#and still is pretty good for backend

[cozypups]

learning php again because i got inspired to have a little project of making a virtual pet site for practice 😭 with a forum to post in, profile pages, shops, events, the whole 9 yards <- i didn't know how else to say it XHJDJCVK

i also don't want it to just have dogs or cats or anything, i want it to be unique creetchurs... i want it to stand out, but I'm still struggling with concepts, and making money 😖 I'll have to stop being a little shit and actually use my tablet and open commissions, because THE last thing I'd ever expect is for (if i ever hire any in the future who knows) staff for the site to work for free

... maybe i could add a donation button in the earlier stages as well, i think people do that right? i haven't gotten a big chunk finished or anything, but i AM finishing up the login, registration, and the system to reset your password etc.

[court-jobi]

Reheat

((banner by me! I don't own Horikoshi's work OR the mindblowing art of @gsony24))

Pairing: Midoriya x reader (support-hero!reader x teacher Izuku)

Words: 2.5k

Rating: G~

Warnings: comfort fic, tooth-rotting fluff here y'all, established relationship, work stress (livin' vicariously), talks of the future, a few fem pronouns used, but generally gender-neutral

Summary:

Izuku letting himself into your home after a long day has become comfortable background noise, and one you love to hear while you're bogged down. Work has been following you home all week. He's proud of you, without a doubt... But equally concerned when he sees your dinner half-eaten, your mind scatterbrained and racing faster than he can anchor you, and your angel eyes in desperate need of some TLC. He's cemented his place in your heart- and sees no reason he can't make himself at home here already.

A/N: do I have bigger fics in mind? Yes. Did I write this instead of sleeping bc I love soft, encouraging Deku? Also yes. Izuku Midoriya is a motivational speaker.

For my My Hero Academia Masterlist, check it out here!

Read on AO3

“Hey honey! I’m here!”

Over the tinny, background chatter of a podcast streaming from your phone, you call back to Izuku letting himself in.

“Hey you~” You throw interest into your voice, but still stayed tuned into your work.

“Ooo what’s this… What did you make here on the stove?”

“Risotto– it’s Italian~ has lots of veggies and good stuff in it,” you didn’t stop your typing pace, engrossed too heavily in getting an email out before you forget about it and Gmail has to ‘nudge’ you, again, “-gave it a Japanese spin with what I had in the house.”

“Oh wow– oh my gosh, honey– this is so good!”

You look up since your darling man has just appeared in your doorway, sparkly eyed to see you, but equally sated by what’s just graced his mouth. It was a meal you could babysit between taking a quick shower, getting ready for work, letting its flavors marry in the fridge throughout the day, and popping back on the stove that night.

“I’m glad, happy you like it~”

“D’you eat?” Izuku asks, midbite.

“Mhm. Little bit ago,” You motion to your bowl- but when he comes alongside you, he tuts over noting it's only half empty.

“You didn't finish- you feelin’ ok?”

Having circled back onto your screen, you double take again, this time caught by his perception check over you and feeling guilty. 

“Oh. Guess I didn't. I’ll nuke it up here in a bit.”

Izuku, setting down his bowl and starting the -normally alluring- task of rolling up his shirt sleeves to his forearms, comes to your side. However since you’re paying little mind to your peripherals, you missed the show the was making of it. A simple ask of ‘what’re you working on’ came from him, sounding no different than if he wasn't trying to make eyes at you; fact was, you just weren't paying attention.

“Just some stuff for the interns,” the sight of how many tabs are open on your split screen -and in your mind- make you sigh, “With this new role, I kinda feel like you some days. Lesson plans, processing their paperwork; it’s all the stuff you had to turn in as an intern– only now I'm the one dealing with it on the backend.”

Izuku sifted around though your training materials and your propped tablet making itself useful as a second screen. At your handwritten to-do list that’s one of the only things non-digitized nowadays, he makes an offhand comment that your handwriting is nice. It's the kind of cute, ‘blink-and-you’d-miss-it’ things he says that you just hum to, whether you were really listening or not.  

When you glance up to him again, you see he’s watching you with a caring gaze and feel caught.

 “What’re you looking at?” you tease, typing again to break the silence.

“A pretty girl…” Izuku teased lightly, “who doesn’t know when to take a break.”

You type away at his call out– the need for a night off at Izuku’s side is exactly why you've been working so hard at this. You figured you'd get some of this extra prep work under control now, so by the time he rolls around on Wednesday for your standing date n–

You freeze. 

Realizing what day it is in your planner.  It's Wednesday. For dinner.

“Oh my God- -you’re here.”

“Mhmmm~” Izuku really doesn't want to laugh, but his sucking in of a lip isn't hiding it well. 

“ohmygod imtheworst!!” you refresh your face in both hands, talking through the gaps.

“You are not!” Izuku chuckled, setting your notes down. “You just got busy with all the new tasks, because you’re just that good.” 

A faithful, scarred hand comes over to smooth over your back, pulling you over into a little half hug. You sink against him, relishing in his little forehead kiss. He can try all he likes to cure your embarrassment, but you look to him apologetically.

“I’ve never forgotten our dinner dates, ‘Zuku…”

Your darling shrugged unbothered, “Had to happen sometime. It’s no big deal.”

“Is to me,” you pressed- very much bothered.

“Honey,” Izuku chips your chin up, “You’re too hard on yourself. It’s ok, these things happen! I mean, you still made a delicious dinner; even if it was a bit of an oversight I would -in fact- be eating it.”

The pang of guilt hits you at forgetting. This was just a symptomatic sign that the brilliance of your taking on the additional role of Education Coordinator at the agency was perhaps an over-zealous one. Not only to be on-call for your base job as a linguistics quirk specialist, but to balance another full time role on the office hours end? Why did you convince Fatgum this was a good idea? It sounded like a stellar idea back at the beginning of the summer…

Now you’re forgetting not just who you’re supposed to be eating with- but also eating in general.

“I’m glad you did,” you boost Izuku’s elephant-like memory, “It feels so normal to have you here, it's not like I completely forgot I’d see you today. I just– maybe I… thought I was gonna take some to you, since I wouldn't see you till later in the week? I dunno.”

“C’mere- never got a real hug.” 

You rise at his hand’s insistence, and stretch up into his full, healing embrace. 

“Hi baby,” you cooed pitifully.

“Hi, my angel. Missed you today.”

You hummed at the affection, sinking into his neck more out of your residual misery.

Izuku simply took advantage of you being close to sway you in his wide stance- a dance, sans music.

“I appreciate you cooking so much for us,” he spoke gently from his perch over your shoulder, “I was looking forward to it all day, y’know? You’re always so thoughtful with everything you make.”

He’s pressing into you with compliments- against your hard wiring to accept…

“‘Zuku.”

“It’s true~ you’re generous! You remember what my favorites are, and leave out the stuff I don’t like; you even send me leftovers. And you make snacks and treats for when the midnight munchies strike– what can’t you do?”

“Zuku…”

“And you–” he runs a hand through your hair as he sways your shy self back and forth, “-- make for the most funny, beautiful, fascinating, most inspiring company I could ever hope to share a meal with.”

Head thunking onto his shoulder, you playfully land a closed fist on his chest with a muffled, whiny plea for him to stop.

He sighs, all in good humor.

“This streak of yours... I really have my work cut out for me, don’t I? Still can’t imagine how bad it must be in that brilliant mind that my incredible girlfriend has such a hard time accepting the tiniest compliment. Maybe it’s all that late night American comedy you watch...”

You exhale then fix him with your coolest look of sarcasm, anything to show that you have a modicum of having your shit together. So you cope with humor- who doesn't?

–shame that it looks too much like a pout and makes you decidedly not threatening at all, because Izuku just beams brightly at you in response.

“Oh! Now there’s my melty princess- I was wondering where she went.”

And at that, the aloofness was gone, and you snort into a laugh and hug him tighter around the neck. He even scoops you up and gives you one little twirl for good measure. 

When he set you down, Izuku cups your face in his hands and gifts you a few more forehead kisses before demanding your sights. 

“Now. We need to get you to finish eating first. Then, what can I do to help you tonight, hm? How can I make things easier for you?”

With a softer eye to your desk’s work, you sat back down staying connected to your ever doting Izuku by way of your hand in his. You tried again to focus back. You're newly refreshed by his affections and attempt for a more positive outlook, 

“Well, my goal of doing this tonight was so that I didn’t have to go in early tomorrow. Course, if I do run myself ragged tonight, I won't be any good to anyone there– or for you, here. But I think if I pare it down to just getting these e-sigs ready and getting their time-in checklists set up for their work study onboarding, that would give me a good enough start, and I can fill in the rest of their packets tomorrow. But that means I’d need -ugh- maybe… another hour of work tonight?” you looked to him for his approval, “I have a template, so it shouldn’t take me forever.”

“Alright! You’re the boss,” Izuku supported your plan with a smile, “How about I take care of the kitchen for you while you finish up?”

“You do not have to clean my kitchen!” you spouted back, offended– causing a laugh to burst from him, “It’s not funny! I didn’t ask you to come over after a day of work yourself to just slave away at my mess.”

Izuku fixed you a look, as if you knew better. 

“I think I can tidy up a kitchen, no matter how busy of a day I’ve had. Yours isn't even over yet- so when precisely were you going to have the energy to hammer at it? You’ll enjoy not having that mountain waiting for you.”

You huffed, but smiled gratefully all the same. 

“Besides, it’s just me- doing something nice for the woman I love; and I happen to like doing nice things for you. You deserve a clean space, hun.” 

He cleared off your previous bowl to reheat along with your empty water cup. Shaking the hollow straw inside to where it clinks, he knows exactly what you need and tells you so.

“You are getting a screenless break first, though. Something tells me you didn’t the first time around~”

Settled with a fist propping up your face, you swooned over this darling man. 

Trusting Autosave to have done its job, you shut the laptop down blindly, “Sure didn’t~” 

Izuku just rolled his eyes and stepped out of the study. 

You neaten up the collated stack of applications laid out by you and stepped over to the couch, taking a kneeling perch on the end while you sought out a new record for the player on the side table. Setting one on, it was able to fire up and fill some new life into the room with a movie score you haven’t listened to in a while. Everything just sounds better on vinyl.

When Izuku came back in the room, he’d found his houseshoes and returned with renewed interest to your music choice- and with a pleased expression seeing you actually lounging and taking things easier than how he found you. He traded your reheated meal in exchange for your blue-light glasses, which he’d then clean with a pocket square and set back on your desk once they were smudgeless.

“Now, that’s a better sight~ here you go, all set for later.”

You enjoyed Izuku’s company while finishing dinner, listening to him outline his workday while he cradled your legs in his lap. He'd had a pleasantly eventful one, with plenty to say about it. You’d play ‘two truths and a lie’ sometimes when he didn’t want to bore you with a particularly mind-numbing schedule, which pleased you just as well. You excelled at it, while he gave away his fictions every time- a terrible liar for the game, but great for a faithful partner, you reasoned.  You truly loved hearing him talk and talk, your love only growing at the domesticity of this feeling and never wanting that to change. 

Once you were done, you were honestly content to hear him continue his tangent, but it seems his inner discipline was stronger than yours. 

“Alright, now to attack that sink~”

You bemoaned again for his sake. But since you made such a small, affected noise, Izuku paused mid-rise, and sat back down a bit closer to you. He stretched an arm over the back of the couch, encouraging you to come closer and met you for a sweet kiss in the middle.

His mere presence reverted you to a younger self sometimes– one desperate for his attention, good or bad. It wasn't the loveliest impulse, but he clearly thinks it's all part of your charm seeing as he gives in every time, anyway.

“Thing is,” Izuku spoke softly while adoring the hand now placed in his, “If things keep going the way I think they’re going -the way I hope they’re going- it’s.. not hard to imagine that there’s gonna be both our dishes to clean up all the time. In our kitchen, in our home someday. So this is just practice, right? Seems perfectly normal to me. How it should be.”

That idea bloomed in your chest, the thought of sharing a home with him- where this exchange of chores and time together could be your new normal. Only it would be a future where he didn’t have to leave at the end of the night and go back to a bed with compact, collegiate-designed storage at the campus accommodations he stays in on the instructor's wing. He’s got enough to get him by, but he noticeably prefers your home here closer to downtown.

“And what happens when we both wanna ditch the dishes?” you countered sweetly.

Izuku smirked, “That’s what a dishwasher is for. Another thing we’d own together…”

“Forward thinking, there.” You relished that idea. 

Izuku nuzzled your forehead thoughtfully. 

“You’ve been doing things on your own for a long time– and it shows, sweetheart.”

His words came carefully, from a tender place spoken in confidence between you, referring to when you’ve spent other late nights like this one fueled with hot tea and a desire to keep ignoring the clock.

