#like i haven't been able to do much or go out on the par couple of days out of fear that I'm gonna overflow

[kingofscoops]

UGH I HATE MY GP SURGERY SO FUCKING MUCH 😡😡😡

[lyramundana]

LOVEEE hi!! I hope you're doing good!! I'm currently obsess with this video of Jisung as he was rapping/recording (THING THAT I'M MY OPINION IS TOO ATTRACTIVE) and I thought..... why don't ask at my favourite blog about it......

the video: https://www.tiktok.com/@leeknowscutie/video/7261487507651513605?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7235493142752839195

so my mind thought of f!reader as a friend with minsung, a stay that just became friend with the couple and she usually make company to them when they record, and jisung - he's a brat ofc - need to tease them both and he do that gesture to provoke them. I thought of f!reader as a fan of chase Atlantic and in that moment her mind need to go CRAZY with fantasies and Minho need to enjoy Jisung's tease.

THAT'S IT LOVE let me know <333333

-🌻🌻

asdfhfh your favourite blog?? you're too sweet, i swear🥺🥰 (but pls keep going i get off praise) Also how the fuck did you read up my mind? Chase Atlantic is one of my obsessions, so much I made my oc a big fan of them too because I couldn't help it. Literally half of my playlist is filled with them. They're so😳😳

Well, back after watching that sexy tiktok..

As a Stay, Reader lives for these moments. To her, there's no greater honour than getting to see the song recordings and dance practices in person. Of course she doesn't have absolute freedom there and there's a number of things she can't do while she visits (you know, privacy and all), but at least she can keep these memories for herself and treasure them. Obviously, she's always with Han and Minho since they're the whole reason she's allowed there, and most times they bring her in when the members aren't around, so they have some company and hear second opinions from a fan perspective.

It's only an excuse for them to have her close because they're pining heavily and don't know how to handle it

Reader is happily attending the recording with Minho by her side, both watching Jisung do his part with the rest of 3Racha supervising it. Before that, she had been with Minho in the practice room admiring his dancing while the rest of members were out for a break (they all know what's going on and they secretly agreed to give Minho some privacy with her), and when he deemed it enough work for the day, he got a message from Han asking them to come because he feels more confident when they're there, and of course Reader couldn't refuse seeing 3Racha in action.

So there they stood, Reader sitting on the couch with Minho right beside her, her legs over his lap as he traced lines from her ankles to her calves. Haven't she been so focused on the other boys working, she wouldn't have been able to hide her nervousnes. Just his posture alone made her squeal internally, with one strong arm casually thrown around the couch head and his legs spread, and those smooth patterns he draw on her with this delicate fingers were going to kill her. His outfit wasn't exactly helping either; the infamous black t-shirt with a par of damned shorts. Luckily, his gaze was focused somewhere else too, because if their eyes locked she would've crumbled right there and then.

Thank god Jisung's voice brings her back to reality, smiling when the boy makes a goofy sign to them as he enters the recording booth. Minho shakes his head, but he still chuckles fondly at the display. As soon as Jisung got into action, all attention was on him. Reader was in awe when he started rapping and fixed her posture to watch him closely, missing Minho's pout when her legs fell off his lap. However, when Jisung threw a mischevious look at them while doing that gesture with his hands, both of their minds freezed.

It was only when he repeated it that Reader knew it was real and not an hallucination from her delulu brain. She felt Minho tense beside her, and her skin felt like it was burning. She could have let is slide, convince herself it was a random motion the boy did with his fingers and with no subtle meaning, but his small smirk and his gaze pierced on them told a different story. It wasn't really the first time. You see, there has been this...tension between these two and her for the past months, and so it became somehow usual for Jisung or Minho to pull stunts like this that made her melt inside. But they never did it in front of others, in a public space, while working no less. God, Chan and Changbin were right there too for fuck's sake! She felt embarrassed, but looking at the men, they didn't seem shocked or disgusted. "He probably does this often when Minho is around" her mind supplied.

Minho wasn't doing it much better, although he wasn't as surprised as Reader. Of course he was used to his boyfriend's antics already, and he knew the boy didn't care about having public. He felt glad the weak lighting and the pillows hide his arousal, his mind running wild at the memories that gesture illicited. However, there was an added allicient this time: Her. His head drifted to her squirming form, her cute eyes wide open and her legs kicking subtily. He notices her reddened cheeks and has to repress the urge to touch her face, to see how warm she got. Knowing Jisung caused this, that they both can cause it, only fuels his desire more. If the other two weren't present, he would've succumb to his instincts.

Meanwhile, the rapper was watching everything unfold from the booth and he couldn't hide his satisfied grin. He barely listened to Chan and Changbin's instructions when he ended, his attention mostly on his handsome, aroused partner, and their lovely friend whom they fantasized of turning into something more. They knew the effect they had on her, they just wanted her to break first. She was still a Stay, after all, and they used that fan-like adoration for them to their advantage.

Reader tried desesperatly to be unbothered, but her brain betrayed her. She pictured hundreds of hot, spicy scenarios after what Jisung did and she had to turn her head sideways to hide her blush from them because holy shit, she thanked god humans weren't telepaths. She imagined what it would feel like having those fingers repeat that same motion inside her, feeling them curls withing her walls until they found her g-spot. Imagined how it could be to have Minho's muscular legs caging her on the sofa, preventing her movement, while his hands travelled her sides and Jisung had his way with her. Maybe he could use that quick tongue of his for something else, maybe...

An exagerated couch disrupted her increasingly horny imagination, and she turned to see Minho's amused eyes watching her, his mouth cocked into that half-grin that drove Stays mad. His hand slowly moved towards the back of her knee, tracing circles there, as she felt her breath suddenly stop. He pull himself forwards until he got her trapped in the couch, pulling her knee to close the distance.

She was so busy trying to breath again that she didn't notice Jisung out of the recording booth and standing at her side, watching her from above with a dark smirk.

