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thenightfolknetwork · 5 months

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Back when I was in school, I thought it'd be great fun to create an urban legend or local cryptid. I got some friends together, managed up some costumes, snuck out at night, wandered around looking creepy. And it was; great fun, that is. Sure we were all tired the next day whenever we did that, had weird scrapes and bruises from stumbling around in the dark, and at most we ever heard someone mention that they thought they saw "an animal" out where we were lurking; but we were out with friends, doing something we probably weren't supposed to do, we were young, it was wonderful.

We grew up, as tends to happen. We found more interesting things to do late at night. A bunch of us moved away, including myself. Gradually, we mostly lost touch with each other. I mean I could probably still contact all of them if I really needed to, it would just be awkward. I never mentioned those "adventures" to anyone, because as I got older, it just seemed more and more embarrassing, plus -- as I came to realize -- INCREDIBLY insensitive to the creature community. For the last few years, I've been trying to forget all about it.

Until recently. I was chatting with my mother on the phone, and she mentioned that in the past few weeks, there have been Sightings in the area. She'd never shared it before now, because it was just some minor local gossip, except she'd seen it herself the day before; just a glimpse, but what she described, it matched how we'd dressed up, how we'd moved, even the places we'd done "appearances" in.

My first rational thought was that maybe she'd known the whole time -- as a kid, you're a lot worse at being sneaky than you think you are -- and this was just a very time-delayed prank on me. But I looked into it, and it's not just her telling this to me; I won't bore you with the details, but if this is her prank on me, it's better planned and coordinated than most military operations.

There's three explanations I can think of. The first is that one of my friends has decided to start it up again, after all these years, for whatever reason; or they'd shared it with someone who decided to do the same. On the face of it, this would be easy to check, but that's not taking into account the crippling awkwardness that doing so would entail, plus I know for a fact that the person who'd be my best suspect for doing this, doesn't live within easy travel of the place any more. There's other reasons that make this option seem unlikely to me, but they involve personal details I'm not going to share.

The other possible explanations I can think of, are more up your alley. That either somehow a bunch of dumb kids managed to close-enough replicate what an actual being, that actually exists, is like, and now one of them is there, maybe as a coincidence, or maybe to find the "other one" (which never actually existed, because it was just us). Or that somehow, that same bunch of dumb kids managed to accidentally CREATE a being. To put it in the silliest possible way that my brain keeps repeating on endless loop, accidental catfishing or accidental parenthood.

Should I look into this further? Do I need to swallow the awkwardness and talk to the others? Come clean in public with what we'd done? (I don't think any of it was technically illegal, plus we were children at the time, but it would still be even more awkward than my current benchmark for 'extremely awkward'.) Is it none of my business? Should I start actively hiding any involvement? I go back there about once a year, to visit my parents, and it's a few months still before I'd be expected, so I have time, but I'd need to have a plan in place first.

First of all, reader, I'm glad to hear you have since come to understand how incredibly inappropriate and insensitive your actions were when you were a teenager. I hope young sapios today are a little better educated on the matter of treating liminal cultures and identities with respect, but I confess, it is not a particularly robust hope.

I hear your concerns that you and your friends may have participated in some kind of accidental manifestation. I think I can put those fears to bed. Bringing forth an entity through the power of imagination alone is an astonishingly difficult feat, and one which requires a great deal of concentration, dedication and, frankly, natural magical talent. It would be unusual to the point of near impossibility for a group of teenage pranksters to stumble their way through such a working without knowing it, and even more unlikely that the effects of that working should remain hidden for so long.

I think it equally unlikely that you somehow happened upon an accurate representation of an existing, but as yet unknown, genus. The creature community is vast and varied, and the chances of you managing to cobble together anything like an accurate representation of a genus you've never seen before seems highly unlikely.

However, there is always the possibility of… let us call it “suggestion”. When you think back to that period, is there anything you can remember that motivated you to design the costume as you did? If you can trace your inspiration directly to, say, a particular book or a certain film, then we can set this aside as a possibility.

But if at any point you felt your decisions were driven by something less tangible – if it felt as if “inspiration” had struck, and you moved by shared instinct, all seeming to strive for the same end without communicating that end to one another – then we might start to consider the possibility of external influence.

This could also explain why these sightings have started again. Rather than being a living creature suddenly coming out of hiding, this sudden apparition seems more likely to be another group of young sapios, subject to the same external influence as you and your friends were all those years ago, compelled to don the same costumes and cavort in the same places.

Quite why anyone or anything would be exerting psychic/phasmic influence to this end, I can't guess. There doesn't seem to be any harm in it, apart from inducing sapio teens into insensitive behaviour – and let's be honest, it's even odds they would have done that anyway. And in any case, I think this explanation falls firmly in the “none of your business” side of things.

I say, draw a line under the affair, and move on. Someone in your town may be playing silly buggers, but as an erstwhile silly bugger yourself, I'm sure you can allow them their bit of fun.

#answered #the nightfolk network #monstrous agonies

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ladyhoneydee · 6 months

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I know With Your Hand in My Hand was based on a zelinkweek 2023 prompt, but how did you decide what your one-shot would be about?

Thank you so much for the ask!! This fic is one of my babies and had a little more of a process than some of my others, so I'm glad you picked it :D

With Your Hand in My Hand came about due to a song, actually (to no one's surprise, based on my current daily challenge, lol). Even though I am in my early/mid 20s, I love swinging on swingsets, and I always listen to music when I go down and swing at my local park. One of the songs that often came up was "Go", by Cody Fry.

"Go" is a fun, high energy folk-pop sort of song where the singer is talking about their desire to go on adventures with their partner, while holding hands. As early as March of this year, I had the idea of a fic where multiple zelinks would be live out pieces of the lyrics together. Some plot points came to me easily (like that TP would be the opening lines "drive all night with you right next to me / feel the pounding of your heartbeat"; SkSw would be "Fly like the wind in high places"; telink would be "Rushin' like water on my face"; BotW would be "Make pictures look like postcards"; and there would be a portion at the end that just had lightning-fast short lines to add a sort of 'rushing' feeling), but I never actually acted on the fic, because by the time I had laptop access, I was away from my swing and I'd lost the inspiration!

However, when zelink week 2023 came around, the prompt "Hand in Hand" really inspired me to just get this idea that had been running around in my head out on paper. I decided that OoT would be Sheik/Link, and would cover the lyrics "I wanna dance into the mornin' / Kiss ya like ya never been kissed before me" (which is a prominent part of the chorus and had to fit in somewhere even though I hadn't had an idea for it yet); and after a fierce internal debate, I decided to make the lines "Take the train and watch you sleep right in my arms" go for ST zelink rather than a modern incarnation.

A lot of decisions were made on the fly, though! I knew SkSw zelink would be flying on their loftwings for their piece, but I didn't know they would be racing or that it would be prior to the events of the game until I actually began that section. I didn't know that WW/PH Link would be homesick and Tetra would be comforting him, either--for the longest time when planning the fic from my swing, I'd actually thought she'd be teasing him while he was doing swabbie chores! I'm really happy with how that turned out, though, and how it showed a less typical area of their relationship and personalities. And while I knew I wanted a modern AU portion, the exact shape that ended up taking was a surprise to me too.

At the end of it all, I think I really succeeded in bringing that original vibes-based, music-fueled series of images in my head to life, and I'm so proud of it :') So thank you for asking!

#tag game

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ladytrevelyan99 · 1 year

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Chuck FanFiction Scene - Part 1

Thought I'd write a little scene from a FanFic I want to write. It's a CaseyxOC one. Been watching it recently and felt like writing a few scenes I been thinking about. Been watching House as well, so some Fics might come from that too.

Fan Fic Below

The four of them stayed in silence for what seemed like hours, removing the gear that they were wearing. Sarah had gone off to consult with the organisers of the event, whilst Casey and Chuck tidied up. Chuck gave Casey a concerned look, as he looked over at his friend Lilith, sitting in one of the few seats available in the wide-open space of the room they’d found, in the parking lot. She had been sitting in silence for some time, her eyes mainly trained on the floor glancing over dents and holes made by previous cars and people that had once travelled through this area.

“It’s completed, we are officially done!” Sarah called as she entered the room. A beaming smile came from Chuck, and he immediately looked over at Lilith catching her attention from the floor.

“You hear that! We’re done! We’ve officially completed a spy mission. How exciting was that? Am I right?” He walked over to her his hand out for a high-five, she glanced up at him, there was a short pause before she smiled politely and stood up but didn’t give him a high-five.

“Yeah, that’s great Chuck, can we go home now?” She asked as she walked away.

“I uhh… I don’t get it, I thought you’d love this.” He questioned her unexcited response and glanced at Sarah and Casey looking for any kind of aid. Sarah was going to speak when Casey spoke first.

“A car should be here in 10 to pick us up.” Lilith looked at him and nodded, he was packing a large black duffle bag and had placed it on the ground.

“Great.” She stated and tried to look for something else to look at while she waited.

“Lilith-. “Chuck started, but before he could finish, she interrupted him.

“Can I offer some friendly advice?” She stated as she moved slowly to turn to face him, he paused at the interruption and smiled, nodding.

“Sure, of course, anything.”

“If you plan on doing anything like this for anyone else?” She motioned with her hands as if the area around them was the entire ordeal they had gone through and then looked directly at him. “Don’t.” She stated plainly. He knew he had messed up, she was usually quite cheerful, something in this event that they had planned really didn’t sit well with her.

‘I’m really sorry, I just thought you’d enjoy this.” She shook her head, Sarah moved to stand next to Chuck.

“We really just wanted to surprise you and show you a good evening.” She interjected.

“Give the kid a break, he just wanted to make you happy.” Casey jumped in on top of that and instantly Lilith felt backed into a corner and ganged up on, she frowned, which as Chuck was very aware of, wasn’t an action she did often.

“Listen, listen. They’re right, sure, I did this to make you happy, I truly truly didn’t know it would get so intense. I honest to God just wanted to have a fun adventure filled night with you guys and things got out of hand. I’m really sorry, this won’t ever happen again.” His hands moved whilst he talked, she knew that every word he said was genuine, but she could still feel that angry ball in the centre of her chest, she glanced away for a moment and contemplated how she would react to this.

“I believe you Chuck.” she eventually said, and a smile began appearing on his face as she continued talking. “Being shot at and those explosions, I would definitely call getting out of hand.” She was on the verge of explaining in a calm matter why she was so upset with the whole thing.

“It was all fake, you know.” Sarah added and the fury built up more. Chuck chuckled and nodded.

“Exactly! Exactly, it was all fake, even though it seemed real, you were never in danger.” Lilith had her polite smile on and nodded.

“Is that so?” She questioned.

“Yeah, yeah, I mean you have Casey to thank for the explosions. Man should have been a pyrotechnic or something for movies, right Casey?” Casey glanced over to him and looked back at her; she was making her way back to the couch to grab her gear that she wore during the fake mission.

“You know me. I love to blow something up.” He added his version of a grunt laugh when he finished talking and she walked back nodding.

“Oh well, you know, if it’s all fake then it’s all right huh?” She was smiling and Chuck seemed to have fully relaxed. Lilith placed her hand in her pocket. “It was just a fake gun fight we ran through.” She stated while smiling and Chuck and Sarah smiled with her. “And this is just the fake bullet.” She pulled out a bullet that looked like it had hit something and threw it on the floor to roll at Chucks feet, Chuck and Sarah were no longer laughing and Casey stepped away from the table he was at towards her. “That hit my fake bullet proof vest.” She chucked the vest that had clearly been hit on the floor in front of them. “And left this fake bruise.” She had stopped laughing now and lifted up her top to show her stomach that had severe purple bruising on it, the verbal poison she left on the word fake increased every time she used it and noticed the very concerned looks they were giving each other. When Chuck saw the bruise, his hands instantly went over his mouth, and he stepped forward.

“Oh my god Lilith, are you okay? I am so so so sorry.” She dropped her top, Sarah became concerned and stepped forward.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She questioned; Lilith shook her head.

“Because I knew it wasn’t fake!” She increased the volume of her voice before lowering it again. “When this thing started it was fun and dandy, but from the moment you guys started giving each other random looks and giving me hesitant unrehearsed lines. I knew it wasn’t fake anymore.”

