#but then we'll be good the rest of the way!!

[syoddeye]

someone's probably done this but,

you're six months into seeing dr. garrick on a weekly basis. you've made serious progress. setting firm boundaries with your family, managing work stress with more grace, and finally cutting ties with that incompetent, rude excuse for a boyfriend. you actually look forward to every session.

you know you're not supposed to project onto garrick. not supposed to think about him for too long outside of your appointments. picture what he's up to, imagine his life outside his office. but when he laughs at your jokes, soothes you when you cry, or, most devastatingly of all, praises you, that boundary in your mind blurs. you want more than you should. and that's something you really ought to bring up with him.

but you won't.

which makes it all the more mortifying when, as you gather your things at the end of a session, you casually let slip, "have a good rest of your week, love you," and nearly collapse on the way to the door the moment you realize what just left your mouth.

there's a beat of silence. an excruciating, long pause where your heart plummets straight to your stomach. you freeze, fingers gripping the strap of your bag like a lifeline. maybe…maybe he didn't hear you. maybe if you keep walking or break into a sprint, you can pretend this never happened and—

"well. that's certainly a first."  

oh god.

you squeeze your eyes shut, mortification hitting you like a freight train, and slowly turn to face him. "i didn't—i didn't mean–"  

he chuckles, warm and rich, and when you force yourself to meet his gaze, he's watching you with a knowing smile. still seated, relaxed in his chair, notebook in his lap. there's something to his eyes, though.

"slip of the tongue?" he muses, tilting his head.

your face burns. "oh my god, please let me leave with what's left of my dignity."  

he laughs at that, actually laughs, and the sound does dangerous, stupid things to your already frayed nerves. "no need to be embarrassed," he says, and the gentleness in his tone almost makes it worse. "it happens. and hey," he leans into his chair slightly, smirking just enough that you're afraid of melting into the floor. "at least i know i'm making an impact."  

you make an odd, strangled sound, yanking the door open so fast you nearly stumble through it. "yeahokaybye, dr. garrick."  

"see you next week." he echoes, sounding far too entertained. then, as you're halfway out, "we'll talk about this then. in depth!"

you slam the door and hope a sinkhole swallows you on the way home.

[runes-menagerie]

"I don't we'll be visiting the Underdark any time soon but never say never and all that. We might also find someone selling the bark although that seems unlikely." Astarion replied with a shrug. He thought such a weapon could be useful but there was no desperate need for it at this point so he didn't consider it a priority.

"I saw a forge back at the grove and I remember that the Tieflings there claimed to come from Elturel. Maybe one of them knows what to do with that iron. Or at least might be willing to pay for it." he commented thoughtfully. "Either way, taking it with us seems like a good idea."

"I think it might be worth it to check the rest of the buildings. See what else we can find and maybe see if there are any clues about what happened." He said a touch grimly since he had a bad feeling about this. Too much seemed to have been left behind or unlooted.

Caligo moved closer to have a look at its content and was glad that there was more information about this ingredient. “Underdark… Haven’t heard of that… But yeah, I’d say take it with us. Perhaps at some point it will become clearer to us and we can find use of such properties.” The Tiefling was glad that Astarion wasn’t planning on adding it to their current priorities, though he didn’t think that he would. So far, his feel had been right.

He looked down at the iron bar and his eyes widened a bit. “Infernal Iron, that should be quite valuable. It’s used to manufacture infernal touched items… But not everyone can forge with this iron…” He let his dark grey fingers roam over the iron. “Hmm, it was a good call to visit this place.”

He frowned a little though. “The previous place didn’t have many valuables, but here they left a bit…” Caligo couldn’t help but be a bit more curious now to what had happened here.

[cjlouwho]

here, have some Spite! Read below or on ao3.

They should've moved to the bedroom. The bed is far more comfortable than the couch in this position but, right now, Tommy doesn't care. He's on Evan's lap, legs bent at the knees, Evan's cock buried deep inside of him.

He's got his arms around Evan's shoulders, gripping tight to keep him steady. Their foreheads are pressed together as Tommy pants, mouth hanging open and eyes squeezed shut. They’ve been at it for so long. His thighs are aching in the best way. He's trying not to come. He loves this too much. God he loves it.

The feeling of Evan all around him, inside him, taking up what feels like every inch of space Tommy has to give. He could stay like this forever.

Evan slides one hand around from where they're resting at the base of Tommy's back, and Tommy whines when he takes hold of his cock and starts pumping.

"Wanna... Wanna wait," he says, even as he fucks himself into Evan's hand, his ass clenching around Evan at the movement. "Oh, shit. Oh, fuck, Evan!"

