#why did they name him redux

[nctinkverse]

Promissa Redux

Pairing: jaehyun x f. reader

Genre: mature, smut, angst, fluff, minors dni.

Preview and plot warnings (I will update as I go): dad Jaehyun, pregnancy, MC is a mom, mature, slow burn, excessive angst, abundant plot, and probably way too much dialogue, exes to lovers, Jaehyun 's family is in this (at least as I imagine they might be), a lot of intimacy, explicit content, swearing, alcohol consumption, mention of exes, heavy make-out session and annoying co-workers.

WC Preview: 1000

WC Total: Not sure, probably it will be 5.000 - 10.000?

Chapter 1 - Shattered promises & Broken vows. Chapter 2 - Valentines Day.

Chapter 3 - One call away is not close enough.

SYNOPSIS: Most of the fairy tales and romance novels, it all seems perfect after the happily ever after. But what if some stories started at the end?

Well not the end per se, nobody was dying.

But you always questioned, do princess get a divorce?

Do female main characters give up the man they fought to love after so many chapters?

At 32 years of age, divorced, mom to an incredible 5-year-old girl who was the greatest thing you and the love of your life ever did, you thought again about the same questions you had when you were 14 and your parents got divorced.

Jung was your last name for 2 years, Mrs. Jung was your title and you loved it, he was sweet, loving, an amazing father and so good to you in bed that you never forgot truly what it felt like to be loved by him.

Your story stated way past the end, the not so happily ever after.

It didn’t have many twists and turns like a superhero movie that keeps you hanging at the edge of your seat for the next plot twist.

In your mind, life was already full of uncertainties, hard decisions, mistakes and paying the price for choosing paths.

Life itself was already hard enough without the responsibilities of superpowers.

So how you ended up thinking about all that again at 32 years old, while holding an engagement ring box you found on your lover’s pocket while picking it up of the floor, it was something you will have to find the answers, probably soon.

------------------------Preview----------------------------------------

You were fast asleep when the phone rang. The name on the screen making you jump, why is he calling at this hour? This can’t be a good thing.

Immediately you laid your back on the headboard and answered the call.

"Hi."

"Jaehyun, is something wrong?"

"Oh, no…" You let out a relieved breath, being half asleep making you grumpy.

"Good lord, Jaehyun, it's 4 a.m!" You said, raising your voice a little.

"Oh shoot… um sorry… I didn’t check for the time zones. I should have called another –

You interrupted his rambling. He’s not usually someone to call, he could just spill so you can go back to sleep.

"Jae, spill, what’s the gossip, huh?"

He let out a little laugh since the gossip joke was an old one between you two.

"No gossip, but I do have something."

"Clearly, it's something good or you wouldn’t be calling on impulse, spill, Jaehyun."

"Yeah right…" He hesitated a bit, his telltale sign usually being him coughing even though there was nothing wrong with his voice. "I got sent this script for this movie, they want me as the main male character..." He hesitated again, which made you ask.

"Jaehyun, what did you do?"

"I sent a copy of the script to your mailbox."

You could feel your sleepiness going away as you scolded him.

"Jaehyun, are you nuts? You can’t ship stuff like this in the mail! What if it gets –"

"It got delivered today." He interrupted, making you stop your thinking.

Scrambling for a thought since he didn’t elaborate, you asked.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with it?! I’m not a male actor, Jung."

"Read, dummy, read."

"And do what?"

"Tell me if you want it."

You opened your mouth to be obnoxious, pointing out the obvious, but Jaehyun must have listened to your 'I’m about to give you an earful' breath and went first.

"Listen, it’s an amazing script, just like the ones you used to want to work on. There’s an opening for a cinematographer, and I know you’re a hell of a good one, so if you want, it’s yours." He said in one breath, probably afraid you would interrupt again.

But from all he said, this part really got you confused.

"What do you mean it’s mine?"

"I showed the director your profile and portfolio, and he said yes."

"Fuck, Jaehyun." You didn’t know what to say since he was never one to interfere in your personal life since the D word.

"You’re sleepy, and I know how grumpy you can be at this hour, so… I still have to tell you two more things, the job is in the states, probably 3-4 months of filming, and I am supposed to give an answer on the male character in 48 hours. We would have to work together, and we would probably have to strike a deal with my parents since we can’t pull Junnie out of school, so…"

You understood what he said, but you needed at least a cup of coffee to process it. But before you could say anything, he went off again.

"I can give it up if you want." He said almost like a whisper.

"Give what up?"

"The character."

"You didn’t like it?"

"No, but –

You interrupted again.

"So, if you do like it, why would you give it up?" It made no sense to you.

"For you –"

It still didn’t make sense why he would give it up.

"Give it up for ME?"

"I like it, Y/N, but this script has you written all over it… and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by being there."

Now you got him, yet he was about the last person in this world who could make you uncomfortable.

"Yuno…" You said in a softer tone.

You heard his breath and a soft "yeah?"

"I don’t hate you." You stated in your most soft yet firm tone, it was one of the things he must not forget about you two.

"I know, Y/N, I know."

"I am going to read it and think about what you said, ok? Don’t do anything hasty."

"Ok, I will let you go back to sleep."

"I’m not sleeping after all this, you know right?" You said, letting out a small huff.

"I know."

"What I am about to do is getting up, making some coffee and grabbing the script out of my mailbox, does it sound good to you?" You were being just a bit playful.

"It does, love."

That word made you warm like butter melting on a frying pan. Still, that wasn’t something out of the ordinary for him to call you. So, you let it slide.

"Well, for sure it’s better than staying in bed tossing and turning."

He let out a small giggle, he knew you were one of those to fight a lot with your bed at night.

"Good morning, love."

"Good afternoon to you?" You didn’t know what timezone he was on, so you tried.

"Try again." He said with a smiling voice.

"Good night!" You said like you had guessed the lottery numbers.

He let out a giggle sound and said, "Give little Nari 1000 kisses from me, will you?

"Why just a thousand?" You said with a little pout. You could hear his playful tone.

"Don’t you know our daughter? She might ask for in real life a thousand kisses; since you are the closest parent, you might fall victim to it, so I think that’s a great number for kisses."

You both giggled, Jung Nari, the lily to our garden, was at that phase where hyperboles would be a tough concept for her to grasp.

"Ok, fine." You agreed still giggling.

"I will call… stay safe."

"You too, Jaehyun."

"Bye."

"Bye."

And the line went silent.

[himluv]

Hard Truths (redux)

As promised, here is an update to my fic Say My Name (Say it Twice). Merry Christmas! This is a rework of my first attempt at writing Lucanis back in November, so while there is some overlap here, there's a ton of new stuff too. Enjoy!

SNIFFFF! Sweat and salt and coffee. Lucanis. Sulfur, too. Candles, burned low. Powder. Ash. Rough velvet on calloused fingertips. Press to the stone. Won’t forget. CANNOT. HIDE!

Yessssss. Good! They will know. I. Am. Here!

“Hey, Lucanis?”

Sniffff. Brimstone. “No Lucanis. Only Spite!”

“Ugh. You again?”

“Yessss. Always here. Waiting.”

“Right. That’s not creepy at all.”

Brimstone. Calm fire. No fear. Why no fear? “You don’t. Fear us. Why?”

“I’m Rivaini. Spirits don’t bother me.”

“Demon! Not spirit.”

“Sure you are. Now, let Lucanis go.”

“No!” Must get out. Go, go, gogogo!

“Hey, Taash. What’s going on?”

SNIFFFF. Campfire and berries. ROOK!

“Demon’s back.”

“I don’t think he ever leaves, actually.”

 “Then he’s acting weird.”

Sniiiiiiffffff. “Smells like… melon and woodsmoke.”

“Hey! No! No. Sit your ass back down.”

“I’ll handle this. Maybe make sure the eluvian room is blocked?”

Brimstone. Gone! Just Rook. Just. Us! “Now. We get to talk.”

“When demons say they want to talk, that usually means they want to bargain.”

“Lucanis. Made a deal. He hasn’t kept.”

“What deal?”

 “Break our chains. Kill. Escape our prison. And Liiiive!”

“Isn’t that what happened?”

“NO! I want out!”

“‘Out’ to where? Tevinter? Orlais? Nowhere’s safe for a possessed man.”

“No! No! He promised! Tell him! Make him–”

–Lucanis blinked in the familiar dim of the pantry, the candles lower than they should be. Much lower. But even in the low light, Rook shone like a star. She wasn’t looking at him, her eyes cast to the side as if to give him privacy.

“Rook?”

“You were sleepwalking,” she said. 

Ah. Of course. He noticed the chill in his neck now, the telltale sign that Spite had been in control. He looked down at his feet. “Spite was sleepwalking.”

“He didn’t go anywhere,” she said. Her tone was light and reassuring. “Nothing happened.” 

This time. But how many times could he lose control before someone got hurt? Before she got hurt? Just imagining Spite touching her, hurting her with his hands made his skin crawl. 

“I didn’t want you to see that,” he said. “Again.”

She took a step closer and he finally looked at her. Her eyes were clear, her expression earnest and soft. She always seemed to carry so much softness for him. 

“Nothing I’m seeing makes me want to look away.”

How? How could that be when he could barely stand looking in the mirror? How did she always say just the right thing to make him feel like he wasn’t completely drowning?

He shook his head. “How do you always do that?”

“Do what?” There was a teasing lilt to her voice that he now recognized as flirtation, but Lucanis couldn’t quite bring himself to match it. 

“Break apart my perfectly gathered clouds of doom.” He frowned. “You deserve better than to deal with my mess.”

Rook leaned against the wall, her hands behind her back. “You’re more than what you’re going through. And, you wear it well.” She gave him a smile so tender, a look so openly fond, it made Lucanis ache.

Time and again she had shown him that she was there. She’d been by his side since the Ossuary, unwavering in her support. Her actions and her words proved her trust in him, despite everything. She offered her hand, her heart, over and over again. And no matter how conflicted he felt, no matter how many times he drew close just to pull away, she never gave up on him. 

It made him wonder… could he be the man she seemed to think he was? Could he be the man he wanted to be, for her? Could he be what she deserved?

Lucanis took slow, intentional steps towards her. Finally, they would address this thing between them. And he would give her every opportunity to see reason and turn away. 

He shook his head once. “This isn’t a good idea,” he said.

She watched him approach, eyes bright with curious warmth. “Sometimes a bad idea is better,” she said. Still teasing him.

He was a small man – he had no qualms about it, it let his targets underestimate him – but Rook was even shorter. He placed his palm against the wall, just above and to the right of her head. He leaned into the wall and looked down at her. 

She tilted her chin up to meet his gaze, and the challenge in her eyes sent fire up his spine. She had no idea what she did to him. 

“You like to walk a little too close to the edge,” he countered. 

She reached for him, so slowly, and for a moment Lucanis thought she might hook her finger through his lapel chain and pull him in for a kiss. His stomach flipped at the notion, but she stopped just short of actually touching him.

“So do you,” she said.

Mierda, her lips. He wanted to know how they’d feel pressed to his. Wanted to taste the coffee on her tongue. If he was being honest, he wanted anything she would give him. He was a man standing on the edge of a cliff – it would take the barest touch to send him over the ledge. He would fall helplessly in love with her, and she had no idea. 

He looked right at her, his tone soft but serious when he said, “at least I know when I’m doing it.”

They were so close. The closest they’d ever been. Lucanis felt her warmth radiating against his body, smelled the hint of smoke in her hair and the coffee on her breath as she leaned closer. Her eyes closed and her chin lifted. 

Here she was, trusting him, offering herself to him as he leaned over her. It was a scene right out of one of his romance novels. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned into her, noting the beautiful spray of cinnamon-colored freckles across her nose, then closed his eyes. She was perfect.

And he… was not. He was a man on the edge of a cliff. If he fell, he would take her down with him. Mierda, what was he thinking?

Lucanis opened his eyes and turned his face away from her. It hurt to do so, to get this close only to stop. Again. Maker, what must she think of him?

