#one of the best purchases I’ve made recently

[loveyoufictionally]

Seeing the two crowbar panels in person together is absolutely insane

[ham1lton]

TEN THINGS F1 DRIVER Y/N L/N CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT — GQ.

— part of my maneater series ꕤ

Y/N (throwing her hat in the air with one hand and catching it in the other without looking): see? told you i could do it! not my only party trick.

Y/N: hi gq! i’m y/n l/n, formula one driver and i’m here to show you my ten essentials.

NUMBER ONE: IPAD

Y/N: first, has to be my ipad. this was my first big purchase and seeing my bank account being drained of that money almost caused a heart attack. but this bad boy helps me to organise my life, stops me from being bored on flights, keeps me in contact with my family and lets me write my notes. so yeah, thanks apple. also you guys should sponsor me.

NUMBER TWO: NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES

Y/N: i never used to travel a lot. when i was younger, my family couldn’t afford it so flying around a lot was a big shock to my system. obviously as in f1, drivers are required to fly to different races and it means i had to get over my fear of flying. these help a lot with that. these plus a spotify playlist made by my angsty teenage self will make me forget about the fact i’m flying. these are my favourite ones, i have multiple pairs just in case.

NUMBER TWO AND A HALF: MUSIC.

Y/N: i guess this sort of goes off the second one? but music. i keep trying to bribe the engineers to build a blue tooth radio in the car but to no avail. spotify has been my biggest supporter all of these years. i know i’m sponsored by them now but i have been using my account for almost seven years now? so my algorithm is perfection. it truly has helped me so much. i listen to music on the way to races, on the way back from races, in my house, outside my house, cleaning, cooking and even when i’m in the shower. yes, i’m a shower singer. once i get in there, i’m beyoncé!

OFF SCREEN VOICE: what was the last song you listened to?

Y/N: one second, let me see. it was the twilight soundtrack, in particular, decode by paramore. told you i was an angsty teen!

NUMBER THREE: EMERGENCY BAG

Y/N: okay this sounds bad, it’s not as much an emergency bag as in like medical supplies but more so like extra toothbrush, toothpaste, menstrual products, lotion and other stuff like that. i always carry this with me anywhere in case my suitcase goes missing. it has helped me and my friends out so many times so it’s definitely an essential for me.

NUMBER FOUR: HER CAMERAS.

Y/N: i picked up photography relatively recently and this was the starter camera that the guy in the shop recommended. so this is that camera. for this one, i vlog, which you guys might have seen and this is the camera i use for those videos. i actually don’t record my videos, one of my friends or family or colleagues or whoever will film and i will be in front of the camera. it’s my favourite part when i ask the camera person to reveal themselves and they do their own little introduction. i obviously provide the camera for it. which is this beauty right here.

OFF SCREEN VOICE: who has been your favourite person to film you?

Y/N: i have had a lot of people film me. my most recent being rihanna for my recent holiday vlog! so many people to the point that i genuinely don’t think i could choose a favourite. i mean, i’ve had my sister do it a lot so i guess i can choose her. she knows my angles best!

NUMBER FIVE: LIPGLOSS

Y/N: when i won my first championship and i kissed the camera, the amount of calls from makeup companies my manager received was actually obscene. i think i got so many comments on social media asking what makeup i use and how it stays on throughout the race! to be honest, i don’t always wear makeup but in the original video, i was wearing this fenty gloss. it’s in the shade fu$$y. so, yeah, at least no one can call me a gatekeeper! i always keep it on me. i feel a little more ready to face the world with lipgloss. now, i have my own fenty collection! so check that out.

NUMBER SIX: HER LUCKY SHOES.

Y/N: okay i know i say i’m not necessarily a superstitious person but these shoes have been with me from f3 until now. every race i’ve worn these, i’ve won. so i like having them around. i think they bring luck. i can’t wear them any longer as they’ve worn through the soles now. really annoying but we power through.

NUMBER SEVEN: WINGSTOP BLACK CARD

Y/N: i was really craving wingstop one night. so me and my sister were in london? i think and i vlogged our hunt for wingstop and they reached out to me to give me a black card. i know, isn’t it gorgeous? i was so happy. too bad i have to cut down on what i eat thanks to my nutritionist, but my siblings and friends love this thing.

NUMBER EIGHT: SKINCARE ROUTINE

Y/N: okay, so i’m trying to get more consistent with my skincare but it’s not necessarily working the way i want it to. however, i still stick to the basics. sunscreen, cleanser and moisturiser. i really like keeping my skincare on check as there is this unsaid rule that women have to wear makeup in their jobs and if i keep my skin looking good then i can skirt that rule. i love this cream in particular, it’s moisturising but very light on the skin. best of both worlds.

NUMBER NINE: NECKLACE

Y/N: this was given to me as a gift from my family when i turned eighteen. it was a necklace that i’d had my eye on for a very, very long time. they saved up for so long to buy it for me and it’s become my signature piece. i wear it around my neck constantly. it’s weird having it off my neck to show you.

(she fastens it around her neck quickly)

Y/N: now i feel normal again.

NUMBER TEN: MY PADDOCK PASS

Y/N: i am so bad with keeping my paddock pass on me. for people who don’t know what this is, this allows me access to the garage and things like that. i usually keep it around my neck because if its in my pocket or my bag i’ll forget. my assistant sometimes carries mine. i’m not going to show you my picture because it’s awful. i had woke up really early after no sleep and one of the staff had made me take the picture. now i am forced to wear this monstrosity at work. i keep it hidden as much as i can. last time, lando saw it and laughed so hard he cried so yeah.

author’s note: this was hard as i wanted to keep it as vague as possible so that you can relate it to your own maneater! i’m still taking questions/asks/requests so please send some in!

[gucciwins]

hi angie :) i was wondering whether you could write a little blurb based off an idea i’ve had recently? so harry and (yn) are a new couple and every time they go out (yn) is super conscious of how she acts and what she’s wearing/doing because they’re in public and harry just wants to calm her down :(( i feel like new boyfriendrry would be so gentle and kind :(

hope you enjoy this 2k blurb, sweets 🤍

+

Y/N really liked Harry.

He was funny, charming, and intelligent. Harry loved discussing the books she was reading and, to her surprise, would go on to purchase them so he could also share his thoughts with her. They were introduced by a mutual friend, stating they would get on well because of their love for poetry. Y/N wasn’t one for meeting new people–let alone being set up but Dezzie promised she wouldn’t regret it. Harry was told he’d be meeting his perfect match, and Dezzie was not wrong. Y/N had been someone straight out of a storybook with her perfect hair and a laugh that made his heart skip a beat every time he heard it. Harry was absolutely smitten. 

They started with one date that turned into three, and soon enough, Y/N and Harry were talking every day, trying their best to work their schedule to fit each other in. One time a week was not enough for either of them. With more dates, there was more time together, and before they knew it had been a month of dating. 

It’s not been three months since they met, and they’ve never been happier. Harry feels secure and loved in his relationship. He knows Y/N protects him as he does her. Y/N came in with her heart guarded high, but Harry crumbled her walls too quickly, and she knew she had no chance against him, so she let herself go into this relationship with an open mind and heart. Y/N knew that while Harry shielded their relationship, it wasn’t impossible to stop random fans from taking photos even when Harry asked them not to or to be trailed by paparazzi on a date night. Harry did his best to protect her, and Y/N knew he was doing everything he could. Being a new couple and someone no one knew about, it’s as if everyone was trying to find the skeletons in her closet. They were all waiting for her downfall. 

Harry had promised her it would die down, but it seemed overnight there were articles of her everywhere, from the shops to every social media outlet. Y/N didn’t actively look for them. She knew it wasn’t good for her, and family members would send them her way. Old high school friends who still had her number began asking to hang out with her. Her parents sent her the articles because a nosy neighbor would text them. It’s as if no one was watching out for her. 

She felt it was her against thousands and felt herself beginning to lose. 

Y/N had a bad day, and all she wanted to do was wallow in bed, though she had already planned a date night with Harry. She would hate to cancel on him, so Y/N dragged herself to shower and got ready. While Y/N loved dressing up, the article she got sent today was about how outdated her style was and that it all looked well-loved–which meant worn out. Y/N made a decent income enough to keep a roof over her head and indulge in gifts occasionally, but she was conscious about the clothes she bought. Y/N didn’t support fast fashion; instead, she loved trading clothes with her friends or spending a day at the thrift shops with her grandmother, who always loved a good bargain. Today, all her clothing did not feel good enough, and she decided that her well-loved oversized leather jacket and black flares would do. A simple black top underneath when she got too hot in the restaurant. Y/N was lost in her head that she didn’t hear her doorbell. She broke out of her trance when her phone rang. It was him asking if everything was alright. 

It would be now. 

Time with Harry always healed Y/N because she knew he was worth it. It was still early days nearing the three months of dating, but Y/N knew she saw a long future with Harry. She opened the door and found him with a bouquet of bluebells. Her absolute favorite, she thanked him with a kiss and told him she’d only be a second. 

The drive to their favorite restaurant was quick, the chatter about their day making time go even quicker. Y/N always loved hearing what Harry was up to because their lives were very different. Y/N worked in the publishing industry, where she edited manuscripts daily in an environment she enjoyed while Harry was world-known. He was working on his next album, and with no future tour insight, he was available to spend more time with her. Y/N’s family, specifically her older sister, would ask why Harry doesn’t post her online because, quoting Heather, “if he doesn’t post you, he clearly must not like you.” Y/N would defend Harry to her dying breath. Most of her family didn’t realize how much Harry deserved privacy. Yes, he’s a public figure, but doesn’t owe anyone anything. Harry had told her he would if she wanted him to; honestly, Y/N was fine living in their own world with Harry’s closest friends knowing. 

Everything was usually good, with Y/N being in public. She’d order her favorite food, sometimes a burger or pasta. It always filled her up, and she’d take the leftovers for lunch the next day. Y/N never thought anything of it, not even when she was with Harry, but fans of Harry began to take photos of them in restaurants. They criticized her meal choices, how she held her fork and even her posture. It’s as if everything she did was something to laugh at her for. Y/N wasn’t the most confident person growing up, but she learned about self-care and respecting herself over time. Y/N grew to explore her fashion sense, began to speak her mind, and saw life with a brighter outlook. It wasn’t until she had what felt like a million eyes on her that she began questioning her every move. Suddenly, everyone had become someone to be wary of, and she hated thinking like that. 

Their waiter greeted them with a smile, showing them to a table. Y/N frowned because their usual waitress, Karla, was out tonight. Harry squeezed her hand in assurance, and Y/N knew it would be fine. 

“Uhh–I’ll do an iced water,” she smiled timidly at the waiter, not wanting to order alcohol or soda.

