#we should call this week and work on the outline together

[licnheartedd]

thinking about percy jackson again

[mrs-elsie-barnes]

Back To Work | Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader | Drabble - 800 words

Retirement, a new house, a romantic evening planned, Bucky just knew that life was all going too well . Especially when he starts being hounded to return to his superhero life.

Warnings: language, fluff, a little angsty at the end. Featuring domestic thunderbolts Bucky.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics and @reveriesources

Masterlist | Bucky Barnes

“Bucky, are you ready to go baby?” Your voice carried through from the living room as he clicked his arm back into place, shrugging his shoulder to get the fit right. 

You'd been excited all day, buzzing around the new house and opening boxes, trying to unpack at the same time as finding the perfect outfit. Bucky was only half regretting making plans so soon after moving, sure it was stressful trying to dig out his nice shoes from the piles of boxes and bags, but seeing you so happy was completely worth it and knowing you’d be coming home to your house, together, was just the icing on the cake. 

Now the sun was setting and you had turned on the downlighters in the kitchen, void of your usual clutter it looked lonely. 

“Just checking my phone, Doll.” He called back picking the offending item up from the counter - so many missed messages, he sighed.

 He'd been better recently, replying to Sam and catching up with him every week or so. He'd even managed to facetime Steve in his retirement home. He quite enjoyed the easy freedom of digital communication. But today, of all days, it had been pinging non-stop all driving him crazy during the drive and ruining the relaxing and, he hoped, romantic atmosphere he was trying to create. 

“Come on, baby, I don't want to be late.” You strolled into the kitchen and he dropped the phone again to focus his attention on you instead, taking in your dress and heels, your lipstick perfectly done. How could he worry about a stupid phone when you were together. 

“C’mere,” he pulled you close, tucking you under his chin and planting a kiss to the top of your head. 

He smelt lovely, fresh from the shower but with the hint of cut wood from building furniture. His vest revealed the hint of his dog tags, outlined under the fabric, as well as his tanned skin from a summer well spent outside, your traced your fingers over the chain and up his neck. Tangling your fingers in his long hair you tugged him down for a kiss. 

“Love you, Buck.” You whispered against his lips, heat surging through you just at his presence. 

“Love you too.” His lips tickled your cheek, behind your ear, and then he was swinging you up onto the counter. 

“Don't make us late!” 

“If you don't like it, stop giggling.” His fingers tickled up your bare legs, eyes twinkling with desire. 

Ping 

“That fucking phone,” Bucky growled, grabbing it again. More messages, more missed calls. 

“You should see what they want,” wrapping your arms and legs around him as you tugged Bucky closer, every line and curve fitting against him perfectly. He was sun warmed and cuddly, still ridiculously strong, but the hard lines and plains had softened since his retirement and you couldn’t get enough. 

“Fine, for you, then we're going to go and have a nice dinner and I'm leaving this stupid thing here.” He grumbled, chin on top of your head. 

You giggled again, leaving kisses on his chest. Bucky was so attached to that thing you didn't believe it for a second. Until his breathing went funny, heartbeat speeding up beneath your cheek. 

“What is it?”

His eyes had lost their sparkle, looking sad and serious. 

“I might have to rearrange dinner.” 

“What? Why?” You couldn’t see the phone, but his eyes raced across whatever he’d been sent.

“Where did we pack the gear?”

“The what? Oh - uh,it's in the trunk, in the garage but -” 

Bucky slid away, eyes glazed, focussed, intent and you were suddenly so cold without his presence.Your heart sank listening to the movement in the garage on the other side of the wall. 

He emerged ten minutes later, his smart trousers and vest discarded in favour of leather, the dirty t-shirt he'd been wearing while you were unpacking was back and he’d at least grabbed his soft leather jacket for protection. 

You threw yourself into his arms, tears springing to your eyes. “Are you needed?” 

“I think so,” his voice was low, sinking into the headspace required to take on whatever danger was lurking. 

“Come back to me in one piece, okay?” Your voice cracked, arms squeezing him impossibly tight.

“Of course, doll.” He looked at you then, tears welling in his own eyes, his lips so soft against your own. 

“You're my hero, you know that? You don't have to do anything else?” 

He nodded, letting you slide back to the floor, heels clicking on the tile in a sad reminder of your ruined evening. 

“I love you, Bucky.”

“I love you, lock the door behind me, okay? Don’t let anyone, anyone, in.” 

It was your turn to nod, you knew the protocols, the rules that reassured him. 

His bike roared to life, then he was gone, and you were alone in the echo of your home. 

[ivys-garden]

Wild Life Spoilers: Session 2 Alliance Report:

Teams:

The Spanners - (Mumbo, Grian, Skizz) - formerly the Sub One Club, immediately forget their idea of using crawl mode and lament that they can't be sub one anymore. Mumbo then decides they are “The Floaters” due to them becoming obsessed with the levitation ability. Luckily this doesn't stick because I could not handle an alliance that changes name every session. Mumbo and Skizz built their “base” as a series of bridges, leading to Mumbo calling them “The Spanners” since “they span things”.

Speaking of levitation, they died from that. And starvation. This was not Mumbo or Skizzes session, with Mumbo losing two life's and Skizz losing 3, halfing his amount of lives in one session. If Skizz loses one next week he will be yellow. Seems Grian's curse of outlining his alliance has started early.

The Bam-Boozelers - (Scar, Lizzie, Jimmy)

I normally have a lot of faith in all life series teams. I think anyone can make it to the end. I think this so long as it is not abundantly clear that they're doomed. I never say someone is Doomed from the star-

This team is doomed from the start. Immediately they decide that the Wild Card is that he can't heal from hunger, now this is a good first thought and is shared by other teams, though those other teams immediately realised that if that were the Wild Card everyone would die of hunger and started looking for other options.

These 3? They stuck with that idea and started making boats to travel. When they realised that their hunger reduced passively, they panicked until Grian saved them by telling everyone in chat that they could eat anything. Now, armed with this knowledge they just have to find a good and easy to use food source.

They chose stone shovels. An item that cannot be stacked and required way more effort and resources to make than was worth it. And they stuck by this even as others told them about better foods. They only stopped using shovels because of the randomisation.

How is Jimmy the most confident member on his team?

In other news, they're theme park is going well and Lizzie's Parrot is cute. Jimmy also apparently has “Big Mascot Energy”.

Renwood - (Martyn, Ren)

These dogs are just vibing. They each lose a life each, no big deal. A far cry from previous seasons, Ren is just chilling, Not going after anyone unless they go after them first and trying to get Martyn to do the same. And he actually does, not attacking anyone this session at all. He even gives up going after Jimmy for stealing their cows (an action which was by every account deserved.)

The Tuff Guys (Tango, Etho, Bdubs) (not technically together (?))

Ah yes, Team B.E.S.T without Skizz …. Considering Skizz was the only person keeping Team B.E.S.T from imploding, this can only go well!

Yeah this team is not staying together. Technically they're already breaking up, with Bdubs saying they should only look out for themselves and insisting they live in different houses. Bdubs even cements this mentality by fully encouraging Scar to help kill Tango for no reason.

As for the “Tuff” part, Etho has decided that they need to be tougher and take what they want from people. You know, not to be nice or polite.

Luckily we can see how this works in practice, as Gem encourages him to go be tough to the Final Girls, let's see how Etho is an not being nice:

● he greets Scott and Cleo

● makes small talk

● politely asks for copper

● tries to stop Pearl stealing from them since he doesn't know she's on they're team

● takes more of the stuff he was told he could have

● gives them obsidian in return anyway

● and still feels bad about it.

Yeah not only was this the least tough Etho had ever been, the Girls almost certainly didn't notice and probably won't even care when they do. Great job Etho.

The Fast And The Furious (Gem, Joel)

This session, Gem announced her plan to make friends so people don't judge them based on 5 seasons worth of going insane every time they go red. This lasts for 3 minutes before other people arrive, Scar misunderstands instructions, Etho lets the cops out and the Final Girls partake in their favourite pastime of miscommunication and insisting their own teammates are doing something they aren't.

Other attempts to make friends do go better, with Gem arguably being on good terms with everyone except two people. So that's good.

Gem also builds a cute little Bard that I give a session before it's burnt down or has a Creeper hole in it. Joel spends all session building a car. Everyone on the server thinks it's hideous, mainly because it is hideous.

The Final Girls - (Scott, Pearl, Cleo, Impulse, Bigb)

Somehow the most stable team here, even if it is mostly out of spite. Yeah this team will stay together, the core four have never betrayed anyone unless an outside faction is involved. They're safe. Even if they continue the tradition of forgetting all the bad stuff they did and only reimbursing bad stuff their teammates did (what do you mean Pearl doesn't trust people based on what happened in previous seasons? That was you, Cleo!)

Oh Bigb also joined this session. Though I imagine this will be a Heart Foundation situation where he bases alone despite being on the team.

Scott and Cleo spend a lot of time this session fixing the mistakes Pearl and Impulse make by acting how they always do. A house and wall are built and Pearl and Impulse prepare revenge plans on Grian and Martyn. Pearl encourages Impulse not to tell the others, seemingly forgetting that Cleo and Bigb are addicted to revenge and would have no problem with this.

Alliances and Friendships:

Lizzie and Gem

these two agree to team up if their teammates die. Since their teammates are idiots.

Remember, Lizzie is the one who made the stone shovel plan.

Spanners Vs Bammers

The Bam-Boozelers still hate the Spanners, dropping their reputation all the way to zero. Mumbo and Skizz either don't realise this or don't care. Grian was gone almost all session mining so can't really say what his thoughts on the situation are.

The Family - (Joel, Etho, Gem)

Etho is indoctrinated into yet another family, though he seems more willing to be present for this one. When Tuff Guys breaks up like 5 minutes into session 3, we all know where he's going.

Also Scar might also be part of the family though every else seems to just ignore this.

Spanners Vs Tango

The Spanners are really angry at Tango for accidentally killing Skizz. They seem satisfied with manifesting his death through belief, but it seems they haven't let him off the hook yet. We all know Bdubs won't help him

Joel might also be mad at Tango since he ate the wheels of his ugly car.

Mumbo & Jimmy still hate Renwood

Mumbo still doesn't trust Martyn after the enchanter fiasco and Jimmy attempts to get revenge for the cow theft. Ren and Martyn have chosen to ignore this, Mumbo seems to have forgotten he was angry, and Jimmy is satisfied that he got revenge.

Ren buys his friends

Ren bought Gem and Tangos friendship through iron. Will this hold up? No.

