#were posting snails now i guess

[sherlockggrian]

do you guys like my snailsona

[steakout-05]

thinking about concept art for some unused Fruit Ninja characters that never made a single appearance in any official media and never got a chance to shine.....

oh Katini and Munch... maybe one day you will make your mark on the world......

(art by Shaun Campbell on his Behance page)

[orcelito]

Honestly hate how hard it is to start writing again when you've gone too long without it. Like for fuck's sake man Why's shit gotta be like this

[j4gm]

SPOILERS!!! REFERENCES AND EASTER EGGS IN F&C ep. 2: SIMON PETRIKOV

Let me know if I missed anything!

First of all the title sequence is fucking cool. I don't want to speculate about the various things we see in it, like the apartment getting blown up or the Fern tree growing into its 1000+ version, because I'm sure the show will get round to all that!

The first scene was an awesome reintroduction to the post-apocalypse, showing us the dynamic between Simon and Marcy. The button popping off Marcy's dungarees was a reference to young Marcy's first appearance, Memory of a Memory, when she removed one of the buttons herself to fix Hambo's eye.

Simon was show playing a live set at Dirt Beer Guy's tavern in Obsidian. It seems they've gotten to know each other quite well over the past twelve years. Dirt Beer Guy asks Simon if he's read his new book draft, about a character called Joe Milkshake who was first mentioned in the episode Root Beer Guy.

Despite the fact we saw Jake in the trailers, Finn and T.V. pretty much confirm in this scene that Jake is dead, and has presumably been dead since before Obsidian. I guess Bronwyn wasn't the only Jake descendant who Finn took on as an apprentice, but T.V. doesn't seem all that into it. The Finn and Jake we saw in the trailer are likely from an alternate universe that we have yet to see.

Finn uses his weed whacker to cut through these bushes. A nice way of showing he's fully recovered from his Fern guilt. The focus here is very much on Simon's problems instead of Finn's.

Finn parts with Simon to go and visit Huntress Wizard. The nature of their relationship remains ambiguous and I expect it to stay that way.

Simon has the Island Lady from The Party's Over Isla de Señorita in his phone. I guess they reconnected after he became Simon again. He also has Abracadaniel. I always liked Ice King's friendship with Abracadaniel and the rest of the Order of Giuseppe so I hope they're still friends!

Cute Bubbline scene. Back in the episode Bonnibel Bubblegum, Mr. Creampuff suggested he and PB get matching tattoos. Now she's (trying to) do the same with the girl she's chosen rather than some guy who was chosen for her! Also Marceline is using the same phone she's been seen with in a few previous episodes, including Go With Me and Be Sweet.

I think the flying human city is called Up-Ton.

Choose Goose! He keeps coming back! And he's evil now! People were joking about him being the antagonist of Fionna and Cake after that weird post-credits scene in Wizard City and the fact he was in hell in Together Again. I wasn't expecting that to actually come true. Glob knows why he's hanging out in a cage in Simon's house.

The pattern of GOLB's eyes is reflected in Simon's glasses during the ritual. He is doing the same dance that Betty was doing to summon GOLB in the finale.

Among the objects in Simon's GOLB shrine are the Farmworld Enchiridion, the flying carpet that Simon stole from Ash and was later frequently used by Betty, the crocodile clips that Betty used for her magic rituals, two effigies of GOLB, and what looks to be the shell of the snail who was seen throughout the original series.

In this credits sequence, Fionna and cake are dreaming about the mask being worn by the bear than Finn slew, and a butterfly with a smiley face on it. Perhaps symbolising Finn?

Tune in next week for episodes 3 and 4!

[gatorbites-imagines]

Kinktober day 1

Alec Lightwood + Praise Kink

Happy first day of kinktober everyone. I’ve got a lot more schoolwork this year (curse you psychology) but ill be doing my best to try and keep up with my posting.

I’m gonna be honest I haven’t watched Shadowhunters in a long time, but Alec and Magnus still mean a lot to me. So, this is super vague about background stuff, cuz I can’t remember any of the plot from the show or books.

Kinktober 2023 masterlist

Alec found himself sighing as he leaned back in the chair behind his desk, his hand reaching up to rub at his aching temples. He took his duty very seriously, but at times it could do nothing but cause pains and aches throughout his body and psyche. Not only that, but his work kept him apart from you, sometimes for days or even weeks at a time. Alec had known at the time when he gained his rank that this work would fill much of his life, but now that he had finally found his way to you, it almost didn’t feel worth it.

Alec sighed softly as he got out of his seat, there was no reason to keep working any more tonight. At this point he had stared at those reports enough that he was seeing double, and the thought of your shared bed was like an angel’s call. With that in mind, the shadowhunter found himself almost floating to your shared room, a new edition to your relationship. Neither of you even had much time to spend in this room, as you were both important people in your circles and both took your duties seriously.

It was because of this that Alec didn’t even think about you being present when he entered the dimly lit room, his eyelids heavy and half shut as he pulled off his clothes robotically, folding it up neatly and placing it off to the side to go in the laundry in the morning. It was only when he fell onto the bed, now only clad his boxers, that he noticed the second presence in the room. He almost jolted up with shock, but your arm wrapped warmly and securely around his waist, pulling your lover close as you nuzzled into the back of his stiff neck.

“there’s my pretty boy” you rumble, your voice thick with sleep but also the love and admiration you have for Alec. Alec only allows himself to huff a little, feeling embarrassed at your sweet words. He had never gotten used to being complimented or praised, so when you peppered sleepy kisses on his neck and mumbled about his beautiful, he was and how strong he was, the shadowhunter felt himself grow hotter in the face.

“Look at you, all tense” you huff, your warm hands running up and down the planes of Alecs torso as you hook your chin over his shoulder, your thumbs rubbing just below his pecs, the action causing him to twitch and exhale sharply. “Always working so hard for everyone, but you never take care of yourself” you mumble, your lips pressed to the side of his neck. You can’t help but nibble on the skin there, letting your tongue flatten against the rune on his neck.

“Guess that’s why you have me, isn’t it” you almost tease, your hands finally grabbing his tight pecs in your palms, giving him a loving squeeze, making your sensitive lover whine. “Always such a diligent, good boy, aren’t you?” you croon, giving both of his nipples a quick pinch and twist, enjoying the punched-out noise that leaves Alec at the action. You had always loved how sensitive he was, and how easily you could work him up with just a few touches and sweet words.

“My good boy” you purr, hands traveling down his torso at a snail’s pace, almost in a worshipping manner as you feel out every shape that makes up his body, basking in the shaky way he breaths and how he can’t seem to keep his legs still. “My pretty boy” you hum, your thumbs teasing at the elastic of his underwear, an almost catlike smirk on your lips as you let your lover stew in the need and want running through his tired body.

“Just lay back Alec, ill take care of you” you mutter, using your grip to pull him further against your chest, your hips grinding into his own from behind. Alec shakily exhales but seems to melt in your arms, his muscles untensing as you fold his boxers down under his sack, releasing his hardness to the darkness of your shared room.

“Ill always take care of you. Because you are so good, and so beautiful. So smart, and so considerate of everyone around you” you keep mumbling, one of your hands wrapping around where Alec craves you the most. The noise that leaves him sounds drawn out and almost painful, like he had wanted you to touch him for so long. There isn’t a need for lube, as you don’t have to do much to work Alec how he needs it, at the moment he doesn’t need anything wild, he just needs your touch and presence.

The loose grip you have around him and the lazy way you stroke him is enough to have Alec twitching and jolting, his mouth open as he gasps and whimpers, words long gone from his person as he arches his hips into your hand. How you feel about him is impossible to express in words, so you keep laying every compliment you can think of on him as you kiss and suck at his neck and shoulder.

His keens rise in volume, his voice wobbly and almost hoarse as he begs in broken words. “Go on baby. Good boy, come on, be good and give it to me” you rumble, reaching up with your free hand to give one of his nipples a rough pinch and twist. Its all Alec needs to finish, his hips jolting almost painfully into your hand as his essence spills across the sheets in thick white stripes, painting your black sheets in a different shade.

You barely are able to withdraw from his back before Alec is asleep, the exhaustion of the multiple days of nonstop work and the euphoria of his orgasm knocking him out cold. With a soft chuckle, you kiss his temple and start cleaning up, moving him around to change him out of his underwear into a new pair, and getting new sheets on the bed. As you cuddle against his back again, this time under the sheets, you smile softly to yourself as you kiss the back of his neck. “I love you so much, my sweet boy” you whisper before shutting your eyes, burying your face into his hair, and inhaling his scent, letting the familiar scent carry you off into the land of sleep.

[wingerwind]

Final Girls designs! (post-session 3)

Rambling under the cut:

Poor Pearl is not looking so good 😭 the improvised leather shorts have done a number to her swag I’m afraid. At least she was in water when the creeper exploded so her jacket is fine (me trying to justify it when the real reason is that her jacket is her signature thing and removing it feels very wrong)

Scott and Cleo are doing really well though! The fact that they didn’t die once to the snails is super impressive (just like my GOATs Gem and Joel)

And uh, about Cleo’s color scheme, my answer is: idk I guess they were feeling particularly Halloween-y…or something. (Its actually because I didn’t want to add too many new colors to their team color palette. I love Cleo’s skin but why. Does it have. So many colors. But now I feel bad because I made their outfit so much uglier. I am sensing a theme amongst my life series designs)

Impulse is on light green but that’s partly because Gem’s one hundred percent committed to making him everyone’s number one hit. I love how Impulse didn’t even betray her last season, Pearl did. At first, Gem definitely was telling people to go after both Pearl and Impulse, but by now for some reason Gem’s stopped bringing Pearl up altogether and is just telling everyone to kill Impulse…is this a sign shinyduo breakup is over (<——-delusional)

I feel bad for Impulse though. Why does the universe have it out for him every season. (Very unfunny joke incoming) I am contributing to this by removing the tittle on his shirt. Give it back, now his shirt looks like a lowercase ‘L’ and he really doesn’t need any more ‘L’s.

[pookieace]

contains : princess / fem!reader, head knight!gojo, implied secret relationship. this is just... angst i guess with a sprinkle of fluff... overprotective gojo *moans* this is about 1k of brainrot word vomit hhhhhhhhhhhhh :D not proofread cause i'm lazy, pls ignore any mistakes!

time moved by far too slow for satoru. for someone whose day passed in a blink of an eye with all of his responsibilities, today was far too slow. it felt like watching paint dry. it felt like a snail moving across the pavement. it felt like a century had passed before the bright light of the sun finally started to set. dusk slowly turning into night, and as the moon took its place in the night sky, was he able to escape from his duties and finally able to walk to your bedroom, hands held in tight fists by his sides.

