#i'm glad we're still here in spite of friends

[tastesousweet]

⭒ blurb : fwb!hamzah x grumpy!reader

summary: short lil fic for these two lol , based on this request thank u for ur patience anon!!!!!

warnings: friends with benefits relationship, mentions of sex, um yk what hell yea

a/n: hamzah is way more high energy here than irl but this is a character based on hamzah (and with his face) so !!!!!

hamzah is freezing his ass off. it's actually unbearable. he's got to the point where he's mumble-lecturing (with a slight uncontrollable chatter to his mouth) himself as he walks down the crowded sidewalk, "shoulda' put another fuckin' layer on" or "no hat? really? it's 26 degrees and i don't even have protection for my poor ears" or a dragged whine under his breath of "i'm sooo cold."

he wastes no time, practically ramming through the cafe's petite glass door with a gentle but welcoming "we're open!" sign. as soon as he’s inside he holds his hands up to his mouth and hoards any heat he can into them as he sifts through the lingering line. hamzah is always grateful for your strict earliness (or more so allowance for his tardiness) that gets him a hot coffee and fresh everything bagel without having to wait in an egregiously long line, though he honestly thinks he wouldn't mind standing and taking in the delicious coffee bean scents and twinkling, colored christmas lights dripping around the walls.

he approaches the table you sit daintly at with ease (he'd recognize your unapproachable and blunt aura in even the most comforting places), "hello m'lady." he slouches into the chair across from you; with your scarf wrapped perfectly around your neck and knit sweater warming you well.

your gaze doesn't leave your book as you reply, "awe, you showed up."

hamzah has both hands wrapped around his mug of coffee in hopes that his fingers recover quickly, "uh huh. and this is why i always say don't ever let an alarm clock rule your life. i hit snooze three times and my coffee's still hot." he raises his mug towards you.

you dismissively breathe a laugh and finally look at him; he's leaning back casually in the somewhat small chair, his legs spread without a care, he's wearing the same wrinkled shirt with his old high school mascot (he must've worn to bed) and nothing but a zip-up hoodie thrown over. though his hair somehow remains curled into its perfect brown swoops which you simply can't spite. you tilt your mug towards his to give them a soft clink together, making hamzah smile. "you look cold," you comment.

"'m fucking freezing. don't know what i was thinking- a fifteen minute walk feels like hell when my toes are frozen in place and the wind is ready to blow me away." he speaks through his bites of his bagel. "mm! did you finally try their coffee?" he points to you as you sip.

you look into his large doe eyes, "you know i hate coffee, hamzah-"

"see, you always say that but the coffee here is like no other!" he taps the table in excitement and you smile slightly.

"i'm glad you like it but i'll stick with my hot chocolate," you take another sip of the rich drink and finally tuck your thick book back into your bag.

༉‧₊˚.

you both agree that friends with benefits simply works best for the two of you. there's a reliability you both get from knowing you'll always have a best friend- a wingman, a supporter, a person to have movie marathons and early morning cafe talks with, the person who knows your deli order by heart. but in that friend you have someone you can makeout with when life is too frustrating to even think and your eyes can't leave their lips, someone who knows your body, someone who can go out to a bar with you and would like nothing more than to fuck you afterwards (if no successful hookups come out of the trip).

it's beautiful. it makes you believe in true friendship, honestly.

you're sat with your legs crossed and nothing but a hoodie that swallows you whole and boy-short underwear on as you squint at the flashcard in front of you with a slim red pen dangling between your lips. you try to remember the exact definition for the drawn out vocab word but your mind can't focus anymore. you've spent the past three hours studying notes, writing out flashcards, and going over endless slideshows. your brain hurts and your mouth is dry and it's all just sort of pissing you off now.

you throw the pen from your mouth and climb out of bed, the sudden movement scattering and mixing the cards that were once separated based on your knowledge into one big mess. it's times like this where you wish you were obnoxious enough with your emotions that you'd just scream and yell to get this feeling over with, but instead you walk into your bathroom to rinse your skin with water and stare at yourself for an extra second in the mirror.

you breathe in deeply when you hear an infamous ringtone coming from your bedroom (hamzah stole your phone once and created a ringtone specifically for himself involving a cover of paparazzi performed by him with adlibs of you laughing in the background). sure enough when you walk back into your room, hamzah's face lights up the screen and you accept the facetime call as you sink down onto the bed.

you're surprised he called, you know he had a badminton game tonight and went out afterwards with the team- you figured he'd be to busy to talk and would just end up texting you "im home" close to midnight like usual.

hamzah's distracted when you answer the phone, his face turned the opposite way as he laughs with wide eyes. you just stare, "hamzah."

he's quick to look down at the phone in his hand, his eyes a little puffy, "oh shit! hey." his grin is huge and you can't help but smile slightly which he notices, "a smile?! my god, you must be happy to see me or somethin'!"

"shhhh," you hush him and lay down on your bed, making yourself comfortable.

he's surrounded by blue lighting and randomly-timed white flashes, which give you a proper look at his features, all coated in the large bass of the overbearing pop music. hamzah gets close to the screen to ask, "did'you get my text?" he pulls back from the phone to quirk his eyebrow curiously.

"no, i'm studying."

"where?!" he laughs at his own joke. you quickly turn your phone in your hand to show him the mess of books, cards, and your laptop scattered next to you on the comforter. hamzah sees it all but smirks a little extra when he gets a glimpse of your soft legs curled up and your pair of light blue underwear peeking from beneath your hoodie. "right, right." he nods, "how about you look at my text now that you're here," he exclaims over the music.

you sigh, "mmmkay."

the text reads: mangomango mango plzzz

mango, being your code word for leaving events- or simply just meeting up, to ultimately have sex.

when you return to the call you have a reluctant smile, "you can come over after you're done."

he smiles and raises a thumb up in agreeance.

"don't come over drunk, please."

he kisses his teeth and rolls his eyes, "alright, girl. i'm gonna go do some karaoke and then i'm headin' your way."

"oh i'm jealous i wish i could be in the crowd."

"i know." he jokes, "byeeee." he flutters a few fingers at you.

"bye, h."

༉‧₊˚.

hamzah shows up two hours later (he got caught up in the extravagant environment; he ended up taking a couple more hits from a teammate’s bong, talking to strangers, and dancing to trashy music you’d probably hate), climbing from the rickety brass ladder onto your tiny patio (he was a mess: laughing to himself and only laughing harder when he thought of how inappropriately loud he was being for one in the morning) and opening the glass door with a key hidden inside your old watering can.

he giggles through his declaration as he throws his large coat off onto your small couch, “i’m home!” he wipes over his cold yet clammy face before calling out your name.

hamzah tucks his lip into his mouth as he walks through your dark hallway, toeing off his sneakers and pulling his shirt over his head before he even reaches your bedroom.

he finds you at your sweetest- despite your grumpy, cold attitude, you’re laying down on top of your comforter with a small smile placed on your lips. he takes a few more seconds watching your figure move with your breaths before closing the door behind him and climbing next to you in your bed.

he whines a quiet, “mmm-sorryyy” into the kiss he places at your temple before leaning away to tug a blanket over the two of you. he knows that in the morning he’ll have to properly apologize for keeping you waiting like that … preferably with his tongue.

[moralesmilesanhour]

teamwork (makes the dream work...?) pt. 4

Summary:

wc: 1k+

A/N: um hii sorry for updating a lil late 😅 but I got really into writing this esp at the end. We're almost done! As always feel free to comment your thoughts and reactions, or send them to my inbox! Thanks for reading :)

prev. next

Song: It's Only a Paper Moon - Ella Fitzgerald (totally optional to listen while you read, if you like that sort of thing)

The small plastic bag carrying your lunch swung from your wrist as you pushed the door to the counselor’s office open.

"Thanks again for helping me organize around here," said the woman standing beside you.

"No problem, Ms. Keene!"

By the time you stepped inside, Miles was already sitting at the round table in the middle of the room.

The boy spoke first as soon as your eyes met.

"Hey," he greeted you flatly. His stare wasn't too far off from the look of curiosity you get from a stray cat that isn't certain whether you're trying to give it food or not; neither malicious nor particularly excited.

