#fingers crossed it's mostly coherent

[elany]

Let's do this then =D First a disclaimer and a bit about my methodology because while the math here is very barebones I want to at least explain what I was doing. Essentially I picked a few ships in different fandoms, calculated the percentage of E and M rated works in the tag, then compared that to the percentage if at least one person in the main pairing is trans, using the "Trans Character A" OR "Trans Character B" filter. I didn't look at non character specific tags such as Trans (Male) Character because I didn't want too many false positives. Since this was part of what I was initially interested in, I then also compared the percentage of mpreg works within those featuring a trans character to the percentage in the ship tag overall. Another note, I'm using the word 'mpreg' because that's inherently what we're talking about, but I found out that only around 20% of works tend to be tagged with 'Mpreg' as opposed to 'Pregnancy', and since that is also the parent tag it's what I had been filtering for. Then, because that's what the OG post was about, I also looked into how often Character A is headcanoned as trans vs Character B.

As for the disclaimer - I redid all of it yesterday, in part because the last time I did this the intention was only to drop the results in a gc and it shows lol, in part because I was curious if anything's changed, but mostly because I'm boo boo the fool who never wrote down which fandom some of this data is even for.

Now for the actual numbers!

I started with two Genshin Impact ships because I figured that's a good baseline for current fandom trends. One that's slightly more recent and another that includes a character I've seen thrown around in the tags a bunch. So;

Alhaitham/Kaveh (Genshin Impact)

All works: 14,589 | E/M: 38% Works where either is tagged as trans: 461 or 3% of all works | E/M: 70% Of those 40 or 9% are mpreg, compared to 2% in the ship tag overall. Meaning those make up for 13% of all mpreg works in the ship tag. Trans Kaveh was tagged 316 times, trans Alhaitham 188 times, 43 works were t4t So right off the bat we get some stats that, spoiler alert, will become a pattern. Works centring trans characters are nearly twice as likely to be rated E or M than the ship average (and most of those are Explicit, like, it's not even close for most ships). Second, works featuring trans characters comprise a disproportionally large amount of all mpreg fics, compared to the overall percentage they make up - in this case 13% vs 3% - altho this particular stat varies greatly from fandom to fandom. It's going to be lower with some. But it's also going to be much, much higher with some others.

Diluc/Kaeya (Genshin Impact)

All works: 8152 | E/M: 55% Works where either is tagged as trans: 186 or 2% of all works | E/M: 89% 22 or 12% of those mpreg, compared to 4% in the entire ship tag. They make up for 7% of all mpreg. 128 trans Kaeya fics, 74 trans Diluc fics, 16 t4t This is by far the horniest tag I looked at lol. 55% is a staggering number and while it's literally impossible for it to meet the 2:1 e/m ratio of most other fandoms, by gods, a solid attempt was made. 89% huh. Nobody here's interested in writing anything but smut. This one also continues the pattern of works centring trans characters being 3-4 times more likely to be mpreg than the average, and one person being portrayed as trans far more often.

Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Critical Role)

This is one of the ships I originally looked into. Nothing's really changed since. All works: 4076 | E/M: 33% Works where either is tagged as trans: 224 or 5% of all works | E/M: 74% 11 or 5% are mpreg, compared to 0,6% in the ship tag overall. Meaning that works centring trans characters make up for, deep breath, 42% of all mpreg fic in the tag. 5% of all fic is trans. 42% of all mpreg is trans. 63 trans Caleb works, 194 trans Essek works, 33 t4t Yeah idk what to say other than there's a reason I was already looking into this one 4 years ago.

Kabru/Laios (Dungeon Meshi)

All works: 628 | E/M: 48% Works where either is tagged as trans: 64 or 10% of all works | E/M: 89% 6 or 9% of those mpreg, compared to 5% in the entire ship tag. They make up for 20% of all mpreg. 62 trans Kabru works, 7 trans Laios, but 5 of those are transfem Laios. 5 t4t Smaller sample size means that the numbers are a bit more all over the place, but congrats to that one person in the tags that fully predicted the 9:1 split.

Now for a fandom that I thought might shake things up a little, because it's the first one on this list where the top/bottom dynamic is heavily implied by the source material and where the supposed bottom is canonically a bit baby crazy.

Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian (The Untamed/MDZS)

All works: 45,505 | E/M: 38% Works where either is tagged as trans: 444 or just under 1% of all works | E/M: 64% 70 or 16% of those mpreg, compared to 4% of all fics in the ship tag. They make up for 4% of all mpreg. 208 works tagged trans LWJ, 290 works tagged trans WWX, 54 t4t The fact that fics centring trans characters make up a relatively small percentage of all mpreg fic is not entirely surprising in a fandom this big on (magical) baby acquisition. So the most interesting part about this one ended up being the relatively equal number of trans fics for both characters, which I wasn't entirely expecting from a fandom where the source material already comes with certain BL tropes.

And now for the crown jewel of this entire thing. Going in I already knew approximately what results I'm likely to get, so I was a bit blase about everybody in the the tags saying jayvik. I figured, surely it's not any worse than the rest of them. I was wrong. I would like to formally apologise to jayvik shippers, y'all really are fighting for your lives in the trenches.

Jayce/Viktor (Arcane)

All works: 9616 | E/M: 47% Works where either is tagged as trans: 1262 or 13% of all works | E/M: 80% 53 or 4% of those mpreg, compared to 1% of all fics in the ship tag. They make up for 36% of all mpreg. 205 trans Jayce fic, 1199 trans Viktor fic, 142 t4t 1199 trans Viktor fics and basically all of them just porn. Whew. 36% of all mpreg. Whew. I mean it's not reaching the heights of labru and shadowgast in their respective departments, but it's the combination that's the real kicker.

And you might be looking at this thinking, well, it's not really that bad. These are all pretty small numbers, 9% is hardly an epidemic of people writing trans men as baby making machines. And yeah, when you're looking at all the thousands of works available it doesn't seem that bad.

But when you're browsing a 'Trans [Character]' tag and every 7th fic involves them getting pregnant? When half of the entire 'Pregnancy' tag is trans men? When the rest is just extremely heteronormative PIV smut? And the only characters portrayed as trans men are short and skinny and have long eyelashes and their more traditionally masculine counterparts are being headcanoned as transfem??

That says something.

I know this is only a handful of fandoms and you're welcome to add more! Please do! But personally I don't have the spoons to keep looking into this right now and getting hit over the head with the same pattern over and over again. 80% porn. 4 times more likely to involve pregnancy. That 9:1 split. jesus h christ

It's really fucking annoying shipping an mlm ship and everyone in the goddamn universe is like "the bigger stronger one is a dominant cis man who tops and the smaller weaker one is a submissive trans man who bottoms :)"

[your-highnessmarvel]

Insatiable

AN: No one asked for this but the Butcher brain rot is crazy and i can't stop myself. Alas, I couldn't resist so welcome to the madness. Anyway, I went insane and absolutely wrote a devoted piece to this man. Jesus help me.

Warnings: dub-con (use of sex pollen-ish mind control), smut, fingering, language, and Butcher is a warning in and of itself.

MINORS DNI Below the cut

"I'm not wearing any underwear."

The admonition echoed in the habitat of Butcher's Cadillac like a bird's call. Even the sound of leather on leather, as the man sitting beside you slowly turned to examine you, wasn't loud enough to get the stupid ringing out of your head.

This had all started off like a bad scab you thought was healed but wasn't, and now it was bleeding all over your favorite pink pull.

Hughie and MM had uncovered a rightful piece of Temp V hideout; a Supe's mansion on the Upper East Side who, just happened, to be throwing one of his renowned "XXXchange" parties for Supes and their pets (this was how it was described on the e-vite MM hacked).

This Supe, still unknown to everyone because he kept the mansion under a random woman's name, was supposedly a Seven-in-the-making, as Hughie put it. If he could prove himself, he was next in line for a comfy beige seat in the Tower. So hence, him keeping and distributing Temp V to teens and young adults who didn't know any better.

So what had been Hughie's grand ol' plan? Bring you in. As the newest Supe member of The Boys, no one had yet seen your face. No one even knew of you. You were a low-level "barely considerable" Supe...as Butcher had put it the first time he blew the hinges off your front door.

Your power wasn't really a - well, a power at all. It was mostly an advancement, an intellectual add-on, or a sixth sense. You could read lies. More coherently, because someone with a beard and a giant stick up his ass didn't understand correctly--you could tell when someone was lying.

You weren't really an attribute to the team when it came to brute force. You left that up to Annie and Kimiko. But you had your perks, and since you were still under Vought's radar, you could slip through the cracks and get intel for the Boys.

Now why was Butcher with you, the most notorious Boys' member? Well, one might say he was eager to see your 2-hour fight training in practice, but really, it was because he "didn't trust a dumb twat with highly sensitive information and tech". His words.

So he'd garnished a Tommy Bahama blouse with pink flamingoes and palm trees and a matching set of swim shorts, sunglasses, and a stupid bright pink bucket hat that was way too small for his big ass head.

And now here both of y'all were, headed to the Upper East Side, dressed like a hooker and a pimp. Annie had insisted on this get up, a tiny, tiny pink skirt, a white bikini top, and a pink cover up with flip flops to finish off this fucking look. Because apparently, no one would let you in if you weren't A) a Supe and B) not dressed like a House Bunny.

"So you're tellin' me," Butcher drawled as the New York skyline darkened, "that your bare pussy is suction-cupping my leather seats?"

You crossed your arms. "I'm sitting at an angle."

Butcher slapped the wheel. "You should've told me earlier!" he laughed. You frowned in return when he swivelled that giant head of his towards you. "Come now, if you're not wearing panties, why should I, eh?"

"You wear panties?"

He hummed, regaining control of the road as the car slipped passed the last townhouse to enter Mansion Ville.

"I like you, little Truthteller," he mumbled to himself. "Thought you were a bit worthless at first, but you might just prove yourself tonight!"

You didn't dare answer the last bit, instead focusing on the details Annie and Hughie gave you before you flip-flopped your way into Butcher's passenger seat (and did absolutely not suction-cup his leather seats).

The idea was to go in and place a few bugs in and around the mansion in key locations. You could try to figure out who the Supe was or even find out where he stashed his V, but it didn't matter. The Boys would find out over the bugs.

The mansion Butcher parked the Caddie in front of was like a cookie-cutter version of the 90s PlayBoy mansion.

"Alright, love," Butcher sighed, killing the engine and stepping out, rounding the nose of the car to open the door for you. "Give 'em a nice peek of that minge, eh?"

You blushed from head to toe, a torment of fire assaulting your skin until Butcher caught on and chuckled low in his chest, helping you step out the car with his hand.

You still hadn't gotten used to the crass words that could tumble out of his mouth like vomit.

He guided you to the entrance, where a man dressed in black boxers and a black neck tie asked for your invite number, which you recited from the one Hughie gave you.

Then he asked, "And which is Supe and which is pet?"

You blushed even hotter. "Um." Your throat got sticky and dry all at once. "I'm the Supe and he's my... um, he's my-"

"Her pet," Butcher interrupted with a wide smile, the sunglasses hiding the glint in his eye that was surely showing. That ridiculous bucket hat made him look almost two heads taller than you as he bent down to whisper in your ear, "bark, bark."

You groaned inwardly as you lead him into the foyer, where a sprawling staircase lead to a mezzanine and a mahogany banister and a wide archway gave way to a mess of bodies in the living room.

"Oh my God," you mumbled, turning away from the onslaught of legs and arms and slithering bodies like a pile of snakes.

"Oh, nuh-uh," Butcher chuckled, grabbing you by the shoulders, steering you right into the mass of party-goers, moaning and groaning and thrusting into one another or bouncing on top of each other like mad dogs. "If you want to play the part, you have to look the part." His mouth was right next to your ear, and for some reason, the breath caressing your skin sent a slowly gliding shiver down your spine.

Why was this happening?

You felt the flesh melt where his fingers lay, clutching at your shoulders, pulling your coverup off of you.

"Butcher," you said, stopping his hand.

He shook his head. "Show them what you got, mama," he whispered again, the rough of his beard tracing against your cheek. He scooped the coverup off your shoulders and threw it across the room, leaving you in your bikini top.

Butcher had never seen you so exposed before. You'd always worn pants and t-shirts around the safe house, so watching all that bare skin available to his hungry eyes flipped a switch in his head.

A woman, tall and elegant, cream skin and sultry black eyes, approached you before Butcher could do something stupid. He straightened up, lifting the sunglasses from his nose.

"Miss, look at you," he cooed.

Miss was naked. Someone had left a bite mark on her right breast, just above her peaked nipple. She was so long-limbed and beautiful, and the sight of her naked body made you turn away instinctively.

"I like you," she said, voice low and husky, like a purr.

"I like you too, sweetheart," Butcher answered, the heat of his body completely leaving you as he zeroed in all his attention on the naked, wanting lady before you.

She huffed. "You're great too," she answered, and when you turned, her lascivious brown eyes were settled on you. "But it's her that I want."

Butcher gasped and then erupted in laughter, taking the bucket hat off his head and putting it to his heart. "Woah, I never imagined I'd see this in my lifetime."

The other woman smiled slowly and you gulped. She was pretty, but she was also not part of the mission.

So you back-peddled.

You put a delicate hand to Butcher's arm, digging your nails into his skin, and put on a lovely, sweet smile for the offering girl. "That's nice of you," you said, voice sultry like a wet candy cane. "But we're more interested in watching." As you said this, you dropped into your act as best you could, mustering up the strength not to blush but to play the part of the sex-obsessed Supe.

She brightened up at this, gesturing to Butcher. "Well I could fuck him while you watch," she suggested.

Butcher's body tensed up against you and he turned to you. "Please say yes," he mumbled.

You smiled, throwing him a glance. "Both of us are watchers," you corrected, watching as she bowed her head, a lustrous gleam in her eye.

"It would've been a pleasure," she said before walking away.