"you two may leave. the king wants me to be stationed here for tonight." a lie. but the two guards didn't know any better. why would they ever think their head knight would ever lie to them in the first place.

what they don't know, won't hurt them, was what gojo told himself, watching the two salute him and proceeding to walk down the corridor far away from your bedroom. he waited till they were out of sight first and then listened out for the clunking noises the armour made as they walked down the stairs. when it was finally silent, he opened your door, shutting it behind him quickly.

you almost let out a scream at the sudden intrusion into your space. fear from the attack on your life only a night prior still too fresh in your mind. but the white mop of hair on top of the males head had you sighing in relief, aware that it was not an intruder but in fact satoru. but that relief didn't stay for too long. you were well aware that the king would have placed guards outside your door to keep you safe after what had happened and you could not afford to let your relationship with satoru be revealed just yet.

"satoru, what are you doing here? my father–" your worried whisper was cut short rather abruptly.

"fuck your father." if satoru was in a better mindset than he is now, he never would have spoken of the king, your father, in such a way and he's never been more glad there were no guards standing post outside your bedroom to judge his vulgar use of words towards the monarch either.

"are you hurt? did they touch you?" immediately, he's bombarding you with questions, eyebrows furrowed deeply as his eyes start to dart over your body. inspecting you. "would you let me have a look at you. please?"

you nod slightly, but turn your head to the right side a little, fearing what he'll do when he sees it.

his takes large but quiet strides towards you, hands that shook with fear now reaching out to hold your wrists. he inspects your skin, slowly, letting his hands and eyes travel across your skin, and it all seems fine until he brushes the strands of hair out of your face and finally notices the freshly dried blood on your cheek. it looked deep. no, it was deep. gojo was no stranger to cuts and bruises, even with a simple glance he could tell it was deep. it would leave a scar behind and it would take time to heal.

"i..." he inhales shakily, trying to keep his voice low as he could. an attempt to keep himself calm, to keep himself from lashing out. "i-i should have been there."

"satoru..." you began, only to be cut off again.

"i should have fucking been there." remorse. that's all satoru could feel. remorse for not being by your side like he had promised many moons earlier as you two hid from the maids attempting to prepare you for bed. remorse for not being by your side to keep you from harm. but hidden in that remorse, was also anger. anger that anyone even dared to touch a princess – not just any princess. his princess. the very princess that would become his queen in the future. the very princess that should have everyone in the land bowing to her. the princess he loves and swore to keep out of harms way.

"i should have fucking protected you. shit– i should have been there. i should have been protecting you like i said i would... i'm sor–"

"toru. i'm okay. please look at me." you place a gentle had over his chest, albeit over his armour, you swear you're able to feel how furiously his heart is beating. it doesn't take a genius to see all the emotions swimming in his eyes.

worry. hurt. pain. regret.

"satoru - the strongest knight in the kingdom... my favourite knight - gojo. i am okay. i promise you." the praise earns a brief smile from him before it fades, his thumb brushing the deep cut on your cheek ever so gently but it makes you inhale sharply anyway. it causes gojo to flinch, withdrawing his warm hands immediately but you reach out for his wrist with both hands desperately. "n-no! it... it jus' hurts because it's fresh... please, i just– i just need to feel you, toru. please, don't be afraid to touch me."

it was all gojo needed to hear from you. all he needed was your permission to touch you and he does. he cups your face in his hands, watching as the tension and stress leaves your body, jaw loosening and eyebrows relaxing. he watches as your eyes close for a few seconds before fluttering open. you place a kiss against the palm of his hand. "will you please stay the night with me? i'm... afraid they will come back." gojo watches you tense up at the mention of the men who tried to hurt you last night. his response is immediate.

"of course i will." his thumb finds its way to the wrinkles in the middle of your eyebrows, rubbing the spot a little. "do not frown so much. you will start looking older than you are, princess."

his teasing earns a smile from you, and he's glad when he sees you soften in his hold. the both of you stay silent for a while, finding comfort in the silence and each other. you've always felt safe with satoru, and tonight is no different.

"princess," he begins, pulling you in by your waist ever so slightly, your body pressed up against his armour. "i swear on my life, i will kill any bastard who dares lay so much as a finger on you again. i promise you. i'll execute them myself." you do not bother replying to him, instead sealing the promise he's made by standing on your tippy toes to press your lips against his.

[halcome]

Oh gods I didn't even realize it was Saturday, new Wild Life ep let's go!!! Wooo!!!

(reacting as I watch below)

Gonna do my heart a favor and just edit this post as I watch, seems to be a calm session but with the speed mechanics its only a matter of time before I see someone run off a cliff. Still recovering from the snails, small morsels of content are a must.

Grian's Wild Life Ep. 4

Grian and Mumbo doing their best to help Skizz murder is a delight as always, but I feel like their plans always seem to benefit them in the end and not Skizz.

Already terrified of the minecart cannon Grian made and I dont think theyre fast enough yet to launch it far.

Made some breakfast, some scrambled eggs with peppers and a side of, OMG SCAR

I probs should've guessed he'd immediately put a tnt minecart down to test it but everyone was so close by, gave me a lil scare. Also does Mumbo not have self preservation instincts? Cause everyone backed up but he kept staring at it, barely inching away. Guessing his redstone and curiosity instincts were stronger than his need to stay yellow.

Grian: Mumbo, is the moon fast?

Omg he said the line!

If I remember correctly speed + tnt minecart = more power, Grian holding up a shield was a good effort but dear lord that was quite the death.

Genuinely, what on earth just happened?

Mumbo died the most Looney Toon death I've ever seen, running for water and turned to ash. Scar was an absolute menace too, shooting Grian off that ledge was a very Hot Guy move. I wonder if he'll make it to the very end? I know Grian's targeting Scar now but something tells me he's gonna survive by sheer dumb luck.

SmallishBeans' Wild Life Ep. 4

Cool guys don't look at explosions! Something, something, TNT takes 4 seconds to explode. Timings are demolished.

8:00 Joel on his ballerina arc.

Took a break to finish homework, came back to Jimmy trying to take a chunk out of Joel's "somewhere" ??? Usual shenanigans it seems.

Seen Skizz frolicking in the sunflowers twice now from 2 different viewpoints, he's really enjoying his time on a death game server, proud of em.

Absolutely loving how proud everyone is of Mumbo getting a kill, always nice to see the little reminders that even though this is a death game of bloodshed and betrayal they're still friends in the end. Though I have seen clips of Bdubs holding grudges, so while everyone is friend shaped, they are not forgive and forget shaped.

Joel giving so many diamonds to Lizzie is incredible. Man's forever smitten with his missus. Lizzie the absolute queen!

Absolute chaos at the end with how Joel edited it. I know it was technical difficulties but it just fits so well with how chaotic it was.

Mumbo Jumbo's Wild Life Ep. 4

I know Mumbo placed the creeper from Grian's POV but goodness he's a little rascal given the chance.

Omg that Scott kill though was smooth as heck. He waited so long and it paid off big time. Little block break and plop, there goes the Scott! Absolutely loved how simple it went, the silence from Scott as his brain caught up to him was amazing too. I gotta watch his POV next for sure!

Is it just me or is Mumbo really going after Scott? Tasted blood and immediately became addicted to the one source. If Mumbo ends up being the reason Scott's out of the series ima laugh. The amount of paranoia Scott would have by the end of it would be immense.

And he gave up... Welp, can't wait to see him try and kill Gem next session!

[seresinhangmanjake]

Beyond the Hills: Part 4

Jake Seresin x Reader (College AU)

Main Masterlist, Beyond the Hills Masterlist

Summary: Technically, you and Jake Seresin have known each other for twelve years. All throughout your childhood education, you and Jake shared classes, lunch periods, homeroom teachers. It seemed if the opportunity for you to be in the same space arose, the universe made it happen. But you were not friends. Not enemies, either. Not much of anything to one another outside of the occasional class project partners. When high school ended you assumed you wouldn’t be seeing him any time soon, but then you find yourselves at the same college, and once again, forced together. It seems no matter where you go, Jake Seresin is there. But you are not the shy girl you were in your youth. You want to try things now; party, have fun, do things you’ve never done before, and suddenly, for reasons you don’t understand, Jake seems to take issue with your new choices.

Notes/warnings: just cursing, I think. Likely typos. I know people literally just voted for the second part of the Oh, Baby AU to be posted next, but this was almost done and I got a sudden burst of inspiration to finish it.

Words: 1300

---

“So are we going to talk about why you’re being weird or are we ignoring it or…what’s the plan here?”

Jake was trying to drown out the noise—the hundreds of jumbling thoughts in his head, each containing a question that led to the same answer: He liked you. He wanted you; enough to have the prickling sensation rise over his skin that said it might even be more than that. He couldn’t deny how he sought you out, catching himself walking to the campus coffee shop he knew you frequented, or considering attending the senior art exhibit because Lydia had mentioned you’d be there. Maybe it was because he needed you, in some way. He didn’t want to need you, and unlikely was it that you wanted to be needed by a man you barely knew, but he couldn’t stop himself. It was a craving. A yearning for something sweet and gentle and wholly unique, unlike anything else. And that’s exactly what you were. Unlike anything else. Special.

“Not answering me is only adding to the weirdness,” Rooster said, snapping his fingers from across the room, hoping the high-pitched sound might draw his roommate’s attention. “Did you hear me?”

Jake finally raised his forearm from his face where it had been resting to block the light from the sun, and sat up in his bed. His heavy inhale was a relief, as if he hadn’t been breathing quite right and just didn’t realize it until he made the conscious effort. 

“I heard you,” Jake said, running a hand through his hair to straighten the locks ruffled by his pillow.

“Oh, so you were just being a dick,” Rooster huffed. 

“Well, maybe don’t ask questions you already know the answers to.”

“How was I supposed to know if you wanted to talk about it or not?” Rooster moved to his own bed, plopping down and leaning forward with his elbows resting atop his knees. He clasped his hands and his thumbs began a little war with one another. “I guess I won’t ask if this behavior has anything to do with her, then.”

Jake nodded and snatched his t-shirt off the floor, pulling it over his head. “Would be a waste of a question.”

The shake of Rooster’s head in response irritated Jake immensely, but he knew where the reaction was coming from, and it wasn’t exactly…unfair. “It’s been a week since the bar, man, and you haven’t made a single move,” Rooster said. It was just short of a scolding, forcing Jake to roll his eyes. “Not even a step.”  

“I know.”

“Not even an ant-sized step. I mean, snails move faster than you. Snails, Jake.”

“I know,” Jake groaned. “I just—” He matched Rooster’s position but let his face fall into his hands, rubbing them up and down to try to erase the tight knitting of his features. “I think I’m going crazy." His words were muffled into his palms, then he lifted his head to meet his friend’s stare. “No, I know I am. I’m fucking insane, actually. I’m practically addicted to this girl and I don’t even really know her.”

“You keep saying that, but maybe you do.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “What?”

“You’ve always noticed her,” Rooster said. “She’s been in your classes for years. You know some of the things she likes, and what might make her laugh. You know that she’s embarrassed when the rain turns her hair frizzy, but you think it’s cute anyway. You know that…” He paused to remember another of many on the list of reasons. “You know she really likes strawberry-flavored things. And you know—”

"This is making me sound like a creep. How do you even know all of that?”

