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moonlightwritingf1 · 7 months ago

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The Ultimate Distraction | LN4

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 summary ━━━━━━━ Y/N and Lando, a new couple just a month into their relationship, are still exploring the exciting depths of their connection, both emotionally and physically. While visiting Lando’s apartment in Monaco, Y/N finds herself craving his attention late one night as he’s absorbed in a gaming session in the room next to his bedroom. Unable to resist her desire, she decides to surprise him by slipping under his desk.

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 pairing ━━━━━━━ Lando Norris x she!reader

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 word count ━━━━━━━ 1.5k

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 warnings ━━━━━━━ +18, sexual content

The soft glow of Lando’s gaming monitor cast shadows across the room, illuminating his focused expression as his fingers danced over the keyboard. He was in the zone, his racing game demanding every ounce of his attention. The hum of the PC and the occasional click of the mouse were the only sounds breaking the silence of the late Monaco night.

Y/n lay in bed just a room away, staring at the ceiling. He’s been at it for hours, she thought, her pulse quickening with a mix of frustration and desire. She had tried to distract herself, scrolling through her phone, reading a book, even attempting to sleep. But the memory of Lando’s hands on her skin, the way he whispered her name when they were alone together, kept pulling her back.

She shifted in bed, feeling the heat building between her thighs. I want him. The thought was insistent, almost maddening. She glanced at the clock—it was past midnight. And there he was, still glued to his PC, oblivious to the world outside his screen.

Enough waiting.

With a determined breath, Y/n slipped out of bed, her bare feet padding softly across the cool floor. She wore nothing but one of Lando’s oversized t-shirts, the fabric brushing against her thighs as she moved toward his room. Her heart pounded in her chest, not from nervousness, but from anticipation. She knew exactly what she wanted.

Lando didn’t notice her at first, too engrossed in his game. His headset blocked out any sound, his eyes locked on the monitor as he navigated a tricky corner on the virtual track. Y/n paused in the doorway, watching him for a moment. The way his brow furrowed in concentration, the faint scruff on his jaw, the way his lips twitched into a small smirk when he nailed a perfect drift—it all stirred something deep inside her.

He’s so hot when he’s focused like this.

Without a word, she dropped to her knees and crawled under his desk, the space cramped but manageable. Lando’s legs were bracketed by the chair, his jeans-clad thighs inches from her face. She could smell his cologne, subtle but intoxicating, mingling with the faint musk of his body. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for the button of his jeans, her breath hitching when she felt the warmth radiating from him.

Lando froze mid-game, his hand hovering over the mouse. “What the—” he started, his voice muffled by the headset. He leaned back slightly, trying to peer under the desk. “Y/n? What are you doing?”

She looked up at him, her eyes glinting with mischief in the dim light. “Shh,” she whispered, pressing a finger to her lips. “Keep playing.”

“Wait, what?” he stammered, his voice higher than usual. But before he could protest further, Y/n undid his jeans and pulled them down just enough to free his hardening length. Her warm breath ghosted over his skin, and Lando’s breath hitched.

“Jesus, Y/n,” he muttered, his grip tightening on the edge of the desk. But instead of stopping her, he found himself unable to move, trapped between shock and arousal.

Y/n didn’t give him time to think. She leaned forward, her lips wrapping around him in one smooth motion. Lando let out a strangled groan, his head falling back against the chair. “Fuck,” he hissed, his hips jerking involuntarily.

But Y/n wasn’t done teasing him. She pulled back slowly, her tongue tracing the sensitive underside of his shaft before taking him into her mouth again, deeper this time. Her hand wrapped around the base, stroking in tandem with her mouth, each movement deliberate and unhurried.

“Y/n, I can’t—” Lando started, his voice strained. He fumbled for the headset, tugging it off and letting it dangle around his neck. “You’re going to make me lose.”

“Then don’t lose,” she murmured, her lips still pressed against him. She gazed up at him through her lashes, her eyes dark with desire. “Keep playing.”

Lando groaned, torn between the game and the woman currently driving him out of his mind. His hand hovered over the keyboard, unsure whether to keep going or surrender completely. But Y/n’s insistence was impossible to ignore. With a shaky breath, he turned his attention back to the screen, his fingers trembling slightly as they resumed their position.

“You’re insane,” he muttered, though there was no real annoyance in his tone. If anything, he sounded wrecked already.

Y/n smirked, her lips curving around him as she picked up the pace. Her tongue swirled around the tip, eliciting another sharp intake of breath from Lando. She could feel him struggling to focus, his movements on the keyboard growing sloppier with each passing second.

“Concentrate,” she teased, her voice low and sultry. “Unless you want to crash.”

Lando gritted his teeth, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of the desk. “You’re making this fucking impossible,” he growled, though his resolve was clearly crumbling.

She hummed in response, the vibration sending a thrill through him. Her hand tightened around his shaft, her strokes becoming faster, more insistent. Lando’s breathing grew ragged, his concentration shattered as pleasure overwhelmed him.

“Y/n, I’m serious,” he managed, his voice barely above a whisper. “If you don’t stop—”

She didn’t let him finish. Instead, she took him deeper, her throat relaxing to accommodate him. Lando swore under his breath, his hips bucking instinctively. The controller slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the desk as he reached for her hair, tangling his fingers in the strands.

“Fuck the game,” he muttered, his voice rough with need. But Y/n pulled back, her lips slick and swollen as she looked up at him with a mischievous grin.

“No,” she said firmly. “You’re not quitting. Not yet.”

She leaned forward again, this time flicking her tongue against the sensitive spot just beneath the head, eliciting a shuddering moan from Lando. Her hand moved in sync with her mouth, her strokes deliberate and slow, dragging him closer to the edge without letting him fall.

“Y/n,” he gasped, his free hand clutching at the armrest of his chair. “I can’t—you’re killing me.”

She ignored his plea, her focus entirely on him. Her lips sealed around him once more, her tongue swirling as she took him deeper, pushing herself further than before. Lando’s breath came in short, sharp bursts, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he fought to maintain control.

On the screen, his car veered off the track, spinning out in a cloud of virtual dust. Lando didn’t even notice, too consumed by the sensations coursing through him. His fingers clenched in her hair, gently guiding her movements, urging her to take him even deeper.

“So good,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire. “God, you’re so fucking good at this.”

Y/n responded by hollowing her cheeks, the suction intensifying as she increased the pressure. Her hand moved faster, matching the rhythm of her mouth, every stroke bringing him closer to the edge. She could feel him trembling beneath her, his thighs tense, his breath hitching with every pass of her tongue.

“Y/n, I’m close,” he warned, his voice strained. “Too close.”

But instead of pulling back, she doubled down, her mouth working him with relentless precision. Her other hand reached up to fondle him, her fingers grazing over sensitive flesh, pressing against him in just the right way. Lando’s grip on her hair tightened, his body tensing as pleasure coiled tightly in his core.

“Fuck,” he groaned, his hips bucking upward, unable to hold back any longer. “Y/n, I—”

She didn’t let him finish. Her mouth enveloped him completely, swallowing him as he finally gave in to the overwhelming sensation, waves of pleasure crashing over him. His entire body stiffened, his release spilling into her waiting mouth, each pulse accompanied by a choked gasp from his lips.

For a moment, everything was still, the only sound in the room Lando’s ragged breathing as he slumped back in his chair, utterly spent. Y/n pulled back slowly, her lips brushing against him one last time before she settled back on her heels, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.

“Told you,” she said softly, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction. “You didn’t have to stop playing.”

Lando stared at her, his chest still heaving, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. “You’re unbelievable,” he finally managed, his voice hoarse. He reached for her, his hand trembling slightly as he cupped her cheek. “Come here.”

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes locking with his, before crawling out from under the desk and standing up. Lando wasted no time, pulling her into his lap and capturing her lips in a deep, hungry kiss. His hands roamed over her body, eager to return the favor, to show her just how much she affected him.

But Y/n pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss with a soft laugh. “Not yet,” she whispered, her fingers trailing down his chest. “You still haven’t finished your race.”

He groaned, burying his face in the crook of her neck. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered, though there was no real malice in his tone.

She smirked, leaning in to whisper in his ear, “Then consider me your favorite executioner.”

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sweeneydino · 4 months ago

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Hi!! Love all the stuff you have on this blog!! I was wondering about your wrong parent AU, how would this change how the boys grow up, like with more of a motherly presence than their rat dad (though maybe she is just as a “sensei” as splinter…who knows XD) or is this like a time travel situation? AAA sorry im excited about this awesome AU!!!

Anywho, sorry for my ramblings I don’t write asks very often and there is no pressure to answer! Thanks so much for all the cool things you do! Lol I love seeing your stuff on my dash :D

It'd be a lot different! I guess I can list a few I thought of,,,

So, Rat!Mom.

She’s still a bit paranoid (how can you not be with the Shredder actively trying to find out what happened to you, where you are, and if you're actually dead), but shes more focused on trying to give her kids as normal of a life as she can and definitely not hiding all her stress underneath endless piles of work.

Mikey plays alot of games and is more adept at cooking, Raph's painting more often and always trying to help his mom with cleaning(yes, hes a mama's boy), Donnie is creating and creating and always wanting to go bigger, and Leo and Karai(yes, Karai :]) play fight alot(so many wars...) when they aren’t watching Space Heroes 24/7 or trying to explore outside the home.

Then, maybe during one of her dumpster dives, she finds some convenient "Chris Bradford" training tapes that they start to gain an interest in ninjutsu. She's not too pleased with it, but since they enjoy it, she tries to be more open to it(she conflicted)

They do go out and about earlier than Canon(with a curfew), meet April earlier too(her and her dad are a little different), and Karai and April become BFFS. (Unless...)

The kids still call her sensei or variations of mom, which ones? Probably all depending on what they did.

Now, fighting bad guys? She did not raise them for that /hj

In reality, when she sees her kids scratched up from fights topside, they are usually pretty quick to inform her what happened(except for two). They get carefully patched up, and scolded before being told to rest for a while(grounded). Which is definitely not so she can keep an eye on them.

And she is certainly not stressed whatsoever👍

Also…

“She was as beautiful as she was kind, and as kind as she was intelligent”

- Splinter

…probably meaning emotional intelligence, or somethin but i think itd be fun if she was just…. Fred.

As in Traps galore, I mean imagine it-

You're Chris Bradford, greatest actor (and martial artist ig) of all time, and your chasing what you presume to be your bosses stubborn former lover,(who you kind of hate ngl) and then you think you have her cornered, just for the ground to cave in beneath you cause whoops, she boobytrapped the whole place.

She can still be emotionally intelligent too, but the traps are staying.

Other than the traps, I do think Rat! Shen will have some other types of self-defense training during the time she was in hiding. Girl is not risking shit.

When it comes to VS. Shredder bits, she'd definitely use everything she can to her advantage, especially her rat abilities. Climbing, gnawing, scratching, hissing; just get the fuck away from her and her kids.

There’s no planned ships atm (other than Shen x Yoshi, but that's the point- hes ded anyway)

Lastly, Im thinking of probably at least three separate versions or “alternate timelines” for the WP au, or two divergents of the wp au canon lol. One where the original turts find Shen and her turts pre-adventure, one post-adventure and/or during the shredder kidnap arc(i will not elaborate) and the least timefuckery timeline where Rat mom and her babies gotta march on without future “assistance” 🤷 im sure they’ll be fine(they willllll)

Thank you all for being interested in this ^ ^ "

I actually don't have much planned for this since it was just another random idea(you can probably tell hdgdhdg), but I'm always happy to see everyone's ideas! It helps a lot with my scattered-brain--

And one FINAL, final thing

Im not sorry.

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carriagelamp · 7 months ago

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My favourite books from 2024! Another really strong year of books for me -- every year will have some stinkers and a bunch of middling reads, but the highs of this year were really high so I'm pretty content

As always, I give more detailed descriptions and opinions of the books in my month reviews, but here's a quick breakdown for anyone who's interested:

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

A non-fiction book that looks at how childhood has been “rewired”, focusing specifically on the increase of overprotective parenting, increase of tablet/social media usage, and decrease of unstructured, independent play. It was a fascinating read that really looked at how children need to be given lots of opportunities to play, take risks, and make mistakes in order to learn and grow and how a loss of that might be impacting people’s mental health. As someone right on the cusp of the age bracket that’s being focused on, it felt very exposing.

Apothecary Diaries v1-2 by Natsu Hyuuga

Maomao is kidnapped and sold as a servant to the imperial palace, where she serves as a general dogsbody in the rear palace, home of the emperor’s various consorts and concubines. She’s determined to keep her head down until her contract is up… until she helps solve a mystery and catches the eye of the powerful eunech Jinshi who soon learns about her in-depth knowledge of apothecary work and anything to do with poisons. Very funny premise, Maomao hates Jinshi soooo much and he is such a simp for it. She just wants to eat poisons and be left alone and he says “no<3” to both of those

Bury Your Gays (and Straight) by Chuck Tingle

Both of these are very explicitly queer horror novels. Straight is a novella that riffs on the format of a zombie story, but with straight people becoming inexplicably violent towards queer people one day a year. Bury Your Gays is about a Hollywood screenwriter who realises his horror creations are begin to stalk him in the real world. Both are very intentionally built around social commentary on queer issues, and despite have audacious premises they completely own their camp and end up producing really well thought out, insightful stories. I can’t say I liked either as much as Camp Damascus but either is worth a read.

Console Wars by Blake J. Harris (and Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier)

Console Wars is a nonfiction book I’ve meant to read for years on my brother’s recommendation and I quite enjoyed it. It explores the history of the video game console market in North America, with a focus on how Nintendo revitalized it and how Sega then swooped in to upset the monopoly it held. The book is written in a very narrative, personable style and I found myself really rooting for the various people and companies being portrayed ahahaha. A shockingly fun read. I also read Blood, Sweat, and Pixels which wasn’t quite as narratively compelling but a related read that looked at games with complex development cycles.

Defekt by Nino Cipri

Technically the sequel to Finna which I also read this year, but Defekt works as a stand-alone and is, imho, the better of the two. Both deal with a surrealist horror Ikea setting, where the sheer density and liminal-space-ness of it all allows strange wormholes to open up between these stores from different dimensions. Finna deals with actual wormhole hopping, whereas Defekt focuses in on one employee who gets assigned to a very strange overnight inventory shift.

The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish v1-2 by Xue Shan Fei Hu

Fish isekai book. Is this a good book? No. Is it a really really fun book? Yes, in spades. In this book, Li Yu wakes up in a court drama novel… but not as a character but rather as the tyrannical prince’s pet fish. He is given the task to improve the prince and is stuck figuring out how the hell to do this as a fish. This book knows exactly how ridiculous it is and leans into it. Li Yu and Prince Jing are both idiots in very unique and exciting directions. No one knows what the fuck is happening.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

A prequel to Every Heart a Doorway, though it works perfectly well as a standalone. Honestly I liked it more than the first. This book has deliciously gothic horror vibes, and it plays with all the tropes you would expect from gothic horror / fear of the sublime. It’s about sisters who find a strange chest that lets them descend to the sinister land of the Moors. This is where vampires rule, werewolves stalk, and mad scientist’s ply their craft. The girls end up separated on and very different trajectories as they grow and acclimatize to the brutal existence of the Moors.

Escape From Incel Island by Margaret Killjoy

Exactly what it says on the tin. Completely insane book that is very worth the read if you feel like something that is patently insane. I strongly recommend treating this as a read aloud with a friend or loved one because I read it with my brother and couldn’t stop laughing. Top notch mercenary Mankiller Jones is sent to escort a computer scientist to Incel Island to retrieve lost governmental data. There they have to survive the hoards of Nice Guys, Volcels, Betas, and every other violent inhabitant of the island if they ever want to… escape from Incel Island.

Heaven Official’s Blessing v6-8 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

I finished the main series of Heaven Official’s Blessing (without reading the extras yet), and man what an ending! I could not have asked for a more epic or satisfying conclusion! The final battle and its various stages? The character reconciliation? The villain reveal? Perfect, no notes. The series itself follows Xie Lian, a prince who has ascended to godhood twice and been cursed and cast out from Heaven just as many times, giving him the title of the Laughingstock God. The story begins with him, to everyone’s dismay, ascending a third time.

Horrorstör (and Paperbacks from Hell, My Best Friend’s Exorcism) by Grady Hendrix

This book also deals with a Strange Alternate Ikea, but is the superior book. This was one of my top reads for 2024, and it was flawless horror. It is essentially a haunted house story set in an Ikea, that manages to be both chilling, disgusting, and a shockingly insightful critique of capitalism and retail. Very worth the read.

After reading this I also read Paperbacks from Hell (a nonfiction book that does an analysis of horror fiction from the ‘70s and ‘80s, very good read) and My Best Friend’s Exorcism (which was decent but not my favourite of Hendrix’s since possession and exorcism isn’t my favourite brand of horror. The vaguely queer undertones and ending I found interesting, and it did some cool things throughout.)

Jeeves and Wooster books by P.G. Wodehouse

I ended up listening to so many of the Jeeves and Wooster audiobooks this summer while I was travelling. There were some I really really loved and some that fell very flat for me. I think I listened to too many in a row by the end… These books are like popcorn, not deep but very fun, and follow the airheaded but good natured Bertie Wooster and his man Jeeves who unfailing swoops in to solve all the strange and inane problems the Bertie gets involved in. They tend to be funny, light-hearted, and clever in their resolution of plot problems… though some of the issues do get rather repetitive. My favourites were: The Inimitable Jeeves, Very Good Jeeves, Right Ho Jeeves, and the Code of the Woosters.

Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Some excellent science fiction, especially for my Pacific Rim loving heart. This bordered on the cosy fantasy genre, while mixing in plenty of science, world-building and a good dash of excitement. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Jamie Gray is stuck trying to make ends meet as a food delivery driver… until he runs into an old acquaintance who suggests he might have a very different job offer for him. Jamie ends up joining this very secretive “animal rights group” and finds out just how massive, dangerous, and otherworldly these “animals” are by being risked to an entirely different dimension filled with giant, radioactive monsters.

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

One of my favourite books from this year! Tthis book managed to hit on very topical subjects with both tact and humour. Lula Dean has spearheaded a book banning crusade, managing to get a number of “problematic” books removed from the library and has made a show of setting up a Little Free Library in her yard full of “appropriate” books instead. When Beverly Underwood visits her mother and hears about this she’s so exasperated with it all that she quickly hatches a plan swapping out the dust jackets of some of the banned books with the ones in Lula Dean’s Little Free Library. The rest of the story is about various people in the town who borrow a book from Lula Dean’s library and how the book they got instead ends up impacting not just themselves but their town. The first story involves a penis cake. Can’t recommend it enough, starts out humour and quickly becomes something you want to rally around.

