#this was really fun to talk about anon thank you

[angstywaifu]

If I Catch You - Garrick Tavis

A/N: This was meant to be a Kinktober fic, but better late than never right? We can just pretend it's still october.... Thanks to the anon who sent me some unhinged Garrick thoughts that finally pushed me to write this. Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI. Stalking/Chasing. Pet Names. Praise. Dominant Garrick. Oral M Receiving. Fingering. Slight choking. Masterlist | Links

“Bloody hell Garrick! You scared the crap out of me.” I squeal as he chuckles at my reaction.

”Not my fault you’re so damn jumpy.” He teases as he reaches around me to get a drink, his other hand coming rest on my hip, his fingers grazing the exposed skin where my shirt has ridden up.

I can’t help but shiver at his touch, craving more of it despite how he’d scared me. If anything, I’d like how he’d scared me. And as he turns his attention back to me, I can tell he notices. His eyes focusing on mine while a knowing smirk graces his lips. There had always been this tension between Garrick and I. One neither of us had pushed further than some implied comments and small touches here and there. But at the end of the day we both ended up in someone else’s bed.

“You snuck up on me, hardly my fault.” I tell him as I grab my own drink.

”No, but something tells me you liked it.” He murmurs into my ear, causing me to shiver in response.

Gods he knew how to work me up. It’s like he could read me like a damn open book. But with how my body was reacting to him it really wouldn’t be hard to tell what he was saying was working. And he was good at reading my bodies reactions.

”And what make’s you so sure about that?” I say as I turn and face him, trapping myself between him and the table.

His eyes slowly take me in, taking his time as he looks me up and down. I hate how much it makes me want to squirm. Give into whatever he wants to say. I’d like to blame it on the alcohol that we’re all drinking, but this is all Garrick. Finally he drags his eyes back to mine, looking into me as if to gauge my reaction.

”Your body gives you away little one. Your body shivering at my touch.” He moves his free hand back to my hip, his fingers grazing over the exposed skin again and making me shiver and lean into his touch. Shit. “Your eyes are glossy and blown out, something you only do when something turns you on. And you look like you’re about two seconds away from pulling me up to your room.”

I square my shoulders, doing my best to not show him how right he is. “Maybe there’s someone else I want to drag up to my room Tavis.”

He chuckles and smirks down at me. “I’d believe that but you’ve not talked to a single male tonight besides me, and I know girls aren’t your thing. So what do you say little one. Want to have some fun tonight?”

He’d given me a head start. Something I wasn’t sure I needed, but as I get to the path leading down into the forest I am suddenly very glad for it. I hadn’t been down here since my first year for Threshing. During the day it was beautiful down here. The forest lush and vibrant with colour. But now in the pitch black, it felt like I was being watched. Like danger was waiting behind a tree for me. Not danger. Garrick. He could be anywhere down here once he came after me. And I had stopped trying to keep track of how long it had been. Which meant he was after me.

*”Five minutes. That’s all you get to get as far away from me as you can.” His voice low and husky as he steps into me, raising his hand to cup my cheek.

”And what happens if you get me?” I ask nervously, my body tingling with the anticipation of what's to come.

The smirk he gives me should have me running and getting help, but instead if sets my whole body alight. ”I get to do whatever I want to you.”*

I pump my legs harder at the thought of him coming after me. I wanted him to catch me, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. To catch up to me he would have to run to. Something I would surely hear behind me due to his size. I should be quieter. There was no telling if anything else was out here with us. Dragons generally only came down here during Threshing. That I knew of. But there was no guarantee they avoided this place any other time of the year.

I turn my head to look over my shoulder to see if I can catch any glimpse of Garrick, but I don’t. And the choice costs me as my foot catches on a tree root, pitching me forward and crashing noisily to the ground. My momentum sends me rolling along the forest floor. Sticks and leaves catching in my hair as I roll along the rough ground. I put my hands out, pushing me to my feet as I look around hastily. I can’t see him, meaning I still have a chance. Still have the head start despite my incident. Though with how loud my heart is beating it’s hard to hear if he is gaining on me. Thunder claps over head as rain starts to fall from the sky. Great, now I’d have no chance of hearing him. I take deep, long breaths in an effort to calm my racing heart and chill the fuck out. I strain my ears as I slowly walk forward, trying to hear for any twigs snapping or foot falls. I hear rustling from my right, snapping my head to the right. Lighting streaks across the sky, illuminating the trees. But no one is there. Shit. He had me on edge already.

I set off in my original direction, trying to get as much distance between where I was. I might not have seen Garrick, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t there hiding out of sight. As I jog forward a twig snaps to my left. But yet again when I turn to look there's nothing there. Another snaps to my right. Nothing there. Again. I was starting to think there was something else out here with me. But rustling ahead has my head whipping forwards, just as a large shadowy figure emerges from a tree far ahead of me.

There was no way. He had given me a five minute head start. How the hell had he gotten past me. Surely I would have heard him. He would have had to run past me to get that far ahead of me. I turn and run with everything I have. Pushing myself as fast as I can to get away from him. But somehow despite the distance he steps in front of me, his hands grasping my upper arms tightly a I crash into him. I push on his chest, doing whatever I can to get away from him. But he’s far stronger than me. He’s probably barely breaking a sweat. As if to solidify my thoughts he spins me around, pulling my back to his chest as he wraps an arm around my hips, pinning me to him. His breath fanning over my neck, causing heat to pool between my legs.

