#strange queues from another star

[ciciyup]

Yandere! Apollo X fem! Human reader headcanons.

cw: Little nsfw, obsession, possessiveness, dark themes, cheating? (I don't know how I should categorize it, but it's not a direct hoax), angst, kidnapping, forced marriage.

🏹 a/n: This is the first yandere! What do I do, I hope I did well. I was feeling quite inspired so I think a little story formed as well.

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Apollo has never been one to worry, he is the epitome of beauty, no other God in the pantheon was as beautiful as he was. Being surrounded by women and men who are not only there beside him, but also queue for his attention, is something Apollo enjoys, attention and all eyes on him was something he loved.

He doesn't need to lower himself and have less, he must have all the best, that includes the most beautiful people, which was not a problem. Nymphs, goddesses and even mortals, rained down on him in droves, although the latter could not matter less to him.

Sometimes, among the millions of mortals that inhabited the earth, Apollo chose those who could stand out the most and had a unique beauty to take them with him. Sure they had always been adventures, he had fun with them, but that was all.

On one of his many trips around the earth he found you. He saw you picking oranges from a large tree, carefully storing them in your basket that was almost full. You were... Perfect. Your hair moved in time with the pleasant breeze of the day, your eyes were brighter than the stars, your smile could heal sore eyes, your voice was like hearing the singing of angels. You were so beautiful.

He didn't care much about you at first if he had to admit it. You seemed very common, very normal, just another mortal woman, however, something made him go to you. He didn't need to do much, just introduce himself and talk nonsense. You were nothing but nice and kind, you offered to help him find his way if he was lost, you asked him if he was hungry and offered him an orange.

He just looked for silly excuses to make more time and get to know you better, he lamented when you told him that your family was waiting for you and you couldn't stay. He watched your form as you left his vision until you were lost, your beautiful floral dress disappearing into the crowd and being replaced by sad shades of colors from people walking on their own path.

What made you so special? Was it the way you were so kind and modest with everyone else? Was it the way you saw things? Apollo, not having enough, kept seeing you regularly on different occasions, strangely always appearing out of nowhere when you were alone in some places or doing your own tasks. At first, it didn't seem strange to you, you thought it was just a coincidence, which made Apollo take advantage of your naivety even more.

Apollo thought you would fall at his feet as soon as he saw you, he wouldn't even need three days to leave you enchanted, but then it happens and he hits reality. He discovers that you are not interested in him in the slightest, at least not in the way he wants. You don't even worship the gods, you're not interested in them, you don't bring offerings or pray to them like other mortals. You don't lose yourself in him, you don't beg for attention, you don't adore him, you just see him as if he were just another man and that made Apollo's blood boil.

So when Apollo proposes to you and to go with him, you politely decline, feeling flattered, but refusing because you don't love him and you don't feel the same way. Apollo's face contorts, his brow furrows quickly and he tries to hide his inner side as best he can. His ego felt hurt, was he rejected by a mere mortal?

You move on with your life, Apollo seemed to have taken it well and wasn't upset, that's what you believed after he left. When you think everything is fine, he arrives silently to take what is his, what belonged to him from the beginning. No more games, there would be no more facades of the just and understanding God, he lets the true face of the coin come to light, then you don't have time to react.

He takes you, sees you walking towards your house and surprises you there. Your basket falls with a thud and the fruit falls scattered all over the floor, but no one else was there anymore.

Upon arriving at his kingdom, Apollo introduces you to it as your new home, showing you all the places keeping you close, holding your wrist so you wouldn't run away, even though there was nowhere to run, you were too far from earth and you wouldn't be coming back, he would make sure of that.

You resist for a long time, you don't want to talk to him or look at him or kiss him or touch him, you don't want his presence. Apollo doesn't want to be mean to you, he really doesn't, but your impertinence pissed him off, and when you didn't learn things there were consequences.

He pushes you into a room after you refused to sleep with him in what would be your shared room, the room was cold and almost empty, it had a mirror and a small couch, it didn't seem to be very frequented by anyone, since you could even see cracks in the walls. He dared to leave you there for almost four days, without seeing you even once, without leaving you food or water or any other basic resources, and when he decided to see you, believing that you had learned your lesson, he found you on the floor of the room almost dying.

You were pale, your lips dry, you could barely move, your stomach hurt from the lack of food and your throat was crying out for some water.

As he carried you to his shared room and laid you there, as he watched you eat the food voraciously and drink more than six glasses of water, as he watched you rest covered by the finest and warmest blankets on his bed, yes, now you would learn that things would be his way, you had no say in any decision, you would only focus on him.

And even after you became his beloved, faithful and devoted wife with the finest jewelry and the most beautiful dresses, he would remain the same, not even for you would he change. As you sat on a rock in front of the beautiful landscape of the place thinking about everything he had taken from you, Apollo was no less than a meter away from you in the hot springs with the nymphs at his side, each one laughing and talking to him, hugging and tracing his chest with their thumbs at the slightest opportunity. He relaxed with each one, every now and then, ignoring your presence, ignoring your pain.

Still, he refused to let you go. He didn’t care about silly nymphs, they were just for hanging out and feeling adored, if he didn’t have you he had nothing. He wanted you by his side, in the hot springs, on another throne next to him, in meetings with other gods, he wanted you.

It was only a matter of time, he would fuck you so hard you would carry his child and then he would finally have you with no chance of escape. He would take you every night in his marital bed and fill your belly until it was full and swollen, he would bury himself deep inside you to fill you again and again with his seed and he would claim you. You were his. You were from the first moment he saw you.

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🏹 a/n: I didn't think I would like it so much but in the end I really liked the result. I wrote it in less than two hours, although it is revised I am sorry if there are any errors. I was thinking of doing more yandere! For other characters, I like the theme. I have ideas for the next one so wait for it (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡

—cici🏹

[stellari-s]

a source of comfort . . .

request; no, it’s for @flash-exchange with the prompt “sparklers/firecrackers”. requests are currently open (though with a queue)!

wc; 494.

tags; elbert greetia x gn! reader, may be a bit ooc, fluff, presence of fire, could be pre-established or established relationship, romantic undertones.

summary; you and elbert take a stroll together on the beach, where you light a sparkler with him under the moon…

it was a serene night on the beach — a night like any other, in a secret hideout.

“lord elbert.”

you stopped in your tracks, turning back to look into those eyes as deep blue as the ocean whose shore you two were strolling aimlessly upon. even in the darkness of the night, illuminated only by the full moon and the dimly flickering stars, you felt you can make out those colors with clarity, especially as his eyes widened slightly.

“i want to share another secret with you, here in our secret place. that’s why i brought these.”

holding out a bag with a beaming smile, you used your other hand to take out what appeared to be two sticks.

one for you, and one for him. two sticks — just for the two of you.

“are they just sticks?” lord elbert’s voice was soft, but you could glean a quality of curiosity. “what… do we do with them?”

his movements were a tad awkward and stiff as you handed him one of the sticks.

“of course, we’re going to light them.”

“…?”

you used a lighter to light a spark on the wire end of the stick, causing the flame to spark outward with a crackling noise that almost seemed like applause. after you readjusted your grip, you lit lord elbert’s stick.

he stared at it with an unchanging expression, but you could tell he was focused on it from the way the flames so clearly reflected in those glass-like blue eyes.

“is this beautiful?” he finally asked following a bout of silence.

“to me? yes, it’s very beautiful.” your lips tugged into a small smile. “both when it’s alight, and when the flame goes out.”

“when the flame goes out?”

“i mean, things are beautiful because they fade away. when you leave behind the used stick, it is proof that someone was here, using them. and i think that’s beautiful.”

lord elbert closed his eyes, as if deep in thought. in the end, his only reply was a small “i see.”

then, after sparing the sparkling flame one last glance, he threw the stick into the ocean, watching as the waves that approached the shore rhythmically swallowed up the flame.

just as you had said, the only thing that remained after the flame extinguished was a stick that can no longer be used, not by him — but not by anyone else either.

“wh—hey! why have it go out so soon?” your voice was a little dejected, though you didn’t feel all that mad either.

lord elbert didn't reply, but the silence with him was comfortable.

and just as you found comfort in his quiet, slightly melancholic nature, elbert couldn’t help but find a similar comfort that the sparkler, which had originally came from your hands, was used by no one other than himself.

it was a strange source of comfort, yet it brought a small, perhaps fleeting smile to his lips.

[octuscle]

There’s been a strange influx of Trump supporters in my neighborhood…

Whew! Okay, this is serious. You have to do something about that. I've prepared some flyers here. "MAGA meeting. Only white males over 18 admitted. No women, no minorities, no Democrats." Meet at your place in your garage. All nicely decorated in red, white and blue. Honest beer. No effeminate white wine or any of that crap. Okay, it's Beck's Beer. But German is okay. Germans are upstanding white people!

Your garage is starting to fill up. You can't stand those fellows. Hillbillies with views from the last millennium. Climate change deniers. Racists. But that's what Chronivac is for….

