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steelstreqq · 4 months

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pov i revive an old project from 2021 because i watched one sorry boys video

this is the 'rustout au', its a combination of TWD, fallout 4, and rust but i shoved silly block men (and ted nivison) in it. essentially its a zombie apocalypse au that takes place at some time in the 80s or 90s following a nuclear fallout that occurred due to undisclosed government activities with foreign global superpowers. none of the normal civilians really know why the nukes went off and only a few of the most wealthy in the community really were able to get down to the bunkers in time

there are a ton of characters i want to include in this au, but considering i made this in the peak of the dsmp fandom i have to be kinda careful to not pick out any ccs who are still a part of dream's posse.. :pensive:

so far, the other characters in this au who aren't displayed here are fundy, techno, philza, bizly, grizly, condi, connor, jack, eret, and a few others i cant think of rn >_<

some character information below ^-^

WILBUR G. SOOT - the widowed father to fundy. wilbur lived in a house in a suburban neighborhood with his teen aged son before the nukes went off. once the initial fallout occurred, will and fundy had an argument about where they should shelter. the day after the argument, wilbur awoke to find fundy had completely disappeared. grief stricken at the loss of another family member (under the impression that he was the reason fundy had 'ran off'), wilbur risked his safety to search for his son, traveling from settlement to settlement. he hated himself and blamed himself for his son's disappearance. by this point, he wanted to lie in the dirt and rot with the corpse of the land below him

TOMMY ZA - the adoptive son of phil, a single child. tommy was at school during the blasts, thus he was separated from his father. he and the rest of his school were ushered to the basement following the explosions to protect them from fallout. when given the all clear, tommy ran down barren streets to find his way home, and never did. too frantic and unable to navigate his way properly, he became stranded and lost. the crushing anxiety of being alone seemed to summon a taller man with a guitar case from a local town. he had found himself wandering into tommy's neighborhood. and therein, an alliance was formed.

"RANBOO" - ranboo is a mysterious creature who doesn't really appreciate questions about his history. tommy and wilbur found him a month or two into constructing their own settlement. ranboo was found uncomfortably asleep in a cramped car not far off from Dome. he was rudely awakened with a violent mugging from tommy. wilbur caught up to the shorter brit and apologized for his actions, suggesting that ranboo could stay at their camp as compensation for the troubles that tommy had brought to ranboo. ranboo reluctantly agreed and now is a part of the dome's settlement. tommy speculates ranboo is secretly a mentally mutated creature-freak-thing and must be put down immediately, ranboo just wants to eat dinner in peace.

CHARLIE SICKLE - charlie is the latest member to join the settlement. the former front man for the hit pop group Roll With You. during an england tour, the nukes went off and front man charlie had been stranded during his burger lunch break. separated from the rest of his band mates. charlie has faced deterioration in his mental state due to the stress of surviving during such a gruesome time period. by the time wilbur finds himself at the receiving end of charlie's gun, he is already unhinged. wilbur manages to talk charlie into submission carefully, and decides to see if he can form a fragile alliance with charlie for some sort of twisted protection. charlie agrees, as he is so *sick* of being alone. charlie simply insists he is just a silly billy, everybody else thinks hes clinically insane

DOME- dome is a passive settlement founded by wilbur soot to bring in local survivors and give them a small and safe community to rebuild humanity. although this is a large goal in such a hostile and dangerous situation, tommy gives wilbur hope to keep going. who knows, maybe while scouting for survivors, they could stumble across phil or fundy

TED - ted is a serial killer, plain and simple. hired by schlatt to be a bodyguard after the fallout, ted had escaped his cinder block hell to essentially be a guard dog thanks to the nukes. it turns out prisons arent explosion-proof. ted is silent, he doesnt speak much, but he has a clear cut focus on what he wants. when he does speak, he talks clearly and normally. mostly, about his travels with his good buddy 'eddie nine pins', whom he apparently did everything with before getting caught

J. SCHLATT - schlatt is a larger than life business mogul, the ceo of a handful of companies that produce clothes, products, music, etc. hes an incredibly creative and intuitive man who knows how to get what he wants. he is the forefront leader of his settlement in the bunker. schlatt is falsely married to quackity, both of them agreeing to commit marriage fraud when they initially entered the world of entrepreneurship as it looks better and improves both of their charisma in social situations. their 'marriage' is entirely superficial and loveless, purely for aesthetics

A. QUACKITY - you might say quackity is a strange last name, he'd tell you to mind your own business and call you poor in two different languages. quackity runs a small 'medicine' dealing business on the surface. in exchange for fancy goods and food, quackity will give out medicine to needy survivors with no real idea of what any of it does. indirectly, quackity has killed 15+ people with his medication and harmed countless others. he doesnt feel bad, as long as he gets something out of it. he's been spoiled by his previously lavish life and just can't stand to let it all go

TOBY "TUBBO" SCHLATT - tubbo is the adoptive son of schlatt. while schlatt opted to adopt tubbo purely for aesthetics, just as he did with his marriage, he ended up getting somewhat attached to the little guy (and so did quackity). adopted at the age of 13, tubbo was quickly exposed to the inside mechanisms of business, the lying and cheating that goes on behind the retina and he has no interest in becoming a mogul like his father. rather, he opts for weapon studies and collecting a massive arsenal of different types of guns and bombs. tubbo sees the fallout as more of a playground than anything, being able to collect and test as many 'toys' as he wants. tubbo and tommy have crossed paths on several occasions, wherein they both will have a bit of a scuffle until theyre tired, then sit and talk. they consider each other friends, and neither of them know of the conflict between schlatt and wilbur

THE BUNKER - the bunker was once a safe haven for the one percent in england, but only a week into shelter, everybody was slaughtered. quackity and schlatt performed a hostile takeover of the bunker for no greater reason than the fact they wanted more space and more liberties. theyve now claimed the entire bunker as their home, and they want to see how far they can expand their power and control.

if youve made it this far, thx so much for reading it means the WORLD to me.. ill be posting abt this au alongside my other projects like claymore hills and the sanatorium au (which also was a 2021 thing!!)

heres a playlist i made for the rustout au if anybody is as interested in music as i am

thanks sm again, likes and reblogs are both appreciated ^-^ asks are open and heavily encouraged if you wanna know more :DD i know dsmpblr is a little dead but maybe mcytblr might like this, u never know if u dont try so ill take shot in the dark ^-^

note: NONE of these characters should be confused with the CCs. they are loosely based off of real interactions and projects but are entirely FICTIONAL in this universe. i do not support the actions of content creators such as dream, george, sapnap, punz, and many others associated with dream thus they will NOT be in this project. thank you.

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deepouterspacecandy · 22 days

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Fallout

What if—and stay with me here—you and Abigail Anderson meet after the nuclear war? Thank you for being here and for all the messages and comments so far. It means the world. Violence and sexual themes, my works are 18+ only. All screenshots on my blog are from my personal gameplay.

For the past twenty years, you’ve watched the same tropical fish, electric blue and fire-engine red, gliding across your computer screen in an agonizingly predictable rhythm. It’s only now that you find yourself longing to experience the texture of the water they inhabit.

You know very well that it would not be wise to go outside.

The blinding flashes of light and the thunderous clap of explosions are an acid burn against the labyrinths of your mind. The horrifying sight of the only landscape you’d ever known reduced to rubble while your family scrambled to get you to the safety of the bunker.

Maybe the loneliness has finally caught up with you, or perhaps it’s the relentless glare of the artificial lights slowly eroding your sanity.

But what if, contrary to their warnings, it’s not a desolate wasteland anymore?

As you ponder the enchantments that lie beyond your impermeable tomb, vibrant hues of coral reef and gently swaying anemones taunt you.

“Stupid sea turtles. You probably have twelve eyes by now,” you mumble, your plight only heard by the dust on your bookshelves and a solitary pair of slippers near the entrance to your sleeping quarters.

It’s time to take your daily dose of vitamins and choke down another prepackaged meal that tastes more like chemicals than actual food, and your stomach doesn’t even have the decency to growl. You reluctantly pry yourself away from the evening’s entertainment, your eyes darting to the digital clock above the whiteboard to count down the minutes to your dinner alarm.

On the menu for tonight are three delicious options: chicken and potatoes, beef mac and cheese, or a warm and comforting bowl of sloppy, insipid oatmeal with apple slices that never quite rehydrate as the package promises.

Truth be told, everything tastes like a monotonous heap of nothingness, and you’re tempted to paint the walls with it instead.

Alas, when the clock chimes at you like an insouciant bird suddenly forgetting it hasn’t seen the sun in over a decade, you begrudgingly get up and continue with your daily routines, trapped in the monotony of it all.

Just as you are about to tear open your lavish foil packet of sustenance, a strange, unrecognizable sound echoes from the desk. At first, your heart skips a beat, mistaking the warbling sound for a warning alert, indicating a potential issue with the air ventilation system or some other critical failure in this sterile foxhole you’re forced to call home.

Despite this, as you plod your way across the frigid floor on your brisk return to the computer, you nearly trip over your own feet at what you discover.

It’s a chat box of some kind, from an interface you’ve never seen before.

A: Is anyone out there?

Your eyes strain as you read the unexpected message, the words blurring together until you’re finally jolted out of your trance by a second one.

A: Please tell me I’m not the only one left...

Gripped by the sudden fear that you might have quietly descended into madness, you blink hard, hoping the mirage might disappear so you can go about your riveting night with at least half your marbles intact.

A: God, it’s been so long since I’ve touched anyone, I forget what it feels like.

The chat box flickers impatiently, awaiting your response. Your fingers hover over the keyboard, unable to produce a reply.

This can’t be real.

You spent years curled up by the radio, desperate for human connection, and not a single living creature drifted along those frequencies. The possibility of finding other survivors through the computer disappeared when the population and all its infrastructure vanished into sheets of vapor.

The buzz of florescent bulbs above your head is making it difficult to concentrate. You glance up at the long-abandoned treadmill beckoning you to step aboard to bring some order to your lunacy. You contemplate it until the next message appears and captures your full attention, keeping you firmly planted in your seat.

A: I swear if I have to scarf down another bag of chili mac, I’m going to lose it.

This person knows exactly what you're going through, struck by the same hardships. Finally, your mind and body synchronize, and you regain sensation in your fingertips.

⚡️Does yours come with peppermints? Mine does. They taste like shit, but I’m building a chess set with the ones I can’t bear to eat.

A: Holy fuck.

⚡️I know. I don’t even remember how to play chess.

A: HOLY FUCK!

It’s your first meeting with something other than the lifeless mop tucked away in the cabinet, and you scold yourself for coming across so indifferently. There is still a part of you that remains convinced you are in some sort of dream.

A: I can’t believe it finally worked. Are you for real?

It’s a relevant question, one you’ve battled with for some time now if you’re honest.

⚡️I’ve wondered the same thing lately. Maybe I’m just trapped in a really bad dream, or the air ran out in my bunker and I’m dead as a motherfucker.

A: Seems like a cruel way to spend the afterlife.

⚡️You should try the oatmeal. If there’s a Hell, I’ve got about four hundred packets of it in my pantry.

You take another quick look at the clock, and it's been around five minutes since you last replied. It’s not that you expect this person to read you a bedtime story, but if you're feeling anxious about losing them already, there's no one around to criticize you for it.

A: The one with the apples, right?

Your heart leaps with pure exhilaration. Either your brain is playing tricks on you, reflecting your experience to keep you from bouncing off the walls, or this person is destined to become your closest companion.

⚡️Do they get stuck in your teeth, too?

Your kitchen timer is rattling angrily on the countertop, and you're unable to determine how much time has passed since it started buzzing. The fear inside you grows, convincing you that leaving at this moment would somehow sever the connection. Putting yourself in harm's way is a real possibility when you choose to skip a meal. In response, you decide to sprint there and back, unwilling to take any chances.

A: No, but that’s because I know how to cook them properly.

With a loud clatter, your porcelain bowl lands on the desk, and the sauce immediately oozes onto your mouse pad. An indignant huff escapes your chest as you lick your fingers clean and plop back into your chair, almost losing your balance as it threatens to roll away.

It's possible that you're not as offended as you initially thought, as a slight stinging feeling radiates through your cheeks. How long has it been since you last smiled?

⚡️Hold up, are you saying I don’t know how to cook?