Harry looked at her confused but didn’t question it. When they returned to take their order, Y/N ordered a Caesar salad, stating she had a late lunch at work. Harry ordered her favorite pesto pasta and a plate of tilapia for him. Harry began worrying because he noticed she kept looking around and was fidgety with her hands. She kept slipping the ring she wore on her pinky that Y/N got gifted for her fifteenth birthday on and off. It’s a sign she’s nervous. He hadn’t seen her do that with him since their first date; she excused herself to the restroom before he could ask her. 

He sits back in his chair confused, until he sees a quick flash in the corner of his eye. 

A camera. 

It would be minutes before that made its way online. Harry waved down his waiter, asking him to make their food to-go as quickly as possible. Harry stood up to go to the bathroom, needing to check on Y/N.

“Y/N,” he knocks on the door. He hears the sink, but no reply. Harry tries the next one. “Y/N, sweetheart. It’s me.” The lock of the door turns, and she lets him in. He finds her eyes red, but her mascara looks intact, almost as if she had reapplied it. Harry feels defeated. He knows this hurt is his fault, even if partially. “Oh, my love. I’m sorry.” 

She shakes her head, brushing off his words, “what are you on about?” 

Harry places his hands on her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks, trying to comfort them both. “Baby,” he sighs. “Don’t have to pretend with me. I’m supposed to be taking care of you can’t do that if you’re not honest.” 

Those words are enough to break her open. Y/N sets forward and falls into his arms. She forgets everything outside, all those people looking at her and judging her because she knew she’d be safe here with Harry. “It’s been a hard day,” she whispers. 

“That’s okay,” he assures her. “We’ll go home. Make you a cuppa and eat dinner in bed.” 

“But the crumbs,” she mumbles, remembering his dumb rule.

“Fuck it. It was a stupid rule.” 

Y/N giggles, and it lightens the tightness in his chest. She’s calming down and feeling better. “I only got a salad,” she pouts. 

“Got the pesto for you, silly girl.” 

Her eyes lighten up, “you’re perfect, Harry Styles.”

“Only for you.” 

Harry gently kisses her lips, knowing she’s still sensitive. Y/N surprises him by replying eagerly, but he slows her down with a slight nip of her bottom lip, and she moans. A simple kiss wasn’t supposed to get this heated. He pulls away and sees her pout on full display instead of giving in like he usually would; he pecks her lips and guides her out of the restroom after slipping her bag on his shoulder. 

“My bag looks good on you,” Y/N teases quietly. 

Harry smiles at her, “yeah, think I should model for Baggu?”

“Only if they let me take the pictures.”

“No work would get done with your pretty face.”

“What’s that mean?” She looks at him with a sly smile, already knowing his response. 

“That you are a pretty distraction.” 

Before she can respond, Y/N realizes they’ve made it to the hostess stand, where their food awaits them all packed up. Harry slips out two hundred dollar bills and passes them forward. “Have a good night.” Harry walks them to the car, and she’s thankful no one is outside. He opens the door for her and lets her slip in. Harry sets her bag on her lap and reaches around her to buckle in her seatbelt. Y/N softens at his actions because he’s always been gentle and careful with her from the moment she met him. It’s never changed. 

“Harry,” she calls for his name softly. 

“Yes, sweetheart.”

“Thank you,” she tells him honestly. 

“Nothing to thank.” Harry presses a kiss on her cheek. Then, he puts away their food and drives them to his house. Y/N turns in her seat to look at him. He sends her a wink at a red light but keeps his eyes on the road. Y/N rests her hand on top of his, resting on the clutch. Harry feels the butterflies return, and Y/N’s touch makes him feel grounded. 

Harry knows what he feels for Y/N is not something he’s ever felt before, which makes him want to protect her even more. His feelings are growing, and it’s why he knows what Y/N is growing through is something they have to deal with together, or he might end up losing her. At the end of the day, he will do whatever is best for her. Even if it means Harry not being in her life anymore. 

He ushers her inside from the clothes, telling her to get comfortable while he gets dinner sorted out, but she tugs on his hand to stop him. 

“Y-y-ou don’t want to talk?” Y/N asked, confused.

“You sure?”

Y/N knows she needs to stop keeping everything tucked inside. She wants to share how she’s feeling because if anyone would understand, it would be Harry. They walk over to the couch and sit next to each other. If Y/N moved another inch, she’d be in his lap. Y/N can see Harry is itching to pull her into him but is holding back. She appreciates it and does the next best thing: hold his hand tight. 

“Being in the eye of the public is something I’m sure no one can prepare for, but right now, it’s all gotten too much. I don’t go online anymore because there always seem to be new photos of me. My phone constantly blows up with texts from people I stopped talking to after secondary school. My family sends me photos of every headline, asking me if they’re true,” Y/N blurts it all out. Harry listens intently as she shares how she only feels comfortable around him and her three friends from university. That support keeps her going, but he knows it will only break her down if she continues to listen to everything around her. 

Harry pulls her into his arms, letting himself comfort her, but he knows it’s also for himself. He repeatedly kisses her temple as he whispers he’s got her. “Sometimes even the people we love hurt it. It’s okay to take a step back from them.”

“But they’re my family,” she defends. “I can’t.”

Harry knows it’s hard, but he needs her to understand she’s hurting more because of it. “Listen, sweetheart. We can talk to them together and set boundaries, but what they’re doing is hurting you. I-I can’t take that.” 

“What do I change?” 

“Nothing, you live normally. You can keep everything online private if you want. You’re allowed to live your life. Not a single person has a say in it. Not even me,” he emphasizes. “Your phone number would be good, though.” 

“Was thinking of that,” she confesses. “Do you think the media will die down?” 

Harry grins, “Of course. We're such homebodies. They’ll forget we even exist.” He kisses her nose. “Together. We’ll do this together if you want?” 

Y/N wants Harry in her life. She never once thought of letting him go. “Together.” 

“Good, now give me a kiss.” He pats her ass. “We’ve got food to eat and movies to pick.” 

[malestransforming]

Chronivac Twins

The moment I saw this AI image, I knew I had to write something. Probably one of the hottest things I have ever seen.

Special thanks to @octuscle for the image inspiration. Here is a link to their original story.

- - - - - - - -

Empty beer cans filled the table in front of the two men. The room was silent, the TV showing the console home screen, and darkness was creeping in from the night. The night was winding down, and the two friends were enjoying peaceful moment before the night truly wrapped up.

Mason breathed a heavy sigh, comfortable in his current state. He was clearly drunk, but happily drunk. He fished around in his pockets, feeling for the recent purchase he had received that day: a brand new Chronivac tablet. He pulled it out of his pocket, powering it on for the first time, watching the screen suddenly brighten, flashing the Chronivac logo. 

“Check it out!” Mason suddenly exclaimed, surprising even himself with his boldness. “I got this new Chronivac in the mail.”

Beside him sat Chris, Mason’s best friend since grade school. Chris was drunker than Mason was, with his eyes closed and his body still, but he too was in happy state of intoxication. 

“Oh yeah? What is that?” Chris slurred from the other end of the coach. The back of Mason’s head was resting on the top of the sofa, leaned back in an almost unnatural position. A massive drunken grin was plastered on his face, highlighting the comfortable state he was currently in.

Mason held up the sleek tablet to an oblivious Chris. A loading screen flashed again as the system booted up. 

“Yeah, it’s a tool that lets me change a part of my body. Actually it will change a part of both of us. They had a deal on the twins package.”

“Cool…” Chris breathed.

“Yeah. I know you have been feeling down lately, so I thought it would be nice to spice things up for you. Plus, you know you’re my bro. We’ve been buds since we were five years old. I figured it was time we made it official.”

Mason began tapping at the screen, swiping at different sliders and dials. There were dozens of different settings with labels like “Hair”, “Muscle Levels”, “Race/Nationality”… Mason balked at the overwhelming choices and options, but forced himself to stay focussed; this was a change he had wanted for a while.

“So I was thinking of doing some kind of mixed race. Hmm. Japanese and Mexican? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. I bet that would look hot. With jacked muscles, like body builders. And since we’re gonna be twins, you’ll get it too. Sound good to you Chris?”

Chris only smiled and laughed to himself, the way drunk people often do. It was clear he was not fully present in the moment. Mason took Chris’ drunken laughter as a sign of agreement and continued with the settings page. He slid up the muscle slider to the max, added jock personalities and details such as personal trainer and fitness influencer. He double checked the ‘Race’ tab, making sure that Japanese and Mexican were both checked off. Pleased with his work, he continued on to the last section, “Target Selection” and “Transform”. He allowed the device a few moments to calibrate before confirming the two bodies in the room. He double checked that the “Twins” button was selected and hovered over the Transform button.

“All right bro. This is it. See you on the other side!”

And with that he tapped the button. The screen went blank for a moment, creating a quick sense of panic in Mason’s heart, but reappeared with a white, animated progress bar.

Mason looked down at his hands and arms. “I don’t feel any different,” he said. 

He checked the screen again. The progress bar had moved up by one pixel and showed a time remaining of 1440 minutes. 

“Oh shoot! I set the transformation duration to be 24 hours. Well that’s okay. When we wake up tomorrow, we’ll definitely see some changes! Next time you see me Chris I’ll be be a huge muscled-out bro. And a completely different race. And so will you! We’ll be twins. Pedro and Miguel. We’re gonna be so fucking hot.”

A gentle and rhythmic breathing came from the other end of the couch. Mason turned his head and grinned at Chris who had passed out on the couch. 

“See you in the morning, Miguel,” he whispered. 

-

Bright sunlight was pouring into the apartment. The morning was late, but the day was still young. Chris stirred on the sofa; he was now lying horizontally on the couch, shirtless and in his underwear. He blinked his eyes in the sunlight, rubbing his eyelids with a balled up fist, and stretching against the soft cushions of the sofa. His broad feet pushed against the far armrest, and his arms stretched off behind him. He sat up, and noticed his first change.

Looking down at his chest, Chris saw his pectoral muscles had ballooned out in front of him to a God-like proportion. He cupped his chest, making note of how his nipple had slipped down below his eye line, and squeezed the new muscle. 

“What the fuck?” He exclaimed. “Why do I have tits?” 

Mason launched himself off the sofa and dove into the bathroom. The flickering fluorescent light clicked on, revealing the extent of Mason’s initial changes. Below his chest were the unmistakeable beginnings of 6-pack abs. Mason ran his fingers over top of his stomach, remembering the slight beer gut that had been there the night before. 

He leaned in closer to the mirror and begin poking and prodding his face. His nose seemed wider and his eyes were narrower. His lips were plumping as well, into two thick pillows. He ran his meatier fingers through his darkening hair; it seemed thicker, curlier and shorter than it had before. He pulled a strand and watched it bounce back into place on his scalp. 