After five minutes, you notice how the looks of the fellows become more lustful. Three-day beards grow on their clean-shaven cheeks. The beer bellies disappear. The hairstyles become more notchy. After ten minutes, the first man grabs another's crotch. You can spot the first leather pants. The decoration on the wall changes. Tom-of-Finland posters instead of Stars and Strips. Techno instead of country music.

The air begins to smell of poppers and sweat. Queues form outside the back of the garage, which is partitioned off as a darkroom. On the dance floor athletic bodies in black rubber or leather. Bearded fellows shoving their tongues down each other's throats.

Fuck, yeah! Nobody votes for Trump here anymore. MAKE AMERICA GAY AGAIN!

Pics of the gathering found @leatherjacks

[vreenak]

My knowledge on Star Trek is pretty limited, I've watched a handful of the movies, almost nothing of the og tv show but I've watched the modern movies with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe saldana. Also the first season of that show with Michael Burnham? But that's all

So, my question here is... How many versions of Spock are there? And how would you rate them? Any favorite?

Hey, thanks so much for the ask! I really have no excuse for why it took so long to answer it. I guess this is the kind of question where you either write a whole essay or answer it in a sentence. I always put it off, thinking I would sit down one day and magically write that essay… let's not kid ourselves, though, I'm not known for my fandom meta. But I'm determined to give you more than a sentence. So here goes!

You asked me to rank the Spocks, of which there are 3. *queue some huge Spock fan swooping in and berating me for how wrong I am* 😅 But yeah, we have Leonard Nimoy's Spock (the original one everyone has heard of), the one from the AOS movie, and - let's get this out of the way - my favorite, the one from Strange New Worlds (he also has a few (?) appearances in Discovery … I think in season one? So maybe you've seen him.) This sounds weird because he's such an icon - and I do appreciate him a lot - but… Spock doesn't particularly interest me? I'm not a huge watcher of the original Star Trek series either (yes I know, shame on me! ��), although I have watched it several times over the years. I don't feel like I really know Nimoy's Spock that well? I'm more interested in Vulcan culture in general. Of course, all that wouldn't exist w/o Original Spock AND Nimoy's input during production. He laid the foundation. So we owe him a lot.

That being said, I love that, in SNW, we're getting to know Spock and the Vulcan people in general from a fresh perspective. The way they're exploring intraracial dating (Spock and his fiancée T'Pring), interracial dating (Spock and Nurse Chapel), Spock coming to terms with his human side, navigating friendship and camaraderie on a majority human spaceship… It's just really well done. And idk if you've watched a bit of Strange New Worlds, but it's just an extremely beautiful show, simply stunning, visually. And let's face it, Ethan Peck is easy on the eyes as well. We're always told that Vulcans are physically stronger than humans and I love that he's looking the part? And that guys can act. Just an overall great casting choice.

I should probably add that I'm in the minority with my opinion. I have a feeling that most fans don't like Peck's Spock, but I think both the actor and the writing team are doing a great job. I love the show's humor and that they're not taking themselves and the characters too seriously, not even Saint Spock!

And of course there's Zachary Quinto, wouldn't want to forget about him. Gotta be honest with you, I only have eyes for Captain Pike and Uhura and mayyyybe Kirk when I'm watching the movie, but Quinto!Spock is doing a good job, I guess! He definitely has the sharpest haircut of them all! (and I lovelovelove little Spock!!!! Like, Spock as a kid? Do you remember that scene where he's at school and some meanies bully him because he's half human? Oh my gosh he's the cutest little kid and he looks so sad and I always want to give him a big hug!)

Anyway. Thanks for letting me ramble! I know Star Trek is not for everyone, but at this point there's a big variety of shows, so if there's any way for you to catch an episode or two, give it another try! 💜

[techycatartist]

It’s another installment of my “Rollerswitched!” role-swap AU designs! Today we have Great Adventure’s resident Zierer, Harley Quinn Crazy Train. Though the “Tivoli” model has been cloned for many parks, I decided to go with SFNE’s version because like HQCT, it had been rethemed (though it strangely kept its original color scheme…). As such, both iterations of this coaster recieved a design.

Click the “Read More” to hear about their history and general personality!

Fresh off its acquisition by Premier Parks, what was once known as “Riverside Park” now went under the name of “Six Flags New England” by the dawn of the new millennium. But a mere change in name wasn’t the only thing in store for this newly-acquired Six Flags. In the midst of the chain’s spending spree, three roller coasters would be installed at SFNE. While the star of the show was Superman: Ride of Steel, an Intamin “Mega Coaster”, a (relocated) Vekoma Boomerang and Zierer Tivoli were also present for the park’s opening day. Though SFNE lacked a Batman-themed ride at the time, it was decided to theme this Tivoli to Poison Ivy. Fittingly, the coaster would be surrounded by shrubbery as it twisted through its layout. In 2007, the coaster would trade one DC-related theme for another, becoming “Catwoman’s Whip��. As part of this rename, a statue of the eponymous cat-themed villainess was placed in the queue line, though it would puzzlingly retain the green-and-purple color scheme it opened with. Eventually, most of the greenery would be cut down when it became too much for the park to properly take care of. Catwoman��s Whip serves as SFNE’s designated “junior coaster”, a step between The Great Chase and Thunderbolt.

Poison Ivy’s Tangled Train--or just “Ivy”--is a Coasterdroid who isn’t too far off from the villainess her coaster is themed to. While she lacks the desire to see nature wipe out humanity, she carries an inhuman proficiency when it comes to growing and tending to plants. In being so connected to nature, Ivy has taught herself how to effortlessly identify and analyze the vast array of plants she cares for. Ivy prefers to be left alone with their plants, but typically hangs around Flashback and Mind Eraser. Ivy takes great care in her appearance, though is largely uninterested in “flaunting it around” to others, doubly so with the knowledge that her kisses are literal poison. Despite the character attached to her coaster, Ivy finds themselves feuding more with Superman: Ride of Steel, who considers them to be an anti-social “creep” only valued by others for their looks. In return, Ivy often criticizes Superman’s leadership, viewing him as an egotistical idiot. Ironically, it could be argued that she carries an ego of her own; she believes that she’d be a better leader than Superman ever was or will be.

However, all of this would change when their coaster was unexpectedly re-themed. Catwoman’s Whip--or just “Cat”-- found that without her “green thumb”, caring for her extensive garden of plants became tedious and boring. Seemingly without a purpose, Cat resorted to petty thievery to keep themselves entertained-- and ended up developing a set of “sticky fingers” as they found enjoyment in silently swiping valuables from park guests. Outside of their cat ears, Cat has no superpowers and had to learn how to use their whip effectively. Though still an intelligent individual, Cat has become more carefree and exuberant. Fittingly, they have also become a huge “cat person”, watching over any strays that make their way into the park. Cat is almost never seen without “Gotham”, their romantic partner, and continues to be friends with Flashback and The Riddler Revenge. After mellowing with age and a somewhat-brief stint as a villain, Superman and Cat are on better terms. Instead, Cat is usually butting heads with Joker, who tries to steal things before they can (and is perplexed by Joker’s meme-heavy sense of humor).

[watatsumiis]

Some rambling about Sucrose. Not really sure what else to say.

CW for some depersonalisation/derealisation type shenanigans, existential thoughts and the like. I use they/them pronouns for Sucrose due to my own headcanons and would appreciate others doing the same on this post please <3

Sucrose often finds themselves feeling left out.

Not in the sense that they're being excluded, no, no, their fellow Knights of Favonius would never do that, they're too friendly, too... social.

There.

That's it.

That right there is the reason Sucrose finds it difficult to connect with their peers. There's something about the way they talk amongst themselves, how at ease and familiar they are with their motions and speech patterns, the way they can look each other in the eyes without shying away.

Something about it makes Sucrose feel like... an intruder, of sorts. Like a strange, unwelcome creature imposing on every interaction, which doesn't help with how difficult it is for them to speak up in the first place.

Sometimes they find that they can go days without speaking a word aloud to another soul, especially now that they have a research lab of their own to run. The only sounds that fill the lab are those that the experiments generate, or the occasional squeaks and other such tics that Sucrose lets out.

It makes them feel strangely detached, but not in a wholly unpleasant way - it's always a jarring experience when someone knocks at the door, seeking out a 'Mx. Sucrose' for some reason or another.

Of course, Sucrose is always passably polite, but even as someone who struggles with social queues it's easy enough for them to catch the pitying looks thrown their way, the infantilising tone that gets used on them by those who seem to think of them as some kind of lesser.

Sucrose has never particularly considered themselves to be lesser, just ... different, is all. Always lingering somewhere out of the close circles their peers would form. When they were younger, it bothered their parents more than it bothered them. Even now, they tell themselves that perhaps it's not so bad watching from outside, feeling like something separate, something different altogether.

It's easy enough to fill in their days with experiments, research and walks that make it feel like they're drifting through Mondstadt's gentle hillsides as some kind of formless spirit, but there's nothing that they can do on slow, lonely nights like this.

Sucrose lays in bed, looking up at the ceiling as they ponder absently, their thoughts slipping into the well-worn grooves that they always do when there's a lull between their experiments, or they had a particularly offputting human interaction.