You tilted your head in surprise.

"Hey, you in trouble or something?"

Miles shook his head.

"Ms. Keene lets me have lunch in here."

"You two know each other?" The tall, dark-skinned woman asked. Though she had asked you both, she beamed at Miles as she spoke. He glanced back and forth between you and the woman.

"Kinda."

She clasped her manicured hands together. 

"I'm glad you're starting to make friends again. That's progress. Enjoy your lunch," Ms. Keene said as she spun on her heel to leave, her short bob cut bouncing along with her.

"And put on those glasses!"

Miles rolled his eyes as the door shut with a click.

"Everybody's on your case about these glasses, dude. Just put 'em on," you said as you sat down next to him.

"Don't need 'em."

"Okay," you pointed to the analog clock hanging directly across from him, "tell me what time it is without using your phone."

He scoffed.

"Easy, it's…"

The boy stood, and squinted so hard that his nose scrunched. He heard you laughing through your nose behind him after a minute and soon dropped back down to his seat, hands raised in resignation.

"Alright, you got me. But who's looking at the damn clock all day?"

"Sitting in the back of the classroom with no glasses on is nuts, Miles. What's so bad about them?”

Miles pouted in indignation, "They make me look like Steve Urkel.”

“They can’t be that bad,” you said, grabbing the case from next to him and prying it open. “Lemme see.”

“Nope.”

“Just this once!”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Please?”

The boy sighed, then took the glasses from you with a wary expression. He looked at them like they were a moldy piece of bread before finally putting them on.

“Happy?”

Neon green color aside, the glasses were truly not that bad. The thick lenses framed his face and made him look younger. The boy blinked, awaiting your verdict.

“Awww, you look like a little nerd!”

“Don't start with that,” Miles shook his head, a grin spreading across his face in spite of himself. He swiped them off of his face and took the case from you.

“It’s not a bad thing,” you said over a bite of your sandwich, “you look cute in them.”

He froze, a hand instinctively flying up to scratch the nape of his neck before turning his gaze in the other direction. You could still see the impression of his dimples peeking out from the side.

“Don’t get a big head over it, now,” you elbowed him gently. He quickly changed the subject.

“I’m finna tell Ms. Keene that you’re distracting me.”

Miles was now hunched over his notebook again. He had his homework sheet covering one page, but you could tell he was sketching. When you tried to look over his shoulder, he frantically shut it closed.

“Can you not be nosy for five minutes?”

“My fault, bro, damn.”

Miles continued to draw quietly for almost the entirety of calculus, never once allowing you to peek at it. He didn’t pause until you lightly tapped his arm.

The boy flinched at the sudden contact, but you had his attention.

“I’m stuck on this problem you wrote, just this one. Help me out?”

He tapped his pen lightly on the desk in consideration. Finally, he shrugged, closing the notebook and sliding it to the side.

“Sure.”

You placed the worksheet between you and Miles, where your desks met.

“It’s this one. I’m not getting the solution you got,” you explained, placing a finger on the offending equation. 

Miles peered closely at it. His braids nearly brushed the desk as his head moved.

“You gettin’ it wrong because you forgot to distribute here,” he pointed. “Everything has to distribute.”

You nodded as the gears in your head got to turning again. “Thanks.”

-

“Ma!” Miles whined as he took his plate of yellow rice and peas from the table.

“I’m just saying! La chica es muy linda, sigues mirándola. Don’t do anything crazy up there, understand?”

You were far from fluent, but the first bit of the brown woman’s sentence made a shy smile grace your features.

“This looks so good, thanks Mrs. Morales.” you said as you grabbed your own plate, carefully carrying it with both hands. 

“No problem, baby,” the woman replied, gently smacking the back of her son’s head before sending you both upstairs. “Same time as usual.”

“Your mom’s nice,” you remarked once you entered Miles’ room.

“You just sayin’ that ‘cuz she gassed your head up,” Miles laughed.

“Whatever. I’m ‘bout to fuck this plate up!”

“Not on my bed, I hope.”

The boy gave you a warning glance.

“Relax, you see me sitting?” 

You blew on a spoonful of rice before trying it, and the flavor nearly made your eyes pop out of your skull.

“Your momma went crazy in that kitchen.”

“M-hm,” was all Miles could reply as he shoveled the rice into his mouth, already halfway through the plate.

Soon both of your plates had been scraped clean, and you started working after taking the dirty dishes downstairs to wash. All three calculus problems had been completed, but a small squabble broke out over the appearance of the slideshow that Miles had put together.

“It looks so boring,” you complained. “At least make the background a different color–”

“Uh-unh, you gon’ make it hard as fuck to read. I say we keep it simple,” the boy swatted your hand away from the keyboard.

“Make the title dark magenta, and you got a deal.”

He sighed, “Fine. It’s legible, I guess.”

It was still only 7:30 by the time the project was finished, and you didn’t feel like leaving behind the warmth of Miles’ home just yet.

“Can you play some music?” 

Miles spun around in his swivel chair.

“What kind?”

“I dunno, whatever you listen to,” you tilted your head at him quizzically. “What do you listen to?”

“Um,” He reached into a drawer and pulled out a small Bluetooth speaker, setting it on his desk. “Just…whatever I feel like. Lots of stuff.”

He carefully laid down on his bed next to you, making sure to maintain at least a few inches of distance.

Old jazz music began to float through the air.

“You like Ella?”

“Yeah,” he said at a near-whisper. “...I do now. Forgot what this song was called.”

“‘It’s Only A Paper Moon,’” you answered. “From ‘The War Years’. Beautiful record.”

Miles snuck a glance at the side of your face while you stared up at the ceiling. He liked the dreamy, far-off way you’d said the title.

“You sound old as fuck right now,” he commented. “Record…”

This made you burst into laughter, and Miles decided that he didn’t mind that sound, either.

“My momma always calls ‘em ‘records’, so I picked up the habit.”

“I like how you talk.”

You finally turned your head and met the boy’s eyes. The small grin playing on his face wasn’t a teasing one.

“‘How I talk?’”

“When you’re not grilling me with questions like a cop? Yeah, it’s nice.”

Not sure what to do with this new information, you turn your gaze back up to the ceiling.

“You’re a strange one, Miles,” was all you could say.

There was a brief pause before you asked,“What did you mean by ‘now’?”

Miles raised an eyebrow. “What’d I say about complete sentences?”

“Sorry,” you rolled your eyes. “You said you liked this song now, you didn’t like it before?”

He was silent for a good, long, ten seconds before answering.

“I used to not be super into jazz. Dad used to play that shit on the radio, driving me to school. I hated having to hear it the entire ride,” he laughed. “I know he’s somewhere making fun of my ass now.”

You hummed in acknowledgement, wondering if you should offer comforting words, or your condolences. Knowing Miles – at least a little – you decided against it.

“I used to listen to Ella songs when the house got too loud, or while I was eating lunch.”

“They let you listen to music down there?”

“Nah, I was eating upstairs with the English teacher after she saw me sitting by myself.”

“You still sit by yourself?”

Shaking your head, you answered, “I usually sit with Tianna, she’s usually my calc partner. This week’s kind of an exception.”

“So if it wasn’t for her, I woulda finished this shit three days ago,” he joked.

You placed your hand over your heart and gasped dramatically. “You mean you don’t enjoy being graced by my presence?”

“Hm,” Miles conceded, “I enjoy it a little.”

“Is this your way of saying we besties now?”

“Whoah, never mind. You killed the moment.”

“That was a moment?”

“Nope, forget everything I just said.”

-

Fun trivia since we're almost at the end: what book do you think Miles and the MC are reading in English class? There's no prize for answering but i'll be really excited about it. Thanks again for reading!

Taglist:

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[laugtherhyena]

What are some of you're favourite Sprite edits you've made Whether that be this year, or any over years you've been in the sprite editing business

Ok so I've made A LOT of edits over the years so it took a lil while for me to sort out the favorites and why exactly, but here it is so get ready for some rambling!

First things first i gotta say this isn't really organized from the one i like the most and least, i like all of these edits a whole lot and i really don't think i can pick one or two to be the favorite.