The sound of a door slamming brought Chris out of his trance. He stepped out of the bathroom and back into the main room.

“Bro!” Mason called from the entry-way. “Are you up?”

“Yeah! What the fuck is happening to me?” Chris replied in anguish.

Mason came around the corner and Chris immediately became aware that the changes he was going through were also happening to Mason. Mason appeared to be several inches shorter, and Chris noticed that he was roughly eye-level to himself now. His chest and abs were similarly large and muscled as Chris’ were, except Mason’s shoulders and arms were much wider. Veins pulsed across Mason’ skin and over his bulging biceps. His nose and eye shape seemed strangely familiar, as did the plumpness of his lips. Mason noticed that Chris’ hair was shorter on top with a shaved, faded appearance on the side.

“Mason, what the fuck is happening? I pass out drunk and wake up all top heavy like this! And then you waltz in looking like that! What the fuck?”

“Chill out bro,” Pedro said. “And my name isn’t Mason anymore. It’s Pedro. And your name isn’t Chris, it’s Miguel. You’re turning out to be such a hot twin.”

Chris/Miguel was unable to get anymore words out as sharp pains coursed through his arms and legs. He hunched over, wrapping his growing limbs around his torso. In front of his eyes he saw the muscles in his arms and legs double, triple and quadruple in size, into massive slabs of muscle. His trap muscles ached and burned as the fibres inside re-stitched themselves, growing to match the mass of his arms and chest. Across the room Pedro grinned in anticipation, as his adonis belt thinned out, becoming lean and chiselled, into his tight pelvis and butt. 

“Miguel, we’re going to be so hot!” Pedro’s voice was deeper and more coastal sounding. His jock-instincts were bubbling in his brain, overwriting whatever personality he had before.

“Don’t call me that. My name is Miguel. I mean Chris.” Chris stammered. “How did you even do this?”

“Bro, it was the Chronivac. I told you last night. Just embrace it. I paid good money for this twins package.”

“I need to call them. There has to be a way to reverse this.” 

With a wide stride, Chris/Miguel walked over to where his phone was, but doubled over as a burning pain seared through his stomach. He squeezed with his hands, feeling the muscles underneath swell and grow under his touch. Before his eyes his abs went from flat and empty to being completely ripped. His waist got tighter as his adonis belt and hip muscles also tensed and flexed, just like Pedro’s had.

“Bro, I have a six pack!” Chris exclaimed, his voice cracking as it matched the timbre of Pedro’s.  

“They match mine, bro!” Pedro said.

Chris shook his head. If he could just call the company and explain what the problem was, then he figured he could stop the changes. He found his phone and brought it to his face, waiting for Face ID to unlock. The phone vibrated in his dark and meaty hand, refusing to unlock. In the black mirror of his phone, he saw a completely different face than the one he was used to. His nose was wider, and his jaw was leaner. His eyes had narrowed into Asian-like features and his hair was shorter and darker than before. His face was looking identical to Pedro’s, right down to the plump lips.

In a panic, Chris typed in his passcode and Googled the number for Chronivac. The phone began ringing.

“Hello?” said a voice on the other end.

“Hello, is this support? My name is Miguel, I mean Chris. My name is Chris. I don’t own your product, but my brother Pedro — I mean my best friend Mason does. He used the Chronivac on me last night and I woke up with big muscles and my face is looking Japanese and Mexican? And the same thing is happening to him! He says we’re becoming twins. This has to be against your Terms of Service! I didn’t agree to this.”

A dark skin spot formed on the back of Chris’ hand, spreading across his skin and up his bulging arms. His skin was darkening, to match his new ethnicity. 

“It sounds to me like it might be too late to intervene. Our records show Pedro and Miguel Watanabe.”

“That’s right,” Miguel interjected. He was Miguel, not Chris.

“Yeah,” the agent continued. “So your brother got the Twins Package, and since you are legally twins now, there’s nothing that can be done to change back the transformation. But it’s going to be great being a pair of super hot Latino-Asian influencers, right?”

“Yeah,” Miguel replied absent-mindedly, and in a voice that was deepening. “Thanks anyway. Peace.” 

He hung up and tossed the phone aside. Pedro wandered over and wrapped his hand around his twin brother’s shoulder. 

“It’s at ninety-nine percent,” Pedro said, indicating the transformation process on the Chronivac. 

Miguel felt another spasm in his thighs and legs and saw his skin was now completely browned and tanned now. His legs were thick and bulging, and so was the rest of his body. A wave of emotions came feelings rolled over his brain, and Miguel stood silently in place as his brain and personality adjusted to match his new physique. Pedro stood still for a moment too, as the twenty-two year old twins realized they could speak English, apanese and Spanish and had a long history of lifting weights and posting work-out videos on TikTok. The transformation progress bar clicked up one last pixel to one-hundred percent, snapping the twins out of their daze. 

“Bro,” Pedro said. “You wanna get a workout in?”

“You know it!” Miguel said, high-fiving his twin brother with a grin. 

[yurucamp]

hello! i’m extremely inspired by your game, thank you so much for creating such a wonderful experience. i recently purchased rpg maker on a whim after a big sale. i’ve been wanting to create a game, a story-driven one, and it was such a blessing to see yours! i have a couple of questions;

i’m so lost! what softwares did you use to create the interior and exterior in the top-down sections? or was it all made in rpgmaker itself? how were you able to create the side scrolling scenes? rpgmaker is really fun to use, but i’m just lacking the materials necessary to actually put my ideas into fruition. i’ve been craving to create a big art project:)

what was the brainstorming process like for creating such a story-driven game such as yours?

i apologize for this as you’ve probably had so many questions asking before. thank you for taking time for your response!

hello! thank you so much, i'm really happy that you liked it and that it could inspire you, it's hugely flattering!! i wish you the best of luck with your project!

yep, the whole thing is made in rpg maker mv, though i drew the rooms in clip studio paint (which most people don't advise you to use for pixel art, and aseprite seems to be a much more popular suggestion). the drawing is then set as a parallax background for the map- if you search "parallax mapping rpg maker" you'll find a lot of information about this approach!

you can actually make this kind of side-scrolling section by just having one row of tiles be walkable and drawing larger sprites and a background. sprites can be any size in rpg maker mv so it's just a matter of bending the program to your needs!

as far as the brainstorming process, i collected a lot of photos that inspired me to make the rooms and environments, but i don't think i did much concrete brainstorming for the story itself- it had been marinating in my head for a while and continued to evolve as i worked on the game!

[introvertedandscared]

i was recently given a writing prompt simply titled 'blue' on an online forum i use, and wanted to try my hand at doing something for it.

i'm actually really proud of it- i dont know if its my best work, it always feels that way after i make something new, but it was really therapeutic to write and hey, practice makes perfect. ill never be any good if i dont work towards it.

this piece is an expression of my gender and identity, told through a narrative perspective. most of these events are either heavily fictionalised or not actual events in my life, and i'm unsure if the main character is actually me or not, but it is heavily related to my personal thoughts, feelings, and history.

its about 959 words, a short read, enjoy! and keep an eye out for more writing on this blog if you liked this ദ്ദി(��•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊

Blue

My favourite shirt is blue. Not a bright, attention-catching blue, but a soft one. Like blue hydrangeas. That’s not why it’s my favourite—I don’t even like the colour blue all that much—but it’s what everyone notices about it. When my mother comes into my room and asks for the laundry, she’ll point out ‘the blue one that you wear all the time’. When my friends and I are coordinating our Halloween plans, they ask to borrow my blue shirt for their costume. My brother will tell me that my blue shirt has somehow ended up in his closet. I’ve come to think of it more as a title than anything else. My Blue Shirt. All words capitalised, because they are important.

The reason it’s my favourite shirt is because it’s mine. I bought it with my own money—I had a whole 15 bucks I’d earned from babysitting—at the small thrift store on the corner after school on a Tuesday. It had been the first thing I’d picked up off the rack, not even checking the price or size. I had a curfew, and I knew that if I didn’t buy something that afternoon, I never would. I was 12, and the shirt I grabbed was 3 sizes too large, but I didn't care. I wanted it.

I still remember the woman behind the counter that day. She was probably middle-aged. At the time, I was transfixed by strands of her greying hair. She seemed radiant and wise. Untouchable. She was beautiful.

When I laid the shirt out in front of her, she looked directly at me for the first time since I’d entered the store, an amused expression playing across her face.

“You know this is for a man, right?” She asked, taking in my short stature, my girlish pigtails and sport shorts. My t-shirt that had recently started clinging to all the wrong places on me. I hated my clothes; my mother bought them all. She asked me for my opinion, sometimes, but I was only ever given the option to choose between the lesser of two evils. This shirt or that one. Those skirts or these jeans. Lately, I’d just let her take over completely, letting my eyes wander through the aisles while she shopped. No matter what store we were in, my gaze would always land on the men's section. I always let it linger for a second too long.

“It’s… for my brother. Last minute costume change for his, um, dance team. He needs something blue,” I mumbled through my excuse, terrified the woman would question me more, but she’d already started ringing my purchase up. The bubble of hope that had been growing in my chest ever since I’d ridden my bike out of the school gates that afternoon finally burst, into something bright and fiery and right. Something completely new. 

Later, at home, I tried the shirt on in front of my mirror. It reached down to my knees and looked utterly ridiculous, but it also didn’t hug my torso and hips trying to accentuate not yet existent curves. It made my body little more than a formless mass of cloth.

Five minutes after I put it on, my brother walked by my bedroom door. He took one look at me and laughed, and I laughed with him. He said I looked ‘stupid as shit’—words I still found scandalous at that time—and I’d agreed, but once he left I couldn’t bring myself to reach my own eyes in my reflection. I was scared of what I’d see. 

It’s been four years, and I still have that shirt. I’m wearing it now, bent low over the bathroom sink, scissors clutched tightly in my left hand, watching my hair swirl down the drain. I feel bile rising up in my throat at the sight, but it’s not from… disgust or panic. It’s- fear. I am scared to see myself. I am scared to know, because once I do there is no going back. It may not seem like it, but I am not one to dwell on the past. I live in the now. The now where I have just sheared away all of my hair at 3 AM, in the house my great-grandparents built with their own two hands. I wonder if they would be disappointed in me.

I don’t know if my mother will be mad—it’s hard to tell with her—maybe she’ll scold me, or laugh and schedule an appointment to get the mess I’ve made fixed, or maybe she’ll reach out, eyes soft. Maybe she’ll finally see me.

But I need to see myself first. I have been blind for far too long.

I steel myself—taking a sharp, shuddering inhale of air—and look up into the face of the mirror before me. I look up, and it feels like the final piece slots into place. The final piece of a puzzle I’ve been trying to solve for four years. For my whole life. 

