief goes through the room, and the three have a quick, quiet conversation as you shut the torch off and fix your shirt.

“She’ll work perfectly.” The other one shakes your hand and presses a button on a small panel in the table. One of the walls turns transparent, and you realize it’s a two-way mirror looking into an observation room. There’s a man inside, sitting on a scorched exam table and looking furious. His shirt is off, and you can see sweat dripping off of his huge, muscular body as he pants through gritted teeth. You’re confused, what does this have to do with you?

“Let me explain. The plant itself doesn’t have fire abilities. Rather, its quirk causes certain physiological reactions in humans who inhale its pollen.” He points to the man on the other side of the glass. “Of course we needed to observe it before it was safe to transport, so the Hero Commission was kind enough to send some of their best assets to secure the area.” You hear a beep from one of the monitors and watch as a vent in the ceiling opens and shoots out a thick burst of frigid air. It covers the man with a layer of frost that melts instantly on his heated skin. “Unfortunately, number one received quite a strong dose of that pollen.”

You gawk at them. “Number one? Wait, that’s not...is that Endeavor?” As if answering your question, a ball of fire engulfs his hand before he extinguishes it in his fist.

Your boss nods. “Correct, unfortunately. He’s lucky we have heat-resistant equipment at this facility.”

You stare at the hero, it’s obvious that he’s in pain from the plant’s quirk. “You said the pollen has a physiological effect. What does that mean, exactly?”

They look uncomfortable, and part of you regrets asking. “From our early tests, it seems that the plant’s quirk causes intense sexual arousal in its victims.”

Oh, this is awkward. In the next room, you watch as Endeavor hunches over in discomfort and more flames flicker briefly from his shoulders. “That’s easy enough, isn’t it? Couldn’t he just,” you pause and make an obscene gesture with your hand. “Y’know, on his own?”

“We tried that already, but if anything it just made it worse. Apparently this plant isn’t a self-pollinating species.” One of them passes you a tablet with a lab report marked CONFIDENTIAL in large, red letters. “Two minor heroes were also affected, and their vitals returned to normal soon after they agreed to, erm, help each other with their condition.” You try to wrap your head around all of this as you read, warmth rising to your cheeks as you realize exactly what kind of help they needed. Aphrodisiac quirks aren’t supposed to exist, they’re just a flimsy excuse for a plot in porn and romance stories. Then again, plants with quirks aren’t supposed to exist either, so it seems a lot of impossible things are happening today.

“Isn’t he married? We could just bring his wife-”

One of the scientists grimaces and frantically shakes his head and the other fixes him with a sharp glare. “Ah, no. That isn’t an option for a variety of reasons.” An alarm goes off as the hero’s back erupts with a larger blaze, triggering another blast of cold air. “His body is going haywire, and it’s made his quirk unstable. It’s too dangerous to allow anyone near him, unless…”

Suddenly all of it makes perfect sense. “Unless they were fireproof,” you finish slowly, all eyes on you.

They all begin talking over each other, trying to sway you. “We can’t get his temperature down, there’s a serious risk of internal damage.”

“Nothing else has worked, you’re the best chance we have.”

“Of course, it’s your choice. We won’t press the issue if you’re not comfortable.” 

You approach the window and place a hand on it; you feel the heat even through the glass. You can tell that he’s suffering, and you can’t just stand idly by and watch. You remember a time from your childhood, a sunny afternoon when a villain attacked the bus you were riding. A hero saved your life that day, pulling you from the twisted wreckage without hesitation. Twenty years later, and now it’s time to return the favor to him.

“I’ll do it,” you say finally, sounding more confident than you feel. “Could we turn this off?” The last thing you want in this situation is an audience. They’re quick to set the wall back to normal and assure you they’ll only be monitoring his vitals, you’ll have complete privacy. You steel your nerves as you’re lead around the corner, where a heavy door waits at the entrance of the observation room. You take a deep breath before you walk inside and hear the locks click sharply behind you.

It feels like you’ve just stepped into a sauna, sweat forming under the clothes that are suddenly unbearably hot. For a moment you’re distracted and forget the other person in the room, and then you look forward and see him staring at you. You can’t take your eyes off him, you feel like a mouse caught in a lion’s den. “Leave,” he snarls before you can get a word out.

Your mouth is dry and you have to swallow several times. “Um, hi. I work for the lab and they sent me-”

“Get. Out.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m here to help you.”

“Don’t waste your time. Nothing is-” he stops mid-sentence as his trademark facial hair activates, blazing larger than you’ve ever seen it. You follow your first instinct and lunge forward, holding his face in your hands to smother the fire. His eyes widen with sudden realization when you pull away unharmed.

“See? I don’t burn.” You offer him the most comforting smile you can manage. “You can’t hurt me.”

Considering his current state, he moves much faster than you’d expect. He’s on his feet in a heartbeat, huge frame shoving you against the wall as he glares down at you. “You have no idea what I could do to you, little girl.” The shiver that runs down your spine isn’t from fear, and your breath catches in your throat. 

“Please,” you nearly whimper and trace your fingers over his jaw. “Just let me try?”

You don’t get a real answer as whatever remains of his self control snaps. Warmth dances over your skin as he burns your clothes away before you can protest. He looks you up and down, eyes lingering on your chest and between your thighs and you fight the urge to cover yourself. You force your eyes up to meet his; he’s so much bigger than you, he has to bend nearly in half to reach your mouth. For a moment you’re surprised, and when your lips open to make a sound he takes the opportunity to shove his tongue inside. There’s something sweet in his breath, you wonder if it’s from the pollen running through his system. You tell yourself to relax and open your mouth wider to give him more access. One large hand moves over your body to grope your breast and you gasp as you pull away from him. “You’re sensitive,” he notices with an amused hint in his voice.

“This is kind of a weird day for me,” you counter, biting your lip as he squeezes at your chest and teases your nipples into hard peaks. Should you feel guilty that this feels good? Part of you worries this might be taking advantage of him, but it’s not as if he has much choice. “Sorry, about all of this.”

He stares down at you for a moment, flames flickering across his face before he pulls you roughly towards the empty exam table. “You had nothing to do with it, don’t apologize,” he orders and easy lifts you onto it like you’re weightless. Thick fingers trail down your stomach and your thighs reflexively press together only to be shoved apart by the impatient hero in front of you. “This doesn’t look like you’re sorry.” In this position, he can tell you’re already getting wet from just a bit of his handling and you may die of embarrassment right here. “You’re so small,” he growls above you. “I could break you so easily.” That thought shouldn’t be anywhere near as appealing as it is. 

“You, uh, probably shouldn’t. They don’t have any other fireproof researchers,” you point out awkwardly, and he scoffs.

“Spread your legs for me,” he demands, and you obey automatically. Big, strong hands knead at your thighs, coaxing them to relax and open wider until there’s enough space for his fingers to trace along the lips of your cunt. You gasp and force yourself to keep from slamming your legs shut at the contact; you get the feeing he wouldn’t appreciate that. His thumb grazes over your clit and you jolt, earning a barely-contained snarl from the man in front of you. His gaze is like a wild animal about to attack, and you have to remind yourself of his circumstances. He’s been suffering from this pollen for hours, it must take him an incredible amount of willpower to control himself at all around you. The least you can do is make this as quick and easy for him as possible.

You take a deep breath of hot air before reaching down, your smaller fingers much more gentle as you rub yourself. “Keep touching me, please.” His thumb resumes stroking you, giving you the help you need as your fingers sink inside your pussy, a necessary first step if you’re going to survive your encounter with him. He lets you work, aware of the increasingly wet sound as you prepare your body for him. It doesn’t take long before he’s shoving your arm away and taking over for you. You shudder as he stretches you, whimper catching at the back of your throat when his big hand starts to move.

Another burst of fire flares up from his back and activates the cold air above you; you shiver as the frost settles on your sweaty skin but Endeavor doesn’t even notice. He’s too busy twisting his fingers inside you to draw out more moans from you with every move. “Look at you, practically dripping all over this table. At least I have an excuse.” You’d be more embarrassed if he wasn’t completely right. His costume hangs limply from his waist and you’re shameless as you let your eyes wander down the gorgeous muscles of his chest and arms to the sizeable bulge in his pants. You’re unaware of yourself as you lick your lips, but he doesn’t miss it. “Is that what you want? You think you’re ready for Daddy’s cock?”

Your breath stutters. It’s not what you typically like, but there’s no hiding the way your cunt clenches tight at his words. Despite the situation, the briefest hint of a smirk tugs at his lips. You look away, throat dry and face hot. His free hand returns to your chest, groping your breast in one huge hand and teasing your nipple. “Answer me, girl.”

“Yeah, I do.” You can’t meet his gaze, but you can almost feel his hunger as he glares down at you. His fingers fill you perfectly on their own, teasing out what you like and quickly reducing you to a gasping mess for his attention. You feel him brush against your g-spot and he knows he’s got you exactly where he wants you; his expression downright wicked as he targets it with pinpoint accuracy. You come all over his hand with a shrill cry, briefly wondering if the other researchers can hear you but unable to care if they do. All the while, your hero watches you intently with barely-controlled fire coursing through his veins.

You don’t get much chance to recover, only a moment to catch your breath when his messy fingers withdraw from you. He’s impatient now that he’s had a taste of what you’re offering, and you watch with your lungs heaving and heart pounding as he pulls at the rest of his suit until it drops to his thighs and you’re made very aware of what you’re dealing with.

“Big,” you point out stupidly, but it’s not as if your brain matters much here. Endeavor yanks you to the edge of the table and you lay back against the warm metal, his words about how easily he could break you echoing in your head. Whether by chance or design, the table is at the perfect height for his dick to rub along your slick folds, smearing precum across your sensitive skin. 

“Look at me,” he orders, and you meet his eyes. “Tell me you want it.”

You swallow but nod. “I want Daddy’s cock,” you agree. He doesn’t give you the chance to say anything more, gripping your hips hard enough to bruise and burying himself halfway inside your welcoming pussy in one harsh thrust. The noise you make is more out of surprise than anything, but it’s still slightly uncomfortable to be stuffed so full so quickly. You scramble for something to grab onto and your nails dig into his forearms. He doesn’t seem to notice at all, entirely focused on fitting more of his thick cock inside your eager little body. “Oh, fuck,” you groan, squirming under his rough hands while you feel every inch of him sink into you. “You’re really big,” you pant.

Tendrils of flame erupt along his arms, comfortably warm as they flicker over your fingers before dissipating. “You can take it.” It’s less like encouragement and more of an order. “This is what you’re here for, girl.” You wonder idly if he’s always like this during sex or if it’s just the plant’s effects searing through his veins, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. You only have him for this one day, you’d better enjoy it while you can. He works himself in and out of you, pushing his dick a little deeper each time until he manages to bottom out after several long minutes. His gaze is hard and intense as you squeeze all of him, savoring how good your tight, wet pussy feels around him. The effect is immediate, whatever last dregs of restraint he has burn to ash. You’re almost alarmed when his face ignites as he nearly pulls himself out before thrusting back into you hard, earning a loud squeal from you. He’s not gentle with you, he couldn’t be at this point even if he wanted to, using you like a living toy to get himself off.

“Good girl,” he growls, hyper aware of every frantic gasp he forces out of you. You’re struggling to keep up with him, that much is obvious, but you’re not in any pain as you clumsily move your hips in some pitiful attempt to match his. You’re holding him as hard as you can, but it’s laughably easy for him to shrug you off when he wants. His hands roam over your heated skin, down to grab the backs of your thighs and shove them upwards. You gasp; you’re not normally so flexible, but you’re in no position to deny him anything. He guides your thighs up until they’re pressed against your chest and admires the view of your soaked cunt so open for him. “You’re being so good for me.” His voice is so deep and rough it makes you whimper.

Your body is doing wonders for him, so soft and small beneath his huge frame, he wouldn’t have lasted long even if his senses weren’t overwhelmed with the aphrodisiac. You’re already on your way to a second climax when you feel him jerk erratically above you and you’re suddenly flooded with pleasantly hot cum. “Oh.” You’re only a little disappointed that it happened so fast, but you remind yourself that this isn’t some kind of date. “I’m, um, glad I could help.” You’re still bent nearly in half under him, but he doesn’t budge. “Endeavor? That did help, right?”

He narrows his eyes, still hard as a rock inside you. “No. Not yet.” You’re not sure what to say when you open your mouth, only managing another sharp gasp as he resumes moving again inside you. “It’s not enough.” Another sharp blast of cold air fires out of the vent as his flames briefly swirl over his chest and legs. “I hope you didn’t have plans today.” He stretches over you, settling his heavy weight on top of your spread thighs to fuck quickly in and out of your pussy. His tongue shoves past your lips, swallowing every sweet noise he’s forcing out of you and you can’t stop your fingers from lacing into his hair. You think his scalp might be flaring up in response to your touch, but you don’t have the capacity to care.

“Endeavor…” you whimper quietly between kisses. “Daddy…please, I want it…” You’re not entirely aware of what you’re asking for, but he understands. He sucks harshly on your pulse, enough to leave a mark as he gropes at your breast again, teasing and pinching your sensitive nipple between his fingers. It’s enough to push you over the edge and you clamp down tight on his cock, coming hard as you milk him for more. “Fuck,” you whine when his thrusts remain as hard and intense as ever. “Fuck fuck fuck, s-slow down.”

He doesn’t. You’re pleading for him to give you a second to rest, but he can’t while your spasming cunt feels so good around him. You’re a trembling mess after a few more minutes of constant stimulation, until he finally reaches his limit again and it’s a relief to feel another wet spurt of cum fill you. You dare to hope it’s over as he slows to a stop above you, taking a deep breath of his own when he mercifully withdraws to let an embarrassing amount of your combined fluids leak out of you. Before you can even ask, he’s grabbing your hips again and carelessly flips you over onto your stomach, your toes barely touching the floor under the table.

Despite how worn out you are, you find yourself instinctively grinding back against him as he lines his cock up with your soaked pussy. “You take me so easily now,” he sounds just as ragged as you feel, but his body is still so much stronger than yours as he pounds into you with every thrust. You’re vaguely concerned with the fact that his quirk is activating more often as things progress, his entire torso bursting into flame against your back, but you’re already trying the best you can to solve the problem. He weaves a hand into your hair and yanks your head back painfully, angling you into the perfect position to force his tongue back into your mouth and you moan for his kiss. “It’s almost a shame we didn’t meet under better circumstances,” he murmurs quietly, more to himself than you. Somehow out of everything else today, this is what flusters you the most.

His lips trail along your bare shoulder, tasting the sweat on your skin and you sigh at the surprisingly soft touch. “Keep doing this and I’ll take whatever circumstances I can get,” you admit and hear him snort at your reply. You’re so warm, caged between his thick arms and broad chest and it’s a feeling that seems dangerously addictive.

“Move your hips more,” he demands, and even in your sex-drunk brain you scramble to obey. As fun as this has turned out to be, you still have a very important job to do and redouble your efforts to help him. “Yes, just like that.” He grabs a handful of your ass to spur you on and you’re plenty ready to comply, rutting back against him absentmindedly as you feel a familiar tension growing in your stomach already. His cock strokes along a sensitive spot inside you and you tighten around him with a soft moan. “Such a greedy woman.” You can hear the smirk in his words without looking at him. “You’re perfect for this.”

