#Pirate Bay is not really good for music

[foldingfittedsheets]

Hey I usually look for movies and TV shows, does anyone know a place to reacquire digital music that was previously purchased but now unavailable?

[somanyratsinthewalls]

Heyy! I’m new here and I absolutely love your writings wksiwksjwjshe is your 300 event still open?

if yes I would love to req a cinnamon + poplar ! hehe thank you! (If it’s already closed then don’t mind me)

*HI sorry this took forever! But I hope you love it ;) Ace is such a filthy boy in this one, EYE certainly enjoyed it*

Pairing: Ace x Fem Reader

WC: 2200

Prompt: “Shh I know baby, I know it’s good. You’re doing so good for me…” 

TW: SEX, shameless flirting in public, Ace being kind of a pervert, reader is a bit older than young buck Ace, p in v sex, unprotected sex (don't) creampie (also don't) fingering, teasing, pet names, filthy language. the usual?

— — 

You sat at your desk in the medical ward of the ship, up to your ears in paperwork. Blood test results to log, supply order forms to go over, you had so much on your plate and it was eating away at you. The rest of the crew was in the galley drinking but you were stuck working. 

Suddenly the door to the med bay swings open and in waltzes the crew’s head doctor. 

“Ok little chicken, that’s enough work for tonight.” Marco smiles warmly at you as he approaches your desk. 

“Please stop calling me that." You sigh and rub your eyes. "And I still have more releases to sign off on, and the IV tubing we use for Dad is on backorder, so I have to decide if we go up a size or down a size and did you know-“ You ramble on and on while Marco rolls his eyes. 

“I’ll handle it. Go out and have a drink.” Marco eyes your tired face. “Gods know you need it, kiddo.” 

You sigh. You feign a smile as you rise from your desk chair, the joints in your back and knees popping from how long you had been sitting. 

“Was… was that your back?” Marco asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. Shut up.” You say as you push your way out of the med bay. You follow the sounds of music and riotous laughter towards the galley and enter quietly. You slunk between the groups of pirates towards the center of the room and grab a beer from the barrel full of ice. You pull your cigarette lighter out of your pocket and use it to pop the cap off your beer. You stow the lighter back into your pocket. 

“Hey, y/n! Over here!” 

You turn around and see a somewhat intoxicated Ace waving you over to his table. He had that stupid, goofy grin on his face. You smiled back and headed in his direction. He was standing around a wooden table with Thatch, Izou and a few other Whitebeard pirates and nurses. 

“Jeez y/n you look like you’ve been up for a week.” Ace teases you. 

“I think I have, now that you mention it…” You say and take a sip of your beer. 

“Man I haven’t seen you this down before, y/n. What the hell is going on with you?” Izou asks. 

“Well, since you’ve asked! I’m exhausted. I’m bored. I’m stressed. I can’t tell if I want 5 more beers or to fall asleep on the floor! I am wildly overworked and under-fucked.” You finish your rant and slam your beer. 

“Anyone else need another one?” You ask to the now silent group of people that surrounded you at the table. You were met with mostly blank stares, shocked at your sudden outburst. You turn and head to grab a new beer. 

“I’ll come with you!” Ace is quick to join with a mischievous smirk on his lips. 

He follows you like a puppy as you head towards the beer. 

“You know I can help you with that, right?” Ace grabs your arm and pulls you to face him. 

You laugh. 

“I don’t really think Marco would trust you enough to run my blood tests for me, but thanks.” 

“No no, the other part. The being under-fucked part.” Ace smirks down at you. Again, you laugh. 

“Haha, oh yeah? What are you, like 23? Like you’d know what to do with it if you had a chance.” You smile playfully and wiggle out of his grip, finally retrieving another beer. Ace does the same and sidles close behind you on your way back to the table. Suddenly Ace’s breath is hot in your ear as he leans in to whisper something to you. 

“Well I’ve got an 8 inch cock that might change your mind on that…” You stop dead in your tracks and your eyes widen. 

“Wha-?”

Ace passes by you and goes to join the table again. “Only if you want, though! Come on, let’s have another drink!” Ace beckons you over like he hadn’t just whispered the most crude, filthy thing in your ear 30 seconds ago. 

Convincing yourself you had imagined it, you snap out of your trance and return to the table to drink. 

You enjoy a few more rounds of drinks and you notice with each beer, Ace slides his body closer and closer to yours. You could attribute this to the size of your party shrinking as people headed off to bed, but at this point he was basically pressing his side into yours, occasionally grazing his warm hand over your hip. 

His touch was fleeting, but hot… it made you crave more. You found yourself leaning into him and he pulled you closer in return. He felt you shudder. 

“Oh man, y/n, you must really be tired. Do you need help getting back to your room okay?” Ace looks down at you with a devious smirk.  You knew what he was really asking.. and you were far too quick to respond. 

“Yes, I think I’d like that, Ace.” You smile and he wraps his arm around your hip and pulls you away from the table. 

Ace is all but giggling as he brings you back to your room, pinching and squeezing your skin anywhere he could tease it. He stops at your door and looks at you expectantly. 

You laugh. 

“Would you like to come inside, Ace?” 

“Hell yeah!” Ace practically jumps into your room behind you and slams the door shut. 

From the instant the door is closed, Ace’s lips are on yours. You barely had time to react to the kiss before he started tugging at your clothes. You laugh and pull back from the kiss. 

“Haha slow down!  We have all night Ace… I’m not going anywhere.” You purr at him and stroke his cheek. What a sweet, eager little thing he was. 

Ace nuzzles himself into your neck and plants a wet kiss. 

“‘M’sorry, just hate seeing you like this…” Ace continued licking and biting at your neck. You whimper. “Gonna fix it… gonna make you feel so good, baby.” 

Your cunt clenched in anticipated of what he was about to do to your body. Ace pulls your dress over your head and tosses it to the floor. He distracts you with more kisses as he unclasps your bra and pulls it off of you. Ace kisses down to your stomach and gently pulls your panties down. You step out of them and realize you’re completely bare in front of your friend. 

You covered your breasts instinctively. Those doesn’t go unnoticed by Ace, who was coming up to meet your eye again. He pulls your arm gently away from your chest and smiles. 

“Aww are you shy, baby?” Ace coos at you. You blush so hard you think your face might be on fire. Why was he having this affect on you? He was a young blowhard at least 5 years your junior, and yet he ended up with all of the control in this situation…

“That’s ok, come here…” Ace gets on your bed and sits up with his back against the pillows and headboard. “Let me show you why you don’t need to be shy.” He smirks and holds out his arms to you. 

You lick your lips and climb into Ace’s waiting lap. He positions you with your back again his chest, sitting between his legs. This position reminded you how Ace was still fully clothed and you were completely naked. Something about being so vulnerable in front of him was intoxicating… 

“Spread your legs, sugar. Show me that cute pussy.” Ace whispers in your ear as he pulls your legs over his own, spreading them as far as they could go comfortably. 

“Ace…” You whimper quietly, trying to turn your head away. You were embarrassed at how aroused he had made you, all while barely touching you… but not nearly embarrassed enough to ask him to stop. 

Ace wastes no time before his hands are on your dripping sex. 

“Holy shit…” Ace glides a finger up and down your slit. “Look at how wet you are, pretty.” His one finger turns to two fingers as he collects more of your slick from your hole and brings it up to rub firm circles onto your clit. 

“Ace! Fuck!” You throw your head back, body feeling like it was filled with static electricity. He had you so worked up that every little touch felt like it was amplified by 100. 

“You’re so wet that I bet I could just slip my fingers in..” Ace smirks and swiftly plunges the two digits into your hole. You moan. “And I bet that if I do this…” Ace begins to firmly pull and tap his fingers into that delicious spot inside of your cunt. “… you’ll cum.” 

“Shit, fuck, Ace! O-oh my- Ah! ACE!” You cry out and explode all over Ace’s arm and the bed in front of you. 

“Looks like I was right, huh baby? That’s a good girl, give it all to me.” Ace playfully reacts as he rubs at your clit to prolong your orgasm. 

“Fuck… Ace…” You lay heaving on your bed in Ace’s arms, the spasms from your climax finally ceasing. 

You feel Ace smiling into your neck as he peppers it with sweet kisses. 

“I wouldn’t know what to do with it, huh???” He chuckles into your damp skin. 

“Shut up and fuck me already.” You roll your eyes. 

Ace gently moves you out from between his legs and he rises from the bed to remove his vest and shorts. You audibly gasp at the sight of his huge member springing free from its confines. 

“Jeez you weren’t kidding…” You say softly, eyes not leaving Ace’s cock in front of you. 

“I’m a pirate, baby, not a liar.” He flashes you that stupid grin again. “Now face down, ass up, sugar.” 