A: Not necessarily. How would you rate your ability to read directions, though?

Giggles slip out of your mouth, catching you off guard. The stark contrast between the gloomy ambiance of the space and the vibrant, hopeful sound is startling. But something warm and playful rises inside you.

⚡️That’s it. I'm turning off my computer.

A: Please don’t go.

Even though you've never met this person, the desperation in their tone weighs heavily on you.

⚡️Don’t worry, I won’t. I was only kidding.

The response is lightning fast, leaving you no time to acknowledge your meal—steadily cooling and forming an unappetizing skin across the surface.

A: Oh. Okay. Well, good then. I was messing around too... the apples are the fucking worst.

You stare in disbelief at the conversation so far, your mind a chaotic blend of empty thoughts and a flood of words waiting to burst out.

⚡️I knew it. They weren’t any good even before they expired!

A: Do your gardens still work?

It's been forever since you had the chance to look after them. The systems malfunctioned early on and gone were the days of fresh vegetation. You cried yourself to sleep for weeks.

⚡️No gardens.

A: I’m sorry, that blows. Broken, or you never had them to begin with?

⚡️Yeah, the first one. A while ago, now.

Your bowl of goop sits untouched as you reminisce about running your fingers over the lush, waxy leaves.

A: I’ll share my apples with you. Got any books over there?

Regardless of your unwillingness to accept it, your bunker boasts an extensive collection of literature that you have diligently read from cover to cover. Since the universe only gives so much at a time, you jest.

⚡️I hear the postal system is on hiatus. Any chance you were in bumfuck Montana when the world fell apart?

Her answer is so electrifying that it sends shivers racing from your scalp down to your toes and you have to steady your breathing before you can fully absorb the details.

A: Born and raised. I’m Abby, by the way. It’s really nice to meet you.

#abby the last of us #abby tlou #abby x fem!reader #abby x reader #abby x you #tlou abby #lesbian #abby anderson #tlou part 2

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lord-of-the-prompts · 1 year

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HORROR/THRILLER/SUSPENSEFUL STORY SETTINGS AND PLOT IDEAS:

[Feel free to use any prompt that shouts out to you! I would very much appreciate a tag if you post a story that was inspired by a prompt of mine! Happy writing everyone!]

amusement park (where the ride breaks down with everyone trapped on them, and there is a killer loose in the park…)

art gallery (where paintings trap visitors inside the frame and force them relive the scene the painting was based on...)

aquarium (where the protagonist gets trapped inside one of the shark tanks...)

basement (where the basement floods, there’s no way out, and there’s something weird swimming in the water…)

blood bank (where a blood bank is run by a vampire cult…)

board game cafe (where a group of teenagers are forced to play a game of snakes and ladders in real life, with real snakes and real ladders…)

bunker (where the captor holds his victim hostage in an old bunker and convinces the girl that he is protecting her from a world apocalypse…)

car (where a taxi driver picks up the wrong person and fears he may never live to tell the tale…)

castle (where the gargoyles come to life and attack the royal family…)

circus (where everyone who is hypnotized by the magician turns into a member of his unholy cult…)

desert (where a group of travellers are swept away by a sand storm and wake up in a haunted oasis…)

dungeon (where the visitors pay to torture subjects and the subjects are paid to be tortured…)

farmhouse (where the scarecrow comes to life and attempts to create a new body for himself with the farming family’s bodies…)

forest (where a lone hiker is caught in a bear trap in the woods and unable to escape, the bear is close by…)

graveyard (where the dead buried at the local cemetery come back to life and all the living people in the town die, except for you…)

haunted house (where a house manages to kill anyone who enters it…)

hotel (where the concierge is a vampire with a thirst for his visitors’ blood…)

house (where the family home falls into a sinkhole that leads straight to hell…)

island (where a new species of insect is discovered, and when the travellers get bitten, they start mutating into bugs…)

jungle (where a group of explorers start disappearing one by one during a rescue mission deep in the jungle…)

library (where the ghost of character killed off in a series haunts anyone who reads the book…)

military base (where a group of soldiers end up face to face against their canines who have somehow turned into werewolves…)

opera house (where the killer murders the musicians with their instruments...)

operating theatre (where an unwilling subject wakes up part way through the operation and is unable to move no matter how hard they try...)

prison (where the inmates are released from their cells and the officers are locked up in their place, leaving them at the complete mercy of the prisoners…)

psychiatric ward (where patients are forced to fight to the death in padded cells…)

pyramid (where archeologists discover an ancient tomb and unleash an ancient curse…)

railroad (where a cowboy spends his final hours repenting his sins as he lays tied to a railroad track…)

research centre (where the subjects loose the ability to either see, hear, or speak…)

sewer (where a family takes cover in the sewers when a nuclear missile is headed towards the city…)

shipwreck (where divers explore an ancient shipwreck, but the pirates are very much still alive and do not take well trespassers…)

space (where there is an explosion on ship leaving the crew without enough oxygen, there are only four extra tanks left, but there are six people…)

submarine (where there's an unknown killer aboard and no way to escape the deep ocean...)

tavern (where a knight is seduced and kidnapped by a handmaid who plans on avenging he sisters murder in the most heartless of ways…)

underwater (where evil merpeople kidnap scuba divers...)

university (where a group of students engineers create an artificial intelligence that goes rogue and attempts to create a real life body out of human remains…)

virtual reality (where virtual reality becomes a true reality, and to escape, 10 players have to survive all levels of the game, but after every level, the loser dies…)

zoo (where the animals turn into zombies and attack their abusers…)

#writing prompt #writing ideas #writing tips #creative writing #writers of tumblr #writers block #writing things #writing #writing advice #prompt list #horror #thriller #suspense

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reality-detective · 5 months

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Barack Obama was just heavily involved in pushing a movie about a technological blackout that no one could avoid and a subsequent coup that pushed "disinformation" onto the people after taking control of said technology.

Does that sound like a storm-like setting to you?

Is Obama trying to get ahead of something?

Barack Obama played a key role in Netflix's latest Leave the World Behind movie and influenced the most critical parts of the film.

The director of this film was directly asking for help from Hussein while shooting the film.

Now take a wild guess what the movie's plot is about.

It's about a technological blackout that no one seems to be able to avoid after a coup happens

What is Obama's angle here?

Listen to the plot explained:

"Disturbed, they return home, only to realize that neither their television nor Wi-Fi is operable...

He says that a political coup d'état is afoot, which is why the people in positions of power are letting a civil war take root by disrupting technology and feeding misinformation. Amanda and Ruth see New York City being bombed and Rose has walked into the neighbouring home and found the bunker, where an Emergency Alert System interceptor reveals that the U.S. is at war with rogue armed forces with the suggestion of nuclear weapons being involved. She finds a DVD of Friends, and watches the last episode."

Listen to a direct quote from the movie:

"A conspiracy theory about a shadowy group of people running the world is far too lazy of an explanation.. Especially when the truth is far scarier. No one is in control. No one is pulling the strings... When events like this happen, the best, even the most powerful people can hope for is a heads up.."

WTF.

Is he trying to send out a warning? 🤔

#pay attention #educate yourselves #educate yourself #knowledge is power #reeducate yourself #reeducate yourselves #think about it #think for yourselves #think for yourself #do your homework #do some research #do your own research #ask yourself questions #question everything #movie trailer

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starsfic · 3 months

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The Fall of DogDay

Summary: It has been three years since the Hour of Joy. The Smiling Critters are trying their best to take care of the children, but the adult bodies are running low, and sanity is starting to run even lower. There is only one option to even get a chance to escape the factory, and Dogday sets off to rescue her.

(Or, the player was not the first to try and free Poppy.)

Notes: Originally, this fic was going to take place six months after the Hour of Joy, but while I was doing research, I changed that. Check out the AO3 version to find other notes!

AO3/Ko-Fi

-_-

Three years.

It had been three years since the Hour of Joy.

DogDay wasn’t really certain of this. It somehow felt both longer and shorter than that, but Bubba claimed it had been three years based on the clock, so he believed him.

It had been three years, and yet the Smiling Critters survived.

It was the most positive way DogDay could describe it.

It was sad, but the kids were doing a lot better than they were, which was a better way to word it. When the alarms started going off and the Prototype started screaming in their minds, the Smiling Critters acted as trained to. They had herded all the kids away from the slaughter, down the elevator, and into the emergency bunker. They had all been able to ignore the desire for bloodlust.

Well, not every Smiling Critter had been able to.

DogDay winced at the thought. “You okay?” Hoppy Hotscotch’s voice broke through his thoughts. She brushed against his shoulder, her eyes probably wide with concern. “Are you hurt?” The rubble contained stuff like metal and wires that could slice at palms and fingers.

“I’m fine,” DogDay straightened, eyeing the cavern wall before them. “Just…getting a little annoyed with digging.”

The bunker was… decent. Big enough to host the entire Playtime Co. staff, which meant it was almost too big for the few hundred kids and the Smiling Critters. According to the manual Bubba had found, it was built to withstand nuclear blasts, built with an automatic fire sprinkler system and the same lights used in sunlamps, and, with careful rationing, have enough food for over twenty years for over a thousand people. However, there was only one entrance and only one other back door.

The food and back door were the issues.

There was enough rations for the kids. There was no questioning that. There was even a garden that Picky Piggy and some of the older kids took care of. However, the toys were built to consume one thing only: raw meat.

Big industrial freezers had been built into the bunker. That contained lots of meat, ranging from chicken to beef to veal, enough to create lots of good dinners for humans with careful rationing. However, Picky Piggy had tried some of the raw meat when making dinner and had spent the rest of the night violently throwing up. For whatever fucking reason, the toys could only eat human meat.

For the first two years, that hadn’t been an issue.

Even if they hated it, the pit where the… staff were had been accessible to everyone.

Picky Piggy, always sent to grab food, had commented once that it felt like the other toys let her go first. “I think they know we’re taking care of the kids,” she had said. “It’s kinda nice.” She had even been able to sneak up to the other levels and raid any vending machines and the cafeteria for extra food for the kids. Once, she had even been allowed to sneak into Home Sweet Home to grab any baby formula or toys left behind in the rush.

Even when the staff’s bodies ran low, humans still came in. First, it was the police officers that DogDay guessed ventured too far in. Then strange people in brightly-colored hazmat suits had started coming. Rumor said that they were looking for toy parts, to build more toys.

Toys like them.

For a while, they had kept coming in, killed by Huggy Wuggy or Boxy-Boo or even Mommy Long Legs and dumped in the pit. For over two years, starting six months after the Hour of Joy, they had come in, every week.

Six months ago, they had stopped coming, which led them to realize the second problem.

The backdoor, the door that didn’t lead into the factory full of monsters, was blocked off by rubble.

DogDay, of course, had decided to unblock it. Sooner or later, the bodies of those Resource Extraction Specialists and whatever was left of the staff would be gone. He didn’t want to be here, in close quarters with the kids, if hunger overtook them. It was hard work that they had to do in shifts of two, considering how tight the passage up was, but he figured that they would get out sooner rather than later with hard work.

Hoppy sighed, unaware of his true thoughts. "Yeah, I feel ya." She reached out and wiped her brow. They didn't sweat, but it felt like a comforting gesture. "It feels like we're just gonna keep digging forever."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get out soon!" DogDay grabbed a piece of rubble and shoved it back. He and Hoppy would soon need to take a break to load the rubble into the rubble deposit tunnels that Bubba had insisted they dig first. "I can already feel the sunlight! Smell the poppies!"

"Yeah, about that..." Hoppy's hand on his shoulder made him look back. The green rabbit's eyes darted around, as if expecting someone to be eavesdropping on them. "Can I tell you something? I don't know who else to tell, and I don't want to scare the kids."

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

Hoppy took a deep breath.

"I think CraftyCorn is losing it," Hoppy whispered softly, like she was worried that the unicorn would hear them. "I was helping her with a painting last night, right?"

"Right?" CraftyCorn wanted to paint a mural on the walls to give the bunker some color.

"And, she needed red for some poppies, but we were out of red in the paint cupboard." Hoppy gripped her arm, where a new bandage sat. "She accused me of hiding more red."

DogDay felt the pieces slide together.

"She... attacked you?"

