#was aiming for a mini but alas

[doctornota]

IT'S THE SORT OF AFFAIR LEONARD TENDS TO LOATHE, stiff high collars and slick dress shoes, all those people spinning in dizzying circles. The masks everyone sports are like an echo of a bygone era in Earth's history, sort of charming albeit eccentric. If McCoy was smarter he wouldn't be here at all; but a few dozen crash courses in diplomacy have taught him the importance of making an appearance. He has to find his bearings here eventually, and turning into a hermit won't help in that regard.

Besides, there's supposedly free drinks ( though perhaps he should have selected a mask that's a bit easier to drink with - the hooked beak attached to his won't do him any favors there ).

The benefit of being in a room full of masked strangers is that he doesn't have to feel any associated guilt for being a bother. Not everyone is dancing; there's a fair share of stragglers on the edges of the room, perusing the snacks or admiring the decor. He elbows a couple here and there.

"Think they've got anything stronger, or are we talking just dry wines and fancy champagne?" What? It's an honest question.

[ms-m-astrologer]

2023 Capricorn Solstice

Friday, December 22, 2023, 03:27 UT Chart erected for Washington, DC (Thursday, December 21, 22:28 EST)

Merry Yule north of the equator, and Merry Litha south of it!

I just love this chart. There is a fantastic double sextile (I think some people call them “mini grand trines” but “double sextile” is more accurately descriptive):

the Sun and Mercury Rx in Capricorn, are sextile Saturn/Pisces;

Saturn/Pisces is sextile the Moon and Jupiter Rx in Taurus;

the Sun and Mercury Rx are trine the Moon and Jupiter Rx.

An Earth sign trine giving us great potential for practical, material achievement and blessings - and Saturn/Pisces working to help, asking us to aim high. Not so much “fabulous earthly success,” though, as “living up to our higher ground.” We’re really motivated to do things. With both Mercury and Jupiter retrograde, we’re more thoughtful. If you’re working on your New Year’s Resolutions, this is good energy for coming up with sterling ones.

Warnings include being aware (wary) of fanaticism, either our own or others’; going to emotional extremes because we’re bored; and staying in toxic situations because we are related or married to the perpetators.

It will also be easy to snooze on through the promise of the double sextile. We have to actively take advantage of it.

🎄🎄🎄

This time of year always makes me think of cookies. My maternal grandma absolutely excelled as a baker, my mom was a very close second - and every December they collaborated on baking many different kinds of cookies. My younger sister and I were allowed to decorate the sugar cookies, using colored icing and various sprinkles. Good times.

Alas, I did not inherit that “baking” gene - but my family had another tradition I can pull off: dessert after Christmas dinner was always peppermint ice cream. My daughter and I improved on that when we discovered that putting some chocolate sauce on the peppermint ice cream, is ambrosia.

Every year, on or about Christmas Eve, the transiting Sun is sextile my natal Neptune. This is one Neptune thing I can and do pick up on - even as a little girl, at night I would take myself off and sit alone by the Christmas tree, enjoying the silence and the lights. No thinking about “the significance and message of the season,” just the peace and quiet.

[gg-carboxylase]

Got ahold of Step by Step episode 12. We needed 2 more episodes as usual with these series.

If you've not watched the show, please do. It's worth your time, even if you feel like you're wading thru the first few episodes. It's slow burn. This is not horny hours. This is really office hours.

Spoilers under the cut obvs.

Some meta. Mostly my opinions.

I wrote that paragraph before the Mildly Spicy Bed Makeout. I kind of enjoy that Jeng shooed Pat to the shower For Reasons. At least, I personally infer bottom reasons but that's just me. Still, I would have liked more spice à la Bed Friend, but I'm a thirsty ho.

I'll get this admission off my chest — I'm bummed that we got those really spicy kisses and that's as far as it went. KP and Domundi productions spoiled me, obviously. Did I want to see them fake fuck? Yeah. I'll admit it.

The scene where they were writing out then deleting their text messages was acted to perfection.

Hot take — Ben is the worst ugly crier. We love him anyway.

Jeng is a stalker, he needs to learn to go less hard. He also needed to resign like, 2 years earlier from the company. Good for him though. Dad is hot. Shame he's a homophobe.

I am super over people singing in the shows, no matter how good they are.

I love that Jeng's passion is cooking.

You can tell this is a real Thai show because when they show that green curry, it's real green curry even if it's store bought. It's hard to find good green curry paste over here unless you're in certain places.

Jeng's mom — what was the point of a 30 second meeting. Ben is so good at being nervous and young, he's really a great actor.

The chemistry is off the charts in this episode, good Christ. They obviously had fun shooting the cake scene.

Jeng better have a hell of a savings if he's returning all his shares to his dad and putting his hopes on his restaurant.

The restaurant biz is a bitch. I grew up in the restaurant business and the margins are razor thin, even in famous and successful restaurants. Hopefully, Pat's advertising firm is doing well.

Seriously, again. Needed another couple episodes. Especially with how Jeng's dad tossed his resignation letter.

I know Man said this would be his only BL, but I would really like to see them do another show together. They really got their shit together at the end and it's rare to see a couple that can have this kind of chemistry.

The age difference works really well between them, it's comfortable — which isn't there for a lot of decade+ couples — and there's a lot of plots where this could be used. So let's manifest that.

I have no idea what the fuck Man does for a living, so I'm not sure if he's even free to do another series. Dude has an econ degree, which means nothing (no offense econ folks, you guys are like Swiss army knives). I suspect he's a mini Mile Phakphum, and just sort of exists on the largess of his family and his modeling career.

I very much liked this series. It's definitely in my list of favorites. For me, it started out rocky because I didn't understand what it was trying to do. Looking back, now that I see what the aim is, the path it took is perfect.

Would I have liked more sex? Absolutely, but as I mentioned before — I'm a thirsty ho. These lads get paid more than I make as a clinical lab scientist, spending my day making your doctor look smart. A little bed shenanigans isn't too much to ask.

Alas, I can't complain too much. The kisses we got were A+, top-tier compared to nearly any other series. The physical stuff we did get was also A+. Truly, my complaints are mostly unfounded. We could have ended up with Korean level bullshit.

I'm not going to bother with meta about the story because there's users here that are far better at articulating exactly what I want to say, so troll the tag for them.

[eleanore-delphinium]

A Future with You Update (CH 14) and a mini-rant

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25590070/chapters/117604276

Brought to you by, that anonymous person who asked for an update and those who hearted it. 

Thanks for showing interest. I really do appreciate it.

And now this is the rant part, which read at your own discretion. 

And I had to wing the batfam dynamic.

I had to reread (skim) through the chapters to recall how I wrote this and feel it. I find that I am somehow a method writer if that exists. Anyways, I was tearing up and crying. 

And it made me wonder why you (readers) want to go through that if you are in tears, and like what the fuq was I thinking when making this?

And then, at the same time, I am curious how to read it as someone who doesn’t know how this story is supposed to end. 

I kinda get it now, I am such a bad writer for leaving you all hanging wondering what the fuck is wrong with this woman. Because I was thinking the same...and then I remember I wrote this and I know what is going on. 

And it does not get easier. But in my mind it makes sense.

I am very curious about what you guys love about this, is it what I pointed out?

The angsts is worth it and the mystery?

But I'm also proud of how I wrote some things, I didn't expect I'm capable of writing some really nice lines and making myself cry by reading the lines.

I even totally get why others might not like Raven’s characterization. I’d get it if someone drops reading this. 

At the very least, I should aim to end the story in an ‘it can work/pass as the ending’. 

Also, chapters 1-13 are like 3 days in the story. 

When I said SLOW, wow, I did not think it was THAT slow. That is crazy.

And we aren’t even’ halfway there. I thought this chapter would be the birthday, but alas, tis not.

The Goliath scene was planned a long time ago.... but like everything else, nah man. 

Any ways Happy Reading.

I also am proud of myself, somehow I wrote almost 4k words for this, and I truly didn’t expect it. And to be able to write something this close to the request, I thought it might take me 3 months to fulfil anonymous’ requests...  :\

[docholligay]

SAILOR MOON TOMORROW

Episode 97! Michiru Kiaoh bullies a teenager at a public pool!

Also, there were many many amazing answers to my croissant offer, I expected nothing but oh my god I got so much back. I was delighted! Some of you helped me in the kitchen or gave me coffee, and one of you promised me duck bacon, but I have to highlight this one:

I graciously accept the croissant as it has been a day too many since I’d last feasted upon this delightfully and delicately layered pastry. When held in hand, a memory arises with aim to put me a pitiful liar. For lo, I’d had one nay but the day before. More than one in fact. It had been a store bought bag with depictions of the dear crisp, tender, and flaky pastry turned mini and numerous. Altogether a small gathering and filled with a dollop of vanilla cream to tease and tantalize and leave you wanting. A memory that understandably my addled mind sought to erase, ironing the fold it occupied to make ready for a new memory of worth. As the croissants, truly in name only, were but dried husks, half stale yet somehow malleable enough to chew. Maybe that was the lack of any and all substance from the hollow chambers of its excessively bready interior. Layers? What layers. The bay itself was the only layer it possessed. Serving as a fictitious front to hide its shame. Now I stare down the croissant gifted to me, held betwixt mine fingers as there is no packaging to admire or be dubious of. I should perhaps question this but I don’t because I know the source and trust their integrity. Alas, the reality hits. There is no croissant, within my vacant palm is the illusion created from a digitally delivered promise of this baked good. Ah, no, I was mistaken yet again. The offer was made but the details never specified, I was the fool who’d assumed it could be anything more than a thought prospect. No matter, it can still be a gift, as the offer still served to remind of what I truly sought, an honest work of a food artisan. This was it; this was my sign to cease my tomfoolery and stop settling for manufactured lies and instead seek the truth and let myself honestly live. Thank you. -- I need you to know that this INCREDIBLE tale that could be summed up as ‘thanks, I had a really shitty croissant yesterday and I should have known better’ brought me UNTOLD joy.

