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everydayyoulovemeless · 6 months

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New Vegas companions + reaction to it snowing? I live on the east coast so I don't know what living in a desert is like but I imagine it doesn't snow much :-D

FNV Companions Reactions to it Snowing

➼ Word Count » 0.6k ➼ Warnings » None ➼ Genre » Platonic ➼ A/N » aw, nonnie, reading you're request made me laugh 😭

Boone isn’t bothered by the cold, but he is bothered about having to wear a jacket. He thinks it restricts his movements too much, which causes him to be more on edge about things. He'd much rather be freezing than unprepared, and he refuses to budge on his stance that it makes him less prepared for any possible legion ambushes. The snow makes him a bit antsy in that regard. Not only is he now easier to spot, especially with his beret, but his motions are also limited.

Arcade is one of those people who get cold ridiculously fast, so when it starts snowing for the first time in his life, he'll be in for a rude awakening. Living his whole life in a desert has not prepared him at all for this sudden drop in temperature. He'll be shaking violently the entire time and will beg to go inside--start a fire, anything! He'll be miserable throughout most of it, however, he does like watching it fall from the opening in his tent. He has to admit, it is fairly soothing, and when else will it snow again out here in the Mojave?

Raul’s seen snow once or twice before in his lifetime, but he never imagined he’d ever see it again. It really is a treat, and he can’t help but stand out and stare up at the sky in awe, even if he is freezing. It never snowed much in Mexico, but in those rare few moments that it did, he and his siblings would all go out and play in it before it'd melt away. Seeing it again brings him back to those times, and he can’t help but smile at the memory.

Lily adores the snow and will force you to go out and play in it because “these kinda things only happen every so often!”. She’ll bundle you up in some of her older clothes and teach you how to build a snowman, just like her grandkids used to do it. She's dead set on making memories with you and will force you to take this day off from doing quests to hang out with her. Just be sure not to ask about snowball fights. Leo likes to dominate in those.

Cass finds it to be more of a nuisance than anything, especially for the caravans. How does anyone expect to make it anywhere when the Brahmin are struggling just to walk? Don't even get her started on how cold she is. She hates every second of it and will spend her time inside the nearest bar, forced to listen to the excited chatter and watch as the crowds around the windows and doors grow larger. She's gonna need another bottle...

Veronica’s just glad her robes finally have a use for her. She’ll be the warmest person out there with her thick, dark scribe hood. She’s read about snow once before in some old Brotherhood logs, but seeing it in person really beats the excerpt she read. I mean, honestly, how could someone write such a boring description when experiencing something so beautiful? She loves it and would gladly sit out in the cold for hours just so she can soak it all in before it goes away. If anything, she finds this more of a reason for her chapter to finally leave the bunker and experience life outside.

ED-E gets an absolute kick out of it until the ice freezes his cybernetics. Then he just lays in the snow until someone comes to get him.

Rex will just sit and stare at it. But when someone walks by with a wool hat on their head, he'll go out and chase them. Only then will he discover how much fun the snow is and how much nicer it is on his paws compared to the rough, hot sand he usually stands on.

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avocado-writing · 8 months

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Kinktober 3

3. Rimming, Fingering/Handjob, Dry Humping

It’s 1660, and you’re just now learning that Aziraphale has the most sensitive arsehole this side of the Thames.

This is thrilling news. Since you found Crowley and Aziraphale again last year, the three of you have barely spent any time out of bed. You’re learning how to fuck each other. Properly fuck each other. Not that you didn’t know in the first place, but it really is wonderful finding out what makes them tick, what cheeky caress has them gagging for more.

When you laid with the angel for the first time, all those hundreds of years ago by the riverbank, your lovemaking had been a surprisingly chaste thing. Lots of looking into each other’s eyes and sighing wistfully. And that was very nice, and you enjoy repeating it, but it’s fun to find out that he’s a kinky bastard too.

Run a finger over his hole and he moans. Press it inside and he gasps. Fuck him there and he’s absolutely gone, reduced to a quivering mess who can only hold onto the blankets and beg.

At the moment the three of you are, once again, in bed. You have a townhouse in London that you’ve all moved into and have fucked on every available surface in every available room, but the large, downy mattress is the most comfortable place so that’s where you usually end up. Aziraphale has his head in Crowley’s lap, mouth suctioned around his lover’s cock. Bent over like that he has himself presented perfectly for you and you’re taking advantage of it, spreading his cheeks and teasing him unforgivingly.

You can just about make out the ohh Aziraphale whines around Crowley’s dick when your tongue darts out to trace him. His hole quivers under you, needily begging for more when his mouth can’t. You grin over his pale arched back at Crowley. The demon smiles and wraps a lock of Aziraphale’s hair around his finger.

“Needy little angel,” Crowley sighs, lovingly, gently working Aziraphale’s mouth up and down his shaft. You can see from here the amount of saliva dripping down onto his sac, soaking into the bedsheet. Aziraphale is very attentive when it comes to giving oral, and it’s high time someone repaid the favour.

You get to work. You press your tongue inside him, hard, not giving him any time to brace. He moans and goes to collapse into Crowley, but your lover holds him up. You sink your fingers into his plush hips as you fuck him with your mouth.

“Ohhh, I’m–” Aziraphale whimpers, and you pause.

“If you stop, I stop, darling.”

Aziraphale takes the hint and gets back to swallowing Crowley’s cock down his throat, but more feebly, like it’s taking a great deal of effort. You take that as a sign that you’re doing well. You pull back and spit onto him, watching it drip down into his arse. Then, with no warning, you shove two fingers inside him. You know well by now that your otherworldly lovers don’t need preparation like your human body does, so when Aziraphale moans as you crook inside him, you know it's in nothing but pleasure.

“Come on, Aziraphale,” you whisper huskily. Aziraphale releases in hot spurts all over the bed, collapsing as Crowley cums into his mouth. The angel takes a moment to swallow before looking up at you, eyes wide and adoring and exhausted.

“That was… you��re…”

“Up for round two?” you ask with a grin, running a finger along the cleft of his arse. He moans like he’s being paid for it, and you take it as a yes.

@bootlmoth @elleofdragons @angelic-anarchy27 @yeethaw13 @candlewitch-cryptic @kwyn-q @rat-that-writes @buryustogether @letthenightingalessingagain @ltlthetrifecta @angiestopit @purplefrog1sblog @wereallbrokenangels @angelspathway @clarina04 @belilwen @chaospossum @eightsdoctor @oo-delallymrcrow @silcosmoke @climbingivy97 @live-logs-and-proper @project-sad @just-a-beatlemaniac69 @imagination-phantom @anonymously35 @corgis04 @peytonpenguin37 @catlynharper @unabashedgentlemenpirate @wolfe-houler @darktealrat @mxxny-lupin @willbedecided @detectiveapparatiagreen @shadowluna25 @kaylinelizabeth4004 @xquinn-bartonx @blue-bell22 @foolishprincipalitee @fandomawesomeness @eweweweewewe @latersgaters-steven @llamaproblem @night-affiliate @randompost18 @hunterispunk @jessica-laufeysdottir @uxcaran @bunnymallowo @jae-michael

#avo's kt 23 #aziraphale x reader x crowley #crowley x reader x aziraphale #fic: the light the dark and the spaces inbetween

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olderthannetfic · 9 months

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/727940568724963328/

This has been my experience at college, too. If I say I'm ace, people say "but you still have sex", if I say I'm aro, "but you still have romance", never phrased like questions, but like statements of fact. Ace people fuck. Aro people have romance. Aroace people have relationships identical to allohet people. The most positive reaction I got was from one guy who said "maybe" when I suggested some people really, truly do not want to fuck or have relationships and really, truly do not experience romantic or sexual attraction. Even my doctor insists I must secretly masturbate to porn or cartoons, because there's just no way someone can not be into fucking in some way.

And then I log on to AO3 and find a comment about how someone is so tired of only seeing "representation" that's aroace sex negative and like... 1., my fic isn't media representation, it's my amateur work and 2., yeah, in order to make myself happy I sometimes imagine a fictional world in which people accept that some aroace don't secretly want a relationship or to fuck or masturbate. Sometimes I want to have a few moments of a fun fantasy wherein this shit doesn't matter and people leave other people alone.

Some people use the fiction of acceptance to cope. You'd think queer people would get that.

You'd think!

It's all very dumb. We have ample evidence going way back that some people just don't feel those things. Not even for porn. Not even for pure physical sensation without any sense of lust. Sometimes, there's just nothing there.