The face staring back at me is no longer a reflection but a reality; the burning feeling in the centre of me flaring to life, consuming everything I thought I was.

I press a gentle hand to my chest, pressing down the two masses of fat and connective tissue that have always seemed to burden me more than my peers. I let the folds of blue obscure them until it almost looks as though they are not there. I wish more than anything that they weren’t.

I take myself in, gaze reverent and disbelieving.

My blue shirt is my favourite shirt, because unlike all my others, it fits perfectly. Ever since I first bought it, it has fit perfectly.

[curio-queries]

I’m loving your production breakdown posts, they are so interesting and insightful.

I think you mentioned it maybe in the first ep breakdown but it was about expenses. I just thought it was interesting in ep4 when JK mentioned at the chicken place, paying in cash, and he solely has this conversation with Tae, not Jimin. Would there be an arrangement do you think? Or was that scene cut and he’d have asked Jimin too? I’ve noticed in comparison to Bv where they were usually only allowed a certain amount of money between them, with one usually being in control, or a sum for a task, in AYS, Jimin and JK have been whipping out their cards, be it their own or a company card, in Big Dicks store, in Walmart etc.

I just found it interesting

Hi anon,

The finance bits are interesting in the most boring corporate sense if that makes any sense. 😅 Trust me on this. Let's dive in:

In my opinion, it really boils down to two concerns: taxes and sponsorships. Taxes to insure the company receives every possible benefit for every dollar they spend. Sponsorships because some brands can have fussy rules about how individuals interact with their product and especially any competitor's products while they have an active agreement.

Obviously I have no actual insight onto how the finances and budget were managed for any of these specific shows and I know absolutely nothing of the intricacies of taxes in South Korea but in the US, there are many regulations when it comes to how companies can claim expenditures for tax breaks.

Every company that has had me travel for work has gone to a lot of trouble to insure that I was aware of exactly all of the requirements on my part regarding expenditures. I'm 100% sure all of the BTS members are aware of their requirements as well so I don't particularly think there's any motive other than as a cute convo for the moment between JK and V. Imo, the only reason it made it to the final cut was JKs endearing tone in his response.

Let's go through some examples though:

Receipts: in both AYS and Bon Voyage, we see the members be very specific in getting Receipts. JM and JK talk about it as they're leaving Walmart. In BV, it's all of the shenanigans with the money pouch they acquired in Malta and continued using in New Zealand. This is usually documentation required for any operation that's going to be claimed as a business expense for tax purposes.

Personal Spending: off the top of my head I can think of several clear instances where we know that the members are using their own money for purchases we see them make on the shows. In Run BTS ep.70 in Toronto, JK pays for the member's clothing purchases himself. In BV4, JM pays for the member's clothing himself a couple of times (remember the drama of his lost wallet? 😅)

Budget as Content: BV 1 & 2 mostly only include finances as part of the game-ification of the show. The members had to earn money as an allowance for the activities and determine the best ways to spend it. (I do vaguely remember some members wanting to negotiate for more when buying souvenirs? Was that just in the extra scenes? It's been so long, I've been holding off on rewatching until I'm done with my Run series).

Thankfully, the success of BTS has basically nixed the budget games. I think the last time we saw something like this were the Run episodes of a hotel staycation? But the prices were ficticious and not necessarily about real-world spending but rather determining the secret number to not exceed. (If I'm misremembering and there are more recent examples, please share!) Imo, it would just be too tone-deaf to continue portraying the members in that context. I know we all joke about them being broke millionaires, but there's a reason why celebrity game shows always make it clear that the money involved is for charity.

Anyway, back to AYS, the interesting bit to me is wondering about the inclusion of Taehyung from a budget standpoint. How was that reconciled? None of us can possibly know the answer, but it's interesting to think about. Some costs wouldn't have changed at all with one extra participant, like the house rental, or booking the climbing gym or yacht tour. But there were a few extra concessions, getting the extra mattress likely was more a logistics headache on short notice rather than an impact to the budget. And most Korean meals are served family-style so there honestly isn't a huge difference cost-wise. Except maybe the omakase. That I can imagine was noticeably more expensive with an added individual.

But really, the most expensive item per person would likely have been travel. Did someone say Tae was already in Jeju prior to filming? If he wasn't, did the show cover his flights like they would have JK, JM, and the crew? Or is the budget on these shows big enough that it was just another drop in a bucket? Also, the intent likely was for JK to zip around on the motorbike and JM to be on the scooter. I'm curious if they weren't logistically able to get another such vehicle with the short notice or if the budget/sponsorship constraint didn't allow for a third one the day. Or it could be that the scooter exists because of the 3 member count and production thought one of them could be JKs backpack. That bike has the space for it. But perhaps the difficulty to get coverage and/or converse wasn't appealing. Or maybe there just wasn't a third radio-enabled helmet prepared?

I know the various shippers are using this in their arguments. I'd like to firmly state that I am not building a case for either side here. Go do that on your own and leave me out of it. Lol.

There are so many questions and it's interesting to theorize how the finances could have impacted the development of the show. Maybe we'll get some more insight with the remaining episodes and bonus footage but I doubt it. Finances don't usually make for engaging content.

Thanks again for the ask! It's one of the points I want to discuss when I start doing my BV and ITS posts but who knows when that will be!

[monster-energies]

always a woman

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

pairing: severus snape/reader

summary:   severus snape had always fallen for every little trait of yours, you have always made his life feel like the warmest hug there is. you do everything to make him happy but now he feels its the right time to make you happy only in the best way possible.

warnings: the lightest of angsts, if you squint but other than that, all round fluff

rating: general audiences

ʚ♡ɞ please click here if you would like to be apart of my taglist

ʚ♡ɞ taglist: @insomniacaesthetic @eternal-silvertongued-prince @sevsssnape  @mirarenwick @diamondbitch116 @mamawolfsmith16 @nickangel13 @a-queen-and-her-throne @deepperplexity @amazingzou @yan-senna @yellowbadgermole @sevssillyincantations @alisongurl13 @inflation-of-mind @ilomessiah​ @maitre-de-marionnettes @impulse-anchor @multifandomgeeks @lady0fmischief

word count:   3048

this oneshot can be found on archive of our own

author’s note:

title's namesake: the song always a woman by billy joel

guys. she is back EVERYONE CLAP.

well i say i return but then i disappear due to writers block and creative burnout for almost a year 😐🧍🏼♀️ i would type out my authors note disappearing reasons, but i genuinely think i would be here all day BWHAHAHAH,,,,anyways this was a suggestion/request i saw on tumblr by  @wtfhasmy-lifecometo :  a severus snape x reader where the plot of the story is based off of the song “she’s always a woman” by billy joel… and have it all be fluff… and basically it would be severus’s pov and it would be him describing how much his wife means to him despite her “flaws” . and i've taken a bit of a twist with it but i feel it vibes with it. im going with vibes, slay. anyways i won't keep you for long so enjoy reading or whatever

no but genuinely though,  thank you very much for reading !! it means a lot to me that you support my fanfics, whether you're an old or new reader of mine you are apart of the most girlboss place there is. reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated. have an amazing day 💖

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

“severus we can worry about your scarf later, we don’t want it to rain now do we.” you called from downstairs.

severus had been fumbling around with said scarf for quite some time. he had been  rather nervous and he couldn’t entirely figure out why. then he looked over to the one thing that he had bought and had merely regretted seconds after purchasing.

it was so expensive he contemplated why he bought the final choice in the shop, but he knew.

his life was worth living from that point onwards.

once he adjusted his scarf one last time, he took it, placing it in his pocket before heading downstairs to see your face.

you had beamed and was quick to take a hold of his hand. as you opened the door, the mid-autumn breeze hit you both and a smirk hit severus’ face. autumn was always his favourite time, he loved the leaves changing colour and his ability to wrap himself in more coats and scarves. he always was equipped for the autumn and winter season.

you had both been in for a long day, however it would be a day that you both planned for ages.

neither of you were one for having long days outside, and even then you would need to recharge before you planned on stepping foot outside again. it was severus who brought the concept up, which had been very out of character for him to say the least.

what was there outside that required an entire 24 hours was beyond you. but this was your lover, and you couldn’t help but love the moments in which he found himself impulsive.

you and severus started at the local bookshop, taking in every aesthetic of the bookshelves around you. the shop had recently introduced some new animal friends, cats, pygmy puffs, and many others graced their way to the shop to keep fellow attenders company. you loved stroking and tending to every animal there as they accompanied you to your bookshop adventures.

severus hadn’t been too fond of the animals, however if they made you happy then he was happy. after going to the bookshop, severus made a visit to a small café nearby to pick up some of your favourite sweet things, you had grown suspicious once he had asked you to wait outside, as you always went in with him to pick up these delicacies. but you had shrugged it off, just severus being severus.

“ready to go my dear?” you asked. and he nodded.

you  both made your way to a field, walks wit severs snape were always the best activity to do with him, a lot of your dates prior to today were always consisted of a slow journey that had no purpose, only for you both to smell the fresh air and be in one anothers presence, especially after long days where you find yourselves far apart. night walks seemed to be severus’ favourite thing, but of course you didn’t protest to that.

once you both found a perfect spot, you set up everything and indulged in your little day out you both were very much enjoying. you laid your head on severus’ lap as you eyes gazed at the beautiful view ahead of you.

you had taken out your wand, aiming it to the grass that bestowed upon you both.

“expecto patronum.” you chanted with your wand and your glowing rabbit patronus hopped around you both, surrounding you and severus in a beautiful blue wire binding you both together.

“your patronus will always be my favourite y/n.” severus said. you couldn’t help but giggle.

“i suppose i can let my one free for a moment.” he said.

he took his wand out from his inside pocket, and had it pointed to the ground.

“expect patronum.” he chanted quietly.

but much to both of your shock, nothing appeared. puzzled, severus tried again but to no avail. mumbling the spell over and over again, he smacked his wand several times on his thighs, had he really grown out of his wand?

“god forsaken piece of wood!” he muttered to himself.

you couldn’t help but giggle at his multiple attempts, tapping the wand on his lap in hopes that the magic would possibly work, your smile soon turned to small laughs, but severus happened to catch onto your little laughs.

“this isn’t funny, silly girl.” severus said, ruffling the ends of your hair before you let out more laughs. enough to make his heart melt.

“i know.” you suggested, you dug through your pockets and found a flower crown inside and put it on severus.

severus now had been bewildered by this action, turning his head slowly only for his brow to be raised, which you clearly couldn’t take seriously, and had only made you laugh some more.

“and…how is this supposed to help me?” he asked.