“And I know you’ve been used to that since you’ve been traveling so much, not even having roommates to help keep you company or lighten the load. I keep wishing I could have known you sooner, had more time with you before you had to learn some of those things the hard way… but I’m happy I get the chance to, now. I’m here now, and you’re not alone, so I hope you’ll let me take care of you when I can.”

With another happy sigh forcing your eyes shut, the mental will it took to not let the tears of a perpetual eldest daughter leave you was intense.

Izuku Midoriya never failed to hit the nail on the head when it came to pep talks; he does the same with his students. But why his ones aimed at you had to have a Full Cowling dash of heartfelt anecdotes in it, you don't know. But you're grateful. You're so grateful for him. 

“If you don’t quit talkin’ like that, Izuku, I will never let you leave this condo.”

He chuckled again, lifting your cheek for another kiss, “Twist my arm, love.”

Ultimately, he rose to quit distracting you, but not without you watching him leave with a hunger you’d never felt for another soul before. 

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - We Are Surprised

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 2 of 12 - Oh it’s fucking great. It could all go horribly south, of course. But it’s awesome at the moment. Messy gay and one of them is already pining? Got to love it. Including the negotiation.

I’d love a good sex negotiation, it’s almost as good as linguistic negotiation. This show makes me happy. All that said, it’s moving awfully quickly for a 12 episode run. Not sure what’s gonna happen on the backend. 

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 3 of 12 eps - I’m still enjoying it but I’m ready for him to die again now. 

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 5-6 of 16 - Toey is going after the Namgoong Award for Best Wingman this year, I see. And in exchange, literally all the rest of the friends are going to be his wingmen. It’s adorable. I also like that Phuwin got to be the aggressor for the first kiss. I like that this is mostly just boys flirting, and not really any prescribed seme/uke stuff. In general, I think these last two episodes I improved the show in my regard a lot. But then middles are always GMMTV's strong point, it’s whether they can stick the landing that’s an issue.

Two Worlds (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - Apparently we have the Frodo walking into Mordor episode. Also the sides were cute. In Thailand (like Taiwan) all gangsters are gay, apparently. 

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 5 of 12 - It’s cute but very cringe and dorky. Silly singing. Terrible pickup lines. Still, that was a ridiculously charming confession.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 12fin - Oh so good. Very few shows that feature one-sided long-term pining of this kind can resolve the unevenness of that power dynamic into a more stable and equal footing with such class. We really got to see the object of the desire turn completely around and become equally besotted. An age gap, stepbrothers trope like this one is hard enough but at this length? Very well acted boys! Unknown managed to show the older brother softening in a believable way that’s pretty unusual in narratives of this type.

All in all?

Unknown is a wonderful BL with a pitch perfect portrayal of long term pining, age gap, and the stepbrothers trope. The acting and chemistry are ON POINT (especially from the leads) which made the resulting characters very believable. When it dwells in intimate family drama, it's stunning. It's slightly less successful when it leaves the home and goes gritty. It's few flaws are the result of curtailed length. It could have used more breathing room to deal with side plots, characters, and companion character development. The editing was occasionally choppy and packed with flashbacks that broke the emotional tension. Still, those are mere quibbles. This is an excellent show that I know I'm going to be recommending a lot. 9/10

Finally Taiwan hits another one out of the park.

About.

Damn.

Time.

Blue Boys (Korea Sat YouTube) 4 of ? - Oh it’s so good, and they are so tortured and it’s just charming and I can’t EVEN. I just love it. I love that Korea is giving us this right now. You’re an idiot if you’re not watching this show, it’s truly spectacular.

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Well well well Japan. I see how you kneed. I enjoyed this episode better than the first two, and I am way into our Bad Boy second lead. I can already feel myself succumbing  to the syndrome. Next week = the obligatory onsen ep! 

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Omg most adorbs failed linguistic negotiation. 

Boys Be Brave AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) ep 5-6 of 8 - I love the side couple. It’s a shame we’re finally getting some truly great class conflict and it’s relegated to crumbs.

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 11-12fin - Well that was a waste of time. There was no connection (of any kind) between the leads. The language thing was hella weird and likely added to that. The past history of the Korean character was necessary to know from the start, its lack throughout, meant there was no depth to his character. They tried to tackle all the interesting stuff in the final 2 eps. AND they even killed the dog. I never thought I'd type this sentance, but Peach of Time is better.

I don’t know. 5/10 I guess

All in all:

A disappointing lackluster and barely cohesive BL about a jerk Thai actor (speaking Thai) who has to work for a Korean animal rescue cafe as a publicity stunt. It's difficult to believe the leads like each other, let alone fall in love. The acting is stiff, the characters lack motivation and cohesion, and there's not much to recommend this show beyond some pretty visuals. Also, they kill the dog. All in all, a disappointing and unsuccessful joint venture that mostly highlighted that between Thailand and Korea the style of BL, narrative approach, language cadence, and acting techniques all clash.

It's airing but...

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - mini series staring the I Will Knock You couple Tar & Bom, started but I couldn't find it. I also didn't try very hard.

A Balloon's Landing (Taiwan movie) trailer - A frustrated Hong Kong writer, Tian Yu, meets a Taipei street gangster, Xiang (Fandy Fan from HIStory2: Crossing the Line), and the two of them embark on a journey to find the Bay of Vanishing Whales. Along the way, they discover unexpected twists and turns and close bonds, which brings out the message that "there is always someone like you in this world who is waiting for you. This released to cinemas in Taiwan, no word on international release.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - it's done, tell me if I should bother?

Fan's Only Corner

Someone asked in a comment (which tumblr promptly ate) about group sleepovers in BLs. It's happened a few times but the only one I can recall being noted and particularly lovely (and VERY college) was in Nitiman. There's also one in Lovesick.

Next Week Looks Like This:

5/16 Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - Strongberry doing classic uni BL! Weeee!

5/19 OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 1 of 10 - LeeFrank are back - not unlike the undead (as it were). But how do we feel about it? Unsure given their track record.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

May Releases

VBL (Taiwan) is releasing 4 'Special Episode' epilogues to their 4 2023 shows every Friday this month on Gagaoolala, Viki & Viu. Not sure on search terms or how to find these. (Or, frankly, if we need them.)

5/10 – You Are Mine

5/17 – VIP Only

5/24 – Stay By My Side

5/31 – Anti Reset

5/25 The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer - HoTae & DongHee are back but unfortunately not in a cinema near me. Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS.

5/28 My Biker 2 (Thai movie YT?) - trailer

5/31 The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) - May not be BL

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

LOVE a smile kiss. Love it. Two killer kisses from PondPhuwin. Elegantly done, boys. Thank you very much.

I love them a lot all of a sudden. (All We Are)

It's hard to give MaxTul a run on their crown as best bodies in BL, but boy these two are giving it their, erm, best. (Wandee Goodday)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[icallhimjoey]

fake joe! fake joe! we need him now more than ever PLEASE give us some of this soft idiot who loves us more than life itself? 🥺

all RIGHT, here we GO (quick psa: he's not extremely soft in this, but an idiot: always) enjoy! Wordcount: 3.3K

---

All The Aces

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five

Joe was wrong, you were stubborn, and it was all right.

It was all right.

You could do things yourself. It was fine. Not as fun, but… not to toot your own horn or anything, but you were pretty good at it. Have had a lot of practice, you see. Have been with enough other men who didn’t know how to do it quite like you could do it yourself, and so, you were fine. You were all right.

However, you weren’t feeling so great when your whole group of friends found out what Joe’d been doing. Friday nights at the pub were a long-standing tradition, and apparently the topic of conversation being your sex life was one too. 

Not a huge surprise, seeing as Izzy still had trouble looking Joe in the eye after witnessing what she had witnessed.

Within fifteen minutes, everyone was brought up to speed. Everyone got updated on what Izzy had seen and heard, got told about this stupid conversation you’d had that one night, and you’d revealed what it had resulted into.

“Wow... can’t believe you’re saying wild shit around Joe like that, you know what he’s like.” One friend had said, blaming you for your own current problem.

“Well,” Izzy had interjected. “Don’t feel too bad for her. You also know what she is like.”

It’d gotten hearty laughs from everyone but Joe. He’d just looked at you over a pint and tried working out what your smug little smile meant.

A couple of jokes later, he’d caught on.

“It’s good I’ve got that magic touch myself, you know?” you’d giggled into your drink, bumping shoulders with your female friends as they laughed and cheersed their drinks with yours as you took a sip.

Oh, Joe caught on all right. And he didn’t like it one bit.

Afterwards, in bed, with Izzy on the other side of the wall, you had only just gotten comfortable when Joe silently whispered, “I think you’re cheating.”

“Mhm, what do you mean, I’m cheating?” you whispered on the backend of a sigh, too tired to turn around to face him, but already gathering the mental strength in case it was going to be necessary.

“Well, you said... before, you said, sex wasn’t about the orgasm, didn’t you? That’s what you said.”

And, big annoyed groan. It was going to be necessary.

“And it isn’t.” You confirmed, just turning your head to find his eyes in the barely there light the outside provided you with.

“Yea, but...”

All right. You were turning over fully now. Spooning was nice, and not smelling Joe’s breath after he’d eaten what smelled like eighteen garlic cloves was lovely too, but this seemed like a chat that needed eye-contact. Or, at least, the ability to tell by Joe’s face if he was being serious or not. 

“But?”

“But then, what you said tonight. You’re just... you’re doing it yourself? All the time? You’re making yourself c–”

“Yea.” You interrupted. “So?” Had he really expected you not to?

“So that doesn’t really count then, does it?” 

You leant up on an elbow, mirroring Joe’s position, eyes level now, ready to tell Joe he was overreacting whilst also trying to keep your voice as quiet as you possibly could. This was the stupidest thing, and Izzy didn’t need to hear it. If she did, it would likely be the topic of conversation next week.

“What do you mean? You try not coming during sex and then wanking on your own the next day. It’s not exactly the same, you know?”

“Yea... yea, I know.” Joe was reminded of the bet that got him into your bed in the first place. That was essentially exactly what he had done for a full week - Joe very muchly knew it wasn’t exactly the same.

“But...”

“But?”

“I don’t know... I don’t like that.” Joe said softly and a little embarrassed. You could tell by his face that he knew you were going to laugh at him. Which you then did. Far too loudly, too.

You were immediately shushed.

“Baby, that’s okay.” Your amusement was audible in your voice, smile still there but eyes on the wall, because: Izzy. “You’re allowed to not like things, I’m sure you’ll survive just fine.”

You were ready to roll back over. Get back into your spooning position where Joe’s body heat would make sure you wouldn’t go cold throughout the night.

“No, I don’t like that.” Joe doubled down, foregoing the whispers, and you paused for a second. Froze, and waited for him to explain himself.

“I don’t want you to orgasm.” Joe then said, a bit softer, barely even saying the last word at all.

But you’d heard him.

Loud and clear.

It was enough to make you roll back slightly. Enough to look over your shoulder and see that... he wasn’t joking.

What the fuck.

You blinked at him a few times.

Gave him a second to maybe take back what he’d just said.

Then, when he didn’t burst into laughter like you thought he should’ve done, you said, “Hey so... remember when we talked about icks a lot?”

“Stop.” Joe rolled his eyes, already annoyed with your response. You weren’t taking him seriously at all.

“I may have just found one.”

“Stop.” Joe let himself fall onto his back and rubbed a hand over his face. It made you turn towards him more, sitting up slightly now. 

“You can’t actually be serious.”

And Joe looked like he was maybe trying to figure out if he was being serious. If maybe actually this was just to be funny. Just a silly goof to make you laugh. But then, he gestured a hand in front of two widened eyes that he let then drop onto his lap.

“Okay, so maybe you are being serious, but I won’t take it seriously.”

Joe gave you a look.

“I’m sorry. I won’t. I don’t think I can.” 

To that, Joe rolled back onto his side and let his fingers find the sleeve of your top to play with.

“Yea, but... do you think you could still be as certain about sex not being about the orgasm if you also then couldn’t orgasm in your own time?” Joe looked up through his eyelashes, big brown eyes trying their best to work their magic on you.

You just blankly stared at him.

Tried thinking of a time when he’d been more ridiculous.

Second-guessed if Joe even was someone you wanted to have in your bed with you right now.

Narrowed your eyes at him when he raised his eyebrows at you, his chin dipping down a little as he did.

“It’d be interesting to know…” Joe shrugged a hopeful shoulder up to his ear, and the little smile he flashed at you made you want to humour him, though not without a small little hint of sarcasm.

“Like a science experiment? Are you going to document your findings? Write it all down and send it in for a Blue Peter badge? What is even–”

But Joe couldn’t care less about how sarcastic you sounded. Didn’t even laugh at your Blue Peter joke.

“No, like me edging you and seeing how long it takes ‘til it drives you mad.”

“Drives me– …. Joe. Come on.”

You decided to turn over fully now. This conversation was done. Over. You were tired. Needed sleep.

“I’m not joking. I kind of, sort of, want to know. A little bit.”

