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i-write-things · 3 months

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Cuddle Spider

(Yan! Chrollo x Willing! Reader)

It is in human nature to seek warmth. Achieving homeostasis is a characteristic of all living things. When we are cold, we seek warmth, be it physically or emotionally.

Imagine being freezing outside, and right next to you is a fire. But you are not allowed to cuddle up to said fire. You can only admire. A mysterious force is holding you back from gratifying yourself with such a comfort.

That is you right now. You are the one freezing. The cold is a combination of it being winter, and the AC running too much for your liking. Even as you sit on the edge of the bed you feel no warmth. The fire is the very man sitting across from you in a chair, reading and unbothered by the temperatures. And the mysterious force is your conscious.

A part of you wants to cuddle up to him. You're well aware he would be willing to do so. He's not doing a hefty task currently. Even if he only wanted to continue reading, who could hold you and read. His heat would be certainly welcome. Not to mention, the feeling of safety that comes with being wrapped up in his arms.

However, you feel- no, you know this is wrong. This man, though charismatic, intelligent, and thoughtful in his own unique way, is a monster. He took you. Without your consent, he scooped you up and away. And while you no longer have to worry about taxes, morons for customers and coworkers, and feeling touch starved, it doesn't change the fact he is not a good person. He steals things that are considered to be national treasures for the sake of, not even riches nor status, but rather for the thrill of the swiping. And also for a second reason you couldn't quite decipher, though you have your interpretations as to what he meant.

Still. That wasn't even the worst of it. As you look at him now- his raven colored hair hanging over his forehead, covering up that mysterious tattoo and just barely dangling over his eyes. Enigmatic, deep stone colored eyes that carefully scan over the contents of the page that tells a tale of who knows what.- he acts so calm. He is calm, really. But how? After all he's done, the stealing of precious valuables, stealing of people, the mass murderings...You just can't seem to wrap around your head how he can sit here, so relaxed and at ease, all whilst knowing the atrocities he's committed.

And yet, despite this, you still feel that compelling urge to crawl into his lap. To get him to lay down on the bed you now share, and lay down on his chest, his muscular arms creating a safe haven for you. Is it real love you experience, or is it the succumbing to Stockholm Syndrome? The latter being the most likely choice in this scenario. You've been kept here for what you estimate to be about 9 or 10 months. Truthfully, you have no real idea, but this is simply your best guess, judging by the weather and seasons. Though, it feels more like a year or 2 than anything.

Stockholm Syndrome was doing funny things to you. It made you crave the touch of a man you should despise with all your might. You continue to stare and think deeper and deeper about this. Truly, you where the beauty and he was the beast. Although he was an alternate, more backwards version. He started off as the handsome prince, then revealed himself to be a beast.

You and Chrollo. Beauty and the best. You chuckle at the thought. A grave mistake to make while staring at the chap. His observant eyes picked up to you, and a small, amused smirk sneaks onto his face as well.

"What's so funny?" He asked charmingly, as if you had just giggled at a joke he made.

"I-Its...nothin'. Just um...just a dumb thought I had."

"Care to share?"

"As I said, it's pretty dumb. it wasn't even all that funny, really."

"Then what's holding you back from telling me. You seemed as carefree as the wind when you where staring at me a couple of moments ago." His mouth transformed from an amused smirk, to a smug grin. Jerk. Doesn't he know how pretty he looks when he does that? He probably does.

"I-..." Your words die on your tongue and go back down your throat. Of course he knew you where looking. He's Chrollo fucking Lucilfer, of all people.

You have a couple of options. You can compliment him. Distract his thoughts, but you know from experience he will take it, and not give you your reward of changing the subject. You could insult him. But...something tells you not to, and it isn't fear. Just a feeling that you don't want to. You could flip the tables, and ask him what he thinks it is, but he would turn it once more and back to you. He was crafty with his words like that. Lying would be fruitless, as he would know immediately. He knows all your ticks and give aways. Your only option is the truth, and hope he doesn't feel insulted.

"I was just thinking...this whole...thing. It reminds me of beauty and the beast."

"Assuming I'm the beast?" He raises an eyebrow. "and what whole thing are you referring to?"

"I just- Well, um. Okay, yes. in this situation, you are the beast. Or at least, a reverse version. You used to be the handsome prince, and now you're the beast. And the thing I was referring to is...y'know, the not letting me go, thing."

"Hm..." He watches you for a moment with those predatory eyes before speaking. "You thought I was the handsome prince. Though I have revealed my true colors, my looks haven't changed."

Jerk. Handsome jerk.

"Well, yes," You sigh, knowing exactly what he was suggesting. And, it was true. "You're looks haven't changed and...you maybe still are um...y'know. But that doesn't take away from the fact you're a beast."

"I'll take that as a compliment. The beast did anything he could for Belle, if I'm not mistaken. And she did fall for him at some point as well. Are you sure you're still Belle and I'm the beast in this whole 'thing', as you put it?"

"It's only Stockholm Syndrome." You scoff playfully, not being able to help the small smile as you cross your arms.

"Excuse me?"

"I said it was just- oh."

You realize your mistake. A very, very stupid one.

You just admitted you having fallen for him. And that stupid smug grin you so dearly want to either kiss or smack off his face isn't helping.

"L-look, okay, I admit-"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He queries, going to sit beside you on the edge of the bed. His hand started to slowly creep up and down your bicep, causing goosebumps to wake in his touch. Something he felt and was aware of.

"B-because I...W-well.." You nervously spout, looking for any sort of out. You can't tell this...this psychopath your true feelings. Instead of saying something smug, he does something worse:

He waits patiently and silently as you dig yourself into a deeper whole. Of course, you could deny, deny, deny. But...the fire is so close. Despite the force holding you back....if you could only just...relent a little. Besides, you'd feel releived, wouldn't you? Like finally telling your childhood crush you like them while on the playground at recess. That's exactly what this is. You're both on the playground, and he is your silly little crush, and none of this will matter. That doesn't stop your hummingbird of a heart.

Taking in a deep breath, with a face radiating the warmth you wish you'd receive from Chrollo, you finally talk. "Look, I just...Ok. I'm not even sure if I should love you. I mean, yes, I do love you, and I do want to be held and I secretly enjoyed it everytime you held me at night these past couple weeks. I cannot deny the way my h-heart skips everytime your gorgeous eyes observe my every action. Though I find it creepy, I also find it very fascinating. But I still feel like this isn't right. You-You stole many things, killed many people, and outright took me. I just- I just feel like I'm not supposed to love you."

He stares at you quietly for a beat or two after. For a moment, you're afraid you babbled on too fast, and he'd make you repeat yourself. But that's dumb for two reasons. 1. he can see and move faster than you can comprehend. 2. he speaks up after.

"None of your situation calls for normal circumstances. In the world you live in right now, your options are limited."

"Yes, but...-" Your chin is lifted up with his index finger and now you face him. What a sappy, cliche move. It doesn't prevent the already prevalent blush on your face to increase, however.

"You don't have to feel a certain way just because society wouldn't be pleased with it. After all, society wouldn't be pleased about any of this. And yet, no matter what, this will happen, anyway. So why care? It's not as though society has tried to save you."

He raises a point. A fair one, at that. That, doubled with the fact you so badly want to crawl into his arms right now. Who is stopping you? No one has dared help you before. Why should you care?

"I can see the stirring in your mind. You know I'm right." He states. You nod quietly.

"Then, what are you going to do about it?"

After a moment of silence, you give in. You gently push him back down to lay on the bed. At first, his eyebrows raise in surprise. He didn't think he convinced you to go this fast. But his confusion is soon quelled with an answer as you lay down on him, cuddling up to him in a much more wholesome manner than he thought you would. His expression softens. As you lay your head on his chest and curl up to him, he wraps his warm, protective arms around you. The book and mysterious force now gone. It all had dissolved much like a weak resolute in a strong resolvent. He let's out a peaceful, happy sigh, and you follow suit.

"You know, I've known about how you felt for some time." He reveals.

...Honestly, you knew. You are well aware nothing gets passed him. You where only just saving yourself from the embarrassment of admitting, and from the force that had held you back for what felt like a year.

"I know," you sigh "I'm just glad I get to do this now. Is it....is it okay of we do it more often?"

He let's out a handsome chuckle "Of course, my dear. How can I say no to denying you of what you desire when it's something as simple and precious as this? I had a feeling you might like this. Before I took you away, you where quite the cuddle bug."

"Hmm....." You hum. "Cuddle spider." You correct, nuzzling his chest. This felt much better than just staring at him from afar.

"Yes," he chuckles, liking your little pun. "My cuddle spider."

#i write for you #chrollo #chrollo x reader #yandere chrollo #yandere chrollo x reader #writing for you #chrollo headcanon #Loosely proof read #probably a lot of mistakes #sorry if there is #chrollo x willing reader #yandere chrollo x Willing reader

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allyriadayne · 8 months

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do u think aegon is a fujoshi? he was really into the harwin/criston scene and the sight of 3 grown men tackling harwin. ok i'm asking half joking but he no doubt got some sick pleasure out of that! which also kinda ties back to the fighting pits*--it's just so "oh. the inherent eroticism permeating the normalized violence of our society. hot. say no more, will fetishize and sexualize."

*there's more to The Pits than just PleasureTM, which veers more onto self-harm/trauma recreation, but imma leave that can of worms sealed for now.

also who do u think he would love to see top aemond the most? both out of a sicko desire to see his brother forced into rectum-/penetration-related (and simplified!) sexual submission**, but also because he wants to see his stuck-up brother experience the highs and lows of prostate stimulation--because "actually. it's ok to submit bro its ok to cum from getting railed bro. it's just bodily pleasure, no deeper meaning. free yourself from the societal shameTM pervading the act of taking dick. but also. submit. to the Shaft. (but. also to me, most of all.)" because aegon's such a nice good big brother :_) touching praxis-fujoshism healing broken brotherly bond... wow. idk who this is for lmao.

**but most of all he's submitting to aegon in that scenario! where aegon is the Orchestrator--the orchestrator of the pranks targeting aemond, the orchestrator of aemond's sexual initiation, and henceforth desire (or, non-desire; or, short, TraumaTM), and the orchestrator of who knows what else! and it's a kind of gnostic paranoia pervading aemond's thought where aegon is just around the corner, ready to eat his face, and who has put arsenic in the wine and the pasta while no one was looking, and won't grandsire pleaseeee chain him to the bed again. after all, what is a big brother but a god with restricted (and thus heightened) authority and access to violence. and what do u do when that god is a drunken playful hurt and hurting freakazoid... oh aemond ur really in The Pits aren't you... and i wanna watch!

(and i think aegon has similar dynamic with jace and, by way of extrapolation on my part, daeron. (and to and extend helaena/girls-women in general, but control over boys and men is more intoxicating/gratifying in the sense where they (boys/men) are contrasted against the girline/female ontologically fixed state of hysteria/vulnerability, which retroactively creates "the boy/the man" as something intellectual, unpliable, untouchable. which makes aegon wanna chew on it even more. at least when he can muster up enough strength and interest.) this mode of control/abuse also extends to erryk, criston, gwayne, otto etc, and the other men of his later court.)

