#Every single shot was like a hit of spice

[the-gom-jabbar]

Dune Part 2: *Throws in multiple shots of Paul waking into the desert alone*

Dune Messiah Fans: *vibrating*

[lych33dragoncookie]

Ok so about yesterday's post, I'm rly rly grateful for all the attention n feedback, I'm glad ppl resonate with my analysis stuff and that they're happy to find someone who understands the characters, buuuuut Since it's my most critical post till now it's garnered a few counterpoints that I kinda wanna address.

The first one, and the one that I understand the most; the people that were telling me to not lose hope and that they could do something more with this.

I... Appreciate the optimism! I really do, and if you believe this then obviously I hold no ill will towards you and if you can keep looking on the bright side then more power to you, but... Really, I think the moment and the chance have already passed, unfortunately.

Yes, I am genuinely saying that, unless they pull a miracle, whatever they do next is just... Not going to land. Definitely not as well as it would have to have a better ending to the story we got.

Here's the main thing, really. For one... What is Burning Spice even gonna do to get one over Golden Cheese again? He's already just about entirely outmatched, and so anything they do next is just gonna feel like a repeat of what they already did in this update. Though more importantly, I'm concerned with the fact that they can't really do this again, we just saw Golden Cheese at her lowest point, actually on the brink of death, more heavily damaged than we've ever seen anyone in this entire franchise, we got extra development for both her and Smoked Cheese, and the Spice Army is kind of just... Not there anymore. No one other than Nutmeg Tiger really has any faith in Burning Spice anymore. The setting, the stakes, the characters, everything that made this story hold up (until its god awful ending) isn't repeatable, not without making it feel like we're just doing the same thing again. They can't match the sheer level of visceral brutality either, not only because again the setting is gone but also because it really won't hit anywhere near as hard the second time around, and even they have limits for how far they're willing to go with it.

That's just kind of the thing. The one thing that makes me so mad about how much this ending sucked. This entire story is one of a kind, you can't do this again, because if you try, then it's not gonna hit anywhere near as hard the second time around. Hell, it'd be the third time we've seen Golden Cheese in a low spot that she ends up pulling through and recovering from, and the second time (with Burning Spice) was so much more extreme than the first one which is part of what made it work, you can't do that again.

The framing isn't replicable. The active contrast between the two primary characters, the brutality and viscerality of it all, the active rejection of Burning Spice's ideals in a golden blaze of glory, the reinforcement of Golden Cheese's will through an adversary completely opposite to her, it can't happen again. This is why you don't fumble a story like this, because once you've shot the round, it's spent. There's no getting it back. If you miss the shot, no matter how potent the weapon, it won't do anything, and there's no getting that shot back. Specially because, like... Are we forgetting that we're not done with Golden Cheese here? Why waste more time on retreading ground that we already covered with her encounter against Burning Spice, when instead it would be much better spent later on focusing on her relationship with White Lily, and how she handles the whole Dark Enchantress situation? Sure, I have no doubt all the beasts are gonna come back, but I really, really don't see them getting entire stories dedicated to each and every single one again, specially involving their respective ancients, because... They've. Already lost. And if you try to set up the same matchups, it's just gonna feel like doing the same thing all over again. If/when they come back, it's most likely gonna be more short-form, akin more to a boss rush, I'd imagine, because the alternative is... What, exactly? Just doing their chapters again? A second time? For each one? It just feels really weird to think about, honestly.

Just... Everything here. Every bit of it. Every bit of narrative paralleling with Golden Cheese, Smoked Cheese, Nutmeg Tiger, Burning Spice and both of the respective kingdoms/armies, it was all contained in this arc, and you can't just do the same thing all over again, specially when the thing you've got set up next for Golden Cheese is a meeting with White Lily. Unless you plan to have Silent Salt and Burning Spice team up for a 2v2 against White Lily and Golden Cheese or... Something..? Completely taking away from the 1v1 fated duel kinda thing they've had going on this entire time..? I dunno, man. I don't see how they could salvage this. They had their chance, and they wasted it. Like sand, slipping through their fingertips.

Alright, that's the big one out of the way. I saw the comments and RBs bring up a few other points, so I'll address those now.

The first one, with someone posing the idea that she did take Burning Spice's Soul Jam, and that's why hers' changed color.

... What?

That's... That's not shown. Ever. Sure, you have an animation of her soul jam going over Spice's and eclipsing it, but... That's. Kind of it? It's never implied at all, and worse yet, it's directly contradicted by the fact Spice still has his Soul Jam. Like. It's right there. You can see it.

You could say maybe it's just a case of reusing assets, that they wouldn't make a whole new asset just for this one cutscene, but, uh... ... They did. It's this one.

It shows up in absolutely no other cutscene, only the one where he's about to get smacked by Golden Cheese. If his soul jam was taken not only would we have seen it (like we did both times it's happened to the Ancients), not only would he have probably noticed because that is very much a material object, but we would have seen it, like we do when both GC and Dark Cacao's soul jams are gone. So, no, he absolutely still has it. Undeniably so. You can't take someone's soul jam power without physically taking it, at least not that we've seen.

Secondly, a few comments/tags saying that it makes sense for Nutmeg Tiger to go back to Burning Spice after his defeat.

... I mean... Yeah, I guess? Technically?

It's... Not out of character. She is obsessive, absolutely to a fault, and she is incredibly stubborn. My main complain isn't that it makes no sense, and more that it's a bit of a wasted opportunity. More specifically, the fact that she went back to him with nothing about either of them having changed at all. It would have been super interesting to see how she'd react to seeing her god rendered powerless, to have him lash out at her despite her loyalty to him, to have Burning Spice's hostility and complete lack of care catch up to him and end up isolating him from absolutely everyone who served under him. To have her conversation with Smoked Cheese to be proven tangibly true, proving that yes, he would just discard her the moment she stops being useful. And, the best part? You get to keep her alive to have her process everything that just happened! Because, guess what, Burning Spice lacks basically all his power now, meaning he can't just kill her on the spot! Hell, if you really, really wanted to have a villain for a followup update, it could be Nutmeg Tiger, disillusioned with her former god's promises, deciding she'd find a way to become the next great destroyer, or something like that. Maybe she'd try to find someone else to serve instead to give her life some sort of purpose? Who knows! There's so many options you could go with, rather than just... Resetting everything back to where we started.

Really, this part of the whole thing is the least of my concerns. She's not the biggest player in this update, but I think she would have benefited heavily from the "Burning Spice gets his Soul Jam taken away" route in terms of potential development. Alas... There's a good chance we'll never get to know what that would have even looked like.

Thirdly and lastly;

The argument that it wouldn't be in character for Golden Cheese to give Burning Spice another chance.

Okay, this is somewhat minor. I need to emphasize; when I gave that hypothetical scenario at the end of the last post, I meant it as like... A long term thing. Not something to happen within the chapter itself. Besides, it's just one of many paths you could go with a jamless Spice.

... I'm still holding my ground on it, though.

See... We've got to remember here: Burning Spice's immortality is the exact thing that got him here. Take that away, and what do you get? A large man with anger issues and no special powers; and absolutely no one to cover for the newfound weaknesses of a mortal, since he's alienated and wronged absolutely everyone loyal to him. Not the Kulfis, or Nutmeg Tiger, or any of the spicelings would be left to help him. He'd be on his own, entirely. Why would Golden Cheese ever even consider helping him in any way, you may ask? After all he did, after all the bloodshed, physical pain induced, and complete lack of remorse for any of his actions?

Simple. For the same reasons she gave Smoked Cheese and White Lily another chance.

The latter specially! At the end of the latest Beast Yeast chapter, Golden Cheese decided she's ready to talk to White Lily. White Lily, who, as far as she and everyone else is aware, is pretty much responsible for her kingdom being reduced to nothing but ash and crumbs. Of course, on an objective level, White Lily is much more understandable, specially since she now exists as a separate person from Dark Enchantress, but... In the end, does it matter? Are the actions themselves any different? No, not really. The level of destruction and decay are still the exact same.

The main difference is, while White Lily would at most be hesitant to accept forgiveness and feel really really bad (like mortifyingly bad) about what Dark Enchantress did, Burning Spice wouldn't be interested in such a thing.

And, honestly? I feel like Golden Cheese would know this. And, at first, she'd have absolutely no interest in actually helping him. To me, she'd occasionally visit to see how he's faring, how this oh-so-powerful god of destruction is doing now that he's just a powerless little commoner, a mortal like all the rest, teasing him, finding entertainment in his position, while he can't do anything about it. She gave him the mercy of life, but that doesn't mean she's not gonna be a little shit about it and have her fun. And he can't do anything about it, either! Truly, eternal torture. Powerless, mocked by your enemy, made to feel small, denied the satisfaction of a proper fight or a warrior's death... Lol, get fucked idiot.

Eventually, it would probably turn into teasing him about how her kingdom is shaping up quite nicely, how happy everyone there is, how it's such a shame that his short-sighted and hostile nature prevented him from ever knowing such comfort and luxury, how instead he's here fighting for his life in the land that he once ruled.

And then idk he almost gets himself killed in the middle of a spice storm or something and she refuses to give him the satisfaction of a quick death so she drags his sorry ass off to safety much to his absolute livid rage and idk you know where this kinda thing goes. Both parties here hate each other. But I feel like sooner or later, it could grow into a very begrudging living agreement where he works for her, day in and day out, to make up for everything he did, and as payment for being given somewhere to stay. A destroyer, helping to rebuild and elevate a civilization he was so intent on destroying, how ironic is that?

And then yuri or something idk. That part is optional I just like the idea.

... Can you tell I'm a Dragon Ball fan? I'm all too used to absurdly evil villains getting another chance and becoming either significantly less dangerous or outright good.

Yes, I'm looking at you, Vegeta. You may not have killed a single earthling, but you did almost directly cause the death of 4. And then over time, through many, many humiliations, and finding yourself a woman who can somehow handle how much of an arrogant cocky bastard you are, with a temper matching or surpassing your own, you settled down and built something infinitely better than what you had when you exerted your power over those under you. Seriously, watch Dragon Ball Z, it's really good. It somehow makes a redemption arc for a guy who's blown up planets feel genuinely believable and engaging.

... Right, Cookie Run.

Yeah, I think it would be perfectly in character for GC to refuse Burning Spice the warrior's death he so desperately wanted (you know finding something that can destroy him), take his soul jam, and after a good while of having fun with watching him flounder about as a mortal, drag his ass over to her kingdom to work for her to compensate for all the shit he's done. And it would be infinitely more interesting than what they actually ended up doing.

And... I think that's it!

I think that covers everything I wanted to say regarding my last post on the update. This is probably the last I'll have to say about it of my own accord, though you can definitely continue the conversation through asks (Always open!). I'm still really mad at how bad they fumbled, but...

Hey, that's what fan-fixing is for, isn't it? This ending may have sucked, but don't let that prevent you from making a better one yourself, through whatever your medium of preference is. Go ham. Because there's a good chance whatever you have in mind is infinitely better than whatever the hell they're planning to do next with Burning Spice.

Go absolutely nuts. I'll be watching on, and potentially participating, if writing motivation ever strikes.

Cya'll.

[brightlight-dazzlingeyes]

can i resquest something with balde where theyre friedns with benefits, with smut or spice

i have never written for him before, so that was a challenge, but i hope you like it!

nye fwb | alejandro balde

🎉 synopsis: Two best friends, the only single ones at their New Year’s Eve party, reluctantly share a midnight kiss as a joke, only to discover undeniable chemistry that leads them to an impulsive, awkward, and hilariously passionate first hookup, all while vowing to keep it casual. tags: friends to friends with benefits, banter, light smut, awkward but sweet. (written in 2nd person but no mention of yn) (around 2.6k words)

The music pounded through the speakers, someone had turned the living room into a makeshift dance floor, complete with cheap strobe lights and half-empty cups strewn across every available surface. Your friend group was spread out in their usual pairs, laughing, kissing, clinking glasses – a nauseating display of holiday cheer that only highlighted the fact that you were standing alone by the snack table, fiddling with a plastic champagne flute.

