#those middle shots WHEW

[x22bby]

𖤐𝕯𝖎𝖑𝖆𝖓𖤐

[bbjobo]

Hello hi it’s me, your resident entertainment PR enthusiast. I simply need to talk about the sequel announcement. This is all speculation, but I work in entertainment-adjacent communications and once convinced a household name celebrity to stay at my event to do select press interviews when his wife was going to go into labor at literally any minute, so I like to think I've got a pretty good sense of all of this.

So buckle in, because I'm about how actually fantastic this rollout was, because I’d wager they’ve been planning this since the premiere. 

RWRB came out truly smack-dab in the middle of the actors' strike. We all know just how much press we must have missed out on, because the strike started before promo would have kicked off in earnest. And when it was finally over in November, the actors are potentially out of contract for promotion, and that’s not even taking into consideration that the holidays are coming up and the six weeks from American Thanksgiving to New Year’s is truly a black hole of press. So this little movie has to rely almost entirely on fan reaction and word of mouth to hit because they’re so limited in what they can do for promo. And it IS a hit! Records are broken! Comments for an extended version (which, ok Matthew we get it, does not exist) and a sequel start almost immediately.

The marketing team makes the most of what they’ve got: they’re keeping up the official character accounts, they’re dropping deleted scenes and BTS. We get cornettos! The fireside scene! Bloopers! Notably absent? Brownstone Thanksgiving. We’ve seen BTS photos of it, we know it exists. Thanksgiving 2023 would have been a great time to drop it, but they don’t. This is the approximate point at which my own personal sequel speculation began. After the strike ends, the posting pace slows considerably but it’s still consistent. It’s just enough to keep it in your mind but not enough to be like “why are you still posting this much about it?” And this continues into 2024.

On the contracting side, conversations were likely actively happening at this point. I wouldn’t be surprised if negotiations picked up literally as soon as the strike ended. The producers would have had that time to get Matthew and Casey back on board and be fully prepped and ready to move on to contracting actors the minute they could. It’d be a shot in the dark to try to guess when these were finalized, but at some point between November 9 and May 9, yeah, they’re in.

But whew, Nicholas is booked and BUSY. Mary & George drops internationally March 5, The Idea of You closes SXSW on March 17, two weeks later M&G starts airing in the US and Canada, and a month after that, TIOY is available for streaming (and limited theatrical release, which is another whole post), and in between all those premieres, he’s everywhere. He’s criss-crossing the country (and tbh the Atlantic Ocean) for all of these appearances, truly going non-stop. The pacing of the premieres makes it nearly impossible to squeeze in another project announcement, and if they had, it would have been a bigger part of every interview he did after, which is something his own team would be working to balance. Plus between TIOY and RWRB, Prime would have been pitching stories against themselves. Better to let him finish out his other promotional appearances and then switch over.

At the same time, we’ve got awards and red carpet season starting. At nearly every red carpet appearance not for their own projects, both Taylor and Nick are asked about a sequel. If an interviewer is given enough time, they ask about a sequel. Sure, fans comment about a sequel on every vaguely rwrb social post from an official account, but the press asking about a sequel felt like a lot to me. Everyone always gave the same vague answer, that they’d be up for it if the story is right, that they don’t know but would be happy to. (Except one time, Nick does slip up and give an answer that feels a little more definitive here where he says “conversations are being had” all the way back in late February/early March). Press are asking the question so consistently that it felt like if it wasn’t happening, PR teams would have put the sequel on the do not ask list.

Then Prime starts actually ramping up on a FYC campaign for the movie. I'm gonna be honest, I was so surprised. It's a rom com, the odds of a rom com getting any sort of awards recognition is so slim, but I thought, "ok, sure, use FYC as a way to get the promo boost they need for an announcement of whatever's coming next." And then I looked up and Variety has picked it as the winner in the best television movie category, which is blowing my mind. The other categories they're submitting in are stacked and I think a nomination beyond television movie will be a long shot, but again, it's big for it to even be considered. And if they're being talked about, that means Prime's gotta put out a great showing for their FYC campaign.

Which brings us to this week. We start off on Monday with Nick at the Met Gala referring to Uma as his mother-in-law. Incredible. Love it. Wednesday and Thursday are a one-two punch of a FYC event and fan event, and the gang’s all here. At the FYC, we get the industry side of things: new portraits and interviews with Deadline, process talk, etc. Because this little rom com is actually doing pretty well and beating the odds? Knowing what we know now, the PR teams spent this week pre-briefing the press on the sequel announcement. Notable (at least to my knowledge) the sequel question doesn't get asked at the FYC event. Because the press already knows it's coming.

Now, on to yesterday. They do a fan screening and Q&A, and they literally roll out the red carpet. Nine months after the premiere and exactly six months after the strike ended, they get the gang back together with fans of the movie, who they relied on so heavily during the strike to help make the movie a success. The tagline on the screen’s giant promo image has been updated to specifically thank fans for “making history with us.” The moderator for the Q&A is the same person who interviewed Taylor and Nick at the beginning of FYC campaign season, their first joint interview since GQ (right? pretty sure. it's all a blur tbh). And at the end of the Q&A, minutes before 12 AM ET, when the embargo on the press release would have lifted, they make the announcement not to press, but to the fans. The fans who loved the book, who watched it over and over, who spread the word about the movie to help make it one of Prime’s top three rom coms OF ALL TIME.

It’s just… an absolute masterclass in how to execute a major announcement that embraces the fans in a time where fandom and interaction between creators and fans can be an absolute minefield. Prime saw the opportunity to lean into the fannishness of it all and they took it and it was a slam dunk.

So where do we go from here? IDK but here’s some unconnected thoughts in list form like Alex would want.

The book’s 5th anniversary is next Wednesday, the 14th.

Casey’s been posting about working on [redacted] for months at this point, which is almost certainly the screenplay

Nick mentioned needing to be back in the UK for filming soon

They would probably like to release this in US election off-cycle years, so that means 2025 or 2027 (and 2027 is too far away). 2026 would be less bad since it’s a midterm election, but still.

Filming could reasonably start sooner rather than later, and even without an unfinished script

I guess we’re back on content watch for blond hair and BTS pictures

[imtrashraccoon]

Whew! It's over...don't mind me but I'll probably be taking a few days off writing again. Thank you so much for coming along on this journey with me! I learned so much and had so much fun! It's definitely given me so many ideas for future projects...

There will probably be an announcement post coming soon... (ﾟ⁠οﾟ⁠人⁠)⁠)

@owl-bones

First Day & Previous Day.

Bad Sansuary: Free Space - Snuggle

Word Count: 3,301

Feat. Everyone!

You were relaxing in your room with a book you'd borrowed from the library after dinner. This high fantasy series Nightmare recommended was seriously good and once you'd started, it was incredibly hard to put down. Well, unless someone interrupted you that is...

There was a playful knock at your door, pulling you out of the story and back to reality. You knew exactly who had chosen to bother you and a part of you wanted to just pretend you had gone to bed early so he'd leave you alone. But...that wouldn't be very nice and you could always read later on before you did actually go to sleep.

With a sigh, you slipped a book mark made from laminating the pressed flowers Axe had given you between the pages and hauled yourself off the comfortable couch to go answer the door. The knocking grew more insistent until you finally threw it open and fixed Killer with your most exaggerated grumpy face.

"What's so important that you would drag me from the realm of Middle Earth just to see you?" you grumbled.

Killer shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and smirked. "hm? oh i was just bored out of my mind, angel face~"

You sighed and ran your hand down your face. "So, you want me to help you?"

"nope."

"What? Then...why did you come see me?" Now you were really confused and you stared at him for a few seconds, waiting for him to break and claim he was just messing with you.

"i wanna have a movie night and almost everyone else has already agreed. so...?" He wiggled his bonebrows in a playful way until you finally relented.

"Alright, I guess that sounds like it could be fun."

No sooner had you agreed did Killer take your hand and nearly drag you into the common area. You protested from the suddenness, but he only laughed and barely slowed down at all. It seemed you'd have to revisit Middle Earth another time.

"she said yes!" he announced to the other three skeletons.

Axe and Dust seemed to have been trying to figure out which movie to watch, but by the looks of things, they hadn't been able to come to a decision. Nightmare was casually lounging on one of the couches watching the two of them. All three looked up at the news and Axe smiled at you.

"guess i could whip up some snacks. do ya wanna help, lil' chip?" he asked.

You shrugged and glanced over at the tv to see what they had narrowed the choices down to. "Sure, but what movie were we going to watch anyways?"

Dust, Axe, and Killer glanced at each other before saying different titles at the same time, none of which you'd ever heard of before. They then proceeded to start arguing over which was the better movie.

Nightmare sighed and shot you a look that seemed to say "See what I deal with?" You gave him a sympathetic smile before clapping your hands to get the other's attention.

"Why don't we watch all of them and just turn this into a movie marathon night?" you suggested.

Thankfully, your idea seemed acceptable and they nodded in agreement. Even Nightmare seemed suitably impressed which made you quite happy to have solved the argument.

"guess we should start on those snacks then," Axe hummed and started for the kitchen.

"dusty and i could go pick up some pizzas and pop if you're fine with that?" Killer suggested and glanced at the aforementioned individual, who merely shrugged.

"sure, do what ya want," Axe rumbled, not even bothering to stop and look at them.

The two disappeared to presumably go get the food and you went to follow Axe into the kitchen, although not before glancing back at Nightmare. He gave you a bit of a disinterested look before getting up and leaving the common area.

You frowned and started to go after him to figure out if something was wrong, when Axe called out for you.

"ya comin' lil' chip?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there." You hesitated for a moment before hurrying to the kitchen. It seemed you'd have to check in on him later.

You helped make some buttered popcorn, cut up some fresh fruit, and arrange some cookies that Axe had made earlier on a plate. By the time you were done, the other two skeletons had returned with a couple of still hot pizzas and two bottles of pop. You didn't question where they'd likely pilfered them from and neither did Axe, as the answer would likely be either unpleasant or exactly what you suspected they'd done instead of paying like proper monsters.

Just as you were helping to arrange the food where it would be easily accessible, Nightmare reappeared with his arms and tentacles full of various cushions and blankets. While you were a little surprised, you were also glad to see that he was interested in participating in the fun afterall.

It didn't take long to make the floor by the tv extra comfy and get situated. Axe was content to lean against the couch where his large frame wouldn't be blocking anyone. Dust claimed a beanbag chair, which practically swallowed him up, and you were pretty sure he wasn't planning on moving anytime soon. Killer, being the absolute gremlin that he was, went about stealing as many pillows as he could to make a makeshift pillow nest for himself. At first, Nightmare chose the couch, but when you all but insisted that he should join everyone else, he relented and eventually chose to copy Axe, leaning against the couch instead.

Two problems quickly became apparent though. Problem one was that no one could agree on whose movie choice to watch first. Problem two was that you could tell each of the boys wanted you to sit with them.

You really didn't want what was supposed to be a fun evening devolving into a jealous fight. So before anyone could actually get upset, you decided to try and take charge.

"How about this... To keep things fair, I'll just swap places for each movie so that I can sit with all of you in turn," you suggested. Unfortunately, your attempt at a solution wasn't nearly as effective as you'd hoped.

"sooo...who gets to have the cutie to themselves first?" Killer asked. He had a dangerous look on his skull as he spoke and while his tone sounded light, even like he was almost teasing, you knew him well enough by now to know that he wasn't playing around.

"definitely not you," Dust growled and sat up a bit, his gloved hands digging into the bean bag.

Even Axe seemed to stiffen up and his good eye socket narrowed into a harsh glare at his loud-mouthed colleague. His clawed phalanges twitched slightly, as if aching to wringe a certain someone's neck or curl around the handle of the weapon of his namesake.

While Nightmare remained silent, you could tell by the way his tentacles were twitching restlessly, that he was at the very least mildly annoyed by this situation. His cyan eyelight flicked to you and the intensity of his gaze was almost enough to make you want to shrink into yourself. His expression held something else though; a look that you couldn't quite place but one that seemed to suggest he was scheming about something.

You swallowed and managed to tear your eyes away from his piercing gaze. Raising your voice again, you cried out, "No fighting! I have another idea...you should all play rock, paper, scissors to determine the order."

They glanced at each other but no one protested. After playing a few rounds, an order was established, minus Nightmare, who claimed he didn't care when his turn was. Killer won each time making him first, Axe was second, and Dust was third, much to his frustration. Nightmare was content to go last, which of course nobody protested over.

Killer was all too happy to welcome you into his nest. His arms fit snugly around your waist, teasingly close to your pelvis, although he otherwise kept his hands to himself and just continued spooning you during the first movie.

Speaking of, the movie was one of those corny horror movies. It was full of gratuitous violence with plenty of obviously fake gore. Still, you couldn't help but cringe whenever the monster attacked the very doomed side characters. Killer was quick to soothe your nerves with soft whispers of encouragement and occasionally making fun of the many cliches present in the film. Overall, the experience left a sort of thrill coursing through your veins and you were admittedly a little disappointed when the movie was over, a sentiment Killer seemed to mirror, although he attempted to hide it.

Axe had picked a tamer movie, although that wasn't saying much as there were more jump scares than the previous one that never failed to startle you. Still, Axe was also very good at comforting you and multiple times throughout the movie, you felt his eyelight watching your reactions just to make sure you were okay.

You ended up snuggled up against his left side with his hand around your back and resting on your left hand which was on your thigh. You wrapped your right arm around his broad back and laid your head against his ribcage, which inadvertently meant you could listen to the soothing hum of his magic that emanated from his soul.

At some point during the second movie, you glanced over at Nightmare and were a little surprised to find that he seemed a bit bored. It was odd because you had assumed he'd actually get some sort of satisfaction from witnessing how terrified the protagonists of the film were.

