#and i see people be like ‘can you do a non spicy version’ and they still add it but only a little without bulking. up the other flavours

[s0fter-sin]

i’ve spent the last hour looking for easy noodle recipes and every one has some form of chili as the main flavour i’m too white for this

[mandalhoerian]

Repost because tumblr's tags were broken yesterday and it ate my post up 😞 Spoilers and translation notes for Rafayel's intertidal zone & analysis because it kinda floored me, I was just as a blank page as he was throughout this. I had to watch it like 5 times to understand what the story was saying and dig into chinese and japanese versions of this to piece together what was really happening. It may be my idiot brain not getting it and maybe it was like the easiest thing to understand for you but. Yeah. I may be just dumb LMFAO AND!!!! There's also a theory of mine into how Rafayel is actually able to read mc's mind/wishes through their lemurian bond, so stay tuned for that I guess

EDIT: correcting some transcriptions of chinese characters and the translations. sorry about that! google couldn't transcribe it correctly. for clarity's sake i will also include original screenshots. please tell me if anything is wrong!

EDIT 2: Check out part 2 to this as well for stuff I missed!

EDIT 3: An Abysswalker connection I found

EDIT 4: Debunking the myths of non-consent & Rafayel hurting MC in the spicy scene

So Rafayel’s whole deal in this memory, I believe, is dependency. Like, too much intensity, too much need, too much fear -- about scaring her off, about what he sees himself possibly becoming in the future, overall just being too reliant on mc and getting scared by it.

Let's begin with this massive fear of being a taker, not just in the “I’m stealing someone’s fries” way, but in this existential, soul-deep kind of way where he’s terrified of turning everything he loves into something he exploits out of demand for his art. And yeah, it’s sad when you first hear him say it, but it’s also really interesting when you look at how this all ties into his relationship with MC and his inspiration source drying up because of her.

Before Rafayel became an artist, he looked at the world in this super pure, wholesome way. Sceneries and nature were just there, things to admire and feel awe over without needing to do anything about it. Like, imagine standing at the edge of a desert, looking at a sea that’s drying up. Sure, it’s tragic, but it’s also kind of beautiful in a raw, heartbreaking way. That’s how Rafayel saw things, he could appreciate them without feeling like he had to do anything.

But then Rafayel started creating, and suddenly, sceneries weren’t just sceneries anymore. They became inspiration. He wasn’t just admiring beauty, he was extracting something from it, its meaning, its pain, its soul, to turn into art for other people. And that made him feel all kinds of icky, because now he wasn’t just looking at the drying sea. He was taking from it. Just as he's using his people's pain in his art as well, that's also a thing.

Now let’s talk about MC. Rafayel loves her like he used to love those sceneries,,, in this pure, untainted way. There's a parallel here. But here’s the kicker, he’s not the same guy who can just admire something and leave it untouched anymore.

And suddenly, this is no longer only about losing inspiration for him.

This happens after he and MC get together, and it’s like all the pain and anguish that used to fuel his creativity just.. ... dries up. He can’t find that spark anymore because now his life is surrounded by love instead of suffering. In fact, his inspiration starts coming from her and it's starting to clash with how he makes art. In the phone call, he seeks her out and says he needs her so bad and she only needs to talk to help him out. This is the first wink wink nod nod of the story.

So what does Rafayel do? He goes on this big, dramatic trip to "find inspiration" (or at least his muse), but it’s not just about his art. He’s not just looking for inspiration, he’s trying to figure out how to be less dependent on her and becoming increasingly more restless over this. The temparature and physical discomfort is making things worse, he's anxiously overthinking, and imagine trying to fight this and the longest art block as of late off when all you want to do is indulge in this special person and be comforted like a lap cat all day every day.

He understands that if he lets himself indulge without restraint, one day his love for mc will turn into pure need. He’ll become more and more greedy, and he doesn’t want that and is afraid of being abandoned because of that growing neediness and dependency.

This is in relation to his art, because as @/dat-silvers-girl put in the comments, he's struggling with "the genuine fear of not being able to enjoy anything in life because all you're thinking about how to use it (as an artist)" . what if he starts doing this to her? to their love and relationship? take from her, and become someone who only takes in every area of life -- like someone who only exploits things by extracting what he feels about them to use it for his art. he's afraid of that, he doesn't like that and possibly doesn't like himself who does it. so why should she? she would leave him for sure, in his head, that's a solid reason to.

The first time around he brings up his anxiety about MC leaving him out of the inner realization of his dependency, the possibility of just what he can become, and fear of abandonment. she effortlessly soothes his worries. It's heavily implied they did it afterwards and after hearing "her life has already been consumed by him" he tweaked out a little bit and his "obsession" seeped through.

After it fades to black, he says ほら……僕もとっくに……君に侵食されてしまっているんだ…… which means "See... I've already been completely consumed by you too" in Japanese instead of the life being made a chaotic mess localization. While I think MC's line was jokey and lighthearted, I don't think this man is joking at all. Rafayel didn't say his life was consumed by her as well, he said HE was consumed. Ouh.

This took the edge off from him for a while but they hadn't gotten to the root of the problem yet, so he was back to square one after the memorial hall, because remember, he's trying to find inspiration as an act of making this dependency of his better. Pain and suffering are all around him here, which his inspiration feeds off of. The dried up ocean he could hear weakening, the skeleton of the whale, the burden of his people and homeland more prominent than before. And what does MC do? Tear through the perspective of pain and introduce a hopeful alternative, "Isn't it a surprise to see an ocean in the middle of the desert?"

This is a place that gave Rafayel the height of helplessness and suffering when he visited by himself before despite momentarily being hopeful after the locals told him such a place existed. But now, she was there to comfort him through his loneliness and pain, hug him, and give him hope yet again. He brings up how he wanted to come here with the most important person to him when he was still hopeful about it before consumed by the pain of it all, and that wish has been granted. That moment has to be so powerful for Rafayel. Literally light at the end of the tunnel.

It had me reeling that he just sat in the car after all that, staring at her for god knows how long until she woke up. He was probably overthinking again, but my interpretation that it was heavily emotional for him (it could have meant so little for MC but the world for him, she doesn't even know) and he wanted to be in that moment with her, just feel and look without restraint. Indulge a little. (I can just imagine him going just a little bit more, I'll go after she wakes up.) And like. His eyes are shining in the darkness is the description here. Perhaps he was feeling so much here. So much love. So much happiness. And he's about to go in for a kiss (heavy breathing and everything) after that, but holds himself back and actively has to pry himself away. He's feeling the neediness again.

That’s why he makes an effort to actively wean himself off and says he'll be okay on his own. What he says to her after MC is like "spoiling him" being all "hey you're sick maybe don't go? or let's go together?" (which is NOT helping Rafayel at all) is even more meaningful in Japanese and I didn't know why they left out this context, but the rearranged line would be "Do you want me to become a sea creature beached on the sand after the sea recedes, unable to breathe on my own ever again?"

Yeah. YEAH. This is about dependency. (He's saying don't coddle me I'll literally become that wolf tearing his shirt meme 😭)

So of course his stubbornness and anxiety force him to do things without MC and distance himself, he can do it. He’s determined to prove to himself that he can endure it on his own.

I also feel like part of the reason he insisted on going to the salon alone is that he’s still worried mc might come to dislike the version of him who's someone he's so sure she will leave, who isn't perfect and he hides behind the persona he's put up just for her. If he truly becomes addicted to her and shows her everything/his true self, and she ends up leaving him, it would completely break him. He's trying to be like "im so normal about her haha" but he's so not normal about her at all. He's literally obsessed I feel like, and perhaps this is him fighting it knowing it's not healthy.

and OOOH about why he ends up coming back from the salon all hot and bothered.

I have strong context that she flicked the bean in there after he left her high and dry in the car ("hot water washes away the stickiness from my body and his stifled breaths still echo in my ears, enveloping me along with the steam in the bathroom. The warmth from his fingertips lingers in the places where he touched me..." is the english. however, in chinese, it goes "熱水洗去身上的黏膩，壓抑的喘息迴盪在我耳畔，和浴室裡氤氳的水氣一起包裹著我." stating "the suppressed breathing" -- which doesn't have any possessive adjectives when I translated it on google and later explicitly asked chatgpt if it had any his/my adjectives involved, just to be sure. it said no but i'd like it if a real chinese speaking person could give their input on this !!! PLEASE DONT LEAVE ME WITH CHATGPT

so um. if the context is in fact the case that he heard her masturbating to him, the intensity with which he attacked her would be normal, I think 😭

I have belief that MC unconsciously shatters his "training himself to be without her" determination through their bond. She just keeps thinking about him the entire time. about him reading her thoughts, though. we still don't know all about the lemurian bond they share. I’d say it grants him some sort of mind/heart reading ability or connects their minds together (when she was thinking about whether she should hug him, he answered “yes”).

At the salon, I imagine Rafayel was already thinking about her like crazy. Then he realized, or perhaps, "heard" she was still worrying about him and thinking of him (as much he thought about her) and decided to go back. Rafayel probably felt that suppressing himself was only making her more anxious and unsettled. She's thinking all about him, unconsciously calling to him to come to her, she didn't want to let him go at all, wanted to go with him, etc...

but even if it was his own decision and no mind reading was involved... uh. If you ask me. He did quite literally hear her after coming back. That's also something that might make him think she wants him as much as he wants her, which made his self-restraint utterly meaningless from the start.

Disregarding this theory of mine proven wrong until a Chinese speaker helps me out here, MC returned to Rafayel's room. A translation omission happened here from what I saw. There are no possessive adjectives in the Chinese text about the room she returns to, and the Japanese one states she returned to the guest room (doesn't specify which one. She was also able to enter Rafayel's room without needing to knock before.)

so uh. she went into rafayel's room y'all. the line "this is my room, you're the one who walked in here" MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE. (SO LIKE. NOT ONLY DID SHE GO INTO HIS ROOM, SHE FLICKED THE BEAN THERE AND HE POSSIBLY HEARD IT. SHE'S MORE OF A FREAK THAN HE IS, I UNDERSTAND WHY HE LET GO AFTER THAT LMFAO)

I don't put it past him to get worked up after he finds her in his room post-bath even without my theory lmfao (idk why they put her in a dress when she should be in a bathrobe or something 😭)

His conclusion at the end of this memory that "he finds inspiration in pain and the art of creation is a part of his life. mc made him realize love and art are so alike. even if they don't complete him but burn him instead he wants them (love and art) with every fiber of his being" and MC says she doesn't like that, rightfully so.