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astraltrickster · 1 year

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Y'know I have to wonder...I'm not the first person who's noticed that the push toward algorithmic Content Delivery(TM) pretty much EVERYWHERE but here and AO3 is probably at least partially responsible for a lot of no-problematic-content-allowed-on-any-social-media-ever kind of thinking. I'm not the first one to notice that "you need to curate your own experience" probably rings pretty hollow to people who "live" primarily on Twitter and TikTok and YouTube and Instagram and Pinterest and wherever else just decides to throw stuff related to ANYTHING you've glanced at into your "personalized" feed - easier said than done! Like, this is an underappreciated part of why those of us who remember it miss the internet's wild west days - people fell down radicalizing rabbit holes, but those rabbit holes didn't come incessantly banging on their doors, filling up their autoplay lists, all because they accidentally clicked on some troll link once. Imagine if your morbid curiosity about why everyone was grossed out by that 2girls1cup video (don't Google that), your desire to prove you were Tough Enough to laugh through your disgust, or even just your foolhardiness in clicking an unfamiliar link that happened to lead to it ended up filling your feed with extreme scat porn for months - because that's what would happen today, along with a whole bunch of other shock porn, some gore, all that "fun" shit that tended to be related. You see Tubgirl (don't Google that) once, you probably go "EWWWWWW LMAO GROSS HOW AND WHY WTF" and move on with your life...maybe with a lingering twinge of morbidly amused curiosity through your disgust as to how the FUCK someone figures out they can DO that - but if you see her or someone similarly, uh, talented every 20 posts, to the point where you can't browse your feed in public or around your friends or family anymore, because the algorithm is convinced, well, you clicked through out of morbid curiosity as to whether that thumbnail was REALLY as gross and graphic as it looked so OBVIOUSLY this is a good way to keep your attention, yeah that's a LOT worse. Hell, imagine if a 4chan troll stole your friend's account, sent you a link to a beheading video pretending to be them, and suddenly you're FLOODED with snuff vids because you DARED to trust a link that was sent by "your friend"! If we had the culture and in many cases lax rules we had then with the infrastructure we have today, that would very likely be a daily occurrence. That shit had the potential to be traumatic enough then - well, if you lived through it, now imagine if the internet would never let you escape it from then on, the algorithm would keep chasing you down with more and more material running the gamut from just plain gross unless you share some very niche fetish to outright traumatizing just on its own; this faceless, unfeeling entity coldly retraumatizing you again and again and again and again and again.

If that's your template for the ONLY way the internet works - hell, if you're so spoiled by these Jitterbugified content discovery methods that you don't know how to find things you like manually anymore and the very concept sounds like too much work - then of course you're going to end up wanting most sites to be pretty conservative in what content is allowed. There are, of course, better solutions; we HAVE them and HAVE had them in the past, but it is very human for better and worse to look for the easiest quick fix.

But what I can't help but wonder is if this norm is having a cultural effect that's broader than just internet fights, and making people more sympathetic to far-right calls for censorship in the real world.

Look. It's not 1998 anymore. The internet isn't some niche thing that stops affecting people the moment we log off. It's rarer to find someone without social media than with anymore. Sure, okay, some people have VERY distorted ideas of the importance of individual posts and petty arguments between 5 people, but just because the stakes of your ship war or your debate over model train scales or the argument over whether that blurry bird photo is a crow or a raven may be exaggerated doesn't make it suddenly untrue that online disinformation has severely harmed public health, or been used for election interference, or all kinds of other awful shit with SERIOUS real-world consequences in recent years. In fact, the signs of the regressive movement we're facing now WERE visible in the rhetoric being used to justify some of those terminally online takes about inconsequential subjects months to years before the same rhetoric started being entertained on national stages, with gradually increasing frequency until those ideas became Acceptable To Say In Meatspace - the people who mastered the delicate balancing act of being Online Enough to see this but Offline Enough to recognize what rhetoric was at risk of breaching containment from those petty online nothing arguments, THOSE were the people who saw this shit coming!

So, when the internet has this potential to have this kind of stochastic impact on culture, I then have to wonder...is Silicon Valley's obsession with algorithms and ads and bridging the physical world and the digital world actually convincing people on some level that even offline, if something is allowed to exist at all, they're OBLIGATED to see it, try it, and welcome it into their homes, more than conservatives already were before? And if it is, is this particular layer intentional, or is it just a happy little accident for these tech corporate fucks that it ends up pushing people farther and farther to the right without realizing what's happening?

#tech #internet culture #serious tag #also please note my cries of ''don't google that'' are not reverse psychology i'm not trying to trick you into doing it #they're scat porn. they're just infamously weird pieces of scat porn. there. spoiler given. so don't google them.#especially not in public #they were very popular to trick people into looking at back in the day

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detective-and-dreamer · 2 months

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Going on a trip and coming back with a new tattoo should be more fun than this (678 words about fear, pain and the inconvenience of being unable to call someone to come pick you up from a terrible location. also Nemesis spoilers):

No winter in the Neath or on the Surface could be this cold. Thankfully she is dressed warmly, though she does not recognize the clothes. Still, the wind bites through the fabric and freezes her tears to her face. Lenora is alone, oh god she is alone at Zee-

She catches herself before she can begin hyperventilating. If she starts, she will not stop until she drops dead in this frozen wasteland. Clenching and unclenching her hands as she forces herself to breathe evenly, she turns to look at the gate. Its winged, ice-encrusted guardians stare down at her.

Lenora has heard people speak of "going North" before. Those people tend to disappear, and she thinks this is where they must end up. Whatever lies beyond that gate, it is not for her; she turns and heads for the ship at the island's edge. She wonders if the Lady in Lilac knew she was no zailor when she abandoned her here. It must have been her, given the gap in her memory...the month-long gap, she finds once she has discovered the ship's log.

For a moment, she leans against the desk and waits for the urge to scream to pass. It would be terrible, given the way her tongue is throbbing. There is the next question to be answered. It gives her something to focus on as she wanders the cramped halls. The steamer is mostly empty, and all its furnishings and supplies look ancient aside from a small package of food, but surely somewhere there must be a mirror?

There is no surface in the tiny washroom that looks safe to touch. She doesn't even raise a gloved hand to wipe away the grime from the mirror. Leaning as close as she dares, she sticks out her tongue and prays she isn't catching some horrid disease just by standing here.

Is that...Correspondence?

Tilting her head, she does her best to study the blurred sigil. It isn't one she immediately recognizes, but it hasn't harmed her (yet). A more thorough study can wait for a warmer, safer, cleaner environment.

She returns to the cabin and shoves aside the useless log. Underneath it is a map. Her fingers trace the currents and islands as she recalls Emory's lesson.

"You have to know the basics, at least. Just in case."

"I won't argue, darling, but I truly hate to imagine any scenario where I am somehow the only person available to steer the ship. If we're ever in such imminent danger, can't you just kill me?"

"If I get the chance, Nor, I'll do whatever I have to, but this is just...look, if the worst ever happens, I want you to at least try to get away. Now, you know the currents run anticlockwise..."

Lenora imagines she can feel their hand on her own as she draws a curving line from the northern edge of the map towards London. All she must do is begin following this path and account for the northern wind...and avoid the center of the map...and escape any zee-monsters or people who might attack her...

She takes a deep breath and touches the hilt of her knife. She will die fighting if she must, but not to her own fear.

Before setting out, she takes stock of the ship's flags. Most are faded and tattered, which means semaphore is out of the question. Just as well; it's been some time since she memorized it, and she would hate to accidentally provoke a fight instead of asking for help. Morse code it is, so long as she can manage to keep a lantern lit.

As she leaves the frozen island behind, Lenora tells herself that she will jump (literally, if necessary) on the first ship that responds without immediate hostility. Whatever payment they may demand, whatever they may ask of her, whatever it takes to make it home. There is so much time she has already lost - with her family and friends, with herself - and she cannot bear to lose much more.

#my writing #Lenora #nemesis spoilers #she's really going through it lately #and is basically trying to make this journey as the equivalent of a student driver #fun times!

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sunshine-in-a-bottle · 4 months

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Punz for the ask game?

HELLO

First Impression

Dream friend??? Friend of Dream??? Holding him forever

Current Impression

MURDER HOBO, AUTISTIC BASTARD MAN WHO LIKES TO READ AND LIKES TO GAME AND HAS SPECIAL INTERESTS. He has latched on to Dream and will never let go. Touch his friend and Die.

Favorite Moment

He just fucking dropped TNT on those maids and he looked really hot doing it. There's nothing quite as delightful as him logging out right after like it was a Statement. I can imagine him doing a little two fingered salute as he leaves. All the finale stuff was awesome but nothing lives in my mind quite as rent free as the image of some ordinary hoodie gamer boy gently kicking tnt off his little perch to smite the catmaids harassing a giant demigod.

Idea for a story

listen. listen. I have like 300000 stories about him. But if I wanted to write something that wasn't those it'd probably be him running errands around the dsmp. the entire story would start out really average and slice of life but it would slowly get more ominous as his errands stop including blocks and baked goods and saying hi to Niki at the bakery, and start becoming Spying On XYZ, grabbing supplies for the drunz experiment bunker, preparing the traps to catch their latest test subject. Fun stuff like that!