Alejandro Balde appeared at your side, effortlessly cool as usual, with a knowing smirk that immediately set off your internal alarms. “So,” he said, “what’s the plan for midnight?”

You blinked at him. “The plan?”

“Yeah. You and me,” he said with a grin that made your stomach flip. “Everyone else has someone. Seems like we might as well.”

You gasped. “Ale, that’s practically incest.”

He froze, his face contorting with genuine confusion. “It’s not like we’re related.”

“You know what I mean,” you said, already regretting the metaphor. “We’re in the same friend group. It would be weird.”

He shrugged, unfazed. “Weird how? Everyone else is dating. What’s the harm?”

You opened your mouth to argue, but the countdown had already begun. Ten seconds. Nine. Eight. Alejandro gave you a playful shove closer to him, his smirk daring you to argue.

Seven. Six. Five. Your eyes met his and he tilted his head, a silent question.

Four. Three. Two. Before you could overthink it, you leaned in, grabbing his shirt just as the clock struck midnight.

“Happy New Year,” he murmured.

“Happy New Year,” you echoed, and then his mouth was on yours.

The kiss was supposed to be casual, a brief acknowledgment of the holiday and your shared singleness, but it wasn’t. It was something else entirely. Heat surged between you, undeniable and immediate, and when you pulled back, his hand lingered at your waist.

“Okay,” he said, his voice a little unsteady, “what the hell was that?”

You shook your head, barely able to catch your breath. “I don’t know.”

“Do you want to…?” He trailed off, looking around the crowded room, and you understood what he meant without him finishing the sentence.

“Yeah,” you said, already grabbing his hand.

You ducked out of the main room and into a quiet hallway, finding an unoccupied corner. He kissed you again, more urgently this time, and your back hit the wall as his hands found your hips. It was reckless and impulsive and so completely unlike the two of you that it almost made you laugh – except you were too busy kissing him to care.

“This is insane,” he said.

“Probably,” you agreed, not moving an inch.

“So what happens now?”

“We make a deal,” you said, your voice steadier than you expected. “Just for tonight. We hook up, and then we go back to being friends tomorrow.”

He considered this for a moment. “Just tonight?”

“Just tonight,” you confirmed.

“Alright,” he said, “But you’re the one who’s going to have to stop me tomorrow.”

You were barely out of the hallway before Alejandro grabbed your hand again, pulling you through the crowd. “You’re gonna get us caught,” you hissed, dodging someone’s drink as you stumbled after him.

“Relax,” he shot back, looking over his shoulder with a grin that was way too confident for someone sneaking off like that. “No one’s paying attention.”

You looked around, heart hammering, sure someone was watching – but nope. Everyone was too busy making out or singing off-key to whatever remix was blaring. You were invisible.

He stopped in front of a random door upstairs, jiggled the handle, and – thankfully – it opened. “After you,” he said, giving a dramatic bow like he was inviting you into a five-star suite instead of what looked like someone’s guest room.

“Oh, how romantic,” you deadpanned, stepping inside. The room was small, a pile of coats sat at the foot of the bed, a forgotten casualty of the party. “You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet.”

Alejandro kicked the door shut, leaning back against it with a shrug. “Hey, you knew what you signed up for.” His smirk was back, but he also looked nervous, maybe? Or was that just wishful thinking?

“Right,” you muttered, suddenly hyper-aware of how quiet it was. Alejandro stood there, hands shoved in his pockets, looking at you like he was trying to figure out the next move.

“So, uh –”

“You’re being awkward,” you blurted, crossing your arms.

“Me? You’re being awkward,” he shot back, but there was a laugh tucked in there, soft and a little shaky.

“Okay, shut up,” you said, stepping closer because if you stood there analyzing his face any longer, you were going to combust.

“Gladly,” he murmured, meeting you halfway.

The kiss was messy, rushed, the kind of kiss that made you both laugh against each other’s mouths because your noses bumped. His hands landed on your waist, yours tangled in his shirt, and for a second, you thought, Wow, this is going to be the most awkward thing we’ve ever done.

Then his lips moved against yours, slower this time, and you thought, Okay, maybe not.

Clothes started coming off – or at least, you tried. Alejandro got tangled in his sweater, swearing under his breath as he fought to pull it over his head. You snorted, trying (and failing) to hide your laugh.

“Oh, you think this is funny?” he asked, finally freeing himself and tossing the sweater onto the coat pile.

“A little,” you admitted, reaching for the buttons on your shirt.

“Need help?” he teased, stepping closer.

“Nope, I’m good –” One of the buttons snagged, and you groaned. “Okay, maybe.”

He grinned, brushing your hands aside to do it himself. His fingers fumbled, though, and you caught the way his ears flushed. “See? Not so easy, is it?”

“Shut up,” he mumbled, but his voice was warm, fond, the way it always got when it was just the two of you.

Once the shirt was off, things started moving faster. His lips found your neck, and you bit back a laugh. “Sorry,” he murmured, pulling back.

“No, it’s – it’s fine,” you said quickly, tilting your head. “Just… different.”

“Good different?”

You nodded, your hands tracing his chest, and his breathing hitched. “Good different.”

Finally, you ended up on the bed, your legs tangled together as you laughed at the way the mattress squeaked every time one of you shifted. “This bed is going to rat us out,” you muttered, and he laughed, his breath warm against your shoulder.

“Guess we better make it quick, then.”

“Smooth,” you said, rolling your eyes, but the teasing edge in your voice softened when his lips found your collarbone.

Things slowed down, the nervousness melting into something more natural. His hands skimmed over your skin, careful but confident, and you couldn’t help but wonder if he’d always been this good at making you feel like the center of the universe.

When his mouth moved lower, you squirmed instinctively, a mix of surprise and nervous laughter bubbling up. His lips brushed even lower, taking their time, tasting your most special place. Every press was soft and maddening in a way that left you breathless. You let out a shaky exhale, his hands sliding to your sides to steady you as you squirmed again. It was impossible not to; the slow, deliberate way he was working his way down was almost too much.

And then, all at once, it was electric. He found a rhythm that made your breath hitch, your fingers curling into the sheets, and suddenly you were less concerned about what he was doing and more concerned about how you could possibly keep yourself together.

“Alejandro,” you managed, your voice breaking on the second syllable.

“Yeah?” he asked, his voice muffled but full of infuriating confidence.

You had no answer – at least, not one you could give in words. Your head tipped back, your eyes squeezing shut as a wave of heat rolled through you, every nerve ending sparking to life. It was overwhelming, intense, and completely unexpected, and when the sensation finally crested, it left you boneless and breathless.

He gave you a moment to catch your breath, pressing a few soft kisses against your skin as you blinked up at the ceiling, your heart pounding in your ears. Finally, he lifted his head, resting his chin lightly against your hip as he looked up at you, his grin now warm and a little too proud.

“What’s that look for?” you asked, as you fought to steady your voice.

“Nothing,” he said, but the sparkle in his eyes said otherwise.

When it was your turn to take control, you didn’t hesitate – not because you weren’t nervous (oh, you were), but because he had ignited something competitive in you. You flipped the roles with a little more enthusiasm than grace, pushing him onto his back and sliding down just far enough to see the way his expression shifted from confident to wide-eyed in an instant.

“You’re squirming,” you pointed out, grinning as you hovered over him.

“Yeah, well,” he said, swallowing hard, his voice taking on a breathy edge that made your cheeks heat. “I don’t exactly hate it.”

His hands found your hair, firm but hesitant, like he wasn’t sure whether to guide you or let you figure it out. That flicker of uncertainty in his otherwise unshakable confidence was a rush all its own, and you couldn’t resist leaning in, testing the waters with a teasing press of your lips.

When you finally took all of him in your mouth, his sharp intake of breath sent a thrill through you, even as your own nerves were jangling. You took your time, trying to find a rhythm, listening closely to the soft sounds he couldn’t quite suppress.

“Not – oh,” he started, his voice breaking on the word. His hands tensed on your hair, fingers flexing, and you couldn’t help but smile around him, the movement making him groan.

“Not fair,” he muttered, his voice tight but laced with a laugh that was almost disbelieving.

“Mmf,” you mumbled, trying to answer. You pulled back slightly, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, but your mouth was still otherwise occupied. Whatever you were trying to say came out garbled, and his laugh turned breathless.

“Okay, what?” he asked, tilting his head to look down at you, his grin equal parts adoring and amused.

You tried again, this time letting go long enough to say, “Fair’s overrated.” But before you could get the words out properly, his hips shifted under you, and you couldn’t stop the surprised little noise that escaped you.

“Fair’s... overrated,” you managed, your voice muffled but determined.

He let out a soft, shaky laugh, his head tipping back against the pillow. 

The way his whole body reacted, every little twitch and stuttered breath was feeding your confidence. You leaned into it, testing your own boundaries, boundaries you hadn’t even realized you wanted to cross, until his groan melted into a laugh.

“Alright,” he said after a moment, his voice ragged but tinged with amusement. “Now you’re just showing off.”

You pulled back slightly, wiping at your lips with the back of your hand as you looked up at him. “Maybe,” you said, grinning as you tilted your head to meet his gaze.

The grin he gave you in return was crooked, lazy, and completely disarming. “You’re way too good at this,” he murmured, his voice softening. 

“Okay,” you said, breathless. “How do we... do this?”

He shifted, positioning himself above you, his hands braced on either side of your shoulders as he looked between you and the tangled mess of limbs you’d somehow become. “Uh, I think we’re supposed to know this part?”

“You’d think,” you shot back, biting your lip to keep from laughing again as he adjusted slightly.

The first attempt position was straightforward, a classic, but something wasn’t clicking. You both froze halfway through, his face hovering above yours as he raised an eyebrow.

“Is this... okay?” he asked, his voice soft but a little uncertain.

You tilted your head, considering it. “I mean, it’s fine, but –”

“Fine?” He feigned offense, pulling back with an exaggeratedly wounded look.

You snorted, nudging him playfully with your knee. “I didn’t mean you, I meant – this! It’s not quite... you know.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, holding up a hand like he was calling a timeout. “We’ll try something else.”

The second attempt involved a lot of shuffling, some trial-and-error, and more than a few awkward laughs. At one point, his elbow slipped, and he nearly face-planted into your shoulder.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, as he tried to stabilize himself.

“You good down there?” you teased, fighting the urge to dissolve into giggles.

“Barely,” he admitted, his grin returning as he shifted again. “Alright, let’s think – there’s gotta be a better way.”

After another failed attempt, you both collapsed onto the bed, laughing so hard you could barely breathe. “This is a disaster,” you said between giggles, wiping at your eyes.

“Hey, don’t give up on me yet,” Alejandro said, propping himself up on one elbow. “I think I’ve got an idea.”

“Oh?” you asked, skeptical but intrigued as he sat up, his eyes thoughtful.

“Yeah,” he said, moving back into position. He reached for your leg, lifting it carefully until your knee was bent at a sharp angle. “What about... this?”

You blinked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Ale, what are you doing?”

“Just trust me,” he said, his grin widening.

And somehow, against all odds, that worked. The moment he adjusted your leg, the angle shifted, and everything clicked into place. Your breath hitched as a bolt of something electric shot through you, and judging by the way Alejandro froze, his grip tightening slightly, he felt it too.

“Wait,” he said, his voice a mix of surprise and awe. “That’s –”

“Yeah,” you cut in, nodding quickly. “That’s good. Really good.”

He let out a shaky laugh, his head dropping forward for a moment before he met your eyes again, his grin returning full force. “Told you I knew what I was doing.”

“Don’t get cocky,” you teased, though your breathlessness undercut the jab.