People are so strange. They'll think to themselves, fingers tangled in one of their six blankets as they rub the soft, well-worn edge between their thumb and forefinger.

Wait. Something gives them pause.

I'm a person too.

It's such an odd, existential thought to them that they often simply sit and spiral with it for a little while, allowing the strange, alien things that they feel swirling in their mind to take the reins.

I don't feel like a person. It's easy enough to imagine they're not, especially when they spend so much time alone, but sometimes the fact becomes simply undeniable.

As usual, their thoughts circle back to base biology. They wonder if their hybrid blood contributes towards them feeling the way they do.

No, no, otherwise Diona would be struggling too. And Draff seems to be doing just fine.

And, for the millionth time, Sucrose feels alone in this world. The Vision on their bedside table twinkles dully in the glow of the plant they use as a nightlight. Even that feels so far away - they can hardly recall the day they got it now, it's all just a blur of experimentation and sitting in their lab. Alone. As always.

They themselves drift for a while longer before rolling onto their side, catching a glimpse of their vision that unwittingly makes them think of the stars above. Cold, unreachable and oh so alone amongst the empty space that stretches above the world.

Sucrose takes grim solace in the fact that the stars experience the same separation and loneliness they do, and wonders if perhaps they share in their grief as well.

Please don't repost, steal, copy or otherwise plagarise my writing! This includes posting translations to other sites.

[heldflesh]

TALES OF O'FRIEL — TAMSIN OLWEN LOVEDAY.

──  (  grace  van  dien.  demi  woman,  she / they.  )  recently  seen  sprawling  across  beer  -  soaked  oak,  hand  clasped  to  ear  in  fitful  whispers  and  sideway  glances,  the  occasional  cicada  slipping  past  lip  and  taking  flight  at  the  whaler:  enter  TAMSIN  OLWEN  LOVEDAY  O'FRIEL.  twenty  six  years  old  &  a  libra,  usually  observed  in  gossamer  lace,  a  ghost  upon  body;  soft  glow  emitting  from  skin  pulled  sheer  –  pulsating  veins  and  a  flash  of  something  golden,  the  teeth  of  a  white  rabbit  drawn  upon  shoulders;  sorry  thumper,  and  goodby  –  ;  love  is  a  devotion  local  known  within  their  circle  as  VULPINE  +  GNOMIC,  a  perpetual  hum  of  twilight  by  bôa  on  salted  mouth.  something  of  the  SEPULCHRAL  +  PESTILENT  follows,  regardless  …  something  to  do  with  one's  very  own  side  -  quest,  faux  prophecies  and  dangers  ahead;  tales  most  befitting  miscreants  and  visitors  alike,  one  and  the  same  –  uncaring  to  lift  another  finger  of  their  own  ,  perhaps  ?  strange,  what  a  FAERY  can  get  up  to.  they’ve  been  heard  waxing  lyrical  about  a  dream  they  had  recently,  a  strange  tale  of  a  never  -  ending  dance  –  how  many  eternities  have  we  spent  here  together?  –  soles  long  worn  to  bone  and  dust;  body  nothing  more  but  a  husk  of  skin,  exoskeletal;  entertainment  beneath  a  spider's  growing  web  –  but  we're  here  together,  aren't  we?  forever  and  ever  .  pay  no  mind  to  fanciful  star  -  gazing,  though:  rather,  mind  the  tangible.  focus  on  bated  breath  against  locks  of  hair,  near  -  translucent  fingers  laid  across  shoulder  –  voice  here,  and  there,  nowhere  –  everywhere;  you  want  to  dive  into  this  lake  sooo  bad,  you  want  to  swim  all  the  way  down  and  wrap  around  the  seagrass  and  get  stu–  /  ears  impossibly  long  –  all  the  better  to  hear  you  with,  my  dear  –  tufts  of  softened  white  gold,  splintering  from  fine  points,  lily  of  the  valleys  dangling  chain-like  /  and  phantom  wings  in  every  passed  mirror  –  gambling  never  a  consequence  until  now;  a  mother's  cruel  laughter  echoing  from  every  budding  flower,  every  cawing  bird,  every  iron  box  clawed  open  in  searing  desperation  .  /

... mentioning themes of CONTROLLING MOTHERS, BODY HORROR, DEATH, GRIEF, DEPRESSION, and INSECTS, BUT LIKE GROSS. proceed with care.

with palms held out.

full name — tamsin olwen loveday o'friel.

nickname(s) — tam / tammy, if one despises their life; loveday; love ( friends, if you can call them that, and mother, if you can call her that ); owl face; first name preferred.

date of birth & age — october 4th, 1xxx, physically twenty6.

gender / pronouns — demi woman; she / her and they / them.

sexuality — demiromantic, bisexual.

typing — faery, wings MIA.

occupation — woods - wanderer; ex - dancer; hunter AND gatherer; gambler; front desk at shrike point light.

astrology — libra sun, capricorn moon, taurus ascending.

interests — hallucinogens. old - fashioned gold coins, particularly those dug up from hidden treasure chests. playing serpent. mammatus clouds. a good gamble, or an even better bet. winning. animal fur. warm beds. warm bodies.

aversions — classical dancing. uncalculated risks. lying ( even if desired ). weak constitutions. promises. anyone named "craig", no particular reason. high ledges. her mother. particularly nosy spiders.

next in queue — shadow of a doubt, sonic youth; vanished, crystal castles; pitch the baby, cocteau twins; show me your mind, sunken.

notable features — almost comically long ears; tufted at the ends, mimicking caracals & a constant, soft light emitting from them; evangeline, is that you?

general disposition — calculating to the point of desperate.

last known location — trying to convince tourists to step into faery rings at the campgrounds after being interrogated for twenty minutes about whether they can shrink down to the size of a half - chewed polly pocket and if faeries believe in, like, jesus?

scrying mirror & kindred — melisandre ( game of thrones ), rose dewitt bukater ( titanic ), lux lisbon ( the virgin suicides ), love quinn ( you ), vanessa ives ( penny dreadful ).

what lurks in the past...

were they born, or were they created? fae realm a haze beyond fingertips, limbs extending too long, too narrow; cobwebs sticking to new legs, trembling foul's - burning from inside out. a gleam to everything in view; light bouncing from leaf to leaf, sparkling upon open water; skewed from chest, lance - like. overwhelming - maddening, small eyes watching intently every human who stumbled upon their realm by accident; idiocy at their finest, curious as their bodies collapse into hysterics, never able to behold the beauty of the land before them.

she never cast doubt, a mother who would never allow it; too many eyes to keep sight of, too many eyes to be wary of. days filled of frivolous activity; dance after dance, sun and moon passing in tandem, day and night after day and night. rocketing themselves into the sky, as far as can go, vast, endless - did they have space? if she keeps going - will she be surrounded by nothing but void, but the sky all around her; come crashing down as the pressure compresses her lungs, stops her breath?

what did the other realm have, that they didn't? curiosity - not doubt - leads to their first visit - not alone, never allowed, not by mother; three of them at the slightest, pas de trois. it's hideous, it's beautiful - it's devotion; before they were - or have they always been the one and same? captivating, to be in a world not their own; to find vices only a human could have, dishonesty beyond the mirror, kept from wandering eyes and hands, but not cards.

visits become frequent - some secretive, some brash, crawling out of holes formed from bark, emerging from tree's flesh. eras change in a blink of eye - here one day, gone the next; so fickle, their short lives. unexpected friends meeting unexpected demise; but what right, would tamsin have to be sad? what is it - to be sad, melancholic? too much to do, to worry about such trivial things; too many minds susceptible to trickery, flimsy thoughts they hold so carelessly.

until she met them, light scorching eye, features engraved beneath eyelids; an intoxication never so sweet, rivaling nectar from their realm - maybe sweeter, maybe just. devotion a home, suddenly - to her, to them, together; forever, if she could. if they could - possibility just out of sight, just out of frame. but maybe not - somewhere else, where time moves different.

was she a fool? blinded by love - stricken by it as taut as grief itself; a mother like hers never trusting, never trusted - never trust. in all her wisdom; tamsin could not compare the centuries laid upon her mother's back. foolish. foolish. foolish - she never meant the harm; never meant the death sentence, lips of lover grazing fruit. lifting her into their arms - entwined in one another, feet barely dusting floor. spinning together in a silent waltz as time rolls on bye; until their skin is nothing more but dust molded husk, tamsin unable to look away, unable to pull apart; terror - laced ichor, enough for eternity.

doesn't remember leaving the realm - leaving them, there - by their lonesome; an exhibit to be watched, a reminder to be wrought. everything's new; modern, hum of technology reverberating skull, shaking spine. twenty years laid to rest; an unwavering form sitting atop rock in the woods, gaze unmoving; statuette, before bone creaks back into existence.

only to be tricked again; a mockery, lost to their own hysteria, their own grief - desperation seeping pores, clutching at narrowed frame. the dead should stay dead; even in their realm - law remains enact, balance must never waver. greed has no moral to stand upon; deals are made, gambles set - hands shaken, blinding light and sharp sulfur and a piercing scream as wing pulls self from body. and nothing. no body to raise from ground; still in the fae realm, still dancing; only spirit, only confused; memories scattered - no remnants of tamsin, or the years lost to them. nothing at all. husk meets husk; fool meets fool.

those of the realm of fae: family to friends, to those who think tamsin a fool for losing their heart so easily, for letting it slide from her palms into another; for upsetting her mother, older than most.

lost lover, loving no more: nothing more but a ghost; a clean slate free from burden and memory. it hurts to look at them - hurts to acknowledge; so tamsin doesn't - cowardly, after all sacrificed.