So let's start from the start (sorta) i have to give a spot to my Fantasy Au twins edits, it would be illegal to not put them in this list

The Sdra2 Fantasy Au was one of the first things i made in the fandom and i was attached to it for a long while. These are actually the 4th version of their sprites, out of all them only the 3rd had a full gallery of sprites and trust me they were complex since on top of posting i even made different tails and ears to move around depending on the emotion of the sprite.

Even tho i never finished this 4th take on them I'm pretty happy with the redesign (since as i grew older i realized some of my choices were questionable and i really should have thought more before just going with it, just keep in mind i was a dumb 14-15 year old then) and the improvement on graphical quality because not only does it show how much i improved in editing but also because editing the fantasy twins were my first really hard edits and i was always happy with how well i was able to translate their weird little designs to sprite form.

The Fantasy Au as a whole had a lot of edits with a bunch of complicated details that i never finshed and although I don't like them as much as the twins i do feel like they deserve to be shown somehere so have this pile of lizards, undead firemen and two human girls.

(fun fact; i didn't know how to add textures back then so see those scales on the dragons? I made them all by hand-)

Next one on the list has gotta be the Nijiue siblings! Crazy to think these guys are only 2-3 years old like it feels like they've been with me for ao much longer!

These guys where my first try at making Oc sprites since before all i did were Au stuff and they're very very dear to me, as you can probably guess by the amount of spites an different iterations i made of them over the years. While there are a few things i could improve upon them if i were to remake their edits nowadays, i never felt a strong need to do so because as it is their sprites hold up well imo so remaking them feels unnecessary to me.

And you know I can't really talk about them without mentioning the Voidswap Au and a couple tumblr blogs owned by friends of mine. After Voidswap's cancelation i didn't thought I'd ever use these guys for anything so to think that nowadays there's so many people who not only know these characters but care for them a lot out of seeing them in Asoot and Dfta more recently really fills me with joy! I'm glad y'all enjoy my silly siblings so much and obviously huge thanks to the mods for wanting to include them in their stories, I really couldn't be more thankful for that!

And since we're talking about the fam, let me add Mako to the list as an honorable mention of sorts, a i'm still very happy with how i made her adult designs especially the whole closed trenchcoat and open trenchcoat thing she has going on and how i was able to cary out the heart motif on both of them :]

This next one is one of my newer edits + a pretty simple one which is this Irl Sora design i made for mod Bubbles around early this year.

Honestly, I don't even know how to explain why i like it this much? Maybe it's because Sora is one of the characters from Sdra2 i still decently enjoy or because i had a fun time coming up with her design. I had in mind that i wanted something plain and simple just like her in-game one, just adapted to a more adult look. Rolled up sleeves to resemble her uniform's ones and a scarf to bring back the spark of red her old design had, i also gave her the short hair that post game Yuki has because it's still her body at the end of the day + i think butch-ish Sora looks pretty good :]

From simplicity we jump back into weirdness with these last ones because obviously i wouldn't leave my girls out of this list, what did you guys even expect?

Favoritism? Absolutely, by now I'm sure all of you know how much i like these two but focusing on the graphical side for once, I'm super proud of their designs, i think they fit with the weirdness of some of Linuj's design choices pretty well which in turn makes them look kinda legit? In my head at least. I also had a lot of fun working on their sprites, especially Beni's since it had been a long while since i last tried to really exaggerate expressions on sprites of my characters so that was really fun! + I'm super proud of the baby sprites i made of them too, almost as much as i like their standard/adult designs really.

[findingollye]

Starter call

Para um starter com a Fada Azul escolha 💙 + uma frase abaixo (sinalize se quiser que seja seu char falando a frase) + um lugar + url do seu char.

Tell me how it's done. Do you think she'd like it if I came to her like this, if I looked deeply in to her eyes?

Am I supposed to deny, that I find you attractive?

I'm just not ready to deal with it right now.

Maybe he's better off without me.

Soooo I might have done something.

Okay that was cute, you can have a kiss for that one.

Everyone's always like "[name] you have daddy issues" but I have no dad to have issues with so???

Calm down, please… are you all right? what on earth happened here?

Show a little gratitude, would you?

Just a friend, huh?

No, I’m okay, I just… I hit my head. Really hard. I’ll be okay, just give me a second.

There’s nothing wrong with you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. Don’t ever let yourself believe that there is.

Tem mais abaixo do readmore...

Para um starter com a Lady Tremaine escolha 💅🏻 + uma frase abaixo (sinalize se quiser que seja seu char falando a frase) + um lugar + url do seu char.

If you turn that into a sex joke I swear to god —

I can't help it, I'm just too hot.

Adorable that you think you're worth the effort.

I imagine it's hard for you to feel sorry for anyone at all.

It's scandalous! I mean we're just SO wholesome and innocent.

I don't know how you're still alive.

Glad to know you approve of horrendously spiteful revenge tactics.

Oh, I'm completely vile. I'm well aware.

Get the heart eyes away from me.

Do you really think an excuse like that will work?

In other words, you're a failure.

Please tell me I don’t look as bad as I feel.

Para um starter com o Garoto Cervo escolha 🦌 + uma frase abaixo (sinalize se quiser que seja seu char falando a frase) + um lugar + url do seu char.

Oh dear god, what torture are you going to put me through now?

My entire support system is having a crisis right now.

No no, this one is actually a good idea!

People might start to think we're in love or something.

Why did you bet on THIS of all things oh my fucking god???

You look like shit, man.

[hegoeshardasfuck]

strike of midnight

wordcount: 1.2K

tags: can't sleep, gentle sex, hammocks

synopsis: they just can't sleep no matter how hard they try

authors note: more soma? in your kinktober? you betcha

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59552710

Maka can't sleep.

There's a deep ache she can't quell, can't pinpoint in her. Something feels just wrong enough it's keeping her awake. Even after trying to clear her mind she keeps circling back to whatever it is.

They should've never taken a mission that involved them having to ride on a boat. It was nice enough that they got their own room for the night. But room meant what felt like a stall with a hammock in it, the idea was that if Soul was a Weapon he didn't need his own hammock. Sleeping subclass on a boat to a place where they won't be able to get a sleep regardless. She's just thoroughly fucked this time around isn't she.

At least Soul gives off enough heat to make up for the fact that the slushy water of the winter seeps in cold through the winter glass. She can only imagine how much colder it would be if their window was fully submerged. She's glad it only just barely grazes the waters edge. She can watch moonlight refract off of the frozen chunks of snow and ice as it rolls up against their window and back down again.

With a quiet groan she tugs up the blanket higher and burrows herself further into Soul. The hand on her back twitches a bit. Now she'll have to apologize for waking him up at what she thinks is the dead of night. Hard to tell out on the sea, the hours blur together and there is no clock around, she knows moonlight is pouring on them and barely blocked by a sarong in the window. Seems like a good indicator for night in most places.

"Can't sleep?" Soul asked. His voice was quiet with disuse in the last couple hours.

"Sorry if I woke you up," Maka said.

"It's fine, I couldn't fall asleep either." He yawns a bit before patting Maka's back out of reflex more than anything. Nothing else to do with his hands, "We didn't get anything done today. We definitely didn't need to stop by and get extra snacks before boarding. Coulda sworn there'd be a Kishin Egg or two that we could kill to ease our nerves."

"Yeah, feels like there's gonna be one waiting for us around the corner. I hate it." She sighed, "Can't really sleep it off."

"At least we're comfy."

Too comfy. 

Too cramped. 

He's been sitting here with his best friends ass pressed to his thighs and been used as a pillow by her for nearly three hours. His legs were nearly going numb with how still he held for her. Like a good Weapon. He's supposed to be there for her and obedient to her and the perfect partner for her, no matter what that means. This time it meant enduring the telltale prickly sensation of legs going numb in spite of his better judgment.

"Yeah, I guess we're comfy."

Somehow she felt disappointed that that's what he said.

He takes a deep breath. "Maka, I'll be blunt, we should just fuck."

It's an odd relief to hear the words, "To pass the time?" She asks in a tease.

