#none of my hot keys are working lol

[bandsandwristbands]

Pregnant Gaara stressing out Lee in contrast to pregnant Lee stressing out Gaara :3 ?

Gaara would desperately attempt to maintain his routine because (as @aura-uzumak1 brought up) between his mom dying in childbirth and his own angsting/health issues my man would be anxious the whole time.

Lee believes that everything will be fine but he can sense Gaara's internal distress which, in turn, is making him stressed and hovery lol

[skyfallscotland]

Ok so Rebecca did a one hour panel today in Sydney with Lynette Noni hosting, where she asked questions and then they opened it to fans. I've kind of summarised the things I haven't seen mentioned over and over, but I don't frequent the subreddit anymore or use TikTok, so there might be overlap. In any case, it's long. Settle in. I've sectioned it into plot/character relevant first, then themes and interesting facts about her and her writing. Basically, you all came with me. 💗

• In book three (and every book thereafter) we'll be going to more and more new places. She specifically worded it as "watching the map expand" whether that's significant or not, I don't know. (I was thinking Isle Kingdoms for OS, but maybe that's just my wishful thinking).

• She implied Jack will have a reason (explained) for uh...being a power-hungry prick? lol

• She's hella defensive of Dain, which I love. #DainApologistsClub 😌 Some highlights include:

"You guys give Dain so much shit for the same thing Xaden does. You really do and you're so fast to forgive Xaden and not Dain. Why? Is it because he's hot?"

And, "when push comes to shove, all Dain did—yes he violated her boundaries, as does Xaden—but all he did was trust his dad when his best friend no longer spoke to him. That's it."

"When Dain looks at her (in the interrogation chamber) and says 'if you had just told me, none of this would have happened', he's not just talking about the interrogation, he's talking about Liam, he's talking about if she had just trusted him (in Fourth Wing) it never would have happened." 😢

• She was asked about Liam's appearance in the interrogation chamber and definitively put to rest any signet theories involving that. "She's so alone in that moment and...I don't read fan theories but sometimes they reach my ears; she's completely disconnected from her magic in that moment, she can't even reach out for Tairn or Andarna, which are the bonds that are actually most important to her. She can't reach out for Xaden. And that's the one person who would have prevented that from happening the last year, so it's natural that's who her mind would summon."

• She's thought about a spin-off series, but she's just trying to survive this series.

• Someone asked her if there'd be any redemption and romance for Jack Barlowe and honestly, thanks guys, I don't think she's ever coming back to this country 💀 ("Are you getting enough sleep? Uh...I mean, from his prison cell maybe? No.")

• Someone asked "what is Garrick's signet and why hasn't it been shown yet?" (shoutout to this girl, she's the real MVP) to which Rebecca said "it's very much in book three, I love it."

• Someone asked about the orange dragons and unpredictability re: Amber, Jack, Varrish and then Imogen and Brennan. Rebecca said some dragons might look for traits like their own and some look for balance because it's a partnership; and that Brennan as a strategist needed that little bit of unpredictability in his life (lol, I think he got it).

• She didn't always plan for Violet to have two dragons. Originally it was going to be one (Tairn) and the editor had hoped that she would sway towards a weaker, smaller dragon and she thought that was a little too close to Abraxos in ToG, and so they compromised and gave her both. She also went on to say she doesn't like overpowered heroines and since Tairn is extremely powerful, Andarna balanced that out. (I'm not...I'm not sure how that works out? But that's what was said.)

• We are definitely going to find out more about the original six (and Lynette asked if that was a spin-off possibility and was shushed, so she's thought about it at least, but I get the idea she's thought about a lot of possibilities 😂)

• There's no timeframe for the release of the final two books.

• Someone asked if Violet's dad was Malek to which she was kind of shocked. He's not a god, guys. And low-key I JUST WANT TO KNOW HIS NAME. 😤

• On Sgaeyl: "You do (get more of her) but holy crap is she pissed. So—I'll tell you that about Onyx Storm—she is really, really mad at Xaden and she's not exactly speaking to him at the moment. So it's hard for her to speak into that bond when she's not speaking to him." 💔

• She was asked about the Violet dated Halden theory (which was fucking hilarious because the poor girl misspoke and asked if Xaden dated the prince and we were all really confused about which TikToks the poor thing had seen (note to self: consider cam/xaden), anyway after we got to the bottom of that, Rebecca replied, "I think you should read the third book." Which I'm taking to mean, the man is making a damn appearance and we're gonna find out for ourselves 👀 Hey, if I'm lucky maybe we'll even find out his surname

• Finally she said she has EP on the Amazon series, they've all been exceptionally protective of it and that she's happy with how it's going (they're not near casting yet and she doesn't want to really comment on that ever, to leave each role open to as diverse a cast as possible). She said the production team has come to the signings in LA to meet readers and see what they love and are passionate about when it comes to the series to make sure that's honoured.

"Like I mean, I've seen certain...like what can I say without getting tackled to the ground? Let's just say they've already taken steps to make sure that what you guys love about the story is envisioned and that it's not run amok. And I'm very happy with it, they're super protective of it." Which could just be me reading into it, but the first place my brain went was the dragons 👀🐉 and the CGI or whatever.

• She was asked about where the inspiration for the universe came from and she said that when her Entangled decided they were going to do romantasy they asked her for five pitches and Fourth Wing was one of them (she won't say what the others were because she might still write them someday). She said she likes the fated mates trope but she wondered what that would look like if the dragons were the ones mated, not the humans and the humans who couldn't stand each other were forced to be around each other because of this. 

• Her first ever book was romantasy but it didn't sell

• She's never really written enemies to lovers before.

• She likes found family themes because she was raised in a military family and moved around a lot, so that makes it hard to keep in touch with your extended family, and after she married her husband and became a military wife, it was their found family that was there for her—it was her found family who helped her move her house, who sat with her when her husband was injured in Iraq, etc, so she thinks it's very important to show that your family is also the people you choose and that can be just as strong as any blood tie.

• She was asked (by Lynette) why she wanted to show death and the reality of war and she said, "I've been surrounded by it. My husband's been at war since 2003, he spent 22 years in the army, first as a 19 Delta cavalry scout and then ten years as an apache pilot and we buried our friends. And I saw what it did to him, and I saw what it did to our friends, I saw what it did to our children, to us, and I love being able to examine it from a fantasy perspective just because I think fantasy gives us a unique environment from which to critique our own world by viewing it through the lens of another. And I've always delved into those themes as to why we do this to each other and where is there hope to stop it?"

• As an author her favourite scenes in Fourth Wing were the dagger stealing scene (very important to their chemistry and romantic development—"she's the only person he's taught ever, how to actually kill him") and the first kiss scene.

In Iron Flame it was the interrogation scene and how that ends with Dain and Xaden and everything coming together.

When asked about a similar scene from Onyx Storm that elicited the same strong emotion from her she said "you're not gonna like it" and that's it 💀

• She would consider writing fantasy again after she's done with the Empyrean world, maybe one of her other pitches, but she won't truly think about it until she's survived this one.

• She spoke about the "kill your darlings" writing advice and how if you love a scene but it doesn't move the plot, you've gotta cut it, and how she did that with the final scene in Fourth Wing, which was originally 7k words of Violet POV pulling information out of Xaden.

• When asked about fan theories she actually said something I found a little sad. "I don't listen to fan theories. One, I'm not on TikTok—it's a little bit more important for me to be alive than to listen to what other people think they know about me, and two, I don't ever want fan theories to bleed into my writing."

〰️ And that's it! If anyone's going tomorrow, please voice record the whole thing and report back lmao 🙏 🫶🏼

ETA: part two is here, x

[kulttuurinkurittama]

Red hot battle fury

Forgot to post this some time ago and it got buried on my phone, whoops!

This drawing gave me so much trouble, none of my usual tricks for drawing embers and such worked for some reason so I had to paint all the hot parts. Also I lost a shading layer at some point and only noticed when I no longer had a drawing tablet? And Kei's armour was absolute pain to draw since I based it on thistles back when I designed it I think a year ago? Regretted the decision while drawing but rule of cool wins in this household lol.

[sofasoap]

Sofasoap's Call of Duty Fic Rec

Always wanted to make a list of my very subjective CoD fic rec list, and also I promised my good buddy @groguspicklejar ( famous author of Beloved series) a list of fic recs, let me list some of my beautiful mutual's and some amazing writers and artists so they can go binge read.

Edit : I'll keep adding artist/writers on as I go. When my brain cells is functioning.

@saltofmercury -Let's start off with the mother of my Mini MacTavish. The one who made me fell in love and hit the nail in the coffin for CoD fandom.

If you are into König, her " Break-in" series is a must read. check out her Soap fics too :) Masterlist

@floral-force - My bestie! delicious Simon/Ghost fics.

American Hospitality is my favourite. Or honeypot is guarantee making you crave for more :)

Check out their Mando fics too :)

@a-small-writer-in-a-big-world - You want slow burn? check out lovely Bear's "The Roommate Series". Wonderful progression of relationship between Simon and his room mate. Your Friendly Neighbor Soap and Shy reader, OH SO CUTE.

@deadbranch - Spy and Cold war style fics? You are in the right place. The killing moon and Dying sun series. Gut wrenching.

or check out the light hearted None Taken ( personal favourite!), threesome fics? Goth style Reader? Check out their MASTERLIST for full list of goodies.

@brewed-pangolin The president of "Soap Squad" club.

Fireside Whiskey - personal favourite. Soft and thoughtful Soap is just heaven. Kati's page is full of wonderful Soap deliciousness. check it out if you want some Soap fun.

@writeforfandoms  - Jen jen jen jen jen. Multifandom talent. AU Prodigy. But let's focus on the CoD here, Puppy Love - Price and puppy? can't go wrong with that. Born for Greatness and Howlin' For You Shifter!AU is my latest obsession here.

@random-thot-generator - Kris, The princess of Thotland and Thotlandia. Their latest work: A Patient Man - had me all hot and bothered. Sweet sweet Rudy. OH how can you be so sexy.

@jynxmirage, Jynx!!!! the one I blame for falling into Top Gun fandom. but that's not the point :P

Communication is Key - my current obsession :) Soft caring Price, oh give me this Captain price any day...

@as-is-above-so-below  - Oh Gezez, Simon X OC ( Freya ) fic The Captain is utterly brilliant. Angst, suspension, Thirst, smut... you name it, you get it.

@roosterr - my Fellow Nikolai fanatic, check out her "guardian angel"

series, action action action and of course, love story :)

@siilvan - another one of my fellow Nikolai fanatic, Aqua Regia

series , Nikolai the flirt, sexy flirt , complete with smut * smirk *

@homicidal-slvt - How can I forget the spark to my Lastochka series?

and one of my biggest supporter.

Check out their creative CoD Headcanons and full list of CoD works that will guarantee satisfaction.

@nrdmssgs - to round off my Nikolai fanatic club , and also brilliant artist, A heart full of pity series is one of my latest obsession featuring good old Nikolai.

@captainpriceslover - my crack fic inspo buddy ( miss you a lot!!!). the one gifted me ideas of Soap dispensers lol.

aiaigasa (相合傘) - featuring our TF141 sweet boy, Gaz, had my heart melting.

@starstruckmiraclekitty  - You want H/C and scenarios? * falling out of the bag * here is the place to go. :)

@random0lover - you want soft fluffy Soap? Hot Chocolate & Hoodies, you want angsty type of story? Open Wounds and War Paint

you get all with Kat!!!