You quickly oblige, grabbing a pillow to cushion your face that was now stained with mascara. The first thing you feel is a warm hand sliding up your spine and massaging your skin, then you feel the prodding of Ace’s thick cock at your sopping wet entrance, the heavy mushroom tip barely breaching your hole. Ace dipped his tip teasingly in and out… 

“Ace…. please…” You whine as you push your hips back to entice him to fully enter you. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll give it to you, you don’t ever need to beg for me, pretty.” Ace plants both hands on your hips and pulls your ass flush against his pelvis, sinking his cock as deep as it will go into you. 

Strangled moans leave the both of you as he bottoms out. Ace pulls out slowly, looking down to admire the wet mess you’ve already left on his cock. He pushes back in and you moan again, squeezing him involuntarily. 

“Gods you were right… this tight little pussy is under-fucked.” Ace speeds up his thrusts and you gasp, the wind nearly knocked out of you. “Don’t worry baby, I’m gonna make sure that never happens to you again… gonna fuck you every day… make you feel so fucking good…” 

Ace was slamming into you at an animalistic pace and you felt a second orgasm creeping up on you. You could feel the droplets of sweat from Ace’s face splatter on your back, as well as the crazed, possessive grip on your hips almost certainly leaving bruises. You couldn’t form words, only broken sobs and shrieks as your lover drilled into you, dead set on making you cum again. 

Tears fell from your eyes against the pillow and you whined, so close to reaching your peak again. 

“Shh I know baby, I know it’s good. You’re doing so good for me…” Ace coos at you. “Cum on my cock and I’ll fill you up, ‘kay sugar?” Ace leans forward and presses his chest to you as he continues his brutal assault on your pussy. He reaches one hand from your hip down and around to rub at your clit. The stimulation sends you over the edge and your orgasm rips through your whole body. “Ace!” You scream out and lurch forward, no longer able to hold your torso up with your arms anymore. 

“Good fucking girl! Now I’m gonna make you mine…” Ace praises you. 

You try to mumble out “please” but you truly have no idea if you were saying anything coherent.

“Haaa, fuck!” Ace cries out and spills his load impossibly deep into your warm hole. You whimper as you feel rope after rope of Ace’s hot seed filling you. Ace rubs firm circles into your hips as he calms down from his release. 

Suddenly, Ace pulls out of you and flops back into your bed and pulls you to his chest. You nuzzle into his sweaty pecs as you throw a leg over his hips. Ace pulls the blanket over the two of you, briefly leaning upwards to make sure your whole body was covered and comfortable before settling back on the pillows. 

“So you were serious?” You ask quietly. 

“About what, baby?” Ace answers as he strokes your hair. 

“About fucking me every day?” You chuckle. 

“Mmhmm…” Ace kisses the top of your head. “Tomorrow. And the next day.. and the next day… and the next day… and the next… and…” 

You hear Ace start snoring and smile. 

xx 

[rfswitchart]

What’s everyone’s favorite singalong song?

Oooo, good question... Luz: See, the thing is, as you'd probably expect, I think Luz likes a little bit of everything, so it would depend on her mood. That said, I think they sing Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park or Rebel Rebel by David Bowie regularly. That, and she's totally doing that duet of Moving Right Along with Hunter. Amity: Easily Someone's Someone by k-pop group Monsta X. It reminds her too much of Luz. She occasionally belts out Numb by Linkin Park and Pretend We're Dead by L7. Naturally, Luz becomes her backup vocals and they sing to each other all the time, much to the annoyance of everyone. Willow: Girl has Tenacious D on lock (especially Master Exploder, and yes she does understand the lyrics.) But more than that, if Hunter's upset, she's singing a romantic song to him like Swing Life Away by Rise Against to help him feel better. And she will sing Bury the Light when she's playing video games. Hunter: This boy lives and breathes musicals, emo music, and Weird Al. I'd think that, if they're all parked for the night, he might also dance while singing, so expect him to sing 500 Miles or any Michael Jackson song. Gus: Like Hunter, total Weird Al fanboy. Also deep into singing Voltaire, but if they're parked, he's using illusion magic to amplify the song through visuals. You should see his version of the Beast of Pirate Bay. Matt: Matt doesn't really sing all that much... Except for one song, and that's Hardware Store by Weird Al, and he scares everyone by doing a perfect version of the breakdown of that song. Vee: Given how silly she can be, Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cindi Lauper are in her wheelhouse. She also doesn't mind going goth/punk with her Mashy. Masha: They love to sing Queen for some reason (especially Under Pressure, for many reasons,) Also, they love singing a good Punk Rock song, especially from The Clash or The Ramones.

[lifblogs]

Summer Reading/Writing/Arting Tag

Tagged by: @evilwriter37

Tagging: @ashleybenlove, @knowerofuselessfacts, @eddieelliotmunson, @poisonedyouth, @stand-up-and-screamo, @jayalaw, @strawbearri-frog, @thetrapperstrap, @envydean, @uh-ohspaghettio, @cascigarette, @fictionalnormalcy, @flurbejurbvondurp, @iidigestive-readerii, and @thepagemasternerd

1) Describe one creative WIP project you’re planning to work on over the summer.

I just finished my first ever novelette “The Dragon Mark,” and I actually really loved being in that world. I am planning on writing a companion piece, “Zhang Jue’s Demon,” and I just want to know more too! Maybe I’ll start writing something from the character Yuxuan’s POV before he’s assassinated. He seems fun to work with. Am I planning a book? I don’t know, but I would love to stay with these characters for the summer.

2) Rec a book!

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan! It’s great political and war fantasy and with only 411 pages it still somehow seems so jam packed! It’s also queer in its own way. Basically the main character was told her fate was nothing, to truly be nothing. So what does she do? Try to steal her brother’s fate after he dies, and she takes on his name, Zhu Chongba. So publicly, one of the main characters is a man and has roles that a man would have. Another central character is a eunuch general named Ouyang, and I love him. This takes place near the end of the Great Yuan Dynasty (the rule of the Mongols) and the rise of the Ming Dynasty.

But okay if you need a summery book read Son of a Sailor by Marshall J. Moore. Pirate Captain Quint Thatch goes back to his island home of Ember Bay after the death of his father, and is trying to hide his pirate identity from everyone. This doesn’t go very well because his crew eventually shows up, and two parts of his life collide. It’s summery, it’s fun! I didn’t even think it’d be my kind of book and I adored it. The author suggests reading it near a body of water and with a cold drink nearby, and I heartily agree!

3) Rec a fic!

Holy crap, A Thousand Lives is so good. It actually understands the Force and the Jedi! It’s a Star Wars: Rebels AU where Kanan is an Inquisitor hunting down Ezra while he slowly falls in love with Hera. The implication of a thousand versions of them existing that’s put in the epigraphs is truly fantastic. I don’t usually like Star Wars fics because of how many people misunderstand the Jedi but this one was truly amazing. I can’t wait to read it again.

4) Rec music!

Fam, I’m forever listening to the album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power by Halsey. I do want to update my music at some point though, see what my favorite artists have been putting out.

5) Share one piece of advice!

Find something you like and own it, without any shame. If others want to join then good! If people want to be negative about what you enjoy then they’re not worth your time. Your own enjoyment is precious, and when you work towards it you will find moments you like—or even, love—existing in.

[knife-moth-mc]

With the music asks, I'd like to ask prompts: 1, 3, 11, 19, 23, 26, and 30!

1:A song you like with a color in the title

3:A song that reminds you of summertime

11:A song that you never get tired of

19:A song that makes you think about life

23:A song that you think everybody should listen to

26:A song that makes you want to fall in love

30:A song that reminds you of yourself

1: It's All Over Now, Baby Blue by Bob Dylan, but specifically this version. I haven't formally posted my Haven music playlists anywhere (I will do that.... soon......) but this is one of the first songs on the arc 1 playlist. You can think of it as Anathema and C!Moth's meetcute song : P

3: The Beast of Pirate's Bay by Voltaire. A girl I went to summer camp with... gosh, at least a decade ago now--taught it to all of us since we didn't have access to music that wasn't us singing. I also learned about Homestuck and bisexuality from her, so, you know, pretty much all the good parts of my life I found originally through meeting her that summer. Wiki, if you're still out there, thank you.

11: I could be wrong, because I haven't known it that long, but I think I'm going to go with Blacksoul by Onya. I could say more about it but honestly just listen to it. It's beautiful.

19: God Fearing, Sea Faring Man by The Accidentals. I listened to the album this is from a lot back when I first stumbled onto it, and while I think the band has now largely disavowed it it remains very deep in my heart. This specific song has stuck with me especially, I think because there's a kind of... the word that's coming to mind is grace, it feels like there's a kind of grace to this song. It feels like a moment of clarity. If I had to claim the meaning of life was buried in any one song, I would pick this one.