The next several minutes are a blur as you’re manhandled and groped to his heart’s content. You don’t know how it really feels to burn, but it must be something like the unbearably raw sensation igniting in your nerves everywhere he touches you. His warm hand snakes around your hip to tease at your clit and you’re reduced to whimpering quietly as your inner muscles squeeze around him, rapidly reaching both your physical and mental limits. “No more,” you complain, struggling to keep your balance on shaky legs. “I can’t…” you groan pitifully, and he shushes you.

“I know. You’ve done well for me. You’re almost finished,” he promises, almost gentle when he presses you harder against the table to thrust deeper into your overworked body. His voice is low and strained, hinting that he’s even more exhausted than you after all he’s been through today. Flames appear and dissipate randomly as he fucks inside you, but his voice in your ear whispering how you’re such a good girl is infinitely more effective at making you sweat.

Endeavor’s kindness can only last so long and soon enough he’s grabbing harshly at your hips, dragging you back and forth to meet his hard thrusts. “J-just a little bit slower,” you ask, so close to another orgasm you could cry. He grants your request and the pleased noise you make is practically obscene as the tension in your body snaps and your cunt reflexively clamps tight around him, as if you’re begging for more of his cum. You collapse forward onto the table, head so empty you wouldn’t notice if he burned the entire building down around you. There’s nothing you can do except endure it while he works the remaining pollen out of his system with your eager, dripping hole. 

Your senses return to you slowly. You’re only semi-aware of your surroundings as you finally feel him release you and step away, pulling out of your aching pussy and leaving what you can only assume is quite a mess between your thighs. He returns to his original seat on the exam table, helping you up to sit beside him without saying a word. You lean heavily into his larger body as the two of you recover in silence for a few minutes, grateful that the hero still has the strength to hold both of you up after such a difficult encounter. It takes you far too long to notice that he feels less feverish and his quirk is no longer activating without his control. You slowly manage to put the pieces together in your mind and sigh in relief just as a speaker in the corner turns on.

“We have some good news, number one. Your vitals are dropping back into your normal range, and you shouldn’t experience any lasting side effects.” There’s a pause, and your boss’s voice sounds slightly nervous. “Is our lab assistant...how is she?”

“I’ll live,” you joke weakly, throat uncomfortably raw and dry. “I could use some water and a change of clothes, if you’ve got it.”

You hear a flurry of movement. “Of course, we’ll get those for you right away. We’ll need to give both of you a thorough physical exam, and we’d prefer if you stayed the night for observation.” Your mouth opens to disagree, but you’re cut off. “Yes, you too. You’ve got valuable data on any possible side effects occur from secondhand exposure to the plant’s pollen.” You pout, but you can’t argue when that data is leaking out of you onto the table.

“Understood, sir. Oh, and while you’re here, I think this is a good time to discuss my salary and the possibility of a raise.” The speaker conveniently shuts off without an answer. Oh well, it was worth a shot. You’ve got a good feeling about your next paycheck.

[lepusrufus]

Double edged scalpel ch. 1

It's finally here fellas. 

Mandatory warnings: blood, gore, medical stuff and procedures (like...a lot), all the canon typical good and bloody stuff, past abuse and alcoholism, eventual nsfw, strong language.

----

Gold, red and white. With black outlines. A delicate floral pattern carefully embroidered, firm but not rough underfoot. Covering the better part of the room's dark, ancient looking floorboards. 

Memorizing every minute detail of the carpet she was standing on was probably better than to dare meet the piercing golden gaze of the castle's matriarch. At least Nicole hoped as much.

Lady Dimitrescu was sitting in front of her, the size of her chair making it look more akin to a throne, and took a long drag of her cigarette. Her eyes fixated on the girl in front of her, almost as if she could measure her worth by glance alone. And in all honesty, she probably could. After a long, drawn out exhale of smoke, the Lady finally spoke. 

"You do seem to have an...interesting set of skills that could prove itself useful. That is, assuming you're being truthful." 

Nicole's eyes went wide, shock thankfully hidden by her long fringe. She had no documents on her, no way of proving anything about her past. Trying to remember the whereabouts of at least her passport only brought forth a vague memory of drunkenly stumbling in a hotel room that made her cringe internally.

She was about to stammer an excuse, a convincing one she hoped, when a small chorus of giggles came from beyond the closed door. The sound proved to be more interesting than her existence, as the Lady turned her gaze towards the door and waited. Waited for three other women, all in long black robes, to enter the room. 

The redhead and brunette seemed to be bickering amongst themselves, while the blonde made a beeline for her mother and passed her a sealed envelope. 

"Oh thank you. I will take a look in a moment." 

"Who's that?" The redhead, Daniela she deducted, finally took her attention off her sister long enough to notice the room’s other occupant. 

"Our newest maid, dears. I was just thinking about what task to give her." 

Daniela's eyes gave her a once over and Nicole gulped slightly. "Oh, mother! Have her clean the library!" 

"There's already a maid assigned to that," the eldest, Bela, pointed out. 

"I have a better idea." Cassandra finally spoke up, before her mother had a chance to intervene in her daughters' back and forth. 

The brunette leaned down slightly, close to her mother's ear and whispered something that Nicole could never dream of deciphering. But if the smile that soon followed on red painted lips was of any indication, the middle daughter's idea was brilliant. Or dreadful, depending on your perspective. 

"Very well. But you'll supervise her, you know that part of the castle is off limits for the staff." 

"Gladly," was Cassandra's response, voice full of mirth. 

"Just one thing," Lady Dimitrescu said, opening a drawer from the desk next to her and pulling out a key. "The key to your chambers. For after you've completed your duties."

Nicole took the key with a slight bow and a thank you, my Lady, and unceremoniously shoved it in her pocket, hoping it wouldn't fall throughout the day. 

Well that seemed to have gone well, as far as interviews for a job at a castle full of horrors go. Though she really had hoped not to deal with the daughters so soon, let alone be stuck following the family sadist down long corridors to who knows where, only stopping to ask another maid for cleaning supplies along the way.

Beautiful hallways, ornate with priceless paintings, gave way to more barren ones, where the wallpaper had peeled ever so slightly in places and the floor, now stone, had an occasional red stain that whoever was in charge of cleaning this part of the castle did not bother with. They walked until reaching a set of heavy double doors. Despite the slight state of disrepair of the hallway leading up to them, the doors looked extremely well kept. Not a speck of rust on the metal frame nor the lock. The wood looked sturdy and polished, if not for a few almost imperceptible scratches. And the Dimitrescu crest, cut through the middle so half of it was on each door, the flower petals shiny in the low light and beautifully detailed. 

Cassandra rummaged through a hidden pocket for a couple of seconds and pulled out an old fashioned key. With a grin, she wasted no time in unlocking the doors and pushing one of them open, enough for the two of them to pass through. Then, just as quickly, the doors were locked again with a click. 

The pair descended on a precariously slippery set of stairs, Nicole praying that she wouldn't drop the bucket of water she was now carrying, until they were deep within the bowels of the castle.

She was sure they were headed towards the cells, just slightly out of view across a short dark corridor, but then Cassandra took a sudden right turn. She looked downright giddy. Like a little girl on her way to get her favorite ice cream, walking ahead with a spring in her step. Except her steps turned into menacing echoes, encompassing them in an almost suffocating manner. 

At the end of the hallway, Cassandra threw open a smaller set of doors, doing a dramatic spin in the center of the room.

"Welcome to my little… work room. It's quite lovely, but unfortunately a pain to keep clean." The sadness in her expression was nothing more than a poorly concealed act. An act that she didn't care much for keeping up, as she went into a fit of giggles right after finishing her sentence. 

Said room was decently sized, a long desk running across one of the walls, while the opposite one had a wide variety of weapons in varying degrees of dirtiness. On another wall various devices that looked very much for torture and very much well used were hanging from hooks or long nails. And finally-...oh.

Oh.

On the far side of the room, two autopsy tables were lined, head end against the wall, their metal surface glistening slightly under the blood -both old and new- splattered on them. 

And Nicole was supposed to clean this bloody mess. 

"I want every tool in this room sparkling clean, including the tables," the brunette said with a wicked smile.

"Of course, my lady." With a slight bow of her head, Nicole started with the weapons. 

A sword, a dagger, a very old looking scythe, another sword but this one made to be welded with two hands and countless more. All with various amounts of blood dried on them. Blood that was surprisingly easy to clean off, aside from a couple more rusty blades. Whatever cleaning products they used, it was clearly very effective at cleaning gory messes. Shocker.

After finishing that portion of the room, Nicole moved to the adjacent wall, where the torture devices were hanging. She started wiping a vaguely human shaped metal frame when she heard light shuffling. It took a decent amount of self control to stay focused on the task at hand and not flinch when Cassandra was suddenly behind her, leaning down next to her ear. She was so close that her brunette hair was lightly brushing against Nicole's cheek, in an annoyingly ticklish manner. So close that Nicole got a faint whiff of roses from the perfume most likely applied earlier that day. It would have been nice if it weren't drowned out by a familiar metallic scent. To the brunette's defense though, it was hard to tell whether the blood scent was from her or from the room itself. 

After a few eternally long seconds of just hovering there, Cassandra finally spoke.

"This is one of my favorites." She caressed the metal surface the same way one would a puppy’s head. "We strap men to this, cut their wrists open and let them bleed out." The sentence was finished with a sinister cackle. 

It would have crept Nicole out too, if it weren't for the one thought that immediately jumped to the forefront of her mind. That's so ineffective. She weighed her options, with Cassandra still hovering over her shoulder in a position that couldn't have been comfortable given their height difference, and spoke tentatively. 

"Wouldn't the femoral artery be more efficient…?" 

The other girl froze for a second, narrowing her eyes and then scoffed, finally raising back up. 

"Who wants efficiency? The point is to prolong their suffering." 

She then dramatically plopped down in a chair, occupying herself with sharpening the curved blade of a sickle. She threw the occasional pointed look at Nicole each time she moved from one device to another to see if it would get a reaction out of her. It didn’t.

The devices were clean and it was time for the autopsy tables. Muscle memory kicked in and the metal surface was expertly wiped, blood and bits of flesh cleaned from every nook and cranny. After that she bent down to pull out the drainage tanks in which blood and bodily fluids accumulated. A piece of advice from what felt like an eternity ago screamed in her mind. When in doubt, hold your breath! And she did. Being used to the smell of decay did not mean being immune to it, and gagging in front of your new employee was quite the bad first impression. Luckily, it wasn't nearly as bad as she expected. Aside from some old stagnant blood, the tanks were otherwise clean. She washed both in the sink nearby and put them back in place with a content smile, hidden by the fact that her back was towards the other girl. When she turned around, Cassandra was scowling, sickle abandoned in her lap in favour of angrily drumming her gloved fingers on the desk's surface. A cold shiver ran down Nicole's spine, sure that she was about to get impaled by that very sickle in the next few seconds. When the brunette rose to her feet, she made peace with the fact that that was how she was going to die. In the humid basement of a medieval castle, on the first day of her job there. But Cassandra didn't approach her. Instead she paced around the room, scrutinizing eyes going over each and every instrument and, finally, on the now reflective surface of the tables. Her golden gaze then zeroed in on Nicole and, with a hint of a growl in her voice, said: 

"Alright. We're done here. Follow." 

Without sparing her another look, she unceremoniously threw open the doors and started walking down the corridor they had previously traversed. Nicole almost had to do a light jog to keep up with Cassandra's long strides, the glee in her posture now completely gone and replaced by frustration.

After exiting the dungeons and getting back to the more populated areas of the castle, Cassandra called out for the first maid that crossed their path. 

"You. Show this one to her quarters," she ordered and took off before the girl even had a chance to finish her yes, my lady.

Nicole and the other girl stood there for a couple seconds, until Cassandra's form dissipated into a swarm of insects and disappeared around a corner. Then the air seemed to be lighter, the threat of death no longer looming over their heads but reduced to a whispered reminder at the back of their minds. 

The pair strolled in silence down hallways that Nicole tried to commit to memory, until they reached a set of doors, modest, yet as elegant as the rest of the castle. Beyond them was a large room, with sofas and coffee tables for the staff to gather around with the central space left open. The large windows, occupying the better part of the wall to their left, sported beautifully intricate patterns of tinted glass, held together by heavy iron frames. Nicole mentally scoffed, realizing that she was looking at over glorified window bars and followed the other maid inside. 

"Do you have the key to your room?" 

Nicole pulled the key from her pants' pocket, pants that were now stained and dirty. Could've at least let me change, sheesh. The other girl took one look at the number engraved on the key and motioned for Nicole to follow her down one of the two corridors that opened up on the far side of the room. 

It almost reminded her of the hotels she and her family stayed at during her childhood. Dark hallways with doors on each side, the occasional person scurrying to their room and the big communal area. Except this looked far older and, in a weird way, cozier. 

Nicole came close to crashing into the other maid when she abruptly stopped and opened one of the doors, revealing a small room equipped with the necessary furniture for one person. 

"Well, look on the bright side: you get your own room." The other girl hummed, handing her the key. "I should get you your uniform. Size?" 

"Uh..an S please." 

In the five minutes it took the other maid to return, Nicole had time to take in her new home. She also noticed that someone had already placed her duffle bag near the bed. A sigh of relief left her lips at the small consolation that at least the few belongings she brought with her were here. Including her phone. 

"Huh. I thought they'd take it-" she had a better look at the screen. "Ah. No service. Of course." 

Not that she needed service for anything. The whole point of being there was to be as far as possible from anyone, but being able to check the news would've been nice. 

"Here you go!" She was snapped out of her thoughts by the maid’s way too cheerful tone. 

Nicole rushed to help with the stack of clothing and, once they were safely on the bed, the other girl spoke.

"There's seven uniforms, one for each day. Laundry is done on Mondays. Two pairs of flats and…" She trailed off pointing at a small wooden basket she had brought with the clothes. "Some toiletries and essentials. There's a perfume and broche with the family crest in there that I advise you make use of. The Lady likes her staff at a certain standard." 

Nicole nodded along and sat on the bed, finally letting exhaustion settle into her bones. The last few weeks had been a blurry hell. Everything from running away, to traveling, to coming to the village and finally the castle. She felt ready to curl up under a blanket and sleep for two weeks. But alas, she couldn’t afford the luxury of such rest. She almost forgot that she wasn’t alone in the room, until its other occupant spoke up.

"Oh by the way, what's your name?" 

"Nicole," she answered, extending a hand. 

"A pleasure to meet you. Anita," the other girl shook it with a warm smile.

[azuregiggles]

The Bold and The Honk: Ler!George Lee!Karl

With a brief Ler!Quackity, Ler!Dream and Ler!SapNap

ALL PLATONIC

Author Notes: Sorry this took a bit longer than I thought it would! But it's finally here!!!

Words: 3314

WARNINGS: Swearing, I think that's it let me know if you think something else should be a warning.

SUMMARY: George is in a rather big Ler mood and is desperate to wreck someone. Lucky for him there are four others in the Feral household and so his search for a lee begins.

It was a rather ordinary day in the feral boys household each man was doing something rather independently. Dream was taking his fifth nap of the day though it was only noon. SapNap was editing in his office. Quackity was practicing making a few different dishes for a cooking stream they all had planned for later in the week and Karl was assisting him. That left George.

He was supposed to be working on his most recent video for his seemingly neglected YouTube channel but he just couldn’t get up the momentum he needed in order to focus. His mind was far too busy putting him in a very interesting mood. He watched his own fingers tap away at the keys and couldn’t help but imagine the squeaks and giggles it would make rather than its ‘click clack’ if it were a person beneath his fingers instead.