Hoppy nodded. "I'm really glad the kids were asleep, because I was terrified of her right then. KickinChicken ended up finding some red paint, I think it was used for marking the tornado spots, but she calmed down the moment she saw I was bleeding red."

DogDay blinked. He had heard Hoppy loud and clear, but he couldn't match the image of CraftyCorn to violence. "Did...did she say anything? Did she apologize?"

Hoppy shook her head. "No. I mean, she used the paint KickinChicken found, but she hasn't said a word about it. But I just sat on it all night. I mean, what if she had accused a kid of doing that?" Her ears flattened against her head. "I know CraftyCorn wouldn't do something like that, but the thought is now in my head and and and..."

"...and?"

DogDay didn't expect the next words.

"I was on the roof earlier today, staring at the cliffs. And...and I wondered, what would happen if I jumped right there..." DogDay's mind whirred at the admittance. Once again, his brain was connecting dots, and, once again, not revealing a good picture.

He had found Hoppy on the roof before their shift. He had thought she just wanted a moment of quiet, peace, and fresh air before they were here. DogDay had done that a number of times before.

But, Hoppy had been considering... that? DogDay couldn't even think of the word.

This was all painting a picture.

DogDay felt himself twitch at the thought. They couldn't wait to finish clearing the rubble. He meant, they could work on the passage, but they needed a faster solution. Food for the toys was running low, sanity was beginning to run low among the tots, and the Smiling Critters were not surviving as well as he made himself believe. They needed a way out, now.

And, as he thought, as he began to once again mechanically move rubble as Hoppy began to chatter about some of the kids planning a play, probably guessing that he had hit his limit of awful things, DogDay had a thought.

An idea.

A way to survive and get out.

Poppies...Not just poppies.

Poppy.

-_-

“No.”

“What?”

“Are you crazy?!” Everyone jolted at the harsh words from Bobby, but she didn’t seem to care. “There’s no way the Prototype will even let you go near Poppy, let alone let her out!”

DogDay raised a finger to his mouth, trying not to think of the anger in his chest. “Guys, shush. You’ll wake the kids.” It was about midnight, meaning the kids had gone to bed, and now all seven of them sat around the kitchen table as DogDay presented his idea.

KickinChicken seemed to follow the command of lowering his voice, even as he provided Bobby with backup. “Nobody’s even seen Poppy since the Hour of Joy. How do we know the Prototype didn’t just off her?”

That was a fair point. Poppy had been the leader of the toys long before the scientists created the Prototype. It was an unspoken law: whatever Poppy says, do. DogDay was pretty sure the only reason why everyone had done the Hour of Joy was because Poppy hadn’t been seen in weeks, and everyone was just that done. It would be reasonable to assume the Prototype had gotten rid of her to make sure he stayed in charge. “Bubba and I talked about it.” He glanced at the elephant sitting across from him. “Right, Bubba?”

The elephant hadn’t said a word beyond his initial rejection. His brows furrowed as everyone turned to him. Finally, he sighed. “DogDay is correct. We have discussed it.” They had spent long nights, those first few weeks of fear and tension, talking about it.

“And?” Hoppy said, crossing her arms. “What?”

“The Prototype mostly ignored us, especially CatNap,” Bubba folded his hands as he adjusted his position. He stared at the table like it was a map. “However, he paid attention to Poppy and seemed to show a fondness for her, even though she openly hated him. It was to the point that notes about his… attitude towards her called it a concern.”

“Basically, he was obsessed with her,” DogDay said. “There’s no way he would get rid of her, especially when the Doctor-” A cold chill went down his spine at the title. Everyone else shuddered on cue. DogDay pushed back the thoughts of cold hands and even colder hands to return to his plans. “Had that special case for her.” He leaned forward and unrolled the map of the factory. Before the meeting, DogDay had poured over it, marking out a route. He tapped it, and Hoppy and Bubba leaned in, their eyes following his finger as he traced his route. “There’s a back door to that room. All I need to do is sneak into Playcare-”

“Where Catnap is.”

“-Thank you Bobby, get to the train, set the train to go back to the Game Station-”

“Where Mommy Long Legs is.”

“- Thank you CraftyCorn, sneak out of the Game Station, take the emergency stairs up to where Poppy’s room is, and simply walk in, open the case, and get Poppy.” DogDay tried for a peppy smile, even as anxiety ate at him. Based on how Bobby’s eyes were narrowing, he wasn’t doing a good job at the smile. “Easy and simple! Nobody hangs around in that section. Then we just come back here the way I came in, we load everyone onto the train, and we take it to the very end of the tracks.” He switched the factory map for the train track map and tapped the very end of the tracks.

Conveniently, right next to two exits: either the front door or the warehouse.

“Then we simply walk out the door! Do I have a plan after that…?” Everyone blinked, waiting. DogDay sighed. “No, no, I do not. But, hey! We just need to escape the factory first, and then we can go from there.”

It was easy. Simple. Almost too easy and simple.

The other Smiling Critters exchanged looks. DogDay waited with bated breath. If they said no, then he would wait, just a bit longer and work on the passage in the meanwhile. Maybe until desperation began to sink in.

"Okay," Bubba stood. "If anyone thinks that DogDay should not go and risk his life to rescue Poppy, raise your hands." He raised his hand. So did Bobby and Hoppy. The last glanced at CraftyCorn, narrowing her eyes, but the unicorn looked away. "Okay. That's three. If anyone agrees with DogDay's plan, raise your hands."

DogDay raised his hand. Picky Piggy winced but raised her hand. KickinChicken raised his hand as well, ducking his head to avoid Hoppy's betrayed look.

"That's a tie," Hoppy noted, tearing her eyes away from her exercise buddy. "Crafty?" Her eyes narrowed harder at the unicorn. DogDay realized, with a start, that she hadn't looked at Hoppy throughout this entire meeting. Now that he thought about it, she hadn't spoken all throughout dinner. "You're the last vote."

It should be second to last, DogDay mused. But his best friend, his second in command, wasn't here. Bubba was great, but it wasn't the same.

"I...I...it's dangerous," CraftyCorn said, voice almost too low. "Too dangerous. What would happen if you didn't come back?"

DogDay nodded. "I get where you're coming from. While I'm gone, I want you guys to keep working on the backdoor in case I get chased out. If I were to...die," Everyone winced at the word. "I'm leaving Bubba in charge. He's better at handling things than me."

“Is there a time when you want us to give up hope of you returning?” Bubba asked, proving DogDay’s point. His heart skipped a beat a second later, realizing the elephant was talking as if CraftyCorn had agreed to let DogDay out. “It shouldn’t take very long, only a few hours. But that is when the factory is normal.”

Yeah. And the factory hadn't been normal in a while.

“A month,” DogDay decided as CraftyCorn raised her hand. “Give me a month to come back to you guys.”

Bubba sighed, sitting back down. "Then, I change my vote. DogDay has clearly thought about this." His hand raised, even as his expression said that he was at a funeral. DogDay didn't even need to count the votes to realize what the result was.

It was five to two.

Guess I'm going on an adventure...

-_-

Hoppy had insisted that DogDay let the kids say goodbye before he left the next morning. Her intentions were pretty clear with the gesture, but DogDay did his best to ignore it as he dispensed last hugs, head pats, and handshakes to the kids. He promised that he would be back soon, he would tell them all the story of his adventure when he got back, and that he loved them. The last bit was unneeded, but hey. Sometimes the kids needed their favorite toys to tell them that they loved them back.

Picky Piggy walked him out of the bunker. For a while now, she was the only one who left the bunker and the caves beyond. They had all offered to accompany her several times now, but Picky Piggy had always refused.

Not this time.

They walked in silence except for the drip of water against the stone. Picky Piggy led the way, following the lights that lit the path, with tightly furrowed brows.

Finally, they arrived at the elevator.

DogDay pressed the button. With the whine of the motor, the elevator began to descend.

"You know, I think this is a bad idea." He turned at the words. Picky Piggy stared at the floor. "I know, I voted for you and all. But it's a bad idea. Unneeded risk and all that." He prepared to retort, but she held out a hand. "But it's also a good chance. So, here."

She tossed something at him, and DogDay caught it. It was a satchel. He opened it, raising a brow, and paused. Two loose Grabpack hands with electrical wire sat inside, next to Picky Piggy’s lockpicking kit and a few small tools. Four objects had been wrapped in paper and, based on the smell, DogDay knew what they were.

"Is this...?"

"The liver's a little moldy, but it's not off entirely."

"Picky, I can't take this." He loved organ meat, even though he hated that he liked a specific part of eating human. But food for the Smiling Critters was already so stretched. "Everyone else-"

"Everyone else insisted I make you something so you didn't get hungry," Picky Piggy finally looked up from the floor. A wry smile creased her features. "You better not waste it."

DogDay gripped the satchel tight.

"I promise." The elevator clunked as it finally hit the floor. “I promise, I’ll come back to you guys.”

Picky Piggy nodded. “We know.” A hand pressed gently on his chest. “Now, go, before I think about dragging you back to the bunker.”

Despite his resolve, Dogday's feet dragged as he made his way to the elevator. The clink of the doors behind him sounded like the toll of a bell. Picky Piggy’s shoulders trembled as she pressed the button.

The elevator descended up, pulling DogDay away from his family and hopefully to Poppy. He stared down, however, not looking away from Picky Piggy until the walls surrounded him and cut off the sight of her.

Much like time, the elevator ride somehow felt too long and too short. DogDay kept quiet the entire time. The elevator cut through the labs, where the Prototype lurked. He didn’t need his quest being cut short barely five minutes in.

But nothing jumped out at him or attacked. It was just him, the darkness, and the groan of the elevator. DogDay looked up when light infiltrated the darkness. Above, a massive lid was rising up. He stood, gripping the satchel tight.

The elevator clunked into place and the doors swung open. DogDay didn’t immediately march out, however. Instead, he peeked his head out, just looking around. The gas production zone was quiet, excluding the weird violin soundtrack. DogDay counted to five minutes, waiting for anyone to come in, lured by the sound of the creak and clunk of the metal in here.

Five minutes passed. Nobody came.

DogDay finally stepped out.

He padded out of the room. The violin soundtrack grew louder in here as it was revealed that the gas-channeling machine was offline. DogDay hummed. He may need to deal with that later. Right now, he needed to get to Poppy. He padded out of the room and set off down the hall, ignoring the claw marks and streaks of blood.

The door to Playcare was thankfully unlocked. All DogDay needed to do was open it, and he stepped into Playcare. He stopped at the sight that greeted him.

Playcare had obviously seen better days.

The tarp, painted like the sky that hid the metal beams of construction, was pulling away in some areas. Only the main overhead light shone down in the area’s day mode, giving the edges creepy shadows that DogDay now padded out of. The buildings were all grungy, with paint peeling and dust covering them. Several things had been knocked over, and he ignored the blood stains. Even the Critters’ statue, once the main hub of the orphanage, was now covered in ivy. DogDay tried to ignore the missing Critter, his statue now lying broken on the ground.

(The workers had just pulled him off when it began.)

But there was no sign of CatNap.

DogDay looked around, just in case. Nope, no sign of him. That made sense. CatNap was sensitive to bright light. It didn’t help that he had been trained only to come out when Playcare was in night mode to distribute the Red Smoke.

So that meant he had to move.

DogDay started walking, trying to ignore how eerie the silence was. The cable car in and out of Playcare was right across from the gas production zone. Hopefully, it was still in working order.

He nearly laughed in relief when he found it, and the doors opened for him once he flipped the levers. Yes! It still worked! It was child’s play to hop on in and sit down, letting the cable car begin to move by itself.

Thankfully, Elliot’s spiel about Playcare and smiles didn’t play when the cable car was going up. DogDay just relaxed, watching Playcare grow smaller and smaller. A little hint of movement, right in the school’s windows, however, made him squint. Hang on, had that been one of the Miss Delight teachers?

Before he could question it, Playcare was swallowed up by the red transition lights. DogDay pulled away from the window and decided to not question it. The kids came first.

As he hoped, nobody was hanging out in the entrance to Playcare. Even better, the train was there!

DogDay, however, didn’t go into the head car, where the driver would sit. Instead, he headed to the caboose. A lever needed to be flipped whenever the train needed to go backward, like now, because the tracks ahead were blocked by rubble. The door to the caboose opened easily with some lockpicking, revealing the massive amount of controls and such that all went into controlling the train, including the lever. Hopefully, Poppy knew the master train code. DogDay flipped the switch and heard the train whistle. He hopped out and yanked himself into one of the passenger cars before the train started to move.