(love ur gifs btw!)

hiiiiii

to answer your very serious question, do i think aegon is a fujoshi? no, i don't think he seriously is. i think he likes these obvious displays of power, the same way the abuse of the maids ties back to him exerting the only kind of control he has over people. and obviously there IS a sexual element in the satisfaction of making people submit to him so maybe we can say he enjoys men submitting to him. does that count? idk ponder that. with the pits i mostly agree with you + the pits, the drink, the whoring all as a way of going away and forgetting he lives such a shitty caged life in the worst possible way.

i don't think aegon particularly cares who tops aemond as long as aemond is getting railed and therefore become less annoying (to aegon about his own vices). if aegon can knock aemond off that pedestal everyone puts him on, then he's content. this is why i'm going to enjoy very much when aemond comes home after storm's end and aegon throws him a party. aren't you enjoying this? aren't you enjoying the fact that for once you are worse than me? that i did good and you didn't? that mother is unhappy with you so this is my chance to finally be her favorite son? anyway

"but most of all he's submitting to aegon in that scenario! where aegon is the Orchestrator--the orchestrator of the pranks targeting aemond, the orchestrator of aemond's sexual initiation, and henceforth desire (or, non-desire; or, short, TraumaTM)" yes yes for sure, in aemond's psyche aegon is the be all and end all; he's the one who (indirectly) took his virginity, made him claim vhagar and in consequence lose the eye and develop his mommy issues, singlehandedly created aemond's other myriad of issues, and worst of all, he's going to be king. even if aegon is the worst human being he knows, he is aemond's final ambition, to be king, the first born son, to have the kind of power and authority aegon only appears to use for something other than sex when he is given the throne, to be able to feel as 'free' as he thinks aegon is (conversely, aegon thinks aemond is freer than him). but for me, aemond is nothing without aegon, without as you, say "aegon [...] around the corner, ready to eat his face" while aegon could do more or less the same without his resentful little brother under his foot, he's just too selfish and self centered!

tbh aegon's control of his little posse back in ep 6 is more of head bully and his minions kind of thing, but as he grows up i don't think he has friends/acquaintances to exert his control over so he turns to the easiest targets (aemond is boring now and thinks he's aegon's father and pretends to care too much about duty), maids and women and probably to the poor people of KL. but yes YESS when he becomes king and has the entire court and kingdom at his beck and call........i WILL enjoy it thoroughly

#anonymous #ask #aemond is really in the pits and i want to watch too!! i love to put that miserable little freak in situations #please come off anon and let's talk you've done a lot for my mental health by beginning your ask the way you did #is aegon a fujoshi? not exactly¸ but when god sings with his creations will aegon not be part of the mlm choir?

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actionadventureps · 2 years

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Horizon Forbidden West - The Best-Looking Game Ever

Horizon Forbidden West comes together right after the awesome events of the previous game, in which all of our heroes Aloy learned that she was lying about her past and the Zero Dawn task that has been creating terraforming of the planet earth featuring its bot pets and dinosaurs to create a human-friendly environment once more. But after the demise that was caused by this Zero Dawn project as well as artificial intelligence Gaia, Aloy is truthfully looking for a backup of Gaia to prevent another catastrophe (or will this?) which will take her to a new component of the planet. Also, developers Guerrilla Games successfully give gratitude to Horizon: Zero Dawn, the original game, as they expand the mythology from this universe, which includes Aloy the protagonist in their most recent, epic blockbuster of the next generation epic.

Horizon Forbidden West continues the story of Aloy

As Zero Dawn, Forbidden West's plot revolves around growing tantalizing questions about that distant past. The facts which the video game brings when it is advancing towards its conclusion feel incredibly significant because of no small component to how this offers these answers. It expands on the previous game title's tale in gratifying and often surprising ways and more to the point creates some fascinating ideas relating to the upcoming. To talk about them could be treading a touch too close to spoiler territory. But suffice it to mention that if loved Horizon Zero Dawn because of how efficiently it spun up the web of mystery and surprising revelations about the planet before being lost to machines you'll never be disappointed in the sequel.

As expected, in Horizon the pre-apocalypse scenarios are only a small portion of the story- the storyline of Aloy and the people she meets, the tribes that fill the universe now, and also the battles between them form the actual 2nd pillar that this series stands on. And although the story of Zero Dawn the Old World side of things effortlessly outshone the current story, things don't get as out of hand when you play Forbidden West. The story of Utaru or the Tenakth, Horizon Forbidden West features fascinating new tribes which take center place in the narrative, and learning a lot more about their particular culture as well as their histories and conflicts quickly is an important element of the adventure. The entire story is told through an outstanding cast of characters, which is composed of both used faces that we know from Zero Dawn and fresh new introductions that quickly establish themselves as integral parts of Aloy's tale.

Gameplay

The gameplay is truthfully cracking and has excellent puzzle-based 'get from here there' moments, laced with bow & arrow battles and hand-to-hand fighting all mixing easily. The DualSense haptic feedback in addition to the little speaker in the controller adds to the connection providing just enough to feel dragged into this fantastic future apocalypse universe. Visually it's a stunning real-time, next-gen recreation. The world is gorgeous and comprehensive along with the motion capture of the myriad roles is incredibly realistic. Upgrades to weapons can require infrequent or legendary supplies which is why Forbidden West makes them easy to track. You can make a job for virtually every purchase or upgrade you require that will always show on your quest menu. In case you've found a website that contains the proper sections, it will be marked on the map the location to move. This obtained me personally way too long to work out how the possibility of creating jobs in the place of constantly choosing a merchant in Thornmarsh to see the required items needed to purchase the well-known clothes I want.

New to Forbidden West's fight is new to the fight is Valor Surge process. Every skill tree is equipped with energetic skills called Valor Surges that one can gain access to by unlocking the adjacent abilities. The Valor Surges might be turned on to provide a multitude of impacts, including your current own shield or health boosts. Only one Valor Surge is available at a time, however, anyone can switch them out when they see fit once they're opened. I discovered that the majority did not work for me and I opted to use the Toughened Valor Surge. This provides me with more health and damage opposition.

With regards to the six skill trees available You'll be able to determine which one you prefer. Not only will advancing your level reward anyone with skill breaks but, completing missions typically will too, which makes it simple to open some skills in the various skill trees such as Trapper, Warrior, Hunter, Survivor Infiltrator, Survivor, as well as Machine Master. Since I enjoyed taking out full machines quietly I invested a lot of money in the Infiltrator woods, buffing my stealth capabilities. For the fight I selected the Survivor woods, increasing my defense capabilities and capacity for medicine. The best place to buy cheap games.

Bottom Line

Horizon Forbidden West is a game that has the whole thing. I found myself wary in the beginning, as I have been an avid player of Guerrilla Games considering that the Killzone series, and was so enthralled by Zero Dawn, I wasn't able to imagine Forbidden West would live as high as a load of that anticipation. Within my very first times taking part, I experienced the occasional visual glitch or the occasional stumble over gameplay characteristics or storyline that became dull in my mind over the years old since last actively playing innovative, I was unsure if it heading to hit those heights. However, as the story grew upwards and upwards, this stunning world unfolded before my eyes because I kept iterating over the satisfying game's gameplay of looking down at a huge model, pausing the gun off of a giant machine, transforming the giant machine into a giant pile of scraps to take using their guns, I settled straight into every convenience that made the 1st the best it could be. Horizon Forbidden West is very small amount the tennis game Zero Dawn was basically, or perhaps even more so, and merits the same praise.

Do yourself a favor: if there is the experience to watch Zero Dawn in its entirety first, go ahead and take it up today. If you're eager to take over the reins of the popular flame-haired Nora, therefore at the very least take a look at a "Story so far" film on YouTube before embarking on your next thrill ride. Horizon Zero Dawn was in fact among the finest little games of the final console generation. I don't know if I see any logic precisely why Horizon Forbidden West is not going to go down among the greatest games of the current generation. Here you can buy cheap games, from all categories whether we are talking about RPG, racing, sports, strategy, or shooters.

#Horizon Forbidden West #action adventure #BEST ACTION ADVENTURE #BEST PS5 GAME #zero dawn

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re-ikrmso · 2 years

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i dont know if this is just me but i am so goddamn sick of “sympathetic” villian characters getting off scot-free or getting exactly what they want. i cant tell you how much i hate it when characters do the worst things and we’re told to root for them. (this section is a great tldr, so if you dont wanna read the rest you can just read this part.)

“boohoo this one person wont date me, so i’m gonna blow up the town.”

Okay, I guess there is a difference between characters with truama lashing out and sympathetic villian characters but like. consequences man. I don’t give a fuck about how sad or sympathetic they are, they still did shit. this may or may not be me projecting over something ive been through, but ive so goddamn sick of these characters being excused for absolutely horrendous things because they’ve got a perfect “boohoo” story. I fucking hate the “one person died. SO IM GONNA KILL EVERYONE ELSE” thing. You know what i want to see? said sympathetic characters trying to fix shit or atoning. Like Count Bleck (super paper mario). Man decided to litteraly wipe reality itself off the board, including the afterlife. Sure, i felt bad for him, but if they had just left him alive with no atonment, that’s be such a fuckin let down. Instead, Count bleck pulled a sacriface along with the love of his life (in a very touching moment) to fix the mess he caused in the first place. now thats the way to go.

I would like to see a “sympathetic” villian get the shit beaten out of them sometime. Have it be a gratifying moment.

“shouldn’t you feel bad?” THE FUCK NOT? Not when the only reason they’re “sympathetic” is because the narrative tells us to feel bad, and when thier prescence in the story has been nothing but SHIT.

For example, lets say.... there’s this antagonist. Oh no!!! boohoo, thier mother’s dead. nobody likes them. You know what they do? they go around cocering people to get close to them so they can use them as tools. They’re tools for them to say lovey-dovey things and for them to feel up(to touch.to have thier way with) . They tell thier friends that if they dont give them what they want, then that they’ll kill themselves. they kick dogs. they know that everything they’re doing is wrong, but does it anyway. they get hurt on purpose to guilt other people and to keep them under thier thumb. they’re malnipulative. they’re cruel. they don’t give a fuck. they know they’re fucked up, but they don’t try to better themselves becasue they dont WANT to. and they use thier background as fuel to attract more people so they can sucker them into doing what they want.

Am I gonna feel bad for them when they get thier ass thrown into jail later on in the story? THE ANSWER IS NO. FUCK THEM. A character having shitty things happen to them and said character continuing to do shitty things does not make them likeable. or sympathetic in my opinion. granted, there are always more scenarios where what im saying is wrong, but i cant cover every goddamn scenario.

#A post that isn't a reblog.

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yandere-daydreams · 3 years

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what about. ok hear me out. darling is just a simple slave, forced to fight trials as a gladiator. and they're really good at it. The emporer catches wind of this, and amazed by the darlings prowess in battle, comes back again and again just to watch them fight, until eventually they've deluded themselves into thinking that simething as pretty as you shouldn't be fighting for your life in the sand, even though you've come to enjoy it.

tw - nonconsensual touching, harassment, mentions of slavery, mentions of violence, obsessive behavior.