He leaned back in his chair, fingers running through his already messy hair. This only made him think of Karl and how he’d melt if someone lightly scratched his head. A fond smile crossed his lips. Living among the four other men he’d grown accustomed to the various and constant forms of affection. If any of them wanted a specific affection such as to cuddle there was always another Feral around to ensure they were helped and happy.

Gogy’s mind wandered back to tickling and how much it meant to the five of them. If ever one of them was in need of cheering up or just a smile this was a much favored method to get the crew back into a chipper mindset. Occasionally one of them would even ask to be on the receiving end and the friends would oblige with no questions. George was in the opposite mood however. He wanted to be on the giving end of things right now. He felt as though he needed it.

George was rarely one to be in a lee mood. He was often neutral until one of the others was under attack, then he’d join the offensive. Right now though, he was far from neutral, he was completely in a ler mood and ready to wreck someone. He trudged his way down the hall to Dream’s room and poked his head in the door. The green hooded man had clearly just woken up, his hair was tousled and his eyes were struggling to stay open. George tapped lightly on the door. Looking up Dream groaned jokingly “Ewwww what do you want?”

“I need you to help me with a certain mood I’m in?”

“What mood exactly?”

George stepped into the room until he was next to Dream “I’m in a ler mood and I really wanna tickle someone. You’ll help me right, Dreamy?” He poked his friend in the side.

“Absolutely nahahat! I just woke up! Go awahay!” The green one giggled and gave George a playful shove towards the door. George moved over to him again and ruffled his already messy hair with a grin.

“Fine sleepyhead, but don’t come to me with your next lee mood. I won’t be nice about it.”

“Whatever just get outta here dumbass.” Dream chuckled, swatting the offending hand away.

George decided to leave and continue his search for his next victim. Next he checked with Sap who was content at his desk. He leaned over the man’s shoulder. “Saaappppp” he whined.

“Geeoorrrggggeeeee” Sapnap mockingly whined back. “What’s up Gogs?”

“Can you help meee?”

“With what? Be specific.” Sap chuckled, eyes on the screen. George placed his hands on the ravenette’s sides, who tensed and smiled.

“I wanna tickle someone, like wreck them.”

“I’m editing go tickle Dream!” He playfully swatted Gogy’s hands away.

“He’s just woken up and won’t let me.”

“Then try Quackity.”

“He’s cooking.”

“Then tickle Karl, you know he loves it.” Sap giggled and pushed his friend towards the door “We can’t all procrastinate Gogs, I need to finish this video.” The door closed on him, Sap had returned to editing.

Editing had its own kind of fun but nothing would entertain the streamer the way his friends’ reactions did. SapNap was the proudest of the bunch, always holding out on laughing for as long as possible and will deny any compliments till the bitter end. Would have been an excellent target.

Dream was a screamer, his constant wheezing and endless sass made him an interesting lee to say the least. He always claimed to hate being tickled but the word ‘stop’ seemed to leave his vocabulary at the smallest poke. Unfortunately he was still drowsy and as such off the list.

Quackity was an involuntary fighter, the kind you have to pin a bit if you don’t wanna get punched or kicked. His hysterical laughter is always filled with a sailor’s worth of swearing no matter how much fun he’s having. George didn’t feel like getting potentially injured though. Another lee bites the dust.

Karl, on the other hand, was pure gold. The most ticklish, easily flustered by compliments and teasing but also not too embarrassed to admit that he loves the affectionate bonding that was tickling. His laughter was always full of cute noises like hiccups and snorts. But above all, since he enjoyed it, he was the one of George’s friends who could last the longest. Perfect.

Sir Not Found made his way to the basement, the Feral Cave as they all called it. With large sofas for streaming console games together and a large kitchen for cooking streams like the one Quackity was currently preparing for. Karl was presently attempting to flip an omelet and failing miserably.

“Oi! It’s a wild Gogy! In my kitchen!? The fuck is this!?” Quackity announced George’s arrival.

“Hey George! Wanna watch me pop off? I’m the omelet flipping champion.” Karl boasted and Quack rolled his eyes.

“You’ve dropped that same egg blob like five times, good thing no ones gonna eat it, they’d die on the first bite.” Quack told him.

George, who hadn’t said a word, walked into the kitchen and behind Karl. He slipped his arms around his friend’s waist and rested his chin on his shoulder.

“Uhhuh George?” Karl’s tone was nervous and giddy. “Everything okay?”

George decided not to beat around the bush “I’m in a terrible ler mood. Lemme tickle you?” He gently poised his hands on Karl’s sides.

Karl froze and his cheeks turned red “Wh-What? How can you just ask that?” The room was already filled with his nervous giggles. He tensed in George’s hold, anticipating an attack. “B-Besides I’m helping Quack right now.”

“Oooh Karl’s in trouble Gogy’s in his bold arc!” Quackity teased. “You can have him Gogs, he’s a terrible sous chef anyway!”

“Hey!” Karl protested.

“Pleeaaasssseee Karl?” George tightened his hold, effectively hugging the other man who slightly melted into his arms.

“Oh fu-honk, okay. Please just-“ he was cut off as he was promptly thrown over George’s shoulder and carried towards the couches. His sweater paws now covered his face. He let out a yelp as he was plopped onto the sofa.

“Damn Gogy, you’re down bad. Must be one hell of a ler mood. Karl you’re so fucked” Quackity called from across the room.

Karl was far too giggly to respond. He covered his face and squirmed as George sat on his waist. “I don’t know where this mood came from. I just really needed to wreck someone. I tried Sap but he’s editing and told me to ask Karl because Karl. Loves. Being. Tickled. So. So. Much.” If there were any doubt that Karl was blushing before there was no room for argument now, with each word George poked Karl in the ribs, sending him into a giggle fit full of squeaks as his face flushed red.

“Sahahap is duhuhumb.” Karl offered.

“Mm-hm, and you’re ticklish! Now where’s that adorable laughter Karl? Please don’t keep me waiting. Your face has gone red you’re like a raspberry!” George reminded him by tasering his sides, earning a squeal. “Any specific requests from our little web star i-Karlee?”

Karl was in tease hell. When did George come up with a nickname like that!? His blush began to spread up to his ears and he made a series of flustered sputters as he tried to form words. He shook his head no.

“So I can just go for it?”

Karl nodded.

“Do you want me to start slow or wreck you? Your face is getting darker, how cute! Is that red Quackity? I need help confirming since I’m colorblind” George wiggled his fingers in the air.

More sputters left Karl’s lips. When did Gogy get so good at teasing? “I-I do-don’t” he squealed again as his sides were tasered once more.

“That’s not an answer~”

“J-Juhuhust” Karl tried to think through his giggles. He would die if this teasing continued. Unsure if he could handle being wrecked immediately he chose what he thought was the safer option. “Slohohow fihihirst”

“Aww~ anything for you i-Karlee!” George started by lightly scratching along his friend’s lower belly.

“Nahahaha!” Karl covered his mouth and snorted.

“Oh~ how adorable, you sound just like techno! Do it again!” George scratched around Karl’s navel.

“George NOHO!” He squealed and kicked his legs out behind the ravenette above him. Trying his best to not snort again he grabbed a nearby pillow and used it to muffle the noise.

“Now now, don’t hide from me Karl. You’ll only make it worse~” he teased and pinched along Karl’s lower rib, just enough to make him let go of the pillow. Karl snorted again as George returned his attention to his navel.

“Oh? Does this little piggy have a ticklish button? This one here?” He poked his finger inside and wiggled it around.

A small cackle resounded from the brunette “NAHAHA dohohoHOHOnt!” He whined and squirmed left to right.

“I believe the rhyme goes whee whee whee whee all the way home Karl” wriggling digits spidered up Karls sides and ribs, right to his armpits. Arms snapped down as bubbly laughter filled the air. “Do you think this is a good home for them?”

“OHOHOUT! G-GEHEHET OUT! NOHOHAHAHA” Karl bucked up and down trying to wrench the attacking fingers from his hallows.

“I’d love to but it seems as though I’m stuck here. What am I to do Karl? You’ve trapped me.”

“SLOHOHOW DOHOHOWN” Karl pleaded and snorted once more his face scrunched.

“Alright but you’ll have to lift your arms if I do~” Gogy warned him but slowed down to give his friend a breather.

Very hesitant arms lifted to free George's hands. As promised Gogy removed his hands from Karl’s armpits and began scanning for his next target. Karl took deep breaths and closed his eyes as he giggled and rubbed away the phantom tickles.

“Would you like to play a little game i-Karlee?”

“Whahat kind ohohof game?” He blushed at the nickname.

“It’s simple really, you keep your arms up as I count your ribs. If you snort I start over, If you bring your arms down that’s ten seconds of tickling on your worst spot.”

“You’re evil”

“That’s not a no Karl~”

“Sh-shut up”

“Is that a yes?”

“I… I mean-... It’s more of a…”

“Arms uuup~ up, up ,up.” George coaxed him and smirked.

Karl’s arms betrayed him as he felt his head rest on his hands, his arms up and behind his head. He knew he’d never made it through this counting game before without his arms coming down. He knew it was a trap and yet he couldn’t help the anticipatory giggles that poured from his mouth.

“Wow you must be in a lee mood if you’re being this obligatory. I’m honored.”

Karl avoided eye contact, his blush returning.

“Awww~ I knew he’d be willing to help you George” Sapnap’s voice came from the kitchen where he was now helping Quackity clean. “Karl loves to be tickled.”

“Is that what all the noise is?” A still half-awake Dream fumbled down the stairs and flopped onto his beanbag chair that was just out of view of their stream setup. Karl’s hands moved back to covering his face.

“It certainly is Dream! He’s helping me with my Ler mood.” Gogy supplied.

“Aww~ How sweet of him. Oh my god, look at how red he is.” He scoffed, “Since he loves to be tickled so much it’s a win win. Having fun Karl?” Dream chuckled and watched the two from afar. The glint in his eye made Karl nervous again.

“Now where were we?” George returned his attention to a very flustered Jacobs “Ah yes~ Put those arms back up, please.”

A tiny squeak and the raising of arms was all Gogy needed to begin. He started at the top rib, knowing that, when it came to his ribs, Karl’s were more ticklish the lower they were. Karl gave a surprised squeal and began to wiggle around, his arms already threatened to drop.

“Oooonnneee~ stay still for me okay i-Karlee?”

“i-Karlee? Really George” Sap laughed “that’s so dumb.”

“Twooo~ such a pretty laugh”

“Karl seems to like it~” Quackity chimed in.

“Threeeee~! You’re changing color again. Is it magic?”

“Aww does little Jacobs love his new nickname?” Dream added to the verbal assault.

“SHUT THE HONK UP” Karl was losing it. All of his friends' teasing was getting to him far more than the actual tickling. “Plehehehease! You buhuhunch of nihihimrods! I’m gohohonna dihihiie”

“That’s not very nice Karl!” George smirked as he continued counting ribs silently “you should apologize~”

Karl shook his head no. He knew what he was getting into.

“Oh? Feeling sassy all of a sudden?”

“You gonna take that from a lee George?” Dream instigated, ignoring the slow rise of butterflies in his own stomach. The tickling stopped.

“What are you dohohoing?” Karl gave nervous glances to both of them. He’d expected to be wrecked, not ignored.

“Apologize or you’ll be punished” George told him.

“Try me” Karl taunted.

“Oh I’m not going to tickle you into apologizing, quite the opposite actually.”

“What? How does that-?”

“If you don’t apologize no one gets to tickle you for a week. Even if you ask.”

“That’s just evil Gogy you know Karl can’t go a day without a lee mood” Sapnap added.

“Holy shit, Gogy’s villain arc!? Ooohhh you better apologize Karl~” Quackity watched them with excitement.

“Well what’s it gonna be?” George looked at Karl again “say sorry and I’ll wreck you properly” wiggling fingers hovered over Karl’s lower ribs.

“O-okay I’m sorry.” Karl hid his face again “please tickle me” he squirmed in place. A flood of adoring comments from the other four men filled his ears. Karl’s face returned to a lovely shade of red as he sputtered and giggled.

“Aww he even said please, now you gotta ruin him good Gogs.” Quackity laughed.

“I intend to. You three help me a bit?” George ignored Karl’s giggly protests “don’t tickle him, just tease.”

The trio grinned and gathered around. Sapnap was behind Karl, arms around his waist. Dream was on his beanbag he’d dragged over beside the couch. Quackity was laying on the back of the sofa. George, in front of Karl, positioned his hands on the brunettes knees.

“Ready Karl?” George asked him in a teasy tone but wanted to make sure he wasn’t crossing a line.

Pulling his hood over his eyes, giggling frantically, Karl nodded. A shriek was caught in his laughter as it began. George kneaded the spot above each knee and scribbled beneath them whenever the chance arose. He grinned at the bubbly laughter filled the air, mixed with snorts and cackles. Now this was the kind of lee interaction he’d needed.

“Awwww, how cute your knees are so sensitive~” SapNap cooed directly into his ear.

“How is your laughter so sweet Karl. I literally don’t understand how it can be so endearing” Quackity chimed in from his perch. George was currently kneading Karl’s sides making the younger squeal in lighthearted protest. Tears of mirth streamed down his cheeks.

“Better not let the fans see you blush like this Karl~” Dream chuckled “They’d lose their shit. Imagine Karl can’t open social media without see everyone saying how adorable he is~”

Another shriek pierced the air as hands squeezed Karl’s hips on rapid fire. Karl leaned back into Sapnap to avoid bucking away from the touch. Sap chuckled and blew gently on his ears, not touching him but it tickled Karl just enough to make him scrunch up his shoulders and kick out his legs a bit.

All the while Dream and Quackity continued to ruffle Karl’s hair and showered him with teasing words and praise. “Aww was that a snort Karlos~”

“You look like you’re loving this Karl~”

Karl’s struggling car to a stop and he melted into the sofa and Sap’s embrace. His mind was really foggy but he knew he was happy. He felt safe even in moments like this because he knew his friends would never take it too far. Three people teasing as one wrecked him physically was a new but welcomed experience for the lee. After another couple of minutes the tickling was only a gentle skittering across his neck, making him melt as he caught his breath,

“I think I’m satisfied, how about you Karl? Did you get your fill?” George checked.

“Uhuhuh just ohohone more tihihing?” Karl giggled shyly.

A flood of awes filled the air, making him hide his face once again.

“And what would that be?~” George paused for an answer.

“R-Raspberries” A familiar heat arose to his features.Due to keeping his face in his sweater paws Karl missed the mischievous grins and looks that passed between the other four. A silent plan formed.

“What!? Gogy forgot your raspberries? How rude, don’t worry I’ve got your back Karl.~” Sap said into his ear. Karl knew exactly what that tone was and barely had time to speak before a raspberry was blow onto his neck by Sapnap.

“SAHAHAP WHAHAT THE HEHEHELL?”

“Oi! Look what you’ve done Nappitus!” Quackity was using his chef voice again “You’ve upset Karl and made ’im sweah! You should know his favorite spot is right ‘ere!” With that he blew a raspberry upon Karl’s ribs.

“QUAHAHAHCK STAHAHAHAP” Karls shriekd but made no attempt to escape.

“You’re doing it wrong it’s riiight here~” Dream took in a huff of air.

Karl’s hands shot down from his face just in time to see his roommates’s lips reach his side “DREHEHEAM NOHOHOOOO- ACK” His whine was cut off by a yelp and a flood out loud, bright laughter. Dream smirked and continued.