[ncisfranchise-source]

When you’re the most-watched drama on broadcast television (and for four years in a row), you probably don’t need advice on what to do and not do. And yet here we are, NCIS.

The most recent season of the well-watched drama aimed to deliver a 22-episode string of character-centric episodes, opening with a mini NCIS: Hawai’i crossover that resolved the mystery of Parker’s seemingly deceptive ex-wife Vivian and then at midseason delivering a 3-way NCIS universe team-up.

Season 20 gave us more of the “Dad” side of McGee (albeit with no actual kids; more on that below!)… introduced Jessica’s sister Robin… revisited the case that put Parker’s old FBI partner in a wheelchair… explored Jimmy’s relationship with growing daughter Victoria… repeatedly taunted us with Russian spies… and gave Torres a blast or two from his enigmatic past.

Speaking of Nick, NCIS left us with the chilling image of him seated across from the man who had abused his mother for years, brandishing a gun and seemingly dead-set on payback.

Looking ahead to whenever Season 21 hits our screens (NCIS, like all of CBS’ scripted fare, is hoped to be back at “mideason” after the strikes are resolved), here is what we do (and don’t) want to see happen. Review our picks then share your own wishes in comments!

WANT: A visit with McGee's whole family

Since the character’s debut in Season 11, Margo Harshman’s Delilah has made 18 total appearances — yet she is barely averaging one-per-season in recent years. And much more conspicuously, we haven’t seen Tim and Delilah’s twins, Johnny and Morgan, since the November 2017 episode in which they were born. References to the rugrats are nice, but we are way, way overdue to see Tim and Delilah parent some actual human beings.

WANT: A tougher, alpha Torres

Maybe it’s just us, but…. Has NCIS never quite made up it’s mind on who Nick Torres is? The past couple of seasons certainly have us wondering.

During his overlap with Ellie Bishop, Torres seemed tougher. Much more of an alpha male. But one who is always hiding (hiding) a sliiightly goofy side. And in the immediate wake of Ellie’s sudden exit, he was shown to be brooding over that loss.

But as of late, Torres seems to more often be the butt of a joke — à la “Hey everyone, Nick doesn’t know this thing, ha-ha!” — than the one cracking the joke. And that makes it harder to connect with the material when suddenly the character is needed to be some, like, badass undercover convict.

Heading into Season 21, we’d like the show to make up its mind about Nick and bring back some of the swagger the undercover vet arrived with.

WANT: Big moves for Jimmy/Jess

One of the very best things NCIS has done in recent years was the incredibly deft handling of this workplace friendship caught fire — from its oh-so-sweet onset to Jess’ treatment of Jimmy’s gunshot wound, from the whole “disclosure form” thing to the blurted “I love you” to Jess wondering about her place in the widower’s life. It’s just been perfect so far, and played wonderfully by Brian Dietzen and Katrina Law. So let’s ride that wave and see the couple tackle at least one major milestone in Season 21, be it cohabitation or a “family adventure” B-story with Victoria.

WANT: Bring back Brigid Brannagh!

It was an unexpected delight to see Army Wives vet Brannagh pop up during Season 20 as Constance Miller, a U.S. Senator with whom Gary Cole’s Alden Parker shared more than a little chemistry. Alas, their eventually revealed insta-romance got derailed when Alden kinda sorta bluntly suggested that Constance was a traitor in cahoots with Russian spies. There’s no “I’m Sorry” greeting card for that, but it’d be great to see the senator again.

Or, if Constance’s instinct was right — that Alden is still carrying a torch for ex-wife Vivian — let’s see Teri Polo again.

WANT: An update on Gibbs... or Bishop... or 'Tiva'... or....

We know that Mark Harmon chose to step away from the role of Gibbs after 18-plus seasons, and Emily Wickersham… actually, why did her run as Bishop end?

Anyway, the point we’re getting to is that while it is understandable that long-running characters such as Gibbs, Bishop, Tony and Ziva will at some point ride off into the (Alaskan or otherwise) sunset, at some point it gets rather odd to not hear a single peep about them!

Yes, the NCIS showrunner has suggested that offering no updates on Gibbs allows the character to “be everywhere and anywhere all at once” (or words to that effect), but can we hear any little something on Bishop, who abruptly kissed Nick good-bye in the Season 18 finale to go be an undercover operative? Or hear tell of what happened when Ziva, who was resurrected and resurfaced for a bit in Seasons 16/17, caught back up with baby daddy DiNozzo (who has been off-screen since Season 13)?

Abby gets the occasional nod; it seems simple enough to do the same for other gone-but-not-forgotten team members.

DON'T WANT: More crises for poor Kasie

In just the past few seasons, forensics whiz Kasie (Diona Reasonover) has cheated death during a shooting at the diner… been held at gunpoint in the squad room by an escaped serial killer… been exposed (along with Jimmy) to a deadly biotoxin… and, most recently, saw her Thanksgiving spent with Jess get crashed by the gun-waving con man who’d been wooing Jess’ sister.

We’ve seen the toll that all of this has taken on Kasie — she quietly began training in Krav Maga! — so it’d be great for her to maybe go all of Season 21 without another brush with death.

[zahri-melitor]

I promised myself I’d buy some more comics trades for runs I enjoy, especially as my main “I’m buying these books” collection recently (picking up all the GGB Chalet Schools) is down to like…15 books to go, half of which are from the late Swiss period anyway and so not high priority (There are 60 of them). So it’s a waiting game for a handful to be listed anywhere/finding copies listed for a reasonable price. Time to go drop $100 a month or so on some OTHER property.

So the start of this year was the perfect time to switch over to comics trades, right, where I can get to play the ‘is this in print/listed anywhere/available for a reasonable price’ game all over again.

So I was casually browsing what’s actually available.

My first aim was ‘collect all of Young Justice 1998’ (done) and ‘apparently I am missing volume 3 of Blue Beetle 2006, must have not had it returned when lent out’ (tracked down a first print run, replaced). I also figured out which issues of Birds of Prey 1998 have trades I don’t have yet - the last 2 trades of Simone, essentially, as apparently they STILL haven’t collected the Dixon run beyond the one-shots/minis. (ARGH)

What is essentially my LCS just had volume 3 of Batgirl 2000 on sale, so I went “excellent, sold” added it to my order, then checked for 1&2. They had volume 2. They very much did NOT have volume 1.

I googled, stared at the pricing, and sighed, because here we go again. (How. HOW is it that bad when I got volume 3 for half retail price??!!??)

Also encountered the fact that Huntress: Cry for Blood has been collected TWICE, but the current edition has a terrible movie tie in cover. Which: yeah I GUESS it’s the best contained offering of Huntress to an interested general public? But I do not want a movie tie in cover! (Alas, after correlating pricing on getting the original printing, I added the terrible cover edition to my order as it was easier).

But in any case, I am quite happy as I have a nice little order of trades coming as a birthday present to myself, and I can continue to work on drawing up a list of what else I would like to get, and what is feasible to get (tragically two very different lists in places).

[rockorded]

@kharimera​ asked: [   I   know   what   this   looks   like   ,   but   I’d   appreciate   it   if   you   didn’t   call   the   police   .   Law   enforcement   can   be   such   a   pain   in   the   ass   ;   you   look   like   you   get   what   I   mean  .   ]         A   un   unconscious   man   hangs   off   of   his   claw   ,   grabbed   by   the   front   of   his   shirt   ;   limbs   limp   and   aimed   downwards   by   the   design   of   gravity   and   the   distance   from   the   floor  .      [   You   want   money?   ]   The   chimera's   features   are   nonchalant  ,   another   day   at   work   for   him  .

     Same   old   routine   in   this   overly   glorified   shithole   of   an   establishment   ,   an   angry   mother   of   five   yelling   pests   came   over   to   the   counter   complaining   that   her   poor   children   did   not   receive   the   mini   action   figure   that   they   wanted   along   with   their   meals.   Quote   ;   ‘   my   kids   wanted   the   bear   guy   !   not   the   wolf   !   have   the   manager   switch   them   !   ’  

     He   did   not   control   which   goddamn   toys   you   get   with   a   meal    ,   why   the   hell   were   they   complaining   to   him   about   it    ?   All   he   was   hired   for   was   taking   orders   and   deliver  ,   that’s   it  .   But   alas   ,   it’s   not   like   he   didn’t   know   he   was   going   to   have   to   deal   with   pretentious   costumers.   So   ,   instead   of   calling   the   manager   like   this   idiot   asked   he   just   walked   outside   and   took   his   fifth   smoke   break   of   the   day  .   Not   dealing   with   it  .  