I think it'd be fun it'd be fun if it was one of those scenarios where, for all intents and purposes, the yandere in-question can and will think they're the good guy. They're a ruler, after all, a monarch, and what are you? A slave, with more carnage to your name than coin. An entertainer, not a soldier, not a warrior, not someone who can justify the amount of blood you've spilled. A foreigner, one who'd never earn sympathy among their people, even if you managed to break your shackles and wash the gore off your infamous reputation. You should be thankful for their attention, thankful that they ever spared you a glance. You don't have a reason to push them away and, even if you tried, they don't have a reason to allow you to.

But, they're kind, and merciful, and they're patient, patient enough to make you a bodyguard, rather than a consort, to introduce you to the court as their servant rather than their lover. You're already hesitant enough, reluctant to leave behind your sand and your long, sharp weapons and your cheering crowds for stone floors and dull swords and quiet gratitude, but the pay convinces you, as does the chance to sleep in a bed that's made of more than straw and grime. It's enough get you into a suit of armor (proper armor, much more fitting than a few scraps of leather), and to keep you by their side, and to make you bite your tongue when their hand brushes against yours, when they ask about your friends, your family, how you ended up in such a violent place, when they send for you, in the middle of the night, long past the end of your shift. You complain, sometimes, roughly, to those who share your mother tongue and who you don't know report back to the source of your frustration, but you never refuse, never object, never do anything but shut your eyes and hold your breath when their lips brush against your skin and they start to talk about how strong you are, how beautiful, how wasted you were in a place where you were you'd only ever be seen as a weapon. In a place that kept you so far from them, even if you're still not as close as they'd like you to be.

You say that you liked it, from time to time, that it was gratifying, even if it was hard, that it was the better than wherever you were before, they can never remember the details, but you'll come to love it here, with them. You'll have to.

Soon, you'll never be able to stray from their side.

#yandere #yandere x reader #yandere imagines #yandere prompts #yandere theory #general

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willgrahambf · 2 years

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Hi I'm the anon who was in your inbox complaining about bad S1 BDSM and you linked out one of your fics???? I really enjoyed it!!!!! Like literally showcasing difference between good and bad kink for me personally lmao. Because even though I personallyyyyyyyy don't really get off on "let me hear you count" scenarios LOL I literally didn't care it was STILL super hot (super hot!) and fun and well written. I think you're really talented! (bias towards subject matter aside lololol) Going low/no plot while still preserving characterization can be super hard but I love how you did it.

E.g. the contrast between: "When Hannibal touched him again, he flinched, expecting the next punishment..."

And: "Watching Hannibal’s perfectly constructed facade crumble afterwards never failed to entirely satisfy him. It was part of what made this particular game so gratifying."

And: "He never forced him. He took what Will gave him and gave him what he wanted."

HELL YEAH INTERTWINING SMUT WITH THOUGHTFUL CHARACTERIZATION!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for sharing! Xx

hi, thank you so much for reading it despite your personal feelings towards the kink lol if you haven't noticed from how i've answered these asks, characterization is one of the most important things to me in a fic. If it's off then it's not hannibal and will so then it has nothing to do with the show and i don't care. also, i literally wrote the fic the way that i did because i cannot stand plain sub will (or rather i can't stand the reputation that it has and the people that it attracts), and since I was bound to the setup of the fanart that i wrote it for, i decided that i would manipulate the situation so that will would still be on top in the end so to speak. it's really important to me to show will's full enthusiasm and consent and power in any sexual situation i put them in, and i hate it that that is a real anxiety of mine due to the bad shit on ao3 but i just don't want to add to it in any way. i write against the fanon grain on purpose. imo, it's so much more fun to make the power dynamics in their relationship a sliding scale that is constantly moving back and forth (just like on the show). and again thank you so much for taking the time to read and for sending me this ask! i love to hear which sentences or parts really stuck out to people <3

#ask

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lorenzobane · 3 years

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Harebrained Scheme

AN: Written for @trektober-challenge first installment- namely Prime Directive, but more specifically inspired by some of @fractal-baby discussion about Spock’s absolutely insane plans. It was written pretty quick and definitely playing fast and loose with timelines, but set after ST:ID but before ST: Beyond. Can be read as pre-Spirk, but the major relationship is Jim & Sarek chatting.

Can be found on AO3 here

Being kidnapped and held with his First Officer’s father was never exactly the plan for Jim. There are, in fact, a lot of people Jim would rather be kidnapped with. Namely, the aforementioned First Officer Spock.

But as it stands--

“We have been held here for approximately 2.3 hours,” Sarek says after a moment of silence.

Jim nods, “don’t panic.”

Sarek gives him a look that plainly says Vulcans don’t panic. “I am simply stating a fact of our capture.”

“Yes, sir,” Jim says patiently. “I’m aware of how long it has been.”

“The temperature is several degrees below Vulcan standard,” Sarek pointed out.

“I am aware of that as well,” because Jim was. Whoever their enemies were, they knew who they had kidnapped. The temperature is holding steady at a place where Jim is uncomfortable but is draining Sarek.

Sarek says nothing and continues to observe the cell around them calmly. Jim has been pacing since he woke up about an hour ago. It’s a plain white room with no windows and no doors as far as he can tell. He’s tried clawing at just about every inch of the sterile space, and as far as he can tell, nothing gives.

“What are the walls made of?” Kirk mutters to himself. They don’t feel like metal or even plastic- they radiate the coolness as if they’re some type of natural product, but the way the room is sealed tells him some kind of technology is involved.

Sarek cuts into Jim’s thinking with a, “I believe these are made of Betazoid limestone.”

“What makes you say that?” Jim asks. With Spock, he’ll usually prattle for a few minutes, discussing density and texture before giving him an answer as straightforward as his father.

Sarek looks at him in surprise, “you are not able to tell?”

Jim resists the urge to reply with sarcasm. Sarek isn’t Spock, which is plainly apparent in every interaction they have. Though Spock always seems extremely calm and balanced to Jim, being around his father makes Jim aware of how much more emotion and variation Spock regularly expresses.

“No,” Jim says. “I haven’t spent much time on Betazoid.”

Sarek nods, “I was briefly an Ambassador there in my son’s youth. He was very fond of the rock and found its cool texture pleasing.”

“I thought it would be illogical to find a rock pleasing,” Jim replies without thinking.

Sarek is quiet for a moment before responding with, “yes, indeed it was. However, as my wife put it to me then, there is nothing illogical about curiosity. The desire to explore. I am not sure I agree with her, but I have never been successful in curbing my son of any habit he does not wish to break.”

“He can be stubborn,” Jim replies with amusement.

A mild understatement if Jim has ever said one. Though he is always respectful and never veers into full-on insubordination, Jim now understands what Pike meant when he referred to Spock fondly as an ‘extremely independent First Officer.’ Jim doesn’t mind it, maybe even loves it- the way Spock is relentless when he is convinced of the correct course of action. The argumentative (logically debated, in Spock’s words) messages and memos coming at all hours until Jim either gives in or says the phrase, “drop it, that’s an order.”

Which, at the very least, shuts him up for a shift or two.

“Do you believe they will be able to find us?”

Jim shrugs, his communicator is still on his person, and he tries it every few minutes, but he keeps getting static. “None of my messages are going through, but as you mentioned, your son is very stubborn and an extraordinary Starfleet officer. If anyone could rescue us, it would be him.”

Sarek nods again, and they sit in silence while Jim continues to search every square inch of space. It doesn’t make sense- unless their captors beamed them into the room, there is no way for them to have entered without a door of any kind.

“My son,” Sarek says, somewhat awkwardly pulling Jim out of his observation of the walls once more. “How is he-- I mean to say, I recognize as one of the very few Vulcans at Starfleet, and now as an endangered species, it may be challenging for him.”

Jim kindly doesn’t say that Sarek didn’t actually ask a question and responds with, “the crew loves him. He fits in great and has a surprising number of friends. The kids in the Science department all think he’s some type of rock star. The amount of transfer requests I get specifically for his division is getting out of hand.”

“Rock star?” Sarek repeats back.

“A term for an old Terran classical musician who was known for extreme popularity,” Jim responds with some curiosity. Spock is exceptionally familiar with Terran classical music and had known precisely what Jim had meant when he used similar phrasing. Still, Jim supposes that perhaps he picked it up in his many years on earth.

“I am gratified to hear this,” Sarek replies, somewhat slowly. Jim jerks up, alarmed, when he realizes that it appears that each blink is getting slower and slower as if he were fighting falling asleep. “He has so few affiliates on Vulcan.”

“Really?” Jim asks, surprised.

For all Spock can be logical, sarcastic, and moralistic to the point of exhaustion, he’s also a kind friend, a shockingly understanding commanding officer, and a good sport about most things. He even participates in some ship-wide events, like the talent show where he played some genuinely excellent Vulcan lute.

And purely for Jim’s amusement, played a lute version of a truly ancient Terran classic that Jim has a soft spot for, Wildest Dreams.

“He… Was an unusually brilliant student,” Sarek says, still slow as if fighting for words. Jim realizes with an urgency that he should probably try to keep Sarek talking to keep him awake.

“Vulcans didn’t like brilliant students?” Jim asks with amusement. The idea of Spock being a nerd among nerds is somewhat hilarious.

“No, they did not like an unusually brilliant half-human,” Sarek replies, his voice for the first time that Jim has ever known him touching with a hint of sadness. “And he was… Willful. Unusually brilliant, and ferociously unselfconscious about his mother.”

Jim laughs a little at that, rubbing his neck unconsciously, “yes, I definitely learned the hard way that you shouldn’t insult his mother.”

“As did many,” Sarek says, his eyes closed. “He had a violent physical altercation when he was eleven for a similar reason. It was that disrespect of his mother that ultimately caused him to turn away from the Vulcan Science Academy.”

“He didn’t go to VSA because they insulted his mother?” Jim asked, surprised. “Why would they insult Amanda anyway?”

Sarek takes a sharp breath at the casual use of his wife’s name, and Jim feels terrible. After months of playing chess with Spock, they had begun discussing their childhood and Spock often spoke of his mother glowingly. He had insisted that they use her name to honor her memory.

“They referred to her blood as a disadvantage. I knew the moment they said it; he would never accept a place that looks down on humans. He could be illogically loyal.”

“His illogical loyal behavior saved you on Vulcan, and it saved earth,” Jim replies, his voice sharper than he intends it to be.

Sarek opens his eyes at that, slowly and blearily, “I did not mean that negatively. I have come to find that many of the traits I viewed as… Aberration in him, in his youth, has come to define his tremendous successes.”

Jim doesn’t say, though he dearly wants to, that viewing his child’s personality as an aberration at any point is pretty illogical. Still, Spock is a subject that Sarek is willing to stay awake and speak about, so Jim asks, “like what?”

“Well,” Sarek says wryly, “his disregard for rules he simply disagrees with. It is, presumably, the reason that he works so well with you and your idiosyncratic leadership style.”

“I would not say that Spock isn’t interested in the rules,” Jim replies with surprise, the betrayal of Spock’s report after they saved him from a volcano still kind of stings.

“He follows the rules he believes in avidly, that is true,” Sarek says, his voice does hold amusement now. “But he regularly ignores them if he wishes to. I presume you are referring to his report after the events of Nibiru?”

Jim jerked in surprise, “how did you know--?”

“My son and I have been keeping close correspondence after the destruction of Vulcan and the loss of his mother. We are attempting to… work through the strain our relationship was put under while I worked through my disappointment that he did not go to the Vulcan Science Academy.”