“I’m calling an ambulance.” Casey stated as he began walking away, she was tempted to tell him not to, but stopped herself, she was in a lot of pain and something to help her would be could. She could feel her body heating up from the pain, having cold sweats and a nauseous feeling in her stomach. Moving around this much wasn’t helping, but she was too angry to sit down.

“You should have said.” Chuck pleaded, looking extremely concerned.

“You should have pulled the plug!” She raised her voice again, Sarah looked between the two, knowing this could lead to a conversation no one wanted to have, she was going to say something but got interrupted. “The moment you knew something was wrong. You should have gotten me out of there!” Lilith took a step forward, closing the gap a bit more between her, Chuck and Sarah.

“Chuck was just doing what needed to be done.” Chuck nodded along with Sarah’s input. Lilith nodded and looked to Chuck a sad smile came across her features.

“Right… Can’t risk it huh? Even if it means putting one of your friends in danger?” She stated, the questions obviously rhetorical. Casey came back into the room.

“Medical unit will be here soon.” They looked at him.

“Medical unit?” Sarah questioned; Casey shrugged as he approached Lilith.

“Figured if she already knows, this way it stays off the record.” He moved his hand out obviously trying to assess the bullets damage done to her. She backed away.

“Off the record. Oh, so not only is it okay to just put some random civilian… Wait not even a civilian, A tourist! In harms way, it’s better to have the medical treatment of said tourist off the record?” Casey gave her a look, suggesting what she said was obvious.

“Gun shot wounds must be called in by medical officials. Our guys don’t have to do that.” He made another attempt the check her injury and she backed away pushing his hand away.

“Casey- .“ Chuck called, Casey looked at him.

“I need to see if the injury is bad.” He said to him then looked back at her, she was looking at Chuck now.

“That whole situation may have been made to look fake to me Chuck. But my life is not fake. I am a living, breathing human being and you and your…” She paused looking between them trying to think of the right word and continued when she thought of it. “Team, put me in danger, just to further your own interests. I thought I was your friend.”

“You are my friend.” Chuck shouted taking a step forward but didn’t want to get too close to her and Casey in case she felt threatened.

“There was no time to extract you. Chuck wanted to get you out of there. I was the one who made the call to keep you in.” Sarah stated, her cold stare looking right at Lilith. Lilith met her gaze and nodded.

“Is that supposed to make it better Sarah?” Lilith questioned, Chuck looked to Sarah and back to Lilith. “Is that supposed to make me less angry at him? I’ve seen you do it before, maybe what you’re saying is true, but I’ve seen you interject yourself to take the blame from Chuck, even if he might actually be the one at fault.”

“It was my order.” She demanded; Lilith shook her head.

“You don’t get it. It doesn’t matter. He chose to do it your way, he chose to keep me there, instead of fighting for his initial instinct to get me out of there.” Chuck looked to Lilith as if realising something.

“You’re right, I should have fought harder to get you out of there. I just… I don’t know, I trust Sarah.” Lilith nodded.

“He knew you could handle it.” Casey’s voice next to her spoke, she had momentarily forgotten he was there, the pain had subsided for a moment as she had stopped moving around.

“Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. But you were wrong.” She stated calmly and no one seemed to have anything else to say.

“Now that we’re done talking about our feelings. I need to see that bruise.” Casey stated, he moved his hand, but Lilith wasn’t having any of it, she was angry with him. She didn’t want him touching her. She lifted her arm quickly to push his arm away, the quick movement and hitting Casey’s arm to move it was a bit too much for her side where the bruise had hit and pain shot through her. She grit her teeth and a pained moan left her lips, her left hand immediately lifted to grab her right side and felt her legs get weak. She could feel herself falling, her legs reacted and tried to balance her, but Casey caught on to the pain in her body almost before she even felt it and was ready to grab her.

“Oh my god Lilith.” Chuck called out and he rushed forwards with Sarah behind.

“Is she okay?” Sarah questioned.

“This is what I wanted to find out.” Casey stated a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he moved her over to a seat and knelt next to her. She had her hand firmly on her side and had her eyes tightly closed, she didn’t seem to be breathing. “Breathe Lilith, breathe.” Casey all but ordered, she hesitated for a moment before a slow, shaken breath left her lips and an equally shaky and shallow breath was taken in again.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything? Casey, should I get anything?” Chuck questioned as he loomed over Casey’s shoulder as he was knelt. Casey slowly turned his head and only slightly and annoyed growl left his lips and Sarah placed her hand on Chuck’s shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go keep an eye out for that medical unit.” Chuck looked back at Sarah, then at Lilith as she took her shaky breaths, her eyes still closed, before looking back.

“Right, right, sure.” He nodded and they started moving back to the door. “We’ll be right back; it’ll be okay Lilith.” He shouted as he got further away”

“Moron.” Casey said under his breath before looking back to Lilith, he scanned her face and took a breath. He needed to be calm if he was going to be able to check this wound. Angry wasn’t going to get him anywhere. “Lilith. I need to see where the bullet hit, alright.” The words he used made the sentence sound like a question, but it was very much an order, she opened her eyes and glanced at him, she was trying very hard not the throw up and keep her body under control, his eyes were stern, but somehow there was this sympathy hiding in there somewhere. It’s not like she wanted to stop him from having a look, her focus was purely on herself, she didn’t want to move in case she cause herself more pain. She wasn’t used to this; this was by far the most painful thing she’d ever experienced. She didn’t know how to tell him she couldn’t move, she decided to suck it up and just move her arm. As her muscles in her arm relaxed, she instantly regretted her choice, it seemed that applying pressure to the area was actually making it hurt less. Her eyes snapped shut and her whole body tensed causing her to whimper softly in pain.

“Woah, woah. It’s okay.” He noticed she had tried to move. “Don’t move, just keep breathing.” She kept her eyes shut now, she was getting worried at the pain she felt. She felt fingertips and then fingers grip the wrist of her right arm, she opened her eyes to see what he was doing, he slowly and careful lifted her hand up and away from her stomach and placed her hand on her leg. She felt more pain as he moved her arm, but she kept breathing and he didn’t stop despite the flinches, she was great full of that, it made it hurt less. When her hand was moved, he lifted her shirt and looked at the bruising, when he looked up, he noticed she had opened her eyes and was looking back at him.

“Well, good news. You’re not bleeding internally, at least not badly. You’ll need an x-ray to check for anything acute.” He paused and moved, grabbing something, when he was done, he tilted his head to the side. “Bad news, I need to check for broken ribs.” He showed what looked like a leather holster for a small weapon, maybe a knife. “I’m gonna need you to bite on that.” She furrowed her brows at him, as he brought the leather to her mouth, she seemed to refuse to open her mouth, he shrugged and moved to put it away. “Or you can bite your tongue off and maybe choke on your own blood.” He stated, her eyes widened and she stared at him, he stared back, unflinching as if it was all the same to him either way they did it. She grimaced slightly and reluctantly opened her mouth.

“Good girl.” He said in a low voice, she felt her whole-body flinch, he placed the leather strap in her mouth, he then moved her right had onto his left arm. “Keep your hand there.” He ordered, she did so, he then moved his arm to rest on her leg and under her other hand. “Keep that hand there too.” Another order, she did it. Then he lifted her top again and without warning arm pressed three fingers hard onto her rib cage. The pain was so sudden and intense, she immediately clenched her hands into fists, grabbing fist fulls of his shirt, the material stopping her nails from digging into her skin. She bit down hard on the leather, she groaned in pain when he first pushed down, but now held back any kind of painful noise, not wanting to appear at all weak. She raised her head and looked at the top left of the ceiling, trying to make it so that Casey couldn’t see her face, her arms and back strained, his fingers walked across each rib, pushing on her skin. She wanted him to stop but couldn’t even think about anything else other than the pain she was feeling. For Casey, he was being gentle. If she had broken a rib, the last thing he wanted to do was make it worse by pushing it open, he needed to know if she had a severe fracture now so he could report it to the team that was arriving, and they could attempt to treat it immediately. He knew that she was going through a lot of pain, she he didn’t stop to make sure she was okay between each rib, he just kept going.

His fingers walked across the last rib and the moment he was done he quickly retracted his fingers, it hadn’t taken long, but to her it felt like an eternity, she hadn’t stopped gripping his top, he knuckled were white, her back, arms and legs were all cramping and her jaw was so sore, it took a moment before her body began relaxing. She took a deep breath, which she retreated immediately and winced, she let go of him and her arms fell limp, she looked exhausted, he didn’t say anything as he removed the make shift strap from her mouth, her mouth and lips were dry. She didn’t try and move at all.

“They’re here.” Chuck came rushing in with two men carrying large bags, Casey looked at the men.

“Took you long enough.” They didn’t respond to him and knelt down in front of Lilith as Casey stepped away. “She has no severe internal bleeding and no major breaks in her ribs.”