"Baby," Buck soothes, tightening and twisting his hand on Tommy's cock, thumb gathering the precum at the head, "it's not our last time. We'll do it again." He plants his feet, fucking up into Tommy, making him moan and his face scrunch up in pleasure. "We'll do it as many times as you want," he adds with a laugh. He brings his free hand up to the nape of Tommy's neck, pulls him down for a kiss, then whispers against his lips, "You can come."

Tommy doesn't even recognize the high-pitched whimper that escapes him, his whole body shivering as he fucks himself down on Evan's cock one last time, cum shooting up onto his stomach, his chest, and coating Evan's hand.

"That's good," Buck says. He keeps stroking him, keeps fucking him, until he comes with a grunt. "So fucking good."

Tommy's resting all of his weight on Evan, his head tucked into the crook of Evan's neck. "We're still... We're still gonna do it again, aren't we?" he asks, trying to catch his breath.

"I told you," Buck reminds him, his hand rubbing up and down Tommy's back, "as many times as you want." He brings his hands down to Tommy's ass, giving him a gentle smack and a squeeze. "Birthday boy always gets what he wants."

[holyguardian]

Aerith exhaled a contented little breath, watching Alba with a small tilt of her head. If only it could feel that easy for them... to just, join in, happily, without any fear. Lucis had been full of excitement at first but then she found herself feeling daunted by so much, so soon.

Somnus must have felt it too. Like it would be impossible to ever map out this new home.

She barely got to turn around when that yelling perked her attention. "RORAN!" she called, her tone accusatory as her little brother came close to bowling her off her feet. She shocked a laugh and immediately, as if reflex, closed her arms around him in a squeezing hug.

Little man was not supposed to be here. Their mother was strict at the best of times, and look at him, flying the coop! Not that she could fault him too harshly. He didn't understand the full picture. He was shielded, as best he could be, these were exciting times where good would triumph over bad in his mind.

"I'm calling the next dragon ride you little cheek, and when I find that pumpkin I'm going to shove it on your head so we never lose you again — get back inside!" she chased him playfully, right into their father's waiting arms. The look on his face when he exited the stable to see his son flagrantly going against the rules was one she would remember for a long time.

Teeth showing in a sharp little grin, Aerith calmed a little when Somnus stepped closer to her side. Her hand brushed his, her fingers gently scooping his up to hold his hand with a small, reassuring squeeze.

"Roran is the whirlwind here, we don't have to rush. First I will take you to the barracks, the soldiers who travelled with us will get the beds inside, sheltered and warm, and then we can check in at the infirmary. They're both close walks so we don't have to go far. Let's put our minds at ease and then we will make our way inside. We'll smell ripe and awful and that's fine, we'll only be seeing my mother and no one else, and she would rather receive us as we are. Then I will show you to our room. Normally I would say it's a good time to rest before the evening meal, but I think we should get cleaned up, get dressed, and I can give you a small tour while there's still daylight. Come on." she gently pulled his hand to follow, her other hand raising to give her father and brother a wave. "We will be inside shortly. Make sure Roran doesn't let the dragon loose in the few minutes we're gone~"

Aerith guided Somnus as promised. When they reached the barracks, she respectfully remained further back, urging him to check on his men and to assess the barracks for himself. Then they changed course to the infirmary. All of the injured soldiers had already been tended to, they were in beds that looked fluffier and cozier than even those of the barracks, and they were already being assessed for potions, dressings and further treatment. It made her briefly turn her attention on him, nudging to see how he was feeling. He was good, he claimed. Better than good.

Then she was guiding him to the inner-palace. Even made to pause, coaxing Gilgamesh closer so he would have no troubles with access from the Queensguard. It was immediately obvious how strict they were — a sad necessity.

"I don't know what your normal arrangements are in Lucis, but we'll make sure you aren't far from Somnus. Eeeeeven if we have to put you in my pretty pink bedroom, but I'm certain my mother has that all worked out." Aerith spoke to Gilgamesh, apparently more than comfortable with a one-sided conversation.

"Here we are." she nodded to the Queensguard, who opened up the final door. The inner-most palace, where her mother waited with an incredibly worried look on her face. While Roran escaped, she received an update about the caravan from her elite guards.

"Oh, Aerith, Somnus," Ifalna uttered, sounding exactly as she looked, a deeply worried mother. She approached them without any titles or air of royalty, simply gathering them both into a hug. Her left arm held a strong grip around Somnus, though her right was weaker where she held Aerith. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking between them.

Aerith melted immediately. Her lips pursed as she smiled, her brows creased, and she tried her best to keep herself held together. She had been standing straight for so long, but one worried word from her mother and she felt like a delicate flower again. "Mum... we'll be okay, it's okay," she reassured, hugging her back. She cast a quick glance to Somnus at her side, cleared her throat a little. "I was going to show Somnus where our room is. After everything that happened, we really need to have a good scrub and new sets of clothes. We can talk about it later, if you want, but we could also just not talk about it too. It really sucked. Now we're home."