“Too late,” he said, his tone softening as he found a rhythm that made your toes curl. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“You’re not too bad yourself,” you managed, though it came out a little broken as the intensity built.

The teasing slowed, replaced by murmured encouragements and soft gasps as you both found a really good rhythm. You lost track of time, the moment stretching out until you both hit your peak together, a shared rush that left you dazed.

When it was over, Alejandro slumped beside you, his arm draped lazily across your stomach as you both tried to catch your breath.

“Okay,” he said, “So that happened.”

“Yep,” you said, popping the ‘p’ as you turned your head to look at him.

He looked at you, his grin softening. “You good?”

You nodded, a small smile tugging at your lips. “You?”

“Yeah,” he said, rolling onto his side to face you. “I mean, unless you’re gonna roast me for, like, the next decade.”

“Oh, I absolutely am,” you said, your laugh breaking the tension.

“Fair,” he said, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from your face. “But for the record, this was... nice. You’re nice.”

“Don’t make it weird,” you said, but your voice was warm, and so was the way you leaned into his touch.

“Too late,” he teased, pulling you closer.

[sinsandsweetness]

Longing (sex and zombies-chapter 3)

(all chapters here)

pairing- {Rick x fem!reader}

summary- A girl can dream right?

warnings- 18+ content, MDNI, though no actual smut in this chapter, it is still suggestive.

“Hunny, why on earth would you sleep in that thing?” Lori brushed your hair out of your face. She treated you like her kid. It kind of threw you off. Seeing as you daydreamed about her husband and all. Whether she could tell or not it didn’t show. 

But she’d cut your hair. Clean your clothes. Check on you like a mom. And the weirdest part is that you liked it. Made you feel safe. Well, not the same safe that Rick or Daryl made you feel. But one that comforted you in a way only a mom could. 

“Daryl was snoring.” you give her a weak smile and follow her into the house. 

“Go shower sweetie, your hair is all funky. Shane just finished up.”

She motioned upstairs. You could use a shower. She was right. “I’ll go grab my clothes-” 

“Already did,” she handed you the pile she’d picked out. Like you were in third grade again. Mom picking out your outfit. You glanced at Rick who was grabbing a plate of food. 

You mumbled a thank you and headed to the shower. Passing Shane on the way down. 

“Princess sleep ok last night?” he teased and ruffled your bed head some more. You rolled your eyes but continued up the stairs. 

Maggie was criss cross applesauce on her bed when she spoke, “We saw you you know.” She didn’t look up from her toes. 

“Who?” You leaned against her doorway. 

“You and Daryl. In the truck” 

“Not who did you see. Who is ‘we’?” 

“Oh.” She looked up at you. “Me and Glenn.” The slightest blush found her cheeks.

Whatever. Word was bound to get around at some point. It was honestly impressive that you'd kept it on the low for as long as you had. You shrugged. 

“Want yours?” She motioned to the nail polish bin on her bed. 

“After?” You motioned to the shower and she nodded. 

There was still steam from Shane’s shower. It smelled like man, maybe old spice, something delicious. You washed your hair, combed the conditioner through. Letting the water wash away your thoughts of Daryl and the smell of the leather truck seats.

Taking the sweetest smelling body wash you could find, velvet cupcake something or other, you scrubbed every inch of your body. Down to your bare toes. 

You dried off and dressed in the very modest Jeans and t-shirt that Lori had picked out.You skipped the bra, throwing it onto Maggie’s bed instead. Maggie painted your toenails a bubble gum pink. She was sweet to you, treated you like a sister. It clearly came easy to her. 

“Sooo… was he any good?” She asked with a smirk. 

You didn’t want to smile but it happened anyway. 

She smacked your arm lightly. “You dirty little-“

You chuckled, rubbing the spot she’d hit. 

“Maggie! Beth!” Hershel called from the main level. 

“You better tell me more later.” She whispered and shot off the bed heading downstairs. You followed after. Not without a quick spray of perfume from her dresser though. Now that you smelled like a cupcake and marshmallows, maybe Rick would be even more inclined to let his touch linger on your back as he walked by. Or lean down to talk in your ear when you pretended you couldn’t hear him that well. A girl can dream right?

-------------------------

Two pancakes. One egg. Handful of Raspberries. Breakfast was amazing. You couldn’t lie, Carol could cook. Shane dipped his pancake in your syrup earning a playful scowl from yourself. 

“How’s the cushions in that pickup ?” He asked, a flirty grin forming on his face. “They uh,” his gaze glanced at Daryl from across the room, “...nice and comfy?” 

He knew too. Jesus Christ. Not a single secret could be kept on this damn farm. 

“Comfier than your bed...” you mumble under your breath. But he heard. Earned you a kick under the table too.You glared at him but your smile escaped anyway.

“They were fine thanks for asking,” you straightened up and said a little louder, letting Daryl and Lori both hear the answer to the question they’d clearly heard. 

“Slept like a baby.” You made eye contact with Daryl. He grunted and ate another pancake. 

“You gonna help me n’ Rick with that barn?” Shane changed the subject. 

“Mhm” you nod with a mouth full of pancake. 

“Alright we’ll meet you out there in 20?” He got up and patted your shoulder. Shane didn’t need an answer,he knew you'd be there in 10. 

It was hot. The sun was already blaring down on the field. Everyone was outside, gardening, washing clothes. Doing anything to help keep busy. 

Gravel crunched beneath your shoes as you rounded the little barn.

“I thought you were gonna stay inside, and help the Greene’s?” Rick asked as you approached his work bench behind the barn. 

“Shane wanted me here.” 

“Is that right?” His eyebrow raised.

You nod. 

“Okay well you're sanding then” It was clear he was trying not to smile as he shook his head.

You helped the men with the barn. Mostly sanding boards and grabbing tools. Sometimes Shane would make you climb up there with him to hold something in place while he hammered. Lori brought out some sandwiches and water at lunch. You laid on the roof soaking in the heat of the day. Your shirt became shorter and shorter as you lifted it up your stomach. Allowing the sun to warm as much skin as possible. 

You eavesdropped on the conversation below you. Starting out rather innocent until Shane brought up the truck. 

“You know they did it last night right? Good ol’ make up sex,” he bit another piece of his sandwich off. 

“Shh man she can hear you” Rick shushed the man. 

“Nah she can’t. She’s in her own little world up there trust me.”

 A long pause. Rick pretended not to care. But he wasn't doing a great job.

“Did you see them?” He finally asked.

“Nah but Glenn told me he saw Daryl dragging her over there and then, well the damn truck started shaking man” 

“And this is relevant how?” 

“Oh come one, if he could pull her? You could have your way with her too. I’m sure she’d let you,” he paused. 

“…little cocktease like her, roaming around the camp in her short shorts and you’re telling me you haven’t even thought about it?” 

No answer. 

“Not even when she wears them little sundresses?”

“I’m married.” 

“We’ll I ain’t. And goddamnit Ricky I wanna taste that sweet- “

“Shane!” 

Shane laughed and you couldn’t help but smile up at the clouds. Rick didn’t say no. You knew he’d thought about it. Maybe in Atlanta before. Maybe in the closet. Maybe on another run or hike through the woods. Even just around the farm when you’d catch him looking at your chest, glistening from sweat. His gaze dipping lower, going as far as to notice there wasn’t a bra underneath your tank top. 

After lunch, Shane nailed another board into the roof. How long would this take? You were starting to sweat. 

“You gonna tell me about it or make me torture it outta you?” Shane asked looking up at you. Confused, you raise an eyebrow. He licked his lips.

“Daryl? Really?”

You rolled your eyes. 

“Musta been good if you forgave him already,”

"I haven't." But you couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I mean how was he? Honestly I thought the kid was a virgin. Beats me.” He hammered another mail. “Did you… did he make you… you know?”

“God Shane!” You smacked his forearm. 

“Aw come on baby girl, I’m just teasin’” His voice lowered, so Rick wouldn’t hear him from the ground. A tiny smile pulled at your lips as you looked up at the man. Your mind wandered to thoughts of him and Rick both taking you in the back of some clothing store, out on a run. Their hands and mouths torturing your body, earning those sounds you couldn’t ever keep in. A fantasy that you’d had the time to perfect in your couple days of sulking in solitude. 

Around the fire that night you laid your head in Shane’s lap, facing Lori and Rick. Both of whom seemed a little annoyed by it. Shanes hand rubbing your scalp and playing with your hair mindlessly as he kept a conversation with Dale about some part he needed for the RV. 

You thought about how you’d probably end up sleeping in the truck again. You were too sore to let Daryl even think about dragging you for another “walk”. 

Lori took Carl to bed. The other women shortly after. It was just you, Rick, Daryl, and Shane. Wonderful. Tension in the air thick as honey, you felt it was your best bet to try and escape. 

“Night” you try to leave the fire pit but Shane grabs your hand bringing you back down next to him. 

“Where do you think you're going?”

“Bed.” you brush him off again. 

“Who’s?” He looked at Daryl briefly. Then to Rick. Then back to you. 

“Ugh,” you couldn’t even help the scoff that left your mouth. What an instigator. 

Leaving the three men to talk amongst themselves, you grabbed Daryl’s spare sleeping bag and his pillow and walked along the driveway down to the truck. Setting up a cozy little nest. It would have to do. 

-------------------------

You woke up early. The birds chirping in the trees couldn’t help but make you smile. You slipped your shoes on and went for a walk around the house. Went to the stables. Quick hello to the horses. Then circled back to Daryl’s tent. You needed some new clothes.

Stepping into the tent, Daryl’s back peaked through his sleeping bag. Eyeing his tattoo and the scars covering his shoulder blade, you grabbed your whole bag, you’d go to the house to change. Let the man sleep. Not that he normally let you. 

Everyone wanted to join the run that day. For the motorhome part. If Hershel wanted your group gone, then you would need a reliable ride. And the RV had been acting up lately according to Dale. So the run was for car parts and batteries. And if you were lucky maybe a vibrator. That’d help keep you out of anyone's tent. 

Reluctantly, you were allowed to join the run. 

“Sweetie you’ve had a tough couple weeks, maybe you should rest here?” Lori suggested. Looking for Sophia, the guys at the bar. And then… well, another run in with random men who’d probably want to hurt you, had they been smart enough to open the closet door. 

“I am over rested at this point” you groan. 

“She’ll be good, little fresh air never killed no one” Shane responded. Rick nodded in agreement. 

“I’ll come too,” Maggie, out of breath, jogged up to the truck, surrounding the little group. “Daddy made me a list so…”

“Alright that’s enough then. Otherwise we’re leaving your father to protect the place all alone.”

You, Daryl, Rick, Shane, Dale, Glenn, and Maggie now. Kind of a big group for a little run. But everyone was getting antsy at the farm. Andrea was only alright with it after being told she could do gun training with the Greene’s that day. 

No luck with the vibrator. Not that you’d expected it. But it woulda been a nice surprise. In fact, the run had been kind of a bust. Dale hadnt found the part he needed, and a hoard of walkers came through the town, blocking you all in the dealership. Forced to wait it out. Thankfully it wasn’t going towards the farm. But you waited for what seemed like hours. Glenn and Maggie had disappeared to the break room. Shane and Dale were caught up in conversation about lord knows what. You couldn’t see them, hidden in one of the display cars. You were sitting right next to Rick on the ground of the dealership, behind the receptionist desk. Everyone hidden from the walls. No walkers could see in. 

“You don’t have to sleep in that thing, ” Rick scratched at a splotch of dirt on your pant leg. “Shane said his tent has room.” Of course he would. He’d offered his tent up even before the farm. And honestly, Shanes tent started to sound like a nice change after being fucked and left in a truck. 

“It’s not so bad.” You lied.

“You really still that mad at Daryl?”

You shrugged. Kinda. Not really. But he had acted like a complete asshole.

Rick's hand started to make its way up and down your thigh, rubbing mindlessly. Pushing a limit even you could see. 