When she was climbing onto another woman's lap, Butcher grabbed your bicep and brought you into a corner, sheltered in the dim lighting of the room, smothered under the moans and groans and the sloppy sounds of...intercourse.

"You were this close to fulfilling a fantasy of mine," he groaned, and when you looked up, he looked more angry than turned on.

"We're not here so I can watch you have sex with a woman, asshole!" you gritted between your teeth. ''We're here to plant bugs and find some V."

He huffed, rearranging his Tommy Bahama. "I'm obeying just because you're wearing this outfit," he grumbled, following you as you led them into the next room.

A kitchen, stock full with boxes of canned beverages and food platters.

"Okay, here." You pointed to the dinner table in the adjacent room, a teakwood marvel that surely housed a few meetings or two.

Butcher expertly placed a bug under the table.

You meandered safely through the house, planting bugs in various living rooms, meeting rooms, and spare bedrooms. Whenever some couple or lone masturbator dedicated their attention to you both, you pretended to watch, Butcher enlacing you in his arms.

It's only then you noticed how tall, how big this man was. He was easily dwarfing you by just standing there, your head against his chest, his fingers drawing lazy circles against your exposed spine.

When the onlookers would pass, he'd chuckle as you pushed him away like he was a booger wall.

But the more you traveled in the house, the more people seemed to stare, wanting, questioning. So you ended up holding Butcher's hand, at his command: "Wouldn't want the lovely ladies stealing you away, eh?"

And hand holding turned into his arm around your shoulders, the tip of his very long fingers ghosting your breast.

"Let's go upstairs," he whispered in your ear once he'd bugged up the toilet.

"Ew, no."

He sucked his teeth. "I mean," he gritted, pushing you up against a wall when a man with a considerably large strap on made his way towards you. Butcher bent down, squeezing the breath from your lungs as he grazed his mouth on your bare shoulder. He pressed a featherlight kiss, all while observing the passing man, dragging his lips up to your ear. "We should go bug up the rooms, eh? Maybe see if we can find this cunt's V supply?"

You nodded, a wicked shiver pebbling your flesh.

Butcher blew cold breath onto the thin line of saliva he'd left on your skin. "Cold?"

You swallowed hard. "Let's just go."

He chuckled as you grabebd his hand and led him back to the stairs, galloping up to the second floor.

Truth is, you'd never imagined Butcher like this. He was so arrogant and he loved to make people jump out of their skins by how uncomfortable they were with him, but you'd chopped it up to the old chip on the block; Butcher pushing people away to keep himself safe.

So when the Boys had initiated you, you'd figured it'd be best to steer clear from this tyrant of a man. He was way older than you anyway, and he was always calling you every name in the book except your government given one. And he was always dismissing your ideas, so you'd always assumed he had an image of an immature little girl in his head.

But he'd dreamed of you more times than he cared to count. The messed up parts of his brain, where most of it was left behind in his old life, conjured up hauntings of you every night. Of those soft, plump lips whenever you'd eat cherries. Of your legs in your pajama shorts and your giggle when Kimiko signed something stupid. Of that perfect little body of yours.

"Okay, in here." You interrupted his chain of thought, the one that was going to crash into a puddle brains that would eventually leak out of his ear.

You lead him into a room, which turned out to be some kind of antechamber with a hearth and a giant portrait of a small, bald man.

"He looks like a mouse," you muttered.

But Butcher froze, tearing his hand away from yours. "Oh, fuck me," he groaned, putting his sunglasses and hat onto the low table. "That's the fucking Seducer."

Your skin crawled. You turned, examined Butcher's expression as he leaned against the far wall. "This cum guzzler is the one trafficking V?" he thought to himself, just as you asked, "who's the Seducer?"

Butcher turned to examine you across the room, lit by a few lights in the sconces. "He's the world's number 1 date raper," he answered, frowning. "This guy can intoxicate the female species into a mad heat, like dogs."

"What?" You frowned.

Butcher walked a bit closer, turning his head to watch you out of one eye, like a bird. "Yeah, he secrets this hormone on a whim and boom, bitches go mad for his dick."

"Oh." You swallowed, turned to push the handle of another door, leading to a darkened room fit for a king. "I think this is his room."

Butcher muttered behind you, "Lucky guy if you ask me."

"Trouble getting women, Butcher?" you asked absentmindedly as you entered the dark room, lights from the lawn outside filtering milky-white through the windows, illuminating your path like a trail of snow.

Butcher followed, closing the door behind you. "Not really," he answered, immediately pulling cubbards and drawers open. "The ladies love me."

"Oh, yeah I bet," you muttered, pulling open the wardrobe. A loose floorboard creaked loudly and you froze, turning to meet Butcher's eye.

He scrambled to where you stood, pressing on the floor and repeating the awful creaking sound.

"Pants jizzer must be keeping the V under his floor," he mumbled, pressing until at least 6 floorboards rose from the ground on one end, a whole door to the underside of the Seducer's floor.

"Bingo," you giggled, helping Butcher pull the damn thing open. But there was nothing there, only an empty black space that could've fit maybe two people, gaping at you like a dark maw. "He must have transfered them," you whispered.

"Or he's trafficking other things," Butcher replied darkly.

Just as you were about to close the floorboards, a loud thud rang out in the antechamber. You froze, listening, until a feminine giggle made you and Butcher lock eyes.

"Get in," he whispered, motioning to the black pit under your knees.

"In here!?" you whispered tightly.

Whoever was on the other side was making their way towards the room, painstakingly, and this was not the place you and Butcher needed to be found.

"Yes, fuck, get in," he insisted, and your heart thudded so loudly, so harshly against your throat you thought it would burst right out through your chest.

Shaking, you got into the little space, falling onto your back because you couldn't see where this thing ended. As soon as you got your hair out of your eyes, Butcher was tumbling onto you, closing the floorboards a millisecond before the bedroom door burst open.

Sound was immediately muffled, like being underwater, and the only thing you could hear was your breathing. Butcher's breathing over you. Your heart in your throat, nauseating you, the adrenaline rushing like a flood in your veins.

Butcher's chest heaving against yours, the entire length of him pressed up on you like a heavy blanket.

"Get off," you whispered, feeling the heat of his forearm next to your head.

"There's no space," he grumbled, his voice catching on your cheek, your neck, as he tried to maneuver himself every which way that meant he wasn't pressed up on you, but he was just so damn big, like hiding with a grizzly bear, that whenever he tried to move, he just ended up being half on and half off you.

"Fuck it," he grumbled, pressing one hand under your thigh, wrenching a gasp from your throat as he placed himself comfortably between your legs.

The pressure of him on your bare bottom half made you freeze, heart hammering like an angry drum against your ribcage. The way you were positioned, thighs wide open, knees bent each side of his waist, made the skimpy little skirt bundle up onto your tummy, leaving you completely bare.

"Hush up, little thing," Butcher whispered in your ear, holding himself up on his forearms as not to crush the breath out of you. But his voice was wretched, pulled and tight, no doubt reacting to the heat he could feel through the thin fabric of his swim shorts.

The noise overhead intensified; a moan, a few garbled words, thudding.

"They're going to do it while he lie here," you whispered, hands balled up by your sides.

Butcher chuckled silently, breath fanning your neck. "So we really are voyeurs."

You smiled, holding back a giggle until a heavy thud caught your attention and the voices suddenly got a bit clearer. They were right over you.

A woman's voice floated through. "How ever I can serve you, Seducer."

The last word made your insides coil in fear. It looked like this woman was answering a command from the Seducer himself, the man who owned this house, who trafficked all the V and worked with Vought.

"Fuck," Butcher muttered. "This is worse than I thought."

"Why?" you asked silently, your fingers trembling against your thighs.

You felt him bend forward, his body tight like a rod. "This is going to hurt, love."

And just as you were about to ask what he was about to do, a soft pang echoed in your lower belly, like someone had tied a rope to your bellybutton and pulled. You squirmed, the thudding overhead leading back to the bed.

The pulling again, making you heave in a breath, squeeze your eyes shut. "No, no, no," you muttered, feeling an ache build between your legs, a force pull through your veins like molten honey.

The Seducer was using his power. And it wasn't just affecting the woman he was with... it was starting to affect you.

You felt yourself clench on nothing but air when the ache throbbed against your clit, like an invisible vacuum seal had closed over it, and you lifted your hips off the floor slightly.

Butcher immediately grabbed your hip, bringing you back down forcibly, sending a new wave of heat, of ache, of hurt through your body just at the touch of his bare fingers on your bare hip.

"Don't," he breathed, his word clipped. "Don't do that."

He could feel the heat of you through his shorts, just how impossibly hot you were, probably dripping from the Seducer's power, and the little control he exhibited around you was pulling quite taut.

"It hurts, Butcher," you gritted through your teeth, hands settling on his shoulders for support as another wave of need, of painful, painful need, throbbed through your body like a pulsing nuclear explosion. Your legs tightened around his waist, nails digging into the fabric of his Tommy Bahama. "Make it stop," you pleaded, heaving, throwing your head back, bucking your hips to get the pain to stop. Just stop.

Butcher huffed, cradling your face, his insides in turmoil with his brain. God had given him such a gift right now, a chance to take you, mark you as his, finally fuck that perfect little body--and he didn't know if he was man enough to stop himself.

You groaned in pain, subconsciously grinding your bare pussy against his thigh, searching for any kind of friction, of relief. Your skin was so hot, sweat beading your forehead as you braced through another wave of this unknown ache, throbbing relentlessly against your clit, deep inside you, just grazing your g-spot.

Your fingers balled into fists against his shirt, your face finding his chest, and you sobbed, "Make it stop, Butcher, please, it hurts."

You weren't aware that your hips had started grinding against his thigh, the knee he'd placed between your legs for leverage. And just the fact that he could feel his shorts getting soaked had him straining against the stitches of his sanity.

"There's only one way," he breathed against your ear. You sobbed, heaving, breathing raggedly, grinding so hard on his knee it was almost pathetic. "Are you sure you want to try?" he asked, voice trembling.

You sniffed, hung onto his neck for dear life. "Please, anything, this is--ah--this is unbearable."

He bent his head, mumbled for God to forgive him, and then pressed a deep, hard kiss on your lips, pressing you back into the floor completely. Somewhere above him, he heard a woman moan loudly, but the only thing that registered to him was the way you clung to him like a pawing animal.

A strangled moan, quiet and restrained, left your throat, caught behind your teeth as he ravaged your mouth.

"N-no," you mumbled. "No."

He pulled away, kissing your jaw, your neck until your were humping his thigh like a woman gone mad.

"This the only way, little Truthteller," he murmured in your ear, dragging his knee away and feeling your entire body go stiff against him.

A whine, like delicious music, lifted to his ear and he groaned inwardly. He had to convince himself he was doing it for you, but half of him was delighted at the idea of finally having you. Like a meal he'd been mouth-watering over for some time, and now it was fresh and warm right in front of him.

"I need," you muttered, groaning through another wave of the Seducer's power, your hips bucking into nothing. "I need..."

"You need to cum, little dove," Butcher whispered, caressing the side of your face and you shook your head.

"No."

"Yes, love," he muttered, tracing the line of your neck, down your chest until he softly cupped your breast.

A quiet moan rippled along your throat like a symphony to his ears. He played with your hard nipple through the fabric until he pushed it aside and replaced his thumb with the warmth of his mouth.

"Fuck," you whispered, pushing against his shoulders. "This is wrong." Your voice was so thin.

Butcher lapped at your nipple like an ice cream cone. "Want me to do this to your pretty little pussy?" he mumbled, and the crass words sent a hot wave of need pulsing painfully between your legs.

His other hand skimmed down your side, over the swell of your hip, and down to where you needed him most.

When he swiped a slow finger across your soaked folds, the grunt that left him was purely predatory. "You're so fucking wet," he whispered, to the accompanying sound of your panting. He brushed his thumb across your clit, holding you down as you jolted, flicking his tongue against your nipple.

"Butcher, please," you begged.

"Billy, love," he whispered, raising his head to kiss the corner of your mouth, brushing his thumb against your clit once more to capture your gasp in his kiss. "Call me Billy."

You gripped onto his shoulders, feeling the wide, powerful muscle of his right hand playing with you.

He pressed three fingers flat against you and you bucked, searching for more, as he circled slowly, starting you off.

"Say it," he commanded quietly, circling your clit faster.

"Billy," it came out as a whine and he groaned lowly, capturing your lips and kissing down your throat. The way his fingers played you like a harp wrenched a pornographic moan from your throat and immediately, Billy put a hand over your mouth, the skin between his thumb and forefinger snug under your nose.

"Quiet for me, little Truthteller," he whispered.

He moved his fingers to your entrance and slipped one in so easily it was almost embarrassing. He cooed at you, gliding his finger in and out so slowly it was almost arrogant. "So fucking wet, this perfect little hole."

You keened, squeezing your eyes shut at his crude words, searching for more friction until the heel of his hand pressed snuggly against your clit.

Your hips moved on their own, bucking against his hand as he pumped his finger, faster and faster until your pants turned into hyperventilating and your legs started to close around his hips.

"Got my whole hand drenched, pretty love," he whispered. "That perfect little cunt can handle another finger?"

You preened against his hand, your sounds muffled against his large, meaty palm and he chuckled at you.

The second finger was a tighter fit, his thick digits spreading you and squelching into you slowly.

"Ah, there's my girl," he moaned in your ear. "Fucking my fingers like a good girl."

You wanted to tell him to quit teasing, to bring you to orgasm as quickly as possible because the heat stirring under your skin was insatiable, but you didn't understand how much Billy was enjoying himself. He didn't know when he'd get a chance to have you so willingly spread open for him again, or if he'd ever get the chance again. So he savored this moment like a dying man's last meal.

He let you adjust to his fingers, fucking them into you, palming your clit before he thrust in another finger, opening you wide to him. You gurgled against his hand, muffled moans and pleas stuck behind his palm.