...comes to light in present...

it's not better now; but it's better than nothing; existing bares easier on the soul, when distracted; kept amused, kept pushing limits - a child who learns best from example. she can't rot any longer, insects a collection inside her, now; coughed up on occasion, fluttering away like nothing - mother's watchful servants, ever - gazing, ever - curious. fucking nosy. better than the fae realm - better than reminders, devotion's growing modernity cloaking old memories.

tamsin's - hard to crack; penchant for gambling, seen tucked into far - off booths, old coins shuffling between fingers, betraying the air the exudes her, collaborating with the far off, dull look in her eyes. severity no longer reaches - slapped away with a dismissive hand and a cold, humorless laugh that twists maniacal at a pin's drop. can never deny a game - or the hunt, puzzles not the only stimulant solace is found in.

everyone's useless except the shrike family, and the knowledge their library keeps; front desk an excuse to scour over maps and crumbling pages - they've got to be somewhere, don't they? somewhere, anywhere; tamsin's pried open their fair share of iron boxes, trying to find the wings she bet away; lost, given up. sacrificed. the deal a bust - why should tamsin be the only one to suffer? fingerprints never quite there - most certainly no longer, wrapped in bandages with every clasp of iron.

never a liar - forever desperate, visitors of devotion, south of tene, are subjected to tamsin's harrowing tales of heartbreak and sacrifice, no storyteller but just a girl trying to find what is hers, rightfully; years and years of scavenger hunt, level impossible; treasure maps drawn and discarded and drawn again. a quest - she insists. it's just a quest. all will be well - just heed my word, do my bidding. help me fly.

the one whose heart shall be ripped fro - : most probably a witch, or another faerie; the one tamsin lost to, who won their gamble - the game they play. probably still alive, ever - mocking, tamsin staring into their windows nightly.

devotion visitors, none the wiser: it's a tale almost as old as time; the full truth never revealed, only enough sad details to guilt a stranger into potentially perilous tasks.

...and carries into the future.

how long can she dance this dance? make fool out of fool, reap the consequence of never listening to those wiser than her - almost childish, tamsin's resolution, determination. naïve. pathetic. too many eyes on her - waiting for her eventual fall, one she does not rise from; how do you kill a faerie?

but perhaps there's an alternative route; sky regaining vibrancy, leaves returning from their dulled hues - no more bodies, no more deaths; grieving a silenced lamb, a quest to complete on her own. be her own savior, heal her own wounds.

maybe tamsin can lock the king into a checkmate; play the game better - win, for once.

enough is ENOUGH! we're sick of it!: this isn't a soap opera, get a grip! one way or another, even if the end result is less desirable. enemies, friends of their mother, those wronged by tamsin after years of trickery and mischief.

a family found: eventual friends, insecurities and trust issues and fears aside; people who care, people who tamsin will not gamble the lives of. probably.

[aerinis]

A Demographic Survey of 1200 Chocobo Races

The other week I finished up the achievement for participating in 3000 chocobo races. For the last 1200 of those races, taking place over roughly a month, I took demographic data on the other players I encountered. But first, here’s a timeline of my progress:

The fastest possible race time I was able to achieve with the Super Sprint/Choco Cure III combo was 1:17:xx. This is assuming optimal conditions – zero interference from the other races, and at least one stamina-restoring item used. Assuming I solo queued into a race (which happened approximately 75% of the time), the max queue timer of 30 seconds, combined with the loading screen in and out of the race, and the forced waiting at the start and end of the race, each race lasted approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds. This means the 1200 races took me about 50 hours of pure gameplay. My chocobo was completely maxxed out by the time I had participated in 600 races, so that’s about another 50 hours of gameplay. Those 600 early races would have been much much slower, so I can confidently say that this achievement will be at least a 120+ hour time investment.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Over the course of 22 days and 1200 races, I encountered 89 unique chocobo names. I raced against other players 342 times (this doesn’t mean 342 discrete races – several races would be against 2 or 3 additional players). Of those 89 birds, 24 (27%) were named after their coat color, 3 (3%) were a dirty joke, and 62 (70%) were miscellaneous. Surprisingly, in my 1200 races, I didn’t see a SINGLE JoJo’s Bizare Adventure reference (that I was aware of), which is strange because before I started recording data I saw Star Platinums and Stardust Crusaders constantly.

Of those 24 birds named after their coat colors, red was the most popular color. I kind of wish I had specifically recorded the color of every player’s bird, but unfortunately 1.) there’s approximately 5 billion coat colors that I don’t have memorized and 2.) I use a blue light filter at night that messes with color accuracy

Of the 89 birds, 10 (11%) had alliterative names, and 6 (7%) of them had chocobo-terminology names (i.e. wark, kweh).

Chocobo names are created by picking from hundreds of different pre-selected words from 19 categories. Colors were most popular as a first name, while the land and sky category (which includes words like comet, meteor, and proper nouns like Uranus) were the most popular as a surname. Surprisingly enough, the Eorzean category (which includes location names such as Gridanian, Sharlayan, etc) was not represented in either category.

TRIVIA BREAK

Did you know this guy here is a reference to FFVII? If you pay close attention during R300 races, you can see him riding Teioh, one of the most challenging birds in the bracket. In FFVII, he’s called Joe, and he also rides a black chocobo named Teioh. In that game however, the pair “cheats” in the sense that their racing stats will always be better than the player. While their FFXIV counterpart is quite fast, they thankfully seem to cap out at the player’s max speed. 

MGP Winning first place in the R300 bracket awards you with 1,009 MGP. Assuming we go off of that 2 minutes 30 seconds race time I calculated earlier, this means that chocobo racing gives you an effective MGP of 404 MGP/min or 24,216/hr. During the course of my racing tenure (along with the daily mini Cactpot, weekly Jumbo Cactpot, weekly Fashion Report when I remembered to do it, and the frustratingly rare MGP cards from Khloe), I was able to buy every single registerable item except for the Gold Paper Parasol (200k MGP), Angel Wings (500k), and the Blackjack mount (4mill). Speaking of the mini Cactpot, I started doing it when I started chocobo racing. I’d say I did it near every single day – I have a lot of fun doing it, it’s like a little daily brain teaser – and over the course of the year I’ve gotten very close to finishing the final achievement for it. I’ve gotten 2 10,000 MGP rewards several times, but I’ve never seen a 3 streak.

In my opinion, I think chocobo racing is probably the best way to actively farm MGP if you’ve exhausted your weekly challenge log. If you run the Super Sprint/Choco Cure III build it’s incredibly hands-off and braindead. Just pop Netflix on a second screen and go to town, you don’t even have to hold W!

In conclusion, I was incredibly impressed with how in-depth the chocobo racing system was. I think the only thing I’d change about it is making it so that players could sell their chocobos in some way, either to the Gold Saucer itself or to other players as a sort of endgame. Imagine what sort of emergent gameplay we’d see if you were able to sell chocobo coverings to other players!

[dreadfulgentleman]

Animatronic Reiki

“The Old Hag”

When trying to reach out to an attraction that had a few animatronics in it’s queue line, I discovered the attraction itself did not appear to have a personality to it. Strangely, it felt like two different areas of land stuck together, and I had somehow tapped into the old one but it wasn’t there anymore to speak for itself, and meanwhile the newer one on top wasn’t old enough to have really grown into itself to have a personality.

Mid-queue, there was an animatronic that was purposefully designed to look creepy. I decided to switch gears and see if I could tune into the animatronic and speak to it. For some reason, I felt compelled to ask the attraction permission first for me to do this, despite the attraction not really having a personality for me to talk to. I did, however, feel an intention of allowance for me to do so. Where this permission feeling came from is uncertain. Regardless, I reached out to “the old hag”. Her energy did not feel anything like how she was visually. Instead of old, creepy, and off putting, she felt like an energetic young puppy wagging its tail, excited to be performing the role she was currently doing. I introduced myself and told her she looked beautiful performing the role. She responded by giving a sense of a proud star, then quickly humbled herself and went back to work. When I tried to show her that I could do reiki, she energetically opened to reveal grey clouds were covering her all over. The line was moving so fast at this point, however, that I did not have time to experiment with anything. I apologized to her that she had just opened herself energetically when I had to leave. She did not seem bothered, and instead closed herself again and went right back into performing her role without paying attention to me.

One day, it would be nice to return to her and see if I can clear those grey clouds.

Bonus commentary:

There was another animatronic in the queue that I considered reaching out to. However, when I tried to ask the attraction itself if I was allowed to, a very strong “NO” was heard. I obeyed and did not question it. No idea why I wasn’t allowed to.