Gem has beef with team oblivious

Gem hates Pearl and Impulse this season. They are at the top of her inevitable murder list.

● The Final Girls came round for a visit

● Impulse was accused of stealing

● He said he wouldt stela since he knows what it's like to be stolen from

● Gem took this as him amusing her of stealing

● Scott cut him off before he could explain himself by saying he was purposely antagonising them

● Gem cut both of them off by ranting about how much she doesn't trust them

Stellar miscommunication guys, great job as always. Please never change, the series would be way less funny if you did.

Pearl also made it worse by trying to Poison Gem 30 minutes later. Woopsie.

Neither Pearl nor Impulse notice that Gem hates them and the others refuse to tell them.

[mydearestbeloved]

Omg lol’ed at adam being the unwilling third-wheel in the middle of jinwoo and tp!reader’s  public display of “trust” 😭. No it’s just pure satisfying to see jinwoo trust and need someone presence that much. Tp!reader is his rock frfrfr 🥺 and tbh this only makes me sad to see how “alone” canon jinwoo is, so much so that he can’t really open himself up to people he cares about problems he has to deal with (and yes, even in sl ragnarok. Like even suho called him a “deadbeat dad” due to his communication issue 😭). Anyway, tp!jinwoo is so cute when he relies on tp!reader and OMG pointing and laughing at his cringe fail moment at the end. (still love you pookie 🥰)

Okay, but i kinda scratched my head at this part bc how come ashborn didn’t take notice of tp!reader sooner 🤔? I mean, you could say that she wasn’t strong enough to display her “absolute being” power to be under his radar before but even his fellow rulers can still sense her back then? Idk I don’t remember much details about this scene in canon so apologies if I misunderstood smth.

?System¿:

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Thank you for sending your review, my apologies for the very late response! 🙏💞

Omg, I just saw a few panels of the new chapter of SL: Ragnarok manhwa (chap. 41?) on Twitter/X, and after reading this review, I suddenly had a vision of this scene:

Warning: Unedited, subject to change, future convo(?)

_____

It was a quiet night, the kind where even the wind outside seemed to hush itself, allowing the world to bask in the rare tranquility. The soft glow of the living room lamp bathed the space in a warm ambiance, flickering shadows dancing with lights on the walls. Nestled together on the couch, you and Jinwoo enjoyed this rare moment of stillness. One of his arms draped around you, his warmth seeping into your skin as he pulled you closer. You leaned against his chest, your body naturally molding into his as if you had always belonged there.

In your arms, Suho stirred softly, his tiny fingers twitching every now and then. The slow rise and fall of his tiny chest mesmerizing to watch. He was still so small, only a few weeks old, yet with each passing day—day by day, feature by feature, he was becoming a mirror of the man who held you now.

But . . .

You traced the outline of Suho’s face with your eyes, the soft curve of his cheeks, the delicate lashes fluttering against his skin as he ‘fought’ against sleep.

—He also reminded you so much of your best friend.

The sight made your heart clench with a feeling too vast to name.

Ah, I should check on her again soon. Her tournament is coming up in a few weeks. I hope she isn’t pushing herself too much, else she’ll run to her death—Eh, who am I kidding.

You really, really wanted to laugh at the inside joke, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to. Your attempt at distracting your mind elsewhere just didn’t seem to work this time.

“...Jinwoo?” your voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

But Jinwoo always heard you.

“Hmm?” His hum reverberated in his chest, his chin resting lightly on your shoulder.

You hesitated. Your tongue darted out to wet your lips as you gathered the words that had been weighing on you for days now.

“Could you,” You inhaled deeply, as if steadying yourself. “…spend more time with our son?”

Jinwoo stilled for a fraction of a second, his hold around you subtly tightened, before his thumb resumed its slow, comforting strokes along your upper arm.

He knew that tone—the slight wavering beneath the surface, the weight in your words.

“What is it, my love?” His voice was low, gentle, like he was trying to coax you into opening up—technically, he was. “What’s bothering my wife this time?”

Damn him, when did he get so—!

You bit your lip before pressing on. “I’m not saying you’re spending too much time at work. In fact, if you were, you know I wouldn’t have taken any of it and dragged you home myself.”

A breath of laughter left him at that, and he pressed a lingering kiss to your temple. The warmth of it settled in your chest. It was such a simple thing, yet it unraveled the tension in your shoulders, bringing the ghost of a smile to your lips, grounding you despite the storm brewing in your thoughts.

It was his way of saying: We’re in this together. Always.

Your fingers idly stroked Suho’s back, feeling the slow, rhythmic breaths of your baby boy, his warmth anchoring you also.

“I’m just… worried,” The confession came out softer than you intended. You traced your thumb gently along Suho’s arm, watching how peaceful he looked, memorizing the smallness of him, the weight of him in your arms.

Committing every little feature of his to memory.

As if…

As if this moment was fleeting. As if this moment might slip through your fingers like sand, lost to the relentless tide of fate.

Jinwoo already knew where this was going.

“This is about the future you knew, isn’t it?”

Your grip on Suho tightened slightly. “Jinwoo, the fact that Suho is starting to look exactly as I remember him, in my memories of back then, just confirms it.”

The long road he’ll take. The hardships he’ll face.

A deep-seated fear started gnawing at you.

“The story hasn’t ended yet. His future will be the same—”

“Can be the same.”

Jinwoo’s voice was quiet but firm, cutting through the air like a blade. And yet, you still feel the gentleness that never faded away.

His fingers continued tracing slow, soothing circles on your arm. “You and I are proof that there’s still room for change.”

You opened your mouth, but the words caught in your throat. You let out a slow breath instead, some of the tension bleeding from your shoulders at the conviction in his tone.

How can he do that? ‘Till now, you still wondered, how could he ease the storm in your heart with just a few words.

Sometimes, you still couldn’t believe he was yours.

And that you were his.

“…Do you want him to be like you?” The question slipped past your lips before you could stop it.

“No.”

The answer was immediate. Firm. Yet, in contrast, the way his fingers brushed over Suho’s soft cheek was achingly gentle. The baby stirred slightly in response, his tiny hand latching onto Jinwoo’s retreating fingers. His little fingers barely curled around two of Jinwoo’s.

Jinwoo stilled, his expression unreadable.

“My path led me to you. I will never regret taking it.” His voice was hushed, reverent, as if speaking anything louder would shatter the fragile serenity of the moment.

Your heart squeezed at his words.

His fingers remained where they were until Suho’s grip finally loosened in sleep. Only then did Jinwoo carefully guide his tiny hand back against his blanket, ensuring he was comfortable. You adjusted the fabric around your son’s sleeping form, both of you moving in quiet tandem.

“But I want our son to find his own path. To choose for himself.”

Your chest ached at the tenderness in his voice, at the raw sincerity in his words.

You shifted slightly, careful not to jostle the sleeping baby in your arms as you leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to your beloved husband’s cheek.

“Then spend time with him.” Your voice was quiet but left no room for argument. “More time.”

You pulled back just enough to meet his eyes.

Jinwoo’s expression softened, but his eyes matched your unwavering ones.

“Don’t let him feel that the only way he can be close to you…” You choose your words carefully before continuing, “—is for him to follow in your exact footsteps.”

Promise me.

Jinwoo said nothing at first. He merely held your gaze. Then, his hand cupped the side of your face, guiding you into a slow, lingering kiss.

It was warm. Familiar. Melting. A promise sealed between your lips.

When he finally pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yours, breathing you in as if grounding himself in you.

_____

“Anything for my loves.”

Honestly, this just makes me more determined to continue writing Trial Player AU. To write a story of an AU where someone that can stand by Jinwoo in everything exist, who can really match him in power included, so that he won’t be “alone.” No hate for canon Cha Hae-in tho—she completes him, just differently than what I envisioned.

I’m still going for that “Cha Hae-in as our bestie”-agenda! I don’t plan on discarding her in Trial Player AU. I’m definitely going to give her more screen time, going to add my own version of developments, but hopefully, it will turn out good enough to still be enjoyed. ❤️

Trial Player AU - Chapter 22: Trial Player!Reader’s First Encounter With The Former Ruler

For clarification: the Rulers came to know of TP!Reader only after she came into proximity with their vessels.

Thomas Andre had a ‘delayed’ response—only after he locked eyes with her did the Ruler power in him react (Chapter 15). A similar situation happened with Go Gunhee, who had been watching Jinwoo walk away after their conversation. When Jinwoo approached TP!Reader in the distance, only then did the Chairman notice her, and the Ruler power in him reacted the same way as Thomas’ had (Chapter 21).

The pattern was there: The Rulers were supposedly alerted only after their vessels truly became aware of TP!Reader, which the vessels did not at first. And what the vessels feel after was always the urge to submit first (mostly due to the Rulers sensing a part of their Creator), then came the (motherly) warmth. At least, this is the pattern up to chapter 21. More on this will be revealed in the story, but feel free to take a guess or make your own theories. 🤗

Then why did Ashborn not take notice of TP!Reader sooner when Jinwoo already spent so much time close to her?

Let’s backtrack to canon info for this.

(As usual, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.) Why didn’t the Monarchs and the Rulers instantly know of Ashborn’s plans for Jinwoo? That is because The Architect, or Kandiaru, designed the System to be used only by Ashborn and his human vessel.

If we go by this logic, then the System is the main bridge for Kandiaru and Ashborn to keep track of Jinwoo. If, say, another being became aware of that fact, and that same being wanted something in Jinwoo’s vicinity to not be noticed by the two, wouldn’t hijacking that main bridge be the ideal plan?

There were many instances where the System acted differently around TP!Reader (and her butterflies, as more recently shown in Chapter 23), at least in comparison to how it usually was with Jinwoo. 🤔

All I can say for now is that this is the first clue as to why Ashborn (and the others) didn’t notice TP!Reader’s existence sooner/instantly, and so far, they have only been able to take notice of her under certain conditions. In Ashborn’s case, it was because TP!Reader reached out to Norma Selner’s mind when she was seeing something inside Jinwoo’s soul. Thus, TP!Reader’s special space came into contact with the ‘darkness’ Norma saw, where Ashborn could finally sense and become aware of her unique presence for the first time.

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is: @thefreakandthehair! With thirty-nine works in the Steve/Eddie and Stranger Things tags on Archive of our Own!

In an underdogfics first, we have TWO nominators!

Our first nominator recommends the following works by @thefreakandthehair:

this is my month, I can feel it. october, baby!

never been afraid of any deviation.

scar-crossed lovers.

the answers are all inside of this.