My Happy Marriage v1 by Akumi Agitogi

This was pure mindless fluff, it was honestly a delight. This is a low-fantasy, Cinderella-esque story set in the Taishō era. It focuses on Miyo Saimori who lives under the thumb of her cruel step-mother, haughty step-sister, and indifferent father. She’s resigned to being treated like a servant in her own home and ekeing out a strained existence, but her life takes a turn when she finds herself nominally engaged to the allegedly cold and cruel Kiyoka Kudou. It’s just absolutely overwhelmingly cute and I really enjoy the contrasting POVs.

A Series of Unfortunate Events and Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket

I’d never finished The Series of Unfortunate Events when it was originally coming out, so I finally sat down and did that, and honestly it was well worth the wait! It was a very interesting series to read as an adult, especially all in one go, because it really let me appreciate everything that Snicket was trying to say. It was a much more clever and philosophical read than I was anticipating, and The End was fucking superb. He absolutely stuck the landing, it completely blew me away. Poison For Breakfast was also a very interesting standalone novella that felt like surrealist philosophy. I might have even enjoyed it more than the basic TSOUE.

The Poison Squad (and The Poisoner’s Handbooks) by Deborah Blum

Poison Squad is a very compelling and topical nonfiction about the formation of the American Food and Drug act. The state of unregulated food processing in the late 19th century was, in a word, nightmarish. Don’t read this book if you have a weak stomach. But it’s completely fascinating to see how one person, Dr Harvey Wiley, made it a personal mission to scientifically prove what all these mysterious food additives were doing to people and put limits to what could be sold to consumers. I liked it so much I went to read Blum’s other book, The Poisoner’s Handbook which is set during Prohibition and explores the rise of forensic medicine and again exposes how people were being poisoned by simply living their standard lives.

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill

The real, true history of the New York City Pushcart War!! For real!!! This is a delightful underdog story that is really written in the style of a history textbook recounting the fictional Pushchart War. This war started in New York City as the roads get increasingly congested with traffic, the worst offenders being the increasingly massive and arrogant trucks. The trucking companies hatch a plan though: if they begin to push out the little pushcarts, framing them as the problem for the congestion, then how hard would it be to push out taxis next? Or buses? Or motorcars? How long until they can make the road a perfect habit for trucks and trucks alone? How can something as small and poor as a pushcart owner fight back?

Railsea (and This Census-Taker) by China Miéville

I heard Railsea described on tumblr and it sounded sufficiently insane that I had to read it for myself. This author is truly unrivaled when it comes to bizarre worldbuilding that feels both very, very grounded in reality while also being completely unexplained and impossible. Railsea is essentially a Moby Dick meets Treasure Island retelling but with trains instead of boats and giant, mutated, vicious moles instead of whales. Unhinged. Can’t recommend enough. I followed this up by reading his novella This Census-Taker which was not as much of a frolicking adventure but fucked with my brain just as much or more than Railsea did. Genuinely not sure I even know what happened in that story but I enjoyed the experience of being completely fucking baffled for some 200 pages.

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Another book to ideally not read if you have a weak stomach. This novella is very big on unrelenting body horror. This is a twisted fairytale retelling in which a cannibalistic Little Mermaid meets a plague doctor Frankenstein. Both of them are walking away from cruel past lives, along a trail that’s soaked in blood and viscera. You feel how painfuly and disgustingly human this book is, while also being so wildly separate from anything that resembles human anatomy or morality. Superb.

Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System v1-4 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

The last of MXTX’s three series I needed to read. It was the one I was most hesitant about, but I ended up having a really great time with it. It is simultaneously the most light-hearted and silly of the three series, while also the one that most gleefully dives into torture and sex. So you get a bit of everything with this, and as usual MXTX does a really good job of mixing the humour and series in a way that keeps things constantly interesting. The story is about Shen Yuan who dies our of pure, frothing fury after reading the shitty ending to the shitty, porny webnovel he’s been reading for hundreds of thousands of words. He dies cursing the lousy author and the lousy writing so he’s given a chance: step up and do it better! Which is easier said than done, when he finds himself waking up in the body of the series’ villain who is destined to be gruesomely tortured to death. Better get on that!

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea

This is the written result of a number of interviews held between Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea and she discusses her time as a Shakespearean actress. It looks into what her time working with theatre companies was like, summarizes the plays she took part in, and delivers into some fascinating character analysis of the roles she played. An absolute treasure of a book for someone who enjoyed their Shakespeare and/or Judi Dench.

Singing Hills Cycle v1-5 by Nghi Vo

Probably my favourite series that I read this year, I can’t wait for the next book! This series follows Chih and her magical bird companion who come from the Singing Hills Monastery, an order that is devoted to keep recording tales and keeping a history of the land. Chih travels all over in these various novellas, collecting stories, memories, and histories that they come across. The first book has them entering the recently unwarded palace of the late Empress to learn about her marriage, imprisonment and rise in power. The second has them trapped by a pack of tigresses with nothing to do but frantically lure them into comparing stories.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Ten year old Ada was born with a club foot and because of it has never been allowed to leave her apartment. She lives a hard life trying to care for her younger brother and suffer through the abuses of her mother. Things change though as the Second World War truly begins and London begins to evacuate children to the country. Ada is determined — she and her brother will evacuate, they will escape their mother’s house, even if it means her learning how to walk on her club foot. Even if it means facing how different life is for unwanted slum children in the country, and confronting how much she and her brother don’t know about life. This was a very touching book, it did a great job of balancing Ada’s justifiable pain and anger with an optimistic story. Queer elements are all subtext but there — they aren’t the main focus of this story.

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

This book absolutely took my breath away, it was a next level literary experience. It’s very, very solidly magical realism, so don’t go into this expecting true fantasy, everything going on here is allegorical and a beautifully done allegory at that. This story is set during the 1950s, in a time surrounding an event known as “The Mass Dragoning” when thousands of women suddenly, spontaneously, transformed into dragons and flew away. The story follows Alex Green who was a child during this event. Her aunt transformed. Her mother didn’t. Both of these things have profound impacts on Alex as she grows up, and a woman’s role in society, a woman’s anger, her joy, her desire are all questioned and explored.

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leeknowlover99 · 2 years ago

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Hihihii can you do stray kids reaction to reader wearing something very short for the first time can be nsfw 🫦 Thanks

sure! sorry it took so long :(

that was so much fun to write! hope you like it ;)

warnings: fluff, suggestive and explicit content, nicknames, tiny bit of angst, slight mention of insecurities

masterlist

chan

you and chan were going for a fancy date tonight to celebrate your promotion at work. you were meeting in the restaurant so you were getting ready on your own. yesterday you went shopping with your best friend and she persuaded you to buy a short red dress. the type you would never buy on your own. but when she make you try it on you thought it looked good on you. however now you felt a bit unsure, you thought that maybe it was a bit too much. but since you were running out of the time the only thing you could do was leave in that dress. you hoped Chan will like it. when you entered the restaurant he was already there waiting. you saw his gaze slowly slide down your body as you were approaching your table. this already made you blush. maybe it was a good choice after all. Chan stood up to greet you and kissed you, hands resting a bit lower on your waist than usually. “you look gorgeous.” he whispered in your ear before pulling out the chair for you. you noticed that he was a bit distracted through the whole dinner. you only realized why when waiter asked if you wanted a dessert and chan answered “no we’re good thank you”. and after you looked at him confused he whispered “we’ll have dessert at home baby” and winked at you.

minho

minho was sure you wore this skirt for the sole reason of pissing him of. after the argument you had last week you did not speak a word to him. and now you were both at Chan’s party, all evening you didn’t give him one look. but everyone’s eyes, including Minho were on you. tight black skirt hugged your butt perfectly. oh you knew how much Minho loved your ass. you also knew how possessive he was.he watched you have fun and flirt with others all evening but when some dude started to get too touchy with you he finally snapped. “execuse me, we need to talk” he barged into you and grabbed your arm. you did not even manage to react before he dragged you to an empty bathroom and pressed against the door. “what the fuck?” you frowned. “don’t ask stupid questions y/n. i know the game you’re playing” you gulped at intensity of his gaze. “i’m sorry, i really am. and i’m ready to commit. but right now you’re really pissing me off” so many emotions were mixed in his voice. you couldn’t find the right words to respond so instead you laced your arms behind his neck and pulled him for a passionate kiss. his tongue immediately found yours and hands started exploring your body. he quickly focused on your ass, grabbing, squeezing and spanking. “you call this funny piece of poliester a skirt, your ass was begging to be touched all night baby girl.”

changbin

you and Changbin started seeing each other in the winter time when it was absolutely freezing most of the time. it did not give you chance to wear skirts or dresses. but now when spring was around the corner you could finally dress better for your dates. today you were going to watch cherry blossoms, so you opted for a short white tennis skirt and blue sweater. you wanted to take some cute pictures. you saw Changbin eyeing you up when he picked you up but he didn’t say anything. you enjoyed the date and talked non stop. “Binnie look a photo booth! let’s take a pic!” you jumped excited. you couldn’t miss a chance to get some new shots with your handsome boyfriend. he agreed and you entered the small space. the booth was really tiny so you sat on a Changbins lap and started posing. however you noticed Binnie being tense. “hey relax, let’s do a hug” you prompted him and moved more towards him on his lap. “oh” that’s when you realized as you bare thigh rubbed around a very prominent hardness in his pants. “why are you hard?” you laughed. Changbin looked at your lap where your skirt was bunched up around your hips almost exposing your panties, he slowly rubbed circles on your thighs. “i just love your outfit princess, that’s all.”

hyunjin

it was your boyfriends birthday and you decided to surprise him. he loved your body, even when you couldn’t say the same. but with his help you were slowly becoming more comfortable and accepting with yourself. you still were far away from letting him paint or photograph you naked but you decided to take a next step. you’ve never worn anything short around him but now you bought a new mini skirt and wore it to your date. he definitely noticed greeting you his eyes wondered around your hips a little bit longer than usual. “ you look beautiful love” he whispered in your ear now. you came back to his place and you were making out on the couch. your mini skirt now hiked up as you straddled him. his large hands gently massaging your ass. “your body is so sexy, i was so hard when i saw you in that dress.” he hissed and you rocked your hips against his erection. “just like i am now. god what did i do to deserve such a pretty girl like you” he mumbled against your neck, licking and sucking on it. “i’m glad you enjoyed your birthday gift Hyun”.

jisung

you and Jisung had been dating secretly for about six months. since you were both idols you didn’t want any dating scandals and people getting into your business. sometimes you had to interact in music shows or award ceremonies. today was one of this days when both your groups attended same award show. it wasn’t a first time but you were super nervous. stylist decide to give you a sexy outfit today, short black dress hugging your body perfectly. you weren’t used to wearing clothes like that, your group’s concept was more boyish. you’ve never worn sexier clothes with Jisung either, when you were hanging out you usually tried to blend in and cover yourself best in the crowd so no one would recognize you. so now you were nervous for his reaction. you knew that he wore revealing clothes himself on the stage. maybe he won’t even notice you thought. however he definitely noticed. he kept staring at you, eyes wide and dark. he was being so shameless that you started to get worried that someone will notice. you excused yourself to go the bathroom and rest from his burning gaze a bit. as you were reaching for the door you heard his voice calling your name. “Y/N!” you turned around and saw Jisung running towards you. “Ji what are you doing? we’re not supposed to be seen together” you whispered. “i just can’t contain myself, you look so good, i’ve never seen you in a dress like that before” he mumbled pressing you against the door lightly. his eyes shined with both adoration and lust. you blushed. “someone will notice” you tried to protest. “i don’t care” he said and pulled you in for a deep kiss, his hands already playing with the hem of your dress.

felix

you and your boyfriend were invited to his parents house for dinner tonight. they wanted to celebrate their wedding anniversary. you decided to dress a bit more fancy than usual. Felix put on a nice shirt and a tie. you recently found your old black dress. it was short but very elegant so you decided it is still quite appropriate for the occasion. Felix entered your bedroom and started looking around. “are you searching for something?” you asked. “yeah i can’t find my watch.” he said finally looking at you. “oh” he blushed. “what?” you asked checking yourself out in the mirror. you looked fine. your boyfriend approached you slowly eyes gazing at your exposed thighs. “i’ve never seen you wear such a short dress.” “is it too short?” you asked worried now. maybe you should change in something longer. “nah it’s fine. just a little bit distracting” Felix responded hugging you from behind. you chuckled and he leaned down to kiss you. at first his lips were sweet and gentle but after a while he became more desperate. his hands started roaming your body and pressing you against his hard on. “Lixie stop” you said a bit breathless from all the kisses. “we’ll crease our clothes and we need to leave soon” you tried to think rationally despite your boyfriend tempting you. “are you going to leave me like that?” he pouted pointed to his erection. “yes, we’ll have fun when we’ll be back, come on!” you protested.

seungmin

you met Seungmin in the dog shelter this summer, you were both students volunteering. you slowly started to get to know each other working long hours together. attraction was there from the beginning, in shy smiles and long conversations, although both of you were rather timid. after two months Seungmin finally gathered enough courage to ask you out. you agreed with pure joy in your eyes which made him a bit more confident. however you have never imagined that on your first date you’ll end up pressed against the cafes restroom door panties to the side, his bare dick deep inside of you hitting your sweet spot. “fuck Seungmin i’m gonna cum” you moaned clenching around him. “cum pretty, cream my cock” he grunted in between of messy wet kisses. and all of that happened because of that damn dress as he said. he could not resist you. after months of seeing you in dirty sweats and overalls you wore the flimsiest little sundress to your first date. and suddenly he did not have any willpower left, dragging you to the restroom in the middle of the date cause he just needed to have you.

jeongin

“look at that dress, it’s stunning” you boyfriend showed you a short sparkly piece of material. “it’s way to short for me and you know that” you dismissed it immediately. “come on, at least try it on. it will look great on you.” he insisted following you around the store. “fine” you agreed finally taking few other pieces with you to the fitting room as well. Jeongin followed you like an excited kid. it was so cute it made you smile. he patiently waited for you to change and gave his opinions on each piece. you left the dress for the end. surprisingly it actually fit you like a glove. yes it was dangerously short but you definitely liked how it looked on you. you must’ve been staring at yourself for a bit too long because jeongin peeked from behind the door and joined you. “wow y/n” he gasped eyes traveling down your body. “i told you it will look good.” his hands found their way around your waist as he was watching your figure in the mirror. “yeah i actually like it, should i get it?” you asked feeling brave now. “hmm” your boyfriend pretended to think about it while his hands rubbed your hips. “i’m not sure if i’ll be able to control myself if you will wear that in public” he whispered in your ear and nipped at your neck. you arched towards him and replied “is this such a bad thing?” slowly guiding his hand down your body between your legs. “no it’s not” he responded grinning and giving you exactly what you needed.

#skz reactions #stray kids reactions #stray kids suggestive #skz suggestive #skz smut #skz headcanons #minho reaction #felix smut #chan fluff #changbin smut #hyunjin fluff #skz fluff #skz funny #stray kids fluff #skz x reader #jeongin smut #seungmin fluff #jisung smut

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neptuneiris · 2 years ago

Text

Behind the Scenes (05/05)

Behind the Success

pairing: actor!aemond × fem!reader

summary: you and Aenar finally meet Aemond's family, closing one chapter of your life and starting a new one with Aemond in it.

word counter: 8.7k

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it's here!🥳

I've finally finished the chapter and I'm so excited for you guys to read this!

and how is it possible that another story is going to end soon? because if you didn't read my previous message, there will be an epilogue, so it's not yet the definitive goodbye for this little family we have created🤭

also before reading I want to thank you for your support and please leave me your opinion, lately the comments have gone down and I wish to read you🙏🏻

oh I also want to make a small clarification before you reed:

in the second chapter it is mentioned how aemond at the end confessed everything to his family in a desperate attempt to find Y/N. but let's forget that hehe🤭 let's pretend that aemond never told them so you can enjoy this chapter and the light drama you are about to read.

now read and enjoy, ily all!

warnings: slight angst, aemond's family melting our hearts when they meet aenar.

Aemond immerses himself in the world of acting with the same fierce dedication with which he confronts his characters on screen. Every move, every word, everything is carefully rehearsed and executed.

Each project is a challenge, an opportunity to explore new roles and demonstrate his versatility as an actor.

The hustle and bustle of the film set fills the air as he immerses himself in his role. The bright lights illuminate his face, conveying the intensity of his character as he delivers his lines with palpable emotion.

But when the bell rings, as well as the director's shout of "cut!" is heard, Aemond is Aemond again.

Behind all those shots, scenes, interviews and awards, no one knows that Aemond is a father, at least no one outside his close circle. He only confided the news to a few close co-workers, some production people and his older sister, Rhaenyra.

He managed to persuade some rumors after some people at first saw him entertaining Aenar in the nursery on the set, because even though there is nothing wrong with it and Aenar is his most precious treasure and a pride of his life, he knows it is better to protect him from the public eye.

And now that Aenar has his own nanny at home, sometimes even then the whispers would start to get too much and he would make sure that some member of the production crew, known for their ability to spread harmless gossip, would plant the idea that it was simply a close family friend of the child they had seen him with.

And in the midst of all his work and everything he has to do, Aemond finds the precious time to be with his son.

Aenar, a whirlwind of laughter and childlike energy, fills every space where the two are together with light. Games, stories and hugs become routine and Aemond cherishes every moment he can spend with him on his days off.

He even reduces his own working hours and focuses entirely on filming his scenes, also attending one or two interviews per month, in order to have more quality time with Aenar, who is more important than having to please the press at every moment.

And as he balances the intensity of the job with his responsibility as a father, Aemond fights for to rebuild the trust you once placed in him.

Every gesture, every conversation, was an effort to demonstrate that he is fully committed to getting things right this time. Every encounter with you, he demonstrates a quiet determination to making amends for past mistakes.

With carefully chosen words and acts of genuine support, he tries to show you that he understands the pain he had caused and is willing to go out of his way to regain your trust.

And you accept this, because you see how he makes an effort to open up more, to share his thoughts, his fears and his hopes. But above all, you see how he is making an effort with Aenar, which is the most important thing.

And you also see how parental responsibility has changed his perspective and maturity. But still, Aemond knows that rebuilding trust takes time and forgiveness is not something that can or should be rushed.

Even if you decide never to forgive him, he's okay with that and is getting the idea from now on that you only allow him to be close to you because of Aenar and only because of Aenar.

So in the meantime, you immerse yourself in your own workday.