She felt dizzy, and the pool of warmness on her face went straight to between her legs.

Fuck..

[comfortlesshurt]

Rough month! I missed some goals for sure, but that's okay because there were literally no stakes on these. Reminding myself again that these are all intended to inspire me, not to line myself up for punishment.

The newly published word count was doable, but I don't think it was doable for ME while also drafting a major project that's not ready to be published. I added almost 40k to my projects overall, so I'm not actually too torn up about only publishing 5k.

I realize I didn't explicitly say it before, but obviously I didn't mean I want to get my published VLD word count to surpass my Spider-Man WC within this one month. That would be insane and way beyond my abilities! That's something I'm still on track to achieve in 2025.

The writing schedule worked well, but like... I didn't just stick to it, and I think that may be a problem. I wrote for three hours on three weekdays every week I wasn't traveling, and I had at least one weekend day every week where I wrote from waking up to going to bed. The problem is that I still felt like I should write on the other days, so I didn't spend a lot of time on the rest of my life. Not a big deal right now because I've got absolutely nothing else going on besides work, but I know that won't work down the line when I have other interests to fit in my free time.

Failed the bonus achievement, but it was also a longshot! I started the month at 244k hits on AO3 and I'm ending it around 247k. But now there's a good chance I'll get to celebrate my quarter of a million hits something in September.

Augusnippets went perfectly! I posted all 15 snippets and have yet to get any feedback that makes me feel like I need to change any aspect of the future fic for it.

Totally failed bingo! I got a prompt I really liked for it, but I just haven't been able to focus on it yet! I'm hoping to get the right motivation to bang it out in September.

40k in 42 days is ongoing until 9/14, but I'm definitely on track to finish early. I'm over 38k as of now, and the daily par for the LTS(LTFH) series alone adds up to like 900 words a day with the publish dates I'm aiming for. No real worries about this goal.

On the note of LTS(LTFH), my only fail was outlining fic 1. I've got the major points down, but I feel like I'm missing more things I want to include and haven't gotten around to actually figuring those out for the outline. This is a big priority still because the lackluster outline is starting to affect how easy it is to hit my daily par on this fic.

I hit 35% of the 100k goal for fic 1, so I'm still thinking I can get to 100% by the end of November. I hit 30% of the 50k for fic 2, which is well ahead of schedule; I'm expecting to have fic 2 edited and ready to start posting by summer 2025. I mainly focused on those two stories, but I did add a fair bit to fic 3 and a couple of the short side stories for the series as well.

I will not be doing any challenges in September, and I have an ordered list ready to start working through for editing in September. LTS(LTFH) will still be the priority, so I'm not going to worry too much about editing all 62 of my fics in September. If there are more left at the end of the month, I'll work through them in October. I did cheat and knock one fic out this month.

For long-term goals, I'm still considering Whumptober, but it'll push back all my LTS(LTFH) goals by an extra month, which is a little sad. At the same time, I think it might be helpful to focus on different works for a month. Regardless, this is another event where I won't be aiming to complete every day--just my favorite prompts.

I'm taking a couple days off to enjoy the three-day weekend, but I'll be back to writing early next week! I'm expecting to do the statistics update on Monday.

August 2024 Plans!

Hello again, and I am sorry to tell most of you, I am still only obsessed with Voltron. That being said, here are my plans for Keith for this month.

General Goals:

Newly published word count: 5,071/10,000

Have total VLD published WC surpass Spider-Man: 48,364/100,258 (I'm not calling this a failed goal! I never planned to publish 50k+ in a single month, to be clear. This is a long-term goal that I'm hoping to hit in 2025.)

Test new weekly writing schedule: my choice of any three weekdays from 6pm to 9pm and any one weekend day from waking up to going to bed (with short breaks as needed). Possible exceptions on the weekend hours during any pre-planned social events because I'm too good at isolating myself already. Schedule TBD during work travel but will be much less for those times unless I can get comfy writing in-flight lmao.

Bonus uncontrollable achievement for funsies: 250k total hits on AO3 (starting the month around 244k)

Augusnippets:

All are drafted because I overachieved last month

Publish 15 total snippets

Posting out of order because all my fills take place in one series, and it was more important to me to get the series order right than the challenge order

Currently working on c*mm*ssioning art for this story!

Bingo prompts:

Finish and publish at least one more bingo prompt this month (I'm open to requests for Keith!)

One request received! (Working on outlining it and expecting to draft and publish this month)

40k in 42 Days:

Drafted word count (not necessarily published like the goal in general goals)

Start 8/4

Complete by 9/14 (On track to achieve this one!)

Probably major focus on LTS(LTFH), but I'm counting all drafted words during this time period

(My Write Club linked above! Feel free to friend if you're participating in this or if you use it at all.)

LTS(LTFH):

Cleaned these goals up a little mid-month!

Finish full outline for fic 1

Continue drafting fic 1: 35% of 100k goal

Draft what I know of fic 2: 30% of 50k goal (with focus on events surrounding Augusnippets fills until I finish final fic 1 details)

Draft fic 0 (<5k prequel to provide background on a certain event)

Continue fine outlining fics 2 through 4 as new plot points are decided in fic 1

Incorporate feedback from Augusnippets for characterization/events

Refine expected publish date at end of August (starting August expecting fic 1 to be drafted and edited for continuity errors by end of December 2024; expecting to complete technical editing chapter by chapter to start a weekly posting schedule in January 2025)

Prep for next month:

Resist the urge to take on any September writing challenges

Filter through my published list and rank works by how much they need a solid round of editing (I'm hoping to edit everything next month, but I'll be prioritizing in case I can't get through it all.)

Longer term:

I don't know where I'll be in six months, obviously. These are loose plans, subject to adjustment.

