#went to awa and had a great time

[electrumbound]

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[dira333]

Not needed - Itoshi Rin x Soulmate! Reader

Requested by the lovely anon who sent in many amazing Requests (You know how you are) - tagging @shoulmate because she's been begging me to write something for Rin - Join My Taglist

“Oh, is that your soulmark?” Bachira leans in, far too close for comfort. 

Rin pulls his shirt down and takes a step back. “Why do you care?”

“Well, duh?!” Bachira tries to pull the fabric back up, but Rin’s hand’s close around his like a vice. “It’s none of your business.”

“Whatever?” Bachira grins and steps back as far as he can, pulling his hands back as soon as Rin’s grip loosens. “I’m sure I will catch it some other day.”

Rin scowls but Bachira just laughs. Looks like a normal Tuesday after all.

-

Isagi hasn’t found his soulmate yet. Bachira’s pretty sure his is the cute girl from his neighbourhood. Reo keeps talking about his even though everyone’s tired of it already - his parents found her right after he was born and made sure she got the best education possible, after all, she was going to be his wife one day.

No one seems to care that Rin’s going to kill them any second if they don’t stop bringing up this topic. Who cares about Soulmates? They’re here to play soccer!

“I don’t need one!” He snaps at Chigiri when the guy has the audacity to point out something about his soulmark. “If I ever happen to meet them, I’ll make sure to let her know.”

-

“Oh no-” Rin hears just seconds before he gets drenched in something ice cold and sticky. Isagi’s sitting across from him, hands pressed against his mouth to keep the laughter in. Bachira has less control over it, his laugh bellowing out and pulling all the attention. Great. Just what he needed on this short break from training.

He turns, ready to rip the head of whoever is responsible - but the words die in his mouth.

You look like you’re ready to cry, wringing a single napkin in your shaking fingers. “I-I- I’m so sorry, I just wanted some… That was my last-”

Somewhere in between your stuttering, he catches on that you’d had a horrible day and this should have been the thing to make it even, a little treat for all the suffering. But said treat is sticking to his skin, turning his previously white shirt an ugly shade of brown.

“Come on,” he barks, moving to pull you away from the guys but stopping at the last second. He can’t just drag a girl around, especially one he doesn’t know. His parents raised him better than that. “Follow me.” 

Somewhere on the short trek to the front, you must have mistaken his grimace for an inviting smile, because you haven’t stopped talking, telling him everything he could have wanted to know about the week you’ve had. 

“Order,” he barks out, softening his tone when your eyes turn wide. “Please.”

Your order is impressively long. He’s only ever ordered black coffee. No wonder his shirt feels this sticky. When it’s time to pay, you turn and blink up at him.

“I spent my last money on that drink,” you point out, nibbling on your lower lip - it’s a little distracting. 

“Fine,” he huffs and pays. 

It’s only when he’s back at his table that he realizes that this went totally wrong. Weren’t you supposed to pay for his drink? As an apology for drenching him in coffee? But he can’t very well get up again, not when Bachira’s pointing out how cute you were and Isagi’s snickering every few minutes. If he’d be here with less perceptive people, he’d dare to turn his head just a little, to look over to the corner of the café where he knows you went. But he isn’t and so he doesn’t.

-

“Oh God!” The words are muttered, but Rin still hears them, curses his good hearing when the words are followed by a shrill squeak only seconds before you tumble down the stairs - and right into his arms.

If he were anyone else, he’d probably admire you - unable to walk down a flight of stairs yet sticking the landing perfectly, arms flung around his shoulders like you’re from one of the movies his mom loves to watch.

“Hi!” You squeak when he lets you down right away, hands burning from where he’d held you. At least no one saw. 

-

Rin doesn’t know how it happened or what’s more surprising about it, but he finds himself in a friendship group that contains not only him but you too. He might have gotten it wrong in his head, but he’s pretty sure you knew Chigiri from before Blue Lock. Or was it Kunigami? He’s never too sure with these two.

Maybe he’s being too poetic about it, has been too influenced by his mother's taste in movies, but you remind him of the sun, warm light flooding every room you step into. He dares to tell you once, embarrassment clamping his mouth shut when your response is a shy smile and wide eyes. Never, never will he tell you that he feels like the moon in your orbit - yes, he knows the moon orbits the earth, it’s a metaphor! - only able to light up the night because he’s been in your presence.

You’re too clumsy for your own good, too good-hearted for being friends with rascals like these. You never catch it when Bachira nudges you into helping him out, don’t realize when Nagi uses you as a headrest or a means to get from one place to the other. More than once Rin has to step in, teeth bared when Chigiri grins and asks “Are you her bodyguard or what?”

-

“Do you have a soulmate?” Isagi asks one day after training when all of them are draped across the tables in the little café down the street, their muscles resembling cooked noodles more than anything.

“Of course!” You smile and wave your straw around, almost taking out Kunigami’s left eye in the process. “Why are you asking? You already saw!”

Rin tenses. He can feel it before it happens, how his spine stiffens and his back turns ram-rod-straight. He forgot. He forgot that those still existed. Isagi throws him a smile that could mean everything and nothing at all. Rin pushes himself up from the table, grumbling something under his breath that could mean “I have to use the toilet,” as well as “I’m going to run the world.” 

He’s en route to the barista when he realizes that he’s left his wallet back at the table. He does the only reasonable thing and walks out of the café.

The cool air lifts some of the tension and the fact that he’s out of sight of his friends - if he can call them that - helps as well. Here, where he can feel like he’s almost alone, he can think.

Not that he wants to think.

Thinking just leads to realizations. Like the fact that you’re not his. That he’d want you to be his. That the stepping stones turned into something he could almost call friends. 

“Rin?” Your voice pulls him out of the moment. You pull the door close behind you, shiver in the cool air. “You forgot your wallet.” 

“Thank you.”

You smile. “It isn’t like you to forget something. Am I finally influencing you?”

“Like you could,” he huffs, but your smile only widens.

“Bachira told me that you’re probably upset because you’re the only one who hasn’t seen my Soulmark yet.”

“I’m not-” He starts but stops when you roll up your sleeve. His mouth’s dry and the words die on his tongue.

There, in the crook of your elbow, is the same mark that sits right above his hip bone. 

Rin can’t help but think of his own words, his own vows. 

He doesn’t need a soulmate. Just like friends, they’re nothing but a hassle, a weight holding him down. Or so he thought.

You blink up at him and he wonders if you know what’s going on inside of his head. 

“Do you wanna get something to eat?” He hears himself ask, his hand reaching out for yours. Your skin is warm under his touch. You take his hand like you’ve never done anything else.

“Are you paying?” You ask, smile doing that little quirk he’s grown to look for.

“What?” He asks back. “Are you offering?”

You giggle, shaking your head. He knows you too well. 

When you pull him forward, he doesn’t hesitate. 

He might not need you, but he sure as hell wants you by his side.

[tiyawnyana]

Kinktober: Day 27

Anal

A/N: hiiiiii I like how this one went but not entirely pleased with it but wanted to get it posted

Pairing: Neteyam x (fem) Omiticaya reader x Ao'nung

Warnings: threesome, slight nipple play, oral (fem received) fingering, oral (male received), cumming in mouth, p in v, p in a, creampie

¤¤¤

You had hoped that the night of your celebration, the night you had.. fun.. with two certain navi wouldn't have been the last. But all good things must come to an end.

At first, they treated you normally. Greeting you fondly, respectfully even. Then Neteyam started to withdraw, and with him went Ao'nung.

You'd thought that after they had cuddled you throughout the night that maybe that wasn't it.

But you were glad, in a way. It was an amazing opportunity, a great first time with two people that held your heart. It even proved to help you get more confident, and it seems that multiple young males and females of the metkayina noticed this too.

You began to get gifts at random, more fish brought to you at the big meals, and even new arrows crafted.

Now that one was impressive, you only hunted with your bow up in the mountains behind the village, so that one took some thought.

But because of this new attention on you, it meant that those two individuals had noticed it all. They noticed the lingering touches, the stares, the talks.

So when you're heading back to your marui, carrying a basket of fresh fruits just gifted to you, the last thing you expect was to be bombarded as soon as you step into your home.

"What the-" you gasp, jumping as arms wrap around your middle from behind.

"Hello, yawne," the raspy voice of Ao'nung speaks fondly, kissing your shoulder blade.

You shiver, tail flicking hard between his legs.

"Tahni," Neteyam speaks softly, standing before you. He steps forward, reaching out as soon as he's close enough to cup your cheek.

Your ears are perked up, shock evident on your features,"Hello, what are you two doing here?"

Ao'nung exhales through his nose, then presses soft kisses to your neck,"Just wanted to visit, is all."

"Ao'nung," Neteyam stares at him blankly before turning his gaze to you,"We.. missed you."

Your gaze widens slightly before narrowing, and you pull yourself out of Ao'nungs hold.

"Why the change of heart? You had made it clear it was a one night thing.." You walk further into your marui and place the basket down then turn back to them.

They share a look, then turn to you.

"I do regret how I handled it afterwards.. it was not respectful to you," Neteyam speaks soft, ears pinning back to his skull with a grimace on his features, looking away in guilt.

Ao'nung nods, opening his mouth to speak, before closing it and looking away.

"It was a great time," you start, and you notice their tails flick, ears perking slightly,"It should remain a one time thing. I do not wish my heart to be tampered with."

"It- it wouldn't be! Tahni," Ao'nung starts, taking a small step towards you,"We.. we talked it over and we really would like to try. Neteyam- he's an idiot."

"Hey!" The sully boy smacks his friend, hissing lightly.

"It's true! He was stuck on the whole 'I can't mate with my sisters best friend', the skxawng."

Neteyam looks away in embarrassment, crossing his arms over his chest.

You snort at that, shaking your head. You know you have a light blush across your cheeks by this point.

"So, what changed? Was it the few people asking for courtship?"

You turn around, picking out the fruit until you find the one you'd craved, turning back to them as you bite into it. The juice drips down your wrist, to which Ao'nung spots.

He swallows thickly.

"Yes- no, it's complicated-"

"Not really," you interrupt him, chewing into the fruit again,"What is it, jealousy?"

They share a look. They're silent, and you chuckle.

"I told you, I do not wish my heart to be tampered with," you look away,"Please do not lead me on with false hopes."

"We wouldn't," Ao'nung steps closer, only a foot away by now and he reaches out to gently touch your arm,"What we feel is real, and that night- it was incredible. You were.. you took us so well."

His voice is a purr by the end of it, and you can't escape that shiver down your spine. You'd be lying to yourself if you said that you hadn't thought about that night constantly.

Neteyam is next to step closer,"we'd like to try with you, keep having this relationship, if you'll have us."

You gaze at him for a moment, thinking it through.

It is putting your heart on the line.

But it feels worth it. You had been craving their touch since that night- you made up your mind.

You glance back up at them. Heat coiling below your belly, tail flicking suggestively behind you. The grip on that fruit tightened, juices dripping down your forearm as you held it up to your lips.

"Don't make me regret this," is all you say, and Ao'nung pounces.

He grabs the fruit from your hand, squeezing it accidentally and more of the juices drip down your front, a sticky line down your chest. He's quick, though, lifting your arm to lick up the mess up to your wrist while maintaining eye contact. You huff out a heated breath, shuddering quietly.

Neteyam steps forward to your other side and cups your jaw, angling you his way and sealing his lips over yours in a hot and passionate kiss. It's sweet, messy, he licks into your mouth and bites your lower lip, his hips jutting into yours. You can distinctly feel the growing length below his tewng.