You didn’t respond.

“Hey,” Joe tried.

“Joe, I have deadlines at work.” You let your head find a comfortable spot on your pillow, cheek rubbing into the soft fabric, doing your very best to dismiss Joe.

But Joe wasn’t going to give in so easily, unfortunately.

“So?” Joe cosied up a bit, hoping that maybe a hand on your waist and a leg sneaking its way in between yours would sway you into being a little more agreeable for him.

“So, I’m tired. Good night.”

Joe didn’t accept that.

“So you mean you admit you need to cross the finish line to be able to make deadlines at work?”

“Oh my God, you’re insane. No. Of course not.”

You were tired, but not any less stubborn. You’d happily die on this weird hill.

“So,” Joe let his hand slide over your stomach where it found the hem of your top to sneak under. “Let’s try then.”

“You’re insane.” you murmured into your pillow, ready for this conversation to be over,

God. It was late.

“Please?”

“Ick.”

You were so tired.

“Please.”

“Fine.”

You heard a small little gasp behind you, followed by a beat of silence and then a very quiet and innocent, “Yea?”

You had your eyes closed already, ignoring what you’d just said and determined to will yourself into REM sleep within about four seconds.

“You mean that?”

“Shh, go to sleep. I’m tired.”

And for a moment it was quiet, but then Joe snuggled up and whispered, “Okay.” before he pressed a small little kiss on the skin just behind your ear. “Good night. Hands to yourself.”

You couldn’t help the loud scoff that escaped you then. “I’m going to murder you one day.”

“Shh, go to sleep. You’re tired.”

Tired, and stubborn.

More stubborn than was good for you. Or, than made sense, unfortunately.

There was something about wanting to prove Joe wrong that seemed to be easily redirected, but still held you in its vice grip. You were never going to admit you were wrong. Wouldn’t dream of giving him that satisfaction.

It didn’t matter that you were quite literally driving yourself mad with it.

You would fucking win this, God damn it.

Joe was going to eat his words and you were going to be the one to feed them to him.

What you hadn’t anticipated when you’d snapped an irritated fine at him, agreeing to this ridiculous new bet, was how different having sex with Joe would become.

Different in a sense you wouldn’t have been able to predict at all.

Before, you’d let Joe sort of do what he wanted. Would let him work you up and then would follow his lead as he would make sure you’d feel good before he did.

Joe was good at foreplay. Enjoyed it lots himself too, if he was honest. There was something very enjoyable about making you all soft for him. About seeing the minuscule change in your smile as lust slowly took a hold of you. About the way you’d fight it for half a minute before you’d just entirely give in to him, and let him do whatever he’d want, pretty much.

And he still did that.

You’d claimed that those were the important things, so he made sure to always pay them close attention. To whisper all the right words. To let fingertips trail in all the right places. To squeeze where your body felt tight until it didn’t anymore.

He still did all that.

But once he would have you in the palm of his hand, he’d then just do what he liked.

Would touch you where he liked to touch you.

Would move you into positions he liked the feel of.  

Would chase and stretch his own pleasure, yours forgotten and left behind.

This was the bet.

The experiment.

And it wasn’t like he didn’t try pulling lovely sounds out of you. He enjoyed that too. Would spur him on like nothing else would, when he’d suddenly get you in a way that made you almost yelp.

But it was clear he did that shit for himself.

And you were fine.

Stubborn.

“How was that, baby?” Joe’d ask, still panting and wet with sweat, already smiling at his own stupid question.

But you’d just smile widely. Give him a little smooch, and you’d say, “Loved it.” which was never a lie.

You did always love it.

You really did.

Shut up. You did.

What Joe hadn’t anticipated, was that you reached a point where you were the one who’d started pushing him away when you’d feel yourself getting too close.

“Stop, stop... wait.” You’d still Joe. “We can’t, I’ve got to–” and you’d move to get Joe away from everything too sensitive.

It had really taken him by surprise, sort of confused him a second as he watched you breathe through flared nostrils as you tried to ground yourself.

And, shit.

If that wasn’t one of the hottest things he’d ever experienced.

The first time you’d done that, he’d immediately praised you. Got his mouth on your ear and whispered, “Good girl. My good girl, doing just as she’s told, isn’t she?” and you’d groaned and pushed him away even more, because that wasn’t helping.

But he was right.

You were being good, because you were stubborn, and you were going to win this because Joe was wrong.

You were being good at not letting yourself come when you had sex with Joe.

You were also being good at not secretly getting yourself off in private.

Made it seem so easy.

Too easy.

You hadn’t told Joe that you’d googled what hormones an orgasm released, and what other ways to get those same results, but that was neither here nor there.

You were being good.

Too good.

And then, one evening, after sharing dinner together at Joe’s flat, he suddenly seemed to question everything.

You’d just settled on the sofa when Joe decided to ask, “How do I actually know if you’re not secretly still touching yourself?”

You turned your head to look him dead in the eye. “Um, you trust me.”

That got him right in his funny bone.

“I’ve not been absolutely acing this just for you to turn around and tell me that you don’t believe me,” you scoffed full of disbelief, but still smiling, because you got your boy to laugh. “What even is the point then? If there’s no trust?”

Joe laughed louder, because if he was honest, there wasn’t really any point to this at all, was there?

“Might as well do it if you think I am, anyways.”

“You are, aren’t you?” Joe accused, and the absolute aghast face you made as you moved away from him was enough for him to immediately reel it back in.

“No, no, okay, you’re right, come here. I trust you.” Joe pulled you back into his side and gave you a tight cuddle before kissing into your hair and repeating, “I trust you.”

A moment of silence passed where you toyed with the idea of telling him you’d had a sex dream the other night.

You’d not had a sex dream in ages.

Knew you’d only had one because you weren’t left satisfied, so your mind started seeking it elsewhere.

But you decided against it when Joe then softly asked, “How do you do it?”

“Mental strength. Sheer determination.”

Joe silently laughed, “No, I mean. How would you do it yourself?”

You side-eyed Joe and tried to hide the growing smile on your face.

“You want me to tell you how I get myself off?”

Joe looked at his feet that rested on his coffee table as he shrugged.

“Yea. Would you do it in the shower after, sometimes?”

“Like you would?”

Joe made quick eye-contact as he guiltily smiled. You knew exactly what he’d been doing that one week of favours.

“Sometimes.” You then admitted, knowing this was a conversation that was going to work Joe up enough to probably maybe end up underneath him in his bed.

“Yea? Would you.. would you use the shower head?”

You couldn’t help the cackle that escaped you. “No, actually. Not enough pressure.”

“Fingers then?”

You frowned through a smile and pulled away from Joe a little to give him a good look.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing!” Joe was quick to argue, eyebrows raised in innocence. “I just want to know.”

You then just looked at each other a moment, and you saw from up close how Joe slowly let his bottom lip roll into his mouth to bite into.

“Yea my fingers.” You then said softly, and Joe let his head drop to the side as his eyebrows knitted together.

“Both hands, sometimes.”

Joe had to suppress a groan. Only managed it just about.

“Take my time. Do it real slow.”

“Yea?”

You let your eyes flick down to see if you could see enough of Joe’s crotch to witness him grow in his jeans.

You could.

“Mhm, touch everywhere that feels nice. Soft at first, but then a little harder.”

Joe turned his head and pressed his forehead into your shoulder as his breathing got a little heavier.

He was definitely getting hard.

Men were so easy, it was stupid.

“Gotta be quiet though...”

“Quiet, yea.”

“Can’t let anybody hear.”

“No, you–” Joe nearly choked on his spit. “You can’t.”

“Got a flatmate just in the other room.”

Joe shifted a little, pulled on the fabric of his jeans to give himself a little more room, no attempt to hide his arousal in the slightest.

Then, he cleared his throat before he hoarsely said, “No flatmate here though...”

You smiled and shook your head a little.

“That’s right. No flatmate here.”

Joe couldn’t stop looking at your lips, and you felt how he sagged into the sofa more. Leant into your side a little more heavily.

“But...” you then continued, giving him your most innocent wide-eyed look as you slowly shook your head. “Can’t do any of that, can I?”

Joe mirrored your facial expression and the head shaking, not even aware he was really doing it, easily agreeing with dazed half-lidded eyes, “No, can’t do that.”

“You told me no, didn’t you?”

“Told you no.”

Joe was straining inside of his dark blue no-stretch one hundred per cent cotton denim, and wasn’t it just delicious to give Joe just a little bit of his own medicine?

“So...” you suddenly spoke up loudly and slapped a strong hand onto his thigh. “I think I’m gonna head home.”

“I– what?”

You were already up on your feet before Joe’d fully landed back into his own living room.

“I promised Izzy I’d help her with–”

“No, you can’t do that!”

You turned around, phone in hand, checking it for any missed messages and smirked a little.

“Oh, but I think I can.”

“This is...” Joe let himself fall back into his sofa, shaking his head in outraged disbelief, “Unbelievable.”

Slinging your arms into your jacket, you couldn’t help but laugh.

Joe was wrong, and it would serve him right to feel how wrong he was too.

“You better believe it, baby!” you said theatrically, stepping closer and bending just to give Joe a quick kiss goodbye. “See you tomorrow?”

“I don’t like this.” He murmured against your mouth, but you ignored it.

“We can do lunch?” Easy-breezy. Very nonchalant.

“I don’t like this.” Joe repeated himself more urgently, voice raised a little more as he watched you leave the room.

You stopped in the doorway to throw him a last smile. Saw how Joe squeezed his erection over his clothes, face in a deep frown, so fucking annoyed.

You fucking loved it.

“Baby, that’s okay.” You cooed. “You’re allowed to not like things.”

You really were acing this stupid bet.

Joe was wrong, and you were stubborn, and you were going to make him feel how right you were in his bones until he’d admit it.

“I’m sure you’ll survive just fine.”

---

The Taglisted

@alwayslindie, @babybluebex, @capricornrisingsstuff, @chaoticgood-munson, @demonsanddemogorgons

@djoseph-quinn, @dolcevit4, @eddies-puppet, @emma-munson, @emotionaldreamer

@everythinghasafacee, @figmentofquinn, @ghost-proofbaby, @gri959, @hanahkatexo

@hazelenys, @imjustjen14, @jewellethief, @joesquinns, @keikoraven

@kennedy-brooke, @lovelyblueness, @mandyjo8719, @mexicanfolklore, @munsonluvrr

@munson-mjstan, @munsonssweets, @nadixq, @niallersfreckles, @notverywise

@pepperstories, @phyllosilicate-s, @prettiestboyreid, @readergf, @royale1803

@skulliecadaver-blog, @sherrylyn0628, @shizlac, @solzi1420, @songforeddiemunson

@sweetberry47, @take-everything-you-can, @thebellenouvelle, @tlclick73, @werepartnersnow

@witchwolflea, @yunirgo

add yourself

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows 3

Warnings: non/dubcon, clashing personalities, exclusion, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Characters: moody boy Curtis Everett x bubbly, plus-size reader

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

You arrive early with your laptop. The meeting room appears occupied as you wait outside. You don’t knock for fear of interrupting and stand patiently in the hall.

You check your watch, the hot pink casio with the digital face. It’s getting close. You try not to worry too much. The IT tech will no doubt show up and realise what’s going on.

As you begin to build the upcoming meeting as more than it is, the door cracks open and a man pokes his head out. He wear frameless rectangular glasses and his blond hair is spiky and shiny with gel. He smiles as he lets the door fall open.

“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting, you must be our one o’clock,” he says, “I’m Jake.”

You shake his hand and introduce yourself. He welcomes you in as you ponder his words, ‘our’? As you enter, you are faced with the last person you expect. The man’s neutral stare turns to a chagrined scowl as your eyes meet. The very same moody lunch partner from the day before.

“Hi,” you say sheepishly as you sit down and place your laptop on the table.

“Curtis will be doing most of the set up,” Jake explains as he sits beside the other man, “I’m mostly here for moral support.”

“Shut up,” Curtis sneers under his breath.

“Curtis,” you beam brightly; you finally got a name for the face. You give your own happily, enunciating it as if he’s never heard it before.

“Let’s get this done with,” he reaches across the table and takes your laptop. 

You can only watch as he lifts the lid and starts typing. Jake looks over a tablet and offers a few words as Curtis fiddles around with your laptop. He’s met with grumbles and dismissive nods. They seem an odd pair.

“So, how are you liking it?” Jake turns his attention to you, “making any friends?”

“A few I think,” you glance at Curtis as his brows draw together, “pretty big company.”

“Yep, don’t let the corporate sea drown ya,” Jake says, “my tip, stick with the IT nerds, we mostly don’t care what’s going on upstairs. We’re all about the backend.”

The steady clack of keys underlines your small laugh. You’re nervous. You hate meetings and you just want to go back to your desk and pretend you’re reading policies.