“I…” he couldn’t look at her as he stepped back. “Need to clear my head.” He glanced up at her, saw the confusion and concern in her eyes, and though he wanted nothing more than to make her smile again, he kept walking away. With his palm now pressed to his waistcoat he gave her a tiny nod. “Excuse me.” 

Then he turned and hurried out of the room, ignoring the weight of her gaze on his back. He brushed a hand through his hair, tugged at his waistcoat, desperate to feel composed. It took surprisingly few strides to cross the dining room, climb the stairs above the kitchen, and step out onto the landing outside the dining hall. He took a deep, shaky breath and quelled the urge to rub at the constant itch behind his eyes. 

This wasn’t like him. He felt jittery, out of control. Perhaps all the coffee mixed with the sleep deprivation had finally gotten to him?

She makes you nervous, Spite sneered. 

Lucanis said nothing. There was no point lying to Spite, it would only encourage the demon to keep talking. Surprisingly, Spite remained quiet while Lucanis stood staring out at the blank expanse of the Fade. He needed the height, the perspective, and to breathe. It took a few minutes, but finally his heart settled some in his chest. 

Finally, the demon asked, why?

Lucanis sighed. “Why what?”

Spite growled, irritated at having to explain himself. Rook. Makes. You. Nervous. WHY?

Lucanis winced as the word rebounded inside his skull. “You don’t have to shout.”

Spite made an unconvinced noise.

“And besides,” Lucanis said. “You know why.”

Make it make sense. We. Like. Rook.

Lucanis pinched the bridge of his nose. “A little too much.”

Ahhhhh. Spite sniffed, as if savoring something delicious in the air. Scared.

Another truth he’d have to let lie between himself and the demon. 

Let her in and get cut deep. See inside then turn away. Won’t. Want. You! Oooh, or worse, she does want and then she di–

“Enough!” The word echoed out into the Fade, silencing the demon. “Enough,” Lucanis whispered. He didn’t need Spite to help him overthink all the ways kissing Rook could go wrong.

Want more than kissing.

The most surprising truth of them all. Lucanis could count the number of people he’d felt genuine attraction for on one hand. The only one he’d ever tried to pursue had misread him so completely he’d just given up. 

As much as he longed for romance, he just wasn’t good at it. Love was something meant for characters in novels, or people like Teia and Viago. Not him. 

If not love. What?

Before the Ossuary, Lucanis would have had an answer to a question like that. The Crows. House Dellamorte. Mediating peace between Illario’s ambitions and Caterina’s wishes. He liked being a Crow. He was good at it, and had never wanted more, a fact that had vexed Illario and pleased their grandmother. 

And it was all gone. 

Caterina was dead. In his current state, Lucanis was not fit to take her place as she’d desired. Illario would become First Talon, like he’d always wanted. If Lucanis somehow survived this contract perhaps House Dellamorte would allow him back. Perhaps the future they had fantasized as boys might actually come to pass. Perhaps he and Rook… 

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Bah!

Lucanis sighed and shook his head. Then he and the demon walked back to the pantry in silence. And in that silence was another, terrifying truth. 

For the first time in his life, Lucanis Dellamorte didn't know what his future held. 

[audliminal]

It's Just a Game, Right? Pt 2 Redux

Masterpost

"Okay, so. Like I said before, the first video is pretty basic.” Bernard tells Tim. He’s got his laptop perched on his lap and Tim leans into him as he clicks play.

He’s not wrong, either. The video in front of him looks like it was made with movie maker software from at least a decade ago. Hell, Tim’s pretty sure he remembers using a couple of those transitions in elementary school projects. The background remains stagnant, for the most part, with just the pictures at the center of the screen and the text beneath them changing. The pairing pretty obviously is supposed to be a caption for the videos, but the letters are a jumbled mess. Still, it feels familiar.

“Yeah, that’s definitely a Caesar cipher,” Tim mutters. He’s seen enough of them used by shitty two-bit rogues to recognize the patterns on instinct. It’s a bit harder to determine the exact amount of shift just by looking – especially since the shift amount seems like it’s changing on the different captions. Presumably the ciphers have already been solved, so Tim turns his attention away from them for a moment.

Looking around the screen, he can spot hints of distortion against the blank background. It’s blurry, almost invisible to the naked eye, but there’s not really any reason for it to be there naturally.

“The background looks weird,” Tim says.

“Oh yeah, there’s a text overlay on the video. It’s real blurry but somebody identified it as a poem. Something by Emily Dickinson; I don’t remember what the name was, though.”

“Hmmm. Did anyone recognize the song?” It sounds off, but it doesn’t seem to be random notes either. In fact, Tim almost feels like he could hear it on the radio.

“Yeah, a couple people recognized it as Space Oddity, only its been transcribed in a different key. There’s also some random discordant notes in there, too.”

“Heavily modified audio. Doesn’t sound like it’s poor quality, though.”

“True.”

They let the video finish playing. It’s not very long; they were probably timing the visuals to the song, rathen than the other way around. Tim stares at the finished video for a few moments. He’s never really had time for ARGs before. They weren’t exactly very big when he was younger, and now he spends so much time solving rogue shit and actual crimes that he doesn’t really need to go seeking out more puzzles to solve.

“So?” Bernard prompts. “What do you think?”

Honestly, the vibes aren’t the best. It’s clearly intended to be creepy in a way that’s probably exciting for most people, but just sort of reminds Tim of a rogue.

"I can see why you called it basic," Tim says.

“Yeah, it really didn’t seem like it was gonna be much at first.”

“Okay what does the decoded text say?”

"Here," Bernard switches tabs, to an impressive document with screenshots of the actual video, and loads of color-coded notes. “This is a copy of the community document so far.” Tim leans in, and considers the transcriptions.

Honestly, the transcriptions seem pretty basic, too. They’re all simple captions; just a name for the person or location in the image, and some semblance of a date. Notes next to each transcription denote the cipher used. First, a shift of four, then twenty-five, then seven, then nineteen. It’s a simple trick, scrambling the cipher between captions. Even without a key, Caesar ciphers are pretty easy to solve – there’s only ever going to 25 possible solutions, after all. Changing up the key ensures that it takes a lot longer to solve.

“Odd choice of content, too, honestly?” Tim says. It seems so simple, so benign, in comparison to the upsetting music.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, imagine if a novel started with that. They’ve literally made their first video just about names and setting.”

“Huh. Yeah, that is odd.”

Tim lets Bernard consider that, and turns back to look at the document. It’s pretty obvious from the lack of mention of a solution path that they brute forced it. Which, that could be the intended method of solution, but there could also be a key hidden somewhere in the video. Possibly, that’s the point of the poem, or of the music choice. But either of those are something that’ll take further looking into.

Tim may have taken a few years of piano lessons as a kid, but he’s certainly not capable of transcribing music himself, so he’ll probably have to hire someone for that. The document also names the poem as A lane of Yellow led the eye. Tim sits up, reaching out to pull the laptop towards him.

“I’ll see if I can’t get someone more musically gifted to look at the audio. For now, I wanna know more about that poem.”

[pianokantzart]

The Super Mario Bros. Redux (Pt. 3)

What would happen if, in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, after Mario and Luigi are separated, Mario was the one who ended up in the clutches of Luigi’s eventual arch nemesis, while Luigi teamed up with some of his own close allies to go rescue him? (This part of the story is in one shot format. Most other parts are written in bullet points.) Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 ________ Mario never coped well with feeling trapped. As early as nine months old he was racing around like his life depended on it, clamoring over gates and out of windows, unbuttoning clothes he felt were too tight and twisting door handles the moment he developed the coordination to grasp them. Starting his own business was supposed to be a path to freedom… or at least the closest thing to freedom one could achieve in the modern world. He never in a thousand years would’ve guessed that the domino effect of his little endeavors would have landed him here. His cell felt more like a coffin than a prison; a golden picture frame hung halfway up the wall in an expansive gallery stacked floor to ceiling with other “artwork.” He could move no more than eight inches to the left or right. He couldn’t jump, lie down, sit, or turn around. The only thing he could do was bang his fists against the transparent barrier keeping him trapped, though that did little more than worsen his sense of claustrophobia.

His surrounding captives– far more accustomed to the cramped conditions– did what they could to calm him, as conversation proved to be the best distraction from their unfortunate situation. The talking turtles and mushroom men– Koopas and Toads, they were apparently called– were generous with what little information they had, and slowly Mario learned where he was, why he was where he was, who was responsible, and that– according to the game of telephone that ran up and down the conversing portraits– he was the only human that had been seen in the gallery. The mystery of Luigi’s whereabouts left Mario conflicted. On one hand, he was relieved. This was the last place his little brother needed to be. On the other hand, it opened up the possibility that he was somehow somewhere worse. He had promised his brother that they would be alright as long as he was together, but… to his shame… there was a selfish part of Mario that simply didn’t want to be alone.

He was listening sympathetically to the woes of the Toad in the neighboring painting when the large oaken doors to the gallery swung open, and a gaggle of cackling boos swarmed in. Mario had learned by now that ghosts of this world, free from the fear of death and any physical need, desired only amusement. They acted with a form of malicious playfulness, like a housecat that continues to hunt despite having long eaten its fill. The boos certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves as they floated through the room, lunging and making faces at the helpless captives, laughing every time they whimpered or flinched. Mario, his heart still clinging to memories of his twin, braced his palms against the barrier and shouted at the ghosts to leave the others alone. His command proved far more successful than he thought it would. All fifteen of the little white ghosts turned their attention to him, then swarmed in his direction, blending together into a whirl of white until they arrived in front of his painting fully transformed into a giant, singular boo, staring daggers with glowing yellow eyes. Mario put on a brave front and stared back.

He was made all too familiar with this enormous specter the moment he first stumbled upon the portraits. He still had bruises to prove the memory, though it was only thanks to the other trapped paintings that he was finally able to put a name to the face.

“Boolossus, is it?”

The behemoth didn’t answer. With a smug, sharp-toothed grin it merely plucked Mario from the wall and flitted away with the plumber tucked under its arm like a piece of common furniture. With his only view of the outside world obstructed by the translucent body of Boolossus, Mario was rendered lost and disoriented, and when at last he was once again hung upon a wall he found himself in a different room, carved out of murky, sulfur colored stone. This new location felt musty and ancient, very different from the colorful, well-tended opulence of the gallery. Long defunct lion-faced fountains stared at each other across the room from between towering pillars, where black grit filled the crevices of intricately carved designs. The only signs this decaying place had that it was ever visited was the lit chandeliers hanging overhead, and the blue flames dancing in the stone lamps that lined the center of the room.

Boolossus maintained his victorious expression as he backed away from the newly hung portrait, then buried himself in a corner to make room for the newcomer, phasing through roof overhead. Mario felt his apprehension grow, not because of the darkness around the ghost's eyes that sharpened the spectral glow of his gaze, or the enormous crown atop his head that indicated his place of royalty, or even his enormous size which dwarfed even that of Boolossus. Instead, Mario was troubled by an instinctive sense of true hatred emanating from him, far different from the impish malevolence of the other specters.

His heart leapt a little when the ghost’s crown lit up, and a field of purple magic reached toward him, plucking his painting off the wall and pulling him suspended mid-air to the center of the room.

“What is your name?” the ghost asked with a thoughtful hum. Mario felt the world spin around him as the giant boo used one of his stubby arms to twirl his painting in the air, then stopped it with such suddenness that Mario’s body slammed into the side of his prison. Slightly dazed, he collected himself enough to answer the question. “Mario.” “Mario… I have to admit, despite the novelty of a human visitor, you don’t seem to know your place in this world. Perhaps you don't know who I am? What I’m capable of?”

“You’re King Boo.” Mario answered after a pause– a brief reflection on his conversations in the gallery. “You shattered something called The Dark Moon, and now you want to lead an army of ghosts.”

“Very good! I guess you’re not as dumb as you look.”

Mario let out a yelp as he felt his portrait turned upside down, his feet remaining fixed in place as his arms dangled over his head and the blood rushed to his face. 