Unpopular Opinion

this implies I know what other peoples opinions are fjghdfk

uhhhhhh I don't think if Dream decided he wanted to forgo The Plan that Punz would get upset and leave him. I think Punz would be really disappointed, but ultimately "being Dream's friend" and "being a bloodthirsty murder hobo who longs for godhood" are not mutually exclusive things. I've seen a couple of fics handle it really well, and I adore the conflict of Punz caring about Dream but also disagreeing with Dream's desire to make nice and do peace when it comes up, because Punz just. Doesn't have faith in humanity. Punz has the people he cares about, and everyone else can go to hell.

Favorite relationship

I'm the usual sucker for Drunz. If that's too obvious, then Punz and Foolish also makes me really happy, along with Punz and Sapnap and maybe Punz and Techno? You can get a lot of mileage out of Punz's surface nature of being really easy going while hiding a lot of anger and bitterness, even misanthropy if you want to lean really deeply into it.

Actually, wait, a friendship I really like to think about but don't often get to talk about is Punz and Niki. Niki goes through a disillusionment in her character arc that I think Punz could really understand. Punz would be cheering on her villain arc, but the thing that Punz doesn't get that Niki does is an opportunity through the Syndicate to find faith again, faith in her friends, in hope and humanity.

Niki and Punz could have a lot of interesting conversations, she could even give him an offer to join the Syndicate. I can see her reaching out to him the way she was reached out to, if only to try. I can't say whether or not Punz would take that offer, its entirely dependent on what story you're writing, but as easily as I think they could see each other in the darkness, I think they could see each other in the light, too.

Favorite headcanon

Punz is autistic. Listen to me. He fixates of his Special Interests and he loves to have Opinions About Things and he is a stickler for things being On Time and Done The Right Way. I'm projecting my mental illness on to him. I just want him to complain endlessly about books and have a favorite genre and have an eye for the quality of metalwork because my mom was a goldsmith and Punz wears jewelry. Let me have my insane man.

#suds asks #my writing #LISTEN #LISTNE TO ME

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obsolete-stars-if · 1 month

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Progress Update

30th April 2024

Welcome back, everyone. I'm doing this today BCS I dunno if I'm feeling like it tmr morning. So lets review April.

What got done in April: Besides finally releasing chapter 8 and being very happy about how it turned out. I also got a job, can u imagine? someone is paying me to do silly little tasks on my computer. ill be financially stable in no time.

What didn't get done in April: Imma be honest, I haven't written since the day of the update, so my 10k goal is out of the window. there are a lot of different reasons why, after completing multiple art commissions by my friends (to support me in paying for my rent and groceries), I got into a bad mental health week, where I was so exhausted from doing those commissions (I enjoyed creating art for my friends but being forced to take compensation for it is what made me depressed), combined with regular artists financial struggles- I hadn't the energy to write or think much about the game. Then I started training for my new job, and it's also mentally exhausting (the job is fine, the training itself is exhausting). These arent meant as excuses or to defend myself for why I haven't kept up with what I wanted to, but I'm trying to be very honest about my progression and general situation, so people can look into these logs and understand why I slowed down, not BCS I have to keep yall informed, but BCS I want to.

Plans for March: Get insanely rich with my first paycheck. I'll be in direct training for most of the month, so actually writing might take a backseat for a moment, or only be reserved for my days off, or very productive days (as I'm working at nights). I'll set my goal much lower this month, maybe around 5 - 7,5k line, to give myself some more slack and feel like I'm actually accomplishing my goal.

Fun april stats underneath

No, I will never find one coherent way of doing these progress updates. Words written: 7986 avg hours slept per day: 12

#obsolete stars if #obsolete stars #progress update

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deepinifhell · 10 months

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Resilience

Rating: General

Relationships: Nat Sewell x F!Detective (@stolenoc's Rory Kingston)

Word Count: 2,267

For the @wayhavenficexchange. This was a really fun challenge and I hope I did Rory justice! Click the title for AO3 link.

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

Nat has spent centuries admiring poetic words about broken hearts, only to find them wanting when she needs them most. Her heart is not merely broken. It is shredded , and every day without finding Aurora, every mission where Unit Bravo finds her blood instead of her, rips away another piece of it.

Weeks have passed since Rory was taken from Nat— from all of them. There was no warning before it happened, no confrontation or suspicious sightings. One morning Nat kissed her beloved goodbye before she went to work, and she never came back.

The team found Rory’s apartment in a state of disarray and the air laden heavily with magic, but little else to help direct their search. The first few days after Rory’s disappearance were spent combing every inch of the town and the surrounding area outside of it. The Agency even sent in Unit Alpha to assist, tracking being one of their specialties.

Nat’s vivid imagination has gotten her through plenty of hardships in her past, but she curses it now. Visions of Rory calling out for Nat, needing her, as she is ripped from her apartment plague Nat. How frightened must she have been?

“She’ll produce more blood alive than dead,” Morgan offered as a comfort to Nat who, at the time, was on her knees in the middle of Rory’s apartment, refusing to leave until they found something . Unfortunately, they all know from experience that ‘alive’ does not mean ‘well’. As long as their product is breathing, that will be enough for her captors. In fact, it’s probably safer for them to break her mind than her body.

Nat forces herself to bury those thoughts every time they bubble up to the surface. They won’t help her find Rory, and Rory has to be alive. There is no other option. It has only been a few months, but already she cannot imagine a life without her.

A firm, solid hand lands on Nat’s shoulder, drawing her attention away from the pile of recent mission and patrol logs she has been poring over all day. Nat forces a small smile on her face as she turns to look at Ava, but she doesn’t get the chance to speak.

“We have a lead.”

Far Outside of Wayhaven

The dilapidated brick building looms behind Unit Bravo. At one point, decades ago, it had been a hospital. Now the building looks as though it doesn’t belong among the sprawling untamed field that has sprouted up around it.

“Commanding Agent Du Mortain?” Lesedi’s voice filters through over the radio.

“Copy.”

“Two suspects have fled the building on foot. One unit should pursue the suspects and the other should search the building.” Lesedi pauses, allowing the situation to sink in. “Who do you want to pursue?”

For a moment, there is conflict on Ava’s face as she considers the information provided, but it passes quickly. “Agreed. Unit Bravo will search the area. Unit Alpha can pursue the suspects,” Ava doles out tasks.

They are all exhausted, having spent weeks chasing down lead after lead, most of them dead ends. The situation only worsened once Rory’s blood hit the supernatural black market. The Agency needed their top teams (and the one most experienced with the detective’s blood) to help handle the outbreaks of massively powerful supernaturals.

None of them are at their best right now, but Nat has not slept in…she tries to remember the last time she got real sleep. More than just falling asleep for a few minutes on accident. Three weeks? Her healing abilities can only compensate for so much.

All eyes turn to Nat, whose eyes glisten with unshed tears.

“Thank you, Ava,” she says. Ava nods stiffly to Nat and then gestures to the building. The team launches into action.

Inside the Abandoned Hospital

Nat can smell Aurora’s blood in the distance, and she turns to the rest of the team to confirm that they too can smell it, that her mind has not taken to trying to appease her with hallucinations.

They are already looking back at her. The smell is strongest from the lower levels, but most of Unit Bravo know better than to get their hopes up now. Not Nat, though. Somehow, even after so many times, the scent of Aurora’s blood has hope swelling in Nat’s chest.

“According to our intelligence, the building has five levels including one below ground,” Ava begins. “We will clear the first floor together and then split up to cover the remaining levels. Nat, you will take the lower level. Farah, clear the top level and the stairwells. Morgan gets the third.”

As expected, the first floor is empty. The area is fairly open, a bad place for anyone to hide. Most likely it was a lobby and waiting area in the hospital’s heyday. Nat wastes no time, sprinting down the cracking concrete stairwell to reach the building’s basement. There are no windows, just sprawling hallways of rusted metal doors and cracking paint.

“Rory! Are you down here?” Nat calls out. There’s no answer, but she doesn’t truly expect one. Soon though, the sound of a rapid fluttering heartbeat comes into focus.

She recognizes it instantly. Aurora.

“She’s down here!” Nat shouts into the radio. There’s a response, but the words don’t register for Nat. She is much too busy pulling at the handle of one particular door with additional shiny silver locks, clearly out of place among the older hardware on all the other doors.“Rory!?”

The doorway breaks before the door, leaving behind splintered wood and plaster. At one point the small padded room behind the door may have been white, but age and lack of maintenance have turned the cushions a dingy beige color.

“Ya rouhi,” Nat gasps the endearment with equal measures of relief and horror. Ava is the first to make it down to Nat, and promptly takes the door from her hands, propping it up against the wall of the hallway. Morgan and Farah follow shortly after. Morgan gives the team leader a short nod, and Farah flashes a thumbs up, confirming the building is clear of any threats.

Rory is curled up in the corner, alive, wide-eyed with shock from the loud noises, and in one piece. That is the good news. The bad news is just about everything else.

Her wrists are red and swollen from the handcuffs she has on, a sharp contrast against her unusually pallid skin. Her breaths come short and shallow, and her expression is distant and weak. She’s lost weight. A few inches of medical tubing stick out of her arm, the ends covered by small plastic caps. Despite all of that, Rory’s expression lights up when she sees Nat, making warm affection bloom in Nat’s chest.