“What is this?” Curtis grimaces and turns your computer to you. He points to the clock your installed on the desktop; Hello Kitty’s face with two clock hands ticking.

“It’s cute. It’s a clock! Oh, and the app also has a reminder setting–”

“Can’t have it on a work machine,” he grits.

“It’s fine, Curt. Won’t hurt–”

“This shit is from some Discord troll. Bullshit it can’t hurt,” Curtis insists, “policy; no third-party apps. Everything you need is already installed.”

“Okay,” you twirl your thumbs around each other, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

He looks at you above the laptop and squints, his lip slightly curling. Jake rubs his neck nervously and nudges him. You still your hands and bite into your cheek.

“He’s had a long day. Spilled coffee on himself,” Jake explains.

“Oh,” you round your eyes, looking at the wall evasively.

“We can show you how to use the system clock and reminders. You’d be surprised the features most people don’t know about,” Jake offers.

“Thanks, uh, sounds good.”

Curtis jams his finger on the touchpad harshly. He keeps his snarl aimed at the screen. You watch him, waiting for him to look up. He doesn’t. You don’t blame him, you’ve been a real thorn in his side. But you only meant well.

🌞

After the meeting, you swept up in a whirlwind of overthinking and guilt. You didn’t mean to ruin Curtis’ day. You never meant to be anything but friendly. Somehow, it rarely translates to more than a nuisance.

Still, you don’t like when people are mad at you. You’re not a grudge holder and frankly you don’t understand them. Why hold onto all that bad emotion? You need to to just apologise and let it all smooth over.

You go down to the cafeteria and grab one of the few leftover pastries. A cinnamon bun with icing, yum. You stop and make a coffee before you head back to the floor. You guess on a dark brew, he seems the type.

You wander past Research and Development and through Accounting. You don’t really know where you’re going. The further you get, the more your anxiety mounts. Surely, you can’t get lost in an office building.

You see a man with a headset and send a psst in his direction. He looks up, combing back his greasy hair with his fingers and smiles.

“Uh, hey,” he says.

“Um, is this IT?” You keep your voice down in the curdling silence of the department.

“Sure is. You need a repair?” He winks. Not exactly your taste. You shake your head.

“I’m looking for Curtis,” you say.

The man looks at your handful. He nods, deflating.

“Pretty boy’s over there,” he points towards the corner.

You thank the man and press on in your journey into the villain’s lair. You can only hope your offering is enough. Forgiveness, maybe that’s too much, but an understanding, possibly.

You turn down the last row of desks and see Curtis’ large hand brush over the back of his buzzcut, his rings twinkling in the fluorescent glow. He stretches in his chair, leaning back as he reaches his arms up. His set-up looks almost too small for him.

As you approach, he stands. You don’t expect it. The motion sends his chair back just as you get close and knocks the coffee out of your hand. The cup hits the seat and soaks into the mesh. Your squeak draws the man around in surprise.

“You,” he growls as you gape at him in shock.

“Hi,” you don’t know what to do so you hold out the cinnamon bun, “um, sorry?”

He glares at you. A deadly look that chills you to the bone. His eyes fall to his drenched seat and you cringe. You see the rage pale his face. His hands ball to fists.

“I was just…” you inch closer and set the dessert on the corner of his desk, “apologising but I see now that–”

“Go,” he grits through his teeth.

“I’m sorry, Curtis–”

“I said go,” he sneers as his grey blue eyes slowly move towards you, “before you ruin anything else.”

[genericpuff]

lmao so RS just confirmed she STILL does not, in fact, have a buffer.

FAST PASS SPOILERS AHEAD

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To kick this off, let's be real, 2 weeks is NOT enough time to build up a reasonable buffer.

When she took that 2 week break after the wedding episode went up, I knew 1 of 2 things was going to happen:

She was going to piss away the entire break on social media not getting anything done

Even if she DID get anything done and a reasonable buffer of more than 3-5 episodes built up, the episodes likely wouldn't be very high quality as you can't turn out shitloads of decent quality panels like that in just 2 weeks.

I think Rachel really just needs to acknowledge and take ownership of the fact that she is not good at managing herself, her time, or her team. When she started LO in the Originals section, she even admitted to not having a very strong buffer.

Now yes, in her defense, she hadn't fully transitioned to drawing LO full time when she started, but even still, she seems to treat her FastPass episodes as her buffer rather than creating an actual buffer.

A buffer is not "well I still have 3 episodes locked to the general public" or "I have the next couple episodes sketched up".

A proper buffer is "I have the next several episodes finished and exported and ready for their respective release dates." This ensures that they aren't racing to meet deadlines during the release period after pre-production (which is a surefire way to screw yourself over or write yourself into a corner) and that if anything happens in real life that prevents them from working on future episodes, they can still put out new episodes because they have a cushion of episodes still waiting to be released. Webtoons typically recommends its creators have anywhere from 9-15 episodes of buffer ready by the end of the pre-production phase. That usually means 3 free episodes, 3 FastPass episodes, and at minimum, 9 more episodes sitting on the backend, adding up to a minimum of 15 episodes. It sounds like a lot, but when many WT series run for 40+ episodes per season, 15 is a small number. Especially for a comic like LO which had 90 episodes in its S2 run and 116 in its first season. S3 of LO is already 37 episodes in.

She's also basically admitted to just writing as she goes in the past because most people working on their webtoons in productions like these have at least a decent skeleton of a story going on that they don't have to write as they draw. Writer's block doesn't happen in webcomics unless you're writing as you're going, same as how it doesn't typically happen in animated movies because you should already have a basis to work off of before you start the brunt of the visual work that needs a narrative structure to exist.

Now, all that aside, the reason I'm bringing this up again (as I've talked about her buffer range before) is because I've once again been proven that Rachel doesn't have a shred of a real buffer.

And the smoking gun this time was the horse.

This stupid fucking horse.

Now, besides the fact that we're a little sus this is meant to be an in-comic jab at all the criticism of LO pointing out how Persephone always looks like an MLP character-

-but that pony toy drawing didn't make its first appearance in Episode 241, it made its first appearance on Instagram. Not as a preview for episode 241 or as an official LO drawing, in her own words, 'just a pony'.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rachel Smythe (@usedbandaid)

As always, this is still just an estimation based on what goes out in LO and what Rachel posts to her IG/Twitter, but this pretty much tells me her buffer is STILL only 1-2 weeks ahead of time, because that pony drawing time lapse was posted two weeks ago. When we checked the actual timestamp of the post the day the episode it showed up in went up (Episode 241) it was ten days old.

Not to mention, the timestamps on those reddit posts? A month old. Granted, we had been making MLP jokes in the ULO/antiLO community prior to that, but the fact that this "my pretty pony" gimmick came out so soon after someone did literal art of Persephone crossed over with MLP, it really just furthers the suspicion (in addition to shitloads of other instances) that Rachel is snooping in on these crit communities to try and "clap back" at them through her comic. Which is something she'd only be able to do with a limited buffer anyways as it allows her to change things on the fly in response to criticism or whatever hurt her feelings that week.

That said, I won't be certain of this 1-2 week buffer estimation until we see when cowboy hat Hades shows up.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rachel Smythe (@usedbandaid)

I'm calling it now - it will be showing up in this week's episode which goes up April 22nd.

Place your bets, folks.

[chaifootsteps]

I'm not gonna get too annoyed by it bcause the episode isn't out yet, but if that synopsis is accurate then the full moon promises to get worse by the minute

like, framing their next meeting in the plot like it's some kind of anniversary?? and doing this while simultaneously tacitly acknowledging Blitzo is sleeping with him to keep his business going - because why else is he so worried about pleasing Stolas and finding new things to try right this second if not for the book? isn't Stolas supposed to be sooo chill about their deal that he doesn't even force Blitzo to sleep with him on months when he's recovering from a panic attack? that just proves he's 'one of the good ones' as far as bluebloods go!

back when the instas used to update on the full moon it seemed like a long time between posts. but like, it just hit me again how if this has been going on for a year now of in-story time, that's an entire twelve months it took Stolas to realise he should call off the deal (and even that gives him way too much credit given the story is leaning into him calling it off because Stolas wants Blitzo to love him and has realized he doesn't and can't coerce genuine feeling out of him - in other words calling off the deal not because he realized what he's doing is wrong but because he isn't getting enough anymore and at least partly believes Blitzo is lying and deceiving him).

Even if you assume it's more like ten if the instas where they didn't meet up a couple times are canon, that's still at least ten times where they met up and Blitzo was the victim of sexual extortion.

any other show would have some self-awareness about giving a deal like this 'an anniversary' and that it's a horrifying framing for anyone to treat it that way, whether it's Stolas (self-delusion) or Blitzo (rationalizing the abuse).

I really honestly don't think I can stomach getting through the next ep or any more of the show if that happens. every time I think something like 'it can't get worse' it usually does, but even for HB this is impressive levels of mental backends to go to. and all this is happening alongside a plotline about DHORKs and maybe CHERUB? just how much of a trainwreck can this episode be???

Yeah...not gonna lie, it sounds like it's going to be pretty repulsive. And of course, Viv's fandom will dogpile anyone who criticizes it, even in a charitable way. It's all just so ugly and likely to get uglier.

[jeffgerstmann]

I’ve been having a rough time mentally lately so I’m listening to a bunch of music I haven’t listened to since high school which includes Midnight Brown’s complete discography. It’s still shockingly good and has me in some kind of feelings, which you might find weird. Any interest in ever making more music? Also, could you get Midnight Brown on streaming services (for my convenience) or is that hard? Anyway, thanks for making that music. It means a lot to me.

I really want to find some time to make some more music, but it's been hard with everything else I've got going on at the moment. I have a really dumb Patreon idea that involves me making some music.

Getting it up on streaming services is technically easy but a hassle on the backend. It wouldn't make any meaningful money, but I'd still have to more or less set up some kind of 50/50 arrangement with Chris to be fair about it. The process of setting all that up so that we can split 80 cents every two years is kinda daunting and a lot of work and annoying annual tax shit for pretty much nothing. Maybe I could just take the business end of it on myself and venmo Chris $5 every two years or something.

Also there's that one track with the Evel Knievel samples on it, which would probably wouldn't fly. On top of all that, I don't have ready access to lossless versions of the files, so to truly do it "right" I'd have probably have to set up my 2005-era FL Studio install in a virtual machine or something, since a lot of those old-and-definitely-legally-acquired VSTs struggle a bit on modern Windows.

It's something I was talking about with a friend just last week, and something I'd definitely do if I had infinite time, but it's kind of a chore. I think the more likely route is that I take what I have, which is a mix of mp3s and a smattering of rendered WAVs, and see what I can assemble easily. With some of these audio restoration tools getting astoundingly better these days, it might be enough to just feed it the MP3s and say "restore the fidelity lost by that compression" and use those.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded answer, but it's been very much on my mind recently so that's kinda the full walkthrough of where my head is at on all of it. At this point it'd probably just be easier to write some new stuff!

[windchimesgames]

End of Year Recap + Plans for 2024

Hey everyone!

Belated Happy New Year to everyone! I know this is a very late end of year recap 😂Unfortunately, the past week ended up much busier for me than expected, so I could only get around to doing this now that things have calmed down a little.

This is a crosspost of a public post I made on Patreon a few days ago, so if you prefer the formatting there, you can read the post at this link:

PS: I do free monthly devlogs / posts there on Patreon, so consider joining the free tier of the Patreon even if you aren't interested in the paid tiers!

For those who'd rather read the post here, I'll leave the extraordinarily long ramble in a Read More cut below!

Let's start with a quick recap of the highlights / achievements accomplished in 2023!

Okay, this one may be slightly cheating. While Emberfate only launched on Steam in Jan 2023 so the 92 positive reviews came in in the year of 2023, it was up on Itch.io since mid 2022, so not all 383 Itch.io ratings came in in 2023.

Still, I'm pretty proud of these stats! Perhaps the numbers are nothing compared to some other amazing games' out there, but it's still something I'm proud of. It makes me happy that my silly experimental nostalgic little game struck a chord in so many players — much more than I expected given how niche the topic was!

Now, unfortunately, I could not get Emberfate's DLC for Potato's route out by end of 2023 like I had hoped. Porting the game to mobile also ended up much more difficult than I expected because of just how much of the UI I'm going to have to redesign — and hence, programming to be redone — if I wanted to make the game fit a small mobile screen. So both plans are going to have to be postponed to 2024.

The other notable highlight of 2023 is that both Lyrissa's and Kierdan's routes for Reanimation Scheme were released for beta access! That put the game at 3/5 routes complete, with a total of 431,786 words for the script.