Our second nominator, @sidekick-hero, recommends the following works by @thefreakandthehair:

over the hills and far away

meeting you was coming home.

make no plans and none can be broken.

rounding third, sliding home.

what's mine is yours (to leave or take)

Lex's brain is full of very creative scenarios, reading her writing is like reading an anthology of short stories but it's with all of your favorite characters! You get to see what they'd do in this AU or that AU, I love the exploration. It's like she's made a stew and it's simmering on the stove and you realize you're so hungry for stew as soon as you see it. <3 -- anonymous

Lex writes characters that come to life on the page while you're reading her stories. It makes it so easy to get invested in them, to feel with them and root for them to get their happy ending. She's one of these authors I would follow anywhere, any trope, any setting and universe, I am here for it. So I think more people should get to find her stories and be treated to the magic. -- @sidekick-hero

Below the cut, @thefreakandthehair answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

How can I possibly give just one reason! These two burrowed themselves into my brain like little gerbils with no hope of ever getting them out. I mean, was I supposed to hear ‘dontcha big boy?’ and be normal about it? But in all seriousness, they’re two sides of the same coin and those oppositions in character are super fun to play with!

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

It was tough to choose, but friends to lovers keeps coming up!

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

If I have to choose a particular trope, hurt/comfort would be the closest fit, but in the sense of healing past hurts together as a unit.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

This question sent me into an existential crisis and the best I could do is narrow it down to three, and even that was nearly impossible. In no particular order: We’ll Know For The First Time by KikiZ; carve your name into my chest by hexiewrites; and more recently, Among the Wildflowers by ParadimeShifts.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

Rivals to Lovers in my football AU! I’ve been so excited to get moving on that one.

What is your writing process like?

Oh, I wish I had a better one. I start with a skeleton outline, pop on some music, and then pick and choose which part of the outline sparks joy in that moment. I rarely, if ever, write chronologically so I just write what feels good in the moment and then go back with a scalpel to create connective tissue.

Do you have any writing quirks?

Definitely writing out of order, I think! And if there’s one thing about me, it’s that someone is gonna have an introspective moment looking up at the stars. Someone told me it’s like my calling card and they’re not wrong.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I like a bit of both. I like to post on a schedule for multi-chapter fics but only after it’s either completely done or mostly done so that there’s no pressure to it.

Which fic are you most proud of?

Over The Hills And Far Away incorporated some personal bits of my past that were equal parts cathartic and difficult to write at times, so I’d have to say that one! It’s really satisfying to take experiences that you regret or that didn’t end the way you’d hoped and give them a different ending in fiction.

How did you get the idea for never been afraid of any deviation?

The Eddie Month prompt for that day! Me and my co-mod for the event, nostalgicbones, included Bad Reputation by Joan Jett as a prompt and as I was listening to it, it got me thinking about how Eddie is someone who cares for those in less than ideal situations— maybe even to the point of weaponizing his own bad reputation to protect someone. In this case, that was Steve!

When writing the answers are all inside of this, what was something you didn’t expect?

I didn’t expect it to become multiple chapters! That one is part of my So Much For Stardust series (that I haven’t forgotten about, I’ve just been busy with big bangs) so it was based on The Pink Seashell interlude from the album. I still don’t know exactly how a 1-minute interlude turned into a 15k multi-chapter fic, but it was super fun to let go off the rails!

What inspired scar-crossed lovers?

Also a So Much For Stardust series fic, the first one in the series, actually. I heard Heaven, Iowa for the first time and wrote this based on that song in a day. My brain just kept rotating it around like a rotisserie chicken until I wrote it.

What was your favorite part to write from scar-crossed lovers?

This is ironic because I’m not an angst-writer by nature, but writing about the slow deterioration of Eddie’s van as a symbol for the passage of time was really fun to do. Bittersweet, but it was one of those things that I didn’t realize I was doing until I was in the middle of it and once I realized, I just carried it throughout!

How do/did you feel writing never been afraid of any deviation.?

Excited! It was the first time that I wrote pre-s4 steddie (which is wild that in two years, I just wrote that for the first time last fall?) and it was so fun to do!

What was the most difficult part of writing the answers are all inside of this.?

Probably balancing the kids’ voices in the first chapter while still creating tension between Steve and Eddie.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

It isn’t one of the fics listed here, but in no better version I could pretend to be tonight, I loved writing the line “Something about Steve feels like home, and Eddie is only familiar with houses.” Hurt/comfort, my beloved.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I’m planning on taking a break from big bangs for a bit to focus on some super neglected WIPs, so there are a few upcoming fics I’m excited about! My Football AU, an ASMR Artist!Eddie x Insomniac!Steve AU, and I’m working on a fic called Pickup Note with sidekick-hero and firefly-party that I cannot wait to dive into fully.

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

Just thank you so much for all that you do with this blog! The ship truly exploded overnight and there are so many incredible stories that I’ve completely missed just because they’ve fallen through the cracks. I really appreciate what you’re doing here and the undertaking that it’s been!

Thank you to our author, @thefreakandthehair, and our nominators, anonymous and @sidekick-hero! See more of @thefreakandthehair works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[flymetosnarryland]

A little progress.

I'm working on "Infraction." My precious baby, uh. This art is part of it in a way. Eileen Prince and Tobias Snape. When people are falling in love everything seems easy, but then life happen.

(I'd like to talk about how things are going with Infraction.)

I'm back on it since couple of weeks and working on it is intense (my brain is literally boiling). I don't think I ever planned a story for that long. The first idea has born 6th January this year. I was writing down (like crazy) everything I wanted to be in this fic. During first months it was chaotic and messy, but brought me so much joy. When I've had everything that (I thought) I needed, I wrote first chapters, yeah. And then shared them, because was so excited about all of it and just couldn't wait. Gosh.

Now I... hm... well, maybe not "regret" it, but I think, I totally should have wait. Why is that? First thing first, this story is not ready yet for being written in, you know, final version. It's too fat, lol.

I may want too much from it. There is a lot, like, seriously, A LOT of things to cover. First notes took me around 80 pages and it had many gaps in it (too much if you ask me). Things I needed to figure out and fill in, in the same time making everything work together. Because this Snarry is not sprinkled with crime. It's filled with murder, political shenanigans, family shiteshow and tough, not always appropriate, love. There are secrets and lies, blackmails and history that matter. Backstory of many people, whose actions over the years supposed to bring us to the point where we are now. And, you know, all of it gives me the thrill. First time in my life I feel like a true Puppet Master.

So, couple weeks ago I started to write a proper outline, if I can call it like that. To put everything in order and, going from the very beginning, to fill all the gaps. To answer all the questions I was asking myself in notes. To figure out the missing clues, some details without I couldn't go further and with that - to find out how characters will change facing new situations. How they will grow (I really love this part). Sometimes I think, "why am I even doing it?" I could just write some cosy, little fic where Harry and Severus' silly problems would be the main goal of the story. Like, focusing on them should be enough, right? Why am I going for all the other things, if I just want them to shag and have their happy end after all? 😂

Well, if it's not for fun, I don't know the other reason. The level of excitement is just incredible. I don't know, if what I'm writing is good or bad. If it really has sense, because I've always seen myself rather as a potato, not as a great mastermind who can plot some good shite, you know. That said, "Infraction" feels even more challenging that I ever thought it will be. But I feel deep inside that I can do it. Going step by step where the main plan leads and... it just feels good.

I've started in October 1989. Now I'm in January 2011. It means that I managed to finish everything that happen before the fic starts, lol. And, actually, I almost covered the first part of the book. So, two more to go? Hehe. It'll take time, yes. It's crazy how much I want to continue writing the main chapters, not only swim in the plan-phase. Drawing the series of "Muggle London" art helped me a lot with easing this itch. However, it's still there. I know, though, that I have to finish it. The whole outline, I mean. Without it, things can go south.

That said, I can't tell how long it will take. Couple weeks? Maybe months. This is really... a lot of work and I want to be proud of it. Even more so, because this fic means a lot to me. I know it may not be, you know, mind blowing or something. But I hope that giving it all my love, it could be, you know, not that bad for reading, hehe.

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 9

Hello! Thank you so much for the out pouring of support last time. I love that everyone loved the tattoo idea. If you want to see a basic idea of what it would look like, check the reblogs of part 8 (though if I had the energy I would throw into an editing program I’d skinny up the sword a bit and make the wings wider).

We meet the candidates for the apprenticeship and we learn the history of Jeff’s tattoo (warning for racism and bad cops) and Eddie’s reason for the wings.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

*

Steve walked back to the front the little paper in his shaking hands.

“I’ve already had a couple people this morning asking about the apprentice gig,” Robin told him. “When should I have them come in?”

Steve rubbed him bottom lip thoughtfully. “I don’t have to go to Dustin’s until 5pm on Sunday, so have them all come at 10am then.”

Robin nodded. “He choose a design then?” she asked, nodded to the paper in his hand.

Steve nodded back his lips pressed together as he handed it to her to scan.

She looked down at it in shock. “He picked this one?”

Steve nodded again, unsure if he could trust himself to speak.

“This is going to take a long time and a lot of money,” Robin whispered. “He’s aware of that, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Steve croaked. “He knows. He was very insistent and is able to pay for it. All of it.”

Robin nodded. “Then let’s get this bad boy printed for him then.”

She printed it into three pieces. One for each wing and one for the sword.

When he came back into the room, Eddie was laying on his chest with his shirt off. Steve licked his lips as his eyes trailed down the plains of Eddie’s back to where it dipped into the man’s jeans.

This was going to be a lot harder than he thought it was going to be.

“Okay,” Steve said after taking a moment to compose himself. “What we are going to do is trace the outlines and then we’ll spend two to three hours each week, working on it. It will probably take about ten to twelve weeks, doing it once a week. So if you want to move it up two days a week, I would recommend that.”

Eddie twisted to face him. “Yeah, I figured it was going to take some time. When I set up my appointments with Robin, I’ll make sure to do twice a week.”

“Sounds good,” Steve said, pulling on the latex gloves and sitting down. He scooted as close to Eddie as he could and picked his gun.

“You know,” he murmured over the sound of the gun. “I don’t think you ever said why you wanted the tattoo so badly you waited to find the right person to do it for you. And thanks for trusting me with it by the way.”

“You’re welcome,” Eddie said. “The work you did on Jeff’s tattoo was phenomenal. It was a very personal tattoo for him and you made it special. Did he tell you how got the scar he wanted you to cover up?”

Steve hummed, placing the first stencil down. “Yeah, something about how when Miranda and him first starting dating, someone called the cops on him, thinking he was kidnapping her. And how despite both of them saying they were on a date and Jeff having his hands up, the cop still fired, hitting his right arm.”