“Now, now we should all know that Karl’s belly is his favorite~” George had to speak loudly to be heard over the symphony of sensations that were currently driving poor Karl insane. Karl squirmed and sputtered half hearted protests as George leaned down and took in a large breath. The vibrations sent a shock through Karl’s core and left him laughing silently. A chorus of raspberries on his four worst yet favorite spots was causing him to feel exhausted. Noticing this his quartet of lers each gave him one last raspberry before helping him rub away the phantom tickles. They all hugged him and showered him with praise for holding out.

“Thahahahat was mehehean” Karl giggled and hiccuped in the pile of an embrace.

“Was it too much?” George asked, a bit worried. Karl blushed and shook his head no.

“Did you love it Karl~?” Dream chided. Karl nodded, sweater paws covering his face.

“Awwww~ Karlos~” Quackity hugged him a bit tighter.

“Sh-shut up” Karl couldn’t hide the grin in his voice and the group laughed together. They stayed piled up for a while but eventually Dream and Quackity wandered off leaving Sapnap stranded under George and Karl who had managed to fall asleep on top of him.

[solitaria-fantasma]

"Me and my dog are here to find your bullshit."

Vivi and to a lesser extent Mystery to the Justice League during a moment were Gawain decided they need the backup so he them for help. After being briefed of the situation, this is essentially Vivi's mood about the situation.

Green Lantern turned a very unimpressed side-eye to Gawain at this statement, but the robot only shrugged.

"Look, she may not be the tactful one, but she is the expert." He argued. Whether she heard the comment or not, Vivi marched over to the table that had been pushed into the middle of the room, and dropped her back onto it with a heavy 'thunk'. The estate manager winced at the sound of something heavy striking the antique table, and bit the inside of his cheek to bite back a comment.

A few dents to 180 year old burnished mahogany was worth the saving of the entire estate.

"Oh, yeah. That's a class-B wraith alright." Vivi started pulling items and papers out of her bag as she watched the security cameras pulled up on the hastily compiled monitoring set-up, taking note of objects being thrown in distant rooms, and the dark, shadowy mass prowling the halls that appeared humanoid one moment, then monstrous the next. "Looks like he's had a couple months to stew, too." Vivi looked back over her shoulder. "Gawain, you've dealt with these before. Why did you need me?"

"The estate called in a priest a few months earlier to try and contain the beastie to just the basement, and it didn't quite work the way they'd hoped." Gawain explained. "Unfortunately, all the wards are impassable to spirits from the wrong side, so the wraith can get out and about, but I'm not able to get into the basement."

"And my ring has little to no effect on it." Green Lantern added, looking down at the ring in question with a quiet scowl. He rarely ever encountered serious problems with this particular weaknesses of his power ring, and the fact that he was basically powerless against this threat because it happened to be yellow was really getting under his skin.

"Weird." Vivi's eyes lit up in that way they always did when new knowledge was at her fingertips. "The researcher in me wants to know why, but that's probably a superhero secret, right?"

"Uh, right." Green Lantern blinked. Mystery, who had, thus far, been standing quietly at Vivi's feet, stood up on his hind legs and put his paws on the table to see the security footage for himself. The estate manager winced again.

"So far, the wraith seems to only attack people when they enter his line of sight." Gawain told Vivi, hovering over her shoulder as if looking at the cameras, though his focus was directed more toward the sound of something smashing in a distant room. The maid standing beside the estate manager yelped at the sound, and cowered behind him. "Even turning a corner in a hallway or closing a door will cause him to lose interest. He's tearing up the building like a tornado, though."

"That makes sense." Vivi nodded. "I did some quick research on the way over - this place was recently renovated for sale, right?" She looked over at the estate manager, who nodded in response. "So the wraith is probably furious with all the changes....wallpaper, light fixtures, furniture, paint colors....any of them could be a trigger.

"What are we supposed to do, then? Just let him have it?" The estate manager asked in despair. Vivi shook her head.

"Oh, not at all. He lost his privilege to talk things out when he did that." She waved a hand at the maid's arm, wrapped up in a makeshift sling to keep the broken bones aligned. "He's getting evicted tonight, whether he likes it or not. But things are going to get worse before they get better." Her smile turned into a much more serious line, and she turned fully to look at the shivering maid and the estate manager.

"I'm going to have to ask you and any other civilians still on the premises to evacuate." She told them. "Just to the end of the driveway should be enough. Keep everyone there, and don't come back inside until you see us come out, alright?"

"Alright." The estate manager nodded helplessly. A mere six months ago, he had been scoffing at the idea of ghosts and demons...but perhaps, if he'd taken them more seriously then, the problem wouldn't have grown so large, and no-one would have gotten hurt. Without arguing, he wrapped a loose arm around the maid's shoulders, and guided her out of the dining room, leaving the heroes alone. Gawain waited until he heard the foyer doors close, and then lowered himself back to the floor.

"No Arthur or Lewis today?" He asked.

"No," Said Mystery, earning himself a startled look from Green Lantern. "They're both still out in Sigil City, trying to mediate the financial dispute between the Notluf Green Haunting Co. and the Museum of Sigil History. They're going to be out there for a week, at least."

"Besides, they don't like to take wraith cases, anyway." Vivi opened the heaviest of her leather-bound notebooks, and began flipping through pages filled with words and symbols that Green Lantern only vaguely recognized, at times. "I don't suppose you know which archangel that priest invoked when setting up the wards around the basement?"

"Barachiel." Green Lantern spoke up. "Gawain and I found this old newspaper in one of the deeper rooms that talked about the guy who built this place." He recalled. "He was a foster child who converted to Christianity later in his life, and collected all kinds of artwork featuring the patron saint of family and converts."

"All of which have remained untouched." Gawain added on. "Not a single portrait, statue, or stained glass window of Barachiel has gotten so much as a scratch since this rampage began."

"Interesting..." Vivi flipped to a new page in the notebook, and pulled a blue pen out of the sleeve of her sweater, to immediately pop the cap off and begin writing something. "Alright, give me a few secons to figure out how to get that basement ward flipped right side out. Then, we can work on trapping this wraith in the basement as he should have been."

"What happens then?" Green Lantern asked, silently watching Vivi's pen fly across the paper. "We can't just leave something this dangerous in a basement for unsuspecting people to stumble across."

"Then we try to reason with him." Gawain explained with a tilt of his head. "Anger aside, this wraith is, at his core, lost and confused; he probably doesn't even fully understand that he's passed, and he's seeing his familiar surroundings be torn up and completely changed by people who won't listen to or even acknowledge him. If we can just get him to calm down enough, we might still be able to talk some sense into him."

"And if we can't?" Green Lantern asked. He didn't mean to dampen Gawain's optimism - in fact, he quite admired it. Unfailing hope for a better outcome was a rare commodity, these days.

"Then we take more drastic measures." Mystery spoke up again, though his eyes remained fixed on the security footage. Vivi's writing paused, for a moment, and Gawain stilled. "It's not ideal, but we cannot let this tantrum cause any more bodily harm than it already has. It's best for everyone that this end as quickly as possible, whichever way it may end."

"Here," Vivi ripped the paper out of her notebook, and used the pen to mark it's page as she flipped it shut. "I think I've got it. Gawain, Lantern (sir)," She turned to face the two heroes. "I need the two of you to keep the wraith distracted while I fix the basement wards. He's not going to like me getting so close to his 'lair', but if you can keep him distracted long enough, then the next time he retreats back there, the wards should hold him in."

"Like a Scooby-Doo chase scene?" Green Lantern asked. Gawain barked out a short laugh. "I think we can manage that. How long do you need us to play tag?"

"Only five minutes." Vivi rolled up the paper, and tucked it into the sleeve of her sweater. "But the wraith is going to get angrier and angrier the longer I'm that deep in his territory, so it's going to be a long five minutes."

"I'll cue up the music." Gawain joked, rising slightly off the floor to muffle the thud of his metal footsteps. Green Lantern held up his ring, prompting it to emit a soft, green glow, and the group split up.

[elsdaydreams]

The Party

Altair x Gender-Neutral Reader

Warnings - Drinking

Word Count - 1515 words.

Description - Your coworker has finally convinced you go to a party, to enjoy your youth. While you're a little unsure at first, the host ensures it's not a complete waste of time.

Authors Notes - Part four of rewriting my old works. In the original piece, Altair was a major douchebag in a way that didn't make sense. And while older me agrees Altair definitely has douchebag vibes (especially when he's younger), I'd like to think that it's more of a dry, sarcastic sense of humor that people take the wrong way. I forget where I've mentioned this before, but I really see Altair as a intimate, private kind of guy. I think he'd take a long time getting to know you before making a romantic move. He takes things slow and steady, but if you're looking, you'll find hints of romantic interest. Didn't realize this a/n turned into a headcanon. Alright y'all, hope you enjoy this! Ella.

If you were being honest, an overcrowded party out of someone's basement wasn't really your scene. What was the most surprising, to you at least, was that it might be for someone else. After weeks of begging, your coworker, Leigh, had finally convinced you to have a night out on the town. Her argument? That you were only young once - and if you really didn't like it, she'd go home too.

And, while you had been a little nervous, it was easier with someone else by your side. She showed you the ropes with practiced ease, quickly finding the booze and mixing something for both of you. After downing a few sips, a warm buzz flowed through your body. It didn't take much to let you feel the effects, so you decided to take it slow. Side by side, the two of you chatted for a little bit, drinking till most of your cup was empty.

The environment was much different than you had imagined it. For some reason, you had equated a party with the club scene. Your eyes floated around the room, looking to see if you recognized anyone else. Unfortunately for you, you knew no one else there, but it was nice to pretend as if you were waiting for someone.

Across the room, you eyed a group of rowdy boys, all of them obviously familiar. You found your eyes falling to the only one who wasn't shouting. Awkwardly, he caught your gaze as if he'd had a sixth sense. You could only smile sheepishly in return.

"Not so bad," Leigh grinned, eyes twinkling in a prideful way. Unaware of the awkward eye contact, you brushed it away.

Mostly, she was excited to show you what she spent so much time talking about. For her, introducing you to what she considered an integral part of growing up, was just about the most exciting thing to happen this month.

With the smile still on your face, you turned back towards her. You narrowed your eyes, not necessarily wanting to give her the satisfaction.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," you offered, with maximum effort to maintain a nonchalance.

The fact that you really didn't know anyone became abundantly clear as more people came up, greeting Leigh. The girl next to you was a social butterfly, most people making their way over to say greet her, and then eventually, you'd get an introduction. Another girl, who introduced herself to you as Becca, lingered a lot closer to her, for a lot longer than most.

The two girls shared a rather flirty exchange, and you'd mentally dipped out about a minute and a half earlier. In a robotic motion, you'd brought the cup up to your lips, only then realizing that you'd had nothing left. About sick of the third-wheeling, you excused yourself to get a refill. Even still, you weren't sure either of them heard you over their lovesick glances.

Either way, you'd hear all about it tomorrow. Grabbing a half-empty bottle of vodka, you'd poured in only one shot into the cup. Filling the rest about halfway with a mixer, you thought that Leigh probably wasn't going to be headed home anytime soon. You were almost finished making your drink when an arm bumped into your own, eyes shooting up towards the offending person.

"Excuse me," he'd said, offering a smirk that was anything but apologetic.

You raised your eyebrows, a small smile lighting up your features, "right."

A moment of silence passed, you raised the cup to your lips and took a generous sip.

He leaned closer to you as the music began climbing in volume, "you're Leigh's friend, right?"

The night was slowly progressing, and the more alcohol people consumed, the louder everything became. Despite the noise, which you realized you hadn't minded all that much, all of your other senses were very much intact.

You nodded your head softly, and in exchange offered your name.

It took a moment before he repeated it, solid brown eyes meeting your own.

"Pretty," he murmured, only slightly turning his attention to pouring the alcohol into his cup. His eyes focused back onto you without enough time for you to wish away the warm blush coating your cheeks.

Shaking your head just slightly, you turned your eyes to the table again. Another firm swallow of your drink before you turned your attention back onto the mystery man that knew Leigh.

"What about you," you ventured, eyebrows cocked up, "you got a name?"

He'd set the bottle down again, picking up his own drink and taking a sip.

"Most people do," he deadpanned, fingers grabbing your elbow and pulling you gently to the side of the table. Now out of the way for those who wanted to drink more, he leaned close again, offering you a distinct whiff of cologne.

"Altair," he said, eyes focused on you again, a small smirk falling on his face.

You repeated it, just as he had for you. It rolled off your tongue a little oddly, more unfamiliar than anything. The two of you fell into a groove of conversation, starting off with small talk and moving into something a little friendlier.

The night wore on, and the proximity to the drink table had you far tipsier than you intended to be. You'd decided that you didn't hate the feeling, nor the company that you were indulging yourself in.

You weren't sure when, though you were positive it was somewhere between the what do you do for work conversation and the what do you do for fun conversation, but the two of you were much closer than before. Absent-mindedly, your hand placed itself on his arm, eyes twinkling as you looked up at him.

"It's hot in here," you stated, overwhelmed by both the alcohol coursing your veins and the proximity to him.

Without missing a beat, he scoffed, nose close to yours, lips only a millimeter away. Suddenly, all too soon, he'd pulled away, your hand falling into his. Altair began walking through the small crowd.

Across the room, Leigh's eyes found you. It seemed she'd finally noticed you'd vanished. You'd have to be blind to notice the sheer delight that was written on her face, and you'd known at that moment you were going to hear about this later.

At the backdoor of the basement was a sliding glass door, which he opened with ease. Like a lost puppy, you'd followed him outside. Mimicking his natural nature, your eyes adjusted to the backyard.

There were only a few lights, the small outdoor space dimly lit. You turned your head, taking in the quiet space, where only a few stragglers outside of yourselves remained.

"Better," he asked, a hand tucked into the pocket of his jeans.

You nodded, grateful for the reprieve but missing the closeness you'd had inside, "yeah, thank you."

He shrugged, sitting in a lawn chair not far away, "what can I say, I'm a problem solver."

Nearby was another lawn chair that you weren't quite sure you should sit in. There was a hammock, strung between two trees and directly across from him. Torn between your options, you ambled between the two.

"Showing off then," you laughed, opting in favor of the hammock. Slowly, and as gracefully as possible, you sat in it, feet still on the floor to swing yourself.

Your eyes met again, and involuntarily, you felt your cheeks warm. Still swinging, you watched as his hand went to his chin, fingers gently gliding across it thoughtfully.

"For you? Definitely," he said, earning a hard swallow from you.

It was quiet for a moment, the shared eye contact being the loudest sound you'd ever heard. Your feet stopped swinging on their own, not that you'd noticed it yet.

Just as the two of you were about to speak, his friend you'd seen earlier popped their head out of the door. Notifying Altair that some folks were leaving, he acknowledged them and began to stand.

You checked your phone, noting the time. It was later than you'd thought it was, and if people were beginning to leave, you figured you should head out too. Once his friend, whose name you didn't know disappeared, you'd followed Altair's lead.

"I should probably head out too," you said, your voice sounding as if you should be doing the opposite. "Thanks, for tonight."

Peering down at you, he nodded, "I'm throwing another party, next weekend."

You laughed, your body still swaying just slightly, "right."

"You gonna be there," he asked, eyes showing the slightest bit of hope.

"Oh you know, maybe," you teased, "if I have nothing better to do."

Altair laughed loudly, looking at you with a fondness you weren't quite sure what to do with.

"Good, I'll see you then."

At the end of the night, you walked away with his number saved in your phone - the promise of another night like this in the not-so-distant future. You weren't sure how you got swindled into that one, but the thought made you warm.

