#sleight of hand studios

[ghwosty]

if you can't produce your own serotonin during the dark short days time of year store bought in the form of a parasocial relationship with a band's discography will work mostly fine

[mountainsandmayhem]

Tess's Treasures

18+, MDNI

Pairing: Tess x Joel x OC!Female x Female!Reader Summary: After perfecting the art of pickpocketing, you’re invited to join Tess’s Treasures. They’re infamous around the QZ and the initiation process is not what you expect, but exactly what you need. CW: If you’re not into foursomes/bi girl shit then you are in the wrong place. MFFF, bisexual females, fingering, masturbating, oral, dirty talk, praise kink, degradation kink. Unprotected p in v. Overstim and squirting. Please read this at your discretion. If this isn’t for you, that’s perfectly fine. AN: You can thank @mermaidgirl30 and @littlevenicebitch69 for being good little girls and filling my mind with depraved and twisted thoughts. This fic has truly been a labour of love, taking me almost 6 weeks to put together and edit. I'm not the least bit sorry about the word count, grab a snack, probably some electrolytes and maybe some spare batteries lol. Special shoutouts to @pedritoferg for their kind words when my imposter syndrome had the best of me. As always, dividers and support banners by @saradika-graphics. Friendly reminder that I'm phasing out my tag list, follow @mountainsandmayhem-updates for new fics.

Word Count: 9005

Becoming one of Tess’s Treasures seemed like a fallacy, a pipe dream. A fairytale life only reserved for the most vicious females that prowl the shady streets of the Boston QZ, and you aren’t a killer. A thief, yes; but not a killer. Truthfully, you weren’t even sure if the organization existed. Sure, Tess was a real person, but did she actually have a horde of women she called her Treasures? 

She was infamous in the seedy underbelly of Boston, her and her henchman Joel. Granted, no one ever seemed to see Joel, unless he was about to kill you. And sometimes not even then, he was often hiding in the shadows, shadows darker than the demons that allegedly haunted him.

Outbreak day happened when you were just little, you don’t remember much of the journey from your old hometown to Boston. Everyone here is poor, doing what they can to get credits to buy basic human needs; making trades and swaps were what most people did. You, however, were much more clever. After discovering a book detailing the art of sleight of hand you started practicing, and now you can take anything, right in front of someone's eyes, without them noticing. 

Or so you thought. After stealing a pistol from a FEDRA officer and replacing it with a banana, all while having a conversation with him in broad daylight, Tess approaches you.

“Come to my apartment next week. I wanna see if you have what it takes. Mum’s the word.” It’s a hushed whisper as she passes you, slipping a small card in your back pocket as she goes. 

You follow the cards' instructions, arriving at the exact time, going up to the top floor and then doing two quick, sharp knocks on the worn out door.

“Enter,” Tess says from inside. The door creaks on your way in. It’s the hottest day Boston has seen in years, and even in your small sundress, the room is stifling hot. The air is thick with the smell of gunpowder and something else that you can’t quite put your finger on. There’s a fan oscillating in the corner, the paint chipped off the cage that protects the blades. As it blows warm air past you, you realize that the other smell is sex. 

Tess is sitting on the couch to the right of the door, two mismatched wooden kitchen chairs in front of her. Straight ahead from the door is a small kitchen, and to the back left of the studio style apartment is the bed. Unmade, sheets tousled like someone just woke up, but based on the heady taste of the air in the room, the messy sheets are definitely from two people rolling around in them.

“Come sit,” Tess says firmly. You click the door shut behind you and head to the empty chair that’s waiting for you. The other chair is occupied by a small brunette woman. She has long slender limbs and doesn’t look like someone who would hang out with raiders, poachers and drug runners. Her hands are folded in her lap, ankles crossed under the chair. She doesn’t look over at you.

Tess leans forward, spreading her denim clad legs wide and resting her elbows on her knees. “Do you two know who I am?”

You both nod slowly. Up close, Tess is terrifying. She could have you killed with just a snap of her fingers, and Joel would do it however she wanted. From what you’ve heard, very slowly was her favourite way to have people eliminated from this earth. Quick deaths weren’t something she enjoyed when someone had fucked her over. 

“Speak!” she commands. The brunette jumps and even though you’ve mastered the art of pushing your fears down and masking your emotions, a small butterfly flaps its wings behind your navel. 

“Yes,” you say hoarsely as a meek ‘yes ma’am’ sounds beside you.

“Good. So then you know the….perks of being one of my Treasures,” Tess’s eyes twinkle as she says perks like she knows something you don’t. Like it’s more than the better living arrangements, food and medical care. Better than a sense of family and belonging.

She continues, “I’ve seen both of you at work. You,” her steel grey eyes are laser focused on yours, “With your quick hands, and you,” she adjusts her attention to the petite woman beside you, “With your ability to talk a man into almost anything. Before you can officially call yourself my Treasures, there’s a small matter of your…” Her voice trails, mouth ticking up on one side as she cocks her head and drags her eyes across both of your bodies.

“Well, your initiation.” She leans back onto the couch, knees falling wider. One arm drapes across the back, the worn cushion deflating slightly. The other rests on her thick, toned thigh. “I take care of my girls, but they need to show me that they can listen.”

The air seems thicker, and harder to fill your lungs with. Every move of her eyes is suggestive. Is she saying what you think she’s saying? You feel yourself begin to soak through your panties at the possibility of getting to fuck.

You aren’t left wondering for long as she points a long finger at the girl beside you, “Stand up, take off your clothes.”

“W-what?” the girl sputters. 

“I said to stand up and take off your fucking clothes,” the words almost seem to burn as she repeats herself. 

The girl stands so quickly that the chair falls, making a loud crash against the worn hardwood flooring. She stares at Tess for a moment, unsure if she should pick up the chair before she decides against it and pulls her blue cotton baby tee off, revealing a lacy white bra underneath. 

“That’s it,” Tess groans. “Take off those little shorts next.”

With shaky hands she moves to the button fly, each drag of the metal on denim seems to echo in the silent room. Tess licks her lips as she slides her shorts down her legs and kicks them to the side. “Come here,” Tess says, her voice already husky and deep. The woman walks over to Tess, stopping between her spread legs. Tess’s strong fingers grip the girl's hips and she gasps. “Turn around,” she urges, dragging her fingers along her hips as the mystery girl spins.

“What’s your name?” Tess asks. The girl's bright green eyes land on you and you see her breath hitch in her slender throat. She’s petite, probably a few inches shorter than you and at least a foot shorter than Tess. You’ve always been attracted to both men and women and there’s no denying that this little stranger is absolutely stunning. 

“Lydia,” she croaks.

“Are you nervous, Lydia?” Tess asks, cupping the globes of her ass in her hands, kneading and squeezing. Spreading them gently, exploring what she’s about to claim as hers. 

She nods her head and lets out a shaky moan of agreement.

“Go pick up your chair and sit down, Lydia.” Tess swats her bum as she walks away and Lydia yelps quietly.

Tess’s eyes now come to you. Staring straight into your soul. I’m sure if she could, her eyes would incinerate your clothes right off of you. It’s intoxicating. You, unlike Lydia, are not nervous. Not in the slightest. If anything, Tess’s attention on you only makes you wetter. Your panties are practically soaked through already. “And you, my little thief. What’s your name?”

You say your name confidently and squeeze your thighs together, trying to ease some of the ache that Tess’s newfound attention is bringing to the apex of your thighs.

Tess whispers your name back at you and it sends a shiver down your spine. She continues, “Get on your hands and knees and crawl to me.”

Lydia swallows loudly beside you as you drop to the floor, crawling seductively to Tess, head held high. The worn hardwood planks creak under your weight. Even the floor is warm and sticky from the weather. You make it to her, sitting back on your heels like the good little girl you are. She leans forward and tugs on the hem of your dress and her syrupy voice says, “Arms up”. You lift your ass slightly and she slips your dress up and over your head. It was too hot for a bra today so you’re left in just a lacy pink thong.

“Mmmm, look at those pretty tits,” Tess hums, her fingers gliding along the plush soft skin of your breasts before ghosting over your nipples making the arm whoosh from your lungs. “You like that? Me touching your nipples.”

You breathe out a yes, eyes shutting as she pinches your pebbled buds roughly. “Oh god, yes.”

The old worn couch groans as Tess sits back, “Go take her bra and panties off.”

You climb to your feet and walk over to Lydia, holding out a hand and helping her stand. You move behind her and trail your fingers down the soft skin of her spinal column before popping the clasp of her bra. Lydia slides it off her body, arms crossing to block her now exposed breasts. Goosebumps rise across her from head to toe. You shush her and rub up and down her arms. Lydia relaxes under your touch and she drops her arms, Tess nods at you once, a silent encouragement to continue. You get down on your knees, hooking your index fingers in the waistband of her panties and sliding them down. Her round ass is in your face, she smells like fresh linen and rain. You fight the urge to kiss the sensitive little spot right where her ass crack starts.

“So fucking beautiful. Sit back down, Lydia.” Tess says and you want to cry out in protest. Her body is so enticing, soft and warm. She focuses back on you and says, “Stand in front of Lydia so she can take your panties off.”

You stand gracefully, biting your bottom lip as you maneuver yourself in front of Lydia. “Spread your legs,” you whisper, determined to help her so you can put on the best show for Tess. Lydia parts her knees and you twirl to face Tess, gathering your hair in one hand as Lydia slides your soaked panties down your legs. You kick them to the side and seductively drop your hair, smiling sweetly at Tess.

“Sit,” Tess barks. Lydia gasps behind you, but you like this; being told what to do. Commanded. Used. Tess continues after you sit, “I want you both to touch yourselves. Show me how you like it, but don’t come. You haven’t earned that yet. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” Lydia says, looking down at her hands. You nod eagerly, already sliding your ass to the edge of the chair and spreading your legs wide for her. Tess stares at your glistening core hungrily, leaning forward again to rest her muscular forearms on her knees. Her hair falls forward and frames her face. Her expression is hard, like you don’t want to disobey her in these moments. Brows are slightly knit together, lips in a thin line. She looks beautiful and dangerous, but as you bring your pointer and ring fingers to your entrance she softens a little, cocking her head to the side slightly. 

Lydia keeps her legs closed, slipping a finger down her slit and rubbing slowly from side to side. She whimpers silently beside you, glancing at you nervously. Your fingers easily slip inside of your soft, dripping hole. 

Tess’s eyes dance between the two of you. “Two very different girls,” she says to the room, neither of you stopping what you’re doing, both determined to become a part of her Treasures. “One of you seems shy, but I can work with that. Help you get out of your shell. And then there’s you,” her focus locks on you as she gets up with a grunt and saunters over to you. “You are a little whore, aren’t you? So eager to please.”

You feel yourself getting wetter at her attention and mean words. She pets your head lightly a few times, laughing quietly at how you lean into her touch, your eyes fluttering closed. Just as your lashes hit your cheeks she grabs a handful, pulls hard and gets within inches of your face. “You’re going to be a problem, aren’t ya?”

“No,” you gasp, your orgasm right on the precipice, so you slow your motions. “I’ll be good, Tess.”

“Did I say you could slow down?”

“I - I’m gonna come,” you whine. 

“No, you’re not. You just told me you’d be good. And good girls don’t come until they’re told.” She releases your hair and you suck in a breath. Tess’s presence is palpable, she seems to take up all the space and air in the apartment by just being here. “Do NOT come, that’s an order.”

Just as the last sentence leaves her mouth the door opens and the apartment gets smaller, like your whole existence is being put in a vacuum sealer. The deep chuckle that comes from whoever just entered makes your scalp prickle, but you keep your focus on Tess.

“What’re we doin’ here, Tess?” The voice is deep, with a slight southern accent highlighting an occasional word. It can only belong to one man, the only man allowed near Tess’s Treasures. Joel Miller. He’s feared and revered in the Boston QZ. Runs the drug trade that keeps both FEDRA and the seedy underbelly running. You’ve never seen him before, but you’ve heard stories.

“Recruits,” Tess says, walking over to Lydia, crouching in front of her. “This one is shy. The other one - well, I might need your help with her.”

Your clit feels like it’s zapped with electricity at her threatening promises and you moan loudly, pausing your fingers that have been plunging in and out of you as per Tess’s requests. “See,” she says flatly, hands massaging Lydia’s plush tanned thighs. 

You hear Joel’s heavy footsteps as he walks towards you, you can feel his heat and smell the tobacco coming off his skin. When he steps into your line of vision everything blurs. He’s beautiful and dangerous, but overall he’s the most incredible specimen you’ve ever seen. Your brain seems to go blank, like a hard reset, until all you see and smell and care about is Joel. You keep your eyes locked on his face, his brows crease, lips pressed tightly together. He plants his hands on his hips as his coffee and whiskey eyes slowly trail down your body. When he gets to your soaked and swollen pussy he licks his lips. “You gonna let her come?” He asks Tess but doesn’t take his eyes off you.

The fog clouding your brain clears and you glance towards Lydia and Tess. She has her legs spread and Tess is smiling encouragingly up at her, hand on top of hers, teaching her where to touch. 

“She can come when she’s earned it. Lydia’s earned it though. Haven’t you?” She nods at Lydia as she squirms in the wooden kitchen chair. “That’s it, show us.”

Lydia speeds the up and down motion of her hand sloppily, you can hear the wetness as her movements become more erratic. Joel’s eyes haven’t left you, still watching you fuck your fingers in and out of yourself, almost mesmerized by you. 

“Tess,” Lydia murmurs.

“Go ahead, baby. Come for me. Let me see that pretty little pussy twitch.” 

Lydia’s body starts to shake as she cries out, her hand slowing as she whines and moans, “Oh god. Oh god. Yesyesyes.”

You peel your eyes away from her and squeeze every muscle in your body as tightly as you can, holding on, not letting yourself come. Looking at Joel makes it nearly impossible not to tip over that very tantalizing edge, so you clamp your eyes shut. “Tess,” Joel says, his voice a baritone whisper. “You’re torturing this one, look at her.”

He’s right, she is torturing you; but, what Joel doesn’t know is that you love it. You love being denied just as much as you love being used. You love being pinned down or tied up. You love having your throat or pussy or ass fucked in any and all positions known to humankind. The world is a dark and horrible shit show, but sex? Ya, sex makes you feel alive. 

“Torturing her would be not letting her touch herself at all. She should be thanking me.” Tess turns her attention back to Lydia, helping her stand up and pulling her to the couch. “You did such a good job for me. You looked stunning as you fell apart.”

You open your eyes at the movement of them. They stop and stand facing each other in front of the couch as Tess removes her shirt, her breasts are small and perky with light pink nipples. Joel looks away from you, staring appreciatively at the woman he’s sworn to protect. She pops the button on her jeans. “Take them off her, Lydia. Tess shouldn’t have to work this hard,” Joel commands. 