     Little   did   he   know   ,   he   was   gonna   have   to   deal   with   something   else   --   or   not   .   Because   as   soon   as   he   found   himself   standing   in   front   of   a   god-knows-what   probably   in   the   midst   of   consuming   a   whole   person   alive   ,   he   froze   for   a   second   with   a   shock-filled   stare   locked   on   the   horrifying   scene   before   him   .   He   could   ..   scream,   or   run   away,   or   call   somebody   but   ---   fuck   it ,   it   seemed   like   this   thing   was   mentally   capable   enough   to   understand   how   little   Dominik   wished   to   be   involved   in   a   crime   scene   right   now.   Instead   ,   he   took   a   long   and   deep   drag   of   his   blunt   and   let   the   weed   do   its   heavenly   work   on   his   brain  .  

    “   Do   i   look   like   i’m   in   the   mood   for   this   shit   right   now   ?   Look   --   there   are   fuckin’   kids  in   this   huge   mall   thing  ..   you    might    want   to   ...   go   eat   this   man   out   someplace   else  .    ”

[pagesnotebook]

I need everyone to know just how insane I am about the Horizon games.

1) I bought a PS4 just so I could play Zero Dawn and Forbidden West. Nothing else. No other games. I’m good, thanks.

2) I spent over an hour geeking out over the world building in Horizon- specifically, the tribes and how fascinating and unique they each are, the way their cultures and clothing is informed by where they live (and then that took me onto a tangent about the Picts, who are very cool and work as great inspiration for Number 3).

3) Thinking up ideas about new tribes- what is there religion (if any) like? What relationship do they have with the Old Ones? Where do they live and how has that informed their culture? (I am a big fan of world building, y’all).

4) Even before I started playing Horizon: Zero Dawn, I was brainstorming ideas about how a ttrpg based on Horizon would work. There are some people who are also investigating this idea, and I honestly think that’s awesome. Also…

5) Purchased all of Modiphius’ Dreams and Machines ttrpg books because

a) It looks cool as fuck (although I will agree with other reviewers in that it is strangely aimed at quite young people and a little childish in some of its presentation (specifically, the “characters within the world annotating the book” sections)).

b) I like the easy style of the Starter Set (literally open the box and just start playing. I also like the use of cards to create your character).

c) Just from loose skimming, it looks like it would be pretty easy to re-skin as Horizon (although it is practically guaranteed that I’m going to mess about and Frankenstein the system a bit).

6) I am planning on running a Horizon mini-campaign for my parents using the Dreams and Machines system (they do not know much of Horizon except that the graphics are exceptional, I am madly in love with the games and anything I have gushed about to them. Unfortunately, I live with them currently, so they are my Guinea pigs. Alas).

7) So many AUs in my head. So many. Will I write them? Who knows. Least of all me.

If I could, I would spend my whole day playing these games. As it is, I manage about an average 2 hours a day (note: I am not a gamer. Horizon is literally the first non-Pokemon Nintendo game I have ever played).

Am I playing on Easy Mode? Yes. I want to explore and not frustrate myself and burn out my excitement of these games. Also, hand tremors and a processing disorder suck.

Have I only just started Forbidden West? Yes, and I am having the time of my life running around the Daunt ignoring the main plot for now. Although I am excited to go see Erend again soon. (Also, I am crying inside at not getting to spend more time in Meridian).

Will I be posting a lot of random things about Horizon? Probably. But I am notorious for not posting original stuff, so at least a lot of reblogs.

[goxinsane]

open to: f/nb/m suggested connections: mother, aunt/uncle, sibling (bonus points if name starts with T!), best friend who is sleeping over? etc.

PLEASE READ MY RULES BEFORE RESPONDING *made with beta.

“You’ve never let me cook for you before...” Tezza admitted, as nimble fingers sprinkled garnish into her bowl prior to whisking around roasted potatoes to drench in oil and spices. Her eyes didn’t even bother looking up and at the analog clock on the wall of her apartment. She knew it was late, maybe too-- too late to be wandering around the kitchen and stirring up whatever idea was in her head from a chef’s point of view, but alas, there was no stopping her. Hunger couldn’t wait! “My feelings will not be hurt if you chose to be honest, because that is all I can ask for, okay? How else can one improve?” Despite the rhetorical question, words were accompanied by a half smile and a shrug of her shoulders. Originally, her mother had fought Tezza over chasing her dreams and not aiming for ‘higher, wealthier opportunities’, but taking culinary arts classes in New York was all Tezza wanted. It was worth every penny, even if she moved away, slept in a dumpy apartment and for now--- worked in a food truck. It was better than nothing, in her mind. 

Turning away from the counter and her company, the youngest Davis kid went on preparing the meal. The menu? Roasted potatoes, onion stuffed and deep fried chicken breast, asparagus and asparagus puree and delicious double chocolate cookies. It was a whole meal, but it was best to essentially meal prep when she had time off. She tossed the potatoes in the oven, flipped over the chicken in the mini fryer, and shook the pan containing asparagus before walking back. Taking a cookie in her mouth, she let out a chuckle. “Who says one can’t have dessert before a meal? Enjoy. The actual food will be ready soon.” Tezza never spoke this much, but she felt proud of herself as she was in her element.

[panjisayshi]

Birth of a Coffee Snob

I got myself birthday present! Birthdays haven't been major event in my family (and my wife's), so usually we just eat Nasi Kuning, open some presents -if any- and move on. No dedicated party or anything - and certainly no pranks. I despise pranks. Cancer and miscarriage jokes are funnier than those.

Kado gue adalah coffee set. Gue mulai suka kopi sejak mulai kerja, ketika produktivitas harus dijaga di atas level tertentu. Kopi, dengan kafeinnya (apparently the most widely consumed, legal psychoactive substance) lumayan ngebantu. Apalagi jaman sekarang, di Jakarta banyak coffee shop bertebaran, meskipun mayoritas masih mengandalkan kopi susu aren yang lumayan padat kalori.

Back then, I still aim for that lean, mobile physique since I'm single. Nowadays, I just can't be bothered lol. So my calorie-counting practices has shifted; it used to be "OK, 1800kcal is enough for maintenance" but now it's more like, "Damn my mouth is bored. Maybe another 250kcals? What to get for that calorie budget? I can get sweet coffee or an extra piece of gulai tunjang on lunch...". So yeah. Mostly I opted to consume less sugary things in exchange for bigger food portion or more savory snacks (read: micin). So, plain long black coffee come into the picture. Those fancy schmancy fraps in Starbucks? With whipped cream and caramel sauce, they can go 400kcals+ a glass quite easily. Maap, buat 400kcal mending gue makan nasi padang porsi mini. Long black (or Americano, I use those terms interchangeably. Sue me, nerds) is a very simple beverage. It's basically diluted espresso, less bitterness and more volume to be enjoyed within longer span of time. Just coffee and water. Iced Americano is a GODSEND during hot afternoons.

Alas, with simplicity means any characteristics in the ingredients are more perceivable to taste. Jenis kopi yang dipakai buat bikin es kopi susu dan Americano juga beda, dan ini bisa jadi masalah ketika sebuah coffeeshop pakai blend yang sama buat semua jenis minumannya. Some variables affect how we perceive coffee; within a time I've read some materials that gave me some better understanding of those. Which, is a topic for another time :)

[davidmann95]

What Are Your Dream Supermythos Projects?

* Put Fraction on that Webtoon thing for a Superman strip. He was talking about conversations with DC for post-Jimmy Olsen projects, this would need real talent behind it to not immediately die on the vine, and his formalist kick means he'd probably have the best chance of anybody in DC's rolodex at adapting to scripting for the vertical scrolling format.

* Have Yang and Reis continue their momentum with a The Life & Times Of The Son Of Superman miniseries. Someday somebody's gonna do 'here's Jon's whole journey in one book', they have the pedigree, and Yang's the best DC has in terms of who could nail the obvious central concept of Jon as a second-gen immigrant learning about his background, the forces he'll face in the world, and growing up to make different decisions from his dad about how to be a part of that world and how to help it.

* A proper Lois Lane ongoing, or at least her fronting a Daily Planet book.

* An anthology mini for Jon; I'm sure you could get plenty of creators interested in doing a few pages with their spin on Lois and Clark's kid across the assorted stages of his life.

* Okay so I just now started reading On A Sunbeam and yeah let Tillie Walden do literally whatever she wants with Superman if that would happen to be something she would care to do.

* An ongoing anthology for the Superman family ala Batman: Urban Legends.

* A Lois and Clark romance book from McKenna Jean Harris.

* Superman and Superboy meet All-Might and Midoriya.

* If Morrison is in fact consulting on the Superman books beyond doing the bare minimum to line up Authority, given PKJ is using the House of El already a big Superman Squad story based on the abandoned All-Star spinoff, since the ideas for the other two became Morrison's Action Comics and The Just.