Ifalna gave her daughter a look. Of course she would dodge the talk, her specialty was dodging the talks. But the Queen nodded her consent nevertheless. She could get the full story from her husband, after all. "Alright. Off you go. But I do expect to see you at dinner."

There was so much to take in. Everything was familiar – and yet entirely different. Somnus recognize the way the capital was built up. Though the castle was closer to town. With higher walls. And many mor stories. Only the tower of the divine could reach that high back at home. Somnus had to make an effort not to stare with an open mouth constantly.

He tried to keep everything in mind that Aerith told him – but it was overwhelming.  Usually he was so good at retaining information… but now… Somnus was just quietly grateful he could lead Alba to a good place. The Chocobos there really were treated like royalty. Back at home the gysah greens were all they got as treats and anything above that? Somnus had scavenge for that himself. Here, they got handed produce from the endless fields beyond the walls.

The farmlands really were a gigantic basket of goods. That was what his mother had once called these lands. So fertile and giving, that the entirety of Eos could be fed here. Mayb that was an overestimation. But now Somnus really could see, why others wanted these lands so badly.

He would have to visit all these places. The Queenswoods. The Ancient Forest. If he was permitted, of course…

Alba seemed happy, squeaking sweetly at Aerith when she was fussed again, before she proudly trotted off to join the other Chocobos at the feeding trays.

Somnus looked after her for a moment, still holding onto her reigns – and hoping he would have a similarly easy introduction into the court here as his feathery friend, who was already ruffling her feathers among the others.

Just as he turned to follow Aeirth, teher was a loud yell and someone came barrelling through the guards and soldiers.

Blond spiky hair with arms thrown up and a smile so big, as if it was Roran’s birthday and nameday at once.

“AERIIITH!”, the boy knew no mercy, running for his sister and he would have probably overthrown her with a hug, had he not come to a skittering halt right in front of her. His arms thrown around her, he seemed to cuddle against her with the biggest glee.

“Finally you’re here! It was so boring! Have you seen all the soldiers gathered outside?! I flew over them with uncle Leif, I was allowed outside once! It was amazing! And we have a giant pumpkin from the harvest! It’s as big as Nidhogg’s head, you have to come and see it! And tell mom to make pumpkin soup from it, not roast it! The cooks don’t listen to me! Oh, hello, Somnus!”

Wow. Somnus did not even know what to say. The boy was like a whirlwind and Somnus could barely lift his hand, when he was passed by the prince consort, who picked the boy from the hug with a sidenoted: “Prince Somnus, Roran.”

Though there was no real scolding, the boy just continuing his laughter, when picked up and hugging his father, who tried to chastise him for not staying in the inner palace and listening to his mother.

Somnus used that opprtunity to step to Aerith's side once more, whispering questions: "Are we expected to wash and dress up first? Into what?"

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 135 (Heather's Home!)

Conrad was sitting in the kitchen with Lavender when Heather returned from Selvadorada. "Mommy!" Lavender squealed.

Heather beamed. She'd missed their joyful smiles, but she moved slowly, feeling nauseous again as her body still recovered from the spider bite. "You look a little green," said Conrad with concern.

"You should have seen me a few days ago," she mused. "It looks like the contractors finished the upstairs bedroom while I was gone."

"The snow melted just long enough for them to get it done," said Conrad, showing off the space where Ash would sleep once he returned from spending Easter with the Landgraabs. They both glanced out the windows, noting the falling snowflakes beginning to gather on the ground all over again.

Heather smiled. "Even if the snow doesn't want to leave the Bay, it feels like a new beginning. George and June's murder is solved and the town's doing okay. I'm back from vacation. New season. New bedroom."

"We've got new problems...."

Heather cocked her head in confusion. "Rafa still won't cooperate? We didn't have any trouble with cartels in Selvadorada."

"As relieved as I am to hear that, I'm worried they might've gotten to Rafa and it's holding him back. He won't give up Ximena, but I keep trying. I sent Felix to try to talk to him in Sulani after convincing Melissa didn't work."

"Felix is pretty persuasive," she said hopefully. "I saw on Social Bunny he has a new girlfriend."

"He charmed Lilith without much trouble," Conrad agreed with a nod. "But the same lines won't work on Rafa."

"You could always arrest him and force his hand," she reminded him, but she knew her suggestion would fall on deaf ears.

"It's not just Rafa and his sister," he said carefully. He didn't even know where to begin with John Brindleton's town history lesson, so he skipped it - for now. "I talked to Ash about Ben and his dog and he figured out by himself that his accident as a toddler made it possible for him to see ghosts. Felix confirmed it's the most likely explanation."

"Because he was...Oh my Watcher...So he just sees ghosts? Plural? What if they frighten him?"