23: I'm going to cheat here and say an artist, because so far as I know they only ever released a handful of songs, most or all of which I try to link people to every so often because they're not otherwise available. I'm talking about superedge, who was a fanmusician back in 2015 or so. I hope they're still creating somewhere, but they've left behind some of my favorite songs in the world and I'm grateful that I happened to find them when I did.

26: Ben Caplan's cover of Lovers' Waltz by A. A. Bondy. The original is also solid but something about Ben Caplan's version really particularly speaks to me. I think according to the lyrics this song is actually about dying together? Which makes this a weird choice I guess but it feels in a way comforting, and I think fits the prompt better, because I have lots of people I love! I don't need a generic love song! But this song feels deeper and more permanent, in a way that's at least as appealing as it is scary.

30: You know, I have a whole collection of books that are me; you'd think I'd have a collection of songs that are me. But I don't. I think I have a tendency to shift songs from me to my (or others') characters, or to strongly associate songs with the circumstances under which I first listened to them. I've been combing through my library trying to think of anything and I could make some cases but most of them are weak. So I'm going somewhere very personal and emotional, and I trust you'll understand.

When I was 17, I was in a really bad place. It was, I think, the worst year of my life bar none. I'll spare you the details, but one day after a really intense couple of weeks, I played nice until I was given back my ipod. The moment it was in my hands, I grabbed my bike and fled to the library. I cried the whole way there, and I listened to this song, The Bust from The New Albion Radio Hour by Paul Shapera. This wasn't the song I came to identify with at the time--that would be The Wasteland, from the same album--but to this day, I can't listen to it without remembering that scared teenager.

[sexymultifacetshadowling]

Eonan wasn't the type of person that enjoyed inflicting violence, they never did before and doubted that they would one day. At least not seriously.

A good brawl in a bar isn't the same thing as beating someone until they can't walk. Raiding a ship for their own survival isn't the same as torturing the ship's crew just because you can.

But he understood that everyone does what they need to survive, so he doesn't judge; it's not an easy nor pretty thing, living in Pirate Bay when you ain't got the money to leave it when you want to. Sometimes you have to become someone that eats so you're not eaten.

Eonan just didn't want to do that- to become that.

Their sibling was different. Eorac was harsher, it knew what it wanted, and they took it without remorse. Eorac was the type of guy you didn't want on your side, but wanted less on the other.

If Eonan's weapons was his wit and charm, Eorac's was it's actual weapons.

But they knew their sibling cared for him, in it's weird way. In it's careful and meticulous planing of their day or in it's tearing down of Eonan's fighting until it was perfect or in the almost soft way it would put their hand over his shoulder and tell the room "This is my brother. Behave yourselves around them".

So even when Eorac was like this, angry and scared and aggressive, because something went wrong, and they refuse to talk about it, even though they really fucking should- Eonan takes a deep breath, because he knows that his sibling loves them and doesn't mean it.

"Dude, calm down, it's fine. We'll figure it out like we always do" they say, keeping their hands where Eorac can see them and their voice low and with a slight amount of persuasive charm, "just tell me what's wrong."

"Stop that." Eorac says harshly, "Your fucking tricks don't work on me, I know what you're doing."

It bounces it's leg, ready to snap and attack if they sense anything bad is coming. Even just sitting in their own bed, Eorac looks so on edge and out of place that it makes Eonan's heart ache.

"Fine." They say, propping themselves against the door, "You don't want tricks? That's fine."

Eonan takes a deep breath. Again. Because what else is he supposed to do? They've played this game before.

"I won't fucking move until you stop acting like a prick and tell me what's going on."

"Why do you want to know? You think you can help me?" There's bitterness in Eorac's voice, it drips with sarcasm, "You can't even help yourself. Go back to your fucking music and your dope and leave me alone."

They hate when this happens. They hate that they have to stand there and listen to the person that's literally the definition of a "self-destructive streak" talk about his problems like it knows anything about it.

He hates that it would go there in the first place.

"Stop acting like a child." His voice is calculated, slow, but not angry, because Eonan knows that if he gets angry, it's gonna be worse "If you don't want help, then stop brooding. You're putting yourself in a situation that you don't need to."

Their voice wavers, just a bit, because he's an emotional person, Matra dammit, and they just want Eorac to be fine for once in their life.

"Let me help. I want to help" the please is silent "as your backup if nothing else."

It's kinda weird, to see the face that is the same as yours and somehow so different look at you with such wild eyes. So angry, so sad - so Eorac.

For what it's worth, Eonan can see the second that the sadness almost won, when Eorac's eyebrows twitched just a little and it's lips pressed into a thin line. The second that it almost admitted that they could be helped, if it let them. The second that they almost got his sibling to listen to him.

Alas, it was only for a second.

"Fuck you" it spits, "Get out of my way, I need to do this alone"

Eorac gets up from the bed, grabs it's dagger from the nightstand, and makes it's way to the door with heavy steps.

"I said I won't move until you tell me what's going on." Eonan, now also standing to their full height and slightly taller than their twin (Eorac has terrible posture), keeping his back to the door. "I meant it."

"Move. Now" Eorac it's not joking, they both know it. "I won't tell you twice"

Eonan fucking hates this dance, but he dances anyway.

"No."

Eorac is much stronger than Eonan, always was. When they were younger, Eorac always won every single game or fight that depended on it. But Eonan was faster, no one could ever catch up to him, not even his sibling.

When they fought, really fought, the outcome was always decided within the first seconds: was this going to be a fight that relied on strength and endurance or a fight that relied on dexterity and strategy?

This one was no different, but Eonan had the disadvantage: he couldn't move away from the door, if they did that Eorac was gone.

So when Eorac punched their face, and all they could do was put his arms up to protect it, both knew who won it this time.

Well, at least he would get a good hit in.

Using his left hand to quickly grab Eorac's fist and twist it, Eonan used his right elbow and hit their sibling's jaw.

Eorac grunted and stumbled back, hand holding the side of it's face.

When it looked up, their eyes were simmering with anger - and pride, if you knew how to look for it.

"You're gonna regret that."

(Yeah, yeah, I know) he thought as he saw their sibling's fighting stance (I already do).

Next thing they knew, their stomach exploded with pain. Doubling over from his sibling's hit, Eonan couldn't protect himself from the following punch in the face, that knocked them to the ground, conjuring that familiar metallic taste of blood.

Next was a brutal kick in their left leg, that made him curl into a fetal position - to protect himself or to avoid making their sibling see his pained expression, Eonan couldn't tell you.

Eorac kneeled next to their brother's face, grabbing it carefully - or as carefully as it could - making Eonan look into their eyes.

"I-" it swallowed, as if searching for the right words: 'I'm sorry', 'I told you so' or 'Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn all the time?'

Maybe a mix of all of them, or maybe none.

"I'll buy you a drink when I get back." Then they were gone.

Eonan just laid there, blood pouring from his nose and staining the already dirty floor of the bedroom. Their childhood bedroom, that both he and Eorac spend so much time and money trying to get. So much effort to turn that ugly and cold attic into a place you can live, so many years to get it furnished and make it so that even though it was small, it was theirs and theirs alone, and they shouldn't be fucking fighting in it.

He laid there, and he fucking cried, because they were tired and sore and pissed and no one was around to judge him.

They cried until their chest hurt and the tears began to die in his throat, because sometimes you have got to just let it all out, or you are going to let it consume you until there's nothing left (like Eorac is doin-).

No. Stop it. He is not going there. Not today.

Eonan gets up, finally, and looks at himself in the small cracked mirror they leave above the piano. They look disheveled, sure: his eyeliner is running through his face, a bit of dried blood under their nose and a bruise on the cheek that will definitely turn purple soon; but nothing that washing their face and a little make-up won't fix.

So they do that.

They go to the sink on the floor below, being careful and not letting any of the workers see him before they're clean. The cold water on their face is a blessing, and as he rubs and gets the dried blood out, they began to feel better. They run his now cold hands over the bruises on their stomach and over their scalp, massaging it to try to avoid getting a headache because of the heat of the Bay.

He is getting tired of the braids, maybe he could let their natural hair down for a while (Eorac would be pissed, people can only tell us apart because of the hair difference), the thought delights them.

They are smiling at themselves, thinking of all the ways he could impersonate and annoy his sibling, when a knock came from the door.

"Eonan? You there?" Michaia's voice sounded worried, "I saw the Shadows leave a while back, and you didn't come down."

"I'm fine!" He says quickly, "Be out in just a bit!" They apply their eyeliner messily, - it's part of the charm - then he opens the door with a smile.

