Holding hands while you bring the ancient demon you just killed back to life is a weird first date, but ok—

THE BEST OF PRIORITY: THE CITADEL (PART 2)

Featuring: Cmdr. Sophie Shepard, Lt. James Vega, EDI, and Maj. Kaidan Alenko With: Councilor Donnel Udina, Councilor Tevos, Councilor Laiel Sparatus, Cmdr. Armando-Owen Bailey, and Kai Leng And a Special Guest Appearance by: The Illusive Man But sometimes the way a thing goes down does matter, Sophie. Later- when you have to live with yourself. Knowing that you acted with integrity- then it matters. Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (2021)

REPORT START.

DATE: January 21, 2282

COURSER UNIT: Q3-31

Dr. [INSERT ACTING HEAD OF SRB HERE.],

Exploring the ruins of Las Vegas (currently called “New Vegas”) and the surrounding Mojave Desert, I was able to find evidence of the missing synth, V4-16. Included in this report is a medical file made on his behalf by the “Followers of the Apocalypse.” The doctor under his supervision, a man named Arcade Gannon, appears to have taken on a paternal role towards V4-16, and assumes he originated from a Vault due to his lack of scarring. V4-16 seems to have no recollection of his time in the Institute, and has amassed an impressive amount of power in the short time he has been away. For some reason, recalling does not seem to work - the recall component in his brain was either damaged, or removed. I was under immediate suspicion by Dr. Gannon during my attempt to reclaim him, and upon the reclamation not working, I was simply stared at, and asked, “What is wrong with you?” I retreated immediately and requested to be recalled back.

REPORT END.

Additional Notes: We’ll keep an eye on V4-16 for now. Having an influence as far as the Mojave, while we may be unable to directly control it, is still beneficial. Under no circumstances should Bela be made aware of V4-16’s survival - simply maintain the truth that it’s chip has been offline since October.

- Dr. Ayo

—

Made a similar thing to this a while ago here, and wanted to make another version, with some additional context ;-)

And a bonus:

Just saw Verstappen has a new documentary coming soon, it’s his 3rd in 3 years iirc and it legit made me lmao. The whole narrative abt how Verstappen was so annoyed in Vegas because he hates media & only wants to race, gave y’all that dumbass speech that everyone ate up and tagged #i dont fw Max but he nailed this LMFAO Max doesn’t mind media, doesn’t mind cameras and interviewers going into his house and following him around while he trains and vacations as long as the money is going directly into his pocket. Verstappen and his camp wouldn’t stop talking shit about how Lewis is occupied with hollywood and things outside the sport, his yt buddies in the media won’t stop lecturing us about how he’s a pure racer unlike Lewis who has other preoccupations. Verstappen’s privacy and his relationship with the camera is selective. Not gonna make character judgments abt commercialism in the commercialism sport but I can draw conclusions about hypocrisy when it’s staring me in the face

Tommy, Bothered and Bewildered

(Read on AO3)

Tommy isn’t sure what to expect when he knocks on Evan’s door and asks if they can talk, he just knows that he has to say something, because things can’t keep going on the way that they currently are.

He’s seen the friendship that Evan and Eddie have, and he has his suspicions that it might run deeper than anyone else knows about, at least on an open level. That isn’t something he’s willing to get in the middle of.

But he doesn’t want to stop spending time with them, either. He wants to teach Evan how to fly, and grab that beer with him sometime. He wants to keep going to fights with Eddie and spend some more time around that great kid of his.

None of that is going to happen if he doesn’t clear the air about the building tension they’re all feeling. In a way, he’s glad it all came to a head at the basketball game. That gave him an excuse to bring it up without feeling weird about it, like he was assuming anyone cared about him any more than they did.

“Can I get you something? I still owe you a beer, right?” Evan offers.

“No, I’m good. I won’t stay long. I just wanted to clear the air and I didn’t want to do it over the phone or in a text or something,” Tommy waves the offer off. He has a shift after this, anyway. But the truth is that he wanted to see Evan. He wanted to be here, to look him in the eyes, and swear that he knows what Eddie means to him. Promise that he never meant to get in the middle of that.

Of course, there’s more to it than that. Tommy would be lying if he didn’t admit to himself that he hated having to turn down that first offer to go out for drinks, even if his plans for the fight in Vegas were huge, because honestly? If he knew the offer would be on the table he would’ve given up the tickets in a heartbeat. There’s just something about Evan that draws him in, that makes him want to know more.

But that isn’t why he’s here, not really.

They have the talk, awkward at moments but a relief in the end. Tommy apologizes, and surprisingly, Evan takes full ownership of the way he reacted as bad behavior on his part. Tommy doesn’t know much about Evan, but he feels like he knows enough to know that that’s a pretty big deal for him to admit.

  “I mean it’s not like I could ever replace you. Christopher would absolutely have something to say about that. That kid cannot shut up about you,” Tommy tells Evan. What he doesn’t tell him is that Christopher didn’t shut up about him because Tommy practically barraged the poor kid with questions, trying to get anything he could about what Evan likes to eat, or what he does on his days off, or what music he listens to. Fortunately and unfortunately, the answer to all of that is usually whatever Christopher asks for, which unfortunately left Tommy with little useful information, and fortunately left him even more endeared with Evan.

Then everything happens so quickly. Evan moves closer to him. He jokes about fake mouth static. They’re laughing, and sharing looks, and… Jesus, did Evan’s eyelashes just bat at him?

“I just wanted to get to know you,” Evan says finally, and Tommy’s breath stops entirely.

“Yeah?” Tommy tries, and fails, not to sound surprised. He thinks he made it pretty clear he wants to get to know Evan - the hangar tour, the raincheck on drinks, the fact that he drove all the way here today for a conversation that absolutely could’ve been a text - he isn’t hiding anything. He just hadn’t been so sure about Evan’s side of it until now.