@lethalchiralium , how can I forget Keri! ( I knew I forgot someone.. argh )

The Happiness series, don’t let the title fool ya (well it does bring you happiness reading such talented writing) this story is like washing machine, throws your emotions all over the place, let you grip onto your chair, wanting more.

@mistydeyes so many awesome stories to choose from! My current favourite is "choose your flowers, carefully" Good old Gaz x reader story, and one of my favourite trope - childhood to lovers 🥺 please go check it out!

Now , Some brilliant artists:

@shkretart - This utterly utterly talented person, Price and Nikolai and Simon, will have your nose bleeding within 0.1 seconds.

@ave661 - out of this world 3Drenders always have my eyes popping out of the socket.

@nrdmssgs - mentioned once, should mention again, beautiful art :)

@wombywoo - TF141 boys in their dress uniform? YES PLEASE.

@namedlunagoddess - another 3Drender goddess. OH CHECK OUT HER Sowa Team fic if you are into Gromsko, its HOT SMUTTY DELICIOUS FIC.

@hffhifjou - You want rugby boys? You get rugby boys :) and football. and all sort of deliciousness :)

I am sorry If I miss out anyone. after 13+ hours at work I am exhausted.

[jazzthatonewriterchick]

Hit ‘Em Up! (18+ Fic)

Pairing: Cowboy!Gojo Satoru x Cowboy!Geto Suguru x Black!Cowgirl!Reader (Slow Burn/Enemies to Lovers)

Synopsis: You get to meet Geto & Gojo the Gunslingers, the notorious outlaws that have every town and law enforcement in a twist, when your bum-ass BF offers you as payment to avoid going to prison. Little do they know that this is only a part of your plan to get what you desire. But when you realize that the infamous gun-slinging, smooth-talking cowboys could be everything you want and more when they offer you a deal to team up with them, will you successfully be able to go through with it? 

Warnings: Smutty Smut; 18+ (MINOS GTFO); poly!SatouSugu; Reader is Black & Fem; Mention of other JJK characters; Porn with Plot; Tragic Backstories; T/W for Childhood Trauma, Parental Death, Violence, Panic Attacks & Torture; Angst/Hurt/Comfort; Hand Kink; Masturbation; Voyeurism; Gay Sex; Polyamorous; Double Deepthroat; Mutual Oral; Fingering; CMNF; Spitroast; Riding; Unprotected PiV Sex; Creampies; Outside/Public Sex; Shotgunning; Multiple Positions; Spit Kink; Facials; MDom/fsub Undertones; Aftercare

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters mentioned in this fic. However, as this is my writing, I do not give permission for my work to be reposted on any other sites that are not from my own accounts. Thank you!

Writer's Note: This chapter got me horny. Sometimes I be wondering why I don't just become a porn writer or something lol. Enjoy!! -Jazz

Chapters: One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen PT I & II. Nineteen. Twenty. Twenty-One. Twenty-Two. Twenty-Three. Twenty-Four. Epilogue + Soundtrack.

********

SIX: FOR A SINNER’S EARS ONLY.

You awaken the next morning to the sun barely peeking over the horizon, just as Geto instructed you to do. 

It feels good to sleep in a comfy bed for once, especially after you made sure you patted it down with the bug powder you packed. You sit up in the bed, slightly clammy from the heat of the hot, dry air creeping into the motel room. It is quiet and relaxingly so. For once, you feel good despite the circumstances. 

You still can’t believe Geto and Gojo decided to pay for a room for you. They walked you to your room right next to theirs after getting a key from the lobby. “Just remember to get up before the sun rises,” Geto gently said, mostly to keep his voice down in the motel hallway. “It will take about five days to get on the Devil’s Trail since it’s outside the West. That works out well for us since we have a list of baddies to catch on our way there.” 

“And most of them are Benji’s accomplices,” Gojo stated as he handed you the key to your room. “Which means we’ll probably find him too if we play our cards right.”

You looked down at the key, clutching it. “You know, y’all didn’t have to get me a room.” You couldn’t help but be suspicious of this. Why were they being so kind? Were they tricking you in some way? 

‘Or maybe they’re just nice guys, you crazy girl,’ you thought. 

Gojo raised an eyebrow at you. “Well, where else were you gonna sleep? With us?” A smirk appeared on his face. “‘Cause if you want to–” 

You cut him off by moving to unlock the door, purposely stepping on his toe as you do. “Fuckin’ pervert,” you muttered under your breath as the motel door opened. It was identical to the duo’s though empty and clean. 

“Ignore him,” Geto chuckled while Gojo complained about you breaking his big toe. Just get some sleep and yell if you need anything. These walls are paper thin, so we’ll hear you.” He gave you a kind, warm smile, leaving you to your privacy. “Sweet dreams, Y/N.” 

Gojo gave you a wink as he held the doorknob, nodding at the bed. “Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” he teased. He then closed the door, still behind it.

“I’m serious!” he called. “You might wanna lay down a towel or somethin'!” And then you were finally left alone to take a hot shower and get ready for bed. 

You lay here now, thinking to yourself how fast everything is happening. You still can’t believe you’re here with the most notorious outlaws in the West, about to go on a long journey with them that could either go really good or really bad.

You think of Shoko, wondering if she read your letter. Is she looking for you? Does she miss you? And what about the others at the saloon? Are they okay? Are they safe? 

You suddenly hear a tiny chuckle from behind your headboard where a wall separates your bedroom from the duo’s. Gojo’s voice drifts through the wall, sugary sweet and seductive: “Sugu~” 

“What?” Geto sighs, sounding exhausted. There is a rustling sound like bedsheets shifting. “C’mon, Satoru, not now. I have to clean up before we leave.” The bedsprings creak as someone sits up––probably Geto. 

“Can I clean up with you?” Gojo purrs. “C’mon, I can help you clean all of those spots ya can’t each.” Then you hear it: a deep, soft moan that makes your face grow hot and your mouth part in shock. Are they…? 

Another one of Geto’s velvety moans makes it very clear that they’re not cuddling over there. “Shit,” he sighs. “C’mon now, stop it. I’m serious, you slut.” Gojo giggles–giggles–as he continues to do whatever he’s doing. “Oooh, I love it when you call me that, almost as much as you loving it when I call you my cock whore.” 

Your jaw goes slack. Are they that slutty? “No, I don’t,” Geto growls. “I’m not about to do this while Y/N is in the other room. These walls are thin as ice!” His words are cut off by another series of quiet moans and hums of pleasure. “The water will be on, so she won’t hear,” Gojo assures him. “And even if she does, I think she’d enjoy it. Especially when she hears how hot your moans are.” 

You would never admit it, even to yourself, but the sounds of Geto’s moans are getting you hot. They are so smooth yet syrupy; deep yet soft. Seductive. Sexy. They make your body tingle, especially one body part in particular. You can feel your pussy throb annoyingly so from beneath the sheets like it has a heartbeat. 

You can’t remember the last time a man-made you this aroused. Even the ones at the Blackwater saloon barely got you wet. And sex with Valentine was never a fun time. He did nothing to turn you on despite his pretty face. There was barely even a wiggle down there for you. But now? Now, you feel like you need a release or you’ll go insane. 

“Let’s get in the shower, baby,” Gojo seductively says. “We have no time to waste, remember?” And so they do. You hear the bedsprings as they get up from bed and their footsteps as they walk to the bathroom on the left side of their bed but still behind your bedroom wall. You can hear the rustling of their clothes as they strip; their breathless giggles and the soft, wet sounds of their lips meeting each other’s. 

Their soft moans and hums of ecstasy mingled with the sound of pounding water light your body on fire. You find yourself squirming uncomfortably in your bed, especially when Geto begins to moan. You begin to feel a tingle from down below that only grows the louder Geto’s velvety moans become. “Fuck, ‘Tarou,” he sighs. “You’re so fuckin’ good at that.” 

Your hand slides down your stomach to wedge between your thighs. You know that this is wrong. You know that you’ll regret this later, but fuck, they sound too hot to resist. And it’s only natural, right? You just need some release. They’ll never know. So you begin to slowly rub your tingling, needy clit in time with Geto’s deep moans and swears. 

It doesn’t take a village idiot to figure out what Gojo is doing, but when you hear the soft, sucking sounds and the sloppy noises of his tongue swirling around Geto’s dick, you get your answer. “Yeah?” he chuckles. “You wanna give me a reward, Sugu?” 

You hear more lewd sounds that take you to unholy places and bring colorful visuals to your head: Gojo on his knees gagging on dick with Geto’s hands in his wet, white hair, his hips bumping into Gojo’s mouth as he fucks his pretty face. “Just make sure you keep it down,” Geto instructs. “You don’t wanna wake the whole hallway, do you?” 

Gojo giggles and there is only the sound of water until both men moan in unison. The sound nearly makes you gasp, your back arching as your fingers work faster on your now slippery clit.

“Oh, fuck!” Gojo moans. His language has become nothing but slutty moans and whimpers while Geto lets out soft grunts and gasps. “Soon as I’m inside you, you’re singin’ like a little songbird,” Geto chuckles. “What am I gonna do with you, Satoru, huh?” 

You close your eyes, picturing the long-haired outlaw pressing Gojo against the wall, grinding his hips into the white-haired outlaw from behind. You see Geto’s cock, long, thick, and gorgeous, sliding in and out of Gojo’s taught and firm yet soft asscheeks, stretching out his hole. 

“Sugu, please,” Gojo begs. “Don’t stop! Keep goin’ just like that!” 

“Just like what?” Geto teases. “Like…this?” He must do something with his hips or his cock because Gojo is moaning uncontrollably, slutty gasps and whines leaving his pink lips. The sound of wet, slapping, of skin against skin, emits from the wall. “C’mon, babe, shhh,” Geto shushes him. “You’ve gotta keep it down.” 

But Gojo is too far gone just as you are as you rub your pussy in time to Geto’s thrusts. “C-Can’t help it!” he stutteringly, pathetically says. “You’re fuckin’ me too good!” 

“Cover that slutty mouth then,” Geto demands in a voice that has your clit throbbing increasingly so. “Yes, that’s it, my love. Let’s see how quiet you can be filled with all this dick.” 

You imagine him saying the same thing to you, his cock stretching you out while Gojo tweaks your hardened nipples that one of your hands has begun to do for you. Briefly, you imagine yourself sandwiched between them, nothing but stolen kisses and breaths between you. You can almost feel their muscles and warm skin under your hands. You can almost taste them on your tongue. 

As their moans and the lewd slapping grows louder, your hand grows a mind of its own and works your clit faster, harder, wanting to peak with them. You picture yourself doing the same thing while Geto fucks you from behind while Gojo fucks your throat, both cocks filling you up the way you want to be. The way you need to be. 

“Fuck, Sugu, I’m gonna cum!” Gojo warns, high-pitched and needy. Geto responds with a grunt, loud and so unlike him, that nearly sends you over the edge. “Me too,” he growls. “Cum with me, ‘Tarou, c’mon. Don’t you wanna be my good boy?” 

‘Do you wanna be my good girl, Y/N?’ he asks in your head. ‘Don’t you wanna be our good girl?’ You want to say yes. You’ll do absolutely anything to feel like this all of time, even be theirs. 