* Once the current runs are done, give Action to Brandon Thomas and Son of Kal-El to Dan Watters.

* Sarah Leuver did some DC work so hey, give her a book to play with.

* Publish Superman & Lois: Ignition.

* I wouldn't have thought of Dan Schkade when thinking naturals for Superman, but after David Lynch's Superboy give him something stat.

* Someone somewhere do something interesting for once ever with Conner Kent.

* Give Maggin a Black Label book to do whatever he wants with.

* We're talking pure dream books, let Marguerite Bennett do a full Superman of Remnant spinoff mini or oneshot from RWBY/Justice League.

* An all-ages ongoing, good lord how long has it been

* Absolute Action Comics, with the assorted artists coming back to redraw the armor as the real suit.

* T-shirt Superman is out there wandering the multiverse, do a mini or oneshot or something with that guy.

* Mandatory 'whatever Doc Shaner, Al Ewing, Dan Mora, Jamal Campbell, Bilquis Evely, Christian Ward, Garth Ennis, Mike Huddleston, Tula Lotay, Chris Samnee, Jonathan Hickman, Fiona Staples, or Juan Ferrara would want to do with him'.

* In terms of pals nowhere near the big two I'd love to see get their shot anyway, Deniz Camp and Charlotte Finn.

* The heck with the AAA studios, do The Lego Superman Game.

* We're about to have Hoechlin, Jordan, Calle, Routh, Cavill, and whoever'll be in the Coates movie operating at around the same time, do a Superman Beyond movie.

* A big animated movie to go with Spider-Verse and Lego Batman. Maybe an anthology thing.

* Superman & Lois but moved to HBO Max and with Todd Helbing removed as showrunner. Really any prestigey ongoing Superman show, but I'd trade the prestige for keeping Hoechlin and Tulloch.

* An Adult Swim Jon Kent series aimed at older teens.

* Do the Tartakovsky short.

* More Superman novels! It's Superman! shouldn't have been a one-off in swinging for the fences there.

* Someone dig up/restore The Multipath Adventures of Superman.

[kirindensetsu]

The Making of Fubuki

((Reposting from Den of Angels workshop thread because I wanted my friends to be able to see~))

After years of pining after dolls I couldn't afford as a broke teenager, my first BJD was a Bobobie Sprite I purchased for my 18th birthday. Unfortunately, she didn't live up to my expectations and I never really bonded with her. Her face was cute enough, but the Bobobie body lacked the grace and posing ability I imagined for the Unseelie faerie I'd been daydreaming of for years. Sueding and wiring didn't help, blushing and tattooing highlighted her blockiness, it was a mess. I packed her away and tried not to think about my disappointment for 12 years. In the meantime I learned to build and paint resin garage kits, inherited one of my sister's dolls, bought some others, took anatomy & physiology in college, and did a couple extensive restorations and full-body modifications. I was sure I had thrown her away at some point as a failed project, but last weekend I found her tucked away in a doll bag I thought was empty. Having just finished substantial mods on a Dollshe body, and awaiting an unfinished Unoa kit for my birthday in September, I decided that I owed it to her to try again. Doll nudity below the cut, looooong post--

My Sprite was originally going to be a pooka with golden eyes and extensive woad tattoos. The golden eyes are incredible, so those are staying, but she's now going to be a blue oni to fit in with the rest of my collection. My plan is to do extensive additive epoxy work, and then to use Krylon Fusion to give everything a unified finish. The goal of the project is to reduce the... idk, STRAIGHTNESS of the old Bobobie body. I was never going to be happy with it, the lines were all far too rigid.

Head: Modified mouth for a wider, smirking smile. Magnets added to headcap (old Bobobie used an S-hook iirc; I did this part back in 2008). Forehead drilled for 3mm brass rod armature, and epoxy used to sculpt horns over rod. Bust: Substantial subtractive modifications to breasts, which involved removal and readdition of nipples. Addition of epoxy clay to back and shoulders to give a more curved body line in profile. Deepening of shoulder sockets with 18mm eye bevel, followed by sanding to make shoulders narrower. Waist: Reshaping of upper torso joint into sphere for smoother range of motion. Subtraction of resin in back and addition of epoxy in front to enhance lumbar curve. Hips: Substantial reshaping of lower waist seam to more naturally follow the pelvic girdle. It reminded me of granny panties before  Added epoxy to butt, again for lumbar curve. Thighs: Suwariko joint mod (cut the thigh and added a PVC insert to enable swivelling at the hip). Added epoxy to make her thighs look less straight. Calves: Removed 1cm of length at the ankles and rebevelled the socket. Removed resin at the ankles to bring them in, and added epoxy at the calves to make them curvier. Feet: Sculpted little claws, which were cute, and then decided the feet needed to be 5mm longer. Cut across, drilled and pinned with brass rod for structural strength, gap filled with epoxy clay. I also modded her feet to have defined arches and balls back when I first got her. Alas, spitting into the ocean. I added S-hooks, but did so by drilling the ankle and inserting brass rod to form the axle for the hook. Arms: The proportions on her upper arms BOTHERED me! they were so SHORT! and I only just figured out that's what I hated about them last week! I added 5mm to the upper arms by cutting them in the middle and using SteelStik to make a structural repair (plumber's epoxy putty has a shorter open time but far greater structural strength than artist's epoxy clay). Sanded the heck out of the wrists to give them a more delicate taper. Hands: Beyond salvage. The hands were my least-favorite part of this sculpt. I tried to bulk them up to look less spidery but it was just too difficult... I've ordered a different pair of MSD hands which will have claws added, and then when everything is painted it'll all match. Thanks for reading this far! Here's a preview of what her golden eyes look like next to Krylon Fusion in Antique Blue.

((first progress post)) I think I'm mostly done adding epoxy clay (at least where it'll show; presumably the wrist sockets will require tweaks to fit the new hands), so now it's time for finish sanding. I start with 60 grit for shaping, then switch to a 120 grit sanding sponge. To check for scratches, pinholes, and inadequately feathered edges, I apply a wash of diluted acrylic paint. Once the paint has dried, I scrub the piece with a nylon scouring pad. Paint remains in the surface irregularities.

All sanded with 220 grit. I don't think I'll be going higher than 400 because I want there to be some tooth for the paint.

Any pitting in the epoxy clay that can't be sanded out is marked with a Sharpie and will be patched with Tamiya spot putty.

I did a test spray of the Krylon Fusion on the headcap and it's fantastic! Holy cow is it *poisonous* tho, I'm used to working with volatile chemicals but this was something else. Get OUT OF THE AREA between coats and leave it outside until it stops outgassing, not just until it's ready to handle.

This test piece is four light coats sprayed 1 minute apart, allowed to cure for 4 hours, and then wetsanded to remove the spray texture. It's pretty sturdy but I will wait several more days to see how it continues to cure before experimenting with matte sealants. ((progress update 2))

Haven't done much but sand-and-fill-and-sand-and-fill, but my 14mm beveller came in today so I can start deepening her elbow and ankle sockets. Added some epoxy clay to the insides of the eyewells so 14mm eyes will fit with no gap. I need a needle file to clean up the corners of her mouth... Monster feets! Nails on the right came out better than the left, still need to feather-sand everything.

Elbows progress. The early Bobobie elbows are I guess /technically/ double-jointed because the joint is a sphere with two slots, but I thought I could do better than that. You can see epoxy clay spliced in to make the sphere into a peanut: this isn't a structurally sound repair unless you pop it apart and drill/pin/glue-epoxy it back together.

View from the back. By keeping the joint heads spherical with no elbow-shaped detailing, there's some rotation as well as flexion, which I like.

Touching her face with one of her old hands. I hope the new ones come soon!

((progress update 4))

In good news, these parts are all ready for paint! It's really hard to do prepwork with no filler primer, hope I didn't miss any spots...

In less good news, her new hands arrived and they are... very smol ;u; I forgot that the new trend for slim minis means that everyone has TINY LITTLE HANDS.

They are, however, beautifully sculpted and a good 3D reference for what needs fixing and how. Bobobie palm is very short relative to fingers: I made a transverse cut behind the knuckles and added epoxy to lengthen More curved volume across the back of the hand: Not necessarily realistic, but looks a little cuter, plus it makes the transition into the cylinder of the wrist look less stylistically jarring. More defined joint angles: Some of these I did via cut-and-thermoform repositioning, mostly I'm aiming to fake it by building up and carving away at the weird smooth curves. The fingers are just TOO SKINNY: But obviously I'm not going to squish rice-grain-sized blobs of epoxy to the fingers, right? It's too fiddly, it doesn't want to stick. What's the solution? Brace for a truly hideous WIP image--

"AAAAAAGH WHAT IS THAT DARK GRAY MESS" it's JB Weld epoxy! It's like load-bearing, slow-curing modeller's putty! Slathering putty onto an armature and then carving it away to refine the shape is how anime figure artists make hands and detailed hair.  I was thinking about it from a polymer clay technique/perspective so I missed the obvious solution. Hand in the foreground has more layers than the hand in the background, every layer gets the shape a lil closer. ((progress post 5)) Parts set up on sticks so I can handle them without touching...