And then the talk circles back around to Eddie. Eddie’s great. He’s a good guy, they have a lot in common, and yeah, they’re pretty good friends… but that’s it. Eddie’s in a relationship, and as far as Tommy is aware, straight. Tommy wouldn’t even think about seriously flirting with him, would never dare to cross that line. But with Evan…

There’s no doubt in Tommy’s mind now that Evan was flirting with him back at the hangar. He asked for a tour when he wasn’t seriously planning on learning, the hopeful look in his eyes when he asked Tommy out for drinks… there was something there and it killed Tommy to not be able to explore right away. He’d hoped…

…and there it is again. That damned hope.

“Just… trying to get your attention has been kind of exhausting.”

“My attention?” He thought… well, he suspected, wondered really… but maybe he was just reading too much into Evan and Eddie’s friendship.

Buck is rambling now, mentions of maiming his best friend and talks with his sister, but Tommy barely processes any of it before making up his mind on what he wants to do next. He drove here, across town before a shift, through Los Angeles traffic, not just to see Evan, but to see what potential relationship - friendship or otherwise - Tommy could salvage after everything that went down.

Tommy closes the small space between them, giving Evan just enough time to back away. He brings two fingers under Evan’s chin to lift it, and when there’s no resistance Tommy leans in and kisses him. He waits, reading every push and pull of the muscles under his touch, but Evan only leans into the kiss, bringing his own hand up to Tommy’s arm.

When Tommy pulls away and takes in the look of astonishment on Evan’s face, he knows he made the right decision.

So when Tommy has to leave - and he has to leave, because if he goes in for a second kiss he isn’t sure there’s any force in the universe that would be able to pull him away with enough time to get to his shift - he makes sure Evan knows that he wants to see him again. And again. And again.

Starting with Saturday.

Fighting has been an important narrative vehicle for Eddie’s character over the years. It’s always about his deep emotional life, Big Feelings, and the stuff he won’t or can’t even look at, consciously approach and/or deal with out loud. Eddie’s cage fighting arc in season 3 was all about him wrestling with grief and feelings of inadequacy as a husband and father. That arc was also wrapped up in Eddie’s feelings of abandonment brought on by Buck’s lawsuit against the LAFD.

The OG Kitchen Scene in 309 was monumental for so many reasons. Eddie and Buck had a vulnerable and intimate conversation about everything that happened and they repaired the rift caused by Buck leaving Eddie (and Chris) in their time of need. But the wild part that we ALL talk about TO THIS DAY was the sexually charged ‘wanna go for the title’ flirtation that Buck (King!) delivered right to Eddie’s face. The belt buckle grab. Eddie’s smirk and later averted gaze. The phallic beer bottles. All of it. My Beloved.

Now in season 7 we have a (healthier and more emotionally available/mature) return to that same internal fight symbolism via Eddie’s 704 Vegas Unification Fight trip with Tommy and his Muay Thai sparring with Tommy. I wrote a meta about some of this last week.

Before Eddie can go for the title with Buck, he’s got to win his fight/sparring matches with Tommy. Right now he and Tommy are going ‘toe to toe’ as Eddie said in 704. It’s a draw between them at the moment. But Eddie has to actually win the symbolic match/fight by taking Tommy’s title aka unequivocally claim his own queer identity and then go get his man.

Eddie is clicking with Tommy and jet-setting to Vegas with Tommy, playing sports with Tommy and sparring with Tommy because, in terms of Eddie’s character arc, Tommy has something Eddie needs! It’s the queer identity piece. It’s gotta be. The show has already established that they’re basically the same person, with the main noticeable difference being that Tommy is an out gay man who knows that part of himself well. Eddie doesn’t fully know the shape and nuance of his own queerness yet. But he will. And when he sorts it out for himself. He’ll be able to return to Buck’s dimly lit (romantic af) kitchen and ‘go for the title’.

Bonus Point #1 - Buck didn’t really know his own queerness either until Tommy kissed him in 704. Buck did in fact ‘go for the title’ but with Tommy four seasons later instead of with the love of his life Eddie. It’ll happen though. It’s been foretold!

Bonus Point #2 - The Kitchen as a setting in 911 is so damn perfect and unhinged. Buck’s kitchen is where the ‘go for the title’ challenge was originally issued and where romantic/flirtatious encounters happened. Eddie’s kitchen is mostly where messes are made. (Honestly I’m just thinking about the Ana break up here.) I think Buddie will eventually find themselves in Buck’s kitchen again, both fully ready for what they mean/are to each other and what they can be together. They will get their kiss. Their unification bout. I also think we’ll finally come full circle with the mess in Eddie’s kitchen and Buddie will clean it up together…as a newly minted couple.

Yeah. Underlying sexual tension is the definition of Buddie at this point. It’s only gotten louder and more textual via Tommy’s introduction. The fight (especially for Eddie) continues. The Buddie tension won’t be ‘underlying’ forever tho. Just. Let ‘em cook. For now.

It's fathers day in the uk today and it really got me thinking about Vegas and Macau and how they might have coped with the day growing up together.