He didn't miss just how tight you were around his fingers, how snug and warm. "So tight, my little love," he cooed, thrusting his fingers in and out slowly, enjoying the way your hips bucked.

The sloppy sounds of your cunt sucking on his fingers drove you mad and a hot, painful knot formed in your belly, pulling and tugging at your insides.

He felt you trembling, your orgasm on the horizon, and he lifted his hand off your mouth, capturing your lips in a warm, sloppy kiss.

"Want you to cum with my name in your mouth," he mumbled, almost incoherent in his chase for your climax. He pressed his thumb to your mouth, opening it, listening to your panting, your quiet moans as he fucked his fingers into your cunt, pressing down on your clit, rubbing it with his palm.

"Billy," you breathed. "Billy. Billy." Like a mantra, a prayer.

"That's it, my pretty girl," he whispered, thumb on your tongue, fingers fucking your pussy until that knot in your bely tightened impossibly and your legs went numb. "Cum my pretty dove, gush all over my hand, come on now."

He grunted against you, and somehow, that guttural, manly sound made stars explode in your belly and you came, shuddering his name quietly, over and over and over until the pleasure had seeped out of your veins and you crumbled back to the floor. You felt his fingers slip out of you, his wet hand pull your knee apart, press against the meat of your thigh, spreading you wide, wide open.

He slithered down your body like a snake, pushing you up against the confines of this box until you felt the warm breath of him against your clit. When he lapped at you, humming around your hole like a satiated man, you mumbled his name, searching with your hands until you grabbed onto the thick strands of his hair. Panting, you mumbled his name again.

"Just having a taste, love," he mumbled, sucking on your over-sensitive clit until the heat came blasting through you again, all over, like you were under the Seducer's spell again.

"Fuck," you gritted, biting your lip, caging in the awfully loud, guttural moan that wanted to spring free.

Billy grabbed onto your hips, holding them down, his forearm over your belly like an anchor.

"One more, little Truthteller," he mumbled, flicking your clit with his tongue, his beard scraping on the inside of your sensitive thighs.

"Billy, please," you whined softly.

"Always wanted a taste," he said. Not a lie. "Always wanted to tongue-fuck this perfect hole." Not a lie.

He pressed his tongue flat to your clit, sucked and nibbled on it until he pressed his tongue right into your cunt, fucking you with his tongue like he'd promised. The mix of his hot breath, his tongue inside your walls, his thumb working on your clit made all your senses flush full of adrenaline. Bucking against his face, you rode his mouth until another flash burst through you and you came all over his face, grinding down on his nose until the last waves of your orgasm had left you.

When he climbed back over, kissing your belly, your nipple, covering you with his warmth, you were just a numb shell of the girl you were when you walked in here.

Billy kissed your jaw, your neck, stroking your hair as you regained your senses.

Whoever had been overhead had gone. It was completely silent. And it left you wondering if that last wave of need had been the Seducer's spell or Billy's.

"We should go, love," he whispered. "Before I stuff you full of my cock and have you cumming on it for the third time."

His filthy mouth brought you back to your body, cold and sweaty and oh so comfortable with two orgasm singing in your veins.

"Yeah," you whispered as Billy pushed the trap door open, peaking out to make sure the coast was clear, and then hopping out. He helped you out with his hand, gentle and calm, smoothing down your hair, covering your nipple, patting down your two-inch skirt.

"I've made a real good mess of you, love, eh?" he chuckled, standing and taking your hand. "Was I a good pet?"

[taste-in-music]

my top 10 songs of 2024

picks 11-30 beneath the cut

30. Divine by Saleka, Kid Cudi: Before watching Trap by M. Night Shyamalan, I knew it was part thriller about catching a serial killer, part vehicle to launch his daughter Saleka’s singing career. After watching it, I was a certified stan of father and daughter alike, because I don’t care about the nepo baby allegations when the music is this fucking good. (I also had a blast with the movie. Must a film “make sense?” Is it not enough to watch Josh Hartnett go berserk at the in-universe equivalent of the Eras Tour?) While Saleka created an entire album of bangers for her fictional pop star Lady Raven, “Divine” has to be my pick off the track list, a silky-smooth R&B crooner with an energetic thrum to make it appropriate for both chilling out and throwing back. Saleka isn’t the first to compare a love affair to a divine calling, but she does a great job of actually capturing the intrigue and transcendence evoked by the metaphor, and she also has great chemistry with Kid Cudi. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel to Trap, partly because I'm always down to watch Josh Hartnett go berserk, but mostly because that means we'd probably get another album from our corvid queen.

29. Scorsese Baby Daddy by SZA: SZA comes in right under the wire once again with a release in December, making my job a lot harder, because if SZA drops new music, how could I not include it on my year-end list? It’s hard to say which track of her SOS deluxe album LANA is going to stick in the zeitgeist, but my immediate pick is “Scorsese Baby Daddy,” which was so immediately addictive that I listened to it 20 times in a row when it first dropped. SZA treads familiar lyrical ground on the song, grappling with insecurity, unapologetically pursuing amazing sex, and spiraling into emotional attachments. “Addicted to the drama,” she sings in tandem with the song’s title, batting away the self-chastisement with the heady rush of a new love, “doing the most” and hoping it isn’t too much for her lover to take. Much like my list pick off SOS, “F2F,” I love how “Scorsese Baby Daddy pivots SZA’s sound towards a loping rock palette, a swaggering drum kick fleshed out with guitars and more affirmed vocal delivery. Sonics aside, it’s SZA’s conviction and blunt honesty that makes the track one of the best of the year, even if it arrived the latest.

28. Tough Love by Gracie Abrams: This song could’ve been a ten second voice note of Gracie Abrams saying “No chance I’ll waste by twenties on random men / Not one of them is smarter than all my friends” and it still would’ve made this list. Abrams’s Swiftian mode of detail-laden songwriting doesn’t always cohere for me, but on “Tough Love,” they map out a chilly post-breakup night in Boston. Killing time on a bench by the river. A ripped jacket. Her ex kicking her in bed while sleeping. Aaron Dessner’s production captures the melancholic expanse of these experiences: atmospheric drones with a hint of warmth, the gentlest swell of strings. It allows Abrams’s storytelling to shine, celebrating female friendship and the newfound independence of young adulthood, reveling in its thorny edges and small joys. “Tough Love” is the gentle smack upside the head, the reminder that no matter what useless boys might throw your way, you never have to take it on alone.

27. It's No Fun by Grace Enger: Enough about romanticizing my life and daydreaming about unrequited crushes! Only Grace Enger is brave enough to tell it like it is about wanting someone who will never want you back: it's no fun. Like her previous best track “The Neighborhood,” Enger ups the ante behind her singer-songwriter schtick on "It's No Fun." Her acoustics get a little crunchy and electric, her voice rises to a frustrated belt, the drums clammer in like a pounding heartbeat. “In my eyes, you’re the sun,” she sings, “Think you liked the way I spun and spun and spun around you.” The only way to keep yourself from getting sucked back into the toxic cycle is severing the ties, and Enger dramatizes this in one of the most cathartic bridges this year, describing the fury at having to take the high ground, break off the friendships, and pursue reconciliation all on her own. Just because the love isn’t mutual doesn’t mean that your heart won’t break, and I’m grateful for songwriters like Enger that transform these feelings into songs I can scream along to to get to the other side of it.

26. DENIAL IS A RIVER by Doechii: I was embarrassingly late to the Doechii train. While I had heard praise for her latest record Alligator Bites Never Heal throughout the year, it took watching her electric turn at NPR’s Tiny Desk to finally get off my ass and check out her music. The song that lit the fire was “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” a dialogue between Doechii and an alternate persona dramatized as a rapped conversation about her life until now and her current mental state. It doesn't just offer bouncy flows, memorable punchlines, and sparkling chemistry, but a great place to start if you’re also just now catching up with the Doechii phenomenon. Her free-flowing narration is basically a "previously on..." segment, covering catching up with an ex’s side piece over Zoom, being thrust into the spotlight in the wake of viral success, and coping with the stress through less-than-sustainable means, culminating in a breathing exercise where Doechii dramatically dry-heaves into the mic. Doechii’s raw wit and charisma as a performer is impossible to deny, and I won't make the mistake of being behind on her releases ever again.

25. Truth Or Dare by Tyla: One of the most exciting rising figures of pop music in 2024 was South African amapiano star Tyla, who broke through onto the Billboard charts last year with the splashy jam “Water.” The self-titled debut album came in 2024, and with it a cavalcade of sexy, sumptuous music perfectly crafted for glitzy nights on the town. “Truth or Dare” first popped out to be when I saw Tyla’s set at Lollapalooza, where she delivered its silky beat and hooky melody while dancing atop a giant tiger in a marble printed bodysuit with a team of backup dancers. On the song, she cuts into an addressee that dismissed her in the past but is suddenly all up over her now that she’s successful. “Dare you to forget / That you used to treat me just like anyone,” she reminds them with a voice like sugar viper venom, “Is it true you care? / Now that you see the love from everyone.” It’s that touch of spikiness within the sensuality that lends the song its magnetism, a raised brow daring you to keep coming back for more.

24. Right Back To It by Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman: “Right Back To It” was easy pick for one of the best songs of 2024 the day it came out. Mind you, that day was January 9th. Nearly an entire year later, that first impression hasn’t faded in the slightest. With her quiet confidence and knack for serene folk compositions, I’m convinced Katie Crutchfield could write poignant yet down-to-earth crooners about complicated relationships and the passage of time in her sleep. But “Right Back To It” is no snoozefest, it's vivid and homey, all tangy banjo and canoodling guitar with a steady foundation of bass to anchor it into the earth. Crutchfield’s vocals are a warm hug, her signature rasp melding perfectly against MJ Lenderman’s subtle harmonizing. But what makes the song particularly special is how it articulates what it's like to have someone with whom, no matter how much time as passed or how many conflicts arise, you can return to with certainty and stability. “You just settle in like a song with no end,” Crutchfield says, knowing it's something to hold close to her chest: “if I can keep up, we’ll get right back to it.”

23. Check by FLO: British trio FLO are on a quest to bring the sultry sass of 2000s girl groups into the 2020s, bursting onto the scene with the cheeky confidence of divas that have already been slaying the scene for years. Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma, and Renée Downer wield their supple triad harmonies into sticky hooks that rival the best songs of the era they pull from. Is this song catchy? Check. Are the harmonies on point? Check. Is it one of the best pop songs of the year? Check. The lyrics focus on the post-launch vetting process of modern dating, the narrator ringing off each desirable quality of her new beau like she's scribbling it in a heart-locked diary with a glitter gel pen. He’s trustworthy, loyal, spoils her, and pays for their dates. Finished off with perky squiggles of guitar, gossamer synths, and a locked-in drum groove that begs for hip swinging, it’s a song that matches the boy toy described, “a perfect ten.”

22. Yeah x10 [MIXED] by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Boys Noize: It’s hard to write about a song off the Boys Noize-remixed version of the Challengers soundtrack in isolation, because my enjoyment of that album is deeply wrapped up in how every song on it flows together. But amidst the pulse-pounding thrum of sultry electronics that comprise the record materializes the particularly insidious hook of “Yeah x10,” built around the simple refrain of the songs title. I can’t tell you how many times this year I mumbled “Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah” under my breath as I typed up essays, folded my laundry, or took out the trash, infusing these mundane tasks with the badass bitchery of Tashi Duncan and co. That’s the power of this song, it’s two-clap pop-and-locking, the sly swerves of car tires skidding across pavement, all ratcheting up to a fever pitch of static before it locks back into a catwalk groove. With this song yeah-yeah-ing it’s way into your ears, for a moment, we all get to be part of the hottest movie of the year.

21. THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS by Bon Iver: “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” hit me late in autumn, as most of Bon Iver’s music does, ushered in by chilly November winds and existential agony over what the hell I’m going to do with my life. It nestles comfortably within the established Bon Iver sound—folky guitars, crystalline textures, alto pontification from Justin Vernon. “I’m afraid of changing,” he admits, and this anxiety over stagnation saturates deep into the song. Lyrically, he bends platitudes backwards into modes of self-examination, “I get caught looking in the mirror,” “I got caught compiling my own news,” pursuing an explanation for it all. The song’s title offers up a hazy gesture towards the interconnectivity that links our lives together, echoes of history swirling into the edges of our reflection. “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” is as comforting as it is confounding, a reminder that we cannot move forward without looking back, looking in.

20. Sucia by Empress Of: Just one of the many sensual pop gems on Empress Of’s forth record For Your Consideration, “Sucia” pulls apart from the rest of the pack by being one of the most unapologetically dirty songs of the year. “I’m’a roll around in it,” Lorely Rodriguez taunts over a filthy combination of churning bass and grumbling vocal samples that’ll get your ass shaking. Throughout the song, she alternates fluidly between English and Spanish, and boy howdy am I glad I sharpened my language skills while studying in Spain this year, because it means I can furiously blush along to her lyrics, which are bonkers explicit and so so fun. “I can’t keep clean when your face is between / Cuando estás entre mis piernas” makes me feel like I need to take a goddamn shower. “I smell your sweat / You’re so hard / to forget” is the lyric break of the year, slipping by so slyly you might miss the double entendre. “Sucia” ecstatically revels in the dirtiness, celebrating the pleasure it brings, polishing away the grime to reveal the sparkling pop gem at the core.

19. Motorcycle by Remi Wolf: I usually turn to Remi Wolf’s music for rambunctious production and boisterous energy, but on “Motorcycle,” the butter-smooth ballad that lands smack dab in the middle of her latest album Big Ideas, she chooses to take things slow. It’s truly special when the moment of reprieve on a pop album hits just as hard as the bops, and on “Motorcycle,” Remi Wolf’s minimal approach works wonders. Every detail is perfectly curated to supplement the sensual, balmy atmosphere, a sly shuffle of bass, a sprinkle of snare, a wa-wa-ing synth. The details are languid and sun soaked, smoking on the roof sans bikini top, watercolor puddles, the ordinary romance of positing “we could get a dog.” It’s hard to make comfortable rest as compelling as bombastic breakups or chaotic crushing, but Remi Wolf pulls it off. What’s the good of all that drama if there isn’t a great song to play over the end credits? “Motorcycle” is the sound of the breeze rippling through your hair as you ride off into the sunset.