The makeup and wardrobe trailer is a world of constant motion and productivity in any given area, though your mind is always on Aenar and also on Aemond.

And even though you both carry separate jobs at the same place during the day, you both manage to create a balance between your jobs and raising Aenar.

Evenings were for you and Aenar if Aemond didn't finish recording at the same time as your shift ends. And almost at dusk is when Aemond comes from work and devotes every minute of his free afternoon to Aenar.

Instead if you both finished your shifts at the same time, you both spent time together with Aenar.

However, the nights brought calm.

Once Aenar fell asleep and before Aemond retired, you and he find your own space to talk, share thoughts, talk about work or more importantly about Aenar. And today just happens to be one of those nights.

You finish cleaning the kitchen, while Aemond is sitting on one of the stools, with a cup of coffee in his hands, looking out the large windows to the back garden, thoughtful.

While he has in front of him the IPad with the image of the camera in Aenar's crib that records him sleeping, attentive and making sure he is well.

"I've been thinking a lot lately," he says, breaking the silence in a soft voice, catching your attention.

You watch him from the sink, setting a clean, dry dish in the drainer, then drying your hands with a clean cloth.

"About what?" you ask him softly, attentively.

And he takes a moment before answering, thinking very carefully about his words and what he means, not wanting you to misunderstand him in any way.

"On Aenar and... us."

He confesses and you lean on the other side of the island that separates you both in front of him, giving him your full attention.

"At first..." he starts to say, slightly flustered, "You didn't want me to hide him from the world and I-I... well, I obviously disagreed with you."

He says and bites the inside of his cheek, lowering his gaze, feeling embarrassed.

"But now... I think it's not fair to him that no one has any idea that I have a son. It's also not fair for anyone to know that you're the mother of my child."

His gaze again meets yours and a sense of understanding envelops both him and you.

"Now things have changed," Aemond continues, his tone laden with sincerity, "And I know that you and I are n-not together but... maybe... I can announce the news, only if you want me to."

Silence fills the kitchen in its entirety for a moment, as Aemond holds his breath at your possible response, honestly feeling terrified to expect a bad reaction from you.

But none of that crosses your mind, on the contrary, you just digest his words. But your silence is what causes a mixture of expectation and anxiety in Aemond, who holds his gaze with yours, nervous.

And finally, with a serene sigh, you go around the island that separates the two of you and approach him, placing one of your hands on his shoulder gently and in an attempt to comfort and reassure him, instantly feeling his whole figure tense, while he watches you with his big healthy wide eye and his prosthetic eye remains the same as always.

"Aemond," you begin to say in a soft voice as he watches you completely attentively, "I always wanted you to recognize Aenar publicly, that was what I wanted most at first. But now...

You pause for a moment, thinking about your meditated words, as you sink for a second into your own thoughts and what you really want to say, as Aemond watches you intently, waiting for you to continue.

"I understand your world more now," you continue, "And, honestly, I can't blame you for not agreeing with me back then, only in this," you make clear, "Recognize him legally would have been the right thing to do and... enough," you say holding back the sadness in your tone of voice.

But Aemond catches that break in your voice, a moment of your vulnerability that makes him feel a sharp, simmering ache in his chest, as if every word you utter drops a weight on his shoulders, with shame again invading him, but this time with a mixture of deep remorse and regret.

A barely audible sigh escapes his lips, lowering his gaze, ashamed, feeling the burden of his past choices and he wonders amidst the brief silence if he will ever be able to fully redeem with himself.

But he doesn't have much time to think about it, as you gently squeeze his shoulder to bring his attention back to you.

"And now I understand that the press and people's opinions can be very dangerous and destructive," you say softly, "And I don't want that for Aenar, at least I don't want to deal with that yet," you confess, "I want him to grow up a little more and we can both enjoy his early years without having to worry about it."

An expression of surprise and also longing crosses Aemond's face, still watching you intently, processing your words.

"Are you sure?"

You place a soft smile on your lips.

"Very," you assure, "I just want him to grow up in a calm and safe place, without falling fame on him nor all this attention being so young," you explain, "I have no problem with it, but also your opinion counts."

"No, I-I... I want the same for him too," he agrees with you, nodding, with all the pressure and anxiety he felt being replaced by a mixture of gratitude and relief.

And you nod back at him, smiling softly in his direction.

"But..." he says with a slight urgency in his gaze and concern in his tone, "I just want you to know that when the time comes, I won't do it for attention or to be relevant."

He says seriously, softly and honestly.

""I'll do it because I know it's something I have to do, for him and for you, as in the beginning maybe it should have been. But for now I just want us to enjoy these moments and, when the time is right, make that decision together."

The room fills with the honesty of his words and you can feel the sincerity in each of them, as a sense of calm envelops you both and you share a soft, complicit smile.

"Sure," you nod to him, feeling a warmth wrap itself all over your chest.

Your gaze moves away from his for a moment, focusing on the iPad screen where Aenar is shown sleeping, while Aemond can't help but focus on the features of your face with an intensity that can't go unnoticed by you.

Deep longing is reflected in his gaze, with a palpable mix of regret and sadness that is projected beyond mere facial expression. And he feel that weight on his body and chest again, a burden he can't help but feel.

His healthy eye glides over your face as if searching for answers in every line of expression and in his gaze, you can perceive the longing to repair the irremediable, the need to know how much he regrets the decisions of the past.

"Y/N-

He starts to want to say, his voice laden with regret, but you turn your gaze to him and stop him.

"Aemond, we have already talked about this."

"But I'm sorry... I really am," he insists, with pain in his gaze, "And I know an apology isn't going to fix it, I know that, neither is anything else but... I am really sorry and you don't know how much I hate myself for everything I put you through."

"No," you shake your head, "There's no need for you to keep apologizing," you tell him softly, "It won't do either of us any good to keep bringing up the mistakes of the past. Nor will it serve you to keep punishing yourself for what has already happened," you say as tactfully as you can.

His expression reflects a mixture of gratitude and frustration with yourself.

"Yes, I know, I understand," he murmurs, lowering his gaze, "It's just... I feel like I have to say it."

"Aemond, what matters now is this, how we move forward from here now that we've both learned and grown. Aenar too," you add, "And that's all that matters."

He nods slowly in your direction, his gaze showing a mixture of appreciation and relief, even with the remorse within him, as you both then sink into a moment of silence, letting the unspoken words echo in the air, but you both know those words, they just don't need to be said.

The relationship dynamic between you and Aemond since then takes a new path, a less tense, more bearable path of total trust. And this is not lost when the two of you are together in Aenar's presence.

Until one day, on your day off precisely, Aemond after work, comes to you telling you some unexpected news.

"I told them."

You turn fully towards him, giving him your full attention, understanding but at the same time not what he really means.

The living room starts to feel tense, while Aenar completely oblivious to it continues to play on the floor with his toys, but you focus on his gaze, where there is a charge of confession in his eye and you notice his whole body in a position of determination but also nervousness.

"Come, sit down," you tell him in a soft voice, pointing to the couch, while at the same time getting up from the floor to take a seat next to him.

And he almost with a defeated expression and posture, does as you say, letting out a sigh.

"What happened?" you ask, watching him intently.

He inhales deeply, looking at Aenar on the floor, who is the only one who can make him feel a little calmer, as well as your presence next to him.

"I told them about everything that happened," he confesses to you, "Our relationship, your pregnancy, my team, the decision I made in the beginning, everything I caused and how much I hurt you," he says as he feels his heart knot, "Everything. Everything that happened from then until now... and Aenar."

His words leave a weight in the air, as you anticipate how bad and difficult that conversation must have gone with his family to see him this way, so serious and tense.

"And how did they react?"

Aemond closes his eye, lowering his gaze, his posture reflecting the emotional baggage he carries with him and how bad it definitely went with it.

"Just as I expected. Obviously they were disappointed in me."

He says without much emotion, but with slight pain in his tone

"My grandfather couldn't believe it and was shouting how come I kept all that from them. Hel was very shocked, Aegon and Daeron too. And mother said a few hurtful things, started crying and telling me how I could keep these things from her," he exhales deeply, "Rhaenyra and Daemon were the ones who helped me calm things down a bit, but still my grandfather and mother were upset with her for knowing and not saying anything."

The tension of what happened feels palpable, as if he is reliving his family's every reaction, with the heaviness of disappointment and pain reflected in his expression, as you beside hom, share the weight of that difficult moment.

You are both silent for a moment, only hearing the sounds of Aenar playing with his toys.

"I'm sorry," you whisper in his direction, placing your hand on top of his, as if trying to somehow ease the pain he feels, "It must have been very difficult for you."

"No, Y/N," he observes you instantly, speaking to you in a soft tone, "You don't have to apologize. I deserved this and I'm not saying it to cause pity or play the victim," he adds with earnest sincerity, "I'm saying it because it's true. This is the least I deserve after everything you had to go through because of me."

You decide not to say anything at this, just offer him your silent support, while he again seems lost in his own thoughts for a few long seconds, where neither of you say anything.

When suddenly, Aenar emits an infectious giggle, instantly attracting both of your attention.

His small hands hold a toy with enthusiasm, his smile and the tenderness he conveys bringing brightness to the living room and the state Aemond is in, who smiles softly at the scene, watching him with complete adoration.

He sighs and rises from the couch, moving towards him, holding him gently, needing the sensation at that moment of holding him in his arms.

Aenar squeals with excitement and joy, placing his small arms on his chest, moving energetically in his arms, smiling big at him with his blue eyes completely filled with a glow.

The scene makes you smile softly, especially when Aemond also takes one of his toys and begins to play with it in his arms as he starts to walk slowly around the living room, talking to it in a honeyed tone and causing Aenar to babble incomprehensible words but full of happiness in his tone.

And when Aenar entertains himself with his father's silver hair, Aemond speaks again, turning to you to observe you.

"Despite everything, they want to meet him," he says, watching Aenar in his arms, "And they also want to meet you, my mother more than anyone else."

And this also completely grabs your attention.

"Really?"

"Hmm," he nods, "But I didn't tell them yes or no," he lets you know, "I wanted to consult it with you first."

"But is this good or not?" you ask, looking to find positivity in the situation, "Or do you think they shouldn't know him yet?"

"Of course they should," he tells you softly, "I owe this to them, also to you. But as I tell you, I didn't know how you would react if I told you they would meet him soon, I wanted to check with you first."

You place a reassuring smile in his direction.

"Aemond, for me it's perfect for Aenar to meet his grandmother, his uncles and aunts. It's a great opportunity and will definitely be good for him," you assure him.

"Yes, it is," he nods, unconsciously beginning to imagine the moment, "They can come or we can go to them, whichever you decide."

"Either way is fine with me," you shrug, "When might that be?"

Aemond thinks for a moment before answering.

"We could arrange it next weekend. Sounds good?"

You nod with a reassuring little smile.

"Sounds good."

The Targaryen—Hightower family decides to come to you.

When Aemond gives you the news, even though at first you were totally fine and had no problem with it, inevitably knowing it instantly makes you nervous.

You've never met his family before, not even when you and Aemond were a couple for obvious reasons. And even though his family isn't involved within the entertainment and film industry, you've still heard enough about them to feel slightly intimidated.

About Alicent Hightower, Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen more than anyone.

The uncertainty of how they will perceive you, especially after disappearing from Aemond's life without warning and also how they will treat you, that's what worries you the most.

But the fact that they will be coming to your house relieves you a little. Fortunately you won't be interacting with them in unfamiliar terrain and you're sure that the presence of Aenar, his toys and Aemond will go a long way to reassuring you.

"Do you need help?"

Aemond appears behind you, while you find yourself cleaning everything you can from your living room and Aenar, as usual, is sitting on the carpet with all his toys around him.

"I'm just cleaning up in here, then I'll go clean the kitchen."

"Don't worry, me and this little handsome will clean the kitchen."

He walks over to Aenar and takes him in his arms, who is already dressed in an outfit too cute for the occasion and smells like baby soap from the previous bath you gave him, ready to meet his family.

Aemond goes with him to the kitchen, sitting him in his perch, keeping an eye on him while at the same time starting to clean up.

You start moving some of Aenar's toys, organizing his play area a bit, to create a more orderly and cozy space in the living. You also mop the floor and arrange cushions.

Aemond washes a few dirty dishes and cleans all the shelves, also mops and spreads your favorite Lavender scent, which besides smelling amazing, calms your nerves.

You also ask him to help you tidy up the dining room while you clean the bathroom, wanting everything to look clean and spotless, while Aemond takes Aenar in his arms again to let him play in his play area and he watches him closely from that new distance.

"Maybe I should have cooked something?"

You walk over to him, slightly concerned.

"What? No," he turns to you, instantly, "Y/N, they're coming to meet Aenar, not to eat."

"I know, but..." you explain, nervously, "I thought maybe it would be a good idea to have something prepared, out of courtesy and.... I don't know. Won't it be rude of me if I don't have anything to offer them?"

"Of course not, you don't have to," he clarifies, more serious but with a soft tone, "If you want to have something prepared, let it be some drinks, nothing more."

Still you watch him hesitantly and worriedly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, very sure," he assures you, "In fact I'll prepare them. You rest and take care of Aenar. I'll finish cleaning up everything else."

"No, I-I-

"Rest," he repeats, interrupting you, placing a hand on your cheek gently, "I know this may be overwhelming, but they will come to meet Aenar and you too. And you don't have to put too much pressure on yourself. Everything will be fine."

Her warmth and understanding manage to comfort you a little, making you stop feeling so tense little by little.

"Now rest, okay?" he says softly to then walk past you and head towards the kitchen, not taking any argument back.

It's clear that he wants to lighten your load and make sure you feel comfortable about all this that's about to happen, with his actions conveying reassurance.

And finally after a while, you are ready and waiting in the living room with Aenar, playing with him, while Aemond is sitting on the single sofa and who a few minutes ago let you know that his family is on their way.

And after a few more long minutes, Aemond now lets you know that his family has already passed through the security gate that leads into the private neighborhood.

Knowing that fills you with nerves again, but Aenar's babbling as he hands you his currently favorite toys distracts you a bit.

"Are you okay?"

Aemond asks you from where he sits, watching you intently and noticing the tension all over your face and body, while you try to look completely calm and relaxed.

"Yeah, yeah, just... a little nervous," you say trying to place a genuine smile on your face as you distract yourself by touching Aenar's toys, "Who exactly is coming? Other than your mother and siblings," you can't help but ask.

"My grandfather."

You watch him expectantly, waiting for him to tell you more, but he doesn't.

"And that's everyone?"

"Well, Rhaenyra said my nephews wanted to come too, my uncle Daemon with his daughters too but I asked them to wait a little longer," he explains to you slightly concerned, "I didn't want you to feel nervous and overwhelmed if my whole family invaded your house. And Aenar sure would have felt scared too."

You bite the inside of your cheek and he rises from the couch to walk over to you, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry, okay? It's going to be fine. They're excited to meet you and Aenar."

You release a long breath through your nose, placing one of your hands on top of his, feeling your shoulders especially start to feel less tense.

"Yes... thank you," you tell him with gratitude in your gaze, appreciating his support.

And then the doorbell rings.

Aemond gives you one last reassuring glance, assuring you that everything will be fine, then turns and heads for the door to greet them, as you rise from the couch and take Aenar in your arms.

The tension in your shoulders gradually dissolves as you hold your baby in your arms, replaced by a sense of calm, as you watch the front door intently and finish mentally preparing yourself.

Aemond opens the door gently with a warm smile on his lips and the first to enter is his mother, Alicent Hightower, in a beautiful, elegant green dress, followed by who you assume is Otto Hightower, his grandfather.

His mother wraps her arms around him and leaves a loving kiss on his cheek which Aemond reciprocates, as he also greets his grandfather, who watches the entire interior of the house with an inspecting gaze.

Behind Otto enters Rhaenyra, who embraces Aemond.

"Thank you for coming," Aemond says to her, leaving a kiss on her cheek.

"Of course," she smiles at him, leaving a soft kiss on his cheek as well before pulling away from him.

"You guys too, thank you," she says to Aegon and the rest of her brothers, "Come on in."

Both brothers, Aegon and Daeron, embrace him, speaking words of assurance, leaving Helaena at last, who throws herself into his arms with obvious emotion, smiling with joy and longing, as Aemond leaves a kiss in her hair.

Then Aemond closes the door and before heading towards you, who are still standing very still near the couch with Aenar in his arms, his whole family finally notices you and especially the child in your arms.

"Thank you for coming, all of you," Aemond repeats as he turns to you, "Let me introduce you to Y/N," he points to you, "She works on the same recording set I am currently working on as well."

You put on the best friendly and kind smile possible, as Aemond takes Aenar in his arms so that you can meet his family. And the first to address you is Alicent, with her stunning elegance and a soft smile on a warm face.

"Nice to finally meet you, my dear. My son has spoken so much about you."

The tension almost completely leaves your body, feeling grateful and relieved by the welcoming tone of her voice, evaporating your fear about how everyone, especially her, would treat you.

"The pleasure is mine. I'm happy you're here."

You reach out your hand to her and, pleased, she takes it. But she takes you by surprise when she pulls you closer to her and wraps you in a gentle embrace, definitely not expecting that.

You freeze for a moment, then, a little hesitantly, return her embrace, grateful for the affectionate welcome. And when you both part, she has a smile that denotes sincerity and cordiality, then points you to Aemond's grandfather behind her.

"This is my father, Otto," Alicent introduces you as he watches you with an appraising expression, "He has also heard much about you and was very pleased to come here."

And though his look is somewhat... intimidating, you don't let that invade your nerves.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hightower," you tell him in a soft, polite voice, extending your hand to shake with his as well.

"The pleasure is mine, Y/N," he replies in a low, polite voice, shaking your hand briefly.

"And this is Rhaenyra," Alicent points you to the woman who is just as refined as she is and shares Aemond's same characteristic of silver hair, as do the rest of his siblings.

She smiles towards you and gracefully approaches, then embraces you in greeting mode, as does Alicent.

"It's nice to finally meet you," she tells you cheerfully, "Aemond told me so much about you and of course your little one," she tells you as she gives Aenar a loving look.

"The pleasure is all mine. Aemond also spoke a lot about you and was very excited to meet you," you tell her, as she holds your hands in a gentle grip.

"Well here we are," she tells you without wiping away her smile, then looks behind her, turning her attention to the rest of Aemond's siblings, "Oh and they are my siblings," she gestures you towards Aegon, Daeron and Helaena, who have friendly glances in your direction.

Aegon steps forward first, extending his hand.

"I am Aegon. I hope you're not feeling overwhelmed with so many silverheads invading your home."

"No, no, not at all," you laugh softly, taking his hand, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Aegon."