There was something about the stoic, dry nature he'd had - so unlike anyone you'd ever met. You couldn't help but wonder if that would be a good or bad thing, but it was something you wouldn't mind finding out.

Later, while you were laying in bed, a message from Leigh popped up, obviously delighted with how the night went, both for herself and you.

The text blinked up at you, "not so bad, right?"

You bit back a smile that she couldn't see regardless. Typing and deleting your response, until you decided you could admit defeat.

"Yeah, not so bad."

[mst3kproject]

The Monster Maker

I could have sworn J. Carroll Naish was on MST3K at some point but the only thing I can find from his filmography that has appeared on this blog is Dracula vs Frankenstein, in which he played Dr. D'Ray.  Not that it matters.  The Monster Maker's producer, Sigmund Neufeld, also brought us MST3K feature The Mad Monster, and writer Sam Newfield penned both that film and I Accuse my Parents (not to mention the world's only all-midget cowboy musical, Terror of Tiny Town), but mostly I'm watching this movie because... well, you know, it sucks.

I know what you're thinking, and as far as I can tell, no, Sigmund Neufeld and Sam Newfield are not the same guy who's just bad at pseudonyms.

Anthony Lawrence is one of the world's greatest pianists, but with a concert tour finished he's looking forward to relaxing and spending some time with his daughter Patricia and her fiance Bob.  Sadly, this is not to be, as Patricia has come to the attention of Dr. Igor Markov, who believes her to be the reincarnation of his dead wife Leonora.  He spends weeks harassing poor Pat, until her father storms over to Markov's office to tell him where he can shove his attentions. Little does Lawrence know he's walking into a trap.  Markov has been experimenting on animals in his basement, and if Lawrence doesn't hand over Patricia, the next syringe is for him!

I have mixed feelings about this movie.  It surprisingly subverts several tropes of the mad scientist movie, including some it deliberately sets up only to pull the rug out from under them, resulting in a surprisingly happy ending.  On the other hand, it does this in ways that aren't always very satisfying, and its treatment of the disabled is frightful.

For an illustrative example, let's take Dr. Markov's caged gorilla.  The movie never tells us why he has a caged gorilla.  He says it's vital to his work but we never see him do anything much with it... I assume it's there because the caged gorilla was a standard part of the mad scientist lab equipment in the 1940s and 50s.  The only time we see him interact with it is when he sets it loose in the middle of the night to murder his traitorous assistant, Maxine, who had threatened to go to the police.  We cut to the gorilla back in its cage the next morning, and we assume Maxine is dead – only to have her walk in and tell us that her protective dog drove the gorilla back to the lab.

This is kind of a fun moment, not only because it's a surprise but because everything in it was set up, not just the gorilla but the animosity between it and the dog.  It also enables the eventual happy ending – after Markov is killed, Patricia worries that nobody else will be able to help her father. However, Maxine is familiar with Markov's work, and assures her that Lawrence will be just fine with a few weeks of treatment.  That's all quite nice for a mad scientist movie of this vintage!  It's also interesting in that it tells us these tropes were around to be subverted – that audiences in 1944 had already seen enough stupid mad scientist movies to know that the gorilla is supposed to kill the traitorous assistant and that the ending is supposed to be a tragedy.

The problem is that this leaves the gorilla with no reason to be in the movie at all besides to fake us out.  It ultimately has no effect on the plot whatsoever other than to establish Markov as a bastard, which by now we already knew.  You cannot put Chekov's Gorilla in a cage in act one, wave it around in act two before putting it back with a 'psych!', and then not have it break somebody's neck in act three.  It still has to do something, or you're just being a tease.

The fact that Maxine is able to cure Lawrence speaks to the fact that The Monster Maker is surprisingly respectful of its women.  Maxine is quite intelligent and knows her love for Markov is self-destructive, but feels she has devoted too much of her life to him to leave him now.  Patricia is a less substantial character, but her father treats her with great respect – when Markov demands Patricia in exchange for a cure, Lawrence continues to refuse even after the mad doctor has robbed him of his friends, his passion, and his career.  Pat's fiance Bob has fewer principles, as he repeatedly lies to her in the belief that he is protecting her from the truth, but this too is presented as the wrong thing to do and I hope we're meant to believe Bob learns from it. The screenwriters' general attitude seems to be that women should be allowed to make up their own minds about things.

Markov, as the villain, is also the movie's misogynist, and this is in no way subtle.  He wants to marry Patricia because she resembles Leonora – and that's it.  Her personality, her background, and her wishes mean nothing to him.  All he cares about is her face.  What she represents to him is an attempt to undo the wrong he did to Leonora herself.  We eventually learn that Leonora left him for another man, and in revenge he injected her with his monster juice.  He had hoped that her new love would leave her because she was no longer beautiful, but in fact Leonora committed suicide because she couldn't stand to look at herself in the mirror.

This tends to make one wonder what would have happened if Leonora had tried to crawl back to Markov.  At the time this happened, he didn't yet have a cure for his creations.  Would he have gone on to find one sooner in order to help her?  Or would he, too, have rejected her now that she was ugly?  I kind of suspect the latter.  He's only sorry about any of this because she died.  He wanted her back less than he wanted her to live in misery, knowing that without her looks she would have no value.

Interestingly, this also applies somewhat to Lawrence.  As his condition progresses, he locks himself in his room and puts records on so that nobody will realize he is now unable to play the piano... but he also keeps the lights off and refuses to admit anybody, too ashamed to show his face.  Ugliness apparently makes both sexes unfit company for the rest of us.

Markov himself speaks with a German accent despite having a Russian name. He manages to be slightly less creepy than the Great Vorelli or Dr. Carlo Lombardi, but only because he never resorts to rape via hypnosis.  Upon realizing he has found a cure for a terrible disease, his first reaction is to triumphantly declare that he can charge whatever he wants for it... eighty years later, that's still depressingly relevant.

So all this is okay and at times fairly progressive for the 1940s, but now we have to get into The Monster Maker's attitude towards the disabled.  I've been a little cagey about exactly what it is Dr. Markov is doing to his victims, and you've probably been picturing some sort of mutagen that makes them go all lumpy and melty like that guy in Robocop. Unfortunately, no.  Remember acromegaly, the hormonal disorder that Richard Kiel and Rondo Hatton suffered from?  Yeah.  Markov has a bottle of it in his cupboard.

I don't know how you bottle acromegaly, but at least they did better than the people who made Tarantula and fucking spelled it right.

Acromegaly is not a cheerful diagnosis.  Lawrence's doctor tells him it's not fatal, but that isn't always true – a lot of sufferers, including Hatton, die from the complications.  It disfigures the head, hands, and feet, and would definitely be a devastating disease for a pianist... all of which makes it that much worse that this stupid movie keeps using the word 'monster'.  Lawrence even describes himself as such, comparing his situation to that of Frankenstein's Monster and declaring that he will similarly kill Markov for what he has done to him.  In the end he does exactly that, and the movie never addresses it on any level besides 'boy, good thing the bad guy is dead!'

This is probably because, clearly, the real monster Markov has made is himself... but that's subtext.  In the text, his monsters are his overgrown pigs and Anthony Lawrence.  I just blasted Tarantula for spelling the name of the condition incorrectly, but that movie at least did not even imply that its human acromegaliacs were 'monsters'.  They were in every way victims, even when their sufferings were as a result of experimenting on themselves.  Lawrence is also a victim, but the movie plays up the 'monster' idea in more than just the title: Lawrence's condition also makes him restless and prone to violence, as he repeatedly attacks Markov and at one point must be tied to a bed to prevent him doing so.  Markov suggests that this is a side effect of the hormonal problems, but Lawrence's own belief that he's becoming a 'monster' also appears to have something to do with it.

In the end, this movie is way too much like The Brute Man, in telling us that the ugly and disabled can never be an accepted part of society.  Hal Moffat was forced into the shadows, while Anthony Lawrence takes to them voluntarily, but for the same reason: ugliness is made for gawking at, not for normal relationships such as that between partners, or parents and children.  Fuck that.

[charlietheepicwriter7]

All’s Fair in Love and Larceny

Summary: All Kaito wanted was to get Hakuba off his back about the Phantom Thievery... and mess with his favorite detectives’ love lives.  AO3 Link

@not-a-hope-in-hell    ‘tis I, your secret santa. It’s not exactly what you wanted, but I think it’s pretty good. Happy Holidays~!

Also, @dcmksecretsanta

Shinichi blinked, staring at the white form perched outside his bedroom window. He blinked again. No, KID was still there. Sighing, he unlatched the lock and pulled the glass up. “What do you want?” he asked the thief.

“My darling princess—”

“Not a princess—”

“My darling prince—” KID snatched one of Shinichi’s limp hands and kissed the air above it—“Would you please giving me the honor of escorting you this lovely evening?”

“…KID, it’s two am.”

“Very astute of you, detective! Unfortunately, I am very well aware of the hour.” There were dark bags under KID’s eyes, Shinichi noticed, previously mistaking them to be part of the shadow from his hat. “Alas, I have neither the time nor patience to visit you at a more respectable hour.” His voice dropped. “Please, Tantei-kun. I’m desperate.”

Alarm rose in Shinichi. KID wasn’t one to ask for help; even now, years after his return to the spotlight, there was only one suspected assistant to the criminal magician. Hakuba, Shinichi’s… friend and fellow Kaitou KID chaser, had even confided in him about a suspected dark organization trying to kill KID. A pit opened up in Shinichi’s stomach. If it was a branch of the Black Organization that he had failed to capture…

Shinichi opened the window more and stepped away. “Well? Get in.”

KID rushed inside, uncharacteristically tripping on his cape as he did. It seemed as thought whatever was bothering him was truly upsetting to the thief. He quickly straightened, brushing off his suit as if it had never happened. “Thank you kindly, Tantei-kun.”

Shinichi shut the window behind him and closed the blinds. “What’s wrong? Are you in danger?”

“The only thing in danger, Tantei-kun, is my dignity.” KID sighed. “A mutual acquaintance of ours, one Hakuba Saguru, has decided to make himself a menace. So, I’m calling in that favor you owe me.”

Shinichi’s heart skipped a beat. Hakuba… it was rare that Shinichi could work a case with the strict foreign detective, but he enjoyed their time together. Hakuba was brilliant, with an excellent taste in literature, and apparently, a big enough threat to KID that the thief would use the one favor he gained helping Shinichi with the Black Organization. He swallowed. He couldn’t exactly say no, not after KID had helped him so much. “And what, exactly do you want me to do?”

KID grinned, but to Shinichi, it was nearly a leer. “I need you to come with me. Once we arrive at our destination, I’ll tell you.” He clearly could see Shinichi’s discomfort, so he added. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing illegal. But your pride… might not survive.”

Shinichi gulped.

***

Saguru glared. Kuroba, two rows to his left and a seat ahead, didn’t notice. Or he pretended not to notice in order to get Saguru off guard. Saguru in the perfect position to watch his prey, yet frustration rose in him. Despite over a year of surveillance, he was no closer to definitively proving that Kuroba Kaito was the Kaitou KID, a fact that irked him most severely. It had even gotten to the point where Saguru had managed to arrange for a police officer to dodge Kuroba’s every move to no avail. Though if Saguru’s suspicions were correct, the likely thief certainly had other methods of leaving his house, but he didn’t have a warrant to search the residency yet.

It didn’t help his mood that morning that Kudo Shinichi was once again reported missing.

Saguru thumbed through the missing person’s report on his phone in between classes. Kudo was reported missing by his neighbor’s ward, Haibara Ai, a child he distantly remembered being a friend of young Edogawa Conan before he moved to America. There was no sign of forced entry, usually indicating that Kudo had left his residence himself, but none of his clothes were missing, his phone and keys on his bedside table.

A conundrum. A very worrisome one at that. Saguru still remembered what happened last time Kudo mysteriously disappeared.

He hoped it wasn’t his fault. Saguru enjoyed Kudo’s company, to a degree that would likely be thought as inappropriate if voiced aloud, and he didn’t want his fellow detective hurt. Especially if it was his fault. Kudo had already been forced to track down one villainous organization, and Saguru had been the one to inform him of the people trying to kill Kaitou KID. Kudo could very well be trying to apprehend them at that very moment, and there was no telling how injured he might become.

His phone vibrated once. An unknown number had sent him a message. A scam? No, it was a picture, though his particular texting app required he download each image before they appeared. Impatiently, he clicked it. Did another fangirl get ahold of his number…!

Saguru nearly broke his phone. There, on the screen, was a photo of Kudo, still in his night clothes, tied to a chair and gagged. A white arm was wrapped around his neck, connected to a white thief, holding his head up for the camera. There was early signs of bruising on Kudo’s cheekbone, and a dazed look in his eye that screamed concussion.

His eyes flicked to Kuroba. He didn’t have his phone out; timed messages from a burner then? Before he could confront his classmate, another message came, just text this time.

Did you wake up to something missing, Tantei-san?

Nearly shaking with anger, Saguru typed his response.

This is a new low, even for you Kuroba.

The reply was instant.

Kuroba? Do you still think I’m your classmate? Besides, I wouldn’t call this a “new low”. More like… a different branch of my current low.

Saguru paled, barely paying attention to the teacher entering the room. That was no stock reply, it couldn’t have been a timed message. And Kuroba’s hands were visible.

He couldn’t be wrong, could he?

To make sure, he sent another message.

You’re not going to get away with this. Return Kudo now.

Or what? You’ll take “drastic” measures? I’m terrified, Tantei-san.

Another photo. This time, Kudo was clearly in KID’s arms, restrained with an arm across his chest. One of KID’s hands was secure around Kudo’s throat, while the other was dipping into his shirt.

His phone cracked under the sudden pressure of his grip. His eyes flickered to Kuroba who still was, maddeningly, not doing anything.

Why are you doing this?

Why? Tantei-san, you didn’t think that you were the only one interested in our favorite detective, were you?

Is this merely an attempt to incite me? You figured out my feelings and decided to mock me for them?

The confession made Saguru feel nauseous. Because he did like Kudo, romantically although he would never speak aloud about it. There was no evidence that the other detective thought of him as more than a friend and Saguru was… well, he wasn’t happy about it, but he could be content.

But how did Kuroba—KID—realize the extent of his feelings?

Mock? Tell me, Tantei-san, is there anything to mock?

I don’t know how you discovered the extent of my feelings for Kudo-kun, but I promise you, you will regret this, Kaitou KID. Kudo means more to me than you’ll ever know, and if there’s one bruise on his body, you’ve stolen your last jewel.

There was a pause in the writing, and Saguru took the moment to try to calm down, when—

Then I advise you announce your feelings soon, Tantei-san. Otherwise, I might decide to keep him.

The third photo, Kudo being forced to sit on KID’s lap, his sleep-shirt unbuttoned, lecherous grin on KID’s face, one of the thief’s hands reaching for—

He slammed his phone down on the table, the screen cracking.

“KUROBA!!”

“Hakuba-san, sit down!”

***

Kaito hummed merrily as he unlocked the entrance to his KID-cave, the threat to his secret identity now safely defeated. Sure, he nearly got choked out by Hakuba, but the teacher had put a stop to that, giving the detective detention too. And with that detention, Kaito was sure the Brit’s father would no longer allow Hakuba access to his manpower, since it was only because he thought Hakuba “mature” that he had the officers to stalk him everywhere.

Finally, he could relax—

“Are you going to unchain me?”

“Tantei-kun!” Kaito smiled brightly at the detective he had chained in his basement. Kudo was easily able to get up from his armchair and move around—the chain connecting his leg to the chair long enough so he could get to the bathroom and minifridge—but unable to escape. Kaito was a considerate kidnapper after all, especially since he had to sneak Kudo in through the sewer entrance to avoid the police outside.