He pulls away and you gasp, only to be gripped and turned the other way and Ao'nung kisses you frantically. It's overwhelmingly dominant, he controls it from the get-go and it muffles the strained moan as you feel Neteyam untying your necklaces and licking over your nipple, collecting any juice that dripped down there.

Ao'nung pulls away, following the sully boys lead and sucking over your other nipple. You bow forward, moaning shakily at the differing pleasures, but then suddenly it's gone.

You try to speak, but gasp as you're grabbed, lifted, then walked over to your bed by Ao'nung. He's quick to drop you onto the blankets and pillows, yanking down your tewng and spreading your thighs.

You nearly shriek out a moan as he descends quicker, hand spreading your folds and mouth connecting to your clit.

"Oh, fuck!" You bark out in surprise, eyes wide at the ceiling before gradually bringing them down to his.

Your thighs try to close, but he's gripping the back of your thighs and draping them over his shoulders.  A weak, punched out breath is pulled from your lungs when he licks at your hole, groaning at the taste of your slick.

"Eywa, I missed this," he nearly moans into you.

Neteyam has been watching, slowly peeling off his tewng and stroking at his cock.

"Look at how needy she is," he coos, sitting down to cup your jaw,"Missed us, didn't you?"

You nod weakly, and he grins, before shuffling closer and prodding his cock towards you. When you don't budge, a teasing glint in your eyes, he forcibly opens your mouth by the grip at your jaw, pressing his cock into your mouth, pressing further in until you nearly choke. His hands tangle into your hair and you whine as he uses your mouth and throat for his own pleasure.

The man between your legs presses two fingers into you, quick, and your hips roll up into his face as he drills them into you at a rapid pace, spreading you.

The cock in your throat spears almost roughly, hand tight in your hair and your breath was running out. Your chest burns but you continue to  wrap your tongue around the underside of his cock.

There's a point where Neteyam drags your face to take his entire length until your nose presses against his navel. Your throat tightens as you swallow around him, and your chest burns hot when he holds you there, fondly stroking the stray hairs from your face. It feels like an eternity, throat full of his cock before he finally yanks you off. You gasp for breath, vision hazy.

"Hold your breath," is his command and you listen, especially when not even a moment later he's pressing your mouth back onto his cock down to the hilt and holding you there.

You're already too numbed out with pleasure to realize Ao'nung had slipped his fingers out to coat them in an oil, prodding at your asshole and gently pressing in. You jerk, body tightening around the digit and groan around the length down your throat.

Neteyam grunts, panting harshly and dragging you off, allowing you a moment to breathe again before dragging you back down, finally starting to thrust. It's three pumps, then he holds you down, cockwarming his length.

Ao'nung inserts another finger, scissoring you open as Neteyam fucks into your throat.

Your chest burns again but you hold out, hands clutching the blankets beneath you before you cry out a moan when Ao'nung sucks hard over your clit.

Your orgasm washes over you quick, slick gushing out of you and leaking down Ao'nungs neck.

Neteyam thrusts into you a final time before dragging your head down as he cums down your throat.

"Swallow it," he speaks roughly, hips grinding into your face as he shoots out a few more ropes before finally pulling out.

You cough, swallowing any excess and gasping for breath. You then whine as you're lifted, turned around by Ao'nung and you realize Neteyam is still hard, angling it and laying on the bed.

Ao'nung guides your pussy over the sully boys length before pressing you down. The tip presses in and in one fell swoop, the entire length presses into you.

You're pressed down onto Neteyams chest, tail gripped and cheeks spread as the male behind you presses his cock to your asshole, pressing until the tip pops in.

"Oh, shit! Wait- fuck," you rasp out, grimacing at the foreign feeling.

Ao'nung kisses up your back,"You can take it, paskalin," and gingerly presses more of his length into you.

After you adjust, his hips finally press to your rear.

"You take us so well, tahni," Neteyam cups your cheek as you rest against his shoulder.

Your body is still tight around them, even moreso with the new experience.

Ao'nung is the first to pull back, gently thrusting back into you. Neteyam is next, gripping your hips and planting his feet down to buck up into you.

This begins a slow but gradually speeding up pace, the sully boy fills you just as the metkayina prince pulls out, back and forth, and you nearly cry from the enslaught of pleasure. You're moaning openly, babbling incoherent words and they can't help but grin cockily at this.

"I'm not gonna last- mmph, fuck," Neteyam kisses your shoulder, licking over your sweat damp skin as his hips grind deeper into you.

"Surprise, surprise," Ao'nung teases, smirking, ignoring the hiss and speeding up his own thrusts.

Your second orgasm punches you in the gut, unexpectedly and you don't have time to prepare yourself as your cunt tightens, convulsing and squirting around Neteyam.

You cry out, moaning breathlessly. Your entire body shakes with this orgasm, tightening around Ao'nung as well and he moans in surprise, thrusting coming to a stop as he grips your hips, pressing himself into you entirely as he cums into your ass. The feeling is weird, but not unpleasant.

Soon enough, Neteyam groans, clenching his teeth as he cums into your cunt.

You slump onto neteyam entirely, still filled as they come down from their highs.

Neteyam snickers breathlessly, smirking at Ao'nung as he strokes his fingers over your back.

"Surprise, surprise, huh?"

¤¤¤

A/N: I want this

Taglist:

@akoyaxs @vee1728

[24hlevi]

— missed you

kurosaki ichigo (bleach) x gn!reader

genre: hurt/comfort

summary: ichigo broke up with you prior to the events of tybw. but now, he's realized how much he misses you, and how much he needs you to be strong again.

warnings: none

wc: 1.5 k

the day uryu stopped by ichigo’s place while the group was there, telling him what was to come soon, that quincies were ready to strike and start a war against the soul society, ichigo immediately ended things between you two. despite things like this happening before, he did it this time. you didn't understand why now of all times, but he was adamant on keeping you away at a distance. you knew he had a job to do, but even so, you were always included. so why did he decide now was the time to call things off? even he didn't know why.

you stayed at home while ichigo went back to the soul society, trying to focus on other things but it was to no avail. you couldn't help but worry about ichigo and the others. this wasn't going to be like the other times the soul society needed him. you could feel it. quincies were different from the arrancars, even you knew that. you just hoped this wouldn't end terribly. you don't know what you would do if ichigo never came back. it was always a worry in your mind when ichigo left. that one day orihime would come back without him and tell you that he's gone. you dreaded that day, if it would ever come.

you had been visiting ichigo’s family a lot more recently with him away, and they all loved you, so you were always welcome in their home. you would often go over there for dinner that his sisters would cook, and it was always great every time you went there. those three really cared about you, and you all were equally worried about ichigo.

no one knew how long he would be gone, and you started to count the days so that if it hit a month, you would know something was wrong. of course, ichigo has done this plenty of times, but you still worried for him.

“i’ll come back, don't you worry,” he would always tell you before running off to protect the soul society from whatever danger it was at that time. that same small smile planted on his face as he would pat your head gently. god, did he make you worry.

ichigo could handle himself, of course. but what if this time it all went terrible? what if the quincies were stronger than expected and people died? you had to physically shake your head to get those thoughts to disperse. he would be fine. he always came back.

just this time, there was more reasoning behind it.

it was a rainy night, and you were on your computer finishing up some last minute assignments for school. every time your phone buzzed or rang, you would quickly pick it up and check in hopes of it being ichigo, but it never was. the weather was making you more depressed than you already were, and you sighed before closing your laptop. rubbing your hands on your face, you got up from your chair and started to walk to your bed until you heard something hit your window.

you ignored the sound at first, but then it hapened two more times and you decided then to go check. when you reached the window and looked down at who was there, a gasp left your mouth at the sight.

you quickly ran downstairs and opened the back door to see ichigo standing there.

“ichigo!” you exclaimed, rushing over to him and hugging him.

ichigo stumbled back a few steps at how fast you ran into him, but he immediately hugged you back, pulling you close to him. he was looking up at the sky to try and ignore the stray tears falling from his eyes, pretending it was just the rain when it was far from it in reality. it was evident that his ego was broken from something, you didn't know what. you wouldn't ask unless he was ready to say it. you knew better than to pry those things out of him when he was so often facing death more than you’d like.

he rested his chin on your head, mumbling something so quiet that you couldn't hear it over the rain pouring on you both. you pulled away and looked up at him, “what did you say?” you asked.

ichigo took a minute to respond, but when he looked down at you, you knew something was off.

“i missed you,” he said quietly.

it was silent except for the rain hitting the ground, and ichigo looked…broken. you had never seen him look like this before, and you didn't know what to do about it.

“i missed you too,” you replied. you reached one of your hands up to gently caress his cheek, “are you okay, ichigo?”

all he did was slowly shake his head before pulling you back into a hug. “i’m sorry,” he mumbled. “i shouldn't have called things off between us. i just…didn't want to lose you too. so many died, and if you came with there would be no going back. majority of the captains lost their bankais, and even more were killed by the quincies. orihime and chad are okay, don't worry about them. but…i’m still so sorry. i thought if we were broken up that i would do better. but, i was wrong. i need you to do better, to be better. i need you, y/n,”

you were taken aback by the words that came from ichigo’s mouth. you couldn't believe most of it. but your mind kept wandering back to him saying how he needed you. not how he wanted you. but he needed you. those were two entirely different things, and he knew the difference between them. you knew it, as well.

“it's okay,” you gently told him. “i know you had your reasons. it's okay. i’m not upset by what you did. you have your duties, and i don't always need to be there by your side.”

“i love you,” he mumbled into your hair, still holding you close to him.

“i love you too, ichigo,” you said, smiling up at him.

when he pulled away for the second time, he peered down at you, and a small smile pulled at his lips at seeing your very own smile. “are you willing to let me inside even though we're both soaking wet?” he asked in a light joking tone.

“you know you're always welcome in my home. soaked or not,” you responded in the same tone. “so come on,” you grabbed his hand and pulled him back inside the house, making him take his shoes off before setting another foot inside even though he always remembered to do so.

ichigo let you drag him up to your bedroom, as quietly as he could knowing both of your parents were asleep even though they adored him, he still was respectful of not wanting to awake them because of his sudden return. you then handed him a set of clothes, which he realized were his own that he had brought over and forgotten one day, and he went into your bathroom to change.

when he was finished changing, he knocked on your bedroom door to make sure you weren't still changing. he wouldn't go inside unless you told him he was able to. your parents loved that about him, amongst all the other great things about him.

“you can come in!” you called from the other side of the door.

ichigo walked inside to see you already laid on your bed, which made him let out a chuckle.

“tired?” he asked you.

“mhm,” you hummed, nodding your head. “i wanna cuddle.” you held your arms out open to him.

ichigo let out another chuckle and crawled into the bed beside you, letting you wrap your arms around him and cuddle into his side. he laid on his back and let out a content sigh. “i really missed you,” he said to you.

“i missed you too, very much,” you replied, planting a gentle kiss on his neck. “i’m glad you're back now, for the time being.”

“yeah, me too,” ichigo nodded.

for the time being. that's all it was. he knew soon enough he would have to go back after that talk with his dad. he just needed to be grounded for a moment. you were the only one able to do that. he knew he shouldn't have broken up with you, that it was a dumb decision on his part. but everyone makes bad decisions sometimes.

ichigo was just the one to bounce back from it stronger than before. because he loved you so dearly. he loved you so much that he broke up with you to make sure you wouldn't get hurt. but he realized that he was wrong. he needed you to be strong. he needed you to be kurosaki ichigo.

and you would never want that to change. not ever.

