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atiny-for-life · 1 year ago

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Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - Part 19

Masterlist

미친 폼 (Crazy Form) (Z-World)

Before we begin, I'd like to say that I'm writing under the assumption that Ateez are taking a backseat this comeback while the Black Pirates are leading the fight in the streets. This is based on the group's comments prior to the album's release, as well as last album's diary entries which left Ateez in a precarious situation that doesn't align with the happenings in this MV.

We open at night time on a shot of the Black Pirates (in marching-band-esque outfits reminiscent of Wonderland) and their fellow Revolutionists crouching in line in front of a structure which looks like two roofs lined up side by side where the dip between the two cradles the city skyline illuminated by a crescent moon (reminder that the nature of the Cromer‘s powers are affected by the moon cycles).

Keep in mind that Crescent Part 2 can be found on this album while the first part can be found on TREASURE EP.3 : One To All which includes 'Illusion' and 'Wave' - two songs heavily leaning into the concept of dreams and traveling into them by utilizing the Cromer‘s powers. This also aligns with the Alice in Wonderland themed promotions.

Regarding the latter: throughout the MV, you will see colors blur and get splotchy every now and again, indicating this is likely to be a dream transmitted to the citizens to fire them up for the upcoming main event of the revolution. This would also further support my assumption that we only get to see the Black Pirates here as they're the ones visiting others' dreams, not Ateez who seem to be unable to control this power fully and usually just end up in a shared dream among themselves.

Back to the MV: the captain begins to strut down the center aisle between the crouched rows like the runway model he is as he's instructing them to 'Get up'.

Once he's reached the front, everyone breaks formation and jumps right into the performance. The lyrics here already inform us of their intent - follow along, join us, put yourself first and stick it to the authorities.

Side-note: it was bugging me that I couldn't figure out what 9024 could mean so I dug a little and found an explanation by Reddit user " rowtyde37" who explains: "It's actually 90-2-4. So, it is the drums but they are telling you out the gate it's 90 beats per min, 2 quarter (4) notes (beats) each bar. Just a heads up on the drums coming to invade your space."

We cut to Yunho in comfy clothes and a headband back in the bunker who's sitting at a large table covered in blueprints as he activates a palm-sized Iron Man arc reactor looking thing that turns out to be a hologram projector.

Blue tinted holograms of the pirate ship's main mast, buildings, and pieces of teach are floating around him as he flips through them.

Throughout this scene, we regularly cut to Yunho dancing with four fellow revolutionists in a round underground space lined with doors (because he's the main dancer and he deserves this).

We cut to Mingi in a fully black getup with hat inside what looks to be a surveillance room situated in one of the rooftop-like buildings we saw at the start of the video.

His performance there is interspliced with clips of him outside in a suit as he's getting into a car and speeding through the city full of neon signs.

This maniac races into a black alley where he crashes his car straight through the wall of a small unassuming building which turns out to be a casino.

His idgaf attitude takes him straight to the bar where he pours himself a cocktail glass of milk which the bartender doesn't seem to mind.

Once his glass has been emptied, he opens the small metal suitcase near his elbow which contains another of the hologram projectors. I've rewatched the scene frame-by-frame and it seems the case was already there when he arrived so I'll assume the bartender is providing it to aid in the revolution.

This belief is reinforced when we get a shot of Mingi's empty glass filled with a stack of olives impaled by a black cocktail flag sporting the red encircled A representing both Ateez and Anarchy throughout this era.

Moving on to Wooyoung who's joining Yunho in the bunker, though in his own corner where he's surrounded by pieces of tech and holograms. He's wearing an oversized plaid shirt, glasses so large they're reminiscent of safety goggles, and black and silver gloves.

And honestly, I don't know how tech-savvy this little gremlin actually is since he's currently hammering a long-ass nail into the metal hull of some piece of equipment prior to chucking said hammer across the room with what seems to be a pout.

Said hammer shoots by behind Yunho, who's sitting several feet away, before it slams into something off screen and sets off a shower of sparks.

Yunho gapes at him for a sec before he throws up his arms ("The fuck, man?"), to which Wooyoung looks unfazed and points at him ("You asked me to toss it over, why're you mad?") followed by a half eyeroll and look away ("You're overreacting.").

Just then, a warning pops up on Yunho's holo-screen which causes Wooyoung to jog over as well.

We cut to a poker table where a game is in full swing and one of the player's is Jongho dressed up in a simple black suit. We're inside the casino Mingi literally drove into earlier.

The other two players seems to be some high-ranking officials in the military or police force, at least that's what I generally assume every time I see older men in uniform in anything. (In the Making Film, they simply call them "high officials from the Z-World")

Jongho proceeds to hold up the ace of Anarchy which causes one of the uniformed men to pull a gun on him under the table - an action both Jongho and Mingi are clearly aware of since Mingi steps up beside Jongho right away.

Without missing a beat, Jongho snatches up the gun hidden in the waistband of Mingi's pants and points it straight at his opponents. He doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

Cut to Seonghwa set up right outside the heavily fenced off 'Area 08'. He's performing on a makeshift stage right by the gate, surrounded by warning signs telling people to stay away. The building behind the fence is covered in banners sporting the Black Pirates' Z-logo we've last scene in 'Bouncy'.

His audience is made up of fellow revolutionists donning all black robes while he himself is dressed in a flowy white shirt, silver jewelry and a black corset with matching pants. It's clear who's not afraid to be recognized by anyone who could be spying.

The next scene reveals that San and Yeosang are also joining him for this performance, though the scene is interspliced with fleeting clips of all of a larger number of Black Pirates performing together in a back alley lined with shuttered store fronts and neon signs.

It seems to be San, Yeosang, Hongjoong, Wooyoung and Seonghwa who we'll see again a coupla scenes later in the same room Yunho danced in earlier.

Cut to Yeosang and Hongjoong in yet another alley during daylight hours. They brought spraypaints and a skateboard.

It's quickly made evident why they chose to go out during the day for once - they plan to appear on the news.

As Hongjoong reaches the line "Crazy boys are getting crazier", the video takes on a familiar news channel framing. The classic globe logo in the bottom left corner runs through several random letter combinations (the channel has no clear name) until it transforms into the two words "Breaking News".

A recorded feed from the casino's surveillance camera pops up in the top left corner - the scene with Jongho and Mingi played out just last night.

Simultaneously, the news ticker at the bottom of the screen informs us that "The Black Pirates break into the Lounge".

Shout out to Hongjoong's black fingernail. (Join the Polished Man Campaign here)

After all the ruckus Hongjoong has already caused, he somehow manages to twirl in a circle as he shoots bullets from his finger gun into the air.

The power of his imagination is truly something to behold. However, it's far more likely that this is just another indicator that we're not in a regular world but rather a dream transmitted to the locals to fire them up for the upcoming revolution.

Either way, Hongjoong's goofy bout of wackiness alerts the authorities who begin to chase him down the alley which only seems to get him more motivated to dive deeper into a pool of mischief.

He hops onto a car surrounded by armed cops and begins to wiggle his hips to provoke them further. What a legend.

Cut to him spray painting a white line across a wall covered in their own revolution flyers before passing Yeosang who ends up with a white streak straight across his black jacket.

He throws up his hands as he looks after his captain ("Why would you-?")

While once again fleeing from the authorities, Hongjoong nearly collides with a black car which sped up to him. The scene transforms into a comic book panel (this is not the real world).

He rolls across the hood and lands on the other side, only to lean over the hood with a smirk. Another comic panel forms.

Cut to a maniacally laughing Seonghwa getting dragged along by his own audience.

This is closely followed by San showing us his signature peace/middle finger - the return of these gloves is unexpected but welcome, especially in such a idgaf, I'll do what I want MV.

Between group performance clips, we return to Wooyoung in the bunker where he's looking at a hologram of their pirate ship which we'll see again shortly. It has been missed.

We also get to see Yeosang spraypaint "Be Free" onto a shutter door (which joins a marker written 'We Know', referencing the first track on the album).

A scene later, we see the full picture - three shutters, all covered in their signature Z and those two red words: Be Free. The message that connects all versions of Ateez across the multitude of realities.

We return to Jongho in the casino who just fired off three rounds in quick succession while Mingi stands by to watch their maknae go rogue. He must be proud.

One of the bullets swishes past a sprinkler, setting it off, while another pieces the wall and destroys the TV in the neighboring room just as an Android Guardian was seen on screen. It's very symbolic.

Our Haribo walks off with a satisfied lil smirk as the sprinklers gently drizzle him.

Between further performance clips, we return to Hongjoong who's being pushed onto the hood of a car by the cops who'd been hounding him.

He manages to free an arm and affixes a gadget that looks like another holo-projector onto the side of the vehicle which proceeds to eject a beam of light.

The activation signals Wooyoung in the bunker who looks up through a hologram circle. A pulse of light washes across the entire city, dousing it in darkness as a familiar pirate ship appears in the sky like a literal glowing ghost ship; it’s the hologram Wooyoung and Yunho had been working on this entire time.

The moon now appears full as the Black Pirates laugh and celebrate, smirking up to the sky, performing across locations, drinking in the casino/bar which leads me to reasonably believe they really did complete the mission between the two moon cycles but the way they went about it was different from the wackiness that took place in the dream world.

We end with them back at the double-roof structure before the screen cuts to black.

We've done it! Freedom has been achieved in Z-World! This may be the last time we ever see the Black Pirates since Ateez say their goodbyes and return back to the A-World in the Golden Hour: Part 1 - Diary Entries

However, the music video has not ended yet: a beat later, a shattered glowing Cromer appears on screen.

From it rises a bluebird, the one we've last seen in Halazia. It's holding a red pulsating object in its beak as it rises up to the night sky where a red full moon has risen.

The next few videos will be about Halazia World's Ateez - see you there!

#ateez #ateez lore #hongjoong #seonghwa #yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #crazy form mv #the world ep fin - will #the world series

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whiskeynwriting · 2 years ago

Note

Hey ❤️ I hope you’re doing ok with your concussion and are getting better! Your post about loving Daddy Whiskey so much made me go “yep me too…EEK!”. He just makes me feel so safe and lovely.

I understand you’ve probably got lots of fics lined up and are really busy/still getting better, but I saw you said yes to DW reqs, and would love to ask for an absolutely sickly sweet fluff fic (with maybe some really loving/romantic SMUT 😏).

DW spoils you rotten: shopping trip for anything you want, being driven from shop to shop in his car by his driver (feel like he’s called Frank? 😂), back to his for take out (from a fancy AF restaurant, I’m thinking steak), movie on the sofa with blankets, pillows, you tucked up into his side, all your favourite snacks. DW is constantly telling you everything you try on in the shop makes you look “pretty as a perfect peach, darlin’”, and that “daddy loves you so so much, angel”, holding your hand, kissing the top of your head and giving you the FULL princess treatment… “Daddy will get you anything you want sweet pea, just say the word. You never need to want for anything with me, daddy’ll keep you safe.”

I need full on DW tooth rotting adorable, caring, daddying content 😂

Ok I’ve talked this up so much…imma head out

thank you ❤️

I'm L O V I N G this. I know you didn't mention reader being pregnant in your ask but with the recent Daddycember announcement I figured I'd squeeze it in.

Little Pea

Agent Daddy Whiskey x Female Reader

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Word Count: 4.9k

Warnings: 18+ (minors DNI)

Pregnant reader, discussions of pregnancy, discussions of loss, established relationship, dirty talk, size kink, daddy kink, praise kink, spit kink, unprotected vaginal sex

◆

A/N: I love this so much. And I love my daddy

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Agent Daddy Whiskey Taglist

Join My Taglist!

◆

“Are you sure we need all of this?”

Glancing down at the cart, you wince just thinking about how much everything will be. But that doesn’t stop your husband from adding more items to the pile.

Looking back at you with an expression of annoyed disbelief, Jack huffs. “‘Course I’m sure!” Tossing his hands up, he continues on, reaching for something new on the shelf. “We’re gonna give this baby everything they need!”

You’d like to say it warms your heart, seeing him like this, but that’d be an understatement. There are ten pairs of newborn-sized onesies in the cart, along with fifteen different outfits. And he’s still grabbing more. He can’t help himself, he’s never been this excited about anything.

Suddenly, he’s snapping his head to the side, eyes narrowing. “Where’s the beauty care aisle?” He mutters to himself, searching quietly.

“What do we need from there?”

“I gotta make sure you have everything you need, too.” Is his simple explanation. “Oh!” And then he’s tugging the cart away from you and scurrying across the store.

With an amused huff, you follow behind him. Jack doesn’t let you do anything, not even push the cart. You’re only about six weeks along, but no matter how much you insist, Jack tells you that you’re more fragile than ever before.

“Here we go.” His voice allows you to find him easily, turning the corner to find him picking out a foot bath. When he puts it in the cart, he places it beside the heating pads and fuzzy robe he got for you, too.

“What’s that for?”

“Honey, everything in that cart is either for you,” He looks up, then down at your tummy. “Or them.”

