#it's the best kind of soup

[canisalbus]

I love the idea of machete faking his own death and moving to Florence to be Vasco's bookkeeper/ accountant or something. I know it's basically just a fix-it au for your doomed by the narrative dog men, but it makes me happy.

Also I absolutely adore your artstyle! It's very distinct from other furry artists I've seen. Kinda like those drawings in medieval manuscripts. Also I love the effort you've put into making believable acting characters and making them work not only in modern times but in renaissance Italy as well! You must have done years of research on your setting for it to flow so naturally!

TL:DR, I love your dogs, I love your art, and I love your writing. I'm sending you virtual grilled cheeses and tomato soup

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[silverior968]

Optiratch in the Skulduggery Pleasant AU if it didn't take them 394 years and both of them dying and coming back* to get their act together and fess up

*despite the piece of media this AU is based on, neither of them are coming back as living skeletons

[Image ID: A digital drawing of early timeline Skulduggery Pleasant AU versions of Optimus Prime and Ratchet from TFP. Optimus, drawn as a young middle eastern man with a muscular build and straight black hair, tied into a low ponytail. His outfit consists of a faded red tunic, with blue stars embroidered on the hem, with a red belt, dull blue trousers, dark-colored boots, metal forearm bracers, chestplate and pauldrons. The armor has many introcate sigils carved onto it, and is fastened with dark leather straps. He has a sword strapped to his belt. He has one of his hands behind his back and the other in front of him, holding a wild rose. He's smiling with his teeth showing and his eyes closed, looking very happy. He's a foot taller than Ratchet, and is leaning down slightly. Ratchet, drawn as a young white man with pale, freckled skin and teal eyes. His hair is ginger and slightly wavy, reaching midway down his back, and his outfit consists of a white undershirt, the sleeves tied close to his skin with dark brown string. On top of the shirt he has a light beige tunic, the sleeves of which are pulled up to his elbows. The hem of the tunic reaches halfway to his thighs, and is tied at the waist with a rope. The rope has been tied with a slip knot, and the tassels at the ends are dyed red, indicating that he's graduated from a Vitakinetic school. A sickle is hanging from his belt. His trousers are light beige, and he has boots that reach to his knees, dark brown in color. He has a stocky muscular build. He had one of his hands on his hip, the hand obscured behind him due to the angle. He is leaning his head on his other hand, looking away with a smile. The background is a light green scribble with the artist's signature, Silverior968, placed on it. / End ID]

[nox-in-a-box]

*holds a cartoonishly big hammer above your head* favourite flower? Favourite school subject? Favourite food?

*trembles*

um uh um...

*grabs onto my ocs* if i die, they're going too >:(

so for flowers i really like sunflowers! they're bright and large and pretty, and the seeds taste pretty good.

favourite subject? i love math, art and psychology (i really wish i'd taken math in a-levels but it's too late now sadly) but since we're going with just one I'll say psychology.

favourite food! it's albondigas soup! my uncle made it many years ago (i was eleven? i think?) and i've loved it since then. it's so warm and comforting :3

[moongothic]

Do wanna say, I am actually really curious how Iva-chan would feel if the Dragodile Divorce went REAL BAD

'Cause they didn't know the two were in a relationship at all, right. (Otherwise, like, if Iva-chan knows about Crocodile having a kid then surely they'd realize that would've also been Dragon's kid and like. Understands that's Luffy etc) So as far as Iva-chan understands the situation, Crocodile may have been secretly slightly involved with the Revolutionaries for a period of time, had a kid out of the blue, transitioned, and either immidiately broke ties with the Revs entirely and fucked off to Alabasta, or kept on assisting the Revs in secret (possibly monetarily, being a sugar daddy and all 💰🐊💰) for however long in secret, only to pretty much betray them out of nowhere by attempting to take over Alabasta 17 years later Either way, surely Ivankov would've been deeply confused by this turn of events, right? Like what happened to him, why would Crocodile do any of this?