Daeron is next, greeting you with a friendly smile.

"Hello, nice to meet you, Y/N. I'm Daeron. Aemond told us a lot about you and Aenar."

"Pleasure to meet you, Daeron," you say, noting the sincere camaraderie emanating from both brothers.

And finally, Helaena gives a few towards you, with an expression of pure excitement on her face and hugs you effusively.

"At last we meet!" she exclaims happily, "I was so excited to see you."

"Oh," you respond to her hug also a little surprised and with gratitude, "It's nice to meet you. Aemond has also told me a lot about you.".

"Good things, I hope," she says with a smile, pulling away from you.

And gosh, you can just see how much her sisters and brothers resemble Aemond. Their beauties are otherworldly and even Alicent is truly beautiful, as much as Rhaenyra is.

"And this..." begins to announce Aemond with Aenar in his arms and a radiant smile lighting up his face as he approaches the center of the living room, where his entire family watches him intently, "This is our son, Aenar," he says with pride in his voice, finally introducing his son.

Everyone's gaze focuses on the baby in Aemond's arms, who oblivious to the situation, watches them back with his huge bright blue eyes curious and expectant, while you place a small smile, anticipating the magical meeting of your little one with the rest of his family.

Helaena, visibly moved, can't hold back tears and tries to calm herself, with happiness, longing and nostalgia in her eyes. Aegon smiles with pride and Rhaenyra with adoration.

And meanwhile, Daeron, Otto and Alicent barely finish processing the reality of having Aenar in front of them.

Until Alicent steps forward gently, his eyes and gaze shining with curiosity, slight surprise, longing and adoration as he watches the little one, his newly presented grandson.

"Is that my grandson?" she murmurs in disbelief with tears beginning to form in her eyes and a hand on her chest.

Aemond, with a warm smile, nods at the question.

"Yes, Mom," he gently observes her and seeing her condition, looks at her with complete understanding, "Do you want to hold him?" he offers, carefully extending Aenar to her, sharing in the joy of her holding her grandson.

Alicent, tears streaming down her cheeks and visibly moved, nods in a touched nod with her gaze reflecting all her emotions, joy and awe.

She takes another step forward and reaches out her arms, where Aemond carefully places Aenar in her arms, who now watches him adoringly and with a mixture of happiness and emotion reflected in her gaze.

Alicent can't help but let out a couple more tears as Aenar babbles and watches her with great wonder, moving his small hands to her brown hair, starting to play with her curls, making her laugh softly in the midst of her tears and all the emotions she feels.

Aemond watches his mother tenderly as she enjoys her first encounter with her grandson, while you can't help but feel moved as well and wipe away a few tears that have escaped your eyes, watching the moment with emotion and nostalgia.

"My little Aenar," Alicent whispers, tenderly kissing his forehead, cradling him in her arms.

Aemond, still smiling and holding back his tears, diverts his gaze to you and you watch him back, where you both share a small smile and a silent complicity, both feeling the same way and recognizing the happiness this moment has brought to your lives.

And then Helaena approaches together with Daeron towards her mother, to watch Aenar and share the joy of the moment.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" comments Helaena, smiling, as Daeron watches him with a small smile of adoration and strokes his silver hair tenderly.

"Absolutely beautiful," whispers Alicent, her eyes shining with tenderness, not taking her eyes off him for a second.

"He's lovely," Rhaenyra comments with her soft little smile.

And then Alicent lifts his gaze to Aemond.

"And he looks exactly like you, darling," she tells him tenderly, recognizing the familiar features on Aenar's face and creating a moment full of emotion and family connection.

Aemond, touched and grateful, smiles at his mother's words.

"I think he has a little bit of both," Aemond replies, sharing a proud look with you.

Aenar physically by hair and eyes resembles Aemond, but some features of his face he definitely inherited from you and you can't help but smile in his direction.

And then, within the next few minutes, the whole family continues to make affectionate moments with Aenar. Helaena being the most excited is the one who now holds Aenar tenderly in her arms, leaving a couple of loving kisses on her cheek, while Rhaenyra approaches her to observe Aenar with a motherly gaze.

The imposing figure of Otto Hightower stands watching with satisfaction the scene unfolding in front of him, especially as he sees the happiness and excitement of Alicent and his grandchildren.

He doesn't say much, but his presence exudes a sense of quiet approval and though he doesn't show it, he honestly feels proud of Aemond, this reunion of his family and the arrival of a new member to it.

As Aegon approaches towards Aemond with a friendly, warm smile, placing a hand on his shoulder where he shares his gesture of brotherhood and pride.

"Congratulations, brother," he tells him sincerely, "He is beautiful and a mini version of you."

Aemond nods gratefully, the smile on his lips and places one of his hands on top of his.

"Thank you, brother. I appreciate it."

Now it is Daeron who takes Aenar in his arms and carries him to his play area, followed by Helaena, Rhaenyra, Alicent and you.

Helaena also takes a seat on the carpet with Alicent and the three of them start playing with him, who shows his enthusiasm and fills the living room with his giggles, melting the hearts of everyone present.

The atmosphere definitely becomes livelier and warmer, transforming into a special moment for everyone, where both you and Aenar feel completely comfortable and happy.

And as a few long minutes pass, Aemond watches all the interaction, happy and completely pleased, seeing how you converse with Rhaenyra and the rest of his family is totally entertained by Aenar.

Even his mother asks to have her picture taken with him and slowly begins to fill a new photo album of her grandson on her phone reel, completely enchanted with him.

Such a sight and such a moment couldn't make him happier, being a moment he needed so much and couldn't be more proud of. And how could he not?

His watching his son integrate into his family. And you are definitely getting along great with all of them.

Aegon stands by his side, sharing the gesture of complicity as they watch Helaena and Daeron make sounds with Aenar's toys that make him laugh and squeal with happiness.

Absolutely beautiful.

"So..." Aegon begins to say beside him, catching his attention, "You're going to show him to the world?"

He watches him intently, as Aemond holds his gaze for a second to look back at Aenar with an affectionate gaze, smiling softly.

"That's what Y/N would have wanted at first, when she got pregnant," he says softly, remembering those painful moments, "But no, at least not yet," he replies, turning his gaze back to his brother, "We talk and want to give him a normal childhood as much as possible."

Aegon nods with understanding, listening to him with full attention, then lets out a sigh, watching Aenar.

"The world is going to go mad when they find out, little brother," he says with an amused smile.

"I don't care," he says with a shrug, "All I care about is him."

Aegon smiles warmly again, acknowledging Aemond's priority as a father and he couldn't be prouder of him. He may be the older brother but Aemond...he's the one who matured first, always cleaning up his shit and making sure everyone was okay.

And even though when Aemond told them about this, about you and Aenar, it turned out to be a complete disaster, Aegon is glad that right now his family is responding in this way, loving you and Aenar.

"And what happened to Criston?"

He decides to ask you, curious and attentive, as Aemond takes a moment and exhales deeply, he too being a person who brings back horrible memories of the past.

"I fired him," he replies with a disinterested wave of his hand, "And his entire team too," he adds, "That's what I should have done in the beginning with him."

"And he threatened you?"

Aemond lets out an amused smile, remembering those days as well.

"Yes but I hired a lawyer and they made him sign a confidentiality sheet," he explains, "He couldn't do anything against that."

Aegon nods, pleased to hear those words, as you both turn your gaze back to the family, where Aenar's laughter still echoes throughout the living room, Aemond smiling lovingly as he watches his mother assail him with soft kisses.

Your soft laughter catches your attention as well, watching you with almost the same adoration and love as he watches Aenar, watching you converse with Rhaenyra where you both let out soft giggles at whatever it is you are talking about.

And he can't help but watch you extra longingly, wistfully, happily and longingly, loving to see the smile on your lips and the look of joy you have, his perfect and beautiful Y/N.

He honestly doesn't know what would have become of him if he had never seen you again. He'll probably still be sunk in his misery, regretful and trapped. But with each passing day he thanks the Gods for this, again and again, this second chance.

And Aegon doesn't take this unnoticed, the way his brother is looking at you.

"You really fucked things up with her, didn't you?"

His words break the spell he was under and he bites his lips, averting his gaze from you, beginning to feel ashamed and also with that guilt simmering in his chest.

"Yeah," he replies in a low murmur.

"You still love her."

Aegon tells him watching him intently with a complicity and understanding, not asking any questions, as he is making a statement, affirming it.

And Aemond again speaks the truth, neither denying it nor hiding it.

"Never stop doing so."

Aegon lets out a long breath, honestly feeling bad for him, to place his hand on his shoulder again.

"Brother, we all make mistakes," he tells him softly, "People fuck up and fuck up badly. I'm sure you get that from a person like me," he points to himself, still speaking in a serious tone, "And the important thing is to learn from them and move on. And I'm sure she's seen that in you."

"No, Aegon," he says softly, shaking his head, "What happened between us was different and... unforgivable," he says with the slight pain in his tone, "This is all happening only for Aenar and his well-being."

"So you don't plan to do anything about it?"

"I don't know," he says regretfully, letting out a sigh, "Things are complicated. And with everything that happened surely Y/N doesn't feel that way about me anymore. Besides what really matters is Aenar and I want to be a good father to him."

"I understand that, brother. But maybe all is not lost and all you need to do is try," he tells him in an encouraging tone, "Life is unpredictable, you know? And who knows... maybe Y/N still has feelings for you."

Aemond grimaces.

"I don't know, bro. I don't think so."

Aegon decides to say no more, just nods, for after all, he understands the complexity of his situation. And inevitably, though he shouldn't, with the words he has spoken to him, Aemond feels a small glimmer of hope.

Meanwhile the inside of your house continues to fill with laughter and conversation as everyone enjoys family time. And in the middle of it all, Alicent notices you going to the kitchen for a moment, this catching her attention and being the opportunity to talk to you.

So, giving her attention away from her grandson since she arrived, without saying anything to anyone, she discreetly follows you into the kitchen.

As she passes through the frame, she sees you arranging the drinks that Aemond prepared for them on a tray, wanting to offer them. But when Alicent's figure entering the kitchen catches your attention, you immediately turn to her.

"I don't intend to take up too much of your time, my dear," Alicent hastens to speak with a small smile on her lips.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," you nod immediately, "Do you need something?"

"I just want to talk to you," she answers you softly, "And it's nothing bad, I just... want to thank you for welcoming us into your home," she says, showing the sincerity in her look and tone, "I honestly haven't felt this happy in my life in a long time. And meeting Aenar has definitely made me very happy," she pauses a little, "Thank you."

"No, no, you don't have to thank me," you reply, with a soft look, "It's a pleasure to have all of you here. And you have made Aenar very happy too."

"No, I really do thank you," she insists with a soft tone, "Your home is beautiful and definitely an excellent place for Aenar to grow up."

"Oh, thank you," you smile kindly at her, "Actually this house was bought by Aemond. He must have told them or at least you, I suppose."

"Yes, he did," she nods, "He also told us how much you refused at first but I understand you. It must have been a very meaningful but very overwhelming gesture for you."

You nod with understanding, biting your lips.

"Yes," you murmur, "Yes it was. But I only accepted for Aenar," you hasten to clarify, "I didn't do it for my own convenience, whether for money or fame. I accepted for Aenar, so that he could have his father in his life and together give him the best."

"Yes, sweetheart," she advances towards you and takes your hands between her gently, "I know," she assures you, "You don't have to explain anything, everything is more than understandable."

You let out a long breath.

"Thank you," you tell her sincerely.

"It's okay," she smiles softly at you, "And listen, I-I... I really don't want to make you uncomfortable nor do I want to make you feel bad, in fact Aemond asked me not to talk to you about this but..." she looks at you with some tenderness and longing, "I just want to tell you how very brave you are, Y/N."

You shudder at the sweetness of her unexpected words, feeling a warmth run through your chest as a mixture of gratitude and longing flashes across your face, suddenly feeling completely vulnerable.

"I didn't blame you for deciding to run away, no one judges you for it."

She lets you know by telling you in a soft voice and as tactfully as possible.

"As much as I would have loved to have met you sooner, Aemond's decisions were terrible and I can't imagine everything you had to go through on your own," she says with slight shock and sadness, holding your hand tighter, "Your pregnancy, living in a new unfamiliar place and trying to make it on your own."

You bite your lips, feeling a sharp pain in your chest and tears begin to form in your eyes, but you gather your strength and try not to let them fall despite the memories of painful moments.

Her words resonate with genuine understanding and her warm touch brings you a comfort you didn't expect but definitely needed.

"Yes," you whisper, feeling the lump in your throat, "It was very scary and very difficult," you confess, "But Aenar made every sacrifice worth it."

"Of course," she murmurs, with a sympathetic look.

"Oh and... it must have been hard for you too," you say, remembering, "In those days seeing Aemond so sad and desperate must have worried you a lot. It even almost put in danger his career and you had no idea about me and what had happened."

"Yes, that was very scary too," she nods with a sad smile, "We didn't know what had happened, he pushed everyone away, even Helaena and... I couldn't stand to see him like that, but he wouldn't accept our help either," she explains, "But now, just like me, I've never seen Aemond so happy in his life."

Her tone is genuine and you hold her gaze with appreciation and understanding, feeling completely grateful for this pleasant acceptance and welcome by Aemond's family.

And in that moment you can feel, as Alicent does, how your connection grows stronger in your shared understanding of past challenges and new hope.

"You are a strong woman, Y/N. And I also want you to know that regardless of the circumstances between you and Aemond, I want you to know that you are part of our family now and we are here to support you."

You feel a happiness and relief course through your body, grateful for her words and her total understanding, as you nod in her direction.

"Thank you, Alicent."

And Alicent unable to contain herself, wraps you in a hug full of tenderness that you reciprocate, with the atmosphere filling with a sense of mutual acceptance and support.

And from there, the rest of the afternoon is spent sharing laughter and creating special memories.

Aegon plays with Aenar while Daeron and Helaena join in the fun, making your little one laugh with every quip and funny face that Aegon especially makes.

Alicent and Rhaenyra also join in, creating a connection with Aenar and showing him affection, while Aemond and you watch it all sitting together on the couch, each with a smile on your lips.

Until the visit comes to an end and the family says goodbye with expressions of gratitude and affection. Helaena is the one who insists on exchanging numbers to stay in touch, while she along with Alicent and Aegon promise to visit again soon.

It's a bit hard for Alicent to want to let go of Aenar, but eventually she does and then Aemond and you finish picking up and sorting all of Aenar's scattered toys.

Until it's also time for Aemond to leave.

"Thank you for this day. It was amazing and better than I could have hoped for. Even mom loves you more than she ever loved me."

You smile in his direction sincerely, laughing softly.

"It was nothing, Aemond. It was all very nice. Your family was very kind and Aenar had a great time."

"Yes," he murmurs as he watches his little boy adoringly and then turns his gaze back to you, "Still, thank you... for everything."

You see the intent in his gaze, also in his body, the way he fights it, catching your attention and being a bit amused at it, then moving towards him and wrapping your arms around his neck, hugging him.

Surprised and definitely not expecting that, Aemond doesn't take long to reciprocate your embrace, a little hesitantly at first but he does, slipping his arms around your waist and pulling you close against him.

A sigh escapes his lips as he closes his eye, feeling that warmth in his body and that almost happiness at the sensation of having you close again.

He had missed it.

The embrace conveys a mutual support and understanding, also a kind of affection that Aemond can't quite decipher.

But honestly at that moment he doesn't mind and allows himself to enjoy and seize every moment of this feeling, knowing that he may not be able to have you again soon in this way, before you both part and he drives to his apartment.

Regular visits from the Aemond family to your home become a pleasant daily moment. Each encounter brings laughter, love and a sense of family unity.

Aenar, with his contagious laughter, becomes the center of attention, further strengthening family bonds.

The bond between Aenar and his relatives grows stronger over time, so his extended family becomes fully involved in his growth and development. Laughter and play fill the halls of your home, creating precious memories.

Eventually you also meet the rest of Aemond's family as well as Aenar, like Daemon Targaryen, who is definitely a bit more intimidating than Otto Hightower. But once Daemon feels confident, he's the coolest guy.

You also meet Aemond's cousins, the twins Baela and Rhaena, Daemon's daughters, who are extremely kind and sweet to you.

And you also meet Rhaenyra's sons, Jace, Luke and Joffrey, where eventually she also introduces you to her youngest children, Aegon and Viserys.

Your relationship with each member of the Targaryen-Hightower family develop into genuine friendships. Helaena, Rhaenyra and Alicent become confidants and allies to Aenar's shared upbringing.

The complicity between the women in the family is supportive and builds a safe and loving environment for Aenar and the rest of the children.

Until, on occasion, you decide to take Aenar to the majestic Targaryen-Hightower mansion. The incredible residence becomes a second home for him, who explores every corner with curiosity and becomes familiar with the new walls.

Aegon, as the older brother he is, becomes his second protective figure. Together they share adventures through the mansion's extensive gardens and enjoy playing with Legos blocks or his plastic carts.

With Helaena, she connects with Aenar through her charm and utterly beautiful aura, always playing with him, carrying him in her arms and telling him fantasy stories with gestures and figures.

And with Daeron, Aenar loves it when he watches his favorite cartoons with him. Also eventually Aenar becomes his weakness, as he always fills him with more toys and always thinks of him to give him everything that makes him happy, even food.

And when Aenar cries, Daeron is the first of the siblings to come to him, slightly concerned and immediately wanting to make him feel good.

Meanwhile, your relationship with Aemond, while not resuming the romance of the past, transforms into a serene, enjoyable and respectful one. Aenar's upbringing becomes the main point of building his future and lacking nothing.

Although memories of the painful past persist, both have learned to cope and accept it, in order to move forward.

And eventually, in a significant moment and one that lasted hours of conversation between Aemond and you, also one that was an arduous process of documentation and much waiting, a culmination of a stage of your life is realized that further solidifies the unique connection between Aenar, Aemond and you.

A recognition that brings with it a clear message of commitment and love for the future of your family. The significant moment when Aemond asks for your permission to legally recognize his child and you allow him to do so.

It was not something you had to think about too much, as Aemond has shown you so much and the emotion in his eyes through his tears when you said yes, only further confirmed the fact that you were not making a wrong decision.