“trust me! it will work, try it.” you said.

severus couldn’t help but roll his eyes slightly, in actuality he did enjoy the feeling.

when he tried the patronus spell once more, he saw it had taken the form of your patronus. a rabbit hopping in and around the fields.

he would always have this hint of shock that he shared a patronus with someone, it was a feeling he could never get used to. you couldn’t help but beam at his reaction.

“severus, your patronus…”

you were just as stunned as he was, neither of you had thought this would happen. your chemistry with one another had been stronger and stronger, from the moment you and severus had set eyes on one another, you had known it was nothing but destiny that had pulled you together.

severus turned to you and instantly grabbed a hold of your hands, by instinct. there was something in him that realised the moment was just right.

in fact it was more than ‘just right,’ it was perfect.

he was really going to do this now…

“y/n…i never thought i’d ask you such a question, but i fear i can’t contain my feelings any longer.” severus said.

“y/n m/n l/n…”

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

when severus had asked you to move into his home, not a single ounce of hesitance disappeared inside of him. he hated his home, he hated that he inhabited this place.

but he had no other choice but to at least maintain what little legacy he had (if he were to call it that.)

when you had settled in, you actually didn’t seem to mind spinner’s end and it had some sort of potential to it. severus constantly asked you how things were in the house, even the most mundane things he had constantly told you that it wasn’t the best but it was the best he could offer to you.

he feared that his best wasn’t entirely good enough for you, but you always did your best to reassure him that everything in his home was fine.

one day he had left for his job and you decided to do the things that snape had always promised to do in this house. you had planned it for a while, but had to find the perfect timing  and severus being away at hogwarts for the day seemed to fall perfectly in your plans.

you were in for a very long day ahead.

severus had always found the items in his home having a particular place in each room, he didn’t want anything to be changed or it wouldn’t have felt right to him. you had been very careful about that, you put everything into boxes so that they could be taken out later, and got round to deep cleaning the house from top to bottom.

severus had neglected the deep cleaning process, always at the back of his mind however, he never done so.

how could severus live like this? was all you could think about. considering how much neglect he had received from his father, that would have been one of the many factors.

once the deep cleaning was complete, you went to organize all of his books, they had a comforting feeling in your grasp. you took a note of how severus organized his shelves and followed it down to the point.

you had wanted to make this place at least worth coming home to for him. you had seen how miserable severus had lived his life and it hurt you to see that.

as the day went on you had been putting in the finishing touches of the house. you had rearranged the furniture slightly and as you had placed severus’ knick-knacks all over the house, it made you hope that he appreciated all you had done.

suddenly you heard the keys jangle outside and you bustled to the front door, quick to open it.

“sev! you’re back.” you squeaked slightly, shoving your entire body in his arm and peppering kisses all over his lips.

severus had been shocked at the sudden affection, he had never felt that he deserved such a thing.

“i’ve got something to show you.” you said excitedly.

you took his hand and there was where you showed him the house. a mixture of emotions wavered in, as you showed him all of the little details of the newly arranged home, severus couldn’t decipher the feelings he had in the moment.

you had shown him the ground floor of the house, the kitchen and the tiny hallway and then the living room.

his chair had remained the same, by the fire place. the bookshelves looked…new. for a fact he had known that the books on those shelves were nowhere near new.

you had been talking about the newly arranged desk, picking up some of his favourite quills here and there.

but severus said nothing.

that deadpan (with the added shock) expression remained, as you looked up to your lover you could tell he was going to explode at any second.

you frowned as you put down the quills, “i’m sorry…” you mumbled, walking past him and going upstairs. closing the door on the bedroom you shared, you cried quietly to yourself as you slumped on the floor.

then the door slowly opened again, through your glossy tears you saw severus.

he then did something you almost never saw him do before, he pulled you into his arms. it had been awkward at first but you warmed up to his touch, new tears dripping down your face.

“i’m so sorry…i should have asked you, it won’t…it won’t happen again.” you mumbled.

“why are you apologizing?” severus asked.

“because, i ruined your house. i thought it would be nice to give you something nice to come home to. but you don’t like it.” you sniffled.

you did all of that for him?

“why would you think i wouldn’t like it?” severus asked again.

“because you like everything to be the same. you don’t like changes, i did too much.” you said.

if anything, severus had liked the changes you made in his home. it felt like he had stepped into a completely different place and he grew to like it.

“darling…i do love it. you’ve done the one thing i wished i could do to this home, you have no need to be upset.” severus reassured.

that made you hug him even tighter, he could only smile only to himself. you both got up and continued your tour of the newly decorated home, rambling about the tiny items that meant a lot to the pair of you.

you even had dinner freshly made, and so you both sat on the floor by the fireplace, with plates of lasagne at hand. of course you made it and severus did in fact love your lasagne. you listened to  severus talk about his day, it warmed your heart that he was able to open up to you. that he felt accepted enough by you to talk not only of the past but the present also.

you had both finished your foods and now you had been in one another’s arms, staring intently at the fires crackling in between the woody piles. from time to time, you had exchanged small kisses but they were the ones that always made the moment even more special.

“how long do you think you’ll stay with me y/n?” severus asked.

“well…for as long as we want, unless you wish to have me around. i don’t want you to be bored of me” you answered.

“how could you say that? y/n i couldn’t get bored of you. not in the slightest.” severus replied, with zero hesitation.

it shocked him how easily the words seemed to flow out of his mouth, it would take him months, hell even years to say that to someone but with you it seemed to be so easy.

and it was.

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

settling in at spinners end was like any other place for you. you seemed to enjoy the dark aesthetic of the small town, how it seemed to be secluded from everywhere else in england and everyone seemed to be in their own little bubble but yet everyone knew everyone.

you had lived there for a year at that point, you had wanted to go outside. you knew a forest that wasn’t far away from the home, it had been heavily raining over the last few days. you seemed to enjoy the aftermath of the heavy rain.

“severus!” you called.

you slid into his office, his head shot up.

“ah you are clearly dressed. get your coat, we are going outside.” you said as you then disappeared.

severus seemed to enjoy when you took control of the day, he enjoyed how different every day was. with no hesitation he grabbed his coat and his scarf and joined you downstairs at the front door.

you took hold of his hand and lead him outside, you held a basket on the other hand as you then handed severus the other side of your wired earphones.

“y/n you know i will never get used to your modern traditions.” severus said.

“oh come on sevvy, you can listen to music at the palm of your hands! just this once, pretty please.” you pleaded.

severus grabbed the earphone and put it in as he then found himself listening to some classic rock song.

“it’s my favourite song.” you said.

the song in question was from a classic rock band. he was not entirely well versed in music, nor did he have an interest in it. but it was that moment something switched in him, the rhythm of the song seemed to catch onto him.

you squeezed his hand a little tighter as the music played.

“you’re enjoying it!” you squeaked slightly as you noticed severus humming along to the song.

severus only smirked and pulled you closer as you paced closer to what looked like a forest. you were the one person that would convince him to have music in his life. severus never understood the concept of it and why people enjoy it so much, but whenever music was played around you his whole life seemed to change.

there was always a song he would associate with you, which made him appreciate you more and more by the second.

“i found the perfect spot.” you said once you arrived.

you both entered deeper into the forest until nothing but the top of the trees was all you could see once you looked up.

severus looked around the spot you mentioned, serenity was you could feel. you were at peace with him.

with every second severus was with you, the more entranced he was. oh how your hair swiftly followed the breezes of the spring time winds, and when the sun slowly followed after you had looked nothing but a piece of art to him.

you were always his work of art.

“oh severus look!” you called and got up instantaneously.

severus sat up slightly, only to have his eyes on you. his gaze not leaving you, he was loved undeniably.

you sat right next to him and there you had picked up a small rabbit.

“oh severus! look at its ears, its adorable.” you squeaked, stroking the rabbit that had sooner or later, gained your trust.

severus looked to the furry animal, stroking it slowly.

you tried to let the rabbit go.

but it later came back.

you let it go back to its home, but not even five minutes later it would come back to you and severus. even making its way to severus’ lap and sleeping.

“i think it likes you.” you giggled.

it was quite adorable you thought. severus becoming a father of a rabbit within five minutes of your date together.

you enjoyed severus softening slightly at the sight of animals, seeing him tend to a stray rabbit was something you didn’t see everyday, but perhaps this would mean something for the both of you later in the line of your lives.

you scoot to severus, resting your head on his upper arm, then slowly wrapping his arm around you, you both took in the scenery, soft breaths escaped your lips as parts of the sunlight hit the forest bestowed upon you.

you felt like you spend an entire life time with him if you could.

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

“y/n…i never thought i’d ask you such a question, but i fear i can’t contain my feelings any longer.” severus said.

“y/n m/n l/n…”

“will you marry me?”

you couldn’t decipher the question and then it dawned on yo.

severus wanted to marry you. someone out there was willing to marry you.

tears flooded your eyes and dropped from your face, as you couldn’t see severus through your hazy vision of your sobs.

“yes…of course i’ll marry you.” you replied.

choked sobs escaped severus, putting the ring on you and embracing you into his arms and spinning you slowly.

“we’re going to get married.” you said barely louder than your normal voice.

“we really are.”

severus didn’t want to let you go in the slightest.

and it was in that moment that you were undeniably in love with severus snape.

[beamiesbuddies]

Web Update #3: Final Gallery Section & Commission Updates!

Hello all! Happy Fall! 🍂🍁☕🍄🌰

As the cooler weather approaches, it’s time to bring my big website gallery overhaul to a close with the final (for now) section- the Passion Projects Section! Here I’ve documented 3 of my bigger projects (including my most recent doll of Mr. Dream).

You will find the finished photos, as well as more in-depth commentary on how I made them, materials, fun facts, WIP photos, & more! I hope you will enjoy reading them. Go to beamiesbuddies.com, hit the Gallery > Passion Projects

With that section, my Archive Gallery is more or less complete! As I make more dolls going forward, I will update the galleries from time to time. Follow me on IG and/or Tumblr to see the most recent creations!

Now for the big one- Commission Updates!

As longtime BB fans know, I’ve been opening commissions on a bi-yearly basis, to give myself the summer to finish my own projects (or even -gasp- have other hobbies!) This year, the summer has been focused on beamiesbuddies.com, as well as working on my first new line of original dolls (which I PROMISE I will start sharing soon!)

The summer was also full of activity lifewise for me, most good & some not so much. As such, I’m a little behind where I wanted to be at this time, & more than a little burnt out. I wanted to open up commissions this month for the upcoming holiday season, but being realistic, I don’t think I would be able to deliver my best work with so much still going on/needing finishing. (One of the things needing doing is the shop on this website, after all!)