He sensed your gaze and glanced over, tilting his skull in a silent question.

"Are you okay?" you mouthed.

His eyelight flicked back to the screen and he shrugged. "It's manufactured fear... I can't gain any benefits from attempting to absorb it," he murmured. When he glanced back at you though, a subtle smirk formed across his skull and he went to say something but stopped himself when Axe took notice of the conversation.

You were momentarily fascinated that there was that much of a difference. Would it be any different if it was a live broadcast and the actors didn't know what was going to happen? You'd have to ask him about it sometime.

You glanced at Nightmare a few more times throughout the movie and occasionally caught him looking a little amused. The boys weren't easily spooked but the rare times one of them was seemed to coincide with those little moments. You figured he was the one who hadn't exactly wanted to have a movie night, however he'd seemingly decided to go along with it anyways. Probably under the guise of this being a group bonding activity like any good boss would host. The thought was actually kind of funny to you now that you knew them all a lot better.

Dust's movie of choice was definitely a thriller, and while you didn't mind the change, it made you feel really anxious, which you hated. It was about an old cop trying to solve a series of murders apparently perpetrated by the one criminal he had failed to bring to justice years prior. The plot was certainly intriguing at points and you could see why he had picked it.

You'd been right on the money earlier when you'd assumed he wasn't planning on budging from the comfortable beanbag for a long while. That was fine of course since he didn't really need to move in order to actually cuddle with you. His idea was for you to sit in his lap so you'd be as close as possible, which you'd expanded on and chosen to sit side saddle. It meant you could both hold each other and he'd get to watch your face, so he didn't protest at all. You wrapped one of your arms around his shoulders and he sort of mimicked the gesture, except he supported your back, leaving your other hand free to hold his other one.

By the time of the fourth movie, which was a classic monster movie about a mad scientist and his creation, you noticed something strange. Save for yourself and Nightmare, everyone else seemed to doze off, almost at the same time too.

Turning to the only possible perpetrator, you narrowed your eyes suspiciously. "Did you...put them to sleep?" you hissed under your breath.

His grin seemed only to grow more smug and even without him saying anything, you knew your suspicions were correct.

"Indeed~" he purred. "It is said that good things come to those who wait. They had their fun, so now I get to have mine..."

Your heart skipped a beat at the deliciously dark tone of voice he'd used. It was at that moment that a flock of butterflies decided to assault your insides with their delicate wings. You'd managed to control yourself with the others but now that you were technically alone with him...well, you weren't sure if that was possible anymore.

He pressed his skull against your hair and growled low in his throat. "I had to watch them hold you so close all this time... Have some empathy, dear..."

A chill went down your spine from the possessive tone of his voice and your tongue felt heavy like it was made of lead. Even if you could complain, he probably wouldn't even listen to you.

Nightmare pulled you into his lap yet again, which seemed to be his preferred method of holding you for whatever reason. Maybe it was because he could cage you in with his arms and tentacles so you couldn't escape. Or maybe he just liked the feeling of having you so intimately close to him. You tried not to dwell on it, partially because you liked it too.

Neither of you said much of anything for a little while, being content to enjoy the closeness and intimacy of this rare moment in time.

He was the one to break the silence first. He seemed to grow restless the longer you went without saying anything and his tentacles twitched with pent up energy, leaving you wondering what was really on his mind today. Then his clawed phalanges hooked under your chin, gently turning it so he could make eye contact and ensure he had your full attention before he even attempted to say anything.

"My dear, I cannot see into what the future holds, but I believe with all my soul that you'll fit in here. You've won over each of my boys in your own way and they've come to care a great deal for you in return."

He paused to take a breath before continuing. "I'm not normally a very...romantic person... But, even I can admit that I care a lot for you. No matter what you think, you matter to us and you've made a difference in our lives...for the better. I hesitate to use the word 'love' as I don't, and maybe can't, exactly feel that...but you will always be safe under my care."

He drew closer to you, his touch growing more tender now, and his tendrils slowly undulating against your clothing. "I promise, dear..." he murmured, almost against your lips, before closing that final distance.

For a moment, you were frozen in place as your brain tried to process what all he'd said. You caught on quickly though and wrapped your arms around his cerebral vertebrae so he wouldn't pull away too soon. You felt him stiffen ever so slightly but he soon relaxed into your embrace and actually deepened the kiss further.

It was over much too soon. You had to separate to catch your breath, although he didn't seem winded in the slightest. There was a soft cyan glow colouring his otherwise dark cheekbones and you could also see a small spark of what you thought might be true happiness in his eyelight.

Neither of you said anything for the short remainder of the film and you snuggled up against him as close as you possibly could get. Your soul was practically leaping for joy in your chest at the implications of what he'd said. You'd been assured by the others, but now you had definitive proof that he really did like you afterall.

Whatever magic he'd used to put everyone else to sleep seemed to fade as the end credits began to roll. One by one, the boys stirred before waking up, although you could see they were still a bit drowsy from the effects of the spell.

"Nice of you all to join us," Nightmare remarked with a chuckle and lightly squeezed your body against himself one last time.

They could only seem to respond with a cacophony of various tired grumbles, which even you had to admit was a little amusing.

Dust was the first to move and his mismatched eyelights scanned the room before locking onto you. The intensity in his tired gaze was nearly breathtaking but you couldn't read what could possibly be going through his mind right now. He dragged himself to his feet and managed to shamble his way over to you like a dead man walking. He ended up collapsing half on top of you so that his skull was resting just above your knees.

As soon as Killer realized what he'd done, he dragged himself over to you as well, plopping himself down on your shins with his skull resting on one of his arms so he could still look up at you. Interestingly, the black ooze that always leaked from his eye sockets had slowed to a meer trickle now, possibly from sleeping?

You were slightly flustered by all this contact at once but there was still one skeleton missing. Glancing over at Axe, you saw that he seemed to be conflicted. His eyelight flicked from his two colleagues to you and back again, while his large hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.

You couldn't exactly reach for him but you motioned with your chin to try and reassure him that you didn't mind if he wanted to join in. That little push was all he needed to scoot over and wrap both you and Nightmare in a big hug.

The aforementioned god let out a low growl of annoyance at basically being smothered and his claws pressed into your waist in a vain attempt to keep you to himself. Yet, he didn't shove any of them away, even though he was plenty strong enough to, as demonstrated when he used his tentacles to move some of the boys and yourself into more comfortable positions.

You couldn't move even if you wanted to and definitely wouldn't be able to for a while. Your eyes were finally starting to grow heavy, but still, you resisted the tempting allure of sleep to enjoy what had turned into a snuggle pile.

It was obvious that all four of them felt strongly about you and if the events leading up to the movie marathon were anything to go by, this wouldn't be the last time you'd need to intervene. Each of them were equally stubborn and also quite dangerous when provoked, which could quickly lead to hurt feelings or injuries.

You would have to either get good at breaking up future arguments or simply pick one of them and stick with your decision. Unfortunately, you didn't want to pick one over the others as you liked each of them equally. You'd have to give this matter a lot of thought.

You were confident you'd make the right choice though...

[fartlovingblkguy69]

Aromatherapy (Continuing a Story from Nifty.org)

A link to the story I'm continuing: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/urination/aromatherapy

Part 1

I waited 10 minutes before leaving. I was shaking with anticipation. i had never been so excited in my whole life. He was already pulled around waiting in a 2018 GMC Sierra Crew Cab. "Get in. This isn't a free ride by the way. You can either give me gas money or get down there and sniff my gas. It's a 30 minute drive, maybe longer since it's about to be rush hour. Your choice". There wasn't even a question. I quickly climbed in the passenger side and laid down while he rose up and lowered his basketball shorts. He was wearing stained gray boxer briefs with a wet stain on the back and a big golden brown streak going up the crack. They smelled like a sweaty toilet seat. He quickly sat down and ground his fat ass around my face until my nose was right in the middle of his crack. He reached back, spreading his cheeks and pressing down until my nose was pushing the dirty undies into his hole and his ass enveloped my face. "Ah, that's it. Your nose feels great in my nasty hole. I'm still sweaty from that sauna and I just took the most massive shit so your nose is going to have to scratch that itch." He ground his ass on my face some more as we pulled out of the parking lot. We stopped at every red light on the way to the highway. It took 45 minutes to get to his place. I could smell the fresh shit around his hairy hole and he kept letting out the worst SBDs the whole way laughing each time and rubbing it in on my nose. Finally we got there and he pulled up his shorts and got out. I sat up and made my way out as well. The house was huge and there were 3 other vehicles in the driveway, 2 SUVs and another pickup. We made our way inside and he took me straight to the living room. "I'm hungry so I'm going to make myself something to eat. Get down on the floor with your head in that seat over there and I'll be back" pointing to the comfy chair in the corner. I quickly obeyed and was waiting quietly in the dark when suddenly this handsome young man walked in texting on his iPhone Xr. He had on only a jockstrap that was bulging. He looked to be about 25 maybe and he had a perfect amount of muscle, nice arms, legs, firm pecs, with a little bit of a chiseled but bloated belly and a nice happy trail. He launched himself ass first into the chair I had my face waiting in and oh boy was it a nice one. Nice smooth golden cheeks with a very hairy crack that smelled like a long day with several unshowered before it. Once he had sat down he quickly realized there was something under him but instead of getting up he just farted loudly and wetly. PRRRBBBBBBTTTTTT. "Ah. That felt good. I don't smell a thing. Pops must have gotten a new fart cushion. Awesome! Especially after all those burritos had for lunch. The cheese and beans is really fucking my stomach up." He sat on my face for 10 minutes letting let out several sbds and loud wet releases while rubbing his sexy belly and really ground his wet hole into my face before spreading his cheeks to let out a huge shart. SSSSSSRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTT. My nose was sprayed with hot air and speckles of shit "Whew that was nasty. Think I felt a little shit come out on that one. Pops will have a fit if I stained his favorite chair! He might even make me his fart cushion again! Definitely don't need that torture!" He shot up and turned around bending down to make sure he hadn't made a mess of the seat. While he did I got to see more of his handsome face. He had a perfect chiseled jaw, beautiful mischievous eyes, and a thin, long nose (think Daniel Croix with green eyes). I licked my lips as he finally got to inspecting me. "Nice. It all went on you huh, cutie? Well plenty more where that came from" He said with a chuckle. He let out a bubbling fart into the air and sniffed. "Damn that's ripe. Why don't you open that pretty mouth for me this time just to be safe. I'll try not to take a dump in it". I shuddered at the thought as I'm not into that at all. He kindly wiped my face off looking down at me with a glint in his eye. I did as he said as he turned around and spread that perfect ass open.

[veren-cos]

I just can't do this!

Alex (sdv) x gn!reader

Kinda hurt/comfort but more just the reader getting out frustration. Lots of the reader swearing lmao

Not proofread, approximately 1k?? I really need to get a word count on these..

Today sucked. Today fucking sucked!

Nothing was going right. Oh my Yoba why can't anything go fucking right?! A new season started so all of your crops died, and you miscalculated how much money you would need for new seeds. Then you went mining to try and make up for the money. But you ended up getting beat by a zombie and needing medical attention from Harvey that you couldn't exactly afford.

You lost your best sword. You used up nearly all of your left over berries from the last season and Yoba knows how long it'll be until this season's start growing again.

And that's what you came home like to Alex. You hadn't cleared the old crops so now you were just stomping over and over on a poor old parsnip.

"You uh.. you alright there babe?" Alex walked over to you, kinda laughing at your pathetic attempt at rage, but was genuinely curious.

"No! No I am not fucking alright, Alex! Nothing is fucking going right. The whole town can go to shit for all I care! They won't get my crops anymore! Pierre can go fuck off, claiming my shit as his own. The mayor can piss off and cry to his girlfriend. But oh wait! He can't! because he is too much of a fucking asshole to actually say Marnie is his girlfriend!!"

You stomped more at the dust that was a parsnip. Every attempt got mildly more and more enraged and pathetic. All of the emotion and pent up anger was boiling to the surface but you were so tired from the repeated stomping it had become deranged.

"Okay, whew that was.. a lot(!) of emotion! You need out of here, like now." He went up and grabbed your shoulders. "I know just the place!" He shot you his signature smile before holding your hand and leading you away. You attempted to pull him off of you but couldn't manage to do anything. Today was rough and you were getting tired.

"Here, babe. Drink this. I just opened it before you came home. It's still cold!" He handed you a protein drink.

"Thanks," You spat out. You weren't meaning to be rude to him. But today was just so god awful!!! He knew you didn't mean it though, so he just kept walking.

Eventually, the two of you arrived at the bus. "What are we doing here? It is way to late to go to the desert."

"While we may be going to the desert, we are going somewhere you have never been before!"

You gave him an intense staredown. "And you're sure this is a good idea? It's mid-afternoon. Everything will be closing soon."

"Not everything! C'mon babe, let's go. You'll see." He pushed you forward onto the bus. And Yoba, that drink was awful! How did he drink those everyday..??

By the time you arrived to the desert it was nearly 7. You were still upset, and starting to get annoyed at the fact you didn't know where you were going.

"And here we are!" It was a beat up old building.

"Alex. Dear. What are the fuck we doing at an abandoned building in the middle of the God damn desert?!" It was too late for all this shit.

He stepped up and opened the door to reveal a dingy 24 hour gym. How had you never known this was here????

"It's been a while since I've been. Probably like 2 years? But they have this!" He gestured to a set of boxing gloves and a punching bag. "Perfect to get out frustration!"

"Babe I don't think I need a punching bag I think I need to legit punch someone in the face."

"They have a printer so you can print whoever's face you want and punch it." He pointed over to an old printer in the corner.

Holy shit, they really did! Too bad you didn't have your phone to print anything.

