#if these things can pull an entire town into a different dimension
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Dc x dp short idea 64
The situation in amity is revealed because of Mr.Lancer.
After the ghost hospital situation, the beauty plangent kidnapping, and the time while he took the students on a camping trip he’s had enough.
Mr. Lancer reports his concerns to the justice league hotline.
#dc comcis#danny phantom#danny fenton#dp x dc#dc x dp#dp dc crossover#dp x dc crossover#dp x dc prompt#justice league#dc x dp prompt#mr lancer#mr lancer is a good teacher#he cares a lot#so he reports it#if these things can pull an entire town into a different dimension#ther are a threat#especially to his students#especially to Danny#Danny always seems to be at the center of it
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Liminal Amity Park
Danny is being crowned Ghost King soon. The entire town, as they are protected members of his Haunt, is invited. Danny has told his parents about him being Phantom, they set up a press conference for Phantom to tell the town they were invited.
This is an Amity that has come to terms with the fact the dead float along the streets. An Amity that realized around the time the town was pulled into another dimension that their lives were never going to be normal again. The Fenton's build a portal large enough for a tractor trailer to drive through in the center of the city that lets out in a newly formed town in what previously was the wasteland in front of Pariah's Keep. It's the new capital of the Ghost Zone and Phantom's Keep.
The newly formed ghost town and Amity essentially evolve together until they're essentially the same town but half of it is in another dimension. The human residents start to notice they're a bit more durable. Their eyes glow and teeth sharpen when angry. The realize they're ecto-contaminated.
So, to keep it from happening elsewhere, the Fenton's put a giant shield that filters out ectoplasm so it doesn't contaminate the air, water or ground outside of the bubble. They have a giant wall built around the city and distribution centers set up just outside of town so shipments can still be received so they don't run out of supplies.
There are shops in the newly dubbed Ghastburg that sell things thought lost to time. Dishes that people have only ever read about are available at little mom and pop shops run by ghosts whose obsession is cooking. Ghosts whose obsessions were collecting rare plants had seeds that they now could grow in Amity because the Ghost Zone didn't have proper sunlight. Fiber arts and blacksmithing techniques that died out now have new people learning them. A ghost with a similar obsession to Skulker but instead basically ran a zoo now has people they can infodump on about the rare or extinct species they have collected throughout the centuries.
Just, humans and ghosts thriving together and building a community and accepting that they are just a bit different and that's okay.
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Do you have any recommendations for games in the western genre? Or western fantasy/sci-fi? Absolutely can’t get enough of the combination of cowboys and six shooters, steampunk, and magic fantasy. I’m considering writing my own setting for DnD5E that combines these elements.
Theme: Fantastic Westerns
Friend, I think I've collected a real tight bunch of winners here, so I'm confident you'll find something that really scratches that itch you've got!
Wicked West, by Finch Edmund.
Wicked West is a PbtA game by Finch Edmund (they/them) about paranormal cowboys. It combines classic monsters with the backdrop of the old west and is meant to be played with at least two players with one player taking the role of Game Master. Wicked West is made to tell stories similar to the westerns of the 1940s-1960s about small towns and the struggles of life with a horror twist.
If you like combining monsters with your westerns, this is the game for you. It looks like you combine a couple of different options to make your character playbook, which is something I’m personally pretty jazzed about when it comes to creating characters. One interesting thing about Wicked West is the relationship your cowboy has with their horse: a vampire might feed off of their steed, while a witch can cast spells on their horse to run faster. If you don't mind a bit of a horror flavor to your Western, this might be the game for you.
Wizards of the Wild West, by ckellyrpg.
Wizards of the Wild West is an action-oriented TTRPG that combines fantasy magic with classic Wild West themes. It is powered by the LUMEN system, and takes heavy inspiration from looter-shooter games such as Destiny.
LUMEN is still a game that I’m excited to try out, so seeing it tagged onto a western game about wizards made me take a second look. This is a game for a raucous good time; you’ll be pulling off sweet character combos, with easy-to-understand breakdowns of each character class. Right now the game is still in development, but it’s still considered playable, so if you get it now it might have more content for you down the road!
We Deal in Lead, by Odin’s Beard.
You look to those closest to you, fellow gunslingers of the Order of the King. The arduous trek across the bleached desert is over and now you stand before a slip door. Though tested, the fellowship of your Order stands true.
You grasp the worn sandalwood grip of your artefact gun and twist open the door. You gasp as the sharp sea air hits your lungs. Gulls caw and the foam sprays your face like a baptism. You step through to another reality.
After all, there are other worlds than these.
We Deal In Lead comes highly recommended to me by folks who like the OSR scene. It’s based off of Cairn, a well-beloved fantasy system, and if you got the TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida bundle, you already have a copy!
The setting is meant to be somewhat post-apocalyptic, but the barriers between your world and others are thin, causing threats (and allies) from other dimension to have a chance to enter your world. The game focuses on combat, exploration and survival, and it’s almost completely compatible with anything released for Cairn.
If you like what you see so far with this game, you might also want to check out Omega City, a weird west city setting, still in ashcan form.
Vampire Cowboys, by Maddy Searle.
You are a gang of outlaws in the Wild West. You have a lot to contend with: enemy gangs, law enforcement, wild animals, and… did I mention? You’re also vampires. You must figure out how to survive in this harsh land, where “justice” is often swift and violent. Will you blend in with the crowd, and hide your vampiric side in an attempt to live as a gun-toting cowboy? Or will you give in to your monstrous urges and use your supernatural powers, making yourself known as a vampire? It’s entirely up to you.
This game premise is simple and easy to describe: you are vampires who are also cowboys. You live in a world where everything wants you dead, and you’re constantly fighting the parts of you that make you monstrous. The mechanics are very familiar if you’ve every come across a Lasers & Feelings game: a couple pages to read and you’re off to the races, ready to play.
Reboot Hill, by Groovy Dad Games.
REBOOT HILL is a sci-fi Western TTRPG set in the "Future West" of the far flung Hill-Ceballos System. When a war back on Earth results in a cyber-attack that frees all of the bots in the Hill-Ceballos, things go bad for the humans right quick. In the aftermath, bots have got to rely on their shooting irons and their processors to make their way in this new, post-human frontier.
REBOOT HILL is a card-driven tabletop role-playing game in which players portray "Aces"--bots with advanced AI that find themselves on the right or wrong side of the law.
Finally, a space western! Here’s a card-based game with a plethora of character options, including mechanical upgrades, as well as weapons and vehicles. You’re mainly going to be bounty hunters, chasing after varmints and villains so that you can scrape together a living. If you want a game whose game mechanics make you feel liked you’re sitting at a poker table, you should check out Reboot Hill.
Clink, by Technical Grimoire.
Clink is a tabletop RPG about drifters, the creeds that bring them together, and the history that drives them apart. This game uses coins to tell a story inspired by spaghetti westerns, ronin tales, and shows like Firefly or Supernatural.
Characters begin as rough sketches of the shifty sort you’d see in an old Western or Noir film. They all start as blank slates, their histories unknown. Tell stories about their past and create your character as you play.
I’m a big fan of Technical Grimoire, especially their expertly-designed Troika setting, Bones Deep. Clink isn’t Troika - it uses coins as a storytelling mechanic - but it’s very setting-flexible, as seen in the variety of the starting scenarios provided.
The game is also non-linear: throughout play your characters will experience flashbacks, which will help flesh out who they are as you play, and tell us something about who they used to be. You’ll start the game with two coins, which you can spend to gain a flashback, but you can also flip them to try and succeed at various tasks. As you play, you’ll also gain coins using a mechanic called a Trigger - bad habits that get them into trouble.
If you want a fresh set of rules to play around with in a flexible setting that stays true to the woes of outlaws and other Western tropes, I heavily recommend Clink.
Boondock Cartomancy, by Hookline & Sinker.
The consequences of westward expansion rear their head. Desolate, inhospitable, and unpredictable - the Outbacks are a ravaged desert, a wild tundra, an ancient tomb. Host to a plethora of unknown variables and formed from the corpses of failure, it’s a hotbed for the lawless, the corrupt, and the lost. Conditions for growing a corporate empire couldn’t be more ideal.
BOONDOCK CARTOMANCY is a tabletop roleplaying game about personal growth in a cruel and inhospitable wasteland, backlit with Western cowboys wielding powerful and unpredictable magic. It’s a game about reflecting upon the world and systems of exploitation we live in, and using ancient spells to blow up a caravan of criminals in a climactic shootout. It’s a game about interfacing with the human condition, and feeling cool as shit while doing it.
This game looks so cool! You are brokers, going on dangerous jobs in a hostile frontier, giving your characters objectives to complete while also exploring the way colonialism forces so many folks to act as simply cogs in a larger, uncaring machine. The game also gives you a fantasy to explore, by granting your characters card-based magic skills, and replacing their hit points with a luck meter. The game itself also has a really clever layout, presenting itself like an old-fashioned newspaper, with pieces of advertisements sprinkled throughout to give you bits of lore about the world. All in all, definitely worth checking out.
Former Rec Posts to Check Out
Rootin’, Tootin’ and Shootin.
Space Westerns.
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- you sunshine, you temptress
Tess Servopoulos x Female reader
Request- already in like Jackson, and so Ellie and Joel live together but Tess doesn’t. They’re new in town so they’re still not used to the whole nice civilized thing, but the reader is her nice neighbor who wears her down. She plants stuff and even like cooks for tess. But she’s not a wimp either, very skilled with guns and stuff. Just a fic where they meet and like reader takes care of Tess. Smut too if you want
A/N- I took this request and ran with it. It took me a long ass time I apologise but I do really like how this turned out. It became far more angsty than I’m sure you wanted it to be but. Here we are. I wanted to explore an idea that Tess didn’t like Jackson and took time to adjust, didn’t really like reader as well. Tess leaning to adjust and love and be loved. Also in transferring this over none of my italics saved and I could’nt be fucked to go back through this again and add them back lmao
Warnings- 18+ | tess is quite low for the majority of this, canon compliant discussions of death and violence, vague/ implied smut (wc- 13.2k )
Tess masterlist | AO3 - Tess requests are open but not currently top priority
SPRING
Tess didn’t like Jackson. Not at first. The drastic change from Boston to the nomadic lifestyle she had been living with Ellie and Joel as they crossed the country had been difficult enough. But to then transfer to something so wildly different from both of those things? Yeah. It took some getting used to.
She didn’t quite know what she had been expecting really. Maybe something like Boston but without the soldiers. Small pockets of people doing their own things to get by, together for safety but nothing much else. Not the working, thriving town she had walked into. Not the cleanliness, the stores, the diner, the hot water- that apparently was only a little temperamental in the colder months compared to year round like Boston- and clean clothes. Jobs. Families. Farming. She felt like she was in an alternate dimension.
She didn’t like the way everyone was so… cheerful. Which was a weird thing to say, but it was true. Because it threw her off.
She had developed her own bubble of happiness with Joel and Ellie over the months. They laughed together at Ellie’s shitty jokes, shared in her joy when she found a can of ravioli she liked. But would be stoney faced in an instant to protect each other. Joel and Ellie she loved like family, they were her family. She was used to warm smiles from them, a desire to be near her and talk to her. She wasn’t used to it from others.
Other people were scared of her. They moved out of her way and they did as she asked. They kept their heads down in case they upset her and they didn’t cross her path. But not in Jackson. No.
They smiled at her in the street, asked her how she was, said good morning.
And it spooked her. She didn’t like it. And she hated that she didn’t. That she had become so hardened that genuine kindness scared her. Because no one was kind anymore. No one showed care unless they wanted something else in return.
So she didn’t know how to take it. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do with the new found trust people had in her, their ease at having her around. To her surprise Joel didn’t seem to be struggling as much. He had Tommy back after all and that seemed to be easing his discomfort. Ellie was fitting in… kinda. Her colourful vocabulary and brashness had put some of the kids off at first. But they seemed to be warming to her now.
So it was just her. Trapped in some odd isolated headspace where she didn’t quite know what to do. She didn’t mention it to Joel, didn’t want to interfere with him and Tommy as they rebuilt their relationship again. Maria had tried to pull Tess into things more, and Tess liked her. Maria didn’t take shit, she had power and was in charge. People respected her. And she didn’t let Tess mope around for too long either.
But even Maria couldn’t quite pull her out of that disconnected state completely.
Part of her felt she was being ungrateful. She was alive and as safe as anyone could possibly hope to be in the current climate. Joel was alive. Ellie was alive. She was alive. But there was just… something.
Maybe a sick part of her missed it. Missed Boston. But then again maybe it wasn’t so sick. She hadn’t liked Boston really. But spending so long in one place would always make it hard to leave behind. Even the things she had so often complained about. She found she couldn’t even sleep on her new bed, Jackson having been looked after for so long that the mattress was actually still soft. She was too used to the lumpy one in the zone, and sleeping on the ground for months.
She’d been sleeping on the couch since she’d arrived. If she even managed to sleep at all, unable to fall asleep on the soft sheets and bed.
She missed her power too. Got tetchy when she thought about who was running operations back in the zone now. Who was living in her and Joel’s apartment, had they found their stash? Who was selling her shit and walking around like she had? She had to remind herself she shouldn’t care. That wasn’t her life anymore. It never would be again. Boston was a distant memory she needed to put to rest.
But it was difficult.
The new house felt too big. The town too clean. The people too nice. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do with herself. She mildly regretted living separately from Joel. Just out of… familiarity. She wasn’t used to such an open space to herself. Even before the outbreak the house she had shared with her husband and son hadn’t been so big. And she had had two other bodies to fill the space.
In Boston that tiny apartment she had had Joel to fill the gaps.
But she knew she couldn’t impose on him any longer. Joel was handsome and mellowing. He would no doubt find someone in town… and she couldn’t be the one to stand in the way of that. Especially seeing as she herself had no desire to go there. Their relationship had always been purely platonic and she had no intention of changing that.
So when Maria had asked, she had taken her own place. Ellie had taken the garage. They all had their own space. But those two seemed far better at living in it than she was.
It had taken that stark shift though for her to realise that maybe she simply wasn’t made for being alone. She had met her husband in college. They had moved in together immediately after, and had their son young. Then she’d fallen into the group heading for Boston, met Joel… she’d never really been alone.
Though she also wasn’t particularly doing anything to change that either. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. Back in Boston she’d get lonely from time to time, would go out and pick someone up with ease. Now? She didn’t know where that confidence had gone.
She felt people looking at her when she ventured out. She knew she wasn’t exactly unattractive, she knew people liked to look. But she had no desire to pursue. She didn’t even entertain them for a second. And they all grew bored of trying and moved on.
Everyone was friendly enough, but some kept their distance when they realised she wasn’t the… happiest of people. But one person didn’t let the permanent frown glued to Tess’ face deter them.
You.
You lived across the street from her, would wave hello every morning when Tess ventured out to find out what tasks Maria had to keep her busy for the day. You’d smile. You’d say hello. You even left her things on the porch.
And you liked flowers.
She gathered that pretty quickly. The window boxes were full, potted bushes and blooms littered your porch and edge of the dirt path street. It made her own place look incredibly dull. But maybe that was fitting.
She’d never been one for flowers. So expensive for them to just sit and wilt away in a vase, to be left with nothing but some crisped petals and dead stems within a week. So amongst the sandwiches and pies left at her door, the odd flowering embellishments she knew came from you.
A lot of people in town left stuff for her and Joel, to welcome them. To give them things they needed. She didn’t like accepting any of it. She didn’t like the feeling of… owing people. Feeling like they would have a hold over her, that they had given her a new jacket so now she owed them something. That you had left her a pie so now you were owed something too.
So she left the majority of it exactly where it was placed on the porch, Maria being the one to bring them inside for her.