“Roger that Colonel.” One of the men stated.

~~~

That's the scene, I've got another that I'll post after editing. I edited this one as best I could, but I'll probably see some punctuation mistakes.

Hope you enjoyed reading it

#fanfiction #writers on tumblr #Chuck #Casey #John Casey #Chuck Bartowski #CaseyxOC #Casey x OC

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aonoexpat · 8 months

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20-08-2023 (2/2)

----- Continuation of part 1 -----

The sunrise the next morning was a beautiful sight, but Elrond had never been as frozen as he was that night! I was glad the doors weren't frozen shut and I could still get out to take some nice pictures:

I'd been keeping a close eye on the status of the roads around these parts, and was overjoyed that the road to Aoraki, which had previously been closed due to heavy snow, had been reopened. At 3724 meters, Aoraki is the tallest mountain in Aotearoa, and a wildly impressive sight to see:

We drove up as close as we could get along the Hooker Valley Road, and then geared up for a hike up to Hooker Lake. Sunscreen and sunglasses were essentials, for the entire trail was covered in a thick layer of snow. The bushes all around the track looked like soft little snowy hills, and I'm proud to announce I only slipped and fell down a set of steps once. My travel buddy joked that she wished she had recorded all the noises I made every time my feet slipped and I almost fell, which happened countless times during the ~4 hours it took us to get there and back. Especially the three ice-covered swing bridges across the Hooker river were dizzyingly treacherous terrain. Though we both felt sore from walking in the snow, the end goal was 1000% worth it! I bet this track is a lot of fun during summer as well, but this felt like the epitome of "walking in a winter wonderland" ❄️🎶

We had a lot of fun throwing snow balls and pushing our faces into the soft snow when we needed to cool down from the walking. By the time we got back to the parking lot we were both exhausted, but very pleased with the day we'd had ❤️

During the drive back we called ahead to a holiday park in Twizel to make sure they'd have space for two cars, because we were both craving a hot shower and a proper meal. The camp kitchen wasn't worth much, but we managed to cook up a feast for ourselves and cozied up to the fireplace with a movie for what would be our last night together, at least for now. In the morning we both went our separate ways, because our plans and wishes had started to diverge. I really enjoyed caravan-ing up with somebody else, it's nice to know you have somebody to talk to before you go to bed, somebody to have a cup of tea with in the morning, and somebody to share the beautiful sights with. Who knows, we might catch up again at a later date! We did briefly run into each other shortly after parting ways at the Omarama clay cliffs, which are a really cool sight (again, a short drive brings you to a dramatically different landscape):

For now I'm back on my own, and while I was planning to head to Oamaru and view the blue penguins, that's going to have to wait for a bit. I decided to take a leap and try my luck at finding a temporary job in the Tāhuna area. It's a bustling region right now due to the ski season, there are loads of tourists here (who drive so slowly omg who have I become that this bothers me) so I'm hopeful I might find a place to work. I'd like to earn back some of the money I've been spending on fuel, and the thought of being in a more populated area for a while, having fun with colleagues, playing music... sounds quite nice to me right now. Who knows though, I might not find anything and decide to just move on after a couple of days after all. Time will tell. In the meantime I'm trying to get some rest, it's been a rather intense week with a lot of driving and I'm content to just sit still for a moment and collect my thoughts. I've been feeling a bit better, getting my sense of adventure back, but I'm not quite as chipper as I'd like to be yet. I do believe I'll get there again though :) I spent some time today looking at photos from my trip to Australia eight years ago, and they reminded me that everything is temporary, and I'll likely look back on all of this with a huge smile in eight years' time too. Negative thoughts can seem overwhelming, and they may make me feel like I'm not making the most of my time here, but even just writing these posts today has made me realise I've been having a lot of fun lately, and I will likely continue to do so 😁

#aotearoa #backpacking #van life

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authortobenamedlater · 2 years

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Um, hi, hello. I was just wanting to know. I was reading your Keeping Up With the Raptors series (sorry, that gives me a little giggle because the Raptors are the basketball team in Canada so I still have trouble connecting 'Raptors' and 'hockey', sorry, anyway) on Ao3, and I was just curious to know if you ever think you'll write more? For that series? Cause I think it's really cool and quite well written. And I'd love to know how it's supposed to end. No pressure if it's something you've abandoned, just wanted to know. Thanks.

Also, thank you, because it's rewoken my love for my original works and characters and I'm going crazy about them all over again, and I'm actually writing about them again. A little, anyway. So thanks for that. :)

Sorry that sound you just heard was my body hitting the floor in shock that anyone is reading that series.

You know, I think I’d planned to make a joke about the Toronto Raptors sharing a name but I never got around to it?

If I did continue KUWTR, I’d have to do a bit of a reboot on it. Especially considering Seattle has a hockey team now. That’s why I orphaned the series; it was cluttering my profile and probably not continue-able in its current form.

Honestly, the lack of engagement with KUWTR and original work in general killed my motivation (hence my shock at getting a message on it, haha). I started writing it to prove to myself that I was a “real” writer after doing mostly fanfic for my entire life. But after awhile I felt like I was just writing into a void. With almost no feedback, I didn’t know what was working for the audience or if I even had an audience. I also floundered with trying to write a long-form/novel story, as that’s never been my strength.

KUWTR also required a lot of legwork. I had to dig pretty deep into the inner workings of the NHL and hockey culture and shotgun several things I couldn’t find. It was just plain exhausting and I wasn’t getting a whole lot in return. Once I got married and had kids I couldn’t dedicate the time anymore, hence my return to fanfiction where I could have fun writing with less time investment—and a lot more engagement on my stories. I’m not as active in sports fandom as I was before kids either, and I live in an area now where professional sports aren’t much of a thing (college football, on the other hand…) so it’s easy to lose touch.

I do, however, still think about KUWTR a lot. I love those characters and it means so, so much to hear that someone else loves them too even 10-ish years after the last update. I’d planned to have the series end with Hank’s retirement. But then I had some ideas for his daughter’s adventures playing for the US national team. 😂 So who knows when it would really end? If I rebooted the series, I think I’d make it a smaller focus on Hank and his family. Trying to include half the team as main characters was overwhelming and looking back, I’m sure it contributed to the series’s decline.

I can’t thank you enough for this ask. For real. It’s made my whole day to know even one person likes that universe I spent so much time crafting. Now that I’m “established” on tumblr and AO3, maybe KUWTR would get some more readers? It’s certainly worth thinking about. ❤️

#ask box open #asks #hockey #nhl #keeping up with the raptors #original fiction #my writing #writing #hockey fic

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inkabelledesigns · 2 years

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Summer of 2013 was fun, and it was the first time I'd been to Canada since I was little. I was a teenager, and my dad had made it a point then to go on a solo trip with each of my siblings and I around this time. My solo trip with Dad was to Toronto for a music competition. See every year around the start of July, the International Barbershop Harmony Competition, hosted by the Barbershop Harmony Society, takes place. It's supposed to be a celebration of the genre that included so many singers from every district, and while I'm not sure that's the case anymore, that's definitely what it was then. Toronto was special, because it was the 75th anniversary of the competition, and it was also my first time attending one. Well, not counting when I was a baby, apparently I got dragged to one as a six month old, but I have no memory of it. Mom was at home caring for my new baby brother, and my sisters had no interest, so it was just Dad and I on an adventure together.

Now, let me put this in perspective for you. This was not normal. I come from a family that never goes out to eat, always goes into things with a plan, and usually we don't see a lot of concerts, unless it's Barbershop stuff. Dad and I were finding a new place to eat almost every day (and it was so good, gosh Toronto you have some great food) and while there was some planning (my dad was always a planner), we did a lot of things spontaneously. We went to a Blue Jays game, since my dad likes baseball and his chorus was going, and that was a good time. A bunch of the barbershop guys sang the national anthem to open up the game that day. There was a lot of walking down the city streets. I had never been to a city before, but we laughed and talked and observed so many cool things along the way. We went to the group sing-along. Heck, we joined my uncle a few times. My dad has two brothers, one used to be into barbershop and also came to this convention, and one night on the way back from the show, he started singing tags on the train back to our hotel, and people joined in. There was a lot of singing of tags on public transportation, especially the buses from the convention center. How many times did I hear Wild Irish Rose and Coney Island Baby? XD For those not in the know, tags and pole cats are short songs barbershoppers can sing together on a whim, most people know them and can form a quick quartet to sing them if they have all four parts. You'll see guys at these conventions get together and sing them in the middle of the hallways all the time, it's just a thing they do.

For the main competition, we had great seats and watched so many talented groups perform. And of course we talked about them when we were alone. I'm no music critic like my youngest sister, but that's just in our nature, we debrief a lot here. I sat with all the barbershoppers wives on the day the choruses performed, since my dad was performing with his chorus. Their set was a lot of fun, they sang a Barbra Streisand song that I had loved at the time, their set was all about rain with a fun ballad and medley. We came prepared in the audience with these clapper thingies that kind of sounded like rain to use while cheering them on, we were cheesy but so coordinated. X'''D and of course, getting to hear the native chorus in the area, the Toronto Northern Lights, was great. Their set was so cool, gosh, let me link it, you HAVE to hear it! https://youtu.be/WONjhOwI5qc

But the one non-barbershop thing we did sticks out in my mind the most. We went to a museum, which we never did because my dad wasn't a museum guy, but this was different. It was an exhibit called Game 2.0, and it featured games you could play from several eras of gaming. We played stuffed from when my dad was a kid and modern stuff that I knew, and it was so much fun. Lots of time with the old Atari stuff and Space Invaders, but we also played Sonic 2 on the GameCube collection, he was impressed that I played it as well as I did. X'''D I'm notoriously bad at platformers, my sister is far better. I was surprised that he knew who Lara Croft was when we passed by a cardboard cutout of her, which is so silly, but that really did catch me off guard. We made a Sim together on The Sims 3, he had this bright orange hair and a top hat, named him Robert. Rob was a good Sim. And we didn't get to play it, but Sonic Generations was there. There was this little kid who was really enjoying it, so we didn't wanna interrupt, but I was so excited to finally see it in person, that meant the world to me. And my dad said the funniest thing, "I think I understand why people get high def televisions for gaming now," like the way this game looked really impressed him. He had never understood it before, but then he did, and it was just, a moment.

We had a great time, and I'm so glad we went. It was a Tuesday, so it was early on, but that was one of the best Tuesdays ever. My dad wasn't big into games, I used to beg him to play Mario Kart Wii with me, and he just didn't get it, but he'd do it, and it was nice. He would smoke me in Wii Bowling though, he was good at that. I will hold onto that week for the rest of my life. That was a great trip, and I'm so glad we went.

After that convention, my dad would go again the next year with his chorus and newly formed quartet. Now, apparently this isn't just a barbershop thing, but at these conventions, they started giving out challenge medals as a momento for the occasion. The winner from the previous convention (which happened to be the Northern Lights chorus) is responsible for designing them, and since the next convention was in Vegas, they look like poker chips. You can see this one is pretty well worn. This lived in my dad's pocket ever since that con happened, and I would often see it in the spot where he kept his watch and wallet before heading to bed each night. It's the most well worn of the four he had, and it's the one I inherited because it's the closest to when we went together. It currently lives on my beside table, I keep it in my pocket when I'm at home, but I'm not prepared to lose it, so it stays here.

I'm not as big into barbershop as my dad was, but the genre holds a special place in my heart because of him. He used to sing his chorus repertoire as lullabies to us as kids. I'd hear him practicing a lot, and when he had his quartet, the house would be filled with song every Tuesday. It's always a Tuesday, I swear. XD He delivered singing valentine's to people every year, a service where you could order a quartet to come sing your loved one a set of songs with card and rose. He would always make sure to come back home with the guys and sing my mom a set, usually accompanied by jelly buns afterwards. It was the best. I feel bad that I've forgotten so many of the barbershoppers' names, they're such friendly guys. I know his quartet and some of their wives, but not most of them.

But I'm gonna be seeing them all again soon. My dad really didn't want his death to be a sad thing, so he asked my mom to put on a celebration of life party for him that was separate from the funeral, where we invite all his friends and colleagues from our old home together for food, songs, and storytelling. I'm gonna be responsible for the tech portion of it most likely, but in theory a lot of the people he sang with are gonna be there to sing as a part of it. I'm going to cry a lot, these songs were important to my childhood, and I haven't heard them in so long. Some of these people actually came to my dad's funeral in a surprise twist, and they sang Shine On Me in the middle of dinner as this impromptu thing, it was beautiful. Heck, when my middle sister and I were in the corner together, we started singing Wedding Bells are Breaking Up that Old Gang of Mine, one of our favorites that they did. That song is so funny, it's been a comfort. Heck, one of the songs he sang snuck its way into my fic, Searching the Depths, and I can't wait for that chapter to debut once it's ready.