“Cumming!” Gojo suddenly gasps. “I’m cummin’, Suguru, fuck!” ‘Me too,’ you think. ‘I’m cummin’ too!’ And you do. As a series of slutty, loud moans and groans of release drift through your wall and into your bedroom, you let out a whimper and cum all over yourself. For a moment, you’re soaring through the clouds, covering your mouth to muffle your moans as Geto and Gojo cum together. 

Then as soon as it happens, it’s over. The sounds die down and the pleasure fades, leaving you feeling icky and your fingers coated in your cum. You can’t believe you just did that. 

You can’t think about it for long though because three loud, terrifying knocks on the duo’s motel door next to yours nearly make you jump out of bed. “Oh, shit!” Gojo gasps. “What the fuck was that?” 

You think the same thing before you hear the knocks again. “You sure this is the door, sir?” a rough-sounding voice asks. 

“Yes!” a high-pitched voice replies. The shower immediately shuts off and the pitter-patter of feet stomping around behind your wall makes you jump out of bed and grab your clothes set out for today. “Th-This is the front desk clerk with security!” the same man calls through the door. “We know you’re in there, gunslingers! You’re not gonna get away with not paying for these rooms! That’s a crime!” 

‘What the fuck?!’ you think. ‘Those mother–’ 

Four more demanding knocks silence your thoughts and make you hurry to get dressed. “Gunslingers!” the guard barks. “Either come to the door and surrender to us now or we’ll break down this goddamn door and take you into custody. Don’t think we won’t do it!” 

You toss on your clothes, pull on your riding boots, and tie your bandana around your mouth. You begin to look around for an escape route as the knocks become more agitated. The door is out of the question, so you look at the window which is about twelve feet above ground. 

‘I’ve gotta get out of here,’ you panickingly think as you hurry to the window, only to see Gojo already there and waving at you from outside. He is fully dressed with his hat, gloves, and blinfold on as if nothing happened before. You throw open the window, allowing him to climb inside with ease. “Hi there, little miss,” he greets you, tipping his hat. “You’re up early.” 

“You bastard!” you hiss, wanting to punch him. “You ain’t pay for the rooms?!” 

“Well…not exactly,” he sheepishly confesses. “We paid for half for this one, but inflation is a bitch and these rooms are expensive! I ended up havin’ to steal away one of the keys to this room while the clerk wasn’t around. Can ya blame a guy for tryin’ to help?” He shrugs, giving you an apologetic smile. 

You want to cuss him out, but before you can, another bang on the door next to yours stops you. “Open the fuck up!” the guard yells. “You’ve got ten seconds to come out or we’re breakin’ down the door!” 

“Get me out of here,” you demand, glowering at Gojo. He only gives you a tiresome look as he snatches the drapes off of your window. “That’s what I’m here for,” he scoffs. “Just get your things together and follow my head. Geto is roundin’ up the horses. By the way, is that black one with the braided mane yours? She’s such a pretty thing!” 

You could’ve kicked him out the window, but instead, you hurry about and gather your shit. Luckily, your bag is already packed with toiletries and everything else you’ll need on your journey, so you toss it onto your body and put on your cowgirl hat. The sound of a large bang from the next door makes you gasp in fear. “Gojo!” you snap. “Hurry!” 

Gojo is currently tying the drapes together into a makeshift rope, taking his sweet time doing so. 

“Alright, alright,” he sighs. “And…finished!” 

He then tosses the rope outside the window, tying the end to the leg of a chair. Next, he climbs out onto the ledge, grasping the rope. “Stick your feet out first and grab hold,” he instructs you. “All you have to do is climb down. Don’t worry; I’ll meetcha at the bottom and catch ya if you fall. See ya at the bottom!” 

“Wait!” you hiss, but he’s already inching down the makeshift rope. You watch him as he climbs down the rope with ease and precision, his upper strength doing all the work until he finally meets the ground. Obviously, he’s done this many times before, but you haven’t. Even just looking down makes you want to throw up. 

You grip the window ledge, suddenly dizzy. ‘I can’t do this,’ you think, the words repeating like a mantra. ‘I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t–’ 

BANG! The door to the motel room next to yours busts open and the sound of stomping footsteps makes you jump out of your skin. “They ain’t in here!” one of the guards angrily growls. More footsteps, this time out in the hallway. “Try the other one,” the clerk says. “I know someone is in there!” 

When you hear them at the door, now you know you have no choice. You look down again, finding Gojo standing there with his arms waiting for you and a smile on his face. You don’t think––you just do. 

You turn around, put your hat between your teeth, and stick your legs out the window first before grasping onto the rope and gently, carefully, edging yourself down. The wind hits your face, the sun warm against your cheek. Its warm rays and the promise of the ground below are the only things that keep you from looking down. 

“You’ve got it, little miss!” Gojo calls up to you. “Keep goin’!” His words help somewhat though the feeling of your feet dangling in midair and the burn of your arms are all starting to get to you. You’re about halfway down the rope when you hear the sound of a bang and the guards and the clerk now in your room: “Where are they?!” the guard demands. 

“The window!” the clerk shouts. “Hurry before they get away!” Fear leaps into your heart and before you can rethink your decision, you release the rope and leave it all up to God. You feel nothing but the wind in your hands, slipping through your fingertips, as you soar through the air. 

You expect to feel the hard ground below, but you don’t. Instead, you feel muscular arms and a solid chest. You look up into the blindfold and smile of Gojo. “Told ya I’d catch ya,” he chuckles. For a moment, you feel secure and safe in his arms, hating that you do. 

Luckily, the moment is ruined when Geto comes running up with your horses and the guards come to the window. “There they are!” he shouts, pointing down at you. “Shoot ‘em!” The glint of the sun off of metal frightens you even before you realize that his partner has a pistol. 

The first bullet zips past you and Gojo, scaring the horses. You begin to squirm in Gojo’s arms, enough for him to put you on your horse himself before jumping on his own. 

“Hurry!” you yelp, snapping your horse’s reins. “Let’s get the fuck outta here!” The second and third bullets hit the dirt as you three begin riding like hell away from the motel, your horses’ hooves thudding against the dirt. 

“Don’t come back here ever again!” the clerk yells at you. “You hear me?! I’ll make sure you’re all behind bars if I see you again!” 

‘Don’t worry,’ you think. ‘You won’t.’ 

******** 

When you’re finally out of Blackwater, you feel like you can finally breathe and relax.

The shops, homes, and all signs of civilian life have since disappeared, replaced with a dusty trail, trees, and mountains dusted with snow in the distance. Blackwater is but a blip in your memory, nothing but nature there now as you travel alongside the gunslinging duo. You feel Reneigh’s body move underneath you as she slowly walks up the road, the sun’s rays turning her black hair golden. 

You sense a presence beside you and turn, finding Geto riding his horse with one hand. You try not to think about how good he and Gojo look on top of their horses. “Sorry about earlier,” he says, actually sounding guilty about it. “I would’ve preferred us to be gone earlier than we did to avoid that, but I ran into some…complications.” He coughs into his gloved hand. 

‘Yeah, I know,’ you bitterly think, but then feel a pang of guilt due to the fact that you willingly flicked your bean and came to the sound of these “complications”.

You still feel weird and guilty like you invaded on something you shouldn’t have. But then again, they’d have to have known you’d hear them since the walls were so thin…did they want you to hear them? 

“Long as we’re alive and not behind bars, I’m good,” you sigh, looking away from Geto. “Thanks though. So where to first?”  You hear the sound of him unraveling something and look back to see him taking a map out of his pocket. 

“Bull’s Creek, which is only five miles from here,” he answers, reading the map. “We’ve got a gang of wanted outlaws to catch that are residin’ there who robbed a town in another county. A woman there wrote to ask us for help because apparently, these four are terrorizin’ their town too.” 

Gojo hums in acknowledgment from in front of you, a weed in his mouth. “Not only that, but these four are old accomplices of Benji’s that we worked with: Zankoku, Makima Murakami, Angelface, and Arata Katana. We plan on shakin’ ‘em down and askin’ either one of them where Benji is without resorting to too much violence.” 

Geto rolls his brown eyes from beneath his hat. “Too much violence,” he parrots. Gojo looks back at him with a smirk. “Excludin’ killin’!” he cackles, wagging a finger at him. “If we wanna stay outta prison.” 

“Sounds good to me,” you reply, and it does. Anything to get your hands on your target. A peaceful silence falls over you three as you totter up the road, the breeze cool and sweet. Suddenly, Gojo speaks: “Y/N, where are you from? You’ve got a distinct accent on ya that I’m just now noticin’.” 

You wonder why the fuck he cares, but curiosity couldn’t have killed the cat that badly. “The South,” you vaguely reply. “Born an’ raised.” The white-haired gunslinger looks back at you in awe. “Really?!” he excitedly asks. “I’ve got friends from the South! What town ya from?!” 

“Why?” you ask, more harshly than you intended. The silence becomes awkward almost immediately. “C’mon, Gojo, don’t make her feel weird,” Geto calmly criticizes his partner and gives you an apologetic smile to ease the tension. “I think he’s just tryin’ to make conversation. It makes these long travels easier.” 

You don’t know why, but you feel guilty about being so harsh. You don’t like being asked about your past. It’s just too painful. But if they can tell you about your past, you can at least answer Gojo about where you’re from. “Pinewood,” you answer. “It’s a small town in the Southwest county.” Gojo hums thoughtfully, not missing a beat. “Hm…haven’t been there before.” 

‘And you never will,’ you think. 

“So how did y’all meet?” you curiously ask, quickly changing the subject. “I mean, since we makin’ conversation or whatever.” 

The duo share a smile you can’t decipher as they look at each other. “We were childhood friends,” Geto explains. “We both lived in a small town with about a couple hundred people. One day, we were playin’ by the lake after a bad rainstorm and I slipped on the mud by the bankside. I nearly drowned that day, but Gojo saved my life. That day was it was for us: we fell in love instantly.” 

Even as cold as you are, you feel yourself thaw at such a cute story. It’s like a fairytale romance for them.

“But we didn’t start dating until we were older,” he continues. “As kids, we both had tragedies we helped each other deal with. Gojo’s mother died in childbirth and his father was pretty much absent. And I came from a family of alcoholics who never accepted me. So we became each other’s family.” 

Gojo looks back at you, the weed still in his mouth. “Didn’t think two of the most notorious gunslingers in the West had tragic backstories, huh?” he sarcastically asks. “It’s a damn cliche.” 

You don’t say anything, letting their stories and honesty wash over you. 

“So what about you?” Geto asks. “What’s your story? You got anyone waitin’ for you back at home?” 

“Like a lover?” Gojo adds. “He or she is a lucky bastard…or bitch.” Geto shoots him a sharp look.

“Shut up,” you mutter. “And no. I ain’t never been with nobody before…well, nothing that was real anyways.” All the “lovers” you’ve had were either hook-ups or false relationships on your part, like yours with Valentine. 

“So you’ve never been in love?” Geto asks, and he sounds almost saddened by this prospect. That irks you and you don’t know why it does. How is it that two of the most notorious and dangerous gunslingers managed to find love in such a harsh world and you haven’t? Maybe you’re just meant to be alone. 

So you give them both the realest answer you can as you stare ahead at the rocky road: “Love ain’t never done nothin’ but get me in trouble and cause me pain.” 

And just like that, the conversation ends.