[verai-marcel]

Your Hearth Is My Home (BG3 Fanfic, Astarion x Female Reader, Part 3 of ?)

Summary, Notes, Tags, & Part 1 are here.

Part 2 is here.

AO3 link is here, darling.

Chapter Word Count: 2256

Act I, Chapter 3 - The Tension

Another day passed, and another evening of Astarion wandering off while the others ate their meal.

“Doesn’t he ever eat?” Karlach asked.

“Maybe he snacks throughout the day,” you commented idly. "He certainly doesn’t like my food," you muttered after.

“Then he doesn’t have good taste,” Wyll said, giving you a smile. “For what it’s worth, I think your food is absolutely delicious.”

You beamed. Gods, you had to admit to yourself that you were a whore for praise. It was what had kept you by your former employer’s side for longer than was healthy. You shook your head of the memories. Some things were better left in the past.

While the others finished up their meals, you went to prepare the tents.

As you finished Gale’s tent, you saw him coming up to you.

“Watching you work has been an absolute pleasure,” he said with a smile. “I’ve performed great magicks, manipulated the Weave into spells that could topple castles. But you? I’ve never felt a more welcoming and warm magic. It’s like a comforting blanket I could just wrap myself in and never leave.” He leaned a bit closer to you. “I’d love to learn some of those cantrips from you. If you don’t mind sharing your secrets.”

“Sure! I’m not sure how well I can teach you, but I’ll do my best.” You were quite giddy from the fact that a wizard was asking you, a mere hearth witch, to teach him something.

“Wonderful.” He reached out, perhaps to touch your arm, but you instinctively flinched away. Noticing your reaction, he let his hand fall. “Well, have a good night,” Gale said, giving you a friendly wave of his hand instead before turning in for the night.

You stayed still for a moment, turning over two things in your head: one, wondering if you were good enough to teach a wizard, and two, berating yourself for recoiling so obviously from a friendly touch. You had sleeves and gloves on, so there was no reason for you to have done that, yet habits instilled into you as a child were hard to change. Because of your ability to feel others’ emotions through skin contact, your mother had trained you to avoid touch in general as a safeguard. You could react appropriately with forewarning, and sometimes you even brushed someone’s hand or arm on purpose to get a read on them. But there were times when you were caught off guard. 

I thought I had gotten better at that.

With your mind churning, you turned around and saw Astarion walking back to camp, watching you with a smirk.

“What?” you asked as your path crossed his on your way to the next tent. You inwardly cringed at your tone. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.

“Nothing,” said with his usual smarm. “Unless you were looking for praise from me as well.”

For a moment, a singular, split-second of a moment, you let your craving for praise show on your face before you locked it down.

But you had already revealed too much.

“Though you’d need to impress me first,” he replied, breezily walking past you toward the campfire to join the others who were still awake.

Never mind, he deserved that tone. Damn noble.

Out of spite, you neglected to cast warmth on his tent. Let him freeze for one night, see how he feels about being condescending to you tomorrow.

***

“It was awfully cold last night,” Astarion commented in the morning.

The others looked at each other, then they all looked at you.

You immediately got up, unable to stand their curious stares. “I need to check the fishing nets,” you said quickly as you stalked away toward the water.

You could hear Karlach distantly. “I thought my tent was fine.” 

Once you reached the water’s edge, you knelt down and tugged at the nets, but your mind was elsewhere. Now that you were faced with the consequences of your actions, you regretted your petty revenge. Sure, you could have lied your ass off and gotten away with it. But since you had panicked and bailed without giving a good excuse, it was pretty clear what you did, or rather, didn’t do. What would everyone think of you now?

“You didn’t run very far, little hearth witch.”

Still in the middle of your existential crisis, you immediately stood and whirled around to see Astarion walking towards you.

“Now, I would have assumed you just forgot about poor me if you had just lied about it,” he said in a tone that clearly implied that he wouldn’t have believed a damn word out of your mouth. He stepped closer, and with the water at your back, you had nowhere to go. So you stood your ground and stared at him until he was practically toe to toe with you.

“Instead,” he continued, tipping his head, “you ran away, guilt written all over your face. Whatever could I have done to warrant being singled out like this?”

Seeing his smug face brought your previously squashed annoyance bubbling to the surface. You glared as you hissed, “You held a knife to my neck!”

“But I apologized for that, and I explained myself, didn’t I?” He tipped his head the other direction, looking like a kicked puppy. “I thought we were square.”

You bit your lip. Yeah, you knew he was faking it, but regardless, you did feel guilty. A moment of petty vengeance, not just against him, but against what he represented. The nobility.

It wasn’t fair to him. You knew it wasn't a fair thing, a night of discomfort in the cold for one snarky remark that you could have just ignored. You were better than that. And you knew not all nobles were bad. There were quite a few that were good, upstanding folks. One bad experience in the past should not have soured your outlook on an entire class of people.

You swallowed. Looked up at him. Remembered that he too had his own fears and shadows. Maybe he just had a bad day. You always prided yourself on being able to consider the situation of others before acting, and to have failed in doing so stung pretty damn hard. The guilt gnawed at you until tears began to well up in your eyes.

“I’m sorry,” you said sincerely. “That wasn’t fair, and… you didn’t deserve it.” Your voice had grown shaky with emotion. You hated that you sounded like a trembling kitten.

A self-satisfied grin spread on his face. “Well, I accept your apology.” 

When you continued to silently cry, he began to look uncomfortable. “I’m not mad,” he said as he looked over his shoulder, starting to look a little panicked. “It’s not a big deal. The others will think I’m a monster if they see you cry. So stop.”

You were crying more out of anger at yourself and not because of him, but you had to admit, you felt some schadenfreude from seeing him so anxious. “Say please,” you joked through your tears.

He sighed. “Fine. Please.” Then he leaned in a little closer. “Please,” he repeated, quieter, gentler.

You looked up at him, surprised by the change in his tone. “Alright,” you said, your voice still a little shaky.

Astarion smiled at you then, and your heart skipped a beat. Dammit, he sure knew how to use his attractiveness to his benefit. 

“Good girl,” he said before patting you on the head and walking away.

You touched your head where he had patted you. There had been a sense of satisfaction in his touch, but you weren’t sure if it was for you, or himself.

***

Late that night, you were awoken by the soft sounds of cloth moving around. You opened your eyes to quite the sight at the campfire, so you lay in your bedroll, feigning sleep so you could watch surreptitiously. 

It was quite the contrast to Astarion’s usual day time persona.

He was shirtless, sitting cross legged by the fire pit. His profile was lit by the slowly dying light of the campfire and the full moon, his brows furrowed in concentration as he slowly sewed together the damage on his undershirt. You could tell from the toned muscles on his bare torso that he wasn’t just eye candy. He could hold his own in a fight, and from the past couple of days, you got the idea from the others that he was a little extra gleeful when he got to stab someone.

He hissed when he pricked himself with the needle, his brow furrowing even more. He brought the shirt closer to his face, examining the tear from different directions. His movements seemed a bit slow, as if he was exhausted from the day’s activities.

Maybe if he ate my fucking food, he wouldn’t be so tired.

You shook your head of your ire and sighed. You couldn’t watch him do this any longer when you could easily fix this with your cantrip. Rolling out of your bedroll, you quietly crawled over to him.

He looked over at you and promptly looked away.

“What, come to mock my sewing skills?” he asked. His usual sass was only half-present, as if he was too drained to defend himself.

His defeated tone saddened you a bit. Looking closer, you noticed that there were mends all over, and the stitching appeared to be a bit haphazard. You reached for the shirt, only to have him suddenly yank it away.

“Don’t. Touch.”

You blinked. Then you looked at him, truly looked at him. He was frowning, his body almost curled defensively. He was holding onto his shirt like it was his only possession in the world. Under your gaze, his glare changed to a tired expression.

“What do you want,” he asked in a deadpan tone as he slumped a little.

“I just wanted to help,” you said sincerely. For all the attitude you had given him before, you didn’t hate him. It wasn’t his fault you disliked most nobles.

He tipped his head and considered your offer. Slowly he held out the shirt to you, his eyes staring into yours. “Can you fix this?” he asked in barely a whisper.

Taking it gently, you examined it in the dim light. It was hard to see, so instead you ran your hands over all of the material and realized that it wasn’t haphazard stitching. It was layers and layers of thread, as if he had carefully mended his clothes over and over again. He was a noble, wasn’t he? Couldn’t he just buy new clothes? Why would he go through the trouble of repairing something that was worn out to such an extent?

Your fingers carefully searched for what seemed to be the oldest mend. From old to new, you told yourself. Contrary to how this spell was taught, you had figured out that reversing the order would strengthen the repairs of the newer section by unraveling everything down to the core and rebuilding it anew. It was a slower, more meticulous process, but it made for a stronger repair. 

You focused closely on the fabric and began to hum. It was an old song, a song from your childhood. A song that made you think of sunlit evenings and aurora midnights that lasted but a moment, of moonlit days and months of snow. The cloth unraveled slowly, and then came back together, the old threads falling to the wayside and then woven back into the cloth as if they had always belonged there. The scars from the past make up the skin of today, so it must be incorporated back in, not discarded nor removed. At least, that was how your cantrip worked.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see him leaning in closer, but you ignored him as you continued to work. It was critical to maintain the song, maintain the flow, otherwise you would have to start all over. And somehow, the importance of this was understood, since Astarion sat by quietly as you worked. You weren’t sure how long it took, but when you finished, the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, and your throat was dry from the constant use of your voice.

Finally, you looked up and blinked. Your vision was a little blurry, but you could see Astarion looking at the shirt with awe in his expression.

He seemed far away as you handed the shirt back to him. His hands ran over the places that you had worked extra hard on, where several patches and mends had occurred, overlapping each other.

“It’s… perfect. As if it were brand new,” he murmured.

You were insightful enough to know that this shirt meant much more to him than he let on. So you quietly stood and left him to his musings.

He suddenly grabbed your hand. You were surprised to feel a deep gratitude before he let go, his expression vacillating from something softer to awkward before settling on his habitual sneer. “I suppose you’ll be wanting some coin for your trouble,” he said, his usual snarky tone returning.

You shook your head. “I just wanted to help,” you repeated, and meant it. You decided to just begin your morning chores, but not before glancing back to see him touching his shirt with a reverence that made your heart clench in sympathy.

What would make a noble cling to a simple piece of clothing so earnestly?

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

End Notes: More cantrips, more singing. Hope y’all don’t mind, as it's going to be a theme here. I re-wrote that internal monologue that Hearth Witch is having in her head while she’s standing by the water so many times, so I hope the emotions came through. Next week, the chapter that most of you are probably looking forward to - let’s get close to Astarion. Really close.

[kkvqwrites]

Team Building

The 141 attend a team-building exercise at Price's request.

Word Count: 589

Characters (in order of appearance): Johnny "Soap" Mactavish, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, Captain John Price, Simon "Ghost" Riley

A/N: This is short and to-the-point, but I thought the idea was goofy and fun. Low stakes, no angst, just a silly day off for the 141 boys. Hope you enjoy!

The afternoon sun beat down on their heads as the four soldiers met in the parking lot of a strip mall.

"An escape room? Really?" Soap raised an eyebrow. "Are we in the right place?"