“You spilled it after a few drinks the other night," Rooster replied, smirking at the memory. “Look, all I’m saying is that you’ve unintentionally gathered a lot of information over the last twelve years. Putting all of that together,” Rooster shrugged, “Of course you like her. Hell, before Lyd wrapped me around her little finger even I was getting ready to like her and all I knew about her was that she’s beautiful. You know much more. So cut yourself some slack. She’s clearly a hard girl not to like.”

Understatement, Jake thought. Severe understatement. Rooster had a point Jake couldn’t deny. He had noticed so much about you—more than perhaps reasonable—and the truth was he had all the tools and knowledge to bring a smile to your face any time he wanted to. So why hadn’t he? Why had he restrained himself, and why did he still feel the itch to continue doing so?

You aren’t good enough for her, his thoughts intruded. That’s why. She deserves someone who won’t—

“Ok, why don’t you just say it out loud?” Rooster said. “You know, release it from that bottled-up, guarded portion of your heart.” 

Jake knew the look on his face was suggesting his roommate was nothing short of ridiculous, but Rooster didn’t budge. 

“Go on,” he urged.

The blond’s brows dipped in the center, mildly insulted. But that’s what happens when someone pinpoints one of the few things you’d rather not discuss. And it was harder knowing Rooster of all people was so easily able to do the pinpointing. The man’s brain was consistently on partying or Lydia, partying with Lydia, sex with Lydia, sex with Lydia at a party—Lydia, Lydia, Lydia—and still he had enough room in his head to sense Jake’s walls. He wasn’t intimidated by them, either. Despite how sturdy, how thick and long those walls of Jake’s were, Rooster had no issue walking right up to them, rapping on the carefully stacked stone with determined knuckles, and declaring, without any hint of gentle sympathy, that his friend was being an idiot. 

Maybe he was being an idiot. 

“My heart is not guarded,” Jake defended…weakly. 

Rooster's look easily proved how unconvinced he was. But maybe Jake wasn’t truly trying to be convincing. It felt like lying to his father after a night getting high with his best friend back in high school. Useless. Pointless. His father could smell the weed cloud wrapped around his son, and any following words from Jake’s lips fell on deaf ears. 

“Fine,” Jake muttered, his heart jackrabbiting against his ribcage. He was thankfully for that cage. It kept the organ from breaking free from his body like it felt it was on the verge of doing. Jake pushed on. He pushed through the thumping in his ears “I…I like her.”

“And all was well.”

“Shut up.”

Rooster clicked his tongue as he shook his head. “So touchy. Let’s hope if you two get together she soothes that grumpiness.”

“I’m not grumpy," Jake lightly snapped. If said by Rooster a minute earlier, Jake would have been harsher, but the weight of his confession was lighter than the denial he’d been holding on to. He suddenly found himself less angry. Less tense. “I’ve been conflicted for weeks and it’s exhausting.”

Jake would’ve said more. The relief of letting it out—however initially reluctant—coaxed him to spill more of his secrets. The tale of his past was ready to tumble off his tongue. But there was a knock at the door.

“It’s unlocked, baby,” Rooster called. 

The smile Rooster greeted his girl with whenever she entered a room fell instantly at the sight of her face. The confident woman he knew didn’t worry her lip between her teeth. She didn’t wring her hands. And yet, in that very moment, she was doing just that.

Rooster rushed her way. "Lyd, what's wrong?"

She released that lip; ran her fingers through shiny platinum strands. Her sigh filled the silence in the room, then she said, "We've got a problem, gang."

---

A/N: I hope you liked it :) It’s painfully long overdue, and I apologize to those who had an attachment to the series. I genuinely didn’t think many people wanted it. I’m actually really happy and thankful that you guys encouraged me to continue this. Just a little tidbit: “I’m practically addicted to this girl and I don’t even really know her” was the line this series was built around. I thought it would be fun to mention. 

tags: @wkndwlff @kmc1989 @sagittarius-flowerchild @dempy @oliviah-25 @rosiahills22 @xoxabs88xox @matisse556 @hardballoonlove @ssa-sadboi @lynnevanss @pono-pura-vida @tgmreader @amgluvsbooks @ravenhood2792 @djs8891 @shakespeareanwannabe @sailor-aviator @novagreen04 @memeorydotcom

[technically-a-kiwi]

Okay guys, time to correct and rewrite some stuff about the cosmic AU

I've read my older post developing on the story and this was basically my reaction

So yeah my older posts are full of off details and inconsistencies, brace yourself for some redcons and new concepts

Starting with :

Redcons:

• Cosmic entities are allowed to interact with other mortals ,because I'm sick of the trope of "powerful being who shape the universe must stay out of site at any cost or else it's the end of the world" or whatever, it's just drama for the sake of drama in my eyes and it doesn't add much of a mysterious vibe. Besides it adds more possibilities story wise :) .Let's say that it's something very discouraged among cosmic entities, it's okay if they fuel legends and folklore, but if an entity actively tries to get well known and mediatised in a universe, only then will they get in trouble.

• Stars are no longer needed for someone to turn into a Cosmic entity, basically I put stars in the mix to seem more cosmicy (if that's even a word...) and I didn't really knew what a star was myself, for now on stars are the sparkles you see floating around cosmic entities and are the physical manifestation of said entity's emotion, appearing in different shapes depending on how the cosmic entity feels.

•Cosmic entities are no longer bound to travel in the universes they're assign to, I put this to make their power not too OP. It's useless to restrict them to some universes and it doesn't really add much to anything relevant.

• The Noise is allowed to have more than his TV show as a form of media (such as journals, radio stations and more, although his most popular form of media is his TV show), limiting The Noise to only having a TV show really contradicted with the idea that he's his own boss, he's free, he can now do as he pleases and shoose what he wants to do in his show ( in his universe The Noise was forced to do what his higher ups told him to do, such as filming ads, promoting stuff he didn't necessarily like, and things that generaly bothers and annoys him), nonetheless his show is still limited to the cosmic realm (he does break this rule sometimes and bring random people in his show to torment them and satisfy his sadism but shhhh no one has to know this okay 🤫)

• There's no such thing as a title of ultimate prankster anymore, I just put this notion to solidify the idea that The Noise is an asshole, but does he really need an official title? The Noise is a little shit and his actions are enough to prove that.

• We don't know how old Peppino and The Noise are, honestly I shared their age to solidify the idea that they are older, more mature, and also to prevent people from thinking they were thousands of years old (seriously I hate this fucking trope. You're telling me you lived several times the age of the Earth yet you still act like a 10 years old, like do you live at the same paste of a snail for years to go this fast ?!!!) they both are very recent cosmic entities and are not super old, but you know, you can tell by how they act that they're more experienced and mature (the same goes for every cosmic entity by the way.)

And finally

• Cosmic entities don't have the power to manipulate their environment, this was the first thing that threw me of, like what? No they can't, that would be a huge loop hole ! I guess I put this in there to make them seem more powerful somehow? Cosmic entities can only travel between realms (mortal, cosmic etc, the afterlife is the only realm they are not allowed in) and between universes, they can stitch a ripe in reality but ONLY with a special thread provided by the court, they don't make it themselves. Only far more older and powerful cosmic entities have the ability to manipulate their environment as they pleases (more on older cosmic entities later)

Okay I think that's it for the redcons, if I want to redcon other stuff I'll reblog this post with those modifications.

Now brace yourself for

The new stuff :

• the difference of power and look depending on a Cosmic entity's age : there are three very distinct stage in a cosmic entity’s life: dwarf (they arbor a red color scheme in reference to young stars, it's the stage any cosmic entity starts at, only having the ability to travel between universes), minor ( in reference of smaller constellation, is the state our cosmic duo is at right now as well as most cosmic entities. After some years as a cosmic entity, roughly 20 years, they arbor a more colorful color palette and gain the ability to hear thoughts, feel what other beings feel and summon objects they own, that already exist.) and the last is major (reference to bigger constellations, idk they get bigger, sparklier and more colorful? I haven't figured that out yet... After several hundred years, cosmic entities gets tremendously stronger and gain several abilities, on the physical plain they can create or fix a ripe in reality through shear will, manipulate things around them, twisting and reshape reality as they pleases and create anything on commande [the only thing they can't create are living beings tho], on the spiritual plain, they can see things that are invisible for the average mortal being, that earlier stages couldn't see, such as ghosts, angels, demons and the soul of mortals, and also [this is the creepy part] they can manipulate not only other beings emotions [including their own] but also manipulate others memories, changing events in others mind, create new fake memories or erasing them completely. Basically they become a discount version of Discord from MLP... But they have more ✨✨✨ you know ?)

• How the Pizza Tower cast is seen in the cosmic realm : (Before I start this, keep into your mind that Pizza Tower is the only media in the multiverse, yes it brings down the idea of infinite universes, yes it restrict a lot of possibilities, but I think it's better to work with a smaller scale and focus on stuff that specifically interest me story wise, besides I really didn't want to go on a crossover kind of story 😓) When you think cosmic entity, you think of beings like you see in marvel comics right ? Huge menacing individuals, wise and intimidating, well that's exactly what were cosmic entities before the PT cast arrived. You see since most people in the tower absorbed cosmic particles, some of them became cosmic entities. At first the court didn't like this, what are those cartoon looking creatures doing in a society of grand powerful being? Of course they are some entities who are "cartoony" but not to the extent of Pizza Tower characters. Thankfully the first people of the tower were quite efficient as cosmic entities and set a good image for their "kind", so the court kept turning people of the tower into cosmic entities thinking they were still promising individuals (for most of them at least). In general the cast is considered like the babies of the realm, most of the other cosmic entities are completely fine and interact with them as if they were equals, it's only with the higher ups and oldest cosmic entities that you see they're kind of looked down upon, considered as not really inferiors, but kind of like idiots, not worthy of the title.

• The constellation system: After accomplishing several tasks, cosmic entities are rewarded with stars, but not any kind of stars, these stars appear directly onto the entity's body and serve as some kind of merit badge, gain enough stars and you get a constellation, gain enough constellations and you get your ticket to complete freedom and you can stop watching over universes, giving your spot to younger cosmic entities. It's kind of a retirement system, entities tend to get enough constellations around the end of their minor stage. You'll see on some designs that constellations are not the same depending on'the individual (it's gonna be a huge pain in the butt to keep track of who has what but anything for consistency ✊👁️👄👁️)

And finally and probably one of the darkest aspect of the AU

Loss of memory: To make sure cosmic entities eventually get rid of what attached them to their universe and former life, the court enabled a memory wiping system that will make all cosmic entities forget where they come from, who they knew and what experience they lived, only conserving memories regarding who they are and what they did in life. Things like memoirs and diaries are forbidden and if the court finds out an entity has any of this kind of things, it will be immediately destroyed an the entity will have their memories wiped even faster. Major cosmic entities all have forgotten who they used to know in their earlier life, family, friends, all experience that shaped them into the person they are, with who they are and what they do in life being the only memories they have left.

And that was it for the new stuff, if you made it this far congratulations ✨✨✨. Like for the redcon part if I want to modify this part I'll reblog the modifications.

And now comes the part I shall call

Random trivia ✨✨✨

Like the title suggest, it's literally just random trivia I couldn't efficiently put in the post, regarding anything and everything.