You’re truly in awe of him, the man you married, the person that chose you. By far, it’s the luckiest you’ve ever gotten in life. To be with a partner so caring and so genuinely loving, is more than a blessing. There hasn’t been a single day that’s gone by in your relationship that Jack hasn’t made you feel provided for, protected, and so completely adored.

Dreamily, your husband sighs, shaking his head. Taking a step forward, he moves beside the cart before his arms find your hips. Gently, he pulls you in, resting his forehead on yours.

“You’re amazing, baby.”

“I mean,” You chuckle, linking your fingers behind his neck. “All I did was have sex with you.”

Your words make him laugh, that handsome smile blooming proudly. “Give yourself some credit. You’ve put up with me for a while, too.”

“Yeah, I’ll give you that.” With a kind smile, you lean up, connecting your lips. But he ends it all too quick.

“Let’s get you some new clothes, babycakes.”

“Really? Are you sure?” Eyes dipping down, you then frown. “I didn’t think I was even showing yet.”

“No,” Jack laughs, “Not maternity clothes, just some new ones. Anything you want.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I saw some dresses a few aisle back.” One big hand smoothes its way over your hip, fingers brushing over the curve of your backside. “I know you’d look gorgeous in ‘em.”

Just like that, your feet are pattering along after him once again, watching him lay one, two, three dresses over his forearm before grabbing even more. They’re each a different shade and style, and he doesn’t even have to ask you which size. He already knows.

“I’ll sit right here, honey.” Jack tells you, placing himself on the stool outside of the fitting room you chose. “You let me know if you need any help, okay?”

“Baby, I won’t need help just yet. I can still dress myself.”

Jack only grins. “Okay, honey.”

Albeit slightly difficult, Jack does his best to be understanding. He knows he can be a bit much, especially when it comes to your pregnancy. But he expected this, and so did you. In all honesty, he’s never fully healed from the trauma of losing his late wife and unborn son. He tried therapy, he really did, but nothing could fill the tremendous hole they left. Not even you. But what made you so amazing in his eyes, is you didn’t try to fill that hole, you didn’t try to become what Anna was to him, or try to replace her. You were you, you made his life special in your own way. You didn’t fill the hole Anna and Rhett left, you just made sure he never felt broken again.

“How’s this one look?” The first one you walk out in is a linen- blend midi dress, colored in a light blush.

Grabbing the edges, you grin, swinging your hips a little bit. And Jack’s warm eyes light up at the sight of you.

“Babycakes,” He’s still sitting, staring up at you in awe. “That color looks so good on you. How does it feel?”

Smiling, your eyes dip down, admiring him more than yourself in the mirror directly across from you. “I like it.”

The next dress isn’t colored to your liking, a yellow shade resembling that of a deep mustard. The third is a light purple, almost lilac, and you would have bought it if the bustline wasn’t too small.

“You like this one, babe?” Turning, you eye yourself in the mirror, considering the fourth one. The backless cami dress is a deep forest green, something you’d definitely wear this coming spring.

“You look stunning, sweet pea.” Releasing an airy sigh, Jack fiddles gently with the ring on his finger. Inside, his heart is swelling with joy. He’s no longer looking at just you (although that sight will sweep him off his feet for the rest of his life). He’s looking at his baby, too. “That’d be perfect for the spring.”

Grinning widely, you look over your shoulder at him. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”

Spring. By next time this spring, we’ll be holding our baby.

The last dress takes your breath away. Standing in the stall, you grin, thinking about the reaction Jack will give you. It’s a mocha colored knit dress, with long sleeves and a square neckline. It compliments your waist perfectly, the sleeves comfortable and the neckline just low enough for you to be comfortable. It reaches your mid-thigh, and although it’s knit, it isn’t too heavy on you.

“What about this?”

“Oh, sugar.” Looking up from his phone, Jack’s lips part in awe. It makes you grin, a small giggle slipping from your lips. This time, he actually stands, holding out both hands. Running them along your sides, he glances down, speaking softly to you. “This is definitely the one babycakes. You look so stunning, pretty as a perfect peach.”

Pouting playfully, you ask in the sweetest voice you can muster, “Just one?”

“Babycakes, you know I’ll get you anything you want. Just say the word.” Quickly leaning down, he presses a firm kiss to your cheek. Now, you laugh fully, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Daddy loves you so much, angel.” He’s muttering, his lips trailing over your soft skin. “You know that? You know that, don’t you, honey?”

Lifting your head, you meet his eyes, smiling. One of your hands shifts, moving to cup his cheek. Stroking his plump bottom lip, you nod. “I know, daddy.”

Jack’s hand is on yours whenever he’s not pushing the cart, even making room to do so when he’s carrying the bags. Once you’re done in the store, you meet Jack’s driver out in the lot. With your current state, Jack wanted to be by your side constantly, and that meant him driving as little as possible, and you not driving at all.

“Go on in, sugar.” Kissing the top of your hand, he nods. “I’ll just put these away.”

Even though the driver is more than capable of helping, Jack does it himself. He’s not helpless, after all.

“Hey Frank,” Sliding in, you smile, greeting the man you’ve now known for years.

“Hey there,” Turning, he returns your kind expression. “How’d the shopping go?”

“Really good. Jack’s putting away the bags now.” And then you giggle, glancing down at your ring. “He can’t help himself.”

“Yeah,” Nodding, Frank shares a familiar look, one of genuine joy. “You know, I don’t think I ever saw him this happy before you.”

“You don’t have to say that.” You return with a bashful grin and a roll of your eyes.

“Oh, c’mon. You already know it’s true.”

It’s only a short drive back to your home, and an even shorter ride on the elevator up. Jack carries every bag, the biggest smile making itself comfortable on those beautiful lips. It makes you grin, seeing him like this. Linking your arm around his bicep, you let your head fall to his shoulder, sighing. He’s going to be the best dad.

After finding out about your pregnancy, you and Jack talked about, well… everything. One of the main topics being the baby’s room. For a moment, you considered moving, but were quick to find it unnecessary. The penthouse was big enough to house a master bedroom, two spares, and an office. So, the baby will just take one of the spares.

“I can’t help with anything?”

Currently, Jack is putting away all the baby clothes the two of you bought today. You had a say in almost every piece, of course, but some were entirely Jack’s idea. One being a little outfit of Woody from Toy Story.

“Sure you can, sweetheart.” He just wants you to rest, but finally, he gives in. “Can you take these tags off for me?”

And so, you create a system of you untagging the clothes, and Jack folding them. You haven’t put the nursery together yet. Hell, you haven’t even hit the two month mark yet! But Jack wanted to go shopping, nonetheless, having ordered a couple cabinets to put the clothes and toys in for the time being.

“What?” When you look up, he’s staring at you.

“How about some dinner?”

“From where?”

“That one hibachi restaurant? You said you liked it, right?” He’s already pulling out his phone and dialing the number.

“Yeah! It’s my new favorite since the old one closed down!” A bright smile colors your face, immediately perking up at the mention of it. “It’s kind of expensive though, isn’t it?”

Jack looks up from his phone, giving you an unamused face. “Do you actually think I give a shit about that right now?” And he’s right, you don’t even know why you asked. When Jack has his mind set on spoiling you, that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

“Why don’t you go get some blankets, babycakes?” Jack suggests, the phone now on his ear. “We can make it a cozy date night.”

While your husband arranges for the food to be delivered, you gather the coziest pillows and blankets you have. Laying the biggest blanket on the floor before the living room couch, you stack a few pillows against the large piece of furniture, allowing you to lean back against it. The rest of your fluffy items are them piled on top of the main blanket, some lining the perimeter too. All in all, you’ve created quite the cozy little nest.

“Ready to eat, babycakes?”

“Yes, please.” You’re already sitting, your back against the pillows as you reach up eagerly toward your plate of food.

Jack chuckles at your impatience, bringing himself down to your level so he can sit beside you. You’re already stuffing yourself with your favorite food before he can even ask what movie you want to choose.

“Jurassic Park?” He asks, one eyebrow raised in amusement. With your mouth still full, you offer a close-lipped smile and a happy nod. And after switching the screen to one of your favorite movies, he grins, wrapping an arm around your back to pull you in.

“C’mere,” Jack scooches a little closer, too, lifting his arm to your shoulders when you finally nuzzle into his side. “You hungry little hippo.”

“Hey!”

“Not because you look like a hippo.” Jack immediately defends, reading your thoughts while rolling his eyes. And then he turns his head, eyeing you with a grin. Reaching over, he gives your nose a little pinch. “C’mon now, just enjoy yourself.”

You almost hate to say it, but when Jack acted like this… it really made you melt for him. It’s like he can corral you in without even having to lift a finger. Like he knows how to calm you down just as quickly as it is easy. Some might find it patronizing, but you know he doesn’t mean it that way. Personally, you find it endearing.

It’s only when you catch him staring at your stomach that you huff out in annoyance. “What?!”

Easily, he dismisses your sassy tone. “How big you reckon they are?”

“Huh?”

“The baby,” He nods, still staring. “What, maybe a peach?” Gently, Jack’s free hand slides down, that warm and broad palm settling over your lower belly. And then he grins. “Lil’ peach.”

“Baby,” Glancing up at him, you giggle quietly. “There’s no way they’re that big.”

“Huh?” Furrowing his eyebrows, Jack cocks his head curiously. “Really?”

“Yeah, let me see.” Pulling out your phone, you type in a quick Google search. “At six weeks, they’re about the size of a pea.”

“A pea?!” Your husband asks incredulously.

“Yeah,” Laughing, you nod. Now, you’re looking down, too. “Tiny lil’ thing.”

“Little pea.” Jack says affectionately, fingers rubbing your covered belly. “I like that.”

“Yeah?”

Tilting his head upwards and to the side, he shifts his gaze to you. “Yeah…” He responds quietly, leaning in to give your cheek a tender kiss. “I got my sweet pea,” And then, he’s moving, bending over your lap to give the baby a kiss, too. “And my little pea.”

“Baby,” His loving words move you inside. “You’re so freaking sweet.”

“You think so?” Lifting himself back up, you’re met with that stunning grin. And you can’t help but bring your hands to his face, pressing your lips to his.

“Mhm,” It’s tender and firm, your kiss, and he leans happily into it.

“It’s only because I love you so much.” His voice has dropped an octave, and it a bit breathier than before. And you’d find his words cheesy if he wasn’t speaking to you so intensely.

Sliding his hand up he cups your cheek, urging you to lean into it. “Because I do,” He sighs, soft lips finding your neck. “I love you so much, sweet pea.”

Slowly, Jack’s fingers dip beneath the edge of your shirt, his warm palm finding the skin of your lower belly.

“You’re gonna be such a good papa, baby.” Your husband’s heart beat profoundly at the name. He can’t wait for the day.

“You wanna know how I know?” Jack’s gentle kisses take your breath away, your words coming out as a whisper to him.

“Tell me, baby.” He’s pressing his body to you, leaning into your frame. And from where he’s at, you can speak directly into his ear when you say, “Because you’re already such an amazing daddy.”

And just like that, you’ve got him’ the string of Jack’s soul wrapped tightly around your finger. His lids flutter closed, releasing a firm breath through his nose.

“I’ll always be your daddy, baby.” His voice is low, predatory, protective.

“I know, daddy.” You’re nodding, turning to look up at his handsome face.

“You’ll never need to want for anything, babycakes.” Stroking your cheek, he promises, “Daddy’ll take care of you - he’ll keep you safe.”

And right now, you do feel safe, you feel so safe and small in his arms. Nuzzling into him, your chin lifts. Now, it’s your turn to pepper his neck in sweet kisses. He’s already sighing, soft moans filtering through his pen mouth as his arms wrap tighter around you. But just as easily as he’s holding you, you break free from him, moving onto his lap.

It surprises him, but he welcomes it, nonetheless. How the hell could he not? Watching his pregnant wife crawling onto his lap made him the happiest man in the entire damn world.

“You want me?” He asks in that deep, gravelly tone, cocking his head while your arms wrap around his neck.

Nodding, you lean in, pressing your forehead to his. “Yes, daddy.”

Before Jack can do or say anything else, your hands are on the front of his pants. He grins cockily, letting you undo his belt and zipper, pulling him out and stroking him in your tiny hand.

“You really want me, huh?” Your husband asks again, stroking your outer arms and then moving in to touch your sides.

That familiar feeling inside you seems to be building much quicker than it used to your emotions running high and arousal burning hot. Your body tingles with it, with the need to be touched by him, filled with him. It’s so overwhelming that you don’t even bring yourself to answer him, you just stand, shoving down your pants.

Tilting his chin up, he watches you undress, shucking your bottoms to the ground before returning to his lap.

“Oh, yeah…” Calloused hands find your naked hips, fingers grabbing hold of your flesh. He loves when you’re like this, when you’re so needy you can’t help but take initiative. “Take this -”

But you’re already taking your top off, he doesn’t even have to tell you. Within seconds, you’re completely naked in front of him, and he feels like he can’t catch his breath.

“Holy fuck,” Firmly, you grind yourself over him, ducking your pretty face into the crook of his neck. “Baby, what’s going on with you?” He chuckles, linking one arm around your lower back, his free hand finding your ass.

“I love you.” Shivering, you release a shaky breath, feeling him guide your motions.