"Babe. Your anger is totally valid, and a lot of the times it leaves you with a lot of energy that you don't know what to do with." He looked around, reminiscing a bit.

"I know when I can here I was still pissed to all hell about my dad. Sometimes even thinking about him still makes me upset. And now, obviously, you can't go around kicking dead parsnips everyday. So here is a thing you can punch all you want! No danger from the mines, and no repercussions if you screw up. Perfect to let out some frustration."

For how beat up the outside looked, the inside was still pretty nice. There was a table of boxing gloves, and a few mats you could hit. Next to the table, there was both a hanging and standing punching bag.

"Now let's see what you've got."

He tossed you a pair of gloves, and picked up a large mat to warm up on your swings.

"This is silly" you kinda laughed the sentence out, but it truly was a silly thing. You knew that it probably would help, but he made it into the grand reveal that was just so silly.

"It may feel stupid, but you will fell better! I found that it helped more if I said out loud what I was angry at before I punch something."

"Okay... let's try" You put on the gloves, and they were a little too big, but that's okay.

"Whenever you're ready." He looked at you up and down. Even pissed as hell you were still hot.

"I hate that my crops die the second a new season starts!"

*bam*

"I hate Pierre for taking credit for my work!"

*bam*

"I hate that Mayor Lewis is a dumb greedy bastard who mistreats Marnie!"

*bam*

"I hate how long to damn community center is taking to build!"

*bam bam*

Your list went on and on. Punch after punch landed into the pad. Alex at first was trying to stifle laughter from how silly your complaints were, but quickly shut up when you started putting force into your hits. He was stumbling from the impact you left, where honestly it turned into a workout for him too.

When you were finally done, you felt great. It didn't solve anything, but all of the pent up energy got realesed in a shocking fun way.

"Babe.." Alex looked at you. "Remind me to never piss you off"

You burst out laughing. "Awh dear, I could never get mad at you." You booped his nose after setting the gloves down. "Is there anything else you'd like to do here? I seriously can't believe you've never taken me here!"

"No. No I'm good. Trying to not fall from you hitting the mat was enough for me." He laughed, and you could genuinely see he was wiped out.

So the two of you went home, and made casual conversation. He tried to get you to drink another protein shake but you strongly declined. Those things are seriously gross.

"Thank you Alex. It was really nice of you to take me there."

"Of course!" And he shot you another one of his signature smiles, just like earlier. The two of you made it a habit to go at least every other week from then on.

Masterlist

[sheabuttahwrites]

in the Morning

story masterlist Shea Buttah Bakery Masterlist

.

.

sounds// Peabo Bryson - Feel The Fire, Isley Brothers - Spend the Night (Ce Soir), The O'Jays - Forever Mine

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IV.

“Oh, shit. What’s up?” He smiled back and it was even more killer in person. Especially with the surprise of gleaming gold fangs and the matching slugs I could see peeking from behind his bottom lip. I had to remind myself to breathe. “You came.”

“I told you I was on the way.”

“Nah, I thought you was fucking with me.” Laughter took over the conversation as he opened the door a bit wider, stepping aside. “Come on in.”

Hell, I could barely believe I’d shown up myself. I had never really been shy, but he’d brought a boldness out of me that even I hadn’t seen.

When I passed him, I noticed that he was still significantly taller than me in four inch heels. Damn. Not like I wasn't overdue for a climbing lesson anyway. The scent of his cologne was also quite alluring. The woody, smoky fragrance pervaded my senses, warming all the spots that shot had missed. Of course he would smell just as good as he looked. He may not have believed I would be there tonight, but he had damn sure been prepared. 

“I can take your jacket.” 

“Oh, sure.” I went to slip it from my shoulders, but he circled behind me and took the collar into his hands. 

“Here, I got you.” 

Taken aback by his unexpected chivalry, I was stuck watching him walk back to the closet to carefully put it away. 

“This is dope. The gold on here go crazy.”

“Right? I thought the same thing. Had to have it.”

“Good choice.” He grinned as he strolled back over to me. “I like your whole get-up, though. You look good, girl.” The intensity he radiated in person was unreal. His blinding smile. Those piercing brown eyes. The once-over he gave me felt like he was sexing me up already. 

Of course, I was a flustered mess. “Thank you.”

“What’s in the bag?”

I held up my bottle for him to see. “Wine. Actually, could I put it in your fridge?”

“Yeah.” He reached for it, so I gave it to him. Then he nodded to the left. “This way.” 

We left the foyer and I followed him past a gorgeous living area, subtly admiring my surroundings. The height of the ceilings had caught my attention right away. All of it was stunning. Far from the bare walls, futon, and flat screens I had half expected. Off white walls and dark wood floors made up the most of it, but the decor was so sophisticated and refined. I’d already clocked a painting and coffee table that I wanted for myself. I could tell it had been carefully curated. I should've known he would give nothing less. We walked through an arched doorway into a kitchen that made me feel like cooking for some strange reason. Just like everything else I’d seen, it looked like something from a magazine. Shades of gray, black, white and green complemented each other well among all the satiny stainless steel. There were even fresh tulips sitting in the middle of the island. I was giving one of them a smell when he came over, leaning up against the marble counter with me. 

“I put it in the freezer for you.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” Having to look up was already doing something different for me, but the way he was smiling down at me made it so much worse. Prolonged eye contact was his thing, I’d already gathered. It felt like he was staring into my soul. Whew! “I’m glad you came.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. Not every day something this fine just lands on your doorstep.”

My head dropped into a faint laugh. “Baby, you ain't gotta butter me up. I’m already here.”

“I ain't tryna do nothing of the sort. I meant what I said.”

“Ok. So, you just be up in here by yourself?”

“Most of the time, yeah.”

I smacked my lips, less than convinced. “Yeah, aight.”

“You a trip,” he chuckled.

“Nah, you the one.”

“How?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry ‘bout it,” I said, grinning as I waved him off. 

“I got no reason to lie, mama. Like you said, you already here.” He wet his bottom lip before moving his eyes down my body once more. I shuddered. “I really don’t be having company like that, though. I know it might not seem like it, but I’m usually a pretty private person. I don’t like too many people in my business.”

“So, why you breaking all your rules for me then?”

“I don’t know…” He leaned a little closer. “Just something about you.” 

I rolled my eyes through the inevitable smile that followed his and that sly admission. “You know what, I know I just gave it to you to put away, but could I pour myself a glass?”

“Oh, yeah. Fasho.” He walked back over to the freezer and pulled out my bottle. Then he went to a cabinet for a wine glass before taking an electric corkscrew from a drawer. Once the bottle was open, he stepped back, presenting it all to me with an outstretched hand. 

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

I poured myself a big glass, just low enough to prevent any spills while I walked.

“You only brought one glass. You don't want any?” 

“Nah. I’m more of a Hennessy man, myself.”

“Aah, ok.”

“I can put it back for you, though.”

“I think I’ma just keep it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, this is good enough.”

“Aight.” He reclaimed his position at the island. “So, um, I feel like you breaking some of your rules for me, too.” 

“…Maybe,” I said, after finishing a big sip. 

“How you get so brave?”

I frowned. “Why you saying that like you about to chop me up and plaster me into your walls?”

“Damn, girl.” I cracked at the sudden shock that appeared on his face and we laughed so hard. “I’m just saying. You know women ain’t safe out here. Especially Black women.”

“Yeah, my girl wanted me to stay home real bad. But I don't know. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance. Plus, you didn't give me serial killer vibes. Didn’t see a windowless van on the premises either, sooo…”

His smile was beaming as we shared another laugh. “You funny.”

I shrugged a shoulder, preparing for my next sip. “So I’ve been told.”

He waited for me to finish before he motioned his head toward where we had just come from. “Come on.” Then he turned to walk off, and, once again, I followed. 

“And, anyway, for all you know, I could be crazy.”

Without hesitation, he replied, “Oh, I can take you.”

I gasped in false disbelief. “Excuse you. I could have weapons of mass destruction.”

“What? Like a chainsaw?” 

He glanced back at me as we neared the stairs and I busted out laughing. “Now that wasn't even me. My girl put that one in my head.”

“What she think, I’m Leatherface?”

“Shit, you never know nowadays.”

“You ‘bout right. But you can let her know you in good hands.”

“I figured as much.”

He smiled, stopping at the stairs. “After you,” he said, holding his arm out for me to step ahead of him.  

After giving him my bottle, I grabbed the glass railing with my freed hand. I made my way up the curved staircase, swaying my little bit of booty in case he was watching, and losing count of how many steps I was taking. 

“You better catch me if I fall.”

“I got you.” I laughed to myself as we finally reached the top. I waited for him to take the lead again and he came around me, settling his hand on my waist. “This way, mama.”

A floral, citrusy scent met me as soon as I stepped into his bedroom. Probably from the candles lit in various spots all around it. They also provided the light, along with two lamps on the wall framing the head of his bed. “It smells so good in here.”

“I tried to hook it up for you a lil bit.”

“I like it.” The click of my heels on his gray hardwood floors was briefly muted as I strutted onto an oversized circular rug en route to his bed. The couch was nice and spacious, but the bed was much more inviting. The comforter looked cloudlike and the corner of the sheet that was exposed looked fresh. It was huge, too. Likely out of necessity. I sat on the edge and stared over at the window wall across from me as I took a feel. It was just as comfortable as I’d presumed, maybe even more. “Why you way over there? You got—what you called me?—‘something this fine’ all in your bed, and you just gon’ stand there?”

He smiled. “Yeah. That’s what I said.”

“Come here then.”

“You on my side, though,” he teased, swaggering toward me in his crisp white tee and gray joggers.

I kicked my shoes off before sliding myself to the opposite side. “Better?”

“Much.” He came over and sat against the fluted headboard as I sat just a couple feet away from him. At that point, I took my phone from my purse and killed the power. I was not about to let anybody spoil my night. “What kind of music you like?”

“I’m an R&B junkie.”

“Ok.” He picked up his phone, plugged up on the table beside him. “Let me guess. 90’s and early 2000’s, right?”

“Duh! I love my oldies, too, though.”

“Word?”

“Yes. I spent the first fourteen years of my life almost exclusively with my grandparents. They blessed me.”

“Ok. What you know about this then?” After a couple taps, ‘Spend The Night’ by The Isley Brothers began to play. 

“Boy, what? This my shit.” 

“…You grooving your ass off, this really your shit.”

I howled, because I hadn’t even realized. Maybe it was the near-emptiness of my glass that had my shoulders and waist moving without my knowledge. 

“Anyway. So, what’s your favorite genre?”

“My music taste kinda eclectic. I like a lil bit of everything.”

“Like what?”

“Funk. Bounce. Jazz.”

“Okayyy.”

“R&B,” he continued, making sure to look me in the eye for that one. “House.”

“Ooh, I love House.”

“Yeah. But that’s just a few.”

I nodded. “Ok, next question.”

“What’s up?”

“Why you sit my bottle so far awaaaay?” I whined, staring longingly toward his dresser as I went to leave the bed. He laughed. 

“My bad. I’ll get it for you.”

“I’m just messing with you. I got it.” I walked over to fill my glass again, bobbing my head to my jam. 

“You mind if I smoke?”

“This your place, baby. You can do whatever you want.”

“Yeah, but you my guest. And, if I’m a bad host, you might not wanna come back.”

I squinted up at him, twisting my lips to try and hide my smile, but it didn't work. The charm was just too potent. “It’s cool. Spark up.”

“Aight.” 

He leaned over and reached into his top drawer for this little box. I couldn't see inside it, but he pulled out a pre-rolled joint and I just assumed that there were more. This nigga was a stoner in the truest sense. 

The level of my glass was starting to fall again and the wine had to be going straight to my feet. Instead of returning to my seat, I opted for a cute little two-step and a couple of slow spins, quietly singing along with Mr. Biggs and Angela Winbush between sips. The song sounded better than it ever had. 

“I’m glad I chose this cut.” 

I opened my eyes to see that Yahya had changed his position, lying back on his elbows at the edge of the bed and facing me. It took all I had to keep it together. My face was on fire. “Why?”

He smacked his lips at me and took a long drag from the J. I giggled as he aimed his face toward the ceiling to release the smoke, promptly sucking it back into his mouth before it could get away. “I think you know why.” He brought his eyes back down to mine, smiling while smoke rolled from his lips and nose. 

I returned his smile. Of course I knew. “What that shit taste like?”

“You never smoked before?” he asked with a wrinkled brow.

“Nope. I told you I didn't smoke, remember?”

“Yeah, I know. But you never?”

I shook my head. “Not even once.”

“You wanna try it?”

I bit the inside of my lip, not really sure if I should. The scent of weed was something I usually just tolerated, but this didn’t smell too bad. Either that or my fascination with this man had me highly delusional. Probably. “Mmmm…” Fuck it. Might as well since I was taking a walk on the wild side for the night. Plus, I’d always wanted to try it at least once. Just to see what all the fuss was about. “Yeah.” I shrugged it off and left my glass on a nearby table, but then it hit me that I had been drinking. “Wait. Should I be doing this with alcohol?”

“It ain’t gon’ do nothing to you.”

“But am I really supposed to mix the two?”

He just sat up and reached for me, signaling me over with his fingers. “C’mere.”

I sighed, quelling most of my concerns and taking his hand. He didn’t let me make a single step, pulling me right into his hard chest. He hurried his arm around my waist as my screaming morphed into shared laughs. “Oh my god, don’t do that!” I looked down into his eyes, resting my arms on his shoulders to help get my bearings. The laughter soon faded. Smiles went next. 

“Mmmm,” he groaned, biting his lip with those gold fangs on full display. 