”You did good little one. But you can’t get away from me. I will always find you.” He whispers in my ear, nipping lightly at my neck causing my to gasp and arch into him.

Despite knowing I’m caught, and want to be caught I still struggle against him. Doing what I can to get away and start the chase again. But as his hand goes under my shirt, trailing up my stomach and palming my bare breast. I can’t help but moan and relax into his touch as he rolls my hard nipple between his fingers. Fuck. He uses the distraction to spin me around to face him, gripping my thighs as he hooks my legs around his waist before dropping to his knees, causing me to yelp in shock. He grabs my wrists, easily grasping both of them in one of his hands as he pins them above his head while he pins my hips to the ground with his. He adjust his position, his hips rolling into mine and I can’t help the way my body arches off the ground and the moan that escapes my lips.

“Someone’s needy.” He murmurs from above. “And to think, not long ago you were trying to tell me it was someone else getting you all riled up.”

”Maybe I’m imagining you as someone else.” I tease as I roll my hips against his, a sharp hiss coming from him.

He leans down, his nose barely touching mine. “When I’m done with you, you won’t want anyone else but me little one.”

I open my lips to respond, but instead a gasp comes out instead as he takes a dagger and cuts my shirt open right down the middle, exposing me to him and the cool night air. He releases my hands as his roam my now exposed torso, pulling the ruined shirt from my body. His touch is sending me into a frenzy, craving and wanting him more. He leans down and places kisses up my exposed stomach, lightly nipping at the skin as he makes his way up to my neck. I moan as he kisses the sensitive skin there, but a breathy scream leaves my lips as he bites down on my neck. My hand flies up and tangles in his dark curls, keeping him buried in my neck as he moves to the other side.

He moves away, resting back on his knees as his hands move to the ties of my pants. His fingers making fast work of it before moving to my boots. Also making quick work of those before tossing them to the side and removing my pants with ease. I reach out to undo his pants, but he swats my hand away instead. Message loud and clear. He’s in control. He shrugs off his flight jacket, discarding it to wherever the rest of my clothes have gone before rolling up the sleeves of this black shirt.

I can’t help but take him in. Despite the fact he’s fully clothed, I can’t help but admire him. There was something about a guy kneeling between your legs, looking over you with all the control that just did things to me. I’m pulled from my thoughts when Garrick’s fingers slide between my legs, parting me for him as he slide a finger into me. I cry out as I arch my back off the ground, my legs hooking around him again, locking him in place as he adds another finger, and then another. Pumping them in and out with ease as he brings me closer and closer as I start trembling beneath him, starting to come undone on nothing but his fingers. His thumb reaching up and rubbing circles on my clit, biting my lip to muffle to moan. Fuck. I was already a mess and he’d barely touched me. I was doomed once he fucked me properly. Garrick curls his fingers inside me, as if beckoning my body to come undone. And it does. I cry out as my body goes rigid, my eyes slamming shut at the intense feeling, moaning out his name as I come undone on his fingers. He continues his pace, using his fingers to prolong the orgasm he pulls from me. Eventually he pulls his fingers from me, causing me to whimper at the loss.

”On your knees.” He tells me, my eyes opening to see him standing before me.

I nod, shakily pushing onto my knees as I look up at him. Watching as his hands move to undo the pants he’d stopped me from undoing earlier. I nearly choke on my breath as he pulls down his pants, his hard cocking springing free from its confines. Holy shit. I’d heard rumours about Garrick, but seeing it in person was very different. My mouth waters as I take him in. He reaches out, grasping my chin as his thumb brushes over my lips. He pushes on my lips, my mouth opening with ease as he slides his thumb in, my lips clamping around it as I suck on it, rolling my tongue over the tip. He pulls it back, a pop echoing in the now eerily quiet forest.

”You ready little one?” He asks as he grasps his cock in his hand.

”Yes, sir.” I say, now using the fact he out ranks me against him.

I part my lips as he pushes the tip against them, causing me to gag around his size. I feel his body vibrate as he groans as the feeling, forcing his cock deeper. I tentatively bob my head back and forth, getting use to his size, using my hand to take care of the part I can’t find in my mouth. It’s not long before Garrick’s hips take over, thrusting in and out of my mouth, causing me to rest my hands against his thick thighs. I roll my tongue over the tip when he pulls back, a guttural moan coming from him. His hand grips my hair tightly causing me to hiss around his cock as he holds my head in place. It’s the only warning I get before he starts fucking my mouth. The tip of his cock hitting the back of my throat as I moan around him. I hollow my cheeks, causing his hips to stutter as I suck on his cock, rolling my tongue around him when I can.

”Fuck, that’s it little one. Doing so good.” He murmurs above me.

He continues to give me words of encouragement, but I barely register them over the lewd sounds coming from my mouth. I nearly choke around his cock as he crouches down a little bit, the hand not tangled in my hair grasping my neck, making my feel every inch of him down my throat. Something tells me he can feel himself fucking my throat as he moans loudly above me, his pace picking up. Tears sting my eyes as he pushes deeper, my throat constricting around him. Seconds later Garrick’s body goes rigid as his hips stop, his body leaning forward as he leans a hand against the tree behind us, his body twitching as he comes undone.