18. bye by Ariana Grande: It’s a bold move to have the first proper song on an album be all about endings, but Ariana Grande pulls it off on her spectacular seventh record eternal sunshine. Despite the tragedy of the song describing a breakup, “bye” is a downright joyous listen. Like other titanic entries in her catalogue, such as "Honeymoon Avenue," "Greedy" and "Into You," "bye" transforms Ariana’s familiar realm of modern R&B-pop and infuses it with a timeless, exuberant extravagance off the bouncy horn accents, disco-dappled synth swing, and punchy strings. It’s the perfect backdrop for her to reframe the details of a breakup with a soft smile, her friend Courtney pulling up in the driveway, moving boxes, anticipating the moment in the future where she can "look back with love." Despite the controversies and Broadway blockbuster adaptations that shaped her public image in 2024, Ariana Grande sounds wholly comfortable and secure in the choices she narrates here. At this point in her career, she has nothing left to prove, but that doesn’t mean she can’t keep raising the bar regardless.

17. Juna by Clairo: Living up to the title of the album it hails from, Clairo’s sweet little indie hit “Juna” is reserved yet effortlessly charming, infusing her cozy bedroom-pop aesthetic with swanky jazz ornamentation. “Juna” shimmies and sparkles with lush details, glistening keys, velveteen-soft guitars, and a silly yet sumptuous mouth-trumpet solo. Clairo’s delivery throughout the track is reserved, almost hushed, like she’s whispering lovestruck confessions right into your ear. “You make me want to buy a new dress,” she whisps, before infusing the sweetness with a subtle sensuality, “you make want to slip off a new dress.” The subdued, rich orchestration of the song lends to its palpable intimacy and shimmying anxiety of recognizing just how well somebody knows you, how exciting it could be to eventually see more of them. “With you there’s no pretending,” Clairo affirms. “Juna” feels warm and familiar, but also opens up a new dimension to her sound. Despite the lingering shyness, she comes off more assured in herself than ever.

16. Better Hate by Jessica Pratt: My adoration for Jessica Pratt’s album Here In The Pitch was a slow burn this year. While opener “Life Is” captured my attention back in July, but it was the follow up of “Better Hate” that fully enraptured me and kept me coming back. The song's composition is dark yet sumptuous, like pitch black velvet, and inscrutable yet delectable mode of chamber pop infused with a lively bossa nova swing. Pratt’s voice careens out of the tapestry like it’s pouring out of a gramophone in the corner of an attic, welcoming the listener to ponder the nebulous lyrics on self-recognition and a relationship in question alongside her: “I’ve been clear before / what’s the longing there? / Just a sad case, I’m nobody’s fool.” Do I know what that means? Not completely, but I believe from the conviction of her delivery that Jessica Pratt does. In the meantime, I’ll have to keep letting this song welcome me into its enigmatic depths, parsing for meaning in the darkness. If we're all here in the pitch, we might as well get comfortable.

15. cherry cola by Devon Again: This might just be the poppiest pop song of the year, in title, subject matter, and sound. I started bumping Devon Again’s “Cherry Cola” back during the Summer, and in the months since, its pulse-pounding, explosive sugar rush hasn’t waned in the slightest, each repeated spin as fun and fizzy as the last. Every time I hear it my heart feels too big for my chest. Or maybe I'm just overcaffeinated, much like Devon Again herself. The song abounds with sweets-studded details of a whirlwind romance that’s almost too intense to bear. “Loving you is like sipping on straight syrup,” Devon Again belts on the chorus, “Cover me in in candy / I’m so lucky that I get to know you.” The production lives up to that description, reducing the thrill down to sticky pop concentrate. Every synth, cymbal hit, and flourishing swarm of guitar builds up and up to an impossible height, the carbonation foaming up over the lip of the glass and cascading over you for a taste of bubbly joy that you’ll never forget. Shoutout to @bellamysgriffin for putting this on my radar.

14. Theater by Etta Marcus: Etta Marcus busts down the door on her debut album The Death of Summer & Other Promises with “Theater,” an avalanche of drama and panache you’d expect from the song’s title. Lyrically, she recounts putting on a performance of perfection and nonchalance for her partner, and as the song progresses and the instrumental escalates, the reality of the situation peels back and back until there’s nothing but an empty stage and glaring lights laying her desperation bare for everyone to see. “I wanna be loved,” Marcus confesses with the power of an entire breath as the drums crash in, “I wanna be loved / Like right out of a movie where I’ll be the star.” Imagination is a powerful and necessary tool for us to picture the best for ourselves, but it can’t stop the pain which comes with returning to reality and all that idealism fades away. “Theater” is the song for that first breath of realization, the daydream and nightmare slamming up against each other in one of the best power ballads of the year. A round of applause, now, everyone, for the damn good show.

13. Ever Seen by beabadoobee: Even as beabadoobee continues to come into her own as a singular singer-songwriter and bona-fide rock star, working with the likes of Rick Rubin, I must confess that my favorite music from her will always be her adorably earnest synth pop tracks, like those from her 2021 EP Our Extended Play. Thank goodness she still offered up some of that on her latest record This Is How Tomorrow Moves with “Ever Seen,” a song so ridiculously lovestruck and adorable that it makes me both euphorically gleeful and jealously infuriated. The song captures the feeling of gazing into your lover’s eyes so hard you can feel hearts blooming in your pupils like a cartoon character, a gauzy whirlwind of fluttering guitar strums and beabadoobee’s cotton-candy wisp of a voice. She alludes to deeper reasons why this relationship means so much to her, but at the end of the day, it distills down into a single detail: “He has the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.” And sometimes it really is that simple, the act of seeing, of being seen, that mutual recognition that’s simply electrifying in such circumstances. Isn’t that what love is all about, at the end of the day? Until I’m able to find such magic in the real world, I’ll just have to keep returning to this song to remind that it’s obtainable in the first place.

12. The Architect by Kacey Musgraves: Kacey Musgraves writes an open letter to a higher power on “The Architect,” wrestling with the desire for there to be “blueprints or plans” that would imbue her life with a deeper meaning. Whether you’re religious or not, I think there’s something universal in this feeling, the clutching for an explanation of life’s haphazard mechanics and boundless beauty. Musgraves scales these emotions from a single sweet apple to the Grand Canyon to her own face in the mirror, her clarion voice set against a gentle rollick of simple strummed guitar. My favorite touch are Daniel Tashian’s backing vocals, a voice in the distance that seems reachable one moment and invisible the next. The song finds fruitful ground in the ambiguous confluence of fate and free will. “I thought that I was too broken / And maybe too hard to love,” she sings in the song’s final verse, “I was in a weird place, then I saw the right face / And the stars and the planets lined up.” Whose face is it? The architect’s? A lover’s? Her own? Even though life’s grand plan remains out of reach, Musgraves relays how, every so often, we can still find moments where everything seems to make perfect sense. 

11. Docket by Blondshell ft. Bully: “Docket,” Blondshell’s one-off single in collaboration with indie rocker Bully, takes the award for my favorite opening line of the year: “I said ‘Don’t shake my hand it’s wet’ he said, ‘I’ll kiss it instead’ / He said ‘I saw the whole show,’ I’m not scared of the sweat.” There’s an allure in someone cutting through your excuses and wanting you for everything you are, no matter how repugnant it can be. On the rest of the song, Blondshell and Bully unpack a doom spiral of sex and guilt amidst life on the road, parsing through the desire for closeness and distance, marking down hookups on a checklist of obligations to smother the self-loathing. “It’s cruel to let you love me” they harmonize at the brink of the chorus, remembering the partner waiting for them back home, “I don’t want what I need.”  The song animates the whirlwind of shame and half-satiated lust with scorching guitar riffs and screamed backing vocals pushed deep into the mix, the admission of guilty conscious clawing to the surface at the shoulder-shrug declaration at the end of the chorus: “My worst nightmare is me.”

Honorable mentions: "Down Bad" by Taylor Swift, "Do you wanna" by Astrid Sonne, "Comin' Around Again" by Amber Mark, "Love Me Not" by Ravyn Lenae, "Pushing It Down and Praying" by Lizzy McAlpine, "Whatever Forever" by Ber, "Houdini" by Dua Lipa, "Big Love" by Suki Waterhouse, "Touch" by Katseye, "Cha Cha" by Sophie Hunter, and "Sticky" by Tyler, The Creator, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne.

And that's the list! In a year where the blockbuster releases didn't let up for a second, I'm sure I missed a lot of great stuff. Please let me know what your favorite songs of 2024 were!

Thank you all for the support for this blog throughout the year. Here's to 2025 being just as amazing for music.

Much love, TIM

[midgardianminx]

Reckless Abandon

Pairing: Hobie Brown x female reader

Summary: You and Hobie had "grown up," but that doesn't mean you're immune to making some questionable decisions.

Rating: Explicit (18+) - Smutty smut. Minors be gone.

Notes: Listen, don't fuck in grimy venue restrooms. You don't know the last time they've seen hot water and a mop. Written on my phone per usual. All mistakes are my own.                                                

Cross-posted on AO3

You and Hobie had long outgrown your wild youth. Still fun, but less reckless. It’s what happened right? Just a typical progression of life. Plus your wild past had thrown you into large responsibilities earlier than either of you had planned. But you’d both been able to grow and adapt together. 

It had been years since Hobie played a gig. Sure the group would get together every now and then when schedules allowed in order to let off some steam and practice their old sets, but performing gigs had not been a priority for a long time, but this opportunity was one Hobie couldn’t pass up. The gig was at your old stomping grounds and everyone was able to get together for it. Hobie had been buzzing with energy the entire week as the gig approached. It was a small show, mostly for old time’s sake, but the excitement was palpable. 

You could tell Hobie had been nervous upon stepping into the venue, but as soon as Hobie stepped onto what was considered to be the “stage” all the nerves evaporated. Hobie settled into that old persona so easily and it was captivating to watch. You’d found yourself almost breathless at his presence, he’d always been a force to be reckoned with, but over the years you’d forgotten just how striking he could be when he commanded the stage. Then he found you. The lighting in the room was shit, but that didn’t stop his eyes from locking onto yours. This was the person you’d spent the last decade plus with, but fuck if that look didn’t go straight to your cunt. And he knew, he fucking knew exactly what he was doing. 

…which is how you found yourself here. Bent over, skirt hiked up around your waist, palms pressed to the graffiti covered wall with Hobie thrusting deep inside from behind. 

“Fuck love, squeezing me so tight. Better bite down harder on that belt, the whole fucking place can hear ya whining for my cock. Bet there’s a line outside right now, knowing exactly what you’re doing right now.”

You couldn’t help the flutter of your walls at that. The thought of being caught had always been something that turned you on, and Hobie had always used that to his advantage. 

“Fuckin’ knew it. Still just as filthy and needy as the day we met eh?”

A needy whine slipped from your lips, Hobie’s belt nearly slipping from between your teeth. You couldn’t form a coherent thought if your life depended on it. Your orgasm was barreling toward you. Hobie knew all your tells and reached his hand around and put those fingers to good use, knowing exactly the pressure and pace to apply to your clit. And you were done. Hobie’s belt clattered to the floor as you let out a cry. Words incoherent, begging for more while it was simultaneously too much. 

Hobie was right behind you, his pumping becoming erratic before he found his end. You could feel his hot cum spilling out of you and dripping down your thighs. “Fuck…so fucking perfect. Makin’ a mess all over me huh love?”

Hobie pressed gentle kisses down the back of your neck as he eased out of you, using his fingers to push his cum back inside of you, causing your whole body to shiver. When he finally spun you back around to face him, the world had begun to come back into focus and though your chest was still heaving, your breathing was slowly starting to mellow out. Your cheeks were heated and your legs were quivering. Yeah you’d just been thoroughly fucked in a dingy bathroom, but you felt so good, so safe, so loved. It’s how you’d always felt with Hobie, and although you’d both grown and evolved over the years, that part had never changed. 

“Right love. Now that the whole place knows how good ya are to me, let’s get you home so I can really take my time with ya.”

[inquisimer]

at the risk of jinxing myself. I think. maybe. I have it figured out

the unrelenting urge to throw out 4k of a wip because whatever is going to make it work is just out of reach

[cmncisspnandmore]

Coming home to you: Part 3

A/N:This is a short one, im sorry it's taken so long to get out, but ive been struggling a lot. I'm trying to get back into writing, so just hang in there.

Pairing: John Price X Wife!Reader

Warnings: Smut

Word Count: 1.2k

New to the series? Catch up here: Part 1. Part 2

Your mouth clashes with John’s as he pushes you up against the wall, your legs wrapping around his hips as he presses into you. “Fuck…” he groans against your mouth. His chest heaving, as he nips at your bottom lip.

“John….” You moan softly, your hand tangling in his hair as his hands knead at the flesh of your ass. 

“Missed you,” he hums, as he trails a line of kisses down your jaw to your neck. His lips are warm against your overly sensitive skin. You missed him too, missed the way his rough hands felt along your skin. The way he smelt of cigars, and his favorite cologne, woodsy and spicy.

John groans, his hands holding you up as he walks you through the house, his boots thumping on the old hardwood floors. You wrap your arms around his neck as he carries you up the stairs towards your bedroom. A small shriek leaving your lips as he tosses you onto your bed. His blue eyes meeting yours, a primal hunger in them. 

“What are you waiting for?” You tease, your fingers finger the hem of your shirt as he kneels on the bed. His fingers twitch at his sides as you slowly slide the fabric up, and pull it off. Revealing your lacy bra, your chest heaving as his fingers find his belt. The soft tinkling of metal as he undoes it. 