And everyone in the family celebrates when Aemond's last name is added to your son's name and he is finally named Aenar Targaryen.

general taglist:

@imaegonstargaryenswife0 @bellstwd @gibbsgirl7 @toodlesxcuddles @imsoshygirl @croatianprincess @gemini-mama @a-little-roony-mara @mysteris-things @zenka69 @at-a-rax-ia @fan-goddess @duds31 @urmomsgirlfriend1 @eternally-passionate @bellaisasleep @ttkttt @aemshaircare @mellowdreamlandpost-blog @noodle81937 @mooncalvin @queenofshinigamis @n4tforlife @vexladin @dixie-elocin @wotcherpeak @watercolorskyy @shiny-trashs-blog @strangersunghoon @elysian0612 @skzenhalove @iloveallmyboys @cakescupcakesminicookies

#aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x you #aemond fanfiction #aemond targaryen fanfic #aemond targaryen x y/n #hotd aemond #aemond x fem!reader #aemond x oc #aemond x reader #aemond one eye #aemond targaryen angst #aemond x y/n #modern hotd #modern au #modern aemond

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assassiowl · 1 month ago

Text

"Can you eat a pine tree" - Hearthian Food Exploration part 1

I'm in the middle of a deep dive investigating Hearthian food. Take the words of this post with a pinch of salt. Heh. Omg it's happening, I think this is my first expanded headcanon. I'm so excited. Theory crafting Heathians and their culture around food, sourcing ingredients and preparation techniques.

Disclaimer

So far, the presence of ghost matter wiping out non-aquatic lifeforms seems to limit the availability of hearthian diet to aquatic based life. That being said, it was long enough for Hearthian's to evolve, so let's just ignore inventing entire species for culture is outside a game dev's scope alright. I'm firing off ideas since I want to draw more food and it's raising a lot of curiosity. But that being said, having access to more creaturas opens a lot of doors. I must design one. Fish meat They eat fish. There's enough bodies of water on Timber Hearth to suggest the presence of a variety of freshwater lake and river fishy. We also have the entirety of Giant's Deep which is just an entire planet of sea. The large gravitational pull on that planet amplifies deep sea pressure. I'd like to think that anything coming out of that water would be evolved in such a way to adapt to these critical conditions. Lots of teeth, bioluminescence, blobby or flat bodies. Extra creepy looking. They're all evolved to be ambush predators to preserve energy. They grow really big. Catching one of these titans could feed the village for a week. Incidentally, I drew angler fish hotpot the other day. I imagine the Hearthian population is quite large. At some point you get a group of people risky enough to challenge the anglerfish. I think it'd be like a fairytale or generations of fish hunters who bring back this glory meat. But they can't do it in a flashy loud way, so they develop all this stealthy hunting gear designed to get them really close for the assassinate. HYAAH then they drag this big ass carcass back home through cold space that keeps it fresh.

Food preservation So at it's core food preservation is about dealing with the microorganisms in food, food preservation is finding ways to deal with them so they can't render our feed inedible. So with something like fish (meat, fruit etc.), you're looking to pull the moisture out, you'll see drying racks where they salt the stuff or leave it to hang in the open, you can bake stuff, or put it through a dehydrator. That's far too high tech. Similar techniques with salt (curing) or smoking foods, it's the same principal. Ingredients So we then have to ask, do they have access to edible salt? Primarily that's sodium chloride to us. For the sake of simplicity, Hearthians are surrounded by rocks, and they have good stomachs, so yeah, probably. Having access to salt opens up so many possibilities.

In a similar vein, a really common important ingredient for food is also sugar. The existence of Marshmallows suggests there's natural source. Just wandering around, I think most suitably would be honey, it wouldn't be too far removed to imagine bees on Timber Hearth. There'd be an abundance of flowers, actually I've talked myself into it just now. Bee keeping Hearthians is now in my head. We also know with fish you can boil bones for stocks and gelatine (the latter is also used in marshmallows, sweets and other desserts, not to mention the flexibility it affords us in cooking). And by extension I think natural flora that have fruit. With that and sugar you can make vinegar, which opens up pickling as another food preservation method - pickle fruit, veg, fish whatever. I've been imagining lots of wilds mushrooms and leafy things. The hardiness of Hearthians means they'd probably be more adventurous, even at risk of an upset tummy. There's just an abundance of potential here and I'm no mycology expert, but I do think when I come around to drawing more, focusing on incorporating more fungi is key to interesting dishes. It's so versatile, I think you could think of it like a tofu. Plus the colours and variety of shapes make for really interesting shapes to draw. What about vegetables? There's a lot of potential for naturally occurring vegetables. Which in turn leads to entire bodies of agriculture and options as a staple food. Root veg and leafy greens should be common in the wild. Though rice and grains to grow maybe? Pine trees So this is where I started this entire rabbit hole. I thought, well, they can't just survive off fish and marshmallows. Haha... Unless? Literally first question "can u eat tree bark" Turns out in some cases... yes. Kind of. The two models in game are more likely pine trees (Pinus sylvestris) and redwood pines (Sequoia sempervirens). Outside the usages of wood as we know it for buildings and spacecraft, as far as I could find, the edible bits are split into: cones needles bark sap nuts You can apparently boil the tight closed green female (???) cones to soften them and eat. But stay away from the barky stuff. It's old and wood like lol. Actually did you know pinecones make for great fire starters. Get a couple dry ones when you're camping and chuck them in. Needles, it's possible to make tea out them, random reddit comments say it tastes like juniper berries (like in gin). It's quite healthy too. Allegedly they have medicinal purposes else they're used for mulch (for fertilising plants). I always imagine Heathians to be careful for future generations like that. I found some posts talking about using the pine needles as a flavouring for smoking your fish, so potential here too. Bark. I really wanted some evidence of people just chewing on hunks of wood. You know like how a toddler monches on toy blocks. Turns out inner pine bark was used in something called bark bread. It was a starvation feed where they used the stuff to pad out the flour to make it go further. It didn't have much nutritional value so as soon as possible it was cut. Sap wine exists. Generally pine sap isn't used for food purposes. Who am I to question it. Actually far from it, I think if we start incorporating extra sugars (from root vegetables, wild flowers and fruits), the process of fermentation actually opens up so much. Alcohol, vinegar, heck if we start factoring in the potential for additional creatura, then we can have milk, therefore cheese, yogurts and stuff. You start combining all of that with plants and medicinal whatnot, we have the potential for cosmetics and medical products. Imagine that, hearthian makeup. So pine nuts are a classic. You can roast them, throw them on a salad, with fish and meats, turn them into a dessert. They're super versatile. For a treat you could turn it into flour. Super expensive, but maybe for big occasions - like a festival? I'm at the character limit. I'll be back.

#outer wilds #food theory #headcanon #my headcanons

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witchofthesouls · 1 month ago

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Thy hungers for more baby birb- can we get some more of Optimus and his gremlin child- maybe his pov on Lil Jack growth?

Optimus would have internal data logs about Jack's ventures into a Cybertronian sparkling, so here are a handful of them.

Log Entry XX:

We are well-distanced from our captors. Jack has lost his initial wariness, and while he still has a habit of completely suppressing himself, he's curious as any other sparkling. He chirps and chirrs at whatever captures his attention, darting around to fetch things to my notice, and clatters his wingspan to my smokestacks often when he's upon my back as he prefers high-ground and tight spaces.

Ironically enough, he does have some form of human habits: the constant need of naps at specific intervals, a deeply rooted impulse to pet a variety of animals, and a surprisingly wide tolerance of toxins.

Log Entry XX:

Despite the mishaps with education slugs, Jack easily absorbs vocabulary and phrases. I'm focusing on his oral skills and reading comprehension. Jack does have an endearing habit of utilizing subglyphs that clash. While the message is sent, the meaning is most definitely different. Either very inappropriate or wildly off course.

Just as he easily calls me a diminutive term for 'progenitor.' It makes a good cover for his lack of carrier and his quirks.

Attachment.audio

Attachment.image.ss

Log Entry XX:

Jack has figured out how to activate his anti-gravs. He takes great pleasure in floating up the tallest structures without footholds and the pouncing games by the locals on the way station.

Due to those thorough explorations, Jack is very unhappy with tonight's extra dry-brushing. He has taken to hiding between storage crates. No matter how upset he is, Jack is far too young to leave his developing plating filthy for long intervals.

Attachment.image.ss

Log Entry XXX:

We have returned to Earth and Jack has been popular among this dimension's people. For many reasons. Everyone seems to be ecstatic over the presence of a sparkling.

Jack, however, has turned surprisingly shy within the Ark. He's never been around an actual crowd of Cybertronians, and the overlapping bounces of fields is making him wary. Jack has refused to leave my side for several weeks after the first incident where he mistaken this dimension's Optimus for myself as we share the same spark signature and voice.

Mechs are excited, so given enough time, Jack will start venturing off soon, especially since there's a photovoltaicat and a turbohound on site along with many blackbirds to charm.

Log Entry XXX:

I have returned from a mission, and Jack had figured out how to hide a mountain lion beneath everyone's sensors. Red Alert is very upset. More so than usual. Prowl and Jazz are concerned about potential security risks.

Jack's sparkbroken. Despite the campaign efforts of Sideswipe and the Aerialbots for a planet-based ship mascot, we can not keep Nightstrike around the vicinity, especially with training, Decepticon attacks, and humans around. Nor should we bring back a creature from this dimension back home.

Log Entry XXX:

I have returned to find Jack has figured out to fully activate his thrusters. He is unharmed and the Aerialbots are very apoplectic. Jack had almost been taken by Soundwave's Cassettes.

Jack has a habit of pushing off sheets in his sleep. I have found little streaks of bright blues and reds on his sides that match my own colorations.

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very-bad-poetry-captain · 6 months ago

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TOS novel book review McCoy edition nr 6 - Shell game

Yeah I read two trek novels in two days because fuck capitalism that's why. I've read a lot of trek novels by now and I keep thinking I shouldn't have such high expectations but you know what? So many of them are so good, and Shell game is a new favorite of mine. There was so much pure, glorious love pouring off each page that us fanfic writers need to start taking notes on how to write canon compliant love stories.

I don't need them to kiss (lie), I need Kirk desperate to say one last goodbye to the two people he [drowned out by Romulan fire] as he prepares to self destruct the Enterprise. Time to get emotionally wrecked, Captain<3

Link to the previous review

Title: Shell game Author: Melissa Crandall Year published: 1993

Content warnings: Redshirts die, descriptions of dead people.

Plot summary in two sentences: Scotty reads a Scottish ghost story to the crew and then they get to experience the same ghost story for real. It's basically Spock and McCoy (and Chekov) running around a scary abandoned Romulan space station while Jim stays behind on the Enterprise biting his nails and worrying over them as they all slowly die while the Enterprise loses power (essentially, this is a horror/mystery type of novel and it was really exciting!). Official plot summary: While on a routine mission, the U.S.S Enterprise encounters a Romulan space station adrift within Federation borders. Exploring the lifeless station, the crew finds ghostly apparitions flitting at the edges of sight. Soon the U.S.S. Enterprise is also inexplicably without power. The situation becomes desperate when a Romulan warship arrives looking for the station, and the Romulan commander accuses the Federation of treachery. Before Captain Kirk can save the Starship Enterprise from complete destruction, he must avoid becoming drawn into a deadly shell game - a game that will leave no winners, and no survivors...

This book is for you if you:

Want a really exciting and well written mystery-plot with horror vibes

Love Spock and McCoy bantering while saving each other's lives and teetering on the edge of emotional connection then going back to bantering again (rinse and repeat)

Enjoy Jim's emotional and physical suffering

Love Romulans (they're fun!)

The ultimate McCoy questionnaire under the read-more (with some spoilers):

1. Is McCoy in it?

Lots of delicious McCoy POV.

2. Is McCoy in it a lot?

I think my favorite thing about this book is how focused it is on McCoy's emotions. And you know a book is gonna treat him well when he's on the thank-you list in the foreword. If you love McCoy, then yep, this is a good book to read.

3. Does he get to be concerned over whatever angst has befallen Kirk lately?

Spock and McCoy at the start of the book: Captain you are well aware there's a new recommendation from Starfleet that the captain shouldn't join the landing parties, it's unreasonable to constantly send down all senior officers together into danger (lol).

Spock and McCoy once they're stuck on the station and it's scary: God I wish Jim was here </3

Whenever they make contact with Jim they're like JIM😍😍😍

To be fair this book is mainly Jim worrying about Spock and McCoy, but they're constantly thinking about Jim whenever they can. They're all expert worriers, the three of them.

4. Does he get to have silly little arguments with Spock?

There's too many to count. Perfection, 10/10, no notes. But there's also so many sappy moments that I had to put my hand over my cheeks and go ooooh my god when reading. Thank you Melissa for your service🙏

It was hard to choose, but a memorable one:

He started out the door, then paused. "Ah... good luck, Spock."

The first officer regarded the doctor through eyes that McCoy could read quite well at the moment.

"And to you." The Vulcan's head bent back to his work, and McCoy left the room and joined the others in the hallway.

And this one:

He reached for Spock's hand, unable to tell whether or not he squeezed it as hard as he hoped. "Spock..." He swallowed hard, working up saliva. "If I ever say anything nasty about you..." He licked his lips. "...and I probably will... I don't mean it."

Spock's breathing was a rough rasp. "I shall endeavour to remember that," he replied quietly, and his other hand rested briefly on the doctor's shoulder.

I could add like, fifteen more but alas, I will restrain myself. Except I do have to add this one:

McCoy shook his head, utterly amazed at the capacity of the Vulcan's memory. "When you die, I want that" - He pointed at the Vulcan's head - "in a jar on my desk. I've never seen anything like it!" He panted and blinked up at the strange look the first officer was giving him. "It's a compliment, Spock!"

"I shall endeavour to remember that, Doctor."

Which could mean nothing.

5. Is he the damsel in distress?

Hehe yes. His fear of heights - check. Spock saving him from falling to his death - check. Touched on the face by something very alien and weird - check. But hey, he does pick Spock up in a fireman's carry after he goes "just leave me here" and passes out.

Which could mean nothing.

6. Does he suffer, preferably a lot? Physical and/or psychological torment.

See above. Kirk and Spock suffer a bit more in this one. Poor Kirk gets banged around in a rogue turbolift, falls in a zero-gravity room that malfunctions... And Spock almost dies from hypothermia :3

7. Does he get to whine and complain and be right about it? Even better, is he wrong about it?

He's trying to put on a brave face for the security ensigns but he can't help his constant complaining around Spock, and twice Spock has to do the "really, Doctor? 🤨" on him, to which he responds with a "well-justified blush" and a "stab of shame" because he's "well deserving of Spock's chastening".

I did love this bit (he's literally obsessed with Spock in this book):

McCoy wished that just once his angry glare would make someone, preferably Spock, burst into flames.

8. Does he get to throw some of that southern charm around?

I mean, yeah. At Kirk :3

9. Does he get to do some medical malpractice?

Not really :/

10. Does Spock call him illogical or similar?

I've already quoted so many things and this is set sometimes post-tmp but before wok and I swear Spock is onto McCoy. Not sure what he's onto but it could be this:

Did they [the Romulans] hold their friends as dear to their hearts as he did Jim, Scotty, and (God help him) Spock?

You're not as subtle as you think, Doctor...

11. Is he forcibly put through his arch nemesis the transporter? Or the dress uniform?

His new arch nemesis is stairs, ladders, and turbolift shafts. Poor kitten.

12. Does Kirk call him handsome (joke or not this happens more than you’d think)?

Kirk is so sappy in this one, though I don't think McCoy's looks crossed his mind even once. I mean the book was published after The Final Frontier so maybe the author was inspired by that because Kirk is like, "I love my best friends and if they die then I'll destroy myself, this ship, and all the Romulans and their damned space station too" and I, for one, support it.

Quote:

He at least wanted to hear Spock's and Bones's voices one more time, tell them good-bye, to tell them...

They already know it, Jim. Well, he supposed that was true, but he still would have liked to deliver the message in person.

Which could mean nothing.

13. Bonus points if his accent is pronounced and his speech is full of befuddling southern expressions which make Spock question McCoy’s sanity (and me wondering if I need a dictionary)

Very little accents in this one... Even Scotty barely gets an accent.

Criticisms/things I’d change

I couldn't change a masterpiece like this... Maybe add a longer epilogue fanfic-style where the three of them get to hang out and relax a bit? I just know Jim was clingy as hell after all that...

Highlights:

If you can, read the book. It was great from start to finish, everyone so in character, the mystery plot was mysterious and well-written and it was the perfect amount of scary for someone like me who is easily scared. There's a reason I finished it in one day... And it's impressive how the author crammed in all that love and sappiness and it felt so true and heartbreaking, and we got some nice parts with Chekov, too.

Final McCoy meter: 10/10 this one goes on the "to re-read" shelf

#tos novel review #shell game #i had to google what shell game means and now i get it #the love was real in this one

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popculturebuffet · 20 days ago

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Pride Month 2025 Finale: Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles: The Fights that Need Fighting

Hello all you happy people and welcome to my grand finale for pride month this year. I haven't covered as much as I wanted to but i'm proud of what i've covered: DC's First Trans superhero Coagula, the excellent and revlatory I Saw the TV Glow and as my final act, we're looking at a concept that's insane, creative and should not have worked, let alone easily been the best comic of it's line.

Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles was part of DC Comics Hanna Barbera Beyond line, a late 2010's line using the fabled animtion studio's characters in new exciting radical ways. Scooby and the rest of mystery inc became adults dealing with the end of the world.. an end Velma had a hand in without realizing what her brothers were planning, the Jetsons became a climate change parable, and the Fred.. well i'll let him tell it

These comics easily could've fell into

Territory, the kind of edgy bullshit that takes an innocent property and tries to make it dark and bloody for the sake of money. This did happen in the line with Wacky Raceland, which somehow wasted the dope surefire concept of "Wacky Races but it's mad max" by taking itself way too fucking seriously. The recent attempt by dynamite is also not great. Just let it be nonsense guys, come on. You can add mythology and depth but remember what your working with.

Instead these themes were handled well: Scooby Apocalypse didn't forget the camp, while still focusing on powerful men making decisions for the little people without their consent and having intresting takes on the cast. Future Quest was an okay attempt to create a shared superhero universe. Jetsons had some really wild swings that paid off.

The best of these by far were the works by Mark Russel, who wrote today's comic and the Flintstones, easily the biggest breakout of the bunch and the one that still holds up the most. Out of context and in lazier hands, Fred and Barney participating in the genocide would be edgelord nonsense. Instead it takes the idea of society itself, the empowering of the rich and everything and uses it for clever satire, as the society in this version of the flintstones is still forming. We see some ideas sink in, how our heroes are adapting from hunting gathering to the horrifying captalist hellscape we live in. It's changes are purposeful: the genocide makes a point about how some wars, ESPECAILLY a lot of the US's military intervention, are done for money or to make a quick enemy for the more powerful, the stress vetrans go through, and gives bam bam a powerful and heartrending origin. They also took the Great Gazoo from weird punchline of a character to a space game warden who looks out for us. They also took the "animals as objects" thing and made it a heartbreaking subplot. Russel took a huge gamble, something that could easily have been a punchline and ot many out of context was.. and made it a masterpiece.