I can imagine Vegas as a young boy, running down the stairs as soon as he wakes up that morning; he’s gripping a homemade card he’d made at school the previous day for his dad; maybe he’d had help wrapping something up that he’d made as well and it crinkles in his little hands as he tries to get down the steps without holding onto the bannister. Gun is sitting at the table eating breakfast, he’s stressed about something and in an awful mood, and Vegas bounds over to him, nearly tripping on his still-too-long trousers, and he proudly presents them over. Happy fathers day, Pa! Look, I wrote it myself, and I put Macau’s name in it because he can’t write yet, but I can!  And he beams up at Gun, who isn’t even looking at him; he’s still reading the paper, and someone comes over to take him away to eat his own breakfast, and they’re telling him what a good job you did, but your pa’s busy, you know not to interrupt him- And that night, as he goes to bed, he’s thinking about how he probably didn’t do a good enough job, and that’s why Pa didn’t want his card; he should have practised his writing better because it’s not very neat yet, and he should have written it in English too because he knows a lot of words now and Pa has been really pushy about him being good at English-  And it takes many more fathers days after and the realisation that he will never be good enough for his Pa before he stops trying. And then Macau is six and very nearly seven, and Vegas can see him getting excited to give him a card on fathers day because he can finally write in sentences now, but by this point, he knows what his dad is like. He knows he won’t like the crinkled, hand-written thing Macau has prepared because he’d already tried.  So he tells him to leave it on the table before he goes to sleep because then he’ll see it first thing in the morning but don’t be sad if he doesn’t mention anything, okay, Cau? Because he’s swamped, you know this, so you can’t bother him about it. And he puts on a brave face and convinces Macau that he will definitely love it because you’ve worked so hard; look at how good your hand-writing is getting- And that night, after he’s read Macau a story and waited until he fell asleep, he creeps down the stairs and picks up Macau’s hand-made card and replaces it with an expensive bottle of whisky with a fancy bow on it and a generic card that he’d made sure was written neatly, and with no sentiments written because,  Because. And he looks at the piece of paper Macau had made; he’d even added crudely drawn pictures of all three of them together, and he vows to be better and do better and never let his little brother’s heart get broken because of their dad like his broke all those years ago. And then Macau is 12, and Vegas has been learning everything about the minor family business for years. He’s been trying so hard to be better than Kinn in everything he does because he needs to keep Macau out of their dad’s radar, and he has to be the best because that’s what his dad wants, what he needs from Vegas and when Vegas fails he gets hit.  Which is what happens on fathers day.  And they’re older now, and their uncle had proposed they have a dinner together to celebrate. They sit in the main family mansion listening to Korn brag about all his sons for hours while Vegas sits and tries to avoid Gun’s glare and not think about how much his cheek hurts, and Macau looks devastated, so he tries to ignore it and smiles to let him know that everything is fine.  And when he’s finally in his bed that night and can let out a breath that this day is finally over, something gets shoved under his door.

When he looks at what it is, it’s a card with cool drawings on the front of it. He knows who they’re by because Macau has been really into manga and anime recently and has been obsessed with drawing little comic strips, and he gives them to Vegas, who keeps them in a box under his bed with all the other cards he’s made. He wonders if Macau’s finally figured out what he does with his cards each year and had decided to just give it straight to Vegas instead of leaving it on the dining room table for Vegas to inevitably swap, but then he looks, he really looks at what’s on the front- It’s him and Macau, just him and Macau, and Vegas’s pet hedgehog with happy fathers day! written underneath. When he opens it, it says Have a good day, Vegas! lots of love, Mac  He cries himself to sleep that night. But for once, it’s not out of fear or hatred of himself; this time, it’s a deep sadness that he doesn’t have anyone to rely on, doesn’t have an older brother to tell him they love him, to fix his problems or help him with his homework. But Macau does. Macau does, and he’s so glad he can do that for his little brother and be there for him that he cries himself to sleep out of sheer relief that Macau knows precisely how much Vegas loves him.

And then Macau’s nearly 18, and everything is horrible and scary, and Vegas has been shot, and he might die, and he can’t even think about fathers day anymore because there’s no room for frivolity when the mafia is concerned.

And then Vegas is awake, he’s awake, and he’s got Pete, and life is hard, but he’s alive. He’s alive, his dad is dead, and he finally has someone to rely on, lean on, and hold. And being loved by Pete is a feeling so encompassing that he can’t even put it into words.

And then it’s fathers day again, but this time their dad is dead, and Pete’s dad is dead, and there’s no reason for them to celebrate, so they don’t. And Macau has finally started university, but he skips class to hang out with his brother and Pete. They don’t do anything momentous; it’s raining, so they stay inside, occupying themselves with games, movies, and whatever else, until they go to bed.

None of them mentions that it’s fathers day.

Yet that night, when Vegas is in bed cuddled up to Pete, something is shoved under their door. Pete goes to have a look, looking confused, as he holds a piece of paper and climbs back into bed with Vegas. Its a card. A fathers day card. A well-done drawing of Macau, Vegas, Pete, and their newly adopted pet cat, with Happy Father’s Day! written underneath in familiar handwriting.

He hands it back to Pete and tells him to open it, too overwhelmed to read it himself. Inside the card, in much neater handwriting than either of them thought Macau was capable of, it says-

Have a good day, Vegas.

You may not be my real father, 

but you’re the only one I’ve ever had. 

Lots of love, Mac 

ps. I guess p’pete counts now too.

He cries again, and Pete is gracious enough not to mention it. He adds it to the box, with all the other things Macau has ever made him, closing it and placing it back underneath the bed.

And it's later, years later, that a revelation occurs to him. That even though he’s spent his whole life trying to be good enough for a father that genuinely despised his existence, that even though he spent so many years trying to be better than Kinn, than Korn, than everyone.

He has always been good enough for Macau.

And he will always be good enough for Pete.

And that, that, is enough.

This is probably the ace in me talking, but when I finished the series I was surprised to see people using the VegasPete hunger metaphor to refer to sex/wanting to have sex. I interpreted as something less sexually charged, but definitely still Important.

Like, instead of Pete saying he’s hungry to draw Vegas into the bedroom, I imagined him using it to draw Vegas out of a spiral.

He would say “I’m hungry” and he would mean ‘I’m here with you, you have something left and it’s me. I need you to take care of me and I know you need it, too. There is more in you than the graveyard of your life; of hedgehogs and your father and mother and your innocence. You know recipes and how to tie knots that won’t hurt my wrists and Macau’s favorite bands.’