"We are - and it's gonna be great," replied the captain. "It's good for morale."

"It's our day off, Cap." Gaz didn't look up from his phone as he spoke. "Morale would be best served by a day at the pool or a pub trip." The captain swiped an exasperated hand down his face.

"Put that bloody phone away - this is exactly why we're doing this. On the battlefield we need to be in the moment and thinking as a unit; this is the perfect exercise to get us there. And besides, Laswell found something called a groupon." He opened the door and ushered the three pouting grown men into the lobby.

_____

"You can't be serious," came Ghost's voice. It was the first time he spoke all afternoon. Behind him, the sergeants echoed his protest.

"You heard me," came the captain's booming voice, drowning out the groans. "No weapons, no cell phones. We figure this out the old-fashioned way." The men reluctantly handed over phones, guns, knives, and one grenade ("You never know!" said Soap). None of the soldiers looked happy about it, but all complied. Gaz and Soap complained the loudest, but Ghost preferred to seethe silently. He found it was better to shut up and get it over with when Price had one of his "fun" ideas.

The setting: a room made to resemble a medieval dungeon that wouldn't be entirely out of place at a child's birthday party.

The objective: brew a potion in an enchanted chalice that will enable the magic mirror to grant a boon. The "boon" being escape from the medieval dungeon and a fun t-shirt. After the teenage employee finished explaining the premise, he locked them in the suffocating room with a rhyming poem of cryptic instructions.

"Right, then," said the captain, rubbing his hands together. "Let's get to it."

_____

The bickering began almost instantly.

"Cap, I think you're overthinking this; there isn't a vial of "moon water" in the cabinet for the spell. I think we need to take the moonlight essence and stir it into the water to make the potion," Gaz reasoned.

"No, no, it specifically says moon water - Soap! Stop mixing random shit together!" The sergeant rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me for thinking outside the box! Won't happen again! 'Course if I had my knife I could pick the lock and get us out of here!"

"That defeats the spirit, Mactavish!"

"Yeah Johnny, the spirit."

"Awa' an bile yer heid, Gaz. Fuckin' suckup."

"Language!"

"Sorry, sir."

Ghost's eye twitched. There was no clock in this room, but it felt like it had been hours listening to the back-and-forth. He'd made an effort to stay busy trying to find the pieces to the "magic chalice" but his patience was rapidly wearing thin. He looked back at his teammates, three grown men arguing in earnest about which gemstones to add to the potion to enchant the mirror for their next clue, and suddenly an idea struck.

Without thinking, he grabbed the pistol he kept on a calf holster and shot the shitty plastic padlock right off the door.

The room went silent behind him. He turned and saw the stunned gazes of the others, all frozen in the middle of assembling the chalice.

"What?" he asked. "I escaped."

[bluebiirrd]

( aubrey plaza. cis female. she/her. ) - let me introduce you to a friend of the eversley family, BLUE NAVARRO came to stay at the eversley estate because SHE NEEDED TO GET OUT OF LOS ANGELES. they are THIRTY-FIVE and are known as THE SOCIALITE to the family because they are FLIRTATIOUS, CHAOTIC, AND DRAMATIC. when you get to know them, you think about RED LIPSTICK PAIRED WITH A RED DRESS, PILES OF TABLOID MAGAZINES but you can only wonder what brought them to the eversley estate.

Birth Name: Bluebird Isabella Jade Madison-Navarro.

Full name: Blue Isabella Navarro.

Nickname: Blue Navarro, Blue, Bee, Birdie.

Age: 35.

DOB: November 3rd, 1988.

 Zodiac Sign(s): Scorpio sun, Sagittarius moon, Cancer rising.

Hometown: Los Angeles, California.

Familial: Lana Jade Madison (mother; alive), David Navarro (father; deceased), Ira Madison (maternal grandfather; deceased), Wolfe Madison (maternal half brother; alive).

Hair color: Brown.

Eye color: Brown.

Height: 5'6.

Sexuality: Pansexual

Relationship Status: Single.

Occupation: Socialite / Social Media Influencer.

Character Inspirations: Alex Vause (Orange is the New Black), Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother), Trish Walker (Jessica Jones), Siobhan Roy (Succession), Samantha Jones (Sex and the City), Elaine Benes (Seinfeld), Fleabag (Fleabag).

tldr; blue comes from an affluent and very famous family in los angeles (mom is a legendary actress). her claim to fame is that she was a very rowdy young person and was regularly making covers of tabloids (think paris hilton / lindsay lohan). very directionless and chooses to distract herself from this by being an overgrown party girl. she’s a lot of fun.

If you’ve picked up any tabloid magazine in the last thirty five years, you’ve heard the name Bluebird Madison-Navarro, mostly known as Blue Navarro these days.  If you haven’t, you must be living under a rock. She’s the miracle child born to her mother, Lana Jade Madison, an world known, Oscar winning actress and David Navarro, leader of the 70’s rock band, Cosmic Grove . Granddaughter of Ira Madison, a three time Oscar winning director. Half sister to award winning actor and producer, Wolfe Madison. Needless to say, Blue comes from a world of recognition, respect, and most importantly, reputation.

Growing up, Blue was constantly in the limelight. She hated everything about it. Blue hated being photographed, she hated how strangers knew her name, frankly, she hated being a Madison. When she was a teenager, she decided that if she was getting all the stress that came with being a high profile person, she should at least get the perks too, right? Blue started taking advantage of the name. It opened a lot of doors for her in the lavish Hollywood party scene. 

She followed in her mother’s footsteps, as she found herself on the covers of magazines. Except, Blue didn’t star in movies or win awards. She got caught up in scandals. The paparazzi seemed to catch her in private moments. Like having a cigarette at fifteen or sneaking into 21+ clubs at eighteen. The media also seemed very interested to know the endless string of boyfriends and girlfriends she had in her early adulthood.

Eventually, the tabloids got bored of her, but she was never able to wash away the reputation they gave her. Her mother certainly never forgot. Even to this day, her mother reminds Blue how her past antics had cheapened the Madison name. How instead of creating something great out of herself, she settled for mindless entertainment.

Blue has settled for what she has always known. Parties. Having fun. Distraction. She runs from the emptiness she feels, from the feelings of unworthiness, from the possibility that her mother is right, her only offering to world came and went nearly twenty years ago. She tries to run from the realization she was given all of the opportunity anyone could want in the world and she's done nothing with it.

What better way to distract herself from her woes than spending her summer far far away from Los Angeles?

TIDBITS ;

Blue has over a million followers on Instagram. While she is still a trust fund baby, she makes her own money as an influencer. Her posts are mostly about lifestyle.

She never got the acting bug. She tried it once. As a child, she had a small role in one of her mother's films. She had one line. Like her mother says, Blue wasn't a natural.

Her and her brother Wolfe share a twenty two year old age difference. They weren't close until his relationship with Cressida Wilder, who Blue admired very much. When their marriage ended, Blue's and Wolfe's relationship fizzled as well.

The only form of normalcy and mundaneness Blue ever had was with her father, David. His band was very well known in the 70's and his relationship with Lana Jade gave him some relevancy. However, when their relationship ended, David's own fame evaporated. He left LA and went to New Mexico, where he's originally from. When the tabloids got really bad, she would visit him. It was a very surreal experience being a regular civilian.

On her eighteenth birthday, she legally changed her name to Blue Isabella Navarro.

Her favorite color is red.

[noellie-writes217]

Peer Tutor

Peter goes to get his records and ends up meeting an indie punk genius instead.

WC:717

By some miracle, Peter managed to see his records from Midtown School of Science and Technology. He even had to go in, see his principal, who forgot he existed— that wasn’t awkward at all— and asked for his records transferred to an online school. He showed the same sympathy towards Peter that he shows all the new ninth graders at initiation. “Well Peter, I can’t say I’m happy you’re leaving us. Why did you miss so much school to begin with?”

Peter does his best to hide his emotions, never making eye contact seems to be the best he can do. “My aunt died.”

The principal sucked in a breath, “Do you have anyone else who could take care of you?”

“No,” he sighs, “my parents died in a plane crash when I was ten. My grandparents died before I was born, and my uncle was in a car accident.”

The principal nodded. “I’ll tell you what,” he starts. Peter finally looks up. “Instead of transferring you, just try to make up your missing work and I won’t dock you points for it.”

Peter felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time— hope.

“I’ll even talk to another student about tutoring you in the concepts you missed.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah!” The principal sits back in his chair before getting serious and leaning into the desk, “You seem like a good kid, and you’ve been through a lot. But dropping out of high school or transferring to some no-name online school won’t help you get into college. I saw your GPA before you went MIA. You’re way too smart to not get to a good college. So I’m here if you need anything— so is Ms. Kafka.” Peter nods and exits his office feeling better than when he first went in.

___

“Peter?” A voice called from the office lobby. Peter nearly jumped before realizing it was MJ.

“That’s your name right?” She asks. “Peter Piper?”

And the delusion leaves Peter as he gives the most natural fake smile he can muster. “It’s Peter Parker.”

She straightens her posture, something Peter has realized it’s something she does when she’s embarrassed.

“Uh, how do you know my name?” He asks.

“You came to where I work one day…” She starts “— I’m not a stalker! I just have a good memory.”

Peter chuckles at the irony. “So I’ve never seen you here before— I actually thought you were thought you graduated.”

Peter rubs the back of his neck and chuckles in his nervous fashion, “Yeah, no, I- I actually um… I’m a senior.”

“Well, I guess I’ll see you around.” MJ waves goodbye to him.

———

The day after, Peter goes to his classes and sees a blond girl waiting for him at his locker with a very thick two-inch binder after his third-period AP Physics.

“So, you’re Peter?” She asks.

Before he answers he tugs on his backpack strap. “Who are you?”

“Gwen.”

Peter tries to place where he’s heard that name before.

She pushes the binder to his chest, “This is yours.” She ‘explains’. “Principal Morita asked me to get it to you. It’s all of your missing work. I’m your new peer advisor. If it sounds made up… it’s because it definitely is.”

Peter can’t even get a word in.

“So here’s how it’s gonna work: you and I are gonna study three days a week and every Sunday, you’re gonna text me every time you get a new assignment— I’ve already put together my information in that binder. Everything in there is color-coded and I put resources for studying in the back. We have the same homeroom since now and we will be spending study hall together. If you have an emergency, I’d recommend you handle it until our joined study days because I’m almost always busy with my internship, dance, and electives. So solve your own problems on those days. On Sundays, you’re eating dinner at my house so we can prep for Mondays. Am I clear?”

Peter opens up the binder to see her name and information scribbled in cursive. He nods.

“Great.” She fastens her backpack strap. “I have AP music theory next, so just get your classes done then meet me back here after school.”

With that, she walks away.

Peter’s phone buzzes from inside his pocket. It's Felicia.

‘He just robbed some penthouse in Manhattan. Cops can't do anything because someone paid them off. This is why I need you to help. Please Peter.’

Peter softly bangs his head against his locker after reading that text. “I hate everything.”

[pluckysidekick]

I’m back with Part 2 of my playlist of Great American Songbook standards and other classic songs that embody Nace’s journey in Season 4, inspired by @emorfili’s post. Check out Part 1 here. Both posts contain Spotify links, but you can find all of these tracks on Apple Music and YouTube. DM me for a link to the entire playlist. Shall we?