“It’s not the comfiest thing in the world…” you say softly, looking up at the man. 

“I can’t imagine.”

You rolled your eyes. Which earned a quiet laugh from Rick. 

“He didn’t mean those things,” Rick offered. Maybe he hadn’t. Those harsh words when you’d finally gotten back from your run. The one that didn't… go according to plan.

“Doesn’t matter. He was right,” 

He’d yelled at you in front of everyone. Made a big scene. And then spat the most hurtful choice of words he could. You made it back alive, and he didn’t even seem to acknowledge that.

“He was worried about you. We all were. He just… expresses that differently.”

You nodded, looking down at the hand on your leg.

You stayed there for a few minutes. Not talking. Just enjoying the feeling of Rick's touch.

You didn’t realize how close you were to Rick until you felt your foot fall asleep. In an attempt to switch positions, you lost your balance, falling into the man. Both of your eyes wide, staying still and quiet to make sure you hadn’t made too much noise. Moving only when it was safe, into a comfier position. And that was basically laying on top of Rick at that point. His hands on your waist, as he kept glancing down between you, breathing slowly. But your hands were on his chest, and your legs tangled in his. And…well you couldn’t help it. You leaned in and pressed your lips to his. A single soft, gentle peck. Then a deep breath. 

He shook his head. Not now. But even then, he let you stay on top of him, pulled you in closer even. 

Tucking your head under his chin, he rubbed up and down your arms and your back, and though he’d never admit it, you could feel him underneath you. It took everything in you not to move your hips against him. What you didn’t know was that it took everything in him not to move them for you. 

When the hoard let up, you’d all loaded into the vehicle, practically empty handed. 

Every time Rick shifted gears, his hand would brush your knee. Sometimes he’d even keep it there. Shane, on the other side of you, toyed with a small rip in your jeans, furthering the damage to the denim. You squeezed your legs together at one point when both mens hands were on you. Desperately trying to get some sort of relief. That earned a smirk from them both. 

Knowing exactly what they were doing to you. 

(next chapter)

[sinukiyo]

Hi Kiyo,

So I just wanna say that your fanfiction, Behind the Mask, (Ken Sato x Ami Wakita) was probably the best fanfiction I have ever read. I honestly can read this everyday and today my first day reading and just finished the whole thing just now. The story that you wrote is just purely precious and the spice (NSFW) just hits me so hard also there are some scenes that made me have so many emotions I cannot describe enough. Its joy and its def the best thing I have read this year. So thank you very much. But I have a question though, are you planning to make more Ultraman fanfics because if you are, I am ready (especially the Ken Sato x Ami Wakita one).

I hope you have a good day

Thank you again for writing us a very good fanfiction I love it 😊

From your new fan and fanfic reader

Atom

P.S Do you like Taylor Swift. I am looking for Swifties to befriend with.

Hello!

Thank you for the ask! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the story.

I don’t really have plans to write a full story for Ken and Ami the way I did with Behind the Mask right now. Maybe in the future, but not right now.

I still want to write about them though so one-shot requests are welcome. You can send an ask painting a scenario you’d like to see Ken and Ami in (maybe one you wanted to happen in Behind the Mask that didn’t) and I’ll work around it. (NSFW included)

Thank you once again❤️

Also, I wouldn’t call myself a swiftie because I don’t know enough about Taylor but I do love every single song I’ve heard from her. My boyfriend is a swiftie so most of the recommendations I get come from him. I’m open to new ones though✨

[acebytaemin]

top 5 perfumes, top 5 makeup products & top 5 songs you would play to bracha… 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🤭💘

ouhhh i haven’t actually gotten to smell very many perfumes that i liked 😔 i truly mostly don’t like anything (at least out of the things i’ve gotten to smell which is all like. drugstore available stuff like no niche perfumery things which i rly do want to get into!) howeverrr… i do have some that i like:

1. killian angel’s share (i WILL buy this for myself.. one day 🧿)

2. givenchy l’interdit rouge

3. d&g the only one = ysl libre intense

4. tom ford black orchid

5. fuckass lush honey i washed the kids LMFAO i really love it it’s my after-shower scent, doesn’t smell incredible upon first spritz but it develops into this gorgeous subtly sweet scent that i looove to go to sleep with. same goes for lush twilight but it’s a lavender scent so you’d hate it kfhskkd

makeup products well 🤭 i WOULD usually put l’oreal 24h matte foundation here prob as number one however i haven’t worn foundation in almost a full year now so!

1. fenty beauty gloss bombs yes they’re incredible yes they’re worth it. every single cent. i get one every time i travel somewhere w a Sephora LMAO i currently have fenty glow & fu$$y currently 💋

2. maybelline lifter gloss (currently own 5 tubes (moon, 2x silk, topaz, red flag and looking to get more i need one in every bag at every occasion. way cheaper but also way less thick/long lasting version of fenty)

3. maxfactor 2000 calories mascara in waterproof listen no matter how i flip it no matter which mascara i try (ive tried too faced, benefit, ysl, dior and soooo fawking ON) this one is just IT. the only one with such good separation and holding up a curl and lasting the entire day. my main girl always

4. nudestix! i have 3 shades rn (naughty n spice, bondi bae, in the nude) i use them depending on my mood for the day as blush & bronzer and they give such a beautiful sunkissed vibe i love them sm. longwearing too

5. maybelline age rewind (fuck you in advance teo) concealer in shade 5 brightener it’s so good stays all day doesn’t crease mwaaah mwah i also use it for spot concealing if i get spots 😌 gorgeous & cheap you gotta love it

BEST FOR LAST…. literally where do i beginnnn bang chan answer my calls i need you to HEAR my vision. this is just going to be off the top of my head bc if i really got out my playlists and started to get into this i’d need to quit my job to focus on this alone 🙏🏼

1. periferija by voyage & nucci i have already gone ON abt this and i want to show this to them with super selfish intent like to talk them into doing something similar bc i just really really truly need chan and changbin going STUPID on a balkan beat it’s actually crucial to me. lyrics gotta be in a similar vein too A JA JAK KAO TERIJER i know you know. these fits bc you KNOW i need the tank top + chain combo

2. nad****a by zera oh listen this is again selfish of me bc i have this VISION of all of them doing this and ofc felix starts the song what with ‘dragon’ being in the meaning of his name and it’s gotta be a super dynamically shot video kinda like aespa supernova only at the club. felix insane face to voice ratio has to shock your system within the first 5 seconds of a song for it to truly HIT so he goes ‘ko zmaj bebo ja sam tako nadrkana’ [slaps the camera away from himself] ‘oko nas samo momci s lošim navikama’ [an almost 360 spin of the camera wherein you see bracha and then it gets to hyunjin who gets the next line] ‘ceo splav noćas popunjen je barbikama’ [zoom out to see all of danceracha aka my pretty dollface racha w hyunjin in the middle] i could go on. what i personally would change abt the song though is instead of the prechorus/verses i would do a lot of rapping i know my bracha would devour the track i am 100000% sure of it. the one other line i would NEED to keep is chan doing ‘gde god dođem imam pratnju kao predsednik’ ofc coupled w a shot of them all behind him 😌 uhm can you tell this was ALL i thought abt on todays walk LMFAOOOO i need to be like. sedated

3. keeping it SHORT NOW PROMISEEE i just gotta show nyokosuzi to my channieeeeeee i know he’d love it i know he’d relate jebeni lider etc you know how it goes i would LOVE to see his flustered face LMFAO you know how he writes the most suggestive nastiest lyrics and then pretends he doesn’t know shit. Yes exactly

4. opanci - nucci LOOK the nasty fucking tone of voice this man has just screams changbin to me and the mix of traditional singing w the rap strikes a chord to me (loš momak by nikolija another good example) i just think they’d both love it anddd sound so good on the track it’s a win win situation

5. a classic.. GLUH I NIJEM ZBOG NJE i can’t explain to you how much i want a bouncy beat from chan i know he’s got it in him ive heard what he can do. if they WANT to be pathetic i neeeeed ‘bacam ruže sto i jednu ružu na kučku bez duše ❤️‍🩹’ energy over a delicious beat and not fuckass lose my breath with underwhelming vocals type pathetic shit (+ bonus something like Divljam w the bouncy beat and added balkan spice in the instrumental PLUSS kako gleda me ko vučica vuka no no now ive said too much.)

[83tu]

get to know mitsu pt. 1

i hit 20 answers on bsky so

1. fave beverage? non alc is full sugar strawberry / lychee milk or tiger milk tea boba, extra caffeine if she can get it alc is peach sake jelly shots

2. fave flavor? sweet sweet SWEET, she despises sour and bitter and can eat spicy but claims it hurts her mouth

3. fave food? green onion potato chips, oyakodon, shishamo, cherry garcia ice cream. frankly she eats almost everything and has a very strong stomach and can be paid to eat weird things

4. dessert (parfaits) > snacks > breakfast (pastries) > dinner > lunch every meal must also have a corresponding dessert if she can manage it

5. hated flavor / food? bitter and sour are on mitsus no go list, she can't stand it (umeboshi is a rare exception, as are limes) she also won't touch most raw vegetables. she'll throw the plate if her meal has green pepper in it

6. tolerate spicy food? to an extent. probably better than shy, but compared to a lot of others she knows, she comes across as a massive baby about it. it also depends on the spice, like wasabi and ginger dont bother her but chili peppers do

7. fave animal? small, purse sized, conventionally cute ones. rabbits, lap dogs, hamsters and etc? but shes actually Not into cats like at all, they piss her off when she can't get their attention. she'd have a pomeranian and name it 'gucci' or 'princess' 100%

8. what do they wear to bed? teeny ass pjs (always a cropped top and shorts), lingerie or absolutely nothing she varies from this mostly only if she's sick and then she steals shy or wrens clothes

9. what position do they sleep in? on her stomach typically, and her 4'9" ass can 100% manage to take up the majority of a california king despite being teeny tiny because she surrounds herself in every pillow and then kicks them away through the course of the night

10. morning person or night owl? honestly neither? she'll wake up midday and then still conk out at like 2 AM max while shy is still full steam going and then repeat the process again (she's only seen shy sleeping a handful of times which is more than 100% of other people whove never seen it)

12. its a rainy day, what do they do inside? if shys there? bang no shy? online shopping, reality tv and ordering so much doordash because she can't cook a single thing and also she thinks it's funny people would have bring her things in the rain (she tips like $1, idk how shes not blacklisted)

13. fave scent or smell? ooo, this is a good question... probably something sugary, like a fresh baked donut or cookies? also shys cologne which is something very high priced and mellow. also strawberry shampoo.

14. what do they smell like? hmm... this a tough one. something soft and sweet, her fave scents are the same sorts of things she likes to wear (for herself or when she goes out, she won't at home because shys not a fan) she REALLY avoids floral though

15. baths or showers? baths! *slaps the vanity mirror* this bad boy can hold so many bath bombs and fizzers

16. how good are they at cooking? nightmare levels bad despite the desire to also be the picturesque tiktok trophy wife aesthetic online. burns water levels of bad. if u watch a clip of her cooking a beautiful meal on insta just know it was majorly faked and edited and NOT cooked by her

17. fave time of year? why? mitsu loves summer actually because shes a huge fan of shorts and swimming / "sunbathing"* / just laying around in her bikini by the side of the pool (not the beach, beach has too much sand) * she doesnt actually lay in the sun and she wears a fuckton of sunscreen

18. fave holiday? valentines!!! not ONLY is it her birthday but it's also just soooo romantic and one of the holidays shy is willing to go all out on (lowkey cause it's a 2 in 1)

19. prefer to buy or recieve gifts? recieve, I dont think she's bought a single person a gift in years without prompting. she had to be reminded that yes you /should/ bring a gift to your bffs wedding because that is your FRIEND admittedly tho she does "treat" people a lot cause she loves going out

20. how tall are they? how do they feel about it? ~ 4'9" mitsu loves being this short, it makes everyone underestimate her and treat her like shes feeble or weak. she uses that to her advantage constantly. this height also makes her and shys height gap SO tall and thats her kink

[dross-the-fish]

If it’s alright, I’d like to see a drabble of how an argument between Dorian & Basil would go. If they argue. If not, then just an interaction.