And on the other hand, I think Vegas would ask “Are you hungry?” and he would be offering ‘You chased me through the glass house of my father’s last mistake; you burned all your bridges away from me. You ran after me and stayed beside me and gave me something new. You charged me with your care and decided I was the best person to be with and I am never fucking forgetting it.’

They’d say it on the bad days; the ones where their bones are drained of marrow, their insides marinated in their grief and guilt and rage, where they only really feel empty empty empty.

And they’d say it enough Macau would learn it, too. The the base of it; trashed kitchens and bloody knuckles. But he’s a clever enough kid. He could watch his brother shrink - the ghost of their father compressing his spine, the bullet wounds leaving him off kilter - and he would say “I’m hungry” and he would know it means ‘Please take care of me, please remember I’m here with you. You aren’t alone, starving yourself on bread kneaded with the ground bones of misery.’

He would know enough, that when he can pick out Pete’s smile as being fake (and it’s not as often as he wishes; Pete has decades of paint layered on his mask that Macau and Vegas are only starting to strip off) he can ask “Are you hungry?” and know he’s reminding ‘I’m here. You can be taken care of and I will help. Fasting in repentance will not starve your pain.’

Once again I am lying with my whole chest to any and all F1 team admins as I rabidly sign up for all the Las Vegas GP prize draws

Didn’t you know your team is my favourite team? I love both your drivers. I love your reserve driver. I love your ex drivers, except the ones you don’t like anymore. I have a shrine for your team principal in my room. I would kill a man to lay eyes on your car, which I definitely know the designation of and think is the most beautiful on the grid, won’t you let me see it?

The Chay Rewatch Ep 9

Ep 1 & 2, Ep 3, Ep 4, Ep 5, Ep 6, Ep 7, Ep 8

Ep 9 - Kim is so whipped while somehow still being emotionally constipated

Time: 10:22 – 12:11 – songwriting boy

Kim’s Outfit: An olive-green jacket, a white shirt, and the return of the white pants

Why does no guitar in this show have a guitar strap?

Chay’s song breaks Kim’s writing block, Kim’s written tons of music before, but now Chay is becoming his muse, taking over the one outlet Kim allows himself

The emotional shutdown Kim forces himself through once he realizes how happy even the memory of Chay is making him. He can’t allow himself to be weak because any attachment to Chay is a weakness, but even that fails because immediately he’s back to smiling while he plays

Kim is so inspired to write even while he’s very clearing trying to cut Chay out of his brain, he’s trying to write his feelings out so he can go back to being cold, untouchable Kim

Korn really did screw up all of his sons emotionally – commitment issues to spare

Time: 29:46 – Macau Spotting

Macau scaring the absolute shit out of Pete, what a little shit

Macau’s Outfit: Another sweater vest with orange and blue stripes with tan pants and white shoes

Macau and Vegas definitely planned this, and Macau is so happy to be causing mischief

Wingman Macau you will always be famous

Macau going on and on about the sermon to tease Pete only to fall asleep immediately, what a mood

Time: 39:24 – 40:03 – the guitar pick!

Not me immediately trying to analyze all of the details of Chay’s room

There’s a bottle of milk on his desk – again I’m sorry I laughed this is a funny bit

The towers of CDs behind Chay speak to how Chay isn’t just into music because its fun, he’s put a lot of effort into appreciating music

The ukelele is cute

He has a jar of I think paper stars on his back shelf – I only mention this because there are a number of different meanings to lucky paper stars but the one I know best is that if you fold either 1,000 or 2,000 (depending on the tale) you can get a wish (you also can give the stars to someone you love) I also know some do it for luck – which Chay has interesting thoughts about luck as we know

Chay creating the guitar pick with his own two hands – my art kid Chay agenda is so real

Chay’s outfit: I’m 99% sure that Chay is wearing a Geto (from Jujutsu Kaisen) shirt. Chay anime fan confirmed

Geto is an antagonist from Jujutsu Kaisen, and I view him as a tragic figure who was once good but due to the evils of his job and the abuse he saw, turned evil. Later on, his body becomes a vessel for further evil

Chay’s friend is named Ohm! I so forgot about this bit I won’t lie

Chay really had been hoping it was Kim. He may have left the next step up to Kim, but he’s still so hopeful that Kim doesn’t leave him behind. He’s for sure getting impatient about it and is planning his next move on his target – sorry crush!

Chay ignoring Ohm draws up a lot of my ideas about how private Chay is about everything. He allows others to see just the surface of everything going on with him, but he tends to be very private about his thoughts and interests. Its not a lack of confidence. I just think he learned early on that sometimes speaking up about everything can be a burden (particularly in his relationship with Porsche) you have to work to get his more internal thoughts

And Chay chooses this! At any point he could put down the guitar pick and answer his friend’s invite, who probably knows something is up with Chay just not what. He’s very tunnel-visioned when he chooses a path, but he doesn’t feel the need to tell anyone else that

Chay doesn’t hide or lie about his emotions and thoughts usually. He just doesn’t always say them out loud. There’s a difference trust me

Time: 49:48 – 53:04 – Chay’s version of gift giving

Chay’s Outfit: a grey crewneck with white and blue paint splatters over a black shirt with the same pendant from the song scene

Kim’s outfit: a studded black leather jacket paired with a white shirt and blue jeans. His necklace this time is a blend of two different chain types (partly made of safety pins I think?) with his regular silver earrings and rings

Chay breaking into the rehearsal space – child I was just praising you for leaving the ball in Kim’s court, please stop waving red flags! You are such a concerning young man

Chay is so cute no wonder Kim is okay with the stalking, also who is this friend Chay keeps getting this info from (please just be stan twitter please that’d be so funny)

I love how this scene gets presented from behind the glass of the recording booth, the slow zoom-in on the two as the scene progresses

Kim’s calm responses to this are so dynamic when placed next to Chay’s which are full of excitement and nerves

Gosh the zoom-in when Chay presents the box – beautiful

“This is limited edition. You’ve got the only one piece in the world.” – how long do you think its been since Kim received a genuine, heartfelt gift like this?