So like. There's SO MUCH to unpack in here.

When Rafayel says he finds inspiration in pain and that creation is a part of his life, he’s admitting something raw and essential about himself: pain isn’t just a byproduct of his art, it’s intrinsic to it. For Rafayel, pain and art are intertwined in a way that’s almost inseparable. It’s like his muse isn’t just beauty, but beauty that hurts.

But then he takes this further by connecting art to love. He’s realized that both art and love demand the same from him: vulnerability, passion, and sometimes suffering. They don’t necessarily complete him (he’s not romanticizing them as salvation), but they burn him, wear him down, consume him (coincidentally, this is something he said to MC in the JP dub of this memory, that she consumes him), but also give him life. And for Rafayel, that’s the crux, even if they burn him, he wants them with every fiber of his being.

This is such a Rafayel thing to say. It’s dramatic, it’s tortured, but it’s also deeply SUBTLE. He doesn't spell all of these out, mind you, I got a headache trying to understand him. Or I'm just slow, I don't know. It shows how much he values creation and connection, even if they come at a cost.

MC, on the other hand, challenges this perspective. When she says she doesn’t like that he views love and art as things that burn him, she’s pushing back against the idea that suffering is a necessary part of creation, or love. MC doesn’t want Rafayel to see their relationship as something that requires him to hurt. She’s telling him, “You don’t have to destroy yourself to love me.”

When MC says, “You’ll never have to burn for me,” she’s giving Rafayel an alternative to his destructive mindset. She’s saying that love doesn’t have to hurt, that their relationship can exist without him sacrificing himself on the altar of passion. It’s a refusal to let Rafayel romanticize pain as the price of love.

And I love that Rafayel goes, "Will you help me look for other parts in life outside of pain?" in response. This is NOT about art or inspiration anymore, and the way the dialogue is written is just AUGH. Again I had to rewatch this over and over again for the nuances and subtext.

I love MC's response, she knew exactly what to say. “I’ll always be the one who walks along the shore with you. Of course, diving into the sea bed is fine too. If it can snow in the desert, there will be a day when the ocean returns.”

MC’s response is layered with metaphors, but at its core, it’s about unwavering support and hope::

Walking along the shore: This represents safety and companionship. MC is saying she’ll be with Rafayel in the calm, in the moments where they’re just observing life without diving into its depths. She’ll be his steady presence, his grounding force.

Diving into the sea bed: This is an acknowledgment that life and love sometimes require going deeper and they may go through hardships, into the unknown, the murky, the challenging. MC isn’t afraid of this, she’s willing to go there with him too.

Snow in the desert and the ocean’s return: This is a symbol of hope and transformation beyond being a nod to The Sea of Golden Sand. Snow in the desert seems impossible, just like the idea of Rafayel finding inspiration outside of pain might feel impossible to him. But MC believes in the extraordinary, in change, and in the possibility that beauty and creation can exist outside of suffering.

Her words are a promise: she’s willing to stand by him, to face the unknown together, and to hold onto the belief that a new way of seeing the world is possible.

And Rafayel LOWKEY PROPOSES IN RETURN.

By saying “let’s watch the sea together,” he’s accepting MC’s offer of companionship and hope in the long run. He’s recognizing that life doesn’t have to be about diving into the depths alone, it can be about sharing the experience with someone else, even if it’s just standing on the shore and watching.

“Every sea”: This phrase is key. Rafayel isn’t just committing to one kind of life or one kind of inspiration, he’s opening himself up to all possibilities. Watching every sea means embracing all facets of life, whether they’re calm or turbulent, painful or beautiful. It’s a marriage proposal declaration that he’s ready to explore the world beyond pain, with MC by his side.

So. I love that his inspiration returns after his freak is accepted by MC because he literally feels the acceptance through the bond.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. This memory DRAINED me. They were just supposed to bang what the fuck happened. Why did I have to go treasure hunting to find what was going on in this card. anyway...

[jeffffffffest]

Io SSSSSSSSaturnalia Prompts

The time has come! Below are the prompts for our Saturnalia event.

A huge thank you to everyone who submitted prompts! As a reminder there is no limit to the number of prompts you choose to fill and works can be as big/long or small/short as you'd like to make them. The goal is to be creative and have fun!

We'll be accepting works to our AO3 Collection until January 1st.

Prompt List by prompt type:

Any Medium

“In Roman mythology, Lua was a goddess to whom soldiers sacrificed captured weapons of enemy combatants. She is sometimes referred to as "Lua Mater" or "Lua Saturni", the latter of which makes her a consort of Saturn.” Source

“The Night We Met” by Lord Huron

All of the other Jeff’s seem to have a signature color. But not him. He is all colors and none.

Art from dr-Lemurr, used with permission.

Bacchanalia. Someone (or several someones) gets drunk and makes questionable decisions, and/or is indulged and looked after by the others.

Bonfire and/or campfire

Ghost and Lucid. I adore their cottagecore-earth magic vibe. Something to do with the fae folk, Lucid and his flower tree, Ghost burying seeds under the earth, and their own fairy tale. Rain is always welcome, either as part of the triad or another part of the fairy tale.

Ghost going non-verbal as he processes and heals, learning to trust and speak again with support.

Ghost tends Lucid's wounds

Ghost/Husband/Wife THROUPLE domestic bliss

Heavy is the crown

Howl's Moving Castle AU. Enchanted Fest promo Howl? Demon of Fire Calcifer? King of Darkness Witch of the Waste? I know this has been done before, but it cannot actually be done enough. If there are other characters that tickle your fancy for a Howl AU, please go wild. Ghost realizing he's not human and finding a doorway to another world where he can be a wizard instead of a clone? Sunshine wreaking havoc in 4 worlds at once? Interpret "AU" as liberally as you like.

Jeff learns he is an incarnation of the Roman god Saturn. With each of the characters (manifestations) that he shows the world, Jeff’s fans (worshipers) and his creative powers grow. He fears this as much as he loves it, but cannot stop now.

Like bats, all of the Jeff’s can use echolocation and they have their own instinctive language of nonverbal sounds It’s part of what makes them uncanny to humans. But Jeff doesn’t realize he does either until he encounters Sunshine and Moonshine. (Feel free to swap Jeffs to whomever works for you)

Lucid only exists in dreams. Every time he meets another Jeff in his dreams, they've forgotten about him, but Lucid remembers. He always remembers.

Moonshine services Sunshine's implants. All of them.

One of the Jeffs exploring gender. Maybe they’re nonbinary or are a dude that likes to wear clothes that would traditionally be confided feminine

Passion experiences bouts of euphoria and then drops. Again and again until…

Portrait of Dorian Gray, except it's Passion (Steal the Show) or Black (Black Tie) who is indulging in hedonism and has hidden away an old mirror with a withered and ghostly figure trapped inside.

Red lipstick. Beautiful. Messy.

Role reversal

Sentinel/Guide AU

Siam (vampire) hasn't seen their own reflection in centuries. One day they see a familiar face smiling at them through a mirror.

Sipping the red wine, just like your black lies what's a little Saturnalia celebration without wine and lies? Someone makes some bad (but fun?) choices.

Spicy the horse's interactions with various Jeffs. (Does she adopt them all? Are there any she can't stand? Who does she manipulate into giving her extra treats?)

SS8 finds a grimoire with a spell that will let the caster meet other versions of themself.

Sunshine and Moonshine are two people sharing one body: how do they decide who gets to be in control and when? What do they do with the body as soon as they regain control? Do they have pet peeves about what the other one does while in control? Do they run commentary for each other while they're not in control?

Sunshine finds 008 chained up in the basement.

Sunshine has always been a trickster. But he was not always in the pantheon with Coyote, Anansi and the rest of the trickster gods. This is the story of how he became deified.

Sunshine’s tattoos (one or more) showing up on other Jeff’s and them trying to figure out why.

The incarnations each receive an invitation to a mysterious Saturnalia celebration.

The writer feels things for his creations. They might be romantic. They might be sexual. He’s not sure because he’s never felt such things for people in real life.

Their various personas are not inclined to be romantically interested in each other, despite what they may lead their fans to believe. It’s more of a creative synergy. Their acting partners though are a different story. They fall in love a bit with every one.

This jacket.

vampire siam jeff in this corset

Waking up to a cuddly and happy Lucid is always nice. It’s the nights he disappears that are worrisome.

Waxplay

When you’re (a Jeff) at a pub and there’s another person who looks like your sort of person (and maybe sort of like you?) reading a book at the bar and you’re thinking… we could be friends but… bugging someone while they’re deep in their reading is so rude!

Who are two characters you think would really not get along, put them in a room together, what happens?

Who are two characters you think would get on really well, how did they meet and how often do they hang out?

You said you liked it so I found it for you.

Audio and Video

A fictional SS8 'movie trailer' conveyed through a combination of music, sounds, audio and video clips, quotes from interviews, etc.

Visual Art and Written

Rain God the divine. Being worshipped, accepting tribute, descending to interact with mortal followers. Being almost too much/too intense for human lovers in a religious ecstasy sort of way. Being above mortal life and concerns but still sampling them through his worshippers. As long as it's fully consensual, this can be as graphic as you want to go. >.>

were!lucid but instead of a wolf he's a deer (or some other woodland creature)

Visual Art

Modern interpretation of a 'Narcissus' painting and spin on reflections in the MVs, with one of the characters gazing into a mirror and a different character appearing in the reflection. (Black Tie? Passion? Sunshine and Moonshine? JS and Ghost?)

The Court of Rain' as a classical painting, with Lucid, Sunshine, etc. depicted with their symbols/attributes, like the flower crown--mythological/religious vibe and poses.

Wings!