That same breathless feeling that had hit me at my computer, smacked the shit out of me again. Just a hundred times stronger. Seeing his brand of fine this close up was devastating. Everything that looked so damn good from afar held all of its integrity and then some. The beard, the lips, the skin, the teeth. Truly immaculate.

“Youuu… are dangerous.” I capped the sentiment with a giggle, but I was not joking. 

He frowned with a telling grin in the forefront. “What? I’m harmless.” The elevation in his tone further confirmed the lies.

I pushed myself back up to my feet, flustered as fuck and almost hating how he could make me this way so effortlessly. I really had no idea I was so foldable and, though the circumstances were lovely, I didn’t know how to feel about it.

“Fuck that.” 

He laughed and held the joint up to my lips. “Go slow.”

I looked at it and then back to him, still slightly unsure, but I went ahead. The regret was instant. I choked, coughing up what little smoke I had brought in. And, to make matters worse, he had the nerve to be laughing while I was fighting for my life. 

“Naaah, not like that.”

I shook my hanging head. “That’s ok. I don't want to anymore,” I said, fanning myself and trying to catch my breath.

“Come on. I got you.”

I smacked my lips, looking into his half-lidded eyes with my own, and caved without an ounce of pause. Shameful. “...Ok. But, if I don't get it this time, I’m done. And don't laugh.”

“Aight, aight. I won’t laugh.”

“You better not,” I teased, rolling my eyes. 

He brought that shit up to my lips again, but, this time, he rested his free hand on my hip. I didn't pay it much mind. I was more focused on preparing myself for this second pull that was probably about to kill me.

“Go slow.”

I followed his instructions and took a relaxed drag. But I forgot to stop, and this nigga just let me keep going. My eyes popped when I realized what I had done. I stood there, cheeks puffed to the brim, not knowing what the hell to do. Again, Yahya was cracking up. I, on the other hand, started to freak out, groaning frantically and tapping at his arm.

“Just open your mouth, girl.” 

I opened up and the smoke billowed out and began to float away. 

“Now catch it. Inhale.” 

I did what I was told once again and watched as some of it disappeared back into my mouth.

“Ok, hold it… now breathe.”

I let go and, surprisingly, all of it came out without me bringing a lung up with it. “I did it!” I beamed, celebrating my first successful puff of Mary.

“Started off a lil rocky, but you finished strong.” I laughed with him, feeling too triumphant to check him for rejoicing in my struggles. “You wanna hit it again?” he asked, after taking another puff. 

I nodded. I felt like I had it down, but I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. If I could do it two times in a row, that meant I could really do it. Feeling myself, I even took it from his hand when he brought it over to me. 

“Oh, shit. Ok. You a pro now, huh?”

I was too tickled, but in the merriment I still noticed that he had led his newly unoccupied hand down to my other hip. He kneaded his fingers into me, getting a nice, thorough feel. Naturally, my mind began to wander, imagining all the filthy, disgusting things he could do to me with those huge hands. I looked down at him and he was already staring back. His face was the most relaxed it had been all night. He took his gaze down to where my thighs met and I would swear I heard my girl sigh. This man was so fucking sexy it was almost infuriating. I had to look away. I took another successful pull, reveling in all of this delectable sin, and he carefully slid his hands around to my ass. The pungent smell of weed had possessed the air, the taste of the flower and a little wine were sweet on my tongue, and the sensual poetry of love songs gave us all the right directions. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this bad. 

“How you feelin’?”

I opened my eyes, tilted my head and brought my hand up to mimic a chef’s kiss.

“See? Stick with me, I can show you some thangs.” I tucked what was left of the J between his lips and he hit it one last time before sitting it over in the ashtray. Then he pulled me closer. 

I smiled and bit my lip, gently placing my hands to his chest. When I started to back away, he smiled up at me and loosened his grip, but I could tell he didn't really want to let me go. 

“Where you goin’?”

I simply shook my head as I left his grasp. I just wanted to play around with him, make him chase me a little bit. The O’Jays were singing ‘Forever Mine’ and, somehow, I could feel it in my body. Whatever Yahya had for me, I was readyyy! I turned away and clutched the bottom of my shirt with both hands, pulling it up over my head and dropping it to the floor. Not a second later, I could see his reflection in the window standing from the bed. Off came his shirt in one swift motion as he walked, then I felt him slide up behind me. The chase was over. 

With his hands at my sides, I swayed to the hypnotizing melodies, savoring how good his bare skin felt next to mine. “I love this song.” I spoke quietly, fully entranced. My hands found their way to his, and the difference in size fucked me up even more. I was leading them around to where I needed them, when he latched onto the softness of my belly and started to move toward the window. I shuffled the short distance with him until I was standing directly in front of it. He eased his hold on me and grabbed my hand, placing it onto the glass a little above my head. I looked out over his backyard, wondering if any of his neighbors could see us. Part of me hoped someone could as he played around with the waist of my jeans, touching my skin in light whispers. He crept over to the button, undoing it, what felt to be, intentionally slow. My zipper came down at the same chilling pace. With parted lips, I looked toward his hand as I felt it slide into my pants. He started to rub my pussy over my panties and they soaked through on contact, trapping my next breath in my throat. 

“Say. How you like it, mama?” He easily caught the rhythm of my subtle grind. “You like slow and steady?” 

I scratched the glass with his hand still on top of mine, feeling his dick right against my ass. Flames flickered in the near-darkness, but, clearly, we were the hottest in the room. He moved my panties to the side and slipped through the flood until my clit was pounding into the tips of his fingers. A shy moan had barely made it past my lips when he sank them deep. I whimpered loudly, gripping his arm and bending my other hand into a fist, buckling under the pressure.

“Or you like that hood shit?” He brought his hand down from the window and fixed his arm across my chest, guiding me back into him while he clung to my breast. “Hm?”

I didn't answer. I wasn’t even breathing. Despite me being highly inebriated, my heart was about to beat out of my chest.

“Why you bein’ so quiet?” he finally asked, lips brushing sweetly against my ear. Then he laid a soft kiss just underneath it. “You said you came to fuck. Don’t get all shy on me now.” 

@19jammmy @twistedcharismaaa @lemmewritesomeish @thisiswhatshefelt @teheeboo @shanisims @honestpreference @iamfredtina @blackerthings @judymfmoody @lyrarodriguez @fendionmyfeet @fadingbelieverexpert @chaneajoyyy @astoldbychae @cecereads209 @90sisthenew80s @daddiespamm @lovethecheri @xo-goldengirl @miyuhpapayuh @buttrflybby @jiminie-08 @queengodiva619 -taglist-

[rhosmeinir]

Fictober 2023 #19

Prompt #19 - "What if we're wrong?"

Fanfiction: Good Omens

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Pairing: Ineffable Husbands/Aziracrow

Other Notes: In which Aziraphale and Crowley watch Our Flag Means Death. Which means that, weirdly enough, this entry contains SPOILERS for OFMD season 2. If you aren't caught up through episode 7, maybe skip this one. 496 words!

“But what if we’re wrong??”

“We are not wrong, Angel, trust me,” Crowley insisted, throwing a hand out towards the television, “Those two old men are going to kiss. And not just kiss, but you know,” the demon made a rude gesture involving thrusting one finger repeatedly through a circle made by two others. Aziraphale squealed and batted Crowley’s hands down.

“Don’t be crude.”

“What? They’re pirates!”

Like the rest of Whickber street, whose meetings had become much less about business and more about analyzing every possible detail of the romance between two middle-aged pirates, Aziraphale and Crowley had been waiting obsessively for the release of the latest episodes of Our Flag Means Death, and had just settled onto the sofa to watch them.

“Just because they’re pirates doesn’t mean they can’t have a soft, romantic story. I mean, look at us!” Crowley swiveled his head around to look at Aziraphale.

“You think we’re soft and romantic?” The angel reddened and adjusted his posture.

“Press play please.” Crowley obliged.

When Ed and Stede kissed in the moonlight, the demon nearly lost his fingers to Aziraphale’s sudden, vicelike grip of excitement as he bounced up and down in his seat. He deflated somewhat when Ed asked to take things slow, and buried his face in his hands when Crowley muttered, “You go to fast for me, Bonnet,” in a passable imitation of Blackbeard’s voice. Crowley cackled.

When Stede shoved Ed up against the wall, both angel and demon gasped and clutched each other’s arm, leaning towards the screen intently. They gave simultaneous squeaks when Ed pulled Stede to him in a vicelike grip, and slumped back against each other on the couch at the shot of Stede pulling shut the bedcurtains with Ed looking on, for all the world like the innocent lover in a torrid romance novel.

“Whew!” Aziraphale said, fanning himself as the credits rolled, “So much for taking it slow. At least they’re together and happy now.”

“Hmm,” Crowley replied as he raised the remote to begin the last episode, not wanting to dampen his angel’s enthusiasm, but not nearly as confident that things were going to remain stable.

When Ed was encouraging Stede in his newfound piratical infamy, Crowley thought that maybe he’d been mistaken. He allowed himself to be taken in by Stede’s happiness and laugh along with him as his notoriety grew, and to believe that all was well despite the obvious warning signs. So, when Ed declared I’m leaving, both angel and demon let out identical screams of protest. And when Stede shouted You’re a coward! At Ed’s retreating back, Crowley flopped back with a groan of despair, head hanging over the back of the sofa, while Aziraphale collapsed in on himself and slithered to the floor, sobbing.

At length, after much fish flailing and muttered ranting, Crowley uncrooked his neck and sat up.

“Uuugh. Well,” he said, utterly nonplussed, leaning forward to pat Aziraphale’s still-shaking shoulder, “we weren’t wrong.”

[themunflower]

Goretober 2024, Day 31: FREE SPACE!

Even Spider Lily was surprised when her (frankly insane) attempt at headbutting the tank eventually worked, freeing the other child.

"Whew… still alive… are you okay?"

"…"

Spider had remembered catching faint glimpses of another cookie around her age in a tank when they were gathering supplies to flee the Laboratorium. It had been bugging the young Arachne for a few nights before she decided to go back for her.

The one from the tank only stared silently back. She didn't know why, but something about the girl who had just freed her made her feel conflicting emotions… Drawn to her, yet at the same time feeling a sense of threat… Maybe it was their respective species, maybe it was the fact she was covered in blood from smashing the tank with her head.

Or maybe it has something to do with the shining jam in the middle of her chest, same shape as hers only flipped…

Spider offered her hand.

"We should go. There's no one keeping this place running anymore. Stuff might start falling down and catching on fire soon."

The small butterfly-esque cookie didn't really know what else to do, given her knowledge of absolutely nothing outside of her tank, save basic functions like understanding speech and walking.

The two left the remains of the Laboratorium together, unaware of a certain blue and black menace watching them depart with a delighted snicker.

"This is interesting… "

-----

What's this? An oddly wholesome ending for Goretober?

So I came up with something for the Cookie in the tank…

Not named here due to, well, just being born, but her name is actually Butterfly Amaryllis Cookie. Like Spider, she's named after the flower she's based on: https://americangardener.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/images-23-3.jpeg

I need to draw her un-covered in the tank fluid, as well as transformed Spider Lily not covered in her own blood, don't I? MAYBE AFTER A LONG REST!

AND THUS CONCLUDES GORETOBER!!

A special thanks to @magicalkaite20, @celerity910, and @thatcrunchything for volunteering characters, another special thanks to all of you who liked, reblogged, and especially those who followed me!

I actually tried a lot more angles, poses, and shots this year because TBH, I felt like my output for 2023 was REALLY mid, and I wanted to do it better this year. I think 2024 was DEFINITELY a step up from last year.

SEE Y'ALL FOR GORETOBER 2025!! AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

[ghostbustershq]

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Teaser Trailer Full Breakdown

In the grand tradition of GBHQ trailer breakdowns, here we go with everything that’s fit to digitally print on the recently released teaser trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire!

The trailer pulls a great switcheroo in the style that has become common-place for large blockbusters like this, which really bums me out that the first experience many (if not all) of us have had with this teaser is seeing it on our phones, tablets, computers, what have you knowing that you’re watching a trailer for a new Ghostbusters movie. Can you imagine being in the theater, the lights darken, all the ads finish, the green band MPAA rating pops up, and then you see this not knowing it’s coming? The first 20 to 30 seconds of this trailer are wonderful and tense moments where you’re waiting for the turn. I have to imagine that circa-1988 Troy would have lost his mind with that unexpected firehouse reveal.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (more on the title a bit later) looks to be a great departure for the series, opening up the world both in terms of visuals and story, and seems to speak to literally all of my preferences and loves in life: Ghostbusters and the cold and snow. In other franchises like Star Wars, the ice planet Hoth continues to be among my favorites. Possibly the Colorado kid in me that I just love the aesthetic of a wintery snowscape. And it’s no secret that I hate warm weather and prefer the cold, give me those fall and winter clothes and coats and wardrobe any day.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s do it, eh?

IT’S A CRUEL SUMMER

The studio logos thud with the opening percussion of Cruel Summer and Lady Liberty is seen with some very orange-hue sunshine. It’s hot. It’s summer. Is this a Michael Bay summer blockbuster? Are we about to see a teen summer film trailer? What’s happening? I do love the fact that Bananarama’s Cruel Summer is used here both because it’s such a staple of the 80’s and immediately transports you into that mindset, but also because writer/director Gil Kenan is such a proud “formerly from Reseda” resident that there’s a little but of his Daniel LaRusso Karate Kid attitude present in the trailer here either consciously or unconsciously. You have to think it’s a little conscious given how close attention a scene of teens playing with a soccer ball on the beach gets.

A radio voice tells us that it’s a scorcher out there with heat alerts and record breaking temps on the horizon for New York and New Jersey. Kids are playing with an open hydrant. The Wonder Wheel is spinning with denizens at Coney Island splashing in the water. Eric Steelberg’s cinematography is on full display here as a slice of life has never looked better and more appealing. This idealized scene certainly won’t last, will it?