Compare this gift to Kim and the guitar. Kim bought an incredibly expensive guitar for Chay, but it was to buy his way into the house. There was more manipulation than thought put into that gift

Whereas Chay made that pick himself adding even greater meaning to the gift. Chay isn’t trying to manipulate Kim, he’s genuinely just staying true to himself by confessing and giving Kim the pick as thanks. Chay’s always been upfront about his emotions and intentions with Kim which is very refreshing

of course Chay passed - he's very talented

“From now on I won’t have any excuse to see your face.” “Can I bother you one last time?” – that’s such a cute statement, plus it also goes to show that Chay gets that Kim is trying to cut him off and will accept it after he says his piece (Chay respects boundaries! I am ignoring his stalking for right now!)

I love Chay’s fidgeting here, very genuine and doesn’t feel forced

KIM’S FACE WHEN CHAY SAYS HE LIKES HIM! He knew but was not prepared for Chay to actually say it

Chay’s rambling about making an oath with himself – he is so good! He is so emotionally healthy & confident! (I am ignoring the red flags about his stalking right now!)

I know some people were disappointed about never getting a ‘real’ kiss, but I like this cheek kiss. Chay’s still young compared to Kim, and Kim holds a lot of power as his tutor as well as how many secrets he’s keeping from Chay. A kiss on the lips would have been marred by that and would have been uncomfortable when looked back on. This kiss works for them, it's sweet and it’s a foundation for the two of them to build on

During this scene, there’s this large empty space between Kim and Chay. Chay stays respectfully away until Kim breaks the divide and kisses him. It was always going to be up to Kim to choose what to do next

THE MUSIC!! THE HUGS!! – Kim is so not a hugger, but for Chay he lets it happen, twice! This is the same man we see bullying bodyguards and murdering people! The duality of man indeed

Shoutout to Tankhun for his open and honest defense of Porsche – truly a man who knows that open communication is necessary (unlike his brothers)

Overall Chay Rating (Chrating) – A

This ep definitely goes everywhere, but we get a good amount of KimChay development as well as a Macau appearance. I’m glad we got solo scenes from Kim & Chay before they saw each other as it laid the groundwork for the confession scene, very well plotted. Chay being so truthful to himself as well as Kim’s emotional breakthrough was very refreshing

omg could you do vampire or werewolf elvis headcanons? im in the spooky mood and i think you’d write that so well, especially like a darker theme!!

I went overboard with this one😅 Both scenarios are AU-ish and take place in the 80s. I took from the line “I’ve been playing this mausoleum for 1,000 years” for a vampire Vegas-era Elvis but also I love the idea of Graceland being this like creepy old mansion no one goes in because it’s supposedly haunted so...enjoy🧛🏻‍♂️

Vampire!Austin!Elvis x Reader

Warning: Dark themes such as emotional blackmail, death, blood, and obsessive and manipulative behavior, which some people may find disturbing or triggering. Mild sexual content that involves coercion. Do not interact if you are under 18 or post thinspo/ED content.

Graceland (’50s Elvis)

Growing up, you heard stories of Graceland—people going in never to be seen again, soft music coming from the supposedly abandoned house late at night

It stopped being so scary after you got to high school, but even so, it was an unspoken rule to stay the hell away from there

You go out drinking with coworkers one night, a new coworker of yours unfamiliar with the old place and the stories behind it, which leads to the group of you stumbling through Memphis to get there

Perhaps wanting to prove something to yourself and your peers, you volunteer to go inside, insisting the stories are bullshit and it’s just another eyesore building that the city won’t do anything about

You go in with a little keychain flashlight one of your coworkers hands you and scale the fence surrounding the dilapidated old mansion 

The doors are boarded up, most of the windows too, and you can hear your coworkers calling you back, that you made your point, but some inexplicable feeling draws you in, you enter the dark house and go up the flight of dusty stairs

A faint glow comes from beneath one of the doors along with the soft sound of a guitar, and against your better judgment, you open it. Both you and the unbelievably handsome yet familiar looking man you encounter stare at each other in equal shock. As soon as you see his eyes glow red and impossibly sharp fangs, you run

You know it’s probably pointless and he’ll find you sooner or later, but you hide in one of the many rooms in the mansion and are in disbelief to find it’s filled with posters, buttons, even pillows with his face and name adorned on all of them—Elvis

You barely have time to think before the door swings open. He crosses the room and grabs you by the shoulders. Despite your begging to not hurt you, that you swear you won’t tell anyone, he sinks his fangs into your neck and between the pain and the sound of your skin breaking you pass out

You wake up in the room you found him in, god knows how long ago, because your head is pounding and you’re starving and thirsty. Your now captor stares at you like a deer in the headlights, as if he wasn’t the monster

“I’m glad you’re okay. I didn’t want to kill you, but I can’t help it sometimes,” he says. You balk at his statement, hardly calling the situation you were in okay

Elvis is lonely and reclusive, a sadness in his unnervingly red eyes that makes you almost feel sorry for him whenever he slinks into the room to check on you and bring you an odd offering of food because he isn’t sure what humans eat

He refuses to allow you out of the room, he thinks you’re not well enough yet. He entertains you by singing and tell you stories

His voice is soft and low as he tells you that he was at the height of his popularity as a musician when he was turned (he refused to go into the details on that), but afterward he couldn’t control his hunger and killed his family and management team

Too horrified and ashamed of himself, he only leaves Graceland to feed when absolutely necessary, otherwise keeping himself in his self-imposed purgatory because he doesn’t want to hurt people