Music is so important to our family, and I'm glad to finally be able to sing again, I missed it. I kind of lost my voice between being sick and grieving, but I'm feeling better now. I'm gonna be okay. As the barbershoppers often say, keep the whole world singing. XD We're gonna do that.

#funeral #death #dad's death #barbershop harmony #toronto #international barbershop harmony Competition #barbershop quartet #music heals

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omishu · 1 year

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1, 4, 11, 19 (I’m 90% sure you would, so WHAT would you paint them?), 24, 33, 43, 46, 48

So many questions and I don't remember what they were! Lol had to go back and look up the ask meme.

1. Who is/are [my] comfort characters?

Probably Luffy from One Piece. I have so many fond memories of my connection to him as I grew up with the series, same for Sakura from Card Captor.

4. Which cryptyd being do [I] believe in?

Tbh I believe in a lot of supernatural/mythological/fairytale creatures, but I don't think they exist in all the same ways that people usually imagine them.

11. Favorite extracurricular activity?

Probably hiking. I just really enjoy spending time in nature, but I don't do it nearly as much as I'd like (thanks, depression).

19. imagine we're at a sleepover, would [I] paint [your] nails?

Hell yeah! People keep buying me nail polish but I never use it on myself. I love giving makeovers though. It's the cosplayer in me. I've done some fun designs on people's nails before. For you, I'd probably do a cat theme with different little kitties in neutral colors on each nail. I just think that'd be fun to have and might make you smile to look down at your hands and see. (ofc Napoleon and Lewis would make appearances)

24. if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

I think we might each have a cup of warm cider and do plein air sketches of the sky or smth. And of course we'd talk about life and comfort each other and maybe laugh together. Maybe show each other recent pictures of interesting things we've done or seen recently. Just vibing.

33. the last adventure [I]'ve been on?

Well, my mom has been trying to drag me out of the house occasionally because y'know (depression). But recently we went out to this farm and stopped at every art gallery along the way. When we were on a main highway type back road (oxymoronic, I know), it was around lunch time and I saw a sign for a cafe detour. We pulled off and drove for a while through basically nothing and found a random tiny town. Little Washington has this fancy-ass inn that's like a 5-star hotel with a michelin star restaurant. The whole area is basically built up around this inn and has a bunch of art galleries and other little fun up-scale shops. It was so weird to find out in the middle of nowhere, and we'd never heard of it. But it was a pretty cool little place, even though it was kind of a ghost town when we were there.

43. what's [my] take on spicy foods? Hell yeah, BB!! I love 'em. One time when I was at a concert in high-school, a couple of my Korean friends made me some spicy ramen. Since then nothing really seems that spicy. But I love to get hot hot hot curry and wings. Now I'm craving spicy food, yummy.

46. Favorite holiday film?

Hm well we both know I love Klaus if we're talking about winter holidays. I feel like there are probably others that I like to watch every year, but I just love Klaus sm.

48. when did [I] first try an alcohol beverage?

I had a really awkward golden birthday (I turned 21 on the 21st) celebration, definitely one of the most disappointing and underwhelming. And I had never tried alcohol before I turned 21. My sister and I went to a winery for tastings, so I think that was probably my first wine. My first beer I split with a friend from my Japan-America cultural exchange group at a fancy sushi place after an obon matsuri at a local Buddhist temple, and I still haven't had a beer better than that one.

I think that's all of them! Hopefully these satiate your curiosity, my dear xoxo

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engbergeurovacay23 · 9 months

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A Saturday Hike in the Austrian Alps, in Ramsau am Dachstein

So, I am sure you've heard or seen the stereotypes of Austrian alpine people (such as in the famous Price Is Right "Cliffhanger" game--though I think that is actually depicting a Swiss Alps fellow, climbing): they are good at hiking, they live in scenic surroundings, and they care for sheep and cows who wear bells as they graze in gorgeous alpine meadows. Well, I can tell you, these things all appear to be true ;) We went on a "kinder" hike, with tons of signage and interactive curiosities along the trail and huge alligator statues (the mascot for this area, confusingly) and instructions that you can take your baby buggy on the trail -- but, let me mention, the trail was still pretty hard-core! We went 3.2 miles and there were all manner of people on the trail, many with hiking poles, but of all ages and sizes. Taking a stroller on the trail I just cannot imagine, since it was a steep ascent, with lots of stones and tree roots. But, maybe for the average Austrian family, this kind of hike is just de rigueur.

We had a nice morning hike, though. We did get to a "false peak," I guess you'd say, with a lookout platform where the panorama was beautiful. But, then from there, you continue going up and looping back the other way. We went around the route I think the "wrong" way, but we did see some families who came up the via feratta. Do you know what this is? I did not, until my cousin Nick mentioned it a few months ago. This page is in German, but has some images that show people via ferrata-ing in this area. This was not something I was planning on trying. But, it seems like a popular activity around here!

Once we got back to our car after our hike, Rowan had a terrible headache. It was very worrying because the boy never gets headaches and his energy meter like descended epicly. I mean, you all know Rowan: he is a bundle of boundless energy. But all he wanted to do was sit and be still. So, we did go to the Ramsau Beach, because Rowan said that was fine with him as long as he could lay in a loungechair. We rented one, and an umbrella, and Eric and Cece proceeded to go into the small lake, which was rather empty at first, but after a while, there were lots of people in it. I gathered that it was a bit cold. So, after seeing Cece swimming and having tons of fun, Rowan decided he wanted to, too. And you know what? It helped his headache! He felt a whole lot better after -- enough to be ready to do some other adventuring at Rittisburg, which is where the beach was and where there was also a "canopy" tour, in harnesses, a zipline, an alpine coaster, a harnessed ropes course, lots of hiking, a gondola up to the top where there was a magical playground, and lots more for your summertime frolicking.

Turns out the kids are still too small to do the proper zip line at Rittisburg, but they could do the "flyline," which was harnessed tour through the treetops, in the canopy. We all did it, and it was so fun! Next, Rowan and I did the mountain coaster. I mean, I historically love roller coasters (my dad and I love them; I will never forget his antics as we would ascend to the top before we'd drop down in the super-rapid, scream-inducing descent!). But, this mountain coaster was not what I was expecting, and I really begged Eric to switch places with me because I had to operate a level that accelerated the sled and applied the brake! Eric would not trade with me, he said with a chuckle ;) So, Rowan and I made it through and it was fun . . . but Rowan would have been pleased if I'd applied the brake less ;)

Then, we took the gondola up. The views from there, you're wondering about? Well, shucks . . . I am not even sure what to say! Imagine that you're at the top of Sandia Peak, but all of the large mountains in New Mexico are also right next to Sandia Peak. So, this analogy only goes so far, because these mountains have farms and green, dandelion-speckled fields going quite a ways up (and, of course, New Mexico is a high desert--and this is not). Some of the green swaths are ski runs, but some are pasture or just greenspace. It is the craziest thing. We decided to walk down the ski area, rather than take the gondola down. And on the trail down, we kept encountering raspberry bushes! The raspberries are about ten days, I'd say, from their peak, but there were some that were bright red! And eat them we did! Cece and I took a while to get down the trail because of all of our raspberry-eating. We also went down the final bit of elevation on a trail that was a "brand-new" fairy-tale trail, with wooden cutouts of fairy-tale characters scattered through the forest. It was also puzzling and bit jaw-dropping to read the sign at the bottom. You were not allowed to take your stroller up the trail, but they recommended you go up on the gondola and push it down with you on the trail. Eric was like, "WHAT?" "Do that if you don't want to keep your baby in the stroller!" I mean, there is no way you'd be able to keep control of a stroller with a descent grade like the fairy-tale trail's.

Back to Rowan's headache, briefly: I have concluded that it is related to his congestion. He has been stuffy and blowing his nose incessantly for like four days. This is the best theory I have.

In the evening, we went to basically a quickie-mart, because it was the only grocery store open on a Saturday evening. And we went as a massive thunderstorm was rolling in. The kids and I shopped while Eric drove a little farther to put a bit of charge in the Tesla. When he came back to get us, it was like an epic, torrential downpour. It did not last too long, but it lasted our whole brief ride home and our mad-dash back into our place. After that, I made dinner, we ate it, and the kids got to bed at a reasonable hour! Hooray for us! Gold-star parenting!

The next day (today!), we had reservations for the Dachstein Gondola and planned to visit the glacier, so I will write all about that in my next post. Our hosts at the Airbnb got us all "Summercards," which many of the lodging places and hosts provide for their guests. These cards get you into many things in the region for free or with a discount! Our visit to the beach was free and our glacier-gondola ride would be free!

Rowan wants to be sure I tell you all about the, in the kids' opinion, "great" candy they were given massive handfuls (well, 9 candies each) of at the top of the gondola in the glacier-top restaurant. I can tell you, it was actually gross, which is why I surmise the host gave it out in such quantities with such a smile on his face. It tasted like a Halls cough-drop combined with a pineapple Lifesaver. Like, you think it might be sweet and good, but that gnarly, medicinal Halls taste just slaps you in the face. I love candy, but this "candy" was so gross I spit it out. Anyway, the kids ate all of theirs.

More tomorrow!

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zachsgamejournal · 1 year

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COMPLETED: Sable

So I decided to end my time with this game. I could have played this for many more hours, but I think it was time to move on. I really appreciate the soul of this game and the journey it provided me!

I really like the theme of the game, which I think is about "finding yourself". The game's culture encourages teens coming of age to go on an unguided adventure, meet many people, do many things, and then decide where they think they fit best. I think this is really what humans should be doing during their twenties. But I always felt like I was supposed to decide what I was going to do by 18 and set myself on a committed path: become a doctor, teacher, lawyer, whatever--and that's the rest of your life.

Being a little directionless in my 20s (I knew what I wanted to do but I took a very indirect path to get there...and I'm still not really there), I found myself meeting lots of interesting people and getting into interesting situations. Rarely did these adventures start of with me doing what I wanted to do--but I'm proud to have had these experiences. And I think that's what this game is about.

This game should have been perfect for me, but it's a bit glitchy. I even found floating trees and platforms. The environment feels very organic, but areas where paths are predetermined the platforming still felt a bit clumsy. And there were times where I couldn't grip surfaces for climbing, making the platforming harder than it should be. So while I appreciate the huge open world with tons to see and do, basic traversal felt a little challenging, which dampened the fun. So a game like Mario 64 feels "freeing" but Sable felt rough.

Some of the sections were quite impressive. Much of the game is just open desert that your drive across, but then there was this ship called The Whale and it was huge with many little secrets to find. I spent a good hour in there climbing and exploring. It made me think of some of the 3D Mario levels I've played, but like 100 times bigger. So I had fun.

The bike, I think I've complained about it before, is not very fun to drive. Something about the physics causes the bike to constantly flip and bounce around. It is never a smooth ride, which makes driving around less fun than it should be. I really hate that, because it could be really relaxing and fun.

There was an interesting mission regarding the Whale that pissed me off. You have to find pieces of a ship wreck and gain access codes. There's a room in the whale and once you get enough, you unlock a special suit and mask. If you get them all, you unlock bike parts. But the game hinted to me that I hadn't found all the access codes. So I spent a couple hours redoing them all. I didn't realize I needed to talk to a computer to make the visuals change to showing I found them all. I'm guessing this mission tells how people inhabited this planet but I did really read them all...I should probably do that.

So in conclusion, I really enjoyed the game. It's very rough around the edges--but for being a small indie project, I'm impressed. I'd rather play this than 98% of the AAA games out there. Maybe one day I'll return and play it with my kids!

#Zach's Game Journal #COMPLETED #Sable #Video Games #Gaming #PC Gaming

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impala1967dwinchester · 3 years

Text

Sam Winchester: Trouble Makers

Pairing: Teen!Sam W. x Teen!Reader

Pov: Sam

Warnings: Fluff, Sam, making trouble, kissing, teenage love, Getting into trouble.

Summary: All the two of them is getting into trouble and each other.

Word Count: 2k

A/N: This is just cuteness, with a teenager Sam, straight fluff between Sam and the reader. Also written for band-psychos 1.5 followers bingo writing challenge 2021.

Square: Late night adventure

Sam Winchester Master list

Main Master list

Taglist: @band--psycho @sweetdetectivequeen @wonderfulworldofwinchester

"Come on Sam, hurry your ass up!" Y/n said half screaming and half whispering at me from the window. I grumbled and moved in my bed.

"Sam, you promised we'd go out tonight!" She whispered. I tossed in my bed before throwing the sheets away from my warm body. I had worn my previous day's clothes to bed, knowing that Y/n would be at my window way too early.

"Quiet down, give me a second," I said pushing my sneakers on and standing up. She stood in front of my window, leaving it open just a bit for her. She danced outside the window and gave me a look of excitement.