Therefore: I will be opening commissions as of January 2025, for the winter season. Big apologies to those who wanted to commission me for Xmas gifts & such, but this will allow me to get a good head start on my ready-made dolls & hopefully have them up by late fall in time for holiday gift purchasing time. So you may not get a personalized character, but you could have another very cool original themed doll ;)

November 1st I will be opening up slots for the January commissions, which I will announce at that time. So, if you wanted to grab a gift for a friend, maybe you can give them the gift of a Beamie’s Buddies Custom Commission Slot? 👀

I can’t wait to share my upcoming dolls with you as I think they are looking super cute & I have so many ideas for future ones. In all my years I have never really gotten to let my imagination go & make my own characters, I feel like I’m unlocking new potential as a doll artist.

Thank you all for your lovely support on my work over the years & to come!

Love, Beamie 💖

[mediocre-eternity]

Armand, what books are you reading right now?

I actually re-read my own novel recently. You know, it’s really amusing seeing other vampire’s reaction to my book and I become reminded of what I really told David.

People (including David himself) tend to have the strongest reactions to…

1. Marius purchased me and basically immediately brought me to orgasm, or what I thought was an orgasm. Some do have a slightly larger reaction to how I was abducted in the first place, but that’s more uncommon. To be clear, this is not a positive nor negative judgement of my Maker. I am not expressing my hatred for him, nor providing evidence that he was guilty of anything happening to me then or thereafter. I have no real emotion toward these things happening to me. It is merely the beginning of my story.

2. After I was abducted again by my original coven, I was starved and forced to eat my best friend. Then, for some reason, I ripped his body up and threw it out of my enclosure.

To be entirely honest, I have no idea why I told David that piece of information. More often than not, I don’t remember that myself and when a new reader brings it up I’m utterly tickled that I remembered that scene in that one specific moment talking to David.

And, finally, 3. My relatively unemotional responses to most of my story and the very emotional faces and thoughts reacting to my matter-of-fact presentation. The true comedy of The Vampire Armand is the reader never got to see David’s emotions when I was talking to him. And, sometimes I will be moved to laughter re-learning my own history from others. That really bugs people.

Some more preceptive vampires will actually respond positively, I suppose because they finally have an explanation to my…let’s say… reputation.

I suppose we are all stereotypes of ourselves, after all.

I want on a big tangent. I re-read my book recently.

More or less, I’ve only been reading what has been recommended to me. If you want an existential laugh, I can recommend A Short Stay in Hell (Steven L Peck). If you like exorcisms, demons, stuff like that, I’d recommend Come Closer (Sara Gran).

Tender is the Flesh (Augustine Bazterrica) had me breathing quite heavy for most of it, the ending almost made me want to destroy the book, but also sort of… existential and somewhat ironic. For a creature of my kind anyway. I have no idea how a human would process that.

I hope this satisfied your question.

[otomiyaa]

Hi! I was reading your post about your neck and it inspired me to share a moment that happened recently… mildly NSFW 😅.

My bf also loves to tickle me (I don’t think he shares the kink but he likes it as flirting). Anyways my neck is also rly sensitive so like you I also swat away any attempt at it. We were lying on the bed after nsfw time and I forget why but he was lightly tickling me, but when he moved to the neck I accidentally smacked him in the face pretty hard T_T.

We had handcuffs on the dresser from nsfw time but I guess cause he was feeling like revenge, he managed to cuff me back to the bed and just went full attack on my neck jdjdjajjsa. He’d never rly gone this mean before and I’ve never been not able to fight back before and it was so bad 😭. Idk how long it was but it felt like minutes and I was def near tears at the end and he stopped as soon as he saw that.

but…. I think it was one of the sexiest things I’ve ever experienced and I doubt it will ever happened again 🤣. In his mind it was just a playful torture and he’s made fun of me for it since…. Sigh the struggles of being too shy to share your kink 😂

Love your blog btw it’s one of the best ❤️‍🔥

ohmygod THANK YOU FOR SHARING odsfosjgogsoj that's so flustering, I kinda want that to happen to me but guess I should purchase those handcuffs first *too chicken*

I'm also too shy to share my kink. sometimes when my bf and I get intimate my arms get stuck in my shirt - cough, like last weekend, cough - and he would use it to tickle me armpits just briefly. Oh how I wish I had the guts to tell him that OH he can keep going, I may make weird sounds but I DON'T MIND AT ALL.

but yes RIP your ticklish neck, I do hope for you it happens again hehee❤️‍🔥 thank you for the sweet words, I appreciate it a lot!!!

[shiorimakibawrites]

Fantasy (Part 9 of Alley Cat)

Image Credits: kissthemgoodbye.net / Amber Kipp / Nathan Dumlao

Pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!Reader

Word Count: 3108

Summary:  Reader is feeling anxious about upcoming discussion with Daredevil and needs to relax.

Warnings: MINORS DNI - EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT. Masturbation. Vaginal Fingering. Fantasies about oral sex (female receiving and male receiving), penis in vagina sex, and implied unprotected sex. Reader being anxious.

Can also be read here. The Masterlist for this series can be found here

Author’s Note: While trying to write the conversation between Reader and Matt, the muses informed me that was another chapter before that one could happen. A chapter involving smut. I have never written smut. I've read it. Never written it. Until now. Hopefully it isn't terrible. I now have increased respect for writers of smut. It is (hee) hard.

Fantasy

by Shiori_Makiba

You were waiting for Daredevil (who was probably Matt Murdock) to show up. At least you thought he would be visiting you tonight. There was no way to know for sure. It wasn't like you had set up a meeting with him. You just assumed that he would want to have a discussion with anyone who had discovered who he was under the mask.

Assuming you hadn't completely misinterpreting everything. You were pretty sure that you hadn't. He hadn't been subtle with his hints. At all. The only way he could have less subtle was if he had walked in and said 'I am Daredevil.'

You were ninety-nine percent certain that Daredevil and Matt Murdock were the same person but that little sliver of doubt was enough for anxiety to latch onto and make you start second-guessing yourself.

There were reasonable explanations for every hint or clue that didn't involve Murdock being Daredevil. Yes, all of them together stretched plausibility but sometimes improbable things happened. Ten years ago, if you had been asked if it was possible for a World War II soldier, a billionaire, a monster, an archer, and a lady assassin to stop an alien invasion, you would have said it was not. And yet, that is exactly what happened.

The biggest thing that was making your brain run in circles was simply that it was a very serious accusation to make. An accusation for which you had absolutely no proof. Your case was built entirely on guesswork, assumptions, and personal opinion. Any defense attorney worth their salt would able to shred it to pieces with ease.

If you were wrong, the best case scenario was that Daredevil and Murdock would find your crazy theory that they were same person to be funny. You'd be embarrassed but everyone would have a good laugh and move on. Worst case scenario? Daredevil would be offended that you would accuse his blind friend of breaking the law and violating his oaths as an attorney. He ends your friendship and you never see him again outside of the news. And you would need a new legal team because such accusations would be completely justified grounds for them to sever the attorney-client relationship with you.

You tried to distract yourself from such anxiety-fueled thoughts.

You started with Houdini. Who deserved some extra attention anyway. He gladly accepted a session with the fishing pole toy. It was always fun watching him chasing after, jumping at, and pouncing on the dancing ribbons. When he started to tire, you put the toy down and gave him some treats.

Feeling more relaxed, you made yourself comfortable on your couch and decided to continue reading your book. A fantasy romance novel that you had picked out because the swashbuckling hero in the cover art resembled Daredevil from his The Man In Black days. The plot was a little formulaic but you liked the characters and the sex scenes were steamy.

And honestly, it was far less embarrassing than the other novel you had recently purchased. A superhero romance whose half-demon hero the Red Devil was very obviously inspired by Daredevil. You hoped Daredevil never found out that you had read it. And it's two sequels. And pre-ordered the fourth and final book in the series. Because you had gotten invested in the story. And the sex scenes were really hot.

As soon as you started reading, Houdini made himself at home on your lap and started bumping your hand with his head. You took the hint and starting petting him with one hand while holding your book with the other. It didn't take long for him to start purring and then fall asleep.

You thought you had successfully headed off that anxiety spiral until the sun started to go down and that discussion with Daredevil became imminent. Soon you were too anxious to sit still and had to get off the couch. Houdini appreciated neither being woken up from his nap or being moved when he was comfortable. Which he informed you of. Loudly. Before curling up in the warm spot you had been laying in and going back to sleep.

You started pacing around the apartment and knew you were too keyed up. You needed to relax. Normally you would cook but the marinara in the slow cooker didn't need anything except to be turned to the keep warm setting. You already had enough homemade pasta in your freezer to feed several people. Which also had an ample supply of soups, sauces, and other make-ahead meals for the upcoming week. And then some. You always seemed to make too much food for one person. Granted your friends were usually happy to take your overflow. Especially Jo since she can't boil water without burning it.

Maybe that was for best. You were jittery enough that maybe handling a knife was a bad idea. Kneading bread dough was great stress relief but you were still working through the results of your last stress induced baking spree.

You needed something else. Maybe a shower? A shower sounded good. It had a lot of benefits. It would relax you. And ensure that you didn't stink when the man with the bloodhound nose showed up. Mind made up, you headed for your bedroom to grab some fresh clothes.

You were debating about what to wear – what was the appropriate attire for secret identity discussions – when your eyes landed on your copy of The Red Devil. Which was on the floor along with a couple of other books that had been in the bookcase. The cleared out space was suspiciously Houdini sized. You rolled your eyes. It seemed that you had found his new napping spot which rotated every couple of days and had included the places like the breadbox on the kitchen counter. And the molded shelf in the shower stall. His favorite seemed to be your underwear drawer. And like with the bookcase, he wasn't afraid to dump some of your panties on the floor in order to make room for himself.

You picked up the fallen books and stacked them in another spot in the bookcase. There was no point in putting them back in their shelf until Houdini got bored of napping there. He would just push them off the shelf again. Looking at the cover art of the Red Devil books with its titular hero in skin-tight red leather, you couldn't help thinking about your vigilante in red leather and Kevlar. You blushed a little remembering how many times you had re-imagined the sex scenes with Daredevil instead of Red Devil and yourself instead of the journalist heroine. The memory alone was enough get you a little worked up. Which only made you blush harder.

You shook your head and decided firmly that you were at least going to be comfortable during your potentially awkward conversation. Besides he already been exposed to your sleep wear. It wasn't going to horrify him now. So you grabbed a pair of thin sleep pants and an oversized tee shirt along with clean underwear and socks. Then headed for the bathroom.

After depositing your clothes on the counter, you reached into the shower stall and twisted the knob. With a loud hiss, the shower sputtered to life. As you waited for the water to heat up, you stripped out of your slacks, blouse, panties, bra, and socks. You tested the water but it needed another minute. Which left you with nothing to do but stand there naked in the rising steam and think.

Your mind tried to retread the same anxiety-filled spiral but you pushed away those thoughts. You were supposed to be relaxing. You needed to think of something else. Anything else.