"He's not even worried about it. Says he's never met a ghost that he didn't think was living. Doesn't even know if he's ever met more than Ben and Captain Whitaker." She leaned into him, feeling dizzy, and Conrad held out a hand to support her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Maybe I should lie down. Jet lag hit me on the way into the jungle, and it'll probably hit me again now that I'm home."

Conrad kissed her and put her to bed, taking Lavender to daycare on his way to work. Heather napped for most of the day, calling her parents to cancel plans to go to Henford for Easter dinner because the thought of spending an hour on the speedy Simmerloop made her feel as green as she looked. "I know Hazel's already in town for the weekend. That's good in case this is a flu or something."

"We're sorry we won't see you, but we just want you to rest if you're sick," said her father, Neal. "We'll miss your cooking, though."

"Maybe we'll make it to Henford for Mother's Day, if things aren't too hectic with the clinic rebuild."

"Get well soon, Buttercup. We love you."

"Love you, too."

She hung up the phone, content after a quick chat with her beloved dad despite her guilt over cancelling holiday plans. But she couldn't dwell for long on her feelings before she raced to the bathroom to be sick.

At work, Conrad was in the break room. While his coworkers talked about plans to celebrate his old partner Josephine's retirement party at the Salty Paw, he pulled himself away when his phone rang. "Felix! How's the beach?"

"It's not Felix." Rafa's tone curdled down the line. "He let me borrow his phone to tell you to screw off."

In the tropics, Felix rocked uncomfortably in his flip flops. "He didn't tell me that's what he wanted to say! I told him he might avoid prison entirely if he gives up his sister and he said he wanted to call you."

"And who the hell are you to promise something like that? You're just some weird lawyer who sounds a hundred years older than he looks!"

"Listen to Felix," Conrad urged, careful not to mention Rafa's name in front of his coworkers. "He's the most experienced attorney I know."

Even though Felix had passed the bar only recently, Conrad was telling the truth. He didn't know any other attorneys who'd practiced law as far back as the early 20th Century.

"If I get off with nothing but a slap on the wrist after selling my own sister up the river, the cartel will come for me, for sure."

"You said yourself they're not concerned with Sulani. I know what I'm asking you, and I wouldn't ask if I didn't need your help. She's been all but abandoned by the cartel. I'm sure of it. No one's visited her since she was put behind bars, but you know what she's capable of. You could keep her there, for your benefit as much as mine. Yours and Melissa's."

"You shouldn't have sent her here."

"But you weren't this mad when I did."

"Screw you, Conrad. And stop telling the Ngatas to spy on me. Oliana and her son come by every other day now."

"Maybe they care about you. I know what that's like."

The call ended with a click, and Conrad sighed. He was beginning to think he'd have to bring in the cartel to pressure Ximena, after all, but he didn't relish the possibility in the slightest. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 2.1 Summary

Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary

NOTE: There was already a sneaky shot of the new bedroom in the Love Day installment because making spring crafts were the only way I knew how to make Valentine's-themed artwork without mods, and I'd already done the reno in the spring save when I wanted to put that shot in.

WCIF Pose: @novapark's Incoming Puke for Heather's bathroom shot. Love it even if Heather is suffering for it; thank you for sharing!

[sailorzenin]

This is done on purpose imo. Imma put the tinfoil hat on for a second: Alberta Conservatives base their entire platform on two things: oil = good, everything else = bad. But the more important thing in this context is "Federal Government Hates Us, the rest of Canada Hates Us, so Alberta Looks Out for Itself"

In order to make this a "viable" excuse, they need people to actually hate us, because nothing works better for "Us vs Them" than visible hatred/disgust. So they put out stuff that makes Albertans look like MAGAts (weirdy just realised that slogan could work for Alberta too, now I'm sad).

Premier compares trans kids to faeces - Albertans vote her in and now we look like bigots

Farmers hold a protest where they hold up signs saying "Kudatah" during the one time we had NDP leadership - now we look like uneducated hicks

Convoy protestors get ignored at the border - MAGA anyone?

No COVID regulations - Albertans don't care about anyone else but themselves.

I could go on and on - but this stuff gets force-fed to the rest of the country - while anything good is barely, if ever, in the news. Now we look like a province of bigoted, racist, uneducated, selfish hicks. And people start trashing on Albertans, and the government goes "look, see?! They hate us! They don't want what's best for us Albertans, so vote conservative and we'll do what's right for the province".

And this has been going on for 44 YEARS!

Alberta has a reputation devised by it's own government to keep us in our own isolated bubble because it suits their purposes

The only way to counter this is to try and spread the news that we aren't the image that we've been forced into. To send out good things, and rehabilitate our own image, because the government certainly wants us to be hated.