I grabbed my cell phone and jumped out of the window. It was more chiller than I anticipated. Y/n dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a fluffy long sweater. It was cute. She looked warm as she danced and moved in front of me. She hummed with her eye closed barely missing bumps in the sidewalk, or garbage in the street.

"Y/n watch out would ya'" I said running to catch up with her. I have known Y/n since we were little kids that played in the sandbox at school. Basically growing up with each other. Both of us school being smart, and street smart with people.

She was the type of girl that dressed up for homecoming and graduation but at her heart, she was a full-out tomboy. She is beautiful she stops in the road turns and swings to look at me. Her smile only becomes bigger as she remembers that I'm behind her.

Today at school I had promised Y/n during our second period ap class. She had already been begging me for the last week. Texting me during the week.

"Y/n since you're the one who wanted to go out. What are your plans for tonight?" I asked, looking over at her. Without missing a beat, "Yeah, I have an idea. With it being two in the morning, I was thinking we could go to the old arcade place down on western street." She said smiling, with begging eyes behind that smile.

Whatever you want Y/n, you know all you gotta do is ask me and I'll give it to you. What else would I do for you? Anything to see that bright smile in the light of the moon. Anything to be the boy... man that makes you feel like you're at the top of the world.

"We can figure it out, Y/n," I said taking her hand in mine. We usually walked around for a few hours before getting into trouble wherever we would, or we could possibly never be found out about.

We walked down the street, hands together clasped together like she never wanted to let go of me. It was that homey feeling. The feeling of knowing no matter what else is going on outside, or maybe just around our bubble. Nothing is messing with our moments together.

I'd like to think that's why sometimes we don't get caught. That's the best feeling. But regardless of that, let me tell you of the night that I got into some trouble with my dear Y/n.

We had finally made our way to the arcade. No cars parked outside, and all the lights were out. This was the same building that was lit up during the day and always had a full parking lot in front. It was also the place that Dean would take me most of the time when he had a girl or girls over at the house.

I had all the high scores on the speed racing machines, and I knew all the right patterns for getting the most tickets. The number of tickets I'd have by the end of the day was shocking. The times that I'd gone up to the front desks and claimed my prizes were great.

But that was outweighed by the times that with said tickets I had taken soft animals and stupid little items for Y/n. No, we weren't dating, but yes how much I wished I could have her for my own. take care of her like she's supposed to be.

Y/n had become my friend in a science class. Dean had introduced her to a douchebag, which ended up breaking her heart. Since then Y/n has come to me every time a boy has hurt her, but I've never been harsh and rude about the things she tells me I just console her and do what 'friends' are supposed to do.

'Friends' aren't supposed to fall for each other. They aren't supposed to wake up at two in the morning to break into a building just so she can have some midnight fun.

Y/n hasn't dated anyone in a long while, but the fear of her doing so is raw and harsh for me. Afraid that I'll have to pick up the pieces again, repair her and not kill that guy that broke her down yet again. I just wish.

I wish that she be smart enough to see that she has an amazing guy standing right next to her already. There's no need to go searching through the pit of bad guys, or guys that just want her body for sex.

I don't want those things right now... I just want her heart, I want her beautiful mind. To realize that she isn't missing out because I'm already there for her.

Regardless of that, we had arrived at the old arcade building. Y/n pulled a bobby pin from her hair one that was already there in case she needed it. She was much the female version of macgyver.

Lock picking the front door wasn't that hard. But having Y/n over my shoulder only made me feel hot, it was a weird feeling. My body could feel her eyes tracing down my body.

Down my spine, it tingled. Back up to my neck. it was so strange. I wonder if this is how Y/n feels when my gaze gets stuck on her in school, or just when she's walking in front of me.

"Sammy, you brought the quarters right?" She questioned me as I shut the door after letting her walk in first. "Come on Y/n you know I always do," I said, locking the door just in case.

Going to machines first, she grasped m hand and pulled me with her. Her hands were so soft and warm. They were much smaller than mine. But you ever get that feeling where something is just right, I wonder if Y/n feels it too?

"Come on Sammy, please!" She said as I handed her the quarters for the stupidest game they had. Pac man. The game that Y/n had a strong love/hate relationship with. Her love for the design of the game, but her hate for how she could never get past my high score.

"Sammy go play a game before the sun comes up and we have to leave." She said turning her head slightly to glare at me. "No, Y/n I think I'll stay right here," I said with a cock tone.

"Yeah stay here and watch me fail."She said rolling her eyes before going back to the game. She tried four times before giving up and grabbing my hand once again leading me towards the ski ball area.

"Mr. Kay has really kicked up this area," I said looking at the different colored machines and how many he really did have. She looked around a raised eyebrow before opening my hand and taking the necessary number of quarters and starting a game.

Let me remind you we were doing this all in the dark. She giggled as the balls dispensed. She was thought just a second early causing her fingers to get in the way of the balls. "Shit." I turned around

"What? Did you... Are you okay?" I said stumbling across my words. "Yeah I'm fine Sammy, the balls just hit my fingers." She said as I held her hand in my own inspecting her fingers. Before kissing them all individually.

When I looked up she was blushing and smiling. My actions now processing in my head. "I'm so sorry, I didn't... I'm..." "Sammy it's okay, you know if I had a problem with something I'd most definitely tell you." She said patting my cheek gently, before going back to her game.

I felt so hot, so warm, so in love. Is that possible to fall in love with someone just by what they say. Because if so, that's what had just happened.

when Y/n had finished that game. I couldn't help but let my hands roam, they roamed up her back, up her spine, just behind her neck. "Sam? What?" She started to talk.

But I think she might have got lost in my eyes, or maybe in the moment. IOnce her eye met mine, I couldn't help but kiss her, bring her lips closer to me.

Y/n let me guiding her lips towards my own. She plump kissable lips towards me. She at this moment looked so beautiful, so perfect. The sun was starting to come in from the big glass-paned windows. It laid nicely across her face and her body.

Once our lips did finally meet. It felt like magic if that's even possible. Her hands coming up to grasp my face, mine falling down to her hips, pulling her closer to my body.

"Y/n" I breathed out, turning her in my grasp before I gently laid her down onto one of the used ski-ball machines. She moaned into our kiss, but unfortunately, there's a thing call air. And we both so desperately needed it.

We stayed in this position for a moment catching our breath, but not before we could get any further. The light of the building turned on, I was so dazed and stuck in the gaze of Y/n sweet eyes. I didn't hear the click of the old man's shoes against the tile floor.

"Excuse me?" I heard. In the slipt of a second, I was off of Y/n and standing, as if I had just been caught by my father. "I'm so sorry Mt. Kay. We'll be leaving now. I'm so sorry, please don't tell my father." I jumbled out, grabbing Y/n's hand to pull her up.

He took one look at Y/n and me. He smiled and spoke in a rather harsh voice. "I did feel like I had forgotten somethin' last night. You two are fine. I remember sneakin' away with my girl many years ago. And don't fear, Sammy I won't be tellin' anyone." Mr. Kay said waving us off.

I could feel Y/n's heartbeat in her hand. We walked out the front door, the sun beaming just over the peak of the trees. We walked in silence before Y/n spoke, "You know I thought that was going to worse than it did." She said, our hands still clasped together.

Her hair a wreck since I had run my hand through it while making out with her. "We finally got caught," I said, looking forward. The number of mixed emotions going on in my body right now was confusing the hell out of me.

"Sam?" She said. "Sam, what's going in your mind? I can see the steam pouring out of your ears." She said trying to make me laugh. "Sam please talk to me?" She said tugging on my hand.

"Y/n... I'm sorry." Her eyebrows bent inward. "What? You've.. Huh?" She said stopping in her spot. " I'm sorry that I just kiss you like that, and that we got caught."

She just smiled and rolled her eyes. "Stop apologizing, I liked you kissing me." She said stepping closer to me, a most likely dumbfounded expression. "Close your lips, and kiss me again Sammy." She said leaning in closer.

I hadn't thought that Y/n also was fallin' in love with me. Stupid teenager's minds. Getting caught, but loving the trouble we caused. "I think Sammy.. I think I love you. I think I've loved you for a long time now." Y/n said. I smiled and hummed in agreement.

Completed on: 05/20/2021

Posted on: 05/21/2021

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hawkss-whore · 3 years

Text

(photo credit: liltkeva on insta)

Playful Night (NSFW 18+)

!TW!: Mentions of Guns

You wanted to try something new in the bedroom. You were nervous but excited. You had mentioned it to Hawks before, he was down for it but you weren't 100% sure if you wanted to. It had just been a suggestion. He didn't pressure you, he told you if you wanted to do it then he would be more than happy to try it. So now was the moment, now was when you finally decided you did want to try it.

You waited for Hawks to get home. You were nervous as you waited for him. You texted him to let him know that you did want to try it tonight. He said okay and that he would be home soon. You had no idea what to expect, but you were excited. Then, Hawks finally got home.

Hawks: Hey babybird, i'm home. Are you sure you want to try it?

y/n: Yes, i'm sure

Hawks: Okay baby, just making sure. The last thing I would want is to make you do something you didn't want to do. Now, how about you wait for me in the bedroom and I expect all your clothes to be on the floor when I get in there. Got it, kid?

y/n: Yes, I understand

Hawks: Good. Now, won't you be a nice little babybird and go to the bedroom

You walked to the bedroom and took your clothes off and put them on the floor like he asked. You knew tonight was gonna be a wild ride. God, I love seeing his dominant side. It's so sexy. You waited for Hawks, excited for what was to come. Hawks walks in with a gun in hand, you were barely able to catch a glimpse of it. He stands over you as you sit on the edge of the bed. He then slides the gun from your lips down to your chest.

Hawks: Oh babybird, aren't you so sexy. Why don't you open that pretty little mouth of yours for daddy huh?

You do as he says and you open your mouth. He sticks the tip of the gun in your mouth

Hawks: Aren't you an obedient little bird when there's a gun in front of you? Does it excite you? The danger, the fact that I could pull the trigger at any second. And you couldn't do anything about it.

Oh wow! This is way better than you thought. The adrenaline. The fear but excitement. It's all so overwhelming. But so satisfying. You decide to go a little further, you start licking around the tip of the gun. You can tell this excited Hawks, you could see his bulge forming.

Hawks: Oh what a dirty little girl. I see you want more huh. Well how about this

Hawks lift you up and put you down in front of a mirror. He has you facing the mirror as he's behind you, one arm around your neck.

Hawks: How's this baby? You like the view? *smirks* What if I do this *drags gun from your neck to your back* How does that feel baby?

y/n: *gasps* Th- that feels good

Hawks: Awhh, I love that expression on your face. One thing I've always liked about you is no matter how hard you try, you can never hide when you're feeling aroused. And oh baby, I can for sure tell, and I'm loving it

Hawks then whispers in your ear

Hawks: Now, why don't you be a good little slut and suck daddy's cock?

y/n: o-ok

You get on your knees and do as he says. He takes the gun off your body but still holds onto it in his hand.

Hawks: Oh that's a good little songbird, now keep sucking at that pace. Don't stop whatsoever or else there's gonna be punishment

Hawks then sends one of his soft feathers towards you, it grazes the side of your torso and goes down to your hip then goes across your stomach and down. You squirm and flinch as you feel the ever so subtle movement of his feather tracing your body. You then feel where the feather ended up, let's just say it's a very sensitive area in between your legs. You squirm and struggle to catch your breath. Hawks calls you out on it

Hawks: tsc tsc tsc now what did I tell you songbird? I told you to keep the same pace and it seems like you can't even do that. Is my feather pleasuring you well? Do you like how that feels? Is it too much for you?

You struggle to form any words. You're honestly struggling to even stay on your knees, you want to just collapse so badly. You can feel your legs giving out.

Hawks: I can feel how wet you are already, are you that aroused by feather play?

As you're about to climax Hawks removes his feather from you. He stops just before it too, he was probably able to sense it through his feather. You were relieved because now you can catch your breath, but also annoyed because you were just robbed of an orgasm. You were panting with your head down.

Hawks: Baby I want to see your face. I want to see that expression on your face

You truly couldn't understand him, you were trying to get yourself together. That irritated Hawks, the fact that you didn't do as he said. So he uses that same feather he had just used to pleasure you and uses it to have you look up at him.

Hawks: Babybird, when I tell you to look at me I want you to LOOK at me. Disobey another one of my orders and things won't end well for you.

Hawks looks down at you, with you still panting. Because you were panting your mouth was wide open, he decides to spit in your mouth

Hawks: Sluts deserve to get spit on. Plus your mouth was wide open, it was like you were asking for it.

You were shocked, but even more when you realized you didn't mind it. You enjoyed being called his slut and being spit on.

Hawks picks you up, throws you over his shoulders, then throws you onto the bed. He was treating you like you were as light as a feather and was throwing you around like you were a ragdoll.

Hawks: Now, why don't we get to the actual fun part babybird. I think you deserve some more pleasure, maybe some overstimulating too. I mean it seems like you liked my feather an awful lot. Now, be a good slut and open those sweet legs of yours.

You felt your heart racing, it felt like it was gonna jump out of your chest. You could tell that this was gonna go on for a while. And you wondered how long you were gonna be able to last and if you were gonna be able to keep up with him. But you didn't care, cause this is gonna be a wild ride full of new little adventures. And you were here for it.