Sure enough. The song grinds to a halt, as does the Wonder Wheel. Something is amiss.

From the water, a storm cloud closes in and all the swimmers flee as if they’re leaving Amity in a hurry. Heavy Jaws vibes here, and that you know is intentional.

Spikes emerge from the ground and the Wonder Wheel flash freezes. Then comes this frame which: tell me I’m watching a Ghostbusters movie without telling me that I’m watching a Ghostbusters movie:

Chaos as the flash freeze hits Manhattan and the ice spikes emerge from the ground, we’re fully in disaster movie territory as we see a taxi cab impaled from street level. Fortunately for anyone in that cab, it looks to pierce right through the middle. Whew. The rumbling subsides as we follow the street toward a familiar looking building and Elmer Bernstein’s familiar Ghostbusters twinkle plays in the score.

I love this shot for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the camera move is evocative of that teaser trailer for Afterlife that followed the ground of a farm into the open barn to reveal the Ecto-1. Secondly, what an image, right? The Ghostbusters are surrounded. Claustrophobically closed in by the ice and spikes. The threat is visual. It’s overwhelming.

Hit It

The screen dips to black and we hear an engine rev. Could it be? You’re damn right it could be.

The Ecto-1 peels out, pulling off a full U-Turn at top speed and knocking over some trademark NYC garbage in the process. I’ve seen some criticism mainly on forums that the Ecto-1 in the original two films was slow and lumbering and it’s jarring to them to see the car pulling these high speed maneuvers. And, while I completely agree that the coughing and chunky Ecto of the 80’s was the car’s personality at that point in time, the car has obviously been souped up since the 90’s. Even if it was left to rot in a barn, a gearhead like Ray and someone who loves the car like Winston would have been futzing with that thing every day for decades. People change, so can cars. And the energy and excitement that a full-speed Ecto can provide for a film gives it a dynamic that harkens back to The Real Ghostbusters which we’ve learned from Kumail Nanjiani was a touchstone for this film and the filmmakers.

The Death Chill

The trailer kicks into high gear as we hear Patton Oswalt’s new character explain that for the first time, someone froze to death in New York City in July. Phoebe, in full (snow covered) Ghostbusting gear, stands next to the firepole in a darkened and ominous firehouse. Trevor, Lucky, and James Acaster’s new character stand side-by-side looking at something unseen. A very dapper looking gentlemen is suspended in frozen animation. Callie head turns with concern, also standing in what looks like the garage bay of the firehouse.

An apartment door bursts open having been frozen as Phoebe - standing next to Podcast who is seen for the first time asks, “What is it?” And, after a quick hero shot of Kumail’s new character, the answer comes from the one and only Ray Stantz. It’s the death chill.

As Ray gives us the exposition that you are literally scared to death and the last thing you see is your eyes freezing, the trailer rapid fires amazing and tantalizing imagery including a backdraft puff of smoke sucking back through the crack of a door, a hero shot of Paul Rudd’s returning Gary Grooberson, Winston Zeddemore and Peter Venkman, suited up and standing in front of the Ecto looking at an unseen threat, and one of the New York Public Library’s iconic lions snarling and roaring at what looks to be Ray based on the denim shirt he’s been wearing since 1984. Ha!

I Think We’re Going to Have to Put a Little Overtime Into This One

If ever Ray Parker Jr.’s theme song was going to kick in and we see flashes of the team saving the day, now would be about the time you expect it to happen. But this is, after all, just a teaser trailer and both of those particulars are saved for another occasion. Instead, a quick and violent shot of the firehouse doors being ripped away as we look over the shoulder of a couple of busters (and is someone holding some sort of new handheld piece of gear on the left? Dude. Can’t wait to see what that is.)

The street buckles and tears and threatens both our heroes and the Ecto-1. Trevor, Callie, and Gary are pinned against a wall in the firehouse with the ice spikes closing dangerously close to them. The wall around the containment unit cracks and shakes, threatening to collapse (and does that mean another containment breach could be possible?).

Bathed in ominous red light in a shot that looks straight out of a tense moment from James Cameron’s Aliens, Lucky appears to be in a bit of a pickle. From behind, we see a gnarly looking creature of some sort, perhaps the new big-bad, locking a broken horn into the socket on the side of its head. Oh man, is that creature design cool and we’re not even seeing the full breadth of it, I’m sure.

More flashes. James Acaster’s new character, surrounded by darkness and using a flashlight to illuminate something (and wearing one of the much touted by fans’ parkas, more on that in a second). Gary, Callie and Phoebe all suited up and trying to keep warm (love the turtleneck and gloves look with the flightsuit that Callie is sporting). Patton Oswalt slams an elevator gate as he escorts Ray, Phoebe and Podcast somewhere unknown. And perhaps one of my favorite and very mysterious shots in the trailer, Kumail’s character opening what looks to be a false wall in a pantry closet to reveal a secret room. I love a good secret passageway. One of these days, when I win the lottery, I’m going to have a basement with all sorts of cool secret doors and compartments.

Ray’s explanation of the death chill concludes and we see Lucky, fully suited up, seemingly on the verge of freezing to death and her eyes glaze to a frozen state. Certainly looks perilous for Lucky, could this be the character’s end? Or does someone hopefully come to save the day. Stay tuned until March of next year.

Gary states the obvious, that it sounds like Ray is explaining being literally scared to death. There’s a bit of a call and response here that I think is fully editorial as Gary and Callie are standing in what looks to be the firehouse during the daytime and Patton Oswalt’s character telling us how cool it is looks to be in a darkened room elsewhere. It’s a fun moment that shows both characters’ enthusiasm but a strong possibility these two moments are from two totally different parts of the final film that we’ll see.

Just before the title reveal, Trevor struggles to wield a proton thrower that seems to be amped up to eleven, while sporting one of his notable t-shirt choices - this time an old school YMCA shirt. And then, we see the title for the first time.

I’ll just flat out say it, subtitles to films are difficult. You’re sort of damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. For the same reason parents don’t reveal baby names to the general public before the kid is born, everyone has an opinion on names. A gut reaction. A feeling and opinion that they need to express. Movie titles have come under the same microscope. We’ve heard EVERY tired soap joke about Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but the title was appropriate to the movie. Clear and to the point.

There’s something to be said for the good ol’ days of sequels where you just flat out said what it was: Back to the Future Part II, Beverly Hills Cop II, Star Trek VI. Also clear and to the point. But as the years progressed, a stigma around numerical titles developed where the higher the number of the film the perception of the quality decreasing became the punchline. Even if it wasn’t the case, adding a numerical value to a film title fell out of fashion and the subtitle became king. It’s also possible that increasingly complex titles started weighing on marketing and advertising and even just public perception of having to know a full title like Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. You’ve noticed that even the studios have bailed on the episode titles for Star Wars, opting just to ID them by their subtitle: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, etc.

All of that to say, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has the serial qualities of an old school sci-fi film while also immediately selling and stating what the film is. It’s the Ghostbusters sequel where everything freezes. Clear and to the point. And you can tell they were thinking about a play on words with the Empire State somehow but again — didn’t want to over complicate things. Forum and social banter have suggested, “Why not Ghostbusters: Death Chill?” Which yes, is a pretty evocative title but markets the film a little differently. You could see some parents resistant to taking their kids to a movie about the chill of death.

I love the title and think that it absolutely works. It also really frees up future story telling for the Ghostbusters films where they don’t necessarily have to be so wide in scope. They can be hyper focused on a scenario or threat. It takes the franchise in a great direction, in my opinion.

Okay, okay — what about the last two shots of the teaser. Which are outstanding. After the title reveal there are two more glimpses: one of presumably the big bad of the film and the other of our heroes standing atop the firehouse poised to tackle the threat.

Everyone loves the jackets. I do too. I want one of those things for this winter, that’s for sure. But I also love everything happening in the composition and blocking and pose of the characters here. It screams Shandor Rooftop. I love that Callie is wearing the Ecto-Goggles (tough to tell if they’re the Afterlife variant with the Polaroid camera capabilities) and that Phoebe has filled her grandfather’s shoes vigilantly manning the PKE Meter. You can see slight variations on the barrel of the Particle Thrower that Trevor is holding and — THE JACKETS, I MEAN COME ON. TAKE MY MONEY NOW. PLEASE.

If this composition isn’t part of at least one of the theatrical one-sheet posters, I would frankly be surprised. What a shot.

Final Thoughts

What a teaser. It gives us just enough without giving us too much. There are real stakes here. I’m worried about the futures of several of the characters and several of the inanimate objects like the Ecto and the Firehouse. And visually, I love how this film already looks in-step with the original film and Afterlife, but is opening the color palate and scope up a little bit. But also, how crazy is it that after decades of wondering when a third Ghostbusters film would be released, pouring over the glacial pace at the development of the film and every mention and update, to be sitting here dissecting a teaser trailer for a fifth Ghostbusters movie?

[victorluvsalice]

-->And then I went and bought a bunch of photography “stand here” markers from Build/Buy for the front walk in the hopes that I could line up at least Smiler, Victor, and Marm for a good picture in front of the front steps! Because I really wanted that shot, damn it. Unfortunately, getting them to stand on the marks proved harder than anticipated, as Victor got distracted cheering Rory's existence as a werewolf (I enjoy having my "Occult Likes/Dislikes" mod, yes, but that bit tends to get old fast) – and when Smiler DID stand on one, I found that I’d placed them the wrong way around. *facepalm* Figures. I then tried to have Alice just set up a photoshoot the old-fashioned way, but while Victor, Smiler, and Marm all came to stand in front of the camera – the action of taking a picture never actually completed. They just all stood there until I got frustrated and canceled it out. *heavy sigh* Between this and Rory kicking over the gang’s trash bin for no good reason, Family Reunions are starting to feel a little bit like Weenie Roasts.

-->Fortunately for my sanity, at this point the party was nearly over, and the NAP inspector, Jaclyn, and Thomas had all fucked off. So I just said “fuck it,” sent Marm to watch the cooking channel on the TV as he desperately needed fun (and given his starting aspiration, I figured he'd enjoy it), had Alice clean up the trash outside after scavenging it for parts (though she had to catch some stinkbugs first as they weren’t letting me click on the trash), had Victor relieve himself, and let everyone else basically do their own thing (mainly more dancing to Smiler’s radio) until the timer finally completed a few Sim-minutes later. At least Smiler got another Gold on the party! Even if it didn’t count toward completing their “Party Animal” aspiration. *grumbles* That damn thing needs to be updated soooo bad…

-->Anyway – with the party FINALLY over, and everyone FINALLY leaving, I allowed Victor to go to bed, then (with a LOT of coaxing, because for some reason the damn interaction wouldn’t complete – not to mention Alice tried to shower in the rain AGAIN in the middle of it) got Alice to wash poor filthy Shadow. Smiler, meanwhile, went and sat with Marm (who was finally happy again now that they were away from all those strangers). They had a good chat, fortunately, and Smiler even got Marm to take a selfie or five with them. Which, I wish I could have pulled that off DURING the family reunion, but… At least I got SOME pictures of the robot happy! I finally left things with a tired Alice joining Victor in bed and Marm and Smiler watching the Romance channel together and getting flirty. No, I do not know what that means for the polycule. XD

Whew – that was SOMETHING, wasn’t it? I love my Sims but they are truly exhausting sometimes. XD But at least the party went well, despite, everything, and Marm is starting to settle in as a new member of the family! Next time, we'll be heading off to the store to see how Marm does helping the trio run THAT whole thing! Hope to see you then!

[fe-fictions]

Keaton x Corrin Commission (Kana and Velouria get kidnapped, and it’s up to the beast parents to bring them back!!)

Velouria and Kana were both tender pups, only five and three years old respectively. Kana had already shown signs of having an affiinity for the dragonic, while your daughter had transformed into a Wolfskin not once, but twice in the last six months.

Keaton said it could start young, but you weren’t expecting it THAT young. Regardless, the four of you were happy. 

The children were safe in their Outrealm, a manor tucked snugly away in the middle of a thick forest, and a place you could not visit often enough. They were growing up so very fast, and you didn’t want to miss a second of it.

You never thought that your time with them could be ripped away from you.

“Whew!!” Keaton emerged from the master bedroom with a long stretch and a satisfied yawn, his arms fell around your waist and pulled you close.

“Good nap?”

“It definitely was! There’s nothing like clean forest air to soothe the senses…when we win the war, we’ll get to move into a big forest house like this one, right?”

“Well…I’m a royal, dear. I don’t think we’ll be able to live anywhere other than the castle.”

“Boo.” Keaton huffed, burying his face in your neck. “Can we at least buy a forest villa or something, for vacations? Like a grotto, or something!”

“We certainly can discuss it. I’m sure Xander won’t have an issue with us wanting a little independence. It’s not like I’m high on the succession list.”

“Then I’ll start asking around for potential forest havens right away!” Keaton grinned, relaxing his hold on you and enjoying the gentle quiet. “...Hmm…where are the kids? It’s awfully peaceful for our typical late afternoon.”

“They’re out playing; but they’re not far off. You should be able to hear them.”

Keaton pricked his ears, searching for the sounds of children laughing or for the lighthearted bickering that often accompanied playtime. It could go either way with those two…which just meant they were quite close.

Sure enough, he could hear them frolicking about in the woods, the crunch of leaves under their feet loud and clear.

His tail swished pleasantly, “Sounds like they’re having loads of fun out there.”

“I’m jealous. Dragon ears can only hear so much, unless I want to transform. I feel like I can’t hide anything from you three.”