Garrick steps back, his cocking popping free as I sag back to the ground, scooting back as I close my eyes and lean back against the tree and catch my breath. I shudder as Garrick’s hands grab my leg, but I relax when I feel him sliding my clothes and shoes back on. Well what’s left of them. I no longer had a shirt after he cut it from my body with his dagger. I open my eyes as his fingers caress my cheek, Garrick crouching in front of me as he holds his jacket in his hand. His fingers trail down to my shoulder, tugging on my shoulder as he pulls me away from the tree. He drapes the jacket over my shoulders before placing my arms in the sleeves, securing the jacket around me as best he can to cover me.

”You did so good little one.” He murmurs as he caresses my cheek. “Don’t get lost on your way back.”

I blink and when I open my eyes Garrick is gone, leaving me alone and desperate for more

[minyard-05]

What do you look for in a song for a character? Is it just vibes or lyrics or something else? I've never been able to pair songs with characters so I'm just wondering about your thought process so I can make more sense out of it!

oooo this is such an interesting question anon and if you don't mind i'm going to use it to explain my thought process behind this song as a twinyards song

so for me, it is about 70% based on Vibes alone. sometimes i associate a song with a character or project just because i was listening to it and thinking about the character, sometimes lyrics dont come into it at all. its difficult to explain but sometimes songs just Sound like one specific character for me, and often thats based off what i think theyd listen to (for example, a lot of what's on my aaron playlist is like 90s/00s grunge/rock n roll type stuff, there's specific bands i associate with him (counting crows, death cab for cutie, fall out boy, the fray, etc) and so on.

in terms of what i look for, it really depends on the Situation. i have general character playlists but i also have playlists for AUs and stuff. in my playlist for Heaven And Hell, for example, i sort of look for stuff that i think fits the atmosphere of the fic, so sonically that's often stuff that's quiet or gentle, lyrically it veers towards themes of loneliness or isolation or missing somebody etc. this all is just because it's what works best to steer my brain in the direction of Writing Mode™ for that specific fic. similar idea for my other project playlists.

but a lot of the times, character associations for me come from lyrics. if we take Name as our example because it's one of my favourite songs and great for feeling the twinyards emotions

with lyrics, for me, it's a lot about the perspective. especially as a lot of songs tend to be in first person, i'll usually associate it with the character i'd see as being the singer in question, if that makes sense? basically, with this song specifically, it feels like aaron talking to andrew in a sense. primarily focusing on them when they're younger, to me this feels like it's overall aaron's perspective of trying to understand andrew and realizing what he actually means to him.

this part specifically is like when they first moved in together and andrew doesn't speak much so aaron has this sense of almost being protective of him because he's been in columbia more so "you could hide beside me" is the feeling of them both being lost but aaron wants them to stick up for and look out for each other and they're not perfect and none of this is normal, but they're family and that has to count for something, right?

these parts together are the twins but after they've grown up more, around graduation. the first time they really split since being reunited. the repetition of "i won't tell no one your name" is the main lyric that solidifies this as a twinyards song for me and it comes from a headcanon i had whilst writing Golden so TANGENT TIMEEEE

i think when aaron moved to columbia, he tried to take it as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over. he was still sore about andrew's letter, obviously not knowing why he sent it, and angry at his brother for getting arrested because it just meant they'd be apart for longer. tilda never wanted aaron talking about andrew, not even saying his name, so for those three years aaron went back to what it was like before, being an only child of an only mother. he tried to forget about andrew because it made it hurt less. so he never told anyone about andrew, instead, he kept him as a secret instead, one he could catch glimpses of in cracked mirrors, but he would never say andrew's name aloud. eventually, that too started to feel like something of a way to protect him. aaron knew he wasn't what luther wanted in a nephew– he wasn't the pious perfect church son that luther had never had in nicky and had tried to mold aaron into. aaron is fully aware that his life is less than ideal, so by pretending andrew doesn't exist, then after juvie he might go back to his foster family, and he won't have to live with tilda and her drugs and her moods or deal with luther and his prayers. aaron and andrew tried to protect each other in similar ways, albeit from different demons.

so that's kind of it! some of my song associations for characters are incredible far reaches but as far as i'm concerned, if you say a song is The Character then it just is. happy playlisting to all who partake <3

[khaoala]

Hi, first of all, I hope this ask finds you well 🤗

I wanted to ask, what is your top 10 favorite FirstKhao kisses? 🙃

anon, first of all, thank you for wanting to know but also, you're asking the worst person, because i'm so bad at picking favorites 🥲 excuse me because i was inspired hence the length of this answer. i was also trying my best to procrastinate instead of doing what i was supposed to do (study).

thankfully you didn't ask me to rank them, so in no particularly order of preference we have:

sandray's new year's peck

it's soft, it feels so domestic and sweet. it's just them being happy and content and hopeful for the future. it's great.