“You vixen,” John growls, his large calloused hands grabbing yours as he leans over you. Pinning you against the soft mattress. Heat flushes on your cheeks and it takes a moment for you to realize he’s using his belt to secure you to the metal bed frame . The leather biting against your wrists as you tug on them slightly. John’s hand trails down your arms that are stretched over your head, goosebumps erupting over your skin. The warmth of his hands on your body sending shivers of pleasure through you. 

“John…” you moan, your bottom lip catching between your teeth as he leans down, his facial hair tickling the side of your neck as he kisses it softly. His teeth were nipping softly at the exposed skin there. Every coherent thought leaves your mind as he trails his tongue down your neck and glides it over your exposed collar bone. 

“You make the prettiest sounds,” his voice is gruff with lust as his hands grip the soft flesh of your hips. 

“Please…” you whine, lifting your hips off the bed as best you can despite his hands keeping you mostly in place. 

“Use your words pretty girl, what do you need?” John murmurs against your skin, as he trails down your bare stomach to the waistband of your jeans.

“I want you… I need you… It’s been too long..” You whimper as he moves his hands to the button of your jeans and pops it open. 

“You’re a needy little thing aren't you?” He smiles at you, pulling your jeans and panties down your legs in one swift movement. His fingers tickle the soft flesh of your thighs as he gently nudges them open. 

“You were gone.. For a while… It's only understandable that I missed you..” You breathe, pulling against the belt securing your wrists. 

A small smile crosses John's lips as he leans down pressing his lips to yours. The kiss quickly becomes all tongue and clashing teeth as John’s mouth consumes yours. It seems like only moments pass before he reaches up, unclasping the belt around your wrists and lets your arms free. 

Your hands drive into his hair, tugging on the soft strands. His own hands gliding down your body to the apex of your thighs. He slips a finger between your folds, a desperate moan slipping through your lips as he traces slow circles on your clit. Heat floods your body as he continues the agonizingly slow circles. With a sharp tug you pull back from his mouth, a thin trail of saliva trailing from your lips to his. 

“Fuck baby, please don't make me wait anymore. I need you. I need you so bad,” you whine as you grind yourself against his hand. 

John looks down at you, sitting back on his heels as he slowly strokes his cock with his hand. His fingers wrapped around his thick length, a bead of precum leaking from the red tip. You pull your bottom lip into your mouth as you watch, your chest rising and falling rapidly as you take in the sight of him. All hard muscle and a smattering of scars from years of service work. He was breathtakingly handsome, and it made your heart swell knowing that this man who seemed to be handcrafted by Greek gods was yours.

You push yourself into a sitting position and reach forward grabbing him by the shoulder as you pull him back down. His arms caging you against the bed as you lay back on the plush pillows. Your lips meet again in a messy kiss, as you spread your thighs to accommodate him. Your legs wrap around his lower back as his cock nudges your entrance, as your tongues battle for dominance. John quickly overpowers you, his teeth nipping at your bottom lip pulling a sharp gasp from you as he slides into you. Your gasp is cut off by a loud moan as he fills you, the stretch of his cock causing a shudder to wrack through you.

“Fuck baby, you feel so good, so tight for me,” John grunts as he slowly rocks his hips into you.

With each thrust the burning desire in your stomach tightens, your hands clawing at his back. “Faster please,” you whimper against his neck as he leans down. His hot breath fanning over your overheated skin. 

John gives a grunt of acknowledgement as he picks up his pace, his hips slamming into yours as he places a hand around the base of your throat. Much like he did when he kissed you this morning. But this time he squeezes firmly, not enough to fully cut off your air but enough to restrict it some. Pleasure buzzes in your brain, your eyes rolling back into your head.

“Such a good girl, taking my cock,” He breathes, his hips faltering as you tighten around him. His grip around your neck loosens as you suck in a breath, oxygen flooding your lungs. 

“Fuck im close,” you moan, and once again he picks up his pace. The lewd sound of skin on skin fills the room, and the coil inside you snaps. Your walls flutter around Price, coaxing his own release. After a few more thrusts John rolls off of you, slipping out of you. His breathing is heavy as he wraps an arm around your middle and pulls you against his chest. His face pressing into the base of your skull.

“I missed you,” he murmurs into your hair, his breath tickling the back of your neck.

“I missed you too,” you turn over in his arms, coming face to face with your husband. 

John's blue eyes meet yours, and a small smile plays on his lips as he studies you.

“What?” You ask, raising an eyebrow at him, your eyes trailing over his face. His arms tighten around your waist pulling you against him more. 

“Just wondering how I got so lucky..” he breathes.

“You? The lucky one? You’ve got it all wrong. I’m the lucky one.”

Next:

Taglist: @a-small-writer-in-a-big-world

[partywithoutsmiling]

do you have favourites aus or fics within the fandom?

Hello!

When it comes to AUs I am naturally more biased towards my own XD I don't have all the corners of Tumblr explored, so all my favourites are ones in the general sense (as in, I don't know their original creator)

I always like the ones where John Dory comes back to take care for Branch; another fun one is when it explores a different brother being captured by Velvet and Veneer (or even Poppy); Branch getting adopted by a different tribe is another fun one too!

I've seen AUs like Brotherhood!AU, Borrower!AU and Cult!Branch AU thrown around in the Trolls tag, but to be honest I had troubles finding more details in one coherent post, and all of them seem rather... dark? XD Tbh I am not really a fan of AUs where the Brozone bros come up as a villains or villain-adjacent pff

I definitelly have some fic favourites rn, though I read so many and several I didn't even bookmarked- but I will share the ones I like the most! (Some fics, while having a good idea and trying their best are kinda lacking in the execution, so I don't include those)

All of them are on AO3, so, in no particular order:,

No Strings Attached by Spritzy (Completed) Spritzy is fairly active Trolls fics writer, and I'd consider them a good one, so you will see their name again XD This fic is more a collection of oneshots, about whatever honestly; it's a mix of mostly World Tour related stuff

Fluffy Love by Spritzy (Completed) Again, sort of collection of oneshots, but hardcore Broppy XD The premise being that the Pop Trolls act more... wild? And have both fur, paws and tails (something I really enjoy myself pf) Spritzy seems to be adding to this fic sometimes, as it strikes their fancy, so it's always a pleasant surprise to see it pop up in my updated bookmarks!

Elapse by Dulltoned (Completed) A tiny fic that is about the Brozone brothers trying to coexist together and heal from their breakup XD it goes with various levels of success, and Branch is very much not coping pff

It Runs In The Family by Localamblogus (Completed) In addition to Floyd, Branch gets captured by Velvet and Veneer as well (JD at first tried to come up with ways to solve Floyd's capture on his own and Velvet got too tired of waiting and thus tried to lure in another brother with a fake letter) Looking for Branch, JD finally arrives in Pop Village- naturally, Poppy enlists herself to help, and is not impressed by the elder Brozone brothers as the adventure goes on XD

You Are Half Of Me Now by Localamblogus (Completed) Now THIS fic is probably my top favourite XD Set during the time where Creek betrayed Poppy and the rest of the Snack Pack, an attempt at escape fails spectacularly, causing Chef to notice Branch's lack of colours; now sepparated from the rest, even after the other trolls escape with Bridget's help, Poppy is determined to leave no troll behind. Includes fledgling Groppy/Broppy feels, and Cooper is Poppy's little adopted brother and the sibling feels are so real (A+ honestly), and Creek gets what he deserves XD Can't recommend this one enough.

Eldest and Youngest by TheMiraculousMat (Main Fic Completed) A collection, a classic 'JD returns to care for Branch'; a good execution of the concept and entertaining read, though I am now reading another fic (ongoing) that is able to execute this AU even better XD Still, I do recommend reading this one!

Clocks (Home Where I Wanted to Go) by Espionages (Incomplete) Another 'Branch Gets Captured' fic, but this time it's just poor him all alone in Velvet and Veneer's grasp; naturally, Poppy gets very concerned- and when a letter adressed to a Troll named 'Floyd' arrives, she makes it her business to find the recipient- and in the process finds out where Branch has gone. The fic itself sits on 17 chapters out of 18, and havent been updated for a month XD a shame, but here's hoping the final chapter will eventually get posted, cant do nothing but cross our fingers!

Breathe Again by Blade_That_Was_Broken (Incomplete) Possibly the only Human AU that you will see on this list (as I am not that big of a fan of those- it's hard for me to read a 'mundane' retelling with the characters, as they seem to lose most of their magical whimsy when people do that) but this is perhaps one AU that I am very invested into (it does help the writer is really excellent, and you will see more of their work on this list as well) The premise is that JD had been kicked out of the house by his parents when he was 18, and fought hard and legal battle to get his brothers in his custody. It is more complicated than that naturally, but this is the start, and the family feels are real- especially with baby Branch, who JD had no idea existed until a moment ago XD It currently sits at 6 chapters out of planned 8, and is being a part of a series, so hopefully more content for this AU will be coming!

I'm Still Here by Blade_That_Was_Broken (Main Fics Complete) A chunky 4-part fic series, where JD returns to get baby Branch after a brief stint in the Neverglades, and then takes him into the wilderness with him, figuring he can keep him more safe than if he stayed in the Troll Tree. Of course, tragedy strucks, and suddenly older and grey Branch appears in the new Troll Village, without his brother. I will leave it at that, but it's basically retelling of the Troll series with this little twist in narrative!

Smoke and Starlight by Blade_That_Was_Broken (Complete) Branch still deals with that nasty little voice in his head that is convinced all his brothers will leave him, but that doesn't stop him about inquiring about his parents, and JD is his best bet. This fic explores more about the brothers relationships and more about John Dory and his life in the past 20 years- it is very Brozone friendly fic and the family feels are of the charts, I definitelly recommend!

I'll Never Fall, Unless it's You I'm Falling For by Dinoo_Saur (Complete?) A series of oneshots, at this time only two of them, about fledgling Groppy/Broppy. I assume the writer will add to it eventually, once they feel inspired, but even those two that are here are good read!

Shattered Pieces by Icedarsha (Incomplete) Aftermath of TBT and the brothers are *baaad* at this whole brother thing XD really kinda fumbling all around, but we love them for it. The fic currently sits at 15 chapters, and haven't been updated since April 20th 2024, so we will see where the writer plans to take us

Everything Stays (Right Where You Left It) by Venusperia (Incomplete) Poor Poppy has been taken by Velvet and Veneer and she is NOT having a good time at all; in the meantime, Branch returns to his manic grey self, as he is forced to realize that he might have to try and find his brothers as the only way to shatter a diamond is Perfect Family Harmony- and sets out to do so, with Barb as his best buddy for the ride (and perhaps his handler, as Branch is just a trigger away from jumping his brothers' throats) This fic currently sits at 15 chapters, last updated April 22nd 2024- I feel kinda impatient for this one as Poppy is really having a shitty time, to the point she doesnt even fight to keep her optimism up, and Branch is just spiralling

I'll see you when I fall asleep by Idontsleepidaydream (Complete?) Series of mostly oneshots, set after events of TBT, explorations of Brozone relationship and feels, mostly focused on JD honestly, who has more issues that a rabid cat in a bag

Your Grace by Mrct (Incomplete) A series about how JD returned to the Troll Tree to care for Baby Branch, and when the Trolls made their triumphant escape, King Peppy perished in the effort. John, instinctivelly tucking little baby Poppy in his hair in the chaos of it all, suddenly gets stuck as acting regent, much to his confusion, unease and resignation XD It currently on has a 3-chapter long fic but I assume the writer plans to expand on it, which is why I recommend the series whole

I Wanna Find A Home by Isabel3710 (Incomplete) Grey little Branch decided that he is too much of a burden among the trolls of his own Tribe, and figures it is best to leave and find somewhere else to be a less of a bother. His feet leads him to the Lonesome Flats into the arms of young Delta Dawn, who cannot on good conscience allow this poor little trolling to struggle, even though he is probably a Pop Troll (And honestly, seeing the mess he is, all the better he left them and found the Country Tribe in her opinion) Currently sitting at 3 chapters, last updated at April 30th 2024, I cant honestly wait to see Branch find the family he deserves <3

Weightless by Sunfox (Incomplete) When Chef attacks, both Poppy and Peppy gets captured along with the Snack Pack, leaving the Pop Tribe leaderless. With contingency plans in motions, they decide to evacuate, but Sky Toronto knows he has to let Branch knows what happened- either in effort to convince him to come along or to know to stay put in his bunker. Branch instead decided he cannot on good conscience let any trolls get eaten and sets out to save Poppy and the rest from certain doom. Currently sitting at 2 out of 3 chapters planned, and last updated only few days ago, it is honestly more of a 'snack' than a full sized fic XD But I enjoy the exploration of the events

Birdie by TurnedWorm (Incomplete) Clay managed to happed upon grey Branch just as the Trolls were escaping through the tunnels and now reunited, off with the (future) Putt Putt trolls they go; fic that explores the very early struggles of survival of the sepparated tribe, while Clay tries to be the best guardian for Branch as well. Currently sitting at 3 chapters and sadly last updated in march, but hope is still holding that the writer will continue it XD

Torrent by ASamwich (Incomplete) Grey Branch is having a very bad time; nearly drowning in his bunker when storm caused his seals to break through and flood his lower levels, he is then found by concerned Poppy in the midst of battling a serious infection. With his bunker pretty much inhabitable right now and him being ill, he is forced to accept help and dragged kicking and screaming into friendship XD Currently sitting at 5 chapters and last updated at the beginning of April, it is one of those 'I hope it will get continued eventually' fics pff

Field of Forgetmenots by EmpressGeek (Incomplete) A planned series probably spanning multiple fic (the first one sitting at 4 chapters and complete), it explores a sudden growing sibling relationship between Grey Branch and Keith, a little oddball trolling who seems to be fitting badly among his peers. Very sweet with hint of trauma on Branch's part, and I am at the edge of my seat, waiting for more XD

Dereliction by Jellfish (Incomplete) This is, in my opinion, THE fic about John Dory returning to take care for Branch (After Rosiepuff's death and after the escape from the Troll Tree) Thinking he will find a happy little trolling, JD instead finds a little malnourished neglected scrappy thing, and is not only horrified and angry, but also terribly guilty about ever leaving. Currently sitting at 36 chapters and updated fairly regularly, I really cannot recommend this one enough!