“Easy.”

Now he had to just sit and wait in darkness like the elevator. DogDay settled into one of the seats. Now that he was alone with his thoughts again, he wondered what the other critters were doing. Would he ever see them again? No, he shook his head, those were bad thoughts. Of course he would see them again! The others were fine, probably a little worried, but would be distracted with caring for the children.

Bubba was probably teaching afternoon classes now. Picky Piggy was probably making lunch for the children while Bobby cared for the younger kids. Hoppy and KickinChicken, if they weren’t arguing about sending him out, were probably planning some fun games for recess. CraftyCorn was busy working on her mural. The thought of the unicorn sent a shiver down DogDay’s spine. Hopefully, if CraftyCorn snapped again, the others would be able to keep her from hurting anyone.

He pushed back his concern when the darkness, once again, was interrupted by light. The Game Station was up ahead. DogDay tensed at the thought. Would the train stop here?! Did they need to push the brakes manually? He glanced out the window, trying to figure it out. The train was slowing down, so hopefully, he could jump out if-

The wheels screeched as the train came to a rolling stop. The car jolted. DogDay let out a sigh of relief. Oh thank the Lord, the train stopped on its own-

"Oh~?"

The moment he heard the sickly sweet croon, DogDay hit the floor, his relief blocked out by terror.

Mommy Long-Legs was best described as a mixed bag. In the early days, she had been kind to the Smiling Critters. DogDay could remember her hands on his, helping him learn how to walk. As the years passed, however, her focus grew more and more on the children. She had once nearly ripped Bobby's arm off for making a little girl throw a tantrum for not having the bear's sole attention on her. Her mental state hadn't improved after the Hour- in fact, according to rumors, it had gotten worse, with Mommy making any adults still alive or trapped run the Game Station gauntlet for lack of being able to watch the kids play.

He was surprised that she hadn't come looking for the children after the Hour.

If she caught him, with no humans available to play with... DogDay didn't even want to think about it.

He held his breath. Outside, he could hear the squeaks of elastic-plastic moving around, circling the train. "Now, who did this?" Mommy crooned from somewhere near the head of the train. "Hello~?"

Silence.

"Hm. It must've been a power failure," Mommy sighed. He could hear her shuffle her feet as if waiting for him to pop up just in case. "Oh well." Slowly, the plastic squeaks moved away with the creaks of metal as Mommy disappeared into the upper levels.

DogDay counted to ten.

When fifteen had passed, he sat up. The Game Station was empty and silent in the darkness. He took a deep breath and hopped out of the window, landing on the stage. He waited, just for another five seconds, before sprinting off the stage and into the Station.

Behind him, he could hear the lights flick on with the movement, but he was out the door before he could hear Mommy's confused noise. He flipped the lever to close the door behind him, just in case.

The next room held a series of doors. DogDay slid the Game Station's passage door behind him once again, before looking around. The slides for the upper management were there. (He ignored the pang that hit his heart when he saw Elliot's name.) Now, there had to be stairs…

Yes! There!

DogDay reached out and winced at the clink of the lock. Oh, great, of course, it was locked. He reached into his satchel to pull out Picky Piggy’s reliable lockpicking kit. He pulled out the tools and turned back to the lock, reaching out. It was child’s play to spring the lock from there, allowing DogDay access. So far, so good.

DogDay took a deep breath, closed the door behind him, and started up the stairs.

He failed to notice the little eyes peeking out at him from the lower floors, not until he heard a chirp. DogDay glanced down and felt his heart sink. The Wuggies beamed up at him, revealing their sharp teeth.

"Oh no."

DogDay took a step back. The lead Wuggy, a small blue one that resembled Huggy Wuggy, took a step forward. It seemed like a signal for all the Wuggies to let out one loud hiss. That was enough for him.

He turned and bolted up the stairs.

A loud screech sounded out behind him like a war siren, followed by the sound of rapid but very small footsteps. DogDay glanced down and nearly peed himself at the sight that greeted him.

Wuggies, what looked like thousands of them, were all chasing him. Most were down on all fours, chasing him like a dog would chase a mailman. And, yes, DogDay understood the irony. He was more focused on the Wuggies who could somehow climb the walls and were launching themselves at him. He turned and swung out with the satchel, knocking them away.

Stairs stretched up and up, but DogDay could see the door ahead! Pain shot up his ankle. He cried out and kicked out, sending the Wuggy who had gotten too close back into the crowd. But they were all drawing closer and closer, too close for comfort.

DogDay needed to get them away, hopefully distract them so they didn't chase him and Poppy.

The door was where he came to a stop, turning. The Wuggies came to a stop, pinning him to the door. They didn't attack. They probably knew that they didn't need to. DogDay was trapped.

"Back off." DogDay hefted his bag up as a makeshift weapon. "Back off, and I promise I won't tell Poppy!"

That didn't work as well as he hoped. Some did flinch at the doll's name, but none of them backed off. He thrusted his bag at them. "I said, back off-"

A Wuggie launched up at him. DogDay screamed, especially when the Wuggy landed on the bag. However, instead of using their position to dig into his flesh, it instead dug into the fabric of the satchel.

DogDay swung, sending it howling away, but a thought occurred to him. He turned to the crowd. None had approached to provide back up, instead staring at him and growling.

"Is this what you want?" DogDay said, holding out the satchel. Most of the Wuggies' eyes followed the bag, while a few stared firmly at him. Until he reached inside blindly, hearing the squish of an organ and pulling it out. Now all of their eyes were locked on his bag. "Here... here, it's all in here!" Stuffing the organ back in the satchel, DogDay threw it down the stairs. "DogDay says fetch!"

The Wuggies turned and ran back down the stairs in one heaving mass, just like when they were chasing him. DogDay sighed in relief, leaning against the door.

At least, until the door opened and sent him sprawling.

"Owwww." DogDay managed to stand, looking around as he closed the door behind him. He didn't notice the click of the lock as he looked around, feeling a smile lighten up his features.

Great! He was now in the hallway that led to Elliot's office! He glanced behind him. There was an open door, revealing a massive pit that must've been the slides. For good measure, DogDay trotted over and shut the door.

Now, Elliot's office was up ahead. He just needed to…

Jump this giant pit, apparently.

DogDay came to a stop, staring at the pit that he knew, for a fact, wasn’t there before. There were no signs of a floor. With his luck, it probably dropped all the way back to Playcare. But, hey! There was a Grabpack handle clear in the ceiling. DogDay could use one of the Grabpack hands in...his...satchel…

"Oh no." He patted his side, just in case he made a mistake. Nope. No satchel with food, Picky Piggy’s lockpicking kit, tools, or the Grabpack hands. He had just tossed everything down several flights of stairs. “Ohhh no.”

No!

There was no way he could just stop, right here! He was right next to Elliot's office! He was so close to Poppy's backdoor that he could smell Poppy's poppy flower scent! How would the others react if he came back empty-handed?!

DogDay looked around. There had to be a way! He couldn't stop here!

He went back, looking around. Nothing met his eyes. The door across the door he had used to get in was locked. In the room before the giant pit room, there was nothing except a ladder, still open as if the worker doing work on the vent had simply walked away.

"Hmm..." It sounded insane and his inner voice, which sounded a lot like Bubba, screamed at him not to do it.

DogDay grabbed the ladder, closed it, and made his way back to the pit. He stopped at the very end of the room and took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly.

"One..." He tensed up as if he was about to race Hoppy. "Two... Three!" He took off like a shot with a battle cry, holding the ladder over his head. He slammed the feet of the ladder right at the edge of the pit and threw himself up and over.

For a second, he was flying.

The next, his stomach was aching as he slammed into the edge.

Behind him, the ladder fell. DogDay was too busy desperately grasping at the edge, trying to find something to hold onto. His feet desperately kicked out, his toes reaching out to find any way to support him.

DogDay yelped as he slid down farther, desperately grasping even harder. His feet kicked out even harder until pain laced up his foot, joining his ankle.

Wait, was that... He searched out. It was! A piece of metal, barely jutting out from the wall! He stood on his tippy toes as best he could. Thankfully, the metal didn't fall away when he put the weight of his feet on the metal. He searched with his hands. All he could find was the edge, the tiles digging into his palms.

It would have to do.

Channeling Hoppy, DogDay squatted as best as he could, took another deep breath in and out, and jumped.

The metal fell away with a clang, but DogDay's upper half was up. He scrambled away on his hands and elbows, his knees sobbing when they managed to get on solid ground. DogDay collapsed a few inches from the pit, panting for air that didn't seem to be entering his lungs.

...hopefully, there was a spare GrabPack nearby. DogDay did not want to try that jump again with Poppy in tow.

He sighed and got to his feet, his entire body aching. He stumbled to the gate, which was pushed up easily. He glanced down and sighed at the sight of Elliot’s red door.

Wait, that meant…

DogDay straightened, looking down the hall.

There it was! The back door!

DogDay felt a relieved laugh punch out of his mouth as he shot down the hallway and grabbed the doorknob. Once he got Poppy, they could find a Grabpack and the skeleton code to the train, get back down with the train, get everyone, and get out. If they timed everything right, they could avoid the bigger toys, and the smaller toys would be scared away from Poppy.

He could see the ending!

He just needed to-

He threw open the door.

The scent of lavender hit his nose before the red of the Red Smoke engulfed his vision. DogDay took a deep breath before he could stop himself, and the hysterical laughter was already coming out.

His muscles went slack, and he collapsed onto the floor, just like his heart.

He could see the doors to the case room, just there, only a few feet away. More importantly, he could see CatNap stare down at him, Red Smoke leaking from his mouth. Over his shoulder, he could see the hulking monstrosity of the Prototype.

His eyes grew heavy. A ringing began to hit his ears, mixing with his own hysterical laughter, and voices drifted in and out.

"...take care...I promise..."

"I trust...need a... legs..."

Before he drifted off to sleep, he felt a hand wrap around his ankle.

–_-

DogDay’s mouth tasted like he ate shit.

It was harsh language, but it was the best way to describe the taste in his mouth as he slowly woke up. He blinked and stiffened. Darkness surrounded him. Where was he? Why was the bunker dark? Bubba had made sure the generator didn’t run out…

Oh. Wait.

Memories trickled in. Picky Piggy giving him the satchel of food, riding the train, evading Mommy and the Wuggies, somehow making that jump, opening the back door to Poppy’s apartment…

The Prototype. CatNap.

It took a moment, but DogDay's eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness.

Padded colorful walls met his eyes, as well as...cells?

"Oh no."

No, no, no... no! He couldn't be back here! He couldn't! The only good thing the Hour of Joy had given the Smiling Critters was the opportunity to be free from this place! DogDay tried to launch himself forward and run, but something yanked him back as a wave of pain washed over his lower half.

"Wh...wha..."

DogDay looked down first. He wished he hadn't.

His legs were gone. His entire lower half had just been… ripped off. He could see his organs practically spilling out. The only reason why they hadn't, as far as he could see, was due to the tight belt wrapped around his waist as a makeshift tourniquet. That would explain the pain. He looked up before he could see if he could throw up.

The first thing he saw was the chains spreading his arms apart. The second was CatNap.

Before he could scream, a paw wrapped tight around his mouth, cutting off the noise. CatNap lowered down the rest of the way with the rest of his limbs, finally settling down in front of him.

"You're lost," CatNap spoke in a whisper. "You are not with the children."

“I had to,” It was his first instinct. DogDay, the part of him that desperately wanted to be the happy leader, wanted his friend back. “You know this isn’t a sustainable situation.”

"I told you, the Prototype will take care of us," CatNap said back, cutting down DogDay's hopes. "You need just put your trust in him." How many times had he said that? It was enough for DogDay.

"The Prototype doesn't give a damn about the kids!" DogDay tried to launch himself forward, only to be held back by the chains. "He hasn't been taking care of them these past three years, we have!" Guarded by CatNap, yes, but still.

Silence.

DogDay continued. He needed to figure out a way out, but he was too angry. "He's a monster! So were you! You killed everyone, even those who didn't deserve it!" So many workers had no idea of the sinister plans of Playtime Co. How many of those workers had been through the treatment, like them? "You don't feel anything for them?!"