“Isn’t disappointment illogical too?” Jim asks. It is hard for him to hear the casual way Sarek describes his feelings towards Spock when Jim truly and completely believes that his First Officer is one of the finest beings he has ever encountered.

Sarek makes a noise of agreement, “you are correct. Vulcans may take a vow to control our emotions, and we certainly may attempt to utilize logic in most decision-making. Still, there is no doubt that our species can be vulnerable to prideful behavior.”

Jim, having beaten Spock at chess a few times, can attest to that.

“What did he say about Nibiru?” Jim asks, curious now as to how Spock described the events to his father.

“I believe,” Sarek says again, his voice rich with amusement now, “that you saw yourself as the rule breaker in this scenario. However, after listening to his entire recounting, I must ask you- whose idea was it to freeze the volcano?”

Jim looked at Sarek blankly, “Spock’s. He had been reviewing the geothermal events on the plant. He calculated the likelihood of explosion was incredibly likely, so he asked if he could try one of his experiments to save the planet.”

“You realize that the plan itself, from its initial conception, violated the Prime Directive, do you not, Mr. Kirk?”

Jim looked at Sarek blankly, “what?”

“It is against the Prime Directive to interfere with a planet’s destiny in any way. Then, the matter of his cold fusion device. An entirely novel invention that had gone through no formal testing, no review process… He simply believed it would work, conducted experiments in his free time, and wanted to use it. And had a captain who trusted him.”

Jim blinks again at Sarek. “But… But…”

Sarek leaned his head back, “do not feel bad. He was somewhat infamous for this when he was a boy. His capacity to convince his instructors that his personal pet projects were highly logical and beneficial regardless of external forces was… Remarkable. And in you, I think he has finally found a place where his prodigious intellect is not being checked by constant regulation.”

“Spock always follows regulation,” Jim defends on instinct, his mind reeling.

“He always follows the ones he believes deserve to be followed,” Sarek corrected. “He has always had a somewhat unusual penchant for attempting novel actions without the traditional Vulcan tendency of deep contemplation.”

Oh, the thought hit Jim suddenly. Spock is a Vulcan bad boy. Jim doesn’t know why he finds that so shocking; Spock does, after all, go along with a majority of his plans and even comes up with half of them. Even more damning, if Spock did not agree with a course of action, it relatively rarely ends up occurring.

Which means… Spock is actually as goddamn reckless as he is.

Jim isn’t sure how he feels about this revelation.

“He... He tricked me!” Jim cries out eventually, unable to contain it.

“But as I have said,” Sarek adds, his voice is shallow and slow now, “I have come to realize… These qualities, his capacity for creativity, and quick thinking have allowed him to become the most remarkable of us.”

“I’m glad that you could see what we have always seen,” Jim says, though he’s more using the royal “we.”

It took him considerably longer to see what was right there in front of him, but once he had, it made sense to Jim that Spock had been a popular professor, First Officer, and Advisor in his time at Starfleet.

“I was unwilling to admit it, but I was worried when he chose Starfleet. So far from his people, alone and living in an abundance of difference. Vulcans can be quite homogeneous.”

“Infinite diversity in infinite combinations,” Jim quoted from Spock’s eternal sermons.

“Ironic that it is a Vulcan philosophy when so many of us view the world so similarly,” Sarek said, inclining his head slightly. “However, in a land of difference, he was able to find a space for himself that he was unable to find with his people. He always did appreciate adventure, read illogical books with his mother like Alice in Wonderland and Sherlock Holmes. Even Shakespeare which his instructors on Vulcan never enjoyed.”

Jim raised his eyebrows again. Spock often quoted fanciful literary classics in trying situations. Still, it never entirely occurred to him how oddly poetic and even artistic that would have made him in a different place.

“I hope he knows that I hold him in high regard,” Sarek says after a moment, and his eyes drift shut again, his breathing going slow.

“No,” Jim leaps up. “No, you can’t. I can not be responsible for the death of two of Spock’s parents.”

“Captain Kirk,” Sarek says with exhaustion, “do not worry. I can place my body into a healing trance that will allow me to remain stable for an extended period of time if need be. The Betazoid limestone will make us challenging to track and as such--”

Just then, there is a loud thudding noise on the wall to their right, like something heavy just rammed into it at full speed.

A thudding again, and then Sarek shudders awake, “Spock?”

Jim doesn’t hear anything but Sarek does because he turns to Jim and says, “please move 3.87 feet to your left.”

Three seconds later, a thud outside the wall gives way to what appears to be an ancient wrecking ball.

“What is that?”

“I think it is your crew, Captain,” Sarek says.

Another beat and a large stone crash through the wall using a device that is an ancient Terran wrecking ball.

“Captain,” Spock said calmly through the hole he just blasted through the wall. “I see you’re unharmed. Father, it is gratifying to see you safe as well.”

“Glad you got to us in time; we were running out of gossip about you,” Jim says with a smirk as he slowly starts to try to clamber through the slightly too small hole.

“Please refrain from joking,” Spock says, guiding his father through the hole much more gracefully.

“Who’s joking?” Jim replies.

Spock looks to his father with an eyebrow up, and Sarek responds, “while I would not term it “gossip,” the captain is correct, and our mutual affiliation with you helped pass a majority of the time.”

Jim nearly cackles at the brief look of horror that passed over Spock’s face when he replies with a steady, “indeed.”

Jim smirks and is silent while Spock focuses on calling the Enterprise to beam up.

And much later, when Spock asks him what they discussed while Spock and Jim played their usual game of chess, Jim can be entirely honest when he says, “your many admirable qualities.”

It’s definitely worth the way Spock’s ears turn a light green.

#trektober2021 #star trek #aos star trek #aos spock #spock #AOS Kirk #james t kirk #ambassador sarek #i intended this to be pre-spirk #but can be read as gen

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vassien-supremacy6 · 2 years

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YOOOOOO It's the secret gifter for the exchange with some questions for you: 1. What do you love the most about the ACOTAR series? 2. What drew you to Vassa/Lucien?

Hi, I'm so glad you got in touch with me 😍. Well, what catches my attention the most in the entire Acotar universe is precisely the opening we have in the matter of imagining all the scenarios and policies discussed there. I love the intensity of the love that addresses which is so present there in Acotar, because I really believe that love has its dose of sacrifice, Acotar gives me a lot of that. How true friends support each other is surreal to me. Mainly that when we can read about our beloved characters and see how gratifying it is to like them because the essence of each one of them is wonderful. But now let's go to the part I like to talk about the most,my dear ship, which I love so much, they have really been the impetus for me to continue all my reading of Acotar, nothing more, nothing less than them, Lucien and Vassa😍 I think they both have a immeasurable potential together, but separately, I love how genuine Lucien is, through all he's been through, he's still steadfast in his convictions, and always kind to people, even though he's they are not so reciprocal, Lucien really deserves the reality, intensity and incomparable things that love can offer, and I believe that whoever can give it to him is Vassa, we know that the t Lucien didn't get anything for so long that it made him laugh, or feel comfortable, but Vassa was the one who let him breathe for the first time, with her and beside her, he doesn't need to feel guilty all the while, alongside Vassa I feel that Lucien can feel free to open up and trust someone. I know he has a fondness for her, and that there is something blossoming between them. I see Vassa being the point of Lucien's hope, and Lucien being Vassa's point of salvation, they have a very strong characteristic between them. There is a very strong phrase and that is Canon that represents exactly how en I see these two, which is "A bird of flame and a lord of fire. I wondered if they'd found each other yet" they will be that, they meet now, and they will find themselves together. Both were betrayed, Lucien was tortured by his brothers, Vassa was sold by his sisters. They will fight for love😍. Finally (and I'm sorry if I said too many things) this is how I see Lucien and Vassa, for me they are the other half of each other, they complete each other. I really want to see a lot more of Vassa because she has a lot of potential, she is a firebird, both she and Lucien have a lot to discover. A big hug for you and go on contact, I'll be very happy to give you my full attention, thanks for anything 😍😍😘🔥🦊

#lucienvanserra #lucien #vassa #vassien #queenvassa

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wastelandlovingscenarios · 4 years

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The male companions and f!sole fake dating for a mission?

this one is sooo cute! i love it. thank you for requesting! i don’t have a specific scenario and i’m in class so for this request, i will keep it general. let’s say they’re crushing on the ss hard. ❤️

Danse:

horrible. he’s horrible at this kind of stuff. in fact, he’s probably the one who does this mission the worst out of all the companions. he stumbles over his words, blushes intensely, and loses himself in the process. everytime sole sends him a cute, flirty look to go with the flow of the situation, hes already midway through a heart attack. whenever sole slips her small hand in his own, he becomes dizzy and you could literally feel the steam radiating off of his body. as much as he wanted to help sole complete the mission, his mind wasnt capable of thinking straight and all he could really focus on was the feeling of their hands pressed together. hearing sole call him, ‘love’, ‘boyfriend’, and ‘sweetheart’ only made him more nervous than he already was. how do boyfriends act when stuff like this happens?

danse scolded himself for looking like a fool in front of sole herself and the random bartender that continued to eye him down. despite all his worries and anxiety, he doesn’t really want the sensation of these small moments to end any sooner. the feeling of their hands intertwined and sole sticking close to him only pushed him to protect her more. he didn’t want this to be a one time thing, especially not when this feeling felt so right to him. it was just so new and foreign - it excited him. as they exited the building, he felt the disappointment build up as he felt soles hand retreat from his but fought the urge to grab it back. his eyes never left soles hand as they both walked back to sanctuary, danse still remaining suspiciously quiet with a red face. maybe, just maybe, he’ll confess to sole sooner than later.

Deacon:

he was good at fake dating. well, good at it with someone he didn’t like. this was different. this was someone he actually had feelings for and he nearly hit his own head trying to get up from his bed as des sent deacon and sole to a mission. “you’re kidding, right?” deacon would laugh nervously, hoping it was a joke coming from his boss. she was not kidding, not one bit. here he was, trying to act natural as sole tried to persuade the man to spill some information. once the man questioned their intentions with the place they tried to gain intel on, sole placed a small hand on deacons chest, causing him to grow rigid. oh boy, this was gonna be a long night for him. “oh, we were just looking for a place to reside in. we’re planning to start a family after all, right honey?”

crimson dusted deacons cheeks as he smiled, answering the question innately, “of course. we just want the best for our kids.” sole threw an arm over deacons torso, hugging him tightly as she exchanged words with the man once more. he would shyly snake his arm around her waist as he tried to keep his cool. he hadnt felt any affection like this since barbara, so he definitely wasn’t used to this anymore, but he wasn’t complaining. he’d secretly enjoy the affection shared between the two. once they got the information they needed, they both ditched the town as soon as possible to avoid seeming suspicious. as sole tried to release her hand from deacons, she only felt him grab it a little tighter. “what’s wrong?” she looked up at deacon, who was smirking friskily with a blush on his face. “the mission doesn’t end till we get back to HQ, remember?” she laughed, hitting his arm playfully as she squeezed his hand, “stupid.”