The something else your brain finally settled on as you entered the shower stall and slide the door shut was sex. Specifically sex with Daredevil . . .

You flushed and tried think of something else. You needed to be able to look Daredevil in the eye tonight, possibly very soon if he decided to talk to you before his patrol, and that would be impossible to do if you had just been picturing him naked and getting off to it. The fact that Daredevil was probably Matt Murdock who was blind and (probably) wouldn't know that you were avoiding his eyes was irrelevant.

But your brain had decided on what it wanted to latch onto next. And that thing was imagining Daredevil naked.

His Daredevil suit wasn't skin tight but it fitted his body close enough to give your imagination a good starting point. You pictured broad shoulders, solid pecs, and abs that you could bounce a quarter off that tapered into a trim waist before flaring out into the finest ass on the East Coast. Possibly the world. Thick thighs that would encourage your legs apart whether you were on your back or straddling his lap. Powerful arms that could easily hold you up against the wall or pin you down the bed. And, through it might be setting you up for disappointment later, a big dick, long and thick enough to make you feel the stretch when he entered you, that you would feel full when he was inside you.

Your cunt began to throb with need just at the thought of him being inside you. You leaned against the wall of the shower, hissing as the coolness of the tile touched your warm skin. Using your back to brace yourself against the wall, you spread your legs. You reached a hand and was unsurprised to feel that you were already wet. What surprised you was just how wet you already were. You gasped when your fingers grazed your clit and began to rub gentle circles.

You pictured a kiss. One that started out like the one of your cheek. Just the gentle press of those soft, pink lips against yours that soon deepens into something firmer, something hungrier. You imagined those hands, rough with calluses, roaming over your body. Followed by his lips, creating a trail of fire with alternating kisses and little nips down your neck to the tops of your breasts. The light scrap of his beard scuff causing the skin to sing with sensation that would leave you squirming against his body.

You started moaning his name as your fingers increased their pace on your clit, picturing those clever fingers teasing your nipples until they tightened into stiff peaks. You would cry out when he latched onto one of the stiff peaks and sucked, arching your back to press more of your breast into his mouth.

You whined as your cunt clenched around nothing. You slide the fingers of your other hand along your soaked slit, coating your fingers in slick. You started panting as those fingers rubbed against your entrance and then began to dip inside. Soon you were pumping that finger in and out. It felt so good but not enough. You wanted more. You needed more. You quickly worked in a second finger. Which was better but you wished it was his fingers, thicker than yours, that were inside of you. But you made do and once you had a rhythm, your other hand resumed rubbing clit.

Soon the tension inside of you began to coil tighter and tighter . . . until it shattered as you came with a guttural moan. Legs trembling, you slide down the wall to sit on the floor of the shower. You felt more slick coating your thighs as your cunt clenched and twitched. You leaned your head back, closed your eyes and tried to catch your breath.

Well, you were definitely more relaxed now. And as much as you would like to sit there and enjoy your post-orgasm bliss, you needed to finish cleaning yourself before you ran out of hot water. You pushed yourself up onto still wobbly legs and reached for the soap . . .

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

Matt hadn't been trying to be a voyeur. Honestly. He had come to your apartment with the intention of speaking to you before starting his patrol. Otherwise he would be distracted and being distracted while fighting would lead to injuries. Which would annoy Claire who had been running off her feet caring not only for the civilians at her hospital who had been injured during Tuesday's attack but also the vigilantes who had responded. He made a mental note to talk to Danny about buying her a day at the spa or something. Didn't want her thinking that they didn't appreciate all of her hard work.

Furthermore, especially after his stunt at the office today, if he showed up at work tomorrow injured because he was distracted by a pretty girl, Foggy might actually kill him.

At first, his timing had seemed perfect. He had caught Houdini in the act of making his way down the fire escape. The cat made a spirited attempt to evade capture but ultimately failed. Not that he accepted his defeat quietly as Houdini immediately started monologuing at him. And squirming as soon as he started to scale the fire escape.

Which rather distracted Matt as he didn't want to accidentally drop your cat. A fall from this height could be lethal. Which would upset you greatly. He knew how much you loved your cat. Such an occurrence would also upset him as Matt had grown rather fond of Houdini.

The result was that he didn't notice the situation until he was standing on the platform by your bedroom window. But once he did, he immediately froze and didn't even notice Houdini taking advantage of his suddenly slack hold to slip out of his hands.

The scent of your arousal hung heavy in the air, stirring his cock to life. He couldn't stop himself from inhaling deeply, his tongue from sweeping out to taste the air. He wished he was in the shower with you, his nose nuzzled against your neck. Filling his lungs with your pheromones and the sweet, sweet smell of your body getting wet for him.

Or even better, laying you down on the counter and burying his face in your cunt. He wanted to feel the muscles in your thighs twitch and tremble under his hands as he licked up your slit. To hear your panting moans as he lapped at and sucked on your clit. Or started fucking you with his tongue. He hoped you would pull his hair, gripped tightly in your hand, as he drew you closer and closer to release . . .

Then he heard something that only made his twitching cock harder. You started moaning his name. Daredevil at first but soon you were also panting out Matt. Confirmation that it was him you were fantasizing about while you touched yourself . . .

It took more willpower than was pretty to leave. And even more to stop listening to you get off. One day, he promised himself. One day, if you agreed to it, he would replicate this moment but this time, he would get to participate as something other than an accidental voyeur. One of a growing list of fantasies that he hoped you would be agreeable to fulfilling someday.

But not today. Regardless of the outcome of your discussion tonight, sex wasn't happening. He wasn't going to fuck you without taking you to dinner first. He had at least that much class.

His patrol was going to be delayed. He was even more distracted now then he was before. His erection was refusing to be willed away. His cock knew what it wanted. To be buried in your sweet cunt, to feel you gripping him tightly with each thrust until he spilled himself inside you. It would have to settle for his left hand.

Once back to his apartment, Matt wasted no time stripping off his suit and pushing down his boxers, hissing with relief at the cool air on his aching cock. Your apartment wasn't very far from his but it was long enough that the silk of his boxers rubbing on his erection was starting to make him oversensitive. That same sensitivity made him sit on his impatience and retrieve the lube. It didn't smell anywhere near as good as your slick but it would have to do.

“Fuck,” he grunted as he gripped the base of his cock and began to stroke the length. He tried to imagine that it was your hands wrapped around his cock but the sensation wasn't right. Your hands were smaller than his. Softer too. He vividly recalled the feel of your hand against his when he shook your hand after signing the retainer agreement as well as your cheek under his lips.

He was looking forward to discovering if the rest of your skin was just as soft. How your curves would feel under his hands. How your breathe would hitch when he cupped your breasts or grabbed a handful of your ass.

The pace of his hand increased as his mind flicked between all the things he wanted to do with you. He wanted you to sit on his face. Gripping your hips as you moved against his mouth, chasing your orgasm. Licking and sucking you afterward until you are squirming and whining from overstimulation.

His hips gave an involuntary jerk at the thought. Another fantasy rose to the surface.

You on your knees in front of him sucking his cock. He groaned at the thought of his cock engulfed in the tight, wet mouth of your mouth. Your tongue licking his length and discovering every sensitive spot, teasing him until he begged for more. Your lips closing over just the head and sucking. Your nails digging into his thighs, the little pain adding a sweet edge to the pleasure you brought. Would you moan as he fought not to start fucking your face? Would you let him come down your throat? Would you keep sucking and licking after his release until he also started whining from overstimulation?

That did it. He swore as he began to cum, coating his hand and abdomen in a sticky mess. He worked himself until it was too much. He needed to be spent before he came near you again with your arousal lingering in the air. Or he might given into temptation and take you on your kitchen table. Even after all that, his cock still gave an aborted twitch at the thought.

He cleaned up himself and was getting the suit back on when he heard the first signs of trouble. He growled. Looks like your conversation would have to wait until after he put the fear of the Devil in some people.

Ending Notes:

The first romance novel Reader mentions is basically Stardust if Tristan was Zorro / Dread Pirate Roberts.

The Red Devil ones are basically a original novel version of Falling For The Devil (Daredevil fic by BellaGiornata here on AO3 – go read it. Yes, I know it is at current point 79 installments long. Read it anyway).

The Devil books are quite popular. There might be a screen adaptation in the works. And I may have cast Charlie Cox as the lead in said screen adaptation.

[alexistalkscomics]

Ultimate Spider-Man #10: A Bit of Deja Vu?

Because of the mismanagement of both the comic book distribution system and the British postal system, I’ve only been able to catch up on Ultimate Spider-Man and read the latest issue today.

Written by regular writer Jonathan Hickman and guest artist, David Messina, this issue puts Peter and his exploits as Spider-Man on the back burner and instead, focuses on what Ben and Jonah have been getting up to at The Paper as they investigate Wilson Fisk and his presumed connection Stane/Stark Industries and recent events in New York until learning that it is actually Oscorp that purchased Stane/Stark’s assets.

This portion of the duo’s investigation is largely what takes up the content of the first half of the issue and I have to say that I didn’t find it terribly exciting, even with the added drama of Oscorp being one of the main investors for The Paper becuase as a reader, I’ve been fully aware that it was Oscorp who took over Stane/Stark for a few issues now so everything just ends up feeling like more of a recap of what I already know rather than an actual standalone story which feel like Hickman falling into the trap of focusing a bit too much on plot to the detriment of the story which is something that he occasionally has a tendency to do in some of his more recent Marvel work.

The issue only really becomes interesting near the end as we see Harry Osborn who in the new Ultimate Universe, is an anti-heroic version of the Green Goblin confront Ben and Jonah to try and get them to drop their investigation.

It’s one of the more interesting moments in the issue as it’s gives us a bit more of an insight into how this version of Harry ticks, especially when Peter isn’t around and he isn’t able to just blow things up like he can as Green Goblin. Even though this Harry is still far more stable than most versions of the character and is still a long way from becoming the iconic villainous incarnation of The Gobln, Hickman does a good job of planting the seeds for some of Harry’s darker traits here.

This scene is also where the most interesting development of the issue occurs where Harry gives Ben and Jonah a flash drive containing information about the true nature of Earth 6160 and its history.

This represents a very major turning point in the ongoing storyline of the Ultimate Universe and whilst I do have some concerns that this development has happened a bit too quickly and could interfere of what’s going in The Ultimates, the book that focuses on Iron Lad and Doom’s revolution against the Maker’s council, I do have faith that Hickman will be able to something interesting with this and I hope that the world’s true natural being revealed could lead to a sense greater of interconnectivity between the books in the Ultimate Universe line.