Eddie nodded. “It was messed up. He thought for sure Miranda was going to book it, but they stayed together and it’s been five years now.”

“So he got it for the fifth anniversary?” Steve asked, concentrating on the outline.

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “It was Miranda’s suggestion, actually.”

“They seem like great people.”

Eddie smiled fondly. “The best. I think he’s still working up the courage to ask her to marry him.”

Steve laughed. “He better hurry up otherwise Robin might try and steal her from him.”

Eddie laughed too. “Well considering they both swing for both teams, she might actually have a chance.”

“Oh god,” Steve said as he finished the first wing. “Don’t tell Robin that. She might actually try. And I don’t want to mess up a good thing, you know?”

“Fair.”

Eddie chewed on his bottom lip a moment. “But, yeah, the tattoo. It’s to commemorate a poor boy from the trailer park making it in the big city to play music for a living. Actually fucking making it.”

Steve smiled. “And the bat wings were for the aesthetic?”

“Hell yeah they are,” Eddie replied with a grin. “But, holy shit, Stevie. The sword of fucking Kas...it’s like you read my mind or some shit.”

Steve lifted the gun as he laughed. “Nah, I just listened when you and Dustin talked about it.”

Eddie adjusted himself in the chair and loosened the muscles in his shoulders a bit. He settled and nodded. “You did really good, sweetheart. I love it.”

They just fell into conversation as easy as breathing and far too soon Steve was done with the outline.

Steve pulled off his gloves, having set aside the gun already. “Go on, it’s not much to look at right now, but the bare bones are pretty fucking all right.’’

Eddie immediately bounced to his feet to go look in the mirror. He turned every direction and after a moment of watching him Steve stood up with a large hand mirror and tilted it until Eddie could see his back.

Eddie let out a gasp. “Holy fucking shit. This is going to be so epic. I can’t wait!”

Steve smiled fondly. “I’m glad it’s starting out okay, at least.”

Eddie grinned at him through the mirror. “It’s absolutely wicked.”

“Do you have someone who can rub the lotion on your back?” Steve asked, biting his bottom lip.

Eddie nodded. “The guys have offered to take turns helping me with it until it’s done.”

Steve hummed. He was a little disappointed. He was going to offer to do it for him. But it was a bit of a relief, knowing Eddie had such good friends that were willing to take care of him.

“That’s sweet of them,” he murmured, taking the time to gently wrap the tattoo the best he could in Saran wrap to protect it on the way home.

Eddie scoffed. “They only offered because they’re excitable children who want a sneak peak at the tattoo before anyone else.”

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, okay. That sounds like what I’d seen of them.”

Eddie turned around once Steve was done and grinned at him. “Am I going to see you at Nightmare Holes again this weekend?”

Steve winced. “I want to but I can’t this weekend. I’m meeting a couple people on Sunday morning morning and I cannot be hungover for that.’

Eddie huffed out a small chuckle. “Maybe.”

Steve shoved at him playfully. “I’ll make it up to you. Why don’t you come over again next Monday and I’ll make dinner for us again.”

Eddie’s eyes lit up. “That sounds great, wha’cha making?”

“What do you like?” Steve asked as he cleaned up. “Italian, Chinese, Mexican? Something else? I’m sure I could find a good recipe in time.”

Eddie tapped his lip with his index finger thoughtfully. “Can you do sesame chicken?”

Steve grinned. “Oh, I knew there was a reason I liked you. I love sesame chicken and have a kick ass recipe, I think you’ll love.”

Eddie grinned back. “Can’t wait pretty boy.”

Steve flicked his cleaning rag at Eddie’s ass. “Now go on, some of us poor schlubs have to work hard for our living, rock star.”

Eddie laughed in delight as he skipped away from Steve’s deadly aim with his rag. He got to the door and saluted, before turning on his heel and walking back to the front desk, shirt in hand.

*

Steve picked up a dozen donuts and coffees for him and Robin. Robin had already gone in to open the shop for the interviewees so he felt he owed it to her to at least get her coffee and donuts.

When he got to the shop he was a little surprised how many cars were out front. They couldn’t all be there for the apprenticeship, could they? He walked into see the entire waiting room filled with applicants.

He turned to Robin and she looked as shocked as he was. He set the donuts in front Robin’s desk and handed her the coffee.

“Hello,” he said turning around to greet the...he quickly counted, the six hopefuls. “I’m Steve Harrington and welcome to Royal Pain. You’re all welcome to have a donut and we have water and paper cups over to the side.” He gestured to where it was and most head turned to see where he meant.

“Is this really a tattoo parlor, man?” one of the applicants asked. He was what Steve would have stereotyped a California surfer boy. Bleach blond hair that fell to his shoulders, tanned skin, dark blue eyes that were currently glaring at Steve.

Steve let his shoulders roll back as he regarded the man in question. “What? The bright, colorful design precludes it from being a place people come to get tattoos, how?”

The guy leveled another glare at Steve and then leapt to his feet. “Whatever, this blows. I’m out of here.” He stormed out, pushing the door so hard it clanged against the wall harshly.

Steve looked at the remaining five. “Anyone else have a problem with the aesthetics?”

There were people that exchanged glances, but they ended up all shaking their heads no.

“Good.”

A pretty blonde girl with bright green eyes and a sparkling smile raised her hand.

“Yes?” Steve asked pointing at her.

“Not to be lumped in with the asshole that just left,” she began shyly, “but I really don’t see any tattoos on you and, well...”

Steve grinned. “And it makes it a little hard to trust me as a tattoo artist, right?”

She nodded, her high pony tail bouncing as she did.

Robin rolled her eyes, but wisely said nothing. Steve showed her his right forearm. “I didn’t do this one, this is the first tattoo I got though.” It was of a small vanilla ice cream cone. “I got this after my first real job at an ice cream shop that burned down.”

A lot of eyebrows shot up at that, but no one uttered a word.

He pulled at his collar showing a female robin on his shoulder right below the clavicle. “Got this one when my best friend turned twenty-one. She has a matching tattoo in the same place.”

He pulled up his shirt to show a lion devouring a bloody heart on his right side. “My friends called my lion-hearted, my detractors called me a bleeding heart, so I got this.”

Steve put his shirt down. “Yeah, I don’t look like your stereotypical tattoo artist that has their whole body covered in tats. But I’m one of those weirdos that only gets a tattoo if it means something to me. But make no mistake I’m good. I have had this shop for three years and only been a tattooist for five. And I’m taking on apprentices because this shop is so busy I need the help to lighten the load.”

The girl blushed. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said, heaving a heavy sigh. “People who look like me don’t usually become tattoo artists and I think that’s stupid. It shouldn’t just be a certain kind of person that has dyed black hair, piercings, and their body of work all over their body.”

She nodded. “I get what you mean.”

Steve smiled at her. “I figured you would.” He knew that if she was any good, he was going to pick her, hands down.

“Right,” he said turning his attention back to everyone. “I wasn’t expecting so many of you and I realize that isn’t fair to you. If you have somewhere else to be today, make an appointment with Robin,” he cocked his head her direction, “and I’ll meet with you personally at another time. But otherwise, I’ll have Robin call you in the order you arrived and we’ll talk in my room.”

He clapped his hands. “First, let’s give you a tour of the place and if you decide it’s not for you. No hard feelings. Except that guy.” He winked at them and they laughed.

He showed them his room and the other rooms that would be for the apprentices to practice in or once they got their own chair if they stayed, it would become their room.

One of the other guys decided that it wasn’t for him and Steve was left with four remaining hopefuls.

And what a strange bunch they were, too. He had the prep girl, but he also had a native boy that while he didn’t look the part of the surfer dude, embodied it with his very soul. If the guy got brought on, Steve would have to pull him aside and make sure he didn’t do marijuana at work, because the guy looked a little baked at the moment. He also had a Goth chick complete with the tattoos and piercings, and dyed black hair. She stuck out like a sore thumb, if Steve was honest. And the final hopeful was  this squirrely looking guy with dark wavy brown hair.

All of them had more tattoos than Steve did.

He sighed to himself. He wasn’t sure this was going to work out. He knew he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, better than most, but still as he looked at the remaining applicants he felt a little disappointed.

He sighed and went back to the office to wait for Robin to call the first one in. It was going to be a long day.

***

Part 10  Part 11 Part 12  Part 13 Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17  Part 18 Part 19  Part 20  Part 21   Part 22  Part 23  Part 24  Part 25 Part 26  Part 27  Part 28  Epilogue

Look, I love Robin with all my heart, but we all know the reason she didn’t ask Vickie out wasn’t that she had a boyfriend, but that her partner was a boy. She would 100% back off if told to, but she would so go for it if she thought had a chance. (Looking at you Ronance shippers, if you think that Robin was flirting with Nancy in the Upside Down, Nancy was still with Jonathan at the time.)

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk​ @renaissan-vvitch @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @chaoticlovingdreamer @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @aizawa-emma @redfreckledwolf @thesuninyaface @bookbinderbitch @yikes-a-bee @littlewildflowerkitten @scheodingers-muppet @archermightbegay @hallucinatedjosten @ellietheasexylibrarian @anne-bennett-cosplayer @cinnamon-mushroomabomination 

[skz-streamer]

Delivery Service

Simptober Romance Tropes M-list

Pairing: Jisung (skz) x fem!reader

Genre: Fluff

Notes: I REALLY LIKED WRITING THISSS I HAD ALOT OF FUNNN :)))) I HOPE YOU LIKE ITTTTTTTTT<3333

-please read responsibly, and remember that this work is fiction and meant strictly for imaginative fun. the idols used in fics are more accurately face claims and personality outlines for imaginary characters, and should not be interpreted as factual representations of existing people

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a part time job in college you worked as a delivery driver

nothing to fancy, just delivering boxes n stuff to houses, resturants

whoever needed a package delivered

it was a good way to make money

you were on your last delivery of the day, delivering a new fryer to a fried chicken place, fried chicken sounded really good rn

maybe you would get some after dropping the package off

you pulled into the back exit of the restaurant and took the box out of the truck

it was heavy omg

in some kind of pick up attempt you stumbled down the ramp of the truck leaving the package behind and you tumbling down

well at least the package was safe

you felt someones hand on your back "you okay?"