“ You are gonna attract every damn animal in town if you keep leaving this stuff on your porch Tess “ Maria used as a greeting when Tess opened the door one morning, seeing the woman standing there with what seemed to be a loaf in her hands “ and wasting food? Really? Especially this? Now this looks delicious. Still warm too “ Tess scoffed but before she could speak she heard your voice.
“ Good morning Maria! Good morning Tess! “ she looked over Maria’s shoulder to see you jogging down your porch steps and waving, thankfully turning to walk into town rather than try and start a conversation
“ morning hun “ Maria responded with a smile, glancing over to Tess when she ignored you as she always did.
“ what? “ Maria sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in the way she so often did when she was at her wits end. Usually with Ellie and Joel’s bickering.
“ I’ve told you a million times. We all get along here. It’s a small town Tess, you can’t have grudges. Or.. at least public ones. I have a few secret ones myself “ Tess sighed and stepped back to let Maria inside, who only sighed too when she eyed the blanket on the couch “ you’re still sleeping on the couch? “
Tess brushed her off and grabbed her boots from by the door, sitting down to pull them on. She could already sense another of Maria’s lectures brewing, and the headache pulsing behind her temples made her hope she’d hold off on it.
“ I just fell asleep there I was… reading “ Maria did not seem even remotely convinced and walked through to place the bread down in the kitchen.
“ And what’s with the silent treatment with the doll across the street? “
“ she’s too… happy “ Maria laughed and shook her head
“ She's harmless. She’s kind “
“ she’s fuckin annoying “ Maria’s eyebrows flew up and she gave a small laugh again
“ Theresa “ it sounded almost scolding. Tess scoffed at that “ you sound like Ellie “ Tess scoffed again. Fucking Ellie?
“ calling me a kid now Maria? “
“ yeah. Cause you’re acting like one “ she sighed and stood with her hands on her hips, the way that told anyone nearby that she meant business. To shut the fuck up and listen to her “ you’re here now. And you need to stop isolating yourself “ she walked over to her and placed a hand to her arm, a gentle comforting squeeze “ I know it’s hard. I do. But you have to try “
She knew she did. She was just stubborn and stuck in her ways. And you really were… peppy. One of those people that seemed constantly in a good mood, seeing the world through rose tinted glasses and trying to spread your joy.
Tess’ own glasses had smashed a long long time ago. And she saw no reason for the amount of joy you seemed to hold.
“ I’m trying “
“ Try harder then “ Maria said before folding her arms and tilting her head a little as she watched her “ what’s going on with you? “ Tess stood up again and ran a hand through her hair, wishing she knew. Wishing she had the words to explain.
But how could she? How could she tell Maria that she wanted to go home? She wanted Boston back. That she felt out of place in Jackson and had never felt as lonely as she did in her entire life.
“ I’m fine. I’m just tired. Shall we go? “ Maria didn’t seem convinced but nodded, following her outside.
It was a nice day. Spring was in full swing now, in the weeks between Salt Lake City and settling into town the chill of winter had finally disappeared. She could see daffodils sprouting in the window boxes of your house. Her own were barron.
“ I’ve put you on farming rotation today. Sounds good? “ she nodded “ okay. It’s easy enough. Pot things, label things, pull things. It’s quite therapeutic “ she’d be the judge of that one.
She followed Maria around to the greenhouses, watching how people greeted her and smiled when they saw her. She didn’t know whether she was jealous or annoyed.
“ okay. Greenhouse 4, shouldn’t take more than a couple hours. When you’ve finished in there come find me if you want to help out some more. Okay? "She followed where Maria was pointing and stopped when she spotted someone already inside greenhouse 4.
“ are you fuckin kidding me Maria“
You.
Maria smiled and squeezed her shoulders, leaning close to her ear
“ Be nice “ Tess scoffed and turned to try and beg her to assign her anywhere else but there, but Maria was already walking off.
“ Maria- “
“ be. Nice! “
“ fuck “ she gave a frustrated huff and headed into the greenhouse, you turned around at the sound with that usual beaming smile on your face. She didn’t have the energy for this today. Didn’t have the energy for you.
“ Oh hi. I didn’t know I was paired with you today “ she stood not really knowing what she was supposed to do, annoyance practically steaming out of her ears “ you wanna get that side and I’ll continue with this side? Seeds are in that bag there, compost and soil is there, tools in the crate under the table. Okay? “
She gave a small nod and headed for the crate of tools, pulling out a small trowel and grabbing a pot. But she found her hands refusing to move. Simply staring down at the equipment in her hands. It felt like a weight was pushing down on her shoulders, crushing her chest, turning all of her muscles to lead.
“ I thought Maria would’ve had you trained up for patrols by now “ you said lightly, the sound of your trowel filling another pot “ from what I’ve heard your pretty handy with a gun “
What had you heard?
“ yeah “ she said, almost having to force herself to reply “ soon… they don’t like new people straight on patrol “ her hands still wouldn’t move.
“ figures. You could always ask her to put you on my regular route at first if you like. It’s one of the busier ones, you seem a little stressed. And well blowing the head off a clicker might be beneficial “ you laughed as you said it but quite frankly she felt you were right.
She didn’t like being unarmed. Adults in town were allowed to own their own weapons but weren’t to bring them out of their house unless they were heading on patrol. Her back pocket felt too empty without her gun there. Her fingers itched to hold it, if only for the familiarity of the metal on her fingers.
“ or why don’t you see if she’ll assign you on the hunting crew? Shooting rabbits isn’t exactly as fun as putting down clickers but. You know it’s something “ you seemed fully convinced that the answer to Tess’ supposed stress was killing something one way or another.
What had you heard about her? Who had been talking?
“ right “ she still hadn’t potted a single seed, some unmoving crushing sense of dread still heavy on her shoulders.
She didn’t know why the weight of her problems was weighing her down so heavily in the last few days. She didn’t know why she couldn’t just adjust to Jackson. Why was she feeling more anxious and depressed in the safest possible place she could be, than when she had been living under the looming threat of being murdered everyday?
No normal person's mind worked that way. No normal decent person craved the life she had once had. The familiarity back at least. She felt sick.
You were humming a song to yourself now. It felt irrationally loud in her ears. She could hear Maria’s voice in her head too. Telling her to try. To try be nice. Try to mingle.
“ thank you. For the bread “ she said in an attempt at conversation. She’d known it was you that had left it. Had seen the sprig of some kind of flower tucked into the cloth it was wrapped in. Obviously you “ but I don’t need charity “
“ it’s not charity “ you said, the sound of your tools stilling “ it’s a gift. I don’t know… welcome to town gesture that’s all “
“ Whatever it was. I don’t need it “ maybe this wasn’t exactly nice. But it needed to be said “ you can take it back if you want. I haven’t touched it “
“ alright “ she didn’t have to look at you to know your face would be reminiscent of a kicked puppy “ keep the lavender though. It’s calming… it’ll help you sleep” she turned around to look at you then. How did you know she wasn’t sleeping?
“ how- “
“ I came from a QZ myself, I spent years after that roaming. I know it takes time to adjust Tess. I barely slept a wink when I first got here… paranoid an infected was gonna jump me in my sleep or FEDRA was gonna come arrest me cause they suspected me of rebel activity… silly I know but. Our brains are hardwired into survival mode and it takes some time to shake it off “
It sounded genuinely sincere. Caring. She barely knew you and yet you seemed as though you actually wanted to help her. It made her skin prickle.
“ yeah. Well. I’m not you “ she turned back around as if to resume her previous activity. Though she had still not potted a single seed.
“ That's very clear “ even annoyed you sounded remotely cheerful still. Like no malice truly laced your words.
What was she doing here? The world was a hell hole, it was full of shitty people all doing shitty things. And there she was planting fucking carrots. In some odd altercation with you about her behaviour.
“ Tess? Everything okay? "Your hand falling on her shoulder shocked her into reality. She stepped away from your touch, moving so quickly it was as if you’d burnt her, heading for the door. She felt like she was suffocating she needed to get out “ Tess? “
“ I- I have to go “ you hurried out after her and she took a deep breath of the fresh air trying to calm herself. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t skittish and scared. She didn’t get anxious and erratic. She didn’t recognise herself anymore.
“ Can I do anything? I can get Maria or-“
“ look. I know you mean well. But I don’t need… any of this. I don’t need you thinking you’re helping all of the time “ her words were harsh and as much as you annoyed her, it was like looking at a kicked puppy “ just. Stop “
She turned away from you and headed straight for home. Home. Home that felt nothing like the word.
She felt ungrateful. People were sleeping out in the woods or in derelict buildings basically waiting to be attacked by infected. And she had a house. Warmth. Safety. But she couldn’t shake the feelings and she hated it.
She closed the town out behind her, closing the door and leaning against it to catch her breath. Why was this all so difficult for her? Why was she so incapable of adjusting to some kind of regular society again?
She debated talking to Joel. If anyone in town understood her it was him. Joel knew her inside out, could talk to her with just a look, knew what she was going to do before she did it. But he was settling in fine. He wasn’t struggling like she was. She didn’t want to weigh him down with that when he finally seemed so light.
She hid away for the rest of the day, almost expecting Maria to come and drag her back out again. But she didn’t to her relief. She had her peace and quiet to mope. To wallow in her own stupid sadness and isolation.
Until the evening.
She sighed when there was a knock on the door, probably Ellie ready to go charging around the room rambling off every piece of information about her day with an amused Joel in tow. Though she actually wouldn’t mind that.
But it wasn’t Ellie. Or Joel.
“ hey “
“ I thought- “
“ I know. Look. I just wanted to come and tell you I was sorry if I offended you or something. You just… you seemed like you needed a friend and I wanted to help “ she could tell you genuinely meant it. That you truly were one of those people that was just… nice. Good. Even after the past two decades that had twisted and warped so many others, herself included, you had somehow remained what she assumed was the same.
“ well I don’t… need any help “ you gave a small nod but didn’t immediately leave, shuffling a little awkwardly on the spot “ anything else? “
“ I noticed. I noticed you don’t have anything in the window boxes. I have some spare seeds… flowers can really help brighten the place up. I find that on sad days it’s always a little bit nicer to look at a flower than an empty box “ she opened her mouth to decline, to tell you she didn’t want you in her way. But you seemed to anticipate it “ you won’t even have to see me. Or talk to me. I can do it when you’re not home or if you are I can… I can just knock so you know I’m there. So you can wait for me to leave or- it’s just an idea “
She figured that in the long run giving you something to do that you might take as being helpful, might actually make you leave her alone a little more. And so, ever so slightly reluctantly, she sighed and nodded.
“ fine “ the smile on your face after that almost made her want to smile too. Almost. So kind. So genuine. So… bright.
“ yeah? Okay. Do you have any preferences? Or allergies? Colours maybe- “ she lifted a hand in a silent request for you to shut up.
Be nice.
She closed her eyes for a moment and gave a steady sigh, forcing some attempt at a smile onto her face.
“ anything. Anything is fine “ you gave a nod and turned slightly before pausing. You seemed to debate something for a moment before delving into your pocket and pulling out a small jar of something that looked like jam.
“ I know… I know you said you didn’t want- it goes real nice with the bread “ she waited a second before taking it from your hands. You said nothing else, just gave her a small nod of a goodbye and headed down the steps and across the street.
That evening she ate bread with the jam. It was annoyingly good.
———————————
You’d appeared the next morning to plant the seeds. And then you tended to them everyday. Watering them and doing god knows what to the soil. You would let her know you were there each time, a small knock on the door that you didn’t even mind if she didn’t answer. Just letting her know you were out there. Just as you’d said.
And as time passed she found herself answering it from time to time. Just poking her head around the door to see what you were doing, always there with your small watering can and a smile.
And that was okay. You were okay. Nothing else in her life felt right at that moment. But having a new constant did. And she had to admit that even when she woke up on the couch, rubbing at her sore neck, seeing the sprouts through the window almost made her crack a smile. Almost.
SUMMER
As the cold completely shifted from Jackson’s air she found that not even the warmth could truly raise her mood completely. Everyone in town seemed far more cheery, like the sun had some odd healing ability to make everyone more joyful after the bitter winter and the final week of spring which had been nothing but solid rain fall.
Though Tess, begrudgingly enough, found that her own joys still only stemmed from her family. But also from you. As much as she refused to admit it, she’d found herself looking forward to your small knocks on her door each morning, or on mornings where she left early for patrol she found herself almost hoping you’d be on the porch with your watering can and your smile.
Which she didn’t exactly understand or care to understand either. In fact she blatantly ignored the voices in her head warning that she was going soft. That she was beginning to almost look at you as some kind of friend.
She opened the door more often than not now, even made attempts to ask you about the flowers or ask about your day. You never probed her about herself which she liked. You didn’t pry. You let her be. You let her keep her walls fiercely guarded without so much as a complaint. And she kind of hated the fact that made her like you a little more.
And that morning was no different to the rest now, you had knocked and she had gone out to say hello. Had offered you tea and you had accepted as you so often did.
Her night had been filled with bad dreams. And she had feared that it would send her into another one of those days. Where she wanted to do nothing but hide and mope. But she had forced herself to go outside. At least to say hello.
Annoyingly to her, Maria had been right. And she lived there now. And that meant she had to try. She had to try adjust. Fit in. Be… nice.
She still felt wary around you. Maybe even more so because of how she was beginning to sort of like you. Or maybe tolerate was the better word. She told herself it was anyway. But she had been in Jackson a few months at this point. And after a few months your joy and happiness was bound to wear her down. Even if she was reluctant about it.
“ you know if you take good enough care of these they’ll bloom next spring too “ you said as she hovered by the door watching you “ it takes time and care though. Pretty things but strong enough to survive the winter if they’re tended too correctly “ your eyes flitted up to her for a moment as you said it and she felt the statement were a little more loaded than just being about the flowers.
“ I’ll leave that up to you “ you smiled warmly and looked back down at the plants.
“ here’s hoping “
Tess watched you carefully, still unsure exactly how to pinpoint what she was feeling. She was beginning to like having you around. But also your joy drove her insane. You were annoying. So unbelievably annoying with your bright smile and desire to care.
And yet… you had managed to be the one to coax her out of the house. Yes it was only to her porch but it was still out. You had given her something to almost look forward to each day.
She didn’t like it.
“ oh shit “ she blinked a couple of times to drag herself out of her head to see blood in her peripheral, dripping between your fingers and between the floorboards of the porch.
“ what did you- “
“ fucking sheers they slipped I. Look, it's fine it’s just a cut… You got a bandage or something? “ Tess nodded and glanced towards her door. She realised how bad it would seem to keep you out on the porch. To just leave you there whilst she went looking. But also the thought of you in her home…
“ yeah. Do you wanna… come in? Wanna wash it or something “ part of her almost wished you’d say no, but the relief on your face made her regret the thought instantly
“ thanks Tess “ she headed straight for the kitchen. Not even looking to see if you were behind her, rummaging around in a cupboard for her box of medical supplies.
“ wash it. The sink “ she murmured, watching you carefully from the corner of her eye as you headed for the sink beside her, cupping your hand in some attempt to not drip blood onto the tiles. She looked at your bloody hands, ignoring the guilt rising in her chest at the fact you had injured yourself doing something for her, and reached out for you. She held your cut hand in her palm, leading it carefully under the water. She could feel you watching her, eyes almost burning into her skin as she gently washed away the blood and the soil.
She focussed on the pink swirls twisting down the drain rather than looking at you.
She didn’t like it. Didn’t like how you put her on edge. She didn’t want to go delving into why exactly that was either. Why in the space of 6 months she had gone from despising your very existence, to having you in her home because you’d hurt yourself tending to her flowers. It was a lot to try and process all in one go.