“Aww, don’t be jealous. These things are sensitive to just about everything; if you suddenly grew a pair of wolfskin ears, you’d get some serious headaches just trying to suss out all the noises you’d hear! It takes a lot of training to get used to, even when you’re born with them.”

“That’s why Velouria was so fussy as a baby.” You remembered, smiling softly. “She would be so sweet, but if it got too noisy in the house, she wouldn’t hesitate to let us-”

“Wait.”

Keaton’s body was suddenly rigid.

You turned in his arms, which had frozen in place. His eyes were trained out the window, ears standing taller and fidgeting more than before. You knew that look; it filled you with dread.

“...What’s wrong?”

“The children. There’s someone else there.” Keaton said, grabbing your hand and making a break for the door. “Someone we don’t know!”

Just like that, the peace was shattered.

Keaton transformed into his beast form, and you into your dragonf rame.The two of you raced through the woods, frantically chasing the sounds.

Your hearing was able to pick up what Keaton had hundreds of meters back. There were adult voices, followed by the sounds of crashing and fighting. It didn’t take long for your eyes to fall on something, too.

Three men surrounded your children, grabbing them as they tried to get away. 

A blast of magic ripped from your mouth, and Keaton was close behind.

But neither of the attacks connected.

A magic barrier shot up, stopping the attacks short and nearly throwing Keaton to the dirt when he collided with it.

“NO!” His distorted voice roared, grabbing the attention of your children.

“Papa!!” Velouria cried out, reaching out for you. Kana, hearing his sister cal out for his father, looked up and saw you both.

“Papa, Mam-!” He was stopped by a hand clapping over his mouth, just before the men broke into a run and put more distance between you.

“Find the edges of the barrier!! I’ll try to break through!!” You shouted to Keaton, before going full force against the barrier. You rammed against it, vollying shot after shot in a panic to break through and get to your children.

Children you could no longer see; and your ability to hear them was fading, too.

“Keaton-”

“I found it!!” He bellowed, and was barreling through the forest with a whole new wave of adrenaline.

He was closing the gap again, and he wasn't going to hesitate.

He could hear the muffled crying of his children’s voices, the commands of the men in a foreign language; it sounded Vallite.

His heart skipped a beat. If they were Vallite…this was worse than he thought.

And he couldn’t let them get away with taking his children.

“YOU!” Keaton saw them, leaping into the clearing. Two of them stopped, swiveling to face Keaton. Each of them had a baby.

Keaton’s eyes flickerd to the pups; but there was a man missing.

Suddenly Keaton was blown off his feetm a gale of Arcwind striking him from behind.

The third man.

“Papa!!” Velouria waile,d watching her magic sensitive father struggle back to his feet.

More Vallieshouts, more frantic. Then the sounds of a spell being cast.

Keaton shrank from his beast form, reaching for the knife he kept in his boot with trembling hands. He struggled for breaht, whipping his eyes up.

A portal had appeared; and they were stepping through it with his babies.

“No,” He choked out, drawing his arm back, “STOP!!”

The blade hurtled through the air.

It reached the magic caster of the group, just before he stepped through. The portal closed as suddenly s it appeared. The knife sunk intoa tree beyond the remnants of the structure.

But none of that mattered. 

Keaton had not moved, rooted to the spot with the realization that someon ehad just stolen his children.

His  Velouria…his Kana…

They were gone.

“KEATON!!” Your voice echoed through the trees, the dragon  quick to catch up to him.

You reverted to your hman form as soon as you got to him, grasping his shoulder. “Where are the children??”

“They got away,” He huffed, struggling to form a coherent thought.

“No…no, we have to go after them, now!! We can’t waste a second!!”

“Go to the Castle Outrealm- tell everyone what happened, and get a party organized quickly!!” Keaton said, gathering hismelf long enough to give an order. 

“What will you do? They teleported out of here, there’s nothing else to find!!”

“No…” Keaton shook his head, the smell of blood attacking his senses. It wasn’t his or yours that he was smelling, either. “No, they’re not here anymore. But we can track them from the Castle. We can use magic to enhance our senses- and I can reach out to the Wolfskin for help.”

“What?”

Keaton grabbed your hand and the two of you were running, already summoning the portal back to the Castle.

And when everyone caught wind of what happened…the entire army was on high alert.

Everyone was working, as vivacious as possible, wasting no time in conjuring tracking spells and helping Keaton with enhancing his own senses, as well as reaching out to the Wolfskin. The kitsune were contacted as well, and you were paired up with Rhajat and Nyx in an attempt to find Kana’s dragonstone resonance.

He would always complain about having to lug around that heavy stone, but you were beyond relieved that you had made sure he wore it.

Assuming you could reach out to him in time…it would be just another method to track him down.

But before you could rush to their location, you had to wait.

It was 14 hours, late into the night, after the kidnapping had occurred. You were no closer to finding the children.

Keaton was surrounded by anxious Wolfskin, but would step aside after midnight when he realized you were alone.

Everyone was working beyond hard, and you both knew they wouldn’t stop until you found the answer.

He had been keeping an eye on you the entire time, or rather, an ear.

What compelled him to go to you was when he heard you struggling to hold back your tears. Keaton took your hand as you started to walk away to collect yourself, instead taking you to your quarters.

The moment the door shut, you were in his arms, wrapped up in as tight a hug he could give you. When your dam broke, he knew he wouldn’t be far behind.

“Corrin.”

“I-I…they took our babies.” 

“I know.”

“They were there, they were playing, and then…Keaton, what if we don’t find them in time?”

“We will.” He promised, though you both knew it was uncertain, and one he would not be capable of guaranteeing. 

Your arms looped around his waist, holding him tight.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re just as scared as I am, it’s just…it’s the thought of them being scared…”

“Yeah. I know, trust me.” He sighed shakily, burying his face in your hair. The scent that normally soothed him was missing among the fear filling his system. “But we gotta be strong.”

You nodded, nuzzling into his chest. “I know…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be crying up here, when they need me.”

“Don’t mistake crying for weakness,” He corrected himself urgently, pulling back to look at you. His eyes were red, the tear tracks still wet down his cheeks.

You cupped his face, fingers trembling, realizing how deeply he was worried, too.

“We just needed a second to collect ourselves,” You murmured, taking a slow breath and willing yourself to calm. Keaton nodded quietly, pushing away the rest of the droplets that threatened to fall. His other hand remained firm on your shoulder, squeezing softly.

“Each other,” He added with a soft sniff, “Okay. I think we should head back.”

“Are you feeling okay?”

“No, but…I hear a lot of noise,” His ear pricked, tilting towards the door. “I think they got something.”

The two of you hurried back out, and sure enough, he was right.

Leo made it to you first, informing you of his findings; they were able to lock in on a location in an Outrealm that was hostile, but sparse.

It wouldn’t be too difficult to get in with a small team and get the children out. It would take a little time to prepare, but what mattered was you were on your way.

They just had to hold on a little longer. The army was gathered and was ready to go after the bastards who kidnapped the young prince and princess.

Keaton would not leave his beast form until the children were found. There was a tall, angry dragon that would behave similarly, right beside him.

-------------------------

It was an Outrealm that was storming and dark. Sheets of rain drenched you all, but it was completely irrelevant to you. The army would tread carefully but went as quickly as they possibly could.

It wouldn’t take long for Hayato to confirm the location, an old citadel south of the portal.

Keaton was galloping through the mud, pouring on speed as his enhanced sense of smell picked up on the unmistakable scent of his children.

They were close. So very close.

The enemy was shockingly the ones who struck first. It was likely because you were charging straight ahead and making a head-on push to assault the tower.

But their volleys of magic and the arrows that were flying weren’t going to do anything. They never once touched Keaton, and the lucky few that connected with you bounced off your armor. 

So long as the two of you led the charge, everyone else would be safe. You were the battering rams. As soon as you were in range, it was all one. Keaton leapt in front of you with a mighty roar, slamming into the sealed gates. He ripped into the wood, and metal, tearing everything to pieces and ripping an opening apart for everyone else to follow through.

The hunt was on.

Any Vallites who stood in your way or even tried to raise a weapon towards the army were dispatched and detained. As much as you would’ve liked to tear into them, you knew that getting answers from them was much more important.

To prevent this from ever happening again to anyone.

“We’ll cover the west wing!!” Ryoma shouted, his retainers close behind. “Prince Xander, you-!”

“No!!” Keaton bellowed, “They’re this way!!”

“Keaton, they have to cover the flanks- we can get to the children!!” You reminded your husband, “We don’t need the full army to rescue them! We need the building secured!!”

“But-” Keaton looked to you, the urgency clear. “But the sooner we clear the path to the children, the sooner we get to them!!”

“We cannot rescue them and then try to escape with them on an active battlefield!!” You shouted back, “We’ll go!! The army can handle the rest! Let’s go get our children!!”

He was upset, but he knew full well that you were right. And he was done wasting time. The two of you poured on speed and broke away from the army, letting them split into the necessary teams to get to their enemies.

And from there, you were on your way. The soldiers that tried to stand in your way were challenged, and it didn’t take much to defeat them. Keaton would lead the way with a barreling smash, and you would folow up with a blast of magic or a massive burst of water from your mighty roar.

Within no time, Keaton’s tracking had brought the two of you to the top of the tower. He scaled the steps six at a time, his breath heaving like that of a wild animal.

You followed swiftly behind, covering his flanks. He was charging straight for those babies, and he wasn’t going to stop even to fight someone else.

Closer. He veered around the corner, zeroing in on the end of the corridor.

Closer…he could barely breathe, eyes wide as he reached the final door. The smell was overwhelming. That was hisdaughter. His son. They were in that room.

He took a final leap, throwing his whole Wolfskin body into the door and shattering it into pieces.

The first thing he heard was his children’s cries.

The explosion of the door had startled them, but the giant beasts that were charging into the room were no easier to process.

When your eyes locked with your children, it made your heart skip a beat.

“Children-!!”

“Ma…Mama?” Velouria’s little voice cracked,, ,calling out to the dragon that was quickly transforming. But more importantly than that, was the gigantic wolf that was currently shrinking down in front of them.

“Oh…oh, Vel!! Kana!!” Keaton’s voice no longer distorted, he closed the remaining distance between them. He made a mental note of the shackles around his children’s ankles.

There would be hells to pay for that.

But right now, Keaton was reverting back into his human form, though his claws were last to turn back so that he could rip the chains off their legs.

“PAPA!!” Kana wailed, and was immediately launching into his father’s arms. Keaton engulfed his son and daughter into his chest, clutching onto them with all his strength.

“Oh gods…oh- thank the gods, you’re both here!!” He squeezed them tight, letting them both sob into his shirt as he cradled their little heads with shaking hands.

“Velouria, Kana!”  You dissolved back into your human form not long after, meeting Keaton on your knees next to him. 

Your daughter managed to get one good look at you and she was practically jumping into your embrace, the waterworks starting all over again.

“Mama…!! Mama, w-we were…we w-were so…!!” She couldn’t fit in a sentence between her breaths. You rocked her gently, managing to free your breastplate so that you could feel her warmth and she could hear your heartbeat even louder.

“We’re here.” You shushed her in a soft voice, “We’re both right here. We weren’t going to let them get away with you.”

Kana’s voice was little more than a warble, trying and failing to reach out for you without removing his hands from his father (which he physically refused to do).

Keaton brought his arm around you, drawing his two girls into the fold. 

“It’s all right now, pups.” He promised, kissing the tops of their heads. “It’s okay. We’ve got you now, okay? And that’s not gonna change ever again.”

“We’ve got to get them out of here.” You murmured to him, realizing that your children were littered with cuts and bruises all over their skin. A good number of them looked defensive; which suggested they  put up a fight.

As if you weren’t already proud of the pair.

“We have to wait for the signal, right?” Keaton recalled, “Somebody’ll come get us.”

“I’ll take first watch.” You cupped his cheek, “Stay with the children, keep them safe until we get the all clear.”

“If it’s not over in an hour, I’ll trade with you.” He nodded, and you were able to (barely) peel Velouria off of you and return her solely to Keaton.

He transformed back into his beast form, taking each of them up in a massive paw and huddling htem into the back corner. If anyone was going to try and get to them, they’d have to go through him, first.

You nodded to your husband, gave your children one last reassuring smile, and then you were transforming into a big, angry mother dragon once more.

Mercifully, the battle did not last much longer. The corridor was long cleared, and none had attempted to assist after you and Keaton had blasted through the first time.

The soldiers were more concerned with not losing their lives and protecting the citadel than the children they’d taken.

Likely because you’d already taken care of the people who were in charge of the children at all. If they didn’t have their “babysitters” with them, then the rest weren’t concerned. 

By the time you reached the east wing, it was nearly emptied. And the west wing was…well, it was in the middle of ending. 

You were able to get a few good hits in before your brothers caught up to you, both high princes looking quite stressed but satisfied with the job completed.

“Did you find them?” Xander asked urgently, “Are the little prince and princess safe?”

“Yes,” You said breathlessly, reverting back one last time. “Keaton’s with Velouria and Kana, waiting for the all clear. They’ll need some medical help, but it’s nothing serious.”

“What a relief.” Ryoma sighed as he sheathed his blade. “Sakura, Elise, go with Corrin to take care of the children. They’ll probably want to see more familiar faces.”

It was a hurried sprint back up the steps and the end of the corridor. Sure enough, your husband was there, a warning growl rattling deep in his chest when he heard multiple footsteps.

When you appeared, though, he quickly relaxed.

“It’s over. The tower’s clear.” You informed him, “Are they okay?”

Keaton reverted as well, revealing two trembling children clinging to his legs. He gave them a reassuring smile, “Yeah. We’re all okay.”

“Aunt Sakura and Aunt Elise are going to get you two patched up, okay? Then we’ll head right home.” You told them both, giving Keaton a quick hug before you were swarmed by little hands.