1. Picking up with fan favorite Episode 408, George Benson’s 1976 slammin’ This Masquerade, written by Leon Russell, works on so many levels for this episode: Nancy and Ace having to pretend to be each other in front on Thom, acting as if everything is OK between them, with neither saying what they really feel. “We tried to talk it over but the words got in the way, We're lost inside this lonely game we play.”

2. They Can’t Take That Away from Me is so perfect for the 408 sunset scene when Ace returns Nancy’s necklace, and they seem to come to some kind of peace (for the present). They may not have been able to make it work, but they still have a deep bond that no one can take away. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s duet of the Gershwin classic is the version.

3. Witchcraft - Frank Sinatra’s definitive version works for so much of Nancy Drew, but I picked it for Episode 409 for Nancy and Ace’s twin supernatural storylines, each of them beginning to fall for someone who may not be what they seem, and of course for Bess’s day in court defending the supernatural, and exposing the real history of Horseshoe Bay with witchcraft.

4. Nancy tells Nick in 409 that she wants a relationship that’s simpler than the ‘messy’ state of things with Ace (although note the look on her face as she says it). A Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James describes so well what Nancy thinks she wants in 409 and going into 410. Meanwhile Ace is falling under the spell of his mystery ghost - you could even say he’s Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered (I would). I went with Doris Day’s classic take from 1950.

5. Speaking of 410, I had to give a nod to Tristan Glass with Nat King Cole’s Nature Boy. Poor Tristan really goes through it this season and especially in this episode as he fights for his life when his would-be date shoots him, and from which he recovers only for his parents to kidnap and attempt to sacrifice her. I hope he has a nice life!

6. Episode 411 has Nancy crashing Ace’s Seder and causing a storm inside The Claw when she tries to raise Alice to discover how she died. Harold Arlen’s Stormy Weather sung by Lena Horne really drives home Ace’s stormy emotions, Nancy’s desperation (“Don't know why, there's no sun up in the sky, Stormy weather, Since my man and I ain't together, keeps raining all of the time”) and Alice’s pain that generates the storm.

7. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - The tension between Nancy and Ace that spills over from 411 to Episode 412 is all the more shocking because we’re used to them being soft with each other. But once Nancy is hot on the trail of the sin she erased, she’s not going to give up. Harold Arlen’s song, here sung by Tony Bennett in 1964, perfectly depicts that tension as Ace tries to give Nancy the runaround (and of course she isn’t having it): “I don’t want you, But I hate to lose you, You’ve got me in between, The devil and the deep blue sea”.

8. I’ve Got You Under My Skin - The venom that erupts when Ace & Nancy repeatedly confront each other in 412 couldn’t exist without the strong feelings that still run under the surface. Nancy admitting that she hasn’t moved on, and the look Ace gives her - they’ve got each other under their skin. Frank Sinatra’s 1956 gorgeous recording of the Cole Porter tune mirrors the back and forth of the star-crossed lovers throughout the season, but especially as we near the end.

9. “Oh Sinnerman, where you going to run to?” That’s the question this traditional spiritual continues to ask throughout Nina Simone’s 1965 powerhouse of a track. Nancy and Ace are both on the run in 412 — Nancy toward the truth of their sin, and Ace away from it. In Episode 413, they work together with the Crew and Tristan to lift the sin fog that’s infected the town, and discover Nancy’s soul connection to the root of the town’s sin. This legendary recording captures the frenetic energy of Nancy and Ace’s journey toward redemption and forgiveness.

10. The finale quickly moves from chaos to resolution of all of our favorite characters’ futures — and for Nancy and Ace’s relationship. Johnny Hartman’s voice on 1963’s My One and Only Love is simply beautiful, capturing Ace’s emotion as he finally comes back to Nancy, heart in hand. Swoon.

11. It Had to Be You - I had to include this one, recorded by Harry Connick, Jr. for another epic slow burn, friends to lovers romance, 1989’s When Harry Met Sally. Nancy and Ace are the soulmates that chose each other (and their friends), which this song’s lyrics capture so perfectly: “For nobody else gives me a thrill, with all your faults, I love you still, it had to be you, wonderful you, it had to be you.”

12. Cheek to Cheek - We didn't get the 6 minute director's cut of this scene that included a little dance with a dip (grr), but we did get that sense of effervescence once Ace and Nancy have broken the curse. Ella and Louis trading off verses on Irving Berlin's timeless classic is just the mood.

13. Ending on a sentimental note, At Last Nancy and Ace are together, and they and all of the Crew have the next part of their journeys mapped out. This lovely Etta James 1960 track is a perfect ending for this playlist, and for Nancy and Ace, Bess, George, and Nick as they say goodbye to The Claw.

So there you have it, my picks for Nace S4, classic style. Would love to hear what you think! Tell me your favorite pick, what I missed, or what you would have chosen instead. Hope this playlist brings a little joy this festive season - I think it’s the perfect background soundtrack for reading all of the @secretsleuthexchange fics!

[imtherain]

Be Holding Me

Hey there

Today was lame and my stomach was a POS as it is wont to do, so I threw up about it. Didn’t feel great after (surprise surprise) so I wrote an incredible indulgent fanfic which is 100% a self insert and if you have a problem with that you can fuck right off.

But, yeah, not feeling good, wanted some cuddles, currently in love with Ghost, so here we are.

Warnings: talk about getting sick/losing one’s lunch, very slight mention of blood, Ghost being a chair. No pancakes. idk man I just work here