"You and I both know you're out like a light afterwards any other time," Soul answered with, "And hey, if it doesn't knock you out it'll take the edge off for both of us."

His hands are slow to reach the waistband of her skirt; they slide between skin and fabric with a practised ease. Maka doesn't react much, just readjusts herself so her knees knock against Souls. She sighs into the crook of his neck as his hands come into contact with her ass.

"We don't have to though," Soul said. His voice was closer to a whisper more than anything else. "Can't really move much, and I don't know about you but I'm not getting out of this hammock."

"No, it's fine. I want this." She really does, the indisputable need to get some shut eye doesn't help her sound as enthused as she is. She just can't sleep. She tried everything and nothing worked. "I swear I do, sorry that I don't sound raring to go."

"You sounding like you're raring to go means I'm getting finger-fucked whether we're on a train or in a motel," Soul said. A small laugh came to rest on his voice as he did so. He just sort of let's himself rest still, "I'll be honest, I don't think you're gonna get the mindblowing sex I'd like to have. Because of the hammock," and because I'm tired too, he doesn't add on.

Maka can tell.

She could tell since the second he made a move with slightly sluggish motions.

She doesn't mind it though.

She just wants something to get her mind off the fact that she can't fucking fall asleep.

"It's fine."

"Alright." He doesn't say much more than that. Doesn't really need to. Doesn't really want to.

Her skirt easily slides down and she draws up a leg to get it off. It's harder than it should be all things considered, but it's whatever. He tosses it, alongside her panties, to the foot of the hammock instead of the floor. She settles against him once more.

One hand grips the edge of the hammock to hold herself up, the other reaches blindly for Soul's boxers. He didn't bother packing actual sleeping clothes, so he finds himself in a t-shirt and boxers once more. She pushes it down the rest of the way with her knee instead of her hand.

"We really don't have to," Soul offered one last time as his hands slid up her thighs. Her hands were either at the side of his head or gripping the hammock.

"We should," Maka said, "We do or we sit in awkward silence for hours."

"It doesn't need to be awkward." He was still lining up her hips as he spoke. It was a lot harder to do so as the ship swayed back and forth below them.

She falters only for a second as she sinks back down on Soul and for a moment his breathing stutters. And then they're just close again. His hands resting dutifully on the back of her thighs and her arms crossed on his chest.

"You alright?" Maka asked, "Awkward angle?"

"I'll crush you if we switch whose on top," Was Soul's bold answer.

Maka smiled a bit. "Yeah, definitely."

She tries to move, to raise herself and slide back down again. She nearly loses her balance; to much motion rests in the whole being on a ship thing. There's a hiss as she drops down again, head resting on Soul's chest like it's a desk.

"This isn't gonna work out, is it?" Maka asked.

"Yeah, yeah I don't think either of us are gonna cum tonight." He tried to laugh as he spoke. He raised one hand up to rest between Maka's shoulder blades.

"So much for fucking instead of sleeping."

"Hey, don't shame... This, whatever it is."

"It ain't sex that's for sure."

"When we get back I'm gonna research that, just to prove that this counts."

"Just lying down full of you?"

"It counts for something."

"Sure it does."

He tries to rut up against her, just for good measure. Every aspect of the hammocks design works against him. Absolutely futile. It just backfires and sends a twinge of pain through him instead.

"Go to sleep, Soul."

"Like this?"

"Yeah. Like this."

"Don't get at mad at me when you wake up sticky."

[things-bright-and-fine]

I'm dedicating each month to a theos, since I'm almost at a year of helpol and want to start treating it seriously, and I decided that it'd be right to start the year off with Apollo to celebrate the days getting longer and the sun's return, plus it seemed right since my new year's goal is to get a tarot/oracle business set up.

Apollo's one of the newer gods included in my personal practice, more because I was already leaving offerings every other week from health anxiety scares that I figured I might as well include him with the others in my daily practice.

Now, while I wouldn't say I have a godphone exactly, I do seem to get some pretty strong signals from the gods--always in relation to my own life--and there are very clear personalities that come through for each that I regularly pray to. Hermes is bright and encouraging and chatty (for lack of a better term.) Hestia is quiet and gentle, with the gentlest prods into housework; "it's okay!" is a very common refrain from her. Dionysos is languid and chill until he's not, but always very joyous and fun. Aphrodite is a tough-love bitch (said affectionately and with permission) who pushes me to better myself, very blunt and no-nonsense.

Apollo was very quiet for a long time, which was fine! It was a very "you're there, I'm here, we're cool" relationship. I did a new year's spread to get in touch with him, and it very much had the vibe of talking to someone at a party that you sort of know because of your mutual friend Hermes but you're not like instant besties.

But then like I said, I dedicated this month to him. I wasn't expecting too much, but I was excited to learn more about a god I wasn't as close to. And somewhere around the start of my journaling, I was just hit with melancholy that I instinctively associated with him. And it's strange, because in all my reading others' upgs and such, I've never come across him being melancholy. But looking at his myths this month--primarily with Daphne (which has haunted me since I first read it when I was like 8) and Hyakinthos--I was struck with grief. Of how horrifying it must be to feel a heart stop beating beneath bark, of how wearing laurels could serve as a reminder of misguided passion; the pain of seeing the crushed face of a lover, and in spite of divine power, being able to do nothing but make flowers grow from the blood.

Now, of course, the myths aren't literal, and I generally try to avoid egregiously humanizing the gods--a little, I think, is unavoidable, or else what would the point of connecting with them be?--but even so, that deep feeling of melancholy and sadness have stuck with me in regards to Apollo, along with a very quiet sort of earnestness--the kind you expect from someone who's eternally young.

The best thing I can figure is that this is the face of Apollo the healer, which, like I said, is the aspect I would usually call to in the midst of a health anxiety spike. Homer called him the physician of the gods--but healing comes hand in hand with grief. It comes with loss, and pushing through despite it. And so to me, he comes through as quiet, gentle, and sad--but sad with the assurance that the sun still shines, music still plays, and the world is still very beautiful and there's many people to love.

I suppose I just felt like sharing a different facet of Apollo than I normally see people experience. I'm glad for it, really, because I never felt I could connect with the bright and happy sun god I saw--respect and love in the way I love the theoi I'm not as close to, certainly, but never get close--but this facet of him is something I can connect with and feel close to, and I feel very honored to get to see this face.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Susie Haltmann's Rapid Descent into Programming Hell

Susie: So!

Susie: Program no-one's seen before, in a coding language that doesn't seem to make any sense, and it's actively hostile and slightly psychic. Estimated chances of success are functionally zero and failure isn't an option.

Lag: That does sum it up nicely, yes.

Susie: In that case, we should be done by Tuesday. *deploys her visor and heads over to a console* Alright boys, let's get to work!

Ienzo: ...Is she being motivational, or narcissistic?

Lag: Yes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*A Few Hours Later...*

Susie's console: *loud error noise*

Susie: Darn it! You slippery little fudger!

Susie:

Susie: Frick.

Susie: Shoot. Witch. Heck. Seriously!?

Lea: *shrugs* Disney.

Susie, full of contempt: Disney...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Much, Much Later...*

Abyss blob: *lightly splats against the side of its container*

Ienzo: *looks up* What?

Susie, laser-focused: ah-HAH! Got you now, you little bastard! ...Oh sure, that one still works.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Later Still...*

Susie: Okay, am I the only one who isn't AFK right now?

*sounds of fighting in the background*

Tron: I'm still here, miss Haltmann.

Susie: And I appreciate it, but since you are the computer it'd be a bit hard for you to not be here.

*more violence*

Susie: Seriously, how many people does it take to babysit a booger?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*You Know The Drill*

Susie, visibly surviving on nothing but coffee and spite: Okay, seriously, I only have two hands! *grabs a nearby Soldier Heartless by the collar, because the situation she's mostly oblivious to has gotten That Bad* YOU! Do You Remember How To Type?

Soldier: *tries slashing at her*

Susie: *immediately pulls out her blaster and shoots it between the eyes, then points it at three others nearby as the first one dissipates* How about you guys?

Soldiers: *nod shakily, having just rediscovered the ability to feel fear*

Susie: Great! You're my new research assistants! Get to a keyboard and follow the prompts on the screen.