The way someone turns into a cosmic entity is simple, after death, the higher ups of the court propose you to either go to the afterlife or become a cosmic entity, only one version of a being can become an entity (to put that in practice, if Peppino from a random universe decides to become a cosmic entity, it won't be possible for other Peppinos to become a cosmic entity), there can only be two cosmic entities per universe, the entity will start off as a dwarf entity and as time goes on their body and power will evolve.

Cosmic entities may have the ability to hear others though, they generally don't use this power as often as you may think, most of them prefer not to do it because it's a huge violation of privacy and for entities that don't care about privacy, they often find out the "downgrade" of hearing others thoughts... If you know what I mean. Cosmic entities generally prefer just sensing the emotions of other beings around rather then hearing their thoughts expressively.

Here's the main PT cast as cosmic entities, in the chronological order of when they turned into cosmic entities

John & Gerome

Brick

Mr. Stick

The Vigilante & Pepperman

Gustavo

Pizzahead

Noisette

F. Peppino

Peppino & The Noise

( Beings after our cosmic duo will be shown later in the story)

Of course there are far more beings from the tower but this is why I call them the main cast, most of them have yet to be properly designed but they'll all appear eventually I swear.

All cosmic entities arbor a "scar" on their body hinting toward what killed them in their earlier life. For example the dark gradient you see flowing down cosmic Noise's head hints toward the fact he passed away from a head concussion, or if you were to look at Peppino's back you'd see a huge burn mark looking scar hinting toward the fact that he passed away from a bomb exploding inside of him. In most cases the scare is a warmer color than the rest of the skin ( Watch out tho, the color is warmer in the scientific definition, where red is the coldest and purple is the warmest ☝️.)

The cosmic realm is composed of multiple environment, expending as far as the eye can see, the most populated place is of course the main city : Cosmopolis, a city so huge it's surface equals our Moon ! It's basically your very populated cyberpunk city with huge buildings and bright light, with floating roads and boutiques at every corner. Outside of the city you have the Lux plain, very chill and on the country side, it's the perfect place if you like silence and stargazing, it's also where Peppino's pizzaria is located. Also outside the city you have the Firefly park, like the name suggests, it's a huge park with benches you can sit on of course, lakes you can admire or fish in, everywhere where the grass is a little high you'll see little fireflies fly by. And anything outside the plain and park is not mapped out, all we know is that it seems to go forever and there are several extraordinary places yet to be found and recorded.

Peppino can summon his scooter just by whistling and it will appear out of nowhere and go directly next to him, as if it had a mind of it's own, that goes for Noisette's umbrella too that she uses like a mode of transport like a witch's broom. The Noise tho has to snap his fingers and a limo will appear, crushing anything in it's way in a comically absurd way

Despite being forbidden, very few cosmic entities keep a record of their earlier life with everything they remember, for example Peppino keeps a diary with the name of everyone he knows, what's his relationship with said people and memories of his past life. As long as no one finds those records, he can keep what attaches him to his mortal life.

And finally

The only way to kill a cosmic entity is by saturating them with cosmic particles, too much cosmic particles is very dangerous, if an entity has too much cosmic particles inside of them, their body will slowly melt into a puddle of star and will eventually evaporate into cosmic particles. After that the soul of the entity will go to the afterlife, without the possibility to turn back into a cosmic entity.

And that's all folks!

Congratulations to all the mad lads who made it this far ! , I'm sorry this post has no illustration whatsoever, you had to eat consecutive paragraphs with no yummy colots, I am aware that most people like this AU because of the art, today was not an artsy day alright 😓 !

If you have any questions feel free to ask them,with that being said, remember that lasagnas are pasta cakes and see ya ✌️

[lou-struck]

Off The Clock

Sawamura Daichi x Reader

~On your drive home you are met with the unpleasant sight of flashing red lights behind you.

Genre: Fluff

WC: 1.1k

Warnings: Police officer Daichi.

A/n: I have had this little one shot finished for a while, but I’ve been a bit antsy about posting it. Please read the warning above.

This is the time of year where you grip your steering wheel a little harder and wish that your headlights were just a bit brighter. The trees just off the shoulder of the road hide all sorts of animals that could run out in front of your car at any moment.

It’s terrifying, so much so that you try in advance to finish your workday while the sun is still in the sky. But apparently, the universe had other plans. After an unfortunate coffee spill, you had to go back and print off several documents and sign each one. It really puts you behind schedule, and you end your day just as the last bit of daylight disappears over the horizon.

You hold your breath as you slowly creep past the dense shrubbery, your foot hovers over the break just in case you need to stop for wildlife.

You aren’t able to breathe again till the last bit of shrubbery disappears from the view of your side mirror. With a sigh of relief, you speed up just a bit to get yourself home. Glancing at the dashboard clock, you see that it’s about time for your Boyfriend, Sawamura Daichi, to get off of work at the police station. 

You wonder aloud if you would beat him home tonight; maybe you can surprise him with a movie night or special dessert. The idea of a cozy night in with Sawamura brings a giddy smile to your face as you continue down the road at a pace even a snail would envy.

You are pulled from your thoughts by the flashing red lights of a squad car behind you. With a groan, you pull off to the shoulder, wondering what exactly you did to get pulled over tonight.

Now safely on the side of the road, you see the officer getting out of his vehicle.

The still flashing lights shine in your rearview mirror, the glare too intense for your tired eyes to make out the figure clearly. Perhaps if it is one of Sawamura’s coworkers, you can convince them to let you off with a warning.

With your excuses resting comfortably on the tip of your tongue, you roll down the driver-side window and wait for the approaching officer to ask for your paperwork. 

The officer approaches ridiculously slow; each thudding step towards you hastens your thought process as you wonder. What exactly did you do to get pulled over?

Do you have a headlight out?

Did you run a stop sign?

Did you remember to renew your tabs? …actually, you are not sure about that last one. 

You hold your breath and try to compose yourself. As they stand just outside your window.

“License and registration.” The officer says sternly.

Wait, you know that voice!

Turning your head, you meet your boyfriend’s teasing gaze and warm smile. Your chest lightning significantly, and you no longer feel concerned.

“Sawamura,” you sigh in relief, “did you really have to scare me like that.”

“I got you pretty good, didn’t I?” he laughs, the sound rich and melodious in the night air. But even through the laughter, you detect the tiredness in his voice. “I just got off and saw your car. So I thought I’d pull you over to say hello.”

“Just to say hey?” you giggle, “I thought I was going to get a ticket.”

He removes his cap and runs his fingers through his cropped brown hair with a smile, “If I were to have given you a ticket, what do you think it would’ve been for?”

Your hands drum against the steering wheel as you head back through your mental list from earlier, Headlights, stop signs, tabs.

“Were my tabs expired?” you guess, innocently shooting him a little grin.

He snorts and shakes his head, “Definitely not; I renewed those for you last month.”

“Really” you blink in surprise, touched by his act of service. Thank you for doing that; why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I wanted to see how long it would take for you to notice that they should’ve been renewed. “He smiles. “Do you want to guess again?”

“Do I have a brake light out?”

“Not that either,” he says

“Sawamura, if it’s not that, why would I have gotten a ticket?”

“Sweetheart,” he sighs, looking at you with loving affection. “It was your speed. Do you know how fast you were going?”

“My speed? You repeat back to him, “I was definitely not speeding.”

He laughs that wonderful laugh again, “No, you were definitely not speeding. Love, did you know that you can get a ticket for going too slow?”

Crap… He’s right

“Babe, you know how much I hate driving on this road at night.” you start to say, waving your hands exasperatedly. I didn’t want to hit a deer, and I_.”

His laughter cuts you off. And he leans up against your window frame. “I know; I’m just teasing you a bit. You look so cute when you’re flustered.”

Your cheeks heat up at his compliment; even the faint scar on his cheek is smirking at you in the moonlight. “Jerk, don’t tease me when I’m stressed,” you whine, hitting his hand lightly with your own.

He scratches the back of his head bashfully, giving you an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry; let me make it up to you. I can lead you home and make you dinner. Does that sound good?”

His offer is too good to pass up, and you nod excitedly. “Can you drive slow?” you ask just before he walks away. I don’t want you to get too far away in case something happens.”

“Of course,” he smiles. “Is your Bluetooth set up? I can call you and talk to you the whole way.”

He knows just what to do to make you feel better. 

“That would be great.” you laugh. “You are too good to me, you know that?”

“I’m just treating you the way you deserve to be treated, Love,” he says, pulling out his phone and flashing you a playful smile. “Now, let’s get going; if we leave now, we might get home by sunrise if you speed up a bit.”

Flipping him the bird, you stick your tongue out at him and watch as he slides into the front seat of his cruiser. Already eagerly anticipating his phone call for the short drive home.

[lizzie-is-here]

HOLY SHIT ANT MAN QUANTUMANIA SLAPPED

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

holy shit

that was wild af

ok first of all, them not even being subtle w the whole thing being kind of a metaphor for colonization? our first intro to teen cassie being her getting arrested for fighting back attacks on a peaceful protest? slaps

i love her sm.

also the whole time i could not get over how great everyone���s eyelashes looked

i want the scott book so bad fr you can buy it through marvel

RYAN? AS IN BUZZFEED UNSOLVED RYAN?

I SCREAMED BRO AND SO DID MY FRIEND

the quantum realm looked so cool so things i thought were cool saga:

the manta ray flying thing

the snail horses

the hot general lady

the hot telepath

the sun jellyfish

um. the ant society? hello there are probs trillions of them what we saw at the end was a tiny fraction and i love that for them so much. you don’t understand that made me so happy.

WHAT THE FUCK WAS DARREN

HOWD HE GO FROM THIS

TO THIS

shit was horrific and when i first saw it i very loudly said “oh my gawd” in a full imax theater

ok but his death made me so sad. like cassie just gave him this great pep talk and he fuckin dies. what the hell. rip new avenger

maybe i’m just too emotional

hot general lady was hot and her staff could make people disappear

WHYD THEY KILL THE ROBOT DUDE NO

HE LOOKED LIKE RESIN

>:(

janet being a badass fr fr

omg my ear is bleeding

oh well moving on

that scene in the probability storm with all the scotts helping each other made me cry baskin robins scott slayed

ok but the rings around kang’s ship thing reminded me of the shang chi rings

and the ten rings were also emitting a signal, like how they all got into the quantum realm in the first place

the mid credits scene confused me lmao. i guess it’s the council thing from the loki series

BUT THAT POST CREDIT SCENE

ooh.

#let möbius and loki kiss 2023

but overall, this movie slapped. i say that about every movie but still. i loved the emphasis on scott and cassie’s relationship, i thought the special effects looked cool, and the creativity put into making the people of the quantum realm diverse but still very human was tangible.

10/10 good movie, though i do think it’s funny that ant man went from “thief that hangs out with his bestie in san francisco and occasionally fights with the avengers” to “oh my god he saved everyone and is now stuck with a very powerful multiversal enemy”

[dokkywokky]

Welp! While college is busy murdering my art drive, I guess I should post some backlog stuff.