August 2024 - LTS(LTFH) focus

September 2024 - edit existing works & draft LTS(LTFH)

October 2024 - possibly Whumptober (possibly LTS(LTFH) instead)

November 2024 - NaNoWriMo (I'm now 90% sure I'll be focusing on the third chapter fic in LTS(LTFH) for this project)

December 2024 - back to editing, focusing on unpublished works

January 2025 - begin publishing fic 1 of the big series; continue drafting fic 2

[alj4890]

Love Drabble

Quid Pro Quo Pars Duo

(Jackson Nevrakis-Walker x Nichole "Nicky" Beaumont) in a look at what happened at Collette's wedding.

A/N 🤣 well I'm easily swayed. When I saw @twinkleallnight 's comment that she would love to see what these two were doing at the wedding while Emerick and Juliet were joining up to avoid suitors, I wondered the same thing and even thought about maybe writing it while I was writing the previous drabble. 😂 And for @hopelessromantic1352 , I've added more Thomas for you. So once again, let's see if we can find a way to get these two back on the road to being a couple again.

@lodberg ​​ @hopefulmoonobject ​ ​​@hopelessromantic1352  @krsnlove ​ @twinkleallnight @tessa-liam @sirbeepsalot @thehonorarybeaumont

Masterlist

Paris, France...

"Aren't you riding with us?" Olivia asked while following Juliet into the waiting car.

Jackson shook his head. "I'll meet you there."

She quirked an eyebrow at Drake.

He knew that look meant that he should press for more information.

"If you've found a way to miss this wedding," Drake instead said,'"then take me with you."

Olivia rolled her eyes in a huff.

Juliet leaned over her to yell out.

"If anyone shouldn't have to go to this ridiculous wedding, it's ME!" Her green eyes focused on her brother. "Please tell me you found a way out of this!"

"I haven't." Jackson replied with a grimace. He knew better than anyone how much his sister didn't want to be a part of this event. "Sorry, Jules. You know I would have told you if I had."

She slumped back into the carseat.

Olivia motioned for Drake to get in. "We'll see you there."

Drake patted his son's shoulder as he got in.

"Don't be late!" Juliet yelled out once more.

Jackson held a hand up in farewell as the car drove off.

Slipping his hands in his pockets, he headed towards the Beaumont's vila.

*************

"Hey Jax!" Izzy greeted, rushing down the steps.

"Bye Jax!" Emily added, following at her heels.

With giggles and chatter, they quickly got into a waiting car and got on their way to the church.

Jackson released a relieved sigh. He wasn't quite up to anyone questioning why he was coming over to the Beaumont's.

His trip to Los Angeles had gone better than he hoped. He and Nicky were able to be around one another without any pressure or arguing. As if by unspoken agreement, they steered clear of any talk about their infamous breakup and the reasons behind Nicky leaving him.

He wondered now if he was pushing his luck. They had been around none of the usual crowd those few days in Los Angeles. Now they would be attending an event that held the very people, the very pressures, their relationship used to be under.

Would it cause all the bitter feelings of their ending, memories of happier times, and reminders why they weren't in fact engaged by now or at the very least, happily in love to rise to the forefront of their minds?

No use worrying over it now, Jackson thought to himself.

He knocked on the door, hoping he wasn't about to do something that would end up hurting them both.

His eyes widened somewhat at the sight of Thomas Hunt opening the door.

"Jackson." The famous director eyed him before his frown eased. "I see you've been dragged into this wedding nonsense like everyone else."

"Yes, sir." Jax chuckled while stepping inside. "How'd you get stuck with going?"

Thomas softly smiled. "It is hard, as I'm sure you know, to say no to a lady's pleading." His lips eased even more. "Especially when she reminds you of all the times she came along as your plus one in the past."

"I heard that." Amanda playfully grumbled as she came down the stairs.

Jax braced himself. Fear of anger or coldness from her gripped him. He knew he shouldn't feel that way, especially since it was Nicky who had dumped him, but he worried about seeing her after all this time.

Amanda had been one of his favorite "aunts" growing up. Once he realized he was in love with Nicky, he realized why he adored Amanda as much as he did. She and Nicky shared so many traits, both physically and personality wise, he couldn't help but love her too.

Plus, he'd always assumed that she would one day be his mother-in-law.

His worry disappeared the moment she flashed her warm, delighted smile his way.

"Jax!" She walked up to kiss his cheek. Her eyes flitted over his face. "I swear you look just like Drake did at your age."

He chuckled, returning her hug. "That's what everyone says."

"And here I was hoping to be the first to think that." She winked at him. "Nicky should be down soon."

"Soon soon, or soon?" He teased.

She laughed. "Soon soon, I think."

She then turned her attention on Thomas. "Don't you look handsome?"

The gruff director snorted while tugging at his bowtie. "Of the two of us, I think you deserve the compliment." His eyes dropped down her blue lace dress. "Might want to change in case you upstage the bride."

She laughed, shaking her head. "I know that's not true and a rather clever ploy on your part to make us late for the wedding."

"Nonsense." Thomas replied. "I have no desire to be late." His lips eased into another smile. "I'm trying to get us out of going completely." He offered his arm to her. "Truthfully though, you do look quite lovely."

"That's what I told her." Nicky called out.

Jackson felt his heart stop the moment he saw her coming downstairs. The silk gown Nicky wore looked as if it had been designed with her in mind.

He'd always loved waiting on her at the bottom of a staircase. It gave him more time to admire her figure while feeling a great sense of pride that she'd chosen him as the man to escort her wherever they were going. His eyes were already falling into their old habit of traveling down her curves then catching glimpses of a long leg peeping out of a high slit.

He met her eyes when she paused on the next to the last step. How many times did he take it for granted that she used to do that so they would be the same height for a kiss.

She beamed at him. "You shaved!"

He rubbed his jaw. "This is a court event. One must be properly sheered for everyone to admire."

"As I recall, you weren't too concerned with that edict and neither were Uncle Liam and Aunt Riley." She teased.