Kana ended up in your lap while Keaton held onto Velouria, each of them getting their healing salves and mending spells cast to fix the damage done.

The four of you returned home with your arms full, your little ones far too frightened to settle down just because you were there.

No, it would take a nice, slow walk through the forest, cradled in their parents’ arms, surrounded by sweet family members and friends making silly faces and telling light stories, until they were able to slowly fall asleep…utterly exhausted by the harrowing rescue.

Eventually, though, you all returned home. Keaton took your hand, helping you into your bedroom at the Castle.

You both moved to tuck the children in, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to let them go. You hesitated, cradling Kana to your chest.

“Keaton…I don’t want to leave them alone.”  You whispered, looking at your daughter who slept peacefully on her father.

He nodded quietly, “I don’t either. Let’s…let’s stay with them until they wake up. Then they won’t wake up without us.”

“An excellent idea.” You concurred, and very carefully, the two of you maneuvered onto the bed, taking great care not to jostle the babies sleeping soundly with you.

The two of them were asleep long into the night, and did not wake until nearly the mid morning.

But when they woke up, snuggled up between their parents, it nearly started up an entirely fresh bout of tears.

But there was no need to fear. You kissed away the droplets, beaming at your children.

They were home, safe and sound. And they’d be staying with their mother and father always…and most importantly, everyone would be together happily.

No fears of capture would be tolerated; because aside from their parents going totally feral at the mere thought of their kids being snagged, Keaton taught Velouria all sorts of new techniques for activating her Wolfskin form, and how to fight even as a pup.

And Kana enjoyed plenty of quality time with his mother, learning how to turn into a dragon and back dozens of times (while squealing excitedly for his dad to watch when he did).

Your family was safe, and together again. It was all that mattered.

[tobiasdrake]

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Episode 12 - The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Part 2

This arc has me besides myself in fear and anxiety and anticipation and dread and eagerness and and and and

I always thought Original Flavor Yuki's awkward alien tippy-toe run was a funny character quirk of hers. Here, Factory Settings transcends it into straight-up levitation. Yuki has become a ghostly specter who haunts the concept of literature itself.

(It's funny 'cause this is clearly hyperbolic shorthand for Yuki being entranced into hyperfocus by the library. Using the language of animation to convey that she's been pulled in by the allure of nearby literature and shut out the world. While the tippy-toe run is more literally meant as a silly character quirk.)

Kyon.

Kyon.

Your cute "How We Met" story is about helping her get a library card.

Nice to see he's as bad at following the plot in this reality as he is in the prime reality.

Wait, is THIS going to be the show's version of the Yuki Library Card anecdote? Did it. Has that not happened in this continuity yet? I legit can't remember if it has or not. I think I'm getting my wires crossed.

Right. Because. Like. In Movie Disappearance, Kyon wasn't a member of the Literature Club. He met Yuki in passing at the library just the one time.

I've been assuming that was still how they met in the show. But. Maybe their first meeting was the day Yuki asked him to join the Literature Club? And the library card event is happening right now?

Still appreciate that Factory Settings is developing more personality over time. She's very similar to Original Yuki, much moreso than Escapist Yuki, but she's nonetheless a lot more outwardly emotional all the same. Original Yuki would express a similar sentiment but she wouldn't be caught dead making that face.

Yep, this is the library card event. A universal const--

SORCERY! I CALL SORCERY! THIS IS--

*heavy exhale*

OKAY SO I'M NOT GOING CRAZY

It is Kyon who sucks at following the plot, not me. I thought so. Okay. Whew. That was throwing me.

And there's the actual event. Man, it's nice to see Escapist Yuki again, even if just for a bit.

Can't believe I let Kyon gaslight me. This man is so dumb that his dumbness came full circle and had me questioning my own comprehension of the plot.

Factory Settings in third person watching Escapist Yuki's memory unfold is a beautiful visual representation of her relationship to those memories. She's said that she doesn't feel like those memories or feelings or etc. are hers and this shot of her as an external third party visualizes that through the language of animation.

Similarly, that it took so long for her to remember that she has Escapist Yuki's library card with her is another subtle demonstration of her disconnect with Escapist Yuki's life. She didn't remember that she's done The Scene with Kyon already because, in a meaningful sense, she hasn't.

This scene, this right here, was her version of The Scene. A version that she never got to finish. It was sharply interrupted by the callous reminder that she is an imposter, dressed in the life of a different version of her. That the Yuki that belongs here already did it.

TUG ON MY HEARTSTRINGS SOME MORE WHY DON'T YOU

Factory Settings validating my suspicion that Yuki's essentially catatonic right now. She created Escapist Yuki to be her ideal self in her ideal world. With Escapist Yuki unconscious, she seems to be stuck in a sort of between-state.

Like. She lacks the memory and knowledge required to be her player but she's also lost the personality and emotional range of her character so she's just. Trapped. In the middle. And it's terrifying because she doesn't even have the context to remember that she wanted to be this other Yuki in the first place.

She's Rebellion Story Madoka going, "I can't possibly imagine any scenario where I would leave all of my friends behind and become God. That is not a choice that I would ever make. 0/10 Would Not Happen."

Staring down the existential barrel of being once again subsumed by decisions she can't comprehend that she made in the first place.

Her glasses from the car crash are fixed but she refuses to wear them, instead sticking with the backup pair. Because those aren't truly 'her' glasses, they're Escapist Yuki's glasses. Factory Settings has only ever worn the backup pair. The ones on her face right now, those are 'her' glasses.

My fucking heart.

(That the most visible distinction between them is Factory Settings has a black frame while Escapist Yuki has a white frame isn't lost on me either. Another subtle jab at Factory Settings being the "imposter". She's wearing the Bad Guy glasses. She's the piece that does not fit.)

Um. Yes? What did you think her awakening would mean? A pitched battle in the heart of your soul over who will be the True Yuki? Logically, as Escapist's personality starts to reawaken, Factory Settings will gradually meld into her until she's fully back to "normal".

Yuki's playing the Itsuki card and explaining the plot in great detail but it's the same stuff that's already been conveyed visually. Little by little, Escapist Yuki's identity is going to reassert itself over Factory Settings because they aren't different people.

They're separate personas of a single consciousness, rather than separate consciousnesses. Like when you stop playing your Mass Effect character and switch over to playing your Stardew Valley character.

This is specifically what makes the plight of Factory Settings so compelling. Because she is just a different face. In a sense, she won't exist anymore when Escapist returns. And yet she will still exist; She'll just be different.

The same way Original Yuki still exists, behind the face of Escapist Yuki. (And, in fact, her continuing to exist is precisely how Factory Settings came to be in the first place.)

I love how it's ambiguous whether Factory Settings is developing feelings for Kyon because Escapist Yuki is waking up....

...or if it's that she sees the same qualities in him that Escapist fell in love with. At their core, they are the same person, after all. It makes sense that they'd share the same taste in men.

Technically so is Original Flavor but she's a space robot and also her Kyon sucks so that's two reasons why this never happened to her. Factory Settings may be closer in personality but she nonetheless exists in a very different context from Original Flavor.

She pushed the glasses case to the farthest side of her table as she could.

She is afraid of those glasses.

OH HI THERE ORIGINAL FLAVOR WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT YOU

Factory Settings over here so focused on herself and Escapist Yuki that she doesn't even question Jake Lockley's sarcophagus over there behind her.

Nice reframing of not only the title of the arc but, in a sense, the show as a whole. This entire series up to this point has featured the Yuki we know subsumed within Escapist Yuki.

In Disappearance of Haruhi, the titular "disappearance" was Haruhi's physical vanishing from North High. But Disappearance of Yuki refers to the vanishing of identity. Factory Settings brings that into the spotlight, effectively pointing to it and going, "Hey! Let's talk about this!"

Very interested to see where they're going with this in part 3.

[starlitangels]

How They Met

Well, I told y’all I was gonna write how Pandora met Odin. Have fun! 1.9k words (almost exactly!)

—

“Y’know, you’re really good at stuff like this. You should, like, run with a permanent crew,” Huginn said. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

“Nah. At my level, permanent crews can’t afford each other,” I said with a sarcastic snort. Huginn took a turn to roll his eyes. “Singular contracts are about all people like me can get.”

He turned and kept a lookout while I huddled over the lock, picking it with careful precision. Most locks on Esselheim were easy for me to get past, despite their complexity. A race of biomechanicals tended to over-engineer things unnecessarily. But that didn’t always make them better. This lock, though, was giving me trouble. Not more trouble than I could handle. It just required more time than usual.

“There we go. Got it,” I hissed as the last tumbler clicked into place and let me turn the bolt.

I started to twist—carefully—when I felt something in the lock catch.

“What?” I whispered.

I paused my movements and turned the mechanism back toward its original position, but not quite reaching the place. And then paused.

Nothing happened.

“What’s wrong?” Huginn asked.

“Not sure. The lock hit a catch,” I replied.

“Trap?”

“Possibly. But fitting a trap into a lock’s path would be difficult. Not to mention a pain to disengage for the people who are supposed to be here.”

Huginn made a face. “Hmm. So what’s the plan?”

“Well, I was—”

BWOOOOP! BWOOOOP! BWOOOOP!

The alarm made me jolt.

“Dammit,” I muttered. “I didn’t trigger that, did I?”

“Look who cares? Scatter before we get arrested!” Huginn took off running the same way we’d come in. Not far in the distance, I could hear the clanking of armor. Guards coming to investigate the alarm. Shouting joined the clanking. Along with projectiles being fired.

I rolled my eyes and ducked down a different corridor. Like as not, the guards didn't know the traps. If I could dodge through one, it would slow them down and help me escape.

In theory.

I took corners at random, trying to find my way out and make myself hard to follow.

But one of those corners seemed to take me to the thick of the conflict.

I pinwheeled my arms as I backpedalled. With a sharp curse, I ducked behind some sort of ruined statue plinth.

“There’s another one!” I heard a guard shout. An energy bolt struck the plinth. I swore and crouched low to make myself a smaller target. A few more hit the stone above and behind where I was somewhat hidden.

Cackling laughter rose over the din. I heard the shing! of metal cleaving through weapons.

“It’s the intruder! Get him!” another guard barked.

“Ha-haaaaa! Come and get me you f—” Bzoop! An energy bolt fired and plink!ed off something metal. “—ers!” The voice wasn’t Huginn’s. Nor was it anyone else that had been hired for this crazy scheme. Huginn and I had been the only ones to go inside anyway. Everyone else was on logistics or tech.

One thing was for sure, I was probably not going to get paid after this. Especially after Huginn bailed. No way would I make it to the merchandise on my own in the middle of a shootout.

The sound of energy bolts being fired increased. Whoever had been cackling cried out, “Whoa—whoa!” and started running. Bootfalls weighed down by heavy armor thudded over the stone floor. 

I didn’t dare peek out for fear of getting shot myself.

With a clumsy flop, someone crashed into the back of the plinth beside me. “Whew!” that same voice exclaimed. “Finally—some decent cover!”

I whirled around to see another Joten leaning back against the plinth. There was a massive battle axe, a raven carved down the metal blade and charred in a few spots, in his hands and across his lap.

“Hey!” I protested. “This spot’s taken! Find your own!”

“What? Oh, come on. We can share!”

“We absolutely cannot,” I retorted, pushing at him to get him away from me. Being smaller than the average Joten myself, this guy was absolutely massive and was going to crowd me out of my hiding spot.

He resisted my pushing. “Whoa. Slow down!”

“You’re going to get me killed and I don’t know you. No way am I going to trust you.”

“I’m Odin.”

“I don’t care—that doesn’t make me know you.”

“We’re both being shot at!”

“Yeah, and I assume that’s your fault. ‘Cause it sure as hell wasn’t mine!”

“Were you breaking in too?”

“What are you, a guard? Mind your own business.”

“You’ve got lock-picks sticking out of your wrist pockets,” this Odin guy pointed out.

“Now is not the time!” I snapped, peeking out from behind the plinth before quickly ducking back. “We are getting shot at from three sides and you’re asking if I broke in?” I shoved the lock picks deeper into my pockets so they wouldn’t stick out.

“Hey, I did too. There’s s’posed to be sweet loot in here.”

“Why do you think it’s full of traps?” I narrowed my eyes and slid a tiny mirror out of my bag. The kind that I usually used to reflect laser tripwires back on themselves. With it, I took quick stock of the guards. “By the Twin Gods... There’s at least twenty of them,” I muttered.

Odin looked down and met my eyes. “Know how to fight, thief?”

“I can handle myself in low numbers. This isn’t a low number.”

He gave me a lopsided, cocky smile. “Good thing you have me then.”

“Arrogant much?”

“Only on Wednesdays.”

“It’s Monday.”

“Close enough!” He beamed. “I’ll go right and take as many guards down as I can. You go left and try to get through the trapdoor on the floor.”

“Are you nuts?!” I exclaimed.

He smirked mischievously. “Only on Mondays.”

With that, he leapt out from behind the plinth, swinging his axe and roaring a battle cry.

I sighed in exasperation and rolled my eyes. Using my small mirror, I did a quick sweep of the room again. “Gods above,” I muttered.

I yanked a smoke canister out of my bag, popped the pin, and rolled it away from me, toward Odin.

“Hey big guy! Fall back!” I shouted as the smoke started to spew.

As the area started to get more and more obscured, I dodged out from behind the plinth myself and stole toward the uneven flagstone in the floor that was an obvious trapdoor.

I moved faster than I ever had to pop the trapdoor open—right as Odin slid to a stop on his knees beside me, axe slung over his back. “Going down,” I said, hopping over the edge of the hole in the floor and landing solidly on the metal ladder rungs hammered into the wall. I dropped down several to make room for Odin. He quickly followed. Once he was fully in the hole, he shut the trapdoor on top of us as quiet as he could.