So it's weird and wonderful he pulled it off TWICE. For his encore, and sadly last gasp with the Hannah Barbera characters as HB Beyond would end soon after. (Though DC was smart enough to keep him around), he went with an evern bigger ask. Flintstones but as a dramedy.. was a reach, but one that was bold and within the specs of the adult tone of the earlier franchise. What he had in mind next... was truly bonkers in the conkers and I love it.

So Exit Stage Left is an exploration of the red scare, timely in 2018 mid trump and even more timely once again mid trump as he actively hunts queer people for sport and plans a war for the reasons you'd expect

It does so.. using Snagglepuss as a thinly closeted playwright , Huckleberry hound as his miserable closeted novelist best friend, Peter Potumus as his director, and many more we'll get to in supporting roles, as he deals with HUAC's attempts to destroy him. And while there are some jokes here and there, it's primarily a tragedy. With a hopeful ending, but still a very sad, soulful work. And.. it works. Similar to bojack horseman it uses the animals alongside humans and as actors trope masterfully. IT dosen't have as much time for worldbuilding, but it still manages to be engaging, flesh out it's cast and be moving, relevant and heartbreaking all in 6 issues. It's a work that's high concept in a way I hope gets done more and I hope Dynamite considers. While I do love their comics for Space Ghost and Captain Planet, both taking the idea and modernizing it without going too edgelord, I wouldn't mind more weird, wonderful experiments like this and i'll show you why under the cut. Featuring Sasquatch Detective:

I Wasn't Kidding About Sasquatch Detective

So before we adresss the main feature when the comic ran it had a delightful backup feature, you can guess the name. Sasquatch Detective is a fun breezy backup about Tonya, the titular detective, her surly but supportive partner, and her hyjinks. It got a reprint as a 64 page special complete with a feature story I won't cover for now but seems to have just vanished into the either after. Creator Brandee Stillwell advertises it on her socials, as she should, having written and drawn it all but it seems DC just didn't want more than this. It seemed like they were gearing up for a full mini with the special and leaving the backups out of the snagglepuss trade, but it just didn't happen. There's a lot of reasons why this might be: Stillwell might of just left the company, COVID might of meant DC simply didn't have the budget for it, or the George Floyd protests made the idea of a polcie procedural with a light breezy tone impossible. It's shame as the work was just before the big quirky detective boom we've had with Poker Face, Elsbeth and High Potetial, all bangers and all telling me James Gunn should seriously consider adding Tanya to the DCU as soon as possible. The man loves weird obscure characters, let him know she exists.

The backups have Tonya, perky as ever and her more dour very tired partner Berzek solve arious mysteries, with Tonya opening the series getting added to the force then a year later disgusing herself in her best pretty woman. Tonya is a wide eyed kind sasquatch who works hard, is an ace at what she does and is simply at worst awkward in a world of human stuff that isn't sized for a sasquatch. Brotoman's faviorite installment, and mine has a lady they came to interview calling animal control.. forcing Tanya to deal with Gary

And you may be thinking my asking for the DCU is weird. I mean this is the kind of goofy premise that would've been perfect for an actual Hannah Barbera cartoon..and still would be. Well ate the end of the gary debacle, after he's tased and arrested for shooting Tanya with a tranq for his incel racisim.. this happens

So while this work could easily be standalone if James Gunn dosen't want it to be, it could at the very least be a fun cartoon and a nice side piece to canon dealing with the weirder corners of the DCU. I also want to see her in the main dc universe again. I mean the justice league just took on an EVERYONE IS HERE mentality, give Tanya a card. Let her team up with the creeper in a buddy comedy. WE need more creeper two dammit. Though props to dan slott for possibly giving us more.

I highly recommend checking these out if you can find the special online or want to snag a copy or something. Or your a singles person. Either way check these out. It was a fun concept that REALLY needs a comeback.

So onto our main event. I COULD have covered each backup as they came up. While I adore Sasquatch Cop.. it just dosen't fit tonaly. It's good stuff... but why they put it in the back of a mildly serious reboot I don't know.

And now our feature presentation, entering stage left

We begin our story not in the mini series itself but in a teaser that's part of the trade, a little prelude published in Suicide Squad/Banana Splits

It follows Snagglepuss as he goes in front of Huac, the kind of sentence that makes me thrilled that this is something I got paid to write. He runs circles around them, responding to their every attempt to paint his plays as garbage or him as subversive with sarcasm and a witty one liner. They look. .bad and this will be important for the mini series.

For now Snag talks with a young writer who idolizes him and wants to change the world like he does, Auggie Doggie, I assume senior given what we'll see at the end.

So filling in these characters as we go along, Snagglepuss was one of Hanna Barbera's first breakouts, having a succesful small role on the Quick Draw McGraw show before getting his own shorts as part of Yogi Bear's show> He was known for his camp nature, snappy patter, many catchphrases and when hannah barbera became a collection of characters doing stuff with yogi bear rather than their own things in the 70's and 80's, he became a part of the gang. He later made it to Jellystone played by Dana Snyder> He's not used a ton but is still a valuable part of things and like a huge chunk of the cast is very gay.

Auggie Doggie was part of a double act with his proud father Doggie Daddy..

I haven't seen much of them but they were added to the touring company all the same. He'd become a large part of Jellystone and one of it's best alongside a gender flipped Auggie, apparently having lived out every disney movie to get a daughter and being hilaroiusly clingy.

So Snag relates a story: he was doing summer stock directed by Peter Potomus, who had his own show where he drove around in an arc with a chimp sidekick making movies makin songs and fightin round the world. Here he's a director and was doing some light follies when the theater caught fire. When Snag told peter this.. he didn't exactly take it well.

So Snag tried to warn the audience, dressed as a clown.. only for them to laugh, taking it as all part of the shows and leading to one of the worst disaster in Kentucky Theater History till the Ghostly Rampage of Col Sanders in 83.

Snag uses this to illustrate an important, all too resonant message

It .. it hit like a truck. Because it's the truth: We may not win, it's a long game and being a queer person in a country that hates and fears you has been historically a long hard road to getting a shrug of acceptance at best. But you fight anyway because every inch you gain, every ground you get or get back, is worth it.

Proving Snag's point... while I liked the work at the time.. I didn't see the deeper meanings or let them sink in. I saw it as thought provoking.. then let the thoughts it provoked scatter. I didn't see that just because you win one fight and get rid of one tyrant dosne't mean he can't come back.

So we open the series possible with two people late to see the show... and you can just tell it's not the show we're about to see. More on them later. For now we see the arrival of the man of the hour, the vip who gets the first slice of the p-i-e. Snagglepuss in this unvierse is an award winning playwright, married to actress Lila Lion, Snag's love intrest from the cartoons now his beard as he attends the last performance of one of his plays, Heart is a Kennel of Theives. Snag admits his inspriations are the Algonquin Round Table, a group of actors, writers and others whose jokes, japes and witty banter were world wide legend and to a small boy in misssipi with not much else, it was everything.

We see the play best summed up as

Though a nice touch I like is that the actors all wear dog ears, both the humans and the pink puma playing the lead role.

The finale's a smash and Snagglepuss bids his wife adew.. and goes to see his boyfriend at the Stonewall. The Stonewall is a historic gay bar, a safe haven for queer folk. Sadly it would not last forever, being destroyed thanks to a three day riot after Police did a homophobic raid and many queer people rejected owned by the mob, but is thankfully back, having reopened in the 90's and being rightfully declared a historic landmark.

At the Stonewall, Snagglepuss and his boyfriend Pablo watch a hearing from Huac on the tv for novelist and playwright Lillian Hellman, who refuses to sell out anyone she knew while in the Communist party to huac. SHe's a friend of Snag's but he dosen't take HUAC seriously assuming SURELY it couldn't happen here. Pablo.. is quick to correct his dumbassery, pointing out he once dealt with a politican who was a buffon too: Batista, the dictator of cuba and the reason why he's here. They assumed he was a clown, a has been who had no real power.. and his crackdown on meetings of queer people and killing one of his friends who stood up to them proved otherwise. Pablo fled.. but feels horrified by it. And when snag tries to brush it off

This line is not only brilliant.. but gutting as .. it's what we're dealing with now. We thought Trump couldn't come back. Even I, utterly nerverwracked about the apocalypse that would happen if he won again thought surely the nation couldn't do this. Surely we wouldn't surrender to this monster again.

I was wrong. Many were. From people like me who simply wanted to reassure themselves he can't win to the dumbasses who helped him: the throngs of people who could care less about the trans people or immigrnats trump would harm as long as he helped them, something he's completely and utterly failed to do and was never gonna do but he sure has harmed immigrants, trans people and anyone who dares speak against him. The democratic party who treated this like a normal transition of power and not a fight for the future till the other shoe dropped and who could care less about the people getting hurt due to their waffling. The lefter than thous who refused to vote for anybody, refused to compromise, and now STILL blame Biden as much as trump does for their own shortcomings when we have bigger problems to deal with. And of course the rabid assholes who always existed but we assumed were the minority. All of this lead to the shit sandwitch we're all stuck in now. We all have a tendency to belivie the worst can't happen and then it does. And while things have held.. we can't be complacent. I wish I knew what to do but I badly want to find it, a way to fight back against this. But for now I was warned the house was on fire... and didn't grab a bucket till it was already nearly gone.

Snagg has lunch with legendary writer and his hero dorthy parker, who warns him both that his idols have faded.. and that it'll happen to you.

That night an old friend of Snag's stops by, Hanna Barbera star, cartoon legend and thanks to the simpsons, this work and Jellystone gay icon Huckleberry hound. They party.. but it's clear Lillian isn't in a great place after everything.

We finally see where that couple was going.. an execution

It works as unsubtle as it is, the simple idea that america loves a spectacle.. that their just as entertained with thought provoking life changing material.. as they are watching death and treating it like a late show.

We end the issue on our main antagonist, Gigi Allen, whose joind the hearings and plans to target Snagglepuss, claming a nation becomes what it enjoys.. which isn't wrong but in her mind means SNagg must go. The comitte is hesitant given he beat their asses last time.. but she has an ace in the hole.. a picture of him going into the Stonewall.

We open issue two with Gigi saying a whole not of nothing loudly. before Snagglepuss gets through his day: dealing with an actor criss as the actor, Marion aka John Wayne himself, can't find his motivation, visits a man in hospice whose son also went into theater and has a noose next to his bed because he used to be a judge.

He ends the evening introducing the future king of assholes to Huck, who delightfully is enjoying a tv dinner. Snagglepuss has been a good friend not asking questions till now but to be a true friend you have to ask your buddy sometims why they suddenly showed up out of the blue after not talking to you for months.

The short and less heartrending version?

The long soul punching version, Huck was a closeted novelist. His wife was suspscious and sent detectives after him.. who caught him with a man and for some reason rather than just you know.. blackmail him or.. maybe don't, they agreed not to get him arrested if he left town and never came back, forced to abandon his son. It's a contrast to snagglepuss who does the same things.. but tells his wife about it. Still it's hard not to feel for Huck: He couldn't exactly be out, he had few choices and unlike Snagglepuss didn't leave home where it's easier to find someone willing to be your beard. He didn't want to leave his son like his father left him. Still Huck is shown to have some poor choices, trying to hit up a guy.. and getting punched in the face by what turns out to be a bigot with it easily going much worse for many other queer people. It's why for so long I repressed by attraction to men more.... part of me told me I could take my time which I could.. but i've realized this month that part of it was just being afraid of being myself, that I know my family will accept me.. but I can't say the world will. I haven't hid it.. but I also haven't explored it for fear of being beaten up or catfished.

Snag offers to take Huck to the Stonewall some night. For now he fist runs into his friend from earlier.. whose leaving the US. She received 5 rejection letters... all in the same print so she's going to Paris.. and warns Snagglepuss that the first comittee meeting is simply to see if they'll bend the knee. The second is to destroy them for their insolence.

It's proven too as Gigi invites Snaagglepuss to dinner.. and to try and get him to play ball. It goes as well as you'd expect

It's brutal as it is honest and it's really what any culture war is about: It's not about OH WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN, it's not about real moral honesty.. you just want to control what people think. Trump didn't bomb iran because it was the right thing to do he did it because right now he's the enemy and he wants to give the people who voted for him who aren't drinking the kool aid anymore something to boo and hiss about while he dismantles the country from the inside out. It was the same then it's the same now: they go after people they other because their easy targets and "hollywood" because it's creators are often fucking honest and do everything they can to get past censors. Even now we get shit like Disney censoring queer content, firing a queer creator and trying to say nothing while brave men , women and everything inbetween and beyond fight to actually say their stories.

So we end the issue with war being delcared: HUAC sends a letter calling Snag back

We begin issue 3 with a jumpscare

So we open with Snagglepuss being interviewed on a tv show, bringing Huck with him to try and help revitalize Huck's career. When asked about his low opinons of tv, Snagglepuss gives us the diffrence between an actor and a star, a stage actor and a tv actor. A star is who we want to be, an actor is who we are.

Snagglepuss wakes up from his afternoon nap by the pool to deal with two problems: The first is that one of the actors in his current play is bad and should feel bad. Snag decides to deal with it.. but has to deal with something else: Playwright arthur miller, the man who made the crucible among many other thought provoking plays.. and also had a longstanding relationship with screen idol Marilyn MOnroe... and her current boyfriend and soon to be first husband Joe Dimaggio is coming to murder the second before it gets that far. Snag is brought in because well.. yeah. It's really that obvious so being seen with him is a smokescreen. He reluctantly agreres and we get WHY Joe adores her so much: as a son of immigrants who had their livelyhood taken away just for being immigrants, she's his american dream, the kind of acceptance he craves... yet he can't see he's objectifying, her a means to deal with his pain instead of actually dealing with it himself. Snag defuses things.. but tellingly for the first time all comic we see him PISSED when he calls arthur afterword

Artist Mike Feehan who does the full mini series does a fantastic job making the characters look realistic. The humans can sometimes look a bit dead eyed, but it helps the animals pop more. And this might be my faviorite panel, showing Snag feral and pissed.. and for good reason. Arthur abused their friendship to use Snag's sexuality as a prop to get him out of a problem he got himself into.

He lets it slide off though shifting back into his charming usual self efortlessly and introducing Huck to the stonewall... his reaction is beautiful.

As unrest grows in Cuba snag is glad Pablo is here.. but Pablo isn't, pissed and lashing out that Snag would rather he be a kept man than fighting for somethign he belivies in. It's telling Snag just.. can't understand that Pablo wants to fight and wants to be there with his people trying to make something better instead of hoping to ignore the rising tides till they wash him over.

Next day, Snagglepuss visits his friend in the hosptial, bringing LIla along this time, with said friend resenting his son for leaving his mother.. and seemingly killing her with grief. More importantly Snag's going to another party and until sitting down to write the review I never realized that there's one in every issue. Huck takes Quickdraw Mcgraw as his date, having been el kaboining him. Quickdraw has been seen a few times at the stonewall, a closeted police officer who collects the bribes. Huck is.. happy for the first time since he got here, not wallowing having found someone and thanking snagglepuss for it.. and knowing what's coming... it fucking hurts. You'll see why shortly but if you've read this comic you know and you can see why it took me this long to go back.

Snag runs into Marilyn who apologizes for the whole mess. She explains what she sees in Joe.. that he's a person, not some dumb brute but someone with complexity and pain we saw earlier. The problem is .. Joe dosen't see hers: like most men he sees Marlin as either a sexual prize to be won.. or a dumb bimbo to be torn down instead of a person... which is what Arthur sees. Snag not only makes it clear he's not going to tell joe but thanks Marilyn for being this vunerable for him, for showing the part of her that few get to see. It's a tender moment and one of the best in the comic.

This whole subplot could be cut... but it makes a point about people , especailly in snag and huck's case as queer people in the 1950's, have to cut part of ourselves off, segment ourselves, and how being seen.. is seeing all of a person. Unlike some of the celebrity cameos like John Wayne or as we find out Clint Eastwood as the actor Snag realized wasn't good for stage (but does hook him up with a western as he sees his talent as a star and for talking to empty chairs), it feels necessary, not only hooking snag to the world but into things. There's a LOT of cameos here and i'm not skilled enough at the 50's to spot them all and i'm only googling the ones that impact the plot. As the interview ends we get a truly magificent line i'll let speak for itself

We end issue 3 with everything going pretty well even with the hearing. Now's the part where it all goes to shit.

We open issue 4 with Gigi again and another scene that's more tone setting than actually plot relevant. She's in Nevada after assuring the comittee she'll have leverage on snagglepuss. For now after another jingoistic classroom lecture she talks with a tecncian at a test sight who makes it clear why their buliding so many fallout shelters: it's not because the goverment ever thought they'd work.. but it gives the ILLUSION of victory, that america really would be stupid enough to start nuclear war and MIGHT survive it. It's letting your oponent THINK you'll pull the trigger when neither of you can, and letting people think their safe when really... no. Their dead and their fate isn't in their hands.

So let's stop a second and talk about Mark Russel's writing style: Mark likes to take breaks like this to set the tone and to say stuff about society to really go off about a topic. Sometimes it works, sometimes it dosen't, but he's good at intercutting it with panels and showing the insane underpinnings of our society. It mostly works here, with everything tying in thematically: the cold war their using to do this prosecution bullshit.. is just smoke and mirrors. Theirs no war just two countries darring each other to "end the world pussy!"

At the play we find out it's about Snag and Huckleberry, complete with masks.. and it makes Snag reflect on his past. he and Huck knew each other as kids. Were best friends.. but Snag had to go. As he poignantly puts it

So Snag left.. and deals with it.. and into present day as while he's mostly cast the mask off privately... he still wears one. Lila had zero idea till this play he and huck were lifelong friends, with Snagglepuss barely letting her in. She was completely aware she was his beard going into the marriage, she's fine with that. .but she wants to at least be let in emotionally... which is a fair ask and Snag knows it as he dodges the questions. He knows he's not being fair but it's very clear across the story Snagglepuss.. has trouble opening up. His viacious personality is part who he is.. but part another mask. A way to put a wall up so he never has to deal with his emotions or issues. He geniuinely if platonically loves lila.. but he can't be vunerable with her or Pablo, he can barely be vunerable with himself. He talked about parts of yourself you hdie from everyone.. but he hides his pain in his work and in himself.