Ansem: *is momentarily distracted from the battle by this display* I'm sorry, is your friend commanding the Heartless?

Lag: Well, she is a capitalist, so I'd say her heart's probably dark enough for it. Just be glad she's using her powers for good.

Ansem: Fair enough.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Yep, Still Going...*

Goofy: *gets launched back into the computer area and decides to check in on things while catching his breath* Hey, miss Susie! How ya doin'?

Susie: *types frantically, then snarls and slams her head into the desk* This doesn't make any sense! There's no reason for this code to be so coordinated, it's Just! RANDOM! FREAKING! GARBAGE!

Goofy: Hmmm...leans over the back of her chair to get a look at the screen...and admittedly doesn't understand any of it* ...Well, I don't claim ta know much about computers, but if what's written ain't the thing doin' the thinkin', maybe it's whatever they wrote it into?

Susie: *sits stalk-straight and blinks*

Susie: That...that has potential. *starts typing again, even faster than before, and yet more focused* Yes, just need to- and over here...move those aside...

Susie: *freezes completely*

Goofy: ...Miss Susie?

Susie: *lifts up her visor* It fits.

Goofy: Huh?

Susie: IT FITS! I know what we're dealing with now! *laughs in relief and excitement, launching out of her chair and grabbing him by the cheeks* Oh you brilliant beautiful mutt I'd kiss you if I had a mouth!

Goofy: Aw, gawrsh, I didn't do much, just thought out loud a bit.

Susie: And your idle thoughts may have just saved everyone ever, especially Abyssal once someone finally finds her! *tuns over to where all the commotion is* LAG! Lag, we figured...out...uh...

*at this point, the blob takes up about half the room, and is covered with various colorful-and deadly- appendages and has a messy, lopsided bastardization of the Heartless Emblem on what could generously be called its forehead. There are also several low-to-mid tier Heartless around the room, including her own Soldier assistants and one particularly unlucky Blue Rhapsody that the Blob is currently absorbing. nobody's dead yet, thank god, but most of them are clearly running on fumes*

Susie: ...How long has that been going on?

Goofy: Well, the blob got out yesterday, but it only started gettin' big and eatin' Heartless this mornin.'

Susie: ...Right. *activates her visor again* Deal with this now, make big reveal that we're essentially up against the computer's pissed-off hard-drive later.

Goofy: The computer's what now?

Susie: You know how nearly every creation myth starts with some variation on "in the beginning, there was nothing?"

Goofy: Yeah...

Susie: *summons her business suit and points at the blob* That's the Nothing. Or, well, only part of it. And it only used to be. It's complicated.

Goofy: I'll take yer word for it! *draws his shield and hops up on the suit's rim* Now, shall we?

Susie: It'd be my pleasure. *revs the suit's engines*

*they charge into the battle, with Goofy of course belting out a hearty "YAAAAH-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOEYYYY!"*

(Goofy Logic for the Win. To be fair, his idea does have some basis in his own lived experience, considering what happened with Jiminy's Journal in Re: Coded. And also to be fair he was absolutely right in this case. What can I say, the dog's got good insight.)

(You can probably imagine the Tom and Jerry-style antics during the hours between the blob escaping and discovering it could use Heartless as a food source.)

I LOVE THIS A LOT. NO WORDS. THIS IS JUST. SO FUNNY AND GREAT AND JUST?? YES. Also the capitalist bit is my favorite lol

[thornheartcat]

Winter 2024 Superlatives

Well the Winter 2024 season is drawing to a close so let's do a round-up! I wanna do this more consistently so let's go!

Show of the Season: It's Frieren dummy it's gotta be Frieren I mean come on FRIEREN

Best show that actually started this season and isn't a holdover from last one: Delicious in Dungeon! I mean what is there even to say other than "I'm so glad it's going for two cours and I hope it gets a season 2 after that"?

Best non-Frieren holdover show: The Apothecary Diaries. Sorry, Undead Unluck, I love you too, and you are still the holder of "show that most should've been bigger", but Apothecary Diaries is just SO GOOD!!! I'm so glad we're getting more next year I need more Maomao in my life

Biggest surprise: BANG BRAVE BANG BRAVERN. HOLY SHIT. I just wanna thank everyone involved because this is exactly the kind of wild gay shit I need more of in my life!!! Every week, I was like, "this couldn't possibly get better, or gayer (they are the same thing)" and then IT DID???????? Legendary, a true AOTY contender!

Runner up: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!! I went into this one just because I'm a slut for time loops without any real expectations but it's actually really good! Rishe is such a good protagonist and, like her, I want to know more about Arnold! I hope this one gets another season! Also the author is on Twitter and she's so happy about how well the series is doing here it's so cute

Best sequel: This is tough because I love Blue Exorcist and this arc specifically and I'm really happy we got this season and that we're getting another one as well, but I think I may have to give this one to Bottom Tier Character Tomozaki-kun? Tomozaki-kun has done such a good job continuing to be like, anime self-help, but also just being like, a good story, about characters who feel like real people? I truly hope to follow Tomozaki-kun and his friends to at least their high school graduation, because they are so fun and interesting and realistic!

Best second cour: There's literally only one show in this category but I'll always take an opportunity to talk up Synduality: Noir! This cour made me CRY!

Show that most should've been twice as long as it is: Metallic Rouge! I like the show we have, but I do feel it would've been even better if it had at least two cours and thus more room to breathe. It's a shame the anime industry is in a place where a cool original show like this can't really go for more than one cour...

Show that I started watching hoping for delicious garbage but actually it was pretty good: Gushing Over Magical Girls. LOOK, I KNOW, OKAY. BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD? I mean obviously the fetish shit is all there for you if you're into that but even if you're not it's not a TERRIBLE watch. I actually liked the characters and some of the shenanigans they got into!

Show I started watching hoping for delicious garbage AND BOY DID I GET IT: Chained Soldier. LOL this show is super dumb but it knows exactly what it is and god bless it for that. Sasuga Takahiro.

Most oddly comfy: Surgeon Elise. This villainess re-sekai isn't reinventing the wheel or anything but I adore Elise and her passion for medicine, and the soft color palette creates a great atmosphere. Definitely the best Korean webnovel adaptation this season.

Best romance: A Sign of Affection. Finding a boy who loves you in spite of your disability? Yuki is living my dream, I want what they have! I want to go on a date to Anime Costco!!! I'd really like another season of this...

Wettest fart: Solo Leveling. My coworker is obsessed with this series so I decided to watch it but I do NOT understand the hype. I mean it looks good enough and the music is great because Sawano but in the end it's just ANOTHER lame power fantasy about a dude who sucks but then becomes the most bestest strongest hottest coolest most amazing dude EVAR. Big "and everyone clapped" energy, especially as it goes on. This is just... slop. It's slop for the pig trough. You are pigs gobbling whatever garbage is placed in front of you. Have some fucking discernment.

Most excited for next season: Other than MORE DUNMESHI, I'm really excited for Konosuba 3 and Black Butler: Boarding School Arc, and as for non-sequels I'm looking forward to Kaijuu No. 8, the Spice & Wolf reboot, Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night, and Mysteries, Maidens, and Mysterious Disappearances.

[a-tale-of-legends]

What's your friendship/ship hcs for the Johto crew! (Ethan, Silver, Kris, Lyra, + ocs too if you want!)

My Johto crew ( Kenji, Aiko, Beryl and Silver) pretty much reflect how I see canon/fanon Johto crew, though there are some differences.

To start off with the personal funniest to me, Lyra and Silver is basically Aiko and Silver in my au. Lyra can and will punch Silver in the face, cuteness be damned. Much like Gold, she likes pushing his buttons, but not in the " playful banter kind of way" but in the " I'm genuinely a happy go lucky optimistic person and I know this annoys you so I'ma crank it up to the max just to spite you" type of way. They are good friends tho. Silver really needs someone like Lyra in his life, who's a general optimist and tries to see the best in people. Even when said people are people she has fist fought before ( Silver). While Lyra always had an edge to her, I like to think Silver let's her show that edge more? I hope that makes sense. Basically I can see Lyra catching onto Silver's sense of humor. Lyra is the only one that Silver trusts to do his makeup.