You believe him, because besides that first night, he hasn’t done anything violent or dangerous, until some of your coworkers return to the house, looking for you

Elvis had always been frustratingly avoidant and vague when you asked how long you’d been there or when you could leave, but when they call out your name saying the police didn’t believe their story but they had to come back for you, desperately searching every nook and cranny in the place to bring you home, he snaps

You follow him as he storms out of the room, almost as if he’s floating on air as he descends on each of your coworkers, brutalizing them as you watch in horror, screaming for him to stop—he does, only after killing the last one, wiping the fresh blood from his mouth and meeting your terrified expression with one of wild desperation

“You can’t leave, Y/N. I can’t be alone again,” he pleads, as if you have a choice. He turns you, holding you as you go through the painful transformation to become one of the undead, to be with him forever

Vegas (’70s Elvis)

After an almost frustratingly long interview process, you get a job as a cigarette girl at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. You’d never had a job make you sign an NDA before, but you figure it came with the territory–it’s your dream job, but you’d heard they made good tips, even if it meant looking the other way when wealthy patrons got ahead of themselves

Your first few weeks of work are uneventful, and you make more in tips in a night than you did in a week at your old job. Plus, you’d become friends with most of the girls you worked with, but you couldn’t help but notice how often they seemed to quit, how long it’d take to replace them, and how none of them seemed to be working there for very long

While getting ready to go out to the showroom before whatever act was slated to perform for the next few weeks, your boss power-walked into the breakroom. “The penthouse wants a personal delivery,” he says, pointing to you. “Don’t keep him waiting”

You nod, grabbing your tray and rushing out of the breakroom. One of your coworkers stops you, jokingly asking what the rush is for. You feel a pit in your stomach at the way her expression shifts when you tell her

Whoever’s up there is probably just an asshole, you assure yourself. Nothing you haven’t dealt with before, you hope as you push the elevator button to bring you to the top floor of the hotel

You walk up to the door of the penthouse suite apprehensively, feeling like an idiot when you knock and say “Cigarette delivery”

The door opens a crack, and suddenly your apprehension seems to disappear as you let yourself into the room. The lights are dim, and most of the illumination comes from the glow of the Vegas Strip through the window. You don’t see anyone, until the door slams shut behind you, and you jump, dropping half the cigarette boxes in your tray on the floor

“Sorry,” you stammer to the man who’s just made his presence known to you. “I didn’t see you there. Sorry.”

He studies your trembling form for a few moments, before kicking the dropped boxes out of his way and stalking over to you. Even in the darkness of the room you can tell he’s handsome, but you can’t make out the specific features of his face. He looks so familiar, and you find yourself staring at his full lips until they pull back into more of a snarl than a smile to reveal abnormally sharp canines

“What d’you got, baby?” the man asks, his voice thick like honey as it rumbled from deep in his chest. You list off the cigarettes you have on hand, including the ones on the floor, and he grabs a box of Luckies and hands you a hundred dollar bill after watching you bend down to pick up the boxes you’d dropped

You aren’t sure how much time has passed by the time you get back downstairs, but your coworker looks genuinely shocked to see you. You pull her aside and ask her what the fuck is going on

“Honestly, Y/N, I don’t know. The girls who go up there–you’re the first one who’s ever come back down,” she whispers, her paranoid gaze traveling throughout the room

When you tell your boss you quit, he pulls out the NDA you signed but didn’t read over, which states in one of the clauses that you had to work there at least a year or forfeit all of your earnings since you started. You didn’t have that kind of money on hand, not after spending so much of it already

You can hardly sleep the next week, especially when another cigarette girl goes up to the penthouse suite, and when you inquire her whereabouts the following night, your boss tells you that she quit–which makes no sense because she’d been working there less than you had and he wouldn’t let you quit. You don’t question it to his face, though, but you spend your sleepless hours trying to figure a way out

It’s only a matter of time before you’re called up to the penthouse again, you know as much, but it doesn’t terrify you any less when your boss tells you that the occupant asked for you specifically. You take deep breaths as the elevator ascends, hoping by some miracle it gets stuck

The door to the suite is already open halfway when you get there, and you stand in the doorway, looking around for the man. “What’re you so afraid of, baby? Think I bite?” he teases from the other side of the room, though you swear he hadn’t been standing there a moment ago

Just as you’re a foot or so away from him, he flicks on the lights, and you gasp upon recognizing Elvis Presley. The resemblance was way too uncanny to be one of the dozen or so impersonators you saw on your first day in Vegas–but it wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be him. He was dead, and even if he were alive he’d look much older

He beckons you closer with a curl of his pointer finger, and you find yourself pressed against his chest, the tray of cigarette boxes thrown to the floor as he kissed you deeply, pulling away only to pierce your lower lip with his fangs, lapping up the blood that pooled from it despite your resistance

His crimson eyes raked over your figure as you held your bloodied lip, tears streaming down your face. “I knew there was a reason I couldn’t stop thinkin’ about you, baby”

“Please don’t kill me,” you choke out

The grin that spreads across his face is nothing short of evil, “No, I’m not gonna kill you. In fact, I think I’ll keep you around a while” 

He tears off your skimpy uniform like it’s made of paper, sinking his fangs into one of your exposed breasts. As he sucks and licks the blood coming from it, you collapse in his arms, feeling yourself being carried over to his bed

Taglist: @eliseinmemphis @kittenlittle24  @crash-and-cure @im-lame-irl @loudwombatmugkid @rxsesss @roseymary04 @queendelrey @jovialladyaurora @positivitylane112 @moonknightswif3 @holy-minseok @datsavageavenger @21bruhs @luckyevansstan (sorry if y’all only want to be tagged in fics and not headcanons! Please let me know if this is the case)

Eureka: A lot of bang for your buck!

As mentioned in an earlier post, the rulebook for Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is on the longer side of the indie-TTRPG spectrum, coming in at about 230 pages at the time of writing this.