you looked up

"yeah im okay, thanks" you replied

it was a cute guy, you assumed he worked here by the looks of his apron

he asked if you wanted help with the box, you agreed

thankfully the two of you placed the box inside the place without anyone falling

you thanked him and asked for his name

"jisung! but you can just call me Han, it dosnt really really matter" he blushed a little and you noticed it

ahhh he really was cute

"hey! you wanna eat something?" he asked

you nodded happily, aksing if he wanted to join you

so the two of you sat down at a small table in the backlit was closing time anyways so no customers

the two of you just talked about random stuff, studies, relationships, family

You realized that Jisung was really sweet and caring

he was a great listener (and gossiper)

you swear half of time just went into both of you guys bursting out in laughter

it was around 10 and you knew you had to leave

you thanked him for the food (he treated obviii) and said that you would buy next time

He smiled a the mention that there would be a next time

--------

The next time you delivered was about a week later

You were happy to meet Jisung again but when you showed up you realized he wasn't there, gladly they didn't order anything heavy so you took it inside yourself

Maybe he didn't work today

you left the place sad, you were looking forward to meet him

you waited for the day that the resturaunt would place another order, but nothing came in

You decided you would just go there, whatever

you didn't need an excuse to see him

When you showed up you saw him at the cashier's desk

you ran up to him smiling"heyyy!!!!" you said

he looked up from the register and immediately smiled

"hi! I missed you, my breaks in about 10 we can talk then if you want"

"sure!!!" you happily said, gosh why were you so giddy around him

When his break came around the two of you need up going to the dessert store next door

he mentioned that the shop wasn't doing too good and that it might shut down

you comforted him and told him you can always hook him up with delivery if something goes wrong ;)

he laughed and thanked you

and just like that the two of you exchanged numbers and recently had get togethers and meeting from now to then

Both of you became inseparable, you would stay at eachotehrs houses and binge watch animes, play board games, anything really

you just felt free around him, free to be yourself, free from your worries. it was nice :)

one day you decided to surprise him at work and you showed up to the shop, but it was closed.

you remembered him talking about the shop closing but you didn't think it really would

You texted him asking if he was doing okay

He replied back asking if he could stay at your place a little, everything at his was a mess

Apparently the owners of the chicken shop also owned that apartment that Han lived in, so when the shop went down so did hans apartment

You told him that he was more then welcome to stay at your place

So at about 11 in the night Han pulled up to your apartment

gosh your here late you said

he grumbled about packing and stuff but you could tel that overall he was happy to stay with you

you asked if he knew how many days he would be staying to which he responded idk

you let him know that he could stay as long and he wanted to :)

naturally, over the next few days the two of you had a lot of fun together

you even got a noise complaint once

------

It was late in the night, or rather early morning as the clock read 12:36am

the two of you were staying up binging new season of the show that you liked

he was sitting up while your head lay in his lap

him fiddling with your hair ever now and then and you drawing small shapes into his arm

That's when you knew, you caught feelings

you didn't want to make it awkward between the two of you but he was so perfect

you wished you could just stay like tis forever

you adjusted yourself and turned to the side

Han noticed this and grabbed the blanket from behind it, draping it over you

"thanks Hannie" you mumbled

Han blused at the nickname

you had never called him this, did it just slip out of your mouth?

You had already drifted into sleep and hadn't even noticed that you referred to him as 'Hannie'

Han placed his hand on your arm hugging you into him, admiring your soft breaths and smooth hair tickling his arm

That's when he knew

he was in love with you

but he didn't want to ruin your friendship

he too fell asleep with you in his arms

he would tell you soon, you would tell him soon

@anny-bah@eee5533@mixtape-racha@weedforthoughtz@ren0325@felixvsp@hwangrimi @sanriiolino @painstakingly-juno@herarcadewasteland@dabiscrustyfeet@kai-jilee@sungiesoonie@slvtty4channiee@revelaffee@buckys-pillow, @staygirl86 @chlodavids@jinnie-ret@bbygrlhannie@rebecca-johnson-28 @turtledove824@interstellarairwaves@yearofthetiger25@minhos4thkitty@fiqire@kpopmenace143@liknws@tinyelfperson@aaasia111@yangbbokari@hafsah-ali@sleepyleeji@skzhoes@yamaguchiwestad@leonswifesstuff@nappynapnaps

[thissortofsorcery]

6. Coffee in bed

Babe, I wasn't put on earth to be brief, so. Hope you like this! Once again we hop on the Steve loving on Billy train. I had a lot of fun writing it.

I appreciate your prompt so much &lt;3

-----

i want coffee >:((((

Is what Billy sends in the group chat in the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday, fighting to keep his eyes open. He can't just give in and have a nap. He has a paper due next week, and Billy's never been the kind of person that believes in leaving things for the last minute, so he's got his laptop and his textbook and his notes from class spread around him on the bed, and he's going to get the bulk of this hell assignment done today. If he doesn't fall asleep.

Billy would get up and get coffee for himself, except he's very comfortable and he just found a nice position for his back. He doesn't want to get up.

Heather: i remember seeing a coffee maker in your kitchen

Heather: you could use that

Billy: don't wanna get up tho

Chrissy: are you about to fall asleep?

Billy: might be

Chrissy: I can call you in 30 mins if you want to nap

Billy: no im gonna fight it

Tommy: just take the nap dude

Heather: the coffee is 10 feet and 5 minutes away

Steve: did you eat?

Confusion pulls Billy's eyebrows together, and he waits for another text to come elaborating the question, but nothing does. In fact, the whole group chat stalls.

Billy: not yet

And Steve sends him a thumbs up. 

Billy rolls his eyes, and tosses his phone to the side. Steve makes no damn sense, sometimes. He's got this whole pretty boy, midwestern nice guy going for him, which Billy has to admit is charming as hell, and a line of chicks wanting to date him, but he never wants to date any of them. Billy is relieved, a little bit. If he had to watch Steve fall in love with someone while sharing an apartment with him, he'd lose his fucking mind, on account of the huge crush Billy's had on him since freshman year.

He really should get back to his paper, or he's gonna be stuck working on it until late.

Billy rubs his eyes blearily and turns his music a little louder, puts Kill 'Em All on loop because it never fails to fire him up. The guitar notes fill the room and make his eyelids feel a little lighter, make his limbs feel a little looser, and Billy jiggles his feet to the beat of the song while he takes notes on the library book he's reading. He can already imagine some of the paragraphs he wants to write in his head.

About an hour later, Billy's managed to outline some of his topics, but his eyelids are getting heavy again. His body feels like it's sinking into the bed, and all he wants is to burrow into his hoodie and curl up into a ball. Billy yawns and covers his face, letting out a long groan. Maybe he can close his eyes for five minutes. 

The sound of keys jingling on the front door of the apartment jerk him awake, and he opens his eyes like he's been hit over the head.

"Billy?" Steve's voice sounds from the living room. There's some shuffling, then Steve's head pops in his open door. "Hey."

Billy squints at Steve, takes in his swept up hair, the jacket he hasn't bothered to take off, and the soft smile spreading on his face as he looks at Billy, eyes shining, looking awfully fond in a way that makes Billy's chest hurt.

"You fell asleep," He says, and his voice is fond too.

"I didn't."

"You so did," Steve laughs, and comes into the room. He's wearing socks, because he hates shoes indoors, and he pushes something at Billy when he reaches his side. "Brought you coffee. And uh, a sandwich, cause you said you didn't eat."

Billy blinks at the to-go cup in Steve's right hand, trying to figure out if he's still dreaming, still caught in the haze of his subconscious fed by wishful thinking, because he can't imagine why Steve would stop to buy him coffee on his way back home. 

"You what?" It comes out sharp, meaner than he'd meant to, and Billy immediately cringes.

But Steve just laughs.

"Jesus, you're grumpy," He shakes the coffee cup at Billy. "You have that paper due monday, and you're gonna be bitchy all day tomorrow if you don't do anything for it today. Drink your coffee."

Billy's mouth falls open, and he can only listen to Steve's words repeating themselves in his mind while he traces Steve's features with his eyes – the playful angle of his eyebrows, the endless brown in his eyes, fixed on Billy, how his mouth curves softly upwards, deliciously red. He's wide awake, now.

Billy feels himself being pulled upwards by invisible strings, unable to look away from Steve. He gets his knees under himself and straightens up, hands stretched out, finding the perfect angle of Steve's jaw, thumbs nestled in the hollow of his cheeks. Steve's smile has given way to shock, and Billy would have pulled back if Steve hadn't swayed into him, eyelids fluttering, breath stuttering, eyes jumping between Billy's eyes and his mouth.

When their lips meet it's sweet, it's tender, it's more than Billy thought it could be, because Steve sighs into the kiss like he's relieved, sucks on Billy's lips like he's hungry, molds his body to Billy's like he never wants to feel cold air between their bodies again. Billy welcomes Steve's tongue like a cool drink, like fresh water, begs for more of it when it retreats. Billy can't get enough of it, can't get enough of him, not now that he has it.

Steve presses more sweet kisses on his lips once the first one breaks, like he can't bear for it to end, and Billy revels in it, on the soft, fluttering feeling they ignite in his chest. Steve's kissing him like he's something to be savored, a delight to be enjoyed carefully and slowly and patiently. It makes Billy's breath catch in his chest, and he wants to hold on to Steve, to clutch him tightly.

It ends with Steve's nose stroking along Billy's cheek, sending shivers down Billy's spine. He's clinging to Steve with his hands in Steve's hair, taking deep breaths under the guise of slowing his breathing down, but really he's taking in Steve's smell, the warm, woodsy tones of him under the apple scent of his shampoo. 

"Hey," Steve murmurs against his skin. Billy's grip on him tightens, and Steve kisses his cheek, maybe to assure him that what's coming isn't bad. "Your coffee's going cold."

It startles a laugh out of Billy. He'd forgotten about the coffee.

He pulls back just enough so Steve can disentangle his arm and hand Billy the cup, and when he takes a sip, it's on the hotter end of warm. 

"It's good," Billy says, and the smile Steve gives him is wide and toothy.

"I, uh…" Steve fumbles to put the sandwich bag he was still holding on Billy's bedside table, then settles a hand on Billy's waist. It's the first touch of Steve's hands on him, and it burns deliciously. "I should– let you get back to your paper."

Steve ducks his head, hair flopping into his eyes, suddenly looking shy. Like he's not sure Billy wants him to stick around.

Billy sets the coffee cup aside. He winds his arms around Steve's waist, draws him close, so he has no doubt of where Billy wants him to go.

"Screw the paper," Billy says, and Steve stares at him with his mouth open. "Come here."

And Steve kisses him.

-----

send me a number from this list of soft prompts

[thebibutterflyao3]

Day 6 Prompt: Heat @rosekiller-microfic

March Daily Series - 995 words

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Barty shook his head clear and refocused on the mostly empty road ahead of him. Luckily, it wasn’t busy in the off-season. Not many were foolish enough to travel to the coast in the winter, especially in a car without heat.