[fancyfeathers]

lol it'd be funnier if author!darling ACTUALLY disappears for a few days after marrying william. like the whole incident lol. also i can always see him wanting her to put more romance in her books. she'll probably relent, making messed up lovers who don't end up together out of spite. what i'm thinking is in "and then there were none" darling would be writing, dropping clues, hoping a certain someone (*cough* sherlock *cough*) would be able to piece things together soon

(Again for some reason @istgtumlrifyoudothisonemoretime your question is not showing up in my inbox, huh)

(Anyway a continuation of William with an author!darling)

But I have an idea with these…

During the engagement she writes two books, both with hidden clues within them for hopefully Sherlock to find. One of them is similar to the story of Veronica and JD from Heathers, which if you don’t know is kinda like Bonnie and Clyde but Veronica is almost forced into killing these people with him. So the first book is trying to tell of her current situation, forced into all of this and people are dying because of this. Since Heathers is set in an 80s high school, it would change to England high society, the aristocracy, to hint at what the Lord of Crime is doing. Then Veronica’s faking of ending herself would not be fake, she actually does it, hitting at what she would do if she cannot get out of there. But in the epilogue she would have a detective finding her body in an investigation, the detective’s name being an anagram for the name of Sherlock Holmes, perhaps something like Mr Celle Oshkosh, but not abbreviating Mr to hint at the fact that it is an anagram for the detective to find.

The second book would be very similar to And Then There Were None, but a few details would change. The dolls would be replaced with books, books with titles of her books which would point to the murders that happen in the real world, the ones that are based on her books. Then the judge/killer would be replaced with a professor to hint at it being William.

Now some of these hints William would pick up on, namely the ending of oneself in the the first book but not the hint in the epilogue, then the second book would have nothing William would not pick up on, after all it’s about him. He’s not upset about it actually, he’s almost flattered even, to be portrayed in on of her masterpieces, one of the best of her works. He would wait to read it until it has gone through her editor and gets published, reading it with a smile on his face and he would buy two copies, one of them for his shelves and the other to mark up and to make notes of the clues within.

But that aside, her intentions do not go forgiven, especially the last one in the first of her works.

So with that said he keeps her under constant watch and Louis takes the initiative to practically baby proof the house. When she has to be left alone she is kept in her room, not even able to write because of the fear she would stab herself with the pen or pencil.

But that was not her plan, at least not the killing herself fault…

Her plan to get them thinking that she is wanting to die before the wedding and once the wedding comes and she shares a room with William that the threat of her death is gone.

After the honeymoon is when her actual plan is sent into motion. William is off on a mission with most of the others but Louis and she had formed a bit of a friendship with her brother in law, but not without her own motivation. When they were at the market, she snags a few flowers, daffodils, flowers that seem harmless but if ingested can cause nausea, vomiting, and can even knock someone unconscious.

In the evening the two having tea after dinner and Louis’ mistake is letting her brew the tea because then he didn’t notice is her slipping the flower within. Within the hour Louis is sick, and slipping into unconsciousness, hot able to stop her as she snags the keys off of him…

When the others return in the morning they find Louis unconscious on the drawing room floor and front door locked, just to catch them off guard. They search for her but to no avail, no one has seen her, not even Scotland Yard or the neighbors have spotted her.

She has disappeared.

William goes back to her books, looking for clues and then he finally pays attention to the epilogue, the detective’s name is an anagram.

By this, she is already sitting in the drawing room of 221B Baker Street, watching the detective finally piece together the clues she left within her books.

[lillforpolin]

It's a-me, 🤫Anon. Lol I like that. I think he lacks social intelligence in a weird way. It's like he doesn't realize how transparent he is. Like when he's around Hannah D or Simone, it's obvious that he has the hots for them 😂 and they're trying to keep it profesh or friendly, but he's drooling like a puppy a bit. And they seem to ship him with Nic a bit and he hates it. I think that's the level of hotness in a woman he thinks he deserves, like a Victoria's Secret model, he just can't get it and he's frustrated. I think Antoochie thought she struck gold with him but his relationships, and even his friendships, I think are on his terms and his terms only. If he gets a chance with a properly hot woman, someone he'll be envied by other men for scoring, I think he'll drop her like a rock. He likes to play the adorable goof because it serves as an alibi for him to get what he wants, how he wants it. He maintains an illusion of a chill guy but he's very specific in how he wants things to be in his life and if you don't serve him, you're out. I think he low-key controls his group by being "generous" i.e. he gets them to do what he wants by paying for it. I'd kill for a tell-all article from Jade, I think she saw where he was headed, didn't like it and dipped. I think the worst from him is yet to come, especially if he keeps not booking jobs and is unable to maintain the upper hand.

Hi 🤫 Anon.

I am almost afraid to post it here, my critical page where I guess most of us agree to a certain extent. I hope we don't hurt anybody's feelings, but I agree with most of what you have written, and bc this is my blog, I post it.

I think there is a big chance that this is actually the case. At least this was my inital feeling.

Btw I think he had the hots for Nic (we all saw the stares and sneaky peeks ) but he probably thinks a relationship with her would not serve his hot image. Polin fans can not accept this take bc it would mean he is just as superficial as the rest of the world or he wants to comply with superficial peer pressure. They can not accept he might have just played it for the promo. And that thought kills them so they rather deny the relationship with Ant. To this date.

His fans always wants to debate this by quoting Nic and the others from cast calling him Colin.

But that was him during shooting Bton. I think he cooked up the "hot image" plan after, during his break and HBS. Surrounded by his friends. And what can his collegues say? During a promo of their show? That we like him but he went rougue and acts like a horny teenager? That he is after young girls, all skinny and seemingly shallow? I always found the hyping too suspicious. Even before I learned about HBS. They barely spoke about how the other actors are in real life, than suddenly they all start talking about how he is the one who is most like his character, cinamon roll Colin. I know Pr is serving the show so methinks they did it to save his face before the premiere. Call me cynical but worked in adjacent territory and I know it is the show that pays them that needs to be served before anything else. And I am sure they don't explicitly lie bc they actually liked him during shooting. They just look aside regarding what happened since. None of their business, right?

He himself said he felt most sexy wearing the pirate outfit of Colins. I think he got the idea of wanting to be hot there.

And I agree with Anon, I think too he possibly wanted to hook up w someone explicitly hot but couldn't. But he tried to market Ant as "Greek goddess" 🤡🤦hoping people will buy it.

Sorry folks, as unpleasant as it is, this is the closest to what I think 🤷

[17panicattacksinatrenchcoat]

writemas day 12+13!

writemas is a holiday themed writing challenge by the lovely @agirlandherquill if anyone is interested in joining!

...i'm back from my overextended writemas hiatus! i'm gonna try to complete as many days as I can because this is really fun and I don't want to fall behind again.

this time I used prompts from the past two days cause I missed so many lol. this scene had been floating around in my head for the awhile and I wanted to put it to words. it's the mandolinist from day 4 again since I liked them so much. I wanted to give them a happy ending

no content warnings I think? just some mild mentions of war like there was in the last one

prompts: the hesitation of touch the heat of a stare the ache of longing

The Mandolinist, Part Two

Seneraded by the drumbeat of rain hitting the rooftop of the tenement building, the mandolinist turns their key in the door and enters the foyer of the room they share with their beloved. The room is dim and hot; the kerosene lamps are unlit and the fireplace emenates the only light. They shut the door and prop their mandolin against the wall in its case. Water rivulets down their short crop of curls, glints on their harsh cheekbones. "That's some storm," Cora says, setting her book down and rising from her armchair. She never wants the lights on at night and has taught herself to read without their presence. "Soaked right through, are you?" The mandolinist snorts and shucks off their rain-sodden cloak. They chuck it in front of the fire to dry and drop themself onto the tattered Chesterfield that, years ago, they had scrounged off the streets in the wealthier district and hauled back to the tenement. "You look like you've had one hell of a day." "I'm fine. It's just the weather. I loathe it when the year is drawing to a close, and night falls so early. Everything is so cold." Cora sips from her flask of brandy and takes a seat beside them. Hesitantly, she draws her hand over their arm. They are an strange pair on the street: the quiet and guarded mandolinist. And then their beloved who has a sparrow's build: slight and quick. Loud, the proprietor of the type of boisterous laugh that turns heads in a pub. Long pale hair piled high atop her head and tied up with a kerchief. Her hands are always moving, a blur. In her better days she was a pickpocket. She always walks about with her coat unbuttoned, even on the coldest days. So open. Blind to the world's dangers. They feel her eyes on them, so they bury their face in her neck and inhale her sea-like smell: sweat and brine from a long day's work at the docks. They watch the fire lick at the logs. The world is velvet-dark and soft. None of this feels real, and sometimes they have to remind themself that it is. A part of them remains quagmired in the wreckage of the previous decade. When they wake in the wee hours of the morning, they reach to their bedside table for a gun that they melted down five years ago. In the dark, they forget where they are and they need Cora to tell them. And so she puts a name to each of the mandolinist's belongings, the things that anchor them in this world. Their voice, their rare laugh, their passion for their instrument. That smell of salt is not from fresh blood but the layer of sea that clings to Cora's body. That patter above them is not the incessant firing of artillery but only the gentle rain. Each day it gets a little easier.

a huge thank you also to my writer mutual @kitty-is-writing ! while I was procrastinating writemas I kept seeing your stories each day and they inspired me to work on mine again. great job so far

[pedroscurls]

Always Been You (Part 2).

Character(s): no-outbreak!Joel Miller x fem!Reader Summary: You and Joel go back to your apartment. Word count: 2,397 Author's Note: I just want to express my gratitude to everyone that's read the first part of this story! I just wanted to let you all know that this is going to be a very slow, slow-burn... so pls be patient with me lol🫶 Warning: None. SERIES MASTERLIST

You and Joel made it back to downtown, but it was quieter now as you walked towards your closed coffee shop. You grabbed your keys and unlocked the door, looking over your shoulder at Joel who had a confused look on his face.

“Wait, you own Jesse’s?” Joel asked, stepping foot inside your coffee shop once you held the door open for him.

“I do, yeah.” You smiled, shutting the door behind him and locking it securely before you closed the blinds and turned the lights on. You watched as Joel rested his hands on his hips, looking around the empty coffee shop with an impressed look. 

It was cozy, small, and the string lights dangled from the ceiling. Your coffee shop had white brick walls with the name of your coffee shop, Jesse’s, painted on one of the walls along with a photograph of you and your grandfather underneath it. There were two small rounded tables on one side of the wall and on the other side was a full-length cushioned bench with several more rounded tables. To the left of your front door was a small bar table with a single barstool, which usually gave a perfect view of downtown; that specific seat seemed to always be taken. 

As you led Joel further into the coffee shop, you stepped behind the counter and looked over at him. 

“I can’t believe you own this coffee shop.”

“I’m guessing you’ve come here before?” 

Joel nodded. “Tommy and I like to come here for a pick-me-up during our lunch.”

“That’s good to know,” you smiled. “What would you like to drink?” 

“I’m fine with just black coffee, but you don’t–”

“You bought me a milkshake, burgers, and fries… It’s the least I can do. How about I make you an Americano instead?” 

Joel smiled. “I’m fine with whatever you make me, darlin’.” 

He leaned against the counter and watched you work the espresso machine. Joel was amazed by you. You were taking your time, fully focused on pulling the shots of espresso. He watched you grab a mug and placed the finished shots inside of it and added hot water. You handed it over to him and smiled, stepping out from behind the counter before you led him towards the back of the coffee shop and towards a door that led upstairs to your apartment. 

You turned the lights off and unlocked the door, leading him upstairs as he held the mug carefully in his hands. Now at your front door of your apartment, you unlocked it and led him inside, immediately removing your heels. 