MacCready:

at first, maccready would be completely against the idea of fake dating because of his insane crush on sole, but would see it as an advantage to make the move he never had the guts to initiate. maybe this was his chance to hint at sole that he liked them, through actions of course. he thought it would be easy until sole became all affectionate and touchy with him to seem convincing to the couple they were investigating. the hand holding and small touches were gonna make him faint any minute. “what a pretty man you have there! hard to find someone so good looking these days,” the woman complimented as she eyed maccready in a flirtatious manner. before he could respond or even send his thanks, sole tiptoed and pecked maccreadys cheek, causing him to stumble back in surprise.

it took him a few moments to really get himself level headed over the events that just happened, but would let a small smile spread on his face. he unconsciously brushed his hand over the spot she had kissed and the moment only replayed more and more in his head. he watched as sole said their final goodbyes and dragged him to another side of the room, talking to him about what she had collected. he wasn’t listening. he was only focused on her face and lips and was enticed by her beauty. unknowingly, he placed a hand on soles cheek and bent down to kiss her forehead but immediately withdrew, panicking at his sudden actions. he was stuttering out apologies left and right until he felt soles hand creep into his own, a warm grin forming on her cheeks. all his worries about whether sole felt the same way immediately drifted into oblivion.

Hancock:

he would be the most natural when fake dating, seeing that he is naturally flirtatious and has obviously showed his liking to sole. of course, sole was oblivious to his indications and shrugged it off, knowing that it was part of hancocks personality. so when sole brought up the idea of fake dating for a mission so they could seem less suspicious, he agreed to it before she could say another word. maybe through this way, he can show her that his feelings are 100% genuine and not part of his coquettish nature. during the night, they spoke to some woman at the bar who apparently held essential information that they needed to push out of her. they knew they would probably have to chit chat with the woman for a long while before she really began talking about what they needed. they both decided to relax on the couch opposite of where she sat, wanting to get comfortable for the remaining of the time they were there.

at first, it started off as cute, innocent hand holding and had slowly transitioned to something more as they both got more relaxed with each other. hancock wrapped an arm around soles shoulder, unconsciously playing with strands of her hair as she laid her head on his shoulder. he eventually lifted her hand and placed a gentle kiss against her knuckles, sole smiling as a response. with a small giggle, the lady teased, “you must love her very much. it must be very nice to be in love.” hancock only sent her a broad smile, a gratifying tone dancing in his voice. “yes, i do love her very much. always have and always will. i’m sure she knows that too.” sole would laugh and nod her head, a soft red painting her cheeks. after collecting as much intel as they could, hancock lead sole out of the bar, never letting go of soles hand once. sole peeked at him shyly, her voice quiet. “did you mean what you said in the bar? or was that part of the plan?” hancock would hum teasingly in thought, “take a wild guess, sunshine. do you think i meant it?” sole would pout childishly causing hancock to burst into laughter. he walked in front of her, and gently held soles chin as he inched closer. “let me answer that for ya.”

Nick Valentine:

he’d seem almost professional at it, maybe a little awkward here and there but is a gentleman overall. he wouldn’t really mind fake dating for a mission, but wouldn’t think it’s the best way to go through with it. in the end, he’s much better at controlling his feelings for her than the others. nick is much more simple with showing his affection and shows it through small manners. he would place a firm but gentle hand on soles shoulder or would stick out his arm for sole to link her own with. as they went out and about to the designated area with soles arm linked with nicks, they finally found their suspect and tried to seem as friendly and unsuspecting as possible. unfortunately for them, the man seemed to be disgruntled by nick being a synth and often gave him a disgusted side eye as they spoke. they both decided to ignore this and continue on with their shenanigans. the detective enjoyed the unexpected attention he was receiving from sole and smiled at the feeling of her head leaning on his arm. using the same arm she rested on, he caressed her back gently. though they got negative reactions from the man, nick still remained in a contented mood due to soles acts of endearments.

he tried to start up a conversation with the suspect, hoping that he can obtain any information but the man only degraded him. “you’re dating a synth? this piece of trash?” sole could hear the loathing tone of the mans voice, and before nick could even sputter a word out, she stepped in front of him. “excuse me. you better watch how you talk to my boyfriend. he is the sweetest and most caring man i’ve ever met in my lifetime and he is most definitely better than you will ever be,” sole glared harshly before continuing, “if you don’t like it, then feel free to walk out.” she sent him an innocent smile as the man stomped passed the two, fuming at soles comment. “don’t let the door hit you on the way out, sweetheart.” she whirled around to face nick and looked at him straight in the eye, huffing. “the audacity of some people...” he only chuckled and ruffled her hair. nick was pleasantly surprised with how she handled the situation and felt his mechanical heart whir happily as he locked eyes with her. “well aren’t you something, doll? can’t find anyone else like you.” he complimented, “so what’s the plan now since our main man decided to take a hitch?” giggling, she linked arms with nick once more, dragging him with a skip in her step. “i say we keep searching. there must be more than one person in this town that’s connected to him.” nick was just glad to share these small moments with sole.

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corkcitylibraries · 3 years

Text

Cork in Verse | Ana Spehar interviews Jim Crickard

Cork in Verse is a series of interviews by Ana Spehar with Cork Poets. This week Ana interviews Jim Crickard.

Jim Crickard’s poetry is camp, entertaining work that explores culture, sexuality and identity with a hint of colour. In 2020 he was invited to represent Cork in the Cork-Coventry Twin City Exchange, which was moved online due to pandemic. In 2019 he was selected by Poetry Ireland for the inaugural Versify series and performed to a sold out show at Dublin Fringe Festival. He came second in the 2019 All Ireland Poetry Slam Final (and is working through his feelings about it with a therapist). In 2018, he won the Cuirt Spoken Word Platform and was awarded a slot to perform at Electric Picnic. In 2020 his poetry was broadcasted on RTE Arena. A poem he wrote was shortlisted in the 2018 O'Bheal International Five Words Competition, and his work has been published in Automatic Pilot, A New Ulster, and Contemporary Poetry.

When did you start writing?

I started writing when was 16. I had just come out of the closet, my older brother Shane (20) died the same year in a road traffic accident. Looking back, I think I needed space for expression. I started out with a journal before sleep. It was playful, private, and helped organise my thoughts. I’d draw a little picture at the end of each entry. I acted a bit like Virginia Woolf, with a high-neck collar, writing solemnly by candle light. When people write diaries, I think they secretly fantasise them being found and read by the masses.

When I was introduced to poetry in my Leaving Cert, I found it to be a bit stiff and flowery with poets like Keats, which had some appeal, but when we moved on to Adrienne Rich and Eavan Boland I was a lot more inspired. It was seeing people use the art form to represent women and give voice to minorities, and how they both textured their work with the confessional. I started writing my own poetry at the end of my journal entries but kept it secret. After a few years, and my first break-up, I started sharing online on a site called AllPoetry. It was great because there were little competitions between users and when I won a few of them I felt brave enough to share my work on Facebook. A few people were kind, but most were indifferent.

When I started going to O’Bheal in Cork, though, I really felt like writing could have a future for me. Writing and performing alongside other writers really makes it a lot more gratifying and instils the self-belief you need to keep going.

Could you tell us more about your creative process?

I’m always on the lookout for something to play with and tease out until it’s a poem. I write with the intention of making people laugh when they hear me perform. Unfortunately, ideas rarely happen when I’m walking around day-dreaming. I mostly need to sit down and write to find the idea or follow whatever I’ve got on my mind. One of my favourite poems that I’ve written takes a hen party in a gay bar and expands it into a series of images and scenarios that delight me and make me laugh. If it makes me laugh, then I trust that it’ll make a crowd of people laugh. I didn’t start out with that idea of the hen party though, I was trying to write a rather embarrassing romantic poem set in a gay bar, it was for a guy I was briefly dating. Suddenly there was a hen party in the corner. They abducted me with their willy-straws and novelty-glasses, and I followed their embarrassing moments and social faux-pas as they ran around, interloping and ruining the sacred queer-space. I was much more interested in them than the romantic poem I set out to write. I suppose it’s important to trust where the poem is going and let it reveal itself. If I ignored them and focused on the poem I was trying to write then I’d have missed out.

How does the creative process of writing affect your mood?

I’m elated when it comes together. I love when I get into a flow and my fingers are typing as fast as they can and what I’m writing is surprising me. That doesn’t always happen though, it can be slow and boring and the cursor can be blinking in front of me waiting for me to write something.

How often do you write? Do you write every day?

I wish I wrote every day. I’ve heard multiple sources say that that’s the best way to approach it, and I would definitely believe it. I have had periods where I wrote a new poem every week, possibly more than one. I have also had long periods of not expressing anything on the page. The latter feels depressing and I feel my life passing me by. It is this dread I feel that I’m losing precious time to grow and improve as a writer. I rationalise it by reminding myself that I need to work full-time, clean my apartment, cook dinner, which is all true. I also excuse myself by saying that I need to relax and watch some TV or listen to a podcast. I think that writing is the purest of me-time and I’d like to transform my relationship with it.

Can you tell us more about Venus Envy?

I have been known to dress in drag from time to time... I performed as Venus for Pride in O’Bheal. Afterwards I went to The Crane Lane with all of the poets. It was interesting being a drag queen out of context in another bar... People wanted to talk to me, some random stranger touched me as they passed by, and someone confided in me with something they had not mentioned before. There’s a strange power to being in drag. It’s like being a shaman, a eunuch, a jester, who is on the outside looking in. You can say things that you daren’t dream of otherwise, and people love you for it. If I had the time and money to do it more often I would. Drag will always have a special place in my heart, and on my right arm is a tattoo-portrait of Panti Bliss, the Queen of Ireland. I’ve thought about putting more drag queens beside her, but it would be like Mount Rushmore of Drag on my arm. Who knows, maybe I will.

‘Hen Party in The George’

Be careful around the corners, don’t make eye-contact at the bar,

watch out for the mom, she’s on safari, in search of exotic birds.

For a parrot to echo her punchlines,

or maybe a cockatoo,

she’s prowling around the cocktail lounge,

she’s looking for me and you.

The mother of the bride uses her lazy-eye

to her advantage,

she edges into a group of faces with meandering conversation.

Now blocking their exit, unsure

who she’s addressing,

on about her gay hairdresser, how great

he is with the scissors.

“I’ve never had a problem with the gays now myself” she says,

pausing to sip from a pink plastic penis,

pausing for praise.

And one by one, the gays fly south,

migrating to the bar,

to the dance floor, to South-Africa if necessary.

“Snobs” she calls em -

“them gays can be awful touchy.”

All her Christmases at once

when the black crow drag queen

stalking her long legs across the stage,

seven foot tall, in a silver crown of feathers refracting light off the disco-ball.

“Jesus” she says, stealing the

microphone: “you’re looking better than me”

“I should feckin hope so” the drag queen says “you’re twice me bleedin’ age!”

Slowly, slowly, the hen party has pissed off all of the George...

Abandoning punctured plastic husbands all over the stage.

Flashing so many cameras it feels like E.T.’s family has landed.

A gathering parliament of lesbians encircles the hens,

a murder of goth gays come down from their perch

I wonder if they’ve seen Hitchcock’s movie, ‘The Birds…’

by Jim Crickard

Sex in the Housing Crisis

We are the generation of born-again virgins

headboards disturb housemates on shift work,

Air-traffic controllers should be included in rent

to coordinate times to get the ride

Landlords can afford to support our sex-lives

and change carpets once in a while

We are the generation of born-again virgins

Like ships in the night, we work to survive,

but we are no thirty year old cargo boats…

anchored in the harbour, waiting for labour,

we are Ferrari red speed boats

with miles to go before we sleep,

miles to go before we sleep.