Thanks again to everyone who submitted prompts! We can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Happy Jeff-ing! 🪐

[girlboypersonthingy]

Can I request Matt with a cosplayer s/o? I can totally see them doing cosplay couples such as Link and Zelda, David and Lucy, Zhongli and Tartaglia, Jean and Lisa... And please could It be fluff (and maybe something spicy If you want)? Thank you!! 🩷

PLZ IM SO WEAK FOR THIS REQUEST OML !!! Thank you for this 🙏🏻 also sorrrryyyyy this took me literally forever to get to. ENJOY~

Note: FUCK IT!!!! TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY IDCCCC

Cosplay Couple 🧡

This dweeb would for sure be the one to bring all the ideas to you. I could see him running up to you, practically shaking from excitement as he takes a deep breath then tells you his thoughts.

“Link and Zelda, hm? That sounds fun but Link is canonically shorter than Zelda sooo…”

If you’re shorter than him, he’s immediately like “HELL YEAH!!! ILL BE THE PRINCESS. IM GONNA WEAR A DRESS!”

If you’re taller than him, he immediately gets flirty. “Oooh~ I can’t wait to see you dressed up like a princess. You’re gonna be so freaking adorbs.”

Honestly he gives zero fucks about gender roles and stuff like that. If he wants to dress as a female character, he will. And he won’t do some gender bent version of it, he’s going full out girly girl.

But he likes dressing as male and other gendered characters too. He just likes to cosplay his fav characters and sometimes his favs are girls. 🤷🏻 whatevs

Will absolutely take you to comicon or any other fun convention. He’d be running around like a kid in a candy store with $100.

Might even get too excited. Like running into people, tripping and falling type excited. You may have to hold his hand or put him on one of those money backpack leash things for kids lmao

Will also beg you like a million times to take pics of him with any cosplayers that he thinks are really cool and well done.

Fucking cutie dork is like ✌🏻😃 in every pic

Also asks several different people at different times throughout the day to take pics of you two together and when he looks back at the photos, he smiles all big.

At some point, he’ll drag you off to a private corner or to a single stall bathroom or even back to the car to dishevel your costume a bit with gentle groping and touches as you guys sloppily make out.

Probably messes up your hair, wig, makeup. Maybe all three. You might have to tell him to chill out cuz he’ll totally try to take you back home for some quality time together right now.

If yall are more into the ‘cosplay for a video and post it online but don’t leave the house’ thing, he’s totally fine with that too.

He wouldn’t care if no one even saw your cosplays but each other bc either way, it’s a lot of fun and he loves the quality time spent with you.

Always asks you to help with the makeup part of any cosplay. I couldn’t see him being very good with makeup so he’s gonna rely on you.

Also he sucks bc you’ll take hours to get into your cosplay, trying to perfect your look and Matt will ruin it all with his big, grabby hands and his soft, slobbery lips within minutes.

But god forbid you wreck his cosplay from being all handsy and kissy, he’ll pout about it for the rest of the day.

“Aawwww, (Y/N)!!! No! Why?! I looked so goooddddd, ugh!”

Back to the ‘fuck gender roles’ thing…Matt would find you so fucking hot cute in any cosplay, regardless of your gender or the characters’ gender.

If you are a fem who wants to dress as a masc character, he’s like 😍🥵

If you are a masc who wants to dress as a fem character, he’s like 😳🥰

If you’re anything in between or non binary or whatever, he doesn’t care. He vibes with you soooo heavy so your looks or your sexuality or your gender identity don’t bother him. If anything, your unique sense of yourself makes him adore you even more.

ALSO ALSO same goes with height, weight, skin color. If you wanna cosplay a character that actually looks nothing like you, is way taller than you or way thinner than you, he’s there to help you get it as accurate as you can

Tells you at least 100 times that it’s just dress up and doesn’t have to be perfect

But also tells you you’re always perfect in the same breath

He’ll support you in any way no matter what.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Stone Egg theories + Luzhen

All are asks are connected to this post made about: what if Stone Monkeys could naturally reproduce asexually via converting their body into a new Stone Egg?

All images have transcripts btw.

1: Possibly. Wukong has a *lot* of immortalities. But accidentally creating a Stone Egg asexually takes a lot out of him physically and spirtually. His soul gets a permanent hit to it. The whole point of the Stone Egg is for either a monkey with a large familial group to produce an heir without a mate, or the last of a troop to fling a piece of hope into the future. Most don't survive, but some do. It helps to have a lot of magically talented friends/family around to stabilize your body once the egg-creating process has begun so you can heal. Though I bet most single monkeys prefered adoption if at all necessary - accidentally giving the Stone Monkey kind a hyper-active parental instinct towards non-related infants of similar species.

He probably gets cravings for a lot of rocks, metal and bones in the process.

2 & 3: (@soniclozdplove) Guanyin realised that she gotta put her stone monkey on birth control if they were gonna keep him underground. Her brain jumped to "He's made of rock right? rock spirits eat metal... right?? Crap, it's the only thing down here." and cue molten copper and iron pellets for dinner. The question is; was it even that painful for Wukong? Man takes out his organs a bunch of times and bathes in hot oil in Jttw without complaint. Odds are in the moment it felt like the worlds worse heartburn/spicy food burn since he really is made of earth materials. XD

He probably felt super grateful once he realized why Guanyin was feeding him molten metal. He didn't want kids in that circumstance either!

4: A furiously confused pregnant Wukong! He immediately starts yelling at Gold Star for answers, and has to be talked down from trottling the Buddha himself for this. Tripitaka is panicking, he's never been around a pregnant person before!

Wukong doesn't even need the circlet in this verse. Guanyin just gives him false labor contractions and he's behaving immediately. He probably has to lug the egg in his body around for some extra time, maybe even until the Journey is over depending on how funny the Buddha or Bixia Yuanjun (goddess of childbirth) is feeling.

Macaque sees Wukong pregnant this way and is confused, dismayed, and yelling "Who's the father!?" at every Pilgrim. It takes him a while to understand that the Stone Egg happened cus of SWK being essentially slow-cooked underground for 500 years. Even if Macaque plays nice with the Pilgrims afterwards, he's still glaring at anyone who comes near Wukong and "their" egg.

Wukong endears himself to many people simply because he's with child. Probably gets an extra godly nickname (something like "Meihou-Wangmu" a pun on his Handsome Monkey King title + Queen/King Mother) refering to him as a fertility figure - women seeking luck with having/not having children approach Wukong asking for his blessing, and odds are it works because of who his creator is. XD

But he also attracts unique threats that the pilgrims have to personally destroy to protect him - Krasues and Manananggals anyone?

The second the Journey is over, Wukong kneels over and with an literal earth-shattering scream out *pops!* a little Stone Egg. All happy and cracking open minutes later. His and Macaque's first born isn't told the details of their creation for a long time.

5 & 6: Gold Star gives Shadowpeach the Stone Monkey version of The Talk and warns them never to get buried alive unless they're 100% sure about it. Macaque and Wukong are terrifed into not having kids until Guanyin let sit slip that the "regular way" should work too.

In "The Monkey King and the Infant" au; Gold Star was a little more than shocked to hear about MK/Xiaotian's creation XD

Macaque is sadly unlikely to ever carry a "clone egg" to term or survive the full process. His body is a lot smaller/weaker than Wukong's and he was deprived of a lot of nutrients as a newborn (stuck on the moon = very few vitamins). So if he ever got triggered into parthenogenesis, his body would likely just refuse to create an egg. No gas in the tank.

Baby Luzhen is born from SWK, and he immediately takes out the roof/part of the Jade Palace with eye lazers. Giggling, he fails to notice the looks of horror on his family's faces.

Pigsy shoudl be just used to this nonsense by now. In the TMKATI Au; MK was a rogue comet Harbringer baby, the twins were freebies from Diyu, Yuebei was the reincarnation of one of their greatest enemies, the twin boys are likely reincarnated lunar node deities, and ofc now Luzhen decides to spawn in like a chicken egg.

I love the idea of Tang hearing all these gory details like;

Tang: "This is like finding a living dinosaur egg or a thylacine! Imagine if any of your children married a regular monkey demon- it could completely bring back your species!"

Wukong + all Three Realms shudder at the thought - Wukong mostly because he aint never doing that again. Gold Star of Venus and Lao Tzu hum, intrigued at the thought.

Tang starts crying when he realises that single-parent Stone Monkeys would likely be born orphans. It's so sad! :'(

6: Nah, Luzhen pops out all newborn baby. You see, being born fully-developed from a Stone Egg is a huge rarity; only occurring when the whole troop has died out and the egg is left on its own for thousands of years. If a Stone Monkey parent is "awoken" early enough (like within say 500-600 years) in the Egg's development and tended to quickly, their bodies stabilize into a long, but far less dangerous form of pregnancy. Its a safeguard for in case the pregnant survivor of an extinct group is found by a new troop, the parent survives and can live to possibly reproduce with the new unrelated group (higher chance of viable mates).

The only sacrifice being that the babies in these "soft-boiled" Stone Eggs are a lot weaker, premature even. The eggs themselves having a much higher chance of being empty or just absorbing straight back into the parent. Many who survived the process just sighed, it was the law of nature - why risk a possible baby for the parent when survival is preferred?

Luzhen is able to be born simply because Wukong has such a solid support system and healthcare available to him.

Ty for all these asks! I guess I should make a special "Stone Egg talk" tag for these ideas!

[warden-melli]

If Melli ever goes and sings in the middle of the night in the beach area(i forgot what it's called XD) Iscan will think that it's sirens and will just be in his tent scared and will talk to the other wardens about the 'sirens' it's funny to think about. Melli would be just covered in stuntank fur due to his stuntank we know that people eat pokemon in the pokemon world so do you think that the wardens would just eat the smaller versions of their lord/ladys? (Except for Melli, Palina, and Gaeric bc who would eat a dog and you can't really eat wood or ice)

I love this! I have a similar headcanon that I’ve talked about on here before, about Melli practicing his singing up on the Mountain at night, and due to the eerie echo caused by the terrain, his singing is mistaken/misinterpreted by people in the area for ghosts/spirits. Sometimes theres even reports of a thin, long haired figure spotted high up on the peaks at night. Like there’s ghost stories and legends about the mountain being haunted, but it’s actually just Melli practicing his vocals and hanging out with his Golbat at night lol. In both scenarios I agree that Iscan would be utterly terrified hearing something like that! Poor guy would have some great ghost stories to tell anyways, even if in actuality it is just his clan brother belting out a tune lol

Yeah, I agree! With as long as Melli’s hair is I can see him shedding just as much as his Skuntank does, so there’s a mixture of shades and lengths of purple hair on pretty much everything he owns

And do I think the wardens would eat the smaller versions of their lords? I’m not sure if you mean a noble pokemons pre-evolutions, the non noble version of a noble pokemon, or both? But in both cases, yes, I do. Given that the indigenous peoples of Hokkaido (the region Hisui/Sinnoh is based on) consumed many animals (deer/bear/fish) that are similar to the noble/ride Pokemkon, I think it would be extremely likely that the clans of Hisui would do the same.