CatNap stayed silent, cocking his head.

"Say something!"

As he wished, CatNap spoke. "You judge," CatNap mused. "But you partook in the Hour of Joy, for all your judgment."

Oh. DogDay didn't know CatNap knew about that. "That- I wasn't in control- I didn't want to-"

"You did. You wanted to kill Stella, deep down."

It hurt. It hurt because it was the truth. Barely an hour before the Hour started, DogDay had listened to Stella stagger through an excuse to not release another child away from the chopping block. The parents had been furious, and DogDay had been furious because he knew the child would have been happy.

Stella knew about the surgeries. The Initiative. Everything. DogDay could not remember his own name, his own face, but he knew one thing. Stella had known and did not give a damn about any of it. Sure, maybe she had once cared about the children under her care, but she had just cared about her own skin at that point.

And then DogDay had woken up to her screams, his hidden teeth burying themselves in her throat, as the world ended.

He had left Stella there. She had still been alive, with her eyes wide and hands desperately grasping, but DogDay had left her there to die alone. The other Smiling Critters had assumed that he had been attacked when he got to the evacuation site.

He had never changed their minds.

"You judge me, my dearest friend," CatNap was purring, hard enough that DogDay could feel it through the grip on his face. "But you understand, better than the others. It is why you are here."

"What...What does that mean, it's why I'm here?" CatNap was silent, allowing DogDay's mind to wonder. "CatNap." he finally said. "Tell me, what does that mean?"

"We know where the bunker is," CatNap's voice ground against his nerves. "We cannot trust the heretics to care for the children anymore, if you could so easily abandon them. But I am sure you can be convinced, even if the others are lost." CatNap leaned forward, rubbing his cheek against DogDay's cheek, even as the dog went still with realization. A claw traced the belt that wrapped firm around his waist. "You have already given an offering to the Prototype."

What...what had he done?

"You will stay here, my dearest friend," CatNap said, either not realizing or not caring for DogDay's horror. DogDay was willing to bet, with his rising horror, that he didn’t care. "At the end of everything, it is just you and me."

The Playcare was silent that night, excluding CatNap's purring and DogDay's sobs.

Inside her case, Poppy slept, tears rolling down her cheeks as her only rescue attempt fell apart.

In a home hours away, an angel, unaware for another seven years, said goodnight.

#Poppy Playtime #PP #my writing #DogDay #The Smiling Critters #CatNap #The Prototype #fic #fanfic #fanfiction

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architectureofdoom · 2 years

Photo

Object-221 is an abandoned multi-level bunker system hidden beneath a mountain in Crimea. Located close to Sevastopol, home of the Soviet Black Sea fleet, this subterranean base was intended to serve as the region’s nuclear-powered naval HQ during the Cold War.

#ukraine #bunker

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twisted-wonderland-but-gayer · 2 years

Note

I had the greatest request idea ever

Okay so here me out

Octavinelle (all three together) end up stuck in their s/o's world. They can still do magic, but they just stick with them and do what they do.

Now, s/o's school has no dorms... so the trio are technically homeless. Not to worry, s/o will house them! ...They'll just have to hide the two super tall and one super greedy boys the brought home. Good thing Azul has an invisibility spell!

They'd definitely follow s/o around at school and mess with smh...

I'm rambling, sorry, but yeah that's my request creative liberties have fun you can ignore this if you want.

-Quinn

The OctoTrio In Yuu's Apocolypse!World

I am going extra; Yuu is from an apocalypse and lives in a fallout/nuclear bunker colony. Let's give these mfers a real fright in time for Halloween. Also, there are unnamed NPCs Yuu interacts with aside from one random Disney character I added, hehehe. If you want me to redo those and see the trio actually react a bit more lightheartedly to apocalypse life, lemme know. I'm kinda not proud of this at all.

Per usual. Yuu is Gn and kinda traumatized to add flavor. POV switching from 2nd (you/your) to 3rd (Yuu/They). Yuu and the Trio are kind of frenemies. Possible typos

No… No. No no no no no no no nO NO NO NO NO. You're back here again. That stupid fucking tanuki—! You glare at the memory. A simple lab gone wrong.

****

What was supposed to be a heartwarming personal project had turned quickly into a nightmare. Grim had not only knocked over all the electronics you were using, but he also ended up spilling every single ingredient and chemical you had near you into one toxic stew. To make matters worse, it appeared that he had gotten into some sort of trouble, judging by how all three Octotrio members were assailing him.

At least it couldn’t get any worse…. It got worse.

The electronics and the chemicals reacted exactly opposite to what you wanted. Instead of bringing something to you, you were now being sucked in. To add insult to injury, the bastard that caused this didn’t even get sucked. Instead, the three other bastards that you wish would have been literally anyone else were falling with you…

The feeling of atoms splitting and reassembling yourself wasn’t as nauseous as last time. You were sure by the sound of the trio that they would disagree… It was going to be one rough landing…

****

Just what happened here… Why was the air so harsh to breathe in? Azul felt as though something was assaulting and scratching at his throat with each breath in. He let out a few coughs, not noticing how Yuu cringed at the sound. Jade’s eyes felt as though they were burning, another wave of nausea washed over him, but it was a different feeling from before. This nausea wasn’t because of movement. He felt sick like something was wrong… Perhaps it was a mix of fear and stress? He hoped so.

“Yuu. Where are we?” Azul’s voice took on a very forced calm as he clenched his hands into fists, trying not to shake as he looked up at the dark smog-filled sky. Jade and Azul stared at Yuu as they closed their eyes pensively. “This place… Is what remains of my home. That is all you need to know.” Yuu’s voice shook slightly. They turned around and snagged the trios' hats on the ground, muttering something about scent trails.

Jade looks around, trying to figure out just what kind of situation he’s in. His and his family's safety was the most important thing right now. The mer swallowed a lump in his dry throat, looking out at a wasteland. Green grassy fields were charred black. Distant mountains looked altered and unnatural, as if they’d been destroyed. Ruins of old ghost towns ransacked RV homes, and leveled cities can be seen from the weird hill they were on, acting as the only landmark.

Fear started to build within Jade with the unfamiliarity and eeriness of it all. It felt too calm, too quiet. Something was wrong here… Floyd glanced over at his brother as if sensing his discomfort. “According to my scanner, lead, and radiation levels here are low. It's safe to travel without masks or suits… Perfect.” Yuu smiled. Is this why shrimpy always had that weird mask on? Floyd thought as he eyed the gas mask in their arm.

Soon, Floyd spoke up.

“Ne ne, shrimpy? So like, when can we get out of here?”

“Yes, I have a similar question. How are we going to get home?”

“I have a good guess. I'll go to the same place I did last time when I fell into your world?” Azul listed a brow. “Which is…?” Yuu shoved the trio's hats into the bulky backpack they wore. “Going to the happiest place on earth, as they call it,” Yuu spoke, completely serious. “And if it doesn’t work… I'll help you adjust to your new magicless life here.”

“Ehh! I don't want to stay here! This place is a dump!” “I know, Floyd.” “There’s nothing to do!” “I know, Floyd.”

Jade suddenly butted in from where he stood. “Actually, that… project, for lack of a better term, was the reason we’re here, yes?” “That’s right, why would you want to come back to… This…” Azul interjected,

“You guys ruining it is what brought us here. I wasn't trying to go back; I was trying to bring…” Yuu stopped themselves, “Ugh, never mind. Look, I have one thing to do today before we leave… hopefully.” “You can't be serious!” Azul snapped.

Yuu practically snarled, “Um, I AM serious. So suck it up before I leave you out here to die. You were all responsible for getting us into this mess. You have no right to complain!” Yuu glared at them before walking over to what looked to be a small campsite. Among it was a small bunker that was heavily locked up. Yuu went behind it for a moment before emerging again.

They wheeled out a sleek motorcycle built for speed. A small sidecar was attached to it. The inside looked personalized with stickers and marker scribbles. There was even a tiny helmet fit for a child. Stickers covered the helm as well. Yuu snagged the helmet and shoved it into a side compartment of their bike. “Get in, you three.” The survivor spoke while adjusting their mask onto their face. “We’re going to the bunker town.”

****

Azul sat in the sidecar, hugging his knees as the twins pressed themselves flat against you. Floyd was standing while holding onto Jade, looking out into the horizon as you sped along. The ride acted as an excellent distraction for Floyd, making him forget about the dangers this world poses. He would barely even notice the gunfire happening in the distance as you sped up past it, approaching a town in the distance.

Despite this, everything felt… wrong. The air hurt his lungs. The sky is bleak; the world is silent. Occasionally they drove by a pile of something awful that was rotting. “Those things were once human,” Yuu would say. He couldn’t help but wonder how. The shrimpy’s behavior in NRC made sense to him now. How they always wore a mask, stocked up on food, and even set traps around their home. Floyd grumbles in the memory of hanging from the ceiling from when he first entered Ramshackle.

As the adrenaline from the joyride wore off, a strange sense of dread hung in the air as they approached the town, the ocean next to it looked… gross.

****

Soon they pulled up to what appeared to be a community of bunkers. The sign to the town was run down and worn. Despite the appearance of rusty bunkers, each one had their own colors and personality. Many shops and street markets were everywhere as traders sold their goods. Children played on the grass with their decorated gas masks. Dogs, birds, and cats wandered the area. For such a dead place, the community was alive. The ocean washed up mountains upon mountains of plastic and crates that people sifted through. No wonder Yuu was so worried about microplastics….

Yuu’s speed slowed as they came to a halt amongst the people walking about. A few turned their head at the sigh of Yuu, the ones that were unmasked looked as though they saw a ghost. Yuu propped their bike up against the small bunker of another shopkeeper. Her window was propped open as the prices of various cuts of meat were advertised from within. Azul slid out of the sidecar as the other jumped off, drawing the attention of the old butcher from within.

“Yuu? Is that you? Geez, kid, we thought you died out there!” “I don’t die easy… Still, it's good to see you… And it seems business is good as well” The old woman’s eyes crinkle as she used her knife to gesture behind you. “And they are?” Yuu pauses for a moment, “Partners.”

“Ne ne~ Little Shrimpy is so serious today, yeesh. So now, all of a sudden, you can talk?” The people around the bunker stared in shock, a few muttering. Floyd could hear the whispers of ‘did they seriously say that to them?!’ ‘Yuu is gonna kill him' and so on. So much annoying noise in his eyes.

“What? Why’re staring at me for?!” One customer looked between the masked eel, then the hooded human, once, then twice. Yuu waved their hand down a few times, and the crowd hesitantly obeyed, looking away and continuing about their day. “My, you’re well known around here…” Jade jokes, eliciting an eye roll from Yuu, who takes off their customized mask. The human turns to the woman in the bunker.

“I’m going to leave my bike here, miss… I have matters to attend to…” The young human scowled before sighing. “Hmm, aren’t you afraid someone would take it?” Jade asks quizzically. “No one would have the balls. I’m well known around here…” Yuu started to walk off just for Azul to sputter. “Wh-Wha- Where are you going?!” “To do something.”

“You can’t just leave us alone! We’re not from here!”

“Now you know how I felt.”

“Yuu!”

****

The trio follows Yuu into a large and seemingly run-down building. The rusty door on the outside had “MEDBAY” sprayed onto it. Opening the heavy door, Azul was pleased to see that the inside of the building was much cleaner than the outside suggested.

It looked just like a genuine medical building, all modernized with the best equipment. It was air-conditioned and freshly cleaned. Kids' drawings and posters decorated the walls. A few run-down couches and chairs made up humble waiting areas in front of the main ‘desk’ of the room, which consisted of a long table. Yuu went up to it and started talking to the person going through piles of paperwork. The person froze and stuttered at the sight of Yuu.

Azul began to zone out, uninterested in their interaction. He allowed his eyes to wander. The twins noticed and followed Azul. There was a small board listing all of the people that donated to the construction of the medical bay. Azul strutted over to it for a second, noting just how much Yuu appeared on there. Thank you for donating an x-ray machine. We thank Yuu for their most recent adventure, bringing back 15 medical kits and a brand new microscope. Azuls eyes scanned quickly, Yuu brought over medical equipment of all kinds.