At Kudo’s side was the cell phone used to aggravate Hakuba. Kaito had gotten a glance at Kudo’s work after pickpocketing Hakuba and it was good. At least, it sounded close enough to KID and worked Hakuba up into pseudo-confessing, so score.

Kaito bowed. “Thank you very much for your assistance in today’s trick. You made a beautiful assistant!”

“So long as you delete those photos, I don’t care what kind of assistant I was.” He tossed the phone at Kaito. He caught it with one hand. “When you asked for my help, I thought it would be for something more serious.”

“This was serious!” Meddling in the love lives of his favorite detectives was extremely serious! With how emotionally repressed the two were, they’d never end up confessing. Speaking of which, Kaito leered at Kudo. “So, did you realize why you were so effective in enraging Tantei-san?”

Kudo looked away, face stoic but there was a light flush on his cheeks. “…I did.”

Kaito smiled, satisfied. “Then my task is complete. Just make sure to name one of the adopted babies after me~!”

The comment was totally worth the soccer ball to the face.

[meat-husband]

Heyo! This is my first ask! I'm just really curious how different type of writers interpret our favorite slashers! My ask! How would Michael Myers (other slashers) be with a cute and innocent S/O IF IT'S OKAY can we get a REAL SERIOUS and scary Verizon of our babies!! Again no rush, do what you loveeeeee

Sometimes you just need a big murder man to sling you over their shoulder and drag you into the woods :/

Brahms

Absolutely going to abuse your goodwill for his own needs. You’re kind, helpful and almost naive, and all of these things will make it that much easier for him to worm his way into your affections, through whatever means necessary. He is not concerned with you actually loving him and staying to care for him out of that love - he’s perfectly happy to play pretend, keeping you in line with a combination of threats and petulant whining.

He wants affection. He’ll crawl into your bed at night, quietly insisting that you pet his hair and hold him until he falls asleep. Over time you start to do these things without him asking, knowing just from the way he approaches you that he’s come looking for your gentle touch. 

He knows how easy it is for you to befriend someone, which is why he limits your time away from home as much as he can. Whatever needs to be done can be accomplished with phone calls and home deliveries, where he can pull the cord if he thinks you’re enjoying yourself too much. Any unfortunate visitors that so much as say hello in too friendly of a tone run the risk of not making it off the property.

Because he’s very much aware that you’re staying there against your will, attempts at escape are almost expected. He’s still going to be furious, but he will have plans ready ahead of time to make sure that you don’t make it too far.

The most effective thing he can use against you is any hope you might have of helping him. He’ll push you to the end of your rope, when you’re ready to give up and make a break for it, then lure you back in with a not so heartfelt plea for you to stay. 

Michael

He keeps an eye on you for a long time before making a move. Maybe he’s just tired of waiting or maybe you’re getting too close to someone else, but he goes pretty quickly from ‘peeking through your windows’ to ‘in your house, waiting at the end of your bed for you to wake up and scream’.

But just because he has some sort of twisted interest in you doesn’t mean you can get out of it unscathed. He treats you like any other hunt at first, which means you have a good few hours of being chased down before you realize that his intentions aren’t to murder you.

You can scream and kick all you like, but once he’s decided that he owns you, that’s pretty much the end of it. He expects you to fall in line quickly though, and he’ll be as mean as he needs to for you to realize that you’re not getting away. 

Even once he’s got you firmly under his control, he doesn’t stop reminding you of it. He watches you from a distance when you leave the house, a looming reminder that one small misstep will have everyone around you killed in retaliation.

He can show some affection, though it’s usually more than a little brutal. Things taken from the homes, or bodies, of his victims, are common gifts presented to you after a kill. 

Bubba

You start out as a sort of pet, something he’s allowed to keep only because no one thinks he’ll manage to keep you alive for more than a few weeks. He’s a sucker for the timid way you look at him, interpreting your fear as a cute, but shy, demeanor. 

He isn’t allowed to care for you until the rest of his chores are completed, but sometimes when the house is empty, he’ll sneak into your room. It’s more of a treat for him to feed and dress you than a task. 

You aren’t allowed out of your room, but that’s another rule that he’ll break if given the opportunity. He’ll sneak you downstairs to eat in the kitchen or outside to sit in the sun, always happy to see how grateful you are to be allowed these small freedoms. He loves having you rely on him to provide the things that make you happy. 

If you use these excursions as an escape route, though, they’ll end immediately. He’s more worried than anything when he discovers that you’re gone, but once you’re back where you belong, he’ll be angry. Tighter restraints and a closer watch kept on you during the day will prevent you from trying it again. 

He likes to spoil you, giving you extra food when no ones around to notice, and dressing you up in the pretty clothes he finds on victims. A lot of time is spent being dressed up, hair brushed out and face smudged with sloppy makeup, and you always get a little treat for behaving well. 

Thomas

Thomas craves kindness from others, but he isn’t used to actually receiving it, which will instantly upgrade you from dinner to potential family member. He doesn’t trust it at first, but so long as you continue to provide soft, kind words and shaky smiles, he’ll keep you separated from the less fortunate catches as long he can.

When it comes down to it, he’ll make an effort to keep you off the dinner table, and to your surprise the family is very happy about his sudden interest in you. You find yourself being made to choose between being killed or becoming Tommy’s responsibility, and it’s not as easy a choice as it seems.

He doesn’t like it when you’re obviously frightened, trembling and crying even after the saw has cut off, and he’ll do his best to comfort you. He treats you almost like a skittish animal at first, approaching you slowly and sliding a dirty hand through your hair. He never seems to catch on to the fact that he is the thing that frightens you, not the noise.

He spends most of his time downstairs, so that’s where you end up as well. Occasionally you stay upstairs, helping with other housework, but most often you get carried downstairs right after meals, set up on a little makeshift bed where he can keep an eye on you. He sits with you between his chores, pulling you up against his side with one big arm and keeping you in place against him.

You might not warm up to the cooking right away, but he isn’t going to let you skip meals. If you don’t eat on your own, he’ll insist, forcing small bites of meat into your mouth until you successfully keep them down. He brings you food as often as he can, usually letting you eat whatever you want from his plate before he eats himself and he’s careful to make sure that you actually swallow all the food you take.

Jason

He has a big protective instinct anyways and with someone who plays up to the urge to care for and protect them, he’ll be unstoppable. But what might start out as a desire to keep you safe will quickly become an overwhelming need to just keep you. He sees how soft you are, how gentle, and he wants it all for himself.

He isn’t mean on purpose, but he isn’t used to caring for anyone else, let alone a normal human who is more delicate than he is. His hands are rough when they touch you and leave bruises even when he tries to be gentle. You flinch away from him sometimes and even though he understands why, he can’t help but be angry when it happens.

Right from the beginning, it’s established that you have to ask for what you want. He does his best to allow you as much freedom as he can, letting you out onto the porch to sit in the sun or following behind as you walk a short path around the cabin. But he can’t always let you do as you please, often denying you access to anything out of a certain distance from the cabin, and never when he isn’t with you.

Any attempt to leave is met with a frightening amount of rage. He doesn’t hurt you, but you can’t help but be afraid that he might when you get caught sliding open an unlocked window. He’ll lock the bedroom door if he has to and you don’t get another chance to sneak out of a window after he nails them all shut.

He’s very affectionate, pulling you into his lap and just sitting with you, on the couch or outside in the grass. He’s content to do all the work, petting your hair and pressing the mask against your cheek in a half kiss, but he’ll be overjoyed if you so much as settle against his chest or sigh while he strokes your hair.

Vincent

Someone who’s too polite/nervous/naive to tell him he’s being creepy? Perfect match. He’s a romantic, or what he thinks is romantic, which really just comes across as passive aggressive and unsettling. Any sort of rejection will make him cold and angry, so you’ve got to play along if you want to keep him happy.

He sort of just skips over the whole beginning portion of the relationship and jumps straight to ‘we’re a couple and you’re mine’, even though it’s only been a week. He likes to stay close to you as much as he can, keeping you in the room while he works and curling up in the same bed when he sleeps.

Very jealous of anything that manages to catch your attention for any amount of time. You rely on him to bring you things, mainly books, to keep yourself entertained in the house, but he’ll refuse to if he’d rather you spent the time with him. He’ll whittle down your options until you have to pay attention to him - ideally, you’ll sit around all day waiting for him to show up and keep you company.

He might give up eventually if you were loud and angry, fighting him every step of the way, but your quiet, resigned attitude keeps him hoping that you’re not as disinterested as it sometimes seems. He does his best to keep you happy, to show you how well he can care for you, and he knows that one day his efforts will be rewarded. 

He takes any attempt to leave very personally. It’s one of the only times you’ll see him truly angry, a firm grip on your arm as he drags you back into the house. The anger only lasts as long as it takes for him to wear himself out, breaking things in the basement and throwing supplies around the room, but afterwards he’s very depressed. He’ll crawl over to you, forcing his head into your lap and begging you to tell him what he’s done wrong.

[leatherbookmarking]

fuck that ! im gonna talk about them deadboyz!! shame is for the WEAK

overall:

belong to a much less known subsidiary company of jinhit no jgs isn’t worth the joke entertainment. if they were in any other company they would be super rookies but jgs is keeping them in the basement and it’s not even his own basement

initially i think there were some high stakes in it for jgy...? something like ‘you produce the songs and make their chores and if you flop you’ll never be on stage again’ but?? i don’t know now tbh

would have been really popular (they are Good) but less known company, etc, and also some rumors around the time of their debut made it so they’re only knows because ‘they’re kinda good at dancing aren’t they’

general concept is uh... cool dudes, kinda fucky but not too much...? gotta think about the baby (a-yu)

THE MEMBERS: meng yao (leader, main dancer, vocalist), wen chao (oldest, main rapper), su she (main vocal, dancer), xue yang (rapper, dancer, unofficially: moodmaker, if by ‘mood’ you understand ‘horror at whatever has just come out of his hellish mouth), wen ning (dancer, vocalist, sometimes rapper), mo xuanyu (vocalist, the Baby™)

MENG YAO:

leader, single-handedly responsible for making these rowdy boys (wc&xy) stop wanting to kill each other

has probably auditioned for every single company there is. was in the nie company for a bit, but it was still a mess freshly after the previous owner, nmj’s father, has died, nmj has struggled (being a producer, not a businessman) so when it turned out they’d have to let some trainees go, the other trainees made it so meng yao was the one to leave. then he temporarily was at wrh’s company where he got kind-of-semi-famous as one of wen qing’s main back dancers (the one she’s interacted with the most) during her last performance. then the company went kaputt and jgs has snatched him off for himself, and then... put him... in the basement.... for two years... after which he gave him a chance, and voila

insanely hard-working. an all-rounder. mainly he excels at dancing, but his vocal and rap skills also Fuck. persona? impeccable. he’s learning to write and compose his own songs and he’s doing well, but he can’t even upload his stuff on soundcloud, because... you know why. has doubled as a manager in their early days. also, dimples.

the fans had tried to make a dad/mom dynamic with him and uh... wen chao...? since they were the oldest and pretty much the opposites, but quickly gave up and he’s now simply known as yao-ge due to his stern but loving persona. (yao-jie, sometimes)

DOES do the split. it was his rookie trick for a year after they debuted, but he simply is just like that. one show host asked him “is there definite proof that you have bones?“ and meng yao only shrugged humbly

WEN CHAO

oldest, has been a trainee for the longest time, hasn’t debuted because... well... he wasn’t good... and that was because he’s felt too safe in his dad’s company. WELL ABOUT THAT,

his older brother wen xu has debuted Long before him, but after a few years his group disbanded, he moved on to modeling and then stopped after a couple of years, too. (he got married.)

you know how i said their image is ‘cool, a bit fucky’? well, he’s 40% of that fuckiness. he’s been told again and again that idols aren’t supposed to date/have dating experience, but he still can’t get the hang of it

yes, he and jiaojiao were an item back in the wen days. she’s a trainee at some other company now but they still hook up sometimes

initially was intent on maintaining a cool, calm and collected image... then he met xue yang and threw that idea outta the window. paradoxically, they’re interesting together, not only as rappers but also as... high-energy, chaotic energy makers of the group...

this is a happy au, so: initially he’s thought everything is bullshit, these talentless fucks are dumb and he should already be a top idol. by the time of their debut, he agrees that meng yao is one crafty motherfucker. a year after their debut, if anything happened to any of his boys, yes even xue yang, he would kill everyone in the room, etc, etc BUT YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT.

SU SHE

unfortunately, was added before their first comeback (second release) and therefore controversial. fortunately, his vocal completes the group’s image and musical flavour

was a trainee in yinshen ent where he really admired their top idol, lan wangji, until... he got to know him (?) when they were sent to compete in a survival show and decided lan wangji ain’t shit and is, in fact, a stuck-up self-centered bitch. the survival show crashed (unrelatedly), but still some serious words were exchanged. during Some Company Problems, quite a lot of trainees have left, but he was the one who left with a Bang.

joined that one subsidiary of jin ent because of meng yao, who, just like in canon, recognized him, said he loved him in (song he’s performed in the survival show) and with this he cemented his position as su she’s new Boy Who Makes Him Go !!!!.

slowly replaced meng yao as The Man Who Does This Face at the other lads’ rowdy behaviour.

fans remember he was :/ at lan wangji, so his persona wouldn’t work anyway, but he does make quite a convincing kind dude-next-door.

stubborn side of the fandom’s next candidate for the mom member, because... he’s ridiculously prepared and reliable. who carries hydrogen peroxide in their daily use backpack? this boy !

it used to be rubbing alcohol but i had too many reasons to apply it internally, he once says mournfully, and this is how xue yang discovers he has a sense of humor, sort of

unfortunately, has the juiciest ass in the group. unfortunately, because

XUE YANG

responsible for: being inappropriate. the other 60% of fuckiness, really enjoys getting into wen chao’s personal space (since wen chao is That straight dude) and just... doing whatever to make su she Scandalized.

but he’s so cute we’ll forgive him. at least until the next time he does a surprise butt grab

very agile! dance line along with meng yao and wen ning. apparently he was a stunt guy...? apparently the lived in the streets...? apparently he went to the same dance school as meng yao...? no one knows his past. no one has seen his kid photos. did he go by another name...? insert the what are birds gif but make it who is xue yang.

adds sound effects to real life. also in his raps, sometimes

started hugging and initiating physical contact with people to assert dominance to be annoying, but ended up actually liking it, even though the one he does it comfortably with is meng yao. just like... back hugs? resting his chin over a-yao’s shoulder? it’s neat. sometimes a-yao pats his hand or taps his nose absent-mindedly and it’s super neat. if he notices you noticing it, though, he will BITE

most popular member, but everyone likes him for different reasons and has a different uhhh headcanon about potentially dating him. bad boy xue yang/cute bratty didi xue yang/sweet boyfriend xue yang, etc, etc

no one knows how, but apparently he knows the iconic duo from a small company, xiao xingchen and song lan...? or rather, song lan pretends not to know or notice him, meanwhile xiao xingchen is very cute when they’re interacting, and basically it prompts a lot of dating rumors, especially since they’ve been spotted having hotpot.