sandray's pool kiss

it's such a fucking statement (despite ray not realizing it). the way sand was all stiff when kissing boeing, but when he kisses ray he's immediately into his touch? and how he reaches out to touch ray? how his hand hovers over ray's throat? 10/10.

sandray's smoke kiss

what a phenomenal first kiss, we all have to agree. it's hot, it's gorgeous, and it show so much passion and desire from both parts, honestly. the whole sequence was breathtaking, and i love it. (the way sand pulls on ray's bottom lip and when he kisses ray's hip tattoo? absolute cinema.)

akkayan's "what is our relationship?" kiss

in specific this second kiss out of the three we've got back to back. it's just so cute the way akk keeps saying what aye doesn't want to hear just to get more kisses, and aye happily "punishes" him for it. the way they both smile before and into the kiss. it's for sure one of my all time overall favorite kisses.

sandray's angry kiss

completely different vibes from the previous one. i don't know, it just has such a good build-up. from the moment ray barged into that room i knew he wasn't leaving sand without either getting punched or getting railed. unfortunately, top got in the way for that second option to happen. it's the way ray just takes a breath between kisses and how disoriented sand looked when they were interrupted that does it for me.

sandray's end of the date kiss

it was the perfect end for the perfect day if bostonnick hadn't appeared. were they going to have sex in the balcony of sand's apartment? maybe. but it's not about that. their day together had been perfect. they woke up together, had breakfast together, went shopping together, went to a concert, ate, flirted, ray met sand's mom and sang for him. ray opened up about his mom. they were both on the way to let the other in and give each other a try, and then we know what happened.

akkayan's fantasy kiss

akk has a very vivid imagination. people have talked about this before. how it doesn't start with an actual kiss, but just a cheek kiss, and then it's akk imagining aye wanting him, actively pursuing him romantically, choosing him, kissing him. it's just gorgeous.

akkayan's first actual kiss

"i want to kiss you. can i kiss you?" "if you want me to stop, if you're not okay, tell me. i'll stop." IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!! i'm in awe every time i watch this scene. it's so gentle and tame, and at the same time, it's so heavy with meaning. the way they both feel the kiss? listen, i'm unwell.

sandray's 'sand almost got that d' kiss

no one can convince me sand didn't want to get fucked in that car, and i love how ravished he looks when they are interrupted (again) by mew. but this kiss is here specifically because of the this part where ray so skillfully closes the sunroof with one hand while still kissing sand. i love it. when it came out, i watched this part more times than i'd like to admit.

akkayan's bridge kiss

akkayan's kisses in our skyy 2 were works of art. i lost count of how many times i've watched this kiss in specific. now we know that most of the bridge scene was improvised, hence why akk/first looks amused by aye/khaotung's little pecks before their actual kiss, but it's undoubtedly one of their prettiest kisses. the location, and the sun behind akk's head, the domesticity and sweetness. it's just so so great, i really love it.

special mentions: weed cookie "kiss", cheek kiss after sex and cheek kiss after therapy, because i needed to include them too. they are that special to me.

[mossy-thing]

What is in unpopular silm headcannon that you have?

Well, since hair ties and elastics weren't invented yet in the silm, all the elves must have had some way of tying back their lustrous locks, right?

I believe that most Avari, and also some of the sindar and silvans would have either used some kind of fat/promenade to keep their braids in place (if they had a hair type that easily slipped out of braids), or used strings of some sort or another, either by braiding them in or simply tying them, similarly to how we would use an elastic.

In Valinor, I think things were different. It must have started out the same, but I bet simple leather or bast strings turned into linen and then silken ribbons very quickly. Also, there must have been a bunch of Noldor who made clasps to keep the braids in, and I bet there was an artform of braiding hair in ways that made it difficult for even the slipperiest hair types to escape their confines without any help at all.

Also, I know Fingon is the only one we really hear is wearing ribbons in his hair, but since they were historically speaking quite an important way of binding one's hair in our world, I think a lot of people must have had to do so, especially in Valinor, where fine fabrics were still easily available (no one in Tirion would want to debase themselves by wearing rough wool in their hair, after all) although I think most people eventually switched to clasps or even back to ways the Avari used once the rebels reached Beleriand, since those were both tools that were less wasteful. Fabric can easily rip, especially when it gets old, and there are far better purposes for it than vanity (like bandages) but a carved stone clasp takes quite some time to wear out. There were definitely simpler styles used as well, since people simply did not have the time to spent hours of their morning braiding their hair. They had far more important things to do! Like getting ready to die in the Nirnaeth-- I mean preparing themselves to win in their last glorious battle against Morgoth!

This would then make the few people still wearing ribbons appear as a symbol of what the Noldor lost, over time. Fingon wearing his golden, untainted and unstained ribbons to every feast, every battle, every political meeting, would certainly act as a sign of hope.

Outside of the silm and in our world, the colour gold was used to symbolize the presence of the Christian god in European medieval paintings, and since Manwë heard and answered Fingon's prayer at Thangorodrim, my sleep deprived brain cannot but connect those two dots and argue that to the few Noldor who were still pious towards the Valar (though probably in secret) Fingon was like a connection to them, like a reassurance that actually, the Valar had not left them, that actually, there was still hope.