TW for physical and emotional abuse. Dorian is not kind to Basil at all

....

The breakfast hall was silent save for the clink of china cups hitting saucers and spoons against bowls. For Basil this silence was a reprieve from the usual insults and tantrums. He only hoped Dorian would not break it today.  Then he saw Dorian put down his spoon, stare thoughtfully and open his mouth. With an inward groan Basil realized his hopes were going to be dashed before he had even made it half way through his second cup of tea.

“Enjoying your breakfast?” Dorian gestured at the bland porridge Basil had chosen while his own plate was laden with decadent fruits and cheeses. He picked up a plump grape and sucked it suggestively before chewing and swallowing it with relish.

Basil tried not to snap at him as he replied, “Yes, it’s fine,” he had found he was unable to stomach the rich foods Dorian loved to indulge in. Whether from stress, age or a combination of the two Basil had found that in recent years exotic cheeses, heavy spices and an abundance of wine increasingly made him sick with indigestion. Dorian had taken this as an opportunity, for every meal, to load the table with all of the things he knew Basil couldn’t eat, displaying an endless feast while providing Basil only a single bowl of porridge or a wedge of dry toast. He knew it was a petty punishment. Dorian blamed Basil for their current state of affairs and Basil didn’t entirely disagree that he was to blame.

He had loved Dorian once, the pure, innocent boy he’d met when they were both young and he’d tried so hard to capture that image in the portrait so that it could live forever. The beauty of the portrait had driven Dorian to become obsessed with his own appearance and to dread the ravages of time. So, he had made a bargain and trapped Basil with him in an endless loop of torment neither of them could escape.

Dorian had remained young and beautiful while Basil had grown old. After he had painted Dorian’s portrait Basil had been unable to reproduce the quality in any of his other works and his career as an artist died. He felt as if he had put his entire soul into Dorian’s portrait and so was unable to part from it and from its subject. So here he sat, an impoverished sixty-year-old man, sharing a table with an eternal twenty-year-old boy and waiting for that boy to cut him down cruelly and break his heart like he did every day.

Dorian’s rosy lips pulled into a cold grin, “It suits you, something bland and pallid, mushy.”

There it was, the shot at his weight. Basil swallowed a spoonful of the porridge that seemed to have turned to ash in his mouth. As he had grown older Basil had lost his own youthful beauty, his stomach had grown soft and there was a pad of fat under his chin that bulged when he bent his head down. His father had been fat in middle age, so had his grandfather, he’d know it would be his fate. A fate Dorian had managed to avoid entirely.

Basil sighed, unwilling to continue this cruel, childish game, “Yes, Dorian, I have grown old. That isn’t the brutal insult you think it is. I’ve no fear of getting older like some people,” he struggled to keep his voice calm, to produce an affect of boredom.

Dorian’s attractive face crumpled in momentary rage and then smoothed, “That’s funny, I seem to remember someone lamenting that youth was fleeting. Didn’t you paint me over and over again because you were terrified my beauty would fade before you could capture it on canvas? Wasn’t that the thing you cherished most? What’s changed Basil?”

Basil fought to contain a smirk, there was nothing Dorian hated more than to be the object of someone’s disinterest and after decades of enduring Dorian’s snipes and insults he couldn’t resist twisting the knife, “I outgrew it. Quite the experience, to grow up. If anything, I enjoy my own youth more for how brief it was. I pity that you will never know it. Surely, you’re starting to get bored of being young forever. Doesn’t it feel a bit like the dullest purgatory to never change? You’ve been partying harder lately, getting drunk more often. Are you running away from something? Maybe when you look at the old man I’ve become you know that I’m going to leave you soon and so will everyone else in time. You’re going to be alone Dorian, those that don’t die will get bored and leave because there’s nothing left of you but beauty anymore. You’re nothing but an empty vase, all the flowers died.”

He knew what was going to happen next, Dorian was a poor loser and he could not stand for Basil to win a round of their game of torment. With a cry he flew across the table and seized Basil by his whitening hair, jerking his head back and moving his face so close that Basil could smell the wine on his breath, and despite himself Basil couldn’t help but feel a sense of intoxication.

“This is your fault! We’re here because of you! Don’t you ever fucking forget it. I stayed young for you! You don’t get to resent me for fulfilling your heart’s desire,” Dorian spat giving Basil’s hair such a hard yank backwards that pain flared in his neck and back.

Tears sprang to Basil’s eyes, his lips quivered but he did not sob, wouldn’t allow himself to, not yet “You never knew my heart’s desire. All you fulfilled was your own vanity. That was never a part of you I loved.”

“And yet here you are, rotting in limbo with me. I wonder Basil, if it hurts to feel yourself crumbling to dust while I live like a god.”

“Not much of a god if tormenting in old man and eating smelly cheeses is the highlight of your morning. Godhood was wasted on you,” despite the steely bitterness in his voice, tears fell in anger and grief.

Dorian did the worst thing he could possibly have done; he kissed them, “Oh Basil, you know I can’t stand to see you cry,” he didn’t soften his voice or his grip on Basil’s hair but each touch of lips on his skin was deceptively tender and echoed the clumsy, innocent caresses of their youth. Little darting butterflies that once carried all that was spring and laughter on painted wings. Unable to resist he shut his eyes and held himself pliant in Dorian’s grip.

When Dorian settled on his lips in a cruel and hungry kiss Basil finally jerked his head away, knowing that he couldn’t give Dorian what he was after. His body no longer responded to such provocations “I can’t,” he sobbed, “You know I can’t!”

Dorian shoved him off the chair and stood above him, an angry, twisted smile on his face, “Useless, impotent old man,” he snarled, snatching the bowl of porridge from the table and throwing it at Basil, the porcelain shattered and the porridge splattered across the floor. The sight of Basil, old, fumbling on the ground and covered in food filled Dorian with revulsion. Is that was happened when people grew old? This undignified flabby, wrinkled thing that used to be his beautiful Basil, groping with gnarled hands to clean a mess someone else made? Dorian felt sickened just looking at him…

…and pained. Something about the sight was causing him a deep twisting pain deep in his heart.

A servant moved to help Basil but Dorian held up a hand to stop her. Hating Basil, hurting over Basil and unable to bear the idea of Basil being pitied.

 “Leave it, and don’t make him anymore. He can eat it off the floor or wait until supper, maybe that will help him remember that he is in my house and I am his master. He should be grateful that I continue to tolerate the sight of him…”

As he turned on his heel Dorian Gray pretended not to hear Basil Hallward sobbing behind him.

[coulsonlives]

Finished all eight episodes and well, that was underwhelming. Here are my main impressions.

Clothing was too clean and looked like it came out of a cosplayer's closet instead of being actual, lived-in clothes (if there's one thing the failed movie did right, it was the clothes)

Zuko was decent

Sokka had an a+ personality but was missing some nuance

The Sokka and Suki meeting was boring and had typical teen romance cliches galore

Appa and Momo were cute

Not sure how I felt about them starting with 100 years ago, and the cut between that time and the present day was jarring, I feel like the title card should've been there instead to break it up. And just the title card, none of that weirdly glowly, oddly-colored narrative with the bending examples and stuff, it looked so odd

If Katara were a spice, she'd be flour, if she were a book, she'd be two books, where the heck was her fire and spunk and generally just. differentiating traits because I didn't see any and it was so boring to watch her

Like honestly! She didn't have her motherly/parental role thing going on, even in a toned-down way, and she was missing her passion, I just. What else is left

Bumi was scary af man

Lots of the compositing was blurry as shit and it was distracting, probably a lot of newbie, abused comp artists with pay cuts given dneg was working on it

Aang revealing himself all mystically with the intense music, then two seconds later the music stops and he slides down on the ice with a thump made me lol, and I don't think that was the intended reaction

They're in the arctic and you can't see anyone's breath, why is that, tell me

Suki removes her makeup in like 2.4 seconds without missing a single bit of it, teach me your ways gurll

Momo is actually cute and not a demon, praise raava

The fire nation armor is pretty brutal, the shoulder pads are like obvious cardboard that isn't even trying to look like metal (I still can't really tell if it's supposed to be metal? That's not a good thing fam)

Way too much exposition and 'telling, not showing', some of the convos dragged on for wayyy too long

The fox thing was unnecessary, but I liked Yue's added motivation to help Aang as well as her people

What the f did they do to Azula, the foundations of her character are totally different from the og show and she barely even feels like a villain. Some of her lines about being inadequate or 'not good enough' felt really contrived too

Lots of strange cuts and camera work, more than a few times there was a person talking and the camera was looking at their waist or something else for no reason lol, and there wasn't an establishing shot when there needed to be, so things were just disorientating a lot of the time

Lots of things happened but the show just. didn't give any time for them to marinate. Sokka telling Aang he abandoned his people, he knew it, blah blah in one of the early episodes? It's poignant but it lasts like five seconds before the scene totally changes, I got major whiplash, fam

The lion roaring sound effect every time someone firebent, please stop I beg

Azula being defiant was interesting and the lightning scene was cool but I still miss Daddy's Pet Azula

Sokka screaming on Appa was funny

My favourite scene was probably the dude going 'but we're the forty-first!' and Iroh telling them, 'and you're all alive because of his sacrifice'. Like dang that hit hard and I loved it. I liked how they added that

Avatar Roku was like ?? um. I know he and Sozin were goofballs but cmon man

The shots with Koh capturing Sokka and Katara were cheesy as shit especially with the sound effects lmao, it looked like horror movie jumpscares from a b-movie

Some of the acting was hammier than a ham sandwich. Even Zhao gave me that impression at times especially with the dang spirit fish scene

Pippinpaddleopsicopolis the third

I know they had to condense a crap ton of episodes, but it really felt like the show was just checking off boxes at times instead of (like I said earlier) letting anything marinate

The opening scene with the earthbending and firebending was cool, it's a shame the rest of the show didn't live up to that

The bending vfx looked good. The choreography did feel a bit disconnected though, and not as martial arty as I would've liked

I felt like I could blatantly see some of the reasons the og creators left the show

Grumps tbh I'd give it like 4/10.

[imagine-hetalia-countries]

random hcs. completely random

(GW2) Everyone who has a charr, their charr is part of the same warband. They're the Star warband, so Francis' charr is Olympe Starburst. Ivan's main- Vaska Starbore- is the legionnaire.

(Supernatural AU) Kiku and Yao can and will pin their s/o down. Yao will groom you. He will lick your hair and use his nose to preen you. Meanwhile Kiku will just coil around you and rest his head on your lap.

(Supernatural AU) Please please please scratch Alfred's back for him. Right there between his wings. He'll love you forever. He can't reach it.

Matt and Allen have a very long-running "Heeey, bear" joke from that one guy on Alone. They also have "Agh- I'm getting stung."

If you're a friend and he's not doing it as a country, Kiku doesn't care if you pay him back for stuff. Just pay it forward. There's very few people he actually holds money over if it was done personally.

Alfred once shot a spider. With a gun. The stairs to that house still have a bullet lodged in them.

Ludwig has his phone's clock app set to tell him what time it is for all his allies. If you don't live with him, your timezone is in there too. He will berate you for texting at 3 am.

Matt never calls anyone unless it's super important. So if Matt calls instead of texts, you better answer. Especially if it's really late in his timezone. If it's like 11-5 for him and he's calling, it's an emergency.

There's this really really old Spanish lullaby that Antonio used to sing for Lovino when he had nightmares. Lovino will sometimes hum it while he's cleaning or cooking. He will never admit that it's from Antonio.