In a flash of motion, Nat crosses the room to kneel at Rory’s side one hand cupping her cheek reverently.

“Nat?” She asks, voice hoarse from disuse. Then she shifts a little to get a better view through the doorway. The movement is sluggish, but it doesn’t seem to cause her pain at least. “Ava? Is everyone here?”

“All here and ready to rescue you!” Farah pokes her head around the now crumbling doorway, a relieved grin on her face.

“It’s us,” Nat speaks softly, as though to a frightened animal. Rory isn’t well, of course, but Nat cannot find any injuries beyond the superficial wounds on her wrist and some bruising. “We’re getting you out of here. Can you walk?”

“I think so,” Rory says, shifting her weight to stand only to wobble unsteadily. Strong, toned arms reach out to stabilize her.

“Is it alright if I carry you?” Nat asks, doing her best to keep her voice from cracking. Rory’s gaze is hazy and unfocused, and she has to pause in order to process the question.

“Yeah,” she croaks. The word hardly gets out before Nat has her scooped up into a bridal-style carry. Morgan grabs Farah by the back of the shirt, yanking her out of the way of the doorway, while Ava advises Agent Kingston of their status. She will handle coordinating the medics.

Nat is grateful for the rest of the team, because she isn’t sure she could stand to leave Rory’s side though she knows she will have to eventually.

A Few Hours Later, At the Agency Facility

Nat shoves her hands into her pockets for what feels like the hundredth time. Her and Rebecca both stand outside of the infirmary, anxiously awaiting news. The door behind them bursts open, and Morgan trudges in with a bag of Rory’s things slung over her shoulder.

“There’s a couple books in there,” Morgan gruffs as she pushes the bag into Nat’s hands.

“Thank you, Morgan.” Nat manages a small smile when she takes the bag. Morgan glances at the door to the infirmary and then back to Nat.

“They haven’t let you see her yet?” Morgan asks, voice tinged with a thread of concern. Nat shakes her head.

“She’s gonna be okay, Natkins,” Farah slaps a reassuring hand on Nat’s back in an effort to lighten the mood.

The door to the waiting room swings open again, much more quietly this time. Ava strides in with two facility room keys in her hand and holds them out to Rebecca and Nat.

“Get some sleep. I will keep watch over Aurora. We will notify you when she is allowed visitors,” Ava says firmly. Rebecca hesitates, but she glances to the infirmary door, and then to Nat, and eventually takes the key.

“Thank you, Agent,” Rebecca says. She leaves the room quickly, perhaps eager to get away from prying eyes. Ava’s gaze then flicks to Nat, who wilts under the stare with a heavy sigh.

“I’ll go. You don’t need to order me.” She can’t help but look back at the infirmary door as she leaves. Rory may be safe now, but is she scared? Is there any permanent damage?

In the end, she gets a couple of hours of fitful sleep before Ava comes to get her.

Inside Rory’s Recovery Room

Rory is propped up in the hospital bed. She’s cleaner, wrists sanitized and bandaged, and more alert than she was at first, but the smile she plasters on when Nat enters the room is clearly fake.

“How are you feeling?” Nat asks gently, settling into a chair by the bed and taking one of Rory’s hands in her own.

“I’m alright. They’re just keeping me overnight for observation.”

“You know that it’s okay if you’re not alright, right? It took us so long to find you…” Nat trails off, words failing her yet again, as they often do when it comes to Aurora. “I can’t imagine what they must have put you through.”

“I’m not sure it feels real yet. That I’ve been rescued,” Rory admits. Her eyes flicker over to her left arm, where the IV is inserted. Nat follows her gaze, heart clenching in her chest as she realizes the Agency medics left in whatever permanent line Rory’s captors had given her.

It was Trappers as it turns out, using stolen supernatural powers to cover their tracks. Thankfully, Unit Alpha managed to capture the entire outfit of them, including the crooked doctor they’d been using to collect Aurora’s blood. Their work isn’t done, of course, the Agency suspects they do not have all of the blood in their possession,

The Agency must have had a good reason for keeping it, but that does nothing for the haunted look in Rory’s eyes. Nat squeezes Rory’s hand gently, in an effort to draw her attention back. It works, at least for a moment, Rory turns her head back to look at Nat.

“They were able to capture everyone that was in the building,” Nat assures her, as though that means anything. As though there are not a seemingly infinite number of Trappers.

“I’m really okay, Nat. You came and got me, just like I knew you would.” Rory truly means that when she says it. There is no resentment that Unit Bravo, that Nat, was not there sooner or to prevent the kidnapping at all.

The genuine acceptance is a balm for Nat’s wounded, guilty heart. In that moment, she falls just a little bit more in love with Rory. Beautiful, wonderful, incredibly resilient Rory who looks absolutely exhausted. Of course she would be, after the day she has had.

“You should rest,” Nat urges softly, eyes flooded with concern. Rory starts to blink, but her eyes stay closed for a little longer than they should as if she’s considering the suggestion. “I can read to you if you think it might help you sleep?”

Rory nods. With her free hand, Nat reaches down and unzips the duffle bag, not quite ready to let go just yet. There are, in fact, two books right at the top, though Nat can’t help but purse her lips at the improper storage of them. One of them is unfamiliar to her, most likely something Rory had in her room, so Nat grabs that one.

“Is this one alright, rouhi?” Nat asks. She turns the book’s cover to face Rory, gripping it carefully to try and use the heat of her hands the smooth out the paperback’s rumpled corners. In answer, Rory snuggles down into the thin hospital blanket and shuts her eyes. This time, the smile that crosses Nat’s face is more genuine, and she cracks open the book.

Rory falls asleep to the warm sound of Nat’s voice chasing away her fears.

#the wayhaven chronicles #my fanfic #wayhavenficexchange

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asshlyyyy · 2 years

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Green Sweatshirt (Jacob Custos x Reader)

Yay, here is what I’ve been working on... but not really cause I kind of wrote it all out now. It went into a different direction then originally imagined, but yay! For those of you who care, I will be posting the first part to my Elvis fic later tonight, and then Look Deep Within tomorrow. Hopefully. If not tomorrow, then Saturday.

Masterlist

Pairing: Jacob Custos x gn!reader

Warnings: Fluff, angst, and swearing

Word Count: 1.9k

New York didn’t get that hot. In fact, the hottest it has ever gotten in the state was a whopping 108 degrees Fahrenheit. That being said, summers weren’t too bad. They were nice when the sun was out, and cold once the sun went down. You had no complaints though because you loved being wrapped up in a blanket or a hoodie. it made you feel safe and at peace.

When you got to camp, it was no different. You still embraced those feelings you had before. Except for the fact that you had fewer bedsheets/blankets. That was the one downside of camp. They gave you one thin bed sheet to keep you warm throughout the night. Now, usually, you would be fine… but you were absolutely freezing. You didn’t pack many long pants and if you did, they were jeans, and there was no way you were gonna wear jeans to sleep.

So, in the end, you mostly just suffered or stayed up. Any extra blankets that the camp had gone to the kids. So, You were head down to the fire pit and just sit. You would watch the lake... the stars from up above... the moon... You didn't think much during these times. It might've been worse to be outside than inside during these cold moments, but you thought differently. Once you got used to it, it was no biggie.

"Hey, didn't expect to find you out here," a voice said as they walked over to you.

"Mmm, it was cold," you comment, not daring to move your head. Mostly because you already knew who it was by the sound of his voice.

"So you came outside?" He questioned and sat down on the log next to you. You looked over to meet his brown eyes.

"Why not, better than shivering under a thin line of bed sheets," you replied and shrugged.

"Right right, makes total sense," he nodded like he agreed with you. You rolled your eyes playfully and pushed him away lightly.

"If you're going to make fun of me you can rightfully leave." You let out a light huff and folded your arms against your chest. Trying to be overly dramatic.

"I'm nottt, wanted to keep you company. I saw you leave."

"Are you spying on me now, Jacob? That's not gentlemen-like. More like a creepy stalker."

"I wasn't spying on you," he let out a laugh, "I just happened to look out the window as you left."

"Mhm, likely story," you teased the sports coach.

Jacob shook his head at his comment and looked out towards the lake. He knew that if he wanted to make a move, that moment had to be now. He couldn't wait any longer. If he did, he would keep chickening out. How do you even go to ask someone out now without being creepy? It's not like the two of you can go out on romantic dates out here in the woods.

You heard shuffling next to you, so causally you looked over and watched as Jacob struggled to get off his green sweatshirt. You raised your eyebrow in confusion. He finally got it over his head and looked over to you and held it out to you. You looked at him confused.

"To keep you warm," he answered your unasked question.

"Okay...?" You took the sweatshirt out of his hand. Slowly you slipped your arms into it and pulled it over your head.

That was the first time you wore his iconic green sweatshirt. Ever since that faithful night, you wore his sweatshirt a lot more. Everyone was quick to notice it also. They figured something had to be happening with the two of you. Well, there wasn't. At least nothing was happening at that moment.