*I know this sounds conspiracy theory, and is really just based on my own observations. I remember being a teen in the early 2000's visiting Ontario and being mocked for being Albertan. That sucked but it was eye opening to how the rest of the country sees us*

You know, as a disabled, queer leftist living in Alberta, it really fucking bothers me looking at the comments and seeing so many comments shitting on the people living here. As if we all want to secede or support Danielle Smith. Hardly. There are many Albertans living here who are BIPOC, LGBTQA+, and/or disabled. Many of us don't even have the means to leave this province or even want to. We fucking hate Smith and her ass-kissing and how the UCP has dismantled everything here. Yet some of the comments I've seen keep lumping us all in with the MAGA shits and it pisses me off to no end.

~~~~

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Can you do Edelgard, Bernedetta, and Alear with an S/O that takes them out to Stargaze in the night?

(FE:3H/FE:Engage) Edelgard, Bernadetta, and Alear's S/O taking them out to stargaze

Edelgard has looked at the stars many times in her life.

Many of those times were reminiscing on simpler days, leading to even darker thoughts.

Though this was the first time she could truly take a moment to appreciate the beautiful sight, the stars lighting the trees around her and S/O.

In who knows how long, she was able to sit down with someone she loved and be a normal girl. For now, the worries of being Emperor could be laid to rest, making Edelgard lean into S/O's shoulder.

There was no one to see her be this vulnerable, after all.

(Edelgard) "It appears tonight was the best time to come out."

(S/O) "Hm, I'd say it's average."

She turns her head to them, confused.

(Edelgard) "Average?"

(S/O) "There's actually plenty of nights where it looks like this out here. You're usually knee-deep in work to notice."

Noticing their smirk, Edelgard sighs, knowing they were teasing her.

(Edelgard) "Is that your way of saying I need to get out more?"

(S/O) "Simply making an observation, my lady."

Chuckling at the emphasis of their last words, Edelgard's gaze turns back to the sky.

(Edelgard) "I know it may be hard for you to believe S/O, but being the Emperor requires attention almost every second."

(S/O) "True, but it's good to get some fresh air every now and then."

(Edelgard) "On that, I will agree...Especially with pleasant company."

S/O smiled and leaned into Edelgard as well, both saying nothing and enjoying the rare moment of quiet.

Bernadetta yawns as she lays down onto the grass, watching as the stars glittered in the sky.

(S/O) "Soooo, glad I got you out of your room now?"

(Bernadetta) "H-Hey! I haven't stayed cooped up in there in years, S/O!"

(S/O) "But you were thinking about that, weren't you?"

Bernadetta scoffs, resting her hands on her stomach now.

(Bernadetta) "Maybe a little...But if I have you here with me then...I can make an effort to at least appreciate life a little more."

S/O said nothing and instead smiled, their hand brushing against hers.

Taking the hint, Bernadetta squeezed it back, their hands just resting in each other's grasp as they stared into the sky.

(Bernadetta) "Were the lights always this pretty?"

(S/O) "I'd say mostly. Even back during the academy, it was nice to just watch for a few hours."

Bernadetta's lips curled into a small smile.

(Bernadetta) "Is that why you were so sleepy whenever I saw you in class?"

(S/O) "Psh! As if you actually came out enough to see that. Until Ingrid kicked down your door-"

(Bernadetta) "Ugh! Don't remind me!"

The two made pleasant smalltalk under the starry night.

Alear smiled as S/O and her sat near the pool, feet dangling in the water and looking upward.

(Alear) "It's so...peaceful tonight."

(S/O) "Because the others aren't here?"

Alear nodded her head sideways in agreement, though the noise she made indicated otherwise.

(Alear) "Thaaat, and well, the Somniel is quiet anyways, usually."

(S/O) "Should we come out here to look at the stars more often?"

(Alear) "I'd like that."

Their hands laced together, Alear kicking her feet slowly in the waters, careful not to splash it on themselves.

When there wasn't a battle to prepare for, or just the usual shenanigans of the others disturbing the peace, the stars up here were quiet beautiful.

Was that because Somniel was higher up? She couldn't say.

All she knew was that she loved moments like these.

(Alear) "...How much do you wanna bet we'll have someone interrupt us?"

(S/O) "Depends. How much gold do we have saved up?"

(Alear) "Probably not enough for what you're wanting."

[venturelovebot]

Fluffy February Day Two: That One Time...

A/N: Prompts by @fluffyfebruary, written in headcanon format. Comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated but not necessary!

Warnings: None! Pure fluff!

🩷 "Do you remember that one time you tried to buy me chocolate, but you tripped and fell on the way to meet me?" You ask them.

❤️ Sloan smiles when they recall it now. At the time, it was not so funny.

💄 "Yes! I cried for an entire hour." They sigh. "How could I forget?"

💋 You nuzzle them affectionately in an attempt to dampen the negative feelings from the memory.

🪽 "You're so sweet. You know that?" You compliment them.

🌹 "Aww, shucks. You're making me blush!" They joke.