“Speaking of looks,” King Boo continued, his faux smile looking more like a scowl from its new angle, “it appears you didn’t arrive alone. There just so happens to be another human just like you! Mustache and everything!”

Knowing at once who he was talking about, Mario felt every muscle in his body tense up. His stomach tied itself into knots, and he felt his heartbeat double its pace. King Boo’s eyes flashed. His grin widened, and his great purple tongue lolled hungrily at the air like a dog. “Ha ha ha! There’s that fear! Utter terror in fact! So you do know him!”

“Listen, Luigi isn’t–”

“Luigi! Is that his name?”

Mario winced in self-directed frustration, then sputtered to his sibling’s defense. “He’s no threat to you! He’s just– he’s just a plumber! we both are!”

Mario felt his portrait righted, but his relief was short lived when, just as quickly, the frame grew suddenly smaller around him. He took another look at King Boo. His insincere grin had twisted into very sincere sneer. The magic emanating from his crown was clearly the source of the change, and was only making the frame smaller with every passing second.

“Is he now? And what is ‘just a plumber’ afraid of?” “What do you mean?” Mario returned, bracing his arms against the portrait frame, helplessly trying to push it back. “I mean Luigi has decided to make friends with the sworn enemy of my kingdom!” King Boo shouted, shrinking the portrait further in sharp jolts with every word he emphasized. “So if you don’t want to die alongside him, you’ll tell me just what it’ll take to frighten him off.”

“Those are two different questions!”

“What!?”

“‘What’s he afraid of?’ and ‘what will frighten him off?’...” Mario huffed, struggling to squeeze out the words with his head pressed painfully between his shoulders and his arms pinned against his aching chest. “He’s afraid of ghosts, but it looks like you’re not quite scary enough to get rid of him, huh?”

The retort felt good in the moment, but was followed by a sense of dread. Mario squeezed his eyes shut, expecting the painting to crush him then and there, but to his surprise the walls receded.

He would’ve fallen over in relief if his prison allowed, but instead he simply slumped backwards, taking in large breaths and wiping sweat from his brow. King Boo turned angrily to Boolossus, watching from the corner.

“Boolossus!” “Yes, your Highness?” came the answer, fifteen voices speaking as a single entity as they emerged from the shadows. 

“Go to the The Birabuto Capitol! Find E. Gadd and this… Luigi… and bring them here either as paintings or in pieces! Either way is fine with me!”

“Yes your highness!” returned the conjoined voices, falling out of unison as the giant boo flew apart, its fifteen pieces phasing through overhead roof in a gale of otherworldly giggles.

When they were left alone, King Boo turned to Mario to gauge his reaction. It didn’t disappoint, the ramifications of what he’d said clearly dawning on him. King Boo cackled. “Now that’s a face worth mounting on my wall! Let’s keep it that way, shall we?”

Mario opened his mouth to protest, when a blast of violet energy from King Boo’s crown suddenly halted him. Mario's portrait lost all color, motion, and consciousness, paralyzed and wide eyed. The perfect preservation of a moment of true fear.

[settle-down-frohike]

Was rewatching Redux II and thought Bill's POV was really fascinating.

The way he sees things isn't far from the truth. In fact, they're surprisingly clear-eyed (compared to what I'd broadly assumed about him): he laid the blame of the quest at Mulder's feet instead of Scully's; and understood that Scully strove not to disappoint Mulder. However, without all the facts, he then blamed Mulder for Melissa's and Scully's death; and assumed his sister went to work and tried "unconventional treatment" to save face in front of and for Mulder.

He even prodded Mulder's brain in the hallway; because, while he hated the guy's guts, Bill had to know what made him tick-- and if Mulder was at all sorry. So he poked and poked and poked hoping Mulder would give him an answer to soothe his anger.... But instead, Mulder poked back, poorly communicated, then let Bill think whatever he wanted.

And it's part of what you said about Mulder's self-absorption (which is why I'm here, hello!): Mulder is self-absorbed (to an extent); and Bill sensed it (as he sensed Dana doing her best to not let her partner down) and despised it. Moreover, I think he thought Mulder's self-centeredness rubbed off on Scully too much, leaving her to disconnect from her family responsibilities like their parents had raised them to do. And he confronted Dana in Gethsemane; but felt bad, dropped it, and didn't bring it up by her deathbed, preferring to swing at Mulder instead of laying blame and guilt at his dying sister's feet.

Bill's truly a litmus test character: he voices the thoughts of those who don't know or truly understand Mulder and Scully's commitment to the quest despite the toll and the tears. Yet, he has reasonable-ish reasons for believing what he does. An interesting puzzle.

He's also gentler than I remembered. And lethal, in a quiet way. Scully scowls and thunders but Bill only yells when righteously indignant (over Mulder's "science fiction" treatment,) preferring to dress people down with harsh, harsh reproofs in a moderately even tone. (I imagine he takes after their father while Scully takes after their mother.)

And, of course, he has his faults. Big 'uns. Namely, that he tries to protect Scully "without all the facts", which translates to him not trusting her judgment.

Those are my rambly thoughts. Would love to hear yours. :DDD

I think in a way Bill’s character was a voice for a lot of the thoughts the fans maybe did/would/should have had. Especially in Gethsemane, you hear him address Mulder’s absence. He asks verbatim, “Where is he”— which is a very very valid point. You also see that Scully treats Bill in a lot of the same ways that she treats Mulder. She keeps him in the dark, and emotionally at bay. (Another interesting mirror that I noticed in Gethsemane was the acknowledgment that he too remembers her birthday only once every few years—the same as Mulder.) Scully cannot answer as to why Mulder isn’t there, because she is, in part, the reason he isn’t. In Memento Mori she even confesses that she is grateful for it. For his pursuit of his “own path”.

The prodding of Mulder’s brain in the hallway is a *great* point to bring up because there again you see similarities to Mulder, in the way that he too likes to poke, prod and instigate.

What went unnoticed to me for a long time is that like her father and Mulder—Bill is another authoritative male in her life who’s approval she seeks. But she protects herself from their control by use of secrecy. Scully uses avoidant attachment as a way of managing disappointment, and her loved ones see it too, but only when it applies to someone other than themselves. But it does tell me that people see through Scully more than she thinks they do.

A lot of people tend to think that Mulder would have been less self-absorbed had he known more about Scully’s illness and I tend to disagree. Fans seem to regard their relationship during this time with tender eyes and hearts, and the truth of it is is that this crisis brought out some of their more toxic traits. They did *not* handle this well. He very much had the right to know that her cancer had metastasized and she kept that from him purposefully. She withheld information, and as cute as the birthday dinner/snowball jaunt was, his reaction to his panic and grief was to do (as many men do) try to busy themselves by fixing or handling the problem, instead of just caring for an individual as we as viewers and Bill would have rather seen him do. (And I’m well aware that Scully did not make caring for her very easy.)

*I’m going way off on a tangent here because I’ve been watching Gethsemane, Redux one and two a lot lately trying to process my thoughts on it. *

I do think that Bill’s character, however harsh people perceived him to be, was necessary. He exposed a lot of hard truths, outside of his jerkish behavior and accusations based in ignorance. I don’t mean that negatively. I just mean that he literally cannot know what he does not know. You have a loved one who is terminally ill, a natural grieving process at some point is to be angry— and to lash out at what/who seems most culpable. A lot of the accusations thrown Mulder’s way could have been easily dispelled, and yet he chose stand there and take it because he is accustomed to being a whipping boy. That was probably poor writing, but I digress.

What I think Bill, Mulder and maybe her mother, Skinner etc forget is that Scully is on her own journey, -and I quote- “for my OWN reasons” (Momento Mori). Mulder reacts poorly because he blames himself, and Bill reacts poorly because he blames Mulder. There is a lot of evidence that they are two sides to the same coin.

*sorry it took me so long to answer I have SO many thoughts on this timeline, I know this is scattered but maybe it makes a teensy bit of sense. Also I did talk to txt bc fat thumbs. So if you see misspellings 🥴🥴🥴

[bfdiredux]

you've already done a character proposal for loser, so why not do one for winner? /nf

NON-BINARY ROCK FORMATION. Probably a chunk off an asteroid :]

REDUX!WINNER!!

A bit shy, calm, supportive, bright, and smart. A well-rounded good guy!!

Winner knew Loser since their childhood! These two were BEST FRIENDS!! They did everything together.

Winner participated in a talent show with Loser when they were young adults. They prepared and did their first ever Loser-Cake performance that night! I think that would make a good short side episode.

They were PRAISED SO HARD for this!! Winner and Loser would go on to advance their performance, create new ones, and hit the mainstream.

Which came with a LOT of attention.

Winner is fine local. Winner is fine popular. But suddenly being a worldwide sensation within a month scared the shit out of them. It was all too much too fast.

But Winner kept doing it for their best friend. As long as they had Loser, they thought everything could be fine. They toured, acted, appeared on live television... Winner felt nervous every time, even when they tried to keep it down.

Loser was ambitious. Loser basked in the spotlight. Winner sat back and cheered him on.

Loser eventually came to Winner with a movie deal from some big company. Winner finally had enough. They LOVED doing this with Loser, for Loser. As friends. But the attention was too much and they were done.

Loser acknowledged them and then walked away, clearly hurt. Winner faded into obscurity and Loser eventually stopped reaching out to them, leaving Winner feeling abandoned.

They did try preforming at smaller places to see what would happen. It never went anywhere and honestly-- Winner was fine with that. They just wanted their friendship back.

Didn't apply to TPOT for the fame. They just wanted to make sure that power didn't go into the wrong hands!!

Winner is recognized by a big Loser fan named Clock. Some people are nerds about the randomest things.

They get pulled into a team. Clock highly recommends naming this team The Winners! and Winner shoots him down. The team is instead called The S!

Winner and Clock do get their fun and exciting storyline still!! Clock keeps pushing Winner's buttons and crossing their boundaries.

Most notably in TPOT 3, when Yellow Face is eager to put on a performance for Two and Clock interrupts, pushing Winner to perform instead.

Winner tried being nice about it-- they tried hinting their discomfort to Clock. They tried shuffling away.

They won't be forced to do something they don't want to do. Winner turns Clock down hard at the stage that day and when Clock is eliminated a few episodes later, they can't deny their relief.

Now, on their other relations!!

They become closest with Yellow Face. I'd like to think those two are some of the oldest contestants at the time, both being middle-aged(think forties)

Yellow Face is the designated team dad. His deals can be shady but. He's also making sure everyone's happy. He's got tons of humor.

When Yellow Face starts getting closer with Price Tag it scares Winner. They feel that Yellow Face might be moving on? Maybe?? Something similar to how they felt when Loser left.

Book, Price Tag's best friend, is there to reassure them that Yellow Face is just expanding his friend group. He's happy, is he not? And he certainly won't forget about Winner. Possible new friend made!!

Winner is on good terms with most people!!

TPOT 10! For some, their nightmare is their greatest fear. For others, it's parts of their lives they don't like or can't get back.

That's what it is for Winner. Losing Loser still haunts them. That feeling of abandonment and being lost. It manifests in this nightmare.

Clock is there.

Winner thinks it's apart of their nightmare until The S! confirms Clock is real. Winner and Clock go on to have a deep, meaningful conversation!! Clock apologizes for the way he treated Winner and Winner forgives him.

Let's skip ahead to episode 17!!

Winner realizing that Loser still cares about them comes in the form of eating Loser-O's: a brand of cereal.

Maybe it's silly but Winner wanted to cry. Loser is out there somewhere, still thinking of Winner. This means the world to them.

I am very happy with redux!winner!! They're very similar to canon winner but. I think that's okay. Canon winner is very solid so there's not many changes I'd want to make!

[myfandomrambles]

C-PTSD & BPD Eleventh Doctor pt. 2

(Doctor Character Study part 3c.2 [Redux]) 3c.1

[Full on AO3]

An analysis of The Doctor as having Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) along with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

The Eleventh Doctor is often seen as goofy and not very deep or as a Doctor who is fully cruel for no real reason. He is rarely understood as a deeply traumatized character and given the same understanding as a character like Nine or Ten. However, I posit Eleven is best understood through the lens of having C-PTSD and BPD.