He found himself smiling at her, simply enjoying that the same feeling he had seeing her again in Los Angeles had only grown stronger these last couple of months.

So far, it wasn't a fluke.

"We should go." Amanda whispered to Thomas.

She slipped her arm within the bend of his, tugging him quietly away from what she hoped was the beginning of their reconciliation.

Nicky looked up at their retreating forms.

"We'll meet you there!" She called out.

"See you soon." Amanda responded.

Once the door shut, Nicky let out a sigh.

"You okay?" Jackson asked.

"I am." She smiled at him. "It's been a busy day getting everyone dressed and all." She looked once more towards the empty entryway. "Emily and Izzy's laughter woke me up. Then Mom and Uncle Thomas were out on the terrace having breakfast and simply enjoying themselves." She sighed happily again. "It has been a perfect day."

Jackson felt that old need to take her in his arms and simply hold her. He knew from what she'd shared when he last saw her how much she needed her mother and sister to be back to how they once were. Hearing her say it was perfect simply in seeing them happy made him want to remind her how she'd made so many of his own days perfect by simply being there.

Right now, this day felt absolutely perfect.

She refocused on him. "You look quite dashing for this wedding." Her dimpled grin grew. "Is this in revenge for Colette or are you hoping to catch someone's eye."

He slipped his hands in his pockets and leaned against the banister. His signature smirk appeared on his handsome face as he met her hazel gaze.

"I think I already caught someone's eye." He winked at her making her laugh. "With how you look, I wouldn't mind having you on my arm for the rest of the night."

She playfully swatted him with her clutch once she took his arm. "Careful, or I'll tell Colette you're planning on objecting during the ceremony."

"Talk like that makes me think you have some Nevrakis blood in your veins." He shuddered, making her laugh again. "That's quite a threat."

She squeezed his arm close for a moment. "Don't worry. I kept you out of her clutches for years." She looked up at him, feeling a thrill over the smile he gave her. "One more night won't kill me."

*************

"Nicky!" Alec rushed down the steps of the church to sweep her into a big hug.

She hugged him tight before stepping back to admire his gray tux. "Let me see you." She motioned for him to turn around. "Just as I thought." She tapped her chin, eyes swimming with mirth. "Still devastatingly handsome."

"Don't even think about trying to distract me with compliments." Alec warned. "You were supposed to call me when you got to Paris."

"I know, I'm sorry. I was exhausted by the time we landed yesterday." She explained. "I slept sixteen hours."

"Oh." Alec stopped wagging his finger at her. "Then I suppose I can let you off this one time." He squeezed her into another hug. "But only if you tell me you're coming back to Cordonia for good soon."

Her smile dimmed some while glancing over at Jackson talking to some other nobles. "I think we will. It's been hard to bring it up to Mom and Emily. Everywhere we go, we'll end up thinking about Dad and I'm worried they'll become depressed again." She swallowed, wishing things had gone differently. "I know I'll hurt seeing our home and all the old places we used to go, all while knowing he won't be there with us. I don't know if I can take going through it again."

Alec wrapped his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her close like he always did whenever she was sad. He rested his head against hers for a moment, trying to find a way for his best friend and family he loved to be able to come home for good.

"Plus, I'm sure it would be a bother to Jax if I did return." She admitted. "I can just picture the press hounding him everywhere he went into how it felt for the lady who dumped him to return."

She had to fight back tears in thinking how he might end up hating her in the end. She couldn't risk losing these steps forward with him. She hoped that one day, they'd be standing on a church's steps like this because it was their wedding and that was why one of her best friends was hugging her.

"I guess this means I have to come see you then in California." Alec mumbled.

He noticed how down she looked and gently shook her.

"I should be getting all over you for what you did."

Her head jerked up, lips parted in shock.

He continued in a serious tone to tease her. "You've made me the one to keep Emerick and Jax in line." He lowered his head to hers. "You know that was supposed to be your job. I'm merely the getaway driver."

She burst into laughter.

Jackson smiled over at the two when he heard the sound then excused himself from the group he was talking to.

"What's so funny?" He asked, attempting to be causal as he pulled Nicky back beside him.

She automatically slipped her arm within the bend of his. Jackson placed his free hand over hers, smiling down at her.

Alec noticed the whole interaction and couldn't help but hope this was only a glimpse of the beginning of them finally being where they were supposed to be. He couldn't think of two people more perfect for one another than these two other than his own parents.

"I was reminding Nicky of our jobs." Alec replied with a wink at her.

"Jobs?" Jax repeated.

Nicky giggled some more. "Alec has had to deal with you and Emerick all on his own."

"I'd forgotten how much she helps when you two go off on adventures." Alec reminded him. "I think I've aged ten years since she left me alone with you two."

"Come on." Jax argued. "I'm nowhere near as much trouble as Emerick."

Nicky and Alec shared an amused look.

"I'm not!" He told them.

Nicky gently patted his hand. "Of course you aren't."

"Alec!" One of the groomsmen motioned for him to hurry back into the church.

"That's my cue." His earlier joy seeing his friends disappeared.

"We better go find our seats." Jax added.

"We'll look for you at the reception." Nicky promised as Jackson pulled her behind him.

"Can't wait." Alec's grin returned.

He couldn't wait to see them back as a couple.

*************

The two had originally planned to sit near either his parents or hers. Since they were running behind, they ended up slipping into the end of a pew in the middle of the sanctuary.

There was little space left. Nicky was squeezed up tight against Jackson's side to avoid crowding the other man next to her.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"No problem." He mumbled back.

Every time she turned to look about at the decorations and wedding party coming down the aisle, he would catch whiffs of her perfume. She seemed to not notice him shifting in his seat to keep her completely against his side.

He draped his arm along the back of the pew, fingers gently brushing her bare shoulders. He wished her hair was down so he could tease her by pulling at a lock during the drawn out ceremony.