“ Marias always laughing at me “ you said as she turned off the water “ says I’m one of the best snipers in town yet I’m clumsy as shit with anything else. Can shoot a clicker miles off but can’t handle a pair of gardening shears? Idiot “
Maria had told her all about your impressive skills out on patrols. She was yet to see them for herself though, Maria hadn’t paired you together yet. Thankfully. Though she couldn’t lie that curiosity on the matter was strong. She’d always had some morbid fascination with the nicest of people that were able to kill like it was second nature.
A silent chaos raging behind a gentle smile.
“ guns more important than sheers “
“ well that depends on the situation don’t you think? Gun won’t help clip the weeds “
She bandaged your hand silently with the care and tenderness that few saw from her, wrapping it up and admiring her work for a second.
She stood back when she was done not exactly knowing what to say anymore. And she hated it. Despised it. Tess always knew what to say. She was always one step ahead of everyone in the room, but she faltered when it came to you. And she didn’t know why. Or what power you seemed to hold over her as of late. Was it your kindness? Was it the simple fact that you had never shown her nothing but care and respect since day one and she just didn’t know how to accept it? Maybe.
She wandered if you noticed how she looked out of place in her own home. Surrounded by so many things that she had no connection to. Objects that weren’t hers, placed into a house that had once been lived in by others. Loved by others.
Like so many others she had gotten used to not getting attached to materialistic things. She could see you glancing around, how you could probably see that from the way the place looked so… bare. Unloved by her. Un- lived in by her. That you probably figured it out pretty quickly.
You were watching her intently as you wandered the kitchen and she didn’t like it, she didn’t like the way you made her feel like a prey animal ready to dart any moment. That wasn’t her. She wasn’t prey. She wasn’t the hunted. She was the hunter. She was the one with the upper hand.
But not with you. Not with you and your unyielding kindness and desire to know her.
So she turned around and started packing away the medical box slowly and carefully. Just to give her hands something to do.
“ why are you so afraid of me? “ you asked suddenly and she turned around with a confused look on her face. Afraid of you? Why would she possibly be afraid of someone like you.
“ what are you talking about? “
“ you’re afraid. You won’t let me in. You barely even let me be your friend. You keep trying to scare me away with being so… miserable. You have to let people in Tess… and I think it’s because you’re scared yourself I- “
“ I’m not afraid of you “ She said immediately. Her heckles raised at the intrusion. And at the confusion for your sudden lack of ability to not interfere “ are you afraid of me? “ she asked, her voice calm. And low and steady. Intimidating. The way she spoke to people in Boston who were pissing her off and she needed to remind them who she was. Her eyes had not left you for even a second. They were burning into you. Calculated. Smart. Intense.
Some desperate attempt and desire to keep you out. To make you back off. Even if it meant missing those morning knocks and tea on the porch. She couldn’t let you in. She wouldn’t.
But you weren’t afraid of her. You never had been. She could tell. You were stubborn. So unbearably kind but stubborn. Stubborn in the way you had kept up your daily visits even when she wouldn’t answer her door, in the way you still waved at her before she even spoke to you. So stubborn in the way you were standing your ground before her.
“ no. I know I should be. I know what you did. But I’m not “ she folded her arms across her chest, quirking a brow. Who had you been talking to? What could you possibly know. So you hadn’t been refraining from asking her questions all along, you’d been getting your information else where. She was almost impressed. It was smart. Calculated even.
At this point she wouldn’t be surprised if you’d cut yourself on purpose to get inside and make her talk.
“ oh? Oh you know what I did? “
“ someone in town… was gossiping I- everyone’s done bad things “ you said with a shrug.
“ what do you know? “ she advanced on you then. Slowly. Crossing the room to where you stood by the wall. You didn’t move. You held your ground.
“ a lot “
“ tell me “ she wanted to hear you say it. To confirm if what you knew was true. But also because maybe some sick part of her needed reminding what she had once been capable of. Of what she had been before she had become that misery of a human whose only joys came from her pseudo kid and the woman who planted flowers for her.
“ all the people you killed. Tortured “ your voice had dropped to almost a whisper as she stood in front of you. But you still didn’t look scared. And she couldn’t decide how that made her feel. Annoyed? Because she clearly didn’t hold the fear inducing powers she once had. Or… relieved? That she had finally come across someone that took what she had done and dusted it under the rug. Accepted it and moved on.
“ and it doesn’t scare you? “
“ you must’ve had your reasons “ there was a heavy tension hanging in the air, she could feel it thickly between you. Soon enough one of you would choke “ I know what you did. I don’t care. You can’t scare me away Tess “ at this point she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to.
No one had challenged her like that. No one like you anyway. No one so… sweet.
Her old self would’ve laughed. Would’ve laughed in your face and thrown you out. But then again. Her old self would’ve laughed at what she had become too.
Things had changed. And she needed to accept it.
“ stop trying to scare me off “ to her surprise you reached up, your hand gentle on her face. She recoiled at first. As if your fingers were steeped in acid and you’d blistered her skin with your touch. But you waited a moment and did it again. And she froze, unsure of what you were doing or how she was supposed to react to it “ I want to be your friend. Let me. You don’t have to scare every single person that wants to care for you away. If anything you damn well need it “
She didn’t know what to say. Stood there like she was made of stone with your gentle hand on her cheek, your face full of nothing but warmth and affection for her. She felt like a deer in headlights.
“ you don’t know what I need “ she finally spoke, taking a single step back so that your hand fell away. Though she was certain she could still feel it. A kind touch was so unfamiliar to her, so rare that it lingered in her skin “ you know nothing about me “
“ I know enough “ so stubborn. So unwilling to take no for an answer or let yourself be pushed away. She kind of liked it. Liked the challenge “ you have to let people in. Let me in. I know how you feel- “
“ how could you possibly know how I feel “ she almost spat “ you’ve lived here. Comfortable and safe “ you gave a small laugh at that
“ not always “ she didn’t know why she had assumed you had been there so long, maybe because you were so… settled. Adapted “ spent two years captured by a bunch of slavers before I even set foot in Jackson. I’m not some sheltered little girl born into comfort Tess “ she took a step back, eyes narrowing as she tried to asses the new information presented to her.
She knew about slavers. Had been taken by them herself at one point. But two years? She had been there two days, in a tiny camp as they prepared to move her to their main base before she’d managed to get away. Those two days had been hell. She couldn’t imagine two years.
Maybe she had underestimated you after all.
But before she could answer you properly there was another knock to her door.
“ only me! “ Maria’s voice sounded as she entered the house, opening her mouth to say something else but stopping when she saw you stood there. She looked violently overjoyed “ oh! I’m sorry. Didn’t know you had company “ it must have been an odd sight to walk into. Tess as stoney faced as ever and you practically gazing at her.
“ sorry I- “
“ did you need something? “ Tess asked
“ lunch, the whole family. Good haul from the hunting crew today “ family. Her family. As dysfunctional as it was she very much wanted to escape the current situation and see them “ but if you’re busy- “
“ no. I’m not. She was just leaving “ she glanced over at you as you gave a small nod and a smile, quietly excusing yourself and heading for the door.
“ just. Think about what I said Tess? I’ll see you tomorrow “
She didn’t hear the end of that for the entirety of lunch. Maria not usually one to pry. But knowing very much that Ellie and Tommy would. Casually mentioning it and… that was that.
Ellie seemed particularly delighted. Looking at her in a way that she recognised from her own childhood when she realised liking girls wasn’t just a her thing. That she wasn’t the only one. But Tess didn’t probe. Though she was happy in the knowledge Ellie would come to her if she needed.
“ y’know I think it’s real nice “ Joel said to her when she stepped outside stating she needed a little air “ she’s softenin you “ Tess scoffed and folded her arms across her chest
“ you have no idea what you’re talking about. She’s a neighbour. And she looks after the flowers. She’s a pain in my ass”
“ baby steps Tess “ she glanced over at him and he was giving her that look that said he knew something was going on inside her head “ you leave the house more now “
“ to my porch and back “ she mumbled not entirely wanting to get into that conversation. She was not in the mood to discuss her long hours trapped inside her house. And her head.
“ baby. Steps “ she sighed and ran a hand over her face. She was tired.
“ she wants to be my friend “ it sounded so unbelievably juvenile to say out loud. She almost regretted saying it
“ and… you don’t want that? “
“ no “ she said maybe a little too quickly
“ right “ she could feel him watching her, trying to read her as he so often did. The way only two people who had been together for so long could do “ I don’t think I believe that “
“ I’m not asking you to “ he sighed again, used to her stubbornness. Her bad moods.
“ you are allowed to have friends Tess. And… more than that. I don’t know what that girls intentions are, I don’t pretend to know how your mind works either. But if you really didn’t like her then why are you still lettin her around? Tess I know would’ve told her to fuck off and threatened her for good measure for even tryna talk to you if you didn’t like her “
“ you’re talking shit “ he laughed and shrugged
“ you’re proving my point. Tess. Just do something. If you want her? Go get her. Tess I know would. And if not? Tell her to leave you be. Cause this mood you’re in… it’s not nice to see “
“ ‘ the Tess you know’ “ she muttered under breath. She didn’t feel like that Tess anymore.
By the time she walked home she couldn’t tell if she was more annoyed by the entire situation or relieved by it because somehow Joel of all people had begun to put things into perspective for her.
Maybe it was both.
Though the annoyance was slightly winning out. She wasn’t soft. She didn’t like the implications that you were softening her. She was stronger than that. Stronger than you. She hadn’t pushed you away because Maria said she needed to be nice. That’s why.
It was.
Wasn’t it?
She felt a sudden desperate need to prove to herself that what she was thinking was correct. And not Joel.
She was not soft. She was in control.
She didn’t quite know what it was that compelled her feet to head up your porch steps rather than her own. Knocking on the door before she’d even fully come to a halt.
Waiting impatiently for you to answer, looking a little surprised to see her when you did appear.
She pushed past the threshold, watching you take a step back in mild confusion at her sudden intrusion, cupping your face in both her hands and kissing you. You stumbled for barely half a second, kissing her back with a muffled moan and your fingers wrapping around her wrists.
The confidence she was used to felt far more present in your space, in the four walls of your home rather than her own.
She pressed you up against the closest wall, kissing you like her life depended on it. Far more in control than she was a few hours earlier. Than she had been in a while.
And this was it. This was the familiarity she had craved wasn’t it? This was the power she had been missing, the ability to take what she wanted when she wanted it. Even when she wasn’t entirely sure it was what she wanted.
So why didn’t it feel the same. Why did it not even slightly fill the void in her chest.
You were breathing heavily as she pulled away to catch her own breath, a joyful almost dopey smile on your face. You looked so incredibly beautiful. Sweet.
She’d break you. She would. She knew she would. It was a vicious awful cycle. Anyone she got close to got hurt. Friend or… more. It would all end the same way.
“ this won’t end well “ she said quietly, not entirely meaning to say it out loud. The words escaping her as she watched you, someone so beautiful and kind didn’t belong with someone like her.
Someone who had not let the awful things that happened to them twist them into something unrecognisable. In the way that Tess had.
It would be a mess.
“ maybe not “ you answered, voice just as quiet “ but did you ever stop to think that maybe it will be okay? “
“ no “ you laughed softly, head leaning back against the wall and your eyes falling closed for a moment. She wished she could have such a carefree look. She didn’t think her face even knew how to relax into such an expression.
“ have a little faith “
AUTUMN
It had been over 20 years since her life had completely fallen apart. And a lot could happen in 20 years. A lot had happened. Tess was good at having bad shit happen and then burying it so deep down that she didn’t have to think about it. She was good at having a blank face when inside she was screaming. But in the end, one person could only hide so much stuff for so long. Eventually it would spill. And every now and again it did.
And when it did? It was suffocating.
It struck her out of no where. She never saw it coming.
Sometimes it almost scared her. Scared her that the stuff she had done wasn’t even the worst of what kept her up at night. She had no remorse for the people she had killed. Tortured. Those bodies and those sounds. They didn’t haunt her. The stuff that had come before that had damaged her beyond repair.
The first few years had been the worst. Before FEDRA had full control, before any rules were in full effect. When everyone ran rampant, when people looted and murdered because they felt like it. When groups formed and did whatever they wanted. To who they wanted. When Tess had been alone. Had left her home with nothing but the clothes on her back and ran. And ran. And by some miracle survived.
That time before Joel. Before the entirety of the group making their way up to Boston.
Tess didn’t get scared. She wasn’t afraid of things. But she had been back then. She had been so afraid.
So utterly powerless and out of control.
She tried to see the positives as ridiculous as it sounded. Tried to twist the shitty things that had happened. The shitty things that she had done. She had done them to survive. And maybe that scared her even more. That she felt justified in her actions.
That she could think back to certain people she had tortured. Killed. Ambushed. And justify it. Not feel as though she had done the wrong thing at all.
And that she would do it all again if she needed to.
She would throw herself in front of trucks feigning an injury. Just a poor, defenceless woman. Beg for help only for Joel and the others to spring from the bushes and take everything they had. She’d kill every man and woman that got in the way of her rise in the smuggling ring. She’d tortured ever last piece of information out of those fuckers who had taken Ellie. Murdered every. Last. Firefly. In that hospital.
All again. A million times over.
But her humanity was still in her somewhere. Buried deep down but there. And when it reared its head it was ugly. Filled with words to make her feel like the worst person alive. Fill her ears with the strangled cries of her son. The sickening sound of the blood that pooled in her husband’s throat.
It made her feel numb. Like she was floating. No longer in her body and desperately trying to claw her way back down to it.
“ Tess? “ she was too lost to react. Too deep inside her own head to even turn around and look at you. But she knew that voice. The voice that had become as familiar as Maria’s. Ellie’s. Joels “ Tess what are you doing it’s freezing out here “ your voice was soft compared to the voices that were screeching inside her head, soothing. Gentle. Quieter yet somehow speaking over the screaming ones.
Your hands fell onto her arm and she flinched, shifting away from your touch.
“ hey. Sorry “ you said softly, hands raised in some kind of surrender “ won’t touch you again “ the voices were still shouting at her, but a little further off now. Like she was on one side of the room and they were on the other. And wasn’t that interesting. Where in the past only Joel had been able to coax her back to reality. Ground her. Now you had. And she had known you far less “ can I sit? “ she gave a small nod and you sat down, leaving a small gap between you both.
Things between the two of you had been a little different as of late.
You hadn’t kissed since that day she’d barged through your front door and re established that she was very much the one holding the reins. But she was letting herself be lighter. Trying her hardest to open up to you. To go into town more. Smile back at people. And it was hard. And slow going. But she was getting there.
Baby steps. Like Joel had said.
“ I’m gonna go get a blanket okay? It’s so cold “ she listened as you went inside, returning a few moments later.
“ why are you here? “ she asked as you sat down beside her again, wrapping the blanket around you both.
“ I was out on late patrol. I saw the light on… was gonna come see why you were still up. Have a chat or something… you didn’t answer so I just poked my head inside and I saw the back door was open“
She gave a small nod and continued staring out at the backyard. She hadn’t really done much to it. But there was a rope swinging attached to the large tree at the bottom now. Ellie loved it.
“ do you need to talk? About anything? “ you asked quietly “ it’s what friends are for you know. Talking “
“ I’ve never been very good at friends “ you gave a small laugh and nodded
“ yeah. I figured that one out myself “ you shuffled a little closer to her, nudging her leg with yours “ you must’ve had friends at some point “
The ones that truly stuck in her mind were Bill and Frank. Frank would’ve loved you she realised very quickly. You were so alike. So happy. Made to see the positive in absolutely every single thing. Yet becoming friends with Frank had been far easier than becoming friends with you.
She’d been different back then.