"How's the worst hooker in the bay doing today?"

"Better than the third rate prostitute standing in front of me, that's for sure." Michaia says, with mischievous tone in their voice but with worry in their (for now) golden eyes. "You guys had a fight?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about it" Eonan says, cheery and warm all over; there's no use lying to them, and he knows it, but he can at least sooth their worries "Eorac's gonna buy me a drink."

Michaia shifts into a muscular and tall orc, and looks down at him with a lifted eyebrow.

"It's cool. We handled it." His tone it's now quieter, restless, it's a warning, much like their sibling's, that he's begging to avoid this conversation.

Luckily, Michaia doesn't push, they almost never do. Instead, they turn themselves into a small halfling girl and say:

"Let's get you two drinks then, and put it on it's tab."

Eonan smiles, and follows them to the bar on the first floor.

If Eorac comes back 6 hours later, smelling of blood and gunpowder, neither of them mentions it. They also wouldn't mention if Eorac slept against it's brother's back that night, or even if Eonan woke up that morning with a bottle of a very good rum beside his bed.

[umichenginabroad]

Kayak voyages and el Rio Misterioso...

Week 6

It's come to my attention that more people than I thought read my blog posts, so here's to all of my adoring fans who've been here since the early weeks! If you're new, I gotta say that these are definitely a treat (but of course I'm a bit biased). This post might be shorter than my other ones since it was a pretty relaxed week with not too much going on. However, read till the end! Treat it as waiting for the post-credits at the movies, I might have a hint about where I'm going this weekend...

Pirates of the San Sebastián Bay

I'm going to skip past Monday and Tuesday to just jump right into the rest of the week since those were mainly more days of research. Due to Tecnun having a university holiday on Wednesday, we were able to have that day off! It was super nice out so we decided to seize the day (most of the day after napping for maybe half of it) to embark on a kayak excursion. With the luck from a shilling and 5 euro note I found on the ground, I had high hopes that we would have the blessing of the sea on our side. The rental wasn't that expensive at all, especially for a two-person kayak and roughly 2 hour time slot. We originally planned to set sail for the island itself, but decided that we wanted to aim for an even bigger goal of going around the island. Everything was going smoothly until we reached the mouth of the bay, since this area featured a lot of unexpected rocky patches. As newly appointed seafarers, Jayashree and I wouldn't let this be our end. We successfully entered the choppy waters and were officially now out in open water! At this point, we should've been cast alongside Captain Jack Sparrow because we would make phenomenal pirates. Seeing the back of the island was really neat along with feeling how different it is being the only boat on the water. We ended up having a really good time and 100% would do it again!

Land Ho!

Afterwards we stopped by an icecream stand to reward ourselves on our journey, where I found a rather interesting choice to say the least. It was called a Frigo Pie, or Refrigerator Foot, and it was actually shaped... just like a foot. If I had to rate it overall, I would say a 6/10 for taste and 9/10 for presentation. What better way to cool off on a hot day, right?

It was a bit smaller than expected. I think to improve their product they should make it somewhere around a size 7-8 in US shoe sizes. More bang for your buck you know.

Photo Ops and Friendly Competitions

On Thursday, the night had a lot in store for us. To start, Jayashree, Izzy, Deidra, and I had the amazing idea to recreate some classic JCPenney-esque family photos. I don't really know how else to explain them besides just showing the results, so take a look below at the outcome and I'll do my very best to explain our vision:

We were attempting to create a square with all our hands. We almost got there but it resembles more of a rhombus.

Izzy may or may not have dropped me before taking this picture for the second time.

A big thank you to Diego for being our photographer! Later on, some of us had bought tickets to go to the local club, Bataplán, to get the experience of going out in Spain. To sum it up, we had a great time! We did some rounds of arm wrestling where Jayashree was the reigning champion, and enjoyed listening to all the spanish reggaeton music (there were also some english songs and also a random Can-Can remix).

A quick showcase!

Lately whenever I'm not at work doing research or something with my friends, I've been spending time getting back into drawing. It's always been something that I love to put time into and see how much I've improved over the years. At one point I considered going to school for storyboard animation, but I figured that I like art more as a hobby anyways :). I don't usually do architecture drawings, but I wanted to do a challenge for myself and also sketch it only in pen to up the stakes. Take a look and leave a review in the comments!

This street is from a picture I took when I was just walking around San Sebastián one day.

The Big Finale of the Week: Amusement Park!

On our very first day here, we were taken to Monte Igueldo for a lunch and the best view of the city. We decided to go back on Sunday since there's an amusement park at the top (meant for little kids but I mean we had to check it out). After disembarking from the cable car and reminiscing about the time we've spent here so far, we took a lap around to see what we wanted to do. Almost instantly, we locked eyes with a sign that read: Rio Misterioso. Intrigued, we saw that it was a little boat ride and immediately knew that this should be saved as the best for last. From there, our first stop was the rollercoaster, and boy was it actually more of a thrill than we thought it would be. Not on the same level as Cedar Point, but there were some worthy drops that gave a decent adrenaline rush. We decided to split up briefly, since Izzy and Jayashree wanted to do the bumper cars and Deidra and I wanted to take on the Casa del Terror. I was surprised that Deidra wanted in on this since she's not a fan of all things spooky, but this would be her first haunted house and one at a kid's amusement park is a pretty good starter. For 3 euros, it definitely was an experience. The theme inside wasn't exactly cohesive and varied between movie theatre, jurassic park, the shining, catacombs, and skeletons playing chess. I won't name names but a certain someone was jumpscared by a door, and I almost tripped because I didn't see the stairs. Once we left, we found Jayashree and Izzy living it up in the bumper car arena and then strolled our way with anticipation to el Rio Misterioso. It was a pretty calm and scenic ride with a view of the ocean and city, just shorter than we expected it to be. The route led us into a small underpass where we saw...Peter Pan? Seeing him made me feel magical and whimsical, making for a truly life-changing boat ride. With that, I think the mysterious river really did live up to its name.

The view from the top!

My homies Pennywise and Peter Pan!

As promised, I said that I have a sneak peak into what next week's post will bring. First of all, thanks for staying this long! I really do appreciate when people read my posts and get to see what I'm doing day-to-day :). Now for the hint!

You get 5 blanks: _ _ _ _ _

It's a city in France, there's a show with my name in it and this city, and the Olympics will be taking place here this year. It's probably a dead giveaway, but still fun to guess!

See you soon,

Emily Dobao

IPE San Sebastian, Spain

July 2nd, 2024

[beckywarrenamazon2024]

SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2024 — ANTIGUA. Our ship traveled while we slept during the night. So when I woke up this morning, to the actual sound of roosters crowing, I watched historic Fort Barrington glide past our balcony as we pulled into the harbor at the town of St. John's on the island of Antigua. (The "u" is silent.) Fort Barrington and its partner across the harbor, Fort James, were built by the British to guard this valuable port from pirates and the like. Yet Fort Barrington was actually taken and occupied by actual pirates for about four months in the 1800s, until the Brits booted them out again. All of that was before my time.

Antigua is a small island, only about 10x10 miles, but it was hugely important, beginning in the 1600s, in the sugar cane industry, which also made it important in the business of slavery as well as rum. There is still plenty of evidence of all those influences in the culture of Antigua today.

Becky and I had both signed up for an excursion called "Antigua Through The Lens." I chose it because I might learn something about photography, and she chose it because it was likely to take us to interesting and beautiful places on the island. Both proved to be true.

Along with a group of fellow travelers, and under the knowledgeable guidance of a professional photographer (I think his name was Greg), our first stop was the ruins of Fort James, which you may remember from paragraph one. This fort is now a collection of beautifully crumbling buildings and a remarkable number of cannons, still intact and pointing out to sea. Our guide shared a lot of really fascinating history about this fort which I don't remember because that was hours ago!

Next we went to the remnants of Betty's Hope, which was a large and very busy sugar cane processing operation. In its heyday, two huge windmills would crush the sugar cane into pulp and extract the juice. Those two windmills are still the prominent feature at Betty's Hope, along with the remains of the still house and the boiling house.

Next we were taken to the coast. The sight of the clear blue-green water was beautiful and looked, as my mom used to say, "just like a picture." But we were there to see the Devil's Bridge, which is a natural place in the coastal rock where waves from the Atlantic come rushing under a bridge-like formation and spraying dramatically upwards on the other side. It was pretty cool!

Our final stop was at a beach (Antigua claims to have 365 of them, "one beach for every day of the year"). At this beach is a dead tree that, as legend has it, was carved by a wandering woodcarver into the forms of a Rastafarian king and queen. We all took pictures of it.