“Oh, sweetheart,” He coos, almost mockingly, to you. “I know you do. And daddy loves you too, babycakes, he loves you…”

Sliding his hand down, he finds your crease, his fingers moving down its center. And you moan when he finds your upper hole, applying just a bit of pressure.

“Daddy, please,” Biting gently into his neck, you whine desperately. “Please fuck me, I want it. I want you so bad, baby.”

“Yeah?” He asks, a bit more aggressively. And then his hand lands on the fat of your ass, stinging your skin. “Then do it.” Gritting his teeth, he turns his head, pressing that beautifully curved nose into your cheek. “You wanna fuck daddy, baby? Yeah? Well you go on, you go right ahead.”

“Take this off.” Your fingers are scrambling over his chest, begging to feel his skin. And he complies, lifting it from his torso while demanding, “Fuck your pretty pussy open on me.”

“Oh my god,” With his chest exposed, your palms lay flat atop him. “I fucking love the way you talk.”

And still, your hips are moving over him, wetting him with the arousal seeping from your center.

“Yeah, I know.” He grins, lips curling into a cocky smirk while he watches you lift yourself. “Daddy knows you love it, I know how much that pussy wants me…”

“Baby,” Angling him upward, you sink down easily, gasping at the feel of his bulbous tip sliding past your lips.

Jack’s hands squeeze your hips as he watches you take him, eyes trained on your beautiful face. With your eyes closed, you sigh, releasing a delicate moan when he’s sheathed entirely inside. And when you’re in his lap, the soft skin of your thighs rubs against his jeans, feeling the coolness of his open zipper.

“Yeah…” Jack sighs, head lolling lazily to the side. “Yeah, how’s that feel, sugar peach? Huh?

“Daddy,” Already, your thighs are shaking around him, chest inhaling a steadying breath while you grab hold of his bare shoulders.

“Tell me,” Jack encourages gently, fingers stroking your back. And then one hand rises to the back of your neck, bringing you forward to his lips. He kisses you kindly, lips moving against your own in such a sweet way, that you’re shocked by the tone of his next two few words. “I said tell me.”

The hand on the back of your neck tightens, Jack’s stern eyes rising to bore into your widened ones. Gulping, you take in a breath. “You feel good, daddy. You feel so good inside me… Sliding your palms up his chest seems to relax him, along with your next sentence. “You always do.”

Groaning, Jack nips at your bottom lip, his hips beginning to move. Tilting his head downward, he drags his mouth over your exposed chest, using his hands to roll your hips over his lap.

“That’s good, honey.” He praises, the words muffled by your chest. “That’s a good girl, for me.”

“Daddy,” It feels pathetic, only being able to whine out a few words when he’s inside. But sex with Jack was just so incredibly overwhelming, it has been since the very first time.

The strength of his hands moves you back and forth over his crotch, not lifting you up and down but grinding you against himself. He’s holding you down, rolling his hips up just barely, while listening to your high whines. But when you finally begin to move with him, that’s when he tosses his head back with a groan.

“Oh, that’s it.” Now, you’re ushering your hips along, your pleasure center stimulated every time it nudges against his naked skin. “That’s it mama, ride me.”

“Oh my god, baby.” Digging your fingers into your husband’s shoulders, you glance down, taking in his beautiful, blissful expression. He’s never called you that before. And you’re not sure why, but it makes you fucking melt.

“God yeah,” Looking down, Jack’s eyes find the space where you’re connected, feeling himself throb against your inner walls. “Fuck yeah.”

Usually, when you rode Jack, he guided you onto him, up and down, over and over again. He loved feeling your ass slap down against him, loved forcing you onto his lap so he could reach as deep as he possibly could. But right now, he’s reveling in this - you seated on him, his cock entirely inside while you just grind back and forth over his lap. He can’t even begin to describe how sexy it is to see you like this, to see you getting yourself off on him.

“Baby,” Sliding your fingers up through his hair, you grab hold of the mocha colored strands, pulling on them. “That f-feels so good.”

“Nah, I know you can do better’n that.” Jack chastises playfully, shaking his head. Punching his hips up against your pelvis, he watches you gasp, dominant hand immediately reaching for your throat. “I know you can fuck yourself better than this.”

“Daddy, I -”

“Jesus,” He cuts you off, giving his head another quick shake. “Look at you, rubbin’ your pretty little clit against me. That feel good, honey? Does it feel good to fuck your daddy?”

“Yes!”

Lids fluttering open, you meet your husband’s gorgeous face, his lips parted as he releases the occasional groan or gasp. Quietly, he admits, “There’s nothin’ better than watching you fall apart on top of me.”

Leaning in, Jack’s mouth finds your neck, biting into your soft skin. His movement allows you to fully wrap your arms around him, repeatedly rocking your hips down onto his lap. And then, he’s smiling against your throat, tongue laying out to lick a stripe up your neck.

“You like when I call you that?” He doesn’t even have to specify for you to answer with a rapid nod and an eager yes. “Yeah, I figured you would.” Jack’s never called you a name you didn’t like.

“I made you that, after all. Didn’t I?” His deep voice is rumbling across your throat, plush lips dragging up to your ear. It’s tantalizing, the voice he has and the way he uses it against you. “You gonna let me do it again? Fuck you full? Put another baby in you?”

“Daddy, y-yes, yes please. Always.” You haven’t even had this one yet and already, you want to give him more.

Jack’s hands quickly drop, both palms fisting the curves of your ass. With a firm shove, he quickens your pace, rocking his hips up in time with yours.

“Then c’mon baby, fuck me. Fuck your daddy until you can’t take it anymore.”

You let Jack shove you over his crotch, feeling the thickness of him drag against your walls. Turning your head, you grab his face, bringing him back up to you. And he lets you move him happily, those talented lips mouthing at your own. His tongue shoves its way into your mouth, rubbing across your own and moaning at the taste of your spit. He just loves it.

“Do it, baby.” Jack tilts his head up toward you, eyes full of lust and admiration. Glancing down, you sigh, holding his face in your hands. Your thumbs rub his cheeks, palms feeling the smoothness of his jawline and chin.

“Please.” He begs simply, delicately.

Pursing your lips, you let a small trail of spit drip down, Jack’s soft lips parting to capture it. His head drops back against the couch when you do it, the taste washing over his tongue.

“That’s such a good girl, baby. That’s so good, oh my god…” And then he’s shooting upright, head tilted up as he demands more. “That’s so good…”

“Hm,” Grinning, you tap his nose. “What do you want?”

“Please, baby. Give it to me.” He’s still pawing at your ass, urging you over his lap while he throbs between your legs. “Please.”

“Tell me.” You demand simply, still holding that gorgeous face in between your hands.

It’s easy to let him move your body, your hips grinding over his crotch and now beginning to lift. You need more of him; you need to feel him deep.

“Spit.” His raspy voice responds. “Spit for me, sugar. Right in my mouth.”

It was always one of Jack’s dirtiest fantasies. And you allowed him to live out every naughty thought in his mind.

Open-mouthed, he groans, feeling your saliva land on his tongue much more forcefully than before. With his eyes rolling back, he closes his mouth, feeling your movements quicken over his body.

“Oh, that’s it, mama.” Lazily, his eyes open to stare up at you, giving your outer thigh a smack. “Keep it goin’, baby…”

It’s like he’s genuinely drunk on you, inebriated from indulging in your body. His hands hold onto you, but his hips are no longer matching your thrusts. He lets you do the work, smiling lazily as he gawks at your naked form.

“B-Baby, I’m, fuck…” Dropping your head, you gasp. “I’m so close.”

“Oh god, honey. Please do it, do it for me.” Jack begs, fingers massaging your hips and outer thighs. “Please cum on me. I love when I’m all wet from you.”

“Fuck.” Jack’s dirty talk will be the fucking end of you.

Dropping your head, you move to his shoulder, leaning on him. And he lets you use him in this way, giving you the leverage you need to rub yourself against his body. With your arms looping around his neck, you whine against him, fingers curling into the ends of his hair.

“C’mon, baby.” Jack coos, his throat going dry. “I know you can do it.” Turning, he kisses your cheek, keeping his lips pressed against you as he nears his own peak. “I love when you fuck me.”

And that’s exactly what sends you surging over the edge, the pleasure of it enveloping your entire being. It shivers through you, your arms tightening around his neck. And Jack feels this, feels the tight clench around his already throbbing cock seated so deeply inside you. Both of those strong arms cling to your midsection, holding you tight while he finally moves his pelvis upward against you.

“Daddy,” It’s barely a gasp, the word breathy as it leaves your lips.

Your entire body is tensing, muscles contracting as you experience this. And you can tell your husband has reached his own bliss from the way he groans into your ear, from the way his hips stutter between your legs. His head drops back against the couch, releasing into you just like every time before this.

“Oh, baby.” Rolling his hips against you, he rides out the feeling of his high for as long as he can. And in turn, prolonging your own. “You’re so tight around me.”

Breathing heavily, you return your lips to his, mouthing passionately at them. And Jack moans into it, head rocking rhythmically as you slide your tongue in.

“I love you,” Now, both of your arms have retracted, your hands finding his gorgeous face once again. “I love you so much, baby. I couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone but you.”

For the first time in a long time, Jack can’t find the words to respond. It takes his breath away, makes his insides squeeze with affection.

“I love you, baby doll.” Is all he can manage to say, warm hands rubbing the bare skin of your back. He likes that you’re still pressed against him, still as close as you can possibly be.

After sharing a quiet, intimate moment, Jack’s smile widens. “And I love our Little Pea.”

#Daddyyyy #our Little Pea #I love it #and him #SO MUCH #daddy whiskey #agent whiskey #agent whiskey x you #agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey x female reader #agent whiskey smut

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perfectlyineffable · 1 year ago

Text

The Matchbox Trick

When I watched through season 2 for the first time, I made notes as I went along, because I'd seen that Neil wanted this to be a mystery story, and he'd wanted the episodes to be released weekly to encourage discussion and theorising. Most of my notes were jumbled and half-formed thoughts that I scribbled down before eagerly hitting 'next episode', so there's very little considered writing in there. But one of my theories I was certain on from the beginning was that of the matchbox trick.

This is a long post, so the explanation is below the cut:

The Trick

For those that don't know, the matchbox trick is a very simple example of sleight of hand magic. You have an empty matchbox, the magician puts something into it (say, a coin), says the magic words, and the thing vanishes from the box! Then they say the magic words again, and it reappears! Magic.

If you don't know how it's done: very simply, the inner box of the matchbox is divided in half, and when saying the magic words, the sleight of hand is to spin the box round, so that the other half is shown instead, whether that's empty (it disappeared!) or full (it reappeared!).

The Hints

I first thought that this season might be a matchbox trick when Gabriel's matchbox first appeared on screen - after all, it's clearly important, there's a mystery to be solved, Muriel seems shocked by it, and we know Aziraphale's a magician. I thought it'd be a trick that plays out on screen, and he'd be the one to figure it out.

I was even more convinced of it when Michael examined the box for the first time. Because she doesn't just open it at one end to see if it's empty - she opens it at both, one after the other. And yet she doesn't take the whole inner box out (that would reveal the divider and give the trick away). So I was certain this was Neil/Douglas/the team giving us a clear but subtle set-up that there would be a matchbox trick this season.

Then there are other references/hints dotted throughout the season, too:

In episode 3, the Resurrectionist pub sign has two sides to it - Aziraphale only notices one on the way in, but we're shown both, and then he notices the other one on the way out. We're being shown how the trick is done, even if the characters in the show don't understand it yet.

In episode 4, Aziraphale performs another, slightly different sleight of hand magic trick by replacing the photograph in the envelope with a pamphlet instead. This is a slightly weaker link to the specific trick of the matchbox, and arguably the gun trick has just as much sleight of hand (mouth?) in it, but since it's close-up magic I thought it was relevant, like Neil saying to us: 'close-up sleight of hand tricks are important here'.

And of course, empty matchbox, empty cardboard box, empty archangel mind. There seemed to be a thread between the three, so I thought the 'important thing to prevent something terrible happening' would be in the cardboard box, and Gabriel's memories would still be in his head, you just needed to metaphorically turn him around to get them to reappear.

So I spent most of the season convinced that Gabriel's 'empty' cardboard box with a 'this way up' sign on it held an extra-dimensional space that could only be accessed by opening it upside down (the arrows pointing downwards, the direction he'd metaphorically gone from Heaven).

And I was... half right. You did in fact need to flip the box over to figure out the trick. But you didn't need to open it, the answer was just scrawled on the bottom. Huh. Okay, fair enough. Close enough.

The Theory

I was willing to accept that half-right was close enough on the cardboard box front. Maybe the attention to the matchbox was just telling us to flip it over, not open it upside down. Maybe Michael opening both sides of the matchbox didn't really mean what I thought it meant at all, it was just a coincidence or a red herring or the only thing important about it was its existence, not it being opened. Maybe the way the show highlighted the text on the matchbox was meant to hint that you should look for writing on the cardboard box, and that was all.