I ship Silver and Gold and it's how you expect it to go. Enemies to friends to lovers, sun and moon all that good stuff. While Lyra does allow Silver to be more softer than he usually is, Gold actually matches Silver's wavelength and thinking. Not all the time, obviously. They have different ways of going about things that cause arguments but overall, Silver doesn't feel like he has to try so hard to be this upstanding person around Gold, imo. A lot of their banter pretty much boils down to Gold trying to encourage Silver to take his own steps forward and strive to be the person he wants to be. That. And Gold just annoys the hell out of Silver lol. This is Gold we're talking about, he can and will mess with Silver for fun.

Much like Beryl, I see Kris as the big sis of the group. Or, if we're having them all be close in age, the mom friend. She's pretty lax about everything, though still hard working and acts as the voice of reason within the group. That, or she just lets the chaos happen and work on her pokedex. Her sporty nature makes her close to Gold, who's just as sporty. To divert more from my au, I can see a possibility where Kris and Gold knew each other when they were younger, and back then, Gold used to be the broody, serious kid and Kris was the one who was more outgoing. Things have changed since then, but Kris loves bringing it up to tease Gold. She's admittedly a little envious of Lyra with how quickly her and Gold just became latched to the hip, where it took Gold a while to open up to her. But she adores Lyra all the same, thinks of her as a little sister, and is so glad that Gold has come a long way since they were kids. As for Silver, like Beryl, did not take him seriously at first. Until she learned he stole a pokemon, and even then, she was very neutral towards him. I think she saw straight through him. Maybe not at first, but definitely before Gold and Lyra learned more about him. Because of that, she would try to form small talk with him if she ever sees him ( which is usually by accident). Eventually, the two bonded a lot,becoming close friends. Kris is chill, so I can see Silver having an easier time opening up to her.

Since this is long, I won't add my ocs, but this is pretty much the basis for them anyway, with some tweaks here and there.

Anyway, thanks for the ask!

[aresmarked]

hello! i like your work and think you have neat opinions so i wanted to ask: if kanamafu were to end up with a kid in the future (just roll with me here), how do you think they would feel given their complex relationships with their own parents? ive been thinking about this ever since you showed me that book about emotionally immature parents

Hello! I'm glad my thoughts, and that post specifically resonated with you... I think it provides a lot of perspective for discussing the relationship Mafuyu has with her mom, the, yes there was love, but it came priced, it came conditional, and it came a bind rather than an anchor as result.

Also we're in full support of discussing relationships and fankids here, so worry not XD

To me, the first thing is of course the nerves. Parents worry about doing well by their kids! And naturally for them it'd be even closer to home, wanting to make sure their kiddo's free to explore what makes them happy. Their child's emotional well-being would be at the forefront of their minds. And for Mafuyu I could see a fear of her 'defaulting' to the sort of parenting she knows best, in a moment of fatigue/frustration. because that's the reality of child-rearing/education; when you're tired you fall back on what's familiar to you.

But in spite of that. They would not step lightly into parenthood. They would've talked extensively; not just between themselves, but with their confidantes. and who among their friends would not offer to support them? how well supported will this child be? with Ena's rougher edges smoothed out by years, and her big sister habits? with Mizuki's keen eye and way of knowing what's on a mind? Honami's kind and steady care? Shizuku's gift of her simple presence helping the belief things will turn out alright? And the others KanaMafu've bonded with, and yet to bond with still?

Of course they'll worry, and things won't be perfect all the time. But they'd also have a huge network of people they trust to lean on. It takes a community, and by god will they not leave each other alone again.

[pitchshitterarchiver]

PITCHSHIFTER INTERVIEW IN 1998:

Back inside the cool, air-conditioned confines of the band's tour bus, which Jon has dubbed "The Dolphin" (affectionately or in spite, I'm not sure), we escape the heat and sit down to do the interview. I'm nervous as hell. I've been waiting a long, long time to see Pitchshifter in person, and to end up lucky enough to be able to speak with Jon Clayden beforehand is both a nightmare and a dream come true. Despite my foot getting stuck in my mouth a few times I find Jon (and all the band) to be generous and kind, well-spoken and intelligent, and, above all, to have a wicked, wicked sense of humor--but of course.

In the end I discover a tight-knit band, both musically and as friends, and who, after a long road together, are happy to finally have their music getting some well deserved notice, and glad to finally be allowed to focus on it exclusively on their own terms--all with the support of their new label.

How's the tour been so far? Any memorable moments?

J.S. Clayden: Oh, a million! The tour's been really good. America's always insane 'cause every state's a different country. We played in Reno the night before last night, and there's some curfew for under twenty-one's in the town center after nine-thirty or ten, or something mad like that! So you can be married, with kids, have your own business, but you're still not allowed to go into the town center. Things like that make me realize how insane America is. There'd be a riot in European countries if that was the case. It'd be like "RIOTTT!!!" Ha ha! There've been a lot of memorable moments. Meeting Jello Biafra in San Francisco. He came to the show and said he really liked our stuff, and talked about working together. My jaw hit the floor and I was like "Aaahhh!!! You're Jello Biafra and I'm no one!" That was really cool. Fear Factory came out to one of the shows. The weird chick from the Addams Family movies turned up for one--can't remember her name. It's been quite mad meeting those people.

So now that you've been from one end of the country to the other, and have spent a whole lot of time in-between in the midwest, what's your take on American culture?

J.S.: I think American culture is like any other culture--it's just tits, beer, and shit TV. It's the same in Germany, it's the same in England. We read The Sun newspaper in England, which has an average reader age of eight, and which is the highest selling newspaper; whereas a paper like The Guardian that actually does have some valid points is way down on the list.

But as in any culture there's fucking really cool things in America that you don't get in other countries. Because we are from four-thousand miles east, the way people perceive us is really different. I think we actually, and I don't mean it in an arrogant way, but when we come to America people actually take us for our worth. In England you're nothing special and you're instantly dismissed, even though when we play there we play for a thousand people. But you can never really make that jump in England to be like Nirvana or whatever 'cause of that mystique of coming from somewhere miles away and, you know… I think when we come to America people do listen to our music and go, "We don't have any music like this here. This is indicative of where they come from and what they do." We're taken more on the value of what we're worth rather than "being cool."

Well, people here have definitely been looking forward to seeing you come and play. I know a lot of people, including myself, who have been waiting quite awhile to see you actually make it out to the west coast...

J.S.: People say that, say stuff like, "I've been waiting for six years to see you play and stuff." And it just freaks me out and I feel kinda bad 'cause we're just the support band and we only do forty-five minutes. Sorry you've been waiting for six years, I wish we could play longer.

Leave them wanting more for the next time you come back…

J.S.: We're going to be back in October or November. After this tour we do three weeks around Europe on the Vans European Warped Tour with The Specials, NOFX, Civ and The Deftones. Then we do two weeks in Australia headlining, a week headlining in Japan, then a couple of gigs in the UK because everyone gets upset when we don't play in England for ages. And then we're going to come straight back to America.

Is it going to be another coast to coast?

J.S.: I hope so. It should be a couple of months, probably until around Christmas.

Do you like being out on the road?

J.S.: I don't think I have any option. Ha! I think yeah, it's a nice lifestyle. It's kind of compulsive and destructive simultaneously. There's a lot of benefits. You get to meet a lot of people, exchange a lot of ideas, see a lot of things that other people will never see in their lifetime, experience a lot of stuff. One day we're up the CN tower and the next day we're on a rollercoaster atop a tower in Las Vegas. You think, "God, what are we doing? It's madness!"

I dunno, you can probably squeeze in what would take nice people half their life in like three months. But it's also quite destructive. Don't get me wrong, I used to drive a delivery truck--a waste of all my years in college. This is a far more productive thing to do with your life, I think. But it can be really destructive--it's impossible to have a girlfriend. We all had girlfriends before this tour, and we all went, "Hey honey, I'll be back on Christmas Day." And they all went, "Don't come back." Heh. So there are negative aspects. Luckily none of us have children or pets.