But if the straw that broke the camel's back and shattered Crocodile's psyche was the Dragodile Divorce going really bad, either from Dragon not being that accepting OR due to things going violent over a miscommunication... How would Ivankov feel about that?

Keep in mind, we've only ever heard Iva-chan talk about Dragon with nothing but adoration and respect. They sincerely hold Dragon in such high regard, can you imagine how badly either revelation could change how Iva-chan's views Dragon? 'Cause like, sure if Dragon's straight then that's one thing, but lashing out at his loved one? When he came out? At what might've been the most emotionally vunerable time of Crocodile's life (between the transing and the baby and having to leave his son forever. Y'know. Heavy shit)? Yeah, frankly speaking, Iva-chan would be completely justified in slapping the shit out of Dragon and giving him some choise words. Perhaps even some 💉 Karmic Punishment 💉 to teach a lesson Feeling disappointed in Dragon would be an understatement. But even if The Divorce happened due to a tragic accident (of Dragon attacking the strange man he has never seen before out of instinct when going to see his wife and child), it's been nearly two whole decades. Have the two even spoken since then? Like presumably not considdering Crocodile didn't even know who Luffy was. So if they haven't spoken at all-- did Dragon ever apologize? Or was he that much of a coward he couldn't face Croc and take responsibility for what he did? If so, that is absolutely pathetic and frankly irresponsible considdering the feelings he would've left Crocodile festering with.

Like either way, I'm deeply facinated how Iva-chan would take the news. How that could impact their relationship with Dragon, as well as how they've viewed Crocoboy for the past few years as well.

Because suddenly Crocoboy didn't just go bonkers out of nowhere, abandon and betray the Revolutionaries to try to do something monstrous for selfish gain. Suddenly, it was Dragon who abandoned Crocodile and left him all alone for nearly two decades, believing obtaining an Ancient Weapon was the only way to take down the World Government. Countless innocent lives that perhaps could've been spared in Alabasta had Dragon just fucking talked to his ex--

Yeah. I'm curious how Iva-chan would feel

[cloudless-petrichor]

I don't have parasocial relationships with celebrities, I have a parasocial relationship with the guy who runs the counter at a local Chinese restaurant.

[hungee-boy]

living life normally then youre reminded DID exists then you wake up

[pomellon]

-Pulls up a chair for new Dead Space au- Go oooooon. 👀 Dream being a scientist would be so good. But also him knowing some Engineering which is part of the reason he's still alive. Sapnap and George just sometimes coming across evidence that things have been fixed or tampered with, hoping it's Dream. (Although I gotta ask, happy ending? I might just cry if not but this is such a good brainrot thought lol)

Yes! So far I'm thinking that Sapnap is an engineer and George a data analyst, so while I think I'm making Dream a scientist he definitely picked up some tips and tricks from his boyfriends :D

I’m also liking the idea of Sapnap finding evidence of Dream, like recordings and logs, maybe even spotting Dream in a few places but too far away for him to get his attention. George on the other finds nothing, he’s in a different area of the ship, but trusts Sapnap’s accounts. He is mainly focused on keeping Sapnap on track, making sure to keep the ship running is the most import task after all, it’s not like they can find Dream if the damn thing breaks down and kills them all.

BUT, I haven’t actually decided if Dream is even still on the ship 👀

The times Sapnap sees Dream are definitely hallucinations triggered by the Marker. Some of the audio logs are real, but some are just empty corrupted files. They don’t realize this until one of the rare moment when George and Sap actually cross paths and Sapnap gives George some of them, only for George to get really fucking confused because there’s nothing on them.