And this extends to Pablo whose tired of hiding, tired of the masks and wants to be himself... or at least something more than meeting one place every day. And Snagg..s naps for the second time this series, and in a way that's heartbreaking as it is telling

It's a line I honestly didn't notice on my initial read for this review, a line that proves what i've been saying: that Snag WANTS to be free but is constraind by a society that would destroy him for being queer. He's a caged lion unable to be who he deserves to be.. but he's boxing in others to do it.

Snag.. does end up doing the right thing in a truly heartwarming moment that in other works may be a turning point for his life: Instead of the stonewall.. he realizes Pablo was right and that he's hurting the people he loves.. so he introduces Lila and Pablo. He may be closeted.. but he can live and have the loves of his life, his best friend and his boyfriend, his family.. be family.

Sadly... this is intercut with a tragedy. While Snagglepuss embraces who he is as much as he can... Huck alraedy has. His relatoinship with Quickdraw is going great, everything seems fine... then Gigi lowers the hammer. See she intended to go after snagglepuss with the stonewall, pressuring the cops into a raid knowoing their taking bribes, but his change of heart saved him.. but dosen't save Huck.. who has his heart broken

McGraw chooses his career over Huck and instead of warning him and moving on with his life.. destroys him. Huck is arrested and humiliated , forcibly outed by a horrifying world.. and by Gigi who ruined his life just to get at his friend.. and is closeted herself. It's a damming statment.. that it's one thing to struggle with not being out, the world can be hard and as seen with Snag sometims you do the best you can and find a way around till the world will let you be who you are. But as McGraw and Gigi show... sometimes.. you sell out your own just to get ahead. McGraw is broken by what he's done while Gigi..s leeps peacefully entirley okay with having destroyed a man and preparing to destroy him further for her own goals.

Huck is understandably not doing great, the cop discharging him to Snag, who leaves practice at once to go bail his friend out, making homophobic remarks. But he at least admits.. he's out. That a man can't hide forever.. but he also admits that you can change the world or be destroyed by it.. and god help him Huck can't decide which.

Kruchev has a general arrested for daring ot speak up against him.. the moral is important to this: dance to the beat the goverment once.. or else.. and how the us despite claming ot fight communisim.. is using the exact same tactics.

Back to the main event. The Comittee is a bit pissed as Gigi misssed her target. They want to call the hearing off.. but it's too late and Gigi makes a valid point: The goal was leverage and while they dont' have our hero directly.. they have one of the few people he'd die for in the crosshairs.

So the two enemies meet again. And while she TRIES the "we're sorry we didn't mean to" card... Snag shuts that shit down on sight

Gigi offers to make it all go away for huck if he bends the knee.. and it becomes clear her right wing bullshit about "the culture war determining if we win the cold war".. isn't bullshit for her. Some part of her GENUINELY seems to belivie this is a battle for america's soul and if they all dont' bend the knee and obey, we loose. The sad truth is the real powers controlling the right like hers, then and now don't want any moral victory. These crusades are so they can other people to create enemies. They go after queer people because we do not fit into the mold that's easy to control. We do not bend the knee as easily. As this work and real life has proven some do. But it's a lot harder to control and control is the whole game. A war, culture or real isn't the goal.. its blind obidence. It always has been. She's deluding herself thinking this is about anything else.

The worst part though.. is it's actually working. Snagglepuss is considering bending because she has his best friend held to the fire. Lila is concerned he might while Pablo is just furious at the notion. Yet whlie he's right that the monsters will never stop begging for a pound of flesh and want more and more.. Snag has a point. It's easy to call someone a monster when they sell out for their own comfort like Quickdraw or because they've deluded themselves into thinking it's the right thing like Gigi. But Snagglepuss wonders if his work is at all worth the life of his best friend. It'd be very easy to condem him but the story and the world has backed him into a corner he cannot get out of.

Huck is likewise stuck. It's been clear all story Huck has depression: his stories are all about how miserable he is, he can't stop about it, but there's just not a lot of language to help him. He was almost doing better.. but loosing his lover, his ablility to write, it's destroyed him. He points out he's a goldfish in a glass bowl.. even with Snag's offer for him to move in.. it's just moving the bowl. And while Snag admits he could make it go away, Huck has doubts. Huck.. is a complex character: he's naive, depressed.. but always had a current of hope. A tv dinner is a modern marvel, love is something he needs and yearns for and embraces when he gets it. That hope is gone.

The final breaking point is that HUAC reveals to snag their suppoening Huck. He calls LIla , planning to fully sell out.. but as she tries to tell him before having to shout it

It's the reason this review has been so damn hard to write, not helped by being a person with depression whose had suicidal ideation. Huck hung himself, not able to deal with this anymore.. and HUAC might as well have handed him the noose. They knew he was vunerable and they pushed simply to win a political fight. A man died... because they broke him all to get at someone else.

Snag is devistated, the art doing a perfect job capturing his shock.. before he decides to go down fighting. They nearly had him and they pushed too hard.. and now he's going to break them back. But he also makes it clear he's going to push LIla away, something she's devistated by and worried about.. but he has no choice. Anyone attached to him will be destroyed and it's a truly devistating sacrifice, giving up his friend.. for her saftey.

He also has to give up opening night, with Peter talking him up: after the fire incident his rep was understandably done, justifably so.. but Snag gave him another chance. So while he'll have to pretend like they never knew each other.. for tonight... this is for Snag.

Snag's demeanour is diffrent. It's a change I hadn't noticed before but hits like a truck once you do: he's colder, angry. He does make a joke or two, i'd be impossible for him not to.. but the jokes are less pithy and light. He's thrown away the mask, the playwright, the jokester, the man with the iron wit.. and is speaking plainly, bluntly and nobly. The him before wasn't bad and is a good way to deal with facists.. but it's not the snagglepuss their getting. They thought that snagglepuss would be their downfall... instead their getting him with his teeth bared ready to tear them apart and when asked about his arts subersivness..

It's a beautiful statement. It's the truth. All these idiots saying ART SHOULDN'T BE POLITICAL are really just saying "I don't like this art's politics". The best they can muster is stuff like Mr Berchum which isn't art but someone screaming their opinon at you. The whole point of art is to crack open your world view, to help you see beyond it. The reason the widening perspectives we're getting is so great.. is that we see beyond ourselves. To use a recent example i'll be covering for next year's Juneteenth, Sinners tells an entertaining action story and has wonderful memorable characters... by framing it through the black experince, through the south and through the commodification of black art and people. The rich history embeded in the film makes the work what it is. I"m sure some jaggoffs are claming "OH WELL IT'S WOKE OR DO THEY HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS". which.. yes they do. When we stop thinking just in what we know and open our world, the world is better for it. There's so much queer content and queer coded content these days.. because our stories matter. They deserve to be told. And the harsh truth of what the powers in this coutnry, the very white powers that run it have done NEEDS to be laid bare so we can fucking change it.

Gigi is pissed , trying to frame the thing as "obdeicne or oblivion..a nd snagglepuss obleterates her. He explains WHY entertainment is so important and I wish I could use more panels here but the final scene o fthe issue is several pages of back and forth I simply can't properly put on screen. It's well worth reading. But he points out pop culture puts people's fanaticism somewhere somewhat healthy. And otherwise.. it turns to goverment, the state, to tolataranisim.. and that isn't healthy. he can't say there isn't an exestital threat, the cold war was and the threat of nuclear Armageddon still is.

So Gigi brings up huck.. and it HORRIBLY backfires as she had no idea he committed suicide and then says "If he just kept it private". Snag explodes... pointing out that keeping it private destroys people. having to hide who we are is a cage, a mask we can never take off that eventually becomes part of us and consumes us

As snag ends his speech Pablo leaves, his divorce papers are sent.. and he decides to live with himself rather than hide in shame. Issue 5 is an explosive climax to the story, the big final confrontation between two powers.. and while Snagglepuss wins the moral victory and easily smokes his opponents.. he ultimately dosen't win. It was good to have this, full of iconic lines and fantastic moments.. but it also shows how easy it is to win.. and still loose.

We begin the next chapter years later. Nixon is talking with kruschev and Kruschev makes a valid point: while america props up our culture.. we also abuse it, comodifying stars of color or who are queer than treating them as lesser

This is of course hypocritical given the soviets werne't exactly friendly to quee rpeople.. but it dosen't make it not true.

Issue 6 is more of an epilogue: it's valuable and important to the story and good it didn't end here, but it ends sometime later and deals with the aftermath, the rubble left and the good and bad of Snag's brave stand.

The bad is evident early on: a bunch of gawking idiots rescognize him as "from being on the communism show". They missed the point entirely and Snag is understandably bitter. He meets with Augie Doggie, now a succesful novelist having written a book about snag and disgusted he got blacklisted, and giving him a copy. He may be lightly comodifying his friend.. but it's clear he did so for the art.

Snag once again says something profound: when Auggie reflects that maybe writers strive for happy endings because the unvierse is cruel and uncaring and we don't want to admit that. he offers something diffrent

Snagglepuss returns to his lonely apartment, consigned to the same frozen dinner Huck once had, and suprised to find Lila has remarried... happy for her too. She finally got the ending she deserved.

Someone who dosen't get what they deserve in that moment is McGraw who shows up at the door and is VERY lucky he dosen't get a punch to the face. He's here to make amends.. though Snag isn't in the mood. While McGraw feels guilty... Snag points out the why: Quickdraw was caught a few years later so what he did to huck amounted to nothing, and he feels bad in part because of that.. rather than because he choose the badge over his boyfriend.

Still he at least offers what he has: a cartoon show. He's gotten a role somehow, and offers snag one. I'ts a brilliant twist I didn't see coming reading this first run: that the hanna barbera cartoons snag would star in.. are canon to this universe. As in universe productions, sure, but given how cheap they were I can buy they were shot in live action with genuine furries. Snagglepuss objects this as nonsense.. but it's only if he wants it to be. For now he reads Huck's suicide note: that we should forgive ourselves.. and find forgiveness.

He then gets a call: his friend that he's been visting all story, the cranky old mah has passed.. and turns out.. it was his father. It's heavily hinted and I can't belivie I missed it on my read throughs but it's another thing lost in a painful life... the two having reached SOME kind of peace but never having the courage to tell his dad who he was. Maybe he knew.. maybe he didn't.

Snag in his depression goes back ot the stonewall, where a bear witha n eyepatch serves cocktails. Snagg feels his fight.. was for nothing. He proved nothing, the world is still cold.. what did he exactly win. And the stonewall bartender reveals exactly what; More bars. It used to be the only place.. but more and more sprung up while the stonewall istself persisted. The bust didn't kill it.. it showed these places exist and mroe people found and created them. You can't kill an idea.

And he figures they'll win> Why, because w'ere not going anywhere. Snagg spots pablo on tv, having participated in the revolution against batista and won. Also there's a farmer telling nixon to stay out of his corn. I refuse to give you any context.

So Snagglepuss realizes he can't just.. lay over and die and that maybe just getting back out their, existing in spite of the blacklist is enough.. and he takes the job.

So we end on Quickdraw bringing SNag in. Since they need all the stars they can get to crank out stories they don't care but just as a precaution we get a fantastic mythology gag: they paint him gold and call him snaggletooth, what snagglepuss was called in his first apperance and how he looked. It's a stupid trick.. but one that should work, it gives them deniablity and if no one cares, then he can perform under his name and color again.

Snag has one non negotiable... another star he wants brought on. Huck's son Huckleberry Hound Junior... who takes huck's name as a stage name in his honor. So we end as the duo visit huck's grave

It's a beautiful ending an da postscript tells us the show was a success, both would get their own cartoons.. and they'd have a long happy career. It's as close to a happy ending as I need.

Exit Stage Left is a masterpiece. A beautiful work that takes a batshit concept that should not work... an dmakes it work swimingly. It feels like it'd make an excellent companion piece to bojack horseman, the same use of animals who are a bit jarringly real in places as actors to deal with our own fucked up world and an ending tha'ts not exactly happy.. but still better than we thought following a flawed, if not as fucked up character. It's a fantastic piece of art that proves wild swings do work you just have to know where your aiming. It's well worth a read if you can find it, and should be held up as one of THE comics of the 2010s and reprinted as soon as possible. I doubt warner will but hey, stranger things have happened. If nothing else they could do a dc by mark russel omnibus and include this, prez, and his other works like flintstones. It's painfully timely, beautiful, and biting and i'm honored to have covered it. Thanks for reading

#exit stage left the snagglepuss chronciles #snagglepuss #huckleberry hound #quickdraw mcgraw #dc comics #mark russell #hanna barbera #comics #queer #lbgtq+#gay #HUAC #red scare #politics

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mythauragame · 10 months ago

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Development Update - September 2024

Hello folks! Miyazaki checking in with our development updates for the month of September. Between getting our newest art team member onboarded, cooking up some really exciting Fall Quarter concept art, a new color, and a new Mutation, it's been a really creative month for us.

Koa and Sark are hard at work on the back end, creating the systems that power the game. We've got functioning inventories, and Koa was able to have a Beast successfully use a healing potion in the Wild Area! I'm making headway on our intro quest, working in tandem with the art team to create assets to bring our very first area to life.

All in all: some solid progress this month!

Also, for Tumblr users: the August update didn't get posted here (I apologize!), but you can read it here.

Inventory System

This month, we focused on refining Mythaura’s inventory system, with special attention on making starting items function as expected. One of the most exciting additions is the Satchel feature. The satchel begins with 18 slots and can be expanded using non-premium currency, allowing for plenty of space to bring essentials on your adventures.

When preparing to explore, only provisions can be transferred from your stash to the satchel, but along the way, you’ll be able to pick up and store all types of loot. Additionally, the first row of your satchel is now displayed as a hotbar while exploring, enabling quick use of items like the Godspeed Potion, which boosts your movement speed, or a Torch to light your way in the dark.

However, be cautious—if you’re defeated while exploring, you’ll drop your satchel, leaving your items behind. You’ll need to return to the floor you were defeated on to recover it. If you’re defeated again before retrieving your original satchel, those items will be lost for good.

Fall Quarter (2024) Concepts

It’s the first day of Fall Quarter 2024, which means we’ve got new Quarterly Rewards for Sponsors to vote on on our Ko-fi page!

Which concepts would you like to see made into official site items? Sponsors of Bronze level or higher have a vote in deciding. Please check out the Companion post and the Glamour post on Ko-fi to cast your vote for the winning concepts!

Votes must be posted by October 27, 2024 at 11:59pm PST in order to be considered.

All Summer 2024 Rewards are now listed in our Ko-fi Shop for individual purchase for all Sponsor levels at $5 USD flat rate per unit. As a reminder, please remember that no more than 3 units of any given item can be purchased. If you purchase more than 3 units of any given item, your entire purchase will be refunded and you will need to place your order again, this time with no more than 3 units of any given item.

Summer 2024 Glamour: Corona Dragon

Summer 2024 Companion: Venomous Stalker

Summer 2024 Solid Gold Glamour: Solid Gold Griffin (Young)

Custom Color Contest Winner

In another round of incredible color concepts pitched to our team, we came away with an exciting new color, courtesy of user Noxith: Canyon!

Their reference images were canyons with a beautiful gradient of reds and oranges, along with other geographical features of the American Southwest, such as mesas.

Canyon adds a wonderful richness to the Mythauran color wheel. We encourage you to share your Canyon creations made in the Beast Creator with us!

New Mutation: Celestial

Astrology plays no small part in Mythauran culture, so perhaps it's not such a surprise that the genes of some Beasts born in Mythaura are mutated to show a map of brightly glowing constellations around their bodies.

As a reminder, Mutations are not Specials that can be applied via item. Instead, a Beast can rarely be born with a Mutation or they can rarely be obtained via a late-game boss encounter.

Mythauran Astrology: October

The month of October is referred to as Greenbright's Close, representing the official beginning of autumn and the winding down of greenery as foliage turns gold and red. This month is also associated with the constellation of the Physician and the malachite stone.

Mythaura v0.32

Dependency upgrades were made to improve stability.

Implemented new inventory services

Created satchels and added services to manage dropping and retrieving them.

Added energy and position tracking to wild area sessions.

Implemented filtering and context actions for inventories.

Starting items were created for each class and are automatically delivered to the satchel at game start.

Added battle item structure and functionality.

Added the ability to use an item from your satchel in battle.

Added functionality for health & energy-related items.

Added functionality for revival items.

A Hotbar with adjustable keybindings has been added to the UI when exploring.

A semi-final version of each skill tree was fully populated and began implementing said skills.

Thank You!

Thanks for sticking through to the end of the post, we always look forward to sharing our month's work with all of you--thank you for taking the time to read. We'll see you around the Discord.

We are also keeping all those impacted by Hurricane Helene in our thoughts. We hope you and your loved ones are all safe.

#mythaura #indie game #indie game dev #game dev #dev update #unicorn #dragon #griffin #peryton #ryu #basilisk #quetzal #hippogriff #kirin #petsite #pet site #virtual pet site

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midnight197 · 4 months ago

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The Past days, I have started to do Fated Partners over on my Bluesky-Account!

My Friend @strikeyoko encouraged me, to give it a try and it's been a lot of fun tbh coming up with the different Creatures based on the Answers in the Quiz!

I have a few People still being interested. I'm slowly working my way through but since my own Interest and Focuse is switching quite fast, I can't say, how much I'll get done until I get bored of it xD We'll see!

Let me introduce you to this 5 Digimon first below the cut!

Gamemon! (Pronounced Ga-me-mon; similar to Kamemon. But can still be a Wordplay to "Game on")

Gamemon are very chill and layed back Digimon. They love to hang around other people and play games together. They're also quite patience especially towards Kids. However, if they lose their Patience, they can go into a Rage that takes a while to calm down. You can also give them snacks to help with that. They're easy to befriend and don't need much to be satisfied but can also get clingy when bored. Despite their Chill nature, they can get very shy, especially if you try to see what's below their hood but if you don't bother them about it, they can be very nice companions to have around.

Memorimon!

Memorimon are seemingly lazy little Digimon. They're seeing laying around and dozing all day. However, while they're doing so, they collect Data-Particals from their surroundings. The more calm and relaxed they are, the easier it is for them to collect them. They store them in the small Bulb-like Tail and if enough Particals come together, they can be projected and replayed certain Memories at will. That way, Memorimon and everyone who wishes to, can watch this Momentos. This Digimon are suprisingly durable and sturdy. They don't mind, if they're accidentaly pushed around and are especially patience towards small Children and Digimon. Their Lightbulb radiates a calming and soothing Aura.

Vectormon (Two different Color Versions, since it's Owner asked me to change the colors so that they would resemble Palkia from Pokemon!)!