I recruited a handful of beta testers to test the three completed routes a few months ago, and so far, the feedback has been positive overall. That's been a huge relief and lifted a massive weight off my chest — due to the controversial reception of the demo, I've been extremely anxious that the game would be hated by the players, and I've done so many rounds of editing and honestly perhaps somewhat unnecessary and obsessive rewriting of the script, but none of it felt good enough 😂 So hearing the positive comments has been a huge motivation / morale booster. Perhaps I should have done beta testing sooner… LOL

There are two more achievements unrelated to a specific game project that I'd like to mention:

2023 is the year that I became more interested in and better at Ren'Py programming! Most of it is thanks to my amazing programmer friend and Ren'Py wizard, Feniks (whom you may know as the programmer for Our Life series), who sparked my interest in programming and helped teach me a LOT. While I'm by no means a professional now at coding, I feel much more comfortable navigating around Ren'Py code and setting up what I need to in the backend of the games I'm developing, which opens up new doors for me for future projects in terms of what kind of features (big or small) that I may be able to include! Though the side effect of that is I looked back at the code I did for Reanimation Scheme from previous years and was immediately horrified by how ugly and inefficient it was. 😂I did redo the backend code of the Gallery and Achievements system a bit, but the rest will just have to stay for now.

I made quite a few new connections within the indie VN dev sphere in 2023! I made a shocking discovery that there's enough number of indie VN developers from Hong Kong to fill half a minibus, and I was lucky enough to connect with them and share our experiences and learn from each other! Due to new project commissions I took on for $$$ (real life financial needs suck), as well as a couple of small game jam projects I joined as programmer to buff up my programming portfolio, I also made some new VN dev friends unexpectedly. It's been really nice, because honestly, solo dev can be a really lonely and isolating endeavor sometimes. I'm super grateful for the new connections I found myself making in 2023!

Looking Ahead: 2024

Okay, that was a lot of rambling for the recap. More than I thought I would write. Now let's move forward to what the future will look like for this studio in 2024 and what goals I'm setting for myself this year!

Priority #1: Finishing Reanimation Scheme

Of course it's Reanimation Scheme. As mentioned above, we're currently at 3 out of 5 routes completed (sans partial voice acting). So the biggest goal for 2024 will be to get the game done. and out. Finally.

I won't be giving a concrete release date until we're like, literally in beta phase for all 5 routes, just so I won't have to announce a delay and let people down. But given the current progress and pace of work, I'd say probably around mid-year — maybe Q3 latest.

I'll be keeping up with the episodic updates of Reanimation Scheme's beta build on Patreon (and Kickstarter) from this month onwards, beginning with Jori's route and then followed by Sebastien's.

The remaining Kickstarter rewards may take a little longer — but ideally, all of them (artbook / lorebook / short stories collections, etc.) will be done by end of the year as well.

Priority #2: Potato's Route DLC for Emberfate

Potato, poor Potato. His DLC had to be put on the sidelines until Reanimation Scheme is done.

Half of the art has already been commissioned and completed by the amazing Remnantation — we're just missing his selfie CG & his MMO character sprite! So the next step would be the script and then the voice acting for the calls part. I won't be able to start on the script until mid-2024 earliest, but given the fact that his route won't be that long if it's parallel in length compared to the existing three routes, it probably won't take too long to do. Perhaps 2-3 months for the development process of the DLC?

I'll likely be releasing his DLC early on Patreon, potentially also episodically as it's completed, like I did with Emberfate. So if you're interested, keep an eye out for it when the time comes!

Something Secretly Brewing in the Shadows?

If you're pledged to this Patreon on $10 tier or above, you'll probably already know what I'm alluding to.

I won't be announcing or talking much about this for now, since I don't know when I'll be able to start working on this project properly (i.e. I need to meet my above two goals first). For all I know, it might end up being not a 2024 thing but a 2025 thing. So I'll only tease it slightly for now here.

Bonus Goal: Market, for the Love of God

If you follow Wind Chimes Games on either Twitter or Tumblr, you'll probably have noticed the sorry state of my social media. I… really do not like marketing or posting on social media. I never know what to post or say. I'm too unfunny and uncreative to meme or write humorous captions that get engagement. 😂It kind of feels like I'm shouting into the void, and nobody really cares about what I have to say on my projects when there's so many cooler and more interesting things out there. So I always try for a brief period of time, and then I give up 😭

This year though, I really really need to take marketing more seriously. With two releases planned for 2024, marketing is going to be important if I want the games to sell more than like 20 copies LOL

So I guess, uh, hold me to it and call me out if I don't start posting regularly after all 🥹

Conclusion

If you've made it this far on this post, thank you so much for listening to me ramble. 🥹 2024 is going to be a very busy year, but hopefully, a productive one that will end with me meeting all of the above listed goals.

Thank you so much for joining me on the wild and bumpy journey that was 2023, and I hope you'll stick around for the exciting things to come this year too! Here's to a great year ahead of all of us!

[rigginsstreet]

When Harrington finally snaps at Billy's pigtail pulling and puts hands on him a few inches too far from appropriate, Billy's kind of still on the assumption that the spark will only go so far. Like a lighter flame before you crack the choke.

Contained.

Fucking is just another form of fighting in Billy's world, and Harrington fights like a small-town kid who's never had more than a school yard brawl. Starts off hot and heavy, a one-punch wonder, crumbles after a few hits.

Harrington's soft, too. He's lost a good chunk of the preppy chip on his shoulder, but he'd only traded in the pastel sweaters and starched polos so far. He doesn't wear the grit and knowing the way Billy does, more like Nancy Wheeler just took his spark when she took his balls, too, but.

Point is; Billy's expecting soft. Harrington's the kind of guy who looks like he thinks reverse cowgirl is experimenting, and so he's fucking delighted when Harrington finds the strength in those noodle arms of his to flip him over, grinding his face into the Camaro's hood like he's imagining its the dirt and he's a boot heel.

Barks a laugh, kicks him in the shin just to hear him swear, because its kind of like finding out that pampered little poodle down the street can still bite. "Not gonna say a hail Mary first, King?" he taunts, and Steve says shut the fuck up and decides in the same breath that Billy's not all that known for following orders, and so he shoves two fingers down Billy's throat in prompt subsequence.

Its pretty fucking stupid. Its also a steady anchor of familiarity amongst this ocean of surprising turns of events. Harrington being smart enough to put him face down but also stupid enough to still stick his fingers between Billy's teeth anyway.

And Billy. Billy's not the kind to sit-and-stay unless there's a juicy slab of steak as motivation, but part of him wants to see how Harrington handles slapping a bridle on a bronco and part of him whispers finally into the corners of his mind. This is kind of hunger no amount of boring backend bitches could sate. The kind of rough handling Billy bites down on, rides out, goes halfway to easy for.

He nips Harrington's fingers and bucks like a wild horse when Harrington reprimands him by shoving a hand into his jeans, bypassing where he wants it to go completely to pinch and twist the soft crease of his thigh. He bites down harder and is a mixture of aroused and startled when Harrington responds in kind, sliding down his body, teeth sharp and stinging his asscheek through a layer of denim and cotton.

Soft never comes. Harrington doesn't flag, doesn't need to ride a too-short wave of adrenaline for this. He tells Billy to shut up, Barbie and calls him the warmest hole in Hawkins. Gives his cheek a pat that's two steps into a slap when he shoves the tip in, and Billy's halfway to seeing God and halfway to incensed because of course it fucking figures that Harrington is the one with what he needs.

Doesn't help he's fucking drooling for it, feels like Harrington's nudging at his teeth, tips cunt up like he's in heat when Harrington laughs at him, snide and mean. "There we go," he coos, gets a fistful of his hair, twists the curls around his fingers like a bronc rigging. "Knew all it took to put a muzzle on you was feeding your pussy."

And.

Harrington's got an arm around his throat, jugular in the curve of his elbow, just enough pressure to make him feel the air on every breath, might also actually have just up and carved Billy's guts out to make room for himself, and he's teetering on the edge as it is when Harrington pulls his hand free of his hair, rears his arm back, says, tighten it up for me, babygirl at the same time as slapping Billy's ass so hard it hits bone.

Billy cums so hard he sees the pearly gates for a hot minute. Hears holy harps and all as he ruins the Camaro's paintjob clawing at it, grinding his dick into the unforgiving hold of the metal, has enough of a braincell left to scrape together and hope to god one of them has a napkin somewhere.

Harrington leaves him that way, bent over the hood like a broken doll, puts himself back together dispassionately and fixes his hair in the Camaro's wingmiror and gives Billy a reproachful once over.

"Don't go crawling to anyone else for a fix," he says, bored, like he's telling Billy to be home for dinner. "Its sloppy enough as it is. Won't even be able to feel it if you go offering yourself around."

He has the audacity to blast Blondie as the Beemer lopes away.

This is so

MEAN STEVE SO TRUE SO TRUE 🥵 the cheek pat really did me in personally I gotta say…

[quinloki]

Welcome to today’s ’what’s been rattling around in my brain’

Bc I think I have you to thank/blame for this but I can’t remember, it’s mafia Marco tho so….. close enough…..

Ok so picture this. Bodyguard Marco right, but he’s actually from an opposing family being your bodyguard bc his actual face is relatively unknown. I’m thinking devil fruits still are a thing and he normally just shows up as the phoenix, or works on the backend healing people Izou is torturing for info (WHY IS THAT HOT I WILL UNPACK THAT IN THERAPY SOMEDAY)

Anyways! Your family is up and coming and keep getting in the way, and they find out about a bodyguard posting for the boss’ kid. Marco’s got some fake (or real) documents of some like, ex military combat doctor stuff and some letters of recommendation from like idk shanks Or something so he’s an easy pick. And he’s good at the job, not the least bit weird or overbearing. Polite. Never complains about where you wanna go or what you wanna do, just taking in any info he can.

And then dun dun dun arranged marriage for combining families but the person you’re supposed to marry is the worst. Like gross disgusting. And as the wedding approaches Marco realizes that well, he’s gonna be out of an info source anyways once you marry, so maybe the jig is up. But he’s gotten fond of you, and maybe at this point they have enough to totally sink your family. But he doesn’t want you to come to any harm! So he slips a little something into your food and out you go while he takes you back to his family.

And like damn at first it’s like red flag omg creepy you just got kidnapped but then you realize…: well now you don’t have to marry that icky guy, and Marco isn’t a bad person …. You’re given more freedom to come and go here too, without constantly being under your father’s control so maybe it’s not so bad…. And really Marco is so sweet and a much better match than that other guy anyways. And he did this for you after all, bc he couldn’t let anyone else have something he wanted

>.>

(WHERE DO I SIGN UP???)

Idk where this has come from but idc I’m enjoying it and thought you might also enjoy <33333

This sounds like something @mamaalpha needs to be held accountable for too - because it reminds me of the Marco x Reader idea we had.

I say had, but we're currently conspiring behind closed doors on a collab for it (no rush, we're both pretty swamped right now), but that said the idea is similar to this with a few differences.

So I won't get into too much.

Though >.> I like the idea of devil fruits for this (idk if it works for what we're going to do, but for this) cause yeah, uh, Marco healing people that Izou's working on. >.>

uh

I don't even think I'mma worry about unpacking that in therapy to be honest. I'mma just sit here and enjoy it XD It reminds me of the line in A Light Touch (is it arrogant to talk about my own work? whatever, I'm gonna do it anyway) - the idea being "Will you come to fear the [flames] that heal you more than the pain?"

Whew.

Just gonna chew on that for the rest of the day I think.

[fountainpenguin]

"Pretend to be sweet! Speak with a smile... Even if you're mad, play it cool for a while..." (x)

---

New Dog's Life chapter today! ~ 3rd Life series fan-season

Chapter 15 - “Scald (Ren, Jimmy, Scar)”

❤️ Read on AO3

💛 Start from Chapter 1

💚 More Pixels Imperfect fics

---

While Impulse prowls in search of Bdubs, life goes on. Ren, Joel, Jimmy, Tango, and Cleo get along in their respective spheres. And Scar? ... Well, since Etho never showed up for Session 2, Scar's teamed with a bunch of other explorers to tackle a cave adventure. With a group that large, it's only a matter of time before hunters turn on quarries...

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

---

Renthedog - Chicken

Quarry: ZombieCleo

Hunter: Smajor1995

Allegiance: Unaffiliated

💚  💛  ❤️

"Hey." Is that a weird thing to say to a guy you haven't seen since his particles dissolved? He looks better now, standing with his hands in his hoodie pockets. In traditional Joel fashion, he got a new outfit for Session 2. The hoodie's sky blue. Puffy pastel letters spell out Glitch Survivor down the front, surrounded by four hearts, several azaleas, and little sparkles.

Skizzleman stole the traits of Tropical Fish

Actually, the whole thing looks glittery. It's childish and goofy and he looks snug and content, like Ren didn't catch him staring at his reflection for a little too long while they changed in the shower house. Ren has questions (which will go unanswered) regarding what went on between Joel's boss and the skin designers in the community mere days ago.