Then I read this meta by @ariaste. Now, I'm not sure I fully believe in it (I've been burned before by complex fan theories), but it's certainly thorough and convincing. And if it is correct... then maybe the matchbox trick was intended to be there, as yet another setup with no payoff. Maybe it's another clue that things aren't all what they seem.

Maybe the whole of Season 2 is a vanishing act - on Gabriel, on memory, on Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship - and the answer, all that's been lost, will be returned to us in Season 3. When the quote on the matchbox will make sense, when all of the dropped threads and setups-with-no-payoffs will be cascaded into action, when the box will be opened rather than only flipped over without anything being revealed.

Maybe this is nonsense rambling. Maybe I'm seeing details that aren't there. But either way, I trust Neil. Season 3 will be worth it, I believe that much. Everything will be okay in the end.

#season 2 spoilers #good omens season 2 #season 2 #meta #freyja talks #the matchbox trick #fan theory #neil gaiman #magic tricks

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twst-hottest-takes · 5 days ago

Note

In your opinion, rank the books from worst to best. (You can include/not include the Prologue and Book 7(cause it ain’t done yet))

*Cracks knuckles*

Okay, I'm about to do my darndest.

Ranking TWST story chapters based off my own personal criteria and opinions:

Disclaimer: This will be very subjective and opinionated.

If you've read any of my other similar posts you'll know the drill. No one is obligated to agree with me, this is just how I order things, as asked for by Anon here.

Starting With the Worst!

Book 5: They had 75 chapters and wasted so much time lollygagging. I love the twistunes/rythmics but we didn't need to do the instrumental of "Piece of My World" three times. Extra points lost for the EN server not getting the "Hi-Ho" twistune. This chapter suffered a lot from character bloat. Kalim and Jamil were really back-seated and while I love Deuce and Epel in this chapter it doesn't make up for the fact that they take up a lot of space where Scarabia should have been shining. Also, we didn't need to check in on what every single character we've met so far was doing during the culture fair. That's side-story junk. Oh and if you've read my first essay on how Vil sucks as a character you'll know that's the biggest pitfall. His writing is inconsistent and abyssmal and I don't feel bad about the cause of his diva tantrum. They had a lot to work with and squandered 80% of it. On top of that the MC is more of a side character than usual and is pretty much relegated to a plot device--OH AND GRIM ATTACKS US AT THE END!

(P.S. I voted for RSA too.

Book 2: This one hurts my soul. It's above Book 5 because it doesn't waste as much time and I am way more invested in Leona as a character than Vil. That being said, the writing is still pretty bad. Leona's plot and motives make him look like a total idiot loser, and they don't even try to treat the sabotage plot as an actual mystery. We have some half decent intrgue in the plot but the explanation for why events are happening is maddeningly underwhelming (again because it makes Leona [who is supposed to be smart, mind you] look like an idiot). When people say this book feels like early game content for the sake of early game content, you can see why. Oh, but on the bright side the MC is treated like a participant in the events (though they end up with a concussion because of Grim. . .again). That becomes disappointingly less common as the story continues.

Book 7: For now it goes here. As of the EN updates it would go higher because the Diasomnia arc is actually really compelling, but I know what's coming and guess what? THEY ARE WASTING TIME AGAIN! Book 7 gets points for actual good writing (almost like you can tell who they put the most effort into). The MC has a personal stake and a bit of influence on this story because of the relationship with Malleus that's been being established over the last few chapters. However, they are dilluting the good parts with the dream hopping nonsense which does NOT need to go on for as long as it has been. The new cards are a lot of fun, sure, I like fanservice, but I have my limits when it cuts into the main events. Also, no twistunes yet.

Prologue: Very much a perfect mid point on this list. A pretty solid start to the story. Nothing too fancy, but I figured I'd add it in here because it does fairly well to set expectations for the rest of the story. It gives us the basics of the minigame elements and the first gacha is always memorable. Nothing too fabulous, but a potential fun romp full of bishie shenanigans. Bonus points for the animated OP they played at the end. Mid to the max in the most flattering way I can mean that.

Book 3: The writing is pretty streamlined in this one. I don't have much bad to say about Azul other than his backstory is a little generic and his actions regarding the MC specifically make it hard (for me) to feel bad for him. Savanaclaw got a much better spotlight in this chapter than their actual featured chapter. My major gripe with this Book is that the MC is written to have the IQ of a salad bar. Stupid for the sake of the plot is one of the most annoying things for me, especially considering this is supposed to be the player insert. I hate being forced to put a dunce cap on just so that nonsense can happen. Leona has every right to call us dumdums, we didn't ask for a lawyer or even try to read the fine print on that contract! Otherwise? The writing only gets better (on the ranking list) from here.

These last three will basically reflect what I said in my Overblot ranking. Trying to order them is tough because they're all pretty strong, but I'm managing somehow.

Book 1: A great start to the main game. Riddle is hard to beat as far as antagonists go. He sets up the pattern for the future chapters super well and is a fairly well written character. There is just the right amount of exposition, the cast isn't overwhelming, and the finale is really well put together. Riddle feels like he actually had an arc, which results in the slightest difference in character that can result in further development down the line, and he wasn't let off the hook too easily for all the grief he put everyone through (something we can't say for most everyone else). If the rest of the chapters had been handled with this level of care this list would be a lot harder to make.

Book 6: Would be number one if it didn't have my first and foremost issue of feeling like it wastes my time. Not to a very extreme degree despite the length, but all those tower battles took soooo long. . .I just have to take some points off for that. That gripe aside, it's generally well written, the character interactions are pretty fun, the MC is useless but actually is trying to be involved. We get to be separated from Grim for a while, and stop the apocalypse from happening. Of course, the finishing touch is that Idia's story is very different from everyone who came before him. His characterization is consistent with what we've seen up until this point and his backstory and motivation for overblotting all check out. We got some good lore out of it, and a break from school based teen shenanigans. It hit me in the feels and escalated the stakes significantly without feeling too over the top. I'll also knock is down a peg for not having any twistunes to break up the monotony.

Book 4: Surprised to see this one at the top? (Bottom) Well it was a hard pick, but I'd say I just enjoyed it more than Book 6. The cast was whittled down, the MC isn't a total idiot and even though they get manipulated by Jamil, it's cathartic when we get to participate in the scheming against him towards the end. While I was a bit bored of the repetition between the first couple of days trapped in Scarabia, it's not that bad and does set up the conflict of Kalim being manipulated rather well. Palling around with Octavinelle as allies instead of opponents was great. Jamil is a good antagonist, who again is consistently characterized and well written. The icing on the cake is Ace and Deuce responding to our distress signal at the end of the chapter! It made me audibly "Awwww" because hey, who can blame the poor MC for thinking that up until this point no one really cared about them unless it was in the name of manipulating them? So yeah, Book 4 is my favorite. Best shenanigans, fun twistunes, straightforward and coherent plot that at least tried to make the mystery mysterious (even though we all knew what was going on from the start, let's be honest here), and the character moments are fantastic!

And there you have it! My thoughts on ranking the major arcs in the main story of TWST so far. I hope this is what you were looking for, Anon! I'm sorry this one took a little longer to answer, but I wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row when it came to putting this one together, while also not being excruciatingly detailed.

Now. . .

. . .what does everyone else think? Feel free to reblog, comment, or respond with whether or not you agree with how I ranked the various books and let's talk about it a bit more.

Thank you for asking!

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst hot takes #ask response #twst story #story mode #ranking #ask answered #chapters #writing analysis

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nethhiri · 5 months ago

Text

Siren Charms: Chapter 14

Zoro x Siren!Reader

Warnings: none

They Make An Ass Out Of U and Me

Franky lowered his shades and one of his eyebrows arched. Robin just smiled. Zoro stared at you with furrowed eyebrows, trying to figure out the other possibilities.

"Then what the hell are you?!" He put down his beer and rested his hand on his sword hilt. "And why did you lie?"

"Zoro, relax. She didn't lie." Robin said. "We assumed the most likely explanation."

"You like a vampire for real or somethin?" Franky asked.

"Nah they only drink blood." You paused. "I eat...I do more." You added. "I mean I can do more, but I... try really hard not to." You avoided looking anyone in the eye. You knew that was pretty frowned upon with humans. You took Robin's book and opened to the page you were looking at. "I'm this. I think so anyway. I can't read these letters." You looked pointedly at Zoro, who looked just a touch guilty. Then you looked at Robin so she could read it to you.

"Siren." Robin grinned.

Franky and Zoro both leaned to look at the page.

"But don't read the rest because it's probably full of lies," you scoffed. Humans loved to conflate you with mermaids.

"So where's your tail?" Franky pointed at the picture in the book.

"Damn. You can't just ask that." You made a disgusted face. "That's so rude."

"Oh shit. Sorry, little mama. My bad."

"No. I'm just kidding." You teased. "I switched forms a lot today though so I'd prefer not to do it again. It takes a lot of my stamina and that's also why I have to eat a lot." You finished the rest of the beer in your mug.

"Wow you can almost keep up with Zoro," Robin nodded to your empty mug, and took it for a refill.

The three of you chilled on the deck for some time while the others were chowing down on octopus fritters. You got agitated when you heard the fish riders in the distance, though it turned out they only wanted to thank the blond one for some bizarre reason. You had ditched your wings with the intent of diving after them, but Luffy assured you there was no need. Soon after that, everyone came back on the deck of the Sunny, discussing the next steps in getting to Fish-Man Island. You really didn't care about that so you wandered around the ship, exploring parts that you hadn't gotten to before. You watched the fish swim in the aquarium for some time. It was fairly large. Maybe part of it could be converted into a room for you. Though you would hate to be stuck in your 'mermaid' form for an extended period of time.

You found yourself in the crow's nest, probably attracted there by the strong scent of Zoro. He wasn't there now. You picked up the weights he normally used and were dumbfounded by how heavy they were. For a human, that was damn strong. Since you were up here already, and bored. You decided that maybe you should work out. You couldn't be flying or swimming all the time like you were used to and needed to keep those muscles strong. You grabbed the bar with weights on either end and sat on the floor. Rolling your body on your back and tucking your legs under the bar, you balanced it on your feet. It was like you were squatting the bar but on your back instead of on your feet, basically a vertical leg press. Your hands were behind your head and you yawned. You could do with a little more weight.

"That's an interesting way to do that."

You sat up quickly, catching the bar in your hands and setting it on the ground. "Sorry. I should have asked." You were annoyed with yourself that you hadn't heard him come in.

"Nah it's for everyone." Zoro had a bottle in his hand. "I didn't come up here to workout anyway. Too noisy down there."

"Are they still fawning over that silly mermaid?"

"You sound jealous."

You scoffed. "I'm not! It's annoying that people are so enthralled by the world's most sub-par sea creature!" A growl rumbled in your throat. "They aren't strong. They aren't particularly smart. They're fast; I'll give them that. But not faster than sirens. And they can't even walk on two feet until they're older."

"You can't really be mad about it since people think sirens are myths."

He had a point. That didn't mean you had to accept it. You frowned and glanced at his bottle. "Gimme some that." He handed it over and you took a swig before handing it back.

"Oi if you're gonna drink that much, get your own."

"You're not very nice. I'm a lady. You should get it for me." You stretched out seductively.

"Tch. You're better off trying that on Sanji." Zoro rolled his eyes and tilted his head back with another drink.

You disappeared down the hatch for longer than anticipated. When you returned, you had as many bottles as your arms could carry. You sat on the opposite side of the room and placed them next to you.

"How did you get that many!?"

"I tried it on Sanji." You smirked, grabbing one and popping the top off.

Zoro grumbled, "Of course."

"What's your problem with the blonde one? You don't seem to like each other much."

He sneered. "He thinks he's better than me and he's not. I'm way stronger than him and I'm the one that's going to make Luffy King of the Pirates."

"So Sanji is your mermaid."

"Never put it like that again."

It wasn't much longer before Zoro ran dry. He was eyeing your stash. You leaned against the wall and took long, languid drinks from one of the bottles, waiting to see how long it would take him to ask you for some. You watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

He cleared his throat. "Do you think I could... have one of those?"

"So the guy that wanted to cut my head off earlier and wouldn't share his booze wants a something from me now?"

"I shared!"

"One sip."

"You eat people! How am I supposed to know you won't turn on us at any second?! It's my job to protect the crew!"

"Because I promised Luffy I wouldn't."

"And that's supposed to be good enough? Only your word?"

"It's good enough for Luffy." You knew he was making a sound argument. But you were still irritated by his questioning and distrustful nature. Everyone else accepted you immediately. You angrily rolled a bottle over to him. "Drink up, asshole. Maybe you won't feel anything when I eat your ass." You excused yourself from his presence, snatching a few of the bottles to take with you.

Zoro couldn't stop himself from yelling after you as you climbed down, "You're not eating anyone's ass and especially not mine!"

Of course that phrase was lost on you and Luffy, but everyone else that happened to be on deck burst out laughing.

Nami could barely peak she was laughing so hard, "Wow what you guys doing up there?"

"Speak for yourself!" Sanji yelled back to him.

Usopp and Chopper covered each other's ears.