Rewinding our Fate by Trollsbuzz (Incomplete) Perhaps the only time travel fic written with some style and quality that makes it readable XD It is rushing through the Broppy rather fast in my opinion, and some things feel a bit OOC, buuuut it's nothing major and it is enjoyable read! Currently sitting at 41 chapters and being updated fairly regularly, so here's hoping it will continue so!

Now, the remaining 3 Fanfic recommendations are all Anonymous and Incomplete (Sadly seems the authors didn't want to be associated with writing for Trolls franchise but oh well)

A Litte Winter Miracle Grey Branch suddenly and to his horror finds abandoned egg in the snow, and overcome with protective urges is unable to just pass it along to anyone else. Reconnecting with Kismet, he is slowly settling into his sudden parent role (in secret from most other Trolls, including Poppy and the Snack Pack). Adding to bit of feral behaviour from Branch, it makes for a very easy read- currently sitting at 24 chapters and last updated at April 26th, it is one I am really hoping that will continue XD

I'm Gonna Make This Place Your Home Kid Grey Branch got accidentally mistaken for a rock tribe trolling by teenage Barb, and hauled of to the angler buses before anyone could even blink XD With a nice portrayal of autistic Branch, it's one of THE 'accidental sibling acquisitions', but Barb can't complain as she got the awesomest little brother out of the deal. Currently sitting at 14 chapters and last updated at April 24th, it gives me some hope it will continue XD

Stuck With You Instead of the whole Velvet and Veneer plotline, we get Cashmere, who strives to be a more of a Country Pop singing sensation- and John Dory and Delta Dawn happens to be her unfortunate victims. Featuring miserable John Dory who, after 20 years, doesnt hold much hopes that anyone would even care he is gone, and rather furious Delta Dawn who can't believe she got stuck with a Pop Troll and is determined to escape. Do I sense a future romance brewing...? (I sure hope so!) Currently at 3 chapters and last updated on May 1st, I am fairly optimistic this one is ongoing!

So those are my recommendations! Hopefully I did not mess up the links but you can always search for them manually XD

[fisheadz]

While playing In Sound Mind, I have amassed quite a few little bits and bobs about it, random stuff I found interesting or funny mostly. I’m still collecting more, but here are some my more coherent notes. Spoilers, ofc.

• The welcome mat outside Desmond’s door is see-through, lol.

• In the electronics section in Virginias level, when you stand on top of the cameras, you can double jump. Or at least I could.

• Virginia/Watcher’s head is actually completely cut off from her body, can only really tell when she’s crying in the toy area.

• One of the shopping carts got lodged between two very close shelves at one point, and interacting with it made it go into the floor. One of the wheels is sticking out, and it’s going crazy and it’s hilarious. Can’t get any good pics tho, :(.

• A couple lights at the mart are blue, and they’re right where you need to go. I wonder…….

• Every time you do a tape, the time on the clocks moves up, until they reach midnight at the End. Thought it was a cool detail.

• Tonia liked Virginia in particular, she gave her good scritchies I’m guessing.

• The telescope and chair and stuff on the roof of the Building are from Lucas’ stargazing, can’t believe it took me this long to figure that out DX<.

• In the office, there’s a little hole you can chill in, between the couch and the wall. Hhhooooolllleeeeee!!!

• One of the paintings looks like Micheal Myers, chilling on a chair. That is all.

• The faces in the little crawl space area in Max’s tape, so cool man.

• I was picking up the pill bottle in Max’s tape, y’know the one, and Rainbow walked up to me while I was doing so and said “Feeling lonely yet?” and poofed right after. Like bro I’m about to fight for my life in here gimme a sec will ya?

• There’s an incident report in Allen’s tape about Max’s accident, and I was rereading it when I realized that the "melting road" was never really explained. Like, Allen’s dream about Virginia is feasible I think, but there’s no other explanation given about the road, was there?

• the little game boy things that play music are awesome, and I’m not sure if Desmond/AR has one but if they do lord knows ima find that thing if it’s the last thing I do.

• Not me writing down the names of every minor character mentioned in notes and stuff, so I can make up hc’s about them. For instance, Thomas Khan is a closeted gay man and his favorite pastime is reading bird watching, and Sophia Delatore has like 13 different types of reptiles as pets, with at least 7 of them being different kinds of turtle.

I am so so normal about this game, I swear on my life (crossing fingers very obviously).

Rosemary makes no appearances in Virginias tape, even though she does in every other one, and while I understand that V’s tape is meant as an introduction to what’s coming up, I wanna believe that Rose was there in little subtle ways, like the blue lights so you know where to go in the maze of the store.

I also finally got all of the achievements. All I was missing was "Rodeo Clown" and the whole time I was on the Bull I was just like “where is that damn achievement oh god I’m gonna die”. The Bull spinning in circles trying to get you off is funny to me, idk why it’s just the visual.

One of these days my phone is gonna give up from how many notes I have, solely for this game. I haven’t fallen for a game this hard since, like, Portal, and even then I wasn’t this obsessed with it.

Oh well, it *probably* won’t end in disaster. Definitely.

[general-ida-raven]

I hate You The Least - Chapter 3

Jude Voss has had her life flipped upside down twice in her life. The first time when she was thrust into a galaxy-wide war as a Separatist strategist, and the second when she was taken hostage by Clone Force 99. A prisoner turned unexpected baggage when the war came to a brutal end, she alongside the Bad Batch have to navigate the aftermath that is the Empire as well as navigate everything in between- down to how they feel about each other.

Pairing: eventual Hunter x Jude

Mostly follows canon, SLOW BURN, enemies-to-lovers, angst, occasional swearing, eventual fluff (no smut)

Jude had no coherence of how long she’d been asleep when her eyes flickered open to the sound of footsteps entering the brig. Her head lifted off of its place leaned against the wall just in time to see the door open, frowning as she watched one of the red-and-white armored clones shove a young girl into the cell. She stumbled, short blonde hair falling haphazardly in her face as she caught herself on her hands and knees. 

Jude waited until the cell door closed again, her hazel eyes narrowing as the clone moved away. She looked to the girl a moment later, frowning as her eyes glanced her over. Kaminoan uniform. But why’s a kid here? 

Golden eyes met her own as the girl sat herself up, blinking. A timid smile crossed her lips and she waved, quietly inching toward the bench on the far wall. “Umm… hi.” 

Jude blinked slowly, hand lifting to brush her brunette hair back from her face. “…hey,” she uttered finally, because what else was she meant to say to a child in prison?

The girl glanced around slowly, hands tucking between her thighs. “I’m Omega,” she informed after a moment, giving another smile to Jude. 

Jude raised her brow slightly toward the girl, unmoving from her place against the wall. “…hello, Omega,” she said dryly, leaning her head back into the wall as she closed her eyes again.

“What’s your name?” Omega’s voice chirruped, sounding closer than before. Jude’s eyes half-opened, not daring give the girl another glance in case she considered in invitation to come closer. 

“Goodbye, Omega.” 

Thud. Thud. THUD! 

Jude shot upright, eyes flying open as she lifted herself from shallow sleep. Her gaze was met with a dark-clothed leg and, pressing herself back into the wall in surprise, her eyes moved up. 

Her eyes locked with Wrecker’s. The large clone blinked down at her, looking almost dumbfounded, before he glanced over to Hunter whom stood on the other side of the suddenly-too-small cell. “Uh, Sarge… we got company here.” 

“She is not the only one,” Tech observed from nearby, his honey brown gaze down on Omega as she blinked up at the squadron. He lifted an index finger, brow raising. “Our mission was not a total failure.” 

“Goodie,” Crosshair’s voice hissed, tone dark as he glared toward Omega and then toward Jude. “Just what we need.” 

Omega blinked as she watched them, glancing up to Hunter as he knelt in front of her. “I warned you not to come back.” 

“Had to.” Hunter gave her a gentle smile. “We were looking for you.”

Omega blinked at him, glancing to Jude before pointing to herself. “Me?” 

Hunter hummed, head tipping at her. “What do you say, kid? You want to come with us or did we get captured for nothing?” 

“You came back for me?” Omega’s tone was filled with unbelief. 

“That’s right.” Hunter chuckled faintly at her expression, nodding. “Or you can stay on Kamino, if…” 

“No, it’s like I said!” Omega shot to her feet, eyes hopeful. “I want to go with you!” 

Jude watched the two, eyes narrowing slightly. Her gaze flickered to Crosshair, watching his expression closely as he stared toward Hunter’s back. Something’s not right.

“How touching.” Crosshair’s voice practically hissed as he watched the two, meeting Hunter’s gaze as the sergeant glanced to him.

Wrecker cleared his throat before Hunter could do more than narrow his eyes. “Uh, Hunter… how are we breakin’ out of here?”

“I’m working on it,” Hunter responded with a glance to Wrecker, eyeing Crosshair. 

“You know what you should work on?” Crosshair hissed, eyes dark as his hands fisted at his sides. “Explaining when you went soft.” 

“Stow it, Crosshair,” Echo growled from the cell’s other side, arms crossing over his chest in warning. 

“Don’t you see we’re in here because of him?” Crosshair countered sharply, jabbing a finger toward Hunter as he looked to Echo. “He had us disobey orders.” 

“I didn’t know you considered disobeying orders a problem,” Hunter responded, voice low. 

“Good soldiers follow orders.” Jude looked to Crosshair at the hiss in his tone, her legs drawing closer to herself and out of the clone’s path as he stepped toward Hunter. “Every choice you’ve made since Kaller has been wrong. First the Padawan, then Gerrera. You’re becoming a liability.” 

Hunter’s eyes flashed, something dark and dangerous captured within them. “We can debate my choices later,” he growled finally, stepping toward the marksman. “For now let’s focus on getting out of here.” 

Jude turned her gaze away from the clones, allowing for it to travel out of the cramped cell and out to the brig where the guards were stationed. Their posture was lacking, tones undeniably bored as they spoke to one another. Not even a glance was passed toward the squabbling prisoners. What good employment. 

Jude pushed herself to her feet as a trio of new clones entered into the room, their posture far more alert as they crossed to the cell while one of the posted guards reached for the lever to lower the ray door. “CT-9904, come with us.” The trooper stared blankly through his visor down at Crosshair, blaster held in one hand as he stood just outside the now-open cell. 

“No, no, no. We stay together.” Hunter’s form moved in front of Crosshair’s, concealing the marksman partially from view as his gloved hands raised. 

Jude’s eyes widened as the butt of the trooper’s blaster struck into Hunter’s stomach. Down he went, dropping to his knees and hunching over himself while Omega let out an audible gasp from the bench behind him. Damn.

Crosshair’s eyes watched the sergeant go down, his gaze calculating. He slowly stood, stalking after the trooper with a last glance back at his brothers before the ray shield flickered back to life. 

“Gotta say,” Jude said dryly, eyes turning down to Hunter as the sergeant slowly stood to his feet. “Wish I could’ve been the one to do that.” 

Hunter growled in her direction, gray eyes flashing. “Shut up, Voss.” 

“Make me, Sergeant.” Jude spat the title just as he’d spat her last name; harsh, no real respect behind the word. 

Hunter came nose to nose with her, eyes narrowed and gaze dark as he seemed to loom over her, his broad form doing wonders to help with his intimidation. “I’d love to.” 

“Hunter.” Tech’s flat voice earned the clone’s attention, Hunter turning his back to Jude a little pointedly as he glanced toward him. “As much as you are enjoying the intimidation of our fellow cellmate, I do suggest we focus on something more prominent.” 

“Escape,” Hunter guessed, the tight fists at his sides relaxing slightly as he nodded. “Yeah.” 

How the hell did that work? 

Jude stared after the clones as they stepped quickly out of the cell, the guards collapsed and unconscious at their feet. She stood in the now-unobscured doorway, certain that her expression was a deadpan but unable to fix her slack jaw as Echo scooped the last blaster from the floor. 

“Sarge.” Jude blinked as Wrecker’s voice sounded, the burly clone looking toward her and causing her shoulders to stiffen. “What do we do with her?” 

The hell does he mean?! 

Hunter’s gray eyes moved back to Jude, intense as they met her own gaze before slowly narrowing. “Grab her,” he said finally, turning toward the door as he adjusted the blaster in his grip. “She can’t stay here. She knows where we’re going.” 

No I don’t! Jude’s chance at argument was cut off as Wrecker grabbed her by the arm, pulling her out of the cell. She fought against his grip, free hand shoving at his wrist as she pulled backward. “No! Let go of me! Leave me here!” 

“You don’t get a choice.” Jude gasped as the cold muzzle of a blaster pressed to her temple, pupils dilating as Echo’s voice spoke close behind her. Before she could do more than try to turn the stun blast hit her with a swamping wave of pain, legs buckling and sending her full weight into the floor while Wrecker conveniently decided then to release her.  Her head thudded into the durasteel floor, breaths gasping weakly as her blurry gaze stared up at the clones around her. “Wrecker,” Echo’s voice murmured somewhere far away, blurry form nodding toward her in invitation. The large clone hefted her up and over one shoulder, the squadron’s voices growing distant and swimming with the rest of her mind as shadows creeped into her vision and sent her into darkness. “Let’s go.” 

Tags: @high-ct5555 @bananasugarwarrior @domino-twinss

[popculturebuffet]

Don't worry. I actually do like adult animation and have interest in it. I mostly just held back on asking due to those shows not having as many unified studios or networks like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros, Disney, and The Hub/Discovery Family, I'm fine doing Adult Swim. Next up, favorite character from the mid-2000s Adult Swim shows: The Venture Bros, Stroker & Hoop, Perfect Hair Forever, Tom Goes to the Mayor, 12 oz. Mouse, Robot Chicken, Lucy the Daughter of the Devil, Minoriteam, and Moral Orel?