Vectormon are curious Digimon and always looking for the next Big Adventure. They're quite energetic and don't like to be stuck in one place for to long as they're getting bored quite quickly. They love to travel around the Cyberspace and explore new Places. During their Explorations, it happens that they might drag other People along. Willingly and Unwillingly, which makes them a bit mischievous. However they don't mean harm, they just don't like being alone. Their Curiousity can sometimes bring them into Trouble however, so Tamers should be aware of that when going along with their Excitement. They're also able to change their Size by adjusting their Datavolume to fit into the smallest Spaces. Their able to Create their own lil Bubble in Cyberspace where they sleep or create shortcuts for faster travel. So they're often seen popping out of lil Data-Screens.

Vigilmon!

On first Sight, Vigilmon seems like very lazy and disinterested Digimon. They're seen sleeping all day and barely react when talked to. Which can become quite frustrating for some People. However, with a bit of patience, it's possible to gain the Attention of the Digimon. And with growing Respect for each other, you might even notice, that it wasn't as disinterested as it seemed to be. Vigilmon have an amazing Memory and are very attentiv even if they don't look like that. They enjoy if their Partner is rambling about something with excitement. Due to their objective view on things, they're also very helpful of calming their partner down if they're upset about something. They can even get quite empathic if the Bond to their Partner is strong enough.

Zealmon!

Zealmon are hard to tame as they don't trust someone right away. However if their Trust is gained, they turn into quite protective Partners. They feel if their Partner is being uneasy and won't stop until they found the scource and removed it. They also strive on pushing others out of their comfortzones to try out new things as they themselves love to learn something new. This also makes them very energetic and stubborn Digimon at times which can be tiresome for some. However in Times of tranquility, they enjoy to cuddle close to their Partner, listen to them or just enjoying their company.

#Digimon #Digimon OC #Digifake #Fated Partner #Adopts #Commission #Rookie Digimon #Fakemon

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myadhdchronicles · 2 years ago

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Navigating Life with ADHD: My Journey, Tips, and Hacks

Living with ADHD has its unique challenges, but it's also a journey filled with creativity, resilience, and countless small victories. I've learned to embrace my ADHD and discovered some invaluable tips, hints, and hacks along the way. In this blog, I'll share my personal insights and strategies that have made life with ADHD more manageable and even exciting.

1. Embrace Your ADHD:

Accepting your ADHD is the first step to managing it effectively. It's a part of who you are, and that's okay.

Learn about your specific strengths and weaknesses associated with ADHD. You might be exceptionally creative or have hyperfocus superpowers!

2. Create a Structured Routine:

Establishing a daily routine can provide a sense of stability and predictability.

Use digital calendars, planners, and reminders to keep track of appointments, tasks, and deadlines. I particularly like Sunsama, it is very ADHD-friendly. Habitica is good too, it is a gamified digital calendar that engages the ADHD brain much better than regular planners.

3. Prioritize and Set Goals:

ADHD brains can easily get overwhelmed by too many tasks. Prioritize your to-do list and break tasks into smaller, manageable goals.

Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small.

4. Minimize Distractions:

Create a dedicated workspace that's free from distractions.

Consider using noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, or white noise to maintain focus.

Learn what kind of workspace works best for you, it's not the same for every ADHD brain.

5. Time Management Techniques:

Use the Pomodoro Technique (working in short, focused bursts with breaks) to stay on track.

Set timers for tasks to prevent hyperfocus and procrastination.

6. Medication and Therapy:

Consult a medical professional to discuss medication options.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you develop coping strategies and improve executive functioning skills, but know your own ADHD brain because it does not work for all of them.

7. Mindfulness and Meditation:

Mindfulness practices can help you stay present and reduce anxiety.

Try meditation to improve concentration and self-awareness.

Meditation and mindfulness do not have to be the typical sit still and clear your-mind things they are for non-ADHD brains, for a lot of ADHD brains we need to move so something like knitting/crocheting, going for a walk, or sitting outside in nature with your dog are our forms of mindfulness and meditation.

8. Stay Organized:

Use color coding, labels, and file systems to keep your physical and digital spaces organized.

Daily checklists can be a game-changer.

Know your own ADHD brain and make your system one that works for your brain or organization will continue to be a struggle.

9. Don't Fear Mistakes:

It's okay to make mistakes. Learn from them and keep moving forward.

Perfectionism can be your enemy; aim for progress, not perfection.

Learn to let good enough be good enough, perfection does not exist.

10. Get Adequate Sleep and Exercise:

Prioritize good sleep hygiene; it can significantly impact your ADHD symptoms.

Regular physical activity can boost focus and mood.

11. Utilize ADHD-Related Apps:

Explore ADHD-focused apps designed to help with time management, organization, and focus.

Some popular options include Todoist, Forest, Trello, Clarify ADHD, Sunsama, and Fabulous.

12. Seek Support and Community:

Connect with others who have ADHD through support groups or online forums.

Share your experiences and learn from the journeys of others.

Living with ADHD doesn't mean you're destined to struggle. By embracing your uniqueness and applying these tips, hints, and hacks, you can take control of your life. ADHD has its challenges, but it can also be a source of creativity, innovation, and unique perspectives. Remember, you're not alone, and there's a vibrant community of people who understand and support you on this journey. Embrace your ADHD, and together, we can navigate the world with success and resilience. See you next time, ADHD Team!

#adhd #adhd brain #adhd problems #neurodivergence #actually adhd #neurodiversity #neurodivergent #neurodiverse stuff #adhd things

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baddiewiththebook · 1 year ago

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showmance

“contestants who hook up during the show for the sake of good television” -urban dictionary

I’ve been having this idea swirl in my brain for so long, and I had to write it down as a little drabble. I’m obsessed with the idea of modern!Eddie going on a reality competition (ex. Big Brother) and meeting you. Anyway, lmk if I need to write a full prompt, or if there are other reality shows we could see Eddie on that he meets the love of his life. This was so much fun to scribble down. Sorry for any typos - I was too excited to post!

-baddie

-> <-

Being on television has always been your dream. You love reality television, especially the competition of some of these shows. It just so happens an opportunity unfolds when your agent contacts you about your favorite show being interested in you.

After months of screen tests, evaluations and the production team talking crap about you in front of your face, you’re on your way through the doors of the house you’ll be living in with your fellow contestants.

Engulfed in warm hugs that only last mere moments of excitement, you’re only focused on the one that matters. He smells of an ash tray, bitter and eye-watering. The persona screams hard rock-star. He tells you his name is Eddie, and unbeknownst to you, he’s memorizing the notes of your perfume.

When the producers take him in to do a video diary confessional, he admits to being swept of his feet by your beauty. You’re the most gorgeous person on this planet. He’s sure you’d make stars jealous of how brightly you shine.

As you explore the house, you find your bed with a group of people about your age. Already, they want to stick together to beat out the other contestants. You agree with them just to keep a low profile.

It’s time for the first of many competitions, and you’re face to face with the boy who took your breath away. You offer him safety into the next week, and he responds “sweetheart, for you, I’ll do anything.”

It’s a corny line meant to throw you off balance, but you stay steady and watch him tumble dramatically to the ground. You cheer victoriously making yourself double competition for the rest of the game.

Weeks will go by where what you don’t know is the cameras pacing back and forth between you and Eddie. The viewers are on the edge of their seats waiting for the moment they’ve been waiting for.

You’re lounging for the moment when Eddie slams his weight into the empty space on the bed with you. Laying with his face down on the pillow, you touch his hair. It’s become normal now for you two to be friendly like this.

“I’m so sore,” Eddie groans.

You swipe gentle hands across his shoulders, “I’m exhausted.”

“Can I sleep with you in here tonight?” He asks.

You nod.

It’s not unusual. Bed swapping happens naturally between housemates. What is unusual is how long you’ll stare at him for. He snorts, and asks you why you’re looking at him like that.

Scooting down to his level, your noses are basically touching. His eyes have turned to one big blob.

“Is it comfy like this?” You giggle.

Eddie laughs along with you, “not really.”

Before you find yourself wound in bed together, you and he join each other in the shared bathroom. Brushing your teeth in near silence, while exchanging longing glances, neither of you is willing to spill their true feelings for each other just yet.

It’s all so competitive in the house, if anyone knew about you and Eddie, they’d surely put a target on your back. It’s a problem when both of you are strong competitors though. No one is willing to strike you down.

But, eventually you’ll make enemies and have to plead your case to stay in the house with the other competitors. This is when Eddie nearly breaks down in the confessional about how lonely he’d be here without you.

You remain in the house with a sigh of relief. Saying goodbye to another roommate is tough though, and you give her a long hug with a promise of sticking through this for her.

Joining Eddie in your room, he lets you cry into his chest. This is the toughest elimination as the numbers of people dwindle down.

Eddie stays with you that night, and for the first time he plants a kiss to your head after he thinks you’re asleep. You lift your head to meet his, and through slow motions your lips meet his. Sinking below the blankets, you share soft touches and sneak kisses between each other.

Eddie becomes a favorite after this. Viewers love seeing his soft side with you, and acting child-like and rambunctious with the other members of the house. He’s got allegiance with some of the boys that like to pick on each other for laughs. But, really his allegiance lies with you. That’s proven after the boys want to swoop you under the rug and sneak you out of the house. He’ll convince them to let you stay, but by then the target swaps to him.

It’s tough being up for elimination, but it’s worse when you’re up there with him.

Crying yourself to sleep at night, Eddie’s been eliminated and you’re ready to call it quits. But, you promised him you’d stay. You swore you’d win for him.

And when the end of the competition comes, you do lose. But, you lose with pride. As a surprise on your way out, Eddie’s there waiting for you. And that’s the best prize you could have asked for.

#eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things imagine #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you #eddie munson preference #eddie munson drabble #modern!eddie munson #modern!eddie x reader #eddie munson fic

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castleinthemist · 7 months ago

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Still technically a couple more weeks left of the year and I was hoping to try and finish at least one or two of these before then but ah well...

Anyway here's my end of year game list. If you've been following me for a while it probably isn't too surprising to see what's on here. My main rule for end of year lists is 'have to have finished it' but there's a couple of games on here that I like what they're doing enough of, and that i've played a fair bit this year, that lets them make the cut.

Without further ado:

1000xResist A blend of 3d visual novel meets simple adventure game all wrapped up in a bombastic sci-fi story of clones existing under the ALLMOTHER and everything that entails that and the world they live in. Excellent stuff. Really excels at understanding the medium it has chosen to tell its tale in (even if it is light on the gameplay). High contender for my goty if I did those.

Seabed I've said it before and I'll say it again: A mystery, yuri visual novel that makes use of quiet mundanity to propel its tragedy to a staggering effect. Entwines the day to day lives of the women it focuses on to make for a fairly comfortable read if often mysterious one that builds itself up well.

Super Junkoid A romhack of Super Metroid, Super Junkoid ( I really should've played Junkoid first) is just an absolute blast of a game the entire length though. Nails the atmosphere that makes SM while very much doing its own thing with it and recontextualises abilities in such a fun way. Likely one of my all time faves now.

UFO 50 Just awesome. Awesome game that is a collection of games. Still making my way through them and will probably be for a long while but what I have played has been such an exciting mix of things. Designed for designers sake in a way. Exploring the medium through a lense of 80s video games for explorations sake.

Cataphract OI Did a mini-review of this in attract mode but I'll echo some thoughts on it here: Really engaging with the mechanics of an RPG and recontextualising them in such a fascinating way - frontline/backline positioning in battle, command based menu for exploration, a constant push-and-pull of risk-reward due to the time limit. Really creates this sense of desperation that's so excellent. Didn't get the chance to finish it because it is quite hard but I'll def come back to it.

Rule of Rose Where do I even begin with this one? Miserable and mostly boring to play, actively trying to not let you finish it? An absolute gut punch of an ending that's like the final twist of the tragic knife? I wouldn't change a single thing about it. Abrasive and wholly cohesive for it.

Anthology of the Killer One of the funniest games I've ever played. Brilliant in execution and critique. Really a joy to watch it strengthen through each game of the anthology. Play as BB the zine-maker looking for her next scoop and get into scooby-doo style chases from the horror-of-the-week. A weaker game would allow for fail states in the chase sequences but this game keeps it rolling and often gives you a good joke to boot. Another high contender for my goty (if i did those).

Prey (2017) In some way I can see why people bounced off of this title (I did initially too) but it's such a fucking awesome game in how it plays and the overall Talos I space station and its open world within (and outside of!) that's it's a blast to wander around it. Just that real excellent Arkane world stuff they do ya know? Trolley problem the video game. I love how it quietly tracks choices and actions you make and do (and not so much love how it tosses that out right at the end to give you a lame dichotomous choice).

Shiren the Wanderer: Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island The sixth game in the long running Shiren Mystery Dungeon series (you may be familiar with that title from the Pokemon spinoffs), Shiren 6 is a return to classic Shiren form bringing in more approachability to newcomers for the wonderfully emergent rouglike gameplay of these "mystery dungeons". A real feast of a game that will have you full for a very long time. High contender for my nonexistant goty.

Drakengard Probably one of my favourite things I played this year for its cohesivness. They really wanted to make a great game and they made a mostly janky one. Kusoge game of all time. 100%'d this game which is not something I do often or at all for any game, and especially noxious to do for a Yoko Taro lead title but I think it made me love it all the more to see it through to the end. Surprised to see no-one has really taken "Ace Combat but with Dragons" as a game premise and ran with it.

ZeroRanger Finally finished this one. Fun as hell shmup/stg that just really is a love letter to the genre. True ending took a good while to get to and now I'm trying to 1cc it. Just one of those games that knows what it is and does what it does super well.

Helen's Mysterious Castle Another RPGMaker game that plays with form and really excels at making a fun and unique combat system. Battle feel like this snappy back and forth as the game displays all turn order information with a "wait" system that ticks down per action allowing you to make quick judgement on which weapons or abilities best suit the moment.

Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished Omen (aka Ys 1) Played the EGGCONSOLE port of this, which is the PC-88 version of the game (no translation). Damn, bump combat is so fun! The level design is really engaging even when somewhat tricky and the story elements are so very there and classic feeling - there's a lot this game does well and very solidly that makes it a extremely fun rpg/adventure romp. Also the final boss is the equivalent of a DVD screensaver and I love that.

Thirty Flights of Loving Despite being a longtime fan of Gravity Bone, this game and Quadrilateral Cowboy I had somehow never actually played Thirty Flights of Loving? Well I did this year, and it is still such an exciting, short vignette of a game. Best credits drop. More games need to make use of jump cuts. .

Ringlorn Saga Now this is actually a title I haven't finished just yet and, to be honest, it took me a few tries to really get into it - I'm not even sure I like it *that* much. Yet I came back to after playing Ys and getting more comfortable with bump combat; Ringlorn Saga takes more inspiration from Hydlide than Ys but it's got a great sense of classic rpg overworld exploration to it, and does just enough interesting things that I find myself continuing to drift back to it.

Dread Delusion Another title I haven't finished (I really thought I would've by now but alas), and while there are aspects of the RPG'ing I wished it did more strongly or with more player expression, the acid fantasy world of the floating Oneiric Isles is such a engaging and oddball-yet-so-classic sense of place that it's hard to not enjoy it. Can't wait to unlock and airship and travel to the giant floating nautilus with the city built within it.

The House In Fata Morgana I was of two minds about this classic visual novel for a long time, dispersing my playthrough with month long breaks between chapters, only to eventually lap up the home stretch of the final few chapters of the game earlier this year. I think it is a title I will enjoy exponentially more on a re-read. A must read for tragedy enjoyers.

Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind (SNES remake) With news of the new Famicom Detective Club title, and my love for murder mystery adventure games, I had been keen on playing this classic duo of games for a while. Sadly there isn't any fan-translations of the first game, and the official remakes are a bit pricey for my liking so...fan-translation of the 2nd game it is! It's solid, likeable, got a good mystery and payoff. A few weird interactions to progress the story brings it down a bit but otherwise I had a blast with it.

That Which Gave Chase Remember a few games ago how I said I wish more games had jump cuts? Well this game delivers! Surprising in-depth-yet-simple-enough-to-grasp sledding controls, That Which Gave Chase builds a tense narrative as you sled through the Arctic with your guide, chasing something he is after. Introduces new gameplay bits in short enough bursts to never really be boring and nothing overstays its welcome (I played this some short time before Mouthwashing came out and it does several similar things but I think it does those things "better")

Judgement Silversword 2024 Year I Really Got Into Shoot 'em Ups. A classic, simple yet really understands how to make the player feel good at it. Still need to finish it haha

Crow Country Nice, solid survival horror game. Its real strength is the ability to play in a classic survival horror mode or choose an "adventure" mode, where the puzzles are deliciously substantial enough that it can do something like that and still be cohesive as a game. Not anything super excellent but I did really enjoy my time with it. Highly recommend if you're looking to dip your toes into the genre (but might be a tad but scared of horror) due to the adventure mode.

Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter I would've preferred to have finished this to speak about it as a cohesive whole but like goddamn dude. Shit rules. Likely to be abrasive to many people due to the limitations it places on you, yet deeply conscious of how you will be replaying it, BoFV is a game that is set in a oppressive world where the main three party members are trying to escape upwards to something better. Every aspect of this game is in lockstep with it's mechanics and theme. Pure gold that's so rare to get. Batting for some really risky changes that I think it nails well.

Dishonored Death of the Outsider After Prey I was on a bit of an Arkane kick and decided to do a no powers re-playthrough of Dishonored 2. That was heaps of fun and led me to finally try and properly play Death of the Outsider, which, for whatever reason, I seemed to have never stuck past the first two levels for. It's like a real distilled essence of the Dishonored games, mechanically - Billy has less abilities and you can't upgrade them but I think it allows for some tighter design in the game. The narrative, like 2, is a bit whatever though. Also, it has a extremely fun bank heist level. We love a good bank heist.

Fate/Stay Night Technically I played Ultimate Blade Works and Heaven's Feel, the last two routes this year and like...it's Fate what do I need to say about it? It's a classic visual novel for a reason. I played the fan re-translation of the first two routes with the final route being the older fan-translation of it. Keen to check out the recent official release properly even if it doesn't have the classic music in it :(

Sephonie I'm a bi fan of Analgesic's games but I avoided Sephonie for too long since it's a platformer (and I'm not particularly fond of them). It asks for patience to understand it and, much like the way the scientists in game come to understand the island of Sephonie, you too with find much rewarding here if you spend time with it. I think due to it being a very non-standardised 3d platformer, and really playing around with the form of those, it strikes a good balance of "newness" and comfort for me. There's this playfulness about it with the way you unlock new abilities that almost makes it feel metroid-like in a sense...I find the puzzle game while linking with creatures really fun too, quiet calming if anything.

#taupe talks #vg

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