The sun mocked him through a cloudless sky, bouncing absurdly cheerful light off of the hood and directly into his eyes. He fumbled for the sunglasses tucked into his visor and shoved them on his face. Relaxing a bit, he leaned back and grabbed his phone. Barty rolled the scratched-up silver case on its edge over and over on his thigh. When the screen woke up mid-spin, he glanced at it hopefully.

No notifications. Of course.

By the time he reached the signs for the Prince of Wales bridge, Barty was seriously considering a detour into the river. If he wasn’t already regretting his life choices, and there weren’t a massive green metal barrier, the decision would be so easy.

Best not to start trusting myself now.

Barty inhaled deeply as he stared at the cables rising to the outline of an enormous letter “h” that straddled M4’s six lanes. Bridges fucked with his head, especially long ones running over water like this. Movie scenes of bridges cracking open like a fresh, crisp baguette toyed with his mind.

Breathe. Just breathe.

The moment his front tires passed the shoreline to England’s soil, Barty deflated. He was one hour in and already drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. Any clarity this road trip brought him earlier was lost to him now. He just wanted to crash onto his crappy sofa and stay there. Not moving for a week sounded so bloody good, but he was expected at work tomorrow.

When the opening bars of Never Let You Go drifted through his speakers, Barty tensed again. The chorus of this one hit a little too close to home.

Suddenly, his screen lit up as his mobile buzzed against his denim-covered thigh. Evan’s face appeared on his screen and Barty jerked the wheel as he screeched to a halt on the shoulder and narrowly avoided scraping the barrier. He fumbled with his phone as his stomach lurched violently.

“Rosie?”

The other end was silent except for the steady tap tap tap of Evan’s rings against the phone he was holding. Barty knew that sound intimately, but not the tempo. Evan was agitated.

His heart beat doubled and his chest clenched in panic. This wasn’t good. He didn’t know how it could get worse, but it was about to and the dread was overwhelming.

Shite shite shite!

“Before you hang up…I’m sor-sorry I didn’t tell you about Regulus. When I realised that you were friends, I shou-should have.”

Barty’s ears thrummed with his own rapid heart beat as he strained to listen for a response. After another long silence, he released a ragged breath and added, “And I’m sorry for going after your sister yesterday. I was….that doesn’t matter. I’m sober now and I hate myself for acting like that.”

“That makes two of us.”

His heart plummeted to the floorboards. “Please don’t say that, Rosie. I swear—”

“Don’t call me that,” Evan said. His voice was flat and clipped.

“Oh, right.” A chill ran down Barty’s spine and he struggled to find the words he’d practised in case Evan actually answered one of his calls. “Evan, I—”

“Not that either.”

Barty closed his eyes and repressed the urge to beg for forgiveness. There was no hope of that in Evan’s tone. This was going to hurt, he could sense it. The hammer was already pulled back and the trigger was twitching.

“Okay. I understand.”

“Good, because we are nothing to each other,” Evan snapped cruelly. “I don’t want anything to do with you, Crouch, and if you come near my sister again—”

“I won’t!” Barty cried out, shaking with the effort to hold himself together. “Please, please don’t—”

The line went dead.

“No! No no no nonono!” He quickly tapped on Evan’s picture to call back. “Please pick up! Please, please, please.”

A robotic voice informed him that his call could not be completed as dialed. His hands trembled as he texted Evan, pleading with him. The text didn’t go through. Barty stared at his screen in disbelief.

“He-He’s…I can’t…oh fuck.”

His body crumpled against the steering wheel as a shudder rushed through him. He was numb from head to toe. The hole carved out of his chest deepened until it hit curled his vertebrae. No thoughts, no emotions.

Moving on instinct alone, Barty opened his car door, stumbled out of the road, and collapsed before he emptied his stomach. His limbs quivered beneath his weight until he flopped onto his back. He swiped at his mouth and groaned at the sharp burn that raced up his throat.

He rolled away from the open car door and forced himself to push upright. The endless expanse of the river where it joined the sea spread out before him. Barty stared unblinkingly at the waves as they lapped the shore, rhythmic and repetitive.

This is it. Rock-fucking-bottom.

A hollow laugh burst from his chest, but quickly died out. It hurt to laugh. Hell, it hurt to breathe!

He hauled himself to his feet, then stepped unsteadily toward the edge where the tall barrier ended. With slow, measured steps, he climbed the short rail and headed down the slope toward the shore. Barty studied the muddy, frigid water as his boots sank with every step into the soft soil. The height of the bridge created a terrifying vantage of the water, but from here it looked tame.

Water was cleansing, that was a common belief. A refreshing drink for a parched throat, moisture for dry skin, and the perfect conduit for soap. Standing here before a river wide enough to swallow an entire city whole was humbling.

I would only make short-lived splash.

With a short burst of adrenaline, Barty ran forward, threw his arm back, and flung his mobile into the river. It disappeared beneath the waves without a sound. No splash, no interruption.

Inconsequential.

Next Part>>>

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #325

I'm definitely going to need to send my laptop away to get the screen replaced; it has seen much better days:

It's still kinda holding together. But there are lines of dead pixels on the bottom left side, so I imagine it's only a matter of time before the screen goes completely kaput. Lame...

I wasn't nearly as productive today as on previous days. I think doing all that cooking and all those dishes really pissed off whatever's wrong with the upper right quadrant of my body (at this point, I suspect serratus posterior superior dysfunction of some kind...). When I went to PT today (weird day of the week for it, I know...), the trapezius and the rhomboids on my right side got mashed up, and now the whole area is super pissed, and it's kinda hard to move or breathe or do anything.

On the bright side, I did get to talk with that Canadian immigration lawyer today. I'll tell you all about him, but after I get his permission to do so in this space.

Still, I have the first few steps of the process of getting out of here outlined. First, we have to take an English test called an IELTS, and also get our academic credentials evaluated by a Canadian company of some kind, in order to make sure they're up to snuff for Canadian employers.

Well, as it turns out, we cannot take the IELTS without passports. And, though J and I have ours, M's expired over a decade ago, so we had to go to an appointment to get a new one. It's not going to get to our house for another 6-8 weeks, though. We'll have to wait before we schedule the test. But we should be able to get our academic credentials evaluated. I'll look into that process tomorrow.

...I forgot to eat for most of today. Before leaving for physical therapy, I did stuff a couple slices of cold cuts into my mouth, but that's hardly substantial. My appetite has been kinda weird these last couple days. At around 7pm or 8pm, though, I remembered that my body needs fuel. So I made a salad:

It's got mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, black beans, goat cheese, scrambled egg, and crushed Fritos in it. And then I put ranch dressing on top. Want some...?

I made some tea to go with it; that vanilla bean macaron tea. Here:

...These aren't the best swirls, I know. I think the focus must have been off, and I didn't notice until it was too late. Sorry about that.

…

...I spent most of the rest of today just floundering, partially numb, and foggy of brain. I wanted to play Oddworld, but... I just couldn't bring myself to. I wanted to doodle, but... I dunno. Even with a plan spelled out and things to tentatively look forward to, it's still kinda hard to think.

I guess I'm still a little sad that so many people voted for someone who wants to kill me and my little family and almost all of the people I love.

...I just... want to live a life in which everyone gets to be happy and safe. And I know that this could happen if everyone worked together, but there's so many different people with so many different kinds of trauma, and all of them have their own ideas about which kinds of people do and don't deserve to live (there's no such thing as a person who doesn't deserve to live). I wish for a world in which it was easier for folks to cast aside the conditioning they received that teaches them to associate the worth of themselves and of others with silly, arbitrary things.

We are all the same in that we want to live in peace with people we love. And given that everyone wants that, it shouldn't be so hard to do, but... a lot of people get taught that the only way they can live happily is if some other group of people defined by arbitrary characteristics didn't exist, and... I think that's really sad. It's really sad that some people truly do believe, for example, that the only way they can be happy and safe is if every single person with dark skin and every single person who was ever at any point related to someone with dark skin ceased being alive.

...I just wanna live someplace where we aren't near people who would be happy to kill us. I think everyone wants that. And this shouldn't be a difficult thing to find in my world, but... here we are.

...Well. One step at a time. We'll follow the immigration process one step at a time, and hope for good things. But... ya know. If there's any chance you can just “zoop” us all over to where you are... I certainly wouldn't be opposed. You could use the company. And I could use a nap.

No, I know; it's impossible. I know. But it's still nice to think about. I'll just keep making preparations to protect my little family, and I'll do whatever I can for the others around me in the meantime. I'll write the steps to the immigration process as we go through it; maybe it'll help someone else, somehow.

Suppose I'll stop writing for today. I feel like if I keep going, I'm gonna ramble on ya (if I haven't already). And I feel like I'm a bit too weird in the brain right now to express myself particularly well in any case.

Don't worry. I'm tired and feeling kinda sad and lost, but I'm not down for the count – not while I have people to protect.

Tomorrow is when M and I decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary this year. It'll be our 10th year of marriage, though we've been together for 12. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. I can't believe he hasn't gotten tired of me yet, hahaha...

We're gonna go to a sushi place to celebrate. It'll be me and J and M all together at the place we ate on the day we got married. Maybe I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

I love you a whole lot. And I'll write again tomorrow. So please stay safe out there, okay?

Your friend, Lumine

[logically-asexual]

i wasn’t going to post this outline because i had faith when i started it that i would quickly be able to finish it and write it into a proper fic to post. but after several weeks of being stuck i am beginning to lose hope so i’m sharing it here as it is:

set at some point during season 3

mayura and hawkmoth were on the streets following a lead on the guardian’s house, but nathalie was feeling so sick she involuntarily detransformed and they couldn’t keep going.

Hawkmoth brings her to hide in an alley to check on her. she says she was fine, just tired, but hawkmoth refuses to leave her. then nathalie suggests he transforms back so they can walk home together. he agrees but before he can do anything

they are caught by Ladybug and Cat Noir. Hawkmoth pushes nathalie to the side and faces the heroes.

Ladybug and Cat Noir ask what he’s up to. he says it’s none of their business. Nathalie tries to think quickly of a lie to cover them: she steps forward and says “kids, don’t worry. he wants me to give him a book mr agreste owns that apparently has information about the miraculous. i already told him i’d get it for him and no one had to get hurt.”

“you should listen to the secretary” hawkmoth holds her by her arm/shoulder “you can leave now and no one gets hurt.”