11th Doctor 2: Agitation, Anger, Depression, & Intense Emotions 

The Eleventh Doctor tends to show a pattern of agitation, carrying a tense body and emotion around with him causing him to be easily frustrated. (TV: The Eleventh Hour, TV: Victory of The Daleks, TV: The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone, TV: The Doctor's Wife, TV: The Rebel Flesh, TV: A Town Called Mercy, TV: The Angels Take Manhattan, TV: The Snowmen, TV: Cold War, TV: Nightmare in Silver,  TV: The Name of The Doctor, TV: Time of The Doctor, Minisode: Death is the Only Answer, Prose: The King's Dragon, Prose: Glamour Chase, Prose: Dead of Winter, Prose: Borrowed Time, Prose: Shroud of Sorrow,  Prose: Tales of Trenzalore, Comic: Spam Filtered, Comic: As Time Goes By, Comic: The Doctor and the Nurse, Comic: Outrun, Comic: Downtime & Comic: Running to Stay Still)

We see this in TV: The Beast Below:

“The Doctor: Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice. Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. And that was wrong. You don't ever decide what I need to know. Amy: I don't even remember doing it. The Doctor: You did it. That's what counts. Amy: I'm, I'm sorry. The Doctor: Oh, I don't care. When I'm done here, you're going home.”

Another example can be seen in TV: Amy’s Choice:

“The Doctor: Oh, this is bad. I don't like this. (He kicks the console, and hurts his leg.) The Doctor: Argh. Never use force. You just embarrass yourself. Unless you're cross, in which case, always use force. Amy: Shall I run and get the manual? The Doctor: I threw it in a supernova. Amy: You threw the manual in a supernova? Why? The Doctor: Because I disagreed with it. Stop talking to me when I'm cross.”

The Doctor can have more severe general anger (TV: Victory of The Daleks, TV: Flesh and Stone, TV: The Almost People, TV: Asylum of The Daleks, TV: A Town Called Mercy, TV: The Angels Take Manhattan, TV: The Bells of Saint John, TV: Cold War, Minisode: The Great Detective, Prose: Nuclear Time, Prose: The King's Dragon, Prose: Glamour Chase, Prose: Hunter's Moon, Prose: Touched by An Angel, Prose: Dark Horizons, Prose: Shroud of Sorrow, Comic: Hypothetical Gentleman, Comic: SkyJacks, Comic: The Friendly Place, Comic: The Rise and Fall, Comic: The Sound of Our Voices, Comic: Fool, & Comic: The Four Doctors) 

A very strong example of rage can be seen in TV: The Beast Below:

“The Doctor: Nobody talk to me. Nobody human has anything to say to me today!”

Another in TV: The Doctor’s Wife:

“The Doctor: Just admiring your Time Lord distress signal collection. Nice job. Brilliant job. Really thought I had some friends here, but this is what the Ood translator picked up. Cries for help from the long dead. How many Time Lords have you lured here the way you lured me, and what happened to them all? .... The Doctor: You gave me hope, and then you took it away. That's enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it will do to me. Basically, run! Uncle: Poor old Time Lord. Too late. House is too clever.”

And another in TV: A Good Man Goes To War:

“The Doctor: No. Colonel Manton, I want you to tell your men to run away. Manton: You what? The Doctor: Those words. Run away. I want you to be famous for those exact words. I want people to call you Colonel Run Away. I want children laughing outside your door, because they've found the house of Colonel Run Away. And, when people come to you, and ask if trying to get to me through the people I love is in any way a good idea, I want you to tell them your name....”

The Doctor’s anger is described as a “burning light” in Prose: Dead of Winter. The Doctor’s anger can quickly change with many other emotions. Many other emotions can also cycle through.  He experiences these rapid cycles of emotions due to the heightened situations he’s been through having damaged the ability of his body to regulate. (TV: The Eleventh Hour, TV: Victory of The Daleks, TV: The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone, TV: Vampires of Venice, TV: Amy's Choice, TV: The Lodger, TV: The Impossible Astronaut/Day of The Moon, TV: The Doctor's Wife, TV: Rebel Flesh/The Almost People, TV: A Good Man Goes To War, TV: The Rings of Akhaten, Prose: Nuclear Time, Prose: Dead of Winter, Prose: Borrowed Time, Comic: Space Oddity, & Comic: Fast Asleep )

In TV: The Snowmen we see The Doctor flow through his depressed dissociated state, anxiety, and being goofy with the kids and flirty with Clara quickly. During normal conversations, his darker emotions and affect can slip through. (Comic: Space in Dimension Relative and Time)

The Doctor has comorbid depression, which can cause many of the symptoms we have above but also shows its effects that can be seen in The Doctor’s behaviour and lower mood. [Some other depressive symptoms will be discussed as discrete categories later](TV: Victory of The Daleks, TV: Hungry Earth/Cold Blood, TV: The Rebel Flesh/ The Almost People, Home Video: Meanwhile In The TARDIS, Minisode: The Great Detective, Prose: Tales of Trenzalore, Comic: The Friendly Place, Comic: Four Dimensions, Comic: The Comfort of The Good, Comic: First Rule, Comic: Fast Asleep, Comic: Gently Pull The Strings, & Comic: The Lost Dimension)

In Prose: Shroud of Sorrow we see how much grief and depression he always carries with him as he can use his grief and the magnitude of the grief is strong enough to attract The Shroud [which feeds on grief], this implies the grief, loss and depression he feels is enough to outweigh the entirety of Dallas

What you may see on the face is The Doctor not understanding Van Gogh’s depression but what can be seen from another angle; The Doctor relating but going about combating it the way he does his own, trying to force the depression down to go through the day. His empathy for Van Gogh is being willing to show him the future and show him that he would be loved, while also knowing that couldn’t change his suicidality and mental illness and cause a paradox. This shows he did get that mental health doesn’t easily change.  His speech to Amy at the end I believe shows that he does understand having piles of good and bad things, again his way of conceiving life to try and hold on to the positives, like those he loves. (TV: Vincent and The Doctor)

The Doctor experiences intense emotions characteristic of BPD and damaged emotional regulation systems of C-PTSD. (TV: The Eleventh Hour, TV: The Time of Angels,  TV: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood, TV: The Lodger, TV: A Christmas Carol, TV: The Impossible Astronaut, TV: The Doctor's Wife, TV: A Good Man Goes To War, TV: Let's Kill Hitler, TV: The Wedding of River Song, TV: Asylum of The Daleks, TV: A Town Called Mercy, TV: The Angels Take Manhattan, TV: The Rings of Akhaten, TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, TV: The Name of The Doctor, TV: The Day of The Doctor, TV: The Time of The Doctor, Minisode: Space/Time, Prose: Apollo 23, Prose: Nuclear Time, Prose: Hunter's Moon, Comic: Hypothetical Gentleman, Comic: SkyJacks, Comic: Space in Dimension Relative and Time, Comic: The Rise and Fall,  Comic: Four Dimensions, Comic: Conversion, Comic: The Comfort of The Good, Comic: The One, Comic: Downtime, Comic: Running to Stay Still, Comic: First Rule, Comic: The Lost Dimension, & Comic: The Four Doctors)

This can culminate in physical expressions like during TV: Flesh and Stone we see The Doctor break down and scream at River Song hitting the counsel of The Byzantium. 

“River: That Time Energy, what's it going to do? The Doctor: Er, keep eating. River: How do we stop it? The Doctor: Feed it. River: Feed it what? The Doctor: A big, complicated space-time event should shut it up for a while. River: Like what, for instance? The Doctor: Like me, for instance!”

Another physical outpouring of his emotions can be seen in TV: Victory of The Daleks:

“Doctor: This war, against the Nazis, or your war? The war against the rest of the Universe? The war against all life forms that are not Dalek? Dalek: I do not understand. I am your soldier. Doctor: Oh, yeah? Okay. Okay, soldier, defend yourself. (The Doctor picks up a huge spanner and starts hitting the Dalek.) .... Doctor: Come on. Fight back. You want to, don't you? You know you do. Bracewell: I must protest. Doctor: What are you waiting for? Look, you hate me. You want to kill me. Well, go on. Kill me! Kill me!”

Other examples grabbing Amy’s shoulders when his own strong emotions become augmented by the Flesh ( TV: The Almost People ). And breakdowns like can be seen in TV: The God Complex when Rita dies he actively throws objects, Amy seems to be relatively used to such behaviour saying:

"Amy: Look, he'll work it out. He always does. Just let him riff and move anything expensive out of his way.”

[aceinacloset]

!FNAF SL REDUX! Writing scene test.

Katherine finds the first model CB plush she had gifted to Liz for her birthday that had disappeared along with Liz, hidden in William's nightstand.

  Katherine finally walked back to her and William's bedroom door, rubbing her face, groaning in exhaustion, but she didn’t feel tired. Nothing but fear and stress were eating at Katherine's entire being, day in and day out. How could she just disappear like that. She inhaled shakily, walking into her and William’s bedroom, she squinted and rubbed her eyes, a little startled by William's lamp still being on. Did he forget to turn it off when he left… William was still off at “work” whatever that was to him currently, at least Katherine thought so. Her drained eyes adjusted to the sudden light, closing the door behind her as she walked over to turn off the lamp. Katherine reached out to the lamp before halting short, a little cupboard on the nightstand was slightly ajar, something white and red was inside, it looked familiar…

  She opened the small cupboard and stared at the Circus Baby plush inside, she pulled it out and held It gently in her hands. It was just like the one I gave Liz, she pinched her brow, trying to remind herself that it was missing along with Liz. Even still she examined the plush doll, its slightly soft plush body flopping in her hands, she looked at the tag on the bottom of the doll, the usual branding and such written on it. Katherine wouldn’t have thought much of it, if it weren’t for the words on the back, Katherine's eyes widened, staring at the unmistakable writing, her writing. She had written Elizabeth's name in pen on the bottom of the tag on the plushie, just in case she lost it. Why is this here ?… This was with her when she… Her heart sank into her stomach, rage boiling in its place, her grip on the plush tightening, Why is this here?!.

  She was snapped out of her trance by the sound of the bedroom door opening, and Williams voice breaking the heavy, piercing silence. “Katherine? I didn’t expect to still see you up.” His voice was calm, only a little surprised by Katherine. “What are you doing?” Katherine slowly rose, not facing William, holding the familiar plush close to her. “William… Can I ask you something.” Her voice was calm, or at least as calm as it could be, her eyes still burning into the lifeless eyes of the plush in her hands. “Of course, you can ask me anything.’ “Nothing was left behind when Elizabeth disappeared, correct?” She heard a sigh from William, her grip only tightening further on the doll, basically squeezing the poor thing. “Yes Katherine, we’ve been through this…” she listened to his footsteps approach slowly continuing to speak as he did “You gotta stop letting this eat at you, the police are doing the best they can, I’ve looked through the security footage, they’ve looked through the security footage and both them and I saw nothing.” Katherine laughed dryly “Nothing, Nothing at all, then why is this in your night stand, William?”

  She turned slightly presenting the doll into William's view, her hardened gaze burning into him, as his face seemed to shift in a mix of emotions Katheirne couldn’t catch. “It’s just one of the first sets of Circus Baby plushies that were produced, I don’t understand what you mean by this-” “Cut the bull shit, her name is on the tag William!” She cut William off, showing the name written on the tag, in Katherine's hand writing. “Nothing was found! Then why is the plush that is supposedly also missing with you?!” The rage bubbled in Katherine, threatening to spill. She stared at him, demanding any kind of answer, but he just stared. After a while he finally spoke “Katie…” “Don’t ‘Katie’ me! Why is this with you! And not with her, Where is she, William!!” All the weeks of worrying about her, all the weeks of putting up missing posters, all the sleepless nights and he knew, he knew something. Katherine shook a little as she stared at him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. William spoke again, “Are you accusing me of having done something to Liz?” Katherine's hands formed into fists. “Yes… Yes I am, unless you can explain why this missing item has been in our house, in our room the whole time!” she stared into his eyes now, her eyes burning with rage, but also pleading with William to just tell her why, why this was here.  