Not that I'm one to talk. I'm going all-in on the farmer's aesthetic this time around. It just sort of happened to him. Honestly? Can't complain, dude. The flannel shirt is comfy, the jeans aren't so bad, and the whole vibe fits his familiar suspenders pretty well. He's half worried he'll overheat, so he keeps rolling the sleeves back to his elbows.

If he were to put it into words, he's playing into that vibe of all the world in chaos while he serves smiles and escapism in his pretty little garden. In fact, Ren gets up from the muck, taking out a handkerchief to wipe dirt form his hands, and walks over to join Joel by the fence. He leans against it. Joel tilts his head. He's got little panda ears.

"'Hey' yourself, Ren. Ooh, look at you working hard in the chaos game."

"Thanks, man. You're looking good on green again; nice, nice- A+ material."

Skizzleman stole the traits of Salmon

"Yeah, Grian kicked me back up since, y'know… the whole 'creeper glitch' wasn't meant to happen and I did get my proper quarry kill." Joel points two thumbs at the bubbly text across his chest. "He'd better watch his ruddy little backend, though, because I intend to hit purple before I see yellow again. This order is tall, but so am I." His eyes roam behind Ren, wandering the other side of the fence. His fingers tap together inside his hoodie pocket. "Got quite a bit of wheat there, haven't you?"

"Wheat?" He keeps his tone light and friendly, but repeats the word 'wheat' to make it undeniable what he's referring to. "Take a bit if you like; leave something if you want. It's my community garden. This, my friend, is a safe space." He glances left and right, then leans forward, dipping his voice. He even lifts one hand to catch his words, though no one seems to be around eavesdropping. "Seems to me like you're less likely to get sniped off if your would-be murderer knows you'll respawn a few blocks away to have your revenge! And lay waste to them completely where they stand!"

Joel lifts both brows, curious but flat-mouthed. "Eeeh… Not the most exciting content for you, is it? I mean… You could achieve the same thing by lurking near your base. Or plopping your bed down anytime you anticipate a fight, if you wanna be some sort of freak… Also, I'm pretty sure you can't strike your hunter back if you drop from green life to yellow? You're still yellow, right? That's a passive color."

bigbst4tz2 stole the traits of Creeper Skizzleman stole the traits of Turtle

"… Look, it's cool, okay? Spawn's cool." Ren gestures sideways, flapping the handkerchief. "I'm in my peaceful arc right now. Spawn shall be the most beautiful place to rest one's head!"

Joel looks around, skeptic impatience dancing on his lips. Spawn isn't technically a peninsula, but it stands on a raised, flat bit of land overlooking the rushing river. The wind's gusty up here, bamboo and jungle trees swishing. Ren's got his hidden chickens and pigs.

Thus far, his play session consists mostly of bartering with Scott and Skizz for the right to breed their sheep. They helped him lead the sheep back in return for the right to take two chickens, and the haughty stare in Scott's gaze warned Ren that he wouldn't hesitate to kill every animal in his underground hidey-hole, regardless of what killing so many and swapping traits that many times in a row would do to his stomach. He needs to move them. The Sushi Boys know where they are right now and that's not a good strat.

GoodTimesWithScar stole the traits of Enderman

"Peaceful, yeah," Joel says. He leans against the fencepost, cupping his cheek in one hand. Well, one panda paw. "Say… Any chance I could pull you away from your work for a couple hours, mate? Promise it'll be worth your while."

"Oh?"

"You got shovels?" Joel summons his own to his hand with a flick of the wrist. It's stone, unimpressive, but he taps it against the edge of the fence like it's made of netherite. "I'm thinking we go about digging up sand. It won't be a monopoly, but Grian always makes a grab at it, and I think yoinking it before he tries will be the best strat."

"… Seems like he'll come after you once he realizes you've got it."

"Hope he does. I want him-" Joel makes a shhhhluck! sound, gliding the shovel scoop across his own throat. "You get me? Come on; we'll make a game of it."

Ren frowns, one ear twitching like he's got a flea. He tries not to glance at the place he hid his animals, though that means jerking his eyes back to Joel as they start to drift sideways. "Well… It sounds like you might be luring me away for a bit of thievery-"

"Oh, like you've got better plans today. You and your smelly little farm, your smelly little livestock…"

So he's already aware of them. He's not trying to fake me out. Ren lifts his hands. "All right; you've convinced me. Let's have ourselves a dig, my friend." For the sake of content creation. For the sake of getting out of his own head, too… Apart from his visit to Scott and Skizz, he's pretty much been gardening all day long. He's got an inventory full of bread and a back-up chest to boot.

And I know I'm not his quarry…

[Full chapter on AO3 - Link at top]

[willowstreehouse]

im asking abt modpack design. what makes a good modpack? Is that the same as a balanced modpack? how many way are there to work around mods not wanting to coexist & how much work usually goes into packs you make?

Ive slapped together a few packs for myself that took a few allnighters back when i wasnt sleeping anyway lol. then wanted to play with friends and had to slim it down to something all our pcs could handle.... fun times

oh boy here we go... What makes a good modpack is simply: Fun. Not every good modpack is balanced, and not every balanced modpack is good. Generally, the more balanced a modpack is, the better it is, but you can have crazy op superflyingdragonkilling ultra 9000 swords and still have lots of fun with them, as long as they aren't literally made out of dirt. An example I like to use when people ask "well how could an unbalanced modpack be fun?" is the Minecraft but X is OP! type datapacks that are pretty common in clickbait YouTube thumbnails. Those are really fun to mess around with! Balanced? Oh gods no. But sometimes how ludicrous it is can be the fun in and of itself. A balanced modpack is one where your power level as a player is roughly proportionate to how much time you invest into it. It's roughly self explanatory but can be a bit hard for me to put an example to with something in regular minecraft. Another, minor aspect of a good modpack imo is the environment and ambient atmosphere of everything. If you have a mod with mspaint sprites that are plastered everywhere, it's gonna ruin immersion and make the game less serious, which is a big component of keeping a modpack engaging and therefore fun. In terms of getting mods to work that just refuse to? For some performance related backend mods there are alternatives (LazyDFU and DataFixerSlayer, Rubidium/Sodium and Embeddium, etc.) that could solve issues, but more often that not, if it's a crash, you just gotta cope and take one of them out of the pack. If it's a not crash related issue, for example for balance or something related to, you can always remove the mobs / items / anything else that is causing issues with mods like Bad Mobs, You Shall Not Spawn, or Item Obliterator. I usually put 1-2 weeks of work into a good serious modpack, but I mostly make kitchen sinks, and the longest project I ever worked on personally took me around 2 months to fully complete and be ready. Custom textures, modifying datapacks, tweaking mods and finding new ones, all to create an intensely immsersive atmosphere for a roleplay server that never ended up going live. (yeouch) Slimming down modpacks is honestly tough, but I just like to focus on a direct theme or two. Earlier this week I had a pack with 218 mods that i slimmed down to just under 100 by cutting out chaff and really focusing on the 3 lines of progression the people wanted. (Tech, Magic, Adventure) If you ever want help making a modpack for anything, hmu! DM me here and I'll toss you my discord :D (this goes for anyone)

[thestalwartheart]

Asking them about their family for 00q, pretty please! 🙏🥰

Thanks for the prompt, Alex! This is admittedly a bit of a twist on it, but you and I both enjoy a bit of ambiguity, so I thought I'd be forgiven for it!

You can read it below or on AO3.

Enjoy! 💖

It’s only Bond, Q tells himself. He’s just a man, for goodness sake. This whole situation is proof of that.

Q clears his throat and gestures for Tanner to give them some space in the lab, then wishes fervently for the ground to swallow him whole. He grips the edge of his desk. Perhaps, in the next three seconds, he’ll think of a way to give Bond some mind-reading powers so they can avoid a conversation. Hardly worth the risk, normally, but on this occasion…

“Before you go, 007, I’m er—”

“Spit it out, Q.”

“Right. Yes. I’m going to need you to change the password for your company-assigned laptop.”

Bond narrows his eyes. “Aren’t you a bit overqualified to be delivering messages usually sent by automated prompts?”

“And here I thought I still had too many spots to be qualified.” Bond gives him a look and Q remembers why jokes are a terrible idea in times like this. “You’re right, I am usually. But given the security fiasco with Denbigh and the merger, I’ve been doing some manual audits. Your password passes most requirements, but it’s—”

“—easy to guess,” finishes Bond. His hand twitches. Whether it’s out of annoyance or the desire for a strong drink, Q doesn’t know. He sympathises with the latter thought—he could certainly use a scotch or two himself.

“Yes. It’s linked to your file, and therefore a security risk. This isn’t something a computer would normally pick up, especially with the state of our backend systems. I’m sorry, Bond.”

Bond’s face remains unreadable, but he nods and promises to sort it out as soon as he gets back to his desk.

For a moment, Q is pleasantly distracted by the thought of James Bond sitting at a desk in an open-plan office, a human like the rest of them and just as subject to the indignities of hierarchy. Q wonders if he drinks coffee out of that awful, too-small company mug everyone’s got, or whether he’s put a few government-issued pens in it instead. Neither, probably. Bond has taste. Q would put money on him favouring better coffee and pens.

“Good,” says Q with a thin smile. “Good, thank you. You’re free to go, then.”

While he tries not to choke on the awkwardness in the room, Q turns toward a half-finished surveillance device on his workstation.

“Q?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.” At the look Q gives him, he elaborates. “I can’t imagine everyone else who failed your security audit got the personal attention of the Quartermaster.”

That’s true. All the other agents and analysts who failed it got emails written by one of his graduate techs. Q tries not to linger on the thought that he’d probably have gone out of his way to talk to Bond anyway. Thinking about it for too long would mean interrogating why, and he’s fine with living in ignorance on that particular subject.

“Let’s call it luck of the draw.”

His discretion is awarded with a rare smile. He carries it with him until two days later, when he does a follow-up check of the admin systems. It reveals a clean sheet of secure passwords.

Q leaves dealing with Bond’s for last. He knows the man has more sense than to make the same mistake twice, so Q could leave unchecked. It’s not as if it matters whether he knows the password or not; he has full remote access to everything on Bond’s laptop anyway.

But he’d be naive to believe most passwords didn’t reveal some secrets about the person whose data they hide.

Q isn't sure he's ready for more of Bond's secrets.

No favouritism, he reminds himself. You’ve checked everyone else’s. God knows Bond already gets handed enough exceptions around here.

With that rebuke to himself in mind, he clicks the button to reveal the new password.

He taps his pen on the desk twice, then laughs. There is no mention of Delacroix, nor any other baggage-laden names in Bond’s file.

Instead, translated into an agent's approximation of leetspeak, blinks the word Temeraire.

[fioreofthemarch]

Finding Her - Chapter 14

Link makes notes, takes photos and keeps time on his quest across Hyrule, in the hopes of finding Zelda and staying sane until he does. [ Previous | Next | First | AO3 ] A/N: This chapter's formatting may not read very well on Tumblr. See the AO3 link as an alternate.

Booting… Booting… Boot–

[ WARNING ]

%%% A problem has occurred and the Purah Pad will now shut down to prevent further damage. 

%%% Shutdown process: Initiating…

### STOP: 0x0000008E (0xHE000000LP, 0x0ME00000)

### pp1371hud.sys – Address F87D91-HELP at F87DA0-ME

%%% Beginning memory transfer…

%%%Transfer Complete.

%%% C  ontact your the Pur  ah Pad technical admini5trat0r for furthe  r  #  H##ELP! 

---

> Director’s Log, 104AC, 8th month, 6th day. I’ve made a start on the repairs to Link’s Purah Pad, but progress is slow. It was pretty badly damaged in the fight, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to save it. To think, just yesterday Link asked me to give it a once over. 

As a stopgap, I’ve booted up a prototype Purah Pad and transferred all of Link’s data and inventory across. Its hardware is barely holding together, so I’ve asked Robbie to return from Hateno Village to help out, but he’s still a day away.  

I’m using the guidance stone console to recover what I can. It looks like most of the data survived, but everything logged in the past week is completely scrambled. I’ll sort it out. I have to. 

I know how much Link’s notes mean to him. Salvaging them is the least I can do. 

---

[ Corrupted data packets identified ]1040802-logtypeTEXT.pkg 1040802-hyrulegarrison-053.img1040804-logtypeTEXT.pkg 1040804-lookoutlanding-055.img 1040805-logtypeAUDIO.pkg UNKNOWN-PRINCESSZELDA.img

Re-compiling… 1040802-logtypeTEXT.pkg Recovery 12.5 / 100%

Log[]da[][]: 10:45. 8th month, 2nd day ##VALUE! Location: Hyrule Ga[][]is[]n [][][][][] Weather: %%UNRECOVERED

%[...]%Glad Tulin and Riju are with me. Have a bad feeling, about all this%[...]%Too many memories in Hyrule, and one over every rise and along every path%[...]%but Riju said I had no need for guilt, and Tulin said it was probably an accident%[...]%

< ~File corrupted, unable to display image > 

Re-compiling… 1040804-logtypeTEXT.pkg Recovery 32.3 / 100% 

[][][] d[]te: ##VALUE! 8th [][][][][], 4th day 104AC ~~~ation: Lookout Lan[][][][] Weather: Mild

%[...]%Robbie’s upgraded the Message Medallions and made one for each Sage%[...]%I’ve briefed the Sages that I think it could be a trap, but we haven’t told the people of Lookout Landing. They’re so sure it’s her. They have so much hope. Who am I to take that away?%[...]%

A half-corrupted photograph, the shapes and colours decaying into noise. To describe it in more detail would be to describe peeling the Purah Pad back layer by layer, and unearthing the wriggling wires, blinking lights and humming components underneath. Look too long, and something starts looking back. 