I’m leaning into the idea of George being one of the few humans that’s immune to the Marker’s influence, so it takes him a while to figure out something is wrong with Sapnap. He kind of just boils down his sometimes stressed and frantic behavior being due to the whole life and death situation they’re in, and you know, the fact that they keep getting attacked by reanimated and mutated corpses. And George isn’t wrong in that assumption, Sapnap is definitely traumatized by all the blood, death, and gore around him, but on top of that he’s also having visual and auditory hallucinations. You know, classic Marker stuff :D

Also one of the spookiest parts of the game for me is when you’re made to backtrack, but instead of finding the dismembered corpses of the necromorphs you’ve killed, you at times find the slaughtered bodies of survivors. That you killed. Because you were hallucinating they were necromorphs.

This is also something that happens in the au, but with George backtracking into an area Sapnap has cleared, and he knows this because Sapnap told him. But he doesn't find traces of necromorphs, only dead survivors that have clearly been killed by an engineer plasma cutter. It’s about then that George figures something is really really wrong with his boyfriend.

(Also yes, good ending! Or as good as it can get following canon lore of a cosmic horror and survival game XD I don’t plan to kill any of them, and the au will probably follow a similar path to the first two games and then maybe dnn + kunz being on the run in the three years time space between game two and three. Tho I will probably not include game three, as if the devs are going to remake the next two games I have a feeling they will be tweaking the third one the most, so I will leave it out for now.)

[maybege]

i have so much love for every single person on my dash and in my notifs, it’s unbearable ♥️

[alchemania]

auggggh....i need to write more found family with wanderer so so bad.. does anybody have suggestions. i am taking suggestions.

(disclaimer i will not be writing anything w nahida i Do Not Like them as found family sorry in advance. :") please do not kill me thank you)

[spotsupstuff]

You obtained the pho soup?! Holy crap lets go!!!!! What do you think of it?

it took me a bitsy to get to it, but! yes. i Have

final conclusion: i May have had only two vietnamese dishes but both were so fucking good i am genuinely convinced the vietnamese simply do not know how to miss with their dishes

[plounce]

people online talk so much about hating babies and kids but in "the meatspace" people LOVE babies. hang out with a baby and you will see so many people staring at you with big smiles and waving at you and going "that baby is SO cute" and generally being pleasant unprompted. the lady at the vietnamese place just now gave us like three extra soup spoons because my niece loves those spoons but kept dropping them on the floor and the lady kept giving us more with a massive smile on her face. on our walk today a bunch of construction guys waved and grinned at her the whole time we walked by, and when we passed by an elementary school a little girl said "your baby's really sweet!" babies are not balls of irritation and hatred they are beacons of joy and kindness actually and they bring out the best in strangers. whenever im out with her we have multiple positive interactions with strangers who are so happy to see her. or maybe it's just that my baby niece is the cutest most wonderful baby in the world :]

[cascadianights]

Mexican people really said we're gonna make a million meals that consist of everything you could need in a day - corn meat beans rice veggies herbs tomatoes dairy - packed into every bite, with the best taste mixes ever, and graced us with perfect food

[dduane]

i cant belive that you of all people are at risk of homelessness >:(

homelessness isnt a problem that should exist in general, but you, specifically, should have like a million dollars from the star trek novels alone

(chuckle) Wouldn't that be lovely! (And it's kind of you to be thinking that way.)

But alas, that's not how it works.

When you're working in/for other licensed universes—which is always on a work-for-hire basis—the only really significant payment(s) you're likely to see will happen when you've turned in a given book and it's been formally accepted. And even then, the payment's rarely going to be higher than low-to-mid five figures... which (after your literary agent gets their cut, and after your taxes on the income get paid) won't take you very far even in a single year, let alone the years that follow.

If you're very lucky in your publisher, or have a very good agent—which I do—you may even manage to get some royalties on such a novel. But they'll be at the low end of the scale—maybe 2-3% of the cover price. (Bearing in mind that even for original novels in one's own universe, an author rarely gets more than 8-10% of a given book's cover price in royalties.) And when the book goes out of print, the royalties stop.