🍫 You nestle into them further and place kisses to their adorable face. Giggles bubble up from their chest from the affection.

💒 "You know what we should do? We should make our own chocolate." You suggest.

🧸 Once they're finally allowed a breath of air, they look down at you with soft eyes.

🩷 "How do we do that, though? Isn't chocolate making hard?" They wonder.

❤️ "I'm pretty sure they sell kits." You tell them. "I know that for a fact because I happen to buy one!"

💄 A smile crosses your expression as you lean into them again.

💋 "I thought it would be fun to try!" You add.

🪽 "Oooh! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" They jump up from the couch.

🌹 You chuckle at their giddiness.

🍫 "Because I wanted it to be a surprise!" You explain.

💒 They tug at your arm in excitement.

🧸 "Well, c'mon! Let's get started!" They exclaim.

🩷 They practically drag you into the kitchen behind them.

❤️ You prepare the counter for everything you're going to need: the cacao butter, cacao powder, powdered sugar and powdered milk. That's a lot of powder!

💄 "So, we'll need a double boiler for this." You mention.

💋 "What's that?" They ask.

🪽 You place a saucepan atop the stove and fill it with water. You patiently wait for it to begin boiling, and you place a smaller heat proof pan inside.

🌹 "Oh! I've seen that before!" They remember.

🍫 "Care to do the honors?" You place a knife in their hand, gesturing to the uncut cacao butter.

💒 You watch as they carefully cut everything down into bite sized pieces. Then, it slides into the pot and to melt.

🧸 "Cacao powder!" You add in a heaping helping of it.

🩷 Next goes in the powdered sugar alongside the powdered milk.

❤️ After a couple minutes of stirring, a pinch of sea salt goes into the melty mixture for an extra dash of flavor.

💄 You pour it all into a heart shaped mold to let it freeze and take form.

💋 "Wow. That was a lot easier than I expected!" They note.

🪽 "Mhm." You reach out to lovingly pinch their cheek. "Especially with my little helper."

🌹 They smile from your affection, reaching to cup your hand with theirs.

🍫 Now, it's just a matter of waiting.

💒 The two of you consistently check the progress of the freezing chocolate to test if it's ready for consumption.

🧸 And, finally, after your patience seems to wear thin...

🩷 "It's so good!" They shout.

❤️ They stuff their mouth with more heart shaped chocolate pieces, but making sure to leave some for you as well.

💄 You understand the enthusiasm as soon as you taste it. The waiting had certainly paid off.

💋 "Don't make your tummy upset!" You chide them.

🪽 They never, ever seem to listen when it comes to sweets, though.

🌹 "I won't, I won't!" They brush you off.

🍫 It's only when you forcibly remove the treats in front of them do they realize how narrowly they avoided pain this time.

💒 "I told you!" You sigh. "Now go wash your hands, let's make dinner together."

🧸 A bead of sweat forms on their forehead. Even if they avoided the pain of a stomach ache, they still ruined their appetite for the rest of the day. Good going, Sloan.

🩷 "Yes, cariño..." They nervously smile.

[welcometoteyvat]

finally typing up my late lantern rite thoughts (very long). overall 100/10 quest I love hu tao

The amount of Xingqiu's brother mentions were insane. Surely we'll see him either as an NPC soon, right? Right? /j Honestly here he sounded pretty competent, nothing like "a simpleton" like Xingqiu's troubles voiceline suggests hmm...

The little model animations were SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. contributed a lot to the experience and made it feel so much more alive. hu tao's expressions especially, but also yun jin's expressions, and Xiangling's "come back, get over here and eat!!!!!1!1!!!" was also really fucking funny. they've been adding these small animations for a while but this event specifically had so many of them and the effort paid off <3

in a similar vein I'm impressed how smooth the animation/model actions were when Xiao put the sigil on us

hu tao lan yan and qiqi fill in the gap fic please

timaeus is kind of silly, also very funny he and ying'er still going strong 2 years later. he's literally learning liyue language for ying'er? genuinely his dedication is impressive. they should make events replayable because how will everyone who missed 3.5 windblume know why timaeus simps for someone a whole country over

we finally know what the fake chinese characters in all those liyue signs represent (kinda ig). I need to look over this part again

if hu tao&/xiangling or hu tao &/yun jin stocks on ao3 don't increase after this I will start biting. MY GIRLS T_T T_TT_T_T_T_T_T_T. bro the farewell section was so tender I enjoyed it greatly. Their relationships with each other got developed on screen.. yun jin and hu tao's banter especially was really cute and really shows us their relationship aside from the hints in their VOs

YUN JIN OPERATIC HILITUNE ON SCREEN. the fanvid of it from bilibili can finally rest, thanks for your service, canon got here 4 years later.

Yun Jin, having practiced the tao dou opera, MUST have known something correct?? or else she wouldn't have asked hu tao so many times to promise to come back, right? She trusts Hu Tao so much :'''' . if Hu Tao says she can handle it, Yun Jin knows there's no stopping her, and she will find a way, but it doesn't stop her from worrying nonetheless :''').