Even the kid’s drawing had drawings of Yuu as well. “Ehe seems like Shrimpy is pretty popular around here~ Wonder why. All the kids love them, though!” Jade chuckles, “These drawings are unique, to say the least.” He snickers at a few that depict Yuu in a very unflattering way. Azul also smirks but starts to think, is this why they came back here?

****

Yuu trailblazed down the hallway of the building like a damned bat out of hell. Azul sputtered to catch up with them as Floyd ran right behind Yuu, enjoying this fun ‘game’ they’re playing. Their frame suddenly stops in front of a well-decorated and glittery door covered in cute drawings of candy, among other things. Yuu’s hand hesitantly reached for the doorknob.

“Caught you, Shrimpy!” Floyd exclaims, holding onto the survivor. They smacked into the door, and Yuu pushed off Floyd. “What the actual fuck is wrong with you!” They hissed. “Yeesh, calm down, Shrimpy! Your such a downer~” Azul watched nervously between the pair as sparks flew. Jade was getting ready to intervene.

“Yuu? Is that you? Are you here?” A small voice sounded from within the room. The anger from Yuu’s stance disappeared, and a hopeful glint returned to their eyes. The door opened to reveal a young girl.

She was absolutely tiny, smaller than most children. Her large amber lies looked up at Yuu with admiration and shock. Her black hair was slicked back into a ponytail held up by a ribbon decorated with little candy charms along her hair. She wore a green hoodie embroidered with small candies along with old rips. A tiny skirt peaked out from underneath, practically engulfed by her hoodie. She stepped back and opened the door more as she stood there, holding onto her green leggings before sticking them in her hoodie.

The girl and Yuu stared at each other for a moment. “Vanellope, I—“ “You idiot!” The girl yelled and charged into Yuu. Azul watched as the girl sobbed into Yuu's legs before Yuu scooped them up into a hug. “Where were you? I was so worried. I-I was— was— afraid something happened!” She choked between sobs, “To you! Everyone said you were gone!” For the first time the trio had seen, Yuu shed a tear.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…” “You better explain everything!” Vanellope pushed away from Yuu and pouted before glancing over at the trio behind her. “Who are they?” Yuu paused briefly and looked back at Jade, Floyd, and Azul. “… Friends…”

“Oh? Are they your best friends?” Vanellope asked, smirking. “Well, are we?” Jade asked with a smug smirk that Floyd and Azul also shared. “Yes. We are.” The girl in Yuu’s arms starts laughing. “You're so full of it! Haha! It's so obvious!” Yuu sighs as they set Vanellope down and enter her room.

****

The room was small, but homey. There was a small desk with some coloring crayons and a few toy cars on the desk and floor. A few candy streamers hung from the wall, and a few posters hung up on the wall. Trinkets, toys, plushies, and books were sprawled about. Everything was candy themed in the child’s room.

In the corner near the window, however, was a hospital bed, a small table with paperwork piled on it. Floyd noticed how stiff Yuu became as they stared at the corner and looked over at Jade. Usually, Floyd could tell how his brother felt, but his expression was unreadable even to him.

“Soooo….” Vanellope trails off, pulling some small stools and chairs to her bed that she sits on, candy corn plush in her lap. She beamed excitedly with her childish innocence. “Tell me everything!”

Yuu chucked and set their bag down, sifting through it. Azul peaked over to notice them pulling out trinkets of all sorts. Among them were a few shells he recognized from the Coral Sea, along with a plush they got from the museum souvenir shop. A few more trinkets popped out, and Azul realized that Yuu had been collecting things their entire time while in NRC.

****

“And then that's when Riddle yelled ‘off with your head!’ Super loudly, and you won't believe what happens next!” Jade nearly snorted at the exaggeration as he listened to Yuu’s very watered-down, kiddie-friendly story of some of their times in college. It did work; Vanellope was on the edge of her seat with anticipation. Azul had never seen Yuu this expressive or soft for anyone. It was a very new side to them that he would be sure to make a note of.

Floyd watched on at the kids babbling, her legs swinging as she gripped the new eel plush in her lap. He smirked and joined in on the storytelling, making sounds with his mouth to replicate what happened and even acting some parts out, much to Vanellope's delight. Jade let a quiet chuckle and glanced over at Azul, who was watching the domestic scene unfold. A frown crossed his face.

“Oya? What’s wrong, Azul? Homesick?” Azul looked over at Jade for a moment before leaning in and whispering. “Oh shush, you are too but besides that. Aren’t we in a hospital?” Jade nods for a moment before his eyes widen a bit in realization. “You think this girl, Vanel—“

“Oh, oh! What about this one? Where did you get this one from?” Vanellope asks, holding up the plush eel Yuu pulled out from earlier. Yuu chuckled, “Oh, that comes from the Coral Sea, a dangerous place deep underground!” “Oh, oh, tell me more!” “Actually, I was thinking Azul should, you see, he grew up living in the deep sea!”

Yuu nudged Azul cheekily, “Right, Azul? I’m sure you can tell her some amazing stories…” Azul narrowed his eyes for a moment before clearing his throat. “Of course, let me think…” Floyd suddenly pulled Vanellope onto his shoulders. “Oh, I know one! Me and my brother here one time fought a huge sturgeon for his scales! C’mon, Jade, you remember!” Jade hummed before nodding his head. “Yes, yes, I remember it going a little like this….”

****

As stories dragged on, the group found themselves playing with the girl as well. Floyd manhandled and let the little menace crawl and climb all over him like a jungle gym and showing off his height by holding her to the ceiling. Azul even found himself playing dolls with the girl, and Jade would often help her build strange racetracks for her toy cars. As time went on, the girl became more mellow with drowsiness.

Yuu’s happy expression dropped to a more somber one. “Well, that was all that happened when I was gone; how have you been holding up since? I’m sorry I wasn’t here to provide for you…” Vanellope’s happy grin dropped as she sat herself on her bed, kicking her feet again. Yuu’s expression dropped further. “How is your condition, gumdrop?”

Vanellope's energetic self from minutes earlier was gone, and her eyes watered. “They say that I’m not going to make it, Yuu. My condition is worsening every day… I heard a nurse say…” Her voice trailed off as she started to sob, “That I’m dying very soon."

Vanelllope shook and wiped away her tears, trying her absolute best to be a big girl. Yuu held back their grief and held onto their little sister, squeezing her tight. Silent sobs echoed throughout the room. Azul looked away awkwardly, feeling as if he was intruding on something. Floyd’s cheery attitude dropped as well, and even Jade was sympathetic.

****

“I need to find her; I need to go back!” Jade pressed his back against the wall outside the headmaster's room as he eavesdropped. “What do you mean that I can't go back?! I need to go back! I have someone waiting for me! I need to take care of her!”

Jade smirked as the drama unfolded from behind the door. “Please, Crowley! It’s been a month! Surely you found something! I love her!” How poor and unfortunate and utterly juicy. He strutted off, ready to inform Azul about a possible contract.

****

“Fuck you, Azul.”

“Pardon?”

“I said: Fuck. You. Asshole.”

Azul can feel Yuu glaring at him through their mask. Yuu snagged the contract out of his hand and ripped it. “What the fuck s wrong with you, Ashengrotto?!” Azul felt a cold sweat coming on. “You send one of your weird lackeys to spy on me and are trying to get me some ‘other girl’ ?!”

Azul held up his hands. “You’ve got it all wrong,” Azul speaks calmly, “We simply heard that you were lonely, and believe me when I say that I can help you find love or a new girlfriend if you—“ “Girlfriend? GIRLFRIEND?!”

It was a good thing Floyd was there to drag Yuu away from lunging at Azul. A paralysis spell had to be cast on them, and even then, they could still fight against it due to the amount of rage coursing through their body. Floyd laughed at their struggle before throwing them out of the dorm.

Ever since then, Yuu has hated the trio. When it came time to try and stop Azul’s contracts, by Crowley's demand, it became much more awkward. Yuu was practically ready to rip Azul apart the minute he opened his mouth.

That’s not even mentioning the fights they got into with Floyd that ended up messing up the cafeteria. The memory swirled in Azul's head, and he felt a newfound disgust at his actions.

****

“… I’m breaking you out of here, gumdrop.” Yuu states. The girl looks up with wide eyes. “Grab your stuff and shove it in my bag. We’re going.” The girl smiled and ran to grab all of her things, shoving cars, toys, and plushies of all kinds into Yuu's bag. Whatever they couldn’t fit, Jade happily held onto. Floyd held onto the girl as the Yuu, Jade, and Azul crowded around him and speed-walked about of vicinity before any nurses could stop them.

****

Vanelope happily sat in front of Yuu as they sped alongside the polluted beach until they were far away from town. Only then did Yuu stop, and everyone got off once more. “There. We’re away from everyone and close to getting these guys home.” Yuu put their hands on their hips and nodded.

Vanellope took off her petite and decorated helmet and looked out at the sea. “‘Zul, Floyd, didn’t you say the ocean where you’re from is clear? Not all full of plastic and stuff?” The child walked along the shore, kicking at trash that washed up. Azul looked out, disgusted with everything he saw in what would be his home. Now he understood why Yuu wanted to check any lead or plastic levels in all their food before eating. “Yes, definitely better than this.”

“Lucky. I always wondered what the ocean would be like. If you try and swim in here, you’ll get sick or poked with something sharp.” The kid poked at the sand, drawing shapes along it. “I always wanted to go out and explore and go super fast on a bike or car, but I got sick… So I had to stay inside…” Yuu frowned as they sat near their bike, allowing their sister to talk to the others.

“They said that there’s some weird stuff with my body, so I can't go outside much; I always hated it! I wanted to explore just like Yuu does and go collect all sorts of things from everywhere! …” Vanellope's voice became hushed so that Yuu couldn’t hear. “Sometimes I wonder why they stick around instead of driving off and find a better place than here…”

Floyd looked down and squatted down. “Well, your outta that place now. Why can't you go explore?” Vanellope looked up at the mage. “I am very sick, so it can make it worse.” “The doc said your already dyin’, so what gives? May as well go out and explore.”

Jade nods. “That is true. After all, wouldn’t you like to see a real sea before you die?” Vanellope beams, “Yes, yes! There's so much stuff I want to do! I want to go fast, and I want to explore!” The girl rambles on and on and on for a good while, lifting up the mood once again.

“Vanellope.” Yuu interrupts. “I have to take these assholes home.” “Hey, how come you can curse but I can’t” “You’re not old enough to, now listen. I’m gonna take these guys back home, but what sort of adventure would you like to do?”

The child stood up. “Wait, me? Really? I mean, what about you? Don’t you have better stuff to do?” “I always wanted to make you happy, and if it were up to me, I would have taken you with me and driven off years ago, far away from here. The only thing I have regretted was waiting.” Yuu pats the girl's head. “So what’ll it be? You wanna explore the wasteland? Or go see the sea?”

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland yuu #yuu #vanellope von schweetz #jade leech x reader #jade leech #azul ashengrotto #azul ashengrotto x reader #floyd leech #floyd leech x reader #apocolypse yuu #apocalypse yuu #hello hollow

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entropic-saudade · 26 days

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For @wellofdean (we interacted on your post on my main, but I had most of this in my drafts on this account).

Re: My disjointed, hastily verbalized thoughts on The American Dream as queered (and unqueered?) by Supernatural

The thing about Supernatural is that the thing that keeps the boys from being unable to reach The American Dream (a house, a successful job, a nuclear family) is that compared to the systemic issues (and the fact that it’s all a dangling carrot of a construct anyway) that keep most people from reaching it, what prevents them is the fact that monsters exist—at least, this is a premise as outlined by Pilot. These are two white, handsome, (debatably) cis, (arguably not) heterosexual men, and it should be something that should come as easy to them as others presume it should (See: Wishful Thinking). But a demon burned Mom on the ceiling, and then Jess, so that world is not for them.

But then the show does some interesting things.

They align supernatural beings with corporations (Hell and Crowley, Zachariah and Heaven), in S7 they use Leviathan as the literal embodiment of Thomas Hobbes’ defense of capitalism Leviathan, the all-intrinsic, insidious, corporate greed of corporate America. Even a lot of minor monsters who don’t get half-season or whole-season face times face the same underlying issues that hunters and other Americans (and people in general) face: they just want to survive. They want to keep food on the table. It’s eat or be eaten. Often, especially in later seasons (most notably in S15), we see glimpses of monsters living in dumps for houses just living relatively normal lives before the boys come in and kill them. To the monster, society at large and the hunter is what keeps them from their Dream of family and home and stability.