(Monster AU) All the vampires hate drinking from you. Ivan will literally refuse unless he's starving, and even then he will not bite you. You will have to soak a rag and he'll drink it from that.

Sometimes if Alfred is startled, Spanish will just come out of him. Matthew is like this with French. It will just come out when they're startled.

Allen listens to musicals.

Yao will cry if you give him a plushie. Every single time. It doesn't matter if this is the first time or the fiftieth time. He will cry.

Lovino is pretty good at estimating numbers. He doesn't take the time to do the math, but he can get pretty close just estimating.

Allen is still really good at cooking food over a fire. He used to do it a lot more often, and with him being vegan there isn't much incentive to do it anymore, but if you get him to, he can make a mean stew. A whole pot will be gone in less than an hour, it's that good.

Meanwhile, Matt still does. He can and will just roast something over a fire all day. He uses minimal spices, the smoke and the fire do most of the work flavoring the meat. Plus the natural flavor in it.

Ivan and Viktor both naturally run very very hot. They're both incredibly hot blooded, so if they're somewhere that ISN'T covered in snow, they're drenched in sweat dying. If you get Ivan down to like... Arizona in the summer, he is going to need the AC on full blast right in his face.

Kiku loves watching videos of tiny blacksmithing. Bonus if it's straight up ASMR style with no added sound effects for goofiness.

But on the other hand, most other kinds of ASMR squick him out. Eating sounds make him want to hit something.

Matthias plays campfire sounds if he can't sleep. It's a double edged sword though, he gets super sleepy around campfires now.

(Soulbound) One of Yao's incarnates was just a farmer. He never did anything grander with his life. He just farmed rice. And Yao loved him. He still has a recipe he makes sometimes that man taught him. He eventually died from age, Yao got to be with him when he died.

Gilbert has tried to be able to read Kanji but he just can't wrap his head around it. Kiku has tried to teach him but it just won't stick in his brain. He can read romanji just fine.

Feliciano hates sleeping alone so he'll often call Caro and Enzo up into bed with him if he doesn't have someone else.

Flavio likes having soft music playing when he sleeps.

(GW2) Alfred's charr is the second in command of Star warband. In the lore that Alfred definitely just wrote himself, he's the one who named the warband. His charr is answers to any pronouns, though he mostly uses feminine for them. Their name is Liberty Saberstar, they're his elementalist.

(GW2) Ludwig already has a warband name chosen, he just hasn't gotten around to making a charr yet. He's going to have the warband's ranger who's birds are all trained as messengers. Starling. You know, like the bird.

(Supernatural AU) I know I haven't actually posted it yet, but Matt is a werebear he and absolutely SLEEPS in winter. Do not wake him up, he will be grumpy.

Alfred and Kiku have watch parties for anime they're both into. If they don't watch the new episode together they will explode waiting for the other to watch it so they can DISCUSS.

[jesterkindreview]

Severed Steel - Review

Don’t Stop Movin’.

When I was first looking at Severed Steel’s store page to get a feel for what kind of game it is, one of the mechanics it made a big deal about in descriptions is the fact that you can destroy the environment to make your own routes through its various levels. This, in my opinion, is a mistake; that element is there, it’s not a lie and it is quite fun, but it’s not the mechanic that I would say underpins and links every other mechanic to bring the game together into a beautiful whole. Of course, this raises the question of what mechanic I would say is important enough to get top billing, and the answer to that is pretty simple. Once you understand what kind of game this is - fast paced parkour shooter - then the central mechanic you need to know about is bullet time.

Severed Steel is far from the only game to have bullet time, but the way it chooses to implement it warrants the top billing that its destructible environment claimed in certain rundowns I saw. You see, using bullet time drains a pretty short timer, that only refills again when you get a kill- the only way you can regain health, too. At first blush, it seems relatively simple; play fast and use bullet time very sparingly, chaining kills to keep yourself alive. However... there’s a catch. This is a parkour shooter, and so there are a few mechanics central to that sort of game. They are, for the most part, variations on wall running, sliding, and dolphin-diving forwards. The catch I mentioned before is that while you are performing any of those actions, bullet time is free - and works even if the meter had previously been drained.

It’s this small-seeming mechanic that really brings the whole game together into a marvellous whole. Rather than being precise and judicious with your movements, you’re allowed to get as sloppy and aggressive as you want; rather than the game being almost incomprehensibly fast-paced, it ends up at almost Superhot levels of slowness... provided that you are always moving. Cover is irrelevant; wallrunning, sliding, and diving all guarantee that enemy attacks won’t hit you and can all be extended immensely with the now-free bullet time, so you don’t have to do anything other than ensure you’re always doing some sweet stunt for your character to be functionally immortal. That’s not to say the game is absurdly easy; there are a few caveats, like not being able to chain a dive into a wallrun and your character being so flimsy that a few bullets will take care of her if you do end up caught out of position and overwhelmed with numbers, or the level design of some areas featuring bottomless pits that you’ll surely perish in if you dive in the wrong direction, that keep the game feeling challenging even as you’re shrugging off bullets in ways that would make even Neo shed a single, tubular tear.

Even the way you interact with weaponry leans into the game’s aggressive vibe; you only get weapons from enemies, and they only have limited ammunition. When they run out... you just chuck them full force at whatever enemy you’re looking at, with enough velocity that they can and often will get a killing blow. If you’re lacking a weapon and there’s nothing on the ground to automatically pick up... dive at an enemy, activate slowmo, and aim a punch at them to nab the sidearm right off their belt, with enough time left in your trajectory that you can twist in midair and blow the guy away with his own stolen pistol. The variety of weapons on offer is relatively minimal- punchy pistols, spray-and-pray SMGs, and slow but monstrously powerful shotguns are the bread and butter that you’ll be swapping between as you play, with a few different variations for each one, but there are a few odd ones out like a grenade launcher stolen from heavily armoured goons requiring more precise shots to take down or flamethrowers from even tougher enemies that can only be damaged from behind to keep things spiced up. There’s even a sniper rifle, though the game didn’t bother with the laughable notion of putting a working scope on it; you’ll not be that far away from your opponent anyway, just dive and jam the barrel right in their face. The beauty of the variety is that you honestly don’t need it: I was perfectly content with any of the weapons you start with in various levels, as all the weapons are precise enough to function at the odd angles and timings you’ll be using them at. It might be tempting to pick favourites; why use anything other than, for instance, a punchy, precise pistol? Well, because the pistol runs out and your enemies are carrying other weapons, so don’t get too attached. Cycle through what’s available and adapt to what’s on hand!

It’s clear to me, all this considered, that the intended power fantasy isn’t that of breakneck speeds and godlike reactions, but rather the kind of gratuitous slow-mo action movie bullshit that many games attempt and many games entirely fumble with. I wouldn’t call Severed Steel a masterpiece in this regard, necessarily, but I’d be immensely dishonest if I implied it wasn’t extremely fun despite that. There’s a narrative running through this game, so to speak, but I would say that it’s largely irrelevant. The campaign is the most fun of the game’s three modes on offer, the other two being variations on level gauntlets with changing modifiers, but it isn’t really because of some compelling story being told- it’s really just that those levels, in that order, with those available tools, is already kind of just the most interesting and compelling version of this game to begin with. Still, if you’re like me and got hooked enough after beating the main campaign that you went to go check those out, you’ll surely find something worthy of spending some time on. If not... well, there’s always New Game Plus, right?

Accompanying these mechanics is a relatively minimalist art style conveying a few different cyberpunk-adjacent levels, and a pretty decent (but honestly not incredible) soundtrack. Neither of these things would be the draw here; the artwork isn’t breathtaking and we’re hardly talking Hotline Miami levels of soundtrack, but they’re both perfectly serviceable and add to the game’s overall charm, so I can’t complain too heavily about it. All in all, I’d recommend this game to anyone who doesn’t mind the almost vertigo-inducing twists and turns of the game’s FPS parkour nature. I had a blast with it, at the very least; amusingly, the game’s window (and thus what it shows up as in Discord’s ‘playing: [game]’ text) calls the game “ThankYouVeryCool”, and that’s pretty much exactly how I feel about it.

Have fun, and don’t stop moving.

[screaming2thevoids]

My review no one asked for:

Y'all...It was keffing good. Please, abandon me on a planet where men are pierced in places that take us to the final frontier.

Okay I gotta get this out of the way—my dumb imagination made me picture Farli as like 16. So at first I was like, ew I don’t want to read about a teenager—but they addressed that RIGHT away. Once I got past that—damn I really had fun with this book.

Barbarians Choice gave us sci-fi space Avatar exploration vibes, ✨spice✨ as well as more lore (which you know I love).

Let’s keffing get into it, (spoilers ahead):

Farli is a great character imo, she is not super naïve about sex however she is incredibly naïve about trusting strangers. Here’s the thing though, I found it to be almost believable due to the fact that the Mesakkah look like them. That being said, put some clothes on girl, this planet is not a place you can greet the world tits out.

Mardok, I find relatable even though he is an ex-soldier with PTSD, major abandonment issues and a jacob's ladder on his dick. Which, by the way, the minute this description hit my eyes, I was like--thank you for your service.

What did I love?

❤️lore lore lore!!! In-between all the smut and fanfic-like storylines, I feel like a detective piecing together what happened to this first group of Sakh explorers.

❤️ Farli appearing out of the woods like some feral goddess and Mardok thinking he was hallucinating was equal parts hilarious and kind of cool? Idk I'm still torn about her being tits out all the time...

❤️ no one died! Um, hello humans, did we not learn anything from Pocahontas????? I was so tense every time one of these ppl whipped out a gun or spear.

❤️speaking of guns, CHOMPY LIVESSSS 🐎 when Chompy got shot I was like "GET THAT HORSE TO A MED BAY IMMEDIATELY"

❤️ BIOLOGICAL MYSTERIES HAVE BEEN SOLVED!!!!! THANK YOU for finally telling us why the Sakh women don't have clits. RIP to all the girlies on this planet whose cavemen partners never figured it out 😞 ALSO we now know what the hell the spurs are for. Good on you Liz, for being your blunt self <3

❤️ Mardok's "aha" moment of "why the fuck am I forcing Farli to abandon everything for me". The minute they decided to separate (which we all knew wasn't going to happen) I was curious as to what the resolution was going to be.

What are my criticisms?? Do I have any??

Yes I do. Just one. Just one that made me care more than any other loophole, naïve moment of trust Farli had for anyone on that ship, or anything else in this book:

😡BEK ASKING FOR THEM TO BRING HIM WOMEN AT THE END OF THIS BOOK😡

Something tells me the next book is going to center around Bek's redemption. I don't even need to look for the title of the next one. it's gonna be something like "Barbarian asks for slaves, but they say sorry and its ok!" "Barbarian Didn't mean it!" "Barbarian was SAD though😢"

FUCK YOU BEK. You should have had the BALLS to get on that ship and fight capitalism to meet someone. GO FIND YOUR OWN WOMEN or DIE SINGLE. Bek has had some MAJOR up and down moments for me but this one, THIS ONE?! This just made me almost throw down my phone.

Somewhere in this barbarian universe there will be possible kidnapping, justification for slavery or the stranding of more women because some hopeless bastard had blue balls. Literally and figuratively.

So what's my ✨Final Rating✨

🌶️2.5 maybe even a 3 for the pure reason that someone, somewhere, had to look up whether or not dick piercings were real

⭐3.5/5 I genuinely really loved how this book made this world feel bigger. The romance was fun and I will probably reread this one. Dare I say....one of my favorite IPB books so far?!

I'm not gonna lie.

I'm scared to read the next one. BUT I will go in, with an open mind 😌

Until next time, thanks for reading!