“ I had. I had friends “ she started, realising in that moment that she had never actually spoken about Bill and Frank since they’d died. Her and Joel had done as they always had and refused to talk about it. Let it settle and weigh heavy until it began to dissipate on its own “ they lived a few miles out of Boston. Met them over the radio “
“ they weren’t in a zone? “
“ no. Bill… fuckin crazy been planning for doomsday his whole life. Had the whole town mapped out and wired up “ she actually cracked a small smile thinking about it “ Frank though. I think. I think he’s the closest thing to a friend I really had “
She missed him. She missed them both. And missing Bill was something she never thought she’d feel, even if he was more open to her company than Joel’s.
You listened diligently as she spoke about Lincoln. Dinners in the garden and Bills stash of supplies, the awkwardness that always lingered between Bill and Joel. The bi monthly drop offs that had started increasing in distance as Frank got sicker and Bill got older. And then finding them with Ellie. The silent moment she had taken in the garden to cry for her lost friends whilst Ellie showered and Joel fixed the car.
“ they sound like amazing people “ she shrugged and glanced over at you for a moment. And maybe it was silly of her to take so long to realise it. But maybe she had a friend in you, maybe more than that. Maybe she had done all along and had been too blinded by her own self loathing and moping around to truly notice it.
It was the early hours of the morning and there you were, sat on her porch steps in the dark. Listening to her talk. Comforting her. And she realised that you were exactly what she needed. In that moment and every other moment to follow. Your compassion and your calming force of a personality. The way you cared…. Loved even. Your stubbornness. Your loyalty.
“ thank you “ she said quietly “ for being here “ you looked up at her and smiled. That warm, sweet smile that made even the coldest of days feel mild. Tess was all sharp edges and bitter words, someone so soft should be keeping a safe distance to ensure they didn’t get cut. But you weren’t afraid. You never had been “ for everything “ she didn’t want to elaborate and you didnt make her.
She reached forward to cup your face in her hand, thumb tracing over your cheekbone. You understood her in a way it had taken Joel 20 years to. Some odd force of nature that wiggled your way through the cracks in her heavily guarded walls.
Her eyes drifted down to your lips. Remembering the hard, forceful kiss you had shared that one time before. The kind she was used to. The kind she was good at. She wasn’t very good at being tender and caring. Kissing and all that lead from it had long since been something she did out of care and love. It was a means to an end. A release. A way to remind herself she was human.
But it didn’t have to be that way anymore.
“ you gonna kiss me or not? “ you whispered. And it made her lips twitch into a smile.
Tess had kissed a lot of people in her time. And if she was perfectly honest she wasn’t entirely a fan. Kisses were not like how the movies or books portrayed them most of the time. Uncoordinated or clumsy, too much teeth or tongue. She didn’t care much for kissing.
But kissing you was different. Kissing you was like a shot of adrenaline straight into her veins. It was the closest she felt she could come to understanding why Joel had been so hooked on pills before Ellie. It was addictive.
But something had changed now. Some locked gate inside of her had finally clicked open and you had seized the opportunity to slip your way inside. And she surprised herself with the realisation that it actually didn’t seem all that terrifying now, having you there. Having those feelings and thoughts.
Of course there was still… something. But it was less so.
Holding your face in her hand, your willingness to let her lead and melt into her. With every soft and gentle movement of her lips against yours she felt herself slipping. Like when the winter storms would hit Boston and her worn down boots couldn’t find grip on the icy paths.
But this slip wouldn’t end with her falling flat on her ass and nursing a bruised leg. You were keeping her tethered. Your fingers that were looped around her wrist, your hair that was tickling her face.
It made her feel startlingly real. Alive. Present. Present in a moment in a way she hadn’t done all day, she’d spent the day drifting. Some far off place in her head where her demons scrambled over her and suffocated the air out of her lungs. But she was breathing fine now, breathing in air that was yours, breathing as if you were her air.
She kissed you until her jaw started to ache, not sure how long it had been or how many quick seconds apart to catch her breath there had been. But when she finally did let you go the fog that had been blinding her all day seemed to have disappeared. Everything felt as though she were looking through glasses that had just had the lenses cleaned.
Sharper. Clearer.
“ it’s really fuckin cold “ she murmured, causing a giggle to bubble past your lips.
“ yeah. It’s freezing “ you didn’t seem even mildly pissed that that had been her first words after practically kissing your face off. Instead you both silently seemed to agree to go inside, collapsing onto her couch and kissing some more.
Something had shifted after that. Had changed after she’d woken up the following morning on the couch with you.
She actively chose to be around you, even more so than she had been. Spent enough time with you that people began to murmur about it. But she found she no longer cared.
There was still an odd weight looming in her chest, one she was certain may never actually go away. But it was far lighter than it had been.
WINTER
Tess had always preferred winter to summer. Especially after Boston. She hated those sticky summer days. Especially in that apartment that was freezing in winter but a sauna in the summer, no comfortable in between. Days when she felt like the heat was suffocating her and every drop of water she drank sweated its way out of her within the minute.
Winter felt so much… fresher. She liked the snow and the opportunities to wrap up and be warm on her own terms.
Some people found it bleak. But she rather enjoyed it.
You seemed to like it too. Because you could use the cold weather as an excuse to be close to her. And it felt nice. To have you there, to have you wanting to be near her. Even if she was beginning to believe you were forgetting your gloves on purpose now so she would hold your hand.
The arrival of the winter months had brought along the silent confirmation that you two were… something now. Dating didn’t feel right. That word didn’t feel like it belonged in the world anymore. And there had been no real discussions of the matter, mostly due to her own refusal to mention it. And ‘girlfriend’… it felt a little juvenile. Even if was Ellie teasing her every fucking day that you were in fact her girlfriend now.
Jackson was starting to feel more like somewhere she could begin to call home. Riding back through the gates with Joel, watching them close behind her but not feeling that feeling of imprisonment anymore. Not feeling as trapped as the walls in Boston, but finally feeling safe.
She walked into the Bison, happy to find it slightly less crowded than it could be. She walked over to the bar, smiling at the guy stood drying off a glass
“ hey… she here? “ something in her still prickled with an odd sense of anxiety that she didn’t need to ask for you by name now. That they all knew who she meant. That Tess would not venture into the bison alone for anyone else, and that you would never be leaving with anyone else but her.
But she pushed it aside.
“ yeah she’s out the back. I’ll grab her “ she waited patiently as he disappeared through the door, glancing around with some still deep rooted fear that someone was watching her. She didn’t think she’d ever shake that. But she had to remind herself that no one there was after her. No one there was watching her to find her weakness and abuse it.
“ hey you “ you appeared through the door a few moments later and you greeted with that beaming smile of yours, looking at her as if she were the singular source of joy in your life. You leant over the bar and she met you half way, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. It was the kind of kiss that was… familiar. The kind two people in love shared without thought, something as simple and regular as breathing.
“ having fun? “
“ oh yeah. Making sandwiches, riveting stuff “ she watched you wipe your hands off on a towel before slipping your way out from behind the bar “ but I’d really like to go home now “ Tess nodded and offered you her arm without needing to be asked, your hands slipping into their usual place and huddling close against her.
It was getting chillier out, the sky had taken on that odd yellowy state that signalled impending snow. The kind of day that back in Boston would’ve been some forewarning of an impending low ration season. But there was no such thing in Jackson.
You spoke about your shift in the bison as you walked and Tess listened diligently, all the while silently musing over you asking to go home. And very much heading with Tess towards hers.
But. You stayed over more often than not now. Your things were starting to intermingle with her own, the space that had previously felt so barren and so disconnected from herself… now felt almost like a home.
There were some of Ellie’s drawings tacked to the fridge, her talent alone making the space seem a little more lived in. A few pictures had been framed now too and dotted about the place. Tess, Joel and Ellie over for dinner at Tommy and Maria’s. Another of Ellie pulling a stupid face with Joel looking slightly amused at her side. One of you and her, you beaming at the camera as she looked at you. Maria had taken that one much to Tess’ original dismay. But she was quite thankful for it now.
That was the first piece of you that had made its way into her home.
You had a toothbrush in her bathroom now. A spare jacket on the hooks by the door. A small box of gardening tools by the front door. A hand knitted blanket across the back of her couch.
You were in the air even. The air wafted of the flowers you adored wherever you went, you filled the place she had only ever referred to as a house into home.
And sometimes it almost made her want to laugh. Laugh at herself for what she had become. Tess didn’t take things slow like this. Tess didn’t let her space be invaded by someone else. Tess didn’t have feelings or let herself… love.
Which was exactly what she was feeling more and more these days. Which was completely and utterly terrifying but she found she was just letting it happen. Because she could. And because she was allowed to.
She wasn’t old Tess anymore. If anything she was beginning to feel as though she was slowly becoming more and more like the version of herself that had existed before an apocalypse had destroyed the world. The kind of woman that did date and did take things slow. That had girlfriends or boyfriends and wasn’t scared. Was care free and happy.
And maybe that was more scary than the fear she had felt at losing the version of herself that had developed over 20 years of hell.
She was beginning to think that nothing would ever be without fear these days. But she was working on it. And it was lessening.
And you becoming a permanent fixture in her house was part of that.
Quite often the nights ended exactly as they currently were too. With you walking home together, cuddling up together on the couch to escape the chill of winter.
And making out until she forgot how to breathe.
It had not been more than that. She hadn’t allowed herself to let it be. Had happily let you sit in her lap or let you pull her down over you and sink into the couch cushions. But she never let it progress.
She didn’t truly think about why and you had never asked it of her either. Until tonight.
“ why are you holding back? “ you whispered, pulling back from her slightly. Still close enough that she could feel your breath against her lips.
Why was she holding back?
Because you weren’t some random girl she picked up in the zone because she was bored and lonely. Because until you, sex had become something with little feeling. Something to do because she needed some human contact that wasn’t Joel stitching up a stab wound.
And it was funny, really, when she thought about why she was holding back. Why as much as she may have wanted to, as much as the old her would’ve gone and gotten what she wanted months ago… she hadn’t.
Because it hadn’t felt right. Hadn’t been the time. You deserved more than that. You deserved more than a quick, meaningless fuck off somewhere secluded because she wanted to feel like a human being again. No, you deserved more.
Maybe you still did. She couldn’t figure it out yet.
But what she did know, was if now was not the time then she would wait. She would wait a million and one lifetimes. As much as she knew the short serotonin boost would breathe some life into her for a few hours again… she would endure. Because when she really thought about it, that wasn’t what she wanted really.
She wanted you. Of course she did. Needed you. In every single sense of the phrase. You had been a shiny little light in her darkness, you had prevailed and endured her bitterness to discover something sweet hiding beneath.
And so you deserved the best. Deserved every ounce of love and compassion Tess could find deep within herself.
“ where’d you go? Hm? “ you whispered softly, fingers trailing along the side of her face and tucking an unruly strand of her greying hair behind her ear “ you seem… else where “
“ just thinkin “ your touch was gentle, fingertips somehow still smooth and soft. So different to hers, calloused from years of fighting and doing shitty jobs in the QZ. She felt too rough for you. Too sharp around the edges. Like her hold on you alone could shatter you.
She knew in reality you weren’t delicate. She had watched you shoot like a trained marksmen. Had seen you jump on clickers and stab them until you face was splattered in blood. Chop firewood for town like it was nothing. You were strong. Capable. And yet she felt like she could bruise you like a peach just by looking at you wrong. She was no stranger to your strengths, your capabilities. Yet to her? She felt she could always see you as breakable.
Fine China. Soft fruit. The petals of the flowers you cared so much about.
Soft and pure and delicate. Not made to be touched by the rough and ready hands of the likes of her
And yet…
“ thinking about me? “ you said it with a small laugh, half joking. Half hoping. She gave you a small smile, a small nod.
“ of course “ it came out so quiet she wasn’t even sure she’d really said it right away. But your warm smile told her she had. And you’d heard. And even now, even in that moment, she still took a moment to be amazed at that smile. Amazed that it was because of her. You were smiling because she was thinking of you. You were on her mind. And you liked that.
Her hands twitched slightly at their place on your waist. Almost involuntarily. Like they were trying to make her move, go ahead. Do… something.
You looked down for a second before letting go of your gentle hold of her face, sliding your hands along her arms and trailing your fingers over her wrists.
“ I’m not going to break “ you picked up her hands, moving them down to brush over your ass, your thighs “ you can touch me “ she was afraid she’d do something stupid like blush. So she kissed you again, gently tugging you close by her soft hold on your thighs.
Your hands slid back up her arms, over her shoulders, up to hold the back of her neck, your fingertips slipping under the collar of her shirt. Everything about you was soft. Precise and purposeful. She could practically feel the desire radiating out of your fingers. But also the care.
She hadnt been touched like that in… a while. Touched in a way that conveyed love. A way that was gentle. Caring. Deliberate and slow. Like you wanted to take your time, in a way akin to how you had behaved since you had met her. You wanted to know her. To understand her. To peel back the layers she kept pulling on to keep you out.
And maybe a part of her would always want to keep you out, deep down. Fear of the unknown. Fear of a vulnerability she was still learning to adjust to.
But she was adjusting. Had been. And it felt right now. Felt right having the soft weight of you on her thighs, having your gentle fingers rid her of her sweater. Felt the shame of her equally as raging desire dissipate.
It was okay. She was okay.
She watched your deft fingers carefully unbutton your plaid shirt, one that now she thought about it looked remarkably like one of hers. When had you taken that she wondered.
She let her hands slip over the bare skin of your waist, disappearing under the soft worn cotton of your- her? - shirt. There was a scar along your ribs, the kind that had been there a while. No longer angry and red but faded and soft. She ran her thumb across it.
“ chains “ you said, answering her unasked question.
“ the slavers? “ she murmured, still tracing her thumb over the long stretch of scarred skin. You hummed a reply, your eyes watching her intently
“ plenty of permanent reminders of those fuckers on me “ it still baffled her how you had endured such cruelty and appeared on the other side as gentle as you were. She wanted to track those fuckers down. Torture every single last one that had even looked at you wrong. And reserve a special place in hell for the ones who had left their permanent marks.
She leant forward, dipping her head and pressing her lips to the scar. Your chest deflated in a soft sigh as she did, ghosting her lips over the skin in some feeble attempt to replace the pain with care. Your fingers laced into her hair, silently urging her to kiss you some more. And she did. She kissed up your chest, breath stuttering embarrassingly as her cheek brushed against the cotton covered swell of your chest as she pressed kisses to your sternum.
Everything about you was soft.
She inhaled deeply, your skin smelt of that familiar scent of being outdoors. As if winter air had been bottled and sprayed across your skin like perfume. Something so usually mundane and common place, yet intoxicating on you.
She kissed up your neck, skin in flames with every single soft sigh it caused you to let out.
“ can… can I.. “ you said in between kisses, hands now fumbling with the button of her jeans.
“ not here “ she murmured, pulling away from your lips slightly reluctantly “ you deserve better than the fuckin couch “ that made you smile, head titling to the side inquisitively.
“ well aren’t you just a lady “ Tess scoffed, patting your leg gently to urge you to stand up
“ lady? You must be thinkin of someone else “ you seemed reluctant to stop kissing her, grabbing her multiple times on the way out of the lounge. Including a long pause on the stairs where she almost regretted suggesting you move. And seriously debated just letting the entire thing play out right there on the staircase.
She’d never really been one for kissing. But with you she couldn’t stop. She was obsessed. A woman possessed. And she was taking her time.
But she remained on track. Leading you into her bedroom and the bed she had barely slept in.
She sat down on the edge, watching you as you closed the door before turning to her. Leaning back against it for a moment.
You were truly something. Stood there in your jeans and your bra. Your mismatched socks and your ruffled hair. Lips kiss swollen and eyes watching her intently.