It’s funny that you mention Electrode as being one of the Pokémon that definitely wouldn’t be eaten, because funnily enough I have a headcanon that the Hisuian Voltorb/Electrode line are based on red peppercorns, so with my headcanon they’re actually spices lol. Like, obviously they’re based on pokeballs/apricorns, but I like to interpret them that way. Pepper has a spicy/punchy/fruity flavour, and biting into a whole peppercorn can be a bit explosive if you’re not expecting it, and of course you can also get black peppercorns which could help to explain the it’s shiny form lol. I guess I just never really liked the fact that it (Hisuian Voltorb/Electrode) resembled a device that was only just beginning to be used in the area they’re native to, so adaption, at least in my mind, isn’t a good enough explanation for why they look that way, so in short (and leaving a ton out) that’s what I came up with to explain it in my own mind. (I also have headcanons about them being prolific pollinators)

[spooky-all-year-round]

Confession (Hips part 2)

Reading the first part is recommended. Garreth has realized other people are eyeing you and now has to get the courage to ask you out! I took a bit of liberty with the floo network since as far as I remember we never see/hear a fully qualified wizard/witch use it I'm going to assume it can become non-verbal just like spells. Also I borrowed the Diggory name because it's a pure blood family that I don't see used often. Thank you too @fandomnerdworld for the ask! All characters are 18+!!!

TW: fluff, spicy thoughts, mentioned of past masturbation, people talk about the reader (in a good way), mention of future children together (brief), mutual pining, jealous Garreth protective Garreth, insecure Garreth/Reader, dramatic Garreth/reader, anxiety attack, fainting, angst? But not really. So self made angst

It had been weeks since Garreth's interesting night, where he eventually locked himself in a bathroom and masturbated until he was overstimulated and exhausted. THe still didn't know what to do about it all. He knew he had a crush on you long before this. But this sudden and overwhelming hold you had on him was something else. Before he noticed your intoxicating changes, he was able to put his thoughts of you to the side at least long enough to brew his experiments, and normally he could finish most of his homework without thinking of you several times.

But now you were all he could think about. Not just your body in a sexual sense. Things linke when you smiled at him, he imagined what it would be like to see you walking down the aisle with that smile. Listening to you speak made him wonder what it would sound like to hear you say "I do". Hearing your laugh made him think of you, him and a mini version of one of you playing games. How something in your eyes made him want to never stop looking into yours. Or of how funny you were, how you lend your friends a helping hand without a thought, that cute look you got when you were focused. His thoughts of you even floated into his dreams. If you were anywhere near him all he could think of was how to impress you, how to keep your attention, how to make you laugh. It did not help that others were noticing how much you filled out as well.

He had heard several other boys talking about how talented you were, how beautiful, how great of a wife you would be. He also heard not so innocent whispers about you. How you might feel, how you might sound, how your body was the perfect shape for having kids. He would never admit that the last one was his fault for bringing it up without thinking. But others were very quickly coming to the same conclusion he was. That you would be a wonderful girlfriend/eventual wife, and he was terrified. What if you didn't like him back? You always seemed so friendly with him he never really thought about you not returning his feelings. What if you did like him but he took to long so you said yes to someone else?! He couldn't let that happen, but he couldn't ever seem to catch up to you these days.

NEWTS were coming up fast so he was having a hard time keeping up with his work as it was, trying to find you on top of that was impossible. He tried calling out for you to wait up but you either didn't hear him or told him you would see him later. Which unfortunately for him you were always in a group when he saw you later. He tried following you hoping to catch you alone, but you were so good with non-verbal magic at this point you didn't need to announce to the floo powder where you wanted to go. You were also able to apparate freely when you left the school grounds.

It didn't help how jealous he was becoming hearing guys talk about how they planned to ask you out. Or how they knew you were going to say yes to them because you were obviously interested in them. Look how you were always so nice to them. How you helped them out with this and that. The ones he hated the most were the ones that boosted about how they were going to woo you with gifts. This was because they barely knew anything about you and they thought you were easily won over by a few simple gifts, like flowers or chocolates. They didn't know how wonderful you are and how you deserve the world, and because of that they would never make you truely happy and it irked him that they would even try.

But the ones that frightened him were the ones that talked about how they could make you smile and laugh. Which (in their words) meant they were a shoe in. He feared them because that's what he prided himself in, sure you two were close in many ways, but what if he was just the same as them? What if he was delusional about even having a chance with you? What if you just found him funny but thought nothing more? Maybe you didn't currently like anyone. Maybe you hadn't thought about him like that, but his confession would open up the idea and he could win your heart!

One dat he overheard you talking to Natty as everyone left charms. He kept a few feet behind you both hoping to not draw attention and maybe get some helpful information. What he heard made his heart soar and his stomach drop simultaneously. She was trying to convince you that if you asked "him" out that all these other guys would back off. "Him"? So you did like someone! Oh Merlin, you did like someone, that someone couldn't be him right? What if it was him you two were talking about? Maybe you were madly in love with him too! But it could very well be someone else. His face turned into a pout as he continued listening, praying one of you would say a name.

"I know Natty, but what am I supposed to say? 'Hey cutie, nice day right? Just so you know, I've had a huge crush on you since we met! All I can think about is playing with your hair that looks too soft, looking into your gorgeous eyes, and holding your hand while we stroll down the street! Your laugh makes me physically weak, and everytime you touch me I feel like I'm going to actually melt into a puddle. Please marry me!' Like that won't make him run for the hills and never speak to me again!" Your rant went by like a bludger, he almost thought your mouth might fly off with how quick you said it.

Natty did her best to give you an unimpressed look while trying to hide her smile at your dramatic imaginary confession. "I am sure he likes you. I have seen the way he looks at you and I have an outside perspective on how he treats you compared to others. I know he has fallen just as hard if not more so. I just don't think he knows how to outright say it. So he acts out to keep your attention, probably hoping that you'll confess to him first." She rested her hand on your shoulder with a comforting look before it turned into a grin. "Now! Go tell him before he thinks you're not interested. You're a Gryffindor, you have bravery in your blood! You'll both feel so much better once one of you admits to the other about your shared feelings." She gave your shoulder a gentle shake in encouragement.

Acting out? Who did he know that acted out for attention? Sallow for sure. Diggory was another one to make an ass out of himself before winking at you. Larson acted all self important but would that be considered the same? Gaunt certainly acted differently towards you compared to how he did most, but that wasn't the same as acting "out". Right?

Natty and you both stopped to turn towards each other fully. Garreth quickly hid behind the corner, terrified at almost getting caught. His hands were sweating, his chest hurt, the corridor felt like it was spinning. You had to like one of them. Not him. He lost you without even having you. Maybe telling you would help. Maybe it would change your mind and you would choose him! No, then he would just lose you as a friend. What could he do? Yours and Natty's voices sounded like he was hearing them underwater. Merlin, there was no fixing this was there?

He started stepping out from around the corner, hoping to pass by without notice. But you and Natty immediately noticed, in fact you nearly leaped out of your skin in fear that he had heard everything. It was obvious to both of you that something was wrong, he was paler than normal causing his adorable freckles to stand out even more. He was sweating profusely and his eyes were unfocused as he took uneven steps. You reached out to touch his shoulder asking him if he was feeling alright when he suddenly collapsed.

"GARRETH!" Your shout echoed around you as you did your best to catch him, leading both of you to being on the ground. You were kneeling while doing your best to prop him up and keep his head from hitting the floor. Natty used her wonderfully quick wit to come up with an idea. In an impressive bit of magic she conjured a stretcher out of nothing. Carefully you both lifted him onto it, making sure we wasn't going to somehow fall off. With her levitating the stretcher and you guiding it you both rushed him to the hospital wing. You could feel tears prick in your eyes. You could only hope it was just him being sick and nothing serious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were sitting by his bedside gently running your fingers through his hair when you heard him mutter your name. You brushed it off as you hearing things. But a few moments later you heard it again, instinctively his face turned so it rested in your palm. Your heart was fluttering so fast you thought it might fly away. His hand slowly reached up and brushed against your wrist.

Natty had left about half an hour ago, swearing she "had so much homework" she needed to do. You were well aware she was one of the few students that could keep up with her homework, but it was so sweet that she wanted to give you alone time with Garreth that you didn't argue. You simply wished her luck with a knowing smile and a squeeze of her hand. She had squeezed back affectionately before taking her leave.

Not long later Garreth's eyes fluttered open, first he was looking at the wall in your direction. His hand ran absent mindedly up and down your wrist before his face scrunched up in confusion. He pulled his head away from your hand to look at it before his eyes glided up your arm, shoulder, and neck before landing on your face. A blush sprung up to his face as he pulled away sitting up as if your hand was made of open flames. He mentally slapped himself at the look of shock and hurt that crossed your face at his actions.

His sudden movements shocked you and you pulled your hand back just as fast. It hurt seeing him pull away so quickly. You had ran your fingers through his hair a few times before. Maybe he didn't actually enjoy it and was just being nice all those times. As you went to place your hand in your lap he grabbed it.

"I'm sorry I was just shocked. Please keep playing with my hair." He looked at you hopefully and he payed back down. He placed your hand back in his hair to show you it was really okay. Timidly you started playing with his hair, but you quickly fell back into the motions you had before he woke up. He sighed happily closing his eyes. For a few moments he completely forgot about what lead him here. He was just content with this quiet moment between the two of you. But once the question peeked it's head into his thoughts he couldn't help but ask. "How did I end up in the hospital wing?" His strikingly green eyes curiosity met your own.