And then the Nirnaeth Arnoediad happened and Fingon was crushed, and to those who sometimes saw a glint of tattered gold in Maedhros' hair the remaining ribbon meant nothing but that they had truly and utterly been forsaken.

[angeart]

ALSO

whats the context for the burning picture? its not their nest that burned down that was sad? is that while theyre still in the permadeath world? i assume so since it mentions retribution? is this something to do with the vex arc we havent seen but obviously made things worse in new and different ways? can we appreciate how cool that art is and how impactful that scene feels even though i don't know whats going on entirely?

the burning drawing isn't one of their nest! the nest they will have at some point is built in a meadow, and it's high off the ground, built up, to cater to grian's instincts that he kept stifling for so long. (remember, he can't fly. he yearns to be high up, but can't.)

the burny burny from the art does happen while they're still in the permadeath server. it's a deliberate decision grian and scar make. they're not burning anything that belongs to them.

i will be writing a ramble about it at some point, so look out for that! :3 (if you look at the hhau masterpost, you might even spot a placeholder for it ready in the outline—)

i will say, it does happen during the vex arc. but it's not actually important, as no vexes get mentioned. it's an event solely between scar and grian, and i'm excited to tell you guys about it, but i need some time <3

aND. WAH. OKAY. i did not expect the art appreciation after all the questions 🥺🥺🥺🥺 thank youuu!! i wasn't sure how well i'd be able to draw the scene but i'm pretty happy with the results, so hearing you affirm that really helps me feel good about it <333

[benevolenterrancy]

hi! I recently came across your tgcf fics, and I wanted to say you’re a phenomenal creator. the recovery series fic and the gloves fic and just all of them. thank you for your content and great attention to detail.

do you have any thoughts/hcs on FXMQ and Xie Lian you’d be willing to share? within the original story or the universes of your fics!

Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying them! (ﾉ*^▽^*)ﾉ.｡:*☆

hmm, random thoughts about the FXMQ... a silly headcanon: Feng Xin has very much been hoisted by his own petard by heckling Mu Qing! That is to say, he'll harass Mu Qing relentlessly about something stupid only to be confronted with a similar situation and realise that there's absolutely NO way he can act in anyway similar to Mu Qing or he'll never hear the end of it.

(For example, he has tolerated some truly atrocious divine statues in the past because he's heckled Mu Qing so much about how picky he is with his divine statues that there's no WAY he can say ANYTHING without seeing that smug bastard's face in his head so he just has to bite his tongue and tolerate some unspeakably ugly statues.)

Mu Qing doesn't generally suffer from similar overthinking (he'll just prepare to kick FX's ass if he dares to say anything about it) except for things more directly related to himself. I think he genuinely finds sewing/embroidery/etc rather relaxing work but he'd rather die than have anyone ever see him do it because he's made such a big deal about not doing that sort of "servant" work anymore.

(He actually really enjoyed stitching Ruoye back together because it gave him the perfect excuse -- he's returning a favour!! and Xie Lian is hopeless!! of course he had to!! -- and he secretly considered using white thread to embroider some invisible little designs just because he doesn't quite want to stop... only he knew he'd get caught if he messed with Xie Lian's spiritual device like that and gave up the idea)

[omgcatboi]

I just learned you can report anons, so guess what just happened to the anon being intentionally transphobic to me? ( they got reported )

I don't ever post about any negativity sent my way because I always just block and go about my day, but this time, I noticed that you can infact report anons now.

So I'm just spreading awareness so all my followers know that you can, infact, possibly get someones account shadowbanned for them sending enough anon hate that gets reported.

I understand being degraded, insulted, and humiliatiled are all kinks I have and thoroughly enjoy but you need to ask someone in dms or anon if it's ok to call them certain things before you do so. I reported the anon because I don't want these behaviors being normalized against other fat trans folk despite me personally not being bothered by these insults.

[nanatsuyu]

what makes you like kandrew so much?? what drawns you to them??

(not trying to sound rude or condescending or anything im just curious lol)

I really adore characters that bite and snarl at each other for the purpose of enrichment in their respective enclosures.

On a more serious note lol—other than the fact that I have A Type when it comes to pairings (davekat, edxizzy, amberprice, etc), I enjoy characters that have somewhat of an unhealthy codependency on one another. Which is the extremely general way of putting it. I like characters that are kind of doomed to the narrative to never really be sated by what the world has to offer, but their person makes up for that (not that they always recognize it as such or that it's entirely positive or sometimes even completely mutual). And I don't mean doomed in a "never amount to anything" way, but in that bittersweet tone where both of these characters, wherever they fall into each other on the timeline, are at a place where their lows sync up, and that harmonizing rattles something to the perceived tune of "we're the best we're ever going to get". Again, that's all really general for the vibes of why I was drawn to them. There's a bit more nuance for them (and the other pairings ofc).