“Convenient,” he pointed out. Joel removed his shoes and followed you further into your apartment, biting his lower lip as he watched you walk barefoot across your space to turn the rest of the lights on. 

“Make yourself comfortable,” you said. “I’m going to change really quickly.” 

Joel nodded, taking a seat on your couch that was placed against the wall. He bit his lower lip and took a careful sip of the coffee, careful not to burn his tongue. He let out a contented breath when he tasted the dark liquid, smiling to himself before he set it on your coffee table. After a few minutes, you appeared from the small hallway, now dressed in a pair of dark gray pajama pants and a cropped t-shirt that sat just right above the waistband of your pants. Joel couldn’t help but let his eyes rake over your frame, finding you even more beautiful in this normal, casual attire. 

“How’s the coffee?” you asked.

“Amazing, like always.” 

You sat next to him, smiling to yourself as you reached for his mug, taking a careful sip. You nodded in agreement and set it back down on the coffee table, biting your lower lip as you looked over at him. 

“Listen,” you began. “I just want to thank you for tonight. You didn’t have to do all of this. We just met and–”

“Don’t worry about it,” Joel interrupted. “I didn’t think my night would end up like this, but I’m glad it did.” 

“Really?” you asked, biting your lower lip. “I’m a mess…”

“Who isn’t?” Joel chuckled. “I know we just met, darlin’, but I kinda do like hanging out with you.” 

You smiled and brought your legs up underneath you, leaning against the back of your couch. “I like hanging out with you too.” 

Joel smiled to himself. “So, why the name Jesse’s?” 

You bit your lower lip and looked down at your lap for a brief moment. “Um, it’s named after my grandpa. Before he passed, he told me to open the coffee shop that I have always dreamt of opening.” 

“And coffee is something you’ve always been interested in?”

You nodded. “I had my first cup of coffee at twelve. I sneaked and took a sip from my grandpa’s mug one morning and ever since then, I was always interested in the taste of coffee, how to make coffee, literally everything about it… Anyway, I got my first job at fifteen at a coffee shop and fell in love with it.” 

“The customers don’t annoy you?” Joel asked. 

“I mean,” you laughed. “I think every job has those annoying customers, right? But, I can understand that there are a few people out there who are very particular with their coffee. Besides, I’ve always liked a challenge.” 

Joel smiled to himself. He found himself wanting to hear you talk more and more about yourself. As a comfortable silence consumed the both of you, Joel reached over to grab the mug, taking a long sip of his coffee. He watched you turn your body to face him, resting your cheek against the back of the couch as your eyes slowly fell shut. It was odd how comforting this was, how normal it felt; Joel just met you and here he was, already imagining life with you. Gently, he set his coffee mug down back on the coffee table which caused you to open your eyes, staring up at him with sadness written all over your features. 

“Am I unlovable?” you asked quietly, the thoughts now coming back full force. Your eyes dropped to your lap, biting your lower lip as you shook your head to yourself. “Am I not enough? Four years… Gone like that.”

Joel let out a quiet sigh. He didn’t know how to comfort you, didn’t know what to say to make you feel better, so instead, he just listened. He gave you his full and undivided attention, slowly scooting closer to you. He could see the tears spilling over, watching you wipe them away messily. 

“I should have seen it coming,” you whispered. “He had been taking more work trips lately and–” your breath caught in your throat and when you looked up at Joel, you noticed the soft brown eyes staring right back at you. “I’m sorry,” you mumbled. “I shouldn’t–”

“Stop,” Joel said. “You’re okay, darlin’.” 

“Everywhere I look, I’m just reminded of him and my heart breaks all over again.” you whispered, voice trembling. “I thought– I thought he was the one.” 

Joel bit his lower lip and hesitantly scooted closer to you until mere inches separated both your bodies. He reached out to gently tuck a fallen strand of hair behind your ear, causing you to look up at him with teary-filled eyes. He felt something twist in his chest, a feeling that he hadn’t felt in so long and he just wanted to pull you into his arms and protect you from the world. He had just met you a few hours ago and here he was, staring at you with a longing look in his eyes and a feeling that he thought he would never feel again.

“Why wasn’t I enough?” you mumbled, voice trembling as you looked up at him. “Why couldn’t I have been enough for him?”

Joel didn't know how to respond, didn't know how to make you feel better, so instead, he dropped his hand and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. He was expecting you to push him away, to wipe your tears and tell him that you were fine, but he was surprised nonetheless when you leaned into him, burying your face against the crook of his neck. He let out a quiet breath and used his other arm to wrap around you, feeling your tears stain his shirt as you quietly cried into him. 

“Shh,” he whispered, using one hand to gently rub your back. “It’s okay, darlin’, it’s okay.”

“Why didn’t he love me enough to–” your breath caught in your throat and you finally curled into Joel– a stranger you just met a few hours ago and who was holding you as you cried over your ex-boyfriend. But you couldn’t stop the pain, no matter how hard you tried to block it out, it always came rushing back. 

Joel was confused with the feelings that came over him: a sense of protectiveness, a sudden urge to shield you from all the pain you were feeling, an immediate desire to make sure you were taken care of, and an unexplainable longing that settled in the pit of his stomach. 

But despite the feelings that were beginning to stir inside of him, Joel kept his hold on you. He held you as you continued to cry, continued to tremble against him, and he would only tighten his hold around you even further. A couple of minutes passed when you pulled away, only to wipe your tears away. He watched you carefully, eyes locked on you, and ready at a moment’s notice to pull you back into his arms again if needed. 

Slowly, you raised your eyes to gaze up at him. Joel was staring at you with soft, concern-filled eyes. There was an odd sense of comfort that you felt when you were around him; it wasn’t what you were used to. In fact, you were the person who had been the source of comfort for many of your friends and ex-boyfriends, and it surprised you at how you were yearning for more of this feeling, especially from him. 

“I’m sorry I’m such a mess. I’m sure that this wasn’t how you wanted the night to go,” you mumbled, tearing your eyes away from him and pulling away to create some distance between the both of you. 

Joel immediately shook his head. “It’s definitely a night to remember,” he teased. 

You managed to crack a smile and Joel felt accomplished, felt proud of himself that he was able to cheer you up, even for the briefest of moments. He didn’t know what to do with this feeling, the craving to make you smile or to make you laugh. 

“Usually, guys like to go home with girls who aren’t a crying mess,” you shrugged. “I’m sorry I couldn’t–”

“Stop,” Joel interrupted. “I ain’t like that and somethin’ tells me you ain’t like that either, darlin’.”

“I’m not,” you replied. “But–”

“But nothin’. I’m just glad I get some personal time with the owner of my favorite coffee shop,” he winked. 

“Oh, favorite coffee shop?” 

Joel grinned. “One of the best.” 

“See, now you’re just being too nice.”

“Maybe,” he chuckled. “But also because your coffee is one of the best I’ve ever had and now I have more of a reason to stop by.” 

“Oh, and what’s that?” 

“There’s a chance I’ll get to see you again.”

You blushed, gently shoving his shoulder as you bit your lower lip, staring down at your lap. You had gotten so comfortable in your relationship with your ex-boyfriend that a simple compliment from a man you just met made your cheeks turn red and the warm sensation fluttering within you. 

“Well, not only do you know where I work, but you also know where I live, so… If you did want to see me again, you know where to find me.” 

“And would that be okay?” Joel asked. “Seeing you again? Maybe do this under better circumstances. Dinner maybe?” 

You bit your lower lip. It was obvious that you were both attracted to each other, but you had to wonder if the alcohol you both drank tonight helped with the attraction. You couldn’t believe that someone that looked like Joel would ever be attracted to you; your confidence and self-esteem had decreased over the years while being with your ex-boyfriend, and it certainly didn’t help when you found out that he had been cheating on you.

But while you were attracted to Joel and could see yourself with him, you weren’t sure you were ready to jump straight back into another relationship, or even think about starting to date. You had been so focused on being there for your ex-boyfriend, supporting him with whatever he needed, that you had lost yourself in the relationship. Finding out that he had been cheating on you has broken you and you were sure that it was going to take a long time before things got better. 

“Um,” you said with a sigh. 

Joel cleared his throat. “I misread this whole thing, I’m so sorry. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” He was about to stand from your couch before you reached out to rest a hand on his forearm. He looked over at you, tightening his jaw as he felt completely embarrassed. “Forget I said anything…”

“No, it’s not that,” you replied. “I just– I’m broken, Joel. My relationship with Robert wasn’t great even before finding out that he was cheating on me. I kind of just want to… Find myself again. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but–”

Joel nodded in understanding. He knew that asking you out for dinner would have been too soon, especially after knowing what you were going through; he didn’t know what he was thinking. “It makes sense,” he replied. 

“But,” you continued. “I would like it if you stuck around… You know, in my life at least? I feel– I feel safe with you and it’s been a very long time since I’ve felt this way. I mean, you barely know me so I don’t expect much, but I would very much like it if we became friends after this.”

The corner of his lips turned upwards and he nodded. “I’d really like that, darlin’.” 

---

prev. - next.

[vodika-vibes]

it’s me again~

and very predictably I’m back for Mereel 😅

May I request either the „then take me“ response to one saying „I want you“ oooor the „Fuck it, I told them to give us two beds!" "Hmm, did you, though?" "I swear I did." because who doesn’t love a good „there was only one bed“ moment 😅🫣

Thaaaaank you ❤️❤️

One Bed

Summary: When you have to go on a mission with Mereel, you're thrilled...right up until the sandstorm starts.

Pairing: Mereel Skirata x Reader

Word Count: 1312

Warnings: None, some heavy kissing, but no smut

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: I couldn't decide which prompt I liked more, sooo...I used them both, lol. I hope you like it!

Divider by Saradika

When you found out that you were going on a mission with Mereel, you were excited. Well, about as excited as you could be seeing as it was a work mission, and you’re an inherently lazy person, but having one on one time with Mereel, even if only for work, wasn’t exactly a hardship.

After all, he’s handsome and funny and charming…and just about as perfect a man who's ever existed.

So you put your annoyance at it being a work trip rather than a vacation to the side, and focused on the fact that it was Mereel that you were working with.

And the mission had been going well. Or, well, as well as it could be, given the situation.

And then the storm started.

You tug the collar of your shirt higher, trying to keep the sand out of your mouth and nose, and you squint at Mereel. He’s protected from the sandstorm by virtue of having armor and a helmet, but you aren’t. And your eyes are already burning from all of the fine sand and dust.

“There’s a hotel not far from here,” Mereel says, his voice raised to be heard over the wailing wind, he takes your hand, his visibility better than yours, and he tugs you close, doing his best to shield you from the sand.

True to his word, the hotel wasn’t far away, and as soon as he pushed you inside, and then stumbled in behind you, several people swarmed you. 

“Oh dear,” An old woman said as she ushered you to a small first aid stand near the door, “Let’s get the sand out of your eyes.”

Mereel pulls his helmet off, and he keeps his eyes on you for a moment, before he walks over to the front desk to get a room, or a pair of rooms, for the both of you.

By the time your eyes are cleaned out, and the skin irritation has been cleaned and treated with bacta, Mereel has a room for you to share.

“The hotel is packed, they only have a few rooms available, so we have to share.” Mereel explains as he scans your face, a frown crossing his face when his gaze lingers on your healing injuries.

“That’s alright.” You reply with a small smile, “I’m alright, Mereel.” You add softly.