[a-shrieking-cloud-of-bats]

anyway one of the sale games I got was Bore Blasters, a little uhh, something, by the guy that made Void Scrappers, a survivors game with a shmup flavor with a focus on very high speed rather then the crawling pace of normal survivors games

looking at the trailer I'm sure you can see Why I got it; dwarf game. You fly around and shoot little blocks that are clearly more valuable then the blocks surrounding them and they shatter and fly into you and basically it's dopamine, I was expecting another survivors like more or less. I'm sure I was also cluing in on the fact that you are surrounded by terrain at all times and this shakes up the survivors game model in a fairly unique way but I mostly liked void scrappers, saw that their next game was Dwarf Game, and gave a pity wishlist. Wasn't expecting much. But what I got was an almost like, "campaign mode" survivors game with elements of motherlode, that old flash game that has been oddly influential on indie games I suspect.

basically you start at the top in your gyrocopter and go down, at the bottom is a big chest, opening it ends the level and unlocks a new upgrade (there's loads of them by the way, and only a few of them are generic stat upgrades). It goes to the world map and all of the adjacent locked levels open up and you can go along. Many stages have a side quest that relays a basic little plot about (space) dwarves v (space) goblins like nearly every other dwarf game. Stages closer to the edge of the map are deeper, have more enemies and your fuel and health gauges become a more pressing concern. Cash from the ores you dig up is used to upgrade your boat in a survivors like fashion (though it being a more major aspect of the game it doesn't feel like nearly as much of a chore). Another additional benefit is that this means stages do not last 30 minutes, enforced, which I love, because a survivors like stage run can last almost an hour after you spend all the time in the menus picking shit. Bore Blasters gets in and out pretty quick, and it's much easier to enjoy in small bursts, which is great because I feel like survivors games really lend themselves to that sort've thing, but many of them demand such a huge grind that those single runs don't really feel like much. Bore blasters feels a lot better tuned, to me.

I was expecting to play the game for like an hour before I moved on to other stuff and I played it for almost four times that, well after the dopamine hit wore off. Honestly I think it might be one of the first larger offshoots of survivors games that we've seen, given the terrain blocks your shots, but does not block enemy movement. In hectic situations reacting quickly to enemies coming out of the walls is important, and it spices up the combat in an honestly pretty compelling way (for a survivors game, that is). I wish more of them weren't just hitbox monsters but like honestly a really solid game from a dev that has basically no reputation, it's not a huge groundbreaking release but it's solid and I think it shows a good handle on what is enjoyable in these little top down monster blasting sims, removes a lot of the cruft from the initial genre (like the other major genre variant, brotato), and adds a bit of extra onto it, I was really impressed.

also the game dev's studio icon is a flaming skull with glowing eyes so that's also very good

[bluestar22x]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Got tagged by @goodwithcheese by proxy [kinda]. ;)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?: I have 35 works on AO3. 28 on fanfiction.net. Some fics are reposts from the latter. I have 31 fanfics on tumblr, 29 of them being Pedro character fics. AO3 is just my back up for these fics (I have to load more on AO3 soon; it's missing some fics).

2. What's your total AO3 word count?: 162,722 - I'm not shocked. Most of that probably comes from like 3 or 4 of my fanfics.

3. What fandoms do you write for?: The Pedro fandom, though I've written for Supernatural (CW), 911 Lone Star, 12 Monkeys (Syfy), and Dominion (Syfy) in the past.

4. Top five fics by kudos

The Outcast with 56

The Journey with 49

A Bad Fall and Colors with 42

Sweet Summer and Visitation Rights with 37

One Night with 36

It's funny what hits on there compared to here on tumblr (Sweet Summer is my #1 fic on here). It's a little different (Joel is popular in every universe though).

I didn't link to AO3 because that's just my secondary fanfic dump. I rarely visit it. I'm on tumblr every day.

5. Do you respond to comments?: Yes, they're usually very simple cause I don't often know what to say to "this was so good!" but I always try to comment on every single one because they made an effort and I have the time to do it.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?: Definitely my latest fic Betrayal. I don't write unhappy endings often (I never do), but when I do it's for a writing challenge. Otherwise, there's also Weary that ends bittersweet.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?: This is impossible cause I am such a happily ever after person. The Outcast certainly in the traditional sense (Pero finding love and a home). But there's also The Rockford Files which starts with Tim having a angsty background but puts that to rest at the end (and he also finds love). My Sweet Summer Series and Second Chances Series are also both happy endings. Baby Fever too. For one shots maybe any of my Frankie fanfics. I also really like in canon happy endings so I have fics like The Tree which could fit into TLOU canon (but in my version lots of game 2/season 2 plots never happen).

8. Do you get hate on fics?: Not yet. Guess I'm not popular enough for them to pay attention to me. Quite frankly, I'm insulted I get ignored by the trolls. :P

9. Do you write smut?: Yep. Definitely. It's a requirement for all my romantic fics that are multi-chaptered. I like my smut even though writing them takes forever, especially since I'm still trying to not repeat myself even after so many fics (always trying to change up the words/terms I use, positions, etc.). I do still have fluff fics and angst fics that don't have it, but they're short fics so I don't need the spice to keep my short attention span focused.

10. Craziest crossover: I don't write crossovers

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?: I don't think so

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?: No. Maybe? I think someone once asked if they could translate one of my SPN fics to Russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?: No. I wouldn't want to collab. I don't even like writing with myself sometimes. And I think my style of writing is way too different from others for it to all blend well. Most importantly, I like having full creative control of my fics.

Sometimes I wish I had a ghost writer though. lol

14. All time favorite ship?: Too many. And too many were not together at the end (chose different people/one died). :( Uh...Oh! Melinda/Jim on Ghost Whisperer! That's got to be my favorite couple! Jim is the perfect husband. If any guys need an example for being a great husband...Jim. Jim is a great one.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?: I plan on finishing all my WIPs. Whether I have the time for them all is the question but I don't have one where I'm like: as if that'll happen. I am pretty sure given enough time I'll get to them all.

16. What are your writing strengths?: I always have a hard time finding the answer to this. Having a clear sight of where I want to go? What I want to write, I guess? I'm not bad with convo I guess. I think my smut is pretty well written if not a little on the mechanical side (I need to work on explaining what they're feeling vs. what they're doing.)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?: I'd say details. Sure I can explain how something or someone looks but it's like "the mountain was massive" and not all poetic or anything. I try. If I never get there, well, that's why I write fanfics and not books. I'm not going to sweat it.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?: I don't mind sprinkling it in, but I don't know any languages besides English, at least not really. You'd think having French in school and watching Narcos with all that Spanish I'd pick up more than a few words but...nope.

19. First fandom you wrote in?: Supernatural. My first official fic was in 2010 but I had one or two I wrote on a Microsoft word doc before that that never saw the light of day.

20. Favorite fic you've written?: I'd say The Outcast. It was one of those fics that came out of nowhere but sometimes those are the best ones. I loved writing for the characters and writing about nature and the horses, etc. Plus it was fun making winter a stage for new beginnings.

x

Everyone seeing this who is a writer, I tag you. (If you want to talk about your fics, go right ahead!) Also @solanumofthestars and @trulybetty

x

P.S. this is why Jim's amazing:

[lanternburning19]

My prediction for the next Midnights single

Maroon - This song is one of the most streamed songs from Midnights, possibly due to it being situated in between 2 singles on the album track order. There is still potential here for it to be a single. I don't see it as a fan fave and the bridge would have to be made radio-friendly somehow. Taylor has also not made many Easter eggs or references to this song, so I would be pleasantly surprised if this song was a single.

Snow on the Beach - I honestly thought this song was gonna be the first single off Midnights because it is a feature. But as time goes by, I think the likelihood of it being a single has decreased. It's not on the tour setlist and there aren't any Easter eggs for it. I think if this song was a single, the version with more Lana Del Ray would be the one released to radio.

You're On Your Own, Kid - No doubt, this song is a fan favorite. This song is so personal, but Taylor's never strayed away from releasing personal songs as singles (Wildest Dreams, Delicate, The Archer...). This is a shorter song that radio likes. I think this would be an awesome song to wrap up the Midnights era with, and I could see this being a tour music video for the Eras tour, celebrating how far Taylor has come as an artist (if Cruel Summer wasn't already basically confirmed to be the tour music video). I don't know how well this song would chart without major help from Swifties, but I don't completely discount it as a single choice.

Midnight Rain - this is one of my top contenders for a potential single. This song has really shot up to be a favorite. This song has classic Taylor Swift lyrics with a clever production style that would be welcomed to spice up radio. This song is also part of the tour setlist and is a highlight of every night ("'cept when I'm on TV"). This song also has an Easter egg in the Lavender Haze music video. Also, this song really does express the theme of Midnights well. It would be a good choice for the era.

Question...? - This song BUMPS. I think it could do well on radio because it's so catchy. However, there is some controversy over the song, I don't think Taylor wants to draw attention to it.

Vigilante Shit - THIS IS MY JAM. I would be stoked if this was the next single! I've seen Swifties on Tumblr not give this song much attention, so I wouldn't classify it as a fan fave. But the tour performance definitely is a favorite part of the show. It was is on the setlist with a killer performance, and Taylor has referenced this song many times. It was the first song she made a TikTok about in the Midnights era! It also has an upside down phone on Midnights Mayham with Me. Was this a hint for it being a future single? I think the only point I have against this song being a single is that it's very similar to Karma in terms of theme. Will the GP get sick of hearing Taylor sing about revenge?

Labyrinth - Yeah, this songs not gonna be a single.

Sweet Nothing - Neither is this song.

Mastermind - This is my other top contender for a single choice. This song has gotten some hype from the fandom. The lyrics were promoted with the album release. This song is on the permanent tour setlist. And Taylor laid and Easter egg for it on both the album photoshoot and the Lavender Haze music video. A point I have against this song for a single is ~recent events~. Will Taylor still want to promote this song? Still, it would be pretty iconic to have a hit on the radio bragging about how much of a Mastermind she is.

Hits Different - I honestly thought this was gonna be the summer single before Cruel Summer was announced. Taylor did promote this song on TikTok for the Lavender Haze edition of the album. She also put it on the 'Til Dawn edition so more people could listen to it. There was a bunch of buzz with this song this summer as some Swifties theorized it was going to be on the Barbie movie soundtrack. Maybe this song will be put on hold until next summer. Taylor does love to stretch out eras for as long as possible.

No single at all - I feel TS11 coming SOON. I made a post about this earlier, but I wouldn't be taken off guard if Taylor announced TS11 as soon as Eras tour was over. Plus, she still has 3 more TV albums to do and each is going to get more and more fanfare. Maybe the next single will be from 1989 or Reputation. Maybe Taylor doesn't want to do any more singles from Midnights. However, I think she's gonna have a single out for international tour dates - so I think something will happen in between the breaks (September-November and January).

My top predictions for single:

1. Midnight Rain

2. Vigilante Shit

3. Mastermind

[fanfic-obsessed]

Time for the Clones to love Obi Wan

I was thinking…and maybe one of the SW series (Not this Crude Matter by thebitterbeast, it’s fantastic. You should read it) that I am reading is in the middle of the hurt but we haven’t hit the comfort, so I want something to soothe that. Now I shall inflict the results of that upon all of you. Be aware that some of these tropes don’t usually go together but I think if you walk with me you’ll see where it all connects.

We start with a tried and true, the clones are sent back to their younger selves at death. They arrive something like five years before the clone wars are to start and man are they all deeply traumatized.  Using all the collective knowledge they have (Rex was the last standing and he died of old age, living long enough to see Ben Solo’s birth after they fixed the accelerated aging. He was physically 110 when he died and living off of spite) they quickly take control of Kamino, dechip themselves, move the entire operation to an uninhabited world in the outer rim (Look there are a lot of inhabitable worlds and only so many sentients in the galaxy).  They make it abundantly clear they consider Boba their brother (though he did not have his older self’s memories) and that Jango was allowed to come with them as Boba’s father but the rest of the clones consider him both Dar’buir and Dar’manda, as well as just shy of Demagolka. He may have just watched 1 millions young adults, teens, and children wearing his face efficiently take over a planet, kill all but a handful of the trainers, and within days have a new planet to make their home out of. It has reawakened his Mandalorian adoption genes (and several other parts of his personality he would have sworn had been killed by slavery and Spice years ago) and he rather desperately wants to prove that they can call him Buir.