WEN NING

su she was the one to join last, but actually it’s wen ning who’s the least popular member. i’m just so quiet that people don’t notice me, haha, he says while being 180cm tall and having killer charisma when he dances

seriously, what’s up with that? it’s almost like he’s a different person, a possessed one to add to that. huh!

in contrast, his voice is very gentle and even cute, and he often sings quietly to himself. sometimes to other members (there’s a video of him singing what seems to be a lullaby to mxy), sometimes to little animals (there’s a video of him singing to a tiny frog he’s found during a walk). gentle boyfriend wen ning but it’s CANON

in contrast to the contrast, he doesn’t rap often, but when he does, it’s like... who’s that?? another member??? dualism king

when wc/xy cause problems on purpose, he doesn’t react/allows them to tease him/slap his ass/bump into him when they’re fighting. he seems like a calm, gentle guy so when they’re in a variety show and it’s Time For A Punishment, of course he gets to decide/wield the squeaky hammer, WHEREUPON ‘yang-ge, three weeks ago you ate my yoghurt even though i specifically asked you not to, so...’ (whacks xy’s ass into next tuesday)

nice, sculpted shoulders make for very good pillows

MO XUANYU

a Baby, but watch out: a horny one. fully on board with xue yang’s Inappropriate Ideas Of Entertainment. there’s a video of them doing some Rather Dirty dance moves while meng yao and su she make pained faces in the bg

fashion king. make-up king. none of his selfies are bare-faced, he always has some red eye shadow/blue eyelashes/yellow blush/black lipstick going on. sometimes even at the same time. paints his nails and toenails as well. somehow yao-gege doing his make-up makes him fall asleep one minute in. (cute)

his sincere smile is a 100% foolproof way to just... melt everyone’s hearts. in wen ning’s case: with a smile as well. meng yao and su she: an eyeroll (fond). xue yang and wen chao: ‘oh, fuck you’. but it DOES

most of the time though when he does sajiao it’s totally weird. (on purpose, on purpose)

tiny boy. skinny boy. once he turned to the side and vanished. even though most of the time in videos the other members sooner or later end up giving him food! (at some point wen chao says ‘it’s so that you’d shut up’, causing a-yu to start talking animatedly, spitting crumbs into his tea. serves him right)

has a potential to end up as a vocal god. currently however his favourite method of doing things with his voice is SCREAM

famously examines what things are by putting them in his mouth/licking them. he is a little creacher. he cannot change this

bites

[cablestwisted]

Funniest and saddest canon fact go

Ok so took me a couple days to fully think abt this bc there's a fair bit to choose from but -

Funniest canon fact: in the before-projection-room videos, there's a supposedly canonical side effects list for marmalisation. Some of these side effects are concerning things like "cortex twisting" and "optic nerve melting" but then there's some like "yellow headaches", "armpit itches", and "enlarged earlobes". I think some are red herrings but tbh the Ministry of Joy is just Like That so i wouldn't be surprised if some are canon.

Also, the Smiler's takeover of the 2013 fireworks as an attempt to take over the entire resort via means of yknow, replacing existing memories with its own and deleting the old ones, was canonically reversed by the Gatekeeper telling people to remember happy memories and it took like 10 seconds

Reminds me I need to go more into 2013 fireworks lore since the memory collection thing is fascinating, but, the sheer irony here is hilarious. F in chat for Smiler... Listen, your area had a potential Power of the Towers reference this year at Mardi Gras come on you can do it this year probably! Those crystals are stupidly powerful lore loophole creation machines that allow for anything to happen

And for the sad one... Unfortunately i can't put the Ministry of Joy Surveillance Van never being made canon for this one since inherently it is not canonical

Ministry of Joy Surveillance Van my beloved. What did they do to you (first picture from the Staffordshire Moorlands Planning Permission page, application SMD/2011/1051, second picture found I think on Towers Times.)

Anyway

Saddest actually canonical fact

Miles Cedars? Canonically terrified, throughout the entirety of Smile Always. He's a puppet used by the Ministry to do what they want... He doesn't have a choice in it. He's been given a script and a way to act and he's doing it while clearly and visibly terrified, because my guess is.. 50% correction?

You've got that loyalty. You've got compliance. But happiness? 50%. So your brain is screaming at you that you have to be happy, its not right for you to not be happy, so when you can't be always happy? When you can't experience the joy that especially in Miles' case he was brainwashed into thinking is the cure for all world issues and personal suffering? It causes a whole lot of mental turmoil for him that ends up causing him to panic.

Also - You ever think about what happened to the failed experiments in the basement of the Sanctuary after the Sanctuary shut down? I do wonder what they did with them because that's a lot of people... Either they were a( left to starve to death or b) they were taken behind the back of the shed if you know what i mean by that, because I sincerely doubt that the Ministry would want to keep hold of failed experiments.

[four-loose-screws]

FE8 Novelization Translation - Chapter 13, Section 1

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I call this a “section” because it is not a separate part of the chapter in the book, but divided from the rest of the chapter by a scene break.

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Chapter 13: The Desert Palace

Jehanna was known as the Country of White Dunes. Just as that name implied, the capital city was chosen to be built upon a tiny patch of green land in the middle of a giant desert.

The rainy season was very short, and the air was dry almost the entire year round. Skeletons of animals that had collapsed from exhaustion dotted the desert. However, despite being suffocated by such harsh nature, Jehanna was also beautiful.

The country was ruled by Queen Ismaire. Her husband had passed long ago, and after overcoming countless hardships, she’d come to be a fine ruler for the country. The palace towered majestically over the white desert, and was a symbol of how the queen lived her life.

Eirika’s army traveled along the narrow main road built throughout the desert and towards the capital city. The palace looked so very far away.

What was going on inside that beautiful palace now? Just thinking about it lowered their spirits. Eirika was lost in thought as she swayed gently atop her horse, but noticed a small flower that had bloomed on the side of the road, and stopped.

When she jumped off her horse and went to pick the flower, she smelled a refreshing aroma. 

Tana saw what she was doing, and peered over at her. “It’s so cute! Wow, flowers can even bloom in a dry climate like this!”

“This is a medicinal plant. I forgot its name, but… it’s supposed to be very effective at relieving the pain of wounds. It only grows in dry climates, so it is a valuable plant.”

“Wow… you really know a lot about it! I'm surprised that you know something like that!"

Eirika smiled and stared down at the beautiful flower in her hand.

The person who had taught her all about it was Lyon. He had his very own medicinal plant garden in a corner of Grado Castle’s garden, where he grew a wide variety of plants. He’d even worked very hard to recreate a desert environment and tried to raise plants that only grew in that climate.

Ephraim showed no interest in medicinal plants, and did not come near them, but Eirika often visited the garden with Lyon. Even Lyon, who’d been shy at first, opened up and answered all of Eirika’s various questions on the subject, telling her all the plants’ names, effects, and how to care for them.

“Those without money cannot buy expensive medicine, right? But there are plants everywhere that can become effective medicines. I’m studying medicinal plants, and want to teach the people about them, because it should make life much easier for those suffering from illnesses…”

Eirika was impressed by all the things Lyon passionately shared with her. She still had much to learn about the world at the time, and hadn’t thought yet about the lives of the people.

“You’re so admirable, Lyon! You think as hard as you can to find a way to make everyone happy, don’t you?”

“Oh, I’m not admirable at all… This is the only sort of thing I can do… I’m terrible at sword fighting. I lose even to you.”

When Lyon said that, he seemed embarrassed, so much so that when Eirika looked at him, she felt sorry for him. She couldn’t keep herself from frowning.

‘Why can’t he realize what his own amazing strengths are? It doesn’t matter if he’s bad at sword fighting, because he posesses kindness and intelligence that is unlike anyone else’s.’

This was the same Lyon that had led the Grado Army and conquered Jehanna. Eirika still couldn’t believe it. 

Of course, a commanding officer didn’t need to be an exceptional soldier. It was also conceivable that Lyon was just being used as decoration, and someone else was really leading the army. However, Eirika was still not convinced.

“I’ve heard that Prince Lyon has a gentle personality, and loathes fighting.” Innes whispered, as if he could read Eirika’s wavering heart. He had come up beside her at some point, and was now walking alongside her horse.

“Seems like it was all an act. Perhaps he deceived you and Ephraim to get you two to let your guards down.”

“...That’s...” Eirika wanted to disagree, but she couldn’t find any strength to put into her voice.

Innes had never actually met Lyon, so he was suspicious of him. Eirika could assert that the many different ways he'd shown kindness could not have been false, but it would only be her insisting that her memories were the truth with no proof at all against the fact that they knew for certain that he had conquered Jehanna. 

“I’ve heard that he can use dark magic. Do you know how skilled he is in it, Eirika?”

“...Yes. The bishop that taught him always praised him highly because of his intelligence and passion for studying. He seemed to read difficult books a lot.”

"Then he is very dangerous.” Innes furrowed his brow.

Though he may know dark magic, Lyon never studied it with bad intentions. Darkness was important for bringing peace to people’s hearts. Lyon’s passion for learning magic was always for the sake of others.

L’Arachel was listening to their conversation, and added, “We have no reason to fear the power of darkness, for we have received the gods’ blessing! We shall retake the palace in one fell swoop!”

“No, we do not know if the queen is safe yet. She’s been taken as a hostage, so we must tread carefully.” Innes said.

“You’re right…” All of the energy drained from within L’Arachel, and she sighed deeply.

ー

Eirika’s army set up camp outside the city and decided to finalize their strategy.

There were hardly any people in the capital, and it had become very quiet. At first, Jehanna Palace looked like a beautiful mirage, but from this closer distance, they could see that it was guarded by a sturdy wall. Now that it had fallen into the hands of the enemy, the strength of that wall had backfired.

“The only way to minimize the damage we cause as we attack the palace is to swiftly tear down the front gate. The armored knights should rush in with the cavalry, then the infantry should follow in right after them. Still, we must prepare to damage the palace if need be…” Seth’s expression was dark. 

Innes asked, “Were we able to acquire any knowledge about the palace’s inner structure?”

“No. It is very complex, and we do not know the details of it.”

“That’s not good. We have no idea what kind of traps the enemy has laid out...”

“Rather than tear down the front gate, we should go around the side.”

Eirika and the others all looked up towards the source of the voice that had suddenly cut in from the side.

Those attending the meeting should have been only the army’s leaders. However, at some point, Joshua had entered the tent.

Innes huffed and ordered, “We’re in the middle of an important meeting right now. Please leave.”

“You want to know the inner structure of the palace, right? I’ll tell you.”

“What? Why would you know…?”

“Please wait, Innes!” Eirika stopped him.

Joshua had many years of experience as a mercenary. He might have had an opportunity to obtain a map of the palace at some point. It was unfortunate, but they didn’t have time to question him about it. If they did not hurry, then the queen would be in trouble.

“Please tell us everything you know, Joshua. Are there any other methods of getting inside the palace besides breaking down the front gate?”

“The layout of the palace is very complex. The front gate is not the only way inside. There is also a small passageway that merchants use to get in and out. It is likely that the enemy has not realized it is there.”

“...Can you lead us to it?”

“Yes.” Joshua nodded lightly. 

Innes narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

But Eirika decided to trust him. She had been suspicious of his true motives once in the past, but up until now, he had always fought as another member of her army with all his strength. She did not want to question that sincerity any longer.

Joshua pulled out a piece of paper that had a quick sketch of the palace drawn on it. Though the drawing only consisted of simple lines, it was surprisingly detailed. It had everything they would need written on it, from the placement of the hallways and rooms, to where the stairs and even pillars were. 

“The throne room is inside here. Prince Lyon is most likely leading the army from in there. And in the basement, there is an altar. If they are keeping the queen confined, then it is likely that they are using this room down there to do so.” Joshua pointed at the map and explained. 

Seth and Innes stared at the map with very serious looks on their faces.

“We’ll designate a large enough force to rush the gate and feint an attack on it. They will be a diversion and draw in the enemy, and should attack and retreat repeatedly so that no one is injured. Using that gap in the enemy’s defenses, a small elite force will attack from the merchant’s entrance on the east side. The enemy's guard there will probably be light, so we should be able to attack and defeat them in one swoop. After we establish that area as a base, we will head for the throne room.”

“...Alright.” Innes seemed to agree with that strategy. He raised his head up with confidence and looked at Joshua. “I shall lead the diversion team. At the very least, we will make a scene, and keep them in one area. Eirika, I want you to lead the elite force. Joshua, you will of course guide Eirika down the merchant’s entrance.”

Eirika nodded and looked at Joshua.

He had the same thin smile on his face as always, but his expression looked a bit more stiff than usual.

It wasn’t just a strange feeling. Something about the way Joshua was acting was undoubtedly strange. A dark color shaded his eyes. He seemed to have noticed that Eirika was staring at him, as he quickly turned his head away, and rushed out of the tent.

[secrets-of-the-library]

This is a fan-created personal home of Antonio Carriedo, the Hetalia personified nation of Spain. I did look up a few reference pictures but I mostly just took a few ideas I liked from them (A courtyard, a tower, certain design features, etc etc) but it is mostly ‘winged’ and ‘as I felt like it’. I’m not Spanish and I wasn’t aiming to do a 100% authentic or accurate build here. Just for fun. I like to imagine that he loves this huge mansion that he has built up over the years and there is TONS of plants and things to do to entertain not only himself but also guests, friends, and family. Like Arthur, he has his own personal office too. I can imagine Arthur complaining about his home being too big and spacious though lol.

Remember: This is fan/headcanon created. I build for fun and am not a professional. I do not build with the intention of having it livable/non-clashing. If something clashes it will be up to you to fix it because I build for the pure aesthetic and not functionality. I own a lot of packs so if you don’t own all the ones used in this there might be issues.

After the cut here I will provide a visual walk-through via screen captures. You’re more than welcome to download it and look at it for yourself. My username on Sims4 is Shinoshallbugyou.

This project in particular was HUGE, again, I like to do huge projects and mansions. Because of its size the ‘cut’ will be huge as well, keep that in mind. I’ll do my best to walk you guys through it but if you have the game and packs the easiest way would be to just download it yourself.

I chose Oasis Springs because of its desert surroundings. The only lot bigger than this one is park lots. I was tempted to do a ‘central courtyard’ and a house essentially wrapped around it but I chose this one instead. I like to pretend that his property actually extends down several paths on the cliff and to some stables, horses, and etc down below. I like to think the road leading to his house is more long and windy but the lot simply isn’t big enough for it so I compromised. I’ll be showing an occasional night-time photo of the building here and there but for the most part I’ll stay in ‘Afternoon’ because it’s the brightest to see in.

The overall look...

Now the overhead breakdown of each floor, overall...

Now for some shots around the outside in certain spots. I really liked the idea of a courtyard and I wanted to do that. I’m always a fan of driveways that go down to another level of the house. Please note, I am aware that the driveway would be too steep realistically but this lot is NOT big enough so I made do. While cars are not a thing in the Sims 4 (They were in 3) I still like to pretend and put them in there anyways even if the objects do not work. I wanted to try my hand at a lot more balconies and playing around with the outside of a house more as well as trying things I normally wouldn’t do like leaving a section on the roof uncovered or throwing in more gazebos (Or whatever). I especially liked the below photo of a wall that kind of comes out in increments? It looked neat!

The front door. We’ll explore the 1st floor now. I wanted a ‘rug’ that would descend down with the leveled steps/platform here. There wasn’t one like that so I created one. I often play around with things and use them in ways they wouldn’t have been normally used in the game: Such as upsizing that tiny toy horse into a ‘statue’ of a horse.

Next up: The Living room. I can imagine that he shoved in some things to entertain people with like Foosball and more. This area has a balcony too and a lot of areas on this floor open up directly outside to have airflow. Each area kind of has its own ‘major color’ to it. This area is more ‘orange’.