[hermscat]

I'll add to this if I may?

Firstly I agree with everything OP says, 100%

I went last year with an Orange VIP pass, it had some teething problems but overall I enjoyed it, met some great people and they managed to snag David Tennant and Jeffrey Dean Morgan so I felt worth the big cost. To make it clear, this pass gave immediate access for autos and photos after accessibility as well as a single auto and photo with each guest included in the package and also access to a special VIP lounge.

A few of us actually bought the same pass for this year with a 1/3 discount before they announced any guests so I was over the moon when I realised they'd pulled some enormous strings to get the Stargate cast and then Jason Momoa, it was going to be great!

But.

Then we see that Jason has been reduced from Saturday and Sunday to just Saturday. Then the organisers say that anyone who had ops just on Sunday can come along for the Saturday instead!

To put this into context this is at a hotel that has 90 rooms and is attached to a small sports centre. It has an inner courtyard and public areas are linked by corridors about 8 feet wide absolute tops.

Conservatively on the Saturday I would say there were between 1300 and 1700 people crammed into this space. They allowed 1.5 hours for Jason's individual photos when we KNOW there were 47 tickets like mine as well as a Stargate VIP ticket of which we think they sold at least another 250 and I would venture that there were at least another 200 people who also spent £175 on the photo op, that's c500 people in 90 minutes, that's about 10 seconds per person and that's assuming only 500, it may have been more.

Then there was the autograph hall space which for some idiotic reason had been REDUCED from last year even after nightmares with the queue for JDM.

Things were made worse when they set up one snaking queue for 5 of the actors at a time meaning that at least 300-400 people were stood in a queue in an airless tiny space with no water and no ventilation for literally hours.

Staff tried their best but it now appears that many had been told their services weren't required after all and so they were massively understaffed to deal with so many people, had no contact with senior staff and obviously no idea of how to resolve things.

Jason signed autographs in a space behind the stage and I actually saw him moving those enormous black prop boxes himself to make more room. They didn't have enough photos for stars to sign and apparently Richard Dean Anderson didn't leave until 1.30am as he refused to let people down.

The statement that has been issued is ridiculous and seeks to blame the staff, the guests and the attendees, anyone but the organisers.

I managed to get a few amazing photos with the Stargate actors and had a fabulous Meet &Greet with David Hewlett but ended up giving away a load of my included opps to people as even with the VIP pass I just couldn't physically get to everything because of the tightness of the schedules. I only managed to see 1 panel session over the while 3 days and that was on the Friday.

It was an absolute nightmare for everyone and my heart went out to those who had travelled from a distance, spent their hard-earned cash on spending time with their idols and frankly got f**ked over. I include the staff as well who endured anger and frustration and apparently some physical violence as well as those who got hotel accommodation and had travel expenses only to be told their services weren't required.

The organisers were nowhere to be seen all weekend strangely enough.

The only saving grace is that frankly between the screwed over staff, angry attendees, vendors who got bugger all sales and guests who will obviously talk to other stars and tell them to avoid it like the plague, its unlikely to happen again, certainly not under this banner anyway.

I did meet a few lovely mutual and some old friends from last year but truthfully, never again.

@salchat @logicgunn I loved getting hugs!

So. Basingstoke Comic Con.

This is going to be a rant. I'm German, so I have a PhD in a) complaining and b) being blunt. Perfect combination for this post. It's going to be long, so buckle up.

I give explicit permission to repost, reblog, screenshot and post to other websites, comment, tag, and add to this in any way you see fit. Feel free to write your own experiences and criticism.

It's a modified version of the feedback email I sent them. Since then, they have put out a statement which directly contradicts some of the stuff other people have told us (and have evidence for) and which blames everyone from attendees to guests to staff to the weather.

First of all, despite all the mess with the actual con, I had a ton of fun. I hadn't seen some of these people in 20 years. I hadn't met some of y'all before, and I talked to so many people this weekend. I don't regret a single meeting, hug, smile, or laugh. I do wish however for the organizers to step on legos for the rest of their lives.

Frankly, they had a huge business opportunity and they blew it. They could have established themselves as THE Stargate convention in Europe. People were taking 15-hour flights to be there. We were willing to spend hundreds, in some cases thousands of pounds. With that lineup, they blew every other current convention out of the water. If they had done this right, this would have been a huge success and an absolute no-brainer for years to come. They could have been one of those cons that sell out in minutes. 

Instead, they let greed and poor organization guide them. They severely underestimated the size of the Stargate fandom. They didn't bother to learn about what the fans wanted and who the guests actually were.

A few things stood out for me:

Health and safety at the venue. No a/c, running heaters (!!) in some rooms, not enough opportunities to get water, way too many people for this size hotel. We are lucky there wasn't a panic or more severe injuries. Crowd control was non existent.

An impossible, ever-changing schedule. You can't put talks back to back, or meet&greets, or photo ops. Everybody knows you will run overtime and then the whole thing collapses. Changes were not communicated. Nobody knew what was going on.

Poorly trained staff. No staff meetings beforehand. Staff had no way to communicate with each other. Seriously, give them radios! Some of them didn't now the names of the guests or in which autograph group they were.

People could not get the things they paid for. Out of all the autographs included in my pass, I only got one, and only because a friend got it for me. [Marion, you're a fucking rockstar] I don't even want to know how many people will be attempting chargebacks on their credit cards in the coming days.

And the most important thing, the one that makes everyone I talked to the angriest: The way they treated the guests was appalling. They are such generous, hard-working people, and BCC shamelessly took advantage of that. Richard Dean Anderson was signing until after 1 am. A 74-year-old man who just wants to make his fans happy.

[BCC are now saying they were told he was a „slow signer“, aka someone who actually takes their time by talking to fans when signing autographs. Oh really? Then why did you continue to sell autographs well into Sunday when it was clear that there was no way he could get through them all in a reasonable time??]

David Blue was setting up his own autograph table. Several Atlantis actors went and got more of their headshots (by taking pictures in the photo room and printing them) because they ran out. Joe Flanigan tried to bring some order to the chaos more than once. He went full John Sheppard in the photo op room and took charge. We are lucky they're such sweet souls and didn't raise hell then and there. Nobody would have blamed them.

Staff were amazing and tried to make the best with what little support they were given. Kathleen, Finn and Nick (with the Stick!) especially, and so many others whose names I sadly didn't get. They worked so hard, never lost their humor, and tried to help as much as they could.

This disaster is entirely on management. It's a failure of leadership and an example of what not to do when you're running an event.

If you want to put on a convention, you need to go to people who have experience and listen to them. You need to attend several cons before even thinking about doing one yourself. And before, during and after, you need to take care of your people. You need to take care of your staff, of your guests, of the fans. You need to adjust the size of the event to the size of the venue, or vice versa. You need to actually be interested in this event beyond the money it will earn you. You need to know when you bit off more than you can chew.

I'm not hoping for a better one next year, because all of us said we won't be back. What I do hope is that hey sincerely apologize to the guests and at least double what money was raised for charity.

[chaoticspacefam]

(banner is by @/purpleyin) I was tagged last weekend by @swtorpadawan​, thank you! I saw it too late to post something on the Sunday so I figured I’d just queue it for this week instead :’D

tagging uhhh, @tearlessrain​ @mercurypilgrim​ @darth-bagel​ @elaphaemourra​ and anyone else who feels like they have something to share :3

Have another By The Stars exerpt because Kas was strangely loud these past few weeks. This is from an outtake oneshot that may or may not include smut in the final version 😏 bc in true Sith fashion, all of Kas’s emotional development happens when she’s horny, sorrynotsorry

(the working title for this is “girl help I’m in love with the pirate”, I’m hoping a better one will come to me once I’ve finished the whole oneshot 😂)

…but for all his talk of leaving if things got “too fucked up”, for all the times he’d run off chasing that bastard “Rike”, Andronikos kept coming back. And always, she found herself waiting up for him. Ni’kasi knew she shouldn’t have, it was a fool thing, to get attached to a pirate. But she couldn’t help it. She was so very fond of him, consequences of that be damned. When Rike had gotten away from him and she’d gotten back to the ship after him and found him punching the bulkhead, the Sith had reacted on instinct to grab him by his wrists before the stupid man broke his knuckles. Somehow, even she wasn't sure how, she’d talked him down from his angry tirade and he’d smiled at her in a way that made her heart flutter.

Also you guys got an extra sentence bc it seemed weird to not finish the paragraphy but technically if you squint it’s six sentences I promise /hj

[notwhelmedyet]

2022 Blorbo Wrapped

hey why not? Let's see what I can remember....any character demanding brainspace counts, not just ones I read/wrote fanfic about.

January-March: No Blorbos

I had been in between fandoms for a while now and that continued through the beginning of the year. I was still reading fanfic, but for older things (Avatar, Daredevil, The Mandalorian). I read a few novels but nothing that really caught my heart.

January-March, June-September: Strawbale House Construction

Not exactly a fandom but as always I got really into home construction research in the early spring. XD The majority of books I read this year were probably construction/building science books.