You whimper at the timbre of Joel's voice when he’s giving instructions and his eyes whip back to you. “You like that, don’t you? Being told what to do.”

“Yes, oh god, please can I come Tess,” you cry, eyes still locked with Joels.

“Lydia is going to lick my pussy, Joel is going to move out of the way so I can see you, and when I say you can come I want you to be loud. I want to hear those slutty little moans. Got it?”

Joel doesn’t hesitate, stepping behind your chair. He must be leaning over you because you swear you can feel his breath on the shell of your ear. Tess sits on the couch and tugs at Lydia’s wrist gently, encouraging her to kneel in front of her. “Come on,” she whispers and then places her finger at the top of her pussy. “Just lick and kiss right here. You can do it.”

Lydia moves slowly, giving you a knowing glance over her shoulder as she gets into Tess’s desired position. You suddenly realize that she’s more clever than you initially thought. She’s not shy, she knows exactly what she’s doing. Tess likes to lead, so she acted like she needed the guidance. And now she’s come and you haven’t. Tess’s head falls back, jaw going slack as Lydia tastes her. 

“Does that turn you on?” Joel whispers, his warm breath hitting your neck. “Seeing Tess being eaten out. She deserves that every day, you know. She’s gonna take such good care of you, so you better care for her.”

“I will,” you mumble. “I’ll do whatever she needs. Whenever. Fuuuuck.”

“Look how wet you’re getting, I don’t think you can hold it for much longer.” He’s taunting you now. “Little thing loves to come, doesn’t she?”

“No, Tess gets to - oh god - she says when,” you’re squeezing as tight as you can, holding back the orgasm that’s right there, like a seesaw teetering, so close to tipping to the other side and slamming through you. 

Lydia slurps at Tess, you can hear her sucking at her clit as Tess moans and tangles her fingers into Lydia’s hair. “Yes, that’s it. Fuck, right there.”

You let out a breathy whine and Tess’s eyes come to you. “Ssshh, not yet. Oh shit, Lydia. So good.”

Joel laughs into your ear. “Just come, what’s the worst she’s going to do? Spank you? Let me fuck your throat? I bet you like being punished.”

You shake your head, trying to block out all the lewd mental images he’s creating. “No, Joel.” you huff, refocusing on holding it in, thinking of all the unsexy thoughts you can as you watch Tess, waiting for your time. 

Tess’s legs begin to shake, “get ready, baby. We are going to come together.” 

Your wrist begins to ache, it feels like you’ve been fucking yourself for hours. “I need to, please. You look so - “

She cuts you off, “Joel, take over for her. I’m gonna come.”

Joel practically leaps in front of you, grabbing your wrist and pulling your drenched fingers out while slipping his two thick fingers into your mouth. You bob up and down on his fingers still looking at Tess. Her eyes are glazed over, and a bead of sweat slides down the line of her toned stomach and lands in her belly button. 

“Now, Joel,” she whines and Joel wastes no time slamming his fingers inside of you. You cry out at the stretch, pleasure mixing with pain before he pumps his fingers forward. “Come right now,” Tess says. 

You look down at Joel, his thumb coming to caress your swollen bundle of nerves and you cry out, the room filled with your loud moans just like she wants. You hear both her and Joel encouraging you. Joel’s Texas twang washing over you,  “that’s it, fuckin clenchin. Fuck you’re so tight.”

Joel is relentless, curling and dragging his fingers in and out of you as you writhe in your chair. “Tess, oh god, yes.”

Joel's other hand slaps the inside of your thigh, “LOUDER!” he demands.

You squeal at the hot pain that splashes along your thigh, “hhnnngg, thank you. Fuck.” Your pleasurable moans turn into whines of pain as the overstimulation starts to seep in. You try to pull back and bring your knees together and Joel lets out a growl. He looks up at you dangerously and your stomach clenches. This is the wild, animalistic Joel Miller that everyone fears. 

You start to panic, he’s not stopping and you don’t know if you can take much more. You’re so wrapped in his onyx gaze and a mix of fear and arousal that you don’t notice Tess behind Joel until she speaks. Her voice is soft yet firm as she cards her fingers through his greying curls, “Joel, that’s enough.”

He blinks hard, seemingly coming out of some sort of trance, and then slips his fingers from you, strings of milky arousal coating his fingers. “Good boy,” she whispers. “Help her up, but you don’t get to touch either of them until I say so.”

He nods and then stands, helping you up. Lydia is lounging lazily on the couch, her face still glistening with Tess’s juices. Your knees shake underneath you and Joel wraps an arm around your waist. You’ve had plenty of orgasms in your life, but never one that deep and strong. Your pussy is aching and you just want to sleep.

Tess sits on the chair that Lydia was on and spreads her legs slightly. “Lydia,” she crooks her fingers at her, calling her over. “Turn around, pretty girl. Straddle my thigh.”

Lydia follows Tess’s instructions, that fake nervous pout of her lips on display for Joel. Clever, very clever, you think through heavy eyelids. 

“Joel, help her on the other thigh and bring that chair.” Joel guides and steadies you as you sit on Tess’s thigh, then places the extra chair in front of the three of you. “Use the chair for balance,” Tess instructs, her hand running up and down your spine gently. 

You both lean forward, your sweaty palms slipping slightly against the wooden chair. You both gasp quietly as your swollen clits press into her muscular thigh, as she caresses your backs and hips. Joel sits on the couch across from you, one arm draped across the back and his legs spread. He watches you intently, eyes blown out and curls sticking to his forehead. It’s not lost on you that he hasn’t focused much attention on the other girl. You look over at Lydia and she’s smiling flirtatiously at you. Your faces are just inches apart and she nudges at your nose with hers.

“Ladies,” Tess starts, “this is the part where you show Joel what you can do. He’s going to kill people for you, and when he does, you need to repay him.”

You graze your lips against Lydias, her skin tastes like peaches and Tess’s cunt. 

“Pretend my thigh is Joel's cock, show him how you’ll ride him.”

You flick your attention back to Joel, and his expression shifts from hard to a tortured need. You rake your eyes down his strong chest, still concealed by that fucking denim button up that you want to rip off with your teeth. He’s dangerous and could easily snap your neck with two fingers, but fuck, if that doesn’t make you want him more. Lydia presses her lips to your throat and you start to grind back and forth on Tess’s thigh. 

You continue to take in Joel’s body, stopping when you get to his lap. Your eyes widen at the distinct outline of his hard cock pressing behind the zipper of his jeans. Your bottom lip slips between your teeth as you lock eyes with him again. His coffee coloured irises are almost onyx as he shifts in his seat. He wants you - just as much as you want him, and you just hope that you can break him enough so Tess lets him have you. 

Tess’s strong hand travels up the smooth skin of your back, tangling her hands in the hair at the nape of your neck. “Tell Joel how good it feels, baby. Lydia, keep kissing her.”

Lydia’s lips suck at your skin. “Mmm, fuck Joel. Feels s’good. Wish it was your big cock filling me up, sliding in and out of my tight, wet pussy.” Tess tugs at your hair to open your neck more for Lydia and you yelp.

“Keep talking, baby girl,” Joel says, his hand moving to palm himself over his jeans. “Tell me what you want.”

You grind harder into Tess’s thigh, between the sting in your scalp from her hand, Lydia’s soft lips on your neck, and Joel’s intense stare, it almost becomes hard to breathe. Every bit of their attention is on you.

“I-I want you to, mmmm, to pin me down,” you take in a shaky breath, never taking your eyes off him. “To f-fuck me…from behind. Want you to f-fill, oh god, fill me.”

Joel pops the button of his jeans, reaching down his pants to grip himself through his tight grey boxers. You continue breathily, “Wanna feel you spank me. Slam inside of me. Dominate me.”

“Good girl,” Tess says, releasing her grip on your hair and pulling Lydia off your neck, before pressing in between your shoulder blades until you’re flush with her thigh. You crane your neck to keep your eyes on Joel, looking at him through the wooden slats of the back of the chair in front of you. “Your turn, Lydia. Tell Joel what you want.”

She clears her throat before beginning, “If he killed for me, I wouldn’t make him do any work. I’d lay him down, lick and kiss every inch of him before sliding him in my mouth. Taking him deep, cradling his balls with my hand. I’d swallow every drop.”

Joel lets out a noncommittal grunt, almost like a secret language between him and Tess. Joel leans forward and removes his denim button up and t-shirt in one swoop. His tanned and toned chest makes your mouth water. His chiselled pecs and soft belly have trimmed salt and pepper hair dusted across them, he toes off his shoes and then lifts his hip, sliding his jeans down his legs. His skin glistens with sweat and you want to lick it all off of him, drink up his salt and musk, his innate Joel-ness. 

“Come here, Joel.” She says. 

“Sit up,” she says softly to you. Joel stalks forward like he’s about to claim what’s his and your pussy clenches around nothing in hopes that it’s you.

“Ride my thighs, girls. Whoever cums first, Joel gets to fuck.” You spit into your hand and reach between your legs, gently spreading your lips and coating yourself in saliva.

A deep, “holy fuck” leaves Joel's lips at the sight of you. Yes, he definitely wants you just as much as you want him. You move your hands from the chair to Tess’s knee and grind your hips in small, slow circles. Your arms push your tits together for Joel. Beside you, Lydia stops moving. She sits as still as a statue, looking over her shoulder seductively at Tess. A loud slap fills the room, followed by a lust filled moan that you didn't think Lydia was capable of. 

“Tess,” she says, all airy and breathy. Her tone feels sweet on your skin. “I don’t like sleeping with men.” 

You keep grinding, your focus on Joel. He’s so close that you could reach out and grab one of his muscular forearms. You’re going to fuck him. You want to fuck him. Any way he wants. Any hole he wants. None of it matters, you just want to feel him, smell him, taste him. 

Tess lets out an impressed sigh. “You’re even more amazing than I thought, Lydia. Had me telling you how to lick a pussy, how to touch yourself. But you already know. Don’t you?” She slaps Lydia’s ass again and the loud noise even has you clenching. Fuck, you want Joel to spank you. Or Tess. Even Lydia at this point. 

It’s wrong. And taboo. But who can say what’s right or wrong in this new world anymore? 

“You are going to have to do things for Joel, little temptress. It’s part of the deal.” You see Tess’s hands come to Lydia’s hips, encouraging her to grind at the same pace you’ve set. “So ride me. Let me feel that slick little pussy, let me feel it quiver on my thigh.” 

Things are quiet for a moment, just the squelching sounds of both your cunts gliding along her smooth thigh. You lean into Lydia, desperate for more. More what, you aren’t sure. Just more.

She responds to your touch, her nose brushing your cheek before you turn into her and kiss her deeply. Slanting your head to taste her tongue against yours. She’s sweet, like strawberry jam. Lips so soft they almost don’t feel real. Her teeth clamp onto your bottom lip and you cry out. The perfect amount of pain to increase the pleasure between your legs. When she lets go you’re panting. 

“She’s close, Tess,” Joel murmurs like he knows your body so well, but he’s not wrong. He continues speaking casually to Tess as if you aren’t in the same room. “Do I really get to fuck her if she cums first?” 

You grind down harder, kissing Lydia again. You love them talking about you as if you aren’t here. Making the decisions for you. 

“As soon as she cums, you take her to the bed.” Tess’s strong hand lays a sharp slap on the meaty globe of your ass and you crumble. 

“YES!” You scream, convulsing as the pleasure courses through you. You look up at Joel through your lashes, jaw slack, voice weak and desperate. “Joel. Please. Please.” 

He drops his boxers and his thick cock spring free. Slapping against his belly. The tip is smooth and leaking, he’s bigger than you thought and somehow your throat dries out as your cheeks fill with saliva. As you come down from your second orgasm you realize that you can do this. You are going to do whatever Tess says and become one of her Treasures. 

“Think you can take him?” Tess hums as Lydia falls apart beside you, moaning sweetly. Tess adds, “Good girl, Lydia. So perfect when you cum.”  

You decide to take a page out of Lydia's book and act innocent. “N-no,” you stammer. “It’s…I don’t…it’s too big.” 

Joel snorts, “You’re not a very good liar my little slut.” 

Before you can respond he’s lifted you up and over his broad shoulder. His skin is warm against your belly. You giggle mischievously as his hands dig into the plush skin on the back of your thighs. He can so easily overpower you, so easily destroy you - mentally and physically. And you’d let him, and to make it worse, you’d thank him afterwards and probably ask him to do it again. 

He drops you on the bed. “Don’t move.” 

You nod and swallow the dry lump in your throat. You definitely want this, even if you shouldn’t. Even if that logical voice inside your head is screaming at you to put up the wall, block him out like you do with everyone else. But the infinitesimal hint of softness in his face that can only be seen by the two of you keeps you sucked in. He won’t hurt you, no. Something in his eyes gives him away, he wants to please you with those hands that have brought pain and torture to so many others. 

He walks back over to Tess and Lydia who are completely entranced with one another. Lydia is now sitting fully in Tess’s lap. Her back pressed to Tess’s front, both her legs draped over Tess’s as she pressed kisses along the tops of one of her shoulders and rubs her fingers gently from her pussy up to Lydia’s. Joel kneels in front of them, both of their legs spread, wet pussy’s glistening and on display for him. The sight of Joel Miller on his knees does something unexplainable to you. He’s so goddamn delicious. 

He looks over at you again, that softness still coaxing you deeper into his web, tangling around you, claiming you. His large hands cup Tess’s inner thighs and then he dives into both their pussy’s. Jealousy swirls in your stomach as he draws a sloppy wet line from Tess’s entrance to her clit, then up to Lydia in the same manner. 

“Oh, fuck Joel,” Tess cries as Lydia whimpers.

“Too much, baby?” he says gruffly to Lydia who nods before burying her face into the crook of Tess’s neck. “Little more, m’kay?”

He licks at them again, Tess’s moan ending as Lydia’s starts. Joel doesn’t stop. He uses long languid and lazy strokes of his tongue as he eats at both of them.

“J-Jo - fuuuck Joel!” Tess murmurs, her head falling back and mouth falling open in a silent scream. She wraps her arms tightly around Lydia as her legs start to tremble. Joel’s deltoids and biceps flex as he pushes to keep her thighs apart.

“Fuck, Tess.” Lydia purrs, “You look so goddamn hot when you cum. Suck on her clit, Joel. Make our girl squeal.” You can hear him slurp her swollen and twitching nub into his mouth. As it slips along his soft and puffy lips her pained sounding moans start to become mumbles of pleasure. Joel works her through her orgasm, not stopping until he knows she's good and sated.  

Lydia reaches back, twisting to kiss Tess deeply and then whispers into her lips. Whatever she says gets Joel's attention and he releases her clit with a pop before looking up at the two women. You haven’t moved from where Joel left you, as fun as being a brat is, he could probably dish out a punishment so intense that even you would break and use whatever safe word he gave you. Lydia whispers more, Joel smirks at whatever she’s saying and then the three of them all slowly turn to look over at you.