This here’s a character I’ve been working on for a bit, for a Renaissance fantasy setting that I and some friends have been putting together. Her name’s Kimrin Lin!!

Some neat little tidbits:

- That left arm is a prosthetic! While it uses the setting’s magic to function, converting heat from its inner furnace into mechanical motion and magical impulses, it’s not perfect. Accurate, but not precise, and really only useful in swordfighting as a support more than anything. It’s not a battle injury—She was just born without an arm.

- She’s a Half-Drake, Half-Human (“Tallman”)! Specifically, her Drake father was descended from a group who originally adapted to life in volcanoes. Her scales are black because they were inspired by volcano snails—they’re actually living iron and mineral plating!

- The enormous sword (and her cloak) are from of one of her past jobs. As a Hunter of the Ruby Contingent of Kadara, Kimrin was tasked with duties somewhere between a park ranger, an ecologist, and a big game hunter in the modern day—managing local plant life, maintaining a good balance in the local ecosystem without letting it affect villages under her previous Mission’s watch, and handling the occasional “monster” (rather, megafauna) that got too close to a human settlement.

- The “Black Knight” moniker is from her current occupation! Having studied an additional few years under a Magician’s ministry in Kadara, she’s picked up some academic means of fulfilling her interests. Nowadays, Lin wanders from village to city, documenting the local cultures, ecosystems, foods, etc, in a kind of travelogue. The same sense of justice that drove her to leave the Ruby Contingent, however, also drives her to interfere in some local affairs—stopping executions, helping discriminated people find new homes, etcetera. This kind of nuisance-making has earnt her something of a reputation, and now, exaggerated news of her ‘wicked, disruptive’ deeds is traveling faster than she is.

- She has, in fact, been burnt at the stake before for practicing magic. For the most part, it’s not really that interesting, although the ash does get irritating pretty early into the process.

[leonsnumbahonewifey]

Lunes 1 De Abril

Working in the lab with Luis can get a bit interesting...

  I was supposed to post my Leon one shot first but Luis’s was just too much fun. Anyways I know why you’re here so: smut underneath the cut. Minors do NOT interact or I will personally send Las Plagas through your devices. This is my first time writing explicit content so be gentle :3

The research on the island had been moving at a snail’s pace. It didn’t help that your head researcher keeps getting taken away to look at new strains of whatever you’re working with. It looks like a parasite.. Or it could be a fungus? You don’t really question much about what you’re doing because there’s no point. It’s your own fault you’re trapped in this mess. You always wonder why you left Umbrella, but then again you heard they tanked so maybe this was a good idea after all; You’ve always trusted Luis’s intuition. Well, until the Los Illuminados invaded the village... 

Your work in Spain has at least been interesting for the most part. There’s constantly new developments since Luis is on the team. He’s from the same team that you were from: Umbrella Europe’s Sixth Team. Your team was tasked with working on something called the Nemesis Alpha Parasite. You’re confident it did its job and it worked… but it was wrong. Morally, everything you did was an atrocity. That’s why you followed Luis here, to Spain. You wanted to start fresh, put your brain to good use, but now you were stuck in almost the same exact predicament. Working for the wrong side. 

You take time to look up from your research, your lab coat long discarded. Along with these people’s temperaments, the weather in Spain is unpredictable here on the island. Today’s choice of torture is heat, an insufferable amount as the only chill you get is down below in the freezers. You hate going down there though; it’s too creepy for you. Saddler expects you all to be done with this research by the end of the week but honestly you couldn’t care less. You just want to go outside, go to the beach, and have a little fun. You long to get some relaxation but it’s impossible when you’re forced to work for someone so demanding. 

You brush back some of your hair, the annoying bits tickling your vision. Today’s a good day and you could really use a break from all this insufferable paperwork. It’s stacked neatly on your desk, ready to be analyzed and marked up but you really don’t want to do them today. 

Even though the sun has set, the humidity from the water that surrounds the island is wet and sticky. You start to wish you could peel more of your layers off but that would be indecent. Working across the room is your partner in crime, Luis Serra. He’s got his own troublesome tasks, ones that require an extreme amount of gentle prodding and poking. He’s got a las plagas on his petri dish, or at least some type of old, almost fossilized version of one. It squirms as he pokes at it, not wanting to be touched. He’s wearing his cute, thick pair of glasses, making sure to work with careful precision. You’ve noticed he bites his lip when he concentrates. 

Suddenly you make eye contact and you feel the need to come up with something, “It’s my birthday.” You say and look back down at your papers. It’s not actually, but it could be. You haven’t seen a real calendar in months. You can sort of guess by the season really. 

You hear some rustling behind you, some chairs scooting around, and things being capped. You barely notice he’s directly behind you until he’s placing an arm on your shoulder to turn you around to face him. Your chair swivels and then you’re staring right up into his brown eyes. He cocks an eyebrow in curiosity, a twinge of a smile at his lips. 

"It is?” he asks and you nod in confirmation, he’s never been this close to you before. You wonder what’s gotten into him. The heat must be intolerable to him too and you wonder if he wants to get out of this place as much as you do. 

“Well...Happy Birthday." He eases up and rolls out his shoulders, worn from the past few nights of lab work. You watch as he does so, taking in how the shirt he’s wearing hugs his arm muscles. The middle part in his shirt leaves little to the imagination as he bends, his chest poking out to tease you unconsciously. You feel yourself blush and clear your throat, turning your attention back to your work. The paperwork is a hassle to get through and you can’t keep getting distracted; even if you don’t really want to do it. 

“Thank you, Luis.” you say and continue trying to read your paper, except you can’t start because he’s still standing directly behind you and your desk, watching you intently. 

“Did you… Did you need something?” you swivel in your chair to ask him and he smiles, shaking his head. He takes the paper from your hand and flips it right-side up; you’d been reading an upside down piece of paper without realizing it. You stand up, embarrassed. Either from being caught, or from getting so flustered by him, you don’t know which is the better option. You take the paper from his hand quickly and add it back to your stack before you turn around to face this incredibly awkward situation. 

He’s already standing closer by the time you turn, slowly inching closer by the second. You’re taken aback by his behavior, but only for a moment. Luis has always been a flirt afterall. 

"Do you want a present?" He questions, studying your face for a reaction. Your curiosity gets the best of you and you smile at his words, leaning in to ask him your next (and obvious) question.

“What kind of present?” you ask, perking up and setting your gaze on his lips ‘accidentally’. He notices immediately and gives you a sly smirk; two can play at that game. He slowly boxes you in against your desk, leaning in to whisper in your ear. 

“Me.” His voice is low, his breath feels hot on the side of your neck. You lean slightly into him, suddenly entranced by how he smells. If there was one thing you were glad for on this island it would be their non-stop shipments of cologne’s and Luis’s cigarettes. It’s just so perfect, so… unequivocally him. They really do balance each other out. 

“I’m your present then…?” He asks, pulling back, looking hopefully into your eyes. You nod your head, “if you want to be.” you tell him almost too eagerly. 

He takes your consent and starts to leave kisses to your neck, nibbling affectionately at your jaw when you give him room to. He moves up your jaw to your earlobe and bites it before kissing it. He pulls back suddenly, gazing over your flustered self. You’re breathing quite heavily, cheeks red, and all you can think about is how much you want his lips on yours. 

“Do you… want more?” He asks teasingly. You know he’s teasing you and you already know what he wants. He’s theatrical; he loves a good show. You flutter your eyelashes and play along, leaning forward to lean onto his chest. 

“It is my birthday after all…” 

"Indeed it is. We can't let this special day just pass by without doing..." He raises an eyebrow then gives you a sly smile, "everything we can, right?"

“Right.” You take time to smile up at him and look over his tired face. He’s really trying and it’s just so… adorable. Luis pulls you in closer, so sudden that your lips are just nearly touching. 

"I'm gonna make this birthday one you'll never Forget." He leans in, and his lips meet yours with a soft, sweet kiss. His lips taste like pomegranates, probably because the research facility has groves of them sitting around. It is Spain after all. It’s sweet and comforting because it reminds you so much of home. You practically melt into his arms, your legs starting to feel wobbly. 

He keeps the kiss going for a moment before pulling away. His face has a mischievous smile and a little bit more confidence in it. His eyes look into yours, and he slowly moves his hand up your arm comfortably.

“Get ready, okay? This is gonna be one hell of a ride.” He looks serious but you can’t help but let out a giggle at his choice of words, “Can’t be worse than those mine carts..” you joke and he looks down at you.

“Trust me...it could be way crazier.” Luis smiles that devious smile of his, as he kisses you again. This time you feel his tongue poke through your lips, eager to get more passionate. His lips mash against yours, the tension between the two of you melting and welding you together at the same time. His hands start traveling up from your hips to tease at the underpart of your shirt. You moan lightly and feel him stick his tongue into your mouth, quickly overtaking your own. He suddenly grabs underneath your hips and sets you on the desk behind you. Your papers fly off and you whine in protest but it seems to egg him on as he pushes further into you, hands moving to lay by your sides. He smiles into the kiss, while you’re fighting for a breath of air. You worry he wants to devour you, your skin feels like he’s lighting it on fire. You grunt into his mouth, your legs widening a little bit to let him stand closer to you. 

Luis finally lets go of your lips only to lean next to your ear once more, whispering seductively, “Did you like that?” He teases and you right about pass out. Not only is your heart racing, but you feel as though you’re high, your whole being feels elevated against him. 

“Y-yes, sir..” you call him something you’ve wanted to for quite a while. It just feels so right to call him something like that in the moment. Giving him respect, stroking his ego completely turns him on and you want to make him feel validated. Your title earns a smug smile from him.

“You know what? I really like you calling me sir.” Luis pulls you in close again, giving you another kiss before asking, "Do you want to move this someplace more...private?" 

You nod excitedly, wrapping your limbs around him as he picks you up. He smiles sweetly as he walks through the lab, heading towards the dormitories. As the door opens you hide your face in his chest, although you know no one will catch you. It’s too late for any of the older researchers to be awake. The trip is short and luckily for you the rooms next to yours are vacated; no one wants to be that close to work besides the two of you. He stops and looks between the two rooms, trying to decide which to go in and you whine, wanting him to hurry up. He grunts and decides to just go into his room, readjusting you on his hips right before he kicks open the door. 

Immediately you’re thrown onto his bed, the smell of jasmine hitting your nostrils. He’s left his window open, the ripe buds of the shrubbery making his whole room smell of the damn thing’s pollen. It’s sweet and it's equally erotic as it mixes with his own scent as he climbs on top of you. 

He pushes you into the bed, holding your arms above your head. He sits back and gazes over your body hungrily, “We’re alone aren’t we?” His voice is husky. You nod and he flicks his eyes once more down your torso, eyeing your buttoned shirt. 

“Yes.” You answer him and he leans back down, hands on the button of your shirt, “Good..” his breathing is low and heavy, his eyes half-lidded. “We can make as much noise as we want.” He clicks his tongue, smirking. 

You waste no time grabbing him by his open shirt to kiss him, not wanting to waste a single second. Luis lets out a soft grunt when you suddenly pull him in, kissing him feverishly. 