I like that they have a deal that encompasses both of them trying to push the other into being a better version of themselves but they're both too stubborn/scared to move first because realised potential means you have to recognise it too. Kevin can't expect Andrew to try his best when he himself is not, and Andrew can't expect Kevin to show him his worth* if he doesn't bother to try in the first place. (Though I know their deal was labelled more as moriyama protection for Kevin, I think that kind of encompassed the idea that Andrew would be a crutch till Kevin could stand on his own if that makes sense)

Not to quote the ec but it's one of like 3 parts I would willingly print and eat:

Andrew is the kind of character I adore because he says this and he really genuinely means it. Keeping what little he has left of himself is a last ditch self preservation tactic because he can't get hurt if he has no hopes/expectations/aspirations. No one can let him down if he doesn't let them. But he's so wonderfully flawed in his own ruleset because he keeps doing just that in the hopes that maybe someone will be different this time . Like maybe this time someone will be right when they say he's worth it** like maybe Kevin is right and he can make Andrew see what he's been refusing himself.

I also love that their deal extends far past the deal itself. In the most basic of terms, it was: 'you go, I'll go.' Andrew didn't have to trust Kevin beyond that. But he gave Kevin his meds and trusted him not to abuse that. Kevin had even already promised to help him figure out a way to wean off them before if they could earlier (and I genuinely think his fear of Andrew getting off his meds early was both a kneejerk 'the game/my safety' reaction because Kevin has a lot riding on this semester too, but also because he knows he made his own promise to Andrew and he thought Andrew coming off his meds early might have been an obstacle even Kevin's stubbornness couldn't hurdle when it came to helping Andrew on his feet after). Likewise I have to imagine that very few people put their trust in Kevin with much of anything outside of Exy given his temperament and wallflower disinterest in team building extra curriculars. So for Andrew to willingly give Kevin his meds to hold onto that he's gotten violent over before probably created a very morbid sense of.. pride, I guess? Like I trust you to hold onto the thing that ruins me is so... clenches fist

There's also this rough handed care that comes with all of that. They're unforgivably honest with each other at the best of times and unnecessarily biting at wounds just to get a genuine reaction at the worst. But then they also have these quiet side/off screen moments that are unyielding in tenderness? Andrew inspecting Kevin's hand for injuries. Kevin covering for Andrew when he's sick on court. Andrew telling Kevin to trust him during a panic attack and that he'll take care of it. Kevin turning his entire attention away from the Raven's to pull Andrew up to his feet. Them smiling at each other first genuinely?? Being idiots on the court with playful mocking shoves that don't get heated?? Like you give me these two characters who make it seem as if their hearts will genuinely stop beating if they stop nipping at each other, and then show me that they're actually wrapped up in one another so tightly that they're rarely seen apart? And are burdened (affectionate) with the task of keeping the other from doing the very thing that drowns themselves?? Okay

Also a looooot of this is from my perspective on Andrew's perspective on Kevin since we're given a lot more to work with, but I genuinely think Andrew was the first to push back at Kevin and make him prove things to Andrew and himself. Kevin had maybe a couple people at most before he fled to the foxes. Like he had nothing other than his name and reputation, good and bad, when he showed up at wymack's door. I can't help but imagine some part of Andrew saw this as amusing but also rather tiresome when it came to seeing Kevin constantly shut away in hiding. He was so loud before, where is all that roar now? When Kevin left Jean, he really left his only friend behind (sorry Thea fans I know she's there I know). So here you have Andrew, offering a deal that becomes this codependency because being out of the nest alone most certainly took its toll for a while, and it sounds too good to be true but most things are. So Kevin snatches it up and then there's the trust in the meds and the constant presence (in the sense of comforting consistency in spite of any disagreements (but abandonment issues kandrew is a whole other post now innit)) and the care and it all looks a lot like what someone might call a friend. And I mean they could both say they're not friends till their dying day but they're the only ones they're still trying to fool.

I just like that they gnaw on the scraps that they snag off one another, these leftover cuts from failed attempts at love and kindness, and act as if they didn't hand the pieces to each other themselves in the bed they share.

—

*Andrew is worth more than his ability to play Exy obviously, but I'm working from the angle that these boys have a very limited vocabulary in how to express that given their upbringings lol ie: my absolute Favourite part of the ec:

Like again I have my hangups with some of the ec but this provides soooo much more context to their beef pre-canon and the history behind Andrew's failed recruitment. Not to mention Aaron internally calls out Andrew for blatantly lying to Kevin when he tells him he doesn't care. (I think Andrew probably holds a certain disdain for Kevin struggling to verbalize how he measures worth and how that might differentiate off the court, because that line between wanting to be told you're worth putting in the effort for versus being told it's because of your latent potential is most likely rather precarious. Shipping goggles on: I imagine wanting to get someone's attention whose love language was built up around Exy is a tad difficult even if Andrew does in fact hear what Kevin's trying to say. I also don't think Kevin's malicious in his inability to truly express that Andrew really could have everything and it's infuriating to watch Andrew self destruct.)

**And for me, this, coupled with the above conversation with Renee, really puts into perspective how agitated Andrew is with Kevin for squandering his potential. He thinks Kevin has zero self preservation skills when it comes to maybe not putting all his balls in the exy basket, but that's also why he's so drawn to him because he has this insatiable drive to live for this one thing? And yet he's not even giving it his all like he's asking of Andrew despite that? It'd be easy to dismiss Kevin's overzealous love of the game as gross infatuation that's bled into Andrew's life, but if he smothers Kevin's drive and doesn't encourage him to be exactly as he sees Kevin, this person who really can achieve these things, what is there for him? He wants Kevin to thrive, but Andrew also wants Kevin to be right and that he can thrive too.