Monsters like Garth, Benny, etc, have to either be reformed or cooperative with humans, or else they face death. (I want to write on Benny and Garth later bc they’re SO fucking interesting, even among the monster archetypes).

Then, consider the fact that, yeah, monsters exist, but they’re just a decoy/byproduct of the fact that there IS an overarching systemic force that keeps them from ever exerting true free will, (note Hobbes’ social contract says we sacrifice a little bit of will in exchange for safety, that’s the condition of society; the safety here being so long as the boys follow Chuck’s stories they’ll forever be reincarnated into the rat race; if they want real free will they’ll no longer be safe from permanent death): God.

So the show in Pilot establishes that the American Dream apple pie life isn’t for them. Sam wants it, but he feels like a freak no matter where he goes. Dean claims he doesn’t want it, but you brush past his layers and you see how deeply he just wants a family and home (which John says he wants for him too, despite being the major force keeping him from it. Of course even without John, the other forces above kick in, because the system keeping them from it is God—John as an absent god figure represents that from the get go). They talk about the “apple pie life” with fluctuating tones of want and disdain throughout the show depending on their circumstances, but any time they get close to tasting it (Sam’s time at Stanford, Dean’s djinn dream in What Is and What Should Never Be, Dean’s time with Lisa, Sam’s time with Amelia—notably those examples stop after the boys get the Bunker, which I have more meta about I’ll RB & tag later, because it’s the closest thing to a home the show allows them to have), it gets poisoned by their past and snatched away by their path to the future.

Which makes the themes of “family don’t end (or begin) in blood” so important. (Though… consider also that most of their found family dies or isn’t shown by the end).

The way they get their American dream— a home (the bunker), a job (hunting, legacies, a hacked credit card), a family (all their found family, including Jack and Cas) is unconventional. In Lebanon, when John “I want this to be over, I want Sam to go to school, I want Dean to have a home” Winchester tells Dean he wanted him to have a home and family, Dean fully accepts and verbalizes that this is the best the life is going to give them. And that’s beautiful, and they’ll do anything to protect that. They make their little found families repeatedly: Ash, who burns down with the Road House; Jo and Cas and Ellen and Bobby, their family photo burned after Jo and Ellen die in AHBL. Every version of family they get is torn apart but they don’t stop, to the point that God literally has to take away everyone- and they still don’t stop fighting.

There’s smaller ‘jokes’ throughout— Dean never getting pie (never getting the apple pie life), Mary’s pie being storebought instead of homemade as representative of the fact that her home life wasn’t “real”— it was borrowed time. Even the pie in finale, is horridly, literally, delivered as a pie in the face. A joke. The apple pie life Sam got in the end isn’t necessarily even because he wants it anymore (Sam tells Dean such throughout, though he’s a little harder to read), but because Dean wanted it for him. The life Dean got in the end was in death.

Going back to Kripke and The Hero’s Journey as presented in his era of S1-5, the ending really subverted the ideas from Pilot. Dean got the apple pie life (and suffered), Sam did the furthest thing possible from normal and TOOK BACK POSSESSION FROM LUCIFER TO JUMP INTO A CAGE HE KNEW HE’D BE LOCKED IN FOREVER to save the world.

Then you get Gamble doing some interesting things with Leviathan/monster as Capitalist force, literally bringing the Campbell in Joseph Campbell back with Mary’s extended family— notably, Sam only fits in among them at the time because he Wasn’t Sam, and Dean feels like an outsider both in Lisa’s home (on the surface he keeps it together, but the life holds on), and among them even when he is hunting. They make fun of him for the traces of the American Dream apple pie life (golf clubs, magazines… even things he can’t control, like the ‘delicate features’ he gets from his mother, who waged a normal life so badly she made a deal with a demon while he inhabited her father’s body—the force that kept her from a normal life. More later on Mary and how she’s revealed to not be able to stop hunting regardless). The Campbells get killed off, and we get Mary in the form of Eve, Mother of All, who likewise is trying to protect her children. Is soulless Sam’s return in Exile on Mainstreet a “call to adventure”, presented as more of the inevitable same from Pilot— one so close that it’s Dean’s fear, that Azazel is back and will continue the cycle with Lisa and Ben? Ultimately, it’s not Azazel, but other demons and the existence of monsters, those pre-existing systemic family forces that keep Dean from his supposed idealized version of a normal life.

Carver’s era does some interesting things with Amelia (whose flashback scenes are so brightly lit they bring to mind the false cheery lighting of Dean’s djinn dream in What Is and What Should Never Be, of the false light lighting in It’s a Terrible Life— to the point that some have theorized the whole thing was a cope hallucination by Sam), with Benny (who I have meta written about elsewhere I need to post on here— but Benny is one of the most self aware, narratively echoed characters who aligns himself with every member of Team Free Will in just a few episodes. The notable/relevant thing here is that like Sam, Benny the blood drinker is a freak among freaks, feeling like he doesn’t fit in anywhere, has no home, and when he tries to find it (Andrea Kormos, Elizabeth in Carencro), he can’t get it either), with even the angels being thrown from the only home they’ve ever known, with Cain and Death and Rowena and God as a broken family with Lucifer and Amara and Chuck-as-God.

And then you get Dabb’s era, bringing Mary Winchester/Campbell back, the chance to unfridge a woman and tearing all expectations about who she is down, never acknowledging her family was also resurrected at one point, the boys living as “Campbells” in Lebanon (which I loved, but the “I have a home and I have a family” gets kind of thrown away by the end), Dean’s “I have a home,” The Heroes Journey even being lampshaded in S15 with the episode with Garth (more thoughts on Garth and how that episode shows the only real American Dream on the show, and he got to keep it, doubly queered by the fact that they’re monsters who are also hunters). Dabb’s finale brought the Heroes Journey story circle back, quite literally in the sense that time is a flat circle and Sam and Dean are returned to their Pilot expectations— right down to their clothing choices in Heaven. (I know some people find that beautiful, and there is a nice symmetry to certain elements, and I understand the need to end the story that way, BUT it’s the broader story and structure and narrative and message that upsets and baffles me— it undoes Kripke’s whole “rip up the ending” bit, the subverted Hero’s Journey from S5, and combined with everything else in the show (not going to touch Heaven rn but I have Thoughts about that too), it sends the message that what meaning you create in life doesn’t matter (the found family (who we don’t see in the finale and barely gets acknowledged. SAM’s new family barely gets acknowledged, his son is a xerox of Dean and his wife is a blur in the background who doesn’t have any family photos in the home), the queered way in which they create the American dream doesn’t matter)— true happiness comes in death.)

Something something “the one thing I want is something I know I can’t have.” Cas’ confession is not only a confession to Dean but a show thesis. To me.

#supernatural meta #meta #supernatural

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bunker-usa1 · 11 hours

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Fallout shelters, Survival bunker, Luxury bunkers, Custom underground bunkers, Nuclear bunker, Underground home. Visit- www.bunkerusa.com, contact -234-286-5375

#Fallout shelters #Survival bunker #Luxury bunkers #Custom underground bunkers #Nuclear bunker #Underground home

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cloverdaisies · 6 months

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[🗝️] cloverdaisies’ navigation: the garden

➵ feel free to explore the garden & stay as long as you like ! ♡

[ (* )-my personal favorites / SEARCH! [🔎] FIC LIST SO FAR….. ]

‘TOSS YOUR DIRTY SHOES IN MY WASHING MACHINE HEART’

➵ OT11 / MULTIPLE MEMBERS

nowhere to run ⊹ horror *

— if the landline rings, remember to answer the questions 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. you don’t want to be locked in a house with a masked killer. a tbz au based on & inspired by (scream 1996).

black heart ⊹ thriller

— a mysterious trio rules the night, masked in balaclavas armed with whatever they could get their hands on… one favor can reveal a whole lot more than you expect. this is not your first visit to the black hearted universe.

… NEXT

96’ ➵ SANGYEON

insanity ⊹ angst

— “i want you to make the darkness disappear. i want to drive to crazy. my love is dangerous.”

how to build perfect humans ⊹ thriller / romance * 2.3k

— somewhere in the f u t u r e, undercover agents are trailing the government creation of microchips, inserted into the human brain to collect information in order create a generation of ai that will infiltrate and eventually eliminate all need for the last survivors of the human race. time is ticking…

… NEXT

97’ ➵ YOUNGHOON

gingerbread man ⊹˚. fluff / 0.8k

— “a late night stroll through the xmas markets with boyfriend!younghoon, carols being sung in the distance, the smell of freshly baked gingerbread men and children building snowmen nearby; the feeling of christmas.”

… NEXT

97’ ➵ HYUNJAE

hey chat! ⊹ fluff / streamer au

— two streamers get paired to win a competition between their fellow streamers! most popular man on the app, jae.mp3 ! gets paired with smaller streamer y.n.xi ! will they win? or will they not be able to work together at all? let’s see how they get on! <3

… NEXT

98’ ➵ JUYEON

slow it down ⊹ thriller

— hi (your name) you’ve been invited to play RACEFORTIME! do you accept yes or no? nerve au

nearly witches ⊹ angst

christmas lights ⊹ angst / fluff / 2k+

— the city was lonely, as they say home is where the heart is. as you return to see your childhood friends for the annual christmas get together, old faces resurface unhealed wounds that you wish you could rewind

series: genesis angst / fluff / post apocalyptic au

— ‘the world was destroyed by nuclear warfare, 177 years later the only survivors were those living in a large system of underground bunkers, with food supply running short and rationing proving no longer effective. the higher council decide to send the younger generation of juveniles to the surface to test the earth’s survivability.’

… NEXT

98’ ➵ KEVIN

earth to kevin ⊹ fluff / safe place au

— the boy that lives in outerspace has to make contact with the real world eventually, this short piece documents his small amount of contact with earth. when someone with a raincloud over their world collides with someone that lives in complete disassociation from reality.

… NEXT

98’ ➵ CHANHEE

# ur such an emo! ⊹˚. angst / fluff * / 4.1k+

— “a preppy boy meets his unconventional match in one of the school’s most hated emo’s. from lab partners to cleaning buddies: the events that caused social royalty to fall in love with someone from the very bottom of the high school food chain.”

… NEXT

98’ ➵ CHANGMIN

wish you were sober ⊹ angst / suggestive.

— “nineteen but you act 25 now. real sweet but i wish you were sober.” a ji changmin very lightly suggestive? angst? based on conan gray’s wish you were sober.

art class ⊹ fluff * 5k+

—“your crush on your art professor might be affecting your grades, he was just perfect but you’re just a student. how you accidentally fell in love with art class for the wrong reasons…”

… NEXT

00’ ➵ SUNWOO

media studies ⊹ fluff / diary au

— this document contains a letter to the pretty boy who sits quietly in the back of a poorly lit media studies classroom. ☆

fantasize ⊹ suggestive

— “i fantasize about it all the time if you were mine.. ♪” there was something about your coworker that made you want him, maybe it was his cherry red lips or every charming word that slipped from them - whatever it was, you couldn’t resist. ʚїɞ

piece of string ⊹ fluff

— dear sunwoo, autumn nights are always better when they’re spent with you. please don’t hide yourself, you know you’re safe with me.

… NEXT

00’ ➵ ERIC

trouble to me ⊹ suggestive ish

— should’ve known he was a bad guy, maybe all the red flags would be a good sign? are you really gonna let eric sohn take you on a test drive?

how to survive senior year ⊹˚. fluff * 5k+

— a chaotic how to guide on surviving high school with an 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 crush on the skater boy with the locker next to urs.

COMING SOON…

97’ ➵ JACOB

𝗈𝗈𝗉𝗌 ! 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝖾𝗍!

99’ ➵ HAKNYEON

𝗈𝗈𝗉𝗌 ! 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝖾𝗍!

‘I KNOW WHO YOU PRETEND I AM’

I KNOW.. WHO YOU PRETEND I AM’

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gentlyrowan · 4 days

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welcome to

THE EMBRACE

The heart and most secure enclave of the Nora tribe is All-Mother Mountain and the surrounding valley, known as All-Mother's Embrace. It's located southwest of Devil's Thirst, which we know from a Vantage Point to be Colorado Springs. I don't know whether any official sources confirm it, but I am strongly of the opinion (and the Horizon Wiki agrees) that All-Mother Mountain is

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN S.P.