... and after 4 light coats!

Closeup of the head, lil' glossy because it's still drying. For the deeper areas like the joint slots, mouth, and the crannies of the ears, I'm going to have to decant some of the paint into a jar and apply it with a sacrificial brush.

((progress post 6)) I return from Depression! I finally finished sanding-and-spraying the Krylon Fusion coats, gave her a last polish with microfine to even out the texture, and have started blushing her. I'm using a mixture of Tamiya X-series acrylics applied via airbrush for basic contouring, then I'll go back in with pastel to add warm tones and details.

Fun discovery: in an attempt to cover some accidental overspray, I tried spraying the Fusion directly into the paint cup of the airbrush and using it to "erase" back to the base color. I'm NEVER using this product straight from the can again, it goes on so smooth and gorgeous from the airbrush! No orange peel or bubbles to sand away. I'm seriously tempted to get a can of pink and try blushing with it.

((progress post 7)) Doing a faceup over a spray-painted substrate is HARD I want to CRY. I talked about sanding out the spray texture to get an untextured surface, right? Welp, didn't/couldn't sand well enough in the corners of the mouth and the folds of the eyelids, so it's crusty-looking with pastels over it and now there's nothing I can do about it that doesn't involve stripping down to resin and starting again.

((final post)) Sueded and strung!

I didn't take pictures of the sueding process because I was using Barge Cement and it is messy and time-sensitive. I used masking tape to make templates of her joints, transferred to some thin gray lamb suede I found on eBay, and glued it fuzzy side out. The suede was thicker than real pliver, more like the thickness of silicone KIPS discs, but I think it worked out without too many fit issues. The trim store had 3.5mm elastic in a beautiful slate-blue color that I thought would look nicer in the joint slots, so she's strung throughout with thicker elastic. Some more poses to show off the functional mods~ Suwariko joints let her sit crosslegged, and more mobile wrists let her put her hands into the pose.

A more ball-and-socked shaped contact surface at her waist lets her slouch at a full range of angles instead of being locked into two.

With longer upper arms, she can reach the ground in this pose! You can also see how the modded waist joint lets her cock her hips.

She could always stand with locked knees. I think she needs some wire in her legs to let the suwariko joints hold their rotation against gravity, but I'll see how the elastic tension settles in first.

A parting shot out the snowy window. We've been having a hard time picking between a few names for her, but I think this settles it. Welcome back, Fubuki~

[sunflowersseemhappy]

The Arcana | Little Romantic Gestures Headcannons

Asra

A lot of Asra’s little romantic gestures are aimed at getting you to smile, he spent so long watching you struggle after he brought you back that all he wants is to see you happy.

Ever since he started travelling Asra has always brought souvenirs from his trips. Things he thinks you’ll like. Although he knows you so well that what he brings you never fails to make you happy at how thoughtful he is. It’s only after the whole ‘saving the world thing’ that you realise this was a gesture of his affection for you all those years.

Tied in with bringing you souvenirs Asra loves to spoil you every once in a while with a outfit tailored to you. Clothes that make you look stunning in the most modest of ways, leading to everyone else complimenting you. Asra has a critical eye when it comes to fashion and making the love of his life look good.

His goofiest gesture is probably making heart shaped foods for you, this only began after his confession of love (before then he made little animals and flowers from the food he gave you). Its an intricate process, but Asra definitely has the patience.

Once every-so-often Asra will ask if you want to bathe together, there is generally no other reason than he wants to pamper you/feel you close to him. Asra will draw a bath and cradle you in the water, and you’ll both just talk and give each other soft kisses.

When the night is waning and the candles burn low Asra will ask to cuddle in close with yo u and puts his head against your chest listening to the beating of your heart. He doesn’t consider it his anymore, he gave it to you, therefore it is yours. But he hopes the connection between your hearts will always be this strong.

Julian

Julian can be a little distracted when if comes to romantic gestures, big ones get lost in his planning for them. The little romantic gestures Julian gives you have no plans, just him and his complete adoration for you.

It’s like clockwork. Julian is awake as soon as the sun rises and quickly brings you morning coffee/tea/or whatever you favourite morning wake up beverage is. It’s simple and maybe you do or don’t notice it, but it’s always fresh, like he knows exactly when you’ll wake up and makes it just before you do. If you manage to catch him after he leaves it on your bedside table you give him a good morning kiss (he deserves it).

If either of you are out and separated from each other for the day Julianhides lovely little notes in your pockets. Poems, quotes, even simple ‘I love you’’s. One is always there, you save each and every one in a box under your bed and look through them while he’s gone. You plan to one day stuff them all in his coat as both a prank and a grand romantic gesture. He has the same idea, so right now it’s a waiting game to see who gets to it first.

He doesn’t necessarily do it on purpose or even in your presence, but Julian absentmindedly sketches little portraits of you in the margins of his books/scrolls/whatever paper is on hand. He’s committed you to memory and when he realises Julian gets flustered, is it weird that he just does that? After you discover a whole sketchbook of you, you pretend not to know even though you secretly love it. He can show you when he’s ready.

If he’s drunk or sober Julian will shamelessly flirt with you when he knows you need some love. He loves it when you do so back. Most of it is PG, but if you want him to Julian will most certainly compliment you on your finest assets *wink, wink*.  

Anywhere and anytime Julian will just stop, look into your eyes, smile and honestly tell you how much he loves you. It’s probably the most beautiful gesture of love you can think of, its just that pure. 

 Nadia

The moments spent with Nadia would usually be considered mundane to most, but that’s what makes them so pleasant. As a countess and former princess, Nadia doesn’t usually get to enjoy ‘normal’ so the moments spent with you are the best sense of normality that she can get.

Nadia is such a busy bee that by the time you wake up she’s off doing her morning duties, so she (like Julian) leaves you little love notes, usually accompanied by breakfast. The notes are always written in her hand, on scented paper and laid with a beautiful flower. On more than a few occasions her notes have made up mini scavenger hunts, just to keep you on your feet and lead you to where she is in the castle at a later time.

If she can avoid morning duties Nadia will spend time helping you with hair and makeup, she likes making you feel beautiful/handsome/gorgeous and just looking at your face brings a smile to her lips. Her skills always seem to make you look better and you wonder how she’s so good at it.

As anyone would Nadia finds your magical abilities fascinating and loves to watch you work on spells and the like, she also asks about things genuinely interested in what you are doing and how you do it. She thinks possessing such a skill as magic is like an extension of you yourself and she loves all of you (therefore she loves your magic). Given the chance Nadia could watch you work all day, alas palace duties call but she always asks you later in the day how that spell you had been working on went. 

Nadia is forever inviting you on long walks through the palace grounds at the end of her day. There’s nothing more relaxing than walking though the palace grounds and just talking about each other’s days. She’ll always let you talk about your day first, no matter how dull it may have been. She likes to find things out, figure out ways to entertain you while she is busy and plan out activities the two of you can try out together. She also just really likes listening to you, she’s had people talking AT her all day. It’s a nice change of pace to actually have a person to talk to about everything.

Tied in with doing your hair Nadia can’t help but play with your hair,she only usually does it in the privacy of your room but when she does you’re on cloud nine. Something about her hands trailing though your hair is so soothing that it sends you to sleep, which isn’t a problem in itself. The problem is; you fall asleep on her, and Nadia hates waking you up. So she just lies there and accepts her fate with a smile. 

 Muriel

Muriel doesn’t necessarily realise he’s making his little romantic gestures, to him they just feel like a normal part of his day but he’s glad to do them. They make him feel close to you and make him more comfortable with being in a relationship.

Muriel can cook, but he’s spent so long making meals that just state his hunger he forgot food could taste good. Since living with you and learning about you Muriel has discovered he quite likes making your favourite meals, not only because they are tasty but it’s nice seeing the smile on your face when you realise he made the meal just for you. Also you seem to like his way of making your favourites rather than your own.

It’s normal for Muriel to do his own chores around and out of the hut, and although you usually tell him to leave your own messes for you to clean up later Muriel can’t help but get itchy fingers. Doing your chores for you, he thinks he might as well, what’s more he wants to. You’re so busy running the shop, buying nice things for him and just making his life brighter, its only fair to lighten the load.

Even Muriel knows people like flowers, and what’s more you give flowers to the people you love. So Muriel finds flowers everyday and gives them to you, it might just be a single rose or a bundle of forget-me-nott’s but each flower he picks out is carefully chosen and perfect. It took him some time but Muriel soon figured out the perfect combinations of flowers to give to you, sometimes they say things better than he can.

Being the big shy boi he is Muriel remains pretty quiet when the two of you are out and about among other people. Even among your friends he can get pretty uncomfortable when trying to love and dote on you, therefore it’s not uncommon for Muriel to pull you aside to compliment you. It’s easier getting words out when it’s just the two of you and he wants you to know that he does notice things. Like how shiny your hair looks and how well your clothes suit you, it’s not just physical things either. He might mention how kind you are after helping a lost child find their parents or that he just really likes being with you. 