Hawks then starts to eat you out. That man sure knows how to use his tongue. As he was eating you out he sent two of his feathers to start tracing your body, from your belly button up to your chest. He then makes his feathers tease each of your nipples. You lift your hips at the subtle arousal. Hawks pushes your hips back down.

Hawks: won't you be a good little slut and keep still? makes it hard to eat you out when you're moving around *smirks*

y/n: y-yes

Hawks: yes...what?

y/n: y-yes daddy

Hawks: that's a good songbird, now let's continue this little game of ours

As Hawks continues to eat you out and use his feathers to tease your nipples, it finally happens. You climax right into that man's mouth, and it felt SOO good.

Hawks: well, looks like you enjoyed yourself a lot baby. Your taste is amazing, I just can't seem to ever get enough of it

Hawks then starts kissing you, from your lower abdomen up to your chest. Hawks pins your arms above you with his hand. He brushes your hair away from your face with his free hand. He then stops and hovers over you, just looking at you.

Hawks: Damn kid, you look so beautiful like this.

Hawks then grabs the gun that was on the side of the bed and puts it up to your temple then he drags it beside your cheek and then under your chin. He then lifts your head up with the tip of the gun to make you look at him.

Hawks: Now babybird, tell me what you want me to do?

You shy away, turning your head left. You were too embarrassed by the sudden question. Hawks then quickly uses the gun to turn you back to look at him.

Hawks: Awww don't get shy now baby, tell me what you want?

y/n: I-I want you to fuck me

Hawks: You want me to fuck you...

y/n:p-please

Hawks: That's my good girl/boy. Now, won't you be a doll and open your mouth for me.

You do as he says. You open your mouth and Hawks rests the tip of the gun just on your lips. He looks down at you as he licks his lips, you can see this almost feral look in his eyes.

Hawks: Now, here's how this is gonna go. You're gonna hold this gun in your mouth while I fuck you and you are gonna like it. Don't make any subtle movements or I might have to use this gun on you.

He then puts the gun in your mouth as he starts preparing to enter you. Your heart was beating out of your chest. You were experiencing so many emotions right now.

Hawks starts to fuck you, slow and passionate at first. You thought to yourself, this will be easy, I can stay relatively still like this. And almost as if he had read your mind, he then starts to make it more challenging. He sends his feathers to trace your body, they very lightly graze your body. You start twitching from his feathers touch. You were trying to not make too much movement but it was hard. His feathers were teasing your nipples as he was licking and biting your ear. You felt so hot and overwhelmed. It all felt so good, so you completely forgot you were supposed to try and be still. Then Hawks finally mentions it.

Hawks then flips you over and puts you in doggystyle. You could tell he was a bit angry. He points the gun at your temple while he lifts your head back with his other hand. He starts to choke you, making it hard to breathe.

Hawks: I was tryna be nice, but you seem to not be able to follow my orders. That's twice already, babybird. Now, i'm getting a bit frustrated with you, so if you don't mind i'd like to take it out on you by fucking you absolutely stupid. Till you're begging for more. How does that sound?

He then moved the gun from your temple to your mouth. You start gagging on it, making it hard to say anything.

Hawks: Huh? i'm sorry, I can't seem to understand you? Not with you gagging on that gun like a slut.

Hawks then thrusts into you. He didn't wait for you to gather the words you wanted to say. Not like you'd be able to though with that gun in your mouth. It takes you by surprise. But you didn't complain, it was that perfect mix between pain, pleasure, and fear. Hawks keeps thrusting into you but unlike before, he isn't being so slow now.

Hawks: Oh fuck kid! You're enjoying this, aren't you? Yeah, I bet you are. Aren't you a good little slut, taking this dick like a champ.

Hawks continues to fuck you for what felt like forever. The night kinda just disappeared, you were both too focused on each other. This was something you were definitely gonna do more often. After you both finish having your fun, he takes care of you. He makes you some food and sets a bath for you, he also decided to show you that the gun wasn't loaded.

Hawks: You didn't think i'd actually have it loaded right? Never, I would never risk causing you actual harm, especially not harm that could lead to your death.

You both smile and laugh.

You finish the night off by watching a movie and cuddling. You were both wrapped in blankets just enjoying each other's presence.

#hawks mha #keigo takami #mha fanfiction #gunplay

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oneboxofmatches · 3 years

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Hey there! I was wondering if I could get a matchup for mcu and both eras of Harry Potter? I'm a straight female so I'd prefer a male please!

Physical description - I'm 5'9 and I have long wavy dark brown hair and brown eyes. I have a fair skin tone, I'm slim and I've got full lips, slight dark circles under my eyes which make my eyes look slightly bigger than they are and I have a dimple on my right cheek. I've got broad shoulders and I dress mostly in relaxed suits, blazers and coats! I also love the occasional dress or sweaters layered over a white button down.

Personality description - It takes me a while to feel comfortable around new people but once I do, I get really talkative and outgoing. I'm the therapist friend and I love helping people out! People come to me to vent or for advice and comfort. I'm smart and ambitious, I love being the best at everything I do. I'm also a hopeless romantic and I love being in love! I can be quite dramatic and stubborn and I tend to be withdrawn at times. I get frustrated easily and I'm competitive.

Placements- I'm a ravenclaw, my mbti is infp and my enneagram is 4w3

Likes - I adore adventures, witty and playful banter, mischief, joking around and having indepth discussions on different topics. I daydream quite a bit and I can get lost in my own world for hours.

Hobbies - I love reading, my favorite genres are fantasy and poetry. I also love learning about new things and collecting knowledge! I'm very interested in psychology, history, mythology and folklore, and fashion. I adore all forms of art. I like cooking and baking very much and I also find cleaning up very relaxing.

What I look for in a partner - A sense of belonging and being loved first and foremost, I've always craved that. I'd love someone who is intelligent, intriguing and exciting, someone who makes me feel alive? I'd like loads of fun, humor, banter coupled with times of sincere intensity, passion and understanding! I'd also like to be able to talk and discuss different things, silly or serious

What I look for in a friend - Nothing very specific, some common interests between us, someone who loves having fun and is humorous, loyal and supportive.

Thank you very much!! I hope you have a wonderful day ❤️

Thank you so much for requesting! I'm sorry it's taken this long -- college just started up and it's been a beautiful mess haha.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

WAITLIST

--Marvel Cinematic Universe--

I romantically pair you with…

THOR ODINSON

There’s adventure after adventure in this relationship, and neither of you gets tired of it!

Thor has always been drawn to outgoing individuals, so seeing that side of you come to light once you warmed up to him had him smiling immediately and wanting to know more about you.

A big part of Thor’s identity is helping people, so you could say he values it. Seeing you do that in your day-to-day life convinces him you’re basically the best human alive (and yes, he tells you this many times).

Thor was raised in a place where chivalry wasn’t quite dead, so expect many of your outings as a couple to have some sort of romantic flair (he may not have been the most skilled in courtship, but his enthusiasm more than makes up for it, trust me).

One of your favorite topics to discuss together is mythology, and not just Norse. Thor himself always found interest in the tales he learned from other cultures, so exchanging interesting stories you’ve both heard and researched is an ongoing hobby within your relationship.

While your relationship is undoubtedly fun and exciting, Thor also knows when to dial it back a little for more serious moments. He’s one of the best when it comes to finding that balance between silly and sincere, so you don’t ever have to worry about only getting one or the other.

Overall, Thor adores you, and the conversations (of all moods and topics!) that you two share is what really defines this relationship.

As a friend, I think you’d best be matched with…

PIETRO MAXIMOFF

The banter? The adventure? The mischief? This friendship has it all.

A good majority of your conversations involve poking fun at one another. You both love to play up the banter, so it’s nearly impossible to go a day without it.

Pietro loves your competitiveness, ambition, and sense of adventure. In his eyes, these traits make you far more interesting than most of the people he knows. You return the favor, often thanking him for “actually being one of the fun people in this world.”

With a sister who’s known to be a little withdrawn at times, Pietro is actually the perfect friend to have when you feel similarly or even when you’re lost in your thoughts. His brotherly instinct makes him much more patient than you would initially think, and you basically end up becoming like a second sister to him.

Though it took some getting used to on your end, you both love messing around with his super-speed -- you can bet that he’ll carry you whenever you want. The adrenaline alone is enough to give you the heart-racing sensation you crave, and by the end of it you’re both a laughing mess.

Overall, you and Pietro can easily tease each other all day, but don’t ever forget about the endless support that comes out of this friendship too.

--Harry Potter--

In the Golden Trio era, I ship you with…

GEORGE WEASLEY

As talkative as George can be himself, he still doesn’t match up to the blabbing that Fred does. So while he’s definitely able to keep up with your chatty and outgoing nature, he appreciates that you can sometimes take the lead when you’re talking to others.

George is a sucker for anyone who’s a good person doing good things. Seeing you constantly help people out with a smile on your face the whole time puts him in a cheery mood, and he never hesitates to compliment you on putting forth some goodness in the world.

Knowing how much you appreciate the romanticism that comes with being in a relationship, George definitely knows how to go out of his way to do some grand act of love that will always leave you giggling. Just don’t be surprised when he insists you have to sneak out past curfew to see it.

As someone with a rather stubborn and dramatic twin, George knows all the tips and tricks to play off these traits of yours and get you back into a better mood before you have enough time to even think about what’s wrong.

While there’s plenty of witty banter to be found, you and George are also capable of talking about anything for hours. You’ll often start at one topic, and by the time you’ve reached the end of an endless stream of chatter, you’ve touched upon more areas of thought than you could count.

Overall, George is the epitome of the intelligence, intrigue, and excitement you’re looking for, but don’t for a second discount the unhidden passion and loyalty he proudly displays in your relationship.

As a friend, I think you’d best be matched with…

FRED WEASLEY

I mean, are we surprised?

While George has taken on the role of standing at his twin’s side in every situation, Fred is usually the one getting them into each situation in the first place. Let’s be honest, you’re probably his second-best scheming partner (after the aforementioned George, of course!!).

You and Fred bring out the most energetic personalities that either of you has to offer. The ambition to do anything is unmatched when you two are together -- and the possibilities are endless!

What’s also unmatched in the banter. It never ends. Never.

While you love having each other as friends, the competitiveness in both of you often makes an appearance. Be prepared for simple tasks to all of a sudden turn into serious competitions that have the power to intimidate anyone in the area.

While it’s admittedly mostly fun and games when it comes to your friendship, Fred will be the first to stand up for you if the need arises. No one messes with his friends. In fact, expect whoever dared to cross you to be suspiciously itchy for the next week, and that's getting off lightly.

Overall, the wit and adventurous spirit shared by you and Fred makes the world a much more mischievous place.

In the Marauders era, I romantically pair you with…

SIRIUS BLACK

This relationship can best be described as a whirlwind romance.

You and Sirius take the term “partners in crime” to a whole new level of mischief. It’s always in good fun, but there’s no stopping you two when you get an idea -- Sirius and you are the most prone to sneaking out at night just for the sake of sneaking out.

And you can bet all this adventure only brings the two of you even closer. Sharing a good laugh is the fastest way to grow fonder of each other.

Sirius is quite stubborn himself, but he manages to tone it down when he realizes you’re in this mindset as well. His pride yells at him for it, but he’s willing to put aside his pettiness to address whatever it is that got you to where you were in the first place.

If it isn’t too much, though, expect a lot of teasing from Sirius’s end for his own amusement. He won't push you past your limits, but that won’t stop him from finding those limits in the first place.

Sirius hasn’t always had the sense of belonging he found at Hogwarts, so you can bet he’ll be the one to provide that for you from day one. Sure, your banter sparked a connection immediately, but it’s the passion both of you bring to the relationship that makes it a lasting one.

Overall, your lighthearted approaches to life combined with the dedication you’re both willing to undertake for your relationship makes the bond you have with Sirius one of a kind.

As a friend, I think you’d best be matched with…

JAMES POTTER

Hey, someone needs to keep James’s pride in check, and you’re the perfect candidate!

You two will often exchange fast quips at each other as you pass in the corridors, though the real fun begins when you get to sit at a table together. You both always try to one-up each other, though it’s only because you’re so close that this even happens in the first place.

James especially admires your ambition. He’s always found it easier to make connections with people who want the most out of life, and he’s glad he has a friend to seek this out with.

While he probably won’t partake himself, James is always up for chatting with you while you cook or bake. Your banter eases to a crawl during these times, so while you still find ways to tease the other in some way, it’s a much more relaxed setting than normal.

James is the first person to tell you to go for something. He’s a big believer in the idea of “You’ll never achieve anything if you play it safe,” so count on him to be one of your biggest supporters.

Overall, you and James have much in common, and it’s because of this that you can understand each other almost better than anyone.