March, briefly: Geralt (The Witcher)

Around this point I plotted out an elaborate Witcher fanfic in my head, which required far more medieval culture knowledge than I had so I dropped everything to read Daily Life in the Middle Ages, A Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England and Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages: Social Change in England, c.1200-1520.

I then got distracted before I could actually write the fic, rip.

March-May: Bruce (The Batman)

The return of an old friend (aka a fixation from high school). I loved this movie and managed my first fic in a year for it. Unfortunately I didn't really vibe with the fanfic scene overall and ended up drifting away. But I still had a good time.

May-June: Spock and Ortegas (Strange New Worlds)

Love this show, love all my wonderful star trek children. I want them to have adventures and be happy forever.

June: Thara (The Goblin Emperor/Tombs of Amalo)

Not a blorbo for writing about, but for thinking longingly about at all times. Katherine Addison is one of my favorite authors putting out books rn, I think. Every time I read one of her books it takes my breath away.

August-October: Dream (The Sandman)

I promise I don't mean that I'm abandoning my Sandman fic, but the intense blorbo storm was definitely August-October. It was wonderful to fall for something completely again in an all-consuming way. Wonderful wonderful, would like it to come back....*makes pssp psssp noises at the fandom*

September, briefly: Then Entire Cast of Nona the Ninth

Hello again to Cam and Pal and Nona and [spoilers] and [spoilers] and [spoilers] and all the rest of my good friends in the necromancy apocalypse. It was good to visit with you all again.

November: Cassian (Andor)

I watched Andor and lost my entire brain for a bit there. What a show. Whew.

December, briefly: Merlin (what the fuck)

This is not a thing I rewatched or anything, I just tripped and fell into rereading probably a million words of Merlin fanfiction for no particular reason, I cannot explain what happened there.

December, late: No Blorbos >:(

Watched some fun movies, fell down another fanfiction hole looking at Legolas fics on ao3, did a bunch of crafts but didn't really have any blorbos at the front of the queue in December.

And that's 2022 in Blorbos, may the brain fixate more consistently next year

[andypartridges]

Elvis Costello performing in Montreux, 1980. Photos by Gil Chaya.

[sombrcstar]

tag drop i.f inally.

[olderthannetfic]

Could you shout out a couple of your favourite m/m authors or books, please? (nw if you don’t like reccing things tho, I find it stressful myself.)

I also find the one ship per book in a series not my cup of tea tbh. I find it too jarring to switch over to other characters I’m not as emotionally invested in within a world.

--

I don't mind side stories that wrap up supporting characters' romances, but I tend to like a main series that's about the same characters/ship most of the time.

I recced a few in response to another ask. That should be posting... some time. (You can tell how well I keep track of my queue.)

Who haven't I mentioned... let's see... Jenn Burke's Not Dead Yet series is pretty interesting, though it eventually angered me with a side character death.

E.J. Russell has a lot of books with different ships but that are all in the same universe. They work better for me than most such books because there's an urban fantasy arc plot about missing fae running through them. Some are a bit too ultra-fluff for my taste. Many are pretty funny. A lot of them feature things like supernatural dating agencies or event planners.

Integrate by Thea Hayworth is only available on Smashwords and is a one-off, but I can't say no to an alien-human buddy cop duo. Both the case and the romance are reasonably fleshed out for this short length, and the worldbuilding is fascinating. I want more! Come back usually-fic-author and write original!

I enjoyed AJ Sherwood's Jon's Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case and sequels/stuff in the same universe.

I've only checked out Beth Bolden a little bit. I met her at a conference, and she seems cool. (Definitely a recent fic fandom person, like many of us writing original m/m.) I read part of a boy band romance of hers that she admitted was 1D with the serial numbers filed. Filed well, I might add: the original version is sufficiently SoCal that I wasn't positive which boy band it was riffing off of. But what I really enjoyed was her fairytale-ish fantasy novel Yours, Forever After.

Meghan Maslow's Starfig Investigations was an instant favorite for me. I'm not sure if younger people will even be familiar with the genre of fantasy it is. It didn't click for me until I heard her talking about it, but the series is basically a take off of Robert Asprin's Myth series: oldschool secondary world fantasy full of dumb puns and jokes that only make sense in relation to the real world. Like that series, Maslow's features portals between realms and a lot of magic tech in advanced cities even if the trappings are Ren Faire-ish. The sense of humor style was pretty common in early 90s sff publishing and turns up in old games like Monkey Island, but it's not something I see all that much in m/m fantasy novels.

Harper Fox's Tyack & Frayne series is about a cop and a psychic in small town Cornwall. Lots of pagan vibes in this one, and some of the supernatural stuff picks up as the series goes along, but the basic structure is contemporary British mysteries.

The Plumber's Mate series by J.L. Merrow is a much more comedic take on UK village mysteries. I'm not usually into stories where people end up with their bully from school, but I liked how it was handled here. The side characters are a hoot, especially the camp best friend and the dwarf porn star turned vegetable salesman.

Morgan Brice I'm not as fond of, but she has a bunch of series including one that feels like early seasons Supernatural.

I don't think I ever read the sequels to My Zombie Boyfriend by T. Strange. It's... well... about a dude who finds a hot corpse and decides to revive him as a zombie. The lead is a weird little perv with an ex who's a goth mortician, a horrible undead pet cat, and an obsession for his new zombie project. I found this one while looking for creepy books after reading one too many bits of ultra-fluff with barely any plot.

I was enjoying the Hours of the Night series by Irene Preston and Liv Rancourt, but it seems like they stopped writing it without resolving anything? A lot of the books I've read are good but would have been better with more sequels, so they don't spring to mind here.

There are seriously a shitton of writers working in this space. I just found a few authors and started trying books and seeing what else was on the same goodreads lists and so on. You need to have a tolerance for hideous cover art, but plenty of the actual books are fine.

[legends-of-apex]

‘Finally’ - Kung Lao x Reader (smut)

Rating: 18+ for smut

Word count: 5,000 words (I know it’s a lot, lmfao)

A/N: I’m so sorry this took so long!! Just really wanted to make it good :D there’s so little written for him that I just had to! In short, Kung Lao and the reader have been pining for one another for months and finally decide to do something about it. This fic contains both fluff and smut. Reader is AFAB. Hope you all enjoy, please feel free to let me know what you think and thank you for reading :D

You were trapped between him and the table. His arms on either side of you, braced against the table’s edge so he could lean down to your level where you sat. “It’s very rude you know. To tease your friends.” His eyes held a challenge, a sprinkle of mischief that never seemed to leave when he was with you.

“We were never just friends though were we?”

You weren’t sure why a sudden burst of boldness had overcome you. Perhaps it had something to do with the absolutely unbearable frustration that had been training with him mere moments ago. You were both so distracted by one another and intent on teasing with small jesters and jabs that you couldn’t take it for another minute, delighted when the sudden appearance of the moon relieved the necessity to train. You couldn’t be sure exactly what had sparked it that day but one thing you were sure of was that you wanted him. And you needed him to know that.

It was selfish. Of course it was, but something deep within your gut was begging you to just do something about the way you felt.

“Sounds like you’ve been having some improper thoughts.” He was joking but his voice held little semblance of his usual jest, the tone soft almost timid as he took one of your hands in his and brought your knuckles to his lips. He looked as though he was almost apologetic for having such an effect on you.

Romantic affection and other such distractions weren’t permitted by Raiden. But right now, being so close to Kung Lao, you couldn’t have cared less about what Raiden did or did not permit. His scent was all around you, coupled with the dirt from the fight pit where a kick had sent him tumbling. You swallowed hard, attempting to calm the strange feeling in your stomach in response to his affection.

“Most of my thoughts of you are improper.” That was it then, you’d finally done something that feeling. It was pointless pretending like you didn’t care for one another. You were done with this, done with the longing glances and the pining.

Moving your hand away from his lips so he could speak, he instead pressed your palm to the red dragon enshrined on his chest plate. You were so close together now that he seemed to have a hard time concentrating on your eyes, his gaze instead directed towards your lips. “Perhaps some meditation might remedy the issue.” His tone held absolutely no sense that he meant or likely even knew what he was saying. He was far too focused on drinking the image of you this close to him into his mind.

“It just…” you allowed yourself to lean in closer to him so your lips almost grazed his as you held his cheek in your free hand,”...doesn’t quite scratch the itch.”

“Oi, if you two are going to fuck in here at least let me get in on the action!” Kano’s grating drawl cut straight through whatever moment you had.

Lao moved to stand up straight and likely confront him, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed, but you took hold of his forearm, silently asking him to stay. The both of you turned your heads to glare at the man and for once he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, “Well, worth a try! I’ll leave you to it. Don’t fuck on the table, we gotta eat there tomorrow!” With that, he left.

As soon as Kano rounded the corner, Lao turned back to face you and before he could even register it, you pressed your lips to his. The exchange was soft, sudden. But you felt him smile into the kiss and cup your cheek with his hand. His lips were so gentle. You couldn’t help but sigh when he deepened the kiss just a little, clearly testing where the boundary lay. You had both been holding back so much for so long, and yet you held back still for now.