On the last day of camp, Jacob grabbed your hand and pulled you away from the other counselors and children. You two had to be long gone from anyone. You looked at him as a giggle escaped your lips. A smile big on your lips, as Jacob stared at you with adoration in his eyes.

"What, Jacob?" You asked as you pulled at the ends of his sweatshirt that you were wearing.

"I-" he tried to speak, but words just didn't come out.

"Cat got ya tongue?" You teased him and puked his side.

"Listen, uh... I really fucking like you, Y/n. From the moment I met you in fact. So cheesy I know, but... ever since you've been wearing my sweatshirt it's just... God, I just... I can't see myself with anyone else."

"Are your proposing?" You raised an eyebrow.

"What- no no no," he shook his head. "I... I wanted to ask you out. To be my significant other. My other half."

"Aw, Jacob are you asking me out."

"Yes, I literally just said that," he laughed gently in fear that he was about to be denied. You tucked a loose piece of hair behind your ear and nodded.

Truth be told, you felt the same about Jacob. The bubbly sports coach... The attractive strong... The sweet and caring, Jacob. Your cheeks dusted over your cheeks as you felt your heart flutter. Sure, you joked and teased him a lot, but... he made you feel things you've never felt before. It was a new... and strange experience for you.

"I'd love to, Jacob."

That leads you to today. A few months after that whole incident. A few months after Jacob had asked you out. The two of you shared an apartment together near his college. You didn't go to school or anything, you mostly stayed in and worked. Thankfully you were allowed to work at home.

You didn't realize it, but that very same green sweatshirt became your lifeline. It became a sense of safety for you. You wore it all of the time, and when you had to wash it... well, you watched it be washed and then watched it dry. While Jacob found it cute that you were wearing his clothing all the time now, he knew that... it was becoming unhealthy. Here and there yeah you can wear it... but every single day... for the past several months.

Little did he know, it was his sweatshirt that kept you safe that night. The same one that saved you from death. You never told him this because you didn't want him to overly blame himself. You knew how Jacob got, and if you were so close to death... he would a hundred percent blame himself. It was in his nature. He wanted to protect you with all his life.

So, as you stared at the glass door to the washer, Jacob looked over at you from the door frame. He didn't want to hurt you, but he knew he had to put a stop to it. He let out a light sigh and made his way over to you. "Babe,"

"Mm?" You replied, not taking your eyes off the green that spun around.

"We need to talk." That snapped your eyes away. You looked over at him with fear. Was he about to break up with you? Was it something you did? What did you do to cause this? Jacob was quick to notice your shift of mention and shook his head.

"We're not breaking up, I promise." He reassured you. You let out a light sigh and relief and went back to looking at the washer.

"Babe!" Jacob said to get your attention once again.

"Mm?"

"Can you look at me for more than a fucking second?" He was getting frustrated. You didn't blame him, you were acting like a child.

"No can do," you replied. You were worried that if you looked away too long something back would happen. The color could fade, or it would end up ripped. All these possibilities scared you. So, no. You could not look at him for more than a second.

Jacob let out a huff and walked over to you and picked you up from the ground and pulled you away. His arms tight around you, just so you couldn't escape.

"Jacob no!" You looked back over towards the washer and dryer frantically.

"This needs to happen, Y/n," Jacob spoke and carried you all the way to the bedroom where he locked the door and stood in front of it so you couldn't escape.

"I mean Jesus fuck. You're sitting in front of the washer and dryer in your underwear." He started off.

"So? Don't you like me in my underwear?" You saw no problem in what you were doing.

"I like you in whatever you wear, but..." he started to shake his head, "you need to give that sweatshirt a break. Hell, even throw it away. That's all you wear!"

"I wash it! Not like it smells or anything." You looked at him. You still didn't even know why you were getting an intervention right now. You did nothing wrong.

"What is wrong, Y/n... please... you've been wearing it ever since that night. You don't let me take it off you, you won't let me wash it. What is wrong?" He asked. His eyes were full of care and love all for you.

You looked down at your hands and walked over to your shared bed. You sat down and brought your legs up to your chest. You knew you had to tell him... He was your boyfriend after all and you two never kept anything from each other. You told each other the nastiest of things in fact, and you were scared to tell him about that night?

"It's about that night..." you spoke softly. Jacob walked away from the door and sat next to you on the bed.

"When you weren't around me... I got attacked. Could've died really... it grabbed hold of my shirt... or technically yours. Because it was so much bigger on me, I was able to slip out of it and run towards safety. It saved my life and it's stupid but... I just feel safe every time I wear it," you explained as shortly as you could. You didn't want to think much about it, knowing you would end up crying.

"Baby... why didn't you tell me?" Jacob spoke softly from beside you. His arm snaking around your shoulders.

"I was scared you would think... I was a baby or something. Wanting to always wear that sweatshirt."

"The only baby you are... is mine. I would never think something about you, ever. If anything, I'm insanely proud," he explained as he kissed the side of your head. You looked over at him and smiled gently.

"Thank you," you said softly.

"Now, I have no problem with you wearing my clothes. But please... don't overly find protection in them. You're safe here in our apartment, and I will always be there for you. To protect you and keep you safe." He looked into your e/c eyes.

"I love you," you said.

"I love you too," Jacob responded and pressed his lips against yours.

#The Quarry Jacob #jacob custos #The Quarry #The Quarry x reader #jacob custos x reader

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wlfpet · 1 year

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LIFE WITH TINY/CHIBI ABBY

was thinking about that Abby sackboy from yesterday, and felt like having a little Abby of my own was a life need. insp a little bit by those early 2010s fanfiction of ‘owner manuals’ for chibi characters! enjoy your own adorable tiny abby. sfw/fluff

🥺 I truly cannot decide if she’s plushie sized or super tiny, hamster-sized BUT SHES LITTLE.

- at first glance, the idea of having your own tiny abby feels like having a house pet, right? but in reality, she’s a very intelligent, sensitive little creature, and it’s a job in its own keeping her happy, healthy, and alive.

- a bit of a crybaby, and if she feels rejected, will go off into a corner and sulk. will not talk to you about it. if you ask her if she’s crying, no, she never cries! (with tears pooling, obviously.)

- please don’t lift the poor thing up by her braid, it gets her dizzy and upsets her. hold her gently in two palms, or scooped into one of your arms! abby will typically nestle up into any loose clothing you have, and it isn’t uncommon to feel a strange heaviness on the back of your neck and find her sleeping in your hood!

- hyperactive and easy for her to disappear on you, only to find her tearing up your towel rack, or spinning around while riding a Roomba. Try setting up an endurance course for her to do if you enjoy peace and quiet, because she can and will turn your house inside out if you let her.

- abby’s favourite passtime is reading and loves to curl up on your chest while you read a book to her, especially if she gets to pick out the book. she loves fantasy books, not so much nonfiction, and if a book is too scary, it’ll give her bad nightmares. it’s common that if your tiny abby won’t fall asleep, the best practice is to read to her until she dozes off. sometimes, this might backfire, and you’ll end up being asked for ‘one more chapter’ until the night ends.

- refuses to sleep in or let you sleep in. rises early in the morning way before the rooster crows, and will nudge your head over and over until you wake up. if that doesn’t work, be prepared to get jumped on until you’re ready for your day, she needs to pick off your breakfast, remember?

- a heavy eater, and even if you make her her own meals, she’ll usually end up picking off of yours anyways. truly eats much more than you’d imagine such a compact frame to hold, and if you let her, will eat eggs until she gets sick. loves treats, and will sit quietly if you leave her sitting next to a plate of strawberries or sweet apple slices. if she ever gets a hold of caffeine, good luck.

- practically has no concept of danger; everything is a fun adventure to her no matter how much you try to keep her out of harms way. you might have to baby proof your entire house, because no matter how many times you tell her not to do something, a tiny abby is a miniature juggernaut, and a little shit who will get into anything any everything. known to become uneasy and disoriented at extreme heights, so it’s best to keep valuables on a high table or shelf.

- as an extension to her occasionally self-serving nature, tiny abby is prone to attitudes and throws a fit when she’s told no. you’d have her sitting on your desk while surfing the web or working, and she’d get so frustrated after being told that you weren’t ready to log off that she’d try to somehow find her way down herself. Next thing you know, against both of your better judgements, she’s swan diving off of your desk, leaving you to catch her moments before she collided with the hard floor. Somehow this causes you to dote and baby her more, so mission failed successfully?

- even though she’s comparatively so small, abby is bigger and stronger than most where she’s from, so she has a strong urge to be useful, even when she’s completely out of her little depth. will pick up and put down random items to show off to you, and will get disheartened if you don’t look and cheer EVERY time. yes, even if she’s picked up your wallet 6 times today. typically, this takes the form of helping you out with all of your chores in any way she can: holding out your ingredients for you when you cook, or adding the detergent pods to the wash when you do laundry (even though she accidentally fell in once while putting them, oops!) when she’s mad though? expect her to take out her frustration by throwing all of your shit on the floor, pushing your cup of tea off of your desk like a cat, or hiding all of your stuff in spots only she can get to. unfortunately, she’s too cute to be mad at for long, even when she feels all too satisfied with her mischief.