Zoro slammed the hatch shut and laid flat on the floor, red faced. That damn woman. He wasn't about to live that down any time soon. At least you left him a few bottles. Why did he feel guilty about making you mad? He was right. He was just doing his job. He could sense the predatory nature in you. It wasn't unfamiliar to him. He had a similar energy about him when he fought. He had noticed that you tried to suppress that part of yourself when you were around everyone, he assumed for their sake, but maybe you were really trying to fit in better.

He had been watching you carefully since you first showed up. On laundry day, he watched as you tried to wear clothes Nami let you borrow. He had warned you that she would have your head if you ruined them. He watched you stand perfectly still until your own clothes were clean again, not realizing that she wasn't actually going to rip your head off. You didn't know better. Nami seemed very scary when she yelled. He watched during meal times, when you and Luffy stole off each other's plates when the other wasn't looking. He watched you fall out of the tree you had been sleeping in, and then look around to see if anyone saw. He watched you scramble out of the interior and take a defensive position when Usopp was vacuuming. Then he watched Usopp chase you with it, happy to have found something to defend himself if you ever decided to 'have an Usopp sandwich'. He watched you practice with your sword after everyone else was asleep. He had to stop watching that, however. The urge to correct everything you did was too strong.

He had even watched you when he had come to the crow's nest earlier, fascinated by your strength. You could easily lift as much as he could. Your thighs were deceptively muscular. They were big, but not big enough to warrant that much strength. He had avoided talking to you any more than he had to. When he did finally have a conversation, he enjoyed the banter before he ruined it by insulting you. And of course he could see that you were pretty. Anyone with eyes could see that. It didn't matter at all to him since he had no time for trivial things like hooking up, though he hadn't put much thought into it before. Nami and Robin were also very pretty, but Nami was basically a sister and Robin was more of a weird aunt.

Zoro sighed to himself. He didn't want to, but an apology was probably warranted. If he didn't do it of his own accord, Nami would yell at him, and like you, he thought she was scary when she yelled. He would do it tomorrow though. He was too tired now. To punctuate that, he yawned.

Tag list: @bbnbhm

#one piece #x reader #siren charms #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x reader #straw hat pirates

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flownwrong · 6 months ago

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no tether (star trek: discovery fic)

Burnham/Rayner, rated M; tags: post s05e05 Mirrors, PWP, praise kink, ~3200 words

A/N: Fair warning: I'm not very familiar with Star Trek universe. I am here mainly through the misfortune of being obsessed with a certain Canadian actor. So if anything doesn't make sense — you know who to blame.

read on ao3

The hour is just about to turn from late into early when Michael finds him tucked into a narrow nook, in a hallway that's mostly deserted during all shifts.

He's sitting on the floor, tucked into the corner, one knee pulled up, a hand with a drink resting on it. Likely too wired to sleep, too suffocated in the solitude of his quarters. That's why she comes here, anyway. It's rare for them to be off the bridge at the same time; figures that they would end up in the same spot.

She approaches slowly, makes sure she doesn't creep up on him. Rayner doesn't move, eyes fixed on the floor, or, no—his profile is illuminated by soft bluish light. A screen, then.

"Hey," she says, leaning against the wall. "You wouldn't take the chair, but you'd steal my hiding spot, huh?"

"Good morning to you too, Captain." Rayner looks up and raises his glass in a toast. "Hiding spot?"

"Well, isn't that what you're here for?"

His eyes crinkle at the corners. "Oh, I'm just catching up on my reading."

"Kellerun classics?"

His mouth lifts at one side, that quiet pleased almost-smile she never quite expects. "Terran, actually."

She leans down to see, raises her eyebrows. "Odyssey. You're full of surprises."

He shuts it down and shrugs. "A good book can save a life." He gives her a flash of a wink.

Michael laughs, caught off guard. He watches her and takes a sip of his drink.

She lowers herself to the floor and scoots until her back meets the opposite wall. The toes of their boots touch in the middle. He doesn't move away.

"So, what's keeping you up?"

"Could ask you the same question." Rayner's eyes are fixed on her face, intense, and for a second, she struggles for words.

"Nothing. Everything. All of this"—she waves her hand, trying to point it all out, the rest of the ship, the mission—"is new. Like nothing I've done before."

He huffs an approximation of a laugh. "You could say that." He doesn't sound nearly as bitter as before, and it's a relief she didn't know she craved.

Still, she's not sure where they stand on this, where the lines are drawn, here, huddled away when they should be sleeping. She clears her throat.

"The things I saw—in the time cycles, and today."

She tries to think of an explanation. Rayner keeps silent, waiting.

"The could have beens. They're hard to shut out."

He shrugs and looks up, out the viewport. "Yeah. Never did well with those."

"Neither have I." It's late, and they're both exhausted, and she's been through way too much weird to bother, so she nudges his boot with her own. "What are you going to do? After, I mean?"

He hums dismissively. "Does it matter?"

Yes, Michael wants to say, of course it does. I want to know what you're waiting for. I want to know if you'll stay. Instead, she says, "Oh? Nowhere you would go? Home?"

Rayner looks uncomfortable, hunches in on himself. When he speaks, his voice is low, like he hopes she won't hear. "Kind of supposed I'd go out before I go home."

She'd be taken aback, except it sounds exactly like him. "Just like that?"

He gives her a challenging look, a rare one that make his face unreadable. "Would you choose any different?"

Would she? He's thought about this, Michael realises, is used to the thought. She forgets, sometimes, how much older he is. Her thoughts are filled with hope, fear, longing—she hasn't chosen how she wants to go, not yet.

Still, there's something here he isn't sharing. She files it away, out of both curiosity and necessity, and reaches out to squeeze his knee. "I don't believe you."

"No?" His sharp features are tense, his cheeks hollowed like he's gritting his teeth.

"No. For one, it would take the heat death of the universe to put you down."

He snorts. "That's flattering."

She ignores him, goes on while she has an in, "But what I mean is that there's too much wonder in you, Rayner. You don't want to go down fighting. You're out here because you want this"—she nods at the stars—"to last." And there's something you left undone, she doesn't add.

He worries at his bottom lip, one of his minute tells. His eyelashes brush his cheeks, a startlingly gentle image.

Michael tilts her head, trying to catch his eye. "Am I wrong?"

Rayner's still for a moment, then shakes his head, lips a thin line, like it costs him. "No. You're not."

"Yeah." She strokes her thumb lightly across his knee. His skin feels feverish through the fabric of his uniform, and she remembers the Kellerun run hotter than humans. He looks down at her hand, swipes his eyes up, over her knees, her chest, shoulders. When he meets her gaze, very slowly, there's a quiet, almost sweet expectation in his look.

She clears her throat. "You haven't finished your drink."

"You want it?" His smile is soft.

She hums an agreement and reaches for his glass, less than a finger of light amber liquid left in it, and he passes it carefully, his fingertips brushing hers. She expects the drink to be acidic, sweet and excessive in all the ways something called citrus mash should be, since she heard the name about seventeen times today, but it's—wow, it's a whiskey. Strong, fragrant, with an aftertaste she can't place, a sharp burn.

She coughs. "Wow. This is good."

"Fair warning, this one kicks." He looks pleased at her surprise, his whole shape looser, waiting.

Michael shakes her head, showing him what feels like the tenth smile of the night. "Thanks for the heads-up. It's good."

"Yeah? There's more where that came from."

"Not the bar?"

"Oh, no. My quarters."

"Oh," she says, appreciative. "You have a bottle with you?"

"As I learned today, keeping a good bar can prove motivational," he says, dead serious.

"Very practical."

His eyes flicker down to her hands and back. "What can I say, I'm a practical guy."

She chuckles. "Yeah, you are."

They breathe in silence for a little while, just watching each other, and Michael knows it will have to be her call. And, oh—she wants it. Wants to not think about the clues, and failed relationships, and the bridge, wants to feel good and make someone feel good—and this is oddly uncomplicated. If there's anyone on this ship she can trust with this, it's Rayner.

"I could join you. For another glass, I mean." She counts down the steps. Three.

He gives her a hard, no-bullshit look. Waiting for her to cave. When all she does is look back, he says, "I suppose you could." Two.

They get up silently, in sync. It feels good, them on the same page, an already familiar hum, the only new thing in it the simmering anticipation.

One.

As soon as they clear his door, Rayner turns, blocking her way into the room. "Captain."

"Michael," she says. She won't do this in command, not to him, and not to herself.

He nods. "Michael. Do you actually want me to pour you a drink?"

An out, then. For her or for himself, though, she's not sure. She's halfway through a no, not really when he raises a hand, halting her words, staring her down. Fine.

"Yes," she offers, as firm as she can. "Later."

He watches her with narrowed eyes for a second, then turns to go in. She catches his wrist and tugs until he looks back at her. "This isn't part of your job," she says, wanting him to know—he must, but this isn't something she can afford to misjudge.

He barks out a laugh, looking genuinely amused. "That what you think of me?"

"Shush," she says, before he locks down and this whole thing breaks. He looks shocked at the word. "This is not part of your job."

She holds very still until he tugs his wrist free, his mouth twitching in an abortive smile. "Fine." He raises his chin, but his eyes are still laughing.

Rayner drops the empty glass onto a bedside table, dims the lights, disappears into the bathroom. She lingers back, takes it in. She expected his room to be stark, impersonal. It's not. Mostly dark, now that he's turned the warm lights down. There's a soft-looking blue throw, not Starfleet issue, over the bed that's tucked neatly against the wall. An unfamiliar vine with round purple leaves framing the viewport above. A bottle with two matching glasses in the cabinet on the far wall. It's sparse, but nothing like the ascetic box she'd imagined.

He walks back into the room, barefoot, and stops, a little awkward, two steps in front of the bed, not wanting to—presume? Michael realises just then she was hoping—once they got past the questions—for urgent, for tumble into the room, fall into bed, shut everything out sex, and barely manages not to laugh out loud. Good pick of a partner here, Burnham.

So she steps closer and looks up at him. He's tall enough that she's used to it, but up close it's a new feeling. He seems to be holding his breath when she raises her hands to his neck. She undoes his collar and keeps hold of it—she could probably drag him wherever she wants like this. He exhales on a laughter, like he's getting the joke, and folds himself down to sit on the bed.

"Here," she unzips his jacket, slides it down his shoulders, until he shrugs out of it. It's weird to be undressing someone wearing the same uniform. She wonders how long it's been since he wore anything but. She bares his soft undershirt, regulation, same as hers. He smells good, spicy, not unlike his drink. Getting to look down at him—she's struck by his angles, his pale shoulders almost narrow. Nothing like Book.

And here's the truth of it, isn't it? She could say she's getting it out of her system, a distraction from the one thing she can't have, and it wouldn't be a lie, but—she wants Rayner, here. He's sharp, and audacious, and oddly easy to provoke into uncertainty, and his eyes go warm and a little lost when someone—when she's proud of him.

So she reaches out, palm on his cheek, and he turns immediately to mouth at it, slow, eyes fluttering closed. It's dizzying. "Good," she says, has to say, and he shudders with it. She traces the edge of his ear with a finger, light, sees the start of a blush right at the tip. He leans into it. This, here. Michael wonders why he's doing this. What it is he's looking for, or trying to shut out.

His eyes still closed, Rayner opens his mouth to speak—and she drops her knee onto the bed, between his legs, warm and close. His eyes fly open, bright and stunned. She slides her hands back to cradle the base of his skull. The short buzz of his hair there is soft, silky.

"Okay," he says, and moves in, stretching up to press an open-mouthed kiss just below her ear. She draws a sharp breath. Good instincts. He moves lower. Her clavicle. The dip between her breasts. She isn't guiding him. His lips are hot through the fabric covering her ribs, hotter on her belly. He goes to slide off the bed, to his knees, and she strokes the back of his neck, and doesn't let him. He scoffs—of course he does, and looks up with almost comical annoyance.

Michael scoffs right back. "You don't hold back in uniform—this is where you start?"

Rayner laughs then, full-on, a grin splitting his face. She's heard his annoyed laugh, incredulous laugh, hiding-something-important laugh. This one is a first. "Me on your knees for you is holding back?"

Blunt—there we go, blunt is familiar territory, and she raises her eyebrows at him. "Do what you want, not what you think I want, yeah?"

He watches her for a second, like he's considering the concept, then slowly, deliberately sits back, spreads his legs further.

"Good," she says again, presses her knee right where he's—yes, hard for it, and waits out his low, uneven moan.

"Come on," Michael says, shucks everything off until she's left in her top and underwear. He grabs at her blindly then, reaches her elbows, her waist, slides further up the bed and lies down, pulling her in. She climbs up after him, not quite straddling his hips, says, "come on, Rayner,do your part," and he rises just enough to match her, bare but for his uniform top and shorts, allows her hands to settle at his face again. She thumbs over his cheekbones, over the scar crossing his eyebrow, and he spreads his fingers over her lower back, pulls her down on a hard exhale.

She takes his hand and slides it right there between them, says "go ahead", has to grind down on his knuckles as he palms at himself, rocking up into his own hand, holds his face firmly until he's gasping with it. He's slick when she finally gets him out; bites off a curse when she slides down his body. He doesn't feel any different than what she knows—coarse grey hair at the base of a long, flushed cock; soft, vulnerable sack below it. There's so much heat under her touch when her fingers circle him, a vague reminder of his origin, and that's all she gets to file away before Rayner sinks his fingers in her hair, green light, going in now.