When you pulled back for a little air, you kept your cheek pressed against his, wanting him close. “Finally,” you whispered and he smiled once more. The tension between you felt like it had finally subsided, even just a little. You pulled away a little more to get a better look at him, admire him in his hazy state. “Finally,” he agreed.

That one singular word was enough to reassure you that he’d had the same issues you had for a while now. You had been pining for him from the moment you met him when you first entered the temple. His cheeky smile and bold words had you hooked. Not to mention literally everything else about him. And you had noticed, the way he looked at you sometimes like he was gazing at the stars. The quick glances at dinner or in training that sometimes weren’t all that quick or subtle. The softest of touches when your fingers grazed his when he would pass you a plate or fill your glass with water without you having to ask him to pass the jug. The way Lui Kang would shake his head at him whenever Lao was a little too excited to help you with something or even just to spend time with you. All of this and more should have told you that he’d felt the same, but you were far too engrossed in the potential scandal of it all to put two and two together. Lord Raiden would surely have your heads for falling prey to such distractions and for breaking Kung Lao’s vows.

“So what now?” You asked him, hoping, just silently praying that he’d take the hint of how much you needed him right now. Hell, you’d have dropped to your knees before him there and then if you could be sure Kano wouldn’t interrupt. He pulled back from you, extending to his full height once more, grabbing his hat and offering you his hand to take.

“What would you like to do?” He asked, his face held a look of almost pleading but his pride and the public setting wouldn’t let him do so. It was then as he held his hand out to you in invitation that you noticed just how tightly the thin leather cords were tied around his upper arms and how wonderfully under stress the cord seemed right now. One side of his mouth quirked up into a smile like he could hear exactly what your mind was screaming, he saw you admiring his thick arms. He had done many times. The slight hitch in your throat at his question too told him everything he needed to know about what you wanted right now but he wanted to hear you say it.

“I think….” You took his hand, trailing your finger over the centre of his large palm before entwining your fingers with his, “That we should take this somewhere a little more private. I mean unless you want Kano to join..”

He looked like he wanted to devour you. His chest heaved a little, tongue darting out to wet his lips as you rose from your place at the table. He couldn’t speak properly, couldn't believe you truly wanted this with him. So many days spent pining for one another yet he still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that you wanted him, not Liu Kang or anyone else, him. You tugged on his hand lightly, yanking him out of his thoughts and towards your bedroom.

As you hastily unlocked your room with your keys, he couldn’t help but place only the faintest of kisses along your neck from where he stood behind you. His hands found your waist and circled round to meet at your middle, your back pulled flush against his chest. You were so beyond touch starved that even the faintest of touches had you in pieces. You couldn’t help the soft moans that slipped from your lips when he bit down on your skin ever so gently. And he couldn’t help what hearing that sweet sound did to him.

When you flung the door open and tugged him inside, all bets were off about being reserved. His hands were all over you, trying to make up for the lost time that he could have been touching you. Kicking the door shut behind you, you pulled him against you once more. Desperate to have him close. The metallic rattle of his hat hitting the floor rang throughout the room. His lips were far less gentle on yours now and you loved every second of it. A slight nip of his bottom lip between your teeth had him groaning. Such a gorgeous sound. He had you pinned against the door in his efforts to be near you. You were thankful as it gave you just enough leverage to hike your leg over his hip. He took that as his queue to lift your other leg up too, bracing you against the door with his strong arms supporting you.

At the new angel, he nuzzled his face into your neck, pressing kiss after kiss, light bite and after light bite to your soft flesh. You dragged your fingers through his dark hair, careful not to undo the red ribbon he had so carefully tied. A gasp escaped you when he kissed his way down to your chest, mouthing his way over any exposed skin he could find.

You wanted to tell him to just take you then and there. To shove your underwear aside and have you against your bedroom door. But his stature was far more caring than that right now. He was wound tightly, the hardness against your thigh told you that much. So much pent up tension between the two of you and yet he treated you as though you were glass. You’d soon fix that.

“Bed. Please.”

He carefully carried you towards your bed and set you down, mouth never leaving your skin as he did. When he released you to remove his robes you couldn’t help but stare at him. Of course, you’d seen him bare-chested in training many a time before, but it was a view of which you would never tire. His chest was strong and broad, the muscles were defined and well-worked but benefitted from a soft layer above them so his skin was soft to the touch. You couldn’t help it, dragging your fingers over his chest and stomach. You felt each shiver that wracked through him at your touch and revelled in the way his chest heaved from your fingertips alone.

His hand came to shadow your own, near dwarfing it beneath his as he held your palm over his heart as he had done mere minutes before, “Are you sure you want this?” His voice was low, heavy with want, but gentle. You could see the desperation in his eyes. You shared it too.

“More than anything.” You replied, and he smiled, taking your hand and carefully pressing your knuckles to his warm lips for a long moment as though he was almost praying to you. Butterflies spread throughout your stomach, you couldn’t believe the effect he had upon you.

“In that case, lay back,” you quirked a brow at that,”I want to taste you.” He clarified.

You hadn’t been expecting that. You did as you were told for once, shuffling back onto your bed but propping yourself up on your elbows so you could see what he was doing. He ever so gently undid your shoes and slipped those, followed by your socks, off your feet. Next came your trousers once you lifted your hips enough for him to take them off. He let out a huff at the sight of you, staring almost in disbelief at you sprawled out before him. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? It is truly distracting.”

“Is that why I keep whooping your ass in training?”

“Maybe.” He chuckled before turning his attention back to your dripping underwear, “So wet for me already and I haven’t even touched you.” His eyes held a hunger as he parted your legs at the knees a little more so he could get a better look at you. Taking your knee, he hooked it over his shoulder as he sank to the floor, pressing slow kisses along the inside of one thigh and then the next. The touch sent shivers through you, right to your already dripping core. You whined when he got so close to where you wanted him, only to turn his attention to your other thigh again.

“What’s the matter? I thought you liked teasing?” He asked when you whined. You dared not look at him, knowing he’d have his smuggest smile on display.

“Please.” You mumbled, desperation for any touch at all. With a nod of his head towards you in compliance, he rid you of your underwear, tentatively rolling the material down your legs to expose your heat to the nighttime air.

“I’d hold on to something if I were you.” His mouth returned to the tops of your thighs, only this time he let his lips ghost over your core rather than skip over it completely. Your folds were so slick and warm that it almost felt as though his lips melted into you. A long groan escaped you as he began to move his mouth and tongue, laughter vibrating through him at the sound you made. You didn’t know what to do with your hands, you wanted to tug on his hair but settled on grabbing the sheets beneath you. When his tongue flicked your clit, that was out the window and one hand shot to the back of his head in desperation.

He pulled back from your pussy for a moment, “Please pull as hard as you’d like.” He’d obviously caught on. You tangled both hands in his hair then, before he returned to your warmth and he moaned before bringing his lips back to your core. Oh, he liked it when you tugged on his hair, you’d have to remember that.

He sucked your clit between his lips then and let it go so he could lick a strip right up the middle of your folds. “Oh fuck,” you exclaimed, “P-please, do that again!”

“Since you asked so nicely.” He repeated the action, this time taking extra care to move as slowly as possible. Another lick and he was gathering your wetness on his tongue and once again groaning at your taste.

He moved one hand from your thigh and brought his fingers to rest by your lips, “Get them nice and wet for me.” He told you, and you didn’t need to be told twice, sucking his two digits into your mouth and lathering them up with your tongue. “Gods.” He breathed, no doubt imagining that was his cock in the place of his fingers. He withdrew them from your mouth and brought them to your core, circling them slowly in your juices before ever so slightly prodding your entrance with them, slipping the tip of one in and out, followed by the other, in and out, intermittently whilst he worked the rest of your pussy with his tongue.

The very sight of him between your legs would have been enough for you on any other day, but today you were spoiled for choice on what to focus on. He snuck a glance at you from beneath his brow every once and a while, watching your facial expressions in between closing his eyes in pure concentration. You were close now if the coil in your stomach was anything to go by. Honestly, you were surprised that you’d lasted so long given the circumstances.

“I’m close!” You told him.

“I know.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He hooked both his fingers into you at once now, noting how you clenched around him when he did. Pleased with himself when he hit a spot within you that had your head flung back so your chin pointed towards the sky. He chuckled to himself and looked up at your face, not wanting to miss the reaction on your beautiful features.

“What are you- Oh!” The new motion of his fingers, pressing firmly exactly where you needed them to be, was an entirely too overwhelming sensation. Not only did you grab his hair now, you pulled on it, grinding your core against his face in a desperate plea for your release. In your haste to keep him close to you, you’d accidentally pulled the tie from his hair letting the strands fall upon either side of his face in a beautiful frame. He put his mouth into overdrive too, moulding his lips around your nub and giving it as much attention as he could, eyes never leaving your face now. You clenched around his fingers once more before the dam broke and he’d swore he’d never heard a more delightful sound.

His name fell from your lips as if it were the only thing you’d ever known as your orgasm washed over you. He held your hips down with his free hand as he helped you ride it out, never once stopping his movements until you’d finally collapsed back on the bed. You continued to pet his hair as he lay his cheek upon your thigh, brown eyes gazing up at you in a haze.