"God." He eventually pulls back a little and moves his hands to your hips. "You are so... perfect."

His expression is soft, the look in his eyes looking as if he could get lost in you for the rest of eternity. You feel yourself puddle underneath his gaze, self conscious. This inhibition spikes your heart rate and you just want to hide your head in his chest to avoid those telling eyes of his. If he stares in yours, it’s truly over. He’ll know you have feelings for him, that you’ve fallen for him, but it’s true. How could you not? He’s got everything that you could ask for. He’s got smarts, personality… fuck, I mean he’s perfect. Even if this is the only time this happens, you will cherish this moment until the end of time. He truly makes you feel like yourself. 

“You’re too nice to me,” you manage to get out of your tight jaw. It feels like you’re learning to talk all over again. The weight of your words are almost too much to be able to get out. You want to say so many things but you can’t help but stick to the basics. You want to call him your sunlight, your protector, your… your boyfriend. Your breathing stops a little at your true revelation and he seems to notice as he leans in again, giving your lips a slow, yet sensual kiss. 

“I’m just telling the truth, mi chispita.” His hands then move up from your hips, to your waist, and finally to your back where his fingers run along it. His voice is husky and still ever… so… low.

"You are perfect, muñeca… and I'm gonna make sure you know that while we're here." He leans back in for another deep, heated kiss. The confession is simple, yet it flows to your ears like the most complex piece of music ever written. It leaves you stunned, pausing your grasps, your tantalizing touches. He freezes too, just like you have. The awkward air is ever so thick, the tension frozen in suspension. He realizes his mistake, realizes that he’s confessed to the most obscene truth: he fancies you just as much as you fancy him too. 

However, it’s quickly forgotten as he places his lips back on yours, the tension dissipating and so goes your patience. You grasp his hair and pull it back, forcing him from your lips. He whines, clearly enjoying it, but you do not relent. He needs to know that you are infatuated with every single aspect of him, every molecule.

“God, you’re so sexy,” you get out quickly, in between your pants of breath. A twinge of blush appears upon his cheeks but it’s almost as if it were like a car speeding past, the red tail lights leaving in the distance. It’s gone quickly and then replaced with something unknown. Like the darkness of an alleyway. He is dangerous, alluring; he has your emotions at his fingertips and he knows how to play you like the sweetest guitar. He’s kind of hard to read when he’s so serious but it’s so exciting. 

“Do you want me to make you feel good?” He asks and your hand drops from his hair. Your hands move down his chest and then lay at your sides, you look away, nodding. 

He grabs your chin and forces you to look at him, “Yes, Sir,” you correct yourself immediately. 

“Good girl.” Luis moves in yet again, kissing you passionately, his arms moving you to back against the headboard. He's got you right where he wants you, and he takes his time, reveling in the feeling of control. He unbuttons a few buttons, starting from the bottom and working his way up slowly. He slides it off of you, leaving you in your black bra. 

“God… I really want you.” He speaks into your shoulder, giving it a few pecks. 

“I want you too, Luis..” You grasp at his jacket which he pulls off faster than you could ever ask him. 

“You do, huh?” He chuckles. 

"Tell me...what do you want?" Luis leans in closely, so that his face is mere inches from yours, with his hand now moving up to your waist..

"What do you want me to do to you?" He looks at you with complete attention. He knows what he’s doing, giving you so many choices. He can see you daydream, even though he’s right here, right above you. You can tell he’s leaning towards a certain idea, his finger playing with the waistband of your work jeans. You giggle and shuffle backwards so you’re sitting up better. 

“Whatever you think is best for your ‘good girl’.” you smirk and gauge his reaction to your words. He’s completely whipped now if he wasn’t already. His hands work skillfully to get you up and out of your pants as quickly as he can manage. He then sits back on his knees to pull his shirt off, going as slow as he can, teasing to you his toned body. Your eyes rake across his form, committing every single muscle, ab, happy trail to your memory for later use. 

“Good girls get the best prizes, right?” He asks and throws his shirt somewhere behind him onto the floor with the rest of your other discarded clothes. He leans forward, a single warm, large hand moving forward on your stomach to your chest, underneath your bra. 

“Are you a good girl though?” 

“Yes, sir.” you say confidently because of course you’re his ‘good girl’. You follow all his instructions and commands in the lab perfectly. You’d be surprised if he didn’t know how much his praise does it for you. The amount of nights you lay awake thinking about delusions, about how maybe he really meant his light touches to your shoulder while you’d work. 

He gives you a devilish grin, dominance practically dripping from him, “Say it,” he orders, “Say, ‘I’m your good girl’, for me.” He strokes your cheek lightly coaxing it out of you. 

“I’m your good girl, Luis,” you say obediently. 

“And what do good girls get?” 

“Your…” you trail off embarrassed; you can’t finish the thought. 

“That’s right,” he answers quickly, “And what's Luis's...good girl going to get?" He practically growls as he reaches down to slide underneath your panties, dipping into the wetness that’s been waiting to be explored. His fingers are light and yet determined, one moving below to tease your cunt. 

“Y-your..” you falter in your words as he continues to move his finger around in circles. Luis pauses and waits for your elaboration, cocking his head to the side, “My…?” he mocks you. Damn him and his smooth talk. 

“You know…” you blame your embarrassment on his beauty and his oh-so skillful fingers that start to travel deep into your cunt. He laughs, and it's an incredibly genuine laugh.

"God, you are so cute. Say it." He smiles at you, and he leans in very closely, so that your lips are barely touching. Then, he moves over to whisper in your ear, “Sayyyy it." He speaks slowly in that voice of his that is like the sweetest honey you’ve ever tasted. He continues his teasing, unrelenting. 

“Your cock…” you finally answer, your blush quite evident on your face. Never have you asked something so… vulgar of someone. He pauses, his eyes close and he looks as if he’s concentrating on something. His eyebrows furrow as if he’s deep in thought, but really you know he’s trying not to cum. 

Luis quickly pulls you in again, kissing you with more vigor, deeper, with the passion of a madman. He's clearly in a mood right now— almost a little unhinged. Eventually, he breaks the kiss again, his breath still hot against your lips. He looks you up and down intensely as if he’ll never see it again. You recognize the gaze because it’s just what you were doing earlier. He throws his head back and brushes his hair back in frustration.  

"How could anyone see you and not want you... God, it'd be like not wanting the sun after months in darkness..." He seems to be in his own little world, gently moving his hands to rub circles into your hip. You kiss him deeply, breaking him off from his thoughts, “and you are my sunlight in a dark place…” you try to match his ‘smoothness’. 

His eyes light up a bit and he smiles endearingly, “Holy...that was way too sweet. Gosh...who knew you had some smooth moves? Did you have that one planned?" He winks at you with a hint of smugness in his tone, but he's clearly impressed. 

“Nooooo, I came up with that one on the fly.” you huff and he chuckles. 

“You're so smart, baby girl... I don't know how to pay you back for being so perfect... but it looks like we're gonna get into some mischief now, oye?" you nod and he pulls your panties down and out of the way to sit in the middle of your legs. 

“Only if you want to.” you quickly add, and he gives you an incredulous look.

“Are you kidding?” You already know that's what I want... and now that I'm sure it's what you want too, well...I could show you a little bit of my appreciation…” you can’t help but pull him in for about the hundredth kiss of the night, his words making you practically lose it. You want him so badly it hurts. 

“Please, Luis.” you beg. You move his head upwards and kiss his neck, moving your hands underneath his shirt. Luis lets out a soft moan - the first such sound he's made this whole time. It gives you a delectable idea, perhaps you’d misread him this entire time. His stalling and teasing maybe were for a different reason…

"God..." His breathing picks up, and you can feel the tension building as he becomes more and more worked up. You continue to kiss his neck, nipping at the skin. When he starts to wobble above you that's when you realize he’d probably want you on top instead. 

“You like that, baby?” you ask him, the gentle yet teasing inflection in your voice teeters him over the edge and then he’s moving his hands at your sides and flipping you so that he’s laying down in his pillows and you’re straddling his hips. 

“Yeah...god, yeah, I do..." He’s squirming now, trying to get some friction between your two bodies but you squeeze your legs at his side, stopping his movements. You grab his hair and grip it hard, watching as he opens his mouth to let out a soft, shaky moan. You grind down and he starts panting, his heart rate rising - and it shows; Luis's chest flutters heavily with every beat of his heart. You can feel his hardened length below you, and god does it feel good to take control for once. 

"God, yes..." He lets out a soft little whimper, and he sounds like he's half-afraid and half-excited, but it’s obvious he’s enjoying it. He’s such a little slut. You take a mouthful of his neck and give it a bite, and he’s squirming again, but this time you let him. 

“God, you're really... really good at this…” He whines and you smirk moving your kisses down his chest, experimentally attaching to one of his nipples, giving it a few short licks. Luis lets out a gasp as your lips make contact with his chest, and the man starts panting as you continue to tease him. You can see sweat starting to form on his chest, though he's almost too caught up in this pleasure to care.

"God...keep going, baby… Agh...!” his breath catches in his throat and he practically freezes in place. It's like he's never been touched like this before... or perhaps, it's just been way too long since he's felt this kind of pleasure... Either way, as your hands and lips keep exploring him, you can practically feel his cock throbbing. It almost seems as if he's getting close to the edge already. You finally decide he’s got way too many clothes on him left and you shuffle downward to unbuckle his jeans and grab his boxers, sliding them down to reveal his hard cock. It’s a bit daunting at first glance. It’s so long and unbelievably thick. You can’t help but drool at the image directly in front of you. You look at his face and can just tell he’s close. He’s got hair sticking to his forehead and his face has oh so much blush on his cheeks. He looks at you like you’re the prettiest girl in the world, and you take a mental picture of how he looks as you move forward and sink down on his cock. 

As you feel him travel through your walls you hiss in pain, but it's a welcome one as Luis struggles to keep his voice down, louder than it has been up to this point. He moans and his chest flutters once more, his skin feels like it’s on fire. 

"God... that feels good... so, so good...You’re so t-tight." He lets out his own soft, breathy whine, struggling not to move. After a few moments of adjusting you start to move your hips against him, expertly adjusting your pressure to his cock. You pause your movements after a little bit of time, even though you want to keep going, but it’s just so easy to tease him. 

"Please keep going." Luis's voice now has a certain tone to it, at once playful and teasing, yet desperate at the same time; somehow, he's found a sweet spot that fits him perfectly. 

“What if I don’t? What if I just stop right here?” you tease and his eyes go wide. 

"Don't...please don't..." His voice now has a tone of submission to it- and it's not hard to see that he is more serious now. You really are in control, and your teasing is driving him crazy.

“Beg for it.” you slip a hand underneath his chin, your thumb playing with his bottom lip. 

"Please just do it…” His breathing is unbelievably heavier, and there's a certain look in his eyes that's almost like...a plea. You move slightly and Luis’s whole body tingles, and another soft moan escapes his lips. He lets out a shuddering breath, and you watch as his chest flutters once more. You stop your movements again loving how he furrows his brows in frustration. 