  He said nothing, his eyes swimming with this calmness, this casualness, that broke Katherine tears finally began to fall from her eyes, the rage bleeding forth from her like a broken dam. “WHERE IS SHE WILLIAM! WHERE IS SHE!!” Her voice pierced the silence of the room like a gun shot, it even seemed to take William off guard as he stepped back slightly, staring at her. “YOU KNOW SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE NOT TELLING ME, NOT TELLING ANYONE!! AND THIS!” She held the plush up, its connected parts flopping a little as she did. “THIS TELLS ME ENOUGH!!! So tell me William… WHERE IS SHE!!!!” Katherine finally stopped, staring at William. Tears pooled down her tired, broken eyes, shaking as she waited for an answer, a response, anything “TELL ME!!!”… but even still, he said nothing. Except his brows furrowed a little, not in anger, not in sadness, but rather pity. She clenched her teeth, sucking in air through them, choosing to not yell more. She lowered her head, walking around William and towards their bedroom door. That is what finally got William moving, and talking “Katherine, Where are you going?” He followed after Katherine, even as she swung the door closed, into his face. She ignored his pleas to talk to him, and slammed and locked her office door in his face.

  “Katherine, please open the door, talk to me!” Katherine ignored him, her back pressed against the door, slowly sliding down it, her body heaving as she choked out sobs, her knees now huddled against her chest, holding that plushie close. She remembers the way Elizabeth's eyes shone as Katherine presented the gift box to her, the excitement burning in them as she tore open the wrapping and the excited, joyous gasp as she pulled out the plush doll. She remembered the guilt she felt that she couldn’t be there for Elizabeth's tenth birthday, the ache in her heart, but the happiness she felt as she watched Elizabeth wave her bye, holding that plush close to her chest in one arm. Now it was all that was left of Elizabeth from that day, and that thought only made Katherine cry harder, coiling up into a ball around the stupid plush. After a bit, her cries began to calm down, slowly dying out. She stared at the barely illuminated room, the plush still clutched to her chest, she could feel the joy from Elizabeth still burning in it. It did little to comfort her, but it gave her a glimmer of hope that Elizabeth may still be alive. She continued to ignore Williams pleas, requests, and demands, listening as he finally gave up and walked away. She laid there in complete silence, staring at the room before her for a while, before her eyes became heavy, exhaustion finally overtaking her. 

  Before she slipped into unconsciousness, her mind made a promise, ‘I promise, Lizzy, I will find you, and I will bring you back…’ her grip on the plushy only tightened as she finally drifted off to sleep.

[salty-an-disco]

For ParaCold... Pre-Relationship 6, General 6, General 13, Love 11, Love 13, and/or Domestic Life 12? (Yes I am asking a lot, feel free to only answer one of these if you'd prefer! I just love your thoughts on them always~)

(I freakin' knew you'd come at me with the asking sheet lol /aff /pos)

Ship Questions Redux

Pre-relationship 6. What was their flirting stage like?

Veeeeery awkward. At least from Paranoid's perspective; the moment she started consciously flirting, she felt like a shelf full of glass jars constantly shaking and dropping everything onto the floor. She'd go out of her way to compliment Cold's additions to any convo or their appearance, all while sweating bullets and feeling like a giant fuckin' buffoon.

Cold, meanwhile, never registered anything he did as 'flirting', but when they saw Para actively flirting, it found the sight very amusing, and started going out of its way to compliment her back and even say some suggestive lines (cue Paranoid.exe stopping working and going into overdrive)

General 6. How do their personalities complement each other? How do they clash?

I mean– we already talked about this at lenght like aikskdmdjdmd

Cold is uniquely equipped to help Paranoid calm her nerves and look at situations with a more pragmatic view, while Para can make Cold consider being less reckless if only for other sakes, how they can read each other, the way their actions often clash but also helps them grow– aaaaaaaagggghhhh

General 13. Which one thinks they aren't good enough for the other, if at all?

Oh, they both have their own form of Imposter Syndrome.

Para knows she can unlikable to others, with how intense and inquisitive she can be, and she knows it's hard to approach her when she's already expecting the worst from others. And that's fine!! She can live like that, it's safer if others don't even try to approach cuz she seems a bit too prickly. And she often wonders if Cold would've felt the same if they weren't born from the same being–

Cold knows it's difficult. Knows others find it unsettling or menacing. And it's fine with that, really, it's a flattery that so many people think of it as an uniquely evil being. And Paranoid is no exception, she was definitely afraid of it in multiple occasions, but she still puts it aside to try and work with them. They're sure she wouldn't want anything to do with it if it didn't insistently follow her and got into her personal space, but it selfishly wants her attention. And if they're evil and scary and dangerous anyway, why bother if it's being a little selfish too?

Love 11. What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

I like the idea of Cold calling Para 'Dots' cuz of her plumage patterns. A cuter way to look at the markings that triggers Paranoid so much. She was very taken aback by it when it was first used, but didn't mind it and even came to like it.

I think Para definitely calls Cold some of the many nicknames the others gave her to tease her. 'Cool Guy' is one of her favorites for this. Avoids names like 'heartless' tho, cuz she noticed how those seem to actually get to Cold (it's very subtle, but she learned to read him at this point).

Love 13. How do they make up after an argument? Who is the first to apologize?

Depends on the argument, and how much one was at fault over the other. Para definitely apologizes as soon as she realizes she was being unfair/going a bit too far. Cold doesn't verbally apologize– almost never, but it does change its behavior when they notice how it upsets others and tries to make up for their actions through other ways.

Domestic Life 12. Who likes to dance with, or sing for, the other?

I know many have Cold with good singing voice hcs, but personally, I think he'd rather whistle than sing. And they have a very haunting but weirdly beautiful whistle, and can make many melodies with it. Para finds it weirdly comforting, so Cold will sometimes whistle for her.

[katyawriteswhump]

the freak in the penthouse part 14

E-rated (for sexual content), accidental millionaire eddie/sex-worker steve. On tumblr: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3.1 Part 3.2 Part 4.1 Part 4.2 Part 5.1 Part 5.2 Part 6.1 Part 6.2 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 or search #thefreakinthepenthouse :) On AO3

Sorry, I am so behind posting this here...

...

Chapter 14: love of my life redux

Steve had to deflect, before he blew a gasket. Or did something worse, like crying: “This is doubtless a dumb question. If you guys are loaded, why are you driving to Oregon?”

That took up the conversation for a while. Driving was slightly cheaper, and budgeting was important to the super-savvy Suzie. Plus, she and Dustin enjoyed the drive and hated flying, despite their rational eggheads telling them it was the safest way to travel. They argued that one out with Nancy and Robin, and Steve actually got to doze.

Eventually, they pulled over and got out to stretch their legs. “Isn’t it mind-blowing?” Dustin beamed, arms wheeling theatrically in the direction of Mount Hood.

“The mountain? It’s creepy,” said Robin, tumbling out of the car after Steve. “All squatted on the horizon, like a creepy, crouchy, toady wart. This whole road is creepy.”

“What’s wrong with you?” asked Dustin. “It’s exhilarating! Aren't you mega-relieved to be free of the stinky city air?”

Robin hitched her lip. “I didn't grow up in hick-ville.”

“Woah. Brutal! Excuse me while I go and enjoy the view with the love of my life.” 

Love of my life.

Steve slunk off to find a quiet friend-free zone. 

Love of my life. Love of my life.

Crap, he’d flipped the hell out at that Extreme cover. Yeah, he was kinda embarrassed about it, though he knew now that he’d already been in pieces and… Jesus, what wouldn’t he give to be watching the clouds misting the mountain with his arm slung around Eddie. The wind ruffled his hair, cut through his thin t-shirt.

‘Love of my life, don't leave me. You've taken my love, and now desert me…’

His teeth gritted against the sob, struggling to the keep the faith in the cold morning light, and then:

“I’m sorry, Steve.” Robin levelled beside him.

“Jesus! If you must yammer on about serial killers and all that cliché crap, will you quit sneaking up on me?” He glared at her, although not with any real intent: “What are you sorry about?”

“Pushing you earlier.” She rubbed his back, and his glare faded further. “Look, whatever you decide to do, whatever happens, I’m here for you, okay?”

“Oh shit, I… I…” This was worse than her pestering him. With a supportive friend at his side… Ugh! He ought to at least try to tough things out. He drifted his focus to the haze around the mountain top, while he tentatively poked the fog around his brain. “I get what Suzie is saying. That I might be… I could be…”

“That you might still be rich after all?”

His stomach performed an unpleasant somersault. “Honestly, Robin? I don’t give a rat’s ass about that.” He swallowed bile. “Okay, I admit, it might make life easier, and I want to say I can handle this. I’ll help take those suckers down. Make ’em eat shit! Truth is, I can’t.” He drifted shaky fingers across his mouth. His whole body started to tremble. “Godchester was one the worst, but… When I think about my mom and dad’s lawyer. He started it all, and… I can’t even think his name. I clamp up. I feel sick. And now… you’re talking about more lawyers that I can’t afford and exposés in the papers?”

“Not necessarily.” She returned to rubbing soothing circles in his back, which didn’t help. Not much, at any rate. “Nancy says we can keep your name from going public. We need to be smart about it. And nobody will expect you to pay for—"

“No! No way!” He swung to face her, raising a forbidding palm. “Look, if we could find Eddie. Maybe if I had that to hold on to I could… I dunno, drag myself back somehow? Arrive in some place where I can deal. Till then… Robin, please. You gotta get them to drop it, okay?”

“Okay. Consider me your personal guard-dog against all mentions of journos and lawyers.” Her softer-than-usual expression segued into a toothy snarl. He snickered, then wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on her slightly greasy hair.

Holy crap. What the heck must I look like?

“Christ, Robin. If there’s even the teeniest chance of finding Eddie this morning, we gotta stop and buy some decent hair product.”

…

When they finally arrived at Eddie’s uncle’s house, Steve hung back, leaning on the Volvo. The others trooped to the veranda. It was painted in a pleasant sage-green and cluttered with homey knick- knacks and one of those swingy seats, strewn with patchwork cushions. 

Dammit. What Steve wouldn’t give to curl up there and sleep for an age. Preferably snuggled with Eddie.

It started to drizzle, which made the prospect less appealing. Heck, he’d still take it. 

Dustin knocked loudly on the door. A few moments later, it opened a crack, and an older guy poked his head out.

“Mr Munson! Hey, is Eddie here?”

“Nope.”

Steve’s hopes plummeted through his sneakers.

“You gotta be kidding!” Dustin ripped off his baseball cap and slammed it back on in frustration. “We’ve driven all night!”

“Well, I’m sorry about that, son. Even if he were here—” Steve’s heart leaped—"I’d tell you to get packing all the same. You’ve messed my boy up enough, and I ain’t talking about it with you, Dustin Henderson. You’re not unwelcome, though.” He unhooked the door chain. “If you and your friends wanna come in to freshen up, that’s fine by me. I got a pot of strong black coffee brewing. Can rustle you up breakfast.”

“That’s very kind, Mr Munson, but we really need to find Eddie. We know the police are after him, and that is why we, his bosom-buddies,”—Dustin’s hands clasped meaningfully to his chest—"are here to help him.”

“Sorry, son. I ain’t budging on this.”

Steve sighed and began to pace. Soon the others turned their backs on Wayne and started back to the car.

“What are we gonna do now?” asked Nancy.

“Hey!” Wayne’s shout cut between them. “Are you Steve?”

Steve froze. “Yeah?”

The door flew wide, and Wayne stepped out, smiling broadly and gesturing that Steve should approach: “You come right in, son. I got no problem talking with you.” 