“we cant let you get away with it” ladybug says as they pull out their weapons. cat noir says “let go of her now!”

it’s clear from his voice but also hawkmoth can feel that cat noir is very nervous. he wonders if the boy has some personal issues that make him so worked up about seeing the woman in danger. and concludes that he should use it to his advantage.

hawkmoth teases if he has a personal connection to this woman, then grabs nathalie closer, pressing the cane against her neck and tells them that he changed his mind. give him the miraculous so nathalie doesn’t get hurt.

nathalie doubts for a moment if she should worry about her safety, since hawkmoth can be reckless and unpredictable. panic in her face is visible for the heroes and strong enough for hawkmoth to feel, and he relaxes the press on her throat slightly.

hawkmoth also threatens that he will kill her if they call their powers

at first ladybug is trying to think of a plan but hawkmoth is counting down or pressuring them in some way and cat noir is extremely stressed and neither of those things is allowing her to concentrate. she pretends to give up like she usually does when she’s in a tight spot like this, while she analyses their surroundings to come up with something.

but this time cat noir can’t take it and jumps into action. he is extremely quick so maybe even if hawkmoth did want to hurt nathalie he wouldn’t have had time to react before cat noir kicked his weapon away. however if he didn’t care about her he probably wouldn’t have instinctively moved to shield her after losing the cane.

in the chaos ladybug calls the luck charm. she tries to start a plan that involves it but it’s hard when cat noir is being so reckless.

cat noir is super angry. he yells at hawkmoth and jumps around him trying to find an angle to attack but it’s impossible with him holding nathalie so close. hawkmoth plays along with banter which only makes cat noir angrier.

cat noir jumps behind hawkmoth, who turns around fast, which leaves them in a position where nathalie is behind him and cat noir finally has an opening. he goes to cataclysm the butterfly miraculous, but nathalie gets in the way and he hits her right on the center of her chest.

they’re all shocked like why the fuck did she do that!!!!!!

she falls to the floor as her skin begins turning into ash.

hawkmoth and cat noir lean beside her. cat noir is openly panicking and hawkmoth is too but he has a small part of his brain still trying to hold back from saying something that reveals his identity.

cat noir turns to ladybug and screams at her to fix it. for half a second she hesitates because she had come up with a plan to finally defeat hawkmoth, but cat noir says NOW!! and she immediately throws the lucky charm in the air and the swarm of ladybugs surround them.

the ladybugs leave and they all look to find nathalie now healed from the cataclysm. she is physically fine but still dizzy, tired, and trembling. a beat goes by when everyone is relieved, but then ladybug looks at hawkmoth, ready to finish this.

he notices this and acts quickly. he akumatizes nathalie, using mostly the fear she’s feeling. she turns into a knight and protects him as they run away.

cat noir and ladybug try to make sense of the situation. if he akumatized nathalie then it means she wasn’t akumatized when she protected him. maybe its some kind of stockholm syndrome case??

and here is where i get stuck.

i want conversations to happen between nathalie and adrien and between nathalie and gabriel after this, but i don’t know in what order or how to make them happen.

in adrien’s case i want him to first be suspicious about what happened and while he talks to nathalie and she tries to defend herself he figures out somehow that she was helping hawkmoth. not necessarily that hawkmoth is his father or that nathalie is mayura but the way nathalie speaks about hawkmoth makes it clear to him that she’s on his side. and he feels betrayed and snaps at her and nathalie can’t lie to him and she knows he’s right to be angry so she does nothing to stop him when he leaves.

and with gabriel i have zero idea. i want him to first yell at her, he tells her off for putting their identities at risk of being found, but what he is really angry about is for scaring him so much. but he doesn’t tell her that. he’s still in shock about almost losing her and of course his way of “dealing” with it is with rage.

and this outburst only makes nathalie upset because he doesn’t care about her, he only cares about keeping his secret. not that she does what she does for his approval, she does it because she loves him. but it still hurts.

and then i don’t know where i would want the conversation to go from there. maybe gabriel and nathalie have this fight first, then he leaves her room and in comes adrien for what i described above, and then later, after having time to think nathalie and gabriel speak again.

he finally confesses how scared he was for her but also how grateful he is for everything she does. and it’s very beautiful and there’s almost a love confession there. almost.

no idea what to do about adrien though. i just. like this idea of him being angry at nathalie for helping hawkmoth but they just can’t talk about it because nathalie doesn’t want to confess anymore than what he already figured out and she’s got nothing to defend herself. don’t know how to fix that.

that’s all i got. maybe at some point later i’ll figure out a way to make this into a coherent story. for now have this.

[roadandruingame]

RaR Musings #24: The Pillars, and Foundations

I wrote this like seven times and then a power failure killed it, so now I get to do it again! And keep it brief!

I watched a PointyHat youtube video on Why Travel Sucks in DND, where he outlines such issues as lack of creativity, excessive bookkeeping, random tables, and failing the non-combat pillars of DND, while he presents an alternative he'd worked on for two years and was quite happy with.

It sucks.

It's nothing against PointyHat, or his system, no; it's good that he has fun with it, and that it presents some better, stronger harder faster more reliable and predictable patterns to help structure campaigns that take place on the road.

It simply sucks, in that it is attempting to utilize the three 'pillars' of Dungeons and Dragons, being Combat, Roleplay, and Exploration, which has always been less of a triad, and more of a single, enormously looming single pillar that more resembles flipping the bird to the other two.

Dungeons and Dragons commits some >80% of it's rules and character-building options to combat. If you rolled a bunch of dice, to randomize combatants and equipment, initiative order, attack rolls and damage inflicted, you could still qualitatively read those numbers to determine who had won the combat, the human fighter with the axe, or the goblin with the shortsword. The "order" of the mechanics for combat allows this to occur. "Roleplay" and "Exploration", however, both cap out their rules at "roll a d20 and add your proficiency modifier, if whatever imaginary scenario we're pretending is happening calls for it, and if the number is high enough, You Win."

A system simplifying travel to "a number of events per distance" presents the same mechanics as what a hexgrid entails, just without the risk of player agency and going off-road, because, truthfully, the biggest threat to a good story is the players themselves. A DM might have spent hours, days, weeks, months, or even years curating a perfectly constructed narrative, but all it takes is for one wayward die roll or a player saying "nah, I'm not doing that", and the DM suddenly requires expect-level improv, comedy, literary novelist, and "know it all" expertise that rivals the likes of McGuiver himself to pull a satisfying narrative out of thin air. Preventing player choice from entering the matter of "what direction do we go" might lessen the load of the DM, but it puts the entire experience on rails, tourists at a fantasy-land theme park of the DM's creation, here to ride the rides, and then get out.

A system that neglects provisions and supplies renders those unusable as storytelling elements, when food, supplies, a bath, and good rest in a town are often what propels characters to those locations, on their way to a greater destination, and without them, there's no need to have towns at all. PointyHat himself uses clips from Avatar: The Last Airbender in his video, a series that spends more than half the runtime somewhere out on the road, complaining that they have no food, no money, need a bath, medicine, or some other side objective that requires them to make detours or stops along the way.

But, all of this did manage to pose an interesting question to me, even beyond "what mechanics SHOULD be used for Roleplay and Exploration":

What are the pillars of TTRPGS themselves? If a game has no combat, what replaces it? Is roleplay a universal element to ttrpgs? If PointyHat's system "recommends tying events between locations together with story", but otherwise has no mechanics for how to actually do that, then clearly that's an important element as well, but what defines Exploration? If there is combat, does defeat end in death, some other consequence, or no consequence at all, and if there are variable consequences, who decides what they are, and if there are no consequences, then what's even the point?

After thinking about it for a while, I decided that ttrpgs consist of three pillars, that I'm calling the Three R's:

RELATIONSHIPS - Rather than exclusively between people, Relationships can also be called Story; that is, anything that ties consequence and causality to the experience. Falling off a cliff, and taking damage from the fall, is a relationship, the same as failing to deliver a package and losing a merchant's trust is a relationship, or being able to translate runes, that leads you to a secret room that's filled with treasure. This element is singularly ignored by most tabletop RPGs, instead putting more work into a box of tools that you can use to Cause, or help bandage up after an Effect, but very little that actually ties one thing to another in a way that forms a story.

REALISM - Also called predictability and reliability, these are facets of the game that can be trusted to work the same way every time. Need one scrap of food per day, and travelling for seven days? That's seven pieces of food. Fire burns, water douses, grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and fighters hurt people. This reliability is the bulk of 'eurogames', and heavily prioritize player skill over randomness like 'ameritrash' does. Predictability and consistency is necessary in a fantasy world especially, in order to communicate to the players what kind of moves are even possible to do, so that the fighter doesn't think they can 1v1 a five-tonne dragon. This is also the element of resources, where a resource spent or lost consistently has predictable consequences and effects: using a bandage stops bleeding, for example.

RANDOMNESS - Also called chance, and statistical probabilities, this element ends up bearing the brunt of most dice- or card-oriented games, though the extent of the randomness gives rise to manipulation of odds, without ever fully eliminating them. This 'gamble' means players who understand the odds, who can alter them with certain variables, and who understand and covet the value of success, however slim the chances, can take a plunge, and still be surprised at an outcome. This is also the element of excitement.

What's important about these pillars, and what makes them different from DND's, is that none of them exist independently. They are each of them intermingled and entwined with the other: a story that carries no risk of failure or too much reliability is boring, and a random dice throw with no promise of lasting, cascading consequences, or resource lost or gained, becomes a game of Snakes and Ladders, randomly generating values until someone is declared the winner.

And so, if you were to boil these three pillars down again, into a singular equation for what makes a ttrpg what it is? How do players engage with the game, that makes the activity different from, say, chess, or monopoly, or a game of snakes and ladders?

"A roleplaying game is about inventing theories, that are then proven, or disproven, by dice, that have their outcomes manipulated by previously-occurring characters and events."

This is it. This is all DND is, and all any other ttrpg will ever be.

Returning again for a moment to the title of this piece, there is one other element of ttrpgs that is, generally, indisputable: the role of a Game Master.

Granted, there are other GM-less games. But in every circumstance, there is someone who took the player's potential actions in mind, and constructed a hypothetical where that player's theorized action either succeeded, or failed, and effectively hallucinated a world into being that would be affected by said attempt. In the case of "choose your own adventure" games, players are presented with predetermined choices, that then lead to predetermined outcomes, written by a writer, who takes the role of the GM in such a case.

Where there are the Three Pillars of Relations, Realism, and Randomness, there is also the foundation of what holds those pillars up: the contributions of the players themselves, the willingness to contribute, and the acceptance of the result.