"You fainted." He gave himself another mental slap turning his gaze away from you. Fainted? And in front of you? He wanted to disappear into the black lake. Maybe he could befriend the giant squid who could protect him from everything else in there. "You were all pale and you looked lost. I was so worried." The sadness and concern in your voice both cut him and warmed him. On one hand he accidentally upset you, on the other you cared about him so much that you not only worried but you stayed by his bedside. "Natty and I brought you up, you've been out for around an hour."

Natty. Natty and you. Natty and you talking about your crush who wasn't him. He felt sick again the clammy feeling returning to his hands. You must have noticed something because your wrist went to his forehead. "I was worried you caught a fever, but Madam Blainey said it was probably just stress from NEWTS." Stress. He could work with that.

You slowly pulled your hand away from his head. He looked back over to you only to find how sheepish you looked. "I actually have been meaning to tell you something. I know right now might not be the best time given you just fainted, but I don't know the next time we will both have a moment to spare." You sounded so nervous and you weren't looking at him. Did you somehow know he likes you and didn't know how to tell him you didn't like him back? Were you about to tell him about your crush on this other guy? Oh Merlin, that was it, and now he was going to have to sit here and reassure you that this guy liked you and that you should go for it.

You shifted before continuing, "I don't know how to say this. All the ways I've thought of have now just disappeared from my thoughts. I...I like you Garreth." Time froze for both of you. He was trying to process that he was the one you liked. All feelings of anxiety and being sick left his body. Unfortunately it seemed to only transfer to you as the silence went on. "I'm so sorry Garreth. We can forget I said anything. Honestly, I don't want to ruin our friendship over this." You stood to leave but he caught your hand again, this time pulling you to meet him on the bed.

You were now sitting next to him, enveloped in his warm embrace. You could not only feel your own heart racing, but his as well. You stuttered not sure what you wanted to say but trying to get some form of answer. He pulled away and grabbed both of your hands kissing them both over and over again. "I like you too, I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you. You practically live in my thoughts. I am wholely dedicated to making you happy. Anything to make you smile, to laugh, to even just look at me." He was now understanding what Natty meant by your crush acting out for your attention. "I would find anything if it meant you would give me even a moment of your attention, I would do anything if it meant you would give me even a pinch of your affection. I heard what you were telling Natty before I came around that corner and I am the happiest man alive knowing you feel all of that towards me." Your face went from confused, to relieved, before becoming shocked and embarrassed, untill finally it landed on a huge smile.

He grinned back bringing one of your hands to his face. "May I kiss you?" With your nod he leaned in quickly. He was eager to get to the kiss but was soft and slow when he got there. It was almost like he was scared you would disappear or change your mind if he seemed too excited. But both of your hearts were acting the same, soaring and free knowing that not only did you both have feelings for each other, but they seemed to be on the same level of infatuation. You both pulled away small smiles full of affection as you stared at each other's eyes. "Please be mine?" You answered with another kiss that he returned in full.

[new-berry]

A getting to know you meme? Quiz? Interview?

I’ve smooshed a few together. Mostly from memory so I might have mis remembered.

Sweet/salty/sour /spicy:

Not sour. Not spicy. I don’t mind food with flavour I just don’t want eating to be an endurance event.

Go to snack. Cheese and crackers If I ever say “I don’t like cheese” I have been kidnapped and it is a cry for help. Call the police.

Next celebration:

it’s been nearly a year since pixel the wonder dog came into our lives so we are having an anniversary party this weekend.

Favourite holiday:

I like Christmas. It’s sunny and since I often cook it I get all my favourite foods. If I’m catering I do not give a fuck.

Last year we had lasagne and a roast meal because I wanted lasagne but not to eat it for a week.

The year before that we had all different kinds of meat balls (including spicy Asian for my sister in law that were very spicy and Asian inspired and not made from an Asian person. ) we had turkey and pork and falafels purely because it is what I wanted.

My dad had his nose out of a joint a bit but genuinely that makes it more fun.

Christmas is great. We have a sensible tree and a reasonable number of gifts and a week off work.

Favourite movie: I love Fantasia. I am a bad movie watcher. I have to go to the cinema or I will think of something else to do.

Favourite sport: I do equally love netball, football, pro wrestling and ice hockey.

Last thing you cooked:

We had minestrone soup (homemade!) garlic bread (shop made) with bacon (home… fried?) . And I made cupcakes because the oven was on. I made 11 cupcakes. There are four cupcakes left. On the one hand aww they were good! On the other hand I have yet to have one and there are only four people in the house.

Last thing you wore. Jeans and a Winnie the Pooh t-shirt. (It’s pink! ) right now I have pj’s on. They have spoons and tiny love hearts on them I don’t know why. They are from one of those fly by night shops at the mall and are soooooo soft. Lucky they don’t have random swear words.

(An aside I don’t remember reading Winnie the Pooh as a kid but my partner insisted we needed a copy when we had kids so I’ve read it but as an adult. I like it. I approve.)

Last song listened to: And she was (talking heads) it’s my Iris Law song. I listen to it when I’m writing glitter because it puts me in the right head space for that fic. Then I just let Apple pick similar music and every three or four songs I listen to And she was again.

Dumb thing that makes me laugh. When writing is just like not happening I’ll play it a lot because I get annoyed look at my music list. When it’s going well it’s like“and she was” was six songs again and I have no recollection of what I was listening to. I’ll like look up blinking and release for some reason it playing like Seafret and I’ll have no idea how I got there.

Not that anyway asked but the Ivan /Thomas song is in fact Guns of Brixton. Gonna think it every time I write Ivan’s name anyway. The Clash and then Jimmy Cliff for my favourite versions. There are a surprisingly large number of covers. Arcade Fire excellent. Nouvelle Vague doesn’t do it for me.

Might call the fic “the money seems good”.

Star sign Aquarius. (Not adjusted) am I an Aquarius? It’s summer in January here :).

Favourite colour: pink with a side of purple. But really pink.

Tea /coffee. Yea please. Too much of it in lieu of water. I have my tea stewed and cold or hot and too weak. I have coffee with fluffy milk. No sugar.

Quirk. Ummm I have trained myself out of saying “bless you” when people sneeze.

One thing you would change (about you) I am an extremely impatient driver. Sometime I pretend to be singing along with music and start chair dancing when I realise I have been non stop swearing and maybe people can see I’m me in their rear vision mirror. If you mean like a physical thing? I would like to be taller. Or to not need glasses.

One thing you’re proud of? I don’t look externally for validation. I’m happy. I love those things.

Next plans (these were the writing ones I just did a WIP so..)

Going to finish Ivan/Thomas, then either going to finish glitter or re do the one I started with Jude as not a demon making (maybe) Trent not a demon because I have a different Jude one and I don’t want to write him that much. Or getting to the point of ever again.

I want to finish the last part of tidal. Which is stubbornly half / a third done because I have not added words to it. Which seems vastly unfair.

The last thing I wrote lol if you could see me I’d be laughing. I literally wrote Virgil going down on Iris while Trent holds her up. It’s like a lot of athletic flexible rich people sex. You can wait for the fic. It would sound bizzare out of context.

Pondering /fic adjacent something like that: Having an Ivan/Thomas hmmmmm. Have a tricky moment I’m trying to navigate. And also trying to thinking I tag age gap? There are 22 years between them but Ivan is 28.

What won’t you write: hahahahahhahhaa. Friends I wrote royal family incest porn. I wrote Orlando Bloom with a little person as a birthday present. I have written non con domestic violence and I’m actually really pleased with Ivan/Thomas I think some of the lines are beautiful and it’s interesting and meaty and no one will read it lol.

And I don’t care! I love getting older. I’ll cater what I want to eat and if you don’t want it you can have potatoes with my dad.

Not even being aggressive! I also make excellent roast potatoes! Just I don’t have much time to write (she says writing a bloody essay here) so I have to write what grabs me.

“What do you want, Thomas?” Ivan asks. The air con is blasting in the car but the sun still forcing itself on them. A dazzle off the outward facing windows, a raw flinch every few metres.

What is something no one else will notice but it’s important to you. I can’t remember exactly how this was phrased! I have written coach/player fic before and normally I make a point of mentioning that power imbalance by having the player refer to them as the boss or the gaffer or the mister. But in this Ivan always calls Thomas by his name.

Share a recently enjoyed fic: oh I have so many tabs open. I caught up. Nearly.

Trent is a vampire.

Joe Willock /Alex Isak. The wanting man. The wanting gets you.

[amethystina]

I was tagged by @a-very-fond-farewell! Thank you so much darling 💜

1. Last song: Shishen Take On the Challenge from The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity soundtrack (which I paid a small fortune to get my hands on so you bet I've been listening to it almost non-stop ever since. The music is SO FUCKING GOOD OKAY)

2. Favorite color: Purple — which I feel should come as a surprise to no one xD

3. Currently watching: The Killing Vote, because I apparently need more dramas where the Korean public is allowed to vote on whether or not to execute people. Quite enjoying it so far! The characters are a hoot xD And I'm curious to see what they do with the Kwon Seok Joo dude.

I also just started The Guest because I want to watch it before they remove it from Netflix but BOI. That's not one I'll be able to binge, that's for sure. Horror is great but also, well, terrifying x'D

Though, I must say, I might have to take a detour and rewatch the Along With the Gods movies. I've been meaning to do so for ages and seeing Kim Dong Wook in The Guest makes the urge even stronger. Because, let me tell you, I'm SO EAGER to rewatch the movies and observe the characters now that I've seen the twist at the end of the second movie. A twist I figured out before I actually reached the reveal, sure, but I don't think that's a bad thing? Like, for real, guys. The AUDIBLE GASP I let out when I realised what the twist was going to be and then got to sit there and see it slowly dawn on the other characters? BEAUTIFUL. And it CHANGES SO MUCH. Like, I need to rewatch them because so much of what I thought I knew is now a lie! Circumstances have changed! My initial analysis might be wrong! Characters I thought I knew are now completely different! I need to do more research! I NEED TO KNOW.