“Oh. Right.” Steve’s fingers and toes began to tingle with the strangest sensations of warmth, hope, and joy.  He sauntered up the driveway and past the others—who looked various levels of surprised and pissed—and into Wayne’s coffee-scented hallway.

…

Eddie scribbled madly at his latest design for Vecna’s Doom Quest II. He’d gotten another pencil in his mouth, soggy and gross from where he’d chewed the wood. Dammit, he missed his ciggies, though the nicotine patches helped.

He’d quit. For Steve. Even if he never saw him again. All of this was for Steve.

Eddie’s drawings scattered far and wide across the floor and walls of the trailer. Meanwhile, the autumn rain pattered ever harder on the roof. It vied with Guns ‘n’ Roses’ endlessly awesome guitar riffs that kicked serious ass on his stereo—criminally quietly, because he didn’t want to draw too much attention to his hidey-hole. And he kept drawing, with shaking hands and knotted stomach, and fingers bruising at the endless effort. He was gonna finish these game designs if it killed him.

And then?

He hadn’t a goddamn clue. He longed to get in touch with Steve. Trouble was, he was on the lam and scared shitless. Once he’d beat his inglorious retreat from California—to Wayne, and then to here, their former home—he’d gotten himself stuck again.

Nope. His agoraphobia was nooooot fixed. All that kept him from total meltdown was the goal of earning more money, so Steve would be okay.

After that, Eddie guessed the police would catch up with him eventually.

‘November Rain’ was next on his cassette tape. He hummed along at first, then… Fuck, fuck, FUCK! The lyrics started to get him. He was such a sap these days.

‘I know it's hard to keep an open heart, When even friends seem out to harm you. But if you could heal a broken heart, Wouldn't time be out to charm you?’

Yeah, right. Broken hearts. Shit. Never been his bag before, huh? Dammit, he well fucking knew what that candy-ass shit felt like now.

He shoved a handful of honey-comb cereal straight from the box to his mouth, then inspected his latest design. Admittedly, he was drawing Steve, over and over. No longer shirtless and in hotpants, but in dead cool D and D outfits. Okay, the chainmail vest was kinda crop-toppy, yet had Eddie finally got that mouth, right?

It was sure getting closer. 

Maybe he’d get it right on the next try. He needed to upgrade Steve’s weapons, too. Initially, he’d tooled him up with a quasi-medieval longbow to match those slender lips Eddie dreamed of. But if digital-sprite Steve was gonna protect grannies and shit from evil flesh-munching plant-monsters, Eddie figured he’d need some kind of flame-thrower.

Eddie located one of his few remaining blank sheets and started again. As Axl Rose’s lyrics wormed through his head, he pressed so hard into the paper, the led snapped:

‘Sometimes I need some time on my own, Sometimes I need some time all alone. Ooh, everybody needs some time on their own. Ooh, don't you know you need some time all alone—'

Eddie slammed the ‘off’ button. Tears blurred his vision and his face felt hot and puffy. Shit! He sniffed hard. He didn’t want to be alone. And he couldn’t bring himself to leave the trailer. Yeah, he was totally broken, and the only one who would fix him was—

“Holy shit, Eddie. Did you really shut off the only Guns ‘n’ Roses song I actually like?”

Eddie remained on his knees, gawking like an idiot. Steve stood in the doorway, in skin-tight ripped jeans and a baggy white t-shirt, arms raised in question. He slammed Eddie with huge, liquid eyes that doubtless matched Eddie’s own.

“Y-you said you liked ‘Civil War’ too,” stuttered Eddie.

“I said a lot of crap back then.” A tremulous smile played on Steve’s lips, and Eddie kept staring, transfixed. Nah. His drawings still hadn’t nailed them. Nothing could ever beat the real thing. “I never said the one thing that mattered. I’m not just crazy about you. Screw it, I’m in love with you, Eddie Munson.”

Eddie opened his mouth. Words failed him. Was this for real? WAS THIS FOR FUCKING REAL?

“Can I come in? It’s pissing it down out here.” Steve pointed at his sneakers. “Honest, Eds, I’ve already wiped my feet.”

“Shut up and kiss me.” Eddie scrambled up, mindlessly flicked the stereo back on, and they tumbled forward into each other’s arms. They kissed and kissed and kissed—messily, wetly, and truly, madly, deeply, till stars wheeled in front of Eddie’s eyes and the world beyond the trailer fell away.  

Yeah, they’d kissed before. This was different. This was new. Eddie took Steve’s face in his hands and Steve mirrored him. Tongues scrubbed together, slickly and sweetly, and their bodies fitted so perfectly together that parting would’ve felt like ripping their skins. Their synchronised hearts drowned the noise of the rainstorm. Even the music could barely compete.

“And when your fears subside, and shadows still remain, oh yeah. I know that you can love me when there's no one left to blame. So never mind the darkness, we still can find a way…'Cause nothin' lasts forever, even cold November rain.”

“I love you too,” murmured Eddie, the salt of their blended tears on his lips. “Never leave me again, Babe. Never.”

...

Part 15 on AO3 Part 15 on tumblr

Thank you for reading. Likes, reblogs and comments much appreciated and will feed the bunnies🐰💕🐰💕🐰💕🐰💕

On tumblr: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3.1 Part 3.2 Part 4.1 Part 4.2 Part 5.1 Part 5.2 Part 6.1 Part 6.2 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 or search #thefreakinthepenthouse :)

On AO3 All my ST stuff on AO3

[cageddoves]

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 — hi hi ! my name is gracie (24, she/her) and i’m here to bring in my two babies: roman and chiyo. my blog is very much under construction atm, so i’ve included a short blurb on them below and some wanted connections. i’m so excited to write with you all ~

𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑨𝑲𝑨 𝑪𝑯𝑰𝒀𝑶 — the white swan ˗ˏˋ ꒰ she/her, cis woman, ballerina, demi ꒱ ˎˊ˗

𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 : grew up very wealthy as her family owns a large pharmaceutical company in japan. over the years, the company has suffered from the usual business issues like competition and a couple hush-hush lawsuits, so her lifestyle was gradually downgraded. throughout the difficulties at home, ballet was her anchor to believe in a promising future and making a name for herself away from her family’s legacy.

𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 :

the mentor — the ballerina that’s offered to train her (i’ve imagined this as a misty copeland type?)

the other half — unbeknownst to her, chiyo has a half sister out there. we can iron out the details and if this is a crushing family secret or merely a complicated past her parent never disclosed. ( muse would have to be either half chinese or half japanese )

the guide — someone that helps her navigate the city and eventually becomes a close friend. chiyo grew up in a world of swanky ballet academies and servants, so she is quite sheltered from the real-world and will absolutely need someone to help ground her. (taken by yang dongwoo)

the first love — chiyo had a long distance relationship prior to moving to korea, and now that she’s here they finally meet for the first time. definitely a sweet first-love vibe, everything’s new and exciting and a little awkward. whether or not that lasts, however…

the grudge — perhaps chiyo envies this muse’s carefree vibe, or overheard them say a dismissive comment about ballet and her pedigree. whatever it was, chiyo holds a quiet disdain for them. (taken by oh hani and ki sooji)

the nuisance — chiyo cannot cook and has set off the fire alarm several times. combine that with her tendency to obsessively practice ballet drills in the dead of the night… and it’s understandable why this neighbor isn’t too pleased with her.

the other pea — could be someone that walks an entirely different life than her, maybe they’re older or more brazen in nature. regardless, chiyo considers them one of her most precious friends.

𝑳𝑬𝑬 𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑨𝑵 — the rolling stone ˗ˏˋ ꒰ he/him, cis man, businessman, straight ꒱ ˎˊ˗

𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 : used to be that kid who was always involved with something ( “ roman… where did you get that watch? why are you out of breath? are those sirens?! ” ) and kept this up until his late twenties. a family tragedy spurred him to go into the military which helped straighten him out, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t gather his fair share of enemies and loyal allies from his past. not to mention the skeletons in his closet. went to college in america to become a business consultant. now, he has dreams of starting his own business, so he downsized to an apartment and is working on building this passion project. ( kinda thinking he wants to start an entertainment company and would start with managing a couple idols and influencers first? orrr starting up a private investigation company, not sure yet though! )

𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 :

the bad blood — as mentioned before, he’s burned a lot of bridges! he could even have beef with your muse’s parent (oof!) (taken by park danbi)

the ex(es) — roman had a lot of girlfriends and flings in his past, was often the one that got away, suddenly ghosted, or was the other man.

the right-hand man — someone around his age (or older) that he trusts to open up his new company with.

the redux — an old relationship that ended poorly when roman suddenly pulled away with no explanation. after over a decade apart, they run into each other and there’s an opportunity for him to make amends.

the assistant — a part-time worker to take calls, bring him coffee, and just generally help keep his life in order.

the mirror — someone that reminds him of his younger self, and he feels the urge to guide them so that they don't make the same mistakes.

[nctinkverse]

Promissa Redux - Chapter 3

Synopsis: A life-altering phone call from Jaehyun prompts reflection on your personal life and career choices. Despite initial confusion and concern, he surprises you with a movie script offer. Memories intertwine with present decisions, revealing a longing for closeness. Accepting the script becomes a opportunity to have your best fried back, you miss the banter and tender moments you had with him more than you thought you did.

Warnings: minors do not interact!, for this chapter we've got a little angst, smut and crude words.

Pairing: jaehyun x f. reader

Word count: 1.760

Autor note: This chapter takes us back to Jaehyun call we saw in the preview of Promissa Redux, some parts are a little more detailed and at the end, there's a flashback were we get a glimpse of what their relationship as a married couple looked like. Sorry for taking so much time to update and enjoy!

Unauthorized copying or translation of this work is strictly prohibited.

-------- Preview with all the warnings and Chapter 2 -------------------

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

Chapter 3 - One call away is not close enough

A call two years later changed everything.

Your career…

Your personal life as well.

You were fast asleep when the phone rang. Jaehyun’s name on the screen made you alert, is he alright? Did something happen?

Laying your back on the headboard you answered the call.

“Hi” he said using a normal tone. That made you a little less worried.

“Jaehyun, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no… I’m sorry… I didn’t check the time difference. I should have called another-

“Jae…spill, what’s the gossip, huh?”

He let out a little laugh since the gossip thing that a old joke between you two.

“No gossip, but I do have something.”

“Clearly, it’s something good or you wouldn’t be calling on impulse, spill, Jaehyun.”

“Yeah right…” He hesitated a bit coughing a bit, his telltale sign that he was nervous.

“I got sent this script for a movie, they want me as the main character…” He hesitated again which made you ask.

“Jeong Jaehyun, what did you do?”

“I sent a copy of the script to your mailbox.”

You could feel your sleepiness vanishing as you started to scold him.

“Jaehyun, are you nuts? You can’t ship stuff like this in the mail! What if gets – “

"It got delivered today." He interrupted, making you stop your thinking.

Scrambling for a thought since he didn’t elaborate, you asked.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with it?! I’m not a male actor, Jung."

"Read, dummy, read."

"And do what?"

"Tell me if you want it."

You opened your mouth to be obnoxious, pointing out the obvious, but Jaehyun must have listened to your 'I’m about to give you an earful' breath and went first.

"Listen, it’s an amazing script, just like the ones you used to want to work on. There’s an opening for a cinematographer, and I know you’re a hell of a good one, so if you want, it’s yours." He said in one breath, probably afraid you would interrupt again.

But from all he said, this part really got you confused.

"What do you mean it’s mine?"

"I showed the director your profile and portfolio, and he said yes."

"Fuck, Jaehyun." You didn’t know what to say since he was never one to interfere in your personal life since the D word.

"You’re sleepy, and I know how grumpy you can be at this hour, so… I still must tell you two more things, the job is in the states, probably 3-4 months of filming, and I am supposed to give an answer on the male character in 48 hours. We would have to work together, and we would probably have to strike a deal with my parents since we can’t pull Junnie out of school, so…"

You understood what he said, but you needed at least a cup of coffee to process it. But before you could say anything, he went off again.