We are the generation of born again virgins

Nothing kills the mood like mildew

home-sense is built on the backs of millennials

fumigating probate houses

converted into one-beds

with constellations of mould

and half their salary paid

to make out on an old couch

facing a microwave

We are the generation of born again virgins

If you’re living with parents you can forget it

unless you can face breaking their trust

and explain condoms in the toilet-drain.

We must not forget about our parents sex-lives

afraid their carefully considered bed springs

will be heard by their thirty somethings

Let’s give the government hell for

this inter-generational dry spell!

by Jim Crickard

#corkcitylibraries #CorkInVerse #JimCrickard

3 notes · View notes

luna-almighty-god · 4 years

Text

Guardian Angel N°14 [Brother, my brother]

Here is chapter fourteen !

The drawing is mine, please don’t take it!

This story is obviously not canonical, please do not refer to it if you are looking for canonical information.

Enjoy reading !

===

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

===

“Why keep him awake?”

It was a question Ink had been asking himself for a long time. Since Nyx had reached adolescence. Since Nightmare had put a terrible, horrible spell on him, at least for those in need of sleep.

Not that the Artist gave a damn, far from it. He was just curious, intrigued even, not the strange choice of the master of nightmares. After all, Nightmare saw in Nyx an heir, so wasn't it foolish to weaken him like that?

But the keeper of the nightmares had given him the most serious answer in the world:

“Have you never experienced sleepless nights? As the hours go by, as the next day comes, one can see thoughts, ideas, worries multiplying. At night, when we don't sleep, our worries and apprehensions grow, become so great that nothing seems possible anymore, that tranquility gives way to paranoia. Insomnia is the dark side of imagination, joy and hope. In the morning, everything seems confused, disaster scenarios assail our minds, and the day unfolds in this second state, this state of terror. We get up, we tell ourselves that we're going to make it.”

He had a sinister smile on his face:

“But once you go to bed, once you try to sleep and you're confronted with the night again... the same scenario happens. And the constant terror makes us lose all hope. We can't see what's really around us.”

He had watched Ink sneer:

“This way, isn't it easier to keep him under our control?”

Yes, you do. It was a lot easier.

And Nyx was well aware that he was being manipulated all along. But what could he do?

*** ***

PaperJam should never have gone there alone. He knew that, of course. But there was no way he would sit there and do nothing, and if he had asked for help, he would have been forbidden to go!

Of course, he could have called Goth, but Goth would have told Geno, who would have told Error! So, option to be avoided.

Jammy found himself wandering in the multiverse, feverish but determined, and above all terribly lonely, trying to feel the magic energy of Nyx.

But he couldn't feel it. On reflection, he had never felt it.

It had only increased his anxiety and he had hesitated to return to his parents - who were probably looking for him.

[But he felt it.]

Confused, PaperJam didn't understand. He didn't understand why he suddenly felt the magic of his daddy Ink... twice.

The incoherence was even stronger when he had perceived an anomaly in one of the two magics, and it's the anguish - as well as the curiosity - that pushed him to go towards this strange magic.

Oh, for God's sake... why did he go alone?

He hadn't thought about it, he had to admit it. Yet he should have been alerted by the magic that appeared out of nowhere and which, as if by chance, showed up when he was alone. He should have been worried when he saw this magic that seemed to be calling him. He should have worried when he had arrived in this AU desert.

But he hadn't done any of that.

And the reckless child, besides not being suspicious, didn't realize that he had been watched since his arrival in that remote UA. Observed? No. Scrutiny would be the operative word. Scrutinized from head to toe, examined, judged, by that red look filled with hatred, the look of an Ink who was not his father, far from it, very far from it.

“I led him to us. Get rid of him now.” commanded the Creator of the future at Nyx's address.

Nyx opened his eyes, to look at his father with terror and incomprehension:

“Don't you want to take the place of your doppelganger and thus acquire his family? What is the purpose of killing this child then?

- This child is not my son. He will never be my son like you! You were not born of my union with Error! This kid is from the Ink of this timeline, this Ink that I will take care of making disappear, who in no way deserves MY Error! He didn't fight for it, he didn't know what I went through! He cheated! Cheated because of you! I will never accept it, I will never accept anything that comes from him because of you! Including that stupid, weak kid!”

The cartoonist was caught in a cold sweat, intimidated by the angry look his father gave him. He could only nod his head feverishly, trembling, and Ink gave him a satisfied smile:

“Good. Join me when you're done. And don't be long.”

He opened a portal and went through it without waiting.

Abandoned to his fate, Nyx felt a sob hugging his throat as he turned around to observe PaperJam a little further away, poor Jammy who hadn't noticed him yet and who didn't suspect his fate for a moment.

No... No, he couldn't feel pity. He couldn't sympathize, he couldn't let himself be touched. PaperJam meant nothing to him, at least Nyx tried to convince himself of that. But how can you convince yourself to hate a young skeleton who has supported you so much these last months? A little skeleton who was mischievously coming to sleep with him every night, keeping him company during his long insomnia ? A little skeleton who had the delicacy to never reveal his withdrawal crisis ...

PaperJam was too nice ... And it was this kindness that was going to kill him.

Jammy barely had time to react when he perceived the use of magic not far from him. Before being able to defend himself, his legs were swept by a tentacle, and he collapsed head first against the ground. Confused, he raised his head in panic, only to freeze at the sight of Nyx standing nearby, looking down on him. Looking at him in a way that PaperJam hated...

The child swallowed as he saw tentacles materializing from the shadows. He didn't understand anything anymore, but Nyx was definitely not in his normal state.

The appendixes sprang towards him, with the clear purpose of quickly reducing it to dust. And if PaperJam didn't move, nailed to the ground by surprise and anguish, he was nevertheless able to raise his voice as his big innocent and confused eyes planted themselves in Nyx's eyes:

“Big brother... ?”

The tentacles froze a few millimeters from his body, while the older one petrified in amazement, the words dying in his throat:

“.... W-what...?” stuttered the cartoonist.

PaperJam felt his soul squeeze. He gratified his elder with a look of anxiety, fear, but above all .... Filled with a tenderness and love that surprised Nyx.

Slowly, braving his fear and ignoring the appendages that seemed as frightened as he was, the child came to gently put his hand on a tentacle, to gently caress it to calm him, to comfort him.

“.... You called Ink 'Daddy' .... explained the younger one delicately. And ... You have tentacles, you draw ... you eat black apples .... Your eyes change shape ... So, DaddInk and Nightmare are your parents ...?”

The perspicacity of his younger brother surprised Nyx, who made his tentacles disappear in panic, retreating one step:

“I...”

Jammy puffed up his cheeks:

“I'm not an idiot... Don't lie to me...”

The Draftsman observed him for a few moments, unaware of this turn of events. He finally looked down in shame:

“... No, you're not stupid. Quite the contrary. You're right, I am the son of Nightmare and Ink. But I come from another timeline...”

Paperjam tilted his head to the side, intrigued. He got up slowly without letting go of Nyx's gaze:

“... Timeline ... My parents often talk about it, but it only concerns AUs like Undertale ... But I understand the principle. You're, like... a possibility? Something that could have happened in our lives? And I must be the same for you, right?

- It's, like... (Sighs) It's kind of like that, yeah...”

The child took one small step, then another, so as not to frighten his brother, giving him time to get used to his presence as if he wanted to tame him. And it seemed to work, for despite his trembling, Nyx let him approach without making the slightest gesture.

“... Nyx ... if you tell me what you're afraid of ... ?”

The drawer tightened, his throat tied, before finally raising his eyes full of tears towards his younger son:

“... I ... I ...”

He put one hand over his mouth, choking a sob.

“...I don't want to destroy my family again...”

He closed his eyes, repressing the tears that were burning his eyes, and that was enough for PaperJam to brave the last meters that separated them, and come to embrace him with all his strength:

“... you won't destroy it. You are too nice for that...

- ... No. I'm sorry, Jammy... Y-You don't know what I could've done... You don't know me...”

The child laughed nicely:

“There's a lot of things I don't know, but that doesn't stop me from trusting! You know ... I don't know Father well ... he's clumsy with me, and he's afraid to touch me ... but I trust him because, even though he doesn't talk much, he protects me and tries to make me happy.”

Jammy had a lovely smile:

“Just like you, Nyx. You try to help and protect everyone, so you're nice! My sweet big brother!”

He came to rub his face against his chest and Nyx's cheekbones took on a soft mauve hue. The child finally let him go:

“So, what can I do to help you?”

The elder one frowned on the arches, before he began to think:

“... I don't know myself what I can do ... what I want to do ... I want my parents to be happy, but in order to do that I have to hurt other people I love...

- And is that necessary?

- ... ...excuse me?”

Nyx watched his younger brother look innocently at him:

“Will it really make them happy that you're doing this?

- ... Yes... that's what they want...

- But... what they want won't necessarily make them happy. I want candy all the time but Papink won't let me eat it... It annoys me, but at the same time it's to make me healthy, and therefore happy!”

Nyx blinked, surprised by his words... and finally he started to laugh. At first softly, then more frankly, as if all his pressure suddenly disappeared, that he was freed from a weight too heavy for his shoulders.

PaperJam was surprised:

“Did I... did I say something stupid?”

The drawer caressed his skull while trying to calm his laughter, his pupils regaining a soft golden color:

“No Jammy, on the contrary. You're absolutely right!”

The child's eyes opened wide when his elder carried him suddenly. He looked at him confusedly:

“Nyx?

- Let's go home little head! It's time for me to take control of my life!”

Something that made PaperJam smile and raise his fist triumphantly:

“Yeah! Well spoken!”

They exchanged a knowing glance and Nyx took out his pencil, making a gesture to create a portal. But of course, nothing could simply happen. Fate, karma, whatever else, did not wish to help or support poor Nyx, whose life seemed to mock him every minute of his existence.

Fate came in the form of a tentacle which flashed towards the two brothers, and if Nyx had the presence of mind to step aside, he petrified when the appendix stole his pencil from him!

“No,” he exclaimed as he turned his head, only to be covered in cold sweat the next instant.

Nightmare, his father, was standing there, looking bad, looking quite.... disappointed.

PaperJam hiccuped in fear as he came to hide against Nyx, trembling, feeling the negative aura of the nightmare master amplify throughout the entire UA.

“I should have been firmer”, scolded the guard, whose pupil crackled with anger. “Ink gave you an order, execute it Nyx!”

The drawer moved backwards, feverishly ... before puckering the arches and putting Jammy behind him, not without letting go of the Nightmare gaze.

“No, he said. I'm sorry, Father, but I can't hurt my little brother.

- HE'S NOT YOUR BROTHER!” shouted the master of woe. “THIS IS NOT YOUR TIMELINE! THIS IS NOT YOUR LIFE! YOU DON'T KNOW THESE PEOPLE, AND YOU WOULD BETRAY ME FOR THEM?!”