Once he’s gotten used to them being enveloped in a Muriel hug is probably always a great feeling.You don’t actually notice at first but he holds you in that embrace for a little longer than a normal hug (especially when you’re leaving to go on an errand, etc...), when your arms loosen his own take a little longer to do so. He gives you a gentle squeeze and sighs in his head, he wants to hold you longer. Forever, maybe. He’s too afraid to ask though, but when you finally do notice his hesitance and think back on all the times he was the last to let go, it clicks. You can be late opening the shop, as long as Muriel knows that you love him as much as he does you. You both hug each other a little longer. 

 Portia

Portia romantic gestures almost make it seem as if you are married already, her little gestures are comforting and you’re always aware she does them because she always states; ‘I’m doing this because I love you!’ She needs to make sure you know because she loves love, and loves you.

A good meal never goes amiss when it’s with Portia, you know how a lot of people leave the best thing on their plate till last? That’s what Portia does. However she always offers the last bite of her food to you, even if you’re eating the same meal. If you’re in the same room, eating at the same time Portia will lift her fork to your mouth and offer it to you. It’s usually quite funny because she kids around, making silly noises as she puts in your mouth or teasing you by holding it just out of reach.She’s a good cook, Portia’s peach cakes are to die for. 

She’s aware of how much you like her cooking, so when you’re off to work in the shop for the day she will pack you a hearty lunch and send you on your way with a kiss on the cheek. She want’s to make sure you have a balanced meal ready for you when you need it, it helps that she makes it because it’s irresistible! The first time you made a packed lunch for her (because damn this girl works hard, and how does she make the time?) she burst out crying saying how happy she was that you loved her enough to make her lunch. You figured out that that was one of Portia’s romantic gestures that day, now you make packed lunches together. 

Days off with Portia are full of sunshine and relaxation, most of which is spent in her veracious garden tending to the plants and chatting away about your week so far. It’s a peaceful pastime, when the sun is highest in the sky and it becomes too hot to work you and Portia take up residence beneath the maple tree she has growing on the fringes of the garden. There the two of you lay back and feed each other berries/fruit/veg from garden, there’s always something ripe and fresh that tastes like sunshine and rain. It’s got to the point where it’s become a part of your day, where Portia and you just flirt and kiss and enjoy the mundane parts of your lives. It’s her favourite thing to do.

She wouldn’t be Julian’s sister if Portia wasn’t a shameless flirt, she’ll do it anytime, anywhere and in front of anyone. She gets a certain kick out of seeing your cheeks redden, but she’s careful to keep it at a comfortable level for the situation. You wouldn’t think a simple ‘I love you’ could sound so... flirtatious but Portia may just be better at this than her brother.

Even Portia doesn’t realise she’s rubbing your back for no reason until she’s actually doing it. It’s not always a situational thing, but it often happens when your uncomfortable/scared, or when you’re relaxing. It makes the both of you feel better, you’re both together standing by each others side and figuring things out together. She’s glad the two of you can be there together, but she’s still not sure why she does it. After mentioning it to Julian, he says something about how their mother used to do it to the two of them when they were upset. Their mother had always whispered ‘I love you’ as she did so, Portia figured out it was her subconscious way of saying ‘I love you’. It was a strange time when you did it back, because for a moment she felt like she had her mother back. For a moment you made her feel complete. 

Lucio

Lucio’s extravagant, and so are his ‘little’ romantic gestures (it scares you to think what his big romantic gestures must look like). But whatever he does it’s with good intentions that become skewered when he goes over the top. You’re his king/queen, he intends to treat you as such.

One day Lucio, left alone as you tend the shop, thinks back to your conversation about favourite meals. He remembers you saying about a dish you loved but could never find a certain ingredient, so a scheme forms in the back of his mind. How better to express his love for his dearest by making their favourite meal. He debates getting the servants to make it, but... When you come back Lucio is nowhere to be found, you search everywhere and almost pass by the kitchens. There are audible crashes and some swearing, when you step in you find Lucio covered in flour. He’s very embarrassed, but explains that he found the ingredients and wanted to make it himself. He got confused and ended up making a mess instead, you can’t laugh because it’s almost too sweet that he tried. The next day you spend together is teaching Lucio to cook the dish and enjoying the fruits of your labour.

Lucio just so happens to like your face a lot, so he brings in an artist and commissions a portrait of you you. Only problem is he want’s it to be a surprise, but the artist can only paint what he can see and you’re not there. The end result is a culmination of his terribly drawn doodles and the vague descriptions he gave the artist. You’re horrified when you find it in your room. Lucio instantly throws it out and begs you to pose for the artist this time, he just wanted a really nice portrait of you so that even when you’re gone he can see your beautiful face. You insist that he poses with you and you get a much better portrait of you and Lucio.

You often humour Lucio while listening to his stories time and again, and he’s kind of aware that he’s probably told you a story before. He does about 90% of the talking in this relationship, but when you tell him stories he hangs on every word. While you let him ramble non-stop Lucio is always politely asking you to elaborate on things because he wants to hear more! No matter what Lucio has never once told you that he’s 'heard that story before'.He’d be fine with you saying it to him, but he could never do so to you. All he wants is to hang on your every word and see your face shift into different expressions, happiness, sadness, excitement and disgust. He wants to see it all because knowing every part of you as a person makes him happy and love you all the more.

Lucio believes the most romantic thing ever is people dancing together (at a point he thought it was fighting together, but the two are close enough), the way he saw people at his masquerades dance together made him long for the perfect partner. Although Nadia was always a good dancer it never felt natural with her, when you came along he found his true partner. There have since been many times where he has led you into and impromptu slow dance. No matter when, where or who is present, its like a natural part of your lives, Lucio loves it. Twirling and dipping you and making you feel like the centre of the solar system, because to him he is just a planet and you are his radiant sun.

I had a lot of fun writing this, but what I really want is you lovely people to send in requests to my ask box! Don’t be shy, I accept any type of request (fluff, angst, smut, etc...) for any of the main six. Anonymous is on, but if you’d like to request with your handle that would be great!

Lots of love! XOXO 

[writeyouin]

Swerve X Reader – Changes - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – A Rescue Without a Plan

A/N – Finally back to this baby, and boy am I glad to be back.

Warnings – None.

Rating – T

“Making your way in the world today, takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.” You sang the Cheers song quietly in your cell, concentrating heavily on the cell bars.

Ever since you had forced yourself to calm down, streams of information had come flooding across your optics, revealing structural strengths and weaknesses to everything you looked at. You hoped to find something about the electrified bars that might lead to your escape, but so far, all the weaknesses were ones you couldn’t exploit from within the cell. You had long since given up on desperately trying to contact the Lost Light, figuring that something was blocking your comms.

You sighed, giving up on your song, a childish idea coming to mind. You knew nothing would come of it, but a smile reached your lips as you stared at your hand, “Go-Go-Gadget, Lock Pick.”

Naturally, nothing happened, but at least you were entertained, so you continued the game, taking comfort in the familiar words. “Go-Go-Gadget, Gun. Go-Go-Gadget, Scanner. Go-Go-Gadget, Blow Torch-” You jumped back in shock as one of your fingertips split open at the command, a strong blue flame roaring up from the split. You didn’t know whether you should be praising Brainstorm, for this was most certainly his addition, or cursing him for the cartoonish way you had accessed the tool. You were almost afraid to wonder how many of your body’s other commands were linked to the phrase Go-Go-Gadget.

Without wasting any more time, you put the flame to the bars, beginning the laborious process of escaping your cell.

As you worked, you had one more idea which you hastily tried, “Go-Go-Gadget, Manual.”

Before your optics, a string of writing cropped up, instructions on how your Cybertronian body worked. “Play audio,” You said, having been introduced to the opening menu. Perceptor’s voice filled your audials, starting your tutorial on your new body. You vented air through your systems and got to work, studying during your attempted escape.

Once he had been released from his cell, Swerve spent all of his time at the Lost Light’s shooting range, his aim never improving despite his efforts. He knew he had little hope of becoming a soldier in the time it would take to get to you, but he didn’t care, so long as he had something to keep him occupied. How could other humans be so cruel as to throw you of all people in a battle arena? You were kind and compassionate, and you would never have even considered harming another species, claiming that all were equal.

Swerve had often found you crying over books wherein humans had treated others terribly, mostly among their own species. He remembered asking you why you chose to read such books as The Diary of Anne Frank or Boy Erased, if they only served to make you upset, and you had replied that they were important to read lest history be repeated from ignorance. It was awful to think that you, the most empathetic of souls, were going to be scrapped for the entertainment of others.

Swerve knew they didn’t have long to rescue you. If the Arena’s advertisements were to be believed, you would be entering one of their battles in less than three cycles, when the new contestants would arrive to scrap you.

Swerve couldn’t forget the picture they had uploaded of you on the advertisement. You had been harmed in ways he never wanted to see, deep gashes in your arms and visible dents everywhere, yet in the picture, you were defiantly angry. He alone could recognise the fear beneath, but he couldn’t be prouder to see that you weren’t giving your captor the satisfaction of your apprehension.