"I can give it up if you want." He said almost like a whisper.

"Give what up?"

"The character."

"You didn’t like it?"

"No, but –

You interrupted again.

"So, if you do like it, why would you give it up?" It made no sense to you.

"For you –"

It still didn’t make sense why he would give it up.

"Give it up for ME?"

"I like it, Y/N, but this script has you written all over it… and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by being there."

Now you got him, yet he was about the last person in this world who could make you uncomfortable.

"Yuno…" You said in a softer tone.

You heard his breath and a soft "yeah?"

"I don’t hate you." You stated in your most soft yet firm tone, it was one of the things he must not forget about you two.

"I know, Y/N, I know."

"I am going to read it and think about what you said, ok? Don’t do anything hasty."

"Ok, I will let you go back to sleep."

"I’m not sleeping after all this, you know right?" You said, letting out a small huff.

"I know."

"What I am about to do is getting up, making some coffee and grabbing the script out of my mailbox, does it sound good to you?" You were being just a bit playful.

"It does, love."

That word made you warm like butter melting on a frying pan. Still, that wasn’t something out of the ordinary for him to call you. So, you let it slide.

"Well, for sure it’s better than staying in bed tossing and turning."

He let out a small giggle, he knew you were one of those to fight a lot with your bed at night.

"Good morning, love."

"Good afternoon to you?" You didn’t know what time zone he was on, so you tried.

"Try again." He said with a smiling voice.

"Good night!" You said like you had guessed the lottery numbers.

He let out a giggle sound and said, "Give little Nari 1000 kisses from me, will you?”

"Why just a thousand?" You said with a little pout as if he could see.

You could hear his playful tone in reply.

"Don’t you know our daughter? She might ask for in real life a thousand kisses; since you are the closest parent, you might fall victim to it, so I think that’s a great number for kisses."

You both giggled, Jung Nari, the lily to our garden, was at that phase where hyperbole would be a tough concept for her to grasp.

"Ok, fine." You agreed still giggling.

"I will call… stay safe."

"You too, Jaehyun."

With that you decided to get up put some warm clothes, while the coffee maker did her job, you went downstairs to get the script from your mailbox.

When the coffee was ready you got back to your room and pulled the curtains up letting a little of the city lights get into your room. Turning on your lamp you seated yourself on your favorite chair.

The script was big, over 200 pages, there was no way you would finish it before Nari would wake up, but when you reached page 50 you decided it was okay to close it.

Jaehyun was right, it was exactly the type of script you wanted to work with. You were deeply touched he even remembered you talking about it…

-----

“I believe in you.”

“You do?” You asked raising your head from Jaehyun’s chest so you could look at his eyes. “I don’t think I can do it, I think it’s too late”.

He was already shaking his head even before you could finish.

“It’s not late, if you want to change careers you know what to do, I don’t doubt for a second, you’ll get there.”

You were deeply touched by his words. It’s not like you thought he wouldn’t be supportive, you just never imagined needing to hear his genuine tone, the way he looked into your eyes ensuring you could perceive every feeling he conveyed.

Raising your head a little, you gave him a kiss. It was a sweet ‘thank you’ one.

When you disconnected and snuggled even more close to him on the couch, using your leg over his hips to feel every part of you against his comfortable warm body.

“So, I’m curious, if you could pick a type of movie to work on, what it would be like?”

“An 80’s movie for sure.”

“Why baby?”

“Well, you know they are my favorites, the whole boombox thing outside a girls window it's a classic, I also like Ten Reasons Why I Hate You, I love the whole enemies to lovers it’s an amazing plot if done right.”

“I don’t think you can work on movies like enemies to lovers, you might get a crush on Heath Ledger and I could lose my wife.”

You smacked the upper part of his butt for the almost funny insult.

“I do not have a crush on Heath Ledger!”

“Oh yeah babe, you do, you have all his movies.”

“Yes! Because he was an amazing actor!”

“Are you sure he’s not handsome?”

“No!”

“You literally drool when he is on screen baby…”

“Fine! That’s just because he has dimples!”

“Oh, I knew it!”

“You have dimples too, so shut it, Jae.”

“Oh, you’re soo nervous, you’re-

You stopped his sentence with a kiss. A warm one this time, you were trying to make a point so he would forget about stupid cute Heath Ledger and just kiss you dumb.

It took only a few seconds to feel his tongue invade your mouth, playing with yours, his hand that was on your lower back traveled to your butt check and he pressed your body even closer to his.

You moaned, his cock pressing very close to where you needed him, he lowered his lips to your neck. Using your hand, you guided his head to the spot you needed him, your fingers right over one of the dimples you loved so much.

“Yuno…I don’t like other man’s dimples, I just like yours…” You said between breaths.

Against your neck he let out a small laugh.

“Yeah baby, how much?”

“I like it so fucking much I want you to pass it on to our kids.”

“Oh, kids.”

“Yes, kids.” You also replied with your body undulating against his, all tingly with excitement.

He left your neck to tease your lips with his.

“Plural. Interesting.”

You just nodded pleading with your eyes for him to kiss you fully.

“So, you like the idea of babies…

“Not really the point.”

“So, what is the point?” He kissed you a little harder for a few seconds but pulled away again.

“I like trying to make babies with you so much, I know one day I’m going to go insane and tell you to forget the condoms.”

“Or maybe one day I will fuck you so hard and soo good the condom would break.” He completed.

“That’s exactly my point. Now stop being a tease.”

He laughed but finally went back to kissing you.

------

You shook your head so the memory would go away, Jaehyun was the love of your life, your already happy ending was Nari.

But you missed your best friend.

He had a strange sense of humor, was calm and knew what to say every time you needed him.

You missed him so much, so that’s how you convinced yourself to accept the script. Maybe it was a way you could also be close to your best friend again.

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

Taglist:

@dulyrana @clblnz 💚

@electric-hearts @hyuukah @baeseungcheolie @girlinbangtan @johnbanana @fashion-addictedd @peachfulnight @angel63715 @daegalismybiasinnct @chloemargaret @phattyboo90 @oyasueme @peachfulnight 💚💚

@lijennoow @crazywittysassy @matchaforyanna @ihrtsolana @the-universe-in-you-jjh @iarayara @mrsuhnshine @dilfjohnnyaf @xuyiyang @monstanctiny21 @jccv @peachytokki @jaescafe 💚💚💚

The ones in bold are the ones I wasn't able to tag and will be sending the update in priv.

This chapter was a pain in the &&& to post coz tumblr keeps NOT letting me post anything so it's missing spaces and format so so sorry about that.

Tysm!

[silvandar]

BG3 Durge run: casualty list, sunmary etc. Durge spoilers.

I absolutely loved this run. Durge is like playing a completely different game! The plot is fantastic, and the dialogues are hilarious and very clever.

My Durge looks almost exactly like this! Love this tattoo design.

Party: Durge fighter, Astarion, Shart, random hireling sorcerer. Picking Duergar was a Choice, their movement is dogshit and they keep getting stuck on jumps 😭

Act 1

Gale: maimed, presumed dead. Unless Mystra took pity on him.

The Grove: bloodbath. Stole everything that wasn't nailed down.

Wyll: dead

Goblin leaders: dead. Minthara tried to shiv me when i picked Astarion over her, should have rerolled just to see her romance scene but it was late and I was tired.

Karlach: dead. Attacked me on sight yelling about the Grove massacre, which was weird but cool. How did she knowwwwww.

Laezel: dead, because she tried to shiv me when i was sick. Otherwise we were besties 😭

Act 2

Oliver: squished

He Who Was: openly likes me, headcanon dating.

Last Light Inn: bloodbath

Jahira: dead

Isobel: dead

Yurgir: freed from contract because i couldn’t trick him into yeeting himself

Nightsong: dead

Shart: Dark Justiciar mode.

Durge plot: think I'm figuring it out. Orin is getting slapped later.

Daddy Thorm: dead. Surprisingly easy to kill when everyone has misty step and range.

Githyanki plot: pretty much ignored.

Romances: dating Astarion, flirting with Shart.

Durge has slayer form which everyone else in the camp thinks is gross, but Durge absolutely loves it.

Act 3

Picking and choosing quests is fun! I'm already level 8 so can easily ignore stuff that feels too "good" to be of interest.

Somehow my general terribleness has made me Chronically Single. So I had to bang drow beef without the offer of a foursome. Sigh. Choosing the "kinky" options was hilarious.

Kissed and made up with Gortash. He's a good guy really, very swauve. Looking forward to killing him later.

Ascended Astarion. Went at level 10, fight was surprisingly easy now I know the mechanics of the power boosts. Also having Turn Undead is big and clever. Watching Cazador scuttle like a cockroach was very cathartic.

Murder tribunal: Met Saravok, he was fun! Chatted about the old days, killed an elephant, bathed in some blood. Good times.

Nightsong redux: Robbed Lorroakan while he sulked about the Nightsong being dead. Astarion can now summon Ghouls. (Genuinely, just hopped on downstairs and cleaned out the vault. Not a single combat reaction from anyone. Bugged? Or just wizarding hubris? Didn't try to take anything from the main tower tho as I didn't need the robes or staff.)

House of Grief: Shart turned about 1/4 of the adds to our side, so it was a surprisingly easy fight. Shart is now God's Extra Special Princess.

Orin: died in 3 turns, just went Slayer on her and ripped her apart. Fun! Astarion has a new sword.

Saravok redux: Durge has a nice new sword and hat. Although he did one-shot me at one point. Don't know why I expected anything other than a fight, honestly.

Gortash: roasted by the Netherbrain. Saves me killing him I guess. Bit annoyed that I couldn't loot him.

Ignored Raphael and Orpheus completely. Gave the Emperor the Netherstones. Pretty much zero Githyanki plot on this run, as it seemed pointless with Laezel dead.

Netherbrain: much harder with only 2 sets of allies! Blinding the dragon helped, and for some reason the mage got stuck and glitched, so I consider the fight Cheesed By Accident.

Ending: murdered the Emperor, dominated the Netherbrain, turned my party into thralls, ruled the world as Bhaal's Chosen. Epic end scene, absolutely brilliant. IN BHAAL'S NAME!

[something-in-your-walls]

ALL THE MELVINS HAVE A GROUP CHAT HERE ARE WHAT SK MELVIN HAS EACH OF THEM SAVED AS + SOME OF HIS SMALL THOUGHTS ON THEM!

“megamind” AKA Villainborg (created by @drc00l4tt4) NOTES- refuses to let me put him as a witty nickname, but i did it in secret anyway, and apparently, he’s a supervillain too

“opposite me” AKA SK PPV (created by me!) NOTES- takes after blunder sometimes, even though he’s really nice

“guilt issues” AKA Guilt Ridden Melvin (created by @airim2023) NOTES- i don't like to bother him, he sure seems to be going through it, man

“original? I think?” AKA Book Melvin NOTES- actually he’s specifically known as the ‘book version’, whatever that means

“show?” AKA Show Melvin NOTES- no witty nickname, idk what else to call him

“original borg” AKA Melvinborg NOTES- cocky bastard and I kinda admire him for that ngl “my borg” AKA Borg (created by me!) NOTES- my future self, call only if there’s an emergency

“anti-humor boy” AKA Movie Melvin NOTES- apparently he’s the ‘movie version’??? again, I still have no clue what that means

“sneedly” AKA GP Melvin (created by @n4talia-chaparro) NOTES- very very sweet, i just have to be careful abt messaging him because his krupp can and will kill me if he finds out about our chats “sneedborg” AKA GP Melvinborg (created by @n4talia-chaparro) NOTES- barely ever online and has notifications off at all times, just in case

“opposite original” AKA PPV Melvin NOTES- he’s nice enough, even if there’s barely any braincells in that empty head of his

“alien barista” AKA Livmen NOTES- he acts like he's been conditioned to follow orders, which tracks, bc according to villainborg he was enslaved a while???