Anywho

~~~~~

I get sick a lot.

I always say it's my ungrateful stomach, or my useless meat suit. Some days, no matter how nice I am to them, they rebel and I lose my lunch. Or dinner. Or breakfast. It was never fun, but after so many years of this nonsense, I’d grown, unfortunately, used to it.

Today was no different. Something random set me off, a smell maybe. I’d been set off by something as mundane as the air freshener before, even though it was the same one I had always used. It didn’t really matter the why though, only that it happened, and now I was woozy, annoyed with my lot in life, and needing some positive attention.

So I went looking for Ghost.

Anyone else who knew Ghost would think he would be the last person you’d look to for comfort. He was big, intimidating… glared a lot. But under all that big badass energy, he was secretly a softie. Well, maybe not for everyone, but he definitely was for me.

He was on the couch, watching the sports channel when I found him. He glanced up at me, but didn’t say anything. He knew that usually I didn’t want to talk about it, sometimes I didn’t even want to acknowledge it.

I went right up to him and crawled into his lap. He shook his head a little, but adjusted so that there was room for the both of us, and tucked my head under his chin. I hummed, content to be held for a bit.

“I hope you didn’t have to hear all that,” I said.

“Want me to lie to you?” Ghost said.

“Sorry,” I was always embarrassed when someone had to hear the tragedy that was my insides. I knew it wasn’t fun for anyone involved.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” He said. “Need anything?”

“Just this for now,” I told him, nuzzling myself into his neck. I felt him chuckle as his arms held me a little tighter for a moment. If anyone accused Ghost of being nice, he’d call them a liar. 

“Did you drink some water?” He asked. I grunted at him.

“I brushed my teeth,” I offered instead.

“Not the same,” He shifted so he could reach down next to the couch and handed me his water bottle. “Drink,”

“Boo,” I complained but I drank some before resettling against his chest. One of his hands began rubbing up and down my back and I hummed again, closing my eyes. He was warm and everywhere and it was nice.

I could tell he had gone back to watching his game because he started cursing under his breath about a bad call. I smiled though because it was so damn domestic.

“How we feeling?” Ghost’s voice pulled me from the slight doze I’d found myself in. If he wasn’t so comfortable, it wouldn’t have been such a problem to stay awake.

“Like shit,” I told him.

“What can I do about it?” He asked.

“Kill me?” I offered hopefully.

“Negative,” 

“Why not?”

“Too much of a mess,” I snorted at him.

“You’re no fun,” 

“Never said I was,” But he moved to press his forehead into my hair. I always joked that he was like a cat that gave head bonks instead of using his words. I didn’t mind, sometimes words didn’t help anyway.

I bonked him back and I could feel him smile through his balaklava.

“I could always try to fuck you better,” He offered with a smirk even his mask couldn’t hide.

“I don’t know that that’d make me feel any better,” But I was smiling.

“Always makes me feel better,” Another gentle knock of his forehead against me. 

“That’s cuz you’re a slut, Simon,” I shifted slightly to press a kiss to his cloth covered cheek. There was a time that was the closest I got to skin. He moved to pull his mask up to his nose.

“Like I’m going to let you get away with that,” But he was grinning. He held me tighter so I couldn’t escape him as he kissed my face. I laughed and tried to push him away, but he was far stronger than me, and really, I didn’t want to be anywhere else. “Kiss me,” He commanded softly. I rolled my eyes at him.

“I just got sick, you don’t want to be near my mouth,” 

“You’ve kissed me when there’s been blood on my face, and you at least brushed your teeth,” He reminded me. I snorted at him again.

“That was a very different situation,” I said.

“Don’t care,” This time he took matters into his own hands, and by matters, I mean my face. He tipped my head back and covered my mouth with his. For a long moment, there was nothing else in the whole world but his lips on mine. No school or work or groceries to get. No rent or bills or stress. No ungrateful stomach, no useless meatsuit. Just Simon.

And that was more than enough.

[Masterlist]

[More Ghost]

[niuniente]

I'm loving all these side stories exploring the DHD universe! Each one so far has been pretty great. I love alrick and his story very much, but it's fun to get to see and focus on these other characters too. Pearl was entertaining and I'm excited to see what's up with Plague

Your art is also always such a treat. I was just thinking to myself today that I kind of wanted to study the way you use background art. The grayscale filtered photos spaced out between white space without feeling empty is really hard to pull off, but I think you do so very well.

While Alrick is the main protagonist, you are right that we need to see other characters, too. It avoids stories being repetitive and gives readers a chance to mirror characters against each other; when character X is like this, and character Y is the opposite, they underline each character's traits. Whether it's their values, looks, age, gender, sex, job, living situation, dreams, fears, past, future etc. We learn about ourselves in relation to others so this same goes to characters, too.

Characters being surrounded by other characters also reveal new things from each other. Miranda can't really talk about how being a Death-Head's girlfriend affects her and the relationship with her coworkers but she can speak about it with Alrick. Joon is very lively and Miranda is super supportive of Joon, but only Alrick will understand how it is to work as a Death-Head. Plague is an ass for everyone but doesn't speak back to Kahamet (so he knows his place). Alrick is considering others but through Dio we see what happens when Alrick (or anyone) considers others above the Death-Head rules.

Also, the easiest way to expand the world or theme is to see it from other character's perspective, from their neighborhood so to say. Alrick doesn't seem to be working as a Death-Head to collect payments but Grimm does and uses this right of his without hesitation or remorse. Ama and Awa view Death-Head work as a luxury service whereas Dio does his dirty job and doesn't view the job as anything to do with luxury. Grimm enjoys being a faction leader, Plague doesn't want it. Lou-Lou is horrified with Death-Heads, Miranda lives and sleeps with one. Society views Death-Heads and their deals as something horrific, but for Pearl meeting Grimm via her deal was a lottery win. Mr. Singer loses his teeth as a payment, Cure loses her life. Rena doesn't make deals but Grimm does and can only do it because Algoth busts his ass off to give Grimm room for deals.

..

If you ever come up with something with studying my art, please, let me know! We're blind to our own work, can't see them the same way as outsiders too. I think one reason why the space doesn't feel so empty is the colored speech bubbles, which are connected to each character. I think the result would be more hollow if all speech bubbles where just blank white. The characters take more space with their colored speech bubbles. (I originally started this as I hated drawing speech lines to right character. If they are individually character color coded, then it's a lot easier to do speech bubbles!)

Why I went to comics without background was due two things. First, I didn't want to draw them. I don't enjoy them. I hate it. I don't enjoy at all thinking about compositions, perspectives, hues or values, nor about panel placements. Been there, done that, hated every minute of it. I don't want to spend my precious limited free time and limited resources on things I hate. My emphasis is on the characters and the comic is drawn in a way that it doesn't have to put emphasis on the things I hate, like panel placements and directing viewers gaze.

Second thing is that rules in art are human made. Sure, some things do make the viewing more pleasant and carry your story - I went to an art school - but many of the rules you don't need. If you are famous, you're even praised for breaking them!

I had that almost rioting epiphany when I was in the art school. I happened to see from TV news how in the modern art museums, there was a new exhibition by an American painter. He was famous for painting portraits and hanging them upside down. The curator of the exhibition was explaining with shining eyes how amazing this method is! How amazing it is that this painter challenges the viewer by hanging the paintings upside down! How revolutionary!

I thought "He gets praised for hanging paintings upside down, but if I did the same anywhere, even in the art school, I would be scolded for a cheap trick or be even called downright an idiot. So, why it is allowed to him and not for me?"

As I hate injustice like this, I've made my mind to fuck around and find out when it comes to my own art, and remember; if what I do was done by someone famous, it would be praised as something exceptional. If it's allowed to someone, then damned I be, I'm going to take that right for myself, too!

[zeydaan-isabella]

Fang's Requiem - Zeydaan

Recently, my friends El_Mariachi249 and Fiona-sapphire got me into the game Goodbye Volcano High, a very sweet game with some lovely music and an excellent NB character Fang. Despite being a recent release, noticed there wasn't any TF related things for the game at all. Thought I'd rectify that. Song being sung is "Good Riddance" by Green Day Story below done by HudsonSpacecraft

“Okay, okay, good job, everyone! Now let’s take five,” Zeydaan directed their fellow employees. It was a busy day at the local Maiden Menagerie in the bustling city of Mailor. Granted, that could be said about every day (to say that running a business period was mentally taxing was to make a rather obvious joke), but there was reason to feel particularly stressed out at the moment, for it was today that the humble establishment hosted its first major event in quite some time: a Pride Memorial Concert. This had been something that Zeydaan had been pushing for a good while, since their non-binary upbringing and empathy for their kin in the queer community made them quite vocal about advocating for civil rights on their world of Schism Earth. In the current state of their state’s politics that actively marginalized “nonhumans” and currently had no plans to change that, the fae-witch had taken great pride in establishing events like this to make the minorities of their world more heard. As a being of adept magical power, they additionally  And to that end, what better place to promote solidarity than at their current place of work?  Zeydaan had proudly worked at the Menagerie for years. It wasn’t the most high-paying job in the world, but it certainly kept the lights on for them (their career as a “superhero” in the Hawkmoths often dealt with more ‘fate of the world’ than starting political conversations), and they had a certain amount of rapport with their coworkers as well as their superiors. Upper management was thankfully all for their concert idea, though in their initial pitch to the other staff, it was brought up that the musical talent that their budget could allow was on the smaller side. In lieu of established musical talent in town, however, Zeydaan graciously volunteered to be the one performing a concert’s headlining song. There was one snag, though: they didn’t exactly have the qualifications to do so. They were far from musically illiterate or unskilled with instruments, but they had only picked up the guitar a couple weeks ago and had only learned a couple of elementary chords by now. Their singing voice was slightly above average, but to pretend it was anything more than that would be to embarrass themself. However, they would not have signed up if they didn’t already have a plan in place, and all they needed to do was see if the decorations would suffice before they went back home. “Hmm…does this look good?” Their fellow dragon employee Blue asked as they took a step back and admired the job they did. It’d taken all morning and even a bit of the afternoon to set all this up, but their work definitely paid off. From the hanging lanterns providing just the right amount of mood lighting to the assorted collages of photos from all of Zeydaan’s work with their team, the Hawkmoths, in their rallies for nonhuman and queer rights, to the pride flags on the wall with complimentary miniature flags for every denomination they could think of. At this point, the staff (which barely was more than half a dozen people) felt like calling it a day  “Alright, I think we’ve done a good job so far…how are we doing for time?” Zeydaan asked, getting a bit antsy about if they could work out their plan in time. “Concert starts at eight, so…like seven hours?” Another employee enlightened them. “Oh, thank goodness…” Zeydaan sighed as they rushed out the door. “Take your time, give me about an hour and I’ll be back!” Quickly, they raced to the other side of town to their humble cottage, where their instruments and the next step of their plan awaited them. Once to their chair and with their guitar in hand, though…hmm, they couldn’t quite do it just yet. Was it anxiety? Maybe. Either way, Zeydaan couldn’t help but have their mind drift back to the not so distant past. “Hm…are you sure you’re going to go through with this?” Zeydaan’s fellow teammate Alvis warned them as they were about to conjure up a portal to a different dimension. “I just want you to know full well that you’re entering ‘incoming apocalypse’ territory. Many people are as good as dead already.” “Yes, I know, I won’t try to tear myself up that much about it,” Zeydaan nodded. Earlier, when they had spotted this dimension through their scanners, an unstoppable fleet of asteroids were headed for collision with the planet they were now traveling toward.  “Plus, if on this trip, you somehow die—” “Don’t worry, I won’t. It’s just when I saw the scan of this dimension…I couldn’t help but feel like it’d be a waste to have it all disappear without a trace. All the people with no one to tell their stories. I’d like to at least document some things before it all goes down.” “Alright then, just be back at the earliest opportunity. You wouldn’t want to worry us.” “Got it,” Zeydaan said as they ventured into their portal. At the other end lay a seemingly normal town, the name of which they gleaned as Caldera Bay. Not wanting to attract more attention than they already would have (being someone who made their entrance through a swirling dimensional portal), they used their shapeshifting abilities to blend in with the prehistoric-looking population. Walking around the city was a healthy population of dinosaur people, and this opportunity granted Zeydaan the privilege of seeing a multitude of people go throughout their final days. Granted, there were a fair share of people who wanted a way out (to which Zeydaan gladly allowed them a ferry through one of their signature portals), but they were certainly taken aback by the number of people gladly coming to terms with their own mortality.  During their travels, though, they had found themself in a celebration called Calderafest, among a sizable crowd. Truthfully, they’d been just going wherever the wind took them for the afternoon, but the clamoring of the people around them made them think they were about to see something good.  “Hellooo, Caldera Bay! How are we feeling tonight?” The announcer walked up on stage to say as hype slowly started to build around them. “Welcome to the last concert you’ll ever see! I know you’re all dying to see Worm Drama right now, am I right?” Crickets.  “That got dark,” the announcer replied. Failed attempts at an introduction aside, Zeydaan stood patiently as the three-piece band got up on stage and started to play, with the crowd noticeably quiet and letting the music speak for itself. And what music it was, Zeydaan thought, allowing the tones to wash over them like the tide. We won't sit around and let the world go by We're gonna fly around the big, black sky tonight And when the fire falls from on high, We can be the pretty heroes if we try, tonight As the song continued on, Zeydaan’s appreciation for it only grew, with the fae-witch appreciating the lush instrumental, powerful lyrics, and especially the soulful vocals by the lead guitarist. They’d certainly have to meet with them after the show, they thought as they continued with another song.  