- definitely uses it to her advantage. needs attention, and will have a fit if she isn’t constantly by your side, or if you leave the house for too long, as she gets really lonely. fortunately, there are always new friends for your tiny Abby to make, and she places well with a Tiny Manny or Tiny Lev and Yara. if you value your mental health, personal belongings and inner peace, do NOT place her with a Tiny Ellie, as they are not compatible and *will* raise hell and cause catastrophe.

- is very enamored by the concept of glass, and got knocked out for a couple of minutes by running full speed into a door once. put her in front of a mirror, and she’ll be entertained for hours wondering how you got two of her, how there’s even more than one of her to begin with.

- it’s recommended to sleep abby in her own area, such as a little bed, or a pillow with a tiny sheet or blanket, but sometimes, if she truly trusts and love you, your tiny abby will come and sleep with you on her own accord. just be careful not to roll over her!

#tiki writes #abby Anderson blurb #abby anderson fluff #abby Anderson au #abby tlou

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t1meslayer · 8 days

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It's peanut butter jelly T1me!

... Alright, now @alchemicallymoon doesn't have to call the authorities.

You know the drill — go check out my latest Dungeon Meshi fanfic, "Peanut Butter & Jelly." Then click that button down below to read my completely overindulgent author's commentary!

Dungeon Meshi... Ah, Dungeon Meshi.

I wrote my first DunMeshi fic "Scrambled Eggs" when Trigger's anime was beginning to air. Maybe this was a silly idea given it's a post-canon event, thus alienating the people who might've been curious to join community spaces after watching the first couple of episodes. However, I read through everything before the anime started on the recommendation of friends (including my collaborating body of spiders @trybard) and fell deeply in love.

No joke, some things in that story changed my life at the exact moment I needed it. I couldn't hold myself back when it came to appeasing the DunMeshi faithful among us.

And hey... It worked out! "Scrambled Eggs" became my most successful fic of all time, sitting at over 250 Kudos as of this writing.

I can't judge any fanfiction.net metrics because that site doesn't even have a Dungeon Meshi tag... But that's a whole other story.

That Farcille story was not the only idea I had logged in my Notes app, but needless to say that success did encourage me to continue sooner rather than later.

... Perhaps a little bit later following self-imposed hiatuses for my poll-winning Stardew Valley fic "How You Get The Girl" and the first part of my ambitious Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fic "Fallout." But I have also been doing some Meshi writing for the Dungeon Meshi Cookbook Zine?

That brings us to "Peanut Butter & Jelly." I believe it's mandated by law that all DunMeshi stories are named after a relevant food item or monster within their narrative.

In this case, the titular sandwich was my inciting incident. I've recently found myself working retail for the first time, stocking shelves at a major brand store. One day I was pushing merchandise on the aisle with peanut butters and jellies and thought, "Senshi would make a killer PB&J."

My first developmental task was deciding what kind of monster could be cooked into the sandwich. One early source I came across was a blog for fantasy author Alex Maven, in particular the article "TENDING A GARDEN OF TERROR: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO PLANT MONSTERS IN 5E DND." This introduced the vegepygmy:

I haven't played much Dungeons & Dragons outside a "Gaming in American History" class during college, so I can't say I'm an expert in the subject. But I gathered through Maven's site and fandom projects like the Forgotten Realms Wiki that vegepygmies are forest-dwelling, humanoid rot creatures created by exposure to Russet mold spores who tend to use basic tools such as slings. They can drop skins upon death, which Maven describes as an item that "looks like a furry patch of mold. It has not much use to leatherworkers but can prove to be really useful to alchemists, healers, and medicinal experts."

A few details were simplified for my fanfiction (let's call those "creative liberties" ala Ryoko Kui's unique takes on classic monsters), but the gist still felt right: forest creatures using a weapon that fires small projectiles.

What better projectiles to find in a forest than hard-shelled nuts?

I imagined something like walnuts, but the semantics don't really matter. For the most part this was set-dressing to write a story in which the main party gets to interact, unlike my isolated Farcille piece. That's where this became a "lost chapter" set prior to the discovery of Thistle's home on the Dungeon's bottom floor.

I channeled my best Ryoko Kui absurdist cover art for the featured image, though using digital collage. Originally I planned to use full color, but a fun idea came later to desaturate things for more accurate manga sensibilities:

For comparison

The impetus to write this piece when I did was two-fold. On one hand, I had time to kill during production on "Fallout," and it only felt right to do a bit of extra prep for another Dungeon Meshi zine application I've had my eyes on.

On the other hand, I became obsessed with DunMeshi's second ED for a good while. Especially this frame with Kabru's party, and the implication that Rin is constantly on the verge of wiping her entire team on accident:

Kabru fic one day.

Later I became obsessed with DunMeshi's second OP. Long-time fans may remember when I had matching levels of anime opening brain rot for my Jujutsu Kaisen Satosugu fic "Infinitesimal Distance."

Obsession, it turns out, can be good for creating silly art.

I tend to give myself a challenge for each fanfic to help further my craft. This time, the challenge was to capture these wonderful characters in a way that matches the rhythms of the original series. I pulled from the styles of a few older pieces to differentiate stages in what Alchemically put as the manga's "kill-cook-eat" formula:

The brief Laios battle uses a Falin flashback ala the manga's Living Armor arc. I used text formatting and alternate tense to separate this moment as in my Splatoon fic "Yesterday is But Today's Memory." ... Also the action is almost directly lifted from my friend's Stardew Valley OC Lotus fighting a skeleton in "Willow."

I used a bit of funky text placement with sub- and superscript formatting to convey motion with details like Izutsumi's yawn in the post-battle cooldown period, like my ScarVi fic "Paradiso."

Senshi's cooking segment is vaguely reminiscent of the recipe at the start of my Breath of the Wild fic "Recipe to Please a Princess." I used blockquotes to convey Senshi instructions as "narration," interspersed with character reactions and interplay.

Finally, I discovered that you can set a "Heading 3" HTML format over empty text to create double-lined dividers. Thought that would be a fun way to present the final ingredients list (sans nutritional information - I'm barely qualified enough to write a recipe without looking up guides on how to make peanut butter and how to make jam).

Speaking of that splash screen... We should talk about the stand-out part of this fic.

My drawing!

That's right, I draw now. Expect to see a lot more funky stuff.

I took a figure drawing class hosted by one of my friends recently, which coincided with seeing fics written by lovely folks like @flutefemme and @duelbraids that utilized custom artwork. Extra special shout-outs to duelbraid's "Splatsville Daily's Concert Review" for inspiring this artwork insertion via a whole Getty Images pastiche.

Incredibly cool idea!

Go follow them. I'm not asking.

For my sandwich art, I looked at references for braided challah and whole grain breads (since I figured that was more natural for the setting than a "Wonder Bread" look), and drew those overtop the shape of stacked slices using real-life bread reference. The knife and plate are also based partially on utensils I used for reference.

My backdrop is simple, meant to look like the plate is atop a transition point between patches of tall grass and worn pathing in the forest clearing within which our scene is set.

Creating a recipe title card ala banners in Dungeon Meshi's anime (used to great effect with bits such as the dragon meat bundles rolling past Senshi) and an ingredient list ala the manga came later.

However, I do think it's fun that the titles look imposed over the food, rather than blending too much into the background.

===

Bonus content for those still reading along:

You can see me practicing bread on the opposite side of the page in this sketchbook. Plus, my "Fallout" teaser image is bleeding through.

===

In terms of actual writing quirks I'll be brief. My favorite part of this piece is the smaller arguments and references throughout.

Laios and Falin's childhood village having no magic uses, which means no ice cream [ :( ]. This points to the negative reactions people had when Falin discovered her own magical aptitude.

The introduction of Laios' party ending with Izutsumi just being. Izutsumi. I'd draw later attention to an "Izutsumi thinks about herself" joke with some fun gender(tm), but this early moment was meant to convey my intentions for capturing DunMeshi style.

Yes, Laios talking about using mold powers to regenerate limbs is a reference to Resident Evil Village. No, I have not played most Resident Evil games.

Chilchuck's laughter being stylized as "nahaha" draws a connection to Izutsumi's similarly smarmy sense of humor. It's also a reference to how PokeMas wrote Rika during a story event around the time I was writing this. I feel like those characters sound similar!

Marcille does ritualistic morning hair care. IYKYK.

Izutsumi flies across the sky like a startled cat in an old cartoon.

Chilchuck is tired of everyone using his lockpicking set for odd jobs like mimic meat retrieval and walnut cracking.

Laios wants to get Namari some slings to inspect!! I just think they were really chill buds, actually. He'd probably get her hyperfixations, even if he doesn't get armor.