“ c’mere “ she said quietly, gesturing you over with a tilt of her head. You wandered over, coming to a stop in front of her and reaching out to cup her face gently “ you’re so fuckin beautiful you know “ she said, not entirely intending to say it out loud and rather just think it. But the blush that crept across your cheeks made her glad she had said it.
“ you think? “ she hummed a reply, her fingers trailing up and down the backs of your thighs.
She didn’t know what it was about having you there in that room. Her room. Alone. It felt so incredibly intimate. In fact the entire night had. She’d never taken such… time. Time to explore and to appreciate, to admire. And now to have you in bedroom, a room she had barely been able to step foot in alone since arriving in town. But felt almost at ease with you there.
It was a lot to attempt to process all at once. And so she decided not to. That it wasn’t the time to send herself spiralling into yet another pit of despair and dread, she focussed all her attention back to you.
“ you’re sweet “
“ I’m not sweet I’m honest “ you smiled again at that. In reality she was not an honest person. She was deceitful and not to be trusted by anyone but Joel. But you trusted her. And she was honest with you.
She was. You truly were beautiful. And she felt a fool that it had taken her as long as it had to stop and really look at you. Had spent so long despising your presence rather than admiring you from day one.
She slipped her hands further up your legs, cupping the denim clad flesh of your ass and pushing you forward slightly. You took the hint, stepping over her legs and placing yourself back in her lap. Your arms looped loosely around her neck.
She couldn’t resist diving forward, lips against your neck and teeth grazing your soft skin in a way that made the most delicious sounds leave your lips.
“ oh, Tess “ your fingers tugged lightly at her hair as she continued her gentle assault, hands wandering and desperate to touch as much of you as she could. “ I can’t take much more of this teasing “ you whispered after a few moments, tugging at her hair to make her raise her head.
Her fingers ghosted over the blooming marks on your skin. Blossoming spots of red and purple, marks of a gentle cruelty that had sent the most beautiful look of bliss to overcome your face. Yet another mark of possession on your skin, but not of chains and binds this time…. Of hatred. But of teeth. Of lips. Of desire.
Possession through the deep rooted need to keep you as her own, but simply to hold. To protect. To love.
“ Tess “ she wouldn’t make you wait any longer. She wanted to keep touching, to commit every single inch of you to memory. But she figured that she’d have plenty of opportunities to do so.
And she would give you anything you asked of her. So she would not make you wait.
Through a desire blurred haze she manoeuvred you to lay down, a blur of clothing making its way to the floor and soft moans as her hands ventured downwards.
“ no no keep looking at me “ she said, her voice as quiet as it had been since you’d lead her up those stairs, coaxing your head up from where you were hiding with her free hand “ that’s it I wanna see you “ you slipped a hand to the nape of her neck, pulling her down to press your forehead against hers with a small nod, lips parted slightly as she moved her fingers in soft circles.
She lost track of time. Of all straight forward thinking. The seconds and the minutes all blurring into a moonlit haze of body parts in her mind. She took her time, breaking you down and unwinding every single knot under your skin.
Nothing else existed outside the four walls of that room, just you and her. The soft lewd sounds of her fingers between your legs, your quiet whimpers and gasps into her mouth, the rustle of the sheets beneath you as you arched and writhed beneath her.
There was something incredible about having you there, foreheads pressed together as she hovered over you, something so… romantic. How your hands held onto her, fingertips warm like they were branding her skin. Isolated in that room in a newer way than she had been used to.
And when she finally brought you to your long awaited climax, she watched you intently. Admiring the beautiful way your face moved and contorted in pleasure, watching your lips part and your legs tremble.
You returned the favour once you’d regained your regular breathing pattern. Pushing her onto her back and leading a trail of soft kisses down her chest and her stomach, settling between her legs and sending her eyes falling into the back of her head.
Her back arching off the mattress and her hand twisting into your hair, relishing in a bliss she hadn’t felt in an incredibly long time.
And then you lay there together. A comfortable silence enveloping the room, only disturbed by the occasional kiss or soft sigh.
Tess’ fingers played gently with your hair, inevitably lulling you into sleep. And she took the time to think.
She realised that in the time she had lived there it was her first night actually sleeping in her bed. She glanced down at where you were sound asleep on her chest, the weight and warmth of you pressed against her keeping away any anxious thoughts that wanted to creep into her mind.
And she didn’t want to escape downstairs, didn’t want to run. To push you away and tell you to leave. That sleeping together was far more intimate to her than any form of sex act could be.
The thoughts didn’t come.
It had taken her meeting you to finally come to terms with what her life was now. And the things that she had done. That in the current climate there were really no good or bad people. Just human beings trying to survive. Do whatever it took to live to see another day. Doing unspeakable things to get by and trying to convince themselves afterwards that they had done the right thing. That they had had no choice.
And that was okay. She was coming to peace with that. She would never fully forget, but neither would anyone else. But that was okay. Because as long as she had you by her side, she was quite content in the knowledge that she could handle it.
That then come spring those flowers you had planted would bloom again and she would let her fears die with the frost.
Everything would be okay.
#I post this reluctantly#because you read anons have been so rude to me lately#unnecessary#tess servopoulos#tess servopoulos x reader#the last of us#tlou#tess tlou#tess x reader#Joel miller#ellie williams#x you#x reader#tlou fanfiction#Anna torv#tlou hbo
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- HL Fic Library's Winter Fic Rec -
Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find our other recs here.
❄️ In A Twinkling by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom {Explicit, 89k}
Louis’ Nan just wants him to be happy, to settle down with a nice boy, and bring him around for Christmas.
Louis is too busy with his career to bother about relationships, but in an attempt to appease his Nan, he sends her photoshopped pictures of him and his pretend boyfriend, Harry. The fact that the man in the pictures is none other than Harry Styles, world famous Gucci model—and recurrent star of Louis’ fantasies—is irrelevant. It’s not like their paths will ever cross…
So it comes as somewhat of a surprise when Louis returns home for Christmas and walks into his Nan’s sitting room only to find the real-life Harry Styles happily chatting away with the grey-haired ladies of his Nan’s Crochet Circle.
Featuring Niall and Liam as Louis’ childhood friends, Harry as the painfully perfect man of Louis’ dreams, Zayn as Harry’s very protective best mate, Louis’ Nan as a well-meaning matchmaker, and Louis as a guy who thinks he’s happy with his life, until a certain someone shows him what he’s been missing.
❄️ the impossible now by stylinsoncity / @aliensingucci {Mature, 64k}
A wish on Christmas Eve sends Louis to an alternate dimension where Harry is a member of One Direction.
❄️ Yet in Thy Dark Streets Shineth by @juliusschmidt {Mature, 57k}
Louis’ life has become the very thing he’s always dreaded: routine. His job is steady, his bills are paid, his friends are preoccupied, his siblings are mostly old enough not to need him, and his mom keeps pestering him about attending church. Apparently, the new minister pulls rainbows and unicorns out of his robes.
Advent arrives three months into Harry’s first call as associate pastor at St. Andrews. Life is… not perfect. He’s still figuring out how do his job and the holidays bring a whole bundle of extra stress. On top of which, he has no friends or family nearby with whom he can decompress. Louis Tomlinson shows up to worship in the nick of time.
❄️ like cranberries on a winter evening by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou {General, 47k}
Louis hates Christmas. With good reason, too. And no, he doesn’t want to talk about it.
When research for his next novel leads Louis to the website of a quirky little hotel in Northumberland, there is exactly one room available for the two weeks that Louis really wants to get away from his family.
Will the fairy lights, kind smiles, homemade pastries, and genuine friendships awaiting him in Harry Styles’ hotel be enough to cause Louis a change of heart?
❄️ Ideal: An Advent Fic by asphodelknox / @iamasphodelknox {Mature, 40k}
All Louis wanted was some god-damned time to write his novel. He didn’t expect to move his and Liam’s entire production of a Christmas variety show to a small inn in Vermont just before the holidays. He didn’t expect to save Niall’s inn. He didn’t expect Liam to fall in love. He definitely didn’t expect to fall in love himself. And he certainly didn’t expect it all to feel so much like a Christmas movie.
Oh hell. There’s a lot of things Louis didn’t expect.
A White Christmas au, complete with drama, fluff, choreographed dance numbers, and idiotic boys falling in love. Just your typical Christmas fun.
❄️ The Happiest Season by @sadaveniren {Explicit, 37k}
“You’re going to spend Christmas -and your birthday- with his homophobic WASP parents? That’s gonna be hell.”
Louis closed his eyes in frustration. “It was either that or be apart and I don’t think that’s gonna be good for either of us this year, you know?”
A fic loosely based on Happiest Season but make it ... different
❄️ All Your Mates Are Here by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup {Teen&Up, 36k}
"The pack is... It's folding, Harry."
Like every werewolf does when they get to a new town, Harry joined one of the many local packs when he started university. Now, three years into his program, he's hit with the news that his pack is giving up, going their separate ways. In the wake of the holidays, the three single wolves from the Majestic pack are pointed in the direction of a new pack to join; one that's got struggles of its own.
A new pack, a new house, and two new roommates with personal space issues... Plus exams, of course.
❄️ From the Start by @allwaswell16 {Explicit, 32k}
Louis has no idea that one act of kindness will cause his life to spiral out of control. But that's what happens when his new friend fake proposes to him and a video of it goes viral.
❄️ One Minute to Midnight by QuickedWeen / @becomeawendybird {Explicit, 29k}
Louis Tomlinson is at the height of his game in Boston's financial scene. He's got the instinct, and he's got the guts to take calculated risks that make everyone around him a lot of money. Everything is going well until the day after he gets promoted when he wakes up forty years older than his actual age.
Two years later he's adapted to his new life as a retiree, but he's lonely and desperate for company closer to his real age during the rigorous holiday party season. He gets some questionable advice from Niall and turns to the Seeking Arrangement app where he finds Harry Styles, a local actor he's been a fan of since they had an undergraduate class together. But what happens when a few dates here and there isn't enough?
❄️ all the lights are full of colour by @infinitelymint {Explicit, 26k}
So, fast-forwarding eight years from the day Harry met Louis, he is now a twenty-seven year old owner of one of the most up-and-coming eating establishments on the London restaurant scene, father of two wonderful boys and… separated from his husband. Now, that last part definitely was never a part of the original plan.
Or, Harry and Louis are separated, but for the sake of their two sons, they choose to spend Christmas together. It may just lead to a Christmas miracle.
❄️ Yours In Fractions by @kingsofeverything {Explicit, 23k}
Louis and Harry are strangers who, because of a mix up, share their mutual friend's apartment and bed over the holidays.
❄️ Three French Hems by @100percentsassy , gloria_andrews / @gloriaandrews {Mature, 20k}
In which Louis is a designer at Burberry and Harry spends December wearing Lanvin… and Lanvin… and Lanvin.
❄️ Take Your Time 'verse by @laynefaire {Explicit, 20k}
When Harry finds himself in the middle of a messy break-up with no place to live, Louis offers a spare room in his flat. Unbeknownst to Harry, Louis has been infatuated for years. Over the objections of their friends, who know the truth, Harry accepts. Can Louis survive Harry moving into his home…and closer to his heart? Will Harry see what's right in front of him?
❄️ You'll Be Home For Christmas by @2tiedships2 {Not Rated, 15k}
“Honesty, Lou, just ask Harry for help.”
Louis remained silent as he continued to scowl at the Christmas calendar Niall had hung on their refrigerator.
“And be nice to my calendar filled with holiday cheer,” Niall instructed. “You’re going to burn a fucking hole in it from the way you’re glaring at the innocent thing. It’s not the calendar’s fault that your heat is starting so close to Christmas.”
❄️ Naughty or Nice by noellehenry / @noellehenrymain {Teen&Up, 10k}
Louis never intended for his boss, the very attractive Harry Styles, to find out he has a temporary, additional job as a Christmas Elf at Harrods Department Store. When he gets a request to show up in his elf costume at Mr. Styles' office, after office hours, Louis' mind goes wild...
❄️ and marshmallows by BriaMaria / @briannamarguerite {Explicit, 10k}
Louis Tomlinson’s ass was wet. Well the whole back of him was wet, but it was really, really seeping through the thin jeggings that he swore to Lottie were jeans. In this moment, though, lying spread eagle in the snow bank that was his front yard he admitted that they were indeed some kind of useless fabric that wasn’t denim.
“Ummm.” The voice was deep, hesitant and came from the little walk leading up to Louis’ house. Fucking fantastic. Someone to witness his misery. “Are you alright?”
Louis squeezed his eyes shut hoping that the person would just go away.
The one where Harry has a personal attachment to Louis' house, and Louis can't stop picturing the beautiful stranger dancing in his kitchen.
❄️ you've set my soul to dreaming by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed {Teen&Up, 9k}
At first, when Harry wakes up on Christmas Morning with a warm body in his bed he wonders if he pulled someone last night. He’d met some friends at the pub, none of them really having anyone to spend Christmas Eve with, and he knows he might’ve had a few drinks to numb the loneliness for a while, but he didn’t think he got that drunk that he’d ended up pulling someone and forgetting all about it.
Or: Thirty year old Harry Styles goes to bed single on Christmas Eve, only to wake up on Christmas morning with a husband in his bed and a son down the hall.
❄️ Nothin' I Would Rather Do by @lululawrence {Mature, 9k}
“Louis,” Anne said sternly. “You know I have no problem with you working overtime if you need to, but I can’t have you running yourself ragged. At this rate you won’t have the energy or stamina to make it to the party yourself!”
“I’ll be fine, Anne. I swear.”
Her bright eyes sparkled as her smile turned a bit more coy and Louis knew immediately what was coming next.
“I hope so, because you know, my son will be in town and coming to the party.”
Louis froze. In all the months of her talking about her son and saying they should meet, she never once mentioned that he would be coming to the Christmas party. Well, fuck.
or...the one where Anne is determined to set Louis up with her son, but he's perfectly happy with the random sexting "relationship" he has running with the random he met at a bar several months back.
❄️ 12 Days of Kissmas by @haztobegood {Not Rated, 8k}
A collection of 12 Christmas ficlets, each one sealed with a kiss
❄️ so c'mon c'mon (and dance with me baby) by theweightofmywords / @rockstarlouis {Not Rated, 3k}
Louis and Harry meet at a corporate holiday party, drink copious amounts of champagne, dance like fools, steal rich people's food, and possibly, just maybe, fall in love.