We both went down the ladder as fast as we could. I hit the stone ground first and backed out of the way. Odin dropped off the rungs from right where he was, landing heavily but his knees took the shock of the impact easily. His knee servos must have had better absorbers than mine.

Warrior. Explorer. Adventurer. Probably. He was built for endurance. I was built for stealth. I was quiet, he was hardy.

“Where are we?” I asked, looking around. “This wasn’t on my blueprint of the place.”

“Catacombs. This was a temple, right?”

“Yeah.”

He shrugged. “Temples usually enshrine the dead somewhere.” He rolled his shoulders to adjust how his axe sat in its holster on his back. “Which means there’s a way out somewhere.”

“Problem being most catacombs are confusing.”

“Yeah, yeah. That.”

“So... what? We’re just bailing on the loot?”

Odin glanced up the hole we’d climbed down. “We’ll come back,” he said with a determined nod.

“I’m here because I was hired to be,” I said. “If I go back empty-handed, I don’t get paid.”

He scoffed. “Whatever they were paying you is a pittance compared to what we can lift from this place on our own.” He held his hand out. “Allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Odin. You never gave me your name.”

I shook his hand. “You haven’t earned it,” I replied, extracting my hand from his grip and stomping away.

He had the audacity to chuckle at my attitude before following after me. “How do you plan on getting out of here?”

“Following the scent of the air.”

“Meaning?”

“A surface-level exit will bring in slightly-fresher air,” I grumbled. “Follow the scent of it and we’ll find at least a vent to the surface.”

“Huh. Smart idea.”

I glowered at him over my shoulder. “I’ve been doing this for a while. I should hope so.”

“So you are a thief.”

“Treasure hunter,” I corrected.

He shrugged again. “Same difference.” He leaned forward, closer to me. “Y’know, I’m a bit of a treasure hunter myself. And you seem to be quite the, uh, treasure—”

“Don’t even try it,” I interrupted.

“Worth a shot.”

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. “We’re running away from guards after you got me caught and you’re trying to flirt.”

“May as well try, right?”

“I cannot believe this is how my day is going,” I grumbled. “First the alarm gets triggered by a dumbass and now I’m stuck in the catacombs with him.” I shook my head. “You’d better win me over before we get out of here or there’s nothing stopping me from ratting on you when we get out.”

“Except for the fact that you broke in first.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe I will be too,” he retorted.

“You’re doing a pretty terrible job of winning me over.”

“No. I think I already have. You’re finding me funny, despite being annoyed.”

“Ugh. In your dreams, Owen.”

“It’s Odin!”

“Whatever.” I poked my head down the two prongs of a fork in the tunnels. “This way.” I marched down the left one.

We wandered the catacombs for what felt like hours, occasionally hearing guards running above us. But none seemed to have descended down into the intestines under the building. I couldn’t blame them.

Finally, we made it to a grate made of steel bars and padlocked shut—that led out to the surface. Beyond even the temple walls. “Thank the Twin Gods,” I muttered. I flicked my lock picks out of my pocket and into my hand and reached through the bars. I closed my eyes and picked the lock by feel.

It popped open. I got the padlock out of the pair of holes in the metal holding it shut and creaked the grate outward.

“You are very good at what you do,” Odin remarked.

“Yup,” I agreed. “Now. How about you go left and I go right and we act like this never happened?”

“Sure.” He moved to head down the alleyway toward the populated street beyond. “We should do this again sometime! Come back to this place and actually get the loot.”

“Mm,” I grunted noncommittally.

“See you around, nameless thief.” He raised a hand in an almost wave as he took several backward steps toward the left of the grate.

“Hope not!” I turned sharply and trotted away to the right.

—

Tagging some GB peeps to hopefully enjoy: @palilious @gwenifred @ryn-halo26 @halscafe @monster-scribe-tya @miloeveryday38

[catty-words]

1,7, 63 for the fic writers ask game 😊

thank you 😘

1. do you know how you want the story to end when you start, or are you just stumbling through the figurative wilderness hoping to find a road?

oh, i rarely know the ending when i start, but ‘stumbling through the wilderness’ doesn’t feel like an accurate description of my process. it’s more that i have a concept i like, and then i let my favorite fictional guys possess my creativity until the concept comes to its natural conclusion.

7. tell us about the plot of the first fanfic you ever wrote

whew boy, it was a degrassi: the next generation one-shot - eli goldsworthy/claire edwards, specifically - wherein the characters went on a laser tag date. exactly as twee as it sounds. not that i’ve read it in recent past, that fic is none of my business anymore.

63. what’s the best insult you’ve read in a fic?

pretty much anything anyone’s written where heather davis is taking nathaniel plimpton to task, but for the sake of specificity, i’ll pick this one:

“Okay, well, sad,” she says, flashing the album of Rebecca’s profile pictures at him after staring at it for a moment. “That wanky family crest of a profile picture, your middle initial and all those Roman numerals at the end of your name—sad: the sequel. But on the upside, hey—we’re Facebook official now. Congrats. Do you want me to change your relationship status while I’m here? Because I think your girlfriend deleted you.” (x)

[chameleon-on-lsd]

Tatort Saarbrücken (Das fleissige Liesschen) liveblogging

when I tell you that this show has me fucking screaming (starting this liveblogging after 30 mins of watching, so some recap following) his little 'adam' at the first meeting the fact that they hug IN the car, after getting to the scene. like did you drive all that way in silence? protective bby! dog trauma is real the medical examiner is insane and I don't know if I hate her or love her ADAM SITTING ONTO THE TABLE LIKE *THAT* after being told 'setz dich doch erstmal'. very normal. as if you *needed* to show off your long legs any more. also love his turtleneck look. makes his angular face stand out even more (lovingly) also I like his wavy hair and I forgot how much fun German shows are. the slang gets to me. (like "matschepampe" xD) I don't watch things in German because usually it's dubs and those are an abomination to the original language. but after watching allll electric callboy vlogs I remembered how much fun German can be they had a treehouse??? aaaaaah (well it could be a Jägerstand but come on. chilling in a tree, 2 feet apart cause we're not gay) lmao a TRUCKLOAD of files. cause that's what the police needs, more files is that his GF?? "der traurige" lmao, get roasted 'was soll losgewesen sein' sir young!leo has the biggest sadded eyes my god adam, you have eyebags for daaayss. sleep my poor baby (idk how I feel about the canonical gay character being the accused murderer. I like them though) sorry but leo's goofy little smile at adam turning up late night AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH and the glances at eachother working "dein kollege, der hat schiss in der buchse" "willste auch n tipp? halt einfach mal deine fresse' do NOT come for his fucking boy! loyal dog behaviour from the dog phobist I like that he spelled out 'usw' in his speech as U S W what kind of fucking squishy cake are you eating adam?? what is the old lady serving you oh is it apfelstrudel? I wanna cup adam's stupid head. what is your jaw line sir challenge for adam: stop leaving your food uneaten!!! level: imposssible something something 'aufm weg zu dir' + 'bin gleich bei dir' sakldaldkölaskdölaskd leo fully pulling a gun on the employee standing inHIS WAY AND PARKOURING!!!!! I LOVE HIM HOLY FUCKKKKK adam: DISREPECT MY SURROUNDINGS (car version) leo fully shaking at handling the gun. baby boy <3 YOU SHOT HIS DAD? babies :( :( :( lol adam. that was the LAMEST takedown with the most urgent yelling after something something *slouching on a car to make up for height difference.* *rubbing shoulders and looking at the hand* lmaoooo. the skull middle finger head tattoo. love it 'das ist n echtes schnatterentchen' and the "ihre *holding middle finger up and doing chefs kiss noise* ausstrahlung" the fucking bad cop, good cop 'ich hatte keinen beef mehr mit dem' xD i love the random english fucking hell leo taking the jacket off "ich bin eher... so ein weicher" smug leo is freaking adorable "ich ruf meinen kumpel reiner an. den hab ich auf speed dial" YOU JUST TOSSED A DOG OF A BRIDGE???? INSANE laughs a little every time they say 'haftbefehl' (because of the german rapper) HE'S EATING A DRY CUP NOODLE. ADAM MY LOVE. WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS. THAT IS NOT AN ADEQUATE SNACK OR MEAL also how hot do you have to be leaning on the car like *that* aw poor Konrad 'rutsch ma rüber' xD god adam ily 'sie stinken ja wie n iltis' lmao I love how everyone is accusing adam of not having a home. first leo, now the grandpa dude god leo is pretty okay so leo visits adam's dad and pretends to be adam's brother to do it? adam. be normal and stop pinching your dad's cheek. aw the very heartfelt 'FUCK.YOU.' old woman chekov's gun, SHE SAVED THE DOG AND IT JUST DIED?????????? god they need to make out. leo stop looking at him like that fucking badass lida!!! you go girl 'ich hab ihn geheiratet weil er mutig war, wo ich feige war' something something, leo and adam whew this is actually making me tear up 'der hass war so stark er hat mich ausgefüllt' something something, leo's hate for adam's dad dundunduuuuun (adam's dad woke up)

[luckydragon10]

KinnPorsche Ep06 Lines of Power

Me again, bringing you lines of power, framing, and staging in KinnPorsche. Whew. Who knows a cure for an emotional hangover?

I normally organize and post for LoP on Sundays, but I have a busy day tomorrow, so I'm pushing this out extra fast. In case this gets buried in rapid-fire posts in the KP tag... could a few kind folks please do me a reblog? 🥺

More LoP posts: [Trailer] [Ep01] [Ep02] [Ep03] [Ep04] [Ep05] [Ep07]

DILF. Such a DILF, P'Chan.

The staging here is fantastic and logical for the situation but so rare. We have characters in foreground with focus, midground, and background, AND we have characters at varying levels throughout. It makes a great composition, in my opinion, while still being sensible for the situation and the setting. Getting up higher on a rock affords a better view, just the thing for a search party.

Also...Big, I gotta say, P'Chan is so far above you it's not even funny. The vertical height difference really underscores that P'Chan is Big's superior in numerous ways.

Nice low camera angle to catch the stars, much appreciated! Adds to the tenderness here.

The ratty cover and sides of the truck make a great frame, almost like they're in a nest. (Calm down, @moerusai. I know exactly what you're thinking. Tsk.)

You know what else I'm seeing? Looking at the bottom of the truck cargo bed, it's neatly horizontal and even. We tend to see a lot of tilted lines — either subtly tilted or dramatically — in KinnPorsche to show things that are out of alignment, but here, things are balanced between the two leads. They're equals in this situation. Equally in trouble, equally desperate to survive.

Speaking of tilted angles....

The line I'm looking at here is easy to miss on first watch because Pete's head is well framed and upright, but look at the angle of the lower part of the car door. It's really, really tilted to the left.

The music in this scene adds very obvious tension, but that line helps underscore the threat that Vegas poses because, frankly, this dude is scary. Run, Pete, run!

Crooked line, curvy, wandering, lost.

Actually, there are multiple crooked lines. This shot has a beautiful almost-symmetry with the road cutting the top section and the dark body of water below also creating crooked, funny lines.

Lost, they're very lost.

Also, if you were to align this shot vertically, you could see a sort of hourglass, like so:

I doubt the cinematographer was intentionally trying to make an hourglass (??), but I like it anyway. Then again, maybe it really was intentional and represents the passage of time? Or it represents that there's a limit to how long they'll have this opportunity to communicate? Always fun to speculate.

Yesss, one of my favorite shots from the trailer!

It's been significantly darkened here, which I find interesting. Perhaps it was kept light in the trailer for better visibility and pop, whereas here we need it darker because of the time of day. The darkness of this shot wouldn't have stood out well in the trailer.

Quick recap of what I said back when I analyzed the trailer:

Bless drones. This. This damn scene with the expansive space, and yet these two leads are squished intimately close to one another. Look, I realize they’re handcuffed, but still, exaggerating that proximity with the huge view is MWAH *chef kiss* perfect. Plus…c'mon, that soft curved line of the road? Such a contrast to all those harsh verticals before. It’s a softening, a bending, which is going to be necessary for the relationship to come together.

Yep, still holds up. All I'd like to add now is that they are turning a corner in their relationship. This episode is about both of them (though perhaps Kinn especially) learning how to bend their pride and meet each other in the middle.

To me, the two walls of the crevice look like puzzle pieces that fit together. The angles of the slopes match and are made to be placed together.

Kind of like our two leads. 😭

Additionally, their arms create a line between them, balanced and connected and sharing that power evenly.

That background rock is being brilliantly used. It's practically a third character here, representing the heavy, heavy weight of their emotions.

Also, Kinn is diminished. He's partly obscured by the rubble slope from his legs down. He diminished here because he's giving up control, willingly, to Porsche. Porsche meanwhile has the front slope that tilts right as well as the upward slope of the top of the rock opening the right side of the frame to him, showing him the way he can run to freedom.

Porsche has the power here, and the lines emphasize that.

And yet he hesitates, frozen in place. 😭😭

That rock is working overtime, adding weight and gravity. I titled this screencap "You Are My Rock Now." And yet they let each other go.

😭😭😭😭😭😭

Nope, nope, done being analytical now. You'll find me in a hole in the ground, trying to process my emotions.

///

More LoP posts: [Trailer] [Ep01] [Ep02] [Ep03] [Ep04] [Ep05] [Ep07]

I was in a bit of a rush for this post, as I mentioned, so feel free to shout at me if you find any other special gems.

You can also visit @antique-forvalaka for some color theory, @yeetlegay for voice analysis and other meta, @chaoselmo and @gradienta for costumes, and a whole bunch of other cool KP fans and meta in my Damn Good KinnPorsche Meta doc.