The thing about having come back from years and decades into the future, they know where all the bodies are buried. The former Coruscant guard, particularly, knows where to find proof of all of Sidious's dealings, even five years prior to any of them meeting him. This is a highly trained, highly efficient army.  Within a tenday they have released proof of Palptine’s misdeed onto the Holonet. Before the fallout could fully affect the Sith, Palpatine is shot and killed with three slugs from a slug thrower sniper rifle; the perpetrators are never caught.  The Vod’e are careful never to confirm exactly where Fox, or any of the Coruscant Guard were in the time before or after the assination that it would have taken to get to Coruscant or back (They did not actually do the deed, it was an assassination attempt that Palpatine had easily dodged in the first timeline, he was just a little too distracted by his business being aired in this one). 

The initial plan of the Vod’e was to get settled and eventually approach the Jedi. Their Jedi. They didn’t know how to convince the Jedi to trust them (whether the Jedi remembered or not) but they intended that eventually the Jedi would not go on missions alone any longer. 

That was the Plan

This is where the second trope comes into play. Groups of Senators, desperate for anything to distract from the fact that the Chancellor they backed turned out to be planning Genocide (It could be argued that being Sith was not actually illegal, and every single one of them did). They found a set of Blue laws that, combined with the fact that the Fett Clones (as they were generally being called) were on paper ordered by a Master of the Jedi Order, meant that the Senate could marry (really it was assign as a hostage but it was worded as marry) a member of the Jedi Order to a member of a group they had wronged for the sake of an alliance.

FUN FACT: A Blue Law is a US State law on the books that is no longer enforced, mostly forgotten, and sounds a little ridiculous. I also personally believe that it remains on the books because in order to have it removed, someone has to stand in front of a state legislative body and actually say the law. Two examples come to mind: In Alaska it is illegal to push a moose out of an airplane and in Massachusetts a parent can call the police to have their children arrested for being unruly. 

Now back to the regularly scheduled Madness

Now the Senate does not want to send someone too important to the Fett Clones. In fact if they could choose someone that would be a subtle insult, all the better. They choose a youngish knight, who had only been a knight less than a decade, with a Padawan. They choose a knight that, on paper, is not that impressive. Reports from his younger years indicate he was a decent, if slightly aggressive, initiate. Nearly not chosen.  Mission reports during his padawanship were sparsely written and mentioned him little. Having taken a padawan younger than average, he was temple bound more often than most during their first years of knighthood. 

The Senate chose Obi Wan Kenobi as a spouse. While he was somewhat famous within the order already (for the fight with Maul, his rocky apprenticeship, and taking Anakin on before he was even officially knighted) outside of the Order he was a random Jedi, remembered fondly by those who met him personally but not well known by the galaxy at large. 

Had this happened with any other group, the insult would have landed as intended. However this was the Vod’e. The Vod’e remembered General Obi Wan Kenobi, the Negotiator. And while almost every Vod’e would claim that their Jedi was the best Jedi, the best General, the best Jedi General, and the best sentient in general, everyone could agree that Kenobi was amazing (the 501st would like it understood that they have a…complicated relationship with the memories of their general. On the one hand he led the march on the temple, on the other, even as Vader he tended to treat them better than he did Nat borns. Not well by any measure, plenty of brothers died at Vader’s hands but it did always seem as if he was just a hair less likely to throw a tantrum that would hurt them then he was to do the same to the nat born officers).  To a man every member of the Vod’e is ecstatic that they are sending The Obi Wan Kenobi to them.

When they had been first told that they were being given a Jedi to marry they kind of shrugged at each other, in spite of the efforts of the best efforts of the Jedi and the previous timeline, most of the Voe had no real concept of how Nat borns operate, and even the little bit they did know seemed to be contradictory. They figured they would adjust who of the Vod’e would be the ‘spouse’ based on the Jedi sent (Since everyone knew that Bly would kill the person who wasn’t him who got to marry Aayla), so upon being informed that Obi Wan Kenobi would arriving within a tenday they restructured the government so that Cody could take up duties as Obi wan’s spouse (They envisioned the marriage being Cody mostly following Obi Wan on Jedi missions, so he had to be able to be off planet for long stretches of time) and Cody is practically vibrating with excitement (in between rushes of nauseating anxiety and crippling guilt) at being able to woo his Jedi. 

So we now have three very disparate groups with three very different ideas about what was happening. 

The senate knew next to nothing about the Fett Clones, save that they are clones of Jango Fett so likely would have a grudge against the Jedi (Obi Wan the sacrifice/hostage). They do not know, or (for most of the senate) particularly care what the Clones do with their Jedi Hostage.  Internally it is known that the chosen Spouse cannot be killed within the first six months of the marriage, but makes no other caveat for treatment.

We have the Jedi, who also know next to nothing about the Clones. They actually know little more than the Senate, and anticipate that the Clones might be unhappy about Master Sifo-Dyas actions (the Clones decidedly are not).  They believe that violence will be done on Obi wan’s person, and they do care. But, like in the clone wars before them,  none of the Jedi believe that they are able to do anything about it.  With a heavy heart, they decide to treat this as a suicide mission, in that when Obi Wan leaves he likely will never be heard from again. The entire council vows to take on the tuition of Anakin Skywalker, now fourteen. They are able to make it clear to young Anakin that there is no choice, that not a single one of the Jedi have a choice in this matter. 

The sheer raw emotions that Anakin could feel, exacerbated by the fact that no one, from Yoda on down, had ever realized that the Senate could do this, helped tie him closer to the Jedi. They were not unfeeling, but they still stood, mourning his master before his death. He was still young enough to remember the helplessness not being able to help other slaves and thinks that this feeling is very familiar. 

And we have the clones, who do not know that they have just been gifted a Jedi that the other players expect to be dead with a rotation. They are so…so happy to see Obi Wan.  How each member of the former 212th had been racking their brains for days for every detail of Their general’s likes and dislikes (there are a string of missions to make sure there is a good stock of the best tea they could find). That there had been a day-long tournament on who got the honor of going to the Core to collect their Jedi (Cody cannot because they are still shifting duties so that when his husband took missions again he could go with him). 

When Obi Wan boarded the cruiser that would take him to his new husband, he expected crackling, icy anger. He expected the brittleness in the Force that had always meant hatred to him. Instead he was buffeted by fondness and glee.  By a strange twist of relief. The cruiser was small enough that he was traveling with a total of 10 people. Each of those 10, at some point in the short trip, would stop and the Force around them would become distress. They would stare into the middle distance for several moments, then, upon coming back to themselves, would seek Obi Wan out and ask for a hug.

Even arriving on the still unnamed planet, Obi Wan is greeted by people who are ecstatic for him to be there.  It is unnerving, to expect hostility and receive hugs and joy (Well, Jango does radiate hostility into the Force, but he is well aware he is on thin ice. And he may not know why but his Ad, no he is not allowed to call them that out loud, clearly loves the Jetti). His husband (there was no ceremony, just paperwork signed by the Vod’e and the Republic) stands a respectful distance away and keeps making aborted motions like he also wants to hug him. They have stocked his favorite teas and ask questions about his padawan and various other Jedi and seem almost desperate for the answers. They even give him a comm unit for his room, which he does not have to share with his husband, they say to contact his family in the Core (He never uses it, he can’t possibly trust it). The closest thing to violence that happens is when the Medics tell him if he doesn’t give a reasonable amount of sleep they will sedate him. This is so much better than he thought. 

For the Clones part they can tell he is low key freaking out.  Which in turn is freaking them out.  They go round and round, what if he remembers what they did? But he doesn’t give any indication that he did, that those memories exist. Well, what if he only subconsciously remembers. The last time some of them saw him, they were shooting him off a cliff. Cody, in particular, is full to the brim with Anxiety. He desperately wants to hold Obi Wan, to ground himself in the Jedi’s heartbeat and try to forget a dusty world and the words ‘Blast him’ and all the horror that came after.

Four months pass, as Obi Wan slowly relaxes and accepts that at the very least the clones do not want to hurt him, personally. He can’t quite believe that they have no designs on the Order as a whole and is still fairly awkward around all of them. This is compounded by the fact that they seemed to know his preferences better than he does (leading him to believe that the entirety of the Vode are obsessed with him and obsession turns to darkness so easily). It all comes to a head when Jango picks a fight that reveals that the entire Jedi Order thought that they were being forced to send Obi Wan to die at the hands of the Vode.  That all of Obi Wan’s awkwardness is based on this fear (and the fear that they were going to use anything he said to hurt other Jedi) as well as the fact that he had no choice in the matter, he has no memories of the previous timeline.

There is a very long moment where every Vod’e in the room just stares at Obi Wan, before a collective panic attack the likes of which this universe has never seen spills into the Force.  It goes on for 45 seconds before Fox manages to get everyone into at least some semblance of calm (Both Jango and Obi Wan are watching all of this, wide eyed. They are temporarily on the same page in the land of What the Fuck).   Fox manages to clarify that 1)no the Vod’e do not hold any grudge against the Jedi, they were made for the Jedi and had in fact rebelled to protect the Jedi 2) Obi Wan was in no danger here and they would not keep him here if he wanted to leave, 3) what they (the Vod’e) thought was happening when they were ‘given’ a Jedi (They had thought that this a somewhat normal occurrence of a trope called ‘marriage of convenience’ where the only thing that was going different was that Cody could legally insist on going on missions with Obi Wan) and 4) inquired if this was why they were having a hard time getting in contact with the rest of the Jedi (Yes. Yes it was.). Fox also asked, on behalf of the rest of the clones, exactly which senators voted to send Obi Wan to them (The moment their panic faded, the 212th was going to be on their way to Coruscant and he wanted to have a list of targets ready).

Obi Wan told Fox that he didn’t know who voted for what, but offered to contact the Jedi right then. He did, on the main communications relay with more than half the Vode leadership looking on.  Using his own personal codes saw the call connecting immediately, with several members of the High Council visibly bracing themselves for whoever was on the other end(No one could be sure what condition Obi Wan would be in, if he was even the person using those codes). Obi Wan explains the months long misunderstanding (He had not clarified, as he did not want to rock the boat and remind the Vode of the torture option if they had ever planned to go that way. The Vod’e could tell Obi Wan was freaking out and they were trying to be considerate). There was much rejoicing as it became clear that Obi Wan was being treated well. It is decided that several members of the council (Yoda, Mace Windu, Yaddle, Plo Koon, and Shaak Ti), Anakin Skywalker, Quinlan Vos, and Eerin Bant would come to the still unnamed planet to clear up any further misunderstanding (Also the Vod’e had been building a temple for the Jedi as a surprise and wanted to show it off).

In the meantime, with the revelation that they were not going to hurt his family, Obi Wan fully relaxed around the Vode. It became obvious once he was paying attention (and not splitting his focus by trying to keep himself aloof from people who were so happy he was there) that his husband was trying to Woo him, and also date him. He found himself not opposed (the potential for love was there, but from his perspective he had effectively been sold to Cody and had spent four months half convinced that any information that he gave would be used against the Jedi). He found that he was particularly fond of the way Cody blushed when Obi Wan flirted with intent (as opposed to the absent minded flirting when he wanted a potential enemy to be off balance. Obi Wan had no idea how Cody was able to tell the difference, but he could).  Throughout Vod’e of all ages would seek Obi Wan out and request a hug, though always respectfully (generally the 212th, and mostly after they had nightmares of the previous timeline).

While this turned out more serious than I had actually intended, I just want you to go out and imagine teenage clones, freaked out because they had a nightmare about Utapau seeking a bemused Obi Wan for a hug, because he is alive.