Fuck

Joel stands, his hands coming to the outsides of Tess’s knees and guiding her as she closes her legs, then he gives a hand to Lydia to help her stand before repeating the same with Tess. He stands tall and broad, completely naked and fully erect between these two powerhouse women, linking his fingers with Tess and smiling over at her. She gives him a little nod and your stomach flips as your pussy clenches.

This is it, you think.

“Little slut,” he says deeply, “‘M’gonna fuck you now, while they hold you down. Understood?”

You try to say yes, but just air seems to leave your lungs. Tess and Lydia climb along each side of you, hooking their arm under your leg and pulling back to open you for Joel. Your arms are trapped under their bodies as they lay beside you.  You’re pinned and exposed; fully at Joel, Tess and Lydia’s mercy. 

The bed dips as Joel settles between your thighs, his large body looms over you, resting himself on one forearm beside your head, his other hand wrapped around his cock, running it up and down your folds.

“So wet for me. So soft,” he presses the fat tip of his cock at your entrance and you gasp. “Shit! S’tight too, baby girl.”

Tess and Lydia nuzzle into you, lightly dragging their noses along your neck and jawline. “J-Joel, fuck me. Pleaseplease. Fuck me”

Joel presses his hips forwards, and the thick, smooth mushroom head of his cock pushes at your weeping cunt again. “Look at me, little slut,” he rasps. You don’t hesitate, look at him with big innocent eyes, biting your lower lip. He spits into his palm and then coats his throbbing dick with it, fisting himself up and down. He raises an eyebrow at you cockily, “Say it again.”

“Fuck me, fuck me, please!”

Without warning Joel slams into you, stretching you painfully and your body jolts. You try to slam your knees together but the naked women on each side of you keep you spread open widely for Joel. “Shit baby,” he says through gritted teeth as his body folds over yours, his hands caging all three of you in. Tess nips at your neck, while Lydia sucks at your earlobe after whispering, “Relax, little slut, we all got you.”

Your lungs slowly come back to you. You take a deep, full breath in, and it feels like you haven’t taken a proper breath since seeing Joel for the first time. As you exhale you’re completely surrounded by Joel Miller. His large body is all you can see and feel. Meanwhile, all you can taste and smell is his tobacco scent and the salt of the sweat that coats his tanned skin. You’re addicted, you want to be able to inject him right into your veins. Your pussy relaxes around him and the pain ebbs into pleasure, and you need more.

“More, please more,” you murmur into his neck.

“There she is,” Tess whispers in your ear and you whimper.

“Say it again,” Joel commands.

“Fuck me, Joel,” you cry. “Please, fuck me. Make me your little slut for real.”

Lydia giggles seductively in your ear, pulling you into her tighter.

“Open her all the way for me,” he says to the other two. “S’too tight for me.”

He sits himself up and your knees are pulled open and back. Joel keeps his eyes locked on yours as he tilts his chin a bit and splits on your already soaked pussy. His veiny hands come to the back of your thighs, squeezing and massaging at your sensitive skin.

“Think I should fuck her, Lydia?” He starts, and soon they’re talking about you again as if you aren’t even there, the slick walls of your cunt fluttering as they speak.

“She's been good, hasn’t she?” Lydia says in a syrupy aroused tone.

“No she hasn’t,” Tess says between kisses along your jawline. “She’s a thief. She’s a bad girl.”

Joel slaps the inside of one of your thighs, with just enough of a flick in his wrist that it immediately sends a zap of pleasure toward your clit. Lydia feels you relax more into her grips, “She likes it when you hit her, Joel”.

“Of course she does,” Tess moans. “She’s a little slut.” She hits the t at the end of the word hard and Joel slaps you again. Right in the same spot, precision that you’ve never known before from a man who kills without being seen. 

“Should feel how tight she is, maybe she had us fooled,” Joel says, eyes shifting between the two women, wholly avoiding your gaze. You’re so desperate for his attention, and the humiliation of him not returning it arouses you so much more than it should.

“What’d’ya mean, baby boy?” Tess asks, her warm breath hitting your neck, causing a shiver to run down your spine.

“Like a virgin, squeezin’ me like a vice.”

“She’s shakin,” Lydia adds. “Poor girl.”

“You two don’t stop kissing her while I do this,” they both nod and he flips his attention back to you. “I wanna hear you screamin’. Got it, little slut?”

You shudder under his intense stare. “Yes, yes, Joel. Please, just fuck me. Pleeease!”

He pulls halfway out and then slams back in, his heavy balls slap at your taint and asshole, your needy high pitched moans filling the room. Your whole body constricts around Joel and as it relaxes it feels like heaven. No one has made your body feel like this. “That feel good?” Joel says tauntingly, his hands gripping into the back of your thighs.

“Please - fuck, yes. More,” you mumble, almost incoherently. 

“Show our girl, Joel. Show her what he can have once she’s my Treasure.” Tess commands.

What’s that saying, ‘You say jump, I say how high’? Well, when Tess says jump, Joel is already mid jump, doing it exactly how Tess wants it. He’s already dragging his cock out slowly, all the way to the tip, before slamming fast and hard back into you.

“Harder,” Tess growls, biting your neck as Joel repeats the motion. Lydia squirms against you, her soft warm skin slipping along the thin sparkling layer of sweat that coats your body. “Look at her. Pliant, soft. Letting Joel do whatever he wants.”

“That’s cuz she’s a good girl,” Lydia moans, kissing the sensitive skin under your earlobe. 

Joel brings one of his hands to cup your chin, his thumb running around your bottom lip softly. “Gotta relax for me, little slut.”

You take a breath and as you exhale you can feel the grip your pussy has on his thick cock loosen. “That’s it. That’s my girl.”

“Good job, baby girl,” Tess whispers, kissing at your throat again. 

“Fuck her now, Joel.” Lydia says, “We got her.”

Joel sets a quick pace, slamming in and out of you. His name and a string of swears leaving your lips with every thrust, just the screams of your pleasure and the squelching of your pussy filling the room. Tess and Lydia whisper praises as Joel is possessed by your cunt. Pounding and pounding into you without pause. Over and over, he’s relentless. A man possessed. You can’t help but wonder if he’s like this with all other women or if this is just for you. His hand falls from your chin, landing beside Tess’s head on the mattress, the other still gripped to your thigh. His short nails dig into your skin, leaving you marked with signs of him. 

“That’s it,” Lydia hums. “Taking it like such a good girl.”

Tess’s teeth lightly scrape at your jawline. “Come on, baby. I wanna see you come again.”

“So fuckin’ pretty when you come,” Joel says each word at the end of his harsh thrusts. His voice is gravelly and deep. Seeping under your skin and into your DNA, the very fabric of your being. You belong to him, no questions asked.

“M-more. I - more - please.” You aren’t sure what you mean by more, but Joel seems to know your body better than you as he sits himself back up and brings his thumb to your clit, teasing it gently and you writhe under him. It’s almost too much but you need it, and even more, you need Joel not to stop.

He hammers into you again, slower this time, but still with an intense flick of his hips at the end. The leaking tip of his cock pressing against the perfect spongy part behind your clit.

“Can see you in her stomach, Cowboy.” Tess moans. Both the women feather long, lingering kisses along your neck. The juxtaposition of their soft actions and the bruising dance of Joel’s hip is just as confusing as it is arousing. 

“Rub her clit a little harder, Joel. I think she’s getting close.” You clench around him at Lydia’s words and cry out loudly. 

He swirls his thumb easily along your lubricated clit, the mixture of both of your arousals and his spit making it slippery. “Ohgod, hnnnnggg, J-Joel pleasepleaseplease.”

“Sssshhh, baby,” he soothes, pausing with his hips pushed flush to your ass. “Gotta relax, remember?”

You whimper in agreement, nodding your head as you try to slow your breathing and your heart rate. “There she goes,” Joel moans as your pussy walls flutter and then relax.

He starts to fuck you slowly, circling your swollen velvety nub with the rough pad of his thumb. His other hand leaves your thigh, massaging your breast, pinching at the nipple with his thumb and forefinger. “Fuck, you feel so good. So tight. Gonna fill you one day.”

“Today, please!” you protest through a salacious moan.

“Tell her,” he says to the women holding you in their arms, speeding up the circles of his thumb.

“Lydia,” Tess whispers, like it’s a secret just for the three of you, “Tell her your plan.”

You’re lost in a daze as Lydia says your name into your skin. When you don’t respond she nips gently at you and says, “Baby? You with me?”

“Y-yes. Fuuuuuuck,” you say wantonly.

“Joel is gonna make you cum, then pull out and cum all over our faces. After, we are going to lick it all off each other.” She says it with a hint of mischief and lust in her voice.

The three of them praise and encourage you as Joel keeps fucking you and rubbing your clit at the same time. You have no idea how long you’ve been in this apartment, how long you’ve been floating on a vibrating fluffy cloud of pleasure and craving. Whispers of “Good girl”, “so pretty”, and “fuck listen to how wet you are” travel through you.  

The electric currents of pleasure that sizzle along your skin all come to the base of your spine. Pressure building, so very close to exploding around all of you. “Come on, little slut. Let go for me.”

Lydia and Tess say ‘Come on’ and ‘relax into it’ at the same time.

“Shit, J-Joel,” you whimper. A tear runs down your cheek.

“I know, I’m here,” he says, voice slightly softer than earlier. “I know.”

The pressure becomes unbearable and then everything snaps. Your pussy flutters as the pleasure starts to consume every single inch of your being. Your vision blurs, every muscle going lax as you twitch unconsciously underneath him. 

“Good girl. Yes, that’s my good little slutty girl,” he growls. Your orgasm continues to tear through you, ripping you in half and you know when you come down only Joel will be able to stitch you back up again. 

Joel presses his large palm to your mound, and just as you feel yourself start to come down you’re on the precipice of another orgasm. “Got another one for me, baby?”

“Yesyesyes - yeeesss,” you’ve forgotten words, you’re just a bundle of pleasure. No muscles or bones or thoughts of your own. Just a pliant body, that’s fully under the control of Joel Miller. 

Your second orgasm hits you hard, tearing anything you had left in half. “She’s gonna squirt,” Joel mumbles.

“Just let it go,” Lydia whispers, suckling on your earlobe. 

You push into the feeling, letting it overtake you as liquid gushes from your cunt, coating Joel's pelvis and pooling on the bed below you. It splashes as Joel keeps up his pace. You scream out in pleasure. Lydia and Tess talking you through it quietly, “Good girl. Stay relaxed for me,” Tess says as Lydia adds, “Let it take you, we’re right here.”

The pleasure starts to ebb, it’s becoming too much as Tess whispers, “Breathe, baby girl. Just breathe.”

“Can’t, Tess.” you whimper, turning your face towards her. “Please,” you plead. If you learned anything from earlier, it’s that only Tess can make him stop. 

“Ok, baby, you’re ok,” she hums. She looks up at Joel above all of you and drops her voice, “That’s enough now, Joel.”

Joel pulls away from your clit and you sigh in relief, both his hands coming to your breasts, squeezing them roughly as his thrusts become sloppy. “Get ready,” he huffs through gritted teeth. Both Tess and Lydia scoot up so their faces are pressed against yours.

Joel slips out of you with a lewd pop and practically bends you in half to get over your faces. “Open your mouths and look at me,” he commands. The three of you obey, anything for the man who is going to kill for you or defend you to the very end if need be. 

His hand is tight around his cock, pumping himself quickly, the cords of muscle and veins along his forearm start to pop. His balls are full and heavy, tight against his body as he edges closer to his release. You stare at him, soaking in how wrecked he looks as he gets closer. His brows pinch together, onyx and whiskey flecked eyes looking only at you before his face goes lax and he lets out a deep, loud moan. Warm ropes of opaque white cum paint your faces.

As soon as he’s done he pulls away, Tess and Lydia letting go of your legs as the three of you kiss and lick at each other's sticky faces. Joel tastes better than you could have imagined, a heady mix of saltiness that leaves you insatiable for more.

Joel sits back on his heels watching the three of you slurp him up. He has a proud smirk on his face and when your eyes find his he winks at you before getting up and grabbing a towel off the top of the small dresser near the bed. Tess says something hushed to Lydia as you and Joel look at one another. Lydia pressed a kiss to your cheek before getting off the bed and following Tess into another room, the unmistakable sound of the shower alerting you to where they’ve gone.

Joel climbs beside you, looking down at you hesitantly. “You ok?” he whispers.

“Ya,” you sign sleepily. “I’m ok, Joel.”

He brings the towel to your thighs, soaking up your arousal. “I didn’t hurt ya?”

The towel ghosts along your swollen folds and you gasp, turning your head into Joel’s strong upper body. “I know, sorry.” He hisses, hating that he’s causing you discomfort. “But I gotta clean you up.”

He dabs gently with the soft towel causing an aftershock that shakes through your body and you feel yourself squirt again. Not nearly as much this time but a euphoric moan leaves your lips. Joel tucks the towel between your legs and guides your face up to meet his. His brown eyes burn themselves into your soul, “do you need more, baby? Just tell me.”

“It’s sensitive,” you whine.

He lifts an eyebrow slightly, “does it hurt?”

You stick your bottom lip out and nod sadly.

“Need me to kiss it?” he asks gently, his hooked nose rubbing against yours. 

You look at him hesitantly. Of course, you want Joel’s plush lips on your pussy, but a flap of a butterfly wing could probably cause you to implode at this point. 

“You can say another time,” he whispers, lips hovering over yours. He doesn’t know where this side of him has come from. Joel Miller is a simple man. Murder who Tess says, fuck any one of her Treasures that offer to get the adrenaline out afterwards, then leave them in their apartment pumped full of his cum. He usually can’t wait to rush back to his apartment to take a shower and shoot back a mix of whiskey and sleeping pills. But with you, he feels the need to care for you afterwards, and he has a strong feeling that you’re going to be a very large distraction in his life from now on. 

I’m fucked, he thinks to himself.

You lean forward to sponge your lips against his. He kisses you sweetly, pulling you in tighter as you hum contently into his lips.

“I don’t think I can tonight,” you say softly after breaking the kiss. 

“That’s ok, little slut.” He rolls onto his back, pulling you with him so you’re resting on top of him. Legs straddling his hips and your head resting on his chest. You shiver against him, tucking your arms into your body. His hands scramble for the blanket, wrapping it around the two of you, kissing the top of your head. “Tomorrow, after Tess officially makes you her Treasure, that will be your gift from me.”