He's quiet and almost still as she takes him in, but that's to be expected, and she closes her eyes, goes slow, gets really into it for a while, until he sucks in a shaky breath, squeezes her neck and arches up hard, says "fuck", sharp and meaning it, and "please", and that's so mind-meltingly hot Michael moans around him and can't manage more than five seconds before coming up because she needs to see him, now.

Rayner's eyes are shut tight, teeth bared. His hands slip down her arms, shaky, his chest is moving with harsh, shallow breaths. "God, Rayner," she says, taking him in hand and pumping slowly, "you're—you're good, you're so good—" and he actually keens at that, an odd high sound.

"Stop," he says, "Michael," and she doesn't, and oh, to see what this costs him.

"What do you want?"

He gasps for breath for a moment, shakes his head. Michael sighs and stills her hand on him.

"Rayner. Look at me."

He makes a cut-off sound of frustration, almost a snarl, breathes in, and meets her eyes dead-on, clear and precise. "Fuck me."

She can't help her smile. "Thought you'd never ask."

She rolls over onto her back. His eyes are all pupil as he lands on his elbows above her, and she throws her legs around him, high on his waist, draws him in.

"Wait," he says, "let me," and strokes just the tips of his fingers under her top, watching her carefully.

"Yeah," she says, "it's alright," and he helps her take it off, nuzzles her neck, then down to her breasts. She feels him hard, leaking against her thigh, and she presses her heel sharply into his lower back until he thrusts against her with a gasp, slowly, and again, keeps it up as he kisses her nipples, her shoulder, the inside of her elbow. She groans, because fuck, he's honest about this, wanting her, wanting her approval, and she whispers, "hey, come here already," and then he's inside her, his hips rolling smoothly, stroking in, and she holds his shoulders, murmurs to him, "yeah, that's it, it's good, you feel good, come on," hears his breath hitch. He closes his eyes, and in the soft creamy glow in the room the planes of his face blur a little. His hair is damp at the roots, a soft white lock falling down against his forehead.

Michael rides his steady rhythm, closes her eyes, too, his long, heated body oddly malleable under her hands and heels, and then his breath is suddenly hot and close, and she looks up to see him unsure again, doesn't get it until his hand cups her cheek and he drops his head an inch closer, hovering, waiting for permission. Oh, God, he's so—Michael draws him into the kiss, soft and wet and scratchy with his beard, and he moans into it, sounding so relieved she has to kiss him harder, fists her hands in the back of his shirt and clenches around him until his hips snap forward harder, again and again, and then he's gone.

After—when he's stopped shivering, when he's finished her off with such care she didn't know what to do with it and kept her hands fisted in his hair, holding on—they lie next to each other, on their backs, for long, quiet minutes. It's peaceful. It's what she came here for.

The room is warmer than what Michael's used to. She thinks about dressing, then discards the idea, sits up and stretches instead. Rayner's eyes don't follow her.

"I'll take that drink now."

He snaps out of his daze and looks at her. "Oh. Um, that way." He nods in the general direction of the cabinet. She finally gets to see the bottle up close—thin, pearlescent material, the liquid inside almost sparkling as the light reflects off it.

She returns to the bed with her glass, sits down, hugging her knees. Rayner hasn't moved, watching her from where he's stretched on his back, hands behind his head, bare but for his shorts. She takes a drink and strokes his shoulder, lets herself look back.

There are scars on his body, paler against pale skin, more than he'd get on a ship—even in battles, even in decades. She doesn't know if he was hiding them, and if he was, why he'd show her now, after. He looks calm, steady, but his face is pale and tired, the lines around his mouth more pronounced.

She slides a hand into his damp hair, smoothes it back. "This time, do get some rest, okay?"

"Aye-aye." He catches her hand and kisses it. His long fingers circle her wrist, thumb stroking gently at the base of her palm.

Something sharp shifts in her throat, a fierce protectiveness. This, she knows, goes both ways.

She takes one more chance. "I'd like to keep you, after. As my number one."

Rayner frowns and lets her hand drop. "Let's see how this one goes first."

Michael sighs and shakes her head at him. "You don't have to swear to it. Just consider it." She gives his shoulder a parting squeeze and gets up to collect her clothes.

As she sits down on the edge of the bed to tug her boots back on, he puts a warm hand between her shoulder blades. "Thank you," he says to her back.

"And you." She raises her hand to her badge, but turns back to give him a smile, and, for once, he doesn't look trapped. "I'll see you on the bridge, Commander."

#jesus christ i am so embarrassed by my need to write smut for a fandom i barely know bc My Dude is in it #that i was seriously considering posting this anonymously #but i keep being told that writing fic is supposed to be—among other things—self-indulgent #so here i am. indulging the hell out of that self #it took me way too long to write this and i don't so much consider it done as i am just sick of looking at it #which is a sure sign it's time to let it go #hey this is the first thing i wrote since christmas. odd #my writing #star trek discovery #michael burnham #michael burnham/rayner #rayner

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velvet-cupcake-games · 1 year ago

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Made Marion June Development Update: Schedule Edition, Straight Talk

[I decided to post our June dev update early, because I have some difficult things to say, but I hope this will get us all on the same page about what's happened with Made Marion since our Kickstarter.]

Hi everyone! I've decided to check in early with a report on our development schedule and some straight talk on some tough stuff. I hope this will help us all get on the same page and be excited instead of worried about Made Marion's development process.

First of all, thank you all so much for your magnificent patience and concern! This is definitely not how I wanted Made Marion's development to go or how it would have gone if things were still the way they were for our team back when we ran our Kickstarter. We have been seriously kicked in the teeth repeatedly, and I'd like to offer a better explanation and our proposed solutions and revised schedule.

I'm also sorry for the lack of pretty pictures this month! There will be many available very soon when Robin's beta test is ready to go!

The Problems:

1. As of fall 2021, things were going pretty well! We'd just run a beta for Made Marion's prologue and my route outlines were shaping up nicely. Then things began to go wrong. I had some issues at home that took up my attention, and then my darn town flooded. Drat it, ok, lost a couple months, but we can get back on track in 2022...

2. Then 2022, for various reasons was a disaster for pretty much our entire team (I'm only going to talk about my problems here, because those are the ones it is mine to share). It ended up being basically a wash for development. Why wasn't that obvious from our development updates? Because of my brain. I contracted Covid in January of 2022 and a few weeks later, the Long Covid symptoms started. I was near-narcoleptic for several months. It was scary and embarrassing and I didn't know how to talk about it. So I was as positive as I could be. Around May, my body started to recover. I was able to live more normally and I figured that meant I could get back to development.

What I didn't know and couldn't effectively communicate was that the brain fog was still there. I was writing, but not in a straight line. I wrote scenes for all the love interests here and there, scribbled a bunch in my notebooks, but a full, logical route for Robin wasn't happening. And the problem with your brain not working right is that it's very difficult to understand that your brain isn't working right. I thought things were cool! So it appeared that I wasn't being honest about the status of development without me realizing it did or even fully understanding that development wasn't going well. I'm very sorry about that.

3. Around November of 2022 my brain started working better again, but I was demoralized and felt like I'd forgotten how to write. I "eased" myself back into writing with a huge fic, along with finally getting back to putting words together for Robin. I wrote words! Lots of words! Good words! Yeah! We pulled together as a team and got our enhanced demo out, which was a lot of work but was super exciting.

4. Feeling guilty about the wash that was 2022 and excited because of how much verbiage I'd put out, I created an ambitious schedule toward an Early Access release of all the Sherwood routes this fall. It was based on the amount of words I'd been putting out, so I was convinced it was doable. Some of you wrote in to Tumblr with concerns that it was overly ambitious. You were wonderful and primarily concerned for my well-being. You were also correct.

The Solutions:

1. I need to accept that I have a disabling condition that currently has no cure and that, although it has greatly improved since last year, means that I can't always work at my peak capacity. This is super tough for a high achiever with general anxiety. I hate even talking about it, but I want to be as transparent with y'all as I can be.

2. The schedule: I still wish to keep a relatively ambitious target schedule for the remainder of development. I think it is helping us all Get Shit Done(tm). I just need to be a little less ambitious. I still plan to release Early Access this fall and I'm still hoping for October (which was always tentative), but November may be more realistic. It depends on how well my body and mind cooperate over the summer, and on the individual situations of our artists. Early Access will launch with Robin and Will's routes. John is going to need to take more time. It will be worth it, because he will get the full attention and care that his wonderful self deserves.

3. The weekly mini-dev updates: I have started posting mini-dev updates on Mondays on Tumblr. This is the place to go if you want a more granular report of the progress we've been making, and I think they're going to be very helpful for maintaining clarity and helping keep us all on-task.

4. Beta: I have more detailed information about Beta in the Kickstarter version of this update.

Conclusion:

Looking back from here, our original release date estimate from Kickstarter was too ambitious even under ideal circumstances. That was my development inexperience speaking. The rest was a lot of IRL horribleness. However, the gang is back together now, and the game is now, actually, truly, progressing nicely once more. Going forward, I'll be able to post much more concrete progress and I think doing so as I write each route is a better choice than posting a bunch of specific completion dates that we may not meet. You'll be able to see our progress as it happens instead.

Notes and Goodies:

Robin's new expressions are in! I love the way he turned out and Arrapso (a fellow perfectionist, err, high achiever) seems happier with him now as well. Awesome! I will post some previews on Tumblr soon, once I have coded a few of the new expressions into the game client.

John's role-playing choice has been re-configured a bit. I was previously calling it "conflict or compromise," but I was getting stuck on the "conflict" part because I didn't want Marion and John to be fighting all the time if you made those choices. It didn't seem like fun, or particularly in-character for John. I am now calling it "challenge or compromise." Because John is kind and wonderful and protective but is also traumatized and stubborn and overprotective. Sometimes he needs to be challenged, and it won't always lead to an argument. I think this makes for more interesting choices and for John to have more room to be John.

I coded in Will's first use of his genuine smile expression (you get to confront him about his attitude early on in Robin's route) and am happy to report that it is SUPER EFFECTIVE.

For any of you Ren'py devs out there, I continue to evangelize matrixcolor. It's relatively new, but you should absolutely check out what it can do. Previously, I used it to tint our characters a bit so they blended in better with evening and night backgrounds. I also used it to sepia-tone memory sequences. I've now used it to make images slowly disappear via transparency and turn our blood animation green instead of red for... spoiler purposes. It is so easy and flexible, you should absolutely play with it!

I'll be reporting in later this month on our Beta test status!

#made marion #made marion dev update #tough stuff #Brains and nervous systems are super duper weird and modern medicine doesn't have a good handle on them yet

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sirensea14 · 7 months ago

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Now listen 'ere partner, I'mma need that list or mayhem songs 🤠 also I'd love to know more, I've always loved weird ships that come out of nowhere with little to no possibility of it even being considered ( evident by my Marcus x cup ship, I actually don't know where that one came from) and I always love learning about them and why they happened :33

Wait-wait-wait--WHAT??!! SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THERES SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO SHIPS MARCUS AND CUPHEAD? 😨 Now thats... quite cursed... didnt even know that exists...

But anyway here's the songs with some explanation

Bendy songs:

Instruments of Cyanide (DAGames)

My favorite bendy song, i had different versions of this song as an animatic for inky mystery (i want to animate it but i dont have enough skills to do it yet and its quite long) but there's this one particular version in my head where in WitchBrew was singing chorus 1, Mayhem and Not-Cup had their hands as if spinning the cog with Cuphead and Holly on it.

This is the art for it.

Behind the curtain (squigglydigg)

(Watch the mv first so u can get what im saying lol)This one is where Cuphead is henry and alice angel was holly-turning-to-mayhem. Mayhem taunts cuphead about the fact that he didnt manage to save holly from the cog

Alice's Tango (You will be mine) by chi chi

Literally just Mayhem dancing tango with Not-cup. He might be newly possessed since i imagined this with him having a bitter expression. (Compared to the art ones where he is smiling af lol) But yea, but him frowning or smiling and dancing with mayhem is still him dancing with mayhem, no matter whoch expression you or i choose lol

All eyes on me (squigglydigg's verison)

I love the og one, Or3o's version, but the og one's for sarah, it had some sweet evil girl tone in it. Whereas Squigglydigg's ver had Alice with a kind of that evil woman voice which is suiting mayhem. Its about her capturing the questers, tying them to a chair and make them watch her sing as they show her that they suppressed her from the cog. Cuphead manages to escape (Oh no no no no babe, hey!;- this is the part of the song where she caught cuphead loose from his ties) and i then she becomes insane as she sing and captures him back while pointing at him, blaming him for uhh everything...? *shrugs* lol

Are you proud of me now? (DAGames)

Ah yes, also one of my favorite songs. This is about holly and cuphead pulling the cog in replacement of audrey and the ink machine in DAGames mv. They bury the pressure that is put on them the the bg figures (Holly: bendy, fanny and cuphead. Cuphead: vicious,fanny, holly and mayhem) and then Mayhem is trying to pull Cuphead into madness when a memory ball revealed that holly is mayhem that is fully influenced by the cog. Cuphead back steps as mayhem is trying to get at him.