Back seat baby with the wind whipped high When we said goodbye Got my eyes up baby with the pulling tide I did not know why I had my eyes up looking for a flag or a sign Just a sunset sigh With the concert coming to a close, Zeydaan was one among dozens of people clamoring and applauding at their marvelous performance. After Worm Drama had gone backstage, they couldn’t help but flag the band down to engage in a bit of casual conversation.  “Hello, don’t mean to intrude, but I just wanted to say I was a huge fan of your performance back there,” Zeydaan greeted them. “Who are you, anyway?” “Oh, thanks!” The guitarist of the trio was taken aback slightly by their praise. “Well, I’m Fang. Those are Trish and Reed back there. I like the outfit, by the way.” “Thanks,” the fae-witch replied as they looked down at their distinctly goth getup this run around. “My name’s Zeydaan, and I did actually want to ask you something.” “Shoot.” “If you were given the choice to start anew somewhere else with all of your friends, would you do it?” “Nah. I mean, I wouldn’t wanna take the easy way out, honestly. I did all I could in this life…it’s not worth thinking about all these ‘what ifs.’ We just had the best performance of our lives just now, and I wouldn’t have any other way to go out.” Zeydaan admittedly kind of knew that Fang would respond that way (that was kind of what they were singing about in the first place), but their response touched their heart all the same. The two proceeded to talk it up further about the life they had lived up until that point, and how they harbored little regret as they were about to witness their incoming demise. Out of everyone they had asked that day, even among those who had similarly reconciled everything in their lives before their demise. Perhaps the fact they’d just listened to their wonderful song was at play, perhaps it was their chill tone of voice, perhaps it was the comfort in talking with a fellow enby (their “they/them” pin on their bag said it all), but that talk with Fang and their fellow bandmates was probably the best they had in quite some time. As Zeydaan departed on their portal back home on Schism Earth, they waved Fang goodbye. They’d made a new friend that day, even if they only knew them for a couple of minutes. Their memory came to a close as Zeydaan looked at all the photos that they had taken that day once more. There had to be at least a hundred different photos of locales and people of this dimension, yet it didn’t feel like enough to Zeydaan. At the end of the lengthy list, however, were the couple of photos they had taken with Fang.  Even though they were…well, dead, Zeydaan didn’t exactly feel the most comfortable appropriating their lyrics like this, so they decided to start playing another song they thought would fit the concert well. Pulling up a bit of sheet music, helping themself to a couple of meat-fruit, and having a quick change of clothes, they started to practice their song.  “So take the photographs and still frames of your mind…” Zeydaan sang, getting through the first part of the song as the first inklings of transformation were about to unfold within their body. It began to take form within their hair. Their shoulder-length haircut cascaded down to their waist, with them having to flick their head back to get it out of their eyes as to not take their hands off their guitar. In addition, it lightened itself to a luminous silver color, as did their eyebrows. From the back of their scalp sprouted a good-sized white horn with triangular gray stripes lining its top, giving their profile a distinct silhouette, especially as a thick, spiked bracelet materialized right on top of their hair. Zeydaan blinked their eyes as their irises became striking amber and their pupils gained a reptilian, almond shape. Subtle bits of makeup appeared at their top, their red and blue color sticking out next to the rather plain gray and white. Zeydaan could hear the quality of their vocals improve in real time as the changes descended down their mouth and throat, the distinct voice of Fang beginning to come through. Along the way, their snout was about to transform as well, becoming much more angular, with their nostrils migrating to the base of said snout. Within their mouth, their rather unassuming teeth at least doubled in their number as they shrank down to compensate, creating a new set of pointy little things as Zeydaan’s mind momentarily drifted to how Fang’s dental appointments must have been. They digressed, however, as the changes departed from affecting their head. “Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time…” Zeydaan continued to sing as the transformation soon moved on to their torso, leaving a new set of off-white down in lieu of their coat of fur they had before as well as a prominent choker on their neck. Zeydaan continued to go off on their guitar as well, their timing and execution getting better by the second as they could feel Fang’s skill build in their mind. As they did, they felt their jacket they’d loosely worn on their person begin to fade away, as well as the yellow shirt they’d worn underneath shading itself to be jet black. The sleeves soon deprecated themselves, along with its lower half to become a crop top, complete with a couple of tears at the bottom. A small skull necklace also appeared on their chest and wrapped its string around Zeydaan’s neck. From this part of their body, they could also feel themselves getting quite a bit thinner. Granted, Zeydaan wasn’t very heavy, usually, but they couldn’t help but notice the rather thin physique their body now possessed as it became that of Fang’s.  “Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial…” Zeydaan felt their arms beginning to change, with them similarly replacing the pelage they had before with the white down that the pterosaur possessed. Their muscle and bone structure altered themselves as well, several prototypical avian elements inserting themselves into the anatomy of their appendages as the down feathers grew particularly thick near their elbows. Reaching their wrists as a thin Calderafest bracelet popped up on one of them, the transforming fae-witch momentarily felt themselves get off-groove as their hands were becoming more petite and delicate-looking, coinciding with long, black claws sprouting at their fingertips. Thankfully, they were able to get back into the swing of their song as soon as they could. In fact, they were starting to really get a kick out of it, so much so that they could feel their fae wings appearing, though this could’ve also been because they were about to undergo a transformation themselves. Their butterfly-like shape was soon disappearing as a wide array of feathers was coating itself around their paper-thin surfaces. While the sections close to their body was covered in a relatively thin down, on the lower edges of their wings grew several long feathers, which along with them generally expanding outward, allowed a wingspan that was easily double what they had before. For a brief moment, they actually wondered if they could fly with these things…another time, perhaps. “And for what it’s worth, it was worth all the while…” The changes reached Zeydaan’s legs, with them similarly thinning out as the fashion there refined itself to match the rest of the clothes on their body. The comfortable pants Zeydaan usually wore grew a leathery texture as several holes were torn around the pair, not out of the transformation pushing the limits of their resilience but simply to match the style carried by the rest of their garments. The magenta-and-pink sneakers they had on became a uniform black as they became similarly leathery, along with their length extending way past their ankles and their laces extending and criss-crossing along the way. As their tail shifted to become a relatively short appendage that matched the shape and colors of their horn, Zeydaan could feel the magical energy that accompanied all of their shapeshifting subside. As their transformation came to a close, Zeydaan was in the groove, entering an utter flow state of music where they felt invincible on the guitar. Pretty much any riff they could think of, they could do without as much as a thought. A chord progression appeared in their mind, and boom! with sheer muscle memory, it was good as shredded. In fact, they had a certain amount of fun improvising new things right off the cuff. Yet, they managed to curb their enthusiasm after a while, managing to have a look at themselves in their mirror. Hey, looking great, they thought. They recalled Fang complimenting their goth-inspired outfit back at Calderafest, but Fang certainly had an impressive look themself.  Their vision drifted to their wall-clock soon enough, however. 4:07? They’d been at this for a couple hours longer than they thought! The other menagerie employees must’ve been worried sick at this point. Noting the half a dozen missed calls on their phone at this point, they hastily rushed out their door, guitar in hand.  Back at the Maiden Menagerie, the other workers were quite impressed at their form, yet not so impressed at their relative tardiness. Yet, the preparations for the concert continued without a hitch, with them even setting up signs advertising “Zeydaan/Isabella as FANG from Worm Drama” around where they would perform. As the time of their performance came, they couldn’t help but appreciate the number of people, regardless of gender or species, that showed up. “People of Mailor, queer folk and allies alike! Are you ready for a night of fantastic performances?” The concert’s announcer hyped the crowd that had formed around the stage, with their attempts at hype thankfully landing much better than the emcee at Caldera. “We wouldn’t want to keep you waiting, so we’ll start off with a bang. Let’s give a hand for our very own Zeydaan as Fang from Worm Drama!” Zeydaan confidently strutted on stage as they didn’t give one moment of hesitation before starting. After all, they had the skill on the guitar of someone who’d been practicing it all their life! They felt they could do song after song, yet they put the most effort into their final one of the night. As the crowd reactions reached an all time high, they could only smile as they sang their last few lyrics. “It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right…I hope you had the time of your life…”

[kazumahashimoto]

my alien series review upon first watch within a few days

alien: the blueprint. not really my type of film but the impact it had is undeniable. i do think the themes of sexual perversion are the strongest in this one, and it's better for it! the practical effects still hold up for the most part too. i'd go so far as to say they're timeless honestly. a good watch!

aliens: oh my god it's just american military propaganda. like holt shit dude. it is JUST propaganda. the addition of the xenomorph queen was interesting for sure but oh my god. how do so many people view this as being the holy grail of alien films. i'm not gonna get in on the genre shift cos quite frankly i don't know or care enough to analyze that aspect but by the gods. it is just military propaganda. EYEROLL.

alien³: does not deserve the hate it gets! absolutely liked this more than aliens. i don't mind that the girl and the dude die. "we just got so emotionally invested in them :(" girl the very first movie established ripley as the lone survivor. it kinda makes sense it went like this honestly. my one complaint here regarding that though IS definitely the inexplicable egg that Just So Happens to be in the escape ship. like i already roll my eyes at the fact that the queen even Made It to the ship in aliens but now i'm supposed to suspend my disbelief enough to imagine she also snuck an egg somewhere in there. ehhhh..... and also like the facehuggers are established to only open up when there's a host immediately in front of them. so how'd it open up before the cryotubes were popped and someone got out. the explanation is lame, but the movie as a whole is pretty solid i'd say. killing off ripley makes fucking sense lol like ripley's thing from the beginning has been trying to protect people from the xenomorph. and she's got the queen in her. time to fucking bounce!!!! good film. the cgi is kinda ass but it was the 90s. what would it be without kinda shitty cgi.

alien resurrection: HONESTLY? HONESTLY. MY FAVORITE. listen i rolled my eyes when i read the synopsis saying they cloned ripley but i actually don't mind how they ended up doing it! though some (one in particular) of the ripley clones leaned far far too heavily into just being ableism, i do think ripley 8 seeing everything was a really powerful scene. gets kinda undermined by the immediate misogyny but that's kinda par for the course here. you're gonna see this again moving forward but i do love when the xenomorphs are given a level of sympathy. i'm just too endeared to the creature. and we get multiple levels of that in this one! first and foremost of course with ripley 8 being spliced with the alien, we see her relationship to her humanity come into question in super interesting ways. the way it goes hand in hand with call's relationship was great too. THIS MOVIE WAS SO UNEXPECTEDLY GAY 😭 I WAS SO THRILLED. the two men at the end fucking kissed on the mouth!!!!!! now i'm not saying there was a lick of those two being gay with each other before that moment but i love watching men kiss so. a good time for me.

NOW MY FAVORITE SCENES. obv the one scientist kissing the glass i mean. i hadn't felt truly spoken to by these films until that moment. it was cuuuuteeessss the way they were following each other's movements. awa. sosweets. *ignores what happens next* AND THEN. DEAR GOD. the newborn's birth from the xenomorph queen. i fucking love the newborn. like it's a different type of cute from the xenomorphs proper but it is socutes all the same. like i feel so gotten by my human brain chemicals registering this beast as having big ol eyes and therefore being cute and endearing but well. it fucking is. it IS a beautiful butterfly. i looooooove i fucking loooooooooooove it immediately turning on the xenomorph queen and instead viewing ripley 8 as its mother. i adore that mix of humanity vs The Killar instinct of the xenomorph. both scenes of it cudding and nuzzling ripley 8 fuck me uuuuuuup like oouuyyyuhhyygh :( baby 😭😭😭 genuinely the most heartbreaking kill of the franchise is the newborn. what a slow and painful death!!!! and i love that ripley 8 felt bad like that was her baby!!!! brief as it was you could feel the love there!!!! but ultimately she still had to kill it, for the sake of humanity. absolutely loved it. so so so fucking good.

alien vs predator: i got like 20 minutes into the first one and dipped cos i did not fucking care so bad. not for me.

prometheus: i hated this one to be honest. like ultimately this might just be a skill issue of "i don't get it" but. i also just do not care 😭 i don't think it really succeeds at trying to answer any questions, i think the use of holograms was fucking boring and lazy, the plotholes were kind of hard to ignore, and, and i know this was kind of the point, but no alien! poisonally i am here for that freak so for me i was bored senseless. i'm also just sooooo fucking confused about charlie coming back after getting burnt alive 😭 and for that matter, the neomorph making it out of the burning ship? like one of the first things they establish about the xenomorph in the first movie was "most animals don't like fire" and consistently they have been killing xenomorphs with fire. so. what fucking gives. but whaaaatever. overall i just don't get it and i don't even caaaaaaaare about the fucking space jockey and his band of freaks. AND ANYWAY. WE DON'T LEARN SHIT. WHICH I GUESS IS THE POINT BUT 😭😭😭😭 whatever. best moment was david saying "don't all people want their parents dead?" like so fucking true bitch.