You nod into his chest, he smells like gunpowder, fresh sawdust and sweat as your eyelids become heavy and the world seems to slip away. You have trouble sleeping normally, I mean who wouldn’t in this fucked up new world you’re all in, but with Joel, it happens almost too easily. Sleep just takes you to a deep and uninterrupted place for who knows how long. But when you wake you’re in a large grey t-shirt in a small bedroom, not the same one you fell asleep in. You hear the peaceful and melodic breathing of someone beside you. You move slowly, peeling open your eyes to see Joel sleeping beside you. The moonlight dances softly along his face, grey hairs glinting in the light. He looks so peaceful, nothing like the man that was crazed by your pussy early. He’s still visibly dangerous, but fuck is he beautiful. 

I’m fucked, you think to yourself.

Tag list:

@corazondebeskar @hiddenbabynyc @rainstorms-library @smutsmutslut @sullyrocky44 

@keylimebeag @pimosworld @casa-boiardi @pedritoferg @paleidiot

@lorilane33 @pansexual-potatoes @jessthebaker @jasminedragoon @koshkaj-blog

@pedroswife69 @strawberri-blonde  @none-of-this-makes-any-sense @iloveenya

@javierpena-inatacvest @blazeflays @akah565 @pinkiec6-rubi @pedroshotwifey

@iluvurfather @ashleyfilm @mermaidgirl30 @untamedheart81 @littlevenicebitch69

[valle2008]

The Hoodie Incident

Author's Note | Hi! So sorry to be posting right now. I had a busy day today, and I'll be busy for the whole entire week, so I might be updating the last two parts late, but please enjoy reading today's part. Love you!! <3

Tag List | @danielaxnishimura

Summary | Jongho notices his favorite hoodie is missing and suspects you’ve stolen it. You deny it, but he later finds you asleep wearing it — and looking so at home in it that he can’t bring himself to take it back. The next morning, your playful banter turns sincere when he admits you look better in it, and that he would've let you keep it anyway. A quiet moment and a shared smile hint at feelings neither of you has said out loud — yet.

Pairing | Jongho x Reader

Warning | None

Word Count | 847

Genre | Fluff, Slice of life

Read the other parts here | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

It took Jongho exactly three days to notice his hoodie was gone. Not just any hoodie — his hoodie. The faded navy one, oversized and broken in from years of wearing it on late-night studio runs and cold car rides. The one that still smelled faintly like fabric softener and the cologne he only used when he remembered it existed. The one he could never quite replace, even if he tried. And now it was missing.

He’d turned his apartment upside down, thinking maybe it was buried under laundry or forgotten in the trunk of his car. But deep down, he had a suspicion — and it was wearing mismatched socks and currently curled up on his couch, sipping lemonade like they lived there. You.

“Hey,” he said as casually as possible, dropping onto the arm of the couch beside you. “Have you seen my navy hoodie?” You blinked up at him. “Which one?” Jongho narrowed his eyes. “The one. Thick cuffs. Sleight bleach stain on the left from that time I cleaned the kitchen and nearly poisoned myself.”

Your expression was far too innocent. “Oh, that one?” You said, playing dumb. “Nope. Haven’t seen it.” He crossed his arms. “You’re a terrible liar. You didn’t deny it. Just sipped your lemonade and turned back to the drama playing on his TV. He let it go — for now. But two hours later, when you’d fallen asleep mid-episode, curled under a blanket with your legs tucked under you, he noticed something else.

Poking out from beneath the folds of the blanket was a navy-blue fabric. With bleach stain. He bit back a laugh you’d stolen his hoodie. And not just stolen it — you’d worn it like it was the most natural thing in the world, curled into it, sleeves pulled over your hands like it was armor. Like it ment something.

Jongho didn’t wake you. He sat beside you instead, watching your sleeping face and the way you exhaled softly, so comfortably in his space — in his clothes. And suddenly, he didn’t really want the hoodie back.

—

The next day, you caught him staring. You were at his kitchen now, pouring cereal into a bowl while still wearing his hoodie — slightly rumpled, sleeves way too long, the collar tugged slightly to the side where you’d been adjusting it in your sleep.

“What?” You asked, spoon clinking. “Nothing,” he said, still watching you. “You just… you really committed to the theft.” You smirked. “It’s comfy.” “That’s my most comfy hoodie.” “Well,” you shrugged, taking a bite of cereal, “you snooze, you lose.”

He stepped closer, tugging gently at the hem of the hoodie with two fingers. “Is this a hostage situation?” “No,” you said, “this is a peace offering.” “Peace offering?” He repeated. “What did I do?” “You” you said solemnly, “took my last lemon popsicle and replace it with a strawberry one. That’s war.”

He blinked. “This hoodie is worth, like, three boxes of lemon popsicles. “And yet,” you said, taking another bite, I remain undefeated.” Jongho chuckled and leaned a hip against the counter crossing his arms. “You know you could’ve just asked to borrow it.

You tilted your head, expression softening just slightly. “Would you have let me keep it?” He didn’t answer right away. He looked at you — really looked — standing there in his hoodie, hair mussed from sleep, utterly at ease in a space you’d slowly claimed as much as he had. You didn’t ask for much. You never had. But you were here. Wearing his hoodie. Eating his cereal. Arguing about his strawberry popsicles.

And suddenly, that hoodie felt a little like a placeholder. Like maybe you’d already been closer than either of you had admitted yet. “Yeah,” he said eventually. “I think I would’ve.” You blinked at the sincerity, surprised. “And for the record,” he added, voice quieter now, “you look better in it anyway.”

Something about the way he said it — not teasing, not flirty, just real — made your heart trip over itself. You turned your gaze to the counter, suddenly shy. “Well..I’m not giving it back.” He nudged your foot with his. “Wasn’t going to ask you to.” The silence that followed wasn’t awkward. It was charged, in a low-burning kind of way — like the moment before the match strikes.

Eventually, Jongho reached into the pocket of the hoodie you were wearing — his hoodie — and pulled out something small and unexpected: a lemon candy. “Found this in here,” he said, placing it on the counter like it was evidence.

“Was that a bribe?” You tried not to smile. “Might’ve been.” He looked at you, that soft smile over his face again. “Well played, hoodie thief.” You looked down at the candy, then up at him. “Truce?” He held out his hand. “Truce.” But instead of shaking it, he laced his fingers with yours, pulling you closer to him — and this time, neither of you pretended not to notice.

[respectthepetty]

Jack & Joker - Wild Ass Theories

Yin and War are hot. I wanted to start with a fact.

Also, Jennie is in the next episode, so our girl is living her best life!

Theory #1 - The heist happens soon

Random: The two guys Hope sends to go after Joke are the same men who end up tied up by this woman and her people.

Hope seems to be from Jack's neighborhood in the opening scenes, so did Jack teach him how to fight and become an enforcer?

I only have a thirty image limit, but this is vision from the trailer:

Jack goes to collect money from Tattoo and Hoy, but lets them off easy

Later, Hope hits Tattoo with a pan because he feels Jack took it too easy on him

Hoy and Tattoo try to ambush Joke because they think he is the only one who can get Jack out of this business

Joke flips the tables and ties up Hoy while asking more questions

They plan the heist because they need money and to get Jack's attention

Hoy and Tattoo are seen doing something to Aran's bag,

And Joke apparently takes the necklace right off of Aran's neck when the model passes out on the runway with the bag and Tattoo right there, so wouldn't Hope realize who is involved?

So is this why Joke goes to hide out at Jack's house after he gets away from the fight with him? And Hoy and Tattoo spill the beans about where Joke is and this is this why Hope and Jack are fighting outside of Jack's house? I think so!

Theory #2 - Rosé is going to fund Jack's school

The sweet rich girl wants to eliminate debt and help the poor. Plus Jack, at some point, stands in as her bodyguard. That's all I got. *shrugs* It's a vibe.

Theory #3 - Joke's hand tattoo is Jack

Not really a theory but more of an observation because Jack's best skill is sleight of hand. He was able to steal Carbon's wallet without Carbon noticing which is why Carbon couldn't find it to pay.

And Joke switched the tests by distracting the boy when he took his wallet, only two snatch the answer keys when the boy starting arguing with the other one.

Joke has been at this for a bit because he had several aliases.

And the reporter said previous to the most recent store robbery, Joke had committed five other robberies.

And every time, he left behind his signature frowning face symbol, but five years later, he has as smiling face tattooed on his hand, which, once again, is his biggest asset, so does he have it to remind him to do better whenever he wants to use his skills again?

Because he once ruined the happy boy's life who is the basis for the tattoo?

But on his other wrist he has both the frowning face and the smiling face depending on how it is viewed, so is it both of them?

Not related, Joke has a tattoo on his chest. Zoom in.

Theory #4 - Jack will give Joke the ring

Jack gave the boss this ring as collateral, and it has sentimental value since the opening credits show it has two names on the inside (his parents) and Jack's on the outside. In the final scene of the trailer when Joke kisses Jack (after opening his martial arts studio?), there is a glimmer on Joke's hand that has the smiling face tattoo. I think it's the ring!

Theory #5 - Colors

The boys aren't really a Black Brooder and a Red Rascal.

Like they are now, but they aren't. *squints*

Jack was a Cyan Cutie.

He was loyal.

He was chill and happy. (shirt reads "happy place, happy place" over his heart)

Joke was a "standard" blue boy who was intelligent in overlooked ways.

But Joke's red shows up when he is Joker because his braces were red in the exam con.

And his tie was red in the bank con.

So I think even though times have changed, and they have absorbed their current colors, the blue will still be shared between them.

Because it will show up again.

Theory #6 - Aran is Tattoo's boyfriend

I want Mark and Prom to kiss so badly in this show that I'm going to single-handedly sail this ship, so I think when Hoy and Tattoo surprise Jack and Joke, Aran is standing next to Tattoo. It doesn't make sense if they robbed him, but he is the only extra boy with an earring in his left ear, the hair lines up, and he would wear a shirt like that.

Give them to me!

[det2x-obeytwst]

GAMBLING IN POKER

Yuki knows how to play card games. Spending time with Mammon(Obey Me), she developed a habit of being competitive which ends up in gambling. However, she doesn't cheat to win because she can't do those sleight of hands trick. Her hands aren't fast enough.

As much as I'm an Aceyuu (Aceyuki) fan and shipping my yuu with Ace. I also with 10% ship her with Ruggie cuz they can share their problems being broke. In a different timeline, maybe they'll end up together...who knows....

Note: They're all sketches/WIP cuz i can't wait...I will lose motivation

Note: A bunch of cat memes images at the end

Inspired from: Studio C Poker Face Video

Things I was also hoping to draw for these doodles but end up not doing cuz I lost motivation.

Azul will be both emcee and dealer in their game of poker

When Kalim made a high bid and Yuki and Ruggie screams internally

Azul: Current bid is 500k from Kalim....just look at their faces..so calm and professional

Meanwhile, everyone in their heads:

Yuki and Ruggie:

Idia:

Everyone's heads when they all go all-in:

Ruggie: //goes all in first cuz he can't fold//

Yuki: //goes all in second being challenged//

Kalim: //is just happy that it's almost done and wishes everyone the best//

Idia: WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHERRR

a/n; It's funny in my head

[mariacallous]

In 2014, Taylor Swift released an album called “1989,” marking her transition from country to pop. She went on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” where the talk-show host read aloud from some early reviews. Time magazine: “ [‘1989’] marks her most impressive sleight of hand yet—shifting the focus away from her past and onto her music, which is as smart and confident as it’s ever been.” Rolling Stone: “ ‘1989’ sounds exactly like Taylor Swift, even when it sounds like nothing she’s ever tried before.” The Times: “By making pop with almost no contemporary references, Ms. Swift is aiming somewhere even higher, a mode of timelessness that few true pop stars . . . even bother aspiring to.” The artist beamed: perhaps she knew it at the time, but this is the moment when Taylor Swift became Taylor Swift.

“1989” sold 1.287 million copies in the U.S. in its first week, breaking industry records. The singles, such as “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space,” remain some of Swift’s best-known songs, inescapable at a wedding or a karaoke bar. However, the success of “1989” was dwarfed, nine years later, by that of “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” The latter sold more than 1.6 million units in the U.S. in its first week and was the top-selling album in America in 2023. Apple Music recently listed it as the eighteenth-best album of all time, putting it slightly ahead of the Beatles’ “Revolver.” Was the new “1989” so much better than the first one? Not really—it was rerecorded to sound almost exactly the same, with songs like “Blank Space” essentially beat-for-beat facsimiles of the originals. And yet, whereas the first “1989” won three Grammys, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” was eligible for another slew of awards, making one wonder how Swift was not running afoul of some kind of double-jeopardy rule.

Before Swift announced, in 2019, that she would be rerecording all of her music, she was facing what she called a “career death.” Three years prior, as part of an ongoing feud with Kanye West, she had objected to a lyric that he had written about her, in which he claimed to have “made that bitch famous.” In response, Kim Kardashian, then West’s wife, released an edited recording of a phone call in which Swift seemed to agree to the content of the song in advance. “She totally approved that,” Kardashian explained to GQ. “She wanted to all of a sudden act like she didn’t.” Kardashian posted a tweet about snakes that was apparently aimed at Swift, and snake emojis proliferated online, as did the hashtag #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty. For a time, Swift withdrew from public life. “Nobody physically saw me for a year,” she said. “That’s what I thought they wanted.”

In 2017, Swift released the album “Reputation,” which was meant to be her grand comeback, but it was snubbed at the Grammys. When she received this news, a moment caught on film in the documentary “Miss Americana,” she was near tears. “This is good,” she told a member of her team. “This is fine.” She added, “I just need to make a better record.” That next record, “Lover,” would contain some of Swift’s most beloved songs, such as “Cruel Summer.” But the first single, “ME!,” an earnest self-empowerment anthem, was such a disappointment that fans put forth a theory that it was not the album’s single at all but rather a one-off that she had written for the soundtrack for the upcoming sequel to the animated feature “The Secret Life of Pets.” (Some of the movie’s advertising imagery and the “ME!” music video had similar color palettes.) Swift later edited out one of the cringiest parts of the song, an interlude in which she shouts, “Spelling is fun!” The next single, “You Need to Calm Down,” a sunny song about L.G.B.T.Q. allyship, was released during Pride Month. Swift was simultaneously accused of making light of homophobia (“Shade never made anybody less gay”) and of queer-baiting fans by wearing the colors of the bisexual flag in the music video.

Later that month, Swift posted on Tumblr—not about “Lover” but about every album that preceded it. She explained that, when she was fifteen years old, she had signed a deal with Big Machine Records, giving the label ownership of the masters of her first six studio albums. For years, she had been trying to regain control of her masters, but Scott Borchetta, the C.E.O. of Big Machine Label Group, wouldn’t sell them to her. Instead, the label had offered a kind of trade: for every new album Swift made with them, she would receive an old one in return. Swift found the terms unacceptable. “I had to make the excruciating choice to leave behind my past,” she wrote. She had signed a deal with a new label, and would own the rights to all future albums, but she appeared to have given up on owning her previous work: “Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums.”