True but you can just do netwrok for some of those. Anyways... thank you. moving on to this one and including Aqua Teen since i somehow missed it last time.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Shake. It used to be carl but Dana Synder gives his best performance here and a lot of the series best lines are thanks to this asshole cup. The show itself is excellent. It skids a bit as it goes on but the first few seasons are just non stop joke factories and the dr weird segments are a treasured part of my teen years and even now still are fantastic. It's a great show with top notch voice acting, fun surreal stuff and lots of fantastic episode. There's even some great later ones like Bible Fruit and Totem Pole that live rent free in my head. The show kinda deserved to live it's horrifyingly long life and will no doubt return again. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Forever

The Venture Bros: Anyone who knows this blog or my history of crossover ships (I.e. maybe two people on the latter) willlikely be able to guess but

It's the boy. Hank is a consitently funny characte rfrom the start of the series but grows from a mild jock who sucks at being a jock and bullys his brother, to a loveable weirdo who has no idea how to interact with people, wants to be batman, and yet has a lot of confidence and a genuine heart you just can't help but love. I need to write this character one of these days in fanfic and i've been working on batshit insane ideas like him being a dtective duo with sasha from amphibia that I will probably go with. Hank is one of my faviorite fictional characters and I miss him dearly.

Venture Bros is a show i've covered and PLAN to get back to next year, fingers crossed, after covering another show that flows through my veins. For now i'll say Venture Bros is one of the best adult cartoons period. It started in a simlar place with a lot of dick jokes, some transphobia and way too much stuff that hasn't aged well to get into, but grew into a show with a deep world, a heart and a lot of neat points about toxic masculinity and over obessing on your passoins long before the latter two were wildely known issues. It loves nerd culture but also makes a spectacle of the kinds of people who take it too far, is clever and despite being written by the seat of creators and sole writers Jackson Publik and Doc Hammer, they still manage to make a coherent saga with tons of character growth, humor and Hank. It's one of my faviorite shows period and the best show Adult Swim has done, and it has some stiff compettition.

Stroker and Hoop: The car, because he was hilarous. This show was one I didn't like a lot as a teen and care even less about now. It's a pretty bleh run of the mill adult cartoon.

Perfect Hair Forever: Not sure. The show itself is solid, but didn't last long, is vaugely racist in places and hasn't aged all tha twell. It was fine, but not really a great adult animated cartoon or an anime parody. It feels like a guy who hasn't watched a ton of anime's impression of what anime is which is right in some places, like perverted old men or characters claimed ot be teens being used for fanservice, but otherwise it's just kinda.. there.

Tom Goes to the Mayor; JEFFERTON ALIVE! While I like Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job More, we'll get to that, this was a solid start. My faviorite is the wizzard whose theme is stuck in my head

The show itself is solid.. but is hampred by the formula. You can only watch Tom's life implode so many times before it becomes hard to watch. But i've come to appricate the weirder gags and less cruel moments. It's telling the best parts are the live action commericals that tim and eric would perfect with their next show.

12 Oz Mouse: great theme song, barely remember this show. Some think it's a masterpiece, I think.. ti exists. I like the shark? I don't have much here

Robot Chicken:

Protect the Environment or he'll fucking kill you! A show I haven't watched in seasons but have fond memories of the early days. Some sketches have aged like hot milk. Others aged so well I still quote them or will review pluto nash soley because of the pluto nash day sketch. A solid show with a lot of invetion.

Lucy Daughter of the Devil: One i'll have to give another look at.. and i'm shocked came BEFORE metalocalypse. The Devil probably. It's a show I do want to rewatch as it was not only Lauren Bouchard's last show befor ehis breakout with bobs burgers, but it's solid. Its' art style is hit and miss, but the concept, the anti christ dates Jesus whose an arrogant dj while the Devil tries to tempt him, is great stuff.

Minoriteam: This show sucks. I didn't like it as a teen and tween as an adult it comes off as horrible shock humor trying to be edgy but failing. There's a reason Adult Swim has mostly buried this thing. I don't think it should be.. but only so this failure can be stuided to avoid other racist shock stupidity.

Morel Orel: Hard to say these days as I haven't watched it in a while. But the show is excellent. I did'nt like it as a teen in seasons 1 and 2 but rewatching episodes when season 3 aired changed my perspective, and the show itself is awesome. In hindsight it's a great deconstruction of this sort of religious dogma, a problem the country still has. It also introduced me to the mountain goats, something that's paid off for years. I may not listen to every album but when one hits for me, it fucking hits. An excellent show that needs to be protected

[fort-cozy-mcblanket]

🌷🦗🎵

(Sorry if the emoji are gigantic)

🌷 What’s one of your fics that isn’t as popular, but you hold dear?

I think Results and Findings from the Initial Experiment deserves more love, I'm actually so happy with out it turned out. Chapter 1 especially.

Also, I know it's short and all, but it does kind of bum me out that my one and only Friends fic, The One After the Workouts End, didn't get much of a response. For whatever reason I always found it hard to write for Friends, despite how much I love it, and I was so proud of myself for actually posting that one.

🦗 Do you write in sequence or jump around?

I actually do try to write everything in order as much as possible, I feel like it makes the story more coherent. Also, I usually post as I go, so I kind of have to. However, if it's a longer, chaptered fic then I probably jumped around at least a little. Now that I'm trying to do a daily writing goal of at least 100 words per day for my current project, I've been jumping around a lot more. Fingers crossed everything comes together okay in the end! 🤞

🎵 Do you make playlists for your fics?

Not really full playlists. Often it's more like a small handful of songs that I feel match the vibe of the story that I listen to on loop while I'm brainstorming. One of my WIPs is taking some kinda heavy inspiration from Lord Huron's Vide Noir album, though I haven't worked on that one in a while. For my current project, I've mostly been listening to Love From the Other Side by Fall Out Boy and Hollow by Cloudeater.

Thank you for sending some, Sara! (And sorry I keep making different blogs for you to track me down on.) 💕

Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask Game

[cumdropbaby2]

Parking Lot Fantasies

You’re at the grocery store combing the aisles looking for that one item your wife requested. You can’t find it anywhere but to be honest you don’t really even know where to look for it. Your eyes are up and focused on the aisle numbers and descriptions not looking down or paying attention. You round the corner to aisle 10 thinking, with one final glance at the aisle descriptor, that you might just be in luck! You’re so focused that you run right smack into me! Or should I say, my ass. You missed seeing me bent over and pulling an item from the bottom shelf as you hurried around the corner. You freeze, willing your cock to not get hard as you take in the tight yoga pants hugging my curves showing off my ass and “oh. Fuck look at that slight cameltoe! No! Eyes up!” you think to yourself. You mumble an apology and shuffle off down the aisle, your cock and blush growing in unison. You’re hoping, praying even, that I don’t notice...

But I do. I notice your bulge growing. Eyes that were burning with indignation turn to eyes filled with lust as I take it in. I was ready to call you a perve and yell at you until I realized you had genuinely just not seen me. Your mumbled apology, quick glancing eyes, and creeping blush gave you away and my eyes just couldn’t help but be drawn downwards as you moved away. You paused towards the other end of the aisle, scanned the shelves and quickly grabbed an item. I finished retrieving what you had interrupted and slowly, nonchalantly begin to follow you, trying to build up courage to speak to you. You round another corner and as I hurry forward I realize I’ve lost sight of you and I’ve lost what little courage I had built up. Who am I to say something you? Having what I needed I head to the checkout line, head down, mind racing. This time it’s me who bumps into you as I cross the aisle to the lines.

We both laugh because well... who wouldn’t? I apologize. You apologize more coherently this time. With a fleeting glance I can see that you’ve gotten your cock under control. Mostly. Seeing that I only have one item you insist that I cut you in line instead of waiting behind you. As the line has moved forward to reach us I take your offer and step forward. I can feel your eyes on me and position myself so you get a good view, swaying slightly to show off my ass. I try not to blush as I see your eyes roving over my entire body. I pay, tell you thank you once again, and walk out the front doors. There I let the winter air cool my face for a moment before finding my bearings and head towards my car. I notice my nipples getting even harder in the cold air.

I get in my car and before starting my engine I throw my head back in frustration, hands over my eyes, pouting. Idk how long I’ve been like that when I hear someone knocking on my window. I peak through my fingers. Shit. It’s you leaning over to look at me with concern on your face. I open my door a little and you ask if I’m okay. I giggle and say yes and tell you that I was just mad at myself for not talking to you more inside. You laugh out right at this as you lean between my door and car, pushing into my space a little. My face is at your waist height since I’m sitting in my little car. I let my eyes linger…. Then glance up at you and ask where your groceries went. You indicate the big truck next to my car and tell me they’re already in there. I step out of my car, pushing into you a little as I get out and admire your truck. It’s sexy. Slightly lifted, black, dark tinted windows and has a spacious extended crew cab. I mention how big it is with a glance at your crotch again. Your cock is pressing against your jeans and I know it’s not just the truck that’s big.

You ask if I want to see the inside and I eagerly agree. As you start to open the passenger door I push it closed and open the back door and crawl in before you can stop me. You laugh and join me and make a point to sprawl out, legs spread wide to show just how much room there is while also clearly showing off how hard your cock is pressing against your pants. I take that as my invitation to straddle your lap. With one last glance out the door, noticing an old woman gaping at us, I wink and slam the door shut. You lift me up and lay me on the broad center console and strip my yoga pants off and dive face first between my legs. I manage to get my shirt and bra off while you make me cum in your mouth. As I lay there shaking I tell you to get your cock out. I gasp as I sit up and get my first full view. It’s beautiful. I don’t wait for you to even get your pants off before I’m straddling you and sliding down on your cock. Fuuuuuuuck it’s a perfect fit. Stretching me just right and hitting all the magic spots. You grip my ass and start bouncing me on your dick, both of us moaning at the feel. Before long I take over the rhythm and you start groping my tits, sucking, squeezing, and biting them. You pull my head back by my hair and put your other hand around my throat as you drive up into me hard enough to make me scream and cum again.

As my pussy pulses around your throbbing cock you tell me to turn around. As I do, I realize the front windshield isn’t as dark as the other windows and there are three other men in their cars watching us. One is videoing while the other two look to be stroking their cocks. Now they have a full view of my face and tits and can see how slutty and desperate I look with your hands on my throat and tits, being pounded from below. Your hand remains on my throat while the other smacks and grabs my ass before grabbing my waist and making me grind on your cock. As my hips buck back and forth I lose myself to the pleasure and start moving even faster. I’m close to cumming when you slip a finger into my mouth to suck. I squirt and cum all over you, my body shaking. You push me forward off your cock then maneuver us so I can suck your cock clean of my juices. You let me work for a minute or so before shoving your cock down my throat and holding me there until I’m gagging and my eyes are watering. When you let me off, you immediately cum all over my face, mixing your cum with my drool and tears as you wipe your cock on my face. You whisper, “what do you say?” And I answer “thank you, sir.”

You hand me my panties and crop top shirt to put back on, telling me you’re keeping my bra and yoga pants for memory sake. You open the door and give me a little shove out telling me I could probably get one or more of my other holes filled if I asked those guys who were watching us. I’m red with embarrassment as I look up to see they all have their vehicle doors open, waiting for me to get in. Before driving off you roll your window down and tell me that you’ll see me here next week, same place and time. You pull away, leaving me standing exposed in the middle of the parking lot, three men staring hungrily at me, cocks already in hand. I notice one of them has a van and beckon the others over to it and we all pile in the back….

All my holes got filled in that parking lot every Tuesday at 6:45 for the next year.

[direwombat]

like clockwork, another wip wednesday rolls around

tagged by @euryalex @gaeadene, @inafieldofdaisies, @socially-awkward-skeleton, @adelaidedrubman, @ivymarquis, and @g0dspeeed (tysm lovelies~ i will rb your wips momentarily <3)

Tagging: @strangefable , @jillvalentinesday , @voidika , @aceghosts , @purplehairsecretlair , @henbased, @poetikat, @vampireninjabunnies-blog , @cassietrn , @confidentandgood , @wrathfulrook , @josephslittledeputy , @madparadoxum , @clonesupport, @trench-rot, @miyabilicious, @simplegenius042, @strafethesesinners, @deputyash, @schoute, @harmonyowl, and anyone else with a wip they want to share (also to be officially added to/removed from the taglist please like/reply to this post!)

i'm feeling generous so here are two wips: one for the werewolf au and one for katc because i've been doing my best to work on both at the same time :) everything is subject to change since these are still early drafts but they're mostly coherent

here's something from the horror and the wild, where syb is skedaddling from the veterans center :)c

Her scowl returns and she flips him off before tossing the map on top of her dashboard and rolling up her window. She throws her truck back into gear, and clumsily swings a three point turn to set her back down the road she drove in on. Jacob, at the very least, has the courtesy to step out of her way before she has the opportunity to spitefully run his foot over. 

She grits her teeth, her hands alternating between clenching and releasing the steering wheel while she creeps back down the road. Her left knee bounces while she keeps her foot lightly pressed against the accelerator, resisting the urge to speed away. 

Maybe kick up some dirt in his face for good measure. 

But when she glances up into her rear-view mirror, her heart stutters in her chest and her limbs lock in place. Framed by the sinister gates and standing directly beneath the arching letters, Jacob Seed watches her retreat with his arms crossed over his broad chest. She’s too far away to make out any facial expression, but she’s almost positive he’s smirking. 

She takes her eyes off him in favor of following the slight curve of the dirt road, but as she does — as the angle of her rear lights changes, she swears she catches something flashing in her rear-view mirror. It’s so fast, so sudden, but if she didn’t know any better, she would have said Jacob’s eyes were reflecting like an animal’s.

But when her eyes dart back up to catch his shrinking reflection, there’s nothing strange to be seen. 