#ficrec#hlsource#hlcreators#hljournal#trackinghome#tracksintheam#yourlarrysource#trackinghappily#1dsource#theweightofmywords#haztobegood#allwaswell16#lululawrence#kingsofeverything#jacarandabloom#wearethesame#noellehenry#briamaria#2tiedships2#laynefaire#100percentsassy#gloriaandrews#infinitelymint#quickedween#ladylondonderry#sadaveniren#asphodelknox#juliusschmidt#stylinsoncity
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what’s your pitch for good!Flux? And good!Power of the Doctor?
okay so i'm going to preface this by saying i have not rewatched flux or power of the doctor since potd aired and that is because potd dealt so much psychic damage to me that it retroactively ruined the entire chibnall era and now i can never watch it again. so this is going to be extremely vague/broad strokes because i don't remember what happened very well.
on the other hand, this means that the bar for a good version of both of these is very low.
overall, flux should be entirely about the doctor's reaction to the timeless child news and her subsequent identity crisis, and secondarily about how she is in absolutely no shape to have any kind of relationship with another person.
to make room for this, we're cutting out like half the plot lines. i liked bel and vinder but what were they doing there. we don't need the unit thing either, and i think i'd also cut the lupari, or at least, i might keep karvanista as a figure from the doctor's past but i'm not sure connecting that to a species that exists to guard humans makes literally any sense. i'm not sure we need swarm and azure either, and i would maybe replace them with a lackey for tecteun who's responsible for creating/spreading the flux. the weeping angel thing can take up more time, that was one of the cooler parts of flux, and it could also build up some suspense (ie. the angels are stalking the doctor, what do they want with her, finally she's in the 60's and this town is crawling with them, etc.) and we keep dan so yaz can have a companion.
plotwise like... i feel like the flux itself has to feel personal. like... okay, planets are disappearing, but they're planets the doctor cares about. she drags yaz to some planet or another because she thinks it might give her more clues about what division is, and the planet is just full of refugees. and something is clearly extremely extremely wrong. and they go back to earth to check on it and they realize the streets are strangely empty, i guess i'm lifting from the dimension cannon audios to say the flux got the sun. which also gives them a time limit on fixing it because pretty soon the earth is going to be uninhabitably cold. and they pick up dan somewhere in there. but as they like. go around the universe trying to figure out what's wrong it's clear that like. places that have a particular significance to the doctor are gone. you could pull a ton of different references from past seasons. and then she realizes she keeps seeing the angels.
you need to either do way less or way more thasmin, and i'm a dyke, so i would make the thasmin way more explicit, but also way more toxic/codependent. yaz knows thirteen is hiding something, knows it's massive, knows thirteen is running away from her, but can't leave because 1. she's never felt this way about anyone and she doesn't want to lose what she has and 2. she knows that whatever thirteen is hiding is clearly devastating and rooted in trauma etc which makes her 100% more likely to forgive thirteen. and thirteen for her part is like. perfectly nice until yaz tries to challenge her/ask questions and then she falls back on the "haven't i shown you amazing things!!" thing that we get like. one line of.
also like yaz having WWTDD on her hand was a clear attempt to show that she looks up to the doctor and wants to be like the doctor but it's like. extremely on-the-nose and stilted. "show don't tell" isn't universally useful advice but it would be useful advice in this specific instance. show us that yaz is becoming like the doctor!
for example. i kind of want to keep some of the stuff with the mouri, maybe the doctor goes to them to figure out whether something's wrong, realizes a couple are missing, but crucially yaz is like "wait if you get another person in there will it stop the universe from being so fucked up." and jumps in. because she thinks she can handle it. and the doctor is like. oh shit i don't want to lose yaz and jumps in too. because then you can have all the flashbacks, maybe you give yaz glimpses of a possible future for herself (without the doctor... but with the doctor's constant intrusion) (also in good!flux yaz has already quit being a cop and she's an emt in the future thing) and then that can parallel the doctor's glimpses of a possible past for herself, with the present as an intrusion (ie. she's seeing yaz instead of her actual partner or whatever).
yaz's separation from thirteen (and her watching thirteen turn into an angel) needs a lot more narrative and emotional weight, we should see her sobbing and wailing, and then we should see her stand up and figure out what needs to be done. the doctor doesn't give her a hologram (because thirteen being like "well i think we might get separated!" and planting a hologram makes NO sense) but she does have like. a silly souvenir hologram of the doctor from some amusement park or something so it's literally just the doctor grinning and going like "hi yaz!!"
and she has dan with her but i think i'll leave jericho out honestly because the main thing i remember about him is yaz taking a historical object out of a dig site type of place and going "we should return it" and jericho going "no no it's a discovery!!" and like. i think maybe i'm actually not going to have a character of color say "hey stealing this cultural item kind of sucks" and then an older white man from the 1960's who's just there to go "no it's great." i mean if i do keep him in i take out that line and i give his death way more impact. but anyway . we can keep dan as companion for yaz and also like. general emotional support guy. this also means that he gets an extremely one-sided picture of yaz's relationship with the doctor. i also think he assumes they're dating/partnered just by how desperate yaz is to get back.
but anyway without the hologram yaz doesn't have a mission from the doctor, but she does have a mission, which is to get back to the doctor, and she's spent enough time with the doctor that she knows if she looks hard enough eventually she'll find a time traveler, possibly another version of the doctor, and she can get that person to get her back to the doctor. i think also if we keep the tunnels she needs to discover them through research etc., like she needs to read somewhere about this guy in liverpool who keeps saying these tunnels are going to weird times/places, and then she needs to follow up on those rumors and seek out the guy and ask him about the tunnels and convince him to show her the tunnels and then she gets back. and dan is there to be like "hang on i know about these tunnels!!"
meanwhile!! first of all we make a much bigger deal about the angel thing, we see thirteen left there for much longer, and it's tecteun who comes and turns her back. also the conversation with tecteun starts with tecteun addressing thirteen in gallifreyan and then switching to english when thirteen absolutely refuses to engage. this is the "reveal" that yes, the flux was about the doctor, and it's all so the doctor can have a beautiful new universe to play in, etc etc etc. honestly i don't think i'd change much about this bit, it's just all the stuff around it needs to give it way more weight. i'm honestly not sure how this resolves, though. i think thirteen needs to think tecteun is right for a moment, and then she's like wait fuck this and figures out an escape. probably she figures out tecteun has an escape plan and uses that. to be honest i don't worry a lot about the technicalities of stuff like "how does she escape" because i feel like that's secondary to the actual plot. like in doctor who the technical stuff never makes any sense but you buy into it because the emotional story is good. unless the emotional story is bad.
and then like. we're back on earth with the sun gone out. it is extremely crucial that thirteen does not get trisected after the interaction with tecteun because this means that yaz is now in the right century, directly in front of the tardis, but the doctor isn't there. which means that we can use the chekov's gun of yaz knowing how to pilot the tardis (!!!) and have her get in there, get out her big binder and all her sticky notes or whatever, and figure out how to find the doctor. and honestly i think it takes most of the episode for her and the doctor to find each other. meanwhile they're both trying to figure out how to solve the problem of the flux. they find each other, have their moment, thirteen is absolutely wrecked emotionally and physically, yaz is doing a little better but like it's been a long four years. and there's a moment where thirteen is completely defeated, yaz starts throwing out solutions, like "maybe there's an antidote" "maybe there's something that works against it" "maybe we can turn back time" etc etc etc.
and here's the thing... i think maybe this is where the heart of the tardis could come in. like when it's used at the end of the first episode of flux, it's so anticlimactic. but in s1, it's established that the heart of the tardis gives you what you need. and i feel like thirteen looking into the heart of the tardis could like. do some things. for the universe. particularly i think thirteen coupled with the tardis could fuck with the timelines to reverse the progress of the flux, there's still lots of loss but she manages to save earth (and the sun) and get the flux out of the universe. honestly i'm not sure if this would actually work but again it's one of those things where the emotional storyline needs to really sell it.
so that's flux. and you know what you could just have the doctor regenerate right there, considering the heart of the tardis has a track record of killing her, but let's say instead she expends it all trying to fix what the flux did and then she's just so fucking tired. and yaz is like "okay let's have a beach day. do you want to invite dan."
and then we get eotd/lotsd. i won't go into too much detail here except that these episodes need to like. foster actual conversation between thirteen and yaz. like they need to actually talk it out. thirteen needs to tell yaz what she's been hiding, yaz needs to express how it's hurt her. which sets them up for potd.
good!potd involves a few things. first of all, tegan and ace are both explicitly dykes. none of this "i have two ex-husbands" whatever. she's married to nyssa and we all know this. secondly, we need an actual bodyswap between the doctor and the master. what actually happened was way too confusing. thirdly, if you are going to open on a random child and then not use that to talk about thirteen's childhood trauma. what is the point. fourthly yaz needs to either choose to leave on her own accord (because thirteen mistreated her, because even though they're talking now it's too little too late, because her time in the past made her realize she really missed normal life) or there needs to be tragedy. like she needs to die. we also need an emotional kiss either right when she's about to leave or while she dies. honestly i don't remember what the actual plot of potd was but like. fewer plot lines more of the master and the doctor goofing around in each other's bodies, more dykery, more tragedy. and also thirteen needs to die as a direct result of the forced regeneration. honestly i only watched potd once and since then i've been trying to wipe it from my brain because i hated it so much so i have fewer thoughts on this one.
anyway i hope you enjoyed that. i gave myself real emotions thinking about thirteen's emotional journey in my own personal version of flux. if anyone has thoughts or wants to add anything let me know. i thought about adding jack to both flux and potd because according to the released shooting script for rotd he was supposed to come back at the end and deliver a cliffhanger into flux (presumably written before the bbc blacklisted john barrowman) and like if we're living in a perfect world where no one sexually harasses anyone else having jack there (particularly as someone who knows the doctor very well from a very different point in their life) would be cool so there's also that.
this is long but i'm not putting it under a read more. woe! good!flux and good!potd be upon ye!
#doctor who#chibnall era#flux#power of the doctor#headcanons#<- i guess#criticism#<- also i guess#if i had time and energy and fewer long wips i would try and fic this but. nah#sorry for not answering earlier also. but again time and energy are at a premium#edit. i just remembered there were sontarans in flux. cut them out too i guess
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The Shire Is Burning - Chapter 11.
Summary: Trying to navigate problems like growing up as a teen in the 80s in a new town can be tough enough without taking things like being on the run for faulty murder charges, alternate dimensions, and a psychopath with powers that's hellbent on revenge into account. Can Lilith do enough to help her new friends save everyone from Vecna? Or at the very least... just one person?
Pairings: Eddie Munson x Original Female Character.
Contents: Swearing, smoking, drug use, eventual smut, and canon typical violence mentioned throughout. Minors DNI.
Chapter: 11 of ?
Chapter Masterlist: The Shire Is Burning - Masterlist.
WC: 1350.
A/N: I am currently in the process of re-writing this abandoned wip from last year so I can move onto new projects without feeling guilty. Enjoy ❤️
March 24th, 1986.
Eddie held their lips together for what felt like an eternity before he pulled away. They stood there for a few seconds, lips barely apart, breathing in each other’s air. “I- I’m sorry,” Eddie told her, still panting slightly before turning away from her. Lilith reached out and placed her hand on the side of his face, turning it to face her again. She crashed her lips back onto his with more passion than she’d ever felt in her entire life.
Fireworks exploded in her stomach and a soft, warmth spread over her entire body. They both leaned in, eager to keep tasting each other. Eddie ran his tongue lightly across Lilith’s lips, she parted them slightly and allowed him to explore further. Their bodies pressed heatedly together, the combined thud of their heartbeats enough to drown out any background noise.
Not a single thought was running through Lilith’s head; all she knew was she had a lot of pent-up tension that needed releasing.
Lilith ran her hands through his hair and took a fistful, tugging it gently at the root. Eddie let out a quiet whimper directly into her mouth, causing her to smirk. “Don’t do that,” he told her.
“Do what? This?” she teased, tugging on his hair again. Eddie pushed Lilith against the wall and pinned her hands above her head with one hand, the other on her jaw, looming over her.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked.
“Mhmm,” she murmured.
Eddie lunged at her with such ferocity she could hardly comprehend what was happening. He kissed her hard and fast, their tongues dancing around in perfect rhythm. Time seemed to have slowed down. Lilith didn’t know how long they’d been intertwined, but she didn’t care. All she knew was it felt right. Lilith bit down on his lip and gently pulled at it.
“Fuck,” Eddie whispered.
He scooped Lilith up, wrapped her legs around his waist, and began carrying her to the bedroom. She took this opportunity to lightly lick down his exposed neck before biting down hard, sucking the skin of his neck into her mouth. Eddie tightened his grip on Lilith’s thighs and let out an audible gasp, encouraging Lilith to do it a little harder. Eddie’s knees buckled slightly before he regained his composure. He kicked open the door and threw her down onto the bed so hard that she bounced.
Lilith sat up and locked her gaze with Eddie’s before slowly lifting her t-shirt over her head to reveal her bare breasts. He stared at her for a few seconds and Lilith couldn’t help but notice he’d never looked at her this way before. His eyes were different, not as soft as usual. They were hungry. Determined.
Eddie dived towards her, his teeth connecting with the skin on her neck in a bite so hard that it sent a shiver down her spine as it began to sting. He chuckled into the nape of her neck before sucking it sensually. He repeated this a dozen times, slowly leaving a trail of hickeys down to her breasts. He used his tongue to flick gently at Lilith’s nipples, causing her skin to prickle and her body to jerk each time she experienced the sensation. Locking his gaze with hers, he left a trail of kisses down her stomach until he was at the waistband of her jeans before stopping abruptly. Eddie lifted himself to his knees and looked down at his bare chest and boxers. His eyes shot back to Lilith.
“You’re a little overdressed, don’t you think?” He smirked. In one swift movement, Eddie undid the button and the zip before ripping Lilith’s jeans off and throwing them over his shoulder. “Much better,” he teased, lowering himself back down to continue the trail of kisses he was leaving. He took the edge of Lilith’s underwear between his teeth and pulled them down over her ankles before starting a new trail of kisses leading up her legs. He paused briefly, eyes locked with Lilith’s before diving in.
His tongue danced in circles around Lilith’s clit causing her hips to buck. He used his mouth to suck, tug, and flick in all the right places to leave Lilith quivering. Her hips thrust in time with every lick Eddie made, the pressure building inside of her. She ran her hands through Eddie’s hair and gripped tightly for support as she allowed him to bring her over the edge. Her body buckled, every muscle tensing, but Eddie didn’t stop until he knew for certain she was finished.
“Mmmm,” he moaned, slowly lifting himself onto his knees and removing his boxers. He lowered himself back down onto his elbows, hovering over Lilith, their noses touching. Lilith could feel his tip resting gently against her entrance. Eddie kissed her deeply, allowing her to taste herself before turning his head and whispering in her ear. “I’m going to fuck you now, Henderson. That okay?”
“Mhmm,” she whimpered.
“I’m going to need to hear a ‘yes’ from you. Now, I’ll ask again. I’m going to fuck you now, Henderson. Is that okay?” he asked, cockily.
“Yes.”
Eddie sunk himself into her with one deep thrust and Lilith let out a loud gasp. He stayed there for a couple of seconds, allowing Lilith to get comfortable, before pulling back and thrusting again. Harder. Lilith let out another moan, throwing her head back. “This is gonna be fun,” he teased.
Eddie plowed into her, going harder and faster with every thrust. Sweat dripped from his brow onto Lilith’s torso, leaving her glistening in the light. She ran her hands through his hair and dragged her nails across his back, the pressure beginning to grow inside of her again. He pulled out suddenly, flipped Lilith over onto her stomach, grabbed her by the hips, and pulled her back onto him. He let out a low growl as Lilith lowered herself down onto him. She began to bounce up and down on his cock, finding the perfect rhythm that left him muttering curse words in her ear. The pressure growing inside of her was becoming unbearable. Eddie placed one hand upon her breast, fondling gently, and used the other to stroke her clit. Lilith began to ride faster and faster, panting and moaning.
“You like that, don’t you?” he purred in her ear.
“Y-yes,” she moaned.
“Fuck,” he gasped, “you’re taking it so well, aren’t you?”
“Jesus Christ, Eddie, I’m gonna-” Lilith moaned as her body began to tense again, her back arching against Eddie’s torso.
Eddie wrapped his hand around Lilith’s throat, his rings cool against her now hot body. He lifted his lips to her ear. “Good girl,” he whispered.
Lilith turned around to face Eddie and began to kiss him, hungrily. She followed his technique from earlier leaving trails of kisses down his neck, his chest, and his stomach. Lilith looked up and locked his gaze before lowering her mouth onto his hard cock.