He then noticed the tears in her eyes.

*************

Nicky was doing fine, even cheering in her mind each time Jackson moved to keep her close. When he draped his arm behind her, her nerves nearly sang feeling him touch her skin once more.

But then the couple began their vows to one another.

Her giddiness dissipated at the thought that this was all she wanted...all she'd ever wanted.

Her dream, even as a little girl, was to be married to Jax. To have to sit here and watch a couple who weren't even in love go through the very ceremony she longed for hurt worse than she expected.

It felt like her chance for happiness really was dead. Jackson probably did just want her as his date for revenge. Either that or use her as a shield against the other ladies who eyed him with lust for his body and/or his title.

She'd never have a wedding, at least not with him.

She should be grateful that he at least treated her as a beloved friend now instead of...

Her breath hitched the moment she felt his lips against her temple. His arm curved around her shoulders while he offered her his handkerchief.

She looked up at him.

His brow was furrowed in that familiar way whenever he saw her crying. She knew he couldn't stand to see her upset. He'd once told her he never felt as helpless as he did the moment he saw a tear fall down her cheek.

Could it be he still felt that way over her? That he could still love her after everything that happened between them? The fights and harsh words...had they left no lasting, irreparable damage upon their hearts?

He leaned down toward her face and pressed his forehead against hers. His nose brushed hers briefly, lips so close to her own.

"Don't cry." He pleaded in a whisper.

She sniffed and raised his handkerchief to dab under her eyes. The moment she began to pull away from him, he locked his arm in place around her.

She couldn't help but hope that this meant he would want to marry her some day.

**************

The two remained by the other's side for the whole reception. They laughed during observations of their siblings and friends. They danced only with each other, much to Collette's irritation. And shared a number of glasses of champagne off in secluded corners.

When it came time for the bouquet toss, Colette specifically called Nicky's name and those of Juliet, Emily, and Izzy to come to the front.

"I know you each need all the help you can get to find a husband."

She'd attempted to make her insult sound like a playful taunt, yet everyone who knew her caught the true meaning.

Juliet purposely folded her arms, determined to burn the bouquet if it even came close to her.

Emily rolled her eyes over the situation, firmly decided to relax and let other ladies from the court fight over it. She knew her sister and friends would all have much better spouses than what Colette ended up with.

Izzy was fuming with a smile on her face, just like her mother, Hana, taught her. She was having all kinds of revenge scenarios running in her mind for Colette to even think of insulting her friends. She would pick one and find a way to get back at the young lady for daring to cross those she adored.

Nicky, though wanting to slap Colette over so many things she'd done to her through the years, managed to remain calm and collected.

Before she could blink, the bouquet was coming directly towards her.

Without much thought, Nicky caught the bouquet of white lilies and roses.

Colette burst into raucous laughter.

"Lady Nicky!" She doubled over, making certain every eye was on her. "Let's hope you can catch a husband as easily as you did the bouquet."

Chuckles and murmurs came from all over the banquet hall.

Those closest to Nicky were decidedly not laughing. Their stoney, bored expressions let the entire room know their feelings.

Thomas had to grip Amanda's hand under the table to keep her from getting up and saving her daughter from Colette. Her hazel eyes had darkened with her anger.

Drake kept a grip on Olivia's shoulder keeping her still. Rashad eased back when he noticed Hana trembling with rage. Riley ignored Liam's whisper to calm down, deciding to let those close to their table know how gauche the Queen of Cordonia found Collette's behavior.

Alec, Emerick, and Ellis all had fists clenched ready to jump in if Nicky needed them.

Emily had tears in her eyes, wishing that her sister wasn't being humiliated in such a way. She was ready to scream to everyone that laughed how wonderful and lucky some man would be to win Nicky's heart. She wished Scott Caulfield was here, showing the world that Hollywood's newest sex symbol was completely enamored with Nicky.

Izzy had already decided on which forms of vengeance she'd enact on Colette. Now she could add some more for doing this to their Nicky.

Juliet already had her lips parted, ready to launch into a verbal onslaught these pampered nobles never knew was possible.

But then...

Jackson stepped up and took Nicky's hand. In front of all of them; he lifted it to his lips for a lingering kiss and managed to have that shy hopeful smile on his face.

"I hope I know the lucky man." He said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Mutterings and whispers exploded over the hint that he would be the one she chose to marry.

Nicky blinked at him, unsure what to say.

He tucked her hand in the bend of his arm and led her out of the hall.

**************

"Give me a minute." Nicky pleaded once they went down a part of the mansion closed off for the party.

Before Jackson could react, she dashed into a nearby room and shut the door.

She fumbled in the dark for a lamp then leaned against a desk. Her breaths came in and out in broken gasps as she relived the humiliating moment over and over.

I shouldn't have come, she thought. To face everyone again after so little time and with Jax! I want to go home. I don't want to be here or with anyone ever again. Why did I think--

Jackson slipped inside and shut the door.

Nicky whirled around in surprise, bracing herself against a desk. In the shadowed light, Jackson's face looked harsher than usual. His dark eyes held her immobile as his hands clenched into fists.

She didn't know what to do anymore as she stared at him. All her hopes and dreams seemed so foolish now. It was pointless. All she was trying to do was completely pointless.

With a curse over seeing her upset once more, Jax crossed the room and yanked her in his arms. His lips captured any words she was about to say in a deep, desperate kiss.

Nicky hung limp for two heartbeats before she wrapped her arms around his neck. She eagerly responded to every touch of his lips and tongue against hers. She felt like she was coming back into the warm light after months of cold, bitter darkness.

The feel of Jackson holding her like he once did didn't feel old or dull. Her body reacted as if they had never kissed or touched before this very moment. The butterflies and heart racing was just as strong or if not stronger than before.

His hands splayed on her bare back, attempting to press her even closer.

He felt his senses come alive for the first time in months with the passion and tenderness of her response.