[chaotictarlos]

i'm ngl, seeing the articles about how we're getting iris interrogating tk, and tk choosing not to say anything bc he "didn't want to piss carlos off" genuinely makes me want to throw up. why is this happening. i hate it so much. the fact that carlos might be prioritizing iris's 'choice' in signing and when to sign the papers (for lack of a better word), over his own fiancé???? to whom he's getting married to in 8 weeks??? how am i supposed to be rooting for them?????

carlos lied to tk to his face for YEARS, and i don't even get to see tk being rightfully upset about it?? (ik it might tie into his character development and all that but at this point, that is the least of my concern). character arc is tk talking this through with carlos and saying, "you fucked up. although your intention was pure, and your heart was in the right place, but this is a lot to take in. we were together for years, and all this time i didn't know such a big part of your life, one that your parents knew. do you know how humiliating that is? i need some time and space to process this – this is not me running away. i love you, and i am committed to this, and i know you are too. this is me telling you that this news WILL affect our lives moving forward, and i need some time and space to think about where we go from here, and how that will affect my perspective, and (if i'm being spiteful in this) my trust in you."

i am not blaming carlos in getting married to iris back then. i understand his reasons, and i sympathise with him, and it fucking sucks that he had to go through that. but what i cannot accept is him lying to tk for years, and it truly sucks that this changes how i view their scenes from s1-s3, when i've come to cherish them so much.

i know it's too early to be making this judgement, and this might be a 4-episode arc still waiting to be unfold, but from the interviews i've seen, and literally That Scene, i'm not looking forward to the wedding at all. it's crazy to think that i just typed out that sentence, when i've been so looking forward to their wedding arc at this time last year.

sorry for the long post, it really grew out of hand as i was typing 😅 thank you for giving us this space to rant. and kudos for reading this all the way till the end.

finally someone who gets what i've been saying.

fully understand why he got married to Iris, it makes sense given his character and what we know about him as the person. but the lying is so bothersome.

and then finding out that Iris - who I love by the way, glad she's back - is going to basically interrogate TK and "poke at him" just, does not sit well. i'm hoping the episode isn't as bad as the article makes it out to be.

i also have a hard time wrapping my head around Carlos not wanting to push Iris to sign the papers, like, he's getting married and wants to. once he knows that she has health care, it shouldn't be hard to do. but it's probably going to be a lot for Carlos to handle because being married to someone - even for insurance reasons - and that someone being your best friend has to be mentally taxing.

does not make it better that he's putting tk last in the situation.

i hope we get to see more of tk's reaction and how he feels about the whole thing throughout the next couple of episodes.

[natteryaktoad]

Okuma/Griffin, Day 84, Part 1

Cara: Hi Zion... yeah, it's great, thanks. Definitely beats the old place... oh, thanks for thinking of me, but we're actually having a little housewarming party tonight - you should come once you've been out, bring everyone along.

Robbie: Hang on, who are you inviting? I don't want Promise or Emilio here.

Cara: Zion, just don't bring Promise or Emilio, yeah? ... We've had a bit of a falling out with them... No, it's not important - we'd just rather they didn't come... Alright, see you later, maybe.

Robbie: Zion sure calls you a lot.

Cara: Does he?

Robbie: Anyone would think he had a crush on you.

Cara: Come on, Robbie, he's got a girlfriend - my step-sister. He's practically family!

Robbie: It's not that I don't trust you. I just think it's weird how much he calls you.

Cara: Trust me, babe, he's crazy about Vi. There's nothing for you to worry about.

Cara: You okay with this party?

Robbie: I guess... so long as Promise and Emilio don't show up. Maybe Zion will bring them, just to spite me.

Cara: Zion wouldn't do that - he's not like that.

Robbie: I didn't think Emilio would say nasty shit about you, and you didn't think Promise would just side with him like that. Just goes to show you never really know someone. The only people we can really trust are each other.

Perri and Vi. Sigh.

Cara: Jason! I'm glad you could make it! What do you think of our apartment?

Jason: It's great - I'm happy for you.

Pop!

Perri: If Trip doesn't care who I date, you don't have any right to.

Robbie and Cara (mostly Cara) decided to throw a housewarming party on their first night in their new apartment. It's so big! Their old place could've managed two guests, maximum.

The guest list did not include Cara's dad and new step-mum (on their honeymoon) or Emilio and Promise (they fell out when Emilio saw Robbie strangling Jenny and then Promise refused to adhere to Robbie's version of events), but did include all of Cara's siblings and step-siblings (Vi and Pete hate Perri due to her colourful dating history) and Robbie's new brother-in-law, Patrick (he and Robbie became friends in college, despite Patrick and Jenny's relationship. Robbie's only interactions with his sister since leaving the cult have been violent ones, but I'm fairly sure she's never told Patrick - if she had, I can't see that he and Robbie would still be friends).

[fuwaprince]

I'm crying. My friend said I make her extremely happy but I know it isn't enough and she's worth so much more. I'm crying. We took a picture together today and I just can't believe that's me in the pic. I'm crying. I haven't seen myself that happy in a long time. Is that what I look like when I'm finally loved and cared for? Is that how she looks when she feels happy and safe, even though she's starving and has no place to belong outside of her room and her family hates her and her partner treats her like shit? How can she smile through all that? How did I? The proof is right there in front of me and I'm just glad we can find happiness somehow in spite of how shit life has been. We're so strong. We're still here. We're still in this together. Yet if I ever lose her I'm never going to forgive the people who let her die. I won't be able to forgive myself. Truly I want to take all the responsibility she can't. People will say "oh don't blame yourself" when somebody is falling off but I am literally supposed to be the friend to catch her. I'm watching her fall so slowly. It feels like that one scene when Spider-Man can't save Gwen from falling and hitting the ground anyways. I'm really really trying to just be happy she exists but I'm sad. The people I care about aren't okay

[pure-garbage]

Torture And Torment! A Nightmarish Treasure Hunt

Chapter Warnings: Torture, Language, Self-harm. Minors DNI

"What a bust," Nami grumbled. "I still can't believe someone got to the treasure before us."

"I think we have bigger things to worry about right now," Lana groaned. She tugged fruitlessly against the chains securing her to the dungeon's stone wall. Behind her, she could hear footsteps growing ever closer. "Nami, I've got pins in the lining of my dress... kick your shoes off and see if you can reach them with your toes."

"Huh?! How flexible do you think I am anyway?!" Nami demanded. She was manacled the same way Lana was, hands high over her head facing the wall of the ancient fortress it would seem their captors were using as a temporary base of operations.

"We have to try something! No one's coming for us! As far as they know, we're still exploring the ruins with Robin on the other side of the island."

"Yeah, in hindsight we really should have told someone before we rushed off following that map," Nami sighed. The map in question had been found clutched in a case held tight by a skeleton, presumably the last person to try finding it. The straw hats might have taken it as a bad omen, but a series of avaricious assumptions led them to disregard it and press on instead.

"We got excited, I didn't think of it either," Lana admitted. "Now come on and try to get my pins so we can get out of here."

"Even if I can manage to get them with my toes- which is a stretch already, by the way- there's no way I can get my feet up to your hands!"

"I'll grab them with my teeth."

"From my toes?!"

"You got a better idea?!"

"Ooh, an idea? Do share."

The girls tensed together, casting their gazes over their shoulders in sync. It was the man who'd captured them.

"Blow dart man!" Lana growled. "That was a dirty trick you pulled back there!"

"My signature blooming gas dart?" he smiled. "My pride and joy, that one is. I designed it specially to deal with fighters skilled enough to block my darts before they hit... the grand line is simply crawling with such warriors and I had to adapt. I'm very adaptable, you see. You should feel flattered. I only use that one on the most formidable opponents."

"Well excuse me if I'm not thrilled with your sneaky little 'compliment'," Lana sneered. "Let me and my friend go or you'll live to regret it. The rest of our crew is looking for us as we speak. They'll tear you limb from limb if you lay a finger on us!"

"Mm, you're just as feisty as your friend," blow dart man smirked. He licked his lips lecherously while the straw hat girls scowled at him. "I'll be happy to unchain you... just as soon as you tell me where you stashed that treasure."