Marcille's holier-than-thou speech about assuming there's some sexism in Senshi's Scooby-Doo party division is cut off by Chilchuck digging into the idea of the Canaries existing at all. What are they, some kinda Suicide Squad?

Izutsumi is always hesitant about their food. Luckily, this is perhaps the least monster-filled meal yet - unless you're Laios, using leftover Changeling sauce that was meant to be an ointment. He's a freak like that.

Food opinions: Senshi likes crunchy peanut butter. Marcille cuts the crusts off her sandwiches.

I actually presented a poll to my beta reader wondering whether Chilchuck or Izutsumi would chuckle first at Marcille using the term "nut butter." Izutsumi won handily.

Most divorced dad definitely made his daughters sandwiches. That's, like, the one real divorced dad meal I'd expect.

For those in the know on events in the manga, Laios noticing some droppings on the floor is a pretty solid indication of what story beat the gang is approaching within the fiction...

Finally, I know one of peoples' favorite parts about "Scrambled Eggs" was the sheer amount of food-related descriptors. I'm not sure I had quite as deft a hand this time around since most of my energy went toward dialogue interplay, but hopefully you still got your money's worth!!

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theadventurerslog · 3 days

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Quest For Glory 1: So You Want to Be a Hero | Part 1

The Adventurer's Log

Release Date: 1989

Quest for Glory caught my attention when I watched a retrospective for the first game. I bought the set and King's Quest IV, V and VI at the time, not knowing if I wanted to played 1-4 yet. I was fully intending to play Quest for Glory first, but then King's Quest took over instead and the whole series got played here. Well, I'm finally giving Quest for Glory the attention it was meant to have now. QFG is more of an adventure game RPG hybrid with a class to pick, skills to improve and fights to fight.

As always a couple notes:

There are a couple versions of the game: the original with a text parser and a remade VGA with point and click controls. I wanted to start with the original and get a natural progression through the series.

I have watched this game played, however there are some differences in things you can do and puzzle solutions based on your class, so this is going to be a mix of things I know and things I don't as they went with a different class than I'm doing. That'll be a nice mix I think.

Now...

It's time to be a hero! The town of Spielburg needs adventurers, no experience required. There are monsters to fight, brigands to defeat and a few other tasks to earn the title of Hero of Spielburg.

There are three classes to pick from: fighter, magic user and thief. I went with magic user.

Meet Cinder Win. I was going to give myself a bit of Throwing skill and forgot! Off to a good start, but at least some good Intelligence and Magic.

I have four reasons for this name:

I'm bad at coming with names and it can be a long struggle, so I thought maybe a reference would be fun. I tried anagrams of Rincewind from Discworld because I'm a dork, and Cinder Win stood out to me

One of the spells is Fire Dart which I imagine will get lots of use once I get it. Cinder (fire) will (hopefully) Win.

There are some times you need to type out your name and this will be easy to remember

It's silly for a game that is most certainly not totally serious

The game opens up with our first arrival to Spielburg.

I chatted with the Sheriff first who introduced himself as Sheriff Schultz Meistersson and his assistant Otto Von Goon, who would not chat with me but I hope he has fun with his yo-yo.

The sheriff informed me of the monsters and brigands around the area so a hero was certainly welcome. Otherwise he mostly just told me to go find out stuff for myself, so fine, I do like a good exploration.

This street also had the inn and a barbershop but the barbershop was closed. I avoided the inn for the moment and moved onward to market street.

It's a fruit stand run by a centaur! I bought some apples. I also discovered one of the barrels has potatoes and had a laugh because Rincewind, the root of Cinder Win here, wound up with a great desire for potatoes in the books for reasons. Anyway, naturally I had to buy some of the those too, though sadly they just display as vegetables in my inventory.

I also went into the Dry Goods store and got some empty flasks and another dagger. I thought... maybe I can cast zap on one of those daggers and throw it! You know, if I had put anything into my Throw skill. Which I did not. I have no idea how effective that would be but it sounded good in the moment!

Anyway, I sure did go shopping. You start out with food rations, 1 dagger, and leather armour.

Spoiler alert: mistakes were made. More on that later.

But outside I was having fun clicking around.

I moved on to another street and landed in the bar, where more clicking yielded more snark.

This only encourages me to click all the pointless places for all the responses.

I didn't end up doing much in the bar. I found the barber, anyway drunk as a skunk. I bought a beer--more money down the drain! If I had more money, I could have also bought Dragon's Breath to lose more money and also my life because it does kill you, though you are in complete fairness, warned not to drink the stuff. For the sake of death finding I'll have to try to remember trying it when I can actually afford it. There is more to this place at this point, but only for thieves, and Cinder Win is no thief, so I left.

Outside, I obviously examined more nothing and got a shameless plug for the second game.

I popped into the alley where there was a beggar.

The way I was spending my money I feel like I could ended up joining him... I did give him a silver though for some attempted information. I did learn you can get some temp work at the castle.

I popped by the inn but decided to deal with it more fully when it was nighttime.

then it was finally time for the magic shop, a very important place for me being a magic user and all. A place I should have hit up first.

I learned the shopkeeper's name was Zara. I was informed of a powerful hag, Baba Yaga who is best avoided. She cursed Baron von Spielburg. And I learned of what spells she had for sale. She also informed me that there is a powerful spell to be learned if you learn the secret of Erana's Peace. Erana was a powerful spellcaster long ago. She brought peace to the valley and there's still a spell that protects the town from violence or foul magic. And indeed if you try to attack anything you can't.

As for the spells I could purchase:

Flame Dart: 60 silver Fetch: 40 silver Open: 30 silver

The game starts you with 4 gold and 10 silver which is the equivalent of 50 silver. If I hadn't gone shopping previously, I could have afforded the open or fetch spell and I wouldn't have been far off the Flame Dart. Not being able to didn't come back to bite me at all, nosiree. In the meantime I carried on like no big deal.

Sidenote: I did bad note-keeping and someone told me about the wizard Erasmus which was quite possibly Zara but now I can't remember. He exists though and has a tower to go visit at some point!

For the final stop in town, the Adventurer's Guild. Time to see some quests!

There were five quests pinned to the board:

Reward of 50 gold for the safe return of Elsa von Spielburg - an dusty faded poster with a picture of a small child.

Wanted: Brigand Leader. Unknown appearance. Wears a cloak. Must provide proof of identity. Reward of 60 gold and the title Hero of the Realm. Main quest ho!

Another older poster with a picture of handsome arrogant young man. Reward of 50 gold for information leading to the return of Baronet Barnard von Spielburg.

Notice: Spell components need. Cash or trade for potions. Inquire at the Healer's.

Reward for return of lost ring. Inquire at the Healer's.

Goals!

There's also a registration book you can sign for a point!

I chatted with the guild master and got some more details on the Baron, Barnard and Elsa.

The baron was great until he pissed of Baba Yaga and now things are bad. He reckons she's the centre of the problem. The baron tried to make her leave and she cursed him.

Ten years ago Elsa was carried off by something that flew over the wall. The searched for her for several years until everyone gave up. Except the baron's jester, Yorick.

Barnard was a hero. He went one hunting five years and his horse returned with deep claw marks. No sign of the Baronet's body was found.

Clearly this place needs a hero, indeed!

This game has a day night cycle and I still had some daylight left, so it was time to leave town and dip my toes into exploring a bit before returning to sleep.

Close to the town gate was the healer's which is good because she had two notices up: ingredients and her missing ring. She also sells potions which would be great if I had much money.

Healing - HP Magic - MP Vigor - Stamina Undead Unguent - Undead protection

She will also pay for ingredients: cheetaur claws, troll beard, magic mushrooms and flowers from Erana's Peace.

She has two little pterosaurs, Pterry and Pteresa. Pterry likes to keep her company while Pteresa has a nest outside.

And she's missing her ring, but it must be around her place somewhere...

Now, because this isn't a blind play I already knew the ring was in Pteresa's nest, but I was lacking a way to get it. I'm a wimpy wizard with no climbing skill to climb the tree and my only spell was zap. Fetch would be great! I carried on; I'd get more money. It's fine.

I carried on.

When you're running around you may get attacked by monsters and then you have to fight or run. Or die. There have been some deaths to monsters.

(this is a later screenshot because I kept forgetting to get one while fighting. I was too busy panicking and fleeing. It's the Rincewind way. And dying.)

Anyhoo, despite my above drama, at this point I didn't actually run into much. I didn't go far from town since I was worried about night falling and I didn't want to get locked out of town. But the threats were there!

I briefly stopped by the castle and got grumped at by a guard in the castle grounds.

I did talk to the gatekeeper but he didn't have much to tell me that I hadn't already learned from town. There is work to be done at the stable but I didn't accept the job because I was watching the time.

I also met a centaur while wandering the region!

I met Hilde! I bought potatoes! And apples. But potatoes!

He had some interesting info: he got attacked by the brigands a few months ago and there were too many for him to completely fend off. Strangely their leader intervened, and forced them to stop, ordering them not to hurt people from the town. Then the leader gave him a healing potion and had him carried to the healer's. The leader's face was hidden by a helm, but there was a compassion there unlike brigands.