He reloaded his gun, aiming it at the target, imagining it was your captors. Despite his anger, he missed, hitting a spot on the wall at least six feet from the target. Coolant sprung to his optics. You were in danger and he was completely useless. He couldn’t pilot the ship, he couldn’t shoot, it wasn’t even him that had discovered your location; that had been Nightbeat while he was too busy feeling sorry for himself. He was useless.

Rodimus’ voice rang clear through Swerve’s comms. It was a channel he had left open until you were found; that way anyone who needed him could contact him.

“Swerve, get to the board room. We have news on (Y/N).”

Swerve brusquely wiped the coolant from his optics, throwing the gun on the table before leaving. As soon as he was in the hallway, he transformed, speeding to the board room, eager for any information he could get, yet also terrified about what it could mean for you.

He didn’t say anything as he entered, his attention, like everyone else’s drawn to the video-feed of the Arena, where a human woman in acid-green armour was speaking.

“Greetings to fans, peasants, and nobles alike. It is I, Lady Ouida, your adored host of the Arena.”

Lady Ouida. Swerve glared at her holographic form, now having a name and a face to put to his enemy.

“As all of us betting royals know, there is to be a new competitor here. The foul-mouthed mini menace has refused to state her name, but we don’t care about that. We only care about one thing and one thing only. Which of our noble competitors will be the one to take her out?”

Banners depicting different armoured competitors unfurled around Lady Ouida; the scumbags that would try to take your life.

“In this message to all of you, my lovely subjects, I would like to make a special announcement. Although we had planned to set the battle for three cycles time, we have hit a little snag.”

Warmth flared in Swerve’s spark, as he hoped that the battle would be delayed even further, giving the Lost Light more time for your rescue.

Lady Ouida snapped her fingers, motioning for someone off-screen to do her bidding. The hope that Swerve had dared to feel was quickly extinguished as several trucks with chain attachments drove forward, dragging you behind them, the chains affixed to your arms.

“Our little menace here was caught roaming the halls of our fair kingdom, trying to escape her fate. She may not look like much, but she has proved to be very resourceful indeed, which I am sure you’ll keep in mind when betting.”

It looked like you desperately wanted to retort, but a modified gag stopped you from doing so. It didn’t stop you from attempting to kick at several of your captors, your pede falling short of its mark.

“NO!” Swerve cried out as you were electrocuted, making you fall to the floor. The others in the room spared him looks of pity before their attention returned to Lady Ouida.

“Spirited, is she not?” The Lady continued, spurred on by your attempted attack. “Alas, that brings me to my next point. We cannot keep her subdued for long and as such, we will have to cut betting short. You will have till the end of the cycle, for at dawn THE BATTLE BEGINS.”

The feed ended with a screen of competitors and their odds against you.

Rodimus wasted no time in addressing the room, all traces of his usual playfulness gone. “ETA to the Arena?” He asked no one in particular.

“Two cycles at most,” One of the Co-pilots answered.

“Not good enough. If you have to burn out the engines, you’ll get us there tonight. Strategy?”

Megatron brought up a hologram for the planet, pointing out the building on the map, a modernised castle with plasma-turrets as its main defences. “If it were me, I’d have the turrets hacked. The fastest route to the Arena itself is by the West wall. The ship is far too big to hide, so our best option is an outright assault. We could blast through the walls with an Alpha team. Meanwhile, a smaller Beta Team could attack the Northern ramparts, where we believe the prison cells to be located, in case (Y/N) is still being held there.”

“Who’s our hacker for this?”

“We have an accomplished team that will be led by Skids.”

“What will we need to get through the castle’s walls?”

“Ultra Magnus assures me that he has a supply of confiscated weapons from Whirl and Brainstorm.”

Rodimus nodded in acknowledgement, “You know Megatron, it’s rare, but on occasions such as this, I’m glad that you’re a crazed war-lord with a lot of strategic experience.”

Megatron looked uncomfortable at the compliment but didn’t comment.

Swerve raised his hand in what he assumed was a military fashion, “I’d like to be in the Alpha team.”

Rodimus took in some air with an awkward hiss, “Yeahhh, about that. Don’t you think you’d be better off, uh waiting to comfort (Y/N) in the med-bay or something? You’re um- You’re not exactly a good shot.”

Swerve bristled at the veiled insult. “THAT IS MY CONJUNX ENDURAE. I’LL BE GOING DOWN THERE EVEN IF I HAVE TO STEAL A POD-SHIP!”

“Okay, yep, cool. You’re there to rescue (Y/N), got it. Just… Maybe stay behind the rest of us, okay? Wait no. You go in front, I don’t want to be shot in the back or anything-” Rodimus stopped talking when he noticed more than one bot glaring at him for his lack of tact. “I mean, uh- You just go where you think is best, buddy. You got this.”

“Let’s just continue going over the plan,” Megatron interrupted, turning his attention back to the planetary holograph.

Thankfully, nobody questioned Swerve further, and he was free to remain undisturbed as the meeting went on.

Once again, you were behind bars but this time you were outside of the prison block. You were now in the centre of the Arena, which greatly resembled the Ancient Colosseums of Earth. You cradled your servo close to your body, the pain immense where your captors had crushed it after they had caught you trying to use the blow torch a second time; if there was any hope of returning to Swerve, it wouldn’t be the same way you escaped before.

With nothing else to do, you resumed listening to the recorded manual. Theoretically, you knew how to scan a vehicle and transform, so long as you found something to scan. Maybe you could convince Ouida to show you a vehicle in order to make the games more interesting. You doubted that plan would work, but if Ouida thought you were going to die in her games anyway, she might grant the request.

“In the event that you are in danger and need to record a message into your processor for an ally to discover-”

You focused on Perceptor’s instructions. Now seemed like the perfect time to record a message for Swerve, should he ever find your body. You tried to focus as your processor informed you that your voice and surroundings were being recorded.

“Swerve, I wish I could see you right now to tell you everything that’s on my mind, but if you’re watching this… Well, we know what’s happened.” You tried to keep your tone happy, but it proved to be impossible when thinking of the last time you had seen Swerve and how badly that had gone. You couldn’t stop from crying as you continued.

“Swerve, you are my whole world. I love you so much and I’m so sorry about how I acted. I was scared and confused, and… That’s no reason for the way I was. I’m terrified of what might happen to you if I die. Please, don’t think sadly on this. You have so much time left in the universe, and it’s a brighter place with you in it. No matter what happens, I need you to remember, I’m sticking with you. Never forget that you have my heart, always. I’m sorry that this is goodbye. I love you.”

Ending the feed, you hugged your knees to your chassis with your good hand, while you sat in silence and wept.

Swerve gripped the base of his chair, in the cruiser that the Alpha team had taken, hard enough to dent it. Upon reaching a close enough proximity to the planet’s surface, he had received a few dozen delayed private comms from you, the last of which was time-stamped only one hour prior. You were being kept in a cage, telling him how sorry you were and how much you loved him. If you were sticking with him, then he was going to stick right back to you.

Turbulence hit the ship, but Swerve’s determination didn’t waver. He knew it was just the first volley of attacks from the turrets, until Skids’ team would be able to disable them. Swerve remembered feeling like this thousands of times in the war. The feeling that you could be shot down at any moment on the way to your goal, but that you couldn’t think about death, lest it leech into your processor, freezing out all other thoughts. Swerve wouldn’t die. He couldn’t. Not while you were in danger. You were his mission and this was just another, smaller, war.

Swerve remembered his very first mission. His entire squadron had died, except for him. Being a mini-bot, he’d managed to hide without being discovered; he’d spent centuries hating himself for living as a coward instead of dying a hero with the rest of his squad. As it turned out, many bots had had similar experiences which haunted them. This time, he would not hide, his team would survive, they would rescue you, and Swerve would tell you every minute of every day that he loved you.

“SKIDS,” Rodimus yelled over the comms, “A LITTLE HELP WITH THE FRAGGING TURRETS.”

“Working on it,” Skids replied frantically. “They have one hell of an IT team there, Rodimus. The turrets are encrypted at least five times over.”

“Great. I’ll pass on the compliment when I meet them. Can you stop the turrets or not?”

There was a sharp silence on Skids end which was answer enough; the team would have to go in under fire.

“Okay,” Rodimus looked to his team. Ultra Magnus, Tailgate, Cyclonus, and Swerve were there, along with a few other volunteers that made their number twenty. “Plan B. We drive fast and furious, ploughing through their defences.”

The team were less enthusiastic at the thought of being shot, but none of them buckled under pressure; everyone was ready to go to your aid.

“Beta team, in position?” Rodimus asked, as they had planned to do before the Alpha Team dropped down onto the planet’s surface.

“Negative,” Megatron replied. His team comprised of Drift, Nautica, Nightbeat, and Brainstorm. It was decided that a smaller team would be better for infiltration. “The blueprints were wrong. We landed right in their armoury and are facing heavy fire.”

“HEY, NO, NOT COOL. WE WERE FACING HEAVY FIRE FIRST.” Rodimus pouted. “THAT’S OUR THING. GET YOUR OWN THING.”