“Should have given you my helmet,” He grumbles.

“By the time we realized what was going on, it was too late.” You reassure, “The lady who was helping me said that this is a massive storm, she thinks it’s going to last all night.”

“Of course.” Mereel sighs and runs his fingers through his hair, “Come on, pretty girl. Let’s go see our room.” He checks the key card once more, and then turns and heads towards the stairs. 

He unlocks the door, and steps into the room, with you hot on his heels, and then his head falls back and he releases a deep, deep sigh.

“What? What’s wrong?” You peek around him, and then look up at him quizzically. It looks like any other hotel room in the galaxy. Bland and boring, with a splash of color from a single painting on the wall. 

“Fuck it,” Mereel grumbles, as he tosses his helmet on the bed, “I told them to give us two beds.”

You flicker your gaze across the room again, and finally take note of the single bed in the room. You feel your face heat in embarrassment, and your stomach flips nervously, but you just flash a teasing smile, “Hm…did you though?”

His head whips around to stare at you, “I swear I did!” He almost yelps, “I wouldn’t do that to you!”

You laugh softly, “Mereel. It was a joke. I know you wouldn’t.”

Some of the tension drains out of his body, “Right. Right, of course.” He nervously rubs the back of his neck, and you smile at him soothingly as you enter the room properly, and sit on the edge of the bed to pull off your boots. “So, I can sleep on the couch-”

“Don’t be silly,” You interrupt, as you drop your boots on the floor, and then kick them against the dresser, “We can share the bed, Mereel.”

“We can…what?” Mereel asks as he turns to look at you.

“We’re both adults,” You point out, “Surely we can share the same bed for one night.”

“Uh…right…”

Your eyebrows creep up your forehead, “Unless you don’t want to share a bed with me, in which case I can sleep on the couch.”

He stares at you for a moment, and then he releases a quiet laugh, before he sits on the bed and starts removing his armor, “Trust me, cyare. I definitely want to share a bed with you.” He says lightly.

“You do?”

He strips himself down to his blacks in under a minute, and he stacks his armor on a chair, and then he looks at you, his gaze heated, “Yeah, mesh’la. More than I should.”

“Uh…what does that mean, exactly.” You ask.

He arches a brow and considers you for a moment, “It means, cyar’ika, that I want you. Have for an embarrassing amount of time, actually.”

Your lips part, and your heart races, “Then take me.” You whisper.

This time his jaw drops, and genuine surprise flitters across his face, “You…seriously?”

“What, you think I’m lying?” You ask.

Mereel doesn’t move for a moment, you’re not sure he’s even breathing. He just stares at you for long enough that you start to get uncomfortable, and you shift your weight on the bed.

And then he’s on top of you, his lips crashing against yours as you topple backwards on the bed. Your fingers slide under his top, pressing into his solid muscles, and he groans in sheer bliss. You feel a surge of delight as you pull that noise from him.

You slide his shirt up, and one of Mereel’s hands slides to cup the back of your head as he deepens the kiss, using his lips and teeth to pull delicious sounds from you.

And then he pulls away, gently tugging your hands from under his shirt, and he moves away from you to lean against the headboard. You make a noise of disappointment and sit up to crawl over to him.

He stops you with a single raised hand, “Hold on, sweetheart.”

You sit back on your heels and you watch him curiously. He takes several deep breaths, and then he opens his eyes, “You’re gorgeous, and perfect…and I am not having sex with you tonight.”

“You’re not?” You ask, sounding disappointed enough that a laugh falls from his lips.

“No. One, you’re injured. Two, we’re on a mission, and three,” He reaches out and lightly trails his fingers over your still irritated skin, and you cringe in discomfort, “And three, I don’t want to rush this. You deserve for me to do this right.”

“I don’t-?”

“I want you to be my girlfriend. I want to take you on dates and picnics and buy you flowers and chocolates and make you giggle and swoon over bad poetry,” Mereel says quietly, “I also want to kiss you until you’re breathless and the only thing you can think about is me.”

You turn your head slightly and kiss the palm of his hand, “You want to go slow,” You murmur softly.

“Yes.”

You favor him with a small smile, “I can do slow. But can I still kiss and cuddle you?”

Mereel laughs and opens his arms for you. And you immediately crawl over to him and press your face against his neck. He folds his arms around you, and you feel his lips against the top of your head. You feel safe and warm and protected, so your eyes close and you snuggle closer to him.

[ludrii-shenanigins]

lud i cant copy it on mobile but answer all asks from that ask game pls

ALL QUESTIONS??? YOU MONSTER XDDDDDDD

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? tea cups, though wine glasses are fun too if you put other stuff than wine in it

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? chocolate 100%

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? neither xD

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? aither as the perfect student, or as the lazy problematic child, depending on whether or not my neurodivergency inconvenienced them

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? I don't drink soda lol

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? hmmm, pastel, tomboy, goth

7. earbuds or headphones? headphones 100%

8. movies or tv shows? Both. Both is good

9. favorite smell in the summer? sea

10. game you were best at in p.e.? uhh, none lmao, I was the worst in everything xD

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? Pie of some sort (my mom makes them), or a yogurt

12. name of your favorite playlist? "songs" xDD

13. lanyard or key ring? key ring, lanyards are annoying

14. favorite non-chocolate candy? licorice <3

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? hmm, Spalovač mrtvol (a Czech book)

16. most comfortable position to sit in? changes constantly lol

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? crocs at home, sneakers outside if it's warm or boots if it's cold

18. ideal weather? 18-22°C, sunny, with a gentle breeze

19. sleeping position? on the side, hands crossed on my chest like I'm buried in a tomb

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? on my laptop

21. obsession from childhood? dinosaurs xD and collecting random crap

22. role model? none I can think of tbh

23. strange habits? Clicking my tongue randomly, growling when getting out of bed, baring my teeth at myself in the mirror for no reason, sniffing the air if I'm looking for something ..am I an animal? xD

24. favorite crystal? I guess amethyst, it ourple

25. first song you remember hearing? I don't remember a thing xD

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? hole up in my room and game or draw

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather? hole up in my room and game or draw

28. five songs to describe you? Yes I'm a Mess Psycho Oh no! Masochism Tango The Code

29. best way to bond with you? hang out doing the most random crap lol

30. places that you find sacred? tops of mountains, graveyards, tombs, other planets

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? black dress with ouija board on it, chains, fingerless gloves, fishnets, metal claws

32. top five favorite vines? 1. "..and they were roommates" "Oh my god they were roommates" 2. "Two bros chillin' in a hot tub, five feet apart cuz they're not gay" 3. "Road work ahead? I sure hope it does" 4. "Even the babies are one of the most dangerous animals in the world, so I build this cage to keep them secure so there's no possible- oh my god" 5. Completely Giving Up, starring: Me, Me, Me, Me, and introducing Me

33. most used phrase in your phone? either "I don't remember" or "btw you're cute" lol

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? Bobika

35. average time you fall asleep? around 22:30, though on the weekends it can go all the way up to 2:00 xD

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? I don't remember anything xD

37. suitcase or duffel bag? suitcase

38. lemonade or tea? both. both are good

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? both. both are good

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? hmm, a band of boys bought pink girl underwear and put it around the school xDDD

41. last person you texted? you Noodle lol

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? BOTH. BOTH IS GOOD

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? hoodie, leather jacket, jean jacket

44. favorite scent for soap? lavender

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? sci-fi or fantasy

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? pajamas

47. favorite type of cheese? uhhhh, string cheese?

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? mandarin? brain said ananas though

49. what saying or quote do you live by? well, I don't live by it, but I try "Take it easy, but take it"

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? I can't recall

51. current stresses? school exams, Christmas, school exams

52. favorite font? comic sans B]

53. what is the current state of your hands? dirty from drawing xD and dry

54. what did you learn from your first job? I never had a job

55. favorite fairy tale? About the 7 ravens

56. favorite tradition? hmm, I really don't know, sorry xD

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? finishing high school, reaching out to a therapist on my own, uhhhh surviving uni so far??

58. four talents you’re proud of having? drawing, poetry, making stuff from random crap like cardboard and wires, understanding computery stuff

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? "Anyhoo- " "I don't remember" "Sorry, I zoned out" "See ya later, alligator!"

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? something with powers and stuff

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? hmm I have the high ground

62. seven characters you relate to? William (Who's Lila?) Stolas (Helluva Boss) Hiccup (HTTYD) Ranboo (DSMP) Alphys (Undertale) Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars) Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars)

63. five songs that would play in your club? oughhh these song questions xD literally the same 5 as before lmao, although switch Yes I'm a mess for My way

64. favorite website from your childhood? uhh, Friv.com lol, gamez

65. any permanent scars? one on my knee

66. favorite flower(s)? allium, sunflower, lilac, rose, dandelion

67. good luck charms? a necklace from my girlfriend, a handmade bee from England (I wear it on my pants)

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? beer. HATE that stuff, never having another sip. Closely followed by dill

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? I got a lot of fun facts but with all of them I know how I learned them so xD

70. left or right handed? both handed lol

71. least favorite pattern? dots, I hate them for some reason, and vertical stripes

72. worst subject? P.E.

73. favorite weird flavor combo? cheese and chocolate

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? 4 or 5

75. when did you lose your first tooth? When I was like uhhhh 7?? my first year in elementary school lol

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? baked I think

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? any and all, I love plants

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? I don't drink coffee so ig sushi it is xD

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? I don't have either so uh yeah lmao

80. earth tones or jewel tones? What language is this?

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? Fireflies

82. pc or console? pc pc pc, but I love me some good PS2 gaming every now and then

83. writing or drawing? Drawinggg although I love writinggg although I love drawinggg although...

84. podcasts or talk radio? Neither, it distracts me xD

84. barbie or polly pocket? Huh? What's a polly pocket?

85. fairy tales or mythology? Both. Both is good

86. cookies or cupcakes? BOTH. BOTH IS GOOD.

87. your greatest fear? That nobody cares about me and will end up leaving me behind when things get tough and I'll die alone and lonely

88. your greatest wish? Peace and love on planet Earth and end to capitalism. I just wanna live a nice life without the looming threat of not being able to pay rent and stuff

89. who would you put before everyone else? Either myself or my girlfriend

90. luckiest mistake? I don't remember xD

91. boxes or bags? BOXESSS *crawls into one*

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? Sunlight is great but FAIRY LIGHTSSSS

93. nicknames? In kindergarten they called me a crybaby, in elementary school this one dude called me a "Makyman" which was a mix o superman and my name, in high school one of my friends called me midget (am smol ok), and rn one of my other friends calls me Moonling And my girlfriend calles me Birdie :}

94. favorite season? I'd say spring Not too cold, not too warm, flowers bloom and everything gets back to life..

95. favorite app on your phone? uhhh, my beloved camera I think. I love taking pictures

96. desktop background? Screenshot from Ori and the Blind Forest (Definitive Edition)

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? 1. My own xD and barely at that

98. favorite historical era? Dinosaurs!!!! Closely followed by Victorian era, and I also got a soft spot for 1920s

--

this took way too long xDDD

[acourtofantumbra]

Was doing a deep dive for a future post about *gestures wildly* witches... Manon's lineage... cross-world connections... something I've found that feels actually tangible, maybe. Anyway, despite only dipping a toe into the ToD reread so far (I am not a ToD hater lol I'm just busy) I found myself checking a moment from KoA and took a nosedive into something immediately shinier. But it was so sudden I didn't have time to do my usual highlights/scribbles on my (currently dead) ipad so... enjoy my measly Kindle highlights.