The occasion for the post was that Swift had just learned that Borchetta had sold her masters to a record executive named Scooter Braun. Braun has been described by the Times as “the defining music executive of the social media era.” He’s been credited with discovering Justin Bieber, and has worked with Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and, crucially, Kanye West. Swift recounted the “incessant, manipulative bullying” she had received at Braun’s hands. “Like when Kim Kardashian orchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it,” she wrote. “Or when his client, Kanye West, organized a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked”—a reference to one of West’s music videos, which features a naked wax figure of Swift sleeping alongside Bill Cosby, Donald Trump, and others. “Now Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work.” (Braun later said he regretted Swift’s reaction to the deal and that he is against bullying. He also claimed that he had offered to sell the masters to her; Swift has alleged that he refused to quote a price unless she signed an N.D.A.) In her Tumblr post, Swift accused Borchetta of orchestrating the sale to Braun in order to punish her: “He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them.”

Swift is certainly not the first artist who has fought for control of her work. Paul McCartney spent nearly fifty years trying to buy the Beatles’ catalogue. Kanye West and Prince have both been embroiled in battles over their masters, which they saw as emblematic of the music industry’s racism: West tweeted that “BLACK MASTERS MATTER,” and Prince compared record contracts to slavery. West, seemingly radicalized by the experience, even offered to do his former rival a solid: “I’M GOING TO PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT TAYLOR SWIFT GETS HER MASTERS BACK,” he tweeted, adding, “SCOOTER IS A CLOSE FAMILY FRIEND.” But West didn’t get Swift her masters back, and he didn’t get his back, either. Prince, meanwhile, famously changed his name in protest of his record label. He eventually got his masters back only by agreeing to a deal like the one that Borchetta offered Swift: after releasing two new albums through the label, he regained control of his older ones.

In retrospect, that Tumblr post might be one of the most important things that Swift has ever written. It has all the qualities of a good Taylor Swift song, conjuring an image of an innocent teen-ager who got in over her head, and the men intent on exploiting her. Whereas her predecessors struggled to get their fans to care about the inner workings of the music industry, Swift created a real-life story that, in a cleverly meta way, was all about why she deserves to own the stories she’s told. And these aren’t just any stories: as Swift later told Rolling Stone, Braun and Borchetta are “two very rich, very powerful men, using $300 million of other people’s money to purchase, like, the most feminine body of work.” When she announced that she would rerecord her first six albums—giving her the copyright to the new tracks—the plan was greeted by many as an act of feminist reclamation.

For the past few years, Swift has been rolling out these rerecorded albums, one at a time, in nonchronological order. Each one, appended with the phrase “Taylor’s Version,” has been ridiculously successful, embraced by both fans and critics. Perhaps most important, these releases created a virtuous way to listen to Swift’s music. Fans refused to stream the old tracks; radio stations committed to playing only the new ones. “Whenever Taylor re-records a new track, we immediately replace the old versions,” Tom Poleman, the chief programming officer of iHeartMedia, said in 2021. “Listeners have made it known that they cannot wait to hear Taylor’s Version of each track.” Last year, a video came up on my Instagram feed. “ ‘Taylor’s Version’ means no one steals her albums,” a little girl tells her sister, as the two of them sit in their playroom. “And the meanie bug who stealed her albums name is Scooter Brahms.”

“Not Brahms,” the other girl says. “Braun.”

The irony is that, by this point, Braun no longer owned Swift’s masters. In 2020, he sold them to Shamrock Capital, a private-equity firm spun off from the family investment office of a member of the Disney family. Still, Swifties continued to refer to the original albums as “Scooter’s Versions.” And the enemy was no longer just Braun but anyone who chose the old songs over the new. Several months ago, I saw a viral TikTok of a girl in a sequinned dress vibing out at an event to Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”—until she realizes that something is awry. The chorus hits; her eyes bulge. “It’s not Taylor’s Version!” she screams. The video has 3.4 million likes, and the comment section is split between sympathetic Swifties and confused casual listeners. “I will refuse to dance/sing or even bop my head if it’s not taylors version,” one user wrote. Another asks, “Is it not the same . . . ?” To the most devoted Swift fans, this was like asking if Columbus Day is the same as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

In March, 2023, Swift took her feminist crusade on the road with the Eras Tour: the highest-grossing tour of all time, which made Swift the first musician to become a billionaire primarily on music earnings. The tour, inspired by Swift’s rerecording project, was a mix of live performance and live promotion; at certain shows, she teased the release of the next Taylor’s Version, sending fans into a frenzy over the possibility of hearing new old music. Late last year, the six-hundred-and-thirty-two-day tour finally came to an end. Curiously, two album rerecordings—the artist’s eponymous début and “Reputation”—had yet to be released.

It is possible that neither album will ever be released. The week before last, Swift announced that she had struck a deal with Shamrock Capital to buy back her masters. “All of the music I’ve ever made .��. . now belongs . . . to me,” she wrote, in a letter on her website. While that first letter, about the Braun purchase, concluded with the valediction “Sad and grossed out,” this one ended with “Elated and amazed.” The rerecordings era was officially over. Swifties, meanwhile, have celebrated by reintroducing the Scooter’s Versions, which are now also Taylor’s Versions, back into their lives. And, more quietly, they’ve started to admit that maybe the rerecordings were never that great to begin with.

It was all so promising at the start. In April, 2021, Swift released “Fearless (Taylor’s Version).” The original “Fearless,” from 2008, launched her to international fame and gave us both “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me,” which are still among her most popular songs. It won Swift her first Grammy, and a 2009 MTV Video Music Award. (This marked the start of her feud with West, who interrupted her acceptance speech to declare that Beyoncé was the rightful winner.) For fans of the original, “Fearless (T.V.)” was underwhelming, but in a good way. The rerecorded tracks are loyal to the originals; some sound almost as if they’ve simply been remastered. The mix is clearer, and the instruments are sharper. As Michael A. Lee, a music professor at Azusa Pacific University, told Entertainment Weekly, the piano in “Forever & Always (Piano Version)” has gone from sounding like an “upright, almost honky-tonk,” to sounding like a grand. In “Change,” the guitar solo is less distorted. Over all, Lee said, the album is an almost identical remake of the original—a technically difficult task to pull off.

The main difference is the quality of Swift’s vocals, which had improved dramatically in the thirteen years between the initial release and the rerecording. On the original, Swift sounds shaky and nervous—understandable, as she was only eighteen. But on the rerecording her voice is deeper and fuller. I was never a huge fan of the original “You Belong with Me,” because it felt as if Swift was mostly speak-singing. The pre-chorus featured a silly line—“She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers”—made sillier by its delivery. But on the Taylor’s Version the line is more melodic, and she enunciates more clearly. (Similarly, on the rerecorded “1989” album, it is finally possible to tell that Swift is singing about a “long list of ex-lovers” rather than “all the lonely Starbucks lovers.”)

Some of the lyrics on “Fearless” are almost stunningly earnest. Others seem mature beyond their years, a feeling that is acute when listening to the Taylor’s Version. In general, there is something touching about hearing an older Swift return to some of her earliest songs. After she rerecorded “Never Grow Up,” a song on “Speak Now” that she wrote in her late teens, fans uploaded videos splicing the two versions of the track together. One listener wrote, “This totally has the feel of a younger and older sister sitting next to each other on wooden bar stools up on a small stage with their guitars and just strumming and vibing into their microphones.”

Revisiting “Fearless,” Swift has written, was “more fulfilling and emotional than i could have imagined.” And it was an important proof of concept. The album went to No. 1—the first time that a rerecorded album has topped the charts—and had the biggest sales week for any country album since 2015. Many newer fans were also exposed to her early tracks for the first time. I discovered what is now one of my favorites, a deep cut called “The Other Side of the Door.” When Swift played the song as a surprise on the Eras Tour, she grinned when fans seemed to know every word.

After “Fearless (T.V.),” there was a lot of excitement about the rerecordings to come. But the next two, “Red (T.V.)” and “Speak Now (T.V.),” were significantly worse in quality. Part of the issue lay with the spirit of the original albums: though both were made after “Fearless,” they’re more melodramatic, in the way that a moody teen-ager can appear more immature than her precocious younger sibling. Some of the songs seem designed to be screamed by heartbroken girls in their bedrooms, and it was difficult for Swift, now in her thirties, to re-create the necessary angst. “Last Kiss,” on “Speak Now,” is thought to be about the demise of Swift’s relationship with Joe Jonas, who reportedly dumped Swift over the phone. The track’s intro is twenty-seven seconds long—the supposed length of that breakup call—and, by the time that Swift starts singing in the original version of the track, one gets the sense that she spent the song’s intro reliving that phone call. In the final verse, she gets audibly choked up. Before the release of “Speak Now (T.V.),” I was worried that, if she faked this, it would sound overwrought. Instead, she didn’t even try, and that was somehow worse. On the Eras Tour, we’ve seen Swift recapture old emotions: a video of her voice cracking and her eyes welling up during a performance of “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” went viral. But, without the caught breath in “Last Kiss,” the song feels oddly distant.

On the Taylor’s Versions, it can be hard to tell which changes were unavoidable and which ones were premeditated. Many fans have speculated that it would have been impossible for Swift to make a faithful rerecording of “Mean,” a country song directed at her critics, given that, at the time of the initial recording, she had a southern accent. (Other fans, like myself, argue that the southern accent was always embellished: Swift moved to Nashville from Pennsylvania when she was fourteen, and started putting out country music with a full-on twang at sixteen.) And yet, on the new recording, there’s a mismatch between the lyrics, which are hard to even read without imagining the accent—“Someday, I’ll be livin’ in a big ol’ city / And all you’re ever gonna be is mean”—and Swift’s straightforward delivery.

A few changes were clearly intentional. In the original version of “Better than Revenge,” Swift sings, in reference to her ex-lover’s new girlfriend, an actress, that “she’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.” (Some Swifties on Instagram still take pleasure in harassing Camilla Belle—the alleged muse of the song, who dated Jonas after Swift.) In the rerecording, Swift changed the lyric to “He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches.” Undoubtedly, Swift, who was in the midst of a project of female empowerment, would have taken heat for a slut-shaming lyric. Still, the change felt strange. Swift has said that she was proud of “Speak Now” because it was the first album that she wrote entirely by herself. Listening to it was like reading her diary—the kind of authenticity that has made Swift’s fans feel so close to her. If she were to change every lyric on the album that felt misguided or hyperbolic, she wouldn’t have any left.

The most drastic change that Swift made was to “Girl at Home,” a soft country song on “Red” that she turned into an electro-pop track. As one listener wrote on Reddit, “twerking to girl at home wasn’t on my 2021 bingo card.” In recent years, other artists have released similarly imaginative rerecordings. In 2023, Demi Lovato released “Revamped,” an album with “rock versions” of some of her pop hits. Kanye West rerecorded his track “Say You Will” with the classical musician Caroline Shaw. For Swift, changing the production of “Girl at Home” was only a mild creative risk. But it did make me wonder what it would have been like if she had reimagined more of her work. Perhaps she would have released a rock version of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” similar to the one that she performed live on the “1989” tour. Or a rerecording of “Wildest Dreams,” with the dramatic drums that kick in during the final chorus of the music video. If I listened to the music-video version, as I often did, was I supporting Scooter Braun?

By trying to make carbon copies of her original songs, Swift created problems. Production changes stand out—the volume of a synth or the overuse of reverb can sound like a push notification interrupting your listening experience. Occasionally, there are new mistakes. In the middle of “All Too Well (T.V.),” on the rerecording of “Red,” two different cuts have seemingly been spliced together, causing Swift’s voice to jump.

Sometimes there’s not an error, per se, but just a feeling that something is wrong. It’s a feeling that’s reserved for Swift’s most diehard listeners, the fans who have long used her music as a kind of soundtrack to their lives. People who have only heard her songs in the grocery store, or at a bar, will have no idea what I’m talking about, which is perhaps why the rerecordings project, on the whole, has been uncontroversial. The feeling arises in a different song for every Swiftie: I’m generally O.K. with “Shake It Off (Taylor’s Version),” from the rerecorded “1989” album, for instance, but one of my colleagues said that her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter completely rejected the rerecorded track and asked for “other ‘Shake It Off’ ” instead. I get it.

My favorite Swift song of all time is “Style,” which is also on the “1989” album. The track is about the experience of an on-again, off-again relationship. Swift, too, has said that it’s her “secret favorite.” “I love when the sound of a song matches up with the feeling that inspired it,” she once explained. From the opening notes of the rerecording, though, the sound is different, or at least it is to me. The thin guitar riff at the start of the original song sounds fuller and more resonant, absent of grit—even though it was that rough, almost abrasive sound that helped Swift capture the experience of messy love. The claps are crisper, and the snare drums smack harder, but the sound is sterile. I also find myself overwhelmed by certain digital sounds—that were either brought to the foreground of the production, or that weren’t there before—such as an annoying tinkling noise in the background of the chorus that feels straight out of Swift’s more recent album “Midnights.” The over-all effect is like watching a movie that’s supposed to be set in the nineties and spotting a Tesla in the background.

Part of the issue is that “1989” just isn’t that old. Swift’s vocals improved a lot in between the release of “Fearless” and “Fearless (T.V.),” but “1989 (T.V.)” sounds a little like bootleg karaoke. (One fan, who agrees with me on the changes to “Style,” wrote that the Taylor’s Version “sounds like Kidz Bop”—perhaps the most cathartic Reddit comment I’ve ever come across.) The more recent the song, the more likely that the rerecording will sit in an uncanny valley, not quite different, but not quite the same.

There is one big problem with “1989 (T.V.)”—a problem that can actually be proved. I initially found a few tracks unlistenable because of a distinct, high-pitched noise in the background. I asked some friends to listen, and they told me they had no idea what I was talking about; it seemed that listening to Taylor Swift had finally melted my brain. But later a few online Swifties using spectrograms identified a fifteen-kilohertz buzz on some of the tracks. A fan noted that Swift had likely recorded parts of the album at her house, where she has a studio, and theorized that, somewhere close to the microphone, there was a television that was creating a current in the wire. The result was a sound that only some listeners could hear, depending on their age and how damaged their hearing was. (I guess wearing earplugs at the Eras Tour, like a chump, served me well.) “Because most people over 25 can’t hear it, no one noticed,” one Swiftie wrote on Reddit. A group of fans lobbied for the sound to be removed. As of now, the issue has mostly been fixed, though not entirely. The cruel irony is that, had there been an issue like this with the original “1989,” which Swift recorded in her early twenties, she would likely have heard it herself.