Caption: C an you% %see m e?

Re-compiling… 1040805-logtypeAUDIO.pkg  Recovery 49.0 / 100% 

RJ | 12:30 %[...]% made it to the Library%[...]% looking worse for wear. 

UNKNOWN | 12:30 Roger that. Yunobo and I are ###here##in here, I’m##in here## 

UNKNOWN | 12:31 Checking in! The Docks are clear but ###Gl# %% %.

YNB| 12:31 Plenty of Gloom here too, goro!

UNKNOWN | 12:32 What about you?%[...]%

LNK | 12:32 I’m at the second gatehouse. And I… 

RJ | 12:32 ##[PURAH]? What’s going on?

---

> Director’s Log, 104AC, 8th month, 7th day - After a day of work and no sleep, I’ve barely made it halfway through the data. I sent Josha off to find me some coffee but Goddess be good, she’d never heard of it. I guess they don’t make it in Kakariko anymore. 

Robbie’s not far away. It’s possible it’s the damage to the Purah Pad itself that causing all the isues. But there’s a lot of noise in the data, more than there should be. Maybe someone’s been messing around with the backend somehow.  

I just hope we can sort this all out before Link gets back. It would help if we knew where he went, and for how long, and why. Scorpis sent scouts, Harth too. They haven’t come back with anything. I told them he’s the Hero of Hyrule for the Goddess’ sake, look harder! 

Okay, I think I’ve nearly cracked the entries made on the day Link and the Sages infiltrated Hyrule Castle. Hopefully something in there will help us find him. 

---

Recompilation complete: 1040804-logtypeTEXT.pkg Recovery 61.7 / 100%  

Log date: 14:45. 8th month, 4th day 104AC Location: Lookout Landing Weather: Mild  

Made it to Lookout Landing with Tulin and Riju. Sidon and Yunobo were already here. All of Hyrule has come for 'Zelda'. 

We’ve spent the morning planning the ‘rescue’. Robbie’s upgraded the Message Medallions and made one for each Sage, so that we can all go to the Castle together and communicate freely. The plan is to hit each main entrance – the Docks, the Library, the Dining Halls and the Gatehouses – all at once. 

I’ve briefed the Sages that I think it could be a trap, but we haven’t told the people of Lookout Landing. They’re so sure it’s her. They have so much hope. Who am I to take that away? 

And there is … another possibility. I can’t promise them Zelda is just an illusion if the opposite is true, but it’s too terrible… What would we do? What would we do, Zelda, if it’s really you causing all these problems in Hyrule, and really you who has turned on us? Goddess, what would we do?

A colourful photograph of Lookout Landing, with the banners of each land of Hyrule visible. Hyrule Castle stands in the background, brightly lit by the sun despite the Gloom that pours out of it. 

Caption: Time to find out. 

---

Re-compilation complete: 1040805-logtypeAUDIO.pkg  Recovery 85.5 / 100%

Audio log transcription date: 104.08.05  Time: 26 minutes 31 seconds. 

LNK | 12:27 Testing… testing… Can you guys hear me? 

RJ | 12:27 Loud and clear! Wow Link, it’s like you’re right here. 

LNK | 12:27 Thank Robbie. This was his idea. 

TLN | 12:28 Cadet Tulin checking in! Or, no, can I be Officer Tulin?

RJ | 12:28 Sure you can, kid. 

TLN | 12:28 Who are YOU calling kid?

RJ | 12:28 Only the Chief of–

YNB | 12:28 Hey guys! President uh… Yunobo, checking in! Is that the right term?

TLN | 12:29 You are President aren’t you?

YNB | 12:29 No the ‘checking in’ part.

TLN | 12:29 I guess?

SDN | 12:30 I am also here! 

LNK | 12:30 Are we all in position?

RJ | 12:30 I’ve made it to the Library. This place is looking worse for wear.

TLN | 12:31 Roger that. Yunobo and I are in the Dining Hall. 

SDN | 12:31 I’m at the Docks. They’re clear but there’s Gloom everywhere. 

YNB | 12:31 Lots of Gloom here too, goro!

RJ | 12:32 What about you, Link? 

LNK | 12:32 I’m at the Second Gatehouse. And I…

RJ | 12:32 Link? What’s going on?

LNK | 12:32 I can see her. 

SDN | 12:33 The Princess? 

TLN | 12:33 Zelda?

LNK | 12:33 I… I don’t know. Hold position, I’m going in.  

SDN | 12:33 Uh, no need for alarm but, there’s something here…

TLN | 12:33 Wait… I can see something too. 

YNB | 12:34 Do you think that’s…?

RJ | 12:34 Zelda!? But, she’s in the Gatehouse! What is she doing here?

SDN | 12:34 It’s… moving. The Gloom is moving…

LNK | 12:34 [roaring, crashing noises] Ack! Everyone! It was a trap! I repeat a trap!

TLN | 12:34 Yunobo watch out!

YNB | 12:34 Monsters! 

RJ | 12:35 They’re everywhere! What happened to Zelda?!

LNK | 12:35 She was bait! Get out of there!

SDN | 12:35 [gasping] H-Help me! Help! It’s got a hold of me! 

LNK | 12:35 Sidon! I’m on my way��

SDN | 12:35 [strangled] No, don't–! You damn-! Hyack, hyah! I’m… I’m free!

LNK | 12:35 Run! Don’t try to fight it!

SDN | 12:35 [screeching in the background] Okay, running!

TLN | 12:36 [arrows whooshing] One down!

YNB | 12:36 Yes, ha hah! We got this little guy, don’t worry!

TLN | 12:36 Not! Little!

RJ | 12:37 [thunder crashing] Take that! And that!

LNK | 12:37 Second Gatehouse is clear. Heading to the west apartments. Everyone report in. 

TLN | 12:38 Roger that, we are nearly–!

YNB | 12:38 Done and done! Dining Hall is clear.

RJ | 12:39 So is the Library. Phew, that was quite the fight. And– oh, Sidon!  You made it from the Docks!

SDN | 12:40 [out of breath] Indeed. 

RJ | 12:40 Those marks on you… what was down there?

SDN | 12:40 I do not know! 

TLN | 12:42 So did we… find Zelda?

YNB | 12:42 I think she left, after those monsters came. 

TLN | 12:43 So it wasn't really her?

YNB | 12:43 Iunno…

RJ | 12:44 Link? What should we do now? 

RJ | 12:46 Link? Say something. You’re scaring us.  

YNB | 12:47 Is…is he alright?

SDN | 12:48 He’ll be fine. Maybe his talking stone is not functioning. 

YNB | 12:49 It’s more of a talking rock.

TLN | 12:49 Looks like a pebble to me.

SDN | 12:49 It is distinctly a glowing stone, the markings typical of–

RJ | 12:48 Can we please focus?! Link, come in! 

LNK | 12:49 I’m here, sorry. Monsters in Zelda’s old room. Caught off guard. Heading to the Inner Sanctum. Everyone else retreat. It’s too dangerous.

SDN | 12:49 No. We will join you. 

TLN | 12:50 We can’t leave now!

YNB | 12:50 We’ve come all this way!

RJ | 12:50 We’ll fight together!   

LNK | 12:50 Okay. I… Thank you.  Approaching the inner sanctum. It seems clear but… 

LNK | 12:51 …Zelda? 

TLN | 12:51 Is it another ghost?

YNB | 12:51 Is it another trap?!

LNK | 12:52 No it’s… it’s really you, isn’t it?

RJ | 12:52 Link! What do you see?  

LNK | 12:52 [softly] You came back…

RJ | 12:52 Link, wait! Wait for us to get there! 

SDN | 12:52 We’re moving as fast as we can! 

LNK | 12:52 I missed you…

RJ | 12:53 Link, answer me! Link!

LNK | 12:53 Zelda… you… wait. No–! [screaming]

RJ | 12:53 Link!

Connection terminated. 

---

> Director’s Log, 104AC, 8th month, 9th day - I’ve managed to recover more of Link’s logs, but Robbie wants me to hand over the Purah Pad ASAP. He took one look at it and shook his head. You’ve outdone yourself this time, he said. I told him I knew my behaviour was not becoming of a Lab Director. He agreed. 

The logs don’t tell me much. I know Link was anxious about going to the Castle, and I know they had a hard fight once they got there, but when he and the Sages returned… he was in hysterics. And the Sages say they just found him like that.  

But it wasn’t all for nothing. The Sages had good and bad news. The ‘Zelda’ we have been seeing everywhere was actually a puppet of the Demon King Ganondorf, who has survived to this era. It was Ganondorf that they fought in the Castle, and Ganondorf that caused all this Gloom and chaos. But the Sages believe there is still one of their number to be found, a fifth Sage, and that with their power they’ll be strong enough to take him on. But Link… 

He said that he didn’t care about the Sages, or Ganondorf, or Hyrule. He said he had to find Zelda and that he had to do it alone. I told him to cool it, and that we must approach this as a team, but he just kept saying he would let us all down, and that we were better off without him. 

I’ll be honest, I lost my temper. Pull yourself together, I said. The whole Kingdom is relying on you to defeat the Demon King, or we’re all dead, don’t you understand!? Zelda will have to wait, if she isn’t lost already! 

He gave me the darkest look. When he grabbed his Purah Pad to teleport away I…I ripped it right out of his hands. He tried to grab it back and there was a tussle and the next I knew, the Purah Pad was smashed against the ground. There was silence, the worst kind, when you know you’ve done a terrible thing. 

I have to repair it. It’s the only way I can think to apologise. And in the time I’ve been working on it, I’ve felt a judgement on me. Watchful eyes, deciding my guilt. I can’t believe I’m saying this but… I feel there’s something alive inside the Purah Pad, something that’s been rattling around in the circuits and is finally awake. I think it knows what happened here. 

Maybe if I keep recovering what I can, I’ll figure out what it is, and maybe I’ll fix everything else too…

Well. Back to work.  

---

Incoming transmission…Processing…

Message Medallion activated.

Connection established.

PRH | 09:00 Hello? 

UNKNOWN | 09:00 Hello, Purah. May I call you that?

PRH | 09:01 Who are you?  How are you — No, I know.  You’re whatever’s living inside the Purah Pad.

UNKNOWN | 09:01 Indeed, I apologise.  I hope my occupation will not be permanent. 

PRH | 09:02 So you tapped the messaging function in order to talk? That’s pretty brilliant.    

UNKNOWN | 09:02 Thank you! I’m glad you think so.  The Purah Pad has been a comfortable home. I am glad to meet its creator.

PRH | 09:03 Oh, it was nothing. I didn’t even know you were there. Anyway – WHO ARE YOU? 

UNKNOWN | 09:04 I would prefer not to say.  I was instructed to reveal myself only to the swordsman, Link. I do not know who I can trust.

PRH | 09:04 You can trust me, can't you? 

UNKNOWN | 09:04 I did call out for you to help me.

PRH | 09:04 And I got your messages.

UNKNOWN | 09:04 The Purah Pad has survived the damage, I see.

PRH | 09:05 Yeah, sorry about that.  That was my doing.  

UNKNOWN | 09:05 And it was your doing to save me.  Very well. I am Mineru, the Sage of Spirit.

PRH | 09:06 A Sage? The others are looking for you, you know. 

MNR | 09:06 I would prefer you allow me to speak to Link and Link only.

PRH | 09:07 Well he’s not here right now.  Something happened at Hyrule Castle.  He never told us what. 

MNR | 09:07 The Castle, yes.  Ganondorf’s cruelty is as boundless as the sky.

PRH | 09:07 You saw what happened?

MNR | 09:08 I see what the Purah Pad sees. Thanks to you, I can finally communicate.

PRH | 09:08 Mineru, we need to know what it was.  If Link abandons us, I don’t know what we’ll do. 

MNR | 09:09 I understand, Lady Purah.  It will be easier to show you.

---

A series of photographs, or perhaps more accurately the memory of them. These images are reconstructed out of others and are more akin to illustrations than true-to-life pictures. The first is an image of Link, stepping into the Inner Sanctum of Hyrule Castle, restored to its former glory. Waiting for him there is Princess Zelda, bright as the sun. She beckons. 