Just like in the other issues where Messina stepped in as guest artist, his art style is well done and fits the tone of Hickman’s writing and the slower and more character driven tone of his issues in contrast to the action orientated style of main artist, Marco Checchetto. However, I do feel that one thing that holds Messina’s art back in his USM issues is that I can’t help but feel as though he’s trying to bring his art work more in line with Checchetto’s rather than fully embracing his own strengths as an artist.

As Ultimate Spider-Man comes closer to reaching the conclusion of its first year, its consistently been one of the best books from Marvel and has been the comic that’s made me excited to read Spider-Man comics again after years of varying quality from the main line books so I’m very disappointed to say that this is the first issue of USM that’s failed to meet the high standards that the series has set for itself. Whilst it has some interesting concepts and sets up a really exciting development, a slow pace and a first half lacking in anything that hasn’t already been revealed to us results in an issue that feels little more than filler until it’s closing pages. With next issue introducing the Earth 6160 Incarnation of Black Cat, I have high hopes that this issue is just a little hiccup and that the series will be back to being one of the best comics currently being published by the big two.

6.5/10

[sab-teraa]

Tye Talks: A Diary Entry

(22/02/24 || 22:58 pm)

Good evening friends, I hope you are all well and having a lovely Thursday! Just one more day till the weekend! Yay <3

Inspired by the lovely @the-winds-of-destiny-xxx , I've decided to start blogging about my day. Hopefully, I will be able to stay up to date lol.

Work

Ugh, I've been up since 5am prepping myself to deliver my second lecture of the semester. It went well, kinda. The students were super interactive which is great. Application + practicality > regurgitating information. They did super well. Also, we have a new HoD, and while I really liked our previous heads, the new HoD is a breath of fresh air and I really enjoy their approach towards education.

My full-time job is actually soooo … atm. My colleague has resigned which is all cool and I wish her the best.

But, there’s a trend I’ve noticed recently within our organization … and I hope it does not present any problems in the future. Tbh, I think it has presented a problem before … but idk. Anyway, constructive criticism goes a long long way … only if you’re keen and willing to learn …. which this person defo is NOT.

Enough about my colleagues, the CEO presented me with an opportunity but I'm lowkey nervous .. bc I prefer being a private + somewhat anonymous person lol, but I obviously said yes. Let's see how it goes, anything can happen and this whole project might fall through. Especially in this economy.

All in all, I really love my job and the career path I’ve taken. I hope it does not backfire on me later on in life.

Uni

Gosh. Uni is the bane of my existence atm. Tho, i did make a bit of progress on my thesis today. I know exactly what I need to do, but I just don't have the motivation to it. But, I think I've finally got myself together .. so let's see what happens.

Also, I'm so grateful for my thesis supervisor <3 she is so understanding and supportive.

Health

Is this tmi? Maybe? Apologies if so?

But, my nose and throat have been KILLING me recently? Idk if it’s bc of the fan or what … but yup. Thank god for cloves! They’ve helped wayyyy more than anything else I’ve tried lol. Also, my pms is really starting to hit 😭😭 I’ve been in soooo much pain since I got back home.

My mentally, I’m doing okay … there’s obvs moments in the day where I’m like shit?? I’m an adult adult?? Yet my life feels so stagnant 😂 but then I try to keep it moving and not think so much about what I want … and I try to focus on what I do have…. bc I’ve done my best.

Fun and mundane

I finally got to go to my first gym class of the week - I really needed that! The housewives from my class invited me for smoothies afterwards … and they are so fun! Are they my mums age mates? Yes 😂😂 but I loved hanging out with them .. they truly live in their own bubble .. I wanna be exactly like them when I’m older lol.

Oh Oh! And I finally finished the second season of Al Rawabi School for Girls ... flip, it truly broke my heart. What an amazing show.

I really wanted to start the new season of Real Housewives of Durban … but the new Showmax app is truly YUCK! I have the ick 🫠🫠 but, I love the show waaaaay too much, so I’d probs get over it soon lol.

Other than gym and catching up on tv, I made a delicious lasagna for dinner. I'm convinced that my homemade meat sauce and cheese sauce remains undefeated, or maybe that's just me being cocky lol. If I had more space, I would have defo attempted to make the pasta too.

I'm super excited for this weekend bc my friends and I are going to this art and music event and getting food afterwards. I also really wanna buy that duvet set I saw online ... since I'm no longer purchasing an apartment (recession boo boo boo 🍅🍅🍅), I may as well just re-do my current apartment lol. It already looks great, but I've been putting off getting a new duvet set bc I presumed I was gonna buy a bigger bed lol... so I've just been rotating between the two sets I have ... and damn they've seen better days lol.

Relationships

After all he has been through, my brother finally has some great things happening. I am so proud of him. I know he will achieve everything he aspires to <3 This has also done wonders for his self-confidence, he truly needed this, and I hope ... I really hope that it stays on this positive track.

Positive family news aside, idk if anyone saw the post about my uncle? But god damn I'm annoyed af. (Side note: He is my mums cousin btw; but my entire family is close). Anyway, my uncle called my mum to rant … and according to my mum he was sooooo proud of what he said to his wife??? I’m just disgusted. Idk how. His wife could forgive him for this. I’m so glad my mum put him in his place ✋🏽✋🏽✋🏽

I know its not about me and I have no right to speak on other people's relationships, but I hate seeing people put their all into a relationship and even go against their own family to be with someone ... only for their partner to treat them like this. His wife deserves soooooo much better and its sooo heartbreaking that she has to go through. My heart truly breaks for her. I pray everything works out for her.

Conclusion

Anywho … if you made it this far! Thank you for reading my ramblings <3 wishing you a lovely day! Stay safe babes 😘

[adventuringblind]

New to your account, but love your neorodivergent/autistic reader with Oscar!! Just wondering, are you one, or do you know someone who is? I'm just curious cause you are nailing it down even to the small stuff, and I love it. If your uncomfortable sharing, I'd understand. I'm not autistic but I am part of the neurodivergent side, so thank you for the representation cause not many write about autistic or neurodivergents as a whole.

Also, sorry for this long ass message, and the floor is the best!! I really wanna know which motor home and track feels good enough to sleep in after one of the posts you did 😅

Yes! At least… most likely. I’ve been trying to get diagnosed with something even if it’s not autism. My doctor and therapist both thing that I am and I’ve been referred to a psychologist in hopes of getting a diagnosis.

I am a teacher (when I’m not writing). I’ve had to study a lot of the criteria for anything covered under the IDEA act because it’s important as an educator and for me personally to be able get a student the help they need as soon as possible.

I’ve been able to help both students and adults get answers they needed and get students the tools to help them be successful. I also just like learning about the brain in general. Anyone who knows me personally knows not to bring up the brain unless they want me to talk about for hours.

I actually didn’t think anything about it at first. Nobody had ever said anything to me and I had accepted the fact that I was a weird kid. Like… really weird.

Too old for my age. I hated the feeling of makeup (still do) and nobody understood why. Conversations were always difficult because I didn’t get majority of the jokes or I was ‘to deep’ or obnoxiously blunt. I’m a picky eater and have always been obsessed with specific things. My sensory issues are ridiculous and I was always shushing people who talked loud next to me. People purchased me clothes that I never wear because I hate the feeling. I was either disrespectful or extremely polite. I never changed even though my friends liked different things then I did. The list goes one…

Recently I encouraged my boyfriend if four years to get tested for ADHD. No shocker to anyone that he is and is now diagnosed. He also has practice with early intervention because he worked in early childhood. His own diagnosis, research, and speculations made him bring up the idea to me.

I pushed it off because I’m overly empathetic not apathetic. Basically I didn’t feel that I met the diagnosis criteria that I’d been studying in my college courses.

Actual research about how autism is more then the diagnostic criteria led me to believe maybe I’m neurodivergent in some way.

My boyfriend love to tell me ‘I told you so.’

I also know that self-diagnosis in the autistic community is welcomes usually. The only reason I say that I am is because of that and my doctor and therapist agree. I just don’t have a formal diagnosis yet.

It has explained a lot and it makes me look back on my childhood with more sympathy for myself.

Sorry for this long winded answer. The answer is yes which is why I write for neurodivergent readers.

If you want to see something specific or maybe a different type neurodivergent reader please let me know! :)

Definitely the Redbull ring and the Mercedes garage floor because it looks cold and shiny

[filmnoirfoundation]

FNF prez Eddie Muller responds to film noir fan questions fielded by the Foundation's Director of Communications Anne Hockens. In this episode, we discuss, A WOMAN’S FACE, DECEPTION, CRY VENGEANCE, proto-noirs, the prevalence of the amnesia trope in film noir, and more. We wind with a discussion of film noir posters. Sorry folks, no cats this week.  

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This week’s questions:

When you do Grand Lake intro and outro shoots, what kind of crew do you have or is it self-inflicted? Jay and Connie, Ann Arbor

I have heard you mention several times on your show that were plans to make a film version of Dashiell Hammett's book RED HARVEST. But you also added that this film was never made for various reasons. Does a screenplay of that film exist and can it be purchased? Loren, Chicago

Can you think of an actor/actress with a noir performance that surprised you given the films or TV you had seen them in before? Ryan from Rhode Island

 It seems that many classic noir actors and actresses were able to parlay their fame into popular TV series in the 1950s and '60's.  Do either of you have a favorite TV show in that regard? Joe, Redondo Beach CA

Before film noir became a thing in the 1940s, there were other films that had strong noir elements, either in style or content or both. What are some of the best and/or most influential proto-noirs? Kathleen from Chicago

I just recently saw A WOMAN'S FACE. I thought it was excellent and Ms. Crawford was superb in the role of Anna Holm.  Eddie, would you consider it a film noir and if so, would you consider showing it on NOIR ALLEY? Richard, New York

I just watched DECEPTION (1946) for the first time. What an amazing film with the main performances by Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, but especially from Claude Rains. I wanted to know your thoughts on the film, but especially the ending. For me, it was a total letdown. Marty, Fond du Lac, WI 

What are your favorite noir movies that use amnesia as a major plot device? Why did it become so popular? Ciao, Andy

After reading Sharon Knolle's article "Hard Luck Dogs: How Animals Reveal The Tender Heart of Noir" in Noir City issue 17. One of my favorite dog cameos is a dachshund that wanders into a shot and appears to be begging the camera operator for a snack in CRY VENGEANCE. I was wondering if you might have some insights or thoughts on this fun noir film.  Any info would be greatly appreciated. James in Atlanta

Film noir movie posters are great to look at. All the ones I’ve come across seem to have pulp influences.  What started that? Was it pulp paperbacks or magazines? We’re all noir movie posters of the time (40’s and 50’s) generally the same in this regard or were there any more subtle styles? Eddie: I remember you mentioning that you purchased a bunch of old movie posters. Which turned out to be your favorite? Steve in Exeter New Hampshire