[sonicfrontiers]

youre the person who got me to watch a playthrough of mouthwashing so youre the one i'll ask - who's saying/thinking "i hope this hurts" and who is it directed to?

oh i'm happy/sorry to hear that i'm the one who got you to watch it lol!

honestly this is something that i've wondered a lot myself. despite the fact that i've watched like 5 playthroughs of mouthwashing there are still so many things that i still don't think i've fully grasped - for instance, i was very confused about the point of the nightmare sequence curly has during the first flashback (curly isn't going to do anything, so what's with the ominous red plane and alarms?) until i saw someone in the tag posit that it could represent curly willfully ignoring and wading past all of jimmy's warning signs, and it clicked.

as for "i hope this hurts," like i said, i'm honestly not sure. the simplest answer to me is that it's a representation of jimmy's train of thought; his envy of curly's position and power manifesting as resentment for curly, his looking down on anya and seeing her as something lesser and to be used, his general distaste with swansea (afaik the two of them never have anything nice to say to each other, right?), and his resentment of daisuke as well (for having parents that "have him covered"). everything he does, he does to hurt the rest of them. now i don't think that's his conscious belief - he probably justifies it to himself with the same talk he uses against the rest of them. it's not his fault, he's the responsible one, he deserves to be captain, etc, etc. but at a core level, he's hurting them because he can, and he wants to. it makes him feel better. it makes him feel more powerful. so, i hope this hurts.

realistically i believe this is most likely, however there are plenty of other interpretations of the phrase that hold water too! what's most interesting to me are the places it shows up - namely, at the start of the game, under the rest of the information given about the tulpar crew.

i don't really know if i have anything totally concrete to say about this, but i do find it really interesting that this is how it all starts. if the rest of this information is from a given source, is "i hope this hurts" from that same source too? and if that's the case, who or what is that source? pony express? i honestly doubt "i hope this hurts" is from the company though. pony express isn't malicious, it just doesn't care.

so... dunno where that leaves this train of thought, lol. just something that's been nagging at me. i could be grasping at nothing though! i just think it's really interesting that "i hope this hurts" is important enough to be given to us to frame the entire rest of the game alongside setting the scene of the long haul space freighter.

you could probably construe it to be from curly towards jimmy, if you wanted - perhaps his desire for revenge after jimmy causes what mutilates him, unable to be spoken but manifesting in these words throughout the game. maybe it's jimmy's guilty conscience. maybe it can represent each of the crew members in their own ways.

i'm open to any of these interpretations! one of the best parts of pieces of art like mouthwashing that are so short yet packed full of meaning is that little bits like these can be taken and stretched out to fit so many interesting different viewpoints, so i'm really glad you asked me to share mine! it made me think about this in ways i haven't before :) and i hoped this helped you think about it too!

[nekrosmos]

NEKRO I am begging you to get into wrestling, there's so much overlap between cod and wrestling (blood, sweaty hairy strong men who could murder you) but I never see people who are actually fans of both. Also I use Drew McIntyre as a reference when I'm sketching Nik cause they're the same size and similar build ish If it's blood you are looking for may I leave this as a humble offering and hope it entices you 👀 https://youtu.be/hRxq0A39v0o?si=P_bALpyOOxB0XTeC

I REALLY SHOULD. I've never been into watching sports but I mean, wrestling is camp enough that I could like it. Plus, yeah, big hairy sweaty men covered in blood and beating the shit out of each other consensually, I mean come oooooooooooon, this is like fanfiction material but IRL.

Although, not just the men, I've been seeing a lot of pictures of Rhea Ripley out there and holy shit. Holy shit ??? Sometimes she even kicks my ass in CoD since they added her there and HOLY SHIIIIT. She's just my type 👍​

Thank you for the video!! It's absolutely insane, just incredibly hot and bloody and oh wow. This will be a great source of inspiration, I just know it 👁️​👁️​

[todayisafridaynight]

would it be okay if u told me why u like aoki😭/gen😭😭😭😭BEEN TRYNA LIKE HIM FOR SO LONG I JUST CANTT but i love ur art so much so i still consume it otherwise lol

i liked tohru adachi in high school and tbh i think that alone is enough of an explanation for why i ended up liking aoki

[transannabeth]

i think you're a fan of solving live triangles by having all three people date each other. do you think that goes for twilight as well? i think it would be perfect! jacob and edward have a special connection and bella apparently loves them both. everyone wins

hilariously when you sent this the other day, i was actually in the middle of a conversation about twilight

i'll fully admit that while i do love poly ships, this isn't always where my mind goes to. sometimes i just don't like one of the love interests much, or alternatively: i don't care for the person the two others are fighting for and think the two love interests should leave that person high and dry and date each other

in twilight i think both of them honestly stink and should stay far away from bella. i can't remember them interacting all that much where they aren't fighting (pre renesmee) but i have seen some fun edward/jacob fan content that's doing its own thing

and i mean i personally don't think edward/bella/jacob would be winning i think it would be so wildly messy and disastrous but like. i do love a messy polycule. so,

mandatory "read the truth vs twilight page from the burke museum and the quileute tribe right now" and "consider helping the quileute tribe continue their move to higher ground" note. thank you!