He'd wondered if they ever got around to kissing again if it would be comfortable and nothing new. He knew now that it was an all new excitement thrumming through his veins over being reunited with her once more.

Their breaths echoed in the room when they ended the kiss. They held tight to the other while searching for signs of regret or repulsion.

They knew they should probably talk about whether or not this was a moment of weakness, too much champagne, or simply because they couldn't imagine being with anyone else.

All they wanted to do was wallow in the wonder of their kiss and see if it was as good as if felt. They both leaned in for another.

And another...

And another...

And another...

[four-loose-screws]

Comeback, Take 2!

Let's try returning to my normal posting schedule again!

First, the context.

So early on in 2022, I realized that I was going to have to significantly slow my translations pace, as I was getting married, and I like to be way over-the-top handmade in everything I do. The time I had to put into every detail was immense.

I thought that I would be able return to a more consistent posting pace once the wedding was over, but then I made the very much hasty decision to sign up for the December Japanese proficiency exam, and finally tackle the highest level. I was almost immediately filled with complex feelings when I learned that preparations were going to take a whole lot more time in the day than just a quick review of vocab and grammar I've studied before.

THEN Christmas is a thing! So I had about 2 weeks to panic and rush and get gifts out to the side of the family that gives gifts to EVERYONE - I even gift exchange with great aunts and uncles I haven't seen since I was but a wee kiddo playing Pokemon, Sonic, and Harvest Moon 8 hours a day, who had no idea how ambitious I would become (FE didn't come into my radar until I was a teen).

So in the end, my return was put off almost exactly 1 year, but I'm ready to try again!

Now it's 2023 and I'm ready for a well-deserved reset! 2022 was not a miserable year for me by any means, I was busy with good things. But I was way over-worked, and I'm ready to shove that life in the garbage bin for way more translating, naps, and mindless exploring of Pokemon Violet's Paldea! At least for a couple more weeks until Engage, and the Story of Seasons remake drop. :) (I'll be importing the JP version of A Wonderful Life at the end of the month, normally I wouldn't mind waiting for the NA release, but SoS games are one of the few on the Switch that are region locked.)

I apologize dearly to everyone who sent an ask/message/etc. to me over the past many months, that has gone entirely ignored. Everyone who sends comments my way is always *super* fantastic and supportive of me having to take breaks (Hugs to you all!), but I'm always so bummed when I can't keep up. It's what I want to do, and when I can't do it, it's just super poopy.

My blog goals for the beginning of the year are about what someone who has been following my translations for a long time might expect: 1) stay on pace with the FE7 novel translation, 2) get caught back up and finished with the FE4 manga translation, and 3) get all my asks/messages/etc. caught up on before making any new commitments!

Best of luck to everyone and their goals for the new year! Be real and kind with yourself, and you can accomplish them in time. :) Everything just takes time, and it takes forever to figure out your personal style for achieving accomplishments.

I have many things I'd like to learn this year, but the only one I'm committing to is getting better at reading Japanese. I realized that translating novels does NOT help one bit at improving my skills in reading for enjoyment or everyday life! ...You might think that's strange at first glance, but translating is... slow. Methodical. Aiming for careful interpretation of every sentence and word. That does not help with gaining reading speed and comprehension on par with native speakers AT ALL. So I really need to improve, especially in case I didn't pass the Japanese exam and need to go for a round 2 this December!

Cheers to a new year of much more relaxation! 🥳🎉

[arhapsodyblueblog-blog]

Thoughts on TWOTQ (spoiler alert)

Hello to anyone reading this huge comment. If you've had a chance to read what I wrote on TWOTQ, I hope you didn't take it the wrong way, either way; don't worry this is the last time I write about this.

This past week, I've realized that I haven't been able to properly close the cycle of the From Blood and Ash saga, so I'm writing to be able to move on and think about whether or not I want to continue the series. Everyone is invited to comment if they decide to do so and thus create a space for dialogue.

So... I read TWOTQ, and after thinking about it for a long time, I came to the conclusion that I didn't particularly love it and didn't particularly hate it. Am I one of the very few people in the fandom who thinks like that? I believe my problems were with the plot, there came a point near the middle where I felt that rather than wanting to read I just wanted to get through the book.

When I finish reading TWOTQ, I must admit that I gave it a star, as I said I have done a reflection exercise and removed the star that I gave it... because to be honest that was my frustration speaking. If you haven't read Yaz the bookish review I highly suggest you do, everything she said is on par with many people's feelings, including my own.

Something that is a strong point of contention in the community is the Joining. I was part of the group of people who thought it was going to be something more spiritual and symbolic than having sex. I knew it was going to happen and well... I read it fast. As it progressed I got the impression that Poppy and Kieran were morphing into something more. Don't get me wrong, I know, their relatioship was always more that a friendship and less of a romance (at least I think that's their relationship), but now I don't know; the way the book is written leaves you open to interpret the relationship however you want. Are they a threesome now? Are they in a polyamorous relationship?

I think JLA, should (in my personal opinion) give a clear answer on that. Because let me tell you, I saw the interview she did on Instagram and what she gave wasn't necessarily a clear answer, it was something along the lines of: "Think about the relationship that Wolves have with touch." That got me thinking, so I went and did some research and it turns out there isn't that much info. on it, what I was able to discover is that it is a relatively new field and so far the the specialists belive, that Wolves either 1) Use physical contact to gauge the strength of the opponent and 2) They use physical contact to reduce stress and strengthen bonds. This comes from Harrington and Asa (in case any of you were wondering)

On a personal level, I have no problem, if it turns out to be that they are in this polyarelationship; all I can say is: fine, amazing, more power to them, but I do want to know clearly what they are. Because if so, I can stop reading this book saga. I know what I'm saying seems hateful, but it's far from it, in my opinion many people who complained (me included), we just resent the lack of clarity in which things were left, we have nothing personal against JLA or its characters or the story and most importantly we have nothing against the community that has chosen this kind of personal relationship.