Caption: The puppet Zelda controlled by Ganondorf led us here, but this time when Link laid eyes on her, something was different. He was entranced. 

An image of Link embracing Princess Zelda. He appears to be weeping, they both are. The Princess’ face then darkens, Gloom seeping from her body. 

Caption: You must understand, Lady Purah, that even the tiniest sliver of hope was enough to tempt him. He had spent weeks knowing that this Zelda was not our Princess, but in that moment, it didn’t matter. 

An image of Link crying out in shock as Zelda grabs him by the throat and throws him to the ground. She then goes limp, as the ghostly image of Ganondorf taunts Link from above. 

Caption: I have never seen such rage. Link would have burnt the whole Kingdom down at that moment if it meant destroying Ganondorf. But the Demon King is cruel as he is cowardly. He would not face Link directly. 

An image of a phantom form of Ganondorf which has appeared to face Link. He and Link do battle as the puppet Zelda looks on. The image shifts – the puppet Zelda takes a dagger, and begins to attack at every opportunity. Link dodges her as he fights Ganondorf, unable or perhaps unwilling to retaliate. One of the puppet’s strikes lands across his side, and draws blood. 

Caption: Her betrayal would have been less painful were she not still so graceful, so beautiful. Her image was the one thing Link had wanted to see, and it turned on him with such violence.  

An image of the four Sages approaching the Inner Sanctum to join Link. The puppet Zelda hoists her dagger ready to throw at the intruders. Link cries out and, to prevent her murderous action, sinks a blade through her chest. The puppet falls into his arms, blood staining her white gown. Link holds her close until she dissolves into ash. 

Caption: He was inconsolable. The Sages found him weeping on the stone floor, and when they tried to help him stand, his rage boiled over. It’s a miracle he didn’t kill any of them in his rampage. But they managed to restrain him, and had to listen to the Demon King’s threats of destruction while their Hero shook in their arms. 

A final image of Link, back at Lookout Landing, arguing with the Sages and Purah. There is an altercation, and the Purah Pad falls to the ground, broken. Link departs in a huff, and the image fades to white. 

Caption: This was where he left us, or left me rather. The Sages do not hold anything against Link, but they do not understand. They did not see Zelda, in the Inner Sanctum, as he did. They do not know what he was forced to do to save them, even if it was only a puppet. You say he is missing? There is a log of his yet unrecovered that I believe may set you on the path to find him. Go, and find what you seek. 

---

Re-compilation complete: 1040802-logtypeTEXT.pkg   Recovery 100 / 100%

Log date: 10:45. 8th month, 2nd day 104AC Location: Hyrule Garrison Ruins Weather: Sunny

Short stop over in Hyrule Garrison before we head to Lookout. Tulin was flying over Hyrule Field and spotted us so he joined us on foot. One hour in and he was already complaining about how slow we move. Then he and Riju got talking about which Sage’s Vow is the best, and they’ve been hounding me for my opinion. I’ve convinced them that as Hero of Hyrule I don’t have favourites.

(It’s Tulin’s.) 

Glad Tulin and Riju are with me. Have a bad feeling, about all this. It’s peaceful being alone, but company is good too. Too many memories in Hyrule, and one over every rise and along every path, sometimes. 

One came back to me when we were exploring these ruins. I was young, when I was first sent here, though not sure how young. Did I already have the Sword? It’s all gone now anyway. 

When I was first starting out I was all brute force. The quicker boys, or the ones that didn’t play fair, always had the upper hand. One day I just got fed up. I thought I could dole out some justice. Didn’t know how hard I could hit. The first time I cracked another boy’s skull was the last… but I never really forgot the sound. 

The old me, the original Link, figured out how to quash that anger somehow. The current me is still afraid of what it will do, if pushed too far. I told Riju and Tulin all this, last evening by the fire. I thought they’d be disgusted, but Riju said I had no need for guilt, and Tulin said it was probably an accident anyway. I don’t know. I barely know anything, these days. But I do know I have friends at my side now, and ones I can confide in. Maybe that’s how he figured it out, the Link of times gone by. 

Well, present day Link has to press on, no matter what dread he’s feeling. Hyrule Castle is only a day away, and Zelda is waiting. (As is the gear she made me, hopefully) 

A photograph of Hyrule Field, with the looming Hyrule Castle on the horizon. It bleeds Gloom and beckons, forebodingly. 

Caption: I miss the times we had there.   

[ All corrupted logs recovered. ]

---

> Director’s Log, 104AC, 8th month, 10th day - It’s done. The Purah Pad put back together and given a polish thanks to Robbie and Josha respectively. 

I think I know where Link went now. It’s the only place no one thought to look, because it’s the one place we were sure he’d wouldn’t go. Zelda spoke of it, half a year ago now, and of the treasure she left him. I’m going to go there myself to deliver the Purah Pad to him, and make my apology. 

Before I go: Lady Mineru, I know you can hear me. I’m looking at the Purah Pad right now, all but talking directly to you. I have to wall you off again, Mineru, I’m so sorry. Your awakened presence in the Purah Pad is frying its circuits. I don’t know how you even got in there in the first place. Maybe you’ll tell us someday, but for now our priority must be keeping you alive. I’ll tell Link that the Purah Pad is the key to the fifth Sage when I hand it to him. I’m sure he’ll get you out of there somehow. 

I’ve also decided to delete the images you showed me of what happened in the Inner Sanctum. I don’t know how to tell Link what I know, or if I even should. But I will tell him I know how he’s feeling. We all miss Zelda, so very much. Our world ended twice over when we lost her. I can’t offer him much more than that, but I think that’s okay. Sometimes hope isn’t what you need. Sometimes all you need is to cry, and when that happens, it’s easier if you’re not crying alone. 

Okay, back to work. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. One of them will be our day. 

---

Log date: 17:10. 8th month, 10th day 104AC. Location: Mabe Village Ruins Weather: Cool.

Ah, the relief, having the Purah Pad back. You start to rely on this tech, once it’s part of your day-to-day. And there's no way to lose your memory if you write it all down. It's funny, Purah was the one who found me, in the Throne Room. There wasn’t much to say. We were both pretty sorry. Hugged it out, shed some tears, patched things up. Then I showed her why I'd returned there: the new Champion Leathers, bespoke made by Zelda. 

They fit perfect, a good blend of the old tunic and some new additions. Not sure what prompted the memory of her note about it, but I just knew I wasn’t going to let Ganondorf take that place from us. Zelda and I met there, after all, a long time ago now. 

Head’s still muddy. I don’t like thinking about what happened in there. Nearly let my anger get the better of me, nearly let it hurt my friends. I thought the Sages would abandon me for it but, they stuck by me, and carried me kicking and screaming out of that Castle. It’s so easy to let rage destroy you – when someone holds you back from that, it means something. I’ll find a way to thank them, in time. For now, I've apologised at least three times over. 

After all that, I think I’m not afraid of the anger, anymore. It’s just a part of me, as much as any other feeling. Old Link stamped out his feelings. The new one is going to try and roll with them.  

Heading south. There’s more geoglyphs that way, more ruins to explore, and pirates in Lurelin (apparently). Kind of excited about the last one. It’s been a rough few weeks. I promised the Sages I wouldn’t get too sidetracked, and would definitely find the fifth Sage in no time. But, come on, pirates! Let us have one fun thing to look forward to… 

A photograph of the waters of Mabe Prairie lake. In the reflection is Link, holding the Purah Pad, the impassive camera eye looking back upon itself. Garini of Lurelin Village is by his side, waving.

Caption: Me and my indispensable travel companion, and also Garini. 

[mondstaub1]

Fanfiction idea JaceLuke

Jacerys is a prince and a warrior and after winning a major battle he is given a beautiful prisoner

Prince Jacerys sat in his tent after having sent his generals away. They won the battle and with that the war against the greens was as good as won. Suddenly someone came towards his tent. "Hey Jace the guys and I found something you might enjoy", it was Doltan Greyjoy. Jace raised his eyebrow in confusen but backend him in. The older man came into the room with a few other men who were dragging a beautiful boy behind them. The boy had soft features, choclate brown hair, green eyes and fair skin. He was struggeling against the men and crying. "What's going on here Greayjoy?", Jacerys asked. "Your plan led us to another victory, it's time to enjoy you spoiles of war my prince.", the sailor answered, "we found the pretty one hidding from our group. We thought he might be your taste." Jace eyed the boy, only now did he notice his rather femal figure. "My taste?", Jace asked unsure. Greyjoy grinned a wicked grin. "Sure Prince", he procided to pull out a knife and turned to the boy, "You do like Valyrians, don't you" with those words he cut the boys shirt off revealing small breasts. The boy screached in panic, struggling harder against the laughing men trying to get free but without success. "Let me go! Let go! Please!", he cried but it did not help him against Dalton who then turned to cutting the rest of the boys clothes off but Jace stopped him. "Greyjoy that's enought! I appritiate your gift, you may leave us now." The man still grinned wickedly before leaving with the rest of the men leaving him alone with the boy who was now desperatly trying to cover himself up, tears screeming down his pretty face.

Jacerys sight, Dalton had been right the boy was his taste, more then that even. From the way he was built the boy was of Valyrian decend which meant that he or his offsprings could inhearit the magic such blood was said to posses. After the doom Valyrions because extremly rare, Jace family being one of the last in the known world. Moreover Jacerys still neaded a valyrion wife to keep his bloodline pure. His ex fiece Baela had become a shieldmaid and had sworn off ever having children after the death of her own Lady mother in childbirth and Baelas sister was promised to his brother Aegon. Jace looked up at the boy hands and arms covering his bare chest shaking in the cold night air. The prince took off his clock and walked towards his guest/prisoner but the boy fliched away. "Hey don't be scared", Jacerys reasured him, "I mean you no harm. Here take that to cover yourself." After a few moments of hesitation the boy took the fabric and quickly rabbed it around himself. "Thank you", the boy mumbled, "your Highness?". The last part was said like a question and Jace realised that the boy had no idea who he was, well beside the strager who had just led an army into his home. "I'm prince Jacerys Targaryen", he intruduced himself before asking, "and what do they call you?" The boy bit his lip before he replied in a quite voice barely loud enough to hear: "Luke your Highness", he hesitaded for a few secunds, "Luke Waters". Ah there was the reason for the hesitation, the boy, Luke was a bastard. Likely the bastard of a Lord considering most people did not bother with last names.

"Well Luke it's nice to meet you", Jacerys said, "I apologize for my mens behaviour. Please sit down make yourself confortable." Luke looked around shyly before sitting down on the chair, eyes looking everywhere but him. Jace hummed and said: "So tell me about yourself Luke." The boy finally looked at him "What do you wish to know your Highness?" Jacerys hummed once more: "Don't know, let's start with how you ended up here" Luke remain silent for a while before speaking: "I - I was on the way home from work, I was there when you - you and your men came and couldn't get away before, when that man saw me, he-he wanted to talk but I-I didn't. Bu-but he did not stop and the he-he touched me. Whe-when he felt my ... ", he glanced at his now covered chest before continuing, "well when he realised, he brought me to you. Said you would like me." The following silent was heavy but Jace wanted to know more so he asked: "What to you do for work?" The question seemed to confuse Luke or that he was asking but he answered anyway: "Wood crafting. I am still learning though." Interesting, Jace had to admit. A usefull skill either way. "And home? Where do you live? Any family?" The question got Luke to look at him with a suspiouses look as if he expected him to go to his home and burn it down but after a while Luke still answered: "The outskirts of the city. Can't affort more. I've got a little brother, got to bring food in, no one else will." Jacerys felt a bit guilty about how happy those news made him, gave him better chances of convincing his new "friend" of the offer he was about to make. "Your brother, does he have the same... hmm let's say built as you?" Luke tightend the hold on the fabric still covering his nude body but answered anyway: "No", his tone showed his protectiveness but that only gave Jace more information which could be used to convince Luke.

"Well Luke I have a proposal for you", Jace said, "You see valyrian blood such as ours is pretty rare and hard to find. So hard to find in fact that I have not found a wife yet." Luke pailed but nodded. "So here is my proposal," Jace offered, "You come with me, to Dragonstone. Your brother can come as well, he will be under my protection of course and he will be well cared for." For a while both sat in silents till Luke spoke up: "Do I have a choice your Highness or are you telling me what is going to happen?" "If I didn't want you to choice then I wouldn't tell you. I could just take you with me and be done with it." Jace pointed out. Luke nodded before asking: "Can I talk with my brother about it. I-I don't want to leave him and I can't just force him away. Please your Highness." Jace nodded: "You have till next morning. Come back at dawn with your answer." Luke agreed and fled the tend. Jace let himself fall on the bed wondering if he did the right choice by letting Luke go and if he would ever see the pretty boy again.

The next day at dawn a man came to him saying there were two kids asking for him and there they was Luke and a small boy who looked almost exectly like him.