Eddie let his head hang back as Lilith picked up the pace, finding the perfect rhythm of fast then slow that was enough to drive him insane. He looked down and gathered Lilith’s hair from around her face, holding it back so she could continue undisturbed. He was panting now, sweat dripping from his head down to his stomach. “Holy shit,” he muttered, thrusting deeper into Lilith’s mouth. He grabbed the back of Lilith’s head and thrust faster and deeper, fucking her mouth until she was almost gagging. He took a fistful of her hair by the root causing her to lock her gaze with his again. “You’re taking that so well, aren’t you?” he praised. The corners of Lilith’s mouth twitched into a smile as she continued.
Eddie began to pant harder and tugged at fistfuls of Lilith’s hair, the pressure building in him now. Lilith locked her gaze with Eddie’s, her eyes beginning to water. He hung his head back and let out a loud moan as he released himself into her mouth.
“Fuck, Lilith.”
#eddie munson#eddie munson fanfic#eddie munson fic#eddie munson x oc#eddie munson x fem oc#eddie munson smut#stranger things#stranger things 4#st4#stranger things fic#fanfic#the shire is burning#tsib
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Onion Knight & Ingus: Scarlet Duet
(No, it won't be 2.5D. If it even happens.)
With the New Year incoming, I have decided to undertake a different project from the usual Fanfics and such for 2024: I've decided to make a fangame. Or at least a demo.
The loose pitch can be found under the Read More.
Scarlet Duet concepts
(NOTES: Regarding 2.5D and 2D: I had considered the possibility of making the game 2.5D (ala Octopath Traveler or Star Ocean but with less bloom) in Godot. However, the OO map I tried to load did not load correctly (or rather, I did not know how to apply the textures and such) + my general inexperience with 3D led me, for simplicity’s sake, to go with full-on 2D. However, I won’t totally write off the possibility yet.)
Storyline:
A Thief named Gilgamesh has been eyeing the legendary arms of each of the kingdoms. With Argus and Saronia's weapons stolen, Princess Sara is determined to not let Sasune's Wightslayer get taken. However, while dealing with the thief, a Torsion opens, pulling Gilgamesh, Sara, Onion Knight and Ingus into the Interdimensional Rift: The gap between in-between dimensions that is easy to get banished to, but difficult to return from. They end up in the Interdimensional Castle under the control of a man named "Ryu". From there, Onion Knight and Ingus have two objectives: Retrieve Wightslayer and the other Royal Arms from Gilgamesh and find a means of escaping the Interdimensional Rift.
Gameplay Loop:
Simple: Ingus & Onion Knight + Guests: Parties consist of Two-usually of Ingus and Onion Knight. Sara can be called upon for bonus attacks/abilities. Further party members can temporarily be summoned by Manikin Crystals when the respective character’s [Memory] is gained: Some come from spirits wandering the Rift while others come from Onion Knight and Ingus’ previous lives.
Onion Knight and Ingus’ movesets can be influenced in two ways: Materia and Styles.
Materia is equipped before entering a Sector and can be used to preload commands onto Ingus and Onion Knight.
Styles can be applied during battle as an evoker effect. These change Onion Knight and Ingus’ list of commands to be based on whatever character they drew upon (think Command Decks from KH BBS)
Summons come in different forms for different types: Phantom Summons are the traditional FF summons such as Bahamut, Ifrit, Shiva, etc. These have the same effects as in FF3: Black, White and Summon effects. Memory Summons are slightly different: They have three effects depending on the level:
- Level 1: The memory uses a special ability. Drains the gauge 3/4ths of the way.
- Level 2: A Style is applied to either Ingus or Onion Knight based on that character. Drains the gauge halfway.
- Level 3: The character based on the Memory is summoned as a party member. Lasts for a number of turns (?) or until KO. Drains the gauge entirely.
Main Cast:
Onion Knight: One of the two main party members, a boy who feels he has much to prove. Sometimes he’s a smart alack, other times he’s a grouch, But deep down, he’s just a boy who wishes to prove himself… and one who is less certain of his own existence than he cares to admit.
Ingus: The second of the two party members, a soldier who serves Castle Sasune. He has been devoted to the crown his entire life. Normally, this works out well enough. However, as of late he desires to take a sabbatical to his home town of Falgabard to study Dark Blades. Naturally, this conflict eats away at him inside and he has no idea of how to properly break this to his superiors (namely Sara) either. The whole “getting lost in-between dimensions” thing is not helping too, even as he vows to get Sara back home come hell or highwater.
Sara: The Princess of Sasune, Sara decides to take an active role in apprehending the thief stealing weapons from kingdoms. This backfires, as her impulsiveness leads her to leap right into a Torsion, sending her (and Ingus and Onion Knight) into the Interdimensional Rift. While she knows that there’s no way Ingus and Onion Knight would allow her to get to heavily involved, she is still determined to help however she can. And while the possibility of never seeing her kingdom again frightens her, she is intrigued by all of the new places to see.
Gilgamesh: The major antagonist. He’s a goofy figure who acts like a renowned fighter sword collector. Despite his comical atmosphere, he is surprisingly competent in battle and his hunger for it speaks to how dangerous he can be. Gilgamesh initially appears in Sasune to steal the Wightslayer, to go with the Royal Sword and Gungir before being swallowed by a Torsion. He ends up locking himself into the inner sanctum of Ryu’s castle and his repeated run-ins with the duo make it clear that he’s trying to get out of it just as badly as they’re trying to get in. Still, he won’t just hand over the weapons without a fight.
“Ryu”: A mysterious figure who claims to own the castle that Onion Knight, Ingus and Sara find themselves in. He describes himself as a fellow adventurer who merely wishes to see the world as others see it. However, there is much more to Ryu than meets the eye...
Emperor of Saronia: A former ruler of Saronia who found himself within the Rift. He claims to be working on a project that can open a door back to the heroes’ world, although he needs Ingus and Onion Knight’s co-operation to do so.
[REDACTED]: ???
A Brief List of Commands:
Attack: Attacks.
Magic: Allows Ingus and Onion Knight to cast Magic.
Items: Allows Ingus and Onion Knight to use an item.
Jump: Onion Knight or Ingus leaps into the air. After some time, he crashes down on the enemy.
Technique: Uses a particular attack with an added effect, such as the Break line.
Drink: Allows for the drinking of Tonics, Drinks, and other such items
Item Lore: Doubles the effectiveness of an item.
Darkness: Applies self-damage to hit all targets with Dark damage.
And much more.
Worlds:
The Dimensional Castle more than lives up to its name this time around. Various wings of the castle contain the ‘Memory’ of different worlds, creating facsimilies of them.
(Theoretically differs between 2.5 and 2D, Different Worlds will be noted as such)
World 0: Sasune (Grasslands + Castle + Interdimensional Rift)
World 1: Cornelia (Grasslands + Ruins)
World 2: Demon (Castle ExDeath + Pandemonium)
World 3: Ruin (Sky Castle + Ronka)(2D)
World 3: Reactor (Insomnia + Reactor)(2.5D)
World 4: Lunar (Moon + Cavern + Baron Castle)
World 5: Machine (Owen’s Tower + Fire-Powered Ship + Dreadnaught)(2D)
World 5: Ruins (Ronka + Owen)(2.5D)
World 6: Chaos (World of Darkness + Interdimensional Rift + Chaos Shrine)
World 7: Bonus
Bosses:
Gilgamesh (+ Enkidu)/Shin Gilgamesh
Emperor/Hell Arisen Emperor
Xande + Doga (Transformed) + Unei (Transformed)
Golbez + Shadow Dragon
Kaiser Dragon
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
And much more.
Reports:
Papers scattered across the Ryu’s castle. These papers describe events that are going on in the background of the main game. Collecting all of them may unlock areas or bosses.
“Ryu’s Reports”: Reports written from Ryu’s perspective. These detail Ryu’s thoughts and wanderings.
[REDACTED]: Effectively Ryu’s Reports after a certain point. They detail what is truly going on.
“Arc’s Journal”: Pages of Arc’s journal which somehow end up in the rift. These detail what has happened since Sara, Onion Knight and Ingus’ disappearance and Luneth, Arc and Refia's efforts to find them.
“Saronia Missives”: Pages of Reports by an unknown third party with a connection to Saronia. These detail the nature of the Rift, among other things.
Other elements to consider:
Dungeons (Map-style? God forbid, SaGa Unlimited style?)
Battle System finer points (enemy health, Octopath sytle weakness/break system?, more later).
How many characters?
Enemies & Bosses and how they fight.
Again: All of this is more akin to a pitch than anything. I still need to learn the engine I'm targeting (Godot) as well as struggling with general inexperience and impatience. Maybe one day this'll be a full-fledged thing. Or maybe I'll fizzle out before even getting a prototype finished. We'll see.
And SE owns all the assets, characters, etc etc.
#Fangame#Concepts#Final Fantasy#Final Fantasy III#FF3#FFIII#Onion Knight#Ingus#Sara#Gilgamesh#Scarlet Duet#Adventures in game design
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“the duffers are geniuses who have been throwing in Vecna hints the entire series!” no??? they weren’t??? I hate to tell you this, but regardless of anything the Duffers say about always having a five season plan, the writing each season getting sloppier and sloppier tells me that they don’t have a long-game plan and simply keep adding more to the ST lore each time Netflix offers them money for a new season because the show is stupidly popular. The Duffers may have had an idea board with ideas for Vecna or One, but I sincerely doubt that had S4 planned from the very beginning, not with how... inconsistent the show has been in terms of writing.
The Duffer Brothers bend too easily to fan pressure and cast choices to have had some master plan the entire time. As examples, Steve was, allegedly, meant to die in S1, but the Duffers chose to tweak the plot because they liked Joe Keery so much. This is a massive change when you consider that S3 largely hinges on Steve getting a shitty job at an ice cream shop in the mall that shouldn’t exist in such a small town. Robin was initially written to be a love interest for Steve, but this was changed because Maya Hawke wanted to make her queer, or they weren’t getting the right vibes from the actors, which has, in turn, led to the Duffers cockteasing stancy in S4 because, aside from subjecting him to physical abuse, they don’t know what to do with Steve when he’s not in a relationship, pining, or having his heart broken, I guess.
Plus, the “Vecna’s been hinted the entire time” “proof” is... well, it’s really just minor inconsistencies that happen in the screenwriting process all the time because someone didn’t think something through, someone forgot an aspect of the lore, or they needed the plot to work so they just said “fuck it” and left the inconsistency in because it’s a small detail and they figured no one would notice. Besides, the three things from the pilot I see people repeating all the time are that:
1) the Demogorgon attacked Will without him being injured or bleeding.
Blood attracts the Demogorgon (like it does with a lot of predators that rely on their sense of smell), but someone doesn’t need to be injured to be attacked. The Demogorgon slaughtered several scientists in the lab, also in the pilot episode, when they were presumably uninjured beforehand. We also know that later in the season two men from Hawkins go missing. There’s no reason to think they had been injured prior to being attacked by the Demogorgon either. The monster noticed Will and chased him down because that’s what predators do.
2) the figure Will sees doesn’t look like the Demogorgon we see later in the first season.
The Demogorgon is 50/50 practical effects and CGI. It’s a dude in a suit. Later in the season the Demogorgon is seen up close and in full, meaning they needed to use heavier CGI. In the pilot, the Demogorgon is just a silhouette so they didn’t need to spend extra money on the CGI. Also, the practical effect suit doesn’t actually look all that different from the silhouette in S1E1
3) the “Demogorgon” unlocking the Byers’ front door means that actually it was One the entire time.
The Demogorgon can rip holes in the fabric of reality in order to open a gate between dimensions. We have no reason to believe it can’t have minor telekinetic abilities. Additionally, the Byer’s front door was a simple chain lock. It wasn’t complex or heavy, so there’s no reason to believe it couldn’t open the door.
Look, the Duffer brothers clearly just wanted a cool chase sequence in the pilot. They also Will to survive S1. There’s no deeper explanation for why Will survived in the Upside Down than “because they didn’t want to kill the kid.” Vecna was not hinted in S1. If production tries to tell you it was always the plan, that’s simply to save face because it sounds cooler than “Netflix wanted another season so we pulled something out of our ass to meet our deadlines”.
#source: i took film classes in undergrad#stranger things#'vecna was planned all along!!!" please don't#sure it's a fun little fan theory. but the duffers should not be praised for having just enough minor plot inconsistencies to make it work
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Spuffy style Reading Challenge - #2: One trope/month
1st month - Fic about Places on your Travel Bucket List:
The Darkling by OffYourBird [NC-17]
When Buffy’s quest to get Spike returned to her is fulfilled in an unexpected way, she finds herself in a complicated relationship with an intrigued master vampire who isn’t the man she loves, but who might be someday… if she can convince him to step out of the dark.
2nd month - A feel-good fic:
Soft Spot by bookishy [PG-13]
After five years of being together, Buffy and Spike have gotten a lot better at communicating . . . well, mostly.
A scene from a calmer, gentler alternate season twelve.
3rd month - A historical fic:
A Different Kind of Hell by OffYourBird [NC-17]
Jumping through Glory's tower portal, Buffy and Spike find themselves in a hell dimension they never expected. One that looks suspiciously like 1880's London. Will they find a way back home? Will the truth behind William the Bloody at last make itself known? Will Buffy ever stop butchering the Queen's English? Join them and find out. Starts off at the end of "The Gift."
4th month - A fic set in a bookstore:
Footprints in the Snow by DauntlessGrace [PG-13]
Following the death of their mother, an eighteen-year-old Buffy and her younger sister Dawn take up residence in an apartment in New York City, trying to make ends meet with the money Joyce has left them. Buffy volunteers at a bookstore in the hope of getting hired full time, and is employed as an elf at the mall during the busy holiday shopping season. One night, while walking home, she stumbles upon a man who's been badly beaten outside of her apartment building...only to discover that he's not really a man at all. Not an All Human (AH).
5th month - About a carnival or circus:
The Carnivorous Carnival by bewildered [NC-17]
In an AU season 5, a mysterious carnival has popped up on the outskirts of town – and Spike’s kittens are lost in it! Buffy and the Scoobies must navigate a maze of rides, animals, and deep-fried treats to help Spike capture all his kittens and repay his gambling debts. What happens in the story? It all depends on the choices you make. How does the story end? Only you can find out! And you can keep reading and rereading until Buffy and Spike have had not one but many incredibly daring (and possibly smutty) experiences! Choose your own adventure! More than 20 possible endings!!
6th month - Fic about Addiction Substance Use:
High and Mighty by MillennialCryBaby [NC-17]
She knew it wasn’t entirely responsible to get high with a vampire in her backyard. But her house was filled with loud potential slayers and he was looking at her with that head tilt. Didn't she deserve to catch her breath once in a while?
Season 7 fix-it fluff with smut and a little bit of introspective angst.
7th month - A family friendly fic:
Wild and Wonderful by solstice [PG-13]
Dawn is nine and three quarters. She is resilient, strange and sharp as a tack. She's a credit to her big sis. But she's just been kidnapped by one of the most notorious vamps of all time - Drusilla. Things look bad.
Enter Spike, her very unlikely hero.
Spike's relationship with Drusilla has been on the rocks since the Acathala debacle and the morsel in the crate is her double-edged gift to him: a chance to make things right, and a chance to be really bad. Kill the girl and make it hurt. But for some reason he. just. can't.
Instead, he tosses the niblet into the trunk of his Desoto and hits the road, leaving his one hundred year relationship in tatters, and grinding his reputation into the dust.
Buckle your seat belts nice and tight. We're in for a bumpy ride.
8th month - Fic Set in a Library:
The Space Between by untouchable [PG-13]
Instead of taking Psych 101 with Willow, Buffy decides to take a poetry class.
9th month - Fic about Mental Health:
Grace by Soulburnt [NC-17]
In the aftermath of 'Dead Things,' Buffy fears that Spike has dusted. She doesn't think she can survive the world she's been pulled back into without him. When she finds he's alive, Buffy takes a chance at reclaiming her own life by sharing her time, words... and even her blood.