The rulebook dedicates about the first 90 pages to what we would probably call the “core gameplay”: That is, looking for clues, gathering evidence, drawing conclusions, talking to people, making plans, etc. as well as what each Skill and Trait does and how to create a normal player character.

The next 75 or so pages are dedicated entirely to combat.

Characters are fairly fragile in Eureka compared to most TTRPG PCs—they might even be more fragile than Call of Cthulhu PCs—and this serves to realistically and organically discourage a shoot-first-question-later style of play. However, we knew that making the PCs this easy to kill meant that we had to give the combat systems within the game a lot of depth to match, to give the PCs and their players a good degree of agency in the fight, or else they’d just be going along until wham the party is dead after one bad roll and it’s game over before they know it.

The combat rules in Eureka are deep but not overly complex. It’s less about determining the exact right turn to utilize a special ability that synergizes with the rest of the party’s special abilities, and more about positioning, planning around the environment, and striking first. This still uses the same 2D6 system as everything else—except for when automatic firearms come into play, then it’s D12s for a little extra randomness and because it’s easier to roll 10 D12s than 10 pairs of D6s—so you won’t need to really learn a whole new set of rules just to have a fight. Just keep track of the effective range of each category of firearm and how many bullets your character has left!

I’m actually personally very proud of Eureka’s firearm combat rules. They manage to create a very realistic simulation of a real shootout, organically encouraging realistic tactics and strategy without devolving into a slow grind where every character’s turn takes five minutes of math and re-checking the rulebook to resolve. After that, there’s a brief set of instructions on how to convert an adventure module not originally made for it to work well with the Eureka system. This chapter is only a few pages long because it really is that simple!  

And then the last section in the book is dedicated to making and handling PCs that are a bit...less normal. This is about 60 pages, and covers the bulk of Eureka’s actual supernatural lore, and instructions on how to use that lore to create supernatural player characters that fit into that lore.

We’ve gone into this more in-depth in another earlier post, but let me give a simple rundown anyway: There is no “masquerade” in the world of Eureka, no grand conspiracy by either the mundane government nor a secret supernatural government to cover up the existence of vampires and werewolves and fairies and the like, in fact there is no secret supernatural government. Supernatural creatures are simply so rare as to mainly just fly right under the radar of most modern science, with actual sightings being considered the stuff of tabloid trash and unscientific sensationalism by most academic minds. So obscure are these instances of the supernatural that a vampire might not even believe in werewolves, or a werewolf in vampires. They may have even never met another one of their kind in-person. As for why these individuals don’t just get on camera and tell the world that they exist... well, the ones they have the less dangerous magical powers could usually be shown-up by a mundane stage magician in Vegas. Yeah right you can start fires with your mind, I bet you just have a remote ignition switch in your pocket!

And then the ones that have more impressive magical powers, like literally transforming completely into a bat, well, those guys tend to also eat people, so it’s really in their best interest to keep that to themselves, in case anyone comes asking questions about what happened to the neighbors and all those delivery guys....

Perhaps one of the most interesting mechanics here is how supernatural characters like these must not only keep their secrets from the world at large, but the rest of the party too! These PCs’ supernatural status is a secret from everyone except their player and the game master, and they must find ways to dodge their supernatural weaknesses, exert their powers, and take a few bites out of a victim all without alerting anyone else in the party or at the table to their true nature.

Follow @anim-ttrpgs​ for updates and look for Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy on Kickstarter later this year!

Kinnporsche Fic List

I got encouraged to list off the Kinnporsche The Series fics I’ve created so far! They’re listed off as pairings for easier navigation! Hope you like!

♡ ♡ ♡

KINN/PORSCHE

Hard To Forget (Post-Episode 3 Canon AU, T-rated)

Kinn wonders if Porsche remembers their kiss. He gets his answer while treating a mild infection on Porsche's wound.

Hotter Than The Cherry On Your Cigarette (Post-Episode 4 Fix-It, E-rated)

Porsche doesn't fully remember what they did the other night. He would like to try again.

Smile For Me (Post-Episode 6 Fix-It, T-rated)

In the aftermath of Kinn getting shot, Porsche refuses to leave. He never wanted to leave Kinn in the first place.

Look Before You Leap (S1 Canon AU, M-rated)

Six characters who knew about Porsche and Kinn, and six characters who found out the hard way.

"I'll Always Go Back To You" (Post-Episode 10 Fix-It, M-rated)

Porsche and Kinn discuss running away together by the carp pond.

Shot In The Dark (S1 Canon AU, M-rated)

During a late night movie night, the power goes out. (And so does the generators. And so does the backup generators.)

Nothing's Ever Perfect (Post-S1 Canon AU, M-rated)

Porsche loses his signet ring as the head to the minor family. He's close to freaking out.

♡ ♡ ♡

VEGAS/PETE 

Drawing (On) Each Other (Canon AU, No Rating)

The scalpel drags against Pete's naked flesh. "Your name or mine?"

No Heroes And No Villains (Post-Episode 11 Canon AU, E-rated)

Vegas keeps showing up with more bruises. Pete, still chained up, looks after him. Somebody should.

Shot In The Dark (S1 Canon AU, M-rated)

During a late night movie night, the power goes out. (And so does the generators. And so does the backup generators.)

Don't Lose That Thought (Post-Season 1, E-rated)

Vegas treats Pete to a home-cooked meal, discovering this is what he wants to do for the rest of his life: Show devotion to Pete.

Inner Peace (Post-Season 1, E-rated)

Pete wants him, that's simple. It's never been honestly complicated. They've shed blood, shed tears, shed the lies keeping them apart… but all he wants is to live freely as himself. To love as freely as Pete's heart desires. It's why he won't leave Vegas.

Be As Steady As She Needs (Post-Season 1, T-rated)

Venice’s adoptive fathers as seen through Venice’s eyes.