One triumph of “1989 (T.V.),” and of the rerecordings more generally, are the bonus tracks “From the Vault,” which comprise previously unreleased songs. For Swift, they’ve been an exercise in lore-building. The implication is that her label didn’t think the songs were good enough to include the first time around; by releasing them now—to great success—she is able to affirm that she knows better than the bigwigs. It’s hard to listen to “Nothing New,” a vault track from “Red (T.V.)” featuring Phoebe Bridgers, and disagree. For that same album, Swift also released a ten-minute version of “All Too Well.” The story is that Swift was so caught up in writing the original that she kept adding verses, but then had to cut it down. The extended cut is now the longest song to ever go No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

I often wondered if fan interest in the vault tracks had led Swift to prioritize these songs over the rerecorded tracks. (Did an issue with the short version of “All Too Well (T. V.)” even matter if everyone was listening to the new extended one?) I’ve also found it hard to believe that some of the vault tracks were truly written more than a decade ago. Occasionally, there is an anachronism—singing “Fuck the patriarchy,” say, in a song written in 2011, or a seeming reference to a feud that is known to have occurred later. And it was probably right to cut some of the tracks in the first place. (I’m looking at you, “Suburban Legends.”) What’s perhaps more alarming is that this quantity-over-quality ethos has bled into Swift’s new studio albums. “The Tortured Poets Department,” her most recent, included thirty-one tracks, many of which could have been left on the cutting-room floor.

Most artists have had little success rerecording their music and getting the world to listen. In 2018, the pop star JoJo rerecorded her first two albums, while in the middle of a dispute with her former record label. But the new tracks don’t have nearly as many listens on Spotify as the originals. In general, rerecording is expensive and time-consuming, and few artists have the leverage to get audiences to shun the old versions of their songs. Still, the industry isn’t taking any chances; in 2021 Swift’s current label, Universal Music Group, reportedly began making artists sign contracts effectively doubling the time span in which they’re prohibited from rerecording their music.

So where did the Taylor’s Versions, despite their indisputable commercial success, go wrong? The main takeaway might be that it is extremely difficult to re-create a Max Martin song. Martin is a legendary Swedish hitmaker who wrote and co-produced Britney Spears’s “. . . Baby One More Time” and co-wrote and co-produced the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.” He is also behind some of Swift’s most famous songs, including “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and “Shake It Off.” Yet Martin did not return for the Taylor’s Versions. “When you get it perfect—I mean perfect—the first time, why would you bother recreating it?” one Swiftie wrote on Reddit.

If it’s hard to re-create a Max Martin song, then it’s almost impossible to re-create one quickly. Swift put out the Taylor’s Versions at a steady pace of two per year; in the same period, she also released two new studio albums and travelled to five continents to perform a hundred and forty-nine sold-out shows. Perhaps the best explanation for some of the problems with the rerecordings is that Swift was rushing through them. In June, 2021, Swift announced that the next rerecording would be “Red (T.V.).” But, that September, she surprised everyone by dropping “Wildest Dreams (T.V.),” a track off “1989.” Why the switch? As it turns out, the original “Wildest Dreams” had started going viral on TikTok, raising its streaming numbers. Swift seemed to be following the money.

All of this—combined with the staggered rollout schedule, synchronized merch drops, and albums’ vinyl variations—contributed to the feeling that the rerecordings had gone from a feminist crusade to a capitalist cash grab. Swift was recycling I.P. to make old songs go No. 1 again, just as Disney releases soulless live-action remakes of animated classics. As it turns out, Swift’s project may have been a different kind of cash grab than anticipated. In the letter announcing that she had bought back her masters, Swift told fans that it was the success of the rerecordings and of the Eras Tour that made the purchase possible. Swift reportedly paid roughly three hundred and sixty million dollars for her music, which is less, in adjusted dollars, than what Braun is thought to have sold them for in 2020. With the help of fans, she devalued her old music—shorted her own stock—then bought it at a discount.

Is this feminism? It’s certainly clever. And the fans don’t feel swindled. They’re honored to have been part of a project that was much larger and more ambitious than they even realized. “This is the charity i was donating to when i spent every dollar i had on the eras tour btw,” one Swiftie posted on X. Another fan, on TikTok, said, “I did the math and each second of song was worth roughly $13k. so my $250 concert ticket contributed to 19 milliseconds.”

Some fans are disappointed that we may never see the last two rerecordings, though Swift has hinted that she might be willing to release them, in some form, one day. In her letter, Swift was candid about her struggles to rerecord “Reputation,” from 2017. “The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it,” she wrote.

Now even some of the most fervent Taylor’s Version listeners are letting go of the lie. “This is like swiftie Independence Day,” one fan wrote on X, in a post that received sixty-seven thousand likes. “BRING BACK REAL MISOGYNY,” another fan wrote on the platform, posting the original version of “Better Than Revenge.” But, for me, the post that really hit hard was one from a Swiftie who had written, back in January, 2025, that “style tv is sounding better day by day.” The fan quote-tweeted her own post on May 30th of this year, and captioned it “you lying bitch.”

“Being able to re-listen to the og taylor swift albums is the modern equivalent of your husband returning from war,” one fan wrote. And then there are the purest fans of all: the ones who joined the fan base during the rerecordings era, and who have never even heard the O.G. albums. “Listening to the original 1989 for the first time ever,” one user wrote, on Reddit. She said that a lyric from “Welcome to New York,” in which Swift sings “It’s a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat,” made her cry. “Of course, really it’s an old soundtrack,” the fan added, “but it’s new to me, and I can finally dance to this beat.”

[husbandhoshi]

i raise you nerd!wonwoo who is fully a virgin but learns there's a huge market for raunchy guided audios. and he may not be brave but he is certainly an opportunist--how hard would it be to just make stuff up for 30 minutes, anonymously, and not even have to turn on a camera? he might as well start saving up for a new computer (he does, quickly).

and wonwoo's little one-man project does quite well. it's much easier to moan into a mic when no one is watching. he learns his fans like being called all sorts of things--slut, princess, darling--it's all the same to him. he'll call anyone anything for a quick buck. no one has to know he gets all hard under his sweats, lets his muscles tense up thinking about actually calling someone that, right in the hook of their ear, as they curl up into him. that's between him, his fist, and the nebulous image of a hot girl on her knees that he has tucked in the back pocket of his brain.

so what's he to do when you, one of the most popular camgirls on the site, reaches out to him for to collaborate? it's free money, you tell him over the phone. just give me a call when i'm on air, and i'll spread my legs. easy.

you're right--it is free money. he's saving up for one of those pastel studio ghibli clackity keyboards, and he was never above good business. what you're not right about is the easy part. he learns it is not easy to watch the slow drag of your fingers down your chest, a wicked sleight-of-hand that would almost seem like magic if he wasn't the magician. touch yourself, he says, voice shaking for the first goddamn time in his life, and he almost forgets he's not just one of your spectators. show me how much you want it.

impatient, are we? your voice practically melts out of his speakers and he's two neurons away from saying, yes, yes, wanna see more, like some crazed, horny idiot blowing up your chatbox. instead he calls you sweetheart, angel, every once-practiced word tumbling off his tongue like he's learning to speak again as he watches your palm dance against your perfect little cunt. this is not easy either. the only thing saving him from coming all over himself is the fact that he’s still got a show to run.

the stream ends without a hitch on your end--after all, it's just another tuesday for you. for wonwoo, on the other hand, dick in one hand and his phone, loaded up with your profile page, in the other, is a lot worse for wear.

next week? you text him. yeah. i'll call you when you're on, he replies, the one and only time he lets his dick do all the thinking. good. i like surprises, you tell him.

it's only when he finds himself pulling up your old streams during one of his recordings when he thinks you might not like surprises as much as you say. he thinks of his voice, gravelly with want, pulling those pretty fingers to your tits, your swollen mouth, your pussy. then his hands, inexperienced and clumsy, over that wickedly soft, lonely skin.

you might like surprises, but wonwoo certainly doesn't. unluckily for him, this isn't an easy one to get out of.

[therosefrontier]

TWST Family Lore: Heartslabyul Part 1

As a fanfic writer, the family question has been coming up a lot for me with these guys, especially with me wanting to potentially actually write these unseen family members that get mentions thrown out there, so I started collecting information, and then, I thought I'd make a post about it! This first part is just Heartslabyul, about their family members and what we know about them (that I could find, anyways), plus some of my thoughts/guesses. This very well might not be exhaustive, but maybe if I see something more I'll add on!

That said! Spoiler warning! I am including info from various vignettes, card voicelines, and events, including JP server only cards, but I will try to avoid too many specific JP event story spoilers (which in this post is pretty much just a lot of White Rabbit). I include main story stuff from book 1 and also the first part of book 7 (which is out in EN), but nothing from the rest of book 7 which is out in JP. Which probably doesn't have anything Hearts-related anyways (I do not know)? I might be waiting for the rest of book 7 to come out before posting a Diasomnia edition to this, though...

So anyways! Let's get to it!

ACE TRAPPOLA

He has an older brother (seven years older than him, as mentioned in his school uniform vignette), whom he seems to be fairly close with. We also have mention of his dad, but so far, as far as I can tell, there is mention of no one else. He does mention his parents in the plural once: in his ceremonial robes voicelines, he says that "I think my brother was happier than my parents when we found out I made it into this school." We also know that his brother was a student at NRC himself and was also in Heartslabyul, which may very well be one reason for his enthusiasm at his little brother getting into the same school. At the freshmen orientation ceremony, Ace shows no surprise to getting chosen for Heartslabyul, assuming that he'd end up in the same place as his brother (Ace robes vignette).

But first, Ace's dad! He gets mentioned in his birthday boy vignette. He is not a mage (implying that, perhaps, Ace and his brother get their magic from their mom's side? As it does appear to be a genetic thing of some sort according to some mentions, but also, it can skip generations, as is seen with Epel), but he is really good at old-fashioned magic of the sleight-of-hand variety. When asked what got Ace into sleight of hand by Yuu for the birthday interview, he says it'd be his dad, who was "ridiculously good" at it.

(image credit: Songstress Studios)

Ace goes on to say that he learned the "nuts and bolts" of it from his brother, whom he believes was also inspired by their dad, and he also says that whenever he visits home, he and his brother will show off to each other and challenge each other to spot the trick!

Ace also talks about his brother in relation to learning tricks in his dorm uniform vignette. He shows sleight of hand tricks to his dormmates, and when Riddle shows surprise and awe over the 'pick a card' trick he's definitely never seen before, Ace says that he reacted in pretty much the same way when his brother first showed it to him. When asked about his brother, Ace says that he "started playing around with cards for funsies" while he was a student, and Ace later learned from him, but not directly. He never gave away the secret, but Ace learned by watching him. (And he learned well, too! Ace has been shown to be very good at this, also coming up notably in the Fairy Gala IF event, for instance).

(image credit: RedAngel)

Earlier, Cater had asked Ace to show him the secret, and Ace made a deal with him for it since he'd never do it for free, and after hearing Ace's story, Cater guesses that Ace's mentality of never giving away anything for free could have come from his brother.

It also seems that Ace's brother was absolutely the type to tease him. In his birthday boy vignette, Ace tells a story of how on his birthday, his brother gave him a box with a fancy watch inside, which got Ace all excited, but then he clarifies that the watch was *his* watch, not Ace's. Ace's gift was the box. His brother afterwards fills the box with candy, but Ace was not amused.

And in other notes:

He is bad at cooking, according to Ace, who says he "doesn't know a cake from a steak" (school uniform vignette).

He taught Ace how to "kill time in the dorms" (school uniform vignette).

He took a theme park management internship in his fourth year at NRC, and he's continued to work there after graduation (Book 7, Chapter 4).

(Also, this thing about the theme park might be a reference, maybe?? In the Tokyo DisneySea park, there was this "villain recruiters" show that ran from 2015 to 2018, featuring original minions of various Disney villains who would make a pitch to invite guests to join the "Villains' World," and there was a Queen of Hearts card soldier character named Jack Heart, whose costume design does resemble Heartslabyul's! And he does the heart thing with his hands like Ace does in his official art! So, might have been inspiration? Anyways, this tumblr post by ceeyuin666 has a nice summary of it so there).

Anyhow, back on track and back to the school uniform vignette, Ace mentions how before he came to NRC, his brother would "take him about everywhere," which does seem to imply they spent a lot of time together, and he also seems to have been a big influence on Ace. For better or worse :). In this vignette, Ace does a favor for Trey in exchange for a slice of cherry tart, when tips for the history test were what he really wanted, a second motive Trey totally expected, and when asked if he was lying about loving cherries so much, Ace said that he wasn't: his brother told him "the most convincing lies are sprinkled with a dash of truth." Knowing Ace, Trey is not surprised.

(anyways I really want to meet this guy so please Ace hometown event please!!)

DEUCE SPADE

(translation credit to Ekala on Youtube!)

He has no siblings and was raised by his single mother, whom we have actually met! In the JP server, anyways! She shows up in Deuce's hometown event, the White Rabbit Festival. So, we have a name! Meet Dilla Spade (or Dilah? Dira? Deela?)! Romanization isn't clear yet; I'll just say "Dilla" for now. Also, we find out she's a delivery truck driver for the thematically-named White Rabbit Delivery company.

Deuce is shown to have been very close to his mom growing up, noticeable enough to the point that his old middle school friends teased him for it and called him "childish" (starsending vignette). We find early on that this is an important part to his story—when Deuce was in middle school, he was acting like a delinquent: skipping school, disrespecting teachers, being reckless and getting into fights. Then, one night, he overheard his mom talking to his grandma (only mention of his grandma that I know of, but, noted that she's in the picture too!), and he could tell that she was crying. She was feeling like a failure of a mother, and said that "maybe she never should have tried to raise him herself." Deuce, however, doesn't blame her at all. Seeing her like that really shook him up, and he resolved to "never do anything to make her cry" again. This is his motivation for wanting to be an honor student; he wants to be the opposite of what he was before and prove himself. He wants to be "someone she can be proud of."

As far as I know, we don't have any mention of Deuce's father or what happened to him. From context and with what his mom said on the phone that day, she might have been a single parent from the start, with the father never being in the picture.

Deuce, in talking to Silver during Silver's Wish in the Starsending event upon Silver mentioning his father in his wish, talks about his mom and how she raised him as a single parent, saying "I know she's had her share of hard times... So I just want her to be happy now. I'd love for her to live a long life." In chapter 10 of the event, Deuce wishes to be a police officer, specifically a magic marshal, which is a hard job to get, saying that he is "sure my mom will worry a lot less if I get a respectable job." He also talks about this in his event vignette! He reveals that upon getting a bad reputation at home, people stopped trusting him, and they'd accuse him of things he didn't do, but if he said he didn't do it, there were always two people who believed him: his mom and the neighborhood police officer. The officer would always come by to talk to him and hear him out, and both he and his mom were very grateful for that. Deuce says that if he could be like that, maybe his mother wouldn't worry so much, so he decided that he wanted to be a police officer.