hu tao's death flags during part 2......

my agenda is speaking, but I wish Xingqiu and Hu Tao directly talked during the farewells section. something something chivalry and sacrifice. Hu Tao makes her peace with giving up everything to resolve the Tao Dou issue, but is Xingqiu at peace with losing a friend even tho its selfish of him to want her to stay? he has personal stakes in this please just let them talk a little

I'm really really glad they went through with the death, they showed Hu Tao's emotions, they showed her father and grandfather waving her off. I broke, she looked so tired but satisfied (thinking about her vision story, where she waited so long for her grandfather to never appear vs him visiting her for just a brief moment here)

my other favorite shot is when traveler pulls her out and she looks at them in muted surprise. she just looked so sad and fragile and in need of a hug :(((

the Themes (waves hands wildly). hu tao's father's lingering regrets were his fatal flaw, and so Hu Tao settles her affairs properly and steels herself before going to die. she leaves behind the plum blossom branch just like her grandfather left his hat.. genuinely what the hell. the parallels between her cutscene goodbye and her saying "happy lantern rite" kills me

the epilogue last year with the fontaine tourists was pretty fanservicey, and tbh the epilogue the year before was also somewhat fanservice to me, (liyue gang dinner and zhongli venti teasing) though I liked it better. However I think this epilogue was actually really good— the hanging out and the fluff felt natural, it fit with everything else and wasn't super sudden. Maybe this was because of all the setup that happened (Yun Jin and Xiangling's promises to Hu Tao, Xiao and Yelan's dynamic built up in Perilous Trails and their earlier exchange), so the payoff is good instead of forced. After the trials and danger they got put through, everyone gets a chance to relax, and I appreciate the slice of life after the main plot. also Yun Jin's opera was crazy good considering it was not a cutscene, the animation and camera angles really sold it

I thought the special guest was xiao again, like how LR 3.4 had him dragged to the harbor by Hu Tao.... xiaolan banter was also v good though.

THE ADEPTI. they're still watching over Liyue in their own way :') the affectionate bickering about hu tao's name :''''''''

I barely mentioned lan yan in this... her part was pretty minor ngl, her habit of learning everything about a person to the point of sounding a bit creepy is kind of fun though.

alright. fantastic quest absolutely no notes I got almost everything I ever wanted and I am so glad Hu Tao had such an incredible 2nd story quest. chongyun and shenhe exorcist lantern rite next year?

[lunarruled]

At the mention of it getting dark and the rest of their little group not being able to see those dead things, Kyleigh couldn't help but smirk a bit. That was when her lycan senses would finally be of some good use even if she had to keep them hidden from everyone. She would be able to detect them from yards away, hear their shifting feet, and smell their horrible stench well before anyone else. Her only issue was finding out a way to keep them all safe without giving her away her secret.

So she just nodded along in agreement with Rosita, happy that for once she wasn't going to have to be the one to plan everything. And incredibly relieved that she was finally surrounded by smart people. What they didn't need was Warren jumping in with his damn two cents every single time one of them spoke, but with a glare she just decided to ignore him and give her new friend a little bit of help.

"I was with a couple of people before I got pushed into this camp. We were keeping shelter in an empty warehouse on the outskirts of town before those things overtook us. Rosita's right, we need to stay away from the major streets and neighborhoods. That must have been where it all hit first. A vehicle might help, but we need the quietest one we can find." Right at the time this all started she had been traveling around with her prized car but by now that thing was either stolen or still sitting in back of that warehouse she had been camped in.

Proud of herself for never relying on things like electronic G.P.S., the half lycan reached into her bag and pulled out a map she had bought at a gas station right when she arrived from out of state. "This should help us, but we need to make sure we have light to read it. Flashlight, matches, melting crayons, whatever we can get our hands on." If she was alone she could use her ability to read in the dark without issue, but around them she was going to have to pretend to be like everyone else.

"So the best bet is for us to get the hell out of here as fast as we can, carrying light and only the essentials." Looking around to make sure no one else was watching them, Kyleigh unfolded the map and placed it on the empty chair beside her.

"We are here." Her index finger pointed to the camp. "About a mile up through the woods to the North there should be a small river. If we get separated on the way out we meet there. It's easy to find, even if it's dark. Everyone take a look at the map and we'll decide where to go after that."