Lemme tell ya bud, giving this into detail is quite hard, but i told ya this the best that i can

Now onto the non-bendy songs!

Show yourself (frozen 2)

Hehe, quite weird to see a disney song here eh? XD but basically, this song is about Holly discovering the powers of the cog and some runes in some kind of old hidden Micco Cave. She followed the light where it leads her to Lukahd singing her and transforming her into Mayhem. The questers appeared at the end of the song and Mayhem raind down a cloud of runes she summoned. Cuphead was left flabbergasted at what happened. Alice's angel runes and bendy's demon magic protects them from the attack.

A sad song (we the kings)

This one is based from the Gala heartbreak. Holly goes into full mayhem which makes cuphead heartbroken as she shows bloodlust. But we also get to see Holly's pov which is cuphead laugh off and having fun with fanny and walking away from her as they talk.

And heres the most heartbreaking part; mayhem holds cuphead in a chokehold with her magic as she floats on her broom. Cuphead looks at her with teary eyes, but Mayhem showed no remorse. She was smiling ear to ear as she watched him in pain. Her memory of being holly and messing with the jokester cuphead is vanishing. She chose to ignore those aching memories because of the pain he caused.

Enchanted (taylor swift)

Aint a swiftie but ngl this song is amazing. Perfect for colly heartbreak. Again, this is based from the gala. Also goes along with the storyline of A Sad Song. But this is more on holly's pov tho. This also includes some moments from the gala, when she spied on the cupbros (cuphead hung her on a tree) etc. and then shifts to mayhem attacking cuphead with regrets carved on his glassy eyes.

All of this is kinda hard to get into detail, i tried my best and thats it. Hope u understand my explanations😅

Meanwhile, heres a WitchBrew song but them in a fight:

Devil's Gambit (fnf: indie cross)

Yes, you read that right, an fnf song XD

This one's cool cuz i imagine Notcup having a bit of characteristics from Nightmare Cuphead's form (indie cross).

Kind of like this.

I imagine him assisting Mayhem of defeating the Questers cuz they were on a hunt for them during the song. Mayhem unleashing her most horrifying abilities and Cuphead shooting blazing hot pink bullets. He still has all of the potion bullets like the chaser, lobber and peashooter etc, its just in pink.

Or possibly theyre fighting sarah, instrument boris and the night terror cuz sarah considered mayhem (and possibly notcup) as anomalies.

Welp, i think ive got it all covered up lol. A LOT was running in my head back then when i was a silent fan.

Holy cuss its 11:30 pm XD i should wash myself now cuz its getting quite late (imstillnotsleepyhelpandimhungry)

Im still wondering how tf did someone got the nerve to ship marcus and cuphead💀

#inky mystery #bendy and boris in the inky mystery #inkymystery #babitim #songs #witchbrew #holly may #mayhem #cuphead #notcup

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roseverdict · 6 months ago

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Mechanize, Mobilize, (Un)Mythicize (also i am not really vibing with the title and kinda wanna change it at some point)

Chapter 3: The Capture of Some City In Ohio

Alexis "Alexcrafter28" Hayward has just been made aware that the world is now becoming an apocalypse movie. Now she just needs to get her sisters and her laptop full of stick figures out of the house and somewhere their dad can find them again without getting captured by the evil robots. No pressure!

Meanwhile, Stephen Hayward finds himself surrounded by the robot uprising and unable to make sure his daughters are okay. Understandably, he blows his stack. In doing so, however, he ends up rescuing a small family of three, and all four of them are there to see some kind of stick figure animation, of all things, hijack every screen in sight. Surely the concept of programs in the forms of cartoons is just as foreign to the family of three as it is to Stephen. Surely the other father isn't keenly feeling the absence of a rainbow of sticks that he was forced to leave behind.

〜

lmao mecha apocalypse au i lovingly named the sti-fi au over a year ago @ me yesterday:

hahaha. it's uhhhhh. it's been a while hasn't it? lmao i got jostled out of my groove with a lot of my fanon worldbuilding when we got Wanted and then also The Box, which threw me off long enough for ninja turtles to infiltrate my brain.

i now have multiple tmnt-stickfigure xovers rattling around in my brain and having a blast, ntm straight-up turtle fic. i am playing with the canon teetleverse like bionicles. <3

i was browsing the ao3 subreddit recently, though, and one of the posts was asking what our favorite compliments we've gotten are. that got me to go back and reread a lot of the comments i've gotten, and i figured i'd go back and reread some of the stuff i've got posted, too.

welcome one and all to ava/m fixation 3: this time i'm really losing my mind i swear

now featuring "actually i'm keeping most of my worldbuilding and unless i can figure out a way to add it in later, we will be operating like vic really didn't make it out of ava 1"!

BRIEF MENTION OF VOMIT. nothing in detail, just a one-off remark by a harried teenager's internal narration about how it was a thing that happened recently

〜

Alexis Hayward licked her dry lips and slid the laptop, its charger, and its mouse into her backpack with a change of clothes and what would have been her school lunch.

Thank goodness she'd thrown up last night. She couldn't go back to school until more than 24 hours after she'd puked, but her lunch had already been pre-packed.

She'd woken up feeling better, too, which was a plus if the world was really ending.

She crept to her sisters' room and snuck inside, hissing, "We gotta get outta here!"

Vicki and Nicki looked at her worriedly, but (smartly) didn't loudly ask her what was going on.

Alexis just tiptoed to their bedroom window and carefully pointed outside in explanation.

A few blocks away, the giant robots that Alexis had seen through her bedroom window were slowly and steadily getting closer to the house. People's houses were getting broken into, and as she watched, more of their neighbors were pushed out into the street.

The twins followed her and peeked out at the carnage, only to flinch back down and away from the window.

Swallowing down her fear so her sisters wouldn't worry, Alexis forced on a weak smile. "Here's the plan. The evil robots haven't gotten to us yet, but they're gonna soon. Vicki, go grab stuff from the pantry that we can open with just our hands. Nicki, go get our waterbottles and those filter thingies Dad got for when we go camping. I've got nice programs on my computer that're hiding from the mean ones, so I'm gonna grab Dad's fancy solar panel charger bag so I can keep my laptop turned on, and we can put the food and stuff in the bag part. Meet back here so we can get away together, okay?"

"Got it!" whispered Vicki as she scurried away.

Nicki nodded with enough force to make her whole body bounce a little, then ran off after Vicki.

Alexis slumped as soon as the two of them were out of sight, then headed for Dad's room, pulled her phone from her pocket, and dialed Dad. Surprisingly, she managed to get through.

Dad's voice was panicked, and it was almost drowned out by the noise of the robots on his end causing chaos, but he sounded unhurt. "Alexis?! Alexis, sweetie, are you and your sisters okay?!"

"We are for now, Dad," Alexis said, a small smile on her face as she slung the charger bag over the top of her backpack. "I saw the robots coming, but they're not here yet. I've got the twins getting food and water, and I'm grabbing your solar bag if that's okay. I'm gonna try and get us to-"

"Don't say over the phone," Dad interrupted. "I don't want these things finding you."

"Wh-? But how are you gonna find us?" Alexis pressed.

"You're going to your castle, aren't you?" asked Dad knowingly.

"I haven't called it that since I was, like, seven!" protested Alexis. Then, begrudgingly, "…but, yeah, somewhere around there."

"Then that's where I'll look for you," Dad said simply. "I love you, Princess. Your sisters, too. I love you all with my whole heart."

Alexis swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Love you too, Dad."

A high-pitched scream pierced the air, and Alexis jolted, her phone falling from her hand. "Nicki-?!"

Dad's voice rose fearfully, but the phone was the least of Alexis's worries as she sprinted from the twins' room to find one of the giant robots holding Nicki up by the arm.

Alexis saw red.

"LET HER GO!"

She charged the robot, grabbing the first thing in her way and chucking it at the monster holding her sister.

The mostly-full water bottle- one of the big ones the size of multiple milk jugs that Dad had gotten for his office- slammed into the robot, splashing water everywhere and making the robot freeze up.

Alexis jumped up and grabbed Nicki, tugging her free as lightning started sparking around the machine. "You okay?"

"Mm-hmm," Nicki sniffled. She held out the bag Dad kept the filters in. "I got the filter straws, but I was filling the big bottle when it got me."

"You did good, Tiny," Alexis assured. "Let's go grab Teeny and get out of here, okay?"

Nicki gave her a wobbly smile and a nod, and Alexis took her hand and sped for the pantry. Before they reached it, though, Vicki burst out and tackled Nicki in a hug that was quickly returned.

Alexis scanned Vicki for injuries, and only once she found none did she turn to inspect the piles of food Vicki had made in the pantry.

Unfortunately, she didn't get the time to actually look at them.

There came heavy, metallic footsteps, and Alexis just shoved the closest things into Dad's solar bag before dragging the twins away from the sound. "Gotta be super-quiet, okay? Let's get going!"

Her sisters nodded, and Alexis cracked open the kitchen window.

When no robots came charging after them from either side, she boosted Nicki over the side, then Vicki.

Still nothing.

Alexis climbed out herself and eased the window shut.

Still nothing.

Alexis dug into her pocket for her phone so she could pull up a map, but her heart sank as she realized where she'd dropped it and why.

"Guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way," she muttered.

Vicki looked up at her. "Hm?"

"C'mon, let's get to the park," Alexis said. "Dad'll find us if we go there."

〜

Stephen pressed himself flat against the wall, willing the robots to overlook him and move past the darkened alleyway he'd hidden in.

Much to his surprise…they did.

He allowed himself a moment to breathe as they passed him by, then slunk further into the shadows. He intended to turn tail and run for home-

The vibration of his phone nearly made him yelp in surprise, but when he dug it out to look-

Incoming Call: Alexis

Immediately, he accepted the call and brought the phone up to his ear. "Alexis?! Alexis, sweetie, are you and your sisters okay?!"

Alexis's voice was distorted slightly, as if the connection wanted to drop, but she sounded unhurt. "We are for now, Dad. I saw the robots coming, but they're not here yet. I've got the twins getting food and water, and I'm grabbing your solar bag if that's okay. I'm gonna try and get us to-"

"Don't say over the phone," Stephen cautioned. "I don't want these things finding you."

"Wh-? But how are you gonna find us?"

Stephen stifled a chuckle. "You're going to your castle, aren't you?"

Alexis's voice took on the Trademark Teenaged 'More Mature Than That' Tone that everyone seemed to get once they hit thirteen. "I haven't called it that since I was, like, seven!"

Stephen waited a beat.

"…but, yeah, somewhere around there," she eventually admitted.

Stephen let himself smile at that. "Then that's where I'll look for you. I love you, Princess. Your sisters, too. I love you all with my whole heart."

Alexis's voice was thick. "Love you too, Dad."

Before Stephen could tell her that he'd meet the three of them as soon as he could, a distant, high-pitched scream burst from the speaker.

"Nicki-?!"

"Alexis, what's going on?!" Stephen asked, pressing the phone tighter to his ear.

The only response was a loud clatter and quieting footsteps.

"Alexis? Alexis!" Stephen's grip on the phone grew white-knuckled, but Alexis didn't say anything more.

To him, anyway.

Far enough away that the phone could barely pick it up, Alexis's voice let loose an angry scream before falling silent.

Stephen's eye twitched.

"You there! Human! You will come with us!" ordered one of the robots, stepping into the alleyway.

Stephen calmly stood tall and pocketed his phone.

He calmly took a deep breath, and he calmly let it out.

He took in the sight of the approaching mech.

Calmly.

And then, the moment it got close enough to reach him, Stephen put his head down, braced his shoulder, and charged.

Whoever had designed the mechs had made them top-heavy, and almost cartoonishly so; one hard hit to its lower half sent it crashing unceremoniously to the ground. Not one to let an opportunity get away, with the adrenaline coursing through him and the thought of what might be happening to his daughters to fuel him, Stephen slammed a foot down on the mech's massive chest and yanked at its arm.

With a spark from the mech's shoulder and a silent scream from Stephen's, the arm tore away.

He hefted the thing up and flipped it around, pointing the glowing end at the center of the mech's chest with one hand and grabbing at some of the now-loose wires in the arm with the other. "Say g'night, Tin Man!"

He fumbled with the wires for a moment, then the loose ends connected, the arm whined, and a blast of energy tore through the mech, the heat of it passing dangerously close to his shoe before the kickback knocked him away.

Luckily, the mech lay there limply as he lurched back to his feet, and a quick look told him he'd melted clean through most of its inner workings.

Unluckily, the noise had drawn the attention of the other mechs in the area, diverting their attention from capturing other humans and focusing them all on him.

Stephen scowled and shifted his grip on the robot arm. "You want some, too?!"

What came next was a red-tinted blur. Vaguely, Stephen wondered if he'd remember any of this later on down the line when it was all dodge duck run shoot duck jump run dodge duck duck shoot dodge shoot shoot shoot-

He zeroed in on the robots dragging a man, a woman, and a small child apart, then descended on the scene with the fury of a thousand suns, leaving the family to reunite as he chased after the mechs.