Hmmm.

Evening was falling and ended my little wander so I went back to the Inn. The owners are Katta from the land of Shapeir. There was now a man there who only shows up at night, Abdullah Doo.

Abdullah was going to be the first merchant making it into the valley this year which would have made him wealthy, but he was ambushed by brigands as they crossed the pass.

His trade goods were taken, but the leader spared his life. Now he's a beggar living off the generosity of his friends.

So the bandits have magic and weirdly merciful leader...

I had some dinner--you do have to eat something once a day. And then it was off to bed!

One day done and good night to Cinder Win.

I kind of love this little sleep screen. It's cute.

Next time Day 2 and some chaos as my mistakes come down to bite me!

#quest for glory #QFG 1 #QFG_1_Log #sierra

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the-invisible-queer · 2 months

Text

Stream of consciousness highlights from my notes app:

Death of Watcher:

Are Steven, Shane, and Ryan really leaving YouTube??

"I hope you follow us one last time." WHERE WE GOING BESTIE?!?!?!? I'M POOR BUT I'LL SUPPORT ON SOCIALS

Nevermind 😔

AT LEAST if it was on another streaming service I'd be more supportive. But at this point just turn memberships on. Patreon. Something like Mythical Society.

ANYTHING would have been better than this choice

The fact that I can't go on Tumblr and mourn Watcher is TRAGIC

So I'll mourn alone 😭

Random:

The amount of times I've opened Tumblr but I'm logged out so I can't do shit

I miss y'all and it's only been like 4hrs

Me, watching a TikTok of a very pretty man with dark curly hair and pretty eyes who sings nice: wow Joe really fucked me up for life, huh?

The biggest plot twist is if I end up having more photos of Nick than Joe. DOUBTFUL. But not impossible.

Looking forward to logging into Tumblr and seeing if I got any notifs on my main blog. Unlikely. I do hope for a Joe fit elimination update. Hope dickgate 2033 won.

Joe Rambling:

The fact that Joe posted those selfies but I can't be horny on the main because the main is IG which has become a puritan society

BUT I AM FERAL AS FUCK

JOE WITH THE BANDANA PLEASE FUCK ME

We're gonna get a full cowboy Joe era. I am predicting it at 4:08am on April 20th, 2024

"Man, he do got a big ass forehead. BUT I LOVE IT. My man and his five-head. 🥰" - ME about Joe

Can't wait to scream about Joe's fruity little bandana moment

The struggle of so badly wanting to both fuck him and make fun of him over the bandana is STRONG

Decided to make a Joe edit to be somewhat productive. Spent an hour on it. Left the app to respond to a message. Came back. The app deleted the fucking work. 😐

Gotta go spend another hour staring at Joe's chest hair again I guess which is like not the worst thing ya know 👀

I literally don't understand why his chest hair makes me feral but I find it actually disgusting on anyone else

Making fun of Nick:

The fact that I've yet to make fun of Nick for the way his head moves when he sings is a missed opportunity

Okay, Mr. Bobblehead

Me and Josh having an important discussion:

Rest in RIP to Josh's best friend who had to listen to me and Josh argue about Joe having a big dick or not

It's been 20min and Josh brought up Joe's dick again. What is going on? His best friend is still on the call.

Why did Josh out me as "having a picture of Nick Jonas' dick" on my phone 😭 ITS NOT A DICK PIC ITS AN UNDERWEAR PIC THAT LEAVES NOTHING TO THE IMAGINATION

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besiegedhunter · 4 months

Note

By the way seeing the map I was really surprised with how close Rim Bilton to Siracusa (and how Higashi is far away). It's kinda ironic that two closest neighbors of Siracusa are represented by prey animals (sheep and rabbits).

Do you think we will get any relationships between Siracusa and Rim Bilton? At least as we know from Popukar story there are lumberyards in Rim Bilton and do you think it could be somehow connected with woodcutting in Siracusa?

Oh yeah, Higashi is seriously far away but I think that Columbia is about the same distance if not further so those wolves don't half go far for some reason.

Also yeah that is honestly quite funny, especially when it's practically in the text itself. Like, Dolly despite roaming is most associated with Leithania and he got hunted by the Signore dei Lupi and Emperor kept leveraging them as a threat against him in the event lol.

Actually it's part of why I find Provence, Earthspirit and Eyja to be a fun trio.

As for Rim Billiton, I'm not sure about logging (mostly cause I don't know how that works as a business and would imagine there's not much overlap) but I think it's really reasonable that they aught to in some capacity.

Like, Siracusa is like Kjerag in the sense that they need to build their country up through business with other countries and as of the moment I think Siracusa is in a sore spot with Columbia. It's possible that they're looking to other countries for business and Rim Billiton could be a good option.

And I thought maybe Rim Billiton being a company could make things complicated, but they have worked with Kazdel which would look worse than working with the mafia logically. So I don't see any reason why not, but possibly further I think it's likely the mafia would try doing under the table dealings with Rim Billiton in various different ways.

And I'd like to see something just to see how Red and Amiya's home countries interact when they get along lol.

#ask #I remember drawing lines on the ak map #seeing siracusa with no connections #and now there's quite a lot #I'm quite chuffed about it honestly lol

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jakkesim · 8 months

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𝟤𝟥𝟣𝟢𝟢𝟨 —𝗇𝗈𝗍𝖾 : 𝖧𝗈𝗐 𝖽𝗈 𝖨 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝖽𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 ‘𝖥𝖠𝖳𝖤’ 𝗂𝗇 𝖴.𝖲.

October 6th

This is the beginning of Jake's log. We wrapped up our first LA concert today (Oct 6th). To be honest, I had so much fun that I'm kind of sleepy right now. Ever since we flew to the U.S. I've been struggling with jet lag so I was really worried. I wasn't feeling at my best for the concert. When I woke up this morning my legs really ached and I just wasn't feeling good and that worried me as we were preparing for the concert. So right up till I got on stage:

“Let's have no regrets and just have fun!”

...is what I kept telling myself. We've never performed at a stadium in LA before, so I couldn't imagine what it would be like. But the vibes were so nice after our soundcheck today so I was excited for the actual concert.

I think all seven of us had a lot of fun. Of course, there are still some things we can improve on. There are a lot of things we should fix by the time we get to the next city, but looking at it overall I'm really satisfied and I had such a great time at the concert. Actually... After it ends After a concert ends If I'm thinking:

“Wow, I had so much fun today”

I think of that as a successful concert. Of course, there will still be things that aren't really mistakes but things I want to improve on,but if I had fun during the concert and I feel like I really enjoyed myself that makes it a good concert in my eyes.

And that's the kind of concert we had today. I feel like this U.S. tour is off to a really good start here in LA. And it being an outdoor venue was great It was so cool. Concert venues that are open like that have their own vibe. It felt really great! I liked it. We even had fireworks. Whenever a concert ends because I really use up all of my energy for every concert. I give it my all, so much that I feel like I'm going to faint. I pour all my energy into it. That's why I may appear a little quiet and low-energy right now.

But I think that's what makes -note so interesting.

You get to see this real side of me. I get to talk about how I am and how I feel in this moment. I like it. I definitely keep thinking about the time we spent in the U.S. last year. I think we were able to have a lot more fun this time. Not only me, but the other ENHYPEN members too. I feel like now, when we're on stage we're not really trying to guess what each of us are going to do.

Now, we can know right away what we're all going to do and say to our fans in the moment. I feel like we were able to use that well and help each other create great energy and I really like that.

“The more we perform, the better we get.”

And I really tried my best today. I went all out from the start. I loved the atmosphere and the cheers were so loud so I used up a lot of my energy from the start. So, at the end? Well, not really at the end I usually have a burst of energy and then I dip a little in the middle physically, in terms of energy. As long as I can get through that, I'm fine. But there are times when that drop is very sudden. And that moment is usually around section three or four It usually happens then. But if I'm able to overcome that.

If I grit my teeth and keep going I do pretty well afterward I was able to have even more fun during the encores. But I feel like in moments like that it really shows on my face when I'm performing. That's something I'm working on fixing. Personally,

I feel like I'm pretty good

…when it comes to facial expressions but in that section I find myself gritting my teeth. And I actually do grit my teeth during those moments. And that makes my jaw muscles hurt I really shouldn't do that...

Anyway Anyway, if I look at it overall it was such a fun tour, a fun concert. That's what I think I think I'll be able to sleep well tonight. I'm going to fall asleep so easily. I'm going to wash up and rest now and do my best in the other cities.

Okay, then this has been Jake's -note on the day of our LA concert. Yes, I'll wrap this -note up here.

A sincere thank you to everyone who joined us today.

Thank you so much for joining and having fun with us. I hope you gained nothing but good memories from those two to three hours. Because those two to three hours were very precious to me. I hope ENGENEs also had as much fun as I feel like I did I'll wrap things up here. Bye bye...

Full on YouTube.

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