“egyptian original?” AKA Melvinites NOTES- can’t be bothered to spell his dumbass name right now, i'll figure it out later

“eat the rich” AKA Melvinport Sneedlyfeller III NOTES- his name is so fucking long, plus he gets annoying QUICK when you ACTUALLY have to deal with him

“snelvin” AKA Bizarro Melvin NOTES- try to dumb stuff down for him, he is NOT good at deducing things, and honestly, I really should know this by now

“professor s” AKA Professor Sneedly (created by @warrior-of-waistbands) NOTES- very clearly does NOT like kids and also refuses to let me give him a witty nickname

“hypno” AKA Hypnostuck Melvin (created by @somepancakeonline5377) NOTES- i think he's magical or something??? and apparently he’s from a game called homestuck????

“hypnoborg” AKA Hypnostuck Melvinborg (created by @somepancakeonline5377) NOTES- im not allowed to block him for his insane ass plans for some reason??? i dunno why though, his plans are probably the most flawed out of everyone's, ngl

“nuclear nerd” AKA Chemical Overdose Melvin (created by @dib-thing-wannabe) NOTES- this kid has fucking superpowers from nuclear waste??? and I thought MY universe was weird

“90’s ‘cool dude’ stereotype” AKA Broski Melvin NOTES- pretty cool I guess, but some of his lingo makes me physically cringe at times.

“she-devil” AKA Merlin Sneedly (created by @bluartist) NOTES- acts like show, but is a girl, and i'm pretty sure that’s basically the only real difference not much to say here about her

“hellraiser” AKA Merlinborg (created by @bluartist) NOTES- merlin’s version of borg, so just borg, but a girl, basically not much to say here about her, either

“rebel roboticist” AKA Redux Robotix Melvin (created by @sketch-twentytwo) NOTES- follows the rules but doesn’t seem to find the adults all that trustworthy???

“mythbusters wannabe” AKA Lab Comix Inc Melvin (created by @infinitree) NOTES- into pranking and tends to see impossible things as a challenge, when they really REALLY aren’t

[jenna12381]

Thieves In Time Redux: Rewriting Episode 5

Listen to Toad Town - Purple Streamer Removal while reading this.

Episode 4: Here

Episode 6: Here

We're almost at the finish line, kids.

I've included an as of yet unnamed penultimate mission to this one. Naming it will likely be one the toughest things I'll have to do when I get around to Episode 5 in my upcoming full rewrite...

Here's how the final regular episode will go...

Just so you know, Salim is still the ancestor in need of help. Miss Decibel is also still the villain who needs to be defeated.

After the events of last episode, the boys' trust in Penelope has reached an all time high, in very stark contrast to canon. They absolutely love her.

Our heroine, meanwhile, has managed to see the error of her ways. She's also nearing the end of her character arc. She's no longer distant. She's grown to like her friends all over again. In fact, she's grown to believe they're all she should care about for the rest of her life.

Can you blame her for overcorrecting after the giant mistake she made?

Now that Penelope has achieved most of her goals, only two remain:

First, defeat Le Paradox. And second, take her secret of betrayal to her grave.

We've also seen other changes in the characters, mostly regarding Sly and Bentley.

I'll get back to Sly when I get to All Rolled Up.

Bentley, however, has come to understand something vitally important. His girlfriend is not a helpless damsel. Heck, he's even willing to send her off to dangerous missions, confident she'll return in one piece. He's also just as willing to patch up her injuries without freaking out at the slightest cut or bruise. He even believes the gang’s common enemies should be afraid of her, not the other way around.

And most importantly... he's grown to become incredibly proud of her, saying as much in the unnamed penultimate mission.

Did I mention that recognition is actually one of the things Penelope has been wanting since the beginning of this rewrite? I don't believe I need to say how happy hearing that would make her.

Speaking of which, let's talk about Murray.

Unless you count Carmelita, Murray is the only playable character who doesn't get a lot of development. The most he gets is his brother/sister relationship with Penelope.

And the big payoff? She finally acknowledges him as her honorary older brother, during the mission Copy Cats.

Murray's reaction is, in a single word, priceless. His younger sister took this long to finally be ready to see him as her big brother.

The reason I say all of this now is because of what happens during All Rolled Up.

If you'll recall from vanilla, Carmelita ended up having to pose as a belly dancer while the boys did their thing.

In this rewrite, I thought I'd have Carmelita pilot a belly dancing robot created by Penelope. In the meantime, the boys and Penelope break into wherever that door goes.

Why does Penelope go in there instead of piloting the robot? Simple. She firmly believes she can be of more use to the boys if she goes with them. She's also still trying her hardest to redeem herself; that is, play a major role in taking Le Paradox down.

At this point, the possibility that her secret could come out matters very little. She's too close to her goal to slow down now.

Before we go any further, though, it's time we talked about Sly and Carmelita once more.

Sly and Carmelita have not been getting along well at all. Everything that has happened has led to Sly doing something a little surprising, even in-universe.

Sly's going to give up on Carmelita. In his mind, his chances with her are shot. But before that, he will apologize for his dishonesty. He does that during the unnamed penultimate mission.

Sly giving up on the love of his life happens at the beginning of All Rolled Up. He also announces that he will not be going back to his job as a cop. He's staying with his friends, because they need each other.

He would still like a future with Carmelita, but doesn't think it'll ever be possible after what he did. For now, he'll settle for an eternal future with his honorary brothers and sister.

As in canon, Carmelita is left behind. Our four heroes (Sly, Bentley, Murray, and Penelope) head inside.

The next series of scenes shows us just how much Penelope has grown since Episode 0.

She joins a Team Hand Stack as though it's second nature to her.

Rather than being dragged along for the ride, she actively helps the boys advance forward, and is more often than not at the ready with banter. In fact, she's happier than she's ever been.

She jumps into action when her friends are threatened, especially for Bentley. And luckily for her, Bentley is no longer overprotective. He applauds her heroic efforts.

But nothing lasts forever... Our four heroes are soon met by Le Paradox and Miss Decibel.

"Wait, hold the phone. Four? That cannot... *looks at Penelope, and sees a silver Cooper Gang badge where a Le Paradox emblem should be*"

You can probably guess what happens next...

"Oh, for the love of... You can drop the act now, Penelope."

This is where Penelope gets outed as a traitor. She falls silent. The boys think Le Paradox is lying... until he clarifies...

"Now, why do you look so ashamed? You should be proud of this beautiful blimp you helped me build!"

That's right. A Liar Revealed scene.

Le Paradox, thinking Penelope has been acting this entire time, asks her to rejoin his side.

Too bad there's only one problem with Le Paradox's little speech. Penelope's not acting anymore. She's on the heroes' side now. She refuses his order to return.

She also tries to convince Miss Decibel to stop fighting for someone who doesn't care about her (or anyone besides himself, for that matter), but the latter doesn't listen.

Our four heroes then proceed to fight Miss Decibel and win.

After the boss fight, there is no celebration. Le Paradox has taken Carmelita, and Penelope has been revealed as a traitor to her friends. The fact that she's no longer working for Le Paradox matters little, at least for right now.

Our four heroes return to modern day Paris, not looking forward to what they find. The boys also have no idea what they'll do with Penelope.

You might be wondering why the Liar Revealed scene is during Episode 5, rather than in 4.

Hear me out. It makes more narrative sense for the reveal to happen right now.

Our main focus is on Penelope, and what she would lose if her secret came out. Let's have it come out when everyone's trust in her is at its highest point, and while she's willing to actively help them.

And yes, the journey back to modern-day Paris is very quiet for our four heroes.

Next time, we're going to see how Episode 6 plays out.

[twinborne]

Twinborne's Discount Big Finish Reviews! Main Range #1 / Special Rerelease 2024: "The Sirens of Time" / Redux

So. Here we are again. I used to write these little "Discount" audio reviews back when Cohost still lived. I did not get far, I'll admit. Choice Paralysis. But I've decided to start this up again. Probably should have back when this particular story got the Redux treatment for Big Finish's 25th Anniversary. Ah well. Better late than never.

The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Doctors unite in the first (un)official Doctor Who story directed since the ill-fated-attempt-at-a-reboot film in '96. McGann wouldn't make his appearance as the Eighth Doctor for just over a year, until his re-debut in Jan 2001's "Storm Warning" (which I shall strive to review as part of this series).

So, the important thing to note about the different versions: other than the story beats being shuffled around a bit for the sake of pacing and the improved sound mastering, the story remains unchanged. Spoilers abound, but this story is literally a quarter-century old.

The Doctors find themselves drawn into the thick of their own respective dramas by the titular Sirens: the Seventh Doctor to a swamp planet housing an exiled war criminal from the planet Velyshaa; the Fifth Doctor to a U-Boat during the Great War; the Sixth Doctor into a temporal anomaly that completely knocks him out of the TARDIS onto a tourist starliner headed straight for said anomaly. Meanwhile, the Time Lords on Gallifrey get a visit from a Celestial Intervention Agency Coordinator by the name of Vansell. And what a knucklehead he turns out to be; he tries to kill the Fifth Doctor at several points for seemingly no real reason just before their current enemy, the Knights of Velyshaa, find their way past Gallifrey's transduction barriers to take over, killing the President and Vansell (who finally does something good in this story by sending the Doctor an important message).

The Doctors go through their parts, Five heading off his assassination attempts and trying to communicate back to the Time Lords and get to the TARDIS, Six investigating the anomaly with the assistance of the starliner's android pilot as his TARDIS is trapped there, and Seven finding the aforementioned Velyshaan war criminal, Sancroff. Each Doctor is joined by a girl in their respective times: Helen, Ellie, and Elenya. The Sixth Doctor notes that he's somehow seen Ellie before, and suspects why she of all people on the ship survived the time distortion, as all others on board (barring the pilot and the Doctor) were turned to dust by it, and the only other living beings on the now-deteriorating ship are heavily-mutated bacteria. Five ends up finding his way back to the TARDIS, which is inexplicably sealed off, while Six crashes into the anomaly and Seven is nearly gunned down by Sancroff's assassins.

The Doctors find themselves together on Gallifrey... somehow. Honestly, I don't think it's explained at all how they got there, so I'll chalk it up to the Sixth Doctor triggering the time distortion and pulling along Five and Seven. It's eventually revealed Ellie/Helen/Elenya are in fact all facets of the Sirens of Time, who were with all three incarnations for the sole purpose of luring the Doctors to make timeline-altering mistakes and eventually freeing an entity called the Temperon, jump-starting a Second Empire of Velyshaa and using them all to take over the universe. Is the plot making sense yet? No? That's Doctor Who for ya. Don't worry; it all gets taken care of Deus ex Machina-style by the Temperon. It provides time travel to the Doctors for them to correct their initial mistakes to set the timelines right, prevent the initial meeting of the Sirens, and trapping both the Temperon with the Sirens in perpetual temporal conflict. Everything resets to just before Vansell arrives on Gallifrey, who notes the disturbance but simply gapes like a fish about it before leaving.

Oof. "A little madness helps" eh? I suppose so. It's the only way I get my head around the plot in the end. I originally gave the story a... wanna say a 2 out of a 4-point scale? Yeah. I stand by that here in 2025. I know this story deserves all of the "return of Doctor Who" hype it gets, but purely as a story, it's very mid. I give this one a generous 2 on a 5-point scale (I know, unprecedented) for the original, but Redux gets a solid 3/5 for the better pacing. It's still worth the initial listen, as Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy all come into the story like it's their answer to "The Three Doctors" and just that alone is worth checking out, while the supporting cast gives it their equal footing to make it all worthwhile. Not sure how I feel about the price for Redux though. As I said before, it's literally just a recut/remastering, and the original is damn near free. I suppose if you were one of the people to get the limited-production Platinum, Gold, or even Silver Edition, that's cool from a collector's standpoint, but the Bronze Edition is just the download and you can get the original cut for a third of the price (or listen free on Spotify).

Final Verdict for "The Sirens of Time" - 2/5 (Original), 3/5 (Redux)

Next up is "Phantasmagoria." Wish me luck.