♡ ♡ ♡

KIM/CHAY

It's For Inspiration (Post-Episode 7 AU, G-rated)

Kim returns to Porchay's house, wondering about the new love song. And about Porchay's feelings.

How Lucky I Am To Find You (S1 Canon AU, T-rated)

5 times Porchay kissed Kim + 1 time Kim needed to kiss him so badly the world seemed to crumble away.

"Can I Kiss You Like I Love You?" (Post-Episode 10 Fix-It, M-rated)

Kim won't leave Porchay's side while hospitalized.

Clinging To Love (Episode 12 Canon AU, T-rated)

At the club, Porchay decides to try a pill in hopes of feeling better. Kim finds him hallucinating.

Shot In The Dark (S1 Canon AU, M-rated)

During a late night movie night, the power goes out. (And so does the generators. And so does the backup generators.)

Carelessly In Love (Post-Episode 14 Canon AU, T-rated)

He's not a stalker. Kim just needs to know that Porchay is out of harm's way.

The Place Between The Sea And Your Heart (Merfolk AU, T-rated)

Kimhan, a royal prince of an underwater city, is banished and cursed to be mortal. He falls for the young mortal brother of a king.

Never Felt Better (Season 1 Canon AU, T-rated)

After a long weekend apart, Porchay is ready to spend all of his time with Kim. No matter what. No matter if he humiliates himself.

Get Me Out Of My Mind (Post-S1 Canon AU, M-rated)

Porchay deals with the constant nightmares and what feels like Kim's shadow following him. He's ready for it to end.

Stirring Up Trouble (Coffee Shop AU/Barista AU, T-rated)

Porchay works at the coffee shop outside of Anantrameka University during the mornings. He gets a regular. Meanwhile, Kim is torn between daring to ask out his sweetheart of a barista… or running. Running as far out of Bangkok as possible.

♡ ♡ ♡

ARM/POL/TANKHUN

Out Of Control (Canon AU, M-rated)

While Mr. Tankhun's series goes on hiatus, Arm and Pol entertain him by 'spying' on everyone in the major family's house.

♡Author’s note: This has a little of PorscheKinn, VegasPete, and KimChay throughout it just so everyone knows! This is a very messy fic. I love it. Good for when you read something that won’t take itself seriously but still wants to entertain you.

Get to know me (tag game) 💌

Thank you to my bestie @javierpena-inatacvest for tagging me in this ilysm 🌚

Were you named after anyone? I named myself💚

When was the last time you cried? On Wednesday LOL the 24th

Do you have kids? Noooooooo no no no no no. Breeding kink shall be just a kink.. so, no, I do not. And I won’t for a long while LOL.

What sports do you play/have you played? I’m physically disabled, so I’m not very much involved in that department. However, I have the ability to kind of throw punches and my upbringing was surrounded by boxing (and overall mixed martial arts) so I’ll say boxing since it means so much to me <3🥊

Do you use sarcasm? No😍

What’s the first thing you notice about people? A combination of their eyes and their smile.

What’s your eye color? Dark brown🤎

Scary movies or happy endings? I’m more so a psychological thriller/mind fuck type of person rather than like jump scare type of scary movies. I love the way it makes my brain feel discombobulated (Am I okay?). But I will say, I cannot deny the way I love a good, cute happy ending.

Any talents? Idk if this is a talent or an adaptation because of me being disabled lol but I can draw with my mouth! I actually do everything with my mouth. I’m typing this response with my lip. LOL. 😚

Where were you born? Sin City <3 (Las Vegas, Nevada!)

What are your hobbies? Writing, reading, drawing. I love watching film with the purpose of analyzing the cinematography of it all 🎞️

Do you have any pets? 5 dogs of each size you can think of!

How tall are you? I’m a tiny baby. 5’0” !!

Favorite subject in school? In high school, philosophy and psychology. In college, anything psychology or gender/sexuality studies related. :)

Dream job? To run my own mental health practice🫶🏼

No pressure tags (& I’m sorry if you’ve been tagged already😩) @bearsbeetsbeskar @janaispunk @katiexpunk @punkshort @joels-shitty-puns @tightjeansjavi & anyone else who would like to join in on the fun :-)

✨💜Sirrah Redesign💜✨

Yet another character redesign 😂 and this definitely won’t be the last!

Very happy with Sirrah’s redesign! I gave her fangs and pointy ears to make her seem less human, and that necklace she has on is a gift from Vega! 💜

Her clothing is still a work in progress, but the outfit they have on works for now 😂

I missed Sirrah! So hopefully I’ll be able to draw her more in the near future! 💜✨

Original design under the cut!

Ways I think the Redacted bois would sign their names and some mini headcanons below

Let me know if I should do one with the listeners and their signatures ;)

@daveysangelsposts @davidshawswife

Personally, I had most fun asking friends to help me draw and come up with Vincent’s one. It’s my fave out of all of them, I think.

Asher took absolutely forever to make his writing look that neat. (With help from Babe, ofc)

Vega likes to try and put his horns everything to flaunt the fact that he’s in a demon, hence why the V has slightly curved edges in the shape of horns.

Caelum gets so excited putting his signature down that most of the time it comes out blocky and hard to read because he gets too energised.

Gavin won’t tell anyone, but he secretly loves putting his signature on literally everything, and Freelancer has teased him about it multiple times.

Huxley always curves his H’s like that (which Damien notices and always takes comfort in when he sees)

David’s “flawless” handwriting (as Angel likes to put it) has influenced his partner in trying to get their own signature just right. They tend to get hyper fixated on it and spends hours trying to draw it like their fiancé’s (FINALLY, I CAN SAY IT !!!)

I thought @slushrottweiler might also wanna see this! Let me know if you would rather stay untagged

Hope you enjoy <3