#matchups #fandom matchups #mcu matchup #marvel matchup #mcu #marvel #harry potter matchup #harry potter #thor odinson #thor #pietro maximoff #george weasley #fred weasley #sirius black #james potter

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trashy-croud · 4 years

Text

Home Sweet Home 🏠

So this is it, the final level. I adored this level as a child - well, watching my dad play it at least. It was always stuck in the back of my head that this level was a “bonus” level for getting all of the secrets, it was what I used to think constantly and I continued to think that to this day. So you can possibly guess my surprise when this level popped up all of a sudden because I knew for a fact I missed a few secrets. But this was a nice level, it truly added to the story.

We begin in Lara’s house with her admiring her newest addition to the collection. She’s sat on her bed by (what I suspect to be) a nice toasty fire and then the nice times are ruined. Even from beyond the grave, Bartoli seems to follow us everywhere as his men have broken onto the estate, their cars pulling up in the long driveway. I thought the instant this happened, I could perhaps use the dagger, I mean, it seems like a wild chance but a great opportunity, a bit sad we didn’t see a Croft Dragon, but nonetheless, we would try to get rid of the last few who continued to pursue to treasure.

Before we did so though, I went downstairs to the main hall, which was at one point the training room, and would press the button for some music. Oh, how I have missed this music. It was from the Venice levels, oh Venice Violins, it was absolutely perfect for taking down some people and drowning out the eerie silence. It did make the task of finding people more difficult, sure, because now I had to really listen for the footsteps, but I will not deny that I enjoyed the music. I don’t honestly understand how I found it, I was literally just running around the house to try and find some people as they had scattered absolutely everywhere when I came across the button. And I’m ever so happy that I did!

It was a pretty easy level overall, wasn’t too bad at all to deal with, though me using a shotgun? That had to be the worst part purely because I am useless with the shotgun in these games. My aim with them are shocking and it always will be. There was a lot of darkness, purely because it was night time and we managed to get some outdoors-time with this level. This was pretty much the only level where I had flares, or at least enough flares to survive. I kid you not, I was so happy when I picked them up in the weaponry cupboard. I managed to survive the darkness outside with the help of some flares and with the help of my mum pointing out the enemies that I couldn’t see. Then we were up against the last guy, the one whom we have met before in the opera house and he had unfinished business with us. Either that or it’s his twin brother. Either way, it was take two on the fight and I have never cheered so much when I have beaten an enemy. He wasn’t difficult to deal with, it just felt like the perfect wrap-up. The last grunt to finish the job that his boss had left him to do, and we foiled it yet again. Ah, the joys.

After it all, it was the final cutscene, or better yet, the famous cutscene. We all know this cutscene too well as it was one that broke the third wall. After you have been shot for being a nosy pervert, in roll the final credits and oh my god, I never fell in love more with a game. It had been a long journey and terribly long from the looks of the final stats. Oh, how @jaybird1306 would be ashamed of me for not collecting them all! But I am happy with all of this, I wasn’t aiming for a full secrets run or anything, this was more of a trip down memory lane game for me and I have fallen in love with every minute of it.

Final Overview

This game is my childhood, and coming back to it was an absolute pleasure. It really sparked some memories for me of times when I would watch my dad play it in my childhood home. He would sit at the computer and I would watch in awe, sometimes running around and unable to sit still, sometimes even copying some of the moves Lara did in-game because I just adored her. This was the game which started my absolute adoration for such a video game icon and Queen. I have absolutely fallen in love again and I highly doubt it will stop any time soon. Now, for some of the features I loves the most.

The use of darkness. It was absolutely phenomenal, especially in the later levels such as the China levels and some of the underwater levels, as much as I don’t want to remember them ones specifically. But that draw distance truly made each level seem much bigger than it was, it also made you wary of what could be in front of you and to think before you act, something I rarely did to be honest. But as I mentioned before, the way they used it in levels such as China, more specifically the Floating Islands, was incredible. I was basically wary of every step and it made you fear the darkness all around you. It gave you a sense of the void and the unknown, a constant theme which I enjoyed greatly.

The use of sound. Oh god the sound and the music, I could honestly gush over it all day. Music truly makes the game and although all games have music, none have struck me as hard as this game did. Right from the menu screen alone, it struck a cord with me. It was beautiful and I almost found myself humming just the menu tune by itself just whilst I was at work or doing chores around the house. They have always impressed me with their timing for sounds or music. The use of silence was just as good as well as they keep you on end when there is utter silence. And then, all of a sudden, BAM, you are hit with some intense music and you have no idea why or what because whatever it is is still in that darkness! It’s just great, it even makes these games seem very thriller-esque with the jumpscares (at least in my eyes) that the music produces.

The graphics and colour palettes. Bring it all back in because I’m about to gush some more. I adore colour palettes and the contrasts they used in the levels, more specifically, as everyone may know, I adored the colours they used in the Temple of Xian, the Tibet levels and lastly, the underwater levels. Although I did not like the underwater levels, the colours used absolutely caught my heart, the contrasting colours made my heart leap a little. The bright colours of the Temple of Xian level was beautiful as well, they were so fancy and beautiful, much like the colours used in the Barkhang Monastery and they started to introduce to us in the Ice Palace and the Catacombs of the Talion. The snowy peaks of the Foothills though were just as nice, although bright on the eyes, they certainly used it as a way to hinder your view of particular enemies or even rolling boulders. Although the graphics, as some would say, are quite outdated, I enjoyed the blocky graphics. They helped to give me a better idea of what to do and where to go, to become more calculated with my jumps and actions to take. It may also just be me having a moment and being a bit biased, but I adore these graphics. They are perfect to me. Although I do enjoy a lot more realistic graphics for games, the ones for these games were just perfect to me. The graphics suited the game itself and I understand they will change over time the more I progress, but I believe I will still fall in love with these graphics time and time again.

Lastly is the story. As a child, I took not much notice to the story, but replaying it now, I have started to understand the story a bit more. It is beautifully written and is clear, so long as you pay attention to cutscenes or any sort of dialogue, which I made the mistake of missing during the diving area, but nonetheless, I watched back the scene and was able to catch up to understand properly what was happening and why we were collecting particular relics and items. The enemy himself, Marco Bartoli, was a formidable foe, continuously sending enemies to cover his tracks but sadly, he made it too obvious for us to follow after and foil his plans. He was a very interesting villain, and he got his wish in the end, to become the dragon of his dreams. Just bad timing on his part that we were also aiming for the dagger at the same time. But the story was fun to watch unfold and was, in all honesty, quite new to me, bearing in mind, I thought it all as just a “shoot-em-up”, adventure game. How naive I was as a child, but at least now, I properly understand it all.

This game has certainly left its mark on me and I’m glad it did. It got my mum more involved as she told me what she thought I'd need to do whenever I was stuck. My dad, on the other hand, would only chip in with comments such as "that's not how you do that" and then would quickly try to go back to his little cat nap afterwards. Two completely different types of help, one more so than the other. But overall, I have enjoyed this game and I hope you guys have enjoyed watching me play it as well, or at least have enjoyed hearing my thoughts, opinions and what I encountered. This has been Tomb Raider 2, and this ends the chapter on my favourite Tomb Raider game, whether that changes though is another story. But we’ll have to see. I will now begin playing the third instalment and boy, we are starting with a clean slate this time because I barely know anything on this game, save for the first level (which I never finished) and a couple of cutscenes. Otherwise, we are about to trek into new territory and I hope to write about the next game to come. Now I leave you all with a song and want to thank you all for joining me on this bumpy ride! See you all on the next one!

#croud's playthrough #tomb raider 2 #tomb raider #classic lara #lara croft #home sweet home #tomb raider 2 medley #classic tomb raider #long post #thank you for everything and for the childhood memories

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dontgofarfromme · 5 years

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What is critical role? I'd never heard of it before I started following you but I'm intrigued

Omg ok! Critical Role is, in a nutshell, a streamed Dungeons and Dragons campaign run by a bunch of voice actors. That concept sounded really really weird to me the first time I heard about it but! It's insanely addictive. Since it's a role play game and these are professional actors, what you're watching is basically an improvised fantasy story influenced by dice roles acted out live, and its AMAZING.

There have been two campaigns so far--the first has the players as characters in an adventuring party called Vox Machina, as they travel around the country of Tal'dorei and surrounding areas. There are 115 episodes.

PCs include: Angsty anime looking tinkerer with a tragic past; young, naive but wise young woman learning to become a leader; big strong dumb guy who's very soft inside, teeny MONSTAAAAAHH cleric who is light and sweetness and joy and will FUCK YOU UP IF YOU MESS WITH HER OR HER FAMILY; man of a thousand masks and a million charisma who is slowly learning how not to be a dick; sneaky impulsive self-sacrifical sad boy who is also into pranks and braiding his sister's hair and loving his friends to death; woman who covers all her feelings in 30 THOUSAND LAYERS OF WINKS AND BARTERING AND FLIRTING who also has a bear and loves flying; spoiled but under-loved rich kid with a giant automaton nanny-slash-scribe-slash-bodyguard

Important bad guys include: Vampires! Dragons! Asshole family members! Evil demigods! Doors!

Key themes, emotional arcs and moments include: Revenge! Self sacrifice! Hiding your feelings! Love as an extreme emotional risk but one worth taking! Becoming a leader!

The second campaign follows the adventuring party the Mighty Nein as they come together as a group and wander around the continent of Wildemount, starting in the Dwendalian Empire. Ongoing, currently 73 episodes.

PCs include: Stinky angsty fire man; Punchy, blunt, and secretly nerdy monk with a heart of gold; LEETLE BLOO TIEFLING who loves all things sweet and also pranks and also her god the Traveler he's her BEST FRIEND; sad buff goth woman with a tragic past who collects flowers and gently presses them into a book to save for sad reasons, EXTREMELY COLOURFUL TIEFLING who scored 100% in bullshitting class, insecure half-orc warlock reveling in his newfound abilities and EXTREMELY HESITANT about his newfound patron, little goblin who likes shiny things and also alchemy and stinky wizards; incredibly chill but passive aggressive pink-haired dead people-drinking cow man.

Important bad guys include: Slavers! Pirates? Their own mental health! Their own chaotic nature! Potentially two entire countries! The demigod version of an mutated circus clown/hyena combo!

Key themes, emotional arcs and moments include: Moving forward after doing terrible things! Learning to trust other people! Identity! Memory gaps! Becoming a better person!

My absolute favorite thing about both campaigns is the emphasis on family and friendships and friends-as-family and HOW FUCKING MUCH ALL THE CHARACTERS LOVE EACH OTHER and also how much the CAST loves each other because they have really great relationships with each other and that is also fun to watch. Because of the format theres a ton of time and emphasis on character, character arcs and character interaction, and maybe because of that all the relationships shown--ranging from romantic relationships to familial relationships or very close friendships, etc--are crazy well developed and wonderful to watch. If characters and their relationships are what tend to push you into watching things, you will definitely love this show. Not that the plot/worldbuilding is any worse. The DM insane the world is absolutely amazing.

The format isn't for everyone--the episodes are very long, around 4 hours on average on top of having a fuckton of episodes, and theres a lot of filler talk that can be fun but if you're easily distracted or bored might make watching it difficult. However if you're into long running fantasy book series, for instance (COSMEREcoughcough), youre probably already used to throwing ur soul into something way longer than any normal person would, and if you think you have the ability to get through something this long form, I'd highly recommend it. It's also in podcast form if you're like me and u wanna do something else while listening to stuff happen. If you don't think you'll ever be able to get through something that requires this much time and this much focus to watch, good news! CR had a fucking insane kickstarter this year where they raised enough money to produce an animated series, that they're currently working on--so sometime in the hopefully near future, an animated adaptation of one of the COOLEST arcs from CR1 is gonna be available. Probably a lot easier to watch than what is probably at least a solid month of gameplay.

Anyway this got way longer and probably contained more information than you really needed, but! I love this show so so so much and if u wanna hear more abt it plz feel free to ask bc I will talk abt it and never shut up if given the opportunity!!!

#critical role #cr1 #cr2 #mazzyrose #ask #IM SORRY ITS SO LONG

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cwriteshistorysortof · 4 years

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Bones - A Creepypasta

A/N: Wrote this for Mrcreeps on reddit, figured I'd post it here cuz why not.

When I was young I’d loved nature, camping, fishing, playing in creeks and climbing trees. Growing up in central California there was lots of great camping sites that were never too far of a drive for my family, so we went on woodland excursions often. Especially in the summer when the weather was nice.