Back at our ship, we had a small lunch and a well-earned rest. At around 5:00 the ship slowly pulled out of Antigua's Green Bay harbor. Once again I watched from our balcony, once again accompanied by the sound of crowing roosters in the town.

Before the start of evening, we sat for a while in the Explorers Lounge, looking out through the panoramic windows on the path ahead. It's one of our favorite things to do on these Viking cruises. And because we're in the tropics, Becky ordered a Piña Colada, while I chose the more conventional (meaning "boring") Chardonnay.

Then we did one of our OTHER favorite things to do on a Viking cruise. We went to the theater to enjoy a musical production by the Viking Vocalists. Their show tonight was "DUETS," pop music hits by famous duos. It was great!

Then dinner in the small dining room called the Chef's Table. Crab cake, Halibut, other good stuff, each course with a specially selected wine pairing. Yum!

And now we are back in our nest. Tomorrow will bring more adventures. More delights. More surprises. And we are eager for it all!

But for now, it's still today. And it's been a good day.

[barbaramillicentgordonroberts]

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: Guys, look at this 👆, and also of looking 👇, we have to be able to make sure that we get the full version of the preshow to the water projector show from Disney California Adventure on The World Of Color - 1 which is to be able to be known as Elemental Connection for a limited time as an exact timeframe is not announced quite exactly yet, but make sure that we keep an eye on that for not only for ourselves to actually see it face to face in real life, but by uploading with all of gotten to us watching it on our devices online, etc. of how it usually works, because there will be able to be a showcasing of all of the story, and all of the characters of the movie, since there will be brilliant projections (count them from 1 of the very start of this to the very end of this) as it will be able to dance across vast multiple water screens in this two-minute pre-show all by bringing all of the land, air, water, and fire residents of Element City to life, so in this heartfelt story, a water element named Wade Ripple, and a fire element named Ember Lumen discover that though the world tells them they can not be able to coexist, they are more alike than they realize (I wonder what it is from this part that they always say that there is something going on with the same for them as different than they could be able to be) as whimsical fountains, and powerful music (I wonder what all of the songs are for this even if it is not from the score of Thomas Newman) will be able to fill Paradise Bay of Pixar Pier as we all will be able to see that stepping out of our element (whatever it is that is not either of water, fire, air, and earth) may be able to help us uncover who we really are, just like Ember and Wade! (A small start of them being at the parks instead of castle projection fireworks, or anything else that all of the other past 20 something movies have gotten, but they will be able to own it all somehow along with all of the other 20 something movies including with this one, and all of the other stuff that is from the past of this brand, the current present of this brand, and all of the future stuff of this brand will be able to see all of what else can they be able to do besides with all of what they done, and all of with what they are doing)! Fact : The idea of special tags to “World of Color” are as old as the show itself, its very first limited-time tag was for “Tron: Legacy” from sometime of November 2010 to sometime of March 2011! :

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: (Nice memories of the game with how I said about the San Francisco Giants with the Pittsburg Pirates 👆, I wonder all of the other stuff that we missed was going on besides from the collectible shirt from the advertising of the post of mine!) :

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: Look at this art style of simple blocks, and scrapbook chibi 👆! : https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2023/05/celebrating-the-wonder-of-pixar/ (⬅️ Check out of all of the stuff that is from the past 20 something movies including this upcoming one!)

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: (I just found this you guys as its 17th ever partner for the movie! (if there is a longer version of the one that is shown 👆, I wonder how that will be able to look like besides from all of what this short ad has so far to include in the longer version of this) ) : Part 2 in next post!

[octoagentmiles]

how do ya think the octonauts crew would deal with being sleep deprived (mainly barnacles 😳) ? i was rewatching the show recently and there’s quite a few moments where they’re woken up in the middle of the night to help creatures so it just got me thinking :O

I feel like Barnacles has absolutely fallen asleep at the wheel once, which was followed by everyone yelling at him until he went to sleep. They all knew he was tired, they could tell, but he insisted he was fine (as he does), and he was not (as he never is).

Tweak is the most fussy about making sure he goes to sleep. Yes, she knows she's a hypocrite. Sometimes if neither of them can sleep for whatever reason, Barnacles comes down to the launch bay, or they both go up to the gamepod, and they play games until they pass out. Tweak also takes melatonin to help her sleep, but she takes it at a specific time, so if she misses that designated time because they're on a mission she just doesn't take them. Cue her playing video games or working on the GUPs until 4am.

Pirates are made for nighttime adventures—or at least that's what Kwazii thinks, so he'll intentionally stay awake long after he starts getting tired. Barnacles and Tweak have caught him doing this several times, and usually invite him to join their games. He's always the first to pass out when this happens. Kwazii also has a habit of sneaking out to go on "monster hunts" if no one else is awake, and similar to Barnacles I feel like he's definitely fallen asleep at the wheel doing this, in the middle of nowhere, freaking everyone out when they wake up and he's missing.

Shout out to Dashi for being the only Octonaut with a relatively healthy sleep schedule. However, Shellington loves to knock on her door just to wake her up and talk whenever he can't sleep. Peso does it too, but only if she's already awake. If he wakes her up he'll feel bad and go back to bed. It's actually hard for her to fall asleep (it takes a while), she's just good at managing it: she takes melatonin, she plays music/white noise because she can't sleep without it, she cleans and makes her bed, she has a whole ritual. She NEEDS this ritual or else she simply will not sleep. The only exception is if she's been awake for 24+ hours already and she's exhausted.

Shellington falls asleep VERY easily. Like, impressively easily—but he also wakes up very easily. He needs to turn his lab into a sensory deprivation room just to ensure he stays asleep. If he still can't sleep, the Vegimals will climb into bed with him and curl up like cats. It's very effective. If, for some reason, he doesn't want to sleep, he will go down to the launch bay or gamepod to join Barnacles and Tweak, if they're there. He's known about them doing that together since he joined the crew, and if he's bored at 2am he may just take advantage of it. One time, he and Kwazii BOTH joined them, and none of them ended up sleeping at all.

Peso preaches to the others about how important sleep is for your health, but he is more than willing to stay awake for a week straight if he's looking after a patient. He has done so at least a few times. However, Barnacles really doesn't like when Peso doesn't sleep (it's the Dad Instincts™), so he will offer to stay up for him. Usually it works, or so he thinks. Peso has a monitor in the sick bay connected to the screen in his room, it tells him his patients heart rate, blood pressure, other stats, etc. and he'll often stay awake, just... staring at it. Kwazii knows he does this, and will check in on him right before he sneaks out. He hasn't ratted him out yet, but he says he will if he doesn't go to bed (he won't really, but Peso doesn't know that).

Inkling is pretty much nocturnal. He spends so many hours sleeping in his chair during the day, that he's not at all tired when night finally comes around. On the bright side, he does enjoy the dark (being a creature whose supposed to be from the midnight zone and all that), and it's good to have at least one person awake to keep an eye on the ship, or listen for someone who needs help knocking on the door. If they're not with Shellington, the Vegimals like to keep Inkling company. They play board games and watch movies in the library, or sometimes Inkling will read them stories. He also likes to call Min. Depending on where they are in the world, it might still be daytime for her. If not, he leaves her a video message of himself just talking about stuff, or the Vegimals being silly.

[tisthenightofthewitch]

Ghost’s Tobias Forge Talks Arena Rock, Jack the Ripper, and the Band’s Next Album

The frontman also known as Papa Emeritus IV always envisioned the band sounding like a "devil-worshipping Kansas"

Ghost are the rare band that formed in the past 15 years to graduate to arena headliners. In fact, the Swedish metal act is about to embark on its latest massive tour, playing North American arenas with support from Mastodon and Spiritbox.

The outing kicks off Friday (August 26th) in San Diego, and runs through a September 23rd show in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. The new run follows up an early 2022 US tour that saw Ghost co-headlining with Volbeat, and playing their first shows since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the concert industry.

Heavy Consequence caught up with Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge (aka Papa Emeritus IV) to discuss the band’s return to the road, their latest album, IMPERA (released in March of this year), and whether the wheels are already in motion for the the next LP.

While the appearance of Papa Emeritus IV and his masked ghouls is quite sinister, Forge unapologetically embraces an arena rock sound on IMPERA, calling to mind ’70s and ’80s acts like Kansas, Styx, and Boston, among others. As Forge tells us, the plan from early on was to sound like “a devil-worshipping Kansas.”

The band is in full promotion cycle for the new album, but Forge reveals to us that he already has a game plan for the next one, and that it will be “very different” from IMPERA.

What was it like playing your first shows in nearly two years at the beginning of 2022 following the concert industry shutdown due to the pandemic?