(This is what happens when your brain works like mine. And one day I might tell you all about why Kang Yo Han is such a fascinating character to me, because, let me tell you, I've rarely seen a character remain so solid in his characterisation even through the kind of reveals we're given in the drama. It's fucking SPECTACULAR)

4. Currently reading: Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (I do it in bursts because it's not the kind of book I can just binge, okay? x'D), We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson (I would have finished this LONG ago if it didn't give me so much anxiety (but in a good way?)) and Eld by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergman Elfgren (though I should probably start over on this one since I was very distracted when I read the first chapter)

5. Last movie: No Regret, because why not dabble in older Korean LGBTQ+ content? It was a ride, that's for sure xD And the next movie will be The World to Come (also one I want to watch before it's removed from Netflix)

6. Sweet/spicy/savory: Either sweet or savoury — it depends on my mood, really.

7. Relationship status: Married! :D

8. Current obsession: I'm not sure if I have one right now? Though I am hoping to get back on track with that diorama thing soon. I've almost collected all the materials I need! I just need fake foliage (preferably red) and I'm going to try and buy that either tomorrow or on Saturday.

9. Last thing you googled? Why my phone kept taking only green photos. And everyone kept telling me I shouldn't have unlocked the bootloader (which I don't think can be done by accident and I sure as hell haven't done it intentionally) so in the end I just restarted it and now it works just fine xD

10. Selfie: I don't really take selfies but here's a cropped version of a drawing WIP of mine.

If you know, you know ;)

(... LOOK, the suspender-pulling had to happen eventually, okay?)

11. Currently working on: Chapter 5 of A New Dawn (Begins With Us) and, after that, it'll be either chapter 37 of Who Holds the Devil or maybe the sequel to Gravitational Pull which I'm STILL struggling to find the time to work on. I'm also working on, like, six different drawings simultaneously. Because why make things easy for myself?

Tagging: Whoever wants to do it! Tell me about yourself! :D

[spicybylerpolls]

I really like your response about the hypothetically possible will as a top. I gravitate towards bottom will, but only because when i started discussing byler having sex it was always as canon-compliant as possible, a.k.a it was about their first experiences together, as this is most likely to be seen in the show compared to their developing relationship together.

i think practical things would inform their dynamic. they may not even discuss things verbally. even if there wasn't the 'i didnt say it - you didn't have to' line to show the audience how well they understand each other without words (most of the time lol), i still wouldn't have ruled out a mainly non-verbal sex scene between them. maybe because i love silent/expressive/physical acting that doesnt need words. it's so much more intimate to me, the silence of it all. soft music, intense looks, body communication, nothing else needed. and in that case, i think that will, perhaps just because mike has dated el, even if it wasnt sexual, would assume that mike was simply the more experienced one and let him take the lead.

i would be delighted to see a hesitant mike letting will take the lead in s5, and i think we will see this somewhat, but i also think that rather than will being dominant and mike submitting, it will look more like will coming up to mike's level of dominance and meeting him there as an equal, finally confident enough to express how he feels and what he wants, and to ask mike for it (whether verbally or not).

their lovemaking and sex should be a moment of celebration between two equals. i think this is what will move all the last cynical audience members emotionally, because it would represent so much for who will and mike are even outside of a sexual context. it would also lend a neatness to the idea of equality in terms of same-sex sexual activity. two men/two women having sex is more equal than a man and woman, because there aren't those unavoidable differences. its two versions of the same body. what could be more equal than that?

i remember a writer from the 1910s wrote beautifully on this topic of how gay sex is purer and more beautiful than het sex because of this, and also because it serves no purpose other than for two people to connect and make beauty, whereas sex between a man and a woman can often be a means to an end (to put it crudely lol).

do this make sense?

yes/no :)

Please note that the purpose of this blog is not to be creepy or to make anyone uncomfortable. That's why I created the #spicy byler tag (I will tag all polls with this). If you don't want to see this blog or anything related to it on your feed, please block that tag. Not everyone is comfortable with this sorta stuff, and that's okay.

[quillpokebiology]

Could I get some care tips for Litten please?

Litten Care Tips

Different from a lot of other fire types starters, Litten are very self sufficient and don’t like too much attention. Other than being emotionally distant, they’re easy to care for, so they end up being common pets.

Litten are omnivores, but feeding them pokefood is completely fine. They’re not really picky with what they eat if they think it’s healthy. There are spicy versions for fire types, which would be the best option for them. If you want to put them on a natural diet, a lot of spicy foods, vegetables, and meat would be good. They’re light eaters, so don’t give them too much at a time.

Newly adopted Litten can be quite aggressive, even to their trainers. They don’t like being woken up from their naps, and if you have to, it’s best to give them a slight nudge and whisper instead of aggressively waking them up. It’s important for their trainers to show them that this unnecessary behavior is not okay. To do this, you need to be gentle with them, but not a pushover. They won’t see you as a worthy trainer if you let them get away with anything, and they’ll end up not listening to you. Set boundaries and rules with them.

Litten can be trained to use litter boxes, but you can let them outside to use the bathroom as well. Personally, I always recommend litter boxes since you can clearly tell when they went, and your backyard doesn’t become a minefield when you have to pick up poop. 

Like most cat Pokemon, Littens like to leave the house and explore. It isn’t bad to do this, since they can easily find their way back, and it lets them explore. (OOC: Don’t do this with real cats, even though it’s really common. Because people let their cats roam free, they end up killing a lot of birds, and a lot of birds have gone extinct that way.)

It’s important to be aware of their hairballs, which can be really hot, and sometimes are even able to catch fire. There isn’t much you’ll be able to do about this, you can quickly pick them up when you see them doing this and put them on a non-flammable surface.

[marlo-noni]

Back from China

Now that I'm back in Canada after 26 days in China, here's a link to some of my photos (warning: there are over 500).

I usually travel on my own, and I was with my brother and dad this time, which was fun. I acted as their translator and tour guide (since to get anywhere you have to use Baidu, which is only in Chinese). It was interesting seeing China through their eyes, and we got to do things I wouldn't normally do on my own. We also didn't drive each other crazy - there were no fights, just some stressful moments (which happen when I'm alone too - just part of travel).

We were in Beijing, Wutai Shan, and Xi'an.

Wutai was very interesting - we were the only foreigners I saw for the entire 5 days. The weather was kinda treacherous, which I understand is pretty normal for Wutai. It was very beautiful, though. And we got our fill of temples - there are over 200 there. One of the more "off the beaten path" places I've gone to.

Xi'an is lovely. It's "only" 10 million people, and I'm discovering I quite like Chinese cities of this size. Still bustling and highly developed, but not overwhelming. Suzhou and Hangzhou are a similar size, and I also really love those cities. Xi'an has excellent local food - spicy and extremely garlicky. And of course wonderful historical sites. The terra cotta warriors are really amazing, and we timed our visit well because it wasn't super crowded when we went to see them.

Beijing is the 3rd "megacity" I've visited now, the other 2 being Tokyo and Shanghai. The advantage to cities like this is the endless variety of things you can see and do. You can never really see all of it. I intentionally spent longer there on this trip - 15 days in total - for this reason. We saw (this list is non-exhaustive): the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, the Bell and Drum Towers, the hutongs (old traditional alley residences), Fragrant Hill, the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Bird's Nest stadium, the Summer Palace, the National Botanical Garden, Ritan Park, and Black Bamboo Park. We also ate an incredible variety of Chinese food - Liu Yuning is right that you can find like every region's food there.

The drawback to megacities, in my mind, is that there are just way too many people for me! It's okay on weekdays, but on weekends and holidays (we were there for the mid-autumn festival long weekend) it's way too crowded no matter where you go. I love a bustling and lively city, but at that scale, it's too much for me.

The drawbacks to Beijing in particular, in my mind, are:

the security is way over the top - even more than any other place in China I've visited. Particularly within a certain radius of Tiananmen, where you get stopped for an ID check literally every block and you have to tell them where you're going. There are also a ton of places you're just not allowed to go that seem stupid to me, like their national sports stadium (near the Bird's Nest in their 2008 Olympic Park), Beijing University, and Tsinghua University (those are by appointment only and the appointments were fully booked even a week in advance).

the air pollution isn't as bad as I saw on TV during the 2008 Olympics, but it's still really bad a lot of the time (the air quality index was often around 150-170).

it's way too spread out. There aren't a lot of skyscrapers compared to Tokyo and Shanghai. It has the largest subway system in the world, but the subway stops are very far apart, so you end up walking a TON to get anywhere. Most people ride bikeshare bikes from the subway station, but we couldn't get the apps working for my brother and dad, despite trying multiple different bikeshare apps - it's a big hurdle for foreigners. If you use Didi (their version of Uber) or take the bus, the traffic is often really really slow.

So, although Beijing has a ton to see, I'm not in a rush to visit it again unless I'm going to meet up with a friend there or as a landing point to visit somewhere else.

As usual, I also did a ton of shopping when I was there, and brought back an extra suitcase (which I also bought) full of stuff with me. I also did some online shopping when I was there. Taobao wouldn't work for me because Alipay wouldn't accept foreign credit cards on it (although you can use Alipay for a ton of other stuff there, including the subway, and I used it quite a bit), so I used Jingdong. It's dangerously convenient! I discovered that Taobao does work in Canada, though, with your Canadian credit card. This could end up being a bad habit!

Haha, I was only gonna write a short post but I got carried away. I need to get ready for work. More perhaps later. Let me know if there's anything in particular you would like to hear about.

[jonathan-samuel-smith]

Hello everyone, I come offering the outtakes from chapter 3 of my wip jondami arranged marriage au. I wrote them texting and i was talking with my mom and i realized "I could literally have written only a handful of texts and then alluded to them texting later in dialogue." But a lot of people like chatfics so here's what I got, most of it i'll be cutting.

Damian: Flight training Wed.? We could go for boba after.

Jon: Okay! I can’t sleep over tho.

Damian: That is fine.

Jon: Okay! Hey thanks for helping me with the piano and stuff. 

Damian: No thanks are necessary. I enjoy spending time with you.

Jon: 🙂 Goodnight!

Damian: Goodnight.

Damian went to bed and woke up at 4am as usual, did his morning training, ran with the dogs, and checked his phone.

Jon: Good morning! How did you sleep?

Damian: Uninterrupted for 6 hours, as I prefer it.

Jon: U only sleep 6 hours a night?

Damian: Yes. I microsleep during the day to keep well rested.