Nyx gently rubbed PaperJam's back to calm his tremors as he faced his father with more determination:

“I've only known them for a few months... but they're all I've ever dreamed of... I won't let you take them away from me.”

Nightmare shudders like his aura, before his blue eyes become darker than ever, before the air around him becomes icy, before the earth beneath their feet trembles and cracks under the weight of an increasingly uncontrollable magic.

The hoarse voice of the guardian rose:

“I should have finished you at birth.”

Nyx became livid, grabbed PJ against him as his own tentacles materialized to surround them, forming a shield that Nightmare clashed with when he attacked them.

The shock was severe, Nyx wince at the impact, not feeling able to match his father. He kept Jammy against him and dragged him abruptly into the shadows, only to move furtively and at high speed away from there. It might have worked if Nightmare wasn't a dark follower himself ....

“Poor coward ! Is this how I raised you?!” he cried, turning the Nyx's soul blue, before forcibly pulling it out of the shadows.

The cartoonist hiccupped, dropped PaperJam and fell to the ground as he himself was thrown against a nearby rock. Although the pain was nothing compared to what he had already experienced, he still let out a yelp of pain as he collapsed to the ground, landing badly on his hands.

He grimaced, feeling his wrist electrify him. To think that this wound would never have the slightest respite ...

Nyx looked up at his father. He had no desire to fight him, but his sire left him no choice.

Nightmare passed Nyx's tentacles without harm, probably because the rage made him more powerful than ever. He made the bones appear and threw them at his son, scolded when he saw him dodge them, decided to turn his soul blue a second time and suddenly pulled him towards him.

Nyx hiccupped, could not hold his body, which was heavily propelled towards Nightmare. He yelped when his father grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up without the slightest softness, darting an angry look at him.

“Nyx, you're just a...”

The keeper stopped suddenly, surprised, as if he had noticed something that had been too well concealed until then:

“.... That a kid ... weak ... and dependent ...”

The last word had been blown slowly as an unhealthy smile appeared on the teeth of the master of misfortune, whose gaze had been illuminated with a sadistic glow full of madness:

“That's why you're not getting anywhere at the moment... You have no more apple ~”

Nyx petrified, his breath accelerating in anguish as he watched his father without knowing what to do.

Paperjam, not far away, also tensed up, remembering all too well the crisis that his brother had made, crisis which had been able to be calmed only thanks to apples precisely.

Without understanding the desire to cry which had suddenly embraced him, Nyx felt his magic trembling, trembling under a terrible apprehension. And Nightmare's smile only added to his palpable horror.

So ... what can I do to make you a good dog again?" the guard purring. Should I give you apples? Would you be interested? »

Nyx's magic became more painful, his body seemed to be bitten from the inside, violently lacerated by frost teeth. Each of his bones screamed grace as his pupils slowly began to alternate between blue and gray, panic and supplication.

“N-no...” he articulated slowly, using violence to answer nothing else.

But his body screamed the opposite, his whole being was sweating and begging, while his mouth spoke only lies that Nyx would have liked to believe:

“I don't care about apples...”

{I need it}

“No matter what it does to me...”

{I'm scared}

“It doesn't matter if I disappear... I wasn't even supposed to exist...”

{I don't want to die}

“I, uh...”

The tears came back furiously burning his eyes, but he struggled not to let them out.

“I... I... I...”

Nightmare had darkened, arched arches, hating the response, which sounded to his ear canals like a pathetic, laughable lament.

“... To think that I saw you as my heir... when you're just a stupid emotional kid playing grown-up.”

[CRACK]

A painful crack. An umpteenth on the trembling soul of Nyx.

“... I just wanted to see you happy...” the drawer hiccupped as the first tears began to fall. “I just wanted to...”

He screamed at the ground, his spirit twisting as his skull hit the ground. One minute his heart was high, and the next he regurgitated. He regurgitated a reddish liquid with a pungent taste, while the world around him began to turn, that his body gave him the impression of being torn apart and crushed, oppressed, on the verge of yielding, of breaking.

“NYX!” shouted PaperJam while straightening up without daring to intervene more, petrified of terror by the negative aura of Nightmare which also gave him desire to cry.

The master of nightmares looked at his son with an evil eye, his fists clenched:

“... Since you want it so badly, why don't you just die?”

His magic was activated, forcing Nyx to curl up on himself as the guard scolded:

“... Die of madness, you idiot.”

Nightmare snapped his fingers.

Nothing happened.

...not in the eyes of PaperJam at least. But Nyx, he felt it violently. That storm that swept through him, that invisible padlock that gave him nightmares every night, that fucking, fucking spell that had begun to crumble in the last few months...

And Nightmare had just struck the fatal blow.

He had definitely removed the spell that was keeping him awake.

Far from seeing this as a release, Nyx lost his pupils, his face turned livid. Panic, fright, horror, terror.

[He sank into darkness]

[He sank into silence]

[He fell into fucking nightmares]

===

Next Chapter

You can support me on my Utip or on my Ko-fi account !

===

Credits =

Nightmare -> Joku

Ink -> Myebi

Paperjam -> 7GoodAngel

#Guardian Angel #nyx #undertale #alternate universe #alternate timeline #fanfiction #inkmare #nightkiller #errink #error #ink #nightmare #killer #sans

22 notes · View notes

oleworm · 4 years

Note

20 & 25?

Thank you for asking!

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

I’m not sure if I should consider my older fic alongside the works I am currently creating, both original and fanfiction. I love a good redemption arc — a character that is condemned by others and condemns themselves receiving love and support from a person that considers them worthy. I believe in second chances, that people can change under the right circumstances, and it gratifies me greatly to explore this in my writing. Whereas in real life I do think there is a point of no return for people that commit certain extremely damaging acts, I do think scenarios touching upon these subjects can be safely explored in fiction. I like it when a character who believes themselves to be good or right is revealed to be contradictory or hypocritical — not in order to condemn them, but to show that they are human and thus imperfect, and that they are not entirely self-aware. I like it when a character says something either very obvious or very obviously wrong, or acts on an incorrect assumption. In a similar way, I enjoy when someone who thinks themselves to be very smart is actually very stupid.

My themes and metaphors have changed in relation to my personal life. There were moments that I was deeply unhappy, so I used images of decay, hopelessness, interpersonal violence, of degradation overpowering the goodness of a moral or upright character. Nowadays they would either depress or completely bore me. I prefer to make a story about a character solving a problem, being uplifted, leaving a bad situation, making good friendships or relationships and learning to adjust to a better, healthy environment.

Other (probably current) themes: Christian / Catholic themes, of having a sense of belonging to a natural or spiritual reality, hybrid creatures, family trees and family drama / trauma, agricultural and meteorological metaphors, vermin, scavengers and fungi being represented in a positive or neutral light,

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

When the writing is flowing and you’re not self-conscious enough to worry whether the cadence is right or the ideas are entirely coherent. When the story moves naturally and the characters click. When writing dialogue feels like jotting down a conversation you have just overheard. Also, the process of editing the story in which you reread it and find that it actually made sense? And now you’re improving it further, polishing the jagged edges? That really hits the spot.

#anthropoperipherism

2 notes · View notes

theonyxpath · 4 years

Link

Hello everybody!

We’re all back from last week’s company-wide vacation, and I’m happy to report that our crew are rested and rejuvenated! Sometimes, you just need to block out all the work stuff, no matter how much you enjoy it, and let your creative batteries recharge.

So, now that we’re back – what’s going on?

We are in the They Came From Beyond the Grave! Kickstarter’s final days! We’re closing in on both the pledge totals and number of backers from the They Came From Beneath the Seas!‘s KS, so we could really use your help in spreading the word!

If you know a fan of 70s horror movies, of TV’s Dark Shadows and Kolchak: The Night Stalker, of Victorian vampires: let them know that we’ve got a game that can be played as straight-up horror or can be played for laughs!

And all you need to play is in the one book, but by backing you get the added Stretch Goal projects like Monsters From the Crypt, the book of antagonists that we are $1000 away from adding a third section to, and the Tales of Depravity scenarios book!

So spread the word, and if they need extra incentive, go ahead and have them click on the link to the actual play we did at our online con: https://youtu.be/qLEFXntIa3g

The children of the night salute you (when they’re not making what music they make)!

Titanomachy art by Andrea Payne

What Did We Discuss At The Meeting Today?

Well, first, we went over what we all did during our week off, and how we were doing after that. Where are our respective head spaces, as it were. But you don’t want to hear about that so much, I’m sure, so here’s the other things we talked about.

Mysteries of the World is #1 on DTRPG! still, which is even more gratifying considering how many PDFs went out to backers as part of the Stretch Goals already!

Related, we discussed our next Kickstarter possibilities and it looks like Scion: Demigod is going to be ready for its KS the first week in September! More words on that these next couple of weeks!

Scion: Demigod art by Aaron Riley

We talked about the sales that are going on with our various sales partners, as below, with the Deluxe Wraith 20 and Screen on sale for the first time at Indie Press Revolution – and a darkly gorgeous book it is! A true labor of love, too, by Messers Dansky and Dawkins heading up some phenomenal writers!

Also below, but in the Onyx Path Media section, Eddy’s Workshops wrapped up. What the heck, here are the links to last two episodes so you don’t have to scroll down:

Eddy’s Workshop – The Editing Phase of RPG Development – https://youtu.be/zPXWl0c7mmM

Eddy’s Workshop – The Approvals Phase of RPG Development – https://youtu.be/Qf-FQMBLaAs

In this series of YouTube vids, Eddy goes step by step through the process of how to create RPG books, so if you are interested in how it all happens, both here at Onyx Path and elsewhere across the TTRPG industry, these are invaluable.

Also, while doing these, Eddy has also been running a series of development and project management workshops for our writers and developers. These came directly out of our Developer Town Halls we held all through the first months of Covid-19, and the many requests he had from our developers. So far, Eddy has done some group sessions, and some individual mentoring, and the responses have been fantastic!

I think Covid-19 has hit a lot of creative people hard and even the most driven creators have been hammered in their productivity, so this is us helping folks get back on to getting things done.

(I used two forms of get in a single sentence there. My old HS English teacher T.J. McCauley, who warned us never to use “get” because there is always a better word, must be spinning in his grave.)

Heroic Land-Dwellers! art by Brian LeBlanc

Time continues to show that Covid-19 has also affected some of our partners. On sale to the public this week on DTRPG is the PDF and PoD versions of Heroic Land-Dwellers! for They Came From Beneath the Sea!, but the PDF went out to backers in May. Getting the PoD version ready and printed and proofed has just dragged on.

Similarly, our Screen printer has been hard hit, but is persevering slowly. So even though we have KS books almost ready to send as rewards, we still need to have the Screens to ship them all together and that’s been a slower cycle than it has in the past.

But, refreshed now from our week of Not Work, we’re back and rarin’ to go! Ready to tackle these challenges and get our projects through the stages to get to you. Ready to once again pull together all the many threads that go into weaving our tapestry of gaming goodness featuring our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

Blurbs!

Kickstarter!

The They Came From Beyond the Grave! Kickstarter is in its last days – take a look at what horrors have been revealed so far: the Screen and two sections of Monsters from the Crypt: a book containing More Monsters, an exclusive KS t-shirt coupon, electronic Grave!-themed wallpaper, and two scenarios in the Tales of Depravity PDF! Next up in Stretch Goals are even More Monsters and electronic Wallpaper!