“You really are a cruel girl, huh?” Luis stares up at you with a slight smile on his face, that mischievous sparkle once more in his eyes, attempting to move you together himself. You quickly give him a tut of disapproval, holding down his arms. He’s much stronger than you are and he could easily take control if he wanted to, but he’s enjoying this too much.

“God…Please.” The desperation and the pleading for this to continue are clearly on display in his voice, Luis looks helpless as your body does its work. You feel him slip in and out of your cunt, practically bouncing you on him. You’re a moaning mess, his work so skillful it almost rivals your own. You feel a fire in your stomach, one that lets you know you’re close. You speed up your own movements and Luis lets out a sharp intake of breath at the sudden increase in intensity; you can tell by the look on his face that he's getting close too. His breathing is heavy, his eyes slowly roll back in his head... You have him right on the edge, and it looks like he's ready to completely lose it.

"God...I'm so close..." He's so unbelievably close, he can barely even speak, "You're gonna... kill me..." you feel him hit your sweet spot and feel yourself let go right then and there and cum right on his cock, your walls tightening around him. You moan loudly against him as he continues to fuck you, chasing his own release. Not long after, a shudder rocks through the entire frame of his body, his legs tremble and he lets out a loud, almost pornographic moan as he finishes inside you. You can feel his cum splash and gush inside your body, filling you up but you don’t care, you’ll take anything from him at this point. 

It takes his breath away for a few moments. Luis lays there, utterly spent, barely even catching his breath after what he just experienced; the man looks positively exhausted, but despite his state, there's also a deep smile on his face, his eyes shut and he just simply looks... happy. Happy that he got exactly what he wanted. You look at him with complete adoration and infatuation. He’s beautiful like this. He’s ethereal. He’s everything under the Sun. “I love you, Luis.” you tell him. 

Luis’s ears pick up the word “love”, and he sits up to look at you. For a moment, he’s completely still, just staring at you as he processes this. After he does, he gives a big, genuine smile, and it’s almost like he’s speechless. The man is absolutely flabbergasted; he doesn’t know what to say. 

“I…I love you too…” He eventually manages to get out, blushing and smiling at you in that cute and dorky way of his. You smile and kiss his cheek, laying against him. 

“Can we cuddle?” you ask but Luis doesn’t need any questioning; after all, he’s already in a love-drunk state after everything that just happened - and being the softie deep down that he is, he of course can’t help but be completely overjoyed at the concept of cuddling with you.

He smiles, “I’d love to.” Luis lets out a soft, giddy little laugh as he gives you a peck, and then hugs you to his waist, keeping his length inside you. 

“Luis…” you whine and he blushes, slowly pulling out of you, “That’s a problem for later,” he winks. 

You give him kisses all over his adorable face, smiling wide at his absolute cuteness. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” Luis can't help but blush more and more at that; he's got a face red as a tomato by the time you’re done giving him kisses all over his face. He starts giggling like an absolute doofus and starts mumbling the same thing; 'I love you, I love you, I love you...' His smile grows wider and wider by the second as you continue together. And then after a moment it’s silent, the only sound being your combined breaths. 

“Happy birthday....” he says, breaking the silence and you giggle. 

“Do I get another wish?” you ask hopeful, and he sighs, not in an annoyed way but in a way that says ‘yes my love what else do you wish to take from me?’ sort of way. 

“Yes.” He answers, looking down at you curiously. You swallow a bit and then hide in his chest. 

“Are we together now?” It's more of a question than a wish but you wait with baited breath all the same. His chest suddenly rumbles and then you realize he’s laughing at you. You look up to see he’s got the widest smile on his face, eyes crinkling with happiness. You pout at him but he ruffles your hair. 

“Of course, mi chispita. Together forever.” He leans up to kiss your forehead, and then lays his head down on the pillow closing his eyes. You hug him tighter and snuggle closer to him, sighing dreamily. 

“It’s not actually my birthday, you know,” You confess and he gives another hearty, yet tired laugh. 

“I know it’s not, it’s way too early.” He surprises you with his knowledge and it makes you so, so happy. 

“Still, best ‘birthday’ ever…” you say and then slowly feel yourself drift off to sleep, the smell of jasmine persisting to cover the both of you. You’ll figure out your grand escape plan from this island eventually. 

Spanish translations: “Mi chispita” - “My little spark or my sparkle.” “Muñeca” - “Doll”

[little-de-vil]

GOOD MORNING THIS JUST HIT ME AND I’M GOING TO CRY WRITING IT AND YOU SHOULD TOO! (or: Dance in Snowfall)

(I really should be answering my owns asks, but ehhh I’ll get to that later) Inspired by this post by @moreespressoformydepresso (amazing post!!!) (thanks @maidstew for reblogging that because now I have this), just 66 years later [because to me, the main timeline of Snowfall is at the start of the 74th Tour, but then again, this story is not linear by any means]. Actually, this segment is 34 years later after the 10th, at the Victory Tour party at the president's mansion, on the eve of Harvest, celebrating the first Cutter Victor of the Hunger Games, the 44th Victor.

The song I reference is from this post, and here are the lyrics and writing breakdown.

Ashlar Hawk Vance Sophro hates Capitol music. It's too high, too bright, too unnatural, manufactured. And the dances are even worse. Stiff and stilted and spinning with the only focal point being your partner who moves at the same snail pace as all the rest.

"But at least your partner is pretty to look at," he thinks as he steps on her foot again. Pretty and kind, because she just keeps laughing every time, taking one more step to force him upright, to keep slowly spinning with her, to not let go.

But he does the next time she smiles, for she's a great actress, but if he can't believe it then there's no point to keep trying. He hates himself for being here. He's being celebrated for the worst thing he's ever done, for now being rich and famous and loved by rich and famous people but all he can think of is how badly he wants to be home. He'll be back back tomorrow for the Harvest but that's not same because he'll be on that stage, being cheered at. He won't have the luxury of being with his people, just the hewers, the layers, the miners. It's a very different pressure to look good in front of your whole district versus your mountain folk.

How he wishes he could just run from this crowd of slowly spinning mannequins and dance in front of the stone pillar, singing a song only sung once year. And he can't even sing it now. And he knows his family is singing it now, all of Pike at the foot of the mountain, singing and spinning themselves sick, stones pressed to their foreheads, stones jumping from couple to couple. Oh, how he wishes he were like that last line, free from all of this, happy and singing.

He didn't even notice they'd stopped dancing, he guesses the song had ended as softly as it began, with nothing to bolster a difference from one to the next. She keeps holding his hands, nudges him and asks if he's done dancing, too tired. He's not. He's bored.

He grips her hands and they run off the dance floor into a labyrinth of hedges with pretty, sweet flowers. He's never been impulsive, but then again he's never been this person until the trumpets.

"Dance with me." He says, still gripping her hands, only softer. He's excited, happy to be away from the crowd, from the knowing eyes and the painfully hideous clothes and terrible, powerful people.

"We've been dancing, V. My feet can prove we've been doing something of the sort." She says, smiling.

"No Rose, we've been spinning, slowly spinning and just that. That's not dancing! That's just...sad. Dance with me." He repeats.

He pulls out their stones from his jacket pocket, his slightly edged marble to her perfectly tumbled rose quartz, placing his on her forehead. "Dance with me like we're on a mountain, singing and twirling and moving around friends, not strangers. Dance with me to bring on a better year, if nothing else. Dance with me because you love me." He barely whispers that last part.

Her finger hovers over his scar, not touching, just tracing how it moves so cleanly from his temple to his chin. "I don't know how to dance like that."

"I can teach you." He kisses the stone on her forehead. "I just don't want to be alone. Our dances need others, they need life."

He moves back from her and outstretches his arms, one rounded above his head, the other with his palm facing outward on his chest. She mirrors him and slowly they begin to spin. Not in small, tiny circles but in great leaps from one end to the other. As they keep moving, he puts his stone on her forehead, motioning her to do the same. He can barely be heard singing,

We take the crystals and the stones Our lovers and loved ones, we're not alone

But he is heard.

They keep jumping and spinning and she's still a bit confused as to how she got there in the first place and how and when to put her arms where because he keeps saying that the movements match the lyrics, but he refuses to say them. Because he can't. So she keeps going through the motions, keeps jumping and humming to a song she doesn't know and can't hear, one that's only playing in his head but he's so happy that she doesn't care. And at the end, and she is sure this is the end when they bow towards something that must be their guide, she's dizzy but happy. And he's just happy.

"You do this every year? This tradition?" She asks, handing back her stone that he carefully wraps in a small, beat up burlap bag.

"Yes and no. Yes, we do this every year on the eve of the Harvest. Every town goes to their own mine or quarry and has a real party. But it's not a tradition. It's a ritual."

She furrows her brows, "Same thing, isn't it?"

He laughs, "You city folk have all this education and no culture outside of being rich and pretty."

"I can say lots worse for you, Vance Sophro."

"You're too pretty for that, Celeste Snow."

"So what's the difference then? Enlighten me."

He bows his head, mimicking the Capitol gesture, "Traditions are customs and cultural beliefs passed down from generation to generation. Rituals are actions performed in a certain order, still very cultural but they have to be done in the exact same way. Rituals are about order, traditions are about culture, both maintaining it.”

She nods, "So the dancing is both?"

"Sure, the dancing is part of a pre-Harvest ritual. Maybe I'll take you there one of these years." He says that more like a question.

"If we last that long, my love."

"I have no doubt about it, my Rose."

For the next 30 years, they sneak off to perform this ritual in their own way, to keep it alive in the limited way they can.

It's only when everything has fallen that they perform it how has to be, bringing offerings of a small box filled with a collection of stones and a hammer and chisel with the initials M.S. to the mountain in Pike.

[piqueconcentration]

"Clay Pigeons" and the Blaze Foley Rabbit Hole

Originally posted Nov 9, 2022

This person, in the picture below, is Blaze Foley- a man that I had never heard of until a few days ago. He is also one of the most influential folk and country music singer-songwriters (arguably) that there ever has been.

At the Folk & Forage music festival this past weekend, my good friend Jenner Fox, the incredible musician and veritable jukebox of a human being, began playing a song that I recognized, right as I was leaving the fire to get ready for bed. Several of my very close family friends -essentially extended family- were warming themselves by the flames, instruments in hand; they had just been playing a medley of John Prine songs after a particularly Prine-centric evening (John Prine, for the uninitiated, is -unlike Foley- an extremely famous singer-songwriter. His music inspired nearly an entire generation of the folk genre, and he is credited with such masterpieces as "I Remember Everything," "Angel From Montgomery," "In Spite of Ourselves," and on and on and on), but I was tired and the darkness required I have resolve enough to make it through the nighttime woods back to the cabin.

In any case, the song that Jenner's dad had asked him to play quietly landed upon my ear snail, and it was "Clay Pigeons". Now, my experience with this song was limited. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I had only heard it played by Michael Cera, who, if you don't have your finger on the pulse of contemporary indie/comedy filmmaking, is a bit of a young people's darling after his roles in Arrested Development, Superbad, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, among other things, and he currently is (presumably) enjoying quite the successful indie music stint. The absolutely insufferable hipster buried in me might scoff at the prospect of listening to someone who gained even a bit of notoriety from something as... repugnant as being an actor, especially one that people near my age swoon for, but that part of me sucks and I hate it and I wish it would shut up.