“Don’t be a sparkling,” Megatron hissed. “Rendezvous here. We need backup.”

Swerve crushed another part of his chair. Meeting up with the beta team would lead them further away from you. They should face the turrets, consequences be damned. Swerve imagined reaching over to the control panel and forcing the team to drop. If he wasn’t afraid to have their energon on his servos, he’d do it. However, frustrating as it was, he left the planning up to the Co-Captains, itching for the moment that he would finally be useful. So far, everything in the plan was falling apart.

“Get ready to fight, crew,” Rodimus warned as the cruiser approached the Beta Teams location. Everyone stood up, heading to the back of the ship, “Dropping in three, two, one.”

The doors opened, leaving all the transformed vehicles to drive out on the ramp, jumping the gap onto the planet. There, the battle began. A handful of Cybertronians against a few hundred organics, none of whom seemed to be human; perhaps Lady Ouida was the only human among the organics that inhabited the planet.

Swerve raged with every shot he took. In hallways full to the brim of enemies, even he couldn’t miss. His blaster kept ringing off with compliments. Good job. Nice shootin’ Tex. You’re my hero.

However, as many shots as he got in, the enemies didn’t drop. It seemed that they were immune to most of the weapons, only stumbling slightly before they got back up to fight.

“This isn’t working,” Cyclonus growled through gritted teeth, him and Drift being the only ones to do any real damage with their swords, though they kept getting pushed back by the horde.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Rodimus said sardonically. “Time for plan C.”

“We don’t have a plan C,” Ultra Magnus reported.

“Then improvise.”

From the corner of his optic, Swerve saw a flash of green and he spun around to see Lady Ouida herself. She was climbing over the rubble, apparently trying to reach the fast-firing ballista behind the invaders of her castle. Full of rage at the human who had dared to harm his Conjunx Endurae, Swerve rushed at her, screaming. He tackled her to the ground, grunting as she stabbed a plasma dagger into his side. He would worry about the pain later, when you were safe. For now, he didn’t care, as that was the only weapon she had and she couldn’t retrieve it from his side now that he had her arms firmly in his grasp.

Swerve had always prided himself on being gentle with you, his beloved human. However, with Ouida in his grip, he was all too aware of how easy it would be to crush every bone in her body with only the slightest bit of pressure.

“WHERE IS MY CONJUNX?” He spat at her.

“Dead.” Lady Ouida lied. “As you will be soon enough, robotic scum.”

Swerve didn’t bother to press her on her deception, knowing instinctively that she wouldn’t talk, no matter what he did. Instead, he carried her towards her army, making sure the creatures could see her.

“I HAVE YOUR LEADER,” He roared at them. “LET US PASS, OR I’LL CRUSH HER.”

The organics stopped shooting, eerily expressionless as they lowered their weapons. Ouida shot her captors a disgusted look, hating that they had bested her experimental mutants. They were made to follow orders and protect the castle, but they had also been designed to ensure that she wouldn’t be harmed; with her as a captive, they were useless.

Swerve made his way forward, but Rodimus grabbed his shoulder-plate, pulling him back.

“Hey, loving the energy buddy,” Rodimus complimented Swerve. “Great improv and all, but uh, the Arena is the other way.”

“Oh,” Swerve looked at the mutant army, who were watching Ouida like a dog watching its master. “In that case, don’t follow us, or I’ll crush her.”

“YEAH,” Rodimus fist-pumped the air. “LET’S GO RESCUE (Y/N).”

You didn’t know what to say as you were faced with the many faces of the Lost Light that you thought you’d never see again, but most importantly Swerve. For a moment, you were half-convinced that you were hallucinating again, but then he had pushed Lady Ouida into Drift’s arms and he was holding you.

He kissed your helm, pulling you into his chassis, checking over every inch of you for injuries. “(Y/N),” he murmured. “My (Y/N).”

“Swerve,” You cried his name. “Swerve. I was so scared I’d never see you-”

“Shh, it’s okay, I’m here now. I love you. Always,” He repeated your message to you, letting you alone know that he had received it.

“Not to interrupt this reunion,” Megatron said sombrely, “But enemy reinforcements could arrive at any moment, and we need to get you two to medical treatment immediately.”

For the first time, you noticed the gash in Swerve’s side, coated with freshly congealed energon; he had taken the dagger out prior to seeing you.

“She hurt you… She-”

It was your turn to scream at Ouida, “YOU HURT MY CONJUNX ENDURAE.”

You reached out to crush her with your good arm, but Drift dragged Ouida into safety, “Sorry (Y/N), but she’s our ticket out of here. If we kill her, we have no leverage.”

You glared at Ouida, “You’re lucky he values all life, you hateful witch.”

Ouida rolled her eyes, unperturbed by the raving antics of a non-organic.

“Come on, (Y/N),” Swerve ushered you ahead of the group. “It’s time for us to go home.”

Home. You thought of your hab-suite aboard the Lost Light where you had built your life with Swerve; you couldn’t wait to get back to it. Letting Swerve cradle you in his arms, you leaned on him and took your first steps back towards home.

Like my work? Buy me a coffee and earn preview of the next fic, or commission me on the commissions page.

[sunnymenagerie]

RuPaul's Drag Race: Bossy Rossy Ruboot

Okay, so this is the third week in a row that I’ve been one person off from guessing who will go home next. So Elliot with 2 Ts, you live to see another week since I SWORE there was no way you’d be able to beat the LaLa Ri Experience. Alas, here we are.

Yes, Elliot with 2 Ts managed to land in the bottom two alongside a girl who’s been there once before and cemented herself as a lip-sync QUEEN, but all the gyrating in the world couldn’t save LaLa this time and sadly she went out exhausted on all fronts due to giving what she thought was her all in an improv challenge and, to the judges, falling short.

Speaking of falling short, Elliot with 2Ts gave us one of the worst Library Mini Challenges in the history of the show. Gottmik, on the other hand, destroyed. I cackled at the “gay, trans, pugs” line with that last group of people aimed at Gottmik’s Mean Girl bestie, Kandy Muse.

When it came to the challenge, I thought LaLa Ri was miles ahead of where she was during the RuMark Movie challenge. How she wasn’t up against Kahmora Hall then is beyond me. Really though, Denali that week? Anyways, this week there were some definite shockers in terms of the final results...Okay, they were shocking to Rose and Denali who thought they stood out alongside this week’s eliminated queen. Which, they did good but there was something about Symone that just went above and beyond for me. Okay so...let’s talk more about Symone and this challenge that I feel was hers to win.

Symone was partnered with Kandy Muse. Kandy looked good on the runway but I don’t think what she did in the challenge AND the outfit out together gave her a top spot this week. It was a good safe though. The same goes with Olivia Lux. This week’s winner, Olivia KILLED IT in the challenge. Hands down, she did the best with very few words in a group with Gottmik and Utica BUT her runway - to me - was as basic as last week’s. This was the second time we’ve seen her walk down the runway in a look that we’ve seen already...this season. Her Bead It wig was basically the same one from Kandy Muse’s Bag Ball Eleganza look. I know they bring what they need based on a list, but did this girl have zero backup plans?

Based on the challenge and the runways, Symone fucking slayed in both while Olivia’s runway was not purposely repetitive, but still not as great in terms of the theme this week as some of the other girls on that runway. Other than Symone’s Bead It look, other Queens that stood out were Gottmik, Denali, and Rose. I guess because of how notorious beads are with New Orleans and Mardi Gras, that was really popular on the runway with three girls using that as their inspo - two of them were in the bottom, and Tina Burner’s was the absolute worst. Not just of the Mardi Gras trio, but of the night. Even when she manages not to cloak herself in hot hues, she still looks like Ronald’s cousin. That red hair...stahp.

Next week the Queens have another song and dance challenge that I feel will save Elliot with 2Ts for another week but they can’t dance forever.

Bead It Looks Ranked:  

Symone - No explanation needed Denali - I too love chandeliers Gottmik - Out of the box compared to the rest Rose - Love the detail Kandy - Looked amazing Elliott - The best of the Mardi Gras Trio Utica - Not her best, but not the worst of the week Olivia - Familiar hair and not too on theme for me LaLa Ri - She looked great but the outfit wasn’t Drag Race Runway Tina Burner -

Week 7 Rankings & Reasonings:

Symone - When Symone wins a challenge, she usually has a lot of confidence heading into the next week BUT she has been riding safely whenever they have to dance, however, I feel like she may be able to win big next week again Gottmik - Her runways continue to make her a contender Olivia - I can’t fight report cards. She has as many wins as the early frontrunner, which makes her an actual contender despite my confusion on her runway wins Rose - If Rose doesn’t win doing another sort of song and dance challenge, then I’m going to start packing for her bc she and Jan will clearly have to be on an All-Stars together at a later date (...although I heard Jan already filmed AS6 last September…) Kandy - We all know that Kandy ain’t the best when it comes to choreography Denali - This week got to her and I think this may fuck with her head going into a dance challenge - something she should be great at, but something we’ve seen her fall into the safe zone in before Tina - She was in the top 3 during the last dance challenge but honey, those runways…? Elliott - Only because it is a dance challenge. Utica -