Love of the outdoors runs in my family, and that meant we were aptly prepared for all of our trips in terms of supplies and knowledge of surrounding areas. In short, we never had a bad camping trip that was caused by our own ill-preparedness. Though we’d had a few ruined by unexpected weather, freak rainstorms in the middle of summer that kept us holed up in a tent or RV for days.

I thoroughly enjoyed trips to one place in particular, a private campground, that’s been in my family for generations, and is on the border of a Native American reservation, and used to contain cattle. It is very large and very wild, still containing patches of rusted barbed wire fence and littered with old cow bones depending on where you go. Most of the cow things of course are in the old pasture, which is also scattered with old cabin parts: gas stoves that don’t work, beds and tables rotted or half eaten by termites.

Though those fences, and a few old cabins, most no longer usable, are the most permanently human thing about the place. There are no trails, besides the rode to reach the camp. If you want to hike, you have to drive quite a bit to get to trails, otherwise you can explore the vast campground without a path. There are sprawling meadows, wet and marshy, squelching beneath your every footstep, sucking you deep into the mud. Then the creek, surrounding by willows and all sorts of little greens, crawling with insects and chock full of lively fish, snatching the bugs from the air, disappearing beneath the murky surface once more. The creek bed is deep, and isn’t full in the summer so there’s a wall of stacked granite rocks before the tree lined banks, terrible to climb.

Finally there is the true woods, densely packed, towering sequoias. My mother always told me with a childlike awe, how some of them could be thousands of years old. I was already short, still am for my age, but these trees made me feel small and insignificant, like I had been dwarfed by them in a way that nothing else ever could. Though there had been fires in this area, the large trees had recovered, sporting a shell like look near there roots where they had been damaged and regrown. It was ominous to me, yet simultaneously beautiful.

It’s also got beautiful wildflowers, so many, everywhere, i thought it was weird that they were in the pasture too, but my mom says the cow pies fertilized them. I found the idea a little gross, but I loved the flowers. There were little purple ones that looked like shooting stars, mini white ones that grew in clumps like some strange broccoli, ones with long, thin red petals that looked like feathers. And of course there were little red and yellowish orange lily’s that had black spots on them, the rarest and most beautiful that I’d spend hours hunting for, only to come up with three wilted flowers and scraped knees and elbows from trying to climb the slippery rocks of the creek bank.

This place is really, truly, special. I can’t emphasize enough the wildness of it. Maybe it’s got some kind of special eldritch enchantment that kept drawing me deeper, always revealing, even though I’d been coming there every year for almost my entire life. There was something new around every corner. Even now, especially now, as I am older, I realize how unique that place is because I’ve never been anywhere that’s come close to making me feel the same way. At once curious, enchanted, comforted, even scared.

There was only one occasion where that fear was truly justified, and the strangeness I felt of that place proven to be true.

Based on what I’ve told you, you can guess I liked to explore, to go further than I’d gone before and find something new and novel, even if it felt a tad odd. This... I don’t know what to call it. Encounter? Happened when I was ten, and it all started with those flowers.

You see the best part about exploring was that strange chilling, enchanted feeling I got, but that only ever seemed to happen when I was alone, and we always went camping as a family: me, my mom, my dad, and three older sisters. This meant in most previous trips i had a gaggle of siblings, or at least on to accompany me on adventures. Don’t get me wrong I love my siblings, and playing with them was fun, but i never got to go far on my own because of them.

But that trip, when I was ten, they were all more than thirteen, and reaching the point where they no longer wanted to play in the woods. All they wanted to do was sit in the RV and play on their phones. I still wanted to go down to the creek, or something that wasn’t being cooped up inside so I asked my mom if I could go play by myself.

Of course neither of my parents liked the idea of any of their children going into the woods alone, even if we were the only people for miles I could run into a bear or simply fall off a too-tall rock and injure myself. So I promised them I would stay close by, and said I would just be looking for flowers. I told myself it would be enough to keep me entertained.

But i wanted the red and yellowish-orange flowers with the black spots, or Tiger Lilies I think they were called, and I couldn’t seem to find any of them near me. I was on the opposite side of the creek from my campsite. I’d had to wade through the shallow part of the creek to get across, and now my jeans were wet up to my knees, the heavy denim weighing me down as I trudged alone the creek bank. Suddenly I heard chittering to my left, in the opposite direction of the campground.

I quickly whipped my head around, thinking it was a large insect and preparing to run as those were really the only thing out here that bothered me. But when I looked I saw nothing, for a moment, then I noticed one of the flowers I had been hunting for. I began hopping happily towards it

The air was warm and heavy, humid as the summer sun evaporated water in the plants and creek. Clouds of mosquitoes filled the air, and I had coated myself in bug spray to keep them from biting me. It’s strange wet-dry feeling bothering my skin as it melded with my sweat, burning the little nicks on my skin from tree branches and thistles. It’s pungent alcohol scent invaded my nostrils.

But I was elated as I plucked the flower from the ground, holding it up triumphantly, peeking the sunset sky through the trees, the same color as the flower through the trees. For a moment everything seemed cast in warm shades, red, pink, orange, brown. Everything except the needles of the evergreen trees. I closed my eyes, feeling hot sweat running onto my eyelashes, as those same warm colors appeared behind my eyelids.

When I opened my eyes I could see another Tiger Lily, some fifty feet ahead, and I dashed towards it, adding it to my collection. There was another one ahead still, just at the limit of my vision, and I went for that one too, not thinking about how far I was straying from camp as it became, three, four, five, ten flowers. I’d never found this many before. All of them roughly the same distance apart, still far but closer than i’d ever seen them.

When i finally stopped seeing the flowers the last tinges of pink were beginning to fade from the sky and I was panting but elated. I was next to a large tree with a little cave in it, hollowed out near the roots, maybe with animal help. I crawled inside to count my haul, and catch my breathe, enchanted by this little woodland hut, getting that curious chill up my spine.

From the outside it seemed just barely big enough to fit me. But when I slipped inside I tripped on something, falling further inside than should have been possible. I felt something crawling on my skin. I closed my eyes, yelping and wiping it off, shaking myself a bit. When I opened my eyes everything was dark in the little hole, except for the opening, about four feet away from the bottom. I figured I had underestimated how deep it was, pulling myself up so I could crawl out. When I noticed something.

There was a Tiger Lily, right in front of the opening. I stood, poised to pull myself up, transfixed by this flower for a moment. How could I have missed this one? It was large and vibrant, beautiful. But my eyes stung with sweat, feeling heavier with each passing second. I figured I must’ve missed this one. When I plucked it from the tender earth, I noticed something else strange.

The air outside was suddenly cool and dry, and it hit me in a sudden burst, waking me from a hot summer daze as I pulled myself out of the tree and stood up. As I took inventory of the forest around me it was...wrong. Too quiet, too dry, the trees were, they where white, not without tinges of gray and brown as though they were dirty or scraped. I looked up for their needles, they had none, only long, white slender branches. They looked like hands with too many fingers.

I felt that chill up my spine, I felt the urge to explore that came from somewhere other than my own mind. I wanted to go home, and I shivered, my clothes rustling, no longer wet with sweat or creek water. They seemed to have dried instantly. Even my mouth, my nose, my eyes felt...dry. Like I’d been living in a desert for weeks without a drop of water.

As I shuffled forward it seemed light, a watery gray dawn with no sunrise colors, not even blue. A thick, heavy fog covered everything. I could only see about ten feet ahead of me and there seemed to be dead, white trees everywhere. How they hadn’t fallen down I didn’t know, still don’t.

They reminded me of dog feces that had been left in our backyard for two long, the way it shriveled and became white, and was brittle when you scooped it up to dispose of it. I tried not to think of other similarities. I thought I saw faces in the trees, cold, unforgiving faces that would curse me and my family if i crossed them. So I kept my eyes trained to the finger like branches up high, just barely visible on shorter trees. I had to step over branches and dead bushes that made me stumble more than once.

After a little while I reached a clearing. I didn’t realize how silent it had been until I heard a noise. A strange chittering or clacking you would hear from an insect or beetle, but deeper, much deeper. It reminded me of the sound I heard that lead me to the first flower. I shivered. Yet I felt some numb calming focus overcome me as I followed the treeline, until discovering it made a tightly packed circle around this clearing that must’ve been a hundred yards across.

I heard the chittering again, something that sounded like two sticks tapped together, over and over in rapid succession, but somehow heavier. And I felt eyes on me, more than one pair of eyes. It was like everywhere was watching me.

Suddenly the thick fog dropped, not a gradually thinning. It seemed to sink into the ground and vanish altogether. And I looked around, coming to a horrible realization as I stepped on something hard and long, and it snapped beneath my weight. What I thought had been tree limbs and bare bushes on the ground, were bones.

Right behind me. It didn’t touch me, didn’t move, but I could feel it. It didn’t dare turn around. I stood there for agonizing minutes, trying to convince myself to move. It wasn’t until it trilled in my left ear, revealing a brassy-brown appendage I saw in my periphery that i was finally able to run.k inside of an organism. It looked like all of these creatures has extra bones. Like reverse ostio-perosis. They were cracked in some places, scattered with teeth marks of some kind.

Any semblance of calm fled from my body as I heard the chittering again, this time sounding closer. But I didn’t move, my stupid animal brain thinking if I could just stay still enough, whatever was out there, wouldn’t see me. Wouldn’t do god knows what to me. But I heard it a third time.

I’d never ran that fast and I know I will never do it again. The cold scraped against the insides of my lungs and it hurt so bad I thought I’d breathed in broken glass, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t know where I was going, the only thing I knew was that I would rather run so hard it killed me than let that thing get ahold of me.

But it wasn’t my choice. I tripped on something, stumbling long enough I had to use a tree for balance, and I heard the chittering right behind me again. This time I couldn’t help it, as I turned around and saw the worst thing I couldn’t have imagined if I spent a thousand years trying.

It was almost like a centipede, if those were eight feet tall. It was wide too, brassy-brown segmented shell, long mandibles and too many spindly limbs that were not proportionate at all. It chittered, multiple sets of beedy black eyes staring at me. Yet it didn’t come closer. And that’s when I caught sigh of the larvae.

It’s lower half was almost a chasm, full of the little things, wriggling, squirming. One of them starting coming towards me, and I took a step back, but the bigger creature used one of it’s too-long arms to hold me in place as it climbed up my shoe and up my pant leg. When it reached my waist, it burrowed into my skin and I screamed, and thrashed for minutes as it settled itself beneath a layer of my flesh.

I still had one free hand, and I managed to snap of a bit of the larger creature’s spindly arm. I screamed again, this time to rally my courage as I stabbed it in the eye. It finally released me. I turned and ran once more, barreling through the trees. Within a minute I felt a sharp pain where the creature’s larvae had burrowed into me. If this place hadn’t been so dry I would have been crying, instead I dry sobbed, feeling the shard of bone already sticking two inches out of my abdomen, twice as thick as my thumb.

I don’t know how long I ran, but I remember finding that tree, through sheer luck. I don’t know if it was the same one but it had the same hollow bottom and I shoved myself into it, hiding at the bottom as I heard the creature chittering outside.

I dry sobbed, wrapping my arms around my knees and rocking back and forth, trying not to disturb the bloodied bit of bone protruding from my abdomen. It was six inches long by the time the chattering stopped. I don’t know what possessed me, adrenaline, the knowledge I needed to get help fast, but i looked over the edge, out of the hole.

I was never so relieved to see the familiar forest. It was dark, but it was a full moon, and I heard flies buzzing and saw mosquitoes. The warm summer air I was used to had returned, though I still felt dry. The trees were normal, reddish-brown.

As soon as I was able to stand up I sprinted towards the camp ground, the humid air a blessing on my frayed lungs.

When I got to the camp ground my parents looked frustrated and worried, but once they saw the bone sticking out of me they immediately had my sisters packing the truck and they huddled around me as my dad drove us to the nearest hospital. It looked like a stick to them, now it was dirty, looking more brown and red than white. They assumed I had impaled myself, but could tell how shaken I was.

At the hospital they said it was a stick, but I know what I saw after they removed it, why they had to put me under sedation. They’d showed me the ‘stick’ It had fused to my other bones, but they didn’t know how to explain it so they probably assumed I didn’t know. I don’t know what they made of the larvae, but I know it was real. It felt so real.

As for the air, they’d pronounced me severely dehydrated, one more hour and I could have died. It was a miracle I was able to run as far, and as fast as I did.

I’m so glad I found my way out because I can’t imagine a more painful way to die. I can’t believe all that creature’s victims went through it. I saw how malformed they were, and it must’ve taken them a long time to die that slow, painful death. I shudder now, just thinking about it.

I haven’t gone back to that campground or any since, and I don’t think I will, even if that place is special.

#creepypasta #horror #short story #bones #body horror tw #body horror #eldritch #scary story #violetvineyard

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