[ask-the-sexyman-squad]

you feel better now sam?

"..."

She...doesn't feel better, really. She stopped the heavy crying, sure, but she hasn't fully calmed down. It might take her some time...no one can blame her: personal jabs at her regarding her familial issues just...triggered something horrible in her, and she still feels very hurt. Now she's just tired...she needs the rest.

"...she's been crying for two hours, Alastor: we can't even calm her down."

"..."

"Alastor? Hon?"

"...I..."

...the smile on his face dropped the moment Sam closed her eyes, and he wiped her tears.

He had to stay strong for his little girl...his little girl. He never would've thought he would use those three words when speaking about her. Yet he simply did so, and it made him all the more soft. She was sweet, quiet, and had bursts of energy: he admired that. She was a good dancer, a singer, and loved anything about the Roaring Twenties: but she clung to him and trusted him, and that's what drew him to her.

This was his adoptive daughter now...his and DT's. He had to show her love, and not break promises. She didn't have to worry about him and DT drinking...which was good.

He was swarmed in his thoughts, he was tuning them out unintentionally. He was focused on getting Sam to calm down, but the more she cried, the more his heart shattered.

"...I failed her."

The tears said it all: literal. Tears. He cared for her more than he let on, and it was making him sentimental...in the best ways, however.

"You didn't fail her, hon."

"I did. I should've been there when that wretched anon shattered her with their commentary. I should've been there to comfort her sooner...but I wasn't."

"That doesn't mean you failed her. You found out when you could, and what matters is that she's safe in your arms. That she calms down."

"...but what if she doesn't...?"

"...you're going to hate this idea."

"How so...?"

"If she doesn't calm down in the next twenty minutes, we...we take her to Black Hat."

"...Black Hat."

There's fear and nervousness in his voice now. They tried to ease their husband by gently placing their hand on his leg.

"If she doesn't calm down. If she does, then disregard. I mean...everyone has already tried getting her to calm down, or talk...Mordecai hugged her for Christ's sake, and that didn't work! Ghirahim tried calming her by taking her hair down, but also nothing! Another person she confides in is Black Hat. He'll surely be able to calm her."

"...if you say so, my love."

"We'll get her through this...trust me."

[cementcornfield]

https://x.com/_mlfootball/status/1754680696319213908?s=46&t=4nsvGMTnbYsCN_2D0a2rJg

This is funny because last year it took an interviewer to bring up Mahomes for Ja’Marr to put him last in his top 5 list. “Aint no love” 😅

Bengals and chiefs are becoming too friendly this year lol

Travis following Joe....Pat choosing Ja'Marr as one of his top WRs ever??

What kind of mind games...🤔🤔🤔

[mymp3]

I had a lot of the same issues with reload as I see you’re having, and I do think most of it is from the new team’s inexperience. They’re trying to recreate a game that made very purposeful decisions in its mechanics and cutscenes without understanding why those decisions were made, which really undermines the experience.

If the team had more experience under their belt, or had full creative decision on an entirely new game, I feel like they could make a really good game! Reload is not that though.

I completely agree anon. It's a shame too, because it's not an awful game, just a different one. I wish they hadn't tried to recreate FES as a test project on a shoestring budget when it was literally the benchmark for our modern Persona games. It changed so much, it's iconic, a cult classic.

I really wish they wouldn't have lied about not planning EpiAi beforehand so they could cover the fact that the game doesn't look all too good. I wish they hadn't charged $200 for an "Aigis Edition" and not include the dlc. I wish they hadn't sanitized and scrubbed the game about death and grieving of all things that were slightly upsetting. That's what ended up happening though, and as you said, they're trying to recreate a game that was very purposeful in its creation.

Reload was a cheap quick test that they knew would work because it has a wonderful story and dedicated fans. As long as they make it a fun popcorn game, they don't have to put in those purposeful additions or think about it much at all.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

What kind of dynamic do you think an angry cat reader would have with satoru and shoko? T.T Being cruel to shoko would make me want to cry and I don't know if Satoru would be willing to deal with someone like that.

AH …… this is tasty anon :3c hmmmmm.

honestly i can’t imagine shoko doing anything to warrant that kind of treatment 😭😭 (and the thought of being mean to her makes me wanna cry too)… i feel like she would be very laidback + taking it in stride, but if you get too aggressive or cruel she WILL be putting you in your place <333 i think she can be sooooooo cold when she wants to be. her patience is high just like geto’s but she does have a limit. cross it at your own risk !!! i would like her to be mean to me probably but that’s my own issue ……..

as for satoru …… i think he would deal with it very well actually 💀 he loves his grumpy readers!!!! and his patience is a lot higher than you’d think…. he’s similar to geto in the sense that you can be as mean as you want and he’ll still just be like :3 <- no thoughts head empty . always smiling. but satoru is more similar to shoko than geto overall…….. there are things you can do that will get his cheerful demeanor to drop entirely and when that happens he’s…. scary lmao. you’d have to be particularly cruel (like bringing up suguru) …… all in all he does love his mean little cat of an s/o though <3 he could absolutely handle you at your very worst, but there are one or two sore spots that will get him to be cold with you!!!!