Jon: Oh. Is that some sort of assassin training thing?

Damian: Yes.

Jon: I’m hungry

Damian: Would you like me to order you some food?

Jon: U don’t have to do that! I will just get a banana

Damian: If you are sure. You should eat more than that.

Jon: I’ll get some yogurt too.

Damian: Good.

Damian thought it was odd that Jon kept texting him for non-urgent reasons, but he wasn’t displeased.

Jon: What are you gonna have for breakfast?

Damian: Khadi soup.

Jon: Ooo what’s that?

Damian: Yogurt as well. I assume you are not asking for the entire recipe. It is a tangy, spicy soup.

Jon: Interesting! I’d try it. Sounds good.

Damian: It is good. Many Americans think it is weird.

Jon: I don’t think it’s weird! [Jon is typing…]

Jon: What is your plan for today?

Damian: I have online classes for veterinary school. After that I will be volunteering at the animal shelter. 

Jon: How do online classes work with vet school? 

Damian: I have a few in-person classes and exams, and I have to have volunteer hours logged.

Jon: Cool! Sounds like a lot of work.

Damian: It is something I enjoy doing.

Jon: Then I am glad you are able to do it!

Damian stopped checking his phone so he could focus on his classes, and Jon did the same. 

Jon: Just got out of math. Math is so hard! Why did I think being a scientist was a good idea? T~T

Damian: You are being dramatic.

Jon: Yes. Do you not approve?

Damian: It does not bother me.

Jon: Cafeteria food is so bland :( 

Jon: GTG class again!

Damian: I have not tried it.

Jon: That class was so interesting! We are learning about thermodynamics. Damian: I’ve built my own internal combustion engine.

Jon: Oh, wow, cool! Can I see it?

Damian: I suppose. I will get you a picture when I get home from volunteering.

Jon: Okay! Have fun with the animals!

Damian: [Picture Sent]

Damian: Here it is. It powers the version of the batmobile that I built.

Jon: So. Cool. Can I show this to my teacher?

Damian: You cannot. 

Jon: Aw, OK. No problem!

Damian: [Picture Sent] Jon: OMG is that you at the animal shelter?

Damian: Yes. I am bottle feeding these kittens currently because the mother cannot breastfeed them.

Jon: Soooo cute! 😍

Damian: Yes, they are.

Jon: You, too!

Damian: Oh.

Damian: Thank you.

Jon: You look so happy!

Damian: I’m heading home now.

Jon: I’m already at home! Studying. Stu-DYING.

Damian: Needlessly dramatic, again.

Jon: Yep!

Jon: [Picture Sent]

Jon: Me with Krypto! And Kon. Kon says hi.

Damian: Tell him I said hello as well.

Jon: Done! Don’t you think we look cute too?

Damian: Yes, you and the dog. No comment on Kon.

Jon: 😂

Damian: I’m going on patrol now, Goodnight.

Jon: Goodnight!

[bluepoodle7]

#Shezow #ThinkingAboutReviewingEachEpisode #ColdFinger #Sheviews #MyThoughts

(Images and video not mine but links are there.)

Episode 1 Part 2 Coldfinger

I really like the title cards this show has and they remind me of The Fairly Odd Parents title cards.

Buttwipe really be like a kid friendly parody version of this show though.

Jackass (franchise) - Wikipedia

I guess the Senor Blowtadas Spicy Hot Chipadillas are like if Doritos and Takis collaborated together.

I like it that Maz was like I'm glad those old folks didn't get hurt by our marble trick and Guy was like that's cool we got those old folks doing a cheerleader pyramid trick.

I know where Guy's priorities are.

Apparently there is a one day Shezow comic con which is interesting.

Also the poster has the new Shezow plastered everywhere which is strange.

I wonder who took these images of Shezow to make these?

Because in the pilot episode Shezow was in the Shehicle with Kelly and accidently crash into the  Pushy Pirate Posse's pirate ship to "defeat them".

Also guy was just about to walk away from his responsibilities but his sister is the president so she had to push him in gear.

Also Guy is spooked of bugs.

This is the I suck at answering question so here is a listening device that will mess up when you need it the most episode.

Here we go.

Guy is slowing getting progressive. Like the "Come to papa." and Maz is like "Don't you mean mama?" And Guy is like "Depends on what I'm wearing." 13:58-14:06

I strangely remember that line from when I first watched this show.

We finally get to see Coldfinger and I really like his design especially his ice wolverine claws he can do.

He already makes ice puns right out the gate.

He was the past president of the Shezow fan club before Kelly replaced him.

He was late on his dues and I would love to know what that means.

I would like to know more about his past.

Like was he born a ice person or science made him that way?

Also seems like him and his mom have a ice company business. Good thing they are set up shop in Megadale.

He is way older than Guy but the wiki says he's 17 but I thought he was 14 when I first saw him but I'm not sure.

His real name is Timmy and he has that Big Bang Theory Mom talks off screen joke.

He loves cold cuts but I wonder it's the meat kind or just cut up ice?

Cold Finger is a parody of Gold Finger from 007.

He really is the Shezow version of  Brain Freezer from Johnny Test.

Cold Finger (Character) | SheZow Wiki | Fandom

Brain Freezer | Johnny Test Wiki | Fandom

Someone on youtube said this Coldfinger face should be a meme at 19:40 but it reminds me of Professor Oak's and Imposter Professor Oak's face.

Pokemon Role-Play - Kanto: Professor Oak's (please come here before you start your adventure) Showing 1-15 of 15 (goodreads.com)

Impostor Professor Oak Concepts - Giant Bomb

Hey we get Maz's first costume Meatier Man and he's got the Lady Gaga meat outfit going on that attracts not only smell but all the dogs in the tri state area.

I feel bad for Cold Finger (Timmy) he just wanted to ask his question but was interrupted and skipped over.

He probably wouldn't have attacked if you just let the man tell his question Kelly.

The "We're just friends." line at 17:31. I wonder what that question was about?

My guess is for Tara.

My favorite scene. 18:07-18:13

I like it how Maz just walks up on the fight to tell Guy that they won the contest.

That's pretty rude.

Also the title card image pose returns at 18:31.

Cold Finger can summon snow people which is pretty cool but I guess this might be the last time we see them.

I like it that Cold Finger was like um actually Shezow doesn't have a sidekick.

He says "That's what he smells like." To the number two joke then says "You're dead meat pork chop." as he just pokes Maz.

Finally Guy uses his laser lipstick on non humanoid enemies which is cool.

I feel sorry for the snow people but Shezow called Cold Finger a snowflake.

Then the show finally explains the hair messing up mechanic that Shezow loses all powers.

19:52-20:03

Then later telling the solution later.

20:11-20:14

We almost lost Shezow if Shelia wasn't there to tell him.

Also if his ice claws break it hurts him. Interesting.

My favorite poses.

20:21-20:24

The show just put a beating up the bad guy montage with a heavy handed super she slap like a final smash to end the fight.

Shezow says "Mine's bigger. What to play patty cake ice man?" This is after Cold Finger looks at his hands.

While causing property damage when she slapping him into the parking lot then Cold Finger makes a ice pun by himself with no on around.

20:44-20:51

I like it that Cold Finger is like going full nature then is like ooh ice cream person is here.

I like it that Maz can do a fake man's voice like he's from looney tunes and even doing a food version of a hot foot joke that cartoons do.

That blew my mind that was Maz because his silhouette was the meat costume.

21:20-21:22

I like it that Cold Finger didn't ask how much the ice cream was or even check what he just ate.

Then later checked then melted.

I guess he was born frozen.

They forgot to unfreeze Kelly and at the end she shows up drenched and if the show wasn't 22 minutes then they would have did that we forgot something joke with Kelly still frozen today or would have had Maz save her off screen.

At the end guy says a ice pun to Kelly then it just ends.

This show talks about the change mechanic where it's the danger sense that can change him or "You Go Girl" changes him then "She Yeah" changes him back.

22:42-23:16

I give this a 8/10.

SheZow S01E01 SheZow Happens & Coldfinger - YouTube

[lem0nshark-writes]

RULES + FANDOM LIST:

RULES:

male or gender neutral (gender not specified) readers only x male or gn (some) characters only

I write fluff, smut, angst,..

plot/prompt/concept/ideas are very welcome and encouraged as they will help me write your fic faster and better! 💕

poly relationships are very welcome

romantic or spicy fics prefered, I can write reader not having any "x character" and just being in a situation but I perfer it being a romantic/spicy x character (if that makes any sense) at least a lil bit hehe

no minor readers or minor characters, they can be only written as siblings or friends

no rape(dub-ish con is somewhat ok but the reader/character will always want to do the act tho), no cheating, no incest, no to certain kinks (feet, piss,… but do always ask if you're not sure about the kink you'd like me to write), no pregnancy or periods, no reader and character having or adopting children (nothing against it I just suck at writing that kind of family dynamics sorry), no bestiality bs, no pedo bs, no writing or mentioning of animal deaths or suffering, no suicide/readers or characters being suicidal, no deaths or sad endings (we're here for a good time and sweet good night dreams yes), (there's probs more but I can't remember atm)

I wil not write mental illneses/disorders as I think it's not my place to write for some stuff that I don't have, same goes for physical illnes too (besides like common cold and stuff like that if you know what I mean XD)

I will not write OC x character

I do not write for celebrities or real life people, reader x character/s only!

I tend to prefer writing reader's looks not specified/non specific because I want all of my readers to feel included when reading my writing! 💕

(( Also do let me know if anything in my writing makes you feel excluded and I'll try my best to fix it up! ))

(( Also, I will sometimes write some specific stuff if they are species specific like - elves will always have long hair (unless hair forcibly/unwillingly chopped off in per say combat or stuff like that), dwarves of any gender having beards,… ))

no crossovers or AUs (aka in universe fics only)

FANDOM LIST:

LOTR + HOBBIT (+ Sauron/Mairon/Annatar (tolkienverse/fandom version, no TROP version), and Adar only from TROP)

One Piece Live Action (for now only opla till I watch the anime! 💕)

Gotham

Aemond & Daemon from HOTD (keep in mind I didn't watch GOT tho)

((Do ask if you don't see the fandom you like here, I might be willing to write for your fave characters! 💕))

[late-nite-scholar]

Aug 10th (Day 6): Prompt Used- In Bloom / Blood 

Day 6: Blood- Thaeril doesn’t make traditional food for non-Bosmer after being stung one too many times by the reaction to it and what it’s made from. But Ralof asks if she will, and she agrees to make something for him to try. Pre/Early relationship. Trying to think of interesting cuisine for Green Pact adherent Bosmer and different ideas for food.      