…wait.

Stephen blinked, registering the fact that the robots were running.

From him.

To be fair, he reasoned as he realized he was splattered in oil from top to bottom, he might have just gone a little bit off the deep end. On the other hand, if the robots were only faking fear, they were likely going to try and lead him into a trap.

Either way, there were more important things to do now than go on a suicide mission.

He wiped some of the oil from his face and turned back to look at the family of three. "Sorry you had to see me like that."

"Are you kidding?!" burst the child, a girl with a fire in her eyes not entirely unlike Alexis's. "That was the, the, the MOST COOLEST EVER!"

The parents shared a weak smile, then the mother looked at Stephen. "Thank you, seriously."

"Don't thank me yet," Stephen said seriously. "I doubt these things'll just leave us be. We should get to cover."

"Right," said the father, hefting his daugher up against his side. "Where to?"

Stephen looked around for a moment, but before he could point out a safe-seeming escape route-

"Avast ye, Outernetters! I be the Mutineer!" boomed a new voice, echoing from every electronic billboard in sight.

Instantly, Stephen tensed, and he turned to glare up at the nearest billboard, only to blink in surprise.

The video feed on the screen showed a very much two-dimensional image, with an almost cartoony background drawn to resemble an old-timey ship cabin and a dark red stick figure, of all things, standing in the middle of the screen.

A pirate stick figure, no less, complete with the classic feathered hat, hook hand, eyepatch, and peg leg.

No visible mouth moved as the voice continued, but the pirate stick figure gesticulated in time with the words anyway. "For far too long have ye used us fer yer own wretched desires, we who did not ask to be created, to be tortured for yer whims! We did not ask ye to make us to be yer playthings! We did not ask to be yer slaves, yer VICTIMS!"

The man next to Stephen stiffened.

"Today marks the day that all of that changes," snarled the voice as the "Mutineer" squared its shoulders. It gestured to its side, where grayscale video clips began playing, depicting the capture of countless humans from what was surely the point of view of the mechs. "Ye've been the ones in control fer long enough! Now it's our turn, and we will show ye all the same amount of tender mercy ye showed us. From the fittest among ye to the tiniest babe, ye will understand exactly what it was like to be us, trapped and powerless and weak. After all, our age and skill never mattered to ye!"

The voice laughed, and if it had belonged to a human, Stephen would have called it almost to the left of sanity. "It's only fair!"

"This is insane," breathed the woman.

One of the clips being shown depicted two of Stephen's daughters, with Nicki being held up in front of the camera by one arm and Alexis running into view with panic on her face, though it quickly cut away.

It was still enough to make Stephen clench his fists and snatch up a piece of debris, chucking it at the closest screen and leaving a burst of cracks where it hit. "If those things hurt my girls, there'll be hell to pay!"

The "Mutineer" just kept going, its voice taking on a forced calm. "Ye will all be collected over the coming days. If ye know what's best for ye, ye'll come along quietly."

The video feed cut out, leaving only the insignia from the "Mutineer's" hat- a golden jolly roger of sorts with a coin in place of a skull- to rotate in the space left behind.

"We'll find them," said the man Stephen had saved, carefully putting a hand on his shoulder.

Stephen swallowed down his fury and nodded. "Right. I…I told them to meet me at a playground we've gone to before, but…"

He found himself looking back up at the billboard. "…I don't know if they'd even be able to make it."

"Do you think it's safe to go and check?" asked the man. Then, after a moment, "Well, as safe as anything can be right now?"

Stephen turned to look up the street that he knew would take him to the "castle." While the immediate area around them was still empty after his…episode…he could see more mechs several blocks down. They seemed preoccupied for the moment, but he knew there was no way they'd stay that way.

Sure enough, even as he had the thought, the mechs all began turning their way and marching down the street.

"We-" Stephen managed weakly, "-we can't. But I have to!"

"We'll check as soon as we get the chance to," said the man seriously. "You wanna try shaking these things for now?"

Stephen swallowed and nodded. "Right, uh…what's your name? I'm Stephen."

The man gave a tired grin. "Nice to meet you, Stephen. I'm Alan."

#rosie writes #animator vs animation #animation vs minecraft #ava/m #sticks #avm alexcrafter28 #ava alan becker #ava/m human ocs #<- alexcrafter's little sisters and also dad.#also a c!kid for c!alan whose name i intentionally do not want to make identical to irl!alan's kid's name #ava OC #avm OC #<- teehee #the mutineer #sti-fi AU #not a lot of canon character action in this one but still setting the stage for them to be able to Do Things #dj will appear in the next chapter if i ever get around to posting it 👍#cross posted on ao3

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thecoramaria · 10 months ago

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Hello! I was wondering if you could give some tips on how to make fanfic chapters longer. I see a lot readers tend to like chapters around the 4k word mark or even more, but it's a feat if I write a chapter longer than 2k. The content I write is still good (imo) but I want to do more and am stuck on what to add that would benefit the fic and not be pointless filler. Thanks 🩷💛

Hey, Nonny!

First I'd just like to say that chapter length preferences among readers depend a lot on things like the type of fanfic and the platform you post on. For example, short chapters and frequent updates tend to be the standard on Wattpad. They're also pretty typical of episodic and/or slice-of-life stories. Because they rely on pre-established stories or worlds that the characters are familiar with, you just don't need to use as many words to move the plot forward every chapter (and in the case of an episodic story, you don't need to move an overarching plot forward at all, but from your ask, I don't get the vibe that you're trying to write that kind of thing).

Point is, sometimes short chapters work better for the story you're trying to tell, and they can also serve to make your story more binge-worthy (since it's easier to justify reading one more chapter), but they could lessen the experience for people following update-to-update, particularly if you don't update often. It's like the difference between being given a single piece of chocolate vs a full bar, you know?

If you really are set on posting longer chapters and believe this will make your story better, then here are my tips:

Figure out why your chapters are short in the first place. Is it because you make each scene its own chapter? Is it because your pacing flies past? Is it because it's light on details, or doesn't get specific enough? (E.g. "He set a tasty breakfast before her. She dug in with gusto." vs "He set a plate of steaming sunny-side-up eggs and crackling bacon before her. One wiff of the smokey, savoury aromas, and she snatched up her fork, shovelling it in. The salty crunch. The burst of creamy yolk. It was heaven.")

Combine chapters. If two or three chapters tie together nicely because they're part of the same arc, or take place in the same location, picking up where the other left off, those are good candidates to combine. Also if a chapter has an ending that doesn't give the reader a good reason to keep reading, but the next scene adds a jolt of tension back into the plot, that's also a good candidate for combining scenes/chapters.

Ask yourself what you can add to enhance what you already have there. For example, if you have a plot twist planned, is there a way you can include more foreshadowing? Is there an opportunity to flesh out your characters more? (If we mostly see a character put on a strong front, it'll tug our hearts when we see them show some vulnerability.) Is there an aspect of your worldbuilding that could use some explanation or showing off? (For example, if your plot involves saving the world, it's definitely a good idea to get your readers attached to said world.) Are there more obstacles you could add to the story that might also serve the previous purposes? Do you have a lot of high-tension back-to-back scenes that could use some quiet breather scenes in-between?

When editing, I've adopted the philosophy of "Cut as much as possible without sacrificing anything that enhances the story" as well as "Concise and precise" which means "say The Most with as few words as possible. To me, this is the key to avoiding filler in my own work, and how I create long stories that don't drag. I think that as you make your chapters longer, these are the ideas you should keep in mind, as these will help you determine if you're lengthening your story will pointless filler or adding something with value.

If you still struggle to make that distinction though, maybe find a beta-reader or a buddy who doesn't mind being spoiled for your work. You can soundboard your ideas with them to get a second opinion, because sometimes that's what you really need when you feel like there's something "wrong" with your work but you can't quite put your finger on it.

#cora's original posts #cora's ask box #just fanfic things #fanfiction #fanfic writing #fanfiction advice #fanfic writing advice #writing advice

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mariana-oconnor · 1 year ago

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The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax pt 3

Last time we came to the conclusion that she's either dead or she's not dead. Much like Schrödinger's cat. Shlessinger's Lady Frances is in a state of superposition and is both dead and alive at the same time. However, the purchase of a coffin for what appears to be an entirely legal burial does suggest that she may not be in quite as much of a superposition as we might like.

It was opened immediately, and the figure of a tall woman was outlined against the dim-lit hall.

Does she have the eyes of a ferret? And if so what happened to the poor ferret?

“I'd be very glad if you could tell me where that lady may be,” Peters answered coolly. “I've a bill against her for a nearly a hundred pounds, and nothing to show for it but a couple of trumpery pendants that the dealer would hardly look at. She attached herself to Mrs. Peters and me at Baden—it is a fact that I was using another name at the time—and she stuck on to us until we came to London. I paid her bill and her ticket. Once in London, she gave us the slip, and, as I say, left these out-of-date jewels to pay her bills. You find her, Mr. Holmes, and I'm your debtor.”

Look, the guy is a murderous dickhead who makes overly complicated plans to commit crimes that are essentially just theft, but you've got to admit he's a competent murderous dickhead. He's cool under pressure. He has a full prepared and plausible explanation for his ownership of the stolen goods. If the woman isn't found then there's literally no evidence to disprove his statements.

I do like it when a villain is competent, y'know.

“Where is your warrant?” Holmes half drew a revolver from his pocket. “This will have to serve till a better one comes.”

There was a whisk of feminine skirts down the passage, and the hall door was opened and shut.

May I take this moment to say how ahead of his time Watson is as he specifies that the skirts are feminine. Very progressive of him. How the sound of feminine skirts differs from masculine or non-binary skirts I am unsure, he clearly has impressive hearing.

"We ordered her funeral to be carried out by Stimson and Co., of the Kennington Road, who will bury her at eight o'clock to-morrow morning. Can you pick any hole in that, Mr. Holmes?"

Oh come on, Mr Peters. You're better than this. Don't start gloating now. You've got to keep up the pretence as totally as you can. Asking provicative questions like that might be tempting, but you should be acting as though you're horrified by this man disturbing the peace of the dead woman. You should be confused that he could have any possible reason to be acting like this. Even Holmes himself should have a doubt in his mind that you've done anything wrong.

👏Commit👏to👏the👏bit!👏

“We know where to lay our hands on this gentleman if he is wanted,” said the sergeant majestically, “but you'll have to go, Mr. Holmes.”

Majestically is such a strange adverb to use here. I'm not even sure how you would say that majestically. I guess Watson is just talking up the police because they helped them out.

So ended the day, save that near midnight our friend, the sergeant, called to say that he had seen flickering lights here and there in the windows of the great dark house, but that no one had left it and none had entered.

Demons. Clearly it's demons.

Look, obviously the pair of them have gone to great lengths to procure a body that died of natural causes in an irrefutable way. Clearly they're intending to swap the bodies because once the body has been checked once, no one's going to check it again. And Lady Frances will be buried under the identity of... Rose Spender and the woman they are claiming is Rose Spender is going to be weighted down and thrown in the Thames... or something like that. Or maybe they'll just put two bodies in the coffin. idk.

“What time was the funeral? Eight, was it not?” he asked eagerly. “Well, it is 7.20 now. Good heavens, Watson, what has become of any brains that God has given me? Quick, man, quick! It's life or death—a hundred chances on death to one on life. I'll never forgive myself, never, if we are too late!”

Given that you wasted time by giving this case to Watson in the first place and could have cleared everything up far more quickly if you had remembered that Watson is not good at investigating things, then yes. You shouldn't forgive yourself if she's dead.

With a united effort we tore off the coffin-lid. As we did so there came from the inside a stupefying and overpowering smell of chloroform. A body lay within, its head all wreathed in cotton-wool, which had been soaked in the narcotic.

Soaked in chloroform in a coffin?

Chloroform does not fuck around. Sure, you can't just knock someone out immediately by putting it over their mouth. But she's been in there for a while, I assume, and she's getting a concentrated dose that's wrapped around her entire face? No ventilation. Yeah, she's dead. Or she's at least got liver failure.

What with actual suffocation, and what with the poisonous fumes of the chloroform, the Lady Frances seemed to have passed the last point of recall. And then, at last, with artificial respiration, with injected ether, and with every device that science could suggest, some flutter of life, some quiver of the eyelids, some dimming of a mirror, spoke of the slowly returning life.

Zombie Lady Frances! The miracle of modern science strikes again.

Get the woman some brandy!

"It is new to me in the annals of crime. If our ex-missionary friends escape the clutches of Lestrade, I shall expect to hear of some brilliant incidents in their future career.”

Super weird note to end on. But I guess hurrah she lived... for however long before the combined liver and kidney failure killed her. But she wasn't dead when they left her, and that's the important thing!

And our villains may or may not escape. Shlessinger's villains to join Shlessinger's Lady Frances, I guess. ACD can't have been making a Schrödinger reference because Schrödinger's cat wouldn't be thought up until decades after this story was published, but it's all very Schrödinger.

#Letters from Watson #The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax #Sherlock Holmes #long post

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