At the end of the event, in chapter 12, Dilla calls Deuce in excitement over the falling stars in the sky. In response to Deuce saying that yes he saw it, because he's a Stargazer, his mom replies that "Night Raven College couldn't have asked for a finer Stargazer than you." And she says she's proud of him and it's really sweet :)

And then he starts crying happy tears :)

Anyways! Deuce's character arc can be a whole essay in itself, so back to his mom! Some of the stories we got include:

"Battlefield" Sales Shopping. Dilla would bring Deuce with her when shopping limited-time sales, which she seemed to seek out actively. Deuce recounts spending "forever" thumbing through pamphlets looking for sales, and Dilla would then coax him into coming with her, saying things like "Deuce is so strong, and can carry a lot." Deuce remembers getting shoved around a lot by the other customers, and so, he takes his sales quite seriously today (school uniform vignette, new year's vignette).

Spring cleaning! Or, winter cleaning? Dilla and Deuce would go on a cleaning frenzy after the holidays and before the new year, because “if the house is clean, we’ll feel renewed too” (new year’s voicelines)

In his apprentice chef vignette, Deuce recalls how recently, his mom got sick with a cold but didn't tell him until she was better. This made Deuce sad, because he wished she would depend on him a little more when she was struggling, so he was motivated to learn to cook so he could be more dependable.

Also in his apprentice chef vignette, Deuce says that he did help his mom "a little" with cooking back home and knew how to dice vegetables, and the ghost chef was impressed by his skills! So she seems to have taught him well.

In her own words she claims that she is not very good at cooking, but she does know a lot of egg dishes, because Deuce likes them (White Rabbit, 2-4)

She would bring Deuce to the office sometimes, so her coworkers know him (White Rabbit, 3-10). In the event, they were a little nervous around him at first but then were surprised to find how different his behavior was now compared to middle school, and they complimented him on getting into NRC.

She made Deuce a bunny outfit for the White Rabbit Festival long ago, saying that Deuce was complaining over not having anything special to wear, and she didn't have the money to make or buy an outfit, but she asked her coworkers for some spare fluff and made it work. She looks back on this fondly, saying she was just happy to see Deuce having fun at the festival. (chapter 6)

She is great with cars, but terrible with electronics (White Rabbit Festival, birthday boy vignette). Deuce has to show her how to do stuff and recounts “fixing” home devices by simply changing the batteries, and he is the one to set up appliances at home, as she refuses to read instruction manuals. She only uses her smartphone for calls and pictures. Dilla calls cars "trusted partners" but says that electronics are too “self-important” (White Rabbit, Chapter 2-6).

In this scene, Dilla also praises Deuce in front of his friends for "fixing" so many electronic things around the house, which embarrasses Deuce as he does not think it was that big of a deal. She also mentions embarrassing stories like she knows full well what she's doing, teasing in a very affectionate kind of way.

I do wonder if Dilla dragging Deuce onto shopping trips all the time was in part her way of finding ways to spend time with him. She really seems to care about him a lot, and quality time is something that means a lot to her, but perhaps she also struggles with connecting and really getting through to him. In White Rabbit, she mentions sadly how she used to take Deuce to the festival every year, but then he lost interest. Deuce sees this as normal, but it seems there were some growing pains there.

Also on another note which I honestly just find funny, there is a point in White Rabbit where Dilla is worried about Deuce having gotten hurt, and he says it's fine because he's "used to it," and she's just like...I don't how I feel about this but I support you! (sorry Dilla, your son's a budding shounen protagonist and his school's a disaster magnet. He's going to get so used to this haha)

One more thing we really get to see from the event, Dilla definitely seems to have nerves of steel, too. Not revealing too much about what happens, she doesn't back down from this gang that is harassing her festival stall that her coworkers are terrified of, and then joins in with the idea to challenge them without hesitation. Deuce seems to allude to this when introducing Epel, saying that he thinks they'd get along because Epel has "grit and iron courage," as if he sees his mom the same way.

Going back to Deuce's story at the beginning...I feel like this is pretty significant, too. The impression I get from all of this is that she's scrappy and resourceful, strong-willed and vigorous, someone who'll keep an easy sense of humor and a smile in the face of a challenge... but also, she's someone who will bend over backwards to hide her struggles, such as when she hid her being sick with a cold from Deuce. Which is to say, she doesn't seem like the type to be brought to tears easily. This being just speculation on my part, but what if, that day Deuce overheard her on the phone, that was the first time Deuce really saw her break down like that? His mom, the strongest person he knows, the one always keeping up a smile? Although, in the background, she probably hid so many of the struggles she did have? Just saying, it'd have a lot of impact, I'd think...realizing the turmoil he put her through to get her like that...

But that said, I think it's important to note that she cares about him a lot, and she is proud of Deuce and who he's become, and I don't think that hinges at all on him becoming an honors student. Deuce struggles to try to make himself more reliable, but Dilla says as much in White Rabbit: he doesn't have to "go overboard." It doesn't have to be complicated. She just wants him to live life and be happy, simple as that. And also he could come home every once in a while, too :)

[runninlikewaterr]

Someone probably already had this thought but I had an epiphany about evermore (song) today:

And I couldn’t be sure, I had a feeling so peculiar, that this pain would be FOR evermore

Taylor always processes her pain and emotions by writing songs. So this pain that she was going through (we can deduce the reputation-era drama), along with the notion that when you’re in pain it feels like you will feel that way forever, she knew that she was going to put that pain into a song or album one day, though she didn’t know yet what the album/song would be called. This pain would be FOR this song, “evermore”.

And then at the end, when the line changes:

And I was catching my breath, floors of a cabin creaking under my step (Long Pond Studios)

And I couldn’t be sure, I had a feeling so peculiar, this pain wouldn’t be for evermore

When she finally records the songs and sings that pain into existence, she knew that everything was going to be okay.

And the “you” she talks about in the bridge, I think can be interpreted either as the songwriting that she knew would get her through…or you. As in You. Us. The fans that have stood by her through and through. She dreamed about the day that, whether or not the world had vindicated her, she would be back in the embrace of the people with whom she had always been vindicated.

And yeah sure, maybe there was a specific person that was mixed into that “you” as well. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: ever since the 1989/rep era, Taylor has learned to muddle her muses to deliberately mislead the general public. She dangles these tantalizing details about her love & personal lives in front of us in her songs, so that while we’re distracted with trying to dissect them, she can actually keep the things she wants private to remain that way. A truly genius sleight of hand that we’ve only started to recognize and understand since we heard TTPD.

[nothingunrealistic]

Elena Oxman’s “Outerlands” is a film of great cinematic sleight of hand. The withdrawn San Francisco drama, about lonely nonbinary nanny and restaurant server Cass (Asia Kate Dillon), is simple in its presentation, but disguises numerous layers to its story. These eventually unravel, and build to an emotional wallop. When work crush Kalli (Louisa Krause) suddenly leaves town, Cass is placed in charge of her quiet but headstrong 11-year-old daughter, Ari (Ridley Asha Bateman). The longer Kalli stays away, the more Cass is forced to reckon not just with the possibility that Ari has been abandoned, but with their own childhood abandonment, which continues to ripple in the present.

This straightforward plot is often broken up by poetic interludes, made up of languid shots of a changing cityscape. Once a bustling queer capital, the inequality plaguing San Francisco has reached something of a breaking point. On one side stand tech company high rises. On the other — in Cass’ rundown neighborhood, colloquially called the Outerlands — tenants struggle to make rent despite working numerous jobs.

Cass has a gay friend at the restaurant, Emile (Daniel K. Isaac), who implores them to join him at various queer nights at local bars. Sometimes Cass elects against in an off mood, since they’re frequently depressed. Other times, the wrong kind of judgy look from a cisgender queer person signals an early end to their night. Dillon’s voice and appearance have changed considerably since their recurring role on “Billions,” which only adds to the meta-text of the movie: to exist as a transgender and/or nonbinary person in modern America is to invite scrutiny. However, “Outerlands” never over-enunciates its political scope (in fact, it’s barely vocalized it at all). Rather, it wraps its socio-political context gently around the details of Cass’ lived experience.

For Cass, living out in the world, among other people, is precarious, whether because of their gender identity, the childhood traumas that have left them unable to trust people, or the subtle, unspoken space where the two overlap — externalized by Oxman with riveting, static closeups. Sometimes, being misgendered adds to an already crappy day, but sometimes, having your identity defended or affirmed by someone you like makes you more attracted to them. The film never separates Cass from their surroundings; this is where its dramatic strengths most shine.

With the help of Lena Raine’s haunting score — built of paradoxes between electronic tones and orchestral compositions — “Outerlands” frames San Francisco as a transient space, never fully allowing Cass to feel at ease. This sense of impermanence informs even the movie’s most understated drama, usually revolving around Cass trying to connect with Ari while also tracking her mother down.

As the self-sufficient adolescent Ari, Bateman delivers a performance wise beyond her years, with whip-smart comedic and dramatic timing born from instinctive avoidance. Young Ari doesn’t want to confront the reality that her mother might never return, though the brusque independence with which Bateman carries herself tells its own story, as though Ari has had to contend with this scenario before.

As the film goes on, both Bateman and Dillon open up brief windows into their characters’ insecurities. In the process, Ari and Cass expose their most vulnerable selves, if only for a few fleeting moments. And yet, even when they’re at their most stoic — a defense mechanism that feels learned — the frame always hints at their respective desires for past comforts. Ari, despite approaching teen-hood, holds on to stuffed animals given to her by her mom. Cass, while on the precipice of middle age, lives in a messy, minimal studio apartment made up like a boy’s dorm room, and eventually retreats into a video game from their youth (when they aren’t drowning themselves in beer, that is).

For those who’ve experienced great pain in childhood, one’s inner child is something still in need of nurture — something of which Cass is reminded by an older lesbian woman she meets at a bank, the kind-eyed Denise (Lea DeLaria, in a small but moving role). However, for Cass, loving themselves no longer comes easy, since being loved has always seemed so fraught, leading to its own vicious emotional cycle. Dillon taps into this delicate aspect of queer and gender non-conforming experience — that of someone lacking support structures — by creating a hardened surface that lures the audience in, making us curious to not just discover the details of Cass’ past, but eager to feel their most complicated, contradictory emotions alongside them.

[herbrokenmelodies]

feeling a little bit spontaneous

who: Himiko & Charlie @ofpantheons where: Sleight of Hand

Things were busy, busy, busy when it came to staying on top of the events with the club. Halloween season just ended and it meant that Thanksgiving, Holiday Season and New Years was right around the corner. The next two months were going to be her biggest money makers, especially with her the upstairs seem to be booking up too as many wanted to make sure they finished "business " in time for the holidays. There was quite no rest for the wicked, she was either up most nights making sure everything was running smoothly with little sleep, self care mornings and back to schedules, orders and deliveries with another fun night in between. Sometimes mid week could be her busier times over over the weekend. And some way, Himiko always found a way through.

And today retail therapy was going to be her best friend! Since becoming unlikely friends with the best tarot reader, Dolly, she had been expanding her normal areas to show. Especially as a lady of business, she was all for supporting smaller business as they all had a personal touch, like the way she tried to with Abyss. Suddenly her eyes caught sight of a little place called Sleight of Hand . "I tots love that name!" her interested was peaked and before she knew it, Himiko was walking in.

It was a tattoo studio. Brilliant! She had been debating one for a while. She waves to get anyone's attention, whilst looking at the art around already stifled for choice.

"Wait...I've seen your face before...haven't I?" Himiko questions before even dropping an hello.

[tokensbossh]

Hugh Jackman’s “I Can’t Say” Sparks Wild Avengers: Doomsday Rumors—Shocking Clues Point to Wolverine’s Return!

Hugh Jackman Refuses to Confirm or Deny He’s in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Is Wolverine Assembling with the Avengers? What happens when Hugh Jackman—the clawed icon of the X-Men universe—won’t confirm or deny a Marvel Studios rumor? Pandemonium. Jackman's coy response regarding his potential role in Avengers: Doomsday has sparked viral speculation across fandoms. Is Marvel really bringing Wolverine into the Avengers fold? Or is this just another MCU misdirection? Whether you're a lifelong Marvelite or a Phase Five newbie, you won’t want to miss the breakdown of these shocking developments. From cryptic interviews to behind-the-scenes leaks, we explore every angle of this possible cinematic fusion. Ready for answers? This article dives into what Hugh Jackman's statement means for Avengers: Doomsday, Wolverine's MCU future, and the broader multiversal chaos. 👉 Before we get into it, subscribe to marvelphase5 for nonstop MCU theory breakdowns, leaks, and insider updates.

Hugh Jackman Refuses to Confirm or Deny He’s in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Hugh Jackman’s “I Can’t Say” Sparks Wild Avengers Doomsday Rumors—Shocking Clues Point to Wolverine’s Return With Avengers: Doomsday positioned as the next massive crossover in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, speculation is running high. Hugh Jackman, who previously stated Logan was his final outing as Wolverine, has fueled the rumor mill once again. At a recent event, he quipped: “I really can’t say much... And if I did, I would find a really cool way to not say it, but I actually have nothing to add. But thanks for asking!” That phrase—deceptively innocent—unleashed an avalanche of questions. Marvel fans know better than to take denials at face value, especially from actors known to keep secrets under ironclad NDAs. After all, Andrew Garfield denied Spider-Man: No Way Home until opening night. So, is Jackman returning? Or are we all clawing at straws? Let’s unpack the facts, rumors, and possibilities. What Did Hugh Jackman Actually Say, and Why Is It Important? Jackman’s statement, on the surface, is vague and non-committal. But in true Marvel fashion, ambiguity often hides reality. By not offering a definitive "no," Jackman leaves the door wide open for interpretation—strategically, perhaps at Marvel’s behest. This response follows a familiar PR pattern: actors are coached to stir interest without spoiling anything. It’s a classic Marvel misdirect—keep fans guessing, keep the hype alive, and fuel organic speculation. Moreover, Jackman’s careful phrasing, “I would find a really cool way not to say it,” mirrors past instances where MCU actors were later revealed to be involved after months of denial. Is There Any Precedent for This Kind of Marvel Secrecy? Absolutely. Marvel has built an empire on narrative sleight of hand. Key examples include: - Andrew Garfield & Tobey Maguire – Repeatedly denied No Way Home involvement, only to emerge in the third act. - Charlize Theron – Her Clea cameo in Doctor Strange 2 shocked even die-hard fans. - Jonathan Majors – Hidden in plain sight before being revealed as He Who Remains. Marvel's marketing thrives on this “wait-and-see” culture, where denials often imply deeper truths. Could This Tie into the MCU Multiverse Arc? Hugh Jackman’s “I Can’t Say” Sparks Wild Avengers Doomsday Rumors—Shocking Clues Point to Wolverine’s Return Unquestionably. Avengers: Doomsday is rumored to be a multiversal event with stakes rivaling Endgame. The introduction of variants, timelines, and alternate realities allows long-gone characters (and actors) to return without breaking continuity. This opens the door for Jackman's Wolverine, even if it's a variant. He could appear in: - A flash multiverse battle - A post-credits stinger - A Secret Wars-style cameo Considering Deadpool & Wolverine already breaks the continuity wall, a re-entry in Doomsday seems plausible and brand-aligned. What Role Would Wolverine Realistically Play in Avengers: Doomsday? If Jackman returns, it’s unlikely to be a major arc. Instead, expect: - Battle Cameo – An epic fight scene like Endgame’s final battle. - Mentor Moment – Guiding a younger mutant or variant Logan. - Emotional Closure – A final farewell in a multiverse reset. Marvel likely sees Jackman as a legacy character. His appearance would serve more as a symbol than a reboot. Are There Leaks or Evidence to Support the Theory? Several industry insiders and scoopers have hinted at multiverse cameos, and Jackman’s name is often floated. Leaked call sheets, set photos, and cryptic social posts have hinted at: - A multi-Wolverine scene - Hugh Jackman filming secretly in Atlanta - Costume fittings for X-Men-style uniforms While none of this is confirmed, the volume of whispers is consistent with past Marvel leak patterns. Could This Just Be Fan Hype Over Nothing? Definitely a possibility. Marvel fans are passionate and often over-analyze. Sometimes, a vague answer is just that—vague. However, with Marvel’s known track record of secrecy and surprise reveals, it’s hard not to read between the lines. Even if Jackman doesn’t appear in Doomsday, Marvel could be using the hype to prime audiences for another Wolverine reveal—possibly tied to Taron Egerton or another actor. How Would This Affect the Future of the X-Men in the MCU? Jackman’s return—however brief—would serve as a nostalgic farewell and transitional bridge. It would: - Honor Fox’s legacy while setting up MCU mutants - Create emotional resonance in the multiverse storyline - Provide closure while opening new doors Marvel could use his cameo as a "passing the torch" moment, possibly linking him to new X-Men leads.