(Note: the recipe used here is based on Sorpotel (Goan Pork Offal Stew), the Indian version of a Portuguese recipe, which uses blood and various offal in the way I thought would be interesting and make sense here. I’ve obviously tweaked things a bit, but kept the basic ingredients and methods of the dish. I have no idea if this version would actually work, but we’re assuming it will.)

Prompts by @tes-summer-fest

Bosmer OC x Ralof

Warnings- Blood (but we're butchering/cooking, not fighting)

Wordcount- around 2.1K

(all of my characters have first-rate RBFs. Description in alt text)

***

Ralof sat up gingerly, watching as Thaeril came in with a large, wild goat slung across her shoulders. She was grinning, her angular face lit up like a child in a sweets store.

“Look at this! We will eat like royalty tonight!” She cried. “It led me on a good chase, too. It was a good hunt.”

“Well you won’t see me complain.”

“I’ll roast it up.” She laughed, a little sadly. “I won’t do anything too… weird with it, don’t worry.”

Something twinged in Ralof’s chest. There was hurt behind her words, he was certain of it. “I’ve honestly never eaten anything made the proper Bosmer way. Would you… would you want to cook some of it the way your people would? I’d be interested to try it.”

“Really? Ohhh… I’d want to do something different than stew, then. I think I have some bone flour I could make flatbreads and then I should have enough spices to make a curry and… and that should be good?”

“That doesn’t sound ‘weird’ at all.”

“Would it make a difference if I said that the base for the sauce is blood?”

“Not at all. I’m looking forward to it.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m sure a lot of people would be strange about it, but your culture is so important to you. The least I can do is try it, right?”

Thaeril’s smile alone was worth it, but Ralof had to admit he was intrigued by the idea. There had been plenty of time to talk when he’d been more badly injured and Thaeril had stayed by his side almost constantly. She’d explained the Green Pact to him and what it meant for her people. But she’d never really made much Bosmer food, preferring to try and make things she thought he’d find more palatable. But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to see the real thing for himself, try it for himself.

So he watched her hang the beast from its back feet and drain its blood into a large jar. Putting that to the side, she began skinning and dressing the carcass with breathtaking efficiency. In the short time they’d known each other, Ralof had very quickly noticed just how completely and staggeringly competent Thaeril was in seemingly everything she did. He didn’t just think that because she’d saved his life; it was obvious in even the smallest tasks. 

Now she was digging through her bag, pulling out a pouch and sorting through small jars of spices. Some went back into the pouch and others she put to the side. Once she had all the ones she wanted, she began adding various amounts of each one to a bowl. All of this was splashed with a little vinegar from yet another bottle and mixed into a paste. 

“That smells quite intriguing!” He pulled himself a little closer, moving carefully to not jog his wounds. 

“I didn’t go too wild. I don’t want to make your first Bosmer meal so spicy you can’t eat it.”

“I’ll be fine. It’ll be good for me.”

“Well, this is going to ferment and do its thing while I get some meat and bits cut up.” She set it to the side and stood, taking out her knife again. She moved with unhurried grace, knowing precisely what she needed. First, a  good, solid chunk of meat from the shoulder went into the pot. After that, she inspected and threw in a little fat. He could see why, the meat itself was quite lean without it. After that she was into the beast’s belly. Into the pot went the heart, a kidney, a lung, the tongue, and a chunk of the liver. After adding a little more fat, she cut everything up into more manageable pieces. To this, she added enough blood cut with water to cover everything and fill the pot most of the way. It went onto the fire, first right over, and then pulled back once it had boiled. 

“That’s going to simmer for a while.” She sat back, satisfied. “Then I’ll have to do the next steps. For now, I’ll start taking apart the rest of this and start some preserving.”

She took the haunches and set them up over the fire to roast. Other parts she began to slice up for smoking and drying. Ralof watched for a few minutes before asking. “Is there something I can do to help?”

Thaeril froze. His question had thrown her for a loop. She hadn’t had anyone ask if they could help her with anything for a long time, and it took her a moment to think and reply. 

“Well, if you can cut up pieces for drying, that would free me up to do some other things. That would probably work best. Um, thank you, for offering.”

“Of course. I might as well be useful while I’m sitting here.”

So they worked together for a while in companionable quiet. Thaeril couldn’t help but smile at the big Nord, carefully and diligently working away. It’d been a long time since she’d shared a task like this, she was far more used to doing everything for herself. 

Eventually, she had to put this out of her mind and concentrate on their meal's next steps. Draining the broth into a bowl, she put the meat and offal back over the fire until it sizzled, filling the cave with a mouthwatering smell. It even slowed Ralof’s hands as he looked over. 

“Well that smells wonderful!” He grinned. “I think I’m going to like this recipe of yours.”

Thaeril found herself looking down, paying very close attention to the bottom of the cooking pot. At least that way she could say it was the heat from the fire making her face red and not Ralof’s words. But soon enough it was time to add the spice paste, and soon an even more divine aroma wafted around them. 

She let that cook for a little while before adding the blood broth back in. A little bit of bone flour mixed with water went in as well. Just enough that it would help thicken up the broth a bit. She certainly didn’t want to ruin the dish by having the sauce too thin. Not when she was sharing it with Ralof, and this was his introduction to Bosmer food. It had to be perfect. 

Once the curry was mixed and ready, she pulled it back a little from the heat of the fire and let it simmer again. It would give her time to finish up the preservation of the rest of the carcass, and hopefully it would be done by the time food was ready. 

Taking her drying rack outside, she made another small fire beneath it. Ralof had done a fine job of getting things ready on his end, and she had a lot of meat prepared to smoke. As she arranged the strips of meat to her liking, she couldn’t help but smile. She’d acted out of instinct when she’d saved Ralof. A lone man, outnumbered, the rest of his squad dead, and fighting impossible odds. But fighting magnificently. She’d jumped in, not willing to watch this warrior die so ignobly to a treacherous blade. That was before she’d known how sweet and kind he was in addition to his prowess. 

“Thank Y’ffre I was there at that moment,” she said softly to herself. 

*** 

By the time she needed to make the flatbread, she and Ralof had gotten the rest of the goat prepared. The fire beneath the drying rack chugged out smoke at a nice pace, and Thaeril knew it was going to be good jerky. The rest of the organs were drying in the air, each strip strung onto a long line to keep good airflow between them. 

Now she put some of her bone flour into her bowl. To this, she added a couple of eggs, a little salt and honey, and enough water to mix it all. Letting it sit for a moment, she moved a skillet right over the hottest part of the fire and threw a little of the goat fat in. As the pan heated up, she rolled chunks of the bread dough into thin discs. When the fat started to sizzle in the pan, she put in the first disc of dough. They cooked quickly, and it was barely a minute before she flipped it over and then out of the pan completely. She’d made enough dough for six flatbreads, and as soon as one came out, a little more fat and another one went in. In only a few short minutes, they were all finished. 

With that done, she checked the curry one last time. Taking a quick taste, she smiled. It had turned out perfect. So at least if Ralof didn’t like it, she’d have plenty of very delicious food to eat for the next couple of days. But she really hoped that wouldn’t be the case. 

She put the thought out of her mind and looked over. “Everything’s ready. Would you like to try it?”

“I’d love to!” 

A little nervously, Thaeril filled their bowls. They sat together, each now with some curry and a flatbread. Thaeril watched with trepidation as Ralof studied and sniffed his portion curiously. Then, he tore off a piece of the bread and took a bite. With a nod, he dipped it into his bowl like a scoop. Not a small taste either, but big chunks of meat and offal and a good amount of the sauce. For a split second, her heart leapt into her throat. But only for a split second. 

Ralof's eyes went wide as he tried this first taste. Once his mouth was empty again, he laughed. "Shor's bones, that's a fine meal! The meat is so tender… most people don't know how to cook organ meat properly and it's tough but this! Gods, and the spices! And this bread! I wasn't sure how these would even work, but I can't imagine better to go with the meal. Thaeril, this is amazing! Can you make more Bosmer food from now on?" 

Thaeril stared. "Do you mean that?" 

"Of course! This is as fine a meal as anyone could ask for." He frowned a little. "Someone like me doesn't usually say things like that, do they?" 

"Yeah. Usually we don't get past the ingredients. You don't know how many times I've been told how we eat like animals, that our food is fit only for dogs. That we're disgusting cannibals." 

He reached out and gently rubbed her arm. "We men and mer aren't very good at understanding other customs, are we? I'm sorry people have told you that. When you explained everything to me, it made so much sense. And it's important to you. Even if someone doesn't like something, why be cruel?" 

Tears welled in her eyes. "How are you so nice?"

He shrugged. "I’m just me. And plenty of folks don't like my people's customs. They think we're brutish, they don't like our gods. I'd never hurt you like that. And… and this is really good." 

"Thank you." She blinked back tears as she pulled him into a gentle, one-armed hug. "And if you want, I'll cook lots more Bosmer food for you to try until you're all healed up." 

"I hope you'll make some after that, too." Ralof's face went pink the moment the words left his lips. Both had avoided talking about later, when he was healed and they would presumably part ways. He stammered a little. "I mean, I might need an escort back to Windhelm. Even healed, I'm not going to be at my best right away." 

"I've been a bodyguard before, I might be convinced to do so again." She gave him a small smile. 

"I'll keep that in mind. In the meantime, what other recipes have you got? I know we'll have this goat for a few days, but after that we'll have to think of something. Maybe by then I can help hunt?" 

So Thaeril began to explain other things they could try as Ralof listened attentively. He asked many thoughtful and respectful questions, truly curious and wanting to understand. She could feel the flush rise in her face. No one had ever taken such interest in her culture before. Not only that, but Ralof ate two helpings of the curry and bread as they talked. And for the second time that day, Thaeril thanked Y'ffre with all her heart that she'd been in the right place at the right time.