"Too easy," Nami smiled. "There was no treasure. Or rather, it was already long gone by the time we found that chest. So you really don't have any more business with us. Time to let us go."

He laughed out loud.

"You can't seriously expect me to believe such an obvious lie," he chuckled.

"It's not a lie!" Lana protested. "Now unchain us!"

"Don't worry, I understand," blow dart man assured them. "If I found such a cache of jewels, I wouldn't give up its location easily either. I'm glad you two want to take this route... it's more fun this way. And I came prepared."

He pulled a whip from his belt, unfurling it with a crack that resounded deafeningly off the stone walls. Lana gulped hard, meeting Nami's eyes to find them full of terror.

"Yeah, we stepped in it this time," Lana informed her, voice shaking a little despite her best efforts to stay calm.

_______________________________________________

Lana could feel blood dripping down her back, warm and wet. The stinging of the welts was intense, but she thought only one of blow dart man's lashes landed hard enough to break the skin. Rage filled her, boiling up and stopping at the back of her throat where she swallowed her cries out of spite.

'This bastard's playing with us. He's not interested in leaving marks, he just wants to hear us scream.'

It was Nami's turn now, her cries filling the air as the man set upon her with the same glee he had Lana.

'This is bad! Even if I could reach my pins, I can't use them with him watching us! He'll take them away before I can get free! And this sadistic son of a bitch shows no signs of letting up! Maybe... we can trick him somehow. Talking our way out of this might be our only option...'

Above, a commotion gave their tormentor pause. Screams, shouts, the unmistakable clang of shattering steel...

"What the hell are those idiots doing up there?!" he demanded.

"Sounds like a fight," Lana observed, seizing the opportunity. "My bet? Our crew's come to collect us. You're really screwed now, blow dart bastard!"

"That so? We'll just see about that."

He left and excitement shot through Lana like an arrow, invigorating and urgent. She knew there was no way their crew had found them, not this quickly, not on an island this size, but she was sure she could take the bastard if she could just get free.

'His darts are only dangerous until you figure out the trick. If I catch them instead of breaking them, they're harmless. I'm gonna tear this smug son of a bitch limb from limb!'

"Nami! Can you move?" Lana whispered harshly.

"I... I..."

The only thing holding her upright were the chains. Nami wasn't used to taking this kind of beating. She was in no shape to help Lana break them out.

"Don't worry about it," Lana panted. "I'll get us out of here. Just hang on for me, 'kay?"

'I need to reach my pins...'

Lana wound the chains around her wrists, grunting with pain and exertion as she struggled to pull her body higher. The pins were concealed at her waist.

'... Just a little more...'

She reached the base of the chain where it moored to the wall and strained, pulling herself up toward her hands. Her muscles ached and the stripes on her back stung, but she pressed on.

'I can do it! Almost there!'

A thrill shot through her. Her torso was level with her hands now. If she could just reach inside the lining...

Her fingers shook from the effort it took to hold herself up. The chains dug agonizingly into her forearms, leaving her hands numb as the constricting metal cut off blood flow.

'So close... move, fingers! Damn it!'

Lana loosed a growl of frustration, nearly snarling as she fought through pain and tangled fabric. Her own body had no interest in contorting the way she needed it to, but she bent it to her will nonetheless, resolve overcoming duress as she finally gasped her pins.

"Yes! Got them!" she crowed triumphantly.

Footsteps stole her attention, dragging a startled gasp from her and breaking her concentration. Several people were heading their way this time.

'Crap!'

_________________________________________________

<== Previous Chapter

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== First Chapter ==

[omg26lilly]

20/4/24

I was like a black dog scruffy, messy, yet you didn't want to come to my residence anymore, you came out with someone new.

The pub we use to come to now is now reclaimed to a new owner, I wanted to torch where we lived, let all those demons haunt you, I just invited the priests to get rid of it while I'm still here. let the black dog run around till you have to leave, ashamed and embarrassed you got caught.

Do I love or hate you it all tastes all the same, if your leaving anyway, picking off petals deciding if its useful to be mad or am I still in love? Wishing it go back, hit the reset button, earse everything that I did to hate you.

Maybe I'm just numb from rehasing all my old heart attacks, until they're not worth the ink on the paper.

If I'm the dead weight, if your being cancelled that your unwanted, uninvited blacklisted, I told you if you hurt me karma will get you back, you would wish that you've never met me. Who are you if I'm not hanging around, you've never get anywhere if it wasn't for me, when they throw you out, dont say I didn't warn you.

If you want to break me down, even when we first met you liked me however you liked the idealised version of me, the one you had created. When you found out who I was, all you wanted was alcohol and drugs like the rockstar that you are, you pestered my friends, is that what you think of me?

If you got with someone else I'm no longer invested, I sold my shares of what I thought of you, I would never belive that we were once in the same orbit, even if you grow up, the ghosts of should been buried in past. Through the cold stilness you would do anything to make your reality come true, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be dead inside.

My soul is now departed we learnt all the ways of romance, till they were left. We said we're glad we're not related, to our parents who had their own skeltons, they had their own ways of knowing how to do everything right. Except be with your wife. They woukd ring their family, till their walking round shopping going nowhere, to just think, drive away that their life is an illusion.

I hate it here no one knows what goes in my brain, I'm running away from when I was sixteen being given away to society. I'm creating puzzles in my mind which only I can solve, I want to go back to a simpler time, wheres there no bigotry and hatred. Nostalgia is just a curse, there's no comfort in the past, it should be felt with shame.

Tell me a tale of sorrow that only a tortured artist would know, that has to act like they are a high baller, when in fact they have never seen the light of day.

I would say thank you not for my success, it made me stronger knowing that you bullied me, until I had to rebuild my reputation. I've got a whole crowd of supporters that seemed to finance you, when your kid looks at you, hears this song which is disturbing and rude.

I said that it was you, I'd never said that I'm grateful for your spite. Just like high school that was where you belonged, I don't think you ever got off how your not in control of someone else success. I'm not expecting an apology, I just hope you change, I don't care if someone pisses on your grave.

My mum thought you crossed the line, she only says when the devil comes out, you don't belong with the living. I can't even speak your name, who cares I'm the one with the comeback, you just belong in the grave, you bulit to save your name.

What if I saw your face, I'm not a stalker, I'm just intrigued by the endless possibilities by seeing someone new, who wants something that is undeclared.

If I'm trying to bargain with the truth I don't porphecy for how my relationships will turn out , how they should be all ranked in a pyramid, when all I want is someone patient, caring, that is good company.

The prophets they told of this girl who spoke the truth in her visions, when they killed her for it, it went as quiet as the dead, when her visions came true. You sent snakes so she would be afraid, she knew that even if you burnt a witch for practising socery, doesn't mean that their talents were wasted, or that they weren't gifted, they were just never belived.

When we were kids, you said you would come up and find me, you never did, if time is like sand, slipping away, I was looking through windows trying to find that the boat got lost over seas.

Her life flashed like a taxi cab running away from being a trophy wife, when the foundations weren't laid down. She hailed it with the money she stole from her investment, all the greatest stories came from the bolter.

They called her underseving names, just because they couldn't make her stay, she was high on the adrenaline. She felt freedom for the first time where she claimed her agency and power.

Do ever want to go back to innocence, curoisty, where your dreams are like the sky, let your passion soar. As you grow older you bounce back from the vindictive haters, just remember how you felt, everything you wanted was at your creation, with talent that you harness, it became clarity or reality.

I read what we created, why I was told to write about everything you know, how I'm to scared to be alone, how I used to hate answering the phone. Everyone was doing everything on point, I wondered what was the point, nobody was going to know.

How was your show? did you hit your lines? did you ad lib on the flie. I'm watching your talent which was written on those pages. You couldn't act the story, it wasn't you, you were so distant, I only just realised that it had to be rewritten.

This story of us it was never about me and you with a group chat of broken men who are single, I'm the one that was hung out on the ringer, its been shared to people who know us the best.

We were both held with praying hands on the fire, that encompasses our demise, if the fans knew where the easter eggs were found, its because they were my personal supply, getting me through those barren days.