I KNOW many folks have beautifully analyzed SJM's repeated character names because at one point SJM herself basically said, "I keep a record of all of them and I know what I've used."

I've seen folks flag important repeats for years now (we've seen this film before, A+ work, it keeps me up at night!), but the heavy hitters have been Briar, Thanatos, Cormac and even Ruhn (you know... the Erilean mountains and the hottie who knows 3 things).

So it stands to reason that repeated names might deserve some extra scrutiny... And I pray we get some pay off with that in CC3.

Anyway, as I'm pulling at the thread of ToG witches via our (my) favorite queen - Manon - I hadn't realized I fully forgot her dad's name. Frankly, of all the plot points from ToG, Manon's story's specifics were the haziest... except where Dorian is concerned I'm a mere mortal... and that has me suspicious regardless. Anywayyyy, as you can see above, it's Tristan. Tristan Crochan.

I cannot fully explain the cartwheel flip my brain did thumbing through the roladex of SJM's characters... because Tristan Flynn was not the energy my brain was ready for after reading this really sad passage about Manon's murdered family.

On my first read of the SJMU I went ACOTAR (long break between the original and ACOSF) -> CC -> TOG. And on my first TOG read, this passage triggered no alarm bells. I probably just didn't remember Flynn all that much. But after my CC reread... oh. I remember him. Don't you worry.

Now I am fan of Flynn. He's got a rakishness I simp for, I root for him and the dragon, and clocked his lordship woes despite having what we've all decided is a "hot dad". He's a good time. And Flynn feels like someone to watch! He makes an appearance in not one, but two, CC bonus chapters... and he's got a crush on the aforementioned dragon, who either was introduced for no reason or is gonna be a key player going forward. Or SJM is fucking with us. I don't have the answers.

But what I'm struck by Tristan-wise is a) the similarity in the little physical descriptors we get - brown hair, brown eyes and b) not actually Flynn-related... but a deeply similar sounding story to none other than the Autumn King. Daughter you didn't know was born to a woman you claim was your real love... check. Searching far and wide with a singular focus on recovering your daughter... check. Having another kid out of obligation and duty to continue on important bloodlines... check!!!

It might not have anything to do with Flynn at this current moment... but it's not implausible. Lord Flynn is of course a beloved frat-pack member living in a dump with his fellow bros. He specifically pops up in these bonus chapters going through the motions necessitated by his aristocratic bloodline. His mom/family is eager to marry him and his sister off - of course he seems miserable about the whole idea. But also resigned to it? It seems complicated. TLDR there's a world where Flynn's like "woof, yeah I gotta get married off but the heart wants what it wants!" There is precedent!

Also, I've been 👀 Flynn since it was flagged that he has "super rare earth powers" not commonly seen in Valbaran Fae... first off, what does that mean? Second, hot?!

Well I've done it again, so many words and nothing really of note to take away haha. I'll be honest, my mind was not in a Tristan Flynn headspace!! I'm kind of bogged down in my own thoughts about the witchier women of this multiverse... but in my dragon theory speculation Flynn popped up again and I really can't explain why random dead ends are turning up Tristan!!! I'm not mad about it, but I wish I understood.

[libbys-braincell-loss]

Collection of SMG4 incorrect quotes cuz these are fun yippee ok here we go

most of them are smg34 cuz i have issues lmao

---

SMG3: Are you an F5 key? Because that ass is refreshing.

SMG4: Are you a software update? because not right now.

---

SMG4: The stars are so beautiful...

SMG3: They're just giant balls of gas.

SMG4: You know what, if you're just going to ruin this, then-

SMG3: And yet none of them are as huge as my love for you.

SMG4: Oh...

---

SMG4: Being gay is a constant battle between "I wish to sit on a window bench with my lover, our legs tangling as we listen to the birds" and "Hey, let's go throw rocks at fascists" and I think that's very sexy of us.

SMG3: If the window's open and you time it right, you can do both.

---

SMG4: Hey, random question, what are your favorite flowers?

SMG3: Peonies, why?

SMG4:

SMG3: Were you going to get me flowers?

SMG4:

SMG3:

SMG4: ᶦᵗ’ˢ ᵃ ᵖᵒˢˢᶦᵇᶦˡᶦᵗʸ

---

SMG3: Ugh, crushes are so dumb.

SMG4: I know. Whenever I’m near the person I like I just start acting stupid.

SMG3: But you’re always acting stupid?

SMG4: ...

SMG4: Yeah, don’t think about that too hard.

---

SMG4: That was so hot, SMG3.

SMG3: I literally called the person who just flirted with you a degenterate dog and told them I hope they get dragged through the streets.

SMG4: I'm so in love with you.

---

SMG3: My future partner must be brave, strong, intelligent, successful and organized.

SMG4: *steps on a caterpillar and proceeds to drop to their knees and sob while apologizing profusely*

SMG3: That one. I want that one.

---

Cop: What are your names?

Mario: Don't tell them, Meggy.

Cop, writing: Meggy...

Mario: Crap.

Meggy: Nice going, Mario.

Cop:

Meggy: Uh oh.

---

Meggy: Could you be any more annoying?

Mario: Yes.

---

Meggy: Do we have any orange juice left?

Mario: *pours the remaining juice into their cup*

Mario: Sorry, we’re all out.

---

SMG4: I really like Eminem.

Mario: I prefer skittles.

SMG3: They are talking about the rapper.

Mario: Why would they eat the wrapper?

---

SMG4: So when are we gonna tell them?

SMG3: Just give them a minute.

Mario: *Pulling on a door that clearly says push.*

---

SMG4: The best part of an oreo is the cookie part, not the frosting. Deal with it.

Meggy: Darkness without light is an abyss. Light without darkness is blinding. You cannot have a coin with one side.

SMG3: YO SOCRATES! IT'S A FUCKING COOKIE!

---

Mario: Aww, what's your dog's name?

SMG3: Eggdog.

Mario, yelling to SMG4: TRY EGGDOG!

SMG4, on the computer: DIDN'T WORK!

SMG3:

Mario: What's your favorite number?

---

Meggy: Do you ever want to talk about your emotions, Mario?

Mario: No.

SMG4: I do!

Meggy: I know, SMG4.

SMG4: I’m sad.

Meggy: I know, SMG4.

---

k thats about it for now lol

got the incorrect quotes from this, i wasn't creative enough to think of these

feel free to use any of these for whatever random bs y'all make lol

[pftones3482]

Okay I can see why people are bummed about certain parts of the Season 5 finale, but it was genuinely??? So good??? Like it was not bad at all, it's wild to me that people are calling the whole thing terrible because of like. Two plot points.

Spoilers and thoughts under the cut (in no particular order):

I fucking loved the Bug Noire design, her eyes were so COOL LOOKING

The classmates all getting their kwamis back STOP 😭😭😭😭 Wayzz and Trixx get to hang out all the time now that's so cute I'm gonna die.

I need an entire episode about what the fuck Jagged Stone, Penny, and Luka were up to because WHAT WAS THAT?

Loved getting to see the other heroes again, it was a nice change of pace

GOD TIKKI AND PLAGG??? WHAT?? The lighting in that scene was so pretty 10/10

I'm glad Gabriel fucking died he deserved it 🖕

Following that, I truly think that if Gabriel's plea had come even one season ago, I would have felt more sympathy for him. I felt none. I was rolling my eyes while he was crying. You locked your son in a literal prison Gabe. You are beyond redemption.

Really liked the parallel of this episode with Ladybug fighting w/o Chat while the classmates help out and the episode Representation, where Chat was fighting w/o Ladybug and the classmates were helping out. Not QUITE the same, but I'm glad we did get a fairly Chat-centric episode before the finale

Adrien absolutely deserves to know that his father was Hawkmoth. But he's also had like. The SHITTIEST fucking life the last year or two. His mom fucking died, his dad stopped being a dad, he was overworked, never allowed to see friends, was a whole ass superhero on top of that, and then his father sent him to a different fucking country so he couldn't be with his girlfriend. And then said father DIES and suddenly his mom is magically alive and Nathalie isn't on deaths door??? Yeah, I'd give him some time to process and just be a kid for once too. He is definitely going to find out, and when it does it'll be angsty and I will enjoy it

I really hope they don't drag out the Lila plot five more seasons. This show has fallen victim to the "too many seasons" problem and at this point I'm mostly in it for the kwamis and the classmates relationships lol

God poor Nooroo can't catch a break 😭

While I was low-key hoping for a reveal, it would have felt really forced and out of place given that Chat Noir literally didn't show up until the very end of the season finale, so I'm glad they didn't shoehorn it in

Alya. Round of a fucking plause for Alya please and thank you. Also please I need more of her and Plagg they were adorable the way he went to her for help when he couldn't find Marinette

Actually round of applause for all the classmates trying their damnedest to keep the city from falling to chaos I love them all so much together

Love that these kids have just fully accepted that their principal is a little wacky and they continue to include him

BABY BUSTIER I WOULD DIE FOR YOU

Marinette was so fucking snappy and good with the comebacks during her fight with Gabriel it was fantastic

Also the way she reacted to seeing him as Gabriel was INSANE the animators did such a good job with that

Back to Alya for a hot sec, the way she looked at Nino during the classmates group hug was so soft 😭❤️

Adrien understanding that he was at high risk of hurting the world as Chat Noir and being under the influence of nightmares is such a mature move. Alya realizing the same thing? God give them more SCENES together

Once again. TIKKI AND PLAGG???? TF???

In conclusion:

The finale wasn't bad, you guys are just upset there wasn't a reveal and that Adrien still doesn't know his dad was a literal terrorist. Which is valid, you can be upset about it, but the rest of the finale was pretty damn satisfying and it's a disservice to the crew who worked on it to just dismiss it entirely.

[iasmelaion]

what happens when you listen to three audiobooks in like a week and a half

We've been at trial for like the past two weeks at work, which means I have been alone in the office, with approximately 2 hours worth of work to do every day max, mostly just there to answer frantic emails and texts about "what exhibit number is [vague and potentially inaccurate description of email or other document]?" and occasionally file supplemental trial briefs. Anyway, it's all up to the jury now! Only not now now because it is a court holiday and because this case lives to torment me and never ever ever finish ahahaha it's fine i'm fine, we better win.

Anyway, all of that is to say I was bored as hell so I decided to finally finish listening to the audiobook of Gideon the Ninth, which I had started listening to LAST FEBRUARY. You can perhaps guess that, as good as the audiobook narration was, I was not entirely feeling the book. Ahaha. Ha. I was already mentally writing my Goodreads review, complaining about how yes, the narrative voice is great, and yeah, the set up and genre mashup are fun (lesbian necromancers in space! country manor mystery! slasher horror!), but there's just not enough context and the worldbuilding is so vague and what are the overarching stakes even. And then the last 1/3 of the book happened, and I listened to all three current books in the series in like a week and a half and I have spent the last two days rotating these characters in my head and reading meta and such. Sorry in advance about how in approximately two weeks time, my queue will be full of TLT shit.

Spoilers and assorted jumbled reactions below, because I'm not about to ramble like this on goodreads. But real talk, I have skimmed so much spoilery talk/fan art/etc about these books and absolutely none of it made any sense at the time so tbh I don't think it matters all that much if you're spoiled. The spoilers won't even make any damn sense most of the time.