10th month - An adult fantasy:
A Matter Of Taste by Twinkles [Adult Only]
A potentially horrifying story of lust, blood and hunger when the world turns inside out.
Set shortly before Buffy vs Dracula; Riley left town at the end of S4.
11th month - A fic that focuses on the color blue:
The Blue Eye of the Storm by MaggieLaFey [NC-17]
Instead of the Scythe, what Buffy finds under the vineyard is a portal to another dimension. Spike has followed her there, and it’s the two of them that will cross the portal… and remain trapped on the other side for far longer than they’d expected.
What will happen when the two of them—plus a local guide—are away from the stress of Chez Summers? Will they find some peace in the eye of the storm?
12th month - A family drama:
A Boatload of Manly Responsibility by Passion4Spike
When Buffy brings her mom and sister to Spike to protect from the hellgod, Glory, he sees a chink in her armor—she needs him, she trusts him... maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t hate him as much as she claims. Will that boatload of manly responsibility the Slayer’s dropped into his lap save Spike from a life of lonely desperation?
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MAYDAY, MAYDAY, DO YOU COPY ME?
In 1914, the Great War brought with it the very first aerial strikes and dogfights, changing war as we know it. Thus began the race for dominion over the sky, and eventually, the cosmos above. In 1919, a very desperate man found himself alone in an endless void, and resolved to fill it with stars.
In 2049,
In 2081, the Invincible II launched into deep space, with the mission of founding a colony. Captained by an intrepid individual and staffed with a talented and sometimes eccentric crew, the mission was
The colonists were
And the Captain
And
I’M FEELING INCOMPLETE IN THE WORLD YOU MADE FOR ME.
Mark was, presumably, born. Most people are. His dossier lists his birthday, somewhere, he’s pretty sure. He’s also very likely to have grown up — that usually comes next. Statistically, he grew up suburban — or maybe inner city. Perhaps rural, he’s always liked adventure and wide-open spaces. Or did he move around a lot? He’s never happy when settled in one place for long. Always seeking something new, always after the next thing.
He knows he went away to a university. His dossier lists that too. Maybe he went to get out of a dinky small town. find love? escape a bad situation. run away from her. seek new experiences. He knows he found what he’s looking for, because he’s here now. The Invincible II is a beautiful ship, and she’s all his. Sleek, perfect, purring under his careful work and steady hands — he built her by hand piece by piece. He remembers welding each one carefully into place before they ever left spacedock.
(She’s a big ship. That must have taken a long time.)
(Has he ever been that patient in his entire life?)
There’s Celci, the smug and irritating overseer of cryogenics. There’s Gunther, chief of asteroid defense systems and general security, smooth and sharp. There’s Burt, head of reactor core and amateur poet. There’s more too — crew members and colonists with bright futures ahead of them.
Everyone knows the Captain of the Invincible II. They’re strong, intelligent, decisive, undeniably handsome and/or beautiful — and they’re Mark’s to guide and care for. He’s the head engineer after all! He’s happy to act as the liaison between the Captain and crew. It’s a great honor! Finally his talent and tireless hard work can be recognized by someone!
Everything’s smooth sailing. They toast with champagne. They ready for cryosleep.
And then
Then when they’re underway,
There’s a story pilots tell, about a certain point of altitude. When you fly high enough, you can see the curve of the surface of the Earth in the distance. The world takes on a new and terrifying dimension. Previously flat characters become dynamic. Words raise from the page and find their way into the living world. New life is breathed into long stagnant work. Authors, narrators, and actors become gods.
In those places, you can escape gravity’s pull. Reality becomes malleable. There’s little meaningful difference between the imagined and the material. Stories can be spoken into existence with hardly a thought. Worlds born and burnt, life brought from void.
What is a character but a fragment of the creator’s soul?
Mark’s the head engineer aboard the Invincible II. It’s his job to foresee problems with the ship. There shouldn’t be problems with the ship.
There are, in fact, problems aboard the Invincible II. A few of them, actually. But the Captain does a great job of guiding him through every step of the way.
There are, in fact, no problems aboard the Invincible II, until the Captain dooms them all to fail.
There are, in fact, no problems aboard the Invincible II, save the Captain and their paranoid insistence on something out to get them.
Mark was the head engineer aboard the Invincible II. Now, he’s little more than a slave.
Mark’s the head engineer aboard the Invincible II. It’s his job to foresee problems with the ship. There shouldn’t be problems with the ship.
(Does this feel familiar?)
You don't realize this place is a dream.
You have a never-ending starring role.
Everyone knows the Captain of the Invincible II. They’re strong, intelligent, decisive, undeniably handsome and/or beautiful — and they’re Mark’s to guide and care for. He’s the head engineer after all! He’s happy to act as the liaison between the Captain and crew. It’s a great honor! Finally his talent and tireless hard work can be recognized by someone!
Everything’s smooth sailing. They toast with champagne. They ready for cryosleep.
And then
(Have we been here before?)
#✨ꜰɪx ɪᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴜᴛꜱɪᴅᴇ! . . . meta & narrative#( i dont even know how to tag this. i want this out before tomorrow so im posting it even tho im not happy w it )#( mark spaceboi is a character and about 40% self aware is all it boils down to )#( authors narrators and actors please interact )#( ok gn sorry i did this instead of threads )
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A few of the Best Minecraft Mods For Gamers
After playing your Minecraft for a while it is possible to change, modify or add some things to your game. Minecraft mods can help accomplish the task. Mods are extremely popular because they can completely change Minecraft. Mods allow you to enhance your creativity in many different ways. Additionally, it allows you to refresh the game so that you don't become bored easily playing with the same style of game.
If you've decided to make some modifications to your Minecraft then now is the time to look for the right mods for Minecraft. There are a variety of Minecraft mods that can provide different styles and variations. Which one should you get? Let me share the top mods available if you aren't sure what to do.
1. Too Many Items Minecraft Mod
It lets you pull any object from the air. MSMADRID You'll love using it as it is compatible with other mods. This is the best item to use if you intend to install one mod. When playing Minecraft there are instances when you encounter difficulties finding items. This mod will help you to solve the issue by assisting you to create and delete item in-game. With this mod, you can create various stocks of test mods and items.
2. Millenaire NPC Mod
As of now, this is considered as the most well-known NPC mod. It allows you to add villages of NPCs to your game. Additionally, it enables you to interact with the NPCs and upgrade a village into town. They will repay the favor by preparing wool or cobblestone.
3. Minecraft Planes Mod
Most likely, you know what the mod does from its name. Yes, Minecraft Planes Mod helps you build planes in Minecraft that allow you to travel great distances quickly. You can also find a variety of planes with different level of capability. Certain planes are capable of carrying cargo and others can be used to carry out offensive activities.
4. Aether Mod
If you expect to add the entire world of your game, this is the mod for you. This mod won't let you find the underground hell dimension. Instead, you'll be able to be able to see floating skies and new possibilities. In Aether there are two types of flying mounts known as moas and flying pigs. There are also many new block types, including the cloud block. This mod is ideal for those who get bored of the existing block types.
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Chapter 9: The Final Battle pt.3
The Imitator/Edison: No need to thank me, and now time to explain to the heroes of the universe, cause they’re probably confused about what's going on. I’m gonna need help to explain this.
???? ?????: I can help!
Keith: …Who are you?
???? ?????: The other dimension copy of you. It's weird. I’m you, but like a demon, except I'm not a demon.
The Imitator/Edison: Yep, that guys right, now let me explain to the others, while you guys make an introduction, see ya.
Narrator: Then the Alternate version of the Imitator left the pocket dimension to the battle buddies.
Keith: Can you just tell me who you are? Since you said that you’re me.
Soul Keith: THE SOUL VS. OF YOU. DID I ALREADY SAY THAT?
Keith: This is cringe. Imma teleport to my father. Peace OUT.
Narrator: Then Keith teleported to where the Battle Buddies were.
The Imitator/Edison: Well, can you help me by explaining to everyone on this ship, and what’s going on?
Soul Keith: Sure… I guess… I’ve come to realize something though…
The Imitator/Edison: Talk about that later, let me clean up some misinformation.
Narrator: Then the Alternate version of the Imitator explained everyone in the main world.
Black Imposter: So, you’re a different version of our villain here, right?
The Imitator/Edison: Yep, it’s confusing but this is the last chapter, so, who cares.
Black Imposter: Alright… now that you’re here, what do you call you now?
Garcello: Who IS this?
Edison: Well, just call me Edison, Garcello. I’m an alternate version of your villain.
Garcello: Wait. Then, where’s the REAL version of the Imitator?
Edison: Back at his base, like normal as always, testing out a clone machine.
Garcello: Huh. Interesting.
Edison: I know it’s confusing, but I managed to get Keith here, stronger than ever. Now if you excuse me, I’ll go find Lucy while you both chat.
Black Imposter: Well, this will help us win, gonna talk to Green, he has enough brain power to understand this “universe travel” thing.
Green: On it! l’ll see if I can get results.
Keith: Just hurry, ok? We don’t have much time left.
Soul Keith: For what?
Keith: Before the Imitator TAKES OVER OUR TOWN!
Soul Keith: Oh. Well, let’s kill that BOZO!
Edison: Most likely THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!
Keith: Oh god… -forehead slap-
Soul Keith: Smooth, and classic.
Edison: Why not save the trouble by just teleporting.
Garcello: -pulls out a mic- I think we can handle this.
Edison: Alright, but don’t get cocky, he can wipe you out in an instant, not me of course, because I’m basically him. So, yeah.
Soul Keith: I can beat him any day! Just with enough coffee. I need my coffee. -Takes out electric guitar- I got this! With coffee. -drinks coffee- Much better.
Black Imposter: Goofy ahh guitar.
Tomongus: This is no time for jokes! This is a do or die situation!
Black Imposter: Fine.
Edison: Let’s get started. But first, we need more people to fight him. Luckily, I got a person I can call.
Narrator: Then Edison called Moisty.
Moisty: I’m here! What do you need?
Edison: Well, we need help to defeat the Imitator. not me, so that’s why I called you. Call others if you can to help us.
Moisty: You look like an exact replica of the Imitator.
Edison: I’m an alternate version of the Imitator.
Soul Keith’s mind: Who is she? I might call someone too…
Narrator: Then someone ELSE comes from the same direction.
Liam: FINE. Only for the donuts that you promised.
Moisty: LIAM? And, what donuts?
Soul Keith: I promised donuts at the end of this madness.
Edison: Well, at least he can help us.
Moisty: Are you kidding? He can barely do ANYTHING!
Soul Keith: Actually, yeah, you’re right. Partly. There’s something you don't know about him…
Edison: Well, I can give him upgrad- oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I can give people upgrades to help them in battle
Moisty: Please don’t help him. He’s fine as he is now.
Liam: Trust me, I'm fine. I don't need upgrades, I think. Also, I’m NOT spoiling the thing I can do.
Edison: Alright then, let’s get started -plays epic battle music-.
Narrator: The two broke into a fight. The ACTUAL Imitator had imitated Garcello, since he wanted revenge.
Garcello (The Imitator): You made the job way easier than expected.
Garcello: What the– ?
Edison: STOP! JUST STOP! GET SOME THERAPY!
Liam: EXACTLY!
Garcello (The Imitator): What in the world are you, and why are you me?
Liam: NOT EXACTLY! Actually, I don't know. I’ve only been here for 2 minutes and this is already confusing.
Edison: Well, let’s get this over with.
Narrator: Then Edison starts fighting the Imitator and manages to get him out of the Garcello form.
The Imitator: What the– ?
#Microphone Invasion#Book 1#writing from the back porch#fnf au#friday night funkin au#fnf garcello#boga
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Replica Women Chloe Baggage & Wallets
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The Ghost #124: Finding The Line
#124: Finding The Line
Summary (serial): Kuthumae's a highly trained mercenary captain who's pulled off the impossible (and the extremely improbable) many times. It's had its costs; on the last mission, while he pulled off the impossible job and got his team home alive, he got stuck between dimensions, in a plane outside the normal flow of time. There he met a girl - because if one person can be stuck there, why not two? Rina is the sheltered-yet-traumatized daughter of a noble family on an entirely different world from Kuth; a world of goddesses and wishes, imprisoned in that dimension so that she may never realize the full extent of her powers. Not that she's likely to; she volunteered to be put there. When the two meet, they each prove the key to the other's freedom - and we'd say they hold the keys to each other's hearts, but frankly when it comes to People, we're talking about a pair of dumbasses here.
Summary (this arc): In an unprecedented bargain, the worlds of Arsu and Andeliin have exchanged the services of dozens if not hundreds of Specialists for ownership of the Tyrant of Andeliin's former flagship - a ship that can cross the layers of reality. Or at least it could, before the Tyrant was turned into a lake of glass and Sif blew a very large hole straight through its alien engines. But no big, right? They just have to figure out how it crosses the layers, how its engines work, and fix all the damage somehow. Right? Oh, and then figure out how to steer it. And - wait. Which way would 'home' be, if you have to walk it instead of jump?
Rating: Mature (violence, language)
Warnings: This chapter discusses things like long-term torture. The 2019 Master Linkpost is here.
The 2020 Master Linkpost is here.
The 2021 Master Linkpost is here.
The 2022 Master Linkpost is here.
New reader? Don't love in medias res? Begin here! (Or head to the grand masterpost and pick a likely arc!)
This week:
Kuth has a lot of prisoners to deal with, but he's also trying to sort out why he feels like there's some kind of limit to what human beings should be allowed to do to each other. That sort of thinking isn't exactly what Specialists are supposed to do. And forty-odd years old is a strange point in life to suddenly realize you've been quietly growing a conscience.
Oh, and Kickback is...y'know. Getting out of town. Before people who might be a smidge upset at some of his recent target practices catch up to him.
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Ive been going through some headcanons and i have a proposal:
Now, if you ask most other servers, they tell you that the people of hermitcraft are something like "old gods". Some say they are some of the original players, or maybe they were part of the creation that is their vast and confusing universe?
The hermits themselves dont really think so - sure some are quite powerful and they have several admins at their disposal.
But they aren't gods.
That doesn't mean that the universe doesnt have an eye on them. Most of them aren't really sure what or who keeps watch. Maybe its a neutral entity, a broken bedrock symbol and some purple wings have been in books before.
Or maybe its the void that stares back, even if thats just their admins eyes. Maybe tbe void has claimed one of their own, pulling the rest of the server along with them.
Maybe its even some of the hermits challenging or even summoning gods. There is a reason after all, why doc tends to change the subject when asked about the loss of his arm.
Some might suspect its the darkness that lies beyond the void. Wether that be an entire different dimension, existing solely for keeping balance or just a hole in the middle of the boatem town.
It could may as well be simple players, merging with servers while being summoned. Or sentient bases that follow their players home no matter what shape it physically takes on.
The Hermits know they are looked and perceived by the universe. No one really knows if they are blessed or cursed though, and quite honestly, most prefer it that way. To most of them the servers were an escape that turned into permanent residence, after all. No matter what they were running from, they were greeted with open arms. (granted, X has a habit of thoroughly making sure they are not here for pain and terror)
The gods favor hermitcraft, wether that be a good thing or not is debatable.
(lmao this is the first time i actually used the ask system on Tumblr ahaha sorry if my formating is weird.)
This is beautiful. I can almost see the intro or outro to a movie when I read it, it's just such a flavourful summary of some of the great ideas that have come through here in the last little while. I love how you tied them all together!
- Mod Shade
#Hermitcraft#mod shade#i was about to say that this makes me want to watch a show that doesn't exist but uh#Hermitcraft. exists#we have now reached the point where we'd have to make a whole new show just to fit fanon into...#anyway this was really fun to read; thank you!
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