We just want a straight answer, I think the discomfort comes, because some of us have had bad experiences with books that develop this kind of relationship and because of that, we have had enough of bad expiriences, to realize that this kind of books are not something we particularly like.

Why JLA can’t give a clear answer? I know it’s not an obligation and given that JLA received horrible comments and I think threats (to say the least), I doubt she's going to answer any of our questions just yet or she is going to wait to book 5, but she must have realized that we’re not all on the same page and we don’t think alike about the current situation between Poppy, Kieran and Casteel.

She’s the only one who knows how couples work, how history works and how all will end.

Thank you for reading this and I hope I didn’t offend anyone

[splashinkling]

Go play Littlewood pls

today's tldr: go play this wonderful, cute game called Littlewood. and if you see a cool Kickstarter that you really want, don't hesitate to support them!

if you haven't heard of Littlewood, I don't blame you but you're sorely missing out. much like Stardew Valley, it's a life sim that I binged for a couple weeks (it may or may not have been longer or shorter than that, but 60+ hours isn't nothing). unlike Stardew tho, I actually finished the game!

the characters are all lovable in some way. their personalities and styles are all colourful. to be fair, I didn't have a hard time deciding on a character to simp spend time with (Lilith is a powerful sweetheart). but honestly, it was hard to not ignore other characters like Mel, Dark, and Willow among others.

I like that the time is tied to the stamina bar instead of having a passive clock. it grants me better control over my time and actions.

the things that we do during the game is kinda mundane but pretty satisfying when you're able to finally build that one building or thing that we've been saving up for. and for the record, I went through the slog that is mining 6000 ore and chopping 6000 trees for 100%.

I also really like the Tarott card game. I don't play a lot of Magic: the Gathering, but it gave me those vibes (and they were pretty good). I really appreciated it late game, when I started having less to do and beating everyone was so satisfying.

it's really hard to do these farming sims right, but Littlewood is a joy to play on par with Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon. of course, it's a bit different, but it's a good different.

really happy I was able to be a backer for the kickstarter

[retphienix]

I'm not sure if I should make this the finale post or not to be honest because I plan on playing some of the DLCs soon, so I'll make this a 'light' finale post because I'm sure I've said more than enough through my playthrough.

Morrowind genuinely surprised me. I heard all the oldguard TES fans saying it's way different and some claiming it was miles better.

Specifically I remember when Oblivion came out I heard from somewhere that Oblivion was just "dumbed down Morrowind" and kid me was like "What the heck are you talking about, Oblivion is the best game in the world (right now)???"

But man, they weren't wrong, but that's hardly what I'd point at in Morrowind in comparison.

Then again my memory of Oblivion is all rose tinted nostalgia and half memories.

What Morrowind is to me today is a fantastic fantasy game with some really interesting lore, a villain I love, a world that feels alien, troubled, imperfect and intriguing, and a gameplay cycle that felt really satisfying to me from the very start to roughly level 20 or so.

I REALLY like how pitiful and overwhelmed I felt at the start of this game- it felt fucking awesome to me and I know for some that's a weird statement and others it's the most obvious thing in the world but man is it true.

Level 1 in Morrowind as a newbie who doesn't know up from down is like waking up in the woods naked with the sound of hungry wolves all around you.

It's brutal, and exciting- every little victory- a potion, a new dagger, a new piece of armor- feels like the world to you.

I LOVED the early game in Morrowind, more than I ever liked it in Oblivion, Fallout 3, Fallout NV, Skyrim, or Fallout 4 (yeah I'm looping the bethesda engine NV in).

Because I constantly felt like I was punching up at a behemoth but I was getting away with it from time to time until I started to feel more on par with the behemoth, and eventually I overcame and hit end game and really became the behemoth and that was fun in its own right.

But I've been "mega end game god" in like 900 dang games at this point, it's always fun! And feeling like I earned it (like here) makes it feel better! But the journey often beats it and Morrowind's journey was so fun to me.

But yeah, beat the main quest. I did a lot in this game, and barely scratched the surface.

Beating it immediately made me think of how fun it would be to challenge myself to beat it- or another objective- right from the start without dumping hundreds of hours into leveling because that early game is a treat.

About the only things I didn't fully love were most of the quest designs showing their age.

Nothing super egregious, but there really was a lot of extremely simple "fetch thing" "Kill thing" "Walk to place" quests that didn't hold additional story value to make up for it.

Not to say simple is bad, but to say having a LOT of my playtime being killing various creatures for no real story reason beyond being asked to makes some actions feel pointless and like busy-work.

There were also quests that DID tie story in, which was really nice to see- things like inter-guild relations becoming a thing for some quests, or some quests having consequences further down the quest chain depending on how you completed it, and of course (as implied) some quests having multiple solutions with some of those solutions being interesting in how you find out about them.

I mean I think it's really neat how the fighter's guild has like 4 quest givers and if you blindly follow them you'll be doing all kinds of questionable stuff with questionable end goals, but if you talk to each of them you'll find that one of them is much more trustworthy and honorable than the rest, and it becomes a common loop to be sent on a quest for the FG and swing by him to ask if the quest sounds legit- AND MANY AREN'T! AND HE OFFERS ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS! THAT'S COOL AND LET'S YOU MAKE THE MISTAKE OF BEING TOO LOYAL AND FORGETTING YOUR MORALS BECAUSE YOU ARE "JUST PLAYING A GAME" BUT REWARDS YOU FOR QUESTIONING THAT LOYALTY AND SEEKING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS! THAT'S AWESOME! Though the solution almost always being "just talk to the good guy before you do the quest" was slightly lacking, but such a cool idea.