It didn’t take long to feel completely natural. Like a pirate, I have sea legs. This is what I do, this is what I’ve always wanted to do, this is what I’m built for. I’m used to feeling at home being out on the road and being transient and standing onstage. … We were really scratching our heads about, ‘Is this tour really going to happen? Are we able to even go through with this? Or are we going to stop a week from now, right in the middle, and just have to cancel everything and send the trucks home…because it was so uphill. Everything was all uphill and it felt like something like you weren’t really supposed to do in a way.

One thing that really aided this feeling of doing something right was seeing all the happy faces and also being told repeatedly that some of these people haven’t been outside for two years. Some of them have not come to a restaurant, have not been to a club, they have not been out. They had stayed inside for years and now all of a sudden, they came out for one show. Or some of them didn’t. I have friends who said, “I can’t go to the show because I don’t dare. I don’t have the guts to go to the show,” and some of them just said, “I’m not vaxxed, so I can’t come to the show.” But that’s fine too… we were just seeing a lot of people every night with smiles on their faces saying that they’re happy that they got out.

It’s fitting that Ghost are playing arenas now in North America and beyond, as the new album, IMPERA, very much has an arena rock vibe. Did the size of the venues that the band is now headlining have an impact on the music on IMPERA?

It did play a part, of course. I think any artist that experiences any size upgrade, if you will, if you go from playing 300 people clubs into a theater of 2,000, you will in some way or shape, you will take that into consideration of certain sonic elements. I don’t think that it means that you go from playing grindcore to playing singer-songwriter ballads. It just means that you might clear up a few things that you know, in a big boomy room, this will sound awful. But if you do half notes instead on that one, it’s going to sound more clear. Let’s try to find a good tempo for this song.

I think that I always try to compare this to having a relationship to another person. Unless you’re already on the course where the relationship is meant to torment one or the other, or both, you have a tendency to do what the other person likes and if you do what the other person likes, she or he will return good feelings to you. So you have a tendency to feel around and see where fingers can go and where it’s appreciated ,and if it’s not appreciated in one way but another way, you tend to go the other way. That’s what you do, that’s how you know how to consummate your affection. I think that bands and a crowd do a similar thing. But of course, you have to throw in a little bit of throwing around in there as well, to make it exciting. But that’s part of being an artist is just trying to find that balance all the time. And you have to do it all the time, never take it for granted, you still have to bring home the flowers … and you’re surprised with something unexpected and that’s how you do it with a crowd until the day that you don’t have a crowd anymore

As for that arena rock sound, on songs like “Kaisarion,” “Spillways,” “Watcher in the Sky,” and “Griftwood,” there seems to be a nod to ‘70s and ’80s acts like Styx, Kansas, Journey, Boston and Foreigner. Is it fair to say those bands are influences on Ghost, especially on IMPERA?

Absolutely, and they always have been. I remember early on when we were still promoting our music on MySpace and there was this [field] that you had to fill in, “What do you sound like?” For some time it actually said, “like a devil-worshipping Kansas.” My vision of what I wanted Ghost to sound like was going to be a ‘70s metal band or a band that didn’t know that they were a metal band that had never heard ’80s metal. But they were grown up enough to tune their guitars and sing well, as opposed to a punk band or a lo-fi garage rock band. So we were very inspired by AOR [album-oriented rock], I wanted it to be a Boston, Foreigner, sort of that band, but with darker ambiance. … It’s easy to make fun of the fact that AOR musicians are always grown-up men with a lot of hair on their chests and mustaches — they’re grown. Which is not as really as appealing as … black metal, which I find more cool. But I love [AOR] music — divorce rock, adult reoriented rock.

Can you talk about the overall theme of IMPERA, and how the song “Twenties” fits in within that theme?

The record is loosely based on the machinery of the empire and its sort of self-destruction mechanisms. And why they ultimately all sort of crumble, at least in one form or another … and part of that is because of the demigods. Usually, and almost always it’s because of someone who has that sort of attitude towards their followers. [The song] “Twenties” is about a demigod speaking with utmost disgust to his own followers, but still trying to trick his followers about them having something in common and a shared goal. So it’s a very deceitful song about trickery.

The album closes with “Respite on the Spitalfields.” Can you discuss that song and the decision to end the album with that track?

Visually, I chose to represent this idea of the empire by painting a picture of the Victorian industrial empire of the late 1800s, basically. Also because it’s visually interesting, there are other elements of it that resembles what we’re experiencing now, with industrialists and making people superfluous and a very dog-eat-dog soft of world. But you also have a ton of goth in there because you have Jack the Ripper and Dracula and it’s very pleasing if you’re doing what I’m working with. It’s a time period that gives a lot. I’m very fascinated with Jack the Ripper, as many are, and one aspect of his reign of terror is that it stretched farther than the “canonical five.” I’m pretty sure that he killed more people than that.

Also, the idea of a Jack the Ripper being out there obviously stretched way longer than he was active because people knew that he was never apprehended, so they didn’t know if he was gone or not. Somewhere he is lurking amongst us, probably. And can reappear at any time, so whatever security we might feeling now in the aftermath of his doings, they were never clear, they were never given a thumbs up. It just sort of stopped or didn’t happen again so there was that, that was what I was referring to the respite on the spitalfields — that it’s not really calm, it’s just a pause. That you don’t know when it’s going to end. There’s something growing, there’s a rot growing somewhere in the house but you don’t know if it’s gone or not, like cancer that you don’t know if it metastasized inside your body. It’s an elegy about that but leaving with the hope that the cancer can be eradicated and hopefully it’ll meet its demise and then we will all feel better. Even the ones that might not like it will eventually feel better.

It seems with Ghost that you always have the next album planned out far in advance. Is it fair to say that you have already mapped out the follow-up to IMPERA?

I have an album in my head right now that I think is going to be different from the one I just made. Both Prequelle and IMPERA were ideas that I had since six, seven years back. They were so different from each other in the sense that the “plague album,” as I call it, was about the little person’s annihilation on almost more of like a carnal or a God’s wrath point of view, whereas the “imperial record” was more of a structural demise of the mechanics of society. So they felt like two different things and the idea that I have for the next record is also a different thing from that. It’s just a way for me to compartmentalize the ideas of finding new ways to inspire me lyrically and conceptually.

At the end of the day, it’s just rock ’n’ roll records, 40 minutes of rock music, so it’s just a way to make it interesting for me to work with, and then as a result of that, luckily for a few times now, we’ve been able to put that together and compile it in a way that has a lot of our fans also finding it interesting to dive into. I think that it was just luck that we just happened to release it in a matter where it seems a little clairvoyant. But these are old subjects … everything’s cyclical, that’s the thing, everything just goes in circles so it’s not very hard to be clairvoyant, you can just look back on time and sort of alter it a little, draw on, or shave off a mustache and you have a future asshole who will do something similar to something else a hundred years ago, two hundred years ago, three hundred years ago. it’s always the same, it’s very repetitive.

Heavy Consequence

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

I'm looking for fics where they, or one of them, live on an island or in a small village near the sea or in the lighthouse etc. but not on a deserted island, and without pirates, fantasy, knowing each other since they were kids, and tropics. I'm thinking about a colder climate - UK, Canada, north US, Scandinavia, preferably slow built, mystery, but really anything. I already bookmarked Rose Island Romance, Between the Moon and New York City.

The ones you have bookmarked are really good (I’m listing them below for our other followers). The first fic rec is an excellent mystery series set in Seattle (which is located near a bay). The other rec are fics where they are at the coast, mainly on holiday. It seems that everyone likes to write them in warmer climates when they are at the coast. - HKVoyage

The Boy With The Unicorn Tattoo by inkystars

Murder mystery novelist Blaine Anderson finds himself becoming increasingly obsessed with introverted high school drop-out Kurt, as a murderous psychopath stalks the rainy streets of Seattle.

Note: Part 1 of The Boy From Oz Trilogy

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The Proposal by drunkonwriting

Based on The Proposal. Kurt is a super uptight music producer from Canada whose work visa has been revoked. Cue Blaine, all-American poster boy from Alaska, who has been Kurt's assistant (or indentured servant, depending on who you ask) for three years and counting. They pretend to get married so that Kurt doesn't have to leave the country, and end up falling in love instead.

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The Beach House by Cleverboots

Kurt is rushing home in a thunderstorm and finds a small boy cowering in fear from the storm. Blaine goes to pick up his son from daycare only to find they have left him behind when the storm hit. Can one little boy reunite two estranged lovers who have lost their way in the world? A trip to an isolated beach house on the coast of Maine might be the answer they're looking for.

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Domus Civita by @jayhawk-writes

While on vacation to a city he's never been to, Kurt Hummel finds himself in a place that he recognized from his dreams. The person he always sees in those dreams is there, too, and they spot him and ask, “Is it really you?”