"Then let's get to planning our escape. We'll be screwed if we don't do this thoroughly. It'll be dark around 6:30 or 7:00 PM. The night shift starts at 5:30 PM, meaning if we're lucky, we get one and a half hour of daylight. Sounds like plenty, but who knows if we'll find a car and how easily we'll find shelter. Those things eat flesh, so they probably can smell us and get to us while we won't be able to see them when it gets dark", Rosita reminded, expression grim.

She hoped that someone in this group knew something she didn't, because she feared she wouldn't be able to contribute much to the plan. Ironic that she was doing so much of the talking and reminding when she didn't know jackshit. Maybe she was about to get herself killed because God knew how many angles you had to consider when escaping a military camp.

When it came to the layout of this town, she knew nothing. She had been traveling with the military and gotten stuck here in this camp in the city outskirt when things went to shit. If they wanted to have a shot out there, they needed someone who knew how to navigate the town.

"Is there anyone who's familiar with the layout of the town?" Rosita asked the group. "We need to take less popular routes if we want to make it. Any common paths will probably be infested with whatever those damn creatures are. And most buildings and houses will probably be full of them, too."

Warren nodded in agreement. "No matter how clever you think your idea is, a bunch of people probably had it, too."

Pfft, Rosita thought. His comment wasn't helping although it was valid. People got themselves killed because they thought no one else had the same idea.

A moment later, he added, "I don't know anything about this area. I don't know if it helps, but I am familiar with some areas of El Paso, I've worked on an engineering project along the Rio Grande a few years back. Marvellous experience."

Espinosa nodded, "Sounds like a start. But we need to get an idea of the layout around here. What about you, Irina, Kyleigh, do you know anything? Or maybe know where we could get a map? Anything that would help?"

[angelhummel]

i watched mattress today for my rewatch with my sister and its such a joyous episode and so fun and then there's that one dramatic interlude somewhere in the middle and its like they were acting down for what??? for a fake pregnancy and stealing quinn fabray's baby

[starry-bi-sky]

pouring one out for luo binghe in my disciple SQQ fic, poor guy has taken a backseat here. we're nearly 30k words deep and he hasn't even shown his face once. it'll be much longer before he even actually talks to Shen Qingqiu.

(i say im pouring one out but in reality im sitting in my director's chair chewing on a cigar and wearing a beret as he tearily and unsuccessfully pleads with me for more scenes with Shen Qingqiu)

[sainz100]

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen in Tokyo ahead of the 2016 Japanese GP | x

[time-travel-trio]

(Kieran sits down next to Skyfire, mindful of the blood on the ground.)

"I know. I know you want to rest. I know you're tired. Arc, I can see that so clearly."

"But I also know you are good, Skyfire. Maybe not in the ways you were raised to think ya should be, but in other ways. An' those 'other ways'? They're the ways that matter to us, see? You're doin' the best ya can, with the hand you've been dealt in life. An' that's all we ever wanted from ya. That's all we'll ever ask of ya. To just try your best."

(Kieran hesitates, before putting one of his hands on one of Skyfire's paws.)

"For what it's worth, I always found ya to be pretty great. Dusk an' her sisters never really trusted people that easily, 'cause of things they've had to deal with. But they trust ya with their lives, enough to call ya 'Uncle Skyfire'. That ain't an easy feat. You should be proud. You're so much more than the odd one out. You always have been."

"I know it's hard for you to believe. I can see that, clear as crystal. But you got a whole group to remind ya of it, anytime ya forget that you're okay, just as you are."

(A portal opens up in front of one of Research Station 1, with Dusk and Twilight coming out of it. Kieran's there, too, even if Dusk looks hesitant for him to come along.)

"Kiki, you really shouldn't come along, your ankle-"

"Duskie, I promise ya, I'm fine. Got a proper brace an' everythin'. I can walk. I wanna see Skyfire, too, thank 'em for helping out. An' make sure they're okay, 'course"

"Let's hope we can find them. Dawn was really mean to them, and that post they made was... really, really worrying."

[ @time-travel-trio ]

The first to greet them was Giratina, who was unusually nervous looking. She floated over to the group, her snake-like form gliding through the air. She stopped to look at the group, concern clear in her expression.

"Thank you for your help. I have not been able to find them at all." Giratina explained

[buckingham-ashtray]

imagine many many decades from now after we're all well dead a descendent of steven moffat or whoever discovered and released the top secret file containing all the answers to all the bbc sherlock fuckery BUT BY THEN WE'RE ALL FUCKING DEAD

[melonthesprigatito]

Me, a Pokémon fan who has also played Yokai Watch and Yokai Watch 2: Psychic Spectres, watching my fellow Pokémon fans freak the fuck out about Pokémon Legends Z-A only being set in Lumiose City: You know there are other monster collecting games that have no issues putting a full Dex worth of monsters into a game set in one city, right?