Final Summary: What Did We Learn?

- Jackman’s ambiguity has reignited Wolverine return rumors. - Marvel’s history of secrecy makes this plausible—not just hype. - Multiverse arcs allow legacy characters to reappear without narrative risk. - Cameo possibilities include brief battle scenes, emotional moments, or setup stingers. - Future implications involve setting up new mutants while honoring the old. Read the full article

[sheetmusiclibrarypdf]

Keith Jarrett: The Melody at Night, with You (1999)- transcriptions book

Keith Jarrett: The Melody at Night, with You - sheet music transcriptions book is now available for download.

The 1999 recording The Melody At Night With You is one of Keith Jarrett's most popular records. Originally created as a gift to his wife, his versions of songs from the Great American Songbook plus the traditional “Shenandoah” are permeated by a special atmosphere that makes the recording one of his most personal audio documents. Keith Jarrett was in the midst of recovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and he made these recordings privately with no intention of sharing them with the public. They are fairly simple, pretty settings of well-known melodies, with almost none of the exploration for which he is famed. Jarrett dispenses with the jazz soloist’s conventional emphasis on dexterity, the “clever” phrase and the virtuosic sleight-of-hand, and instead strips these songs to their melodic essence to gently lay bare their emotional core. After many years of preparation, the sheet music for The Melody At Night With You has now been published by with Jarrett’s approval and the support of Jarrett’s label, ECM.

The Melody at Night, with You is a solo album by American pianist Keith Jarrett recorded at his home studio in 1998 and released by ECM Records in 1999. It was recorded during his bout with chronic fatigue syndrome and was dedicated to Jarrett's second and then-wife, Rose Anne: "For Rose Anne, who heard the music, then gave it back to me". In an interview in Time magazine in November 1999, he explained "I started taping it in December 1997, as a Christmas present for my wife. I'd just had my Hamburg Steinway overhauled and wanted to try it out, and I have my studio right next to the house, so if I woke up and had a half-decent day, I would turn on the tape recorder and play for a few minutes. I was too fatigued to do more. Then something started to click with the mike placement, the new action of the instrument,... I could play so soft,... and the internal dynamics of the melodies... of the songs... It was one of those little miracles that you have to be ready for, though part of it was that I just didn't have the energy to be clever." The album contains eight jazz standards, two traditional songs, and, uncharacteristically for Jarrett, only one improvisation ("Meditation", the second half of track six).

Track listing

All tracks are jazz standards or traditional songs (5 & 9), by other composers, except the second half of track 6 ("Meditation"), which is an improvisation by Jarrett: - "I Loves You, Porgy" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward) - 5:50 - "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) - 7:10 - "Don't Ever Leave Me" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern) - 2:47 - "Someone to Watch over Me" (Gershwin, Gershwin) - 5:05 - "My Wild Irish Rose" (Traditional) - 5:21 - "Blame It on My Youth/Meditation" (Edward Heyman, Oscar Levant/Jarrett) - 7:19 - "Something to Remember You By" (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) - 7:15 - "Be My Love" (Nicholas Brodszky, Sammy Cahn) - 5:38 - "Shenandoah" (Traditional) - 5:52 - "I'm Through With Love" (Gus Kahn, Fud Livingston, Matty Malneck) - 2:56

Personnel

- Keith Jarrett – piano, engineering, production

Sheet Music Download here.

I Loves You Porgy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw3CA1Prwcs&t=4s Pianist, composer, and bandleader Keith Jarrett is one of the most prolific, innovative, and iconoclastic musicians to emerge from the late 20th century. As a pianist (though that is by no means the only instrument he plays), he literally changed the conversation in jazz by introducing an entirely new aesthetic regarding solo improvisation in concert. Though capable of playing in a wide variety of styles, Jarrett is grounded in the jazz tradition. He has recorded over 100 albums as a leader in jazz and classical music. He cut his 1967 debut, Life Between the Exit Signs, leading a trio with Paul Motian and Charlie Haden. He played in Miles Davis' group for a time, and appears on several live recordings, including Live Evil. Read the full article

[endysfrair]

Gamescom 2024 "The Heart of Gaming" #1 🎮

🎮 The first selection of games from Gamescom 2024 with the beautiful name "The Heart of Gaming" 🎮

1. Island of Winds

Tags: adventure, puzzle, exploration, 3D

My selection opens with a breath of fresh air into the gaming world - a game based on the folklore of 17th century Iceland. The realism of the graphics, coupled with the vast locations and mythical creatures that are unusual for us, attract attention. There is a feeling that the game will seem boring to many, especially considering the game's tags. Despite the release in 2025, there is not much time left, so it is worth focusing on advertising and hoping that the game will not have stuffy moments, because in combination with dim, foggy locations, this can ruin the game at its beginning.

2. Hotel Galactic

Tags: colony simulator, base building, cute

A simulation game inspired by Studio Ghibli films, the goal is to build a nice place for tourists with the help of a small team of characters. The trailer makes it seem like the game will be similar to Spiritfarer. But based on the gameplay seen on the stream, where there was nothing but running characters with resources for construction, as well as cooking, in which the player does not really participate, the hope fades that the game will not be similar to mobile games, like the well-known Cats & Soup.

3. Symphonia

Tags: precision platformer, challenging

A challenging sleight of hand game with a beautiful trailer in the style of the Hollow Knight games. Saturated colors and location details hold attention, and their diversity allows you to look at each location for a very long time. Painfully bright colors are not used, which makes the game pleasing to the eye and interesting in the dynamics of the main character's movements.

Your Shadow Cultist

[pathfinderunlocked]

Halfling Duchess - CR3 Humanoid

A halfling with noble blood, and something else lurking in the blood as well.

Artwork is concept art for Seraph of the End, by Yamato Yamamoto, copyright Wit Studio.

I sort of imagine that, in a setting where magic can come from your bloodline, nearly all major noble families are probably sorcerers. This particular one has very few powers, however. Something dark lingers deep inside this deceptively helpless-looking individual, ready to one day emerge, but it's biding its time.

In the meantime, this halfling noble enjoys screwing with people by pretending to be a human child. Sometimes this tactic gets people to ignore her and talk in front of her when they ordinarily wouldn't. Sometimes it simply lets her go out in public without being recognized.

She has an unusually high amount of wealth for her level because, well, a duke or duchess is typically the second highest rank of nobility, right underneath the king. This wealth would be enough to bump her up by 1 CR, but it's canceled out by her having basically no combat abilities except Wasting Ray. She definitely needs bodyguards. If dealing with her as an adversary in a purely social encounter, treat her as CR 4.

Halfling Duchess - CR 3

Dressed in incredibly fine clothing of glimmering silk, the figure sitting at the dinner table drinking tea appears to be a noble child, who motions for you to sit down. It's not clear where the duchess is, or why she's wasting your time by subjecting you to interacting with this kid.

XP 800 Halfling Sorcerer 2 / Aristocrat 3 LG Small humanoid (halfling) Init +1 Senses Perception +6

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 17 (+2 deflection, +2 Dex, +4 mage armor, +1 size) hp 18 (2d6+3d8-5) Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +11; +2 vs. dominate and possession Immune detect thoughts, discern lies, attempts to magically discern alignment

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft. Melee unarmed +1 (1d2-3) Ranged mwk light crossbow +6 (1d6/19-20) Special Abilities wasting ray (7/day)

Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 2nd; concentration +6)     1st (5/day)—ears of the city, speechreader's sight     0th (at will)—detect fiendish presence, detect magic, detect poison, message

Bloodline daemon

BASE STATISTICS

Without mage armor, the duchess's statistics are AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 11.

STATISTICS

Str 5, Dex 13, Con 8, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 19 Base Atk +3; CMB -1; CMD 12 Feats Childlike, Eschew Materials, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Skill Focus (Sense Motive) Skills Acrobatics +1 (+6 to move through larger foes), Bluff +14 (can take 10 to convince others of truthfulness/innocence), Diplomacy +15, Disguise +8 (+10 and ignore race/age penalties to appear as a human child), Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (history, local, nobility) +7, Perception +6, Sense Motive +15 (+18 to notice when someone is enchanted or possessed), Sleight of Hand +3 (untrained); Racial Bonuses +2 Bluff, +2 Sense Motive (+4 to notice when someone is enchanted or possessed), +2 Sleight of Hand Languages Common, Dwarven, Gnome, Halfling SQ attentive, bloodline arcana (daemon), irrepressible, shiftless, underfoot dodger Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, wand of mage armor (40 charges) (already cast), cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +2, ring of mind shielding, 250 gp

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Daemon Bloodline Arcana (Su) Whenever the halfling duchess casts a spell that kills one or more living creatures with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher, the caster level of any spell she casts in the next round increases by +1 for each creature her first spell killed. This ability does not stack with other effects that increase her effective caster level, and she cannot gain a bonus greater than 1/2 her Charisma modifier (typically +2). The second spell the halfling duchess casts must be of an equal or lower level than the first one.

Wasting Ray (Sp) 7 times per day, as a standard action, the halfling duchess can impose either starvation or thirst upon a living creature she can see within 30 feet. This requires the creature to make a Constitution check each round (DC 10 + 1 for each previous check) to avoid taking 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. The creature must continue to make these checks until, as a full-round action, it quenches its thirst or sates its hunger (see starvation and thirst). The halfling duchess can only apply this ability once every 24 hours to any given creature. Creatures that do not need to eat are immune to this effect.

Underfoot Dodger (Ex) City-dwelling halflings do not treat crowd squares as difficult terrain and they gain a +5 bonus on Acrobatics checks to move through the spaces of larger foes.

[andronicmusicblog]

Everything Announced At Today's Xbox Partner Preview

Today’s Xbox Partner Preview showcased 14 games across 30 minutes, some brand new, some long lost, and others newly christened with release dates. Here’s a quick rundown of everything announced.

Unknown 9: Awakening - Summer 2024 First announced at Gamescom 2020, this supernatural third-person action game showed its first signs of life in over three years with its first gameplay trailer. It stars Haroona, a woman gifted with supernatural powers used to battle enemies across an Indian city. You can learn more here.  Sleight of Hand - 2025 This third-person, stealth-focused noir deckbuilder is directly inspired by Metal Gear Solid. You can learn more here.  The Alters - 2024 We learned that 11bit Studios’ body-duplicating sci-fi adventure, in which a miner must survive a hostile planet by creating multiple versions of himself, is coming to Game Pass when it arrives this year. It also got its first gameplay trailer. You can learn more here.  Creatures of Ava - 2024 Co-written by famed scribe Rhianna Pratchett, the lead writer behind Tomb Raider/Rise of the Tomb Raider, among other tiles, Creatures of Ava is an empathy-driven action-adventure game about taming and protecting creatures to rescue a planet from a life-threatening infection.  Roblox’s Griefville X Chucky Crossover - Available Now The typically kid-friendly Roblox gets a dedicatedly mature update in the form of the horror-themed Griefville. Kicking off this new location is the murderous arrival of Chucky.  The Sinking City 2 - 2025 Frogwares’ The Sinking City gets an encore next year. The Lovecraftian survival horror game takes place in a twisted version of Arkham in 1920s America.  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Legends of the Zone Trilogy - Available Now GSC Game World has remastered the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy for consoles. The collection includes Shadow of Chornobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Prypiat. You can learn more here.  Monster Jam: Showdown - 2024 Monster truck fans have a new Monster Jam racing title to look forward to this year. Events include freestyle and off-road racing.  Persona 3 Reload Expansion Pass - 2024 Although many of us are likely still getting through Persona 3 Reload, our stay has been extended thanks to an expansion pass. Released in three waves throughout the year, the pass adds the fan-favorite epilogue of Persona 3 FES, dubbed Episode Aigis - The Answer (in September) along with new background music sets and a Velvet costume. You can learn more here.  The First Berserker: Khazan The upcoming single-player action game set in the Dungeons and Fighters universe got another impressive gameplay showing. Unfortunately, it still has no release window. Tales of Kenzera: Zau - April 23 Ahead of its April 23 launch, Tales of Kenzera: Zau got an in-depth gameplay walkthrough showing off the side-scrolling action game’s mechanics.  Frostpunk 2 - July 25 Frostpunk 2’s new trailer revealed the game is coming to PC Game Pass when it launches on July 25. The game is also coming to consoles (and Xbox Game Pass) at a later date.  Final Fantasy XIV For Xbox - March 21 Final Fantasy XIV will fully launch on Xbox on March 21. The popular MMO is currently playable in beta on the platform, and the launch comes ahead of the summer release of the game’s next expansion, Dawntrail. You can learn more here.  Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess - 2024 First announced last summer, this colorful Capcom title blends stylish swordplay with real-time strategy elements. You’ll battle supernatural monsters, rescue villagers, and use resources to fortify a village and defend it from invading beasts at nightfall. You can learn more here.  What was your favorite announcement from the Xbox Partner Preview? Let us know in the comments!