alien covenant: now i quite liked this one actually!! if resurrection is my no.1 this has gotta be my no.2. i think the theme of creation is handled much better here, and to be fucking honest i don't even care that it creates a plothole in prometheus, i fucking LOVE that david created the xenomorphs. that fucking bangs. once again people complained that shaw gets killed off screen after we got invested in her, but gang! this is the fucking alien franchise! the bitches are gonna die! do not get so attached babe now is not the time! the critique i will actually take there though is the killing of the female lead in order to focus more on the male lead, but character wise it does make sense. now, as far as the new humans go, errmmm most of them are dumb as dirt and i truly feel no sympathy for like any of them 😭 not for being dumb necessarily, that's just how these things go, but for the themes of colonialism. it is kinda ironic (and maybe intentional?) that the humans are always like guhh we can't let the aliens spread to more planets! and then they just keep colonizing planet after planet after planet until they run out of habitable zones like mm. curious! but anyway. as kinda dumb as the new form of impregnation is, i still love what the movie did with the xenomorphs themselves!

the scene of david trying to get the one neomorph to trust him was sooooo fucking goooooood and the pain on his face and in his scream when the captain shoots it fuuuuuuuuuck it was honestly a bit reminiscent of ripley 8 with the newborn. absolutely loved. AND FUCK. OH MY GOD. when the captain threatens him to tell him what's going on and he's just like 👍 you got it follow me ^_^ and leads him to a room full of eggs. THE CUNT. I WAS LOSING IT. DIABOLICAL. ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED. and then he kept throwing fucking rocks at his head until he woke back up 😭😭 the cunt. jesus christ. godlike. "what do you believe in?" "creation." SHIT RULES. i loved it. AND THE BABY XENOMORPH COMING OUT AND COPYING DAVID'S MOVEMENTSSSSSSSS I LOVE IT. SOCUTES. the way the music swelled and was so sweet like ugh. good fucking scene. also the shit with walter and david was fucking crazyyyyyy. the flute scene. AND THEY KISSED?!?!??! it's too dubious i feel for me to go completely nuts over but it was certainly a moment. i think the walter david switcharoo came from a mile away but i'm still into it. the absolute cunt. god i love it. THIS takes the violent act of creation and succeeds.

alien romulus: as expected of a disney product. YOOOO REFERENCE?! HEY REMEMBER WHEN WE DID THAT? GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BITCH! HAHA! REMEMBER? DO YOU REMEMBER? PLEASE TELL ME YOU REMEMBER :( what a fucking waste if a movie 😭 i cannot think of a less interesting place in the timeline to try and shove yourself into. who fucking asked 😭😭😭😭 like the movie looked nice as per usual but oh my god. talk about a low budget flight. what was the point. what did this add. like. man and people wanna say the NEWBORN was an ugly monster design LOOK AT THE FUCKING OFFSPRING 😭😭😭 absolute flop. did not care for this beast. NOT CUTE. the best moment was the fucking ribcage pussioure pissing acid all over that annoying brit. and the scene was not even that good he just annoyed me. overall that shit sucked and i have absolutely no idea why they decided they just HAD to flesh out the time in between 2 and 3 more. ANY ASKERS?

moral of the story: play stupid games win stupid prizes. and don't be british

[riddlerosehearts]

OKAY SO i said yesterday that i would make a post about how anime weekend atlanta went, so... basically it was a bit of a mixed bag because while i got to see tons of cool cosplays and merch and go to some neat panels, we (as in me and my dad who was traveling with me) ended up not only having car troubles the entire weekend but also had some absolutely ridiculous problems with ordering food. just as an example, one night we ordered a pizza and it took 3 hours to arrive and we never got told there would be any kind of delay 😭 BUT i will go ahead and share my cosplays and then list off some good things that happened! i'm slightly embarrassed about posting my face on here since i've never done that before but here goes:

i was edward elric on thursday and friday at AWA and lilia vanrouge (pop music club version) on saturday and sunday! i did a bunch of thrifting and DIYing (and pulling things i already owned out of my closet for lillia lmao) for both of these and i am especially proud of that automail glove. i also went to two twisted wonderland cosplay photoshoots on both saturday and sunday which was definitely fun, and i met todd haberkorn while in my ed cosplay and got him to autograph the same fullmetal alchemist artbook that i've previously had signed by caitlin glass! i also bought a handful of silly little trinkets and i will put photos of all this other stuff under a cut so people who don't care don't have it clogging their dash too badly.

^ full group photo + some diasomnia photos of the saturday twst photoshoot. shoutout to the summer lilia who offered to princess carry malleus and the person who showed up as meleanor--two things which are both seriously impressive to me in different ways.

^ the photo i took with todd haberkorn + the artbook cover he signed. you can see where he signed his name right over ling and where, when i met caitlin last year, she signed her name right over winry. i met him once before but it was literally 10 years ago and it was great to be able to meet him again. he told me he thinks ling deserves his own FMA spinoff, and i very much agree with him.

^ some of the silly merch i bought. i also wanted to buy the official castle in the sky artbook as well as these kingdom hearts plushies so badly and still might buy them online later:

and uhhh i think that's all i feel like sharing on here?? i wish i had gotten to go to more panels but the various unexpected issues i had throughout the con kept me from having the time to go to many, although the ones i did get to see were great. there was one where a nuclear propulsion plant operator and NASA software engineer graded various sciencey anime on how good or bad their science was and did a very thorough examination of whether or not the premise of planetes--a screw hitting a spaceship, putting a hole in it, and taking out an intercontinental suborbital flight--was plausible. he concluded that it is and gave the overall series an A+ for scientific accuracy, and i've never seen this show but now i want to.

okay actually NOW that's all! if you cared enough to read this post then you deserve this bonus photo from when i got home yesterday, decided to put my ed cosplay back on and take extra photos of it, and subsequently got attacked by my cat:

[alyszaen]

~ "dating" - seungmin x chichi ~

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embedding in time: Maxident era word count: 1.2k words summary: seungmin and chichi go on a date warnings: fluff disclaimer: Chichi is an O/C invented by @chiskz who gave me explicit permission to create and post this.

Do not repost or translate my work. Reblog or comment if you liked it. Let me know what you enjoyed.

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The weather wasn't great - it had been raining ever so slightly for the last 5 hours, destroying Chichis plan of meeting up for a walk with Keeho. He ended up cancelling as soon as the sky started to look grey, anyways, stating he would use this chance to stay in the studio for a while longer and continue training.

The oldest Stray Kids member had been stuck in the dorms, not finding the motivation to really do anything productive. The enthusiasm to continue studying was long gone, considering she had done nothing else but fill her brain with information about law in the last month. Today was the groups one day off, leaving everyone to spend time with friends or family. More or less at least. Chris was in the studio, producing, as per usual, and Seungmin also stayed at home, not really wanting to hang out with a lot of people.

Or so she thought, because just as she finished sending a meme into her groupchat with Felix, Hyunjin and Keeho, a knock on her door made her raise her head. Logically thinking, this could only be Seungmin, her new fake-boyfriend. "Come in!", Ichi exclaimed, waiting for the door to open. She was right, it was the singer. Seungmin didn't say a word and just threw himself onto her bed, groaning in frustration. "I'm bored.", he sighed. The girl raised an eyebrow, "And what am I supposed to do about that?" "I don't know. I thought maybe as my fake-girlfriend that I am fake-dating we could go on a fake-date.", he waved his hands in front of her face, waving his hands into all directions and getting louder whenever he said a word relating to their situation. "Hmm.", Chichi thought about it for a moment, "I guess JYP did tell us do get sighted on a date or something like that..." She pouted a little at the thought of having to leave the comfort of her warm home during the current weather. Chichi ended up throwing him out of her room so she could get changed for their outing, agreeing to his plan.

The singer took his oldest member to a café, treating her to her favourite drink. Thinking back, the newest addition realized, that this was the first time she had ever spent any time with Seungmin alone. They hung out within the group, but it was never just the two of them. They didn't dislike eachother or anything, there was just never a chance or need for them to get into further conversation. Which was why this was a great chance to change that.

"Did I ever tell you how intimidated I was by your singing?", Chichi mumbled into her non-existent beard. He barely heard her words, "What do you mean?" "Well...I was so impressed by your vocal control. It made me realize I still had so much to learn. But I was always to afraid to ask you for help." Seungmin tilted his head slightly, trying to make sense of the information he just learned, "But I was intimidated by you!" The young woman started to giggle loudly, "Why the hell would you-" "You may have been new, but you were already so good at both singing and dancing. I was kind of afraid you would take my spot...", the boy got more quiet towards the end of his sentence. He was clearly embarassed by his feelings.

"Well-", Chichi clapped her hands, "I'm glad we got that out of the way. That kind of explains a lot." She smiled at the young man in front of her, changing the topic so they wouldn't be forced into an awkward conversation, "And now that we are dating, madly in love with eachother, I feel like we should get to the juicy details!" Her smile went from something warm and comforting into one you would probably run away from if you saw someone look at you like that. Anybody that didn't know her would likely consider her expression crazy. Seungmin was about to ask her what she meant by that, when she started speaking again. "If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, which one would it be and why."

Throughout the date both parties realized, that they had no idea why they never really hung out before. They found a lot of similarities between them. At one point, when they noticed that they were currently both watching the same drama, they decided to schedule movie-nights to watch it together from now on and get more chances to spend time.

Chichi was sure this fake-dating thing could work. Now that they understood their similiarities, they could easily sell that they were in love. Of course it would still hurt, acting like she liked someone, when the person she really wanted to be with was so close and yet too far away, but she would figure this out somehow. Ichi was strong and some stupid publicity stunt wouldn't change that.

A server at the café ended up kicking them out at around closing time, because the two idols had completely missed how much time passed. The sun had already set by the time they went back outside and the way home was filled with loud laughter and slight friendly shoves. Their original mission of being seen in public was long forgotten - it had turned from that into an actual hangout of two friends. Ichi was glad that she gained a new friend through this generally unfortunate situation, instead of just seeing him as a colleague, knowing that acting like they were dating was going to be more of a fun activity, rather than a chore. Of course they had noticed a couple fans not so subtly photographing and filming them throughout the day, but they used it as a chance to cuddle up to the other a littlem, holding hands, basically making it look like they were actual partners.

Back at the dorms Seungmin went to have a conversation with Hyunjin, who had come back from spending his time with Kkami and family a few hours ago. Chichi knocked on Changbins door, wanting to tell him about the day she's had, only to find his room empty. "He's still out with his parents.", Jisung mentioned when he noticed the confused Chichi, while he was walking by. Her view lowered onto the floor, "Oh. Thanks." She went over to her own room, getting comfortable on her bed, but not before changing into some comfortable clothes again. It was weird for the rapper not to be home yet, considering they had plans to hang out and watch a movie tonight. Maybe he forgot?

Chichi tried to wrap her head around what may be going on, snuggling into the sweater she stole from Changbin a few days ago, inhaling the scent of his perfume that still covered the fabric.

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Taglist: @longingpurity, @hyujinnie1, @sensitiveandhungry, @minvho, @skz-jisoo, @minnnie-binnie, @zoe8stay, @l3visbby, @bbyquokka Feel free to let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist!

[scotianostra]

On June 27th 1937, Robin Hall, folk singer and musician, was born in Edinburgh.

Robin, had to overcome polio as a child inspent most of his early years in Glasgow and was a direct descendant of Rob Roy Macgregor, and of Mungo Park, the explorer. His mother had been an opera singer and Robin was nurtured on a generous diet of classical music and music hall songs. During his lengthy convalescence from polio his interest in all types of music flourished.

As a teenager, he played with a traditional jazz group, studied the piano, and spent his spare time digging up American folk songs and investigating the folk material of his native Scotland. Hall studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and worked briefly as in actor in repertory theatres. Robin went to London in 1957, armed with a large repertoire of folk songs and a guitar. While in England he recorded a series of EP's for "Collector Records", which are now very hard to find and highly priced. In the 60's, Robin became a bit notorious and controversial for insisting on wearing his Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament badge on the BBC's Tonight Show, for which he was widely criticized.

After Robin left the duo in 1981, he enjoyed a successful career in broadcasting—winning two national radio awards, for best presenter and best documentary, for Radio Clyde's The Sing Song Streets, a program about Glasgow told through songs, stories and children's games.

Sadly, Robin died on November 18, 1998, at the age of 61. Another great folk singer that lived life to excess, lost at an early age. Robin married and divorced twice and was survived by three children.

There's not many Robin Hall solo songs out there, Fitba Crazy, Coulter's Candy, Mingulay Boat Song and the likes are all with his long time singing partner Jimmy, but I did manage to find one song!

Dundee Weaver is a famous bawdy Glasgow street song

Oh, A'm a Dundee weaver

An A come fae bonnie Dundee

I met a Glesca fellae

An he gaed courtin me

He tuik me out a-walkin

Doun by the Kelvin Haa

An thair the dirty wee rascal stole

Ma thingumijig awa

An thair the dirty wee rascal stole

Ma thingumijig awa

He tuik me oot a-walkin

Doun by the Roukin Glen

He showed tae me a bonnie wee bird

An he showed me a bonnie wee hen

He showed tae me the bonnie wee birds

Fae a linnet tae a craw

An he showed tae me the bird that stole

Ma thingumijig awa

An he showed tae me the bird that stole

Ma thingumijig awa

Noo A'll ging back tae Dundee luikin

Bonnie, young an fair

A'll pit oan ma buckle an shune

An tie back ma bonnie broun hair

A'll pit oan ma corsets tight

Tae mak ma middle luik smaa

An wha wad ken fae ma rosie cheeks

That ma thingumijig's awa?

An wha wad ken fae ma rosie cheeks

That ma thingumijig's awa?

Come aa ye Dundee weavers an

Tak this advise fae me

Never let a fellae

An inch abune yer knee

Never staun at the back o a close

Or up agin a waa

For if ye dae ye can safely say

Yer thingumijig's awa

For if ye dae ye can safely say

Yer thingumijig's awa