“They teach you that at the Shaolin academy?” You asked in jest as your breath began to even again. You tilted your chin to look down at him and the adoration in his eyes was enough to send your stomach fluttering once more. He smiled up at you then, his usual half-smile with a slight tilt of his head that you’d grown to love. “Seriously that was great, thank you. Would you allow me to return the favour?”

“If you wish, but please don’t let me finish too soon.”

“Too soon?”

“If you would allow me such a privilege, I would like to feel your body around me as well as your lips.” Gods, you wanted to feel him inside you too.

Once you were ready, still aching with want but satisfied for now, you slipped down off the bed and onto your knees. “Oh you poor thing. Need me to take care of that for you?” You asked when you saw the strain in his trousers. You pulled the waistband of his trousers down with ease, revealing his underwear. You could tell from the outline that he was big and painfully hard but you couldn’t help but tease him with a few soft strokes with the pad of your thumb through the fabric.

“Please-” he gasped when a particularly long stroke had his cock twitching. “Oh sweetheart, it looks like you’ve been hard all day.” You pulled his pants down and allowed his cock to spring free. His cock was thick, thicker than you’d ever imagined. It had ample length too but it was a particularly large vein that ran along its side that really caught your attention.

You pressed a kiss to his leaking tip, another to the vein. Such sweet noises left his mouth already and you’d barely touched him. Dragging your tongue along his underside whilst looking up at him seemed to really do it for him because his cock twitched in your hand. “Oh, gods. Do that again. Please.” You obliged him and earned the most breathy, muddled sound from him.

You gave the tip another kiss before wrapping your lips around just the first half an inch or so.

“Fuck-“ He pulled his cock from your mouth, “As beautiful as you look with your lips around my cock, I’d rather not finish so quickly.” He brought you up from your knees to kiss you again before lifting you slightly so you sat on the edge of your bed once more.

“Do you still want this?” He asked, hand lovingly caressing your cheek, eyes soft and locked with yours. You stood, gliding a hand from his stomach, up along his chest until you reached his strong jaw, eyes never leaving his as you did.

“More than anything. I just want to be close to you.” You confessed.

“We can just lay together if you’d like? We don’t have to do this, I’m more than happy to wait until you're ready.”

“I’m ready,” you told him, “I want you, so long as you want the same?”

“Oh I do. I've wanted this since the day we first met. You have no idea how much I want you.”

“Oh I have some idea.” You pushed on his chest lightly and he fell back onto your bed, taking you with him in his arms, shimmying until he was comfortable. You tugged your shirt over your head and rid yourself of any remaining underwear, flicking your eyes towards him only to see him dumbfounded at the sight of you bare before him. Heat rose to your cheeks for the first time that night. The man had just been eating you out like his life depended on it yet his gaze still made you giddy.

“You are so cute when you’re nervous, you know that?”

“Oh, shut up and fuck me.” You laughed, taking his head in your hands once more and kissing him, revelling in the feeling of his mouth on yours. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”

“I know.” You rolled your eyes playfully at his cockiness, sitting upon his hips, careful not to let your body sit fully on his stomach or any other sensitive part of him. His hands glided down your sides until they reached your hips, resisting the urge to tickle your sides as he would have in any other situation.

“You ready?” You asked him, sitting up on your knees, hands braced at the base of his thick chest. He nodded, swallowing hard in anticipation.

With one hand you took hold of his achingly hard cock and directed it towards your entrance, taking care to coat the tip in your wetness before aiming it at your aching pussy. A sharp inhale and you were sinking down onto his lap until his cock filled you completely. With each inch, Lao arched further off the mattress before collapsing back once fully inside you, a long moan escaping him as your pussy enveloped his cock within you. The fullness you felt was something else. His velvety cock filling you so pleasantly you thought you could just sit there like that forever if you wouldn’t have gotten needy.

“My gods,” you groaned at the overwhelmingness of it all, “you feel so good.” You told him and he smiled amid his haze, absolutely delighted he was able to make you feel good even from his place beneath you. He let you take it completely at your own pace, supporting your hips when you moved up of him and then slide back down onto his cock. He wouldn't last long, not with months worth of pent up frustration finally coming to a head. He never thought the day he’d be inside you would ever come, didn’t let himself wonder what your walls would feel like around his member. To be fair, usually, just the thought of kissing you was enough to get him off.

You rocked forwards again once you were sure your body had adjusted to his size. Falling forward to essentially lie directly atop him. You didn’t want to ride if you couldn’t touch and be close to him. Another grind of your hips and a moan fell from his lips right into your ear, his hands now gripping your lower back, helping you move on his cock whilst keeping your form flush against his. His hips moved up in tangent with yours.

“Shit!” You cursed when his cock hit a particularly sensitive spot.

With another roll of his hips, he made contact with that spot again, your hands desperately grabbing fistfuls of the sheets at either side of his head to attempt to transfer the tension in your body from such pleasure. “Again!” He obliged you, full concentration on helping you reach your release.

“Lao, please!” You almost begged, “harder please!”

To your surprise, he pulled out of you completely, gripping your hips and lifting you off of him. In one swift movement, you were on your back, Lao leaning over you and tugging your knees around his hip so he had easier access to your pussy.

“You ready for me?”

“If you don’t get back in there and fuck me I think I’m going to die!”

A laugh escaped him but in truth, he felt that desperation too. In fact, he would have come ages ago had he not been in essence edging himself so that he wouldn’t finish long before you.

You sat up so you cling to him, wrapping your arms around his neck and bringing him in for another kiss. You couldn’t get enough of his lips, or hips scent, his arms around, or really anything about him. His arms wrapped around your right after he entered you as you kissed, your moans swallowed by one another’s mouths. That wonderful fullness was back again and he waited until you gave him the go-ahead that you were comfortable again before moving. His thrusts were measured, slow but forceful in a way that had you mewling against his shoulder.

He took his time with you, basking in the feeling of being with you in such a way. His lips found your neck once more, then your shoulder, then your chest and over the tops of your breasts. A particularly loud moan on your part had his attention turned back fully to spearing you on his cock.

“There?” He asked, looking to you for your response. You nodded your head into shoulder and he kissed the top of your head tentatively, smiling at your pleasured state. He focused on hitting that spot again, and again, until your nails started to dig into his shoulders. He let one hand drift between your bodies and down to your core, using the knowledge he’d gained from exploring you with his mouth to heighten your bliss.

“Lao!” His name left your mouth, along with obscenities. You weren’t really sure what you were saying at this point apart from his name. His fingers dancing over your clit combined with his thrusts had you feeling so stimulated that you swore that was all you could feel right now. The coil in your stomach had been rigid and pulsing for a few minutes now.

He pressed another kiss to your temple, “I’m almost there!” He told you, voice shaking both with intensity and the constant movement of you both.

“These bed sheets are a pain to clean.” You informed him in a moment of clarity and he laughed, but his voice was strained as you met his thrusts with your hips.

“Where-“ he gasped, “Do you want it?”

“Inside.” You quickly replied, knowing that you had taken any precautions you needed to.

He laughed again, “I swear you’re trying to kill me.”

As he rubbed harder and more sloppily on your clit, you knew he was extremely close. His forehead was tucked into your shoulder now, skin glistening. When you tugged the hair on the back of his neck between your fingers, he was done. A cry escaped him, cock twitching as he filled you with his release.

That feeling, the feeling of his body shuddering against you, his warmth filling you, was what finally made you come for a second time. You fell back against the covers, taking him with you as you worked through your release. He kept going, lightly and sloppily moving in and out of you until he was sure you were spent. He collapsed a top you, chest heaving in tandem with yours as you slowly came down from your high. When he turned his head to look up at you, a smile spread across your face and his in turn.

“We really shouldn’t have waited so long.” You sighed, feeling the stickiness between your legs as he carefully pulled out of you, not moving his cheek from your chest.

“Agreed.” He huffed in another large breath before his breath evened. It was so good to be with you, in any capacity really but this, this was something almost heavenly.

“Sorry, I think these sheets are still going to need to be cleaned.” He leant up off of you and off the bed, careful not to crush you under his weight, his playful little side smile returning as he walked to your en suite to grab a towel.

You looked down between your legs to check, groaning at the mess. “It can wait for tomorrow!” You didn’t feel like doing any kind of cleaning right now. Your body was spent and your muscles had already begun to ache. He returned with a damp towel and ever so gently wiped away any mess from between your legs, his movements so tentative that it was hard to believe he’d been the one to make that mess in the first place.

“Why? You got something else planned for tonight?” He asked, chucking the towel in the general direction of your bathroom before scooping you up in his arms and setting you down against your pillows.

“Yeah I was just about to go train.” You said in a mock serious tone, actively shoving the covers down so you could both crawl beneath them.

“Ha! Sure.” He had already settled beside you, bringing his arms to wrap around your frame. You turned to face him, your hand sliding beneath his upper arm to gently caress his back as you buried your face in his chest. You felt his lips on your forehead again, his arms tightening to bring you as close to him as he could.

Yeah, you weren’t moving for the world.