So just because the owner of the IP makes a lot of money off it, doesn't mean that any significant amount of it necessarily trickles down to the writer. (sigh) Nor does the fact that a book is good, or the writer is good, or both, make any significant difference in this branch of mathematics. Eventually, pretty much inevitably, sooner or later sales of a book drop off and the publisher lets it go out of print.

(shrug) It's not like I didn't know this was eventually going to happen when I wrote my Star Trek work. I did that because I loved Trek (and still do), and I was sure I could write a better Trek novel than anyone else had up until that point. (And maybe that was even true. Who knows.) To have done the work was the thing that primarily mattered.

But let this be a reminder to folks that only a low percentage of writers make enough from their writing alone to live on: and that something like 90% of writers at times live at or near the poverty line and sometimes slip below it. ...And for all of us, even for strong writers who seem moderately successful and have other income streams, bare patches happen: times when publishers don't pay (for example, I still haven't been paid anything for Disney/Marvel's reissue of my Spider-Man books), times when you can't work, or times when accident or illness or other unexpected circumstance eats the cash you've stashed away to serve as a cushion.

This is not a safe lifestyle. With talent and luck and endless slogging away at/over the writing mechanism of your choice, and with the support of your readers (whom I'm very much thinking of at the moment!—and thanks again to the Ebooks Direct customers and Ko-Fi friends who just now saved our butts), it can be survived. Which, from day to day, @petermorwood and I do our best to keep on doing.

...In any case: people who even at this end of time can say things about my work such as you did at the top of this, make me feel like about a million dollars. 🙂 (And since today I have both an upper respiratory infection and laryngitis, that's quite a trick!) ...So thanks.

ETA: for those curious, to deal with local physical issues I am now making this chicken soup, which—whether or not it has any actual therapeutic benefit—is still going to be very nice. ...It annoys the shit out of me that I have to leave out the onions and garlic, which would quickly trigger my IBS and subject me to an entirely different level of pain; but such is life. We've got all the other ingredients on hand sans the fresh turmeric, and if there's one thing this soup's short on, it's chilies. Which around here, believe me, is a deficiency that Peter's well positioned to remedy. :)

[izzytompkins]

First week recap: Blinds that I'm replacing with a curtain because exhibit A. My doggo clients first visit of the year! I really need to dust my keyboard but I finally got some good hours in on my current game. I am taking the tree down tomorrow! The ice cream we got looked like a little alien got squished in it. Air fryer grilled cheeses are my new favorite. Hangover soup was the first soup of 2024, & the guys appreciated it. (Partner & his LD bestie went out.) When my cat gets scared the only part of him that puffs is his tail & it's funny every single time. First house problems of the year include our water tank just randomly stopped draining & soaked through the wall. We were replacing the carpet anyway & the damp will be addressed by the contractor we have to get for the claim, then fixed. I'm grateful for our home insurance because it's always something.

01.07.24

[pureomi]

˚୨୧⋆｡🍓˚ in which: itoshi sae feels inferior to itoshi rin; even if for just a moment

includes: itoshi sae! x fem reader. 1.7k wc. fluff and humour (i promise the title is just dramatic). silly itoshi brothers but we love them. kind of ooc rin. includes some swearing but it's meant to be lighthearted <3

itoshi rin being sick was somehow more of an inconvenience to sae than it was to rin himself. his brother falling ill during his stay at sae’s place was already a disgusting coincidence. now, sae had to watch the unfortunate scenes unfold in front of him without a choice.

“woah, you’re burning up, rin,” your voice filled the room, holding the thermometer up to check it again, your voice laced with concern. rin only nodded, his quiet nature amplified by the haze of his fever. his half-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks made him look pitiful, almost drowsy.

to sae, it was nauseating how pathetic he looked—and worse, how effective it was.