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High Tide by twitchysquirrel [PDF] [EPUB]

Ryan Murphy is quoted in Entertainment Weekly as saying that Blaine was never meant to be Kurt’s love interest. Drawing on that possibility, in this story, Blaine and Kurt meet at Dalton during Kurt’s junior year of high school but never become boyfriends. Now in the summer before his last semester of college, Kurt sees Blaine while vacationing on Nantucket. Can he get up the nerve to approach the man he’s been fantasizing about all these years?

~~~~~

Three Weeks of Summer by AntarcticBird

Kurt just wants to get some work done, Rachel just wants him to relax, and Blaine shows up and makes everything even more complicated than it is already.

Note: You must be logged into an AO3 account to access this fic.

~~~~~

Between the Moon and New York City by jackabelle73

Kurt arrives in a small coastal town in North Carolina to join his dad and Carole for a few days of their vacation, but under duress. He can't imagine that this sleepy southern town has anything to offer him...till a very attractive local goes jogging by on the beach.

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Rose Island Romance (or, "Cute Boys Don't Grow On Trees But They Do Like to Sail") by @flowerfan2

AU. Exhausted from city life, and frustrated at his inability to get a good part in summer stock, NYADA student Kurt Hummel decides to spend the summer on a small New England island helping his uncle at Hummel Marine. When a cute boy in a tight polo shirt brings in his outboard engine for repairs, Kurt begins to think that summer on the sleepy island might hold some excitement after all.

[twracehorse]

Spoilers for the next breed. I just want to speak my thoughts into the void :P

I’m just hoping they move well otherwise all these potential plans go down the drain XD. If their animations would be anything like the American Paints, Arabians, or Haflingers I will be SOLD!! 

We’ve got a good basic bay. Not too light nor too dark, just a nice middle ground bay. Tbh the dark shoulder patch could be a deal breaker potentially. But who knows what it’ll look like in game. Otherwise, it currently has no markings and therefore I deem it too plain for my tastes

Now this one!!!! Oh, I’ve been waiting for a horse like this! Okay so I’m into Attack on Titan, right? Regardless of the current arcs in the anime. That sweet time when titans were a mystery, and the Survey Corps traversed the infested land and escaped via horseback. I have an AoT OC and being the horse girl that I am, I gave her like 6 horses in her charge. One of them, being the main one Lily would train on, was a lighter bay with some sort of stripe or blaze face marking. Back when the Trakehner came out, it was tempting to get that one to be this embodiment. But it was too light. There was the Thoroughbred that was a little closer to the desired color but had no markings. But now!! Axel could potentially finally have a solidified rendition!

I am also a huge sucker for chestnuts. I have been OBSESSED with a song called Cyberpunk by Ateez since they uploaded a preview of their latest album. Every now and then I’ll watch jumping events on YouTube with music when I’m bored. The timing of some songs and the jumps of the horse match and makes it pretty fun! and I’ve come to associate the song with a chestnut. I do have plans to name a horse Pirate King aka Treasure, but idk if that fits this horse specifically. I’ll need to find a name if I like them. It’ll be down to how they are in game that’ll be the deciding factor

I’m normally a HUGE fan of dark bays. A little biased because Brave Rebel is my soul horse, the ever-iconic dark bay Morgan. I’m still waiting for the updated Morgans, but if they don’t do them justice, I’ll just have to remake Rebel as a different breed that has similar color. This horse....wouldn’t be the remake option. It looks kind of like an ashy dark bay. Cool on its own, but doesn’t really call my name

A buckskin? A cutie! Not my personal cup of tea, but I will enjoy other people riding around on this horse and seeing their tack ideas (that I may or may not end up stealing)

A typical black horse yada yada, BUT! It is what I’m looking for as an anime boy™. Megumi from Jujutsu Kaisen to be exact. I still haven’t decided if the name should be Divine Shadow or Divine Abyss. He will have all the pets! A handful in rotation to mimic his shikigami. The brown raven for Nue, a rabbit for his “rabbit escape”, and I’m hoping we’ll get bigger running pets. Especially wolves or just a big dog that’s close enough for his iconic demon dogs!

Another chestnut that’s darker than the previous one. I like this color, but again, no markings currently. Markings or a lack thereof will make or break a horse for me. If it has cute markings, I’ll take it! If it stays a plain bagel, then I’ll skip it for another

This one is a potential horse. Will it end up being a released coat? Will it be made into something else? Who knows! But if it does end up making the cut and going from a blinding white to a sweetly dappled grey (ideally like the Shire, those dapples are just the right amount for me on a mostly “white” horse in game!) then I will take it! Only if the animations are good. Because the theme for a sporty white/grey horse is one of my favorite bois, Inumaki from again Jujutsu Kaisen. Once I saw that you could name a horse “Thorn” in game, I HAD to plan a horse for Toge! As his name translates to Thorn. I just need to wait for the right horse. Could this be the one? 

This one while it’s speculated to be changed or removed, it does have a grey muzzle that has a hint of a nose marking. Soooo we’ll see!

[the-melting-world]

Wonderful 🍋

@the-midsummer-masquerade | Thank you for hosting and managing this event 💕

You can read all of the fics to Don't Stop Til You Get Enough | Midsummer Masquerade here

Day 7 prompts: anonymous, body worship, cum marking

Sun Bai x Jacqui

Note: the Baiqui timeline is already a mess, but I see this interaction occurring some time after the events in "You're Too Precious" take place.

Jacqui belongs to @into-the-daniverse

Music: “wonderful” by Travis Scott

~ 600 words

.

Where had Jacqui felt this presence before?

These hands... they didn’t feel familiar at all. The person that these hands belonged to hadn’t spoken a word either. 

The room was dark, so Jacqui couldn’t tell what was what. Only that his partner’s hair fell down his back in soft, slight waves. 

The stranger kissed Jacqui. Every part of him. The pirate held the man’s hair out of the way the further south he traveled. He felt the smooth surface of a bead, and then something more curved, followed by the man’s breath. Piercings, if Jacqui would have to guess. He wondered what color they were. He wondered if they made his partner look handsome or beautiful. Or more strange.

“Tell me your name,” Jacqui said when he was deep inside the man, blushing unnecessarily in the dark with every meaningful thrust. The sounds escaping his partner were too satisfied, far too comfortable and content. He never asked for anything. He just took what Jacqui gave him with unspoken gratitude. He took and let himself be taken.

“If you’re not going to talk,” Jacqui said, finding the man’s ear, “then let me do this…this one thing for you. Like you’ve done for me.”

Jacqui felt some hesitation. He was about to pull away when the stranger drew him back in, bringing his face to his neck. Jacqui swept the long hair to the side, but still held on to those glossy waves as he so gently walked his lips along a shoulder. Shudders rippled over the skin as Jacqui navigated to everywhere and nowhere. The man gave him no map of where he wanted Jacqui to go, and yet… that didn’t really matter.

Jacqui was satisfied to hear his partner trying to swallow his own anticipated breaths the further Jacqui took his slow worship. He dropped kisses into a fine set of abdominal muscles, then went north to drag the ring in his lip deliberately over what he knew were the man’s nipples. Right before giving each of them an easy suck. 

As Jacqui’s palms slid up the sides of a ribcage, the quickness of his own reactions surprised even himself, catching the man in a kiss during a sharp intake of breath. There was thrill in whatever act this stranger was committed to – he was very good at making Jacqui believe that he’d never been touched like this before. And that Jacqui’s touch might be something more powerful than he realized. Something the man needed as much as he needed air to breathe.

Jacqui eventually submitted to the silence and became one with the shadows. Soon he could hear his own pulse resonating in his mind. He could feel the wordless excitement rolling off of the other masquerader. They held out as long as they could, restlessly taking each other on. Panting hard into warm muscle, loose hair strands and damp skin. Fucking, grounding themselves in the other as easily as Jacqui sank his strong hands in the man’s long, silken hair.

His eyes had adjusted enough to only catch glimpses of the white streaking out of him, along the man’s spine this time.

“S-sorry. I’ll clean you up.”

[Wait... Leave it.]

Only a whisper. So fast that Jacqui wondered where it came from.

Too late now. Bodies had shifted. The night was just beginning.

Fingers tangled themselves in Jacqui’s locs, forcing his head to tilt back. A tongue slid past his own as his partner weighed him down. A stretch of grass somehow became his pillow in the infinite darkness of this palace hall.

Grass for his pillow. How odd.

How wonderful.