In any case, I was under the impression that the song in question, one that I had always really loved for a lot of reasons- its simultaneous simplicity, understated yet heartfelt lyrics and its confusingly ever-appealing melody (there isn't really a good way to explain something like that, but it manages to hit you right in the heart with only, like, three notes per line) was written by Cera, as i hadn't really heard or known to go looking for any other recordings of it. I listened to Jenner pick the rest of the tune, me quietly singing the harmonies as if subconsciously to prove my music-knowing chops to the people around me -people I need not prove anything to, as if there are any people like that at all- and asked: a) whether it bothers him that I like every song that he plays so much that I end up copying him and learning them all myself, and b) who wrote that one. I had noticed some differences in the lyrics between his and Cera's versions, and I guess I deduced that the latter was not, in fact, their author. He said "Blaze Foley" and I wrote that down in my notebook, joked to him about my musical/composorial confusion, said my good-nights, and went to bed with the melody still dancing around my brain.

It was still dancing several days after I got back to my house, and I went looking for another recording, worrying that the one I would like best may end up being the one that I'd heard first by nature of its earlier discovery. The first three versions that I found were the one by Michael Cera from the 2014 album True That, the Blaze Foley one on Sittin' by the Road from 2010, and the John Prine recording on 2005's Fair and Square. I immediately grew several sizes larger than my pants. The texts I sent to Jenner immediately after that go thusly, without grammatical correction:

well what do you know, clay pigeons isnt originally by blaze foley, it's by JOHN PRINE

*It is now, as I am writing this, that I am immensely grateful for the fact that Jenner was not entirely knowledgeable about the origins of the song.*

wait nevermind what

ok the info on the internet is very confusing

god i was so confident too

All that confidence had dissipated as soon as I took more than a cursory glance at any other part of the internet than the first few results on Spotify that come up when you type in "clay pig." What probably tipped me off was learning that Blaze Foley died in 1989, so there was absolutely no way that the recordings could correspond with their listed dates.

I then went down the proverbial rabbit hole as the title implies, and through several stages of knowledge about the timeline of this almost mythical man and his music, so instead of taking the reader down the same, needlessly complex path that I took to get to what I know now, I'll just start telling you about the guy as chronicled by his album releases, particularly as they are listed on Spotify. I won't pretend to know by what system Spotify dates their albums, considering in this case it is wildly inaccurate, but for storytelling reasons I'll go through them in terms of their oldest to newest (seemingly arbitrary) dates. Let it be known, also, that one thing I've found all over the internet in researching him is that compared to other artists of similar time and renown, his music is "frustratingly scarce" (Spotify), as he only has a few studio albums, and his most reliable recordings are ones from when he was playing live. There are a few other reasons, but you'll learn about them in a bit.

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Actually that sounds kind of boring and made me stop writing for like two days because it didn't interest me, so I rescind that previous statement about writing about each album and will now be doing whatever I want.

Anyway, the album above is In Tribute and Loving Memory... Volume #1, released in 1998- essentially a testament to just how much of an incredible impact Blaze Foley had on the musicians of his time, with covers of his songs from fifteen different artists, including several recordings from his personal friend and fellow musician Townes Van Zandt. It does not include, however, the covers done by even more famous artists (Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson, Joe Nichols & Lee Ann Womack, Nanci Griffith, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Michael Cera, and Whitney) recorded before or after, or the songs that they wrote about Blaze (Townes Van Zandt's "Blaze's Blues," Lucinda Williams's "Drunken Angel," Gurf Morlix's "Music You Mighta Made," and Kings of Leon's "Reverend"). The point is, either his songwriting or his personality or both had a lasting effect on anyone he met, and continue to have one on the people that learn about him, considering my current admiration.

The things about his personality that made him endearing to so many are wild to hear about- he was an absolute enigma, an alcoholic, a troublemaker, regularly engaging in self-destructive behavior, writing a fair amount of songs that actively made people uncomfortable, what with their scathing political satire or their just straight up sometimes gross lyrics. He was seemingly familiar with homeless shelters, regularly destitute, wore shoes and clothes so old that they were almost more duct tape than leather or fabric -his affinity for duct tape was widely known- but he also had a reputation for being amicable, oddly charismatic, and above all, a good friend.

In my opinion, he is best characterized by songs from one of the few recording sessions of his that are readily available, when he played a show at the Austin Outhouse, "one of the few music establishments in town that would tolerate him" (Spotify). The performance, which took place on his thirty-ninth birthday, was long enough that the songs were split onto two albums. The first is Live at the Austin Outhouse, released cassette-only in 1989 and then again in 1999, and the second is Oval Room, released in 2004.

In many of the songs from the former, oddly at the end of the songs, you can hear a monologue from Foley about the tune he is about to play next (these days, if there is a monologue at all, it would normally happen in the same "song" as the song, but that is most likely a product of the album translating to streaming format in an unconventional manner). As it was played live, the listener is treated to the sounds of the audience, the interaction between the people on the stage, you can even tell when Blaze's jokes land and get the audience hooting and hollering, or sometimes don't land and the crowd doesn't laugh. It is an absolutely wonderful portrait of a man just slightly more weird than the people around him, and I think that is a beautiful thing.

Some of my favorite of his unhinged sermons, that I have attempted to transcribe in his exact manner of speech:

"*strum* And uh, ahm on' send it to Merle Haggard, I'un know if he'll read it, or not, but if anybody wants 's say hello t' Merle say 'hello' now. *'Hello, Merle!/Hey, Merle!' from audience* Hey, Merle. (presumably Foley, impersonating Kermit the Frog) Uh, Merle, this is Kermit, yeah. *Audience''s continued greetings, one woman laughing, strum* Uh, have you seen Miss Piggy uh last I heard she w's on yer buss. I'm kinda miffed, uh, Merle, know what I mean? *silence, strum* Cuz it's not easy being green- *strum* (no longer Kermit:) This's call' 'Our Little Town.'"

-Blaze Foley on the track "New Slow Boat to China," before playing "Our Little Town," Live at the Austin Outhouse, 1989

"This's call' Officer Norris. *chord strum* ihs' about a, cop that, put me in jail one time fer'... I was with a, married wom'n an' her, child. An' her husban' wun'n there and the cop didn' like that an' we were all friends, n' it ws', on the up-an'-up kinda. *slow chord strum* But anyway a cop stopped us fer', swervin'... after leavin' a Burger King parking lot an' goin' ten feet an' the car was like fourteen feet long. An' ih's like 'well, how could we swerve? Car's, not that short.' But anyway, 'Shut up, boy.' An' they put me in jail an' I had tinnis shoes on an' they had a concrete floor, it's'uh night kinna like t'night n' my guitar w's in the back of a truck, an' I w's afraid it was gettin' rained on n' the case wuhdn'n good *chord* so I wrote this song. But anny'way, I kep' stompin' on'n concrete floor w' my tinnis shoes n' they never heard me n'... my feet paid. *two strums, picking* So I, now I wear taps on my tinnis shoes."

-Blaze Foley on the track "Our Little Town," before playing "Officer Norris," Live at the Austin Outhouse, 1989

And on Oval Room, the other album made from that one show at the Outhouse, where most of the monologues are removed, there is one song called "20 Years Introduction," which is just Blaze speaking about the next song he's going to play (possibly "Someday," which is the next song on the album, but it's unclear if the songs are actually in the order that he played them that night). A portion of the same monologue appears before the track "Our Little Town" on In Tribute and Loving Memory... Volume #1.

"A lot of people say I'm, half sick, most uh' the time. *strum* But I can tell you that I'm... mostly not sick, most uh' the time. *strum* But anyway, uh... (unintelligible) this might not end up on'nuh record I hope not 'cuz I soun' like a hillbilly, *two strums* but uh, this talkin' part (chuckle). But anyway I'm jus' g'nna see what, what happens, like twen'y years from now I might still be haun'ted by this. *strum* Or, maybe not."

-Blaze Foley on the track "20 Years Introduction," Oval Room, 2004

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Blaze Foley was shot and killed on February 1, 1989, a month and a half after he played that show. He had wanted the proceeds of the album to go to a homeless shelter, but they were used to pay for his funeral costs instead (Spotify). His friends wrapped his coffin in duct tape.

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The next part is about where all his music went. Thankfully, we happen to be living in the age of peak musical availability, and several of the "lost" albums have been found, but I think it's worth taking a look at just how much trouble it took to get it all back. Normally, in a situation like this where some media is gone or missing, I feel like there's generally some sort of motive from someone that keeps it from resurfacing, like a crooked producer or a greedy company, but in this case, it just seems as though the Universe was adamantly determined to hide whatever the man in question wrote.

I think Foley's Wikipedia page puts it best:

"The master tapes from his first studio album were confiscated by the DEA when the executive producer was caught in a drug bust. Another studio album disappeared when the master copies were stolen with his belongings from a station wagon that Foley had been given and lived in.  A third studio album, Wanted More Dead Than Alive, was thought to have disappeared until, many years after Blaze died, a friend who was cleaning out his car discovered what sounded like the Bee Creek recording sessions on which he and other musicians had performed. This was Foley's last studio album, and he was scheduled to tour the UK with Townes Van Zandt in support of the album. When Foley died, his attorney immediately nullified the recording contract and the master tapes subsequently disappeared (reportedly lost in a flood)" (Wikipedia).

Anyway, I now adore his songwriting. I love the simple chord progressions, and as someone who struggles with needing to feel wholly original when I try to write a song, it's a powerful reminder that a song can be what feels like a masterpiece without being a ridiculous, jazzy scalebreaker. I love, in "Clay Pigeons," how the final verse is made up of parts from the first and last verses. I love his tendency to sometimes add a part of the melody at the end of a line that sounds like it's preparing to loop back around, that doesn't complete the melody but is like the lyrical equivalent of a sus chord. I love how the words he uses never feel forced or out of place. I love how I can't quite understand what he's saying metaphorically in his songs, it feels like it makes it simultaneously more personal and easier to listen to.

It makes me happy that we have what we have left of his work.

In conclusion, I think that artists should say the name of the original composer in the title of covers that they release.

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References:

Dave HJ (Director). (2015, May 3). Blaze Foley—Clay Pigeons, rare Live. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM3YROq_cLY

Blaze Foley. (n.d.). Spotify. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://open.spotify.com/artist/1TlScGwN8MmIZ7kIYGjSZA

Blaze Foley age, hometown, biography | Last.fm. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.last.fm/music/Blaze+Foley/+wiki

Blaze Foley music, videos, stats, and photos. (n.d.). Last.Fm. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.last.fm/music/Blaze+Foley

Blaze Foley on Apple Music. (n.d.). Apple Music. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://music.apple.com/us/artist/blaze-foley/44075415

Blaze Foley. (2022). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blaze_Foley&oldid=1111200666