“here, i got you medicine,” you said, helping him sit up from a lying position. “say ahh,” you sang sweetly, holding an ibuprofen capsule to rin’s lips and following up with a glass of water. he obediently parted his lips without a word, swallowing with a slight grimace but no complaints.

meanwhile, sae stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, scowling like a cat. rin must have it so damn good right now, he thought bitterly. crashed out on his bed, coughing like a mess, and worst of all—being pampered by you! him spreading germs all over the room was annoying enough, but the fact that you were doting on him? that was the real problem. sure, rin was sick, but did you have to treat him like royalty? it made sae feel almost childish how much it irked him. he knew you were just being you—kind, caring, and attentive. you weren’t a complete jerk like sae; of course, you’d take care of your boyfriend’s little brother.

but still, the sight of you meticulously adjusting rin’s pillow, tucking him snugly into the blanket you and sae usually shared, and gently brushing his hair out of his face like he was some spoiled kid—it was enough to drive sae up the wall. and if all that wasn't bad enough, now you were feeding him. feeding him.

rin opened his mouth again without so much as a sigh, his quiet compliance somehow making the scene even worse. sae glared as you dabbed the corner of rin’s mouth with a tissue, your expression always remaining soft and tender.

sae’s patience finally cracked as he scoffed. “pick up your own damn spoon,” he muttered under his breath.

you finally tore your gaze from rin to look at sae, laughing lightly. “it’s okay, sae. he’s sick. it doesn’t bother me.” it didn’t bother you, but it sure as hell bothered him. watching rin quietly accept another spoonful while sae fumed in the corner felt like a fresh insult every second.

“is the soup good? i tried my best,” you asked, giving the bowl another stir, awaiting his answer. your expression was so stupidly expectant that it effortlessly tugged at sae’s heart. rin, naturally, noticed the way his older brother’s jaw tightened from the corner of his eye, sae’s glare sharp enough to cut through steel—nonverbally screaming at him to be nice. rin wasn’t dumb—he knew better than to even consider giving a bad review of your cooking, especially with sae simmering in his spot by the door. and besides, the soup was actually delicious. “it’s good,” rin said, glancing at you. he took another spoonful for good measure, his movements deliberately slow, before adding, “it’s like our mom’s cooking.”

your face lit up instantly, a warm smile spreading across your lips. “i’m glad! good thing i asked for her recipe,” you shared, feeling accomplished. then, after a thoughtful pause, rin continued, “nii-chan should try some.” that last line, paired with the smallest, almost imperceptible smirk tugging at rin’s lips as he subtly shifted his posture toward sae, was so perfectly calculated it could’ve been a soccer play. rin didn’t even bother looking at his brother; he didn’t need to. the strained silence from sae’s corner was reward enough.

sae’s knuckles flexed against the doorframe, his patience wearing thinner than ever. try some? was rin actually inviting him to participate in this ridiculous display? no way in hell. you turned to sae with an inviting smile, completely oblivious to the brewing tension. “sae, you can have some if you want. i made more just in case…” his eyes flickered to you for a moment, and he opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was a quiet, disgruntled, “i’m fine.”

rin didn’t look up, but his breath released ever so slightly faster—barely perceptible—like he was holding back laughter. and yet, rin wasn’t done being petty. he shifted slightly under the blanket, letting out a low sigh that seemed almost contemplative. “my back hurts.”

he murmured quietly, drawing out the words just enough to give them weight. his gaze flicked briefly to sae—long enough for him to notice—before turning to you with a soft, almost too-casual tone.

“i think i need a massage.”

before sae could even process the audacity, you were already setting the soup aside. “oh no! here, turn around—” “it’s fine,” sae absolutely snaps, stepping forward and snatching you up from the bed. he firmly guided you toward the door. “i got him. just bring a hot towel, will you?” “huh? oh, okay…” you blinked, a bit startled by his sudden intervention, but nodded. “if you need anything—anything—just call, okay?”

you shot rin a sympathetic look as you left, sae’s hand still firm on the small of your back until you were out the door.