[triad9462]

El Noche de Jugetos en Familia Madrigal

Based on this post I found on @lynxwhispurrs blog( I also mentioned this to Nik( @cheesy-cryptid) so I'm tagging them too)! Will include a few Encanto OCs I plan to write a story about later! Basic info abt them: Andrea: Bruno's wife(50ish) Matteo: Oldest(21), Gift is clay and sand manipulation Melodia: Middle(20), Gift is telepathic music projection Deston: Youngest(11), Gift is shadow manipulation I'll explain in further detail in asks/future fics! Also this is post movie bc it's my fic and I say so. On with the story!

Casita's halls were calm tonight. Only the sound of Julieta busying away in the kitchen with her sobrino Matteo as her volunteer sous chef could be heard, and the smell of something hearty and filling wafted throughout the house.

In the one belowground level of the house, a lone hall with five doors were present, three for gifted children, one for a theater, and one for Casita itself. Casita's room is essentially the storage room. The glowing double door depicting the structure with numerous towers sprouting off it and even itself reaching into unseen skies past the top of the door.

Strangely enough, this small hall was the least damaged, meaning that what was in storage was likely still there.

"Gasp! Bowlerhat Gato? You're the one behind all the city's money being stolen?" Bruno's youngest child, Deston, had found a box and was playing with the silver miniatures within.

"Meow! If it isn't my nemesis, Perrande! How did you find this place? It was supposed to be a secret!"

"Your steam pirates' ship had a boot on the side! Smelled like one, too. There's only one boot shaped island in the whole bay!"

"Hiss! Are you saying my pirates have stinky feet!? How did you even get here? You only have that lousy race car!"

"Well-"

His story is cut short by a squeak from behind him. He turns around to see his cousin Dolores in the doorway.

"Sorry. But Tia says dinner is almost ready."

"Aww, maaan. I was getting to the good part too!" the boy complained

"I know." Dolores replied, "Maybe after dinner you can tell me just how Perrande got to Bowlerhat Gato's not-so-secret base."

He perked up at the prospect of his story reaching completion, "Sure!"

The older cousin begins to head back upstairs, but hums in thought, "Actually, Deston: Once you're done cleaning that up, could you bring it upstairs?"

"Uh... Sure?"

"Gracias, primo." She continues on her way, leaving the younger to putting all the little houses, fake money and miniatures back into the box with the square folder in it. --- "Destito? What have you got there?" Abuela asks as Deston enters the dining room.

"I found it in storage!" They boy replied, setting the box on a cabinet.

"Did you now...?" the matriarch ponders, approaching.

"Mhm! 'Lores asked me to bring it up." He looks the dusty box over some more. "What is it?"

Abuela wipes her hand across the box, sweeping some of the dust away. Her eyes widen in recognition.

Monopolio.

"Deston, how familiar are you with Madrigal game's nights?" Abuela asked.

"Just what Isa, 'Lores, Luisa, 'Teo and Mel told me." The shadowmancer replied.

"Would you like to experience one firsthand?"

Deston's eyes lit up, "Really!?"

"After dinner, of course." Abuela said.

"What's happening after dinner?" Matteo asked, walking in as he wiped his hands on a towel. He spots the box and immediately turns around to go back into the kitchen.

But he still wasn't quick enough, "Matteo Luis Madrigal, you're attending game's night whether you like it or not." Abuela called after him. The geomancer groaned, returning to the dining room.

"Does it have to be that game? I'm always first out!" He complained as he got the plates off the shelf.

"That sounds like a you problem, 'Teo~." Melodia chimed from the droorway to the courtyard, a playful tune sounding through the room.

---

During dinner, the younger Madrigal grandkids, besides Deston, would occasionally side-eye the box on the cabinet.

Mirabel was the first to bring it up, "Sooo, anyone gonna explain what's in the box?"

Dolores was first to pipe up, with a shockingly smug grin on her face, "You'll see soon enough, Mira."

This confused her even more. What was in the box? Why was Dolores smirking like that? And why does Matteo look ready to bolt at a moment's notice?

---

Indeed the answers would come after dinner was eaten and the dishes washed and put away.

A table and chairs had been set up in the courtyard.

Andrea, Bruno's wife, approached her mother in law, "Alma, if Monopoly is still here then surely that means the rest are too?"

"I don't doubt it." She replied, "Luisa, could you and Deston go down to storage and see where he found that game?"

"You got it!" Luisa answered, before gesturing for Deston to follow instead of taking a seat at the table.

Andrea glanced around the family gathered at the square table, "Wait, where's Matteo?"

"In his room." Dolores stated. "He hates Monopoly."

Andrea sighs, marching down to Matteo's room, "Matteo Luis Madrigal, get up here before I drag you up here by your filthy, dust-ridden smock!"

---

Given that there were half as many tokens as there were family members, the Madrigals split into pairs of "Players" and "Managers". Luisa and Felix formed one pair, they are also the bankers for this game. Julieta and Agustin paired up, as did Bruno and Andrea. Pepa paired up with Dolores( since Felix was already partnered off). Isa and Matteo joined forces, likewise did Camilo and Mirabel. Melodia paired up with her little bro, leaving Abuela to partner with Antonio.

The players claimed their tokens, rolled for order, and the game began.

Matteo and Isa had an early lead claiming a brown and sky blue space, but as the game progressed, per usual(in the former's case), they lost more than they made, even after trading to get the full sets, and they eventually went bankrupt. Matteo stormed back down to his room, cursing the whole way. Isabella, meanwhile just sat back and watched the rest of the game unfold.

As the minutes passed, the game had gone down to two teams: Pepa/Dolores and Abuela/Antonio. The game was quite close, the latter team had more money, but less property. So for the mother/daughter pair it was a matter of whittling away the other team's wealth with their whole 3/4 of the board.

And eventually that's what happened. Abuela sighed as Antonio handed his older sister the last of their money, "I still wonder how you do it, mija." the matriarch mused

Dolores crossed her arms, with a smile, "That's a secret I'm not telling."

--- FIN

[cushfuddled]

Could I ask you for advice on making YouTube videos, please? I'm thinking of making one, but I have no experience WHATSOEVER on it (and I mean, literally two days ago I googled a tutorial for editing videos to find out the name of main video editing software, I basically just entered kindergarten). So the broadest, most seemingly obvious advice would help immensely. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I'm still trying to figure out if you can make a video without talking.

HIYA!

Yes, you can definitely make a video without talking. I don't watch a lot of those vids, but there are plenty of people who use text-to-speech software rather than their real voices (some text-to-speech programs have gotten really good). You can also hire someone to read your script for you...If anyone has a site to recommend (where you can hire readers), please reply!

I've heard good things about HitFilm Express. It works a lot like Premiere, and there's a free version available. You can also use whichever free movie program comes with your computer or phone, though! I know of a YouTuber with over a million subs who edits his videos entirely on his phone.

I use yt5s to download YouTube videos. I download animated shows and movies from this version of KimCartoon and download live action stuff from sites like the Pirate Bay. Make sure to install a VPN before torrenting anything, btw. Last year I got an email from my internet provider like "we noticed you illegally downloaded a film :3" and BOY did THAT light my ass on fire to hide my IP. I currently use NordVPN, but there are probably faster ones out there lol.

If you go to the YouTube Studio tab on YT, then the "audio library" page listed on the left sidebar, YouTube gives you a great selection of no-copyright music.

I don't know what type of videos you want to make, but if you're interested in making review-style content, I've noticed that videos that focus on a specific topic tend to do better for small channels than broad reviews (example: "How A Snake Ruined Star Wars" performs better than "Rise of Skywalker Review"). In that situation you can use the snake as a vehicle to talk about the whole film, but a narrower premise tends to get more clicks these days. That, or titles like "In Defense of The Rise of Skywalker" or "The Rise of Skywalker Sucked" would still fare better than "Rise of Skywalker Review."

It's true: negative reviews perform better than positive reviews. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Do what you will with this information.

The algorithm will sometimes bury your video if your title or thumbnail contains words from this list. I've had one of my videos shadowbanned because I used the word "abuse" in the thumbnail. Some people will tell you that you should avoid swearing within the first minute of your video or so (because the bots will pick up on the bad language and restrict your video)...I've never tested this out, but. Better safe than sorry I guess.

Don't worry about monetization for a while, probably? You have to reach a certain amount of watch-time before you qualify for that program. If you do want to make sure your videos are monetizable later, though...use non-copyrighted music, and cut your clips so they're under ten seconds each. Copyrighted music needs to be under eight seconds to evade the bots. YMS explains this in the first couple minutes of this video: [x]

Don't put pressure on yourself to make a popular channel right out of the gate. Sometimes people do get a lot of attention right away, but most people don't start to get real traffic for at least a year? So yeah. Try to make whatever content you want to make and not worry too much about the numbers.