Time and again, I've seen ttrpg tables collapse into juvenile bickering, as a result of one of these four elements. That the story is weak, or the characters don't matter, or that the rolls are too random, or not random enough, that the GM fudges dice, that resource-tracking is boring, or that there's not enough consequences for those resources or the player's actions. And somehow, all of this responsibility tends to fall squarely on the GM's shoulders, the sole Atlas carrying the entire production on their back. If the GM falters, or fails to appear, there simply is no game. It's over. Some players help pick up the slack, take on responsibilities to lighten the load, but the load is always and forever the GM's.

We end up in situations like PointyHat's two-year experiment with travel mechanics, and while he cleaves closely to the three pillars above, he still defaults to the three DND pillars in the end. His usage document spews dozens of great storytelling-based examples for each of the Combat, Exploration, and Roleplay event types, and mixes of the two, but in the end, it's still JUST HIM coming up with these story narratives out of whole cloth. Remove him from the scenario, and you wind up with players who are incapable of playing the game on their own.

It's part of why, now more than ever, I feel like ttrpgs need to turn toward game mechanics that, at least in part, bring the players in to the responsibilities of running the game, and that can reliably produce certain results without some kind of dice-addled soothsayer reading the knucklebones like the portents of the gods in the hopes of producing an experience that players will reliably want to actually DO, over other entertainment alternatives like a videogame or movie. Or, indeed, any other medium that doesn't require them, the consumer, to contribute whatsoever to the betterment of their own experience, content to remain lax, and demand their personal dancing monkey for the evening pick up the pace and put a little more energy into it.

I'm personally pretty proud of Road and Ruin's Story Roster system; about as proud as PointyHat is about his, at any rate. But I'm proud of it as a system that aims to completely replace some GM responsibilities altogether, not just act as a series of instructions that ultimately ends in a need for GM creativity itself. I'm a ways away from it being done, and still hesitant about whether it should include example items and prebuilt characters for every single card in the Roundtable Deck, but at the very least, I feel like I've gotten closer to the core of what a ttrpg needs to be than in other products I've seen.

[bvannn]

Weekly Update April 18, 2025

So all things considered I was super productive this week. But I feel awful, so I’m going to take next week a bit easier. What all did I get done this week, though?

Comic: I started and finished page 23 this week. I might sketch page 24 next week, or I might not. I’m really liking how the comic’s coming together! Not a whole lot to say otherwise, again I’m procrastinating on looking into publishing sites. I see some artists I follow making social media posts about ‘new pages’ being out, meaning they aren’t loading up whole chapters, I think that would be the best way to go about things if I wanted to do a consistent schedule as far as posting goes, with hiatuses in-between each ‘episode’ to reload my writeups/thumbnails. But to start I’ll just drip feed out the first ‘episode’ once it’s done at whatever is considered a reasonable pace.

Music: huhhhh I’ve been all over the place with music this week, but like in a good way. First off, I started and finished the VSQX for the vampire song, just needs tuning, a solo, mixing, and visuals and it should be good to go, that may be done next week or it may not, but it’ll definitely be before the end of the month. Also planned out the vocal originals for May and June: May will probably be a comparatively simple song that’s another comic-tie-in-that-can-stand-alone for Backstage, per my naming scheme we can call it INMR for now. The one planned for June is also going to be a comic tie-in, this time for The O’Malley Foster Home, since I’m aiming to have the comic ready to read at some point in June. Per my naming scheme we’d call that one KF. Both of those I have started lyric outlining, INMR is already almost done with that and has a melody picked out already, I started melody writing on KF today as well. I’m in a music-y mood so I likely will get going on instrumentals for both tonight. If you’re worried about the video I have planned for July or about Artfight preventing me from getting another song done for July, worry not! I have a song that’s been done since January that I’ve been holding on to specifically for that! Per my scheme it’d be called LF. I’m also going to bend the rules a touch as far as key signatures go: I’m aiming to only use each key signature once. So far, the e, c#, and b flat minor key signatures are off limits. The vampire song (which I should be calling ES), changes key a few times, because that’s what felt natural when I was writing it. I’m going to count it as g minor for the sake of the challenge, because it’s more that than anything else, and because the key it changes to, b minor, is my favorite key and I want to use that for KF. INMR is planned to be E flat major (which is also c minor), and LF is in F minor, so we’re good so far. I also have a couple WIPs that I’ll probably revive for the challenge after July, one is in D minor, the other I don’t know.

Beyond the vocal originals, I did work on some covers too. I’ve mentioned before that OEB is done done, for real this time, and getting a simple visual for that done will probably be a priority next week. I have now also finished not only BGCS, but also the music for M, the July video I have planned. Furthermore, I did a bunch more storyboards for M! I’ll probably also try to do more of those this upcoming week, as I’ve made the decision to do them on paper, which I believe will make them more authentic to the style I’m going for. Tonight I’m in an instrumental-making mood, so I was going to finish up the instrumental and midi for ILMC, and potentially start a new one. Next week a big priority is going to be my mental health and confidence, so I want to push to get *a* song out, since everyone has been really nice about them over on YouTube, thanks everyone! I think OEB will be the priority for that, though I may also make progress on any of the other covers, or get one of the instrumentals I’ve been sitting on out.

Epithet: once again minimal progress, that could also be a thing to chew on next week depending on my mood.

Animation stuff: storyboards on the M video, no TRGA progress yet but that may be a thing I do this week for the sake of my mood, since working on it does make me feel better. I want to aim to have storyboards for M done by next month so I can just do the actual animation. I’ve been doing actually on-model good storyboards for it, so I can basically just outline it and color and call it good, I can freehand the tween frames. I think most of the magic is going to be in the compositing - hey I learned the word for it! Although I’ve messed with a similar compositing style before, it just needs to look like it’s from the 70s!

Next week I have a big job interview for another position with my dream job, so I’m going to prioritize health above everything else. Including mental health. Only fun projects next week, and another binge session of forensic files! Maybe I’ll finally sit down and play Dream BBQ, too! Or get back into Splatoon! Next week is going to be work-light, but I may find a storyboard or comic WIP to post. Plus, I want to get at least one song out! Thanks everyone for being patient, I hope it’s worth it!

[luke-hughes43]

okay whewwww they worked that okay.

maybe gabby tries to get more attention to ryan and maybe makes a date night just for them doing what ryan loves and kinda making sure he knows she loves his as much as will

yes yes yes. this is a need.

~

gabby spends the next few weeks giving ry extra attention. maybe she plans a movie night one week but one night before it gets rly cold, she takes ryan to come lookout spot just on the outskirts of campus where you can see the outline of the city, and it's just the two of them.

ryan asks, "how did you find this gab?"

"i went for a walk during your night class one time before we got dinner. it was quiet and peaceful. and i thought it was what we needed after the past few weeks. just something quiet and lowkey where we could be together and without all the noise." she says leaning her head on his shoulder.

he smiles and kisses her head, "it's perfect baby. should we call will?"

"maybe later when we get back. i thought this could be just me and you. i know i fucked up and made you feel abandoned and i'm so sorry and i never wanna do that again. i figured this could be a good start." she says and interlaces their fingers.

ryan smiles and says, "i think this is a great start. i'm sorry too, for being a dick. you didn't deserve that."

the two enjoy the view together and talk about their classes and the recent happenings in the nhl and stuff. having a good time of just the two of them.

[randyfrushour]

Clarification and Recognition of our Holy Covenant Testimony in Light of the Latter Days - the Last Days.

As a follower of Christ, I firmly acknowledge the Holy Covenant established by God in both the Old and New Testaments. While I stand on the truth of salvation and full redemption through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, I feel led to clarify my position on an important matter related to modern Christianity and the New Covenant.

The transition from the Church Age to the prophesied Millennial Age is marked by a deeper understanding of the vision of the end times described in Daniel 9:24 and the 70 Weeks prophecy. This signals the abrupt end of the current world and the commencement of a Millennial Age of peace. The vision of the end spans a period described in the Bible simply as "many days."

My concern is not with the gospel of salvation per say itself, though yet is paramount until the rapture but with how some aspects of church growth today often elevate human hierarchy—such as Pastors, Deacons, and Bishops—at the expense of true unity by God's Holy Spirit. They stand between the very nature and spirit of God and every man. Upon the rapture, the Church, as the body of Christ, ceases to exist in the world. The events and ages following the rapture are part of the "many days" of the end times, as accurately outlined in scripture. These events are likely appointed to the Gentile community remaining after the rapture, as referenced in Daniel chapters 7-12. Revelation 11:1 further emphasizes this, stating, "The court outside is given unto the Gentiles."

I believe that when these roles become (so) too centralized, they obscure Christ’s role as the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18). Congregations that place undue emphasis on these positions should consider dismantling such structures and instead gather together in humility, worshiping Christ alone in whatever location they can, with no need for a formal building. The focus should not be on man-made hierarchies but on fostering authentic, Christ-centered fellowship that adheres to the spirit of the New Covenant.

This view is rooted in my understanding of the prophetic word in Daniel 11:28-33, particularly verse 30, where it is foretold that there will arise "forsakers of the holy covenant." These forces can subtly draw people away from the true essence of faith by emphasizing external structures over internal devotion. While the church age was once necessary, I believe we are now in a time where believers are called to return to the simple, direct relationship with Christ as their only Savior, rather than relying on institutional forms.

Furthermore, I acknowledge that this dissent also extends to other religions that trace their heritage back to Abraham, namely Islam and Judaism. While Christianity holds fast to the New Covenant, Islam and Judaism still operate under the frameworks of the Old Covenant, each with its own unique departures from the Holy Covenant. For instance, in Islam, there is a strong need to address and dissent from any acts of violence or terrorism carried out in the name of religion, as these are clearly against God's holy standard. Likewise, in Judaism, the emphasis on a works-based faith or a national return to the perpetual covenant in the latter days calls for reflection and reform, particularly as it relates to their understanding of the Holy Covenant and the coming Messiah.

My personal mission is not to advocate for a one-world religion but to foster a collective group of believers from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, grounded in the common heritage of Abraham. By recognizing our shared spiritual ancestry, I believe we can harmonize our understanding of the Holy Covenant and serve the Lord together in unity, without compromising the distinctions of each faith. This movement is about seeking the truth of God’s covenant, as prophesied in Daniel 11, and standing against those who would forsake it for the sake of worldly gain or misguided doctrine.

In the end, my desire is to see believers from all three of these Abrahamic faiths, not uniting under a single religious banner, but coming together as a growing collective to share and uphold the teachings of the Holy Covenant, centered on faithfulness to God, righteousness, and the truth of salvation.