the moment the door clicked shut, it was as if rin’s back was in pristine condition—like he was born with the perfect spine. he sat up straight, stretching with ease, his back suddenly requiring nothing but a headboard to rest on. sae responded with nothing except his expression, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer. without a word, sae lifted his leg and dug a kick square to rin’s back. “what the fuck?!” rin hissed, flinching forward. “back pain, huh?” sae asked flatly, mocking his claims. “you’re too old to be attention-seeking, dumbass,” he said, giving him another shove with his foot. “go back to okaasan, since you like being babied so much.” “fuckin’ hypocrite,” rin kicked back with both legs, shoving sae’s leg away with surprisingly good strength for someone whose supposed bones were crackling just a second ago. “you’re the one fuming for her attention.” sae rolled his eyes, unable to accept the fact that he was probably right. “she’s my girlfriend, you fucker,” despite the possibility, he defends, his voice sharper now. “and yet here you are,” rin said smugly, leaning back against the headboard, “competing with a sick kid.” sae opened his mouth to retort but froze. damn it. he was competing. and somehow, rin was winning.

“here’s the towel—” you finally walked in, but not without sensing the tension hanging in the air. “did something happen?…” you quickly remarked, in a suspicious manner. “no.” both rin and sae responded in perfect unison, their tone almost too quick, too practiced. you couldn’t help but feel like you were the only one who wasn’t in on whatever strange, silent competition they were having.

“rin’s feeling better,” sae suddenly spoke out, his voice way too casual, as he bolted for the door. “call if you need anything.” “ah, okay…” you blinked, eyes lingering on him watching him go before shaking your head. maybe you did imagine that awkwardness.

you quickly turned your attention back to rin and handed him the towel. “you should get some rest. i’ll attend to some chores.” rin gave a quiet nod, already looking more comfortable with the towel draped over him. you gave him a smile, relieved to see him at least looking better, before stepping out of the room. you found sae in the kitchen, carefully dishing out a bowl of soup. the act was too adorable; you couldn’t resist. you snuck up behind him, wrapping your arms around his waist in a gentle backhug. “what do you want?” sae asked, his voice trying to sound neutral, but you could hear the softness underneath it. you rested your chin on his shoulder, feeling his warmth, and smiled. “why are you sulking?” you asked softly, your tone full of concern. “i’m not,” sae replied, though the words came out more quietly than he intended, a little hint of frustration still there. you could feel his tension, so you just squeezed him a little tighter, letting the silence settle for a beat. “i know you’re worried,” you said, voice gentle and sincere, “but it’s okay. he’ll be fine. i’m making sure of it.” sae remained quiet for a moment, but there was something different in the way his shoulders eased under your touch. he wasn’t used to this kind of reassurance, but somehow it always worked.

there was always something disarming about your presence, the way you seemed to understand him without asking for anything in return. he didn’t quite know what to do with this feeling—this overwhelming need to just be close to you. without making any effort to break the hug, sae's hands gently moved to rest on yours. he turned slightly so he could look at you, his eyes soft and filled with something tender you couldn't quite place. there was a subtle shift as he leaned in, his breath warm against your skin. he paused, just for a moment, before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. the kiss lingered longer than usual, a silent reassurance in the simple gesture. “i’m not worried,” sae whispered firmly, trying his best to rely his feelings. “since you’re taking care of him, i’ll just take care of you.” you blinked, your chest tightening with warmth at his words. it was rare for sae to lose his guard, and in these moments, his affection always spoke far louder than anything he could say. you could feel the space between you narrowing as he moved even closer, his lips brushing near yours. “isn’t that right?” he whispered, his voice low and filled with a quiet confidence.

AH-CHOO! a loud sneeze rang through the hallway, shattering every sense of peace in the house. sae froze, his entire posture stiffening, as he shot a death glare toward the room where rin was.

god he’s gonna kill him.

a/n: this is such an old draft omg...finally got inspired to publish it bcz i currently feel like sae lmao. still figuring out my writing style so i hope nobody minds the randomness of my works T-T