We’re only about $1000 away from adding in a third section to Monsters from the Crypt – so please spread the word and let’s get that Stretch goal un-buried!

Thanks to all of you who have pledged to enable this fantastic project and its Stretch Goals!

Here’s a specially-made special trailer by the brilliant Larry Blamire:

And keep your eyes open for:

Next Up on Kickstarter:

Scion: Demigod 2nd Edition the first week in September!

Onyx Path Media!

This week: The Terrific Trio of Terribleness take random game ideas and build them up to game pitches!

As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

For anyone new to our media section, you can find us running and playing games over on twitch.tv/theonyxpath pretty much every day of the week!

Plus, if you’d like your games hosted there, just get in touch with Matthew Dawkins using the contact link on matthewdawkins.com.

Please give our Twitch channel a follow, as you can find a huge number of videos of all kinds of games, along with our What’s Up with Onyx Path? livestream conducted for Gen Con weekend!

This week on Twitch, expect to see these games and streams running:

Scarred Lands – A Family Affair

Mage: The Ascension – Technocracy Reloaded

Scion: Hero – Behind the Screen

They Came from Beyond the Grave!

Changeling: The Dreaming – The Last Faerie Tale

Mage: The Awakening – Occultists Anonymous

Vampire: The Masquerade – Boston by Night

Get watching for some fantastic insight into how to run these wonderful games and subscribe to us on Twitch, over at twitch.tv/theonyxpath

It’s the last week of the They Came from Beyond the Grave! Kickstarter, so if you missed it, please check out our ENnie award winning friends at Red Moon Roleplaying, who have concluded their They Came from Beyond the Grave! story, with their usual excellent editing, quality, and in this case, a lovely cast of players led by Director, Matthew Dawkins! Come join in and listen to the Cult of Abaddon at play: https://youtu.be/RDYzNbk7VkQ

Come take a look at our YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/theonyxpath, where you can find a whole load of videos of actual plays, dissections of our games, and more, including:

Changeling: The Lost – Littlebrook Reunion FINALE – https://youtu.be/Evc0DDvLOPE

Blood City: Chicago by Night FINALE – https://youtu.be/dVdt0S6oWm0

(Matthew’s favourite) Scarred Lands – Purge of the Serpentholds Episode 10 – https://youtu.be/XtZouhVac9k

Deviant: The Renegades – A Cautionary Tale – Episode Two – https://youtu.be/GETIo92dUdY

Eddy’s Workshop – The Editing Phase of RPG Development – https://youtu.be/zPXWl0c7mmM

Eddy’s Workshop – The Approvals Phase of RPG Development – https://youtu.be/Qf-FQMBLaAs

Realms of Pugmire: Paws & Claws – S2E10 – https://youtu.be/SA3fot155wA

Scarred Lands – Purge of the Serpentholds Episode 11 – https://youtu.be/XtZouhVac9k – https://youtu.be/KNWMVZ9KtQI

Deviant: The Renegades – A Cautionary Tale – Episode Three – https://youtu.be/F9mKS-w6lso

Realms of Pugmire: Paws & Claws – S2E11 – https://youtu.be/aZ4Mxy_k9JU

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Systematic Understanding of Everything is a new Exalted Explainer Podcast by Exalted Dev Monica Speca and Exalted Writer Chazz Kellner that is breaking down Creation in 45 minute chunks in preparation for Exalted Essence.

Their most recent episodes are available over on https://www.exaltcast.com/, where they’ve covered everything from Lunars and Dragon-Blooded to Solars and asking the question: What is Creation?

The Story Told Podcast have just started a new chapter in their Fall of Jiara Exalted chronicle, and we’d love it if you gave them some support. Here’s their character intros: https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/fall-of-jiara-character-intros

Dork Tales are partway through their Werewolf: The Forsaken actual play, The Bitches of Brewery Park! Check it out on their channel: https://www.twitch.tv/dorktales

And our very own Chris Allen runs his chronicle of Werewolf: The Forsaken over on Paleo Gaming‘s Twitch channel. Do check out Very Angry Dogs! https://www.twitch.tv/paleo_gaming

Two new Occultists Anonymous episodes for you fans of Mage: The Awakening! Find them right here:

Episode 118: Chimed In The cabal follows Songbird into an Aetheric Emanation Realm, prepared with only a few hints from Hadramiel. First though, there is a watcher in place at the entrance… https://youtu.be/Gh6_3KHOOgI

Episode 119: Explore, Expand, Exploit… The cabal investigates the odd ‘hotel’ they’ve found themselves in and further explores out into the Emanation Realm itself, which seems to have some kind of specific purpose. https://youtu.be/qjmbCSILpI8

Please check these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games! We’d love to feature you!

Electronic Gaming!

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

We’re told that the App Dev is currently creating an updated version for the latest devices, so keep an eye open for those!

Virtual TableTop!

Introducing a Virtual Tabletop encounter pack for the Trinity Continuum Core: Hunt for the Red Widow on DTRPG!

Hunt for the Red Widow is a short encounter designed starting Talents in the Trinity Continuum Core setting. When a renowned but mysterious thief known as The Red Widow steals an ancient artifact from the Æon Society’s vaults, it is up to the party to track her down and recover the device. She is heading to an old ruin said to unlock the artifact’s true power. Can the heroes reach her in time?

Inside you’ll find:

A short encounter for use with the Trinity Continuum Corebook

Two new antagonists: The Red Widow, and her minions, known simply as “Ghosts.” Virtual tabletop tokens are included to represent the antagonists

Two maps, ready to be uploaded into your virtual tabletop platform of choice

New Anomaly Powers.

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these latest fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to provide our traditionally printed books out into your local game stores. Game stores can order via their usual distributors, and can also contact Studio2 directly. And individuals can check out our projects via the links below!

You can pick up the traditionally printed Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau main books, screens, and the official dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

Now, we’ve added Chronicles of Darkness books such as Changeling: The Lost Second Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Our Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition books are also available from Studio2 in the US: https://studio2publishing.com/products/vampire-the-masquerade-chicago-by-night-sourcebook

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And now Scion Origin and Scion Hero and Trinity Continuum Core and Trinity Continuum: Aeon are available to order

It’s the return of the DOG DAYS OF SUMMER SALE!

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

The Cthulhu Mythos sale at DriveThruRPG starts this week, and we’ll have some God-Machine PDFs included in the sale!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, the PDF and PoD versions of Heroic Land-Dwellers! for They Came From Beneath the Sea! gird their loins and prepare for watery menaces… and go on sale on DTRPG!

Heroic Land-Dwellers! is a collection of playable characters for They Came from Beneath the Sea!, a roleplaying game of drama, science fiction, and farce in which you play the only humans capable of driving back the watery threats seeking to invade, destroy, or enslave humanity.

This book is for use with the They Came from Beneath the Sea! tabletop roleplaying game. They Came from Beneath the Sea! uses the Storypath System, provided in full in the core rulebook available separately.

Heroic Land-Dwellers! includes:

• Sixteen playable characters, each with biographies, stats, Quips, and artwork to help you immediately involve them in a story as protagonists, supporting characters, or villains!

• Fiction by Larry Blamire, to set the action-packed and sometimes nonsensical tone of science fiction B-movies and games such as this one!

Also, this Weds sees the release on DTRPG of the They Came From Beneath the Sea! Director’s Screen PDF! Handy charts to make it even easier to run TCFBtS!.

Finally on Wednesday, we present you with the compiled Dark Eras for Changeling: The Lost, all together in one handy book in PDF and PoD versions on DTRPG!

Conventions!

Though dates for physical conventions are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, here’s what’s left of our current list of upcoming conventions (and really, we’re just waiting for this last one to be cancelled even though it’s Nov/Dec). Instead, keep an eye out here for more virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with:

PAX Unplugged: https://unplugged.paxsite.com/

And now, the new project status updates!

Development Status from Eddy Webb! (Projects in bold have changed status since last week.):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep.)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

The Devoted Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

Prometheus Unbound (was Psi Orders) (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

No Gods, No Masters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion Fiction Anthology (Scion 2nd Edition)

TC: Aeon Novella: Dawn (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

TC: Aeon Novella: Meridian (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Legacies of Earth (Legendlore)

Redlines

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Wild Hunt (Scion 2nd Edition)

CtL 2e Novella Collection: Hollow Courts (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Adversaries of the Righteous (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Squeaks In The Deep (Realms of Pugmire)

Trinity Continuum: Anima

Second Draft

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Clades Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

M20 Rich Bastard’s Guide To Magick (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Hundred Devil’s Night Parade (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Novas Worldwide (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Exalted Essence Edition (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Saints and Monsters (Scion 2nd Edition)

M20 Technocracy Operative’s Dossier (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Development

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Assassins (Trinity Continuum Core)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

V5 Forbidden Religions (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

V5 Children of the Blood (was The Faithful Undead) (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)

Manuscript Approval

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

V5 Trails of Ash and Bone (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Mission Statements (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Dystopia Rising: Evolution Fiction Anthology (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

Dead Man’s Rust (Scarred Lands)

Post-Approval Development

Editing

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

LARP Rules (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Book of Lasting Death (Mummy: The Curse 2e)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Dearly Bleak – Novella (Deviant: The Renegades)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Under Alien Skies (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Post-Editing Development

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum)

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (They Came From!)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

Indexing

Lunars: Fangs At The Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Art Direction from Mike Chaney!

In Art Direction

Tales of Aquatic Terror

WoD Ghost Hunters (KS) – KS page prepped and ready to go to Paradox for approval.

Aberrant

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Mummy 2

Deviant

Legendlore

Technocracy Reloaded

Cults of the Blood God

Scion: Dragon (KS)

Masks of the Mythos (KS) – Cover is in and it looks sweet.

Scion: Demigod (KS) – KS art and graphics all finished.

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (KS) – KS running.

TC: Adventure! (KS)

Geist: One Foot In the Grave

In Layout

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad

Vigil Watch

V5 Let the Streets Run Red – Going into proofing this week.

Pugmire Adventure

Trinity Core Jumpstart

Proofing

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate – Indexing.

Cavaliers of Mars: City of the Towered Tombs

Magic Item Decks (Scarred Lands)

Yugman’s Guide Support Decks (Scarred Lands)

TC Aeon Terra Firma

Scion Titanomachy

At Press

TCFBTS Heroic Land Dwellers – PDF and PoD on sale this Weds!

TCFBTS Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Shipping from printer to KS fulfiller.

Pirates of Pugmire – Shipping from printer to KS fulfiller.

Pirates of Pugmire Screen – Files at press.

Dark Eras 2 – Files printing.

Dark Eras 2 Screen and booklet – Files at press.

Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition Dark Eras Compilation – PDF and PoD on sale this Weds!

Contagion Chronicle – Press prep.

Contagion Chronicle Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

Lunars Wall Scroll Map – Shipping to KS fulfiller from printer.

Lunars Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

Scarred Lands Creature Collection – Shipping from printer to KS fulfiller.

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Eight (8) years ago today we held our first “What Is the Onyx Path?” panel at Gen Con, announcing our company and our slate of releases for that coming year. Most of which have been released by now!

#Onyx Path Publishing

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