But there wasn't a ton of this, but there also wasn't not a lot of this- it was an idea they clearly considered playing with and did when they could- I just wish there were both more and that it was used more on the menial tasks you're asked to do as well. I'm a sucker for multiple solutions is all, and consequences appearing later and altering how events play out or quests line up is always cool and I think it only happens a couple times in some guild quests if I'm not mistaken-

But again, I didn't do much in the grand scheme of things lol.

A TON of time invested and still, a metric fuckton to do including 100% of both expansions lol.

So- Morrowind. I really like this game :)

I think it's my favorite TES game, though I might change my mind whenever I revisit TES4, but I can at least say it's my favorite early game BY FAR and PROBABLY my favorite TES game.

I wonder if I can get buff enough to kill Dagoth Ur with like potion abuse. I haven't looked into it, all I know about him (and I knew before this gameplay also, I was just attacking out of curiosity) is that phase 2 rapidly regens health at like 2 billion a second or something, so you have to one shot him if at all possible.

Also I knew that he was supposed to be weaker depending on how many ash vampires you killed, but that that wasn't properly implemented (and I don't think the morrowind code patch bothers fixing it?).

Anywho- great game. I've been playing a lot of good games lately now that I think of it. I mean most of this blog is me playing good games, but I feel like, and I could be mistaken, but I feel like there was a stint there where I was playing "complicated" games and "games I don't enjoy but want to see the merit of so I'm being a sourpuss while I play".

Now I feel like the last 10 dang games were strictly good and or great. Can't say that's a bad thing :)

If you haven't ever played Morrowind before but you're familiar with say Skyrim, I'd honestly say give it a look. A look first- because it's a thick game to begin and you might be able to discern it's not for you based off a look- but a look none the less.

It's Skyrim with more RPG nonsense going on and a more brutal "rags to riches" hero story for your protag. Might be up your alley as much as it ended up being up mine :)

So up next is EITHER an entirely different game with some ocassional Morrowind posts as I touch on the expansions, or more direct Morrowind content as I emphasize the expansions until I finish them, but I'm leaning towards the former.

I think beating the main quest has earned Vaksten the Idiot a short break.

[euphoriacrossing]

Euphoria is just coming right along.

Our new bridge and campsite opened today. As well as my house moved to it's more permanent spot and i got a lighthouse for us! I love lighthouses so I am pretty excited about that one.

I can't recall feeling so happy about something as I feel about this stuff now and I almost feel bad that I can't share it with my two closest friends who don't play video games and who are struggling with things lately. This has helped me so much, and I feel so blessed that I have something like this to help pull me out of bed and gives me something that makes me feel productive.

I hate to say it but in ways it's been on par with how getting a dog was for me... just in SOME ways, and definitely not to that scale in a lot of other ways. And don't get me wrong, I'm not bored of my dog, but he has bonded with my mom in a way he never will with me and I don't know when or how that happened, but it means for his ultimate happiness I have to let her have most of his time. Which can be the opposite of soothing, at times, I feel bad and jealous. So don't get me wrong, having a dog will always be better and I'd absolutely do anything for him, but Animal Crossing is helping me now in a lot of the ways that he used to when I first got him and he still needed me. That is saying something HUGE because that clearly and obviously changed my life for the better.

For right now at least, I feel like this is a game changer (lol) for me. At least for my mental health. Obviously it can do nothing great for my physical health, but at this point, I don't even know what can.

And this game not only has me waking up excited, but I feel like it really nurtures my creative side with everything you can do to make the town better. I have big, costly plans, and it's gonna take a few bells but everytime I earn enough for one project to be done I get to feel accomplished, and I get to be creative in deciding what to do. Plus it's just FUN. It's a game, but it's more than that, too.

One of my favorite features though is finally being able to send mail to friends. I wish there was an actual post office, sure, but I have a lot of fun sending mail in real life in hopes of making people smile. Same concept in Animal Crossing. Plus it makes it easy to share cool finds with people on other Islands. I imagine for couples and families it's especially cute to leave a little note and virtual present for a loved one. But just between friends it's pretty cool too, to just send the unique stuff you find day to day. Like I was looking for roses and my friend sent me some. So I sent her a cool fountain. So she sent me some extra oranges. I'm about to send her something EXTRA special maybe, so I hope she'll like that. It's just a really fun, cool feature and it's one I frankly thought would never be in the game. There is actually a lot of ways communication has been made better, like being able to type from your phone, or send instant messages (I think, haven't done it yet) to your BEST friends. And I think this is how these games SHOULD be, but I honestly never expected it to BE that way. It's a really pleasant surprise.

Anyway, today I need to figure out what to work on. I think I need to build the town's first incline today that way I can better utilize that extra space on the second level. If I ever unlock the ability to terraform I think I'll be getting rid of some of the third level so the second can be bigger, but I think that is where I will put most of the rest of our houses.

I want to have a residential area on the right, shopping district in the middle, and a woodsy, orchard-y kind of place on the left. I do have an island in the middle and I don't know what to do with that space yet, might make it a garden... not sure though. And those are all just rough ideas they aren't the detailed full plan. But for right now since it's been so much trouble I've only been working with the first level mostly. Now that it's going to have an incline I think I can more easily access it and start thinking what I want to do up there.

And I also want to upgrade my house. I think I want to get it fully upgraded so it's best to work on that as much as I can as it could take a while even if I paid off my loan daily and I know that I won't be able to make it each day especially with the loans getting so much more expensive. So I need to constantly be working on that too. Plus make sure I have money for shopping, especially for clothes.

Clothes are my favorite in these games and the wand makes it that much more fun. Celeste came to visit last night and I got a recipe for a star wand which I do have enough to build I just don't know if I should keep my bamboo one instead and save those pieces for something else. I will probably make the star wand because it's cuter honestly. With the bamboo wand it's kinda more just a stick of bamboo more than any kind of wand.

Anyway, I can wait no longer, I have shiz to get into this morning on the beautiful Isle Euphoria. So I am going to go do that. Thanks for reading.