Downstairs here is where I decided to put a bar, storage for drinks (He’s a mass producer of wine, after all, and he likes to drink on top of it) as well as the garage for where the cars would go, etc. I usually improvise and take other objects to look like other objects. ‘Wine caskets’ don’t exist- Those are some weird metal object in the game that is a wall decoration.

Next up is the bottom of the tower connected to the living room. The tower is the tallest building on the map with it being four stories high. The bottom is connected to the living room and it contains a small changing/towel area (This could double up for the pool/hot tub) but mainly for the sauna I have installed in there (Because why not?). I also plugged in a bathroom with the remaining room there. Because it is such a small space it is hard to see.

The next room we’re going to is the opposing wing on the 1st floor, on the opposite side of the main entry room. There is a staircase that goes upstairs here but through the archways is a small reading nook. There are multiple ‘flowing corridors’ around this building, both internally and externally, that are very open for air and breezes.Often these will have a lot of seating and decor mainly on the way to other rooms. I went for more white/grey here.

Next up is the first guest bedroom. It is sandwiched between two of these flowing ‘corridors’ and it has its own personal bathroom. These spaces are big enough for people to stay in plus an additional seating area.

The next is that corridor on the other side that leads out onto an outside corridor as well as the courtyard. I tried often to get different decorations and objects going on in some of these rooms that would differ them from the other ones so it wouldn’t all just blend together into nothingness.

Next up is the courtyard. I had to have some kind of courtyard in here and I really liked how this one turned out with its nooks and crannies. It leads back towards the front door, back to where we came from, or to a wrap-around corridor that is only specifically on this side of the house.

Next up is that wrap-around outside corridor. The first one has a wall separating it from the front of the property. What follows it is what I filled that property with. I thought it would be neat to place what would’ve been an old ruin there that has long since faded away. I thought it would be a treat for the eye. I’ve never been able to use those weird rounded structures from the romantic garden pack before so I wanted to see how they would look here.

Now here is the other half of the wrap-around corridor but what makes this one so different is... Even though it is plain it doesn’t have a wall barricading you and thus you can walk outside with your sim more here. This corridor leads into the solarium.

The Solarium is two stories tall with the 2nd floor being hallowed out in the middle with a pathway surrounding it and a  glass dome on top in a mock greenhouse effect. I wanted to play around with arches and I’ve always loved indoor gardens and such like these so I wanted to include it.

The Solarium branches out towards the ‘backyard’ where there is a pool, hot tub, karaoke, a fire pit, outdoor grilling area, and more. I really wanted to include this ‘gazebo’ effect not only for the look and aesthetic of it but also for potential ‘structural support’ for the 2nd floor balcony up there. Plus it ties in the same effect on the 3rd floor corridor up on top.

I forgot to get a picture of it but if you do an aerial view of the pool (Or perhaps basement level) I did add turtle decorations to the bottom of it. Tortugaaaa.

Here I’m going to show off the tower a bit. Please note: You can’t make rounded walls in the Sims 4. This is my closest attempt to being able to do that. I knew I wanted a tower and I’m happy with how it turned out. As I started it though it was trouble because I simply didn’t know what to do at first. I had no idea how to fill it and at first I was trying to put the staircase INSIDE rather than out. I finally got the idea for a wrap-around staircase which is also difficult given that they only make right angles. Putting them on the outside massively helped save on space inside. That and, actually, I had difficulty in general with stairs on this map. The awkward building spaces made it difficult to place them.

The overall look of the ‘backyard’ with roofs up.

The overall map layout of the 2nd floor with the stairs specifically outlined. I ended up giving up on trying to build another flight of stairs on the 2nd floor leading to the 3rd and settled for putting it, too, outside on the main back balcony. Out of everything on this map that was one of the most frustrating things that I struggled with. I don’t ever do outside stairs so this was interesting for me to try.

Next we’re going up the tower and coming into the pantry. It’s rather nice and big, he can grow stuff in there on hand to eat, a collection of fish, spices, oils, and etc is all in there.

The next up is the kitchen. This one was frustrating too but once it came together it was nice. I went out of my comfort zone here, too. I’ve never made a blue kitchen and while I loved the idea the Sims 4 pallet was NOT working with me. I even tried with yellow cabinets and it just wasn’t working. These cabinets were the best I could do which is rather unfortunate because I wanted older looking cabinets but... It’ll do. I accented it with white and it is very spacious for lots of company! This kitchen has its own balcony and small eating area out there too. While most would argue that the kitchen should go on the bottom floor I actually really liked it here specifically because of the panty, the additional balcony, and the large eating area on the back balcony too. That and the stairs into the main entryway are actually in here and near that front door so it isn’t as far as one would think.

If you look in the below photo, though you can barely see it... On the left countertop against the wall there is actually a ‘tea’ area. We ship spuk/engspa and so I like to think Antonio, while he does drink tea, doesn’t as much. He does have this little cute area for Arthur to make his tea at though. He himself has his own counter under a window where he stores all his coffee stuff. Also, while I’ve never done it before, I really like hiding the stairway with that china cabinet because it just changed the whole atmosphere of the room.

Below is a rather chunky corridor that I chose a ‘black and white’ tile scheme for. It really only serves as a point A to B type of thing. The kitchen is to the right, another corridor to the left, below is a balcony that overhangs the front entryway and the doors at the top of the image lead to a massive back balcony that serves as an outside dining area that I imagine Antonio actually prefers to eat in because of the views and especially when he hosts guests.

Next is the corridor to the left of that chunky middle section. This is a rather odd-shaped corridor that was one of the last things I put together because I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with it. I ended up having it being a seating area, a bathroom, a piano area, a small library area, and another seating area. It leads to another guest bedroom as well as the solarium/wrap-around-corridor on that side of the building, to continue the pattern from below. I went with a ‘yellow’ kind of theme here which is completely out of my element. Also, I realize that the lighting on the piano area looks out of place compared to the rest of it but I wanted it that way so that the piano had a spotlight feature.

Alright- The last ‘room’ on this floor. The second guest bedroom. This one doesn’t have its own personal bathroom (Just down the hall) but it does have its own balcony and it is bigger. I actually like this one more, I think.

Alright. This is the last main wrap-around corridor. It opens up and is not separated from the 2nd floor of the solarium. I decided to differentiate this one big time by introducing colored carpets and furniture to give it a fun touch. Also it does have a ‘hookah’ area lmao. The solarium part is  alittle more boring but it does have activities for your sim to do such as painting, woodworking, and more. I figured it was a good spot to put misc hobbies since it is more out of the way of the usual social areas but has a great view and airspace.

Now for the last section of the 2nd floor: The main back balcony. This thing is huge and has a LOT of seating. I really like that big main dining table, the record player, and decorations. There is a stairway here that I put in, cutting through the roof, to get to the 3rd floor because I could‘t figure out how else to do it. I actually picture Antonio preferring to eat out here.

This is that stairwell with the 3rd floor cut off.

And here it is with the 3rd floor activated. It was a pain to get that to work but once I got it it worked just fine. I couldn’t figure out how to really connect the two separate buildings but then realized I could do an open-air corridor with no roof. That was DEFINITELY new for me and interesting to do!

With the roof on.

Next we’ll go to the office. I imagine that because he often shows up late (If even at all) and so he really utilizes this personal office and library a lot. It has its own personal bathroom, small kitchen, small records area, and eve a TV and fireplace near his desk. I often picture him trying to turn his desk around on the rug so that people on camera or on his zoom call won’t see his kitchen but I often see him forgetting to do that and so they just see a big microwave behind him lmao. Also I imagine, while the TV is helpful a lot for news and etc he is often distracted by soap operas, sports, and etc on it. Get to work, Antonio!

So we’re going to go back across that open-air corridor to the other wing and that is Antonio’s personal master bedroom and master bathroom. He has his own personal balcony that is colorful and relaxing.

First we’ll go into the master bathroom. I wanted a nice tub, plenty of space, more yellow accents... And I couldn’t figure out the shower and had to improvise. I actually put up stand-alone showerheads and nozzles into each of those pillars so he could take a really cool shower, if he wanted. I just didn’t want the shower to take away from the overall look of it and that seemed like the best option. Again, improvise, adapt, overcome.

Now for the final room on the 3rd floor: Antonio’s master bedroom. I went with ‘green for this’. It’s really cozy and colorful. I like to pretend that Arthur stitched those designs above his door and he hung them up because he loves them. Antonio also has a large walk-in closet/wardrobe that has been fitted onto the 3rd floor of this tower. I couldn’t get any good brown furniture to work so I shifted it to black in here. He’s a really fashionable guy and loves to care for his looks so it felt natural to make this his closet and area to get ready in.

From Antonio’s wardrobe... You have to use the stairs outside leading upstairs to the last and final room at the top of the tower and the 4th floor. It’s actually an attic/storage area and I often love putting these in the homes I build. I like to make them messy, cluttered, full of memories, and personal things to the person that lives specifically here. I always have a fun time trying to cram them full of stuff.

And with these last few pictures I wanted to show some of the scenery around in the area. It was a massive build and I’m glad I finally finished it at long last! Thanks for checking it out, it was a lot of hard work and time but I love it!

[htownsmash]

Shiggy Horror AU

Part One: Gragoja Island

Part Two

AN: Hey everybody, thank you for taking the time to check out my second collab fic! This will be seperated in a few parts- this is Part One. If you have Interactive Fic extension, replace MC with your name! 💕

NSFW. Warning: Character Death.

To say that you were a horror fanatic was an overstatement. Sure, you usually liked to indulge in spooky stories, horror movies and even weird conspiracy theories every now and then... but you weren’t obsessed. You just enjoyed them.

So when you dragged Kaminari, Tokoyami, Kirishima, Sero and Shinso along with you to help you win the winning ticket to Gragoja Island, they weren’t surprised at all. After an entire afternoon of binging on the required snacks needed, everyone gave you the tickets they had found and cheered when you won! You were beyond excited! And why wouldn’t you be? You just won a round trip to the spookiest island in the country!

In the end, only Tokoyami and Shinso could go and keep you company. The trip there was chaotic thanks to you, but you only laughed and told them to count themselves lucky they had made it there in one piece. “Come on, guys, this is a one in a lifetime opportunity!” You claimed as you took video of the shoreline. You couldn’t help but be fascinated by the state of the abandoned ruins left behind… Why did people leave? How could such a huge place become abandoned?

“Something tragic must have taken place here; the souls of the unsettled gathered together frozen in time like the buildings that surround that place.” Tokoyami pondered out loud as he leaned against the rails of the ship. “How unfortunate that they have to deal with the living invading their private space for entertainment.”

“I think it’s cool,” Shinso broke the silence with a shrug of his shoulders as he closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of the ship rock in the waters. “In a historical kind of way. Maybe it was just population decline or maybe the island couldn’t support them anymore.”

You grinned at Shinso, elbowing him, “of course you’d see it that way.”

“It’s realistic.”

“How long until we get there?” Tokoyami asked, doing his best to mask his excitement.

“Two more hours and then we have to join the first tour.” You answered as you opened your phone. At the top corner you noticed that your phone signal began to weaken the closer you got to the island.

“Is the hotel haunted, too?” Shinso joked, earning a dirty look from both you and Tokoyami.

“- so what we see here is the Shopping District closed down in 1928.” The guide clambered on as your eyes focused on the area they had mentioned. “When the district reopened in 2003 it brought about an economic boom for the island. It became a popular tourist attraction over the next three years until the earthquake of 2007 struck. The city's infrastructure became unstable and again it was closed down the following year.”

You felt a cold draft brush past your neck as your group passed by the end of the district and you did a double take behind you but there was nothing there. Instead you found a doorway slightly ajar and as you grew closer you noticed that it led to a stone staircase. It looked as if it led under the store and down towards a lower section of the district. Before you decided to follow it, Tokoyami tapped your shoulder to catch your attention. “Where do you think you’re going?” He asked you, knowing very well what you had been planning to do and you gave him a sheepish grin. “We should get back before we lose the group.”

“Do you think we could come back later and take a look around?” You asked as you followed him back. “I mean, they have to let us have some free time while we’re here.”

“Perhaps they allow the guests to roam around, but don’t you dare think about coming back here. You heard what the guide said.” Tokoyami crossed his arms. “You have no idea what could be down there anyway. It’s not safe.”

You patted his shoulder, hanging off him, “but that’s why we’re here, isn’t it? Come on, Fumi, aren’t you curious, too?” You asked him with a slight shake of his shoulders.

He hated to admit that he was, otherwise he never would have joined you on the trip, but there was no way he would allow himself to leave his room after dark. Despite his years of training at U.A. High School, there were moments where Dark Shadow was unpredictable. He shook his head. “You’re not going to convince me so easily.”

The next morning during breakfast you had gathered up with a few strangers at a nearby table. You laughed along with them as you prodded more information about the island and any history that the guide had forgotten or left off. So far your schmoozing had been for nothing and when you saw Shinso enter the dining hall you excused yourself.

“Who were you talking to?” He asked with a yawn as he joined you at their own table, eyeing the menu left on his side.

“I was just being friendly.” You answered absently as you adjusted the settings on your phone, doing your best to test the connection. Two and a half bars. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing. “Hey, let’s take a selfie.” You suggested, coming up with a thousand excuses or ideas to get him to join your little expedition. If Tokoyami refused to go, you knew Shinso would be your man.

The first night had been uneventful. The most satisfying moment would have been finding out what was at the bottom of the stairs, like an escape room, a mass of tunnels or even a skeleton! Nothing, it had just been a part of a flooded basement. The disappointment alone sent you and Shinso back.

Your luck was going to change! Tonight was going to be different! You could feel it. You turned to Shinso as he crouched behind you, taking a moment to look behind him before you went on ahead.

The window to a nearby shop had been already smashed and carefully you two made your way inside. You took Shinso’s hand as you made sure he wouldn’t hurt himself on the jagged glass. ”It’s pretty dusty in here.” He commented, pinching his nose at the strange smell that surrounded the room. “Do you smell that?”

“Smell what?” You asked curiously, taking a moment to sniff the air around you. “It’s probably mold or something.”

“No…” Shinso tried to place it. “It smells like something decaying.”

You took another sniff but didn’t smell anything. You pulled out your phone and turned on the flashlight. “Could be an animal or maybe dead rats? There were a couple of restaurants here.”

“What are you even looking for?” He asked as he followed behind. He felt uneasy as they made their way through the various shops.

“We can’t go home without a souvenir,” you replied with a cheeky grin. “Besides, I want to bring something back to show Kaminari.”

Shinso sighed, “just bring him that winebottle and tell him it’s haunted.” He pointed to the destroyed shelf behind the bar.

“Don’t be a partypooper.” You teased as you made your way across the creaky wooden floorboards. Suddenly, you heard a snap and cried out as the floor gave out from under you. You landed on your side, effectively breaking your phone in the process and you cursed and whined as pain shot through your arm.

“MC!” Shinso carefully peered down the hole. “Are you alright? I’m coming down there!” He said as he readied himself to jump down the hole.

You looked up at him and noticed a shadow right next to him also peering down at you. You lied there frozen as it’s red eyes glinted in the darkness and when you blinked, it was gone.

Shinso grunted as he landed on his feet, “shit… I’m gonna feel that in the morning.” He mumbled to himself as he bent down beside you. “Let me see.”

“Did you see that?” You asked him.

“What?”

“It was right next to you!” You gripped the front of his shirt. “We have to get out of here.”

Check out the rest of the masterlist! 💕