Just a man, watching her take her leave from his property. 

The road continues to curve, and it isn’t long  before he eventually disappears behind the trees. 

She breathes out a sigh of relief, and continues along until she reaches an intersection with one of the main, paved roads. Pulling over, she takes a moment to press her forehead to the top of the steering wheel, allowing the tension to melt away. 

Christ, that was fuckin’ creepy.

Lifting her head and raking her fingers through her hair, she puffs out her cheeks and heaves another sigh. “Alright, c’mon, get yourself together,” she mutters to herself. She punches her overhead light back on and drags the map — right side up — back onto her lap. The thick, plastic-y paper crinkles loudly as she searches for the old Veterans center. Once she finds it, she taps her finger against it to hold its place and looks for Forest Road 135. 

Jesus, she really missed the mark, and she grimaces when she notices the clock on her dash reads just past 9:30 pm. 

Fuck, Eli must be worried. 

Part of her considers driving back to his place; they can check in on Chad in the morning. But she told him she would, and she’s a woman of her word. 

Gingerly, she traces her finger along the roads leading from the Veterans Center. It crawls down the map — take a left onto the main road, hook right, then left, and then Chad’s place should be on a small dirt road somewhere on her right. She goes over the path a few times, committing it to memory before turning off her interior light and folding up the map. 

Just as she makes that first turn onto the main road, the clear, distinct sound of a wolf’s howl rings out into the night, followed by an echoing chorus. It isn’t an uncommon sound up here in the mountains — there have been many nights with Eli where she’s woken up in the middle of the night and stayed up listening to them sing. 

Normally, she finds the sound to be beautiful. But tonight, she just finds it haunting. 

Her eyes dart to the treeline, keeping an eye out for any animals that may come bounding across her path just as much as she pays attention to the road itself. Dark shapes move in the shadows, entirely hidden from her despite the brightness of her high-beams. The hair prickles at the back of her neck and her breathing suddenly goes ragged. 

Her gut, animal instinct is screaming at her to move faster. She’s being followed. Stalked.

Hunted.

and here's some some of syb getting rescued by jerome from katc :)

Somewhere in the Holland Valley. 10:34 pm.

While not entirely accurate, to say that Sybille feels like she’s been hit by a bus is by no means an understatement. 

She lies on the ground -- the ceiling? -- of the van. Blood oozes from the same gash near her hairline that she had stitched up in Dutch’s bunker earlier that morning. The lights illuminating the van flicker unsteadily. Dark shadows strobe violently, causing her eyes to throb in their sockets while the ringing in her ears drowns out all sound. 

A wheeze of a groan forces itself from her lungs, and she lifts her head only to have her surroundings swim around her. Every muscle throbs with the dispersed aches of full body blunt force trauma. The taste of blood sits on her tongue and as she coughs to clear her throat of the thick substance blocking it, a splash of red spatters messily onto the ground beneath her. 

“Oh, God,” she moans to herself. She forces herself up onto her elbows, her arms trembling as they struggle to carry her weight, and crawls towards the back doors, over the broken glass left behind by shattered windows . There’s no thought to the pain exploding around her left shoulder or how off-kilter she feels every time she heaves herself forward. Her shoulder is definitely dislocated but she can’t worry about that right now. Whatever injuries she’s sustained, she can take stock of them later. 

She needs to get out of here. 

She needs to find Joey. 

She needs to find Augustine. 

With a clumsy heave, she throws herself against the van’s back doors, trying to force them open. They move, pushing outwards, but she meets some kind of resistance. There must be something blocking the way, or the metal frame must have buckled when the truck rolled over. She tries again, grunting in pain as it flashes white-hot through her injured shoulder, but to no avail. 

The door is stuck. 

Another curse slips through her teeth, but her attention is quickly focused on the pained groans and rustling sounding behind her. Her mouth opens to call to one of the other passengers to help her, but when she looks over her shoulder, her eyes go wide. The two civilians she was with lay in broken, bloody heaps, their limbs hanging at limp, awkward angles. 

Dead. Killed during the crash. 

The Peggie, however, much like her, somehow managed to miraculously survive. He groans as he weakly lifts his head. Blood pours down his face, further matting his already unkempt hair and beard. A wet cough rattles from his lungs, and when he sucks in a breath, it comes out heavy and rasping. He’s obviously struggling to breathe. 

Punctured lung, she thinks with a grimace. She’d know the sound anywhere. After spending what felt like hours baking in the Afghanistan sun waiting for someone to find her and pinned down by the weight of the villager she’d failed to save, the sound of her own labored breathing has been burned into her memory. 

She’s suddenly thankful that her wounds mostly seem to be superficial. 

As far as she can tell, anyways. 

His eyes go wide when he sees her trying to break free, and he reaches towards her. A hand, slick with blood, grips her by the ankle. There’s more force to his tug than she’d anticipated. Her shirt rides up her stomach, and she lets out a scream as the soft flesh of her belly is mercilessly raked across the bits of broken glass. 

Frantically, she twists around, desperately attempting to kick at his face. He manages to evade her strikes and, much to her dismay, reaches for his gun, which had been flung about the van during the crash. 

And then his brains are suddenly blown out of the back of his skull. Skull fragments and bits of gray matter go splattering against the other two dead bodies and the cultist falls limp. 

Her head whips around, and she breathes a sigh of relief when she finds the van doors wide open and Pastor Jerome standing over her, smoke still rising from the barrel of his pistol. If she believed in such things, she might have considered him her guardian angel. He smiles warmly at her as he stows his gun into the hollow of his Bible. Crouching down, he pulls out a small knife and reaches toward her bound hands. 

“Stay with me,” he says. It’s muffled, overpowered by the ringing in her ears, but she can hear him. The plastic snaps, freeing her hands, and he helps her up. She grunts as she rises. Her sore muscles scream at her, telling her to lay back down, to rest, but she pushes past it. He places his hands on her good shoulder, steadying her on her feet. “Didn’t go through all this trouble just to lose you now.” 

“I’m gettin' goddamn sick of bein’ tossed around like Raggedy Ann doll," she tells him.

[speaking-from-the-abyss]

Some random thoughts on Obey Me! Nightbringer up to lesson 10 (with LOTS of spoilers)

If you ask why I'm making a post like this in this blog is cause I will defend that this is a queer coded game to my last breath –and cause is my blog and I do what I want.

Full disclosure: I'm not done with the first game yet so no spoilers for that one please. I'm guessing I'll get spoiled by Nightbringer anyways as the story progresses, and I already did lol, but I wanna gush about this game because I love it so much already.

Starting with the title screen, oh my gosh the art is beautiful. 10/10 would definitely buy a poster of this.

They continue using they/them for MC and that's a thing we all gotta appreciate. Thank u.

The layout and the art of the game is just SO PRETTY in general. Definitely an upgrade from the first game, credits to the designers and artists.

It's a rhythm game!! I like it, the gameplay is easy enough and in classic Obey Me fashion you gotta be really precise when you click or else, which adds a good layer of difficulty.

We don't have 8 different types of support items, just 4, which makes it easier to keep count of how many we have. I am still broke in-game to buy them tho.

WE CAN GET DEVIL POINTS BY COMPLETING LEVELS THANK U SO MUCH. In contrast, I feel like they give less materials when you clear a stage? I mean, they gotta balance it I guess, or maybe is just me.

The game was lagging like hell when I first started playing tho. Idk if it was the game or my phone that couldn't run it or what, but it's fixed now.

I love the fact they're using the character songs for the levels!!! I was waiting for the unit songs and they took a while, but they're there too. The remixes are fun and I can't believe how good they sound.

Speaking of sound, this game's ost is SO GOOD like huh? I was kinda expecting it cause it's a big production and all but bruh. Every now and then I end up having to stop because I gotta appreciate the bgm. There was this one funny song where a banjo started playing and I straight up laughed out loud. 10/10

MK is that you?

Coming back to the layout and the designs: THERE'S SO MUCH RURI HANA IN HERE!!!!!! Love it. 20/10. Best thing ever. Whoever decided to add that I hope they're having an amazing day.

Also, is that a Ruri Hana Miss Em?? Gosh I love this game.

And I'm not done gushing about the designs yet cause LOOK AT HIM!!! LOOK!!!! He's so cute!!!!🧡🧡🧡

HE'S SO PRECIOUS JUST LOOK AT HIM!!!!! 🧡🧡🧡

The art for the cards is really pretty and I need more Levi cards so badly asap

Also, there's a shit ton of extra content, wow. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole 3D models yet (mostly cause my phone only gives me bad renditions of them) but the extra content is slice of life funny bits. I like that they're voice acted, they're good.

Hey so y'know how you can click on the characters and get voice messages in the home screen and how you interact with them in the surprise guest screen? In neither of those I can click on Levi's tail and I consider that a crime against all Levi stans.

OKAY SO when this game was announced and as time went on and we got little pieces of the plot, not gonna lie I was worried. When it comes to time and time travel this franchise has a, well, a record. I'm still worried how it's gonna develop but for now I really like the things they're showing in the main story regarding the characters and the plot. Just, y'know, fingers crossed it doesn't become a mess.

Honestly the timeline is a mess already as it is. We met Luke and he has apparently just started learning how to bake, but in the first game he says he's been doing it for about 300 years, so it's been only 300 years between the end of the Celestial War and the beginning of the first game? Shouldn't the time be at least a few thousand years?? I'm solving this by doing a headcanon that time moves differently in different worlds cause otherwise the lack of coherence bothers me too much.

I'm so intrigued about Nightbringer himself. You think the prologue is giving us a red herring about who he is? Will it be a new character? An old one? Us from the future? They did a good job in implementing the mystery and I can't wait.

I was rereading this chat we have with them at the beginning of the game and something caught my eye:

Do you think maybe we'll start jumping between time as the story continues? So that we'll be at and see different time periods with different characters?? 🤔

This guy has an omurice for an icon when we all know he can't cook to save his life and I find that so ironic xD I like how much he's getting involved in the story so far too

I still don't know who gave them the right to go THIS HARD on a rhythm otome game. I love this thing what the hell. I wish I went this hard with my own projects.

That's all, I'll be waiting for more lessons to drop✌️

[doyelikehaggis]

The Vampire Diaries: Stelena | Stefan Salvatore x Elena Gilbert (Marriage/Pregnancy AU)

Requested by @nikkisgwens

It is extremely cold. Elena's felt cold before, but it still sends a jolt through her when the doctor squeezes the gel out onto her bare stomach. She takes a deep breath - partially to counteract it and partially to steady her racing heart. It's running cross-country right now.

Stefan takes her hand and locks their fingers. With just the gesture and the smile in his eyes, he manages to settle the storm inside of her. He's right there with her.

They both look at the monitor when the doctor begins to speak.

"There it is," she says with a smile. "Your baby looks completely healthy. If you look right there, you'll see its heart which is beating beautifully."

She can see it. The pulsing pixels are so strong that she thinks she can feel it in her stomach. It's impossible, she knows as a doctor herself, but that doesn't stop her from imagining it.

"Do we want to know the sex?" the doctor asks, glancing over at them.

They look at each other. They hadn't really talked about it, but Elena knows the answer. She nods and turns back to the doctor, swallowing down her nerves.

"Yeah, we do."

"Okay." The doctor turns the monitor to better let them see the scan as she says, "Then this is your little girl. Do we have any names in mind yet?"

Elena barely hears the question. She stares at the monitor. Her baby. Her daughter. The pixels clump together and blur as tears overwhelm her. But she smiles - laughs, actually. One of pure joy.

Stefan breathes deeply, pressing his smile against her knuckles. He has enough coherency to say to the doctor, "Uh, a few. Some family names. We had some picked out for a boy and a girl."

"Oh yeah, were any top of the list for a girl?"

Elena sniffles and nods shakily, blinking her vision clear again. Mostly. When she thinks about voicing the answer, her eyes well up again and she nearly breaks open like a dam.

It's okay. Stefan swoops in, squeezing her hand lightly to let her know he's got it. She can take as much time as she needs right now.

"Jenna," he says softly, flicking his eyes back to the monitor, clearing his throat. "Jenna was top of the list. We were trying to choose between Miranda and Sarah for a middle name."

Just hearing it sets Elena's emotions off again. A feeling washes over her, picturing her mom and Jenna. They would be with her right now. They should be here. Crying with her, not just tributes.

But as she looks at her baby, a smile spreads across her face and she presses her fingers to her lips. They're here. She just can't see them, but they're here.

"Jenna Salvatore," Elena whispers. Another light laugh of pure joy bubbles out of her and she turns to look properly at Stefan. "She's really real. We're having a little girl."

"We are," Stefan says happily, grinning back as he cradles her face with his other hand. He pushes up to kiss her but neither of them can contain their emotions long enough. He presses their foreheads together and whispers, as if to himself, "She's real."

[rodismancave]

It’s a sudden flare beginning at the tip of his fingers and crossing to his chest that has Rodimus excusing himself from the bridge so hurriedly that he manages to stumble and trip over himself far more times than is probably socially acceptable.

He doesn’t try to make a coherent sentence, doesn’t try for an excuse as to why he’s leaving so suddenly. It wouldn’t be the first time, no one would be surprised. No one would be disappointed.

When Rodimus reaches an empty hallway, he finally lets his mouth open to let out a long, pained groan. Not loud, because that would be stupid and someone could end up hearing, but it’s restrained enough that it comes out with static as its corrosive twin. He leans against the wall and tries to push himself forward, but his chest is burning and he can feel himself burning along with it, and it hurts so much that all his legs allow him to do is enter the nearest empty hab and drop him to the floor. Rodimus clutches his chest, takes a deep breath in, deep breath out, and opens his vents to let out so much excessive heat. It helps, even if just enough to allow him a relieved sigh.

Something’s wrong, and he knows something is wrong, but it goes away. It always has, countless times before, so he is confident it will now. Mostly because he doesn’t know what to do if it doesn’t.

He does send Ratchet a message, just in case.