I wish I could give this series some kind of pitch that would, idk, explain it or make it seem enticing, but lol I have no idea where I'd even start. I'll just say that if you are in need of Enrichment in your Enclosure, these books are like being tossed a very meaty bone full of delicious marrow which you can gnaw upon for a good long while.

Gideon's narrative voice is a lot of fun, and I do quite enjoy how she's basically a big lesbian jock, even if that did make a lot of the first book rough going for me because alas, Gideon, bless her, is not interested in much beyond hot ladies, swords, staying alive, and getting off her home planet. And Harrow, of course.

HARROW. For 2/3 of the first book, Gideon hates her passionately, they've been enemies their entire lives, they are vicious and awful to each other. Now, I knew Gideon/Harrow was like THE ship for these books, and I was like "...hm. Listen, I simply do not vibe with this kind of enemyship." But then that last third happened, and auuughhhhh. They're enemies, they were all the other had, they were two rats trapped in a barrel, desperate to get out, clawing and biting and snarling and hurting each other, they were each other's only solace, they were doomed from the start. They've been trapped in a cycle of terrible violence, and I have no idea if they can ever get out. And the love Gideon wants from Harrow is to be used and consumed and destroyed by love, and the love Harrow wants to give is to save her and keep her even if it means forgetting her. Like, y'all, I ship it, but I have no idea how there's any kind of future in it.

And then Harrow the Ninth happened, and goddamn, poor fucking Harrow. I felt for her already after the revelation in Gideon the Ninth, but Harrow the Ninth made me so desperately sad for her.

Good job on the soup though, Harrow!

Also the low key comedy of all of them stuck with each other on the Mithraeum was *chef's kiss*. Just like THE most demented and toxic workplace sitcom while poor Harrow is descending into a total mental breakdown.

The worldbuilding is so fascinatingly, complicatedly BONKERS. Also it's so SPACE CATHOLICISM that I don't even know what to say about it. I'm not qualified. But like. It is. It's so Space Catholicism, but also make it More Goth. And it's clearly concerned with religion and faith and all that, but not in a Narnia kind of way, and I am FASCINATED about where it's all leading to.

What a fucking villain this series has in John Gaius aka God aka Necrolord Prime aka the Prince Undying aka the Emperor of the Nine Houses aka Jod. Just absolutely skin-crawlingly horrible, the literal Worst Person Who Ever Lived, even as he's affable and funny and occasionally endearing and pathetic. And like I'm not even sure all of that stuff is a mask or a cover for his monstrousness! Like I think he genuinely is affable and funny and endearing and pathetic! He is just also quite literally History's Greatest Monster. I'm not sure if he was always like this, though I'm leaning towards him having been an awful man before he became god, in all those quiet, too-easily unnoticed ways men are awful, the moment they have any power over someone. And then Jod gets all the power so of course his awfulness becomes correspondingly greater.

I will say though that Jod's origin story is an actual horror movie, the stuff of nightmares. It's the end of the world because climate change and he and his team are frantically working on some way to save everybody but it doesn't quite work, not well enough, and no one is listening to him, and the clock is ticking down and of course the billionaires have a way out, of course they're gonna get on some space ships and bounce, but what about everyone else? Jod is sure he can save everyone else, if only he had the resources, if only they'd listen to him. And someone was listening, it turns out. Someone--something gives him power. Terrible, terrible power over life and death. And he becomes something else and makes choice after terrible choice, enabled by his friends, and then whoops not whoops! He's killed everybody on the fucking planet and ate the sun and the whole solar system too!! Absolutely terrifying reveal, and it's built up to so well. We spend so much time listening to Jod and so much of what he says is reasonable or understandable, but every so often there's a hint that under his commendable politics and goals and general hapless nerd vibes, there's something else, something much, much worse.

Actually, this whole part would make a truly great horror movie, especially if it starts off as an almost dark comedy that shifts genres as it goes: from dark comedy to suspenseful thriller to eldritch horror.

Also he gets, like, super weird about the cadavers he's been experimenting on. Like, deeply, horrifying creepy and weird about them.

Lotta people get weird about corpses in this series, if I'm being honest.

CAMILLA AND PALAMEDES. I am UNWELL about these two. I am UNHINGED. I am still rotating them in my mind, unable to do much but WEEP. "So...do you ship them??" you might ask. To which I say idk and idc, what does to ship these two even MEAN at this point, they are platonic, they are romantic, they are eros, philia, AND agape, and they're the Love that Is Perfected in Death. The absolute fucking pinnacle of insane codependence. Childhood BFFs who crawled into each other's skins and hearts and souls and never crawled back out. How much more codependent is it possible to get? NONE. NONE MORE CODEPENDENT. They have MERGED THEIR SOULS AND BODIES TOGETHER INTO ONE BEING. [actually, real talk, i am uncertain of the Soul Situation, I am pretty sure they've merged their souls together, but like. idk. they do also say they will be known as themselves "beyond the River" after death] I am WEEPING just THINKING ABOUT IT. That is not fucking hyperbole btw, the mere thought of them basically makes me cry, it's fine, i'm fine. They love each other SO MUCH. I CANNOT HANDLE IT.

Anyway, rather difficult to "ship" a pairing that has become...one person. Like, still willing to make a game go of it even during the period where they're sharing a body, but like. Now they are one person??? Because this is not a Steven Universe-style fusion where Ruby and Sapphire can unfuse from Garnet, Camilla and Palamedes are now one person, no takebacks while they live. I do love Paul though! Fucking adore that some of Paul's first acts as a new person were acts of kindness and mercy. Jod's lyctors are called saints, but I think Paul is the only one who is a saint in truth.

So, a triumph or a tragedy or both that Camilla and Palamedes died to become Paul? Idk! I adored Camilla and Palamedes as individual characters, I adored how in many ways they're the certain, just moral center of this entire series, I love their intelligence and ferocity, and oh, after Nona the Ninth, I loved so much how they loved. Each other, and other people. I loved Camilla using truths like her swords, her dry humor, how she was still so kind even while being an absolute stone cold fucking badass. I loved Palamedes, his brilliance and how he bent basically all that brilliance into helping people. I loved so fucking much that he was the one who figured out that there was a better way to achieve lyctorhood than the way Jod and his lyctors set out for them. I loved that stuck in a bubble in the underworld, with nothing but a terrible erotic novel, he started having serious opinions about said erotic novel and undoubtedly wrote terrible fanfiction in his head about it.

Ahem. Anyway. Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn were also delightful, and I was especially charmed by the lovely Welsh accents Moira Quirk gives them in the audiobook. Love that Abigail has immensely powerful, friendly mom friend energy while simultaneously being an immensely powerful Eldritch Speaker for the Dead. Gideon observing her all like "ah, her eye contact is...extremely very unsettlingly intense! but also she is wearing an apron and is cheerful so that's alright then."

God, this is really long, sorry to anyone who actually read it, possibly i will reblog with more disjointed thoughts.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

I like Tae’s vibe. I actually like the New jeans approach of multiple low budget MVs instead of 1 big bang cause it increases more revenue without triggering the hyper competitive K-pop space.

What do you think?

and this suits Tae, something about him just gives off not interested in the K-pop space. In fact, the only member I think who actually respects K-pop is probably Jimin. I judge this based on the artists they look up to. Jhope & RM like Jcole & Nas, American rappers. Forgot who Suga likes. Tae looks up to older jazz artists. JK likes American pop artists and Jimin likes Big Bang & independent artist. Idk about Jin honestly.

I’ve listened to Jimin’s playlist on AM: Springtime sounds and none of these songs are big title tracks/ singles. These are low key artists singing about their lives and loves. Jimin listens to Alec Benjamin, a guy with a great voice, small but loyal following and purposefully left the music industry behind after making a breakout hit so he could sing about his stories. My flex is that Jimin and I listen to the same type of music.

Went off on a tangent but my point is: These guys obviously have different views as to what a successful artist is. And they are all following that path. I think for Jimin a successful artist is producing good music for loyal fans rather than a general audience. I could be wrong of course. If so, Like Crazy’s success would be heartwarming as everyone and their mama knows that it’s carried by fans sharing & streaming.

The funny thing with Jimin though is that even if he tried to be a low key artist he couldn’t. Yes he does his own thing, sings about his story, doesn’t get major airplay and is listened mainly by a loyal fanbase who lives him and shares his music.

However his loyal fanbase is hugeee, so by virtue of that he’s left the lowkey artist category and also the K-pop category behind. What you mean you wanna release your long awaited album as an mp3?

Thinking about that sometimes makes me laugh. Jimin just wanna be lowkey, regular K-pop male artist singing his tunes then boom #1 on hot 100, Ryan Gosling giving him a guitar, song going platinum in the states(I’m calling it), fans demanding to buy his song. He’s non existent on socials rn and still trending

To be honest i kind of find Jimin fans funny. He said in Suchwita he wants to top billboard continuously. And everyone kinda knew he meant as BTS but his fans said “oh YOU want it? Here you go baby have a #1 on hot 100”. Making it look like it’s easy. Lol I’m sure Jimin knows his fans have plans for him.

They keeping him in the top 50 global just cause and I don’t think they gonna stop. Right now they have a goal to rechart LC also just cause and I’m interested to see how things unfold.

All of these are gifts they want to give Jimin. Almost like they’re proving to him we are here, we support you and we appreciate your music, and to cause a ripple in the company doesn’t hurt either.

Hello,

Ok, this is the only ask I will answer regarding Tae's music so don't come sending more, please!

I don't want to answer Tae music stuff, other anons!

But I'll answer this one because I appreciate that you took time to share all this.

First question. Our opinions vary greatly.

I think with how competitive kpop is, you need that big trigger, especially if it's a debut album. Tae needed to risk it but didn't. For me, this all feels safe although it wasn't intended to come across that way.

I think that his visual album should have been released all at once. I know this way is done to create anticipation but I haven't been pulled into his story yet. Maybe that will change once the 3rd mv is released or his photos tie more stuff together?

It's interesting that you find the aesthetic fitting because I don't lol I do agree that Tae is not kpop at all but this album concept feels off to me. Like it's fabricated and doesn't show the real Tae. I feel like his fans would appreciate that. Perhaps the concepts worked for New Jeans since it's quirky cute. And I remember writing a few weeks ago how Tae had changed his style and if that was reflective of what he would show in his upcoming album. And we are seeing change but not in any sort of direction. I don't see the essence of Tae in this. Or his new style.

I like to see the essence of the artist even in their on-stage personas. I'm not seeing it here.

But maybe this is just me being intense as usual.

Second question. Jimin. I do agree that Jimin tries to tell stories through his songs and he does that beautifully. Even if his songs differ greatly, like Promise and Set Me Free pt.2, they both have that air of Jimin in it. But I'm not being biased, I'm not a fan of both.

I do think the pandemic caused the change in direction of Jimin's artistry. But I hope that he has seen the reception, BB charts and worldwide records, and sees that his music is meant for a wider audience even if the stories are personal to him. We can see that FACE was his struggle and rebirth so I'm looking forward to his next album, which he said was going to more upbeat.

With the right team and tools, his songs can achieve greater success. It is heartwarming that Jimin lovers are still carrying his song still. It's our token of love and appreciation but I hope that the his next project has the company support he deserves added to the fan support he has rightfully earned.

Hopefully we get to see this soon enough.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I really like how you think. Maybe you won't like my take on Tae's music but do you want to be friends? Message me?