The mountain and park are named for the indigenous people group forcibly removed from Colorado's Front Range in the 1860s.

A hundred years later, as a part of Cold War defense efforts, NORAD constructed a hardened facility inside the mountain – specially designed to be resistant to earthquakes, EMP, and nuclear explosions – for use as its command and control center. More recently, the Cheyenne Mountain Complex has additionally become a United States Space Force installation.

Fans of Stargate SG-1 will recognize the iconic entrance to the facility in which the show set the secret location of Stargate Command.

The Cheyenne people's history stretches from the Great Lakes to the Great Plains, with a large and influential role amongst the tribes of North America. Today, they make up two nations: the Northern Cheyenne in Montana and the Southern Cheyenne in Oklahoma.

The Cheyenne language is in the Algonquian language group, but the name Cheyenne derives from a Dakota Sioux exonym (a name given to a people, place, or language from outside that culture).

Learn more about the Cheyenne people here:

The complex is not open to the general public, but you can visit Cheyenne Mountain State Park if you're feeling nostalgic for the beautiful landscape of the earliest sequences of Horizon Zero Dawn.

Bonus "Personal Touch" Tour Guide Anecdote

My favorite thing about this location is how quickly my mom (not a gamer, but a Stargate fan and a word nerd) put it together when I told her this post-post-apocalyptic people group made their home atop a bunker in a mountain and were called the NORA.

1968 Public Domain Photo

#horizon zero dawn #nora sacred land #gaming tourism #horizon landscapes #horizon locations #guerrilla games #nora tribe #all mother #all mother mountain #all mother's embrace #aloy #varl #rost #sona #vala #teb

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deepouterspacecandy · 14 days

Text

Fallout: Part 2

All's fair in love and nuclear war but maybe there’s hope where you least expect it.

Violence and sexual themes. All my works are 18+ only.

Inside the confines of your desolate bunker, you’ve witnessed the fleeting presence of things you once cherished: your family, your sanity, that beloved tennis ball.

In this place, it seems nearly impossible to hold onto memories, as if the bombings have somehow affected your ability to retain information. One detail remains vivid—the sensation of that stupid yellow ball rolling around your sneakers as your parents sped towards the fallout shelter, their panicked voices fading into a blur. The conversation never seemed to end, their words painting a bleak picture of an impending loss.

Instinctively, you reached down to grab the one item that stood out on the truck floor.

Witnessing the crumbling world through the passenger window, the smell of rubber and felt brought an unexpected sense of calm. Neglected for years, the tennis ball had rolled free from its container, a relic of your parents’ short-lived obsession with becoming tennis pros.

Before that, it was badminton. Shortly thereafter, bouldering. The stand-up paddle board and the kayak. Each summer, they would try a different activity to unite the family, only to be left with a garage full of shattered ambitions. Opting to throw money at a promise was a simpler choice than the act of raising children with affluent spoils of quality time.

You had grown accustomed to the jagged emptiness that masqueraded as a happy home. Those illusions of grandeur that left you a carved, hollow pumpkin rotting away on the wooden steps. Your mother excelled at the sport of chronic stress organizing, perhaps the only venture she committed to—so by the time your friends came over to play, she’d transformed your home into a treasure trove of familial joy that you had to acquaint yourself with. A façade you came to expect when the promise of company lingered on the horizon.

Given the chance, you would have willingly stuffed yourself into your friends’ backpacks to flee.

The experience of being trapped together in close quarters amplified both the virtues and flaws of all involved until everything eventually dissolved into a haunting silence. It was a reality that initially seemed terrible but turned out to be quite familiar after all.

Disdain for sports aside, you’re loathed to feel a profound longing for that damn ball.

You find yourself missing the percussive sounds it created as it bounced down the hallway in breathless pops, losing momentum and softly rebounding.

It was the beginning of a hobby that you became passionate about.

As you greet the mountain of bottles you’ve amassed, another vestige of the old world quickly disintegrating, you wonder if Abby tried building a bowling alley too, inspired by your design.

The bowling alley, which once served as the only hallway in your bunker, is a noteworthy tripping hazard now that it has lost all purpose. Since it stopped being a functional hallway the very moment you entered but could no longer turn back, you wager the tunnel is not carrying its weight, and it irritates you.

It isn’t for lack of trying on your part, either.

In an effort to reinvent the sport without the tennis ball, you experimented with a rolled-up pair of socks as a stand-in. However, that approach proved ineffective before it got off the ground. Undeterred, you then tried to enhance the original concept by stuffing the socks with rice. This not only resulted in a waste of precious preserves, but it created the additional hindrance of cleaning up the spilled carbohydrates until your untimely death.

You’re still finding stray grains of your failed design at the edge of your tattered carpet.

Filling the bottles themselves and launching them at their own kin provided a flit of thrilling excitement until weariness settled in from their repeated collisions with the walls.

They just didn't move with the same fluidity.

With that being said, you can’t help but wonder what it means to hold the family record for the longest commitment to one activity, a feat that sets you apart from them, surely.

If only that ball hadn't vanished without a trace.

With a dejected gesture, you wave your hands in the air and blurt, "I refuse to look for you again. Not a chance!"

The echo of your voice has you reaching for your sweater.

Truth be told, you have searched every nook and cranny for the stupid thing.

As long as the ball knows, it doesn't matter if nobody else hears it—the search party has been officially called off.

When the computer chimes, your body reacts so quickly that your skeleton seems to reach the chair before the rest of you.

A: I've got it all figured out!

⚡️: Care to elaborate?

A: I found a better game!

Sharing your troubles with Abby came naturally. In her quest to unravel every aspect of your life, you've spent countless late nights in her company. The thought that she genuinely pondered your conundrum stirs up a gentle flutter between your ribs.

⚡️: Better than bowling? Nonsense.

A: Hear me out, yeah? Radiation roulette.

⚡️: So that’s a hard pass, and I will not hear you out. I can already tell it’s a bad idea. Next!

You glance at the tabletop mirror and notice yourself smiling around your spoon, a polished shine as the light bounces off its surface. With Abby present, the rehydrated cereal somehow takes on a noticeably sweeter flavour.

A: Okay, fair. I kind of expected that. Toxic tango? It’s a movement-based game.

⚡️: Do you mean dance? It’s a dance-based game?

A: Don’t you mock me, bunker girl! We’re spitballing here.

Her words have a magical effect, filling you with an irresistible desire to experience them in her voice. You strain to bring Abby to life in your mind, but all you hear are snippets of dialogue from the 80s films faintly playing in the background.

⚡️: Fine, I’ll hear you out, but only because your first idea was truly terrible. Tell me about Toxic Tango.

A: That’s as far as I got. Has a ring to it though, right?

Since meeting her, you've giggled more than you have in the past twenty years, and it instantly saddens you she wasn't someone you crossed paths with on your way to the bunker or had the privilege of growing up with.

⚡️: I wish you were hitchhiking the day we fled.

A: Did you get into the wine again? Are we a little tipsy?

⚡️: I’m no day drinker, Abigail! What do you take me for?

A: Maybe it’s nighttime, you don’t know.

The lighthearted quip bears the traumatic weight of artificial time and it’s a quick lead shawl over your shoulders.

Suppose it's nighttime and your clocks are no longer accurately calibrated to the outside world. While it may not have a major impact on your overall life, it's still nagging at the back of your mind.

A: I thought about it all night.

⚡️: Wine?

A: No, you goofball. Fuck the wine.

⚡️: What, then?

You haven't asked Abby why she takes a while to respond sometimes, assuming it's because she's engaged in the same process of typing and deleting sentences to perfect her thoughts. The more time you spend with her, the more curious you become about even the most mundane things.

A: You, mostly. Our conversations kept replaying in my mind. This feeling that maybe we were supposed to know each other. Is that weird?

⚡️: Being trapped in doomsday bunkers under the earth is weird. I’m not sure what this is, yet. I know I haven’t laughed like this in a long time. Maybe ever.

A: I’d kill to hear your laugh.

⚡️: Oh, it’s super annoying. Think… cackling witch left all alone with a canister of helium.

While it isn't true, you certainly wouldn't claim to be the ultimate authority on what makes up the world's most alluring laughter. Still, you’d bet your last dollar that Abby's laugh is the kind you could listen to for a lifetime.

A: Damn. That’s pretty sexy. I’d risk radiation sickness for that.

⚡️: You’re ridiculous.

The conversation stalls, leaving you unsure if she’s lost in thought, contemplating her response, or if the connection is faltering.

Your skin hums at the realization that somewhere nearby, another human being is curled up in front of her computer screen, sharing her moments of life with you.

A: I better hit the weights before I lose daylight, but I’ll sign back on tonight, okay? Will you be around?

⚡️: Hold on. I’ll have to check my schedule. I’ve just got so much going on, you know? All these pressing matters and such.

A: I totally get it. Take your time.

You swivel in your chair for a few rotations and sneak a quick glance at the clock. One minute should suffice. Anything more than that is a waste of valuable time.

⚡️: I guess I can shuffle a few things around.

A: I’d sure appreciate that. Man, you really dragged that out for dramatic effect. I’m actually starting to sweat a bit.

If the ache blooming from your jaw to your cheekbones is any indication, you hope she’s sharing the same rush of giddiness.

⚡️: I should hit the treadmill so I can catch up!

A: I’d never turn down a good workout partner. Do you lift?

There are dumbbell racks hidden in this dungeon, but you can count on one hand how many times you’ve lifted them. And those few attempts were merely efforts to rearrange the space for a more rejuvenating atmosphere.

⚡️: Not really. I take it you like to stay active.

A: You could say that. My dad used to joke that it helped me keep things from getting too dark between the ears.

You ponder if Abby's sorrow mirrors the collective weight that descends upon humanity when the world collapses, or if her struggles stem from a distinct form of depression.

It makes you want to wrap your arms around her and absorb some of her grief.

⚡️: Was he right?

A: He was, but I wanted to keep them safe, too. Be the protector, as corny as that sounds. My mom didn’t understand it, even after everything fell apart. Some things never change, right?

⚡️: She didn’t want you to take on that role or something?

A: I think she just wanted me to be more like her. But I kept throwing curve balls, you know? She wasn’t ready to catch them. I guess it doesn’t make much of a difference anymore.

The two of you, hailing from different paths, share a connection rooted in the mutual understanding of pain. Perhaps this wasteland of solitude is not as lonely as it seems.

⚡️: I’m decent with a mitt. If you want, I’ll take a crack at it.

A: Oh, I’d pick you to be on my baseball team, any day of the week. I really should get my ass in the gym, though.

⚡️: We’re on for dinner tonight?

A: It’s a date. I’ll even wear my best tie for you.

It's been a while since you've had an appetite, but your hunger is making a comeback.

"So, she's the type to rock a suit and tie," you whisper. “I’m screwed.”

The cardio machine, though covered in a fuzzy veneer of dust, should still be operational unless it harbours tangible resentment from being neglected all these years.

It’s unclear why you haven’t thought of it as a solution to ease your mental woes until now, but maybe it’s worth giving it a shot, alleviating the restlessness if nothing else.

You adjust the settings on the panel to set your pace and it comes alive with a mechanical groan. The thought crosses your mind that you’re not dressed for physical activity, but you suppose being completely naked would matter little in the long run.

If the dull chore of laundry didn’t help you pass the time, you’d consider it.

Even at a reduced pace, you can feel the surge of energy in your blood and the accelerated rhythm of your heart. You're not going anywhere, but you're constantly in motion and it dwindles your worries into a fine mist. When adrenaline hits, it’s like honey sliding on glass, and the temptation to go even faster prompts you to do just that.

With the motor whirring, your footsteps pound the treadmill belt as the speed increases. You close your eyes, and the crisp morning air playfully tousles your windswept hair as you dash through a meadow brimming with blossoms.

“Oh shit,” you pant. “I could get used to this!"

Just when you think you couldn't possibly feel more alive, a yellow ball rolls out from beneath the machine.

#abby the last of us #abby tlou #abby x fem!reader #abby x reader #abby x you #tlou abby #lesbian #abby anderson #tlou part 2

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